IndiaPost_03-11-2011 by Ghanshyam Bisht

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INDIA RUSHES IAF, NAVY TO LIBYA

NEW YORK • WASHINGTON D.C. • CHICAGO • ATLANTA • CALIFORNIA

Washington DC opens doors to 'maximum India' Details on page 8

‘Indian economy will beat US, China by 2050’

VOL 16, No. 861

March 11, 2011

50¢

Periodical Postage

Big evacuation effort launched

Ald Ameya Pawar responding to FIA guests and members

FIA Chicago honors Alderman Amaya Pawar Details on page 12

Most TVU students transferring to other universities

Details on page 34 Details on page 8

Congress party summoned by US Court

2 desi jewellers faked robbery for insurance

Details on page 9 Details on page 6

US ranks ninth in immigrants integration

Arkansas doctor gets life sentence for bomb attack

Details on page 42

Details on page 7

Indian Embassy launches Facebook page Details on page 9 Indian evacuees from Libya leave the international terminal at the airport in New Delhi, on February 27 India Post News Service

Gulshan Grover in PETA campaign Details on page 27

NEW DELHI: Facing criticism over lethargy and delay in evacuation of Indians from strife-torn Libya, the Indian government has ordered the IAF and Navy into the operation to bring back the stranded Indians in the North African country. By Thursday March 3, 7,000 of the 18,000 Indians trapped in the North African country had been evacuated after four special Air India flights brought 1,188 Indians

Rajat Gupta charged for insider trading India Post News Service

survey@indiapost.com This week’s question

Was India lax in evacuating citizens from Libya? Last week’s result

Ameya Pawar’s triumph will inspire others YES 87%

NO 13%

Details on page 6

Consulate calls for registration of NRI voters Details on page 9

CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 22-23

SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY

INDIA POST SURVEY

home. The Indian Air Force (IAF) also flew a transport plane to Libya to help in the evacuation. It is the biggest evacuation effort mounted by India after the August 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait that forced thousands of Indians in the country to flee to Amman, the capital of Jordan, from where they were flown home. Three Air India flights - two Boeing 747s and one Airbus-330 - brought back 1,045 Indians from Libyan capital Tripoli on March 2.

Sri Lanka-born Raj Rajaratnam of Galleon Management in 2009. The SEC announced that Connecticut-based Gupta, who has served on the boards of directors at Goldman Sachs and Procter & Gamble and was formerly managing director of McKinsey for almost a decade, is charged for illegally tipping Galleon Management founder and hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam with inside information about the quarterly earnings at both firms as well as an impending $5 billion investment by Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway in Goldman. Details on page 7

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have nothing personal against Sarah Palin. Here's a woman, who is at best a standing joke among late night show hosts, not to mention political satirists - call them comedians if you will. And a headline story for the mainstream media that covers her every move, almost paranoid that they might be caught napping while she snatches the next Presidency of the United States irrespective of whether she is qualified for the job or not. If anything, this woman today is a former governor and a former Vice Presidential candidate who lost her bid three years ago. Known more for her glaring gaffes than political acumen; more for her hairstyle and frame of glasses than for a coherent foreign policy, she is today just what she is: a reality television celebrity. So why am I etching this critical appreciation of this former Alaska governor? Well, she has been invited as a keynote speaker at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi on March 19, to deliver a speech on 'My vision of America'. I do not exactly understand why Sarah Palin's vision of America is so important for India, and I understand even less why some Indian Americans are so kicked up about her visiting India. While the Indian American Conservative Council seems to think that since Palin has been a strong pro-business conservative, it was only fitting that she travel to New Delhi what with India being an economic partner with the US. What they are not highlighting is that the former governor is not necessarily a goodwill ambassador. Palin is known to charge at least $100,000 per appearance anywhere; and at nearly $2,000 a pop for registration, the organizers can well afford a little celeb relief at their conclave. Further in a statement, the IACC congratulates Palin for "making India her first international destination…" Wow, so that's an honor for India - like if President Obama can make the Indian Prime Minister his first state guest at the White House, Palin makes India her first international destination, right? Sure, Palin has the appeal of a celebrity. But that's about as much as she's got.

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Six-timer Priyanka Chopra of "7 Khoon Maaf" fame, says she would love to marry at least six times in real life too.

Cover Story: Libya Indians The Indian government has ordered the IAF and Navy to bring back the stranded Indians in strife-torn Libya.

Community: Pawar honored

FIA Chicago hosted a luncheon to honor Amaya Pawar, the first-ever Asian American Alderman elected to the City Council.

Life Style: Immigrant Indians The story of the Guptas of Gujarat reflects on the grit, determination and hard work of immigrant Indians.

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India rushes IAF, Navy to Libya Big evacuation effort launched India Post News Service

NEW DELHI: Facing criticism over lethargy and delay in evacuation of Indians from strife-torn Libya, the Indian government has ordered the IAF and Navy into the

It is the biggest evacuation effort mounted by India after the August 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait that forced thousands of Indians in the country to flee to Amman, the capital of Jordan operation to bring back the stranded Indians in the North African country. By Thursday March 3, 7,000 of the 18,000 Indians trapped in the North African country had been

evacuated after four special Air India flights brought 1,188 Indians home. The Indian Air Force (IAF) also flew a transport plane to Libya to help in the evacuation. It is the biggest evacuation effort mounted by India after the August 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait that forced thousands of Indians in the country to flee to Amman, the capital of Jordan, from where they were flown home. Three Air India flights - two Boeing 747s and one Airbus-330 brought back 1,045 Indians from Libyan capital Tripoli on March 2. Three daily flights shall continue to Tripoli over the coming days and these may be stepped up, said the external affairs ministry. Responding to criticism that the government had been slow in evacuating its citizens from Libya compared to countries like the US and China, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao tweeted that "India has chartered ships and air-

Indian evacuees from Libya arrive at the airport in New Delhi, on February 27

Two desi jewellers faked robbery for insurance India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Two Indian American Manhattan jewellers who allegedly faked a movie style heist in their store in an attempt to claim $7 million in insurance money are currently facing trial in the Manhattan Supreme Court. Business partners Atul Shah and Mahaveer Kankariya allegedly hired two men to dress up in traditional orthodox Hasidic Jewish clothing - apparently inspired by the Guy Ritchie movie Snatch - with fake guns in an elaborate set up to fool their insurance company and police on Dec 31, 2008, prosecutors said. "They were going broke. To deal with their financial problems â&#x20AC;Ś the defendants tried a desperate gamble," Assistant District Attorney Eugene Hurley was quoted as saying by local New York media. Prosecutors say the conspirators blew their cover because of a major misstep: in preparation for the staged heist, the men allegedly poured industrial strength drain cleaner onto a digital video recording device that took electronic feed from security cameras inside Dialite Imports on West 46th Street.

But little did they know that the chemical did not actually damage the recording, and digital footage recovered by investigators allegedly revealed the shop owners filling the safe with empty jewelry boxes prior to the heist, along with other incriminating scenes, prosecutors said. The point of destroying the DVR was "so no one would see how fake the robbery

Shah and Kankariya have been charged with insurance fraud, attempted grand larceny and falsifying business records. They allegedly took out a massive liability plan seemed," Hurley said. "Unfortunately for the defendants, the drain cleaner had to seep down into the motherboard of the DVR in order to destroy it." "No real robbers would ever act like these guys," the ADA added. The guns were found hidden

above a ceiling tile just last year by a maintenance worker painting the room 511 office the defendants occupied, the worker testified. During the brazen New Year's Eve daytime heist, the alleged phony robbers pointed fake handguns and tied up Shah and another employee. That employee was not charged, prosecutors said. Shah and Kankariya have been charged with insurance fraud, attempted grand larceny and falsifying business records. They allegedly took out a massive liability plan just prior to the alleged fake robbery, but have not been able to collect any insurance payouts since the incident. But lawyers for Shah and Kankariya said the robbery was real, and blamed the disconnect on hours of intense interrogations by law enforcement and insurance representatives. Benjamin Brafman, Shah's lawyer, said the DA's theory was the work of one detective who had twisted the evidence to fit the story. "This is a theory without a case, your honor. This is a theory without a witness," Brafman told Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Thomas Farber.

craft. Please believe me when I say this. I will not comment on the Chinese statistics..." Alarmed over the worsening crisis, which has killed between 1,000-2,000 people in a little over two weeks, nearly 140,000 people, Indians included, have fled the country, which is feared to be hurtling towards a protracted civil war. Jet Airways is also operating flights to Tripoli. A Boeing 737800 aircraft with a passenger capacity of 178 is ferrying Indians. India is dispatching two naval warships, including its largest amphibious vessel INS Jalashwa to evacuate its citizens. "We are sending INS Jalashwa along with INS Mysore from Mumbai to Libya to bring back Indians stuck

there," Navy officials said here. The two ships will take at least eight to ten days to reach Alexandria in Egypt and from there launch to one of the ports in Libya. The over 27,000 tonnes Jalashwa can carry more than 1000 passengers and has adequate medical facilities. The MEA has already hired a ship Scotia Prince which can ferry 1,200 passengers. "The ship is already in Egypt and readying for sail to Benghazi which will be the initial focus of the evacuation operations," the MEA said. Indian companies, many of which are based in Libya for decades, have also offered to work with the Indian Embassy in Tripoli in facilitating evacuation.

Punjab govt constitutes rehabilitation cell for immigrants CHANDIGARH: To facilitate rehabilitation of immigrants of Punjab origin from strife-torn Libya, the Punjab government has constituted a 'Rehabilitation Cell' here. The decision to constitute the cell headed by Director Disaster Management Bhawna Garg, was taken by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here in a meeting, an official spokesman said. An apex Committee comprising Financial Commissioner (Revenue) A R Talwar, Principal Secretary (Home) D S Bains and

Principal Secretary to Chief Minister D S Guru has been constituted under the chair of Chief Secretary S C Agrawal to look into the policy issues involved in the rehabilitation process. The state government has also set up a 'help desk' at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi under the supervision of Resident Commissioner Punjab Bhawan, New Delhi K Siva Parsad for extending all possible assistance to the immigrants from Libya to enable them to reach their homes comfortably. -PTI

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Rajat Gupta charged for insider trading SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Influential Indian American business consultant Rajat K. Gupta, has been charged March 1 of insider trading, by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Gupta, 62, is the latest, and perhaps the most high profile of the 26-odd individuals who have so far fallen into the federal investigators' dragnet since the massive insider trading scam began to unravel with the arrest of Sri Lanka-born Raj Rajaratnam of Galleon Management in 2009. The SEC announced that Connecticut-based Gupta, who has served on the boards of directors at Goldman Sachs and Procter & Gamble and was formerly managing director of McKinsey for almost a decade, is charged for illegally tipping Galleon Management founder and hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam with inside information about the quarterly earnings at both firms as well as an impending $5 billion investment by Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway in Goldman. "Gupta was honored with the highest trust of leading public companies, and he betrayed that trust by disclosing their most sensitive and valuable secrets," said Robert Khuzami, Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement. "Directors who violate the sanctity of board room confidences for private gain will be held to account for their illegal actions." The SEC's Division of Enforcement alleges that Gupta, a friend and business associate of Rajaratnam, provided him with confidential information learned during board calls and in other aspects of his duties on the Goldman and P&G boards.

The insider trading by Rajaratnam and others generated more than $18 million in illicit profits and loss avoidance. Gupta was at the time a direct or indirect investor in at least some of these Galleon hedge funds, and had other potentially lucrative business interests with Rajaratnam. Gupta is just one more spoke albeit a significant one - in the widespread insider trading scheme involving Rajaratnam's Galleon hedge funds. In the order that institutes administrative and cease-and-desist proceedings against Gupta, the SEC's Division of Enforcement alleges that, while a member of Goldman's Board of Directors, Gupta tipped Rajaratnam about Berkshire Hathaway's $5

Gupta is charged for illegally tipping Galleon Management founder and hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam with inside information about the quarterly earnings at both firms as well as an impending $5 billion investment by Warren Buffet's billion investment in Goldman and Goldman's upcoming public equity offering before that information was publicly announced on Sept. 23, 2008. Gupta called Rajaratnam immediately after a special telephonic meeting at

which Goldman's Board considered and approved Berkshire's investment in Goldman Sachs and the public equity offering. Within

Rajat K. Gupta

a minute after the GuptaRajaratnam call and just minutes before the close of the markets, Rajaratnam arranged for Galleon funds to purchase more than 175,000 Goldman shares. Rajaratnam later informed another participant in the scheme that he received the tip on which he traded only minutes before the market close. Rajaratnam caused the Galleon funds to liquidate their Goldman holdings the following day after the information became public, making illicit profits of more than $900,000. The SEC's Division of Enforcement alleges that Gupta also illegally disclosed to Rajaratnam inside information about Goldman Sachs's positive financial results for the second quarter of 2008. Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein called Gupta and various other Goldman outside directors on June 10, when the company's financial performance was significantly better than analysts' consensus estimates. Blankfein knew the earnings numbers and discussed them with Gupta during the call. Between that night and the follow-

ing morning, there was a flurry of calls between Gupta and Rajaratnam. Shortly after the last of these calls and within minutes after the markets opened on June 11, Rajaratnam caused certain Galleon funds to purchase more than 5,500 out-of-the-money Goldman call options and more than 350,000 Goldman shares. Rajaratnam liquidated these positions on or around June 17, when Goldman made its quarterly earnings announcement. These transactions generated illicit profits of more than $13.6 million for the Galleon funds. The Division of Enforcement further alleges that Gupta tipped Rajaratnam with confidential information that he learned during a board posting call about

Gupta tipped Rajaratnam with confidential information that he learned during a board posting call about Goldman's impending negative financial results for the fourth quarter of 2008. The call ended after the close of the market on October 23 Goldman's impending negative financial results for the fourth quarter of 2008. The call ended after the close of the market on October 23, with senior executives informing the board of the company's financial situation.

Mere seconds after the board call, Gupta called Rajaratnam, who then arranged for certain Galleon funds to begin selling their Goldman holdings shortly after the financial markets opened the following day until the funds finished selling off their holdings, which had consisted of more than 120,000 shares. In discussing trading and market information that day with another participant in the insider trading scheme, Rajaratnam explained that while Wall Street expected Goldman Sachs to earn $2.50 per share, he had heard the prior day from a Goldman Sachs board member that the company was actually going to lose $2 per share. As a result of Rajaratnam's trades based on the inside information that Gupta provided, the Galleon funds avoided losses of more than $3 million. Gupta served as a Goldman board member from November 2006 to May 2010, and has been serving on Procter & Gamble's board since 2007. The Division of Enforcement alleges that by engaging in the misconduct described in the SEC's order, administrative proceedings hereafter will determine what relief, if any, is in the public interest against Gupta, including disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, prejudgment interest, financial penalties, an officer or director bar, and other remedial relief. Sanjay Wadhwa, Jason Friedman and John Henderson - members of the SEC's Market Abuse Unit in New York - together with Diego Brucculeri and James D'Avino of the New York Regional Office conducted the agency's investigation, which is continuing. The SEC's litigation effort will be led by Kevin McGrath and Valerie Szczepanik of the New York Regional Office.

Arkansas doctor gets life sentence for bomb attack India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Little Rock, Arkansas doctor Randeep Mann who had made a bizarre attempt to kill the Arkansas Medical Board chairman in a bomb attack in 2009, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a federal court. The Russellville doctor convicted of orchestrating a bombing attack on Dr. Trent Pierce, will spend the rest of his life in prison, having been convicted of several charges relating to the

Feb 4, 2009 attack. Local Arkansas publication Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported that prosecutors argued Mann plotted the bombing in retaliation for the board not reinstating his permit to prescribe medication, which had been revoked over concerns about several of Mann's patients overdosing. US District Court Judge Brian Miller sentenced Mann to life and 360 months in prison on two bombing counts, 10 years on three weapons counts and 5 years on

Pierce, who claimed the bombing left him with only one â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;remaining but damagedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ear and eye, said he was sure the attack was motivated by the board's work to keep Mann stripped of his license

obstruction counts. The weapons convictions included counts of owning an unregistered machine gun and possessing nearly 100 grenades found near Mann's Pope County residence. Mann was also given a $100,000 fine with restitution to be determined within 90 days. Pierce, who claimed the bombing left him with only one "remaining but damaged" ear and eye, said he was sure the attack was motivated by the board's work to keep Mann stripped of his license. Mann's attorney, Blake Hendrix,

argued that people convicted of murder often receive less than life sentences, but Assistant US Attorney Michael Gorden countered that the fact Pierce survived had no bearing on Mann's "intent to kill." Mann's wife, Sangeeta, who was tried with her husband and found guilty of two counts of obstructing the investigation but innocent of charges she lied to a grand jury, was sentenced to a year in prison. She, however, was allowed to remain free pending appeal.

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Washington DC opens doors to 'maximum India'

Ambassador Meera Shankar addressing the gathering (right) at the inauguration of the festival ĂŹmaximum IndiaĂŽ at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC India Post News Service

NEW YORK: In a glittering ceremony on March 1, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC in cooperation with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Embassy of India inaugurated the magnificent festival "maximum India" which showcases India's rich and diverse performing arts. Senator Mark Warner, Co-Chair of the Senate Caucus on India and Indian Americans; Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar; David Rubenstein, Chairman of the Kennedy Center; Michael Kaiser, President of the Kennedy Center; and Suresh Goel, Director General, Indian Council for Cultural Relations addressed the august gathering at the inauguration. James Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State; Congressman Ed Royce, Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans; Congressmen Dan Burton and Jim McDermott; William Burns, Under Secretary of State; Bruce Reed, Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States; Board Members of the

Kennedy Center and other prominent members of the Administration and society were present including many from the Indian American community. Author Suketu Mehta, in a thought provoking opening address talked of the flow of ideas

Author Suketu Mehta, talked of the flow of ideas between India and the United States which had influenced each other at important moments in their history between India and the United States which had influenced each other at important moments in their history - from Thoreau to Mahatma Gandhi to Martin Luther King. Michael Kaiser observed that,

"India amazes with the majesty and mystery of its culture. Its brilliance is that it is a country of extremes - intellect, innovation, survival, and experimentation. India offers the maximum." Senator Warner stated that as the head of the US-India Caucus, it was his privilege to be associated with a festival that brings the diversity of Indian arts to the US. David Rubenstein recalled his 40 year association with India which he had first visited in "the footsteps of the Beatles" and stated that he was particularly pleased that this festival was being held at the Kennedy Center when he is the Chairman of the center. Ambassador Meera Shankar described India as "a confluence of civilizations with diversity and tolerance as its hallmarks". She said that the economic transformation, which India is currently undergoing, has also led to enormous creative ferment which is finding reflection in literature, dance, music, theatre, cinema and the arts. She emphasized the vital role of cultural exchanges and connections between people in nourish-

ing this partnership. She quoted Mahatma Gandhi who said, "I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my

There were graceful performances by Indian dancers, Madhavi Mudgil and Alarmel Valli and a dazzling Tabla recital by Ustad Zakir Hussain, along with others feet by any." She thanked the Kennedy Center for their hard work over the past several years in developing this festival, the ICCR for supporting this festival and all the Indian artistes who would

over the course of the next 20 days provide a window into India's soul. Suresh Goel, Director General, ICCR, thanked the Kennedy Center for hosting the festival and bringing under one roof not only the artistes from the ICCR but also troupes from India and internationally positioned Indian artistes like Ustad Zakir Hussain. There were graceful performances by Indian dancers, Madhavi Mudgil and Alarmel Valli and a dazzling Tabla recital by Ustad Zakir Hussain, along with others. The invitees also got an authentic taste of Indian cuisine representing all regions of the country, which was prepared by 12 award-winning chefs from The Taj, specially flown in from Mumbai. This visual, auditory and culinary extravaganza of India, that promises to be a feast to all the five senses, is available at the Kennedy Center for the next twenty days. The eight troupes sponsored by the ICCR will also perform in different cities of the US including New York, Chicago, and Houston.

Most TVU students transferring to other universities India Post News Service

NEW YORK: With four more Indian origin students of the sham Tri-Valley University in California being relieved of ankle monitors (radio tags) by investigating agencies, in all 11 students are now off the shackles leaving seven more to be freed. Immigration and Customs En-

forcement officials had radio tagged the Indian students following their shutting down of the sham university which was allegedly running an immigration racket. There has been a concerted effort on part of India, right from India's foreign ministry to its embassy and missions in the US to various Indian American community organizations and legal firms

to help the nearly 1500 affected students to navigate and fight their way through the system to either go back to India or transfer to other American universities for the past one month. In an advisory issued for the students on Feb 25, the Indian Embassy in Washington DC said it was continuing to its work, along with its Consulates, with the con-

cerned US authorities to provide help to the affected students of the Tri-Valley University. The Embassy said it has learnt that the ICE's Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP) is attempting to assist the former TVU students to continue their academic pursuits in the US. At present, a significant number of those students have begun the

process of transfer to a new academic institution through the SEVP directly or reinstatement through the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). The SEVP has also provided specific guidance for the students on its website and has set up a call center, the SEVP Response Center to answer specific questions (703-603-3400).

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India's efforts for UNSC end in Indian Embassy launches Facebook page 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham' SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY India Post News Service

NEW YORK: At the close of 2010, if India managed to win itself a United Nations Security Council non-permanent seat, much credit has to go for the savvy and flair for the spoken word of its Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri. India's candidacy for a permanent seat on the UNSC is wellknown as are the Herculean efforts it has been making over the years to gain support from member nations as they push for expansion of the Security Council and reform of the UN. On March 2, at the UN headquarters in New York, at an informal meeting on the intergovernmental negotiations on the question of expanding the membership of the Security Council, Ambassador Puri began by drawing on a popular Bollywood movie to make his point. "When I entered this room this morning," he said on the floor, "I thought of drawing inspiration from a major Bollywood movie. I know Indian movies used to be popular in Kabul. And in terms of size, as you would all know, Bollywood is bigger than Hollywood. I was reminded of a Bollywood movie of the last decade called Kabhi Khushi, Kabhie Gham, which can be loosely translated as 'Joy sometimes, despair at other times.' The title of the movie summed up our efforts here." Further, expressing his frustration over the seemingly endless negotiations over the same, Ambassador Puri said: I have spent 37 years in the Indian Foreign Service. During nearly half this pe-

riod of time, the international community has spent considerable effort in achieving reform of the Security Council. We retire as Ambassadors quite early at 60. So, I don't have many more years left. But I want to give encouragement to my younger colleagues sitting

Hardeep Singh Puri

Do I tell them to be blind to the fact that in the months of January and February 2011, more than 70% of the Council's meetings were on African issues. And yet there is no single permanent member from Africa! here behind me. One has just about one decade, is very mature and also looks quite like me. And the other who is younger and has about 25 years left in the service. What do I tell them? Do I tell them that something

terrible and awful should happen - and I hope this never happens for the appropriate international architecture to be put in place? How do I tell them that there are some in the Council who were victors of a past war and say well, we are permanent members and continue to perpetuate their privileged position? Do I tell them to be blind to the fact that in the months of January and February 2011, more than 70% of the Council's meetings were on African issues and in terms of the amount of time spent, more than 90% of the Council's attention was focused on African issues. And yet there is no single permanent member from Africa! Do I tell them that in the instance of the Latin American region, all slots have been filled up for the Council's elected seats till 2034 and so there are no further opportunities?" And he adds: My delegation is of the view that it will not augur well for the reform or for the process if we were to try and contain it, in which case it can take the wrong shape. I recall what Machiavelli had said "The mass is wiser and more constant than the Prince." I feel that reform will not come about because of the wishes of a few, but only through traction from the floor in the General Assembly. It will not happen because India wants it, but because there must be real equitable representation." In conclusion, Ambassador Puri said that India was both ready and willing to reach out to other countries and to work in close cooperation with them with reasonable flexibility towards the goal of achieving urgent reform of the (Security) Council in keeping with the changing realities of the current times.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Toronto ANUPAMA PATEL

CHICAGO: The Indian Government has announced hosting a regional three-day Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Toronto this year beginning June 9. It will be inaugurated by Vyalar Ravi, the Minister for Overseas Affairs, according to a release from the Chicago Consulate. Regional conventions are held on the lines of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) in different parts of the world. Four such

conventions have been held since 2007. The first event was held in New York in 2007, then in Singapore in 2008, The Hague in 2009 and in Durban in 2010. The Toronto event will focus on the Indian Diaspora in North America and the Caribbean. This event is being organized in partnership with the Government of Canada and the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce. Besides, the Indian Minister Ravi, the

Prime Minister of Canada is also expected to attend the event. The theme of this conference is "Building Bridges: Positioning Strategy of the Indian Diaspora". Other areas of focus will include a seminar on "Synergistic cooperation in Arts, Culture and Visual media", India Development Fund, Global Indian Network etc., and plenary sessions will specifically focus on comprehensive economic Partnership with India.

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Taking advantage of the growing influence and reach of social media, the Indian Embassy in Washington DC on Feb 28 launched its Facebook page. The move is in keeping with Indian Ambassador to the US

Meera Shankar's effort to reach out the growing and vibrant Indian American community. "We are happy to announce the launch of the Facebook account of the Embassy. Please join the group and also invite other 'friends of India' to join," Embassy spokesman Virander Paul said in a statement.

Consulate calls for registration of NRI voters India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The Indian Consulate in New York has announced on its website that NonResident Indians, who are 18 years of age and who have not acquired citizenship of any other country, may submit application for registration in the electoral roll of their constituency in India as per the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The applicant's name should

not have been registered earlier in the relevant constituency. The application may be either submitted in person directly to the Registration Officer of the Constituency concerned in the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal and Union Territory of Pondicherry where Assembly Elections are to take place in 2011 or sent by post, with relevant pages of the passport, duly attested by the Consulate General of India, New York.

More state specific guidelines may be accessed on the following websites: Assam http://ceoassam.nic.in; Kerala www.ceo.kerala.gov.in; Pondicherry www.ceopondicherry.nic.in; Tamil Nadu http://elections.tn.nic.in; West Bengal www.ceowestbengal.nic.in;

Congress party summoned by US Court for 1984 anti-Sikh riots NEW YORK: A US court has cities. issued summons to India's Con"The gravity, scale and spegress party in connection with the cially the organized nature of these 1984 anti-Sikh riots, acting on a attacks was concealed by the InSikh rights group's petition charg- dian governments' portraying ing it with "conspiring, aiding and them as 'November 1984 Anti-Sikh abetting" organized attacks on the Riots of Delhi,'" Gurpatwant Singh community. Pannun, legal advisor to Sikhs for A federal district court in New Justice said. York issued summons to India's According to the government ruling party in a class action lawsuit filed by Sikh organization â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The gravity, scale and specially 'Sikhs for Justice' the organized nature of these which has offices in New York and India. attacks was concealed by the The Sikh group Indian governments' portraying has charged the Congress with "con- them as 'November 1984 spiring, aiding, abet- Anti-Sikh Riots of Delhiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ting and carrying out organized attacks on Sikh population of India in Novem- of India's record a total of 3,296 ber 1984". Sikhs were killed while a total of A statement issued by 'Sikhs 35,535 claims for deaths and injufor Justice' said that the killings ries were received throughout Incould not be described as riots dia, the group said. and they were not confined to The proceedings are still at the Delhi alone but were led by Con- pre-trial stage here in New York. gress leaders in 18 states and 100 PTI

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Thomas quits as CVC as SC quashes appointment NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has ruled that PJ Thomas' appointment as Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) is illegal. After the verdict was delivered, Mr Thomas resigned as the country's top man in charge of fighting corruption. The PM is now in the direct line of fire of the Opposition since he headed the committee that chose Mr Thomas. Mr Thomas was selected in September by the Prime Minister and Home Minister. The third member of their committee, Leader of the Opposition, Sushma Swaraj, had objected strongly because Mr Thomas is accused of corruption himself in a criminal case that goes back to the early 90s, when he was a senior bureaucrat in Kerala. Like Ms Swaraj, the Supreme Court has stressed during the trial that Mr Thomas cannot be in charge of fighting corruption as the Central Vigilance Commissioner when his own integrity is being questioned. Today, in its judgement, the court said, "The touchstone for the appointment of the CVC is the institutional integrity as well as the personal integrity of the candidate."

The government, in its defense, had argued in court that the biodata for Mr Thomas considered by the PM did not refer to the corruption charges against

government was incorrect in suggesting that because the post of Chief Vigilance Commissioner is a constitutional one, the Supreme Court is not entitled to review the

File picture of President Pratibha Patil administering oath to Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi

him. The Supreme Court has rejected that stand, stating that the committee headed by the PM should have "gone beyond the documents" presented to it. The court also said that the

appointment. The court said that "the legality of the recommendation can be brought under judicial review." Ms Swaraj, who has voiced her opposition to Mr Thomas' ap-

PM, Sonia morally responsible for SC ruling: BJP NEW DELHI: The BJP has said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi are "morally responsible" for the Supreme Court ruling declaring the appointment of CVC P J Thomas as illegal. "In the last 60 years, it has never happened that an appointment made by the Prime Minister himself has been declared illegal by the Supreme Court. The PM and Sonia Gandhi are morally responsible for it and they should accept this," Chairman of BJP Parliamentary Party L K Advani told reporters here. BJP president Nitin Gadkari said the quashing of the appoint-

Sources in the party said BJP is not likely to demand the resignation of the Prime Minister on the issue ment of Thomas by the Supreme Court is a "slap" on the government's face. He said whatever wrong has been committed in the appointment of the CVC cannot be recti-

fied now. "Sushmaji had raised this issue before the PM but they did not listen to her. If the government had considered it then they wouldn't have to face the quashing of the appointment," he told reporters. Sources in the party said BJP is not likely to demand the resignation of the Prime Minister on the issue which has proved to be an embarrassment for the government. The BJP chief also said that had the UPA government adopted an e-tendering policy, corruption would not have taken place in the 2G spectrum allocation.-PTI

‘Honest PM to defend dishonest acts’ KOLKATA: A top Bengal CPIM leader has said it is unfortunate that a "good and honest" Prime Minister like Manmohan Singh has to defend all sorts of dishonest acts and shoulder the "misdeeds" of Congress and other UPA constituents. Reacting to the Supreme Court judgment quashing the appointment of P J Thomas as CVC, CPI-

M Central Committee member Mohammad Selim told reporters, "It is unfortunate that as an academician, economist, good bureaucrat and good prime minister, he has to defend all sorts of dishonest acts. I feel pity for him." He said being a good man was not enough, though it had given the Congress an additional advantage during the Lok Sabha

election. "One is judged by his work, particularly when one is holding the post of prime minister," Selim said. Selim, a member of the party's state secretariat, said one felt pity that he sought to defend the indefensible while interacting with editors of the electronic media recently. -PTI

pointment at different public forums, tweeted after the verdict, "The dignity of the office of CVC has been restored." The Left and the BJP now also want a debate in

The court also said that the government was incorrect in suggesting that because the post of Chief Vigilance Commissioner is a constitutional one, the Supreme Court is not entitled to review the appointment. The court said that ‘The legality of the recommendation can be brought under judicial review’ Parliament on why the government insisted on Mr Thomas as its choice. As Food Secretary in Kerala in the early 90s, Mr Thomas campaigned aggressively for the im-

port of edible oil from Malaysia. It later emerged that the price paid for the oil - palmolein - was unjustifiably high. He has since been charged with corruption and conspiracy. Those charges are the reason why his appointment has been challenged in the Supreme Court by different Public Interest Litigation cases. Mr Thomas had repeatedly told the court that the fact that he was promoted over the last few years by the Vigilance Commission proves that the charges against him are incorrect and should not affect his career. His unceremonious exit comes at a time when the government has been bruised black and blue by a flood of corruption scandals. Mr Thomas was Telecom Secretary till he was made Central Vigilance Commissioner. The Supreme Court, which is also monitoring the CBI's investigation into the spectrum scam, suggested that it would be inappropriate for Mr Thomas to preside over an inquiry that could subject his own actions in the Telecom Ministry to scrutiny. Mr Thomas then recused himself from the 2G investigation.-Agencies

Nitish criticizes Center over Thomas verdict PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has hailed as "historic" the quashing of the appointment of CVC P J Thomas by the Supreme Court and said the Centre had never faced such an embarrassment. Welcoming the judgment as "historic and important", Kumar said, "Never before such situation occurred at the national level. The Centre has also not faced such an embarrassment before."

The chief minister said the verdict had proved beyond doubt that the democracy of the country was "very very strong." "The Centre in this case has deliberately overlooked the facts and later defended the decision. Now it is for the Centre to decide what steps it wants to take in future." Ridiculing the Centre, Kumar said, "The judgment is like kirkiri (particle of dust) falling in the eyes of Centre." -PTI

I respect SC verdict, says PM NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said he respected the Supreme Court verdict on the quashing of the appointment of P J Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner. "I respect the Supreme Court verdict," he said when asked to comment on the apex Court judgment. Parliament sources said that a statement would be made on behalf of the government in both the Houses. A high-power committee, headed by the Prime Minister, had cleared the appointment of Thomas, the then Union Telecom Sec-

retary, to the Constitutional post. Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, a member of the three-member high-power committee, had made known her disagreement to the government proposal of appointing Thomas as CVC. Home Minister P Chidambaram is the other member. Dealing a big blow to the Central government, the Supreme Court struck down the appointment of Thomas as CVC, holding that the recommendation made by the high-powered panel did not consider the relevant material and, therefore, its advice "does not exist in law".-PTI

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Pakistan's Minority Affairs Minister Bhatti shot dead ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian who had sought changes in the controversial blasphemy law, was assassinated in a gun attack here, the second top leader of the ruling PPP to be killed this year for demanding reform of the harsh statute. 42-year-old Bhatti's car was ambushed near his residence by three to four gunmen in Sector I-8 at about 11.20 am local time in a brazen attack. Only Bhatti and his driver Gul Sher were in the car and the minister was not accompanied by any security guard at the time of the attack, police said. Bhatti, the only Christian member of Pakistan's Cabinet, was the second senior leader of the ruling PPP to be assassinated in nearly two months. On January 4, Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was gunned down by a police guard who was angered by his opposition to the blasphemy law.

"There were three to four attackers who intercepted the minister's car a short distance from his home. The attackers targeted only the minister and not the driver," Islamabad police Chief Wajid Durrani told reporters. The driver ducked below the dashboard as the gunmen fired indiscriminately at the minister. At

Shahbaz Bhatti

Mamata not to contest Bengal Assembly poll KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has said she would not contest the Assembly elections in West Bengal and campaign for her party. In case her party wins, she would get elected to the Assembly within six months, the Railway Minister said. "It is not mandatory to contest the elections. I will campaign for my party," Banerjee told reporters at her Kalighat residence before leaving for Delhi. Asked what she would do if her

party is elected to power and forms the next government, Banerjee said in that case she could get elected to the Assembly within six months for which there is a constitutional provision. "Now if I devote myself to campaigning, I can concentrate more on my work. I will continue as Railway Minister and fulfill my commitment," she said. Banerjee had said earlier that the list of her party candidates for the Assembly elections was ready. -PTI

least eight bullets hit Bhatti, Durrani said. The attackers, who were traveling in a white car, were clad in salwar-kameez. The gunmen escaped after the brazen attack. The gunmen threw several pamphlets in Urdu at the site of the attack that linked the attack on Bhatti to his opposition to the controversial blasphemy law. The pamphlets, issued by 'Tanzim Al Qaida Tehrik Taliban Punjab', said any one who insulted Prophet Mohammed would be given the death sentence. The pamphlets also said any sort of blasphemy or change in the blasphemy law would not be tolerated. Bhatti was rushed to Shifa International Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Hospital spokesman Azmatullah Qureshi said Bhatti was hit by several bullets. Though Bhatti had been provided two escort vehicles with police and paramilitary guards, he had instructed the security detail to wait at his office as he visited his mother, police chief Durrani said. He acknowledged that there was a threat to Bhatti's life and that was the reason why he had been provided two escort vehicles while other ministers were given only one. Reports said Bhatti visited his mother, who lives a short distance from his official residence, every morning. Bhatti was attacked shortly after he drove out of his mother's home. -PTI

1000 copters being bought for armed forces NEW DELHI: In a massive licopters, the IAF is planning to multi billion dollar acquisition pro- acquire 22 attack helicopters for gram, the Indian Armed Forces which Boeing's Apache 64-D and plan to induct more than 1,000 in- Russian Mi-28 are the contenddigenous and foreign helicopters ers. for attack, transport and utility "Trials for the tender have been operations by the end of this de- completed and the report has been cade. submitted with the Air HeadquarThe choppers to be inducted ters and the deal would be signed into the Army, Navy and Air Force in the near future," the official said. include around 450 light utility, 12 The HAL is also developing VVIP, over 200 attack, 139 Mi-17 the Light Combat Helicopter transport and 15 heavy-lift heli- (LCH), 200 which will be supplied copters and over 50 multi-role he- to both the IAF and the Army to licopters for the Navy, Defense meet their demands. Ministry officials told PTI here. Giving details of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The trials have been comvarious deals, they said the contract to replace pleted and after analyzing the and augment the existing Cheetah and Chetak evaluation report, a vendor fleets of the Armed would be chosen to supply Forces is expected to be finalized by the end of 197 LUHs to the Army and the this year. "The trials have Air Force,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; an official said been completed and after analyzing the evaluation report, a vendor would be By mid-2011, India will also chosen to supply 197 LUHs to the start inducting 139 Mi-17 helicopArmy and the Air Force," an offi- ters from Russia, which would be cial said. inducted in batches within two to Another 187 similar choppers three years. would be produced indigenously The first 80 choppers would by the Hindustan Aeronautics augment the present fleet and the Limited (HAL) and its design has remaining will take care of the already been completed, he said. ones to be phased out in the near The Navy is also planning to future, the officials said. procure more than 60 twin-engine They said the IAF is also in fichoppers to replace its vintage nal stages of trials for procuring Cheetah and Chetak helicopters 15 heavy-lift helicopters to replace and has already initiated the ac- the fleet of Russian-origin Mi-26. quisition process for the purpose. Russian Mi-26 and the Boeing To strengthen its fleet of Rus- twin-rotor Chinook 47D are in the sian Mi-35 and Mi-25 combat he- race for the tender.-PTI

PAC may summon Radia, some prominent journalists NEW DELHI: Parliament's Public Accounts Committee may summon corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and some prominent journalists who figure in the taped conversations with her relating to portfolio allocation in the UPA-II cabinet and the 2-G spectrum controversy. Sources said Radia and at least two journalists are likely to be asked to appear before the PAC at its next meeting. However, the date has not been fixed for the meeting and the PAC has not yet intimated the persons to be called. The complete list of persons to be summoned by the PAC has also

not been finalized but some more names may be included, the sources said. In the taped conversations, which were leaked to the media, Radia is heard talking to senior journalists about how the Telecom Ministry should be given to DMK's A Raja. She is also asking them to take up the issue with senior Congress leaders. The PAC, which is examining the CAG report that pegged the loss in the 2-G spectrum scam at Rs 1.76 lakh crore, has, among others, heard the CBI director who was asked to appear before the panel. -PTI

INTERACTIVE SESSION: US Under Secretary for International Affairs Lael Brainard (R) talks with Confederation of Indian industry (CII) National Committee chairperson Chanda Kochhar during an interactive session in New Delhi on March 3. Brainard participated in a moderated discussion on India, US and global economic and financial sector development

Desi News Yoga teacher & community leader passes away MADHU PATEL

DELAWARE: A prominent Indian American and a Dupont textile scientist, Bharat J. Gajjar, passed away in his Hockessin condominium on February 24. He was 79. A founding member of Delaware temple, Gajjar worked for Dupont for 46 years and retired in 1992, according to his daughter Meeta Parker. For his neighbors, close associates and Delawareans, he was known as the Yoga teachers offering lessons in yoga, meditation and the essentials of Hinduism to scores of people. He was one of the first yoga teachers in the State. Linda Letson, a student, said he had a profound effect in the region by helping people use yoga practices to change themselves. Details on page 14

Community hosts Lunar New Year celebrations RAJINDER SINGH MAGO & SURENDRA ULLAL

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

Indian companies active at Home & Houseware Show Details on page 17

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Edison groups fight over permit to hold India Day Parade SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: In what has become an embarrassing - although not surprising - situation for the Indian American community in New Jersey, rivalry between two groups is likely to jeopardize the India Day Parade in August this year. However, claiming to be the rightful organizers of the parade, the Indian Business Association (IBA), an umbrella organization of the various Indian businesses on Oak Tree Road between Iselin, Edison and Woodbridge, has filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of New Jersey, against the Edison Township and its Mayor for denying them the permit to hold the parade this August. Edison Mayor Antonia Ricigliano has purportedly denied IBA the permit when IBA and a rival group failed to reconcile and arrive at a compromise to work together. On March 2, Attorney for the IBA Frank C. Fusco said the IBA was forced to file papers in court,

to guarantee the right of the Indian people to celebrate their Independence Day. Court papers state that the Township has placed unreasonable restrictions on the Indian people to celebrate their Independence Day, which action, it is alleged, has violated the free speech and assembly rights of the Indian community, as well as their rights of due process. The controversy has been in the making for over six months

to conduct the 2011 parade. However, as the court papers show, Fusco said that on the date of applying for the permit, OTBA was a non-existent entity under the NJ State law. When IBA attempted to file its application for the permit, it was told that permits were granted on a "first come first serve basis" and that someone else had already applied for it. Sometime in September, OTBA

When IBA attempted to file its application for the permit, it was told that permits were granted on a ‘first come first serve basis’ and that someone else had already applied for it now. Following the Parade on Aug 8, 2010, organized for the sixth consecutive year by the IBA and over 100 of its supporting organizations, one Bimal Joshi under the banner of the Oak Tree Business Association (OTBA) applied for a permit from the Edison Township

was granted conditional approval by the Township, despite the fact that their application was defective and incomplete. The IBA, which had meanwhile obtained approvals from the Middlesex County and Woodbridge Townships, reap-

plied in November for a permit from Edison. Interestingly, in December, Edison Township withdrew its approval given to the OTBA for, among other things, having failed to obtain Middlesex County approval; and by January 2011, IBA's application was the only one on the table having obtained even the Police and Health Department approvals. Last month, Mayor Ricigliano called for a meeting at the Township offices between representatives of the IBA, OTBA, which was also attended by their respective attorneys and other Township officials. At the meeting, the IBA was notified that unless the two parties worked together on this year's parade and reached an agreement, no permit would be granted and that there would be no parade. Fusco said that the IBA was willing to work with the OTBA and include them in the parade, if it was granted the permit. OTBA categorically rejected the offer, he said. Contíd on page 15

Details on page 15

Hindus join event to honor pagan traditions India Post News Service

FIA Chicago honors Alderman Amaya Pawar MOHAMMED GHOUSE

CHICAGO: The Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) Chicago, headed by Sunil Shah, hosted a luncheon on February 27 at Viceroy of India Banquets and Restaurant on Devon Avenue in Chicago to honor the first-ever Asian American Alderman elected to the City Council from Chicago's 47th Ward. The Alderman Elect, Amaya Pawar, 30, was born and raised in Chicago. Sunil Shah said his election has created history in Chicago politics and the FIA decided to honor him and offer him their support and congratulations. Several local politicians and Indian and Pakistani community leaders and Indo-Pak ethnic media were also invited. Contíd on page 14

FIA group with newly elect Alderman Ameya Pawar during a luncheon reception on Devon Ave

March 11, 2011

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Teachers question DOE's anti-bullying efforts India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The New York City Department of Education is providing teachers insufficient resources and training to protect students from bullying and biasbased harassment, according to an overwhelming majority of city teachers surveyed in a report by the Sikh Coalition, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), and the New York Civil Liberties Union. "We have long known that too many students suffer from bullying in their schools because of their race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation," said Amardeep Singh, director of programs at the Sikh Coalition. "Today's report tells us why: Few teachers know that they have an obligation to protect students from bias-based bullying. The Department of Education must invest resources into ending this dynamic. Otherwise the city's good intentions to combat bullying are merely good intentions lacking substance." The report, Bullying in New York City Schools: Educators Speak Out, summarizes the results of a survey conducted during the 2009-2010 school year of 198 city teachers and school staff representing 117 public schools in four boroughs. It assesses the Department of Education's (DOE) progress in enforcing Chancellor's Regulation A-832, which was issued in September 2008 to address student-to-student bullying and

bias-based harassment. The report also assesses the effectiveness of the DOE's "Respect for All" program, a diversity training initiative launched in 2007 primarily to combat homophobia in city schools that was expanded last year. "Any staff training on harassment that my school did last year was conducted in a lackadaisical, perfunctory manner," said Pat Compton, a former teacher at Lafayette High School in Brooklyn who retired at the end of the

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We have long known that too many students suffer from bullying in their schools because of their race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; said Amardeep Singh 2009-10 school year. "While some information on harassment and bullying is presented as a single item at the staff conference at the start of the school year, it is always done very briefly, as a single point on the agenda. Not much has changed since the Chancellor's Regulation was passed." The vast majority of respondents reported that their schools

have inconsistent procedures for responding to reports of bullying, leave it up to individual teachers to respond, or ignore incidents entirely. "Given the lack of consistent procedures to implement the Chancellor's Regulation, it is critical that the DOE provide stronger guidance and more resources to ensure safe learning environments for our city's 1.1 million students," said AALDEF Executive Director Margaret Fung. Among the report's key findings are: Only 14 percent of teachers and staff surveyed said they believe that the Chancellor's Regulation and the Respect for All program are "effective" or "very effective" in addressing bullying and bigotry in their schools. Although the DOE's two-day Respect for All training is available to all k-12 teachers, only about 30 percent of respondents said teachers at their school were even offered training. Only about 31 percent of respondents said students in their schools received diversity or Respect for All training. Respondents who were offered Respect for All trainings reported a lack of specific training on how to respond to bias incidents. Teachers also expressed concerns that they would be unable to make use of the training because of a lack of commitment from administrators. "While the Chancellor's Regulation is a good beginning, it only

becomes meaningful if it's fully enforced," said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. "Teachers must have the training and support they need to take on the challenge of protecting students from bullying and creating a safe learning environment for all." In June 2004, the City Council passed the Dignity in All Schools Act, legislation that prohibits harassment and discrimination in the schools; requires regular anti-harassment training for staff and teachers; and requires regular re-

In response to these findings, the DOE and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in October 2009 announced several important expansions to anti-bullying measures in city schools porting and tracking of incidents of bullying and harassment. Mayor Bloomberg and the DOE refused to enforce this law. Four years later, following a pair of high-profile attacks against Sikh students in the city schools, the DOE issued Chancellor's Regulation A-832, a step toward addressing bias-based harassment and bullying. In June 2009, the Sikh Coalition,

the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, and AALDEF released a survey of more than 1,000 students and educators in city public schools that showed a wide gap in the regulation's promise and the reality of student experiences. The survey found that many students didn't know how to report bullying incidents; schools were failing to implement the regulation's harassment-prevention measures; and educators were failing to investigate reports of bullying. In response to these findings, the DOE and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in October 2009 announced several important expansions to anti-bullying measures in city schools. Among the improvements, DOE made two-day Respect for All teacher trainings mandatory for two staff members in every public school. Unfortunately, the latest survey results cast doubt on the success of these measures. The report makes the following recommendations to the DOE: Fully implement Chancellor's Regulation A-832, and allocate resources for its use. Follow state law; Expand Chancellor's Regulation A-832 so it is in compliance with the recently enacted New York State Dignity for All Students Act by prohibiting staff-to-student bullying and expanding public reporting requirements; Expand student and staff training to maintain the DOE's standing as a statewide leader in fighting bias-based harassment.

Austin Sikhs fight to keep Gurdwara from demolition India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Sikhs in Austin face imminent danger to their religious freedom of assembly and practice if the Texas Supreme Court does not agree to review and subsequently overturn the Appellate Court's judgment that requires the removal of the new Gurdwara, according to the Sikh advocacy group United Sikhs which has filed an amicus brief to the Texas Supreme Court. The United Sikhs, which says it was compelled to intervene by submitting the amicus brief ('friend of court' brief) to the Court on two major arguments: The impact on non-parties (Sikh Community) and their First Amendment rights (religious assembly/ practice) implicate an important public interest and militates against issuing such an extreme and overly broad injunction;

The unclean hands of Plaintiffs fueled by racial/ religious animus should be taken seriously in light of recent legal challenges to the building of houses of worship (specifically for minorities) that are motivated by religious discrimination. In a 2010 Report by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) cases, they found that 8 of the 18 RLUIPA cases since 9/11 have arisen since May 2010. The Report went on to state that these types of cases are a "sober reminder that, even in the 21st century, challenges to true religious liberty remain", points out United Sikhs, stating that the purpose of the amicus brief was to aid the Court in its decision making process by raising arguments that reveal the broader public interest at stake. Litigation over the Austin Gurdwara Sahib (AGS) has been

ongoing for over 3 years. * 2003: Austin Gurdwara Sahib (AGS), a mobile home, became a

The loss that the Austin Sikh community would face if the Texas Supreme Court does not overturn the Appellate Court decision cannot be understated, says the Sikh organization; AGS represents the only permanent Gurdwara within approximately 100 miles temporary Gurdwara for Austin sangat. * 2005: City Council of Bee

Cave approved site plans for a new permanent Gurdwara Sahib. None of the neighbors in the subdivision challenged the building of a new permanent Gurdwara. * 2008: Plaintiffs, who moved into the neighborhood in 2008, filed a lawsuit against AGS claiming that AGS had violated its deed restrictions. They also called the police and accused AGS members of "terrorizing" the community when AGS members were merely seeking to get majority support * 2009 (April): Trial Court found in favor of AGS based on a finding of affirmative defenses * 2010 (July): Appellate Court overruled the Trial Court and issued a permanent injunction against AGS * 2010 (Nov): AGS counsel, Jane Webre with the law firm of Scott, Douglass & McConnico, L.L.P., files a Petition for Review with the Texas Supreme Court seeking to overturn the Appellate

Court's judgment * 2011 (Feb 18): United Sikhs filed the amicus brief with the Texas Supreme Court Reaching out to interfaith groups to join the amicus brief, United Sikhs has also urged the Sikh community to stand in solidarity with AGS and to alert their elected representatives that racial/ religious discrimination against minorities cannot be allowed to go unchecked. The loss that the Austin Sikh community would face if the Texas Supreme Court does not overturn the Appellate Court decision cannot be understated, says the Sikh organization; AGS represents the only permanent Gurdwara within approximately 100 miles. Thus, it becomes evident that the Austin Sikh community's right to religious assembly and to practice their faith will be severely compromised.

Community Across America

14 India Post

March 11, 2011

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Sikh temple participates in 'A-Maizing' lunch

MADHU PATEL

DELAWARE: A prominent In- license to marry people and perdian American and a Dupont tex- formed 50 weddings. There being tile scientist, Bharat J. Gajjar, passed no Hindu priests in Delaware at the away in his Hockessin condo- time, he also did more than 200 manminium on February 24. He was 79. tra initiations for new meditators. He A founding member of Delaware started a Wilmington Hindu center temple, Gajjar worked for Dupont for at Baynard Boulevard with his wife, 46 years and retired Rupal, in 1965. in 1992, according to Gajjar also behis daughter Meeta lieved in religious Parker. For his freedom and was neighbors, close ashurt when Christians sociates and Delacriticized Hinduism wareans, he was as inferior to Chrisknown as the Yoga tianity. "We need to teachers offering lesstop the name-callsons in yoga, mediing," he wrote in a tation and the essennews journal op-ed in Bharat Gajjar tials of Hinduism to 1993. scores of people. He was one of the A longtime member of Toastmasfirst yoga teachers in the State. Linda ters, he often used humor and joked Letson, a student, said he had a pro- at Sunday satsangs (devotionals) found effect in the region by help- that students should not make him ing people use yoga practices to a guru, and if they did, that was change themselves. "their bad karma." He had a guru Gajjar emigrated from Swami Vishnu Devananda. Gajjar all Ahmedabad, Gujarat in 1952 and had the time felt that his guru's guru, been quite active in community af- Swami Sivananda, offered him guidfairs. He went on to serve as presi- ance from the other world. His dent of the Berlin Hindu Temple in daughter said that as in the case of South Jersey, where he helped write a true Yogi, there was no decompothe constitution. sition of his body before cremation. As head of the Sivananda Yoga Gajjar is survived by his children, Center of Delaware, he obtained a Ajay and Meeta.

KP SINGH

INDIANAPOLIS: The Sikh Satsang participated in the Interfaith Hunger Initiative's latest fundraising at "An A-maizing Lunch" at the Sikh Temple (Acton Road) Indianapolis on Sunday Feb.27. It was essentially an awareness event about the problem of hunger in the community and the world. "An A-Maizing Lunch" was recognized as a follow up of the IHI call and instructions to include black-eyed peas and maize in the Sunday meal at places of worship. At the Sikh Temple volunteers made a delicious blackeyed peas vegetarian curry and the Punjabi winter favorite: unleavened maize bread (Mukkee De Rotee) and served to the entire (nearly 200 people) Sunday congregation and visiting friends. There were, in addition, the usual rice, salad, yogurt, a vegetable curry and Punjabi dessert to compliment the community lunch menu.

Yoga teacher & community leader passes away

Volunteers who prepared and served A-Mailing Lunch In Indianapolis

FIA Chicago honors Alderman Amaya Pawar

FIA president Sunil Shah welcoming Ald Pawar and guests

Ald Ameya Pawar responding to FIA guests and members

ContĂd from page 12

Emcee Rajinder Singh Mago conducting the meet

The local politicians included 50th ward Alderman Bernie Stone, Alderman Joe Moor, Cook County Commissioner Larry Sufferdin, Illinois State Senator Ira Silverstein, 50th ward Aldermanic run-off candidate Debra Silverstein, and 45th ward Aldermanic run-off candidate John Garrido. All these politicians addressed the gathering and congratulated Amaya Pawar for his

stunning victory. FIA president Sunil Shah welcomed the audience, executive secretary Shahid Rizvi received the guests and Mrs. Rita Shah presented a bouquet of flowers to Amaya Pawar. Neil Khot introduced Amaya Pawar who received a standing ovation. Pawar, in his remarks thanked the community and his supporters, and shared his forward looking vision to make things better for all Chicagoans, especially his

constituents in 47th ward. Executive vice president Onkar Singh Sangha gave the vote of thanks. Rajinder Singh Mago of Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago was invited as a guest to emcee the proceedings." We underestimate the potential of our community, and we don't support our own people. Amaya Pawar has proved us all wrong, he has made history in Chicago, we are mighty proud of him," said Rajinder Singh Mago.

March 11, 2011

Community Across America

India Post 15

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Community hosts Lunar New Year celebrations RAJINDER SINGH MAGO & SURENDRA ULLAL

ROSEMONT, Illinois: Indian American community of Chicago hosted the Asian American Coalition of Chicago's 28th Annual Lunar New Year celebration on February 26 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois. The theme of the event was "One Vision, Many Voices." Over 840 people attended. The program started with a reception and open microphone forum in the foyer, followed by dinner, cultural entertainment and award ceremonies. Every year a different Asian community takes turn playing host of the Lunar New Year gala. This year it was the Indian American Community's turn, which has thrice before (1988, 1995 and 2003) hosted this event. Iowa State Senator Swati Dandekar was the Keynote Speaker. Chicago businessman Shalli Kumar was the chief guest. Also present on the occasion were Indian CG Mukta Tomar, Air India Regional Manager

honored with the Coalition's Grand Asian American Sandra Otaka Memorial Award. This award is periodically presented to someone of non-Asian descent who has made significant contribution to the Asian Pacific American community. The Coalition renamed its Grand Asian Award in 2010 after the late Cook County Circuit Court Judge Sandra Otaka. The Coalition's 2011 Community Service Award recipients were as follows: 1. (Mr) Nafees Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner, City of Chicago Department of Aviation Finance; founder of the Job Bank, a Bangladeshi American job data bank (created in the 1990s); Bangladeshi American Community Awardee 2. (Mr) Ernest C. Wong, Principal, Site Design Group, award-winning landscape design firm for Chicago Chinatown's Ping Tom Memorial Park; Chinese American Community Awardee 3. (Ms) Cecilia Buenaflor, Entrepreneur; Founder/Owner, Life Home Health Care, Inc; Filipino American Community Awardee 4. (Mr) Zul Kapadia, Sophomore, Northwestern University; Volunteer, Chicago Partnership Walk and Cub Scouts; Indian American Community Awardee 5. Dr Hondojo Tjondro Kusumo, Research Scientist, Neurobiology of Alcoholism at the University of Illinois in Chicago; Indonesian American Community Awardee 6. (Mr) Shigeo Ito, Horticulturalist; Creator/Caretaker, Japanese Garden at Heiwa Terrace Ald Ameya with a group of Indians at AACO Dinner senior citizens residential facility; Japanese American Community Jude Crasto, ABC7's Ravi Baichwal and host Awardee of other community leaders. 7. (Ms) Celine Thum, Medical Student, Numerous dignitaries attended the fes- Model and Musician; Vice President, Mativities and Chicago TV personalities emceed laysian Club of Chicago; Malaysian Amerithe program. can Community Awardee Steve H. Kim, an attorney, received the 8. (Ms) Sahar Ali Dar, Attorney and Coalition's prestigious Pan Asian American Non-Profit Consultant, President-Elect, PaPing Tom Memorial Award - its highest. Illi- kistani American Bar Association; Pakistani nois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford was American Community Awardee

Edison groups fight over permit to hold India Day Parade ContĂd from page 12

A suggestion by Edison Township that the two parties take turns in organizing the parade, in which case, the permit would be granted, was also rejected. Fusco insisted, when questioned by India Post, that the issue was not between two Indian American groups but between the Edison Mayor and the IBA. "The Mayor's actions are jeopardizing the parade," he told India Post. "She's creating an issue to divide the Indian community." Fusco accused Mayor Ricigliano of political payback. "This is simply a case of the Mayor jerking around the Indian community to settle some old political resentment," he said. "The Township has no right to deprive the Indian community of

the right to celebrate Indian Independence. I will not let anyone or anything stand in the way of this most celebrated day." The IBA has held the permit for the parade for the past six years, during which time the event has grown bigger each year with the participation of well-known Bollywood celebrities as grand marshal and local lawmakers as well as from parade marchers, corporate float sponsors and the community at large. Last year's parade, which cost upwards of $130,000 to put together, was attended by over 35,000 people, several local lawmakers and Township officials. Perhaps by way of having the last word, Fusco said: "I'm telling you, we will have the parade this year. I'll fix this."

Indian artists performing at AACO

9. (Ms) Busra Thepjatri, Director, Thai Classical Dance School of the Thai Buddhist Temple in Chicago, Thai American Community Awardee and 10. (Dr) Jackie Conley, Vice President of Marketing, Citrine Home Health Care, Inc., Skokie, Vietnamese American Community Awardee. Among the Coalition's 2011 Youth Who Excels Award recipients, there were following three from the Indian subcontinent: 1. (Ms) Serena M. Taj, 16, Junior, James B. Conant High School, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, Bangladeshi American Community Awardee 2. (Ms) Aisha Wadhwani, 17, Senior, Downers Grove South High School, Downers

Grove, Illinois, Indian American Community Awardee 3. (Ms) Zahra Fatima Lalani, 17, Senior, Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, Illinois, Pakistani American Community Awardee. Held on a grand scale once a year, Lunar New Year is traditionally the single largest organized annual event in Chicago's Asian American community. According to the latest Census, the Asian Pacific American population in Illinois numbers approximately 428,213 or 3.4% of the statewide population. The Thai American community of Chicago will be the next year's host of this event. TheAACC 2011 IndianAmerican Host Committee was headed by Nadja P. Lalvani, Chair.

Community Across America

16 India Post

March 11, 2011

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Hindus join event to honor pagan traditions India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Over 2300 people from around the world gathered at the Double Tree Hotel in San Jose, CA this past President's Day weekend to attend PantheaCon 2011, an event dubbed to celebrate and honor the Pagan and Ethnic Religious Traditions. This year's program also featured presentations by the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) on Hinduism, the Hindu American community, how Hinduism and Paganism converge and differ, pluralism, predatory proselytization, and common goals for future collaboration. Among the weekend's highlights were a vibrant Pagan and Hindu ritual, showcasing Devi Composition sung by Sangeetha Venkataraman, sacred chanting of Suktams, performance of a bhajan by Sunil Shukla on the sitar, and traditional Bharatanatyam dancing performed by students of Suganda Sreenath Iyer, director of Jayendra Kalakendra of San Jose. "I thought the chanting, singing and sitar all sounded so beautiful. Like an uninterrupted river flowing majestically...they all sounded perfect with one flowing after an-

other," commented Sundari Katir, HAF Working Group member. Pluralism was the focus in the Hindu-Pagan Dialogue, where Easan Katir and Dr. Mihir Meghani joined Thorn Coyle and Selena Fox as panelists in addressing a standing room only audience on common civilizational themes, shared historical challenges, such

The session concluded with a lively question and answer period, where enthusiastic audience members expressed their support for many of the points raised by the panelists as a history of Christian and Islamic proselytization and conquest, pluralism, and current issues facing the communities, such as usurpation of religious symbols, and civil and human rights. Katir highlighted the challenge of dealing with followers of what

he termed "OnlyMyGodIsm", or "OMG", who as he stated, "believe that their path is the only correct path to God or Truth, and seek to convert people to their belief through force, fraud, or coercion." During another panel entitled "Are Hindus Pagan and are Pagans Hindus," Madhulika Singh, Swami Venkataraman, Raman Khanna, and Samir Kalra continued the dialogue with discussions on Hinduism in the United States, commonalities between Hinduism and Paganism, conversions and Christianity, and the need to work together. The session concluded with a lively question and answer period, where enthusiastic audience members expressed their support for many of the points raised by the panelists. "It was wonderful to see so many Pagans supporting the Hindu perspective, and vice versa," noted Raman Khanna, one of the panelists. "United as we are around pluralism and self-directed spiritual experience, it is high time we start collaborating, and this conference was an important step in that direction. PantheaCon deserves special thanks for its important work in this regard."

Yoga retreats a rage world over SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: Yoga fever seems to be catching up globally. Yoga retreats, some charging as much as $4495, are attracting hundreds who like to learn and practice the ancient Indian technique for meditation and good health. Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in Queensland (Australia) is reported to be a destination sought after and it may cost up to $4265 for seven days. Semperviva Yoga Holidays in Kythira (Greece), besides twice-a-day yoga, also offer sunrise meditation. Krista Cahill Yoga retreat in Bora Bora (French Polynesia) is called "Yoga in Paradise" and this "exclusive" retreat from June 11-18 costs $2950 per person upon double occupancy. Fiji Yoga Retreat is a "week of relaxation and restoration" and includes "Yoga Nidra" and sun salutations. Ashtanga Yoga in Tuscany is a weeklong retreat in Tuscan countryside in Italy. There is a "Yoga for Foodies Retreat" in Napa Valley of California (USA). "Eat.Pray.Move" retreat on the border of Tuscany & Umbria in Italy is luring for pumpkin risotto, pasta al forno, slow

roasted fennel with red onions, salads with wild rocket, pecorino and fresh figs. "Yoga, Bike & Wine Retreat" in Loire Valley of France claims to be "relaxed, experiential and sen-

Acharya Rohit Joshi of North Eastern Illinois University in Chicago said that practicing Yoga on a regular basis has proved to be of immense help to recouping mental and physical health sory" and includes cycling through the Loire Valley. "Yoga & Service Retreats" are organized by an American yogi in Haiti, Peru, India (Kerala), and Bali, and will practice "uplifting" yoga and service to the community where these are held. There is a weeklong

"Yoga Ski/Ride Adventure" in Chamonix (France) besides "ladies only" "Yoga & Surf Retreats" on Australia's east coast. Acharya Rohit Joshi of North Eastern Illinois University in Chicago said that practicing Yoga on a regular basis has proved to be of immense help to recouping mental and physical health, and an Indian guru Acharya Telang with a half a dozen facilities across India has demonstrated that it can alleviate many a physical ailment and is a near sure cure for overcoming mental diseases like depression and negativism. However, he cautioned against its random use to make a quick buck. In a similar vein, Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement in Nevada (USA) termed these a "misdirected" approach to yoga for mercantile greed. He said that yoga was one of the six systems of orthodox Hindu philosophy whose traces went back to around 2000 BCE. About 16 million Americans, including many celebrities, are said to practice yoga.

Driving license-yoga classes in Chicagoland SURESH SHAH

CHICAGO: Om Johari, a promi- tact: 847-253-5532) nent Indian community activist, Mon. Mar. 14 - Elk Grove Village will be holding Driving License and Park District (at Rainbow Falls ComYoga-Meditation classes at differ- munity Center): 7-8:30 pm -Meditaent centers in Chicagoland. tion Experience (registration required, Some of the classes for driving FREE; contact: 847-437-9494) license will be conducted in Hindi Tue. Mar. 15 - Bridgegate Buildalso for the benefit of seniors. ing, Friendship Village, Schaumburg: Those interested may contact Om 10 - 11 am - Laughter and its BenJohari at 847-985-6677. The classes efits (registration required, FREE; schedule is given below: contact 847-884-5539) Sat. Mar. 12 and Sun. Mar. 13: Tue. Mar. 15 - ELA Township Midwest SwamiNarayan Temple, Senior Center, Lake Zurich: 12 noon Itasca: 1 to 5 pm each day. AARP - 1:30 PM - Sudoku for Beginners Driver Safety Program Class in (FREE; registration required, conHindi (registration required) Free, tact: 847-438-9160) must attend both classes to receive Wed. Mar. 16 - Indian Trails Pubcertificate lic Library District, Wheeling: 1 - 2 Sun. Mar. 13: Midwest pm - Guided Meditation with Om SwamiNarayan Temple, Itasca: 1 to Johari (FREE; registration NOT 5 pm - AARP Driver Safety Program Class in Hindi (second session of class started on Mar. 12) Some of the classes for driving Mon. Mar. 14 - Niles license will be conducted Senior Center: 11 A - 12 N - Sudoku Club (regis- in Hindi also for the tration required, Free; benefit of seniors contact: 847-588-8420) Mon. Mar. 14 - Niles Senior Center: 12 N - 1:30 PM - Meditation (registration required, a small fee; con- needed, contact: 847-459-4100) tact: 847-588-8420) Wed. Mar. 16 - Campanelli Mon. Mar. 14 - Arlington Heights YMCA, Schaumburg: 3 to 4:30 pm Senior Center: 2:15 PM - Laughter - Laughter, Meditation and GratiClub (registration NOT required, tude (registration required, FREE; FREE; contact: 847-253-5532) contact: 847-891-9622) Mon. Mar. 14 - Arlington Thu. Mar. 17 - Cancer Survivor Heights Senior Center: 3-4:30 PM - Group of the Village of Niles: 1 - 2 Meditation and Pain Management pm: Laughter and its Benefits (registration NOT required, FREE; (FREE; Registration Required, contact: 847-253-5532) Contact: 847-588-8442). Mon. Mar. 14 - Elk Grove Village Fri. Mar. 18 and Fri. Mar. 25 - Elk Park District (at Rain Bow Falls Grove Village Bank: 12:30 to 4:30 Community Center): 7-8:30 pm - pm each day - AARP Driver Safety Mon. Mar. 14 - Arlington Heights Program Class (registration reSenior Center: 3-4:30 pm - Medita- quired, FREE, must attend both tion and Pain Management (regis- classes to receive certificate; contration NOT required, FREE; contact: 847-985-6677)

March 11, 2011

Community Across America

India Post 17

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Readers Write... www.indiapost.com

A meeting with Dr Abdul Kalam L

ast July I had the rare pleasure of visiting the former President of the Indian Republic, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, in his official bungalow in New Delhi. The Indo-American Center had extended an invitation to Dr Kalam to visit Chicago; my task was to tell him about the Center and its work. Dr Kalam was talking to some other people when I arrived, accompanied by my good friend and colleague for many years, Dr Pradeep R. Mehendiratta, Vice President of the American Institute of Indian Studies. Dr Mehendiratta had visited Dr Kalam on an earlier occasion to carry the Indo-American Center's invitation to him personally. The two of us sat in the comfortable waiting area until the previous visitors left. Dr Kalam had been talking to three teenagers and he did not send them away just because two senior people were waiting. I mention this fact be-

cause it is an indication of what Dr Kalam thinks is most important in today's world. Our reception was warm and the face that greeted us was a very familiar one, although I had certainly never met him. He was well known because he was seen so often in open public settings and never hesitated to make himself available to people from all sectors of society. He famously opened the doors of Rashtrapati Bhavan to all visitors, and became known to all of the staff of that vast building, from gardeners and sweepers to the charge d'affaires, as a personal friend. I had the pleasure of describing the Indo-American Center to Dr Kalam as a rare example of a philanthropic enterprise entirely produced from within the Chicago Indian community. A nonprofit, secular institution that serves all immigrants regardless of religion, race, or national origin with programs that help them adapt to living in the U.S., develop English language skills

Prof Nicholas

While he listened intently to my description, his questions were all about young people and what the Center is doing to serve youth

and literacy, learn about the benefits to which they are entitled, study U.S. history and the requirements for citizenship, and get advice on a wide variety of matters. I explained that, as a senior citizen, he is entitled to join the Senior Milan and to enjoy lunch with other Golden Diners. While he listened intently to my description, his questions were all about young people and what the Center is doing to serve youth. I encouraged him, while he is in Chicago, to meet with Chicago students so that he can address them directly with the challenges he sees for their generation. He wants to encourage young people to study more scientific subjects and to apply their knowledge and commitment to preservation of the natural environment. Dr Kalam will come to Chicago under the auspices of the IndoAmerican Center April 23-25 to bring this message to us in person. He will speak at the Marriott

Oak Brook Hotel at 6 p.m. on April 24. More information about Dr Kalam's visit to Chicago, including the public reception and ticket purchase, is available online at IAC's w e b s i t e : www.indoamerican.org. The Indo-American Center is a not-for-profit community service organization serving the South Asian immigrant population. The mission of the IndoAmerican Center is to promote the well being of South Asian immigrants through services that facilitate their adjustment, integration and friendship with the wider society, nurture their sense of community, and foster appreciation for their heritage and culture. Prof Ralph W. Nicholas, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Department of Anthropology, University of Chicago, Member of the Board of Directors, IndoAmerican Center

Disclaimer :- India Post does not endorse opinions expressed in the letters.

Indian companies active at Home & Houseware Show SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: Eighteen Indian companies participated at the three-day International Home and Houseware Show 2011 at McCormick Place, Chicago recently. India pavilion was set up by Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) and Plastics Export Promotion Council (PLEXCONCIL) who displayed various products of their member export houses at the International exhibition. Handloom Export Promotion Council members had participated in this exhibition in 2010 also. On display were a variety of Indian

handloom fabrics and furnishings which are presently being exported to several firms in USA and South America. The Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts also was at the Exhibition with five master craftsmen from India who showed their wooden and other intricately designed handicraft products. The master craftsmen also demonstrated their intricate skills in carving and engraving during the exhibition at their stalls. The PLEXCONCIL was participating in this exhibition for the fourth time this year with several

of their participants. They are in the export business of plastic furniture, plastic mats, disposable plates, cutlery items and kitchen plastic wares.

Besides the eighteen companies, there were some other Indian exporters who participated in the exhibition on their own out of the Export Promotion Councils. They

covered products like thermos kitchen ware and hot cases, casseroles and table ware, pressure cookers, stainless steel cutlery and utensils.

Community/California

18 India Post

March 11, 2011

www.indiapost.com

Correction

r Ashok Kumar is a partner of Mr Raj Sharma and co-owner of Punjab Palace Restaurant, Riverside. He is also the Chief Executive Chef and leads the kitchen team. In a story few weeks ago in the community section of India Post, Mr Ashok Kumar was inadvertently referred to as the Head Chef. That is incorrect and incomplete. We regret the error and apologize for the distress that it may have caused. -Editor

New Delhi Spiceland reopens after fire JS BEDI India Post News Service

NORTHRIDGE: Three months after a devastating fire, New Delhi Spiceland has reopened for business. The newly remodeled store cum restaurant is fully functional and it's back to business as usual. It was in the early hours of Dec 3, 2010 that a short circuit ignited a fire in the roof. Luckily the fire department arrived within a flash and the fire was put down before it could do any serious damage. The structure was safe but there was extensive smoke and water damage. Being early morning, the store was yet to open so there were no employees inside.

Charming 'Go Goa' tourism event in LA & and Bay area JS BEDI India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: The "Go Goa" tourism presentation events were successfully completed in LA and Bay area on Feb 23, and Feb 28 respectively. More than 50 mainstream and Indian travel agents, tour operators and Airline representatives were invited to learn more about Goa, one of the world's finest vacation destinations. In LA the event was emceed by Mamta Narula. Coming all the way from New Jersey, Mamta conducted the entire evening with grace and poise. Adding to the radiance of her personality is her beauty and confidence. Indeed an excellent choice for an emcee. "This event is being recognized as the essential platform to get first experience on Goa from the delegation visiting specially in the West Coast to promote this amazing tourist destination" said one of the representatives from "Redefine Vacations", a Philadelphia based travel company. They were the local coordinators of the event. Present at the Los Angeles

Details on page 19

Holi at the Beach for 4th year in succession India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: Holi, celebrated by millions of people across the world is one of the most colorful festivals of India. Although, there are numerous mythological stories detailing the origin and significance of the festival, the common thread is the legacy of enjoying, sharing and having fun - and this is exactly what the Association for India's Development's Los Angeles (AID-LA) chapter promises to provide the community at Will Rogers State Beach, Pacific Coast Highway and Temescal Canyon Road on March 19. AID-LA will be organising 'Holi at The Beach' for the 4th successive year. Details on page 20

Emcee Mamta Narula

L to R: Jessie Dhillon, Roshi Dhillon and Tatiana Esperanza of Laxpress Travels

ness. The Dhillons were accompanied by their associate Tatiana Esperanza who specializes in Central and South America. "Yes it's a great vacation stop but it would help immensely if Goa had a full fledged international airport" commented Jessie Dhillon. The Air India delegation was led by Nilaj Sharma, Regional Sales Manager.

The events kicked off with attractive audio visual on Goa and short films followed by inauguration by Minister of Tourism Halankar. A 30 minute presentation by Naik included places to visit in Goa, food, beaches, international fair, nightlife, annual film festival glimpses, shopping, temples and much more. The presentation was very well received by the mainstream tour operators

done in the Bay area depicting the beats of Goa, but this time the performers were nine young Goan girls. A raffle ticket was drawn at both the places and the announced winners will get a chance to visit Goa in the month of October to be part of International fair, an annual attraction of Goa. The evening concluded with a press conference and dinner

The events kicked off with attractive audio visual on Goa and short films followed by inauguration by Minister of Tourism Halankar Meet the media

event amongst other tour operators were Jessie and Roshi Dhillon of Labors Travel. Based on Century Blvd near LAX, Laxpress Travels has over three decades of experience in the busi-

The Goa delegation included Minister of Tourism Nilkanth Halankar, Swapnil Naik, Director Goa Tourism and Sanjay Srivastava, Chief Secretary Goa Tourism

Winner of the First Prize in the raffle

as some of them learned about Goa for the first time. In Los Angeles, Karmagraphy dancers presented a fast beat medley including music from Goa. A similar performance was

hosted at Tanzore in LA and New Delhi Restaurant, in San Francisco. The LA dinner featured an open bar and Goan delicacies. ContĂd on page 19

Mamta Narula with delegates from Goa and Air India

Community/California

March 11, 2011

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San Diego Indians organize Dandi March II against corruption India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: A group of NRIs, inspired by the historic march led by Mahatma Gandhi in India's fight for freedom from foreign rule, conceived Dandi March II to fight corruption and those who seek to plunder and enslave their own country. Dandi March II involves a 240 mile walk that starts March 12 at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, San Diego, goes through Los Angeles and ends on March 26 at Gandhi Statue, San Francisco, California. Every major city in the US, 10 major cities in India and 8 other countries globally are joining the movement by organizing supporting events on March 26. The Dandi March movement, organized by a group of 'NRIs concerned about corruption in India' led by volunteers Srihari Atluri and Jawahar Kambhampati, is inspired by the "Dandi March" (Mar 12-Apr 6 1930) led by Mahatma Gandhi against the tax imposed on salt by the British. This landmark event escalated India's fight for freedom from foreign rule. "With Dandi March II, we aim

to revive the soul-force and spirit of dissent of those great Indians of generations past, to fight those who seek to loot and enslave their own country," they say. The primary objectives of the Dandi March II, coinciding with the dates Gandhi undertook the historic march in 1930, are to push

While this rampant corruption is a cause for serious concern, the good news is that movements against it have arisen all over the country, they say the government to enact Jan Lokpal bill and ratify UNCAC which are designed to free India from the clutches of corruption, and to bring back the hidden money from foreign banks. The recent scams involving unimaginably big amounts of

money, such as the 2G scam, are well known, the organizers say. It is estimated that more than trillion dollars are stashed away in foreign havens, while 80% of Indians earn less than $2 per day and every second child is malnourished. While this rampant corruption is a cause for serious concern, the good news is that movements against it have arisen all over the country, they say. Dandi March II is an attempt by NRIs to bring together and escalate these movements into a powerful force. This effort now has support from the stalwarts in anti-corruption movement and other progressive groups in India such as Lok Satta Party (Jaya Prakash Narayan, National Chairman), India Against Corruption (Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, New Delhi), The 5th Pillar (Vijay Anand, Chennai), Youth For Better India (Hyderabad) Saaku (Bangalore) and Save India From Corruption. Organizers urge the community to participate and walk any distance as they may choose if not the entire distance. For details of the March visit: www.dandimarch2.org.

Los Angeles Getty Museum exhibiting Indian gods India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: Prestigious J. Paul Getty Museum of Los Angeles (USA) is currently exhibiting 13th century Lord Ganesha in its "Gods of Angkor" exhibition, which will continue till August 14. This exhibition contains intricately detailed 26 historical bronze statues and ritual objects from Cambodia, including 11-12th century Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva's bull Nandi, etc. Ganesha statue, in a sitting posture, is shown with snakes forming his armbands. A son of Shiva, Ganesha, with an elephant head on the body of a boy, is one of the most popular Hindu gods, serving as an icon of protection and a remover of obstacles. In this representation, the snakes forming his armbands and cord over his chest symbolize water and fertil-

ity, while a hoe and a broken tusk (serving as a plow) in his hands symbolize agriculture. Ganesha was absorbed into the larger Buddhist pantheon, a role he retains today in Cambodia and Thailand. The Angkor period began in the year 802. Khmer rulers estab-

monuments that visitors to Angkor see today. The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center in Los Angeles houses European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and European and American photo-

Images of Indian gods at LA Museum

lished a sequence of capitals in the Angkor region, culminating in the walled complex of Angkor Thom built by Jayavarman VII (ruled 1181-about 1218). Successive monarchs built temples and monasteries to honor their ancestors and their own reigns-the

graphs. The Museum at the Getty Villa in Malibu houses approximately 44,000 works of art from Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. David Bomford is the Acting Director while Mark S. Siegel is Board Chair of Getty Trust.

New Delhi Spiceland reopens after fire NORTHRIDGE: Three months after a devastating fire, New Delhi Spiceland has reopened for business. The newly remodeled store cum restaurant is fully functional and it's back to business as usual.

damage. Being early morning, the store was yet to open so there were no employees inside. Sunil and Savita Khullar are very grateful for the support they received from the community and the suppliers. "We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all our friends, customers, fellow business owners

It was in the early hours of Dec 3, 2010 that a short circuit ignited a fire in the roof. Luckily the fire department arrived within a flash and the fire was put down before it could do any serious damage. The structure was safe but there was extensive smoke and water

and our suppliers for their support and encouragement," they said. New Delhi Spiceland is now buzzing with activity and once again the corner of Roscoe and Wilbur has come to life. We at India Post congratulate the Khullars and wish them success.

JS BEDI India Post News Service

Charming 'Go Goa' tourism event in LA & and Bay area ContĂd from page 18

At the Los Angeles press meet, India Post asked the visiting dignitaries about the dark side of Goa - the drug cartels, human trafficking, the overall sleaze and the in-

cidents of rape and murder involving sons of politicians and ministers. Minister Halankar admitted there was criminal activity at the beaches frequented by foreign tourists but it has been exaggerated by the media in India.

20 India Post

Community/California

March 11, 2011

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Fundraiser for Harshad Modi JS BEDI India Post News Service

ARTESIA, CA: Dr Fresh of Dr Fresh Inc hosted a fundraiser for Harshad Modi who is running for Cerritos City Council. The pictures

alongside are a glimpse of the dinner that was attended by leading community members. The election will be over by the time this issue hits the stands but we wish Harshad good luck and success.

Holi at the Beach for 4th year in succession India Post News Service

cessive year. This is the first in the string of many community events during the year 2011. Each year an increasing number of friends and families from the SoCal community join us for a fun-filled day at the beach. Through all the fun and frolicking, AID-LA will also raise funds to promote and sustain development work supported by various NGOs working at the grassroots, that AID as an organization supports. AID endeavours to bring communities together to create awareness, gather support and promote change in India and what better way to do this than to 'paint the city red' on the day of Festival of Colours- Holi!

SPORTS 21

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March 11, 2011

Ireland shock England as O'Brien smashes fastest 100 England skipper Andrew Strauss gestures during the World Cup match against Ireland in Bangalore

BCCI slams ICC official for criticizing Dhoni NEW DELHI: The BCCI has slammed ICC General Manager Dave Richardson for criticizing Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the latter had expressed his grouse on the UDRS system. In a hard-hitting letter to the ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat, BCCI Secretary N Srinivasan said Richardson has no business to criticize Dhoni and he should be instructed not to do so in future. "BCCI takes strong objection to David Richardson criticizing Dhoni. Richardson's comment that the Indian captain should know the rule is out of place. The Indian captain only highlighted the inadequacy of the system and rightly so. It was there for the world to see. Mr Richardson has no right to do so," Srinivasan said in the letter. Dhoni had questioned "adulteration of technology with human thinking" when England batsman Ian Bell was ruled not out off a Yuvraj Singh delivery even after TV replays showed that the ball would have hit stumps, leading to Richardson asking the Indian captain to read the rules related to UDRS first before criticizing it.-PTI

Dalmiya accuses ICC of double standards KOLKATA: Taking his battle a step further, a miffed Jagmohan Dalmiya has accused the International Cricket Council of double standards and claimed that the Wankhede Stadium, venue for the World Cup final, cannot get clearance by hosting a Twenty20 match. Reacting to reports that ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat was satisfied with Wankhede's progress after it hosted a T20 match recently, the Cricket Association of Bengal chief argued it's not a yardstick as per the Stadium Agreement of World Cup. Having already accused ICC of conspiracy to take the India-England match away from the Eden Gardens, Dalmiya said, "It's in bad taste to criticize. But the fact remains that they are yet to host a Test, ODI or a first class match. You all know what is a first class match."-PTI

Cusack (47) and then 44 with John Mooney (33 not out, 30 balls, 4x6). By the time O'Brien was run-out, Ireland were within sniffing distance of their best-ever win. The moment Mooney hit Anderson for a boundary of the first ball of the 50th over, it sparked wild celebrations in the Irish dressing room as the 'Men in Green' rushed out to congratulate the two unbeaten batsmen Mooney and Ireland fans celebrate their win over England Trent Johnston (7 BANGALORE: Kevin O'Brien smashed not out). O'Brien reached his cenhis way into record books with a fastest ever century in a World Cup match off 50 tury in 50 balls and hit 13 balls as Ireland pulled off the biggest up- boundaries and six sixes in set beating England by 3 wickets in a group the process. He eclipsed Mathew Hayden's previB encounter of the World Cup here. It also turned out to be the highest suc- ous record of hundred in 66 cessful run-chase ever in the history of the balls against South Africa tournament with the previous best being at St Kitts during the pre313 by Sri Lanka against Zimbabwe at New vious edition.

nine per over. The turning point was the batting Powerplay in which Ireland scored 62 runs in five overs courtesy O'Brien. He hit Anderson over deep mid-wicket for the biggest six off the tournament which traveled a distance of 102 meters. When O'Brien tapped Michael Yardy for a couple, the entire stadium gave him standing ovation.

It was brutal assault at its best. Although he hit a few cross batted shots but the burly Irish backed his instincts as he kept on assaulting the English bowlers Plymouth in 1992. Ireland, who earned the tag of giant-killers after ousting Pakistan from the previous edition chased a stiff target of 328 in 49.1 overs courtesy an unbelievable 113 off 63 balls (13x4, 6x6) from O'Brien. No praise will be enough as Ireland were down in the dumps tottering at 111 for five when O'Brien and Alex Cusack came together. He added 162 runs for the sixth wicket

Ireland cricketers celebrate their

Ireland lost their fifth wicket at 111 and it looked as if England will be wrapping up the proceedings fairly easily. But O'Brien had other ideas. his century against England during their When he started by hit- Kevin OBrien celebrates World Cup match in Bangalore ting England's best bowler Graeme Swann for a couple of sixes over It was brutal assault at its best. Although deep mid-wicket, he hit a few cross batted shots but the burly little did anyone Irish backed his instincts as he kept on ashave an inkling as saulting the English bowlers. The win will to what was to also make ICC take a note about the perforfollow. Before one mance of the minnows after some pretty could realize, the lopsided contests. O'Brien carnage Earlier it was Jonathan Trott's run-a-ball started. 92 that enabled England to score 327 but He reached his little did they expect what would follow in 50 in only 30 balls the evening. with a pulled six South Africa-born Trott equaled the off Anderson. record for the fastest 1,000 one-day interWith an able ally national runs en route to his 92-run innings, in Alex Cusack which helped England post a commendable (47, 58 balls, 3x4, total at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here. 1x6), O'Brien The 29-year-old Trott, who had made his added a whop- ODI debut against Ireland in August 2009, ping 162 runs in added 167 runs off 156 balls for the fourthonly 17.1 overs at wicket along with Ian Bell (81) to lay the victory an average of over foundation for the score.-PTI

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Baby When You Talk To Me: Patiala House 2 Darling: 7 Khoon Maaf 3 Kyun Main Jaagoon: Patiala House 4 Utt Pataang: Utt Pataang 5 Laung Da Lashkara: Patiala House

India Post

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March 11, 2011

6 Tum Hi To Ho: Tum Hi To Ho 7 Tinka Tinka: Turning 30 8 Abhi Kuch Dino Se: No One Killed Jessica 9 Dilli: No One Killed Jessica

riyanka Chopra seems to have taken her role in "7 Khoon Maaf" a little too seriously! The versatile actress, who gets married seven times in the thriller, says she would love to marry at least six times in real life but to the same man. "I have been planning my wedding since as far back as I can remember! My ideal scenario is getting married six times (to the same man of course)," Priyanka revealed in the second anniversary issue of fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar. The 28-year-old, one of the most eligible singles in tinsel town, already has elaborate plans set in her mind about the six spots and types of ceremonies she would like to have. "My Dadaji's (grandfather's) house in Ambala for my 'big, fat Indian wedding'; underwater at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia; a church in Las Vegas - wearing a short black dress and with the priest dressed as Elvis; the intimate ceremony - at a small, beautiful church in Locarno, Switzerland. It's on top of a hill that overlooks parts of Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. She also wants to go in for a nikah. "Only very close family and friends will be present; a nikah I think it's a beautiful, romantic ceremony - the curtains, the stolen glances, the words, and finally the acceptance... 'Kabool hai'; and lastly, the groom's choice! If my future groom survives all that, then we'll survive anything!" she added.

fter sweeping the awards this year right from NDTV's Entertainer of the Year, Screen's Most Popular Actress, Stardust and Apsara's Readers Choice Awards - Katrina Kaif's seen a meteoric rise in the industry. Apart from being the most sought after star in Bollywood, Katrina Kaif is also one of the industry's leading brand endorsers. The actress is now getting selective in her choice of films and other commitments she plans to take on. This year she has an impressive bunch of films on her plate right from Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara, Yash Raj's Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Dostana 2. Amidst controversy surrounding her, the star has always maintained a dignified stance and has always allowed her work to speak for itself. Says a trade analyst, "Critics had written her acting skills off but she was back with a vengeance in Rajneeti and proved them wrong. Hers is truly a success story - not only is she a beautiful face but she sells and how - all her films have seen great box office success." "Katrina appeals to the masses; she has a thriving fan base not just here but abroad as well. And enjoys the popularity that very few actresses have. In fact scripts are written now keeping her in mind like Sita and Gita," adds the analyst.

10 Awaara: 7 Khoon Maaf

Lean look

t's an adrenaline packed season for Abhishek Bachchan who takes on the biggest action films of the year starting with Dum Maaro Dum, Game, Players followed by Dhoom 3. The star who is known for his versatility and mass and class appeal is ready to take on the adventure and action genre promising his fans performances nothing short of spectacular. Abhishek who is training for a month in New Zealand, with a renowned Hollywood trainer, however, has decided to take the road less traveled and opt for a lean look in his forthcoming films much on the lines of the trend abroad. While the rest of the industry goes the 6 and 8 pack way, Abhishek who has decided to do most of his own stunts has taken inspiration from Hollywood stars like Jhonny Depp, Colin Farrell and Robert Pattinson and structure his fitness plan to achieve the lean look.

March 11, 2011

Bollywood

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Proud father

areena Kapoor has been named the sexiest woman by Stardust magazine. Kareena beats actresses like Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra to win the title. The decision has been made on the basis of an extensive research and readers responses. The latest issue of Stardust magazine features the list of top 10 sexiest women. Last year, it was Katrina who topped the list.

ollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee has become a proud father as his actress wife Shabana, known as Neha, gave birth to a baby girl in a private nursing home. The baby was born Feb 23 and Manoj is very happy and excited. "They have named the baby Ava Nayla Bajpayee. They kept quiet about it because that is the way they wanted it. Manoj has always been a very private person about his personal life and everybody knows this. In fact, they shifted from a bigger hospital to a private nursing home in Santacruz to enjoy this moment with close family," a source said. "Manoj had come to Mumbai for the delivery and now he is back in Bhopal for the shoot of 'Aarakshan'," added the source.

Latest tiff

hahid Kapoor is apparently trying to win his ladylove Priyanka Chopra, back once again. A lot of people from the film industry turned up to wish Shahid Kapoor on his birthday. Many leading ladies of his films, including Rani Mukherjee, Anushka Sharma, Genelia D'Souza and Sonam Kapoor, were there. But conspicuous by her absence was Priyanka, who reportedly had a fight with Shahid and then flew to the US. Shahid and Priyanka's on-off relationship has been a hot topic recently, but sources close to the couple claim that Shahid doesn't often express his affection for Priyanka and this ticks her off. That's apparently also the reason behind their latest tiff, following which Priyanka packed her bags and left to the US, caring not a hoot to return on his birthday. Shahid did try to persuade her to change her mind and return to Mumbai for his birthday bash. He kept trying till the last hour, but when Priyanka did not give up, Shahid gave up.

Wedding bells A mrita Rao was once in the news for being artist MF Hussain's muse. Later, Bollywood was abuzz with rumors about Amrita dating different men but most of the rumors fell flat after a point of time. But this time she seems to have finally found love. Amrita has been dating a certain Neil Kulkarni, an NRI orthopedic surgeon based out of San Francisco. In August, last year, the actress was in the midst of her Rajshri Production shoot for Love You Mr Kalakar in San Francisco. She also participated in promoting a charity event there, during which she apparently met Neil. Neil Kulkarni works for one of the top hospitals there. According to sources, he too was quite smitten by Amrita. The source added, "Amrita has tried hard to keep her personal life under wraps. Though it is a long-distance relationship, both Amrita and Neil are trying their level best to keep the romance alive. If buzz is to be believed, Neil made a trip to Mumbai to bring in the New Year with Amrita.

India Post

SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY India Post News Service

hen Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was thrown out of a 'Whites Only' compartment of a train in South Africa more than a century ago, he had launched - in his mind first - a movement that eventually led to the independence of his motherland India from the British and decades later, emulating the same non-violent Gandhian methods one Nelson Mandela helped bring an end to the scourge of Apartheid in South Africa. But Gandhi was not the only 'coolie' who suffered that indignity at the hands of the

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make a success of their lives through sheer grit, determination and hard work. Spanning centuries, one has heard countless stories of migrant Indians - tomes have been written of the many who sailed afar merely to escape poverty, some who went in search of adventure, driven by wanderlust, and well, others who simply wanted to become rich. Still, despite their predictability, each story never fails to fascinate, making one wonder what it is about human nature that risks heavy odds to travel to uninviting lands, endures hardships and manages to emerge victorious. Author Fred Gupta is third generation African-Indian - now a naturalized Ameri-

March 11, 2011

BOOK REVIEW

India to America via Africa

That the author had suffered early on, an indignity similar to that of Mahatma Gandhi, of being thrown out of a 'Whites Only' train compartment in South Africa, may seem clichĂŠd; but that in no measure is the mainstay of this book ruling Whites in South Africa those days. Tens of thousands of Indians who had migrated to that faraway land in search of a better livelihood, suffered worse fates, many not living long enough to even tell their tale. However, the story of the Guptas of Gujarat, reflects on the lives of all those Indians who, in a bid to escape dire poverty in their own country, made the fateful journey on board ships that sailed to hitherto unknown shores and not only survived brutal authority that legally sanctioned racial discrimination, visceral hatred of the Whites and jealous retaliation from the Blacks and other 'coloreds' to

can citizen - who in his book 'The Guptas' takes the readers on a journey that his grandfather Gani Gupta undertook along with his two older brothers and an uncle to South Africa in the last quarter of the 19th century, their trials and tribulations, their many successes and personal losses, and their families that took root in what became their home under the ominous shadow of apartheid, to his own life that in the late 1970s took a destiny different from his grandfather and father breaking free of the limitations of a discriminatory regime to find success in the United States.

The story highlights the unique family history of migration and poverty, which the author creatively expands into a story about conflicts from India, to South Africa to the United States. But in that, through most of the narrative, Gupta recounts his family history from the innocent and almost naĂŻve perspective of a child - whether it was Gani Gupta who is only 10 where the story takes off; or his son Ali who takes on adult responsibilities at the age of 17; or Fred himself who realizes that he cannot spend the rest of his

life merely trying to 'fit in'. Thus, uncannily, the reader is spared the many horrors of that dark period in history and is served the unpalatable in easily digestible kids' portions. Although spanning three generations, the book does not fall into the tedium of an epic, but moves quickly through time where the reader literally traverses from darkness to light. What also amazes one about the Guptas is their unshakable positivity where they simply plough through hardships and obstacles; dwelling on losses whether that of life or wealth seeming a waste of time. What also endear are the values of trust, friendship, love and bonding of the Gupta family through the generations. Above all else, the story of the Guptas reflects the story of the many families that are formed of people from multiple backgrounds. Gupta understands how it feels to lack a sense of belonging especially with his grandfather being from India and his father from South Africa, and later his own children born into the many freedoms and privileges of America. As he transcended from living in a small rural town in South Africa to being a successful accountant owing his own firm in the United States, he realizes the importance of understanding the parallels of struggles faced by multiple generations. Despite his achieving of the 'American dream', the author does not rest his case on his laurels, but is honest in what seems to be a core value of the Gupta family foundation, when he recounts how he ironically loses everything at age 56 and is given no choice by his family but to start all over again instead of moping in remorse. "I want people to know that success can come even amidst difficulties," says the author. "It was important for me to capture not only my family history but a story that truly showcases the struggles faced through migration across multiple generations." The book is more than just a fictional adaptation of his family history, the author says. It is a dynamic and engaging story that he hopes will capture a glimpse of issues faced across generations of migrants. And one, which in parts, tells the story of every migrant who has ever left home in search of greener pastures abroad. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Fred Gupta currently lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with his wife. Apart from running a CPA firm, Gupta spotlights a quirkier side to him - doing Elvis impersonations at karaoke evenings! (The Guptas, available in paperback, published by Author House)

March 11, 2011

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Miss India-Canada belongs to both countries NEW DELHI: Anchal Sharma, Miss India-Canada 2010, was in Delhi, eating Indian food and dancing to desi beats at a family wedding. "I last came here six years ago. I can't express my happiness on visiting my homeland again," she says, "Since I was born and bred in Canada, it makes me a hardcore Canadian, but because of my Indian roots, I am a pakka Indian too. I'd rather put it like this - I have a Canadian heart that beats for India." With Canada and India playing in the Cricket World Cup, Anchal is caught between two loyalties. "I've made up my mind, I will go with India," she laughs. Among the cricketers, her favorite is Yuvraj Singh. "Before I go back, I want to see a WC match live," she says. Currently, Anchal is raising funds to open an educational institute for displaced children. "The idea is to impart quality education to needy children. The beauty pageant just happened by

do more," she says. However, she can't deny being charmed by Bollywood. "I'd want to be a part of the action, but I have certain dreams which I am working on."

Currently, Anchal is raising funds to open an educational institute for displaced children. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The idea is to impart quality education to needy childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

chance. Though I was flooded with offers from showbiz after the crown, I decided to do what I like.

Even today, if I'm invited to an event, I urge people to do something for society."

Anchal is associated with NGO Free The Children, which opened a school near Udaipur. "I want to

And when she does step into showbiz, she'd want to work in a cross cultural venture, she says, adding, "People in Canada love Bollywood music. "Munni", "Sheila Ki Jawani" and "Desi Girl" are a rage." -Courtesy TOI

India Post

March 11, 2011 www.indiapost.com

Salman falls for British beauty

Sholay editor living in slums

fter veteran character artist A.K. Hangal, comes news that 81-yearold M.S. Shinde, editor of the cult film " Sholay", is living in poverty in Asia's biggest slum Dharavi. The Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA) has come to his aid.

he latest rumor has it that Hazel Keech has entered Salman Khan's life after Katrina Kaif stepped out. The young starlet is starring in Sallu's new film Bodyguard, directed by his brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri. It seems like Salman is pretty happy with the actress, and she is the latest entrant in the Khan family.

Shinde, who edited over a hundred hit films including ‘Shaan’, ‘Shakti’ and ‘Seeta Aur Geeta’, had to move to the PMFP colony in Dharavi Shinde, who edited over a hundred hit films including " Shaan", "Shakti" and "Seeta Aur Geeta", had to move to the PMFP colony in Dharavi after the building in Parel where he lived for 48 years collapsed and the owner refused to help him. His wife died in 2006 and he lives with his daughter Achla. Shinde recently had tumor surgery and cataract operation.

M S Shinde shows off his Filmfare award for Sholay

"We are helping him. We have sent him a cheque," Gajendra Chauhan, vice president of CINTAA, said. "The federation (CINTAA) is the highest body that controls 23 associations and they all are sending money to federation to help Mr. Shinde," he added refusing to disclose the amount of money given.

While holidaying in Mumbai six years ago, she chanced upon several opportunities to pursue her acting career So just who is Hazel Keech? Hazel was actually christened Rose Dawn. Born in Essex, north-east London, Hazel took inspiration from her Indian mother's roots and enrolled into a local Bollywood dance academy. Rose Dawn, aka Hazel, was an extra on Harry Potter's second, third and fourth series of films. Probably that's where she learnt how to cast her spell on Bollywood's most eligible bachelor, Sallu! While holidaying in Mumbai six years ago, she chanced upon several opportunities to pursue her acting career. Ever since then she has appeared in the Tamil film, Billa (2007) and in some of the top commercials on air, garnering a lot of popularity in

Hazel Keech

the ad-film circuit. Our Londoner has also trained in Kathak, Bharatanatyam, jazz, tap dance, ballet, hip-hop and the basics of belly dancing. At the age of 19 she earned praise for gyrating to Kahin Pe Nigahen (the Suga Candy version) Hazel, like Sallu's ex-flame Katrina Kaif, is currently taking Hindi diction classes from Vidur Chaturvedi for Sallu's brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri's remake of the Malayalam super hit Bodyguard; she plays the second lead opposite Sallu.

FOOD CHANNEL: Madhuri Dixit and masterchef Sanjeev Kapoor address journalists during a press conference for the culinary reality show "Foodfood Mahachallenge" in Ahmedabad on March 2

March 11, 2011

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Gulshan Grover in PETA campaign â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;If you wear leather an animal has to be killed for that, if you wear Pleather it looks the same & nobody has to be killedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: Well-known Bollywood actor Gulshan Grover shot two campaigns in Los Angeles recently for PETA (People for

the Ethical Treatment of Animals). One campaign was against wearing Leather and the second one to control the number of dogs (the photographs with dogs). The campaign was shot by LA

based Studio 838. All models, crew, photographers worked free for the love of animals. Mr. Grover replaced Hollywood Actor Mickey Rourke (Earlier this

campaign was done by Mickey Rourke). Grover said, "Don't kill someone for looks instead kill by your looks. If you wear leather an animal has to be killed for that, if you wear Pleather it looks the same & nobody has to be killed. We are all wearing pleather in the shoot. Models biknies and GG clothes are pleather." PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk personally was involved in approving the concept, creativity and guiding the shoot.

Horoscope

28 India Post

March 11, 2011

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Your Weekly Future by Pandit Parashar

MARCH 11TH TO MARCH 17TH ARIES (MARCH 21 TO APRIL 20)

TAURUS (APRIL 21 TO MAY 20)

resence of helpful planets in fifth will bring big relief. Issues stuck for some time and giving big headache will clear and once again everything will start moving in correct direction. You will make few intelligence choices in career. Expenses will come under control finally. You will finish some important paperwork.

ou will have couple of chance to make some easy money. Expect less pressure at work. Boss will appreciate your work and send a favorable report. You will make new friends and enjoy a small get together this week. It will be a wise idea to get rid of money making stocks.

GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20)

CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22)

here will be few positive developments at work. You will be in line for a dream assignment or promotion. An overseas or long distance trip is also in the air. Health issues will continue to bother. Ongoing legal matters will take a favorable turn. You will get a big check from an insurance company in near future.

LEO (JULY 23 TO AUGUST 22)

ou are really going to enjoy this week. Choice will be in between opportunity poles apart in benefits and risks. You will have few other reasons to celebrate this week. You will hear from an almost forgotten friend. Some of you will start a new relationship with a wonderful person. Bank balance will shot up suddenly.

f you play your cards right and ready to accept the challenges, you will be rolling into big money soon and for a long time thereafter. You may also visit a holy place with family this week. Plans to buy a property for investment purpose will need to be put on hold.

VIRGO (AUGUST 23 TO SEPTEMBER 22)

o not feel disheartened if things do not happen on time. If you stay focused and have patience, you will accomplish a lot soon. Planets help you make money through stocks. You will get to meet very old friends this week. You will be studying some very useful material. Spouse may feel little exhausted and need extra rest for few days.

LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23 TO OCTOBER 22)

SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23 TO NOVEMBER 22)

ou will not only receive good advice but also get a chance to learn little diplomacy. You will attend an interesting get together and win a small bet too. There will be tension at work but you will continue to stay strong and keep doing your job right. Spouse may feel exhausted and need extra rest. A long distance trip is in the air.

n order for you to implement your plans, you will need to confront someone you like very much. Luck is on your side and as a result you will accomplish a lot this week. Journey will be fruitful. No harm in going for a new venture in partnership. You will receive a very interesting phone call.

SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 23 TO DECEMBER 22)

CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22 TO JANUARY 19)

ry to deal with issues diplomatically rather than getting frustrated and angry. You will try to stay focused on real issues and try to forget about past incidence. Few issues involving children will get resolved. You will be in touch with a fatherly figure for some advice and encouraging words. Keep an eye on credit cards.

ou may have to settle for lot less than what you really deserve. Some one from distance will call to give you some good news. You will travel to a nice area with family to meet few old friends. People on the other side will respond quickly to your mail. Spouse will continue to give good ideas. Bank balance will grow suddenly.

AQUARIUS (JANUARY 20 TO FEBRUARY 18)

eople prone to litigation should be careful for next few weeks. Running around will increase and the results will come very slow. It is a favorable week for job seekers as strong planets in sixth can help them achieve their goals. You will meet a very interesting person this week. There will an addition in the family soon.

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

PISCES (FEBRUARY 19 TO MARCH 20)

ou will try to dodge unnecessary stress at work as well at home. You will be working really hard to obtain a new assignment. You may need to use some part of your reserves to meet your commitments. ItĂs not a bad idea to contact the person who was always helpful in the past.

925-833-7170 website: www.parashar.com

29 India Post

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March 11, 2011

Local market in Kasauli

asauli is a beautiful hill station located just 77kms from Shimla. The small town was gardens and orchards. This picturesque hill-station, oozing old-world charm is covered built in 19th century by the British and it has an old-world charm. The Central with tall Deodar, wild flowers, rhododendrons, wild roses, flame of the forest, and flowerResearch Institute in Kasauli set up in 1900, is the olding Kichnar in summer and is a popular hub for bird-watchers. est in India, taking care of pet, police and army dogs as well as Winters, with snowfall, are beautiful too. their masters. It was also featured in the Time's best of Asia list What to see under "Best Literary Excursion". Monkey Point: 3 Â˝ Km from Hotel Ros Common a hill which The narrow roads of Kasauli slither up and down the hillderives its name from Rishi Man-ki who used to worship an side and offer some magnificent vistas. Directly below is the idol of Lord Hanuman and later the summit is crowned with a spread of vast plains of Punjab and Haryana which as darksmall temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman and presently being ness falls, unroll a gorgeous carpet of twinkling lights. At 3647 looked after by the personnel of Air Force, stationed here. The m, the peak of Choor Chandni (also called the Choordhar) powarea being restricted from security point of view, no belongerfully dominates the lower hills and across the undulating ings like camera, bags are allowed. Legend has it that Kasauli ranges, Shimla is visible. came into being when Lord Hanuman, on his way to getting The upper and lower malls run through Kasauli's length the Sanjeevani herb, stepped here for jumping on to the and one can enjoy long walks on it. A mixed forest of pine, oak Sanjeevani hill. At Kasauli there is a Hanuman Mandir atop the and huge horse-chestnut encircles the 300-mt high hillock, called Monkey Point, where Hanuman is Monkey Point town. Its colonial ambience is supposed to have rested his feet. reinforced by a stretch of The other attractions: An ancient Church is worth seeing cobbled roads, quaint shops, gabled located on the Upper Mall Road. A little above this place, there is houses with charming facades a Central Research Institute established in 1906 by Dr. and scores of neat little Sample, It prepares vaccines for treatment of typhoid, cholera, smallpox, and snake-bite and is only of its kind in Asia. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 31

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March 11, 2011

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Win a family eco-adventure in Costa Rica India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) and the National

Aquarium have announced the Get Going Costa Rica Family Adventure Sweepstakes that will send two lucky families of four on an all-inclusive family eco-adventure to Costa Rica for six nights and seven days during the summer of 2011. Winners will be accompanied by conservation experts to learn more about the biodiversity of Costa Rica's rich lands, fauna and flora, as well as gain insight on existing research being done to preserve Costa Rica's natural habitat. This partnership reflects shared values of promoting conservation, biodiversity and environmental sustainability. The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is home to more than 800 species of plants and more than 250 species of ani-

mals, many of which represent Costa Rica including the spider monkey, scarlet macaw and harpy eagle. In addition to caring for animals here, the Zoo also participates in preservation of some of the world's most critically endangered species through involvement in a number of conservation projects and Species Survival Plans. The Get Going Costa Rica Family Adventure Sweepstakes in Los A n g e l e s opened March 1and remains open through June 30, 2011, at 5:00 p.m. EST. Participants can register exclusively online on a weekly basis by visiting the L.A. Zoo's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ losangeleszoo, the Visit Costa Rica Facebook page, or www.visitcostarica.com, and by opting in while registering to receive bi-weekly email reminders that will include a sweepstakes registry link. Winners from this sweepstakes period will be announced on www.visitcostarica.com in August 2011. Sweepstakes winners will be flown to Costa Rica's capital, San Jose, and begin their adventure by enjoying the sun and beach in Manuel Antonio National Park, one of Costa Rica's top rated coastlines. Throughout the week, the families will observe dolphins and whales in Costa Ballena,

Focus on development of tourist infrastructure NEW DELHI: With a view to promoting tourism, the government has allocated Rs 1170 crore in the General Budget for 201112, marking an increase of Rs 104 crore over

last year. The budget made provision of Rs 499 crore for development of tourist infrastructure including budget accommodation, wayside amenities, tourist reception centers, refurbishment and illumination of monuments.

For promotion of tourism, Rs 347.75 crore has been earmarked in the budget. Promotion and marketing activities are undertaken through a network of India Tourism offices located in India and abroad. Social awareness campaigns are also released to sensitize the masses and tourism stakeholders. The Ministry has got Rs 123 crore for its training programs. Training manpower is an essential feature for development of tourism in the country. At present there are 41 institutes of hotel management and five food craft institutes which are conducting various courses. Keeping the special requirements of the northeast region in mind, Rs 110 crore has been earmarked for the NE region and Sikkim in the budget. -PTI

explore the wildlife and pristine beaches of Corcovado National Park, and spend time with conservation experts learning about the important preservation work being done in Costa Rica. While Costa Rica covers only .03 percent of the Earth, the country has five percent of the world's plant and animal species, which makes it the densest region of biodiversity on Earth. With more than 25 percent of its land set aside in reserves, refuges and natural parks, the Costa Rican government protects more of its land than any other country. "This partnership with the Costa Rica Tourism Board is an ideal opportunity to help inform our visitors and members about the wondrous varieties of animal and plant life in Costa Rica and to introduce them to the terrific travel opportunities available," commented Connie Morgan, president of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, the non-profit organization that supports the Los Angeles Zoo. "I was fortunate to have visited Costa Rica with a group of supporters from the Zoo, and the entire trip was enchanting from beginning to end. Ev-

eryone who participated was moved by the country's natural beauty, warm hospitality and variety of tourist activities," she added. The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), a private non-profit organization, raises money for Los Angeles Zoo exhibits, plant and animal species conservation, capital projects, and education and community outreach programs. For nearly five decades, GLAZA has successfully supported the Los

Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens as an international leader in the preservation of endangered species and conservation center for the care and study of wildlife. GLAZA has the largest membership base of a cultural organization in Los Angeles, with 72,000 member households.

Air travel, hotel stays to be costlier NEW DELHI: Air travel and hotel stays "My proposals relating to service tax will be expensive as the government raised are estimated to result in net revenue gain service tax on air travel in economy class of Rs 4,000 crore for the year," Mukherjee by up to Rs 250 and brought hotel accom- said. modation, among others, under the tax net "It will mostly affect the airline and hoin the Budget. tel sector. They may go for rate hike. But I The measures would result in a net rev- think the fallout will be short-term and the enue gain of Rs 4,000 crore. The govern- sectors will not face any serious probment, however, retained the rate of service tax at 10 per Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee cent. proposed raising the service tax on Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee proposed raisair travel by Rs 50 to Rs 150 in the ing the service tax on air case of domestic air travel and by travel by Rs 50 to Rs 150 in the case of domestic air Rs 250 to Rs 750 on overseas travel and by Rs 250 to Rs journeys by economy class. The 750 on overseas journeys service tax on travel by higher by economy class. The service tax on travel classes on domestic sector would by higher classes on domesbe at 10 per cent tic sector would be at 10 per cent to bring it on par with journeys by higher classes on international lems," KPMG Executive Director Vikas Vasal said. air travel, he said. Other experts also expressed similar The Budget proposes to include sectors like hotel accommodation with a room views. "The hotel and airline sectors are artariff of over Rs 1,000 per day and air-con- eas generating larger revenues and the maditioned restaurants serving liquor under jority of the intended Rs 4,000 crore would come from it," an expert of Deloitte said.-PTI service tax ambit.

Travel & Hospitality Post

March 11, 2011

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Picturesque hill-station, oozing old-world charm

Cont’d from page 29

Close to this there is Pasteur Institute founded in 1900 to produce anti-rabies vaccine against dog-bite. There is a sanatorium for TB patients who benefit by its

healthy environment. TV Tower is another landmark. Baptist Church established in 1923 is also worth seeing. Baba Balak Nath Temple: On the Graner Hill top is a famous temple of Sidh Baba Balak Nath. It

is believed that Baba Balak Nath one night appeared in dreams to a local resident named Vijay Kumar and told him to build a temple at the place. This temple is one of its own kind where issueless couples visit to be blessed with a child. Baptism ceremony of children is also performed in this temple. Photographs of such blessed children are kept as record by Baba Vijay Kumar in the Temple. Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir: Built in 1989 by Sai Sudha Trust, it is a famous temple located half km away from Garkhal. The idol of Sai Baba was built in Jaipur and the burning flame in this temple signifies the divine power of Sai Baba of Shirdi. When to go: Best time to travel to Kasauli is between April-June and September-November. How to reach: Air - From Kasauli the nearest airport is Chandigarh. Shimla is

Baba Balak Nath Temple

Zealand, Luxembourg, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia. Also, the government has put in place a multi-pronged strategy, including strengthening and expanding institutional infrastructure for training and education in

The hotel industry saw good times coming back. After falling in 2009-10, the hotel sector's sales are likely to grow in 2010-11 by 18.1 per cent due to both, higher occupancies and Average Room Rate (ARRs) order to meet the huge skill gap in the hospitality industry, it said. The Survey said India's foreign exchange earnings from tourist arrivals grew 24.56 per cent in 2010 at USD 14,193 million, compared to USD 11,394 million in 2009. Total foreign tourist arrivals in

row gauge railway line from Kalka. Road - Solan and Kasauli are well connected by road. Buses, coaches and taxis are easily available from Chandigarh and Delhi.

Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir

Need to fully exploit tourism potential NEW DELHI: The government's several incentives to promote tourism in India notwithstanding, the sector needs more impetus to fully exploit its potential, India's Economic Survey says. Various fiscal incentives have been announced by the government for the hospitality sector such as the five-year tax holiday for two, three, and four star category hotels. "Despite these efforts, there is a lot more to be done, given the potential of this sector," it said. In fact at 11.5 per cent, the share of travel in India's exports of commercial services in 2008 is lower than that of many other exporters of services and USA, EU and China, it said. The Survey pointed out that the government has launched a scheme for development of nationally and internationally important destinations and circuits through mega projects. "So far, 38 projects have been identified, out of which 23 have been sanctioned," it said. Other initiatives include continuation of promotional efforts under the 'Incredible India' campaign, visa-on-arrival for tourists from Singapore, Finland, New

nearest airport for Solan. Rail - Nearest railhead is Kalka in Haryana, which is 40-km from Kasauli and 44-km from Solan. Solan is also connected with nar-

India increased to 5.88 million in 2010, up from 5.11 million in the year-ago period. "During the period 2004 to 2009, the CAGRs of foreign tourist arrivals and foreign exchange earnings from tourism in rupee terms were 8.1 per cent, and 14.5 per cent, respectively," it said. The hotel industry saw good times coming back. After falling in 2009-10, the hotel sector's sales are likely to grow in 2010-11 by 18.1 per cent due to both, higher occupancies and Average Room Rate (ARRs). "However, fresh room additions in 2011-13 will keep the ARRs under check. Sales are expected to grow by 15.1 per cent in 2011-12," the Survey said. As far as foreign investment is concerned, the hotel sector saw a decline in FDI in terms of number of projects in 2009 with 370 projects, compared to 553 in 2008. Presently there are 1,593 classified hotels with a capacity of 95,087 rooms in the country. Domestic tourist visits increased to 650 million in 2009 as compared to 562.98 million in 2008, witnessing a growth of 15.5 per cent in spite of various adverse factors during this period. -PTI

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Tech News Airtel launches 3G services in Jaipur JAIPUR: Leading telecommunications company Bharti Airtel has launched 3G services in Jaipur. It is the first launch in North India and following this, the services will be rolled out across all major cities in the states in weeks to come, Bharti Airtel President (Mobile Services) Atul Bindal said. "Having successfully launched Airtel 3G services in six cities, we are launching the service in North India from the city of Jaipur, with exciting Hindi and regional mobile TV content," he told reporters at the launching ceremony here. Powered by 3G, the Airtel mobile TV services allows customers to enjoy their favorite TV shows on different channels on the go. -PTI

Haripur nuclear plant to start in 2014 KOLKATA: The data, needed for environmental clearance for the proposed nuclear power plant at Haripur in East Midnapur district of West Bengal, would be compiled by March 2012 to make the plant operational by 2014, a top NPCIL official said here. "Data collection on oceanography and meteorological aspect is going on, except the geo-technical test that can wait. All data needed for environmental clearance would be at hand by March 2012," Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd Chairman and Managing Director S K Jain told reporters on the sidelines of 'Frontiers of Science' event. According to the proposal, the first phase of the commissioning of the Haripur project would have 2000 MW out of a total 6000 MW being proposed, with two pressurized water reactors from Russia. -PTI

Sibal blames NDA policies for huge revenue loss NEW DELHI: Under attack over the 2G scam, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal sought to put the blame on BJP saying the NDA regimeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revenue-sharing method, instead of a fixed license fee, caused a revenue loss of about Rs 1.50 lakh crore. The license fee charged at that time was Rs 623 per subscriber and if that regime had continued for another 20 years, it would have earned the government over Rs two lakh crore whereas only Rs 80,000 crore was collected. -PTI

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Payments to Iran for crude oil imports resume NEW DELHI: More than three months after RBI scrapped a long-standing payment mechanism used to pay for Iranian crude imports, India has resumed payments to the nation's second largest oil supplier using an alternative system. "Pending dues of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) are now being cleared and as of March 1, 2011, payment of Euro 1.5 billion has been made to the Central Bank of Iran," Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. -PTI

March 11, 2011

Indian economy will beat U.S., China by 2050: Citigroup report India Post News Service

NEW YORK: India will be the world's largest economy by 2050 leaving China in second place and the United States a sorry third, according to a new Citigroup report. The report, authored by Willem Buiter, Citigroup's chief economist with Ebrahim Rahbari and Juergen Michels, Citi Economics, Global Economics View, Feb 21, 2011 focuses on what the authors call the Global Growth Generators or the 3G countries. The report draws on a systematic research of the global generators of growth for the future to effectively conclude that China should overtake the US to become the largest economy in the world by 2020, then be overtaken by India by 2050. The report lists Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Mongolia, Nigeria, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam that have the most promising (per capita) growth prospects as 3G countries. Reflecting on what to expect from the fast-growing Asian economies in the short term, Buiter says consumer spending in these countries is likely to exceed total consumer spending in the Euro area during the next two years. "It could exceed the total consumer spending in the US

within a dozen years," he says. "The proximate driver of this consumption boom is the growth of the middle class in fast-growing Asia. The number of households with an annual income of at least $10,000 per annum in India and China combined is likely to exceed that in the US from 2011 on and that in all of Western Europe 2 or 3 years later. There are already well over 100 million households with income over $10,000 in India and China combined.

tic note: "Don't be unlucky and don't blow it. Catch-up and convergence should do the rest." Buiter and his co-authors expect strong growth in the world economy until 2050, with average real GDP growth rates of 4.6% pa until 2030 and 3.8% pa between 2030 and 2050 - as a result of which, world GDP should rise in real PPPadjusted terms from $72 trillion in 2010 to $380 trillion in 2050. Buiter warns, however, that growth will not be smooth. "Ex-

The report lists Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Mongolia, Nigeria, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam that have the most promising (per capita) growth prospects as 3G countries The report further states that developing Asia and Africa will be the fastest growing regions, driven by population and income per capita growth, followed in terms of growth by the Middle East, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, the CIS, and finally the advanced nations of today. For poor countries with large young populations, growing fast should be easy, they say. But they advise these countries to open up, create some form of market economy, invest in human and physical capital, adding on a cryp-

pect booms and busts," he warns. "Occasionally, there will be growth disasters, driven by poor policy, conflicts, or natural disasters. When it comes to that, don't believe that 'this time it's different'." "Boom and bust cycles have been a constant companion of growth and development in virtually all economies. It will not be different this time, so beware of any proclamations of an end of volatility and the 'next sure thing'. Prospects for many poor nations today are more promising than

probably at any time in human history and we expect many countries to grow fast and catch up substantially, but 'growth disasters' induced by poor policies, internal conflict or bad luck are sadly not unlikely. The report's authors took as starting point for the investigation of countries that could be potential future Global Growth Generators by making use of Citi's position as a global bank, with a physical presence in 109 countries. Citi's economics team has more than 50 economists based in 19 countries. They cover 60 countries, accounting for over 85% of 2010 world GDP measured in US dollars. The authors collected long-term growth forecasts from Citi economists from around the globe, for the countries covered by them. Report indicates the following will be the 10 largest economies in the world in 2050: 1. India: $85.97 trillion 2. China: $80.02 trillion 3. United States: $39.07 trillion 4. Indonesia: $13.93 trillion 5. Brazil: $11.58 trillion 6. Nigeria: $9.51 trillion 7. Russia: $7.77 trillion 8. Mexico: $6.57 trillion 9. Japan: $6.48 trillion 10. Egypt: $6.02 trillion. Not a single European nation (other than Russia) will qualify to be among the first 10.

Indian in NASA research explains missing sunspots WASHINGTON: A joint research sponsored by India's top science body and NASA and done by a scientist from Kolkata has explained the "puzzle" of recent period of decreased solar activity during the Sun's 11-year cycle. Solar scientists around the world were puzzled by the extended disappearance of sunspots in 2008-2009. The recent solar minimum, a period characterized by a lower frequency of sunspots and solar storms, was the deepest observed in almost 100 years. The solar minimum has reper-

cussions on the safety of space travel and the amount of orbital debris our planet accumulates, a NASA release said. "Plasma currents deep inside the sun interfered with the formation of sunspots and prolonged the solar minimum," said lead author Dibyendu Nandi of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Kolkata. Funded by NASA's Living with a Star Program and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) of the Indian Government, the research revealed that during this deep solar minimum,

the sun's magnetic field weakened, allowing cosmic rays to penetrate the solar system in record numbers, making space a more dangerous place to travel. At the same time, the decrease in ultraviolet radiation caused Earth's upper atmosphere to cool and collapse, it said. "This research demonstrates how observations from Heliophysics System Observatory missions stimulate new theories and advance modeling techniques," said Richard Fisher, director of the Heliophysics Division in NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters

in Washington. The solar cycle, or the solar magnetic activity cycle, is a periodic change in the amount of irradiation from the sun that is experienced on Earth. It has a period of about 10.7 years (approximately 11 years), and is one component of solar variation, the other being aperiodic fluctuations. Solar variation causes changes in space weather and to some degree weather on Earth. However, changes in solar brightness are too weak to explain recent climate change. -PTI

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Center blocking investment Raw material imports hit by Egypt situation in Bihar: Nitish PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has criticized the Centre for allegedly blocking huge investment proposals worth over Rs one lakh crore in thermal power and ethanol sectors. "Fate of investment proposals worth over Rs one lakh crore in Bihar in the fields of thermal power and ethanol hangs in balance following non-cooperation from the Centre," Kumar said at a program here. He said the state had received investment proposals of Rs 90,000 crore for setting up ethanol manufacturing units and Rs 20,000 for raising thermal power plants. "The state government has sought clearance from the Centre for removing restrictions in manufacturing of ethanol from sugarcane juice, but no decision has been taken as yet," he said. Similarly, the Center's dilly-dallying attitude towards providing

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar

‘Officials of the state are not so clever to distort and forge statistics’ adequate coal linkages to Bihar for utilizing the proposed investments to generate 2000 MW power was also blocked, he alleged at the pro-

gram organized by a business daily. While the Centre has become a stumbling block in development of Bihar, the state government had accorded top priority to help develop basic infrastructure. "We have to make roads, develop the state and fulfill basic needs of the people and the state," he said and rubbished the charges of "jugglery" of figure in showing the state's growth rate. In 2010, the media had projected the state's growth rate at 11 per cent and when the final figures were compiled it was at 16.59 per cent in 2008-09 itself, Kumar said. "Officials of the state are not so clever to distort and forge statistics," the Chief Minister said adding that Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee too had admitted that the state's growth rate was pegged at 16 per cent during 2006-08. -PTI

Ban proposed on futures trading in essential items NEW DELHI: As part of steps to control high food prices, PM's Working Group on Consumer Affairs - led by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi - has called for ban on futures trading in essential items and favored liberalizing agri-markets via organized retail. The group has made 20 recommendations with 64 action points, ranging from banning futures trade in essential items to making offences under the Essential Commodities Act as non-bailable. It has also suggested setting up of special courts for early trials. The Working Group, set up in April 2010 to find ways to control retail prices, submitted the report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here. Apart from Gujarat, Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra were members of the group. "Considering lack of strong linkages between spot and future markets at present, the Modi Report suggested that for the time being, essential commodities should be kept out of the futures market," an official release said. The report suggests delisting essential commodities like rice, pulses and edible oils from the Future Markets, to contain inflation. Food inflation rose to 11.49 per cent for week ended February 12 from 11.05 per cent in the previous week. Commodity markets regulator

FMC has already suspended futures trading in rice, tur and urad, but wheat and sugar are still traded. The Working Group has also recommended liberalization of agriculture markets for improving efficiency of distribution channels by increasing participation of the organized sector and cooperatives in retail, agro-processing and post-harvest infrastructure. The report has called for "price stabilization fund" for government intervention when prices become unreasonably high.

The report has called for ‘price stabilization fund’ for government intervention when prices become unreasonably high To stop the hoarding and black marketing of daily necessities, the PM's Group has recommended setting up of Special Courts under the Essential Commodities Act (ECA) for speedy trials. "Offences under Section 10-A under the ECA should be made non-bailable and Special Courts should be set up for speedy trial of offences," the release said. It also recommended raising the detention period to one year from six months for black marketing

under the Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supply of Essential Commodities Act, 1980. Identifying farm infrastructure growth as sluggish, the report has suggested time-bound development of agri-marketing infrastructure like storage capacities in food deficit regions, cold chains and agro-processing. It has emphasized upon the need to prepare a 10-year Perspective Plan for improving Agri-infrastructure of backward and forward linkages for agriculture production and marketing. Besides, it has suggested that the government evolve a single "National agriculture Market" by setting up ministerial coordination mechanism at national and regional levels for policy making. The report has further recommended that the government enlarge the scope of priority sector lending to agri-marketing activities and speedy reform of APMC Act across the country. It has also asked the government "to explore unbundling of Food Corporation of India (FCI) operation in terms of procurement, storage and distribution functions." The report has said that there should be an extensive use of the technology to disseminate information to stakeholders on production, imports, stocks and overall availability of essential commodities. -PTI

NEW DELHI: India's imports of raw materials for fertilizers are likely to be "adversely" affected by the uncertain political scenario in Egypt after long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak was forced to flee the country, the government informed Parliament. "Due to the current situation in Egypt, it is apprehended that import of fertilizer inputs may be adversely affected for some time," Minister of State for Fertilizers Srikant Kumar Jena said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The Suez Canal, one of the world's busiest maritime routes, which passes through Egypt, is one of the major transit routes for shipment of raw materials used by the Indian fertilizer industry, he said. India imports nine lakh tonnes of fertilizers, including urea, sulphur and ammonia, from Egypt annually, he added. The minister noted that the domestic fertilizer industry will source these inputs from other alternative sources to minimize the impact of the Egypt situation on domestic output. The government has allowed manufacturers of single super

phosphate (SSP) and phosphatic fertilizers to import raw materials under the open general list. In a separate reply, the minister said the minimum retail price (MRP) of indigenously produced fertilizers increased marginally during the 2010-11 Rabi season starting October due to rising global prices of fertilizers and their inputs.

India imports nine lakh tonnes of fertilizers, including urea, sulphur and ammonia, from Egypt annually, he added Replying to a query on the revival of closed PSUs Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Ltd (HFCL) and Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd (FCIL), the minister said the Empowered Committee of Secretaries (ECOS) has finalized recommendations and "based on it, a draft Cabinet note has been circulated for inter-ministerial comments". -PTI

New rehab package for Jaitapur nuclear plant KOLKATA: The NPCIL has finalized a new Rs 650 crore rehabilitation package--"10 times" more effective than the existing one - for displaced persons at the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power in Maharashtra in a bid to address the growing opposition to the project. The package for land and home losers worked out by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India

(NPCIL) will be announced any day, a top official said. The 6,000 MW plant is an Indo-French joint venture. "We have improved the rehabilitation package 10 times the existing one. This would be announced any day," NPCIL chairman and managing director S K Jain said here on the sidelines of an event. -PTI

Health

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Lawmakers considering cord blood bank

HARTFORD, Conn.: Some state lawmakers are gathering support to create a public umbilical cord blood bank in Connecticut. North Haven Republican Sen. Len Fasano has scheduled a news conference to discuss legislation he's proposed to create such a bank. In 2009, the General Assembly voted to require health care providers to inform expectant mothers about the option to bank or donate their newborn baby's umbilical cord blood, which is rich in stem cells that can be frozen and used to treat various diseases and conditions. Connecticut parents can now pay private banks to store the blood. A public bank would be free. Fasano is expected to joined by state Rep. Jason Perillo and doctors from Yale University, University of Connecticut and the Yale Blood Bank. -AP

Colon cancer screening need emphasized

CHICAGO: Doctors who specialize in colon cancer screening are using March to highlight the importance of getting tested. March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Deaths and diagnoses of this common cancer have declined recently, but it still claims more than 50,000 lives yearly. The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in Oak Brook includes doctors who do colonoscopies. Endoscopy group president Dr. Brian Fennerty says be sure to contact your doctor immediately if you have symptoms, including bleeding or unexplained abdominal pain. -AP

Bill would aid Nevada campaign to stop crib death

CARSON CITY, Nev.: Proponents of SB172 hope no more Nevada babies die because of an unsafe sleep situation. The bill, up before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, aims to create a more structured campaign teaching parents not to let their baby sleep next to another person, or with too many pillows of stuffed animals. Statistics from the Nevada State Health Division show that in 2009, 218 Nevada babies younger than a year old died. Of those, eight died of suffocation from an unsafe sleeping arrangement and three died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). -AP

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Ark. panel backs prescription drug monitor LITTLE ROCK, Ark.: A Senate panel has backed legislation to create a statewide database for tracking some prescription drug purchases, despite concerns raised by opponents who say it's an invasion of privacy. -AP

Better think positive: Pessimism can block therapy WASHINGTON: Spine surgeon Anders Cohen puts a lot of stock in patients' expectations of pain relief. He prefers to operate only on those who ``grab you by the collar and say, `I can't take it anymore.''' New brain research proves doctors like Cohen are onto something: Pessimism can override the effectiveness of even powerful treatments. You've heard of the placebo effect, the healing power of positive belief. This is the ``nocebo'' effect, the flip side, almost its evil twin. And while the self-fulfilling prophecy of negative thinking isn't nearly as well studied, some scientists say it's time for doctors to start paying a lot more attention to their patients' outlook. ``We all know that many treatments work for some people but not for others,'' says neuroscientist Dr. Randy Gollub of Massachusetts General Hospital. Instead

of stressing only the percentages, ``say, `I have every reason to believe that you could be one of the people who will respond.''' Scientists already know the placebo effect is real. They can measure it in studies that compare real drugs to dummy pills, where those given the fakes have noticeable improve-

1 to 100. Then the researchers hooked up an IV to give them the powerful morphine-like painkiller remifentanil. Typically used for surgery patients, it works rapidly but also is metabolized rapidly, able to be switched on and off as researchers alternated between

Pessimism can override the effectiveness of even powerful treatments. You've heard of the placebo effect, the healing power of positive belief. This is the 'nocebo' effect, the flip side, almost its evil twin ments to pain and other symptoms. But could a gloomy outlook really harm? British and German researchers performed the most sophisticated study yet to tell. They strapped a heat-beaming device onto the legs of 22 healthy volunteers, zapping it until people rated their pain at nearly 70 on a scale of

giving the drug or plain fluid. The volunteers' brains were scanned as they described how much pain, and pain relief, they experienced at different times. When the researchers induced the burn and surreptitiously turned on the drug, the volunteers said their pain improved a fair amount. The

painkiller was working, expectations aside. Here's the mind over matter: The researchers next told the volunteers they were about to inject the painkiller even though they'd never turned it off. Those pain ratings dropped even more meaning expectations of relief doubled the drug's painkilling benefit. Finally, the researchers lied again, saying they were stopping the drug and that pain would probably increase. Sure enough, the volunteers' pain levels soared back up to almost their pre-treated level as grim expectations canceled out the effect of a proven and potent painkiller. Anxiety levels fluctuated similarly. Why? The brain scans tell the tantalizing tale showing changes in neural pain networks that prove the people really did experience the changes in pain that they reported. Cont’d on page 37

An experience of donating bone marrow KRISTEEN SINGH

his past holiday season, I donated bone marrow for a 17-year old boy with Leukemia. I was blessed to be given the chance to help him and potentially stop him from dying. I want to mention that you too can save a life by visiting: asianmarrow.org It's a wonderful irony that I should be contacted to donate, as from '06 to '07 I worked at A3M (Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches, affiliated with the National Marrow Donor Program) as the South Asian Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator. In '06, I got hired and the first thing I did was register. In September of 2010 I was contacted by A3M and told I was a match. The recipient is the same age as my nephew, and I knew I would want to save my nephew, so of course I want the same for this boy. It feels appropriate that as a match, I am connecting everyone who has been in this fight to save

patients' lives. As a donor it feels like yes, we are doing it, and yes we are life savers. After the initial call, I had my blood tested which confirmed that I matched. I was excited that this

doing the PBSC or Marrow procedure. 70 percent donate using PBSC, but I decided on the marrow procedure. To learn more about the procedures, visit: asianmarrow.org. Registering is easy and all you need is four cotton swabs with saliva samples and a completed form.

Registering South Asians from all religions between the ages of 18-60 has brought people together to save lives Kristeen Singh

holiday season, I would get to share the gift of life. Information sessions were followed by a physical exam to confirm my ability to donate. I had a choice of

Remember if someone you know or your family needs a match, this registry will be there for you too. Registering South Asians from all religions between the ages of 18-60 has brought people together

to save lives. My experience at A3M will forever stay in my heart. Those I met and connected to and the many thousands that registered to save lives give me faith in the power of community and the realization that people do care. Many were saved and I will also remember those that didn't make it, but know that their legacy lives on. The struggle to find a match continues to help patients fight for life through matches found thanks to those who registered. The Help Vinay and Sameer Campaign are some true examples of giving, support and compassion that I witnessed first hand. The Dragonfly Effect, a book inspired by the campaign, states that of 24,611 that registered in a three month period, over 266 were matches in one year alone. Thanks to all who were there to support while I was at A3M and those who continue to support today.

March 11, 2011

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Noncommunicable diseases Sugary drinks linked to high threaten S-E Asia blood pressure India Post News Service

JAKARTA: Noncommunicable diseases such as cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and chronic respiratory diseases cause 3 out of 5 deaths in WHO's SouthEast Asia Region, some 8 million people annually. Since these diseases are closely linked to poverty, they pose a serious public health threat to the Region and also impede development. For instance in India, eliminating noncommunicable diseases would increase the GDP by 4-10% according to the World Bank. More than 22% of deaths worldwide due to noncommunicable diseases occur in the 11 countries in WHO's South-East Asia Region. A third of these deaths are expected to be among middle-aged adults under the age of 60 years. This epidemic of noncommunicable diseases can be largely prevented through cost-effective public health measures. "Noncommunicable diseases pose a threat to the global economy and are impoverishing to both families and individuals. These diseases are the major cause of poverty at the individual and household level," said Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO's Regional Director for South-East Asia. "Diabetes, hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular diseases have increased in the Region. Costly in terms of long-term care, they demand a type of social and fi-

nancial investment that many countries will have difficulty making unless they quickly begin to re-prioritize their efforts and funding", he added. Many of these diseases can be prevented, delayed or alleviated through simple lifestyle changes. By improving diet, increasing physical activity and quitting smoking, 80% of heart diseases and stroke, 80% of type 2 diabetes and 40% of cancers

Many of these diseases can be prevented, delayed or alleviated through simple lifestyle changes. By improving diet, increasing physical activity and quitting smoking can be prevented. 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week could reduce the risk of ischemic heart disease by 30%, the risk of diabetes by 27% and the risk of breast and colon cancer by 21-25%. Preventing noncommunicable diseases is cheaper than treating them. The UN General Assembly will convene a High-level Meeting in September 2011 to galvanize action to halt premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases.

Better think positive: Pessimism can block therapy Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 36

Moreover, expecting more pain fired up sections of the brain that control mood and anxiety, the researchers recently reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine. In contrast, anticipating pain relief fired up different regions previously found active in people given placebos. It's a small study, dealing just with pain. But the results may apply to a range of drug therapies, especially in chronic diseases because so many of those patients are conditioned by months or years or frustrating treatment failures, concluded lead researcher Dr. Ulrike Bingel of Hamburg's University Medical Center, who teamed with Oxford University researchers for the study. Learning how anxiety influences pain is crucial to understanding this nocebo effect - how you get the pain you expect, said co-author and Oxford neuroscientist Irene Tracey, in a recent review of the science of expectations in the journal Nature Medicine. It's by no means a novel concept. Previous research has found people given a dummy pill can experience the side effects of the medication they thought they were getting. While there's a lot yet to learn, for now doctors should at least try building closer relationships with their patients to encour-

age trust in recommended treatments, said Mass General's Gollub. ``Building these strong, positive expectations for doing well are part of what comes from believing in your treater as someone who cares about you,'' she said. Directly managing patients' expectations - spelling out exactly what will happen at different points to take away some of the fear also can help, said Cohen, chief of

Learning how anxiety influences pain is crucial to understanding this nocebo effect - how you get the pain you expect, said co-author and Oxford neuroscientist Irene Tracey spine surgery at Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York. He teaches new doctors not to promise surgery patients they'll wake up free from pain because while the old back pain may be fading they're going to hurt from the operation. When someone says, ```Wow, it's just like he told it was going to be, this guy told me the truth,' now you've got this bond of confidence,'' Cohen said. ``You're partnering with your patient.'' -AP

WASHINGTON: In one more reason why one should avoid or reduce taking sugary drinks, a new study has claimed that soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages such as fruit drinks may lead to increased blood pressure levels in adults. The international research, published in the journal Hypertension, found that every extra sugary beverages per day increases higher systolic blood pressure by 1.6 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 0.8 mmHg (millimetres of mercury). The researchers, who looked at 2,696 participants in the US and Britain for their study, found higher blood pressure levels in individuals who consumed more glucose and fructose, the most common sugar sweetener used by the beverage industry. Higher blood pressure was also found more pronounced in people who consumed high levels of both sugar and sodium. Study author Paul Elliott of the Imperial College London said: "These findings lend support for recommendations to reduce the intake of sugar sweetened beverages, as well as added sugars and sodium in an effort to reduce blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health. "This points to another possible intervention to lower blood pressure," he suggested. For the study, the researchers analyzed consumption of sugar-sweetened

drinks, sugars and diet beverages of the participants, aged between 40 and 59 years, in eight areas of the US and two areas in the UK. Participants reported what they ate and drank for four days via in depth interviews by trained observers. They also underwent two 24-hour urine collections, eight blood pressure readings and responded a detailed questionnaire on lifestyle, medical and social factors.

The researchers analyzed consumption of sugarsweetened drinks, sugars and diet beverages of the participants, aged between 40 and 59 years, in eight areas of the US and two areas in the UK The researchers found that sugar intake in the form of glucose, fructose and sucrose was highest in those consuming more than one sugar-sweetened beverage daily. They also found that individuals consuming more than one serving per day of sugar-sweetened beverages consumed more calories than those who didn't, with average energy intake of more than 397 calories per day. -PTI

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March 11, 2011

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Barack Obama offers concession on health law WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama has offered to bring forward the date by which US states can frame their own health care plans, in an apparent concession to critics of his historic reform law. Obama's mammoth health reform legislation, passed after a monumental political effort last year, aimed to expand health coverage to most Americans, cut down on abuses by private insurance giants and cut ballooning costs. But Republicans have branded the law, the most sweeping social legislation for decades, as a government power grab and are challenging it in the courts, and the bill continues to divide public opinion ahead of the 2012 election. At a meeting with governors at the White House, Obama said he would let states opt out of his law in 2014 instead of 2017 - if they

told the governors. "We'll work with you to do it. I've said before, I don't believe that any single party has a monopoly on good ideas. And I will go to bat for whatever works, no matter who

'I am not open to refighting the battles of the last two years, or undoing the progress that we've made,' Obama said

could come up with plans to fulfill the same goals as his effort. "If your state can create a plan that covers as many people as

Mich. children over prescribed antibiotics DETROIT: A study says children are among Michigan residents who continue to be over-treated with prescription antibiotic drugs. The Ann Arbor-based Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation's report says that's despite a 15-year federal campaign to educate consumers on how overuse lowers response to future infections. The report says children outstate received slightly more prescription antibiotics than kids in southeast Michigan. The study found a 4.5 percent increase between 2007 and 2009 in antibiotic prescriptions for children with Blue Cross Blue Shield

of Michigan health insurance. Adult use dropped 9.3 percent during the same time.

The report says children out-state received slightly more prescription antibiotics than kids in southeast Michigan The Detroit Free Press says the nonprofit, which is funded by the Blues and the University of Michigan, analyzed Blues data for the report. Blue Cross Blue Shield is Michigan's largest insurer. -AP

affordably and comprehensively as the Affordable Care Act does without increasing the deficit - you can implement that plan," Obama

or where it comes from." Under Obama's plan states could make the decision to opt out of the federal health care reform requirements by 2017. But three senators, Democrats Ron Wyden of Oregon and Mary

Landrieu of Louisiana, as well as Scott Brown of Massachusetts introduced a plan, which Obama backed, to bring forward that date to 2014. The president warned however that his concession would not allow states and governors that opposed his law for political reasons, to simply roll it back. "I am not open to re-fighting the battles of the last two years, or undoing the progress that we've made," Obama said. Republican critics of the health care law are mounting multiple legal challenges, alleging the federal requirement for Americans to buy health insurance is unconstitutional. Many observers believe that the fate of Obama's signature domestic achievement will eventually be decided by the US Supreme Court. -PTI

Wyoming health care pilot program cleared CHEYENNE, Wyo.: Up to 200 Wyoming residents who can't afford health care on the open market could get limited coverage under a bill that has cleared the legislature. The House voted 37-22 to approve a bill that calls for putting up $1 million to expand a health care pilot program the Legislature created last year. The Senate voted earlier to concur with House amendments and the bill now heads to Gov. Matt Mead. The pilot program marks an effort by the Legislature to explore cheaper ways to offer health care to needy citizens than the federal Medicaid program. Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, has pushed for years to create and expand the state program. Wyoming's Medicaid budget for the two-year budget cycle that began last July is roughly $1 billion, including state and federal funds. The Legislature has approved supplemental Medicaid spending of more than $43 million in the budget bill that's now awaiting action by Mead. Scott has warned Wyoming faces even higher Medicaid costs as more people become eligible under changes enacted in last year's federal health care reform. Currently, about 60,000 people in the state, more than one-tenth of Wyoming's population, are enrolled in the federal program. Wendy Curran, health policy adviser to Mead, said there are now only 15 people enrolled in the

state's health pilot program since registration started in recent months. She said enrollment generally is limited to people who have participated in a state job training program. They must be working at least half-time, but can't make more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level and can't be eligible for Medicaid.

Scott has warned Wyoming faces even higher Medicaid costs as more people become eligible under changes enacted in last year's federal health care reform Participants will meet with participating doctors who will emphasize tests and screenings to catch health problems before they require expensive emergency care, Curran said. The state will put $500 into a health savings account for each plan participant to cover expenses, Curran said. Participants themselves will pay a small fee. The state is capping its total exposure at $50,000 per plan participant and the bill calls for setting aside a $1.5 million reserve fund to pay claims. The House vote came after a long debate that saw some members question whether the state

would ever be able to stop paying for the program once it gets established. House Speaker Ed Buchanan, R-Torrington, voted against the bill. Although it specifies the program will expire in a few years, he said he has his doubts. `Ìf you vote for it today, it will not be politically feasible you will not have the political will to cut it off,'' Buchanan said. Buchanan said the state won't be able to shift program participants to Medicaid because they won't be eligible. ``They'll have to say, `sorry, we were paying for a portion of your health insurance, now you have nothing,''' Buchanan said. But Scott said he doesn't expect the program will get out of hand. `Ì'm glad to see it going, glad to see it prevails,'' Scott said after the House vote. `Ànd what it means is that we're developing an alternative to the just blind expansion to the Medicaid program that is in the national reform.'' Scott said Wyoming must be prepared to make changes in the program to make it work. But he said he won't hesitate to pull the plug if the program fails despite the state's best efforts. `Ìf it just doesn't work, if you don't get quality health care at less than the expense of expanding Medicaid, we'll kill it. I guarantee you we'll kill it,'' Scott said. ``We'll take the funding away and that's the end of it.'' -AP

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Air travelers may have been exposed to measles WASHINGTON: Public health officials are warning travelers and workers present at four U.S. airports on two recent days that they may have been exposed to measles from a traveler arriving from London. Authorities said that a New Mexico woman later confirmed to have measles arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport late in the afternoon of Feb. 20. Two days later, the measles-infected traveler departed from BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport near Baltimore on an evening flight to Denver, Colo., and then on to Albuquerque, N.M. The traveler became sick and was subsequently diagnosed with measles in New Mexico, said Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the Atlantabased Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said that authorities in those states are trying to notify travelers who sat close to the infected passenger on the flights. The New Mexico Department of Health's scientific laboratory division didn't identify the traveler by name but said she was a 27year-old Santa Fe, N.M., woman who had not been immunized against measles.

``The appropriate steps are being taken to reach out to those passengers on the plane that were in close enough proximity,'' Skinner said of those seated five rows in front or behind the infected passenger. Although most Americans have been vaccinated for measles or are immune because they've had the disease, public health of-

'The appropriate steps are being taken to reach out to those passengers on the plane that were in close enough proximity' ficials are concerned about those not immunized, including babies. Pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems are also more at risk. Authorities say people who were at the airports at the same time as the infected traveler and develop a fever or other symptoms should contact their doctors. Dr. William Schaffner, an infec-

tious disease specialist at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, said the potential exposure of so many travelers in airport terminals is a cause for concern. He said measles is ``highly communicable'' and can be associated with complications leading to death. ``We don't want measles to be imported back into the U.S. once it gets a foothold,'' Schaffner told The Associated Press. Although vaccinations have reduced measles cases in the U.S. to fewer than 150 annually since 1997, it remains a common disease worldwide with an estimated 10 million cases and 164,000 deaths globally each year, according to the CDC. That's why the center recommends that U.S. citizens traveling or living abroad remain up to date on immunizations. The CDC says on its website that despite vaccinations in the U.S., health officials still see sporadic cases when visitors from other countries or Americans traveling abroad become infected and spread measles to those not vaccinated or unprotected against the virus. -AP

Miss. Bill to ban smoking is dead JACKSON, Miss.: Mississippi lawmakers won't pass a bill this year to ban smoking in public places. House Public Health Committee Chairman Steve Holland said a proposal that passed the Senate last month had ``no substance'' because it would have duplicated a state law that already bans smoking in government buildings and on college campuses. It also would have expanded the smoking ban a bit by eliminating designated smoking areas in state-run veterans' homes and banning smoking in vehicles owned or leased by the state. Holland, D-Plantersville, said he chose not to bring the bill up for a vote because there wasn't enough support for it. The deadline was over for House and Senate committees to act on general bills that had already passed the other chamber. Without a committee vote, the smoking ban died. ``The advocates of personal freedom, those politically frightened in an election year, those who feel the local option method is better than a statewide policy and those who simply don't feel this legislation is necessary rule the day,'' Holland said in a written statement.

``I have thoroughly consulted with smoke free advocates and, regrettably, this bill will not advance this year,'' Holland wrote. In signing the statement, Holland put a frowning face in the curve of the S that starts his first name. The bill, backed by the American Cancer Society and other health advocacy groups, started as a broad ban on smoking in restaurants and other non-govern-

The deadline was over for House and Senate committees to act on general bills that had already passed mental buildings that are open to the public. The Senate Public Health Committee voted in January to limit a smoking ban to government buildings. Several senators said government shouldn't tell private businesses what to do. It's highly unlikely the smoking ban will be revived this session because doing so would take a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate. -AP

Realty Tidbits

MAT on LLP will discourage new players

NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee proposed to levy a 18.5 per cent minimum alternate tax on Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs), a move that experts believe may discourage players to adopt this new form of business. Companies pay MAT on the book profits that do not come under the tax net because of various exemptions and incentives. "...where the regular income is less than the alternate minimum tax payable for such year, the adjusted total income deemed to be the total income of such limited liability partnership and it shall be liable to pay income tax on such total income at the rate of eighteen and one-half per cent," the memorandum to the Finance Bill 2010-11 said. According to experts, the imposition of MAT would make the LLP unpopular as this was a major exemptions that they had been enjoying. "It (exemption from MAT) was a major tax holiday the LLPs were enjoying. It seems that the imposition of MAT will discourage more and more LLPs to be formed," KPMG Executive Director Girish Vanavari said. -PTI

Tata invests Rs 3,000 crore on affordable houses

ata Housing Development Company would invest up to Rs 3,000 crore next fiscal to develop affordable homes across the country. The company already has five projects in the affordable segment and plans to launch 7-8 more projects next fiscal. Tata Housing has formed a subsidiary Smart Value Homes to develop affordable houses in the price range of Rs 5-35 lakh. "We plan to invest Rs 2,5003,000 crore in 2011-12 to develop existing and new projects in the affordable housing segment," Tata Housing Development Company managing director Brotin Banerjee, said. Smart Value Homes is developing two projects each in Mumbai and Pune, and one in Chennai with a total saleable area of 10-12 million sq ft, Banerjee said. "We will launch three more projects in Mumbai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad during the first quarter of 2011-12," he said, adding that the company is looking at more projects in other parts of the country. The company plans to build affordable homes in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and periphery of Chandigarh on public-private-partnership (PPP) model in the wake of high land prices in the state.

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Sale of luxury apartments down

n estimated 40% of luxury apartments coming up in India's financial center are unsold, say analysts and brokers. These apartments cost anywhere from $1 million to $12 million, and range from 5,000 square feet to 13,000 square feet in size. Sales have slowed down in the last two to three months, thanks mainly to the steep prices. In December, the number of apartments registered in Mumbai - an indicator of sales - fell 50% from the same month the previous year, according to research from investment firm Prabhudas Liladhar Pvt. Ltd.

FM pushes for affordable homes; full tax rebate to builders NEW DELHI: Giving a thrust to affordable homes, the government has proposed full tax rebate on developing such projects under a notified scheme and raised the ceiling of one per cent interest subsidy on home loans upto Rs 15 lakh from the current Rs 10 lakh. In the Budget for 2011-12, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee proposed 100 per cent tax deductions on capital expenditure to develop affordable houses under government scheme, thus promoting builders to focus more on such homes. "Considering the importance of housing, I propose investment linked deduction to businesses, which develop affordable housing under a notified scheme," he said. Currently under the section 35AD of the Income Tax Act, a housing project for slum re-development and rehabilitation is incentivised with 100 per cent tax exemption.

hanced the existing housing loan limit to Rs 25 lakh from Rs 20 lakh under priority sector lending on account of increase in prices of residential properties in urban areas, he added. On the development of homes for poor, Mukherjee said: "Credit enablement of economically

The incentives are extended to "developing and building a housing project under a scheme for affordable housing framed by the central government or a state government, as the case may be, and

Realty sector resents SEZs under MAT MUMBAI: The real estate sector is unhappy at special economic zones (SEZs) being brought under the purview of minimum alternate tax (MAT) in the Budget presented to Parliament by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. This "basically diminishes the benefits that SEZs offer for developers over other commercial real estate asset classes," Jones Lang LaSalle India Chairman & Country Head Anuj Puri said. MAT on SEZ developers is advanced by one year, while it was to be implemented under the Direct Taxes Code from April 1, 2012, the advancement of this tax by one year could be a dampener for developers of SEZs. "This will increase the skepticism in the minds of SEZ developers about the future tax benefits of developing an SEZ," Knight Frank India Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Pranab Datta said. Leading developer Niranjan Hiranandani said "already some of the SEZs have started closing

down and being surrendered. With the imposition of MAT, more will surrender". According to him, projects where the government has given long-term commitments and where developers and industries have invested money, the tax should not be imposed.

‘This will increase the skepticism in the minds of SEZ developers about the future tax benefits of developing an SEZ’ "Imposition of MAT is unfair as it is directly opposite to the stated policy of the Government which has encouraged setting up of SEZs... it (tax) could be imposed where new projects are undertaken so that they can be based on the new tax rate," Hiranandani said. -PTI

notified by the board in this behalf in accordance with the guidelines as may be prescribed". This was stated in the budgetary document. Mukherjee also raised the limit for one per cent interest subsidy on home loans to up to Rs 15 lakh from the current level of Rs 10 lakh, a move that could encourage buyers of low cost houses. He also increased the value of houses eligible for availing such subsidy by Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. "To further stimulate growth in housing sector, I am liberalizing the existing scheme of interest subvention of one per cent on housing loans by extending it to housing loan up to Rs 15 lakh, where the cost of the house does not exceed Rs 25 lakh from the present limit of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 20 lakh respectively," he said. The government also en-

Mukherjee also announced enhancing the provision under Rural Housing Fund to Rs 3,000 crore from the existing Rs 2,000 crore weaker sections (EWS) and LIG (low income group) households is a serious challenge. To address this issue, I propose to create a Mortgage Risk Guarantee Fund under Rajiv Awas Yojana. "This would guarantee housing loans taken by EWS and LIG households and enhance their credit worthiness". Mukherjee also announced enhancing the provision under Rural Housing Fund to Rs 3,000 crore from the existing Rs 2,000 crore to provide housing finance in rural areas at competitive rates. Welcoming the moves, analyst and real estate developers said these proposals are likely to encourage builders to give more emphasis to projects costing up to Rs 25 lakh. -PTI

Datebook

March 11, 2011

India Post

www.indiapost.com

NEW YORK

ILLINOIS

Upcoming

Sat March 19 • Westchester County Home Show Venue: Westchester County Center, 148 Martine Avenue, White Plains, New York Time: 5pm to 6pm Contact: 860-918-0891

Sat Mar 19 • Rang Barse on Peking Ship Venue: Peking Ship, Pier 16, South Street Seaport, New York Time: 12:00 pm to 3:30 pm Contact: Rohika Hardas, 6462266557

Sun Mar 26 • Spring Craft Beer Festival Venue: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Tpke, Uniondale, NY 11553 Time: 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm Contact: 631-940-7290

Sat March 12 • Rajasthani Association Venue: Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, 10915 Lemont Road, Lemont, Illinois Time: 5pm to 10pm Contact: 630-886-3106

Fri March 18 • Art of Living Course Venue: Westmont, 127 Whote Birch Lane, Westmont, Illinois Contact: 630-654-0852

Sun Apr 3

NEW JERSEY

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Sun March 20 • Holi Venue: Knights of Columbus Hall, 116 Grand St., Iselin, New Jersey Time: 10am to 11:30am Contact: 732-207-7592

Sat Mar 19 • The only holi party with dry colors! Venue: Dorrians Jersey City, 555 Washington Blvd, Jersey city, 07310 Time: 10:00 pm Contact: Rajeeta, Phone: 2016001120

• South Asian Bridal Expo 2011 Venue: Meadows Club, 2950 W Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, Chicago, Illinois, 60008 Time: 11:00 am to 6:00 pm Contact: 630-277-9273

Sun April 10 • Maywood Springtime Family Festival Venue: Maywood Market Place, 78 West Pleasant Ave, Maywood, New Jersey Time: 10am to 5pm Contact: 201-998-1144

WASHINGTON DC

Upcoming Sun Apr 10 Yoga, Meditation & Spiritual Discourses by Swami Mukundananda Venue: Shri Mangal Mandir, 17110, New Hampshire Ave Silver Spring, Washington DC, District of Columbia, 20905 Time: 4:00 pm Contact: 323-2860452

SAT MARCH 12 Scarlet Night "An Affair of the Heart"

• Rathyatra, Festival of India Venue: National Mall (in front of Air & Space Museum), Washington, DC Time: 10:30am to 9pm Contact: 301-299-2100

• Disco Deewane Venue: Chakra, 151 S Doheny Dr, Beverly Hills, California Time: 9pm to 2pm Contact: 818-977-3472

Venue: San Jose Convention Center, 150 W San Carlos St, San Jose, CA Time: 6pm to 11:30pm Contact: 650 940 7242 Highlights: The South Asian Heart Center's fundraiser, Scarlet Night, is an entertainment extravaganza featuring a fashion show, casino and a banquet. Join dynamic emcee Prakash Vaswani to show your support for the cause.

Sat 19 March

Wed March 9

Venue: Embassy Suites Hotel, 2053 Grant Rd Suite 158, Los Altos, Los Angeles Contact: 650-752-4993

• Ohlone College Community Band Winter Concert Venue: Smith Center at Ohlone College, 43600 Mission Boulevard, Fremont Contact: (510) 659-6031 Highlights: Celebrate Women's History Month with the Community Band's performance of Julie Giroux's Journey Through Orion. Other featured works include Jerry Brubaker's homage to highways-American Road, Harry Alford's Purple Carnival March and Morten Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium.

• Holi at the Beach Venue: Will Rogers State Beach, Pacific Coast Highway and Temescal Canyon Road (between towers 5&6), Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 Contact: For paper tickets and other details, please contact Khyati @ (714) 269 3081

Sat April 16 • Pediatric Feeding Seminar

Sat April 30 • Festival of Books

Thu May 5

Venue: University of Southern California, 3551 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles Contact: 866-790-5813

• Fund raising Volleyball tournament

on Aug 1

Venue: Ponderosa Park, Sunnyvale, CA Time: 8am to 5pm

Sat Nov 12 Mon July 4

Sat March 12

• Hello Namaste Salaam Satsriakal Masti Venue: Chandni Restaurant, 5748 Mowry School Rd, Balentine Plaza, across Hilton Hotel, Newark, CA 94560 Time: 7pm Contact: 510-299-1138

• Yogalicious! Venue: Art of Living Center Los Angeles, 948 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, California Time: 6:30pm to 9pm Contact: 310-820-9429 Highlights: Its programs teach a blend of ancient eastern breathing techniques and wisdom that help eliminate stress, restore the highest human values and encourage people from all backgrounds, religions and cultural traditions.

In Brief Michigan move on immigration drawing protest DETROIT: A proposal to allow Michigan police to try to determine the immigration status of people who are stopped on a violation is sparking protest. The legislation was the subject of a protest at a Detroit church. Opponents say it's modeled after a much-debated Arizona immigration law. The Michigan proposal deals with cases where police have stopped or arrested someone for a violation who could ``reasonably be suspected'' of being illegally in the U.S. Providing a valid driver's license or other state-issued identification card would be sufficient proof of legal status. The bill's supporters say provisions guard against racial profiling. -AP

Comprehensive immigration law passes committee SALT LAKE CITY: A Senate committee has passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill while holding a separate enforcement bill. Republican Sen. Curt Bramble of Provo says Senate Bill 288 incorporates enforcement provisions and a guest worker program into one bill to ensure the laws coordinate. The bill removes the more stringent enforcement provisions associated with an immigration law passed in Arizona last year. Bramble says the bill, which passed the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee 7-1, works better for Utah. While it still punishes illegal immigrants who break the law, it offers an avenue for people already in the state illegally to remain with their families as workers. -AP

Bishops oppose immigration bill in Mississippi JACKSON, Miss.: Leaders from four Christian denominations are calling on Mississippi lawmakers to reject an Arizona-style immigration bill. Bishops from the Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran and United Methodist churches in Mississippi say residents must be willing to forgive immigrants who enter the United States without permission. The bishops say the U.S. immigration system is ``broken and outdated,'' but should be reformed by the federal government, not by states. -AP

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Fla GOP leaders back stricter immigration bills MIAMI: Tallahassee lawmakers are pushing for a watereddown version of Arizona's tough illegal immigration laws, saying it's part of a broad effort by states to enact laws that will force Washington to create a uniform set of immigration reforms. -AP

US ranks ninth in immigrant integration policies India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The United States is ranked ninth among 31 countries for its immigrant integration policies, a new study shows. In cooperation with the Immigration Policy Centre (IPC), the British Council and the Migration Policy Group released a new study Feb 28, which reviews and ranks US immigrant integration policies against other countries. The Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) contrasts and compares integration policies for legal immigrants across countries in Europe and North America. The United States is ranked ninth among 31 countries. This is the first year the United States has been part of the study, and IPC said it was pleased to be chosen as the US partner for this important study. The MIPEX compares and ranks countries across 148 policy indicators, providing objective and comparable data presented in a reference guide and an interac-

tive online tool to help policymakers, advocates and researchers assess and compare integration policies around the globe. The policy indicators are divided into seven categories: employment opportunities, family reunion, education, political participation, long-term residence, access to citizenship and anti-dis-

Compared with other countries, legal immigrants in the US enjoy employment opportunities, educational opportunities, and the opportunity to reunite with close family members. However, MIPEX also acknowledges that the US's complex immigration laws, limited visa ability, high fees, and long backlogs may

The US also ranked high on the access to citizenship scale because it encourages newcomers to become citizens in order to fully participate in American public life crimination. Countries include all 27 EU member states, Norway, Switzerland, Canada, and the USA. Overall the US ranked ninth in terms of integration policies, and first in terms of its strong anti-discrimination laws and protections. The US also ranked high on the access to citizenship scale because it encourages newcomers to become citizens in order to fully participate in American public life.

make it challenging for immigrants to integrate into the fabric of American life. MIPEX also highlights the fact that several US states are taking the lead on immigrant integration. States including Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, and Washington state, as well as major cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco have offices dedicated to welcoming newcomers.

"As the United States continues to struggle with its own immigration policies, the MIPEX index offers policymakers and the public a framework for analyzing our best and worst practices on immigrant integration compared to other countries in the world. We have much to learn from other countries as well, but perhaps the greatest lesson that comes from MIPEX is that the very things that distinguish the United States are worth preserving as we move forward into the next decade of the 21st century," said Mary Giovagnoli, Director of the Immigration Policy Center. "As the UK's international cultural relations organization, the British Council fosters the networks, cooperation and dialogue needed to build trust between people worldwide. We hope the third phase of MIPEX research will encourage dialogue and debate on best practice and enable better future policies," said Sharon Memis, Director of the British Council North America.

The LCA in the age of telecommuting-II CYRUS D. MEHTA AND MYRIAM JAIDI

(Continued from last week) hese definitions are vague and do seem to leave room to argue that an H-1B worker who can be anywhere but works through the employer's location via the internet (thus the work arguably "actually is performed" at the employer's location), is always within "normal commuting distance" so long as the employee has proper internet access. If all that the worker needs is a computer and an internet connection to perform the work, then it would be most logical to post the LCA where the employer's server is located! To go back to our hypothetical and show how absurd it can be, imagine our H-1B telecommuter embarking on a voyage on a cruise ship for more than 30 days from San Francisco, CA to Anchorage, Alaska.

Each time the ship enters a location, which is not within commuting distance from the original location posted on the LCA, a new LCA will need to be posted on the cruise ship. So, her employer, who is a stickler about compliance, posts an LCA with a San Fran-

regulations do not apply in foreign territories, but with the DOL you can never tell as it passionately attempts to expansively interpret its rules. Once the ship reaches Alaska, more rounds of LCA's will need to be posted (as Alaska is a huge territory) until its final desti-

By the time, the cruise ship sails up the waters adjoining Oregon and Washington, new LCAs will need to be obtained and posted on the cruise ship cisco, CA location, which is where the ship starts its voyage. By the time, the cruise ship sails up the waters adjoining Oregon and Washington, new LCAs will need to be obtained and posted on the cruise ship. Once the cruise ship is in Canada, we can assume that the DOL's LCA

nation in Anchorage, Alaska. Nevertheless, using the employer's address even where the employee telecommutes because the work is being done virtually at the employer's location has not been tested. This problem does not arise in the PERM labor certification process with roving

employees, because an employer can obviate the problem by using headquarters as the base from which to conduct recruitment. See Cora-Ann Pestaina's article PERM and the Roving Employee, available at http://tinyurl.com/64dhcv5. A DOL auditor who reviews a company's LCA public access files may not accept this 21st century application of the policies and definitions. Therefore, however absurd it may sound, it might still be advisable to file an LCA for the worker who telecommutes, and have the worker post the LCA in two conspicuous locations in his or her home or the location from which he or she is telecommuting. In the alternative, the LCA notice provision may be satisfied by an electronic posting directed to employees in the relevant occupation classification. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d om page 43

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Community welcomes HRC report to end profiling India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The Asian Law Caucus (ALC), a member of the Coalition for a Safe San Francisco, has commended the San Francisco Human Rights Commission on the passage of its historic report and recommendations to end racial and religious profiling of SF Bay Area Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities. At its hearing last week of February, by unanimous vote, the Commission officially adopted its report, "Community Concerns of Surveillance, Racial and Religious Profiling of Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian Communities and Potential Reactivation of SFPD Intelligence Gathering." This report was based on a groundbreaking hearing at the Commission last September where scores of AMEMSA community members bravely gave testimony on their personal experiences being harassed, profiled, and sur-

veilled by local and federal law enforcement. "ALC commends the Commission for taking these steps, and we hope that others in San Francisco - particularly San Francisco Police Dept - will take note," said

‘ALC commends the Commission for taking these steps, and we hope that others in San Francisco - particularly San Francisco Police Dept - will take note,’ said Veena Dubal Veena Dubal, Staff Attorney at the Asian Law Caucus. "The Coalition and the ACLU-NC have been dealing directly with the SFPD to find out more about their relationship with the FBI, but we have faced a lack of transparency. This report's recommendations are the

first step in the right direction." The adoption of this report is rendered all the more timely by the announcement that the ACLU of Southern California and CAIR-LA have filed a major federal class action lawsuit against the FBI for illegal surveillance of the Muslim community in Southern California. The complaint and the informant involved in the operation allege that a local Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), a partnership between local or state law enforcement and the FBI, illegally targeted innocent Muslim Americans for intrusive and demeaning surveillance and investigations based solely on First-Amendment protected activity, rather than any suspicion of wrongdoing or criminality. As a next step the HRC and community plan to take the report and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for endorsement and to form a diverse taskforce to work on implementing the adopted recommendations.

The LCA in the age of telecommuting-II Cont’d from page 42

Pursuant to 20 CFR 655.734(a)(ii)(B), such electronic posting may be accomplished: "by any means [the employer] ordinarily uses to communicate with its workers about job vacancies or promotion opportunities, including through its "home page" or "electronic bulletin board" to employees who have, as a practical matter, direct access to these resources; or through e-mail or an actively circulated electronic message such as the employer's newsletter. Where affected employees at the place of employment are not on the "intranet" which provides direct access to the home page or other electronic site but do have computer access readily available, the employer may provide notice to such workers by direct electronic communication such as email ( i.e., a single, personal e-mail message to each such employee) or by arranging to have the notice appear for 10 days on an intranet which includes the affected employees (e.g., contractor arranges to have notice on customer's intranet accessible to affected employees)." The benefit of electronic posting is that it may protect an employer in situations where the employee is working remotely from various locations (not office sites, but locations such as a relative's home or vacation spot)

for more than 30 days per year, based on the argument that the electronic posting covers all potential locations. There are some general problems with electronic notification it does not obviate the need to obtain a new LCA when the H-1B telecommutes, nor does it obviate the need to pick an address to indicate on the LCA. Electronic posting only obviates the absurd situation of having an employee post the LCA in his or her home.

The benefit of electronic posting is that it may protect an employer in situations where the employee is working remotely from various locations Furthermore, the rules governing electronic posting are quite vague and thus fraught with risk. The rules do not make clear who has to be notified - all employees everywhere and anywhere who fall within the same "occupational classification" (and the rules do not indicate how narrowly or broadly that should be interpreted) or only those in the "area of intended employment." Where is that in an economy increasingly characterized by telecommuting?

The DOL's framework is location-focused, and gives no clear guidance on whether the work a telecommuting employee does is "actually is performed" at the employer's address as listed on the LCA, and not where the telecommuting employee is located. What is clear is that one who works remotely for less than 30 days (or in some limited circumstances, up to 60 days, see 20 CFR 655.735((c)) in a one year period need not have a new LCA to cover that employee's new location. Even if the DOL has not taken a position on the issue, it is hoped that the DOL auditor who wishes to rigidly apply this 20th century rule on work locations in the 21st century may exercise discretion in not imposing a penalty if the employer has complied in every other aspect. The DOL auditor may decide that given the lack of clarity in this area, the employer took a good faith position. However, to ensure against such risks, employers may wish to prepare a new LCA indicating the address from which the individual will be telecommuting, and have the individual post the LCA in two locations at that address. Until the regulations catch up with reality in the 21st century, this would be the appropriate course of action. * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com

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Bill would make hiring illegal workers a felony AUSTIN, Texas: A Texas bill that would make it a state felony to knowingly hire an illegal immigrant, unless the person is a domestic worker, has faced some opposition from critics who say it would crack down on businesses while allowing households to use such workers. Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Houston, authored the bill that would penalize those who knowingly or recklessly hire or contract with an undocumented worker. But jobs like maids, landscapers and other domestic positions within a family home would be exempt. Critics of the measure, filed earlier this month, say it exposes the hypocrisy of lawmakers who vow to crack down on illegal immigration but want to create a loophole for Americans benefiting from household services. Back to Basics, a political group dedicated to holding politicians accountable, called the bill a ``laundry loophole.'' ``That's not sensible immigration policy,'' the organization said

in a news release. ``It's indentured servitude.'' Riddle's chief of staff, Jon English, said Riddle didn't want to create a bill that would make residents afraid to hire a company to do work around the house. English

Those found guilty of hiring illegal workers could be fined up to $10,000 or face 180 days to two years behind bars said homeowners shouldn't have to fear being punished if the company employs illegal workers. The bill aims to crack down on those who knowingly break the law without fear of the consequences. ``The goal of the bill is to punish businesses creating an eco-

nomic environment that's based on illegal behavior,'' English said. ``Businesses have standards they have to meet in their employment practices and, quite frankly, they are the ones seeking large amounts of illegal employees.'' He admitted the exception opens up a loophole for homeowners to knowingly hire an undocumented worker. ``If someone is trying to hire people illegally to just work at their house, the language would allow that,'' English said. ``We are open to suggestions about how to close that (loophole) without putting a lot of homeowners in jeopardy.'' Those found guilty of hiring illegal workers could be fined up to $10,000 or face 180 days to two years behind bars. Riddle has long fought for a tougher stance on illegal immigration. She camped out in the Capitol on the first day of pre-filing for the legislative session so she could be the first in line to file her bills, many of them dealing with illegal immigration. -AP

Immigration legislation sparks debate in Michigan LANSING, Mich.: A proposal that would get police more involved in checking the immigration status of people they pull over sparked criticism at the Michigan Capitol, with an immigrant rights group and some pastors saying it would create a climate of fear and division. Republican Rep. Dave Agema of Grandville said the bill he introduced last week was a ``common sense'' measure to help ensure that federal immigration law is enforced in Michigan. The measure would require law enforcement officers to make a ``complete, full and appropriate attempt'' to verify a person's immigration status after the person is stopped for another offense and officers have probable cause to suspect the person is in the country illegally. People who don't have a driver's license or other documentation and are suspected to be illegal immigrants could be turned over to federal custody. Agencies or officials that adopt policies limiting or restricting the enforcement of federal immigration law could face fines. The Alliance for Immigrants Rights and Reform Michigan said the proposal would allow police to stop and arrest people solely

on the suspicion they may be in the U.S. illegally and deportable. Agema said that wouldn't be the case, and that the immigration status check would come only after someone had been arrested or stopped on suspicion of violating state or local law and didn't have proper identification.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The future of Michigan's economy relies on attracting the best and brightest from across the world,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Rev. Fred Thelen said ``If they were drunk driving or they were caught stealing, that's when they'd do it,'' Agema said. ``They don't just pull them over because `hey, that guy looks like he's an illegal.' No. That's not in the bill.'' Agema said illegal immigration is costly to Michigan through higher costs for health care, education and human services. Opponents say the bill would hurt Michigan's business climate and reputation by creating an at-

mosphere where even legal immigrants feel unwelcome. Opponents said the Michigan bill is patterned after one in Arizona that sparked national criticism. ``The future of Michigan's economy relies on attracting the best and brightest from across the world,'' Rev. Fred Thelen, pastor of Cristo Rey Catholic Church in Lansing, said in a statement. ``It would be foolish to pass this law and signal to the world that Michigan does not welcome the world, but treats it with suspicion.'' Opponents said the bill ``virtually mandates'' racial profiling, but bill supporters said protections against racial profiling are in place. The proposal states that it would be enforced in a manner consistent with federal immigration laws and ``protecting the civil rights of all persons.'' Michigan's law enforcement officers already have the power to contact federal immigration officials if they've stopped someone that they have probable cause to believe is in the country illegally. But Michigan State Police say there's no state immigration law that makes that a requirement or spells out procedures to follow if they suspect they've stopped an illegal immigrant. -AP

Utah senator unveils broad immigration reform SALT LAKE CITY: A Utah senator has unveiled an immigration reform bill he says balances enforcement provisions with economic realities. Many conservative Republicans, however, oppose the bill because it offers amnesty for illegal immigrants. Among the most vocal critics are sponsors of enforcement-only bills that already have passed the House. Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, said Senate Bill 288 combines language from most of those House bills, to ensure the different laws coordinate. Bramble said it's also kinder and doesn't carry the stigma of Arizona-style enforcement, although enforcement is a core element. Law enforcement will be required to check the immigration status of anyone stopped for a class A misdemeanor or a felony, Bramble said. Businesses will also be fined for hiring illegal workers. But enforcement is balanced by compassion, Bramble said. Illegal immigrants would be able to register as guest workers and use driving privilege cards. Their children would qualify for in-state college tuition. The guest worker permits

would not be available until July 1, 2013, and the state would need a federal waiver. The federal government, in fact, is a hurdle for most reform, Bramble said. Enforcement measures, for example, need the federal government to deport people the state arrests.

Illegal immigrants would be able to register as guest workers and use driving privilege cards ``Dealing with the federal government is difficult, and we don't have all of the tools,'' he said. The sponsor of the primary enforcement bill, Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, said he will probably vote against the comprehensive bill. Instead, he prefers individual bills to stand on their own merits, and he cannot support amnesty for illegal immigrants. ``This is saying (illegal immigrants) are above the law,'' Sandstrom said. -AP

Immigration officials announce new gang arrests WASHINGTON: The largest roundup of street gang members with ties to international drug trafficking groups since 2005 has yielded more than 600 arrests, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said here. ICE agents, working with state and local authorities in 168 cities, made 678 arrests from December to February in an effort dubbed ``Project Southern Tempest,'' ICE Director John Morton said. The latest roundup is part of a more than 5-year-old effort aimed at U.S. street gangs with ties to Mexican drug cartels and other drug traffickers. Morton said that nearly half those arrested in the last three months were also connected to street gangs with known ties to violent drug cartels in Mexico. Those cartels are battling each other and the government in Mexico in a struggle that has killed more than 35,000 people since Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against the drug gangs shortly after taking office in late 2006. Federal authorities have announced the results of more than

half a dozen such operations in the last 21/2 years and touted them as blows to Mexican drug gangs. But an Associated Press review of those sweeps last year showed that the arrests have done little to stymie the drug trade or do more than inconvenience the major Mexican-based cartels. ICE officials did not identify all of the gang members arrested or say which cartels they or their respective gangs were aligned with. But Morton said 13 gangs whose members were caught up in the latest operation are connected to the cartels. As a group, he said, the gangs have ties to all of Mexico's cartels. All told, members of 133 gangs were arrested. Morton said 447 suspects face criminal charges, while 231 people were arrested on administrative immigration charges. The announcement of the arrests comes less than a week after agents from ICE, the Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal, state and local authorities launched a nationwide search for suspects with ties to Mexican cartels. -AP

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Oklahoma immigrant bill touted as tax-saver OKLAHOMA CITY: The author of legislation that would let Oklahoma law enforcement officers identify and detain illegal immigrants says he's trying to help the state save money in a tight budget year, but an advocate for illegal immigrants says the lawmaker isn't seeing the whole picture. Rep. George Faught is behind a bill that incorporates language from an Arizona anti-illegal immigration law into a measure initially passed by Oklahoma lawmakers in 2007. ``It's about state resources,'' said Faught, R-Muskogee. ``Those who are not here legally are costing society. It's our responsibility as state legislators to manage that.'' But the head of an organiza-

tion that provides guidance and services aimed at Latino residents said legislation such as Faught's ignore the many contributions illegal immigrants make to the community including their own tax dollars. ``I think there is a tremendous misunderstanding of the role of undocumented workers,'' said Pat Fennell, president and CEO of the Latino Community Development Agency, headquartered in a predominantly Hispanic area of south Oklahoma City. ``Many of the people do pay taxes,'' Fennell said. ``They pay sales taxes. They pay property taxes. They are consuming.'' Without those workers, the cost of construction, food, entertainment and other services would

be higher, Fennell said. ``I think that political awareness is evolving,'' she said. Faught's bill was approved by

‘Those who are not here legally are costing society. It's our responsibility as state legislators to manage that’ the House Judiciary Committee and is awaiting action on the House floor. Faught said it helps empower law enforcement in the

GOP: Illegal immigrants taking minorities' jobs WASHINGTON: Black lawmakers have accused Republicans of trying to ``manufacture tension'' between African-Americans and immigrants as Republican members of the House of Representatives argued in a hearing that more minorities would be working were it not for illegal immigration. Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, criticized the hearing's premise in a statement. Several other Democratic lawmakers echoed that argument, saying Republicans were ignoring their lack of support for job training, affirmative action, college financial aid and other programs more critical to employment of minorities. ``I am concerned by the majority's attempt to manufacture tension between African-Americans and immigrant communities. It seems as though they would like for our communities to think about immigration in terms of `us versus them,' and I reject that notion,'' Cleaver said in his statement. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, issued a warning at the start of the hearing against any attempts to pit blacks against Latino immigrants, a notion that he said he found ``so abhorrent and repulsive.'' The Republican takeover of the House has given the party a chance to shape the immigration debate this session. Republicans have been couching their immigration agenda in the context of the slumping economy and consistently high unemployment. The hearing by the immigration and enforcement subcommittee was the third focusing on

jobs, the economy and immigration enforcement. Republican Elton Gallegly, the subcommittee's chairman, argued that the ``real victims of the failed immigration policies'' are lowskilled legal workers. Gallegly said the topic is often ignored by immigration supporters. ``Our focus should be on ensuring every U.S. citizen American who is willing to work has a job instead of (filling) jobs with for-

‘I am concerned by the majority's attempt to manufacture tension between African-Americans and immigrant communities’ eign laborers,'' Gallegly said. Immigrants often compete for jobs with low-income laborers, he said. Rep. Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican, pointed out that after Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided Georgia Crider Inc., which had 600 jobs filled by people not working in the country legally, the company raised wages $1 an hour and attracted legal workers, primarily black Americans. ``With unemployment at over 9 percent for 21 months, jobs are scarce. And that is especially true in minority communities across the U.S.,'' Smith said. The GOP has been trying to balance its immigration enforcement agenda with its need for

greater Hispanic voter support to win the White House in 2012. Republicans hoped to show some minorities support deporting immigrants and oppose granting legal status to those who are in the country illegally. The three witnesses supporting the Republican view at the hearing were Hispanic and black. Lawmakers and witnesses presented their own studies and statistics supporting their positions. A recent Pew Hispanic Center report found immigrants were returning to work more quickly than native-born workers but earning less than they had before the recession, stoking views among advocates for tough immigration enforcement that jobs held by Americans were being taken by immigrants. Studies indicate that the correlation is not as direct as some would suggest. The Economic Policy Institute issued three reports on the low wages of black workers. One report found that the average annual wages of jobs in which black men are overrepresented is $37,005, compared with $50,333 in jobs where they are underrepresented. -AP

fight against illegal immigration and includes language from bills filed previously by several House members. Similar legislation has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. ``It's a work in progress,'' Faught said. ``It may or may not wind up looking like this.'' Four years ago, Oklahoma lawmakers passed House Bill 1804, an anti-illegal immigration bill that at the time was among the nation's toughest. Among other things, it makes it illegal to knowingly transport illegal immigrants, creates state barriers to hiring illegal immigrants and requires proof of citizenship before a person can receive government benefits. Parts of the law have been challenged in court, including provisions that subject businesses that hire illegal immigrants to financial penalties and require contractors who withhold taxes for workers without proper documentation. Faught said his anti-illegal immigration bill is not an attempt to overhaul House Bill 1804. ``We're maybe enhancing it,'' he said. Fennel said illegal immigrants do not qualify for public benefits except for emergency medical care and questioned the motivations of lawmakers who support the bill.

``For some it is politically expedient,'' she said. ``The sad thing is people are hurt in the process.'' Among other things, Faught's bill includes a provision similar to Arizona's law that allows state or local police who pull a vehicle over for a traffic violation to question the vehicle's occupants about their immigration status if the officer has a reasonable suspicion they are in the country illegally. Critics accused the Arizona statute of being a form of racial profiling, and a federal judge blocked part of the law after the Justice Department and other groups asked that it be thrown out. Faught's measure specifically prohibits racial profiling. The measure also prohibits employers from stopping their vehicles in public roadways to hire and transport pedestrians to a worksite elsewhere a practice Faught said is common in Texas and authorizes law enforcement officials to confiscate vehicles and other property used to transport and house illegal immigrants. In addition, the measure repeals a state statute that permits illegal immigrants who live in Oklahoma to enroll in a state college or university and pay resident tuition rates instead of higher non-resident rates. -AP

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Terrorism & insurgency related violence down in India AJAI SAHNI

s repressive regimes of long stand ing crumble across the Arab world, raising the specter of anarchy, there is rising concern among leaderships in South Asia that the 'jasmine revolution' may waft across parts of this long troubled region as well. On many counts, South Asia is a tinderbox. As in the Arab world, demography is a rising concern. With some of the highest population densities in the world, the regional giants India, Pakistan and Bangladesh alone will add at least 226 million people to their combined 2010 population of about 1.52 billion in just a decade (on a 'medium variant projection), bringing unsustainable pressure on already stressed resources and the environment. Between 35 and 45 per cent of the populations in these countries subsist below fairly modestly defined poverty lines. Administrations in these countries have failed to accommodate a burgeoning 'youth bulge', with over 20 per cent of their populations in the volatile 15-24 years age group. Corruption, collusion, ineptitude and crippling deficits in capacities for governance have kept alive, and often compounded, violent movements of political dissent, even as the state demonstrates significant evidence of withering away across vast territories. Against this troubling backdrop, there is a surprising mix of news relating to the

The insurrections of Egypt and Tunisia will find little resonance in J&K for the simple reason that, despite their slogan of 'azadi' (freedom), the reality is that the separatists are fighting against a democracy to establish a theocratic dictatorship, at the behest of a rogue state with a hideous record major movements of political violence in South Asia. After a trend of continuous escalation since 2005, total annual fatalities relating to terrorism and multiple insurgencies in the region have dropped from their peak of 29,638 in 2009, to 9,431 in 2010. India is a qualified success story in South Asia, with total terrorism and insurgency related fatalities collapsing from a peak of 5,839 in 2001, to 1,902 in 2010. Indeed, the two principal movements drivers of violence in the country - the Pakistan-backed Islamist extremist insurgency in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and the multiplicity of ethnic extremist insurgencies in the country's Northeast appear to have succumbed substantially to sheer exhaustion and the transformation of their proximate and enabling environments. There has been a significant decline in Islamist terrorist incidents outside J&K since the peak of 2008, the year that also

KIDNAPPED AND FREED: R V Krishna, Collector of Malkangiri in Orissa, seen after his release by Maoists after nine days in captivity. (Right) Maoist cadre parade in the jungle

saw the 26/11 attack in Mumbai, accounting for 157 fatalities in this single incident. There were no major (resulting in three or more fatalities) Islamist terrorist attacks outside J&K in 2009, though 2010 recorded at least two such attacks, including the German Bakery bombing at Pune, which killed 17. Total fatalities in J&K have fallen from their peak of 4,507 in 2001 to 375 in 2010, though another 111 persons were killed in street violence, principally in Police firing, in an orchestrated campaign of militantbacked stone pelting that escalated between June and October 2010. Indeed, the success of the stone-pelting campaigns in 2010 and the paralysis they inflicted across the Kashmir Valley have provoked anxieties that the events of Tunisia and Egypt could be replicated in this insurgency-riven region in the summer of 2011. This is far from likely. For one thing, despite the utter confusion of state responses to the stone pelting campaigns of 2010, the reality is that institutional strengths and the democratic constituency in J&K are far greater than anything that could be imagined under repressive Arab despotisms. Moreover, the insurrections of Egypt and Tunisia will find little resonance in J&K for the simple reason that, despite their slogan of 'azadi' (freedom), the reality is that the separatists are fighting against a democracy to establish a theocratic dictatorship, at the behest of a rogue state with a hideous record, both of rights violations and of failure to adhere to the very theocratic vision it has instrumentalised and exploited throughout its existence. The principal difficulty in J&K remains a succession of spiritless Governments in Srinagar and New Delhi that have sought to desperately woo the most extreme separatist elements in the Valley, rather than to strengthen and empower the democratic constituency to effectively counter the perverse logic of the Pakistan-backed separatists. In India's chronically troubled Northeast, fatalities fell from 1,051 in 2008, to 852 in

2009, and further to 322 in 2010. Manipur and Assam, still the worst affected State in the Northeast, registered the most significant drops, from 416 and 391, respectively, in 2009, to 138 and 158 in 2010. It is in the Maoist insurgency that the most dramatic escalation of the recent past has been recorded, and it is in theatres of Maoist violence that the most visible indices of the state's confusion and incompetence are visible. February 2011 saw a nineday crisis in Odisha, after the abduction of the District Collector of Malkangiri and a Junior Engineer, with the State Government simply conceding all Maoist demands to secure their release, exemplifying the wider infirmity and incoherence of responses across much of the Maoist afflicted belt with the notable exception of Andhra Pradesh. Naxalite (Maoist)-related fatalities, at 1,180 in 2010, now significantly outstrip the combined total of all other terrorist and insurgent movements in the country. Divergent assessments of the intensity of Maoist activities have been provided by official sources from time to time. What is evident on the facts, however, is that the Maoists have not been pushed out of any of the areas where they had established their disruptive dominance prior to the launch of the Center's "massive and coordinated operations" in late 2009 (abruptly suspended after the Maoist ambuscade at Chintalnad in Chhattisgarh on April 6, 2010, in which 76 security personnel were slaughtered), and there is reason to believe that they have substantially expanded their areas of subversion. Unsurprisingly, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram conceded, on February 1, 2011, that "The Communist Party of IndiaMaoist remains a powerful and determined adversary." The broadly positive trends in India with the exception of Maoist violence - do not, however, provide an accurate index to the quality of the State's responses. Indeed, in all spheres, it is a range of complex extraneous factors that has led to dra-

matic improvements, where these have been registered. The institutional apparatus of South Asian states remains infinitely stronger than that of the Arab world, even in countries that have been systematically undermining,

It is in the Maoist insurgency that the most dramatic escalation of the recent past has been recorded, and it is in theatres of Maoist violence that the most visible indices of the state's confusion and incompetence are visible. February 2011 saw a nineday crisis in Odisha, after the abduction of the District Collector of Malkangiri if not dismantling it, over decades. Capacity deficits in security and governance, nevertheless, remain endemic across much of the region, and the potential for conflict continues to augment. The realization of such potential, however, is integrally linked to the quality of governance in each constituent state, and even the apparently worst of these can abruptly be turned around under determined leadership. This, then, is the obvious and immediate lesson of the present South Asian experience - as of much of history: where states demonstrate a modicum of wisdom and restraint, nations flourish; where states and national leaderships are undermined by corruption, opportunism, weakness, or even the mere absence of sagacity, nations suffer, decline, and sometimes perish. The writer is Editor, SAIR; Executive Director, Institute for Conflict Management

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Philosophy

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od can be realized through all paths. All religions are true. The important thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by stone stairs or by wooden stairs or by bamboo steps. A little spiritual discipline is necessary in order to know what lies within. Mahendra: Is it necessary to practice discipline all through life? Master: No. But one must be up and doing in the beginning. After that one need not work hard. The helmsman stands up and clutches the rudder firmly as long as the boat is passing through waves, storms, high wind, or around the curves of a river; but he relaxes after steering through them. As soon as the boat passes the curves and the helmsman feels a favorable wind, he sits comfortably and just touches the rudder. Next he prepares to unfurl the sail and gets ready for a smoke. Likewise, the aspirant enjoys peace and calm after passing the waves and storms of 'woman and gold'. Some are born with the characteristics of the yogi; but they too should be careful. It is 'woman and gold' alone that is the obstacle; it makes them deviate from the path of yoga and drags them into worldliness.

HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN

he secret behind the whole manifestation is vibration, vibration which may be termed movement. It is the differences of vibration which, when divided by lines, form planes of existence, each plane being different in the rhythm of these vibrations. When we take life as a whole we can draw one line, the beginning and the end, or spirit and matter, or God and man. And we shall find that the rhythm which begins the line is free and without disturbance, and the rhythm which is felt at the end of this line is gross and disturbing. And these two rhythms may be named the life of sensation and the life of peace. These are two opposite things. The life of sensation gives a momentary joy; the life which is the first aspect of life gives peace and culminates in the everlasting peace. The joy, however great, is rising and falling; it must have its reaction. Besides, it depends upon sensation; and what does sensation depend upon? Sensation depends upon the outer life; there must be something besides you to cause the sensation. But

Perhaps they have some desire for enjoyment. After fulfilling their desire, they again direct their minds to God and thus recover their former state of mind, fit for the practice of yoga. 'Woman and gold' alone is the obstacle to yoga. Always analyze what you see. What is there in the body of a woman? Only such things as blood, flesh, fat, entrails, and the like. Why should one love such a body?

of renouncing work altogether. So do your work, but surrender the result to God. Mahendra: Sir, may I make an effort to earn more money? Master: "It is permissible to do so to maintain a religious family. You may try to increase your income, but in an honest way. The goal of life is not the earning of money, but the service of God. Money is not harmful if it is devoted to the service of God."

Master: The blossom drops off when the fruit appears. One doesn't have to do one's duty after the attainment of God, nor does one feel like doing it then. If a drunkard takes too much liquor he cannot retain consciousness. If he takes only two or three glasses, he can go on with his work. As you advance nearer and nearer to God, He will reduce your activities little by little. Have no fear.

'Woman and gold' alone are the obstacles What is there in the body of a woman? Only such things as blood, flesh, fat, entrails, and Ramakrishna Paramhansa

the like. Why should one love such a body?

Mahendra: May I know if one can realize God while performing one's duties? Can 'Rama' and 'desire' coexist? The other day I read in a Hindi couplet: 'Where Rama is, there desire cannot be; where desire is, there Rama cannot be.' " Master: All, without exception, perform work. Even to chant the name and glories of God is work, as is the meditation of the nondualist on 'I am He'. Breathing is also an activity. There is no way

Mahendra: How long should a man feel obliged to do his duty toward his wife and children? Master: As long as they feel pinched for food and clothing. But one need not take the responsibility of a son when he is able to support himself. When the young fledgling learns to pick its own food, its mother pecks it if it comes to her for food." Mahendra: How long must one do one's duty?

Finish the few duties you have at hand, and then you will have peace. When the mistress of the house goes to bathe after finishing her cooking and other household duties, she won't come back, however you may shout after her. Excerpted from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna The 175th birth anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa was celebrated on March 6

peace is independently felt within oneself; it is not dependent upon outer sensation. It is something that belongs to one, something that is one's own self. If one were to ask someone who lives continually in a kind of excitement of worldly pleasures, whom Providence has granted all pleasures imaginable,

that can give one that satisfaction which peace alone can give. A sovereign may be happy sitting on the throne with his crown, with many attendants before him, but he is only satisfied when he is alone by himself. All else seems to him nothing; it has no value; the most precious thing for him is that moment

in all its aspects, which seem to answer one's life's demands, fail in the end when compared with that satisfaction which a soul experiences in itself, which it feels its own property, its own belonging; something that one need not seek outside oneself, that one can find within oneself, and something which is incompara-

The life of sensation and life of peace

Hazrat Inayat Khan

if that person were asked, 'What do you wish besides all this that you experience?', he will say, 'To be left alone.' When madness comes, when he is out of balance, he will crave for sensation, but when that passion has gone, what he is longing for in reality is peace. Therefore there is no pleasure in the world, however great, no experience, however interesting,

Sensation depends upon the outer life; there must be something besides you to cause the sensation. But peace is independently felt within oneself when he is by himself. I have once seen the Nizam, a great ruler, in all his grandeur, enjoying the royal splendor around him, and then again I saw the same sovereign sitting alone on a little carpet; and it was at that time that he was himself. It is the same thing with everyone. Delicious dishes, sweet fragrance, music, all other pleasures of line and color, beauty

bly greater and more valuable than anything else in the world; something which cannot be bought nor sold, something which cannot be robbed by anyone, and something which is more sacred and holy than religion or prayer. For all prayer and devotion is to attain to this peace. Excerpted from The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan

All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire. -Aristotle Beauty is the bait which with delight allures man to enlarge his kind. -Socrates All the gold which is under or upon the earth is not enough to give in exchange for virtue. -Plato All religions must be tolerated... for every man must get to heaven in his own way. -Epictetus I threw my cup away when I saw a child drinking from his hands at the trough. -Diogenes All men whilst they are awake are in one common world: but each of them, when he is asleep, is in a world of his own. -Plutarch Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist. -Epicurus

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India-Japan relations: Potential and possibilities MAJ. GEN. (RETD.) DIPANKAR BANERJEE

uietly and without fanfare, India-Japan relations have deepened and matured in the recent years. This is despite frequent changes in the Japanese government, rapid geopolitical changes in Asia and an intermittent US policy. However, very little of this relationship finds mention in the Indian media; constrained as it is with continuing scams, obsession with Pakistan and anxiety

strategic dialogue at the foreign ministers level with regular consultations between the National Security Advisors, a maritime security dialogue and a track 1.5 dialogue on security related issues. It aims to enhance defense cooperation through regular defense ministerial meetings, maritime engagement and an annual maritime exercise in each other's shores alternately. Cooperation between

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan

about China's encirclement of India. Yet, nurturing and developing a relationship with Japan will significantly enhance India's all round resilience as well as contribute to peace and stability in Asia. Much has been written recently about China's overtaking of Japan in gross GDP terms while no recognition has been given to the fact that Japan's per capita income is still 10 times that of China. Tokyo still remains the global leader in crucial technologies which are essential for future innovation and growth. And with the growth in GDP and stabilization of its politics there is likelihood that Japan will overcome the current stagflation. The current upswing in IndiaJapan relations can be traced back to the annual summits initiated since April 2005. A set of visits, three from each side, has led to the establishment of a 'strategic and global partnership'. Five pillars that constitute the current architecture of cooperation are: (a) political, defense and security cooperation, (b) a comprehensive economic partnership, (c) science & technology initiatives, (d) people-to-people exchanges and (e) cooperation in regional/multilateral fora. All these are recent formulations and entail time for maturity. An important element of the security cooperation is the nine point action plan that was signed on 29 December 2010 in New Delhi during Prime Minister Nato Kan's visit. It is a plan for comprehensive engagement designed to advance strategic cooperation and take it to newer levels. It includes an annual

coast guards on anti-piracy measures will also continue while military student exchanges will be increased in training establishments as well as the sea. This agreement is a recent development and actualization will be a steady process, but a significant potential has been created. It is also important to note the geopolitical conditions which have acted as drivers for this change. China's rise, not apparently peaceful and which can do

Five pillars that constitute the current architecture of cooperation are: (a) political, defense and security cooperation, (b) a comprehensive economic partnership, (c) science & technology initiatives, (d) people-to-people exchanges and (e) cooperation in regional/multilateral fora with greater transparency, is a case in point. Giving up Deng Xiaoping's policy of "keeping one's head low", China has embarked on a three pronged approach to declare its rise. This is evident in its recent policies on the Korean peninsula, tensions over

the South China Sea and the Senkaku or Daiyutao islands and rapid military modernization including development of major asymmetric military capabilities. Yet, the substance of India-Japan relations lies in the comprehensive engagement on economic and trade relations. While it is true that the relations have not reached its true potential, recent agreements promise a major transformation. Since 2004-05 India has been the largest recipient of Japan's Official Developmental Assistance. This has translated into support for macro infrastructure projects like the Delhi Metro and the forthcoming Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor. This project if suitably implemented has the potential to redefine industrialization in India in the coming decade. The potential for further cooperation remains high and major efforts need to be made to achieve desired results. Only two recommendations are suggested here. First, is to develop and strengthen people-to-people contact particularly among young people, in all spheres and in all possible ways. In this context the recent liberalization of the visa rules, minimum though it is, is a step in the right direction. Very few Indians visit Japan for recreation or on holidays. The global annual exodus of Japanese tourists around the world largely bypasses India in spite of its rich Buddhist heritage and cultural diversity. Interaction between people in today's world is a powerful force for increasing understanding and cooperation, but this is largely neglected. Second, India today possesses a very large, young, educated and scientifically trained talent pool that is second to no other in the world. They are adventurous, seek opportunities abroad and contribute to the wealth of their host nations. They have done so in a remarkable manner in the US, Canada and even in Australia, for example. They are law abiding, secular and are willing to adapt to the host country's traditions and way of life. Over time, if they can be persuaded to move to Japan in some numbers it may address Japan's ageing problem by providing them with a high quality of talented young professionals. This is a huge challenge for Japan also as it has not been very welcoming to foreigners for several reasons, but the economic benefits for both the countries from this exchange would be enormous and hence the endeavor deserves an attempt. The writer is Mentor, IPCS

India Post Election prospects E

lections have been announced to five states in India to be held in a prolonged span of two months in April-May. The long duration has been caused by the staggered six-phase poll in West Bengal, necessitated because of the "law and order situation," an euphemism for the Maoist insurgency and the political bloodshed that has stained the run-up to the elections in this eastern state. Three states - Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will have a one phase poll and Assam alone will have a two-phase poll. Of all these states, there has been greatest hype about the West Bengal poll where the end of the 35-year rule of the communist parties seems imminent. The Left parties face the most formidable challenge ever from the Trinamool Congress-Congress combine. Since the 2009 parliamentary polls, Trinamool has swept all the elections - bypoll and civic bodies - in the state. Although the prospect of the mercurial Mamata Banerjee as the next chief minister does not enthuse - she has made a mess of the Railway ministry portfolio that she holds in the central government in Delhi - she continues to excite the imagination of Bengalis keen to get rid of the long repressive rule of the communists. The CPM in its propaganda has been trying to put the fear of Mamata in the minds of people but it seems to be proving counter-productive. Mamata's exhortation that if the Left can get seven terms, she deserves one chance has caught the people's imagination. Adding further gloom to the prospects of the communists is the situation in Kerala where the ruling CPM-led LDF coalition is in danger of losing to the Congress-led UDF because the trend in the state has been never to give two terms to a coalition. The result could be a wipeout of communists in electoral terms. Thus the Congress and its coalitions hope to bag three states West Bengal, Kerala and Assam. In Assam the Congress has an edge as the BJP and AGP are not allying. The Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF), a newly born political party of the Muslims, can hurt the Congress but after the peace talks with separatist ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom) led by chief minister Tarun Gogoi the Congress is believed to enjoy an edge. In Tamil Nadu, where the Congress and DMK of Karunanidhi are struggling over a seat sharing deal, the party seems to realize the AIADMK's alliance with film star Vijaykanth's DMDK may have given the latter a slender edge. Following the tarnishing of its image by the 2G scam involving A Raja, its leading member in the Union Cabinet now in jail, the DMK is in a subdued mood. The Congress hopes to cash in on this and is demanding 70 plus seats in the alliance whereas the DMK is willing to concede only 50 plus. The Congress had contested 48 seats in the 2006 Assembly elections. But this time the Congress has put forward some other demands including power sharing in the event of the alliance winning the elections. The deal is still in the making. Puducherry is a small assembly of merely 30 seats. The Congress here is well placed although it must deal with a former chief minister turning rebel. Overall however the Congress cannot take things for granted in the scenario following popular uprisings by people against their rulers in the Middle East and Arab countries. Also, the message from the Bihar elections of good politics paving the way to good economics has gone home. In the new budget therefore, instead of its normal urge to raise taxation and go on a spending spree in the name of the poor, the Congress has chosen to control expenditure.

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