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Raj Goyle wins Kansas primaries for Congress Details on page 7

VOL 16, No. 831

August 13, 2010

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NEW PACT FURTHERS NUKE AGREEMENT

India Post News Service

Ranji Nagswami to oversee NYC pension plans Details on page 7

Kashmir meet calls for Indo-Pak peace Details on page 6

Trinidad, Tobago PM to attend NY parade Details on page 9

CWG corruption scandal claims first victim

NEW YORK: Taking another significant step forward in the implementation of the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation pact, India and the US signed the Agreement on Arrangements and Procedures for Reprocessing in Washington DC on July 30.

The Agreement was signed by Ambassador Meera Shankar and the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns pursuant to Article 6 (iii) of the "Agreement for Cooperation concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy" between the two countries and carries forward the commitment made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama to fully implement the India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement.

The signing of the Agreement enables reprocessing

by India of US-obligated nuclear material under IAEA safeguards and will facilitate participation by US firms in India's rapidly expanding civil nuclear energy sector.

Details on page 5

Aftab Shivdasani is FIA Festival Grand Marshal Details on page 8

Festival of India will be another grand spectacle Details on page 9

US intervenes on Blackberry issue with India Details on page 36

Actor Vivek Oberai to marry Bangalore girl Details on page 26

STEP FORWARD: Ambassador Meera Shankar and the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns shake hands after signing the Agreement on Arrangements and Procedures for Reprocessing at the State Dept on July 30

See page 41-73

CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 26-27

Details on page 6

INDIA POST SURVEY

Hudson River baby tossing mom gets bail ndia Post News Service

survey@indiapost.com This week’s question

Will the nuclear agreement bring early benefits?

Last week’s result

Will the US ever get wise to Pak duplicity?

YES 32%

NO 68%

NEW YORK: The Indian mother who threw her 18month-old baby into the Hudson River before jumping in herself in May this year, has been released on bail of $10,000 posted by her husband Dominic Prithviraj on Aug 2 in a Manhattan courthouse.

According to the New York Daily News, 34-year old Devi Silvia was released after the judge ruled that she

attend a 5-day-a-week outpatient psychiatric program beginning Aug 3.

Silvia and her husband left the courthouse without comment. Her lawyer said the two are still together. Both of the couple's daughters, including the one who recovered after being rescued from the river, have been sent back to India to live with relatives.

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

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Classifieds ------------------------- 79 Community Post -------------- 13-19 Date Book -------------------------- 78 Edit Page --------------------------- 82 HealthScience Post --------- 38-40 Horoscope ------------------------- 34 Immigration Post ------------- 74-77 Life Style ----------------------- 22-25 Philosophy ------------------------- 80 Publisherís Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate ------------------------ 33 TechBiz Post ------------------- 36-37 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 28-30

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Publisher’s Diary

I

've been reading a lot on this small Bollywood movie called Tere Bin Laden, which seems to have caught the imagination of movie goers across continents. The serious subject of America's war on terror with Pakistan's help has been wrapped in comedy much like a sugar coated pill.

While humor does make coping with harsh realities better, truth often is a bitter pill to swallow.

Analogies aside, I am thinking about the uncovering of classified US military information through Wikileaks that continues to throw up more evidence of Pakistan's covert two-sided agenda while overtly posing as a US ally.

So it was revelatory, if not scary reading what Jere Van Dyk, an American freelance reporter for CBS News and author of Captive: My Time as a Prisoner of the Taliban (he had been a Taliban captive for 45 days in early 2008), has to say about the Pakistan-Taliban-al-Qaeda alliance to throw out American forces from the region.

"The Wikileaks disclosures are further confirmation that what the Taliban told me is true; that Pakistan is working against the US in Afghanistan," says Dyk who traveled across Afghanistan over a period between 2006 and 2008.

Referring to the killings of many innocent Pakistanis in blasts, Dyk says, "Pakistan is killing those people to show how bad things are, to get money from America. Pakistan supported us against the Russians. Now it works with the Taliban and al-Qaeda to get America out of this region."

And then quite candidly, Dyk asserts: "The United States is giving Pakistan over one billion dollars a year. It is very probable that Pakistan is using some of this US taxpayer money to kill US soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan."

I wonder who in the US Administration does not get it still. Or if they do get it, I wonder if the US is pursuing a far more dangerous agenda in keeping up the war in Afghanistan when the most normal thinkers of the world, and even small time filmmakers like those that made 'Tere Bin Laden' can see how monumentally wasteful the whole exercise is.

Romesh K Japra rkjapra@indiapost.com

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Vivek to marry Vivek Oberoi is all set to tie the knot with Bangalore-based Priyanka Alva (28), daughter of danseuse Nandini Alva.

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Cover Story: Nuclear agreement India and the US signed the Agreement on Arrangements and Procedures for Reprocessing in Washington DC on July 30.

Community: Guest of Honor

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The first woman PM of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar will be the Guest of Honor at NY Parade

Health: Abbott Labs The US-India Business Council has saluted Abbott Labs for 100 years of improving healthcare in India.

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Life Style: Brilliant satire Tere Bin Laden is a brilliant satire that one can only appreciate and enjoy with oodles of intelligence.

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The US is in touch with India to understand its concerns over the security features of Blackberry.

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Travel: Red Fort Red Fort in India's capital Delhi has an inseparable link with India's independence from the British.

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US-India pact furthers nuke agreement India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Taking another significant step forward in the implementation of the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation pact, India and the US signed the Agreement on Arrangements and Procedures for Reprocessing in Washington DC on July 30.

The Agreement was signed by Ambassador Meera Shankar and the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns pursuant to Article 6 (iii) of the "Agreement for Cooperation concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy" between the two countries and carries forward the commitment made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama to fully implement the India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement.

The signing of the Agreement enables reprocessing by India of US-obligated nuclear material under IAEA safeguards and will facilitate participation by US firms in India's rapidly expanding civil nuclear energy sector.

In her remarks after the signing, Amb. Shankar acknowledged the hard and meticulous work

Signing the Agreement on Arrangements and Procedures for Reprocessing by Amb Meera Shankar and the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns at the State Dept in Washington, DC on July 30.†

done by the Indian and US negotiators that led to the completion of negotiations, well ahead of the stipulated period of one year. "This early completion in some sense reflects how our two countries are increasingly getting into the habit of working together. I would be

remiss if I do not mention the key role and guidance that was provided by Under Secretary Burns, particularly at difficult moments during the negotiations, which led to their successful conclusion," she said.

The Government of India, she

Jethmalani's praise endorses Krishna's achievement: Cong

India to pursue issue of nuclear free world

NEW DELHI: The Congress has welcomed BJP MP Ram Jethmalani's praise of S M Krishna for showing "dignity" in the face of critical remarks of his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi, saying it is an endorsement that the External Affairs Minister covered great ground in difficult times.

"S M Krishna's visit to Paki-

elected BJP MP was welcomed by Congress members by thumping of desks.

Meanwhile, referring to attacks on young women by Bajrang Dal activists in Raipur and other places on Friendship Day, Natarajan termed it as "shocking and shameful" saying the epidemic is spreading in the country.

"From Sri Ram Sene in Karnataka to Bajrang Dal in Raipur...They attacked, pulled the hair Jethmalani praised Krishna and blackened the face for showing ‘dignity’ of young women which cannot be condoned in the face of Qureshi's by any society," the remarks about Home spokesperson said, adding this bears no reSecretary G K Pillai lationship with the country's culture and stan covered a great ground in values. very difficult times. The apprecia"The BJP-ruled states do not tion endorses it," party spokes- give it the seriousness it deserves person Jayanthi Natarajan said at and allow the culprits to get away the AICC briefing. with lenient punishment," she Earlier in Rajya Sabha, said.

Jethmalani praised Krishna for The spokesperson asked the showing "dignity" in the face of state governments concerned to Qureshi's remarks about Home ensure that violence against Secretary G K Pillai and said that women and moral policing on his "demeanor displayed the cul- such days do not happen again tural superiority of India". and strong action is taken against The statement by the newly- the culprits. -PTI

NEW DELHI: India proposes to pursue the issue of nuclear weapon-free world as envisaged under the Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan 1988 in the first Committee in the forthcoming UN General Assembly commencing next month.

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said government remained committed to the objectives of the 1988 Action Plan for nuclear weapon-free and nonviolent world order.

He said India's national statements in recent years at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva have also included references to the Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan. "Government proposes to pursue this matter in the First Committee in the forthcoming UN General Assembly commencing in September 2010," he said while replying to a question in Rajya Sabha.

In 1988, then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi proposed an action plan for ushering in a nuclear weapon-free and non-violent world order, envisaging a binding commitment by all nations to the elimination of nuclear weapons in stages by 2010. -PTI

said, has an ambitious program for development of civil nuclear energy to meet the country's growing energy needs. "Our target is to increase our installed capacity more than seven fold to 35000 MWe by the year 2022, and to 60,000 MWe by 2032," Amb.

Shankar said. "International cooperation, including cooperation with US firms, is an important component of this plan. Today's agreement will facilitate the participation of US companies in India's rapidly expanding nuclear energy sector."

The Government of India has already designated two sites for nuclear power plants to be established in cooperation with the US and the companies of the two countries are now engaged in discussions.

Amb. Shankar further said the signing of this Agreement besides the recent Counter-terrorism Cooperation initiative in New Delhi a few days back, reflect the deepening ties between India and the US. "We are now looking forward to the visit of President Obama to India in November this year. We are confident that the visit would take our relationship to the next level and demonstrate how our two countries are working together to find solutions to the pressing global challenges of the day and for promotion of peace and stability in Asia and beyond," Amb. Shankar said.

Hudson River baby tossing mom gets bail India Post News Service

ing a court order [to return] or anything that would risk her seeing her children in the future," Iyer told Supreme Court Justice Lewis Stone.

Trying to get Silvia released without having to post bail, the defense lawyer told Judge Stone that Prithiviraj earns just $60 a day.

The judge set bail but released Silvia over prosecutors' objections. Judge Stone said further

NEW YORK: The Indian mother who threw her 18-monthold baby into the Hudson River before jumping in herself in May this year, has been released on bail of $10,000 posted by her husband Dominic Prithviraj on Aug 2 in a Manhattan courthouse.

According to the New York Daily News, 34-year old Devi Silvia was released after the judge ruled that she attend a 5-day-a- Silvia's lawyer Seema Iyer told week outpatient psychi- the newspaper that her client, atric program beginwho wept in court, was ning Aug 3.

Silvia and her hus- remorseful and distraught band left the court- about not being able to house without comment. Her lawyer said see her children the two are still together. Both of the couple's investigation will determine if "it's daughters, including the one who truly a criminal matter or a mental recovered after being rescued health matter."

Soon after being pulled out of from the river, have been sent back the river, Silvia told police that she to India to live with relatives.

Silvia's lawyer Seema Iyer told had wanted the child to die so she the newspaper that her client, who could get revenge on her huswept in court, was remorseful and band, who has apparently been distraught about not being able moving his family around the country since bringing them here to see her children.

"She would not risk disobey- from India a couple of years ago.

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Kashmir conference calls for Indo-Pak peace India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Participants at the 11th annual International Kashmir Peace Conference on the Capitol Hill, in Washington DC held July 29-30 adopted a resolution that there must be an early, just and durable resolution to the Jammu & Kashmir dispute taking into the aspirations of the people of J&K, and with the participation of all three parties to the dispute India, Pakistan and people of J&K. A deep anguish was expressed over 'jailing' of the six million people of Kashmir valley for past one month by imposing restrictions and curfew without any let up. Participants in the conference expressed their solidarity with the beleaguered people of Kashmir who have been suffering an interrupted curfew and called upon the Amnesty International and International Red Cross to come forward for providing medicine and food to the besieged population.

The conference organized by the Kashmiri-American Council and Association of Humanitarian Lawyers was entitled "India-Pakistan Relations: Breaking the Deadlock over Kashmir", and saw

over 300 participants including academicians, scholars, parliamentarians, journalists, human rights activists, diplomats from India, Pakistan, Jammu & Kashmir, England, Europe and the United States.

Following frank and free deliberations, the participants unanimously adopted the resolution at the end of the conference, which

The conference organized by the Kashmiri-American Council and Association of Humanitarian Lawyers was entitled "India-Pakistan Relations: Breaking the Deadlock over Kashmir", and saw over 300 participants also acknowledged the right of Kashmiri Pandits and all other migrants and displaced persons who have left the State since 1947, to return to Kashmir with dignity and honor.

The conference also called for normalization of relations between India and Pakistan; expressed concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Kashmir and urged the Indian government to withdraw its armed forces from civilian populated areas and establish an impartial commission with immediate effect to investigate the recent killings in a transparent manner.

The participants condemned the efforts to muzzle the press and further expressed need to restore the right to assemble and freedom of expression; condemned the draconian laws like the Indian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSAPA), the Disturbed Areas Act and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act and demanded withdrawal of these laws.

The draft committee for the adopted resolution comprised former diplomat Ambassador Kuldip Nayar; Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi; Dr. Khalid J. Qazi; Mohammad G. Zahid and Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Executive Director Kashmir American Council/ Kashmir Center and the conference host.

The scholars that made theme presentations included Prof.

Stanly Wolpert, University of California, Los Angeles, Prof. Joseph E Schwartberg Distinguished International Emeritus, International Emeritus Professor, Amb. Kuldip Nayar, Former Indian High Commissioner to UK, Amb. Muhammad Yusuf Buch, Former Senior Advisor to the UN Secretary General.

Prof. Stanley Wolpert in his

The participants condemned the efforts to muzzle the press and further expressed need to restore the right to assemble and freedom of expression; condemned draconian laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act presentation called upon the United States to do whatever it can to expedite the resolution of Kashmir conflict, which has taken a greater toll of human suffering and wasted resources than any

other South Asian catastrophe since the partition of British India.

He hoped that when President Obama visits India in November he will assure Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of America's commitment to assist him in ways possible to expedite the resolution of Kashmir.

Prof Schweartberg called upon India and Pakistan to resolve the dispute without adding needlessly to the streams of the blood and tears that have so far been Kashmir's unfortunate lot.

Amb. Kuldip Nayar dwelling in detail on the birth of the problem and mistakes committed in the past that delayed the resolution of the problem called upon India and Pakistan to hold talks on the resolution of Kashmir issue involving the people of the state in the dialogue process.

Amb. Yusuf Buch in his presentation emphasized the need for involving the United Nations in the dialogue process between India and Pakistan resolution. He said that no solution could be successful that does not carry within it the spirit of the United Nations Resolution on Kashmir.

Corruption scandal claims first victim, treasurer Khanna quits NEW DELHI: The spate of corruption allegations in the Commonwealth Games claimed its first victim with OC treasurer Anil Khanna resigning on moral grounds after it came to light that his son's firm had secured contract for laying tennis surfaces.

Khanna said he was in no way involved in the contract nor was he the treasurer when the deal was finalized but had taken the step to quit to clear himself from any possible corruption taint.

"I don't want to be seen as somebody associated with corruption or financial malpractices.

I joined the OC in January 2010 after Mr Mattoo resigned and by that time the contract was done.

So I don't have a conflict of interest in the deal as it was over by December 2009," he told a press conference.

Khanna's dramatic resignation came hours before the OC's emergency Executive Board meeting and was widely interpreted as a move to put pressure on chairman Suresh Kalmadi to also step down from his post in the wake of corruption scandals.

He was among those who had pressed for the board meeting along with vice-chairman Randhir Singh and senior IOA vice-president V K Malhotra.

Defending himself, Khanna said his son's company, Rebound Ace India, has nothing to do with Rebound Ace Australia which got the contract to lay 14 synthetic surfaces at the R K Khanna Stadium, the venue for the tennis event.

"Rebound Ace India is an ab-

"My family was not happy when I joined the OC and I had been thinking of disassociating from the OC after the (corruption) allegations have come out," he said.

"I have nothing to hide. My conscience is clear. I don't want to be seen as somebody associ-

a new treasurer be appointed. It (the resignation) will have to be accepted.

Explaining how the deal went through, Khanna said, "The International Tennis Federation recommended the company to OC after which the DDA and government floated the tenders. So AITA

I have nothing to hide. My conscience is clear. I don't want to be seen as somebody associated with corruption or financial malpractices. It is not about treadmill which was purchased at Rs 5 or 9 lakh. We are saving Rs 40-50 lakh by laying the surfaces with a low budget," he added, apparently taking potshots at those clinging to their posts after the series of corruption allegations solutely separate company. It is just a distributor of Rebound Ace Australia. It is not a subsidiary nor Rebound Ace Australia has stake in it. My son's company did not get any paisa. So where is the impropriety?" he asked.

Khanna, also All India Tennis Association Secretary, said he was mulling to "disassociate from the OC" after the corruption allegations surfaced.

ated with corruption or financial malpractices. It is not about treadmill which was purchased at Rs 5 or 9 lakh. We are saving Rs 40-50 lakh by laying the surfaces with a low budget," he added, apparently taking potshots at those clinging to their posts after the series of corruption allegations.

Asked whether the OC could reject his resignation, Khanna said, "I have written to the OC that

or myself has nothing to do with it."

"The deal in fact saved Rs 50 lakh to the government as its bid was lower to that of a company of Mahesh Bhupathi and Gaurav Natekar. But I have nothing to do in it," he added.

Khanna said he, as treasurer of the CWG OC, was just an adviser and has no power to spend money.

"Under the Constitution of the CWG OC, I don't have power to spend a single rupee. That is done by the executive board.

I have no financial powers," he said.

Asked about media reports that top Indian players, including Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, have expressed unhappiness over the surface laid by Rebound Ace Australia as it was more prone to injury, Khanna said major competitions like Asian Games and Youth Olympics used it.

"Every player can have an opinion but it was recommended by ITF. Paes and Bhupathi won the gold in Doha Asiad playing on this surface. Sania Mirza won a medal on that. Moreover, International Olympic Committee had recommended this surface for the Youth Olympics (August 14-26) in Singapore," he said.

He said the Australian Open authorities had not used this type of surface as their top player Lleyton Hewitt wanted a court suited to him.

"In 2008 Australian Open authorities changed the surface because Hewitt wanted a surface suited to him. It is natural that they would do it in consideration of their player," he said. -PTI

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Ranji Nagswami to oversee NYC pension investments India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has appointed Ranji H. Nagaswami as the Administration's Chief Investment Advisor, a new position created to be the Administration's fulltime, central advisor to the Mayor's trustees on the five New York City retirement system boards and the New York City Deferred Compensation Plan Board.

Nagaswami has more than 20 years of experience in investment management at large asset management firms, focusing on the needs of institutional and individual investors, and has served as an investment advisor for public pension systems across the country. On behalf of the Mayor, Nagaswami will work closely with the Office of the New York City Comptroller to monitor and advise on the performance of investments and investment managers for all asset classes held by the pension systems and Deferred Compensation Plan, which hold combined assets valued at more than $100 billion and cover more than 350,000 active employees and 275,000 retirees and beneficiaries.

"We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Ranji's deep experience, talent and record of success in managing major investments across assets classes agree to be our Chief Investment Advisor," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The cost to City taxpayers of the pension systems is growing at an astronomical rate, from $1.1 billion in 2001 to an expected $7.6 billion this year, which is more than 10 percent of the entire City budget.

We will continue to pursue the reforms desperately needed in Albany to reduce the unmanageable costs of pension benefits, while at the same time working to ensure we are getting best possible returns on pension fund investments and looking at every option."

"As Chief Investment Advisor, Ranji will have the responsibility to help guide the more than $100 billion in New York City's retirement systems, and her experience with large-scale asset management and understanding of global capital markets make her perfectly-suited for the new role," said Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel.

"As pension costs continue to swallow a disproportionally large amount of the City's budget, Ranji will lead our efforts to try to in-

crease investment returns and think about new ways to manage the funds' portfolios."

"First, I want to thank Mayor Bloomberg for giving me the opportunity to serve," said Nagaswami. "As an investor and fiduciary, I have spent more than 20 years consistently delivering results for my clients, and now I hope to be able to the same for City taxpayers.

I look forward to working with the dedicated professionals in the Comptroller's Office to deliver research-based investment advice

Nagaswami earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Mumbai University in Mumbai, India and a Masters of Business Administration from Yale University.

She was born and raised in India, and moved to the United States to attend business school. She currently lives in Greenwich and strategy to the trustees of the pension boards and deferred compensation plan board."

The five primary pension funds for New York City employees are: the New York City Employees' Retirement System; the Teachers' Re-

tirement System of the City of New York; the New York City Police Pension Fund; New York City Fire Department Pension Fund; and the New York City Board of Education Retirement System. The New York City Comptroller is the custodian and chief investment advisor to the Boards of the five Pension Funds.

Nagaswami has most recently worked at AllianceBernstein, a global investment firm with more than $450 billion in client assets, where she last served within the firm's Blend Strategies Group as Chief Investment Officer with responsibility for the firm's MultiAsset and Blend Equity Portfolios. She previously was Co-Head of US Fixed Income at UBS Asset Management.

Nagaswami serves on Yale University's Investment Committee and on the Advisory Board of the Yale School of Management.

She is a Henry Crown Fellow and serves on the Henry Crown Board of Overseers at the Aspen Institute. She previously served as a board member of Covenant House of New York, an adolescent care agency serving homeless, runaway and at-risk youth.

Nagaswami earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Mumbai University in Mumbai, India and a Masters of Business Administration from Yale University. She was born and raised in India, and moved to the United States to attend business school. She currently lives in Greenwich, Connecticut with her husband and two children.

Goyle wins Kansas primaries for Congress India Post News Service

should get fired. Period."

Goyle concluded, "The next Congressman from Kansas' 4th District will have one critical and fundamental responsibility - protect and create Kansas jobs."

As a two-term state representative, Goyle has earned a reputation for working across party lines to craft practical, common sense solutions for our community.

Goyle's website describes him as someone who has always rejected politics as usual and has refused to use his office for personal gain. Raj takes his job seri-

NEW YORK: Wichita native Raj Goyle, who is running for US Congress from the Fourth District in Kansas pulled off a spectacular victory in the Democratic primaries Aug 3.

Before an overflow crowd in Wichita, flanked by his wife Monica and seven-month-old daughter, Ana, two-term State Representative Goyle declared victory: "I am very humbled and proud to stand before you tonight as the Democratic Party's nominee for the United States Congress."

With 75% of pre- Goyle, who has made jobs cincts reporting, Goyle and the economy his held a commanding 81- campaign's focus, vowed ‘to 19 lead over his opponent in Kansas' 4th eliminate the tax breaks and Congressional District. loopholes that reward comGoyle, who has made panies for shipping our jobs jobs and the economy his campaign's focus, overseas. Our own governvowed "to eliminate the ment has been rewarding tax breaks and loopholes that reward com- companies that destroy panies for shipping our American jobs. It is just wrong. jobs overseas. Our own And it's got to stop’ government has been rewarding companies that destroy American jobs. It is ously, never missing a single vote just wrong. And it's got to stop." in his career. In his four years in He also vowed to stop bail- Topeka, where politicians spent outs; "Greedy Wall Street banks nearly $3,500,000 on legislative and reckless CEOs who break the "hospitality" and travel, Raj has rules and crash our economy never taken a free personal meal should not be rewarded. Wash- or gift from a lobbyist, and never ington politicians have been bail- taken a taxpayer-funded trip. Raj ing them out - with our money - voluntarily cut his own legislative and it is going to stop. Wall Street salary to help solve the state's bankers who fail us should not get budget crisis and set an example bailouts and bonuses - they of strict discipline.

We don't want growth that fuels inflation: BJP NEW DELHI: The Opposition has rejected Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's contention that high growth was responsible for rising prices and said that growth which leads to inflation was not acceptable.

"If higher growth rate means high inflation, we don't want such a growth. We reject such a growth," former Finance Minister and BJP member Yashwant Sinha said initiating the debate on supplementary demands for grants that sought Parliament's nod for an additional expenditure of Rs 54,588 crore during the current fiscal.

Sinha said this in response to Mukherjee's contention that high growth rate, among other things, was also responsible for rising prices. "With high growth there

has to be inflationary pressure," the Finance Minister had said.

In his spirited address, which was interrupted by Congress members several times, Sinha

from 6.7 per cent in the previous year, inflation in the same period declined to 1.6 per cent from 8.4 per cent.

"I completely discard that

‘If higher growth rate means high inflation, we don't want such a growth. We reject such a growth," former Finance Minister and BJP member Yashwant Sinha said initiating the debate on supplementary demands for grants quoted statistics for the past ten years to prove that there was no relationship between growth and inflation rates.

He said that while growth during 2009-10 rose to 7.2 per cent

theory. Nobody is going to buy that theory," he said, adding, the high government expenditure incurred in the past few years in the name of saving the economy from the global financial meltdown was

responsible for spurt in prices.

"This money (public expenditure to boost demand) went into corruption. It was not consumption expenditure but corruption expenditure," he said criticizing the government for raising fiscal deficit while ignoring the targets spelt out in the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act. Sinha was also critical of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and described the scheme as "factory of corruption."

The MNREGA scheme is not working well anywhere, but has become a "fountainhead of corruption", he said, adding the government had allocated Rs 40,000 crore for the program in the budget. -PTI

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Aftab Shivdasani is Grand Marshal for FIA Festival India Post News Service

Deshmukh, where the three men, in a wish to spice up their love lives, find themselves stumbling upon the most comic situations.

Aftab featured in Acid Factory in 2009, which is about 6 people who are closeted inside a factory and all of them have lost their memory. He has also done Muskaan a thriller opposite Gracy Singh.

Last year Aftab came out with Aao Wish Karein, the first movie under his production company, Rising Sun Entertainment. Aftab helped to co-write the script and also plays the lead character, Mickey alongside Aamna Sharif, who was last seen with Aftab in Aloo Chaat.

His new plans to star in a cricket film have been postponed due to an injury he sustained while playing cricket

FREMONT, CA: The Federation of Indian Associations, a Fremont based umbrella organization of over 40 member organizations, once again proudly hosts the annual Festival of India & Parade on Aug 14th and 15th. For the last eleven years, the event has continued to garner participants from all over Northern California, and has attracted luminaries and dignitaries from all over the world. Its showpiece has always been a prominent personality as Grand Master and this year that honor goes to Aftab Shivdasani, the famous Bollywood actor. He will lead the Parade and also attend the cultural events and other programs.

Shivdasani's first brush with the glamour world was at the age of 14 months when he was selected as the Farex baby (Baby food brand) and from that point on, Aftab shot for many TV His new plans to star in a cricket film have been commercials. Aftab was a fairly well-known postponed due to an injury he sustained while playchild star in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

He first made his Bollywood debut as a kid ing cricket for Salman Khan's Being Human team in in Mr India, then appearing in films such as Dubai. Replaying the incident leading to the injury Shahenshah, Chaalbaaz and Insaniyat.

Aftab says, ‘I was batting in Dubai against Pakistani He played Sridevi's kid brother in actors when I got a beamer- I tried to fend it off with Chaalbaaz, the actor was known to have had a big crush on this gorgeous Bollywood ac- my hand. The ball hit the bone on the side of the tress. palm of my right hand.’ Mercifully Aftab has now Aftab continued modeling for commer- recovered and is fully fit to take part in the Indepencials till the age of 19 until he finally got a break to play the lead role. He got his first dence Day celebrations in Fremont leading role in Bollywood with a role in director Ram Gopal Varma's Mast opposite Urmila Matondkar. Aftab was still studying at H.R. College for Salman Khan's Being Human team in Dubai.

Replaying the incident leading to the injury Aftab says, in Mumbai when he signed up for Mast. The movie was a disaster at the box office and Aftab was written off by the "I was batting in Dubai against Pakistani actors when I got critics as he came across too young on screen to play the a beamer .I tried to fend it off with my hand. The ball hit the lead. However, Aftab won the 2000 Filmfare awards as Best bone on the side of the palm of my right hand."

Mercifully Aftab has now recovered and is fully fit to Debut for his acclaimed performance. Aftab also won the take part in the Independence Day celebrations in Fremont.

Best Newcomer Award for his debut performance.

Aftab Shivdasani, was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, After a gap of almost two years, an older Aftab made a comeback in Vikram Bhatt's Kasoor, where he played the India on 25 June 1978. He studied at St. Xavier's High dark character of Shekhar Saxena. Hugely appreciated for School, (Fort) located at Lokamanya Tilak Marg, Mumbai. his role, Aftab was seen in movies including Love Ke Liye He then graduated from H. R.College of Commerce in Kuchh Bhi Karega, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat, Kya Yehi Mumbai. His height is 6 ft.

Aftab Shivdasani's parents are of different religious Pyaar Hai and Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe. But his real hits came with the comedies, Awara Paagal Deewana (2002) and backgrounds. His father, Prem Shivdasani, is a Hindu while Hungama (2003) and the biggest hit of his career was 'Masti' his mother, Sherry, was born to a Parsi family. Aftab has an where he was seen with Vivek Oberoi and Hritesh older sister named Afsana Shivdasani.

The Sponsors made it possible India Post News Service

FREMONT: The Festival of India held by the FIA here every year would not have been a grand success without the gracious sponsors. Their heart beats for the community and for India as they have nobly displayed every year. Wal-Mart, a major sponsor, took the lead this year by presenting a check to FIA president and Festival Convener Dr Romesh Japra.

Other sponsors were not far behind. The FIA gratefully listed their names as follows: Wal-Mart, McDonald, Wells Fargo, Western Union, State Farm Insurance, American Navy, Reliance Big Cinema, E Zoom, App Ka Color TV, Cal Coast Financial, Intero Real Estate Services, New York Life, India Post Newsweekly, Fremont Bank, Merrill Lynch, State Bank of India, Meriwest Credit Union, Morgan Stanley, Smith Barney The sponsors for Health Fair 2010 are: Sanofi Aventis, Pfizer, Novartis, DaiichiSankyo, Biotronik, St. Jude, Medical Kaiser Permanente Medical Group

Wells Fargo officials presenting a†sponsorship check to FIA President Dr. Romesh K Japra

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Festival of India will be another grand spectacle India Post News Service

FREMONT, CA: The annual Festival of India & Parade being organized by the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) in Fremont for the last eleven years, will once again be a grand spectacle on Aug 14th & 15th. This year's events will feature a Free Health Fair, Dance Competition, Grand Parade, Kid's Corner, Banquet and a grand Cultural Program.

There will be more than 100 booths consisting of clothes, arts & crafts, food vendors serving up regional cuisines from across India.

Float of Rajasthan

val organizers have continued to organize this Festival which is intended to give Indian communities an opportunity to Physician & volunteers at last yearís festival work together and present this Festival year af- ebrate our Culture and Diversity. ter year. Every year, the atten- The entire volunteer team is workdance has grown and has allowed ing tirelessly to organize the 18th the communities, to get a better Festival of India in Fremont." understanding of the culture, the Highlights arts, the music and foods of the The highlights of the Festival Indian American community and are: allow our communities to further • Independence Day Pastrengthen our rade with floats depicting Indian bonds with scenes and culture. Taking of the each other. salute by VIP dignitaries. Indian As Con- ethnic dances and people dressed vener of the in colorful Indian attires.

Festival of In• Health Fair where over dia, Dr Japra in 100 Indian American Physicians a message to and allied health professionals will the community provide free medical services. says, "We • Cultural shows like In-

The FIA is a Fremont-based umbrella organization, comprising over 40 member organizations.

Over the last 21 years, it has continued to work with its member organizations on various community based initiatives, and has emphasized that its members continue to remain engaged in every aspect of the community. Under its President for 17 years, Dr Romesh K Japra, it has proudly hosted the annual Festival of India & Parade for the last eleven years.

This event has continued to garner participants from all over Northern California, and has at-

would like to thank Bay Area Community for making the Festival of India one of the premier events in the Bay Area. Your spirit of community energizes us year after year to work hard to cel-

dian dances, classical and folk music, Ghazals and qawalis, drama and fashion shows will be presented.

• A Mela (Fair) depicting an Indian bazaar comprising of booths and stalls will be the focal point where authentic Indian food can be tasted and handicrafts, jewelry and clothes can be bought.

Also sponsors will display, sell and provide information about their products.

tracted luminaries and dignitaries from all over the world. The festi-

Dance Group at the event

Saturday, Aug 14, 2010 Free Health Fair 10:00 am - 01:00 pm • Free Medical Checkup • General checkup • Women's Health • Blood Pressure • Blood Sugar • Cholesterol • Fitness • Dental • Stress Control • Lung Disease • Foot Disorder • Eye Examination • Neurology • Mental Health • Cancer • Skin Diseases • Nutrition • Gastro Enterology • Cardiology Mela (Fair) 10:00 am - 07:00 pm Painting Competition for Kids: 01:30 pm - 04:00 pm Dance Competition: 11:00 am - 05:00 pm Dance Competition / Awards: 05:00 pm - 06:00 pm Prize Distribution for Painting Competition: 06:00 pm onwards Kids Game Stalls: 10:00 am to 07:00 pm

Sunday, Aug 15, 2010

Indian girls in traditional dress

Temple float

The program for the Festival

The enthusiastic crowd

Mela (Fair) 10:00 am - 07:00 pm Cultural Program 11:00 am - 12:00 Noon Parade 12:00 Noon - 2:00 pm Arpita Mukerjee - Guest and Bollywood Singer Time 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Location: Festival Mela Stage Free with entry to the Mela Enjoy the singing and dancing on Sunday afternoon Kids Game Stalls 10:00 am to 07:00 pm Festival of India Banquet Night Place: San Jose Convention Center Time: 7:00 pm Appreciation Dinner with: • Grand Marshal Aftab Shivdasani • Bollywood Singer Arpita Mukerjee Music and DJ and Sumptuous Indian Dinner Buy Tickets Online FIA Members: Free (Become Member now) Contact: Sonia: (510) 938-8668 or Deepak Chhabra: (510) 299-9771 Directions When: Saturday, August 14, 2010 Sunday, August 15, 2010 Where: 39439 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA, 94536 Corner of Paseo Padre and Walnut Ave. (Same location as last year)

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Karan Singh for dialogue with all groups in J&K NEW DELHI: Deeply anguished over the prevailing situation in Kashmir Valley, senior Congress leader Karan Singh has sought opening up of "serious political dialogue" with all parties and groups in the state so that consensus could be found to fulfill "differing aspirations".

Hoping that the cycle of violence will end and "saner counsels" will prevail soon, he said the dialogue process should be started once normalcy is restored in the Valley.

"My heart goes out to the families and dear ones of these young men who have fallen in the prime of their lives," Singh said in a statement.

Singh said the current situation has left "broader political questions regarding the precise position of the Jammu and Kashmir state within India, as well as the

Karan Singh

The Rajya Sabha MP also sought speedy implementation of the recommendations of the Working Groups set up after the Prime Minister's roundtable

differing aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to be considered in depth."

"For this purpose, once normalcy has been restored, I would urge that a serious political dialogue be opened with all political parties and groups in J and K to try and arrive at a consensus, if possible," Singh said.

The Rajya Sabha MP also sought speedy implementation of the recommendations of the Working Groups set up after the Prime Minister's roundtable.

Expressing optimism that the situation will return to normal before holy month of Ramazan and auspicious festival of Raksha Bandhan, he said reconciliation process as well as compensation for those involved in the agitation "must be tackled with compassion and generosity by the state government. -PTI

Diplomatic feud over Kashmir remarks grips UN UNITED NATIONS: Despite damage control efforts, a diplomatic feud rages over remarks that were put out by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's office last week, which called for calm in Kashmir and indicated support for the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan.

The UN appears to be backtracking on its position after India has registered a complaint that the remarks were unwarranted.

India wanted the UN to distance itself from the remarks that it asserts are being used by separatists and Pakistan government to claim that the international community is on their side.

The UN communicated to the Indian government that the remarks were not a statement made by the Secretary General but a "press guidance that was taken out of context."

Ban's chief spokesperson Martin Nesirky said that this information was not a statement made by Ban but it was "information provided by the Secretariat (and) distributed by the spokesperson's office."

Ban's associate spokesperson Farhan Haq, who is of Pakistaniorigin, who originally sent the information by e-mail to journalists, said that while this was not a statement made by Ban, "it was all generated by the UN." Despite India's objections, Haq

has maintained that the contents of the e-mail reflected the views of the UN chief.

The nature of the remarks, however, does not sound like a "press guidance" and at this point the UN is struggling to resolve the situation without completely disowning its remarks.

The e-mail circulated by Haq had said that Ban was "concerned" over the prevailing security situation in Kashmir over the past one month and called on "all concerned to exercise utmost restraint and address problems peacefully.

The remarks in the e-mail also touched on the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan. "He (Ban) encourages both sides to rekindle the spirit of the composite dialogue, which was initiated in 2004 and had made encouraging progress on some important confidence building measures, and to make renewed efforts to address outstanding issues, including on Jammu and Kashmir," the e-mail had said.

The Indian side pointed out that on the day the remarks went out, no questions were raised on Kashmir during the regular press briefing at the UN. The communication sent by the UN to the Indian government also noted that no questions were raised on Kashmir.

However, correspondents here

from Pakistan have been asking questions on Kashmir on a regular basis. The UN initially did not respond to the questions and Ban himself avoided commenting on it when asked directly about the unrest.

On the other hand, questions had not been raised at any stage with reference to the composite dialogue. Therefore it remains unclear why reference to these talks was included in the statement.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has cited Ban's remarks while asking the Indian government to "exercise restraint" in Kashmir.-PTI

Pak's Frontier Constabulary chief among 3 killed in blast PESHAWAR: A teenage Party that rules KhyberTaliban suicide bomber targeted Pakhtunkhwa, said the terrorists the chief of a Pakistani paramili- had targeted a brave police officer. tary force here near the headquarGhayur, the brother-in-law of ters of the organization, killing him former Interior Minister and PPPand two others and injuring at Sherpao party chief Aftab Ahmed least 10 more.

Khan Sherpao, was known for perThe attacker detonated his ex- sonally leading operations plosive vest near the car of Fron- against the Taliban and other militier Constabulary Commandant tant groups.

Sifwat Ghayur in Sadar area of He had earlier served as the Peshawar. police chief of Peshawar when the Ghayur, his driver and a guard city was repeatedly targeted by were killed instantly in the attack, the Taliban in a string of car bombwhich took place close to the para- ings and suicide attacks. military force's headquarters.

Ghayur had been facing threats At least four of the 10 people from militants for a long time, offiinjured were in serious condition, cials said. doctors treating them at the Lady Ghayur was the third police Reading Hospital said. officer of the rank of DIG to be The bomber struck just as killed in an incident of terrorism in Ghayur's car drove out of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Frontier Constabulary headquarters.

Dramatic footage Dramatic footage aired on a aired on a TV news TV news channel showed channel showed the bomber coolly walking the bomber coolly walking up to Ghayur's car, up to Ghayur's car, which which had stopped at a traffic light, and deto- had stopped at a traffic nating his explosives. light, and detonating his A bright flash was followed by a thick explosives cloud of smoke that billowed into the sky. The blast was heard over a large disDIG (Bannu range) Abid Ali tance. was killed by militants near Three cars and a scooter were Peshawar while Peshawar police damaged by the explosion, which chief Malik Saad was assassialso blew out the windows of nated in a suicide attack during nearby buildings.

Muharram some time ago.

The blast, for which Tehrik-ePrime Minister Yousuf Raza Taliban Pakistan claimed respon- Gilani condemned the suicide atsibility, also sparked a fire at a tack, saying: "It is most deplornearby petrol pump. able that when the whole nation, Witnesses said they had seen particularly the people of Khyberthe head of the suspected bomber, Pakhtunkhwa, are facing worst described as a teenager, lying at difficulties because of floods, the the site of the blast. terrorists have chosen to add to Senior Minister Bashir Bilour, their miseries through such inhua leader of the Awami National man acts. -PTI

‘Priority on holding Games; probe later’ NEW DELHI: The Congress has endorsed Sports Minister M S Gill's remarks that setting up of any new committee to hold Commonwealth Games is no solution and said the priority is to organize the event first and then probe the allegations of corruption and irregularities.

"The party endorses what the Sports Minister has said. He has said that no problem will be solved by constituting a new committee," party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said at the AICC media briefing.

"The priority is that the Games should be organized first and then

probe all the issues of corruption that have come to the fore," she said.

Earlier in the day, Gill assured the Rajya Sabha that the government will look into the charges of corruption in the Commonwealth Games projects in the national capital but ruled out setting up of an apex committee to oversee the Games.

The demand for setting up an apex body to monitor the Games was raised by Rajya Sabha member Mani Shankar Aiyar on the lines of the one set up in the country for the 1982 Asian Games.

Gill said now that only 55 days

are left for the Games, there was no alternative but to focus on hosting them successfully. "Have faith in India, India will get there ...God is with us," Gill said adding all 13 major stadia, including Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, are ready.

The CVC has found serious discrepancies like award of works at higher rates to bidders, poor quality of construction and grant of work to ineligible agencies in different Games- related construction works. Political parties such as BJP and CPI (M) have demanded action against the guilty.

-PTI

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Obama tells young African leaders Bilawal Bhutto to have to follow Mahatma Gandhi his political baptism WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama, who sees Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration, has asked young African leaders to follow the legendary Indian icon to bring the changes they want in their continent.

"One of the things that I think everybody here has to really internalize is the notion that, you know, I think it was (Mahatma) Gandhi who once said, you have to be the change that you seek," Obama said.

He was responding to a question after addressing a meeting of Young African Leaders Forum, which he had convened bringing in young leaders from nearly 50 African countries to the White House.

In his speech at the event, the first of its kind organized by the US for African leaders, Obama said Africa's future belongs to its

young people.

"We are going to keep helping empower African youth, supporting education, increasing educational exchanges like the one that brought my father from Kenya, in

‘You represent the Africa that so often is overlooked: the great progress that many Africans have achieved, and the unlimited potential that you've got going forward into the 21st century’ the days when Kenyans were throwing off colonial rule and reaching for a new future," Obama said.

"We are helping to strengthen grassroots networks of young people who believe, as they are saying in Kenya today, yes, youth can."

"You represent the Africa that so often is overlooked: the great progress that many Africans have achieved, and the unlimited potential that you've got going forward into the 21st century," he added.

"I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world... we have to have a strong, selfreliant and prosperous Africa," he said.

"So the world needs your talents and your creativity.

We need young Africans who are standing up and making thing happen, not only in their own countries but around the world.

And the US wants to be your partner," Obama said. -PTI

26/11 play for New York festival NEW DELHI: A play about seven ordinary persons finding themselves trapped in the midst of bomb blasts and gunfire during 26/11 and their stories of survival will be staged at the prestigious New York International Fringe Festival this month.

"A Personal War" is based on their true accounts as they went through the tragedy that unfolded in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

They were at seven different locations when terror engulfed the city. The incredible stories of the survivors highlight human fortitude, strength and courage, says the play's writer-director Divya Palat.

The proceeds of the show will go to the Mumbai Police Commissioner's Office for procuring safer uniforms and equipment for policemen on duty.

Fringe NYC, the largest multiarts festival in North America, will see over 200 companies from all over the world performing for 16 days in more than 20 venues from August 13.

"It's great to be part of the only Indian play invited to the New

York International Fringe Festival, it's no mean feat...There are barely 10 international plays being screened at the festival, we were chosen as one of 10,000 plays," says Divya.

According to Divya, who has acted in Bollywood films like

The play was written ‘because I wanted to try and focus on life rather than death; on love rather than hate and on survival rather than destruction. I wanted us to learn from these incredible survivors. I wanted us to focus on hope’ "Kuch Na Kaho", "Masti" and "Krishna Cottage", the play was written in a bid to "try and find anything positive about the tragedy that occurred".

The play was written "because

I wanted to try and focus on life rather than death; on love rather than hate and on survival rather than destruction. I wanted us to learn from these incredible survivors. I wanted us to focus on hope. I wanted to make a difference," Divya told PTI. She says she has been approached to direct a movie on the same lines, "but I am going to wait and concentrate on the live theatrical performance traveling across the world first".

Last year, the play was staged at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and stood in the top three shows among 35,500 other productions and was even nominated for the amnesty international award.

"Talking to a live audience and performing in front of them really helps us reach people and adds a personal touch to this play," Divya says.

There will be five shows of the play at the Dixon Place Theatre in New York. The cast is Aditya Hitkari, Vivan Bathena, Anuradha Menon, Khushboo Hitkari,Vatsala Kothari, Sanket Mhatre and Divya. -PTI

AMU plans to set up Indo-US Energy centre ALIGARH: The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is mulling to set up an Indo-US Energy Centre on the campus here following discussions with American Special Envoy Rashad Hussain, officials said here.

The proposal was put forward

during deliberations between AMU officials and a group of American diplomats led by Hussain.

In the discussions, AMU expressed its desire to invite US President Barack Obama to Aligarh during his forthcoming

visit to India for conferring him an honorary degree, they said.

Hussain, who was on a nineday visit to India, was appointed by the US president in February as part of his government’s initiative to “deepen and expand its relationship with the Muslim

LONDON: Pakistan's emerging new star, Bilawal Bhutto may have his political baptism here when he formally takes over the reins of the ruling Pakistan People's Party from his father Asif Ali Zardari.

Bilawal, 21, described by BBC "as the young heir to Pakistan's most important political dynasty," is expected to take over at a rally in Birmingham in Central England.

Bilawal who has graduated with a degree in History from the famous Christ Church college at Oxford, considered to be cradle of politicians worldwide, has been at his father's side during his recent visit to France and UK. The young Bhutto who is already the Chairman of PPP is expected to give a speech before several thousands of his party supporters, alongsside his father.

Apparently due to floods and terror attacks back home, the PPP is playing down the significance of the event.

"Bilawal will be there and will make a speech," the PPP coordinator Waheed Rasab said here.

"The rally would be a significant pointer," the party leader here said, adding that Bilawal having finished his studies is likely headed home.

His assassinated mother, late Benazir Bhutto has written in her autobiography that she gave birth to Bilawal amidst celebratory scenes, where shouts of "jive Bhutto" were raised.

"The most celebrated and politically controversial baby in the history of Pakistan had been born," she wrote.

But the massive rally is also facing opposition.

Pakistan's cricketer-turned-

Bilawal Bhutto

Bilawal who has graduated with a degree in History from the famous Christ Church college at Oxford, considered to be cradle of politicians worldwide, has been at his father's side during his recent visit to France and UK politician Imran Khan's Tehreeke-Insaf party has threatened to launch protest at the rally.

Rabia Zia, coordinator of the party in the UK said, "Pakistanis are struggling to cope with the worst floods in 80 years while the 'elected' President is visiting UK using taxpayer's money."

"This is the height of callousness," she said. -PTI

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Pak in peril of succumbing to Iranian-style Islamic revolution WASHINGTON: Pakistan is in peril of succumbing to an Iranianstyle Islamic revolution, an official US study has warned, saying that mushrooming fundamentalism in the nation is finding support from the army and intelligence.

Pakistan slipping into an Iranian-style Islamic revolution is described as one of the biggest threat to the world, the Quadren-

Pakistan, where the ruling elite (including the army and intelligence services that helped create - continue to tolerate and aid - such groups) is vulnerable to an Iranian-style revolution that Islamists would exploit," the report said.

Appointed by the Congress, the Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel is charged with conducting an assessment of the assumptions, strategy, findings,

Salafist 'jihadi' movements, wedded to the use of violence and employing terror as their primary strategy, will remain both an international threat to the global system and a specific threat to America and its interests abroad. ‘This remains true even as current al-Qaeda leaders age and their goal of a restored caliphate becomes ever more impractical’ nial Defense Review Independent Panel has told the US Congress in its final report submitted last week.

It has expressed serious concern over increasing Islamic fundamentalism in the country that has its support in its army and the intelligence.

"Some 'associated movements' will pursue lesser and more local goals, with the biggest danger to

and risks described in the Department of Defense's Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).

The QDR, a report required by law and provided by the Defense Department to Congress, is intended to assess the national security environment over the next 20 years and identify the defense strategy, forces and resources required to meet future challenges.

After the Department of De-

fense issued this year's QDR on February 1, 2010, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Congress constituted an independent panel to review the report as part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2010.

Former Secretary of Defense William J Perry and former National Security Adviser Stephen J Hadley served as co-chairs on the Panel, and the Department of Defense asked US Institute of Peace to facilitate the Panel's work.

"Salafist 'jihadi' movements, wedded to the use of violence and employing terror as their primary strategy, will remain both an international threat to the global system and a specific threat to America and its interests abroad.

"This remains true even as current al-Qaeda leaders age and their goal of a restored caliphate becomes ever more impractical," it said.

According to the report, some of these groups will set their sights on the United States, as recent attacks linked to Yemen prove.

"The greatest risk to the United States is that weapons of mass destruction or the materials and expertise to produce them will find their way into the hands of fanatical, murderous jihadists," it said.

-PTI

Outlawed JuD emerges as key player in flood relief ops in Pak LAHORE: Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaatud-Dawah, a front for the Lashkere-Taiba, has emerged as a key player in relief operations to aid the people affected by the unprecedented floods in Pakistan.

The JuD, declared as a global terrorist group by the United Nations, has sent relief goods worth over Rs 5 million to flood-hit areas, despite claims by Pakistani authorities about restrictions imposed on the outfit.

The JuD, under its new name Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, has dispatched 10 trucks with relief goods to flood-affected areas in southern Punjab and KhyberPakhtunkhwa.

JuD spokesman Yahya Mujahid told the media that 2,000 activists were participating in relief activities "along with the Falah-e-Insaniyat organization" in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces.

Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation

chairman Hafiz Abdur Rauf and JuD leaders Amir Hamza and Yahya Mujahid said medical teams comprising doctors and paramedical staff had also been sent to the affected areas.

They said Falah-e-Insaniyat workers in Sindh had also been alerted following flood warnings.

Hamza claimed that the intensity of floods in Pakistan increased after India purportedly released waters in rivers flowing into the country.

He claimed that if India is not stopped from constructing dams on shared rivers, Pakistan will have to face such devastation.-PTI

US dismisses Zardari's remark on Afghanistan WASHINGTON: The United to move on the capital of Pakistan States has dismissed Pakistan is why the country of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's view started to take more direct action that US-backed coalition forces against safe havens," Gibbs said. are losing the war in Afghanistan, "So I think that the hearts and saying actions taken in the last minds of those in Afghanistan and several months were keeping in Pakistan are obviously a key part mind the hearts and minds of the of our strategy, as well as the Afghan people. hearts and the minds of the exWhite House spokesman Rob- tremists that seek to do Afghans ert Gibbs said President Barack or Pakistanis harm," he said.

Obama, who had earlier said State Department spokesman P progress was being made in Af- J Crowley also dismissed Zardari's ghanistan, would not agree with remarks, saying "As our military Zardari's conclusion. leaders have made clear, we have "Well, I don't think the (US) not yet won, but I don't think that President would agree with Presi- I would characterize that we are dent Zardari's conclusion that the war is lost.

I haven't seen the inter- ‘We are determined to work as view. I don't know why hard as we can for as long as he's come to that conclusion," Gibbs told re- it takes to succeed, not just in porters. one part of the world, but In the interview to France-based daily obviously, we are concerned newspaper 'Le Monde', that some of these elements Zardari had said, "the international commu- are linked to global networks, nity, of which Pakistan and this is not just a is a part, is losing the struggle in South Asia’ war against the Taliban because we have lost the battle for hearts and minds." losing."

"Military reinforcements are "We are determined to work as only a small part of the response. hard as we can for as long as it To win the support of the Afghan takes to succeed, not just in one population, you must bring eco- part of the world, but obviously, nomic development and prove we are concerned that some of you can not only change their these elements are linked to glolives, but improve them," Zardari bal networks, and this is not just had said. a struggle in South Asia," he said.

Gibbs said that the actions and Gibbs also said that Pakistan the efforts of the coalition forces, "unquestionably" needed to do international and the US, taken more to combat terrorists operatover in the last several months ing from its soil. "have very much the hearts and "If you look at the progress minds of the Afghan people at the that we have made with Pakistan forefront." on safe havens, on confronting "The Afghan people know of terrorists, I think that is a record the brutality of Taliban, just as the that they and we can be proud Pakistani people on the actions of," he said. that their extremist counterparts "Does more have to be done? were taking in Pakistan last year, Unquestionable.-PTI

Malaysia scraps Visa on Arrival facility for Indian tourists KUALA LUMPUR: After 40,000 Indian tourists went "missing" from the country, Malaysia has permanently scrapped the Visa-on-Arrival (VOA) facility offered to visitors from India and other seven countries, saying it was "open to abuse".

The decision to permanently scrap the VOA facility to citizens from eight countries was taken at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers and Illegal Immigrants, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said.

The VOA facility was withdrawn for Indian nationals a couple of years ago after Malaysia complained that many visitors had stayed on illegally after the expiry of their tourist visas.

Yassin said despite calls from several quarters for continuing the facility, the Committee felt it needed to be revoked as it "brought certain problems to the country."

"In the past, we gave flexibility to several nations.

If their citizens came to this

country and they didn't have a visa, one could be issued at the entry point. We have noticed that this was being abused. We agreed that the VOA facility be revoked or discontinued," he said.

During an interaction with a group of journalists from India in January, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had said that almost 40,000 Indian nationals have gone "missing" after entering the country through the VOA facility.

The Premier had then felt that the only problematic exit point in

India was Chennai and that there was not any problems with tourists from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Besides India, the VOA facility has been revoked for tourists from China, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Taiwan and Comoros.

Local media reports say thousands of tourists from various countries have abused their VOA, which was introduced in 2006 in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2007, by overstaying.-PTI

Desi News FIA takes new steps following Sinha murder India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: Representatives of the Federation of Indian Associations (IA) met with Old Bridge Mayor James Phillips in an attempt to build a public-citizen dialogue in connection with Dr Divyendu Sinha's homicide.

Dr Sinha was brutally attacked by five teenagers while taking a walk with his family on June 25.

The illustrious scientist succumbed to his injuries on June 28.

The vicious and unprovoked incident has heightened concerns from Old Bridge, New Jersey residents.

Details on page 14

Fogana dance competition attracts 2000 Asian Community News Services USA

CHICAGO: The Federation of Gujarati Associations of North America (Fogana) presented its 30th Midwest region Raas, Garba, and folk dance competition on July 31 at Paramount Theatre, Aurora. This annual event is a dedication to "Swarnim Gujarat" - the 50th anniversary of the formation of the state of Gujarat. Over 2000 people enjoyed the seven-hour long dance competition. Over 500 artists from all over the Midwest participated in this cultural event.

Details on page 16

Boosting amity among Punjabis across borders THAKAR BASATI

CHICAGO: Institute for Conflict and Peace Studies (IFCAPS) in collaboration with Asian American Seniors Association (AASA) and Akal Foundation (Chicago) organized a special function in honor of Sheikh Azhar Ehsan, a most revered person among Pakistani Sikhs. The event was enlivened with a talk on "Mutual Respect of Sikhs and Muslims in Pakistan."

Details on page 18

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

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BAPS donation totals $63,000 for Haiti relief fund

August 13, 2010

Details on page 19

Trinidad & Tobago premier to attend New York parade India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The first woman Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar will be the Guest of Honor at the upcoming 30th Annual India Day Parade in New York City on August 15, the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) announced.

Persad-Bissessar will march alongside Bollywood actress Preity Zinta who will be the Grand Marshall at the parade.

"We are delighted to have her as 'Guest of Honor' this year and we celebrate her election to such a prestigious position in government of a great country. This is yet another milestone that our community in North America

Kamla Persad-Bissessar

should be proud of," said Nirav Mehta, President of FIA. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, whose fore-parents hailed from

‘We are delighted to have her as 'Guest of Honor' this year and we celebrate her election to such a prestigious position in government of a great country. This is yet another milestone that our community in North America should be proud of’ India to Trinidad as indentured laborers, led her alliance coalition to victory in that country's general elections on May 24 making

her its first female Prime Minister.

Persad-Bissessar's People's Partnership won 29 out of the 41 parliamentary seats ending the ruling party's 43 years in office.

A grandmother of two, she said: "I am grateful for the immense support from women and women's groups across the country and to the extent that this helps to break the barriers so many competent women face. I celebrate this victory on their behalf".

Persad-Bissessar was a topper in law school and did her masters in business administration and diploma in education from the University of the West Indies. She was the first woman attorney general and also served as minister of legal affairs as well as minister of education.

India Day celebrations across Chicagoland KAPILA SHAH, SURENDRA ULAL AND MOHAMMED GHOUSE

CHICAGO: A traditional kick off from Mayor Richard Daley, as in recent years, has set the stage for a grand celebration of India Day

by Indian Americans in Chicagoland.

The Mayoral celebration at the start of this week at Chicago Cultural Center had its usual attendance of close to 200 Indian American businessmen, professionals and the public at large and the Mayor, as is his vogue, eulogized services rendered and contribution made by Indians to the City. He was lustily cheered by prominent Indian community leaders and Indian Consulate officials.

This was followed up with a flag hoisting at Daley Plaza by Association of Indians in America

and two of its officials, Naren Patel and Prof Ghanshyam Pandey talked about the AIA achievements in the past few decades. It was announced the AIA would host Gandhi Jayanti cel-

The celebrations on August 15, the day India achieved its freedom from British yoke six decades, ago will be with a flag hoisting at Indian Consulate office in Chicago Downtown. FIA

The Mayoral celebration at the start of this week at Chicago Cultural Center had its usual attendance of close to 200 Indian American businessmen ebrations in October. The Federation of Indian Associations has its Flag hoisting slated for Friday August 13 and a gala dinner banquet on the same day in the evening at Waterford Banquet hall in Elmhurst.

has announced holding its Parade on the same day by noon at Mahatma Gandhi Marg on Devon Avenue.

Satish Gabhawla, the event chair for the celebrations, told news media that one of the high-

lights will be 30 plus colorful floats depicting diverse Indian culture with its underlying unity.

A few floats will be from local alderman and City departments. He said that Illinois Governor Pat Quinn will be the Grand Marshal.

"We have invited other top notch officials, leaders and Congressmen, and they are expected to grace the event. We expect thousands of Indian Americans to join or attend the Parade," he said He further said that the FIA Trustees had decided to entrust him the task of Event Chairperson after a recent Court decision that invalidated the Executive Team elections held in December for the current year.

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FIA takes proactive steps following Sinha murder India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: Representatives of the Federation of Indian Associations (IA) met with Old Bridge Mayor James Phillips in an attempt to build a public-citizen dialogue in connection with Dr Divyendu Sinha's homicide.

Dr Sinha was brutally attacked by five teenagers while taking a walk with his family on June 25. The illustrious scientist succumbed to his injuries on June 28. The vicious and unprovoked incident has heightened concerns from Old Bridge, New Jersey residents.

In a lengthy and often heated discussion, the FIA presented Mayor Phillips with a five point agenda, seeking clarifications about the progress of the investigation, motive of the crime, and how to prevent tensions among community.

Mayor Philips shared crucial information with the FIA, including the fact that the prosecutors now have enough evidence to try the five assailants as adults. FIA representatives spoke at length about the need for the community to know the motive of the

crime, despite the official stance of 'no motive'. FIA representatives were given in depth details on how the Old Bridge Police force has increased the patrolling in the area of crime, and stepped up recruiting of the volunteer police force. The administration has also assured the FIA that all evidences

everyone always remembers him in the years to come, the FIA has also requested a science room in the local high school to be named after Dr Sinha.

The FIA has planned an initiative to hold the biggest block party in the area where Dr. Sinha's family resides. In this block party

The FIA has requested community members residing in the area to file police report of any assault/crime for which they have not filed a complaint so far. This will help police to take appropriate measures to safeguard the community. The FIA has also urged students in Old Bridge as well as other towns to report any bullying/assault incidents to support the prosecution will be made public shortly.

During the meeting on July 31, FIA proposed to rename one of the major roads of Old Bridge or park to Dr. Sinha's name.

Mayor Phillips fully supported and expressed his agreement with the FIA agenda to name one of the parks in Old Bridge as Dr Sinha's Park as a tribute. To make sure that

everyone from the area/township irrespective of the ethnicity will be invited to participate. FIA believes that this will be a great initiative to bring citizens closer to each other and unite.

The FIA now intends to take this dialogue to the next level. Plans include a meeting with the Police Chief to address security concerns of residents in Old Bridge; a

discussion with the school board for an education program that will create better awareness about immigration and its positive impact; as well as securing a compensation for Dr Sinha's family.

The FIA has requested community members residing in the area to file police report of any assault/crime for which they have not filed a complaint so far. This will help police to take appropriate measures to safeguard the community. The FIA has also urged students in Old Bridge as well as other towns to report any bullying/assault incidents to the principal and police without fear.

If any community member of student is not comfortable reaching out to the authorities, the FIA has asked them to contact the organization on info@fianynjct.org.

Additionally, the FIA has formed a sevenmember committee consisting of citizens of Old Bridge, community leaders and lawyers who will be closely following the case. "We have requested the administration and residents to provide full co-operation and support to the team who will act as a bridge between the community and the authorities," the FIA representatives said.

INOC launches New Jersey chapter

(Photos Courtesy Gunjesh Desai) India Post News Service

NEW JERSEY: The Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC) New Jersey Chapter held its inaugural kick-off event July 30, inducting Pam Kwatra as first president.

The INOC celebrated the beginning of its initiative to broaden its representation at a well attended party at the Royal Albert's Palace in New Jersey.

Pam Kwatra, a business entrepreneur, was inducted as the first President by the National Presi-

dent of INOC Dr. Surinder Malhotra in the presence of more than 500 people from the local community including India's Consul General in New York Amb. Prabhu Dayal.

Dr. Najma Sultana, Vice President and member of INOC's Ex-

ecutive Committee welcomed INOC State Chapter representatives who came to attend the event from all over the country.

Amb. Dayal congratulated Kwatra for taking the leadership in forming the organization. He

In her acceptance speech, Kwatra said that she was honored and humbled to have the presence of the prominent community and political leaders and business entrepreneurs. She thanked Dr. Surinder Malhotra

Amb. Dayal congratulated Kwatra for taking the leadership in forming the organization. He said the community's strength was in unity and urged all Indians living in the United States to work together said the community's strength was in unity and urged all Indians living in the United States to work together to have a bigger friendship between United States and India. He said he was overjoyed to see community leaders of various organizations in New Jersey coming together for the inauguration event.

for having faith and trust in her for the position. She urged everyone to join INOC-NJ Chapter to support the Indian National Congress as its extended overseas arm under the outstanding leadership of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Malhotra.

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INOC launches New Jersey chapter Cont’d from page 14

Further, she said that the mission and purpose the INOC was to protect democracy and promote secularism and give India and Indians better representation and respect involving issues related to NRIs in general with government officials in the US as well as in India.

Dr. Malhotra said the goal of INOC was to respect all parties.

"The Congress party is the oldest and first party in India since its independence more than 60 years ago. While staying in this country, our route may be different but we all should work together for

India," he said.

Atma Singh, the chairman and Anil Patel, co-chairman of the new

INOC NJ chapter, thanked everyone for coming. NJ State Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, Edison Councilman Dr. Sudhanshu Prasad, Hudson County Sheriff Juan Perez, Jersey City Councilwoman Nidia Lopez, West Windsor Councilman Kamal Khanna, prominent business and community leaders including Dr. Navin Mehta, Kenny Desai and Albert Jassani were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.

The INOC-NJ in alliance with the Indian National Congress and all other overseas chapters intends to work closely with the public in general and the media

Donations sought for Punjab flood affected farmers India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Sikh advocacy group United Sikhs is pitching in to raise funds to help flood affected farmers in Punjab, India.

The recent Punjab floods have hit a serious blow to farmers in a region with high incidence of farmer-suicides, whose freshly sown paddy crops have been destroyed, according to the Sikh group.

"Even though the flood waters have

the farmer-suicide belt of Punjab. The team set about to assess the damage to crops and to determine how relief can be brought to the region. The village of Bangah alone has suffered complete damage to 2,700 acres out of a total of 3,000 acres of crop.

The Punjab government has announced a compensation package of Rs. 5,000 per acre for up to 10 acres, which Singh acknowledged only covered the cost of planting.

After the river Ghaggar burst its banks following heavy rainfall, which flooded some 200,000 acres of crops, a team from United Sikhs visited the village of Bangah in Sangrur, a district often described as the farmer-suicide belt of Punjab. The team set about to assess the damage to crops and to determine how relief can be brought to the region receded, the ground is too wet. Fifty percent of the flooded fields cannot be replanted and those replanted will have their yield reduced by 40% because of late replanting, said Chaudhary Ram Dia Singh, a leading social activist and farmer from the village of Bangah. "Further, the next wheat crop will be delayed by a month."

After the river Ghaggar burst its banks following heavy rainfall, which flooded some 200,000 acres of crops, a team from United Sikhs visited the village of Bangah in Sangrur, a district often described as

"As a result of these floods an affected farmer faces a loss of income of up to Rs. 15,000 per acre this year," said Inderjit Singh Jaijee, a former MLA of the region, who has been advocating for the rights of farmer suicide victims for some 20 years.

"This loss will worsen the situation of farmers who are riddled with debt, who generally have less than 5 acres of land, which we fear will make them very vulnerable."

Cont’d on page 18

toward effectively representing the issues of interests to the NRIs in the field of economics, health,

immigration, social awareness, equal rights and communal harmony.

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Fogana dance competition attracts 2000

Mukesh Shah (Gujarati Samaj President), Jashwant Sheth (Fogana Chief Coordinator) and Tom Weisnes (Mayor of Aurora). (pics courtesy Asian Community News Services USA) Asian Community News Services USA

CHICAGO: The Federation of Gujarati Associations of North America (Fogana) presented its 30th Midwest region Raas, Garba, and folk dance competition on July 31 at Paramount Theatre, Aurora. This annual event is a dedication to "Swarnim Gujarat" - the 50th anniversary of the formation of the state of Gujarat. Over 2000 people enjoyed the seven-hour long dance competition.

Over 500 artists from all over the Midwest participated in this cultural event. Niranjan and Pratima Shah were Chief Guests while Dr Bharatbhai Barai graced the occasion as Guest of honor.

Gujaratis from all walks of life

gathered for this event. Visiting dignitaries in many fields were honored and brought in contact with the Gujarati community at large. Earlier, Chicago had hosted the 5th and 15th Fogana competitions. Bharti Desai elegantly did her job as Master of Ceremony while Harshita Mehta and Youth Team for Master of Ceremony Mangol Deep (Lamp lighting ceremony) was done by Dr Barai and Executive Committee (2010). Jashwant Sheth introduced the guests to the audience.

Dr Umang Patel a prominent physician and community activist was presented with the Sardar Vllabhbhai Patel Award for his outstanding services to the community. Earlier recipients of the

Presenting Shri Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Award to Dr. Umang Patel, Jashwant Sheth (Fogana Chief Coordinator), Dr. Umang Patel, Niranjan Shah (chief guest), Mukesh Shah (Gujarati Samaj President) and Suryakant Patel (Gujarati Samaj Board member)

Award include Dr. Bharat Barai in 1990, Viren Joshi of "Manav Sadhna" 1995, PramodAmin in 1998, Mafat Patel of Patel Bros in 2002.

Dr Umang Patel a prominent physician and community activist was presented with the Sardar Vllabhbhai Patel Award for his outstanding services to the community Kaushik Shah introduced Board Members Amit Desai, Suryakant Patel, Kamlesh Shah, Bhupendra Bhatt, Nikunj Baxi,

Enthralling Odissi by Ankita at IMSA KANAK HOTA

CHICAGO: Ankita Khandai, an accomplished classical Odissi dancer, had her Manchapravesh celebrated at the Illinois Math & Science Academy (IMSA) auditorium on July 25 marking the culmination of her 12-year long training/journey under Guru Ipishita Satapathy, director, Utkalaa Dance Academy in Naperville.

The packed auditorium with a highly diverse audience witnessed the magnitude of her artistic excellence. Customary to the tradition, she started with Mangalacharan, invoking the blessings of mother earth, the guru and the audience followed by batu, Pallavi, abhinaya and Mokshya.

As a dance form, Odissi is distinct for its lilting graceful moves accompanied by complex footwork and the control over the

torso and the bust. One of the most unique features of the

Her rendition of Jayadava's Gitagovinda, the soul of Vishnav lyrical tradition was a powerful depiction of the pangs of separation Lord Krishna endures as he awaits the arrival of beloved Radha.

Each move for "Dhira Samire Yamuna tire" was mellifluous and a feast to the eyes dance form is tribhangi, or three bends. The position divides the body into three parts: head, bust

and torso making it an S-shape which can be found in all Odissi dances and immortalized in temple sculptures.

The contours of Ankita's face changed in each of the performances; like a mirror it reflected the complex emotions of longing, loss, desire, fear, anger apprehension and contentment.

Depiction of the rasas or sentiments, as enshrined in the Natyasashtra, was in full illustration in the dances of Ankita.

Her rendition of Jayadava's Gitagovinda, the soul of Vishnav lyrical tradition was a powerful depiction of the pangs of separation Lord Krishna endures as he awaits the arrival of beloved Radha. Each move for "Dhira Samire Yamuna tire" was mellifluous and a feast to the eyes.

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Kunja Parikh, Harsha Modi The event started with Mudra Dance Academy presenting a prayer dance with song title 'Om Namah Shivay.' This was followed with the singing of Indian National and American National Anthems.

Mukesh Shah, President of Gujarati Samaj, Chicago, in his welcome speech, said, "Thirty years have passed since we installed the flag of Fogana and wrote our lofty ideas in its constitution. Using the talents of many personalities, we have almost finished the rotation of leadership from the different regions. The

overall impression is one of great success in achieving unity and respect for our culture."

"Fogana has definitely created enthusiasm, tempo, dialogue, search and respect for our roots, sophisticated cultivation of our arts, music, song language, and literature. Without Fogana, we are likely to get swept away from our values. We may not totally wipe out foreign influences from our lives but we can at least stall them to create base to shape our direction.

We are rightfully concerned about our country of origin.

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Kuchipudi Dance Ballet on Sai Baba India Post News Service

DALLAS, TX: "The divine Sai is everything and he is everywhere" was the theme at the Eisemann Center, Richardson TX as part of the "Sarvam Sai Mayam, a devotional Kuchipudi Dance Ballet on Sri Shirdi Sai Baba" hosted by the Telugu Association of North America (TANA) on July 31.

The program was sponsored by the Natyanjali Kuchipudi Dance School established to promote the exquisiteness of Kuchipudi dance in North America in general and Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex in particular.

The event was attended by Gary Slagel, Mayor, city of Richardson who read a proclamation declaring July 31 a "TANA and Dr. Sobha Naidu" day. Mayor Slagel congratulated TANA for bringing the Telugu community together and committed to promote diversity and encouraged the cultural exchange between the

communities. Major Slagel and Prasad Thotakura, Executive Vice President of TANA exchanged mementos on behalf of their respective organizations.

"Sarvam Sai Mayam" is a devotional ballet depicting the story of the saint of Shirdi, Sri Sai Baba.

Sai Baba was a beacon of light to millions of devotees belonging to various religions.

The ballet was divided into eight different scenes for the clear understanding of the theme. Each scene was uniquely choreographed with various characters supported by breathtaking sounds and techniques to simulate the respective environment.

Various facets of Sai Baba were depicted which included the child Sai, the man of miracles, exponent of external truths, embodiment of bliss, exalted human, form of Lord Krishna, the commander of the elements and finally the divine savior. The audience was enthralled and passion of the performers was clearly visible.

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Fogana dance competition attracts 2000 Cont’d from page 16

There is an anonymous aphorism that you can take a man out of a country, but you cannot take the country out of the man. Our background and land of origin are in us and we will always survive with the miracle medicine of Fogana."

"Fogana fosters our dreams.

Let us all jointly put our efforts to make it more vibrant. Finally, I would also like to thank all the GSC Board members, volunteers who spent many long hours to make today's program possible and successful. Last but definitely not least, I would like to thank the audience, including the youngest one present here for taking time from your busy schedule to come all the way to Chicago to be part and parcel of this event. " Fogana Steering Committee Chair Kshama Shah and Vice-Chair Urvashi Patel in their messages

Mukesh Shah (Gujarati Samaj President), Jashwant Sheth (Fogana Chief Coordinator) and Guest of Honor Dr. Bharat Barai addressing the gathering

nic group. The end result, we feel will be a whole new generation of secure, informed and authoritative ambassadors where Gujarati heritage and its values is concerned.

Fogana is not really about competition but more about celebrating South Asian culture. "

Tom Weisnes, Mayor of Aurora, in his brief address thanked Gujarati Samaj for hosting the event in Aurora and offered all possible help for their activities in the future observed that "these initial years witness Fogana progress steadily, but today our goals are expanding to meet our changing needs.

Not only do we wish to combine the dynamic ability of the Gujaratis with the practicality of today's life, but make it relevant to the changing face of the community."

Tom Weisnes, Mayor of Aurora, in his brief address thanked Gujarati Samaj for hosting the event in Aurora and offered all possible help for their activities in the future. He said that the presentations of dances were utterly enjoyable. There were in all 27 Garba-Rass presentations: Minor

Minor Garba winners

"It is desirable that American schools or Universities agree accrediting Gujarati language as part of their education program. It is also important that any social issues need be addressed with the full support of the community and especially those of us who have been blessed with the most.

And the last but not the least is that the Gujarati community needs to be perceived by America as an asset and a model, dynamic eth-

Garba 3, Minor Raas 3, Junior Garba 5, Junior Folk Dance 2, Junior Raas 4, Senior Garba 3, Senior Folk Dance 2, Senior Raas 1, Adult Garba 2, Adult Folk Dance 2 and Adult Raas 1.

Midwest Regional Chairman Devanshu Dave, in his address thanked Choreographer manager and parents for making Midwest Fogana competition possible year after year and Chairman Mukesh Shah and his team from Gujarati

Samaj of Chicago. "On the day when you all decide that we are participating in Raas, Garba and Folk dance competition you have planted a seed of success. We should not measure success just by winning first place. You should also measure it with lifetime of friendship, sprit of comradeship and making friends from other cities. So please take this opportunity and connect with families from other cities and develop everlasting friendship," he observed The 2010 Gujarati Samaj Executive team consists of President Mukesh Shah, Vice President Kaushik Shah, Secretary Arvind Modi, Asst. Secretary Dipak Shah, Treasurer Bharat Mehta, Jt. Treasurer Piyush Desai, Cultural Secretary Birju Shah, Jt Cultural Secretary Devendra Parikh, Past President Girish Kothari.

Event winners 1 - Minor Garba - Kala Darshan of Michigan (Choreographer Raksha Dave) 2 - Minor Raas - Srujan Dance of Chicago (Choreographer - Swati Shah) 3 - Junior Garba - Gurjari of Chi-

Junior Raas

cago (Choreographer - Kaku Shah) 4 - Junior Folk Dance - Jankar (Choreographer - Raksha Dave) 5 - Junior Raas - Ankur Gujarati Samaj (Choreographer - Neeti Chokshi) 6 - Senior Garba - Nartan Group of Detroit (Choreographer Raksha Dave) 7 - Senior Folk Dance - Gujarati Samaj of Chicago (Choreographer - Khushbu Desai) 8 - Senior Raas - Gujarati Mandal Of Central Ohio (Choreographer - Palak Thaker & Kishan Patel) 9 - Adult Garba - Gunjan Group Of Chicago Sejal (Choreographer - Kadakia) 10 - Adult Folk Dance - Darpan

(Choreographer - Raksha Dave) 11 - Adult Raas - Gurjari of Chicago (Choreographer - Jenis (Kakul) Samaj President Mukesh Shah in his closing remarks thanked all participants, well wishers, sponsors and supporters for their help in letting this program achieve a grand success. Fogana was founded in 1980.The aim was to bring all the Gujarati people living in North America closer together by promoting a common platform to sustain and perpetuate the cultural heritage of Gujarat, India. Initially, Fogana aspired to meet the needs and welfare of Gujaratis while assisting them in adapting to the mainstream America.

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Community Across America Strengthening amity among Consulate holds OCI Punjabis across borders facilitation camp

August 13, 2010

India Post

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THAKAR BASATI

1st row Dr.Swaranjit Singh, Prof Joginder Singh Ramdev, Shiekh Azhar Ehsan, Guest standing back row, Prof. Kulwant Singh Hundal, Thakar S Basati, Amolak Singh Gidda

CHICAGO: Institute for Conflict and Peace Studies (IFCAPS) in collaboration with Asian American Seniors Association (AASA) and Akal Foundation (Chicago) organized a special function in honor of Sheikh Azhar Ehsan, a most revered person among Pakistani Sikhs. The event was enlivened with a talk on "Mutual Respect of Sikhs and Muslims in Pakistan."

The gathering aimed at increasing mutual cooperation and strengthening love on both sides of the border without any regard to political biases and complaints.

Sheikh Sahib said in a very affectionate tone, "You may come to your religious places quite often.

We have kept our doors open for you for ever. We will not let borders come in the way of our relations of love and understanding."

Sadhu Singh Rikhiraj, president of IFCAPS while welcoming the guests said those members of different communities and the presence of the chief guest paints a picture of the complete Punjab.

Professor Joginder Singh Ramdev also urged that they would have to keep alive respect for each other.

Thakur Singh Basati and Dr. Javed Bhatti said that they should take

pride in their mother tongue. They said that until Punjabis sing together love and peace, the high walls of misunderstanding wouldn't come down to make way for building bridges and end the reign of hatred.

Executive Secretary Prof.

Sheikh is a member of Wakf Board of Pakistan. He is also a member of the global governing council. The same governing council has given permission to build Baba Guru Nanak International University on 2500 acres prime land Kulwant Singh said that the foundation of IFCAPS was laid with a view to promoting love and understanding. S. Sadhu Singh Rikhiraj and Prof. Jogindar Singh Ramdev honored Sheikh Sahib with a plaque of honor. Executive

Director Dr. Swaranjeet Singh presented some publications of IFCAPS, "Roshan Zameer, Sach ki Bani: Universal for Peace" to the Chief Guest.

Sheikh is a member of Wakf Board of Pakistan. He is also a member of the global governing council. The same governing council has given permission to build Baba Guru Nanak International University on 2500 acres prime land. He said clearly that the proposed university is a first step to increase love and cooperation.

The university will boast international standards. 75% of total students will enroll from other countries; Pakistan will keep only 25% share in the enrollment. He stressed, "Sheikh Sahib evoked such painful memories, that everyone felt connection to the old glory of Punjab."

Executive Director of IFCAPS Dr. Swaranjeet Singh observed that Sheikh Sahib's love for Punjab had reduced feelings of separation to some extent, however, the battle for saving Punjabi and the Punjab's soil, a long distance has to be covered. Sajid Chaudhary recited poems. The atmosphere became very colorful. Similar programs are proposed for the future also.

Donations sought for Punjab flood affected farmers Cont’d from page 15

Calling upon the community to donate generously so that debt ridden farmers, who have less than 5 acres, may receive another Rs. 5,000 per acre, Mejindarpal Kaur, United Sikhs director who led her team to the flood affected areas said, "We will work with the Baba Nanak Charitable Trust of Chandigarh, which has been help-

ing farmer suicide victims, to distribute relief to vulnerable farmers."

The Sangrur district, along with its sub-divisions, has the highest rate of farmer suicides in Punjab, where farming families, riddled with debt, often witness the male breadwinner taking his own life as a result.

The recent flood damage to their precious crop will only add

to the farmers' misery and saddle them with further debt. "In this village alone, 33 individuals have committed suicide.

When a breadwinner commits suicide, their children are totally ruined," explains Chaudary Ram Dia Singh. He says, "When a crop fails (from flood), it takes a farmer 5 years to get up on his feet again.

Once the farmer recovers, it (the flood) comes again."

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Owing to expeditious processing and granting of Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status to over 5000 applicants recently, the Indian Consulate in New York held an OCI facilitation camp on July 30 on its

or photographs were attended to individually by the Officers of the OCI Wing of the Consulate and their applications were immediately approved on the spot. Many applicants who benefited from the camp felt that such focused camps should be held periodically to redress grievances. Others who felt

premises.

Upon being notified by the Consulate, an overwhelming number of applicants responded and picked up their cards during the camp.

Several applicants whose OCI applications were pending because of lack of certain documents / clarifications, missing signatures

deterred by the long queues were gratified to get personal hearing from the officers and the attempt to redress their problems.

An OCI card allows hassle free travel to India, study in India, as well as carrying out of permitted commercial and economic activity to the Overseas Citizens of India.

Community/California

August 13, 2010

India Post 19

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BAPS donation totals $63,000 for Haiti relief fund India Post News Service

ATLANTA, GA: BAPS Charities' contribution to the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, is now over $63,000. The additional funds were presented to UNICEF at the Southeast Speaker Series in Atlanta, GA on July 15.

The volunteers of BAPS Charities - children, youth, and adults came together to raise funds for those suffering in Haiti. According to Lisa Szarkowski, Vice President of Public Relations with UNICEF, the funds have been used to provide medicines, clean drinking water and temporary housing for children in devastated areas of Haiti.

On January 12, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake with 33 recorded aftershocks rattled Haiti. It killed more than 200,000 people, displaced over a million, and affected as many as 3 million people, many of

them being children under the age of 14. During the aftermath of this earthquake, BAPS Charities partnered with UNICEF to provide aid and protection for children who lost their family and friends.

Together, they constructed over 400 camps for the displaced individuals in the affected areas.

Enthralling Odissi by Ankita at IMSA Cont’d from page 16

The audience was highly appreciative of the Salabagh Janana, in the Bhakti Rasa, (the sentiment of devotion) where Ankita enacted the powerful episodes from the Mahabharat depicting the disrobing of Draupadi at the Kuru Sabha and Lord Krishna coming to rescue her from disgrace.

At the end of her performance, Ankita was blessed by her guru Ipshita Satapathy, a business executive who has been passionate

in preserving and promoting the Odissi dance tradition despite her busy schedule and pressing engagements.

Ankita's parents - Anu and Shaurya Khandal - pointed out that she had a passion for Odissi even as a four-year old. She has performed in prestigious venues like Navy Pear, Museum of Science and Industry and the Harold Washington Library in Chicago.

She graduated from IMSA this year and is planning to attend University of Vanderbilt this fall.

These camps provide children with education, protection, and health care services.

"The partnership with UNICEF has been great," said Anand

excellence in providing disaster relief services and on-going humanitarian care for children. In 2001, after the Gujarat earthquake, its volunteers reached Kutch

Hurricane Katrina and Ike, to help people survive this catastrophe, BAPS Charities volunteers again served hot meals, provided people with clothing, and offered counsel-

within minutes of the first quake.

They helped rescue individuals buried in the rubble, regularly fed hot meals to victims and volunteers, provided minute necessities like nail cutters, and rebuilt schools, homes, and communities. During

ing. The natural calamity in Haiti has again provided an opportunity for BAPS Charities to engage tens of thousands of its volunteers to work alongside UNICEF to make a difference in our world.

During the aftermath of this earthquake, BAPS Charities partnered with UNICEF to provide aid and protection for children who lost their family and friends. Together, they constructed over 400 camps for the displaced individuals Mehta, Director, BAPS Charities.

"BAPS Charities and UNICEF share many goals and being there to help children in need is certainly gratifying."

BAPS Charities is known for its

India Day celebrations across Chicagoland Cont’d from page 13

In his brief address, he reiterated his plea for unity among all Indian Americans saying that this was celebration of our national pride and that he had invited all the groups in FIA for their active help and support in whatever capacity they wanted. Since the FIA Trustees had nominated him to monitor the entire event, he wanted the rival faction to choose any committee position that would suit them.

Sunil Shah, an FIA presidential contender, said in a communication to media and the FIA Trustee Board, that the recent Court ruling that the FIA Election on December 13, 2009 were not conducted in accordance with the articles of incorporation and bylaws of FIA should be an eye opener for all. The Judge, he said, pitched for unity between two

groups and working together to find a solution to the problem. He also averred that in the larger interest of the association, he will allow any event or function to continue. Thus, for the common good he let the celebrations of India Day continue with amity between the two groups.

"In the light of this and with the good intention of amicable working, I and Omkar Sanga accepted your invitation to attend a meeting on July 26 but were shocked by the behavior and attitude of Satish Gabhawla who threatened to kick out Omkar Sanga (who happened to be vice president, past president of PCS and currently on the Governing Board of PCS). His only crime that angered Gabhawala was his objection to the distribution of Flyers that contained wrong information about the office bearers," Shah said

It would have been more appropriate that the 2009 committee or eligible member associations of

The Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago has slated a celebration at the Temple in Bartlett on Sunday August 15 at 12-30 noon. Among other dignitaries, Senator John Milner and Pujya Shri Lokesh Muni will be present during the flag hoisting ceremony 2009 should be allowed to run the show and manage the celebration as a team and not doing so should

be tantamount to disregard of the Court ruling and a possible contempt of the Court, Shah pointed out.

He further said that the FIA bylaws clearly state that Trustees shall function in an advisory capacity to the Board of Directors as they are appointed by the Board of Directors who represent member associations.

"Trustees have no power to appoint or remove any Chair for any events of FIA Chicago. And anything that is done is in contravention of the FIA constitution, he maintained.

He said that any talk of unity is hollow so long as a high handed attitude persists. "We understand the importance of a national festival like India Day and it is in this context that we would like to have a precedent set up on fair ground for the future generation," he said.

Indian Consulate in Chicago,

true its tradition will have a Flag hoisting done at the Consulate office on Sunday August 15 in the morning. A Presidential message will be read on the occasion.

The Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago has slated a celebration at the Temple in Bartlett on Sunday August 15 at 12-30 noon.

Among other dignitaries, Senator John Milner and Pujya Shri Lokesh Muni will be present during the flag hoisting ceremony. There will be a fun filled Mela whole day, according to Hemant Shah, a spokesman of the Society. Various tents for food, games and vendor booths along with Karaokee stand and other festivities have been organized. Details are accessible on the event website (www.jsmconline.org).

Indian Association of Skokie celebrated India's Independence Day at Skokie Public Library on August 7.

20 India Post

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August 13, 2010

August 13, 2010

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India Post 21

SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY India Post News Service

NEW YORK: If someone tells you to go watch Tere Bin Laden by leaving your brains at home to enjoy this comic caper, don't listen to them. Rather, go watch the movie with your brains right in place because under the veneer of the comedy and slapstick that this movie ostensibly displays is a brilliant satire that one can only appreciate and enjoy with oodles of intelligence and of course an evolved sense of humor to accept the ugly realities of the post-9/11 world.

Written, scripted and directed by

Abhishek Sharma, Tere Bin Laden, which has already become a runaway hit in India, UK and the UAE - and been banned in Pakistan - is one of Bollywood's best produced satires that takes an almost daring shot, at an underlying level, at American intelligence, Pakistan's role as facilitator for the US war on terror and the myth

22

India Post

and hype behind Osama Bin Laden. On the surface is the hilarity of an ambitious young Pakistani's desperate obsession to fulfill the 'American dream', the media's love for sensationalism, and the ubiquitous counter-systems that thrive in South Asian countries to ship aspirants illegally to the land of 'Amreeka'.

www.indiapost.com

It must be given to Abhishek Sharma, an Indian, for his gumption to not only cast a real-life Pakistani as his protagonist but also to set his entire story in Pakistan considering humor is the last thing the perennially-at-war neighbors share between them.

So it the story of young Ali Hassan, a news reporter at a shady television station whose

August 13, 2010

singular dream since childhood has been to emigrate to the United States of America.

His repeated attempts to immigrate are shot down when he stumbles upon an Osama Bin Laden look alike and hatches a scheme with the help of cohorts, which he sure hopes would buy him a ticket to America.

Cont’d on page 25

August 13, 2010

India Post 23

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24 India Post

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August 13, 2010

August 13, 2010

India Post

25

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Hindus welcome Julia Roberts to Hinduism

NEVADA, US: Hindus have extended warm welcome to Oscar winner Hollywood star Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman) into the Hindu fold.

September issue of women's fashion magazine Elle, on which Roberts, 42, is the cover girl, reportedly says: The entire RobertsModer family, she reveals, goes to temple together to "chant and pray and celebrate. I'm definitely a practicing Hindu," says Roberts, who grew up with a Catholic mother and Baptist father. And since in Hindu cosmology souls can be reincarnated in other bodies, where does she see herself in the next life? "Golly, I've been so spoiled with my friends and famCont’d from page 22

What ensues can only be described as outrageously comic, with the Osama look alike - an innocent chicken farmer - being tricked into recording a fake video tape posing as the real Osama and the tape being sold to an Indian news channel as a scoop.

The ramifications aren't funny when the White House gets involved and an American secret agent busts Ali and his gang.

It's a laugh-out-loud movie but you know you are not laughing 'at' Bin Laden nor are you laughing 'at' Pakistanis. You are laughing at the irony behind the characters, the situations and the entire sequence of events that is so stark, whether it is the Pakistani TV channel owner selling the Osama 'scoop' to an Indian television channel, or the travel agency called Lashkar-e-Amreeka (with a tag line that says: Invading America since 2002) and the travel agent whose ingenuous ways of sending people to the US include maintaining a 'late' file of deceased persons whose details are used to create fake passports, and of even sending them as mujahideen into

ily in this life," she says. "Next time I want to be just something quiet and supporting."

Noted Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) heartily welcomed Roberts into Hinduism. She would appreciate rich, diverse and long tradition of Hindu philosophy; and its interpretation of the nature of reality, he added.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that if Roberts needed any help in deeper Hinduism exploration, he or other Hindu scholars would be glad to assist.

Rajan Zed suggested Roberts to realize the Self. Ancient Hindu scripture Katha Upanishad points

out that when wise realize the Self, they go beyond sorrow. Self is supreme and those who meditate on Self are freed from the cycle of birth and death. When one realizes Self, there is nothing else to be known.

According to reports, Roberts has been interested in yoga for quite some time. She was in Haryana (India) in September last to shoot "Eat, Pray, Love" in an ashram (retreat). In January 2009, she sported a "bindi" (vermillion mark on forehead) during her trip

The entire RobertsModer family, she reveals, goes to temple together to ‘chant and pray and celebrate’

Next Spice Girl from India?

to India when she also visited Taj Mahal with husband Danny Moder. She has a production company called "Red Om Films", and "Om" in Hinduism is the mystical syllable containing the universe.

Roberts lead "Eat, Pray, Love" (Ryan Murphy) is releasing in USA and Canada on August 13.

Julia Fiona Roberts, one of the most successful Hollywood actresses besides a producer and fashion model, has won best actress Oscar for "Erin Brockovich" and earned Oscar nominations for "Pretty Woman" and "Steel Magnolias".

he team behind the launch of the all-girl British pop band, The Spice Girls, is looking for new faces to form a band similar to the '90s pop sensation. This time, the music label is only looking for girls from Asia.

The organizers call the hunt Project Lotus - a movement to find, train, groom, form and launch an international Pan-Asian girl band.

Manish Purwal, MD of the company in charge of selecting the finalists from India, says, "We will have online and offline auditions.

The process will be documented as part of a four-part reality series."

Lara Dutta walks for Rina Dhaka at Pearls Couture week in New Delhi

T

Tere Bin Laden: A brilliant satire US military camps which will ensure they are transported to the US 'free of cost'.

What is interesting is the writerdirector's take on how Pakistanis react to the name Osama Bin

Laden. Also interesting is the proprietary authority he takes in caricaturing characters in that country, which can only come from the historical bonds that India and Pakistan share.

One can say there's nothing funny about war or terrorism. But, wouldn't it be wonderful if Osama bin Laden and the mandarins at Homeland Security watched this movie… if only they can laugh at themselves or even just laugh, the world can still hope for some peace Although the writer-director keeps it light throughout, it is in the final message that Ali video tapes with the fake Osama calling on 'Dear beloved George Bush' to

Up to 40 candidates will be shortlisted, out of which five girls from India will go to Hong Kong.

The lead judge from India will be music composer Shamir Tandon.

"I'm looking for three qualities in the contestants: their vocal skills, the way they interact with each other, and whether they are presentable. They must be able to sing in English."

Shamir says the reality series will be unlike any of the reality shows viewers are accustomed do. "There will be no voting or drama. The judges will decide the contestants based on their singing skills." stop obsessing about Osama and using his name to wage wasteful wars, that Abhishek Sharma delivers his punch.

The largely Urdu and Punjabi dialogue is a scream riddled as it is with colloquial humor. The casting, with not a single known name to hang the picture on, is fantastic.

Lead actor Ali Zafar, a Pakistani pop singer-turned-actor, is cute and believable. But it is Pradhuman Singh who plays the fake Osama that takes your heart for his innocence and guilelessness while uncannily resembling the most dreaded international terrorist.

The music score by ShankarEhsaan-Loy is catchy, but it's the background score by Dhruv Dhalla that gives this movie its pace as a mad caper. Produced by India's Walkwater Media, Tere Bin Laden released in select markets in the US on Aug 6.

To conclude one can say there's nothing funny about war or terrorism. But, wouldn't it be wonderful if Osama bin Laden and the mandarins at Homeland Security watched this movie… if only they can laugh at themselves or even just laugh, the world can still hope for some peace.

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Madno: Lamhaa 2

Ranjha Ranjha: Raavan

3 Main Kaun Hoon: Lamhaa 4 Rabba Luck Barsa: Kajraare 5 Fariyaad Hai: Mr.Singh Mrs.Mehta

26 India Post

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August 13, 2010

6 Bin Tere: I Hate Luv Storys 7

A

ctor Vivek Oberoi is all set to tie the knot with Bangalore-based Priyanka Alva (28), daughter of well known danseuse Nandini Alva and late Janata Dal(U) leader Jeevraj Alva.

Priyanka is the choice of Vivek's parents Suresh and Yashodara Oberoi and the actor took his time before giving an emphatic yes to match, a statement from the actor's publicist said. The wedding is set to take place later this year.

"It is a very big day for us and we are extremely happy to see our son settle down. Priyanka for sure is the ideal girl for Vivek and we can't be happier at her inclusion into the Oberoi family," Suresh Oberoi said.

Vivek's publicist, speaking on the actor's behalf said, "He is elated! Overjoyed with the new developments in his life...2010, his 8th year in Bollywood has certainly taken things upwards in his career and personal life. He thanks everyone for all the love, support and good wishes."

Priyanka graduated with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Royal Holloway, University of London in 2003.

She continued her educational pursuits in multidimensional fields of her evolving interests including a non-certified course at the Martha Graham School of Dance in New York and a course in Administration and Fund Raising for Non-Profit Organizations from NYU, the statement said.

The 33-year-old actor was engaged to model

Priyanka Alva

Yashodara said, "I am happy we have found someone as gracious as Priyanka who is a perfect blend of traditional values and modern thinking."

Gurpreet in 2002 but the relationship didn't work just like his affair with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Vivek was later linked to Vidya Balan and 'Prince' co-star Neeru Bajwa.

No kiss miss V

ivacious Sonam Kapoor is not someone who'll take the 'kiss-route' to stardom even if asked to lock lips with the Bollywood hunk Shahid Kapoor. Buzz has it that the lass flatly refused to kiss Shahid for a scene in 'Mausam' at the last minute during the Scotland schedule, making things complex for the film's director and Shahid's dad Pankaj Kapoor.

It took her completely by surprise when she was asked to do a liplock with Shahid, as there had been no talk of any kissing scene when she signed the film. Sonam was never informed of any smooching act to be done with her 'Mausam' co-star while she was being narrated the script.

It was reported that the situation went really out of hand and a high drama was created on the sets with Pankaj frantically calling Sonam`s dad Anil in desperation to save the situation. But, Sonam looked in no mood to budge.

Interestingly, the source added, "It was at Shahid`s behest that a kissing scene was created.

He put forth the idea to his father who complied with his request."

However, Sonam siad, "There was no kissing scene in Mausam. It`s complete fabrication that I refused to do such a scene."

But, the source says, "When Sonam realized that it was her hero's demand, she became even more adamant about not doing the kiss and was in no mood to listen to anyone on the subject."

Tum Chain Ho: Milenge Milenge

8 Sajde: Khatta Meetha (New) 9 Tum Jo Aaye (Reprise): Once Upon A Time in Mumbai 10 I Love Amreeka: Tere Bin Laden

Bollywood

August 13, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Her Hissss! S W ell!! Bold and sexy Mallika Sherawat has gone a step bolder for the promotion of her forthcoming flick 'Hissss' directed by Hollywood's Jennifer Lynch, and co-starring Irrfan Khan and Divya Dutta.

The voluptuous babe has posted her topless photo on the popular social networking site covering her assets with bare hands and flowing tresses.

She gives out a sultry look with kohl painted eyes and arms covered in scaly snake design.

The pic is accompanied with tweets from Sherawat like, "‌my "topless pic shud giv eternal life‌" and "is this too much?"

onam Kapoor and her sister Rhea, who produced Aisha, offered the male lead to Sonam's pal Imran Khan. At that time Imran and Sonam were already doing 'I Hate Luv Storys' and had become great buddies.

Naturally Sonam presumed Imran would happily do her home production.

But the Kapoor family was in for a shock when Imran declined the offer pleading there was not much for him to do.

Anil admits Imran was indeed the first choice for Abhay Deol's role.

Says the candid star-actor, "Rhea and Sonam did send the script over to Imran. I don't know why he didn't do it. Maybe, he was wary of a script that was named after the heroine. But Abhay is the perfect choice".

Anil is very proud of his daughters for having managed Aisha all on their own.

"I did nothing. I gave Sonam and Rhea a free hand. I was there to help them with inputs. But Aisha is completely their baby.

Now we're planning 2-3 new productions. One of them would definitely have Sonam in it."

Grateful debutante

Diamond man

B

J

ohn Abraham is one man in Bollywood who surely knows how to keep his woman happy.

John recently gifted Bipasha Basu a diamond pendant which left the gorgeous lady raving about her favourite guy.

Bips, during a recent media interaction, when asked about how far she relates with diamonds in real life considering she endorses a diamond brand, she exclaimed diamond to be in her love-list.

She also addressed John to be her diamond supplier and was yet again happy to receive a beautiful pendant from him. The bong beauty also confirmed her mother to be saving diamond jewelry for her wedding and life after.

John-Bips is one couple made for ever.

ollywood's newbie, Sonakshi Shina, who enters Bollywood with 'Dabangg', can't stop praising costar Salman Khan and his brothers. The debutante has signed on with producer Arbaaz Khan for her second film too.

"Yes I am doing another film for Arbaaz Khan. But we haven't decided on the subject and other details. All I know is, that's the only film I've said yes to. Otherwise I'll wait for 'Dabangg' to be released before signing anything," Sonakshi said.

Salman is taking keen interest in the newcomer's career and has reportedly advised her not to sign any more films until her first film is released. This could be the reason why Sonakshi has turned down lucrative offers from several big banners.

Was she ever intimidated by Salman?

"Not at all," Sonakshi laughed. "He's a really chilled-out guy. If I didn't have Salman and his brothers to look after me in my first film I don't know how I'd have gathered the confidence to take the plunge into acting," Sonakshi said.

She stressed that she will only do films and roles that make her comfortable.

"That is one thing I'm sure of. I won't do anything that would embarrass me or my parents."

India Post

27

R

ed Fort in India's capital Delhi has an inseparable link with India's independence from the British.

Every year on August 15, the Independence Day, the Prime Minister of India hoists the Indian flag on the ramparts of the historical site.

Red Fort or Lal Quila as it is popularly known in Delhi is a marvel of Indo- Islamic architecture. Made of red stone this very fort was the center of power for more than two centuries. Completed in a span of ten years, according to conservative estimates at least 10 million rupees were spend on it. Of these around 5 million was spent on palaces and the rest on gardens, fountains and pathways. The fort is typical of Indo-Islamic architecture and has eight facets.

The fort has been connected to Salimghad Fort.

Cont’d on page 30

28 India Post

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August 13, 2010

Red Fort in India's capital Delhi has an inseparable link with India's independence from the British. Every year on August 15, the Independence Day, the Prime Minister of India hoists the Indian flag on the ramparts of the historical site

Travel & Hospitality Post

August 13, 2010

India Post

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'Tourism industry has overcome slowdown' KOLKATA: India's travel and tourism industry has overcome the global economic slowdown and foreign tourist arrival is increasing, Union Minister of State for Tourism Sultan Ahmed said here.

"The tourism industry in the country, along with other trades, felt the effect of economic downturn since 2008, but it has been overcome...foreign tourist arrival is increasing," Ahmed told a gathering at the historic Town Hall here to mark the end of the three-day Travel and Tourism Fair.

The visa on arrival facility had been extended to citizens of several countries like Singapore, New Zealand, Luxemburg and Switzerland apart from many of the Com-

monwealth countries, Ahmed said.

"This has yielded good response among tourists and travel operators, and we are interacting with the Union Home Ministry

The visa on arrival facility had been extended to citizens of several countries like Singapore, New Zealand, Luxemburg and Switzerland to introduce the facility to more countries," he said. The minister, however, emphasized that the backbone of the country's tourism industry was domestic tourism. "We have

about 500 million domestic tourists crisscrossing the country every year."

During the function, Ahmed and Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee presented awards to different participants for the TTF 2010.

While Jammu and Kashmir Tourism and Himachal Pradesh Tourism were jointly awarded the group participation awards, Cambodia's ministry of tourism won the 'Most Promising New Destination' award among several other awardees.

To tap India's tourism potential, seven countries -- Cambodia, South Korea, Bhutan, China, Dubai, Egypt and Nepal -participated in the tourism fair, touted as the largest in the country so far. -PTI

29

'Palace on Wheels' chugs out for new season JAIPUR: 'Palace on Wheels', a luxury train for tourists, which got a facelift recently with splendid new interiors and added facilities, chugged out again last week.

"The train departed from the Safdarjang Railway Station in Delhi for historical places in Rajasthan, marking the beginning of its new season," a Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation official said.

The train, launched to promote tourism in Rajasthan, had acquired a new look with magnificent new interiors and added facilities, he said. -PTI

Call for scrapping taxes on tourist vehicles NEW DELHI: Leading tourist travel operators have demanded the elimination of passenger and road taxes levied by various state governments and called for a seamless single entry and exit tax for vehicles across the country.

The Indian Tourist Transporters Association (ITTA), the apex body representing over 300 operators recognized by the Minister of Tourism, said the current system of every state collecting its own road and passenger taxes was hampering the tourism potential of the country.

"Currently, despite having national permits, tourist vehicles have to pay taxes at all entry and exit points while passing through any state. We want the government to implement the seamless travel mode for our vehicles across the country, under which we will need to pay tax only once," ITTA President Sarab Jit Singh told reporters here.

He said Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Kamal

Nath has written to the ITTA assuring the travel operators of speedy action.

"A pilot project on the seam-

‘Currently, despite having national permits, tourist vehicles have to pay taxes at all entry and exit points while passing through any state.

We want the government to implement the seamless travel mode for our vehicles across the country’ less travel mode was started from July 17 in the Delhi-Agra-Jaipur triangle and the minister has said if the project proves successful,

the government will expand it nationwide," Singh said.

The pilot project was launched in cooperation with the state governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

ITTA said a single tax structure can boost tourism business and foreign passenger inflows by 1520 per cent annually by reducing cost and time.

The body also asked the government to allot specialized registration numbers, beginning with the letters 'TV', for vehicles owned

by Ministry of Tourism-recognized operators.

"Besides helping in movement, such a measure will also help in distinguishing the recognized operators, who follow minimum rules laid down by government, and other operators," Singh said.

The ITTA also called upon the government to allow new cars purchased by recognized tour operators to be issued registration certificates at dealerships to save time and bureaucratic hassles. -PTI

Malaysia makes visa application easier KUALA LUMPUR: Aiming to attract more tourists, especially from India and China, to the country, Malaysia has decided to make application for visa easier for people visiting the country.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said tourists who wished to come to Malaysia could go to locally appointed representatives to apply for their visas instead of the consulates.

The visa facilitation system (VFS) will become a "better alternative" for tourists from China and

India where Malaysian consulates are located only in certain areas.

Indians and Chinese make up for a large chunk of foreign tourists visiting the country.

"This means we now have a wider coverage to attract more tourists. People living in cities without Malaysian consulates will be able get their visas without the hassle," she said before launching the Malaysia Contemporary Arts Tourism Festival here.

"Applicants will need to pay a small fee to the appointed tour

agents for their visas but they still can apply directly to a Malaysian consulate," she added.

Ng said the VFS has been available in India for two months with an international tourism company.

She said the Government's decision to cancel the issuance of visa on arrival (VOA) to tourists from eight countries would not affect the tourism industry as out of the 24 million tourists entering the country last year, only 9,000 came through VOA. -PTI

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Travel & Hospitality Post

‘Patrolling the Tiger Land’ scheme for tourists BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh will launch a novel scheme “Patrolling the Tiger Land” from this October under which tourists visiting the national parks will get an opportunity to trek forest with the patrolling parties.

Tourists will be able to trek forests along with patrolling parties in the national parks so that they can have a real-life experience of wildlife and flora and fauna, official sources said.

The tourists at national park/ sanctuary will be provided with a patrolling party/trek by the range officer concerned or any other competent authority, they said, adding the tourists would be able to go deep into the jungles accompanied by the patrolling party.

Tourists will be allowed to carry food and drinking water with them.

They will have to pay vehicle entry fees as per rules apart from separate charges for trekking the forest along with the patrolling

party, they said.

Only four tourists will be allowed to accompany a patrolling party and they will be allowed to take rest in the camps of the forest department, officials said.

The tourists at national park/sanctuary will be provided with a patrolling party/trek by the range officer concerned or any other competent authority Children below the age of 12 years will not be allowed under this system, they said.

This arrangement will come into force from the next tourism season beginning from October 16. –PTI

August 13, 2010

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Red Fort: Symbol of India's I-Day Cont’d from page 28

This beautiful but small fort lies on the Northern side of the main architecture.

The Red Fort is an intimidating red-stone monument and dominates the skyline of the walled city.

Although the fort is octagonal and doesn't have demarked length and breadth but broadly it is 900 meters long and 550 meters wide. The most intimidating part is its high raised wall which is nearly three kilometers in perimeter. The height of the wall reaches 33.5 meters at some places. On the outside, you can still see the pathway that was originally connected with the Yamuna River.

These walls are purely vertical and are very plain in architecture.

They are lashed with very heavy courses on the top. There are two major gateways to the fort though there are few minor gateways too.

The two major gates are Lahori

Naqqar Khana

crossing once which was a meeting point of East-West street from Lahori Gate and North-South street. The North-South street was very important in that era as it divided Garrision from the residential blocks, situated respectively on the west and east side of the Fort.

To the southern end of this

his justice. The two southern pedestals of the palace are Zenana Khana, or women's quarters and a Rang Mahal. The Rang Mahal is famous for its Qasida works on the roof and a marble pool. This pool was the bathing place for the emperor and was fed with the water by the Nahr-i-Behisht, a subsid-

The most intimidating part is its high raised wall which is nearly three kilometers in perimeter. The height of the wall reaches 33.5 meters at some places. On the outside, you can still see the pathway that was originally connected with the Yamuna River Rang Mahal

Gate and Delhi Gate. Among the two the Lahori Gate was the chief entrance in those days. The road from Lahori Gate goes to a covered bazaar, built on the model of Meena Bazaar. This is known as the Chatta Chowk. The whole alley is lined up with shops selling miniatures and mementos. The pathway leads to a large open space. This space was a four-way

street is the Delhi Gate. To the left side of the gate is a courtyard. It was attached with Diwan-e-Aam, a place reserved for the daily public audience of Emperor. A decorated throne-balcony for the emperor stands at the eastern side of the Diwan-e-Aam. It is said to be the copy of the throne of Solomon, a prophet in Islam, Judaism and Christianity, who was known for

Moti Masjid

iary canal of Faiz Nahar. The third pavilion, the Khas Mahal, contains the Royal apartments.

Among others it contains bedrooms, prayer rooms, Nagar Khana, Jharokha and the Mussaman Burj. The last one is a tower built close to the walls in order to make it easy for the subjects to see the king during daily communion.

The next pavilion is the Diwani-Khas, the lavishly decorated hall for private audience to foreign dignitaries and nobles. It was also used for administrative and court gatherings. To its north lies a large garden, the Hayat Bakhsh Bagh, which is cut through, in a typical mogul style, by two bisecting channels of water.

Location: Old Delhi near Jama Masjid How to Reach: Take an auto or cab or disembark at Chandini Chowk Metro station Attractions: Diwan-e-Khas, Diwan-e- Aam, Lahore Gate etc Timing: 9 am to 5 pm

August 13, 2010

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Realty Tidbits

No change in home loan rates for now

Real Estate

R

etail bank customers need not worry about any rise in the equated monthly installments (EMIs) on their home loans with banks expected to absorb the rate hikes by Reserve Bank of India.

The special home loan rates of banks will continue for now. OP Bhatt, chairman and managing director of State Bank of India, said their special home loan rate of 8 per cent is open till September 30.

"We will take a call at that time," Bhatt said.

Private banks, which had a special home loans scheme of 8.25 per cent, may continue for a while as CEOs of all large banks agreed that raising lending rates is not immediate on their agenda.

DLF records 3.78% rise in net profit

A

ided by higher sales realization, India's largest real estate company DLF Ltd has recorded a 3.78 per cent increase in its consolidated net profit for first quarter of the current fiscal at Rs 411 crore.

The net profit was Rs 396 crore in the year ago period. According to a DLF statement, the sales and other receipts were up nearly 23 per cent Rs 2,028.53 crore.

The DLF board has also approved issue of equity shares by its wholly owned subsidiary DLF Brands to a promoter group company, subject to shareholders' approval. Following the approval, DBL will cease to be a subsidiary of DLF. "The move is in line with the strategic objective of DLF to exit the non-core business," it said, but did not give further details of the transaction.

Chennai-based Oriental Hotels plans expansion

C

hennai-based Oriental Hotels Ltd is planning to expand its footprint by adding more hotels.

The company will add two more properties to its existing eight in the next two years, when its total room inventory will be 1,250.

Currently, the company's eight properties are managed by Taj. The proposed properties in Coimbatore and Bangalore will also be managed by Taj. While the Coimbatore property, which is likely to be up and running in the next few months, will have 180 rooms; its property in Bangalore will have 200 rooms and will come under the 'Gateway' - the mid-market brand of Taj.

33 India Post

www.indiapost.com

August 13, 2010

Sobha Developers reports whopping profit

R

eal estate firm Sobha Developers has reported a whopping 170 per cent jump in net profit for the first quarter of the current fiscal at Rs 34.3 crore, on the back of a 78 per cent increase in total income.

The Bangalore-based firm had reported Rs 12.7 crore net profit during the quarter ended June, 2009, it said in a release. Total operating income of the realty firm increased to Rs 318 crore during the reporting quarter compared to Rs 178.6 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.

Developing economies outperform Europe, UK and US

P

roperty markets in the more dynamic economies of South America, Asia and Eastern Europe are outperforming those in the United Kingdom and Eurozone, according to the RICS Global Commercial Property Survey for the second quarter. The Survey suggests that real estate performance in the United States has shown a marked improvement while in Latin America the commercial property market continues its bull run.

Respondents in Peru and Brazil were most upbeat, topping all in the Americas for both rental and capital value expectations. Survey respondents in Canada currently view the market as stable.

“The real estate world continues to be split, broadly speaking, between the emerging and developed economies,” said RICS chief economist Simon Rubinsohn.

“Strong growth in many of the former, including the likes of Brazil, Hong Kong and India, is con-

tinuing to boost demand for new space from occupiers as well as encouraging investment activity.

Meanwhile in many of the latter, fiscal retrenchment allied to bank deleveraging continues to place significant obstacles in the way of a meaningful recovery in the commercial property market.”

space. Significantly, France is bucking the negative Eurozone trend with more material signs of an upturn in sentiment towards real estate reflecting, in part, the relatively resilient performance from the domestic economy. Property professionals in the United States reported a rise in tenant

Significantly, France is bucking the negative Eurozone trend with more material signs of an upturn in sentiment towards real estate reflecting, in part, the relatively resilient performance from the domestic economy Occupier demand is rising in the majority of countries across the globe with the notable exception of the UK and Eurozone countries where the tough measures that have been taken to reduce fiscal deficits appear to be having a more pronounced impact on the appetite of businesses to take up new

demand across all three sectors for the first time in three years.

Brazil is leading the way with the net balance of property professionals reporting a rise in occupier demand moving from 70 percent to 85 percent with markets in Peru and China also performing well. By way of contrast, demand

in the UK turned negative for the first time in a year with the net balance falling from a positive 14 percent to a negative 4 percent while the net balances in Spain, Germany and Greece are all in negative territory.

Indicators in China remain strong despite measures introduced by the Chinese government to address the property boom. Indicators for occupier demand, rental expectations and the number of investment bidders per property all remain firmly in positive territory. Elsewhere in Asia, the latest numbers from India suggest a strong showing from real estate in the second quarter despite the increase in interest rates.

Looking forward into the third quarter of 2010, sentiment toward capital values is particularly strong in France, Peru and Brazil while property professionals are most optimistic on rental increases in Brazil, Hong Kong and Peru.

Students hit hard by C'wealth Games

W

ith hostels in Delhi Uni versity emptied of their occupants to prepare rooms for the Commonwealth Games, thousands of students are out on the roads scouting for temporary accommodation. But not to miss an opportunity, the real estate owners have jacked up prices of rooms around the campus area.

A tiny servant quarters with

Neha Suri, a third-year student of IP College from Uttar Pradesh, has been looking for a room for the last three weeks only to be dumfounded by the rent every time she manages to find one. "My parents can afford to pay for the accommodation, but I feel guilty making them spend so much. I have six siblings and four of us are still

With property rates reaching a new high, students of North Campus colleges have now joined hands to form a 'Campaign for Rent Regulation and More Hostels’ attached toilet, but minus the kitchen, costs Rs 10,000 per month on Mall Road, while a three-bed air-conditioned PG accommodation for girls costs around Rs 8,000 in Hudson Lane and Vijay Nagar.

The cheapest option appears to be tiny rooms in far-flung Nehru Vihar and Gandhi Vihar which come for around Rs 6,000 and without any sort of ventilation.

studying," she says. Those who cannot afford North Campus, are now looking at Timarpur where the rooms are a little cheaper, she adds.

Deepak Kumar from Bihar, a first-year student of History at Hansraj College, says he shares a room with four friends from Hindu College and Kirori Mal College in Nehru Vihar. "I have never lived in

such conditions before, but I have no other way out. Until the Games are over, I will have to live like this.

My room has a tiny ventilator and we pay Rs 6,000 for it excluding the water and power bill."

While the boys can still dream of returning to a cheap hostel room someday, for students of IP College for Women, even that does not hold true. At Rs 95,000 for the 10-month DU session, the new hostel that was built last year is beyond most students who prefer living in PG accommodation. It is the most expensive hostel in North

Campus where the average cost is around Rs 30,000 a year.

With property rates reaching a new high, students of North Campus colleges have now joined hands to form a 'Campaign for Rent Regulation and More Hostels'.

They have filed a memorandum before Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in which they have urged her to regulate rents on the campus. Already more than a thousand signatures have been taken and demonstrations and social networking campaigns are being planned.

Horoscope

34 India Post

August 13, 2010

www.indiapost.com

ARIES Mar 21-Apr 20 Seek outside help if you can not decide an important issue involving a relationship or partnership. New expenses could shake your budget. If you maintain patience you will soon overcome your opponents. Some of you may decide to go ahead with the law suit to prove your point. Promising week for people looking for a job.

LEO Jul 23-Aug 22 You will regain confidence as the ideas will start working and you will be able to see things more clearly. Presence of Sun in your sign will make you more popular. You will receive many valuable gifts from people you like. Financial juggling will reduce the pressure immediately. You will benefit from a tall and fair skin person.

SAGITTARIUS

August 13 to August 19

Nov 23-Dec 22 Presence of strong Sun in house of luck will help you achieve goals easily. Rewards will start pouring in for the work done in the past and you will have several good size contracts in your hands. Some of you will be adjusting in new home this week. You will take family to a social event and meet old friends also.

'Pakistan has more nukes and fissile materials than India' WASHINGTON: Pakistan now appears to have overtaken India in the number of atomic war heads, with China having about three times the number of nukes than New Delhi.

Pakistan has 70-90 strategic nuclear weapons, as against India's 60-80, according to the latest table of Nuclear Weapons Inventories 2010 released by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

"Both Pakistan and India are increasing their arsenals," it said.

"Neither India nor Pakistan has released official information to the public regarding the size of their nuclear arsenals, said the report 'Global nuclear weapons inventories, 1945-2010' authored by Robert S Norris and Hans M Kristensen.

Russia tops the list with 12,000 warheads followed by the US 9,400, France 300, China 240, UK 225 and Israel, which has not declared itself as a nuclear weapon state has 60 to 80 weapons.

The inventory has warned that Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea have yet not made their nuclear arsenals fully operational.

"The majority of India's and

Pakistan's warheads are not yet operationally deployed. Both countries are believed to be increasing their stockpiles," the report said.

"India is estimated to have assembled 60-80 warheads and produced enough fissile material for 60-105 nuclear warheads; Pakistan is estimated to have assembled 7090 warheads and produced fissile material for as many as 90 warheads," it said.

As for China, the report said, many "strategic" warheads are for regional use.

"The status of a Chinese nonstrategic nuclear arsenal is uncertain, and China's deployed warheads are not thought to be fully operational (that is, mated with delivery systems).

China holds additional warheads in storage, for a total stockpile of approximately 240 warheads," it said.

"The US intelligence community predicts that China will increase its total number of warheads on long-range ballistic missiles from about 50 to well over 100 in the next 15 years," the report said. -PTI

TAURUS Apr 21-May 20 Money wise you will do better this week. You will have more than one chance to make fast money. Speculation or lottery could be profitable too.

Try not to take some one's words for granted and use your intellect. You may play some trick on a friend or a colleague. Spouse will be full of some bright and non failing ideas.

VIRGO Aug 23-Sept 22 Stress could take a toll and you may be advised to relax and take it easy for few days. Presence of Mars in first will make you impulsive and as a result you can end up making some decisions that will put you under lots of financial pressure in near future. A close relative will call to invite you to a big party.

CAPRICORN Dec 23-Jan 19 You have some easy money coming this week. Email you write will get the job done quickly. Money will go towards children and making final payment on an old debt. You will hear some very good news from far off place. An old family member will need extra medical care. You may postpone or cancel a trip completely.

GEMINI May 21-Jun 20 Colleague may try to involve you into unnecessary argument by putting the blame on you. You may finally get some kind of clearance from a government agency. Be little careful when it comes to matter of heart and try to understand other person's emotions. You may also give final shape to a very short please trip with family.

LIBRA Sept 23-Oct 22 Take it easy and try to relax in spare time. Watch out for people trying to take undue advantage of your generosity. Some of you will be traveling away from home for business purpose. You will be spending money towards children. People in business will make new clients. A sibling may need your advice and help.

AQUARIUS Jan 20-Feb 18 A surgery may be the sure way out to tackle the problem that keep coming back. You will need to take an important business decision, you will have couple of choices but you will adopt the little longer but the right path only. Some of you will be getting ready to make a smooth switch to another job close by.

CANCER Jun 21-Jul 22 You may hit some kind of financial jackpot. Money may come through stocks or lottery. Bold actions will take you close to your goals quick causing lots of excitement in the family. A female from another nationality will be really helpful. You will be travelling to a coastal area to meet an important person and seek advice.

SCORPIO Oct 23-Nov 22 There will be some interesting and positive developments in career. The seat you were trying will be assigned to you will added benefits and authority. Every body at home will enjoy the new gadget you purchased. You may visit an interesting place with some very close friend. You will meet an famous dignitary this week.

PISCES Feb 19-Mar 20 Diplomacy will help you overcome a tricky situation in career. Spouse may feel exhausted and need extra rest.

You will be spending money on children. You will hear from an old friend after long time. You will make good use of time on hand and clean up the things gathering dust in the house. You will participate in a social event.

August 13, 2010

www.indiapost.com

India Post 35

Tech News India contributes a fifth of StanChart's global profits

TechBiz

A

fifth of Standard Chartered Bank's global operating profit in the first half ended June 2010 has come from its India operations, overtaking the Hong Kong market, which had been its largest market so far.

Operating profit from the bank's Indian operations was up 19 per cent at $624 million (Rs2,882.8 crore factoring in the conversion rate of Wednesday's close at 46.20).

Contribution from Hong Kong stood at $511 million (Rs2,360 crore), down 11 per cent over the corresponding period.

The bank has declared an interim dividend of $23.35 per ordinary share (an ordinary share being equivalent to 10 Indian Depository Receipts).

India planning an army of hackers NEW DELHI: Borrowing a page from China's art of cyber war, the government is giving shape to an IT infrastructure setup manned by a small army of software professionals to spy on the classified data of hostile nations by hacking into their computer systems.

IT workers and ethical hackers who sign up for the ambitious project will be protected by law, says the proposal being discussed by senior government administrators. The expertise of these professionals will be used to go on the offensive or preempt strikes by breaching the security walls of enemy systems. The strategy of taking the fight to hackers was drafted at a high-level security meet on July 29 chaired by National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon.

M&M plans to enter motorcycle biz MUMBAI: Having sold a record one lakh scooters in a span of just 10 months, Mahindra & Mahindra is now firming up plans to enter the domestic motor-cycle market by end-this year, a top company official said. "We have achieved a milestone by selling one lakh scooters in just 10 months as against a set target of 18 months. Our plan now is to enter the motor-cycle market by end-this year," Mahindra twoWheelers' president Anoop Mathur said in Mumbai.

"We are working on a unique product that will be assembled in the same plant where our scooters are manufactured," he said.

36 India Post

www.indiapost.com

August 13, 2010

Indian users prefer buying low cost handset

M

ediaTek India, a well known semiconductor company has recently carried out a survey with shopkeepers and mobile phone users to gauge the latest trends in this space. The study reveals that India is still a low cost phone destination. About 50% of the users interviewed still tend to buy a handset in the Rs.1500 - Rs. 2000 range with basic functionalities. This is similar to an earlier survey carried out by MediaTek in rural India, where 55% of the rural users too buy a low cost phone based on the recommendations of peers, friends, family etc. The survey was carried out over a sample size of 1000 people in Metros and about 300 shopkeepers.

US in touch with India and others over Blackberry issue WASHINGTON: The US is in touch with India, the UAE and Saudi Arabia to understand their concerns over the security features of Blackberry with these countries seeking greater access to messaging data.

"There are issues attached to freedom of information, the flow of information, the use of technology. We are in touch with these governments," State Department spokesman P J Crowley told re-

it to monitor Blackberry services in the country, citing security concerns.

It also comes close on the heels of Saudi Arabia ordering local cellphone providers to halt BlackBerry service, saying it failed to meet regulatory requirements.

The United Arab Emirates decided to suspend some of the BlackBerry services like messenger, e-mail and web-browsing from October 11, accusing the smartphone service provider of

Crowley said there are legitimate security concerns attached to certain technologies and the flow of information around the world. ‘We understand those concerns. We want to best understand what's behind those concerns’ porters at his daily news briefing.

"We're going to try to understand what their concerns are, the nature of the ongoing negotiations that they have with this particular company. And then you've touched on that there are number of countries that are in the midst of these negotiations and we'll see what the implications are," Crowley said in response to a question.

His comments came as the Indian government asked Canada-based firm Research in Motion Ltd to allow

failing to bring its operations in the UAE in line with local telecommunications regulations.

Crowley said there are legitimate security concerns attached to certain technologies and the flow of information around the world. "We understand those concerns. We want to best understand what's behind those concerns."

"At the same time, we do support the flow of information, the available technology which does empower people. We are in touch,

A customer tries the new BlackBerry Storm smartphone

given that this issue has come up in a variety of countries, we are reaching out to those countries. have a discussion to understand the nature of their concerns and see if we can find solutions," he said.

Noting that it is about not only the free flow of information, but it's the availability of technology, he said the cell phone in its various iterations has, in fact, opened up a new world of information to people around the world.

Devices like a cell phone can be empowering in terms of providing market information, details on

crops - disease-resistant crops, and how people in small communities in the middle of Africa can benefit from the information that's now widely available around the world, Crowley said.

"So it is not about any one device. It's not about any one network. We're trying to see how we can make these technologies more broadly available and they can be utilized in a variety of different ways to help build institutions, accountability, and other trends in key countries," he said.

Cont’d on page 37

Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 launched at Rs 3 lakh!

M

aruti Suzuki has launched a new version of its best selling Alto with the K10B engine. The Alto K10 has been launched at an exshowroom price of Rs 3.03 lakh for the base LXi version and Rs 3.16 for the VXi version. The car will co-exist with the current 800cc Alto, offering a plusher option with more punch and better fuel efficiency.

The car will feature the 1-litre K10B engine seen previously on the Maruti Suzuki A-Star, Estilo and the new WagonR. The engine will not only make the Alto K10 more powerful than its immediate competition - which includes the Chevrolet Spark and the Hyundai Santro - but also

offer it a class-beating fuel efficiency figure. The company is claiming an ARAI approved figure of 20.2 kmpl for the light and zippy car.

The car will feature the 1-litre K10B engine seen previously on the Maruti Suzuki A-Star The Alto K10 has also been suitably refreshed on the inside and the outside to distinguish it from its older sibling, with new headlamps, a new radiator grille and revised interiors which impart a sense of modernity to Maruti's reputed people's carrier.

August 13, 2010

TechBiz Post

India Post

37

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Yamaha bikes shifts focus to India

Y

amaha is aiming to expand its busi ness aggressively in India owing to a promising market and also because, the company faced a slowing demand worldwide for its bikes. In fact, in 2009, Yamaha posted a net loss of Rs. 11,678 crore (216.15 billion yen).

Yamaha is a marginal player in the 94 lakh units of Indian two wheeler segment.

Yamaha sells a mere 2.2 lakh bikes. But now, the Japanese two-wheeler major is making aggressive moves to sell 10 lakh bikes in the next couple of years.

And the launch of new products like YBR125, SZ and SZ-X priced competitively between Rs. 47000 to Rs. 52000 (ex-showroom, Delhi) will help the company acheive its target.

According to Yamaha Motor Co Director and Managing Executive Officer (Motorcycle Business Operations) Yoshiteru

Takahashi, Asian countries like India, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines are having good demand for bikes and hence Yamaha is now concentrating on these countries.

He added that India is most important market for Yamaha. Yamaha has plans to launch scooters too, besides motorcycles.

According to India Yamaha Motor Chief Executive Officer and MD Yukimine Tsuji, the company invested Rs. 800 crore in 2007 and has spent Rs. 600 crore so far, the rest of which will be used in the upcoming years for growth activities.

"The Indian market will grow more and we will concentrate the motorcycle segment.

We are planning to invest more here for future models, including production of scooters," Takahashi said, adding that the company would look at India and China for lowcost production.

US in touch with India and others over Blackberry issue Cont’d from page 36

indiapost.com

There are about a million users of BlackBerry services in India at present. The security agencies in India apprehended that BlackBerry services in the present format poses a serious security threat.

India has asked RIM that its email and other data services must comply with formats that can be monitored by intelligence agencies, following which the Canadian firm gave an assurance on soon addressing New Delhi's concerns.

Subsequently, RIM said it does not possess a master key nor does any backdoor exists in the system that would allow RIM or any third party to gain an unauthorized access to the key or corporate data.

"We are not going to compromise that...

That is what has made BlackBerry the No. 1

solution worldwide," Mike Lazaridis, founder and co-chief executive of RIM, told The New York Times.

Lazaridis also denied reports that the company had already granted special concessions to the governments of countries like India and China, which have large numbers of BlackBerry owners. "That's absolutely ridiculous and patently false," he said. The Indian government, however, made it clear that the onus of giving access to security agencies to monitor the information on these smart phones lies with the service providers.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has also said it is considering to ban BlackBerry services.

BlackBerry's encrypted emails and data are stored on servers in Canada. It means that third parties, such as security agencies, cannot monitor communications sent and received on the handset.-PTI

Panel to hunt for Ratan Tata's successor MUMBAI: The search for a successor trusts, is part of the panel, said the people to Ratan Tata gathered momentum after close to the development. RK Krishnakumar, India's biggest conglomerate said a five- vice-chairman of Tata Tea and Indian Homember panel would select its next chair- tels, and a director of Tata Sons, is repreman. Mr Tata, 72, head of the $70-billion senting the group holding company. There salt-to-software group, is speculation that Keki who has built the world's Dadiseth, former director of cheapest car and taken the Unilever, could be on the group global, will step panel. down in December 2012, "Other directors such as creating a vacancy for what Arun Gandhi, R is widely regarded as the Gopalakrishnan and Ishaat top job in corporate India.

Hussain are not part of the The statement from Tata panel," said a top Tata Sons, the group's holding group executive. Mr Tata company, said the fivewould act as a mentor of the member panel included one panel, the people said. "external member". It did There is no clarity on the Ratan Tata not name the members. identity of the external conTwo of the five members represent two sultant. The name of a prominent managetrusts that are the major shareholders of Tata ment guru is doing the rounds.

Sons while two are directors of Tata Sons, The successor would be chosen based according to people close to the develop- on his ability to grapple with the compleximent. The two trusts, named after Ratan Tata ties of globalize environment, according to and Dorabjee Tata, are major shareholders of the Tata Sons statement. "It would certainly Tata Sons. Tata Sons owns the majority of be easier if that candidate were an Indian TCS, India's biggest software maker, and has national. But now that 65% of our revenues large holdings in companies such as Tata come from overseas, it could also be an exSteel and Tata Power. patriate sitting in that position with justifiTata group veteran NA Soonawalla, who cation now," Mr Tata had said in an interis a member of the Ratan Tata and Dorabji view with the Wall Street Journal.

Health

Line

334 blame illness on Gulf oil spill

BATON ROUGE, La.: Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals says 334 people have reported illnesses blamed on oil or dispersants from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The figures include 250 people - or about three-quarters of the total - involved in spill cleanup or offshore work, and 84 people in the general public.

DHH says doctors cannot verify reported exposures. Common complaints include headache, dizziness, nausea, weakness or fatigue, and throat irritation.

The department summarizes reports of visits to doctors and emergency rooms, treatment by ambulance crews and calls to hot lines and poison control centers. -AP

Conn. study: artificial turf no hazard HARTFORD, Conn.: A new study by four Connecticut state agencies has found no elevated health risks from artificial turf sports fields made with crushed rubber, but it recommends ventilation of indoor turf fields.

The $245,000 study tested for 200 chemicals at four outdoor fields and one indoor field. It says chemical levels at outdoor fields were comparable those commonly found in outdoor air, while levels at the indoor field were higher but not harmful.

Concerns have been raised across the country about artificial turf's safety because of industrial chemicals in crushed rubber tires.

The study was done by the University of Connecticut Health Center, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, the Department of Public Health and the Department of Environmental Protection. -AP

Health Science 38

India Post

RICHMOND, Va.: Virginia's lawsuit challenging the Obama administration's health care reform law cleared its first legal hurdle as a federal judge ruled the law raises a host of complex constitutional issues.

Details on page 40

Abbott Labs' 100 years of India operations India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Acknowledging the completion of 100 years of operations of Abbott Laboratories in India, the US-India Business Council (USIBC) said July 29 that it salutes Abbott for 100 years of improving healthcare in India.

In 1910, Abbott was one of the first multinationals to establish operations in India. Over the past century, Abbott has been dedicated to connecting Indian patients with access to quality medication and patient care.

USIBC President Ron Somers, praised Abbott's dedication to India, noting "Abbott has never wavered in their belief in India.

With the recent purchase of Piramal's Healthcare Solutions Business, it's clear that the first 100 years are just the beginning."

Somers went on to note that Abbott has been feted with recent accolades of "Best Pharma Company of the Year 2010" and "Best Pharma OTC Company of the Year 2010" by Pharma leaders.

The Abbott Lab

Somers went on to note that Abbott has been feted with recent accolades of "Best Pharma Company of the Year 2010" and "Best Pharma OTC Company of the Year 2010" by Pharma leaders According to Somers, "Turning science into caring is not just a phrase for Abbott India.

Through their various patient out-

reach initiatives, educational programs and access programs, Abbott is helping lead the way for a new era of US-India healthcare

collaboration which has the potential to improve millions of lives."

He noted that with President Barack Obama set to visit India in November, "Abbott's India operations embody the best example of collaboration and modern innovation that we hope the two governments will recognize and continue to foster."

In line with a key focus of USIBC's Coalition for Healthy India, Abbott has committed to increase diabetes awareness in India. The disease currently affects the working age population and is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and amputation. Abbott's targeted initiatives, including their free education drives and blood glucose testing, have created awareness among India's patient population.

USIBC said it applauds Abbott's efforts to address the issue of India being the number one country in the world to suffer with the highest rate of diabetes, and looks forward to Abbot's continuing contribution in this important field.

First 5 tips for parents on immunizations

India Post News Service

State urges heat precautions in Fla. Panhandle

SACRAMENTO, CA: Vaccinations boost a child's immune system and help protect kids from serious infections and diseases. It's especially important for parents to make sure children under age 5 receive certain childhood vaccinations to help keep them healthy as their bodies grow and immune systems develop.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccine-preventable diseases are now at or near record lows - thanks to vaccinations.

Before vaccines, many children suffered from diseases that vaccines now prevent, such as whooping cough, measles, and polio. Those same germs exist today, but kids are protected by vaccines, so we do not see these diseases as often.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.: State emergency management officials are urging residents and visitors to use caution due to dangerous afternoon heat in the Florida Panhandle.

Temperatures are expected to range from 95 to 100 degrees from Pensacola to Tallahassee.

The heat index, based on how hot it really feels when humidity is added to temperature, is forecast from 105 to 115 degrees.

Officials say people should stay indoors, avoid strenuous activity, wear lightweight, light-colored clothing, drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol and caffeine that dehydrate the body. -AP

August 13, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Va. health care reform lawsuit clears 1st hurdle

August is National Immunization Awareness Month and, as kids get ready to start preschool and kindergarten, First 5 California provides parents and caregivers answers to frequently asked questions about vaccinations. Remember to also consult

you with an immunization schedule and help you decide what is best for your child. Immunization schedules and guidelines are also available on the California Department of Public Health Web site at www.cdph.ca.gov.

Why should my child be vac-

Before vaccines, many children suffered from diseases that vaccines now prevent, such as whooping cough, measles, and polio. Those same germs exist today, but kids are protected by vaccines, so we do not see these diseases as often with a family doctor for your child's specific needs.

When does my child need to be vaccinated?

Pediatricians advise that children receive their first vaccination at birth. Your local health department or family doctor can provide

cinated?

Childhood vaccines have kept children in the U.S. healthy for more than 50 years and have proven to be effective in preventing many diseases. The Food and Drug Administration, along with the CDC, American Academy of

Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians ensure all vaccines are continually tested and inspected to be sure they are safe for kids.

How much do vaccines cost?

Vaccines are available to all children, regardless of family income. Many health care plans provide children's vaccines for free or for a small fee.

California programs Healthy Families and Medi-Cal also offer free immunizations for eligible children.

How can I prepare my child for a vaccine shot?

Arrive on time for the doctor's appointment and bring your child's favorite toy, book, or snack to comfort and keep your child occupied in the waiting room.

Make sure to give your child a big hug after the vaccination shot!

Cont’d on page 40

Health Science Post

August 13, 2010

India Post

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Dr Dash Endowment at South Dakota University India Post News Service

EDEN PRAIRIE, MN: Dr. S.K. Dash, founder and President of UAS Laboratories, Inc., recently established an endowment at South Dakota State University (SDSU) for the College of Nutrition and Food Science to provide funding for research, scholarships and new programs. Academic and Research Programs currently under consideration at SDSU include: • Masters Program in Clinical Nutrition • Certificate or Masters Program in Regulatory Affairs with a focus on nutraceuticals • Research in the field of Probiotics Applications • Research in Probiotic Clinical Effects • Certificate Program in Probiotics • International Probiotics Symposium SDSU is the largest university in South Dakota. As a Land Grant University, SDSU is dedicated to basic and applied research. The University is a leader in research with programs in nutrition and food science.

Dr. S.K. Dash received his PhD in Nutrition and Biochemistry from South Dakota State University in

trol standard (CFU/g) which is now used in USA and worldwide.

Consumer awareness of probiotics has significantly increased from 5% to 55% and sales have gone up from $10 million in 1979 to $35 billion now. Dr. Dash takes pride for his contributions to the significant growth of probiotic sales and popularity. In 2009, Dr. Dash was honored as a probiotic Dr S K Dash

Brookings, South Dakota where he is currently an adjunct professor of nutrition and food science.

He established UAS Laboratories, Inc., a leading biotechnology company focusing on probiotics, in Minneapolis (USA) in 1979 after leaving his position as Director of Food and Drug of South Dakota. During his tenure as Food and Drug Director, Dr. Dash found the potential of probiotics in human health and nutrition.

In fact, he rediscovered and reintroduced probiotics in the USA. Some of the innovations of Dr. Dash include introduction and commercialization of super strain Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1; acid and bile resistant probiotics; non-dairy, gluten free and non-GMO probiotics. More importantly, he introduced the probiotic quality con-

For his contributions to industry and community, Dr. Dash has received many awards and honors including the 2009 Achievement Award from the Minnesota Indo-American Association prophet and has received many other awards and honors for his many innovations in probiotics.

Dr. Dash serves as the Vice President and Scientific Advisor of the International Probiotics Association. He is the Chairman of APN Laboratories, Director of Hospital Corporation of Orissa/ Kalinga Hospital and President of the Kalinga Health, Education &

Research Foundation.

In addition to his professional activities, Dr. Dash has helped to set up a university in Orissa, India, a Regional Blood Bank in Bhubaneswar, India, four OrissaAmerica Resource Centers in India to assist students for higher studies in the USA and Canada, adopted four high schools in India, three orphanages in India and a village in India.

Dr. Dash is the former president of Orissa Society of America and a founder. He has sponsored scholars, artists, musicians and dancers from India to come to USA and Canada. Dr. Dash has sponsored Mountaineer/ Everester Kalpana Dash who climbed Mount Everest in 2008. Dr. Dash has also

helped build the biggest Hindu Temple in Minneapolis.

For his contributions to industry and community, Dr. Dash has received many awards and honors including the 2009 Achievement Award from the Minnesota Indo-American Association, recognition by the Minnesota State Senate in 2007 for his contributions to science, technology and philanthropy and the Distinguished NonResident Oriya for 2006 from the government of Orissa (India) for contributions to science, technology and innovation.

Dr. Dash has been a frequent speaker at scientific symposia and conventions in the USA and abroad. He has authored several research articles and books on probiotics including The Consumer's Guide to Probiotics, a best seller in the US. Dr. Sita Kanta Dash was born in Cuttack, Orissa, India and immigrated to USA in 1969. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife Kalpana Dash. He has two sons Raj and Dave who live in USA. At South Dakota State University Foundation Annual Dinner on May 6, Dr. Dash was recognized for his many contributions to science and technology and for establishing the Endowment.

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India Post

August 13, 2010

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Mass. health care bill pressure on insurers BOSTON: A Massachusetts health care bill that would force insurers to spend almost 90 percent of their premium revenues on medical care instead of administrative costs awaits Gov. Deval Patrick's signature.

Patrick has said he supports the compromise legislation, hailed as a way to help consumers and small businesses combat rising health care costs.

The legislation strengthens the state Division of Insurance's ability to reject health insurers' proposed rate increases. Insurers would have to prove that no less than 88 percent of premiums goes toward paying for medical costs when filing rate increase requests. Otherwise, the requests will be rejected.

Eric Linzer, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, made up of insurance companies, said the provision was an improvement from the

current approach. ``Ultimately, what we need to be doing is getting at the underlying costs because the bulk of the premium dollar goes to medical care,'' Linzer said.

The Massachusetts Hospital Association said the provision will be helpful to consumers. ``We want as much of the premium dollar going to care, not to red tape and administrative costs,'' said Tim Gens, the MHA's vice president and general counsel.

The Patrick administration this year rejected 235 of 274 premium hikes proposed by insurers for the April-to-June period, before reaching settlements with some of them.

Under the legislation, small businesses with less than 50 employers could form cooperatives to strengthen their purchasing power and health insurers would have to offer plans with low-cost health care providers in their networks.

Jon Hurst, president of the Retailer's Association of Massachusetts, said the bill will enable small businesses to obtain premium prices that large employers use their market clout to secure.

Under the legislation, small businesses with less than 50 employers could form cooperatives to strengthen their purchasing power ``This is the most important reform small businesses have seen in 20 years designed to give them and their employees' health insurance premium relief and equal rights under the law and in the marketplace,'' Hurst said.

Backers of the bill say it will

accommodate consumers who don't want expensive comprehensive network plans and could help reduce premiums for consumers and businesses by 10 percent. ``This reform helps tens of thousands of people who can't afford insurance,'' said Sen. Mark Montigny, the lead Senate negotiator on the compromise bill.

Rep. Ronald Mariano, the lead House negotiator, said a requirement under the bill that insurers factor in age every year instead of every five years will smooth out rate increases. ``The increases will be more reasonable and you can plan for them and handle them in your budget a little easier,'' Mariano said.

Another provision limits the number of open enrollment periods in which consumers can purchase insurance. The legislation calls for two open enrollment pe-

riods in 2011, and one every year thereafter.

Georgia Maheras of Health Care for All, a consumer advocacy group, said the problem arises when a person purchases health care before needed medical procedures and then drops coverage once the procedure is completed, increasing costs for the whole system.

Absent from the final bill was a Senate provision that would have generated $100 million through an assessment on hospitals. Senate negotiators said the House would not go along with the assessment.

Montigny said the bill sets the stage for future efforts to help consumers and small businesses afford constantly rising health care costs. ``All parties are on notice that we will be squeezing costs and taking away the free lunch on consumers,'' he said. -AP

Va. health care reform lawsuit First 5 tips for parents on immunizations clears 1st hurdle RICHMOND, Va.: Virginia's lawsuit challenging the Obama administration's health care reform law cleared its first legal hurdle as a federal judge ruled the law raises a host of complex constitutional issues.

U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson's decision stemmed from Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's claims that Congress exceeded its authority under the Constitution's Commerce Clause by requiring citizens to buy health insurance or pay a penalty.

Hudson's ruling denied the Justice Department's attempt to have the lawsuit dismissed, saying further hearings must take place before he can weigh the merits of the case. An Oct. 18 hearing had previously been set in the case. ``Unquestionably, this regulation radically changes the landscape of health insurance coverage in America,'' Hudson wrote in his 32-page decision.

The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation this year exempting state residents from the federal coverage mandate.

Hudson wrote that the attorney general had a right to defend that state law.

Cuccinelli announced in March that he would challenge the national law. More than a dozen other state attorneys general have filed a separate lawsuit in Florida challenging the federal law, but Virginia's lawsuit is the first to go before a judge.

Hudson said Virginia's case raises several complex constitutional issues _ mainly whether Congress has the right to regulate and tax a person's decision not to participate in interstate commerce.

The health care law aims to ensure coverage for all, requiring most U.S. residents to carry health insurance starting in 2014.

The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation this year exempting state residents from the federal coverage mandate.

Hudson wrote that the attorney general had a right to defend that state law Insurers would not be able to refuse insurance for sick people under the law, which also expands Medicaid to help the poor. It also provides tax credits to help middle-class residents pay premiums. People facing financial hardship would be exempt from the coverage requirement. However, people who can afford insurance but refuse to sign up would face a tax penalty.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters during a teleconference that Hudson's decision was a procedural step.

``That just means there will be a full hearing on the arguments.

We remain confident that the case is solid and there is full constitutional backing for the passing of the Affordable Care Act,'' she said.

Sebelius said Hudson's ruling will ``move us to the merits of the debate.''

Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, a former state attorney general who enthusiastically supported Cuccinelli's challenge, was pleased with Hudson's ruling. ``It is meritorious and constitutionally correct. The requirement that all Americans must purchase health insurance or face a penalty is not permitted under the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution,'' McDonnell said.

Shortly after he took office in January, McDonnell signed into law the legislation intended to block the requirement that individuals buy health insurance. It was the first such legislation in the U.S. to take effect as a state law.

Last month, Hudson heard more than two hours of arguments in the case.

The state argued that refusing to buy something is commercial ``inactivity,'' not activity that can be regulated. Federal prosecutors have argued that the relevant commercial activity is the purchase of health care services, not insurance. -AP

Cont’d from page 38

First 5 California encourages parents to learn more about vaccinations and ways to help protect young kids and keep them healthy.

Parents can also order the free Kit for New Parents - a comprehensive parenting resource developed by First 5 California that offers practical information on a child's first five years.

Highlights of the free Kit include an easy-to-navigate parents guide on topics such as prenatal care, child development, health and safety, finding quality child care and getting children ready for school. The Kit also contains an easy-to-read book that answers questions about common childhood illnesses and injuries. Other resources in the Kit include obe-

sity prevention guides, brochures on topics ranging from oral health to the "Smoke-free Cars with Minors" law, and details on Paid Family Leave and the Healthy Families program.

The Kit is free for California parents. To order, parents can call (800) KIDS-025.

About First 5 California Research shows that a child's brain develops most dramatically in the first five years and what parents and caregivers do during these years to support their child's growth will have a meaningful impact throughout life. Based on this research, California voters passed Proposition 10 in 1998, adding a 50 cents-per-pack tax on cigarettes to support programs for expectant parents and children ages 0 to 5.

Memphis reports 9th heat-related death MEMPHIS, Tenn.: Health officials are reporting the ninth heatrelated death in Shelby County this year.

County medical examiner Karen Chancellor said a 67-yearold man from the Memphis suburb of Bartlett collapsed while mowing his lawn.

Chancellor says the death resulted from chronic illness but heat exposure has been ruled a contributing factor.

Summer temperatures have been scorching in Memphis.

The National Weather Service says the overnight minimum temperature at midnight Monday at Memphis International Airport was 82 degrees, breaking a record for the date of 80 set in 1980.

It was also the ninth-warmest overnight low ever for Memphis in records that date to 1872 and was the warmest overnight low since Aug. 24, 1982. -AP

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India www.indiapost.com Post www.indiapost.com

India Post August 13, 2010

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August 13, 2010

Bharat can be Mahan but for corruption & bad politics SURENDRA ULLAL & RAMESH SOPARAWALA

W

hen Dr. A.L. Bhasham, that illustrious British author, who wrote in his great work, "The Wonder That Was India", that whole South East Asia is indebted to India for its cultural evolution, probably he was not wrong or off the mark. South Asia imbibed most of its culture from India. Early in the 5th century B.C. merchants from Western India settled in Ceylon, and in the reign of Ashoka became Buddhists. By this time some Indian merchants probably found their way to Malaya, Sumatra, and other parts of South East Asia. Indian influence, therefore, was consolidated and by 4th century A.D. Sanskrit was the official language of the regions and there arose great civilizations that built empires and armies capable of expanding their influence across the seas.

Some of the marvelous art and architecture were the legacies of Indian cultural influence in these far fetched lands. Largest temple complex, not even

found in India, dedicated to Lord Shiva is in Cambodia. Borobudur, Java is the home of one of the largest Buddhist Stupas in the world. Other cultural influences, from China and the Islam were felt here much later, but the primary impetus to civilization came from India. The distinct feature of these empires is that unlike most of the subsequent religious expansions, Indian thoughts permeated the landscapes of these countries in a distinctly peaceful and highly spiritual ambience.

India is the land of continuously growing and inhabited human culture and values and some of the deeply provoking thoughts and spell-binding artistic and philosophic accomplishments. If India continues to draw and inspire human mind in the expanding arena of knowledge and information it is the legacy of this most peaceful and harmonious living of millennia in the land of India, that is Bharat.

Cont’d on page 46

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Send money to India with the ExpressSend® service

The ExpressSend service is available online Fast, safe and convenient With Wells Fargo Online®, you can quickly send money back home using the ExpressSend® service. Simply sign on to Wells Fargo Online anytime you want to send money.

There’s no more waiting in teller lines.* To get started, sign on to wellsfargo.com, select the “Transfer” tab and click “To Another Country” tab. You’ll obtain information about your transfer fees and the current foreign exchange rate before you submit a transfer. Online transaction history makes it easy to monitor all your ExpressSend transfers.

Open an ExpressSend service agreement today and begin sending money

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India Post August 13, 2010

44

Mobilizing the Indian American Community INDER SINGH

I

ndian community activists in the United States have mobilized the Indian American community whenever major issues and concerns have arisen. Such mobilization helped to propagate information, garner support, and seek cooperation among various groups and individuals.

In the early part of the twentieth century when the number of Indian immigrants in the United States was relatively small, they faced racial prejudice and hostility from the local population.

Indian students, upon graduation, failed to get jobs commensurate with their qualifications. Indians attributed discrimination and inequity to their being nationals of

"slave" India. They were motivated to become part of Gadar Movement which aimed at achieving independence for India. It was the first mobilization of Indians for a cause which was dear to Indians in India and overseas.

There have been many examples of community mobilization for critical issues in the past. The most recent example of global community mobilization took place when heavy fees and penalties were retroactively applied to Indians who had not surrendered their Indian passports upon acquiring foreign citizenship. In response to the need of the Indian community, the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) initiated an on-line petition to

Prime Minister of India and succeeded in obtaining relaxation of the stringent rules.

Early Immigrants Indians started coming to the United States in the beginning of the twentieth century primarily for economic opportunities. The new immiInder Singh grants found low level menial jobs, in factories, lumber The Indian mills and railroad students attributed construction. They accepted low wages the prejudice and and poor working conditions and discrimination to sometimes traveled their being nationals from place to place in search of work. The of a subjugated employers preferred country. Many Indians to whites due to their hard working articulated habits, but the unions despised the nationalist feelings immigrants. As the and started number of Indian workers increased, advocating fear of job loss by freedom for India white workers led to hostility and somefrom the British times to racial riots, resulting in certain serfdom cases, to loss of life and property.

In 1907, Indians became the victims of a brutal and deliberate assault in Bellingham, a milling town in state of Washington. About 250 Indians were employed in various lumber mills. A mob of about 500 men physically attacked boarding houses and mills, forcibly expelling "Hindus" (Indians had collective identity as Hindus irrespective of their faith).

The primary objective of the vicious attack was to "scare them so badly that they will not crowd white labor out of the mills." The town had a small police force which was overpowered by the white mob. The nightmarish incident forced the Indians to leave the town in fear for their life and safety. The Indians were relatively new in the United States, were generally uneducated and were afraid of banding together to fight against injustice.

The United States welcomed qualified Indian students seeking admissions in the American universities. Upon graduation, however, several students failed to get jobs matching their educational attainments. The Indian students attributed the prejudice and discrimination to their being nationals of a subjugated country. Many articulated nationalist feelings and started advocating freedom for India from the British serfdom. They formed organizations to collectively assert their right for independence for India.

Independence for India Taraknath Das, a student in Seattle, started publishing a magazine titled Free Hindustan in 1907, advocating armed rebellion against the British rule in India. Har Dyal had been a faculty member at Stanford University for about two years and was identified with the nationalist activities in the United States.

Lala Har Dyal

Cont’d on page 44

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Bharat can be Mahan but for corrpution & bad politics Cont’d from page 41

Young men and women, scientists, inventors and mathematicians, who continue to enrich this human heritage, are but the living embodiments of this ancient culture and values.

On the eve of India's 64th Independence Day, India Post approached some of the leading luminaries in business and education to assess the impact of recession worldwide with special emphasize on India's performance at this critical juncture as the world is passing through a tumultuous economical and political vicissitudes, especially under the changing world scenario with the waning U.S. economic and consequently political leadership. We also asked them about their assessment of Indo-US relations on political level and their views on the possibility of India emerging as a true global power.

The leaders of Indian community were united in their views that despite failure of the government and party leadership, highly motivated entreprenures and technocartas, many youth, are moving the machinery of growth in a way never happened before. The consenus was that the India could not fully shied itslef from global recession but the impact would be minimal. On Indo-US relations, there was a near unanimity that the two great democracies would come closer and the triggering force would be ltheir common plank against terrorism.

Indian Americans in one voice voiced their feeling that India could emerge a world power if the endemic corrpution at all level in the country is tacklded with seriously. It was also observed that the multiple parties are an enigma in the Indian poltical life and that the government should fully enofrce justice without poltical considerations.

NIRANJAN SHAH, a leading Indian businessman heading Globetrotter Engineering Corporation and recipients of many awards, said that India could not expect to be immune from adverse effects of global recession.

"We are living in a global economy, and there are crises practically everywhere. Even Niranjan Shah in India, real estate prices have dropped and there is a high rate of inflation. The days are gone where countries were shielded from the effects of other countries' economies. What happens in the U.S. and Europe will have an effect on India."

On Indo US relationship in coming years, Shah observed that India is becoming an economic and technological power in the world. It is going to be difficult for any powerful nation to ignore India. It is not the poor, undeveloped country that is once was in the 1950s and 1960s. However, relationships are based on need and political interest, so India should not get carried away or assume that it is at an advantage. For example, recently Afghanistan and Pakistan have signed a trade agreement, which is perceived as a significant event in that part of the world and for the United States. It will have ripple effects on South Asia and have a long-term positive effect for the U.S. India must continue to strengthen its political, diplomatic and economic interests.

Shah felt that India had potential to be a world power as it has a significant impact on the world even now. . "Any nation progresses because of the achievements of its people, and India's focus on education has paid off. India

has a large number of educated professionals making names for themselves in the U.S. and Europe. India needs to maintain its strategic approach in utilizing these resources to its best advantage," he added.

DR DAYAL MESHRI, a front ranking India born scientist heading Advance Research Chemicals Co in Oklahoma, said that India could not be totally immune from adverse effects of global recession. "Obviously there will be some impact, especially on the outsourcing India receives from the USA. Also, the tourist industry may be affected, travel will be reduced but overall impact will be minimal because of India's strong internal growth and large demand from India's wellDr Dayal Meshri off middle class consumer group. India has internal economy growth," he said Dr Meshri was very optimistic about Indo-US relations in coming years.

"Of course it will continue to improve. Although at present USA is paying its all attention to an adolescent child, Pakistan, while taking it for granted its healthy relationship with the democratic country, such as India. Obviously this has caused some insecurity in the minds of Indians. Our President, Mr. Barack Obama, has a great respect

Many a decision is taken on political considerations. For instance arrest of a Gujarat Minister. He is singled out while a number of gangsters go scot free and are protected by power brokers. This is a mockery of justice for Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and he considers him as a mentor and a political guru. Mr. Obama is fully aware of India's strong economy and its role in the international affairs. India also has been the victim like USA of terrorists, both countries have to work together to protect against this menace. America has a difficult job on hand to pacify Pakistan so that it is discouraged from training more Taliban and keeping good relationship with India at the same time," he observed.

Dr Meshri felt that "if we can get rid of corruption and elect a few more leaders as Mr. Narendra Modi India will be a front ranking power in no time. It will surpass China because of India's communication skills and ability to carry out professional business which is based on reliability, service and good communication."

MAFATBHAI PATEL, head of the nationwide grocery chain stores Patel brothers, said that the global economic meltdown will have an impact on Indian economy but it would not be that severe as is felt here or in European countries. "We have our own markets and we have our own resources in general. But a drop in overseas demand would leave its some market on our economy," he said.

On Indo-US relations he was very optimistic and said that India is no longer perceived as the Soviet camp follower which was a case till Nixon era. "We have carved out a place in the world society and administration here concedes our strategic importance better. The relations would grow in coming yeas," he said,

Mafatbhai said that India has all the potential to be a world power and if it does achieve that status nobody but its leaders need to be blamed. "They know the rampant corruption and get quick rich attitude of so called leaders which has percolated to lower levels.

There is corruption in other countries but India unfortunately could match strides with the Mafatbhai Patel most corrupt ones. This has to end to achieve economic and moral greatness for which India was known for centuries."

"Secondly, the law and order situation. Many a decision is taken on political considerations. For instance arrest of a Gujarat Minister. He is singled out while a number of gangsters go scot free and are protected by power brokers. This is a mockery of justice. Again, Gujarat State under the leadership of Narendra Modi has taken giant strides but it is ruled by BJP and not Congress. All efforts are made to denigrate Gujarat and its leaders. India need to have two strong parties to achieve a balance of power and justice. Unless this is done, India could not shot up itself as a global power to reckon with," he said.

The first dual citizen of India and former head of the Chicago FIA, IFTEKHAR SHAREEF said that India should not fear much impact of global down scale in economy at least in the near future.

"We are an agriculture based economy even though giant strides have been made on the industrial front in the past couple of decades. Besides, we have a huge domestic market and a drop in the world demand should Iftekhar Shareef not be of a source of worry to use.

Third, we are going a head in the technology sector. Look at the results churned out by companies like Wipro and Infosys. This however, should no be construed to mean that we could be totally immune form global down turn.

We are part of global society and some effects could not be ruled out in the next couple of years if the recessionary trends world over persist."

Shareef was highly optimistic about the Indo-US relationship in coming years. "We are two world's largest democracies and need to face unitedly the terrorism threat.

This is one single factor that would bring us closer besides common economic and political interests. India is a dependable friend in South East Asia for USA, and this is appreciated at highest levels in US administration, he added.

Shareef feels that India has all the ingredient of becoming a leading world power but a few things need to be taken care of if it really achieves that status. "One of the first things is that India should be strong on defense front, which would mean that it should doulbe investing more for its own security and meeting overseas threats. Secondly, it should ensure a stable law and order situtiaon to attract overseas investment.

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Mobilizing the Indian American Community Cont’d from page 44

to establish business and became a successful merchant in New York. J. J Singh became president of the India League of America in 1940 and started the League's mouthpiece India Today - a well-edited informative monthly bulletin.

He also expanded its membership base to include Americans. Pearl Buck, author

but the Immigration and Naturalization Service challenged the court decision granting citizenship to Thind. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court which decided that Thind and other Indians were not eligible for US citizenship. As a result, many U.S. citizens, who were formerly Indian citizens, were forced to surrender their American citi-

Dyal inspired many students studying at the University of California at Berkeley and channelized the pro-Indian, anti-British sentiment of the students for the independence of India. At a meeting of some patriotic and enlightened Indians on April 23, 1913 in Astoria, Oregon, Har Dyal and others passionately advocated throwing The community activists felt that an amendment to the the British out of India and securing liberation by all means at their disposal. immigration laws by Congress could give them right The Hindustan Association of the Paof citizenship and was worth pursuing. Dalip Singh cific Coast was formed at this meeting with a major objective to liberate India from the Saund, who later became the first Indian American US British colonial rule. Many people enthusiastically became members and provided fiCongressman, traveled all over California nancial support. This was the first attempt to mobilize the Indian nationals in the to mobilize the Punjabi farm workers United States to join on a participatory basis to achieve a common goal, to free India and Nobel Prize winner, was one of the new zenship. from the British serfdom.

There were about 2,000 to 2,500 Indians The association began publishing the members and became the League's HonorGadar magazine to promote the aims, ob- ary President in 1944. J. J. Singh's public in the United States at that time. Most were jectives and activities of the organization. relations campaigns and lobbying efforts Punjabi farmers who could benefit by beGadar, which literally means revolt or mu- convinced significant sections of the Ameri- coming citizens of the United States. A letiny, called upon the Indian people to unite can public, including members of the gal challenge to the Supreme Court deciand rise up against the British rule and United States Congress, that the time had sion was ruled out as a possibility. The community activists felt that an amendment throw them out of India. Over a period of come for India to be liberated.

Dr. Anup Singh became very active in to the immigration laws by Congress could time, Gadar became well known among Indians and the Hindustan Association of the India League of America and was the edi- give them right of citizenship and was worth Pacific Coast itself became known as the tor of India Today for a few years. Anup pursuing. Dalip Singh Saund, who later Gadar party. Thousands of Indians returned Singh later moved to Washington D.C. to became the first Indian American US Conto India to fight against the British lobby for India issues more aggressively. gressman, traveled all over California to colonialists but failed to achieve their ob- He started the National Committee for mobilize the Punjabi farm workers.

Several of them owned and farmed their jective. Nevertheless, Gadar leaders mobi- India's Freedom and published a monthly lized the world Indian community and left a magazine Voice of India to disseminate the own land in India but were not eligible to buy land for farming in the United States. major impact on India's struggle for free- message of India's nationalist movement.

For years, the Com- Saund mailed out thousands of hand writdom. munity activists used ten letters in Punjabi, persuaded them to The desire to libertheir writings, support the suggested legislative solution ate India was still a speeches and meetings and raised funds for the Indian groups in burning issue with with members of the New York to lobby on Capitol Hill. The many Indians. HowUnited States Con- mobilization took quite some effort but it ever, the means to obgress and people of in- gained momentum. tain freedom changed fluence, as well as the J. J. Singh, Mubarak Ali Khan, Anup from the use of arms President of United Singh, Haridas Muzumdar, Taraknath Das, which the Gadarites States, to gain sympa- and Dalip Singh Saund, led the national had adopted to the thy, support and en- lobbying effort. They were able to successpower of pen of the dorsement of the fully convince the Connecticut Republican new leadership. Lala American people, for Congresswoman, Clare Booth Luce and the Lajpat Rai, one of the the independence of New York Democrat Congressman Emanuel prominent movement India. leaders in India, who They provided dedilater became known as cated and committed "the Lion of Punjab", service for the cause of came to the US in 1914 India and Indians in the to elicit American supUS. On August 15, port for the Freedom 1947, India obtained inmovement. dependence from BritHe founded the InBhagat Singh Thind ain and the community dian Home Rule League activists were elated in 1917 in New York. In 1918, he started publishing Young India and ecstatic. It was momentous and joyful magazine with a goal to reach out to indi- occasion as India was free, at last. viduals, groups and organizations. He Struggle for U.S. citizenship U.S. citizenship conferred many rights started publishing articles in the American media, cultivated contacts with intellectu- and privileges. However, only Caucasian als and gained the support of the wider immigrants were eligible to apply in the early Taraknath Das audience of Americans sympathetic to- years. Among Asians, Indian nationals were considered to be Caucasian, so sixty-seven wards the cause of India's freedom.

Mubarak Ali Khan, who came to the US Indians acquired U.S. citizenship from 1908 Cellar, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, to jointly introduce a bill in in 1913, had become a successful farmer in to 1923 in different states in the USA. Bhagat Singh Thind, a veteran of US Congress to grant of US citizenship to InArizona. He founded the Indian Welfare League in 1937 to gain support for India's army, obtained his US citizenship in 1920, dian immigrants.

For four years, the bill languished in the independence and US citizenship rights for but sadly, it was revoked just four days Indians. J. J Singh came to the United States later. He obtained it again from another state Congressional Committees and Indians

continued running into obstacles in finding a powerful ally to push it through Congress. In 1946, President Truman took a special interest in its passage and the LuceCellar Bill was enacted into the Immigration Act of 1946, conferring the right of citizenship on the natives of India. President Truman signed the bill on July 2, 1946 into law. It was a great triumph for the Indian community activists that their relentless struggle reversed the Supreme Court's decision.

Some community activists such as J. J. Singh, Anup Singh, Haridas Muzumdar, Taraknath Das and Dalip Singh Saund, demonstrated continuous enthusiasm and used it all to mobilize the Indian nationals.

They provided testimonies in the U.S. Congress, sought support from the American people and media for issues and concerns of the Indian community, primarily for India's independence and citizenship rights for Indian nationals. For many years, these pioneers provided dedicated and committed service for the cause of India and Indians in America and played the role of Indian community emancipators in the United States.

Dalip Singh Saund

The mobilization and continued efforts for two ambitious projects - right for US citizenship and independence for India were successful and the objectives were achieved. Some of these community activists, who were committed literally on full time basis and had put their careers and professions on hold, were prepared to seek ways to contribute to the society in various other ways.

Taraknath Das had come to the United States as a student around 1905 from Calcutta. He earned a Ph.D. degree from the University of Washington in political science. He obtained U.S. citizenship around the beginning of the World War I and fought hard to retain it when the U.S. government later tried to revoke it. He was involved in the Gadar Movement and was convicted for his Gadar activities. He taught at various colleges and universities in the U.S. and Europe and died in 1958.

Haridas Muzumdar came to the United States in 1920 in pursuit of higher education. He received his M.A. in 1926 from Northwestern University and his Ph.D. in Sociology in 1929 from the University of Wisconsin.

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Mobilizing the Indian American Community Cont’d from page 48

He was heavily involved with both the issues of the community. He became a US citizen in 1947. He unsuccessfully ran in 1956 for the US House of Representatives from the second district of Iowa. He taught at various colleges and universities and retired after serving as Chairman of the Department of Sociology and Dean of Arts and sciences for a decade.

Dr. Anup Singh received his PhD in Political Science at Harvard University. He, along with J.J Singh, led the fight for citizenship for the Indian nationals and was one of the three Indians invited to the White House to witness President Truman sign the Luce-cellar Bill on July 2, 1946. After India's independence, he became Public Relations Officer in the Indian Embassy in Washington DC. He did not apply for his US citizenship and returned to India where he was member of the Indian Parliament (Rajya Sahba) for several years. He died in a car accident in Cairo, Egypt, while on deputation for Afro-Asian Solidarity Council meeting on 28th January 1969.

J.J. Singh was a member of the Indian National Congress before coming to the United States to establish business and became a successful merchant in New York.

He developed friendship with many Americans, some powerful and influential. The Time magazine editor and his wife Republi-

can Congresswoman Clara Booth Luce were his personal friends.

He extensively lobbied for India's independence and wrote frequent articles for publication. J.J. Singh had come to the US as a bachelor and married Malti Saksena, daughter of India's ambassador to Canada in 1951. He did not become a US citizen but went back to settle in India in March 1959, at the age of sixty-one after living in New York for thirty three years. New York Times

He became US citizen in 1949. He was actively involved with the Democratic Party and was elected a judge in 1952. He was the first Asian American to get elected as US Congressman in 1956 and was re-elected twice. He suffered a stroke and was paralyzed while contesting for his fourth term and died in 1973.

Liberalization of Immigration Laws Community Grows Rapidly Up until 1965, the US immigration quota

With the increase in population of immigrants from India, cultural, religious and regional organizations mushroomed at a rapid speed, particularly in big cities, some organizing themselves into regional and national bodies. The first major organization, the Association of Indians in America (AIA), was formed in New York in 1974 in its issue of January 18, 1959 wrote, "US Loses 'Envoy' to Call of India."

Dalip Singh Saund came as a student and obtained an MA and PhD from University of California at Berkley. He got his first job as a farm laborer and later became a farmer. He was involved with the struggle of Indians for US citizenship. He mobilized the California Sikh farming community and raised funds for the lobbying efforts in the United States Congress in Washington, DC.

allowed only 100 Indians to migrate to the United States. In 1965, Immigration laws were liberalized, allowing immigration of up to 20,000 people from any single country. Indian immigrants, particularly Indian professionals - engineers, doctors, nurses, etc. took full advantage of the opportunity and their population started increasing rapidly.

As per 1980 Census data, Indian Americans numbered as many as 361,544 which more than doubled by 1990 and the growth

rate continues unabated till this day. The Indian American population is expected to exceed 2.8 million when the Census 2010 figures are released.

With the increase in population of immigrants from India, cultural, religious and regional organizations mushroomed at a rapid speed, particularly in big cities, some organizing themselves into regional and national bodies. The first major organization, the Association of Indians in America (AIA), was formed in New York in 1974.

Although, the organization reach was limited yet its achievement of getting (Asian) Indians recognized as a separate category for the US Census to-date is history making. In 1978, Dr. Thomas Abraham formed an umbrella group - Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) in New York. In 1980, he launched the National Council of Asian Indian Organizations (NCAIO) at the First Convention of Asian Indians in North America, held during the Memorial Day weekend in New York.

NCAIO was renamed National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA). He travelled to many cities and urged the Indian community activists to form regional umbrella groups similar to FIA of New York.

In several cities, NFIA affiliated umbrella groups were formed during the 1980s, predominantly to celebrate India's Independence Day, India Republic day, etc.

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Mobilizing the Indian American Community Cont’d from page 50

These umbrella groups spread all across the United States, made NFIA as the true national body of Indian Americans. NFIA also organized regional and biennial conventions which were its major vehicle of community mobilization. In 1989, NFIA, headed by Inder Singh, convened the First Global Convention of People of Indian Origin under the leadership of Dr. Thomas Abraham. At the convention, the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) was formed to take up the human rights violations of persons of Indian origin (PIOs) and lobby for the rights and issues of global Indian Diaspora.

In 1982, Dr. Joy Cherian who was appointed to a sub-cabinet level position as the US Commissioner of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1987, formed Indian American Forum for Political Education. The Forum used voter registration drives, special White House briefings for Indian Americans, Congressional reception and luncheon, etc. for mobilizing the Indian American community.

The Forum also networked with several Asian American groups and helped form the Asian American Voters Coalition (AAVC) which included several key Indian issues as Asian issues of concern for mobilizing the Asian community. American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) was formed in the mid 1980s to fight for the recognition of their foreign medical degrees.

It claims to represent over 60,000 physicians of Indian Origin. Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) was formed in 1989 to collectively fight discrimination from the banks and insurance companies. It has become powerful and influential body with membership of over 10,000 people in hospitality industry. Besides these, there are several language, religious, caste and region based organizations which mobilize a large number of people

the 1980s, there were immigration reform bills proposing drastic reduction in the quota for family reunification. These three national bodies fought against reduction in the family reunification quota of the Immigration law.

They reached out to the Indian community in the US, joined hands with the other immigrant communities, collected thousands of petitions opposing the new bills, and worked with many members of the Congress sympathetic to the cause.

After a long campaign, the US Congress yielded to the combined strength of the Indian immigrant communities, accommo-

Best of friends

dated the new realities and kept the family reunification clause of the old law in the new bill which was enacted into law. It was a victory worth relishing; Indian Americans can still sponsor their relatives.

In 1987, the US aid package to Pakistan included supply of Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and other highly sophisticated arms. The Indian American leaders again mobilized the community for

In 1982, Dr. Joy Cherian who was appointed to a subcabinet level position as the US Commissioner of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1987, formed Indian American Forum for Political Education. The Forum used voter registration drives, special White House briefings for Indian Americans, Congressional reception and luncheon, etc. for mobilizing the Indian American community for their annual conferences in the US. Also, new organizations and associations continue to be formed, intending to serve the interests and aspirations of groups which form them. At the same time, some formerly well recognized and well intentioned organizations lost their respectability for lack of engagement with the community issues.

Although there were several organizations during the 1980s and 1990s, yet only three Indian American organizations - AIA, NFIA and IAFPE - worked jointly to represent, protect and promote the interests and aspirations of Indians in America. During

cessful: Pakistan did not get sophisticated military hardware.

In 1988, the US Census Bureau wanted to eliminate various sub-categories under "Asian" in the census form for the 1990 census. The issue was a major concern for all the Asian groups. Indian American community leadership, by now, had gained experience in voicing their concerns about the bills presented in the US Congress.

So, there lurked another fight on hand, another opportunity to mobilize the Indian community, and another push for a signature campaign. The Asian people are the only major group of US population for

the security of their motherland, brought busloads of Indian Americans to Washington D.C. from the neighboring states including New York & New Jersey, and paraded the halls and corridors of world power centers, the US Congress and the White House.

They waged an impressive and vigorous campaign of opposing the supply of highly sophisticated military equipment to Pakistan, educated the members of the US Congress about the potential dangers of such supplies, and testified before the Senate sub-committee, a rare honor. History is witness that the massive effort was suc-

which statistics by their country of origin are collected and maintained by the US Census Bureau. The campaign was successful: Another victory for the mobilized Indian community.

There were many more issues, such as, hate crimes against Indians in the US, India bashing bills in the Congress, etc. which required community pressure through mobilization and continuing education of

Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Bill McCollum (RFL) took the lead and served as Co-chairmen until October 1998.

They were succeeded by Gary Ackerman (D-NY) and James Greenwood (R-PA). The India Caucus is the largest country caucus in the US Congress with as many as 152 House Representatives as members.

The natural calamities in India such as Maharashtra and Gujarat earthquakes shook the conscious of the Indian American community. Many Indian organizations mobilized the community for funds for the victims. NFIA raised funds and contributed $50,000 for a school building in Maharashtra in earthquake devastated area.

The Gujarat earthquake in 2001 gave birth to American Indian Foundation (AIF) which raised millions of dollars for rehabilitation of earthquake victims. Former President Clinton had agreed to be its patron and help raise funds. AIF has become premier Diaspora philanthropic body and continues to support several charitable activities.

Nuclear Deal The US-India civil nuclear cooperation deal was initiated during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the US in July 2005 and re-affirmed during President George Bush's visit to India in March 2006.

The deal involved transfer of nuclear technology and material from the United States to India.

A bill was introduced in the Congress to obtain Congressional approval for the nuclear deal. In the beginning, some Congressmen openly supported the deal while many prominent lawmakers conspicuously stayed silent on the issue. The Indian American community played a proactive role to ensure the passage of the bill. A large majority of the lawmakers in the House and the Senate, finally voted to approve the bill, including those who initially were non-committal.

The Henry J. Hyde United States-India

The Gujarat earthquake in 2001 gave birth to American Indian Foundation (AIF) which raised millions of dollars for rehabilitation of earthquake victims. Former President Clinton had agreed to be its patron and help raise funds. AIF has become premier Diaspora philanthropic body and continues to support several charitable activities elected officials about India specific concerns.

The community leaders also collaborated and built alliances with individuals and groups within and outside the community to find resolutions to the issues and concerns of the marginalized and yet rapidly growing Indian community.

The frequent interaction of the Indian community activists with the members of the US Congress led to the formation of Congressional Caucus on India & Indian Americans in 1993 with the objective to push the Indian American community's agenda on the Capitol Hill. Congressmen

Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006 required India to comply with the provisions of the new law including obtaining the approval from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). India signed an agreement with the board of governors of the IAEA and received approval on Aug 1, 2008.

The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is the exclusive nuclear club that controls global atomic trade. The United States proposed waiver of rules to allow nuclear material and technology transfers to India.

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India's Glory - Past and present JODH SINGH RAWAT

T

his year India is celebrating its 64th independence day on August 15. The largest democracy in the world is the second largest population wise, was under British rule nearly for 200 years. They captured the Red Fort in Delhi in 1857. Earlier in 1757, the British had established their East India Company in Calcutta (Kolkatta) by defeating the Nawab Shiraz-ud-doullah of Bengal.

During foreign rule, India experienced many hardships and had to go under a dark era of hatred and ill treatment by British rulers, but gave them a tough fight and hard time by opposing their rule everywhere.

To fight in more organized way the Indian National Congress as formed in 1885 by an Englishman A.O Hume and funded by new founding members Dadabhai Naoroji, Dinshaw Wacha both Parsi intellectuals and travelers. The Indian National Congress produced leaders of the first generation like Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Moti Lal Nehru, Lala Lajpat Rai and Mohd. Ali Jinnah.

With the appearance of Gandhi on the national scene in 1915 Congress became more jubilant and was joined by a

galaxy of leaders from the new sists of two houses, the lower house generation who fought for freeLok Sabha with 542 members and dom till it was achieved. the upper house Rajya Sabha conIndia was under Mughal rule sisting of 225 members. The state from 1556 till the last Mughal emassemblies too have two houses peror Bahadur Shah Zafar, who namely legislative assembly and the was captured and exiled by the legislative council. The number of British at the Red fort in 1857. these members varies in different After that India was under Britstates based on the population and ish rule till 1947. India was dethe chief minister is the center point clared "sovereign democratic reof the state government. Governor public" on January 26th 1950 by and the Lt. Governor are the head introducing its own written conof the state appointed by the Presistitution giving way to the pardent of India. liamentary form of government, General elections are held afThe Prime minister being the center every five years for Parliament Jodh Singh Rawat ter point of the administration and State assemblies. and the President, the nominal There are over 800 dialects in head of the government for a period of five years.

India, out of which 244 are grouped under 60 languages; among India is the union of 28 states and 7 union territories, each these 103 are non-Indian dialects. National language is Hindi having its own set of governance. The union parliament con- with 18 official languages including English. There are 10 different scripts namely Hindi, Urdu, English, Gujarati, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gurmukhi and Bangla. There are many political parties and time to time their number changes India has the largest number of hydro- electric projects in the world, three of them being the largest in size. Many of them are engineering feats. The highest dam in the world and largest in Asia, Tehri Dam on river Ganges up in Himalayan state of Uttaranchal is already functioning now.

India's contribution to the world's mathematical advancement is the decimal system of notation. Its most remarkable contribution in this field was the concept of zero and the value of infinity. The Arabic numerals adopted by the western world also came from India.

In astronomy Indians were the first to chart the zodiac, study the rotation and gravitational influence of the planets and compute the cycles of eclipses, procession and retrogression.

In the field of education, the first university of the world was in Takshila in western India, now in Pakistan. It was in about 700 B.C where over 10,000 students studied more than 60 subjects. During 400 B.C, three more universities namely Nalanda in eastern part of India, Ajanta and Sanchi in central and southern south of the country were established.

Most of the foreign students were from the Central Asia, Middle East, Greece and Turkey.

It is incredible but true that Sanskrit is the mother of all Indo-European languages. According to Forbes magazine's July 1987 issue "Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software".

In the field medicine Ayurveda is the first known method of the medical science. The father of medicine Charak made wide researches and established Ayurveda, the science of all medicines about 2500 B.C During 2600 B.C surgery was in practice and the great surgeon of that time, Sushruta with many other colleagues all over the land performed even most difficult surgeries which are not yet known to modern science. Sushruta was the pioneer of surgery and he used more than 100 tools and equipments while performing caesarean, cataract, rehabilitation, kidney transplantation and other operations.

Plastic surgery was very much in practice and they even knew from where to take the skin to replace certain parts. There are books written in those times, about human body, zoology, botany, etiology, digestive system, metabolism, genetic and immunization. They performed miracles with the use of herbs and plants which have no match so far in modern science.

The great astronomer Bhaskaracharya had measured the rotation of earth around the sun many centuries before Smarts calculated as 365.258756484 days, which was one year. According to a book named "Surya Sidhanta" sun is like a super giant computer, and an agent of creation in the universe. It is recharging the magnetic fields of all the planets of our solar system. In 600 B.C much earlier than the European mathematicians, the value of pie for the first time was fixed by Bodhayan and the theory of Pythagores is thus named after it.

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Modern architecture of India

A

fter the British left India in 1947, Indian architecture dropped into an abyss. Indian architects, who were relegated to the role of being assistants to the British architects under the British Raj, took their own time to express their ingenuity. Perhaps, there was an identity crisis, a dilemma whether to bask in the glory of the past or move forward with times using new ideas, images and techniques.

While in other fields like art, music and culture, the distinct Indian imprint was more enhanced in the post-Independence period; no such thing was discernible in the case of architecture. It is no doubt that the Indian architects were unable to achieve a transformative architecture de-

spite the existence of great potential at the time of Indian Independence.

The post-Independence period saw the emergence of two schools of thought in architecture -- the Revivalist and the Modernist. The Revivalists, who advocated "continuity with the past", could not break the shackles of the colonial legacy and left no significant impact on the neo-Indian architecture. The Modernists too depended heavily on the European and American models and tried to adopt them in India without taking into consideration the regional aspirations, diversities and requirements.

The contemporary Indian architecture was also beset with problems like population explosion, lack of vision Ashoka Hotel

among the planners, lack of support from the government and a less than satisfactory standard of architecture education. The result was that during the initial years after the Independence, foreign architects continued to play a leading role in Indian architecture.

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister, had called for an open architectural competition for the design of the Ashoka Hotel in 1956, which was won by B.E.Doctor, an architect from Bombay. Using technology to create large pillar-less spaces, Doctor created a facade that borrowed from Islamic, Hindu, British and modern architecture.

Indian architecture witnessed a revolution when the Punjab government engaged Le Corbusier to design the new city of Chandigarh. Built in three stages, Corbusier divided the city into three sections. The 'head' consisted of political, bureaucratic and judicial buildings, the administrative parts of the city. The 'body' housed the university and residential complexes in the heart of the city. The 'feet' consisted of industrial sectors and the railway station. Apart from the initial layout of the city, Corbusier also designed several buildings in Chandigarh. The High Court building has a sloping roof, supported by concrete walls which allow air to pass through them. The Assembly is a squarish

Chandigrah Secretariat

structure topped with a huge industrial chimney while the Secretariat is made up of hundreds of rooms with an airy exterior.

Taking inspiration from Le Corbusier's creativity, a young Indian architect D V Joshi designed the Institute of Indology in Ahmedabad. Charles Mark Correa, Doshi's contemporary, designed the Hindustan Lever pavilion for the India International Trade Fair in 1961. The pavilion was an exposed concrete structure resembling a crumpled packing case made of concrete with a zigzag ramp to walk along.

Correa also designed the Gandhi Sanghralaya in Ahmedabad as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

The Asiad Village in New Delhi, designed by Raj Rewell and built as a colossal complex with more than 800 residential units, landscaped courts, streets, restaurants and shops, all catering to sports persons who had assembled for the 1982 Asian Games, is one of the architectural landmarks of modern India.

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Independence Day at Red Fort BRIGADIER CHITRANJAN SAWANT, VSM

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he Prime Minister reaches the red Fort Delhi at 7.20 am; he inspects the Inter-Services and Police guard of Honor; he reaches the ramparts and addresses the Nation for 40 minutes or may be more depending on the skies, says Jai Hind with the crowd of school children and goes home. The Media is in full attendance and they faithfully inform the countrymen of policy statements, if any. We all head home and look for a cup of hot tea brewed by the lady of the house. For most of us of the British Raj days the Independence Day means much more. It sends us down the memory lane and a sense of nostalgia sets in.

How can I not remember the Quit India movement of 1942 when as a young boy not yet in my teens, I came out of my classroom encouraged by bigger boys and headed for Kutchery to shout slogans against the British Collector and others of his tribe "Quit India".

The mercenary police beat us with batons but undeterred we kept on saying "Vande Mataram Vande Mataram". The big boys bled as they were badly beaten but held the tricolor high .It was a sight to see and admire. At the Kutchery the senior students were arrested and sent to jail; we the junior ones were admonished and told to go home and have some mother's milk. I had the inner satisfaction that I too told the foreign masters to quit our country.

That they did five years thereafter. All Indians celebrated Independence with great gusto. Of course, the partition of Bharat Mata had left an emotional scar and a deep wound difficult to forget. Then as now, the main celebration was held on the ramparts of the Red Fort Delhi. Sad to say the enthusiasm of yester years has faded over a period of time. A true patriot feels bad about it but that's the way it is.

Unbelievable but true it is that no Tricolor was hoisted by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru on ramparts of the Red Fort Delhi on 15 August 1947. That great day it was done in New Delhi. A day later Nehru went up the ramparts and hoisted the new National flag and fulfilled the wishes of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

Indeed every Independence Day has been seeing the incumbent Prime Minister do this national duty with great aplomb. It would be interesting to

recall various Prime Ministers do it a number of times, some just once and one not even once. Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru walks away with the cake with a tally of 17. His daughter Smt Indira Gandhi is close behind with a total tally of 16 in two parts: 11 times in the first innings, was voted out of power, staged a political comeback and ascended the ramparts five times in the second innings.

In between was Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri who unfurled the flag twice. An elevator was installed for him as he was forbidden to ascend the stairs on medical grounds.

Now there are two to accommodate the growing number of sick but important people. Care has been taken to see that the

Rajiv Gandhi and Narsimha Rao did so five times each, Morarji Bhai twice but he is in good company with Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri. Among those who just opened an account and returned to pavilion are: Chaudhary Charan Singh, Sarvashri Vishwanath Pratap Singh, H.D.Devegowda and Inder Kumar Gujaral.

Indeed the list makes an interesting reading and speaks volumes about the party politics in Parliament. Of course, what they all said need not be mentioned separately for each. The bottom line in each speech was a Promise to the common man to ameliorate his living condition but not much was done thereafter. Some promise makers were dethroned as they descended the

Unbelievable but true it is that no Tricolor was hoisted by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru on ramparts of the Red Fort Delhi on 15 August 1947. That great day it was done in New Delhi. A day later Nehru went up the ramparts and hoisted the new National flag and fulfilled the wishes of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose walls of the elevator match the architecture of the fort so that it does not look like an eyesore. Now every Prime Minister uses the elevator to go up but some come down the ramparts using stair case.

A reader may be waiting with baited breath to find out the name of the Prime Minister who did not have an opportunity to perform this sacred national duty even once. It was Shri Chandra Shekhar. Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee did it six times and he is bracketed with Dr Manmohan Singh. I recall that over these years Dr Manmohan Singh's Hindi has improved tremendously.

stairs; never to ascend again. Indira Ji was a singular exception.

As a commentator I feel that the Prime Minister should not take too long to say what he does not mean. Some do not have the magic number to back their words, someone may not muster support within the party as other stalwarts treat him as a usurper of the throne that did not rightfully belong to him. A long speech does not go well with the audience on the spot who sit in the sweltering heat of August in Delhi or in torrential rain depending on the whim of El Nino.

The global warming is mentioned in the

passing but no need to fan it with a copy of the Independence Day program printed on thin paper. Most of the senior bureaucrats, who could not skip the ceremony and had to put in an appearance by order, just ignore the promises made by the Prime Minister. They know from experience that passing a law in Parliament is one thing and having it implemented just another. "The twain shall never meet".

Indian babus just echo Rudyard Kipling.

Will education come within reach of an urchin on the street? Don't be silly, so they say. Pray, what happened to the Act of Parliament banning child labor. Just go to any eatery in the national capital or NCR and the Truth will prevail over promises made from ramparts of the Red Fort.

A Prime Minister who has blessings of the most powerful lady east of Suez will just recount names of Nehru, Gandhi(forget the mahatma) and think that he has earned his daily bread. Thus the gap between preaching, precept and practice is widening day by day. Perhaps a peaceful revolution is required to deliver the goods. The right to resent and protest against a government diktat is enshrined in the constitution and judiciary protects it like the assets of judges.

Lip sympathy is paid to victims of Islamic terrorism. The new economic terror factor is not even touched lest the vote bank is lost. Just preserve your place in power and worry not about the nation or the common man. Let them fend for themselves. Let the lentil be sold at Rs 100 per kilo; just announce from house tops that there is enough food stock in government godowns. Just exhort the state governments to use all laws against hoarding but allow the Food ministry to be the biggest hoarder.

Let the finance people say that inflation is now zero or in minus, don't worry if the prices of common vegetables and fruits render them beyond the reach of common man.

Indeed paying lip sympathy to the common man pays rich dividends. So why bother about implementation of plans to ameliorate his condition. Let the plans remain on paper and save the Chair.

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Creation of Maharashtra and Gujarat - Missed opportunities KUMAR KETKAR

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he two states, carved out of the ge and largely successful in Soviet ography of Independent India, on Union at the time when the idea got May 1, 1960, are classic examples of momentum. India was a great civilimissed opportunities and also of misman- zation, but not a modern nationaged governance. state, till it came to be governed by Nobody in the age group of 10 to 40 to- the British. The independence too day would remember anything about the came with catastrophic partition events and movements as well as aspira- and two countries began to evolve tions and hopes of the people in this re- as nation-states. gion. The world has radically changed in India has been a multi-religious the last fifty years and so has India. Those civilization and country, and only changes surely transformed this crucial re- secularism could have kept it togion of central and western India, but if we gether. Or else, it would have been look back, very little was changed as a part splintered it a long time ago, as many of development plan and strategy, and most western commentators had predicted. of the changes came because of the exiEven a cursory look at Pakistan gencies. Or inevitable fall out of the global will convince anyone, that India transformation. survived because of democracy The idea of linguistic states was not an and this multi-culturality which is "ideological" question, though it acquired manifested in secularism. Islam that color. The concept was essentially a could not keep Pakistan united, and governance notion. People belonging to the Bangaladesh was formed on the same language groups would be able to basis of linguistic-cultural identity. administer their regions Even the rest of in a democratic manner, Pakistan is not if their governments and sure of its intesystems are run in the grated and united existmother tongue. ence, because there are Everybody learns the rumblings in mother tongue and can Baloochistan and even articulate himself or herSind, who feel that self, irrespective of litthey are subjugated by eracy or education. Only the Punjabi-Pakistan. by collective discussion Language and culand dialogue, they ture are potent instruwould be able to solve ments of development their problems and imand destruction, or prove their standard and both. Realizing this, Padmashree Kumar Ketkar quality of life. The most the idea of Secular Inimportant element in this dia with Linguistic "communitisation" is language. states and cultural identity was evolved.

India is a huge country and an emerging The idea was in existence and was part of nation, and could be run democratically, by the debate in the independence movement proper consensus, only if there is peoples' in the late twenties. Soon after indepenparticipation. The best way to achieve is to dence, it began to shape politics around carve out linguistic regions. So nobody the language question. was really opposed to the idea of linguistic A massive Telugu agitation, which flared states. Moreover, the experiment was tried into violence after an activist-leader Ramulu died when on hunger strike, led to the formation of today's Andhra

Gateway of India, Mumbai

Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad

Pradesh. However, as stated above, it is not just language, but also culture. That is why the people of Telengana continue to agitate for separate state, though they speak the same language. Though there is no significant mass support to the separate Vidarbha, there is demand for a separate state, despite the fact that the Vidarbhites speak Marathi.

So language is a base but not a sole determining factor. Hindi speaking belt in north India is divided in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh (and recently added Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand). It is not one huge Hindi state.

The movement for Maharashtra got intensified not only for language, but on the question of the status of Mumbai. Mumbai, geographically was part of the Marathi speaking region, and a fulcrum of Konkan. But the city was historically much more than Marathi. It had almost every community from all parts of India, even world, in the social life.

The business and trade and industry was dominated by Marwaris and Gujaratis. Also Parsees and Punjabis. But most of the workforce, and vast retail business, including the vendors came from Maharashtra - the Marathi speaking people.

They were in various traditional vocations from fishermen to vegetables to horticulture.

Mumbai's business linguafranca was Gujarati and many Marathi people spoke very good Gujarati. On the other hand Mumbai's cultural as well as street communication was primarily in Marathi.

There was no problem for decades and centuries when both the languages co-existed. The conflict arose when the fate of Mumbai was linked with the formation of linguistic states of Maharashtra

and Gujarat. There was a proposal that Mumbai could be a bi-lingual, union state.

Together, Marathi and Gujarati communities could have led the whole of India, in industry and politics, in culture and in trade.

Mumbai could have emerged as the global multi-cultural capital of India. This could have been achieved without sacrificing the greatness and glory of Marathi and without losing the creativity of Gujarati enterprise. But the conflict between the two communities then immensely ruined the chances of that kind of growth.

Once the monster of "identitarianism" was let loose, the city began to lose its liberal and cosmopolitan character. Over the years, Mumbai got neglected by the politicians who paid attention to their so called rural constituencies at the expense of this great city.

Though the city had Gujarati business and trade, still dominating, it lost the Gujarati political connectivity and hence, the metropolis was orphaned in governance terms. Now Mumbai is a city of slum lords, slum dogs and millionaires, as well as builder-contractor mafia.

If Mumbai had the dominant Marathi cultural stream and also the enterprise of Gujarat, not only the culture, but also economic development would have taken place. Today, both the states have been vitiated by identitarian politics, and the region, which could have led the nation, is suffering from fissiparous tendencies.

Yet, there is time to recover from this cancer. Everything is not lost, only if politicians show vision. Now the status of Mumbai cannot be reversed and there is this absurd fear, perpetuated by the Shiv Sena and MNS of Raj Thackeray, that there is a "conspiracy" to separate Mumbai.

There is no such conspiracy, and even if some fool was to conspire like that he would lose out to history. The visionary and cultural leaders of Gujarat and Maharashtra, in India and abroad can come together to solve the problems of both the states and Mumbai, as history binds them and appeals to them to change paradigm to build great modern India.

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Modern architecture of India

Lotus-shaped Bahai temple Cont’d from page 56

The lotus-shaped Bahai temple in New Delhi, designed by Fariburz Sabha in 1980 and completed in December 1986, is an awe-inspiring example of the ingenuity of the Indian architects.

However, the fact remains that

the contemporary architecture in India has failed to inspire. Even after 50 years of Independence our cities are still symbolized by preindependence buildings. For instance, Calcutta is symbolized by the Victoria Memorial, New Delhi by the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Mumbai by the Victoria Terminus

Victoria Memorial Calcutta

and the Gateway of India and Chennai by the Victoria Memorial Hall. The post-independence buildings such as the New Secretariat building in Calcutta or the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi has nothing much to offer in terms of architectural style.

Gateway of India

In contrast most major cities in the world have splendid modern buildings to boast off, like Sydney has its Sydney Opera House, Paris has new Grand Arch and the Georges Pompidos Centre, New York has its World Trade Centre, Chicago has the Sears Tower and Toronto has the C.N.Tower.

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Modern architecture of India Cont’d from page 64

cording to the Maharishi Sthapatya Veda symbolizing the victory of India's ancient Even cities in other Third World coun- knowledge of Vastu Vidya. The proposed tries have several buildings to feel proud centre for Vedic consciousness, which is about, like Kuala Lumpur has its Petronas modeled on Sao Paulo Tower of Brazil, would Tower, Shangai has the TV Tower, Hong be 677 meters (2222 feet) high and 339 meters Kong has its Hongkong and Shanghai Cor- (1111 feet) wide at the square base. Once poration building and the Bank of China completed it will be more than 213 meters (700 feet) taller than the Petronas Tower in Kuala Lumpur and will achieve the distinction of being the world's tallest building.

It was also reported that a consortium of architects and engineers who have designed several of the New Secretariat building in Calcutta tallest structures in the Building and even Colombo has its new world is undertaking the design of the buildParliament building. ing. Indeed, India will have something to In November 1998, the media reported cheer about if this building materializes! that the foundation stone of World Centre Madhya Pradesh seems to be the only of Vedic Learning, the world's tallest build- state in India which has several grand pubing would be laid at Karondi village, in lic buildings and international award winJabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. The building, ning projects. which will be built by the Maharishi Mahesh Cont’d on page 69 Yogi Vedic University, is being designed ac-

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National Symbols of India

National Emblem: The national emblem comes from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Emperor Ashoka.

Ashoka ruled the land from 272 BCE to 232 BCE. The original sculpture shows four lions on a pillar with an elephant, horse, bull, and lion separated by a lotus on the base. A Dharma Chakra (wheel of law) is also carved into the stone.

The emblem was adopted on January 26, 1950 by the Indian Government. The official symbol now shows three of the four lions with the Dharma Chakra in the center of the base and a bull and horse on either side. The base is also engraved with the phrase "Satyameva Jayate" in the Devanagari script of India. This simple phrase represents a powerful idea for the Indian people: "Truth alone triumphs". National Animal Tiger (Panthera Tigris, Linnaeus) is the national animal of India. Tiger is also known as the lord of Jungles. The tiger is symbolic of India's wildlife wealth. The rare combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger great respect and high esteem. India is home to nearly half of the total population of tigers.

National Bird: The Peacock, Pavo cristatus (Linnaeus), is the national bird of India. The peacock symbolizes qualities like beauty, grace, pride and mysticism. Peacock is a colorful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye

and a long, slender neck.

The male of the species is more colorful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers they spread out in display at the onset of the monsoons. The female is brownish in color, slightly smaller than the male, and lacks the train.

Peacocks have a harsh voice, which is a stark contrast to their beauty. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers is a beautiful sight. Peacock is the sacred bird of the India, protected not only by the religious sentiment but also by parliamentary statute.

National Calendar of India: The national calendar of India is based on the Saka Era with Chaitra as the first month and a normal year of 365 days. The national calendar of India was adopted on March 22nd 1957. Dates of the Indian national calendar have a permanent correspondence with the Gregorian calendar dates- 1 Chaitra normally falls on 22 March and on 21 March in leap year.

The national Calendar of India is used along with the Gregorian calendar for the following official purposes- (i) Gazette of India, (ii) news broadcast by All India Radio, (iii) calendars issued by the Government of India and (iv) Government communications addressed to the members of the public.

The Indian Tricolour: The Indian flag is rectangular in shape and is made up of three horizontal breadths of Saffron, White and Green. The Saffron stands for courage and sacrifice, White for purity

and Green for fertility. There is a wheel with 24 spokes in the middle of the white colored portion of the flag. The wheel represents the Dharma Chakra.

National Flower: Lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera) is the National Flower of India. On the virtue of being a sacred flower, it occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial. The Lotus symbolizes divin-

ity, fertility, wealth, knowledge and enlightenment. The flower grows in murky waters and rises on a long stalk above the surface to bloom.

It represents long life, honor, and good fortune.

Lotus is also symbolic of the purity of heart and mind. The lotus holds additional significance for Hindus, as it is a symbol of God and used often in religious practices.

According to the popular Indian thought, there is the last and final lotus - Charan Kamal or lotus feet of the Almighty. It was this depth of thought that made the founding fathers of modern India enshrine the lotus in the Consti-

tution as the National Flower.

The National Tree of India: The National tree of India is the banyan. This huge tree towers over its neighbors and has the widest reaching roots of all known trees, easily covering several acres. It sends off new shoots from its roots, so that one tree is really a tangle of branches, roots, and trunks. The banyan tree regenerates and beats all other tree in its longevity. It is thought to be the immortal tree. Its size and leafy shelter are valued in India as a

place of rest and reflection, not to mention protection from the hot sun! India has a long history of honoring this tree; it figures prominently in many of the oldest stories of the nation.

National Game of India: Hockey, which has been played in

India since time immemorial, is the National Game of India. There was a golden period of Indian hockey when hockey stalwarts of India ruled the game. On the international scenario there were no competitors to match the magic of Indian hockey players. The unmatched excellence and incomparable talent of Indian players became folklore. The ball-juggling feats of players like Major Dhyanchand made people think that Indian players used some underhand means. The Golden Era of hockey in India was the period from 1928 - 1956 when India won 6 successive gold medals in the Olympic Games.

National Fruit of India: The Mango is the national fruit of India. A favourite of most Indians, this fruit has been cultivated in the country since ancient times. There are over 100 types of mangoes in India, of various colors, sizes, and shapes. Common in the tropical part of the world, mangoes are liked hugely and relished for their sweet juice and bright colors. Rich in vitamin A, C, and D, mangoes are also useful for health.

Indians eat mangoes ripe, or prepare them green as pickles or chutneys (condiments). The poet Kalidasa sang its praises in his immortal works. Akbar planted 100,000 mango trees in Darbhanga, known as Lakhibagh. Even wellknown visitors to India, like Alexander and Hieun Tsang, were generous in their appreciation for Indian mangoes.

National Song of India: The composition "Vande Mataram",

hailed as the National Song of India, eulogizes India as a Goddess and glorifies Indian patriotism in a beautiful manner. Composed originally in Sanskrit by Shri Bankim Chandra Chattyopaddhay, the song first appeared in the ace novelist's Bengali novel 'Anand Math' (published in 1882) and was a source of inspiration to the Indian people in their struggle for freedom. The English translation of the song, rendered by Shree Aurobindo, is considered to be the official and best. The first stanza of this song has been given the status of India's national song.

"Vande Mataram" has an equal status with "Jana Gana Mana", the Indian National Anthem composed by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The song, in fact, was originally designated as the National Anthem. The first political occasion when it was sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. Interestingly, the music for this song had been composed by none other than Rabindranath Tagore.

National Animal of India: The National animal of India is the magnificent creature called The Royal Bengal Tiger, whose scientific name is "Tiger Panthera tigris".

A bright yellow-coloured wellstriped animal with a short coat, the Bengal Tiger occupies a variety of habitats from dry open jungles, humid ever-green forests to mangrove swamps.

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India's first Childhood Education Global Conference NIDHI SOPARAWALA

Dilip Thakore from Education World, Peter Maselen CEO 単 Knowledge Universe 単 Singapore, Dr. Ellana Yalow 単 Vice Chairperson of the Knowledge Learning Corporation, USA and Dr. Jeremy Williams Singapore-based Chief Academic Officer (Global) at the inauguration of fist ever Early Childhood Education Global Conference in Mumbai 2010

MUMBAI: The Bangalorebased Education World - The Human Development Magazine (estb.1999) together with Navneet Publications, Mumbai, organized India's first ever Early Childhood Education Global Conference 2010 on the theme 'ECE Opportu-

nities & Challenges' at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Santa Cruz (E) Mumbai recently.

The first keynote speaker of the ECE Global Conference 2010 co-sponsored by the Mumbaibased Universal Education Group and Edu-Craft - was Dr. Ellana

Yalow, Vice Chairperson of the Knowledge Learning Corporation, USA (which owns and operates over 1,900 pre-schools in the US and Britain under the brand names KinderCare, Knowledge Beginnings and Busybee).

The other keynote address was given by Dr. Jeremy Williams the Singapore-based Chief Academic Officer (Global) of Knowledge Universe Pte. Ltd which owns and manages the Odyssey, Learning Vision and Pat's Schoolhouse pre-schools in the Asia Pacific region.

"I am looking forward to India's first global conference on early childhood education. India has the world's largest child population and it is critical this large human resource pool gets a good start in education. Neuroscience studies have clearly demonstrated that experiences in early child-

hood have a significant impact on brain development. The nature and quality of a child's experiences from birth to age six establish the foundation for future cognitive and social development," said Dr. Yalow.

Early childhood education experts from the US and Singapore apart, ECE Global 2010 was also addressed by ECE experts from across India. Among them: Lina Asher (promoter Chairperson, Kangaroo Kids); Arun Khetan (former promoter-CEO of Kidzee and currently chief executive of I Play, I Learn); Ashish Rajpal (promoter-CEO of iDiscoveri) and Kavita Gupta Sabharwal, promoter-CEO of Neev, Bangalore).

The ECE Global Conference 2010 culminated with the presentation of the EducationWorld India's Most Preferred Preschools Awards, 2010.

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Bharat can be Mahan but for corrpution & bad politics Cont’d from page 46

greater initiative by adopting modern technology. We still farm our fields with antiquated methods. All developing The economic upswing is as much important as getting nations have already using bullet trains to spread the wings stronger militarily. The third and and very important thing of economy faster and more productively, and we still see that needs to be tackled is the endemic corruption at many bullock carts plough our fields and locomotives polluting levels in the country. Unless effective measures are taken our ecology with coal fired engines." to stop this growing menace, India could not be stong "Finally whichever party is ruling the country, they beteconomically, poltically or in any other areas." ter make decisions based on the needs of the people to DR. BHARAT develop faster and enjoy the fruits of science and technolBARAI, a leading ogy; instead of being governed by vote banks to protect oncologist in Inditheir power base. Each and every political party, whether ana State and a foreCongress, BJP, or Socialists they better understand the most community acreality of the situation, or else it is time for the younger tivist, said that regeneration to throw out selfish and corrupt governments cession in the US that have hitherto hampered our growth, and make use of has a global effect. our huge human capital positively."

But 90% of Indian V I J A Y A economy is based K U M A R on domestic conBUDDHIRAJU, a sumption. prominent St. India's growth Louis community rate is 8% to 9% and leader involved hence, there is no with a host of comsignificant adverse munity organizaeffect as far as the tions and Chairgrowth rate is conman of Board of cerned. ." However, Trustee Hindu Dr. Bharat Barai a very high rate of Temple of St. inflation, especially in the food and energy sectors, which Louis, said that in may deteriorate further, is seen to be the visible impact," his view the global he said. recession would As far as Indo-US relations, especially on the political not impact India as Vijay Buddhiraju front, is concerned, he observed that these are basically much as it would dictated by events occurring outside both the countries. other countries. It is due to the liberal and tolerant attitude "One is the largest democracy and the other oldest democ- towards small businesses by the Indian tax authorities. racy. Both are multi religious and multi ethnic and both are Banking is reasonably regulated to prevent a breakdown victims of terrorism and are hated by radical Islamic ex- and excessive salary and bonus packages to a few that tremists. Both have common self interest and have equal break the banks while others are released from their jobs. opportunity to improve high-tech defense items. These Although, political parties make their banks to distribconsiderations should bring them closer," he said ute unrecoverable loans for the urgency of the vote, the amount of that money is minimal compared to the Buddhiraju said that India could emerge a big power NRI money that more than compensates such irrebut has to have sensible and intelligent leadership. sponsible orders by the "What about those leaders who cannot even tell the party(ies) in power. The meaning of Indian flag or have any respect for those Reganomics which was highlighted in this county who sacrificed everything for Independence. The focus in mid 80s was practiced of the leaders today is -"how to get re-elected?" The since the time of Independence. That is, the family principle and ideology takes back seat businesses were rarely if ever documented and For achieving the status of a world power to reckon taxed. Further, the tax structure forgives the poor and with, "India needs development of high-tech items and the taxes those who can pay. It is to a large extent is reversed US may feel more comfortable to sell to country like India in countries like USA where capitalism is getting ill defor a variety of reasons. India however must speed up do- fined. mestic energy products in the nuclear field.

In recent years, India has notched a double digit GNP Rapid construction of nuclear plants and research to while in Europe and USA, it was near zero. USA is the convert thorium into uranium should be the priority. We greatest Nation in the world to which every citizen of evmust make fullest use of solar energy and tidal wave en- ery nation in the world wants come, but its rigidity of acergy. India is gifted by both these natural energy in abun- tion based on law on paper makes it more vulnerable to dance. Entire Himalayan region especially Arunachal global economic changes.

Pradesh and Assam properly developed can change the On Indo-US relations, Budhhiraju felt that it was mutueconomic scenario with abundant potential of growth na- ally beneficial to have strong relations. This was the vision tionwide." of PV Narasimha Rao who is essentially responsible for pros"We are also rich in natural gas. Reliance groups are perity of today's India. He unleashed a wave of economic developing Krishna/Kaveri basins for a huge deposit of well being based on the relationship of India with USA. gas found there. In the Gulf of Cambatta huge deposit of This added to the vision of Nehru who wanted all Indians Petroleum was found. Rajasthan is also ripe with a number educated making it affordable to even the poorest. This of finds and Russian technologists are helping to explore deadly combination really poured wealth into India. further in many potential places like Rajasthan.

I am a first generation Indian in US. When we came, "Sadly, Indian policy if based on appeasement of Ar- there were easily countable Indians in USA. With the power abs. Unless Indian policy makers realize its danger and of education combined with liberalization that was initibegin re-tracking the right course, the country will suffer." ated by PV made a large number of Indians, which is al"We then need to make sure that agriculture and infra- most impossible to count, to come to USA. These NRIs structure of roads and warehousing are attended with much have contributed not only to the wealth of India that we

see, but also made an irreversible relationship with USA. Even if US feels that Pak is its alley and pours dollars into that country, most of that wealth is essentially wasted towards military and clandestine operations against India.

On the other hand, the dollar that is hard earned, not hand given, is used for building useful projects and educational Institutions in India. The only retarding factor in forging greater relations with the West is the attitude of appeasement towards block voters in India based on religion. Farther into the future of India, my fear is that the governments to come will allow laws of Sharia. Then, the country will be in reverse gear and start neutralizing the sacrifices of people like PV. Buddhiraju said that India could emerge a big power but has to have sensible and intelligent leadership. "What about those leaders who cannot even tell the meaning of Indian flag or have any respect for those who sacrificed everything for Independence. The focus of the leaders today is -"how to get re-elected?" The principle and ideology takes back seat.

All my suggestions will be based on honesty, sacrifice, truth, patriotism and national interest. Believe me, any suggestion, based on any of them, is difficult for the politician today. Basing the principles of progress on them is, therefore, a super waste. Simple example is, can any Indian community leader in America reach the Indian embassy or even a consulate and succeed in inviting them to their city? Indian officials even in this country are impossible to contact even by Presidents of India Associations or Chairs of community projects in this country. Then, what good is any suggestion at national level?

AJIT GANDHI, a leading insurance agent and a community activist said that India is somewhat shielded but it must reduce its dependence on the exports, particularly IT exports, plus it must invest a lot in R&D to develop products for the domestic markets/products. That way, it can be truly shielded.

Ajit Gandhi felt Ajit Gandhi that in his opinion Indo -US relations may get static and may not show further improvement. "In my opinion, India must understand the US priorities and compulsions and not play in any power's hands, whether it is US, Russia, China, UK or any other country. It's been an open secret that Pakistan has been playing double game with the US since December 1979. Yet, the US has been tolerating and actually helping Pakistan beyond imagination. While the world's best democracy does show more respect than before to the world's largest democracy, it still supports dictatorships, military rules and communists when it finds that to be more beneficial. So, I do not see big prospects for big improvements."

Gandhi observed that India needs to clean up the political mess and the corruption that has become a monster will not let it emerge as a world power. Simultaneously, it should focus more on economic power. Once these two are achieved, others will automatically pay more respect to India which will make it a front-ranking power. Of course, this is easier said than done because everyone in the political apparatus, regardless of the party, is corrupt.

According to DR. DEEPAK VYAS, Missouri based Indian American businessman, the India economy is driven by a three-pronged acceleration. The strongest point of her thrust comes from the growing domestic product catapulting the GDP. Cont’d on page 70

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National Symbols of India Cont’d from page 66

The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the national animal of India.

It stands as a symbol of India's wealth of wildlife. The Royal Bengal Tiger is found throughout the

country except in the north-western region and also in the

neighbouring countries, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

National Anthem of India: The song "Jana Gana Mana", composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the national anthem of India on 24 January 1950. It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress. Before this, the National Anthem of India was Bankim Chandra's song "Vande Mataram".

Though the complete song consists of five stanzas, only the first of the five stanzas of "Jana Gana Mana" was designated as the anthem. The first stanza contains the full version of the National Anthem. A formal rendition of the national anthem takes about forty-eight to fifty-two seconds.

A shortened version consisting of the first and last lines (and taking about 20 seconds to play) is also played on certain occasions.

Modern architecture of India Cont’d from page 65

The New Assembly building in Bhopal and the Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board office in Jabalpur, The Judicial Academy in Bhopal, the Rajiv Gandhi Jal Grahan Mission in Raipur and the proposed "White House" in Bhopal are some fascinating examples which show that global

young and dynamic architects, which include Charles Correa, Prashant Diwakriti, Ajay Kataria, Anjum Gupta, Vineet Chadha, Nikhil Sompura and others, who do not shy away from experimentation. Most often these architects employ a hybrid style that is a free mix of Roman, English, Gothic, Rajasthani and Mughal styles. This new-age architec-

The Judicial Academy in Bhopal

aesthetics is moving very fast into the smaller Indian cities. Paradoxically, it is the smaller cities and towns like Indore, Raipur, Rajkot, Baroda and Bhopal, with no greatly visible architectural traditions like that of Jaipur, Hyderabad or Lucknow, that are displaying unprecedented alacrity in adapting to 'international styles'.

There is a growing brand of

tural aesthetics has redefined the idea of space. The emphasis now seems to be on having more open spaces, green spaces and natural lighting.

It is, however, not possible to term this new trend as a 'representative' architecture of our times as it is highly restricted in geographic terms and also confined to the affluent lot.

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Pride of India

H

istorians, writers, politicians and other eminent personalities across the Globe have greatly appreciated India and its contribution to rest of the world. Though these remarks are only a partial reflection of the greatness of India, they certainly make us feel proud of our motherland.

"We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made!"

- Albert Einstein (Theoretical Physicist, Germany) "India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition.

Our most valuable and most artistic materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only!"

- Mark Twain (Writer, America) "If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home

from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India!"

- Romaine Rolland (French scholar) "She (India) has left indelible imprints on one fourth of the human race in the course of a long succession of centuries. She has the right to reclaim ... her place amongst the great nations summarizing and symbolizing the spirit of humanity. From Persia to the Chinese sea, from the icy regions of Siberia to Islands of Java and Borneo, India has propagated her beliefs, her tales, and her civilization!"

- Sylvia Levi (French Scholar) "Civilizations have arisen in other parts of the world. In ancient and modern times, wonderful ideas have been carried forward from one race to another...

But mark you, my friends, it has been always with the blast of war trumpets and the march of embattled cohorts. Each idea had to be soaked in a deluge of blood..... Each word of power had

to be followed by the groans of millions, by the wails of orphans, by the tears of widows. This, many other nations have taught; but India for thousands of years peacefully existed. Here activity prevailed when even Greece did not exist... Even earlier, when history has no record, and tradition dares not peer into the gloom of that intense past, even from until now, ideas after ideas have marched out from her, but every word has been spoken with a blessing behind it and peace before it.

We, of all nations of the world, have never been a conquering race, and that blessing is on our head, and therefore we live....!"

- Swami Vivekanand (Indian Philosopher) "If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India."

- Max Mueller (German Scholar)

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Bharat can be Mahan but for corrpution & bad politics Cont’d from page 68

said that recession and economic meltdown in the United States has an impact and will continue to have an impact globally. It may have little impact on some countries and maybe more impact on other countries. The effect of recession on India is likely to be less because of its economic growth rate which is quite impressive. It may slow down a little because of the recession.

Although I am not an expert in economics, I think there are several reasons why the recession in the United States will have little less impact on India. For example, one can see that whereas the housing market is very much depressed in the United States, the real estate in India, if not booming, is more than stable. I think that the IT sector, although depressed in the United States, is still doing well in India. So, I think the recession and economic meltdown in the United States will have little less effect in India.

Prof. Pandey feels that the political and economic relations between India and the United States have been quite progressive and there is a further cementing during President Clinton's and much more during President Bush's period. The nuclear treaty is one of the examples of growing relationship between the two countries.

With the Obama administration, this strong relationship is likely to continue because it puts a lot of emphasis on improving relations with India. The examples may be that the first State dinner hosted by President Obama was for the visiting Indian PM Manmohan Singh. Obama administration has also put several Indians in important key positions in the administration and he is likely to visit India in the near future. Taking all these factors into consid-

It is clearly indicated by an annual economic growth of well over 8% as the world-wide recession led by US has affected all most all countries. The growing urban population spending considerable money as well as providing capital to the industry has transformed India as a global destination of choice for investments for the capital from overseas. If the information I have is correct nearly 55% of fortune 500 corporations have opened up offices in India.

Dr Deepak Vyas Our saving rate is among the highest in the world that has transformed into increased capital for investment, and our share market is thriving, many leading business realizing billions in gains, some like Ambani brothers joining the ranks of world's wealthiest families. It is however disappointing that riches accumulated by one section of society is not reaching substantially the other side.

Indian poor and peasants are continuing to struggle as rich and politically powerful amass wealth for their own. A recent report says in corruption India is at Our saving rate is among the highest in the world the top, even ahead of poorest of poor but most corrupt nations of that has transformed into increased capital for Africa. I think our colonial economic foundation is still at work, investment, and our share market is thriving, many bureaucracy and the ministers reaping the harvest of their ill-gotten leading business realizing billions in gains, some wealth. In short we have rampant like Ambani brothers joining the ranks of world's corruption, making each chief minister of our States billionaires. wealthiest families. It is however disappointing According to a recent report, last Chief Minister of A.P. Samuel Raj that riches accumulated by one section of society Shekhar Reddy swindled the wealth of the state while plundering the is not reaching substantially the other side property of the Hindu religious institutions. At his ill-fated death he had accumulated 35 billion dollars of assets, an amount staggering by all accounts. Compared eration, the relationship is likely to grow and be cemented to this the wealth of Bill Gates the wealthiest person in the in the near future. There may still be detractions here and world is less than 40 billion. And wealthiest of Indian bil- there but the basics won't change. lionaires also flaunt their worth in billions. And India is Becoming a world power involves at least three compoamong the poorest of nations, with hundreds of thousand nents, which are: economic, technical, scientific, as well as of villagers yet to find a roof on their heads. political. India is doing relatively well as far as the ecoAn Indian rupee has joined the ranks of dollars, yens, nomic front is concerned, although it will and can do even euro and such to become convertible currency. India has better in that respect. However, to become a leading ecobuilt significant for- nomic power, India also needs to increase and improve on eign reserves and industrial production, and I mean the major industrial outeconomically is put. India has already shown tremendous growth in ITshowing its way up. related business as well as other services which it proHer dynamic eco- vides. It has also shown tremendous growth in small scale nomic growth is industrial output, such as producing ingredients for pharevident from the maceutical industries, textile industries and many other fact that as the consumer items. whole world is havWhat it needs to do is get into a big way in terms of ing impact of the ad- industrial production, such as building aircraft, heavy maverse inflation, on chinery, auto and railway related products, which it could record, India is the easily export to countries in Africa, Asia as well as South only country America. On the scientific and technological side, India proven to with- needs to advance both in its applied and basic research so stand inflation. that it can compete with other world powers in terms of P R O F . technological and scientific development.

G H A N S H YA M The other aspect or factor in this respect is the improvePANDEY, AIA ment in infrastructure which it can provide for international Trustee and companies that would provide them incentives for estabProf Ghanshyam Pandey founder president, lishing industries in India. However, India also needs to

increase its political influence and getting a permanent seat in the Security Council is the first step towards being a political power.

There are several distractions in achieving this, which are likely to slow the progress in this area and this may be political instability and home-grown and external terrorist activities. A positive note in this aspect is that the Central government in India has always been stable, which is a positive sign. India thus has a great potential of shielding itself from global recession and economic meltdown and still continue to proceed towards becoming one of the world's major powers, both politically and economically.

NAREN PATEL, head of Vishwa Gujarati Samaj and president of AIA in Chicago, said that India has notched up sizeable economic growth even while the world as such is passing thru a Naren Patel recessionary period.

Quite a few companies have come out with better earnings than before. This should not however, mean that this growth will be sustained for ever. We may have impact and it has to be seen how much.

Naren Patel feels that Indo-US relations could not get worse and it is a matter of opinion if these could show a significant improvement. This in the light of two factors.

First, the US President Barack Obama was not highly enthusiastic in supporting the Nuke deal with India and it was strong pressure from the Indian Americans that he finally agreed to support the move. Secondly, he still seems bending over in helping Pakistan economically even when it is proven without doubt that elements in its government and intelligence agency are helping the Taliban. There should not be double standards. Thirdly, it needs to be seen how much his administration would favor India vis-Ă vis China.

He feels that India could emerge world power only if its people stand united against all diversities and internal dissension. Overseas powers are taking advantage of India's weakness. Unless the government wakes up to this, India will have hard time being a world power or sustaining the status.

DR. HEMANT PATEL, a former president of AAPI and recipient of Ellis Award this year, has always been optimistic about Indo-US relations, being closely allied with political environment of New Jersey. He argued that it makes more sense to US to show some political acumen than Hemant Patel continuing to back a regime which shows neither economic growth nor political stability. On the other side, a stable Pakistan is what India needs more.

India further hopes to get benefits from the Indo-US Nuclear deal. Hopefully with many nuclear reactors planned to be built with US assistance, there will be industrial boom helping Indian economy grow further.

Cont’d on page 72

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Bharat can be Mahan but for corrpution & bad politics Cont’d from page 70

Dr. Patel is really off-beat with the signs of increasing involvement of Indians in the U.S. mainstream politics.

Especially over eight candidates are running for various local and State wide offices. We would be able to start realizing the benefits of increased social as well as political activities and develop Indo-American relations in a truly significant manner. India caucuses in both houses are already working to further develop our clout.

As far as the global recession and its impact on India are concerned, it is axiomatic, he said, to have some economic up/down turn. But according to indications India is the least affected developing economy with a minimum rate of recession."

With higher percentage of younger work force, India has tremendous future for growth and opportunities for a continuing and consistent progress," Dr Hemant Patel averred.

B A LW I N D E R SINGH, a mainstream political activist and a well known community leader, said that India would be by and large, immune from the effect of global recession in as much as its economy had domestic orientation and is also somewhat protected from overseas inroads. If the recession persists, there could be some drying of overseas orders Balwinder Singh and cut down in out sourcing. Its impact is a matter of guess.

He is fully optimistic that under the leadership of President Barack Obama, India could hope to have closest possible relation with USA President Obama understands importance of India and also respects the values that India cherishes - non-violence and democratic norms in the domestic front and non-aggressive posture in dealing with other countries.

India could be Mahan, he said, but the stumbling block is the corruption at all levels. Besides, it is important to encourage youth to take leadership role. The oldies should go and let young blood take over. "This will make the nation vibrant and take it to the top in the world community of nations," he said.

DINESH GANDHI, a prominent banker in Chicagoland, is of the opinion that the Indian economy will be affected adversely due to global recession. "Our economies are interdependent. Political and economic policies of the Indian government should be more and focused towards due protection from such an impact.

Gandhi felt that the relations between India and US would grow in Dinesh Gandhi coming years as political stability in India and the US government policy in the region requires stronger ties.

In order for India to achieve the status of world power, there should be an end of corruption and streamlining of government bureaucracy at Central and State levels. "This is the key for becoming real great," he said.

SUNNY GABHAWLA, Director at Large AAHOA, feels that the global recession will have its impact on Indian

economy but that impact with technological and scientific developments, and give will be limited. Indian due emphasis on research too, we can be a world power no economy has been quite doubt," he said. vibrant, independent and HARENDRA MAGROLA, yet another leading Indian its growth rate looks quite American businessman promising. It is important to and civil engineer who exercise vigil on the part of owns and operates a conthe policy makers and restruction company, Sumit shape policies in tune with Construction, is up-beat the changing needs. Unabout the country and her less that is taken care of, continuing and prospering recession would have economic outlook. Young some impact on India too.

Indian entrepreneurs, he Sunny Gabhawala On Indo-US relations said, were leading the way front, Gabhawala feels that of industrial breakthrough the world's two largest democracies and to some extent and the business commueconomies "will have to work together in order to survive nity is taking up the chaland fight the burning issue of global terrorism." Both have lenges and there is no goclose relationship now and need to have this strength- ing back from the path of Harendra Mangrola ened for common good of people in both the countries and growth. India has already the world at large. become a trillion dollar Reacting to the question of India becoming a world power, economy and will emerge as the fourth largest economy, Gabhawala said, "It does not matter what we think as it is up to the government which has to handle Reacting to the question about the prospects of effectively the problems of corrupIndia emerging as a global power, he argued that tion and arrogance even for sustaining its current position."

India must, first, clean up the political mess and the In a scathing note he said that those who are at the helm and corruption that has become a monstrous problem even at second layer administraon the path of its meaningful growth. Simultative officials should "learn to put people first. It is imperative that neously, it must focus more on the economic front. the government effect changes Once these two are achieved, other nations will even at political level by encouraging two-party democracy inautomatically pay more respect to India stead of multiple parties and groups at present. Otherwise, the interests of the people will not be looked after as also is- and promise to reach subsequently the position of number sues of corruption or old British Babu style bureaucratic three, and according to some optimistic indication, perapproach would not be done away with. haps will be ready to take over the second largest position DR. RAM GAJJELA, President of Indo American Demo- by 2020. cratic Organization, said that the economic slowdown in Answering if India has indeed been adversely affected USA and a meltdown in by global recession, popular Indian American community other parts of the world activist and well known insurance executive, Ajit Gandhi will have some impact on said that India was somewhat shielded but it must reduce Indian economy as "we its dependence on the exports, particularly IT exports. It are getting global over must invest in R&D to develop products for the domestic the past few decades." markets. It would then be truly shielded.

This would be especially Observing the prospects of stronger Indo-US relations so for those companies in the coming years, Ajit felt that both countries should which have been getting give attention to the priorities & compulsions of each other outsourcing jobs done in and should not indulge in any power-game, whether it is India on behalf of USA US, Russia, China, UK or any other country. It's been an and other European open secret that Pakistan has been double crossing the countries. In a broader US since December 1979. Yet, the US has been tolerating sense, India has not to and actually helping Pakistan with billions of dollars to worry a lot since ours is acquire weapons. While the world's oldest democracy does still a domestic market show more respect to the world's largest democracy, it still driven economy. supports dictatorships, military rules and communists. If it Dr Ram Gajjela Dr. Ram feels that the continues to do so, I do not see prospects for big improveIndo-US relations under ment.

Barack Obama administration should show a further sign Reacting to the question about the prospects of India of improvement. "There is no doubt about it as he holds emerging as a global power, he argued that India must, Indian PM in high esteem besides fully appreciating the first, clean up the political mess and the corruption that strategic importance of India in US fight against global has become a monstrous problem on the path of its meanterrorism," he said. Barack Obama is slated to visit India in ingful growth. Simultaneously, it must focus more on the the next few months and this would further cement Indo- economic front. Once these two are achieved, other naUS ties. tions will automatically pay more respect to India, which Dr Ram is of the opinion that India could emerge a world will make it a front-ranking power. Of course, this part is power if the government here takes steps to end corrup- easier said than done because everyone in the political tion at all levels in the country. It is important to note that apparatus, regardless of the party, is corrupt. the Indian people are talented and have shone in fields of SUNIL SHAH, young and energetic business person science, technology and medicine. The emphasis is still a and a leading social activist in Chicago, is absolutely sold lot on education and the government decision to reach for the proposition that this century belonged to India. remote villages thru supply of laptop computers is to be Cont’d on page 73 viewed and welcomed from this point. "If we can keep pace

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Mobilizing the Indian American Community Cont’d from page 52

The 45-nation NSG gave unprecedented exemption to India which had not even signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The landmark waiver ended years of isolation enforced in the wake of the 1974 Pokharan nuclear tests.

Some American companies were anxious to sell nuclear fuel and technology to India but needed approval of US Congress. In September, 2008, a bill was introduced in the US Congress to achieve that objective. The US India Business Council (USIBC), a trade group with more than 300 US companies, worked actively with pro-India members of the US Congress and Indian American community activists to ensure the passage of the bill.

Indian community activists again mobilized the community but the task was comparatively easier as the beneficiaries were US businesses. The US Congress approved the landmark civilian nuclear agreement allowing American companies to sell nuclear fuel and technology to India.

Several Indian organizations including AIA, NFIA, IAFPE, GOPIO, AAPI, AAHOA, Indian American Friendship Council, the US-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) as also some leading Indian American activists, Dr. Thomas Abraham, Inder Singh, Piyush Agrawal (all three from GOPIO), Swadesh Chatterjee, Ramesh Kapur, Krishna Srinivasa, Sant Chatwal, Sanjay Puri, Rajen Anand, Ashok Mago and several others continued massive campaign for three years to educate, convince and influence

the US law makers for the passage of the two bills (2006 and 2008). The Indian community displayed unprecedented unity for this landmark deal.

Census 2010 The census in the United States is taken every ten years and is a count of everyone living in the United States.

Asians are recognized as a separate group on the Census Form and recognition of Indians as a separate sub group within the Asian group, mandates the Census Bureau to collect, maintain and provide data with respect to the Indian Americans in the United States. The Census is a number-dependent game. The increased numerical strength can translate into more clout for the community. It can also result in more political appointments at federal, state and city level for Indian Americans.

For Census 2010, the Census Bureau launched multicultural and multilingual outreach campaign, advertised heavily in Indian media, both print and TV, hired Indian Americans for Census related work and encouraged formation of the Complete Count Committees (CCCs) of volunteers to increase awareness. Indian print media published articles and news about the census frequently to create awareness. Indian TV stations based in the US used their public forums to advise Indian Americans to return the Census 2010 Questionnaire promptly.

In the past, Indian organizations have played a significant role in spreading the Census message. During the last ten years, the number of Indian Americans has increased and so has increased the number of regional, cultural, so-

Bharat can be Mahan but for corrpution & bad politics Cont’d from page 72

He is however cautious that people of India should somehow manage to take control of their destiny by denying any political power to the old antiquated bureaucracy which is ruining the prospects of growth by corruption and graft. He urged the young to look at the toiling peasantry and poor and support them in their efforts to conSunil Shah quer poverty and spread education the modern way getting rid of antiquated system, which only produced clerks as the British designed with a view to keep the people under control. A number of social and religious leaders are leading the struggle and if their clarion call reaches the masses, we should be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, Sunil hoped.

A front ranking Sikh community activist, THAKKAR BASATI said "I was in India a few months back. The consensus about US recession was that it was the outcome of greed. An average Indian does not think about money all the time. Call it culture, call it eastern philosophy or fear of God, we are easily satisfied with what we have and Indians most of the time are happy with it. So India won't be much affected. This outlook on life and economics has shielded us from the impact of US recession."

Basati feels that Indo-US relations would get stronger in coming years. "The USA watches money, which way it flows. India is the only stable country in that hemisphere US can trust. India' economy is growing at a very fast pace.

Look at Coke, Pepsi, GM, Ford Chevy, they all are doing

brisk business there. "This would ensure that we further cement our relationship," he said.

He is of the opinion that India can emerge as a world power to reckon with, if we really gear up ourselves for that "Get rid of bribery. It is so unethical and downgrading for all of us. Just for few bucks, they humiliate you. Indians need to learn National Pride from Americans. Here everyone is American.

In India we are Gujaratis, Bengali, Thakar Basati Punjabi, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christians first then may be Indian. You feel it the minute you land at Indian Airport. They treat you like you are a crook, liar, not trustworthy. Bribe them a little and all norms change.

They need to learn dignity of human beings.

A prominent travel agent OM KAPUR says that global recession would have its impact on Indian economy but it will be minimal. "We have our own demand and supply factors which shape the economic prospects. We are somewhat on a safer side here," he said.

On Indo-US relations, Kapur said that USA has stuck its neck unnecessarily on a few fronts globally. It does not take quick action and a fast resolution of the problems, only lingering around. This at times applies to its dealings with India and there is instability and no good results.

He feels that India can emerge as world power if "our leaders talks less and work sincerely being in India and not globe trotting all around, not even rushing to USA at every minute.

They should follow the Chinese example and mind their own business. A quieter and a diplomatic way of handing problems should help India go up in estimation of others."

cial, religious and professional organizations. The leadership of Indian organizations should have taken community mobilization more seriously and urged Indian Americans more aggressively for one hundred percent response to the Census Questionnaire.

Third generation Indians from Caribbean countries, though technically not Indians, checked "Asian Indian" box in the Census Form yet under the guidance of GOPIO Executive Vice President Ashook Ramsaran. The action could increase the final count of the "Asian Indian" subcategory.

Surrender Certificate In the middle of May 2010, Indian Consulates, all over the world, started demanding 'surrender certificate' from Indians who had become naturalized citizens of other countries. The new rules were enforced by denying consular services including visa for travel to India until the lastheld Indian passport is surrendered along with payment of fee of $175 and applicable penalties.

On May 23, 2010, the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO International) initiated an on-line petition, titled "Opposition to Retroactive Enforcement of New Rules for Surrender of Indian Passport". GOPIO appealed to the global overseas Indian community, through special GOPIO Bulletin, to sign the petition.

Community activists, organization heads, individual volunteers, and global Indian media, all condemned the retroactive enforcement of the new rules for obtaining "surrender certificate."

Their individual and collective efforts created quick and informative awareness against the retroactive enforcement of the new rules. The campaign for the petition drive became a collaborative community campaign. The global response was immediate and overwhelming in opposition to the enforcement of the new rules.

The number of people signing the on-line petition increased rapidly by the hour. In ten days, the number of signed petitions had reached 30,000. It was truly a people's campaign which GOPIO Chairman Inder Singh and Executive Vice President Ashook Ramsaran initiated. They provided the platform to the expatriate community to vent their feelings and frustrations with their comments against the new rules.

On May 28, 2010, GOPIO International sent a letter to Prime Minister of India, together with the first batch of over 19,000 signatures of people supporting the petition, requesting "reconsideration of the retroactive enforcement of the new rules as many thousands of people could suffer undue and unnecessary hardship for no fault of their own and to reduce the service fee from $175 to a reasonable amount."

On June 1, the Government of India relented and stopped retroactive enforcement of the new rules and reduced fee from $175 to $20 and eliminated penalties. GOPIO took up a very critical issue on timely basis and emerged as the lead organization addressing issues of concern of the global Indian community. GOPIO acknowledged and appreciated the massive level of support from the global Indian community and Indian media from all corners of the world.

Conclusion The Community leaders have mobilized the community whenever the occasion demanded. However, they should not take the past laurels for granted. They should unite to pursue their common objective boldly, passionately and collectively, irrespective of their ethnic, religious, cultural, language, and regional distinctions. Their passion for an issue facing the community should transcend any hiccups or perceived differences which the leaders may have towards one another.

Indian American community is rapidly growing and cannot stay marginalized. The community leaders and activists will be failing in their responsibility if they do not voice the community concerns logically and forcefully to those who have the power to change the old laws to accommodate new realities. They should work in collaboration and address issues of interest and concern to the community on timely basis. There should not be any time for inaction and timidity.

Inder Singh is Chairman of Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO). He was founding president of FIA, Southern California

In Brief 36 arrested in Arizona immigration sweep PHOENIX: The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office arrested 36 people in a crime and immigration sweep of which six are suspected to be illegal immigrants.

Everyone arrested was stopped for traffic violations. The six suspected illegal immigrants were arrested on charges of failure to provide identification and will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be deported.

The arrests came as about 180 deputies and trained sheriff's volunteers fanned out across metropolitan Phoenix targeting traffic violators who may also be illegal immigrants. -AP

Ariz. governor plans changing immigration law PHOENIX: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is asking legislators to consider whether they should change the state's immigration law in response to a judge's ruling blocking parts of it.

Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman confirmed that the governor called top legislative leaders to broach the possibility of changing provisions of the law, a day after US District Judge Susan Bolton issued a preliminary injunction putting on hold parts of the new law that would have required officers to dig deeper into the fight against illegal immigration.

Senseman said the possibility of having legislators meet in special session to consider changing the law is merely being explored. He said Brewer is still pressing ahead with her appeal of Bolton's order. -AP

Arizona senator backs immigration law PHOENIX: Republican Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona says a recent court ruling blocking most of the controversial sections of Arizona's new immigration law was wrong and that possible tweaks to the law by state legislators likely won't be enough to ease the court's concerns.

Kyl said on CBS' ``Face the Nation'' that it would be more likely that Congress could act to fix the problem by reaffirming its intent that the nation's laws be enforced and by providing more resources to states dealing with illegal immigration. -AP

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Tennessee lawmakers hail Arizona immigration law PHOENIX: A delegation of Republican legislators from Tennessee visited their Arizona counterparts, hailing Arizona's immigration law and saying they plan a version of their own. -AP

Agency weighs skirting Congress on immigration WASHINGTON: The Obama administration, unable to push an immigration overhaul through Congress, is considering ways it could go around lawmakers to let undocumented immigrants stay in the United States, according to an agency memo.

The internal draft written by officials at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services outlines ways the government could provide ``relief'' to illegal immigrants including delaying deportation for some, perhaps indefinitely, or granting green cards to others - in the absence of legislation revamping the system.

It's emerging as chances fade in this election year for a measure President Barack Obama favors to put the nation's estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants on a path to legal status, and as debate rages over an Arizona law targeting people suspected of being

in the country illegally.

The 11-page internal memo, written in April to the agency's director, says: ``This memorandum offers administrative relief options to promote family unity, foster economic growth, achieve significant process improvements and reduce the threat of removal for certain

dence that Obama is looking for ways of relaxing immigration policies without political consensus to enact a new law. ``The document provides an additional basis for our concerns that the administration will go to great lengths to circumvent Congress and unilaterally execute a

The internal draft written by officials at US Citizenship and Immigration Services outlines ways the government could provide ‘relief’ to illegal immigrants - including delaying deportation for some individuals present in the United States without authorization.''

It goes on: ``In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, USCIS can extend benefits and/or protections to many individuals or groups.''

The memo drew a backlash by Republicans who called it evi-

backdoor amnesty plan,'' said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who obtained and circulated the memo. ``The problem remains that if you reward illegality, you get more of it.''

Grassley led a group of conservative GOP senators who wrote to Obama in June asking him to prom-

ise that the administration wouldn't use its authority to ``change the current position of a large group of illegal aliens already in the United States.''

The Iowan's staff said the group has not received a response. ``Now we find out the truth: While saying one thing to the public, the Obama administration is scheming to ensure that immigration laws are not enforced,'' said Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee.

Administration officials sought to downplay the memo's significance, saying it was merely the product of brainstorming sessions and noting that many of the ideas it suggests were first discussed when George W. Bush was president, after his immigration overhaul died in Congress in 2007. -AP

Court blocks key provisions of Arizona law CYRUS D. MEHTA

F

ollowing the Department of Justice's challenge to Arizona's recently passed immigration law, S.B. 1070, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton of Phoenix, Arizona, issued a preliminary injunction against key provisions of the new statute.

While not striking down the entire law, she blocked the provisions (1) requiring that an officer attempt to determine the immigration status of a person stopped, detained, or arrested if there is a "reasonable suspicion" that the person is unlawfully present, and requiring verification of the immigration status of any person arrested before release; (2) creating a crime for the failure to apply for or carry alien registration papers; (3) creating a crime for an unauthorized alien to solicit, apply for, or perform work; and (4) authorizing the warrantless arrest of a person where there is probable cause to believe the person has committed a public offense that makes

him or her removable from the U.S. Meanwhile, the New York City Bar Association issued a report concluding that the new law is unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause and the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments.

The NYC Bar report notes that 10 states are currently contemplating similar legislation, including Utah, Georgia, Colorado, Mary-

immigration enforcement program to the one maintained by the federal government through the pretext of conflating civil and criminal provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act." At the same time, the NYC Bar said, "the statute fails on due process and Fourth Amendment grounds, in that it offers insufficient guidance to officials administering

The NYC Bar noted that the Arizona statute " adopts a parallel immigration enforcement program to the one maintained by the federal government land, Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. The NYC Bar said that the substantive content of these state statutes, as manifested by S.B. 1070, "promotes racial profiling while infringing upon the exclusive role of the federal government to regulate immigration."

The NYC Bar noted that the Arizona statute " adopts a parallel

it as to when 'reasonable suspicions' of unlawful presence exist, and will target the foreign-born."

The report urged states to resist emulating Arizona's statute, and noted that "[f]ailure to enact comprehensive immigration reform is providing the fuel for states to overreach in this area of exclusive federal regulation."

The preliminary injunction is

available at http:// images.bimedia.net/documents/ SB1070-order.pdf. A report on Judge Bolton's opinion is available at http://www.latimes.com/ news/nationworld/nation/la-naarizona-immigration20100723,0,3498774.story. The New York City Bar report is available at http://www.nycbar.org/ pdf/report/uploads/20071951ReportonArizonaImmigra tionLawSB1070.pdf.

CDMA's recent links on Arizona's Immigration Law are: A preliminary look at some of the constitutional and practical problems with Arizona's new immigration law by David Isaacson cyrusmehta.com/News.as px?SubIdx=ocyrus20104 2724527&Month=&Fr om=Menu&Page=5&Year=All; No room at the inn: s.b. 1070 and the constitutional right of interstate travel by Gary Endelman and Cyrus D. Mehta http:// cyrusmehta.blogspot.com/2010/ Cont’d on page 76

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3 NJ teens charged with videotaped immigrant death SUMMIT, N.J.: Dusk fell around Salvadoran immigrant Abelino Mazaniego as he sat on a bench on a promenade in an upscale New York suburb after finishing up his restaurant shift.

As night encroached, so did a group of teenagers, including one with a cell phone video camera at the ready.

Then, authorities say, they beat him unconscious, with the camera rolling.

Days later, the 47-year-old father of four was dead - but not before the video had been circulated among teenagers in Summit, N.J., authorities say. And not before a nurse in the emergency room where he was taken the night of July 17 was accused of pilfering several hundred dollars from his wallet.

The attacks on Mazaniego's body and dignity resulted in days of escalating court actions that culminated in murder charges against three young men, ages 17, 18 and 19. A fourth teenager believed to have videotaped the attack hasn't been charged, but au-

thorities weren't divulging details on the teen's involvement or potential culpability.

In Summit, a young girl sobbed, trembled, and clutched the waist of an older woman as they stood in a group of five people in front of a shrine of sunflowers, votive prayer candles, handwritten notes and a photo of Mazaniego that had been placed on the bench where he was attacked. Speaking quietly in Spanish, a woman with red-rimmed eyes said she was Mazaniego's wife of 29 years, and the rest were family members. She declined to give her name, saying she was too upset and scared to speak about the attack.

Mazaniego was ``a hardworking, punctual, friendly employee,'' said Colin Crasto, manager and chef at Dabbawalla Indian restaurant, across the street from where the attack took place, and where the victim had worked for three years as a cook's assistant. A photo of Mazaniego was taped to the front window, with a message saying he had been the sole supporter of his family, and

asking patrons to donate money to help his family.

Along Summit's main thoroughfare, a place of upscale clothing and jewelry stores, real estate brokerages advertising milliondollar homes, and luxury SUVS parked along the street, merchants

‘It's a random act of violence, there's not a lot of racial strife in this town,’ he said. ‘I'd like to see the parents that produced such monsters,’ he added, referring to the alleged attackers and residents said the attack was an anomaly for the town, a vibrant mix of nationalities that considers itself welcoming of immigrants. ``I know bad things happen all the time, everywhere, but it's unusual here,'' said Neil Rodriguez, the manager of The Wine List,

UT immigration bill not same as Arizona's SALT LAKE CITY: A Utah lawmaker writing an immigration bill inspired by Arizona's tough new law has said he is omitting many of the provisions a federal judge blocked recently that were considered the heart of the law.

Rep. Stephen Sandstrom told The Associated Press his bill won't make it illegal to solicit employment in public places. That was a major component of the Arizona law aimed at day laborers that U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton blocked.

Sandstrom, R-Orem, also said his bill would clarify that the only person police could question about immigration status during traffic stops is the person who committed the infraction - not other vehicle occupants. ``I think it still has the same goals - to let people know in Utah we enforce the law - but we're not going to do so in a punitive way,'' he said.

The Arizona law doesn't specify who could be questioned when police are enforcing other laws. That part of the law also was put on hold.

Sandstrom said his bill leaves out what he considers some of the most onerous portions of the Arizona law. That includes a provision left intact that requires the impoundment of vehicles when the driver is furthering the illegal presence of an illegal immigrant.

``Really, as I looked it over, I almost want to stop calling it the Arizona-style bill. I want to start calling it the Utah immigration enforcement bill,'' he said.

The text of Sandstrom's bill has been a closely guarded secret, but Sandstrom said he's close to finalizing it. He plans to meet with legislative attorneys in the next few days to see if any other changes are needed in light of Bolton's ruling.

Sandstrom said his bill leaves out what he considers some of the most onerous portions of the Arizona law Sandstrom said the heart of his bill is still a provision that makes it a state crime to be in the country illegally. He said his bill just goes about enforcing that differently than Arizona. ``Basically, if you're here legally and never commit a crime and you didn't get pulled over for any type of traffic stop, you pretty much wouldn't have a lot to worry about,'' he said. ``It will not just allow for (police) to talk to people and start asking them for papers. There's some significant differences.''

Other parts of the Arizona law that Bolton blocked include requiring authorities to verify the status of all arrested people before releasing them from jail, and requiring immigrants to obtain or carry immigration registration papers.

Sandstrom said his bill wouldn't require people to carry registration papers. But he said immigrants would probably want to do so to prove they're in the country legally should they be detained for another crime.

The Arizona law also includes a blocked provision that allows for warrantless arrests when people commit crimes that can result in their deportation.

Sandstrom said his bill would not permit warrantless arrests, but those in the country illegally would be prohibited from posting bail.

Sandstrom said he wants to make his bill public in the next few weeks and would ideally have it aired during a committee hearing Aug. 18. But he said it may have to wait until September.

Sandstrom plans to meet with Republican Utah Gov. Gary Herbert to discuss his bill next week. Herbert has said he will sign an immigration bill into law if he's still governor when the Legislature convenes in January. But he has not said how closely he would like any bill to mirror Arizona's law. -AP

who knew Mazaniego, as he worked a few doors down. Recalling Mazaniego as a ``genial, really nice gentlemen,'' Rodriguez said that, as a Hispanic, he was bothered that the incident was being portrayed by some as racially motivated. ``It's a random act of violence, there's not a lot of racial strife in this town,'' he said. ``I'd like to see the parents that produced such monsters,'' he added, referring to the alleged attackers.

Khayri Williams-Clark, 18, and an unidentified 17-year-old, both of Summit, were arrested on manslaughter charges. Williams-Clark pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Now they're charged with murder, along with Nigel Dumas, 19, of Morristown. A spokesman for the public defender's office, which is representing Williams-Clark and the 17-year-old, declined to comment and said they hadn't yet received an application to represent Dumas.

The 17-year-old is being held in the Union County juvenile detention center, while Williams-

Clark is being held at the Union County jail on $100,000 bail, prosecutors said. Bail for Dumas, at the same jail, has been set at $250,000.

Authorities wouldn't say how many teens were in the group or whether there would be more charges. They also weren't discussing theories on the motive for the beating _ whether it was Mazaniego's background, a thrill killing or some other reason.

But it apparently wasn't an attempt to get the $640 in cash that Mazaniego was carrying.

Police found the victim after the beating and took him to the hospital, where, officials say, nurse Stephan Randolph, 39, of Flemington, took the money out of the unconscious victim's wallet.

Family members noticed the missing money and told authorities, who charged Randolph with third-degree theft, six days after Mazaniego died.

Randolph could not be reached for comment by The Associated Press this week; a phone listed in his name rang unanswered. -AP

Illegal immigrant crashes, killing Va. nun WASHINGTON: An illegal immigrant awaiting a deportation ruling has been charged with killing a nun and critically injuring two others in a drunken driving crash that has sparked criticism of how immigration enforcement is handled.

A local official in the Virginia suburb where the crash happened and a congressman from another state have criticized federal officials for not removing the suspect from the country after previous arrests, and even U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano questioned why his deportation was taking so long. A spokeswoman for the nuns' order, meanwhile, said they're upset that the tragedy is being politicized.

Twenty-three-year-old Carlos Martinelly Montano, who police say is illegally in the country, is charged with drunken driving, involuntary manslaughter and felony driving on a revoked license after the accident in Virginia's Prince William County. Montano was arrested two times before and charged with drunken driving, according to county police, and has also been arrested in separate incidents for other traffic-related offenses. Police say Montano, who is from Bolivia, was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement after at least one arrest, and a prosecutor said he knew of at least

one other occasion he'd been referred to immigration officials.

The Department of Homeland Security said that Montano was released in 2008, pending an immigration judge's review of his case.

As of August 2010, a judge had not ruled on his deportation.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called the crash a ``terrible thing'' when asked about the incident during an un-

Twenty-three-year-old Carlos Martinelly Montano, who police say is illegally in the country, is charged with drunken driving related news conference at D.C. police headquarters. Napolitano said she immediately asked officials to look into the situation. ``This is a horrible case,'' said Napolitano, whose department includes ICE. ``Why is it that this individual was still out driving? He was in removal proceedings. Why were the removal proceedings taking so long?''

Prince William County's top elected leader and a Kentucky congressman, both Republicans, criticized federal immigration officials for not deporting Montano. -AP

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Court blocks key provisions of Arizona law Cont’d from page 74

07/no-room-at-inn-sb-1070and.html; and United States v. Arizona: Constitution wins over the tyranny of the majority by Cyrus D. Mehta http:// cyrusmehta.blogspot.com/2010/ 07/united-states-v-arizona-usconsitution.html USCIS clarifies 'O' validity period when gap exists in itinerary There have been several recent developments with respect to O and P visas: On July 20, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued clarifying guidance on the "O" nonimmigrant visa petition with regard to determining the appropriate validity period of an approvable petition when a gap exists between two or more events reflected in the itinerary.

The memo explains that the validity dates for the O-1 visa classification are defined by the specific period of time required to perform or participate in a specific event.

When reviewing an O-1 petition, the length of time between the scheduled events, also known as a gap, has sometimes been viewed as a gauge to determine whether an itinerary represented one continuous "event" or separate events requiring separate petitions.

In certain cases where there has been a significant gap between events, adjudicators have sometimes concluded that a single petition was filed for separate events rather than a continuous event. In such cases, the petition may have been approved only for a validity period equal to the length of time needed to accomplish what appeared to be the initial specific event

rather than the continuous event as represented by the petition.

The memo notes that there is no statutory or regulatory authority for the proposition that a gap of a certain number of days in an itinerary automatically indicates a new event. "The regulations speak in terms of tours and multiple appearances as meeting the 'event' definition." The statutory and regulatory background provides flexibility on the length of validity period that may be granted, the memo states:

USCIS promised during a public meeting with stakeholders on July 20, that processing times for regularly filed O and P visas for performers and athletes will not exceed 14 days "The statute and regulations allow for an approval of an O-1 petition for a period necessary to accomplish the event or activity, not to exceed 3 years. Adjudicators should evaluate the totality of the evidence submitted to determine if the activities described in the itinerary are related in such a way that they would be considered an 'event' for purposes of the validity period. When the validity period requested is established though the submission of appropriate evidence, Service Centers should approve a petition for the length of the validity period requested where the law and regulations permit."

The memo is available at http:/ /www.uscis.gov/USCIS/Laws/ Memoranda/2010/July/guidanceO-petition-gap_memo-07-2010.pdf.

In other news, USCIS promised during a public meeting with stakeholders on July 20, that processing times for regularly filed O and P visas for performers and athletes will not exceed 14 days. In some previous cases, adjudications reportedly have taken up to four months, and delays have led to last-minute scrambles and missed performances. Although arts groups say more needs to be done, many were hopeful about this recent development. The Performing Arts Alliance said it was "extremely pleased with this week's breakthrough."

American Immigration Lawyers Association sues DHS, USCIS over H-1B transparency The American Immigration Council's Legal Action Center (LAC) filed a lawsuit on July 20 against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), seeking the public release of records on agency policies and procedures for the H1B visa program.

AILA had pursued disclosure of the documents through two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, both of which were denied.

In its complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, AILA seeks the court's intervention to compel the government to release the requested records.

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Kan. sec of state race about immigration figure ``Things are out of control, and we need to get control of it,'' Jean Engle said after the event.

In the GOP race, Kobach faces Shawnee County Election Commissioner Elizabeth Ensley, of Topeka, and J.R. Claeys, of Salina, a former chief executive officer of

Kobach has made the race one of the year's hottest in Kansas by tying illegal immigration to voter fraud. But is he getting the kind of attention that wins elections? the National Association of Government Contractors who's monitored elections in Bolivia and El Salvador.

Secretary of State Chris Biggs faces a challenge in the Democratic primary from state Sen. Chris Steineger, of Kansas City. Biggs was appointed in March by Gov. Mark Parkinson, a fellow Demo-

crat, after four-term Republican Ron Thornburgh resigned to take a private sector job.

The Democratic race has some color. Biggs, from Junction City, has a fondness for antique guitars and regularly played weekly gigs at a bar and grill outside Manhattan until his campaign activity picked up. Steineger, meanwhile, gained notoriety for attacking the escalating cost of the Statehouse renovation and proposing to merge Kansas' 105 counties down to 13.

Also, Claeys has raised eyebrows by dropping $300,000 of his own funds into his campaign, allowing him to outspend the other candidates. Asked where he got the money, he said, ``I lived fairly modestly.''

But Kobach operates on another plane altogether, sometimes dropping references to his appearances on national cable networks.

He was late to the recent Overland Park forum because, after taping a segment for ``NewsHour'' on PBS, he got caught in traffic. -AP

Court blocks key provisions of Arizona law Cont’d from page 76

The FOIA litigation centers on the government's H-1B visa review and processing procedures.

The H-1B program, administered

by USCIS, allows U.S. businesses to temporarily employ foreign workers, such as scientists, engineers, and computer programmers, in occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields. Since 2008, the LAC noted, USCIS has implemented new, more stringent procedures for review and processing and has dramatically increased the frequency of unannounced H-1B worksite inspections, which are expected to reach 25,000 in 2010.

Yet "USCIS has kept secret the rules and guidelines related to the review process," the LAC said.

"The dearth of publicly available information on the government's heightened scrutiny of H-1B ap-

plications makes it particularly difficult for businesses to anticipate and meet agency expectations during the application process."

"It is in the public and the agency's interest to release the documents sought by AILA," said Mary Kenney, an attorney at the American Immigration Council's Legal Action Center. "The documents will help employers and foreign workers who seek immigration benefits comply with the law. Further, the agency violated FOIA when it issued wholesale denials of AILA's FOIA requests." AILA is also represented in the litigation

by Steptoe & Johnson LLP. The announcement is available at http://www.aila.org/content/ default.aspx?docid=32657.

Decisions not to hire persons based on need for visa sponsorship or employer submission OK, Justice Dep't says

Katherine A. Baldwin, Deputy Special Counsel for the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, noted in a recent letter that in general, decisions not to hire individuals based solely on their need for visa sponsorship or their need for a written employer submission to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, either currently or in the future, would not be actionable under the antidiscrimination provisions of U.S. immigration law. She noted that only certain classes of individuals are protected from citizenship status discrimination under the law, including U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, temporary residents, recent lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees. * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com

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TOPEKA, Kan.: It's all about Kris Kobach. The law professor who helped write Arizona's tough new immigration law is running for Kansas secretary of state. He promises to turn the state's top elections job - generally a government backwater that also handles business filings - into an aggressive, fraud-busting office.

He's a Republican, so he's drawn most of the attention in a three-person GOP race. And a big issue in the Democratic race is whether the incumbent secretary of state or a state senator would be more likely to beat Kobach.

Kobach has made the race one of the year's hottest in Kansas by tying illegal immigration to voter fraud. But is he getting the kind of attention that wins elections?

Even some Republicans who see his appeal to GOP conservatives don't think so. But he had the votes of Leroy and Jean Engle even before a recent forum at their Overland Park retirement community because of his work on immigration issues.

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NEW YORK

ILLINOIS

NEW JERSEY

WASHINGTON DC

Upcoming

Upcoming

Upcoming

Upcoming

Sat July 31 to Sat Sept 18

Fri Aug 13

Every Sunday

• Carnatic Music Idol

• Kirtilals - Diamonds and Jewelry

Venue: Online competition, Maryland, Maryland, NY Time: 6pm Contact: 410-499-9127

Venue: Hilton Chicago, 250 W.Schick Road, Bloomingdale, Illinois Contact: 630-529-0200

• Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan host Satsang, Bhajan & Meditation Program

Sun Aug 8 to Sun Aug 15

Fri Aug 13

• Essentials of Gita- Part I for children and their parents

• JaySean Live in Concert

Venue: Asamai Temple, 80E Barclay St, Hicksville, NY Time: 11:30am to 1:30 Contact: 516-281-5973

Venue: Trump Taj Mahal, 1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey Time: 9pm Contact: 1-800-736-1420

Tues Aug 17

Sat Aug 14

• IAAC Erasing Borders Festival of Indian Dance

• Bollywood Dance in Chicago!

Venue: One New York Plaza, NYC, New York Contact: 212-594-3685

Venue: Dance SPA, 1890 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago Time: 10:30am Contact: 650-380-6270

Sat Aug 21

Fri Aug 20

• Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Presents Paresh Rawal's Krishan Vs Kanhaiya

• WHF 10th Annual Convention

Venue: Colden Auditorium, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, New York Time: 7:15pm Contact: 212-989-8383

Sun Aug 22

Venue: College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd, Glen Ellyn, Ill Time: 5pm Contact: 847-612-4244

Sat Aug 21 • Indian Cultural Festival 2010 - an expression of Indian People and its culture

Venue: Woodbridge township ambulance and Rescue squad, 77 Queen Road, 3rd Floor, Iselin, NJ 08830 Time: 10:30am to 1pm Contact: (732) 485-0647 Highlights: Lecture by close disciple of Shree Ashutosh Ji Maharaj, Bhajans, free meditation and Mahaprasad.

• Indian Dance Competition Season -3 Venue: Murugan Temple Auditorium, Murugan Temple of North America, 6300 Princess Garden Parkway, Lanham, Maryland Time: 9am to 9pm Contact: 240-422-1986

Fri Aug 13

Fri Aug 13 • Jay Sean Live in Concert Venue: Trump Taj Mahal, 1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ Time: 9pm Contact: 610-664-3011

• JaySean Live in Concert Venue: Trump Taj Mahal, 1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, District of Columbia Time: 9pm Contact: 800-736-1420

Sat Aug 14 • Indo US Council Presents India Day Parde Venue: Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey Contact: 908-966-8775

Sun Aug 15 • Satguru Ki Mahima Venue: Knights of Columbus Hall, 116 Grand St., Iselin, NJ Time: 10am to 11:30am Contact: 732-207-7592

Sun Aug 15 • Indian Independence Day celebration!

Venue: Centreville High School, 6001 Union Mill Road, Clifton, Virginia Time: 3pm to 9pm Contact: 571-451-5309

Mon Aug 16

Fri Aug 20

• Sri Srinivasa Kalyana Mahotsavam

• Paresh Rawal in a Hindi comedy play "Krishan Vs Kanhiya"

Venue: Greater Baltimore Temple, 2909 Bloom Road, Finksburg, Maryland, Time: 6:30pm to 9:30pm Contact: 805-587-3291

Venue: PS 172, 8114 257th St, Floral Park, New York Time: 3:00pm to 6pm Contact: (631)345-2677

Venue: ITOGC, 1505 McDowell Road, Naperville, Illinois Time: 11am to 4pm Contact: 630-355-5468

Mon Aug 23

Sun Aug 29

Sun Aug 22

• Summer Dance Camp 2010

• Gurdas Mann Live in Concert

• Annual Community Picnic 2010

Venue: Shetler Studios, 244 West 54th St, Manhattan, NY Contact: info@sonaliskandan.com Highlights: Jiva hosts its third Dance Camp for children ages 5 & up.

Venue: Odeum Expo Center, 1033 N. Villa Ave, Villa Park, Illinois Time: 6pm to 10pm Contact: 847-230-7977

Venue: West Windsor Community Park, 176 Princeton Hightstown R, West Windsor, New Jersey Time: 11:30am to 3:30pm Contact: (609) 273-1955

• Black & White

Sat Sept 12

Venue: Lenape High School, 235 Hartford Rd, Medford, NJ Time: 8:30pm Contact: 732-277-6687

Sat Aug 21 • Swara Thandavam 2010 Venue: JSS Mission, 7710 Hawkins Creamery, Gaithersburg, Maryland Time: 10am to 6pm Contact: 301-693-1633

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Upcoming

Sun Aug 14

Every Sat (start from Sat Aug 8)

• Instant Karma Presents DJ AKBAR SAMI

• Gurukul Classes for Children

Venue: AVALON, 777 Lawrence Expwy, Santa Clara, CA Time: 8:45pm Contact: 408-368-6865

Mon Aug 15 • Abhinaya's 30th Anniversary Celebration Venue: Mexican Heritage Theater, 1700 Alum Rock Ave, San Jose, California Time: 4pm Contact: (408) 871-5959

Thurs Aug 19

Venue: Sindhu Center, South California Time: 2pm to 4pm Contact: 818-541-1754 & 909-576-1114 Highlights: Children between the ages of 5 and 18. Children will be taught the Fundamentals of Hinduism, Prayers, Shlokas, Bhajans and Values of our culture.

Sat Aug 14 • Indiafest 2010 - The official India Independence Day Party!

Venue: CLUB TATOU, Los Angeles, California Time: 9pm to 2am Contact: 323-205-5594

• Art of Living Course Venue: Stonelake Clubhouse, 10270 E Taron Dr, Elk Grove, California, Time: 7pm Contact: 916-529-7800

Fri Aug 20 • The Miss Asia USA and Mrs. Asia USA Venue: La Mirada Performing Arts Theatre, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada CA 90638 Time: 1pm to 4:30pm Contact: luisabalza@yahoo.com Highlights: National Costume Competition and Delegates Personality Interviews

Sat Aug 21 • Singh Entertainment, Inc. Presents Gurdas Maan Live In Concert Venue: Center For The Performing Arts, 255 South Almaden Boulevard, San Jose, California, Time: 7:30pm Contact: 408-666-8311

Sun Aug 15 • India Association of the Inland Empire Celebrate India's 63rd Anniversary Independence Day Venue: 20010 Orange Terrace Parkway, Riverside, CA Time: 5pm to 8pm Contasct: 909-418-1981

Sat Aug 21 • India Independence Day Celebration Venue: Canoga Park High School, 6850 Topanga Cyn Blvd, Canoga Park, California Time: 3pm to 11pm Contact: 818-251-0334

Tues Aug 24 • TiE San Diego's Summer Mixer Venue: La Jolla Woman's Club, 715 Silverado Street, La Jolla, California Time: 6pm to 9pm Contact: 858-603-2656

Sat Aug 28 Sat Aug 28 • Hinduism Summit (Hindu Dharma Sabha) Venue: Sunnyvale Hindu Temple, 420-450 Persian Drive, Sunnyvale, CA Time: 2:30pm to 6pm Contact: 877-303-3342 & info@forumforhinduawakening.org Highlights: These are some of the experiences and comments shared by the attendees of the 6 Hinduism Summits held by the Forum Hindu Awakening (FHA) in different parts of the world over the past year.

• 25th anniversary of the Rangoli Foundation Venue: Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 W. Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, California Time: 5pm Contact: 818-788-6860

Sat Sep 4 • Mahatma Moses Comedy Tour Venue: Forum Theater at El Portal Theater, 5269 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, California Time: 5pm to 10:30pm Contact: 415-676-1371

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Philosophy

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T

here can undoubtedly be a spiritual life within, a kingdom of heaven within us which is not dependent on any outer manifestation or instrumentation or formula of external being.

The inner life has a supreme spiritual importance and the outer has a value only in so far as it is expressive of the inner status.

However the man of spiritual realization lives and acts and behaves, in all ways of his being and acting, it is said in the Gita, "he lives and moves in Me"; he dwells in the Divine, he has realized the spiritual existence.

The spiritual man living in the sense of the spiritual self, in the realization of the Divine within him and everywhere, would be living inwardly a divine life and its reflection would fall on his outer acts of existence, even if they did not pass - or did not seem to pass beyond the ordinary instrumentation of human thought and action in this world of earth-nature.

This is the first truth and the essence of the matter; but still, from the point of view of a spiritual evolution, this would be only an individual liberation and perfection in an unchanged environmental existence: for a greater dynamic change in earth-nature itself, a spiritual change of the whole principle and instrumentation of life and action,

the appearance of a new order of beings and a new earth-life must be envisaged in our idea of the total consummation, the divine issue.

Here the gnostic change assumes a primary importance; all that precedes can be considered as an upbuilding and a preparation for this transmuting reversal of the whole nature.

For it is a gnostic way of dynamic living that must be the fulfilled divine life on earth, a way of

T

he idea of a (live) snake in a picture of a snake ceases to be entertained when the truth is known. Similarly samsara ceases to exist (when the Truth is realized), even if it continues to appear.

O Rama, maya is such that it brings delight through its own destruction; its nature is inscrutable; it ceases to exist even while it is being observed. Just as a tree consisting of fruits, leaves, creepers, flowers, branches, twigs and roots, exists in the seed of the tree, even so this manifest world exists in Brahman.

Just as the dream becomes unreal in the waking state and the waking state in the dream, so also death becomes unreal in birth and birth in death.

Like an empty vessel in space (the knower of Truth) is empty both within and without, while at the same time he is full within and without like a vessel immersed in the ocean.

The noble-hearted man whose desires of the heart have come to an end is a liberated man; it does not matter whether he does or does not practice meditation or perform action.

The idea of Self in the non-Self is bondage. Abandonment of it is liberation.

There is neither bondage nor liberation for the ever-free Self.

has built up and uses the mind, vital being and body as its instrumentation; thought, feeling and action do not exist for themselves, they are not an object, but the means; they serve to express the manifested divine Reality within us: otherwise, without this inwardness, this spiritual origination, in a too externalized consciousness or by only external means, no greater or divine life is possible.

In our present life of Nature, in

our own soul and mind and life and the perfection of the life of the race.

For we are given a world which is obscure, ignorant, material, imperfect, and our external conscious being is itself created by the energies, the pressure, the molding operations of this vast mute obscurity, by physical birth, by environment, by a training through the impacts and shocks of life; and yet we are vaguely aware of something that is there

Thought, feeling and action do not exist for themselves, they are not an object, but the means; they serve to express the manifested divine Reality

If the many and the One be indeed the same Reality, then it is not all modes of worship alone, but equally all modes of work, all modes of struggle, all modes of creation, which are paths of realization.

-Sister Nivedita

living that develops higher instruments of world-knowledge and world-action for the dynamisation of consciousness in the physical existence and takes up and transforms the values of a world of material Nature.

But always the whole foundation of the gnostic life must be by its very nature inward and not outward. In the life of the Spirit it is the Spirit, the inner Reality, that

our externalized surface existence, it is the world that seems to create us; but in the turn to the spiritual life it is we who must create ourselves and our world. In this new formula of creation, the inner life becomes of the first importance and the rest can be only its expression and outcome.

It is this, indeed, that is indicated by our own strivings towards perfection, the perfection of

in us or seeking to be, something other than what has been thus made, a Spirit self-existent, selfdetermining, pushing the nature towards the creation of an image of its own occult perfection or Idea of perfection.

Excerpted from 'The Life Divine,' Book 2, Part 2, Chapter 2.

The 138th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo will be celebrated on August 15

There is One Who governs the world, and it is His lookout to look after the world. He Who has given life to the world knows how to sustain it also. It's He Who bears the burden of the world, not you.

-Ramana Maharshi

O Rama, there is no intellect, no nescience, no mind and no individual soul (jiva). They are all imagined in Brahman.

Consciousness which is undivided imagines to itself desirable objects and runs after them. It is then known as the mind. Does not the fool feel ashamed to move about in the world as he pleases and talk about meditation when he is not able to conquer even the mind?

Association with the wise, abandonment of latent impres-

The knowers of truth declare that enquiry into the truth of the Self is knowledge.

What is to be known is contained in it like sweetness in milk.

O pure soul, cherish the association of sages and the true scriptures; you will attain the state of Supreme Consciousness not in the course of months by days.

I, the pure, stainless and infinite Consciousness beyond maya, look upon this body in action like the body of another. I am above

Do not be that which is understood, nor the one who understands. Abandon all concepts and remain what you are.

If you separate yourself from the body and abide at ease in Consciousness you will become one (the sole Reality), everything else appearing (insignificant) like grass.

O Raghava, that by which you recognize sound, taste, form and smell, know that as your Self, the Supreme Brahman, the Lord of lords.

After rejecting, through reason-

Fire, in the process of annihilating camphor, Annihilates itself as well; This is exactly what happens to knowledge In the process of destroying ignorance.

-Saint Jnaneshwar

Inner life has supreme spiritual importance Sri Aurobindo

Education of Rama by Sage Vashistha Lord Rama

The noble-hearted man whose desires of the heart have come to an end is a liberated man; it does not matter whether he does or does not practice meditation or perform action

sions, self-enquiry, control of breathing - these are the means of conquering the mind.

The mind becomes bound by thinking 'I am not Brahman'; it becomes completely released by thinking 'I am Brahman'.

O Rama, this enquiry into the Self of the nature or 'Who am I?' is the fire which burns up the seeds of the evil tree which is the mind.

everything; I am present everywhere; I am like space; I am that which (really) exists; I am unable to say anything beyond this.

I prostrate to myself who am within all being, the ever free Self abiding as inner consciousness.

O mighty-armed, be always free from mental concepts like the heart of a rock though not in sentient like it.

ing, all that can be known as 'nontruth' what remains as pure Consciousness - regard that as your real Self.

Just as the sky is (i.e. appears to be) stained by dust, smoke and clouds, so also the pure Self in contact with the qualities of maya is (i.e. appears to be) soiled by them.

-Excerpted from Yoga Vashistha Saar

Unless you make tremendous efforts, you will not be convinced that effort will take you nowhere. The self is so selfconfident that unless it is totally discouraged it will not give up.

- Nisargadatta Maharaj The only important thing is to follow the Divine's truth with love and joy.

-The Mother (Pondicherry) When I hear somebody sigh, ëLife is hard,í I am always tempted to ask, ëCompared to what?í - Sydney J. Harris

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Should India also talk to the Taliban?

D SUBA CHANDRAN

W

ith the American exit from Afghanistan getting nearer, many actors are now considering the option of negotiating with the Taliban.

What should India do? So far India's stated position hinted against any rapprochement with the Taliban - good or bad. Given the fact that India has invested hugely -politically, economically and strategically in Afghanistan, should New Delhi revisit this option?

Consider the following issues.

First and foremost, the US is desperate to reach a deal with the Taliban. The entire idea of 'good' or 'moderate' Taliban is aimed for the American people and the international community, the need for negotiations with a section, which is not essentially bad. Especially after making that exit statement at the policy level, Obama will have to reach an understanding with the Taliban, for he and his administration believe that Karzai will be unable to sustain on his own.

Second, Hamid Karzai is also keen on reaching an understanding with the Taliban. The 'peace jirga' that he assembled last month in Kabul was an obvious effort to get the popular support for his decision to negotiate with the Taliban. His reasons are simple and straightforward, since Obama has already made his intentions clear to leave Afghanistan, Karzai has to ensure his personal safety and that of his regime.

He is well aware that neither the Afghan National Army nor the Afghan Police is ready to take over and provide stability. He is also aware that there is no popular support for his regime, since his efforts to provide better governance is yet to reach the grassroots. The Afghan bureaucracy is highly corrupt and Karzai has been unable to deal with the same. Nor has he been able to create an economy outside of aid and drugs.

Once the international troops leave, Karzai will have serious issues in protecting Kabul itself, leave alone other major cities. He will face an onslaught from three directions - Hekmetyar's Hizb-eIslami, the Haqqani network from Jalalabad, and the Quetta Shura from Southern Afghanistan. Will

the ANA be able to handle this three-pronged attack? Will Karzai continue to get the support of the leaders of the erstwhile Northern Alliance? How will the ethnic minorities - Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras respond to this?

Karzai has already come to a conclusion that it is in his best interest to negotiate with the Taliban. Karzai cannot afford a Taliban takeover which would result in one more body of an exAfghan President hanging in the UN compound (or anywhere outside), badly mutilated and castrated, as happened to Mohammad Najibullah.

Taliban fighters

Pakistan has always been a strong supporter of this idea - talking to the Taliban. In fact, the idea of talking to the Taliban was propagated by Islamabad; the Americans only added an additional tag

Given the fact that New Delhi has invested over a billion dollars in building roads, bridges, hospitals and other related activities, India has to digest the fact that it will have to face an ugly reality in Afghanistan - 'moderate' or 'good' to convince themselves and the rest of the international community. Pakistan's interest in supporting this dialogue is also easy to comprehend.

This will provide them the strategic depth in Kabul, with one of their stooges either ruling or at least sharing power.

It will also ensure that they win

some of their lost image among the Pashtuns for taking a u-turn after 9/11. And more importantly, it will also enable them to talk to the other components of the Taliban, especially the TTP and the now increasingly attention gaining - Punjabi Taliban. Perhaps, these were the reasons behind the alleged meeting between the Army Chief Kayani, Sirajuddin Haqqani (of the Haqqani network) and Hamid Karzai.

If all the three major actors in Afghanistan are today willing to negotiate with the Taliban, what should India do? Given the fact that New Delhi has invested over a billion dollars in building roads, bridges, hospitals and other related activities, India has to digest the fact that it will have to face an ugly reality in Afghanistan. If there is a negotiation between Karzai and Taliban (with direct and indirect support from the US and Pakistan), what can India do?

India's options are limited, yet there are few. First, India could object to any negotiation with the Taliban. Given the fact that the US is its 'strategic partner' India can voice its serious reservations about any such strategy vis-Ă -vis the Taliban.

Second, on moral grounds, India can keep away from any such negotiation with the Taliban, irrespective of what Kabul, Islamabad and Washington do. In this case, India's investments economic and infrastructural will go down the drain, along with numerous other efforts aimed at building capacity in Afghanistan - from defense to education. In case of any future crisis involving Kabul, as it happened ten years ago after the hijacking of Indian Airline flight, New Delhi will be left stranded with no linkages within the government.

The third option is to put a rider to the negotiation of the three actors with the Taliban; that in principle, India will agree to the outcome, provided its investments are protected. Of course, neither the US nor Karzai can guarantee that.

Finally, India can also open a dialogue with the Taliban.

The writer is Deputy Director, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), New Delhi

India Post Dole to youth

T

he killing of stone pelters by the police in Kashmir is unacceptable. It is a mechanical reaction to the deliberate provocation guided without doubt by the separatist leadership who think nothing of sacrificing youth to further their ends. They want to show how callous the administration is. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's trip to New Delhi for guidance has not been very helpful. He has been promised more security forces and the Manmohan Singh government at the Center has backed him on the maintaining and strengthening of curfew. Its defiance by the people is making a mockery of the state administration which now seems to be lacking any imagination.

The latest unrest is also a spontaneous movement of the restive youth of the valley who find themselves locked in their homes, unemployed and unemployable.

The Omar Abdullah government should have made some move to engage the youth in some useful, productive activity. It should think up schemes to employ the youth of the valley. It can openly ask the Indian public or experts in the field of education to provide them ideas for innovative and practical employment schemes. And till such time the schemes can be implemented, the government should start paying unemployment dole to the youth of the valley.

It could start with paying them Rs 5000 a month which would get reduced to Rs 4000 next month in descending order and continue for five months. In the meantime the youth should be encouraged to take up some vocation and train in it, with the government helping in training. The government might claim that this would involve large sums of money. Isn't it already spending large sums on security forces? It should start reducing the visible presence of security forces and slowly entrust the security duties to these very youth to wean them away from violence.

The government needs to be showing sympathy to the people for the loss of lives. The bereaved families should be compensated without waiting for the ubiquitous inquiry commissions.

It is no longer a question of instigation from Pakistan. Recent surveys have revealed that merely two percent of Kashmiris would like to have the state merge with Pakistan. Those wanting to remain in India are also not large in number, just 28 percent. But there is possibility of winning over more by investing in them, by trusting them and handing over reins of local governance to them.

Undoubtedly there would be ruffians and anti-national elements in the mobs. They can be isolated by attracting the willing youth to jobs and businesses. The administration could give easy loans for starting businesses. The administration should appear helpful to the people and not merely an instrument of repression.

The youthful Omar Abdullah has lost the trust of the people by his stand-offish manner. He doesn't seem to belong to the valley, having been born in London and spending lot of time in Delhi with his wife's family. He could be replaced by his father, the veteran Farooq Abdullah, who at least is accepted by the people. Not that the senior Abdullah has been able to do wonders during the time he has been at the helm, but at least it would be seen by the people that he cares.

The Opposition party led by Mehbooba Mufti is in fact fishing in troubled waters. She should be reminded that she might perform no better if she were given the reins of power. In fact, as an experiment, the PDP and Mehbooba could be invited to form the government in alliance with the Congress. It would be interesting to watch how it runs the administration without the cooperation of the National Conference, which would then be in opposition.

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