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Narendra Modi wows San Jose gathering Details on page 12

PM: UNSC reforms essential to make it relevant Details on page 14

US, UK, France back India on UNSC seat Details on page 14

India launches Astrosat, 6 foreign crafts Details on page 36

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October 2, 2015

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INDIA, U.S.TO STEP UP STRATEGIC TIES

NEW YORK: Agreeing to "further refine" the India-US strategic partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama have decided to step up cooperation in areas like security, counter-terrorism, defense, economy and climate change.

During the fifth meeting between the two leaders in over a year, Obama also reiterated support for India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council while Modi pressed for reform of the world body within a fixed time frame.

The climate change issue dominated the talks, with Obama saying India's leadership at the upcoming global conference in Paris in November will set the tone for decades to come after Modi underlined the need for concrete outcomes at the meet.

Underlining India's commitment to deal with the problem, Modi said there should be no negativity ahead of the global summit as he pressed for transfer of finances and technology to developing countries at affordable costs and make it accessible to those needy.

NO 23%

Details on page 5

Silicon Valley CEOs endorse 'Digital India' Details on page 6

Gujaratis hail Modi, condemn protests Details on page 13

Patidar agitation in Gujarat is affecting locals Details on page 16

Asians to be largest US immigrant group Details on page 48

CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 30-31 Classifieds ------------------------- 52 Community Post -------------- 16-22 Date Book -------------------------- 39 Edit Page --------------------------- 54 HealthScience Post --------- 45-47 Horoscope ------------------------- 44 Immigration Post ------------- 48-49 Life Style ----------------------- 24-27 Philosophy ------------------------- 53 Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4

FRIENDS INDEED: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a chat with US President Barack Obama, in New York on September 28

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t doesn't take much for Indians anywhere to come out when it comes to showing strength in numbers. It helps of course that in terms of sheer numbers we are a lot of us to be found anywhere at any time. And in that, we Indian Americans are an emotional lot. We love it when anyone visits us from India, be it an aunt twice removed, a Bollywood star, or a spiritual guru. Top that with the visit of a popular political leader who holds his mettle among his peers and equals in the world, especially the United States, and our sense of self-importance simply shoots up.

We love to make them feel welcomed. We love it when they acknowledge our achievements. We feel validated when they involve us in India's growth story; and feel vindicated when they seek our approval.

So it was no surprise that the Indian American community went overboard in repeating the near hysteria displayed by the community at Madison Square Garden in New York last year, to fill to capacity the SAP center in San Jose this past week to listen to the visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

One year on and Modi's popularity ratings back home are still soaring. His unprecedented fan base has been established in a recent Pew Research Center survey that shows an overwhelming 87% Indians have a favorable view of their leader. The survey also shows 56% Indians are satisfied with the direction India is taking and nearly 70% see their economy as being good.

Evidently, Modi's fandom among non-resident Indians is surging by the day considering the reception he has been getting from them whichever country he has visited in the last several months. For Indians settled abroad - connected as closely as they are to their homeland - perhaps it is that here is one Indian political leader who does not embarrass them. Or perhaps, in giving a sense of purpose to their engagement with India, Modi has elevated them from being embarrassed at themselves for leaving their country behind.

There's a lot we can do for India. For starters, how about help cleaning it up?

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HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: Will they say 'Yes' The 'Ek Villain' actor Sidharth Malhotra finally opened up about intention to marry his rumored girlfriend Alia Bhatt.

Cover Story: Strategic ties During their talks in US, PM Narendra Modi and President Obama agreed to "further refine" India-US strategic ties

Community: Patidars agitation The controversy surrounding Patidars agitation in Gujarat on the reservation issue has started affecting locals in US

Asians surge Over the next 50 years, Asians will surge past Hispanics to become the largest group of immigrants in US, says a study

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India, US to step up strategic ties NEW YORK: Agreeing to "further refine" the India-US strategic partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama have decided to step up cooperation in areas like security, counter-terrorism, defense, economy and climate change.

During the fifth meeting be-

negativity ahead of the global summit as he pressed for transfer of finances and technology to developing countries at affordable costs and make it accessible to those needy.

Setting the tone for the delegation-level meeting, Obama warmly received Modi by hugging him.

"We discussed how we can

President's "friendship, vision and commitment for the relationship", he said the bilateral partnership addresses a broad range of strategic and security concerns counter terrorism, cyber security, training.

"Our defense cooperation, including defense trade and training is expanding. As existing ter-

curity concerns.

"To further increase our strategic engagement in the region, I look forward to working with the US for India's early membership of Asian Pacific Economic Community," he said.

He welcomed the progress in giving shape to the Joint Strategic Vision on Asia, Pacific and In-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in meeting with US President Barack Obama, in New York on September 28

tween the two leaders in over a year, Obama also reiterated support for India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council while Modi pressed for reform of the world body within a fixed time frame.

The climate change issue dominated the talks, with Obama saying India's leadership at the upcoming global conference in Paris in November will set the tone for decades to come after Modi underlined the need for concrete outcomes at the meet.

Underlining India's commitment to deal with the problem, Modi said there should be no

further refine our strategic vision," said Obama after the hourlong talks.

He said the two leaders discussed how to move forward in various areas like security, economy, trade and investment as also cooperation to defense procurement.

"On all these issues, the Prime Minister has been an outstanding partner," Obama said.

"Our meeting today was very productive in advancing some of our immediate priorities as also our broader strategic partnership," Modi said.

Appreciating the US

rorism threats grow and new ones emerge, we have resolved to further deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism and radicalism," the Prime Minister said.

On terrorism front, Modi said it is a global phenomenon from

dian Ocean Regions as also the joint engagement with regional partners like Japan, saying it will "strengthen our maritime security cooperation".

Indian Ambassador to the US Arun Singh said talks between

new partnership between our countries," Obama told Modi.

"And there's been excellent follow-through on a whole range of issues," Obama added.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the meeting was held in a "very very positive and cordial" atmosphere.

There was a broad acknowledgement on both sides about the significant progress made in the implementation of the decisions taken in previous meetings, and of the substantial progress achieved in bilateral ties, Swarup told reporters.

"Both sides, President Obama in particular, said India and US were natural partners, with democracy and technology providing a very strong foundation to the already very stirring friendship between the two peoples," the spokesperson said.

"You can see the personal chemistry between the two leaders the way the embrace happened between them," he said.

Those present at the meeting

Narendra Modi delivering speech at the UN Peacekeeping Summit, in New York on September 28

Narendra Modi meeting the United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, in New York on September 28

which no country can be immune and told Obama that time has come for the international community to come out in a strong and united manner against the menace.

He said the two sides agreed to further strengthen consultation and cooperation on helping the Afghan people combat terrorism and build a peaceful, stable and prosperous future of their nation.

The Prime Minister said the Indo-US partnership addresses a broad range of strategic and se-

India and the US on Aircraft carrier technology is at an advance stage, with the two sides identifying specific projects to implement.

Natural Partners Calling India and the US "natural partners", Obama said the two countries have elevated their relationship and committed themselves to a new partnership.

"We've elevated our ties.

We've committed ourselves to a

said Obama walked to Modi on the other side of the table and gave him a warm hug, informally addressing him as Modi and at times Narendra, his first name.

"I deeply value our friendship and your vision and commitment for the relationship between our countries. We have achieved significant progress in our bilateral cooperation and international partnership," Modi said in a joint media appearance with Obama.

Cont’d on page 8

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Silicon Valley CEOs endorse 'Digital India' VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

SAN JOSE, CA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed more than 350 business leaders on Saturday September 26 during his tour to the Silicon Valley, the technology hub in California. The

with high-speed internet networks.

This ambitious project is slated for completion by 2019. A twoway platform will be created where both the service providers and the consumers stand to benefit. The scheme will be monitored and controlled by the Digital India Advi-

youths waiting for change," Modi told business heads and CEO's in San Jose.

"California might be among the last places on the globe to see the sun set, but it is here that many great ideas see the first light of the day," Modi said to thunderous applause on dinner night.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella (2nd L), John T. Chambers, Executive Chairman of Cisco, Paul E. Jacobs, Executive Chairman of Qualcomm and Goggle CEO Sundar Pichai (R) during the Digital India and Digital Technology dinner function in San Jose on September 26

who's who from the technological world gave a ringing endorsement to PM's ambitious 'Digital India' project.

Digital India is an initiative of Government of India to integrate the government departments and the people of India. It aims at ensuring that the government services are made available to citizens electronically by reducing paperwork. The initiative also includes plan to connect rural areas

sory group which will be chaired by the Ministry of Communications and IT. It will be an inter-ministerial initiative where all ministries and departments shall offer their own services to the public healthcare, education, judicial services etc.

"Digital India is an enterprise for the transformation of India in a scale unmatched in human history. Nothing else will do in a country with 800 million impatient

Sundar Pichai of Google, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, John Chambers of Cisco, Paul Jacobs of Qualcomm, Venkatesh Shukla of TieCon and Shantanu Narayan, Adobe flanked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the stage in San Jose, California.

Microsoft's plan is to partner with the Indian government to bring in low-cost broadband connectivity to 500,000 villages in India. "We believe that low-cost

broad band connectivity coupled with the scale of cloud computing intelligence that can be harnessed from data can help drive creativity, efficiency and productivity across governments and businesses of all sizes," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said.

Nadella said it will announce cloud computing systems from data centers in India next week, calling it a "big milestone". A key part of both Make in India and Digital India, bringing world class infrastructure into India, respecting Indians digital security, sovereignty and privacy is a key milestone for us," Nadella said.

In an effort to push Digital India initiative, chipmaker Qualcomm said it will invest $150 Million for Indian start-ups in the mobile and internet-of-everything (IoE) ecosystem. "We are committed to providing local innovative start-ups with the support needed to help India's IOE (Internet of Everything) ecosystem grow, increasing consumer choice and availability," Qualcomm executive chairman Paul E Jacobs said.

Qualcomm's Jacobs said the affordable smartphone revolution could end up with 250 million units being sold in 2020 and that would be an opportunity for all companies. "What is interesting is that over 60 per cent of Internet in India is now on mobile," he said, adding that the country was poised to be a leader in technology." An innovation lab will be set up in Bengaluru to provide technical and engineering support to Indian companies, and we will support multiple Indian mobile device design companies," Qualcomm said.

India will play a big part in driv-

ing technology forward in the future, Google CEO Sunder Pichai said and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accelerating India's effort to become the next global hot bed of innovation and

entrepreneurship.

Google announced it will help India set up base for free Wi-Fi at 500 railway stations. Pichai announced that next month Google would make it possible for people to type in 10 different languages in India.

John T Chambers, executive chairman of Cisco, called Prime Minister Modi an 'amazing ambassador of India,' who has the ability to change India as well as the world. Your vision will happen. It takes a great deal of courage for a leader to do that," he added.

Earlier on Saturday, PM Modi visited the Tesla plant where he was shown around by CEO and Founder Elon Musk. The visit highlights India's interest in the company's solar Powerwall technology. Later, the Prime Minister met with Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Modi urged Cook to look at manufacturing in India, especially since Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn had already set up base in India. Modi and Cook also discussed the scope of Apple Pay in initiatives like the Jan Dhan Yojana to ensure banking services for all.

PM promises more accountable governance SAN JOSE: Pitching his pet Digital India initiative with the titans of the IT world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi here promised to make governance more accountable and transparent while assuring data privacy and security.

Speaking before a gathering of Silicon Valley CEOs, Modi announced plans to create more public Wi-Fi spots including at 500 railway stations across India and an aggressive expansion of the National Optical Fiber Network to take broadband to 600,000 villages.

"As our economy and our lives get more wired, we are also giving the highest importance to data privacy and security, intellectual property rights and cyber security," he said at a dinner interaction attended among others

by Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayan, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Qualcomm executive chairman Paul Jacobs and Google CEO Sunder Pichai.

"We will transform governance, making it more transparent, accountable, accessible and participative," Modi said, adding that E-Governance is foundation of better governance efficient, economical and effective.

In a nation of one billion cell phones, M-Governance or mobile governance has the potential to make development a truly inclusive and comprehensive mass movement. "It puts governance within everyone's reach," he said.

Modi said Digital India was born out of conviction that it was possible to rapidly transform the

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Digital India and Digital Technology dinner function in San Jose

lives of people on margins and touch the lives of the weakest, farthest and the poorest citizen of

India as also change the way our nation will live and work.

"We will connect all schools

and colleges with broadband.

Building I-ways are as important as highways," he said.

"We are expanding our public Wi-Fi hotspots. For example, we want to ensure that free Wi-Fi is not only there in airport lounges, but also on our railway platforms.

Teaming up with Google, we will cover 500 railway stations in a short time," he said.

The government, he said, wants to free citizens from the burden of excessive paper documents in every office.

"We want paperless transactions. We will set up a digital locker for every citizen to store personal documents that can be shared across departments," he said.

Cont’d on page 9

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'Want to make India $20 Tr economy' SAN JOSE: Projecting India as During the 45-minute session, Modi said in presence of the aua "heaven" for investors, Prime he also spoke in detail about the dience, which mostly constituted Minister Narendra Modi said here benefits of social media, particu- of Indians. his government is working on de- larly how it has been useful to him Noting that India is a "heaven" regulation and ensuring 'ease of to connect with the people within for investors, he said, "I do not doing business' as he aims to convert the country's economy from 8 trillion dollars to 20 trillion dollars.

In a Townhall Q&A at the Facebook Headquarters here along with its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Modi spoke about efforts to revive the faith among foreign investors, saying reforms are taking place speedily and the government had managed to "restore the lost confidence" during the last 15 months as he appeared to take a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Facebook Chairman and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg at Townhall Q&A session, at Facebook HQ, in San Jose, California on September 27 the previous UPA dispensation.

He said his government was the country and abroad, and how believe that there is dearth of laying thrust on three sectors par- it can help take corrective steps if money. Countries have money but ticularly - agriculture, services and some government steps go wrong. do not know where to invest. I am "It is my dream to convert In- giving them the address. Here is manufacturing - along with building the physical and digital infra- dian economy into USD 20 trillion the place (India). from the present USD 8 trillion," For the Townhall Q&A, 40,000 structure simultaneously.

Inspiration from India led to Facebook rebuilt SAN JOSE: Mark Zuckerberg said he considers India a "temple" of knowledge from where he took inspiration to rebuild Facebook when the company went through a "rough patch" and was on the

"India is very important in the history of Facebook," he said as he narrated the story of his monthlong visit to India 10 years ago.

Zuckerberg said Facebook was going through a "rough patch"

Modi meeting the family of Facebook Chairman and CEO, Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, at Facebook HQ

verge of being sold over 10 years ago.

"Personally excited about India for a number of reasons," the 31-year-old CEO of the popular social networking site said as he hosted a Townhall Q&A for Prime Minister Narendra Modi at its headquarters here.

and was on the verge of being sold when his "guru" and Apple's former CEO Steve Jobs asked "me to visit a temple in India."

"So I visited India for almost a month," he said.

The visit reinforced the confidence in him to rebuild Facebook into a multi-billion company. "The

idea is before doing anything you should go to a temple," Zuckerberg said.

Earlier, Modi said people of the world would be surprised to hear about Zuckerberg's story "that you got inspiration from a temple in India." "There is a lot of optimism in India. You came to India, a temple, with hope. And see where you reached. Your experience shows hope. There is something special about India," he added.

The Facebook chief said he was personally impressed at how Modi used social media to connect with people directly.

He, however, rued that there is still a billion people disconnected from Internet in India.

"I hope you'll be the voice of a billion people around the world," Modi said.

Modi, while thanking Zuckerberg for the support, also changed his profile picture.

"Thanks Mark Zuckerberg for the support. I changed my DP in support of the efforts towards a Digital India," the Prime Minister wrote on his Facebook account.

New profile picture of Modi also had his face with three colors of India on the same pattern as that of Zuckerberg.-PTI

questions and comments had been received but Modi answered only six, of which two were from Zuckerberg, during the 45-minute session.

Talking about the results of his government's efforts, the Prime Minister said that FDI from the USA alone had gone up by 87 per cent in the last 15 months and FII was also increasing.

"Despite global recession there is 40 percent growth in FII. Make in India is going to be successful," he said.

"India has 3Ds which are its unique strength - Demographic dividend, Democracy and De-

mand. I have added new D Deregulation. My philosophy is that government has no business to

be in business. It is not government's job to run a hotel.

Let a businessman run it," he said.

Cont’d on page 9

India's own ecosystem of startup evolving SAN JOSE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said India's own ecosystem of startup is evolving rapidly which is driven by energy, enterprise and innovation of youth.

India now has the institutions, incentives and interest for new ventures, Modi said at an event organized by NASSCOM, also attended by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.

"India's own ecosystem of startups is evolving rapidly. It is driven by the energy, enterprise and innovation of our youth. We have a huge market with rapid growth and untapped opportunities in every sector," Modi said at the startup event in Silicon Valley.

He said it is natural for India to hold its first overseas start up event in the Silicon Valley. India

past few years, they have grown exponentially," Modi said, while expressing confidence that it would start a new revolution of employment, entrepreneurship and growth in India.

Before the event, 40 startups each from India and the US had an India-US Konnect 2015 event organized in collaboration with TiE Silicon Valley and IIM Ahmedabad's CIIE India.

"We have here an outstanding group of Startups from India.

They are applying technology to transform healthcare, education, agriculture, clean energy, security, financial inclusion of the poor and access to clean water," Modi said.

"Our Startups represent not just commercial success stories, but are powerful examples of so-

Modi visits an exhibition at India-US Start-up Konnect 2015, in San Jose, CA

and the US have a natural partnership of innovation and technology that has shaped the knowledge economy.

"We have incubators, accelerators and investors willing to back an idea and assume risks.

India has woken up to the potential of Startup Ventures with great enthusiasm and energy. In the

cial innovation," he said, adding that pace at which people in India are taking to digital technology defies stereotypes of age, education, language and income.

There are nearly a billion people with cell phones in India; smart phones and internet users are in hundred millions, growing at high double digits, Modi said.-PTI

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India, US to step up strategic ties Cont’d from page 5

The two leaders have earlier met in New Delhi, Washington, Burma and Brisbane.

There was a reference made to the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, which was something that was decided when Obama visited New Delhi in January.

Modi said this meeting and his engagement in the US demonstrate the extraordinary depth and diversity of the relationship.

"Our meeting today was very productive in advancing some of our immediate priorities and also our broader strategic partnership," he said.

Shun negatives Modi asserted that countries should shun negativism and focus on a positive agenda to tackle climate change.

pressure...it would have been far better if we had a positive agenda which enabled countries to go in for more sustainable paths of development by providing finance and the requisite technology," Swarup said.

In a brief statement after the talks, Obama stated that much of his discussion with Prime Minister Modi was focused on the upcoming climate conference.

"We are encouraged by the aggressive nature of Prime Minister Modi's commitment to clean energy...I think India's leadership in the upcoming conference will set the tone not just for today but for decades to come," Obama said.

"I have confidence our ability

sustainable energy mix."

"This is an exercise we are undertaking in the spirit of our culture and tradition, but also because of our commitment to the future of this planet," he said.

Modi said India and US' extraordinary bilateral partnership in the energy sector focuses on clean and renewable energy and energy efficiency.

He thanked Obama for the positive response to his call for a global public partnership for developing affordable clean energy sources that will enable faster adoption of clean energy across the world.

"We should work together to advance that goal. And, it is equally important to develop mechanisms to ensure that the affordable also become accessible to those who need it the most," Modi said.

"We look forward to comprehensive and concrete outcome in Paris with a positive agenda on combating climate change, which also focuses on access to finance and technology for the developing world, especially the poor countries and small island states," he said.

Unite against terrorism

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with US President Barack Obama in New York on September 28

"President and I share an uncompromising commitment on climate change, without affecting our ability to meet the development aspirations of humanity. We have both set ambitious national agendas," Modi said.

During the talks, Modi underlined the need for concrete outcomes at the upcoming global conference on climate change in Paris starting November.

Briefing reporters on Modi's meeting with Obama, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, "As far as the substantive issue of climate change is concerned, the PM made it very clear that the current climate of negativism was not a useful factor as we approach COP21 in Paris."

"He (Modi) said that rather than just putting pressure, piling

to partner with other large countries like China," he said.

Talking about India's aggressive push for the cause of climate change, Modi said, "Our measures include not just a plan to add 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022, but a development strategy that will enable us to transition to a more

Modi said that terrorism is a global phenomenon from which no country can be immune and told Obama that time has come for the international community to come out in strong and united manner against the menace.

Modi said that terrorism is a global phenomenon from which no country can be immune and told Obama that time has come for the international community to come out in strong and united manner against the menace.

"The Prime Minister said that terrorism is a global phenomenon which impacts every country. No country is immune from the threat of terrorism," MEA spokesman Swarup said.

"We ourselves have been battling it for the last four decades.

The time has come for the international community to speak in one voice on the issue of terrorism to resolve the long-pending International Convention on Terrorism which has been held up because of the differences on definition of terrorism," Swarup quoted Modi as saying.

"As existing terrorism threats grow and new ones emerge, we have resolved to further deepen cooperation on counter- terrorism and radicalism," the Prime Minister said after the meeting.-PTI

Obama wins pledges of troops for peacekeeping UNITED NATIONS: More than 50 countries have offered to contribute some 30,000 new troops and police to the UN's struggling peacekeeping missions, US President Barack Obama has an-

There are currently 78 Americans serving in UN peace missions.

Washington however continues to be the number one financial contributor, providing 28 per-

US President Barack Obama delivering his speech at the UN Peacekeeping Summit

nounced. cent of the UN peacekeeping The pledges represent a major budget of USD 8.3 billion. boost to UN blue helmet operaThe summit opened after a tions as peacekeeping demands South African peacekeeper was grow worldwide and conflicts be- killed in Sudan's troubled Darfur come deadlier. region, highlighting the dangers "We know that peace operations are not the solution to ev- Boosting troop contributions ery problem," Obama told a peacekeeping will allow the United Nasummit organized by tions to deal more effecthe United States on the sidelines of the UN tively with a wave of General Assembly.

"But they do remain sexual abuse allegations one of the world's most that have hit its missions, important tools to address armed conflict," notably in the Central Afrihe said. can Republic.

The new contributions include helicopters, engineering units, field hospitals and bomb-deto- faced by troops in volatile connating expertise that are desper- flict zones. ately needed to bolster UN peace Boosting troop contributions missions. will allow the United Nations to More than 125,000 troops and deal more effectively with a wave police from 120 countries serve of sexual abuse allegations that in the UN's 16 peacekeeping mis- have hit its missions, notably in sions worldwide. the Central African Republic.

Obama stressed that strengthThe new commitments will ening peacekeeping would serve give Secretary-General Ban Ki"our common security" and moon the leeway to remove units pledged to double the number of whose soldiers face accusations US officer staff serving under the and replace them without weakblue flag. ening a mission. -PTI

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India can 'leapfrog' in the tech-infra space SAN JOSE: Intending to become a partner in the ambitious Digital India program, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said his company will take low-cost broadband technology to some five lakh villages across the country.

Speaking at a dinner hosted here in the honor of visiting Prime

with the scale of cloud computing intelligence that can be harnessed from data can help drive creativity, efficiency and productivity across governments and businesses of all sizes," the first IndianAmerican Microsoft CEO said.

This in turn, he argued, would drive more affordable products

Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella addressing the Digital India and Digital Technology dinner function in San Jose

Minister Narendra Modi, Nadella said that Microsoft wants to make things and make things happen.

In his remarks, Nadella said Microsoft's plan is to partner with the Indian Government to bring in low-cost broadband connectivity to 500,000 villages in India.

"We believe that low-cost broadband connectivity coupled

and services and access to opportunity to all of India.

To that end, next week Microsoft would announce availability of its cloud services operating out of India's data centers.

"This is a big milestone," he said.

"A key part of both Make in India and Digital India, bringing world class infrastructure into In-

dia, respecting India s digital security, sovereignty and privacy is a key milestone for us," Nadella said.

Meanwhile speaking to a news channel, Nadella said that India is in a great spot with "world class entrepreneurs and human capital".

India can "leapfrog" in the technology infrastructure space to drive the next level of productivity, efficiency and creativity for Indian government, businesses and consumers, he said.

"Narendra Modi's vision is absolutely right and I think he is pushing the right agenda," he added.

Citing an example, Nadella said Microsoft is working with the Andhra Pradesh government to take the enrolment data of schools and using machine learning to understand which students and schools have higher drop out rates.

Asked if he was worried about the regulatory hassles that often trouble multinational firms, Nadella said the company has been present in India for over 20 years.

"We are committed to the long term. We understand the legitimate rights of each country, when it comes to digital security and that is one of the fundamental reasons why we invested in cloud in India," he said. -PTI

'Want to make India $20 Tr economy' Cont’d from page 7

Speaking about the ease of doing business, he said his government had taken on board the states in this regard as India is a federal country. He said the states are now engaged in "unprecedented" competition in the context of reforms and ease of doing business.

"The World Bank last time rated India at 140th position in terms of ease of doing business. However, recently it did a rating of states... I am confident that by the time, the World Bank does the rating again at the national level, India will be much above than 140th position," Modi said.

The Prime Minister said he was aspiring to connect 6 lakh villages of the country with optical fiber network in five years as he understands the importance.

"Earlier, humans used to settle along the rivers. Later habitations

used to take place along the highways. In future, people will settle down along the places having optical fiber lines," he said.

Modi said, "In the last 15 months, the perception about India has changed. We have regained the lost confidence. This I believe will bring change."

He said when he adopted social media, he never thought that he would one day become the Chief Minister or Prime Minister but was just curious to know the world.

"Social media helped me gain information about the world.

This brought a big change in my thought process. This connected me with the world and the world accepted me as I am," said Modi while noting that he was not much educated and came from a poor background.

While explaining the benefits of social media, he said, "Government has a problem, there is usu-

ally a gulf between government and the people. By the time, you realize that, the five years (term) is over.

"But the power of social media is such that you know about reactions instantly. There is instant voting on decisions because of social media. If some decisions are wrong, they can be corrected. Earlier, it could happen only after five years.

"This is why I tell leaders all around the world, don't run away from social media...Get connected.

Good governments run on feedback. For realtime feedback, social media is a great help and if a government is alert, it can take corrective measures and speed up work."

Modi said India has to emphasize on physical and digital infrastructure. "Highways and I-ways are equally important," he said, adding that in view of the situation in India, these could not be done one after another but simultaneously.-PTI

Modi promises more accountable governance languages, he said that affordability of products and serSetting up of Ebiz portal has vices is critical for success. made approvals for businesses "We will promote manufacture and citizens easy and efficient, of quality and affordable products technology is being used to im- in India. That is part of our vision part scale and speed to develop- of Make in India, Digital India and Design in India," he said.

"Since my government came to office last year, we have attacked poverty by using the power of networks and mobile phones to launch a new era of empowerment and inclusion: 180 million new bank accounts in a few months; direct transfer of benefits to the poor; funds for the unbanked; insurance within the reach of the ment, he said. poorest; and, pension for the sunCalling for bridging the digital set years for all," he said. divide and promote digital literacy, Stating that Facebook, Twitter Modi said in the same way that and Instagram are the neighborwe seek to ensure general literacy, hoods of the new world, he said if technology must be accessible, Facebook were a country, it would affordable and value adding. be the third most populous one Modi said that by using space and the most connected. technology and internet, 170 ap"Google today has made teachplications have been identified ers less awe-inspiring and grandthat will make governance better parents more idle. Twitter has and development faster. turned everyone into a reporter.

"Today, technology is advanc- The traffic lights that need to ing citizen empowerment and de- work the best are on CISCO routmocracy that once drew their ers," he said. strength from Constitutions.

Technology is helping a mother Technology is forcing govern- in a distant hill village save her ments to deal with massive vol- new born infant and giving a child ume of data and generate re- in a remote village better access sponses, not in 24 hours but in 24 to education, he added. minutes," Modi said.

A small farmer is more confiTo achieve the vision of Digital dent about his land holding and India, the government must also getting better market price. A fishstart thinking a bit like corporate erman on the sea has a better world, he said. catch. And, a young professional "So, from creating infrastruc- in San Francisco can Skype daily ture to services, from manufacture to comfort her sick grandmother of products to human resource in India, Modi added. development, from support gov"When you think of the exponential speed and scale of expansion of social Technology is helping a media or a service, you have to believe that it mother in a distant hill vilis equally possible to lage save her new born rapidly transform the lives of those who infant and giving a child in have long stood on the a remote village better margins of hope," Modi said. He said Digital access to education India is an enterprise for transformation on a ernments to enabling citizens and scale that is, perhaps, unmatched promoting digital literacy, Digital in human history.

India is a vast cyber world of op"For nothing else will do in a portunities for you," he said. country with 800 million youth unAlso Common Service Centers der the age of 35 years, impatient will be set up in villages and towns for change and eager to achieve it," as also use information technol- said the Prime Minister. ogy to build smart cities. "We "We have set up Ebiz portal to want to turn our villages into smart make approvals for businesses economic hubs and connect our and citizens easy and efficient so farmers better to markets and that they concentrate their energy makes them less vulnerable to the on their goals, not on government whims of weather," he said. processes. We are using technolStating that access means con- ogy to impart scale and speed to tent being made available in local development," he said.-PTI Cont’d from page 6

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Modi inspects latest products at Google HQ SAN JOSE: Google will collaborate with Indian Railways to provide wi-fi services at 500 stations by next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced as he visited the headquarters of the search engine giant here.

Modi, who took a tour of the Google campus seeing the latest products and forward-looking researches, was given a presentation of Google Earth in which the ghats of his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi were shown.

He appreciated and encouraged Google to develop Apps which could benefit the

common man as he participated in Hackathon under which its employees sat for 15 hours straight to devise such Apps for use in India.

Making brief remarks to the Modi being shown the demos of cutting-edge Google technologies, during his visit to Google (Alphabet) campus, in Silicon Valley, California on September 27.

The CEO, Google, Sundar Pichai is also seen

Google employees, most of whom are Indians, Modi announced that "Indian Railways and Google will collaborate to provide wi-fi at 500 railway stations in India."

Earlier, India-born Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the search engine giant will provide high speed internet services at 100 railway stations in India initially and then expand it by 400 more by next year.

Recalling his young days when he used to travel by train from Chennai to Kharagpur, Pichai noted that 25 million people daily ride the Indian Railways which has 7500 stations.

He also pointed out that the length of Indian Railways is twice the distance between Earth and Moon.

Modi pointed out that the network of Indian Railways is equivalent to a country in Europe.

43-year-old alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur, Pichai said the wi-fi services will be provided to support Modi's 'Digital India' campaign.

He also announced that Google will launch an Android next month enabling users to type in 11 Indian l a n guages, includi n g Modi's mother tongue Gujarati.

Appreciating Google employees for Hackathon, Modi hoped that such a culture develops in India also.

Noting that technology has given new power to democracy, he urged Google employees to look for solutions to problems like poverty.

The Prime Minister expressed confidence that technology will bring qualitative change in life with time and through its proper utilization.

In a lighter vein, he said technology was born to save time but what happened was just the opposite.

"Today, everybody spends maximum time on the internet...

Even when a child asks his mother to give milk, she says 'wait, first let me forward this WhatsApp'," Modi said, evoking laughter all around.

Pichai said that there was immense "hunger" for technology in India which was reflected when Google launched Chrome browser some time back and India was the first country to adopt it in major way.

During his tour of Google campus, Modi asked that Khagaul in Bihar to be shown on Google Earth when he was given a glimpse of the unique tool. Khagaul near Patna is where the great ancient astronomer Aryabhatta had an observatory.

Pichai explained navigational, safety and other uses of Street View and Google Earth to Modi.

Another project that was shown to Modi was Project Iris, smart lens that measure glucose levels.

Before leaving Google, Modi had a group photo with its top officials. -PTI

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Modi discusses battery tech at Tesla SAN JOSE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has discussed with Tesla motors CEO the implications of the revolutionary battery technology in India and developments in renewable energy as he visited the American automotive company's iconic headquarters here.

"Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Prime Minister Modi discussed Tesla's developments in battery technology, energy storage and renewable energy, and the positive implications of this innovation for India," Tesla spokesperson Ricardo Reyes told PTI after Modi had an hour-long trip at its headquarters.

"We were delighted to host Prime Minister Modi at the Tesla

Factory," he said. During the meeting, Musk gave a presentation to Modi on the revolutionary technologies being developed by

Tesla, which is likely to change the face of the motor industry and have wider implications on developing countries like India on renewable energy. -PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the CEO of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, in San Jose, California on September 26

Remove hurdles, reduce regulations: Cisco SAN JOSE: Government needs to make it much easier to do business and reduce regulations by removing all the hurdles for campaigns like Make in India and Startup India to succeed, Cisco Executive Chairman John Chambers said.

"You have to overcome the challenges. So if you look at the Prime Minister's agenda with digital India, Make in India, skills in India, startups in India... you will have to remove hurdles," Chambers said. It will take a very strong government leader and a leadership team that has the courage to make the changes and remove these hurdles, he added. "... Govt does have to reduce the regulations. It has to make it much easier to do business. Look at logistics, you have to give people an

equal playing field, you have to have a start up mentality and re skill the workforce," Chambers said.

He said India can play a leading role in global economies helped by factors like strong domestic consumption and availability of English speaking engineers.

Stating that he is most optimistic now than he has been in the last 20 years about the Indian market, Chambers said, adding businesses and government need to work for the progress of the country.

"India is way ahead of counterparts in the world. You can see the Indian economy picking up...," Chambers told CNN IBN. He added that India has the benefit of being the world's largest democracy as well.

"There are disadvantages as

well with it in terms of speed of change. But I think you have majority of positives versus your peers to lead," he said.

He added: "The question is whether you have the courage, whether the people in India have the patience for the change and not expect it in a quarter or this year... It takes 3-4 years to drive a change effectively".

Earlier this year, the US technology giant had committed towards manufacturing in India and said it will invest USD 2 billion in the country this year. The company, which pumps in USD 1.7 billion every year (including USD 250 million on R&D) in its India operations, also plans to invest an additional USD 60 million in the country on training and facility expansion.-PTI

Steve Jobs went to India for inspiration SAN JOSE: Apple has a unique relationship with India as its founder Steve Jobs went to India for inspiration, Apple CEO Tim Cook has said in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.

"We have a unique tie with India.

Our founder Steve Jobs went to India for inspiration," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup quoted Cook as saying.

Cook, who met Modi at his hotel, was among the first top CEOs to meet the premier on the first day of his arrival.

"Dialing India for Digital," Swarup added. -PTI

CEO of Apple, Tim Cook calling on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in San Jose on September 26

Modi breaks down recalling mother's sacrifices SAN JOSE: Prime Minister lives to fulfill the dreams and asNarendra Modi broke down and pirations of their children," he got emotional while talking said. about the sacrifices his mother "A mother will never want made as he grew up. you to become something, she 65-year-old Modi displayed will think about how you will his rare emotional side when he achieve that". was asked by Facebook CEO "I've my mother, who is over Mark Zuckerberg at a Town Hall 90 years. Even she does all her event at the Facebook campus work on her own. here to tell the audience someShe isn't educated but bething about his mother Heeraben cause of television she is upModi, who is now 95. dated with the news, what is "We have many things in happening in the world othercommon. Family is very impor- wise she didn't know." tant to us. Both my parents are Modi congratulated here. I understand your mother is very important in your “She does all her work on her life," Zuckerberg own. She isn't educated but told the prime minister. because of television she is Modi was moved to tears while talk- updated with the news, what ing about the hardis happening in the world ships his mother had to undergo otherwise she didn't know." while raising him.

"When we were small, to sustain us she cleaned Zuckerberg's parents, saying dishes, filled water, did laborious their son has changed the work at the neighboring houses. world, as he asked them to You can imagine a mother, in or- stand up for everyone to see. der to raise her kids, underwent "My parents have played a so many hardships," Modi spoke very big role in my life, I come haltingly as he tried to control from a very poor family... you his tears, amid hushed silence at probably know that I used to sell the event. tea at the railway station," he said.

After a pause, he slowly re"No one can imagine that gained his composure, observ- such a big democracy of this ing, "It's not just the case with world has made a tea seller its Narendra Modi, many mothers in leader. And therefore firstly I India sacrifice their entire lives want to thank those 1.25 crore for their children."

Indians who made such an or"There are so many parents dinary person like me their who have sacrificed their own own." -PTI

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21st century belongs to India: Modi dia can't lag behind, he said to loud cheers and 13 US Congressmen in the audience, including Nancy Pelosi, former speaker of the House of Representatives and

VIDYA SETHURAMAN India Post News Service

SAN JOSE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first Indian leader to visit the US West Coast in more than 30 years. On Day 2, of his Silicon Valley tour, PM Modi visited Facebook and Google Inc headquarters before addressing a mega event at the SAP Center, San Jose that was attended by nearly 18,500 people.

Indo-American Community of West Coast, a not-for-profit promoting cooperation between the United States and India, had organized the event in partnership with 313 Indian-American organizations in the US. More than 45,000 people had registered for Modi's community reception at SAP arena; however, only 18,500

Indian American comedian Rajiv Satyal, Indo-American journalist Raj Mathai and Bollywood actress Ashwini Bhave were among the hosts of the grand re-

Nrityodaya Kathak Academy from Los Angeles. The Northern California dance company the Mona Khan Company, which has performed at events like the

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the organizers and elected officials at the SAP Centre, in San Jose, California

people were given the passes to attend the historical event.

Over 1,200 volunteers had been making preparations for Modi's address in San Jose, California and each and every step was planned meticulously and the crowd had a memorable experience to cherish.

ception. Bhave, a well-known Bollywood actress and longtime resident of the Bay Area, has an acting career that has spanned over 40 films with several critically-acclaimed performances.

Six-time Emmy award winner Mathai is the weeknight news anchor for NBC Bay Area and is among the Bay Area's most wellknown TV personalities. "We are Indian, we are American, we are Indian American," the two declared, the echoes of the slogan across the rows clearly showed this was something that touched a chord with the audience.

At the Community Reception, cultural performances began at 5:30 pm, a series of amazing performances from across California to welcome Prime Minister Modi. The first of which was a beautiful dance performance by the dancers of the

Indiaspora Inaugural Gala in Washington D.C. in honor of President Obama's second term in office, also performed at the event. Indian singer Kailash Kher enthralled audience at SAP Centre before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's electrifying address to Indian Diaspora here with his catchy numbers and pop-cumSufi singing style.

a powerful Democrat. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and a key supporter of India, was also there.

Modi also said that the 21st

he was seeing a "vibrant picture" of India in California with the tech experts." I am coming here after 25 years. I see a lot of change here. I see a vibrant picture of India in California. I see a shine in people's eyes and dreams and the aspiration to do something big," he said.

He opened his speech by remembering Shaheed Bhagat Singh. "I bow to Shaheed Bhagat Singh on his birth anniversary. He sacrificed his life so that we can lead a life of freedom, liberty and dignity," the Prime Minister said. He remembered the Sikh families who migrated to California in 1914 to work in the lush fertile lands of Central valley. Modi recollected the contribution of the Gadar party in San Francisco in India's independence movement. California has had a Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the rich historic relationship and Indian community at the SAP Centre, in San Jose, California on September 27 contribution in India's development, he said.

Modi said that no one ever century is India's century and atthought that brain drain can be- tributed the sudden change in come brain gain." This is actually India's fortune to the commitment, brain deposit," he asserted, add- strength and pledge of the 125 ing that it would serve its mother- crore people of the country. He

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the organizers at the SAP Centre, in San Jose, California

Prime Minister Narendra Modi entered the arena at 7:00pm and told cheering Indian community members at the SAP Centre that

land at an appropriate time. "Now it is the time that every Indian can show people their strength," he said in his hour-long speech. In-

said that in the past 16 months, World's perception about India has changed dramatically.

Cont’d on page 13

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Gujaratis welcome Modi, condemn protests WASHINGTON: Welcoming the Silicon Valley visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a group of over a dozen Gujarati organizations and 20 eminent Gujaratis appealed to the members of the agitating Patel community not to use the occasion to hold protests over the developments back home.

"We condemn any attempt to take undue advantage of these unfortunate events to create animosity between NRIs in USA in general and non-resident Gujarati community in specific," said a joint statement issued by these organizations and individuals from the Gujarati community living in California.

"We, the members of the Gujarati community in California,

whole-heartedly welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States of America," the statement said.

"Prime Minister Modi's visit to the US is aimed at strengthening bonds between the two countries, increase economic collaboration, bringing investments to India and firming up security ties," the statement said.

Urging members of the Patel community not to protest against Modi, the statement said Modi's visit to Silicon Valley has special significance.

Meanwhile, separatist Sikh for Justice picketed outside the Facebook headquarters, before Modi held a townhall with its founder Mark Zuckerberg. -PTI Narendra Modi with the Gujarati delegation, in San Jose on September 26

Modi meets Sikh, Gujarati community members

Modi meeting the Sikh delegation, in San Jose on September 26

SAN JOSE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met representatives of the Sikh and Gujarati communities here at the start of his weekend visit to the Silicon Valley.

Soon after his hour-long photo session with eminent community leaders, Modi met with two separate delegations of Sikh and

21st century belongs to India: Modi Cont’d from page 12

The world is looking at India with a new vision and aspiration.

He attributed this change to the commitment, strength and pledge of the 125 crore people of the country. "With your talent, commitment, innovations you are forcing the world to change," he said addressing the assembled Indian Americans. Modi said he was confident of India's success because 65 per cent of the population of the country are of less than 35 years old.

On his ambitious Digital India program, Modi said his mission is JAM - Jan Dhan financial inclusion program, Aadhar unique identity card and Mobile Governance.

In just 100 days, 18crore new bank accounts were opened, which deposited Rs 32,000 crores in the bank, he said.

The Prime Minister said that the world is facing two biggest challenges of terrorism and global warming. "These can be successfully addressed with firm

commitment and co-operation with the people of the world," he said.

Projecting India as a "heaven" for investors, PM Narendra Modi said his government is working on deregulation and ensuring 'ease of doing business' as he aims to convert the country's economy from 8 trillion dollars to 20 trillion dollars.

He said his government was laying thrust on three sectors particularly - agriculture, services and manufacturing - along with building the physical and digital infrastructure simultaneously.

Modi rued that so far the international community, the UN in particular have not even been able to have a definition of terrorism or identify who can be called a terrorist. Observing that India has been a victim of terrorism for the past 40 years, Modi said the West and many other countries woke up to the menace of terrorism only after bomb blasts or terror attacks in their nation.

"We cannot let 21st century to

be stained with terrorism," Modi said.

"Be it World Bank, IMF, Moody's or any other research agency, everyone is saying India is the fastest growing economy of the world," Modi said, listing the welfare schemes such as Jan Dhan Yojana and Digital India that his government has initiated.

"The JAM yojana will help to root out corruption," he said. He also touched on skill development, Beti Bacho, Beti Padhao, and the soil health card, and Neem coating for urea to help farmers.

"I had assured you I will work round the clock for the well-being of the people, I will live and die for my motherland," the PM declared amid applause.

Congressmen Ami Bera and George Holding, two co-chairs of the influential Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, were also there.

Among other lawmakers present were Loretta Sanchez, Eric Swalwell, Mike Honda, Tulsi Gabbard and Jim McDermott.

Gujarati communities.

The two delegations submitted memorandums to the Prime Minister.

He had an hour long marathon photo session with some 800 Indian-Americans from across the country.

The select gathering of IndianAmericans, invited from across

the country, greeted him by raising pro-Modi slogans as he entered the ball room of the hotel, where he is staying, directly from the San Jose Airport.

At the San Jose Airport, Modi was welcomed by several IndianAmericans who waved Indian flags and greeted him. Modi briefly interacted with them.-PTI

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UNSC reforms essential to make it relevant: PM UNITED NATIONS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for reform of the UN Security Council here, saying it was essential for the world body to inspire confidence and be relevant in the current world realities.

"70 years back, when the horrific Second World War came to

ered here to decide a new direction," he said addressing the UN General Assembly session.

Talking about the global challenges and problems, Modi said, "We need UN reforms so that it inspires confidence and becomes relevant to the current world realities."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the United Nations Summit for the adoption of Post-2015 Development Agenda, in New York on September 25

an end, this organization came into being, raising hopes of people around the world. We have gath-

His pitch for UNSC reforms comes amidst India's strong bid for a permanent seat in the ex-

panded powerful world body.

Modi asserted that the global challenges like climate change and sustainable development are the collective responsibility of all nations as no nation can be immune to any kind of threat.

Modi talked about the need for eradicating poverty and ensuring development as he highlighted that 1.3 billion people around the world are forced to live in poverty.

On the issue of climate change, he maintained that common but differentiated responsibility is the basis for dealing with this challenge.

In this context, he asked the developed nations to fulfill their responsibility of sharing technology, innovation and finances with the developing countries without having any "selfish interest".

The Prime Minister said while working for the Sustainable Development Goals, there should be "climate justice" to ensure that poor are protected from natural tragedies.

"While addressing climate change, it is important to focus on solutions that help us reach our goals," he told the assembly of leaders from across the world.

Noting that India sees the world as one, Modi said the globe

US, UK, France back India on UNSC seat NEW YORK: The United States, Britain and France have reaffirmed their support to India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council as text-based negotiations to expand the most powerful wing of the world body begin in November.

During their meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the leaders of the three countries also extended support to India's desire to become a member of the four export control regimes, including the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

Within a matter of few hours, Modi met US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and the French President Francois Hollande, which External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup described as "power Monday".

"On UN Security Council reforms, President Obama reiterated the support that he has publicly

articulated in favor of India being a permanent member of the UN Security Council. There was discussion that now that the intergovernmental negotiations process is going to start on the basis of a text, how India and US can collaborate on that front," Swarup told reporters at a news conference here.

Responding to a question on India's push for reforms in the 70th year of the United Nations, Swarup said discussions were on that level of specificity.

"As you know, US is also participating in the inter-governmental, India is also participating.

Cont’d on page 15

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting the Prime Minister of United Kingdom (UK), David Cameroon, at New York on September 28

is connected and dependant on each other. "Our international partnerships need to be centered on progress of humanity," he said.

Referring to the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 adopted by the UNGA, the Prime Minister said much of India's development agenda is mirrored in it.

"The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is the bedrock of our enterprise for a sustainable world... We are here today at the UN, because we believe that international partnership must be at the centre of our efforts," he said.

He said eradication of poverty

must remain the biggest responsibility as without it the world peace, just systems and sustainable development cannot be possible.

The Prime Minister said that world focuses only on two sectors public sector and private sector while talking about development but India is giving importance to the third sector - personal sector - as part of its effort towards economic development.

By looking at the 'personal sector', he said India is focusing on individual enterprise, innovation, micro-finance and a new 'start-up' movement.-PTI

Brain drain is 'brain deposit': PM SAN JOSE: Brain drain is actually "brain deposit" that will serve India at an appropriate time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here, asserting that the time has come when Indians can show the world their strength.

"Brain drain can become brain gain... This is actually brain deposit and it would serve its motherland at an appropriate time," he said addressing the Indian community at the packed SAP Centre here. "Now it is the time that every Indian can show people their strength," he said in his hour-long speech.

"Your fingers have created

magic on the keyboard and the computer and this gave India a new identity. Your skill and commitment is wonderful," he told the Indian-Americans.

Modi said he was meeting Indian-Americans a year after the Madison Square Garden event in New York.

"I am coming to California after 25 years. A lot has changed.

Many new faces that I see. I can see here India's vibrancy here," he said.

Modi congratulated them for the place of pride they have created for themselves among Californians.-PTI

Modi takes a swipe at Congress SAN JOSE: In a veiled attack on UPA regime on corruption and taking a swipe at the Congress President's son-in-law Robert Vadra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said there were allegations of politicians and their families making crores of rupees while his government has no graft charge.

"In our country it doesn't take much for allegations to come up against politicians... Someone made 50 crores, someone's son made 250 crores, (someone's) daughter made 500 crores, (someone's) damaad (son-in-law) made 1000 crores," Modi said.

Some cousins took contracts and some got flats in the past, he said while addressing the Indian community at the packed SAP Centre in San Jose, California.

Dramatically pausing after say-

ing "damaad", Modi went on to assert that there are no allegations of corruption against his government.

"Aren't you sick of all of this?

Aren't you angry? My countrymen, I am standing in your midst.

Is there any allegation against me?" he asked as the audience responded back with a "No".

While Modi's reference to sons and daughters of politicians being corrupt is seen as a reference to culture of corruption in the country, the reference to son-inlaw is seen as a barb at alleged land deals entered into by Vadra with the some state governments.

He said that in this highly connected world, Indians living in the US are fully aware of the ground realties in India and they know even better those back home. -PTI

October 2, 2015

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We are legitimate candidates, say G-4 NEW YORK: India, Japan, Germany and Brazil have declared themselves as "legitimate" candidates for permanent membership of the UNSC as they pushed for its reform in a "fixed timeframe", with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the task should be accomplished immediately.

Hosting a Summit of leaders of Germany, Japan and Brazil under the G-4 format here, he said the UN Security Council "must include the world's largest democracies, major locomotives of the global economy, and voices from all the major continents" to carry "greater credibility and legitimacy".

He said the four countries are ready to assume global responsibilities as he pressed for change, saying the world body reflects the mindset of a century "we left behind" and is not in tune with "new concerns" like terrorism and climate change.

It will make it more representative and effective in addressing the challenges of the 21st century, he said at the Summit meeting with Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, the first since 2004.

Modi noted that "some movement" had been seen recently in the decades-old endeavor when the UNGA took the "significant step" to commence text-based negotiations on the reforms but said it has to be taken to its "logical conclusion" during the current 70th session of the global body.

In a joint statement later, the G-4 leaders stressed that "a more representative, legitimate and effective Security Council is needed more than ever to address the global conflicts and crises, which had spiraled in recent years."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the leaders of other G-4 Nations, in the G-4 Family Photograph, in New York on September 26

They strongly emphasized that the process underway in the UN to bring about the reform of the Security Council should be conducted, given its urgency, in a fixed timeframe.

The leaders emphasized that the "G-4 countries are legitimate candidates for permanent membership in an expanded and reformed Council and supported each other s candidature."

The G-4 "noted with concern that no substantial progress had been made since the 2005 World Summit where all the Heads

US, UK, France back India on UNSC seat Cont’d from page 14

But the fact that President Obama reiterated support for India's candidature as a permanent member is significant.

Now, we need to see how the inter-governmental negotiations process advances," he said.

Earlier in his remarks to the press at the

end of his meeting with President Barack Obama, Modi thanked him for his support to India on joining various export control regimes.

"I expressed our appreciation for continued US support for India's membership of the international export control regimes within our targeted time frame," the Prime Minister said. -PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting the President of France, Francois Hollande, in New York on September 28

of State and Government had unanimously supported early reform of the Security Council as an essential element of the overall effort to reform the United Nations."

Leaders of the 11-year-old grouping, which has been jointly pushing for UNSC reform and their entry into it as permanent members, "expressed determination to re-

double their efforts towards securing concrete outcomes during the 70th session of the General Assembly".

They felt that legitimate reforms can be "achieved by reflecting the realities of the international community in the 21st century, where more member states have the capacity and willingness to take on major responsibilities with regard to maintenance of international peace and security."

The four nations pledged to work together with all member states and to accelerate outreach towards achieving an "early and meaningful reform" of the UNSC, the joint statement said.

They supported Africa's representation in both the permanent and non-permanent membership in the UNSC, while noting the importance of adequate and continuing representation of small and medium sized member states, including the small island developing states, in an expanded and reformed Council.-PTI More Cover Stories on page 32

Desi News More visa-less travel on Indian passport SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: great news for globetrotters holding Indian Passport. India Post has learnt that an Indian Passport holder can now travel to 59 countries without Visa.

These 59 nations where Indians can travel without visa or visa on arrival are: Bhutan, H o n g K o n g , South Korea (Jeju), Macau, Nepal, Antarctica, Seychelles, F Y R O Macedonia, Svalbard, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos, Islands, British Virgin Islands, El Salvador, Ecuador, Cook Islands, Fiji, Micronesia, Niue, Samoa, Vanuatu, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, TimorLeste, Iraq (Basra), Jordan, Comoros Islands, Maldives, Mauritius, CapeVerde, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, SaoTome & Principe, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Georgia, Tajikistan, St.Lucia, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Guyana, Nauru, Palau & Tuvalu.

Devon Ka Raja festival on Devon Avenue RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: The much awaited and much trumpeted entry and exit of Devon Ka Raja - Ganpati - began and ended after a ten-day festival on Devon Avenue Chicago with huge fanfare. Hundreds of devotees flocked to Regal Jewels to have Darshan and get blessing from the God whose big attribute is to remove evil and bring happiness in the lives of people.

Details on page 18

Experiencing India at India Fest Milwaukee India Post News Service

MILWAUKEE: Indian Americans in Milwaukee hosted India Fest 2015 at Humboldt Park, third time on a grand scale orchestrated and presented by Spindle India, a non-profit organization.

Details on page 19

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There is only God, worship Him in any way

October 2, 2015

Details on page 26

Patidar agitation in Gujarat is affecting locals here HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: The controversy surrounding Patidars agitation in Gujarat on the reservation issue has taken many a twist and turn but it has also started spreading

Nirav Patel

innuendo and rumors.

One such rumor has impacted on the standing of a youth community activist, Nirav Patel, in Chicagoland. There were reports

in a section of the press that the Youth Convener in Chicago has left OfBJP and has extended his support to the Patidar agitation, and that he is also supportive of the cause advocated by a section of Patidars.

This is far from the truth, said Nirav Patel in a talk to this paper. He said "As a Youth Convener of Overseas Friends of OFBJP, I am with the party and I will be with the party forever. I do support the party and Gujarat CM's new relief package for non-OBC students and post graduate students.

"I do want to say thanks to CM Gujarat for looking after non-OBC economically poor families. I ask all Patidar Samaj not to support any kind of activity that leads to a further division in our community and results in disturbing peace and harmony in Gujarat and our country."

Many Indians are dismayed

over the reservation stir in India as it is a flash point which can create a division within the community with far reaching impact. Like Nirav Patel a group of Patidars want to disassociate themselves with this type of movement. Es-

"As members of the overseas Patidar community, we condemn it. This is an exercise in political mud-slinging and we do not want to be a part of it," said Baldev Thakor, President of Maya Hotels and a concerned Patidar commu-

‘As a Youth Convener of Overseas Friends of OFBJP, I am with the party and I will be with the party forever. I do support the party and Gujarat CM's new relief package for nonOBC students and post graduate students.’ pecially, they would not like to have a demonstration staged in the name of Patels or Patidars.

Baldev Thakor and others have asserted that the Patidar community of the United States had unanimously opposed the proposed rally against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the United Nations on September 25.

nity member. "We wholeheartedly support Modi in his initiatives to take the country to greater heights" he added.

The group believes that the agitations in India and now in US are politically motivated and these protests do not represent the voice of the entire Patidar (Patel) community.

AI connects Delhi-SF with non-stop flight India Post News Service

NEW YORK: National carrier Air India has announced that it will connect Capital Delhi to Silicon Valley hub, San Francisco, with a non-stop B777-200LR flight from December 2.

Rishikant Singh, Manager Air India, said that this will be the first non-stop flight to operate on the sector. San Francisco will become Air India's fourth destination in USA. Air India operates daily non-stop flights to New York (JFK), Newark (EWR) and Chicago (ORD).

The flight will be a boon to the Indian Diaspora on the US West coast. It will make travel easy and convenient for students and parents of NRIs. Business travelers looking for short stays and direct options will also be hugely benefited by this connection, just like the existing three non-stop flights to JFK,

Rishikant Singh

The flight to and from San Francisco will operate 3 days a week, on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Air India scales new high

EWR and ORD. Passengers from seven cities, all IT hubs, in India i.e Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad and Pune will have seamless connections to the flight from Delhi. Likewise, the return flight from San Francisco will provide onward connections to nine cities i.e. Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Pune and Bhubaneswar.

The flight to and from San Francisco will operate 3 days a week, on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The Delhi-San Francisco flight will have a convenient early morning departure and arrival. The return flight will have an early morning departure from San Francisco and arrive in Delhi in the afternoon.

The flight will offer a 3-cabin configuration, with 8 seats in First Class, 35 seats in Business Class and 195 seats in Economy Class.

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Activist Tapan Ghosh unfolds Bengali girls' plight SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: An activist from India, Tapan Ghosh, often described as a lone warrior seeking to rescue young Bengali girls from the clutches of sex offenders, was in Chicago last week. He briefed a group of In-

Tapan Ghosh details atrocities on Hindu women in Bengal

dian Americans at Gayatri Mandir in Addison, a northwest suburb of Chicago, over the sordid state of affairs in some parts of West Bengal.

He said that it was extremely painful to describe the condition of Hindu girls in some Muslim dominated areas in West Bengal.

Rampant violence against men and cruelty towards women including rape have become commonplace, but unfortunately the West Bengal State government, headed by a woman Mamata Banerjee, has turned its face the other way apparently because of political considerations.

The government is ignoring the cries of these people obviously because she would not like to offend powerful mafias and Muslim coteries to retain her power grip. This is at the cost of the modesty of Hindu women.

Both the consistent violence and killing of democratic institutions like voting and influence of Communism continues unabated in spite of the name Trinamool Congress Mamata baptized her political party with.

While talking to the media, Tapan Ghosh urged that it was important that Indians wake up to the plight of the West Bengal Hindus and support them to have law and order established and preserved. He added that strangely the media was oblivious to these heart-rending matters which embolden the violent lawbreakers to keep committing the offences unchallenged.

To begin with, Yelamanchi, a prominent member and activist of the community, introduced Tapan Ghosh commending his selfless work to support Hindus of West Bengal and requested community members to help him in every which way to pursue his mission.

Tapan Ghosh founded his NGO Hindu Samhati in 2008. It regularly monitors and reports violence against Hindus in West Bengal. Strange as it may appear in India, Hindus, in some place or the other, continue to be the victims of violence. Almost a thousand years of violence, including rape and kidnapping of women, particularly young, had been common under Islamic rule, ex-

icon of hope to Hindus in West Bengal.

Whenever they are attacked the Samhati fights for their cause irrespective of their political leanings, caste and class.

Upon report of any attack, the Samhati brings the attention of concerned authorities and compels them to take action and make the people aware of the incident and reach the victims to safety. It has strong presence in 12 districts in West Bengal and also can influence Hindu votes in about 70 to 80 assembly constituencies in those districts.

Media and political parties have alYellamanchi, one of the organizers, introducing Tapan Ghosh ways been silent over the jihadi tection and to ensure remedies to the Hindu threats and attack on Hindus. The scenario populace as per the prevailing law of the has now not only changed but is being publand. Within only seven years since its licized and receives stiff resistance from the founding, Hindu Samhati has become the Hindu Samhati. cepting during the period of enlightened rulers like Akbar the Great. Hindus remained victims of cruelty and repression.

Hindu Samhati also works with government agencies for proper education, pro-

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Devon Ka Raja festival on Devon Avenue RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: The much awaited and much trumpeted entry and exit of Devon Ka Raja - Ganpati - began and ended after a ten-day festival on Devon Avenue Chicago with huge fanfare. Hundreds of devotees flocked to Regal Jewels to have Darshan and get blessing from the God whose big attribute is to remove evil and bring happiness in the lives of people.

Devotees at daily Aarti

It was a sight to watch the old and young coming to attend the Aarti in the morning and evening and it was a treat to attend the final immersion ceremony that signaled the exit of the Devon Ka Raja for one year. The shouts and chants of Ganpati Bapa Moriya filled the air of Devon Avenue practically the whole day on Sunday that had additional attraction of a good cultural program by local artists.

The idea of Devon Ka Raja was

largely to the trio and the huge army of devotees and a good number of volunteers who gave their selfless service and got recognition from Nirmal Shewakramani at the end.

The Ganesh Visarjan ceremony was unique in that the huge crowd thronging Devon Avenue from 3 pm to 6 pm kept on chanting Ganeshji's name. The devotees were highly emotional and yet highly disciplined and peaceful.

The cultural program involved

Nirmal Shewakramani of Regal Jewels, Hemant Brahmbhatt, Ramesh Mahtani of Reshams and devotee Mangesh Satam. Ramesh Huma and Resham Mahtani of Reshams took care of decoration and prasad. Anil, Rita, Neha and Rela Devi Dhalaria managed live TV lighting and Prasad. Sanjeev and Avinash Jain did the overall runaround, Mangesh Satam and Pratibha Mehta managed to the core every day prasad and Aarti singing and Nigam Patel lent his

Devon Ka Raja Ganpati pleasing everybody

Devon Ka Raja in fruit and daal (lentils)

Devon Ka Raja visrajan crowd

the brain child of Nirmal Shewakramani and his wife Gurbachanji. They had hefty backing of Ramesh Mehtani of Resham, Hemant Brahmbhat of Hi India and Mangesh Satam. This was the second year in succession that Devon Ka Raja came and conquered the Devon Avenue with flourish and the credit goes

fascinating dances, songs and performances by children. The other highlights were Ganeshjis made out of fruits by Kaajal, Ganeshji made out of clay and eye catching art work with Daals (lentils).

Gurbachan Kaur adds Palki of Ganeshji was carried by

melodious and powerful voice to Aarti every night. Last but not least, the event couldn't go smoothly and successfully without the hard work of Kaajal Shewakramani Gill and Rahul Gill.

The cultural program on visarjan day was successfully organized by mother-daughter team of Trupti and Suhanee Patel.

IACS Career Expo in New York a big success NEELA PANDYA

NEW YORK: The Indian American Community Services (IACS) hosted its sixth Annual Diversity Career Expo in New York Hilton Midtown on September 24 providing opportunities to both companies and job seekers.

Over 400 graduating students and professionals attended this Career Expo. Students from various universities around New York City including NYIT, NYU, Columbia, NJIT and professionals with various backgrounds attended.

The Expo attracted many major corporations including AT&T, Wipro, L&T Infotech and several others.

The job seekers came from several areas such as Chicago, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana.

Prakash, a job seeker who completed his undergraduation in IIT in Chennai, India, and is currently A scene of the IACS annual fair in New York

in his 2nd year MIS program at UIC said, "I came to this job fair last year and ended up interning at CME Group during summer. There are different companies this year, which is good because it makes students like me want to come back every year."

John Hyde, Dean of Career Serves and Alumni Relations from the New York Institute of Technology, also attended and said, Cont’d on page 20

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Experiencing India at India Fest Milwaukee India Post News Service

MILWAUKEE: Indian Americans in Milwaukee hosted India Fest 2015 at Humboldt Park, third

tar maestro Indrajit Banerjee and Guitar virtuoso Fareed Haque, assisted by Hindole Majumdar on Tabla.

The Rangoli-making, that gor-

Lamp lighting ceremony at India Fest. From left Bayview Alderman Tony Zielinski, City of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, Brookfield Mayor Steve Ponto, President Spindle India Purnima Nath and Air India's Katherine Thorat lighting a traditional lamp at the inauguration

time on a grand scale orchestrated and presented by Spindle India, a non-profit organization.

The event, an all-day retreat with free entry, had over 15,000 Indian American attendees, including people belonging to different nationalities. The event had newly introduced flagship attractions, such as, Wisconsin India Singing Idol, Mr/Mrs. Wisconsin, India Fashion Show, Kid's Parade, Indian Classical/Bollywood Dances, Traditional Dhol and Contemporary DJ Fusion, Vibrant Costumes, Creative Painting, etc.

A flat earth ensemble "East meets West", fusion music of classical with modern instruments was presented by world-renowned Si-

geous folk art we see created in courtyards during festivals, attracted the attention of people in a big way.

A few Sikh men, who set up a booth, encouraged festival goers to let them tie a turban on their head, and then wear it for an hour for an authentic experience. Free blood pressure tests were offered by a local hospital run by Indian doctors.

City of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, Brookfield Mayor Steve Ponto, Bay-view Alderman Tony Zielinski, Air India representative Katherine Thorat, Shawn Reilly and Milwaukee Judge Joseph Donald were present as Guests of Honor for the event.

Mayor of Milwaukee, Tom Barrett, said, "I always look forward to attending India Fest Milwaukee, an exciting festival highlighting the rich traditions of India. From classical music to dance, to authentic goods and delicious dishes, its offerings promise to educate and entertain fest-goers.

Since 2013".

Extending warm greetings Consul General of India, Dr Ausaf Sayeed, commended the welfare and organizational work being done by Spindle India Inc. in

Enjoying authentic Indian food at the Fest

reaching out to a large segment of business and community members; and addressing their cultural, business, and logistic needs

before. We are setting a new boundary. We have created history" said Suresh Krishnaiah, Program Director of IndiaFest,

Traditional Dhol inaugurates Kid's Parade, energizing peoplealong the way

by rendering all possible services and support.

"There is no better way to learn about Indian culture," said Purnima Nath, Organizer, Producer and Chairwoman of India Fest Milwaukee, and President of Spindle India. "We are weaving happiness as we bring people together through collaboration.

Our goal is to weave India's colorful cultural threads into the rich multicultural tapestry of American culture", she added.

She specially appreciated sweat and hard work of some of the key volunteers, who had dedicated unlimited time and effort for months to make this initiative successful.

"Wisconsin hasn't seen anything like this, at this grand scale,

Milwaukee.

Katherine Thorat of Air India, a Star Alliance Member, observed that the IndiaFest was a sociallyrelevant initiative showcasing the peaceful nature of Indian Americans and their deep-rooted culture, arts, and heritage was much needed. Jay Kumar of Bombay Sweets was all praise for the educational value of the event.

National media companies to local TV, radio, and print media have featured IndiaFest Milwaukee in a very supportive way.

Plethora of MNCs, local businesses and organizations sponsored and supported this cause of bringing communities together, and strengthening Indian community for the greater good, since its birth in 2013.

Why Pak-bashing Bollywood is not good for business

A

new war is going on between India and Pakistan zealots on social media front. It ensued with Saif Ali Khan's irresponsible remark in a media report saying, "I have no faith in Pakistan". He was reacting on a ban on his latest movie 'Phantom' in Pakistan. And soon the Pak film and TV artists came out on social media front. There were stronger condemnation fires for Saif and his movie. The most damaging attack came from Pak TV anchor Faisal Qureshi's 12 minutes video on YouTube. A message in video inspires or instigates Pak viewers to watch Bollywood movies for free only.

Perhaps Kabir Khan, who earlier handled sensitive scripts in New York and Ek Tha Tiger, has stumbled on wrong borders in

A.Q. SIDDIQUI

Phantom, a movie that could have earned few crore more outside India. Mere presence of Katrina Kaif in a movie attracts many Pakistani viewers to theatre. But for Phantom, the Katrina Olive branch did not work. The damage was already done by movie's aggressive online trailer and utterances by team members in movie promotion campaigns.

While movies like Veer Zara and Bajrangi Bhaijaan created a bridge for business flow for Bollywood, Phantom came in as a wide crack in the middle. I have seen more Pakistani families in Chicago's Regal Cinema for Bajrangi Bhaijaan show than Indians. There was no Pakistani presence for Phantom shows in Chicago cinema halls.

But almost all Pakistani film lovers

have seen Phantom pirated version on internet. While Saif Ali Khan and Kabir Khan will shrug it off nonchalantly, it is a matter of concern for Bollywood business.

The Bollywood business is now attracting more business outside India with all big banner mov-

ies releasing in theatres all over Europe, Middle East and Americas. What happens when a sizable number of movie goers abstain from theaters outside India? Here are some figures. If Indian American population is around 3 million in America, Pakistanis are not far behind with nearly 2 million. Among 3 million Indians, more than 70 percent have no time or penchant for Bollywood movies due to professional or business reasons.

Also a big chunk of Indian presence is divided for Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam movies released simultaneously with Hindi movies. On the other side, 70 percent of Pakistanis love Bollywood movies for entertainment and prefer watching it in theatres. Same is applicable in

Middles East, particularly in UAE where Pakistani presence equals that of Indians. The Phantom ban in Pakistan is only a small cut of the profit cake. But if the Pakistani viewers outside Pakistan preferred to boycott it, it is a blow for Bollywood business.

The Pakistani TV Anchor Faisal Qureshi has already triggered a blow on social media.

There are more than 105K views for his video and there will be thousands more as the video link is widely circulated through WhatsApp. Let us remind Kabir Khan and other Bollywood producers why no big budget movies are released in the holy month of Ramadan. It is for this same reason, a Pak bashing Bollywood movie is not good for business.

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NSF Bees 'Mela' at Columbus in Ohio SURENDRA ULLAL

Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University's campus became a Bee "Mela" during Aug 29-30 with 1300 bees (contestants) and their parents from all over U.SA coming to the 2015 National Championship Finals organized by North South Foundation.

These contestants achieved top scores during regional contests held during March-April representing their chapters in various categories including Spelling, Vocabulary, Geography, Math, Science, Essay Writing, Public Speaking and the Brain Bee. All participants got trophies as NSF believes that every child is a winner.

Top ten placements received special trophies, while the top three rank holders, in addition, received college scholarships ranging from $1,000 to 250, redeemable during their freshman year.

Participants with their trophies

NSF organizes educational contests in the US that are designed to encourage academic ex-

Dr Balu Natarajan giving trophy

cellence among Indian-American children.

The 2015 NSF Finals turned out to be a grand success. Key members working behind the scenes were the Zonal Coordinator Srinivas Reddy Gudeti; Convener, Srivital Choppara and National Team members like Raj Jayachandran.

Additionally, Meet-the-pro sessions were organized during the national finals to provide an opportunity for kids to learn how to excel in academics from pro trainers as well as meet with previous Bee Champions. Professionals, along with previous year's bee champions, who were kind enough to come all the way and share extensive knowledge were Mirle Shivshankar, Coach Kumar Nandur, Dr Krishnaiah Revuluri, Dr Anil Sethi and Dr Chenchal Subraveti. Other useful sessions were held to help all age groups in the audience such as the memory and cognition workshop hosted

by Dr Medasani Mohan and Venkat Kosaraju and the Rubik's Cube Workshop led by Sreeram Venkatarao.

This prodigious national finals event turned out to be most memorable with the presence of Dr H. Rao Unnava, Senior Associate Dean for Students and Programs at Ohio State and Dr Balu Natarajan, the first Indian-American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 1985 and Sports Medicine specialist at Chicago Primary Care Sports Medicine NSF offers scholarships to poor students in India. The funds are raised in USA through Bees and direct donations. NSF has provided over 13,000 scholarships for college-bound meritorious students since inception with each scholarship at $250 per student per year. NSF recently started working with Jawahar Nayodaya Vidyala Samiti to provide scholar-

ships to the needy students and conduct educational contests

among 126 schools across the country.

IACS Career Expo in New York a big success Cont’d from page 18

bringing good companies as well as good pool of candidates."

Jagan Bukkaraju, IACS Secretary said, "Our team which spread across New York, New Jersey and Chicago has worked hard to bring this Career Expo. It is truly satisfying to see that it is a big success and is helping many people."

President of IACS, Sreenivas Katragadda, explained, "The IACS organizing team is looking forward to the Diversity Career Expos hosted by IACS that are coming up in Chicago on October 22 and in Dallas on November 12. Just in Chicago alone we are expecting about 50 companies

"We are here helping support our students come to the IACS Diversity Career Expo and look at qualified jobs with the employees that are here. We also look forward to getting involved with future events IACS conducts to help our students."

Taylor Stiff, Wipro Talent Accusation GO Leader in US explained, "It is absolutely critical for Wipro to continue to diversify our work force. This is our second year attending IACS Diversity Career Expo. We saw many students and a good amount of experienced people that we may be able help place across Wipro" "The IACS organizing team IACS also provided is looking forward to the free professional oneon-one resume critiques Diversity Career Expos and counseling ses- hosted by IACS that are sions led by industry experts at the Expo. coming up in Chicago on Royal Sirasala, Compli- October 22 and in Dallas ance Manager at Pfizer, who was one of the ca- on November 12. reer advisors, mentioned, "This was a great service I to participate." have been part of. Many students IACS is a non-for-profit orgaand professionals got benefited nization dedicated to empowering by this career counseling ser- the South Asian community vice." through a variety of events inAbhishek Agrawal, Head of cluding women's conferences, Talent Acquisition, Americas at leadership intern programs, profesL&T Infotech mentioned "Partici- sional and leadership networking, pating in IACS Diversity Career and Business and Entrepreneurial expo brings lot of value to our conferences in many cities includcompany and brings in diversity. ing New York, Chicago, Dallas and IACS has done a great job in D.C.

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Selena's 'Om' tattoo 'disrespectful' renowned performer, Selena should get acquainted with the basics of world religions.

Hollywood needs to understand that Hinduism, with about one billion adherents, was oldest and third largest religion of the world with a rich philosophical thought. Its concepts and symbols had well-defined meanings and purposes and these were not created just for Hollywood's us-

Selena thigh with Om tattoo

India Post News Service

NEVADA: Indian community members have described American actor/singer Selena Gomez's new "Om" tattoo on her upper left thigh as highly "irreverent and disrespectful".

Taking a lead in this direction, Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism in a statement said that Hindus usually started and ended their prayers with "Om", the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hin-

duism was used to introduce and conclude religious work.

Such trivialization of "Om" was upsetting and disgusting to many deeming it highly inappropriate for Selena to place such revered and sacred symbol of Hinduism with high religious significance on her thigh.

In April 2013, Hindus described Selena's sultry debut performance of "Come & Get It" at MTV Awards ceremony in California wearing bindi as "insensitive".

Rajan Zed suggested that as a

Akhil Akkineni audio released in Dallas PRASAD THOTUKARA

DALLAS: One of the latest sensations in Telugu Movie industry and the third generation hero from Akkineni family, Akhil Akkineni, is all set to enthrall the Telugu movie audience in USA with his debut movie, Akhil.

Directed by V. V. Vinayak and Sayesha Saigal, grand-daughter of Dilip Kumar, as leading lady the movie has music score by Anup Ruebens. Akhil is ready to capti-

vate the fans with his spellbound charm, lightening energy and mesmerizing action.

The audio release function of "Akhil" was held in Dallas, TX on Sept. 26 at Allen Performing Arts Center, Allen. Sayesha Saigal, V. V. Vinayak and Anup Reubens joined Akhil Akkineni for this memorable event in Dallas, which included ANR Jayanthi celebrations and other cultural events.

Telugu movie Akhil audio released

Hollywood and other celebrities should show respect and not indulge in indecorous showing of Hindu symbols and concepts

age to add dramatic effects as some sanctity and spirituality was attached to these, Zed stated.

Hollywood and other celebrities should show respect and not indulge in indecorous showing of Hindu symbols and concepts to advance their selfish agenda. Casual flirting sometimes resulted in pillaging serious spiritual doctrines and revered symbols and hurting the devotees, Rajan observed.

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There is only God, worship Him in any way

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poken amidst the battle of Kurukchetra, the Bhagwad Gita is as relevant today as it was 5,000 years ago. It's message is loud and clear - There is only God, we may worship Him in any name or form, but we are all children of that one eternal entity. Understanding this, we must learn to love everyone, and respect all faiths and religions. This underlying message of the Gita holds great significance today, to steer the world towards peace and harmony.

Previously, it was explained that Shree Krishna is so kind that He becomes 'bhakt vashya' - or subservient to the love of His devotees. This causes Him to "forget" that He is God, and to behave only according to the relational feelings of His bhakt.

Along these lines, you learned that the residents of Braj (the childhood home of Shree Krishna) were all God realized Saints who had worshipped Him according to one of the 5 relational feelings. His friends, the Gwalbals are Saints of sakhya bhav; his mother Yashoda and father Nand baba are Saints of vatsalya bhav; and the Gopis are Saints of madhurya bhav.

Greatness of the Brajwasis You already heard the praise that Brahma had sung of the Gwalbals when he called them the eternal friends of supreme God.

SWAMI NIKHILANAND

Now let us see what a gyani paramhans says about Mother Yashoda: 'Yashodayaa samaakaapi devtaa naasti bhootale, ulookhale yayaa baddho muktido muktimicchati'.

He says that no one can compare to Mother Yashoda - no devtaa, and no other living being. Why? Because she has tied up supreme God Shree Krishna to the ukhal (as a temporary punishment for His sweet naughtiness); and now the giver of liberation is begging for His own liberation at the hands of a soul. Narad Ji also remarked when seeing Shree Krishna crying to get into the lap of Mother Yashoda - that things seem to be reversed in Braj; here, instead of the soul crying to get into God's lap, it is the other way around.

Such is the greatness of the Brajwasis' love for Shree Krishna, that it has turned the tables.

The foremost gyani Saint during the avatar time of Shree Krishna was Uddhav paramhans. He was established in the bliss of formless God, and was a personal advisor to Shree Krishna in Mathura. After meeting the Gopis and witnessing their selfless love for Shree Krishna firsthand, he exclaimed to Shree Krishna:

'aasaamaho charan renu jushaamahansyaam vrindavane kimapi gulmalataushadheenaam, yaa dustya jan svajanamaarya pathancha hitvaa bhejurmukund padaveem shrutibhirvimrigyaam' [Bhagwatam]. He requested Shree Krishna to allow him to be born anywhere in Vrindaban, even as a plant

Swami Nikhilanand

or creeper, so that he can receive the footdust of the Gopis on his head (because when the Gopis walk the footpaths of Vrindaban, their feet will cause the dust to arise, eventually settling on the surrounding vegetation).

One can guess the eminence of the Gopis by this fact, that a self-contented gyani Saint is expressing his humble desire to receive their footdust. This is not just praise for the Gopis, but for the lofty status of bhakti, which has the power to bring supreme God Shree Krishna to the level of the souls.

This situation is illustrated by this fact, that although the Vedas state that God is beyond hunger and thirst, Shree Krishna is enticed by the promise of a small cup of Gopis' buttermilk to perform His best classical dancing. In fact, it is not the desire for buttermilk that is making God dance, but the power of bhakti of His devotees.

All this has been explained to you in relation to the 11th shlok of this 4th chapter, where Shree Krishna reveals His extreme Divine kindness by saying that He loves a soul the same way that the soul loves Him. Continuing with the second half of this shlok, Shree Krishna tells that all people worship Him, no matter what path they follow or style of devotion they adopt - and He comes to them in the form that they choose. This is one of the most important statements of the Gita, and it should be understood more deeply.

There is only one God This one seemingly simple statement of Shree Krishna is in fact a great unifying theory of all religions. It means that the people of different countries and religions may call God by different names, describe Him differently in their sacred texts, and worship Him differently, but they are all in fact worshiping the very same God. Our Vedas clearly state that God is only one ('eko devah‌' [Shvetashvataropnishad]; 'ekamevaadviteeyam brahm' [Chaandogyopnishad]. Thus, there cannot

be a second God; there is one God for the whole world; there is one God for the whole universe. All souls, no matter where they are born, are children of the same God ('amritasya vai putraah' [Ved]). We all have the same God residing in our heart and giving life to our soul. Shree Krishna states that He loves all souls equally - none is more or less dear to Him (Gita chapter 9, verse 29). Therefore, we should respect all religions and all people.

The following story can be used to illustrate this point. There were some blind men who went to see an elephant. One of them put his hand on the elephant's stomach and exclaimed, "This creature is just like a wall."

The second man caught the leg of the elephant and stated, "This animal is like a tree." The third caught the tail and said, "The elephant is like a rope."

The fourth caught the elephant's ear and said, "It is like a fan." Now they all started fighting. One man with eyesight was watching these blind men.

He pacified them, 'Do not fight. None of you is wrong. You are all describing different aspects of the same elephant.'" Similarly, Shree Krishna clarifies in the Gita that there is only one God who is worshiped differently by different people according to their inner nature. Everyone is welcome to approach God in the way that is most suitable to their personality.

Then, according to the way a person surrenders to Him, Shree Krishna comes to that devotee (upon complete purification of his heart). How it is possible for one God to simultaneously exist in many forms? This will be explained in the next article.

Disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj Swami Nikhilanand Ji is a Canadian born Hindu spiritual leader based in Austin, Texas. He is a sanyasi disciple and pracharak of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.

Attracted to the teachings of Hinduism from a young age, Swamiji eventually let his deep spiritual longing lead him to India, where he was most fortunate to come under the guidance of Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. Thereafter, living in the ashrams of JKP, he extensively studied Hindi, the philosophy of the prime Sanskrit scriptures (Vedas, Darshan Shastras, Gita, Bhagwatam), and practiced meditation in the tradition of raganuga bhakti. In 2003, he was given sanyas. Now, with the blessings of his Guruji, he offers satsang programs throughout America, engaging audiences with his clear explanations of Hindu philosophy coupled with inspired chanting of Sanskrit mantras and shlokas and charming nam sankirtan. His informative and compelling speeches provide practical insight into how to adopt the teachings of Sanatan Dharm into our daily lives, and inspire us to awaken our inner spiritual potential.

To stay in touch with Swami Nikhilanand Ji, like his Facebook page at h t t p s : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / SwamiNikhilanand or follow him on twitter at https://twitter.com/Swami_Nikhil.

October 2, 2015

India Post 23 www.indiapost.com

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October 2, 2015

www.indiapost.com PREETI VERMA LAL

his is no Fifth Symphony, but the notes might intrigue you.

Head Notes are quince, rosewater, carrot seed, corian der seed, saffron. Heart Notes Moroccan rose absolute, Bulgarian rose oil, freesia, Indian magnolia, peony, iris.

Base notes honey, white musk, cedarwood, sandalwood, Benzoin resin, tonka bean.

These notes are not set for ballerinas in pointe shoes; it is Vaara, an Oriental fragrance by Penhaligon's, one of best world's best perfume houses. This is no ordinary perfume, though.

Vaara was created in 2013 for His Highness Gaj Singh II, Maharaja of Jodhpur, who wanted a memorable long-lasting exquisite fragrance for his granddaughter Vaara that reflected his family's deep love and connection with Jodhpur. The nose behind the fragrance is Bertand Duchaufour who travelled to Jodhpur for inspiration and created something extraordinary that sits proudly in Penhagilon's

stores worldwide, including several stores in London.

Perfume connoisseurs are not surprised by Penhaligon's dexterity - they hold the Royal Warrant to manufacture toilet requisites for the British royal family. Founded in the late 1860s by William Henry Penhaligon, a Cornish barber who started a saloon in London's Jermyn Street in 1870 and soon became the Court Barber and Perfumer to Queen Victoria.

In 1872, William created Hammam Bouquet, company's first scent; Blenhein Bouquet, the first Bespoke scent was created in 1902 for Duke of Marlborough in Blenheim Palace. This one was also a favorite of Winston Churchill.

Now owned by Puig, a Spanish company, Penhaligon's crystal scent bottles are handblown and then cut by hand on a diamond wheel by skilled craftsmen.

Penhaligon's spurns synthetics and also sticks to ethical practices with no animaltesting.

Pics

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eti V erm

a La

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October 2, 2015

India Post 25 www.indiapost.com

Does living with parents means paying rent?

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arents whose grown children are living at home - and experts say their numbers are growing - can face a complicated question: whether to charge rent, and how much.

Circumstances vary from household to household.

For Terri Gifford, a self-employed mom in New Rochelle, New York, who renovates old homes, it wasn't an easy decision.

Gifford and her husband, Peter, agreed with their 23-year-old son, Brian, that he'll pay them $300 a month in rent. He has lived in their house for two years, since he graduated from Harvard. At first he didn't have a job, and now he works as a paralegal in a law firm, gearing up for his marriage in November and taking the Law School Admission Test in October. ``He's not making a ridiculous amount of money,'' Gifford said. ``I didn't really want to charge him rent, but Brian wanted me to. He felt better about it. I didn't think $300 was a crazy amount of money.

My son wanted to contribute, and we came up with an amount where he felt like he was contributing, but that he wouldn't be broke and could save for his future.''

According to a Pew Research Center study in July analyzing U.S. Census Bureau data, millennials defined as those ages 18 to 34 in 2015 - are now less likely to be living independently of their families and establishing their own households than they were during the depths of the Great Recession, which began in 2007.

In the first four months of this

cent, despite the uptick in employment and full-time jobs since 2010, according to Pew. The study doesn't take into account rent, or an increasing number of Generation Xers - ages 35 to 51 - who have also moved home with baby boomer parents.

With another, younger son who's away at college and her husband working long hours in con-

Terri Gifford, left, 56, and her son Brian Gifford, 23, relax at the family’s home in New Rochelle, New York. Brian Gifford has lived at home with his parents for the past two years, since graduating college.

year, the share of young adults living in their parents' homes has increased from 24 percent to 26 per-

struction, Gifford, 56, said the rent Brian pays goes mainly toward expenses, including food. She

'Court' is India's official entry to the Oscars MUMBAI: Chaitanya Tamhane made his debut in the Indian film industry with Court and his first film has got an official entry into the Oscars. The jury has selected this courtroom drama as India's Official Entry to the 88th Academy Awards.

The decision was taken by the new jury headed by Amol Palekar and Suparn Sen, the secretary general of the Film Federation of India who announced the news.

Court which was released in multiple languages is a story about a singer facing charges of abetment to suicide which later unfolds a lot more drama. The film not only received mass appreciation when it

was released but has also won several awards at film festivals.

Starring Usha Bane, Vivek Gomber, Pradeep Joshi, Geetanjali

Kulkarni, Shirish Pawar, Vira Sathidar among others, Court also received the 62nd National Award for the Best Feature Film.

loves to cook, and Brian, in turn, does a range of errands, from filling up her gas tank to going shopping and helping with the dog.

He'll be moving out after his wedding, she said. ``It's definitely an adjustment, having an older child living at home. I can't ask as many questions,'' she said. ``But he's a great kid. He's very independent, and very family-oriented. ... I think Brian is pretty appreciative of the fact that he saves money, and I help him out quite a bit.''

On the border between millennial and Gen X, Raven Brown, 35, has lived with her mom in her mom's three-bedroom apartment in Manhattan since 2009. Brown is a PhD student in public and urban policy at the New School, and also works as a researcher. She wanted to help her mom, who has chronic health problems, and she also has huge school loans. She's been paying more than half of the apartment's $2,200 a month rent since February. ``We talked about it, and it seemed like a good amount. She likes to have me around!'' Brown said, laughing. ``Paying rent feels the same as not paying rent. It's helpful to my mom... We're a close family.''

Rossana Alvarado, 41, a stayat-home single mom with an 11year-old son, Noah, and a 17month-old son, Oliver, first moved back in 2008, after losing her job, to the four-bedroom house that her 75-year-old mom, Consuelo Martinez, and 71-year-old stepdad, Al Martinez, own in La Puente, California. She moved out in 2014, and then came back last July.

``The negative part is that it's embarrassing,'' Alvarado said. ``Everyone will tell you not to be so embarrassed, that it happens to a lot of people. The good feeling is my mom felt like a mom again. I was given this chance to bond with her, and I'm happy Noah and my mom have bonded beyond what I could ever hope.''

The first time around, her rent to her parents was set at $500 a month, she said, and then it increased to $600, with food costs included, when she came back.

She receives disability income monthly.

Her mom and stepdad, a retired electronics technician, bumped up the rent because there was another mouth to feed: her new baby. ``To me, there aren't any complications charging rent. I love Rossana very much,'' said Al Martinez. ``The understanding was, `I'm helping you. You're help-

The first time around, her rent to her parents was set at $500 a month, she said, and then it increased to $600, with food costs included, when she came back. ing me. I would have you here for free if I could afford it.' I'm retired and don't have an income, except social security and one small pension and my wife's social security.

Charging rent is a given.'' -AP

26 India Post

October 2, 2015 www.indiapost.com

She is the 11th to wear wedding gown BETHLEHEM, Pa.: The moment Bethlehem native Abigail Kingston got engaged, she knew she wanted to wear her mother's wedding gown.

But trying it on wasn't as simple as going to her mother's closet.

``I thought it's just not possible,'' said Abigail Kingston, who recently moved from New York City to Charlotte with fiancĂŠ Jason Curtis. ``I'm just not going to be able to wear it.''

Thanks to 200 hours of pains-

Abigail Kingston tries on a wedding dress, Sept. 22 that has been passed down in her family for over 100 years and will be the 11th bride to wear it.

Easton-area designer Deborah Lopresti put in 200 hours to restore the dress.

She had to track it down first.

The 120-year-old family heirloom dress has been worn by 10 brides on her mother's side of the family, the last in 1991. Her mother Leslie Kingston knew where to start. ``The mother-of-the-last-bride has always been the keeper of the dress,'' Leslie Kingston said.

Bride No. 4 Sara ``Sally'' Seiler Ogden, who wore the gown in 1960, happily shipped the gown to the Kingstons.

But when Abigail Kingston, 30, pulled the dress out of the box, she thought it was a lost cause.

The sleeves were disintegrating, the dress was filled with holes and the satin had turned an unattractive brown. And when the tall, thin bride tried on the dress, it was so short it was a crop top.

taking restorations by Wilson Borough bridal designer Deborah LoPresti's salon, Kingston will don the dress on her wedding day on Oct. 17.

She will be the 11th bride in her family to wear the Victorian-era silk satin gown. ``It's not just the dress that's been handed down,'' Leslie Kingston said. ``It's the love.''

The couple plans to wed in an outdoor ceremony alongside Lake Nockamixon at the Lake House Inn in Perkasie, Bucks County.

The bride will wear a new gown for the ceremony and change into the vintage dress just for the cocktail hour. ``It is very, very fragile,'' Abigail Kingston said.

Leslie Kingston is trying to persuade Ogden, who is her aunt, to

make the journey for the wedding.

It would bring things full circle.

She first saw the gown at Ogden's wedding. At the age of 5, she declared it the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen. And in 1977 Leslie Woodruff Kingston became bride No. 6.

Leslie Kingston's grandmother married in the 1920s. A flapper, she wanted nothing to do with the gown, Leslie Kingston said. But 50 years later her aunts began walking down the aisle in the dress, igniting the tradition. Then their daughters donned the gown for their wedding days.

When her daughter became engaged, Leslie Kingston said, she was thrilled she wanted to carry on the tradition. Finding LoPresti made it possible to restore the dress to its original condition. ``It is a magical wedding dress because she is the 11th bride to wear it,'' Leslie Kingston said. ``Who would think anything would last that long?''

The dress has not been meticulously preserved. Over its lifetime, it has only been dry-cleaned once.

Worn by brides of all shapes and sizes, lace was used to patch up wear and tear. Sometimes it was used as an unfortunate embellishment. ``Each bride could do what they wanted to do it,'' Abigail Kingston said.

The Kingstons knew they wanted to restore the dress to its original design worn by bride No. 1 Mary Lowry Warren when she walked down the aisle Dec. 11, 1895, in Buffalo, New York. Warren is the bride's great-greatgrandmother. ``We wanted to make it the way it was,'' Leslie Kingston said.

LoPresti worked with Gary Harper, owner of Prestige Dry Cleaners in Lopatcong Township,

Pamela Anderson to launch vegan line LOS ANGELES: Former "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson has teamed up with French designer Amelie Pichard to create a vegan accessory line.

The 48-year-old actress, who has followed a vegan lifestyle for over 20 years, has teamed up with the French designer to create animal-friendly shoes and bags inspired by her love for Malibu and Saint-Tropez, reported Women's Wear Daily.

"Each piece is made of nontoxic plastic, cottons, acrylics and rubbers. Vegans can be sexy - super fun, super stylish and conscious because young people want to make

better choices when it comes to consuming. We need more sustainable choices when it comes to handbags and shoes," Anderson said.

The shoe and bag line will also be zapped with the blonde bombshell's love for the '90s with

patchwork denim, plexiglass material for the heels and silver glittered soles.

Pamela's shoe and bag line, which will cost between USD 450 to USD 950 will be available from December 10. -PTI Pamela Anderson arrives for the premiere of "The Gunman" in Los Angeles

to take the couture dress from a brown color to a blush shade.

LoPresti dug through hundreds of bolts of fabric in the garment district in New York City before finding the right charmeuse silk satin to match the original color.

The sleeves are the only new piece of the dress, but they've been carefully copied down to the 80 hand-sewn pleats in each sleeve, LoPresti said. Light expo-

sure frayed the front of the sleeves to shreds of fabric but the backs remained intact. ``We needed to replace the sleeves. I was very sad about that

fact,'' Leslie Kingston said. ``But the sleeves gave up their lives for a very important purpose: to save the rest of the dress.''

LoPresti was able to use the sleeve remnants to patch holes throughout the gown. ``The sleeves looked like rags,'' Abigail Kingston said. ``It feels like the Cinderella dress.''

The history and love poured into the dress will be with the Kingstons on Oct. 17 in a multitude of ways. The dress has been passed down the paternal side of Leslie Kingston's family and Oct. 17 is her late father's birthday.

Abigail Kingston will wear the locket her grandfather gave her grandmother on their 50th wedding anniversary. It is engraved with their engagement date and wedding date and holds photos of the couple. On her hand will be her great-grandmother's ring.

And every bride that's worn the dress will take part in the day through a display of their bridal portraits. ``We're just really happy and blessed we can keep the tradition going,'' Leslie Kingston said.

There's already a 12th bride inquiring about the dress.

Leslie Kingston is excited to be its new keeper. -AP

Kapil Sharma wants Modi on show

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he move from TV to films may be long and tedious for many, but Kapil Sharma has been lucky to have got a break so early on in his career. However, the actor says that he will not leave television for films. The 34year-old says that people know him because of his comedy show on TV and he would not prioritize films over it.

Although he says that he is in no hurry to make a career in films, he adds that he is open to playing serious roles.

After establishing himself in the show, Kapil manages to hold his own even in front of the biggest of celebrities.

Having had the biggest names in showbiz on board his TV show, the actor says Prime Minister Modi is on his wishlist. "Coming from a small place and of modest means, he has risen to be the Prime Minister of the country. I won't ask him political questions. I will only request him to talk about his struggle. It will inspire millions," he said.-Courtesy HT

October 2, 2015

India Post 27 www.indiapost.com

Siyaram joint venture with Italian Cadini MUMBAI: Domestic textile player Siyaram Silk Mills has announced joint venture with leading Italian lifestyle brand Cadini.

"We have entered into joint venture with leading Italian lifestyle brand Cadini. We have bought ownership rights to manufacture and market Cadini brand for its fabric segment in India, Sri Lanka and few

other countries in Middle East," Siyaram Silk Mills Chairman and MD Ramesh Poddar told PTI here. "We want to give Indian consumer the Italian feel at a reasonable price by customizing it to our market.

Some products will be imported

from Italy, but a major portion will be from India. We will bring the Italian innovation and manufacture it over here," Poddar said at the launch of the brand in India without disclosing the consideration. He added, "Siyarams currently has annual revenue of around Rs 1,550 crore and expects to grow by 10-15 per cent annually

this year. We expect Cadini to contribute around Rs 100 crore of our total revenues in the next financial year." Cadini will also help Siyarams in sourcing and designing.

The brand will be available in India in superior fabrics followed

by garments and accessories, while the company also plans to open its Cadini exclusive outlets and shop-in shop in the near future. Expecting a great response from the humongous and fast growing Indian market Cadini Brand Director Daniella Nicolle said, "This venture has not only provided us a platform to showcase our collection to the Indian consumer but has also helped us to discover various avenues in terms of global marketing."

Cadini derives 95 per cent of its revenues from international market and only 5 per cent from Italian market, Faralli said. Siyarams has spent Rs 80 crore to modernize its manufacturing facility this year and will spend around Rs 70 crore next year funded through internal accruals as well as government incentive Textile Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS), Poddar said. He added, this will enable the company to add 10-15 per cent more to its monthly sales of 65 lakh meters of fabric per month. -PTI

Snoop Dogg launches cannabis lifestyle website NEW YORK: Rapper Snoop Dogg has launched a new website called Merry Jane which will have information about marijuana products and a location-mapping tool to show dispensaries.

The 43-year-old "Smoke The Weed" hitmaker partnered with T e d Chung to create the lifestyle website, calling it a gamechanging platform for pop culture, reported Time.

"There are so many people in the closet. We are giving them an opportunity to come out of the closet and just admit they like to smoke. I'm a smoker, my name is Snoop Dogg, and I'm a stoner," he said.

The site will include a cooking show for budding chefs which will cover edibles and

weed pairings, a show called Deflowered featuring smokers discussing first-time experiences and exclusive celebrity interviews.

The rapper noted at celebrity appearances, saying, "Seth Rogen is down with the team."

Snoop Dogg

Merry Jane will also take a look at the business and politics of the cannabis industry, breaking news about legalization, policy, and industry growth.

The platform launches in October, but is currently sending invitations to a select number of beta testers. -PTI

India Post 29

October 2, 2015 www.indiapost.com

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Tu Chahiye : Bajrangi Bhaijaan 2 Baaton Ko Teri: All Is Well 3 Bhar Do Jholi Meri : Bajrangi Bhaijaan 4 Main Hoon Hero Tera: Hero 30 India Post

October 2, 2015

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5 Afghan Jalebi : Phantom 6 Zindagi Kuch Toh Bata :

he 'Ek Villain' actor Sidharth Malhotra fiBajrangi Bhaijaan nally opened up 7 Mere Humsafar : All Is Well about intention to marry his rumored girlfriend 8 Yadaan Teriyaan : Hero Alia Bhatt. For quite sometime, reports of Alia and Sidharth's 9 Chaar Shanivaar : All Is Well affair are doing rounds but the 10 Khoya Khoya : Hero couple has not yet confirmed their relationship status. It was not so long when Alia's mother quipped that Sidharth often visits their house to meet Alia.

Last month, Alia hit the headlines when she met Sid's parents over dinner and spent quality time with them after it. It was also speculated that Alia and Sidharth wish to take their relationship to the next level but nothing has been confirmed from their side.

When Sid spoke to an entertainment portal, he to an extent confirmed his relationship with the 'Shaandaar' actress but denied marriage on the card.

Sidharth said, "We have just started our careers. Abhi toh hum jawaan hai, abhi shaadi kahan?" (We are still young.

Where does getting married feature in our lives right now?)

A

kshay Kumar is back with another action-comedy - Singh Is Bliing which also stars Amy Jackson, Lara Dutta and Kay Kay Menon.

The Baby star was keen on having Lara in the movie. The two have earlier worked together in the actress' debut Andaz, Housefull, Bhaagam Bhaag and others. "I requested her to come and be a part of our film. The whole story is that Amy Jackson (other co-star) does not know how to speak Hindi and I don't know how to speak English and our romance starts but there is communication gap," Akshay said.

Praising Amy, Akshay said, "She is one of the best fighters that I have come across as a heroine, and she is beautiful." For Singh is Bliing, Akshay shot with a lion and the actor calls the scene as the biggest stunt in the movie. "I shot with a lion and that is the biggest stunt.

I am not fighting with him... he is just sitting behind my car, he has got a huge face," he said.

"The lion's name is Mufasa, a full grown lion... He is very loving but you are taking a risk sitting with him," he added.

S

lumdog Millionaire co-stars and former couple Freida Pinto and Dev Patel reunited in Los Angeles to support a charitable organization. Pinto, 30, and the 25-year-old "Chappie" actor showed their support for Pratham, which is committed to ending the cycle of poverty by improving the education and literacy rates of children in India, reported E! Online.

The duo was on a panel together and mingled with guests.

They also participated in the live auction helping raise money in the most successful Pratham Gala to date. The pair began dating in 2009 and announced their break up in 2014, after nearly six years of dating.

Patel will be next seen in The Man Who Knew Infinity, which is based on the life of legendary Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. Pinto stars in live-action adventure fantasy Jungle Book: Origins, scheduled to release in 2017.

Bollywood

October 2, 2015

India Post 31

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riyanka Chopra's maiden American television series 'Quantico' is set to go on airs in a few days and just now she has fallen ill. But the cure for her ailment is her family and mother Madhu.

The 'Mary Kom' actress took to micro blogging site Twitter to share about her poor health condition and expressed how she finds her mother and family, the best things in her life. ''Late nights... Upset ME! But mommys lap...Conversations... Mommy... Family...

The best things in life... Unconditional...

Smiles,'' the former Miss World posted.

Her International drama 'Quantico' begins airing from September 27 on ABC Network. It will also be telecast on Star World from October 4 for Indian audience.

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he 'Ishaqzaade' actress Parineeti Chopra, who was away from acting for quite sometime, is back. After suffering few flops, Pari was waiting for a promising comeback and now it seems she has got one.

As per reports, Parineeti will star opposite Arjun Kapoor in Shimit Amin's next.

The untitled film will be produced by Yash Raj Films and this will be Parineeti's second outing with Arjun Kapoor post 'Ishaqzaade'. Simit Amin, who helmed blockbuster 'Chak De!', starring Shahrukh Khan is returning to direction six years after 'Rocket Singh: Salesman of The year'.

Pari has shed oodles and looks glamorous in her new slim trim avatar. She was looking for a fresh start of her career and it seems her wait is over.

The untitled film will be produced by Yash Raj Films and this will be Parineeti's second outing with Arjun Kapoor post 'Ishaqzaade

S “Destiny will decide the course of her daughter's career."

If it has to happen, she will enter films. I never planned to be an actress,"

ridevi has refuted rumors about her daughter Jhanvi Kapoor's cinematic debut with Malayalam heartthrob Dulquer Salmaan, and added that she wants Jhanvi to focus on education for now.

The rumored project was to be directed

by K.V. Vijayendra Prasad, the writer behind Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. "She (Jhanvi) has just completed graduation. Her focus should be on education now. Contrary to reports, she hasn't signed any film yet. She's young and it's too early for her to think about acting," Sridevi told.

She also added that destiny will decide the course of her daughter's career." If it has to happen, she will enter films. I never planned to be an actress," she said.

Sridevi is looking forward to the release of her comeback Tamil film Puli, which releases worldwide on October 1 in Hindi as well as Telugu.

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Count on India's leadership China ambivalent on G4 call for UNSC reforms in S. Asia: UN chief UNITED NATIONS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met UN chief Ban Ki-moon here who said he "counted on India's leadership" in South Asia, at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) summit here marking the world body's landmark 70th anniversary session.

Modi and the UN SecretaryGeneral discussed sustainable development, Security Council reform and UN peacekeeping operations.

With India among the countries providing the highest number of peacekeeping troops, the Prime Minister said nations sending their soldiers must have a say in peacekeeping missions.

Calling for Security Council reforms, Modi had recently written to Ban for the "need to rethink how the multilateral system can be made more inclusive, more effective and, ultimately, better fit for the purpose it was conceived".

"The United Nations must be made more effective for dealing with the new security chal-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presenting a book titled "India and United Nations- A Photo Journey: 1945-2015" to the UN Secretary General, Ban Kimoon, at United Nations General Assembly, in New York on September 25

lenges," he had said.

The two leaders also had detailed discussions on climate change. Modi said currently there is a huge trust deficit among developed and developing nations as he stressed on the positive as-

pect of climate change.

There was a broad exchange of views on the current political situation in Nepal and Sri Lanka with Ban saying that he counted on India's leadership in the region.-PTI

Concern over no say to countries providing troops UNITED NATIONS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that India will contribute an additional battalion of 850

troops for UN peacekeeping operations, but also raised concern that troop contributing countries have no role in decision-making.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the UN Peacekeeping Summit, in New York on September 28

"India's commitment to UN Peacekeeping remains strong and will grow," Modi said in his address to the UN Summit on Peace Operations here.

Announcing India's new intended contributions, Modi said the country will contribute additional battalion of up to 850 troops in existing or new operations and three police units with higher representation of female peacekeepers.

He also announced India's commitment to provide critical enablers; deployment of technical personnel in UN missions; and, additional training for peacekeepers at facilities in India and in the field.

"Success of peacekeeping ultimately depends not on the weapons they (soldiers) carry but by the moral force of the UNSC," he told the gathering including Obama, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and leaders from a large number of other countries.

"The problems arise to a large extent because troop contributing countries do not

BEIJING: China has come out with a guarded and ambivalent reaction to a call by G4 nations, including India, for their inclusion as perman e n t members in the UN Security Council, saying it supports the reforms to improve the Council but with widest possible consensus.

"China supports the UN Security Council reform so as to enhance its authority and effective-

ness," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a media briefing here.

Hong was replying to question on China's reaction to the G4 countries' - India, Germany, Brazil and Japan - call for UNSC reforms in a fixed time frame and their inclusion as permanent members of the UN's highest body.

Hong said the UNSC reform "should give priority to enhancing the representation and voice of the developing countries".

"The Security Council reform bears on the future of the UN and the interests of the member states therefore it calls for through discussion and broad consultation so as to reach the widest possible consensus," he said without directly responding to G4 countries leaders demand for their inclusion.-PTI

IS greatest challenge facing world: Modi UNITED NATIONS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has acknowledged that the dreaded terror group Islamic State poses one of the greatest challenges facing the international community today and said there is a need to "delink terrorism from religion".

During a meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, Modi discussed ways to prevent radicalization of youth and to counteract extremist messaging, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said after the meeting.

"Both leaders acknowledged that ISIS was one of the greatest have a role in the decision-making process," he said, adding "they do not have adequate representation in senior management and as Force Commanders".

challenges facing the international community. The Prime Minister said that there is a need to delink terrorism from religion," Swarup said.

Modi said the only way to combat international terrorism and the menace of organizations like IS (also known as ISIS) was to have a global response.

He specially referred to the long pending proposal of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism, saying the time has now come for the international community to speak on one voice on this important issue and adopt this global convention.-PTI

range of complex challenges.

"Mandates are ambitious but resources are limited...

Today's peacekeepers are called upon not only to maintain peace and security, but also address a range of challenges," the Prime "Success of peacekeeping Minister said. ultimately depends not on He called for peacekeeping missions to be the weapons they (soldiers) deployed prudently carry but by the moral with full recognition of their limitations and in force of the UNSC," support of political solutions.

Underlining the difficult cirIndia is among the largest concumstances under which troops tributors to the UN peacekeeping have to do their duty, Modi said operations with over 1,80,000 peacekeepers today are called troops having participated in misupon not only to maintain peace sions - more than from any other and security, but also address a country.-PTI

October 2, 2015

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Narendra Modi, the Rock Star at SAP Center

Narendra Modi with the Governor of California, Edmund G. Brown Jr, in San Jose, California on September 27

Saratoga City Councilmember Rishi Kumar having a word with PM Narendra Modi

Dr Romesh Japra, Chairman & Convener of FIA and FIA President Rajesh Verma along with their wives greeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi

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Modi meets hundreds of Indian-Americans NEW YORK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met hundreds of Indian-Americans here. In fact, he met at least a hundred people and posed for picture on the first night itself when he arrived after a long flight from Delhi after a short stopover in Dublin, Ireland.

As several hundred people waited outside the hotel raising slogans amidst beating of drums, Modi came out of his secret service driven black SUV to meet his supporters.

Once inside the Waldrof Astoria, a few dozen eminent Indian-Americans were waiting inside the lobby. As he personally recognized them, he called them to his meeting room. He met the group in three batches.

One of them was with those who were involved in organizing a successful reception for him last September at the Madison Square Garden, which was attended by a record 20,000 people.

Modi, who before becoming Gujarat Chief Minister had extensively traveled across the US, appears to know many of them personally and enquired about their family members joking with them occasionally.

He also met another group of Indian Americans the same night to take inputs from them on various policy issues related to India US relationship. One of the community leaders said on condition of anonymity that this was about defense.

He also met Aseem Chhabra of Hindu American Foundation, who presented Modi with a welcome letter signed by over 200 leading academics in engineering, liberal arts, and the sciences. "Kem chho Aseembhai?" asked the Prime Minister in Gujarati, seeking his well-being.

In all these meetings, Modi posed for photographs with each

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being greeted by the people on his arrival in New York on September 23

one of them. Both on Thursday and Friday there was a steady stream of visitors waiting for him sometime for hours. Very few went disappointed.

Soon after his dinner with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, which was the last official engagement of the day-long hectic events, Modi was energetic enough to meet a group of over 50 members of the Overseas Friends of BJPUSA led by its president Chandrakant Patel.

OFBJP-USA, which had worked hard in his election campaign, was disappointed that he had not given him time last year.

A steady stream of visitors was seen in the hotel lobby on the day when he spent his time at the UN and meeting various world leaders. Among those included a group of 20 Patels Not this year though. OFBJP members flew in from various parts of the US. Modi listened

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with members of Gujarati community in New York

patiently from them their issues and concerns and then posed for pictures with them, which soon became public on the social media.

A steady stream of visitors was seen in the hotel lobby on the day when he spent his time at the UN and meeting various world leaders. Among those included a group of 20 Patels, who identified themselves as members of the Sardar Patel Group USA Canada.

"We submitted a signed memorandum to the Prime Minister," said Alpesh Patel after the meeting. The memorandum urged the prime minister to take action against those responsible for police brutalities and provide reservation in jobs on the basis of economic status. "We were supposed to meet him for five minutes, but

he spent 15 minutes with us," he said.

Late in the evening, one of his old acquaintances turned up at the hotel unannounced. By that time the Prime Minister had left for a private dinner meeting.

"I have sent my (business) card. I am sure, I will get a call to meet him on Monday," the community leader said requesting that his name not be published. "He is a people's prime minister. This is how he works," the New Jersey based community leader said.

"Don't you get tired Narendra Bhai meeting so many people," asked his old-time friend Bharat Barai from Chicago when the Prime Minister met about 100 people at the hotel.

"Modi smiled and said this is part of my job," Barai said. -PTI

Modi meeting the participants of Roundtable meeting on Financial Sector, at New York on September 24

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Govt dismisses Sharif plea for plebiscite in J-K NEW DELHI: The government has dismissed Pakistan's suggestion for holding plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir saying the territory is an integral part of India and blamed the neighboring country for allowing its land to be used for terror activities.

He was replying to a question on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif raising the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in his meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon and asking for holding of plebiscite in the state.

Rijiju blamed Pakistan for al-

Sharif met Ban before his speech to the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the United Nations. Sharif urged the Secretary General to play a role in defusing tension between Pakistan and India "Kashmir is an internal issue.

It is an integral part of India," Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju told reporters here.

lowing its territory to be used by terrorist organizations for their acts directed against India.

"Our issue is terrorism and how

Pakistan's land is used for terror acts directed against India," he said.

Sharif met Ban before his speech to the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the United Nations.

According to the Pakistan mission, Sharif urged the Secretary General to play a role in defusing tension between Pakistan and India and to help end alleged violations at the Line of Control.

Sharif called for implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on the Kashmir dispute and holding of plebiscite to determine the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

Ban stressed on the need for a dialogue between India and Pakistan to resolve tension between them. -PTI

Kerry asks Sharif to take action against LeT NEW YORK: US Secretary of State John Kerry has asked Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take action against terrorist groups like Lashkar-eTaiba and the dreaded Afghan-based Haqqani network.

Kerry commended Sharif's pledge to not distinguish between terrorist groups and "urged additional action against the Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba," State Department spokesman John Kirby said following the two leaders' meeting here on sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.

"He acknowledged the crucial role Pakistan has played in Afghan reconciliation talks and noted the importance of dialogue with India for fostering regional stability and economic integration," Kirby said.

The banned Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group had carried out the audacious 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people.

The Haqqani network, founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani, has been blamed for the Indian embassy bombing in Kabul in 2008 that left 58 people dead, a 2011 attack on the US embassy in Kabul, and several big truck bombing attempts in Afghanistan.-PTI

Sharif, Modi wave at each other UNITED NATIONS: Reflecting a chill in bilateral relations, waving at each other was all that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif did as they attended the UN peacekeeping summit.

Assembling for the Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping hosted by US President Barack Obama, Modi walked into the conference hall first and took his seat at the right-side of the horse-shoe shaped table in chamber hall.

Sharif walked in a few minutes later and took his seat right across from Modi at the leftside of the table. The two leaders did not immediately wave or smile at each other.

Just minutes before the program was about to begin, Sharif waved at Modi, who on seeing Sharif waving at him, smiled back and responded with a wave.

After a brief pause, Modi waved again to Sharif, who smiled back and nodded his head.-PTI

Kashmir is Indo-Pak matter: Obama agrees NEW YORK: President Barack Obama has agreed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Kashmir is a bilateral issue to be resolved between India and Pakistan as they held talks here during which terrorism emanating from Pakistan also came up.

"There was a broad acknowledgement that this is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and people were happy for India and Pakistan to resolve it among themselves," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup told reporters here when asked whether Kashmir came up during Modi and Obama talks.

"There was a discussion on

Pakistan in one of the meetings in the context of terrorism, broadly the idea was if terrorism has to be fought then all countries have to be on the same page. You can't have some countries talking of good and bad terrorists," he said.

To a question on why it was taking so long in framing the definition of terror by the UN, Swarup said, "Some, in particular, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) lobby wants to include freedom fighters for instance in the definition of terrorism."

He said, "Some compromise formulations have been put forward but they have not yet been agreed."-PTI

Modi in meeting with the President of United States of America (USA), Barack Obama, in New York on September 28

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, meets with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at UN headquarters

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India launches Astrosat, 6 foreign crafts SRIHARIKOTA, AP: India has successfully launched Astrosat, its maiden dedicated space observatory aimed at undertaking a detailed understanding of the universe, and six foreign satellites, including four from the US,

going as per our present Prime Minister's vision and plan" and what he has said in the United States.

"Relationships our country is now harnessing and nourishing is the reason ISRO was able to

gence through vessel tracking via' the AIS, ISRO said.

With this, a total of, 51 satellites belonging to global customers from 20 countries, including Germany, France, Japan, Canada, U.K, have been launched successfully by ISRO so far.

Declaring the launch successful, a beaming ISRO Chairman said PSLV had put in an astronomy mission which is being looked at not only within the country but also globally to bring in new information to scientific community.

"I congratulate the entire ISRO community for the wonderful job they have done," he said addressing the gathering at the Mission Control Centre.

Hailing the ISRO for the 30th consecutive success of PSLV, Choudhry said it was really a proud moment for every citizen of the country.

"I congratulate the entire ISRO team present and past who have started these missions. This being the 30th success I am sure you will be doing many more successful launches," he said.

Director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre Kunhi Krishnan said Astrosat was the 'hard earned' gift of ISRO to the world in the area of astronomy and noted ISRO had crossed the half-century mark in commercial launches with this mission.

"We are getting ready with an-

ISRO looking at industry-build launch vehicles Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)s PSLV C 30 carrying India’s Multi Wavelength Space Observatory ASTROSAT, lifts off from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota on September 28

onboard PSLV-C30 from the spaceport here.

This was the first time that India launched US satellites, belonging to a San Francisco-based company, under an agreement signed with Antrix Corporation Ltd, the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

In a textbook launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, ISRO's trusted workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), in its 31st flight, injected Astrosat and the six co-passengers into orbit about 25 minutes after a perfect lift-off amidst cheers from scientists led by the space agency's Chairman Kiran Kumar.

The launch was witnessed by Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Choudhry, who later congratulated the ISRO scientists and said the space program was "exactly

launch American satellites from here," he said.

With a lift-off mass of about 1,513 kg, Astrosat was first injected into a 650 km orbit by PSLVC30, followed by the other six satellites in the space of about three minutes.

International customer satellites that piggybacked the PSLV C30 were the LAPAN-A2 of Indonesia meant for maritime surveillance using Automatic Identification System (AIS), and maritime monitoring nanosatellite from Canada, NLS-14 (Ev9), which uses 'next generation' AIS. The rocket, one of world's most reliable launch vehicles which clocked its 30th successful mission in a row, also carried four identical LEMUR nano satellites of a Spire Global Inc., San Francisco, US, that were non-visual remote sensing satellites 'focusing primarily on maritime intelli-

SRIHARIKOTA, AP: Envisaging a more active participation from domestic industry in India's space program, ISRO has said it looked forward to industry built and assembled launch vehicles in three to four years.

"About three to four years down the line, our target is to see industry-built, assembled and launched PSLV," ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar said.

Addressing the media after successful launch of Astrosat, the country's first observatory satellite, and six foreign satellites onboard PSLV-C30 from here, he pointed out to the participation of about 150 companies in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle programme.

Responding to a query on the SAARC satellite proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the member countries, Kumar said Sri Lanka had given its acceptance on frequency while the space agency was awaiting the same from others.-PTI

other dedicated commercial mission in PSLV C29 with six satellites from Singapore. All of us must be proud to see PSLV has established its prominent presence in the international space market," he added.

Astrosat, which has a mission life of five years, carries four Xray payloads, one UV telescope and a charge particle monitor.

The scientific satellite mission Astrosat has unique features including simultaneous multi-wave-

Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bengaluru will manage the satellite during its mission life.

The scientific objectives of Astrosat mission are to understand high energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron stars and black holes, to estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars and to study star birth regions and high energy processes in star systems lying beyond our galaxy.

The mission is also aimed at

The scientific objectives of Astrosat mission are to understand high energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron stars and black holes, to estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars and to study star birth regions and high energy processes in star systems lying beyond our galaxy length observations of various astronomical objects with a single satellite.

According to ISRO, Astrosat will observe the universe in optical, ultraviolet low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, while most other scientific satellites are capable of observing a narrow range of wavelength band.

The spacecraft control centre at Mission Operations Complex of ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and

detecting new briefly bright X-ray sources in the sky and performing a limited deep field survey of the universe in the ultraviolet region.

Apart from ISRO, four other Indian institutions - Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, InterUniversity Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics and Raman Research Institute, were involved in payload development, officials said. -PTI

MHA's nod for visa-free business trips NEW DELHI: Leading businessmen from India and 15 other countries, including China and Japan, may soon be able to make visa-free short business trips to each other's territory to boost commercial ties, with the Home Ministry giving inprinciple approval to the ambitious plan.

The member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a proposed mega trade agreement, will discuss the matter at its next meeting scheduled to be held in Busan, South Korea, from October 12 to October 16.

Sixteen-member RCEP comprises 10 ASEAN member states and their trading partners - India, South Korea, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand.

As per the proposal, a special business travel card, modeled on that of the Asia Pacific

Economic Cooperation (APEC), will be issued to leading businessmen of RCEP member countries for uninterrupted, visa-free short business trips to each other's territory.

"We have received a proposal from the Commerce Ministry and conveyed that, in principle, the plan is feasible.

But we have sought the detailed project report for giving the final clearance," a senior Home Ministry official said.

If the proposal gets clearance, bona fide business travelers with the special card will avoid visa documentation and long queues at airports and could tour with more ease.

RCEP negotiations were launched in Phnom Penh in November 2012. The 16 countries account for over a quarter of the world's economy, estimated to be more than USD 75 trillion.-PTI

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Home, auto loans to cost less as RBI cuts rate MUMBAI: Home and corporate loans will cost less as the Reserve Bank has lowered the key interest rate by 0.50 per cent - the biggest cut in over three years to bolster the economy.

In its fourth bi-monthly monetary policy for the current fiscal, RBI cut benchmark repurchase (repo) rate from 7.25 per cent to 6.75 per cent, lowest in four-andhalf-years.

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, who had faced growing pressure from the government as also industry to reduce one of Asia's highest borrowing costs, justified the bigger than expected reduction saying consumer inflation was likely to be at 5.8 per cent, below the 6 per cent target for January.

The focus should now shift to bringing inflation to around 5 per cent by March 2017, he said, adding that RBI will be vigilant for signs of monetary policy adjustments that are needed to stick to the "deflationary path".

He also drew comfort from US Federal Reserve delaying the first hike in interest rates in nine years, which may have put emerging market currencies under pressure.

RBI lowered its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.4 per cent from its previous projection of 7.6 per cent.

"While the Reserve Bank's stance will continue to be accommodative, the focus of monetary

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan with Deputy Governors H R Khan and Urjit Patel during a press conference announcing the RBI monetary policy at RBI Headquarters in Mumbai on September 29

action for the near term will shift to working with the government to ensure that impediments to banks passing on the bulk of the cumulative 125 basis points cut in the policy rate are removed," Rajan said.

The reduction comes on the back of interest rates being cut thrice earlier this year by 25 basis points each. Within minutes of RBI policy announcement, Andhra Bank cut its benchmark lending rates by 0.25 per cent. The other banks are likely to follow suit.

The BSE Sensex, which was over 300 points down, staged a recovery after the announcement of the policy. However, it again slipped into the negative zone. A majority of analysts were expecting Rajan to cut rates at the policy review largely because of inflation being under control, and possibilities of it staying low in immediate future on compressed commodity prices.

However, more than the rate action, it was the guidance in the future stance, which the market

was watching.

The Finance Ministry had also been building pressure on RBI to cut rates, which will serve as a booster for the economy, where the GDP expansion has slipped to 7 per cent for the June quarter.

Citing the wholesale pricebased inflation continuing to be in the negative zone, Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramaniam had said we run the risk of deflation as well.

However, in its Monetary Policy Report, RBI said that con-

cerns around deflation are "overstated" and an "array of facts" like the sequential pick-up in growth can be presented to counter the argument.

"The prescription is that monetary policy should act aggressively to pre-empt deflation," it said, adding that for pushing up the growth, the government will also have to work hard.

At 3.66 per cent for August, the consumer price inflation is within the RBI's comfort zone, especially given its stated target of getting the rate of price rise to 6 per cent

by January 2016.

However, a week ahead of the review Rajan had given mixed signals of the stance he will be taking at the review, saying the inflation is low due to base effects - it was very high same time last year - and also flagged worries on inflation expectations in the economy, which continue to be very high.

The comments had come a day after US Federal Reserve decided to delay its rate hike, further fuelling expectations of a rate cut by India. Apart from the US Fed's actions, the 13 per cent shortfall in monsoon till now, which can impact inflation going forward, is another key factor.

However, government's resolve in not hiking minimum support prices by a higher degree will act as a comforting factor.-PTI

Rate cut for stronger, sustainable growth: Rajan MUMBAI: Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan has said the 0.50 per cent reduction in key rate is to ensure strong and sustainable growth, and was driven primarily by its preconditions being met and the weakness in external environment.

"The conditions we had laid out have been broadly met except monsoon... We have also seen some dramatic reduction in external environment, including China has had a tremendous effect on commodity prices including on oil prices and its prospects," Rajan told reporters after the monetary policy announcement.

RBI cut the lending rate by a surprising 0.50 per cent, terming it as a "front-loaded" action but affirmed its commitment to the accommodative stance it adopted in January.

Rajan also made it clear that the RBI has not been "excessively aggressive" with the rate

call and it should not be misconstrued as a bonus ahead of the Diwali festivities.

"We have used what room we had, I don't think we were excessively aggressive. We weren't

"The conditions we had laid out have been broadly met except monsoon...

We have also seen some dramatic reduction in external environment, including China has had a tremendous effect on commodity prices throwing Diwali bonus.

Given the state of the economy, how can we move it forward," he said.

After the clarity on meeting the

January 2016 target of containing inflation under 6 per cent, Rajan said the focus now needs to shift to squeezing it further to 5 per cent by early 2017.

He acknowledged the difficulties in meeting the target, but made it clear that it is "imminently feasible" and drew attention towards the success in bringing down inflation by two percentage points in the last one year.

The Governor said help from the government is very crucial, and welcomed the support being given through keeping the minimum support prices of grains lower and initiating other supply side measures.

On inflation, Rajan expressed concerns on pressures emanating on the services front, where we have seen prices of education and healthcare go up considerably.

He also said that it is difficult to gauge the supply in this sector, unlike other ones.

For growth, where the RBI has cut its estimate by 0.20 per cent to

7.4 per cent, Rajan said increasing the investments is very crucial.

"The capacity utilization, the first factor which leads to more investment, is still very tepid

When asked about the degree of influence which the US Fed's call to hold on to the rate hike had, Rajan said the RBI does keep an eye on all the developments but its calls do not over-rely on such actions and...suggest there is room for more domestic demand which will be non-inflationary and it would create more investment. We need to restart investment. Corporate

investment has been weak," he said.

RBI Deputy Governor Urijit Patel said, "Capacity utilization continues to be low at 70-72 per cent. That gives us confidence that there is adequate slack to have higher growth and lower inflation."

When asked about the degree of influence which the US Fed's call to hold on to the rate hike had, Rajan said the RBI does keep an eye on all the developments but its calls do not over-rely on such actions.

"We are continuing to make the economy more robust and ensure strong, sustainable growth. That is what we can do in this environment. We don't agonies everyday about what the Fed is doing," he said.

Patel, who is in-charge of the monetary policy, added that RBI has also assumed that the government will deliver on its target of cutting the fiscal deficits.-PTI

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Indian firms may make Boeing copter parts NEW DELHI: American aviation giant Boeing has said it is in talks with Indian firms to manufacture parts of Apache helicopter, a day after it signed a contract with India for 15 Chinook heavylift and 22 attack choppers.

It said the contract for production, training and support of Apache and Chinook helicopters will greatly enhance India's capabilities across a range of military and humanitarian missions.

India will receive 22 AH-64E

He said the acquisition offers Boeing an opportunity to further accelerate 'Make in India'.

"Large sections of the Chinook fuselage are already manufactured in India and discussions are ongoing with our Indian partners to make Apache parts," he said.

Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar had last week said that the contract, which will have a 30 per cent offset clause, will bring in business worth about USD one billion for the Indian Defense in-

‘The Apache and Chinook represent the best of high-performing technologies that will modernize India's defense capabilities,’ said Dennis Swanson, vice president, Defense, Space & Security in India. The contract has a clause to place follow-on orders for 11 more Apache attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. Both are the newest models of those choppers and the first one likely to be handed over to India in the next three to four years.

"This is a milestone in Boeing's expanding commitment to India," Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India said in a press statement.

dustry. He said at least 50 per cent of these would be direct export.

The Apache is a multi-role attack helicopter. The AH-64E Apache, the most modern variant also flown by the US Army, features enhanced performance, joint digital operability, improved survivability and cognitive decision aiding.

The CH-47F Chinook is an advanced multi-mission helicopter

operated by the US Army and 18 other defense forces.

"These new aircraft will provide world-class capabilities to meet the Indian Air Force's missions today, tomorrow and well into the future," said David Koopersmith, vice president and general manager, Boeing Vertical Lift division.

India is the 14th nation to select the Apache and the 19th nation to select the Chinook.

"The Apache and Chinook represent the best of high-performing technologies that will modernize India's defense capabilities," said Dennis Swanson, vice president, Defense, Space & Security in India.

The contract has a clause to place follow-on orders for 11 more Apaches and seven extra Chinooks.

The helicopter deal has survived over 10 price validity extensions from the American side with the last one being for a month as desired by India.

While the Chinook helicopter deal is a direct one with the US firm, the one for Apache is a hybrid. A part of the Apache deal was signed with Boeing for the helicopter and the other with the US government, under Foreign Military Sales route, for its weapons, radars and electronic warfare suites.-PTI

Bharti remanded to police custody NEW DELHI: Former Delhi Law Minister and controversial AAP MLA Somnath Bharti, arrested in the wee hours in connection with a domestic violence and attempt to murder case, was sent to police custody for two days by a Delhi court.

41-year-old Bharti, who had surrendered before police, was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Manika who remanded him to police custody till October 1 after the investigating agency said the recovery of a knife, some jewellery and other articles related to the case were to be made from him.

The special public prosecutor, who sought five days custody of Bharti, said this was required also in connection with the investigation relating to his pet dog 'Don', for which an expert has already been consulted. He also alleged that Bharti had unleashed his dog on his wife when she was seven month pregnant and was bitten by it.

"The dog follows the command

of its master. We want him to be present to check whether he reacts to his command. An expert has been asked to join in this matter," the police said.

Somnath Bharti

The police custody plea was opposed by advocate Vijay Aggarwal, who appeared for Bharti, saying the agency had enough time to go to different

places and recover the articles as the complaint was lodged by his wife, Lipika Mitra, three months before the FIR was registered.

He also said there was no mention about any knife in the complaint lodged by his wife and it was she who had threatened to kill herself.

Regarding the jewellery, the politician's counsel said these were taken away by his wife in December 2010 itself.

Bharti's counsel contended that the dog was also available whenever the agency needed it for investigation and claimed that the Delhi legislator does not know anything about the missing articles which police wants to recover.

"When he (Bharti) is already saying he knows nothing about the missing articles, can the police be allowed to get the custody to have the opportunity to use third degree," Aggarwal said, adding that "they (police) are going to plant some false evidence against me if given custody".-PTI

Asha Bhosle's son passes away in Scotland MUMBAI: Veteran singer Asha Bhosle's son Hemant died in Scotland after losing his battle with cancer. He was 66.

hope that he would get well," Radha, Bhosle's niece, told PTI. The family was set to celebrate Lata Mangeshkar's 86th birthday

File photo of Asha Bhosle's (L) son Hemant (extreme right)

Hemant's death comes three years after the 82-year-old singer lost her daughter, Varsha, in 2012.

Varsha was suffering from depression and committed suicide.

Hemant's cousin, Radha Mangeshkar, said they had hoped for his recovery but the musician passed away on September 26.

"He was suffering from cancer for past three years... the family was in trauma since then. We did

on September 27 but they cancelled it after they got to know about the demise of Asha's eldest son, she said.

"We had Ganpati Visarjan on September 27, but kept it very low key. We did not celebrate her (Lata Mangeshkar's) birthday," Radha said.

Hemant composed music in films like "Damaad", "Nazrana Pyar Ka" and "Shradhanjali".-PTI

Govt unveils framework to rank Indian institutes NEW DELHI: The government has unveiled a framework that would rank engineering and management institutes taking into account peer perception, research activity and also inclusively through reservations.

The ranking framework broadly covers all institutes both in government and private sectors, though participation is voluntary in nature, and the first ranking list would be released in early April next year. The framework for pharmacy, architecture and universities would be released within the next one month.

"It is a revolutionary step. Before the next academic year, we will manage to give our students a plethora of choice on the basis of the national framework which is very transparent, which engages not only the institutes, regulators but the citizens at large," HRD Minister Smriti Irani said while releasing the ranking framework.

Irani credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for encouraging an India-specific ranking framework especially because of the

absence of an Indian institute in the global ranking list by international agencies which had been lamented both by him and President Pranab Mukherjee on various occasions.

The institutes would be ranked separately across disciplines and in category A and B, with category A institutes getting extra weightage for teaching and research. The parameters would include 'outreach and inclusively' with up to 20 marks going to institutes for adhering to reservations for economically and socially disadvantaged sections.

"Fifty per cent economically and socially disadvantaged students should be admitted to score maximum marks," the framework said setting the benchmark.

Private institutes could be at a disadvantage unable to fulfill this parameter as reservations are not strictly binding on them.

Asked for his comments, Higher Education Secretary V S Oberoi merely said "we are working as per the reservation policy...we are not altering it".-PTI

Datebook

October 2, 2015

NEW JERSEY Upcoming

NEW YORK Upcoming

Sat,Oct 3

Sat, Oct 3

• Shri Atul Purohit Navratri Garba Mohatsav in NJ

• Sukhwinder Singh & Kanika Kapoor -Live in Concert

Venue: MetLife Stadium, 1 MetLife Stadium Drive, East Rutherford, NJ 07073 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 732-770-2561

Venue: Colden Center Auditorium ( Queens College), 65-30 Kissena Blvd, NY 11367 Time : 08:00 pm

Sat, Oct 10 • IFMP Navratri Raas Garba 2015 Venue: West Windsor Plainsboro High School North, 90 Grovers Mill Road, Plainsboro, NJ 08536 Time : 07:00 pm

Sun, Oct 11 • Nooran Sisters Live in Concert Venue: Colden Center, 6530 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367 Time : 07:30 pm

Fri, Oct 16

Fri, Oct 16 • ICS Navratri 2015

• Patel Brothers & India House Navratri 2015

Venue: Dunn Sports Center-NJ, 600,Pearl Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202 Time: 8:00 pm

Venue: Garden State Exhibit Center, 50 Atrium Drive, Somerset, Nj 08873 Time : 09:00 pm

India Post 39

www.indiapost.com

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

CHICAGO

Upcoming

Upcoming

Sat, Oct 3 • EID Milan Musical Show Venue: Shahnawaz Restaurant, 12225 Centralia St, Lakewood, Ca 90715 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 714-397-7224

Sun, Oct 11 • Healing Music - Bombay Jayashri Live in San Jose Venue: Foothill college - Smithwick Theater, 12345 El Monte Rd, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022

Sat, Oct 10 • MUSIC - MASALA - HANGAMA

Time: 04:00 pm

Venue: Jain Center of Southern California, 8072 Commonwealth Ave, Buena Park, CA Time: 5:30 am Contact: 949-215-9464

Sat, Oct 17 • Saratoga Dandia 2015

Sat, Oct 10 •GCA Raas Garba by- Palak & Ashish Vyas Sargam Group Venue: Washington High School, 38442 Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA 94536 Time: 08:30 pm

Sat, Oct 17 • RAas-garba with Jayshree Gohil & Party Venue: University High School, 4771 Campus Dr, Irvine, CA 92612 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 949-679-7345

Sat, Oct 24 • Raas-Garba With Hemant Mehla & Group Venue: Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802 Time: 8:00 pm Contact: 951-318-7375

Fri, Nov 6 • Bollywood Singers Club Party Venue: Shehnai Cuisine of India, 705 E Birch St, Brea, CA 92821 Time: 7:00 pm

Venue: West Valley College, Large Gym, 14000 Fruitvale Ave, Saratoga, CA 95070 Time: 7:00 pm Contact: 408-634-0295

ATLANTA Upcoming Fri, Oct 2 • Shobanas Krishna Music Venue: Stafford Civic Center (Old), 1415 Constitution Ave, Stafford, TX 77477 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 832-713-1713

Sat, Oct 3 • Shobanas Krishna Bollywood Dance Drama Venue: Lassiter high - Concert Hall, 2601 Shallowford Rd, Marietta, GA 30066 Time: 7:30 pm Contact: 404-483-3866

Sat, Oct 3 • Shobanas Krishna Musical in English Venue: Lassiter high - Concert Hall, 2601 Shallowford Rd, Marietta, GA 30066 Time: 07:00 pm Contact: 404-483-3866

ILLINOIS Upcoming 1st and 3rd Sunday of Month • Chicago Children's Bal Mukund Character Building Program and Hindi Literacy Classes Venue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. Higgins Road, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Next to Nissan Dealership) Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807

Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105

Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Where: Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105

Swami Ishatmananda • Bhagavad Gita: Philosophy of life Venue: Public Library-95th Street 3015 Cedar Glade Rd Naperville IL 60564 Time: 1st friday of every month 7-8 pm Contact: 630-637-0662

• India Eternal: From the Vedic Age to the Present Venue: Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago 10915 N. Main Street Glendale Heights, IL 60139 Time: 10:00 pm Contact: 630-655-8822

40 India Post

A

saucer shaped hill resort; Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh is often called the queen of Satpura Ranges. Situated at an altitude of 1,067 feet, Pachmarhi offers a variety of attractions ranging from ancient caves to beautiful monuments. Pachmarhi is greatly indebted to the highly innovative officer of the British reign, Captain Forsyth for its all round de-

October 2, 2015

www.indiapost.com

velopment. It was on the recommendation of this officer that Pachmarhi was converted to a famous sanatorium and later to a hill station.

The only hill station in Madhya Pradesh, Pachmarhi is a large flat terrain, circled by the snooty knolls of the Satpura range. Its countryside is characterized by rocky hills, woody forests and deep canyons. The lustrous greenery combined with the majestic

hills and the cascading waterfalls present eye-catching scenery to the observer. One among the main attractions of this hilly resort is the spectacular sight it provides when the Sun sets in the horizon.

In Pachmarhi, the magnificence of nature is well complimented by the hands of man. Large-scale excavations in this hilly terrain reveal so many ancient caves that are of great value from an archaeological point of view.

Nature is at its best in Pachmarhi. Renowned as the most luxuriant gem of Madhya Pradesh, Pachmarhi is a place where nature has found delicate appearance in numerous charming ways. Green shades cuddle the mountains and everywhere one can hear the placid mutter of flowing water. Bristling paths lead into peaceful forest basins, orchards of jamun, dense Sal forests and delicate bamboo thickets.

With all its marvelous spectacles and natural beauty, Pachmarhi is a viewer's delight.

Tourist attractions Handi Khoh: An imposing canyon with a 300 feet high crag amidst a dense forest, Handi Khoh in Panchmarhi is endowed with marvelous scenery. The clinging

rock face of this gulch is a haven of large beehives.

Bounded by a deep woody forest, this lovely place is closely associated with Lord Shiva. The popular belief is that Handi Khoh was a lake earlier. An evil snake, which actually was a demon, was guarding the lake. Lord Shiva killed the snake and the fury of the divine battle dried up the water in the lake and the empty space assumed the shape of a handi (pot).

The locals used to call it Andhi Kho that later took its present name.

Jata Shankar Caves: A holy place of Shaivite tradition, Jata Shankar in Panchmarhi is a natural cavern which houses a natural Shivalingam under the shadow of a massive rock.

Cont’d on page 42

October 2, 2015

Travel & Hospitality Post

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41

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New Tourism Ministry to have 'green' office NEW DELHI: With the goal of energy conservation driving its design, which has been drawn up by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), a new office building of the Tourism Ministry is coming up here with Union Minister Mahesh Sharma laying its foundation stone.

The 'Paryatan Bhavan' will feature a solar-power rooftop system, rainwater harvesting facility, recycling of water through sewage treatment plant and low water discharge fixtures.

The foundation stone for the Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Paryatan Bhawan on Mandir Marg in central Delhi was laid by Union Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma.

"This is a project of Ministry of Tourism for construction of multi-level car parkingcum new office building and has been assigned to NDMC for design and execution.

Energy conservation measures are proposed to be adopted to optimize the overall design load," NDMC spokesperson

Jagjivan Bakshi said.

The Rs 125 crore project for construction of the complex is likely to be completed

in 18-24 months. The project is spread over an area of nearly 23,000sq.m.

"Rooftop high-efficiency solar panels are planned to achieve maximum energy saving. The basic design of building is targeted to achieve LEED India Platinum rating," said Bakshi.

"Energy-efficient air conditioning, geo-thermal heat exchange system, recycling of water through sewage treatment plant, dual piping, low-discharge water fixtures, rainwater harvesting and sensor urinals will be among the Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma. features of the

Coordinated efforts to speed up tourism projects NEW DELHI: Stepping up efforts for speedy implementation of Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD schemes, Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma chaired a meeting of the National Steering Committee (NSC) and sought better coordination among various

ministries to achieve tangible results.

National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) and Swadesh Darshan schemes are to be implemented in mission mode.

Officials from 12 Ministries participated in the meeting and gave their views on how their ministries can help to promote tourism through expansion of infrastructure, road and transport facilities, railways, civil aviation and skill development training among others.

If the various ministries coordinate and work hand in hand, then Indian tourism can grow by leaps and bounds, Sharma said

at the meeting.

Developing world-class infrastructure in the respective destinations/circuits is one of the mission objectives of the schemes.

Sharma assured to consider various suggestions from the representatives of the different ministries on tourism promotion.

Under PRASAD, initially, twelve cities namely Amritsar, Ajmer, Amaravati, Dwaraka, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Kedarnath, Kamakhya, Mathura, Puri, Varanasi and Vellankani have been identified for development.

Integrated Development of Theme-Based Tourist Circuits are part of the Swadesh darshan.

Some of the important suggestions by officials included connecting important destinations of Buddhist circuit like Gaya and Varanasi by helicopter services and special coach for tourists in trains to important tourist destinations.

Besides these, training local people especially women as tourist guides to help generate employment, improving basic infrastructure facilities like transport and accommodation in tourist areas were among other suggestions made by the officials.

Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi also sought the support of various ministries to make the schemes and initiatives of ministry of tourism a success.-PTI

building," he added.

Raiding tourism share Speaking on the occasion, Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma asserted that India is globally positioned to attract more tourists and that a new tourism policy is in the pipeline. He said the Centre is aiming at increasing the country's share in the global tourism market from existing 0.68 per cent to 1 per cent by 2020.

"We get 7.7 million annual footfall of international tourists and this does not include NRIs. Our aim is to take it to one crore... We have 0.68 per cent of world tourism share and the aim is to make it to 1 per cent by 2020," Sharma said.

He also said that India has not tapped its tourism potential to the full.

"We have 73 per cent of the Himalayas falling in India, 7,500 km-long coastline, and the Centre will be incorporating new strategy in the 'new tourism policy' to be announced soon," he told reporters on the sidelines of the event.-PTI

Travel & Hospitality Post

42 India Post

October 2, 2015

www.indiapost.com

PACHMARHI

Ancient caves, majestic hills and breathtaking waterfalls Cont’d from page 40

The stone formation in the cave resembles the hundred headed divine snake Seshnag.

Pandava Caves: Located on a small hillock, Pandava caves in Panchmarhi are believed to have been a shelter point of the Pandavas during their period of exile. Now a protected monument,

Pandava caves have been carved out of a low hummock. These five caves also became a refuge to Buddhist monks in the 1st century.

Apsara Vihar (Fairy Pool): A natural bathing pool formed by a tiny waterfall, Apsara Vihar in Pachmarhi is located near the Pandav Caves. Close to the fall the pool is deeper but at the end it is shallow. This particular feature makes it a favorite picnic spot of tourists. The pool is easily accessible and is an ideal place for safe swimming and diving.

Bee Falls (Jamuna Prapat): A spectacular fall in the stream, which provides drinking water to Pachmarhi, Bee Falls presents a picturesque look. One of the most beautiful waterfalls of Pachmarhi, this charming water stream, which is also called as Jamuna Prapat, flows and jumps into the valley and makes a buzzing sound. This magnificent cascade fills ever-lasting memories when one stays under its cold, fresh and pure water.

Chauragarh Peak: Situated at an altitude of 1326 m, Chauragarh Peak presents beautiful scenes of dense forest, valleys and hills.

Chauragarh is one of the famous pilgrim centers in Pachmarhi.

On the top of the hill is situated a holy shrine of Lord Mahadev. To reach the top of the summit, one has to climb 1250 steps. On the day of Maha Shivratri, which depicts

the holy matrimony of Lord Shiva with Parvathi, this temple will be full of devotees. People attending this festival carry trishuls with them as a mark of respect to Lord Mahadev.

Duchess Falls: One of the most beautiful cascades in Pachmarhi, Duchess Falls lies in the lap of the majestic Satpura range. The gorgeous waterfalls stumble down in three different cascades and a

strenuous trek of 4 km is required to reach at the base of the first cataract. The descent is steep and the trek strenuous for almost all of its stretch.

Mahadeo Hill: Sandstone hills situated in the northern part of the Satpura Range at an altitude of 1363 m, Mahadeo hill in southern Madhya Pradesh is famous for the ancient shrine of Lord Shiva. This holy shrine holds an imposing idol of Lord Shiva and a fabulous Shivalingam.

Priyadarshini Point (Forsyth Point): This is the point from where Captain Forsyth discovered Pachmarhi in the year 1857. After that the British developed Pachmarhi as a resort. The churches and other structures of this hill station are the clear evidence of colonial influence.

Formerly known as Forsyth point, this vantage point provides the panoramic view of Pachmarhi and its splendid surroundings.

The most spectacular vision from this vantage point is that of the Handi Khoh ravine.

kers.

Rajat Pratap is also one of the avenues which can be reached through trekking. This gushing

Train: Pipariya is the nearest railway station, which is 47 km away from Pachmarhi.

Air: Bhopal airport is the near-

waterfall will mesmerize you with its natural beauty.

Trekking Panchmarhi is loved by the adventure enthusiasts for its excellent trails. The place gives an opportunity to indulge in treks which vary from short and easy to very difficult and strenuous ones.

A small trek to the Jatashankar caves will itself make one realize the panoramic beauty of the place.

The hill top of Chauragarh is another interesting option for the trek-

How to reach

est airport to Pachmarhi, which is about 195 km away.

Bus: Regular bus services are available from Pachmarhi to Chhindwara, Pipariya and Bhopal.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation buses and many private buses ply on this route.

Best time to visit: This place can be visited all through the year, but best period is from October to June.

October 2, 2015

Travel & Hospitality Post

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INA Dilli Haat becomes free Wi-fi zone NEW DELHI: Delhiites visiting Dilli Haat in INA can now avail WiFi services which will be free for the first 20 minutes.

Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra launched the service on the occasion of 'World Tourism Day'.

"Free Wi-Fi service will be available for the first 20 minutes at Dilli

events to mark the occasion which included a cycling tour.

The tour, flagged off by Mishra and participated by several heritage enthusiasts, covered monuments of Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Period in and around Mehrauli area.

Covering more than seven kilo-

Haat, INA and thereafter, people will have to pay for data usage. Rs 20 will be charged for the next 30 minutes and then Rs 30 for 60 minutes and Rs 50 for 120 minutes," said a senior official.

Under the theme - 'One Billion Tourists One Billion Opportunities', the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) hosted a number of

meters, the cyclists rode for about two hours with the Tourism Minister leading them.

"Dotted with historical monuments and ruins, there is a lot that Delhi can boast about. We are constantly striving to tap Delhi's utmost potential and come up with innovative activities like the cycle tour to promote tourism in the capital," Mishra said.

DTTDC's MD and CEO Z.U Siddiqui said that in order to keep the spirit of heritage tourism alive, the cycle tour will be made a weekly activity. "Activities like these rejuvenate both the body and the mind," he said.

The Delhi Tourism also facilitated free entry at all the three Dilli Haats in the city as well as the Garden of Five Senses. Special discounts were offered to the walkin tourists availing local tours.

A street food festival was also organized at the Delhi Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology in Lajpat Nagar. The street food was prepared by the students of the institute to cater to the visitors.

Other activities like musical performances by bands of police and paramilitary forces at Dilli Haats in INA and Janakpuri and traditional welcome of tourists at Delhi Tourism information counters were also the highlight of the day.

Delhi Tourism also organized complimentary tours for the visually-impaired and differently-abled students.

To promote an atmosphere of joy and fervor, all the information offices of DTTDC were decorated with flowers and balloons.

-PTI

Cabinet approves MoU with Cambodia for tourism NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet has approved an agreement signed between India and Cambodia for bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector that aims at enhancing investment and promoting exchange of experience in marketing, destination development and management in this field.

"The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its ex-post facto approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Cambodia for cooperation in the field of tourism with an aim to promoting bilateral tourism between the two countries," a statement said.

Cambodia is an emerging tourism source market for India.

India has extended the Electronic Tourist Visa (eTV) facility to the country's citizens which has

elicited good response from the travel trade of both countries.

The government believes that the MoU signed with Cambodia will further increase tourist arrivals from the Southeast Asian na-

tion.

The MoU was signed during Vice President Hamid Ansari's Cambodia visit on September 16.

The main objectives of this agreement are expansion of bilat-

eral cooperation in tourism sector, exchange of data and information related to tourism, encouraging cooperation between tourism stakeholders including hotels and tour operators.

It also focuses on establishing exchange of programs for cooperation in human resources development, investment in tourism and hospitality sectors, exchange of visits of tour operators/media/opinion makers for promotion of two way tourism.

The agreement also seeks to promote exchange of experience in areas of promotion, marketing, destination development and management, encourage participation in travel fairs/ exhibitions in each other's country and promoting safe, honorable and sustainable tourism. PTI

Global warming threat to French Alps PARIS: The Alps are the birthplace of downhill skiing and a crucible for mountain climbing - but now the French government is trying to help their winter tourist towns adapt to a warming world.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls visited the Mer de Glace (the Sea of Ice) on Mont Blanc, where the retreating glacier has been documented for more than a century, through water colors painted before the invention of the still

that measuring temperatures in the permafrost will give a sense of how quickly the problem is accelerating and which areas are most in peril.

The town of Lanslevillard already knows firsthand, said Xavier Bodin, a researcher for France's elite CNRS research center who specializes in Alpine permafrost. A debris flow touched off by an unstable rock glacier swept down the slope, crushing snow equipment.

In another part of the southeast French region, pylons for a ski lift had to be replanted because the foundation grounds were melting. Elsewhere, retreating glaciers have exposed climbers to French Prime Minister Manuel Valls visits the "Mer de new, untested Glace", a glacier located on the northern slopes of the and potentially Mont Blanc massif. risky routes, he camera, black-and-white photos said. depicting a then-modern steam lo``The rising temperatures in the comotive chuffing alongside the mountains strongly modify the ice and today's high-definition sat- way people approach the high alellite photos. titudes,'' Bodin said. ``The Mer de Glace reveals the In a study released this year in extent of climate change, and, to the Journal of Alpine Research, rethe naked eye,'' said Valls. ``The searchers documented 350 rock time has come to mobilize.'' falls from 2007 to 2014 compared Researchers say the Sea of Ice with almost none from 1855 to is only the most accessible ex- 1936. They found that of 1,769 ample of a problem the entire Al- pieces of infrastructure - includpine region is facing as warming ing huts, ski lifts and pipelines mountainsides become more un- about 10 percent were at high risk stable and snowfall more inconsis- of rock fall damage, including tent, threatening jobs and lives in Mont Blanc's popular Aiguille du a region heavily dependent on Midi cable car. adventure tourism.

Valls is visiting the region to Scientists have drilled the Mont highlight France's role as host in Blanc region with sensor-equipped the global summit on climate boreholes in recent years, hoping change at the end of this year. -AP

Kerala Tourism to sign MoU with St Petersburg THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Tourism and St Petersburg's tourism department will sign a MoU to promote tourist inflow from the second-largest Russian city to Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.

A recent meeting between state Tourism Secretary Kamala Vardhana Rao and Consul General of India in St Petersburg, Arun Kumar Sharma, with Rimma Sachinova, Deputy Chairman, St Petersburg Tourism, decided to sign an agreement in this regard.

The MoU is expected to give a big fillip to tourist arrivals to Kerala from the historic city of St Peters-

burg, a release said here.

Kerala Tourism has had a busy schedule in Russia, with a road show conducted in St Petersburg on September 21 that followed the "OTDYKH Leisure 2015", a four-day International Trade Fair for travel and tourism held in Moscow, it said.

The road show, which hosted trade and media meetings, saw huge footfalls from the Russian trade fraternity.

"We have received a positive response from Russians. They have showed great interest in knowing more about our state," state Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar said. -PTI

Horoscope

44 India Post

October 2, 2015

www.indiapost.com

Y

quickly jump to next level.

going litigation. You will be

Answer will come in posi-

selected among large num-

tive for the emails you write.

ber of candidates for the

Mind will be slightly rest-

job. Money will come but

less as you will not be able

lot less than your immedi-

to make up your mind

ate needs. You will be mak-

about traveling overseas

ing plans with family to visit

because of other commit-

a nice place in upcoming

ments. Refund may come

short holidays.

this week.

hings will get little slow this week but do not panic and continue to work on your plans and stay connected with people on the other side. Money you need will get arranged on last minute. Some one too close will try to take undue advantage of your generosity. Do not stretch your limits or compromise with principles.

T

S

M

M

October 2nd - October 8th 2015

C

hanges will make you nervous. Feel confident about steps you have taken recently as the results will start coming in soon.

Money wise you will stay comfortable as expenses will come down a lot. You may call an old friend and invite him for lunch. You will benefit a lot from some one very fair and with blue eyes.

ou will enjoy company of a new colleague or friend. Meetings will go well and you will be given green signal. Boss will call you to discuss an important issue. Money wise you will stay comfortable. You may also start working on a business idea given by a close friend. You will spend money on one of your vehicle.

T

P

lanets in house of luck should continue to provide the much needed boost in life. Money can continue to pour in from various places. There should be some fortunate changes in career too. Stocks will appreciate and refund can come this week. You may receive some nice and valuable gifts from your in laws also.

P

any positive things will happen in a dramatic way this week. You will receive help from powerful people. Lucky break you had been praying for will become a reality this week.

You will feel lucky in all money matters and achieve your goals quickly.

You may call an old and trusted person for some advice.

lanet Mercury is in house of loss so avoid signing any paper or contract in a hurry. Efforts will not go waste and there will be some more positive changes in career. A colleague may invite you for a get together at his place.

Long awaited clearance can come during the week from a government agency.

Y

B

ou will gain edge over your opponents. A clear victory possible in on-

hings will improve all of a sudden. Concentra-

tion of planets in fifth will help you achieve your goals in fist shot. There will be big improvement in career too. People in business will make new and important clients. Trip will not only be beneficial but will also boost your morales in a big way.

ind will be at ease as you will overcome

many obstacles of the past and look forward to make a fresh start in life. Bank balance will continue to grow slowly. You will maintain a tough stand when it comes to negotiations and get what you really deserve. A long distance tip is in the air.

old actions will get the work done and you will

trong Venus in first will help you resolve many issues haunting you in the past. Property deal will close soon and you will get indications of upcoming positive changes in career. You may be writing a check to government also. Eye sight may need to be tested again.

You will plan a short family vacation.

A

government agency may seek more information before giving final clearance. Things will get more relaxing at work as you will finish the project well before deadline. You will be doing some work or cleaning up in or around the house. You will enjoy an evening with an old friend and discuss some business plans.

„ Health

Line

`Babies smile to make you smile back' WASHINGTON: Babies smile in order to make those they are interacting with smile back using sophisticated timing much like comedians, who time their jokes to maximize audience response, researchers have found.

In the study, researchers programmed a toddler-like robot to

behave like babies and had the robot interact with 32 students.

They found that the robot got the undergraduates to smile as much as possible, while smiling as little as possible.

"If you've interacted with babies, you suspect they're up to something when they're smiling.

They're not just smiling randomly," said Javier Movellan, a research scientist in California and one of the study's authors. -PTI

„ Broader use urged of AIDS drug JACKSON, Miss.: Federal officials are asking Mississippi health care providers to expand use of a medicine that can keep people from getting AIDS. Attending a conference on minority HIV and health disparities, national AIDS policy chief Douglas Brooks urged more use of the

drug Truvada for people at risk of contracting HIV. Studies find the drug reduces AIDS infection rates.

Dr Leandro Mena, a University of Mississippi Medical Center professor who specializes in sexually transmitted diseases, says more than 100 patients at a Jackson clinic take the drug for preexposure prophylaxis. But he estimates 5,000 Mississippi residents - especially men who have sex with other men and intravenous drug users - could benefit.

Brooks says overcoming the stigma associated with HIV in the South is a barrier to wider use. -AP

Health Science 45 India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 2, 2015

Health care worker convicted of murder Details on Page 47

Clinton aims to tackle out-of-pocket health care costs WASHINGTON: Hillary Rodham Clinton proposed a series of steps here to lessen the burden of out-of-pocket medical bills for Americans covered by President Barack Obama's health care law.

The Democratic presidential candidate said she would require plans to provide three sick visits a year without counting toward a patient's annual deductible, a provision that would apply to both private health plans and those covered through the so-called Obamacare law. She said many Americans are forced to pay a significant cost out-of-pocket if they get sick because average deductibles have more than doubled during the past decade.

Clinton would offer a refundable tax credit of up to $5,000 for families not eligible for Medicare for excessive out-of-pocket health care costs.

And her plan aims to protect Americans from unexpected medical bills and help states prevent insurance companies from imposing excessive rate increases. ``When Americans get sick,

high costs shouldn't prevent them from getting better,'' Clinton said in a statement. ``With deductibles rising so much faster than in-

ing cost of prescription drugs, placing a monthly cap of $250 on covered out-of-pocket drug costs to help patients with

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at a 'Women for Hillary' grassroots organizing meeting in Columbus, Ohio.

comes, we must act to reduce the out-of-pocket costs families face.

My plan would take a number of steps to ease the burden of medical expenses and protect health care consumers.''

Clinton has rolled out a series of policies to hold down the ris-

chronic or serious health conditions. She has also vowed to defend Obama's health care law, which has faced repeated repeal attempts by Republicans.

Michael Short, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said Clinton's pro-

UN commits $25 bn for women & childcare NEW YORK: United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon announced over $25 billion in initial commitments spanning five years to help end preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents, and ensure their health and well-being.

Many heads of state and government, international organizations, the private sector, foundations, civil society, research and academic institutions, and other key partners joined the event aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They aim to encourage all nations to focus on three dimensions of development, economic prosperity, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

"The Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health, which I am proud to launch, will help to

build resilient and healthy societies. We have shown that our partnership can yield concrete results," Ban Ki-moon said. Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Nor-

"The Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health, which I am proud to launch, will help to build resilient and healthy societies." way said this strategy was the key to ending preventable deaths and achieving sustainable development goals.

The commitments announced

are expected to grow significantly in the coming years, and include new policies and partnerships from 40 countries and over 100 international organizations, philanthropic foundations, UN agencies, civil society and the private sector. The amount pledged so far also includes an estimated $6 billion of in-kind contributions as well as commitments to the Global Financing Facility in support of Every Woman Every Child, launched during the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, in Addis Ababa in July.

The result of extensive consultations, with contributions from more than 7,000 individuals and organizations, strategy applies to everyone, from humanitarian and crisis settings to schools and community health centers. -PTI

posals would give the federal government more control over the nation's health care system. ``Obamacare is wreaking havoc with higher premiums, lost doctors, and cancelled plans, and Hillary Clinton would make it even worse,'' he said.

Clinton's proposals seek to address many Americans who face high health care costs even after paying premiums because of rising deductibles. Clinton's campaign noted a new Kaiser Family Foundation survey that found the average deductible is more than $1,300 for single coverage. Since 2010, deductibles have risen about seven times faster than workers' wages, the survey found. -AP

Medicaid overhaul now officially law RALEIGH, N.C.: Gov. Pat McCrory says his signature on far-reaching Medicaid legislation is just the beginning of a yearslong process to transform the health care program that serves more than one in six North Carolina residents.

McCrory signed a Medicaid overhaul bill into law during a ceremony at the Executive Mansion, surrounded by legislators who helped negotiate the law. Also

Gov. Pat McCrory

there was Rick Brajer, the new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which will carry it out.

The law will phase out the feefor-service method North Carolina Medicaid uses to pay for treatment for most of its 1.8 million enrollees. Insurance companies and provider networks will enter into contracts and receive a fixed amount per month for each patient. This change isn't expected until 2018 or 2019. -AP

46 India Post

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New tech may regenerate Malaria in pregnancy causes defects in offspring dead heart muscle WASHINGTON: An Indian-origin researcher in the US is leading trials on an experimental "Frankenstein" technology that may be able to repair scarred heart tissue and stop - or even reverse - heart failure.

BR Amit Patel at University Hospital in Salt Lake City and other researchers have been trying to figure out how to regenerate dead heart muscle in patients who have had massive heart attacks.

Patel is now leading Phase 1 FDA clinical trial of a new procedure.

The technology includes mixing the "extracellular matrix" powder - a mixture of proteins and molecules isolated from heart muscle with saline or water. The mixture is then injected into the patient's dead heart muscle via catheter.

The researchers then wait three to six months to see if the patient's heart muscle regenerates, 'Deseret News' reported.

Though it may sound like something out of "Frankenstein," Tim Henry, the director of cardiology at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute said the technology - inspired by stem cell research - is "within our reach."

Patel added that endocardial matrix therapy would likely be cheaper than either stem cells or gene therapy because it's

an off-the-shelf product that can be widely produced and delivered in an easy clinical procedure.

To carry out the procedure, Patel recruited a Utah woman who had a heart attack six months ago that reduced her overall heart blood pumping ability from 60 per cent - which is considered normal - to less than 45 per cent.

Patel's team made a virtual of the inside of the patient's heart to figure out where her dead heart muscle was located, marked 18 injection sites, then used a catheter to inject the matrix into her heart.

The procedure took less than two hours.

"This first patient was able to be done awake and safe and she's already back to work. She went home the next day," Patel said. Eighteen patients will eventually undergo the experimental procedure.

Doctors at Minneapolis Heart Institute in Minnesota, the only other site approved to test the new technology, performed the procedure on a second patient last week.

The patients will be examined three and six months out for evidence of muscle regrowth and revived heart function. If everything goes well, Patel estimates the technology could become approved for clinical use within five to seven years. -PTI

TORONTO: Malaria infection during pregnancy may impair learning and memory in offspring, a new study has warned.

Over half of all pregnant women worldwide are at risk for malaria, but little is known about possible consequences for the neurodevelopment of children exposed to malaria in pregnancy, researchers said.

They report a causal link between prenatal exposure to malaria and subsequent neurocognitive impairment in offspring in a mouse model of experimental malaria in pregnancy.

The research also identifies some of the molecular mechanisms involved.

Kevin Kain, from the University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues examined neurocognitive function in mice of normal birth weight that had been exposed to - but not themselves infected with - malaria in the uterus.

The researchers found that young mice that had been exposed to malaria in pregnancy have impaired learning and memory and show depressive-like behavior that persists to adulthood.

These neurocognitive impairments are associated with decreased tissue levels of major neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine) in specific regions of the brain, researchers said.

Pushing the technology by imaging blood vessels in the uterus, the researchers also saw changes in neurovascular development in the brain of malaria-exposed mouse fetuses.

Because a specific immune system factor called C5a had previously been linked

to both neurodevelopment and adverse birth outcomes after malaria-exposure in pregnancy, the researchers next tested whether C5a signaling played a role in the link between malaria during pregnancy and neurocognitive impairment they discovered.

They found that genetic and functional disruption of maternal C5a signaling restored neurotransmitter levels and com-

pletely rescued the neurocognitive defects in the offspring.

In other words, mothers with defective C5a signaling that had malaria in pregnancy gave birth to malaria-exposed pups without detectable neurocognitive abnormalities.

These results "highlight a novel mechanism by which malaria in pregnancy may alter the neurocognitive development of millions of children prior to birth," researchers said.

"A prospective study is underway to confirm these findings in African children exposed to malaria in utero," they said. -PTI

75-yr-old Indian honored in Singapore SINGAPORE: A 75-year-old IndianSingaporean doctor has been honored by the Indian community here for contributing her 38 years in the healthcare and com-

Dr Uma Rajan

munity services by building nursing homes and child health care.

Dr Uma Rajan became the first woman to receive the tabla! Community Champion Award here.

The award, in its fifth year, was conferred

on her by Minister of State for Law and Education Indranee Rajah.

After receiving the award, Rajan said, "This award is a recognition of women as community service providers."

She won USD 10,000 which she donated to voluntary welfare organizations, Singapore Children's Society and Asian Women's Welfare Association in Singapore.

The current vice-chairman of the Siglap South Community Centre has helped in building nine to 10 elderly care centers with voluntary welfare organizations for all religions when she was director of the elder care department at the Ministry of Health from 1996 to 2000.

Among many credits to her community service is a blue booklet still being used by students here for their annual health checkups.

Rajan was also one of the founding members of the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society and received the title of Natyakala Bhushanam (ornament of dance) from the Indian Institute of Fine Arts in Chennai in 1954. -PTI

October 2, 2015

Health Science Post

India Post 47

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Health care worker convicted of murder LAWRENCE, Kan.: A Kansas health care worker who said he helped a client commit suicide has been convicted of second-degree murder in the man's death.

A Douglas County jury found Ronald Eugene Heskett, 49, guilty in the Sept. 12, 2014 death of Vance Moulton, 65, who suffered from cerebral palsy. The jury, which deliberated about four hours, could have found Heskett guilty of first-degree murder.

Heskett admitted he helped Moulton die by twisting a towel around his neck only after repeated requests from Moulton to help him die, The Lawrence Journal-World reported.

During closing arguments, prosecutors told the jury Heskett killed Moulton for money, noting that about $13,000 in government refunds was missing from Moulton's apartment. Heskett testified that the $13,000 was used to buy a car and car parts as part of a plan with Moulton to sell the car for a profit.

Prosecutor David Melton argued that no evidence indicated Moulton wanted to die or was suicidal. He noted Moulton left no

will or suicide note and did not die in a peaceful manner.

He also said if jurors believed Moulton asked Heskett to kill him, the death still was a murder because suicide is ``the deliber-

ate destruction of one's own life.'' ``It's not suicide if someone asks me to shoot them and I point a gun at them a pull the trigger,'' Melton said. ``That's not suicide; that's murder.''

Heskett's a t t o r n e y, Mike Warner, argued that some witnesses testified that Moulton mentioned wishing he were dead, and he reminded jurors a b o u t Heskett's testimony. ``He testified - he did not have to and he testified about the Ronald Eugene Heskett good, the bad and the ugly,'' Warner said. ``If you find (Heskett) credible, that's evidence.''

Nigeria revels in removal from polio list LAGOS, Nigeria: Nigeria celebrated the announcement by the U.N. health agency that polio is no longer endemic in the West African country.

The news of Nigeria's progress, made by the World Health Organization, leaves only Pakistan and its war-battered neighbor Afghanistan as countries where the disease is prevalent. Polio which can cause

ernment and non-governmental health organizations.

Nigeria's main goal now is maintain vigilance to make sure that Nigeria has no new polio cases in the next two years so that the WHO can declare Nigeria a polio-free country, Dr. Funsho said. ``Until that happens we are not out of the woods yet,'' he said.

Once stigmatized as the world's polio epicenter, Nigeria in late July celebrated its first year with no reported case of the crippling disease, having overcome obstacles ranging from Islamic extremists who assassinated vaccinators to rumors the vaccine was a plot to sterilize Muslims.

Just 20 years ago this West African nation was recording 1,000 polio cases a year - the highest in An unidentified health official administers a polio vaccine to a child in the world. The last reKawo Kano, Nigeria. Polio is no longer endemic in Nigeria, the World Health Organization said corded case of a child paralyzed by the wild life-long paralysis can be prevented with a polio virus endemic in Nigeria's impoversimple vaccination. ished and mainly Muslim north was on ``It's a great moment for Nigeria,'' Dr July 24, 2014.

Tunji Funsho, chairman of Rotary WHO said Nigeria and Africa as a whole International's anti-polio campaign in Ni- are now closer to being certified polio-free. geria, told The Associated Press. ``We The agency warned polio remains enshould celebrate but with a caveat that we demic in Pakistan and Afghanistan and that should not let our guard down.'' He attrib- as long as the disease exists anywhere ``it's uted the success to teamwork between gov- a threat to children everywhere.'' -AP

Warner had argued that jurors should have the option of convicting Heskett of assisted suicide or voluntary manslaughter. However, Douglas County District Judge Peggy Kittel said those charges were not lesser-included charges to the first-degree murder charge, so she did not allow them as options in the jury instructions.

After the verdict, Warner said the firstand second-degree murder charges affected the outcome. ``This case was overcharged and we'd communicated that to the DA's office since the start,'' Warner said. ``With only two options given, I think the jury did the best they could trying to figure out a case with a lot of issues.''

Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson said in a news release that the ``jury agreed'' with the prosecution's motive theory. ``We never believed that Heskett was trying to help his friend commit suicide,'' Branson said. ``Van Moulton was murdered

by Ronald Heskett to cover up the fact that he had stolen money and used it to buy a car.''

Heskett will be jailed without bond until his sentencing on Nov. 6. He faces 12 to 54 years in prison.-AP

In Brief California issues immigrant driver licenses LOS ANGELES: California has issued more than half a million driver's licenses to immigrants in the country illegally under a program that began this year.

Armando Botello, a spokesman for the state's Department of Motor Vehicles, said the state expects

to issue 1.4 million licenses to immigrants in the country illegally in the program's first three years. The program is aimed at making the roads safer and immigrants' lives easier.

The new licenses initially generated huge interest, with long lines at DMV offices in January and February. -AP

„ Fake visa racket busted, 4 arrested NEW DELHI: With the arrest of four persons, including two immigration agents, police has claimed to have busted a fake visa racket in Delhi.

The accused have been identified as Manoj Sharma, Ranglal Sharma, Jitender Sharma and Asgar khan. The police recovered around Rs 50,000 and four fake visas from their possession, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport), Dinesh Kumar Gupta said.

During the interrogation it emerged that initially work visas were fetched by the agents from a UEA-based company.

"In order to evade this requirement, agents prepared tourist visas by copying the work visas," he said.

He added that the racket came to light when the visas of two persons, who were traveling Delhi to Dubai by Air India flight, were found to be fake by immigration officers.

Local police was informed and two separate cases were registered under relevant sections of the law.

In this regard a team was constituted and accused Manoj Sharma and Asgar Khan were arrested from the IGI Airport here.

During interrogation, they spilled the beans and agents Rang Lal Sharma and Jitender Sharma were also arrested. -PTI

Immigration

Little girl shares immigration message with Pope

48 India Post

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October 2, 2015

Details on page 49

Asians expected to become largest US immigrant group WASHINGTON: In a major shift in immigration patterns over the next 50 years, Asians will have surged past Hispanics to become the largest group of immigrants heading to the United States, according to estimates in a new study of immigration patterns.

The study looks in detail at what will happen by 2065, but the actual tipping point comes in 2055.

An increase in Asian and Hispanic immigration also will drive U.S. population growth, with foreign-born residents expected to make up 18 percent of the country's projected 441 million people in 50 years, the Pew Research Center said in a report. This will be a record, higher than the nearly 15 percent during the late 19th century and early 20th century wave of immigration from Europe.

Today, immigrants make up 14 percent of the population, an increase from 5 percent in 1965.

The actual change is expected to come in 2055, when Asians will become the largest immigrant group at 36 percent, compared with Hispanics at 34 percent.

White immigrants to America, 80 percent back in 1965, will hover somewhere between 18 and 20 percent with black immigrants in the 8 percent to 9 percent range, the study said.

Currently, 47 percent of immigrants living in the United States

are Hispanic, but by 2065 that number will have dropped to 31 percent. Asians currently make up 26 percent of the immigrant population but in 50 years that percentage is expected to increase to 38 percent.

"There are relatively fewer people who would choose to migrate from Mexico so demographic changes in Mexico have led to a somewhat smaller pool of potential migrants," he said. "At the same time we've seen a growing

Pew researchers analyzed a combination of Census Bureau information and its own data to develop its projections.

Part of the reason for the shift is that the fertility rate of women in Latin America and especially Mexico has decreased, said Mark Hugo Lopez, Pew's director of Hispanic research. In Mexico, Lopez said, women are now having around two children, when back in the 1960s and 1970s, they were having about seven children per woman.

number of immigrants particularly from China or India who are coming for reasons such as pursuing a college degree or coming here to work temporarily in the high-tech sector."

Despite the increase in Asian immigrants, Hispanics will still make up a larger number inside the United States, Lopez said.

"Hispanic population growth is coming from people born here in the United States," he said. "It is really U.S. births that are now the driver of Hispanic population

growth, and that's a recent change from what we saw in the '80s and '90s."

By 2065, no racial or ethnic group will hold a majority in the United States, with whites holding 46 percent of the population, Hispanics at 24 percent, Asians at 14 percent and blacks at 13 percent.

Currently, the country is 62 percent white, 18 percent Hispanic, 12 percent black and 6 percent Asian.

Pew also asked Americans surveyed for one word to describe immigrants in the U.S. today.

Twelve percent said "illegal," ''overpopulation" was at 5 percent, "legality (other than illegal)" at 4 percent, and "jobs," ''deportation," ''Americans" and "work ethic" at 3 percent each. Fortynine percent offered general descriptions, and of those 12 percent were positive, 11 percent negative and 26 percent neutral, according to the report.

Americans also said immigrants are likely to make the United States better, with 45 percent agreeing with that statement and 37 percent saying they make the country worse. Eighteen said they don't have much of an effect one way or the other.

The survey was conducted online from March 10 to April 6, 2015. The survey's margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.4 percentage points. -AP

Visa bulletin revision leaves thousands stranded HASAN ABDULLAH

O

n September 25, the Department of State (DOS) revised the October 2015 visa bulletin so as to supercede the originally published bulletin released on September 9, leaving untold thousands of would-be adjustment of status applicants reeling, particularly those from India with priority dates earlier than July 2011 in the second employment based preference category.

The initially released visa bulletin moved the application filing priority date for this particular category from January 1, 2006

to July 1, 2011, causing a frenzy of excitement for many seeing it as an opportunity to apply for adjustment of status to that of a permanent resident and gain the freedom to change employers with ease, travel more freely, and allow their children to benefit from in-state tuition.

Based on consultations with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the DOS revised the bulletin, such that the priority date moved from July 1, 2011, back to May 1, 2009. The result of this revision undoubtedly has cost millions of dollars spent on

attorney fees and costs relating to medical exams that would have been submitted with these applications.

In response to the last minute revision of the October 2015 visa bulletin, a petition to restore the visa bulletin has been created to pressure the Obama Administration to take remedial action: https:/ /petitions.whitehouse.gov//petition/uscis-and-dos-changed-priority-dates-categories-all-suddenand-causing-financial-and-mental-loss. A total of 100,000 signatures are needed by October 25th.

The reasoning behind this

abrupt change is unknown.

Some suspect that the DHS advised the DOS that they may not have to sufficient capacity to handle the influx at this time.

Whatever the case may be, the financial and emotional toll caused by this alteration is immense.

Readers who are interested in learning more about the visa bulletin fiasco and the petition to the Administration to correct it may visit our website at www.usavisalaw.com where they may find our contact information and inquire further.

Immigration Post

October 2, 2015

India Post 49

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Pope urges US Congress to act on refugees, climate WASHINGTON: Pope Francis urged the US Congress to help those fleeing war and poverty, and work to combat climate change, in a historic address to lawmakers that touched on many hot-button issues in US and global politics.

The historic speech to lawmakers at the Capitol was keenly anticipated and warmly received but will have been uncomfortable listening for some there who are skeptical about environmental causes and opposed to immigration.

"Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War," he warned, referring to the wave of refugees arriving in Europe from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

"On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities," he added, referring to immigrants from Mexico and Cen-

tral America.

"Is this not what we want for

grants to the Americas.

"We must not be taken aback

Pope Francis arrives to address the joint session of Congress in Washington, DC. The Pope is the first leader of the Roman Catholic Church to address a joint meeting of Congress, including more than 500 lawmakers, Supreme Court justices and top administration officials including Vice President Joe Biden.

our own children?" implored the 78-year-old Argentine pontiff, himself the son of European immi-

by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories,

Little girl shares immigration message with Pope WASHINGTON: A 5-year-old girl in a brilliantly colored dress and braids who was handed up to Pope Francis for a blessing during a parade in Washington urged the pontiff to give his blessing to immigration reform and push lawmakers to act.

Sophie Cruz, of South Gate, California, delivered a bright yellow T-shirt and a letter expressing wishes that her mother and father and millions of others who are in

Sophie got beyond a barricade and approached the Popemobile, carrying the T-shirt that read in Spanish: ``Pope: rescue DAPA, so the legalization would be your blessing.'' It refers to a program called Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, which would extend deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for some years, but is on hold after 26 states sued to block it.

Raul Cruz, from suburban Los Angeles, holds his daughter Sophie Cruz, 5, after an interview with the Associated Press in Washington. on Wednesday.

Sophie crossed a police barricade to greet Pope Francis during his parade.

the U.S. illegally are allowed to remain in the country. Her trip was sponsored by an advocacy group. ``I'm scared that the ICE will take my family away,'' Sophie Cruz told The Associated Press in an interview, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Sophie shied back when a bodyguard came near. But when the Pope gestured to her, she allowed the bodyguard to pick her up and bring her forward for a papal kiss and blessing. A guard passed the shirt and message into the Popemobile. ``I believe I have the right to

live with my parents,'' Sophie said later in the day. ``I have the right to be happy. My dad works very hard in a factory galvanizing pieces of metal. All immigrants just like my dad feed this country. They deserve to live with dignity. They deserve to live with respect.''

Hermandad Mexicana Transnacional, based in Los Angeles, organized the trip to Washington from Southern California for six children and 19 adults, hoping to deliver their message on immigration, said Gloria Saucedo, director of the group.

Sophie went with her 36-yearold father, Raul, who like her mother, came to the U.S. from Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca about 10 years ago. Sophie and her sister were born in the United States and are therefore American citizens.

Cruz's parents likely are not considered a priority for immigration enforcement. The Obama administration has repeatedly directed immigration agents to focus resources on serious criminal immigrants, people who pose a national security or public safety threat and those caught crossing the border illegally.

Sophie's father called the day extraordinary. ``It was a miracle,'' he told a reporter in Spanish. ``It was a miracle that the Pope saw our girl and selected her to bless her.'' -AP

trying to respond as best we can to their situation."

Many Conservatives in the US Senate and House of Representatives deny that climate change is a result of mankind's industry and agriculture, and have opposed emissions controls designed to slow global warming.

The Pope urged them to instead seek "courageous" and "responsible" solutions "to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity."

"I am convinced that we can make a difference and I have no doubt that the United States - and this Congress - have an important

role to play," he declared.

Underpinning the Pope's message on specific policy areas was his concern about the danger posed by religious and political extremists.

"We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism.

This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind," he continued.

"A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms." -AFP

Concessions from Europe's leaders on migrants BELGRADE, Serbia: Conciliation replaced confrontation among European nations which have clashed over their response to a wave of migration, as thousands of asylum seekers streamed into Croatia in pursuit of a new future in Western Europe.

Hungary has announced that it has removed spools of razor wire from a section of the border with Slovenia, a barrier that had been seen as breaching European Union rules about unrestricted travel within

much of its territory. The gesture followed the reopening of the border between Croatia and Serbia.

The concessions, coming two days after a European Union summit on the crisis, suggest that the 28-nation bloc had become alarmed at the lack of cooperation among members and the increasingly ugly tone of their exchanges.

The squabbling had hampered efforts to help the people fleeing war and poverty from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. -AP

Afghan migrants arrive on the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey on a inflatable dinghy, More than 260,000 asylum-seekers have arrived in Greece so far this year, most reaching the country's eastern islands on flimsy rafts or boats from the nearby Turkish coast.

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Realty Tidbits

W.Va. governor's estate sells pieces of history MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va.: A team of auctioneers is selling personal items and historical pieces belonging to three-term West Virginia Gov. Arch A. Moore. Jr. Behm's Auction and Real Estate Services held the first in a series of auctions at the Marshall County Fairgrounds, the Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register reports.

Some of the collectables up for sale included items from Moore's estate such as glassware from Moore's meeting with Ronald Regan, Christmas decorations, original blueprint of the Grave Creek Mound and Archaeological Complex, paintings from local artist and the governor's suits and ties. ``There's only one Governor Arch,'' Jim Behm, owner of Behm's Auction and Real Estate Services, said. ``He was one of the backbones of Marshall County and the Northern Panhandle for years not only in West Virginia but in D.C. He is very well recognized even to this day.''

Behm said the proceeds of the auction are in the possession of Moore's daughter and U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, but much of the funding will go to West Virginia University.

Moundsville resident Dean Pettit said he went to the auction to bid on the governor's Fostoria glass ash tray, which he won. -AP

„ TCHFLs loan portfolio touches Rs 10,000 crore MUMBAI: Tata Capital Housing Finance (TCHFL), the whollyowned subsidiary of Tata Capital, has said its total loan portfolio has touched Rs 10,000 crore mark.

"TCHFLs total loan portfolio has touched Rs 10,000 crore mark, placing it among the top six housing finance companies in the country," the firm said in a statement.

TCHFL has witnessed a yearon-year growth of over 40 per cent since 2010 and disbursed home loans amounting to Rs 4,563 crore last fiscal. "With ambitious plans for the next three years, the company aims to grow even faster over the next five years," it said.

Commenting on the achievement, Tata Capital Chief Operating Officer (Retail Business and Housing Finance), Govind Sankaranarayanan, said, "Having crossed this milestone of Rs 10,000 crore, we are now poised to enable many more customers to achieve their dream of home ownership, especially those in the affordable and mid segments of the market." -PTI

Real Estate 50 India Post

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$1B Camden waterfront project announced CAMDEN, N.J.: A developer that has transformed the Philadelphia skyline is planning a $1 billion transformation of a 16-acre swath of the waterfront in Camden, one of the nation's most impoverished places.

Liberty Property Trust is planning 1.7 million square feet of office space, 325 units of housing, a hotel and retail space.

The company hopes to start construction by the fall of 2016 and have it completely built in 2019. -AP

US new-home sales surge 5.7% in August to 7-year high WASHINGTON: Buoyed by steady job gains and low mortgage rates, Americans purchased new homes in August at the fastest pace in more than seven years.

New-home sales surged 5.7 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 552,000, the Commerce Department said.

That is the strongest pace since February 2008, near the beginning of the Great Recession. Last month's increase followed an even bigger 12 percent jump in July, according to the government's revised figures.

Healthy hiring and smaller price increases for new homes have finally begun pushing up sales, which were hammered during the Great Recession and recovered slowly even after the downturn ended in 2009. New-home sales have soared nearly 22 percent in the past year.

Sales figures for newly-built homes are notoriously volatile and typically revised heavily in subsequent months. But most economists were still encouraged by the gains. ``Housing has been an economic bright spot this year and activity in the new home construction market remains solid,'' said

Michelle Girard, an economist at RBS Securities.

Surveys show that homebuilders' outlook is the most optimistic in a decade, a sign that construction could pick up. The supply of new homes has been scarce, so greater construction could result in more sales.

Strong gains in new-home sales

Home builders raised newhome prices aggressively last year, likely weighing on sales, which totaled just 414,000 in 2014. That was little changed from sales in 2013. But builders have reined in price increases this year, fueling more buyer traffic and purchases.

Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconom-

and construction could accelerate the economy by generating construction jobs, demand for more building materials and more spending on landscaping and other services.

ics, says that new-home prices jumped 10.7 percent in the final three months of last year, compared with a year earlier. But they rose just 0.8 percent in the AprilJune quarter from a year ago, he

said.

In August, the median price for a new home was $292,700, just $600 higher than the previous month.

The median is the price where half of all home prices are higher and half are lower.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said last week that she expects the housing market to keep improving as more people find jobs and younger Americans increasingly move out on their own. ``We are envisioning further improvement in the housing market,'' Yellen said. ``It remains very depressed.''

Right now, however, potential buyers are facing fewer choices than would normally be the case.

There were just 216,000 new homes for sale at the end of August, enough to last 4.7 months at the current pace of sales. That's below the six months that is more common historically.

Still, low mortgage rates are keeping home purchases affordable for many would-be buyers.

The rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage averaged just 3.9 percent nationwide last week, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac, far below historical norms. -AP

Leasehold-to-freehold conversion made easier NEW DELHI: Getting your properties converted from leasehold-to-freehold is set to become easier, as the DDA has decided to make the conversion process "more transparent" by putting up the applications online.

"All applications complete in all respects will be necessarily disposed of within 45 days or 60 working days, as the case may be, and the cases will be taken up on 'First-In-First-Out' basis for disposal.

"The schedule of FIFO will be displayed on the website of DDA so that applicants are well informed regarding the status of disposal and there is no queue jumping," the DDA said.

One of the major changes is that the requirement of submis-

sion of documents, which were earlier two undertakings and one affidavit, has been reduced to submission of only 'affidavit' and the requirement of undertakings has

for the convenience of the allottees.

The second major change is that earlier the applicants were required to submit copy of demand-

been totally dispensed with.

The format of the affidavit has also been simplified and has been uploaded on the website of DDA

cum-allotment letter; possession letter with NOC, for obtaining water and electricity connection; and the copy of lease deed together

with his/her application form.

Besides, ownership details of the house, where the applicant is currently residing and is not the property for which conversion is being sought, will not be asked for unless there is a specific complaint in this regard.

"In case of Cooperative Group Housing Society (CGHS) or CHBS, NOC from society will not be insisted upon and instead Society will be asked to give six monthly statements of the defaulters as on 31st March and 30th September and if there are no dues against applicant the case will be processed without NOC from the Society," DDA Vice-Chairman Arun Goel said while informing about this plan.

-PTI

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October 2, 2015

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Price of Paradise: Who can afford to stay?

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo.: For a look at one of the greatest threats to our region's economy and perhaps to the U.S. economy - meet Krystal Wu and her fiancĂŠ, Matt Miller.

Both with master's degrees, in 2013 they accepted teaching positions at Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale. Each took a $10,000 pay cut from teaching jobs in Oakland, California, which they left because of the high cost of living. ``We figured that the cost of living here would be proportionate to that pay cut,'' Wu said.

The couple was drawn to the peace and beauty of the Roaring

known for ski resorts, whitewater rapids, great weather and a robust outdoor lifestyle, baristas have master's degrees, nurses can't afford to live in the towns where they work and many teachers must live four to a home.

Americans would like to believe that the people we need to make our communities work teachers, cops, nurses - should be able to live a basic middle-class lifestyle. Certainly, we think, even in an era of rising income inequality, two married professionals with master's degrees and jobs in their field of study should be able to make it just about anywhere in the country.

If over time, the folks that you need there teachers, hospital workers - can't stay there, it means a whole host of other people can't afford to stay - construction workers, grocery workers and the like.

Fork Valley. But prices driven up by the area's overall desirability and proximity to Aspen proved to be a strain for the young teachers, as they are for any middle-income worker.

In a region where resort prices and rural wages have long created a mismatch for household budgets, it has become increasingly difficult for towns to recruit and retain public safety, education and medical workers, among others. And that, observers say, bodes ill for the health of communities and core quality-of-life factors, such as education. ``We love it here. I love my job and I love my students,'' Wu said, but added: ``We didn't know what we were getting into. We moved here from the Bay Area because that was exorbitantly expensive.

But we found that we were paying a similar price for our apartment here as we were in Oakland - $1,500 for a two bedroom. But we were making $20,000 a year more in Oakland.''

Although together they earned $80,000 a year, Wu, 27, and Miller, 37, also are paying off $48,000 in graduate school loans.

So the couple this summer quit the valley. The University of Idaho beckoned, where Miller is now teaching - and housing is half as expensive. ``If we stayed here, we would have to ask our parents for help,'' said Wu. ``There's no way we could afford to buy a house with the money that we have, and we want to start a family soon.''

MIDDLE CLASS PINCH Their story is common in the region. In a mountain paradise

Increasingly, though, that basic dream requires more than the two incomes to which we have become accustomed.

In Garfield County, downvalley from Aspen, it means long commutes between the homes workers can barely afford and the jobs - maybe two or three jobs - that demand ever-longer hours. ``I think it is creeping into the broader economy in Colorado,'' beyond the resort areas, said Rich Jones, policy and research director for the Denver-based Bell Policy Center, which studies and promotes opportunity in the state. ``The area you are in is most pronounced,'' he said, ``but if over time, the folks that you need there - teachers, hospital workers - can't stay there, it means a whole host of other people can't afford to stay - construction workers, grocery workers and the like.''

If housing and other basic costs consume workers' full pay, they can't buy discretionary items or save, important because about two-thirds of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending. ``It's not great for the flat-out economy,'' Jones said, ``and it's not good generally for society.''

Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Analytics, said these are among the consequences of the Great Recession and growing income inequality across the United States. ``There is no doubt that the nation's middle class has been under intense financial pressure,'' he told the PI in an email. ``The Great Recession was especially hard on middle-income occupations, particularly for those working in government jobs, like

teachers. ``The mounting housing shortage, especially for rental housing, is causing rents to rise quickly and squeezing these households even more. High student loan debt is also a heavy weight for many.''

David Pellow, director of the Global Environmental Justice Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara, considers the Roaring Fork Valley ``a bellwether for what we're seeing in the rest of the country.''

Pellow is co-author of ``The Slums of Aspen,'' which was called ``a damning picture of the stark inequalities between local immigrant laborers and Aspen vacationers and the wealthy homeowners they serve.''

In researching the book, published in 2011, Pellow said, ``We saw that from Aspen on down to Rifle or Parachute, it became very difficult for many of those people to eke out an existence. So people move from one end of the valley to the other to try to make ends meet, and oftentimes would have to leave the region altogether. ``That is unsustainable, politically, socially, economically and environmentally. You can't maintain a community if people are constantly migrating in and out. You have to have some serious longterm stability.''

DIFFICULTY OF RECRUITING Roaring Fork High Principal Drew Adams, Wu's and Miller's former boss, said his first question to potential teachers is ``Have you investigated the cost-of-living scenario for the valley? ``And when that conversation continues, I know whether or not this is an individual who understands the housing reality and will be able to sustain himself,'' he said.

Adams has had candidates accept positions and then realize that their housing costs exceed their budget or the type of housing available is unsuitable. ``I've had a lot of candidates back out of positions based on the high cost of housing,'' he said. ``Our salary schedule is fairly competitive. It's just that when you have a cost of living at 20-30 percent higher than other regions in the state, a base salary of $36,000 is really hard to live on. Nearly impossible.''

So Adams' teachers make do.

House-sharing, long commutes and multiple jobs are the norm.

Science teacher Rachel Cooper lives in New Castle and works nights at PetCo in Glenwood Springs.

English teacher Jackie Bosler house shares.

English teacher Erika Kelly

works as a bartender for Carbondale Beer Works.

Hand-in-hand with the sky-high costs is the scarcity of housing.

Adams points to the limited rental properties in Carbondale in particular. ``I usually tell single teachers or younger teachers, who are on a lower pay scale, that they'll probably be looking at sharing a house.''

The problem is so acute that the Roaring Fork School District included $15 million for staff housing in its November bond issue request, describing housing as a need as critical as any construction project in the growing district.

No one knows more about the difficulty of survival in the Roaring Fork Valley than real estate agents. ``Drew is losing teachers,'' said Lynn Kirchner, owner of Carbondale's Amore Realty. ``He can get them here for a year, but then they don't stay. They can't afford to stay. ``He's got two, three teachers living together because that's the best thing that they can find. They sacrifice their privacy as adults to take a job.''

Carbondale rentals for two-bedroom apartments roughly range from $1,500 to $2,000 a month. ``That's out of the price range for 90 percent of the people looking for housing,'' Kirchner said.

The Realtor, a longtime advo-

I wish they had affordable housing for them.''

SOLUTIONS Jones, with the Bell Policy Center, said more communities will have to look at discounted employee housing such as the units available in Aspen, to keep people.

The Aspen Pitkin County Housing Authority subsidizes about 2,600 units for sale or rent in a 40-year-old effort to make it possible for middle-class workers to live in town. Aspen financed the program with a real-estate transfer tax, and many other ski towns have followed suit with other financing methods.

Still, resort towns don't have enough ``employee housing'' for their full workforce, and towns beyond Aspen in the Roaring Fork Valley struggle to create any. Aspen residents surveyed this year said affordable housing for workers and retirees continues to be the town's top need.

Three apartment complexes are expected to be built in Glenwood in the next year or so, but, to spur development, the city has suspended its requirements that projects include a certain number of affordable units - affordable in the valley meaning something a cop or teacher can afford.

The Roaring Fork School District backed away earlier this year from partnering on a complex in

The problem is so acute that the Roaring Fork School District included $15 million for staff housing in its November bond issue request, describing housing as a need as critical as any construction project cate for affordable housing, added, ``In Carbondale, rentals at a reasonable price are non-existent.

And it's happening beyond Carbondale. It's happening all over the valley right now.''

Shari Nova, a realty agent with Coldwell Banker Mason Morse who manages 80 homes in Carbondale and El Jebel, concurs. ``Right now, there's a supplyand-demand thing. A two-bedroom, two-bath is running from around $1,600. I have a list here with 10 people on it. Just this week.

People are calling. They're stopping by. They're scrambling.

They're desperate,'' Nova said. ``It seems worse now than ever before, but this has been a problem in Carbondale forever,'' she added. ``It's hard to find a place for a teacher to live on the salary that they make. I would like to have employers be a bit more involved with this. If they're going to bring someone in from out of state, then

Carbondale that would have set aside some affordable units for district employees. District officials instead have asked for the $15 million for employee housing - $5 million each in Glenwood, Carbondale and Basalt - as part of a larger bond issue to be decided in November.

With housing so tight in the Roaring Fork Valley, New Castle, Silt, Rifle and even Parachute, 80 miles from Aspen, offer the only solutions many workers can find.

One helpful tool is the region's rural bus system operated by the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority. RFTA in 2013 started its rapid transit buses and is seeing record ridership this year. While riding the bus from, say, New Castle to Aspen is time-consuming, it is less stressful than driving and more affordable for a lower-income worker than vehicle costs, and people can use WiFi on the buses. -AP

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Philosophy

October 2, 2015

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis MAHATMA GANDHI

E

ven in 1888-9, when I first became acquainted with the Gita, I felt that it was not an historical work, but that, under the guise of physical warfare, it described the duel that perpetually went on in the hearts of mankind, and that physical warfare was brought in merely to make the description of the internal duel more alluring.

This preliminary intuition became more confirmed on a closer study of religion and the Gita. A study of the Mahabharata gave it added confirmation. I do not regard the Mahabharata as an historical work in the accepted sense.

The Adiparva contains powerful evidence in support of my opinion. By ascribing to the chief actors superhuman or subhuman origins, the great Vyasa made short work of the history of kings and their peoples. The persons therein described may be historical, but the author of the Mahabharata has used them merely to drive home his religious theme.

The author of the Mahabharata has not established the necessity of physical warfare; on the contrary he has proved its futility. He has made the victors shed tears of sorrow and repentance, and has left them nothing but a legacy of miseries. In this great work the Gita is the crown.

Its second chapter, instead of teaching the rules of physical warSWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATI

I

n Sanskrit the word for renunciation is sannyasa and one who is a renunciate is called a sannyasi. Another word for renunciate is sadhu or "a good person"; that is, a person who can be trusted, whose mind causes no one any consternation, a simple person whose life is one of values; of gentleness and of honesty.

Being a sadhu really means being a person whose mind is resolved about his life. This person can be from any walk of life - a parent, a businessperson, a monk, etc. One's attitude to life is the basis of being a sadhu.

In India, the tradition of monasticism is symbolized by orange cloth, and generally a person inclining towards the direction of a monk wears orange.

The orange symbolizes the first rays of the sun rising at dawn-the rays which destroy the darkness; that is, the color orange stands for knowledge, the dispeller of ignorance. Orange is also the color of fire symbolizing the burning of the problems that characterize the human life.

These problems are known as karma-which may be either good or bad and which bind a person to

fare, tells us how a perfected man is to be known. In the characteristics of the perfected man of the Gita I do not see any to correspond to physical warfare. Its whole design is inconsistent with the rules of conduct governing the relations between warring parties.

Krishna of the Gita is perfection and right knowledge personified; but the picture is imaginary. That does not mean that Krishna, the adored of his people, never lived.

But perfection is imagined. The

extraordinarily religious in his conduct. I can see nothing wrong in this procedure. It takes nothing from God's greatness, and there is no violence done to Truth.

There is an Urdu saying which means, 'Adam is not God but he is a spark of the Divine.' And therefore he who is the most religious behaved has most of the divine spark in him. It is in accordance with this train of thought, that Krishna enjoys, in Hinduism, the status of the most perfect incarnation.

write it to establish that doctrine.

The object of the Gita appears to me to be that of showing the most excellent way to attain self-realization. That which is spread out here and there in Hindu religious books, has been brought out in the clearest possible language in the Gita.

Every action is tainted, be it ever so trivial. How can the body be made the temple of God? In other words how can one be free from action, i.e. from the taint of sin?

Gita is more a description of the internal duel The author of the Mahabharata has not established the necessity of physical warfare; on the contrary he has proved its futility. He has made the victors shed tears of sorrow and repentance Mahatma Gandhi

idea of a perfect incarnation is an aftergrowth.

In Hinduism, incarnation is ascribed to one who has performed some extraordinary service of mankind. All embodied life is in reality an incarnation of God, but it is not usual to consider every living being an incarnation. Future generations pay this homage to one who, in his own generation, has been

This belief in incarnation is a testimony of man's lofty spiritual ambition. Man is not at peace with himself till he has become like unto God. The endeavor to reach this state is the supreme, the only ambition worth having. And this is self-realization.

This self-realization is the subject of the Gita, as it is of all scriptures. But its author surely did not

The Gita has answered the question in decisive language: 'By desireless action; by renouncing fruits of action; by dedicating all activities to God, i.e. by surrendering oneself to Him body and soul.'

Excerpted from Gandhi's Commentary on The Bhagvad Gita.

The 146th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi is being celebrated on Oct 2.

a life of bondage. Thus, the color orange represents j単anam, selfknowledge. Throughout history there have been those who truly owned up the qualities associated with the cloth and those who did not.

In Bhaja Govindam, the author warns us of a person whose be-

who do not wear the robes, but who have this knowledge and the associated values. A sadhu is someone whose mind is sadhu, who has a sadhu buddhi, who lives his life simply, without personal conflict.

Traditionally, if one chooses the life of a monk, one is absolved

comes to him.

At the time of receiving this cloth, which is given by one's teacher, a sadhu is asked to say the abhaya mantra, a vow wherein he promises not to cause injury to any part of the creation whatsoever. His vow is neither to hurt nor to be hurt as he lives in a

A Sadhu is someone whose mind is 'Sadhu' knowledge. Throughout history there have been those who truly owned up the qualities associ-

havior is mithyacara, untrue to the nature of the robe he is wearing.

"An ascetic with matted locks, one with a shaven head, or one whose hairs are pulled out one by one, or one wearing ochre robes, deluded they are, who though seeing, do not see. Truly these different disguises or clothing are merely for the sake of filling the belly."

Alternatively, there are people

from the normal duties in society.

In India, a monk who seeks to understand the truth is supported by the community.

Generally there are two lifestyles associated with being a monk: that of a bee, a person who wanders from place to place and who receives his food from different sources; and that of a python, a person who sits in one place and accepts whatever food

If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything.

-Mark Twain Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

-Buddha Some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little cover-up and decoration. But as time goes by, what is true is revealed, and what is fake fades away.

-Ismail Haniyeh Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.

-Marcus Aurelius All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.

-Galileo Galilei

The color orange represents j単anam, self-

ated with the cloth and those who did not.

The water in a vessel is sparkling; the water in the sea is dark. The small truth has words which are clear; the great truth has great silence.

-Rabindranath Tagore

Swami Dayananda Saraswati

world where it is so easy to hurt and to be hurt. The understanding that is involved in order to commit oneself to a life of not hurting is really what it takes to be a sadhu.

Excerpted from the 5th Anniversary Souvenir of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, 1991. Swami Dayanand Saraswati passed away on Sept 23 in Rishikesh at the age of 85

By doubting we are led to question, by questioning we arrive at the truth.

-Peter Abelard In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

-George Orwell

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Nuclear Deal: What is in store for US & Iran?

India Post

ABHIMANYU SINGH

T

oday, there is little doubt in the international fraternity that the foreign policy of the US in West Asia since 9/11 has caused only turmoil in the region. The nuclear deal sealed between the P5+1 global powers and Iran is a defining moment to reshape and rebalance West Asian politics.

The region is in utter chaos and there was an urgent need for an overhaul of US foreign policy towards West Asia.

The deal has been in the making for the last thirteen years and had become the focal attraction for many countries of the world that are going to have a direct impact on their security and economy after this deal is given final effect by the respective parliaments of both countries.

It will not be an exaggeration to say that once this deal comes into effect, West Asia will never be the same again. The thought of the potential comeback of Iran has already been cause for concern in

ing President of the US yearns to be remembered as an idiosyncratic President, who ended US stalemates with long-time rivals like Cuba and Iran.

It would be safe to say, at this juncture, that this deal is a historic opportunity for the US to initiate a new approach towards West Asia by developing a new regional security framework in which both countries can work with each other to advance their interests instead of thwarting them. Additionally, the US has diversified its options in West Asia as it will then not have to wholly rely on longterm allies in the region.

The deal will also help the US in finding a prospective long-term solution for Syria, as it would have been almost impossible for them or any foreign power to achieve this feat without involving Iran, which is a major stakeholder in Syria.

This deal also comes bundled with economic benefits for the US and other western powers. In the

make a comeback on the global oil trading platforms and hurt the already active players banking on the absence of one major player in the market.

The crude prices are speculated to be down by US$ 4-5 per barrel in the next one month, which will hurt the crippling profits of other major oil producers in the short-term.

Moreover, the Indian companies that were charging a premium of 20-30 per cent over the base price for exporting basmati rice, sugar, corn and soybean to Iran will not be able to reap such dividend for a long time, as the country will be free to buy commodities at the best available price from the international market.

The biggest incentive for Iran will be the access to billions in frozen assets and oil revenue that will help build-up road and rail infrastructure in the country, which will be key to its future growth. If the country has to exploit its unique position in West Asia and portray itself as the gateway to the Central Asian Republics, then it will have to invest billions to modernize its aging infrastructure.

Iran should also finalize some big ticket investments, like the Chabahar port project with India, where the Indian government intends to invest INR 1 lakh crore in developing a urea plant and railway line connecting Iran to Afghanistan and Central Asia, besides developing the port.

Several governments across the world have already started engaging with Iran on the economic front.

A Polish delegation of 60 File photo of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (right) shaking hands traders recently visited Iran, with US Secretary of State John Kerry (left) in Geneva, January 14, 2015 and a similar British trade delegation is scheduled to the Sunni fiefdoms and the Zion- present dynamics of international visit next week. Several other westist homeland, all of whom are mak- trade, there is little the US has been ern countries, including Germany, ing an unnecessary hue and cry able to do to check the ever in- have already begun talking with over the issue to protect their in- creasing dominance of China in the Iran on several long pending terests. existing international markets. projects, which will give a sudden Additionally, the western me- Hence, the US has been actively boost to Iran's economy in the dia has not shied away from por- scouting for new markets, espe- near future. traying this deal as a savior for Iran cially for its companies in automoIt will be interesting to see how and the only way for its resur- bile, telecommunications, food & Iran's leadership is able to sucgence in West Asian politics, com- beverage and pharmaceutical sec- cessfully harness the new found fortably ignoring the fact that this tors, whose bottom-lines have western enthusiasm for its deal is as much crucial for the US been severely affected because of economy, and develop itself as an as it is for Iran. the stagnancy in the markets of economic hotspot in West Asia, The deal is a shot in arm for western countries, who offer little in sharp contrast to its conflictPresident Obama who has been returns and virtually no scope for torn neighbors in the region. heavily criticized for his foreign their expansion in the near future.

The writer is LLM Candidate, policy and for non-fulfillment of The deal also has its own share The Australian National Univerhis election promises. The outgo- of pie for Iran, which is going to sity. Courtesy IPCS

Changes on ground

O

n his second visit to US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi won over everyone he met, whether it was President Obama, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Silicon Valley CEOs or the already ecstatic Indian community of New York and California. He made many promises and many promises were made to him, by the tech giants of Silicon Valley. By any account a very successful visit.

However the great debate in India continues about implementation on the ground which the local media complains is not happening. Naysayers and critics cite depressing figures on the ease of doing business, the modest effect of Swacch India, Jan-Dhan Yojana, Make-in-India, Smart City and AMRUT missions. True a comprehensive Digital India plan has been launched mainly focused on making the citizens' life easier with the help of online applications such as Digital Locker, e-hospital, e-sign and Digitise India platform. However, media continues to say that on major policy issues like taxation, banking stress, labor relations, ease of doing business or land acquisition, Modi's NDA has failed to clear the mess created during the UPA regime. Pundits keep citing absence of forward movement in some critical policy domains.

The matter of reforms not being quick enough and not having made an impact yet was also raised at his meeting with Tech CEOs in the Silicon Valley. At Townhall Q&A event at Facebook's new headquarters at Menlo Park in California, he was asked the same question. Modi's reply was, "It is easy to turn a scooter, but not a train with 40 bogeys. This is such a big country, changes are constant and widespread."

Another point he made which he seems to have realised after taking over as PM was that it is the States who carry out reforms. If he thought that he can quickly turn around things as he could in Gujarat, he was mistaken. He has to carry the States along as in the Federation the Centre can only evolve policy. Implementation is in the domain of the States. Speaking about the ease of doing business, he said his government had taken on board the States now which are engaged in "unprecedented" competition in the context of reforms and ease of doing business. But he seems to have not been able to impress the States as much as he has the number of countries he has visited. The Congress led States are not co-operating at all.

Modi's assessment that it will take time to change a huge country like India was endorsed by Cisco Executive Chairman John Chambers who said, "The question is whether you have the courage, whether the people in India have the patience for the change and not expect it in a quarter or this year... It takes 3-4 years to drive a change effectively".

He felt that it will take a very strong government leader and a leadership team that has the courage to make the changes and remove the hurdles.

What is helping India play a leading role in global economies is factors like strong domestic consumption and availability of English speaking engineers. Compared to China there are disadvantages in terms of speed of change; India being a democracy. "But" he declared "I think you have majority of positives versus your peers to lead."

A big change that Modi has brought about is making the Diaspora feel they are partners in the re-making of India. He tells them they have a role to play. Thus even after so many rallies all over the world drawing crazy crowds of Indians, he once again made them proud of their links with their country of origin with his remarkable address at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. With two CEOs of top tech companies being of Indian origin made the bon homie all the more real and the intent of investing in India more clear.

October 2, 2015

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