IndiaPost_10-21-2011

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VOL 17, No. 893

October 21, 2011

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TERROR STRIKE IN DELHI FOILED

Vijaya Emani posthumously awarded Details on page 7

Explosives-laden car seized in Ambala

AMBALA/NEW DELHI: A terror strike, possibly in Delhi ahead of Diwali, plotted by LeT and Babbar Khalsa was foiled with police seizing over 5 kg explosives from a car outside Ambala Cant Railway station.

A team of Delhi Police and their Haryana counterparts found the explosives in a blue Indica car parked outside the railway station, about 200 km from Delhi, on October 12 following probe into inputs provided by intelligence agencies ten days ago that a consignment of explosives is headed to a north Indian metro.

Though the initial inputs were general in nature, sources said, Delhi Police was provided specific inputs, including the make of the vehicle used for carrying the explosives and that the exchange will take place in Ambala.

The information was passed on to Haryana Police and a joint team of Delhi and Haryana Police tracked down the car to Ambala railway station. Sources said the vehicle had passed from the Lakhanpur toll barrier along JammuPathankot barrier.

Durga Puja by Pashchimi a huge success Details on page 40

Details on page 6

See pages 12-23

CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 42-43 Classifieds ------------------------- 58 Community Post -------------- 34-41 Date Book -------------------------- 57 Edit Page --------------------------- 61 HealthScience Post --------- 24-26 Horoscope ------------------------- 56 Immigration Post ------------- 28-31 Life Style ----------------------- 50-54

LARGEST EVER TRICOLOR: Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary was

Philosophy ------------------------- 59

celebrated in Chicago with the unveiling and unfurling of the largest ever Indian tricolor at Lions Park District in the presence of local leaders and Indian community members. PIc Asian Media USA. (Details on page 34)

Publisherís Diary ------------------ 4

Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”

TechBiz Post ------------------- 10-11 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 46-49

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columnist on the NPR website described it as 'Gridlockracy'. Don't look for the word in any dictionary or thesaurus. It's simply descriptive of the current political situation in Washington DC. Yet another bill introduced by President Obama - this time the $447 billion jobs plan, called the American Jobs Act - is, well, dead. The Republican-dominated Senate voted it out. The President has all but declared a war on the dissenting lawmakers on Capitol Hill stating that he will not sit back and take it.

Democrats think the Republicans are simply set on opposing Obama no matter what; and the Republicans think Obama is using the Jobs bill to garner voter support in the 2012 Presidential elections. Republicans opposed to the Jobs bill because it proposes millions in aid to the states can perhaps consider this fact about Topeka in Kansas: Well, this city has deemed domestic violence no longer a crime. Reason: It does not have the funds to prosecute domestic violence cases any more. If this is not an indication of things to come, I don't know what is.

While the Parties bicker and essentially try to destroy each other, if not the country, the economy is getting worse and as many as 14 million Americans are jobless.

For all of Obama's good intentions, it must be said that government spending has gone out of control - this year alone it is expected to top $3.5 trillion, half of which is through debt.

Still, Americans in general and the right wingers in particular are wondering what the protests on Wall Street are all about. I mean, can't they see it all - a powerless government, partisan lawmakers, election-oriented political agendas, all of which leading to big corporations and billionaires getting away with their greed, not paying enough in taxes and continuing to fire workers, while the economy is sliding into the next big depression.

It's ironic that given the economic mess we are in, two American economists have won the Nobel Prize this year.

Isn't disillusionment with the system reason enough for people to want to get onto rooftops and scream?

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HIGHLIGHTS Bollywood: Madhuri & co back Keeping her promise, Madhuri Dixit has returned back to India with her husband Sriram Nene and two children.

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Cover Story: Terror foiled A terror strike, possibly in Delhi was foiled with police seizing over 5 kg explosives from a car outside Ambala Cant Railway station.

Community: Largest tricolor

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Chicago celebrated Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary with unfurling of the largest ever Indian tricolor at Lions Park District.

Immigration: 70-year wait A highly skilled Indian national on EB-3 visa could wait potentially 70 years to receive a green card.

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Travel: Dharamsala Set against the backdrop of Dhauladhar mountains, Dharamsala is perched on the high slopes of Kangra Valley.

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Explosives-laden car seized in Ambala AMBALA/NEW DELHI: A terror strike, possibly in Delhi ahead of Diwali, plotted by LeT and Babbar Khalsa was foiled with police seizing over 5 kg explosives from a car outside Ambala Cant Railway station.

A team of Delhi Police and their Haryana counterparts found the explosives in a blue Indica car parked outside the railway station, about 200 km from Delhi, on October 12 following probe into inputs provided by intelligence agencies ten days ago that a consignment of explosives is headed to a north Indian metro.

Though the initial inputs were general in nature, sources said, Delhi Police was provided specific inputs, including the make of the vehicle used for carrying the explosives and that the exchange will take place in Ambala.

The information was passed on to Haryana Police and a joint team of Delhi and Haryana Police tracked down the car to Ambala railway station. Sources said the vehicle had passed from the Lakhanpur toll barrier along Jammu-Pathankot barrier.

Sources said the car-laden with explosives, which one would have needed to assemble to carry out a blast, was abandoned by its occupants who may have become suspicious when police carried out searches after waiting for someone to turn up.

"We had inputs that an LeT module active in Jammu and Kashmir was planning to strike in Delhi.

Investigations were done and found that the explosives were meant for BKI and to be used in Delhi. We received a specific input about the movement," Arun

A team of National Security Guard (NSG) from Delhi examining the spot after recovery of over 5-kg explosives and detonators from a car parked outside the Ambala Cantt Railway Station on Oct 13

Kampani, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), told reporters in Delhi.

The recovery of the explosives came a month after a bomb blast outside High Court in Delhi.

"Ambala was the place where the explosives were meant to be exchanged. Bomb disposal squads and forensic experts from Madhubani FSL rushed to the spot.

Five kg of black explosives contained in three packets wrapped with brown adhesive tapes were recovered," Kampani said.

Five detonators contained in a plastic box wrapped with brown adhesive tapes, two 'ABCD' timers hidden in the cavity of window rolling machine of the front door of the car, registration papers of the car and two toll receipts of Shambu Barrier and Ladowal were

DGP R.S. Dalal addresing the media on recovery of over 5-kg explosives and detonators

recovered.

A box of sweets was found lying in the car, which showed that it was purchased from Jammu's Bari Brahmna area besides two newspapers from Jammu and

Kashmir.

The car was bearing a fake Haryana registration number and police suspect that it was a stolen one. The number plate on the car and the RC recovered were not the same, a senior police official said.

Asked whether the owner of the car has been traced, Kampani said they will soon find him but refused to give any details.

Efforts were on to trace the original owner of the car and police and other security personnel were also trying to take accounts from the eyewitnesses who may have seen the car driver.

Police said that the fake number put on the car is registered in the name of a Panchkula-based business enterprise.

An alert had been sounded in Haryana and neighboring Punjab

and security personnel have been asked to remain on alert and maintain strict vigil and track any suspicious movement of people or vehicles.

When asked if the intended target of the terror plot could have been Delhi, Haryana's Director General of Police Ranjiv Dalal said, "Senior officers from various investigating and security agencies are here. We are probing every angle".

As the cantonment area is located in Ambala, police would also be probing if the target could have been a military installation in the region.

The explosives have been sent for forensic test and a team of National Security Guard (NSG) from Delhi arrived at the spot, police said, adding the nature of explosives was being studied.

After recovery of the explosives, security personnel thoroughly checked the car, which was bearing the registration number HR-O3-R-0054.

The tyres of the vehicle and some other parts were removed to check for presence of any more explosives, the sources said.

In view of the approaching Diwali festival, vigil has been stepped up around key installations and crowded public places including the railway stations in the state, police said.

According to preliminary investigations, the captured CCTV footage showed the car had two occupants, police sources said.

Police is now trying to verify the details and hunt down those who drove the car to Ambala Cantt, which falls along National Highway number one.-PTI

Bhutan's 'Prince Charming' weds commoner, kingdom gets Queen PUNAKHA: The picturesque kingdom of Bhutan erupted in joy to welcome its new Queen as its 'Prince Charming' King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck married his childhood sweetheart and commoner Jetsun Pema in a traditional Buddhist ceremony at an imposing monastic fortress here.

The much-loved Oxford-educated Wangchuck, 31, tied the nuptial knot with India-educated Pema, 21, amidst chants of hymns and prayers by monks at the proceedings led by the Chief Abot (head of the monks) of Bhutan Je Khenpo.

The ceremony at the stunning fortress in this historical city started early at 4.00 am as thousands of people gathered outside to witness history unfold in front of their eyes and to get a glimpse of the Royal Couple.

Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema after wedding ceremony at the Punakha Dzong in Punakha, Bhutan, Oct 13

The dashing King Jigme Khesar is the fifth king of the 100 year old Wangchuk dynasty, and

Pema, whom he met when he was 17, is the daughter of a pilot.

Pema, who wore a golden

jacket and a skirt according to traditions, was proclaimed the 'Queen of the Kingdom of Bhutan' as the King bestowed the crown on her after a series of ceremonies attended by 300 guests, including India's Ambassador to Bhutan Pavan K Varma, West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan, Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran.

Wearing a raven crown, the King sat on his throne, with a huge Buddhist statue in the background.

Amid chanting of hymns by red-robe Buddhist monks and clanging of drums, Pema prostrated thrice before King Wangchuck, who then stood up with a smile from his throne, and placed the crown on her head. .

The King then sipped from a

glass of 'ambrosia' for the longevity and prosperity of the couple.

A purification ceremony followed that according to belief would remove any obstacles in the way of the couple's married life.

After a two-hour ceremony, Wangchuck and Pema were declared husband and wife and members of the Royal family and the monks then made their offerings to the couple and presented to them the traditional white scarfs.

Outside the stunning 17th century fortress, located between two rivers Fochu (Father River) and Mochu (Mother River), thousands of Bhutanese, including children and women, thronged the ground to catch a glimpse of their King and the newly crowned Queen.-PTI

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Vijaya Emani posthumously awarded Citizens Medal by Obama India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Indian American civic leader Vijaya Emani of Strongsville, Ohio has been posthumously conferred the 2011 Citizens Medal - the nation's secondhighest civilian honor - by President Obama, the White House announced on Oct 12.

Fifty-one year old Emani, a single mother of two, who was killed in an accident in 2009, is one of 13 recipients from across the country to receive the honor for exemplary service to their fellow citizens. Emani posthumously receives the Citizens Medal for her courage in overcoming and speaking out against abuse.

"This year's recipients of the Citizens Medal come from different backgrounds, but they share a commitment to a cause greater than themselves," said President Obama. "They exemplify the best of what it means to be an American, and I am honored to be able to offer them a small token of our

appreciation."

The Citizens Medal was established in 1969 to recognize American citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citi-

Fifty-one year old Emani, a single mother of two, who was killed in an accident in 2009, is one of 13 recipients from across the country to receive the honor for exemplary service to their fellow citizens zens. Like last year, President Obama is recognizing Americans this year whose work has had a significant impact on their communities but may not have garnered national attention.

Vijaya Emani became a role model for victims of domestic abuse because of her strength and determination in overcoming domestic abuse in her own life, and by speaking out about the issue publicly she broke a long held taboo in the Indian American community. Emani lived and breathed many causes including projects to aid the homeless and promoting diversity. Although she was killed in a tragic vehicle accident, her example and message live on, the White House release said.

Born in Kurnool in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Emani graduated in 1980 from Osmania University with a B.S. in Electronics and Communications Engineering and made her way to the United States in 1986.

She received her M.S. in Computer Science from Cleveland State University.

Personal struggles, a divorce and the challenges of single parenting notwithstanding, Emani

Indian languages added on ballots in some states India Post News Service

NEW YORK: For the first time South Asian languages are being covered in certain jurisdictions in the country under the Language Assistance Provisions of the federal Voting Rights Act. The US Census Bureau announced the new jurisdictions and languages covered under the Language Assistance Provisions (Section 203) of the federal Voting Rights Act. Bilingual ballots, translated voter registration forms, and interpreters must now be provided to Asian American voters in 11 states, covering 22 cities/ counties, in six Asian languages, pursuant to the decennial census.

For the first time South Asian languages were covered, in four jurisdictions, as well as Korean in New Jersey and Chinese in Massachusetts. The determinations also found a significant expansion in the number of jurisdictions required to provide Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese assistance.

Chinese and Filipino ballots must be provided in four more districts each, Indian and Vietnamese ballots must be provided in three more districts each, Korean ballots must be provided in one more district, and Bangladeshi will be re-

quired for the first time in Hamtramck city in Michigan.

"We're ecstatic that more Asian Americans will be able to exercise their right to vote - and that the voting process will accommodate an increasingly diverse electorate," said Glenn D. Magpantay, Director of the Democracy Program at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF).

AALDEF successfully urged Congress to expand Section 203's legal test in 1992, and has worked on local compliance and enforcement ever since.

AALDEF has long monitored elections and found that Asian American voters in the newlynamed jurisdictions often faced barriers to voting.

Under the Voting Rights Act, when the census finds that 5% or more than 10,000 voting-age citizens speak the same language, have limited English proficiency, and (as a group) have a higher illiteracy rate than the national rate, all voting materials must be translated and interpreters must be provided at poll sites. Although determinations used to be updated only once every ten years, in 2006 AALDEF pushed for an amendment when Congress reauthorized the Voting Rights Act to test for coverage every five years, given the fast changing

demographics of the US population.

AALDEF will now focus on making sure that local election officials fully comply with federal law. In the past, jurisdictions mistranslated ballots by listing Democrats as Republicans, and vice versa, or provided Korean interpreters to Chinese-speaking voters. Vigorous enforcement of Section 203 will be needed.

Indian languages will now be seen on ballots in Los Angeles, CA; Cook, Illinois; and Queens, New York.

was a dedicated civic leader, who pushed her community to confront the scourge of domestic violence and took the rare step of sharing her personal story as an advocate for battered immigrant

Emani is most remembered for energizing a campaign that helped create the India Cultural Garden in Rockefeller Park, Cleveland in 2005; and largely because of her, a statue of Mohandas Gandhi was installed women.

Emani was associated with various Indian American cultural groups, notably the Federation of India Community Associations through which she provided av-

enues for people who struggled like her, initiating single parent support groups and bringing the issue of immigrant domestic violence out into open discussion.

Emani is most remembered for energizing a campaign that helped create the India Cultural Garden in Rockefeller Park, Cleveland in 2005; and largely because of her, a statue of Mohandas Gandhi was installed in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens in 2006.

Emani was tragically killed in 2009 when a tractor-trailer struck her as she stood along a turnpike in Portage County after her car broke down.

Emani's selection for the posthumous honor follows a call by President Obama in May this year, to members of the public to nominate people in their lives who have performed exemplary deeds of service outside of their regular jobs. Nearly 6,000 public nominations were submitted, and the President has selected the 13 exemplary awardees from them.

Two held for attacking lawyer Prashant Bhushan NEW DELHI: Two youths, who escaped after attacking lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan, have been arrested here, police said.

Tejinder Pal Singh Bagga and Vishnu Verma were apprehended from a place near Baba Kharak Singh Marg, they said. Bagga had earlier said that he would surrender in a local court.

One Inder Verma, who claimed to be the Delhi president of Sri Ram Sene, was arrested in connection with the incident.

Bhushan was assaulted by three youths belonging to a right-wing group in his Supreme Court chamber for advocating holding of a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir.

The attack on Bhushan came live on the TV screens when the trio barged into Chamber No 301 of New Lawyers Chamber opposite Supreme Court and attacked him mentioning "Kashmir, Kashmir". Bhushan was giving an interview to a TV channel at the time of the incident.

On social networking site 'Facebook', the account holder in the name of 'Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena' had claimed they "hit Prashant Bhushan hard in his chamber in Supreme Court. If you will try to break my nation, I will break your head" which was repeated on Bagga's Twitter account as well.-PTI

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shakes hands with visiting Vietnamese President Troung Tan Sang before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on October 12

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Indians make a mark at UN General Assembly

Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations, Abdullah Hussain Haroon meets Preneet Kaur, Minister of State for External Affairs at the UNGA on Oct 11. All pics Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Indian ministers, Members of Parliament and Indian foreign services officials have been making their presence felt at the ongoing 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. They have been part of various debates and making statements on topics including

International financial system and development; New Partnership for Africa's Development; Progress in Implementation and International Support; Advancement of women; Administration of Justice; Criminal Accountability of United Nations Officials and Experts on Mission' The Rule of Law at the National and International Levels; Social Development; Criminal Justice

President United Nations General Assambly Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser met K.Rahman Khan, Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha, at his office in New York on Oct 6.

Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri can also be seen

and Drugs and so on.

In a break from the routine speeches, on Oct 11, following a statement made by Pakistan's representative with reference to Jammu & Kashmir in the General Assembly, India responded strongly calling the reference to J&K "unwarranted".

R. Ravindra, First Secretary, in a 'Right of Reply' statement dur-

ing the General Debate of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, said Pakistan's reference to J&K was "irrelevant to the work of that Committee".

"I would like to remind the distinguished representative of Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India," Ravindra said. "The Indian Constitution guarantees fundamental

rights to all its citizens. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have expressed their free will by participating in free and fair elections held at regular intervals."

Despite that India's Minister of State for ExternalAffairs Preneet Kaur was later seen shaking hands with the Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Abdullah Hussain Haroon on the floor of the General Assembly

American students studying in India are far too few: William Burns India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Ahead of the USIndia Higher Education Summit in Washington DC on Oct 13, Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns has challenged Indian and American business leaders and educators to seek out hitherto unexplored avenues for cooperation including community college, distance learning and new technologies in education which will be good for students and economies of both countries and good for the world.

Burns was addressing over 300 leaders and senior representatives from some of America's and India's top companies and academic institutions at the opening ceremonies of the first ever US-India Higher Education Summit hosted by the US-India Business Council (USIBC) at the at the newly opened US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC on Oct 12. The event was attended by India's Union Minister for HRD Kapil Sibal.

The Summit, jointly hosted by the Governments of the US and India, at Georgetown University in Washington DC, will be headlined by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Minister Kapil Sibal.

More than 300 education leaders and private sector leaders of both

countries as also government officials are participating in it to strengthen collaborations and exchange between institutions in the US and India.

Pointing out that Minister Sibal is a Harvard law graduate and that his two sons also studied in the US, Burns said the minister knows

studying in India is far too few, and the process for our schools to partner with Indian counterparts or to create new institutions of learning in India remains challenging. That is one of the reasons we organized (tomorrow's) Summit. We want to do everything we can to lift the barriers to greater

Pointing out that Minister Sibal is a Harvard law graduate and that his two sons also studied in the US, Burns said the minister knows well the value and the cost - of an American education well the value - and the cost - of an American education. And yet, despite the ever-expanding collaboration between India and the US, it remains a long and sometimes arduous journey from India to study in America, Burns said.

"Our education system is full of thousands of excellent schools.

But it is also decentralized and not always easy to understand from the outside. At the same time, the number of American students

tive. This competitive edge will only be possible to achieve if the human capacity of our societies is properly equipped to take on the challenges of tomorrow. Looking to the long future, we stand a very good chance as partners in building a capable, high quality global workforce that can shape

Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns

cooperation between our educational institutions and help these ties flourish."

USIBC President Ron Somers stated, "Against the backdrop of a fragile global economic recovery, and as the world becomes ever-more competitive, the knowledge partnership between the United States and India will become central to assuring that American as well as Indian companies remain globally competi-

the 21st Century."

The US-India Higher Education Summit, a priority of Prime Minister Singh and President Obama announced last November in New Delhi, is an important step in establishing a formal platform to bring closer the academic institutions from both countries to facilitate greater collaboration."

USIBC through its 400 membercompanies stands committed in supporting this important initia-

tive," said Somers.

Rutgers, TISS announce joint center At the opening ceremonies, USIBC felicitated a new tie-up between Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).

These prestigious institutions announced a new joint Center for Sustainable Growth and Talent Development that will provide expert support for India's National Skill Development Strategy.

The Center will focus on applied research through the India Talent Observatory and cooperative education and training (ET) programs including student exchange, development of dual degree programs, and short courses for continuing and executive education.

Additionally, this joint endeavor will focus on capacity building to enhance the governance and capabilities of India's ET institutions through Research Fellowships for new and prospective Indian faculty, administrators, and Higher Education policymakers.

In India today, more than 220 million students between the ages of 6 and 18 require better access to K-12 education, vocational education and training, and institutes of higher learning.

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ÂŁ1 million Hindu temple opens Bhutan's capital Thimphu to have Hindu temple in Leicester, UK India Post News Service India Post News Service

LEICESTER, England: The ÂŁ1 million BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir opened in Belgrave section of Leicester in England on October 9 with a colorful procession through city streets and two days of celebrations.

Statues of deities were paraded through the city streets on decorated floats in a procession followed by folk dancers in traditional dresses and music as a part of the opening ceremonies. Consecration of statues and prayers were also held.

This Mandir, which features three sikhar towers and was approved by the City Council in 2008, besides regular worship services, will reportedly have provision for morning-evening aarti, sports, Indian music and classical dances instruction, community meetings and Gujarati classes.

It reportedly took two years, an army of volunteers and architects/ engineers from two continents to convert a former industrial site to this Mandir, which contains two inner temples and an assembly hall. This Mandir complex will reportedly have over 100 parking spaces. Temple management, in order to keep the traffic congestion to minimum, is encouraging worshippers to walk, cycle or use public transport; and might use shuttle service to temple on major

festivals. Sanjiv Patel and Kirit Patel are reportedly part of the Mandir leadership team.

Established in 1907, Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) with headquarters in Amdavad (India) is "a socio-spiritual Hindu organization with its roots in the Vedas". Worldwide, it claims to run 3300 centers, 5400 weekly assemblies exclusively for children and 7215 for

About 25% population of Leicester, socially and environmentally progressive melting pot founded in 50 CE, is of Indian descent and about 15% of its residents are Hindus others, eight hospitals and healthcare clinics treating 415,000 patients annually, 31 educational institutions, tree plantation-water conservation-recycling projects, 800 centers for tribal upliftment, and over 700 mandirs; and has over 800 sadhus and 55000 volunteers.

Belgrave, home of 1969 launched Milans Saree Shop and Golden Mile (with concentration of gold selling shops), is represented by Councilor Rashmikant Joshi.

About 25% population of Leicester, socially and environmentally progressive melting pot founded in 50 CE, is of Indian descent and about 15% of its residents are Hindus. About 16% residents speak Gujarati and other languages spoken include Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam. It contains about 2000 years old Jewry Wall, St Nicholas' Church with traces going back to about 880 CE, and Leicester Castle built around 1070.

It already has various Hindu temples, including Shree Jalaram Prarthana Mandal, Haveli Shriji Dwar, Shree Ram Mandir, Shri Siva Murugan Temple, and Shree Sanatan Mandir. Sir Peter Soulsby is the Mayor of Leicester and Deputy Mayors include Manjula Sood, Piara Singh Clair, and Mohammed Dawood.

Prominent people associated with Leicester include Quakers founder George Fox, actor-director Richard Attenborough (Gandhi), actor Richard Armitage, travel agency founder Thomas Cook, King of England Richard III, bowls player Tony Allcock, and Olympic medalists John Merricks and John Arthur Jarvis.

Thimphu: Bhutan's capital and largest city Thimphu will have its first permanent Hindu temple in the near future.

Ground-breaking (Sa-long) ceremony, held on October 10 at Kuenselphodrang, was conducted

by His Holiness the Je Khenpo (Chief Abbot) and was attended among others by national assembly speaker, opposition leader, cabinet ministers, national council chairperson, parliament members, business community and pundits, according to reports.

Construction work for this temple on 2.53-acre government land, which is on the way to the Buddha Dodenma statue, will begin soon and is expected to complete in two years. With Ngultrum 10 million already released by the government; work on basic infrastructure like water, electricity, road, ground-leveling and fencing will begin soon. Cabinet has approved its construction, reports

UK to again insist on bonds for Indian migrants?

LONDON: Prime Minister David Cameron has revived the idea of immigrants from India and other non-EU countries furnish-

Advani says yatra not meant to 'repackage'' himself VARANASI: Amid speculation over BJP's prime ministerial candidate, L K Advani has said that his yatra was not aimed at "repackaging" himself.

"People ask me if this yatra of yours is to repackage Advani. My answer is very clear that it has no link with me or the BJP. "It aims to generate self-confidence among the people in this hour of deep dejection," Advani said while flagging off Jan Swabhiman Yatra led by national vice-president Kalraj Mishra in Uttar Pradesh.

Advani spoke after party leader Uma Bharti claimed that he is the "most capable person" to lead the country in the present situation.

Welcoming Advani's yatra here, Bharti said that in the past Vishwanath Pratap Singh had raised the issue of corruption in Bofors and had gone on to become the Prime Minister.

"Advani ji is the most capable person to lead the country in the present situation," she said and added that though Advani "would

turn 84 in November, he retained the enthusiasm of a twelve-yearold".

Bharti said that she had argued with Advani when at a BJP na-

BJP's prime ministerial choice.

Advani, she said, had taken that decision to uphold the wishes of the people.

As his yatra crossed Uttar

Senior BJP leader L K Advani with party leaders Kalraj Mishra and Surya Pratap Shahi being garlanded at a public meeting during his Jan Chetna Yatra in Varanasi on Oct 13

tional executive in Mumbai in 1995, Advani had proposed Atal Bihari Vajpayee's name as the

Pradesh, where assembly polls are due next year, Advani said the state should take lead in rooting

suggest.

Thanking King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Prime Minister Jigme Y. Thinley for the Temple project, Hindu leader Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) said that "it was a step in the right direction". This temple would fulfill the long felt need of area Hindu community to have a place of worship and gathering of their own.

Rajan Zed pointed out that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this new temple would help in this direction.

Besides a place of worship and mediation, this new temple, which will have touches of Bhutanese architecture, reportedly will also organize festivals, marriage ceremonies and other rituals and proposes to have a dharamsala for visitors from other parts of the country.

out corruption.

"Huge amount of black money is stashed away in foreign banks.

The country which has huge potential is unable to become a great nation," he said.

Advani said that it was unfortunate that whatever was being done to address the menace of corruption, is either by the courts, CAG or PAC while "the government is doing nothing"." Confidence of the people was shaken when they heard about spectrum case, Mumbai land scam and corruption in Commonwealth Games project," Advani said.

The BJP leader said Uttar Pradesh being a crucial state, it was important that corruption menace is fought effectively.

"A good opportunity has come."

"There is deep sense of dejection among people and this yatra is an attempt to generate confidence during this period of depression," Advani said and claimed that corruption was the root cause of inflation.-PTI

ing financial bonds before being allowed to come to Britain, a move that has been promptly opposed.

In a major speech setting out how his government intended to curb immigration, he said here that officials had been asked to consider making financial bonds compulsory for British citizens seeking to bring spouses or family members from outside the EU. Cameron said a sample of more than 500 family migration cases "found that over 70 per cent of UK-based sponsors had post-tax earnings of less than 20,000 pounds a year."

"When the income level of the sponsor is this low, there is an obvious risk that the migrants and their family will become a significant burden on the welfare system and the taxpayer," he said.

The government, he said, had asked the Home Office's Migration Advisory Committee to look at the case for increasing the minimum level for appropriate maintenance.

"And we're going to look at further measures to ensure financial independence: discounting promises of support from family and friends, and whether a financial bond would be appropriate in some cases," Cameron underlined.

Similar proposals in the past had been vehemently opposed by the Indian community as well as the Indian government.-PTI

Tech News Business enquiries worth Rs 30 cr at CII expo AMRITSAR: Over 7,000 enquiries worth around Rs 30 crore were generated at four-day CII expo 'Destination Punjab' here.

Spread over 6000 sqm, the Expo had over 120 exhibitors from various sectors like auto components, hand tools, machine tools, engineering, farm equipments, industrial maintenance, consumer durables, healthcare and tourism etc.

The Mega Expo was carrying basic objective of being a platform for the business world to interact and forge partnerships and bring forth newer investments and entrepreneurship opportunities for the future of Punjab.

Rajneesh Arora, Vice Chancellor, Punjab Technical University, said, "One of the key requirements of industry is trained technical manpower and PTU has been playing an important role in fulfilling this need. At Destination Punjab, we were able to interact with a large number of corporates from Punjab as well as other parts of the country." -PTI

Air India Express adds Abu DhabiChennai flight DUBAI: Air India Express will launch a new flight from the Abu Dhabi International Airport (ADIA) to the south Indian city of Chennai, via Tiruchirapalli, starting from the 27th of this month, ADIA and Air India Express have said.

The airline will operate an additional flight every Monday, originating from Chennai and flying via Tiruchirapalli to Abu Dhabi, thereby bring the total number of flights it operates on this route to three per week.

As per its winter schedule, Air India Express will operate 32 weekly flights from the Abu Dhabi International Airport to seven destinations in India, the statement said.

Due to the increased demand for flights to and from the Indian sub-continent, Air India Express is constantly augmenting the frequency of its flights and expanding its service offerings to passengers from the Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Earlier in 2011, Air India Express increased flight frequencies on two of its routes from Abu Dhabi Mangalore and Amritsar - to service high demand.

Harjeet Sawhney, the Manager of Air India Express in Abu Dhabi, said the new flight reflects the airline's commitment to provide convenient services to passengers. -PTI

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October 21, 2011

Artists perform at the launch of Hyundai Motors new EON car in Gurgaon

US economy tipping into recession: ECRI India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The US economy is tipping into a new recession, according to the Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI), cofounded by Lakshman Achuthan, Chief Operations Officer and Anirvan Banerji, chief Research Officer. It has taken credit for having given warning of each of the past three recessions and of never issuing a false alarm, and this time too, it claims, its present call should also be heeded.

Early last week, ECRI notified clients that the US economy is indeed tipping into a new recession, and that there's nothing that policy makers can do to head it off.

According to the ECRI, its recession call isn't based on just one or two leading indexes, but on dozens of specialized leading indexes, before the Arab Spring and Japanese earthquake. In fact, the most reliable forward-looking indicators are now collectively behaving as they did on the cusp of full-blown recessions, not "soft landings" its report says.

In contrast, most of those who've accurately predicted a recession or two have also been guilty of crying wolf - in 2010, 2005, 2003, 1998, 1995, or 1987, the

ECRI says.

A new recession isn't simply a statistical event. It's a vicious cycle that, once started, must run its course. Under certain circumstances, a drop in sales, for instance, lowers production, which results in declining employment

years after the last one officially ended, The ECRI researchers state: More than three years ago, before the Lehman debacle, we were already warning of a longstanding pattern of slowing growth: at least since the 1970s, the pace of US growth - especially in GDP and

According to the ECRI, its recession call isn't based on just one or two leading indexes, but on dozens of specialized leading indexes, before the Arab Spring and Japanese earthquake

Lakshman Achuthan

and income, which in turn weakens sales further, all the while spreading like wildfire from industry to industry, region to region, and indicator to indicator. That's what a recession is all about, the ECRI report explains.

Explaining how a new recession has come about just a couple of

jobs - has been stair-stepping down in successive economic expansions. We expected this pattern to persist in the new economic expansion after the recession ended, and it certainly did. We also pointed out - months before the recession ended - that because the "Great Moderation" of business

cycles (from about 1985 to 2007) was now history, the resulting combination of higher cyclical volatility and lower trend growth would virtually dictate an era of more frequent recessions.

So it comes as no surprise to us that, with the latest expansion only a couple of years old, we're already facing a new recession.

Actually, such short expansions are hardly unheard of. From 1799 to 1929, nearly 90% of US expansions lasted three years or less, as did two of the three expansions between 1970 and 1981. In other words, such short expansions are unusual only with respect to recent decades.

The ECRI, however, states that recession doesn't mean a bad economy. "We've had that for years now. It means an economy that keeps worsening, because it's locked into a vicious cycle. It means that the jobless rate, already above 9%, will go much higher, and the federal budget deficit, already above a trillion dollars, will soar."

Here's what ECRI's recession call really says: if you think this is a bad economy, you haven't seen anything yet. And that has profound implications for both Main Street and Wall Street.

Indo-Swiss taxation pact comes into force GENEVA/NEW DELHI: The revised Indo-Swiss taxation treaty has come into effect from this year, a major step that will enable India seek information about tax evaders from Switzerland.

While the Swiss government has said that India can seek tax information about cases dating from January this year, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said in Delhi that information from Switzerland can be sought in "specific cases" starting from April 1, 2011.

The amended taxation pact between the two countries has come into force at a time when the issue of black money stashed abroad is at the centre of an intense political debate in India.

The Swiss Federal Department of Finance said the revised double taxation agreement with India in the area of taxes on income and

Indian President Pratibha Patil speaking during her recent visit to Switzerland

capital entered into force on October 10.

"It contains provisions on the exchange of information in accordance with international standards applicable at present," it said in a statement.

The treaty would be applicable in Switzerland on income originating in tax years starting on or after January 1, 2012.

When it comes to the exchange of information, the provisions in the treaty would "apply to infor-

mation referring to tax years which start on or after January 1, 2011", the statement noted.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in a statement said that India can obtain data for cases dating from April 1, 2011. -PTI

TechBiz Post

October 21, 2011

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Pak to grant MFN status to India: Khar Plan panel for full functional ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided in principle to grant the Most Favored Nation (MFN) status to India, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said, citing a number of achievements in bilateral ties.

Khar made the remarks while speaking during question hour in the National Assembly or lower house of parliament. She did not provide details as to when the matter would be finalized.

India bestowed MFN status on Pakistan in 1996.

Pakistani Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who led a high-level business delegation to India last month, had said in Mumbai that there was a strong opinion in his country that India should be given the Most Favored Nation status.

Khar said the India-Pakistan dialogue process had been resumed after a gap of two years.

"We want progress on not just one but a number of issues with India on permanent basis besides

normalization of overall bilateral relations," she added.

"The top most priority of the country is to ensure uninterrupted dialogue with India so that the

trade with India. For the first time in history, the Indian Foreign Minister attended the reception of the Pakistan Foreign Minister in New York," she said.

We have achieved ground on trade with India. For the first time in history, the Indian Foreign Minister attended the reception of the Pakistan Foreign Minister in New York," she said Hina Rabbani Khar

resolution of (the) core (issue of) Kashmir could be ensured," she said.

"There are a number of achievements regarding relations with India. We have achieved ground on

Responding to a question, she said Pakistan wants good relations with India while sticking to its principled stance on the Kashmir issue in accordance with the will of the Kashmiri people. -PTI

Kamal Nath discusses bilateral trade in UAE DUBAI: Indian Minister for Urban Development Kamal Nath has discussed mechanisms for development of the economic partnership between India and the UAE with UAE Foreign Trade Minister Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, it was announced here.

The two sides discussed various potential growth opportunities in the UAE and India and the possibility of holding meetings between companies of the two countries to explore investment opportunities and strike joint investment and commercial venture deals, a statement released by UAE official news agency Wam said.

Sheikha Lubna stressed on the keenness of the UAE to boost trade and investment ties with India in all fields, considering the fact that India was the UAE's top trading partner in 2010.

Kamal Nath said the existing investment opportunities in the two countries will pave the way for broader cooperation for the private sectors and businesses in both countries.

The volume of mutual trade between the UAE and India during 2010 stood at 163 billion dirhams, while trade in the first quarter of 2011 amounted to 69 billion dirhams, a growth of 68 per cent year-on-year.

The value of the UAE's exports to India was 10 billion dirhams in the first quarter of 2011, a 12 per cent growth rate y-o-y, while its imports totaled 36 billion dirhams, a growth of 69 per cent.

The value of Indian products

re-exported by the UAE stood at 23 billion dirhams, a 100 per cent growth compared to the first quarter of 2010.

Speaking on the occasion, Kamal Nath said that a new world order is emerging on the global economic front, as the gravity of economic growth has shifted to the East.

tion, as it has a huge location advantage, being situated at the junction of the new growth continents of Asia and Africa.

The Indian Minister noted that one of the challenges facing the growing economies of Asia and the Middle East is how to make the growth inclusive.

"It has become a challenge in In-

The value of the UAE's exports to India was 10 billion dirhams in the first quarter of 2011, a 12 per cent growth rate y-o-y, while its imports totaled 36 billion dirhams, a growth of 69 per cent Kamal Nath

"The continued and deepening financial and fiscal crisis in the West is a sign that those economies can no longer carry the world.

The Western economies are too saturated and too leveraged to sustain economic growth for either themselves or for the rest of the world," he said.

"The world needs to realign its compass as the gravity of economic growth has shifted to the East," he added.

Nath said that the Arab world and in particular, the UAE, can be on the winning side of this transi-

dia and also in the Middle East on how do we have growth which is inclusive and which touches all sections of the society and which reaches all parts of the country," he added.

Also speaking at the opening session, Pakistani Federal Minister and Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) Chairperson Farzana Raja said that any further deepening of the financial crisis in Europe could lead to a sharper growth slowdown in Asian economies, which were already battling inflationary pressures, leading to monetary tightening. -PTI

autonomy to UIDAI NEW DELHI: The Plan panel has supported full functional autonomy for the Unique Identification Development Authority (UIDAI), mandated to issue the national identity cards, indicating end of tug-of-war between the two.

"I am in favor of delegating powers to UIDAI. We have to check with the Finance Ministry whether this is possible. I am hoping this is possible," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told reporters here.

"The logic of (creating) UIDAI was that it is an attached office (to the Plan panel), but we want to give it the full autonomy with responsibility," he said.

He further said, "We are trying to sort this out so that we can ensure, whatever task is assigned to them, they are able to perform with adequate due diligence within the organization."

"I am meeting Expenditure Secretary and I think we would work out an arrangement which is satisfactory," he added.

A controversy was triggered after Plan panel Member-Secretary Sudha Pillai had reportedly expressed reservations over the Nandan Nilekani-headed UIDAI's functioning. In a letter to the Finance Ministry, she had also reportedly suggested a relook into its structure.

Pillai had reportedly said that the Authority has not got any of its financial proposal examined by the Plan panel's Secretary or Fi-

nancial Adviser.

The reports said the Commission suggested to the Finance Ministry to depute a full time financial advisor in the Authority.

In response to this, Nilekani

Montek Singh Ahluwalia

had last month asserted that the Authority is working under set government framework and the powers delegated by the Prime Minister.

"We are working within the powers granted to us. If somebody

Pillai had reportedly said that the Authority has not got any of its financial proposal examined by the Plan panel's Secretary or Financial Adviser feels that power should be different, then that is a different matter," Nilekani had said.

On transparency issue, Nilekani had said: "We follow every government process and procurement procedures to the key. We set the highest standards of transparency and integrity in our operations." -PTI

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India Post October 21, 2011 12 October 21, 2011

Obama facing tough task on economy & re-election Hazare drive applauded but what next?

SURENDRA ULLAL & RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: Diwali Phir Aayee Sajna.

Diwali, the festival of lights that marks an end of the year and the start of the new Vikram Samvat year, is no doubt one of the biggest events and festivals among Indians, whichever part of the world they may be in.

The year that has gone by may have turned out to be bad or not that satisfactory, but now that it has ended makes one feel to look for better days in the coming year. It is a stock taking period for the individual, the family and even for the people at large. It is in this context that India Post in an effort to feel the pulse of Indian Americans posed the following questions to prominent Indian Americans, eliciting their views about shape of things that they reasonably expect here and back home in India: 1) The US economy has gone from bad to worse during the current year.

Do you think we will slide back to recession or the US could turn the corner in coming year?

2) Politically, what are the chances of President Barack Obama getting re-

elected in the context of current economic situation?

For India, the first question related to Anna Hazare engineering mini-revolution thru his fast unto death for ending endemic corruption in the country. India Post sought the views of Indian Americas as to the impact of this mini-revolution on Indian political scene. An interrelated question was what are the chances of Gujarat Chief Minster Narendra Modi to be elected as the new Prime Minister?

Dr Kiran Patel, a former president of Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin, said there was a fair degree of possibility that the US economy would be flattened by recession in Dr Kiran Patel the coming year in the wake of dismal employment outlook, burgeoning deficit and the impact of adverse global economy conditions.

In the wake of unfavorable economic situation and the inability of the administration to meet the challenge effectively, Dr. Patel felt that the chances of President Barack Obama getting re-elected were "very poor." However, Obama being an extremely "shrewd politician, a master media manipulator and an extremely good orator coupled with his message of class warfare appealing to the average American citizen can help turn the table in his favor."

He feels there is a growing awareness among thinking Americans that there is a divergence between his thoughts, message and action.

Turning to India and the anti-corruption drive by Anna Hazare and like minded

people, Dr Patel said that "India is hard to predict. What we need is to continue the pressure on politicians as otherwise like Al Qaeda, they can dodge the bullet with the power that they have and the time that they have before facing the electorate."

On chances of Narendra Modi becoming Indian PM, he said that even conceding that administrative ability of the Gujarat CM and his honest politician image, there are challenges like anti-Gujarat sentiment, the regional political pulls and class culture which would make his task difficult." He was quite categorical in pointing out that "the man can deliver goods and there is a growing awareness s among people about this ability." There are 50% chances he can be our new PM," Patel added Niranjan Shah, one of the most successful businessmen and a highly respected community activist, opined that there are no signs of an early economic recovery. Some experts are already on record saying the pace of recovery would be slow and expect that it would be at least 2-3 years for the recovery to begin. Obviously therefore, this would have an impact on political future of President Obama.

It would be a sort of miracle if he gets reelected.

Niranjan Shah In India, it seems people are gathering around Anna Hazare who galvanized people from all segments of population and inculcated hope for better tomorrow if only rampant corruption in the Government and political offices are curbed.

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Obama facing tough task on economy & re-election Cont’d from page 12

He has already submitted his draft plan outlining recommendation for fighting against corruption which the Manmohan Singh government has promised to consider. This augurs well for Indian politics As far as the re-election of Narendra Modi, Shah said that the people of India view quite favorably Modi's leadership quality in navigating the ship of Gujarat state efficiently. The economic development in Gujarat has made such a deep impression on the mind of the Indian people at large that they have started accepting him as a prospective head of the country.

He also felt that if only Narendra Modi played his card as an astute politician, he will be able to win the confidence of the BJP High Command and may succeed in having his name recommended for the position of Prime Minister of India, in opposition to Rahul Gandhi who is a definite choice of the Congress Party and allies.

B.G. Dhake and Arjun Dhake heading

Arjun Dhake & B G Dhake

Dhake Industries in Plymouth Michigan, feel that the US economy though not in good shape right now is surely going to fare better in the days ahead. This is especially so in the case of airmobile industry which has already phased itself out of trouble this year and is set to rebuild at a faster rate in the coming year. Dhakes are one of the largest suppliers of automotive paints here and also have a presence in 17 other countries, including India, China and Mexico.

Arjun Dhake with a degree in chemical engineering and business administration under his belt, said that a businessman cannot be pessimistic as otherwise he would soon get out of his business. He should be at the same time realistic. For the automotive industry, things are looking up and soon this would proliferate to other sectors also, he felt.

Discussing the chances of President Obama getting re-elected, he said that in the absence of a really strong candidate from the Republican Party, Obama stands a good chance to score victory. Besides, he has huge backing from African Americans and other minority groups. Unless he commits a blunder which might land him in trouble, he should be there for the second term.

BG Dhake who is more familiar with Indian conditions, observed that the Congress and its allies would lose support from

sue and the anti-corruption drive unleashed by Anna Hazare and his followers.

"The moot question here is also of a viable

Touching upon Narendra Modi's chances to be the next PM of India, he observed that it could be the right choice as he would surely lift the country out of present morass and seek ending corruption. ‘But will the present politicians on both side of fences and other vested interests let that happen’ the masses this time in the wake of anticorruption mood in the country. The opposition has to shape up to take advantage of the situation but this group is a motley one and is not inspiring confidence among voters. There could be a fractured government and a lot of horse trading.

Discussing Narendra Modi's chances to head the federal government, he said that thought he has proved himself quite capable in Gujarat, he lacks national level exposure and experience. The people across the country, not only the educated class but the people at large, need to know him and accept him. But still between Rahul Gandhi and Modi, the latter would be a better choice although Rahul has built a national image for himself, thanks to the legacy of Nehru-Gandhi family.

Naren Patel, the president of Association of Indians in America and CEO MedStar Laboratories in Chicago, said that he was not very sanguine about the US economy turning the corner this year and one of the main reasons is the lack of strong drive on the part of the government to create jobs here. "We are all getting global in more than one way with a big upturn in communication and transportation, and this means that we would continue to import cheap goods and services available in any part of the world. It is a moot point then which way we can make our industries and labor competitive with the rest of the world economies.

Either we i m p o s t higher tariff on goods imported Naren Patel from countries like China or provide more incentives to the local industries to make them dependent on local labor-services," he said.

Naren Patel felt that chances of President Obama getting re-elected greatly dependent on the opposition Republican candidate and the economy package that the party touts. "Prediction at this stage is difficult but bad economy is a factor against Obama," he felt. Talking of the Indian political scene, he observed that the hold of the Congress party has definitely got weakened largely because of the corruption is-

alternative. Which other party at the national level can replace the Congress party?

Personally, I feel that the time for change has arrived and it is up to the Indian electorate to take a right decision," he said.

Touching upon Narendra Modi's chances to be the next PM of India, he observed that it could be the right choice as he would surely lift the country out of present morass and seek ending corruption.

"But will the present politicians on both side of fences and other vested interests let that happen," he posed the question.

Dr Bharat Barai, a front-ranking community activist and a leading oncologist in Indiana, said that he was not optimistic about economic recovery in the coming year or for that matter for the next Dr Bharat Barai two years.

Analyzing the political situation in the context of economic downturn, especially chances of President Obama again winning elections, Dr Barai observed that dazzled by the oratory of a leader, people do not realize how much of his promises will be realized. When dreams fade away, so does the popularity. This is the story of the 44th President, Barack Obama. Promises of a leader must be realistic even in victory.

"President Obama hastened to make promises but could not deliver. As a result he lost support not only from the opposition but also from those of his own party.

Early on in his political career as an Illinois State Senator, within a short span of two years he was instrumental in passing the first major ethics reform in 25 years, cut taxes for working families, and expanded health care for children and their parents.

“As a United States Senator, he reached across the aisle to pass groundbreaking lobbying reform, lock up the world's most dangerous weapons, and bring transparency to government by putting federal spending online. Obviously, however it was too short a time to learn the intricacies of politics and government to discharge the onerous responsibilities of the President. However, his oratorical skill,

which mesmerized the voters, including blacks, students, professionals and blacks catapulted him to the highest office of the land."

Recently he announced extending unemployment benefits to the tune of nearly 800 billion, which is clearly beyond the ability of the government to meet, unless indebting the future of our children. With this rather unwise step he has opened himself to further attacks that have eroded his public confidence," he said. It has to be seen if the American voters would really place confidence in his ability to navigate the ship of the country effectively. "I have my own doubts," he said For India, the silent revolution brought in by Anna Hazare's fast has given a new dimension to Indian politics. It has proved the hollowness of the Congress-led government's policies and brought in full public view the two faces of the leaders.

The ruling coalition is in disarray right now and it is up to the opposition parties to cash in on this unexpected turn of events.

The Hazare movement will have a favorable impact on the Indian political scene, he felt.

As far as the chances of Gujarat Chief Minister becoming the Prime Minister of India, Dr Barai observed that the grand slam developmental activities and unprecedented progress both in industry and commerce in Gujarat seemed to have given a fillip to the position of Chief Minister Modi, and has not only strengthened the possibilities of his reelection but also opened up his chances of becoming Indian PM. Referring to the issue of Anna Hazare movement and its contributory effect, Dr. Barai said that this would help Narendra Modi to add to his popular support. He added that the recent court judgment could not find any evidence of wrongdoing by Modi in the alleged case of man slaughter against him. He was, therefore, acquitted with higher courts ordering his case to be tried at the State judiciary, almost marginalizing the complaint.

Iftekhar Shareef, a front ranking community leader and Chair of FIA Trustee Board, was highly pessimistic about recovery in the US E c o n o m y.

"We are dealing with retail businesses daily and based on my observation, I would be surprised if Iftekhar Shareef t h e economy turns the corner in the course of the next three to five years. The Obama administration is trying hard but irrespective of any party being in the power, the basics need to change and this is not happening. The unemployment rate is still hovering around 9 percent. I am not sanguine about better days at least in the coming year," he said.

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Obama facing tough task on economy & re-election Cont’d from page 13

Analyzing its impact on the political scene, he felt that people are desperately asking for a change and this will provide a tough challenge to Democrats in coming elections. However, so far at the Presidential race is concerned he envisages Barack Obama to romp home as there is no viable candidate that Republicans are putting right now.

"If elections are held today, Obama will surely win. He is a charismatic speaker and has amassed good experience in the first term. Things could only change if Republicans come out with a really acceptable candidate," he observed.

On the Indian political scene in the light of Anna Hazare movement, he conceded that the anti-corruption drive has put the ruling coalition in a corner but people do realize that the corruption has spread like cancer and no party can root it out easily. So what is the option, he queried. People are more concerned about inflation and spiraling prices and this will hurt the ruling parties, especially if the middle class voters turn out in numbers.

On prospects of Gujarat CM getting PM Gaddi, he said that chances are 50: 50. Though Modi is a charismatic leader and has proved his merit in Gujarat, he should be acceptable across the country. Besides, BJP is ridden with factions and different pulls. He could be a good PM if the entire country accepts him, he said.

Mafat Patel, one of the most successful Indian businessmen in the country described often as uncrowned king of Devon Ave. (India Town)shared the belief expressed by Mafat Patel Iftekhar Shareef in that the US economy is not likely to revive in the foreseeable future and that we should be happy that it doesn't get worse than what it is now.

This is in the light of the huge budgetary deficit, imbalance in international trade and steady high level of unemployment. "All these factors do not portend well for the economy," he said.

Mafat Patel felt that despite the poor economy, President Obama has still a great chance to win the 2012 elections in as much as Republicans are not coming out with a strong challenger. Besides, Obama will pull out some gimmick like Amnesty for illegals to woo Hispanic and other minority voters.

Cont’d on page 16

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Obama facing tough task on economy & re-election Cont’d from page 14

banks are failing, stocks are down, unemployment is up. Banks do not offer the rate of interest that they used to in the past and this drives people investing more in gold and foreign currency, "he said.

Analyzing the chances of President Obama getting re-

He might appeal to poor and middle classes thru some vote catching devises like ensuring employment package or like that.

In India, Anna Hazare has definitely stirred middle and poor in the country to some action. They are tired of the ruling group which includes a bunch of the corrupt "If the past track record and incompetent. They want change. This is a is any guide, Presidents great chance for the opposition to unite and have lost elections becash in on the anti-establishment sentiment cause of economic across the country. Inflation and price spiral downturn," he said also work in favor of opposition. But then where is a strong opposition or elected, Anil Shah observed that where is a united opposition? This the chances are very little as factor would weigh in favor of the people are fed up with economic woes, mortgage woes and inflaruling coterie.

Mafat Patel said that he would tionary pressure. "If the past track any day welcome Modi to head record is any guide, Presidents the Indian government. He is ca- have lost elections because of pable and honest. He has proved economic downturn," he said. not only to Indians in India but Shah conceded that Anna also globally that he is a better Hazare has engineered a miniruler than bunch of buffoons now revolution in India but one has to at the Center or in the ruling Con- see the shape of things to come. gress party. "But I am not very He is honest but he is no political optimistic about his chances. UP pundit and is blissfully unaware and North India politics as well as of political maneuvering, the game inroad of religious conin which sideration might come in those on the his way. Let us give him other side are adept. In 50: 50 chances of coming the recent at the helm," he said. past, he Anil Shah, President and CEO of World praised Gujarat CM Money exchange, the Narendra premiere money exModi and change firm in Illinois, is then he of the opinion that the came out US is heading for a prowith obserlonged recessionary peAnil Shah riod. It would not be survation that things are prising if it turns out to be worse than the year that is end- very bad in Gujarat. "Every one in ing. This is a general observation India and abroad knows what the but for World's Money Exchange, State of Gujarat has achieved unI can say that we will do better der the leadership of Modi," he because of our wider customer said. base and goodwill. Also because Cont’d on page 18

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Obama facing tough task on economy & re-election Cont’d from page 16

American voting in his favor and fairly large support that he will get Shah said that chances are from other minority groups, ingood for Modi to be Indian Prime cluding Indian Americans. BeMinister if the Congress does not sides, there is no viable opposiput him in jail for Godhra or any tion from Republicans who are in other issue on which Modi has great disarray.

Incidentally, it was Balwinder nothing to do. India would progress under his dynamic lead- Singh who has been a consistent supporter of Barack Obama right ership, he added.

Balwinder Singh is one of the from the days when he contested most active members of the Indian Senate seat ten years ago.

Rating chances community inof Narendra Modi volved in mainto be the next Instream politics, asdian PM, he felt serted the state of that he was one the US economy who would supnotwithstanding, port and hope that President Obama he dons the cap of will surely get recaptain of Indian elected in 2012 as ship but he would US President. face a lot of oppo"Make no mistake sition from vested about it," he said interests, includbasing his asserBalwinder Singh ing corrupt politition on near encians, bureaucrats mass African

and communal groups. Singh springing back considering the lauded Anna Hazare for awaken- very volatile political situation ing the Indian soul against ram- when Republican Party seems to pant corruption and misbehavior be in utter disarray in the absence on the part of politicians. "This of strong leadership to lead the has impact on Indian political fight against an incumbent Presiscene but the people are apt to dent. forget soon and the politicians He hoped that the tenure as the would be back in their old game President in tough times has made of power and money grabbing. the President able to face chalThe mass pressure should be a lenges in right perspective with continuing one to have a long last- winning strategies. He cannot be ing impact," he said sounding classed as an inexperienced Presicaution. dent anymore as he has been able Harendra Mangrola, leading to swim across waves of continpublic works conued and harder tractor and a comchallenges. munity activist, Replying to the like many others question of Chief was pessimistic Minister Narendra about the prospect Modi's ability to of President return to power Obama's success successfully, he in the next elecsaid barring some tion. However he unforeseen develdid not rule out the opments, Modi has Harendra Mangrola chances of his been able to strengthen his fortress strong enough to withstand the treacherous designs of his opponents. Actions speak louder than words. Modi has been able to assuage the feelings of the Muslim community of Gujarat.

The recent court verdict has further defended his position of innocence, political opponents trying to maintain their denials notwithstanding. "I feel that he stands a great chance in becoming the Indian PM but politics is a dirty game and the ruling group, slush with huge among of money, can spring surprises," he said Thakkar Basati, a prominent Sikh community activist, exuded confid e n c e about the state of U S economy asserting that "fundamentals are good and it is quite a stable economy Thakkar Basati compared to many in the world." It will not slide to another recession, he predicted confidently.

However, analyzing the chances of President Obama getting reelected, he said that he will have tough time winning. He didn't gain much economically but on terror plate, he achieved quiet a bit and that could be greatly appealing to a number of American citizens.

Touching upon Anna Hazare and his anti corruption movement, Basati observed, "Yes, he did engineer a mini revolution.

People were sick of corruption. It raised awareness that corruption can be contained."

On Narendra Modi getting Indian premiership, Basati said that though he is a good and able leader, his chances are not bright in the context of his carrying a huge baggage of violence.

Vinesh Virani, a community activist and an ardent advocate of Art of Living said that there was small chance of the US economy coming out of woods in the coming year. It may take much longer than a year or two as it is in deep mess.

Though this will have an impact on US politics, there is little possibility of President Obama

Vinesh Virani

being thrown out by the voters.

"Where is a good and acceptable Republicans candidate? Besides, many do believe that Obama inherited the economic mess and it was not of his making. Give me one more chance to repair it. In my opinion he stands a good chance of being re-elected," he said.

Turning to the Indian scene, he said that Anna Hazare movement has awakened the Indian masses and shown them that they can also impact the government with peaceful means. However, his movement is non-political and he also should not bring in politics. Of course this will lead to shrinkage of Congress and ruling class popularity but in the absence of a strong united opposition, this will not make much headway. The Center will have a hotch potch government and it is a matter of opinion that this will not be a non-corrupt one.

His view on Narendra Modi was that he does not stand a good chance of becoming India PM. He should first enter the national political scene and then try his had at the top position. His image is also tarnished though thru no fault of his own. But that is a fact.

Between Modi and Nitesh Kumar of Bihar, the latter would be a better choice to head the national government, he felt.

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Think anew about gifts this Diwali

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reparing early avoids the stress dur ing holiday season by thinking of the most suitable Diwali gifts for family members - for children, your husband or wife, your parents, sisters, brothers, friends and neighbors.

Here are some great ideas how you can make the most of Diwali: • Adorning the house with diyas on Diwali is a tradition that is being followed since ages. Gifting diyas is a great option as it has many traditions and significance involved with it. Along with it, wishes of goodwill, prosperity and well-being to family, friends and relatives can be portrayed by gifting pooja thali, nicely decorated with an idol of Lord Ganesha seated on a beautiful moli woven mat.

• Chocolates are for every occasion and in this Diwali you could send assortment of yummy chocolates to your loved ones and let them cherish the rich taste for many a days to come. Chocolate box designed in the shape of heart has a charming visual appeal.

• Fragrances are another impressive gifting option. There are brands like Iris Home Fragrances, from NR group, that has introduced the perfect gifting options for the season with their special Diwali packages.

The package not only looks lovely, but smells lovely making it an amazing gift for a loved one.

So why not indulge in some pleasant fragrances and flavor this year?

• One of the beliefs surrounding the fes-

tival dictates that each person must buy something new to decorate their house.

Not everybody follows this belief religiously, however it is considered most aus-

picious to gift a home decor item like ethnic handmade vase, classy wine set, ethnic jharokha, and ornamental jewellery box. A Diwali gift which is sure to be appreciated.

• Sweets are a gift for every festive occasion. An amazing collection of delectable Diwali sweets makes for a memorable celebration.

Delicious sweets and mithais for near and dear ones would be the best gift this festive season.

• Dry fruits are also considered as one of the best gifts for Diwali. An assortment of crispy and tasty dry fruits as kaju, badam, pista, kishmish etc in artistically decorated cane, brass and glass bowls, thalis, sealed containers can be a wonderful gift.

Cont’d on page 21

Shankarpali: Special Diwali sweet recipe!

S

hankarpali is a traditional Diwali recipe handed down generations of grandmothers. Diwali is a time of celebrations when families meet and there is lots laughter and chatter.

To accompany those happy moments you have this Indian dessert. Shankarpali is that perfect 'something sweet' to munch on when you are just chatting or having fun. It is in a way the perfect festival food; something you can eat in a hurry and still enjoy.

Even if you are short of time this Diwali recipe will not be a problem for you to manage on Diwali 2011.

This Diwali sweet recipe is made out of lots of flour and ghee and involves deep frying. So this dessert like others is soaked in calories; definitely not for fussy calorie counting eaters. Try this Diwali recipe only if you are willing to give your taste buds precedence over your health consciousness.

Ingredients for Shankarpali:

1. Flour 2 cups 2. Ghee half a cup 3. Milk 1 cup 4. Finely powdered sugar 3/

5. Sugar syrup 6. Cumin seed 1 teaspoon 7. Ajwain or Carom seed 1 pinch

Procedure for Shankarpali: Heat ghee in a pan for tempering. When it crackles add cumin seeds and ajwain in it for

4th cup (can be more or less depending on how sweet you want it to be)

8. Oil at least ¼ of the pan for deep frying 9. Salt 1 pinch

singing.

Pour this smoking liquid over the flour. Mix it with a serving

spoon or stirrer. Wait for 2 to 3 minutes before you knead the flour.

Now pour the sugar and keep mixing small quantities of milk as you knead. Don't make the dough too tough or too soft.

Let it be malleable but not soggy.

Now roll it out in form of roties with the help of a baylan or rolling pin. You can do this on any clean flat surface.

Now take a knife and draw horizontal lines on the flattened dough with the tip of the knife. Then cross it out by drawing vertical lines. The quadrilateral pieces you get have to be fried.

Moderately heat oil in deep pan and fry the pieces of dough on low flame. Drain oil with tissues.

Let it cool for 1 hour and soak in sugar syrup for half an hour.

Shankarpali can be safely stored for a few weeks in an air tight container so make sure you try it on Diwali 2011.

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Think anew about gifts this Diwali Cont’d from page 20

• Jewellery is the most liked and appreciated piece of gift for Diwali. It is considered very auspicious to buy and gift jewellery on this particular day, as it is believed that jewellery brings along wealth, prosperity and financial gains if bought on the day of Diwali.

• Who wouldn't like to look fabulous on Diwali when everything looks so beautiful? In India, every one manages to save money to buy new clothes to wear on Diwali. Wearing new clothes is the greatest happiness to each and every soul, be it a silk material or an ordinary cotton one, it is going to be a special gift for your loved ones.

• Flowers are an integral part of Diwali. Without flowers no one can think of Diwali decorations. Flowers are used in making Rangolis. Bouquet can be gifted to friends as Diwali gift. Florists nowadays, offer flowers in attractive packing which can add joy to the festive mood.

• People decorate their houses on this day. There are a lot of options of Diwali deco-

rations. To give an ethnic and elegant look to the house hanging bells are a good option to gift your dear ones. This Diwali let's celebrate with the light of diyas, good faith, prayers to Lakshmi and Ganesh, offerings to gods and goddesses, with the joyful happiness and warmth of hearts.

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Obama facing tough task on economy & re-election Cont’d from page 18

Sunil Shah, the President of the FIA splinter group said that the chances of Modi's reelection are bright because of his non-involvement in many of the scandals like 2G and corruption in high places. His success as the Chief Minister of Gujarat with record economic growth makes him the right candidate for the Sunil Shah premiership of the country.

Dr. Dayal Meshri, an India-born scientist turned successful businessman from Kansas, held a dim view about the recovery in the US economy, especially in the context of unimaginative policies of the administration headed by Barack Obama. He claims he is trying his best, but without having enough experience he has become in effective. His initial idea that by pouring 800 billion dollars into the economy he would create millions of employment has gone sour.

He is building roads and bridges. There are not enough US citizens employed in all these Dr. Dayal Meshri projects.

Today a great number of consumer products in the market are imported from China.

American money for goods is going to China, and labor to Mexico. So US businesses are struggling to create employment as envisaged by the President. The Government needs to provide more tax breaks to medium and large industries, so that they can remain competitive.

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Obama facing tough task on economy & re-election Cont’d from page 22

We have another major problem in the country, i.e. labor unions. No doubt labor unions are an important part of businesses, but when these unions go berserk with an attitude that they belong to a special category and demand unreasonable wages and benefits, imbalance creeps into economy. Inflation goes haywire and economy suffers. "I remember the actions of Reagan Administration at the time of Air Controllers strike, and how an absolutely decisive action by him crippled the union and employees returned to work without paralyzing the airline industry.

Obviously decisive administrators make all the change," he observed.

When these unions go berserk with an attitude that they belong to a special category and demand unreasonable wages and benefits, imbalance creeps into economy Referring to the issue of Anna Hazare and his movement to curb corruption, Dayal Meshri agreed with other leading voices and stated that it does have some affect, but then in a country with rampant corruption which has almost become institutionalized at every level of administration, it might take at least a decade or two before some kind of control will be established. It means India has generational gap, especially how the change will affect the new generation in keeping with economic growth and control of poverty at the bottom level, namely farmers and unorganized labor.

Referring to the prospect of Narendra Modi becoming the Prime Minister, he said, "If his record of accomplishments is any indication of national mood, he would be a formidable opponent to an equally strong contender Rahul Gandhi who has the blessings of Madam Sonia Gandhi and huge Congress machinery behind. It is however not insurmountable if the people resolutely stand for change," he said.

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Health

Line

LA County expanding health care coverage LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles County is expanding its health care coverage for the uninsured by enrolling hundreds of thousands of new recipients.

The Los Angeles Times says the county hopes to register as many as 550,000 patients for free services at county medical clinics under a program dubbed Healthy Way L.A. The county is preparing for President Obama's health care overhaul that will make more uninsured Californians eligible for Medicaid starting in 2014.

California expects to receive more than $2 billion in federal funds to expand and modernize its Medi-Cal program. -AP

RI has highest rate of serious mental illness PROVIDENCE, R.I.: A new federal study shows Rhode Island has the highest rate of serious mental illness in the country.

A report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that 7.2 percent of Rhode Islanders aged 18 or older experienced a serious mental illness in the past year. The national rate is 4.6 percent.

Rhode Island also had the highest rate of adults suffering from any mental illness in the past year.

The rate was about 24 percent, compared to just under 20 percent nationally.

Vivian Weisman, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Rhode Island, said the numbers don't surprise her. -AP

NY-based federal lab halts radiological work GARDEN CITY, NY: Brookhaven National Lab on eastern Long Island has halted radiological operations following a Sept. 28 incident.

The lab said in a statement that ``no health or environmental impacts are expected'' as a result of the release of a small amount of radiation.

The statement was issued by Long Island Business News. The lab said the incident involved the movement of radiological material.

Low levels of radiation were detected on two workers, a parking lot and in an employee's vehicle.

A comprehensive review of all radiological policies, procedures, practices, and training programs was under way. -AP

Health Science 24

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October 21, 2011

Liberty asks justices to review health care ruling RICHMOND, Va.: Liberty University says it has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a federal appeals court's dismissal of its lawsuit challenging the Obama administration's health care law. -AP

Toxicity has risen 170 percent in California waterways India Post News Service

SAN FRANCISCO: More of California's waterways are impaired than previously known, according to a list of polluted waterways submitted by the state to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and finalized by the agency. Increased water monitoring data shows the number of rivers, streams and lakes in California exhibiting overall toxicity have increased 170 percent from 2006 to 2010.

California has some of the most magnificent rivers, lakes and coastal waters in the country.

However, of its 3.0 million acres of lakes, bays, wetlands and estuaries, 1.6 million acres are not meeting water quality goals, and 1.4 million acres still need a pollution clean-up plan, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). Of the 215,000 miles of shoreline, streams and rivers, 30,000 miles are not meeting water quality goals, and 20,000 miles still need a TMDL. The most common contaminants in these waterways are pesticides and bacteria, followed by metals and nutrients.

"Clean water is vital to California's pubic health, economy,

recreation and wildlife," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest.

"California has done an excellent job of increasing the amount of water monitored. Unfortunately, much of the new data points in the wrong direction. This list of impaired waters is a wake-up call to continue the critical local and statewide work needed to heal California's damaged waters."

crease is largely driven by a more extensive review of data collected by counties.

• Better reporting of trash in waters has led to an increase in trash impairments by 76% from 2006 to 2010. California's statewide Trash Policy is under development and will address trash impacts to both local wildlife and reduce California's contribution to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Of its 3.0 million acres of lakes, bays, wetlands and estuaries, 1.6 million acres are not meeting water quality goals, and 1.4 million acres still need a pollution clean-up plan The Clean Water Act requires states to monitor and assess their waterways and submit a list of impaired waters to EPA for review.

The 2010 list is based on more comprehensive monitoring as well as new assessment tools that allow the state to evaluate larger quantities of data.

The data showed several important trends including: • Many more beaches, both inland and coastal, are on the 2010 list because bacteria reached unsafe levels for swimming. This in-

• The numbers of listings showing pollutants in fish are at levels too high for safe human consumption has increased 24% from 2006 to 2010, with the greatest increases seen in mercury. Rather than signaling an increase in fish contamination, this trend is due to California's recent statewide sport fish monitoring effort. Additionally, some pollutants such as DDT are no longer manufactured and are slowly decreasing in concentration over time.

• Waters identified as impaired

by pesticides showed a 36% increase from the prior list, likely a result of the more thorough monitoring required under the State's Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program. Under this program, close collaboration between the Water Boards and the Department of Pesticide Regulation has resulted in reduced pesticide discharges to surface and groundwater.

Last year, California submitted to EPA for approval its list of polluted rivers, lakes and coastal waters. EPA added several waterways to the list, including portions of the San Joaquin River, where increasing temperatures and salinity imperil salmon and trout populations. Following public comment, EPA finalized the additions.

The action will lead to the development and adoption of hundreds of pollution clean-up plans

by California to restore waters to swimmable, fishable and drinkable conditions. Work is already underway in California to address hundreds of waters previously listed as impaired. EPA will continue to work with the state to develop and implement additional TMDLs to address the remaining waters.

Brown signs California health care legislation SACRAMENTO, Calif.: Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law three health care bills, including two designed to protect teenagers from skin cancer and sexually transmitted diseases, as he raced to finish work on hundreds of bills sent to him by state lawmakers.

One bill will make California the first state to make it illegal for teenagers than 18 to use tanning beds.

The second will let children as young as 12, without their parents' consent, be vaccinated against human papillomavirus, known as HPV, the leading cause of cervical cancer.

The third bill requires insurance coverage for autism.

Brown vetoed a fourth health care bill, AB791, which would have required extra warnings for the 40 percent of women over 40 who have

breast tissue dense enough to mask or mimic cancers on mammograms. Brown, in his veto message, debated whether the warning was ``a path to greater knowledge or unnecessary anxiety.''

He had yet to announce action on other prominent bills, includ-

bate over child vaccinations for sexually transmitted diseases by signing AB499, allowing preteens and teens to be vaccinated without their parents' consent.

The choice has been hotly debated recently in the Republican presidential race, when candidate

Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, worried the law will deceive preteen girls into believing they can freely engage in sexual activity without risk ing one prohibiting the open carry of unloaded handguns, and another increasing union rights for farm workers.

Brown was working through 142 bills on his desk before a midnight deadline.

He waded into the national de-

Michele Bachmann attacked Texas Gov. Rick Perry for issuing a 2007 executive order mandating the HPV vaccine for young girls.

Public health officials said the law will keep up with new prevention treatments and help slow the spread of disease among minors.

Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, worried the law will deceive preteen girls into believing they can freely engage in sexual activity without risk. He also accused Brown of interfering with parents' ability to make decisions for children not yet old enough to vote or drive.

Public health officials also praised Brown for banning the use of tanning beds by teenagers under age 18.

Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, who authored SB746, said 30 other states have some restrictions but that California would be the first to set the higher age limit. Currently, using tanning beds is illegal in California for those 14 and under, but those ages 15-17 can tan with their parents' permission. -AP

October 21, 2011

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New prostate cancer test advice overturns dogma WASHINGTON: Men finally may be getting a clearer message about undergoing PSA screening for prostate cancer: Don't do it.

They may not listen. After all, the vast majority of men over 50 already get tested.

The idea that finding cancer early can harm instead of help is a hard one to understand. But it's at the heart of a government panel's draft recommendation that those PSA blood tests should no longer be part of routine screening for healthy men.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force examined all the evidence and found little if any reduction in deaths from routine PSA screening. But it did conclude that too many men are diagnosed with tumors that never would have killed them and suffer serious side effects from resulting treatment.

That recommendation isn't final it's a draft open for public comment. But it goes a step further than several major cancer groups including the American Cancer Society, which urges that men be told the pros and cons and decide for themselves.

The new advice is sure to be hugely controversial. Already some doctors are rejecting it. ``We all agree that we've got to

do a better job of figuring out who would benefit from PSA screening.

But a blanket statement of just doing away with it altogether ... seems over-aggressive and irresponsible,'' said Dr. Scott Eggener, a prostate cancer specialist at the University of Chicago.

In the exam room, explaining the flaws in PSA testing has long been difficult. ``Men have been confused about this for a very long time, not just men patients but men doctors,'' said Dr. Yul Ejnes, a Cranston, R.I., internal medicine specialist who chairs the American College of Physicians' board of regents.

He turned down his own physician's offer of a PSA test after personally reviewing the research. ``There's this dogma ... that early detection saves lives. It's not necessarily true for all cancers,'' Ejnes said.

That's an emotional shift, as the American Cancer Society's Dr. Len Lichtenfeld voiced on his blog. ``We have invested over 20 years of belief that PSA testing works. ... And here we are all of these years later, and we don't know for sure,'' Lichtenfeld wrote. ``We have been poked and probed, we have been operated on by doc-

tors and robots, we have been radiated with fancy machines, we have spent literally billions of dollars. And what do we have? A mess of false hope?''

Too much PSA, or prostatespecific antigen, in the blood only sometimes signals prostate cancer is brewing. It also can mean a benign enlarged prostate or an in-

"We have invested over 20 years of belief that PSA testing works. ... And here we are all of these years later, and we don't know for sure,'' Lichtenfeld wrote fection. In fact, most men who undergo a biopsy for an abnormal PSA test don't turn out to have prostate cancer.

Screening often detects small tumors that will prove too slowgrowing to be deadly by one estimate, in 2 of every 5 men whose cancer is caught through a PSA test. But there's no way to tell in advance who needs treatment. ``If we had a test that could dis-

tinguish between a cancer that was going to be aggressive and a cancer that was not, that would be fabulous,'' said Dr. Virginia Moyer of the Baylor College of Medicine, who chairs the task force, an independent expert group that reviews medical evidence for the government.

About 1 in 6 U.S. men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their life. Yet the cancer society notes that in Western European countries where screening isn't common, 1 in 10 men are diagnosed and the risk of death in both places is the same. In the U.S., about 217,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, and 32,000 die.

Why not screen in case there's a mortality benefit that studies have yet to tease out? The task force outlined the problem with that: Up to 5 in every 1,000 men die within a month of prostate cancer surgery, and between 10 and 70 more suffer serious complications.

At least 200 to 300 of every 1,000 men treated with surgery or radiation suffer incontinence or impotence.

Overall, Moyer said 30 percent of men who are treated for PSAdiscovered prostate cancer suffer significant side effects from the

resulting treatment.

Among the questions sure to be raised during the public comment period are how doctors should advise men with prostate cancer in the family or black men, who are at increased risk.

PSA testing also is used to examine men with prostate symptoms, and to check men who already have had prostate cancer.

The new recommendation doesn't affect those uses.

Congress requires that Medicare cover PSA tests, at a cost of $41 million in 2009. Other insurers follow Medicare's lead, especially in light of conflicting recommendations.

Nor does the new recommendation mean that men who want a PSA test can't have one. If the rule is adopted something the government will review once the task force hears comments and finalizes its guidance it would just advise against doctors pushing it routinely. ``The truth is that like so many things in medicine, there's no onesize-fits-all,'' said Dr. Michael Barry of Massachusetts General Hospital who heads the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision-Making that backs ways to help patients make their own choices. -AP

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October 21, 2011

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Mid-level practitioners vital to health care TULSA, Okla.: It's a relatively slow morning for Debra Odom as she tends to her patients in the dermatology clinic.

She treats some skin tags and other benign growths, then helps a patient who has called with a medication problem.

She sits with the patients and asks them how they are doing.

She knows about them and takes time to make sure they understand how to take care of themselves.

Odom is not a doctor, but for those who came in to see her one recent morning at the University of Oklahoma's Family Medicine Center in Tulsa, she was exactly what they needed. She has been a physician assistant for about

eight years.

"I just wanted a career where I knew I could help people,'' Odom said. ``But, I also knew I wanted to be a mom.''

Federal health care reform is expected to increase the number of insured Oklahomans in coming years. As doctors become stretched to provide care, midlevel practitioners such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants will become essential.

These practitioners work alongside physicians, assisting them and talking to patients about their symptoms, medications or anything else related to why they are at a doctor's office or hospital.

Physician assistants can prescribe some medicines, and in most states they can do nearly anything else a physician delegates to them.

The law creating federal health care reform includes physician assistants in the definition of primary care providers and encourages them to be a part in innovating health care.

Health care reform often uses a team-based approach that physician assistants say is ideally suited to their scope of practice.

Dr. Charles Foulks, chairman of

the department of internal medicine at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine in Tulsa and a practicing physician, says physician assistants are necessary to his job.

"They're absolutely invaluable as a partner,'' he said. ``I look at them as an extension of my practice.''

"Their information is not as much indepth, but they know enough to know when they've reached their limit,'' she said Foulks said he always introduces his physician assistants to patients personally and tells them anything the physician assistant says should be regarded as something the physician is saying.

Physician assistants can spend more time with patients and often establish a better rapport with them than a physician can.

Physician assistants receive the same training as physicians,

just less of it. They typically receive about 30 months of postgraduate education before they can join a practice or work in a hospital.

Most are trained as generalists, but specialization is becoming more common in the field, said Meredith Davison, associate dean for academic services for the OU School of Community Medicine. ``Their information is not as much in-depth, but they know enough to know when they've reached their limit,'' she said.

About 1,100 physician assistants were practicing in Oklahoma as of 2010, and visits to them totaled about 3.6 million in the year before. In 2009, their largest specialty was emergency medicine, with 95 out of about 900 physician assistants in that area that year, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

The coming physician shortage combined with methods promoted by federal health care reform will boost the role of physician assistants and nurses, and they are working to ensure that federal and state regulations allow them to play the largest role they can in the future of health care. -AP

Realty Tidbits

DFL challenges CCI penalty of Rs 630 cr

Real Estate

D

LF Ltd has appealed to the Competition Appellate Tribunal (Compat), challenging an order by competition watchdog CCI to pay a Rs 630-crore penalty for "abuse" of its dominant market position in the country's real estate business.

DLF had prepared a document, totaling around 350 pages, which mainly argues on three major areas. The first one is seeking relevant market share in the National Capital Region instead of narrowing it down to just Gurgaon. The company has reservations also about the way dominance was calculated.

DLF claims that most of the complaints were from investors.

It also argues that the Competition Commission of India should have sent a show-cause notice to the company before imposing the penalty.

Jaycee plans entry into affordable housing

P

remium property developer Jaycee Homes plans to enter the affordable housing segment and will develop around 2 million square feet of land holdings in the Mumbai region over the next four years to capitalize on demand, a top company official said.

"Given the current slowdown in the real estate industry, getting into the affordable housing segment is a clever idea. We have a land bank of over 4 million square feet, out of which we plan to use 2 million square feet for developing affordable housing projects in the Mumbai region," company's Director Diipesh Bhagtani told PTI. The company has executed over 250 projects across the western and central suburbs of the metropolis, such as Versova, Andheri (W), Santa Cruz (W), Juhu, Vile Parle, Chembur, Kanjur Marg, Bhandup, Powai, Thane, Mira Road and Dahisar.

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Maharashtra bill will regulate real estate

T

he Maharashtra government is likely to introduce Real Estate Regulatory Authority Bill in the winter session, state's housing minister said in Mumbai. "We plan to table the bill in the state legislature in the ensuing winter session," state's housing minister Sachin Ahir told reporters on the sidelines of a property expo here. Ahir said the proposed authority will function under the purview of the Maharashtra Ownership of Flats Act.

October 21, 2011

Home loan demand high despite high rates

R

ising interest rates have had little impact on home loans. Borrowings have gone up 21% since March 2010 even as rates have gone up by around 300 basis points in the same period. Some of the pick up in loans is from tier-I and tier-II towns where property prices have remained relatively subdued.

Some have also begun utilizing their undrawn limits.

According to the Reserve Bank of India's latest data, aggregate home loans by commercial banks rose 21% to Rs 3,64,170 crore as of end August 2011 from Rs 3,00,929 crore in March 2010. In the current year, much of the growth in bank credit has been driven by home loans.

While total bank loans have risen 20.2% year-on-year (YoY) as of August 26, 2011 against 19.3% in the previous year, home loans rose 15.3% in the same period compared to 10.9% in the previous period. The RBI has raised its key policy rates by 300 basis points (one basis point is 0.01%) in the same period.

Though home loan rates do not necessarily move at the same rate

‘The increase in home loan disbursements could be largely on account of the past approvals.

Customers avail of disbursements with a lag, hence this is part of the old pipeline’ as the central bank signals, individual banks' lending may vary by some margin. It is reckoned that on an average home loan rates have gone up by around 200 basis points.

Most banks charge 13-13.5% interest for fixed-rate home loans. "The growth is largely coming from tier-II and tier-III centers," said Keki Mistry, vice-chairman and managing director, HDFC. Some lenders are also offering products to suit customer require-

ments that is partially contributing to the rise in loans. "We have also launched a fixed-rate product as there was a demand from customers who wanted to buy homes but were scared of the constant rise in interest rates," he added.

In recent years, most of the borrowing is on a floating-rate basis.

Under this route, whenever borrowing rates change, the equated monthly installments (EMI) also change, but the tenure changes

accordingly. Customers who were worried that EMI keeps moving up and down, are now exploring fixedrate products.

"We are witnessing high demand for fixed-rate products, which is why we launched our new fixed rate product," said Jairam Sridharan, senior vice-president, head consumer lending and payments at Axis Bank, which launched a lifetime fixed home loans product last week.

ICICI Bank and HDFC have also come out with limited period, fixed rate products. Another possible explanation offered by banks is that some borrowers have started drawing on their unutilized limits, which has pushed up the loan figures.

"The increase in home loan disbursements could be largely on account of the past approvals.

Customers avail of disbursements with a lag, hence this is part of the old pipeline," said the home loan head of a private bank. "We would have to wait a week to see if fresh demand comes, as the festive season is on the anvil. Many developers have launched a series of freebies and discounts to woe customers," he added.

Shilpa Shetty forays into real estate

B

ollywood actor and Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty and her Britishborn Indian businessman husband Raj Kundra are foraying into the real estate business in a big way by launching a premium residential apartment complex near the

Mumbai domestic airport and by bidding for Hindustan Unilever's Gulita property in Worli.

The co-owners of the IPL cricket team Rajasthan Royals also announced a tie-up with a Mumbai entrepreneur to launch an Indian

apartments priced between Rs 1 crore and Rs 5 crore, Raj Kundra said. The project will be launched in the next three months and Kundra is open to partnership for further development, he said.

The NRI businessman also confirmed he has bid for Hindustan Unilever's one acre Worli property Gulita, roughly valued at Rs 250 crore. "Gulita is a beautiful property which we would like to develop into a commercial project” property discount site, targeting group buyers looking for a bargain.

Kundra Constructions, Kundra's company, has bought a plot of land near the Mumbai domestic airport, where it will construct premium residential

The NRI businessman also confirmed he has bid for Hindustan Unilever's one acre Worli property Gulita, roughly valued at Rs 250 crore. "Gulita is a beautiful property which we would like to develop into a

commercial project. But HUL is asking for 50-year lease term, while almost all such deals of this nature are got for a 99-year lease. It is now up to the lawyers," he said.

Kundra, along with his wife, was in Mumbai to launch his new venture Groupco Infracom Pvt Ltd, in which he is an equal partner with Hem Tejuja, a first generation entrepreneur. "There is no better time than now to launch this portal.

Both, the developers are very keen on selling, while home buyers are looking for the best deals. We see a great catalyst role for ourselves," he said. He also sees a huge demand coming in from NRIs for whom the portal will provide a wide range of properties to choose from across India. The price band for the end user would range between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 3 crore.

In Brief Absenteeism declines under Ala. immigration law MONTGOMERY, Ala.: Some Hispanic parents are returning their children to Alabama's public schools after initially keeping them at home over fears about the state's tough new immigration law. Others are withdrawing their children in preparation for moving out of state.

There are no statewide figures yet on withdrawals, but some schools with large Hispanic populations have seen more than 10 percent of their students leave. ``They seem to be taking the law seriously enough to move out of state,'' Enterprise Superintendent of Education Aaron Milner said.

The decline came after state and local education officials used news releases, videos and school assemblies to assure Hispanic parents that the schools would not be used to arrest anyone for being an illegal immigrant. -AP

Immigrants in Alabama fear deportation BIRMINGHAM, Alabama: Terrified by a strict new immigration crackdown in Alabama, parents living in the southern state illegally say they are doing something that was unthinkable just days ago asking friends, relatives, co-workers and acquaintances to take their children if they're arrested or deported.

Many illegal immigrants signed documents in the past week allowing others to care for their children if needed, assistance groups say, and a couple extracted a promise from the man's boss to send their three young children all US citizens to Mexico should they be jailed under the law. -AP

4 in Nashville sue immigration agency over raid NASHVILLE, Tenn.: Four Nashville residents have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit over a raid carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who were looking for a fugitive.

Nashville attorney Elliott Ozment filed the lawsuit on behalf of plaintiffs who say ICE agents came to their apartment last year without a warrant and threatened to break down the door and drag them out.

“This is not the only time this has happened,'' Nashville immigration attorney Elliott Ozment told The Tennessean. “They get an old address, they go to that old address looking for somebody who hasn't been there in years and arrest others incidentally.” -AP

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October 21, 2011

OH city pins hopes on 'immigrant friendly' policy CINCINNATI: Officials in a southwest Ohio city hope a plan for branding the city as immigrant-friendly will help bolster a shrinking population and rejuvenate its ailing economy. -AP

70 year wait likely in Greencard EB3 category for Indians India Post News Service

NEW YORK: A highly skilled Indian national sponsored today for an employment-based immigrant visa in the 3rd preference could wait potentially 70 years to receive a green card. The 70-year wait is derived from calculating that there exists a backlog of 210,000 or more Indians in the most common skilled employment-based category (the 3rd preference or EB-3) and dividing that by the approximately 2,800 Indian professionals who receive permanent residence in the category each year under the law.

This eye-opening revelation comes from a policy brief for Oct 2011 submitted by Stuart Anderson, Executive Director of the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP).

In his report, Anderson, whose research was made possible by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, states that today, hundreds of thousands of highly skilled

foreign nationals are languishing in immigration backlogs, waiting years for the chance to obtain permanent residence (also known as a green card). The lack of employmentbased green cards harms the competitiveness of US employers and pushes more work and innovation

is going to wait 70 years for a green card - nor is any company going to sponsor someone with that type of wait, Anderson says that it holds important implications for whether highly skilled foreign nationals, including international students, will be able to stay long-term in the United

Foreign nationals would have concerns that children included as part of the immigration petition would "age out" and not be allowed to become permanent residents outside the country.

The backlog in the EB-3 category for Indians (principals and dependents) is 210,000, while under the per country limit, generally no more than 2,800 Indians can receive permanent residence in the EB-3 category each year. Indians averaged fewer than 3,000 green cards annually in that category in 2009 and 2010.

Explaining that in practice, no one

States without changes to the law.

Foreign nationals would have concerns that children included as part of the immigration petition would "age out" and not be allowed to become permanent residents. The numbers provide an illustration of how long the waits for permanent residence could be absent action by Congress, Anderson's report states.

Absent action by the President

and Congress the situation will grow worse, creating much hardship and weakening the competitiveness of US companies, says Anderson, who has based his estimates on examining data from the US Department of State and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, as well as consulting with attorneys and government officials.

While the majority of employersponsored immigrants tend to be from India and China, the wait times are longest for such foreign nationals because of the per country limit.

Given the potential working lifetime delay in obtaining a green card, such skilled foreign nationals would be compelled to leave the United States in search of more stable and promising career opportunities.

America would lose much talent as US-based businesses would need to hire or place such skilled individuals abroad, rather than invest in a green card process likely to last decades.

Cont’d on page 30

Upholding problematic portions of Alabama's law DAVID A. ISAACSON

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hief US District Judge Sharon Blackburn of the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama recently issued a memorandum opinion preliminarily enjoining the enforcement of certain portions of Alabama's new immigration law but upholding other portions. This decision has already attracted substantial criticism, with the New York Times describing it as "dismal".

Additional useful background regarding the decision is available from Immigration Impact. As a follow-up to my previous article on our firm's website regarding constitutional and practical problems with the Alabama law, it seemed appropriate to examine how Judge Blackburn's decision does and does not address some of these problems.

Some of the most absurd portions of the statute were struck down, so there is some good news.

Judge Blackburn did enjoin the portion of the Alabama statute that

barred lawfully admitted refugees, and others such as those with Temporary Protected Status, from attending public universities.

She enjoined the portion of the statute that attempted to make it illegal to rent housing to the unlawfully present, by deeming it "harboring", and she also en-

Some deeply problematic provisions of the statute were left standing, however. One provision, similar to a provision of Arizona's much-criticized SB 1070, criminalizes failure to register or carry an alien registration document, in violation of federal law, when committed by "an alien unlawfully present in the United States."

Some of the most absurd portions of the statute were struck down, so there is some good news. Judge Blackburn did enjoin the portion of the Alabama statute that barred lawfully admitted refugees joined the portion of the statute that attempted to criminalize work and the solicitation of employment by an "unauthorized alien".

In addition, she enjoined portions of the statute that would have forbidden companies from deducting wages paid to unauthorized workers as a business expense, and allowed other workers to sue those companies.

As explained in this author's previous article on our firm's website regarding the Arizona law, the application forms used by certain battered women and crime victims to petition for relief under the Violence Against Women Act or for a "U-visa" do not constitute applications for alien registration under the governing regulations.

Thus, certain such battered

women and crime victims may arguably be in violation of the federal statutes regarding alien registration, but as a matter of prosecutorial discretion, it is exceedingly unlikely that the federal government would ever pursue such people for those technical violations.

While Alabama may have somewhat reduced the set of truly absurd potential violations of its statute by covering only those who are "unlawfully present" rather than Arizona's reference to "a person who maintains authorization from the federal government to remain in the United States" - since battered women actually granted deferred action will not qualify as unlawfully present even though they likely also do not qualify as maintaining authorization to remain in the United States - the statute could still be applied by Alabama to applicants for VAWA or U-visa relief who have not yet been granted relief.

Cont’d on page 31

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October 21, 2011

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USCIS announces 'Entrepreneurs in Residence' Initiative India Post News Service

NEW YORK: US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas joined the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness in Pittsburgh to announce "Entrepreneurs in Residence." This new innovative initiative will utilize industry expertise to strengthen USCIS policies and practices surrounding immigrant investors, entrepreneurs and workers with specialized skills, knowledge, or abilities.

Mayorkas announced the initiative at the Jobs Council's High Growth Entrepreneurship Listening and Action Session at AlphaLab in Pittsburgh before the Council's quarterly meeting with President Obama.

"This initiative creates additional opportunities for USCIS to gain insights in areas critical to economic growth," said Director Mayorkas. "The introduction of

expert views from the private and public sector will help us to ensure that our policies and processes fully realize the immigration law's potential to create and protect American jobs."

The initiative builds upon USCIS's August announcement of efforts to promote startup enterprises and spur job creation USCIS will launch the "Entrepreneurs in Residence" initiative with a series of informational summits with industry leaders to gather high-level strategic input.

Informed by the summits, the agency will stand up a tactical team comprised of entrepreneurs

and experts, working with USCIS personnel, to design and implement effective solutions. This initiative will strengthen USCIS's collaboration with industries, at the policy, training, and officer level, while complying with all current Federal statutes and regulations.

The initiative builds upon USCIS's August announcement of efforts to promote startup enterprises and spur job creation, including enhancements to the EB5 immigrant investor visa program.

Since August, USCIS is: Conducting a review of the EB5 process; Working with business analysts to enhance the EB-5 adjudication process; Implementing direct access for EB-5 Regional Center applicants to reach adjudicators quickly; and Launching new specialized training modules for USCIS officers on the EB-2 visa classification and L-1B nonimmigrant intra-company transferees.

Foreign LLCs, conversions, and combinations MICHAEL T. SAWYIER Cont’d from October 7 edition

By contrast, according to the Uniform Limited Partnership Act (1997): "A person does not have a right to receive [any] distribution on account of dissociation."

All partners' investments are thus locked into a limited partnership or limited liability limited partnership until its termination except to the extent that the partnership agreement specifically lets them out. Limited liability companies' members, on the other hand, may require those companies (on pain of dissolution for nonperformance) to buy them all out for cash upon dissociation except to the extent that the operating agreement specifically precludes that right.

This marked difference in the respective default rules makes limited liability limited partnerships, and especially those with multiple corporate general partners, more completely protective of all their owners' assets than are limited liability companies. The greater current popularity of LLCs over limited liability limited partnerships as asset protection devices for businesses with multiple owners is thus at least in part the result of widespread misunderstanding.

3. C Corporations Ordinary business corporations have historically been the principal form of limited liability entities, and their chief legal char-

acteristics shareholders, directors, officers, and various required approvals of corporate actions by meetings or written consents are so familiar as not to call for any detailed discussion here. From an asset protection perspective, business corpora-

Michael T. Sawyier

All partners' investments are thus locked into a limited partnership or limited liability limited partnership until its termination tions (including "close corporations" and S corporations, which are merely business corporations that meet certain additional requirements) remain a highly satisfactory long proven legal device.

Expecting the shareholders periodically to elect directors, the directors to direct, and the appointed corporate officers whom they direct to act as the agents of the corporation, not as principals, is not, after all, onerous.

Also, although directors and officers of a corporation must be individuals and do not benefit from the same express statutory protection against personal liability that managers of LLCs and general partners of limited liability partnerships and limited liability limited partnerships do, they have long been protected against personal liability by basic doctrines of the common law.

Through shareholder agreements, closely held business corporations can also be made to operate in much the same manner as LLCs or other limited liability entities.

The shareholders may agree, for example, to install and maintain particular individuals as directors, knowing that they will, in turn, appoint certain other persons (or themselves) as the officers and otherwise conduct the business of the company in a desired manner.

The shareholders may also agree, for another example, to restrict the ordinary free transferability of their shares or to require their purchase in certain circumstances as in "buy/sell agreements."

Cont’d on page 30

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Civil & Criminal Litigation Felonies, Misdemeanors, Inc DUI 1 Personal Injury, Business, Divorce etc.

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2335 W. Devon Ave., Suite 204, Tel: 773-381-1820 Chicago, IL 60659

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October 21, 2011

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Stories of struggle and triumph of successful immigrants India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES, CA: The Immigrant Archive Project (IAP) and Farmers Insurance hosted a special presentation featuring the stories of struggle and triumph of some of Southern California's most successful immigrants during a special media event held on October 6 at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in the Historical El Pueblo de Los Angeles district, across from historic Olvera Street.

Because the stories of America's immigrants merit being told and preserved, Farmers has agreed to partner with IAP to expand the reach of the group's work and to increase the number of stories recorded and shared, especially from immigrants who have

come from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Some of the newest immigrant stories to be unveiled will include those featuring Giselle Acevedo of Costa Rica who now leads one of the nation's most celebrated organizations dedicated to children; the honorable Jose Huizar who is the first Mexican immigrant elected to the Los Angeles City Council; and, Naji Garabet, who immigrated from war-torn Lebanon as a youth to become district manager of the year for the nation's third largest insurer of homes and autos. The stories of other immigrants of note were also highlighted at the Oct. 6 event.

"The American Dream is a universal dream that inspires immigrants from around the world to come to

our great nation," said Luisa AcostaFranco, vice president of multicultural marketing for Farmers Insurance.

"These stories of struggle and sacri-

In addition to presenting new stories, Farmers and IAP announced a new initiative designed to secure the stories from a broader range of nations and experiences fice need to be captured and shared with today's America and with future generations."

The Immigrant Archive Project

70 year wait likely in Greencard EB3 category for Indians Cont’d from page 28

The report concludes that even if the backlog of Indians in EB-3 were half as large, the wait time would still exceed 30 years for Indians sponsored today in the category. Many professionals from India have already been waiting 7 to 9 years in the United States. A Chinese national sponsored today in the EB-3 category could wait two decades.

The issue of wait times for employment-based immigrant visas is vital because when employers recruit at US universities they generally find one-half to two-thirds of the graduates in science, math and engineering fields are foreign nationals.

Failure to retain these talented individuals in the United States means they will go to work for international companies in other countries or US businesses will need to place them abroad, pushing more work outside the United States. An ability to offer a prized employee a realistic chance of staying in America as a permanent resident can be crucial to retaining that individual. In addition to the high proportion of foreign nationals graduating in key fields from US universities, individual achievers make an important impact on the economy.

A key part of any solution to reducing wait times is to eliminate the per country limit for employment-based immigrants. (The recently introduced bill H.R. 3012 would eliminate the per country limit within four years.)

Eliminating the per country limit would reduce the typical wait for Indians applying today in the EB3 category from 70 to 12 years.

While 12 years is still too long, it would be a welcome reform that would provide green cards for Indian and Chinese professionals waiting the longest in the EB-3 and EB-2 (employment second preference) categories and equalize the wait times in the EB-2 category at about two to three years without regard to country of origin (as opposed to potential waits of 6 years or more for Chinese and Indian nationals in the EB-2 category).

An exemption from employment-based green card quotas of at least 25,000 or 50,000 for inter-

The estimated overall backlog of skilled employment-based immigrants calculated in this analysis is about 500,000 (principals and dependents), which is a conservative estimate national students who graduate with an advanced degree in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) from a US university would further reduce the backlog and wait times, producing an even larger impact if combined with making available up to 326,000 employment visas unused in previous years.

The estimated overall backlog of skilled employment-based immigrants calculated in this analysis is about 500,000 (principals and dependents), which is a conservative estimate, as others in recent years have estimated the backlog

to be as high as one million.

For analysis purposes, the estimate of the impact under various scenarios assumes the annual flow of sponsored individuals and dependents matches the current quota, in practice, for EB-2 (50,000) and EB-3 (35,040). To the extent the annual flow is higher or lower, that would change the impact of a STEM exemption or other legislative changes on backlogs and wait times.

In addition to the problems experienced by Indians, many skilled foreign nationals from China have been waiting 6 or 7 years for an employment-based green card and can expect to wait additional years without a change to the law.

Skilled foreign nationals from countries other than India and China have been waiting one to 6 years in the employment-based third preference and some may wait another four years or more.

In the EB-2 category (second employment-based preference), skilled foreign nationals from India and China may wait 6 years or more, although nationals of other countries typically receive green cards in the category with little or no wait.

The report cites the long waits for employment-based green cards are caused by two primary factors: 1) the 140,000 annual quota is too low and 2) the per country limit, which restricts the number of green cards available to skilled immigrants from one country to 7 percent of the total.

Due to the per country limit, skilled foreign nationals from India and China, who make up most of the applicants, wait years longer than nationals of other countries.

is an independent national initiative dedicated to preserving the life stories of America's immigrant population. Members of the IAP team have traveled throughout the United States to record, in their own words, the intimate stories of immigrants from a number of nations. Interviews are shared on television, radio, online, and through a traveling art exhibition.

"While every immigrant story is unique, there are some common

threads that unite these stories-saying goodbye to family, struggling to adapt to a new way of life in a new country and overcoming nearly insurmountable obstacles to achieve success," said Tony Hernandez, one the co-founders of IAP. In addition to presenting new stories, Farmers and IAP announced a new initiative designed to secure the stories from a broader range of nations and experiences.

Foreign LLCs, conversions, and combinations Cont’d from page 29

They can thus create, if they wish, an almost partner like relationship with one another, without the corresponding personal liability or fiduciary obligations of a partnership.

4. S Corporations S corporations are simply business corporations with a certain limited number of shareholders of certain kinds and with only one class of stock that make an election subsequent to their formation to be treated as S corporations for federal income tax purposes.

Typically, they, too, have shareholder agreements designed to maintain that tax status. Differences between LLCs and S Corporations are, among other things, that the ownership of an S Corporation is restricted whereas the ownership of a limited liability company is in no way restricted. The following are some of the restrictions concerned: a. An LLC may have an unlimited number of members (owners), while an S corporation is restricted to no more than 100 shareholders. b. Non-U.S. residents may be members of an LLC, while an S corporation may not have nonU.S. residents as shareholders. c. S corporations may not be owned by C corporations, other S Corporations, many trusts, LLCs, or partnerships. Limited liability companies, on the other hand, are not subject to these restrictions.

The S corporation election is ordinarily advantageous for a corporation and its shareholders because the operating income of the entity (though not any capital gain on liquidation) is thereby permitted to pass through to the shareholders without separate taxation at the corporate level.

5. Business Trusts Illinois statutory law does not provide for business trusts, that is, trusts established for the primary purpose of conducting an ongoing business and obtaining new equity financing as needed from outside investors, although

they are recognized by the laws of various other jurisdictions.

6. Not-For-Profit Corporations Finally, although many people do not realize the fact, a great deal of business in our country is conducted by not-for-profit corporations, subject to the limitation that their "unrelated business taxable income" (UBTI) is taxable in more or less the same manner as the income of for-profit corporations.

Not-for-profit corporations carry on business operations across a vast range, even beyond those ordinarily performed by charities (which themselves often conduct major business operations as in the case of hospitals).

For example, for many years even the New York Stock Exchange was organized and operated as a not-forprofit corporation.

These brief remarks about the different types of limited liability entities conclude the present discussion.

Brown OKs bill for illegal immigrant student aid SACRAMENTO, Calif.: Illegal immigrants can now apply for state-funded scholarships and aid at state universities after Gov. Jerry Brown announced that he has signed the second half of a legislative package focused on such students.

AB131 by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, is the second half of the California Dream Act. Brown signed the first half of the package in July, which approved private scholarships and loans for students who are illegal immigrants.

Under current law, illegal immigrant students who have graduated from a California high school and can prove they're on the path to legalize their immigration status can pay resident tuition rates. The bill would allow these students to apply for state aid. -AP

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Upholding problematic portions of Alabama's law Cont’d from page 28

This is merely an example of why it is a bad idea, as a matter of our constitutional structure, to allow a state to meddle in a field so comprehensively occupied by the federal government.

Alabama's attempt to reserve the right to pursue such technical violations of the alien registration statutes, even in cases where the federal government does not wish to, should have been held pre-empted.

Another problematic provision that was left standing by Judge Blackburn's opinion again closely resembles one of the provisions of Arizona's SB 1070. According to Section 12(e) of Alabama's law, police officers must attempt to ascertain the citizenship and immigration status of any person they detain, if "reasonable suspicion exists that a person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States" and unless "the determination may hinder or obstruct an investigation."

Along the lines of Arizona's SB 1070, Alabama's statute prohibits law enforcement officers from considering "race, color, or national origin . . . except to the extent permitted by the United States Constitution or the Constitution of Alabama of 1901."

As with the Arizona law, the logical implication is that to the extent consideration of race, color or national original may be constitutional under whichever of the United States Constitution or the state constitution is more permissive on the subject, the law enforcement officials and agencies of Arizona are invited to engage in it.

In addition, the statute's list of documents which a person can present and thus be "presumed not to be an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States" includes a "foreign passport with an unexpired United States Visa and a corresponding stamp or notation by the United States Department of Homeland Security indicating the bearer's admission to the United States" but does not include any option for an expired visa and a document from DHS showing an unexpired period of authorized stay.

If the "stamp or notation" indicates that the bearer's period of admission and authorized stay is unexpired, it is not at all clear why it should matter if the bearer's U.S. visa is expired or not.

There is no logical reason to subject anyone who obtains an extension of stay or change of status with a validity period beyond the expiration date of their visa to more extensive detention while their status is electronically verified with DHS, if their DHS-issued Form I-94

clearly shows that their status is still valid.

This legal illogic gives still more weight to the complaint made by the federal government that DHS may now be overwhelmed by requests for information and that substantial burdens may be placed by Arizona's law on lawfully present immigrants (and nonimmigrants).

By meddling in areas which its legislators quite apparently did not fully understand, Alabama has created a system in which non-immigrants who have been granted a change of status or extension of stay beyond the validity of their initial visa, as well as asylees and those having Temporary Protected Status, may be detained and an inquiry made to DHS because such persons lack "an unexpired United States Visa." This, too, should have been held preempted and was not.

Judge Blackburn's memorandum opinion also refused to preliminarily enjoin sections of the

Alabama appears to have forbidden from getting a driver's license, or entering into enforceable contracts, many people with pending applications for adjustment of status Alabama law that render unenforceable any contract entered into by an unlawfully present alien, with certain limited exceptions, and forbid unlawfully present aliens to enter into certain business transactions with the state and its subdivisions, such as obtaining a driver's license or business license. The difficulty with these sections is that, as explained in my previous article on our firm's website unlawful presence, insofar as it is a defined term, does not correspond neatly to a set of people that it would have made any sense to subject to such prohibitions.

Alabama appears to have forbidden from getting a driver's license, or entering into enforceable contracts, many people with pending applications for adjustment of status or cancellation of removal filed for the first time in removal proceedings, who are considered unlawfully present but who may become lawful permanent residents if their applications succeed.

Moreover, Alabama has forbidden many people who are specifically authorized to be employed in the United States from getting driver's licenses or entering into binding contracts in connection

with that employment (unless perhaps the employment contracts fall within the terms of the statute's exception for "a contract authorized by federal law", which seems a gray area at best), since an applicant for adjustment of status can apply for employment authorization under 8 C.F.R. § 274a.12(c)(9), and an applicant for cancellation of removal can do so under 8 C.F.R. § 274a.12(c)(10). (Indeed, even some people who have been ordered removed may be authorized to accept employment while challenging that order in various ways or awaiting removal, as explained in a previous blog piece by this author. Once again, by meddling in an area of law that is the responsibility of the federal government and that its legislators apparently did not fully understand, Alabama has created the possibility for truly absurd outcomes.

Finally, Judge Blackburn refused to preliminarily enjoin the section of the Alabama law that attempts to require students enrolling in public school to provide documents regarding their citizenship and immigration status. While it is conceivable that the section's apparent lack of a penalty provision might save it from unconstitutionality, there is some tension, to the extent that the statute may be an effort to coerce unlawfully present children not to attend Alabama public schools, between this provision and the Supreme Court's decision in Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982), forbidding a state to prevent children from attending public schools based on their immigration status. It has been reported that upon the coming into effect of this portion of the statute after Judge Blackburn's decision, "Hispanic students have started vanishing from Alabama public schools" because fear has caused "scores of immigrant families" to withdraw their kids from school or keep them home. Alabama should not be permitted to do indirectly what the Supreme Court has forbidden it to do directly.

Judge Blackburn's memorandum opinion only addressed whether to grant a preliminary injunction, so it is still possible that she may reverse herself before the

conclusion of the case at the district court level. If she does not, the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit or the Supreme Court may need to step in to reverse those portions of her recent deci-

sion that uphold particularly problematic portions of Alabama's law. * Cyrus D Mehta, may be contacted at 212-425-0555 or info@cyrusmehta.com

32 India Post

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October 21, 2011

October 21, 2011

www.indiapost.com

India Post 33

Desi News

IIT alumni celebrate and introspect

SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY India Post News Service

NEW YORK: There could not have been a better preamble to a global Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) alumni conference than the celebration of two of their own receiving the country’s top honors in Science and Technology & Innovation as announced by President Obama earlier this month.

The opening ceremony of the biennial pan-IIT conference held at the New York Hilton Hotel recently was fittingly marked by an acknowledgment of Indian American recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, Rakesh Agrawal and Jayant Baliga - both IIT alumni.

Details on page 36

Indian Americans launch initiative on non-violence RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: The American Institute of Sindhulogy (AIS) has recently joined forces with Smart TV Stars (STVS ) to beef up its Nonviolence Initiative, a communitybased pilot program in Evanston, a north side suburb of Chicago, which stops the bullying and shooting before it happens by opening young hearts and minds to the bigger world through education and travel.

AIS launched its Nonviolence Initiative in response to the 2009 murder of Darien Albert.

Details on page 38

Sai Baba's 93rd Punyatithi celebrated SHRI SURUBOTLA

AURORA: Shri Sai Baba Punyatithi - 93rd MahaSamadhi day - was celebrated at Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir Chicago in Aurora with utmost devotion. On the auspicious Vijaya Dasami Dussehra. Also, this happens to be on the ninth day in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar Navratri Puja/Maha Samadhi celebrations started at the mandir on September 27. Sai Baba was worshipped as Mother Goddess each day during Navaratri in the from of Brahmi, Maheshwari, Gayatri, Vaishnavi, Bala Tripura Sundari.

Details on page 39

COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA

Sahara transforms lives of abused South Asians Details on page 40

34 India Post

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October 21, 2011

Largest ever Indian tricolor unfurled on Gandhi Jayanti Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Chicago celebrated Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary with a difference this time.

The one year old Gandhi Peace Center announced hosting of a grand celebration with unfurling of the largest ever Indian tricolor at Lions Park District in the suburb of Hanover Park in heavy presence of front ranking local political leaders and prominent Indian community members.

This was done in the afternoon in the open but it was preceded by a traditional Gandhi Jayanti celebration at the Skokie Heritage Park before a life-sized statue of the Mahatma. The Gandhi Memorial Trust has been hosting this event year in and year out regularly rain or shine.

Skokie and surrounding community residents gathered around the life-sized Gandhi statue in Skokie in a ceremony sponsored by the Gandhi Memorial Trust and celebrated Gandhi Jayanti on Sunday, Oct, 2 at Heritage Park in Skokie along with elected officials and dignitaries.

Gandhi Memorial Trust chairman Omprakash Kamaria, Skokie Mayor George VanDusen delivered the remarks. Today is the reminder that we need to follow a peaceful means of achieving results and this idea is applicable to

Pics: Asian Media USA

all aspect of life, Kamaria commented. He also mentioned that instead of a large gathering with hundreds of people and dozens of

becomes less formal as people were invited to attend at their leisure throughout the day to pay their respects and reflect on

Skokie and surrounding community residents gathered around the life-sized Gandhi statue in a ceremony sponsored by the Gandhi Memorial Trust and celebrated Gandhi Jayanti on Sunday, Oct, 2 figureheads and elected officials, trustees of Gandhi Memorial Trust decided to scale down the event and make it more accessible to the community as a whole. The event

Gandhi's message.

Skokie mayor said in his message that the statue looks more beautiful than at the time of inauguration in 2004. He reminded that

the inaugural event was a historic one and was well attended and the village had to close the McCormick Blvd. that day.

He also reminded the importance of peace and of Gandhi's teaching. Village of Skokie also issued the proclamation for the period from Sept, 11, 2011 thru Oct, 2, 11 as a Peace and Harmony Unity Month. He also mentioned that this was most satisfying project that he was part of.

Mr. Satish Chander, trustee explained the meaning of Raghupatirajaram to the non-Indian audience.

Cont’d on page 37

Tri-state community welcomes Amb. Rao India Post News Service

NEW YORK: The Tri-state Indian American community warmly welcomed Nirupama Rao, Ambassador of India to the US, at a reception hosted in her honor at the Indian Consulate in New York, recently.

At the reception, Consul General Prabhu Dayal said Ambassador Rao was one of the finest diplomats India has ever had. He congratulated Ambassador Rao on her new assignment after completion of a successful stint as Foreign Secretary of India.

Consul General Dayal informed the audience of Ambassador Rao's extraordinary career in which she

has served as India's Ambassador to Sri Lanka and China and also recalled her earlier assignment at the Embassy of India, Washington DC, during which she served

being amongst old friends and familiar faces and thanked the audience for their enthusiasm in welcoming her. She said that the friendship and affection which she

She encouraged Indian Americans to further play their crucial role in interpreting India's priorities amongst their American colleagues, which could be a bridge of understanding and friendship between the two countries as Minister (Press and Information).

Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Rao expressed her pleasure and happiness on once again

holds for the Indian -American community and for the United States is deep and enduring and admired their significant role in crafting the India-United States

partnership. The relationship between these two of the world's leading democracies has the capability to impact the destiny of the 21st century, said Ambassador Rao. She encouraged Indian Americans to further play their crucial role in interpreting India's priorities amongst their American colleagues, which could be a bridge of understanding and friendship between the two countries. Expressing happiness at the goodwill which she enjoys amongst the Indian-American community, Ambassador Rao said that their continued support would inspire her to fulfill her ambassadorial duties in the United States.

October 21, 2011

Community Across America

India Post 35

www.indiapost.com

Community urged to partner in improved US-India relations India Post News Service

NEW YORK: With a growing Indian American community and its increasing influence in the US technology development, service industry and economic activities, the US sees the Indian Diaspora as an important partner for the continued closer relations between the two countries.

At an interactive meeting organized by four national Indian community organizations in New York - the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), National Federation of IndianAmerican Associations (NFIA), American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) and Society of Indo American Engineers and Architects (SIAEA) Mitul Desai, Senior Advisor for Outreach, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, US Department of State stated that the longstanding work if Indian community groups such as these in organizing the community and dialoguing with policy leaders embodies the importance of proactive civic engagement. "The US-India relationship will be one of the defining partnership of the 21st century, but we know that governments alone cannot realize the full promise of this potential and that is why we need the Indian-American community's ideas, energy

GOPIO Life Members presenting GOPIO Memorabilia of First Day Covers brought out by the US. Postal Service at the GOPIO's First Global Indian Convention in 1989 to Mitul Desai. From L. to R.: Dr. Sushila Gidwani-Buschi, Sudha Acharya, Shailesh Naik, Dr. Thomas Abraham, Mitul Desai, Lal Motwani, Dr. Najma Sultana, Viresh Sharma and Anita Bhat

and commitment," said Desai.

Desai, a second generation Indian American was appointed early this year by Assistant Secretary Robert O. Blake as Senior Advisor

NGO, and Diaspora organizations.

Desai comes to government from the corporate arena, where he worked as an investment bank analyst, consultant, and intellec-

"The US-India relationship will be one of the defining partnership of the 21st century, but we know that governments alone cannot realize the full promise of this potential� in the US Department of State's South & Central Asian Bureau, where he builds dialogue and partnerships with the private sector,

tual property attorney.

"On a range of issues, from our Passport to India internship project to exciting new initiatives

aimed at enhancing philanthropy in India and further accelerating US-India state-state and city-city linkages, the Diaspora has a crucial role to play," Desai added.

Dr. Thomas Abraham, Founder President and Chairman Emeritus of GOPIO, said that the initiative by the State Department and Obama Administration to reach out and motivate the Diaspora group was a welcome move. "As far as I remember, this is the first time such an initiative has been launched to reach out to the Indian American community in an official way," said Abraham.

"While the Indian American com-

State Department official Mitul Desai speaking at a forum organized by Indian American community groups in New York.

munity is growing in America, more and more American citizens of Indian origin are settling back in India for retirement and for employment opportunities and this opens up an opportunity for us to get involved in activities of larger interest to both countries," Dr. Abraham added.

However, Dr. Abraham was critical of both governments on issues related to the issuance of visas to citizens of both countries who wish to travel to the US and to India which in turn hamper US-India people to people partnerships. Dr. Abraham said that both governments should make it easier for citizens to travel to either country.

Naveen Jindal School of Management at Texas varsity India Post News Service

DALLAS: The University of Texas at Dallas joins the ranks of named business schools across the nation in honor of the generosity of three alumni who contributed an unprecedented combined gift of $30 million. Theirs is the largest alumni gift in the University's history.

The School of Management will now be known as the Naveen Jindal School of Management. The Management Honors Program will be known as the Charles and Nancy Davidson Honors Program.

The gifts come in tandem with approval by The University of Texas System Board of Regents of a $20 million funding program to build an addition to the School of Management. The addition will add approximately 100,000 gross square feet to the school's existing building. The project will include classrooms, seminar rooms, classroom laboratories, student support space and offices.

"The gifts and the matching

funds played a very important role in making the building addition possible," said UT Dallas President David E. Daniel. "This support came together all at once and represents a major investment in

Naveen Jindal

the school on multiple fronts." The total value of these investments in the school is $50 million The Board of Regents also approved naming the school and the school's honors program in honor

of the donors.

"I have always been proud of my association with the University of Texas at Dallas, and I am proud of the education I received here," said Naveen Jindal

UT System Board of Regents' Research Initiative Fund and the Texas Research Incentive Program, or TRIP, will be used to create new endowed chairs and support students through the creation of endowed scholarships and graduate fellowships. The gift will "I have always been also establish the Naveen Jindal Instiproud of my association tute for Indo-Ameriwith the University of Texas can Business Studat Dallas, and I am proud ies.

Jindal is chairman of the education I received and managing direchere," said Naveen Jindal tor of Jindal Steel and Power Limited in his MBA'92. "It is my hope that native India. His comthis gift will continue to mitment to public service is also exemplified benefit the University, by his work as an school, students and facelected Member of Parliament of India, ulty for years to come" where he represents the state of Haryana.

He credits his exMBA'92. "It is my hope that this periences as UT Dallas Student gift will continue to benefit the Government president with kindling University, school, students and his later interest in government serfaculty for years to come." vice in India. Jindal was named a Jindal's contribution, which in- UT Dallas Distinguished Alumnus cludes a $5 million match from the in 2010.

A gift from Charles Davidson and Nancy Davidson of Houston is included in the overall total and also includes a $5 million match funded by TRIP and UT System Board of Regents' Research Initiative Program.

"Naveen Jindal and Charles and Nancy Davidson, through their combined generosity, have given our students and faculty the encouragement that comes from having resources at hand and have given UT Dallas new ways to signal its excellence by lending their names to our school and the management honors program," said President Daniel.

"We are very grateful for their support today and for all the support they have shown through the years."

The Davidsons' latest gift is designated to support management graduate students through a new endowed fellowship. Like so many UT Dallas students of his time, Chuck Davidson pursued his graduate degree through evening classes while holding down a fulltime job. "There's no question," he said. "I could not have moved to the level I'm at without UT Dallas."

Community Across America

36 India Post

October 21, 2011

www.indiapost.com

IIT alumni celebrate and introspect on success

John Sexton president NY University speaking

SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY India Post News Service

NEW YORK: There could not have been a better preamble to a global Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) alumni conference than the celebration of two of their own receiving the country’s top honors in Science and Technology & Innovation as announced by President Obama earlier this month.

The opening ceremony of the biennial pan-IIT conference held at the New York Hilton Hotel recently was fittingly marked by an acknowledgment of Indian American recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, Rakesh Agrawal and Jayant Baliga - both IIT alumni.

The thunderous, self-indulgent applause that followed from the

NY Senator Charles Schumer speaking

Indian Ambassador to India Nirupama Rao addressing the conference

tives, government officials, and leading entrepreneurs from around the world converged for this prestigious conference that also marked the 60th anniversary of the inception of the renowned IIT system in India. Notable among the various keynote speakers and panelists were Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY); Nitin Norhria, Dean of Harvard Business School; N.R. Narayan Murthy, founder of Infosys; Nirupama Rao, Indian Ambassador to the US; Sam Pitroda; Nicholas Negroponte, President of MIT Media Labs, among many other distinguished speakers.

“I believe the more South Asians we have in America, the better we will be,” said Senator Chuck Schumer in his inaugural keynote address, referring to the urgent need for immigration reform

and research.

Talking about the State’s effort to turn New York into a laboratory for energy conservation, Sen. Schumer said, “What we are trying to do in New York is creating a Silicon Valley of energy in the future and that would be possible with participation from many among you,” he told the gathered IITians.

In her lengthy address, Ambassador Nirupama Rao talked of recent efforts by India to strengthen its higher education system. “We must learn from the US experience of aligning the academic, research and industrial sectors,” she said.

“I believe this co-development of the vibrant S&T eco-system is the new foundation of the expanding Indo-US cooperation, which will create synergies between science and diplomacy to produce com-

Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao with dignitaries (pics: SnapsIndia)

nearly 2000 attendees evinced the sense of achievement and success of the 50,000 strong IIT alumni in the US who symbolize the Indian American success story, setting the tone for the three-day global conference.

PAN IIT USA is the umbrella alumni organization for all 15 campuses of the India Institutes of Technology, India’s most recognizable symbol of its intellectual excellence, achievement and leadership.

Distinguished business execu-

in this country.

Talking specifically on ‘the Future of Clean Energy’, Sen. Schumer said the world is facing a perfect storm when it comes to energy. “Demand for energy is going up, supply of fossil fuels is going down and budgets are becoming tighter than ever,” he said.

“We’ve come to an era of tight budgets, but when a government funds basic research, millions of jobs are created,” he said referring to President Obama’s emphasis on education, energy infrastructure

mon global good.”

Amb. Rao further said, the WHEELS (Water, Health, Energy, Education, Lifestyle and Security) project conceived by the Pan IIT leadership in the US to initiate application of technology to find solutions to common problems facing India and the US is a laudable enterprise. “I am very happy to see such a sense of purpose to serve both the motherland as also the country of your adoption. India is poised to play a leading role in shaping the 21st century as an

Vishaka Desai, President Asia Society speaking

Narayan Murthy, Founder Infosys, giving his keynote address

era of peace, prosperity, innovation, growth and development.

We look to the IITs and IITians to play a commensurate role in this endeavor as an innovator, business leader, entrepreneur, engineer or teacher. I am extremely optimistic that you will nurture and harness the India-US S&T ecosystem based on our mutual strengths and create global public goods.”

Falling standards In a hard hitting keynote address, founder Chairman of Infosys N.R. Narayan Murthy bemoaned the lowering quality of students who get into the IITs today. Blaming coaching classes for the poor quality of IIT entrants, Murthy said of the students who do pass out successfully from the IITs only the top 20 percent were good to “stand anywhere in the world” and the rest of the 80 per-

and Harvard. The only way for IITs to become better was if 80-90 percent members of its governing council are its alumni, Murthy opined.

Speaking to India Post, Principal of Go Inc., and conference cochair Gautam Advani said the weakness of IITs has always been and continues to be shortage of faculty. “I don’t think money is the problem, but faculty lacks incentives,” he said.

Advani said that IITs by and large have developed a reputation and the Indian government’s move to establish more such institutions will not solve the need for developing more elite educational institutions in the country.

“I don’t think I like the idea,” he said pensively. “They will end up having an IIT in each state and that will limit the diversity - the

Sam Pitroda

cent “leave much to be desired”.

Students, Murthy said, “somehow managed to crack the joint entrance examination, but their performance in IITs, at jobs or when they come for higher education in institutes in the US is not as good as it used to be.” And that, he added, needs to be corrected and a new method of selection of students to IITs needs to be arrived at.

Murthy also felt the IITs were found wanting in the area of research unlike institutions like MIT

Nitin Nohria

very essence of an IIT culture. One of the key factors for the success of IITs is that they are able to transcend caste, class, regionalism, etc.

Advani said there was no doubt that educational opportunities are still very good in the United States, which continues to draw students from India. “But now a higher percentage of such students are going back to India owing to increasing opportunities back home,” Advani said.

Cont’d on page 37

October 21, 2011

Community Across America www.indiapost.com

IIT alumni celebrate and introspect on success Cont’d from page 36

“If India sharpens its research skills and the government gets out of the way of higher education, it can retain much of its talent at home,” Advani added.

Leadership awards The Dean of Harvard University Business School, the former Chief Executive of one of the world’s largest mobile phone companies, and the founder of a US nonprofit organization devoted to ending blindness in India were among the seven recipients of the PAN IIT USA American Leadership Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements and accomplishments of IIT alumni who have made significant contributions to American society and throughout the world.

More than 500 nominees were considered for these prestigious awards, which represent seven specific categories of achievement. The awards and their respective winners include: • Academic Accomplishment, Dr. Nitin Nohria, Dean of Harvard Business School • Lifetime Achievement, Arun Sarin, former Chief Executive, Vodafone Group plc • Social Entrepreneurship, K. Sridharan, President and Founder, Sankara Eye Foundation • Technology Leadership, Dr. Arogyaswami Paulraj, Professor Emeritus Stanford University • Entrepreneurial Achievement, Purnendu Chatterjee, President, The Chatterjee Group • Corporate Excellence, Manoj Singh, COO, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited • Global PAN IIT Award, Arvind Kejriwal, Indian social activist.

“The American Leadership Award winners represent the best of IIT alumni in the US with their diverse accomplishments and contributions to American job creation, education, and philanthropy,” said Gunjan Bagla, Founder and Managing Director of Amritt, Inc., President of PAN IIT USA and Chair of the awards committee. “These alumni embody the spirit of our upcoming conference by truly bringing solutions for a better world through their thought leadership, business acumen and sense of social responsibility. We are humbled and awed by their accomplishments.”

Other Conference highlights The conference this year brought together alumni from all

15 campuses of the Indian Institutes of Technology in India to share ideas, network, innovate and socialize. Held every two years in the US, the conference celebrates the IIT community’s contributions to bilateral trade, exports and job creation between the US and India. Different at this conference was the emphasis on alumni services, in that there was a unique job fair, an entrepreneurship boot camp - networking sessions with successful entrepreneurs - and a special focus on IITians who are giving back in a big way to society.

“We believe it is imperative to continue to build upon this positive image of the IITs and present it to a global audience,” said Kumar Shah, conference co-chair and an IIT Bombay graduate. “We also want to give our alumni plenty of opportunities to network with each other and industry leaders. Today, we find that the United States and India are on a path of major collaboration in multiple platforms, including healthcare, commerce, and entertainment; IITians are very much integrated in building that bridge.

Thus, the theme of this conference is: ‘Solutions for a Better World’.”

IITians at a glance As the Times of India reported, the 200,000+ alumni of the IITs: • Have created about 20 million

Jobs • Have created $500 billion of economic value • Control annual budgets of $1 trillion • Serve on the boards of over 50% of the 500 largest companies in India • 9% of alumni are entrepreneurs, and • 40% of them have founded more than one company IITians in the US More than 50,000 IIT alumni (25% of all alumni) make their home in the United States. IIT alumni achievements in the US include: • Creation of more than 200,000 jobs • Pioneering such technologies as cellular communications and HDTV • 60% of Silicon Valley startups have an IIT graduate as a CEO or a founder • Leading executive positions, including CEO, at firms such as Citicorp, Hartford Financial, Harman International, Google, Cisco, Microsoft, and Rohm & Haas • Deans of leading universities such as Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, and MIT and Director of the National Science Foundation • Honored by the US Congress (HR227) for contribution to the creation of industries, jobs, and intellectual properties in America.

India Post 37

Largest ever Indian tricolor unfurled on Gandhi Jayanti

Cont’d from page 34

Susan Van Dusen, one of the founders of coming together in Skokie, said Gandhi peaceful means Roshashanna to the Jewish and this Jewish holiday remind her of Gandhi.

Skokie Park District displayed peace quotations from world peace leaders throughout the month on the Electronic signboard to remind everyone about the importance of peace in daily life.

Trustee Dr. Modi mentioned about the peaceful protest in India by Anna Hazare.

Hon. Daniel Bliss, State Rep. attended the event and remarked that he wanted to make sure to be part of the ceremony and pay respects in spite of his busy schedule.

North East University professor of management Mr. Hamid Akbari said that the current peaceful agitation started in Iran to protest the irregularities of Iranian election and spread throughout the Middle East against the regimes there.

Air India Airport manager also

attended the ceremony and helped with the tasks. Dr. Sonty, trustee mentioned that simple changes like not using violent words will go long way create a positive atmosphere, e.g. do not use words like hate.

Mr. Raman Patel, President of United Senior Parivar mentioned that Gandhi saw God in every liv-

Skokie Park District displayed peace quotations from world peace leaders throughout the month on the Electronic signboard ing being and Father of Nation title was given to him by Subhash Chandra Bose even though they differed in their approach for achieving freedom.

At the end, a packet of dry fruits were distributed by Trustees Usha Kamaria, Mira Chander and Dina Modi as Prasad to all attendees.

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38 India Post

Community Across America

October 21, 2011

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Indian Americans launch non-violence initiative RAMESH SOPARAWALA India Post News Service

CHICAGO: The American Institute of Sindhulogy (AIS) has recently joined forces with Smart TV Stars (STVS ) to beef up its Nonviolence Initiative, a communitybased pilot program in Evanston, a north side suburb of Chicago, which stops the bullying and shooting before it happens by opening young hearts and minds to the bigger world through education and travel.

AIS launched its Nonviolence Initiative in response to the 2009 murder of Darien Albert, a Chicago high school student caught in the crossfire of gang violence.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder both visited Chicago in the wake of Darien's death in search of answers to the spiraling problem of youth violence.

AIS wrote letters to President Obama, Secretary Duncan, and Illinois Congresswoman Jan

Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela and Sarhad Frontier Gandhi

Schakowsky recommending a different approach to non-violent education. While most programs focus on minority and atrisk youth, AIS' approach, which is informed by India's non-violent tradition, seeks a cultural change by introducing all children to the lessons of Mahatma Gandhi, Rev. Martin Luther King, Dr Nelson Mandela, Frontier Gandhi and Aung San Suu Kyi in school and home environments.

Both Secretary Duncan and Congresswoman Schakowsky wrote back expressing their support.

Duncan's office, while noting its lack of resources, encouraged AIS to assume a leadership role in non-violence education.

Accepting the challenge, AIS

home, witnessed first hand the power of non-violence as a pragmatic tool of social change. He was all game for the new challenge here.

AIS feels all Indians, who have benefited from life in America, have an obligation to give back to their communities, mainstream America and the world as a whole founder Dial V.Gidwani, growing up in then British India, knew Mahatma Gandhi, who was an occasional visitor in his parents'

To this end, AIS teamed up with Smart TV Stars, a non-profit Chicago based producer and on-line distributor of educational and cul-

tural programming, to expand outreach efforts through the worldwide web.

AIS feels all Indians, who have benefited from life in America, have an obligation to give back to their communities, mainstream America and the world as a whole by sharing the non-violent message which has been passed on to us from their ancient scriptures and civilizations.

AIS appealed to fellow countrymen to help assure a safer, more peaceful future for our children through a tax-deductible charitable contribution to the Nonviolent Initiative.

The Non-Violence Initiative proclaims, "If we can teach our kids to embrace differences, rather than fear them," Gidwani says "our community will be a safer, friendlier place. And if they learn to peacefully negotiate differences across cultural boundaries, they will become more effective participants in the new global economy."

Angelina Pedroso Center Gandhi Jayanti celebrated in Dallas at NET University

Angelina Pedroso Center welcomes Indian guests L to R Bhailal Patel, Director Yasmin Ranney, Advisor NEIU Students Rohit Joshi, Dean Murell Duster and Madhu Patel India Post News Service

CHICAGO: The Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs at Northeastern Illinois University is officially open as a student-centered space, literally "a home away from home".

It embodies the essence of diversity and intercultural cohesion as students from all backgrounds and ethnicities are welcome to use this space, designed to include representations of the various cultures as inclusive backdrops in artwork, sculptures and artifacts.

The design elements are bright and dynamic and resonate for visitors with 'Welcome" signage in different languages etched on the doors. Beyond this, its staff exemplifies warmth in a studentfriendly space.

Named to honor the lifetime commitment to teaching embodied

by Dr. Angelina Pedroso who taught at NEIU for 44 years, the Center has dedicated programming for the Latino Resource Center, the African African American Center and the Asian and Global Resource Center. Director of the Asian Center, Yasmin Ranney showed visitors the center and talked about planned programming for Fall and Spring which included a Ganesha Chaturthi Pooja, a blessing for the Center, performed by Shri Rohit Joshi, also a long term staff member and advisor to the Indian Student Association at NEIU Dean Murrell J. Duster, Yasmin Ranney, and Rohit Joshi articulated that over the past 15 years, NEIU has done significant programming targeted to bringing the cultural traditions of South East Asia to NEIU. Cont’d on page 39

Indian Americans in Dallas with Mrs Usha Gokani during Gandhi birthday celebrations India Post News Service

DALLAS, TX: The Indian American Friendship Council (IAFC) and India Association of North Texas (IANT) hosted a luncheon meeting to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's birthday in honor of Mrs. Usha Gokani, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi on Sunday Oct.2 at Fun Asia Richardson, TX. Prasad Thotakura, IAFC State Coordinator, welcomed Mrs. Gokani and stated Gandhi's philosophy of peace and non-violence is everlasting and in every place. "It is time to remind ourselves that everything can be possible through patience and persistence," he said Jack Godhwani, IANT President, thanked Mrs. Usha Gokani for visiting Dallas as a Chief Guest to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's birthday in the form of a peace-

walk. Prasad Gollanapalli, Sarvodaya leader, stated that Gandhiji's message is more powerful in all times and can be adopted to yield successful re-

Jack Godhwani, IANT President, thanked Mrs. Usha Gokani for visiting Dallas as a Chief Guest to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's birthday in the form of a peace-walk turns.

Mrs. Usha Gokani expressed her pleasure in meeting with the Indian American community leaders. She shared her memorable ex-

periences with her grandfather Mahatma Gandhi and grandmother Kasturba Gandhi. She commended the local leaders for planning to install Mahatma Gandhi statue in Dallas in the very near future.

Mahatma Gandhi Memorial of North Texas (MGMNT) has been formed with the following members to work on all logistics to install Gandhi Statue in Dallas: Prasad Thotakura, Chairman; Taiyab Kundawala and Atul Khara as Co chairs. Jack Godhwani, Dilip Patel, Shabnam Modgil, Pete Patel and Rao Kalvala serve as Board members.

The luncheon meeting was attended by IANT and IAFC leaders Prof. Niranjan Tripathy, Balki Chamakura, Swathi Shah, Tapan Padhi, John Hamid, Dr. C.R. Rao, TP Mathew, Rajendra Vankawala, Kuthesh Chowski, Sri Rajagopalan and Moody.

Community Across America

October 21, 2011

India Post 39

www.indiapost.com

Sai Baba's 93rd Punyatithi celebrated SHRI SURUBOTLA

Sai devotees throng temple

AURORA: Shri Sai Baba Punyatithi - 93rd MahaSamadhi day - was celebrated at Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir Chicago in Aurora with utmost devotion. On the auspicious Vijaya Dasami Dussehra. Also, this happens to be on the ninth day in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar

Navratri Puja/Maha Samadhi celebrations started at the mandir on September 27. Sai Baba was worshipped as Mother Goddess each day during Navaratri in the from of Brahmi, Maheshwari, Gayatri, Vaishnavi, Bala Tripura Sundari, Lalita Trpura Sundari, Maha Lakshmi, Saraswati and Raja

Angelina Pedroso Center at NET University

Rohit Joshi with Angelina Pedroso Cont’d from page 38

These have created a cohesive environment for Indian students and their families. This particularly true in those instances where students are at risk of dropping out because they are unable to bear the costs of tuition and living. Some students lack legal status and therefore cannot avail themselves of financial aid and loans. Since NEIU provides opportunities to fulfill higher education aspirations to the newer Indian immigrants, the time is now to establish

Since NEIU provides opportunities to fulfill higher education aspirations to the newer Indian immigrants, the time is now to establish scholarships for students in dire financial need. With the support of the Indian community, NEIU can also have a Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Hall, or Conference Room, named after the famous leader scholarships for students in dire financial need. With the support of the Indian community, NEIU can also have a Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Hall, or Conference Room, named after the famous leader.

Mrs. Yasmin Ranney stated that Indian students constitute a large percentage of NEIU's Asian student population. "I am confident our community members will see this as an opportunity for giving. Once students graduate and have experienced the support from others, they will in turn become the benefactors when the time is right, and this culture of giving will continue," she said.

Sai devotees carry Bhiksa Jholi for alms

Rajeshwari. Havan was performed in the morning followed by Samoohika Sahasra Naama Kumkuma archana in the evenings. On the Maha Samadhi day, the morning program started with Kakada Aarati followed by Shakti Havan. After Purnahuti, Mangal Snaan was performed to Baba fol-

Sai Baba decorated with flowers on Dussehra day

lowed by Archana. The session concluded with Madhyahna Aarati followed by distribution of teerth prasad & Maha Prasad.

The evening session started with Sri Satcharitra parayan followed by Dhoop Arati and Astotra Kalasa Abhishek. Devotees got the rare opportunity to go up to

the altar and to offer the 'Jal' at the holy Feet of Baba along with their family members. Baba was decorated with all the gaiety fit for the Master of the Universe. Archana was performed followed by Bhiksha Jholi and Seemollanghan procession.

Cont’d on page 41

Community/California

40 India Post

October 21, 2011

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Sahara transforms lives of abused South Asians PREM KISHORE

LOS ANGELES: Is a family member or loved one hurting you? We are listening.

That is the urgent, compassionate message of Sahara the organization that freely offers advice, information and support for those in a domestic crisis. "We have a toll free 24 hour help line and services are strictly confidential" says Dr Seema Arora, a volunteer of this South Asian help line and referral agency which deals not only in fund raising, but is motivated to give back to the community.

She has a doctorate in Psychology and is in charge of the satellite Sahara office in the San Fernando Valley. The main office is in Artesia in Orange County.

"Our staff and volunteers understand Indian culture and we are able to communicate in multiple South Asian languages." she says.

"We keep fliers and brochures, in public places, in temples, mosques, gurudwaras and distribute them at melas and Indian events."

Sahara in Hindi means support. It is a nonprofit community service agency founded in 1991 by seven professionals, five licensed clinical social workers and two physicians.

Today Sahara offers legal aid services, family law issues and immigration issues related to domestic violence.

Volunteers and staff are trained in seven major South Asian languages and multiple dialects to help South Asians. The geographic area Sahara serves is 200,000 South Asian residents in Southern California. Sahara has received 12 National County and City awards.

What is the definition of domestic violence? It is physical, sexual, psychological, financial violence that takes place within an

intimate relationship or family and there is a pattern of behavior that is controlling and/ or coercive. Domestic violence, a serious threat mostly directed at women, comes in many forms - from calling names, swearing, threatening to hurt you, your family, friends, abusing the children, stalking, intimidating, jealousy, possessiveness, destroys your belongings, isolates you from friends, family and community, withholds money for basic needs, hides legal documents, or forces you to have sex.

The statistics are shocking. Over 25 %

bands. We also see cases of elder abuse."

One woman after being beaten on the head with a phone by her husband ran to her neighbor who called 911.They encouraged her to call Sahara.

Today she is a paralegal, getting paychecks, saving for the future, providing a safe home for her children and guarding them against trauma while teaching them that good families do not hit and abuse or frighten one another. Children who live with domestic violence develop emotional and behavioral problems even if they are not

Call 911 if you are in immediate danger, or injured or if you cannot speak, leave the phone off the hook so the operator can send help. Tell your children of a safety plan so they can contact neighbors or the police in an emergency of women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.

Dr Arora reflects, "Sadly, we Indians have very little self worth. No self esteem. Victims live in fear and problems are often overlooked, ignored or denied. They do not confide and are hampered by the feeling, what will the family/neighbors/ community say.

They also fear that the children's lives will be disrupted if the family splits up. We have mainly victims in the mid 20's and 30's living under oppressive conditions. It is a wide range.

We have educated professionals who are not allowed to work by the spouses, or those who have severe language difficulties and unable to adjust to a new country, and are being beaten by controlling hus-

physically abused themselves.

Sawin - South Asian Women In Need - is a transitional living home that provides a residential environment for healing and recovery. Mothers and children, survivors of domestic violence find a haven and a refuge from violence, and mental torment. It is here that Sahara supports and encourages the victims to become empowered, independent and successful.

It is here they realize that no one should live in fear. The shelter can house six guests at a time and one resident care coordinator.

Survivors are allowed to stay from 6-18 months. Sahara also provides counseling for batterers, alcohol abuse, individual, couple and group therapy, ESL classes,

emergency health care and youth programs.

The Sahara flier is packed with information, and a valuable guide to anyone considering an alternative - a life of peace. Here are some guidelines: Call 911 if you are in immediate danger, or injured or if you cannot speak, leave the phone off the hook so the operator can send help. Tell your children of a safety plan so they can contact neighbors or the police in an emergency.

Have a safe place to go to like a police station, hospital or even a fire station. Stay away from kitchens or bathrooms. Pack a bag with spare house and car keys and basic necessities and always keep important documents or at least copies of documents with you.

Like your driving license, social security cards, green cards, passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates, immunization records, school records. Make sure you have your abuser's date of birth and social security number.

Recently I was browsing through Artesia's Little India stores, and suddenly spotted a striking storefront - Sahara Vintage Boutique.

Inside new and pre-owned Indian party and casual wear for all ages, jewelry by Nauka, linens, home dĂŠcor, a selection of art and collectible treasures, accessories, at affordable prices were being sold.

All Vintage Boutique proceeds help support women and children of Sahara. Tax receipts for all donations are available upon request.

Donations of household goods, including kitchen and office equipment are always welcome if they are in good working condition.

Sahara toll free helpline is 1888 724 2722.

Durga Puja by Pashchimi a huge success

DEEPAK CHHABRA Chair Events, Fremont Hindu Temple

FREMONT, CA: This year, for the first time, a Durga Puja and Dussera festival was held at the Fremont Hindu Temple between Oct 2 and Oct 7. Organized by The Temple management and Pashchimi, a Bay area non-profit organization, it attracted a huge crowd over the six days of the festival.

Pashchimi is managed by a team of Bay area professionals, most of whom felt the need to have a platform thru which they could foster and nurture Indian tradition

and culture in the Bay area. Festivals such as these are typically celebrated over a weekend to accommodate the western life style.

The executive team of Pashchimi has consistently refused to compromise the traditional values, going even to the extent of bringing all Puja items not available here, from India. This is the main fundraiser for Pashchimi - which supports local Indian families in financial distress, helps local charities and also sends a part of the funds to support meritorious students of needy families in India.

Pashchimi has been organizing

the festival in the Bay area since 2004. The festival has increased in popularity every year and has become one of the most attended festivals in the valley. The unique-

ganizers made every possible effort to adhere to the tradition, spirit and culture of India, specially Bengal, where Durga Puja is the biggest festival.

The executive team of Pashchimi has consistently refused to compromise the traditional values, going even to the extent of bringing all Puja items not available here, from India ness of the celebration are quite a few: it is held strictly in accordance with the calendar and procedure mentioned in the Panjika, the or-

The idol, brought from Kumartuli, Kolkata - a place famous for its idol making, depicts Maa Durga and her family resplen-

dent in their full regalia. The Puja was held in the parking lot of the temple under a large tent. The stage was tastefully and brilliantly decorated by the Pashchimi team, with a real waterfall forming a backdrop to the stage.

Puja usually started early morning each day and continued throughout the day, ending with Sandhya Aarati and Dhunuchi naach (dance with chalices full of burning charcoal - a tradition in Bengal), accompanied by the sound of Dhaak (an Indian drum), blowing of Shankha (conch shells) and sounding of brass bells.

Cont’d on page 41

October 21, 2011

Community/California

India Post 41

www.indiapost.com

Majestic Hindu temple planned for northern Nevada India Post News Service

NEVADA: Northern Nevada's first Hindu temple plans to have its own building in the near future as its ground-breaking (BhoomiPooja) ceremony will be held on October 16 in Reno.

According to Temple spokesman Rajan Zed, priests will perform this few hours long ceremony as per ancient Hindu traditions based on Sanskrit scriptures. This about one-acre temple project has been possible after years of community efforts under the umbrella of Hindu (Sanathan Dharam) Temple of Northern Nevada Inc., a tax-exempt organization.

Grand-opening ceremony, besides the Hindu community, will also be attended by various elected and other leaders of the area, and will conclude with a community lunch.

To be built according to traditional ancient Hindu architecture, this Temple besides a sanctuary

containing decorated images of major Hindu deities, also plans to have a courtyard, garden, community hall and classroom facilities.

Besides a venue of worship and prayers, it will also serve as a community center organizing various cultural, religious and educational activities. Virender K. Bali is Presi-

Hawans. Travelling kirtan bands have been visiting the area frequently. Currently the Hindu (Sanathan Dharam) Temple of Northern Nevada functions in a rented building in Reno.

People of India-descent in northern Nevada include Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Jains,

Grand-opening ceremony, besides the Hindu community, will also be attended by various elected and other leaders of the area, and will conclude with a community lunch dent of Temple Board.

Other two Hindu temples in Nevada are in Las Vegas. There are about 600 Hindu families in northern and western Nevada.

Diwali, Baisakhi, Holi, Raas Garba, Ugadhi, Onam, etc., festivals have been celebrated in the area; besides frequent Pujas/Jagrans/

Zoroastrians, and speak about 15 different languages (not dialects).

There are many students from India in University of Nevada-Reno, mostly doing graduate degrees in engineering and sciences. Many doctors, professors, engineers and businesspeople of the area are of India-origins.

Durga Puja by Pashchimi a huge success Cont’d from page 40

The evening usually wound up with various cultural programs performed by talents from the valley. Pashchimi, through these events, encourages and promotes local talents.

The festival also had colorful stalls displaying jewelry, dress, real estate and other products and services as well as several food stalls catering to every pallet. Crowd gathered in the evenings starting from 5 pm, braving the inclement weather which tried to put a dampener on the festivities in vain. The two Pujaris and the Pashchimi team, in association with temple

management, ensured that Puja started on time and every visitor could go satisfied having offered pushpanjali (flower offering) to Maa Durga.

Due to the overwhelming atten-

dance, the visitors had challenges in parking and the organizers started a shuttle service to assuage the difficulty. Despite this, the festival was the first of its kind, and was a huge success.

Readers Write... www.indiapost.com

Tamil Nadu discriminates against Hindu temples

T

amil Nadu is home to some of the richest Hindu temples. The Tamil Nadu government claims to be secular but has been treating Hindu institutions and temples differently compared to institutions of other religions. The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department administers 36,425 temples, 56 mutts, 47 temples belonging to mutts, 1721 specific endowments and 189 trusts.

The department claims to be watching over all religious institutions to maintain secularism but it has only been looking over the Hindu religious institutions and this policy is not being applied to any other religions like Christian or Islamic institutions.

The indifference and lack of stance against such an issue by Hindus along with the pushy missionaries being let into the region are the two main causes of such an injustice. This has allowed the Tamil Nadu government to process the way it does, assuming such a level of control.

Prominent mutts of the 1840s when the British ruled - were asked to take over certain temples and endowments. The heads of these mutts made sure to get written documents from the British Government assuring the mutts that the temples would not be taken into repossession by the government.

The mutts ran the temples well and efficiently using funds provided where they should have been used - to perform important rituals and for renovations in the temple. Overall, the funds were used for the primary purpose of the temple - supporting worship.

Sai Baba's 93rd Punyatithi celebrated Cont’d from page 39

Jholi is a cloth bag that is usually hung from the shoulder by those who go for begging in India. It is a well known fact that Shri Sai Baba lived on alms collected from five houses daily in Shirdi.

Baba used to select some devotees like Vaman Rao Patel, Booty, Professor G.G.Narke, S.B.Dhumal to collect Bhiksha on his behalf to instill the quality of humility and the feeling of oneness.

Sai Samsthan USA honored this tradition of Baba's begging in Shirdi by selecting five devotees during Maha Samadhi celebrations Who went around with Jholi to seek alms from the devotees during the Seemollanghan procession. The

devotees received Jholi bearers and offered their hearts content.

Indeed, the feeling and emotion amongst the Jholi bearers as well as the devotees could only be experienced. The program concluded

and 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm on all week days and throughout the day on Thursdays, weekends and special occasions. All the four Aaratis Kakad Aarati, Madhyahna Aarati, Dhoop Aarati and Shej Aarati are performed

Sai Samsthan USA honored this tradition of Baba's begging in Shirdi by selecting five devotees during Maha Samadhi celebrations Who went around with Jholi to seek alms with Shej Aarati and Maha Prasad.

Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir Chicago is located at 1101 Foran Lane, Aurora Illinois. The mandir is open from 8:30am to 12:30 pm

just as in Shirdi. Special worship services inlcuding Abhishek, Sri Sai Astotra, Sri Vishnu Sahasra Nama, Sri Sai Satchartira Parayan are conducted on Thursdays.

***

However, contrary to this, thousands of other religious institutions were simply handed over to the trustees with the government providing little or no supervision at all with what was being done with the funding and whether it was being utilized for the purpose for which it was given.

The Madras Hindu Religious Endowment Act of 1925 was passed by the local legislature for the purpose of providing better governance and administration of Hindu temples. This act was widely changed and adapted several times to consolidate the government's power over Hindu institutions, both before and after Independence.

After Independence, the act was widely expanded.

What Hindus must remember is that it is not the job of a government body to rule over and administer what is going on with Hindu temples, especially when the same body is not doing the same for churches and mosques in the same region. There must be something wrong if policies that originated to be applied to all religions are only being applied to one religion continuously. Hindus should group together and petition against such government bodies, bringing outside agencies to help and audit the HR and CE Department and its activities related to this issue. Hindus should work together to gain back access to the temples so that they are handed over to their respective trustees or appropriate Hindu associations.

Stephen Knapp (Shrinandan) Chicago, IL

***

***

Jagjit Singh legend will always be alive

I

t was a great honor to host The Legend Jagjit Singhji in St.Louis USA four times. The Samrat of philosophical ghazals and the one who truly depicted the different facets of life through ghazals and calmed the souls of many people living very distressful lives, has passed away. This is the real loss of human life. But as he sung "Jate jate voh mujhe aisi nishani de gaya, umrabhar doharaunga aisi kahani de gaya".

The legend will always be alive in his ghazals heard world

over.

A tremendous loss for all ghazal, bhajan lovers. His devotion to music was tremendous. A perfectionist with a good sense of humor.

We will miss him. Great souls never die. They are immortal for the contribution given to all the music lovers. May God rest his soul in peace. You will never be forgotten. One of my favorite ghazals is 'Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho.'

Ashwin Patel St Louis, MO

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

TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Chammak Challo : Ra.One 2 Piya Kesariyo : Hum Tum Shabana 3 Khwabon Khwabon : Force 4 Madhushala : Damadamm 5 Dildaara (Stand By Me) : Ra.One

42

India Post

www.indiapost.com

October 21, 2011

6 Rabba Toh Mar Gaya Oye : Mausam 7 Umrao Jaan : Damadamm 8 Chhayee Hai Tanhayee : Love Breakups Zindagi 9 Teri Meri : Bodyguard 10 Isq Risk : Mere Brother Ki Dulhan

Banarasi 'Issaq'

K

eeping her promise to return back to India in October, Madhuri Dixit finally fulfilled her promise and back to India with her husband Sriram Nene and two children before Diwali. Dressed in black, the dhak dhak lady was full of smile and seems very thrilled to return home.

After staying a decade in Denver, Madhuri finally returned to Mumbai on October 7. Fans and media gave a warm welcome to the beautiful actress at Mumbai International airport.

Her mother Snehalata Dixit and father Shankar Dixit came to the airport to welcome their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. They too looked very happy.

Last month, she announced on twitter about relocating to India, "Excited! Should be back in Mumbai by middle of October," she had written on her Twitter page.

P

riyanka Chopra, known for her simple yet stylish wardrobe, has been given the title of India's Best Dressed by People magazine.

Annually, the magazine honors style icons with the Best Dressed edition. This year, Priyanka has featured on the cover of its India edition.

About being chosen as the face of People's special issue of India's Best Dressed for 2011, Priyanka said: "I'm excited because I never thought I would get this title."

Talking of the one style accessory she has at all times, she said: "I wear confidence."

The former Miss World walked the ramp for Manish Malhotra at the Mercedes-Benz Best Dressed Show 2011 in Mumbai in a celebration of the special issue of the magazine.

W

ith Prateik Babbar's 'My Friend Pinto' due for release, he has been signed for 'Issaq' which is Shailesh Singh's adaptation of the Shakespearean play. Since the movie is set in Varanasi, Prateik is going through Banarasi Hindi diction classes, doing 'riyaaz' (taking music lessons) and spending hours in the gym working on his body.

Elaborating his character in the film, Prateik says, "The character I play kills to survive, so he needs to be lean and agile. We've retained the gist of the story about forbidden love and a family feud, but it's not an exact remake. Director Manish Tiwary has crafted a clever adaptation that weaves in the Naxalite angle."

Talking about love and his girlfriends, Prateik says, "The parents of the girls I've dated always approved of me. But if I were to find myself in love, I'd behave exactly like Romeo and do everything he did."

Bollywood

October 21, 2011

India Post

43

www.indiapost.com

A

fter Tiger Pataudi's death, mar-riage took a back burner for Kareena Kapoor. She doesn't want to talk about wedding and only wants to concentrate on her career. She desires to go Meryl Steep ways and wanted to do some heavy duty performance films.

Bebo said, "I will act till I live. For me acting is like air, food and water an essential ingredient.'' Kareena says, "I want to go the Meryl Streep way from next year. I'd like to do some heavy duty performance oriented films.''

Soon Bebo will start with Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Heroine' and added that in the near future she wants to do movies like 'The Devil Wears Prada', 'Bridges of Madison County' and 'Mama Mia'.

Kareena Kapoor is an ardent fan of Meryl Streep, she said, "I'm a Meryl Streep fan and I think age or marital status can never be a deterrent for an actor. The only thing that one needs is passion. Like I said, acting is like the air I breathe. It's that essential.''

Cop of woes S

onakshi Sinha recently showed her 'Dabangg' side on a social networking site by her bold statement criticizing the cops for wrongly harassing her friend who was innocent.

She tweeted, "A drunk motorcyclist crashed into my friend's car who was taking a U-turn at the speed of 10.

Cut to - cops come and bewda runs away."

She added: "Instead of chasing bewda, cops take my friend to station and give her a good yelling until she pays and is let off. Wah wah wah. Kya baat hai."

She also expressed that her friend had been wrong in paying the cops. "Now the first thing I told her was ur stupid to have paid. To which she says ull knw only whn ur alone with 10 cops who r obv nt v honest," she wrote with a signing note, "Sad but true."

Well, all we can say here is 'Like Father, Like Daughter'!!

P

eople close to Salman Khan feel that getting inked is a way of showing your love. Most of Salman's friends sport a Salman tattoo on their body.

Almost all the Salman's staff members and those working closely with the actor sport a tattoo, including bodyguard Shera, photographer Munna S and Man Friday, Nadeem. They have either got themselves inked on their arms or places that are not very visible. The most common design being "Being Human", which is the star's much talked about NGO.

Loyalty tatto

"It's become like a gesture for Salman. He's pleased when those close to him get themselves inked to prove their loyalty to him. He was extremely proud when Munna got himself inked last year, and spoke about it to everybody," says a source.

"Sporting a tattoo of his name is a common secret among Salman's close aides.

His family members too know about it. Most of these people have been working with Salman for more than 10 years now, and earn their rozi roti from him. And if a new staff member suddenly decides to sport the tattoo, he won't be taken too kindly by the older staff members," said the source.

44

October 21, 2011

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Dharamsala has become synonymous with the Tibetan government in exile and the home of Tibetan leader Dalai Lama. Even if the Tibetan community dominates the town, it has still retained the colonial lifestyle and British fervor 46 India Post

S

et against the backdrop of the dramatic Dhauladhar mountains, Dharamsala is perched on the high slopes in the upper reaches of Kangra Valley. The town is divided into two distinct and widely separated sections, Upper and Lower Dharamsala, which differ almost a thousand meters in height.

Dharamsala has become synonymous with the Tibetan government in exile and the home of Tibetan leader Dalai Lama. Even if the Tibetan community dominates the town, it has still retained the colonial lifestyle and British fervor.

Dharamsala overlooks the plains and is surrounded by dense pine trees and Deodar forests. A nearby snowline with numerous streams and cool healthy atmosphere makes the surrounding very attractive.

Dharamsala is a busy bazaar town and has established itself as the travelers' base camp, who come to explore the nearby mountains. The Kotwali Bazaar provides the entire color and characteristic of a small town, which is mixed with simple lifestyle.

The colorful temple and Gompas which reflect the culture of Tibet add attraction for the visitor. The Kangra museum gives an overview of the rich past of the region. There are institutes that have been established to preserve Tibetan art, cultures and traditions.

Attractions: St. John's Church in Wilderness: 7-km upward from Dharamsala, between Forsyth Ganj and Mcleod Ganj lies the charming St. John's Church. It was built in 1852 and is dressed in grey stone with some fine Belgian stained glass windows donated by Lady Elgin. The church is popularly known as the church of St. John in Wilderness.

Chamunda Devi Temple: Mere 15-km from Dharamsala in a tiny village of Dadh on Palampur Road is the famous temple dedicated to Goddess Chamunda Devi.

Cont’d on page 48

www.indiapost.com

October 21, 2011

October 21, 2011

Travel & Hospitality Post

India Post 47

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India becomes chairman of UN tourism body NEW DELHI: India has taken over as the chairman of UN South Asian Regional Commission for tourism.

This was announced at the ongoing United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) conference at Gyeongju, South Korea. The chairmanship of the commission was with Iran for the last four years.

Addressing the UNWTO meeting, Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai, who is leading the Indian delegation at Gyeongju, said that it "signifies the confidence of various countries in India and the efforts of the Indian government in promotion of tourism in the

country as well as across the globe in responsible and sustainable manner to bring in inclusive growth."

Describing sustainable, safe and honorable tourism as the pillars of India's strategy, he said the schemes and programs implemented by Indian government are primarily focused on inclusive development, integrated with the overall anti-poverty strategy.

It has been estimated that by the year 2016-17, the growth in the tourism sector would enable additional employment generation of around 25 million persons. There would be a need for additional 42

million skilled persons in hospitality sector alone.

"We are therefore giving a major boost to the skill development in the sector by harnessing both public and private sector educational and training infrastructure of the country. We are also encouraging our academic institutes to go in for MOUs with reputed counterparts of other countries for achieving academic excellence," Sahai said.

Seeking the global organization's active role in skill development program, the minister said, "I would urge UNWTO to intensify its efforts in providing

the support to member countries in developing a skill development framework based on successful best practices across the globe."

He said the government is in

process of establishment of Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India (STCI) and indicators for the accommodation sector and tour operators. -PTI

Japan keen to invest in Buddhist & medical tourism sectors NEW DELHI: Japan has expressed keenness to invest to develop India's Buddhist tourism circuit and medical tourism segment finding handsome returns there.

This was conveyed to Tourism Minister Subodhkant Sahai when he met his Japanese counterpart Jin Matsubara in Tokyo.

During the meeting with the Japanese Minister, Sahai discussed opportunities for investment in tourism infrastructure in India, to which Matsubara responded positively and conveyed that Japan is more keen to invest in Buddhist and medical tourism in India, an official release issued here today said.

The Japanese Minister conveyed Japanese MNC's opinion

that India has huge potential to grow tourism in Buddhist and medical tourism sector and investment

The Japanese Minister emphasized the importance of Indian medical systems like Yoga and Ayurveda which are immensely popular in Japan. He showed keen interest in having more yoga centers in Japan in this sector will pay huge dividends to both the countries.

Japan, having the highest eld-

erly population in the world, sees India as an attractive destination for medical tourism which can be packaged along with pilgrimage in Buddhist sector.

The Japanese Minister emphasized the importance of Indian medical systems like Yoga and Ayurveda which are immensely popular in Japan. He showed keen interest in having more yoga centers in Japan.

Sahai reviewed of the activities of India tourism office in Tokyo. Indian Ambassador to Japan Alok Prasad told Sahai that this year India is celebrating 60th year of diplomatic relations with Japan and India and is the theme of Snow festival in Japan. A Taj Mahal made of ice will be replicated in this festival. -PTI

JK has vast potential for adventure tourism SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has vast potential for adventure and sports tourism, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said and directed officials to tap it for generating employment.

"Jammu and Kashmir is a unique destination for adventure and sports tourists as they have the option of choosing from multiple sports activities," Omar said after giving away prizes at the concluding ceremony of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Primal Golf Cup at Pahalgam.

The Chief Minister said a golf circuit had been set up in Jammu and Kashmir to provide opportu-

nity to golfers to play in different conditions.

"A new 18-hole golf course has been set up in Leh. Besides, golf-

The tournament, saw many renowned golfers from around the country and abroad taking part ers can also play at Jammu, Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam and can enjoy different geographical conditions and natural beauty," Omar said.

He asked the Tourism Department and other agencies concerned to showcase the potential of the state and rope in golfers and adventure sports persons from all over the world, thereby generating employment for the locals, especially the youth.

The tournament, organized by the J&K Tourism Department, saw many renowned golfers from around the country and abroad taking part. Former captain of Indian cricket team Kapil Dev and ambassadors from eight countries, including Oman, Indonesia, Malaysia and Kazakhstan, participated in the event. -PTI

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48 India Post

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October 21, 2011

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The 7th LA Travel show at Long Beach India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: Unicomm, the largest travel show producer in the US, has announced the return of the Travel & Adventure ShowTM to the Long Beach Convention Center. Strategically located between L.A. and Orange Counties, the show is expected to draw record-breaking attendance from the Southern California mega-market, as well as exhibitors from around the globe. The 2012 show will take place January 14-15 with new media partners, Los Angeles Magazine and NBC LA, dramatically expanding promotion of the event.

An invaluable source for travel enthusiasts, the expo features seminars by world class travel experts, hundreds of knowledgeable representatives from domestic and international destinations, and exciting hands-on activities for extra vacation inspiration.

"Not only are we excited to bring the show back to its original location in Long Beach, our long-time travel exhibitors are as well. We have hundreds of exhibitors already signed up to be at the show based on our strong content, new location, and new media partners," said Unicomm CEO John Golicz. "This means SoCal Travel Enthusiasts will see the same great event in a more convenient location," continued Golicz.

This year's line-up of speakers includes such celebrated travel personalities as Samantha Brown, Andrew Zimmern, Peter Greenberg, Pauline Frommer, Marc DeCarlo, and Patricia Schultz.

Samantha Brown is known as the fun-loving host of Travel Channel Shows including "Passport to Europe" and "Samantha Brown's Great Getaways." Andrew Zimmern, also a Travel Channel favorite, can be seen sampling strange cuisine around the world on "Bizarre Foods." Peter Greenberg is an award-winning travel expert and book 2 author, whose many hats include travel editor of CBS News and host of

In addition to attending the Expo, TopProducing Travel Agents will also have the unique opportunity to expand their trade, garner valuable leads and learn about the hottest trends at the Travel + Destination Symposium Peter Greenberg Worldwide.

Pauline Frommer, together with her father Arthur, founded an award-winning line of travel guide books. Marc DeCarlo is an authority on good eats across the nation, the author of A Fork on the Road and the Travel Channel show "Taste of America with Marc DeCarlo." Patricia Schultz penned the bestselling guide 1,000 Places to See Before you Die-which was adapted into a Travel Channel

Show with Schultz as producerand has contributed to many travel books and publications.

The show will feature over 450+ exhibitors representing some of the world's best destinations including Guam, Maui Tourism, Tourism Fiji, Yosemite, Alaska, and Tanzania all offering exclusive specials and trip giveaways. Guests of all ages can enjoy a variety of hands-on on-site activities including a zip-line, scuba pool, rock climbing wall and "Fiery Foods ChallengeTM." In addition to attending the Expo, Top-Producing Travel Agents will also have the unique opportunity to expand their trade, garner valuable leads and learn about the hottest trends at the Travel + Destination SymposiumTM-held in conjunction with the show-on Saturday, January 14.

Supporting sponsors are Guam Visitors Bureau and Indonesia Tourism. Additional 2012 media partners include Los Angeles Consortium of Online Travel (LACOT), KABC-AM and KLOSFM, guarantying widespread exposure about the show's new location and its unique offerings.

Unicomm LLC is an independent business-to-business communications company specializing in originating and managing world class trade shows and conferences in underserved and nascent markets. Founded in 1998 in Milford, CT, Unicomm enjoys an impressive track record of dozens of successful show launches and hundreds of event productions.

India to showcase tourist spots during F1 gala NEW DELHI: With the inaugural Indian Grand Prix set to draw huge foreign and domestic crowds, the Indian Tourism Ministry has decided to showcase the lesser known destinations during the here.

The Ministry has finalized a blueprint to utilize the Formula One route to promote more than 50 destinations in an aggressive 'Incredible India' campaign. Besides, the Ministry will also be launching 'Know your City', a new mode of media campaign for F1 enthusiasts.

"We are utilizing the Formula One event to promote our lesser known destinations including beaches, monuments, mountains, sand dunes, festivals and cuisines in a big way," a senior Tourism Ministry official, involved with the Incredible India campaign, said.

Beginning from October 28, the three-day gala motor event is generating a lot of interest among the racing enthusiasts and is expected to draw about 1.5 lakh crowd, including 50,000 foreigners.

"Though some of our well known destinations like Taj Mahal, Qutab Minar and other tourist spots in Kerala and Goa will feature in the campaign, our focus will be on to highlight the lesserknown attractions during the event," the official said.

The country will witness for the first time the Formula One race at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, 24 km from Delhi.

The event is expected to attract many Bollywood actors, foreigners, politicians, ambassadors and business tycoons among others.-PTI

More than 4 lakh visited India in Sept NEW DELHI: 4.01 lakh foreigners visited India in September as against 3.69 lakh during the same period last year, registering a growth of 8.7 per cent.

The growth of 8.7 per cent in September 2011 is higher than 5.3 per cent growth registered in August 2011.

"We have undertaken a series of road shows abroad to promote our destinations as part of our consistent to attract more foreign tourists," said a senior Tourism

Ministry official, adding, "Now the Incredible India campaign is focusing on projecting India as a 365day destination."

The total foreign tourists arrivals (FTA) during the period January-September 2011 were 42.20 lakh with a growth of 10 per cent as compared to the FTA of 38.35 lakh with a growth of 8 per cent during January-September 2010 over the corresponding period of 2009, according to Tourism Ministry data. -PTI

Dharamsala: Home of Dalai Lama & travelers' base camp Cont’d from page 46

It is an enchanting spot with glorious views of the mountains, the Baner Khud, Pathiar and Lahla forests.

Maharana Pratap Sagar: Named in honor of the great patriot 'Maharana Pratap' (1572 - 97 AD), the Maharana Pratap Sagar was once known as the 'Pong Dam Reservoir'. India knows the 'Maharana' as a man who struggled valiantly for his kingdom of 'Mewar' for the principle of independence. In the words of the Chroniclers James Tod and William Crooke, "He spurned every overture that had submission for its basis". Over the river Beas, the "Pong Dam" was completed in 1976. Its reservoir has an area of about 45,0000 hectares at maximum possible flooding - the level varies with every season and averages around 30,000 hectares. Over 2,000 villages with a population of over 85, people are lying along the wetland.

The Wildlife Sanctuary: In 1983, Maharana Pratap Sagar was declared a wildlife sanctuary and over 220 species of bird belonging to 54 families have been sighted over the waters and the fringing mud-banks. These include black-headed gulls, plovers, terns, ducks, water-fowl and egrets. The first sighting in the region of the red-necked grebe was made at the Sagar.

The wetland's location at the head of the Indian plains has made it a suitable habitat and stopover for migratory birds that enter India from Central Asia. The land portion of the sanctuary has barking deer, sambar, wild boars, nilgai, leopards and clawless otters.

Twenty-seven species and subspecies of fish belonging to six families have been recorded in the Sagar's waters.

Norbulinka Institute: Just 4kms from Dharamsala is Norbulinka. This place has heavy Japanese influence.

The Norbulingka Institute of Tibetan

Culture was founded by the Department of Religion and Culture to preserve and promote Tibetan art and culture in exile

The wetland's location at the head of the Indian plains has made it a suitable habitat and stopover for migratory birds that enter India from Central Asia. The land portion of the sanctuary has barking deer, sambar, wild boars, nilgai, leopards and clawless otters Nurpur Fort: Orginally known as Dhameri, 66-km from Dharamsala and 24-km from Pathankot, Nurpur Fort was re-

named by Emperor Jehangir, son of the Great Moghul Jalal-Ud-Din Mohammad Akbar. The fort is now in ruins but still has some finely carved reliefs.

Tsug-Lag-Khang (Central Cathedral): Though a plain and utilitarian substitute for its far more splendid namesake in Lhasa, also known as the Jokhang, the TsugLag-Khang is nevertheless fascinating and peaceful. Situated opposite the residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsug-LagKhang is known to local Indians as the Main Temple.

Andretta: Situated just 13-kms away from Palampur lies this dwelling place of artist S. Sobha Singh.

It houses a gallery of some of his major works and a pottery center.

Dall Lake: Surrounded by high and green Deodar trees is the lake, which fills a mountain bowl. Situated 11-kms away from the town, this lake is easily approachable by road and makes an enchanting and serene picnic spot.

Dharmkot: Just 11-km away

from Dharamsala, located on the crest of a hill lies this attractive picnic spot, which presents a panoramic view of the Kangra Valley and Dauladhar ranges Kunal Pathri: These are the rock temples from which the place derives its name. Kunal Pathri is a 3 kms flat walk from Kotwali Bazaar.

Best Time to visit: Mid-May to Mid-October.

How to reach: Air: Dharamsala can be approached by air from Delhi and the nearest Airport is at Gaggla, just 13-km away from the town.

Rail: Pathankot is 85-km and is the nearest railhead for Dharamsala. Trains from all over the country make a stop over at Pathankot and from here it is a three-hour journey to Dharamsala.

Road: From Manali bus services are available to this place. One can drive from Delhi via Chandigarh, Kiratpur, Bilaspur and it's an eighthour journey. From Delhi and Shimla, luxury buses ply to Dharamsala.

October 21, 2011

Travel & Hospitality Post www.indiapost.com

Russia eases visa arrangement for Indians MOSCOW: Russia's lower house of Parliament has overwhelmingly voted to approve an inter-governmental deal on visa regime simplification that will benefit Indian citizens wanting to travel to this country for tourism or business purposes.

At its plenary session, the 450-strong State Duma approved by 428 votes the Inter-Governmental Agreement on simplification of requirements for mutual travels of certain categories of citizens, which was signed by India and Russia on December 21 last year in New Delhi, the lower house of Parliament said on its website.

"The agreement is aimed at consolidating the legal basis for Russia-India relations in the area of mutual travels of citizens and promoting creation of favorable conditions for certain categories of citizens of the two countries, first of all representatives of business, scientists, cultural workers, students and tourists," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin said presenting the document before the House.

After the ratification of the Indo-Russian agreement by the upper house of Parliament - the Federation Council - and signing it into law by President Dmitry Medvedev, the individual citizens and organizations will no longer need an invitation or a tourist voucher to travel to Russia or India and will be able to directly apply for visas.

Earlier in August, the Presidium of the Russian Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin approved the Indo-Russian deal easing

issuance of business and tourist visas to their nationals and forwarded it to the State Duma.

Under the agreement, the citizens of the two countries holding valid national passports can stay on the territory of the other country for up to 90 days within a period of 180 days from their first entry.

For the first time since the Soviet collapse, the two sides are also considering the possibility of issuing multiple entry visas.

"To further encourage business contacts

The Indian diplomatic missions in Moscow, St Petersburg and Vladivostok have streamlined issuance of business and tourist visas within three working days against 14 days in the past and promote tourism between India and Russia we are now issuing multi-entry business visas valid for one year against six months single or double entry in the past and tourist visas valid for six months with multiple entries," Indian Ambassador Ajai Malhotra said.

The Indian diplomatic missions in Moscow, St Petersburg and Vladivostok have streamlined issuance of business and tourist visas within three working days against 14 days in the past. -PTI

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and Media Arts, which runs from Friday, November 18 to Sunday, November 20.

"System Failure" is about the communication gap that lies between Punjabi-speaking granthis, and English-speaking youngsters who refuse to attend gurudwara. Their lack of response to Punjabi leaves them completely bored with the Sunday services. Various prominent Sikhs will provide their own perspective on the

October 21, 2011

Michael Singh filming at Pacoimca, CA gurudwara October, 2011

‘System Failure’ is about the communication gap that lies between Punjabi-speaking granthis, and English-speaking youngsters who refuse to attend gurudwara. Their lack of response to Punjabi leaves them completely bored with the Sunday services

Diana Pinto as The Rebel Queen

JS BEDI India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: Award-winning filmmaker Michael Singh's latest film, "System Failure," is expected to premiere at the Sikh Arts & Film Festival at Chapman University's Dodge School of Film

issues. They range from writer Dr. I.J. Singh to Commodore Narindra Singh and famed Sikh writer and stage director Jessi Kaur, who will present in rather dynamic fashion, her real-life solution to bridging this wide com-

munication gap.

Michael is still looking for one of the main characters of this documentary.

"I'm not looking for an actor," says Michael. "I'm looking for an average kid who feels at ease in front of the cam-

era." Michael is specifically searching for someone, male or female, between 15-21 years old, who lives with his/her parents, speaks fluent English with an American accent, but does NOT speak Cont’d on page 52

Aditi Ahuja's flawless arangetram at Carnegie Hall India Post News Service

NEW YORK: It's not common for 15-year olds to be giving their Bharatanatyam Arangetram at the imposing Carnegie Hall in New York. But for Aditi Ahuja, a sophomore at the Riverdale Country School, who rendered her arangetram on Oct 7, at the Weill Recital hall at Carnegie in New York City, it seemed effortless.

The evening included a range of graceful offerings in Bharatanatyam from Melaprapti, Alarippu, Jatiswaram, Solkam, Padavarnam, Bhajan, Keertnam and Tillana.

Aditi's teacher, Guru Swati Gupte Bhise, recited program notes, explaining in detail the meaning of hand and eye gestures that are characteristic of Bharatnatyam.

Aditi has been learning Bharatnatyam since she was six years old. And her flawless performance at Carnegie belied the arduous work that has actually gone into learning the art.

"Bharatanatyam has always been

Aditi Ahuja

a bittersweet experience for me, and at many times, feeling more bitter than sweet," Aditi said after the performance. "To many who casually asked, 'What is

Bharatanatyam like?' they would get a long-winded answer explaining how difficult it is. They would learn of all of my aches and pains, and how tiring each class is. Then

I would teach them a step or two and force them to sit in aramandhi (a half sit position) to prove my point," Aditi explained.

But during the recent months leading up to her Arangetram, Aditi's view of this art form has changed. "Of course, on a shallow level, my body still ached, even more than before due to the increased intensity of the practice menu. But along with the feelings of fatigue and pain came a sense of accomplishment," Aditi said.

In preparation for her big debut at the Carnegie Hall, Aditi went to Goa for two weeks to immerse herself in the culture and practice of Bharatnatyam. Her daily routine there included studying for three hours with Guru Goswami, a renowned professor of Bharatanatyam from the ancient Kalakshetra tradition who has taught for 27 years. After a short lunch break, Aditi would have another two-hour lesson with Guru Swati Bhise.

Cont’d on page 54

October 21, 2011

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His silky voice soothed and touched the masses MUMBAI: Acclaimed ghazal singer Jagjit Singh died here on October 10. The 70-year old was admitted to Mumbai's Lilavati hospital after he suffered brain hemorrhage last month. He underwent two surgeries and was on life support.

Born on February 8, 1941, 'the ghazal king' was a singer, composer, activist and entrepreneur.

He has sung in several languages including Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Nepali. Jagjit Singh entered the music circuit at a time which was primarily dominated by Pakistani ghazal singers, and Indian singers were considered relatively lesser authentic than their Pakistani counterparts.

Unlike other ghazal singers, Singh did not hesitate in lending his voice for films. His silky voice ruled during early 80's in films like Prem Geet, Saath Saath and Arth.

However, his major work is spread over more than 60 filmy and non Cont’d from page 50

Punjabi, and only goes to gurudwara on occasion despite pressure from his/her parents.

"The ideal candidate," says Michael, "will allow us to film in his/her home for two days, and will have lots of photos or videos of themselves when they were younger."

For any candidate under age

filmy albums.

Jagjit Singh was also known for modern approach and infusion of technology in the traditional art of ghazal singing. Singh was the first Indian music director to use the

Prior to Singh, ghazal singing was considered as an elite art, which was difficult for the common mass to understand due to high class Urdu and Persian technique of multi-track recording for his album 'Beyond Time'.

Recipient of Padma Bhushan award, Jagjit Singh was the man behind making the ghazal genre available and understandable to all. Prior to Singh, ghazal singing was considered as an elite art,

which was difficult for the common mass to understand due to high class Urdu and Persian.

Jagjit Singh broke this myth by coming up with songs such as 'Kaagaz ki kashti', 'Chaak jigar ke',

'Kal chadhanvi ki raat thi', and 'Shaam se aankh me nami si hai'. He mixed the words of legends like Ghalib, Qateel Shifai, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Nida Fazli and Sudarshan Faakir with melodious indigenous tunes and achieved a state where nothing came in between him and his listeners.

Later when television started showcasing music videos, he was among one of the prominent members of the music fraternity to avail the facility. He again came up with brilliant albums such as 'Face to Face', 'Marasim', 'Aaeena', and 'Dil Kahin Hosh Kahin'.

Jagjit Singh had also given his voice for ex-prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's poems in the albums 'Nayi Disha' and 'Samvedna'.

Jagjit Singh is survived by his wife Chitra Singh, with whom he had produced several record breaking albums. Their only son Vivek Singh had died in a road accident in 1990.

'System Failure' to premiere at Sikh Festival 18, written parental permission will be required. Males can be either clean-shaven or with kesh.

Interested young people who believe that they fit many or all of the above categories, should email a snapshot of themselves and a

short paragraph on why they want to be in this film, to Michael at turbancowboy@earthlink.net.

Michael has made over thirty documentaries, the majority for Discovery, and is about to release his first independent feature documentary film, "Valentino's Ghost," in which several prominent experts examine images of Arabs and Muslims in mainstream American media, and how they intertwine with our country's foreign policy needs, especially in light of our special relationship with Israel. It will be distributed by Bullfrog Films. Readers can view excerpts at Michael's website, michaelsinghproductions.com.

The film features America's pre-eminent thinker and writer Gore Vidal, the Arab-American TV star Tony Shalhoub, one of Britain's most popular historians and host of his own TV series, Niall Ferguson, of Harvard and

dinary people whose Sikh-related work offers inspiring examples of successful people who are neither doctors, lawyers, nor engineers.

Michael's fourth Sikh-themed film is "Riding the Tiger," the world's first eye-witness auto-

After completing "System Failure" and "Riding the Tiger," Michael will tackle yet another Sikh-themed film, "Mother Earth," about the connection between ancient Sikh scriptures, and the green/environmental movement Oxford; the highly controversial and groundbreaking author and professor John Mearsheimer from The University of Chicago, the new brightest star on the horizon, Melani McAlister of George Washington University and Britain's most decorated foreign correspondent, Robert Fisk.

Michael also made several Sikhthemed short films, including the 21-minute "The Prisoner's Song," which won "Best Film" at Toronto's Spinning Wheel Film Festival. It centers on an 83-second audio recording made by German scientists, of a Sikh POW whom they captured at Flanders in WWI. A second Michael Singh film is the award-winning "Rebel Queen," about Maharani Jindan's tragic life during which she almost brought the mighty British Empire to its knees.

His third Sikh-themed film, "Uncommon Journeys," celebrates the lives of five extraor-

biographical documentary film about the Indian Government's massacre of thousands of Sikhs in Delhi and beyond, following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, in 1984.

After completing "System Failure" and "Riding the Tiger," Michael will tackle yet another Sikh-themed film, "Mother Earth," about the connection between ancient Sikh scriptures, and the green/environmental movement.

Following that, he plans to return to writing Hollywood screenplays such as the romantic comedy "Good Sharma," which he cowrote, and which stars Billy Connolly and Joan Allen. "Good Sharma" is based on the true story of a Manhattan cab driver who saves up his tip money to start a girls' school in his native village near Saharanpur, North India.

But what's on his mind right now? "Finding the youngster to feature in 'System Failure,'" says Michael without hesitation.

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American College Cricket Sikhlens presents Sikh Art & Film Festival on TV Asia India Post News Service

NEW YORK: College Cricket in United States took a significant leap with American College Cricket announcing Oct 1, an agreement with TV Asia as their exclusive worldwide broadcast partner in all formats for matches beginning Oct 9 in the United States.

The Semi finals and Finals of the North East and Mid Atlantic Regional Championships will be available on TV Asia every Saturday at 7 pm EDT beginning Oct 29, and repeated at 12 midnight EDT each Saturday until Dec 8, 2011. The schedule will be more extensive next Fall.

The top 32 teams from this Fall season will then compete in the Nationals, the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship in March 2012 in Florida Cricket Craziness just before College Basketball's March Madness.

TV Asia will televise the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship including the final 6 matches live from Florida on TV Asia. The National Championship will be played as usual for the Shiv

Chanderpaul Trophy.

"American College Cricket pioneered cricket promotion on Facebook, Twitter and now Google +, to reach the Cricket audience in the USA and Canada and was the first to broadcast domestic cricket in the USA in March 2010. TV

Asia's mission and strategy is geared towards the American and Canadian audience so they are the ideal Media Partners," American College Cricket's founder and President Lloyd Jodah stated.

"In continuing with our mission to highlight and encourage local Talent, TV Asia is proud to

be associated with American College Cricket in televising the regionals and the Spring break Championship Cricket matches in USA & Canada," stated H.R. Shah Chairman of TV Asia, who agreed to be on the Advisory Board of American College Cricket. "This agreement reaffirms TV Asia's commitment to be the voice and mirror of the South Asian community in United States and Canada."

American College Cricket was founded November 2008 with the mission of "Bringing back the Original American and Canadian game". The first national championship took place in March 2009 with five newly developed teams.

It has grown, and developed enduring structures, in about 50 Colleges for the 2011 regional championships.

In a major boost for the game, American College Cricket has been featured in mainstream media such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Voice of America, NY Daily News, Canadian Broadcasting Corp, College media and the International Cricket Council film 'Cricket in America Part 3'.

India Post News Service

ORANGE, CA: SikhLens is holding its annual Sikh Arts and Film Festival from November 1820 at the prestigious Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University in Orange, California.

The Sikh Arts and Film Festival serves as a central venue for artists to showcase and share Sikh heritage and culture through the mediums of film, art, and music. As an often-misidentified minority, this type of forum has proven to be essential for Sikhs to transcend cultural boundaries, generate awareness, and connect with the broader community.

The three-day Festival will kick off with a red-carpet Opening Night celebration on Friday, November 18th at 7:15pm.

Guests will be welcomed and introduced to the Festival with a series of short films, live entertainment, and the premiere of the 2012 SikhPoint Calendar. Guests will be able to enjoy Sikh artwork in a cultural setting, while min-

Bollywood outraged at Russell Peters' remarks

R

ussell Peters' derogatory remarks about Bollywood and its leading actors have outraged the Indian film industry which is calling on the Indo-Canadian comic to apologies and mind his language.

Peters, who is ranked as one of the top earning comics in North America was in India recently to promote his film, 'Speedy Singhs', when he hit out at the Bollywood film industry, saying he "hates" the movies and slamming them as "garbage" - despite admitting he's never actually watched a Bollywood flick.

Inducted in Canada's walk of fame recently, the actor's unflattering remarks on Bollywood's leading icon Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, has created quite a controversy.

Russell took a dig at Aishwarya saying, "She hasn't become a better actor. She is still good looking, isn't that good enough? Good job, Abhishek (her actor husband), you finally knocked her up."

Aishwarya was obviously enraged by these comments. Now few women's rights activists have joined her in her protest, and have demanded an apology from the actor for his remarks.

Russell Peters

Russell took a dig at Aishwarya saying, ‘She hasn't become a better actor. She is still good looking, isn't that good enough? Good job, Abhishek (her actor husband), you finally knocked her up.’ Aishwarya was obviously enraged by these comments President of MNS Cine-workers union, Shalini Thackerey said, "He has no right to talk badly about our actors. His comment on Aishwarya Rai is indeed

in bad taste and will never be forgotten."

Said Sundari Thakur, from the NGO, Nari Samman Sangathan, "He should mind his language

and stay within his limits.

Aishwarya is a woman first and an actress later. I think Russell has no respect for women and shouldn't be entertained."

"The movies are all garbage, just terrible," said the funnyman in India. "It's my opinion, obviously there are billions who like and love them." Adding, "I don't like all the singing, dancing and all the dramatic crying. I have never seen a Bollywood film in my life. I have refused doing [one] earlier and will do so in future. But I hope some filmmakers take a chance to make real movies."

And it's not just the movies that were on the receiving end of Russ's acid tongue, as he also dubbed the actors and actresses "just pretty faces". Adding, "I don't think Indian actors are good."

Akshay Kumar, the producer of Speedy Singhs, which stars Peters, has apologized for the remarks.

Bollywood magazines and writers also tore a strip off Peters saying he needs to be sent to a manners school.

Speedy Singh is a sports comedy about ice-hockey which has not been getting favorable reviews around the world.

gling with featured artists and the local community. The evening will then continue into the night with a delectable dessert and dance reception.

Guests will be welcomed and introduced to the Festival with a series of short films, live entertainment, and the premiere of the 2012 SikhPoint Calendar The schedule of events for Saturday and Sunday include special film clusters and programs focusing on igniting passion, creating discussion, and instilling inspiration. Among other things, there will be youthfocused films and books, panels of Sikh artists telling their stories and exhibiting their talents, a Sikhs Across the World film cluster, and a panel focused on social issues affecting the Sikh community.

Aditi Ahuja's flawless arangetram Cont’d from page 50

In addition to Bharatnatyam, Aditi has also studied the cello intensively since age six under David Krieger and is a student at Hoff-Barthelson Music School where she plays in the Festival Orchestra. She has performed at the Summit Music Festival in New York, the Burgos International Music Festival in Spain, the International Academy of Music festival Castlenuevo di Garfagnana in Italy and the International Music Academy in St. Petersburg in Russia. She also plays chamber music with the New York Youth Symphony.

Aditi's parents, Tania and Anilesh Ahuja, say, "We are very proud of Aditi and what she has accomplished at such a young age. She is an exceptionally disciplined person who can do whatever she wants if she sets her mind to it."

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Your Weekly Future

by Pandit Parashar

OCTOBER 21TH - OCTOBER 27TH ARIES (MARCH 21 TO APRIL 20)

TAURUS (APRIL 21 TO MAY 20)

Y

R

ou may find it difficult to defend your self properly in any ongoing legal matter. You may be spending more time in office or away from home in other state. You will need to overcome one more hurdle before deal is finalized.

Major changes in career just around the corner. You may be in touch with an old confidant for advice.

unning around will not go waste but you will end up making useful contacts that are going to help you in near future. People in business will see new clients and business growing this week. You will be writing a big check to government also this week. Any relationship started at this point can become permanent in time to come.

GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20)

CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22)

Y

ou will start to feel better and more confident.

There will be several fortunate developments in life. You may be offered a dream opportunity in career. Since the luck is on side, you will get many jobs done without any difficulty. You will recover money long overdue and may dispose off some stocks for a decent profit.

B

ank balance will grow and from now and on expenses will come down a lot too. You may be suggested minor surgery as a permanent solution to overcome an old health issue. You will come across an interesting personality during the course of a business meeting. Children will finalize a short vacation. You may dispose off some stocks.

LEO (JULY 23 TO AUGUST 22)

P

eople involved in research and development work will see sudden success. An important person will make an offer that will be hard to turn down. Finances issues will start resolving and soon you will be free of many small debts. You may come out with flying colors in a c highly competitive exam. Spouse will give many good ideas.

VIRGO (AUGUST 23 TO SEPTEMBER 22)

S

aturn in your sign will make you work extra hard from now and on. You will need to develop more patience.

Soon you will reap rich rewards for the hard work being performed this week. Strong wordings will get the job done and you will recover what belonged to you in first place. Eye sight may start to give some trouble.

LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23 TO OCTOBER 22)

SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23 TO NOVEMBER 22)

O

ou may end up just renewing the contract for the time being. Property related papers will get finalized too.

Time is ripe to cash those profit making stocks. Some one in the organization will move out making room for your promotion. You will meet few political figures at the party. Do not take a chance with changing weather.

pportunity will come from distant place and will be hard to ignore. Confusion will clear and you will see lots of money coming your way. An important issue involving your child may take little longer to settle.

All meetings will go well and you will get the assurance quickly. Value of stocks recently purchased will appreciate considerably.

Y

SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 23 TO DECEMBER 22)

CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22 TO JANUARY 19)

L

pportunity will be offered on a silver platter. Do not let past scare you. Take your chance, it's a sure thing.

You will write a check to government but hold it for some time before mailing it out. Some of you may replace your old vehicle with a newer and expensive model. You may be seriously thinking of legal action to prove your point.

ong cherished desires can get fulfilled if you are ready to pay a price. A close friend will call to seek your advice and may offer a part in the venture. Some one close will make wrong allegation just to put you down.

You will be slowly working towards an upcoming trip also.

You will make final payment on couple of old bills this week.

O

AQUARIUS (JANUARY 20 TO FEBRUARY 18)

PISCES (FEBRUARY 19 TO MARCH 20)

Y

ou will be able to control and trim your expenses.

People in business will get rid of old and find new and better suppliers. You will be still double minded about making an offer on a property. Some of you will be taking a break from busy schedule and go on a trip with family soon. It will be better to dispose off money making stocks.

ou will go on an important trip. You will need to pour in more money into your business or project. Gambling instincts will surface and you will not be scared to take few risks this week. Rewards will be huge. Some of you will start shopping for an upcoming trip. Drive carefully and look out for traffic cops, small error will cost you.

Pandit Parashar, CEO & COO Astro Scan USA is also available for individual consultations.

He can be reached at: parashar@parashar.com

Y

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

Datebook

October 21, 2011

India Post

57

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NEW YORK

ILLINOIS

Upcoming

Upcoming

Sat Oct 22

Fri Oct 21

• An Evening of Indian Classical Music with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia

• Diwali Celebration

Venue: The New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th Street, Central park West, NY Time: 5pm Contact: 201-855-6243

Thurs Oct 27

Venue: The Art Institute of Chicago 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60603 Contact: 312-443-3127 Time: 7:30pm

Sat Oct 22

• MACs Girls Night Out

• Rajasthani Association Diwali Milan Celebration

Venue: Radisson Hotel, One Radisson Plaza, New Rochelle, NY Time: 5pm Contact: 914-299-2859

Venue: The Meadows Club 2950 W Golf Road Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Time: 6pm to 11pm Contact: 630 886-3106

Sun Oct 30

Fri Nov 11

• Dancing the Gods: KuchipudiShantala Shivalingappa Venue: NYU Skirball Center, 566 LaGuardia Place, Washington Square South, New York Time: 7pm Contact: 212-545-7536

NEW JERSEY

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Upcoming

Sun Oct 23 • Diwali Mela Venue: Garden State Expo Center 50 Atrium Drive, Somerset, NJ Time: 12am Contact: 732-763-0118

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Upcoming Fri Oct 21

Sat Oct 22 • Next Generation Solo Series with Malavika Kumar Venue: Willow Glen Middle School Theater 2105 Cottle Ave, San Jose, CA 95125 Time: 12am

• Diwali Special Bhangra Knockout

Bollywood

Venue: Lush Restaurant Night Life 49, S Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA Time: 10pm Contact: 805-587-9144

Thurs Oct 27 • Macs Girls Night Out! Venue: Radisson Hotel, One Radisson Plaza, New Rochelle, NY Time: 5pm Contact: 914-299-2859

• Bankim Pathak Live in Concert

Fri Oct 28

Venue: Copernicus Theater 5216 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL Time: 8:30pm Contact: 773-764-7576

• Diwali Celebration Venue: Place of Asia, RT 70, Cherry Hill, NJ Time: 8pm Contact: 610-664-3011

WASHINGTON DC

Upcoming Sat Oct 22

Sun Oct 30 • The Outsurced Comedy Tour: Desi Stand Up Comics!

Venue: Cobbs Comedy Club 915 Columbus Avenue San Francisco, CA Time: 7pm Contact: 415-928-4320

Fri Oct 28 • Bollywood 2 Night: Diwali Edition at Underground Venue: Underground Lounge, 2477, 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 Time: 10pm Contact: 301-633-5311

Sat Dec 31 • Kaveri Kannada Association 2011 Membership Venue: Kaveri Kannada Association 10070 Darnestown Road # 232, Rockville, MD 20850 Time: 10pm Contact: 301-633-5311

• Vibha Dream Mila LA 2011 Venue: Woodley Park, 6350 Woodley Ave, Van Nuys, LA Time: 8pm Contact: 818-963-1703

Fri Oct 28 Sun Oct 30 • Imran Khan, Hard Kaur, Culture Shock, H-Dhami in THe Takeover Concert Tour Venue: Oracle Arena 7000 Coliseum Way Oakland, CA 94621 Time: 8pm Contact: 408-368-6865

• Desi Idol-Singing Competition Venue: St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Church Greater Washington, Silver Spring, MD 20904 Time: 2pm

Sat Oct 22

Fri Nov 18 to Sun Nov 20 • The Sikh Arts & Film Festival Venue: Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, in Orange, CA Contact: 714-759-4SAF Highlights: The festival opens with a red carpet welcome night, filled with films and entertainment, and a sumptuous dessert reception.

Sat Nov 12 • Hello Namaste Salaam Satsriakal Masti Venue: Chandn Restaurant, 5748 Mowry School Rd, Balentine Plaza, across Hilton Hotel, Newark, CA 94560 Time: 7pm Contact: 510-299-1138

• Radio 5 Event Presents The 6th Annual Heaven N Hell Halloween Party Venue: Crimson 1650, Schrader Blvd, LA Time: 10pm Contact: 323-205-5594

Fri Oct 28 • Bollywood HP Night Out Venue: Rock Bar N Lounge 8462, W Sunset Blvd, West Los Angeles,CA 90069 Time: 10pm Contact: 805-587-9144

Fri Nov 4 • Bollywood HP Night out Venue: Rock Bar N Lounge 8462, W Sunset Blvd, West Las Angeles Time: 10pm Contact: 805-587-9144

Sat Nov 5 • HTHF Diwali Cultural Program Venue: Clifton Middle School Auditorium, 226 S. Ivy Ave, Monrovia, California Time: 6pm to 10pm Contact: 626-991-4789

58

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Licensed Real Estate Agent (Fremont) FAST GROWING REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE AND NEEDED AGENTS IN FREMONT. I am targeting very specific agents:

Agents who aren't making the money they would like, but have the passion to work!

You've completed transactions and understand the process BE SELF MOTIVATED

Be education based (willing to take classes, educate your clients, etc)

Looking to build their client portfolio

NOTICE This notice is given for and on behalf of Shri Virumal Motwani, s/o Late Pritam Das, Currently residing at 1780 Crescent Knolls Glen, Escondido, CA ñ 92025, USA. The said Mr. Virumal Motwani the Executor, has filed a petition for probate of the will

(by closing transactions) Have some sales background Excellent communicator a must We will provide lots of open house opportunities, leads, and clientele base

ofShri Pritam Das dated 25.3.2000 vide Testamentary Case No.47

Please email to

of 2011 in the Delhi High Court regarding the properties mention

lindayoung8000@yahoo.com

hereinafter.

1. House No. A-1/33, Janak Puri, New Delhi (663.1 Sq Mts) 2. Shop situated at 7A/9, WEA, Karol Bagh, New Delhi 3. Shop situated at Topi Bazaar, Lashkar, Gwalior, bearing Municipal No. 40/417/2 4. Shop Nos. 2, 4 and 4A situated at Pritam Market, Topi

NEWS

Bazaar, Lashkar, Gwalior 5. Cash, Bank Balances, Fixed Deposits and Securities.

If anybody has any objection in this Honíble Court granting pro-

on your desktop

bate in favour of the said Mr. Virumal Motwani, write to or send your objection with adequate documentary support to the undersigned within 30 days from the date of this notice.

Saurabh Suman Sinha Advocate, Supreme Court of India C-128, II Floor, Defense Colony, New Delhi ñ 110 024

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Notice is hereby given that sealed competitive bids will be accepted in the office of the GSA-Purchasing Department, County of Alameda, 1401 Lakeside Drive, Suite 907, Oakland, CA 94612 NETWORKING/NORTH COUNTY BIDDERS CONFERENCE RFP #900722 for Clerk Recorder System, Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 2:00 p.m. ñ General Services Agency, 1401 Lakeside Drive, Room 1107, 11th floor, Oakland, CA NETWORKING/SOUTH COUNTY BIDDERS CONFERENCE RFP #900722 for Clerk Recorder System, Thursday, October 27, 2011, 10:00 a.m. ñ City of Dublin, 100 Civic Plaza, Regional Meeting Room, Dublin, CA Responses Due by 2:00 pm on January 19, 2012 County Contact : Stefanie Taylor (510) 208-9610 or via email: stefanie.taylor@acgov.org Attendance at Networking Conference is Non-mandatory. Specifications regarding the above may be obtained at the Alameda County Current Contracting Opportunities Internet website at www.acgov.org.

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Philosophy

October 21, 2011

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Page Sponsored by Sahanis SWAMI RAMA TIRTHA

S

it still, chant 'Om' and then think Who is within you.…All the Vedanta, nay all the philosophy of the Hindus is simply an exposition of this syllable 'Om.' 'Om' has a charm about it, an efficiency, a virtue in it which directly brings all feelings and all thoughts into a state of harmony, brings peace and rest to the soul and puts the mind in a state where it is one with God.…Science may not be able to explain this, but this is a fact which can be verified by experiment.

Woe unto science if it goes against the truth connected with the efficiency of the sacred syllable 'Om.'…The real Self which is knowledge absolute and power absolute is the only stern Reality, before which the apparent reality of the world melts away! 'Om' is the name of this Reality.

"Realize it [Om] and sing it in the language of feeling, sing it with your acts, sing it through every power of your body. Let it course through your veins, let it pulsate in your bosom, let every part of your body and every drop of your blood tingle with the truth that you are…the true Self!…

A man who sings 'Om' in all these ways, chants it with his lips, feels it with his heart and sings it through action, makes his life a continuous song.…But if you PAUL BRUNTON

I

t is because we have the Overself ever present within us that we are ever engaged in searching for it. The feeling of its absence (from consciousness) is what drives us to this search.

Through ignorance we interpret the feeling wrongly and search outside, among objects, places, persons, or even ideas.

Each man discovers afresh for himself this homey old truth, that he has a sacred soul. He need not wait for death to discover it or depend solely on the words of dead prophets until then.

He knows that in striving to fulfill the higher purpose of his being, he is not only obeying the voice of conscience but also approaching the place of blessedness.

There are reserves of Power and Intelligence within yourself, of which you live undreaming.

In its early manifestation it may show as a feeling of being too limited by ignorance of life's meaning and purpose and the need to get some light in this darkness. But the feeling may be too vague, too generalized and illdefined to be detected and known for what it is.

cannot chant it with feeling nor chant it with your acts, do not give up, go on chanting it with your lips. Even that is not without use.…But chanting it through feelings and actions would naturally follow if you commence humming it with the mouth.

Commenting on the depiction of Krishna playing a flute, Swami Rama Tirtha wrote: "One should bring out from the flute of the mind the sacred syllable 'Om,' which re-

being from head to foot becomes Light. Why pray for Light when Light is your own Self? You become Light immediately."

"It is this 'I Am' that is represented by Om. The pure 'I am,' 'I am He,' is represented by Om." "How to make the mind rise higher into the celestial regionsto make the soul soar away up to the throne of God! When the benign light of the rising or setting sun is falling upon the translucent

governing Self is to be realized, to be felt, to be seen and known in order to be one with the Infinite. This true Self or Atman is called the 'I am.' This true Self, the perfect 'I' is beyond cause, time and space.

This perfect true Self is represented by Om. Om means 'I am;' and while chanting Om you have not to address yourself to somebody else. While chanting Om, think not of someone outside

All philosophy of Hindus is exposition of 'Om' Swami Rama Tirtha

"Chant Om, Om. If you do that for a few moments, your whole being from head to foot becomes Light. Why pray for Light when Light is your own Self?

If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are.

- Zen proverb Do not speak - unless it improves on silence.

-Buddhist saying

moves all evils.

"Before falling asleep, and after waking, firmly resolve to follow the Vedantic discipline. Keep chanting 'Om.' "The literal meaning of Vedanta is the end of knowledge, the end of speech, a point where all speech, all thought stops and for the Hindus the whole of Vedanta is represented by Om." "Chant Om, Om. If you do that for a few moments, your whole

lids of half-closed eyes, we begin humming the syllable Om, we sing it in the language of feeling." "'There is but one reality,' this name Om, which is the Holy of Holies, this name Om possessing the highest powers of Divinity or God, should be chanted."

"If [you are] distracted by worldly desires, you are not singing Om." "This Atman, this true ocean of Reality, this controlling and

yourself whom you are calling.

While chanting Om, you must feel your self to be one with this true 'I am.' By this strong feeling, the mind is merged in the Reality.

By this strong belief, by this living knowledge of the mind, the mind becomes, as it were, a bubble which bursts into the mighty ocean of Reality.

The 138th birth anniversary of Swami Ramatirtha will be observed on October 22

At intervals, on certain grave, joyous, or relaxed occasions, he may feel a deep nostalgia for what he may only dimly and vaguely comprehend. He may name it, in ignorance, otherwise but it will really be for his true spiritual source.

What a bitter irony it is that the soul, which is so near, in our very hearts in fact, is yet felt by so few!

Those who have come for the

higher self.

They cannot really escape from this inner loneliness by outer means. In the end, and however long put off, they will have to face it. Most often, such an hour comes in with sorrow or bereavement, hurt or disappointment.

There are certain rare moments when intense sorrow or profound bereavement makes a man sick at

comedy, a going everywhere and arriving nowhere, an insane playing of instruments from which no music issues forth, a vanity of all the vanities. It is then, too, that a terrible suicidal urge may enter his blood and he will need all his mental ballast not to make away with himself.

Yet these black moments are intensely precious, for they may

The world is like a mirror you see. Smile and your friends smile back.

- Japanese Zen saying

There are reserves of Power & Intelligence within you

Your Treasure House is in yourself, it contains all you need.

-Hui Hai

Paul Brunton

Significance vanishes from human activity, which becomes a useless tragi-comedy, a going everywhere and arriving nowhere, an insane playing of instruments from which no music issues forth

first time to an awakening of thought upon these matters, may grow more enthusiastic as they explore them more.

The heart leaps at the thought that life has some higher meaning, some better worth.

In starting this task, he knows that he is not carrying out his own personal desire but following a way chalked out for him by the

heart. It is then that desires temporarily lose their force, possessions their worth, and even existence itself its reality. He seems to stand outside the busy world whose figures flit to and fro like the shadowy characters on a cinema screen.

Worst of all, perhaps, significance vanishes from human activity, which becomes a useless tragi-

set his feet firmly on the higher path. Few realize this whilst all complain. The self-destruction to which he is being urged by such dread experiences of life is not the crude physical act, but something subtle - a suicide of thought, emotion, and will.

The 113th birth anniversary of Paul Brunton will be observed on October 21

He who asks a question is a fool for a minute; he who does not remains a fool forever.

- Chinese proverb

Teachers open the door... You enter by yourself.

-Chinese proverb You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.

-Buddha

You Insure all your Valuables, all are replaceable except YOU! So Insure yourself FIRST. Call Sahanis, (Arish, Priya or Shiv) for your Insurance needs 718- 271- 0453. Serving for last 35 yrs

60 India Post

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October 21, 2011

Happy Diwali!

AAHOA Board of Directors 2011-2012

Wishing You a Happy Diwali and a Prosperous New Year!

Mark Your Calendars for the

2012 AAHOA Annual Convention & Trade Show Omni Hotel at CNN Center and the Georgia World Congress Center Atlanta, Georgia May 2-5, 2012 Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) 7000 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, Building 7, Atlanta, Georgia 30328 Tel: (404) 816-5759 Fax: (404) 816-6260 www.aahoa.com The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) is THE voice of owners in the hospitality industry. Founded in 1989, AAHOA is one of the fastest-growing organizations in the industry with more than 10,000 members owning more than 20,000 hotels that total $128 billion in property value. AAHOA is dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of its members by inspiring excellence through programs and initiatives in advocacy, industry leadership, professional development, member benefits, and community involvement.

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October 21, 2011

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China in space: A threat?

GUNJAN SINGH

I

n the past few decades the Chinese space program has achieved a number of milestones which have placed it amongst the leading space powers in the world. China was the third country to have successfully put a human in space. China completed a successful space walk in the year 2008, a feat which only a select few have managed to achieve so far. The Chinese space program is in news yet again with the launch of the portal Tiangong1 meaning 'heavenly palace' on 28 September 2011.

The Star Online reported that "the box car-sized Tiangong-1 module was shot into space from the Jiuquan launch centre on the edge of the Gobi Desert aboard a Long March 2FT1 rocket." It weighs around eight tons and is expected to stay in orbit for a period of two years.

Compared to the International Space Station which weighs 419 tonnes and the Russian Mir Space Station which weighed 137 tonnes, the Chinese space station will weigh only 60 tonnes.

Though there are some doubts that China may not use these initial labs in its final space station.

In addition, according to Inter Space News China plans to launch Tiangong 2 by 2012 and the Tiangong 3 by 2015 which are expected to support astronauts for 20 and 40 days respectively. Beijing is also planning to have the space station functional by the year 2020.

China has once again attempted to show its magnanimous behavior in declaring that even though China has not been allowed to be a part of the International Space Station, it will welcome other space faring nations to visit its space station once it is fully functional.

According to some sources, Beijing is also working towards starting mass production of the Shenzhou spacecraft which will be used for transporting the astronauts to the space station.

The Chinese government is involving the local people in the naming process of the station as well as in other ways tremendously, which gives the impression that the Chinese government wants to project these developments as the part of the national pride and use them to help in building national consensus.

It should also be noted that the launch has come close to 1 October, the Chinese national day. According to Reuters, China plans an unmanned moon land-

ing and deployment of a moon rover in 2012, and the retrieval of lunar soil and stone samples around 2017. Chinese scientists have also talked about the possibility of sending a human on the moon after 2020. The talks

by China to send man on the moon are a clear indication of the

space capabilities in order to strengthen its relationship with other countries. It recently conducted satellite launches for Pakistan in 2011 and has done so in the past for Nigeria in 2007. It showed its intent to cooperate with developing countries in the peaceful use of outer space and

India Post Shifting focus

T The Chinese launched portal Tiangong-1 meaning 'heavenly palace' on 28 September

fact that the Chinese have ambitions to join the club of the space superpower nations.

The recent reduction in the budgets of NASA and the financial crisis which the US is facing may prove to be a boon for the

This growing space power of China has major security issues for its neighbors. The ASAT test clearly showed that China is capable to disrupt the established space links. It might indulge in data gathering and even disruption of other countries' technological prowess Chinese space ambitions.

Though China is a relatively new entrant to the space sector, with the governments' backing China can definitely prove to be an important player.

Some analysts believe that this recent step by China shows that it is a country which wants to establish its space supremacy and it has the financial capability to do so.

China has also been using its

to promote a closer relationship between China and African countries after the launch for Nigeria.

This highlights that China is willing to cooperate with other aspirant African countries as well.

Yet, this growing space power of China has major security issues for its neighbors. The ASAT test clearly showed that China is capable to disrupt the established space links.

As a number of scholars have indicated that the next arena of security and deterrence will be space as land warfare and space are highly intertwined, China's attempts can be understood as a step towards strengthening its technological flotilla. It might indulge in data gathering and even disruption of other countries' technological prowess.

In this regard it severely concerns India, which is also a space faring nation since the gap between India and China is constantly increasing. These developments can seriously hamper the existing bilateral relationship as it can lead to increased levels of mistrust and threat perception.

The more technologically superior China becomes the more are the chances that it will become assertive and this may adversely affect the peace between India and China, especially the border issue.

The writer is Research Assistant, IDSA

he focus of the Anna Hazare team seems to have shifted from corruption to defeating one political party. The team has jumped into the electoral quagmire in a big way by participating in the campaigning for the Lok Sabha by-election in the Haryana constituency of Hisar. One of the leading lights of the team, Arvind Kejriwal, who himself belongs to Hisar, has declared that Congress must be defeated because, unlike other political parties, it has not pledged before the Anna Hazare team that it will bring the Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament.

The Jan Lokpal Bill seems to have become the new sacred cow.

Opposition party candidates may be corrupt or not, but if he or she supports the Anna Team's bill, he/she is absolved of all blame. And if the candidate dares to question some section of the bill or chooses to have a different opinion, he must be defeated.

The Anna Team is banking upon the support it was able to generate among the people for its agitation against corruption. It now seems to take this support for granted and is displaying a strange hubris as if its members have already become kingmakers.

Kejriwal has declared that if as a result of their negative campaigning, the opposition gains then they are not responsible for it. This only betrays an anti-Congress obsession which can only confuse the voters.

Two candidates in Hisar are sons of former chief ministers Om Parkash Chautala and Bhajan Lal. They have disclosed before the Election Commission income and properties in the range of Rs 40 to 50 crore. And over the last few years, their incomes have more than doubled. These two candidates have declared their support to the Jan Lokpal Bill. Does this mean there can be no inquiry against the sources of their ever increasing wealth? Can they be declared corruption free? How can the Anna team trust the word of a politician? What is the guarantee that if a candidate is successful, he/she will actually support the Anna team's bill in Parliament?

Everybody agrees that corruption has to be removed. Differences arise over the manner in which it is to be removed. One of the obstacles is that those who are to legislate a law to remove corruption may not be enthusiastic about removing corruption because they themselves benefit from this system. This has been the state of things for years as the power to remove corruption is vested with those who are in power. They will not willingly let go of this power. This is where the significance of the Anna Hazare agitation comes in. Anna Hazare has been able to shake those in power with an awareness that they can no longer dither in providing a corruption-fee administration. But it is also a tendency among those in power to buy time and think that people will soon forget, the agitation will lose its momentum, and they would be able to carry on in their old ways which have benefited them. So a constant reminder to the rulers is quite in order. But an obsession to remove one political party has overtaken the earlier, nobler motives of the Anna agitation. Even if, by their effort, they are able to remove one political party, where is the guarantee that the new party or alliance that takes over, will not be corrupt?

If by passing a few laws, corruption could be removed, then it would have been removed by now because we have so many laws.

It is the will to implement the laws we already have which is missing. Where is the guarantee that if the Lokpal bill is passed, it will be implemented?

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October 21, 2011

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