US Affairs 9 9 US Affairs
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Rajasthan Focus Lifestyle 2723
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$ #& India at UN 530 Spiritual Awareness 30 Spiritual Awareness & October 1-7, 2011
& # The South Asian The South Asian Times PM highlights global issues at UN,Times builds ! on
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)!-/.$ 4"),%% 5)2)3).' $)'.)3!1)%2 /& /,,%'% /& %#(./,/'8 !.$ )32 United (% Nations: As Prime Secretary Ranjan Mathai. Special to The TheSouthAsianTimes.info TheSouthAsianTimes.info '1/63( ).3/ !. .)5%12)38 !##1%$) Minister Manmohan Singh left On Japan, both prime ministers South Asian Times /& week %#(./,/'8 !.!').' 1423%% 1 3!3)/. 6()#( 6),, "% (/./1%$ 40/. New York /,,%'% earlier this after a reiterated that they would pursue StarYork, TV flew in!3 6!-).!3(!. 3(% ()%& Skilled Indians World’s cheapest Indian-American Deadlock over Parsi community JAINA’s 16th /)-"!3/1% .$)! 6!2 (%,$ .%73 8%!1 3 %-0(!2)9%$ 3(%ror should be reined in. This time vigorously Superstar five-day trip to New where their efforts on UN tablet launched artistes for AIA-NY face 30-year wait/& %#( /1042around, Rajnikanth broadcaster ďŹ les separate Telangana, created Convention in Houston )-0/13!.#% 1%23!41!.3 the number of bilateral reforms, nuclear he (43.%8 participated !18 almost entirely in ).age 7%#43)5% 1 4$1!-//13(8 : energymodern andblesses coorin India Diwali mela card Ra.One discrimination suit 1).#)0!, 1 – for green 4.$ 6()#( 6),, (%,0 ). %$4#!3)/. %6 %12%8 protests hot was up fewer in dination withSRK’s India:G4 Amitav Ghosh a huge success meetings he held UN /.-/43( events, the 4.#3)/. focus of the world other members /. and !341$!8 !8 (% !$(!+1)2(.!. )1%#3/1 /& $%2%15).' 234$%.32 %5%18accordance with officials' expla- in various fields. It was also body its leaders--particularly Business, Bollywood, Tristate Community, National Community, India Features, National '!3(%1).' 6!2 !33%.$%$ "8 1 !.$!'/0!, : Convention, 8%!1 (% 1423 !,1%!$8 (%,02 nations thatNewswire, the shortened visit agreed to continue those from major powers--was efforts in the JAINA Page 21 page 2626and the relePage 5 page 7 Page 12 Page Page 7 234$%.32 %!#( 8%!1 &/1 3(%)1was planned because of domestic nuclear energy !,4-.) &1/- 5!1)/42 &)%,$2 /& )1%#3/1 1 Pages 16-18 once again drawn to India's aspiarea /,,%'% /& %#(./,/'8 (% !,4-.) !.'!.!3(!. 1%2)$%.3 ,4-.) %$4#!3)/. issues. rations and leadership qualities. vant safety measures to be taken. 22/#)!3)/. 1 !$!1!*!. /-% /& 3(% !,4-.) (/./1%$ "8 In his bilateral meeting with &1/- to /23/. In#!-% his address the 66th )1').)! annual It was another warm meeting %..28,5!.)! !.$ %6 %!$ !3(2 /-043%1 1 !.'!26!-8 6%1% 1 !#+Iran, the prime minister promised with Prime Minister Baburam session of the %6 UN /1+ General %12%8 .#,4$%$ 3(% /,$%23 00,)#!3)/.2 1 //,! &/1 ()2 $/.!3)/.2 3/ a visit to Tehran though no date Bhattarai of Nepal, who studied in Assembly, Dr Singh6%1% highlighted (!.-4'!- &1/- !.$!26!-8 %!$ )/-%$)#!, %#( 1 !-0!3( 4-!1 1 was announced. The anticipated Chandigarh and New Delhi. The the'1!$4!3% need for 1 expansion of the .').%%1).' !13(4#(!,! //13(8 1 %,5!-issues of nuclear energy and the focus again was on bilateral coop
"!3#( !.$ 3(% 8/4.'%23 '1!$ Security Council and other 4!3% &1/- "!3#( (% 2,)$% 2(/6 01%2%.3!3)/. !.$ 1 )*!8 &/1 0,!..).' 3(%planned gas $ #&$% # $( * !# $ % ! "& pipeline between the eration, with an emphasis on ecoreforms in the world body. He % % # $ % % visit 6!2 was 01%2)$%$ two countries that passes through % stated (% that-%%3).' New Delhi ready "8 ()'(,)'(3%$ 5!1)/42 $%0!13-%.32 ). -%%3).' ). %6 %12%8 nomic relations. to thehe between Pakistan Aand India,â€? Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Iran's President Mahmoud Pakistan were not discussed. northern to help fill the gap in global govneighbor by Dr said participating in the Singh rolling Ahmadinejad (right) at a bilateral on the sidelines of UNGA session. Officials noted the parley was was ernance, ease financial crises and alsoatplanned though no date panels the Washington Ideas filled the vacuum left by his based only on bilateral issues. put the UN’s focus on internation- 1980s. has been No here, specific Forum at finalized. the Newseum ABC In his statesman-like speech on absence since 2008. He voiced With Sri Lanka, no interference reference al terrorism. was made to the News reported. Among other measures, the Sept 24, Dr Singh said, "We must concerns on behalf of all nations-- was suggested. President Mahinda Maoists “Indiaproblem is tryingintoNepal. create an antiprime minister assured less-devel- address the issue of the deficit in friends and foes alike. As he cele- Rajapaksa explained to Dr Singh With regard to SouthMusharraf Sudan, Pakistan Afghanistan,â€? oped nations that India was ready global governance. We need a brated his birthday on flight back his nation's steps in resettling dis- helping the new-born nation said suggesting that India has ainvito help in their progress and make stronger and more effective UN home (he turned 79 on Sept 26), placed persons and the fisher- various sectors was discussed sion of dominating the region and efforts to strengthen friendship that is sensitive to aspirations of after spending time with his fami- men's issue over which a joint with Salva Kiir. aims toPresident “create a weak Pakistanâ€?. with allies. On Palestine, which everyone--rich or poor, big or ly the day before, Dr Singh working group proposal was dis- Coperation in infrastructure, medHe complained that India has could be the UN's 194th nation, small." He stated that the need for looked back to his just-concluded cussed. ical, and been railway, training hydrocarbon Afghan diplomats, Though the issue of a law suit in education he articulated the need for its UN reforms was urgent and steps visit with a degree of pride. mulled. officers Vice soldiers andwas intelligence Prime Pakistan Minister Manmohan SinghNew and Afghan President Hamid Though was not menYork on alleged human President admission as early as possible. in this direction should be taken Hamid Ansari representand that the training should stop. inked strategic pact Oct 4 in New tionedKarzai by name, he aadvised it partnership was rights violations by Delhi. Sri Lanka ed India India was the first non-Arab with renewed vigor immediately. the independence cele-in Askedat why recent polling Dr Singh visited New York/UN in the interests of every nation came up, it was only in general brations nation to recognize Palestine as a of the African nation, Pakistan holds the US in low esstate-sponsored actorsAfghaniof ter- terms, by Foreign sovereign country in the late after a gap of three years and that freedom July.“hishedgingasitsexplained bets in Afghanistan and which teem, attained Musharraf saidinthat Washington: Calling Ranju Batra, President of the Association of Indians in America-NY, stan as a “proxy warâ€? between In- adopt a peaceful approach towards torical pastâ€? has led to mistrust standing in front of the 9/11 shrine with Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence as theme at the 24th annual Diwali mela Oct 2 at South dia and Pakistan, former Pakistani India, Musharraf said the US needs and antipathy against America Street Seaport. The festival occurred 10 years after 9-11 and on Gandhi’s president Pervez Musharraf has ac- to understand Pakistan’s “sensitivi- at the people level in light of the Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran is second DMK minister to exit birth anniversary. Six proclamations from lawmakers were conferred tiesâ€? about Afghanistan’s scale down in Afghanistan cused New Delhi of “trying to cre-Manmohan government in therelationspectrumUS scam. upon onof theterror occasion by many community ship with India. planned for 2014. 53Ranju percent plotsgraced worldwide sincelawmakers, 2004 involved jihadists, ate an anti-Pakistan Afghanistanâ€?. leaders like and Tehrik-e-Taliban Indian diplomats.and TheLeT cultural programs attractions cadres, trainedand in Pakistan. Afghanistan, there is some see ‘Pakistan pulls closer to a Hours President Obama the government and the Also showed complicity in the scam. New after Delhi/Chennai: Union “InWhile were enjoyed by tens of thousands despite some rain. kind of a proxy conflict going on reluctant China’ on page Thursday asked its key ally to stop world stage described Dr Singh’s speech as Unsparing of himself, Dr Singh, architect United Nations: Heads of state and govern- called for international cooperation in comThursday’s turn of events4a is Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Ma- Congress party did not comment on ! % & # # ( % ) &% ' ( % # # $ bating terror and emphasized the resigned need to Thursday of India’sfollowing economic reforms, "landmark." He explained theboth PM the skipping ment Toronto: generally #&$% # $( * !# $ % ! "& % highlight ownthe nations' resistance to the country’s govern- ran Pakistan their is now the big acknowledged political development, an likely to impact shape of # + # $% # ! & ( % $%& %$ a scheduling that globalization has not yielded anticipated contributions personal out the long-cherished reforms.of involvement the % ' % draconian imposition of UN new front inand the their war on terror asachieveit ment, carry emboldened opposition community described reception impendingascabinet shufe issue, and deliallegations in the results, falling short basictoo needs pointing the visit was decided than a the developed in scam, ments they deliver internaSharia Smaller law andand theless waging of warnations--those haswhen become a new safespeeches haven foratalas “too little lateâ€? and soughtthatcately poised relationsless between 2G spectrum becoming the ofitfulfilling month ago, afterand Anna elsewhere--were that here is of the poor.after IndiaA. is home to 400 million who Minister tional forums. NATOand forces in Afghanistan.toldsecond Qaeda, says the Indian Canadianleaders--from media a againstAfrica resignation of Home P. shortly Congress theHazare's DMK. fast. DMK minister At a time of upheaval in domestic meals a daywho or livJawaharlal to Manmohan Singh--have an emerging Because of these market militant ready outďŹ tsto help day afterNehru the country blacklisted the Chidambaram, they alleged 2G scam continuedpolitics, on page 4 Raja them to exitinthe cannot cabinet.afford two square distress. ing on less than two dollars a day. the UN visit came as a welcome relief to the been no different. Butand thisstarted time somehow Dr theirhas become “the main Pakistani Taliban with- Pakistan Moscow: Russian Dmit-at the UN UN Security Palestine was issue No 1 at UNGA’s just- prime minister. Singh delivered a President rare speech "Diplomats at the UN, burdened by the staging area for terrorist plots drawal from Afghanistan Tuesday. ry Medvedev warned Friday that for Council, which New York: It’s a cliche to speak of buyers up first for three concluded session. India queue was the non-days ahead Meanwhile, foreign minister SM Krishna, weight of their positions, do not which“The is likely to merit some around the world and -national despite the war on terror attention has shifted, Russia vetois future UN Secuspecial of an era when someone of launch. applaud statements byofleaders other counArab nationwell to officially recognize it as a also visiting New York, was able to put Indiatime to would come. States’ assassination Osa-theofend and Pakistan its new front line,â€?bearsUnited rity Council sanctions todid topple po- responsibility known has passed Today,nation--ahead howSteveofJobs markets sovereign evencreated Pakistan, US and relationship, said to be "drifting", on except at the end their speeches as away. Insaid his the speech, India not canvass for maa bintries Laden in Abbotabad - aof new daily National Post. litical “These regimes byatWestern powers. for the fate of ever, it does feel like something has product categories. He changed how track again. At a meeting with his US coundictated by tradition. They rarely burst into Bangladesh and Indonesia. permanent seattwo the UN Security Council or safe-haven for al-Qaeda.â€? events (blacklisting ‘Russia will continue standworld peace, changed forever in the world of tech. we consume information and enterterpart Hillary Clinton, it was decided to hold On neighbors, Dr Singh offered cooperademand position on key committees; no applause over an idea or a declaration as Quoting a study by the New of the Pakistani Taliban and the ing start against attempts tofrom legitimize is such not to nothing giveFoundation, brilliance clarity of Pakistan vision, tainment. He without redefined with on all fronts anyleadership. a series of meetings starting with a higher bashing ofwithdrawal our western neighbor on is taken atthe facepaper value. The Speeches areandtion America of Afghanithrough UN Security Council pretext courage of conviction, the fierybelieves There is soreciprocated muchsecabout Jobs that education summit in mid-October in issues as the terrorism. Dra Singh sounded forfor analysis for plots new the nuances in polihint interference--a gesture said 53 percent inofdepth terror stan) encapsulate shift, not onlya statesformer chief New Delhi: The of billion), unilateral sanctions aimed top- na-drawing up retired imperfection. There is marks him out from the many tech by the Pakistani foreign minister in her Washington. The two nations' cooperation on cy," UN involved envoy intolerance of valuables India for T.P. man-like and forward-looking. worldwide since 2004 for Canada, but for all atother retary of Kerala CP Nair. found in pling various regimes,’ theprime Interfax alnothey other individual impacting that to dotKashmir Silicon and Afghanistan would also be intensified. Sreenivasan "But applaudspeech which did not refer No wonder that the jihadists trained incommented. Pakistan, comtions on the front lines of theminister's wardocuments As pershe avisionaries report, Thursday, the Valley the secret cellars of intechnolnews quoted Medvedev as from lowing ogyKerala’s anywhere near the same way,bureaucrat the rest ofclaims theHina world. His Krishna's presence at the Pakistani foreign as an in international issue. Rabbani speech received applause the theed Dr. percent Singh when he read ainshort parapared to atsix in Yemen andout on agency terror. For arare number of years, former that thenever-say-die famous Sree saying, reported Xinhua. tainment of in our era, as Steven Paul Jobs did. reinvention of himself and the com- reception was significant. Ms Khar minister's graph on UN reform." Khar only said the bilateral dialogue should august gathering. three percent in Iraq. Pakistani jithose lines have been shifting Padmanabhaswamy estimated market value of the trea‘The UN was notAfghanistan created for tocertain in have directed He wasn’t just the guy who made panies he started, repeatedly turning received him warmly. This was probably the be allowed to continue. On Afghanistan, the India offered its own leader's expertise and Undoubtedly, UN reforms are a crying hadiends groups 44 persoutheast, from Temple in Thiru- sures unearthed from the temple Russian that,’ Medvedev Only ďŹ ve of the an sixJobs secret cellars of PadmanabSteve shows off minister iPhone 4was at military the world’s coolest gadgets. Oh, adversity into advantage, described prime minister offered full assistance in its first time that Indian foreign need virtually all the 193 member states, experience in economic financial amatters cent ofway.’ the as terror plots since then, Pakistan,â€? thesaid. paperand said. President v a n a n t h a p u r a m makes it the richest temple in the haswamy Temple have been opened, yielding the 2010 Worldwide Developers ’We should recognize clearly that Medvedev Con-to thethe well, that too. Do you know of any most famously in his Stanford address. reconstruction efforts. present at a reception, held on the sidelines of to tackle the present-day global ills. is By putincluding permanent members of UNSC, according paper. Dmitry # & # &#% * # ! $! #&$% It #&$% # $( * !# $ % ! "& % said the Tehrik-e-Taliban world. could be worth Rs Gold idols, ornaments and other valuables. Conference. & % % ' % the very goal of the UNcountry and especially theNew 4 on it. Medvedev company for whose products Steven Jobs Continued on page 4 A journalist who has specialized in India on the UN, given by his Pakistani counterpart. agree They differ only 4inother the details. ting no particular on spot, Delhion Warpage on terror continued on page # * ' # $ $ % ! %&# dangerous as ' $% # its “stated goalâ€? istinued Kerala treasure continued on page 4 5 lakh crore ($100
Vol. 4 |4No. 25 | October 8 - 14, 2011 60 Cents Vol. | No.12 | July 9-15, 2011 | 60| Cents %,%"1!3)/.2 /& !.!'%-%.3 1 !.'!26!-8
AIA-NY’s Diwali mela Afghanistan proxy waranother between Pakistan turns 2G scama claims wowed with new features India, Pakistan: Musharraf ‘new front line’ minister: Maran quits added by its President
of war on terror
Manmohan puts India on moral high ground Statesman-like and forward looking, his speech gets rare applause at UN
Russia to veto UN resolutions aimed at ‘toppling regimes’
Jobs turned small ideas into life-changing products
Kerala temple 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
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Art
October 8-14, 2011
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Best of pre-modern Indian painting on show at the Met The exhibition ‘Wonder of the Age’: Master Painters of India, 1100-1900 can be viewed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, till Jan 8, 2012.
Attributed to Kota Master. Emperor Farrukhsiyar Being Paraded in a Palanquin.
Woman worshipping the Sun - Page from a Jahangirnama Album. Attributed to Basawan
Balchand -Jahangir receives Prince Khurram at Ajmer on Return from Mewar campaign
Photograph overpainted by Shivalal -Portrait of Jaswant Singh II of Jodhpur
ndian paintings have traditionally been classified according to regional styles or dynastic periods, with an emphasis on subject matter and narrative content. Recent scholarship, however, has begun to securely link innovations in style with specific artists and their lineages. Together with a careful study of artists’ inscriptions and scribal colophons, it is now possible to construct a more precise chronology of the development of Indian painting. Beginning Sept 28, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is presenting “Wonder of the Age”: Master Painters of India, 1100-1900, a major loan exhibition devoted to the connoisseurship of Indian painting, with some 200 works selected according to identifiable hands and named artists. The exhibition dispels the notion of anonymity in Indian art. The high points of artistic innovation in the history of Indian painting are demonstrated through works by more than 40 of the greatest Indian painters, some of whom are identified for the first time. Each artist is represented in the exhibition by five to six seminal works. The exhibition is made possible by MetLife Foundation. Additional support is provided by Novartis Corporation. It was organized by the Museum Rietberg Zurich in collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum, New York. Structured chronologically, the exhibition features the artistic achievement of individual artists in each period. Highlights include: A Sufi Sage by Farrukh Beg, after a European engraving of the personification of melancholia, Dolor, an extraordinary painting representing the last chapter of the artist’s long career (1615, Museum of Islamic Art, Doha); Peafowl attributed to Mansur, a master of observation of the natural world (ca. 1610, private collection); Jahangir receives Prince Khurram at Ajmer on his return from the Mewar campaign: page from the Windsor Padshahnama by Balchand, a master of composition (ca. 1635, Royal Collection, Royal Library, Windsor); Shiva and Parvati playing chaupad by Pahari, a superb painting with intense saturated color, bold but sparse composition, and stylized landscape, depicting the divine couple relaxing on a tiger skin playing chaupad, a form of chess (1694-95, Metropolitan Museum); and Emperor Muhammad Shah with falcon viewing his gar-
I
den at sunset from a palanquin attributed to Chitarman II, depicting the emperor enjoying his garden at sunset (ca. 1730, Boston Museum of Fine Arts). The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue. Major collections in India, Europe, and the US have lent works to the exhibition, including: HM The Queen’s Collection Windsor Castle, National Museum of India and the
Udaipur City Palace Museum in Rajasthan, the Aga Khan Trust Geneva, the Bodleian Library and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and the Museum Rietberg in Zurich. “Wonder of the Age” has been produced under the direction of three eminent scholars— Dr. Eberhard Fischer, former director of the Museum Rietberg; Prof. Milo Beach, former director of the Freer & Sackler Galleries in Washington, D.C.; and Prof. B.N. Goswamy, Professor Emeritus of Art History at the Panjab University, Chandigarh. Dr. Jorrit Britschgi of the Museum Rietberg is the organizing curator in collaboration with John Guy, the Florence and Herbert Irving Curator of the Arts of South and Southeast Asia at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibition was on view at the Museum Rietberg Zurich before traveling to New York. A variety of education programs accompany the exhibition, including gallery talks, films, and a Sunday at the Met program on Oct 2. The exhibition is featured on the Museum’s website at www.metmuseum.org.
Abd-al-Samad -Two fighting camels.
Attributed to The KotaMaster. Ram Singh I of Kota hunting rhinoceros.
Tristate Community Tristate Community
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September 2011 October 817-23, - 14 2011
Kamlesh Mehta promoted as Director of Nirupama Rao presents Keyand changes introducedcredentials at Global IIT Business Economic Development to President Washington: Describing of Alumni Nassau County Conference in city India-US global strategic
Mineola: Kamlesh C. Mehta, an Indian American with partnership as a defining interests in media and diamond business has been proand indispensible collaboBy Parveen Chopra just bureaucrats. In research also IITs ness School, and John Sexton, NYU moted as Director of Business and Economic Developration for the 21st Century, are lagging, said Bhandari. President, in a conversation gave their New York: Iconic speakers pro- President ment of Nassau County in New York State, one of AmerObama has said The conference resolved to give views on economic turmoil in the viding insights, and networking and ica’s wealthiest counties. their dynamic friendship funding to 4 NGOs working in world economic markets, business opmentoring opportunities. That more The first Indian American to hold the top business job advances peace and prosgrassroots education field in India. portunities to increase bi-lateral trade or less summed up the Indian Insti- perity at the County, Kamlesh Mehta said his primary role is to in Asia and the $12,500 each was pledged for them. between the US and India, impact of tute of Technology conferences. Not world. provide support to existing businesses which are sufferof them Pratham provides qual- China on business, and growth in the anymore. At the first ever biennial IIT Out ing in tough economic times and create opportunities to Obama conveyed these ity primary education to underprivi- US and India. Global conference held in New York sentiments attract new growth opportunities for diverse businesses in to India's new leged children, and EcoSolutions, IIT Alumni Leadership Awards at the Hilton Hotel attended by some Ambassador the County. to the US, Nirupama Nirupama Rao India’s ambassador started by an IITian, provides solar were given to seven: Dr. Nitin 1,500 alumni last weekend, a few Mehta joined the county administration as deputy DiRao, with President Obama Nohria, as she presented her credenpowered lights so children in poor Dean of Harvard Business School; timely and major changes were introrector in the office of Economic Development in Janutials to the president in the him and the first lady Michelle areas can read and write. Two others Arun Sarin, former CEO, Vodafone duced. Even the title of the conference White ary 2010 when newly elected county executive Edward House last Friday. Obama. Kamlesh C. Mehta has been appointed of are IIT-driven which help poor but Group; K. Sridharan, President and said a lot: ‘Solutions for aDirector better world’. Mangano took charge in Long island after a surprising Warmly welcoming Rao, who has An IFS officer of 1973 batch, Rao Business & Economic Development, brilliant students get into IITs, or, if Founder, Sankara Eye Foundation; For the first time, Nassau given theCounty, state of visited victory over the two-term incumbent. here as foreign secretary, is an advisor to the Prime Minister, County Executive Edward in P. the Mangano admitted, to fund their education. Arogyaswami Paulraj, Professor the economy US, a job(right). fair was Obama Born and brought up inFounder Beawar, Infosys, Rajasthan, he started Narayana Murthy, giving his keynotebyaddress wished her every success in Dr. has served in world capitals includPanIIT Hall of Fame saluted Emeritus Stanford University; Purnenheld. It was also decided to contribute his diamond business in Mumbai before moving New New during IIT Global Conference 2011 at to Hilton York. The South Asian Times, to make it one of the most read herThe high responsibilities as envoy to ing Washington and Moscow. She alumni who have excelled in technol- du Chatterjee, President, The Chatterfunds to some He was also honored at the event. US-based Indian newspapers York in 1986 to expand. via itsgrassroots print and educational online edi- the US. Rao said India was greatly enjoys extensive experience in Indoogy, research, education, corporate jee Group; Manoj Singh, COO, DeloNGOs in India. Third, Panextensive IIT Gal- encouraged Mehta has interests in media and precious stones trade tions. Acknowledging his leadership role aand by the president's strong China ties. From 1998-1999, she world, education, governance, etc. Touche Tohmatsu Ltd; and Arvind lery was unveiled showcasing 60 years personal and is on the board of various businesses including penetration in the community, the Business Resources commitment to take the In- itte was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Major companies that took part in Kejriwal, Indian social activist. Sarin of thewith history of IITs, which were envi- dia-US Xavier Medical University and Indus American Bank. He Group honored Mehta a Life Time Achievement strategic partnership forward. Indian Embassy in Moscow. She was job fair included Google, Ama- and Kejriwal, however, were not there sionedFederation by India’soffirst primeAmerican minister, theShe is the Chairman of Forsythe Media Group which has Award and the National Indian also conveyed warm greetings High Commissioner to Sri Lanka zon, Bloomberg, Deloitte Touche in person. A posthumous award was Jawaharlal Bhandari, congrown exponentially as an integrated media, marketing Associations felicitated him Nehru, with Anil its Excellence of from President Pratibha Patil and (2004-2006) and Ambassador to Consulting, and, from India, Mahininstituted from this year. ference co-chair, told the SATimes. and advertising enterprise. Mehta has led the publication, Service award. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to also China (2006-2009). Since inception a decade ago, the Bhandari, IIT Kharagpur graduate dra Satyam and Genpact. In his keynote, Senator Charles annual PanIIT Global Alumni Conferwho is Senior Vice President, Morgan Stanley in New York, contradict- Schumer applauded IIT alumni for ence has been held alternately in the ed some media reports that Narayana their services and contributions in US and in India. The event brings toMurthy, Infosys founder, criticized both India and the US. Prof. Nicho- gether a distinguished group of global the lowering standards of students las Negroponte, Co-founder MIT business executives, government entering IITs lately. Actually, Murthy Media Lab, shared his vision of fu- officials, NGO representatives, and technologies. about thought leaders around the world. in hisYork: keynote at the had ture New Bank ofconference India celebrated completing 105 He Newtalked Zealand, Canada, Brazil and from emerging Africa. The a over hand-cranked, –powered is anfor umbrella implied be all years onthat SeptIIT 7, graduates 2011 withshould festivities India and battery international businessPanIIT accounts around organization 18% of the computing distributing in representing an alumni network the more well-rounded (liberal arts overseas. To commemorate, the can bank opened 106device new for Bank's total business. Since 1978, the Bank’s Newof York Indian Ambassador to US, Nirupama Rao, being welcomed impoverished areasbranch to young chil- “One moststop recognizable symbol of India’s by Anil Bhandari (left), co-chair of the conference. do the trick) they can flagged fare better branches all so over India, offinby Finance Minister has been shop” for NRI customers for She gave the closing keynote on Oct 2. Advisor to the intellectual excellence, the world out there. One impediment dren. Sam Pitroda, their Pranab Mukherjee. banking and financial needs, said Mr. achievement Prasad. The Indian Prime Minister, about and leadership: the Indian Institute of forInraising the standards at IITs is the New York the bank celebrated the landmark starting banktalked has been providing Investments/Portfolio Managethe country’s communi- TechnologyCard/Net (IIT) system. This year faculty, pay scales areofgovernwith thewhose traditional lighting the lamp improving in its Manhattan ment/Insurance/Master/Visa Banking /online cations system with and fiberreal optics. marks the 60th anniversary of of thecusinment driven. there is a need to Chairman office by Dr.Also, P. Jayaraman, former of the time transaction processing and a host Nitinmeet Nohria, Harvard Busi- toception of the “IIT System”. have IIT alumni on boards and Anot Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, USA. customers’ wasDean tomized products suit comprehensive needs of niche held on Sept. 12 at Bombay Palace restaurant. Speaking clientele across all demographic cross-sections. on the occasion Mr Narendra Prasad, General Manager of Conservative approach and prudent policies have lifted the bank and its Chief Executive for US Operations, Bank of India to top five banks in India. Conscious of its spoke about the history of the bank and its future plans. social objectives such as poverty alleviation, the bank has Bank of India was founded in 1906 by a group of emi- always fulfilled its priority sector lending obligations. nent businessmen from Mumbai. In July 1969, it was na- Customer loyalty is a strong point with the bank and tionalized along with 13 other banks. The Bank came out many of its clients are fourth generation customers. The with its maiden public issue in 1997 and followed with bank’s slogan “Relationship beyond banking” reflects Grammy-nominated singer Qualified Institutional Placement in February 2008. Cur- this philosophy. Prof. Nicholas Negroponte, David Weprin (left) was defeated by Rob Turner in Queens-Brooklyn Chandrika combined rently the bank has a strong Government holding of Schumer US isinIndia’s principal trade partnerTandon and the bank has US Senator Charles his keynote (from left) Dr. Arogyaswami Paulraj, K. Sridharan, Purnendu Co-founder MIT Media “Vande Mataram” and “America Congressional district. 64.47%. With consistent growth, Bank of India is one of contributed its mite in facilitating business between the applauded IIT alumni for their services and Chatterjee and Manoj Singh – 4 of the seven recipients of the Laboratory, shared his vision the Beautiful” for an inspiring PSU banks in India. It boasts a business mix countries. an asset size ofmedley. over $3 bilNew York: Assemblyman David ly Democratic. contributions in bothtwo India and the The US. Center hasIndo-American IIT Alumni Leadership Awards. Turner had cam- the leading of future technologies. Weprin conceded the race Wednes- paigned in the overwhelmingly Jew- of over Rs 5000 billion and world class technology in all lion and offers a range of services like remittance faciliday for the congressional seat De- ish district against Obama's policies its branches. It was adjudged the Best Public Sector Bank ties to India, CDs, acquisition finance, trade credit, conmocrats had held for almost a centu- on Israel and the economy.However, by ‘Dun & Bradstreet’ in 2010 and given the National firmation/advising of LCs, and external commercial borry. Republican Bob Turner replaces White House press secretary Jay Car- Award for excellence in Lending to Micro & Small En- rowings at competitive rates. Besides the full-fledged the disgraced former Rep. Anthony ney said Weprin's loss is no barome- terprises. Bank of India was the first bank to open a branch at New York, the bank has an agency in San FranIn the US, York's IIT alumni achieve- as * Leading executive at firms such in 1946), * Deanandatthe leading * Honored by the US House of outside the country (at London ciscouniversities and plans to expand its footprint in the country. Weiner in New 9th Congrester ofcellular Obama'scommunications re-election chancesand in branch ments and contributions include: HDTV as Citicorp, Hartford Financial, such as Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, Representatives (HR 227) for the first to open a branch in Tokyo and Paris. Today the Bank With its strong presence of over 3700 branches in India, sional District comprising Brooklyn 2012.Weiner, a Democrat, resigned Harman International, Google, Ciseconomic innovation attributable Creation of over 200,000 CEO or Founder of 60% he of SiliMIT,and Director offices of the inNational a network of 29 branches (including five representa12 countries and a trained and experienced staff and *Queens.Turner's victory jobs was in *June after acknowledging sent has such technologies startups co, Microsoft & Haas Science Foundation of thetoIIT. offices) atand keyRohm banking and financial centers and in the US the banktois graduates ideally placed further augment seen *asPioneering a rebuke of President Oba- con lewdValley photos and text messages to tive plans to expand its international presence by entering Indo-US business ties. ma's policies in a district that is main- women he met online.
Weprin loses Congressional race in blue New York
Bank of India celebrates completion of 105 years
IITians’ contributions in USA
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August 13-19, 2011
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October 8 - 14, 2011
US economy needs ‘jolt right now’: Obama Washington: Urging Congress to pass his $447 billion jobs bill without further delay, President Barack Obama on Thursday said the US economy needs an immediate “jolt”. “Our economy really needs a jolt right now,” Obama said, adding the current crisis in Europe could have “a very real effect” on the US economy at a time when it’s already fragile. Obama challenges those senators who are thinking about voting against the bill to explain to the public. “Any senator out there who’s thinking about voting against this jobs bill when it comes up for a vote needs to explain exactly why they would oppose something we know would improve our economic situation at such an urgent time,” Obama said. Aiming to tackle near double digit unemployment and to spur the sluggish economy, Obama laid out on September 8 the American Jobs Act to provide tax cuts and credit, extend unemployment benefits and increase investment in infrastructure. The Senate is set to take up Obama’s job bill next week after adding to the bill a tax increase on million-dollar earners. Obama said he would support the new approach by Senate Democrats for paying for his jobs bill with a tax on millionaires rather than his plan to raise taxes on couples making more than $250,000. But the tax on the rich approach is strongly opposed by Republicans, who arguing that Obama was declaring war on the job creators.
Pakistan pulls closer to a reluctant China Islamabad: Even as US-Pak ties have been plummeting, more so after the killing of Osama bin Laden in May in Abbottabad, Pakistan’s leaders have been turning increasingly to China, which is seen here as an enduring friend, an alternative to the overbearing, untrustworthy Americans. Beijing has sent military supplies to Pakistan, provided crucial help in initiating Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program and cooperated closely on intelligence. Strong relations with Beijing are seen as a hedge against India, a rival to both nations. In recent months Pakistani officials have gone to Beijing seeking Chinese investment in a naval base and weapons, as well as trade deals worth millions of dollars. But looked closely, Pakistan’s ability to use China to offset its collapsing relations with the US may be far more limited than it appears, because Pakistan may be left on
the world’s periphery once the Americans wind down the war in Afghanistan and cut back their presence in the region. An ambitious China is unlikely to supplant the US in Pakistan, according to Chinese experts on Pakistan, as well as Pakistani and American officials. And while Pakistan’s latest dalliance with Beijing has been received cordially, Pakistani leaders have walked away from their trips to China with far less in hand than they might have expected. As Pakistan’s economy continues to decline, and the nation is beset by terrorist attacks, some Pakistanis are asking whether China will prove so helpful after all. “We as a country may not figure as prominently in China’s scheme of things as we believe we do,” said an editorial on Sunday in The News, a leading newspaper in Pakistan. “Islamabad may be valuable for Beijing in
Indian universities fared badly in world rankings London: India’s higher education institutions fared badly in the new “World University Rankings 2011-12” brought out by the London weekly “Times Higher Education”. Only Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) appeared on this list of world’s
top 400 universities and that too at the lowly 317th position. California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in USA, with an overall score 94.8, topped this list, followed in descending order by Harvard University, Stanford, University of Oxford (UK), Princeton,
University of Cambridge (UK), MIT, Imperial College London (UK), University of Chicago (USA) and University of California Berkeley. Even some universities in Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Brazil, Turkey, and Egypt ranked higher than India’s only entry IITB.
Steven jobs Continued from page 1
sion and execution to back great design with the amazing apps and accessories ecosystem that led to the re-invention of the tablet? We are no fan of Apple’s closed-garden approach, its secrecy and indeed its arrogance, or its historical lack of interest in India. These largely derive from Steve Jobs himself, despite his old ties with India, which famously made a big impression on him as he backpacked through it (or when he went for his meals to a Hare Krishna temple in California). But we lived with all that, and still bought Apple products. The secrecy and arrogance
were an inseparable, even necessary part of the picture of Steve Jobs and Apple, especially if you go by results: stunning, lifechanging lifestyle devices.
His candor about shamelessly stealing the best ideas he came across, and then turning them into life-changing gadgets. His violent intolerance for ‘good enough’, making life hell for his design and execution teams, but turning out extraordinary products. Can you think of another person who would have had the vision to take his company into uncharted waters like a mobile phone with no keypad, which no market research had showed any demand for, and then change the world with that? Or have the vi-
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strategic terms, and that leads us to the mili tary and civilian nuclear cooperation between the two countries, but is Pakistan important for China in economic and political terms as well?” Perhaps not. The two countries do indeed share a strategic interest in containing India, and China appears to do little to discourage Pakistan’s expensive nuclear and conventional arms race with New Delhi. As such the Chinese military continues to play a major production role in developing Pakistan’s weapons for the army, air force and navy, said retired Gen. Talat Masood, a former secretary of Defense Production. But China’s core interests lie elsewhere in its competition with the United States and in East Asia, experts say. China has shown little interest in propping up the troubled Pakistani economy, consistently passing up opportunities to do so.
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Medvedev Continued from page 1 Meanwhile, the president also stressed that Russia will ‘unswervingly abide by the UN Charter’. Russia on Tuesday vetoed, besides China, a UNSC draft resolution on Syria, saying the draft was based on ‘a philosophy of confrontation’ and ran counter to a peaceful settlement of the crisis. Art and Design: Vladimir Tomovski Bhagwati Multimedia, Rahul Sahota, Web Editor: B.B.Chopra News Service: HT Media Ltd., India IANS Newswire Services Printing: Five Star Printing, NY Richner Publications Emails: editor@TheSouthAsianTimes.info subscribe@TheSouthAsianTimes.info advertise@TheSouthAsianTimes.info Advertisement: 516-390-7847 76 N Broadway, Suite 2004, Hicksville, NY 11801 F: 516-390-7847
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Star TV holds Talent Search and flies down pop stars at Diwali mela By Parveen Chorpa New York: The Diwali mela organized by the Association of Indians in America (AIA), NY chapter, at South Street Seaport in Manhattan this year will be remembered for the lines of young people eagerly awaiting their turn to take part in the first ever Western Union Main Bhi Star Contest. And also for the thousands of fans who grooved to the music of 3Mix group and Samar Sidhu, both brought here from UK by Star TV. The Star India Plus booth at the Diwali grounds was packed with fans and contestants throughout the day on October 2. They came seeking a chance to audition alongside two stars from India Star Plus’s popular serial “Sasural Genda Phool”: Bhairavi Raichura
(from left) Usman Mirza, Myan Mirza and Karim Ismail of the 3Mix group peformed at the Diwali mela.
(Raijni in the serial) and Jitenn Laalwani (Inder). The girls rehearsed a scene with Jitenn and the boys with Bhairavi in a temporary studio built specifically for the Diwali event. Speaking to SATimes, Bhairavi and Jitenn said they had never seen such enthusiasm before. “Some contestants had come prepared, memorizing the dialogues as the script was made available online. Jitenn added that they were kept so busy throughout the day that they could not even take a break. The audition tapes have gone to India. Stay tuned to Star India Plus to vote and see the results of the contest. Two winners will get a chance to act in a primetime Star Plus show. Talking about ‘Sasural Genda Phool”, which is in its second year of successful run on Star Plus, Bharavi said, it is a Hrishikesh Mukherjee style khatti-meethi story of three generations of a family living in old Delhi. “There are no negatives, only nok-jhok.” She is the third generation daughter-in-law, a good bahu. Inder said he is also third generation, the eldest son, who often tries to give gyan to his younger brother, the lead character. In real life also the man from Kanpur is married, but Mumbai girl Bhairavi is not. Star India Plus also brought exciting live entertainment to the crowds of the Diwali festival. Upcoming Indian pop star Samar Sidhu, and the popular U.K.-based group “3 Mix” performed live on stage at the festival. Usman Mirza, Myan Mirza and Karim
Krishna keen on resolving passport, visa matters New York: Foreign minister S M Krishna has assured the Indian-American community that the government will shortly look into the matters relating to OCI cards, visa processing, and passport surrender and renewal. The minister spoke to some broadcast journalists on the sidelines of the recent UN General Assembly session and among the subjects that came up for discussion was the community's grievance over those mat-
ters. "The delay concerning these matters relates to inadequate staffing, and we will soon resolve this and other issues," Krishna told the journalists, adding that he understood the community's concerns. The minister met with Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao and various Indian consuls general in the US and discussed ways to improve the situation. It was the first of such meetings the minister had over community-related matters.
Events planned for insurance needs of South Asians Hicksville, NY: Producers and AXA Equitable as well as Group (PG), a "General of PG will be present. Agency" that represents variPG is one of the largest ous competitive insurance national, privately held life companies, has scheduled a insurance brokerage agencies series of events for the benefit in the country. of South Asian community Zaveri also said that comand South Asian Insurance munity organizations seeking Brokers where some insurers sponsorship for their events will present information to the can get in touch with him as attendees. well as learn about various The Producers Group has insurance products like busialso appointed Salil Zaveri as ness insurance. General Agent to provide insur- Salil Zaveri has been appoint- Zaveri has experience of 33 ance information to the public ed General Agent by the years in the line as a General and brokers. Zaveri’s territory Agent and Independent Producers Group extends to the entire country. Insurance Consultant offering The first event in the series is scheduled for advice on risk management, pension planOctober 12 at Courtyard New York ning etc. LaGuardia Airport, East Elmhurst, Zaveri He can be contacted at 1-888-372-1780 or said, where senior executives of Prudential Salil@SalilZaveri.com.
“Sasural Genda Phool” stars Bhairavi Raichura (Raijni) and Jitenn Laalwani (Inder). Photo: Parveen Chopra. Iqbal, better known as 3Mix group, are three Londoners with Pakistani, Indian and African backgrounds, who met seven years ago while auditioning for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical Bombay Dreams. “We call ourselves Pop and R&B group and Asian Fusion,” they told SATimes. In their half hour performance at the Diwali mela, they also rendered their Nachle single. They found the Diwali vibe good in New York as the festival brought together people from different cultures and races. Samar Sidhu is only 17, still in school, but
Samar Sidhu, who belted out 6 numbers at the Diwali mela, posing for SATimes in Star office. the 6 feet one inch tall boy is already an upcoming Punjabi pop star. “Being son of Bhangra icon Amarjit Sidhu helps, but it is still hard work,” he said. He belted out six numbers, mainly Punjabi, at the Diwali mela stage. On public demand he also sang Hindu number ‘Tujh mein rab dikhda’. STAR India is a leading media and entertainment company, broadcasting 33 channels in eight languages to more than 142 million people every week across India and more than 65 countries across the globe. Star India is a fully owned subsidiary of News Corporation.
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Community contribution commended by new envoy New York: The new Indian Ambassador in Washington, Nirupama Rao has praised the Indian-American community’s contribution in key matters like the bilateral nuclear energy deal and their achievements in different spheres. “I truly applaud your progress and your contributions to the prosperity of this country,” she said, addressing a Sept 30 gathering at the Indian Consulate here. “Your effort for promotion of bilateral relations is deeply valued back home.” Rao was in town for the UN General Assembly session, which was addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. She praised Indian Americans for retaining their cultural heritage while cultivating the spirit of integration, innovation and enterprise in their adopted land. Their hard work, discipline and becoming a
Special to The South Asian Times role model for people 0in their motherland was also appreciated. Yet, Rao reminded the gathering that there has been tremendous growth in Indian economy as well. “This is a great moment to celebrate not only the growing IndiaUS friendship, but also celebrating India and the growth there,” the envoy said at the September 30 dinner meeting. “Much more needs to be done. We have just explored the edges.” The ambassador stated India and US are organizing a Higher Education Summit in Washington from Oct 13. “There will be a 50-member delegation from India led by HRD Minister Kapil Sibal at the summit,” Rao said, adding that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to attend as also educa-
Amid her hectic schedule in New York, Amb. Nirupama Rao found time to attend the event marking Gandhi Jayanti at Union Square Park on Oct 2. Consul General Prabhu Dayal is on the left. tion providers, vice chancellors, college heads and government officials. More than 75,000 Indian students enroll themselves annually in
Lessons in life series in Long Island Hicksville, NY: Chandra Kumar Sharma, founderpresident of Delhi-based CKS Foundation, is scheduled to deliver a series of lectures in the US on how to live a life inspired by the collective wisdom of the centuries. The first of the series of lectures titled “Living the Wisdom” will be held at Diwan Restaurant, Port Washington, NY, on October 8 and 15.
Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, one of the great maestros of Indian classical music, will perform at a benefit concert in New York City Oct 22. The concert is being hosted by the Association for India’s Development (AID) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture near Central Park.
Sharma, a retired IAS officer, guides you in leading a joyful, healthy and successful life by following the vast practical wisdom inherent in the culture, philosophy, ancient scriptures and mythologies of world civilizations. Sharma dwells upon the necessity of Chandra Kumar Sharma, being joyful founder of CKS Foundation despite all odds in our life and guides us on how to attain that state of happiness and peace. Conquering anger, which is the cause of all hardships and miseries, is the first step in one's successful path toward happiness, he says and suggests certain practical steps in this respect. Admission is free and lunch will be provided. The CKS Foundation is working for the cause of Conservation, Knowledge and Service. The emphasis is to help the economically and socially underprivileged sections of society in rural as well as urban areas. Special attention is given to the hill areas and the backward regions.
Diwali at the Met on Oct 15
Surya, son of Dave Makkar of New Jersey, won the spot essay writing competition on Mahatma Gandhi organized by Indian Congress Party USA on Oct 2. Surya also read his essay for the audience.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Multicultural Audience Development Initiative is hosting a Diwali celebration on Oct 15 with a dance drama by the East-West School of Dance. It is the 4th Diwali event at the Met, initiated by community leader Lal K. Motwani and encouraged by Donna Williams, Chief Audience Development Officer of the Met, pictured above.
US educational institutions, considered one of the largest group of foreigners to do so. Rao was the press counselor dur-
ing 1993-95 in the Indian Embassy in Washington. Earlier she had lived for a couple of years in Boston. “I am on familiar ground here in the US,” said the envoy, who will be 61 in December. Later, at a news conference, Rao said that India's permanent membership in the UNSC reforms has gained “acceleration of momentum.” Describing India's friendship with Sri Lanka as the “strongest,” Rao said, “New Delhi believes that the interest of minority population in the island-nation is close to its heart.” She served in the Indian High Commission in Colombo during 1981-83. Rao, a 1973 IFS officer, became the first spokeswoman of the External Affairs Ministry in 2001. Two years ago the Malappuram, Kerala, native became the Foreign Secretary—the second woman to hold the position.
New Jersey Telangana Association celebrates Bathukamma festival
Women with their Bathukammas denoting goddess Gauri. Highland Park, NJ: Bathukamma, the spring festival of Hindu women of Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh was celebrated with joy and jubilation here at Donaldson Park here against the scenic beauty of the huge Raritan Lake. Bathukamma is a beautiful flower stack, arranged with seasonal flowers in seven concentric layers of potter’s clay like a cone, denoting Gauri the patron Goddess of womanhood. About 700 people of all ages participated in the festival which started early in people’s homes with everyone collecting flowers for Bathukammas. Lunch was a great feast with dishes sponsored by various restaurants. The games segment had women compete for wearing most bangles and best designer bindi. . In the afternoon women in traditional saris and colorful clothes placed their Bathukammas in the
middle and danced around them to the tune of “Bathukamma Bathukamma Uyyaalo.” Goreti Vekanna (poet and folk singer) enthralled the audience singing Telangana folk and Bathukamma songs. After two hours the Bathukammas were bought to the Raritan Lake shore and immersed in the traditional way. The woman prayed for the well-being of their families and everyone in society. Chief Guest Vaddepalli Krishna, cine writer/director, explained to the gathering the significance of the festival. Upendra Chivukula, New Jersey Assembly Speaker, also spoke. Goreti Venkanna distributed prizes for Big and Best Bathukammas. Madhu Yashki, member of parliament from Nizamabad, AP, could not attend due to developments on the Telangana issue back home.
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Indian-American homes targeted in rash of gold thefts in California Washington: Indian Americans, who are ''known for owning high-quality gold of 20 and 22 karats'', have become targets in a number of thefts in northern California. "There has been "a rash of robberies throughout Silicon Valley's Indian-American communities in recent months," the New York Times reported citing its partner newspaper the Bay Citizen. Indian Americans are one of the fastestgrowing populations in the Bay Area, and their numbers have nearly doubled to 111,000 in Santa Clara County alone in the past decade. The exact number of gold thefts is difficult to determine because the crimes have hap-
Skilled Indians face a 70-year green card wait! Washington: A highly skilled Indian national sponsored today for the most common skilled employment-based immigrant visa could wait 70 years to receive a green card, conclude two new reports by a US policy research group. The reports by the National Foundation for American Policy conclude that exempting from green card quotas international students with an advanced degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) would keep talented individuals from leaving the US. This would "reap significant benefits to the competitiveness of US companies and to the economy overall" suggests the reports - "Keeping Talent in America" and "Waiting and More Waiting: America's Family and Employment-Based Immigration System." The majority of employer-sponsored immigrants tend to be from India and China, but the wait times are longest for such foreign nationals because of the per country limit, which restricts the number of green cards awarded to any one country to 7 percent of a preference category. By establishing that fewer than 3,000 Indians are permitted green cards annually in the employment based third preference (EB-3) and estimating a backlog of 210,000
among Indian professionals in the category, the report is able to conclude an Indian sponsored today could wait 70 years for a green card. Even if the backlog of Indians in EB3 were half as large, the wait time of them would still exceed 30 years. A Chinese immigrant sponsored today in the EB-3 category could wait two decades. Immigrants from other countries would likely wait 5 years or more. In the EB-2 (second preference) category the wait times are 6 to 8 years for a newly sponsored Indian or Chinese immigrant, but there is no wait for those from other countries. "It is not in our interests to have the most important characteristic of an immigrant to America be the ability to wait a long time," said NFAP's executive director Stuart Anderson, who authored the two reports. "Absent action by Congress the situation will grow worse, creating great hardship and weakening the competitiveness of US companies," he said. A key part of any solution to reducing wait times is to eliminate the per country limit for employment-based immigrants, the reports say noting the step would reduce the typical wait for Indians applying today in the EB3 category from 70 to 12 years.
pened in several jurisdictions and victims' ethnicity is not always made public, the paper said. But interviews with the police, government and civic leaders, and representatives of the region's Indian-American community confirmed the trend and growing alarm, it said. "It increased significantly nine months ago," Anu Natarajan, a Fremont city councilwoman was quoted as saying. "It's not a random thing that's happening. People are afraid. People are nervous about it." Indian-Americans were known for owning high-quality gold of 20 and 22 karats. With the price of gold surging since the recession began ($1,614 per ounce on Thursday), that
makes them lucrative targets, Sergeant Jeff Swadener of the Fremont Police Department was quoted as saying. Most of the thefts have happened while residents were not home, and had inadvertently advertised the fact through another tradition: they leave their shoes outside the home on stoops or in racks. "No shoes, no one home," Sergeant Swadener said. Robberies of gold jewellery have been reported throughout the Bay Area in recent months, including at Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations, and a gold dealer in Hayward was shot to death at his home Sep 18, the Times said.
Obama meets two Indian American winners of Google Science fair Washington: President Barack Obama has congratulated two IndianAmericans who were among the three winners of Google Science Fair for their landmark research in the field of medical science and environment. Obama met Shree Bose and Naomi Shah Monday. Bose discovered a way to improve ovarian cancer treatment for patients when they have built up a resist-
President Obama congratulates Google Science Fair winners, from left, Naomi Shah, Shree Bose, and Lauren Hodge in the Oval Office, Oct. 3.
ance to certain chemotherapy drugs. Shah in her project endeavored to prove that making changes to indoor environments that improve air quality can reduce people's reliance on asthma medications. The third winner Lauren Hodge studied the effect of different marinades on the level of potentially harmful carcinogens in grilled chicken.
2,500 take part in ‘Be the Change’ events Washington: The spirit of volunteerism and community service should be taken beyond a single day of service - that was the message at the annual Be the Change national day of service hosted by the DC area-based non-profit organization, South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), on October 1 in coordination with campus and city planning teams around the country. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's message, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world," over 2500 volunteers including students, retirees and professionals contributed their time and energy to service activities around the country including Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, New Brunswick, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. In addition, college campuses from Wyoming to Minneapolis to New York coordinated Be the Change activities.
"Every year, Be the Change offers community members, young professionals and students the opportunity to cultivate and reinforce a culture of volunteerism and service in their lives," said Deepa Iyer, Executive Director of SAALT. Rupal Shah, the Project and Volunteer Coordinator of the Austin, Texas planning team noted, "I am beginning to realize the impact that Be the Change had on our volunteers: we are empowering others to find joy in service while strengthening the community." This year's service activities included organizing and cleaning children's playrooms to sorting food at food banks to assisting South Asian community-based organizations.Partners and sponsors also affirmed the values of Be the Change. This year, partners ranged from South Asian sororities and fraternities to
Bhatt’s arrest: US groups warn of global campaign New Delhi: The Coalition Against Genocide, an advocacy coalition of around three dozen civil society groups in the United States, has sought intervention of President of India, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India in the case of the arrest of whistle-blower Gujarat IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt. The Coalition Against Genocide on 5th October wrote a letter to President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister
Dr. Manmohan Singh and Justice S.H. Kapadia, urging them to act without delay in this matter.Bhatt was arrested on 30th September for allegedly confining his junior and taking his forced signatures on illegal documents to substantiate his charges against Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Bhatt earlier this year had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court directly blaming Modi for the riots.
national Asian and Pacific Islander organizations and South Asian professional networks. As in previous years, Be the Change 2011 was supported by Sodexo. "Be the Change mirrors Sodexo's service spirit and highlights the importance of community," said Bill Codus, Senior Business Technology Manager at Sodexo and National Chair of Sodexo's Pan Asian Network Group. "Many cultures come together as one to help each other, and to better thecommunities in which we are all entwined."
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American College Cricket Now On TV Asia New York: College Cricket in United States took a significant leap with American College Cricket announcing an agreement with TV Asia. American College Cricket announced Wednesday an agreement with TV Asia as their exclusive worldwide broadcast partner in all formats for matches beginning October 9, 2011 in the United States The Semi-finals and Finals of the North East and Mid Atlantic Regional Championships will be available on TV Asia every Saturday at 7 pm EDT beginning October 29, and repeated at 12 midnight EDT each Saturday until December 8, 2011. The schedule will be more extensive next Fall. The top 32 teams from this Fall season will then compete in the Nationals, the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship in March 2012 in Florida - Cricket Craziness just before College Basketball's March Madness! TV Asia will televise the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship including the final 6 matches live from Florida on TV Asia. The National Championship will be played as usual for the Shiv Chanderpaul Trophy. "American College Cricket pioneered cricket promotion on Facebook, Twitter and now Google +, to reach the Cricket audience in the USA and Canada and was the first to broadcast domestic cricket in the USA in March 2010. TV Asia's mission
US prosecutors ‘close to charging’ Rajat Gupta for insider trading New York: US prosecutors are close to bringing criminal charges against former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. executive Rajat Gupta for allegedly leaking information, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation. Gupta’s lawyer, Gary Naftalis, said allegations against him were “totally baseless,” the newspaper reported. The Securities and Exchange Commission dropped a civil administrative
proceeding against Gupta but was “fully committed” to re-filing charges in a federal court; the SEC would now wait for any criminal charges from the Justice Department, the WSJ added.Prosecutors referred to him as a “co-conspirator” during the case against Galleon Group co-founder Raj Rajaratnam, who was found guilty of conspiracy and insider trading in May and is due to be sentenced next week, the Journal said.
Lady Gaga to Make India Debut at Formula One Race and strategy is geared towards the American and Canadian audience so they are the ideal Media Partners", American College Cricket's founder and President Lloyd Jodah stated. "In continuing with our mission to highlight and encourage local Talent, TV Asia is proud to be associated with American College Cricket in televising the regionals and the Spring break Championship Cricket matches in USA & Canada”, stated Mr. H.R. Shah Chairman of TV Asia. "This agreement reaffirms TV Asia's commitment to be the Voice and Mirror of the South Asian Community in United States and Canada," added Mr. Shah who agreed to be on the Advisory Board of American College Cricket.
New Delhi: Pop diva Lady Gaga is all set to make her India debut on October 30 when she will perform during the closing ceremony of the country’s first Formula One race in Greater Noida. “It’s a very big thing that Lady Gaga has agreed to perform in India. She’s in the peak of her career now and I am thrilled to announce that she will come to India for the first time,” said actor and LAP restobar coowner Arjun Rampal Sept. 22. Rampal told reporters here that Gaga will come here to attend the Formula 1 event and perform at the LAP Buddh Circuit on its concluding day. “Even Lady Gaga is keen to perform here. As per her management, she will enthrall us with her unique props and songs. She has got a huge fan following,” Rampal,
Pop diva Lady Gaga whose restobar will host the three-day afterparties of the event, said.
North American Hindu temples endorse Green Pilgrimage Network Columbus, Ohio: The Green most need and impact,” said Pilgrimage Network initiative Ashok Singhal, President of the was endorsed last week by World Hindu Council. some 280 primarily Canadian “Regarding Green Pilgrimage and US-based Hindu delegates, Network initiative to bring back representing more than 100 a pristine, serene and welcomtemples and Hindu organizaing environment at our temples tions from across the world at and places of pilgrimage, the the sixth annual Hindu Mandir HMEC in North America Executives' Conference strongly welcomes and supports (HMEC) in Columbus Ohio. the idea that our temples have a The Green Pilgrimage role to play in helping conserve Network is being launched on the environment and save November 1 in Assisi, Italy, by Mother Earth. This is a core Kusum Vyas, Hindu the Alliance of Religions and value practice of Sanatana Climate Change Conservation (ARC) in the Dharma, intrinsic to its sustainAmbassador, addressing presence of HRH Prince Philip, able nature,” said Dr. Abhaya the HMEC meeting. who is ARC’s founder. Asthana, Program Co-Chair. The vision is of pilgrims on all continents, "I support and commend the Green and the pilgrim cities which receive them, Pilgrimage Network for its work to protect the leaving a positive footprint on the earth. ecological integrity of the planet's ecosystems, Founding members include Amritsar for especially the areas in and around our planet's Sikhs, Assisi for Catholics, Etchmiadzin for holy pilgrimage sites. We as Temples and Armenian Orthodox Christians, Luss for religious organizations are the stewards of Church of Scotland, Kano for Nigerian these holy places, both from a spiritual and an Muslims, St Albans for Church of England, environmental point of view, and we need to Trondheim for Norwegian Lutherans. Several adjust our practices as necessary to support Hindu cities in India have expressed initial this goal of conservation, rejuvenation, and interest. beautification of these holy places," said “The Green Pilgrimage Network presents an Swami Nikhilanand, Pracharak for Jagadguru unprecedented opportunity to Hindus to Kripalu Parishat, Radha Madhav Dham. reclaim the ecological vision inherent in our The Sixth HMEC was held from September culture and share it with the rest of the world. 23 to 25 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Our temples must become models of care and Columbus, Ohio. It was attended by particirespect for the environment, reflecting the pants from throughout the mainland USA, deep values of Vedic tradition,” said Kusum Hawaii, New Zealand, Canada and Australia. Vyas, Hindu Climate Change Ambassador at It is an annual meeting aiming to explore the the meeting. expanding role of temples to meet the ever “I am intrigued. This is a very important ini- changing needs of North American Hindus tiative and I will help the Green Pilgrimages and to develop a network of all Hindu temples team connect with locations and projects with in North America.
US Affairs TheSouthAsianTimes.info Washington DC: Steve Jobs, the man who began tinkering with gadgets in his garage and then went on to power the iPod, iPad and iPhone that became a part of so many lives across the globe, has died leaving behind legions of fans. The tech legend was 56. The end came in Palo Alto, California, Wednesday just a day after Tim Cook, the new CEO of world's leading tech company unveiled the iPhone 4S, a faster version of its best-selling smartphone that includes a virtual "personal assistant" you can talk to. Tributes poured in from all over the world with President Barack Obama putting him among "the greatest of American innovators", while rival Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates acknowledged his "profound impact". Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, a country where thousands of young techies held him up as an icon of their generation, said he was "saddened" by the death of Jobs and described him as an "innovative man who had taught the world new ways to communicate and connect". Jobs is survived by Lisa Brennan-
October 8-14, 2011
World says iGrieve as Steve Jobs passes away Three years after this good-humored correction of a news, the tech guru lost his battle with death. Jobs, his daughter with Chrisann duced the iPod portable music playBrennan, wife Laurene Powell, and er, the iPhone and the iPad tablet their three children, Erin, Reed and all of which changed how we conEve. sume content in the digital age. The hard-driving Jobs, who "Steve's brilliance, passion and resigned in August as CEO amid energy were the source of countless health concerns, pioneered the con- innovations that enrich and improve cept of the personal computer and of all of our lives," Apple said in a navigating them by clicking statement. "The world is immeasuronscreen images with a mouse to ably better because of Steve." lead a cultural transformation in the Jobs who had battled cancer for digital age. years, had a secret liver transplant in In more recent years, he intro- 2009 in Tennessee during a six-
Perry’s loss is Cain’s gain Christie’s no means Romney is top dog Washington, DC: Texas Governor Rick Perry’s fall from grace has finally manifested itself in the polls. According to the latest Washington Post/ABC News survey, Perry has seen a precipitous decline in support from Republicans nationwide. In September, Perry topped the GOP presidential field with 29 percent of the vote to Mitt Romney’s 23 percent. Early this week, Romney was ahead of the pack with support from 21 percent of Republicans. Perry, on the other hand, has dropped to 14 percent support. Of the other candidates, Georgia businessman
In a new poll, Georgia businessman Herman Cain has tied with Perry at 14 percent support among Republican voters, while Romney tops the GOP presidential field with 21 percent vote. Herman Cain has benefited most from Perry’s disastrous performance over the last
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month. At 14 percent support, he is now tied with Perry for the second place spot. Cain is a focal point for Republicans who don’t want Romney and aren’t happy with Perry, either. But eventually, it may well be Romney who runs considering the last hope of Republicans disaffected with him has fizzled out. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced Tuesday that he was definitely not in the running this time at least. Sarah Palin has finally announced on Wednesday that she will not run for president.
In a test for Democrats, Tomblin wins West Virginia Gov race the polls in recent weeks with Charleston, W.Va.: Gov. Earl the help of negative adverRay Tomblin, a Democrat, narrowly won a special electisements associating tion for governor on Tuesday, Tomblin with Mr. Obama, successfully defending himwho is deeply unpopular here. The election was unusuself against Republican al. It was ordered by the State attacks that tried to link him with President Obama and his Supreme Court after Joe health care overhaul. Manchin III vacated the govTomblin led his Republican ernor’s office when he won a opponent, Bill Maloney, by Senate seat last year. about 3 percentage points in Tomblin, then the president Earl Ray Tomblin, a of the State Senate, filled the a hard-fought race that was Democrat, has been seen as a test for Democrats. declared winner of the vacancy as required by the Maloney, a businessman, State Constitution. He will special election for was initially viewed as a governor in West Virginia. now hold the office for just long-shot in this heavily 14 months, until another elecDemocratic state, but he surged ahead in tion is held in November 2012.
month medical leave of absence from Apple. Born to Syrian Muslim immigrant Abdulfattah "John" Jandali and Joanne Carole Schieble and then adopted, Jobs grew up in Cupertino, California, which would become home to Apple's HQ. When he was 21, Jobs teamed with Steve Wozniak and two other men to launch Apple Computer Inc., building their first commercial product, the Apple 1, in Jobs' parents' garage in 1976. Next year came Apple II at the inaugural West Coast Computer Faire. The machine was a hit, and the PC revolution was under way. Apple's pioneering Macintosh computer launched in early 1984. The boxy beige Macintosh sold well, but the demanding Jobs clashed frequently with colleagues, and in 1986, he was ousted from Apple after a power struggle. Ten years later, he returned Jobs to the then-struggling company he had co-founded. In 2001, he took the stage to introduce the original iPod, the little white device that transformed portable music and kick-started
Apple's furious comeback. Over the next decade, Jobs wowed launch-event audiences, and consumers, with one game-changing hit after another: iTunes (2003), the iPhone (2007), and the iPad (2010). Apple fans across the globe were grief-stricken Thursday on learning about the tech wizard's death. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wrote, "Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world." Bill Gates said "the world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come". Not many know that Jobs had an India connect. A quest for spirituality took him to the foothills of the Himalayas in the 1970s. Decades later, as he lost the battle against cancer, thousands of Indians mourned his death. In a curious coincidence, he died the very day that the Indian government unveiled its $50 tablet. The tech revolution he had helped start would now help thousands of underprivileged students in India.
‘Occupy Wall Street’ trying to brew Liberal Tea Party
New York: Protesters gathered under the banner of "Occupy Wall Street" are looking to light a movement, but as hundreds of demonstrators rally against corporate "greed and corruption," they have a long way to go before becoming a defined cause like the Tea Party, say political analysts. In three weeks time, the Occupy Wall Street crowd has attracted high-profile attention. It has the purported backing of unions like the Teamsters and DC-37, NYC’s largest public employees union. It has attracted Hollywood types who love a good cause to drop in on; and has even generated a discussion group at a convention of liberal leaders taking place in Washington, D.C., this week. But the movement has at least one major obstacle to becoming a political force -- the administration it would protest is on its side. "I would simply say that to the extent that people are frustrated with the economic situation, we understand. And that's why we're so urgently focused -- trying to focus Congress's attention on the need to take action on the economy and job creation," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday, responding to a question about where President Obama's sympathy lies. David Avella, president of Republican recruiter GOPAC, said protesters on the left today lack the "common enemy" they tagged
during the George W. Bush administration. And despite frequent clashes with Republicans, the White House has passed several major pieces of legislation that progressives liked -- even if they weren't as sweeping as initially envisioned. In 2006 and 2008 when Democrats took control of power in Congress and the administration, "it was much easier for the progressives to rally like-minded individuals who wanted to ... defeat the Bush agenda," Avella said. Summed up on the Occupy Wall Street website as an Arab Spring-inspired protest against corporate greed, protesters have also flailed against student loans, global warming and even the Tea Party-favorite Federal Reserve. "I just don't see how it goes anywhere," said Sal Russo, strategist with the Tea Party Express, suggesting the demonstrations have too much of a "Marxist" appeal. "Most Americans understand that to have an employee, you have to have an employer," Russo said. The sustained frustration among the Occupy Wall Streeters has given rise to greater visibility. What started in New York City has spread to dozens of other cities, including Denver, Albuquerque, Chicago, San Francisco and Boston.
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Op Ed
October 8-14, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
No surefire winners in race to be PM By Amulya Ganguli curious feature of the political scene is that none of the parties has an inspirational leader. To make matters even more odd, there is a figure outside the political arena, viz. Anna Hazare, who partly answers to this description although he, too, has his detractors. Although India has had people who played a political role without formally being in politics, it has rarely faced a situation where the recognized parties do not have someone with a wide appeal. The Congress, for instance, has always had the NehruGandhi family with its charismatic prime ministers. But today, while Sonia Gandhi has ruled herself out of contention for the post, her son, Rahul, does not seem to have measured up as yet to the high demands of the office. On the other side of the fence, Atal Bihari Vajpayee's retirement has robbed the Bharatiya
A
Janata Party (BJP) of someone whose influence was not confined to the Hindutva brigade. As a result, the BJP is in an even worse position than the Congress, which at least has both Rahul and Manmohan Singh although they are not surefire winners. The entry of two others - L.K. Advani and Narendra Modi - has muddied the waters. Advani's case is the strangest of all. Despite his obvious desire to be prime minister and although he is still the party's tallest leader, the BJP is wary of his ambition. It isn't only his age or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) reservations about him in the wake of his praise of Jinnah that are against him. There is something else. It is either Advani's failed efforts to be a moderate a la Vajpayee or the resultant belief in the BJP that he is malleable - as his metamorphosis from being a fiery rath yatri in 1990 to an admirer of Jinnah showed. In any event, till Modi's emergence as yet another contender, both
Sushma Swaraj and Jaitley were engaged in internal manipulations to marginalize Advani, as was evident from his nomination as head of the parliamentary party even after he expressed his wish to be the opposition leader in the Lok Sabha till 2014. Despite his claim that his latest rath yatra has nothing to do with his quest for the prime minister's post, there is little doubt that if the scene appears propitious enough (for instance, if the Congress' fortunes suffer a precipitous decline), Advani will be there in the front row. The question is whether Modi will also be by his side, for the latter's show of compassion for the riot victims of 2002 suggest that he is trying to put on a mask, a trick which Vajpayee was said to have perfected. Modi's problem, however, is that his appeal is limited only to sections of the saffron brotherhood since the RSS is unlikely to look kindly at his attempts to reach out to Muslims, who represent an "internal threat", according to the outfit's mentor, Guru
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi just gave BJP’s national meet a miss, where senior BJP leader LK Advani’s upcoming Rath Yatra was the focus.
Golwalkar. Unlike the BJP, which is torn between four PM wannabes, the Congress has two candidates, but neither seems capable of bringing the voters in droves to the polling booths. The present incumbent, Manmohan Singh, has undermined his own case by failing to assert himself, either through proactive steps to check corruption or to push ahead with his USP, the economic reforms. After the Congress' two successive victories in 2004 and 2009, its success in 2014 was taken for granted along with Rahul's coronation. The outlook
now is somewhat cloudy. First, no one can bet on the Congress' victory although it is difficult to see the BJP getting its act together to pose a serious challenge. Nitish Kumar could have been a formidable candidate if the BJP and the RSS were behind him. But they will be hesitant to do so. Secondly, Rahul remains too much of an enigma to be a credible contender . His views on the economy or the quota system or foreign policy are unknown. If his quietness is the result of his youth and inexperience, he can scarcely be thought of as a prime minister.
Pranab-PC duel reveals why they can’t lead By Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr olitical anthropologists should be able to tell us as to how a leader is chosen in a democracy, and they may look at the profile of person who is likely to emerge as the big boss. The topic is of utmost importance in the wake of the just-concluded duel between Union finance minister
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Pranab Mukherjee and home minister P Chidambaram and the crisis it had spawned. The crisis has been resolved and there is a kind of patch-up, but no one is sure how long it will last. Many observers have tried to analyse the unseemly spat in terms of their distinct and even contrasting personalities. It is one way of looking at the issue. The more important issue is that of frustrated ambition of two very talented and experienced people denied their just desserts and asked to play second fiddle, where leadership rewards go to people who do not have the same qualifications. It is not so difficult to make the case that in terms of political metier, Mukherjee and Chidambaram have an edge over prime minister Manmohan Singh. But the top post does not always go to the most deserving person. There are other aspects that are crucial for a leadership role. Singh wins points over the other two for those reasons. A critical scrutiny would reveal that both Chidambaram and Mukherjee would lose out to Singh when it comes to be reckoned as a leader of a government, and that Singh not being a seasoned politician turns out to be an advantage. Mukherjee and Chidambaram attract a lot of rivalry not just between themselves but with the party at large because intelligent and talented people are not good at winning over less intelligent and less talented people, which is important in leading a party as well as a government. Singh and Sonia Gandhi are less talented but they have the confidence of rank and file in the party and in govern-
Federal Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P. Chidambaram. ment as well as that of the experienced and talented middle and top rung leaders. It is this ability not to antagonise people because of their genius that helps them. Not being a superior person is a virtue in a leader. Both Sonia and Singh require the help of the more intelligent and more talented Mukherjee and Chidambaram. It is when the superior talents are harnessed that a party and a government emerge winners. The Congress led by Sonia and the UPA led by Singh cannot function successfully without Mukherjee and Chidambaram, but they will not do well if the two are asked to lead the party or the government… It would seem that leadership is for someone in the crowd who is able to like if not love the crowd. That eliminates the most intelligent people from the leadership race. Let us not then grumble too much about leaders who have nothing extraordinary to show for themselves. When they have time to think over matters, both Mukherjee and Chidambaram are likely to arrive at the same conclusion.
India Newswire TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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October 8-14, 2011
Lokpal: Anna issues ultimatum to Congress Ralegan Siddhi/New Delhi: No bill, no support. Drawing the battlelines, social crusader Anna Hazare said he would resume his movement for the Jan Lokpal bill with the Oct 13 by-election in Hisar in Haryana where he would campaign against the Congress. The Congress termed his remarks as unfortunate, while party general secretary Rahul Gandhi asserted that corruption can be fought only through the political system. Taking on the Congress, Hazare said at a press conference in his village in Ralegan Siddhi, in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, that his campaign for a strong anti-graft Jan Lokpal (ombudsman) bill would continue after Dussehra. And if the Congress blocked the law, he would ask people not to vote for it. Hazare also hit out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for being "remote controlled". "Depending on my schedule, I shall go to Hisar and hold a couple of public meetings there. If not I shall send a video message to the people of Hisar explaining how the Congress has blocked the Jan Lokpal (ombudsman) bill and urge them not to vote for the party," Hazare declared. He said civil society activists had written to all the major candidates contesting the Hisar by-poll asking them whether or not they supported the Jan Lokpal bill, Team Anna's version of the anti-graft bill. "While a majority of them have already replied in the affirmative, there is no response from the Congress. If the Congress does not clarify its stand in the next couple of days, then after Dussehra (Oct 6), I plan to go to Hisar," Hazare said. The agitation would then be taken to Uttar Pradesh and to Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur, where assembly elections are due next year, to force the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to "live up to its promise" of passing Team Anna's version of the Lokpal bill.
"If, as the UPA has assured, the bill is not passed during the ensuing winter session of parliament, we shall name the Congress and urge people not to vote for it," Hazare asserted, virtually giving an ultimatum to the government. The Congress was quick to react. Law Minister Salman Khurshid said in New Delhi that citizens were free to vote for anybody. And Abhishek Singhvi, who heads the parliamentary standing committee looking into the Jan Lokpal bill and other versions of the Lokpal bill, said the panel was not in a confrontationist mood. "It is their decision. Every citizen is free to vote for anybody. Congress will only do its work, perform its duties and Congress will then go back to people when the duty is performed," Khurshid said. Singhvi added: "A parliamentary process is underway. The committee is trying its best to deal with substantive and real issues. We are not in any manner in an argumentative or confrontationist mode." Without referring to Hazare, Rahul Gandhi said that corruption can be fought only
Quit over NC worker’s death: PDP to Omar Srinagar: The custodial death of a member of the ruling National Conference (NC) in Jammu and Kashmir snowballed with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) staging a loud protest march here. Alleging Sayeed Muhammad Yousuf was killed in police custody on September 30, some 300 activists of the opposition PDP covered nearly a kilometer before the police prevented them from reaching the NC headquarters. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, who led the march, said no one was safe in the state and the needle of suspicion in Yousuf's death pointed at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his junior colleague in the council of ministers. Mufti led the march from the party headquarters, raising slogans such as "Katilon Ko Pesh Karo". The death of Yousuf, who was said to be close to the chief minister and his father, has raised a storm in the state. Senior PDP leaders Tariq Hamid Karra, Dilawar Mir and Nizam-ud-Din Bhat were part of the procession, which security forces intercepted at Regal Chowk, 300 metres from the city centre Lal Chowk. The PDP stalled the proceedings of the state assembly for two days, demanding a discussion on Yousuf's custodial death.
Hazare said if the Jan Lokpal bill is passed, then they would not hold any agitation. Instead, they would appeal to the people to check the antecedents of the candidates and vote for the good ones.
Anna Hazare also hit out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for being "remote controlled".
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is being blamed for the custodial death of Sayeed Yousuf Assembly speaker Muhammad Akbar Lone disallowed a discussion and adjourned the assembly sine die Tuesday as was previously scheduled. Omar Abdullah said Monday that National Conference workers Muhammad Yusuf Bhat of Ganderbal and Abdul Salam Rishi of Anantnag district had called on him Sep 29 leveling serious allegations of corruption against Yousuf. "Recognizing the serious nature of the allegations, I asked Nasir Aslam Wani, the minister of state for home, to call all three to find out the truth," Omar said.
‘Committed to Lokpal, but not at pistol-point’
through the political system. Speaking at a Youth Congress convention in Delhi, he said people talk of corruption but it can be fought through democratic means. "If you want to fight corruption, then this can only be done through the political system, through democratic means," he said. Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi said Hazare was not being fair by singling out the Congress over the issue of Jan Lokpal Bill. "This is unfortunate, whatever Annaji is saying... Every citizen has right to oppose or support anyone. His statement proves that he is starting to oppose the Congress from Hisar by-election when the winter session is far away," Alvi said.
New Delhi: The United Progressive Alliance government wants a strong and effective Lokpal bill to combat graft in high places, but it cannot be done by "putting a pistol on someone's neck", Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said. "You cannot get something done by putting a pistol on someone's neck," Bansal told reporters here. Bansal said a parliamentary standing committee was looking into the bill and was collecting views of its members. "It will be a sincere endeavor to see that the bill is taken up during the next winter session. But it depends upon the work the committee is able to do. "The committee has members from all the parties and they are getting inputs from different people who want to come before it," Bansal added.
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India Newswire
October 8-14, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Over 4,000 Chinese in PoK: Army chief New Delhi: The Indian security establishment is becoming increasingly concerned about the presence of around 4,000 Chinese construction personnel, including combat engineers from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, even as infiltration levels across the Line of Control into J&K have recorded a sharp jump in recent days. "There are certain construction working teams (in PoK)...Around 3,000 to 4,000 of these people
(Chinese) are present, including some for security purposes," said Army chief General V K Singh. Responding to questions on the sidelines of a function, Gen Singh said the Chinese teams in PoK included PLA combat engineers. This comes shortly after defense minister A K Antony told Parliament last month that India has asked China to stop its infrastructure development activities in PoK. "We have conveyed our concerns to China and asked them to cease such activities," he said.
Even Northern Army commander Lt-Gen K T Parnaik has warned that India not only faces a threat from Chinese troops along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control with China but it could well extend to the 778-km volatile LoC with Pakistan due to the expansive Beijing-Islamabad military nexus. "The Chinese presence in Gilgit-Baltistan and the Northern Areas is increasing steadily. China is involved in construction and upgradation of numerous roads, bridges and hydropower
Indian Army chief General V.K. Singh. projects. Chinese links with Pakistan, through PoK, lend strength to the China-Pakistan
nexus, which has been of great security concern for us," said LtGen Parnaik.
Telangana agitation to Goa mining scam: PAC intensify: TRS report blames nexus New Delhi/Hyderabad: After failing to get any assurance from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over a separate Telangana state, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao rejected his appeal to call off the strike and decided to intensify the agitation. KCR, as Rao is popularly known, told reporters that he may also go on a "fast unto death" to intensify the movement for a separate state. “The strike will not be called off under any circumstances," he told reporters after meeting the prime minister in New Delhi. "The strike would continue till there is a roadmap for separate Telangana," he added. "We are not satisfied. The prime minister did not give any assurance. We will continue to fight," said the MP, who was leading a delegation of JAC leaders. In Andhra Pradesh, proTelangana activists forcibly
Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao. stopped vehicles moving from coastal Andhra towards Hyderabad and hurled stones at private buses, damaging at least 20 of them in Nalgonda district, police said. Some activists were injured when police hit them with batons at Nakrekal while one police official sustained critical injuries in stone pelting by the mobs. There were no reports of injuries to the passengers. Demanding separate statehood to Telangana, activists also damaged a
police vehicle. The indefinite strike in coal mines of state-owned Singareni Collieries as part of the general strike in Telangana has affected coal production and hit electricity generation at thermal power stations. Authorities have imposed power cuts on domestic, agriculture and industrial sectors. A one-hour blackout has been imposed on farmers, who earlier got seven hours of free electricity every day.
Panaji: Triggering a political storm, the Goa assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) probing the Rs.3,500 crore illegal mining industry, cited a nexus between politicians and officials for the scam though it did not name Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, any minister or serving official. Operative portions of the report made available to be media, name neither Kamat, who has been holding the mining portfolio for the last 12 years, nor ministers Joaquim Alemao and Vishwajeet Rane, who have been named by Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar at other forums as being involved in illegal mining. According to official sources, the PAC report is, however, indicative of the involvement of politicians in the scam on the basis of "reasonable doubt". "Reasonable doubt prevails that influential politicians including ministers... are deeply involved," the report states, but names only Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Jitendra Deshprabhu, already arrested for involvement in illegal mining. "How much involvement of various politicians does exist, what is the illegality quantum, can only be brought to light if a criminal investigation is conducted," a source said, adding that the PAC report has asked for a Central Bureau of Investigation or a Lokayukta probe into the scam. Hours after submitting the PAC's report to
Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat. Speaker Pratapsing Rane however, Parrikar, who heads the PAC, obliquely blamed Kamat for the scam. "Does the chief minister not want to change situation in the mines department at all? He does not want to punish anyone guilty? Any third person would take inference that he (Kamat) is involved," he said in the assembly. "When he was the chief minister, exports rose from 16 million tonnes to 54 tonnes... Production is thrice now. What is legally extracted is 30 million tonnes (of ore). It is perfectly legal, while 20 millon tonnes is not legal," said Parrikar. In his response, Kamat said that the "truth will prevail" and the mining ministry should not alone be held responsible. "Ultimately truth will prevail because there are records to support the truth," an emphatic Kamat told the house.
Ravana’s effigy is not burnt here! Dharamshala: Religious belief keeps the people of Baijnath from celebrating Dussehra. At Baijnath, a town of Kangra district located about 60 km from here, people do not burn the effigy of Ravana. Even markets remain closed in Baijnath and Paprola. In fact, people don't even buy sweets on the occasion. Bhagwandass Sharma a local priest at a temple said that Dussehra is celebrated here. "This is the place where Ravana worshipped Shiva as a sincere devotee and burning his effigy would bring bad luck for the people of this area," he said. He added that Ravana worshipped Lord
Shiva here and he is considered a great devotee in Baijnath and burning the effigy of such a great devotee was not right. So even as Dussehra would be celebrated with fervour across the country on Thursday, the people of this town would not be joining in as there is a strong belief among them that celebrating the festival would incur the wrath of Shiva. This belief keeps residents of the town away from burning the effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhkaran and son Meghnath. Baijnath was named after a local shepherd, Baiju. Legend has it that
during the Treta Yug, Ravana worshipped Lord Shiva on Kailash and offered his 10 heads in a Havan Kund. Lord Shiva was touched by this deed and agreed to accompany him to Lanka. Shiva took the shape of "ling" and asked Ravana not to place it on the ground on his way. However, when Ravana reached Baijnath, he felt the need to answer nature's call. On seeing the shepherd Baiju, Ravana handed over the "ling" to him. The shepherd, on finding the "ling" very heavy, put it on the ground and it got intstalled there.
India Newswire TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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October 8-14, 2011
Gujarat told to provide security to Bhatt, family New Delhi/Ahmedabad: The central government asked the Gujarat government to provide adequate security to police officer Sanjiv Bhatt, arrested on charges of insubordination, and his family. The home ministry instructions to Gujarat came hours after an Ahmedabad court reserved, for Oct 7, its orders on the state's revision petition against the judicial remand of the officer after Bhatt refused the court's suggestion of granting bail if he underwent a three-hour police remand. Bhatt had recently leveled allegations against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in connection with the 2002 riots post the burning of Karsewaks travelling by the Sabarmati Express in Godhra. The home ministry wrote to the Gujarat government, asking it to provide security to Bhatt and his family after the police officer's wife Shweta Bhatt wrote to Home Minister P. Chidambaram expressing fears that there was danger to the arrested officer's life. Home Secretary R.K. Singh had
called by Modi on Feb 27, 2002, hours after the Godhra train carnage. Shweta Bhatt had written in her letter to Chidambaram that her husband "has been victimized and arrested" merely because a few politicians apprehended serious action against them due to Sanjeev
Bhatt's evidence in the pending criminal cases against them. An Ahmedabad sessions court, meanwhile, reserved its order for Oct 7 on Gujarat government's plea to place him under police custody for investigation in the case registered on the basis of Panth's complaint.
Bhatt being treated like terrorist: wife
Former IPS offier Sanjiv Bhatt had leveled allegations against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in connection with the 2002 riots. convened a meeting of senior officials after Shweta Bhatt's letter was received by the central government. "The home ministry has written to the Gujarat government to ensure adequate security to Bhatt and his family as per local threat perception," a home ministry offi-
Shiv Sena, MNS target migrants again Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Shiv Sena have joined hands in a violent agitation against three-wheeler drivers who refuse fare. The recent fare hike and two auto-rickshaw strikes have given the MNS and Sena an opportunity just four months before the civic polls.Mumbai Autorickshawmen’s Union president Sharad Rao, however, claimed five vehicles were burnt down. He demanded action against MNS chief Raj Thackeray and compensation. “We will move court if the government doesn’t take any action.” Thackeray announced that his men would campaign against the errant auto-rickshaw drivers, especially those who had migrated from north India. The Sena, too, jumped into the fray. “We will not allow anyone to blackmail Mumbaikars,” Sena MP Sanjay Raut said. He said the Sena would post men at auto-rickshaw stands to ensure drivers did not turn down fares. Even as the police arrested 12 suspected MNS workers for beating up a driver at the Sion suburban area, MNS vice-president Haji Arafat Shaikh said, “We have formed small teams and any auto driver acting smart will be taught a lesson.”
cial said here. "We are also independently carrying out threat assessment at our level," the official added. Bhatt was arrested after Gujarat police constable K.D. Panth lodged a complaint that he was threatened by the officer and forced to sign a false affidavit on the meeting
Ahmedabad: Wife of arrested IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt, who had given testimony against Narendra Modi in the postGodhra riots case, has written a second letter to Union home minister P Chidambaram alleging that her husband was being treated like a "terrorist" by the police. She has also accused the Gujarat government in the letter of using all possible ways to deny bail to her husband. In her second letter, she has said that her husband was being
treated like a terrorist despite he not being a serial offender nor a criminal. She said in the letter that she has just come to know that Bhatt was kept in a dingy, filthy, stinking room in the city crime branch lock-up on the day he was arrested. In the letter she has also complained about how Gujarat police used derogatory and insulting language while conducting searches at her residence after Bhatt's arrest.
A modified bus will be Advani's 'rath' New Delhi: For his anti-corruption yatra beginning October 11, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran L.K. Advani will travel in a modified luxury bus as his "rath" -- equipped with a lift and communication facilities for his 12,000 km journey across 18 states. The bus, being modified and readied in Pune, will reach the venue of Advani's 'Jan Chetna Yatra' (public awareness journey) in Bihar before Oct 11, BJP secretary Shyam Jaju said. "The bus will be equipped with lift (sky lift), television, computer and public address system. It will have place for him to rest and a chamber for party functionaries to sit and interact with him," Jaju told IANS. The BJP has chosen the birth anniversary of Jayprakash Narayan on Oct 11 and his birthplace Sitab Diara in Bihar as the venue to launch the yatra. Jaju said the bus may not reach Sitab Diara as the village still had flood waters. He said Advani, 84, and other senior party leaders were likely to visit Sitab Diara Oct 11 in a helicopter to pay their respects to Jayprakash Narayan and then come to Chapra to take forward the yatra. Jayprakash Narayan's mobilisation of students in 1974 and call for 'Total Revolution' led to event that culminated in prime minister Indira Gandhi imposing Emergency rule in
L.K. Advani will travel in a modified luxury bus as his rath. 1975. Gandhi lost power in the 1977 elections. Jaju said the Jan Chetna Yatra will focus on "good governance and clean politics" and pass through 18 states and some union territories. It will culminate in Delhi Nov 20 after covering almost 12,000 km about 300 km each day. He said the yatra will pass through pollbound states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Goa and touch Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Assam.
BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar is chief convener and Ravi Shankar Prasad, Murlidhar Rao and Jaju are co-conveners for the yatra. The Jan Chetna Yatra will be the sixth such cross-state journey for the BJP veteran. The earlier yatras include Ramrath Yatra, Jansandesh Yatra, Swarna Jayanti Yatra, Bharat Uday Yatra and Bharat Suraksha Yatra. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will be present during the start of Jan Chetna Yatra along with senior BJP leaders.
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Kairali TV to expand into Middle East Thiruvananthapuram: Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)backed Kairali TV Thursday said it will launch a new channel in the Middle East. The channel's chairman, superstar Mammootty made the announcement soon after being re-elected to the post at the firm's AGM held here. The channel has been named Kairali Arabia. Kairali TV's income in the last fiscal stood at Rs.67.82 crore, with a profit of Rs.14.60 crore.
Mammootty added that a 5 percent dividend will be paid to all shareholders in December this year.
Kerala CM to help end expatriates' passport woes Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy last week assured the state assembly that he would take up with the central government passport-related problems faced by expatriates at state airports. Indian Union Muslim League legislator M. Ali drew the attention of the house to new passport rules that were allegedly leading to harassment of expatriate Keralites. When people employed in the Middle East come for vacation,
Indian-origin man teaches yoga to Mexican migrants Monterrey (Mexico): A shelter for migrants in the northern state of Coahuila is offering yoga classes, run by an Indianorigin man, to help undocumented Central Americans cope with the stress of their arduous and often dangerous trek across Mexico to reach the US. "Every week the migrants are offered an hour of yoga thanks to the cooperation of a volunteer," Posada Belen director Alberto Xicotencatl told EFE. Jap Singh Khalsa began
teaching yoga at Posada Belen five months ago. The shelter in Saltillo, capital of the border state of Coahuila, is currently providing hospitality to around 130 migrants. Every year, around 150,000 undocumented Central Americans cross Mexico with hopes of sneaking into the US. Singh focuses on teaching the migrants how to manage the physical and emotional stress of the journey. Always risky, the trek has become downright dangerous
in recent years. Xicotencatl said he and his colleagues at the other Catholic Church-supported migrant shelters in Mexico have noted an increase in the number of people seeking shelter. "The migrants have described to us a more peaceful trip," Xicotencatl said, suggesting the northbound migration has expanded because Mexico's drug cartels are too busy fighting each other over turf to bother with kidnapping and extorting the migrants.
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Jeddah: Over 23,000 Indian Haj pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage. According to a release of the Consulate General of India here, a total of 23,078 pilgrims have arrived from India, of them 2,018 are in Makkah and 21,059 pilgrims are in Madina. So far, 85 flights have come from India. Meanwhile, two pilgrims have died. One of them had come through the Haj Committee of India and the other through a private tour operator. The Haj to Makkah, the
Kaaba in Makkah, the holiest city of Muslims holiest city for Muslims, is obligatory in Islam at least once in a lifetime. Madina, the second most sacred city for Muslims, is the burial place of Prophet Mohammad and also has the three oldest mosques.
their passports are impounded at three airports in the state over minor errors regarding their names and address," he said. "Once that is done, they are asked to apply for a fresh passport and when the new passport is issued, the authorities fail to give the old passport in which their employment visa is stamped, said Ali. According to complaints, there were more than 1,000 people who were suffering in this manner.
This issue was not there till around seven months back and it began with a new top official taking over in Delhi in the passport section, the rule of not returning the old passport or taking out the visa stamped page and affixing it to the new passport is also not taking place, said Chandy. I will immediately take this issue with the external affairs ministry and the ministry of overseas Indian affairs, said Chandy.
Indian takes pharmaceuticals to new heights in Ghana
Vasu receiving a plaque to mark his company's place in the Ghana Club 100. Accra (Ghana): Gopal Vasu did not leave India to be recognized in Ghana for his work in the pharmaceutical industry. However, the firm that the former oil company executive helped found has been ranked 35th in the list of Ghana's top 100 companies. The Ghana Club 100 is a grouping of the country's top 100 companies, based on the assessment of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), which examines a company's growth over three years as well as the return on equity and turnover. Vasu, who has lived in Ghana for 42 years now, changed his career path and is today a director of M&G Phramaceuticals. In 2005, he was made honorary member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana. The former sales executive of oil brand Esso in Jaipur went to work for Indian conglomerate Patel Group of Companies in Ghana in 1969. He joined their Ashanti Shoe
Factory as general manager. "I worked for the Patel Group for 24 years before, and together with some other colleagues, deciding to set up a pharmaceutical company, then one of the priority areas under the Ghana's investment code," he said. "After fulfilling the requirement of the Ghana Investment Code, we took over (then shuttered) M&G Pharmaceuticals in July 1993," he said. In January 1994, the company began producing four formulations with 12 employees. Today the company employs 183 people and makes 78 products, including tablets, capsules, syrups and suspensions for over 210 buyers. Vasu is happy to be associated with Ghana's industrial development. "I believe that no country can progress without a strong industrial base," he said. "The most developed countries in the world today are strong because of it."
Festival TheSouthAsianTimes.info New York: The Association of Indians in America-NY celebrated its 24th Annual Diwali Festival on Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday at South Street Seaport with Air India sponsored fireworks seen by millions of New Yorkers. On the occasion AIA-NY President Ranju Batra launched a Diwali Stamp Petition Drive to support Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney’s national leadership in securing the Stamp issued by USPS. Six proclamations were lavished upon Ranju, including the Congressional Record. AIA-NY celebrates Diwali on the first Sunday in October with tens of thousands attending the daylong festival, which culminates in the spectacular fireworks show on the East River, seen by millions in Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx--now the only one in New York (after Macy’s moved its July 4th fireworks to the Hudson River for New Jersey’s pleasure). This year, Diwali spilled over on to five blocks of traffic-stopped Water Street, all of John Street and connected into Pier 16 & Pier 17 with a fireworks barge with ‘Air India’ blazed across. This year was special. It was ten years after 9/11 and Diwali was being celebrated on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, hence Ranju Batra, president of AIA-NY, set the theme as “Non-Violence in Today’s World.” In addition, since her celebrated inauguration in mid-June at the Indian Consulate she has recalibrated AIA’s mission-focus. At the Diwali festival, she launched a Diwali Stamp Petition drive and in addition to everyday New Yorkers signing same, she had dignitaries sign it, as well as have Ronald McDonald sign as a “good global neighbor.” Her administration, Ranju Batra said, was dedicated to "Protecting the future, while respecting the past." Ranju conceived of the following Diwali attractions: 9/11 Shrine; Diwali Stamp Petition; Health Fair with world renowned Dr Pankaj Naram and health check by Dr. Subhash Gulati of Advanced Research Foundation; Children’s Fair with clowns, face painting, magic show; a Mehandi booth to enjoy tattoos; a food and Meena Bazaar; extravaganza of cultural performances including Pt Satya Narayan Charka’s Ramayan performance and Bollywood hits. Star Plus, in addition to wowing the audience with Sasural Genda Phool’s TV stars Rajni and Inder, set up an actual audition studio on Pier 16 for folks competing in Main Bhi Star contest! Two hours before the VIP program hour, rain soaked the Diwali festival, and amazingly, New Yorkers’ desire to celebrate Diwali and see Air India light up the night sky made thousands to remain while the performances were delayed. The VIP program was packed to the
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October 8-14, 2011
AIA-NY holds Diwali mela with new attractions added by its President
Amb. Prabhu Dayal, Consul General of India in New York, speaking during the VIP program hour, with a few US lawmakers and Indian diplomats besides AIA-NY President Ranju Batra on the stage. Photos: Jay Mandal and Mohammed Jaffer/SnapsIndia
gills, despite prior visits during the day by NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Manhattan Boro President Scott Stringer with Councilman Dan Halloran, all of whom signed the Diwali Stamp Petition. The VIP hour-long program was cut by 20 minutes due to the earlier rain, and Ravi Batra was tapped to warmly, albeit, briefly, introduce, celebrate and enjoy the important dignitaries, all personal friends of the Batras, in record time. Starting with Consul General Prabhu Dayal and Chandini Dayal, Continued on page 16...
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney presented to Ranju Batra Congressional Record commending her.
AIA-NY President Ranju Batra in front of the 9/11 shrine with Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence as theme. This Diwali mela came 10 years after 9-11 and fell on Gandhi’s birth anniversary.
(From right) Ravi and Ranju Batra got Ronald McDonald sign the Diwali Stamp petition as a “good global neighbor”.
The cast of Ramayan dance drama with the director, Satya Narayan Charka (fifth from left)
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AIA-NY holds Diwali mela with new attractions added by its President Diwali Mela Story Continued from page 15 the pantheon of honorables celebrating Diwali included: Amb. Hardeep Singh Puri, Ass’t Secretary General of UN Women Lakshmi Puri, Amb. Vijay Nambiar, Amb. Joe Melrose, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson, Senator Shirley Huntley, Comptroller John Liu, Assemblymen Nick Perry, David Weprin and Rory Lancman, District Leaders Uma Sengupta and Jenifer Rajkumar, Councilmembers Inez Dickens, Vinnie Gentile and Daniel Halloran, Mayors Ernie Davis and Harry Anand, Commissioners Pat Acampora, Alan Croce, Rene Lobo and Patricia Gatling, and Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for the state of New York, Justice Fern Fisher and all other Supreme Court Justices, including J. Deborah Dowling and AJ Sylvia Hinds-Radix. The sponsors graciously thanked on stage included Air India, Star Plus, McDonald’s, Incredible !ndia, Pepsico, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India, New York Life, Advanced Research Foundation, Kingfisher, Con Ed, Make-
MyTrip.Com, Watch India, Habib Bank, Money Gram, Met Life, and Zee TV, along with media sponsors Sudhir Vaishnav of Sahara One, ITV, TV Asia, Jus Punjabi, India Abroad, THE South Asian Times, Indian Express, Indian Panorama AND Padma Award recipient Sudhir Parikh of News India and Desi Talk. In addition to congratulatory letters and proclamations pre-Diwali, six new ones were conferred upon Ranju Batra during the Diwali celebration: Carolyn Maloney’s Congressional Record, John Liu’s Commendation, Scott Stringer’s Proclamation, Rory Lancman’s Proclamation, Shirley Huntley’s Proclamation and Inez Dickens’ Proclamation. On a curiously funny note, reminiscent of the gatecrashers at the White House, there was a gate crasher on the VIP stage who posed in pictures. Also thanked were leaders of all other organizations, including Piyush Aggarwal and so many dear friends. Ranju Batra called upon everyone for support in helping make America stronger, while respecting our culture and origin, and to all wished a very HAPPY DIWALI!
President Ranju Batra in her address redefined AIA-NY’s mission as: To protect our future while respecting our past.
Ranju Batra with AIA-NY committee members and volunteers.
Photos: Jay Mandal and Mohammed Jaffer/SnapsIndia
Senator Ruth Hassel-Thompson, Vijay Nambiar, Chief of Staff of UN Secretary General, Ass’t Secretary General of UN Women Lakshmi Puri, Laurel Hollow Mayor Harry Anand speaking at the event.
The tall NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio posing with the Batras and others in front of the booth of Pepsico, a sponsor of the mela.
Amb. Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, and (right) eminent attorney Ravi Batra addressing the audience during VIP program hour.
Children’s Fair offered clowns, face painting and magic show. Assemblyman Rory Lancman brought a Proclamation commending Ranju Batra.
Dr Pankaj Naram with Kamlesh Mehta, Chairman of The South Asian Times. Dr Naram visited the premier weekly’s stall and carried home quite a few copies of the Oct 1 Diwali special published in media partnership with AIA-NY.
World renowned vaidya Dr Pankaj Naram posing with a group. He gave free consultation at the Diwali mela.
The cultural performances and the VIP program were packed to the gills.
The audience enjoyed an extravaganza of cultural performances and Bollywood hits. More pictures on page 18.
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More pictures from AIA-NY Diwali Mela
John Liu, NYC Comptroller, gave a Commendation citation to AIA-NY President Ranju Batra.
Children doing an endearing number as part of the cultural performances.
Manhattan Boro President Scott Stringer signing the Diwali stamp petition.
Above (L to R) Arish Sahani, Sudhir Parikh, Ravi Batra, Councilman Dan Halloran, Boro President Scott Stringer, Harish Thakkar, AIA-NY president Ranju Batra and Sudha Parikh Sudhir Vaishnav, President and CEO of Globosat Entertainment, that distributes Sahara TV channels, was one of the community leaders and sponsors thanked and honored by Ranju Batra at the Diwali mela.
Council member Inez Dickens also gave a citation to Ranju Batra.
Photos: Jay Mandal and Mohammed Jaffer/SnapsIndia
Ravi Batra welcoming NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio to the stage even as community leaders and AIA officials look on.
The Air India barge on East River before the fireworks began.
Subcontinent TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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October 8-14, 2011
With Pak in mind, Delhi, Kabul ink strategic pact New Delhi: Amid souring relations between Islamabad and Kabul, India and Afghanistan signed a defining pact to forge an all-embracing strategic partnership that will entail an annual security dialogue and expanded cooperation to combat terror emanating from Pakistan. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is here on a two-day visit, held "detailed and frank discussions on terrorism", officials said. Afghanistan shared its findings with India on the complicity of Pakistani spy agency ISI in recent terror attacks in Afghanistan, including the assassination of former president Burhanuddin Rabbani, Karzai's chief interlocutor with the Taliban. In a move that is set to annoy Islamabad, India formally expressed its intention to "assist, as mutually determined, in the training, equip-
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Afghan President Hamid Karzai ink a strategic partnership pact that seeks to incrementally accelerate their ties across a broad spectrum of areas. ping and capacity building programs for Afghan National Security Forces". However, Indian officials said this
was part of the continuing training program. Signaling their resolve to partner in peace and development,
Tackling Haqqani Network job No. 1: US to Pak Washington: Placing the was "on his way to the Haqqani Network's tackling region to continue those conat the top of its counter-terversations. So the dialogue rorism agenda, the US is continues. We've got to find pushing Pakistan to act a way to work on this togethagainst the terror group er". described as "a veritable Grossman, she said, would arm" of Pakistan's spy "be talking to folks both in agency. Kabul and in Islamabad" "We continue to believe about the value of the triparthat job one between the US tite dialogue among US, and Pakistan on the counter Afghanistan, and Pakistan terrorism front is to tackle coming up in October even the Haqqani Network," State as Afghans have said they US State Department Department spokesman don't want Pakistan to be a Victoria Nuland told spokesman Victoria Nuland. part. reporters. At the White House, Press Secretary Jay "We continue to make outreaches at all Carney noted that members of the Haqqani levels to our Pakistani counterparts," she Network had been designated and a review said. "I think what's important in this case is continues to designate the group itself. that we continue to have very clear and canThe US relationship with Pakistan was did conversations among all of the princi- "complicated but important relationship" he pals with their Pakistani interlocutors." said noting, "Our cooperation with Pakistan Nuland said that US Special Envoy for has helped us in the efforts against Al Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman Qaeda".
Manmohan Singh and Karzai inked a strategic partnership agreement that seeks to incrementally accelerate their ties across a broad spectrum of areas. The pact envisages an annual security dialogue between the national security advisers that will focus on a joint fight against international terrorism, organized crime, and illegal trafficking in narcotics. The pact outlines annual summits and meetings between foreign ministers. "India will stand by the people of Afghanistan as they prepare to assume the responsibility for their governance and security after the withdrawal of international forces in 2014," Manmohan Singh said. In a clear reference to Pakistan, Karzai said Afghanistan "recognizes the danger this region is facing through terrorism and radicalism that (are) being used an instrument of state policy against civilians and
innocents of our countries". The strategic partnership pact envisages the setting up of a Partnership Council, headed by their foreign ministers, which will be the nodal body for coordinating the strategic partnership. Neither Manmohan Singh nor Karzai mentioned Pakistan by name, but made implicit references to Islamabad while talking about the need to defeat "outside interference". "Terrorism threatens our entire region, and no country can remain immune to its lethal effects," said Manmohan Singh, adding that the people of Afghanistan "deserve to live in peace and decide their future themselves, without outside interference, coercion and intimidation." Karzai's visit to India takes place amid worse relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan on one hand and between Islamabad and Washington on the other.
Plot to kill Karzai through bodyguard foiled Kabul: Afghanistan's intelligence agency said it had thwarted a plot to assassinate President Hamid Karzai after arresting a bodyguard and five people with links to the Haqqani network and Al Qaeda. The plotters, who included university students and a medical professor, had been trained to launch attacks in the capital Kabul and had recruited one of Karzai's bodyguards to kill the president, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) said. "A dangerous and educated group including teachers and students wanted to assassinate President Hamid Karzai," spokesman Lutfullah Mashal said. "Unfortunately they infiltrated the presidential protection system and recruited one
Karzai has been the target of at least three assassination attempts since becoming Afghan leader in 2002. of the president's bodyguards." Mashal said those detained had ties with three men, including an Egyptian and a Bangladeshi, who were all members of Al Qaeda and the Haqqani network which is based in Pakistan's tribal
region of North Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan. Those arrested were part of a "most sophisticated" group who confessed to having been trained to use guns, rockets and suicide attacks with top government officials among the targets. Karzai has been the target of at least three assassination attempts since becoming Afghan leader in 2002, most notably in April 2008, when insurgents fired guns and rockets at a military parade he attended near the presidential palace in Kabul. Mashal said the bodyguard, Mohebullah Ahmadi, was from Kazai's home village of Karz in southern Kandahar province, and he had been shown Al Qaeda and Haqqani video propaganda to persuade him to take part in the assassination plot.
Lanka releases 1,800 ex-LTTE rebels Colombo: The government released the last batch of some 1,800 former LTTE guerrillas who underwent rehabilitation after the end of a three-decade ethnic conflict in May 2009, officials said. The release ceremony for the former Tamil Tigers was held at President Mahinda Rajapaksa's official residence in the presence of the Colombo- based diplomatic community. "As you rejoin society today after two years of vocational
training, you go out as free men and women," Rajapaksa told the former LTTE fighters. He said there will be anti-social elements who will prey on you. "But I hope you will work for peace and ethnic harmony in this nation of ours. We must not dwell on the bitter past, but look to a prosperous future," he underlined. The former Tamil Tiger guerrillas were among about 11,000 LTTE fighters who underwent vocational training in military-run rehabilitation centers after they
surrendered following the end of the civil war in May 2009. They were allowed to reunite with the families having gone through the process where they were taught self employment skills and English language training. Officials said there are over a thousand more former Tamil Tigers who have been sent for rehabilitation as a result of the court procedure. They will be released only after the legal process.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa handed over the rehabilitated former members of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to their families.
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China slammed for cyber spying Washington: The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee accused China of waging an unprecedented campaign of cyber espionage aimed at stealing some of the most important US industrial secrets. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said Chinese efforts to pilfer the United States' technological know-how via the Internet have reached an "intolerable level," and called on the U.S. and its allies to pressure Beijing to stop. He made his remarks during a congressional hearing. Few intelligence insiders have discussed such concerns so bluntly. China is both a major U.S. economic partner and the nation's biggest foreign creditor. Rogers said the corporate victims
China has said that allegations of cyber espionage against U.S. companies were groundless. of cyber spying, when they were willing to discuss it at all, are also
US warns of implications of UN veto on Syria Washington: Upset over the Russian and Chinese vetoes of a UN Security Council resolution threatening sanctions against Syria, the United States has said nations would have to take responsibility for implications of their vote on the ground there. India had abstained from the vote, saying it does not "place any responsbility on the (Syrian) opposition to abjure violence." However, state department spokesperson Victoria Nuland Wednesday declined to spell out if there would be any consequences for countries like India which abstained from voting on the resolution because it "does not accommodate our concerns about threat of sanctions." "I'm not going to speak to the abstentions," she said in response to a question noting
"We had nine votes, which was enough for passage. It was the vetoes that killed these resolutions." But, Nuland said: Countries have to take responsibility for the decision that they made yesterday and any implications it might have on the ground in Syria." As US ambassador to the UN Susan "Rice made clear yesterday after the vote, we obviously consider that the Security Council failed yesterday to address the urgent moral challenge and the growing threat to international peace and security caused by the Syrian regime's brutality," she said. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Puri, announcing New Delhi's abstention, noted the resolution does not condemn the violence perpetrated by the Syrian opposition.
reluctant to point the finger at China out of concern they could
targets, and cyber raiders have stolen data about U.S. fighter jets, missile systems and unmanned drones. A security expert, Kevin Mandia of Mandiant Corp., said that in more than 90 percent of the attacks that his company investigated, victims didn't even know they were under cyber assault until the Pentagon, FBI or another government agency told them. After the Internet search giant Google was the target of attacks in January, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked China to investigate Google's claims it had been targeted by China-based hackers. Google said hackers had tried to access Google's proprietary software as well as the email accounts of Chinese human rights activists.
Truck bomb in Somalia kills 70 Mogadishu: Militants detonated a truck bomb in front of the ministry of education in Mogadishu, killing at least 70 people, wounding dozens and shattering a relative calm that had prevailed in the Somali capital for weeks. The bomb blew up after coming to a halt at a security checkpoint. It left blackened corpses on the debrisstrewn street and set other vehicles alight. Uniformed soldiers were seen dragging the wounded away. The Al Qaeda-linked group alShabab immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on a website it uses. It was the biggest attack in Somalia's capital since al-Shabab withdrew most of its forces in August amid an offensive by African Union forces. The group had been expected to fight back with guerrilla-style attacks, including car bombs. Several car bombs have been defused or exploded before reaching their targets in recent weeks. Ali Hussein, a police officer in Mogadishu, said the vehicle blew
Germany set to reopen Nazi probes Berlin: Nearly seven decades after the end of World War II, German authorities have reopened hundreds of dormant investigations of Nazi death camp guards in an eleventh hour attempt that could result in a minimum of dozens of new prosecutions. Special Nazi war-crimes investigators reopened the files after the conviction of the former United States autoworker John Demjanjuk, whose case set a new legal precedent in Germany, said Kurt Schrimm, the prosecutor heading the unit. Given the advanced age of all of the suspects, investigators are not waiting until the Demjanjuk appeals process is over, he said. "We don't want to
become the target of retaliatory attacks. "In Washington there has been this big dance around the 800pound gorilla in the room, and that is Chinese industrial espionage," Rogers said in an interview after the hearing. "Listen, this is thievery. At the end of the day, it is stealing." China has said that allegations of cyber espionage against U.S. companies were groundless, and the sources of Internet attacks are notoriously difficult to pin down. Experts said the pace and scale of cyber attacks are increasing, and that the most sophisticated and effective attacks are mounted by criminal organizations and governments. Defense systems in particular are
A man lights a candle at the Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse in Berlin (file photo). wait too long, so we've already re-examined. "As our numbers - those of begun our investigations," Schrimm said. the victims - have also rapidly Elan Steinberg, vice presi- dwindled, this represents the dent of the American gathering final opportunity to witness of holocaust survivors and their justice carried out in our lifedescendants, welcomed the times," he said. "Time is the news that the files were being enemy here."
A Somali soldier keeps guard near a burning vehicle at the scene of explosion in Mogadishu. up after pulling up to a checkpoint Al-Shabab includes militant veterat the entrance to the Ministry of ans of the Afghanistan and Iraq conEducation. flicts who have trained Somalis in Suicide bombings were unheard tactics like suicide bombs and sniper of in Somalia before 2007 but have fire. The group carried out a double become increasingly frequent. Al- suicide bombing in Uganda in July Shabab claims allegiance to Al 2010 that killed 76 people watching Qaeda, which often uses car bombs the World Cup final on television. and appears bent on gaining a Americans of Somali heritage also foothold in the Horn of Africa. have joined the group.
UNESCO votes for Palestinian membership Paris: UNESCO's executive council voted for allowing Palestine a membership, news reports said. Some 40 of the 58 members of UNESCO executive council voted for the proposal against four vetos including that from the US and Germany. Fourteen members abstained from the vote on the day, said a diplomatic source. Arab countries have recently proposed to upgrade the status of Palestine in the UN organization to member state from present status of observer state. Palestine will not get the member state status until the approval of the executive council wins ratification of at least two thirds of all UNESCO 193 members which are due to meet for the general conference between Oct 25 and Nov 10 at its Paris headquarters.
Arab countries have recently proposed to upgrade the status of Palestine in the UN organization to member state from present status of observer state. Palestinian authority has intensified its effort for statehood representation in the UN and its branches since this year. The latest move was presenting its statehood bid to the 66th session of the UN General Assembly starting in late September.
Business TheSouthAsianTimes.info
October 8-14, 2011
Is Kingfisher defaulting on TDS payment? New Delhi: Battling serious financial troubles, is Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher even defaulting on payment of tax deducted at source (TDS)? The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has found that the airline had deducted almost Rs 21 crore in payments made to it for the financial year 2010-11 but the same was not being reflected as tax deposited on its behalf. The authority has now asked Kingfisher to pay this sum to it, along with other dues of Rs 200 crore. "The TDS certificates were not submitted despite this amount (Rs 20.76 crore) being deducted from the payment made to us. We have asked Kingfisher to pay that amount, along with old dues of Rs 205 crore and interest for three months, failing which we may be forced to take action that may affect their flight schedules," said a senior official. The airline spokesperson did not offer any comment on this issue. The authority is closely watching if Kingfisher is able to deliver on its promise of clearing the dues from October onwards by paying Rs 10 crore over and above the monthly payment every month. Based on this promise, AAI had removed Kingfisher from cash-and-carry and allowed it to make payments once in every fortnight. Apart from Kingfisher, the other airline in financial doldrums-Air India-is causing its own share of unique problems to airport operators. The Delhi and Mumbai airports share 46% and 38%, respectively, of their rev-
India, Switzerland to share tax info Vienna: India and Switzerland will start exchanging information on tax related matters from the next fiscal after the new tax information exchange treaty is ratified by the Swiss Parliament tomorrow, paving way for obtaining data on black money stashed there. "It (information sharing) will take place from the first day of the next financial year, January 1, 2012 for Switzerland and April 1, 2012 for India," M. Ganapathi, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, said here while briefing reporters on President Pratibha Patil's just concluded state visit to
Switzerland. The move comes at a time when the issue of black money stashed in Swiss banks has become a major concern back home with political parties and civil society taking up the matter. The protocol amending the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between India and Switzerland was concluded in New Delhi on August 30 this year. The initial agreement between the two countries was signed on November 2, 1994. It was subsequently amended and a supplementary protocol signed in Delhi on February 16, 2000.
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Kingfisher Red, the low-cost airline, has now been shut down by its owner Vijay Mallya. enue with AAI. "These airports requested us that the share of revenue from AI operations should be collected not on accrual basis but as and when AI pays. The airport managements told us that they often borrow money at hefty rates to pay share from AI's bill-which is not paid on time-to us. But this request has been turned down and the revenue share to be paid to AAI will be on accrual and not receipt basis," the official said. The state-owned airport authority gets about Rs 380 crore and Rs 360 crore every year from the Delhi and Mumbai airports, respectively.
Moody's downgrades SBI, Sensex plunges Mumbai: The Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex fell 286 points to 15,864 after international rating agency Moody's downgraded the country's largest lender State Bank of India, warning that its bad loans would rise. The rating downgrade may compel the government, which is already financially stretched, to pump additional capital into the bank. "The downgrade of SBI had a contagion effect on the banking sector with most stocks ending sharply lower. Also, stocks in sectors like metals and auto were sharply down" said Dipen Shah, Head-Fundamental Research, Kotak Securities. Falling stocks also took their toll on the domestic currency with the rupee falling over 25 paise to close at 49.40 against the dollar. The only good news for the markets in recent days has been the monsoon which has been close to normal. "Good rainfall, along with the government's
The State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest lender, slumped over four percent this week. strategic focus on stimulating the rural economy, has ensured that India's hinterland remains relatively insulated from both the global and domestic macro-economic headwinds. While we remain cognizant of the rising cost pressures at farm gates, we believe that the continuing momentum of high agri output, coupled with rising Minimum Support Prices (Kharif MSPs were raised by 7-19%), will lead to continuing incremental rural prosperity" said Deutsche Bank.
World's cheapest tablet launched in India New Delhi: India's finally got its much hyped ultra-low-cost tablet, Aakash. The government is buying the first units of the device for Rs 2,250 each from a British company which is assembling the devices in India. They will initially be given to students for free in a pilot run of 100,000 units. "The rich have access to the digital world, the poor and ordinary have been excluded. Aakash will end that digital divide," Telecoms and Education Minister Kapil Sibal said. The tablet runs on Android 2.2 (Froyo) and comes with a 7-inch resistive touch screen with 800x480 resolution and weighs 350 gram. The tablet has a 256 MB of RAM, a 32 GB expandable memory slot and two USB ports. The tablet comes with a 12-month replacement warranty and supports formats like DOC, DOCX, PDF and PPTX etc. Aakash has standard 3.5 mm headphones jack. The tablet has a 2100mAh battery which can reportedly last for 2-3 hours depending on the usage. The device is also said to be completely made in India, as according to a review, a sticker at the
The tablet Aakash will cost just over $35. back emphasises the fact. Aakash also The number of Internet users grew 15reportedly packs some pre-loaded apps, fold between 2000 and 2010, according however, lacks the Android Market to another recent report. Still, just 8 perPlace. cent of Indians have access. That comIndia lags behind fellow BRIC nations pares with nearly 40 percent in China. Brazil, Russia and China in the drive to Some 19 million people subscribe to get its 1.2 billion population connected mobile phones every month, making to technologies such as the Internet and India the world's fastest growing market, mobile phones, according to a report by but most are from the wealthier segment risk analysis firm Maplecroft. of the population in towns.
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Sports
October 8-14, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
India world champs at home: Alastair Cook Hyderabad: England captain Alastair Cook feels the convincing win over India back home last month will not mean much when they face the World Champions in their own backyard. The visitors don't consider themselves favorites and are looking forward to what he described as a "very different challenge". "I don't know too much about the favorites or anything like that. We know it is going to be a very different challenge. I don't see any relation between what happened in England and what is going to happen here in India," Cook said at a press conference. "Historically, India have a stronger side at home. We have got an extremely tough challenge on our hands." The visitors, who arrived here Tuesday, will play two warm-up matches against the local team Oct 8 and 11 before the first One-day International against India here Oct 14. Cook also did not see any difference in the Indian team which played in England and the team which he would be facing here. "It is a similar team. As we saw in
England will play five ODIs in India. England they are hugely talented side and very dangerous in home conditions," he said. The English skipper did not agree that the Indian bowling is weak. "When you take out players like Zaheer (Khan) and Harbhajan (Singh) you lose a bit of experi-
Yes, Sachin was scared of Shoaib's pace: Afridi
ence. They might be inexperienced in terms of international games but experienced in terms of local conditions and that is going to be the most important thing." "We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to
perform. We are not bothered what is said about us. We concentrate on our game and what we try to achieve," he remarked when asked if there would be pressure of expectations on the team after its test and oneday series victories against India. "Playing the World Champions in their backyard, the great support the public gives to one-day cricket here and playing in front of a huge crowd is a great occasion for an English side. We are looking forward to it," he said when asked if he feels the series is too early after the two teams faced each other only last month. Cook said Tim Bresnan would lead the bowling attack in the absence of James Anderson. He pointed out Anderson was rested as part of long-term strategy while Stuart Broad was injured. "They are two world-class and very experienced people players but others will stand up. Bresnon is now leader of our attack and he is looking forward to that challenge. Others will step up as well." The England captain feels heat would not be a problem for the team as it knows how to cope with the conditions around the world every time it plays.
CLT20: Royal Challengers enter semis Bangalore: A confident home team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) beat a defiant South Australian Redbacks (SAR) by two wickets in a thriller at the Chinnaswamy stadium here to qualify for semi-final of ICC Champions League Twenty20 (CL20). Chasing an imposing target of 215, RCB's wicketkeeper Arun Kartik hit a mighty six of Daniel Christian's last ball of the 20th over to clinch the exciting tie. Though Redbacks' speedster Shaun Tait tormented the RCB batters taking five wickets in four overs, he could not deny the home team a sensational win in a nail-biting game. Earlier, Redbacks hit a blistering 214 for two wickets. Somerset tame Warriors to enter CLT20 semis Bangalore: English county Somerset entered the semi-
finals of the Champions League Twenty20 with a 12-run win over Warriors of South Africa at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Chasing a modest target of 147, Warriors were restricted to 134 for eight wickets in 20 overs. After a promising start, Warriors failed to accelerate the score past 12 overs when their middle order batsmen and tailenders capitulated to a spirited bowling attack and fine fielding of the English team. Skipper Alfonso Thomas, Murali Kartik and Steven Kirby shared two wickets each, while Adam Dibble and Roelof van der Merwe took one wicket each. With five points from four matches against four points by Warriors in as many matches, Somerset will play in the semi-finals.
Paes-Bhupathi advance in Japan Open In his book ‘Controversially Yours’, Shoaib Akhtar wrote that Sachin Tendulkar was scared of his bowling. Karachi: Though he himself has not been spared by Shoaib Akhtar in his book and interviews, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi supported the tearaway fast bowler's claims that Sachin Tendulkar was scared of his pace, saying he was a witness to the master batsman trembling at the sight of Shoaib. In his book "Controversially Yours", Shoaib wrote that Tendulkar was scared of his bowling, a comment that has caused furor across the border, forcing publishers to cancel all launchrelated and publicity events. Asked about Shoaib's claims, Afridi said: "Shoaib is telling the truth. Tendulkar was afraid of him and I saw Tendulkar's legs trembling
while facing his bowling." However, the all-rounder added that it was not an unusual feature of a batsman. "There are times when every batsman feels the pressure, it happens against Saeed Ajmal even." The former captain, however, was critical of Akhtar's comments that he was responsible for the fast bowler's omission from the World Cup semi-final against India, according to media reports. "Shoaib should remember that I apologized to the chairman and manager on his behalf and got him back into the national squad. While he hasn't lied about other things, he won't be able to look me in the eyes after he's said all that," Afridi said.
New Delhi: India's Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi came through a tough opening round to advance in the men's doubles event of China Open tennis in Beijing Wednesday. However, their compatriot Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistani partner AisamUl-Haq Qureshi made a shock first round exit in the Japan Open men's doubles in Tokyo. Fourth-seeded Paes and Bhupathi were stretched by local wild cards Mao-Xin Gong and Zhe Li before pulling off a 6-2, 36, 10-3 victory. The 'Indian Express' broke serve three times to clinch victory in the match tie-break in 69 minutes. They next play Croats Marin Cilic and Ivan Ljubicic Bhupathi and Paes are next in line to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in November, and will look to add
In his book ‘Controversially Yours’, Shoaib Akhtar wrote that Sachin Tendulkar was scared of his bowling. valuable points by reclaiming the Beijing title which they won in 1997. Top-seeded Bopanna and
Qureshi lost to Brazilians Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares 6-4, 6-3 in 70 minutes at the Japan Open in Tokyo.
Rajasthan Focus TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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October 8-14, 2011
Hindus cross over from Pakistan to get married By Prakash Bhandari/SATimes Jaipur: The weekly Thar Express from Pakistan to Munabao on the Indian side of the border brings in scores of young Hindus who are Pakistan nationals. At Munabao railway station, in Barmer district of Rajasthan, these young boys and girls land with a lot of hope even as the relationship between the two countries remains strained. They come to India with six month visas granted by the Indian embassy in Islamabad. Visa rules were relaxed at the initiative of President Pratibha Patil to allow Hindu travelers to stay longer in India and look for suitable match for their children. The majority of these travelers from Pakistan are backward class people mainly eking out a living as bonded laborers with the big farmers (Wadheras). They are Bhils, Kolis and Meghwals. Besides, many Rajputs living in Sindh and other provinces of Pakistan also come to Rajasthan in search of life partners. “The relaxed visa rules (earlier the stay granted was one month) give enough time to families to to look for suitable matches and perform the wedding also during the period. The initiative taken by President Patil,
The weekly Thar Express from Karachi brings many Hindu families to Rajasthan to get their children marrried. who is married to a Rajput, has greatly helped the Hindu communities in Pakistan,” said Hamir Singh, a former member of the Sindh Assembly and ruler of the Hindu princely state of Umarkot in Sindh. The marriageable young boys and girls usually accompany their parents. They come to India as the choice for a groom or a bride is much wider here as compared to Pakistan where the Hindu population is just a couple of hundred thousand. The Hindus scattered in the vari-
Hindus from Pakistan wait for Indian citizenship By Prakash Bhandari Jaipur: Over 10,000 displaced Hindus from Pakistan who came to Rajasthan as refugees after the two wars in 1965 and 1971 are yet to receive Indian citizenship. They left behind their land and properties in the Sindh province and fled to India fearing persecution. They have settled in various parts of western Rajasthan, becoming a part of the mainstream, but without any nationality. Many of these refugees or oustees who came with their families have died in the past 45 years but their offspring are yet to get Indian nationality. “In 2005, about 11,000 such refugees were granted Indian nationality through a notification of the Indian government in which the district magistrates were allowed to issue citizenship certificates after checking the applicants’ bona fides. But a Rs 5,000-Rs10,000 fees was charged, which the poor and backward applicants could ill afford. These were refugees doing odd jobs as laborers. “But this procedure was later withdrawn and given to a committee. This committee has not met since 2006 and the matter of granting nationality to those who have been staying in India for over five years has not been settled,” said Hindu Singh Sodha, chief of the Seemant Lok Sangathan (SLS), fighting for the cause of the migrant Hindus.
“We have been raising our demands since 1998 and at the initiative of late Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, the then home minister LK Advani held a special camp at Jaisalmer to hear our problems in 1998. When Congress government came in power, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot set up a review committee especially for these oustees in 2001. “The committee recommended that the Union government should accept applications of citizenship from oustees from Pakistan against a simple affidavit . The committee also suggested authorizing District Magistrates to grant nationality,” said Sodha. The BJP government under Vasundhara Raje reiterated the recommendations, adding that the minor children of the oustees should be granted nationality against an application by their parents. The Home Department of Rajasthan also repeatedly appealed to the Centre. Finally, the Union government, through a 2004 notification, gave District Magistrates the necessary powers. But under the 1955 Citizenship Act, a heavy fees was imposed for citizenship applications. However, on strong representations by the Pakistani Visthapit Sangh, the heavy fees was withdrawn. The 11,000 oustees who gained citizenship then live in India now with dignity and rights. The fee structure waiver has since been imposed again, however, putting new applicants under hardship.
ous districts of Sindh province have cultural links with western Rajasthan. The rulers of Umarkot were Hindus. “Umarkot is the only Hindu kingdom in Pakistan ruled by the Sodha rulers for the past 800 years. My father late Rana Chandra Singh was also a minister in Nawaz Sharif’s government and my brother Hamir Singh was a minister in the Sindh province. Umarkot is the place where Emperor Akbar was born. Our family would always look beyond
Pakistan and would come to India for marriages. My father was married in Jaipur to the daughter of a former lawmaker. My brother was married to famous author Rani Laxmi Kumari Chudawat in Ajmer and now my nieces are married in Rajasthan,” said Sangeeta Singh, daughter of the late ruler of Umarkot in Pakistan. “I am also married in Jaipur and my husband is a marketing executive. Hindus from Pakistan come regularly for marriages to India. But when the relations between the two countries get sour, people suffer as visas are difficult to get,” Sangeeta said, adding that all her cousins who are married in Rajasthan quickly got adjusted because of similarity of culture. Dr Jyotsana Shekhawat, who has a doctorate and teaches at Jodhpur University, is married to a medico of Umarkot, Dr Fateh Singh Sodha. “My husband is in India and is waiting to obtain Indian nationality because then he would be able to practice here,” she said. Ganesh Maheshwari, who is married to a medico girl from Pakistan and runs a business in the border town of Barmer, said the educated Hindu boys of Pakistan now look
for a match online. “Many Hindu boys of Pakistan particularly from the business community who are educated and live abroad search their brides online. But first the respective families too have to be satisfied,” said Ganesh. Hindu Singh Sodha has been fighting for the cause of the migrant Hindus from Pakistan. The boys and girls who come and marry in India often wait for 3-4 years to get Indian nationality. But Indians who go and marry in Pakistan take less time in getting Pakistani nationality. After the two Indo-Pak wars in 1965 and 1971, a large number of Hindus facing religious persecution migrated from Pakistan and settled down in various places in Rajasthan. After the 1947 Partition, many the Hindus stayed on in Pakistan where they had all their lands and belongings. Before the 1965 war, their movement across the border was smooth. “Today, a large number of Hindus are trying to migrate to India because of religious persecution in Pakistan,” said Hindu Singh, chief of the Pravasi Pakistani Sharnarthi Sangh, who has himself moved from Pakistan and settled in Jodhpur.
Brouhaha over Pak minister meeting his sect followers in Rajasthan By Prakash Bhandari Jaipur: Pakistan’s commerce minister Makhdoom Mohammed Ameen Fahim is in the eye of a storm. He received an overwhelming response from thousands of people belonging to the Sarwari Jamaat during his visit to Ajmer last Friday. But he is now being accused of holding a meeting of such large number of people without taking the permission of the Ajmer district administration. The BJP has demanded judicial inquiry as to how Ameen Fahim was allowed to address a gathering of people from his community from the border districts of Jaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner. State BJP president Arun Chaturvedi has written to the chief minister Ashok Gehlot seeking a judicial inquiry. “Fahim was a guest of the Rajasthan government, but he met thousands of people. This is a matter of great concern and a threat to the national security. ” Chaturvedi said Fahim had the permission to visit the holy shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer where over 5,000 people met him at the hotel where he stayed for two days. These people belonged to the Sarwari Jamaat and came to Ajmer where the minister who happens to be their spiritual leader was on a visit. Sarwari Jamaat is the largest spiritual group of people in Pakistan, and boasts six million people across the world. Gehlot said how thousands of people
Pakistan’s commerce minister Makhdoom Mohammed Ameen Fahim is also the head of Sarwari Jamaat with six million followers across the world. thronged to meet the minister in Ajmer would be inquired. “It’s for the first time that Dada Sain (Fahim) has visited India and we all have come to meet him and seek his blessings. We wanted him to visit Jaisalmer and Barmer to enable him to meet a large number of people from our Jamaat, but he was not granted the permission to visit the border districts, hence we decided to meet him at Ajmer where he had come to pay his obeisance at the holy shrine,” said Fateh Mohammed from Barmer. Fahim, who is the 18th Sajjada Nasheen of the Makhdoom of Hala, traces his lineage to the first Caliph, Hazrat Abu Bakar Qureshi. His father Makhdoom Talibul Maula was also active in politics and played a
key role in spreading Sindhi culture. His followers from Punjab and Gujarat also came to meet him at Ajmer. Slogans of Fahim Saheb Zindabad was raised at the Hotel Mewara Palace where a huge crowd had gathered, making it hard for the local police to maintain law and order. The last Makhdoom who visited Rajasthan was 60 years ago and the large turnout of the community showed the popularity and respect that the Jamaat head enjoys. In his address, Ameen Fahim asked the people of his Jamaat to educate their children. He also told them to love India, the country they live in, and live peacefully and harmony with others. He never made any objectionable remarks against anybody.
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Mahatma Gandhi
October 8-14, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Gandhi as a journalist He was a peerless communicator, wrote VN Narayanan, former editor of Hindustan Times ahatma Gandhi was the most effective mass medium of the 20th century. His journalism belonged to an era when there was neither radio nor television. Such was the power of his 'soul communication' that whatever he said and wrote reached the farthest corners of this country within days and to the entire world thereon. Gandhi, in a journalistic career spanning nearly four decades, edited six journals. None, including Harijan and Navajivan, could boast a circulation of more than a few thousand copies. But such was Gandhi's grasp of the basics of mass communication that he ensured that his daily "outpourings of heart and soul" reached all. If one were to ask the question as to who came first - Gandhi-the-freedom-fighter or Gandhi-the-media-crusader - the truth would be that Gandhi-the-journalist predated Gandhi the freedom fighter by at least 20 years. In less than a few months' stay in South Africa, Gandhi realized the need to become a journalist to fight for the rights of the Indian community. And he brought the highest qualities the profession could boast of-courage in the face of adversity,
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unswerving adherence to truth, pursuit of public causes, and objectivity in presentation. His letters to the editors of South African dailies are a lesson to all journalists on how to fight injustice in a country where the laws are loaded against one section of the people, without giving offence to the rulers themselves. A telling example of this trait was his letter dated October 25, 1894 to the Times of Natal, which carried a contemptuously worded editorial titled, 'Rammysammy'. Gandhi wrote: "You would not allow the Indian or the native the precious privilege (of voting) under any circumstances, because they have a dark skin. You would look the exterior only. So long as the skin is white it would not matter to you whether it conceals beneath it poison or nectar. To you the lip-prayer of the Pharisee, because he is one, is more acceptable than the sincere repentance of the publican, and this, I presume, you would call Christianity ." Gandhi adds: "You may; it is not Christ's. Sir, may I venture to offer a suggestion? Will you re-read your New Testament? Will you ponder over your attitude towards the coloured population of the Colony?
Will you then say you can reconcile it with the Bible teachings or the best British traditions? If you have washed your hands clean of both Christ and the British tradition, I can have nothing to say; I gladly withdraw what I have written. Only, it will then be a sad day for British and for India if you have many followers." After 10 years of relentless crusade, Gandhi realized that the twin tasks of mobilizing public opinion and influencing official decisions required a regular newspaper. Thus was born Indian Opinion in June 1903. He was clear about the nature and content of his newspaper. It would not carry any advertisements nor try to make money. Instead, he sought subscribers who would give donations. It was while writing in Indian Opinion that Gandhi stumbled on the concept of satyagraha. Writing on satyagraha in South Africa, he said: "Indian Opinion was certainly a most useful and potent weapon in our struggle." The journal was to Gandhi "a mirror of his own life". In My Experiments with Truth, he wrote: "Week after week I poured out my soul in its columns and expounded the principles and practice of satyagraha as I understood it. I cannot recall a word in these articles set down without thought or deliberation or a word of conscious exaggeration, or anything merely to please. Indeed, the journal became for me a training in self-restraint and for friends a medium through which to keep in touch with my thoughts." Indian Opinion lasted for 11 years. It more or less forced the South African provincial regimes to modify their repressive laws against Indians. One day Gandhi got a call from Bihar where the Indigo farmers of Champaran were subjected to the same kind of indignity and exploitation as the indentured labourers in South Africa. He promptly went there and investigated the issues, and produced a report that would be the envy of the greatest investigative journalist anywhere in the world. After Champaran it was only a matter of time before the Mahatma took to journalism as his most potent weapon of satyagraha. As coincidence would have it, Gandhi was persuaded to take over the editorship of Young India. Simultaneously, he started to edit and write in Navajivan, then a Gujarati monthly. Gandhi's writings in it were translated and published in all the Indian language newspapers. Later Navajivan was published in Hindi, as Gandhi was convinced that Hindi would be the national language of free India. The Mahatma's crusade for the repeal of the Press Act of 1910 was a unique piece of journalism. He was telling the rulers that it was in the best interests of the government to repeal the law. Issue after issue of Young India and Navajivan carried samples of the Mahatma's journalistic genius which blended seemingly earnest appeals to the
government to do what was "just and righteous". In South Africa his writings often made the white racists look ridiculous: "The white barber refused to cut my black hair", extending color prejudice to not only nonChristian skin but non-Christian hair as well. In March 1922, Gandhi was charged with spreading disaffection by writing seditious articles in Young India. In his own inimitable manner Gandhi said: "I hold it to be a virtue to be disaffected towards a government, which in its totality has done more harm to India than any previous system. India is less manly under the British rule than she ever was before. Holding such a belief, I consider it to be a sin to have affection for the system." The burden of leading a nation freedom and the contingency of having to face trials followed by jail terms, did not stem the flow of writings from Gandhi's pen. There was not a day when he was not writing on some issue or the other in Young India and Navajivan. To these he added Harijan, Harijan Sevak, and Harijan Bandu, which became the Mahatma's potent media for carrying his message to the weakest sections of India. Young India and Navajivan folded up in January 1932 when Gandhi was imprisoned for a long spell. Between 1933 and 1940, Harijan (English), Harijan Bandu (Gujarati) and Harijan Sevak (Hindi) became the Mahatma's voice to the people of India. These newspapers found the Mahatma concentrating on social and economic problems. Caste disparities and such instruments of social deprivation as untouchability and ostracization were the targets of the Mahatma's crusade. Gandhi's assessment of the newspapers of the day was not complimentary. He found them commercial, afraid of the government and not truthful in reporting. His last word on the Indian newspapers came at a prayer meeting in Delhi on June 19, 1946. He said: "If I were appointed dictator for a day in the place of the Viceroy, I would stop all newspapers." He paused and added with a mischievous wink: "With the exception of Harijan, of course." (Courtesy: Life Positive)
Festival TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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October 8-14, 2011
Dussehra: the auspicious nature of the festival By Tania Gupta n India, as in the rest of the world, the belief that good eventually triumphs over evil has prevailed for ages now. One of the biggest symbols of this belief is the Hindu festival of Dussehra. The festival of Dussehra, often referred to as Vijay Dashmi, is celebrated on the day the Navratra festival ends, which is known as Dashmi. This year Dussehra fell on October 6. Since, we are talking about the festival representing the eventual triumph of good, it is also remarkable that another major Indian festival, Durga Puja, is also celebrated on the very same day. The festival also represents a change in the seasons in India. It is treated as an indicator for the arrival of winter as the rainy season is about to end. As the day marks a new beginning in terms of season change, it is considered auspicious for starting a business venture or setting out on a journey. Dussehra: One of the most auspicious muhurats Dussehra falls among three of the most auspicious dates according to the Indian astrological beliefs, others being Karthik Shukla and Chaitra Shukla. As per Indian astrology, on this day the planets are said to be in a perfect alignment--a time when human beings are closest to good fortune. You are advised to buy precious metals like gold and silver as well as a new vehicle on this auspicious day. It is one of the rarest occasions during the year when the Muhurat time is applicable for the duration of an entire day; therefore any task can be started and carried out at any time during the day. Also, the day is considered best for worshipping the vehicles and praying for their safety as well as for that of the ones traveling in
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Dussehra symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. It is a reminder that we should eradicate the evil lurking inside us and treat everyone equally irrespective of their religion, caste or creed. these vehicles. Weapons passed on by ancestors are also to be worshipped on this day. This is done to get the almighty’s blessings to keep the evil at bay through valor and bravery. Perfect time for attainment of motive The auspiciousness of the day makes it the perfect time for the attainment of motive in one’s life. Students are advised to prepare for their competitive exam on this day. This is because it is believed that during this Muhurat, the human mind and soul can easily gain focus on the various important things in life as well as beyond. This is the prime reason that the day is considered to be perfect for meditation as it is considered to be the perfect time to connect with the divine. Many sages have utilized this day and Muhurat to gain enlightenment, connecting to the divine The day to worship trees Dussehra is also considered the
day when the trees are worshipped, especially the Shami tree. This is an age-old custom. Worshipping this tree is said to bring a lot of good. The mythological story behind this custom goes back to the days of Mahabharata. It is believed that during their secret exile, the Pandavas hid their weapons in the Shami tree on this very day, which when retrieved helped them to achieve their motive. This further establishes the day’s role as a representation of the triumph of good over evil. Remedies to be performed on the day of Dussehra Performing some actions and rituals on the day of Dussehra takes care of a lot of problems and helps to avoid some major misfortunes. These remedies or solutions have long been followed by people on this festive occasion to ward off evil from their lives. Here is a look at the various remedies to be performed on this auspicious day.
To avoid accidental death a. Take 12 dips in the holy water of the Ganges River by standing with your face towards the South, in early morning. b. Put a handful of Black Til in the water bowl (Lota) c. Make an offering to the Sun. d. Do a Shiva Abhisheka and make an offering of perfume (Itra), Sandalwood (Chandan), holy thread (Roli), holy ash (bhasma) and clothes. e. Do an aarti using dhoop, deep and Naivaidya. f. Do a jaap (recitation) of the Om, Triyambakam Yajamahe Akalmrityu Hrinaye Namah. g. Plant a Bel tree This will help to avoid an accidental death. For prosperity in business a. In early Morning, take 16 dips in the Ganges river. While taking the dips face the western direc-
tion. b. Make an offering to Sun by pouring yellow mustard (Haldi) and saffron (Kesar) in a water bowl (lota). c. Worship a photograph of Ganga, Goddess Lashmi and Lord Ganesha. d. Bathe the Lakshmi and Ganesha idols in Panchamrit. e. Also bathe the Ganesha and Laxmi idols in Jas. f. Make an offering of itra (perfume) clothes, holy thread (Janeu), Kumkum, Henna (Mehandi) and Durva. g. Do an aarti with dhoop, deep (oil lamps) and Naivaidya. h. Recite Laxmi Stuti or Ganesh stotra. i. Do a single recitation of the Mantra, Om Makar Vahinye Laxmi Sah Bhagignye Gangaye Namah. j. Offer 16 hands full of rice and barley with your right hand to the brahmins. Also donate an umbrella each to these 16 brahmins. k. Plant a pomegranate tree in the garden. Doing these things will help you to overcome any difficulties in your business. It will ensure that all your unfulfilled desires will be taken care of. The completion of these rituals is also said to bring prosperity to your business. Astrologically, the festival of Dussehra is a very auspicious occasion; however, it is also a very important day for the entire human race. It is a reminder that we should eradicate the evil lurking inside us and bring out the real human being, treating everyone equally and trying to see God in all fellow human beings, irrespective of their religion, caste or creed. Wishing you all a very happy Dussehra--stay safe and blessed, enjoying it to the fullest. The author is a Delhi-based astrologer who can be contacted at www.horoscopenzodiac.com or through astrotaniagupta@gmail.com
First in decades: Bengal ministers plunge into pujas Kolkata: For the first time in three-and-ahalf decades, West Bengal's ministers have openly joined in organizing Durga Puja celebrations, shedding the political diffidence of the previous leftist government, some of whose members were avowed atheists. Puja organizing committees are witnessing the ministerial presence in a big way, with many legislators of the ruling Trinamool Congress giving them company. The leaders say their association spreads a message of religious harmony. Sports Minister Madan Mitra, who organizes the Agradut and Uday Sangha Puja at Bhowanipore, said the festival was more of
a social and cultural event than a religious one. Mitra through his Puja hopes to convey the importance of agriculture and villages with the theme titled 'Maa Maati Manush', a pet slogan of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Public Health Engineering Minister Subrata Mukherjee, the guiding force of South Kolkata's Ekdalia Evergreen Puja, said: "I have been attached with this puja since my childhood and being a minister does not make any difference. When it comes to the committee I am just an ordinary member." It has a budget of Rs.40 lakh. "It would
also be wrong to say that my association goes against secularism. I am equally active when it comes to celebrating Eid or Christmas. Moreover, Durga Puja is no more confined to Hindus." South Kolkata's Chetla Agrani Club, which is endorsing communal harmony with its marquee shaped as a mosque and a temple, has Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim as president. Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee is the patron of South Kolkata's Naktala Udayan Sangha Puja, which has seemingly left many of its rivals behind in terms of grandeur.
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Ultimate Bollywood
October 8-14, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
‘Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster’ is gripping orrowing liberally from the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth, Tigmanshu Dhulia's Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster owes more to Vishal Bhardwaj's ‘Maqbool’ than Guru Dutt's ‘Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam’. It tries to be both, balancing its personal homage spirit with a gripping tale of intricate politics, love and betrayal set against a decadent royalty that's rapidly losing touch with the realities of modern-day existence. It's fascinating to see how Dhulia doesn't succumb to the idea of doing this as an expose film on the hypocrisy that breeds within royal mansions; neither does he develop the crime angle, a move that partially subverts this film's obvious direction towards the crime genre. Instead, he plays it straight with
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Actor Mahie Gill in a still from the movie. single-minded focus on the development of his characters and the impact they would have on the plot. Dhulia lacks the stylistic qualities of Bhardwaj and Anurag
Kashyap, both directors from small-town India like him. On the surface, you may be tempted to ally Dhulia's themes with those of Kashyap and Bhardwaj's but the director of films like Haasil and
Charas truly belongs to the line of filmmaking that someone like Sudhir Mishra represents. That's why when you see a ruthlessly ambitious Babloo (Randeep Hooda) rising through the ranks, you know the real influence for this character is Shiney Ahuja's Vikram in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and not Irrfan Khan's Miyan Maqbool in Maqbool. His saheb (Jimmy Shergill) begs with his step-mother for whatever little scrap he could partake. Those in the inner circles know that the glorified story of these opulent mansions where milk and honey flows is untrue. Saheb wishes to enter politics because it would help him retain his respect and save him from abject penury. His feisty wife (Mahie Gill as Chhoti Rani) is neg-
lected but she is in no way the coy and faithful Chhoti Bahu from Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam. Dhulia shapes the character of Babloo (Hooda) as an outsider, who is scorned by his lover for being too "cheap." He suffers the same fate at the hands of Chhoti Rani. Betrayed by Chhoti Rani, he loses self-respect, power, money and a small chance at true love (Saheb at one point suggests he marry Deepal Shaw, daughter of his trusted aide). Dhulia is certainly an under-rated director who seeks inspiration from small-town India and its crime and political scene. If he is to emerge as a key figure in this movement led by Bhardwaj, Kashyap and others, he must make more films like Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster. Better films, one may say.
Ranbir aspires to 'Force' lands a solid punch overthrow the Khans he happy-go-lucky actor Ranbir Kapoor is one who is actually quite serious: he is serious about his business, acting! The guy who calls a spade a spade is more than happy to claim that he is indeed single. He doesn't shy away from his ambitious plans either! Ranbir said in an interview recently that he was indeed ambitious and career-oriented. "I am ambitious. I want to be known as a good actor; I believe I'm a good actor; Why would I not want to be No.1? Of course, I The Kapoor guy has all his energies focussed on Rockstar as it hits the want to be No.1!" theatres on November 11. He adds, "Salman, Aamir, Shah Rukh have been around for so from them. So the actors of my long, and are still ruling the roost. generation and myself have to pull They are our source of inspiration. up our socks and try to be where We have enough and more to learn they are."
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orce has to be one of the worst marketed films of the year. Promos, including a mushy song, one a horribly pasteurized Arabiclyrics-driven music video, a shot of two brawny men going at each other, and the poster of a tattooed, gun-bearing John Abraham, don’t do any justice to the film. Force is much more than that. Director Nishikant Kamat, who carries the baggage of having to deliver in a commercial set-up after two hard-hitting films -- Dombivali Fast (in Marathi) and Mumbai Meri Jaan -- takes up the challenge with gusto, and comes out a winner. Another in a string of remakes lately -- Singham, Ready, Bodyguard -- Kamat’s distinct touch makes Force somehow stand out in the crowd. The mood remains grim almost throughout the film, the tension on the surface, and the screenplay moves rapidly. The second half is watertight, and the drama is complemented by some raw action, made effective not just due to great choreography (Allan Amin), but the inherent intensity. Deft cinematography by Ayananka Bose helps.
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Veena Malik makes her Bollywood debut eena Malik has just made her Bollywood debut. She will sizzle in an item number. The 27year-old Pakistani actor, who shot to fame with reality TV show Bigg Boss, will be seen in the song ‘Main To Teri Fan Ho Gayi’, in Riteish Deshmukh- Genelia D’Souza starrer ‘Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya’. “Honestly, I had a few offers for item numbers. But I wanted to pick the best one. This song is extremely spicy, so it goes perfectly with my personality ... at least I feel that way. When Kumarji (producer
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Kumar Taurani) made me hear the song, I said yes instantly. I hope it’s the right decision,” says Malik. She hopes that her home industry takes a cue from Bollywood and opens doors for better opportunities. “There’s no concept of item numbers in Pakistan. And, there’re hardly any films being made there at the moment. Hope that changes soon,” she says. The 27-year-old Pakistani actor shot to fame in India with reality TV show Bigg Boss.
What makes the film really tick is the director’s refreshing treatment of a formulaic action drama. It’s the clichés that trouble. The romance between Yash and Maya (Genelia), an NGO worker smitten by the khadoos narcotics officer, is inconsistent, and you wonder how the two keep bumping into each other at malls all the time. The music video you saw in the promos is still as pissing off, and sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise taut film.
Rajnikanth supports SRK's Ra.one othing is impossible for the Bollywood badshah. He is a demigod of Indian cinema with millions of fans. However, what makes him stand out is his never-say-die attitude. Even after all the controversies surrounding his future release 'Ra.One', including one which said his film resembled 'Endhiran', the actor was unfazed. Instead of criticizing his detractors, he chose to show it with his action. Even when Kollywood is still waiting to see superstar Rajinikanth back on the screens, Shah Rukh Khan has managed to convince the star for a cameo in his film. King Khan had earlier said that 'his movie was a tribute to Rajini sir'.
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Shah Rukh Khan has managed to convince superstar Rajinikanth for a cameo in his much-awaited film Ra.One.
Ultimate Bollywood TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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October 8-14, 2011
One 'beast', 13 beauties in Bigg Boss 5 t's almost a Bachna ae haseeno moment in the Bigg Boss house this season. Thirteen beauties from different walks of life entered the fifth edition of the controversial reality show, with Bollywood villain Shakti Kapoor in tow on the night of October 2. What will add "double dhamaal" is hero Salman Khan and "khalnayak" Sanjay Dutt's chemistry as the hosts. The participants include - model Shraddha Sharma, who grabbed headlines for her relationship with former Bigg Boss contestant Raja Chaudhary; former Miss Afghanistan Vida Samadzai, who was banned in the country for wearing a bikini; Nihita Biswas, wife of "Bikini Killer" Charles Sobhraj and actress-singer Raageshwari, who has bounced back to arc lights after battling serious health problems. Other contestants include Pooja Missra, Pooja Bedi, Juhi Parmar, model-actress and winner of Miss India International 2003
Shonali Nagrani, popular host Mandeep Bevli, and Rajasthani folk dancer Gulabo Sapera. If last year The Great Khali added muscle power to the show, this year, woman wrestler Sonika Kaliraman will be seen throwing her weight around. This is her second reality show after Khatron Ke Khiladi, and she is now six months pregnant. The previous seasons saw a healthy balance between male and female participants. But this season, it's different. There's plenty of bird watching opportunity for the men, but for the female viewers, there's no eye candy. The only male - Shakti Kapoor, is over 50. In 2005, he was stuck in controversy after a news channel aired tapes shot with hidden camera showing the actor seeking sexual favors from a journalist disguised as a Bollywood aspirant.
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With two star hosts - Salman and Sanjay -the show will hopefully live up to its promise of being “bigger, bolder and louder”.
Katrina may star in Ali Zafar’s next music video Katrina, along with a video recording on my phone, but I won't pressurize her. If she wants, I'll compose a song for her and we'll record it next time we're in Mumbai, probably in November for the MBKD success bash" For Katrina Kaif, the
For Katrina Kaif, singer/actor Ali Zafar is willing to experiment with the song that promises to show fans a new side of her. ollywood's lucky mascot Katrina Kaif may soon star in musician/actor Ali Zafar's music video, thanks to a bet that took place on the sets of their last film ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’. The story goes that Katrina had promised
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co-star Ali that she'd star in his next music video if the film made a box office milestone...that day isn't too far considering that ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’ has crossed the 50 crore mark Says Ali "I have a written consent from
Karisma in Satte Pe Satta remake anjay Dutt, whose first production Rascals is due for release next week, is all set to go on floor with his second production which is the remake of 1982's Satte Pe Satta, in December. Satte Pe Satta will be directed by Soham Shah, who has earlier made Kaal and Luck. Sanjay Dutt will be seen playing the dual roles of Ravi and Babu which were played by Amitabh Bachchan in the original and Karisma Kapoor, who is making her Bollywood comeback with Vikram Bhatt's project Dangerous Ishq, will be cast opposite him. Kajol was the original choice for the role played by Hema Malini in the original but since she just delivered a baby, Sanjay didn't want to pressurize her to return to the studio. Sanjay then approached his Lagey Raho Munnabhai co-star Vidya Balan for the role but she was busy with her other assignments.
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Karisma Kapoor will be cast opposite Sanjay Dutt in the movie.
singer/actor is willing to experiment with the song that promises to show fans a new side of her. "She's a delicate soul. If she appears in my video, you'll see a side to Katrina you've never seen before" adds Ali.
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Humor
October 8-14, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Humor with Melvin Durai
The challenge of being a stay-at-home dad or the last nine years or so, I’ve been a stay-at-home dad, but I prefer to call myself a write-at-home dad. That’s because I spend a lot of time writing. I mostly write emails to my wife with questions such as: “Why isn’t the baby drinking from the bottle? Doesn’t she like Coke?” and “Is it okay if the baby watches Law & Order with me? She seems to like it.” Actually, I don’t ask many questions these days. That’s partly because my three kids aren’t babies anymore -– the youngest is 5 –- and partly because I’ve become an expert at being a stay-at-home dad. If this were a real job, I would have been promoted by now. I’d be the Director of Domestic Affairs or the CEO of Home Management. Being an expert at this job does not mean doing everything well. It means making a list of everything that needs to be done and figuring out a way to get the kids to do it. My youngest child, Rahul, often helps me load the washing machine. My oldest child, Lekha, often helps me sort the socks and underwear. My middle child, Divya, doesn’t help much but at least she doesn’t leave her dirty clothes lying around on the floor like a few other mem-
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bers of this household, who apparently believe that Dad has nothing better to do than pick up after them. I do have something better to do: watch Law & Order. Yes, being a stay-at-home dad isn’t easy, even when you’re an expert. There’s so much to do at home -- cooking, washing, sweeping –- and it’s hard to get it all done during the commercial breaks. I don’t know how the stay-at-home moms do it –- I just don’t. Thankfully, I don’t do most of the cooking –- my wife does. It’s her main responsibility when she returns from work, aside from spending time with the kids and asking me why the house is such a mess. Most of the cleaning falls on my shoulders –- and then I flick it onto the kids’ shoulders. At least I try to. When I turn on the vacuum cleaner, my son gets excited and I can usually con him into doing some
of the vacuuming. He loves to watch things get sucked up. This arrangement has worked rather well, especially since my wife hasn’t counted our children recently. The biggest challenge for a stayat-home dad, I’ve come to realize, is dealing with society’s expectations. Dads are not supposed to stay at home. We’re supposed to go out and make money. And if we can’t make money, we’re supposed to go out anyway –- go out and play golf, go out and watch a movie, go out and do yoga under a tree. A woman can call herself a housewife and no one will bat an eyelid. But you should see the looks I get when I call myself a houseband. “Stay-at-home dad” is more acceptable, of course, but even then, the first question you’ll get is “Are you looking for a job?” Trust me, I know. I’ve heard that question hundreds of times –and not always from my mother. It’s going to take another century, perhaps, for society to completely embrace the idea of a father staying at home, looking after his kids. After all, the custom of fathers working outside the home goes back thousands of years. Just imagine a caveman saying to his wife: “You go kill mammoth. I stay in cave, look after
baby.” What do you think would have happened to him? Yes, he would have received a threat: “You no kill mammoth, you no get my mud pudding tonight.” Caveman: “Me no need your nasty pudding.” Wife: “You no kill mammoth, you no get my fire-roasted worms
tonight.” Caveman: “Me no need your nasty worms.” Wife: “You no kill mammoth, you no pudding your little worm anywhere near me tonight.” Caveman (grabs spear): “How many mammoths you want me kill? One or two?”
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
IBM to make parking ‘smarter’ San Francisco: US technology stalwart IBM and Internet startup Streetline on Wednesday will begin courting cities with a system designed to take the pain out of parking. "Smarter Parking," which has been touted as a way for cities to reduce driving hassles while optimizing parking revenue, combines IBM's data analytics capabilities and Streetline's innovations in parking sensors and software. Power-stingy Streetline sensors placed at parking spaces detect whether vehicles are present and then relay the information in real time to city networks
and to free "apps" available for Android or Apple smartphones. City traffic handlers can use the data to track trends or set parking rates, while drivers can steer to available spaces. "Parking is one of those universal challenges that most people around the globe can relate to," said Streetline chief executive Zia Yusuf. "Cities now have a turn-key Smarter Parking solution that can produce tangible results and happier citizens." An IBM survey of 20 cities, including Beijing, Paris, and Los Angeles, confirmed what many drivers have long believed -- that parking is a pain.
Avoid taking your laptop with sensitive info to China: Experts Washington, DC: Going on a business trip to China? Take your passport and visiting cards but not your laptop loaded with sensitive corporate information as the sophisticated Chinese electronic surveillance systems may access them in a giffy, experts say. China's booming market beckons to American businesses as the Communist giant is the United States' second-largest trading partner. However, many are increasingly concerned about working in China amid electronic surveillance that is sophisticated and pervasive, the Washington Post reported. China's brazen use of cyber-espionage stands out because the focus is
often corporate, part of a broader government strategy to help develop the country's economy, the report quoted experts who advise American businesses and government agencies as saying. "I've been told that if you use an iPhone or BlackBerry, everything on it -- contacts, calendar, e-mails -- can be downloaded in a second," said Kenneth Lieberthal, a former senior White House official for Asia who is at the Brookings Institution. But Chinese officials say cyberspying is a problem in much of the world. "It's advisable for all international travelers to take due precautions with their computers and cellphones," Chinese embassy
spokesman Wang Baodong said. "China is not less insecure than other countries," Wang said. Travelers to China often tote disposable cellphones and loaner laptops stripped of sensitive data. Some US officials take no electronic gear. Other travelers hide files on thumb drives, which they carry at all times and use only on off-line computers, the report said. "It's real easy for them [the Chinese] to read everything that goes in and out of the country because the government owns all the networks," said Jody Westby, chief executive of Global Cyber Risk, a consulting firm. "The real problem here is economic espionage," she said.
Astrology TheSouthAsianTimes.info
October 8-14, 2011
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma Stars Foretell: October 8-14, 2011 Aries: This week advancement is certainly yours, if you put your energy to positive use. You would be in the limelight during social get-togethers that you attend. Your attitude at work would open new avenues for you and the hard work that you do would not go unnoticed. Home improvement projects that you undertake would run smoothly. Include family members and friends in your plans. Taurus: This week you are advised to concentrate on your professional endeavors. Family responsibilities would mount, bringing some tensions on your mind. Trips that you undertake would be fruitful and the communication that you have with your partner would be helpful in clearing misunderstandings if any. Children would bring you enough reasons to be happy. Blessings from spiritual person bring solace and mental peace. Gemini: This week is especially beneficial for artistic and educational pursuits. Unexpected gains are foreseen. Your practical approach to life would win you appreciation from people who would be watching you. Good week, which would fill your life with happiness, best wishes and gifts. A distant trip or a visit to a religious place will be on the cards for some of you. Cancer: This week pressure builds up from all sides and severe differences would crop with partner, leaving you in a confused state and unable to take decisions. Talking would be the best method to resolve conflicting issues. Don’t waste your time waiting for favors and things to happen by themselves. Plan out things very wisely to reap rewards on work front but do not do this at the cost of ignoring your family and health. Leo: Your business and career-related problems, which have been going on, are likely to get sorted out. New assignments or ventures are likely to take place. Efforts put in during this period would bring excellent results. Being extra generous with children would only lead to trouble. Avoid overeating and visit a health club regularly to stay fit. Foreign transaction/trips made during this period would bring handsome monetary benefits. Virgo: Challenging, but very fruitful period. Your work would get recognized and rewarded. Trips, outstation travel or shopping would be exciting. Your ability to be practical in business would help. Financial gains from unexpected sources for some. Spend some extra time with your family members. Good week to revive contacts with acquaintances that you have nearly forgotten. You should focus on your goals and making money. Libra: This week important meetings would take up most of your time. Listen to others before you give your opinion. Domestic matter would require attention otherwise your family members are likely to create a mountain out of a molehill. Avoid confrontation and arguments as much as possible as it
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would do no good. Go out with close friends who understand your situation and your needs. Minor infection and cold could upset you. Scorpio: Favourable period for professionals as well as businessmen. Financial investments would be lucrative as long as you make them on your own. Property investment made during this period would be solid and grow in value. Your willingness to help others would leave you tired and exhausted, but would enhance your reputation. Going out with friends towards the weekend will be in your own interest. Sagittarius: This is the time for allurement. Hasty decisions in making investments can perturb the smooth pace of life. Be careful with whom you do business, and don’t get involved with dubious individuals. You would spend lavishly on luxuries and other comforts. Do not be erratic in your behaviour, especially with family members; otherwise it will ruin the peaceful atmosphere at home. A trip or small journey would bring positive results. Capricorn: This is not the week to dominate others or ignore the opinions of seniors. Financial confusion is likely. Refrain yourself from overspending on unnecessary items. Travelling would help improve business contacts. This period would see you come up with great imaginative ideas, which would interest others. Some changes are in store for you in the next few days, and eventually gains are certain. Aquarius: If you are not travelling this week then make sure you sign up for courses that are stimulating and satisfy your craving for knowledge. Concentrate on new projects, as these are favourable days. Fresh obstacles would stand in your way but you should work quietly behind the scenes and seek help from people who are experienced and willing to help you. Children demands would add pressure to your mind. Pisces: This week added responsibilities would be burdensome. You would have to try to get other relatives and friends to pitch in and help. Avoid getting trapped in disputes that do not concern you in any manner. Be discreet in your approach and don’t present your ideas until you are certain they’re foolproof. Put your extra cash into personal investment such as real estate or art objects.
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 08: Influenced by number 8 and the planet Saturn, you are practical, disciplined, systematic, original, and authoritative person. You are of very charitable nature and you like to spend your money and time for noble cause, but you need to control your tendency to behave pessimist, adamant and nervous at times. This year new sources of income would generate for you. You are likely to be unsatisfied with your present employer and would prefer to go for a change of job. Chances for a new job would brighten around the month of May. Your new job, although very different from your present one, would give you job satisfaction and a better growth prospective. Family members would be supportive but at the same time your opinions and actions might be faced with strong resistance and criticism, leading to arguments and confrontations. Your spouse would be your major support and the two of you would enjoy many exciting social events together. Fresh investment needs to be made with extreme care. The months of August, September, October and May would be result oriented. October 09: Ruled by number 9 and the planet Mars, you are active, aggressive, dashing and enthusiastic and trustworthy person. You are fond of reading and acquiring new skills and techniques, which you ultimately use to your benefit. You possess a charming and charismatic personality, but you loose many great opportunities due to your erratic and impatient behaviour. You could be very dissatisfied with your employer, but do not leave your present job till you have another one in hand. You need to remain very conservative, especially this year and try to save as much as possible. This year your romantic relationship would suffer because of your preoccupation with other important work. Although you would spend little time with each other, but your understanding would strengthen and you would appreciate each other’s concerns. Frequent travel would be undertaken by most of you, which would bring desired results. Good period for investment in real estate and selected stocks. The months of July, October and February would be highly eventful. October 10: Ruled by number 1 and the Sun. You are independent, confident, intelligent and highly enthusiastic person. You have a knack for negotiating things to your advantage. People in your group consider you an asset, but you need to check your tendencies to behave, moody, extravagant and reckless at times. This year you would be opposing many of your employer’s policies and methods. It would be extremely difficult for you to keep your thoughts to yourself, which would create problems for you at times. You need to behave in a very tactful manner to avoid arguments and confrontations. Your earnings would increase but you need to control your spending. You and your beloved would reach a new level of understanding. You would also accomplish a lot together which would bring happiness and peaceful atmosphere at home. Health of someone close in the family would be a matter of serious concern. The months of September, December, October and May would be productive. October 11: Ruled by number 2 and the Moon, you are imaginative, warm-hearted, friendly and hard working person. You are of very fond of arts and artistic things and your talents usually bring you lot of appreciation and rewards, but you lose out the good opportunities because of your introvert and arrogant behavior at times. Businessmen would get new opportunities but they need to be extremely judicious while lending credit. New job opportunities for professionals would bring higher earnings and better working environment. Religious ceremonies and functions would be performed quite frequently. A sudden influence of a person from the opposite sex will
give a new and interesting twist to your life. Do not share your business secrets with your colleagues or casual friends. Avoid lending and borrowing money. The months of August, September, January and April will prove to be highly significant. October 12: Ruled by number 3, and the planet Jupiter, you are ambitious, dignified, philosophical, methodical and systematic person. You are very devoted to the one you love and you go out of your way to please and keep the person happy. You are smart and talented, but you need to check your tendency to behave jealous, extravagant and moody at times. Bad phase of your career seems to be getting over, but you are advised to take every step with extreme precaution. Some of you could also consider a change in job, later in the year. Financially this seems to be a very rewarding period and most of your investments would multiply and yield good profits. Romantic relationship would strengthen and matrimonial alliances for some lovebirds seem certain towards the yearend. Businessmen would benefit from new contacts. Garment, hardware, provisions traders and suppliers would prosper. The months of October, November October and June will prove highly significant. October 13: Influenced by number 4 and the planet Uranus, you are energetic, creative, trustworthy, systematic, reliable and studious person. In school or at work, you always hold position of immense importance and responsibility, but you need to control your tendency to behave moody, stubborn and jealous at times You would immensely enjoy the work you do this year, but your busy schedule would leave you with very less time for social activities. You would also plan new projects to increase your income, but it would not be possible to implement your plans without the support of others. You would develop new and trustworthy friendships that would provide financial and moral support at times of need. The latter half of the year could bring in opportunities for some of you to travel overseas for business or pleasure. Some good news can be expected from friend’s circle towards the last quarter of the year. The months of August, December and April would prove to be highly significant. October 14: Ruled by number 5 and the planet Mercury, you are active, energetic, honest, systematic and highly courageous person. You are true sportsman and you play every game in the right spirit. You have excellent leadership qualities, but you need to curb your tendency to behave vindictive, jealous and reckless at times. This year you would develop very strong opinions on how important work should be completed. Some of your supporters however would not agree to your methods of doing things. You should put your thoughts in front of them in a positive manner to win their confidence. You would also increase your income through work, which you would complete at home. New romance could develop for some during this period. Relationship with your spouse would be healthy and highly cordial. Some tension and anxiety due to health of your parents may mar the peace at home. Your brother or sister would be very helpful in finishing your pending tasks. The months of July, October, January and May would be significant.
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30
Spiritual Awareness
October 8-14, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Achieve unity through spirituality This article has been selected and reprinted from Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj’s book, Spiritual Pearls for Enlightened Living (Radiance Publishers), an inspirational collection of stories from the world’s great wisdom traditions.
By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj hat kind of joy did the thief hWe all know about Isaac Newton and that many scientific developments are based on his insight. Once, when someone talked to him about his knowledge, which was helping many people all over the globe, he said that his knowledge was just like a pebble on the shore of an ocean. Whatever heights we might attain in the physical, mental, or emotional arena, we have no real knowledge of the truth, and unless we are enlightened spiritually, there will be no unity between humans in the true sense. What we first need to understand is that we, ourselves, are love. We are love because we are each a part of God, who is an ocean of all love.
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The second thing that we need is to accept that love in others. They might look different from us, belong to different faiths or speak different languages, but if we would learn the language of love then we would be able to communicate with others. If we love someone, we will care for them. We will never do anything to hurt them. So when we truly, truly love anyone, then we will take care of them, share in their problems, and make sure that the quality of their life is better. As we help each other, unity will definitely be a part of our existence. As we look at our life, how do we really live? Most of us spend time during the day in pursuit of this materialistic world. We search for happiness, we search for truth, and we search to have unity, but the object of our search is on the outside. As long as the object of our search remains on the outside, we will never find eternal truth and unity, because everything of this world is perishable. The only thing that is permanent is the divine treasures, God the Creator, and what has been called the Holy Word, Naam, Shabd, Kalma, Jyoti and Sruti, Sonorous Light, Celestial Music, or Harmony of all harmonies. These are different names given in different languages to talk about the creative force that emanated from the Lord and created regions after regions of existence. When humans set foot on the
moon and looked at the earth, it seemed like a small, insignificant speck in the universe. As science has developed, we know there are many, many other galaxies in the physical region. Likewise, the great saints and mystics tell us that there are many, many other regions beyond the physical: regions that are more conscious and more spiritual than this physical region of ours. As that realization sets in that we are only a part, then the desire in us is ignited to know the whole. It is natural that we all want to know who we are, and what is our relationship with the Creator. As that realization sets in, the passion to understand our true state comes to us. That passion is fulfilled only when we go within ourselves. The great saints and mystics have always talked about being able to focus our attention within ourselves because this is where the treasure house of divinity resides. As we connect with the divine power, we will be transported to regions of love, peace, and bliss. When we start on our spiritual journey, we will find that unity comes automatically in our lives because as our soul merges in the Creator, we realize that every living form is a spark of the Creator. When that happens we realize that we are not only a Sikh, a Hindu, a Christian, a Muslim, a Jain, or a follower of any other religion, but, in truth, we are soul. In truth, we are spirit, a part of God.
Generally what happens is that as a human being, we feel that we are not capable of making a difference. Many of you might remember that it was Benjamin Franklin who put the first street lamppost in front of his house. When he did so, everyone said, “He is crazy. Why is he putting light in the area?” But he lit it up night after night. Soon everyone in the neighborhood started putting up street lamps and there was light for everyone to see where they were going. Similarly, if we were to connect to the Light within ourselves, we might think that it won’t make a difference, but if we recognize the divine Light within ourselves, that Light is going to remove the darkness in our own surroundings, in our families and in our work environments. Soon, those with whom we come in contact will also follow our examples. As the great mystic poet, Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, has said: I started alone on the journey of love filled with faith and zeal. At every step, travelers joined me, and soon we were a caravan. As we become peaceful within ourselves, let that peace radiate from us to everyone with whom we come in contact so that we will be living in an age of peace, of love and of harmony as we spend our time on this earth. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj, an international spiritual leader and Master of meditation, affirms
Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj has said: I started alone on the journey of love filled with faith and zeal. At every step, travelers joined me and soon we were a caravan. As we become peaceful within ourselves, let that peace radiate from us to everyone with whom we come in contact so that we will be living in an age of peace, of love and of harmony as we spend our time on this earth. the transcendent oneness at the heart of all religions, emphasizing prayer and meditation as building blocks for achieving peace.www.jyotimeditation.org
Do not accept gift of anger By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Brahman once invited Lord Buddha to come and have a meal at his home. Buddha agreed. When he arrived at the Brahman’s house he found that the Brahman had invited him there for another purpose. The Brahman began to criticize him and abuse him. The Buddha quietly listened to the Brahman’s verbal attacks. This went on for some time. Finally, the Buddha said, “Do visitors come to your home often, good Brahman?” “Yes, they do,” replied the Brahman. Buddha continued, saying, “What preparations do you make for your guests when they come?” The Brahman replied, “We get ready for a big feast.” The Buddha asked, “What happens if they do not arrive?” The Brahman said, “We eat the food from
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“Never retaliate in kind to what is done to you. Hatred never ends through more hatred.” – Gautam Buddha the feast by ourselves.” The Buddha said, “Well, you have invited me for a meal but you entertained me with criticism and harsh words. It appears the feast you have prepared for me is abusive words. I do not want to eat from what you have prepared. So please take it back and eat it yourself.”
With that, the Buddha left the Brahman’s house. Buddha realized that the feast that was given to him was not food but verbal abuse. Rather than turning around, engaging in criticism and abusing the Brahman in the same way, he refused to partake of the anger. Instead, he left the scene. Thus, the anger was left with the man who was giving it out. Buddha advised his disciples who werewatching this whole scene, by saying, “Never retaliate in kind to what is done to you. Hatred never ends through more hatred.” Many times in life we are faced with people who say bad things to us, who verbally abuse us, who criticize us and who call us names. Rather than engage at their level, we should not accept these gifts from others. Then their anger has nowhere to go. It remains with them. When we withdraw from the scene, they find themselves alone with their anger. Soon, they realize what they
have done. They see how calm we were in the face of their poison. Sometimes they wonder how were able to be loving in the face of their anger and they may come to respect us. As we go about our day and are faced with people who are filled with anger and criticism toward us, we should look at their words calmly. We should ask first whether their words have any truth to them. If so, we can take their words as a lesson to improve ourselves. If their words do not have any truth to them then we should not accept their gift of anger. We should not be dragged down to their level. In this way, we can maintain our equanimity and peacefulness. We add calmness to their hostile environment. We should leave the gift of anger with them and go on our peaceful, merry ways. In this way, we have kept our attention on our spiritual goals and we have become a positive influence in our environment For more visit www.sos.org