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Dr. Romesh Japra, Founder & Convener, FOG, speaking at the kick-off

FOG 2016 will be largest global festival Details on page 16

Indian firms outperform Chinese peers

VOL 22, No. 1140

August 5, 2016

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OVER 10,000 INDIANS STRANDED IN SAUDI

NEW DELHI: About 10,000 Indians stranded in Saudi Arabia will be evacuated and no one will go hungry as ration has been distributed to them, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in Parliament.

Her deputy V K Singh is leaving for Saudi Arabia to oversee the evacuation process, she said in a statement in both Houses of Parliament.

As members in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha expressed concern over the fate of these Indians, Swaraj

made the statement informing them that the Indian embassy was running five camps to feed them and she had been receiving hourly inputs.

"Not one worker of ours will go hungry. This is my assurance to the country through Parliament... We will bring all of them back to India," Swaraj said.

The government, she said, was in touch with the foreign and labor offices in Saudi Arabia to ensure their early evacuation.

Details on page 5

Details on page 5

Mehbooba calls for humane policy in J&K

Mayor Vini Samuel

‘Let us focus on what improves lives’ Details on page 30

USCIS expands provisional waiver process Details on page 44

NRIs/PIOs can now send funds online Details on page 36

Indian, China armies vow to maintain peace

Details on page 5

NRI Kashmiri girl writes open letter to PM

Details on page 8

CONTENTS

Details on page 6

Bollywood ---------------------- 28-29 Classifieds ------------------------- 48

INDIA POST SURVEY

Community Post -------------- 16-25

survey@indiapost.com

Edit Page --------------------------- 54

This week’s question

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

Date Book -------------------------- 47

Horoscope ------------------------- 13

Sushma Swaraj has done great deal for Indians overseas?

Immigration Post ------------- 44-46 Life Style ----------------------- 50-53

Last week’s result

Are you happy with presentation of Hindusim by California board?

YES 67%

NO 33%

Philosophy ------------------------- 49

MASALA BOND: HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh with Indian High Commissioner to UK, Navtej Sarna, and London Stock Exchange CEO Nikhil Rathi at the listing of the world’s first Masala bond by an Indian corporate on the London Stock Exchange on August 1. (Details on page 6)

Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 26-27 TechBiz Post ------------------- 36-39 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 40-43

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kay, in this matter, I wish to state upfront I speak as neither a Democrat nor a Republican; neither a Hindu nor an Indian American.

And though I know you can't win arguments that have been judged and declared void even before you have made them, I want to go ahead and talk anyway, about this whole Khizr Khan episode currently dominating the Presidential campaign headlines.

So we all know that electoral politics, especially those that are played out at the Party conventions are all about drama and rhetorical hijinks. One can actually visualize a campaign strategist coming up with a trump (pun unintended) card speaker that is intended as a bait and challenge for the rival candidate to take on, and at the end of the day when everyone has gone home with the new President enthroned in the White House, writing a book about it.

This Khizr Khan, father of the Pakistani-American soldier (respect) who died during combat in Iraq in 2004, was the ace up Hillary Clinton's sleeve, dealt during the Democratic convention, as if the veritable star line up of speakers including the President and the First Lady, Vice President and other senior leaders wasn't enough to pump up her supporters.

Come to think of it - it was the perfect dart aimed at Trump and hit the bull's eye. Sadly, though not surprisingly, the hyperbole was lost on Trump who threw in return, a lame one that hit the war hero's grieving mother.

So forget Trump, and consider the view which sees Khizr Khan as a prop that was clichéd, if not ironical. The question to this honorable man with the Pakistani roots being whether he would stand at a public podium in the land of his origin and stab a finger at Islamic leaders for indirectly causing the death of his son who died fighting terror which is actively abetted by Pakistan - a country which also sheltered Osama bin Laden who set off the events leading up to the war in Iraq.

I don't think so. Well, sorry Hill-siders, because, this particular liberal trick, I ain't falling for.

Romesh K Japra rkjapra@indiapost.com

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Cover Story: Stranded in Saudi Indian minister V K Singh has left for Saudi Arabia to oversee the evacuation of 10,000 Indians stranded there.

Community: FOG festival FOG 2016 press conference and kick off held at Four Points by Sheraton - Silicon Valley was very well received

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Immigration: Voter ID law A federal court has blocked a North Carolina law that required voters to produce photo identification & follow other rules

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Mount Abu Mount Abu presents scenic beauty, architecture and archaeology in the form of the famous Dilwara cave temples

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Over 10,000 Indians stranded in Saudi NEW DELHI: About 10,000 Indians stranded in Saudi Arabia will be evacuated and no one will go hungry as ration has been distributed to them, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in Par-

informing them that the Indian embassy was running five camps to feed them and she had been receiving hourly inputs.

"Not one worker of ours will go hungry. This is my assurance

As some opposition members in Lok Sabha raised some questions, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan disallowed them, saying "She (Swaraj) has done everything. She has done really good work. Nobody has worked this much." liament.

Her deputy V K Singh is leaving for Saudi Arabia to oversee the evacuation process, she said in a statement in both Houses of Parliament.

As members in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha expressed concern over the fate of these Indians, Swaraj made the statement

to the country through Parliament... We will bring all of them back to India," Swaraj said.

The government, she said, was in touch with the foreign and labor offices in Saudi Arabia to ensure their early evacuation.

Swaraj noted that the law there does not permit an emergency exit visa without no objection certifi-

cate from the employers who, she said, have shut their factories and left the country, leaving these employees stranded.

The government has requested the Saudi government to give them exit visas as employers had left the country and also urged it to first clear the dues of workers who have not been paid for months, whenever they settle the accounts with the companies concerned.

Singh is leaving for Saudi Arabia to oversee the operation, she said.

She informed the Lok Sabha that ration for 10 days had been distributed in all the five camps.

"I am personally monitoring the situation."

As some opposition members in Lok Sabha raised some questions, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan disallowed them, saying "She (Swaraj) has done everything. She has done really good work. No-

Mehbooba calls for humane policy in Jammu and Kashmir SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has underscored the need for adopting a policy towards the state which is based on "humane values" and not security considerations alone, saying it deserved a "special place in the hearts and minds of people of the whole country".

She also sought Confidence Building Measures (CBM) to be undertaken on the lines of those initiated in 2002.

The Chief Minister, who was interacting with civil society members in Baramulla, 54 kms from here in North Kashmir, said, "We need to reach out to the people in Jammu and Kashmir to address their concerns and aspirations and win their hearts and minds." she said.

She said the country's policy on Jammu and Kashmir should not be based on strategic and security considerations alone but on ideological and humane values.

"If we were to base our J&K policy on the ideological values of democracy, rule of law and tolerance, which have been the defining strength of India, we will expand the constituency of peace at the micro level of individuals as well as institutions," she said.

She called for confidence building measures like the ones undertaken in 2002 when her PDP had formed a coalition government

with the Congress party. The PDPCongress alliance government had started road connectivity between Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir and dialogue was initiated with the separatists and Pakistan when an NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee was at the Centre.

Denouncing violence in all its forms and manifestations, Mehbooba said resorting to vio-

society, which is unfortunately happening in Kashmir," she said in her address.

She said that while the separatists may be having their own ideologies, the present law and order situation seems to have been "exacerbated by some vested interests....having their own interests to take care of by perpetuating violence."

The Chief Minister called for

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti

lent means to achieve political objectives "is not only ineffective, but meaningless and destructive".

Mehbooba said people must understand that by taking to violence, they are working against their own interests.

"Besides loss of precious human lives, violence destroys the very socio-economic fabric of a

a collective effort to reach out to the people of state, especially the youth, to expand and consolidate the constituency of peace.

She claimed that there was a "larger design behind orchestrated eruptions to push Kashmiris into perpetual educational and economic deprivation and social disorder".-PTI

body has worked this much."

Swaraj's response also drew praise from the Chair and members

who were demanding special category status for the state.

Senior BJP member L K Advani,

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj

in the Rajya Sabha.

Swaraj made the statement in the Lower House amid the din created by Andhra Pradesh MPs,

who was sitting next to Swaraj, was seen requesting Andhra members with folded hands to allow her to speak. -PTI

Indian companies outperform Chinese SINGAPORE: India's top 200 Indian private companies outcompanies are set to outperform perform both the Indian governtheir Chinese peers despite the ment-related entities (GREs) and country's infrastructure bottle- Chinese companies by registering necks, according to a report by the highest (and relatively stable) S&P Global Ratings. returns.

The reports published are Leverage has peaked for Indian "India's Top Companies Set To companies overall but continues Gain Even As China's Continue To to increase for Chinese GREs. At Feel The Pain," and "The Miss- the same time, India faces the risk ing Piece In India's Economic of debt concentration.

Growth Story: Robust InfrastrucAbout 15 per cent of the comture." panies in the sample account for "Our analysis of India's top 200 60 per cent of net debt. companies by market capitalizaIndia also suffers from a high tion against their Chinese coun- interest rate environment when terparts shows that government compared with other emerging influence is far greater for listed Asian economies. companies in China than in India," said S&P Global Ratings credit India also suffers from a analyst Mehul Sukkawala. high interest rate "This directly affects companies' flexibility to environment when comreduce capital spendpared with other emerging ing, generally results in weaker profitability, and Asian economies eventually shows up in higher leverage," Sukkawal said.

This reduces the debt servicThe difference in the size of the ing ability of leveraged companies private sectors in India and China in India and can result in financial is significant. Private entities ac- stress. count for about 75 per cent of net On revenue growth, S&P exdebt and EBITDA (earnings be- pects the performance for India's fore interest, taxes, depreciation, top companies to improve over and amortization) of the top 200 the next two to three years, even Indian companies, compared with though revenue growth for comless than 20 per cent for the top panies in both India and China has Chinese companies. been trending down.-PTI

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HDFC issues Masala bond listing in LSE LONDON: HDFC, India's largest private sector mortgage lender, has raised Rs 30 billion by issuing the world's first ever "Masala" or rupee-denominated bond outside India in London Stock Exchange, a landmark event that will boost economic ties between India and the UK post Brexit.

UK Chancellor Philip Hammond described the "landmark" listing by the Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) as a "major vote of confidence" in London.

HDFC is the first company to issue a bond of this type, which raised Rupees 30 billion, equivalent to around USD 450 million. It has a maturity of three years and an annual yield of 8.33 per cent and was more than four times oversubscribed.

"It represents a major vote of confidence in London as the leading global financial centre and is further proof that Britain is a great place to do business," Hammond said.

"This deal signifies a strengthening of the already close economic ties between the UK and India and paves the way for further masala bonds to be listed in the UK. It is a taste of things to come. Britain is open for business and one of the most attractive places in the world for foreign investment," he said.

Masala Bonds are rupee-denominated bonds issued to overseas buyers.

As many as 30 offshore Indian rupee bonds have listed in total

on London Stock Exchange, raising equivalent to approximately USD 3.5 billion dollars, according to one of the world's leading stock exchanges.

Britain's Indian-origin minister for Asia, Alok Sharma, described the HDFC launch as a reaffirma-

Sharma said.

London Stock Exchange last year saw the listing of the world's first-ever green Masala bond on its markets and there have been two further listings in 2016, raising a total of INR 7 billion.

The latest bond will help

which the officials at the UKLA (UK securities regulator) and London Stock Exchange responded to our urgent requirements was remarkable.

Considering that this was the first issue of its kind in a global financial centre by an Indian

corporate Masala bond, a landmark event for Indian finance and looks forward to building a longterm partnership with Indian issuers.

"Taking advantage of the efficient listing process and tapping the global markets in London, glo-

HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh with Indian High Commissioner to UK, Navtej Sarna, and London Stock Exchange CEO Nikhil Rathi at the listing of the worlds first Masala bond by an Indian corporate on the London Stock Exchange on August 1

tion that the UK is a "natural partner" for India.

"The tremendous investor demand demonstrates the UK's pivotal role in financing India's growth and further strengthens the close economic ties between the UK and India.

I am confident that this will pave the way for many more Indian companies to raise capital in London to support India's ambitious infrastructure plans,"

HDFC to diversify its borrowing profile and access global investors.

HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh said the listing of India's largest private sector mortgage lender's bond on London Stock Exchange was the result of "unshakable trust from international investors" in the exchange.

"While we did explore other markets for listing, the responsiveness and efficiency with

company, the authorities were forthcoming and supportive," Parekh said.

The listing follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of USD 1 billion dollar equivalent of Masala bond issuance in the UK, made during his visit to London in 2015.

Nikhil Rathi, London Stock Exchange CEO, said: "London Stock Exchange is honored to host the world's first ever Indian

bal issuers can access a new vital channel of international finance and investors around the world without foreign exchange risk."

HDFC rang the opening bell for trading at the London Stock Exchange to mark the launch.

Newly-appointed Prime Minister Theresa May's government has been making all efforts to promote the UK's trade ties after Britain voted to leave the European Union in June. -PTI

NRI Kashmiri girl writes open letter to PM SRINAGAR: A 17-year-old NRI girl of Kashmiri origin has written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi pleading that the voices of agitating Kashmiris be heard.

"Dear Mr PM, if we cared for Kashmir people, we wouldn't find ways to turn off all communications in the Valley only to further deprive them of freedom, we'd open up all means for their voices to be heard. Because isn't that all Kashmir people are asking for? (sic)" Fatima Shaheen, based in Georgia State of the US, wrote.

She said she arrived in Kashmir on July 10 for a visit to her relatives only to find the Valley in a situation which she had never heard of.

"Mr PM, I see the newsflash, the attack in Nice, France, is

screened followed by the attempted military coup in Turkey, along with the report on the monsoon rains in southern India.

But where is the news on Kashmir? Is this why I never knew what was going on in my hometown for such a long time, Sir? (sic)" she asked.

She claimed no one cared about

people of Kashmir but everyone wanted its land.

"Everyone wants Kashmir, but no one cares for the people of the land. Because if we cared for Kashm i r people, w e wouldn't care of people's opinion o n whether Burhan Wani was a militant or a martyr, we'd try to understand why an ace student chose to continue his career holding a gun rather than a pen (sic)," she wrote.

-PTI

August 5, 2016

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PM campaign to rekindle Indian, China armies vow to maintain peace spirit of patriotism NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick off a mega BJP campaign '70 saal azadiyaad karo kurbani' on August 9, the 75th year of Quit India movement, and virtually the entire Council of Ministers will travel across the country to "rekindle the spirit of patriotism".

Senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu announced the details of '70 saal azadi-yaad karo kurbani' (70 years of Independence-recall the sacrifices) program firmed up in the Parliamentary Party meeting.

"The idea is to rekindle the spirit of patriotism among the people to convey to the new generation the sacrifices made by our leaders who fought for the freedom movement and recall the great velour shown by them," he told reporters.

Referring to incidents like Kakori case, Jalianwala Bagh massacre, Dandi March and Quit In-

dia movement, he said party leaders and union ministers will visit places associated with the free-

be recalled so that younger generation can take inspiration from the same. The Prime Minister will

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

dom movement and pay tribute to leaders while recalling their contributions.

"Incidents like Kakori, Quit India movement, Dandi March will

launch the campaign on August 9," he said.

The party will also observe Tiranga Yatra from August 15-22.

-PTI

China's Didi acquires Uber in $35 bn deal BEIJING: Chinese ride-sharing giant Didi will take over Uber's China business, in a deal worth USD 35 billion as the US car-hailing firm gave in after fierce competition from its rival in the world's second largest economy.

Uber will take a 5.89 per cent stake in Didi. Didi did not disclose the stake it will take in Uber. Uber China's on-demand mobility (ODM) service will continue to operate independently. The deal follows China's legalist ion of ODM services.

Uber's founder Travis Kalanick and Didi founder Cheng Wei will sit on each other's company boards.

The two companies have been locked in a bitter battle for customers in China marked by huge customer discounts since last year.

Post the merger of its Chinese business, Uber is expected to focus more aggressively on the Indian market, its third biggest market after the US and China, at present.

Interestingly in India, Uber is locked in an intense battle with market leader Ola which counts Didi as an investor.

Didi had picked up a stake in Bengaluru-based Ola last year as a part of the USD 500 million funding round.

Last December, Didi Chuxing, along with Ola, US-based Lyft and GrabTaxi had also formed a global pact to share customers and technology across countries to compete with Uber.

Uber has been pumping in substantial funds to fuel its growth in India. In July last year, Uber had announced an investment of USD

1 billion in India to expand its services here. It has also set up a response and support centre in Hyderabad with an investment of USD 50 million.

India is also expected to be a major beneficiary of the USD 3.5billion fund raised by Uber earlier this year as the US-based firm looks to overtake local rival Ola. There were also reports suggesting that Uber may buy Ola, though the Indian company

rubbished those saying it has "no intentions of selling to Uber".

Uber is one of very few foreign tech firms that has been able to compete with domestic rivals head-on in China.

While Didi holds a majority share in China's ODM services, Uber has managed to establish a foothold, and has made inroads into lowertier cities this year to further threaten Didi's dominance.

The competition has seen the two companies locked in a discount war in an attempt to poach riders away from each other's platforms.

In June, Didi announced it had secured USD 7.3 billion in equity and debt financing, including USD 1 billion from Apple which valued the start-up at around USD 28 billion.

Uber has secured over USD 6 billion in its latest funding.

Liu Zhen, Uber China head of strategy, said in June that most of the money raised will fund Uber's operations in China.-PTI

JAMMU: The Indian and Chi- led by Colonel BS Uppal from the nese armies have decided to up- Indian side and Colonel Song hold the treaties and agreements Zhou Li from the Chinese side, the signed between the governments spokesman said. of the two countries to maintain "The meetings were marked by peace and tranquility along the saluting the National flag of China Line of Actual Control (LAC) in by members of both the delegaLadakh sector of Jammu and tions. This was followed by the Kashmir.

"Both sides also sought to build on the mutual feeling to uphold At both the locations, the the treaties and agreement signed between delegations interacted in a the governments of the "free, congenial and two sides to maintain peace and tranquility cordial environment," along the LAC," Defense spokesman said.

He said two Ceremonial Border Personnel Meetings ceremonial address by the delega(BPM) on the occasion of Chinese tion leaders," he said.

People's Liberation Army (PLA) At both the locations, the delday were held at Chinese BPM hut egations interacted in a "free, conin Moldo and TWD Garrison in genial and cordial environment," Chushul Sector of Eastern Ladakh. the spokesman.

The first delegation was led by "The delegations parted Brigadier Navneet Kumar from the amidst feeling of friendship and Indian Side and Senior Colonel commitment towards enhancing Fan Jun from the Chinese side, he the existing cordial relations and said. maintaining peace along the At TWD, the delegations were LAC," he added. -PTI

UN will continue to monitor J&K situation UNITED NATIONS: The UN world body's Human Rights Counhas said it will continue to moni- cil. Haq was also asked if the UN tor the tense situation in Kashmir has any plans to ban the use of even as the world body again pellet guns that have been used called on both India and Pakistan by security forces to quell proto "work constructively" to re- tests in Kashmir. solve the issue.

The deputy spokesman said he "The United Nations has has nothing to add except reiterrepeatedly...put out the message ating the UN's stand on Kashmir. to both sides (India and Pakistan) The UN has expressed concern about the need for them to work over the tense situation in Kashconstructively with each other on mir and Ban had last month called this issue. And we will continue to monitor the situation including, of When asked if UN rights are course, through our monitoring group on being violated by Indian the ground, the UN Military Observers forces, Haq alluded to the Group in India and Pa- work of the world body's kistan (UNMOGIP)," UN Secretary General Human Rights Council Ban Ki-moon's deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said here. on all sides to exercise "maximum He was responding to a ques- restraint to avoid further violence tion by a Pakistani journalist on and hoped that all concerns the ongoing unrest in Kashmir in would be addressed through the aftermath of the killing of peaceful means".

Hizbul Mujahideen commander Ban's spokesman had said the Burhan Wani.

UN chief was closely following the When asked if UN rights are recent clashes in Kashmir and "rebeing violated by Indian forces, grets" the loss of dozens of lives Haq alluded to the work of the and injuries to many others. -PTI

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China continues to sell n-reactors to Pak WASHINGTON: China continues to sell nuclear reactors to Pakistan, a US think-tank has said, expressing concern over export of nuclear materials in violation of international norms and established procedures.

"China has taken significant steps over the past several years to strengthen its export controls.

However, Beijing s decision to

user controls, and import controls.

At the IAEA General Conference in 2015, China said it carries out "stringent reviews" on its export controls and adjusts its trigger lists according to technical progress and in March 2016, Beijing said it started to implement the Nuclear Export Control List that was updated in January 2016.

"Despite progress on its export controls China continues to supply Pakistan with nuclear power reactors, despite objections that the sale of the reactors did not receive a consensus exemption from the NSG," the report said continue selling nuclear reactors to Pakistan in contravention of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and its sales of missile technologies to countries of concern earns China a failing grade," Washington-based Arms Control Association said in its latest report.

In its updates report card 20132016 'Assessing Progress on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament', it gives China a failing "F Grade" on nuclear weapons related export control.

China joined the NSG in 2004, and its national export controls include provisions related to export licensing, control lists, end-

"Despite progress on its export controls China continues to supply Pakistan with nuclear power reactors, despite objections that the sale of the reactors did not receive a consensus exemption from the NSG," the report said.

"Pakistan, which is neither an NPT member nor under full-scope IAEA safeguards, is therefore ineligible to receive such assistance under NSG rules," it argued.

"China has argued that the reactor transfer was based on a contract negotiated with Pakistan in 2003, one year before Beijing joined the NSG, and grandfathered in when China joined the regime.

However, the 2003 exemption was widely understood to apply solely to the two nuclear power reactors whose sale was completed before China s acceptance into the NSG in 2004," the report said.

In February 2013, China is reported to have signed a formal agreement to build the Chashma3 reactor.

In January 2014, there were reports that China and Pakistan were discussing three new reactors.

At a February 2015 press conference in Beijing, a Chinese official confirmed that China "has assisted in building six nuclear reactors in Pakistan".

The report alleged that the 2013 deal on the Chasma-3 also contradicts the consensus document of the 2010 NPT Review Conference, which "reaffirms that new supply arrangements" for the transfer of nuclear materials and technology should require that the recipient accept "IAEA full-scope safeguards and international legally-binding commitments not to acquire nuclear weapons."

China applied to join the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in 2004, but its membership was blocked.

Prior to the MTCR application, China committed in 2000 not to assist, "in any way, any country, in the development" of nuclearcapable ballistic missiles. -PTI

China modernizing and expanding nuclear warheads WASHINGTON: China, which United States, it said. currently holds some 230 nuclear "Only in the last decade did it warheads in its arsenal, is under- deploy road-mobile missiles that taking a modernization and expan- could target the US mainland. sion plan to an evaluation of what Only last year did it start deployis needed to pose unacceptable ing multiple, independentlylosses to the US in response to targetable warheads on its DF-5 an American attack, according to intercontinental ballistic missiles; a report. only this year is China projected "There is little evidence that to initiate sea-going patrols of its China is very concerned with In- nuclear ballistic missile submadian nuclear forces or with the rines (SSBNs)," it said. massive nuclear arsenal of RusChina has repeatedly said it will sia, which from a technical stand- not use or threaten to use nuclear point, potentially poses a much weapons against non-nuclearlarger threat," said the report by Washingtonbased Arms Control China has repeatedly said it Association.

The report titled 'The will not use or threaten to Complex and Increasuse nuclear weapons ingly Dangerous Nuclear Weapons Ge- against non-nuclearometry of Asia' said weapon states and that it will China's minimum nuclear force structure not engage in an arms race and no-first use doctrine have remained remarkably stable over time. weapon states and that it will not However, Beijing appears to engage in an arms race. size and structure its nuclear China maintains that the purforces according to an evaluation pose of the nuclear arsenal is to of what is needed to pose unac- avoid "nuclear blackmail" and receptable losses to the US in re- spond to nuclear attack. sponse to an American attack, it China s nuclear warheads have said. long been believed to be unmated "For more than two decades, to their delivery systems and the Chinese only maintained the stored in separate locations. A capability to target some 20 nuclear strike can only be ordered nuclear warheads on the US, ap- by China s Central Military Comproximately one per cent of the US mission. nuclear warheads that could be China did not develop an early targeted on China," it said. warning system. Some officials are Only in recent years China has now calling for the development begun to move toward acquiring of such system and to place the the kind of full spectrum deterrent nuclear weapons on a higher state long deployed by Russia and the of alert.-PTI

Indian gets life sentence for Hindu doc found dead toddler murder LONDON: A 27-year-old Indian-origin man has been sentenced to life for the murder of a toddler son of his girlfriend in the UK. Hardeep Hunjan was convicted of murder earlier following the death of 13-month-old Noah Serra-Morrison, who suffered 15 fractures to his body, including a six-inch wound across his skull.

He was sentenced to serve a minimum of 23 years in jail at Luton Crown Court.

Noah's mother, 22-year-old Ronnie Tayler-Morrison, was cleared of murder but, along with Hunjan, jailed for six-and-a-half years for causing or allowing the death of a child and of cruelty to a child under 16.

"In my view neither of you have provided a truthful account

and it remains a mystery why you, Hunjan, attacked him," said Justice Baker.

"But at some stage you took hold of Noah and in addition to punching him to his head, you swung him into one of the walls with sufficient force to cause a fracture to his skull and all four of his limbs," Baker said.

The couple had claimed that Noah injured himself falling from his cot, a claim prosecutors said was implausible during the trial at Luton Crown Court in the east of England.

"This has truly been one of the most shocking and sickening cases of violence we have ever come across," Bedfordshire Police said.

The couple - who had a "chaotic" relationship fuelled by al-

cohol and cannabis - attempted to wash away forensic evidence in a shower in the "blind hope that somehow they might get away with it," prosecutor Jane Bickerstaff told the court.

The trial heard Noah was subjected to horrific and deliberate abuse for weeks before he died.

A post-mortem examination revealed that he suffered fractures to an arm and leg around a week before his death, and similar injuries to an arm and leg between four and six weeks before he died - 15 fractures in total, along with bruising over his entire body.

Medical experts said the boy's injuries were similar to those found in people involved in a car crash or who had fallen from a building.-PTI

inside Pak hospital KARACHI: A 32-year-old Hindu doctor in Pakistan has been found dead under mysterious circumstances inside the Intensive Care Unit of a civil hospital in Karachi.

Dr Anil Kumar was found dead inside the ICU of the surgical wing of the hospital where he was performing his duty, said Eidgah Station House Office (SHO) Naeemudin.

Kumar went inside ICU around 5:30 am and was found dead three hours later, the police official said.

He said the doctor did not answer a knock on the door.

The door was broken and Kumar was found dead sitting on his chair. A syringe was found from

the spot.

"His death is being investigated as he was found dead in mysterious circumstances," he said. "It appears he had administered an injection on his hand as it was bandaged," Naeemuddin said.

Kumar's body was shifted to the hospital's mortuary where doctors reserved his cause of death for chemical examination while the syringe has also been sent to a forensic laboratory for examination.

Earlier this week, a Hindu businessman was killed and his Hindu friend injured by a mob during protests over the desecration of a holy book. -PTI

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Khizr Khan shakes US presidential race WASHINGTON: Donald Trump's comments against father of a slain Pakistaniorigin American Muslim soldier appears to have shaken the US presidential race as his own party leaders came out openly against the gaffe-prone Republican presidential nominee.

While House Speaker Paul Ryan said a "religious test" for entering the US is "not reflective of the country's fundamental values", former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said the reality TV star's remarks were "disrespectful" in targeting a family that endured the "ultimate sacrifice" for the coun-

try.

Ryan hailed Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004, and said America's greatness is built on the principles of liberty and preserved by the men and women who wear the uniform to defend it.

"As I have said on numerous occasions, a religious test for entering our country is not reflective of these fundamental values.

I reject it," he said in a statement.

"Many Muslim Americans have served valiantly in our military, and made the ultimate sacrifice. Captain Khan was one such

brave example. His sacrifice - and that of Khizr and Ghazala Khan should always be honored. Period," he said.

Governor John Kasich of Ohio, a former Republican presidential candidate, tweeted: "There's only one way to talk about Gold Star parents: with honor and respect.

Capt. Khan is a hero. Together, we should pray for his family."

Kasich was joined by Bush on Twitter in slamming Trump.

"This is so incredibly disreKhizr Khan

spectful of a family that endured the ultimate sacrifice for our country," said Bush, who badly lost the Republican primary to Trump.

In an interview to CNN, Senator Jeff Session who was among the first few top Republican leaders to endorse Trump said that he "rejects" and is "disappointed" over the remarks made by the billionaire from New York against Khan.

The 70-year-old real estate tycoon sparked controversy when he lashed out at Humayun's father Khizr Khan over his speech at the Democratic National Convention in which he was highly critical of Trump and said that the billionaire has "sacrificed nothing" for the country.

A day later, Trump hit back, saying he created thousands of jobs and questioned whether his wife was even "allowed" to speak, triggering a national outrage following which he later called Humayun a "hero". He, however, continued to criticize Khizr, drawing a flood of criticism.

Many criticized him both for attacking a mourning mother and because many considered the remarks racist and anti- Muslim, especially because they came from someone who has called for a ban on Muslims entering the US.-PTI

Pocket US Constitution becomes best-seller LOS ANGELES: A pocket version of the U.S. Constitution has become a best-seller on Amazon.com.

The 52-page pamphlet printed by the National Center for Constitutional Studies sells for $1 and was in the Top 10 bestselling books on Amazon. The site produces an hourly list of its best sellers.

The Constitution emerged as best-seller days after Muslim-American lawyer Khizr Khan, whose son was killed while serving in Iraq, flashed a pocket Constitution and offered to lend it to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a speech at the Democratic National Convention.

The version Khan used at the convention did not appear to be the same as the one that became popular on Amazon.-AP

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Narsingh Yadav meets Prime Minister Modi NEW DELHI: A day after being cleared by the National Antidoping Agency (NADA), wrestler Narsingh Yadav met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who asked him to focus on winning laurels for the country at the Olympics without any tension.

The Prime Minister, who met

Olympics without any tension.

He asked me to focus on winning medals for the country. He also assured me that no injustice will be done to me," Yadav said after the meeting.

The wrestler, who had failed a dope test on June 25 and claimed that it was a conspiracy against

Narsingh Yadav

the wrestler at his office in Parliament House soon after the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, also assured the wrestler that no injustice will be done to him.

"The Prime Minister gave his best wishes to me and asked me to be carefree and participate in

him, said he wanted to leave behind the controversy and focus on his participation in the Olympics and winning a medal there.

"I am thankful that the Prime Minister has met me and supported me. I am thankful to people for supporting me. I hope to live

up to their expectations. I am also thankful for the support of the Wrestling Federation and the media for standing by me," he said.

Asked if he would like those behind the doping row be punished, he said an inquiry is on and hoped that justice will be done.

"This should not happen to any player, otherwise they will stop taking interest in sports," he said.

Wrestling Federation of India President Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh, accompanied Narsingh during his meeting with the Prime Minister.

Brijbhushan said, "The Prime Minister asked Narsingh not to take any tension and play freely and focus on winning laurels for the country."

Yadav was exonerated of doping charges by the National Antidoping Agency (NADA), which concluded that he was a victim of sabotage, paving the way for the wrestler's participation in the Rio Olympics.

After more than a week of drama which began with Narsingh testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid methandienone in tests conducted on June 25, NADA DG Naveen Agarwal put an end to the suspense on the wrestler's fate by exonerating him. -PTI

No plans to change Gandhi pic on currency NEW DELHI: Government has no proposal to replace Mahatma Gandhi's photograph or add another leader's photo on currency notes as the matter has already been decided by a high-level committee during the UPA rule, Rajya Sabha was informed.

Replying to a question whether the government intends to replace or add photos of other leaders on currency notes, Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal said "a Committee was formed during UPA which has already decided that there is no need to change Mahatma Gandhi's photo on the currency notes."

During Question Hour, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said "the government takes a decision from

time to time in consultation with the RBI" on what currency to be circulated.

"The design and security fea-

tures of banknotes are decided by the Government from time to time, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The decision about the circulation of banknotes in the country is taken by the

RBI," he said.

Asked whether government proposed to introduce a currency note or coin on B R Ambedkar to mark his 125th birth anniversary, Meghwal said government has already issued a noncirculation commemorative coin of Rs 125 and a circulation coin of Rs 10 denomination to mark 125th birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar, which was released by Prime Minister on December 6, 2015.

"I assure you that as per demand, we would increase the circulation of Rs 10 denomination coins bearing Ambedkar's picture. We will work towards providing more such coins," he told the members. -PTI

70 terrorists shot dead this year: Parrikar JABALPUR, MP: Defense said adding earlier it was "1:1.5".

Minister Manohar Parrikar has Denying that the Chinese said we have put a check on infil- Army breaches India's border, the tration along the Pakistan border Defense Minister said several and over 70 terrorists who were points have been made for diatrying to enter India from Pakistan logues along the Indo-China borhave been shot dead so far this der. year.

Border of India and China have "We have put a check on infiltration into India along the Pakistan border. Terrorists trying to sneak into India have either been shot dead or beaten a retreat," Parrikar said.

"More than 70 terrorists who were tryDefense Minister Manohar Parrikar ing to enter India from Pakistan have been shot dead this not been demarked, he said, addyear so far", he said. ing it is because of several hisParrikar cited a "ratio" of the torical reasons. "martyrdom" of jawans to slain terAs a result of this, Parrikar said rorists while speaking to report- Chinese Army by mistake enters ers here.

India thinking it was its areas.

14 jawans have attained mar"We stop them and send them tyrdom this year so far, the Minis- back. Sometime they return on ter said adding the figures reveal their own. Such incidents are bethat if India lost one jawan, 5 ter- ing reported since last 20-30 years rorists had been killed against it. but their per cent has dropped by The ratio come to 1:5, Parrikar 40 per cent," Parrikar claimed. -PTI

US voices concern over J&K violence WASHINGTON: The US has expressed concern over the violence in Kashmir and called on "all sides" to make efforts to find a peaceful solution to the issue as it wants to see the tensions de-escalated.

"We encourage all sides to make efforts to find a peaceful solution to this," State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters when asked about the ongoing violence in Kashmir.

"We have obviously seen reports of the clashes between protesters and Indian forces in Kashmir. And we're, of course, concerned by the violence, as you might expect we would be," he said.

Kirby said the US was in close touch with the Indian government over the issue.

"But we're obviously concerned by the violence and we want to see the tensions de-escalated," Kirby said.-PTI

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Roadshows in Australia to promote Vibrant Gujarat MELBOURNE: In a bid to promote the 'Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2017' in Australia, the Gujarat government held a roadshow here to woo Australian investors and seek cooperation in areas like education, clean energy, mining, agro and food processing, sports and tourism.

this opportunity to establish collaborations between various sector experts and businesses to strengthen relationship between the state of Gujarat and Australia," Kumar said.

"We will be meeting political leaders, business leaders, universities experts, government offi-

"The roadshows will exhibit Gujarat as a favorable investment destination and as one of the fastest growing state in India. Gujarat is also a manufacturing hub," Kumar said.

"Our team will be focusing on education which is second most important sector�

A 15-member delegation, led by Managing Director of Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation Pankaj Kumar, held the first roadshow in Melbourne showcasing several focus sectors including clean energy, clean technologies, mining and mining technologies, education, sports and sports technologies, research, design and financial services.

"We are looking forward for

cials and companies CEOs during our visit here," Kumar said adding that the roadshows were also being organized in Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane.

"The key emphasis of these roadshows will be on ease of doing business in the state as well in rest of the country and the focus areas are education, clean energy, mining, agro and food processing, sports and tourism,"

Kumar said.

"The roadshows will exhibit Gujarat as a favorable investment destination and as one of the fastest growing state in India. Gujarat is also a manufacturing hub," Kumar said.

"Our team will be focusing on education which is second most important sector and we will meet vice chancellors, academicians of several Australian universities," he said.

The delegation also met some members of Indian Diaspora and Indian Australian business community members here at a meeting organized by Australia-India Women Entrepreneurs Forum (AIWEF).

Australia's trade in goods and services with India was Australian Dollars 13.565 billion (USD 9.72 bn) in 2014-15 with Indian exports of goods amounting to Australian Dollars 3.805 billion (USD 2.726 bn).

The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is a biennial investors' summit organized by the Gujarat state government and its eighth edition is scheduled in January 713 next year. -PTI

Singapore firm to bid for Amaravati development SINGAPORE: A Singapore- 800 employees in India and a globased consultancy firm focusing bal design centre at Bangalore on infrastructure and urban devel- through collaboration with opment is positioning to bid for Cyient, an Indian engineering and downstream projects in Andhra design led manufacturing.

Pradesh's capital city of Amaravati SMEC, which is also undertakfor which it has prepared a master ing a wide range of infrastructure plan. projects in India and around the "Currently, we are doing the land management system for Amaravati. Once that is "There is a potential of finished, we can go to project financing and doing the next stage of tendering for some of the feasibility studies in India," downstream work," said said Liew Mun Leong, Wong Heang Fine, group chief executive chairman officer of the Surbana Jurong Private Limited (SJ). world, will increase its participa"Between SJ and SMEC we can tion through SJ's large-scale parundertake the city's (Amaravati) ticipation in Indian projects, said infrastructure," said Wong after Andy Goodwin, SMEC's chief exannouncing a merger of his group ecutive and managing director. with Australia's infrastructure "There is a potential of project consultancy, SMEC Holdings Ltd. financing and doing feasibility The downstream projects in- studies in India," said Liew Mun clude water systems and electri- Leong, chairman who has worked cal distribution network, he said. on Indian projects since 1993 SJ is paying Singapore Dollars starting first with Singapore's In400 million for 100 per cent acqui- formation Technology Park in sition of SMEC which has over Bangalore. -PTI

Skydiver jumps and lands without chute LOS ANGELES: A 42-yearold skydiver with more than 18,000 jumps made history when he became the first person to leap without a parachute and land in a net instead.

After a two-minute freefall, Luke Aikins landed dead centre in the 100-by-100-foot net at the Big Sky movie ranch on the outskirts of Simi Valley.

As cheers erupted, Aikins quickly climbed out, walked over and hugged his wife, Monica, who had been watching from the ground with their 4-year-old son, Logan, and other family members.

"I'm almost levitating, it's in-

who dozed in her arms.

"This thing just happened! I can't even get the words out of my mouth," he added as he thanked the dozens of crew members who spent two years helping him prepare for the jump, including those who assembled the fishing trawler-like net and made sure it really worked.

The stunt, broadcast live on the Fox network for the TV special "Stride Gum Presents Heaven Sent," nearly didn't come off as planned when Aikins revealed just before climbing into his plane that the Screen Actors Guild had ordered him to wear a parachute to ensure his safety.

When his friend Chris Talley came up with the idea two years ago, Aikins acknowledged he turned it down cold.

"I kind of laugh and I say, 'Ok, that's great.

I'll help you find somebody to do it,'" he told The Associated Press credible," the jubilant skydiver said, raising his hands over his head as his wife held their son,

Aikins said he considered pulling out at that point because having the parachute canister on his

Skydiver Luke Aikins jumps from a helicopter during his training in Simi Valley, Calif.

back would make his landing in the net far more dangerous. If he had to wear it he said he wouldn't bother to pull the ripcord anyway.

"I'm going all the way to the net, no question about it," he said from the plane. "I'll just have to deal with the consequences when

I land of wearing the parachute on my back and what it's going to do to my body."

A few minutes before the jump one of the show's hosts said the requirement had been lifted.

Aikins left the plane without the chute.

He jumped with three other skydivers, each wearing parachutes. One had a camera, another trailed smoke so people on the ground could follow his descent and the third took an oxygen canister he handed off after they got to an altitude where it was no longer needed.

Then the others opened their parachutes and left him on his own.

Aikins admitted before the jump he was nervous and his mother said she was one family member who wouldn't watch.

When his friend Chris Talley came up with the idea two years ago, Aikins acknowledged he turned it down cold.

"I kind of laugh and I say, 'Ok, that's great. I'll help you find somebody to do it,'" he told The Associated Press as he trained for the jump.

A couple of weeks after Talley made his proposal Aikins called back and said he would do it. He'd been the backup jumper in 2012 when Felix Baumgartner became the first skydiver to break the speed of sound during a jump from 24 miles above Earth. -AP

Horoscope

August 5, 2016

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August 5th - August 11th 2016 Please send your birthday, place of birth and time, so I can give you your zodiac sign, according to Vedic astrology. Send to Jaysastrology@gmail.com

T

T

he professional matters and income may continue to face obstructions.

Focus on health of father may cause concerns. Handle relationship matters with patience, the week makes you emotional. Continue to work with patience up to September 2016. It is better to avoid haste, conflicts and unnecessary driving. Focus on your health and don't get involved in conflicts and arguments. Be Patience.

he professional matters are looking better this week. Some of you may be rewarded or you get recognition at work. If your birth planets are strong those who are expecting promotion, may get the same. Expect social activities and interactions to increase. Week is good for the children. New professional opportunites are likely.

Take care of your health. Be patience.

T

he professional matters looking better this week.

Mental and dosmetic peace is seen. Handle your relationship matters with patience, don't argue and get in conflicts. Focus on children they may need help. Avoid haste, conflicts, speculation, aggressive behavior and unnecessary driving. Conflicts and financial concerns are likely to continue. Take care.

Eniemies are likely to trouble.

he professional matters are starting to look better this week. Handle problems with relationships and property matter with extra care and with patience. Be vigilant and focus on the care of the health of the parents and children. Sudden obstructions and delays are there so it is better to exercise patience and avoid conflicts and unnecessary driving.

T

T

his week looks good for professional matters and for students who are appearing in competitions. Some of you will get recognition and promotion. Those whose are appearing in selections may get good results. This week bring good news for the family. The children may also bring some happy news.

Work with patience. Put hold on new ventures and relationships.

T

his week professional matter looks better.

Some sudden obstructions and delays are likely. Some health concerns is likely for parents. The incidence of difficulties is indicated for those who are in foreign lands. Better to avoid unnecessary driving. Focus and work with patience. Take care of your relationship matters. Some immune disorder is likely. Loss of sleep due to expenses.

he professional matters face concerns, can lead to losses and expenses and loss of sleep. Fortune helps to some extent. Can invest in real estate and business ventures are starting to look up.

Better social interaction is seen. Relationship and business partners seems to work smoothly. Mental peace at home is there. Can travel to foreign land for business or pleasure.

ocus on professional matter as it needs care.

Better mental peace is seen at home. Enjoy time with family, parents. Some additional income is likely. Stay away from manipulations. Be vigilant and focus on your health see doctor if needed. Avoid aggressive behavior and haste up to Sept 2016. Silence is golden for you. Better to avoid driving and conflicts.

F

T

P

T

T

T

rofessional matters needs attention may need care. Some additional income is likely. Put a hold on new ventures as many planets are in bad houses.

Expect mental stress remedy take rest , drink fluids and relax. Work with patience, take care of your health. Avoid haste, conflicts, unnecessary driving and travel. Handle obstructions and relationship matters with care up to Sept 2016.

he professional and in come matters need to be focused on. Sudden setback in income is seen. Look after father. Put a hold on new business ventures and also don't be to aggressive in relationship matters. Focus on your children, may need special attention up to sept 2016. Avoid investing in stocks and speculations.

Patience is the best medicine during this year.

he professional matters looks good this week, can even get recognition or promotion. This can create new gainful opportunities are likely. Avoid conflicts in family and relationship matters and manage with patience.

Look after father. Can invest in real estate and enjoy time with younger siblings. Short journey is seen. Sudden obstructions and delays, loss of inheritance is seen.

he professional matters looks rough, can face problems. Avoid arguments and confrontations at work.

Focus on your health it can be of concern, especially private parts and kidneys. The incidence of conflicts, obstructions and sudden setbacks continues. Health of spouse may cause concerns.

It is better to avoid unnecessary driving. Manage persisting difficulties with patience.

This weekly horoscope is more focused and accurate as these are based on ascending signs. The ascending sign is worked out on the basis of your date, time and place of birth. You will find the predictions at other places based on your Sun sign or Moon sign. The Sun remains in one sign of zodiac for one month whereas the Moon remains in one sign for about 54 hours. It is the ascending sign, which changes every couple of hours." That is how this site offers you more focused predictions.

JATIN P - ACHARYA MIHIR • JAYSASTROLOGY@GMAIL.COM • 630-675-7148

August 5, 2016

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Desi News Betalish Gam picnic sees a large turnout SURESH BODIWALA

CHICAGO: Betalish Gam KPS Chicago celebrated its 4th Picnic on Sunday, July 24 at Forest Preserve Grove with more than 2000 members, friends, and well-wishers participating in this near daylong event.

The picnic was a tremendous success as the organizers of the picnic had many ideas to keep the group busy and entertained.

The hot summer sun did not dampen the spirits. All the activities and food were sponsored by members of the organization, allowing the picnic to be very nominal charged from attendees.

Besides a full scale social interaction and games, the highlight of the picnic was enchanting and mouthwatering food. Appetizers and snacks items were excellent.

Participants enjoyed Hot Gota, Chatni, Khichu.

Children of all ages had plenty to do. For the youngest, there were inflatable slides rented locally. Volleyball, the Indian game of Kho Kho, water balloon toss, lemon race, musical chairs, cricket matches and Garba were arranged for some of the adults.

Indian food was served to all members included khichadi, Chhas, Thepla, Saak, Ladoo etc.

The management served 10,000 cold water bottles on that very hot day.

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16 India Post

Manglorean Konkani Christians organize picnic Details on page 24

August 5, 2016

FOG 2016 will be largest festival to engage global participation India Post News Service

SAN JOSE, CA: Festival of Globe (FOG) 2016 press confer-

Manorama Joshi, Yogi Chugh, JIC members and volunteers. Lily Mei, Tom Handley, Rishi Kumar, Anjali Lathi, and other political leaders

India Day Parade and Mela will be held on August 13th and 14th in Fremont. Thousands of people are expected to join in the largest cel-

Details on page 22

Ekal Vidyalaya's phenomenal fund-raising success PRAKASH WAGHMARE

A

s India is emerging as an economic power on the world stage, there is another contrarian reality by its side which is quite unsettling. Even in this technologically advanced new millennium, there are tens of thousands rural-tribal areas in India, which are yet to be touched by the existential necessities and amenities, that we all routinely take for granted.

Many of these areas seem frozen in time. There are noapproachable roads nor basic educational or healthcare facilitieswithin their reach. "Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation" has been supporting functional-literacy, healthcare, and integral development in such places, for past 27 years.

As of now, there are 53,000 Ekalschools (and counting), in almost 30 states throughout India, including in Nepal & Jammu-Kashmir.

Details on page 23

FOG Press Conference panel

ence and kick off held on July 31st at Four Points by Sheraton - Silicon Valley was very well received and attended. Bollywood celebrity Gulshan Grover was the Guest of Honor. His movie "Badman" will be shown in the FOG Movie Fest on August 11at 9 pm in Camera 12 Cinemas.

The event, attended by over 200 media and community leaders shows that this year's FOG extravaganza promises to be yet another feather in the cap of 24 years long phenomenon!

Among attendees were FOG team Rajesh Verma, Ritu Maheshwari, Deepak Chhabra,

were there to grace the occasion.

Festival of Globe is a 10-Day festival from August 5th to August 14th.

24th Festival of Globe - FOG

ebration of democracy. There will be cultural programs, free health fair, Food Fest, kid's corner, and biggest ever grand parade with fa-

power and integrate global cultures and communities through Film Arts, Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Folk Arts. The movie fest will feature short films, documentaries, and feature films submitted by independent filmmakers from around the world. FOG Movie Fest will be held from August 6th - 13th at Camera 12 Cinemas in San Jose.

FOG Movie Fest will be an amazing experience this time. Over 100 movies from over 20 countries will be participating including Hollywood, Bollywood, Nepal, Fiji, Bengal and others. Many of them are World Premiers being shown for the first time on any screen.

Hundreds of film makers and Stars like Gulshan Grover, Randeep Hooda, Mahima Chaudhary, Raima Sen, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Jose Canseco will be joining in person for Q & A and Red Carpet.

FOG FASHION FEST on 12th of August will feature International Models, Designers and Show Stoppers. Models will compete to become FOG Queen, King, Prince and Princess to promote our social theme of Empowering Youth against Sex Crime. All four of them

FOG Summit Committee

FOG team

mous Bollywood celebrities Gulshan Grover, Mahima Chaudhary, Randeep Hooda, Raima Sen, Prosenjit and others.

People can visit, eat, and shop at over hundred booths. The admission is FREE for Mela and Parade for both the days.

FOG MOVIE FEST aims to em-

win $1500 each and crowned for participating in Parade with Celebrities. They will become Ambassadors to carry out FOG Mission and Initiatives throughout the year.

There are lots of opportunities for new Designers and Sponsors.

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Rakhi Sawant to lead FIA India Day Fest

Bharat Vikas meet in Boston a big success

MOON KHAN

GEETHA PATIL

CHICAGO: The Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) will start the season of festivities in the Midwest for India's 70th Independence Day on Sunday August 7 with Bollywood star, Rakhi Sawant.

Rakhi Sawant

Beginning at 2 pm, the event will be held at DuPage County Fairgrounds, in Wheaton, a northwest suburb of Chicago.

"Within a week, since several events are scheduled related to the Indian Independence Day, we decided not to create any conflict with other programs and hold our festival a week earlier," said Sunil Shah, FIA's Founder President. "FIA believes in working together."

FIA's event will be free of charge. Despite bringing Rakhi Sawant and a renowned musical group of Bollywood "Seven Star," he said, "We don't want to charge general public a single penny,"he said FIA is immensely thankful to its donors and sponsors for supporting this expensive project. Rakhi Sawant is one of the celebrated Bollywood film and television actresses, a dancer, model, and television talk show host, who has appeared in many Hindi and a few Kannada, Marathi, Telugu, and Tamil movies.

A lot of children's rides have been arranged along with several food stalls and ethnic vendors.

For more information, and sponsorship, please call Sunil Shah at 847-309-4462 or Dhitu Bhagwakar at 847-340-1120.

BOSTON: The Global Indians for Bharat Vikas , a unique non-profit group established just three years ago, had a 'Community Outreach' event organized at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Newton, on Saturday, July 30.

One of the themed topics was project 'Bharat Vikas' to bring change in India's governance and grassroots development.

The ultimate goal is to transform India for "Global Leadership" through rural empowerment and citizens' awareness campaign and not merely to fund development projects in India. It is thru enabling local people to improve their own lives that Bharat Vikas could be relevant.

Pawan Roy, treasurer, welcomed the gathering introducing himself and the directors of GIBV Outreach. Eighty one year old Dr. Mahesh Mehta, who is the key inspiration behind this organization, presented a brief history and objectives of the organization. He humbly asked the audience, "to catch up with the dream of making India one of the top three countries of the world. To do that we have to focus on the Sarvangina Vikas of India by establishing network of volunteers from around the world who are interested in spending time, energy and resources in organic development of villages and slums in India."

In rural India, children do not want to go to school, parents do not want to send them to school and teachers do not want to teach them, Mehta said and observed "We have found a solution to fix this problem by sending good teachers to rural area and slums to motivate the villagers and children to go to school and get educated with sound math

ticipants of the evening came from different states and India as well. Amazingly, 65% of India's population is 35 or under, and half the country's population of 1.25 billion people is under 25 years of age. India is very rich in human power, Kanchan said and

K Banerjee addressing the meet

added that India's development does depend on people as much as it depends on the government.

"It is in this context we are using a unique approach of empowering the locals - let them decide what they need. To do this GIBV mobilizes volunteers across India and all over the word to bring about organic changes and development for a large population living in villages and slums of India.

Currently, GIBV is providing logistics, resources and support to various projects and activities and is developing a network of knowledge experts in several fields, in-

Dr Mahesh Mehta addressing the gathering

and science knowledge. Because these children are going to be the future leaders of our nation, we have to educate them properly. Otherwise, they become direction-less and frustrated in life and may become victims of evil social forces like drugs and terrorism."

Kanchan Banerjee, the President, greeted all with their brief description to the floor by going around table by table. Many par-

cluding corrosive effect of corruption, integral development and means and ways to strengthen democracy," Kanchan said There was a Q and A session to clarify audiences' doubts and answer their questions on various aspects of their projects in India. Kanchan thanked everyone for showing interest and support to their projects.

Later, all the participants enjoyed their food while talking with other participants.

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Rath Yatra Chariot procession in Missouri ARVIND PATEL

ST LOUIS: International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) held its annual festival of Rath Yatra in St. Louis suburb of Ballwin in Missouri on Saturday July 30 with lot of fanfare and enthusiasm.

ISKCON chariot procession marched from Hindu Temple of St.

Celebrations also included cultural program, kirtan, yoga, henna body art, meditation, free community vegetarian meal, aarti, etc. The procession road was blocked for about an hour for the parade. Few hundred people participated in the celebrations, whose organizers included Dr. Ashok Kumar,

ceive immense spiritual benefit.

Popularized outside India by ISKCON founder A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, this annual parade festival has reportedly been held annually in major cities of the world since 1960s.

The original Ratha Jatra is held

sands of devotees.

After a stay for seven days, the deities return to their abode in Sri Mandira. A glimpse of Lord Jagannatha on the chariot is considered to be highly auspicious and even a touch of the chariot is believed to yield benefits equivalent to several pious deeds. Many

Zed said it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work to-

poets have written its glories. This year, it was held on July 6.

Meanwhile, Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement in Nevada commended efforts of the organizers and St. Louis area community to realize this wonderful festival, said to be exhibiting the richness of Hinduism.

wards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.

Rajan Zed points out that ancient Hindu scripture Katha Upanishad talks about the concept of chariot, where soul is the deity, body is the chariot, and intellect the charioteer. Skanda Purana glorifies Rath Jatra's sanctity.

St Louis Rathyatra

Louis to Queeny Park in Ballwin.

Ramacarya Das, Narayana, and

on a grand scale in Puri (Odisha, India), where the presiding deities of Sri Mandira-Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra-with celestial wheel Sudarshana are driven on the chariots to about two miles north Gundicha temple in an elaborate ritual procession, where the huge colorfully decorated chariots are drawn by thou-

Seniors conduct Satya Narayan Mahakatha SURESH SHAH

It was a sight to see a chariot pulled by dozens of devotees over a mile using big ropes amid playing of drums, cymbals and Lord Krishna chants.

others Rath Yatra is said to be the oldest known parade in the world and it is believed that pullers of this Lord Jagannatha's chariot re-

CHICAGO: Members of United Senior Pariwar (USP) of Chicago recently organized a religious event Lord Satyanarayan Mahakatha in Kathy Hall in the town of Niles with great fervor and

devotion.

Over 250 members and guests of the association attended this event.The main sponsor of this event was Mrs. Manjulaben Chhitubhai Patel of Desplaines

Seniors at Katha

and her family members. The other sponsors were Ramanlal S. Patel (Vevai), Raujibhai Patel, Mrs. Induben Patel and Mrs. Shantaben D. Patel all from Desplaines.

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Punjabi Americans organize Teeyan Da Mela Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Punjabi American Organization (PAO) organized their 12th annual Teeyan Da Mela on Sunday July 24 at Waterford Banquet Elmhurst dedicated to Bibi Jaswant Kaur Dhaliwal.

Teeyan is the dance festival of Punjabis, celebrated by women in the month of Sawan.

The eagerly awaited event showcased even very bashful timid ladies coming forward to show their hidden talent. Teeyan is an honorable word in Punjabi culture which gives great recognition and respect to women as mother, daughter, and daughter-in-law.

The festival continues from the 3rd lunar day in the month of Sawan till the full moon day.

Punjabi Americans Organization aims to promote unity and progress and preservation of age old rich culture and tradition of Punjab.

This year the event took place under the leadership of Naiha Walia, President of PAO. The banquet hall was crowded with over 500 attendees. Ladies and children were dressed in multicolored Indian time-honored clothes. The organizing committee welcomed

The event started with the traditional open Dholki, where the audience was invited on to the

stage. Vibrant Dance Punjabney Shaukeen Kudiye performance was followed by singers from

gorgeous bridal wear as the showstopper worn by none other than Ms Illinois.

Teeyan Da Mela Organizing Committee and Sponsors

stage to participate in group singing of Punjabi traditional opening "Saun da mahina" songs. This

Midwest region singing song "Saanu Ik Pal Chain Na Aavey" entertaining the crowd. The dance

A group of young artists

the audience and thanked all the sponsors for their donations.

star among youngsters, were well received.

This year PAO introduced 'Mrs

was followed by MC and Punjabi singer Deepika Singh taking the

Punjaban' contest determined by individual personality, beauty and talent. Total seven contestants

Teeyan Da Mela Organizing Committee was called on stage and was recognized. Jaggo and

Audience enjoy Jaggo and Gidha traditional group folk dance. This event was participated by ladies of all age groups

by Saroj Berry, Dhol Play and Two Songs by Sabrina Sappal, a rising

Awards being presented by Chief Guest Debra Dhaliwal

participated. The First (winner) was Prabh Khaira and Second winner (runner up) Simran Kaur.

Prabh Khaira was crowned Mrs Punjaban.

Fashion show electrified the air.

Models walked the ramp with a mixed blend of custom designed outfits and dresses which had Swaroski work, hand embroidery, detailed thread work, crystal stone patterns, gottapatti by elite designers of GetEthic.com. Beautiful and budding models sparkled with their amazing catwalk and attitude on ramp displaying outfits such as stunning suits, spectacular sarees, splendid lehengas, trousseau collection and heavy pure silk

Gidha was open for audience.

Dhol Play Gidha or traditional group folk dance won the audience's heart. This event was performed by ladies of all age groups from audience.

There were different stalls for Mehndi, Jewelry, Gift Items, Punjabi Suits and Kurtis. In addition to Giddha, Dholki, singing and dancing with live music, delicious Indian snacks and delicious gourmet lunch was served.

The Chief Guest was Mrs Debra Dhaliwal. Teeyan Da Mela Sponsors were called on stage and reorganized with award. Food was catered by India House restaurant.

August 5, 2016

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'Justice for Pravin' rally at Daley Plaza CHICAGO: A group of more than 200 justice seekers gathered outside Daley Plaza, Chicago on July 29 for a peaceful protest seeking fair disposal of case involving Pravin Varughese. The rally "Justice for Pravin" was heavily publicized on social media for three months. It was noticed that the case for Pravin Varughese was being unfairly handled by the authorities addressing the case.

Pravin Varughese was a 19 year old bright kid from the Chicago suburbs, who went to SIU Carbondale University to study Criminal Justice. He went missing the night of Feb 12, 2014 on his way back home from a party with his cousins. He went missing for a week and was found deceased in a wooded area in Carbondale.

The police said they did not suspect foul play. The difficult

tending to pursue a degree in Criminal justice or law. "Pravin Action Council" is headed by

a peacefully protest for Justice to Pravin on July 29, at Daley Plaza, Chicago from 1:30 to 3:30.

The main goal of this protest was to get rightful attention of the officials such as Illinois At-

Participants at the protest rally at Daley Plaza, Chicago

torney General, Lisa Madigan as well as the Governor of Illinois, Bruce Rauner in this matter.

They are the officials who can take action on the investigators and officials of the Carbondale Police Dept., the Illinois State Police and Jackson County State's Attorney Michael Carr whose conclusion and claim did not present key evidence in this case.

Michael Carr's report did not say that the toxicology report was negative even though a toxicology report conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. James Jacobi showed Pravin had no

terrain and low temperatures could be contributory factors making it difficult for Pravin finding his way out of the wooded area. But the bruises on Pravin's

Mariamma Pillai and Gladson Varghese, both community leaders from Chicago.

For the past two years, the family and friends have been

Pravin Varughese was a 19 year old bright kid from the Chicago suburbs, who went to SIU Carbondale University to study Criminal Justice.

He went missing the night of Feb 12, 2014 on his way back home from a party with his cousins. He went missing for a week and was found deceased in a wooded area in Carbondale. body that his mother and family found were indicative of a very grim story, say rally participants "Pravin Action Council" was formed in 2014 to assist the family in seeking justice. In July 2016, the first winner of Pravin Varughese Memorial Scholarship was announced on Facebook. It is a $1000 scholarship for a high school senior in-

working tirelessly to get justice and the truth behind Pravin's death. The falsified reports with innumerous accuracies and blatant attacks on Pravin's character showed unfairness, they say.

With the help of leaders from the Indian community in Chicago and this initiative by the Kerala community across the US, leaders and supporters gathered for

drugs in his system and no alcohol other than ethanol produced during post-mortem bodily changes. Again, the family commissioned a second autopsy that was performed by Dr. Ben Margolis of the Autopsy Center of Chicago in February of 2014.

Margolis found multiple deep bruises on the forehead and right arm of Pravin and determined blunt-force trauma was an underlying cause of death. The findings in the second autopsy were not shown to the grand jury. The family representatives strongly believe that the grand jury did not receive all the relevant information from the officials in this case.

For over the last two years, Monica Zukas, a radio host/media personality from Carbondale has helped the family by sharing a lot of pertinent information to the public on this case on her Facebook page.

Under the leadership of Jiby Thomas Moloparambil, a community empowerment call was organized on June 30 for the Indian/Kerala community to bring together individuals from across the nation to brainstorm ideas for next steps for this protest. More than 500 individuals and personalities from different states across the US and India, joined the call to input their opinion and suggestions.

The community standing together should be the beginning to get 'Justice for Pravin', organizers of the protest rally said.

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Betalish Gam picnic sees a large turnout SURESH BODIWALA

CHICAGO: Betalish Gam KPS Chicago celebrated its 4th Picnic on Sunday, July 24 at Forest Preserve Grove with more than 2000 members, friends, and well-wishers participating in this near daylong event.

The picnic was a tremendous success as the organizers of the picnic had many ideas to keep the group busy and entertained.

The hot summer sun did not dampen the spirits. All the activities and food were sponsored by members of the organization, allowing the picnic to be very nominal charged from attendees.

Besides a full scale social inter-

The management served 10,000 cold water bottles on that very hot day.

This year a Jyoti Ruth of Shree Umiya Mataji was brought in for few hours for darshan. Shree Umiya Mataji is a Kuldevi of all Kadva Patidars. It was a heart touching religious moment with Aarti and Bhajans.

A raffle was organized to put a competitive edge to the day giving away laptops, tablets and Flat TVs. Hand-truck load of watermelon, corn and pizza were served to over 750 youngsters. These were donated by well-wishers of the orga-

give the audience the best experience of this favorite Gujarati event.

Executive Committee: Lalbhai Patel (President), JP Patel (Chair-

Seniors conduct Satya Narayan Mahakatha Cont’d from page 19

Secretary Rameshbhai Choksi welcomed all the members as well as invited guests and narrated details of the program and requested all the participants to cooperate so that all members could feel part of the event. Rohitbhai Joshi Acharya of Chicago area

One of the leading members, Arvindbhai Patel, donated $ 300 that was equally distributed among 10 senior members. All the members celebrated birthday event for those who were born in the month of July. All of them were presented with a holy book.

The occasion was used to pay tributes to those who passed

Betalish Gam KPS Chicago Executive Committee members, friends, sponsors and participants in Betalish Gam Picnic

action and games, the highlight of the picnic was enchanting and mouthwatering food. Appetizers and snacks items were excellent.

Participants enjoyed Hot Gota, Chatni, Khichu.

Children of all ages had plenty to do. For the youngest, there were inflatable slides rented locally. Volleyball, the Indian game of Kho Kho, water balloon toss, lemon race, musical chairs, cricket matches and Garba were arranged for some of the adults.

Indian food was served to all members included khichadi, Chhas, Thepla, Saak, Ladoo etc.

nization.

The next Betalish Samaj of Chi-

This year a Jyoti Ruth of Shree Umiya Mataji was brought in for few hours for darshan. cago event will be its annual Garba.

This event was a huge success last year with over 3000 people attending. A live band will be present to

man), AP Patel (Secretary); Rasik Patel (Treasurer), Dipal Patel (Vice President); Dashrathbhai Patel (Vice Chairman); Jitubhai Patel (Joint Secretary); Rasmika Patel (Joint Secretary) and Hasmukh Patel (Joint Treasurer) 42 Gam Kadva Patida Samaj was established in 2012 with the efforts of some community leaders to preserve, protect and personify eastern values, to make our children participate in celebrating our festivals, and to provide platform to all 42 Gam Patidars to come together to meet, greet, entertain and celebrate our heritage.

Devotees at the Katha

and Lalitbhai Upadhyay of Desplaines performed religious ceremony and ritual by chanting Vaidik mantra of Lord Satyanarayan Mahakatha. All the members and attending guests participated in aarti that followed the Katha.

away - Jashbhai Desai and Janakben Viththalbhai Amin.

Ashok Potedar donated Prasad for this event. A Maha Prasad was served at the end. Mrs Hetalben and Rakeshbhai Amin were the main sponsors. Every one enjoyed delicious food.

Mahila members enjoy Katha

August 5, 2016

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Ekal Vidyalaya's phenomenal fund-raising success PRAKASH WAGHMARE

A

s India is emerging as an economic power on the world stage, there is another contrarian reality by its side which is quite unsettling. Even in this technologically advanced new millennium, there are tens of thousands rural-tribal areas in India, which are yet to be touched by the existential necessities and amenities, that we all routinely take for granted.

Many of these areas seem frozen in time. There are noapproachable roads nor basic educational or healthcare facilitieswithin their reach. "Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation" has been supporting functional-literacy, healthcare, and integral development in such places, for past 27 years.

As of now, there are 53,000 Ekalschools (and counting), in almost 30 states throughout India, including in Nepal & Jammu-Kashmir.

For just $365, Ekal is able to provide education and healthcare trainingto a group of 30-40 children (termed as one Ekal school) for the entire year. The main objective of this social-venture is not only to eradicate illiteracy, but also, to empower these rural lives by providing sustainable villagebased skills. 'Ekal' achieves this objective by raising funds, primarily in India and USA.

'Ekal' hosted 62 concerts, all across U.S. through its satellite 'Chapters'.

According to Dr. Jawahar Taunk, Regional President of Florida, $400,000 was raised in his region

Moreover, considering 30% of total funds come into Ekal-coffer, each year, during November-December, Ekal is pretty confident to cross $7.5 Million mark, this year,

tivities and futuristic plans. During the concerts, the people were also treated to highly focus 'Power-Point' presentation that depicted Ekal's historic progress

alone.

Through concerts only, Ekal has raised more than $4 Million so far this year. In addition, for newly initiated 'Endowment Fund', $1 Million has been pledged by couple of generous donors in U.S. and Canada.

A handful of entrepreneurs

just for USA alone. This is also a great tribute its 1,000 strong selfless dedicated volunteers in USA. This year 'Ekal' had invited two groups of artistes to headline its various events. One group was headed by 'Rajdeep Chatterjee & Pallabi Roy Chowdhuri' and another was headed by 'Anand

from its inception, allocation of funds and the model for accountability, at every level. It is worth

Iconic CEO of 'ZEE TV', Dr. Subhash Chandra's induction as the Chairman of 'Ekal Global' has been a boon to "Ekal Abhiyan" in attracting major industrial houses and entrepreneurs. Earlier this year, while releasing Subhash Chandra's autobiographical book, 'ZEE Factor', PM Modi also lauded Ekal's rural work noting that Ekal renders its services without any credence to caste, creed, religion and region and its overhead is in single digit.

Iconic CEO of 'ZEE TV', Dr. Subhash Chandra's induction as

Every year Ekal-USA, hosts a series of fund-raising concerts, between February and June, in all major U.S. metropolises by bringing well-known Artistes from India. In addition, the funds are also raised by direct appeals to consistent, major donors. In recently concluded fund-raising efforts,

have also picked up their own specific projects based on necessities in certain areas. Inspired by PM Modi's clarion call for 'Clean-India' campaign, Himanshu Shah of 'Shah Capital', has taken responsibility to make a cluster of villages 'environmentally clean' by devoting his personal resources.

Vinod & Vibhavari Yadav'. All the concerts pulled record crowds everywhereconfirming, once again, not only the popularity of the quality programming by Ekal, but also, people's overwhelming support to this divine cause.

All concerts were preceded by DVD-briefing on Ekal's major ac-

the Chairman of 'Ekal Global' has been a boon to "Ekal Abhiyan" in attracting major industrial houses and entrepreneurs. Earlier this year, while releasing Subhash Chandra's autobiographical book, 'ZEE Factor', PM Modi also lauded Ekal's awe-inspiring comprehensive rural work as a role model for other organizations to follow.

Now, students and young adults around the country are also gravitating to Ekal to play a key role in this 'people's movement'.

Earlier this year, "Health Foundation for Rural India ('HFRI')", a health wing of "Ekal Abhiyan" had taken a group of Medical student from USA to Indian villages under its 'Internship Program'.

The rationale behind it was, not only to acquaint them with unique healthcare problems in rural areas, but also, to groom them for selfless service for these neglected masses.

Every month, new donors are coming on board to support Ekal as they realize that it is the largest grass-root NGO movement of its kind, globally undertaken by Indians and NRIs.

Ekal is in dozen countries, including in some 'Middle-East' regions. For your support and participation in 'Ekal Movement', kindly visit its web <www.ekal.org>.

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Manglorean Konkani Christians organize picnic STANY DSOUZA

CHICAGO: The Mangalorean Konkan Christians Association of Chicago conducted its 14th annual picnic at the Cynthia

mittee for their great efforts in organizing this annual activity so well. The participants loved to play the famous pass-time of the

PiĂąata finally broke, a variety of chocolates spilled the ground and children rushed to the spot to grab their share!

There were a lot of games and competitions arranged by the organizers, under the chairpersons of the planning committee, Sha n n o n Mascarenhas and Rose Mascarenhas.

Following participants won prizes: Passing the Parcel (1-6 years old) Olivia Quadros, winner and Karen Quadros, runnerup. Lemon and Spoon Race (7-12 years old) - Keira Martis, winner and Logan Quadros, runner-up.

Sack Race (13-19

years old) - Jason Mendonca, winner and Jovan Monteiro, runner-up. Women's Sack Race Charamaine Fernandes, winner and Vissia D'Souza, runner-up.

Men's Sack Race - Allen Martis, winner and Sean Wagers, runnerup.

All the participants had great fun in participating in open to all activities of Tug-of-war, Water Balloon Toss and Dog-n-Bone.

The participants enjoyed a sumptuous picnic lunch, which consisted of authentic South Indian dishes combined with local menu items, which were tailor made for the picnic. There were a variety of desserts prepared by the members present.

Rose Mascarenhas welcoming the gathering

Peterson Park of Vernon Hills. It was a mild day with lots of sun and a cool breeze, and not to mention the great food and drinks provided by the members of MKCA and their well-wishers.

The Picnic was initiated by a welcome speech from the President of the association, Vissia D'Souza. She thanked all the participants for their presence, and especially the planning com-

Indian masses, cricket.

Children and youth enjoyed volleyball. Others tried to wrestle on mild winds while playing shuttle badminton. Children, youth and old alike enjoyed playing Bean Bag Toss.

Youth at times enjoyed passing time playing short spurts of American football, soccer and frisbee. Children and adults loved to play PiĂąata. When the

Picnic games in progress - Tug of war and Pinata

'A sense of otherness grows in America'

I

t was just another working lunch for an acclaimed Sikh musician at a restaurant in Florida's Davenport until the police appeared.

Vancouver born and Los Angeles-based Neelamjit Dhillon, 35, was busy gearing up for Disney's Animal Kingdom show, 'The Jungle Book Alive' at the White House on July 13.

Then, a 'concerned citizen', finding his equipment (a black colored case) "suspicious", called the police.

This brush with racial profiling left him feeling frustrated. His answer to this is to challenge "those who called the police to learn about other communities and educate themselves about the beautiful differences that make our nation great".

Dhillon told TOI over phone, "I noticed a police officer walking towards me. He offered a handshake and asked my name.

He said he needed to speak to me, much to my surprise.

"He asked if we could have a discreet conversation back at my table. We sat back at the table and he disclosed that a concerned citizen, not anyone from the restau-

rant staff, had called and said there was a suspicious looking man who came in with a container and that he was just following up on that.

I explained that I was a musician and had also composed and arranged music for the show, which he said he had seen with his kids. I took out my case and showed him the flutes. He then apologized and went away."

This was the first time police was called on Dhillon, but not the only instance when he was looked at with suspicion. He admitted that there was always a sense of 'otherness' now due to the ongoing political rhetoric in America.

A member of the Sikh Coalition, he said he had faced remarks like 'Don't blow anything up' and 'That beard is awesome'.

In this instance, once the police officer was convinced of no suspicious act, Dhillon said he felt a sense of 'frustration'. Within no time, a popular social news website highlighted the issue. He said, "I was very fortunate that the police officer could see that I was just like any other patron in the restaurant. The person who called the police acted out of irra-

tional fear. We as a society need to be more trusting and open to starting conversations in an attempt to understand one another."

It is not uncommon to hear of Sikh Americans being racially profiled merely because of their appearance and faith. The musician

said, "As a Sikh, my articles of faith like the turban and beard, represent justice, equality and tolerance for all. These values are also American values...."

The musician, who was born and brought up in Vancouver, Canada, does not see the episode in isolation. He emphasized,

"Performing at the White House only weeks after being racially profiled only further solidifies my belief that there is good in the world...

This experience motivates me to be the best I can be...."

"The Sikh beard and turban has been falsely associated with terrorism since 911. No community in America, whether it's Sikh, Muslim or LGBTQ, should ever be the victim of bigotry. Sikh Americans experience profiling, backlash and hate crimes at a rate that is potentially hundreds of more times higher than the average American, despite the fact that we have been an integral part of the US fabric for 125 years."

A multi-instrumentalist, composer and a professional musician since the age of 15, Dhillon, has performed in the US, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Bangladesh and even Mogadishu Somalia. He even performed in India with legendary musician Louiz Banks at the renowned Saptak classical music festival. He is a student of tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain and has a doctorate in music from the California Institute of the Arts.

-Courtesy Times of India

August 5, 2016

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FOG 2016 will be largest festival to engage global participation 2.

FOG Movie Fest Movie Screenings and World Premieres FOG SUMMIT is proud to have Saturday, August 6th - 13th, Panel Session on different topics. 2016 FOG will be at Boot Up Ventures Camera 12 Cinemas, 201 S Secin Menlo Park talking about FOG ond St, San Jose, CA 95113 YE (Youth Entrepreneurs) on 10th 3.

FOG Summit-Media, Enof August. FOG will be at tertainment, Sustainability Facebook Headquarters with Emerging Trends Track on Emerging Trends in MeAugust 7th - August 12th , dia & Entertainment on 11th of 2016, 11:00 am -11:00 pm August. FOG will have Political Camera 12 Cinemas, Plug & Engagement, Sustainability Play, KPMG, Boot Camp VenEmerging Trends, Future of tures, Facebook Headquarters Healthcare, Future of Food In4.

FOG Fashion Fest/ dustry, Community Leadership, MovieFest awards Investor Pitch and many more Friday, August 12th , 2016, Master Classes by Celebrities.

8:00 pm - 11:00 pm Dr. Romesh Japra, MD, Scottish Rites Center, 2455, Founder & Convener, Festival of Masonic drive, San Jose, CA the Globe said, "The effort of the 5.

FOG Music Fest S a t u r d a y, August 13th , 2016 Red Carpet 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm FOG awards 7:00 pm- 7:30 pm FOG Music Fest - 5:00 pm 11:00 pm 6.

FOG India Day Mela / Fair - FREE Entry S a t u r d a y, August 13th , 2016, 10:00 am 6:00 pm Sunday, August 14th , 2016, 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm 39439 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA A. FOG Health Fair S a t u r d a y, Gulshan Grover at the press conference August 13th, 2016, 10:00am Festival of Globe - Silicon Valley 1:00 pm and FOG Movie Fest 2016 has B. FOG Dance Competition been in recognizing the need for Saturday, August 13th,2016, communities to work together for 10:00am - 5:00pm a larger good. Through film, culC. FOG Food Fest ture, dance, art we plan to be the Saturday, August 13th,2016, largest festival that aims to en- 10:00 am - 6:00 pm gage global participation. This Sunday, August 14th, 2016, 1:00 year the theme is to empower pm - 6:00 pm youth against sex crime. We ask 7.

FOG India Day Parade you all to join us in this history Free Entry making initiative."

Sunday, August 14th 2016, Visit www.FOGsv.org for more 11:00 am - 1:00 pm details.

39439 Paseo Padre Parkway, Festival of Globe (FOG) 2016 Fremont, CA Program: 8.

FOG Idol Contest 1.

Opening Day FOG Registration until October 15, Movie Fest Gala 2016 Saturday, August 6th , 2016, Open to Public 1:00 pm - 11:00 pm www.fogidol.com Camera 12 Cinemas, 201 S Sec9.

Appreciation Dinner ond St, San Jose, CA 95113 @Japra Mahal Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 16

Hospitality Team with Gulshan Grover

Realty Tidbits

US homeownership rate at record low WASHINGTON: The proportion of U.S. households that own homes has matched its lowest level in 51 years - evidence that rising property prices, high rents and stagnant pay have made it hard for many to buy.

Just 62.9 percent of households owned a home in the April-June quarter this year, a decrease from 63.4 percent 12 months ago, the Census Bureau said. The share of homeowners now equals the rate in 1965, when the census began tracking the data.

The trend appears most pronounced among millennial households, ages 18 to 34, many of whom are straining under the weight of rising apartment rents and heavy student debt. Their homeownership rate fell 0.7 percentage point over the past year to 34.1 percent. That decline may reflect, in part, more young adults leaving their parents' homes for rental apartments.

The overall decline appears to be due largely to the increased formation of rental households, said Ralph McLaughlin, chief economist at the real estate site Trulia. McLaughlin cautioned, though, that the decrease in homeownership from a year ago was not statistically significant. -AP

Delhi panel to review 'discrepancies' in circle

NEW DELHI: An empowered committee has been constituted by the Delhi government to review "discrepancies" in the circle rates in certain areas of the national capital.

According to a senior official, the Revenue Department has sought public suggestions on the review of circle rates by August 16.

The department has decided to review circle rates - minimum rates below which a property cannot be registered and forms the basis of stamp duty and registration charges for a property.

The government's move comes after it received several complaints against the existing rates.

The official further said that the committee will look into the grievances as well as the suggestions.

"After receiving suggestions and grievances, the empowered committee will submit the recommendations to the Delhi government," official added.

A section of industrialists had counted anomalies in the property rates as one of the single-biggest problems in the industrial areas as the sale and purchase of properties has come to a standstill. -PTI

Real Estate 26 India Post

www.indiapost.com

August 5, 2016

Haryana govt allows additional FAR CHANDIGARH: Haryana government has said it has approved the Haryana Building Code, 2016, which allows additional Floor Area Ratio (FAR) on payment of charges as approved by it from time to time.

While giving this information here, a spokesman of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) said Haryana Building Code, 2016 will now supersede the building rules in the HUDA (Erection of Buildings) Regulations, 1979 with all other subsequent amendments and instructions issued there under. -PTI

Seven deal-breakers that can sink a home sale STEVE MCLINDEN

In the huge capital outlay that is a home purchase, you can never be too meticulous about the things that matter. Dozens of little potential deal-breakers can wreck even the most well-constructed deal.

So holster that checkbook or cashier's check for a moment and ponder these deal-breakers before you go home-shopping.

Buying near an ocean, lake, river or creek is a fanciful notion.

But check the home's address with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood-map database. By the way, homeowners insurance typically won't cover most flooding; only flood insurance will.

"People are finding with the FEMA updates that a home is suddenly in the flood plain - and that flood-insurance premiums have nearly doubled," said Jim Maibach, a 30-year general certified real estate appraiser with Arlington, Texas-based Peyco Southwest Realty. Moreover, prospective homeowners are discovering that even if a small portion

of a residential property is in a flood plain, lenders require flood insurance, he said.

Flash flooding is a different force majeure: Even if a home is set at high elevation, have your inspector (or even a surveyor) determine how its slope (grade)

properties until a title search by the buyer reveals it, Maibach said.

"The result?" he said. "A dealbreaker.

This lands on nearly everyone's no-deal list, especially if an offender lives next door or across the street from the seller. But know that the

directs water to or from the place.

Then there are drainage easements. Many homeowners don't even realize there's one on their

burden of researching this typically falls on the buyer, because sellers rarely must disclose it.

The U.S. Justice Department

operates the National Sex Offender Public Website, which allows users to search by name or by radius around an address.

Typically, an offender lives within a few blocks of most addresses in highly populated areas, even in well-to-do neighborhoods, where parents may be harboring a troubled adult child. Know the differences between Tier 1 offenders and the more serious Tier 2 and Tier 3 types (some states use threat levels of "low," "medium" and "high" instead). Read the nature of the offense and victim's age(s) before you back out. And verify. Sometimes, listings are outdated or inaccurate.

This is a should-be dealbreaker. Repeat exposure to nearby vehicle emissions or power plants and other too-close sources of fine chemical particles cause lung and cardiovascular disease. Early symptoms are sometimes confused with allergies or other ailments.

Cont’d on page 27

LS passes Bill to check benami transactions NEW DELHI: Seeking to check black money, Lok Sabha has passed a comprehensive Benami Transactions Amendment Bill, with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley assuring that genuine religious trusts will be kept out of the purview of the legislation.

Moving the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Bill 2015 for the consideration and passage, the Minister said the legislation was predominately an anti-black money measure and its purpose is to seize benami property and prosecute those indulging in such activities.

"A lot of people who have unaccounted money buy benami property in the name of fictitious persons ... these transactions have to be discouraged," he said.

On concerns expressed by certain members about religious properties or those owned by deities

will exempt such bonafide entities.

"There is Section 58 under the law which clearly states that chari-

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

or religious institutions, Jaitley said the government under this Bill

table or religious organization properties, the government has

power to exempt those," Jaitley said responding to concerns of some members about the applicability of the amended law on properties in the name of holy books and deities.

"If there is a genuine property which belongs to a church or a mosque or a gurdwara or a temple, section 58 says that the government has the power to exempt it," he said.

The Minister warned that exemption to such entities, cannot be a pretext for tax evasion, adding "if you make any illegal business out of it... if you create a fake religious sect and start keeping benami property, then government won't exempt it, so please don't do that".

Cont’d on page 27

Real Estate Post

August 5, 2016

India Post 27

www.indiapost.com

Couple awarded $18M over govt land grab SEATAC, Wash: A couple who sued the city of SeaTac for scheming against their plan to open a park-and-fly garage near SeattleTacoma International airport have been awarded $18 million from a jury and a judge who harshly criticized city officials.

The Seattle Times reported the city has been ordered to pay the money to Gerry and Kathy Kingen and that the city and its insurers are appealing.

In an order issued earlier this month, King County Superior Court Judge Richard McDermott found that SeaTac city officials misled the couple into believing they would support the couple's business plans, when they were actually trying to block them and acquire the 4-acre (1.6-hectare) property. ``Quite frankly the actions of the city of SeaTac in this case are unexplainable and totally unacceptable,'' McDermott said in issuing

his July 8 order.

McDermott said city-imposed delays the couple faced as they tried to develop the garage and forced them to default on their purchase of the property.

The city then purchased the

Joseph Scorcio declined to comment on the case because the case is under appeal, adding that the judge's declarations are also ``a matter of pending litigation'' that he would not describe.

The Kingens and their com-

City officials also withheld public records from the Kingens, the decision said, and the judge invited the couple's lawyers to file an ethics complaint against an assistant city attorney. property but secretly used a commercial real-estate broker to conceal it was the buyer, the judgment said.

City officials also withheld public records from the Kingens, the decision said, and the judge invited the couple's lawyers to file an ethics complaint against an assistant city attorney.

Acting SeaTac City Manager

pany, K&S Developments, bought the property in 2003 and sued SeaTac in 2012.

The judge concluded officials were worried that the couple's parking garage plans would compete with city plans for a similar business and that former SeaTac Mayor Gene Fisher wanted condominiums built on the Klingens'

Seven deal-breakers that can sink a home sale Cont’d from page 26

And those high-voltage power lines overhead are dicey at best.

Studies show more cancer in adults and children who endure long-term exposure to them. Why risk it?

Depending on buyer tastes, wants and needs, both the absence or inclusion of these below features can create impasses: Pool: • Splash! Great for parties and late-night relaxation.

• No pool, please: I have toddlers and like low water bills.

Big garage: • Perfect for all 3 of our SUVs! • You mean obtrusive garage!

Why should this airplane hangar be the dominant architectural feature?

No carpeting: • Easy to clean up after my pets and kids, good for allergies.

• No carpeting? Nothing to sink my toes in. Seems kind of barren and sterile.

Many neighborhood children: • Feels just like a neighborhood should.

• So many kids! Let's go look at restricted seniors-only housing.

School down the block: • Hey, the kids can walk to school!

• Delinquents loitering near the house every day? No, thanks.

These have become the nouveau deal-breakers. Buyers think they've lined up a fair, market-priced purchase and ... boom!

The lender's appraiser, sometimes a novice, values the place at $40,000 less than the agreed-upon price. The seller's response: "Tough." The buyer then scrambles around looking for other lenders.

• Unpermitted modifications.

• Lack of central air.

• Outdoor laundry rooms.

• Termite infestations.

• Poor or no insulation.

• High-crime stats.

• Ancient plumbing.

• Old septic tanks or old sewer lines.

• Acoustic popcorn ceilings.

• Marketing misrepresentation.

It looks great, feels right, it's got everything I want, you say. But it sure seems, well, loud.

And what's that smell? Visits to the neighborhood at varying hours may unveil some unwelcome realities It looks great, feels right, it's got everything I want, you say. But it sure seems, well, loud. And what's that smell? Visits to the neighborhood at varying hours may unveil some unwelcome realities: drag racers, airport landing pattern, loose or barking dogs, loud parties, 1 a.m. train whistles. Or maybe there's landfill or feedlot in the area or persistent smells from nearby manufacturing or waste-processing plants.

While some deal-breakers are relative calls, buyers are far more prone to walk away if they discover: • Mold.

• Shoddy roof.

• Outdated or inferior wiring.

Other less onerous but potentially irreconcilable issues include excessive grime, clutter, strong pet odors, looming water towers, low neighborhood homeownership rates, long commutes, small/outmoded kitchens (or even kitchens without windows over the sink) and trashy neighbors.

Then there's always poor curb appeal, lack of natural light, illogical floor plan, mediocre or bad school districts, and a low "walkability" factor such as no sidewalks. Older buyers may back out if a home's design is not ageor handicap-friendly.

-Courtesy Bankrate.com

land, believing that would price out Somali immigrants who had moved into ``his neighborhood,'' the judgment said.

Fisher lived three blocks away and was also worried a park-andfly garage nearby would make it difficult for him to sell his property, the judge wrote.

Reached by The Seattle Times at his home in Nevada, Fisher declined to comment in detail but said ``there's a lot of things said

about me that's not true.''

The Kingens - who own Salty's restaurants and founded the Red Robin Gourmet Burgers chain said they feel vindicated. ``We stood up not just for ourselves. We knew all along if Gerry and I didn't stand up, who would?

Who could?'' Kathy Kingen said. ``If somebody like us doesn't do this, the government is allowed to run roughshod over property rights.''-AP

LS passes Bill to check benami transactions Cont’d from page 26

Responding to suggestions of members on why the government has not come out with a new law in place of the 1988 Act, the Minister said such a move would have given "immunity to persons who acquired benami properties during the period from 1988 to 2016".

Responding to demand by some members that benami properties should be vested with state governments, Jaitley said it was a central law and hence the power is with the central government. He, further said states have power to acquire

Ladu Kishore Swain (BJD) said it seems that the Bill has been prepared in hurry and violated the principles of cooperative federalism.

Wondering why the government did not bring a new Act instead of so many amendments to the original Act of 1988, Kalyan Banerjee (TMC) said there is no provision of appeal mentioned in the amendment Bill 2015.

Clause 30 creates appellate tribunal to hear appeals, but there is no provision of right to appeal against adjudicating authority in the Bill, Banerjee said.

Ravindra Babu (TDP) said people who make black money are

CPI (M) leader Sankar Prasad Dutta said there is need to completely ban benami transactions. "Some loopholes are there in the bill and benami transactions should be stopped in the real sense," he said, adding political leaders are also involved in these transactions. properties under state legislations.

With regard to applicability of the provisions of the new law in exempted areas, he said the Governor would have the power to make exemptions.

The Bill was brought by the government in 2015 and it was referred to Standing Committee. A Bill to amend the 1988 Act was introduced by the previous UPA government in 2011 but it had lapsed when the term of the Lok Sabha ended in 2014.

Participating in the debate, S P Muddahanumegowda (Cong) said the law does not provide any protection to the whistle blower in connection with benami property and is also silent on the incentive to be provided to such persons.

anti-nationals and should be hanged. He said the bill is well intended but it should be integrated with other Acts dealing with hawala and drugs.

"All these should be integrated to deal with black money.

Make one comprehensive law," he suggested.

CPI (M) leader Sankar Prasad Dutta said there is need to completely ban benami transactions.

"Some loopholes are there in the bill and benami transactions should be stopped in the real sense," he said, adding political leaders are also involved in these transactions.

"So if political leaders are kept away from benami transactions and if it is not used in creating political funds, then only benami transactions can be stopped," he said.-PTI

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Jag Ghoomeya: Sultan 2 Sab Tera: Baaghi 3 Baby Ko Bass Pasand Hai: Sultan 28 India Post

www.indiapost.com

August 5, 2016

4 Ud-Daa Punjab: Udta Punjab 5 Salamat: Sarbjit 6 Chitta Ve : Udta Punjab 7 Bol Do Na Zara: Azhar 8 Kar Gayi Chull : Kapoor & Sons 9 Cham Cham : Baaghi 10 Ikk Kudi : Udta Punjab

R

anbir Kapoor, who has been signed on to play Sanjay Dutt's char acter in the latter's biopic, might also recreate the life of his grand father, the legendary Raj Kapoor, on the silver screen.

Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor have been keen on making a biopic on Raj Kapoor's life and have decided to cast the 'Tamasha' actor in the role of their illustrious father, according to a report in Deccan Chronicle.

"It is the Kapoor khandaan's most cherished dream project. They've wanted to make a biopic on Raj saab for the longest time. Until Ranbir became an actor they couldn't think of anyone who could fit the bill. Now the project is finally gaining shape," the report quoted a source very close to the Kapoor family as saying.

Ranbir has always been fascinated with Raj Kapoor and has seen all his work and so the Kapoor brothers feel that he is the best person for the role.

A

fter delivering a spectacular performance in her previous film, Alia Bhatt is currently busy prepping for her next film, directed by Gauri Shinde. The actress will be playing a filmmaker in the movie, who's on the lookout for a subject for her short film.

Alia, who's never shied away from getting intimate on screen, will be romancing not one, but four actors in her upcoming film, reports Mumbai Mirror. Aditya Roy Kapur, Kunal Kapoor, Ali Zafar and Angad Bedi will be playing Aalia's love interest in the movie.

A source told Mumbai Mirror, "In her quest for muses she ends up dating different men whose perspectives on life eventually reflect in the film. Aditya plays a furniture dealer and Ali a musician who is as passionate about music as he is about love. Kunal is a film producer and Angad a restaurateur and her first boyfriend who owns a suburban celebrity resto-bar, which is a popular hangout for the Bollywood types".

H

rithik Roshan, whom we heard singing in one of his earlier films Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, wants to resume learning music at some point in the future. The actor has had a connection with music ever since childhood.

Hrithik's paternal grandfather, Roshan was a legendary music director and has given some iconic songs to the industry.

His uncle Rajesh Roshan too is an award winning music composer. Currently, Hrithik Roshan is working twice as hard for the shoot of one of his upcoming films, Rakesh Roshan's Kaabil and also simultaneously promoting his upcoming release with Ashutosh Gowariker, Mohenjo Daro.

But the actor would love to take some time out post finishing the shoot for the film so that he can start training for music too.

"Music is in my blood and I would love to resume my music lessons after completing the shoot for Kaabil, " he said.

August 5, 2016

Bollywood

India Post 29

www.indiapost.com

R

anbir Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are all set to appear in Karan Johar's next titled 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.' Buzz is that Kapoor junior and Ash will be getting intimate for the movie, but the latter had expressed discomfort over the same. However, a source informed that Ash has finally overcome her apprehensions, but won't be getting intimate with Ranbir. Instead, there will be a passionate scene between the two.

"The scene has been shot in a very aesthetic manner. It has Ash and Ranbir eating chocolate off each other. Initially, the script of ADHM demanded a kiss and a passionate scene between the leading man Ranbir and Aishwarya but she expressed discomfort about filming the scene, so KJo agreed to shoot the scene in such a way that it would not involve an actual liplock. The intimate scene between Ash and RK too will not have any skin-show by the actress," the source said.

ADHM is a love triangle between Aishwarya, Ranbir and Anushka Sharma.

S

P

akistani actress Mahira Khan, who is gearing up for her Bollywood debut with superstar Shah Rukh Khan in "Raees", said working with the Indian superstar has been a dream come true. She also said she is nervous about the movie's release.

"It's my dream come true to work with Shah Rukh Khan and also I am very excited about 'Raees'. But more than this, I am nervous too," Mahira said on the sidelines of Vogue Beauty Awards.

"It feels like I am under pressure to show my acting skills," she added.

When asked about a memorable moment with SRK, the "Humsafar" actress said: "The first scene, I thought I would be doing it smoothly, but as he (Shah Rukh) came in front of me, I forgot my lines. I will always remember that incident." However, Mahira hopes she has done a good job.

"It's my dream come true to work with Shah Rukh Khan and also I am very excited about 'Raees'. But more than this, I am nervous too"

onakshi Sinha believes in speaking her mind. From shutting up trolls to clarifying false reports on social media the actor does not mince words.

Lately, she says the media has not only become intrusive, but also irresponsible at times. "Just because we are public figures does not mean that the media has the right to write whatever they feel like.

We are also human beings. We, too, have people at home, and we are answerable to them," she says.

The younger generation, she says, is friendly and supportive of each other. "Everyone is trying their hand at different kinds of roles.

They are not scared to experiment.

Plus, the volume of work has increased. There are different story ideas. There are short films, web series and music videos. With women-centric movies being received so well by the audience, another avenue has opened up. So, there's no rat race."

30

India Post

SATYAGRAH SOULS Indian Americans Making A Difference

August 5, 2016

www.indiapost.com

S

ATYAGRAH SOULS is a monthly political series presented by Silicon Valley's community leader, Saratoga Councilmember Rishi Kumar, in highlighting the community involvement and success of Indian Americans in the United States. This series seeks to inspire us in giving back to our local community. We Indian Americans are going through a transitional evolution, as we get entrenched in a new world, embracing new culture, exerting zealous work ethics, supporting the American economy as entrepreneurs, high tech geeks, doctors, lawyers and more.

We are definitely imposing the positive in-

tentions and good citizen values upon this fantastic country and making a huge impact.

But can our involvement run a bit deeper with issues near and dear to our hearts, perhaps within our local city, or with the local public school that our children attend?

Do we sometimes hear our conscience imploring, "Am I doing enough?" Yes we can get involved just a bit more, push our comfort zone and enhance the learning and impact our involvement.

Our involvement can simply start with developing a healthy curiosity in our local community, instead of being 'busy' bystand-

ers. Once we get involved, we will quickly discover, how easy it is for us to make progressive change happen and how receptive everyone around is, to leverage our skills for it.

There are leaders waiting to be discovered, why not "me", by taking that first step?

The give-back experience can be freeing, energizing - personally rewarding and transformative at the same time. There are many who have made their mark in doing just that. With this monthly series, we want to highlight these SatyAgrah souls who are showing us the path. Here is a SatyaGrah soul, who has found the callingâ&#x20AC;Ś

A MONTHLY POLITICAL SERIES - BY RISHI KUMAR

The first Indian American Let us focus Mayor of any city in US on what V improves lives

V

ini, we are so proud of you. You are the first Indian American Mayor of any city in the United States. How special is that? How does it feel to be a trailblazer?

You'd expect the first Indian-American woman to get elected mayor in a big city like San Francisco or a university town. So maybe to outsiders it's a big surprise that this happened in a little logging town with one stoplight, with a fraction of minority population and gun racks on the back of trucks. But it's not a surprise to me.

Montesano is a place which invites you in and brings you into a family. When we moved here in 1997, it did not take long for us to become part of its fabric. That's Montesano.

I am the first woman elected as mayor in our town - but I don't feel like a trailblazer. I was the right person for the job at this time and it's my honor and privilege to serve my town.

You won by a landslide in your elections what were some of the key ingredients of this winning campaign?

I would point to one crucial ingredient: it's always about the citizens. Not the candidate. What can you do to make this a better place to live, work and raise a family? I focused the campaign on exactly that.

That's not normal for a campaign. Usually, candidates focus on talking about themselves and their opponents, about how they have character, integrity and leadership while their opponent has none of those things. If they talk about issues, it's usually pretty shallow. I wanted to avoid all of that and focus on real, tangible things that would improve the lives of my citizens.

People responded to those positive

ideas. Because it's not about winning elections. It's about getting things done for your citizens. If you are sincere and focus on the citizens' and town's needs there is no better foundation for winning. We did not waver from that message and stayed positive despite a brutal race.

From Kerala to Alaska to Washington you have been on the move. What were your political learnings along the way. Did you have an Aha moment, realization that political engagement is your calling?

My father and mother were both teachers back in Kerala. My mother comes from a family of missionaries and my father from a family of educators. They taught me that wherever I was planted I needed to contribute to my community. So when I was in Alaska, in college and law school I worked countless hours as a volunteer in those communities. Though it was transitory, I still existed there and where I could, I helped.

Politics was a natural fit for me - I believe in the American system and I believe that "you need to be the change you want to see" as

ini Samuel is a trial attorney who owns her own practice. She was born in Kollam, India and moved with her parents to Juneau, Alaska when she was 6 years old. She cratic National Conis the first female vention. She served mayor of Montesano eight years on the and first IndianMontesano City American female Council, was a former mayor in America, columnist for the Abelected last Novemerdeen Daily World ber with 67 percent and recently comof the vote and with pleted her term on one of the highest Western Washington voter turnouts in University's Alumni Washington State. In Association Board of 2000, the WashingDirectors. She also ton State Democratic served as an elder Mayor Vini Samuel Party named her a board member and Rising Star. The Sunday school former chair of the Grays Harbor Demo- teacher at the Montesano Church of crats, Samuel was a national delegate God. Samuel and her husband have for Barack Obama at the 2008 Demo- one son.

Gandhi said. My 'aha' moment occurred when I was 16 and a political group asked me to speak at an event. I realized people would listen to what I would say and what I said could help make a change in those things which challenge us.

As a community, what else can we do to get more Indian Americans elected to of-

fice?

Get involved - in your community, your city, your county. Help other people run elections for school levies or local office.

It's the best way to get to know other likeminded people, to make a difference in your neighborhood and to build relationships if you ever do decide to run.

All politics are local and relationships are the heart of local politics.

Are there Indian American issues in your city or locally that you are engaged with?

There isn't a large minority population in our city-but more and more Asians, Hispanics and other minorities are moving to our city, our county and to Washington state.

Part of that is because Grays Harbor and our entire state is truly connected to the rest of the world by a long history of international trade and immigration. But part of it is that this is a great place to live, a place that embraces new ideas and people.

Mayor Samuel, swearing in her new council members, January 2016

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 31

SATYAGRAH SOULS Indian Americans Making A Difference

August 5, 2016

India Post

31

www.indiapost.com Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 30

It still has that Wild West spirit of exploration and discovery.

There are always proposals that come to city councils like ours that would take us backward. New waves of immigrants typically generate a new backlash. That melts away with the second and third generation, but it happens. We have to work together to resist politicians and policies that would divide us. This nation has prospered by being the land of liberty that welcomes all people. I'm dedicated to protecting that tradition and making sure that people of all races, creeds, colors and religion can come here and contribute to the American Dream.

Let's focus on what improves lives community will be the bridge of communication this country is desperate for right now.

What advise do you have for the young Indian American girl who is inspired by your leadership?

How should she get going?

Is political empowerment We are a community of important for the future of planners and we follow our Indian American comsteps but get involved munity in this country? whenever and wherever Of course. You have to you can. It's not about getget informed, get involved, ting your bachelors, then a vote-and yes, run for office. master's degree or law deWe may come from India but gree, before implementing a now we are Americans. plan you've been working What we bring to this New on for years and finally putWorld is a perspective ting it into action. unique to the Indian commuPolitics doesn't work like nity. Our focus is on family, that. You have to learn by on education and our chilIn sari doing it; and you can't predren. We know how to codict when an office might exist in a multi religious state. We have an obligation to our adopted open up. When you're in high school and country -and our adopted family of fellow college, volunteer on campaigns for candiAmericans to make this place better than dates you respect and learn from the bot-

Mayor elect in Festival of Lights Parade, Dec. 2015

tom up. Do internships with your lawmakers. It won't be glamorous at first. You'll wave signs, knock on doors and write letters. But its' the best way to form relationships; those relationships are how people get jobs in politics or wind up running for office. This time teaches you and hones you both with the Mayor elect at Kerala Association 25th Anniversary Jubilee, Nov 2015 successes and in the losses ence, so why bother. That sort of apathy is that you experience. poisonous to our democracy. So we must have political involvement to solve the large Vini thank you! We wish you success with problems facing our country. Perhaps our all future endeavors. we found it.

It's easy for people to feel like they don't have a voice, that they can't make a differ-

Mayor Samuel at Community Center event, 2016

Dear Readers, Do you have a story to share? We invite you to introduce us to folks in your community who are making a difference - we would love to profile them. Are there similar stories you are familiar with locally. The ones who helped address a simple issue in the community to make life a bit better. Perhaps someone you know decided to make a run for school board, was appointed to the planning commission.

Provide us your insights on Indian

and engagement a key focus for his political leadership. As Saratoga's community organizer, Rishi is host of many community events in Saratoga, many of which are free and always inclusive usually addressing a need or a cause. Rishi's day job is as a Silicon Valley hi-tech executive but his zeal for community service effervescent. Rishi is also the President of the Bay Area Indian American Democratic Club (www.baiadc.org) whose charter is to further the interests and values of Indian

Mayor Samuel with Girl Scouts who helped with swearing in ceremony, 2016

Americans locally and nationally who are making things happen. These perspectives will help construct roadmaps for our community to empower ourselves, to hopefully ignite a desire in all of us to represent our local communities as doers, leaders, establish and entrench ourselves in this glorious country of America and help make it a better place ABOUT RISHI: Rishi is an elected city councilmember in Saratoga, CA and politically active in the state of California, he continues to follow his passion for community service, seeking to provide services to his citizens cheaper, faster and better, making a difference.

Rishi has community outreach

Americans, work towards political empowerment and advance ethical standards in the political system. You can reach him via his website www.RishiKumar.com.

Mayor Samuel, presenting Proclamation to VFW for Poppy Days, 2016

Â&#x201E; Health

Line

Using glamour to curb drug addiction NEW DELHI: Using glamour to deglamourize drug addiction among people, especially schoolchildren, two NGOs have roped in noted celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Sunil Gavaskar as part of a campaign to spread the message of "getting high on life and not drugs".

The campaign launched in Mumbai has travelled to Delhi and apart from Bachchan and Gavaskar, enjoys support from famous actors including Jeetendra, John Abraham and Poonam Dhillon.

"Drugs have been glamorized in films and rock concerts and media indirectly has also promoted its use. And therefore we thought of using glamour to deglamourize drug addiction," said Yusuf Merchant, President of Mumbai-based Drug Abuse Information Research and Rehabilitation Centre.

At a press conference here, a nearly 10-minute video carrying messages from the various celebrities endorsing the campaign was also played. -PTI

Â&#x201E; Campaign to increase organ donation rate NEW DELHI: A new campaign titled "More To Give" was launched here with the aim to double organ donation rate from 0.5 per million of the population by 2020.

The nationwide campaign, launched on the occasion of Kargil Diwas with Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan as its ambassador, is aimed at sensitizing people as well as encouraging them to pledge their organs in an effort to positively impact the well-being of the nation.

"Five years ago, the rate of donation was 0.05 per million, which increased to 0.5 per million.

This was done without much efforts from the government, but we now have the system with us, so we are expecting the rate to increase," said CEO Fortis Healthcare Bhavdeep Singh.

At the launch, experts discussed the reasons for people shying away from this including various social and religious ones.

"One of the major problems people have with organ donation is the acceptance of the brain dead concept for the family. There is not much awareness among the society as well as the doctors," said Aarti Vij, Chief of Organ Retrieval and Banking Organization at AIIMS. -PTI

Health Science

India has largest number of stunted children

32 India Post

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August 5, 2016

Details on Page 35

'Swachh Bharat' a lost opportunity, reduced to toilet counting AURANGABAD: Terming 'Swachh Bharat Mission' a "lost opportunity", water and sanitation expert Gaurisankar Ghosh has said it has been reduced to "a toilet counting program" and has failed to become a people's movement.

Ghosh, the first mission director of National drinking water mission, suggested that to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) successful, linkage with major government programs like Ganga Action Plan is important along with participation of people.

The Prime Minister's effort is "sincere" but SBM has remained "just a government scheme", he said addressing a FEJI and UNICEF organized WASH media workshop here "SBM gives an impression that it is about total sanitation. But it is a toilet counting program in a new birth.

"Lots of people say sanitation was discovered in India two years ago but that is not true. The country's sanitation program was developed in 1986 by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and taking funds from different gov-

ernment programs, a spree of building toilets was started," he said.

Ghosh, a retired IAS officer, was responsible for the global

Gaurisankar Ghosh

UNICEF operations during the period the first UNICEF water policy and strategy was prepared and even coining of the term WASH water, sanitation and hygiene.

"It is very sadly an opportu-

95 pc Indians have gum diseases JAMMU: More than 95 per cent Indians suffer from gum diseases and over 50 per cent in the country do not use a toothbrush, Indian Dental Association said here.

"Oral health ailments are rampant among the masses as 95 per cent of adults suffer from gum diseases, 50 per cent of Indian citizens do not use a toothbrush and more alarmingly, 70 per cent of children under the age of 15 have dental caries," President of the Indian Dental Association (IDA) Dr Gautam Sharma said here, citing a survey conducted by the IDA. There is a tremendous rise in

nity lost. I was very excited when the SBM was launched because the Prime Minister came out publicly and was sincerely committed to do something," Ghosh said.

the cases of "Nursing Bottle Caries" among children which spoil the upper front four milk teeth, he said.

The most common cause of these caries in early childhood is incessant and prolonged exposure of the baby's teeth to nursing bottles containing juices, Sharma said.

"The mothers are advised to wipe the gums and teeth of babies with soft and clean cloth after every feed and regularly visit the dentist," he said, adding that dental infections can be fatal and a known cause of various systemic diseases including cardiac problems. -PTI

Ghosh, who was Secretary, Drinking Water Supply, Gujarat and Chairman, Gujarat Water Supply & Sewerage Board, said SBM on its own will not be successful.

"There is no linkage between any of the programs like SBM and

Ganga action plan. No link between hygiene and school education program, impact evaluation is missing and it failed to become a people's movement and remained a government program," said Ghosh, who was also the chairperson of UN Water, New York.

UNICEF Chief Field Officer Rajeshwari Chandrasekar said the workshop supports the flagship programs of the government and works for health, nutrition and hygiene among newborns up to the age of 18 years in three phases.

On the occasion, Yusuf Kabir, WASH specialist, UNICEF, said community is major focus of the Swachh Bharat Mission and at present in Maharashtra, sanitation coverage of individual household latrine is 64 per cent on July 15.

The target is to make the state open defecation free by October 2, 2019, he added.

The Prime Minister HAD launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on 2nd October, 2014 to accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage.PTI

6 lakh die of cancer in India every year NEW DELHI: With over six lakh people succumbing to cancer every year and more than ten lakh new cases are reported in the country, the government has said air pollution and unhealthy lifestyles are among the major risk factors for the disease.

It said that around seven per cent of all deaths in the country are due to various types of cancers.

"As reported by World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1 million new cases are reported in India while about 6.8 lakh people die due to cancer in India," Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

She said that as per WHONCD Country Profile 2014,

"About seven per cent of all deaths are due to various cancers".

She said that as according to WHO regional office in South East Asia, the region has 14 of the world's top 20 polluted cities.

"However cancer is a multi factorial disease, the risk factors of which include ageing population, unhealthy lifestyles, use of tobacco and tobacco products, unhealthy diet and air pollution," she said.

She said that the government has constituted a steering committee on air pollution and health.

Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change has also approved a new mission on health under National Action PLan on Climate Change, she said. -PTI

Health Science Post

August 5, 2016

India Post 33

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To reverse damage of sitting, take a brisk walk LONDON: If you spend all day sitting on your rear end, then you might want to schedule some time for a brisk walk - just make sure you can spare at least an hour.

Scientists analyzing data from more than 1 million people found that it takes about 60 to 75 minutes of ``moderate intensity'' exercise to undo the damage of sitting for at least eight hours a day. Not exercising and sitting all day is as dangerous as being obese or smoking, they found.

And the added risk of parking yourself in front of a television for 5 hours or more a day after sitting at the office is so high even the hour of exercise is not enough to reverse the damage. ``We cannot stress enough the importance of getting exercise, whether it's getting out for a walk at lunchtime, going for a run in the morning or cycling to work,'' said Ulf Ekelund of the Norwegian School of

Sports Sciences in Norway, one of the study authors, in a statement.

It has been long suspected that sitting a lot, at work or at home, is not healthy. Previous studies have found that prolonged sitting can raise the chances of heart disease, various cancers and an earlier death.

In the new research, experts combed through 13 papers with data on factors including how long people spend sitting, their physical activity levels and their television-watching habits. The majority of studies included people older than age 45.

All except one were done in the U.S., Western Europe and Australia.

Researchers found that people with the highest levels of moderate physical activity - 60 to 75 minutes daily - erased the higher risk of death linked to being seated for more than eight hours a day. But even that exercise regime was not enough to

Takra: an Ayurvedic digestive solution

T

ALEX KRASNE

akra, also called Ayurvedic buttermilk, helps increase your digestive power.

It's not the fermented buttermilk you buy in the store; the properties of regular

yogurt make it heavy/hard to digest.

As with most fermented foods, yogurt also increases water retention in the body and can cause a variety of skin conditions, from acne to rashes.

But when you make Takra, you lighten the properties of yogurt (by whisking), so that it becomes lighter and more digestible.

Takra helps in cases of: • Diarrhea • Irritable bowel syndrome • Hemorrhoids • Crohn's disease • Slow digestion • constipation Other added bonuses of Takra: • helps you absorb nutrients • removes excess moisture and heaviness from the body • it tastes yummy It's nutritious, as well - you're getting all of the good cultures

from yogurt, but not the heaviness and stagnation that can go with it.

Drink it before meals for a digestive pickme-up, or as a snack.

Takra recipe: 1. Whisk 1/4 cup whole milk yogurt vigorously 2. Add 3/4 cup water, preferably water that was previously boiled and cooled to room temperature, and whisk again (or use a hand mixer for extra fluffy Takra) 3. Sprinkle in a dash of Himalayan pink salt 4. Add a dash of dry ginger or cumin (if it's warm outsideor you're suffering from heatrelated conditions, like rashes, acne, or acidity-opt instead for a sprinkle of rose water or coriander and some sugar to add cooling properties) 5. Once you've added spices, whisk the water and yogurt mixture again until it's light and fluffy (the consistency will be like a very fluffy glass of low-fat milk) Alex Krasne is Vedika Global Ayurveda graduate

counter the hazards of also watching more than five hours of television a day.

The paper was published online in the journal Lancet.-AP Lars Bo Andersen, who co-authored an accompanying commentary, called the new research ``very convincing,'' explaining that too much sitting increases the risk of prob-

Andersen, of Sogn and Fjordane University College in Norway.

Andersen said that some cultures make it easier than others to squeeze in an hour of exercise every day, noting that in Denmark and much of Scandinavia, about half of all people either cycle or walk to work.

But he said that getting the recommended

lems including diabetes and heart disease because it can make insulin levels spike and might slow the body's metabolism.

Andersen said that watching lots of television was probably even worse than sitting at the office all day because it likely includes other unhealthy habits. ``A lot of people don't just watch TV, they eat fatty snacks at the same time,'' said

amount of physical activity shouldn't be overly arduous and doesn't necessarily mean going to the gym for an intense workout. ``If you are walking and can feel yourself getting a little warm and your breathing is a little heavier, that's enough,'' he said. ``You don't have to be sweaty and out of breath to get the benefits.''-AP

34 India Post

Health Science Post

August 5, 2016

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Hepatitis kills over 3 lakh in SE Asia every year NEW DELHI: WHO has said viral hepatitis kills more than three lakh people every year in South East Asian region, including India, even as it asserted that it will release the first hepatitis testing guidelines this year to scale up the testing and treatment of the disease.

Noting that the disease continues to be an acute public health challenge worldwide, the global health body said viral hepatitis kills approximately 3,50,000 people every year in South East Asian region.

"It is responsible for more deaths than HIV and malaria together, and is second only to tuberculosis as a major cause of death among communicable diseases.

"Globally, and in the region the number of deaths due to viral hepatitis are increasing. There is a need for immediate and urgent action to arrest the spread of hepa-

titis," Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, said.

In the South-East Asia region, viral hepatitis is driving rates of liver cancer and cirrhosis and is causing premature death and disease with over 100 million people chronically infected with hepatitis B and hepatitis C. These numbers are unacceptable as there is an effective vaccine and treatment for hepatitis B, and over 90 per cent of people with hepatitis C can be cured with treatment, she said on the eve of World Hepatitis Day. "Increasing access to hepatitis testing is key to scaling up hepatitis treatment and care.

WHO is releasing its first hepatitis testing guidelines this year which provides guidance on who should be tested, and recommends simple testing strategies to help scale up hepatitis testing, treatment and care," she said.

Noting that one of the main challenges to addressing hepatitis is that 95 per cent of people with chronic hepatitis do not know they are infected and less than 1 per cent have access to treatment.

To address these issues,

"Adequate use of the existing powerful tools and new guidelines can help prevent and treat hepatitis. National strategies and action plans should optimally utilize these tools and step up efforts at all levels to address the growing threat of hepatitis," Singh said. people and countries need to be better equipped and enabled to "know hepatitis" and "act now" the theme of this year's World Hepatitis Day, she said.

"One of the main reasons for complication due to Hepatitis B is

Govt nod to new AIIMS at Bhatinda NEW DELHI: The government has given its nod to the setting up of a new AIIMS at Bhatinda in Punjab, saying this will provide super specialty healthcare to the people and create a large pool of doctors.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its approval to the AIIMS which will be established under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) and have a capacity of 750 beds.

This will include emergency and trauma beds, AYUSH beds, private beds and ICU specialty and super specialty beds.

In addition, there will also be an administration block, AYUSH block, auditorium, night shelter, hostels and residential facilities.

"The new AIIMS at Bhatinda will provide super specialty healthcare to the population while creating a large pool of doctors and other health workers in this region that can be available for primary and secondary level institutions being created under National Health Mission (NHM).

"The institute will also conduct research on prevalent regional diseases and other health issues and provide for better control and cure of such diseases," an official statement said.

The cost of the project will be Rs 925 crore. However, the above

cost estimate does not include recurring costs (wages and salaries and operation and maintenance expenses).

The recurring expenditure will be met by the respective new AIIMS from their annual budgets through grant-in-aid to them from Plan budget head of PMSSY of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The project will be completed in a period of 48 months from the

ment said.

Under PMSSY, AIIMS have been established in Bhubaneshwar, Jodhpur, Raipur, Rishikesh, Bhopal and Patna while work of AIIMS Rae Bareli is in progress.

Also, three AIIMS in Nagpur (Maharashtra), Kalyani (West Bengal) and Mangalagiri in Guntur (A.P) have been sanctioned in 2015.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet de-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

date of the approval. It comprises a pre-construction phase of 15 months, a construction phase of 30 months and stabilization and commissioning phase of three months.

"The population in Punjab and adjoining regions will be benefited by this AIIMS," the state-

mother-to-child transmission, which can be prevented by administering the Hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth, followed by two to three doses in the first six months of life," Singh said.

She said safe injections, blood transfusions and other healthcare

ferred its decision on the amendments to the Mental Health Bill which, sources said, was on the agenda.

Modi had recently laid the foundation of a new AIIMS in Gorakhpur after the Union Cabinet gave its nod for the establishment of the institution there. -PTI

procedures can further prevent the spread of hepatitis B and C, while promoting hygienic and clean food and water can reduce the risk of hepatitis A and E infection.

"Adequate use of the existing powerful tools and new guidelines

can help prevent and treat hepatitis. National strategies and action plans should optimally utilize these tools and step up efforts at all levels to address the growing threat of hepatitis," Singh said.

At the World Health Assembly this year, WHO adopted the Global Health Sector Strategy for Hepatitis that calls for eliminating the disease by 2030.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3.3 includes specific mention of the need to strengthen efforts to combat hepatitis.

"The World Hepatitis Day is an opportunity to review and reiterate our commitment and resolve to eliminate hepatitis and save lives," she said.

WHO's South-East Asia region comprises of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.PTI

Pharma marketing code may be made compulsory NEW DELHI: The government is considering making the voluntary uniform code for Pharma Marketing Practices compulsory and would open 3,000 Jan Aushadhi outlets across the country, the Rajya Sabha has been informed.

During a debate on high drug prices, the government also said that savings to consumers on account of revision and price fixing of essential drugs amounted to Rs 4,988 crore in the last two years.

Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Aggarwal, who moved the call attention motion on high prices of essential medicines due to the absence of pharmaceutical pricing policy in the country, sought jail term for those who exploited the poor in the name of healthcare.

He gave examples of various hospitals including a "big one" in Gurgaon and Apollo where prices of medicines were very high and alleged that "even corpses are not released to the family till the full payment is made."

Aggarwal asked the government to come out with a strong policy so that cheap generic medicines can be promoted in place of very expensive branded items.

He alleged a "nexus" between the pharma companies, hospitals,

medical representatives and chemists and said "this has to be broken."

In his reply, Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar admitted that the voluntarily Uniform Code for Pharma Marketing Practices introduced last year to stop unethical practices was not working well.

"We are contemplating of making it compulsory," Kumar said.

Talking about prices of drugs,

Ananth Kumar

he said the government was working on opening 3,000 Jan Aushadhi outlets in the country which will give out generic medicines at a fraction of the market price.

He said availability of good quality medicines at reasonable prices was a high priority area for the central government and hence it has brought out a revised National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM 2015) and including more medicines in it. -PTI

August 5, 2016

Health Science Post

India Post 35

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India has largest number of stunted children KOCHI: India has the largest number of stunted children in the world at 48 million, owing to 'severe' sanitation crisis due to lack of clean toilets and water, says a report.

The report titled 'Caught Short - How lack of toilets and clean water contribute to malnutrition' was released by WaterAid, an international development charity.

It said 48 million children in India, or two in every five children under the age of five, suffer from stunted growth, affecting their physical as well as cognitive and emotional development.

While Nigeria and Pakistan rank second and third with 10.3 and 9.8 million stunted children, the South East Asian nation of Timor-Leste, one of the world's newest countries, tops the list with the highest percentage of children who are stunted in proportion to their population at 58 per cent, it said.

Stunting is a lifelong consequence of malnutrition in the first two years of a child's life and is largely irreversible after that age.

The report stated that alongside the higher number of people without access to adequate toilets, India also has the highest concentration in the world of people practicing open defecation.

Research shows that high rates of open defecation have a strong correlation with increased rates of stunting, as faeces in the environment contaminate hands and surroundings, and spreads diseases and infection.

Nearly 50 per cent of malnutrition cases are linked to infections, especially chronic diarrhea, caused by lack of safe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), including hand washing with soap, it said.

The report said 1,40,000 children under five years in India die each year of diarrheal diseases owing to lack of basic facili-

ties.

Globally, around 650 million people still do not have access to clean water and more than 2.3 billion to basic sanitation, it said.

"Water, sanitation and hygiene are important determinants of nutrition. With

open defecation rampant in India, frequent diarrhea hinders the ability of children to absorb nutrients," Arundati Muralidharan, WaterAid India's Policy Manager, said.

"India has made significant efforts to improve the nutritional status of children and women, but the beneficial impact of these efforts are threatened by poor WASH. "For our children to be healthy and wellnourished, we need both nutrition specific interventions that get essential nutrients to children, as well as nutrition sensitive interventions on WASH," she added.

Stunting is a consequence of malnutrition in the first 1,000 days from conception until age two. It is largely irreversible after the age of two, making those first 1,000 days critical to a child s development.

Space Deptt rapped on healthcare failure NEW DELHI: The CAG has rapped the Department of Space for not ensuring effective utilization of satellite communication for providing health services, as it pointed out that only 60 per cent of the 389 telemedicine network centers in the country are operational.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) also lashed out at the DoS for selection of beneficiary hospital.

"The Department of Space (DoS) could not ensure effective utilization of satellite communication for providing health services to patients in rural and remote areas even after incurring expenditure of Rs 30.18 crore," the government auditor said in its report tabled before the Lok Sabha.

"Out of the 389 networks establishes, only 150 were operational. In addition, selection of beneficiary hospitals was irregular, satellite capacity for remote and interior areas of the country was inadequate," it said.

The report further stated that Ka band ground terminals amounting to Rs 14.12 crore could not be utilized.

CAG has also pointed out that the DoS did not prepare a definite time based action plan for phasing out a material found to cause failure in propellant tank of launch vehicles.

"This resulted in wasteful expenditure of Rs 3.49 crore towards the cost of one propellant tank and 65 tonnes of the material kept in the stock that ultimately had to be quarantined," the report said.

It was also pointed out that the department waived liquidation damages for delay in supply and commissioning of a system on-board a satellite having limited operational life and thereby "extended undue benefit" to the contractor to the extent of Rs 1.16 crore. Besides the delay in supply, the report stated, resulted in proportionately lesser use of its operational life. -PTI

The report said that some 140,000 children under five in India die each year of diarrheal diseases related to the lack of these basic services.

Around 50 per cent of malnutrition cases are linked to infections, including chronic diarrhea, caused by lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) including hand washing with soap, the report said.

It said that in the developing world, a lack of clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is a major contributor to malnutrition and one impact of this is stunting, where severe and prolonged under-nutrition makes children shorter than normal for their age and affects their emotional, social and cognitive development.

"India has made progress on reducing child stunting, from 48 per cent of all children in 2006 to 39 per cent in 2014. However, alongside the high numbers of people without access to adequate toilets, India also has the highest concentration in the world of people prac-

ticing open defecation.

"Research shows that high rates of open defecation have a strong correlation with increased rates of stunting as faeces in the environment contaminate hands and surroundings, and spread disease and infection," the report said.

WaterAid India's Policy Manager Arundati Muralidharan, said that water, sanitation and hygiene are important determinants of nutrition.

"With open defecation rampant in India, frequent diarrhea hinders the ability of children to absorb nutrients.

India has made significant efforts to improve the nutritional status of children and women, but the beneficial impact of these efforts are threatened by poor WASH. "For our children to be healthy and wellnourished, we need both nutrition specific interventions that get essential nutrients to children, as well as nutrition sensitive interventions on WASH," she said.

Last September world leaders made commitments in the UN Global Goals to end hunger and malnutrition and to reach everyone everywhere with clean water and sanitation, all by 2030. WaterAid also urged governments to make ambitious investments in water, sanitation and hygiene for all. -PTI

Tech News Give respect to CBDT, say IRS officers NEW DELHI: A delegation of revenue officers has asked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to ensure that Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) gets it "due importance and respect" even as it advised its Mumbai unit to suspend the ongoing agitation over alleged interference by Central Revenue Department in "operational matters".

The delegation discussed various issues with the Finance Minister and conveyed the deep sense of "deprivation and injustice" amongst IRS officers leading to severe discontent and demoralization, the association said in a press release.

The association highlighted the operational difficulties of the IRS officers including role and authority of CBDT, it said.

"The FM may kindly ensure that the CBDT, whose powers and functions emanate from Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963 and Income Tax Act, 1961, be allowed to administer Direct Tax policies of the Government, strictly as per the said Acts," the release said.

Senior IRS officer and General Secretary of the association Jayant Mishra, who had led the delegation, said the CBDT is a statutory body like Railway Board and it should be given its importance.

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 39

'Aadhar not needed for Assam, Meghalaya' KOLKATA: Residents of Assam and Meghalaya would not be required to submit Aadhar card for getting benefits under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said here.

"For Assam and Meghalaya, Aadhar cards will not be required for getting enrolled in the PMUY," the Petroleum and Natural Gas minister said at a meeting of DNOs (district nodal officers) of the eastern states here.

He said 82 per cent of the LPG connections have been linked with Aadhar card.

"We are making efforts to bring the remaining 18 per cent in its fold," Pradhan said at the meet also attended by IOC Chairman B Ashok and Joint Secretary (marketing) Oil ministry Ashutosh Jindal among others.

Pradhan claimed that since the launch of the PMUY project, 23 lakh BPL households have got "free connections" in the states where it had been rolled out since May 1. -PTI

TechBiz 36 India Post

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August 5, 2016

Bezos world's third-richest, surpasses Buffett NEW YORK: Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has dislodged Warren Buffett as the third-richest person globally with an estimated worth of USD 65.3 billion, says Forbes real-time wealth tracker. Buffett's worth has been pegged at USD 64.9 billion. "Bezos has seen his fortune swell on Amazon's success and the 52-year-old has surpassed Warren Buffett as the third-richest person on the planet," Forbes said. Amazon has reported robust second-quarter earnings, with the company posting a profit of USD 857 million, significantly up from USD 92 million a year ago. "Revenue also jumped 31 per cent to USD 30.4 billion, topping analyst estimates of USD 29.5 billion," Forbes said. -PTI

'One nation one tax' to eliminate corruption, says Jaitley NEW DELHI: As the government gears up for a fresh push to get the long-pending GST law passed, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said the 'one nation, one tax' regime will reduce the taxation levels and also eliminate corruption.

Stressing that India cannot afford the kind of spectrum or coal mines controversies of the past, he said: "This whole idea of one nation one tax is extremely important for India, in not only reducing the level of tax but also for providing an ease (of doing business) and eliminating any forms of corruption".

He said India cannot afford to have an indirect tax system where one is taxed at every point.

Jaitley was delivering the 1st Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Memorial Lecture at India Islamic Cultural Centre here.

The proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) will subsume most of the indirect taxes. Government has listed the Constitutional Amendment Bill for introduction

of GST in Rajya Sabha for consideration and passage.

The Finance Minister further said India will need all forms of investments.

"Now investment from private sector ... will come only if India becomes best possible investment destination. For that India has to get rid of corruption, India has to have a quicker decision making process, India has to have business environment which is extremely easy," he said.

He also said that despite easing foreign investment process, there are delays at states level. "... every time we delay a project, every time we put hurdles, you create an adverse environment where you lose jobs, ancillary units, and revenue which sends a bad picture of India to other future investments," Jaitley said.

'Social strife' can deflect developmental Calling India a "haven of safety and security" despite past problems in Punjab and Kashmir, Mr Jaitley has cautioned that any 'so-

cial strife' in the name of caste and religion can stir emotions and deflect the country from its developmental agenda.

"We saw insurgency in Punjab, in Kashmir and North-East, but fortunately if we see rest of the world, we are still haven of safety and security," he said.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley said India cannot afford to have an indirect tax system where one is taxed at every point.

Jaitley also said the resources need to be spent on poverty elimi-

NRIs/PIOs can now send funds online NEW DELHI: NRIs and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) will now be able to make monetary contributions online for government's flagship programs 'Swachch Bharat' and Clean Ganga among other social sector projects, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has announced.

Swaraj said this while chairing a meeting of the India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians (IDF-OI), a not-for-profit trust established by government of India with an aim to supplement country's social development efforts.

"Facilitating Diaspora's desire to give back to India.

EAM chairs 6th Board Meeting of IDF-OI in Delhi @GivingtoIndia," External Af-

fairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

The minister also unveiled IDF-OI's Online Payment Gate-

nation and infrastructure development to become a developed society, rather than "lopsided expenditure only on the security".

"The faster we become a safer... insurgency-free society, the better it is for us. Any form of social strife, I think in a race to become a developed society, we have to

debit cards," Swaraj was quoted as saying.

During the meet, the Board Members discussed ways to enhance Diaspora engagement with India's social sector.

IDF-OI is presently promoting Government of India's flagship programs - Swachh Bharat and National Mission for Clean Ganga.

IDF-OI, which leads overseas Indian philanthropy into India, is also External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj partnering with the state governments to way at the Meeting. "Glad to in- select projects identified by the form that NRIs/PIOs will now be states and seek overseas Indiable to make contributions online ans' engagement with these to IDF-OI, by using their credit/ projects.-PTI

avoid...," he said.

Terming these as policy diversions, Jaitley said "caste, language, religion, water, these are capable of throwing up emotions, which can actually deflect from a developmental agenda and strife can create, can prove very costly for society". "... our ability and maturity to distance ourselves from these issues, put a closure to these issues and therefore get rid of these kinds of diversions, will also reflect on the kind of maturity our society itself have," the minister added.

The statement comes against the backdrop of incidents of attacks on dalits in different parts of the country and recent incidents of violence in Kashmir.

He also stressed that India also needs credible politics so that "we can have credible policy".

"And for the purposes of credible politics, we have to realize the strength of democracy, where the power of democracy, Parliament, governments, political party is huge.

Therefore, the best in the system needs to get into that activity," he said.-PTI

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Why should Railways pay dividend, asks Prabhu NEW DELHI: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has asked why should the railways pay dividend when it is already "over-burdened" with about Rs 60,000 crore worth of public service obligation and increased wage bill due to the latest pay commission report.

"I would just like to make a point. This paying dividend to the Finance Ministry is one area which really needs to be looked into. Why should the Railway pay dividend? This has been a recommendation of the Standing Committee. There have been several unanimous recommendations on this by several Standing Committees that the Railways discharge very useful public functions," the Minister said in Lok Sabha.

Maintaining that the railways was doing a public service, he said the burden on it was "as high as Rs 30,000 crore. This year, the Railways are even more burdened with an additional burden Rs 30,000 crore on account of the recommendations of the Pay Commission," besides paying bonus at the latest rates to its staff.

All this has put additional burden on the railways, which has to

bear the brunt of it being "India's largest employer", Prabhu said, adding that the issue has to be looked into by the House.

He was speaking after tabling a resolution on several recommendations of the Railway Convention Committee, appointed to review the rate of dividend payable by the railways to the government.

"This is a recommendation of the Committee. I respect it.

But over a period of time we really need to look into why the Railways which is already suffering due to several other problems also be over-burdened with the responsibility of paying a dividend and also how the main Budget can actually subsidies or take care of the subsidies which are already there," the Minister said, adding "I think, we need to look into this issue."

Countering the Minister, K H Muniyappa, senior Congress member and former Minister of State for Railways, said the railway committee had "unanimously recommended regarding the issue of dividend."

However, he joined Prabhu in saying that the Railways "are run-

ning in public interest and for the common people under certain obligations. So, they could not pay the dividend. At the same time, the Finance Ministry is unable to help the common people of this country."

"The surprising thing is that the government is not coming forward to support the Railways. The

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu

projects which have been pending for the last two decades, there has been no thinking on this issue by the Government. The new

China's nuclear ambitions sailing into troubled waters BEIJING: China's ambitions to become a pioneer in nuclear energy are sailing into troubled waters.

Two state-owned companies plan to develop floating nuclear reactors, a technology engineers have been considering since the

1970s for use by oil rigs or island communities. Beijing is racing Russia, which started developing its own in 2007, to get a unit into commercial operation.

In China's case, the achievement would be tempered by concern its reactors might be sent into

A Chinese oil rig operated in the East China Sea. Two state-owned companies, China General Nuclear Power Group and China National Nuclear Corp., have announced plans to develop floating nuclear reactors for use by oil rigs or island communities. If they succeed, the achievement would raise concern the reactors might be sent into harm's way to support oil exploration in the South China Sea, where Beijing faces conflicting territorial claims by neighbors including Vietnam and the Philippines.

Planning Commission called the NITI Ayog has not at all given any thought to this issue," Muniyappa said.

The senior Congress leader asked the government to accord more priority to modernization of Railways instead of focusing on bullet trains and complete unfinished tasks like closing of over

harm's way to support oil exploration in the South China Sea, where Beijing faces conflicting territorial claims by neighbors including Vietnam and the Philippines. Chinese news reports say plans call for deploying 20 reactors there, though neither developer has mentioned the area.

Tensions ratcheted up after a U.N. arbitration panel ruled July 12 that Beijing's claim to most of the sea has no legal basis. Beijing rejected the decision in a case brought by the Philippines and announced it would hold war games in the area, where its military has built artificial islands.

The floating reactor plans reflect Beijing's determination to create profitable technologies in fields from energy to mobile phones and to curb growing reliance on imported oil and gas, which communist leaders see as a security risk.

China is the most active builder of nuclear power plants, with 32 reactors in operation, 22 under construction and more planned. It relies heavily on U.S., French and Russian technology but is developing its own.

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 39

11,000 level crossings saying "life is precious".

Muniyappa said Railways had around Rs 65,000-66,000 kms of track and it would need around Rs 5 lakh crore to modernize it, while the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor alone would cost Rs one lakh crore.

He said priority should be given to modernization of the tracks rather than the bullet train,

adding that even the governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat have not been able to commit land for the project.

If modernization happens, passenger trains can run at the speed of 100 kmph than the existing speed of 50 kmph and Shatabdi Express and other such trains at 150 kmph.

He said there had been little progress on the Northeast and North-South rail corridors.

Lamenting that the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had given funds to close unmanned level crossings, Muniyappa said the work could not be completed even during the UPA government's tenure and asked the Railway Minister to look into the matter.

He said that over 2.5 crore people travelled every day on the railway network, but the government was unable to provide proper facilities to the commuters.

Ganesh Joshi (BJP) said the financial health of the ministry was not good as the Railways spent 97 paise for every rupee it earned.

But "the railways connect the border and coastal areas, some of which are not commercially viable," Joshi said.

Ashok Kumar K (AIADMK) also said the railways have been providing concessions under 53 categories. Besides, it has a to deal with the salary, pensions and now with the excess burden under the Seventh Pay Commission.-PTI

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Mallya assets to go under hammer for Rs 700 cr MUMBAI: As the lenders and tax authorities cool their heels for Vijay Mallya to return to India, they will put under hammer next month assets worth over Rs 700 crore of the embattled businessman's long-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

The items waiting for the right bidders are plenty -- the erstwhile headquarters Kingfisher House near airport here; cars and office furniture; Mallya's plush personal jet along with everything inside that include cushy couches and even a bathrobe; Kingfisher Villa in Goa famous for parties hosted

by Mallya; and numerous brands and trademarks including the famed 'Fly with Good Times'.

This would be the second try by the lenders and tax authorities at auction of these assets as part of their efforts to recover thousands of crores worth outstanding dues, after the earlier attempt for each of these properties proved to be a damp squib.

Mallya's personal jet is being put under hammer by the service tax department, while other properties will be auctioned by the lend-

Vijay Mallya

ers whose dues from longgrounded Kingfisher Airlines have ballooned to over Rs 9,000 crore including penal interest.

For almost all the properties, the

reserve price has been marked down after the earlier attempts failed to attract bidders.

The 17-bank consortium, led by the State Bank of India, is re-auctioning Kingfisher House in Mumbai and the airlines' trademarks and brands, including the 'Kingfisher' logo.

On August 4, the lenders will re-auction Kingfisher House, the erstwhile headquarters of the airline, at a lower reserve price of Rs 135 crore. In the initial attempt in March to sell the property with a built-up area of over 17,000 sq ft in plush Vile Parle area near domestic airport here, not a single bidder came for-

CII launches social media account in China BEIJING: The CII and the India Business Forum (IBF) in Shanghai has launched a social media account to provide "meaningful" interaction between the Indian and Chinese businesses and to stay updated with the latest industry news and trends.

A Wechat account was launched at a ceremony attended

by Prakash Gupta, Consul General of India in Shanghai, Sujit Chatterjee, Chairman designate of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-IBF China, Madhav Sharma, Head of Greater China and Chief Representative, CII China and Ravi Shankar Bose, Director of Fugu Mo-

the function held at the Consulate General of India in Shanghai.

"While this is a unique and welcome step to adapt to one of China's most popular communication platforms, we do hope that it would also enable faster and greater sharing of information and success stories amongst local Indian CEO's on a real time basis, and thereby further promote Indian business interests in Eastern China", he said.

Chatterjee, who is also President, Tata Consultancy Services, China said "The CII IBF We Chat App is a great platform to stay up-todate with the latest industry news and

Sharma said: "It will showcase CII-IBF Members business interest in China leading to greater businesses, highlight opportunities bile which provided the software backup.

"The launch of the CII IBF Wechat App is a unique initiative of CII-Shanghai, which aims to bring together leading Indian industries in China on one common electronic platform," Gupta said at

trends in China. It provides a meaningful opportunity for India and Indian companies to market themselves to the larger consumer group in furthering their commitment to the Chinese economy".

He said the CII-IBF Wechat account is in line with the growing

social media trend in China, this will help us in creating greater awareness of CII in China and CIIIBF member companies amongst Chinese businesses.

Sharma said: "It will showcase CII-IBF Members business interest in China leading to greater businesses, highlight opportunities for Chinese businesses in India under the Make in India initiative, highlight some of the latest policy updates, business development events both in India and China".

"I believe that this platform will help build greater two way communication between businesses ", a CII statement quoted him as saying.

It said since the establishment of CII office in China in 2003, the number of Indian companies in China have grown substantially, therefore in 2009, CII China launched the India-Business Forum.

"The CII India-Business Forum aims to promote Indian business interests in China through collective approach. The CII-IBF also platform for members to meet with Chinese companies interested in doing business with India, Think Tanks, universities and other policy organizations of China.

The forum also works in showcasing India and Indian industry, thereby building "Brand India" in China", it added.-PTI

ward at the then reserve price of Rs 150 crore.

Banks have also put up some of the movable secured assets worth Rs 13.70 lakh lying at Kingfisher House for sale. These assets will be auctioned separately on August 25 by SBI Cap Trustee, which possesses these assets on behalf of the lenders.

The items on sale would include eight cars - Toyota Innova, Honda City, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, among others.

The reserve price of each car has been set differently in the range of Rs 90,000-2.50 lakh.

These items will be sold on individual basis and not below the reserve price, according to a public notice put up by SBI Cap Trustee.

In another second attempt, banks will auction brands and trademarks of Kingfisher Airlines including the Kingfisher logo as also the once-famous tagline 'Fly the Good Times' on August 25.

The other trademarks on sale included Flying Models, Funliner, Fly Kingfisher and Flying Bird Device. The reserve price for auction of brands and trademarks has also been reduced to Rs 330.03 crore from Rs 366.70 crore earlier.

In the heydays of Mallya-led group, the Kingfisher brand itself was valued at over Rs 4,000 crore

by Grant Thornton when the airline was at its peak.

In its annual report for 2012-13, KFA said that at its peak, it was the largest airline in the country with a five-star rating from Skytrax.

The airline's brand had been registered separately from the Kingfisher beer trademarks.

Banks will also soon auction Kingfisher Villa situated at Condolim, in north Goa, which they took possession from the group in May this year after a long legal battle.

The date for the auction of Kingfisher Villa has not been announced so far, but it can also happen in August itself.

According to sources, valuation process by the banks is underway for the Villa, which has come out to be around Rs 90 crore.

Meanwhile, the service tax department will again auction the luxury personal jet of Mallya on August 18.

In the earlier auction on June 30, the department had rejected the sole bid of Rs 1.09 crore offered by the United Arab Emiratesbased aviation support firm Alna Aero Distributional Finance Holdings, against a reserve price of Rs 152 crore.

The new pricing has not been announced yet by the Department but sources say it would also be lowered. -PTI

'Despite good growth not enough jobs created' KHARAGPUR, West Bengal: Infosys co-founder K Gopalakrishnan has said although Indian economy is growing well but we have failed to provide enough jobs.

Addressing students at the IIT

K Gopalakrishnan

Kharagpur convocation here he said of late, especially after the meltdown of financial sector in 2008, the world is seeing increase in income disparity.

"India is less affected since we have an economy that is still growing strongly. But we are not seeing large number of good, well

paying jobs being created," Gopalakrishnan said.

Describing the issue as "troubling", he said we need to find solutions to this challenge. He also warned budding engineers against the harmful side effects or uses of some of the technologies and innovations.

Giving the example of driverless vehicles he said if they are used without proper safeguards or if they are used for destructive purposes they can cause immense harm.

"It is important for scientists and engineers to study the negative aspects of technology fully before the technology is deployed in large scale," said the philanthropist and Chairman of Axilor Ventures.

Stating that we are at the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution, he said new and emerging technologies like the 'Internet of Things' are going to change the world in the next 30-50 years.-PTI

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China's nuclear ambitions sailing into troubled waters Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 37

The latest initiatives are led by China General Nuclear Power Group and China National Nuclear Corp. Both have research or consulting agreements with Westinghouse Electric Co. and France's EDF and Areva, but say their floating plants will use homegrown technology. ``They are keen to develop that because they have a lot of oil drilling everywhere in the South China Sea and overseas as well,'' said Luk Bing-lam, an engineering professor at the City University of Hong Kong who has worked with a CGN subsidiary on unrelated projects. ``The Chinese strategy is to ensure the energy supply for the country,'' said Luk. ``Oil drilling needs energy, and with that supply, they could speed up operations.''

Russia's first floating commercial reactor, the Academician Lomonosov, is due to be delivered in 2018, but the project has suffered repeated delays. The Russians have yet to announce a com-

mercial customer.

Russia has been ``aiming to launch this idea for over two decades by pitching the reactor as a plug-and-play option for fairly remote communities,'' said Mark Hibbs, an expert on nuclear policy for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in an email.

Russia's target market was Indonesia and its far-flung islands, Hibbs said. That prompted concern about control over nuclear materials, leading to a recommendation Russia operate the reactor and take back used fuel.

The Chinese nuclear agency signed a deal with Moscow in 2014 to build floating power stations using Russian technology. It is unclear whether that will go ahead given the plans by CNG and CNNC to develop their own vessels.

Chinese developers can count on sales to the state-owned oil industry without going abroad.

CGN has signed a contract with China National Offshore Oil Corp. to support oil and gas exploration at sea. The company says it will launch its first vessel by 2020, with

plans for 20 more. It declined an interview request and did not respond to written questions.

CNNC plans a demonstration unit by 2019.

A floating nuclear plant probably would be too costly just to supply power but could be useful in oil and gas exploration by also providing heat and fresh water, Luk said. He said CGN engineers told him their design is meant for islands or other remote sites.

Tensions with Vietnam have

CGN says its 60-megawatt floating reactor, the ACPR50, is a version of the land-based ACPR100 reactor. CNNC says its seaborne unit will be based on another reactor, the ACP100, but has released no other details. flared over Chinese oil and gas exploration near the Vietnamese coast. In January, Vietnam complained a Chinese oil company had towed a drilling rig into disputed waters. In 2014, the same rig was parked off Vietnam's central coast

Give respect to CBDT, say IRS officers Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 36

"The CBDT should be given due importance and respect," he told PTI. The statement comes two days after the Finance Ministry had termed as "insubordination" and warned of disciplinary action to some tax officials passing a resolution against directives issued by the Revenue Department.

The Finance Minister has taken a serious view of such a resolution by officers of Organized Group A service to advise the Government on what role it should play. This is an act of insubordination. Officers indulging in acts of indiscipline would be subject to conduct rules, a Finance Ministry statement had said.

"No department of the government has absolute autonomy.

It has to serve the larger goal of the government. The supervisory powers of next higher authority ensures that there is no misuse of power by anyone in the government," it had said.

After the meeting and in view of the "positive response and understanding" shown by the

Finance Minister, the association has advised its Mumbai Unit to suspend the ongoing agitation.

"The IRS association assured the Finance Minister that all the IRS officers over the country including those at Mumbai have the deepest respect for the Finance Minister and a very strong sense of commitment towards

"The disparity in empanelment vis-avis other services, particularly at the level of Joint Secretary and above and disparities in pay structure i.e. increments on promotion, was brought to the notice of the Finance Minister the goals of the government including revenue collection and providing the best services to the taxpayers," the release said.

for two months, leading to violent anti-Chinese demonstrations and confrontations at sea as Chinese vessels rammed Vietnamese boats to prevent them from approaching the rig.

Reactors have been used on warships since the 1950s. But those vessels regularly visit port for maintenance and face little security risk because they are heavily armed. ``The security concerns are clear: such reactors would be

In the association's meeting, the issue of cadre mismanagement, which has resulted in delay in promotions at various supervisory levels despite large number of vacancies, the officers being overburdened as the officers are holding multiple charges due to vacancies, was discussed.

"The disparity in empanelment vis-a-vis other services, particularly at the level of Joint Secretary and above and disparities in pay structure i.e. increments on promotion, was brought to the notice of the Finance Minister," it said in the release.

The association submitted a representation to the Finance Minister saying "serious manpower shortages at supervisory levels may be addressed urgently and that promotions at all levels should be carried out without any further delay".

"Empanelment at Joint Secretary level and above should be expedited and there should be parity with IAS. Parity in pay should be granted and two additional increments on promotion to Senior Time Scale, Junior Time Grade and Selection Grade should also be given to IRS officers. -PTI

tempting targets for military or terrorist attacks,'' Edwin Lyman, a nuclear specialist for the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, said in an email. ``Maintaining the full contingent of security officers necessary to effectively deter attack would not be feasible.''

Other perils include stormy seas _ the South China Sea is buffeted by powerful seasonal typhoons _ and the need to exchange radioactive fuel at distant sites.

CGN says its seaborne unit will have ``passive safety,'' or features that function without moving parts or outside power, such as control rods that drop by gravity in an emergency. No commercial reactor operates with such features. ``There are questions about how reliable passive safety systems will be in extreme conditions,'' Lyman said.

CGN wants to simplify opera-

tions by requiring refueling only once every three years instead of the industry standard of 18 months, Luk said. That would require more highly enriched fuel, with the amount of the U-235 isotope raised to as much as 10 percent from the typical 4.5 percent. ``If it were seized by terrorists or someone else, that would be a big problem,'' he said.

China's aggressive pursuit of nuclear technology has run afoul of U.S. law enforcement.

In April, a Chinese-born American engineer employed by CGN was charged with recruiting experts in the United States to help the company with reactor construction without applying for required government permission.

Allen Ho, also known as Szuhsiung Ho, also was charged in federal court in Tennessee with acting illegally as an agent of a foreign government.

Under a 2007 agreement, Westinghouse transferred to another government company, the State Nuclear Power Technology Corp., technology for its latest model, the AP1000. It was to become the basis for future Chinese reactors that could be sold abroad, but CGN and CNNC pressed ahead with development of their own models.

CGN says its 60-megawatt floating reactor, the ACPR50, is a version of the land-based ACPR100 reactor. CNNC says its seaborne unit will be based on another reactor, the ACP100, but has released no other details.

Westinghouse has no role in the ACPR50's development, according to a company spokeswoman, Courtney Boone. EDF and Areva did not respond to requests for information about their possible role.-AP

40 India Post

M

ount Abu is a popular Jain pil grimage sites.

Going by its lushness, it is called 'the Paradise of Rajasthan'.

The only hill station in Rajasthan, Mount Abu offers you the best of all possible worlds, with more scenic beauty, more architecture and archaeology in the form of the famous

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Dilwara caves, the chief center for the Brahmakumaris and a generous peppering of temples which shows that the place is exceptionally favored by the gods. Abu has been an important place of penance for the sages.

The shops on both sides of the road are glitteringly alive, as late as 10 pm on a winter night. In case it is a winter trip, one can just arrive in Abu, at any time of the night

or day, employ a wheelbarrow, which will take your luggage all over Abu for few rupees while you check out a place to stay.

This is, in fact the best time to visit if the cold does not bother you too much (it is usually warmer than a Delhi winter). All hotels are available at half rates and the best of rooms can be yours for a rate that suits your budget.

Abu in summer is definitely a retreat from the heat of the plains.

A summer visit requires careful planning, and rooms should be booked at least two months in advance. Everything, from hotels to restaurants, to transport is at double the rates, and beware of the new monster - the Marutis, in every color which cover the land-

August 5, 2016

scape and race pugnaciously around the hills. Yet, the little township is well prepared to handle tourists. Tourist buses show you around the places of interest twice a day and the bus guide provides a background, history and of course his own interpretations on everything you

visit. Information is also available from a tourist guide office, but even without guidance there are certain places that simply cannot be missed on a visit to Abu. Tourist attractions: Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page 42

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Drop in fares only to fill empty seats: Air India NEW DELHI: Government-run Air India has rejected the charge that it was driving air fares down by offering cheaper ticket prices for the last minute travel against the industry's practice of increasing them manifold.

"We are not driving down air fares. We are only filling empty seats by lowering last minute air fares to the level of AC-II class ticket prices of Rajdhani trains," Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.

In a move that checkmated its rivals like Jet Airways and Vistara on the pricing front, the national carrier had early this month announced dropping its last minute fares to the level of AC II tier ticket prices of Rajdhani trains to four key destinations from Delhi - Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai, to begin with.

Later, it extended the offer on seven other

routes, giving jitters to the private airlines, which jack up their last minute fares to astronomical sums.

The move, however, attracted criticism from the industry.

Lohani said that since only 2-3 per cent

on yields.

"Our objective is to provide relief to those fliers who undertake travel at the very last minute either due to medical emergency or some other pressing problem," he said.

Earlier, Lohani along with Delhi Metro

of the bookings are made in the last 6-7 hours of flight departure, the drop in fares for last minute travel instead of jacking them up was unlikely to have any adverse impact

Rail Corporation (DMRC) Managing Director Mangu Singh inaugurated two specialized check-in counters at the New Delhi metro station's airport express line.

The counters will provide enhanced facility to Air India passengers, both international as well as domestic travelers, allow-

IRCTC offers Rs 10 lakh insurance cover NEW DELHI: Starting September, passengers booking tickets through the IRCTC website can avail of a travel accident cover for a premium as low as Re 1 for an insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh.

The insurance cover is besides the compensation given by the Railways in case of accidents to valid ticket holders. The insurance would provide coverage against death, injury and disabilities caused due to accidents, IRCTC Chairman-cum-Managing Director AK Manocha said.

"At the moment, the insurance offer is under integration process and we expect it will be operationalised from September," he said.

He said compensation would be also pro-

vided by the insurance company in case of hospitalization due to train accidents.

"We have selected three insurers Shriram General, Royal Sundaram and ICICI Lombard - which will provide the cover. A total of 19 insurance companies were short-listed for the contract," Manocha said.

These three were selected through the bidding process, he said.

However, it is the passengers' choice to opt for the insurance as it is a voluntary offer, he clarified.

About 5 lakh tickets are at present booked online through Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). -PTI

New generation e-passport to be launched NEW DELHI: New generation e-passport featuring enhanced security features such as bio-metric details may soon be rolled out by the government.

Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said government was in the process of procuring devices for e-passport.

The e-passport is likely to secure the data and curb the menace of fake passports. An e-Passport contains an electronic chip. The chip holds the same information that is printed on the passport's data page.

"The Government has plans to issue epassports to the citizens. The Government

has given its approval for procurement of electronic contactless inlays for manufacturing of e-passports to India Security Press (ISP) Nasik.

"In this regard, ISP Nasik, has been authorized to float a global three-stage tender for procurement of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)-compliant electronic contactless inlays along with its operating system which is required for manufacture of e-passports," Singh said.

He said manufacture of e-passport will commence on the successful completion of the tendering and procurement process by ISP, Nasik.-PTI

ing them to book tickets, get desired flight information and also check-in the extra luggage.

The flight check-in facility will, however, close two hours before the departure of the scheduled flight.

Inaugurating the counters, Lohani said, "We are pleased to extend the facility of city check-in on both the domestic and international flights operated by Air India.

Earlier, city check-in was available only for domestic sector flights and on a few gulf countries only."

But to supplement the efforts, Air India has set up this flight information-cum-excess baggage as well as ticketing counter at each of the two stations.

"The objective of this is to enhance the overall travel experience and make it less hassling for passengers," he added.

With this facility in place, the airport passengers can obtain their boarding pass, check-in at the city check-in counter and can go for sightseeing in the national capital, Air India said.-PTI

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Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d from page 40

The Dilwara Jain temples for instance, have been compared to the Taj Mahal for their sheer elegance and beauty in marble. Built between the 11th and 13th century, these temples are all the more exceptional because the marble to

build these was brought all the way from Makrana and the best workmen and craftsmen employed to ensure the finest quality of sculpture. Intricate carvings decorate each portion of these temples, which are dedicated to the Jain Tirthankaras. Millions of rupees were spent on the carvings, architecture and dĂŠcor of the temples and the workmen were rewarded in silver and gold equivalent to the amount of marble brought in.

The Jain temples: Of the five temples - Vimal Vasahi, Lun Vasahi, Shri Risha Lhdeo, Shri Parshvanath and Shri Mahavir Swami - the first two are the most famous. One estimate states that a sum of Rs. 1.2 billion was spent on Lun Vasahi itself. This temple was built by two brothers - Vastupal and Tejpal ministers in the court of Raja Varadnawarkar, a ruler of Gujarat.

They were devotees of Neminath Bhagwan, the 22nd Tirthankara.

Outside the main doors of this

temple, there are two statues called Devrani and Jethani goklas respectively, and are backed by stories of competitive jealousy of the two wives of these brothers. Another striking feature of the temple is the marble dome in the porch, which is made up of a cluster of half open lotuses, which appear to be almost

transparent.

The Vimal Vasahi temple is older and is also known to be the first Jain temple and is dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankara. Built in 1031, by Bhim Deva, the first Solanki ruler of Gujarat, the temple is constructed in pure marble, with plain exteriors. However, its interiors are richly sculpted and house some fine examples of the accomplishment of artists in those times.

Residents of the area will tell you that a visit to Abu cannot be complete with-

out obtaining the blessings of Arbuda Devi, the goddess after whom Abu is said to have been named. Arbuda Devi is stationed some 200 steps above the road, in a series of caves on top of a mountain. Along with Arbuda Devi are the statues of her three attendants.

Abu's highest peak: Guru Shikhar, the highest peak of Mount Abu, is also perhaps the most beautiful. There is certain serenity about the temple built atop this peak. The temple might just have stepped out of a fairy tale, with only a small portion in pink jutting out of an otherwise plain white chalk building.

Inside is a shrine of Datta-traya, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Outside the temple, a little distance from its door is a huge brass bell, which stands sentinel overlooking the lush greenness of Mount Abu. A costume photographer displays dresses and invites tourists to pose with temple as a backdrop.

Another temple worth visiting is the Brahmakhadd, a Shiva temple with a difference. Here the deity is not the traditional lingam but a pit into which Lord Shiva is said to have put his foot. Legend has it that the spot goes deep into the earth until it touches water.

Outside this temple there is a statue of Goddess Parvati, and a large statue of Nandi, which still bears marks of destruction, wrought by invading armies.

Nakki, the lake: In the heart of the town, at one end of the Mall is Nakki Lake, which has an interest-

ing history. It is said that it was drawn by the finger nails (nakk) of a sage, Balam Rasia, in response to the demands of the stepmother of the girl he wished to marry. The girl, a princess, and a daughter of the then King of Abu, was also in love with the sage, but because of the evil stepmother the affair ended in tragedy, and has been immortalized in a temple of the Kunwari Kanya, alongside which stands a statue of her lover.

The lake too, has survived to tell the tale. Picturesquely set, with the hills rising all around it, it has

ures. The road appears to be looking broodingly down towards the lake, as if contemplating jumping in.

Nun Rock is a large smooth rock, as it supposedly looks like a woman with a veil. The climb up to these rocks, through the wooded forests is a beautiful one, with each of the rocks on the way making unique formations, fissures and shapes.

several islets to which you can hire boats. An interesting facet is the many rock formations around the lake. They have been named Toad Rock, Nun Rock, Nandi Rock and Camel Rock because of their resemblance to these fig-

moon packages and sunset points.

Sunset point here is definitely worth a visit. An entire hill has been carved into several layers, top to bottom and as the sun begins to lower itself in the sky, the entire hill is crowded with people covered in the golden glow of the setting sun.

PLACES AROUND: Like all other hill stations, Abu too, has its horse rides, honey-

How to reach: Rail - There are direct trains to Abu Road Station (27 km away from Mount Abu) from Delhi, Jodhpur and Agra. It is 187 km away from Ahmedabad in Gujarat. A fast train takes four hours between Ahmedabad and Abu Road.

Road - Mount Abu is linked with Udaipur and Ahmedabad by road.

August 5, 2016

Travel & Hospitality Post

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43

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Jet Airways to roll out new ticket pricing NEW DELHI: Facing heat from rival Air India, which is offering last minute ticket prices equivalent to AC II tier fares of Rajdhani trains on 11 domestic routes, private carrier Jet Airways also plans to roll out a new ticket pricing structure to give more choices to customers from next month.

Jet Airways will offer a total of eight new 'Fare Choices' across economy and premiere class of travel, allowing fliers to tailor their bookings to their individual needs, the airline said in a press release.

These fare choices will be available to customers from August 17, Jet Airways said.

As part of this, economy class passengers will have the option of choosing fares from the Deal, Saver, Classic or Flex fare categories.

Likewise, premier class fares includes Saver, Classic and Flex, while in first class there will only be one fare "family - First," it said.

In a move that check-mated its rivals like Jet Airways and Vistara on the pricing front, national carrier Air India had early this month

announced dropping of its last minute fares to the level of AC II tier fares of Rajdhani trains on four trunk destinations from Delhi-Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai, to begin with.

Later it extended the offer on seven other routes, giving jitters to the private airlines, which jack up their last minute fares to astro-

nomical sums.

Gaurang Shetty, Wholetime Director, Jet Airways, said: "The new fare structure being introduced by Jet Airways will offer distinct features in each category as well as greater choice to our guests. Ultimately, this is about providing

choice."

The new flexible 'Fare Choices' will be available on all domestic and international routes through all of Jet Airways' booking channels, the release said.

Besides, the various fare categories are differentiated based on the changeability and refund of a ticket, mileage accrual, upgrade

eligibility, priority check-in and lounge access, it added.

The baggage allowance for the bookings availed under these fare choices is differentiated according to routes based on piece and weight and the same will reflect on the e-ticket, Jet Airways said. -PTI

E-tourist cards for potential investors BENGALURU: The Karnataka Region Economic Trade Organization (KRETO) has said it plans to issue 3,000 E-Tourist Cards this year to encourage potential investors from Estonia who visit the state as tourists.

The card is aimed at potential investors who visit the state as Tourists.

Every potential investor visiting as a tourist will be exposed to quality offers that give them a taste of the local culture and tradition, KRETO Executive Director Asif Iqbal told reporters here.

"This will enable them to also savor local cuisine with the help of well-informed recommendations, an opportunity to visit local homes and to stay in villages," Iqbal said.

The process promises to create employment opportunities for tourism in the smaller cities and villages of Karnataka and also the opportunity for visitors to enjoy the local culture in turn, he said.

The card has been conceptualized and developed with strategic support from Estonia who have provided advisory support, since they already have their own E-citizen card which is operational and hugely successful for the first time

in the world, he said.

KRETO also signed an MoU with the Asian Arab Chamber of Commerce for setting up an innovation centre in United Arab Emirates, Iqbal said.

"It has been designed to help midsized investors from Karnataka to have a permanent space to dis-

play their products and to also benefit from marketing support to attract investors from Europe and the Middle East," he said.

Mid-sized companies will enjoy a support system in the UAE at nominal costs along with a representation service which is free of charge, he added.

"I want to provide the people of Karnataka a facility to showcase

their services and products at a nominal cost, and to encourage the state with whom I have been personally doing business with for the last 6 years. With the Karnataka Diaspora already present in the UAE, I see immense potential and opportunity for cross border transactions and growth," AACC President Princess Fay Jahanara said.

KRETO also signed an MoU with the Bosnia a n d Herzegovina governments to screen Kannada films in an exc l u s i v e Kannada panorama in the upcoming Sarajevo film festival, KRETO Deputy Chairperson Shabeena Sultana said.

"This is the third largest film festival in Europe after the festivals in Cannes and Rome. This unique initiative will ensure that Kannada films get maximum thrust by being showcased in foreign countries," she said.-PTI

Alliance Air starts Delhi-Jaipur flight NEW DELHI: Air India's regional arm Alliance Air has commenced its flight services to the Rajasthan capital city Jaipur from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here.

The flight AI 9I 643 will operate three times in a week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays) with a 72seater regional jet, ATR-72-600 aircraft, Air India said.

The inaugural flight to Jaipur and return received a massive response from passengers with 100 per cent booking, showcasing the long standing demand for such connectivity on the sector, it said.

The new flight to the pink city

will not only boost tourism between the two states - Delhi and Rajasthan - but will also offer better air connectivity for business community as well, it added.

The introduction of the new service is aimed at providing passengers an option to have a full working day and return to Delhi and Jaipur on the same day, the release said.-PTI

Tourism projects worth Rs 2300 cr sanctioned NEW DELHI: Tourism Ministry has sanctioned projects worth Rs 2,300 crore under its two flagship schemes - Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD -since January last year, the government has said.

These projects envisage world class infrastructural development of the sites with special emphasis on tourist facilities, Tourism Ministry said in a release.

"Tourism Ministry, in last 18 months, has sanctioned projects worth Rs 2,333 crore under Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD," it said.

Under national mission PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvena-

tion and Spiritual Augmentation Drive), as many as 11 projects worth Rs 284.53 crore have been sanctioned so far, while 25 projects worth Rs 2,048 crore have been approved under Swadesh Darshan scheme, the release said.

Under Swadesh Darshan scheme, theme-based tourism circuits have been identified for infrastructure development across the country, while PRASAD's objective is to augment religious and spiritual tourism in the country.

Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma took a meeting with the mission directors to review the implementation of the schemes.-PTI

29 communities get grants for tourism NASHVILLE, TENN.: State officials say 29 cities and counties will receive more than $999,000 in grants to help communities improve their tourism infrastructure.

Officials say the grants will help counties and cities in Tennessee increase the economic impact of tourism. The grants range from about $5,000 to $50,000.

Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett says tourism is an important part of every community, ``but in some cases we were find-

ing a lack of infrastructure to fully take advantage of some tourism opportunities.''

The counties receiving grants are Anderson, Carroll, Decatur, Fentress, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Johnson, Lauderdale, Meigs, Monroe, Robertson, Scott, Smith, Unicoi and Wayne.

The cities and towns that are getting grants are: Bolivar, Brownsville, Cleveland, Etowah, Gainesboro, Henderson, Lafayette, Livingston, Manchester, McMinnville, Lynchburg, Tiptonville and Winchester.-AP

In Brief Deal on birth certificates for immigrant kids AUSTIN, Texas: Parents who entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico and Central America will have an easier time getting birth certificates for their children born in Texas following a lawsuit settlement with the state, lawyers for immigration advocates said.

The deal for now ends a legal fight that erupted last year when Texas was accused of denying ``birthright'' U.S. citizenship amid heightened national debate over immigration. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman signed an order that sets aside the lawsuit so long as Texas lives up to the agreement.

State health officials contended the deal makes no changes to existing policies, but attorneys for families insisted otherwise, saying Texas will now accept more forms of identification and supporting documents that are easier for people in the country illegally to obtain.

Although ID cards issued by Mexican consulates still won't be accepted as many wanted, Texas will now accept valid Mexican voter ID cards that can now be obtained at consulates in the U.S., said Efrin Olivares, a lead attorney on the lawsuit for the Texas Civil Rights Project.

It is unknown how many parents were denied a birth certificate for their Texas-born children.

Olivares said the deal was struck while trying to get those numbers from the state, and said the settlement talks never answered the question of why Texas began cracking down on birth records starting around 2013. -AP

Â&#x201E;

Immigrants tell their stories at convention

LAS VEGAS: Las Vegas residents who took the stage at the Democratic National Convention say they know Hillary Clinton will fight to keep immigrant families together.

Eleven-year-old Karla Ortiz said that she's scared most days that her parents will be deported. She talked about how she shared her concerns with Clinton during a campaign stop in Las Vegas earlier this year, and Clinton called her brave and told her she would worry on her behalf.

Footage of the encounter became part of a campaign ad.

Immigration activist Astrid Silva told how she came to the U.S. in a raft when she was 4, but her family lived in fear of getting caught by immigration authorities.

She said her family is still in the U.S. because of people like Sen. Harry Reid.-AP

Immigration

Refugee in German attack seemed to be adjusting

44 India Post

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August 5, 2016

Details on page 46

Court blocks 'discriminatory' North Carolina voter ID law RALEIGH, NC: A federal appeals court has blocked a North Carolina law that required voters to produce photo identification and follow other rules disproportionately affecting minorities, finding that the law was intended to make it harder for blacks to vote in the presidential battleground state.

The Virginia-based 4th Circuit Court of Appeals declared that the measures violated the Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act by targeting black voters "with almost surgical precision."

It marks the third ruling in less than two weeks against voter ID laws after court decisions regarding Texas and Wisconsin.

The opinion from a three-judge panel states that "the legislature enacted one of the largest restrictions of the franchise in modern North Carolina history" when it rewrote voting laws in 2013.

The appeals court also dismissed arguments by Republican lawmakers that the law was aimed at preventing voter fraud.

"Although the new provisions target African Americans with al-

most surgical precision, they constitute inapt remedies for the problems assertedly justifying them and, in fact, impose cures for problems that did not exist," the opinion states.

Opponents of the law say the

U.S. Senate and governor. The U.S. Justice Department, state NAACP and League of Women Voters were among those who sued over the restrictions.

"This is a strong rebuke to what the North Carolina General As-

North Carolina NAACP president, Rev. William Barber, center, speaks at a news conference in Richmond, Va., on June 21 Barber said a ruling that blocked a North Carolina voter ID law was a powerful victory for civil rights and for democracy.

ruling should increase participation by black and Latino voters on Election Day in the state that also has closely contested races for

sembly did in 2013. It's a powerful precedent that ... federal courts will protect voting rights of voters of color," said Allison Riggs, who

served as the League of Women Voters' lead lawyer.

The Rev. William Barber, president of the North Carolina NAACP, said the ruling was "a vindication of our constitutional and moral critique and challenge to the constitutional extremism of our government."

The decision was lauded by Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, but decried by Republicans including Gov. Pat McCrory as an effort to tilt the electoral balance in the November elections.

North Carolina legislative leaders Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore, both Republicans, issued a statement that they would appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court and blasted the judges as "three partisan Democrats."

"We can only wonder if the intent is to reopen the door for voter fraud, potentially allowing fellow Democrat politicians ... to steal the election," they said.

Cont'd on Page 46

USCIS expands provisional waiver process India Post News Service

WASHINGTON: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a final rule expanding the existing provisional waiver process to allow certain individuals who are family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, and who are statutorily eligible for immigrant visas, to more easily navigate the immigration process.

The provisional waiver process promotes family unity by reducing the time that eligible individuals are separated from their family members while they complete immigration processing abroad, while also improving administrative efficiency.

This final rule builds on a process established in 2013 to support family unity. Under that pro-

cess, certain immediate relatives of U.S. citizens can apply for provisional waivers of the unlawful presence ground of inadmissibility, based on the extreme hardship their U.S. citizen spouses or parents would suffer if the waiver were not granted. The rule, which goes

vide guidance on how USCIS makes "extreme hardship" determinations in the coming weeks.

Until now, only immediate relatives of U.S. citizens were eligible to seek such provisional waivers before departing the United States for the processing of their immi-

into effect on Aug. 29,expands eligibility for the provisional waiver process to all individuals who are statutorily eligible for the waiver of the unlawful presence ground of inadmissibility. USCIS expects to update its Policy Manual to pro-

grant visas. Those eligible for the provisional waiver process under the 2013 rule are only a subset of those eligible for the waiver under the statute. This regulation expands eligibility for the process to all individuals who are statutorily

eligible for the waiver.

To qualify for a provisional waiver, applicants must establish that their U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouses or parents would experience "extreme hardship" if the applicants are not allowed to return to the United States.

The final rule also makes changes to Form I-601A, Application for Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver.

These changes will go into effect along with the final rule. The updated form will be posted on USCIS' website at uscis.gov/i-601a on August 29, 2016.

Applicants should not submit a request for a provisional waiver under the expanded guidelines until the final rule takes effect on Aug. 29. If you do so before that date, USCIS may deny the application.

Immigration Post

August 5, 2016

India Post 45

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Muslim American soldier's father scolds Trump PHILADELPHIA: Appearing on stage in Philadelphia alongside his wife, Ghazala, Khizr Khan paid tribute to his late son, Cpt Humayun Khan, describing his family as "patriotic American Muslims with undivided loyalty to our country".

Of his son, killed in 2004 by a car bomb after protecting his soldiers by ordering them to drop to the ground while he took 10 steps forward, Khan said: "If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America.

"Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims.

He disrespects other minorities, women, judges, even his own party leadership. He vows to build walls and ban us from this country."

The Republican candidate has

repeatedly suggested a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US as a way to combat the threat of Islamist terrorism.

In his party convention speech

in Cleveland, this policy appeared to have been altered to cover "any nation that has been compromised by terrorism", something Trump subsequently described to NBC

Pakistan-born Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim-American who died fighting for his country, fiercely attacked Donald Trump at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia while waving a copy of the constitution

as an expansion.

"People were so upset when I used the word Muslim," said Trump. "Oh, you can't use the word Muslim. Remember this. And I'm OK with that, because I'm talking territory instead of Muslim."

Addressing Trump directly, Khan told him: "Donald Trump, you are asking Americans to trust you with our future. Let me ask you: Have you even read the United States constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy."

Producing a pocket edition of the US constitution to huge cheers from the crowd, he added: "In this document, look for the words 'liberty' and 'equal protection of law'."

He went on: "Have you ever been to Arlington cemetery? Go look at the graves of the brave

patriots who died defending America - you will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one."

Departing from his text, Khan concluded: "I ask every patriot American, all Muslim immigrants, and all immigrants, do not take this election lightly. This is a historic election. And I request to honor the sacrifice of my son. And on election day, vote for the leader, Hillary Clinton, not the divider."

In her speech to the convention accepting her party's nomination, Hillary Clinton paid tribute to Khan's son, saying: "A president should respect the men and women who risk their lives to serve our country - including Captain Khan, and the sons of Tim Kaine and Mike Pence, both marines."

-Courtesy The Guardian, UK

Obama expanding refugee program WASHINGTON: The Obama administration will soon expand efforts to help Central American families and children legally immigrate to the United States amid another surge of migrants caught crossing the border illegally.

White House Deputy Homeland Security Adviser Amy Pope said that the administration will expand in-country refugee processing for families coming from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala and launch an effort to temporarily relocate some families facing the greatest threats to Costa Rica.

The government is also broadening a nearly two-year-old program to allow some Central American children to reunite with parents already legally living in the

United States.

Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that program will now allow some siblings, in-country parents and other caregivers to move to the U.S. with a child approved for the program.

The efforts are designed in part to combat the crush of tens of thousands of families and unaccompanied children caught crossing the border illegally this year.

But it is unclear how quickly the expanded efforts may impact the flow of immigrants trying to make their way to the United States illegally.

Since the start of the budget year in October, more than 51,100 people traveling as families and more than 43,000 unaccompanied

children have been caught illegally crossing the Mexican border. The number of such immigrants has been steadily rising this year after significant decreases between the 2014 and 2015 budget years.

The Obama administration first launched the effort to allow child immigrants to legally come to the U.S. in December 2014. More than 600 have moved to the United States since then. Mayorkas said 2,884 kids have been approved for the program and more than 9,500 applications are pending.

In January, the administration first announced that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees would pre-screen would-be refugee families. U.S. officials will now handle more in-country processing for those families.

Pope said refugee programs in Central America are being expanded because ``current efforts to date haven't been sufficient.''

Bill after immigrant's murder conviction

The new programs, she said, are designed to help ``promote safe and orderly immigration and border security.''

Pope said it is unclear how many families and children may

HARTFORD, Conn.: The killing of a Connecticut woman by a Haitian man has spurred federal legislation aimed at cracking down on countries that refuse or delay U.S. officials' attempts to deport dangerous criminals.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Joe Courtney, both Connecticut Democrats, unveiled ``Casey's Law'' in Hartford.

Under the law, the State Department would notify foreign governments that the U.S. may deny visas to their citizens, if their countries ``systematically and unreasonably'' refuse or delay the deportation of nationals in the U.S. who have been convicted of felonies or violent crimes, or are a threat to national security or public safety.

The legislation is named after Casey Chadwick, a 25-year-old woman who was stabbed to death in her Norwich apartment last year

Federal authorities had tried repeatedly to deport Jacques. But Haiti officials wouldn't take him back after he served 17 years behind bars for a 1997 attempted murder conviction. Jacques killed Chadwick six months after he was released from prison.

A federal report said immigration officials could have done more to deport Jacques.

Richard Blumenthal and Sen. Christopher Murphy speak to the media after meeting with Newtown Chadwick's mother families on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. and father, Wendy Newtown families are on Capitol Hill to urge Hartling and Jeff Congress to pass stricter gun laws.

Chadwick, also were at

by Haitian national Jean Jacques. the announcement. Hartling held He was convicted of her murder a photo of her daughter and said and is serving 60 years in prison. the legislation is important.-AP

benefit from the enhanced programs but officials expect requests for help to steadily increase as the programs get underway in the

President Barack Obama speaks to law enforcement officers from around the country at the Advancing 21st Century Policing Briefing in the South Court Auditorium of the White House complex in Washington

coming months.

In the meantime, Costa Rica will also soon start accepting up to 200 people in immediate need of refuge at a time for up to six months.-AP

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Immigration Post

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August 5, 2016

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Court blocks 'discriminatory' North Carolina voter ID law Cont'd from Page 44

All three panel members were appointed by Democratic presidents.

However, it's unlikely that the evenly divided and short-handed Supreme Court would take the case or block the ruling from governing elections this November, said election-law experts Ned Foley of Ohio State University and Richard Hasen of UC Irvine.

Earlier this month, a federal appeals court ruled that Texas' strict voter ID law is discriminatory and must be weakened by November.

That followed a ruling by a federal judge in Wisconsin that residents without a photo ID will still be allowed to vote.

Hasen said the Obama administration took on the North Carolina and Texas cases as a bulwark against voting restrictions.

"If North Carolina and Texas could get away with these voting restrictions, it would have been a green light for other states to do so," he said. "I think this is a hugely important decision."

North Carolina's voting laws were rewritten in 2013 by the General Assembly two years after Republicans took control of both legislative chambers for the first time in a century. It was also shortly after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling changed the requirement that many Southern states receive federal approval before changing vot-

ing laws. anyone in any party to engage in The voter ID mandate, which purposeful racial discrimination," took effect in March, required the panel said. people casting ballots in person The Rev. Moses Colbert, a 61to show one of six qualifying IDs, although voters facing "reasonable impediments" could fill out a form and cast a provisional ballot.

North Carolina legislators imposed the photo ID requirement, curtailed early voting and eliminated sameday registration and voters' ability to cast out-of-precinct provisional ballots in their home counties.

The appeals court cited data This photo taken March 15, 2016, shows a NC that these methods Voter ID rules poster at the door of the voting were used disprostation at the Alamance Fire Station in Greensboro, portionately by N.C. black voters, who also were more likely to lack a year-old pastor at a church in qualifying ID, and it blocked the Gastonia, said the elimination of contested provisions of the law. same-day registration ensured The judges wrote that in the that he couldn't vote on Election years before the North Carolina Day 2014 shortly after moving law took effect, registration and within North Carolina. He'd sought participation by black voters had to change his voter registration at been dramatically increasing. the Department of Motor Vehicles, "We recognize that elections but the update didn't get to county have consequences, but winning officials by the election. an election does not empower He was told his name wasn't on

the rolls where he'd just moved.

But when he drove 20 miles back to the county where he was registered before, election workers turned him away because of the new address on his license.

"I was stunned. I'm only two generations away from slavery," said Colbert, who is black. "This is a privilege every American needs to be allowed to exercise."

Meanwhile, a federal judge in Wisconsin declared multiple Republican-authored election laws unconstitutional in a sweeping ruling.

Two liberal groups filed a lawsuit in May challenging the laws, including a requirement that voters show photo identification. U.S. District Judge James Peterson issued a ruling that upheld the voter ID law but struck down a number of GOP-written statutes and policies that restricted voting.

He ordered the state to quickly issue credentials valid for voting to anyone trying to obtain a free photo ID for voting. He struck down a restriction limiting municipalities to one location for in-person absentee voting, time limits on in-person absentee voting, an increase in residency requirements from 10 to 28 days, and a prohibition on using expired but otherwise qualifying student IDs to vote.

Also, a county judge ruled that Kansas must count potentially thousands of votes in state and

local races from people who've registered without providing citizenship documents.

The order from Shawnee County District Judge Larry Hendricks came only four days before the primary election.

Hendricks blocked an administrative rule from Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

The ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of three prospective voters earlier this month, a week after a state board allowed Kobach to impose the rule temporarily through the November election without a public hearing. It applies to people who register to vote at state motor vehicle offices without providing proof of their U.S. citizenship as required by a 2013 state law.

The affected voters were to receive provisional ballots to be reviewed later, and county election officials are directed to count only their votes for federal offices, not state and local ones. Ahead of the primary, about 17,600 people registered at motor vehicle offices without providing citizenship papers, and the rule could apply to 50,000 people in November.

Kobach's action was a response to a federal judge's ruling in May in another lawsuit that people who register at motor vehicle offices are entitled to vote in federal races even if they've not met the proof-of-citizenship requirement.-AP

Refugee in German attack seemed to be adjusting OCHSENFURT, Germany: By all accounts, the 17-year-old Afghan behind an ax-and-knife rampage aboard a commuter train in Germany seemed to be quickly integrating and adapting to life in Germany - until something, possibly the death of a friend back home, prompted him to radicalize and turn on the country that took him in.

Five people were wounded in the attack near Wuerzburg, including four members of a Hong Kong family who were on the train and a woman walking her dog outside.

Two remained in critical condition and Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said it wasn't clear if they will survive.

The attacker, whose name hasn't been released by authorities, was killed by police.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack and posted a video in which the teen waved a knife and referred to himself as a ``soldier of the Islamic State.'' During the attack, witnesses said he yelled ``Allahu

akbar,'' Arabic for ``God is great.''

The teen was one of about 60,000 unaccompanied minors who came into Germany last year amid a flood of 1 million migrants.

Authorities say such young people are particularly traumatized and in need of help, but also vulnerable to radicalization by Islamic extremists.

He wasn't on authorities' radar, and people who knew him said he seemed to be fitting in. He played soccer with the locals and had an internship at a local bakery, a growing command of the German language and a new home with a foster family outside the serene Bavarian town of Ochsenfurt.

He was a Sunni Muslim who went to mosque only on holidays, but prayed regularly at home. ``He always seemed relaxed, pleasant, he smiled, he was completely unobtrusive, in the best sense,'' said Simone Barrientos, 52, who lived down the road from the boy's refugee home and belongs to a group of volunteers that helps refugees in Ochsenfurt.

``I would see him around, we exchanged perhaps a couple of words,'' she said.

Barrientos said people who interacted with him are at a loss to explain what happened. ``With all these young people,

``Perhaps people who have been traumatized develop different strategies, and in his case, his strategy was probably to keep things close to his chest.''

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the attack ``unbeliev-

Refugees, some of whom come from Syria, and their supporters demonstrate with posters written with 'we love peace' in downtown Wuerzburg, Germany

you have to assume trauma. To do anything else would be naive,'' she said.

ably cruel'' and said that ``there is still a lot to learn about the attacker and the background to the crime,''

promising that ``everything will be done to seek clarity.''

Like those who knew him, authorities are struggling to determine what caused the teen to radicalize.

Two days before the attack, he found out that a friend had died in Afghanistan and reportedly was very agitated by the news, but investigators say exactly what happened is unclear.

After that, his foster parents told the police he acted differently, spending a lot of time on his cellphone, though it wasn't clear who he was speaking to.

As he left, he told his foster family he was going on a bike ride.

His online footprints seemed inconspicuous until shortly before the attack, authorities said. ``He was active on social media, had his page there, but there were no hints of any extremist Islamist thought,'' Bavarian criminal police investigator Lothar Koehler said. ``However, 24 hours ago, he posted a cryptic message about the enemies of Islam.'' -AP

Datebook

August 5, 2016

NEW JERSEY Upcoming

NEW YORK

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Upcoming

Sun, Aug 7 • IFMP Annual Summer Picnic

Sun, Aug 7

Venue: Mercer County Park East, 1346 Edinburg Rd, West Windsor Township, NJ 08550 Time: 11:00 pm

Venue: Mercer County Park East, 1346 Edinburg Rd, West Windsor Township, NJ 08550 Time : 11:00 am

Sun, Aug 21

Sat, Aug 13

• Dream Team Star live Concert 2016

• DesiParty Featuring Bollywood Beats By Dj Harsh

Venue: Prudential Center, 25 Lafayette St, Newark, NJ 07102 Time : 7:00 pm

Venue: LEXICON, 226 E 54th St, New York, NY 10022 Time : 10:00 pm

Venue: Project Club LA, 6356 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028 Time: 10:00 pm

Sat, Aug 27

Sun, Aug 14

• South Asian Theater Festival 2016

• Gurdas Maan ‘Ki Banu Duniya Da’ Tour

Sat, Aug 13

Venue: George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingstone Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ Time: 2:30 pm

Venue: Colden Center, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367 Time : 8:00 pm

• IFMP Annual Summer Picnic

Mon, Aug 8 • Little Music Academy Sri. RamaChary Music class Venue: Bay Area Telugu Association, 39120 Argonaut Way, Fremont, CA 94538 Time: 1:00 pm

Fri, Aug 12 • Roaring with DJ - Akbar Sami from Bollywood in Hollywood!!

• Dream Team Star Concert 2016 Venue: Oracle Arena Oakland, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland, CA 94621 Time: 07:00 pm

Sat, Aug 20 • Dream Team Star Show - The BIGGEST STAR Venue: The Forum, 3900 West Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood, CA 90305 Time: 07:30 pm

Wed, Aug 31 • gFive Event Venue: The Comedy Store (Main Room), 8433 Sunset Boulevard , Los Angeles, CA 91502 Time: 01:00 pm

Sun, Sep 18 • Sonu Nigam and Atif Aslam Live in Concert - Los Angeles Venue: Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, 300 East Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90802 Time: 6:00 pm

India Post 47

CHICAGO

Upcoming Sun, Aug 14 • Independence Day Celebrations Venue: Rainbow Park, 6155 Rainbow Drive, San Jose, CA 95129 Time: 12:00 pm Contact: 408-573-7307

Sun, Aug 21 • Kailash Kher Live in Concert 2016 - Bay Area Venue: Performing Arts Center - Chabot College, 25555 Hesperian Boulevard, Hayward, CA 94545 Time: 07:00 pm

ATLANTA Upcoming Sat, Aug 6 • 20th Festival of India Venue: Infinite Energy Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 404-915-0497

ILLINOIS Upcoming 1st and 3rd Sunday of Month • Chicago Children's Bal Mukund Character Building Program and Hindi Literacy Classes Venue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. Higgins Road, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Next to Nissan Dealership) Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807

Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105

Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Where: Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105

Sat, Aug 20 • Gurdas Maan Live in Concert in Atlanta

Swami Ishatmananda

Venue: Georgia World Congress Center,

Venue: Public Library-95th Street 3015 Cedar Glade Rd Naperville IL 60564 Time: 1st friday of every month 7-8 pm Contact: 630-637-0662

285 Andrew Young International Boulevard Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30303 Time: 7:00 pm

Fri, Sep 16 • Sonu and Atif Live in Concert 2016 Atlanta Venue: Infinite Energy Arena, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097 Time: 8:30 pm

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August 5, 2016

Philosophy

August 5, 2016

India Post 49

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis JOAN TOLLIFSON

W

hat happens when we feel a deep wave of something we don't likemaybe sadness or anxiety, depression or despair, loneliness or a vague sense of doom? Does the thinking mind immediately get to work telling a story-what this feeling means about me, what a lost cause I am, or what this feeling means about life, that life is scary or dangerous or disappointing or untrustworthy or whatever, or what I should do about this apparent problem, and so on?

Do we begin immediately thinking and story-telling and problemsolving (or more accurately, problem-constructing)? Do we start trying to get away from this unwanted feeling?

Turning on the TV, picking up a book, checking our email, lighting a cigarette, eating ice cream, getting busy on our iPhone, running through various spiritual beliefs in our headâ&#x20AC;Śanything other than simply being just this moment, exactly as it is, however it is right now.

We want happiness, peace, freedom, joy, enlightenment, awakeningâ&#x20AC;Śand we think to ourselves, "This can't be it."

What happens if, instead of resisting this unwanted feeling or running from it or thinking about it or chasing after something we imagine would be better, we simply allow the unwanted feeling or experience to be here, just as it GREG CALISE

A

wakening is not a walk in the park. It is a ride through hell. It is the tearing down of all of your cherished beliefs and everything you thought about yourself. There is no way around this.

We must come face to face with our shadows. It is there that our false ideas of who we are shattered. It is there that all of our false beliefs are destroyed.

We must face these false notions and see them for what they are. This is the only way to heal, to become whole again, to live in integrity.

It is a complete surrender, a process of brutal self honesty. It is a path of complete acceptance of the truth, no matter how difficult it is to bear. We go through life with so many false notions of the world, of spirituality and of ourselves. We build up masks and we believe the facades. It's all a charade. It is all based upon illusions and deceit.

We deceive ourselves at every moment, and the world also deceives us at every moment. We live in perpetual cognitive dissonance, justifying the most absurd things in our minds. We con-

is? What is it actually like? I'm not suggesting we think about that question and try to come up with some conceptual answer, but rather, what happens if we're simply present and aware, allowing the present feeling to be as it is, exploring it directly with open attention, experiencing it as pure sensation, pure energy-without a storyline, without assigning any meaning to the sensations, without labeling any of it-but simply experiencing this whole event that

is beholding it all sad or anxious or depressed or lonely? Is awareness trapped or bound or lacking in any way?

Is this awaring presence limited or defective or broken? We may notice that the whole happening that we were calling sadness or anxiety or depression or despair is not a solid thing at allthat it is actually moving, vibrating, changing, evaporating, appearing, disappearing-and that at the center of any sensation, if we

presence or infinite potential, the disappearance of the disturbing feelings, and so on.

And when we have that kind of expectation or agenda in mind, then we're not really allowing the present situation to be as it is-we're not simply letting it be and exploring it with open curiosity-instead, we're looking for a result, which is a form of resistance and seeking.

And when we're looking for a result, that often has a way of preventing that desired result from

By seeking enlightenment, we overlook it Here

If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?

-Dogen

What happens if, instead of resisting or running away from it, we simply allow the unwanted feeling or experience to be here, just as it is? What is it actually like?

Joan Tollifson

we've been calling sadness or anxiety or depression or despair or loneliness without calling it anything?

We may notice that in doing this, our sense of identity has shifted effortlessly from the character in the story (who has a reason, in the story, to be sad or anxious or depressed or lonely) to the awareness beholding the whole happening. Is this awareness that

go deeply into it with awareness, there is no-thing there at all-only empty space, pure presence, pure aliveness-infinite potential.

Of course, the danger in saying what I just said is that the mind may start deliberately trying to "do" this allowing with a kind of subtle expectation that this allowing should result in all the things I just described: a shift in identity, a discovery of emptiness or pure

happening. As we often note, by seeking enlightenment, we overlook it Here / Now. So if what I described in the previous paragraph doesn't seem to be your experience, that's totally okay. It's not a sign that you're a loser or that you "don't get it."

Joan has a background in Buddhism and Advaita. Her mentor was Toni Packer, a former Zen teacher.

stantly lie to ourselvesâ&#x20AC;Ś. and we believe it. To awaken to the truth that you seek, you must tear down the lies. But we are too attached to the lies.

We want to hold on to the illusions and to become enlightened at the same time. That is not possible. But there are hundreds of

awakening. This is only polishing the ego. They all lead you right back into the matrix. You may even be lucky enough to get a golden cage, but it is still a cage, and you remain imprisoned in slavery. This is the road that most people choose to follow. This road is well traveled by the herd.

to break free of the herd. The Siddhartha road is not easy. It is a treacherous road that will shatter every part of your existence.

No, it takes a certain type of person to walk that road; a person that is willing to give up everything to find his true Self.

But when you do awaken, and

In the stillness of the mind I saw myself as I am - unbound.

-Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

What was never lost can never be found.

-Zen Saying

When you plant a seed of love, it is you that blossoms.

-Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati

If you have inner peace, nobody can force you to be a slave to the outer reality.

-Sri Chinmoy

Awakening is a process of brutal self honesty

People living deeply have no fear of death.

-Anais Nin

We want to hold on to the illusions and to be-

We have only now, only this single eternal moment opening and unfolding before us, day and night.

-Jack Kornfield

come enlightened at the same time. That is not possible. But there are hundreds of phony gurus and "spiritual teachers" that will tell you it is.

They offer you processes to become happy

Greg Calise

We carry inside us the wonders we seek outside us. you do see the world with new eyes, you soon realize that no one -Rumi else is seeing the same thing. I tried to tell a few people what had It is easy to believe we are happened to me, but no one beeach waves and forget we lieved me. They thought that perhaps I cracked under the pressure are also of suffering and had gone crazy. the ocean.

Adapted from Awakening is a -John J. Muth Destructive Process by Greg Calise Insure yourself FIRST. Call Sahanis, (Arish, Priya or Shiv) for your Insurance needs 718- 271- 0453. Serving for last 35 yrs phony gurus and "spiritual teachers" that will tell you it is. They offer you processes to become happy, fulfilled, calm, find your soulmate, be positive, get the right job, make lots of money, balance the chakras, become healthy and whatever else you may be desiring.

This has nothing to do with

It takes courage, discernment and self honesty to walk the road to truth and freedom. Not many people have that. We have been weakened by the onslaught of programming since our childhood. Most people want to remain in the herd, as they find comfort in the company of other deluded souls. It takes a certain individual

50 India Post

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August 5, 2016

A variety of masks from Mexico are on display at this exhibition.

N

umerous characters from Mexican legends and myths have been brought to life in a unique exhibition in New Delhi featuring over 33 different types of masks that are used in various festivals across Mexico.

Made from different mediums - lacquered wood carving, polychrome clay, ceramic, metal, fabric and plastic etc, the masks exhibited in the show are used in over 4,000 different celebrations held throughout the year across different states of the country.

"A marvelous instrument, the mask hides the wearer while at the same time it acquires life and becomes a God, a deity, an animal or maybe a king. It becomes a passport to a different world or time," says Melba PrĂ­a, Mexican Ambassador to India.

"Most of the masks exhibited in the show are used for dance-drama performances in Mexico. These are a kind of theatre performance in which dancers and audience recreate sacred myths, legends and historical events," she says.

Among the most popular of the characters depicted through the masks include the

'Devil' which is symbolic of the process of evangelization and introduce the concepts of good, bad and punishment.

The 'Jaguar' or the 'Tiger', which is also considered the most sacred animal, is often shown to play a double role - of both good and evil.

Some masks refer to pre-Hispanic deities while the 'Old Men' also play the role of ceremonial buffoons, mocking the fragility of the elderly and making the audience laugh with their antics.

Among animal masks are species native to the Americas, with particular significance among pre-Hispanic populations like alligator, monkey, boar, birds, turtles etc.

Before the Spanish conquest in 16th cen-

tury, the North American country was home to over one hundred ethnic groups and masks and costumes were an integral part of their rituals.

The ruling theocrats took on the characteristics of the Gods in their ceremonies, using imitative magic to control the forces of nature and the cosmic struggles.

Cont'd on Page 52

August 5, 2016

India Post 51 www.indiapost.com

Not quitting Bollywood: Nargis Fakhri A

fter rumor mills were abuzz with stories of Nargis Fakhri planning to quit India, and Bollywood, forever, Nargis has shot down rumors saying these are all "baseless rumors" and she has "no plans to quit".

Nargis took to Twitter to share that she is looking forward to completing her assignments in the US and will also start promoting her upcoming film 'Banjo' in a few weeks.

Reports about the 'Azhar' actor quitting Bollywood and not returning to India began doing the rounds when Fakhri left the country during the promotions

F

of her films Azhar and Housefull 3 in May this year.

It was said that Nargis had apparently broken up with actor Uday Chopra and flown to the US to get over him. She was quoted by a daily as saying, "Nargis was all set to announce her wedding to Uday Chopra, but he'd changed his mind about getting hitched and this came as a shock to her. There was a time when he was very keen to marry her and had proposed to her, but she wanted to focus on her career and Hollywood films.

Now, the tables have turned. She had a huge fight with him, suffered a nervous breakdown and left almost overnight."

However, Fakhri's spokesperson presented a different version of the story to the media. The spokesperson said, "Nargis has been extremely overworked working on three films simultaneously

out of Housefull 3 promotions to go back home to New York for a month to address all her medical issues and recuperate."

A few days after the Nargis Fakhri-Uday Chopra brouhaha, Chopra released a statement which read, "I normally don't respond to gossip, but the press has been reporting a lot of fiction disguised as fact. I would just like to clarify that Nargis and I have been and still are very close friends. The press has done a wonderful job of creating stories out of thin air and I applaud their creativity. However these are all untrue."

Nargis has been away from the country for more than two months now, but seems like we will see the actor back in action soon. Her upcoming film Banjo, directed by Ravi Jadhav, will see her opposite Riteish Deshmukh.

Brett Lee love scene in Censor trouble

ormer Australian pace bowler Brett Lee is the new actor to join Bollywood. His debut movie 'UnIndian' had to face the wrath of censor board due to his love-making scene with his costar Tannishtha Chatterjee.

The Examining Committee (EC) has asked to chop the one-minuteeight-seconds scene. If the film's makers agree to make the alteration, it becomes a 26-seconds scene. The committee suggested, "Remove the sideways visual and

end climatic shot. The sex scene not to be synchronized with the mantra chanting."

The EC has asked the film's makers to agree to the proposal if they expect a U/A. Not satisfied by the EC's suggestion, director Anupam Sharma says, "The love scene runs simultaneously with a sermon scene where followers chant 'Om Shreem Hreem' which are spiritual chants and not religious. I'm a practicing Hindu myself so there is no way I would

offend anyone's sentiments."

Reiterating that India gave KamaSutra to the world, he adds, "Speaking of the side profile, the actors are bareback in the scene.

It's been shot aesthetically. Much more is shown on Indian television and item songs."

Though he doesn't agree with the cuts, he says, "My film is not as politically powerful as 'Udta Punjab' so I don't have to make a statement. I cannot lose out on my audience at the cost of re-

Shah Rukh is magic: Alia Bhatt

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over the last year. For someone who's used to doing one film at a time, this was quite a bit for Nargis.

Schedules and intense work hours that filmmaking demands are not something everyone can cope with. In addition, she has been unwell right through the Azhar promotions with multiple injuries - torn hamstring, anterior knee ligament thinning and mild socket dislocation along with burning of the stomach lining due to lead and arsenic poisoning. Due to these multiple issues and her overall exhaustion, she had a fever of about 101 degrees right through her promotions. Even though she was advised complete rest, she ensured she completed everything she had committed to for Azhar. However, due to her deteriorating condition, she had to request Sajid sir (Nadiadwala, the producer of Housefull 3) and bow

lia Bhatt who has just fin ished working with Shah Rukh Khan in Gauri Shinde's upcoming film, is all praise for her co-star. She says, "Shah Rukh is magic. His words, his persona, his eyes when he looks into the camera....He is such a delight to work with!"

Alia found SRK to be an extremely co-operative co-star. "He has tremendous regard for everyone's work. He is Shah Rukh Khan. But he doesn't let that fact weigh him or others down. He doesn't let anyone feel unimportant. Everyone on the sets was equally important for him, be it a technician or a co-star."

As for the age difference,

Alia didn't think about it at all. She says, "Not for a minute did I feel Shah Rukh was older. We worked like friends. But when he spoke I felt very young in front of him.

He is so knowledgeable. He knows so much more than me.

He makes every anecdote every incident from his life sound so interesting. I just loved to sit and chat with him in-between shots."

When asked whether she feels that her young age is a hindrance, she says, "In my head I am 32. Mentally, I feel like I am an older person. I also use it as per my convenience. So, when I want to be childish, I say, 'But I am so young'. Sometimes, I look at myself from a third person's point of view, and think, 'Alia you are a child'. But in reality, with the way I sit and behave, I feel much older. When I am hanging out with Karan Johar (director), I feel like a child. I act more like a grandmother to my mother and my father."

taining my interest as a filmmaker.

We have about three weeks left for release (August 19), so I will oppose the cut from my end. At the same time, I cannot hold my distributors and producer at ransom. I wonder how no lesson has

been learnt, even after the Bombay High Court making it clear that the CBFC does not have the power to 'censor' films.

Of all films, this one is the last film that needs to run into controversy."

52 India Post

August 5, 2016 www.indiapost.com

Yuvraj-Keech marriage by year end

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fter being romantically linked with a number of Bollywood actresses from Kim Sharma, Neha Dhupia to Deepika Padukone, cricketer Yuvraj Singh seems to have found true love in model-actress Hazel Keech.

Yuvraj and Hazel got engaged in November last year during their vacation in Bali, Indonesia, and if reports are to be believed, the couple will tie the knot by this year end.

A report in SpotboyE, citing sources said that the two will begin their innings as man and wife in November/December this year.

While the date and venue has not been revealed yet, it is known that they will get hitched before the New Year.

Soon after their engagement news broke out, Yuvraj's parents also opened up to the media praising their son's choice. While the all-rounder's mother Shabnam said Hazel loved her son unconditionally, his father Yograj Singh said that he was sure that Hazel would bring good luck to his son's life.

Days before their engagement,

they showed up as a couple at Harbhajhan Singh and Geeta Basra's wedding reception last year. They also attended Preity Zinta and Gene Goodenough's

wedding reception held in Mumbai in May this year.

Post engagement, the couple

has been vocal about their wedding plans. They did a photoshoot as a couple for a popular women's fashion magazine and revealed about their wedding and honeymoon plans to the glossy.

The couple plans to have small and intimate Sikh and Hindu wedding ceremonies, but a big reception. Yuvraj also stated that his buddy Angad Bedi would be his best man while Hazel revealed that her sister Tina and friends Bruna Abdullah and Insia Lacewala would be her bridesmaids. The report also mentioned that Hazel wants her honeymoon in Hawaii, but Yuvi wants to go to Bora Bora or Maldives.

Hazel's father is of British descent while her mother is a Mauritian Hindu of Indian ancestry. She was introduced to Bollywood by Salman Khan and starred in his 2011 film 'Bodyguard'. She also participated in the reality show 'Bigg Boss 7' but got eliminated in the first week itself.

Six-year-old is garbage man for a day SACRAMENTO, CA: Ethan Dean has always dreamed of being a garbage man. He never tires of playing with toy garbage trucks and loves to watch the real ones drive past his house.

Last week the 6-year-old with cystic fibrosis got his wish, riding shotgun in a booster seat through Sacramento as an honest-to-goodness garbage truck driver with a set of wheels labeled ``Ethan's Garbage Truck.''

He donned a green cape that read ``Hero Ethan'' and a big smile as the truck stopped to pick up trash and recyclables. It wasn't a chore for Ethan, who said his favorite part of the day put on by the Make-A-Wish Foundation was ``cleaning up garbage.'' Hundreds of people gathered to cheer him on.

After being surprised at his school, Ethan and the garbage truck made five stops.

Sam Thurman, the Waste Management employee who drove Ethan, said when he agreed to take part, he had no idea how big the day was going to be.

And as for Ethan? ``He can't wipe that grin off his face,'' Thurman said. ``He looks like it's Christmas morning and he's unwrapping his first present.''

Ethan was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as an infant and began treatment at eight weeks old. The

tion agreed to grant his wish in February, there was little doubt what he wanted it to be. ``We pretty much knew it was going to be about garbage trucks,'' said Ethan's dad, Ken Dean, laughing.

He's been watching them come down the street since he first learned how to crawl, Dean said. Ethan Six-year-old Ethan Dean, who was also has a garbage truck diagnosed with bedspread and pillow, cystic fibrosis at garbage truck toys and two weeks old, has had a garbage truck rides in a waste birthday party. truck as his wish to be a garbage man Ethan's big day came true for a day comes three years after in Sacramento, Make-A-Wish transCalif. formed San Francisco into Gotham for a 5-yearold boy who had battled leukemia for years and dreamed of being Batkid. Miles genetic disorder is characterized Scott traveled from one crime by a buildup of thick mucus and scene to another, rescuing a damfrequent lung infections, and the sel in distress and thwarting the median life expectancy is about 40 plans of The Riddler and The Penyears old. guin, as crowds of people cheered When Make-A-Wish Founda- him on. -AP

'Pokemon Go' fans play in India despite no launch NEW DELHI: ``Pokemon Go'' has yet to officially arrive in India, but that's not stopping people there from playing the highly addictive online game.

Many fans of the augmentedreality-based game have managed to download the app even though it has not been launched in India yet. Some are also using virtual private networks (VPNs) to change their locations and catch pokemons in New York and

nomenon after it was launched in most countries across North America and Europe. It was recently launched in Japan and Hong Kong, the only two Asian countries where it is officially available to download.

Gamers in India have used accounts linked to U.S.- or Britainbased app stores to download the game. No launch date has been announced for India.

Siddhant Tyagi, a 21-year-old

Young Indians look at their screens at a bus station and play "Pokemon Go" in Mumbai, India.

London while sitting in their Indian homes.

Organized ``pokewalks'' are becoming common in cities such as Mumbai and New Delhi, where hundreds are gathering to catch pokemon characters. ``You really feel like you're walking around in tall grass, catching all your favorite pokemons,'' 14-year-old Nikhil Kapil said in Mumbai.

The highly popular gaming app has become a global phe-

design student who has caught all four starter pokemons Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander and Pikachu - said he and his friends have been spending an average of four hours a day playing ``Pokemon Go,'' often walking around New Delhi landmarks and city parks, where most ``pokestops'' are located.

He also uses a VPN to catch pokemons around the world, while sitting in his New Delhi home. -AP

Many masks of Mexico Cont'd from Page 50

While masks from most of the Mexican states at the show appear to be animals with sharp canines, protruding horns or an odd shaped noses, those from areas like Chiapas, Tlaxcala and Michoacan are more human-like, likely to remind one of characters from William Shakespeare's plays.

Incidentally much like the Elizabethan age in Europe, women do not participate in dances with masks.

"The masked female characters are always played by men dressed up as women, a practice popular in Europe during the 15th century that has survived until the present," PrĂ­a says.

Besides being used in celebrations, mask making is treated as a form of art in itself in the country where masks are also made for tourists and collector.

"The masks can be seen as a

work of art by itself. They are sculptures through which the mask maker can unleash his creativity.

"They are also canvases in which one community interprets a topic in its own way. There are recurring themes and it is interesting to see different regions characterize these themes in their local context," says Pria.

According to her Mexico and India are two incredibly diverse regions but they share some of the richest mask traditions.

"They are both ancient practices that reflect the diversity and rich heritage of our native cultures.

Both are used as important props in folk dances and celebrations, like in the Chhau festival in East India. "Although the characters may be different, both traditions use masks to represent a character and for the dancer to take over certain features that are necessary to tell a story," she says.-PTI

August 5, 2016

India Post 53 www.indiapost.com

Keeping Usain Bolt calm is laughter NEW YORK: How does the mom of Usain Bolt help the world's fastest man keep his cool? ``We say things that will make him laugh,'' said Jennifer Bolt as her sprinter star offspring faces down what just may be his last Olympics.

At nearly 30, Bolt has six Olympic gold medals from the Beijing and London Olympics. Though he withdrew July 1 from Jamaica's national meet with a slight tear in his left hamstring, the world record holder in the 100- and 200meter dash proved his fitness July 22 in the 200 at the London Anniversary Games and deemed himself good to go for Rio. A few days before the London event, his mom visited New York and said in an interview that she wasn't worried, having long ago learned that calming her own nerves was the best way to soothe Usain. ``I know he's going to get well and everything will be OK for the games,'' said the soft-spoken Jennifer, who has been cheering him on since his speed first surfaced around 12 or 13. ``I tell him just stay focused, remember God, remember to pray and read your Bible,'' she said.

Usain has come back from inju-

ries before, including left hamstring problems. When it happened in 2004 at what was supposed to be his first Olympics, in Athens, he didn't make it past the first round. He was just 17. ``It was a bit scary because we didn't really understand and know what it was,'' Jennifer said. ``He had wanted so much to be at the Olympics and he just couldn't

nervous'' since 2002, when at age 15 he debuted at the World Junior Championships in Kingston.

He won the 200-meter - and that was the beginning for the 6-foot-5 sprinter, who had never been away from his parents or his modest village of Sherwood Content in Trelawny Parish before he left for Kingston to train professionally.

At 12, when he earned a schol-

Jamaica's Usain Bolt crosses the finish line to win the gold in the men's 200meter final during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

make it.''

Jennifer and Usain's dad, Wellesley, live in the same village along Jamaica's northern coast where they ran a general store during his youth. They've been helping him, Jennifer said, ``not get

arship to attend a high school known for turning out strong athletes, it all clicked for Jennifer. Bolt loved cricket and football growing up but he has said he settled on track because he was good at it.

As a child, she said, ``he could

not keep still. Even in the bed, you could see him tossing. When he started high school, that's when we see that he's really competitive.''

Over the years, Jennifer said, she has realized her best approach is to remain strong when her son falters. ``I learn to cope with it. I cannot feel down when I have to support him. I just pray and hope that everything will be good,'' she said. ``I know that he still depends on his mother.''

It's just as he did as a teen. ``I can remember in 2002 for the world championships. At the time he was 15 and before the games he didn't want to go. And he cries, and I had to try to comfort him, encourage him to go out and do his best because he didn't feel that he could have done it,'' she said. ``I was really, really, really nervous and, you know, my legs shake. My heart beat.''

Then she listened to the crowd. ``The crowd was behind him.

From then I don't feel that nervous,'' she said.

The scene plays out a bit in ``The Boy Who Learned to Fly,'' a new short animated film produced

by Gatorade and based on Usain's life. The advice her animated self gives to her jittery teen before the

2002 junior worlds: ``You can always go fast when you keep it light.''

Norman Peart, who handles finances for Usain, has been a mentor since he was 15. Peart accompanied him to Kingston when Usain first left home to train. Usain lived with him, and later his wife and kids, for three years.

There's a saying in Jamaica that fits Usain perfectly, said Peart, 13 years his senior. ``We say, you have to have crocodile skin to handle the pressure, and he does,'' he said.

So how do the two think the ebullient Usain's retirement, maybe in the next year or so, will play out? Jennifer thinks he'd make a great TV analyst. ``He'd put a little vibes to the sports,'' she laughed of her son's reputation for his trademark ``lightning bolt,'' his love of flashing huge smiles and his party spirit.

Peart thinks the same of Usain's future. ``I can see him as an analyst.

And he'll do stuff with Puma for years to come for sure,'' said Peart of one of Usain's biggest endorsement deals.

But before that: ``The first thing he'll do is take a little break. He'd love some time for himself.'' -AP

Twins share bond 30 years after transplant EVANSVILLE, Ind.: It was just a stomachache.

At least that's what Jim Archacki thought. The 38 year-old custodian from Boston was an avid runner and had always been healthy, yet after a few weeks the painful stomachache just wouldn't go away.

The only cure seemed to be more running - so outside he went, where he ran mile after mile, the October wind at his back. Yet soon after he finished, the pain would return.

After multiple trips to the doctor's office where he was subject to CAT scans, he was told he needed to be operated on.

The operation confirmed what doctors thought was likely, Jim had a cancerous tumor in his stomach, and was diagnosed with nonHodgkin's lymphoma.

But as he lay sedated in his hospital bed, Jim just didn't know that yet.

John Archacki sat in the room with his twin brother Jim at the Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He had just been told that his brother had cancer, and had been en-

trusted with the duty of telling him the diagnosis.

A Jimmy Buffett song playing on his cassette player, he couldn't hold in the news, and blurted it out to Jim, who was more asleep than awake, thanks to his sedation.

Now aware he had cancer, one emotion dominated the others relief. ``I was relieved that at least they found an answer,'' Jim said.

He immediately fell back asleep, leaving John with the difficult task of calling their sisters and mother with the news. ``That was hard,'' John said. ``It was a short conversation; they felt how you'd expect them to.''

Every third Tuesday for the next five months, Jim received chemotherapy. It reduced the tumor immensely after the first treatment, allowing Jim to run 14 miles with his brother each Saturday.

He wasn't about to let cancer get in the way of his love for running.

A sports fanatic and lover of Boston College football, he made a goal to be at the team's home opener against USC in September 1988.

By the next summer, doctors announced that the cancer was in remission. However, in order to stay that way, Jim needed a bonemarrow transplant.

He didn't need to look far for a donor. ``There was never any doubt that I was going to do it,'' John said.

The harvest was performed at

the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and kept John in the hospital for a few days.

The transplant was done on July 3, 1986. ``The bone marrow transplant was definitely more challenging,'' Jim said. ``It took a lot more out of me.''

Jim stayed in the hospital until the end of August, and realized he

Twin brothers John Archacki, (left) and Jim Archacki, of Evansville, walk along the Burdette/USI Trail at Burdette Park as part of their daily exercise routine recently. In 1985, Jim was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and eventually received a bone-marrow transplant from his brother, John.

had a problem as he was getting ready to leave. ``When I put my street clothes on to go home, they didn't fit at all,'' Jim said.

His stay at the Dana-Farber had made him lose 30 pounds, down to 130 from the time he entered.

His exit was short lived though, as an allergic reaction to sulfur caused him to return to the hospital until late September. ``Through the whole process I was never really afraid because I wasn't married, I didn't have any grandchildren, I didn't have anything to lose,'' Jim said.

It's been 30 years since John donated bone marrow to his twin, and now the 69-year-old East Coasters live in Evansville, where they've been for four years.

Lifetime bachelors, the brothers have lived together for years even sharing a car. ``Since we lived and worked in the same area, it was easy to share an automobile,'' John said. ``We'd just switch off.''

Family in Indiana convinced them to come to the state and try living in another area of the country. -AP

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Counter-terrorism lessons from Singapore

I

n May 2016, the Delhi Police released four youth reportedly indoctrinated with Jaish-eMohammed's (JeM) ideology after organizing a set of counseling sessions, including weekly visits to a psychologist and a Muslim scholar. It was one of the rare occasions when positive reinforcement was apparently used as a tactic to de-radicalize terror suspects.

India's counter-terror strategy has recently seen use of soft approaches such as no-first arrest, guidance, countering radical narratives, etc to supplement hard tactics. The Delhi Police's decision appears to be in conformity with this trend.

Soft approaches to counter terror have been used in many countries, such as Singapore, whose unique model provides an interesting case study, and elements of that approach may be relevant to the Indian system.

Singapore follows a bi-layered counter-terrorism strategy. A thicker layer involving numerous soft measures is backed by a second layer comprising hard security measures and stringent laws

Facilitating Vs Employing Globally, community leaders play a significant role in counterterrorism by providing a counter narrative to the misconceived notions of radicalized individuals. In Singapore, the same is done by the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), an all-volunteer group of Islamic scholars and teachers involved in the rehabilitation of detained operatives (through counseling) and countering radical ideologies (through publications and seminars).

It was formed by two prominent community leaders in Singapore who were concerned about the dangerous ideology being sketched by radicalized detainees.

Working alongside the RRG, the Singapore government has en-

The soft approach has two main components - a) involving the community to counter radical ideologies, and b) building social resilience. There are four major lessons that can be learnt from Singapore's experience such as the Internal Security Act (ISA). The soft approach has two main components - a) involving the community to counter radical ideologies, and b) building social resilience. There are four major lessons that can be learnt from Singapore's experience.

Community Briefings In its counter-ideological initiatives, the Singapore government involved its Muslim community very conscientiously ever since the first indigenous terror network of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) was exposed in the city-state in 2001.

Its Home Ministry briefs the community members on every arrest, before media disclosures.

Such briefings often involve clarifications that it does not view the terror outfit's ideology as representative of "true Islam" and are aimed to reassure the minority community that the state does not see it as a source of potential trouble.

This small, yet significant step

India Post

HUSANJOT CHAHAL

can prove to be very useful in the Indian context where the minority's views of government actions are shaped by biased media reportage and also by the fact that some terrorists' arrests and counter-terror operations have proved to be fabricated cases for acquiring promotions and rewards.

sured that its part in such an act is that of a facilitator only. This gives the procedure more credence within the community.

In India, the government has attempted to co-opt clerics to prevent youth radicalization. While dealing with detainees, community members are used more as tools to serve a purpose.

In the JeM arrests, for instance, a Delhi Police official noted how Muslim cleric counselors would be paid a "fee for their services". Such an approach, evidently, comes with a short shelf-life and is visibly ill-founded. It has, not surprisingly, divided the community between supporters (the so-called sarkari mullahs) and non-supporters of the government.

Steering Clear of Polarization While facilitating voices, it is important to avoid pitching one religious orientation against the other. The Indian Prime Minister has been showcasing the Sufi order as a counter to radical Islam.

Not only does it induce divisions in the community, but it also limits the appeal of the message by being exclusive in character.

The Singapore government faced a similar situation in the initial phases of the RRG. Individuals at the forefront of its counter-ideological work were well known Sufi leaders who inadvertently shaped its content and ideas. This was not well received among certain segments of the Muslim community, especially among the Salafis.

The situation aggravated when one Sufi practitioner's statement was seen as anti-Salafi - he equated Salafism to extremism.

The issue was soon rectified as the RRG started fielding non-Sufi asatizah (religious teachers) in its public forums and expanded its content.

It is suggested that a community-based initiative with an inclusive approach that draws a line between those who are pro-violence and terrorism and those who are against it, is more likely to succeed.

More Effective Inter-Faith Dialogues Given Singapore's multi-cultural set-up (not unlike India's), its leaders have always stressed that social harmony and a strong psychological defense against ideologies that induce divides must be stressed. This has been primarily done through well-organized interfaith platforms such as the InterRacial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCC) and its Community Engagement Program (CEP). These dialogues aim to build bridges between communities during peacetime, so that they can act as a safety net during times of conflict.

Unlike India, the platforms in Singapore are not for mere display where participants subsequently return to their sectarian rhetoric.

Instead, they are seen as problem solving mechanisms and not talkshop conferences.

India needs to make these dialogues much more organized and effective to have practical implications on the society in countering the xenophobic views within it.

Out of a whole range of other lessons that can be learnt from Singapore, these four are perhaps most practicable, requiring the social conditioning of security agencies and shaping a nuanced official policy that is more likely to deliver results in these challenging times.

The writer is Research Officer, IReS, IPCS

Wooing Dalits E

lectoral considerations have forced the BJP to woo Dalits who comprise a large section of the electorate in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat; the states which go for elections next year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his recent cabinet reshuffle inducted a number of Dalits as junior ministers. The party has been making great show of respect for BR Ambedkar, the messiah of Dalits, by celebrating events connected with him like his birthday and swearing by his words as enacted in the Indian constitution. But the real face of its cadre keeps popping up in the form of beating up of Dalits in the name of cow protection and refusal to allow them entry into temples.

The incident in Una, Gujarat, where a Dalit family was flogged by alleged cow protectors for skinning a dead cow has snowballed into a major political crisis for the BJP when Dalit groups gathered in large numbers in Ahmedabad to protest the incident.

Coming soon after the Patel quota agitation it has triggered the resignation of Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben. In Uttar Pradesh Dalit ire was ignited by BJP Vice President Daya Shankar Singh calling BSP leader Mayawati a "prostitute." The ensuing protests have led to the suspension of the BJP leader and later his arrest.

The enraged BSP leader is now planning to visit Gujarat to meet Dalit agitators, giving jitters to the BJP. The BJP really has a problem. While trying to organize Hindus, its cadres believe the purpose is served by antagonizing other groups like Dalits and Muslims. Also there is the traditional refusal to allow Dalits to enter temples. There were reports recently that following denial of permission to the Dalits by upper caste Hindus to conduct rituals at the ancient Badrakaliyamman temple at Nagapattinam, during the Tamil month of Adi, some Dalits had planned to embrace Islam. Referring to this situation, Udit Raj, a Dalit leader who is now a BJP MP, has warned that Hindu religion is in "danger" not because of conversion but because of its "socalled protectors". Raj said if the doors of temples are closed for Dalits then they would go to Church, Mosque, and "we would not be responsible for that".

The so-called gau-rakshaks have brought shame to the party.

They are the lumpen elements who seem to value a dead cow more than a human being and are daring to take the law in their own hands. Dalit representatives within the BJP are worried that the situation has been allowed to go out of hand. And if corrective steps are not taken there will be serious damage to electoral fortunes of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

As Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Urban Development and Information and Broadcasting, has claimed that atrocities against Dalits is not a new phenomenon. It has been occurring under 50 years of Congress rule also. But never have the Gau Rakshak kind of vigilantes been so brazen about committing such atrocities that they ever dared to put out a video showing their dastardly deed.

That the BJP governments have not done much to control these lumpen elements has become a cause for concern. PM Modi's silence over such atrocities seems to give them courage to carry on. Since last year PM Modi has been making special efforts to woo the Dalit constituency. He organized a special parliament session to pay tributes to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. However the balance seems to be tilting in favor of the vigilantes who keep getting support from some leaders in the BJP who have condoned the violence against Dalits.

It is now a big challenge for the BJP to strike a balance between the vigilantes and the Dalit communities. If it doesn't chastise the vigilantes, it will lose the Dalit vote and if it does so, it will lose its Hindutva constituency vote.

August 5, 2016

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