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Cash-strapped, America Pakistan turns considers asset line’ sales ‘new front

of war on terror

Will on our own another against 2G act scam claims terror, US warns Pakistan minister: Maran quits

houses, maybe an airstrip, generally Washington, DC: The US idle or underused vehicles, roads, buildings, land — even the airwaves warned Pakistan that it would act on its own as it did against Osama used to broadcast television.

Among the listings: Plum Island, bin Laden and put on its terrorist list N.Y., off the North Fork of Long Is- five associates of the Haqqani netland, which the government has al- work branded as a ‘veritable arm’ of ready begun marketing as 840 acres the Pakistani spy agency, the ISI. ‘The fact of the matter is we are of “sandy shoreline, beautiful views fighting a war in Afghanistan, and and a harbor.�

Pakistan’s Army Many conservatives — includ- one of the problems we’ve had, chief, Gen. Ashfaq ing Representative Paul Ryan of which is where this issue arises Parvez Kayani with Washington. DC: In a novel Wisconsin, chairman of the House from, is with the safe havens that the main opposition move, that has bipartisan support, Budget Committee, and the budget the Haqqani network has in Pakileader, Nawaz Sharif, on Thursday in the federal government is weigh- experts at the Cato Institute — sup- stan,’ White House Press SecreIslamabad. ing to sell spare assets to reduce port the broad idea of shrinking the tary Jay Carney told reporters here the deficit. government by selling parts of it. Thursday. The Haqqani network is Deep within President Obama’s Democrats like the idea of virtually a militant group that operates on the range of areas where we have shared Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani Thursproposals to raise revenue and cut painless revenue-raising. Whether Afghanistan-PakistanUnion interests Dayanidhi and cooperation,’ heissaid. border.Textiles Minister day tominister discuss and reject outright the Maran second DMK to exit the deficit lies a method that has Congress can pass any bill in the Meanwhile, in Pakistan, ‘That’s an issue that we raised withManmohan government in themilitary spectrumcharges scam. made by Adm. Mike Mullen, 53 percent terror plots worldwide since 2004 involved jihadists, garnered support of from Democrats current atmosphere, however, is far our Pakistani counterparts, and we leaders and more than 50 politi- the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs like Tehrik-e-Taliban and LeT cadres, trained in Pakistan. and Republicans alike, something representing 32 politicaland par-theof Staff, those discussions from certain, said New York Times. continue about supporting miltiants. the government showed complicity in the scam.

Newto have Delhi/Chennai: Unioncians While rare in Washington these days. ties gathered at the residence of Prime a regularMinister basis about the broad Asset Sales Continued on page 6 on Textiles US warns Pak Continued on page 6 is Thursday’s turn of events Dayanidhi Ma- Congress party did not comment on #&$% # $( * !# $ % ! "& % ! % & # # ( % ) &% ' ( % # # $ Toronto: Pakistan is now the resistance to the country’s govern- ran resigned Thursday following the big political development, an likely to impact both the shape of # + # % ' % $% # ! & ( % $%& %$ new front in the war on terror as it ment, the draconian imposition of allegations of involvement in the emboldened opposition described impending cabinet shufe and delihas become a new safe haven for al- Sharia law and the waging of war 2G spectrum scam, becoming the it as “too little too lateâ€? and sought cately poised relations between the Qaeda, says the Canadian media a against NATO forces in Afghanistan. second DMK minister after A. resignation of Home Minister P. Congress and the DMK. Because of these militant outďŹ ts Raja to exit the cabinet. day after the country blacklisted the Chidambaram, who they alleged 2G scam continued on page 4 Pakistan has become “the main Pakistani Taliban and started withWashington: President Barack staging area for terrorist plots drawal from Afghanistan Tuesday.

Obama said Friday the killing of US-born, around the world and - despite the “The war on terror has shifted, US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi was Yemen-based United States’ assassination of Osaand Pakistan is its new front line,� “major blow� to al Qaeda’s Yemeni Anwar ma bin Laden in Abbotabad - a new said the National Post. franchise anddaily vowed to be relentless al-Awlaqi safe-haven for al-Qaeda.� “These global two events in destroying terror (blacklisting networks.

New York: Ranju Batra, President the largest Diwali mela in the world, Quoting a study by the Newof the Association of Indians in Ameri- or at least outside India, within three of the Pakistani Taliban and the “The death of Awlaqi is a major America Foundation, paperca-NY chapter, has invited one and all months of being sworn in as Presistart withdrawal Afghaniblow to of al Qaeda’s mostfrom active opHe said Awlaqi’s killing in anthe air raid said 53 percent of terror plotsto the New stan) encapsulate a shift, not only billion), believes former chiefofsecTheof AIA-NY’s erational affiliate. (It) marks another in Yemen was a tribute to the US intelgrand Delhi: celebration dent—all because thecharisma of worldwide since 2004 involved for Canada, but for all other naretary of Kerala CP Nair. foundFestival in significant milestone in the broader ligence community and to Yemen’s 24thvaluables annual Diwali Oct 2 at herdynamicandenergeticpersonality. jihadistswith trained in Pakistan, tions on the alfront lines theaf-warcooperation As per aSince report, the this year the Street secret Seaport cellars of effort to defeat Qaeda andofits in Manhattan. theThursday, Diwali festival the United States comin South pared to anti-terror six percentcampaign in Yemen and on terror.

Forsaid. a number of years,a common former bureaucrat claims that AIA-NY President Ranju Batra Kerala’s famous Sree filiates,�

Obama He Attended by over a hundred thou- comes 10 years afterthe9/11, and on percent in Iraq.

Pakistani jithose said lines have shifting estimated market value of the treaPadmanabhaswamy Obama Awlaqi wasbeen the leader of alsothree sand people, its spectacular fireworks Gandhi’s birth anniversary, Ranju warned that though “weaakened,� nization in the country, is to bring hadi was groups directed 44 southeast, from sures unearthed from the temple Temple external operations of alAfghanistan Qaeda in the toAQAP on the inEastThiruRiver, sponsored has conceived ‘Non-Violence in Indian and American cultures and stillhave “dangerous�

Go-per-show Only ďŹ ve of the six secret cellars of Padmanabof the plots since then,by vAir Pakistan,â€? the paper said. it theToday’s richestWorld’ temple as in its the theme. Her communities a n aIndia, n t h aisp uenjoyed r a m makes Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and had ing cent by thouforward, weterror will remain vigilant haswamy Temple have closer. been opened, yielding according to the paper. # & # &#% * # ! $! #&$% It #&$% # $( * !# $ % ! "& % said inthe Tehrik-e-Taliban world. could taken the lead planning and directing isagainst sands morebeinworth all the Rs five boroughs. agenda as President of AIA-NY,the any threats to the United States See Diwali Special Pullout Gold idols, ornaments and other valuables. & % % ' % onand terror continued on page 4 Ranju # * $ % ! %&# verytodangerous as ' $% # its “stated goalâ€? isor Kerala continued 4 5 ' # $ lakhhascrore ($100 efforts murder innocent Americans. led the preparation fortreasure oldest Indianon page American orgaourWar allies partners.

Pages 17-48.

Awlaqi kill ‘major blow’ to al Qaeda: Obama

AIA-NY invites you to the biggest Diwali Kerala melatemple in the world treasure could be worth $100 billion

The family of The South Asian Times wishes you all A Happy Diwali and Prosperous New Year The South Asian Times Excellence In Journalism

India at UN TheSouthAsianTimes.info

5

October 1-7, 2011

PM highlights global issues at UN, builds on ties in bilateral meetings United Nations: As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left New York earlier this week after a five-day trip to New York, where he participated almost entirely in UN events, the focus of the world body and its leaders--particularly those from major powers--was once again drawn to India's aspirations and leadership qualities.

In his address to the 66th annual session of the UN General Assembly, Dr Singh highlighted the need for expansion of the Security Council and other reforms in the world body. He stated that New Delhi was ready to help fill the gap in global governance, ease financial crises and put the UN’s focus on international terrorism.

Among other measures, the prime minister assured less-developed nations that India was ready to help in their progress and make efforts to strengthen friendship with allies. On Palestine, which could be the UN's 194th nation, he articulated the need for its admission as early as possible.

India was the first non-Arab nation to recognize Palestine as a sovereign country in the late

Special to The South Asian Times

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (right) at a bilateral on the sidelines of UNGA session.

1980s.

In his statesman-like speech on Sept 24, Dr Singh said, "We must address the issue of the deficit in global governance. We need a stronger and more effective UN that is sensitive to aspirations of everyone--rich or poor, big or small." He stated that the need for UN reforms was urgent and steps in this direction should be taken with renewed vigor immediately.

Dr Singh visited New York/UN after a gap of three years and

filled the vacuum left by his absence since 2008. He voiced concerns on behalf of all nations-friends and foes alike. As he celebrated his birthday on flight back home (he turned 79 on Sept 26), after spending time with his family the day before, Dr Singh looked back to his just-concluded visit with a degree of pride.

Though Pakistan was not mentioned by name, he advised it was in the interests of every nation that state-sponsored actors of ter-

ror should be reined in. This time around, the number of bilateral meetings he held was fewer in accordance with officials' explanations that the shortened visit was planned because of domestic issues.

In his bilateral meeting with Iran, the prime minister promised a visit to Tehran though no date was announced. The anticipated issues of nuclear energy and the planned gas pipeline between the two countries that passes through Pakistan were not discussed.

Officials noted the parley was based only on bilateral issues.

With Sri Lanka, no interference was suggested. President Mahinda Rajapaksa explained to Dr Singh his nation's steps in resettling displaced persons and the fishermen's issue over which a joint working group proposal was discussed.

Though the issue of a law suit in New York on alleged human rights violations by Sri Lanka came up, it was only in general terms, as explained by Foreign

Secretary Ranjan Mathai.

On Japan, both prime ministers reiterated that they would pursue vigorously their efforts on UN reforms, nuclear energy and coordination with other G4 members in various fields. It was also agreed to continue efforts in the nuclear energy area and the relevant safety measures to be taken.

It was another warm meeting with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai of Nepal, who studied in Chandigarh and New Delhi. The focus again was on bilateral cooperation, with an emphasis on economic relations. A visit to the northern neighbor by Dr Singh was also planned though no date has been finalized. No specific reference was made to the Maoists problem in Nepal.

With regard to South Sudan, helping the new-born nation in various sectors was discussed with President Salva Kiir.

Coperation in infrastructure, medical, railway, hydrocarbon and education was mulled. Vice President Hamid Ansari represented India at the independence celebrations of the African nation, which attained freedom in July.

Manmohan puts India on moral high ground Statesman-like and forward looking, his speech gets rare applause at UN United Nations: Heads of state and government generally highlight their own nations' contributions and their personal achievements when they deliver speeches at international forums. Indian leaders--from Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh--have been no different. But this time somehow Dr Singh delivered a rare speech at the UN which is likely to merit attention for some time to come.

In his speech, India did not canvass for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council or demand position on key committees; no bashing of our western neighbor on such issues as terrorism. Dr Singh sounded statesman-like and forward-looking.

No wonder that the prime minister's speech received rare applause from the august gathering.

India offered its own leader's expertise and experience in economic and financial matters to tackle the present-day global ills. By putting no particular country on spot, New Delhi

called for international cooperation in combating terror and emphasized the need to carry out the long-cherished UN reforms.

Smaller and less developed nations--those in Africa and elsewhere--were told that here is an emerging market ready to help them in their distress.

"Diplomats at the UN, burdened by the weight of their national positions, do not applaud statements by leaders of other countries except at the end of their speeches as dictated by tradition. They rarely burst into applause over an idea or a declaration as nothing is taken at face value. Speeches are for analysis in depth for new nuances in policy," retired UN envoy of India T.P. Sreenivasan commented. "But they applauded Dr. Singh when he read out a short paragraph on UN reform."

Undoubtedly, UN reforms are a crying need as virtually all the 193 member states, including the permanent members of UNSC, agree on it. They differ only in the details.

Unsparing of himself, Dr Singh, architect of India’s economic reforms, acknowledged that globalization has not yielded anticipated results, falling short of fulfilling basic needs of the poor. India is home to 400 million who cannot afford two square meals a day or living on less than two dollars a day.

Palestine was issue No 1 at UNGA’s justconcluded session. India was the first nonArab nation to officially recognize it as a sovereign nation--ahead of even Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

On neighbors, Dr Singh offered cooperation with Pakistan on all fronts without any hint of interference--a gesture reciprocated by the Pakistani foreign minister in her speech in which she did not refer to Kashmir as an in international issue. Hina Rabbani Khar only said the bilateral dialogue should be allowed to continue. On Afghanistan, the prime minister offered full assistance in its reconstruction efforts.

A journalist who has specialized in India on

world stage described Dr Singh’s speech as a "landmark." He explained the PM skipping community reception as a scheduling issue, pointing that the visit was decided less than a month ago, shortly after Anna Hazare's fast.

At a time of upheaval in domestic politics, the UN visit came as a welcome relief to the prime minister.

Meanwhile, foreign minister SM Krishna, also visiting New York, was able to put IndiaUS relationship, said to be "drifting", on track again. At a meeting with his US counterpart Hillary Clinton, it was decided to hold a series of meetings starting with a higher education summit in mid-October in Washington. The two nations' cooperation on Afghanistan would also be intensified.

Krishna's presence at the Pakistani foreign minister's reception was significant. Ms Khar received him warmly. This was probably the first time that an Indian foreign minister was present at a reception, held on the sidelines of the UN, given by his Pakistani counterpart.

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August 13-19, 2011

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October 1-7, 2011

Mukherjee-Chidambaram patch up comical, says BJP

Indian American doctor charged with hiding India accounts

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday termed as “comical” Congress leaders Pranab Mukherjee and P. Chidambaram denying any rift between them, and said the latter’s role in the 2G spectrum allocation should be investigated.

“Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s statement that the March 25 note of the finance ministry does not represent his views sounds comical,” party spokesperson and general secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Mukherjee Thursday gave a statement that he did not endorse the views expressed in the March 25 note which said Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who

was finance minister at the time, could have stopped the 2G spectrum allocation at throwaway prices if he had stuck to his stand.

“Who is Pranab Mukherjee to give a clean chit to Chidambaram?” Prasad asked.

“I have great regards for Pranab Mukherjee, but he was forced to change his statement,” he said.

Prasad said it was not an internal matter of the party and Chidambarm’s role should be investigated.

“Licenses could have been cancelled but Chidambaram did not do so,” he said.

“He should resign and his role should be investigated,” he added.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee (left) and Home Minister P. Chidambaram.

US warns Pak from page 3

‘But we certainly believe that the relationship is important enough, that the kind of cooperation we get is essential to our national security and we need to continue it, precisely so we can most effectively take the fight to Al Qaeda and succeed in that region,’ he said.

The US put on its terrorist list five associates of the Haqqani network, a terror group it says has got support from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

Announcing the sanctions Thursday on the five people allegedly linked to insurgency along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the US Treasury Department accused them of collaborating with ‘the most dangerous terrorist organizations operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan’.

Among those targeted was Abdul Aziz Abbasin, whom the Treasury Department described as a ‘key commander’ for the Haqqani network.

Also blacklisted were Hajji Faizullah Khan Noorzai, Hajji Malik Noorzai and Abdur Rehman accused of providing financial and material support to the Taliban, and Fazal Rahim, alleged financial facilitator for Al Qaeda as well as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week that the Haqqani network is a ‘veritable arm’ of the ISI and was involved in a September truck bombing in Wardak province that wounded 77 NATO troops and killed five Afghans.

Washington: An Indian American neurosurgeon has been re-indicted by a US grand jury on new charges that he failed to declare an HSBC bank account in India valued in 2009 at $8.7 million.

Arvind Ahuja was indicted again Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was initially charged June 28 with willfully filing materially false tax returns and four counts of failing to file Reports of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts.

The court has added the charges of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Dan Webb of Winston and Strawn, Chicago, the attorney representing Ahuja, said the government’s allegations are “far off-base,” and he will continue to present a vigorous, fact-based defense.

“Dr. Ahuja is innocent of these allegations, and we remain confident that a jury will acquit him of all charges, including the charges announced today,” Webb said.

According to the superseding indictment, Ahuja wire transferred and maintained millions of dollars in bank accounts in India and the Bailiwick of Jersey at The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd. (HSBC).

In 2009, the HSBC bank account in India had a balance of $8.7 million. The superseding indictment alleges that Ahuja failed to report these bank accounts to the IRS on his 20062009 tax returns.

The White House figures it could raise up to $22 billion over the next decade, though there are plenty who doubt the government could raise anywhere near that amount. More than 80 percent of that figure might come from the auction of public airwaves now dedicated to broadcast television which the Obama administration believes can be better used for wire less broadband.

The idea behind that plan is to reclaim and

sell a public asset that previously was given away. But it also could generate some serious opposition from the nation’s broadcasters, which have a powerful lobby. The other $4 billion would come from selling buildings and property. The Pentagon and the Postal Service have both sold buildings and generated a lot of cash. Sales of 350 closed military installations have produced $1.5 billion over the last 20 years, according to the Congressional

Budget Office.

The Postal Service raised $180 million from the sale or lease of properties last year alone, and postal authorities have identified an additional 3,653 post offices for closure or consolidation. In New York, the historic Farley Post Office Building in Midtown Manhattan was sold to New York State in 2002 for $230 million for potential use as a passenger train terminal.

More, anti-American protests by religious parties broke out in several Pakistani cities on Friday. Back in Washington, Carney said, ‘The relationship that we have with Pakistan is complicated but very important,’ when asked if ties with Islamabad were close to a point of no return over recent spats.

‘They have been important allies, the Pakistanis have been, in our fight against Al Qaeda, and that fight continues. And we expect to have continued cooperation with the Pakistanis on that.’

‘There’s no question that we have disagreements, complications in our relationship, and we speak openly and candidly with our Pakistani counterparts about this,’ Carney said.

Asset Sales Continued from page 3 Fire sales of unused government property will not come close to closing the deficit, of course, and there are plenty of bureaucratic obstacles in the way even if Congress approves.

But the proposals could make a modest difference. With the government owning more than a million properties, the sales possibilities are plentiful, supporters say.

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8

India at UN

October 1-7, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Reform UN, join hands against terror: Manmohan United Nations: Declaring that India stands ready to play its part in meeting global challenges from economic downturn to terrorism, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought key reforms at the UN and global financial institutions.

"There cannot be any selective approaches in dealing with terrorist groups or the infrastructure of terrorism," Manmohan Singh told the United Nations General Assembly as he called for an unrelenting fight against terrorism.

"Terrorism has to be fought across all fronts," he said in his 21-minute address that was greeted with allround applause.

"Terrorism continues to rear its ugly head and take a grievous toll of innocent lives."

Manmohan Singh said: "In South Asia there are encouraging signs of cooperation in the area of security, as exemplified in India's cooperation with Bangladesh."

Calling upon the UN to once again embrace the principles of internationalism to meet the global challenges, he said: "We have no choice but to meet these challenges."

"We will succeed if we adopt a cooperative rather than a confrontationist approach," he said, seeking revitalisation of the UN General Assembly and reforms and expansion of the decision making Security Council

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressing the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly. to "reflect contemporary reality".

"More importantly, we will succeed if our efforts have legitimacy and are pursued not just within the framework of law, but also the spirit of law," Manmohan Singh said

asserting that actions taken under the authority of the UN "must respect the unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of individual states".

Among the key challenges facing the

comity of nations, the prime minister identified a troubled world economy, terrorism, social and political upheaval in West Asia and North Africa, the still unresolved Palestinian question and iniquitous growth.

To address what he called the "deficit in global governance", Manmohan Singh called for making the UN "stronger and more effective".

He also called for pursuing the reform of governance systems of international institutions with "speed and efficiency", saying "we should not allow the global economic slowdown to become a trigger for building walls around ourselves through protectionism or erecting barriers to movement of people, services and capital".

Noting that nuclear proliferation continues to remain a threat to international security, Manmohan Singh said the "action plan put forward by (then) prime minister Rajiv Gandhi provides a concrete road map for achieving nuclear disarmament in a time bound, universal, non discriminatory, phased and verifiable manner".

Expressing the confidence that people's faith in the UN Charter and objectives of the United Nations "through statesmanship, foresight and collective efforts", he declared "India stands ready to play its part in this noble endeavor".

Excerpts from PM's UN Speech he world economy is in trouble. The shoots of recovery which were visible after the economic and financial crisis of 2008 have yet to blossom. In many respects the crisis has deepened even further.

The traditional engines of the global economy such as the United States, Europe and Japan [ Images ], which are also the sources of global economic and financial stability, are faced with continued economic slowdown. Recessionary trends in these countries are affecting confidence in world financial and capital markets.

These developments are bound to have a negative impact on developing countries which also have to bear the additional burden of inflationary pressures. ...There has been unprecedented social and political upheaval in West Asia, the Gulf and North Africa. People of these regions are demanding the right to shape their own future. Energy and food prices are once again spiraling and introducing fresh instability, especially for developing countries.

T

The Palestinian question still remains unresolved and a source of great instability and violence. India is steadfast in its support for the Palestinian people's struggle for a sovereign, independent, viable and united state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, living within secure and recognizable borders side by side and at peace with Israel. We look forward to welcoming Palestine as an equal member of the United Nations.

Terrorism continues to rear its ugly head and take a grievous toll of innocent lives. New threats to international security have emerged. At a time when the world needs more international commerce, the sea lanes of communication across the Indian Ocean are under siege. Acts of piracy are being carried out with impunity from lands that are beyond the writ of any functioning state or international accountability. ...We have no choice but to meet these challenges. We will succeed if we adopt a cooperative rather than a confrontationist approach. We will succeed if we embrace once again

the principles on which the United Nations was founded --internationalism and multilateralism. ...We must address the issue of the deficit in global governance. We need a stronger and more effective United Nations. We need a United Nations that is sensitive to the aspirations of everyone - rich or poor, big or small. For this the United Nations and its principal organs, the General Assembly and the Security Council, must be revitalized and reformed.

The reform and expansion of the Security Council are essential if it is to reflect contemporary reality.

Such an outcome will enhance the Council's credibility and effectiveness in dealing with global issues.

Early reform of the Security Council must be pursued with renewed vigour and urgently enacted. We should not allow the global economic slowdown to become a trigger for building walls around ourselves through protectionism or erecting barriers to movement of people, services and capital.

Effective ways and means must be deployed to promote coordination

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Nepal PM Baburam Bhattarai in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 66th UNGA Session. of macro economic policies of major economies. The reform of governance systems of international financial institutions ought to be pursued with speed and efficiency. ...Nuclear proliferation continues to remain a threat to international security. The Action Plan put forward by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free and Non-Violent World provides a concrete road map for achieving

nuclear disarmament in a timebound, universal, non-discriminatory, phased and verifiable manner. ...It is vitally important that through our actions and deeds we renew people's faith in the charter and objectives of the United Nations. I am confident we can do this through statesmanship, foresight and collective efforts.

India stands ready to play its part in this noble endeavor.

Tristate Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

October 1-7, 2011

Aney Paul wins Democratic Primary for NY Legislature New York: Aney Paul, a registered nurse in Nanuet in Rockland County, New York, won the Democratic primary for the District 14 seat in the New York legislature Sept. 13.

The Indian American candidate polled 670 ballots (59.29 percent), easily besting small business owner Hank Stewart’s 431 votes (40.71 percent).

President of the New City Library Board, Paul will face off in the November election again against Stewart, who ran on both sides of the ballot in the primary. Stewart beat his opponent in the Conservative primary by nine votes to two, and will run as a Conservative and independent in November.

The district has a large edge in Democratic registration, so Paul will be favored in the general election. A

Aney Paul nurse at Nanuet Hospital and member of the Nanuet Rotary and Nanuet Lions clubs, Paul has lived in the town for 24 years. She and her husband, Augustine, have three children.

“It feels good," Paul told the

Nanuet Patch. “The first step is over, but there’s still more work to do. We’ll work as a team and we will win again."

Dr. V.J. Pradhan held the seat previously until his death two years ago. Robert Jackson, who succeeded Pradhan, endorsed Paul. Paul has a nursing degree from Lady Harding College in New Delhi, a bachelor’s in health administration from St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, N.Y., and a master’s degree in public health from New York Medical College, Valhalla. She also has a master’s degree as a nursing/nurse practitioner from Lehman College, Bronx and is an adjunct professor at Rockland Community College and Dominican College.

Paul last ran for public office in 2009, when she narrowly lost the race for a seat on the town council in Clarkstown, N.Y.

First Ladies of the world get a dose of Art of Living New York: It was a power-packed Manhattan forum attended by many First Ladies and prominent women of the world: from Michelle Obama to Madame Zuma. While Prada met Versace and Mysore silks at the ‘First Ladies & Fashion 4 Development', the heart of the conference was causes and fittingly, opened with a video message from Art of Living Founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: "Fashions change because that is their nature but mission stays. If all the women who love fashion can take up a mission of development of our planet, we will be able to give a better world to our coming generations.” His message rang with the theme of the September 19th event: “Giving Back is the New Luxury.”

“A woman is the heart of a family. She brings people together. So she is also the heart of society. If she is empowered, there will be progress," said Bhanumathi Narasimhan, Director, Women Empowerment and Child Care Projects of The Art of Living. Speaking at the session on 'Women Connect for Health - Connecting the Dots for the health MDGs and NCDs',

9

Bhanumathi who is also the sister of Sri Sri, further said: "I was shocked to learn that 30 percent of women are suffering from depression all around the world. Spirituality is necessary now.

Spirituality, according to me, is caring for each other, having a sense of belongingness and a sharing attitude.” The conference, organized by Advanced Development For Africa (ADA), The United Nations Digital Health Initiative, The ITU Women Network in ICT (WITNET), drew attention to the role of fashion in creating economic growth in developing countries.

Prominent ladies present at the occasion were Ms. Cherie Blair, Founder and Chairperson, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women; Ms. Geena Davis, Founder, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media; H.E. Jeanette Kagame, First Lady, Republic of Rwanda; H.E. Geri Benoit, Former First Lady of Haiti, Ambassador to Italy for Haiti; H.E. Madame Zuma First Lady of South Africa; H.E. Sandra Saakashvili-Roelofs, First Lady of Georgia; H.E. Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of Antigua

Mick Jagger and A R Rahman's SuperHeavy album release party held in NYC New York: On Wednesday September 21, at a posh night club in New York a grand party was held to celebrate the release of the SuperHeavy album created by legends of the music industry.

The music legends walked the red carpet Seen in this picture (L to R): A R Rahman, and joined a very feslegendary singer Mick Jagger from Rolling tive affair which lasted stones and Sudhir Vaishnav CEO till the wee hours of of Globosat Entertainment. the night. The who's who of the music and industry, A. R. Rahman, Mick the recording industry was in atten- Jagger, Dave Stewart, Joss Stone dance. and Damian Marley.

The album was officially launched Sahara One covered the event on 20th of September by Universal exclusively and will broadcast the Republic Records. glimpses on its community news Super Heavy is a collaboration of program Your Voice on Saturday five amazing legends of the music October 1, 2011.

Fatima Shama speaks at SACSS 9/11 Community Forum New York: “10 years after, the to share their experiences and one thing that is obvious is that concerns by asking, “What have after all the tragedy…the buildthe last 10 years been like and ing of partnerships and the where do we go from here?” building of collaborations in Susan Tanenbaum, Special the (New York City) communiAssistant to the Queens Borough ties has been remarkable,” said President on Immigrant Affairs, Commissioner of Immigrant talked about the vital services Affairs, Fatima Shama while (L to R) Commissioner Fatima which bring immigrant communiShama and Sudha Acharya, ties together such as the addressing a Community Executive Director of SACSS Immigration Task Force comprisForum: 10 Years after 9/11 that was organized by South Asian Council for Social ing several non-profit organizations. She also Services (SACSS) on September 19. In talking spoke of her upbringing as the daughter of a about her personal experiences as a Muslim New Holocaust survivor, which helped her understand Yorker, Commissioner Shama exuded a sense of the needs of a community marred by tragedy. continued healing that the community members in The assembled community members of various attendance related to. Sudha Acharya, the execu- ethnicity and religions expressed the need for such tive director of SACSS, welcomed and invited the conversations. Questions raised were, “How do gathered to honor the victims of 9/11 and their we have a conversation with our kids about what families with a moment of silence and continued to we have learnt? How do we pass it on to our kids discuss the effects of 9-11 on the South Asian com- and bring up leaders?” In discussing various pathmunity in particular. In emphasizing the signifi- ways of promoting tolerance and bringing commucance of the 10-year-anniversary as a time for nities together, school tolerance policies were at reflection, Acharya set the tone for the participants the forefront.

Share and Care to present a musical night with Parthiv Gohil & Sadhana Sargam New York: Share and Care Foundation is holding its 29th Annual Gala to offer a little “Nostalgia” on a soulful musical journey with Bollywood’s Parthiv Gohil and Sadhana Sargam. Their performances are on Saturday, October 22, at Branch Creek Auditorium, Harleysville, PA and Sunday, October 23, at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), Newark, NJ. Proceeds from the events will help in raising funds for youth development and women’s empowerment programs in rural India.

Established in 1982, Share and Care Foundation (SCF) is a Paramus, NJ based organization that supports women’s and youth development initiatives in India. SCF is familiar to many for arranging used clothing drives for India in local communities.

Over the past three decades, their dedicated

Bollywood singers Parthiv Gohil & Sadhana Sargam volunteers and partners helped expand SCF initiatives while maintaining low administrative costs.

To date, donors have invested over $65MM towards SCF growth and development programs in Education, Skills building

& basic Healthcare. Over 3,500 slums and rural communities have benefited from SCF’s contributions to programs like school education, vocational training, skills enhancement, micro-loans and wellness - all leading to economic independence. Such programs have been commended by notable figures in the corporate and local community. More recently, SCF has taken on the challenge of developing Educate to Graduate (E2G), a program that puts brilliant but economically challenged youth through collegelevel courses in the Sciences.

The “Educate to Graduate” (E2G) program currently supports 375 college-level students. However, another 5,000 eagerly await financial support. Each donation of $1,000 puts a student through college courses in the Sciences for one year.

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National Community

October 1-7, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Three Indian-origin scientists among 12 White House honorees Washington, DC: Three distinguished scientists of Indian-origin -- two inventors and a researcher figure in a celebrated White House honors list this year, underscoring India's continued contribution to American science and technology streams. Two of them are IIT-ians, alumni of the academically elite Indian Institute of Technology.

New York University's Srinivasa SR Vardhan, Purdue University's Rakesh Agarwal, and North Carolina State Univeristy's B Jayant Baliga are among the select dozen named by President Obama to receive the National Medal of Science, and for Technology and Innovation, the highest honor bestowed by the US government on scientists, engineers and inventors.

"Each of these extraordinary scientists, engineers, and inventors is guided by a passion for innovation, a fearlessness even as they explore the very frontiers of human knowledge, and a desire to

Srinivasa SR Vardhan

Rakesh Agarwal

B Jayant Baliga

make the world a better place," Obama said in a statement on Tuesday following the release of the honors list. "Their ingenuity inspires us all to reach higher and try harder, no matter how difficult the challenges we face." The recipients will receive their awards at a White House ceremony later this year.

Steve Jobs, Gordon Moore,

David Packard and Dean Kamen are among the legends who have won the technology medal, while several science medal recipients have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.

Srinivasa S.R. Varadhan, an alumnus of Presidency College, Chennai and Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkota, won the award for his work in probability theory,

especially his work on large deviations from expected random behavior, which has revolutionized this field of study during the second half of the twentieth century and become a cornerstone of both pure and applied probability.

The mathematical insights he developed have been applied in diverse fields including quantum field theory, population dynamics,

Kal Parekh makes primetime debut with ‘Pan Am’ New York: Indian American actor Kal Parekh will join the crew which includes the likes of Christine Ricci, Kelli Garner, Michael Mosley, and Mike Vogel - of ABC’s primetime series Pan Am. Essaying a new phenomenon that was sweeping the nation and the globe about 40 years ago, Pan Am chronicles the heyday of one of the world’s most popular airlines at a time when air travel was on the verge of becoming an integral, efficient, affordable, and safe way to connect people to the cities of the world.

Parekh plays a navigator named Sanjeev, back then, an integral member of the cockpit crew who served alongside the pilot and copilot. Set in the 1960s, it is promised to be as majestic a show on television as the airline, formally known as Pan American World Airways.

Born and raised in northern New Jersey, Parekh auditioned for the role earlier this year. During pilot season, Parekh was informed of Pan Am casting auditions and decided to give it a shot.

He made his acting debut as the lead role in the Hindi film Khel

Rate of visa H1B application rejection increasing: India to US Kal Parekh Shuru. Moving on to other films such as Karma Road, Parekh quickly realized acting was the career for him.

A graduate of the School of Visual Arts with a degree in Animation, Parekh hopes Pan Am will indeed be around long enough for him to fully explore his character and further establish himself as a solid actor.

2000 attend NATA Roju celebrations in NJ New Jersey: North American Telugu Association (NATA) conducted NATA ROJU celebrations in a grand scale at Royal Albert Palace in Edison. The event rocked with over 2000 people coming in at 5.00 PM and staying back until 1.30 AM next morning. It was community fun filled event with local talent performances and Tollywood artists’ performances. Anuj, Kousalya and Raghu Kunche rocked the stage with electrifying performances.

Vamsipriya and Raghunath also performed. Ramesh Chandra, Regional Vice President, NATA said this is one of a kind event and reiterated NATA’s commitment to the

finance, econometrics, and traffic engineering, the White House said in its citation.

Rakesh Agarwal, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur, was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for "an extraordinary record of innovations in improving the energy efficiency and reducing the cost of gas liquefaction and separation.

These innovations have had significant positive impacts on electronic device manufacturing, liquefied gas production, and the supply of industrial gases for diverse industries," the citation said.

B.Jayant Baliga, an alumnus of IIT Chennai, won in the same category for development and commercialization of the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor and other power semiconductor devices that are extensively used in transportation, lighting, medicine, defense, and renewable energy generation systems.

Telugu community and its culture. The local talent performances that were mind blowing were continued for over three hours. Over 200 children and young adults participated in the performances from the following dance schools/teachers and independently. Later the NATA board and officers including the Advisory committee member Dr. Pailla Malla Reddy, President AVN Reddy among others were introduced to the crowd by Mahender Musuku. The president announced that NATA’s first conference will be held in Houston in 2012 and invited everyone to attend it.

Washington, DC: India conveyed its concern to the US over the increasing number of rejections of the H1B visa applications of professionals, especially in the IT sector, who need these permits for execution of temporary onsite contracts.

The point was highlighted by visiting Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma at the CEOs Forum here.

He said, "Uptake of H1B visas this year has been less than half of annual prescribed limit and the rejection rates have gone up."

Underscoring the importance of free movement of professionals, he also asked for early signing of the India-US Totalization Agreement.Under the pact, an expatriate in either country need not contribute to social security schemes of the host country.

The forum comprises top CEOs from both sides and is co-chaired by Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata on

the Indian side and Honeywell Corporation CEO David M Cote from the US. Referring to simplification of procedures for investing in India, Sharma said all the policy norms have been consolidated into a single document.

He assured the CEOs that India is committed to continuous improvement of its business and investment environment.

The minister also invited US investors to establish National Investment and Manufacturing Zones and urged the CEO forum to suggest global best practices for the proposed townships. Meanwhile, in a meeting with US Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Sharma discussed ways to strengthen the growing bilateral trade and investment relationship, including through more active engagement under the US-India Trade Policy Forum (TPF).

US Affairs TheSouthAsianTimes.info

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October 1-7, 2011

Perry still at top but Romney stronger vs. Obama: Poll Washington: Despite his performances in the two most recent Republican presidential debates, a new national survey indicates that Texas Gov. Rick Perry remains on top of the field in the race for the GOP nomination.

A CNN/ORC International Poll, however, indicates that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney does better than Perry in hypothetical 2012 general election matchups against President Obama. According to the survey released Monday, 28 percent of Republicans and independents who lean towards the GOP say they support Perry as their party's presidential nominee, with Romney at 21 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is at 10 percent. Sarah Palin is at seven percent and Rep. Michele Bachmann’s numbers have slid to 4percent.

The poll was conducted Friday through Sunday, after last Thursday's debate in Orlando,

the top GOP candidates are a better test of Obama's electoral strength.

The survey indicates that Romney fares best against Obama.

It's basically all tied up with 49

percent for Obama and 48 percent for Romney in a hypothetical twoway match-up. According to the poll, Obama holds a five point margin over Perry, 51 percent to 46 percent.

Obama faces ‘Titanic struggle'

John Perry and Mitt Romney: top 2 GOP presidential hopefuls Florida. Pundits and analysts rate Perry's performance in that debate, and in a debate a week and a half earlier in Tampa, Florida, as uneven. Perry's distant second showing at a much-watched straw poll of Florida GOP activists this past weekend may be a reflection of his debate performances, and his stance on illegal immigration and border security, which were spotlighted in both debates.

According to the poll, the president's overall approval rating, at 45 percent, is essentially unchanged since July. Fifty-two percent of all Americans disapprove of his job performance to date.

The 2012 election will not be an up-or-down vote on Obama, but rather a choice between the president and another candidate, so head-to-head match-ups against

Manchester, NH: President Obama's chief political adviser on Tuesday conceded that a dark cloud looms over the American economy and Obama's political future, describing the president's road to a second term in the White House as "a Titanic struggle."

"We have the wind in our face because the American people have the wind in their faces," David Axelrod told an audience of New Hampshire politicians and business leaders. "So this is going to be a Titanic struggle. But I firmly believe we're on the right side of the struggle."

But even as he acknowledged

the stark political reality, Axelrod said the president would ultimately win re-election, in part because of the flawed field of Republican candidates. He characterized their plans to repair the nation's ailing economy as the same kind of deregulation and tax cuts that caused the downturn in the first place.

"This isn't new wine and old bottles. This is old wine and old bottles," Axelrod said.

He also assailed Republican contenders, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, in an interview with The Associated Press.

White House reiterates: US always reviewing aid to Pakistan Denver: White House spokesman Jay Carney says US aid to Pakistan is always under review and cautioned Pakistan to address possible links between its government and militants from Afghanistan.

Carney says his remarks about assistance to Pakistan aren’t a new warning but a reiteration of the Obama administration’s position. Carney made his remarks to reporters on Air Force One as President Barack

Obama flew to Denver.

Following attacks in Kabul, the Afghan capital, that targeted Americans in the past two weeks, US officials have ramped up their public comments alleging the Pakistani

government backs the Haqqani network, an affiliate of the Taliban that is believed to be behind the assaults.Pakistani officials have vigorously denied the claim, creating new strains with the US.

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India Newswire

October 1-7, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

'Chidambaram hasn't committed any crime' New Delhi: The Congress-led UPA government is putting its best foot forward to sort out the controversy created by a Finance Ministry note suggesting that the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram could have prevented spectrum from being given away at throwaway prices, by insisting on its auction.

The Centre is expected to put a strong legal defense in favor of Chidambaram in the apex court on a petition filed by Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy, seeking a CBI inquiry against Chidambaram’s role in the 2G spectrum scam.

In a fresh development, Union

The Centre is expected to put a strong legal defense in favor of Chidambaram in the apex court on a petition filed by Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy.

32 TDP MLAs from Telangana resign

It is for the second time that the TDP MLAs have sought to quit their seats in the legislature to press for Telangana statehood after the Speaker rejected their resignations in July.

Hyderabad: With the movement for Telangana gathering steam, 32 MLAs from the region belonging to main opposition TDP resigned from the state assembly in support of the demand for a separate state.

It is for the second time that the TDP MLAs have sought to quit their seats in the legislature to press fo r Telangana statehood after the Speaker rejected their resignations in July. The MLAs handed over their resignations to the Secretary of the House S Raja Sadaram as Speaker Nadendla Manohar was not available. The TDP legislators from

Telangana held a meeting here this morning and decided to put in their papers afresh and even wanted the Congress MLAs from the region to quit with them.

Sources in the party said, they waited in the Telugu Desam Legislature Party office for more than six hours for the Congress MLAs to join them, but when nobody turned up, they submitted their resignations without their company.

However, TDP MLA from Kamareddy Gampa Govardhan did not accompany them.

Minister Pranab Mukherjee wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi explaining the ministerial note. As per reports, he made it clear that the note did not suggest any criminality or indictment of P Chidambaram during his stint as finance minister.

It has been learnt that Mukherjee also stressed on the fact that the Prime Minister's Office was kept in the loop about the note and even gave inputs for it. The Finance Minister's letter also gave a detailed explanation over the sequence of events that led to the note on 2G being made.

Amid growing concern within

the government as well as the Congress party about the political fallout of the 2G note controversy, Chidambaram yesterday met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

This was the first meeting between the two after the latest controversy suggestive of a tussle between two senior ministers of the UPA government became public.

Importantly, UPA chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have strongly backed Chidambaram. The PM has stressed that he has no doubt about the integrity of his Home Minister.

Omar fears rise in J&K militancy Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he was worried that the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru could revive militancy in the state.

"I have to be concerned about the hanging of Afzal Guru. It has implications not just for the state but for the centre too," he told a news channel.

He noted that a generation of militants was born in Kashmir following the execution of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Muhammad Maqbool Bhat in 1984."I cannot and will not forget that an entire generation of militants was born because of the hanging of Maqbool Bhat. I have to be concerned that Afzal Guru's hanging can once again revive militancy at a time when it is down," Abdullah said.

"I am not in favor of the death penalty. It has not served as a deterrent for either murders or terrorism," he said.

The state assembly was set to debate the resolution seeking clemency for Afzal Guru but that

The chief minister also questioned why Jammu and Kashmir is constantly called upon to prove that they are a part of India when no other state is asked to do the same. did not happen due to disruptions. clemency? Is it because Afzal Guru Abdullah also questioned the is a Kashmiri Muslim?" he asked. policies of some political parties on He also questioned why Jammu similar issues like clemency for and Kashmir is constantly called people on death row. upon to prove that they are a part of "While it is okay to ask clemency India when no other state is asked for Rajiv Gandhi's killers and while to do the same."Death sentences it is okay also to ask mercy for should satisfy legal needs, not pub(Khalistani terrorist Devinder Pal lic perception," he said, adding that Singh) Bhullar, why is it wrong for death sentence only converts conJ and K to even discuss and debate victs into martyrs.

Cash-for-votes: Amar's bail plea rejected New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP and former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh's bail plea was rejected by a Delhi court in the 2008 cash-for-votes scandal. He will, however, continue to stay in hospital where he is being treated for a kidney-related ailment.

Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal rejected both his pleas for regular and interim bail. The judge also said that he would stay in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences as long as the doctors thought this to be necessary.

"The accused is stable but requires monitoring. I leave it to the good judgment of these specialists and super specialists at

Amar Singh was arrested on September 6 for his alleged involvement in an attempt to bribe MPs ahead of the July 2008 parliament trust vote.

AIIMS to decide the period for which the accused is to be kept under observation," the judge said while pronouncing the order.

Saying that Singh played a major role in the scam, the court rejected the 55-year-old leader's bail plea saying: "From the material available on record it appears prima facie that there are fingers which point that the accused played a major role in the entire episode which came to light July 22, 2008‌there is no need to discuss the evidence threadbare and elaborate the same further touching the merits of the case as it may prejudice the case of the accused."

"The nature and gravity of the accusations against the accused

cannot be lost sight of and for the foregoing reasons I decline the grant of regular bail to the accused," the court added.

"The accused has been named in an incident which showed desperate depths to which certain political functionaries and parties stooped and the exposures represent a gross moral degeneration which disgrace the sacrosanct of parliament democracy," the court noted. Appearing for Amar Singh, senior advocate Hariharan had pressed his bail on medical grounds, saying that the leader is not well and is suffering from various ailments.

The court said his condition can be monitored in AIIMS.

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India Newswire

October 1-7, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Modi ends fast on upbeat note Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi ended a three-day fast asserting that he was the first leader in six decades of independent India to deliver genuine good governance.

Addressing thousands at the Gujarat University hall here, Modi repeatedly harped on the widely acclaimed economic progress Gujarat has made since he became chief minister a decade ago.

In the process, but without taking anyone's name, he insisted that no other government in India had achieved what he had by transforming Gujarat into an economic powerhouse.

Modi gave no credit to his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or any of his colleagues for the Gujarat success story that has been noted both in India and abroad, including by the World Bank.

But even as the fast for promoting amity ended, it was clear that the purpose had not been achieved. Both BJP critics and leading Muslim leaders accused Modi of trying to cover up his role in the 2002 riots of Gujarat.

Lucknow-based Shia scholar Maulana Kalbe Jawaad asked Modi that if he wanted to be pardoned simply by staging a fast, whether the same treatment could be extended to Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab if he too fasted.

Kasab is the only one of 10 Pakistani terrorists who was captured after the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai that left 166 people dead and almost sent India and Pakistan to war.

"Modi's crime cannot be condoned because he observes a fast. I appeal to all Muslims and Hindus to simultaneously observe 'roza' and 'upvas' (fast) seeking divine intervention

Muslim leaders greet Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi during his Sadbhavna fast at the Gujarat University Convention Centre in Ahmedabad. to ensure punishment for the man responsible for the killing of innocent Muslims in Gujarat," he said.

In his nationally televised speech, Modi took a swipe at his own political tribe, saying most politicians were only keen to win the next election.

"This is how politicians work. They are swayed by vote bank politics. This is how programmes are made," he said in chaste Hindi.

"This is how 60 years have been spent.

Gujarat has come out of this (model). We will not run a government only to win elec-

tions. Today we have shown the real path of development."

Seated on the stage were BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and M. Venkaiah Naidu, who heard the comment with blank expression on their faces. Others on the stage included Hindu and Muslim religious leaders.

And although Modi did not speak about his widely speculated national ambitions, he sought to underline what had gone wrong with India and its leaders.

India and Indians, Modi complained, had stopped dreaming.

I correctly quoted Mehbooba on Modi: Swaraj New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj tweeted that she has "correctly quoted" People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti as praising Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, which the Kashmiri politician has denied.

"I correctly quoted Ms. Mehbooba Mufti in Ahmedabad yesterday," Sushma Swaraj tweeted after Mufti's stout denial.

"I only quoted what she spoke in the presence of over a hundred people in the afternoon session of the NIC (National Integration Council) meeting on 10th September," she said. "It was not a private conversation." Sushma Swaraj said in Ahmedabad: "Not just the BJP supporters, even rivals like the PDP's Mehbooba Mufti have praised Modi's work ethics at the recent National Integration Council (NIC) meeting. This makes us proud."

Mufti denied it, saying: "I have been misquoted saying I praised Modi. I request the government of India to

Chief Minister Narendra Modi with Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj in Ahmedabad. release the text of my speech so that the record is set straight." Mufti and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah are engaged in a slug-fest since Swaraj in Ahmedabad revealed Mufti's praise for Modi.

"This is the root of all our problems. China has big dreams, America has big dreams..."

A little later, he emphasized how different he was from all other politicians and governments India had seen. The chief minister said he too could have run a government in a "routine manner".

"Others made roads, we too could have (been satisfied by making) roads. Others built hospitals, we too could have built hospitals...

"We did not think that way. We decided to bring about changes. We decided to awaken our energy... Uniting the people with development programmes was my only mantra."

His mantra, he said, was to involve people in development schemes and to usher in a new work culture. "The mood of despondency in the county has been changed by Gujarat," he said. "What people say is impossible (elsewhere in India), Gujarat has made it possible."

Modi said his "Sadbhavana mission" should not be seen from a political prism.

"My fast may have ended but my mission has not."

He made no reference to the 2002 communal violence that engulfed Gujarat but declared that his government did not frame politics for "minorities" or the majority community.

"All my people are mine. All their sorrow is mine. Their joy is mine. Their dreams are mine."

Speaking after her arrival here, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said Modi's government was not biased against Muslims. "Gujarat is a state where there is no discrimination against Muslims. No plan is made thinking whether Hindus will benefit or Muslims," she said.

BJP panel will decide on PM candidate New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the party's parliamentary board will decide if the 2014 general elections would be fought under collective leadership or a prime ministerial candidate will be projected.

"The decision will be taken at an appropriate time by the parliamentary board. It will decide if a leader is to be projected or not," said Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.

"When it is decided, you will be informed," she said, adding that though the party projects a leader in assembly polls, it also

contests elections in states under collective leadership. Sushma Swaraj, who held a joint press conference with party leader Arun Jaitley, said there was no tussle on the leadership issue.

There has been heightened speculation about BJP's prime ministerial candidate after Advani last month announced his plans to go on an anti-corruption rath yatra and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi went on a sadbhavna fast earlier this month. Both Sushma Swaraj and Jaitley are seen as contenders for the post.

Congratulations to

Mrs. Ranju Batra President

Association of India in America New York For her Dedication and Leadership in Community Services.

Accepting Applications For January 2012 Admissions

19

Message from AIA-NY President

Ranju Batra

Dear Friends, It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you to AIA-NYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 24th Annual Deepavali Festival at South Street Seaport in New York City on Oct 2, Mahatma Gandhiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birth anniversary. Ten years ago, on 9/11, we suffered a most cowardly attack upon our nation and collective soul. India has suffered many terror attacks as well, includLQJ RQH RI WKH PRVW KRUUL¿F DWWDFNV RQ 1RYHPEHU ,QGLD¶V VR FDOOHG ³ ´ The United States and India have many common goals and philosophies, which join us together, including our belief in democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and our ¿JKW DJDLQVW WHUURU 5HPHPEHULQJ WKH )DWKHU RI ,QGLD RQ 2FW ZH FDQQRW SDVV XS the opportunity to remind everyone of the potential of diplomacy and non-violence in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world. $V ZH DUH FHOHEUDWLQJ 'LZDOL REVHUYHG LQ +LQGXLVP 6LNKLVP DQG -DLQLVP DQG UHSUHVHQWV ³OLJKW´ RYHU ³GDUNQHVV ´ ³JRRG´ RYHU ³HYLO ´ DQG D ³+DSS\ 1HZ <HDU ´ OHW PH WDNH D PRPHQW WR GLVFXVV RXU 'LZDOL IHVWLYDO $IWHU PRUH WKDQ \HDUV 'LZDOL LQ 1HZ <RUN KDV EHFRPH $,$¶V LQWHUQDWLRQDOO\ UHFRJQL]HG Ã&#x20AC;DJVKLS HYHQW SURXGO\ FDUU\LQJ WKH EDWRQ DIWHU ),$¶V ZRUOG IDPRXV ,QGLD 'D\ 3DUDGH LQ $XJXVW 2XU ¿UHZRUN VKRZ DW WKH HYHQW OLJKWV XS WKH QLJKW¶V VN\ RYHU (DVW 5LYHU VHHQ E\ PLOOLRQV RI 1HZ <RUNHUV LQ 0DQKDWWDQ 6WDWHQ Island, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. When Comptroller John Liu was chair of NYC Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Transportation Committee, I am happy WR QRWH WKDW , VXSSRUWHG 3XEOLF $GYRFDWH %LOO GH %ODVLR DQG $VVHPEO\PDQ 'DYLG :HSULQ WKHQ FRXQFLO PHPEHUV DORQJ ZLWK 6SHDNHU &KULVWLQH 4XLQQ LQ WKHLU QHFHVVDU\ OHDGHUVKLS WR RYHUULGH D YHWR WR HVWDEOLVK D 'LZDOL 3DUNLQJ KROLGD\ LQ 1HZ <RUN 1RZ , DP GHOLJKWHG WR WHOO \RX WKDW RXU GHDU IULHQG 5HS &DURO\Q 0DORQH\ LV VSHDUKHDGLQJ WKH FUHDWLRQ RI D 'LZDOL 6WDPS :KLOH , DP SUHVLGHQW RI $,$ 1< ZH ZLOO JLYH LW RXU complete support, and unabashedly, I ask all of you for your support.

With many thanks, I recognize the presence of our extraordinary dignitaries, important sponsors and friends. In recent history, we have witnessed India becoming a warm friend of the US: Dr Manmohan Singh as the First State Guest; India winning a near-unanimous YRWH IRU WKH 6HFXULW\ &RXQFLO URWDWLRQDO VHDW GXH WR WKH DPD]LQJ $PE +DUGHHS 6LQJK 3XUL 1LUXSDPD 0HQRQ 5DR DIWHU KDYLQJ GLVWLQJXLVKHG KHUVHOI DV )RUHLJQ 6HFUHWDU\ EHLQJ DSSRLQWHG DV ,QGLD¶V $PEDVVDGRU WR WKH 86 /DNVKPL 3XUL EHLQJ DSSRLQWHG DV $VVLVWDQW 6HFUHWDU\ *HQHUDO RI 81 :RPHQ DQG &RQVXO *HQHUDO 3UDEKX 'D\DO DIWHU EHLQJ DPEDVVDGRU WR 0RURFFR FRQWLQXLQJ KLV XQSDUDOOHOHG outreach to strengthen the bonds between the two nations and people. ,Q DGGLWLRQ 5HS *DU\ / $FNHUPDQ DQG 6HQDWRU &KXFN 6FKXPHU DORQJ ZLWK 5HSV -RH &URZOH\ (OLRW (QJHO *UHJ 0HHNV &DURO\Q 0DORQH\ DQG (G 7RZQV WR QDPH D IHZ KDYH FDXVHG JUHDWHU PXWXDO UHVSHFW EDVHG UHODWLRQVKLS EHWZHHQ ,QGLD DQG $PHULFD 1RW WR EH RXWGRQH 1HZ <RUN¶V IRUPHU *RYHUQRU 'DYLG 3DWHUVRQ 6HQDWH /HDGHU -RKQ 6DPSVRQ DQG $VVHPEO\ 6SHDNHU 6KHOO\ 6LOYHU KDYH DGGHG VWUHQJWK , ZRXOG EH UHPLVV LQ QRW DFNQRZOHGJLQJ P\ KXVEDQG 5DYL¶V OLIHORQJ HIIRUWV LQ WKLV UHJDUG 6XFFHVV LV D WHDP HIIRUW DQG WKDW LQFOXGHV P\ ([HFXWLYH &RPPLWWHH SDVW SUHVLGHQWV DQG VSRQVRUV , ¶P JUDWHIXO WR $LU ,QGLD IRU FRQWLQXLQJ WR VSRQVRU WKH ¿UHZRUNV DV ZHOO DV RWKHU VSRQVRUV LQFOXGLQJ6WDU 79 0F'RQDOG¶V ,QFUHGLEOH ,QGLD 3HSVL&R %DQN RI ,QGLD 1HZ <RUN /LIH %DQN RI %DURGD $GYDQFHG 5HVHDUFK )RXQGDWLRQ 6WDWH %DQN RI ,QGLD 6DKDUD 2QH ,QGLD $EURDG 7KH 6RXWK $VLDQ 7LPHV 1HZV ,QGLD 7LPHV DQG 'HVL 7DON 79 $VLD ,79 -XV3XQMDEL ,QGLDQ ([SUHVV DQG ,QGLDQ 3DQRUDPD DPRQJ RWKHUV Diwali has come a long way, and has become a rite of passage in New York City. So to each and every one of you, I wish you and your loved ones a very happy, safe, healthy and joyous Diwali!

Ranju Batra President, AIA-NY

What is AIA

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he Association of Indians in America (AIA) is the oldest association of Indians in America. The AssoFLDWLRQ ZDV IRXQGHG LQ $XJXVW The NY chapter has members from all over the tri-state region. It prides itself on being completely secular and open, with members representing all regions and religions of India, as well as of varied professions, backgrounds and occupations.

$,$ 1< &KDSWHU LV D QRQ SUR¿W RUJDQL]Dtion which is involved in many community, charitable and social events that embody the VSLULW RI LWV PHPEHUV¶ DQG LW¶V PRWWR ³,QGLDQ +HULWDJH DQG $PHULFDQ FRPPLWPHQW´ )RU WKH ODVW \HDUV WKH Ã&#x20AC;DJVKLS HYHQW RI WKH organization is its massive Deepavali Festival, held at the South Street Seaport in New York City. This festival is the most prominent and well known festival of the Indian community

Objectives The AIA was formed with the following objectives: · To promote the welfare of Asian Indians in the US and to address issues of integration with mainstream America. · To promote the image of India in the US by showing its rich culture and tradi tions through various events.

· To encourage and facilitate the participation of AIA members and others in the development and progress of India through charitable, cultural and educational activities and to facilitate communication and co-operation among the people of Indian heritage worldwide.

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Felicitations for AIA Diwali festival

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Felicitations for AIA Diwali festival Bringing in good luck and festive spirit In India, Diwali is the time for spring-cleaning of the house and to give it a fresh and bright new look with fancy decorations. Every year on Diwali people give a fresh coat of paint to their house and decorate it with something traditional yet trendy. There are a whole lot of traditional decorations associated with the festival of Diwali. These are being carried out since ages and are enhanced every year with new ideas and techniques to suit modern tastes and requirements.

Door Hangings:

Flowers:

Rangoli:

Bandanwars, Torans or Wall To welcome Hangings are a traditional decoLakshmi rative for the festival of Diwali.

Mata or the These help to give a festive Goddess of charm to the house. Usually We a l t h , people put up door-hangings women preembellished with embroidery, pare elaborate bells or mirrors on the main Rangoli patentrance door of the house and terns in front also the door of their worship room to welcome Goddess of the courtTHE CITY OF NEW YORK Lakshmi. Hang up a bell at the entrance to your house.

Let or the O F F I C E O F T yards HE MAYOR the visitors ring it instead of the electric door-chime.

N E W The Y O R K , entrance N Y 1 0 0 0of 7 the house. Rangoli is the colorful geometric patnaturally melodious tone gives every arrival that "puja-fes- tern prepared on the floor with colored sawdust, chalk, flour tive" feeling. Diwali Toran are handcrafted and come embel- or rice-grain. A lot of creativity and hard work goes into the lished with embroidery, bells, beads, mirror, shells, image of making of this beauty.

Lord Ganesha etc. Torans are very much in vogue these days The beauty of Rangoli is further enhanced with the tradiOctober 2, 2011 and are the most fashionable Diwali decorative gifts. tional Diwali earthen diyas.

Dear Friends:

Pooja Thali

It is a great pleasure to welcome everyone to the South Street Seaport once again for the Innovative and Association attractive ofcraft Diyas and candles are Indians in America’s 24th Annual Diwali Festival.

On the Diwali morning, go to a flower shop or order sufficient quantity to adorn your house.

The fragrance of the flowers will hold you under a spell. Buy flowers in dozens- the choicest being roses, lilies, jasmines and string them into garlands. It will lend a spiritual enchantment to the pooja. Put some flowers in glasses, pen-stands, glasses or almost anything that would enhance the beauty of your house.

Diyas and Candles

items, beautifully decorated pooja an intrinsic part of York continues to be a city of opportunity for people of all backgrounds, including thalis are meant both for New the home Diwali decorations. generations men and women of Indian heritage. Indian immigrants and their childrenPeople continue and for gift giving.

Pretty of pooja love to illuminate to make invaluable contributions to New York’s cultural and economic life, and we are proud to thalis are specially decorated for the every nook and corner of join in celebrating this festival of lights central to the faiths of people across India, South Asia, festive season of Diwali.

Available their house with diyas and the world. Every year, millions of our residents and visitors enjoy the Diwali fireworks, and in lovely shapes, these Diwali and to candles that come in the theme ofPooja this year’s festival, “Non-Violence in Today’s World,” offers a terrific chance on everything `Thalis' make forreflect pretty festive our communities are doing to help build a more peaceful City. interesting and artistic gifts. The range is wide, the price designs on the occasion On behalf of all New Yorkers, I offer my best wishes for a Happy Diwali! varies with the commodity and the of Diwali. The word, quality is to be vouched for.

‘Deepavali’ means rows Embellished with beautiful designs of lamps. The traditional Sincerely, these pooja thalis helps one perform Diwali Diyas or lamps Dipawali Pooja with great style and have witnessed a grandeur. The Diwali Pooja Thali contains all the essential accessories for a pooja, a makeover in past few Michael R. Bloomberg bell, small katauri, a matka, an om coin and a leaf shaped tiny box to hold chawal. Idols years. Erstwhile they were the sole creation of the potter’s wheel but today they are Mayor of Ganesh and Lakshmi, the great deities associated with wealth and prosperity, are also being handled by creative designers and craftsman who paint and turn diyas in innovaincluded in the set. Pooja thali come in different shapes and sizes with varied decorated tive shapes and pattern. Wax filled diyas are very much in demand as they are more conmotifs such as floral and animals like elephant, and can be crafted in a wide range of venient to use than the conventional oil ones. Brass and aluminum diyas are also quite metals from brass to silver and gold. popular. These days one can find a variety of ready to gift Diyas sets in the market.

Decorative Lamps: As Diwali is the ‘Festival of Lights’ people love to add glamor to their house with an extra bit of illumination. Hence, decorative lamps are quite popular.

These come in various materials ranging from simple rice paper to glass, brass and marble. They are considered to be an important Diwali decorations item as they turn a room bright in an artistic manner. Diwali lamps are wonderful gifts for those wishing to redecorate their house.

Wall Hangings:

Wall Hangings adorned with the image of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi are popular Diwali decorative items.

As the festival is a traditional, wall hangings with ethnic touch are preferred over others. Embroidered cloth panels too work wonderfully as a Deepavali decorative.

Laxmi Ganesh Sculptures and Idols: As LakshmiGanesh Puja is an intrinsic part of the Diwali Festival, LakshmiGanesh sculptures and idols are a very important Diwali decorative item. These come in interesting designs in various sizes to suit the varied requirements of people. Brass and silver Lakshmi-Ganesh decorative are popular as Diwali gift these days.

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9/11 victims benefited from ancient secrets of Dr Naram The renowned Ayurveda/Siddha Veda expert will give free consultation at Diwali mela n New York, thousands of people exposed to toxins following the September 11 tragedy are being treated with Dr Pankaj Naram's Ancient Secret herbal supplements free of charge. This is made possible through the "Serving Those Who Serve" organization. Dr Naram's services and herbal supplements, offered at no cost, have produced incredible results that have been documented in peerreviewed medical journal research.

Within seconds of putting his fingers on your pulse, Dr Pankaj Naram can tell you what is happening in your body, mind and emotions.

"It also goes deeper into the organs and gives you the whole picture like an X-Ray," says the doctor who travels the world treating over 100 people a day.

Dr Naram runs clin- Dr. Pankaj Naram has treated hundreds of New Yorkers ics in 15 countries on 5 exposed to toxins following Sept 11 tragedy, free-of-charge continents, with people coming from 108 counseeing 80 to 90 patients a day and was tries. His Siddha Veda method is based on able to determine what was wrong with ancient scriptures for the secrets of dis- the person in less than one minute. Dr covering what is happening in the body, Naram wondered how this was possible mind and emotions. This method helps and decided to meet Baba Ramdas in perpeople to live life full of energy and son. After meeting him, and eventually vibrant health. Dr Naram states that his studying under him, Dr Naram's life was methods are not for emergencies such as transformed. "He first broke my ego" says heart attacks however, he has gotten very Dr Naram. "Here we are not treating good results with chronic health condi- patients; the patients are obliging us by tions such as asthma, infertility, cancer, allowing us to treat them so that we get diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease, enlightenment in the process." "It is like arthritis, kidney failure, obesity, slipped meditation. It is my service to humanity." disc, Crohn's Disease, osteoporosis, PMS, Dr Naram became the head of the depression, psoriasis, stroke, hair loss, Siddha Veda lineage after his teacher left skin conditions, memory loss, chronic his body at 125. He has treated the Dalai fatigue syndrome as well as improving Lama and the late Mother Teresa with immunity and quality of life in persons whom he set up hospitals for stray dogs, who are HIV positive. and a HIV clinic among others. Dr Naram Dr Naram does not discount conven- has received numerous International tional medicine but prefers to work in awards and honors. On October 17th, conjunction with modern medicine. Dr 2010, the State of New Jersey and the Naram's Ancient Secret treatments include Honorable Former Governor Christine herbal supplements, diet, and ancient Todd Whitman gave an award of recogni"Marma Siddhi" techniques - technology tion to Dr. Pankaj Naram, for his Ancient of transformation of body, mind, emotion Secret Formulas ability to so effectively and soul. He is in his fifties and says that remove 9/11 Toxicity from the 30 years ago he was a balding, bespecta- FireFighters and other First Responders. cled and overweight young doctor when a In India, several hundred HIV patients patient told him about a 115 year old heal- are being treated free of charge, including er, Baba Ramdas Swami, who practiced all the Ancient Secret herbal supplements just outside Bombay. Baba Ramdas was and testing.

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Dance drama Ramayan to be staged at AIA-Diwali The presenter, Pt Satya Narayana Charka heads EastWest School of Dance at Ananda Ashram, Monroe, NY. he East-West School of Dance was founded in 1981 at Ananda Ashram with the blessings of Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati. Under the direction of Pandit Satya Narayana Charka, the School has been a pioneer in North America especially in presenting classical Indian Kathak Dance and innovative dance dramas. Its objective is to help achieve a deeper understanding and harmony between East and West for cultural and spiritual enrichment, integrating traditional and modern values through education in the universal language of dance. Its syllabus is based on the standards followed by Indian dance institutions such as Kathak Kendra in New Delhi and Natya Institute of Kathak & Choreography in Bangalore, also incorporating the traditional Gurukula educational system.

At present, Pandit S.N. Charka offers regular Kathak classes at seven teaching centers in the New York/New Jersey area.

Pandit Satya Narayana Charka is a distinguished Kathak dance performer, choreographer and teacher of international acclaim. His gurus

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include Pandit R.K. Shukla, Pandit Shambhu Maharaj, Shrimati Maya Rao and Pandit Birju Maharaj. Pandit S.N. Charka has won many prestigious awards, including first place in the All-India Dance Competition.

Over the last 35 years, he has presented numerous traditional dance recitals as well as dance dramas, bringing myth to life for today's audiences.

The Ananda Ashram was founded in 1964 by Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati (then Ramamurti S. Mishra, M.D.) as the country center of the Yoga Society of New York, Inc. It is also the location of the International Schools of East-West Unity (Gurukula), Inc., established by the Founder in 1992.

Topics of workshops, courses and lectures offered include the various aspects of Yoga, classical arts, Sanskrit language and natural health.

East-West cultural performances highlight summer weekends and special celebrations. Guest teachers and artists from a variety of traditions are regular contributors. The Ashram philosophy is nonsectarian with an emphasis placed on self-awareness and meditation.

Kathak exponent Pandit S N Charka

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Raising the entertainment quotient UK’s upcoming singer Samar Sidhu to perform at AIA Diwali fest he son of Bhangra icon Amarjit Sidhu, Samar started to learn tabla at the tender age of 12. He discovered a passion for singing a couple of years later, after meeting the then newcomer Jaz Dhami, as the budding star approached Samar’s father for advice and direction.

It was inevitable that a young man like Jaz was going to be a huge impact on the eager teenager and as a result, Samar started developing his own unique sound. Samar has spent the past two years creating music that combines his love for Hindi, Bollywood and of course Bhangra and is now set to release his first single

‘Mukhara’.

The teenager says of his music: “I am really determined for my music to be my own. It’s influenced and inspired by the music and artists that I love and I hope that audiences across the world will like what I have created. It’s a reflection of my life and my personality.”

‘Mukhara’ is the first single to be released from the Sidhu camp, featuring three separate mixes, including a Bhangra mix by the chart topping Dark MC, a Bollywood mix and a Club Dance mix.

Samar continues: “We had great fun with Mukhara and we’ve created three mixes for different moods and tastes – so

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Break into showbiz with Main Bhi Star Contest how off your acting talent for a chance to appear on a Star India Plus Primetime show Star India Plus, well-known for its dramatic serials, will give two lucky contestants the chance to appear on one of its primetime shows.

The Western Union Main Bhi Star Contest will offer contestants a chance to audition for an appearance alongside famous actors on a popular Star India Plus show.

One male and one female winner will be flown to India to appear on a show.

Auditions will take place on October 2, 2011 at the AIA Deepavali Festival at the South Street Seaport in New York City.

To enter, participants can either visit www.startv.com/usa or

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no excuse for anyone not to listen – wherever they are and whatever mood they’re in!”

Samar has grown up surrounded by the best Asian music both from the UK and the sub continent of India. With visitors to his home including people like Gurdas Mann and Sonu Nigam it seems inevitable that he would develop a passion for Asian music.

Samar has just finished work on 6 video's which will be shown on various Asian television channels in the next few months. His growing reputation as an upcoming singer means that Samar will be performing live at events throughout the UK and now even US.

British Asian band 3Mix will have crowds grooving Mix are on a mission to bring Indian culture into the mainstream. Uniting pop influences such as Michael Jackson, The Temptations and Motown with tradition Indian music, they are set to make it big.

Their debut single was "Put It On Me".

Now they are out with their brand new single ‘Nachle.’

Karim, Myan and Usman, more commonly known as 3Mix, are three Londoners who met while auditioning for Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic musical Bombay Dreams, but as destiny would have it, their own dreams were subsequently born.

Their new single ‘Nachle’ features talented singer/songwriter Navin Kundra and is produced by the acclaimed Mushtaq, who is responsible for delivering hit

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visit the Star India Plus Booth between 12 noon and 7p.m.

Eastern to fill out an application form.

Star India Plus representatives will be on site to provide scripts.

Contestants can also visit www.startv.com/usa for audition video and scripts. Contestants will be auditioning opposite actors from popular Star India Plus shows, and two talented winners will be chosen to fly to India to appear on a Star India Plus show.

3Mix is a group of 3 Londoners named Karim, Myan and Usman. after hit for the likes of Amy Whinehouse, Sugababes and Raghav.

3Mix began turning heads after winning the Best Unsigned Act at the UK Asian Music Awards and in 2008, coming off the back of a successful national tour, landing

a single deal with major label EMI, releasing their debut single ‘Put It On Me’.

Having since toured several countries in the last few years, performing to thousands, they are building a solid fan following along the way.

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Cultural Performances

Bollywood Stage

Dignitaries

AIA-NY President Ranju Batra has conceived 'Non-Violence in Today's World' as the theme of the 24th AIA-NY Diwali Festival.

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Ranju Batra: Bringing Indian and American cultures closer

Ranju Batra was sworn in President of the Association of Indians in America - NY at an impressive event at the Indian Consulate.

After successfully staging the Diwali festival, the new AIA-NY President plans to take presentations and performances to city schools to expose them to Indian culture and festivals, as well as induct young people into the organization.

By Parveen Chopra

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anju Batra was inaugurated as President of the Association of Indians in America (New York Chapter) at an impressive event at the Indian Consulate in New York in June 2011, and she promises that AIA-NY’s flagship Deepavali Festival this year too will be impressive, better than before, no matter that she has been at the helm of the organization only for a little more than three months.

Her confidence stems from many factors.

A very active member of the AIA, Ranju has been its Cultural Chair for 10 years and has played a crucial role in organizing various AIA events like the Diwali program at South Street Seaport in Manhattan. “I have also known most past presidents and have their vast experience to benefit from. I am proud of my committee too as everybody is working hard to make the event successful,” she says.

Besides AIA, Ranju has had a long-standing foundation in different social and charitable causes. Not to forget that as a paralegal she has been Administrator for the successful Law Firm of Ravi Batra, founded by her husband, an eminent attorney known for his intellectual ability in legal, political and and public policy spheres. Ranju has lined up many crowd pulling events at this year’s Diwali mela, expected to be visited by a hundred thousand people.

Fireworks, the staple of the event sponsored

by Air India, will light up the skyline over East River. Starting at sundown around 7.15, the spectacular show will last for about 20-25 minutes. Ever since Macy’s July 4th fireworks moved to the Hudson River, the AIA Fireworks on the East River are the only one seen by millions of New Yorkers in the five boroughs of Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. While the day-long mela is free to all, there is an invite-only special fireworks

viewing plaza, with dinner for some 500 prominent invited dignitaries and guests.

Excitedly enumerating the highlights of the mela, Ranju mentions that the Grand Media Sponsor, Star Plus is holding the Main Bhi Star Contest on-site. Contestants will audition opposite actors from the popular TV channel from India. Two talented winners will be flown to India to appear in a show on the leading Indian channel for families.

Two stars of Sasural Genda Phool, Inder and Rajini (screen names for Jiten Lalwani and Bhairavi Raichura) will also make an appearance. This popular soap opera from Star Plus is airing on TV Asia.

The large Holistic and Medical Fair boasts the presence of Dr Pankaj Naram, the Mumbai based, globe girding ayurveda doctor with a sensational pulse diagnosis expertise.

He will also speak during the VIP hour from the main stage. “His advice and potions have had a marked effect in the case of my own daughter who has special needs,” admits Ranju Batra. Yoga besides ayurveda will be part of the holistic mix.

Dr Subhash Gulati of Advanced Research Foundation, New Rochelle, NY, will be on hand to give medical advice on health problems ranging from obesity to diabetes.

In all there will be some 70 stalls excluding the corporate stalls. The food stalls will offer multiple Indian cuisines and as always are expected to do roaring business. Meena Bazar will have trinkets and other stuff that women fall for. What’s new? “People can look for freebies from our sponsors, Incredible !ndia, McDonalds, Pepsi and MakeMyTrip.com, etc,” says Ranju Batra.

“We will have something going for everybody in the family. The children will have games to enjoy and face and tattoo painting.

Ladies will love rangoli and mehendi. Pop group 3Mix and solo signer Samar Sidhu,

both from the UK, will get the younger crowd grooving. Megha Kalia’s group is worth watching from among the Bollywood dance groups. In the classical segment, there will be a presentation by the students of Swati Vaishnav. The dance drama ‘Ramayan’ by Pandit Satya Narayana Charka of Ananda Ashram, Monroe, NY, will appeal to a different age group,” explains Ranju.

Aware that this time the Diwali mela is being held on Oct 2, Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, and within weeks of the 10th anniversary of 9-11, Ranju has come up with ‘Non-Violence in Today’s World’ as the theme. “We will set up a shrine which people can visit and pray at.” This will be at Pier 17 and close to the health fair booths.

She wants people to visit the shrine.

Ranju is also very excited about the “Diwali stamp” and to make it a reality, she said her full energy as AIA-NY president will be to raise awareness and garner support from

across the United States to have everyone sign a petition in favor of the Diwali stamp so as to push the United States Postal Service (USPS) to issue a stamp honoring Diwali, a common festival for Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists. Ranju credits her dear friend, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney as the primary sponsor of the Diwali stamp and said, “We love Carolyn for this too!” noting her many other achievements. “AIA-NY, Carolyn Maloney and the Diwali stamp are ‘perfect together’.

Ranju believes that the Diwali mela is a perfect vehicle to familiarize others with Indian culture and mores, and exposure to other cultures, being an antidote to violence, is a sure way to enhance harmony in society.

Actually, as AIA-NY President, Ranju Batra intends to pursue a two-pronged agenda, which she will start focusing on after the October 2 maha event. One part of the agenda is

Ranju is proud of her hardworking AIA team, and has the benefit of knowing past presidents to draw on their vast experience of organizing the Diwali festival at South Street Seaport, the biggest Diwali event in the world.

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Bringing in good luck and festive spirit

Door Hangings:

Rangoli:

Flowers:

Paresh Gandhi / Rediff.com

her way up to being an effective Adminto make presentations and give cultural like political petitions, and file them with the istrator of her husband Ravi’s law firm. performances at city schools one by one to USPS and get all our Congressional friends Ranju and Ravi have helped in the election create awareness about the culture and festito join Carolyn Maloney as sponsors.” of many members of the New York State vals of India. The Japanese and the Chinese Ranju elaborates, “My mission through Supreme Court. Their support has also been have already been doing that, she points out. the Diwali mela and other AIA activities is sought by mainstream national, and new look with fancy decoraThere is no time to lose and it is best to start to bring Indian culture to the mainstream, In India, Diwali is the time for spring-cleaning of the house and to give it a fresh andstate, bright local politicians, as well as various cultural with young, impressionable minds. to help the community come up and reach tions.

Every year onisDiwali give aand fresh house and decorate with something traditional yet and religious organizations dedicated it to the To second part of her agenda key to keeppeople the pinnacle, bringcoat Indianof andpaint Ameri-to their Indian-American community.

AIA relevant and vital.

In her own words: “I can cultures closer in a mutually respectful trendy. There are a whole lot of traditional decorations associated with the festival of Diwali. These are being carried out Born and brought up in Delhi, Ranju want to bring the whole young generation to way.” That is why, for one, she has been part are enhanced every new ideas techniques tastes and requirements. to America atto thesuit age ofmodern 19, and marAIA andsince will like ages them to and take leadership role. of the Diwaliyear event ofwith John Liu, NYC comp-andcame ried Ravi. They have two children, Neal, For the purpose, we are talking to relevant ortroller who was earlier a City Councilman. who just graduated law school, and Angela. ganizations with young members, as well as Ranju’s zeal towards making a differThey live in Westchester. young professionals.” She also endeavors to ence in America with civic, cultural, and Bandanwars, Torans or Wallyoung people To welcome On old Indian the The opportunity to helm a grand have monthly seminars where political activities is tremendous. She has Hangings are aissues traditional L aink svarious h m i organizations, community organization likeDiwali AIA ismornsure to would discuss relateddecoto the Indian combeen involved rative thehow festival of Diwali.

Mata ing, gototobring a take Ranju a long way in her mission munityfor and to bring their culture into the including being on orthetheBoard of TrustThese help For to give a festive shop Indian and American culturesflower and communimainstream. starters, Ranju says, “I want ees for HinduGoddess Center, asofwell as playing charm to people the house.

Usuallyregarding Dia l t h , Hope and the or order Dream sufties closer. Says she, “The American our young to get petitions an active roleWine Children’s people put up door-hangings women preficient quanis for everyone willing to work hard and wali stamp signed all over America, and send Asian Pacific Islander cultural body. Proembellished with embroidery, pare titybe.” to adorn make America the best she can them to us, and we will bundle them together, fessionally, she is elaborate a paralegal and worked bells or mirrors on the main Rangoli patyour house. entrance door of the house and terns in front The fraalso the door of their worship room to welcome Goddess of the courtgrance of the Lakshmi. Hang up a bell at the entrance to your house. Let yards or the flowers will the visitors ring it instead of the electric door-chime. The entrance of the house. Rangoli is the colorful geometric pat- hold you naturally melodious tone gives every arrival that "puja-fes- tern prepared on the floor with colored sawdust, chalk, flour under a spell. Buy flowers in dozens- the choicest being tive" feeling. Diwali Toran are handcrafted and come embel- or rice-grain. A lot of creativity and hard work goes into the roses, lilies, jasmines and string them into garlands. It will lished with embroidery, bells, beads, mirror, shells, image of making of this beauty. lend a spiritual enchantment to the pooja. Put some flowers Lord Ganesha etc. Torans are very much in vogue these days The beauty of Rangoli is further enhanced with the tradi- in glasses, pen-stands, glasses or almost anything that would and are the most fashionable Diwali decorative gifts. tional Diwali earthen diyas. enhance the beauty of your house.

Protecting the future while respecting the past Ranju’s short agenda for her presidency: bring young people into AIA and help train tomorrow’s leaders who know their culture and are comfortable with their identity.

Pooja Thali

Diyas and Candles

spoiled me, as my mom used to, and as involved with Association of Indians in my dad used to, and my sisters used to, Amer ica (AIA). It is the oldest such organiInnovative and attractive craft Diyasformed and candles areafter the 1964 law and so many of my friends do. (Come zation, as it was items, beautifully decorated pooja an intrinsic part of to think of it, boy, am I glad I’m not change, it was mostly made up of profesthalis are meant both for the home Diwali Indeed, decorations. spoiled! Just kidding. In my defense, sionals. a couple of its initial meetand for gift giving. Pretty pooja People love to illuminate I must say, I do walk humbly with my ings were convened in my Dad’s basement, I thalis are specially decorated for the everyinnook and of Avenue, Queens.

God, as required by all faiths.) She is a think 1968, oncorner Woodside festive season of Diwali. Available their house with diyasequals dedication far better human being than I could ever Ranju, being Ranju, in lovely shapes, these Diwali Pooja and candles that As come in Cultural Chair, be. One of my closest friends, a noble and excellence.

AIA’s `Thalis' make for pretty festive interesting soul who has graced a lofty bench, said: she broughtand her artistic administrative abilities gifts. The range is wide, the price designs occasion “Ranju is your best asset.” from theon lawthe firm to harness the power of varies with the commodity and the of Diwali. word, its exposition to As for Diwali, she already has a huge culture and toThe maximize quality is to be vouched for.

‘Deepavali’ means rows success under her belt: Diwali is a parkall.

Great, but guess what the cost was.

Embellished with beautiful designs of lamps.

The traditional ing holiday in New York City. Back when Ranju working away into the wee hours, these pooja thalis helps one perform Diwali Diyas orand lamps John Liu was chair of the Transportation night after night keeping the light on Dipawali Pooja with great style and have shewitnessed a and perfection Committee of the NYC Council, Ranju until was exhausted grandeur. The Diwali Pooja Thali contains all the essential accessories for a pooja, a makeoverOnce, in past few so bad that she supported Speaker Chris Quinn and John achieved. it was bell, small katauri, a matka, an om coin and a leaf shaped tiny box to hold chawal. Idols years.

Erstwhile they were and the sole creation of theBill potter’s wheelDavid but today theyHelen are Liu, de Blasio, Weprin, had been up many nights, of course, of Ganesh and Lakshmi, the great deities associated with wealth and prosperity, are also being handledthe by law creative craftsman andother turn diyas inmembers innovaSearswho and paint so many council she managed firmdesigners during theand day, an eminent attorney, Ravi Batrashapes is a huge of with his wife, Ranju. includedHimself in the set.

Pooja thali come in different andfan sizes varied decorated tive shapes and pattern.

Wax are very in demand as they areNow, moreon conto much override the mayoral veto.

Dithat on Diwali mela day shefilled wentdiyas on the motifs such as floral and animals like elephant, and can be crafted in a wide range of venient to use than the conventional oil ones.

Brass and aluminum diyas are also quite wali, every New Yorker is told on TV and stage to introduce a performance, but had metals from brass to silver and gold. popular. can find a variety gift due Diyas in the radiotothat to sets Diwali themarket. parking reguno voice.These She days thenone drafted others to doof ready I could say much more, but then I

By Ravi Batra lations are suspended. the introductions and managed the perwouldn’t be objective. She got involved with anju is beautiful, hardworking, Ranju has set a short agenda for her formances off stage. After all, the show community organizations decades after I had always learning, compassionate, presidency: bring young people into AIA must go on! left them for they were all overflowing with calm (well, calmer than me), with and help train tomorrow’s leaders who Along the years, she was asked by many very capable and dedicated community leadAs Diwali is a style all her own, and an exceptional huknow their culture and are comfortable an AIA personality, if she wanted to be ers and my mainstream-mindset was, at best, the ‘Festival man being. I’m lucky that she is my wife, with their identity. Second, get the Diwali president. Always, she said no. (And, I was unneeded. My love for the law is, at its core, As Lakshmiof Lights’ a dedicated mother with limitless love and Stamp issued by the United States Postal secretly happy.) Last year, Ranju came to to make “equal under law” the most powGanesh Puja is people love to tireless energy, a thorough professional Service---something that our dear friend, tell me she is going to run for president. I erful root of all laws as well as in its very an intrinsic part add glamor to who pays attention to detail, and has an Carolyn Maloney, is spearheading. Rangulped; Ranju, as president meant more touch. That, for me equaled mainstream of the Diwali their house unquenchable thirst for knowledge. In ju--who knows how to get political pesleepless nights! “You sure?” I asked. I tried not ethnicity, as one’s grounding. Barack Festival, with an extra fact, whenever we are going away, be it titions signed given all of her service to my best to dissuade her for my selfish reaObama, leaving aside the current poor state Lakshmibit of illumia road trip or across the world, she brings this republic-- wants petitions for the sons: my sleep; her sleep; less tiredness. of our nation’s economy, on July 27, 2008 Ganesh sculpnation. Hence, along her New York Times clippings colstamp signed all over America and sent But Ranju is driven. Better yet, while in Berlin charmed the land of the former tures and idols decorative lected for future reading; and they run the to her so they can be bundled and preothers could see she was ready to be presiMaster Race with “My fellow citizens of the are a very lamps are gamut from science to food, biomedicine, sented en masse to the USPS with many dent years before, Ranju, herself, knew she world...” Mainstream includes ethnicity gaimportant quite popular. business, law, domestic policy, economelected officials co-sponsoring Carolyn’s was ready only when beyond challenge. lore, except none is better or more equal; just Wall Hangings adorned with the image of Lord Ganesha Diwali decoraThese come in various materials ranging from simple rice ics, foreign policy, fashion, restaurants leadership. Methinks, Ranju has got it exSo, over my objection, she contested in equal citizenship. Forgive me, but I digress paper to glass, brass and marble. They are considered to be and Goddess Lakshmi are popular Diwali decorative items. tive item. These and space exploration. In that sense, she actly right: she wants to protect the future the next election. The rest, as they say, is from the task given by the Editor: Ranju.

As the festival is a traditional, wall hangings with ethnic come in interesting designs in various sizes to suit the varied an important Diwali decorations item as they turn a room is like my late parents: always reading, alwhile respecting the past. Bravo! history. Talking about history, let me add Imagine my surprise--not necessarily touch are preferred over others. Embroidered cloth panels requirements of people. Brass and silver Lakshmi-Ganesh bright in an artistic manner. Diwali lamps are wonderful ways learning. that I am a huge fan of my wife. She has pleasant—when over a decade ago Ranju got on Ranju continued decorative are popularRavi as Diwali gift these days. on page 53... too work wonderfully as a Deepavali decorative. gifts for those wishing to redecorate their house.

R Decorative Lamps:

Wall Hangings:

Laxmi Ganesh Sculptures and Idols:

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Message from the AIA National President

Message from the Socio-Cultural Chair

n behalf of the National Executive Committee of the Association of Indians in America (AIA), I extend Diwali greetings to you and your near and dear ones across the globe. Diwali represents the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. It reassures us that our adversities and challenges can be overcome.

Diwali is a time for celebration, but it is also a time for reflection – a time when we must remember that there are always others less fortunate then ourselves. This holiday reminds us all that we should commit ourselves to helping those in need. AIA is founded on these principles and on this auspicious occasion, we must reassure our commitment to reach out to our fellow Indians in America and abroad and dedicate our efforts towards the achievement of progress, unity and prosperity.

I would like to congratulate all of our chapters of AIA celebrating Diwali festival in major cities across America. My special compliments and appreciation to Mrs. Ranju Batra and her team for their tireless efforts to organize this colorful festival. South Street Seaport in Manhattan is a very prestigious and beautiful location to watch Diwali fireworks and its sparkling lights radiating in the pristine water of East River.

Let’s all live up to the message of Diwali, remove darkness from our lives and try to bring light, wisdom and happiness in ours and others’ lives around us.

Animesh Goenka AIA National President

t is that time of the year once again. Every year, we gather on the first Sunday in October to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Most of us were here last year during this Diwali program and it is incredible how fast time goes by as we all gather together again this year.

Our Bollywood Stage is full of masti, dancing, singing and pure enjoyment. Each year, the event grows in popularity as a number of new artists join the program.

Like last year, our Bollywood Stage will be covered by and aired on Sahara One TV. Many thanks to all the dancing schools, performers and the media for all their help in making Bollywood Stage so successful. And a very special thanks to all the teachers, who are keeping alive Indian traditions, language, music and dance by passing their knowledge to all their students.So sit down, relax and enjoy a wonderful program of music and dance to celebrate the Festival of Lights.

I wish you all a Happy Diwali and Prosperous New Year.

Indu Gajwani

I

O

AIA Achievements * Reclassification of Immigrants from South Asian Countries as Asian Pacific Americans. * Minority status to Asian Indian immigrants in the 1970’s. * Separate enumeration of Asian Indians for the first time in US census as an independent category in 1980. * Representation before Congressional committees to testify for family reunification provision in the immigration bill. * Represented at federal, state and local levels of governments, in cases of bias or discrimination against the Asian Indians. * Represented on Foreign Medical Graduates Committee of AMA, effectively addressing the issues of discrimination in recogni-

tion and licensing of Indian physicians. * Relief work for Natural Disasters across the world. * Sponsoring fellowship in journalism, 1993. * Raising funds to help the victims of earthquake in Maharashtra, 1993. * “Project India” an ongoing project of AIA, has channeled more than $15M worth of funds and equipment to projects and relief works in India. * Voter registration drive. * Seminars on subjects of IndoAmerican interest. * Youth Talent Awards-National Essay Competition. * Acharya Awards: instituted in 1995 to recognize and honor school

teachers of Indian descent in USA. * Sushruta and Charaka Award: instituted in 1993 to recognize and honor people of Indian origin in the field of Medicine and Health Care. * National Honor Awards, an ongoing activity of AIA, to individuals in recognition of the recipients’ contributions to arts and letters and to greater understanding between the people of India and America. * Celebration of festivities and national events of both Indian and America for mutual understanding among communities. * Deepavali Celebration for public: New York City: at South Street Seaport, enjoyed by hundreds of thousands, Florida at Morikami Park and Japanese Garden since 1990. * Sponsorship of ongoing educational conferences on television regarding political awareness and

political activism, so that the community can develop an agenda and fully participate in American political life, define its goals and safeguard its rights, 1995. * Political awareness program urging Indians to unite into two groups. i) Indians for Democrats ii) Indians for Republicans. * Participated in the conference “India’s New Economic Policy”

New Delhi, 1996. * Earthquake in Gujarat in 2001, Kargil conflict, Floods in India (several) and Midwest America 1993. * Raised funds for Tsunami in Indian Ocean. * New York City recognized Diwali in 2003. * White House celebrated Diwali for the first time in year 2006 .

Dignitaries and celebs at AIA-NY Diwali

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has graced the AIA Diwali mela stage a couple of times. umerous Congressmen, Councilmen, Dignitaries and celebrities have graced the Deepavali Festival in the past. Some of them are: Mayor Bloomberg Mayor Giuliani Chuck Schummer John Liu

N Now in its 24th year, the massive Deepavali Festival at the South Street Seaport in New York City is the flagship event of AIA.

David Weprin Prabhu Dayal Gale Brewer Pandit Jasraj Kadir Khan Ensembles Bali Sagoo Lara Dutta Deepti Naval Raghav

30

Spectacular Show

While the day-long mela is free to all, there is an invite-only special fireworks viewing plaza, with dinner for some 500 prominent invited dignitaries and guests.

An estimated hundred thousand people throng the mela held every year at the southern tip of Manhattan.

Ranju Batra (third from left) joining in the singing of Indian and American national anthems at an earlier AIA mela.

Immediate Past President Sushma Kotahwla receiving a Congressional Certificate of Appreciation from Carolyn Maloney in the presence of AIA National President Animesh Goenka, Uma Sengupta, John Liu, and Ravi Batra.

Vignettes from earlier Deepavali festivals staged by Association of Indians in America-New York chapter.

Ears and eyes peeled for a spectacle of sound and light.

AIA Diwali fireworks are second only to Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s July 4th monumental show.

NYC Comptroller John Liu came to congratulate Ranju Batra at her swearing in as AIA-NY President at the Indian Consulate in June 2011.

The devotional items and trinkets and other stalls at Meena Bazar hold huge appeal for women, modern or traditional.

Air India stall: the National carrier sponsors the fireworks every year at the biggest Diwali mela in the world including India.

Bank of India New York: New York Branch (Member FDIC) 277, Park Avenue, New York NY 10172 Tel: (646) 720-0398 E-mail: boiny@usa.net Web: www.boiusa.com

San Francisco Agency: 555, California Street Suite 4646, San Francisco, CA 94104 Tel: (415)956-6326 E-mail: boisfa@aol.com

34

Nine goddesses and how to worship them during Navratra

By Tania Gupta avratra is a festival in which nine incarnations of goddess Durga are worshiped in a systematic manner. Nav means ‘nine’ and ratri means ‘night,’ therefore Navratra means ‘nine nights.’ It is time for purification. Navratras like all Indian festivals has many legends associated with it. These hold a special significance for Gujaratis and Bengalis. The dandiya and garba ras are special to Gujarat.

Navratras started on 28th Sept this time and are for 8 days only as 3rd and 4th navratra get combined in one day. Basically on the first 3 days Parvati (goddess of power) is worshiped, on the next 3 days it is Laxmi (goddess of wealth) and last 3 days are for Saraswati (goddess of knowledge).

Listening to Durga Saptshati mantras during these days blesses us with good health, wealth and knowledge.

In many communities people do rigorous fasts and prayers all nine days. If you are unable to fast opt for fruits only diet once a day. People soak barley in utensils on the first day and also place a kalash with a little rice and a coin having a picture of Maa Durga. Worship idols of Laxmi, Parvati and Saraswati with red flowers.

The nine goddesses worshiped on each navratra: 1. Shalputri - On the first day, we worship goddess Shalputri, daughter of the Himalayas.

Himalaya is a symbol of power, stability and determination, so

N

Shalputri is worshiped for all these characteristics. Start by chanting mantras of Lord Ganesha. Of course, no pujan is complete without Lord Shiva.

2. Brahmacharini - Maa Jagdamba is considered an incarnation of Goddess Brahmacharini, whom we worship on 2nd day. She is the creator of world as she had the powers of Lord Brahma himself. She is basically the reason for fertility and child birth. Adorn her idol with jasmine flowers and offer 6 cloves and a piece of camphor.

3. Chandraghanta - On the third day, we worship goddess Chandraghanta who is blessed with 10 hands. Pray to her to get rid of bad deeds and past troubles by offering flowers to her idol and milk to a priest.

4. Kushmanda - Fourth day is meant for worshiping the 9-hand-

New Jersey Dushahra festivities launched New York: The Consul General of India in New York Prabhu Dayal on Sept. 18 officially inaugurated the 13th annual Grand

Dushahra Festival at the consulate.

This year's festival will be held Oct. 9 at the Lake Pappianni Park

ed goddess Kushmanda. It is believed the world has been created just from her smile. Making her happy will free you from financial troubles. Also you will get fame, longevity, strength and good health. Offer her betel nuts and rose.

5. Skanda Mata - On the fifth day we worship her to break out of the vicious cycle of rebirth, bad deeds, and achieve eternal bliss. We can also liberate ourselves from health problems like gastric disorder, cold, cough, etc.

Worship her idol by offering yellow flowers and bananas.

6. Katyayani - On the 6th day we worship Katyayani to get money, spirituality, work and salvation. She is the goddess of our nervous system. If you love someone and want him or her in your life, worship her by offering honey, red flowers and candles to

her idol. Sportspersons should worship her by putting a tilak of honey and sindoor on her idol.

7. Kalratri - On 7th day we worship Kalratri. This goddess gives justice to the needy, poor

in Edison, N.J. Organized by Indo American Festivals Inc., the highlight of the festival is the burning of the 25foot effigies of Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhkaran and dazzling fireworks.

Ramleela, a fair featuring food and kids games, a cultural program and a health camp will also

be held, organizers said in a press release.

The inaugural ceremony began with the national anthem of the two nations followed by the lamp lighting and speeches, the release said. In his speech, Mangal Gupta, chairman of Indo American Festivals Inc., expressed the desire of having a

and people who have committed a crime. She protects those who are scared of fire, water, enemies and darkness. Worship her by offering 7 coconuts to Shanidev and then giving them away as Prasad. Also offer saffron, sandalwood, cardamom and sindoor to her idol.

8. Maha Gauri - On the eighth day we worship Maha Gauri, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati who after vigorous prayers got o marry Lord Shiva. This day is important for young and unmarried girls who want to marry somebody of their choice and even for girls having troubled marital life. Offer her white flowers, and a sweet dish made of milk and coconut.

9. Siddhidatri - Ninth day is for worshiping goddess Siddhidatri, also known as Parvati, Maheshwari and Gauri.

Lord Ram was also born on this day, so the day is also called Ramnavami.

It is a day to achieve knowledge of tantra and mantra.

Siddhidatri is worshiped to improve mother-son relationship.

Offer her red flowers, candles and red clothes. On this day, young girls under the age of 10 are offered food and gifts as they are considered as goddesses.

Tips for Navratras 1. Keep vigil in the night. Read or listen to religious/spiritual stories, which is therapeutic to body, mind and soul-mythotherapy.

2. Do rituals at home. Have a picture of the Goddess concerned and offer her light, incense and chant her mantra.

3. Participate in group rituals with an authentic priest who has perfected the sound vibrations and can help you communicate with the Goddess as these vibrations sync your name and birth star with the

Goddess energy.

4. Chanting relevant mantras vocally or silently in the early morning for one hour is supremely virtuous. In your own consciousness, recreate the Goddess of the day through sounds. Goddesses exist as sounds. All mantras belong to the Goddess.

The author is Delhi-based astrologer and can be contacted at www.horoscopenzodiac.com or through astrotaniagupta@gmail.com

Ramleela ground in U.S. According to the release, the celebrations began about 12 years ago when Gupta saw a culture gap in the community. He wanted to teach youth about the Ramayana and its lesson of the victory of good over evil. For more information, visit www.dushahra.com.

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Diwali or Deepawali is celebrated for different reasons among Hindus, Jains and Sikhs. For Hindus, the festival of lights is celebrated by performing Laksmi Puja, bursting crackers and exchanging sweets. For Jains, Diwali marks the attainment of moksha or nirvana by Mahavira in 527 BC. Sikhs celebrate the festival as Bandhi Chhor Diwas when their sixth guru Guru Hargobind Ji was rescued from the Gwalior Fort in 1619.

Diwali Celebrations in Bangalore he day commemorates the return of Lord Rama, along with wife Sita and brother Lakshmanz, from his 14-year-long exile and vanquishing the demonking Ravana.

In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas and burst firecrackers.

Deepavali marks the end of the harvest season in most part of the country where farmers pray for a good harvest for the year to come.

Lakshmi symbolizes wealth and prosperity, and her blessings are invoked for a good year ahead.

For Sikhs, Diwali is important because it celebrates the release from prison of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind Ji, and 52 other princes from the Gwalior Fort in 1619. The Sikhs celebrated the return of Guru Hargobind by lighting the Golden Temple. An important Sikh event associated with Diwali is the martyrdom of the elderly Sikh scholar and strategist Bhai Mani Singh in 1737. Bhai Mani Singh was the Granthi at Harmandir Sahib (popu-

T

larly known as the Golden Temple).

He transcribed the final version of Guru Granth Sahib dictated to him

by Guru Gobind Singh in 1704.

For Sikhs, Diwali is the second most important day after Baisakhi, when the Khalsa was formally established by the 10th Guru Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.

Diwali has a very special significance in Jainism. Lord Mahavira, the last of the Jain Tirthankaras, attained Nirvana or Moksha on this day at Pavapuri on October 15, 527 BC. According to the legend, the chief disciple of Mahavira, Ganadhara Gautam Swami, also attained Kevalgyana (complete knowledge) on this day, thus making Diwali one of the most important Jain festivals.

In Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated as Deepavali at dawn. People celebrate this by lighting deepams, bursting fireworks, wearing new clothes and sharing sweets. A traditional visit to the Temple is a significant ritual of the day.

In Maharashtra, Diwali starts from Vasubaras which is the 12th

An illuminated Golden Temple on Diwali

day of the 2nd half of the Marathi month Ashvin. This day is celebrated by performing an Aarti of the cow and its calf - which is a symbol of love between mother and her baby.

In Andhra Pradesh, the festivities start out at the crack of dawn and carry on well into the night. Most people make a trip to the local temple along with their families to seek the blessings of their respective Gods. The night sky is lit up with a scintillating array of noisy fireworks.In Karnataka, the celebration is marked by the lighting of innumerable lamps in every courtyard and the bursting of crackers.

Sweetmeals, new clothes and spirit is there as in other festivals.

Kali Puja is the Diwali night in Kolkata and Assam where people light candles in memory of the souls of departed ancestors. The goddess Kali is worshipped for whole night on one night during this festival. This is also a night of fireworks, with people burning sparklers and firecrackers throughout the night.

Diwali shopping in Hyderabad

Kali Puja in Kolkata.

A Mumbai slum lightened up at dawn on Deepawali day

38

Master the art of gifting this Diwali Diwali, the festival of lights, is also the festival of gifts. One of the most celebrated occasions in India, Diwali is associated with fortune and prosperity, and hence, it is the biggest gift giving and shopping festival in India. Giving gifts on Diwali is an excellent way to strengthen relationships with your near and dear ones.

A present on this occasion reflects the warm feelings of the gift-giver and also the spirit of the festival.

The popular tradition of exchanging gifts on Diwali is an age-old custom tied in with the festival and has probably started with the inception of Diwali itself. In

olden days, the simple rural people of India whose occupation mostly consisted of agriculture and cattlerearing, used to exchange homemade sweets, farm produce or handcrafted decorative among themselves on Diwali. Such presents were considered a token of love and the warmth and good wishes associated with the gifts mattered more than the gifts themselves. With time however, the tradition got more and more complicated and gift-giving is not so simple as it used to be earlier.

Today a lot of importance is given to the quality of the gift that one is presented with not only on Diwali but

also on other occasions. However, this wonderful tradition is not wholly a materialistic one and for a large section of Indian people, gift-giving still stands as a way of conveying love, respect, thankfulness, appreciation and a sense of belonging.

So you must pull out all the stops to decide on the most appropriate gift for your loved ones on Diwali. To assist you in your quest, here we present you with some grand gift ideas and suggestions. Go over these and choose the best of Diwali presents and gifts for your friends and near ones:

Sweets

Dry Fruits

Apparels

Sweets are traditional Diwali gifts and the festival of lights is truly incomplete without a generous helping of these sugary delights.

Go for single type of sweets or a mix pack containing varieties of sweets. These days, many shops offer custom made Diwali Sweets in beautiful packs enveloped with gift wrappers. In case you can't decide on any other present, a big sweet pack will be just a nice gift for your friends, relatives and acquaintances.

L i k e sweets, dry fruits too are a popular gift item for Diwali. An irresistible delight, dry fruits are thoroughly enjoyed during the winter season that follows the festival close on its heels. Dry Fruits Pack containing a mix of several varieties of nuts, cashews, chestnuts, almonds are easily available these days in most gift shops and make for nice Diwali Gifts.

What's better, one can store these for long periods of time and don't have to bother about preserving them.

People love to receive new apparels on Diwali. Like in most festivals, people love to celebrate their happiness by dressing themselves in new clothes and want to give their loved ones the same feeling.

Keeping in your mind the tastes and preferences of the receiver of your gift, you can present him/her with traditional Indian outfits or the latest designer clothes from popular brands.

Silver Gift Items One more traditional gift idea for Diwali is handing over silver items though nowadays you need a huge budget allocation for the same given the soaring prices. Available in a wide range and exquisite designs, silver items are a great hit for Diwali and a favorite. The festival being a religious occasion, religious gift items made of silver like silver coins with images of idols as Lakshmi and Ganesh, puja thalis, small silver showpieces and crockery items like silver tea sets and utensils are quite popular as Diwali gifts. They also reflect your wishes and prayers for the health and fortune of the recipient and his/her family.

Diyas

Diwali being the festival of lights, beautifully painted Diyas (earthen lamps) of exquisite designs are indispensable for the occasion. They also stand as a symbol of fortune and are believed to usher in prosperity to individual homes.

Other Popular Diwali Gifts Household gifts like kitchen gadgets, chinaware and traveling bags; Gourmet gift hampers consisting of mithai, dry fruits, jams and sherbets; home appliances like steam iron, juicers, toasters, microwave, coffee makers and rice cookers; electronic devices as mobile handsets, iPods, digital cameras, handy-cam, MP3 Players, DVD Players, PDA, cordless phones, LCD TVs and laptops; jewelers items like bracelets, rings, chains, pendants, cufflinks, tie-pins and the like.

Decor Items

Diwali is the time to decorate the house and hence an appropriate time to present your friends and relations with decorative items.

Popular decor gift items include paintings, bric-a-bracs, show pieces, sculptures, flower vases, Feng-Shui pieces and hanging bells.

Candles

Nicely decorated candles are great too. These days, candles of various shapes, colors and scents are available in the market. Beautiful Diwali candles and candleholders are pocket-friendly for you and yet make lovely presents for your friends and relatives.

Stationery and Desk-top Items Stationery and Desk-top Gifts are also fabulous items to present to your near ones on Diwali.

Preferred items in this category include writing instruments, portfolio bags and folders, time-pieces, reading lamps and the like. You can gift these items to anyone, including your colleagues, business associates and even the boss.

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Bringing in good luck and festive spirit In India, Diwali is the time for spring-cleaning of the house and to give it a fresh and bright new look with fancy decorations. Every year on Diwali people give a fresh coat of paint to their house and decorate it with something traditional yet trendy. There are a whole lot of traditional decorations associated with the festival of Diwali. These are being carried out since ages and are enhanced every year with new ideas and techniques to suit modern tastes and requirements.

Door Hangings

Rangoli

Flowers

Bandanwars, Torans or Wall Hangings are a traditional Diwali decorative. These give a festive charm to the house.

Usually people put up doorhangings embellished with embroidery, bells or mirrors on the main entrance door of the house and also the door of their worship room to welcome Goddess Lakshmi. Hang up a bell at the entrance to your house. Let the visitors ring it instead of the electric doorchime. The naturally melodious tone gives every arrival that "puja-festive" feeling. Diwali Toran are handcrafted and come embellished with embroidery, bells, beads, mirror, shells, image of Lord Ganesha etc. Torans are very much in vogue and are a fashionable Diwali decorative gift.

To welcome Lakshmi Mata or the Goddess of We a l t h , women prepare elaborate Rangoli patterns in front of the courtyards or the entrance of the house. Rangoli is the colorful geometric pattern prepared on the floor with colored sawdust, chalk, flour or rice-grain. A lot of creativity and hard work goes into the making of this beauty.

The beauty of Rangoli is further enhanced with the traditional Diwali earthen diyas.

On the Diwali morning, go to a flower shop or order sufficient quantity to adorn your house.

The fragrance of the flowers will hold you under a spell. Buy flowers in dozens- the choicest being roses, lilies, jasmines and string them into garlands. It will lend a spiritual enchantment to the pooja. Put some flowers in glasses, pen-stands, glasses or almost anything that would enhance the beauty of your house.

Pooja Thali

Diyas and Candles

Innovative and attractive craft items, beautifully decorated pooja thalis are meant both for the home and for gift giving. Pretty pooja thalis are specially decorated for the festive season of Diwali. Available in lovely shapes, these Diwali Pooja `Thalis' make for pretty festive gifts. The range is wide, the price varies with the commodity and the quality is to be vouched for.

Embellished with beautiful designs these pooja thalis helps one perform Dipawali Pooja with great style and grandeur. The Diwali Pooja Thali contains all the essential accessories for a pooja, a bell, small katauri, a matka, an om coin and a leaf shaped tiny box to hold chawal. Idols of Ganesh and Lakshmi, the great deities associated with wealth and prosperity, are also included in the set. Pooja thali come in different shapes and sizes with varied decorated motifs such as floral and animals like elephant, and can be crafted in a wide range of metals from brass to silver and gold.

Decorative Lamps As Diwali is the ‘Festival of Lights’ people love to add glamor to their house with an extra bit of illumination. Hence, decorative lamps are quite popular.

These come in various materials ranging from simple rice paper to glass, brass and marble. They are considered to be an important Diwali decorations item as they turn a room bright in an artistic manner. Diwali lamps are wonderful gifts for those wishing to redecorate their house.

Diyas and candles are an intrinsic part of Diwali decorations.

People love to illuminate every nook and corner of their house with diyas and candles that come in interesting and artistic designs on the occasion of Diwali. The word, ‘Deepavali’ means rows of lamps. The traditional Diwali Diyas or lamps have witnessed a makeover in past few years. Erstwhile they were the sole creation of the potter’s wheel but today they are being handled by creative designers and craftsman who paint and turn diyas in innovative shapes and pattern. Wax filled diyas are very much in demand as they are more convenient to use than the conventional oil ones. Brass and aluminum diyas are also quite popular. These days one can find a variety of ready to gift Diyas sets in the market.

Wall Hangings

Wall Hangings adorned with the image of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi are popular Diwali decorative items.

As the festival is a traditional, wall hangings with ethnic touch are preferred over others. Embroidered cloth panels too work wonderfully as a Deepavali decorative.

Laxmi Ganesh Sculptures and Idols As LakshmiGanesh Puja is an intrinsic part of the Diwali Festival, LakshmiGanesh sculptures and idols are a very important Diwali decorative item. These come in interesting designs in various sizes to suit the varied requirements of people. Brass and silver Lakshmi-Ganesh decorative are popular as Diwali gift these days.

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Keeping a tradition alive Actor (Jagdish) Patel has been performing and promoting Bhavai, the folk art from Gujarat for the last 32 years e came to the US two decades back but that didn’t stop him from continuing to do what he is passionate about. Worth a pat especially when his passion is to promote and keep alive a 700 year old folk form which is losing out to urban, popular means of entertainment.

Actor Jagdish Patel, realized the need to preserve and revive this rich and powerful indigenous form of folk art in contemporary theater.

He writes, directs and performs Bhavai at major Indian and community celebrations and events across the US. A Master in Performing Arts graduate from the world renowned Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Actor Patel, as he is popularly known, dons the garb of ‘Ranglo’ – the face of the art form and enthralls the crowds with the humor, satires and educational content dished out through in its sing-and-dance format.

Be it the FIA Independence Day parade in New York or the World Gujarati Conferences of 2006,2008 and 2010, or Masti Cruise to the Bahamas for senior citizens, Patel’s presence adds to the fervor of the events.

At the latter, the "Agadam Bagdam no wesh" he performed highlighted the problems of society and provided solutions to get out of it. While he writes and directs the performance, he has his wife Daksha Gauri and others as supporting actors.

H With Nikkitasha Marwaha at India Day Parade in NYC

Actor Patel’s services to community recognized by Hudson County, NJ.

Bhavai – The Art Form havai is a seven hundred year old folk theatre form from the state of Gujarat in India. As is the case with all forms of Indian drama and dance, the roots of Bhavai are found in the Natyashastra, a treatise on the poetics of theater written by Bharat Muni three thousand years ago. Because it is performed outdoors, in front of village temples or in village squares and it has a structure of very few characters and a simple short story, Bhavai is similar to Prekshanak, one of the ten forms of Sanskrit theater described in the Natyashastra. A distinctive feature of Bhavai is its utter simplicity. The presentations are designed to entertain, educate, point towards social change and to enact ritual activity for the community. The actor’s job is to bring news, help with community improvement, perform ritual events and to entertain. The small playlets or scenes are called Veshas and several are enacted during an evening of performance. Veshas are generally satirical and humorous, focusing on the social and political issues fac-

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ing the community. Music, dance, and the ability to improvise are key elements in Bhavai performance, especially since there is no written script for the actors to follow. The Veshas are merely loose outlines for the actors to improvise around.

According to legend, Bhavai was created by Asait Thakar, a fourteenth century Brahmin from a village in Gujarat. After he broke serious caste laws to share a meal with a girl from the Patel community in order to save her life, he was outcast by the Brahmins and began to create Bhavai as a means of survival.

He and his three sons created hundreds of Veshas, all dedicated to the Mother Goddess Amba, whom they impersonate in rituals. Their offspring created a new caste called the Taragala community, who are still performers of Bhavai today.

Bhavai is on the verge of extinction now due to urbanization and the popularity of other forms of entertainment.

(Source: Prof Jagdish Bhatt, Vadodara, Gujarat)

From Anna Hazare to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, all leading personalities and issues form the focus point of his presentations. Patel considers late Ambalal Patel his inspiration and looks up to his Guru Professor Jagdish Bhatt from his Alma mater for guidance.

With over 30 years of experience in the field of dramatics, mime, TV, films, mimicry-standup comedy, musical & folk songs, and script writing, he is a multifaceted personality.

A licensed insurance broker, Patel also has extensive experience and knowledge in the areas of acting, direction, production, lights and sound design with special effects operations.

Patel has worked with prominent Indo American media outlets in the Tri State area such as TV Asia,

In traditional Bhavai attire Rajsun Enterprise and Dhoom FM radio in various capacities for tv shows, movies and advertisements.

He has a daughter, Preksha who is a budding singer and a son, Vaishvik.

Patel with his Guru Prof Jagdish Bhatt

Being honored by Gujarat Samaj of New York

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Mysore Dusshera The city of Mysore has a long tradition of celebrating the Dusshera festival and the festivities here are an elaborate affair, attracting a huge audience including foreigners. The Dusshera festival in Mysore completed 400th anniversary last year.

An illuminated Mysore Palace n the months of Ashwin and kartik, Hindus observe a 10-day ceremony of fast, rituals, celebrations and feasts to honor the mother Goddess and triumph of Lord Rama over the demon-king Ravana.

Dusshera also symbolizes the triumph of warrior Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. Thus, it is a celebration of victory of good over evil.

This celebration starts from Navratri and ends with the 10th day festival of “Dussehra”. Navratri and Dussehra is celebrated throughout the country at the same time, with varying rituals, but with great enthusiasm and energy as it marks the end of scorching summer and the start of winter season.

On Dusshera, number of fairs are organized throughout northern India, burning effigies of Ravana. It is also called ‘Vijayadashmi’ as this day marks the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana.

The Ramlila - an enactment of the life of Lord Rama, is held during the nine days preceding Dussehra. On the 10th day, effigies of Ravana, his son and brother Meghnadh and Kumbhakarna, are set to fire.

The theatrical enactment of this dramatic encounter is held throughout the country in which every section of people participates enthusiastically.

In burning the effigies the people are asked to burn the evil within them, and thus follow the path of truth and goodness, bearing in mind the instance of Ravana, who despite all his might and majesty was destroyed for his evil ways.

Mysore Dusshera Mysore Dusshera is the Nadahabba (state-festival) of Karnataka.. According to a legend here, Dusshera was the day when the Hindu Goddess Chamundeshwari

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killed the demon Mahishasura.

Mahishasura is the demon from whose name, the name Mysore originated. The city of Mysore has a long tradition of celebrating the Dusshera festival and the festivities there are an elaborate affair, attracting a large audience including foreigners.

On Vijayadashmi, the traditional Dusshera procession (locally known as Jumbo Savari) is held on the streets of Mysore.

The main attraction of this procession is the idol of the Goddess Chamundeshwari which is placed on a golden mantapa on the top of a decorated elephant.

This idol is worshipped by the royal couple and other invitees before it is taken around in the procession. Colourful tableaux, dance groups, music bands, decorated elephants, horses and camels form a part of the procession which starts from the Mysore Palace and culminates at a place called Bannimantap where the banni tree (Prosopis spicigera) is worshipped.

According to a legend, banni tree was used by the Pandavas to hide their arms during their one-year period of Agnatavasa (living life incognito). Before undertaking any warfare, the kings traditionally worshipped this tree to help them emerge victorious in the war.

The Dusshera festivities would culminate on the night of Vijayadashami with an event held in the grounds at Bannimantap called as Panjina Kavayatthu (torch-light parade).

Various music and dance concerts are held in auditoriums across Mysore.

Musicians and dance groups from all over India are invited to perform on this occasion. Another attraction during Dusshera is the Kusti Spardhe (wrestling-bout) which attracts wrestlers from all around India.

Jumbo Savari begins the Dusshera procession in Mysore

Crowd enjoying the procession.

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Puja pandals go global Kolkata: Hopping around Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata this year could take you on a tour of Germany, Kashmir and even planets and asteroids! With budgets running into millions of rupees, organizers are set to usher in the socio-religious carnival with innovatively themed marquees, locally known as 'pandals'.

Durga Puja starts from October 2. As per police estimates, the number of pujas organized this year will be close to 2,500. While the pandals house idols of the mother goddess and her children for five days, they are attractions in themselves.

For instance, a tiny slice of Germany is going to be stowed into the familiar corner of South Kolkata's Ekdalia Evergreen club

puja, budgeted at Rs.40 lakh.

Club president and Minister Subrata Mukherjee's efforts have led to a tie-up with the GoetheInstitut for constructing a marquee conceptualized by Germany's eminent contemporary artist Gregor Schneider.

Housing the goddess, it has many features of Schneider's signature work 'Haus U R' (your house) blended with elements which are typically Kolkatan.

With a budget of around Rs.15 lakh, the theme is Kashmir and aims to spread awareness on global warming. The interior of the marquee would have replicas of Kashmiri handicraft for which the organizers spent 45 days in the valley getting a feel of the art.

The marquee with melting gla-

ciers as the background will give a glimpse of life in Kashmir. From log-made thatched huts to shikaras, or house boats, and drying lakes and snowy mountains, the organizers hope to depict the essence of Kashmir. A team of Kashmiri performers will present cultural programmes.

With a budget of Rs.5 lakh, south Kolkata's Mudiali Puja organisers hope to "illuminate the dark side of the human mind" using electrical cables. If one wants to know how the universe was created, then the place to head is Kasba Rathtala where the puja organizers, using weaving materials, will portray the conception of the universe with Durga as the creator. The budget is close to Rs.8 lakh.

"The pandal (marquee) will be

Durga Puja starts from October 2. While the pandals house idols of the mother goddess and her children for five days, they are attractions in themselves. decorated with vividly colored threads, wool and fishing nets. The interiors are made of thread and wool. Various thread pictures and paintings depicting the creation of the universe adorn the inside walls.

Sounds of rainfall, thunderstorm, wailing children mixed with chants of Om playing in the background give an altogether different feeling," said Sujoy Roy, entrusted with carrying out the theme.

Durga idol out of waste Idol makers battle cost, labor shortage material in Bengal

West Bengal at its innovative best with a pandal, idols and decorations carved out of recycled paper and plastic bottles.

Kolkata: With the beginning of West Bengal's greatest cultural extravaganza Durga Puja, a private radio channel has come up with a unique initiative of making the goddess's idol from bio-degradable and recyclable waste material.

A 35-day campaign on the concept 'Maa Durga Dushono Nashini' (Goddess Durga destructor of pollution), with a fabricated branded centre moving across the city, will enlist people's participation in building a community voicing their concern against pollution.

The people will be asked to reciprocate through token participation of donating bio-recy-

clable and bio-degradable waste at the branded centre.

"A centre will move across various localities and collect bio-recyclable and bio-degradable waste such as plastics, jute and papers.

"We will also raise awareness among the masses about pollution and its ill effects," said OYE 104.8 FM marketing executive Sudeep Das. After 20 days of communityconnect drive campaign, the branded centre will be transformed into a mobile studio where the Durga idol would be taking shape out of bio-recyclable and bio-degradable waste.

Kolkata: Skyrocketing prices of raw materials used for making idols and the exodus of labor to other states ahead of next month's Durga Puja have badly hit Kolkata's traditional potters' colony Kumartuli that churns out around 5,000 images of the mother goddess each year. Potters say the prices of wood, bamboo, straw, paints and cloth have soared significantly.

"On an average, raw material cost has increased by 40 percent this year compared to the last season. This has badly affected our business," Kumartuli Palli Unnayan O Adhikar Rakkha Committee (Kumartuli Area Development and Rights Protection Committee) chief whip Apurba Paul said.

"Our profit margin has suffered drastically as we cannot pass on the increase in raw material prices entirely to the customers," he said.

Another artisan Ram Paul echoed Apurba.

"Can you imagine a piece of bamboo, which we purchased for Rs.50 last year, is available at Rs.150 this year?" remarked 44-year-old Ram, sitting in front of a semi-finished clay statue of Goddess Durga.

Idol makers said good quality straw was beyond their reach because of very high prices.

Kumartuli Mritshilpi Samiti (Kumartuli Potters' Association) assistant secretary Bhabesh Paul said the artisans were not making profit as the increase in idol prices have not been commensurate with the rise in input costs. "Day by day, the loans of artisans to private money lenders and banks are rising. They are unable to repay the money. Banks are sending notices.

A few of them got involved in court cases also," he said. North Kolkata's Kumartuli - also spelt as Kumortuli - is the nerve centre of clay idol making in the city. Artisans here supply idols of Hindu gods and goddesses to community pujas in not only Kolkata and its neighborhoods but also other parts of India and abroad.

Even raw material cost of fiberglass Durga idols, much sought after by NRIs, has swelled by about 30 percent this year compared to last year. Fiberglass idols are light, durable and easy to transport compared to those made of clay.

"We use three types of chemicals in making fiberglass idols. The prices of all three have soared unexpectedly. Altogether raw material cost has increased

Even raw material cost of fiberglass Durga idols, much sought after by NRIs, has swelled by about 30 percent this year compared to last year.

30 percent. Labor cost has also swelled by about 50 percent," said Gopal Chandra Paul, who sent Durga idols to his clients in the US and Canada this year.

The huge exodus of labor to states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar has posed another problem for the artisans.

Kumartuli requires about 4,000 laborers during peak season - before Durga Puja. But this year only 3,000 workers are available. Compared to last year, labor cost has gone up by 50 percent, say artisans.

"The shortage is mainly because a large number of them went to Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar during June-July to make Ganesh, Durga and Sherawali idols there. Patrons of pujas there pay them higher wages than us," said Apurba Paul. Bhabesh Paul said with the number of Durga Pujas in other states increasing, the organizers were luring laborers from Kumartuli by offering lucrative contracts.

"They are getting very high wages. A high-skilled potter gets Rs.40,000 per month there. Even semiskilled laborers get Rs.20,000 per month. We cannot match this. So the exodus will continue in future. We do not know how we can stop the trend," he said.

The wages of laborers in Kumartuli this year vary between Rs.150 and Rs.1,250 per day. Most of the laborers come from West Bengal's Nadia and Murshidabad districts.

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Ramlilas to burn corruption effigies this Dussehra New Delhi: Riding the Anna wave, Ravana will symbolize the demon of corruption this Dussehra. Several Ramlila committees in the city will burn effigies representing corruption along with those of Ravana and his kin. The idea is to make the celebrations in tune with contemporary burning issues like corruption.

"This time, we plan to burn a Ravana effigy which will be tagged as corruption. The idea resonates with the people. It's an issue that affects everyone," said Arjun Kumar, secretary of Lav Kush Ramlila Committee. "Our main Ravana effigy will be the corruption effigy that will be 110 feet tall," he said.

While committee plans to have corruption as its main effigy, other committees like Shri Sanatan Dharma Lila, Dangal Maidan and Shri Dharmik Lila Committee will

Traditionally, effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and son Meghnad are burnt on Dussehra or Vijayadashami. have an additional effigy along with the traditional ones burnt on Dussehra, which falls on October 6 this year. Traditionally, effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna

Big bets for Bollywood this Diwali

Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One will get the biggest and widest possible release, with the sci-fi superhero film releasing in over 3,000 screens across the world.

Mumbai: Bollywood is getting ready to unveil its busiest, and hopefully its most fruitful, season at the box office starting October with a double dose of Shah Rukh Khan and films of Ranbir Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and John Abraham. With at least Rs 300-400 crore riding on films like Ra.One, Rockstar, Desi Boyz, The Dirty Picture, Agent Vinod and Don 2, producers are putting their best foot forward on marketing and promotions.

Kamal Jain, CFO, Eros International Media, says Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One will get the biggest and widest possible release, with the sci-fi superhero film releasing in over 3,000 screens across the world, including 400-500 3D screens (Bodyguard released in 2,600 screens). It will be dubbed in Tamil and Telugu as well. Eros, which produced the film together with Red Chillies Entertainment, is leaving no stone unturned to ensure Ra.One

rakes in the maximum at the opening Diwali weekend. We are also going to release the film in new territories like Germany and Taiwan, to name just two,” Jain adds.

“Traditionally, October is a very busy month for Bollywood, with big banner films releasing, but this year it gets much bigger than last year, when around 20-25 films were released,” says Pritie Jadhav, COO, P9 Integrated. Films releasing in October include David Dhawan’s comedy Rascals starring Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt; UTV’s My Friend Pinto, a Sanjay Leela Bhansali Productions film; Yash Raj’s youth brand Y Films’ Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge and Hema Malini’s Tell me O Khuda, Esha Deol’s comeback film.

After Ra.One on October 26, the next big-ticket release will...be Ranbir Kapoor’s Rockstar on November 11, directed by Imtiaz Ali of Jab We Met fame.

and son Meghnad are burnt on Dussehra or Vijayadashami.

"We will burn the corruption effigy on Dussehra. This is the biggest issue plaguing our country today. It

is an issue that has cast a shadow over the entire country," said Suresh Khandelwal, president, Shri Sanatan Dharma Lila Dangal Maidan. These effigies, which will stand alongside the traditional ones, will be slightly shorter than Ravana's effigy and will be burnt with much celebration. The committees also want to show their resilience in the face of the recent bomb blast by organizing Ramlilas with much pomp and grandeur.

Ramlila committees across the city are also trying to be unique in their own way. While Lav Kush committee plans to install a replica of Eiffel Tower at its entrance, Shri Dharmik Lila Committee will use puppetry to enact scenes like Hanuman's flight to Himalayas to collect sanjeevani buti. Nav Shri Dharmik Leela Committee plans to use a hydraulic stage that will rise

30 feet high when Lord Ram and Sita's swayamvar is enacted.

While some committees are using technology to draw crowds, others are planning to introduce new episodes of the Ramayana or are bringing in folk elements. For instance, the artist playing the role of Ravana in the presentation organized by Shree Ramlila Committee Indraprastha Extension will be a Kathakali artist.

Some committees have also tied up with mobile service providers and web companies to reach out to a wider audience. Starting this year, Nav Shri Dharmik Leela Committee is providing a service where people can listen to the celebrations and programmes live on their mobile phones. Lav Kush Ramlila Committee, too, will provide live streaming of the celebrations on their website.

World Tourism Day boosts Dussehra’s celebrations Mysore: Tour and travel operators could not have asked for more: As the Dussehra celebrations begin a day after the World Tourism Day this year, they are busy attending to the enquiries of prospective tourists.

They are going all out to use the platform of World Tourism Day to market the Dussehra experience.

Tour operators have informed

their international partners about Dussehra celebrations and had asked them to pass on the word to as many people as possible.

“Many foreign travel agents operating in India and overseas have already started posting text, pictures and videos of Mysore and Dussehra, which has started a flood of inquiries,” said Rao. The Mysore Travel Agents’

Association made its presence known on Tuesday by extending hospitality to all those who arrived in the city via trains.

Starting from 7.30am, representatives of the association had gathered at Mysore railway station and welcomed the passengers with flowers and sweets. Several foreigners were welcomed with garlands of Mysore Jasmine.

Muslim artisans prepare effigies in Kashmir Jammu: Setting a perfect example of communal harmony and brotherhood, Muslim artisans from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh are busy these days in giving finishing touches to effigies of Ravana (demon king), Kumbhakaran (Ravana’s brother) and Meghnath (Ravana’s son) for Hindu festival Dussehra. For decades together, it is these Muslim artisans who make the journey from their hometown Menaputhi in tehsil Sardhana of Meerut to the winter capital of the state and prepare the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakaran and Meghnath. It is also their main source of livelihood.

Interestingly, generation-gap has failed to break the tradition as the first and the third generations of Ravana effigy-makers perform their task unitedly.

The new generation is also learning the art alongside their studies.

Each artist has the proficiency of doing specialized task. For instance, if one artist is preparing the heads of Ravana’s effigies, other has the expertise of making hands and legs.

“We are preparing effigies for almost all districts of the state. For the first time, we are preparing effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakaran and Meghnath for Leh district,” Muhammad Rehman, 54, a Muslim

The new generation is also learning the art alongside their studies. artisan, who heads 35-member team, told Greater Kashmir. Rehman said, “We could not prepare the effigies for Srinagar last year due to summer unrest.

This year we have prepared big effigies for Srinagar which are being given final touch. It takes days together to prepare effigies but we feel happy while witnessing these effigies reducing into ashes. I have been in this profession for the past 26 years and all artists feel happy to prepare these effigies for their Hindu brethren.”

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Ayodhya: The birthplace of Lord Rama

Prayag - the meeting place of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati is a must visit on pilgrim circuit

By Anil Mulchandani ttar Pradesh is the land of Lord Rama, the place where he was born and spent his formative years.

We started out from Lucknow for Ayodhya, considered to be the birthplace of Lord Rama.

One of the holiest of Hindu cities, it is described in ancient texts as a town founded by Manu, the law-giver of Hinduism. This city is ranked as one of the seven holiest cities for Hindus in the Puranas. The Atharvaveda described Ayodhya as "a city built by Gods and being prosperous as paradise itself." Valmiki is said to have written the Ramayana at Ayodhya and Tulsidas wrote highly about this historic city in his version of the great epic.

The city even bears mention in Tamil Alvars. While the city

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gets its name from the ancient king Ayudh and is best known as the land of Rama Rajya, many other great rulers and leaders like Jadabharata, Bahubali, Brahmi, Sundari, Padaliptasurisvarji, Harishchandra and Achalbharata also hailed from Ayodhya.

After two and a half hours of driving east from Lucknow we reached the Gaghra River (also called Sarayu) and got a glimpse of the sacred shrines running along the river banks.

Here, a tea vendor told us that it is not only Rama devotees who visit Ayodhya. For Jains, Ayodhya is important as the birthplace of five Tirthankaras and because their texts mention that Mahavira also visited this city. The Buddha is said to have visited and the city thrived as a Buddhist center.

Lord

Swaminarayan was born at Chhapaiya, which is about 40km from Ayodhya and spent time here making this is a staging post for Swaminarayan pilgrimage as well. Excavations have revealed ruins dating from around the seventh century BC and one of the oldest Jain figures.

Among the scores of temples on the river bank the most striking is the Hanuman Garhi, set in the old fort of Ayodhya. A climb of about 76 steps leads to its gilded interiors. Nearby is Darsrath Bhavan. As expected, most of the temples and ghats are dedicated to Rama, Sita and Laxman. The Kanak Bhavan, a short distance from the river is a palatial complex with a temple. The Ramkatha Museum has grand images and ancient texts.

Like the rest of India, Ayodhya is modernizing and everywhere

Sacred shrines running along Gaghra (Sarayu) river bank in Ayodhya

you find signs of coaching classes, new schools and computer courses.

While we were told that we could catch a Ram Katha or Rama Lila performance in the evening, we had to move on to Allahabad where we had booked our accommodations. It was evening when we reached Allahabad and we drove to photograph the Prayag or Sangam, before sunset. From the national highway, we took the turn towards the river frontage along the Yamuna where women perform arati or evening worship at Saraswati Ghat by floating diya, small oil-filled lamps, downstream. Immediately to the west, in Minto Park, a memorial marks the exact spot where the British Raj came into being, when India was taken away from the East India Company in 1858 and placed under the auspices of the Crown.

East of Saraswati Ghat, close to the Sangam, loom the huge battlements of Akbar’s Fort that look most impressive from the boat. At the main gates of the fort stands a poorly restored polished stone Ashoka Pillar, inscribed with the emperor ’s edicts and dated to 242 BC. As is usual at such places, we were soon crowded around by boatmen looking for business, the numbers rising as we walked past the stalls selling flowers, offerings and prayer objects to pilgrims visiting the Hanuman Temple (very colorful and featuring an unusual reclining Hanuman) and the river confluence.

Finally, we descended the mud banks to the river and negotiated for a boat to take the journey that photographer Dinesh Shukla had taken decades ago with his late moth-

er. We were soon surrounded by gulls looking for a snack. As the sunset turned the river a blazing golden yellow, the boatman told us that Lord Rama himself praised this spot for its spiritual powers, which can uplift mankind and that he is believed to have stayed at the ashram of the BharadwajRishi here. ``Valmiki and Tulsidas praise this place in their works. Lord Rama, Lakshman and Sita crossed the Yamuna River and there is a reference to Lakshman constructing a boat to cross the river. There are many places on the banks of the Yamuna related to the exile period of Shri Ram like Akshay Vat, Sita Rasoi (Jasra Bazaar), Rishiyan (the abode of Rishis), Murka (Hanuman Mandir),’’claims the boatman.

From Allahabad, the road runs 128km southwest to Chitrakoot, the pilgrim town along the Mandakani, between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

According to the Ramayana, Lord Rama lived on the Kamadgiri Mountain near the Mandakini River and it is believed that his brother, Bharat, came to this site to entice him to return to Ayodhya and rule Koshaldesha, the kingdom of the Kaushala dynasty to which they belonged. When Rama refused, Bharata asked for his footwear which he placed on the throne of Ayodhya. Below the hill sacred to devotees or Rama, the Hanuman Dhara is a natural spring that flows over an image of Hanumana.

The river shores, hill and town are full of temples and ashrams. A boat ride from Ramghat offers a delightful view of the riverfront

temple town.

A view of Prayag before sunset ( Pictures By Dinesh Shukla )

50 Tristate Community October 1-7, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Nargis Dutt charity honors seven at gala Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, who gave away the awards, and Chief Guest Priya Dutt praise NDMF’s role in improving cancer care.

By Parveen Chopra Uniondale, NY: The Long Island based Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation (NDMF), which is devoted to improving cancer care in India, organized its well-attended 30th anniversary gala at Hotel Marriott here on Sept 25. Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano gave a Citation to NDMF officebearers commending the great community service the charity renders. He also presented the NDMF awards to seven honorees in the presence of Priya Dutt, Indian MP and patron of the foundation, and daughter of Nargis and Sunil Dutt.

The 7 NDMF honorees for 2011 are Dr. Digpal Dharkar (Lifetime Service Achievement Award), Dr J. Ganesh Bhat (Excellence in Health Care), Dr Dev Ratnam (Excellence in Community Service), Mohinder Singh Taneja (Excellence in Public Service), Arvind Walia (Businessman of the Year), Vandana Govil (Business woman of the Year) and Anupam Goenka (Social Activist award).

Hon. Mangano, in his address, said that he was introduced to the Nargis Dutt foundation

by Kamlesh Mehta, his county’s Director of Business and Economic Development. He acknowledged that when called during Haiti emergency, NDMF responded promptly. It donated $20,000 for Haitian Disaster Relief through American Red Cross.

Unlike some previous years, no Bollywood star was invited to the gala this time, but the tall and stately Priya Dutt in a white ensemble made her presence felt. She has inherited the political mantle of her father, Sunil Dutt, and spoke about her long standing connection with NDMF, set up 30 years ago in the memory of her mother, Nargis Dutt, a cancer victim.

NDMF has been contributing immensely for the cause of cancer in India, she said.

This year, NDMF has given $150,000 for a Radiation Field Analyzer for cancer treatment to the Indore Cancer Foundation Charitable Trust in India. The trust was created in 1988 through the efforts of Sunil Dutt and Dr. Jatin P. Shah of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York.

NDMF Governing Body members who addressed the glittering gala included Inder Bindra (Chairman), Peter Bheddah (Vice Chairman) Sher Singh Madra (General Secretary) and Gurdip S. Narula (Treasurer).

Some speakers at the awards presentation mentioned their near and dear ones who fell to cancer or are fighting it valiantly and living on. It underscored the point that cancer is not a death warrant. Yet, more research and resources are required to fight it successfully, an objective of NDMF. NDMF is also helping in the less served palliative care of the terminally ill cancer patients to ensure there is dignity in death.

All the 2011 NDMF honorees are achievers in their respective fields. Dr. Digpal Dharkar, also the keynote at the fundraiser, is an oncological surgeon who has been associated with the Indore Cancer Foundation since its inception. Dr Ganesh Bhat is co-founder of Atlantic Dialysis Management Services and

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano gave a citation commending the Long Island based NDMF’s work to Inder Bindra, its chairman. On Mangano’s right are Kamlesh Mehta, Director of Business and Economic Development, Nassau County, and Peter Bheddah, the charity’s vice chairman.

Dr. Digpal Dharkar, oncological surgeon and Hon. Secretary of the Indore Cancer Foundation, received NDMF’s Lifetime Service Achievement award from Hon. Mangano and Priya Dutt, Indian MP and NDMF patron.

The foundation was set up in the memory of yesteryear’s star Nargis, who died of cancer. It was initiated by her late husband, actor-turned-politician Sunil Dutt.

Dr J. Ganesh Bhat, co-founder of Atlantic Dialysis Management Services, was given Excellence in Health Care award.

Scientist-entrepreneur Dr Dev Ratnam received the Excellence in Community Service award.

Chancellor of Xavier University School of Initiatives in the Town of North Medicine. Scientist-entrepreneur Dr Dev Hempstead.

Ratnam has ventured into real estate and is on Anupam Goenka is co-founder the board of Interfaith Nutrition Network. with her husband Animesh Arvind Walia has combined his technology Goenka of a steel trade company, and business skills to set up Porteck, a heath- and has been associated with care revenue cycle management business. community organizations like Vandana Govil heads Stuart Thomas Manor AIA, IALI and RANA. banquet hall on Long Island and has turned Anupam Goenka received film producer. Mohinder Taneja is a dedicated Social Activist award. She was community advocate tirelessly helping netaccompanied by her husband working among people of diverse backAnimesh Goenka, AIA National grounds—currently he is Director of Outreach President.

Arvind Walia was given the award for Businessman of the Year.

Tristate Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

October 1-7, 2011

Ginniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fashion show showcased Indian designs.

Nassau County First Lady Linda Mangano (left) added to the glamor at the gala.

Manju & Raja Amar of Portables Unlimited got clicked with Hon. Mangano.

Mohinder Singh Taneja was honored for Excellence in Public Service in the presence of Jon Kaiman (left), Supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead.

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Shudh Jasuja, Hon. Mangano, Kamlesh Mehta and Harendra Singh posing for the camera.

Vandana Govil was honored as Business woman of the Year.

Mrs Kanchana Poola, Kamlesh Mehta and Hon. Mangano.

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Mahatma Gandhi Birth Anniversary

October 1-7, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

MK Gandhi you did not know On Mahatma Gandhi’s 142nd birth anniversary, Oct 2, declared in 2007 by the UN as International Day of Non-Violence, we bring to you some lesser known aspects of the life of one of the greatest men in history.

Experiments with celibacy An extract from Gandhi’s autobiography he knowledge that a perfect observance of brahmacharya (celibacy) means realization of Brahman, I did not owe to a study of the Shastras. It grew upon me with experience.

Every day of the vows has taken me nearer the knowledge that in brahmacharya lies the protection of the body, the mind and the soul.

For brahmacharya was now no process of penance, it was a matter of joy. But, let no one believe that it was easy.

Even when I am past 56 years, I realize how hard a thing it is. Every day I realize that it is like walking on the sword's edge, and I see every moment the necessity for eternal vigilance. Control of the palate is the first essential in the observance of the vow.

So, I now pursued my dietetic experiments not merely from the vegetarian's but also from the brahmachari's point of view. As a result, I saw that the brahmachari's food should be limited, simple, spiceless and, if possible, uncooked. The brahmachari's ideal food is fresh fruit and nuts.

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The immunity from passion that I enjoyed when I lived on this food was unknown to me after I changed that diet. Brahmacharya needed no effort on my part in South Africa when I lived on fruits and nuts alone.

It has been a matter of great effort ever since I began to take milk. I have not the least doubt that milk makes the brahmacharya vow difficult to observe.

Let no one deduce from this that all brahmacharis must give up

milk. I have yet to find a fruit substitute for milk which is an equally good muscle-builder and easily digestible.

As an external aid to brahmacharya, fasting is as necessary as selection and restriction in diet.

So overpowering are the senses that they can be kept under control only when they are completely hedged in on all sides. It is common knowledge that they are powerless without food, and so fasting undertaken with a view to control

the senses is helpful.

With some, fasting is of no avail, because assuming that fasting alone will make them immune, they keep their bodies without food, but feast their minds upon all sorts of delicacies. Such fasting helps them in controlling neither palate not lust. Fasting is useful when mind co-operates with the starving body.

Mind is at the root of all sensuality. But it may be said that extinction of the sexual passion is as a rule impossible without fasting.

Many aspirants after brahmacharya fail because in the use of their other senses they want to carry on like those who are not brahmacharis.

There should be a clear line between the life of a brahmachari and of one who is not. Both use their eyesight, but whereas the brahmachari uses it to see the glories of God, the other uses it to see the frivolity around him.

Both use their ears, but whereas the one hears nothing but praises of God, the other feasts his ears upon ribaldry. Both often keep late

hours, but whereas the one devotes them to prayer, the other fritters them away in wasteful mirth.

Both feed the inner man, but the one only to keep the temple of God in good repair, while the other gorges himself and makes the sacred vessel a stinking gutter.

Brahmacharya means control of the senses in thought, word and deed. There is no limit to the possibilities of renunciation. Such brahmacharya is impossible to attain by limited effort.

An aspirant after brahmacharya will always be conscious of his shortcomings, will seek out the passions lingering in the innermost recesses of his heart and will incessantly strive to get rid of them.

Involuntary thought is an affection of the mind which is even more difficult to curb than the wind.

Nevertheless, the existence of God within makes the control of the mind possible. Let no one think that it is impossible because it is difficult. It is the highest goal, and it is no wonder that the highest effort should be necessary to attain it.

An emancipator of women ahatma Gandhi felt that Indian method of bringing up girls was faulty. He said that a shielded life made a girl feel helpless by the time she grew into woman.

He believed that a woman within her had sufficient strength to guard herself. Considering Indian ethos 150 years ago which Gandhiji witnessed, he sounds modern, and a protagonist of women’s rights! Women, half of humanity “were nobler, embodiment of sacrifice, silent suffering, humility, faith and knowledge.”

From student days till his end, he believed in woman’s perfect equality of man. Complete independence (Poorn Swaraj) meant equality of men and women in all walks of life. Names he gave to his followers such as Sitaram or Radhakrisha had special significance with women’s name coming first. He firmly believed a woman’s intuition has proved truer than man’s arrogant assumption of superior knowledge. He himself “fitted specially to serve womankind.”

Gandhiji vehemently opposed the evil custom of child marriage. He himself was a victim, being married at the age of 13.

He believed in marriage between grown-ups or healthy educated partners which contributed to make a strong nation.

He condemned prostitution as shame of the nation. That was the time when prostitution was forced due to caste system

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(prostitute’s daughter had to become one). He met in person the unfortunate women of this class during his all India tour for collecting money for Tilak Swaraj fund in the South (Kakinada) and the East (Barisal). He was touched to the core to see their plight. Some were ready to give up their profession

(after willingly contributing to the fund) and work as congress volunteers. Gandhi advised them to take up spinning and weaving and their daughters to lead a celibate life.

The measures were austere and impractical, but there are instances of reformed girls in Gandhian institutions of the time, who were earlier forced into prostitution.

People have questioned his treatment for his wife. Kasturba was a woman of rare grit and profound understanding. To be a soul mate of a powerful (spiritually) personality was nothing but hard penance. Though harsh in earlier years, as he admitted in his autobiography, Gandhiji became aware of Ba’s inner strength later. She was never a temptress and she had no objection to his practice of celibacy at an early age. In fact, it was extremely difficult for him even in mid-fifties. Ba equaled, and later excelled him in this super-human trait. “She has been a tower of strength to me in my self-imposed vow of brahmacharya (celibacy).” He had unstinted praise for his wife’s mental strength. He has devoted a full chapter on her courage in his autobiography and several references elsewhere appreciating this extraordinary trait. It is difficult to agree with Gandhiji’s views on birth control. For him, spiritual uplift was most important. He admitted that celibate life was an ideal, difficult to practice.

Mahatma Gandhi Birth Anniversary TheSouthAsianTimes.info

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October 1-7, 2011

Food for the soul Gandhi followed a diet pattern that most nutritionists consider an ideal diet. But, to what extent is that diet practical for a modern individual?

Mahatma Gandhi sharing a meal with Paramahamsa Yogananda at the latter's ashram in Ranchi. ood is a matter of choice.

We usually eat what we feel is best suited to have an adequate supply of energy and keep us healthy. But it rarely goes beyond that.

Unless one has the resolve of a Gandhi.

For Gandhi, food was not something that just satiated hunger. It was an integral part of shaping the human consciousness. Which is why he carried out a number of experiments to find the perfect diet. Though Gandhi is associated with vegetarianism and milk, he actually abstained from milk for a period of six years, considering it an animal product.

In 1917, when he was bed-ridden, doctors compelled him to take milk. He, however, did not want to break his vow of not consuming cow's milk. Thus began his now-famous goat-milk diet.

And the idea seems to be catching on.

Available data suggests that over 440 million goats worldwide produce an estimated 4.8 million

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tons of milk, consumed locally or converted into cheese. This clearly shows a growing preference for goat's milk.

According to a comparison made by Dr P.P. Bose, who has been studying dietary habits, the xanthine oxidase in cow-milk is capable of damaging the heart and arteries.

On the other hand, glycerol ethers are higher in goat's milk, which is an important source of nutrition for an infant. Goat's milk also has greater amounts of vitamin A, as well as minerals, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, chlorine and manganese.

Gandhi emphasized wheat and rice in a diet, with cereals holding the second place. He felt that cereals should be taken relatively dry for mastication and proper digestion. This was followed by fruits and vegetables. He stressed that fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables should be eaten raw.

Commenting on Gandhi's views on diet, Dr Bose says: "Gandhi's concept of diet fits the recom-

Gandhi Jayanti in NYC As in the past, Gandhi Jayanti will be celebrated on Oct 2 at 10.00 am at Union Square Park (West side) on 14th Street, Manhattan (near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi).

The program organized by the Indian Consulate will include garlanding of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and singing of Gandhijiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite bhajans.

mended food pyramid, which is essential for good health."

A food pyramid begins with fat and oils at the top, whose consumption should be the least.

Then milk and poultry products, followed by fruits and vegetables.

The base represents cereals, with maximum amount of water content.

"Gandhi," explains Dr Bose, "was far ahead of his time. What he proclaimed 50 years ago is now being promoted as the ideal diet pattern."

Gandhi expressed his preference for jaggery over sugar. Because, as Dr Bose explains, "sugar goes directly into blood, raising the sugar level, and the excess sugar gets converted into calorie or fat.

Jaggery, however, takes more time to masticate, thus resulting in a slower rise in sugar level".

Gandhi did not think it necessary to eat pulses if milk was included in the diet. "He consumed small quantities of pure ghee," informs Dr Bose. "Since this was derived from milk, it was more like an unsaturated fat, which is not cholesterol forming."

For Gandhi, the welfare of people living in the villages was the first priority. So, he worked with many nutritionists to derive a dietchart that gave maximum nutrition at minimum cost. Even Gandhi's concept of fasting, which revolutionalized non-violent resistance, had its health benefits.

"Occasional fasting," says Dr

Bose, "is indeed beneficial for the body and restores normal functioning of the digestive system."

Gandhi, however, did eat meat as a growing boy.

In his book, Diet and Diet Reforms, he recalls how he came to believe that meat eating could make the entire nation strong and drive the British away.

What convinced him to adopt vegetarianism was Henry Salt's Plea for Vegetarianism, Howard Williams' The Ethics of Diet, a biographical history of the literature of human dietetics from the earliest period to the present day, and Dr Anna Kingsford's The Perfect Way in Diet.

While talking about the moral basis of vegetarianism, Gandhi wrote: "Man was not born a carnivorous animal, but born to live on fruits and herbs that the Earth grows."

Today, though there are arguments about whether Homo sapiens were by nature carnivores or herbivores, research indicates that vegetarianism may not only lead to a healthier life, but a longer lifeas well. Gandhi believed that a man becomes what he eats. The grosser the food, the grosser the body.

Dr Michael Brown and Dr Josef Goldstein, heart specialists from the USA and winners of Nobel Prize for medicine, say: "All flesharian food cause many diseases such as constipation, piles, gall bladder stones, colon cancer, indigestion, ulcer and kidney failure."

To study the interrelation between diet and personality traits, an experiment was conducted on prisoners at Gwalior jail.

According to the results, inmates put on a vegetarian diet over a period of six months began to refrain from aggressive behavior. On reverting to a non-vegetarian diet they showed a behavior change for the worse.

In his book Zen Macrobiotics, Georges Ohsawa, a Japanese physician who combined the ancient eastern nourishing way with western science to evolve the basic rules of nutrition, goes to the extent of saying that if Gandhi had been a meat eater, he would have become a cruel revolutionary instead of an apostle of non-violence. Far-fetched?

Perhaps. After all, we have had meat-eating sages and wise-leaders. But going by dietary research, vegetarianism has more pros than cons.

In one of Gandhi's dietetic experiments, he, along with a group of volunteers, were put on a

raw food diet. He believed that proper mastication of food could reduce food intake.

Thus, help the economy, and reduce the violence one committed to sustain life. Though the experiment failed and many volunteers showed a marked deterioration of health, and Gandhi himself fell sick, he continued to express faith in the value of uncooked food.

This indicates that raw food alone may not be the fastest ticket to health. Especially when combined with fasting and marginal health care. But it could add a great deal to our diet.

Dr Ann Wigmore, founder of the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida, says: "The easiest way to add living enzymes to the digestive tract is to eat ripe fruits, uncooked organically grown vegetables, sprouts and wheatgrass."

To pave way for equal distribution of food, Gandhi proposed that all members of the community should share the available food resources.

Those who could afford animal proteins such as milk, cheese, eggs or meat, should avoid pulses and leave them for those who could not afford anything else.

He expressed his desire to introduce food reforms in the villages by making available the simplest and the cheapest food.

Gandhi said: "When food submerses the body, and through the body the soul, its relish disappears, and then alone does it begin to function in the way nature intended it to."

It took Gandhi 35 long years to evolve a healthy diet that helped him to keep fit and wage a war that required all his energy and determination.

Ravi on Ranju Batra continued from page 27 My loss of sleep is AIA's gain, and in the end I know that her hard work will serve to enhance public confidence in volunteerism in America, bring our nation closer to India on a people-to-people level, replace bigotry with knowledge of an ancient culture and people, and most of all help the mainstream respect ethnicity and ethnicity mainstream itself. While I wish everyone a Happy & Healthy Diwali, I look forward to life after October 2nd, Mahatma Gandhi's birthday and the AIA Diwali, with fireworks that joyously light up the night for millions of New Yorkers. Let there be light..

54

Shastri Birth Anniversary

October 1-7, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Born on October 2, 1904, Lal Bahadur Shastri remains a role model to be emulated by one and all. A freedom fighter and a believer of simple living and high thinking, he continues to inspire the next generation even today. An excerpt from the convocation speech he gave at the Aligarh Muslim University on December 19, 1964...

Lal Bahadur Shastri (Oct 2, 1904 – Jan 11, 1966) created the slogan of "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" underlining the need to boost India's food production.

He was instrumental in pushing the ‘Green Revolution’ and the ‘White Revolution.’ hatever your station in future life, each one of you should first of all think of yourselves as citizens of the country. This confers on you certain rights, which are guaranteed by the Constitution but it also subjects you to certain responsibilities, which also have to be clearly understood.

Ours is a democracy, which enjoins freedom to the individual, but this freedom has to be subjected to a number of voluntary restraints in the interests of organized society.

And these voluntary restraints have to be exercised and demonstrated in every-day life.

A good citizen is one who obeys the law, whether there is a policeman around or not, and who takes delight in performing his civic duties. In the olden days sense of self-restraint and discipline was inculcated by the combined effort of the family and the teacher. The economic stresses of present-day life unfortunately do not leave enough time to the parents to look after the children.

In the educational institutions the numbers have grown so large as to take away the benefits, which used to accrue formerly by personal contact between the teacher and the taught. Inevitably, our young students are often left much to their own resources. Often this creates problems, which we all know about.

This is an important aspect, which needs thorough examination. The responsibility of our young citizens is great. In my view every station in

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life is important in itself. Work has its own dignity and there is great satisfaction in doing one's own job to the best of one's ability. Whatever the duties, we should apply ourselves with sincerity and devotion.

Such an approach, apart from being good in itself, also has the added advantage of opening avenues for further advancement. We have to see whether we have done our own job well before thinking of criticizing anybody else. All too often, we succumb to the temptation of decrying others without bothering to look to ourselves.

Never forget that loyalty to the country comes ahead of all other loyalties. And this is an absolute loyalty, since one cannot weigh it in terms of what one receives. It is essential to remember that the entire country is one and that any one who fosters or promotes separatism or fissiparous tendencies is not our true friend. What I have said stems from a desire to see that the youth of our country prepares itself in a disciplined and determined manner for the responsibilities of tomorrow. A democratic country is sustained not by the greatness of a few but by the co-operative effort of the many. The future of the country is in your hands and as the older generations complete their task the new ones come along to take their place. If they are well equipped as individuals and as citizens, the country's future will be bright indeed. At a time when you are at the threshold of a new period in your life I would

Lal Bahadur Shastri rose to be 2nd Prime Minister of India, revolutionizing Indian agriculture urge you to play your role with confidence and dignity.

Our position with regard to secularism is known so well that it hardly needs any reiteration. It is embodied in our Constitution, which ensures equal respect for all religions and equal opportunities for all citizens, irrespective of their caste and creed and the faith which they profess. In spite of a seeming diversity, there is a fundamental unity in India, which we all cherish and it has to be our constant endeavor to maintain and strengthen this unity.

The country can progress only if it does away completely with fissiparous tendencies and emerges as an integrated whole. And it is in the field of education that the seed of secularism has to be sown at the earliest stages, so that the plant can be carefully nurtured as it grows.

The world is at the moment passing through very difficult times. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that never before in the recent past had mankind to grapple with problems of as complex a nature as are confronting it today. It is imperative that satisfactory and, as far as possible, lasting solutions should be found to these problems without undue delay, otherwise there is a danger of the situation getting out of hand. Mutual suspicions, hatred and ill-will between nations and groups of persons have to be removed at all costs and sincere and determined efforts have to be made to ensure that differences and outstanding problems are resolved by mutual discussion in a spirit of understanding, and not by the use of force.

Wars and conflicts, as we know to our cost, always create more problems than they succeed in solving.

The great advances made by science and technology, particularly in the field of nuclear and thermonuclear energy, have placed an almost unlimited power at the disposal of mankind. This power can be used either for constructive or for destructive purposes and it is up to us to try to derive the fullest possible benefit from it.

We, in India, have our own special problems. No one can deny that some of them are of a serious nature and must be tackled with vigor and determination. Our national objective has been defined clearly and unambiguously. We aim that every citizen should be provided with the

basic necessities of life and should have complete freedom to lead the life of his or her own choice. We aim at a democratic society, strong and free, in which every citizen, irrespective of his religious belief, will occupy an equal and honored place, and will be given full and equal opportunities for growth and service. We aim at the removal of untouchability and the doing away of the prevailing serious inequalities in status and wealth. We are opposed to the concentration of wealth in a few hands. Our rich cultural heritage extending over countless centuries is not the culture of this community or that but the synthesis of the cultures of the great peoples who lived here at various times in the past. The objectives I have mentioned are by no means easy of achievement in their entirety. I know that we have met with only a limited degree of success so far, but we have to persevere until the goal is achieved.

It must be remembered that the vast majority of Indians are extremely poor and it is only a small minority that live in relative comfort and have the benefit of university education and other worthwhile things.

It is when we look at the Indian scene in such a perspective that Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsecs and others, instead of feeling that they are different, will together begin to put forth a tremendous effort to fight poverty, to eradicate disease and banish illiteracy.

Subcontinent & International TheSouthAsianTimes.info

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October 1-7, 2011

19 dead in Nepal plane crash Kathmandu: A small aircraft crashed near here, killing all 19 people on board, but the grief and anxiety of the victims' families was compounded after they were handed out wrong names of the Indian passengers.

A much anticipated trip to Nepal for a glimpse of the majestic Mt Everest, the highest peak in the world, up close from air led 10 Indian tourists along with nine other fliers into the jaws of death as the Beech aircraft, belonging to Buddha Airlines, crashed in Kotdanda -- a forested area in Lalitpur district about 20 km from Kathmandu.

The 10 Indian tourists are mostly from Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli town.

The Indian embassy in Kathmandu identified the eight people from Trichy as M. Maruthachalam, M. Manimaran, A.K. Krisunan, V.M. Kankasabesan, T. Dhansekaran, Kattoor Mahalingam, Meenakshi Sundaram and K. Thyagarajan.

Initial reports said the crash, which took place minutes before landing, could have occurred due to bad weather and poor visibility.

The other two Indians were identified as Pankaj Mehta and Chaya Mehta. At least one of them was working for the UN in Kathmandu.

The fresh identification was made on the basis of identity cards and other documents after Nepal's aviation authorities had earlier released a set of different

Nobel laureate Maathai's death mourned

Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, becoming the first environmentalist and the first African woman to receive the honor.

Nairobi (Nigeria): The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) mourned the death of Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai, who died of cancer.

Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, becoming the first environmentalist and the first African woman to receive the honor.

The 71-year-old activist was founder of Kenya's Green Belt Movement and patron of the UNEP. She was one of Africa's foremost environmental campaigners, internationally recognized for her commitment to democracy, human rights and conservation.

"Her departure is untimely and a very great loss to all of us who knew her as a mother, relative, co-worker,

colleague, role model, and heroine or those who admired her determination to make the world a peaceful, healthy and better place for all of us," UNEP said in a statement, quoting officials of Green Belt Movement.

She founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977, encouraging women in rural Kenya to plant trees as a means of improving their livelihoods through better access to clean water, firewood for cooking and other resources.

Since then, the movement has planted over 30 million trees in Africa and assisted nearly 900,000 women to establish tree nurseries and plant trees to reverse the effects of deforestation.

names.

Though rescuers managed to bring out a lone survivor from the wreck site, the grievously injured 36-year-old Nepali man, identified as Nirajan Karmacharya, died while receiving medical treatment at Lalitpur's B&B Hospital.

The aircraft had flown the group to the Mt Everest region in north-

ern Nepal and crashed while returning to the capital around 7.50 a.m., minutes after it went out of contact.

It was carrying 16 passengers -10 Indians, three Nepalis and three foreigners.

The three-member crew comprised Captain J.B. Tamrakar, copilot Padma Adhikari and airhostess Ashmita Adhikari.

Among the three foreigners, two were Americans -- Andrew Wade and Natalie Neilan, and a Japanese tourist, Uejima Toshinori.

Initial reports said the crash, which took place minutes before landing, could have occurred due to bad weather and poor visibility.

Locals, army and armed policemen undertook the painful task of gathering the bodies and bringing them back to Kathmandu for postmortem.

Doctors at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital said post-mortem examination had already started. The bodies would

be handed over to relatives once the process was over.

Some of the bodies were yet to be identified and the authorities said they were awaiting the arrival of family members.

The government said it had formed a three-member team to investigate the incident. The black box of the aircraft has been recovered.

The crash comes at a time Nepal is observing tourism year 2011 with the intention of bringing in one million air-borne tourists, mostly Indians.

Last December, Nepal's domestic carrier Tara Air flying 22 people, mostly Bhutanese pilgrims, crashed after smashing into a mountain east of Kathmandu, killing all on board.

Another major crash occurred in August the same year when a plane flying to the Everest region crashed due to bad weather, killing all 14 people on board, including four Americans, a Japanese and a Briton.

Taliban claim to control Haqqani network Rome: The Taliban said they - and not Pakistan - control the Haqqani network in Afghanistan, and denied having any links with Islamabad.

"All military and civilian activities in the country (Afghanistan) are our own initiatives and our own actions," the Taliban said in a statement.

"The respected Maulawi Jalaluddin Haqqani is one of the Islamic Emirate's honorable and dignified personalities and receives all guidance for operations from the leader of Islamic Emirate," it said, referring to the founder of the Haqqani network.

US officials blame the network for numerous attacks on American targets, including the Sep 13 attack on its embassy in Kabul, in which at least 14 people died.

Haqqani network's founder Jalaluddin Haqqani, a disciplined Afghan guerrilla leader bankrolled by the United States to fight Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

The Taliban denied claims by the US that in Afghanistan they were in disarray, and asked Washington to

rapidly withdraw from the country.

"Instead of baseless accusations, more casualties and a constant attempt to conceal losses and failures, it would be better for America and her allies to put an end to the occupation of Afghanistan as quickly as possible and do now what must inevitably be done," the statement said.

"The Islamic Emirate is at its strongest and unified more than it has been at any other stage. It is also enjoying the vast support and backing of its nation and has control over more than half the regions of Afghanistan," it claimed.

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner has said America was considering placing the Haqqani network on its list of terrorist groups.

Gaddafi says he is still in Libya Tripoli: Ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has said he is still in the country, fighting on the ground and ready to die a martyr, state-run Allibiya TV reported."Heroes have resisted and fallen as martyrs and we too are awaiting martyrdom," Gaddafi was quoted as saying in a speech broadcast on local radio in Bani Walid, one of his last strongholds.

Gaddafi hailed the resistance by his supporters in Bani Walid, south of Tripoli, which has seen clashes for several weeks after a siege by forces of the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC).

Referring to the NTC, Gaddafi said an "unexpected shock" awaits the "clique of agents in the coming days".

The Libyan leader is still on the run, though rebels control most of the North African country and are working to set up a new government.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is still on the run, though rebels control most of the North African country and are working to set up a new government.

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Sports & Business

October 1-7, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Shoaib goes defensive on Sachin New Delhi: Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said people should read his autobiography first to "understand his remarks" about Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, and added that they are "world class cricketers".

"I am not here to clarify anything... but facts in my book have been presented in a rather strange manner by the media here," Akhtar said responding to queries about his remarks on Tendulkar and Dravid.

"I request people to read the book to understand my remarks about Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid...what I said, why I said and the manner in which I said. They are all world class cricketers.

Please go through the book..."

Akhtar said.

In his autobiography 'Controversially Yours', Akhtar says that he intimidated master blaster Tendulkar with his delivery during the Faisalabad Test.

"I bowled (Sachin) a particularly fast ball which he, to my amazement, didn't even touch. He walked away! That was the first time I saw him walk away from me that, too, on the slow track at Faisalabad,"

feels it should be legalized.

"Everyone tampers with the ball.

I did so too. Tampering should be legalized."

Akhtar also claimed that his career was hampered by legendary Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram.

"Wasim Akram threatened to walk out with half the team if I was included in the team. General Tauqir Zia (the then PCB chief)

backed Shoaib against Wasim," he wrote.

Thirty-six-year-old Akhtar, who has taken more than 400 wickets in his career, is known for bowling at 100.2 mph. The book chronicles and questions the game that was a part of his life, his peers, the Pakistan Cricket Control Board and the ICC. The book is full of anecdotes.

Sidhu calls Akhtar's claims a cheap gimmick In his autobiography 'Controversially Yours', Shoaib Akhtar says that he intimidated master blaster Sachin with his delivery during the Faisalabad Test.

Akhtar wrote.

Akhtar has also alleged that he "I think players like Sachin was cheated by Bollywood star Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid Shah Rukh Khan and former weren't exactly match winners to Indian Premier League chairman start with, nor did they know the Lalit Modi. art of finishing the game."

"Shah Rukh and I talked about The bowler, who holds the offi- my not being happy with the cial record for the world's fastest money settled on me. Shah Rukh delivery, was in the capital Friday and Modi got me to agree. I should to launch his autobiography, which have never listened to Modi and he has co-authored with Anshu Shah Rukh," he said. Akhtar, who Dogra. The book has been pub- retired after the 2011 World Cup, lished by Harper-Collins India. also admitted to ball tampering and

More Grand Prix in India needed: Hamilton

Kolkata: Former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu said Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar was indulging in cheap gimmicks to sell his book where the speedster has made disparaging comments against top Indian players.

"A player (Sachin Tendulkar) who has conquered the whole world and stands tall like the Himalayas, can he be afraid of any bowler? It's just cheap publicity, there was no need for such a gimmick," said Sidhu, who was in city as the brand ambassador of Skipper Ltd., a PVC pipe manu-

facturing company. Heaping praise on Tendulkar, Sidhu said: "Tendulkar has derailed the Rawalpindi Express (a name given to Akhtar for his fast deliveries) many a time. He is not a mortal but an institution in himself. His name is etched in world history forever."

On whether Tendulkar should be conferred the country's highest civilian award of the Bharat Ratna, Sidhu said: "He is a Bharat Ratna. The man does not need any such title to make the world know how precious he is to the country."

Apple to unveil new iPhone San Francisco: Apple Inc looks set to introduce its iPhone 5 at a special event next week.

The invitation-only event will be held Oct 4 at Apple campus in Cupertino, California. This could be the first big product launch by the newly installed chief executive officer Tim Cook after he took over the reins of Apple from Steve Jobs in August.

According to US media reports, the iPhone 5 is expected to have a larger screen, a higher resolution camera and a faster dual-core A5 chip on which the iPad 2 runs.

Apple is also reported to release a low-cost and contract- free iPhone model bundled with its cloud computing service iCloud.

World stocks rebound on euro bailout hope

The first Indian F1 Grand Prix is slated to be held October 28-30 at Buddha International Circuit in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

Bangalore: More Grand Prix (GP), investments and sponsors would make motor racing popular in India, as the exciting sport had caught up with the youth, British Formula One (F1)driver Lewis Hamilton said.

"India needs to invest a lot in building the infrastructure for making motor racing popular.

Passion for the sport here is incredible. But you need more investors and sponsors to host a Grand Prix every year to make it as popular as cricket," Hamilton

told reporters here.

The 2008 F1 world champion earlier dazzled about 10,000 frenzied fans by driving his 2008 award-winning McLaren Mercedes (MP4-23) at breakneck speeds on a 500-metre stretch of an expressway built by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) Ltd on the city's outskirts.

The first Indian F1 Grand Prix is slated to be held October 28-30 at Buddha International Circuit in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, about 24km from New Delhi.

New York: U.S. stocks rose for a third straight day and oil prices jumped on rising hopes European leaders will beef up the euro zone's rescue fund and tackle the region's debt crisis.

The euro also rose for a third straight day as multiple reports showed officials considering plans to make its bailout fund many times larger and to recapitalize banks.

But volatility yet again ruled the day on conflicting reports suggesting European officials are considering bold new action to solve the crisis but there are deep disagreements.

The sharp focus on Europe will remain as the region's sovereign debt crisis threatens to sink banks across the euro zone and bring the regional economy to a halt.

"Once we get some resolution of the European sovereign debt

The sharp focus on Europe will remain as the region's sovereign debt crisis threatens to sink banks across the euro zone and bring the regional economy to a halt.

issues, we will regain focus on what's going on in our economic data stream, and that hasn't been a pretty picture this past month or so," said Art Hogan, manag-

ing director at Lazard Capital Markets in New York.

U.S. Treasuries prices slipped as demand for safe havens ebbed, helping the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to rise back to near 2 percent.

Stocks on Wall Street were up as much 2 percent most of the day before finishing just over 1 percent higher as sharp selling into the market's close showed investors' nervousness.

The drop in momentum caused global equities, as tracked by the MSCI all-country world stock index, to narrowly miss their biggest gains in 14 months.

Some investors had cautioned about a possible swing in stocks even as Wall Street surged earlier on Tuesday on portfolio rebalancing before the third quarter's close and buying in response to European debt crisis.

Ultimate Bollywood Thesouthasiantimes.info

October 1-7, 2011

Shahid stands tall in 'Mausam'

here is an absolutely devastating moment of pure drama in this eagerly-awaited far-from-disappointing romance where Shahid Kapoor, playing one of the most deliciously challenging roles of his career, espies from a train the lost love of his life, Sonam Kapoor, standing forlorn in the snow with luggage, like Meryl Streep in "The French Lieutenant's Woman" or Manisha Koirala in "Dil Se", waiting for god knows what!

The next train? Love? Death? Or the next life?

It's a moment that defines "Mausam", a film that has some serious flaws, but finally holds together as a work of renaissance art, more remarkable, in parts outstanding, for what it attempts rather than what it finally achieves.

Pankaj Kapoor takes the Muslim-Hindu love story between a Kashmiri refugee girl and a Punjabi boy through an arching sweep of history. Every historical trauma that has defined and defiled India and

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Director Pankaj Kapoor takes the Muslim-Hindu love story through an arching sweep of history.

Paris Hilton to enter Bollywood? nternational celebrity Paris Hilton claims to have received two Bollywood offers and says she is open to working in the Hindi film industry, provided she gets suitable scripts.

"I have been approached to do two Bollywood films.

But I am not keen on them.

However, if a good script comes up, I am willing to do it. Bollywood films are beautiful, I love the clothes in them," said the blonde beauty.

The socialite has come here to launch her line of bags, but there's a lot more

I

Paris Hilton in Mumbai. on her mind during her short trip. "I am right now here for business. I wanted to do much more but there's no time during this trip," said

Hilton, who unveiled the collection at a media gathering. However, she does not want to miss taking back "good memories" along with "Indian saris, bindis and jewelry".

A yoga enthusiast, Hilton sported a sari for the cover shoot of an Indian fashion magazine recently, and says she adored the six-yard wonder.

"I am very inspired by Indian designers. I recently shot for the cover of Marie Claire India in a sari designed by Rocky S. He is an incredible designer.

Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh critical hazal singer Jagjit Singh, 70, who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Lilavati hospital after he suffered a brain hemorrhage, continued to remain in a critical condition.

“Singh’s condition is still critical but has not worsened,” said Dr Ajit Menon, cardiologist, who is Singh’s doctor. “There was a clot in his brain.

The surgeons had to decompress the brain to remove the clot,” said Dr Menon.

Dr Nitin Dange, consulting neurosurgeon conducted the surgery late Friday night.

The singer was suffering from high blood pressure, a major cause for brain hemorrhages. In 2007, Singh had been hospitalized following blood circulation issues. He had also suffered a heart attack in 1998.

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88 and strong, meet Dev Saheb Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya" -- true to his popular song, Dev Anand, one of the most loveable romantic heroes of the 1950s and the 1960s, has refused to let age slow him down.

He turned 88 excited about new films and his birthday gift -- an IPhone.

He has announced the sequel to his hit film "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" and is looking forward to the release of "Chargesheet".

"I am having a meeting with Warner Brothers, my producers of 'Chargesheet', about the premiere on Monday morning. In the evening, my friends have planned a dinner. A lot of eminent people think my birthday is worth celebrating," said Dev Anand, who has been part of the Hindi film industry for the past 65 years.

The Padma Bhushan awardee

"

Dev Anand. and Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner continues to be as charged up about his new film "Chargesheet", as he has been about all his other films.

"If I'm not as enthusiastic about my new film then I've no business making it. The very fact that I've picked up the responsibility of

Indians in the last 30 years props up as a vital image to underline the love story.

And what "Mausam" finally says is, love becomes impossible in a civilization that chooses to define itself by violence rather than peace. Gandhi? He could be just a specter that never existed in a world where two young people cannot come together in a clasp of love for the fear of falling into a terror trap.

The film goes from one phase in the couple's life to another, not quite smoothly but not strenuously either. The transitions in their estrangement are mapped out in some finely-written scenes where the couple's smothered affections for one another are manifested in moments of sublime beauty.

Shahid takes us through the film's and his character's romantic odyssey, inconsistencies and all. Forget Tom Cruise. In the Airforce uniform he reminds us of Rajesh Khanna in "Aradhana". And that's the highest compliment any contemporary star can be paid.

directing another film proves I've the energy for it. The day I don't, I won't make any more films. My audience, my fans are my source of energy. I need my fans' good wishes... they give me my energy," says Dev saab, who has got himself an I-Phone for his birthday.

The film is a different genre for the octogenarian, who says: "I haven't done this genre before. It's a murder mystery."

The sequel to "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" brings back the character that Dev saab played in the original, 39 years after it first appeared.

Apparently the character would have aged by less than a decade in the sequel, as the story moves forward. The hunt is on for what the evergreen superstar describes as "a woman of today, trendy savvy with-it and attractive".

Jagjit Singh's music and voice is a class apart managing to mesmerize one and all.

Grover named best actor at Houston fest ollywood 'baddie' Gulshan Grover has won the best actor award for playing a holy man in Hollywood movie "Desperate Endeavors" at the Indian Film Festival of Houston.

In the film, directed by French-Algerian director Sam Khassa, Gulshan plays spiritual leader Dada Bhagwan, the man who went to America in the 1970s and enlightened the lives of the Indians there as Gulshan Grover. well as the Americans.

The ceremony was hosted by Melisa Wilson of Fox News and Lyn Cannon of ABC News Sep 24. The award was presented to Gulshan by Counsel General of Austria Gerald Seidl and Director of Film Commission of Houston Rick Ferguson. Gulshan is also riding high on the critical acclaim he has garnered for his role as a dhaba owner in "I Am Kalam", which was also screened at the festival.

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Humor

October 1-7, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Humor with Melvin Durai

Once an Indian, always an Indian

ndians around the world got some good news recently: The Indian government had finally agreed to allow dual citizenship.

Minutes after hearing the news, thousands of Non-Resident Indians dispatched telegrams to their parents and grandparents in India, saying, "Remember that plot of land I couldn't inherit before? Don't give it to anyone!"

Dual citizenship will allow NRIs to not only inherit property and invest in the market, but also travel to India without visas. In other words, they won't have to visit the Indian Embassy, saving themselves at least one full day of time and one full bottle of aspirin.

But perhaps the biggest advantage of dual citizenship is intangible: It will allow Indians living abroad to still feel part of their motherland while pledging allegiance to their adoptive countries.

An Indian native serving in the U.S. Army, for example, will not have to feel guilty about his favorite hobby: throwing darts at a picture of Pervez Musharraf.

Corporal Smith: "Hey Corporal Gupta, why are you throwing darts at General Musharraf? Don't you know that Pakistan and America are

I

rather friendly nowadays?"

Corporal Gupta: "Yes, I know that. As you can see, it is only my right hand that is throwing darts at the general.

The rest of my body is wishing him well."

Dual citizenship adds an official seal to what I have long believed: Once an Indian, always an Indian.

No matter how hard they might try, Indians living abroad cannot wash their Indianness away.

Husband: "It won't go away. I can't wash my Indianness away."

Wife: "What soap are you using?"

Husband: "Lux. Imported from India. I bought it at Patel Brothers Store."

Wife: "Why don't you try Chandrika ayurvedic soap? It works well."

Indeed, Indians abroad have an insatiable appetite for Indian products, including Lux soap, Amul

Facebook Timeline reveals who unfriended you London: A quirk in Facebook's latest redesign has now made it easy for the users to see who has removed them from their friend list.

Previously, the only way to tell someone had unfriended you was to go to their page and notice that you have lost access to their personal details.

But the social networking giant's newly introduced 'Timeline', that shows all activities of a user in chronological order, enables users to see which friend 'unfriended' them, Fox News reports.

According to the technology blog Buzz Feed, the new design doesn't go live until September 29th, but people have figured out a simple means for enabling the beta version.

Step-by-step guides have popped on various blog showing how to get the timeline up and running in just a few minutes, the report said.

According to the report, the timeline is easily enabled, and discovering a list revealing who has decided to 'defriended' you can be easily uncovered in few minutes

cheese, Parachute coconut oil, and Hrithik Roshan. Weekly newspapers offer them news from India, keeping them informed about the latest government scandal.

If you still doubt the loyalty of NRIs, just observe how enthusiastically they celebrate India's Independence Day, whether they live in Chicago, Houston, Toronto or London.

"Independence Day! Independence Day!" the Indians in London shout, as they dance in merriment.

"Thank goodness we got rid of the British!"

On Aug. 15, India's Independence Day, Indians in America participate in parades, feasts and dances. On July 4, America's Independence Day, they participate in watching TV. And perhaps some carom board, too.

Before Sept. 11, many Indian business owners in America emphasized their Indianness to attract customers. "Namaste," they said. "Are you interested in buying some chapattis?"

After Sept. 11, they were quick to emphasize their Americanness.

"What's up, man? Wanna buy some flat bread?"

Partly to protect their businesses from vandalism, business owners displayed more American flags than a July 4th parade.

"We're as American as you," they said. "Even our turbans are red, white and blue."

Yes, they are American, and yes, they are Indian. Dual citizenship will help them hang onto that mixed identity.

And just as important, it will help them hang onto that bungalow in India.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

by Mahendra Shah Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Tech Life

Coming soon, video games that send shivers down your spine

Washington, DC: A new tactile technology has been developed at Disney Research, Pittsburgh (DRP) dubbed Surround Haptics that will send shivers down your spine.

The technology makes it possible for video game players and film viewers to feel a wide variety of sensations, from the smoothness of a finger being drawn against skin to the jolt of a collision.

The technology is based on rigorous psychophysical experiments and new models of tactile perception.

In the demonstration developed in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University and others, the technology will enhance a high-intensity driving simulator game in collaboration with

Disney's Black Rock Studio. With players seated in a chair outfitted with inexpensive vibrating actuators, Surround Haptics will enable them to feel road imperfections and objects falling on the car, sense skidding, braking and acceleration, and experience ripples of sensation when cars collide or jump and land.

"Although we have only implemented Surround Haptics with a gaming chair to date, the technology can be easily embedded into clothing, gloves, sports equipment and mobile computing devices," said Ivan Poupyrev, senior research scientist at DRP, who invented and developed Surround Haptics with Ali Israr, also of DRP. "This technology has the capability

of enhancing the perception of flying or falling, of shrinking or growing, of feeling bugs creeping on your skin.

The possibilities are endless,' added Poupyrev.

Disney will demonstrate Surround Haptics Aug. 7-11 at the Emerging Technology Exhibition at SIGGRAPH 2011, the International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Vancouver

Astrology TheSouthAsianTimes.info

October 1-7, 2011

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma Stars Foretell: October 1-7, 2011 Aries: With pressure on your mind you won’t see things with a clear perspective.

Your confidence and morale would also suffer, as unexpected problems come your way. Take care of your dealing with govt. agencies. Avoid making any hasty decisions or statements. Social activities would bring about a new romantic relationship. Travel would be educating but prove expensive. All legal matters would require immediate attention.

Taurus: This week you should not invest in ventures and schemes that only appear to be lucrative. Look from each and every angle before you put your hardearned money on the table. Watchful period for expecting mothers. Do not be lavish in your spending, try to save maximum for the not so good days. Health and family matters would require lot of attention.

Gemini: Added responsibilities at home would add to your burden. You would be unable to handle unexpected rise in expenses that catch you by surprise.

This disappointment would make you irritated and short-tempered. Career wise you need to fix your eye on your goal, but take necessary precautions. You should not make any hasty investments during this period. Support from friends would be immense. Social events would be exciting.

Cancer: The benefits that would accrue to you this week would double if you play your cards well. You would be in a commanding position and reap incredible financial benefits from work that depends on your creativity. Expect social activities to be lively and exciting. Your personality would have a magnetic appeal that would attract the right kind of people towards you. Rest would be important in-between work.

Leo: This week you would possess some new ideas and plans, which might not be implemented due to increase in your responsibilities or other financial pressures. Female members of the family would be extra helpful in completing pending jobs. Attend seminars and exhibitions that would bring you in touch with the right kind of people. A long journey concerning work is on the cards for some of you.

Virgo: Cash and expensive items need careful handling. If you are planning to venture into a new business, seek assistance from individuals who are established and experienced. Romantic alliances would suffer, as emotional moments would arise, causing problems in your love relationship. A close friend would try his best efforts to influence your decisions. Good week for outdoor activities.

Libra: You would possess a remarkable ability to put together projects that would be extremely dynamic and profitable.

You need to focus on small yet important tasks, to reap long-term gains. Your mate would enjoy helping you out at this moment. Funds for new entrepreneurs would

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generate through loans or property transaction.

Foreign transactions need careful handling.

Good week for auspicious functions.

Scorpio: This week your lover would be jealous if you do not pay enough attention to his/her needs. Professionally it would be a remarkable week for you. Your ability to act as a leader would put you into strong position. Financial gains are certain through investment. You should also do something special with children. Your involvement into their work would make you understand each other much better.

Sagittarius: Career matters should take priority this week. Be especially careful while handling finances, because you are likely to suffer losses due to your overconfidence. Close friends and relatives would try to keep you happy but tend to promise more than what they can deliver. Family responsibilities would mount pressure. New romance for some would help you take worries off your mind.

Capricorn: This week your optimism and positive outlook would push your career to new heights. You would be able to complete difficult problems without the support from others, which would bring you immense recognition. Your recent work is surely going to bring you the respect you deserve. Travel and educational pursuits would be highly rewarding. Pay attention to your health.

Aquarius: You would find that your opinions are welcomed by those around you.

New opportunities for some. Accept new offers that come your way. You would feel that changing position of planets tend to bring favorable results in your life, as your creative ability would also heighten and earn you popularity and gains. Chronic health problem may cause you to miss something important.

Pisces: This week seeking help from close associated would be essential to ease work pressure that grips your mind. Any contribution that you make towards social cause would enhance your reputation and bring you mental peace.

Your family members would extend their full support. Social activities would provide you with knowledge and amusement. Spend enjoyable time with youngsters and friends.

Before you consult... i) Accurate Data: Please make sure Date, Time and Place of birth is accurate. ii) Careful: Did you check background of the astrologer before disclosing your secrets. iii) Fee: Discuss the charges before, don’t feel shy. It’s his business. iv) Expectation: Expect the best, if the outcome is not as desired, never give up. v) Consult: Take second opinion before spending thousands on cure/remedies.

Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874; Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899; psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com

Annual Predictions: For those born in this week October 01: Governed by number 1, and the Sun, you are original, active, responsible and a talented person. You are highly skillful and fond of accepting challenges, but you need to control your tendency to dominate, overspend and behave destructive at times. You need to take stronger decisions to reap benefits. Challenges that you accept during this phase would bring overwhelming results in the long run. Your financial condition would improve later in the year, as you would pickup jobs involving higher responsibility and position. A sudden influence of a spiritual person would have a remarkable influence on your personality and thoughts. Students would excel in their academic performance. Some exhilarating news from your overseas relations will boost up the spirits of the entire family. Travel and journey will be pleasurable. The months of September, November, October and May will be significant for you.

October 02: Ruled by number 2 and the Moon. You are highly trustworthy, emotional, simple, friendly and warmhearted person. You have a desire for learning and gathering knowledge and people look up to you for consultation and inspiration, but you need to check your tendency to behave introvert, hasty and whimsical at times. This year you need to do some serious thinking on your career options. Few brilliant opportunities would come your way but you need to act smart and quick to grab these once in a lifetime offer before others. Financial gains would accrue from investments and even speculation. A vacation to an exotic location cannot be ruled out later this year. Your health will remain good but health of your spouse or children will become a matter of concern. Servants, colleagues, subordinates will cause some worry and unnecessary tensions. The months of August, November, January and April will be eventful.

October 03: Influenced by number 3 and the planet Jupiter. You are ambitious, philosophical, dignified, independent and intelligent person. Your outgoing personality and willingness to adapt to changes keeps you ahead of others, but you need to check your tendency to behave reckless, spendthrift and selfish at times. Important alliances would welcome you this year. Your self-confidence and determination would be at its peak. Selective speculation would be rewarding, therefore do not squander away your hard-earned money. Finances would improve middle of the year bringing prosperity and happiness at domestic level. Your friends would be supportive to your concerns and always be by your side at the need of the hour. New romance for those unattached will certainly add a spice to your bland life. Health of a sibling might cause some concern and anxiety. The months of July, October, December and January seem to be significant.

October 04: Dominated by number 4 and the planet Uranus, you are active, jovial, reliable, methodical and systematic.

You are capable of handling many activities at one time, and you seldom complain, but you need to check your tendency to behave vindictive, jealous and stubborn at times. Great period to implement your new plans and ideas. Support from people around you would prove highly beneficial in completing pending jobs. Financial position stabilizes as investments start raking profits. Good time to travel and build up new contacts. Seeking blessing from a spiritual person would bring mental peace and comfort. Chances for overseas education for post graduates students would

be bright. Matrimonial alliance for those seeking a life partner. Chronic patients need to take extra care for their health. The months of September, November, February and October will prove to be highly eventful.

October 05: Ruled by number 5 and the planet Mercury, you are strong, practical, active, business minded and a diplomatic person. You are a born leader and you easily inspire others to do an excellent job. You are hardworking and sincere, but your tendency to be moody, timid and jealous attracts enormous criticism at times. The coming year promises to be good for your physical and financial status. Recognition and rewards for your efforts would be plenty. There would be a good rise in your confidence and determination enabling you to handle difficult tasks with ease. Speculation in real estate would yield handsome returns. Distant travel would be undertaken for business purpose as well as pleasure. Children need to concentrate more on their career. Health would be fine in spite of overtime that you might have to put for initial few months. The months of July, September, January and June will be highly significant and result oriented.

October 06: Influenced by number 6 and the planet Venus. You are independent, ambitious, charming and love peace and harmony. You possess a remarkable personality and you can easily make friends with your helpful nature, but you need to check your tendency to behave moody, spendthrift and careless at times. The year ahead promises to be a blend of both the good and the bad. Some exciting changes would take place in the organization that you work for. Your colleagues would be a support and a source of enjoyment, but seniors would be demanding and their erratic behaviour would add pressure to your mind. Financial gains are likely from more than one source. You would also gain if you invest in property and bonds. New friendships might seem promising but would ultimately live short of expectations. You are likely to be more inclined towards religious as well as spiritual activities.

The months of October, January, February and April will be highly eventful.

October 07: Governed by number 7 and the planet Neptune. You are brilliant, quick, confident, vigilant and shrewd.

You are blessed with remarkable imagination and can easily win over your rivals, but you need to check your tendency to behave stubborn, jealous and unreliable at times. An excellent period which would improve your name and bring you enormous fame. Investments will reach new heights and improved finances would make you spend more on luxuries and other comforts. Romantic entanglement would be pleasant and chances to enter into a matrimonial alliance would be strong. Religious feeling would arise making you seek blessing of a spiritual person or embark on a pilgrimage later in the year. Expect gifts and goodies both in cash and kind. The months of August, November, February and May will especially improve prosperity.

Free Consultation Learn about the fair value of diamonds & precious stones. from a Gems Expert For appointment, please call 516-390-7847

or email consult.gems@gmail.com A special offer for the readers of The South Asian Times

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Spiritual Awareness

October 1-7, 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Illumine your self with love

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj f we were to sum up the message in all the talks and verses written by the great poet-saint, Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, we would find one theme permeates them all. That theme is divine love.

Just as the atom permeates all matter, so does divine love permeate all life. The purpose of all existence is divine love. Divine love means the love between the soul and God. This love moved God to create all creation, including each of us, and this love is what draws each back to the Creator.

If we are to commit our life to the highest purpose it would be to illumine ourselves with love. Who should we love? We should love God. When we love God, we also love all God’s creation, including all humanity and all creatures of the earth.

There is a beautiful story in the Bible that tells how Jesus and his disciples were traveling. They came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made for his visit.

Martha was annoyed that Mary was only sitting at Jesus’s feet basking in his love while Martha had to do all the work. Martha went to Jesus and asked, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?

Tell her to help me!" Jesus replied, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and this will not be taken away from her."

This story has caused many to wonder about its meaning. But those who understand the true meaning of this story realize that the heart of the story is love. It is describing that the highest of all in life is to love. Mary was lost in love with her Master, Jesus. She was enraptured by his glance and by his presence and she melted into ecstasy. The true purpose of his coming was to enjoy the heart-

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to-heart and soul-to-soul meeting.

This story is not saying that the service that Martha was doing was not good but it is talking about how worried and upset she was.

She was not lost in love but caught up in the trials and troubles of life.

Yes, service is there, but Martha was only focused on the tasks at hand and criticizing what others were doing, without being lost in the love that we need to be lost in while doing service and while looking to find God. That is why Jesus told Martha that Mary had made the better choice and that her choice to love was not going to be taken away from her. It is talking about Martha who, while doing service, was not engaged in love, but instead was distracted, troubled, upset, and critical of others.

That is not how seva with love and selflessness is to be performed.

This story points to the fact that the highest of all pastimes in this world is love. Love can be having darshan and enjoying the physical presence of the Master and it can be performing seva but only that seva which keeps love at the forefront.

Singh Ji Maharaj, the lover wants to be with the Beloved and have those tresses flowing out freely for the lover to enjoy. The lover wants to look at them and be intoxicated by them. This symbolizes the ecstasy the disciple experiences when in the presence of the Master. The verse is saying that those moments are the most comforting and blissful times we can have in this life.

that time and problems are keeping us away from those blissful moments between Master and disciple without, and the disciple meeting the radiant form of the Master within, then we will attain the goal of love.

It is true that we have some responsibilities in life to earn our livelihood, take care of our family, and perform our duties to our society. But within positive mysticism

It is true that we have some responsibilities in life to earn our livelihood, take care of our family, and perform our duties to our society. But, Positive Mysticism is about ethically performing our duties and also finding as much time as possible to devote to spiritual love.

Love is the fabric of life. It is the most important goal and occupation we can have, for it is the only way back to God. If we wish to continue in separation from God, then let us only engage in the millions of tasks this world has to offer that take us away from God. If we wish to go back to God then let us engage in the work of love.

Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj has beautifully said in a verse: I could have rested in the comforting shade of your tresses, But there is no time from the neverending problems of life.

Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj is emphasizing the sad truth that we are so caught up in the never-ending problems of life that we never rest in the comforting shade of the tresses of the Master. The Masters have traditionally come from a culture in which long hair or tresses was the style. Whether their hair flows out upon their shoulders with their silken, glimmering strands that capture the heart of their disciples or whether their hair is tied up in a bun under a turban, when the turban is removed the disciples can enjoy those lovely tresses. Those tresses symbolize the love and protection of a Master.

In this verse by Sant Darshan

Unfortunately, the never-ending problems, stresses, and tasks of life are pulling the disciple away from these blissful times. The disciple always wants to be in the moments of bliss that come from the presence of the Master. But life is pulling the disciple and Master apart from each other. There is always one excuse after another that keeps them apart. One day it may be that the disciple has to watch the World Cup competition of a favorite team. Another day it may be that we have to shop for this thing or that thing. Another day we are growing our business.

Another day we are tied up with this petty problem or another.

There is no end to the reasons we are pulled away from the moments of love.

Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj is saying that if we wait for some time and we complete this task or that task, resolve this problem or that problem, take care of this person or that person, time will pass us by. We will never get to the moments of love that are the most important pastimes in life. Love is the ingredient that makes this life beautiful and worth living. It beautifies everything. It fills us with the nectar of bliss to propel us through the trials of life. Once we realize

and performing our duties, we also need to snatch away as much time as possible to devote to spiritual love. We need to realize that divine love is the highest pastime of all.

We need to make time for that every day. Masters have given us the minimum time by which we can successfully connect with love, and that is ten percent of our time, or two and a half hours a day minimum. That time can be spent in meditation where we contact that love within us.

Everyone seeks to love and be loved. Love is a universal need.

From being newborn babies to our last dying breath, we seek love.

Children want the love of their parents, family, and friends. As adults we seek the love of our partner, spouses, family, friends, and children. Listen to most people on their deathbed, and they have only three words to say to those around their bedside, and that is "I love you," and those are the last three words they want to hear from others. We feel our life is filled with beauty, warmth, and happiness when adorned by love. When bereft of love, we feel life is empty and not worth living.

There are different degrees of love we can experience. Most loves of this world, such as

between parent and child, lovers and beloveds, spouses, family, and friends are reflections of a higher love. They are love on a miniature scale. They are physical reflections of a love that exists at the level of spirit. These loves of this world are but reflections of the love of God, or divine love.

To be truly happy in life, we want to be filled with a love that is lasting. The only permanent love is the love of God, which is divine or spiritual love. Why? When we love others in this physical world, we focus on the outer form of the person, and forget the inner love of the Divine that connects us. The real love we experience is the heart-to-heart and soul-to-soul love. The outer form is but a vehicle or outer packaging that shrouds that true love that is at the core of that person.

Suppose you had some cereal to eat. The cereal can be wrapped in a plastic baggie, or it can be in a box. It is not the bag or the box that we want to eat, but the cereal within them. Similarly, when we say "I love you" to a person, we are directing that love to the essence of that person. The outer wrapper or physical form is not who we are really loving; we are really loving the person’s essence within that form. How do we know this? Look at how many changes a person goes through in life. They morph from a tiny infant, to a toddler, to a school-age child, to a teenager, to an adult, to an adult in his or her thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, and over a hundred. We can love someone through that entire span of time, although the outer packaging is growing and aging. It is the person within that outer form who we love.

The secret is that when we tap into loving the essence of that person, we are tapping into that person’s true nature, and that nature is love itself. That love is like the genetic code for all life.

Just as 99.9 percent of all human genes are said by scientists to be the same, the genetic spiritual heart of all life is love, and that is the same for everyone. At the core of everyone is love. That love is within you and that love is within me, and that love is within everyone. When we connect with that love, we are in bliss.

(To be concluded next week) Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is an internationally recognized spiritual leader and Master of Jyoti Meditation who affirms the transcendent oneness at the heart of all religions and mystic traditions, emphasizing ethical living and meditation as building blocks for achieving inner and outer peace. www.sos.org.