Bollywood 26
Mother’s Day Special 27
Astrology 29
Spiritual Awareness 30
NEW YORK EDITION Vol.4 No.3
May 7-13, 2011 60 Cents
Amar Bose gives majority Bose Corp stock to MIT TristateCommunity, page 5
Most tense 38 minutes for Obama, Hillary in White House End of Osama Terror, page 12
TheSouthAsianTimes.info Arunachal Pradesh CM killed in air crash
Top Indo-Canadian MPs lose in Canadian elections
India, page 21
Diaspora, page 22
White House silence fuels speculation on Osama's end Washington: As the White House fell silent after a series of missteps, conflicting reports emerged about the killing of Osama bin Laden with Pakistan admitting that its India focus led to its failure to find the world's most wanted terrorist. A US Navy SEAL team killed the Al Qaeda leader in a raid on his hideout in Abbottabad, just 120 km from Islamabad, with rapid shots to his chest and forehead, CNN said citing a US official who has seen military reports of the raid. There were weapons near Osama, who died on an upper floor of the compound toward the
end of the nearly 40-minute raid, CNN cited Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee as saying. 'He was right there and going to get those arms,' she said offering her explanation of what the White House called some form of resistance offered by the unarmed Osama. 'You really can't take a chance.' But what the administration initially said was an 'intense firefight' leading to the Al Qaeda leader's death, The New York Times Thursday dubbed as an 'extremely one-sided' attack. The Times said officials briefed
Time magazine’s latest cover on Osama killing displayed on a billboard at Times Square in New York.
Cornered Pakistan turns on India
‘The Power of Goodwill’ is the Doshis’ success mantra
Dr Nitin Doshi and Dr Leena Doshi Hicksville, NY: Dr Nitin Doshi, who will receive Saturday the Ellis Island Medal of Honor 2011, is the Chairman of Diagnostic Imaging Group, which provides services through Doshi Diagnostic, started by his wife Dr Leena Doshi. They have now diversified into real estate and hedge funds, creating a multi-
million dollar family business. The Long Island based Doshis also quietly support social causes and charities. In a rare and exclusive interview with The South Asian Times, they spoke of their business philosophy, people philosophy and gave success tips for Indian immigrants. See pages 15-18.
on the operation indicate the only bullets ever fired at the SEAL team came from Osama's trusted courier -- the man who inadvertently led the US to the compound -- in the first minutes of the raid. After that, once the SEALs entered the three-storey block-like structure, they were never fired upon again. Meanwhile, President Obama made it clear in an interview with '60 Minutes' that the White House would not release photos of Osama's body saying: 'We don't trot out this stuff as trophies.' With Pakistan in the dock over its failure to find the world's most Continued on page 4.....
New Delhi: Initially on the defensive after US navy commandos raided Osama bin Laden's hideout in a Pakistani military town near Islamabad and killed the Al Qaeda chief on Monday, Pakistan on Thursday charged the Indian establishment and armed forces with trying to subvert Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's peace agenda. In a statement that neither amused nor surprised New Delhi, Pakistan foreign secretary Salman Bashir warned that "any misadventure" would lead to a "terrible catastrophe" in the region. He was reacting to army chief General VK Singh's remarks on Wednesday that all three wings of India's defense forces were capable of carrying out a US-like operation in Pakistan.
Though Bashir criticized the US for violating Pakistan's sovereignty by carrying out the operation without keeping Islamabad in the loop, his tough talk was aimed at New Delhi. "Any other country that would ever act (similarly) on the assumption that it has the might... will find it has made a basic miscalculation," Bashir said. Responding to Bashir's statement, an Indian official said, "When cornered, Pakistan usually employs such tactics to divert attention. This time, it is to divert attention from the present mess Islamabad is in." The official, however, said "such rhetoric" would not derail the dialogue process resumed by Manmohan Singh and his
Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani. "Their aim is to provoke India in the belief that it will set off a chain reaction of allegations and counter-allegations. That is not going to happen," the official said. The bilateral dialogue process suspended after the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 - was given a fresh impetus by Singh when he invited Gilani for the India-Pakistan World Cup semifinal cricket match in Mohali on March 30. The two countries have already held talks at the level of the secretaries of home and commerce. The two water resources secretaries will meet next, on May 1114, followed by other teams to discuss the Sir Creek and Siachen issues later this month.
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Indian film fest in New York kicks off with ‘Do Dooni Char’ New York: The 11th Annual New York Indian Film Festival kicked off in spectacular fashion with the US premiere of the Delhi-set comedy “Do Dooni Chaar,” Disney’s first live-action Hindi film.The starstudded red carpet premiere Wednesday night at Manhattan’s prestigious Paris Theatre was attended by special guests Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh along with writer/director Habib Faisal. Also attending the premiere were Pulitzer Prize winner author Siddhartha Mukherjee, Aparna Sen, Madhur Jaffrey, Aditya Bhattacharya, Ajay Naidu, Samrat Chakrabarti, Sarita Choudhury, and many other actors and filmmakers whose films will play festival through closing night May 15. Following the screening of “Do Dooni Chaar” was a discussion
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Zawahiri betrayed Osama: Saudi paper Dubai: Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was betrayed by his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri who led US forces to his hideout as the two were involved in an intense power struggle, a Saudi newspaper has reported. The two top Al Qaeda men had differences and the courier who led US forces to bin
Laden was working and had more loyalties for Zawahiri, al-Watan newspaper reported quoting Arab sources. "The Egyptian faction of Al Qaeda led by Zawahiri was de facto running the militant group, after Bin Laden was taken ill in 2004 and they were trying to take full control," the paper said
Standing behind Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh are Aroon Shivdasani, executive director of the Indo-American Arts Council, organizer of the film festival, and festival director Aseem Chhabra. with Faisal and the Kapoors moderated by festival director Aseem Chhabra. A gala benefit dinner
followed at the opulent Jumeirah Essex House on Central Park South.
PSG college, Coimbatore celebrations in the US New York: The PSG college of Technology, Coimbatore (India) is organizing its “Diamond Jubilee Celebrations” across the US during 2011-2012. All the alumni are encouraged to get together to cherish the PSG moments. The gathering in New Jersey is scheduled May 7, 2011 at Chutney Mary in Monmouth Junction. The topics of discussion include alumni support for academic programs in the college, alumni support for joint educational program and research and involve-
ment of the alumni in developing a road map for the development of PSG during the next 20 years. The visiting faculty team including G. Rangaswamy, Managing Trustee, C. R. Swaminathan, Chief Executive, and Dr. R. Rudramoorthy, Principal, will meet and interact with the alumni in the US. The team will look to create a corpus for the following: Diamond Jubilee Scholarship Fund (for 200 deserving students every year), Diamond Jubilee Faculty Development Fund and PSG Tech Corpus Fund
Nissan, the Japanese automaker, has been selected to produce the "Taxi of Tomorrow" in NYC after a competition in which its prototype received the highest score based on design features like interior legroom and durability. Nissan is expected to get a 10-year contract giving them exclusive right to make and sell yellow cabs.
Brahmrishi Kumar Swami honored by elected officials Mineola, NY: Brahmrishi Kumar Swami, a well-known spiritual guru of India, was honored at the Chamber of the Nassau County Legislature April 29. Judges of the New York Supreme Court, members of the New York State Assembly and Senate and public officials from Nassau County were present. US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Joseph Crowley were represented at the public reception organized by AWB Food Bank, a charitable hunger relief organization. Assemblyman Tom McKevitt joined Senator Jack Martins in presenting a Senate Proclamation declaring April 29 as ‘Brahmrishi Shri Kumar Swami Day’ in the state of New York. Senator Gillibrand commended the efforts of the
Swami to improve the welfare of others through humanitarian assistance. Congressman Crowley issued a Proclamation citing the Brahmrishi as “one of the most scholarly figures of the world religions” and bestowed congressional
recognition upon him. Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano recognized the “distinguished and outstanding record of excellence in community services” rendered by the Brahmrishi through a Citation. Mangano
also commended AWB Food Bank for its 20 years of selfless commitment and dedicated efforts for hunger relief and recognized its founders, Ratna Bhalla and Varinder Bhalla, upon distributing 8 million meals to the needy since
1991. The hall was packed to capacity; while majority of the people came from Long Island, many traveled great distances – from Canada, California and Florida – to meet the revered guru.
(L to R) TOH Clerk Mark Bonilla, TONH Receiver Charles Berman, NYS Assemblyman Tom McKevitt, Senator Jack Martins, NC Deputy County Executive Dr. Phillip Elliott, NC Legislator Wayne Wink, Varinder Bhalla, Brahmrishi Kumar Swami, TONH Supervisor Jon Kaiman, NYS Assistant Comptroller Joe Galante, NYS Assemblyman Charles Lavine, NYS Assemblywoman Michelle Schimell, Supreme Court Judge Thomas Adams, TOH Receiver Don Clavin, Supreme Court Judge Frank Gulotta, Ratna Bhalla.
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Gita gyan for Berkeley students Berkley, CA: Mrs Satya Kalra, founder of Path to Anandam, recently spoke on Bhagavad Gita and dharma to the class studying Ethics of Rights, Gender and Global Justice: East & West in the University of California at Berkeley. She presented vignettes from her recent book, “My questions and God’s Answers” based on the Gita. The course is part of the Religious Studies Major, a program initiative in the College of Letters of Science, supported by Philosophy and Human Rights Minor; it was devised and is being taught by Dr
Purushottama Bilimoria, a philosopher with a training in Sanskrit and world religions. Satya Kalra said the Gita contains an essential message for contemporary times and the younger generation in particular. She elucidated doctrines such as Dharma and Karma, and how they might have relevance to thinking on ethics, justice, rights and duties. Her book, “My questions and God’s Answers” has been cataloged in the South and Southeast Asian library of University of California, Berkeley. White House story from page 1 wanted man hiding in plain sight near an elite military academy, Islamabad's envoy to US Husain Haqqani blamed it on neither complicity nor incompetence, but the intelligence establishment's focus on India. 'The only other explanation is the focus of Pakistan's national security strategy which has always been the perceived threat from our eastern neighbor,' he said on the Charlie Rose Show Wednesday. 'So it is possible people within our security establishment just did not take trying to locate Osama bin Laden as seriously as they should have,' Haqqani admitted. The envoy also suggested Pakistani fighter jets scrambled into the skies early Monday after incursions of its airspace were detected, thinking there was an attack from India. 'After all, we have always
Mangano discusses national concerns at White House briefing Mineola: Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano met last week with Vice President Joseph Biden and other Cabinet Members in the White House during a Presidential Briefing given to the County Executives of America (CEA). He is on the CEA Board of Directors. “I had a terrific opportunity to discuss the economic and national security issues facing Nassau County residents,” said Mangano. “I will continue to seek partnerships with both Federal and State officials to bring jobs to our region and put people back to work."During the briefing, Mangano had the opportunity to discuss the economy and national debt concerns with the Vice President. Secretary of Homeland assumed that any area intrusion into our sovereign territory will come from the east,' he said. Asked if he meant Afghanistan, Haqqani said: 'No, from India.' Investigators, meanwhile, pored over the material gathered at Osama's hideout. They include 10 hard drives, five computers and more than 100 storage devices, such as disks, DVDs and thumb drives, CNN said citing a senior US official. The material might provide clues on Al Qaeda members and plots for future attacks. The commandos also recovered five cellphones, audio and video equipment, paper documents and some five guns, including AK-47s and pistols, a US official said. 'As we glean information from that material, we will make appropriate decisions with regard to who might we add to the terrorist watch list, the no-fly list, all those things,' US Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday.
Security, Janet Napolitano, discussed working closely with the County Executive to advance the secure communities program which builds partnerships between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local jails to identify and deport criminal aliens.In advance of the meeting, Mangano informed the White House that Nassau County continues to search for new and innovative ways to attract employers in such areas as Homeland Security, composite manufacturing, and the film industry. In doing so, the County Executive stressed that all levels of government must continue to seek ways to reduce costs and create an economic climate that is more business-friendly.
Guyanese presidential candidate makes a pitch in NY New York: The Association of Concerned Guyanese–USA presented People's Progressive Party’s (PPP) presidential candidate Donald Ramotar to an audience of over 600 at Club Tobago in Jamaica on April 29. President Jagdeo said at the event that Donald Ramotar will make an excellent President because he is not bigoted, and like Cheddi Jagan, he is guided by the philosophy to struggle for the rights of the people and to ensure that Guyana continues to be developed for all of our people. “He has what it takes to be in charge of the future of Guyana”. Ramotar committed himself to continue the progress that the P.P.P made over the last 19 years in government. He pledged to continue the struggle of the Party for the uplift of all Guyanese. Chairman of the Association of
PPP presidential candidate Donald Ramotar with a supporter at the event. Concerned Guyanese—USA Dr. Raj Singh moderated the event. Among those in attendance were New York City council members Leroy Comrie and Ruben Wills, Minister of Tourism Maniram Prashad and Guyana’s Consul General Brentnol Evans.
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May 7-13, 2011
Tagore’s 150th birthday to be celebrated at Times Square May 7 to be declared “Tagore Day in Manhattan” New York: Manhattan Boro Pres will declare Saturday May 7th as "Tagore Day in Manhattan” on the occasion of Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's 150th birthday. The event to be held at Time Square – Broadway between 43rd and 44th streets will have actress and filmmaker Aparna Sen attending as well. In a first, Indian, Bangladeshi & American national anthems will be sung at Military Island, Times square. The special guests for the event include Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Representative Carolyn Maloney (invited), Upendra Chivukula, Deputy Speaker of New Jersey Assembly, Professor Momtazuddin Ahmed, Cultural Minister of Bangladesh, Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury, New York Consul General of Bangladesh and Aparna Sen. The event will also feature world premiere of American singers singing Tagore songs in English, followed by Bengali cho-
Rabindranath Tagore rus with a dance rendition simultaneously. This was the vision of Celebration Co founder, Roger Sengupta, as he for the past 2 years put this team together and sponsored their learning lessons. Celebrations is the only organization that is doing an official Tagore Celebration in NYC on his actual birthday of May 7th and the only one ever to get a permit for Time Square.
Amar Bose gives majority of company stock to alma mater MIT Boston: Indian-American billionaire Amar Bose, founder of the iconic Bose Corporation, has given his alma mater MIT a majority of the stock of his audio equipment maker company, a gift that fulfills his "long-held desire" to support education at the prestigious institute. Massachusetts-based Bose Corp will continue to remain a private and independent company and MIT cannot sell its Bose shares. "Dr.Amar Bose has given to MIT (where he also taught) the majority of the stock of Bose Corporation in the form of non-voting shares," the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said in a statement here. In a letter to Bose Corporation employees, the company's founder paid tribute to his mentors at MIT - Professors Y W Lee, Norbert Wiener and Jerome Wiesner. According to sources from Wikipedia, Amar Gopal Bose, born November 2, 1929 is an American electrical engineer, sound engineer and billionaire entrepreneur. He is the Founder and Chairman of Bose
Nanubhai Education Foundation hosts 3rd annual gala
Nanubhai founder Raj Shah New York: The Nanubhai Education Foundation held a fundraiser at Midtown Loft and Terrace in New York City on Friday, April 29, 2011 drawing over 300 guests to celebrate Nanubhai’s accomplishments over the past year. Celebrity photographer and the star of Bravo TV's Double Exposure, Indrani, and Actor Arjun Gupta from Nurse Jackie ( Showtime’s Golden Globe & Emmy nominated series) were the honored guests of the evening. Other honored guests include Comedian Ruhbin Mehta, Actor Rahul Rai, and Karen Koeningsberg, NYC socialite and Founder/President of Cherished Feet. The Daily Show Correspondent Aasif Mandvi was originally confirmed as a special guest, but was unable to attend due
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Celebrity photographer and the star of Bravo TV's Double Exposure, Indrani and actor Arjun Gupta from Nurse Jackie ( Showtime’s Golden Globe & Emmy nominated series) were the honored guests of the evening. (Photos: Jane Qin Photography ; Thorsten Roth of WireImage ; Rob Kim of Getty Images) to a last-minute shoot in Arizona. The Nanubhai Education Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the education of rural students in India. Guests at the event enjoyed a spectacular view of the Empire State Building from the rooftop terrace. The evening included Indian cultural entertainment with performances by AATMA Performing Arts and NYC Garba Girls. DJ Kunal Merchant provided music to get the party started. Other highlights included a Ketel One Ice Bar, a silent auction which included a baseball signed by President Barack Obama, and a live auction led by comedian Ruhbin Mehta,
which included a flight lesson with Nanubhai founder Raj Shah, a coffee date with Actor Arjun Gupta , cooking lessons with Travis Maier of La Fonda del Sol, and an autographed book and coffee with author, fashion photographer, and America’s Next Top Model judge Nigel Barker. The night's hit item was a behind-the-scenes VIP access to a celebrity photo shoot by renowned photographer Indrani, which sold for $1,300. The 3rd annual Nanubhai Gala was a tremendous success and helped us raise $60,000 to help provide children in India with the education necessary for them to take advantage of India's booming economy.
Amar Bose, founder of Bose Corporation Corporation. Amar Gopal Bose was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.After graduating from Abington Senior High School in Abington, Pennsylvania,Bose enrolled at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in the early 1950s. Bose spent a year in Eindhoven, Netherlands, in the research labs at NV Philips Electronics and a year in New Delhi, India, as a Fulbright research student.
Following graduation, Bose took a position at MIT as an Assistant Professor. He focused his research on acoustics, leading him to invent a stereo loudspeaker that would reproduce, in a domestic setting, the dominantly reflected sound field that characterizes the listening space of the audience in a concert hall. Bose was awarded significant patents in two fields which, to this day, are important to the Bose Corporation. These patents were in the area of loud speaker design and non-linear, two-state modulated, Class-D, power processing. To found his company in 1964, for initial capital, he turned to angel investors including his MIT thesis advisor and professor, Dr.Y.W.Lee. In the year 2001, SiliconIndia conferred Dr.Amar Bose with the 'Life time Achievement award'. In the year 2007 (Forbes 400), he was listed as 271st richest man in the world, with a net worth of $1.8 billion.In 2009, he had dropped off the billionaire list, and made it back onto the list in 2011, with a net worth of $1.0 billion.
Indo-American pharmacist shot in New Jersey Trenton, New Jersey: An IndoAmerican pharmacy owner here was shot dead allegedly by a black teenager after he refused to give a medicine to the boy without a valid prescription. 52-year-old Arjun Reddy Dyapa, owner of Brunswick Avenue Pharmacy in Broad Street, was shot in the chest and brought dead to Capital Health Regional Medical Centre across the pharmacy around 6.30 pm local time. Eye witnesses said a teenage African-American with dreadlocks showed up at the counter and demanded a prescription medicine without producing valid prescription issued by a physician. Dyapa politely refused and said sorry but when the customer insisted that he be given the medicine, he told the boy that he would lose his licence if he obliges him. The customer, at that time, seemed to have resigned to the fate and nodded his head, said Dyapa's staff. The boy left only to return again and fired one bullet at Dyapa from his pistol from behind. The police have taken the video camera recordings and are confident of nabbing the criminal very soon. Dyapa, a native of Jadcherala village in Mehboobnagar district of Andhra Pradesh, is survived by wife Geetha and a 16-year-old daughter. Dyapa was an active community
Arjun Reddy Dyapa activist and one of the founders of North American Telugu Association (NATA) and also a senior leader of American Telugu Association (ATA). He was involved with several social and cultural organisations in New Jersey. Steve Ettman, who owns Westside Pharmacy on Hermitage Avenue, said he was "absolutely shocked" by the news. He is offering a USD 1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer. "This could happen to any of us and Reddy was a nice guy, ever helpful," he said. The shocked Indian-American community leaders gathered at the hospital to console the family and assist in the identification of the culprit.
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“Challenging Impossibility” premiere Sikhism mandated in California at the Tribeca Film Festival law enforcement training Film features Indian-born Sri Chinmoy's weightlifting marathon to inspire humanity New York: “If you become a Sri Chinmoy (1931 - 2007). spiritual person, you could Five-time Mr. Universe Bill accomplish anything. The Pearl said, “Even a greatest amount of weight, he was bodybuilders in their prime moving was unheard of,” wouldn't attempt to lift like Sri says Wayne DeMilia, Chinmoy. Sri Chinmoy took Chairman, International up the sport at the age of 53 Federation of Bodybuilders, years. “He performed his own in the film “Challenging strenuous feats to spread his Impossibility” about Indianmessage of world harmony and born spiritual teacher Sri inner peace,” wrote the New Chinmoy. The film’s preYork Times reporting about miere was at the Tribeca the premiere. 'Challenging Film Festival in New York Impossibility' also shares Sri City. The premiere was Chinmoy's philosophy that age attended by World's should never be a barrier to Strongest Man 2002 Hugo achieving one's dreams, that, as Girard, Olympic Legend Carl he said, "Age is in the mind Lewis and three-time Mr. and not in the heart." Olympia bodybuilder Frank The film shows musician Zane, whose statements are Sting, President Nelson shown in the film. “You Mandela and Nobel Laureate President Nelson Mandela lifted almost feel like gravity stops,” Archbishop Desmond Tutu by Sri Chinmoy states Carl Lewis on the being lifted by Sri Chinmoy on screen, who was lifted by Sri Chinmoy on a a honorary platform overhead. After being platform together with an 2500 kg elephant by honored Desmond Tutu says to Sri Chinmoy: 2.5 inches. “You are part of the spiritual force of love that Produced by Sanjay Rawal and Natabara emanates from God and which will transform Rollosson of New York the short film features the world.”
California: In a huge win for the Sikh community, starting this summer, all law enforcement officers in the state of California will be trained to identify and respect Sikhs and Sikh practices. The training will be given as part of a required class in all police academies throughout the state, and will also be available online. In addition, current police officers are being advised of the training materials through a two-page bulletin being issued to all police departments. The training, which is sponsored by California’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST), is part of a workbook used in police academies. It covers everything from identifying the 5Ks to how to search someone who is wearing a kirpan. “Our goal is to ensure peace officers are trained to interact with various populations in California. By fostering respect for people of all religions, we hope that our officers and deputies will be better able to do their jobs in the field,” said Bob Ziglar, Basic Training Coordinator of POST. The training is being implemented two years after California’s state legislature unanimously passed a law requiring California’s law enforcement officers to
be trained about Sikhs. That law, AB 504, was vetoed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, POST has since been working with the Sikh Coalition and other local community members to devise a training plan of their own. “Hundreds of Sikhs participated in lobbying for the original legislation, and this outcome is a direct result of their hard work. Thank you all. We are overjoyed that the state has finally taken the first step to stop unnecessary arrests of Sikhs for practicing their faith,” said Neha Singh, Western Region Director of the Sikh Coalition. "The Sikh community should not live in fear of arrest by law enforcement for carrying the kirpan," said Assembly member Warren Furutani, who introduced the legislation two years ago. “I thank POST for proactively taking these steps to ensure that Sikhs can practice their faith freely.” The training does not mention anything about the legality of the kirpan in the state of California. However, hope is that training police officers about the Sikh articles of faith will foster religious understanding and decrease the number of arrests of Sikhs for carrying these items.
County Executive Edward Mangano is seen with the men’s division first through third place holders in the half marathon. From left are 3rd place Peter Francis of Jackson Heights Queens and the Iron Runner Running Club, County Executive Edward Mangano, 1st Place Demesse Tefera of New York City and the Sikhs in America Running Club, Legislator Rose Walker and 2nd place Angel Confesor of Brooklyn New York and the West Side Runners Club.
In collaboration with Adhikaar and the Nepali immigrant community, writer/director Aya Ogawa and designer Jeanette Yew presented an on-stage performance called Yatra Samudra Samma (Journey to the Ocean) on April 30 and May 1 at the Rubin Museum of Art. Actors from the Nepali community told the story of a festival in the future where stories of past injustice and violence unfold to their imagined resolutions. Ritual, song and dance combined with technology in this performance—in English and Nepali—that expressed hope for equality in New York.
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Tata group partners with Chicago Booth School of Business to explore impact of India’s transformation Chicago, Illinois: The Tata group, one of India’s oldest and most respected business groups announced its sponsorship of and participation in the seventh annual Tata India Leadership Summit on May 14, 2011, at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The conference, which is supported by Tata and hosted by one of the largest student organizations at Chicago Booth, the South Asia Business Group, will bring together distinguished thought leaders from across government, business and academia to discuss the widespread impact of India’s ongoing transformation on a global stage. This year’s conference, titled “India’s transformation and you: How a changing India will impact your future,” will focus on how India will impact American business, culture, and life in the coming decades. Panels will discuss topics that include investing in India, ensuring equitable growth, entrepreneurship and inno-
University of Chicago Booth School of Business vation, and will combine insight from global business leaders with the academic rigor for which Chicago Booth is known. The conference will feature keynote addresses from N Chandrasekaran, chief executive officer and managing director of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS); Raghav Bahl,
founder and managing director, Network 18 Group / CNBC India, and Shailesh Rao, managing director, Google Media and Platforms, Asia Pacific and Japan. “India’s involvement in the US economy has become more prevalent than ever before, and is increasingly relevant given the growing importance of the relationship between the two countries,” said Mr Chandrasekaran. “Tata aims to support the missions of the country’s premier universities while building bridges between the US and India, and is delighted to leverage its expanding presence in North America to support platforms for open discussions such as the India Leadership Summit.” Additionally, Sunil Sinha, chief, Group Quality Management Services, will participate in the conference as part of the 'entrepreneurship and innovation panel', providing an overview of the trends and themes for innovation in the South Asian subcontinent. The
Seven Indians in 50 top women-led North American firms Washington, DC: Indian origin women lead seven of the 50 fastestgrowing women-owned or womenled companies in North America, according to the non-profit group the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO) and American Express OPEN. In the US alone there are an estimated 8.1 million women-owned businesses that contribute $1.3 trillion to the national economy and employ 7.7 million people, US business magazine Forbes noted citing the list. The companies that made the top 50 generated an astounding $4.1 billion in combined revenues last year.
Leading the Indian contingent is Himanshu Bhatia of Rose International, Montana, Contingent Workforce Services, in the third place. Ranjini Poddar of Artech Information Systems, New Jersey, IT Consulting in the seventh place comes next followed by Rachna Agarwal of Expedien, Texas, Business Intelligence in the 12th place. Gloria Rajkumar (16) of SIMAC Canada, Ontario, Coordinate Independent Medical Assessments, Kiran Gill (21) of PARS Environmental, New Jersey, Environmental consulting firm and Anjali 'Ann' Ramakumaran (26) of
Ampcus, Virginia, Consulting services take the next three places. Sonu Ratra of Akraya, California, IT & Marketing staffing in the 37th place brings up the rear. Shelly Sun led the fastest-growing company on the list, BrightStar Care, a home healthcare and medical staffing company based in Illinois, which quadrupled its revenue in just two years to $100 million To qualify for the list, companies were required to be privately held, woman-owned or women-led, and located in the US or Canada. They were ranked according to a sales growth formula that combines percentage and absolute growth.
H-1B technical skills training grant competition announced Washington, DC: Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis has announced the availability of approximately $240 million through the H-1B technical skills training grant competition. The U.S. Department of Labor expects to fund 75-100 grants through a single solicitation. Individual grants will range from $1 million to $5 million and will be distributed through two rounds of funding. The projects to be funded will help workers update current skills or acquire new ones so they can enter career pathways leading to higher-paying jobs. “This administration is committed to getting all Americans back to work and into good jobs. These grants will create important opportunities for those who may still be searching for work after many months of unemployment,” said Secretary Hilda L. Solis. “As they seek out new careers in promising industries, our nation’s workers need and deserve access to quality training and employment
services. The H-1B technical skills grant competition will help make that possible.” The Labor Department intends to award at least $150 million to grantees that provide on-thejob training to all participants. The remaining funds will be awarded to applicants that offer other training strategies. At least $45 million of the total will be awarded to applicants providing training for occupations in the health care industry and at least $60 million will be awarded to applicants serving individuals experiencing long-term unemployment. Prospective applicants are encouraged to view the online tutorial “Grant Applications 101: A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants,” available at http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants_toolkit. Prospective applicants can register at http://www.grants.gov to access the solicitation. The Labor Department also posts grant information at http://www.doleta.gov/grants.
panel will also cover the innovation gaps and trillion-dollar opportunities from an investor's point of view. “Tata believes that innovation is a key concept in motivating employees to think beyond the obvious,” said Mr Sinha. “It is our hope to bring the Tata group’s spirit of innovation to its companies here in the US, where new ideas have always thrived.” "The India Leadership Summit is one of the University of Chicago's largest conferences. Our partnership with Tata, one of India's oldest, largest and most prestigious business houses, provides us with an ideal platform from which to provide the university and the wider Chicago community with a true insider's perspective on the business and culture of one of the world's most dynamic economies,” said Vishal Shah, conference co-chair, MBA candidate, class of 2011, University of Chicago.
Tri-Valley University head indicted in visa fraud Washington, DC: The president of the California-based Tri-Valley University, whose closure affected nearly 1,500 Indian students, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on the allegations of visa fraud and money laundering. Susan Xiao-Ping Su, 41, was taken into custody Monday morning at her Pleasanton, California, home by special agents of the Homeland Security Investigations of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Su, who also served as the school's chief executive officer, is accused of engaging in a two-year scheme to defraud the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by submitting phony documents in support of Tri-Valley University's applications to admit foreign nationals on student visas. The indictment further alleges that after obtaining such approvals, Su fraudulently issued visa-related documents to students in exchange for 'tuition and fees' and engaged in multiple money laundering transactions totaling more than $3.2 million. 'Today's indictment alleges a visa fraud scheme through which the defendant accrued millions of dollars and took advantage of others' eagerness to come to the United States,' said US attorney Melinda Haag. The 33 counts contained in the indictment carry maximum penalties ranging from one to 20 years imprisonment.
Susan Xiao-Ping Su, president of Tri-Valley University, whose closure affected 1500 Indian students The charges include wire fraud; mail fraud; visa fraud and conspiracy to commit visa fraud; use of a false document; making false statements to a government agency; alien harboring; unauthorized access to a government computer and money laundering. According to a federal complaint filed in a California court in January, the TVU had helped foreign nationals illegally acquire immigration status. The sham university is said to have 1,555 students. As many as 95 percent of these students are Indian nationals, the complaint said. Investigations by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have found that while students were admitted to various residential and online courses of the university and on paper lived in California but in reality they 'illegally' worked in various parts of the country as far as Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Texas.
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National Community
May 7-13, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Indian owned US businesses rake in $150 billion Washington, DC: Owning nearly a fifth of 1.5 million non-farm US businesses owned by Asians operating the US in 2007, Indians raked in over $150 billion in revenue, according to a new survey. With their number going up by over 40.4 percent since 2002, these Asian-owned firms accounted for 5.7 percent of all nonfarm businesses in the US, employed 2.8 million persons (2.4 percent of total employment) and generated $507.6 billion in receipts (1.7 percent of total receipts). Of them Asian Indians owned 308,514 firms (19.9 percent of all Asian-owned firms), with receipts of $152.5 billion (30.0 percent of all Asian-owned firm receipts), according to the US Census Bureau's 2007 Survey of Business Owners (SBO), released last week. Asian- Indian owned businesses recorded a growth of 38.2 percent. Among Asian Indian-owned US firms, 48.9 percent were in the professional, scientific, and technical services; the retail trade sector; and the health care and social assistance sector. Asian Indian-owned US firms accounted for 1.7 percent of all US businesses in these sectors. Retail trade, wholesale trade, and professional, scientific, and technical services accounted for 59.1 percent of Asian Indian-owned business revenue. California had the largest number of Asian Indian-owned firms at 58,995 (19.1 percent of all Asian Indian-owned firms), with
receipts of $29.1 billion (19.1 percent of all Asian Indian-owned firm receipts). New York and Texas were next with 47,760 (15.5 percent) and 27,748 (9.0 percent) Asian Indian-owned firms respectively, with receipts of $17.2 billion (11.3 percent) and $14.0 billion (9.2 percent) respectively. Among US counties, Los Angeles County, California, and Queens County, New York, had the largest numbers of Asian Indianowned firms in 2007 at 16,730 and 16,324 respectively. The metropolitan statistical areas with the largest number of Asian Indian-owned firms were New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania (64,457); Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, California (23,151); and ChicagoNaperville-Joliet, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin (17,362). "Asian-owned businesses continued to be one of the strongest segments of our nation's economy, bringing in more than half a trillion dollars in sales in 2007 and employing more than 2.8 million people," said Census Bureau Deputy Director Thomas Mesenbourg. Among all Asian-owned businesses, Asian Chinese-owned businesses accounted for 27.3 percent; Filipino, 10.5 percent; Japanese, 7.0 percent; Korean, 12.4 percent; Vietnamese, 14.8 percent; and other Asian, 9.9 percent.
Bendapudi named KU business school dean Wichita: Neeli Bendapudi, a scholar of business practices and professor of marketing at Ohio State University, will become the Henry D. Price Dean of the University of Kansas School of Business. Bendapudi will take over on Aug. 1, returning to the institution where she earned her doctorate in 1994. She was selected after a nationwide search that began in November. She has been a marketing professor at Ohio State's Fisher College of Business since 2008. She began her time there in 1996 as an assistant professor, becoming an associate professor in 2002. Previously, Bendapudi was an assistant professor of marketing at Texas A&M. She has consulted for dozens of the world's largest companies, including Cessna, Deloitte & Touche and Procter & Gamble.
Neeli Bendapudi
South Asian students shine as Presidential Scholars 2011 Washington, DC: An impressive number of Indian American students have been selected as U.S. Presidential Scholars by the U.S. Department of Education out of 3.2 million graduating seniors nationwide. The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 to recognize and honor some of the nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. Each year, up to 141 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of
the nation's highest honors for high school students. The students will be honored in Washington, D.C., from June 18-21. List of South Asian Presidential Scholars: Teja R. Alapati, Randolph School, Huntsville, AL; Anjali A. Wagle, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Rainbow City, AL; Keshav Amla, Phoenix Country Day School, Chandler, AZ; Amita Gupta, University High School, Tucson, AZ; Neha Kumar, Saint Mary's Episcopal School, Forrest City, AR; Lara Mitra, Sidwell Friends School, Washington, DC; Akshay V. Save, Lake Mary High School, Longwood,
FL; Rohit Agrawal, Wayzata High School, Plymouth, MN; Samantha S. Nanayakkara, Mississippi School for Mathematics & Science, Oxford, MS; Sanchay Gupta, The Meadows School, Las Vegas, NV; Divya V. Shah, Clarkstown High School South, West Nyack, NY; Anjali R. Sawh, Edmond North High School, Edmond, OK; Joya A. Ahmad, William Penn Charter School, Philadelphia, PA; Fatima I. Alvi, Westlake High School, Austin, TX; Karthik Sethuraman, William P. Clements High School, Sugarland, TX; and Arjun S. Dhillon, Fort Atkinson High School, Fort Atkinson, WI.
Vini Nathan named dean of College of Architecture at Auburn University Auburn: Vini Nathan, dean of the School of Architecture at Philadelphia University, has been named dean of Auburn University's College of Architecture, Design and Construction, effective July 1. "Dr. Nathan's experience, in the classroom and as a practitioner and administrator, will be a valuable asset not only to the college but also to the entire Auburn University community," Provost Mary Ellen Mazey said. Nathan has taught in architecture and interior design programs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University, the University of Minnesota and New York Institute of Technology as well as at Philadelphia University. Nathan was a practicing architect in New Delhi, India, and more recently worked as an architect for Walker Group/CNI in New York, a full-service architectural design firm. She was part of the team that worked on the Kuala Lumpur City Center, a design venture in conjunction with the noted architect and a former dean of the School of Architecture at Yale, Cesar Pelli. She earned a bachelor's degree in
Vini Nathan architecture from Anna University, India, a master's degree in interior design from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a Ph.D. in architecture from the University of Michigan. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Nathan is a classically trained dancer, a competitive chess player and a self-professed trivia buff.
National Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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May 7-13, 2011
Kicking off Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month By Gary Locke s co-chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, I’m honored to bat lead-off in what promises to be an interesting and informative month of blog posts on this site. Today, more than 16 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) make up one of the fastest growing and most diverse populations in the United States. Each of the dozens of distinct AAPI ethnic and language groups has a rich history that contributes to the fabric of our nation. A month-long commemoration of that history may be a relatively recent invention – Congress expanded it from a week-long celebration in 1990 – but May is a fitting month to pay tribute to our saga. It was May 1843 when the first Japanese immigrants came to
A
Gary Locke, co-chair, White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders America, and in May 1869 the first transcontinental railroad was completed with substantial contributions from Chinese immigrants.
Indian American scientists honored by Cancer Research Group Orlando, FL: The Society of Asian American Scientists in Cancer Research honored six Indian American scientists — Dr. Ajay Rana, Dr. Shiv I. S. Grewal, Dr. Jay Sharma, Dr. Vinata Lokeshwar, Dr. Anindya Dutta and Dr. Rajeshwar Tekmal — for their outstanding contributions to cancer research after they presented their original research at the meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research here April 2-6. The awards were presented by SAASCR president Dr. Rajvir Dahiya, a
professor and director of the Urology Research Center at the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, during an April 3 ceremony. SAASCR is registered in the state of California and has more than 3,000 scientists of Asian, mainly Indian, origin working in the United States and Canada in the field of cancer research. The society is a non-political and nonprofit organization.
Ravi Shankar to celebrate 90th birthday at Kennedy Center Washington, DC: Legendary virtuoso sitarist, composer, teacher and writer Ravi Shankar will celebrate his 90th birthday at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Monday, May 23. Known worldwide as India’s most esteemed musical ambassador, Ravi Shankar was the student of the illustrious guru “Baba” Ustad Allaudin Khan. A prolific composer, Ravi Shankar has collaborated with Western musicians and composed numerous traditional ragas and talas. His Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra was commissioned and premiered by the London Symphony Orchestra under AndréPrevin. A second sitar concerto, Raga-Mala (“A Garland of Ragas”), was commissioned and premiered by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Zubin Mehta in 1980. Shankar’s chamber works for
sitar and other instruments includes violin-sitar compositions for Yehudi Menuhin and works for flute virtuoso JeanPierre Rampal, shakuhachi master Hosan Yamamoto, and koto virtuoso Musumi Miyashita. Shankar has enjoyed a close relationship with Philip Glass, collaborating with the composer on the 1990 album Passages and the recent multi-artist work Orion, which opened the 2004 Cultural Olympiad in
Greece. Ravi Shankar has composed extensively for film and ballet. He was nominated for both a Grammy and Oscar for his original score to the Academy-Award-winning classic Gandhi and composed and choreographed the ballet “Ghanashyam.” Ravi Shankar is the recipient of many awards and honors including the Indian government’s highest civilian award, the “Bharat Ratna,” or “Jewel of India.” Ravi Shankar’s extensive discography of more than 60 albums includes In Celebration, a lavishly documented four-CD retrospective of his greatest recordings issued in honor of his 75th birthday, and Full Circle, Carnegie Hall 2000, Shankar’s first live-concert recording in nearly two decades for which he received the Grammy Award for Best World Music Record.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders continue to play outsized roles in our nation’s society and economy. According to the newest Census data released just last week, between 2002 and 2007, AAPI-owned businesses increased 40.4 percent to 1.5 million, generating over $500 billion in sales and employing more than 2.8 million people. Many of these companies are small proprietorships, like the grocery store my family owned when I was growing up in Seattle. Small businesses are the engines that drive our economy, accounting for almost twothirds of all jobs in America. In fact, firms less than five years old accounted for nearly all increased employment in the private sector from 1980 to 2005. This is the power and promise of entrepreneurship, and that’s a power that runs through the AAPI community today. A big part of my job as Commerce Secretary is to smooth the way for that long line of accomplishment to continue. But we have our work cut out for us. Despite tremendous successes, members of the AAPI business community still face hurdles to accessing federal programs and other assistance, including language barriers and a lack of awareness about the many resources offered by the federal government.Today, many AAPI entrepreneurs need access to resources such as management and technical assistance and small business loans to expand their businesses. Since the earliest
days of the Obama administration, we have passed a variety of measures to help AAPI businesses thrive: * The Recovery Act enabled 8,000 AAPIowned businesses to receive over $5 billion worth of new loans. * We passed new tax incentives that enable small businesses to deduct the cost of new equipment, new hires and even healthcare coverage. * We’ve also focused on educating AAPI firms about government procurement opportunities. Thus far, AAPI businesses have collected over $1 billion in new government contracts and played a major role in our National Export Initiative. * And because the AAPI community often has such extensive contacts in foreign countries, we’ve offered significant aid for those interested in export and trade initiatives abroad. We have an opportunity to make a difference in the everyday lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in our country – and the everyday lives of all Americans. That is what I strive to achieve every day as Commerce Secretary, and I promise this administration will continue this important work into the future.Thank you – and have a wonderful AAPI Heritage Month. (Gary Locke is the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.)
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May 7-13, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Pak warns US, India on raids Islamabad: Faced with American fury and domestic anger, Pakistan blew hot and cold on Osama bin Laden -- denying links with Al Qaeda and warning Washington and New Delhi against any more air raids of the kind which killed the world's most wanted terrorist. In the most substantive official reaction since US special forces killed Osama in a mansion in Abbottabad city, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir took pains to underline that while Pakistan remained committed to battle terrorism, its sovereignty needed to be respected. In veiled remarks that it would not take any more intrusion by anyone kindly, Bashir said that Pakistan's leaders and people were proud of their "dignity, honor and make no mistake..". "Construing it in any other manner is wrong, simply wrong," he added. Bashir spoke a day after White House Press Secretary Jay Carney warned that the US would again carry out special operations in Pakistan if needed to target high profile terrorists -- comments that have only further incensed Pakistani public opinion. Admitting that the midnight
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir in a press conference. assault by US special forces that killed the elusive Osama did achieve "important results", Bashir said: "This can't be taken as a rule." And in a clear reference to India, he said: "Any other country that would ever act (similarly) on the assumption that it has the might ... will find it has made a basic miscalculation." He added: "We see a lot of bravado in our region... from the military, air force, which state that this can be repeated. We feel that this sort of misadventure or miscalculation will result in a catastrophe... "There should be no doubt that
'Pak mistook US incursions as Indian attack'
Pakistan's ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani Washington: Pakistani fighter jets scrambled into the skies early Monday after incursions of its airspace were detected, thinking there was an attack from India, with its envoy in the US admitting that its India obsession was what led to its failure to detect Osama bin Laden hiding in plain sight inside the country. Hussain Haqqani, the envoy, said that the Indian incursion was presumed as Islamabad had not been notified about the American raid. "Absolutely. They should have been because they hadn't notified earlier and there could have been
some incident," he said. "But then we also have to look at the displacement of our air systems. After all, we have always assumed that any area intrusion into our sovereign territory will come from the east." Asked if he was referring to Afghanistan, Haqqani said: "No, from India." "What you have to understand is that every nation has its own preoccupations, and we have a military and intelligence service that has always been concern about the threat from the east," he said without referring to India by name.
Pakistan has a capacity to ensure its own defense." Bashir sought to clear persisting doubts within Pakistan over the US attack by saying that it was a covert operation and that Islamabad was not consulted. He hinted that if the Pakistani military -- which was not told about the American assault -- had taken some counter measures, it "could have led to a terrible catastrophe. It is good that it has not happened". Pakistani authorities have come under widespread criticism abroad for allowing Osama to take shelter in Abbottabad city, not far from
Islamabad, and internally for being caught unawares about the US storming. Bashir took pains to say that not too much should be read into the fact that the sprawling house where Osama lived was located close to a military academy. He said the academy was four kilometers away. "It is a routine training institution." Bashir also vehemently denied linkages between Al Qaeda and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which for decades channeled US arms and cash to Islamic guerrillas battling the Soviets in Afghanistan. "It's easy to say that elements within the government were in cahoots with Al Qaeda. This is a false charge. "It cannot be validated. It flies in the face of what ISI has been able to accomplish (in the war on terror)." Bashir detailed the number of Al Qaeda leaders and operatives the ISI had arrested and handed over to the US. This included Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a Pakistani who was a key plotter of 9/11 that turned the US against the Islamabad-backed Taliban and led to a decade-long manhunt for Osama. "We are proud of the work of
ISI. It is an important arm of the government which has contributed enormously to the anti-terror campaign." Ever since Osama was killed, allegations have mounted that the Al Qaeda founder could not have lived for so long deep inside Pakistan without some help from at least some ISI officers -- serving or retired. And while emphasizing that Pakistan and the US remained strategic partners, Bashir pointed fingers at Washington for creating Osama a long time ago. "Osama is history... The making of Osama is a separate theme. I don't want to elaborate on that." The killing of the world's most wanted terrorist right in the heart of Pakistan has given a fresh impetus to India's concerns on terror havens being nurtured on its neighbor's soil. Post-Osama death, will India get a fair justice as 26/11 accused and the world's second most wanted terrorist, Dawood Ibrahim, continue to enjoy the freedom in a country now being touted as 'Terroristan' by the global world?
Was Osama protected by ISI? Washington: US and European intelligence officials increasingly believe active or retired Pakistani military or intelligence officials provided some measure of aid to Osama bin Laden to stay hidden in Pakistan, a media report said. Similar elements linked to the ISI have aided other Pakistan-based terror groups, the Haqqani militant network and Lashkar-e-Taiba, blamed for Mumbai terror attacks, the Wall Street Journal reported citing senior US and European officials "There's no doubt he was protected by some in the ISI," a high-level
European military-intelligence official was quoted as saying. The officials, who have direct working knowledge of Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, were cited as saying they believe these ISI elements include some current and former intelligence and military operatives with long-standing ties to Al Qaeda and other militant groups, the Journal said. The officials, the daily said, didn't offer specific evidence, but pointed to the proximity of Abbottabad, where bin Laden was found and
killed, to the capital Islamabad and its high concentration of current and former military and intelligence officers. They said aid likely included intelligence tips to help keep bin Laden ahead of his American pursuers. But others in both the US and Pakistan have cast doubt on whether Abbottabad would have provided a more hospitable refuge than other towns, or whether officials would have reason to believe bin Laden could be hiding there, the Journal said.
Yemen-based Al Awlaki may succeed Osama London: A Yemen-based Anwar al Awlaki is tipped to succeed Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, who was killed earlier this week in Pakistan by US Navy Seals in a commando strike, a media report said. US-born cleric Al Awlaki is dubbed the bin Laden of internet because he uses the web to spread his evil gospel. The 40year-old called for a Mumbaistyle massacre during a sting operation carried out by The Sun. He has already engineered a string of attempted outrages here and in the US, The Sun reported.
Anwar al Awlaki is tipped to succeed Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden.
Al Awlaki allegedly brainwashed 21-year-old student Roshonara Choudhry into stabbing Labour MP Stephen Timms over his support for the war in Iraq. He also allegedly urged British Airways computer worker Rajib Karim, 31 - now in jail - to assist in a plot to blow up an airliner in a Lockerbie-style attack. He was also allegedly behind last year's ink bomb plot to down cargo jets. The US-born cleric was collared in San Diego in 1996 and 1997. He was fined the first time and put on probation the second.
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3 dead men at Osama's villa Islamabad: Photographs taken about an hour after the US assault on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan show three dead men lying in pools of blood, but no weapons. The photos, taken by a Pakistani security official who entered the compound after the early morning raid on Monday, show two men dressed in traditional Pakistani garb and one in a t-shirt, with blood streaming from their ears, noses and mouths. None of the men looked like bin Laden. US President Barack Obama decided not to release photos of his body because it could have incited violence and used as an al Qaeda propaganda tool. "I think that given the graphic nature of these photos, it would create some national security risk," Obama told the CBS program 60 Minutes. Based on the time-stamps on the pictures, the earliest one was dated May 2, 2:30am, approximately an hour after the completion of the raid in which bin Laden was killed. Other photos, taken hours later at between 5:21am and 6:43am show the outside of the trash-strewn compound and the wreckage of the helicopter the United States abandoned. The tail assembly is unusual, and could indicate some kind of previously unknown stealth capability. US forces lost a helicopter in the raid due to a mechanical problem and later destroyed it. The pictures are also taken in sequence and
One of the three men died at Osama's compound in Abbottabad and blood on the floor of Osama's bedroom. are all the same size in pixels, indicating they have not been tampered with. The time and date in the photos as recorded in the digital file's metadata match lighting conditions for the area as well as the time and date imprinted on the image itself. The close-cropped pictures do not show any weapons on the dead men, but the photos are taken in medium close-up and often crop out the men's hands and arms. One photo shows a computer cable and what looks like a child's plastic green and orange water pistol lying under the right shoulder of one of the dead men. A large pool of blood has formed under his head. A second shows another man with a streak of blood running from his nose across his right cheek and a large band of blood across his
Osama unarmed when killed: US Washington: Were the US Navy Seals on a kill or killor-capture mission? As the post-kill party winds down, questions are being raised about the Abbottabad narrative, some on details of the Navy Seals operation, others on policy drawing from the politics of those at the microphone. “Bin Laden was … shot and killed. (But) he was not armed,” said White House press secretary Jay Carney. The earlier narrative had an armed Bin Laden trying to shoot his way out of the raid. Though not armed, Carney insisted, al Qaeda chief did resist. He was also said to have used a woman — not specified who — as a shield. He hadn’t actually. The story is likely to undergo a few more edits. About releasing pictures, pressure is coming essentially from some crazies and conspiracy theorists who doubt if it the Seals indeed killed Bin Laden. They demand proof. The administration has held off so far arguing, one, the pictures are too graphic, and, two, they might anger and incite his followers to retaliate. But CIA chief
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney announces US President Barack Obama's decision to not release photos of Osama bin Laden. Leon Panetta has hinted the pictures might be released. The remaining questions are broadly tethered to politics, raised mostly by the conservatives. Republican senator Lindsey Graham, for instance, has blamed “oversensitivity” for the elaborate funeral rites for Bin Laden. Graham and other critics don’t question the burial at sea, most people appreciate the logic that it was done to prevent Bin Laden from turning into a shrine. And the last question, about enhanced inter-
rogation, is pure politics. The point about how “waterboarding” (suspect dunked into water and made to struggle for air) gave US intelligence the critical information of the hunt, was first made by Republican Peter King. The courier, who eventually led the US to Bin Laden, was forced out of Khalid Mohammad Sheikh by waterboarding him. These are only some of the significant debates swirling around Abbottabad. Pakistan’s role is the other,
chest. A third man, in a T-shirt, is on his back in a large pool of blood which appears to be
from a head wound. US acknowledgment that bin Laden was unarmed when shot dead had raised accusations Washington had violated international law. The exact circumstances of his death remained unclear and could yet fuel controversy, especially in the Muslim world. Pakistan faced national embarrassment, a leading Islamabad newspaper said, in explaining how the world's most-wanted man was able to live for years in the military garrison town of Abbottabad, just north of the capital. Pakistan blamed worldwide intelligence lapses for a failure to detect bin Laden, while Washington worked to establish whether its ally had sheltered the al Qaeda leader, which Islamabad vehemently denies.
'Daughter saw bin Laden killed' Islamabad: A young daughter of Osama bin Laden, now in custody with a Yemeni wife of the al-Qaeda leader, saw her father shot dead, a Pakistani intelligence official said on Wednesday. The official from the InterServices Intelligence (ISI) agency said up to 12 women and children who survived the US raid on their villa were now in custody. The child, reported to be 12 years old, "was the one who confirmed to us that Osama was dead and shot and taken away," said the official.Four bodies were retrieved from the daring covert attack, including one of bin Laden's
sons, said the official. Up to three women and nine children, including the young Yemeni woman who was shot in the leg and a daughter of the Saudi-born mastermind, are in detention, he said. Intelligence officials said the group were being interrogated. "There are a lot of questions we want to ask them," another official said. The Pakistani government said that family members of bin Laden were "being looked after" and would be handed over to their countries of origin.
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Battle against al-Qaeda has not ended: Hillary Rome: Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has warned that the battle against Al Qaeda did not end with the assassination of Osama Bin Laden. "Let us not forget that the battle to stop al Qaeda and its affiliates does not end with one death,” she said at a press conference in Rome with Italy’s foreign minister, Franco Frattini. “We have to renew our resolve, not just in Afghanistan and Pakistan but around the world. The US will track down and where necessary kill or capture those who are directing actions against our troops. Criminals who indiscriminately murder innocent people will be brought to justice." She emphasized that while the murder of Osama represented "a significant blow" to al Qaeda, she cautioned that "our resolve is even stronger following bin Laden's death because we know it will have an impact on
those who are on the battlefield in Afghanistan." However, Clinton also assured that her government would continue its close ties with Pakistan, despite the questions and suspicions raised by the discovery of Osama in a military compound in that country. Clinton refused to divulge any further details of the commando raid on Osama’s compound, nor would she answer a question on whether or not the US would launch a similar attack on Moammar Gaddafi, the leader of Libya. President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other top White House officials watching a live video of US Navy SEALs’s raid of Osama compound. Clinton described those 38 minutes of the raid "the most intense” moments of her life
The kill boosts Obama, temporarily at least'
President Obama greeted members of the military and their families at the White House on Wednesday Washington: President Barack Obama's job approval rating jumped 11 points to 57 percent after the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, but Americans fear another attack, polls showed on Wednesday. A New York Times/CBS News poll showed the bump in Obama's performance rating -- which it warned could be short-lived -- but also found that more than six in 10 Americans believed the threat of extremist attacks against the US was likely to increase. Bin Laden, who had become the face of Islamist militancy since masterminding the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, was shot in the head by U.S. forces who stormed his compound in Pakistan on Monday after a decade-long manhunt. A separate USA Today/Gallup survey of 645 adults showed that 62 percent of Americans believe an act of terrorism is either "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to occur on U.S. soil within the next several weeks.
"The current results indicate Americans are slightly more likely to be worried about a terrorist incident occurring than they were shortly after the London bus and subway bombings in July 2005, but are less worried than at the start of the Iraq war as well as immediately after 9/11," Gallup said. While fearful that a retaliatory attack could be imminent, 54 percent of those polled by USA Today/Gallup believed the country was safer in the longer term from terrorism. The bump in Obama's ratings may not last. The New York Times/CBS poll said that former President George W. Bush received an 8-point boost after the capture of Saddam Hussein in Iraq in 2003, but that bounce evaporated within a month. Obama's popularity had been hurt by economic woes and high gasoline prices. Voters are expected to focus again on domestic concerns crucial to his 2012 re-election prospects.
Obama goes to Ground Zero, to also meet Osama kill team New York: President Obama laid a wreath Thursday at the site of the fallen Twin Towers in New York to honor the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The trip to the city was his first following the killing of Osama bin Laden as well as his first visit to Ground Zero since tak-
ing office. White House spokesman said Obama’s visit was intended to mark the "cathartic moment for the American people." The President will also meet with some of those involved in the military assault that killed Bin Laden when he visits Fort Campbell, Ky.,
on Friday. A team of Navy SEALs raided a compound in Pakistan, killing the terrorist mastermind. Fort Campbell is home to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which participated in the raid against Bin Laden.
Al Qaeda planned attacks on trains in US Washington: Some of the first information gleaned from Osama bin Laden's compound indicates Al Qaida considered attacking U.S. trains on the upcoming anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. But counterterrorism officials say they believe the planning never got beyond the initial phase and have no recent intelligence pointing to an active plot for such an attack. As of February 2010, the terror organization was considering plans to attack the U.S. on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. One idea was to tamper with an unspecified U.S. rail track so that a train would fall off the track at a valley or a bridge, according to a joint FBI and Homeland Security bulletin sent to law enforcement officials around the country Thursday. The al-Qaida planners
noted that if they attacked a train by tilting it, the plan would only succeed once because the tilting would be spotted the next time. The warning, obtained by The Associated Press, was marked for "official use only." Information on the train plot appears to be the first widely circulated intelligence pulled from the raid this week on bin Laden's secret compound in Pakistan. After killing the terror leader and four of his associates, Navy SEALs confiscated a treasure trove of computers, DVDs and documents from the home where U.S. officials believe the Al Qaida chief had been hiding for up to six years. Intelligence analysts havebeen reviewing and translating the material, looking for information about pending plots and other terror connections.
In raid, US used stealth chopper, a secret so far Washington: The assault team that killed Osama bin Laden sneaked up on his compound in radar-evading helicopters that had never been discussed publicly by the US government, aviation analysts said Thursday. The commandos blew up one of the helicopters after it was damaged in a hard landing, but news photographs of the surviving tail section reveal modifications to muffle noise and reduce the chances of detection by radar. The stealth features, similar to those used on advanced fighter jets and bombers, help explain how two of the helicopters sped undetected through Pakistani air defenses before reaching the Bin Laden compound in Abbottabad. The use
of the specially equipped helicopters also underscores the extent to which American officials wanted to get to Bin Laden without tipping off Pakistani leaders. Analysts said the raid was a rare case in which stealth aircraft, devised for conventional warfare during the cold war, became critical to fighting terrorism. Military and intelligence agencies have refused to comment about the use of stealth aircraft in this raid. But since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the special forces have spared no expense in developing technology to hunt terrorists, and aviation experts said the debris from the damaged helicopter provided further evidence of that.
Heartiest Congratulations to
Dr. Nitin Doshi Healthcare entrepreneur, Businessman, Philanthropist, Mentor
The Ellis Island Medal Honoree 2011 The highest civilian award in the US that recognizes outstanding contributions to the country by distinguished citizens with immigrant background You have touched many lives with your gracious hands. We are thankful & proud of you. Wishing you all the Best Today & Always. The Family of Late Shri Ashok Zaveri Smt. Kala Zaveri Salil Zaveri Lekha Zaveri Natasha Zaveri Neil Zaveri
www.SalilZaveri.com
14
End of Osama Terror
May 7-13, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The inside story of Osama hunt New Delhi/New York: When one of Osama bin Laden's most trusted aides picked up the phone last year, he unknowingly led US pursuers to the doorstep of his boss, the world's most wanted terrorist. That monitored phone call, recounted by a US official, ended a years-long search for bin Laden's personal courier, the key break in a worldwide manhunt. The courier, in turn, led US intelligence to a walled compound 60km from Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, where a team of Navy Seals shot him dead. The violent final minutes were the culmination of years of intelligence work. To the CIA team hunting bin Laden, it was always clear that bin Laden's vulnerability was his couriers. He was too smart and too paranoid to let Qaida foot soldiers, or even his senior commanders, know his hideout. But if he wanted to get his messages out, somebody had to carry them, someone bin Laden trusted with his life. Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, detainees in the CIA's secret prison network told inter-
The websites of different newspapers in Germany reporting the death of Osama bin Laden. rogators about a courier with the nom de guerre Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti who was
close to Osama. After the CIA captured Qaida's No. 3 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in
It took 10 yrs, $1.3tn to kill Osama
'Osama killing was shared achievement' Islamabad: The killing of Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was a "shared achievement", the US's special representative to Afghanistan-Pakistan Marc Grossman said while the Pakistan foreign secretary asserted his country would "not allow our soil to be used for terrorism". "The three countries that are here share a commitment to put end to extremism. The three countries believe that it was a shared achievement," said Grossman following a trilateral meeting of senior officials from the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan here. He said the Al Qaeda leader was an enemy of both the US and Pakistan, as thousands of Pakistani civilians and soldiers had died at the hands of terrorists. When asked about various conspiracy theories sur-
Rawalpindi, he confirmed knowing alKuwaiti but denied he had anything to do with al-Qaida. Then in 2004, al-Qaida operative Hassan Ghul was captured in Iraq. Ghul told the CIA that al-Kuwaiti was crucial to Qaida. In particular, Ghul said, he was close to Faraj al-Libi, who had replaced Mohammed as al-Qaida's operational commander. It was a key break in the hunt for in bin Laden's personal courier. "Hassan Ghul was the lynchpin," a US official said. Finally, in May 2005, al-Libi was captured. He admitted to the CIA that when he was promoted to succeed Mohammed, he received the word through a courier. But he made up a name for the courier and denied knowing al-Kuwaiti, a denial that was so adamant and unbelievable that the CIA took it as confirmation that he and Mohammed were protecting the courier. It only reinforced the idea that al-Kuwaiti was very important to al-Qaida. If they could find the man known as al-Kuwaiti, they'd find Osama.
he costliest and bloodiest manhunt in human history came to an end when Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces in a nighttime shootout in Abbotabad, Pakistan. With a bounty of $50 million on his head, Osama had played hide and seek with the US for nearly a decade since former president Bush declared him the arch terrorist and the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on the Twin Towers in New York. The US launched a Global War on Terror after the attacks. Initially focused on Afghanistan, where bin Laden was supposed to be hiding, this war soon spread to Iraq, and distant places like the Horn of Africa and Philippines. Dozens of countries got involved. But the centerpiece remained the elusive bin Laden. The US has spent $1.28 trillion till now on this war, according to a recently released study of the Congressional Research Service, an arm of the US Congress. The bulk of this — $806 billion or 63% of the total — has been spent in Iraq while Afghanistan sucked up $444 billion or 35%. Strengthening of US military bases all over the world has taken up about $29 billion. The
T
US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman delivers a speech as Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Jaweed Ludin look on, in Islamabad. rounding bin Laden's death, Salman Bashir was categoriGrossman said: "You can cal that he would not go into have as many conspiracies as whether Pakistan governyou wish. He's dead, it's ment was involved in the US good. We still have to fight raid that killed bin Laden. "I think there is no point as extremism." The Pakistani Foreign far as I can see getting into Office issued a statement that the forensics of this particuit was entirely a US opera- lar operation. And who did tion. Speaking to reporters, what. That is besides the Pakistan's Foreign Secretary point," he said.
Deep shame over Osama's killing: daily Islamabad: The fact that Osama bin Laden was living right under the "military's nose" added to the way in which he was killed were matters of deep shame, a leading Pakistani daily said. An editorial in the Dawn said: "Not since Abdul Qadeer Khan confessed to transferring nuclear technology to Iran and Libya has Pakistan suffered such embarrassment." "Right under our military`s nose was found Osama bin Laden, the most wanted man of the decade, living in relative comfort in a compound with stringent security that somehow went unnoticed. "Nor was this man simply an enemy of other countries; he and his ideology have exacted a stunning death toll in Pakistan over the last few years. Add to this the way he was
killed, and embarrassment turns into deep shame." It noted that US forces operating independently of Pakistani authorities flew from the Afghan border into Abbottabad in helicopters and then conducted a 40-minute firefight at Osama's safe house - "again, a building located within walking and visual distance of the Pakistan Military Academy". Pakistan's denial of information on the US raid "leaves us with multiple sources of embarrassment and worry". "It implies that foreign military helicopters were able to travel undetected across our airspace, transporting highly trained operatives who conducted a dramatic operation without being interrupted by any Pakistani lawenforcement agency or the military.
People who lost family during the terrorist attacks on 9/11 speak during a news conference in New York City.
researchers could not account for the balance $6 billion. The US Congressional Budget Office has projected that the total cost of war would reach a mindboggling $1.8 trillion by 2021. This includes the declared troops reduction schedules. Even with bin Laden dead, expenditure on the war effort is unlikely to reduce any further since in both Iraq and Afghanistan, bin Laden or his organization al-Qaida are not the main opposition to US. The Osama manhunt easily qualifies as the bloodiest ever. US itself has lost nearly 6000 of its troops and another 55,000 have sustained injuries. But the price paid by civilians has been very high. Over 1.2 million people
are estimated to have died in Iraq in direct armed conflict although other studies put the figure much higher. In Afghanistan, over 20,000 people have been killed and nearly 50,000 injured in the war. In Somalia and neighbouring countries at least 6500 people died in the course of the past decade. All figures are at best approximate and likely to be under-estimates as there are no official body counts. There have been at least 13 major terrorist attacks since 9/11, killing over 1000 persons. Besides these, there have been at least 10 planned attacks that were busted. Not all of these attacks can be directly linked to bin Laden or al-Qaida.
Profile TheSouthAsianTimes.info
15
May 7-13, 2011
Dr Nitin Doshi, Ellis Island Medal winner for 2011, is the Chairman of Diagnostic Imaging Group, which provides services through Doshi Diagnostic, started by his wife Dr Leena Doshi. They have now diversified into real estate and hedge funds, creating a multimillion dollar family business. The Long Island based Doshis also quietly support social causes and charities
‘The Power of Goodwill’ is Doshis’ success mantra By Parveen Chopra r Nitin Doshi will be a proud Indian American when on May 7 he receives the Ellis Island Medal of Honor at a special ceremony in New York. The prestigious medals are given every year to immigrants for their distinguished contributions to the nation and the community. Dr Doshi gives full credit for all their success to his wife of 40 years, Dr Leena Doshi, because “we do everything together”. He would have preferred a joint award, but it was not in the medal’s rule book. Actually, in public mind, the couple is more associated with Doshi Diagnostic chain, which was founded 25 years ago by Dr Leena Doshi, a radiologist. Around 1992, Dr Nitin Doshi left his successful dental practices to manage and grow her radiology business, which under Diagnostic Imaging Group (DIG) now employs 1,400 people and has 30 locations in New York, New Jersey and Florida. Diversifying, he ventured into real estate with NDC Capital, and a hedge fund in India, Heritage Capital. The corporate office of DIG is in Hicksville, NY, and of financial businesses in Manhattan. To fulfill their corporate social responsibility, they have set up a foundation that has partnered with NGOs like Pratham, AIF Share & Care and Veerayatan.
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Dr Nitin Doshi will be conferred Ellis Island Medal of honor this Saturday The Doshis live in Great Neck, NY and have one daughter and one son, both married. To leave a lasting record of their life journey and outlook on life for the coming generations in their family, Leena is writing an autobiography and Nitin is using the medium of a documentary film, both for private consumption. In a rare and exclusive interview to the South Asian Times, Dr Nitin Doshi spoke at length about his journey from a boy in Sudan to a boarding school in India to finding stupendous success in America. He also delineated the Doshi business philosophy, people philosophy, and shared his tips for immigrants to succeed in America. Excerpts:
Dr Nitin Doshi with wife Dr Leena Doshi, when she received the Asian Women in Business Award in 2005
SATimes: What is your business philosophy? Dr Nitin Doshi: If I ever were to write a book about my life, it will be titled something like ‘The Power of Goodwill’. People don’t really grasp how powerful that tool is. To me everything that I have, if I have to go back and think about all the different times that I was successful, is mainly because I created lot of goodwill with the people that I was dealing with. The more goodwill you create, whether it is your family, your friends, your employees, your business associates, bankers, whoever you are dealing with--you can get a lot more from people if they trust you and like you. My philosophy has always been for our peo-
ple to fall in love with me, for who I am, and I’ll try to do things for them. I go out of my way to help people to win their trust and their love. And this is who I am. I try to do this with every single person I come in contact with—whether they are employees or Kamlesh Mehta. I want to make sure they know that I am very helpful, open, well-grounded, a real person. And I want them to like me for who I am and trust me for what I am saying. That creates a lot of goodwill. SAT: Employees at Doshi Diagnostic are said to work for a lifetime. How do you win their loyalty? Dr Doshi: We care about them. Leena focuses on their strengths, and gives them space to grow in that strength. Even if they are not paid too high, when they come to work on their strengths, they enjoy what they are doing and growing in. A happy employee is a loyal employee. Caring can take a different form. When in 2005 we sold our business, we kept apart and distributed $12.5 million among our employees. SAT: You are a success story. What advice will you give to new Indian immigrants to be successful here? Dr Doshi: Assimilate. And understand the way of life here. We are in their country, and need to understand their ways. That is one of the things we adopted early on—Leena and I decided that we are going to raise our kids in a way that the sooner they assimilate, the
Doshis’ son Nishat, son-in-law Todd Cather and daughter Neely
Exclusive Interview better off they will be. It does not matter that they may look different, sound different. The biggest challenge an immigrant faces is he must learn the American way of life while retaining Indian culture and heritage. To me culture has never meant that you have to wear a sari, eat Indian food and watch Indian folk dance, or see Hindi movies. To me, culture has always been a lot more deeper, spiritual, the value system that we have learnt in India, respecting the elderly, helping the unfortunate, be there to help people in need before they ask for help. SAT: When and why did you diversify beyond medicine? Dr Doshi: It happened in 2005. But first a bit of the monetary history of Doshi Diagnostic. In 1997 we sold 70 per cent of the management company to a firm in California for $48 million. In 2000 we bought it back for $60 million because we had grown the business meanwhile. The same business we grew from 2000 to 2005 and we sold 65% of the company when its enterprise value was $265 million. So we as a family continue to own as private equity group 27% of the company and the rest is with other private equity groups. Thus, in 2005 we had monetized a substantial amount and I wanted to diversify out of healthcare. That is when I started real estate private investment firm, NDC Capital. Today we have about $800 million worth of real estate and we continue to grow that business. SAT: Did the economic collapse affect NDC Capital? Dr Doshi: In 2005 I brought in and seeded a professional team from Citibank who were in real estate for 30 years. This team of eight bankers was managing $4 billion for Citibank, which decided to close that division. I had dealt with them for nine years and convinced them to start their own company--I was to pay for their salaries, working capital and $50 million to buy real estate. That is how NDC Capital got founded. In 2006 we started buying Continued on page 16....
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Profile
May 7-13, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Doshis: Entrepreneurs, Philanthropists, Mentors Continued from page 15 multifamily apartment buildings in areas where employment is not going to be affected. This was before the economic collapse. So the last 4-5 years we have not been affected as much because we did not have much commercial real estate. Our assets, these multifamily apartments, are all in the US, in states like Texas, Oklahoma and North Carolina. SAT: And how did you come to start a hedge fund in India? Dr Doshi: In 2006 I went to India because my father was not well. It is then I saw a booming India. When I came back I told this to the gentleman who runs my family office, Doshi Capital Partners. Basically I have a professional team—an investment banker, an accountant, two analysts, who actually manage our money for us. So I said we should really be investing in India. We decided on floating a long/short equity fund in listed securities in India, and were lucky to find the right person to head that company. Rajesh Bhatia, who was managing $1.5 billion at Reliance Capital, moved with his team and we seeded them, gave them $20 million to start the investment. That was in January 2008. Called Heritage
Nitin and Leena Doshi are partners in all they do Capital, it is doing very well since then. Besides, all my liquid funds are invested in different hedge funds in US and internationally. I am also in chemicals business but only as an investor. SAT: You do believe in the much heralded economic boom in India? Dr Doshi: Absolutely. I have got pretty good returns –in 2010 I made 20 per cent on my investment. I always say that I have
gone to India with a 10-year plan. Because it is an emerging market, there is lot of volatility. That is why I have a long/short fund. SAT: What is long/short fund? Dr Doshi: Most of the time people buy stocks expecting them to go up. Short means, you look at a stock and think this is going to go down, you bet that this stock is too high, is overpriced. There is a separate market for that. So spreading your money in long and short
stocks reduces risk whether the market goes up or down. In an emerging market, because of the inherent volatility, this is a good product. But besides us, there are only maybe 2-3 others with this product. SAT: What is your prediction for the American economy? Dr Doshi: We came out of a big mess. The country was heading into a major disaster in 2008, almost a depression. There is a
whole controversy on the government putting in a lot of liquidity, introducing various programs like TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) that purchased failing bank assets. Had the government not helped the banks, and helped the companies, we would have had a disaster on our hands. Since then the economy has turned around, is growing slowly and will continue to grow slowly. There is lot of headwind. That is why I believe that Indian economy will grow a minimum 3-4 percentage points higher than the US economy. And to take advantage of that growth is obviously why I am investing in India. I do have exposure here because I live here, I have real estate exposure which is tangible assets. So if inflations comes, real estate will have a tendency of going up. As for equity, I have more exposure in India, in Asia, because I think Asian equity markets will do better than the US market overall. Of course, geopolitical risks are there. If geopolitical risks become very high elsewhere, then the US market will do very well because this is a safe haven for anyone and everyone in the world. So you simply want to ensure that your asset allocation is fairly well balanced and you con-
Dr Leena Doshi: Everyday Hero er husband, Dr Nitin Doshi, dence and I tell the stucredits her with all that he dents my story. I think it has achieved, because “we encourages them," do everything together.” He admires Doshi told Newsday. her management style which is logiAmong the honors cal, analytical, systems oriented, Leena has received is bottom up. To her 1,400 employees the Asian Women in at Doshi Diagnostic, Dr Leena B u s i n e s s ’ s Doshi is the caring mother figure Entrepreneurial who works on their strengths, helpLeadership Award in ing them grow. 2005. The award citaFor her entrepreneurial success tion read: “Leena is a and philanthropic activities she has role model for entreprereceived many honors and awards. neurs and she has relIn the words of Newsday, she is ished the challenge of ‘Everyday Hero’. Profiling her in growing her business. that column in 2003, the leading She is a systems person Long Island daily said that Leena who knows how and Doshi “grew up in Bombay with when to delegate and three siblings and parents in a home surrounds herself with no bigger than the average hospital talented people who are room, with no telephone or refrigera- Dr Leena Doshi was hailed as ‘Everyday a part of her 'A' team". tor.” Despite such humble beginShe had, early on, Hero’ by Newsday in 2003 nings, she graduated from medical learned to operate in a school, came to the US in 1973 and began honing corporate structure and honed her problem solving her expertise in radiology. By 1985, she had opened skills while keeping up with technology." a private practice in Flushing that has grown into Her family foundation supports charities such as Doshi Diagnostic radiology chain. Pratham, American India Foundation and Share & Having had good fortune, Leena Doshi wanted to Care. Among her priorities is the support of some share it. One contribution she made is an academic Jain temples (her family is Jain) and sponsorship of enrichment program, "The Doshi Difference" started health fairs both in America and India. The in 1999 in partnership with John Bowne High Foundation also supports India Home in Elmont, School in Flushing. The program funded by Doshi NY, which offers a program for seniors that includes Family Foundation is geared towards helping some trips to museums, beaches and parks. hand selected immigrants’ children achieve success The Doshis believe in a concentric circle of giving in math and science. The program has been such a starting from family, to employees, to communities success that its curriculum has recently been offered and believe strongly that each of us has the ability to to all students at every high school in New York. make a difference if we only have to the desire to do "Just being in a special program boosts their confi- so.
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Dr Nitin Doshi giving interview for a documentary
The Doshis with son Nishat and daughter-in-law Franciska
Profile TheSouthAsianTimes.info
May 7-13, 2011 Morarji Public School, Andheri. I studied there for five years. That is where my foundation was built— there was lot of sports, military like discipline, and excellent academic standards. I graduated from the school a valedictorian. Then I went to Elphinstone College, the best science college in Bombay, and on to earn my dentistry degree from the Government Dental College in 1971. SAT: So that is the time you met Leena ji, your wife to be? Dr Doshi: I met her in our premedical year in Bombay in 1966. She is from a Kutchhi family of Gujarat and her maiden name was Leena Hansraj Maru. She had better grades and went into medicine, and I went into dental college. We were dating at a time when it was unusual in India. We had a traditional Hindu wedding in 1972 with
the blessing of the family in Sudan. SAT: How soon did success come after you and Leena moved to the USA? Dr Doshi: I left Sudan in 1973 and came straight to New York. Meanwhile, Leena had finished her residency from Topiwala National Medical College in Bombay and could join me. I took refresher courses at NYU, taking two years to get my license to practice. While waiting for my license, I worked in a group dental practice. That is another turning point in my life. SAT: How was that a turning point? Dr Doshi: Because I became a manager of dental practices and that skill set for two years of learning the management, training, interacting, hiring/firing, dealing
with American staff gave me tremendous experience. Obviously those two years of learning management I have used throughout my life. That skill set differentiated me from any other dentist. Most others work as dental assistants while they wait for their license, while I was in management. And then after starting my practice, I kept on improving my management skills and went on to set up nine dental practices between 1975 and 1994, selling once they had matured. SAT: How did Doshi Diagnostic become a chain? Dr Doshi: In 1985 Leena started Doshi Diagnostic in Flushing. Earlier she had worked at Flushing Hospital for eight years after finishing her radiology residency Continued on page 18....
Dr Nitin Doshi and Leena Doshi playing with grandchildren tinue to look at it very carefully. Of course, I don’t do that, I have a professional team that helps me do that. SAT: Indian Americans have more or less shied away from politics, what about you? Dr Doshi: I am apolitical. Politics is not my cup of tea—to fight elections every four years and raise campaign money. We do give money to candidates we like but not to political parties. I call myself Independent. I am fiscally conservative but socially pragmatic. SAT: What are your short term and long term plans? Where are you looking to expand? Dr Doshi: Medicine is becoming challenging with all the changes in Medicare, Medicaid, government facing difficulty and reducing the reimbursement. It is becoming more and more challenging to run the radiology business. Of course, we have run it for 25 years, the only business we started and we still get involved in running it (the other businesses are what I’d seeded professional teams to run). My goal, short term, would be to move out of the operating business, out of the day-today running of the radiology business. Long term goal will be to continue to find other financial products to either invest in or if I find the right professional team to back them by seeding them. SAT: Haven’t your two children shown interest in joining the business? Dr Doshi: Good question. The
answer is, they have not so far. My daughter, Neely, 35, did her graduation from Emory University in Atlanta, and her MBA from Fordham, where she was a Deming scholar. She worked as a consultant for a while. Her husband, Todd Cather, is from Iowa and has a masters in real estate from NYU. Todd is a partner in real estate with me. They have two kids, 5 and 3 years old, and while the kids are young, Neely is a stay at home mom. She, however, helps me manage the Doshi Family Foundation, which is not very taxing work. My son, Nishat, 31, decided that he wanted to be independent. He is also in real estate. He likes to buy small 8-20 unit apartment buildings (right now he has got two in Brooklyn) and is building that portfolio mostly in Brooklyn and Manhattan. He is married to Franciska. They have one child. As you can see, I am a busy grandfather. SAT: Can we talk about your formative years in Africa and India? Dr Doshi: I was born in 1947 in Sudan, Africa. My father was a businessman who had moved there in 1942 from a town near Rajkot. At age 12, I was sent away from home to Khartoum to study at a missionary school. That was a turning point in my life. The Fathers there saw my grades and told my father that I was too bright to be left in Sudan. So, at age 13 I was sent to India to a boarding school in Bombay –Hansraj
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The Doshis with their Senior Management colleagues holidaying in Costa Rica
Celebrating Dr. Nitin Doshi's 60th birthday in Aruba
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Profile
May 7-13, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Growing with the Doshis nish Berry and Tariq Shaikh are a shining example of how high you can rise being around Nitin and Leena Doshi. The two executives also offer an admiring peep into the style of functioning and value system of the Doshis. Both Berry and Shaikh started their careers around the same time in 1992 with Doshi Diagnostic when it had only one center, in Flushing, NY. Today both are partners with the Doshis. Recalls Berry, “My background is in finance and investment but I happened to start in healthcare. The family gave me a chance to grow. We also added value to the business and in time were running the business.” Berry says what he has learnt from the Doshis is “integrity, which is a big part of how they look at life. They also help people grow. They are hard working, humanitarian and worry about the community.
“They have been involved in our life-- to my kids they are grandparents.” Adds Shaikh, “Absolutely, we started our career with the Doshis. “They guided us, nurtured us. Nitin is somebody one can trust always who is there to help”. Shaikh also reflects that there may be 1,400 employees in Doshi Diagnostic, but Nitin and
ing for me. Since then I have been full time with Doshi Diagnostic. SAT: How have you and Leena worked out roles at Doshi Diagnostic? Dr Doshi: Leena is more a logical, analytical, systems oriented person. She does everything, building from bottom up, one block at a time. That is her management style. I am an extrovert, more a people person, a top down guy. So early on, we decided that I would do all the external work, public relations, dealing with accountants, attorneys, cheerleading the team. She created the systems to be able to produce what we are producing. I became the implementer of her systems. But handling the externals, I became more the face of Doshi Diagnostic. After 18 years we pretty much play the same roles. Anything new first goes to her, whether it is equipment, telephony, IT, work flow. My role has been to take those ideas from her and implement them. SAT: What is Doshi Family Foundation’s giving philosophy and how much does it give? Dr Doshi: Started in 1992, it is a big part of how we look at life—
to help people grow, to have concern for the welfare of the community. We are not very religious, but spiritual and humanitarian you can say. We don’t have a fixed budget for the Foundation but have been giving to various causes over the years. We have given $400,000 to AIF (American India Foundation), $600,000 to Veerayatan (which rehabilitates earthquake victims, especially children, in India), $300,000 to Share & Care Foundation, and so on. SAT: You are not seen much at Indian community events… Dr Doshi: In our first few years here, we were active, but then invitations for a variety of awards and honors got to be too much. Similarly, Doshi Family Foundation is also low-key lest we get a barrage of requests for grants and donations. SAT: For years you have been part of a group of Indian families here... Dr Doshi: It is an informal group. What happened is, when we came here in 1973, we bumped into a few people Leena knew from India. One thing led to another, and we formed this group of young immigrants, who happened to be all from Bombay. We were
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Dr Leena Doshi making her acceptance speech at the Asian Women in Business’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Award in 2005 Continued from page 17 from Lenox Hill Hospital. By 1992 she was ready to open her second and third radiology practice. At that time, we decided that we both can’t be busy considering we had two young kids. And in 16 years I had done everything that I
felt I had to do in dentistry. So, I stopped active dental practice and went into management of my owndental practices and Leena’s radiology practice. Radiology brought better return on the time I devoted to it than dentistry, so I sold off my dentistry practices to people work
Despite their busy schedules, the Doshis manage to take vacations
Dr Nitin Doshi with Tariq Shaikh (left) and Anish Berry Leena know each one personally. Shaikh compliments the Doshis, “who complement each other”, for their ability to simplify complex processes and go the heart of the problem, which is a gift from God. Nitin, he observes, has amazing memory, he never forgets names of people he meets. He also returns calls of all, be it family, friends or employees. all starting our careers, starting our families, we all became friends, about 30 families. We became an extended family and we used to meet almost 45 weekends in a year. We still meet, some of them are successful, some not that much, but nothing has changed between us. A whole lot of them will be there to support me when I receive the Ellis Medal on May 7. SAT: You and Leena famously manage to go on vacations a lot and are into sports. Dr Doshi: Yes, you won’t believe it, we do take up to 120150 days off in a year. The trick is to not only gather a professional team, but to support them fully. Always align your interest with the people working for you--they are your partners, not workers. I try to find out what their goal is and my full time job is to help them get to that goal. Leena and I play tennis and golf, ski, snorkel, do running--Leena has run two New York City marathons. Yes, balance in life is very important. Immigrants need to learn that besides making a success at work they have to find time for other things too, like spending time with family.
End of Osama Terror TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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May 7-13, 2011
For US, Pak is new enemy By Yashwant Raj fter getting rid of Osama bin Laden, the US finds itself facing a new enemy: Pakistan. No one here believes the Pakistanis didn’t know the world’s most wanted terrorist lived a short distance from their premier military academy. US President Barack Obama’s counter-terrorism chief John Brennan refused to give his country’s top anti-terror ally a clean chit, despite statements emerging out of Pakistan claiming they — as a trusted partner — knew of the raid. “We are looking right now at how he (bin Laden) was able to hold out there (in Pakistan) for so long, and whether or not there was any type of support system within Pakistan that allowed him to stay there,” Brennan said at a briefing. US lawmakers are raising questions, too. Republican senator Bob Corker has written to secretary of state Hillary Clinton, asking for details — “whether or not the Pakistanis had knowledge that he was there and did not share that knowledge”. Two other senators — Republican Ted Poe and Democrat Frank Lautenberg — want further aid to Pakistan linked to its role. There seemed no takers here for Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s claim that Islamabad wasn’t aware of bin Laden’s hideout in Abbottabad, 60 km from Islamabad. “Some in the US press have suggested that Pakistan lacked vitality in its pursuit of terrorism, or worse yet, that we were disin-
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In the Den of Terror: Police personnel stand guard outside the hideout of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. genuous and actually protected the terrorists we claimed to be pursuing. Such baseless speculation may make exciting cable news, but it doesn't reflect facts,” Zardari said in Abbottabad on Tuesday.” Bin Laden was killed with his son and his two protectors on Sunday by a team of 79 US Navy Seals in Abbottabad. Americans are convinced Pakistan knew. Relations between the two countries have been edgy already, over the CIA’s drone attacks and one of its operatives killing two Pakistanis. And now, the revela-
tion that Bin Laden was not hiding in the caves of the ungovernable Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. “It’s worth bearing in mind that he was more or less hiding in plain sight,” said an intelligence officer at the department of defence. Experts and administration officials mention previous instances in which intelligence shared with Pakistan was found to have travelled to the Taliban and even Bin Laden. Pakistan has few friends here today. In fact, it is the new enemy.
Geronimo EKIA! Washington: "Geronimo EKIA." That was the terse message that US President Barack Obama was tensely waiting to hear. It meant that Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been killed, The New York Times reported. The code name for Bin Laden was "Geronimo" and EKIA stood for Enemy Killed In Action. As Leon E. Panetta, the
CIA director, made the dramatic announcement, there was silence in the Situation Room in the White House Sunday night. Finally, the president spoke. "We got him." Obama looked "stone faced", one aide said. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. fingered his rosary beads. "The minutes passed like days," recalled John O. Brennan, the White House counter-terrorism chief.
US to keep up balancing act: Experts Washington: Even as Islamabad is hard put to explain how the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks was able to stay so deep inside Pakistan, the US "will continue conducting a complex balancing act on the subcontinent between India and Pakistan", analysts here suggest. The US operation to take out Osama bin Laden was "kept from the Pakistanis in order to avoid having the operation compromised, as the United States has been burned a number of times by Pakistani intelligence in pursuing high-value targets", noted Reva Bhalla at the strategic think tank Stratfor. But Pakistan knows very well, and the US begrudgingly acknowledges, that the Pakistanis have vital intelligence links to Al Qaeda and Taliban targets that determine the level of success the US will have in the war against terror, she said. "That is a reality the United States has to deal with and
Support Base: Sudanese sympathizers hold prayers in Khartoum, in remembrance of Osama Bin Laden. Experts at the Council on Foreign Relations suggest Osama's death is both a symbolic and real blow to Al Qaeda. But the group remains lethal, they add. Pakistan uses those intelligence needs to rely on Pakistan in order really there's very little hiding that links as critical leverage in its rela- to forge a political understanding deep level of distrust between tionship with Washington," Bhalla with the Taliban in Afghanistan in Washington and Islamabad", said. order to shape an exit from the war Bhalla said. "No matter how frustrated the in Afghanistan," she said. Gilles Dorronsoro, a visiting United States becomes with Thus "the United States will scholar at the Carnegie Pakistani duplicity in managing continue conducting a complex Endowment, too, considered the jihadist threat, the United balancing act on the subcontinent Osama's death a clear victory with States cannot avoid the fact that it between India and Pakistan, but greater significance for the war in
Afghanistan than for the dynamics of radical jihadist groups around the world. Nothing indicates that other jihadist groups, for example Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan, blamed for the Mumbai terror attacks by India, will be affected by the killing of Osama, he said. But the dramatic action deep inside Pakistan exposing Islambad's "incompetence or complicity" gives the White House some leverage in pushing Pakistan to make positive steps, Dorronsoro said. Experts at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) suggest Osama's death is both a symbolic and real blow to Al Qaeda. But the group remains lethal, they say. "America's strategy for the postbin Laden era must be a far greater commitment to helping Pakistan overcome the political, economic and security conditions that make it an appealing safe haven for terrorists like bin Laden," argues expert Daniel Markey.
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India Newswire
May 7-13, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Dialogue with Pak to continue: India New Delhi: India has said that talks with Pakistan will continue, even as it expressed concern about the impact on Afghanistan by an early withdrawal of coalition forces following the killing of Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. Stating that the killing was a "significant milestone", Indian officials described as "sensational" the fact that Osama was living so close to the capital and just a stone's throw from the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul. "It vindicates our position that we have been saying that without the elimination of safe havens or sanctuaries in Pakistan, there is no end to the global war of terrorism," said official sources. There will be no change in the timetable or tenor of dialogue with Pakistan, officials said. "Talks will continue - there is need to normalize relations. The best way is to engage with them." It was pointed out that while Al Qaeda's operational capabilities had deteriorated in recent years, there were now several affiliated organizations which remain "formidable as ever".
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Mohali stadium to watch India-Pakistan semi-final match. "Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-eMohammed remain a problem for India and Afghanistan - we will continue to press this point with the United States and also Pakistan. These guys are ideologically fused," said a senior government official. When asked about the legality of the US action, official sources said that Americans had not much
choice but to launch this operation, as Pakistan did not seem cooperative in taking action. "The full story has still not be told. We would like to hear from the US on the way that they had done the planning and the extent of Pakistani involvement," said an official. Admitting that India had "drawn a blank" in getting any wanted
'Hard look' on aid to Pak: US envoy New Delhi: Three days after Osama bin Laden was killed near Islamabad, US ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer said Washington will take a "hard look" at the aid given to Pakistan and asked it to do more to book terrorists who attacked Mumbai in 2008. "We are certainly going to see Capitol Hill take a very hard look at the assistance that we give, and we invest in security for Pakistan and quite frankly for India. India has a vested interest in a more prosperous Pakistan," Roemer told reporters on the sideline of an event here. Saying Pakistan needed to do more against terrorists, Roemer said in a statement that it had to be seen if Islamabad was using the funds given by the US in a "proper way". "Congress is going to engage in I think two very fundamentally important tasks in the weeks ahead. One will be as we share or sell certain military equipment to Pakistan, is that being used in the proper way to take on counter terrorism efforts. "We have seen over the past 18 months Pakistan has
criminals extradited from Pakistan, official sources, however, added that it will not be pragmatic to assume that India could launch an operation similar to the US raid. "Foreign policy is not wish fulfillment. It has to deal with the realities‌We are not being helpless. There is a reasonable, sober way of dealing with our neighbor," said sources. They said that the relationship between India and Pakistan, just as between the US and Pakistan, is complicated, conflicted and contentious. "Effort are on to reduce the contentiousness," said the official. But, it was stated that to see any results, sustained dialogue was required. "Our geography is our destiny," said the senior government source, adding: "It's easy to be hawkish on Pakistan." "The idea is not to humiliate Pakistan. If we bring them to their knees, then what?" There was also the realization that India cannot expect the United States to do the heavy-lifting to put pressure on Pakistan to take action against terror groups. "The US is
not going to put our coals in the fire. We should accept that. We are in this alone," said sources. They noted that there had been differences over US policy in the region in the past, and this will continue in the future. "We had to eat much bitterness in the past, and will continue to eat bitterness." Government sources said it would be wrong to assume that there would be faster withdrawal of the US and other forces from Afghanistan as a result of Osama's elimination. "Nobody who is committed to Afghanistan would want a precipitous withdrawal of coalition forces," said a senior official. It was asserted that the "jihadi mindset" is not so easily discarded. "To leave Afghanistan now would be repetition of what had happened 20-30 years earlier. The US has learnt the lessons from that," sources said. They also scoffed at Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir's stating that the demand for justice for the 26/11 masterminds was outdated. "I don't think it was a serious statement," said a source.
BJP asks PM to review talks with Pak New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to review his decision to restore peace talks with Pakistan after Osama bin Laden was killed in that country, proof that it had been harboring the world's most wanted terrorist. "The elimination of Osama bin Laden, the global face of terror, is the high point in the global war on terror. It (Osama's killing by US in Pakistan's garrison town
of Abbotabad) established that Pakistan is epicenter of terror and was harboring world's most wanted terrorist," BJP spokesperson Arun Jaitley said. He was speaking to reporters after a core committee meeting of the opposition party that discussed the situation in the aftermath of Osama's death. Jaitley said the BJP believed that "Pakistan can no longer claim to be the victim of terror".
India capable of US-like op: Army chief US ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer. stepped up those efforts to target Al Qaeda leadership and degrade the leadership. But he asked: "Are they doing enough on Lashkar-eTaiba? Are they doing enough on Mumbai trials? Are they doing enough on Hafiz Saeed and (Zakiur Rehman) Lakhvi? No, they need to do more," he said. He said Pakistan needs to show results on the Mumbai trials. "Senior level visitors from the US going to Islamabad have made very clear that Pakistan needs to do more. They need to show progress and results on the Mumbai
trials. That Mumbai attack on 26/11 killed scores of Indians, six Americans, and the US wants to see progress and results and justice." Roemer also said Osama's discovery in Pakistan would also be taken up. The fugitive was killed by US forces in a mansion in Pakistan's Abbottabad town. "The second part of this will be in respect to bin Laden being discovered outside of Islamabad. We remember Khalid Sheikh Mohammad was discovered inside Rawalpindi back in 2003, this is a concern.�
Lucknow: Indian Army chief General V.K. Singh has claimed that the country's defense forces were competent to undertake an US-like operation that killed Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. "We have the capability.....If situation arises, all the three wings (army, navy and air force) are competent in carrying out such an operation," Singh replied when journalists asked whether the Indian Army could carry out an operation like the US special forces undertook to kill the world's most dreaded terrorist in Pakistan.
Army chief General V.K. Singh. Asked whether the US took any assistance from Pakistan during the operation against bin Laden,
Singh said, "How can I comment on this?....it is up to Pakistan and the US to clarify on the issue."
Osama TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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May 7-13, 2011
Arunachal CM confirmed dead The body of Khandu was taken to Itanagar on May 5 in a Mi-17 helicopter. On April 30, the ill-fated helicopter took off from Tawang at 9.56 a.m. and was scheduled to
reach the helipad at Itanagar at 11.30 a.m. but radio contact was lost after about 20 minutes and after it had just passed over the Sela Pass, which is located at an altitude of 13,700 feet.
'Chopper unfit for such terrain'
Dorjee Khandu's chopper went missing on April 30. Guwahati: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu was found dead in the remote and inaccessible Luguthang village, about 30 km from Tawang near the India-China border, on May 4. His relatives and villagers reportedly identified the body. The sad news came after five days of intense search operations since the Pawan Hans A350-B3 helicopter carrying Mr. Khandu and four others went missing near
The chopper crashed over the Sela Pass, which is located at an altitude of 13,700 feet. the Sela Pass at 10.05 a.m. on April 30 while flying from Tawang to Itanagar. All five bodies have been traced. The four others were the pilots, Captains T.S. Manik and J.S. Babar; Khandu's personal security officer Yeshi Chodak and Yeshi Lhamu, sister of Tsewng Dhundup, Congress MLA from Tawang. The breakthrough in the search came when some villagers spotted
2G Scam: SC raps IT department New Delhi: The Supreme Court on May 5 pulled up the Income Tax department for slow and sketchy investigations into the 2G scam, saying figures in its status report "were mindboggling" and had "so many zeroes". The court also noted that investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the scam had been "fastpaced" so far, but said it would consider appointing a committee of eminent people to monitor their probe. Justice G.S. Singvi and Justice Asok Kumar Ganguly asked the Director General, Income Tax, to file a comprehensive report giving full details of its probe into the role of people in the scam, in particular from the time it got in October telephonic
Several corporate bigwigs besides former Communications minister A. Raja are in jail because of the 2G scam.
intercepts of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia. The court said it will hold further hearing May 13 on the plea by Prashant Bhushan seeking appointment of a monitoring committee.
the bodies and the helicopter wreckage and informed a control room. Immediately, search teams were mobilized to trek to the crash site. There is no road to Luguthang and the porter route is also now reportedly snow-covered, delaying retrieval of the bodies. Official sources said three bodies were charred beyond recognition. The crash site is located in the Mukto constituency, which is represented by the Chief Minister.
New Delhi: The helicopter ferrying Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, which on April 30, was new and registered in July last year, but it had just one engine and hence was deemed unfit for such terrain, aviation experts said. As per the new norms of civil aviation requirements issued June 1 last year, any single-engine chopper can be deployed only on those routes, or areas, that permit the execution of a forced landing, said a top official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. "The new norms also clearly say single engine machines shall not be operated at night or in instru-
ment meteorological conditions, and an exception is only given when visibility is much, much better than normal," the official said. "But as per our preliminary reports, the weather conditions were hardly conducive for a single-engine operation," the official said. "Our officers will conduct the inquiry. But state government has to give some answers." The official said the chopper -AS 350 B3 of Eurocopter, nicknamed "Ecureuil", which means squirrel in French -- had a single Turbomeca engine, bore serial number 4991, was registered as VT-PHT on July 7, 2010, and pressed into service in December last year.
Now, Baba Ramdev on 'fast track' Mumbai: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who was actively involved in social activist Anna Hazare’s anti-graft movement, has now started his own campaign against corruption. Ramdev on May 4 announced that he will go on a fast unto death from June 4 in the Capital as part of his campaign — satyagraha against corruption. The satyagraha will be held at Ramlila Maidan to force the government to act on corruption-related issues. He plans to continue his fast till the government accepts his three demands — recover black money stashed away in foreign banks by Indian politicians and businessmen and declare it as public property, ban high-denomination currency notes in the country as it leads to high-level corruption and award death sentence to the corrupt. Ramdev claimed his supporters
Baba Ramdev. from India and abroad will join him in his fast in New Delhi. He is likely to be joined by Hazare, former police officer Kiran Bedi and Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde in this movement.
When asked what made him start a separate campaign, he said, “Corruption and black money is a big issue and we need to do a lot to get rid of it. Members of Anna’s movement will also support this movement.”
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Diaspora
May 7-13, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Top Indo-Canadian MPs lose in Canadian elections
Ujjal Dosanjh
Ruby Dhalla
Toronto: Top Indo-Canadian MPs, including Ujjal Dosanjh, Ruby Dhalla, Gurbax Malhi, Navdeep Bains and Sukh Dhaliwal, lost in Monday’s parliamentary elections which returned the ruling Conservative Party to power with 167 seats in the 308-member House of Commons. All these defeated Indo-Canadian MPs represented the opposition Liberal Party, which was reduced to just 34 seats – a historic low for Canada’s ‘natural governing party’, whose leader Michael Ignatieff lost his own seat in Toronto. Former Canadian health minister
Gurbax Malhi
Dosanjh, who won by about 20 votes in 2008, lost by over 1,000 votes this time to his old rival Wai Young of the ruling party in Vancouver South. Ruby Dhalla, who in 2004 became the first Sikh woman MP in Canada, lost to fellow IndoCanadian Parm Gill of the ruling party in Brampton-Springdale on the outskirts of Toronto. Thirty-seven-year-old Dhalla, who had squeezed through by a margin of just 700 votes in 2008, was hammered by more than 7,000 votes this time. Canadian Prime Minister
Navdeep Bains
Stephen Harper and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney had made it their mission to wrest this seat from Dhalla, with the prime minister visiting the constituency four times and even roping in Bollywood star Akshay Kumar for campaigning. Three-time Sikh MP Navdeep Bains, who had held the Mississauga-Brampton South seat since 2004, was also routed this time. Six-time MP Gurbax Malhi, who created history by becoming the first turbaned Sikh MP in Canada in 1993, lost by just 500 votes to
Sukh Dhaliwal
fellow Indo-Canadian Bal Gosal of the ruling party in Bramalea-GoreMalton here. Former Canada-India Business Council (CIBC) president Sarkar Rana came a poor third in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough Rouge. Sitting MP Sukh Dhaliwal was also beaten by Jinny Sims (Joginder Kaur) of the New Democratic Party (NDP) in Newton-North Delta on the suburbs of Vancouver. Sims becomes the first Indo-Canadian MP for the NDP. And the NDP got another Indo-
Canadian MP when its candidate Jasbir Sandhu beat Shinder Purewal of the Liberal Party in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey North. But from the ruling Conservative Party, all sitting Indo-Canadian MPs – Deepak Obhrai (Calgary East), Devinder Shory (Calgary Northeast), Tim Uppal (EdmontonSherwood) and Nina Grewal (Fleetwood-Port Kells) – retained their seats. Twenty-three Indo-Canadian candidates were in the fray this time. But the 41st parliament will have eight Indo-Canadian MPs against nine in the outgoing House.
Foundation stone laid for World of Indian diaspora to come alive in docu series Delhi: The world of the Indian diaspora, their life in all Surabhi Foundation for Research and Cultural Exchange. overseas Indians center New its shades of colours, will soon come alive in a series of docuThe film crew has already completed shooting in Singapore, New Delhi: Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi Thursday laid the foundation stone here for a ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra’ – intended for discussions and research on the issues of Indian abroad to strengthen ties with the 27 million strong diaspora in 130 countries. ‘This kendra is going to be a major center of activity for ‘Pravasi Bharatiyas’. The centre will have exhibitions and library and other facilities for the overseas Indians,’ Ravi said in his address on the occasion. The 9,800 square-meter center, in the diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri, would be used to host a number of seminars, exhibitions and will provide a forum for discussion on the issues relating to the Indian diaspora, he said. ‘We want to make this center a regular place for
discussions and seminars on the issues and matters of the overseas India, their contribution and close association to the country,’ Ravi said. The building will also have a research center on Indian diaspora studies. ‘The building will have facilities needed for enhancing connectivity between India and its diaspora. The center will also have a research center on diaspora studies with specific research program,’ Overseas Indian Affairs Secretary A. Didar Singh said. The center is being build by the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) at a cost of Rs.80 crore and is expected to be completed by April 2013. The center will also host an Indian cultural center, auditorium, permanent exhibition space, guest rooms and business center.
mentaries that well-known documentary filmmaker Siddharth Kak and his Surabhi Foundation are currently making. The series of 10 documentaries will be shot partly on location in countries where large numbers of overseas Indians are settled. The documentaries will show the vast world of the Indian diaspora, telling the stories of Indians settled in countries like Malaysia, Mauritius, the UAE, Oman, Britain, the US, Canada, South Africa, Uganda, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Fiji, Singapore and Australia. The film team will travel to 14 countries and trail the stories of Indian emigrants - their struggles, triumphs and assimilation into their adopted countries,' said Pooja Khemani of the
Malaysia and Mauritius. 'In Mauritius we plan to tell the story of the Indian community's arrival in the island country, their history and political struggles.’ 'We will film the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of Mauritius as well as the blending of cultures that has occurred over the generations,' explained Pooja, who is an assistant director of the project. Each documentary will show the history of Indian migration to the country mainly through preserved documents, old records, photo albums, interviews and through the interesting stories of some of the families who were among the early Indian migrants.
Ease visa restrictions for India, China: Australian univs Melbourne: Beleaguered Australian universities have come together to plead for easing of visa restrictions for students from India and China. The two most populous countries in the world provide the vast bulk of international students to Australia. There has been a significant drop in students from India putting many self-funded Australian universities and other higher education providers in deep financial crisis. Though the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) recently eased the visa norms for India and 37 other countries, a body representing Australian universities want more
relaxations to save the third largest export of the country. There has been a call to revamp the Assessment Level system which decides the key requirements like financials and English Language requirements for the international students interested in Australian education. Currently, students from India and China are classified under Assessment Level 3 and 4. The visa requirements become stringent as the level goes up. "Broadly, the extraordinary burden placed on high quality university students from Assessment Level 3 and 4 countries, particularly in terms of financial proof, is critically prohibitive to the
ongoing sustainability of the international education industry," Universities Australia (UA) said in a submission to the Knight Review of Student Visa Program . The submission suggests varied Assessment Levels within countries like China and India. The need for selective Assessment Levels has been made as "in India and China if high rates of fraud and noncompliance exist in Punjab and Fujian respectively, then they should attract a much higher assessment level compared to other regions within those large countries", UA argued in the submission to the review body.
International TheSouthAsianTimes.info
May 7-13, 2011
Hamas, Fatah to ink peace pact Jerusalem: The leaders of the two main Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, are due to sign a reconciliation pact in Cairo aimed at ending their four-year rift. Mahmoud Abbas and Khaled Meshaal have not met since the expulsion of Fatah from Gaza in 2007 following the shock Hamas election victory a year earlier. The agreement paves the way for a joint interim government ahead of national elections next year. The recent Arab uprisings have given fresh momentum to reconciliation. Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had been wary of bolstering Hamas, but the new Cairo government has adopted a less hostile stance towards the Islamist group. Correspondents say it is a first sign of how political changes in the Arab world
The agreement paves the way for a new Palestinian elections in 2012. could affect the dynamic of whose task will be to work the Israeli-Palestinian con- on reconciliation and preflict. pare for new elections. When the two rival Leading members of Palestinian leaders will Hamas and Fatah will stay carry with them the hopes out of this government for of millions of Arabs for an now. end to the infighting that But there are deep differhas so weakened the ences yet to be resolved, Palestinian cause. over whether to recognise The first step after the and negotiate with Israel, agreement goes into effect and over how to share secuis to form an interim gov- rity in Gaza and the West ernment of technocrats Bank.
Japan passes quake relief budget
Terror scare: 5 held near UK N-plant London: Five Londonbased Bangladeshi men in their twenties were arrested on May 2 under Britain's Terrorism Act for allegedly filming a nuclear reprocessing plant in Sellafield in Cumbria in northern England. Sellafield is a heavily guarded civil nuclear site, for many years a reprocessing plant, which is said to possess large stocks of plutonium. The site, which has operated since the 1940s, is heavily protected by both private security and officers from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC). The arrests were made after CNC officers conducted a stop check on a vehicle close to the Sellafield site, in Cumbria. The investigation into the suspected
The Sellafield plant processes spent nuclear material and is about 250 miles northwest of London. activities of the arrested men is now being led by UK's Counter Terrorism Unit. Four houses in east London were raided by counter-terror detectives as part of the investigation, sources said. The probe is expected to focus on whether there
amascus — Opponents of the Syrian regime pledged on May 4 to remain steadfast in their "revolution" by holding demonstrations across the country, as they said the army encircled several protest centers.
D Tokyo: Japan's parliament has passed a 4tn yen ($49bn, ÂŁ30bn) emergency budget for reconstruction following the 11 March earthquake and tsunami. The bill, unveiled last month, passed the lower house on April 30 and was approved unanimously by the upper house budget committee early on May 2. It will help fund new housing for tens of thousands of people who lost their homes. It will also support businesses hit by the disaster. According to the latest police figures, 14,704 people are now known to have died in the disaster and another
10,969 remain missing. Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said further spending would follow in the months ahead. Ultimately the disaster could end up costing Japan $300bn, analysts say. Work to bring the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima under control is continuing, after the earthquake knocked out cooling systems to the reactors. Workers have been pouring water into reactors to cool fuel rods, but have then faced the challenge of containing contaminated waste water leaking from the reactor buildings.
were any links between the suspects and either al-Qaida or one of its affiliates. A police counter-terrorism source said the arrests were not preplanned. "The local officers felt there was enough ground to arrest them. It's a case of seeing if there is anything to it.''
Syria activists pledge to remain steadfast
Rights groups say the civilian death toll has topped 607 since the demonstrations started on March 15.
Nearly 14,704 people are now known to have died in the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11.
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"We must continue our peaceful revolution throughout Syria until we achieve the freedom we demand," said a statement from the committee coordinating the anti-government protests in a string of cities. They include the besieged cities of Daraa, the epicenter of protests south of Damascus, Banias on the Mediterranean coast and the central industrial city of Homs. Activists hit out at the escalating crackdown against opponents of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. At least 500 people are being arrested every day on average, the committee's statement said. Anti-regime protesters called for permanent sit-ins across the country from May 3. The civilian death toll from the unprecedented demonstrations in Syria has already topped 607, according to the Insan human rights group. Assad's government has persistently blamed the violence on "armed criminal gangs" and has portrayed the protest movement as a conspiracy.
Deadly tornado hits NZ Wellington : A freak tornado hit New Zealand's largest city Auckland on May 3, killing one person and injuring dozens more as it ripped the roof off a suburban shopping mall. Packing winds of 200 kilometers an hour (125 miles an hour), the twister hit the suburb of Albany without warning at about 3pm (0300 GMT), flipping cars and uprooting trees as it carved a trail of destruction stretching for kilometers. Television footage showed huge pieces of roofing and wreckage flying through the air, sending panicked locals fleeing for their lives. Witnesses said the tornado sounded like "a giant vacuum cleaner" when it tore across the Albany Megacenter, one of the largest shopping malls in the country. "All we could see was a big black
Damaged roof of a supermarket is seen after a tornado ripped through the suburb of Albany in Auckland. cloud spinning above it and debris flying everywhere," Samantha Davey, who works in the mall, told national radio. The tornado is the latest in a string of disasters to hit
New Zealand, including two earthquakes in Christchurch, the second of which claimed more than 180 lives, and a colliery explosion last November in which 29 miners died.
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Business
May 7-13, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Adani buys Oz port for A$1.8 bn Ahmedabad: In what is being seen as the largest overseas acquisition by an Indian port company, Adani group-owned Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd (MPSEZL) has pipped five global players to win a bid to control Abbot Point Port in Queensland, Australia for A$ 1.8 billion, in an all cash deal. MPSEZL, which operates the largest private port in India, will soon complete formalities to gain control of the strategic port on a 99-year lease. This is the Adani group's third large foray abroad in the last nine months or so. Adani Enterprises bought the Australia-based Linc Energy's coal assets for about Rs 12,600 crore in a cash and royalty deal in August 2010 and followed that up with an agreement to develop a $1.65 billion port and rail project in Tanjung Carat in Indonesia during January 2011.
MPSEZL, which operates the largest private port in India, will soon complete formalities to gain control of the strategic port on a 99-year lease. The group's latest buy would service its mining operations. Adani group has already acquired
large mines from Australia's Linc Energy in Queesnland last year. Abbot Point X50 Coal Terminal
(APCT), owned by North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation Limited (NQBP) is an operational, fully mechanized port with a capacity of handling 50 million tonnes. It serves the demand of coal mines in northern Queensland which have committed to export 50 million tonnes in the near term and there is also a scope of further addition taking the port capacity to 80 million tonnes. The deal was signed in Brisbane, Australia between the company officials and the Queensland government. According to B Ravi, chief financial officer, MPSEZ, the port will handle coal from Adani mines as well as other clients. "The terminal has a capacity to load 50 million tonnes and we plan to expand it to 80 million tonnes per annum as soon as we take it over. The revenue from the port operations are expected to nearly triple to A$305 million (Rs 1,400 crore
approx.) by 2016 from A$110 million (Rs 530 crore approx) estimated for 2011," Ravi said. Mundra port currently handles over 50 million tonnes of cargo and with this acquisition, aims to handle 100 million tonnes next year. The long term goal at Mundra Port and SEZ is to handle 200 MMTPA cargo by 2020. "We have harbored aspirations to expand globally and were in search of a right business opportunity with strategic fit. Abbot Point is our contribution to India's increasing global ambition and will boost synergy with other businesses of the Group", informed Gautam Adani, chairman of Adani Group. Besides Mundra, MPSEZL operates a port at Dahej and is developing projects at Hazira and Coal Terminals Mormugao. It just secured the LOA for developing an import coal terminal at Vishakhapatnam.
Orissa gets final nod Mayhem for Air India travelers for Posco project
The government has granted conditional clearance to the project to be built near the port town of Paradip in the coastal district of Jagatsinghpur. New Delhi: The union environment ministry has granted final approval to the Orissa government for diversion of 1,253 hectares of forest land for setting up the $12 billion steel project of South Korean major Posco. The decision was taken following the Orissa government's reiteration last week that no traditional forest dwellers were dependent on or cultivating land in the project area. "In view of the state government's latest communication of April 29, final approval is accorded to the state government for diversion of 1,253 hectares of forest land in favor of Posco," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said in a statement. According to the statement, the approval has been given on the condition that Posco would bear
the cost of regeneration of an equivalent open, degraded forest land in a district in the state. This is in addition to the conditions already imposed. The union environment and forests ministry January granted conditional clearance to the project to be built near the port town of Paradip in the coastal district of Jagatsinghpur, some 100 km from Bhubaneswar. While granting approval, the ministry asked the state government to give a categorical assurance that no traditional forest dwellers were dependent on or cultivating land in the project area. The state government had reiterated in its reply that there were no tribal inhabitants or other traditional forest dwellers in the proposed site of the project.
New Delhi: As many as 221 Air India flights in the domestic sector were canceled, as the strike by nearly half of the carrier's 1,600 pilots entered the eighth day, with operations restricted to the trunk routes between metros. But the Air India management said some 100-odd flights of sister budget carrier Alliance Air had been deployed to ferry passengers as no reconciliation was in sight between the management and the striking pilots, coopted from the erstwhile Indian Airlines. The Air India official said that if the strike persisted, losses during these eight days would mount to Rs.85 crore, adding the management was more than willing to restart its talks, and even reinstate the sacked pilots, if they call off their agitation. But the pilots, earlier working for
The Air India official said that if the strike persisted, losses during these eight days would mount to Rs.85 crore. Indian Airlines, were unwilling to concede, unless there was immediate decision on pay parity with their
counterparts in Air India along with payment of arrears for the past four years.
Court dismisses Ranbaxy rival's challenge
Washington: A US judge has dismissed a rival drug company's attempt to block India's Ranbaxy from launching a generic version of Pfizer Inc's popular cholesterollowering drug Lipitor on an exclive basis for six months. Ranbaxy is expected to launch its generic Lipitor Nov 30 under a
settlement deal with Pfizer that gives it the right to sell the drug on an exclusive basis for six months as the first company to apply for the cheaper version. But rival Mylan sued the US Food and Drug Administration in March, accusing the agency of unreasonably delaying a decision
on Ranbaxy Laboratories' claim to exclusivity. Mylan wanted US District Court Judge James Boasberg in Washington to force the FDA to make that decision now. The company said that in the event Ranbaxy isn't entitled to any exclusivity, other drug makers needed to know that information immediately in order to prepare for their own potential launch of generic Lipitor later this year. Boasberg instead threw out the case, ruling that Mylan's lawsuit was premature. The judge said the company had no legal standing to bring the lawsuit because it wasn't suffering an immediate injury. He noted that Mylan wasn't the first to file an application to market generic Lipitor and hasn't received tentative FDA approval of its application.
Sports TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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May 7-13, 2011
IPL: Who Stands Where New Delhi: With all teams in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League having crossed the halfway mark in terms of number of matches played, there is a clear emergence of two groups - the leaders and the laggards. In the top half of the points table are the Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore with just a point or two separating one from the other. In the bottom half with a clear three to five point deficit are Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Pune Warriors India. The race for the last four is expected to be settled from among
the top five teams, unless the last five can mount a charge and do the unexpected. For any of the last five teams to make it to the last four from their current position, they will have to win at least their next two games and the top five will have to lose their next two.
Team Kolkata Knight Riders Mumbai Indians Rajasthan Royals Chennai Super Kings
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are comfortably positioned in the top half of the points table.
Kalmadi sent to 14 days judicial custody
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on May 4 sent sacked Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organizing Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi to judicial custody for 14 days. The latest developments came after Kalmadi was produced at Patiala House court as his eightday CBI remand came to an end. Kalmadi was arrested by the CBI on April 25 for fraud and conspiring with other officers of the Organizing Committee for overpaying a Swiss firm 95 crore for timing and scorekeeping equipment that was used at different venues during the Commonwealth Games. The arrest order was carried out after the CBI had questioned Kalmadi extensively on the two
incidents, particularly on the documents relating to the two deals. The CBI had earlier asked Kalmadi to appear before it on May 2 to clarify some new issues, which surfaced during the visit of the agency's officials to London in connection with Queen's Baton Relay scam. Kalmadi had earlier expressed his inability to appear before the CBI citing his foreign visit, saying he would return home only after April 19. But even after returning from his visit abroad, he did not turn up before the sleuths, saying he was still not in Delhi, sources said. Kalmadi has been accused of sanctioning payments to AM Films and AM Car at rates that were hugely inflated.
Here is a look at how the teams stack up at the halfway stage.
Mat 9 8 9 8 Royal Challengers Bangalore 8 Kochi Tuskers Kerala 9 Deccan Chargers 9 Delhi Daredevils 9 Kings XI Punjab 7 Pune Warriors 8
Won Lost Tie Pts 6 3 0 12 6 2 0 12 5 3 1 11 5 3 0 10 4 3 1 9 4 5 0 8 3 6 0 6 3 6 0 6 3 4 0 6 2 6 0 4
NRR +0.588 +0.582 -0.145 +0.247 -0.052 -0.542 -0.07
-0.089
Indian players for Lankan T20 league? Colombo: The Sri Lankan Cricket board is keen to invite Indian players in their premier league Twenty20 competition, which is likely to be held in July. Sources close to the development said that the SLC officials are already in touch with BCCI, but they haven't been assured whether Indian players would be available. "We are not sure at this stage if the Indian cricketers would be available for the Lankan version of T20, but we will certainly look
Dada now a Pune Warrior!
Suresh Kalmadi being produced at a court in New Delhi.
That will bring most teams in the competition at level on points and the race to the finish, should that situation arise, will be an amazing one.
New Delhi: Former skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders Sourav Ganguly, who went unsold in the Indian Premier League auction early this year, will now play for Pune Warriors for the remainder of the fourth season and the team management says that "he is not playing for money, just to prove a point". Ganguly, a former India captain who had a base price of $400,000 in the January auction, will replace injured fast bowler Ashish Nehra. Pune Warriors director Abhijit Sarkar said that Ganguly joined the team on May 3. "We came to know about Ashish Nehra's injury and fitness report. The team has been battling a string of injuries to key players like Tim Paine, Angelo Mathews and now Nehra. So we went with the best option
Sourav Ganguly. available after discussing with our coach and team management.” "We hope his experience will help the team. He told us that he is not playing for money but to prove a point." Ganguly, however, didn’t play in the Pune Warriors match against Mumbai Indians on May 4. "He, however, will join the team for practice and training," Sarkar said.
into the matter. At this stage, we can't commit anything," a top BCCI official said. According to sources, the SLC has showed interest in Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar and Rohit Sharma. BCCI recently turned down Australia's request to allow its cricketers to take part in the Big Bash T20 tournament. SLC is interested in Yusuf Pathan, among others.
Duncan Fletcher is India’s cricket coach Mumbai: Former England coach Duncan Fletcher has been named as the coach of the Indian cricket team for the next two years. Fletcher’s appointment was made here during the working committee meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Fletcher replaces Duncan Fletcher. South African Gary Kirsten, under whom India won the World Cup and also became the No.1 Test team for the first time. ‘The contract with Fletcher is for two years. He may not join the team in the West Indies as he has some prior commitments,’ board secretary N. Srinivasan told reporters. The BCCI also decided to retain South African Eric Simons as the bowling coach. The board also decided to increase the cash incentive for the World Cup winning Indian team from Rs.1 crore to Rs.2 crore each.
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Ultimate Bollywood
May 7-13, 2010
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Tere Bin Laden to be re-released MUMBAI: Terror mastermind Osama bin Laden's death has led to an unlikely effect on Bollywood. There is a move afoot to re-release the Osamaspoof, 'Tere Bin Laden,' in cinema halls and on satellite channels. The film's producer, Pooja Shetty Deora, said, "We are considering re-releasing the movie, but we have still not been able to contact our distributors in this regard. We will have to wait for a couple of days to gauge whether the public really wants to see the film in theatres all over again." The interest was also apparent on social networking sites; the
Pradhuman Singh Mall as Osama Bin Laden in ‘Tere Bin Laden.’
Not comfortable with nudity: Priyanka hough she has portrayed many bold characters on the silver screen, Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra says she is not comfortable with nudity in films. The 28-year-old, who has done steamy scenes in films like "Andaaz", "Aitraaz" and "Fashion" among others, says that among the few things that she would not indulge in would be nudity. "Nudity is something that I wouldn't be comfortable with. Even if I play the most complex and weird parts which are raunchy or whatever it has to be, the portrayal of a character is to a point where it is aesthetically done. It has to be something that I won't be averse to showing my parents. I have to be able to sit with them and watch it. "Even if it's a film like 'Saat Khoon Maaf', the thought of the scenes was a lot more than what was actually seen. And that is aesthetically well done," Priyanka,
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Priyanka Chopra. who was part of a youth forum organized by MTV, told reporters.
me for a reaction at the news 'Obama killed' all that I could reply was: "Good lord, I am sleepy!" In Tere Bin Laden, which released last year, Pradhuman essays the character of Noora, a Laden lookalike." "When I was offered the role, I was taken aback. But a look test followed and the resemblance was uncanny." He adds, "For over 10 years he was the world's most wanted terrorist, now the US has got him. I hope that the Americans pull out the troops from wherever they feel they had to combat terrorism and let everyone live in peace."
'Shor In The City': A must watch! hey say Mumbai never goes to sleep. Catching the restless on-the-edge mood of a city and its people who refuse to fall off that edge of the hurtling local train that takes thousands of destinies every day to their work and then back home, “Shor In The City" throws forward the kind of seductive cinema that makes you think about the quality of life we all lead, irrespective of the city that we occupy, or rather, the city that occupies us. "Shor..." pins you down to its brilliant screenplay from the first frame when we see the three waylaid youngsters Tusshar, Nikhil Diwedi and Pitobash negotiate the crowded streets of Mumbai in search of prey. There are three protagonists with their 'Mumbai' stories to tell. Sawan (Sundeep Kishan) wants to play national-level cricket. Tilak (Tusshar) wants to give up a life of crime to focus on reading and housekeeping (in that order). But the most interesting strand in the lucid lineup of conflicted characters is the NRI Abhay (Sendhil
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Shotgun to host Bhojpuri KBC hatrughan Sinha is set to host the Bhojpuri edition of popular quiz show "Kaun Banega Crorepati" (KBC), and daughter Sonakshi Sinha will be one of those on the hot seat. He also plans to invite Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan to the show. "Yes, Sonakshi is going to be on the hot seat in front of me. Audiences will finally get to see us baap-beti together on screen," said Shatrughan Sinha. The episode will be recorded in Kolkata early next month as soon as Sonakshi finds the time fly down. The Bhojpuri KBC is being shot in Kolkata. Shatrughan Sinha's first guest is
film's title was often used across various websites throughout Monday. One Tweet said, "Bin Tere Laden America is lost they'll have to create a new victim and find the next nation to ruin (sic)." Writer Pritish Nandy tweeted, "Interested to see who is presented as the captured young wife of Osama. Anyone in Hollywood will give her right arm for the role." Meanwhile, Pradhuman Singh Mall, who was unwittingly forced to become a fake Osama Bin Laden in 'Tere Bin Laden', said, "I got a call at 8.30 am and was still sleeping. I was told to put on the TV. And when people asked
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A still from 'Shor In The City'. Ramamurthy), whose dreams of setting up his own business in the city are turned into a nightmare by goons who muscle into his workplace and life with menacing insidiousness. "Shor In The City" is a work suffused in an inspiring glory. The characterization is so precise and the dialogues so perfectly attuned to the minds and hearts of the characters you wonder which came first. The people in the film. Or the
film itself. The film is filled with credible performances. Even the smallest cameo is done by the perfect face and personality. Whom do we single out without doing injustice to the rest? But yes, Tusshar as the bad-boy finding salvation in books and wife gives an interesting spin to his character. Don't miss this outstanding ode to the city of dreams, goons, guns and glory.
Ranbir dating Kingfisher Calendar Girl! hile half the female population of the country swoons over Ranbir Kapoor day in and day out, here's one girl who has monopolized the actor's attention and needless to say, free time. After Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif and Nargis Fakhri, who by the way has returned to the US of A, Ranbir Kapoor has been inseparable, if only for the last 15 days, with Angela Jonsson. Angela Jonsson, if you remember, was the winner of the Kingfisher Calendar Girl 2011 Hunt. A source said, "The girl with Ranbir at Aer Bar was Angela. She was not only dressed in an understated dress, but even her make-up was very light, just lipgloss." Though, how Ranbir met Angela still remains a mystery, their growing friendship is definitely the talk of B-Town. "A few days ago, they were together at Anushka Sharma's
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Shatrughan Sinha with daughter Sonakshi Sinha. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sinha. "Sonakshi will follow. From the film industry, I'll also invite Salman Khan to be
on the hot seat," said Sinha who is also very keen to invite Amitabh Bachchan, who hosted the Hindi KBC, on the show.
Ranbir Kapoor. birthday party, which was attended by a few select people. Sometime ago, they were also seen at the lounge bar Prive in Colaba," revealed the source.
Mother’s Day Special TheSouthAsianTimes.info
May 7-13, 2011
Love the special woman in our lives
Return Gifts ou cannot pay back for what your mother has given you. But you can try with giving a good gift. Nothing can beat a gift given with love. If you cannot afford an expensive gift, here are a few low-budget ideas:
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Homemade Gifts
ith Mother’s day on May 8, there are tons of reasons why people love this “special woman” in their lives and admire her qualities. “Mother” is one person on earth we can always depend on and she makes us feel unconditionally loved and worthy. She treats us with respect and admiration and she is forever sweet. She could be adoring and affectionate –we could enjoy her company as much as we love her. Through our ups and downs, good times and bad times, she stands behind us no matter what. And just to put it in perspective, a quote on Facebook said: “At three years old, ‘Mommy, I love you.’ At 10 years old, ‘Mom, whatever.’ At 16 years old, ‘My mom is so annoying.’ At 18 years old, ‘I’m
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leaving this house.’ At 25 years old, ‘Mom, you were right.’ At 30 years old, ‘I want to go to Mom’s house.’ At 50 years old, ‘I don’t want to lose my mom.’ At 70 years young, ‘I would give up everything to have my mom here with me.’” We only have one mom. Make sure to thank her for everything she has done for you and find the time to reach out and give her a hug more often. Life is too short to lose sight of what’s important. We can’t choose our family, so even if your mom isn’t perfect, embrace her and appreciate her for giving us a beautiful life. This Mother's Day, I think we should all honor the real moms if we get the chance. They have done more for us than we'll ever know.
Homemade gifts are a good choice if you have a bit of time available, and also you like crafting. Plus, this sort of gift carries the added value that it was made with your own hands, which will be appreciated by your mom. It comes with an ample selection of possibilities here, as well as your choice depends on what you can do, and what materials you will get. If you want painting, decorated jars, mugs or plates make the perfect choice. You can purchase white or transparent items with no decorations, which are cheaper, after which paint decorations yourself. If you get a jar, you may also fill it in together with your mother's favorite candy. If you're good at knitting, a shawl, or perhaps a sweater will be something she will wear, and think about you every time she puts them on. If you are proficient at cooking, you are able to surprise her with homemade cupcakes, cookies or a cake.
Gift boxes You can make your own gift box for your mother. Just purchase a nice container, an open-air picnic basket, or a nice bag, and grow it with stuff she will like. This is very personalized, because the basket is only going to contain items she likes, and you can manage how much you spend. It could be a themed box, just like a beauty or sweets box, or perhaps a
Mother’s Day Recipes o give back the unconditional love and support to our mothers, an easy way to express our gratitude in small ways is to whip up a sweet dish or the mouth-watering chicken by using these recipes:
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Rava Palappam Ingredients Semolina or Rava Fried to Brown Milk 1/2 litre Ghee Dry Grapes 150 gm Vanilla Essence 2 tsp Sugar - to taste Method 1. Boil the Milk and add sugar in it. 2. When milk boils add Rava or Semolina
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surprise box containing all type of items she will like: her favorite coffee, a pleasant mug, chocolate, a photo frame having a family picture, shampoo, shower gel, body lotion, the possible items you can put in the box are endless.
Music For all those mothers who love music, you will get her a CD of her favorite singer or band; or you could even get assorted downloads of her preferred songs.
Cosmetics Makeup is really a nice treat and when finances are low, buying it might be postponed since it is not necessary. It is something to savor. Which means you might get your mother some for Mother's Day and she will like it.
Books In case your mother likes reading, she will like to have a book. Books are available in different presentations and charges, so it's dependent on looking around before you find one you really can afford, about a subject she likes.
Hobby related gifts If your mother likes gardening, she may enjoy some new gardening tool, or perhaps a new plant for her garden. If she loves cooking, some cooking appliance may be really appreciated. Some items related to her favorite hobby are a good option to make her happy.
Magazine Subscriptions This is an excellent way to get her an extended lasting gift that she will enjoy for months. There are numerous magazines, just search for something on a subject she likes. You will discover magazines about family, cooking, gardening, sports, beauty, clothes, technology, and much more.
chicken up with the spicy flavors of lemon juice, rosemary, and garlic with this easy recipe.
and grapes. 3. Stir to get a pasty level. 4. Add Ghee - 1 teaspoon. 5. Cut off heat. 6. Now, paste Ghee in a flat vessel. Level some sugar on bottom. 7. Pour the content to the flat vessel and flatten. 8. Add Vanilla essence. 9. Again put some ghee and sugar on top. 10. Allow to cool and freeze. 11. When chilled cut to slices and serve. 12. Rava Palappam is ready.
Ingredients 4 no: Boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast (thawed) 2 cloves: Garlic 2 tablespoons: Fresh rosemary (1 tablespoon dried) 2 tablespoons: Margarine 1 tablespoon: Olive oil 2/3 cup: Lemon juice Pepper to taste Salt to taste
Lemon Chicken hicken is a high-protein, low-fat meat (particularly the breast part) that makes a sensible part of a good meal. Take off the high-fat skin and dress your
Method 1.Take a heavy frying pan and mix margarine and oil together; heat over mediumhigh heat until margarine melts. 2. Stir fry garlic and rosemary in the oil/butter mixture for 2 minutes and then add
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lemon juice and bring the mixture to a boil. 3. Add chicken and fry until it becomes brown on all sides. 4. Add salt and pepper to taste. 5. Decrease heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 - 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
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Humor
May 7-13, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Humor with Melvin Durai
Indian English: It vill be wery helpful, yaar! t is the year 2020 and call centers are opening all over the West, as the new economic power India outsources work to the countries where many jobs originated. Millions of Americans, still struggling to adapt to a global economy, are willing to accept jobs that pay them in a new currency sweeping much of the world: EuRupees. Some of them, eager to land one of the customer service jobs from India, are attending special training sessions in New York City, led by language specialist Dave Ramsey, who goes by a simpler name for his Indian clients: Devendra Ramaswaminathan. On this warm afternoon, the professor is teaching three ambitious students how to communicate with Indian customers. Professor: "Okay, Gary, Randy and Jane, first we need to give you Indian names. Gary, from now on, you'll be known to your customers as Gaurav. Randy, you'll be Ranjit. And Jane, you'll be Jagadamba. Now imagine you just received a call from Delhi. What do you say?" Gary: "Name as tea?" Professor: "I think you mean 'namaste.' Very good. But what do you say after that?"
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Gary: "How can I help you?" Professor: "You're on the right track. Anyone else?" Jane: "How can I be helping you?" Professor: "Good try! You're using the correct tense, but it's not quite right. Anyone else?" Randy: "How I can be helping you?" Professor: "Wonderful! Word order is very important. Okay, let's try some small talk. Give me a comment that would help you make a connection with your Indian customers." Randy: "It's really hot, isn't it?" Professor: "The heat is always a good topic, but you haven't phrased it correctly. Try again." Randy: "It's deadly hot, isn't it?" Professor: "That's better. But your tag question can be greatly improved."
Randy: "It's deadly hot, no?" Professor: "Wonderful! You can put 'no?' at the end of almost any statement. You are understanding me, no?" Jane: "Yes, we are understanding you, no?" Professor (smiles): "We may need to review this later. But let's move on to other things. Have you ever heard Indians use the word 'yaar'?" Randy: "Yes, my Indian friends use it all the time. Just last night, one of them said to me, 'Randy, give me yaar password. I am needing it to fix yaar computer." Professor (laughs): "That's a different 'yaar,' yaar. The 'yaar' that I'm talking about means friend or buddy. You can use it if you've developed a camaraderie with a customer. For example, you can say, 'Come on, yaar. I am offering you the best deal.' Do you understand, Jagadamba?" Jane: "Yaar, I do." Professor (smiles): "Okay, let's talk about accents. If your client says 'I yam wery vorried about vat I bought for my vife,' how would you respond?" Randy: "Please don't be vorrying, yaar. She vill be wery happy and vill give you a vild time tonight."
Professor: "Vunderful! I mean, wonderful. You have a bright future, Ranjit. And so do you, Jagadamba. But Gaurav, you haven't said anything in a while. Do you have any
questions about what we've just learned?" Gary: "Yes, Professor, I do have one question: Wouldn't it be simpler to learn to speak Hindi?"
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
Experts warn of Osama malware scams WASHINGTON: Computer security experts warned that online scammers may seek to exploit the death of AlQaeda leader Osama bin Laden to spread malware. "Watch out for the links you're likely to come across in email or on social networking sites offering you additional coverage of this newsworthy event," Paul Ducklin of computer security company Sophos said in a blog post. "Many of the links you see will be perfectly legitimate links," Ducklin said. "But at least some are almost certain to be dodgy links, deliberately distributed to trick you into hostile Internet territory." Mike Lennon of SecurityWeek said
cybercriminals "typically use very attractive headlines to encourage users to click links and direct them to malware infected Web pages." "Links are already beginning to spread across Facebook, similar to what happened following news of the recent earthquake in Japan," Lennon said. "Users should be cautious of spam containing links to photos, videos and other information that sounds remarkably interesting on Bin Laden's death," Lennon said. "Users also need to be cautious of Tweets through Twitter, and Facebook posts, as cybercriminals gear up to attract unsuspecting traffic to spread malware," he said.
Osama's death sends Twitter, Facebook nos zooming SAN FRANCISCO: Word of Osama bin Laden's death rocketed through the Internet in rapid-fire Twitter messages, Facebook updates, and YouTube video clips. The number of terse text message "tweets" at Twitter topped 4,000 per second while US President Barack Obama announced that the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks was killed in Pakistan in a surgical strike by a US military team. The barrage of tweets was among the highest message-sending outbursts at Twitter, which handed a record high number of 6,939 tweets-per-second when New Year's Eve 2010 arrived in Japan. Messages tagged with "#osama" and "obl" quickly jumped to the top two spots in a list of the hottest topics at the global microblogging service. "Twitter is our Times Square on this victory day," tweeted New York City journalism school professor Jeff Jarvis, who started his Buzz Machine blog online
after being close to the World Trade Center when it was destroyed. By the time Sunday ended in California more than a 250,000 people had "liked" an " Osama bin Laden is Dead" page at social networking service Facebook. The Facebook page was packed with comments, videos and pictures, some purporting to be copies of graphic close-ups of bin Laden's mortally wounded body. Many of the comments lambasted the slain AlQaeda leader. "This is an amazing day for the families of 9/11 victims," one Facebook user commented on the page. Google-owned video sharing website YouTube dedicated nearly a third of its home page to clips related to bin Laden's death and the celebrations breaking out on US streets. At geo-location service Foursquare, more than 160 people in San Francisco had "checked in" to a "PostOsama bin Laden World" using their smartphones.
Astrology TheSouthAsianTimes.info
May 7-13, 2011
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874; Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899; psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
Stars Foretell: May 7-13, 2011 Aries: This week you should cut down your expenses to ease financial constraints. Moneymaking ventures will not be as good as they appear. You are likely to be bothered with too much work and too many family obligations and it will cause mental stress. Try to relax as much as possible and go after recreation and entertainment. Travelling will promote new romance and additional knowledge. Taurus: This is a good week for making important decisions. You should work towards completing your projects and remember to take into confidence all those who are involved with you. You will be able to get along well with your colleagues. The best way to keep yourself happy and relaxed will be to get involved in new hobbies. Opportunities for new and exciting relationship will be yours if you go out and socialize. Be very careful about what you say in public. Gemini: This week financially you will be on a better footing. Investments in stock may not bring in desired results, but real estate matters look promising and can bring you handsome gains. Friends will seek your support and someone will even share a secret with you, make sure you keep it to yourself. Efficiency will be more important than creativity and try not to let any underlying discord ruin your mental peace. Travel will be important for strengthening ties. Cancer: Friends and near ones will provide financial support. However, you may be a bit reluctant and hesitant to accept it. This is the period of compensation and rewards and you will be appreciated for the good deeds you have done in the past. If you go out shopping, you will find it extremely difficult to control yourself from overspending. Driving too fast and getting involved in gossip will put you into trouble with elders in the family. Leo: Sudden speculative gains during this week may not be ruled out. Expenditures on the renovation or beautification of the house or on the other domestic requirements are likely to rise. This is a good period to work on creative hobbies and to purchase art items that will grow in value. Professionally your hard work will pay off, and you will be appreciated for your efforts, but try to keep your professional life completely separate from your personal one. Virgo: Although it will be a hectic and tiring week yet you will be extremely pleased with your achievements. Fresh business deals will bring in good financial gains. Emotionally things might be disturbing and someone close to your heart will disappoint you immensely, but you should follow your conscience and behave exactly the way you normally do. Your friends and coworkers will be grateful to you for the help that you extend to them. You will be generous and enjoy the pleasure of giving. Libra: Take time off to have fun with family members. You need to remember that life is short and you should enjoy each and every moment of it. You will make some new friends if you go out and socialize. You will have good opportunities to make major changes that will swing you in a position of leadership. Your unique and original ideas will be appreciated. Financial gains are certain, but speculation
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should be completely avoided. Scorpio: This week you will buy luxurious and exorbitantly expensive items for the spouse or beloved to attract more love and affection. Your income will increase, but so will your expenses. Investments put in the past will fetch returns. Past differences with colleagues if any will get sorted out. By doing what makes you happy, you will attract the right crowd. Everything that happens around you will bring you lot of fun. Opportunity for a new romance seems likely for those unattached. Sagittarius: This is a mixed period of gains and losses. On one side financially things will improve and on the other side some unexpected development on the work front may disturb your mental peace. Sudden romantic encounter will set your head spinning, but you should make sure that this doesn’t distract you from your responsibilities. You will be in the mood to overspend, however if you don’t control yourself you could have a severe financial constraint in the coming days. Capricorn: Funds may flow in through various sources to ease out your financial constraints. You may spend lavishly on your friends as well as your family members. Concentrate on your pending work. Someone with big plans and ideas will capture your attention but you should not make any financial commitments until you are sure you can keep to it. Business dealing with relatives or friends will definitely not be in your interest. You will enjoy the time you spend with children. Aquarius: This week don’t force your opinion on others. Lectures and meeting that you attend will help you in building important professional contacts. Money gains from unexpected sources likely to boost up your spirits. Ignoring your spouse will only bring tensed moments at home. Avoid any arguments or confrontation. Travel and communication will be important but will not go as smoothly as expected. Focus your attention on domestic issues and look after the needs of others. Pisces:This week you should use your extra energy to finish pending jobs. Prevailing projects and plans will carry on in a smooth pace. Children may cause some dissatisfaction as they get distracted from their responsibilities. Be careful of your belongings while travelling. Foreign transactions expected to yield good returns. It would be better to control over your expenses and plan out the budget according to your sources and means. Spiritual gains for some will bring solace and mental peace.
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.
Annual Predictions: For those born in this week May: 7 You are governed by the number 7 and dominated by the planet Neptune. Moon also has an influence on you. You are born intelligent. If you can couple this will power and determination, you will reach the pinnacle of success, in the year ahead of you. Travel will form an important part of your life, in the coming year. Most of you are likely to travel to distant lands. There is also a possibility of developing business ties abroad. You will be a free bird, and although you are religious minded, you will not let orthodox views and customs, bind you. You think logically and will not get swayed away by religious beliefs. You will be able to handle difficult situations with ease and authority. You will be able to express your views with clarity, whenever required. But, you tend to become a little stubborn at times, and try to impose your ideas on your colleagues and friends. August, November, December and April seem to be eventful. May: 8 You are governed by the number 8 and by the planet Saturn. You are also influenced by the Moon. You are a good organizer and an executor of big projects. In the coming year, your efficiency and sincerity, will clearly reflect in your work. Your seniors will notice this and you will be rewarded handsomely for your hard work and dedication. Your ability to see both sides of a problem, will be an asset to you, and you will be able to use this to your full advantage. Your sense of duty towards your loved ones, will make you do your best for them. You can expect peace and harmony at the domestic front, in the year ahead of you. You will be able to handle your money matters with ease and with your efficient planning, even save for the future. Those around you, will be impressed with your behavior and will try to follow your foot steps. The months of July, September and February will be highly eventful. May: 9 You are governed by the number 9 and dominated by the planet Mars. You are also influenced by the Moon. You are born with an aggressive personality. Courage and alertness, will allow you to face any obstacle without much difficulty, in the year ahead of you. You will be enterprising and will undertake new ventures, in your professional field. From the start to the finish of a project, you will be sincere and dedicated. Travel will be an important part of your life, in the coming year. This will bring more opportunities for you and also help you to broaden your outlook. You are fond of children and enjoy spending time with them. But, you are short tempered and get irritated over small matters. You will have to learn to control your temper, otherwise you will find your friends drifting away from you. The months of June, September, December and March would be significant. May: 10 You are dominated by the number 1 and the Sun. The planet Moon, also has a strong influence on you. Honor, fame and recognition, will be all for you, in the coming year. With your intelligence and abundance knowledge, you will be able to impress your seniors. You will be duly rewarded in your professional front. Promotions, increments and overall prosperity, is what most of you can expect from the year ahead of you. Financially, too, it will be a good year for you. Some of you, are likely to inherit property from your parents or grand parents. Your sin-
cerity and dedication, will bring prosperity for those in business. Good health, good friends and a happy domestic front, will be your blessings, in the year ahead of you. Your magnetic personality, will help you to make many new friends. You will enjoy good health and on the whole an exciting year for you. The months of May, August, November and February will be highly important. May: 11 You are dominated by the planet Moon. You are also governed by the number 2. You are a born adviser, and a source of inspiration to others. Your leadership qualities and your high ideals, will take you to the pinnacle of success, in the year ahead of you. Your imagination, coupled with hard work, will bring you fame and recognition, in various fields. You have the ability to take quick decisions and give the lead to your colleagues. Your bosses will notice this ability, and you will be appreciated for your leadership qualities. But, at times you tend to get over excited. You are advised, therefore to take control of yourself and not get hyper. You will be inclined towards philosophy and science, in the coming year. For your loved ones, you will leave no stone unturned, to give them happiness and security. The months of July, October, November and January will be highly important. May:12 You are governed by the number 3 and by the planet Jupiter. You are also influenced by the Moon. You are able to impress people with your lofty ideas. With your creative ideas and hard work, you will be able to achieve honor and position in the year ahead of you. You will be able to maintain a harmonious atmosphere around you at work and at home. People will depend on you to sort out minor differences between colleagues. But, you have a tendency of being proud and arrogant. You will have to control this trait of your character. Your pleasing personality will catch the attraction of the opposite sex. Some of you may make a special relationship, in the year ahead of you. The months of August, September, November and February will be highly significant. May: 13 You are governed by the number 4 and the planet Uranus. You are also influenced by the Moon. You are born intelligent and with a methodical approach to life, you are able to reach high positions in your career. The coming year will bring you success and prosperity in your respective fields. You will not only attain fame and recognition, but also be able to earn a lot of money. The year ahead, will be full of activity and you will keep a busy schedule but professionally and socially. In matters of love, you will not express your feelings, till you are sure of what response you will receive from the other end. Sometimes you tend to get obstinate and this creates a rift between you and your loved ones. Try to be more flexible in your approach to life. This will do wonders for you. The months of June, October, January and April will be result oriented.
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Spiritual Awareness
May 7-13, 2011
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Achieve Unity through Spirituality
By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj e 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.
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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. 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 the transcendent oneness at the heart of all religions, emphasizing prayer and meditation as building blocks for achievi n g peace.www.jyotimeditation.org
Freedom from strife By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj ife and strife seem to go hand in hand. We have all experienced this. Any happiness that we receive is often short-lived, for at any moment we may suddenly find ourselves in states of sorrow. Disturbances occur at each and every stage of our life. Although existence in this world is turbulent, life should be more than a pendulum in which we swing back and forth between moments of joy and moments of sorrow. The dictionary defines peace as “freedom from strife,” a state of serenity, calmness, and stillness. Despite the obstacles, we can attain true peace in this lifetime, but to do so, we need to undergo a shift in our way of thinking. Our angle of vision needs to change. We tend to look for peace in the outer world. We hope to find it in our possessions, positions, and relationships, but the loss of any of these causes us to become agitated and distraught. Our peace of mind is disturbed. Everything in this world is subject to change and eventual decay. So long as we look to the transitory world for happiness, we will be disappointed. We need to change the way we look at this problem. An anecdote from the life of the Moghul Emperor Akbar can help
We cannot change the nature of the world or its problems, but we can add a new dimension to life that will give us peace. Lasting peace can be found within us.
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us in this regard. Akbar is considered to be one of the most enlightened emperors of India. He had a number of advisors to help run his kingdom. Among these great minds was Birbal, the wisest of them all. He was quite clever and could figure out solutions to difficult problems by looking at them from a totally different perspective. One day Akbar wanted to test his advisors, so he presented them with a puzzle. He took a stick and drew a line in the sand. He asked the advisors to try to shorten the line without erasing any part of it. Each counselor took a turn, but all were stumped. They could not figure out how to make it shorter. Finally, Birbal came forward, took the stick, and carefully drew a line next to the one the emperor
had drawn, but Birbal made his line longer. By drawing the second line longer, it made the original one look shorter. The solution to finding peace requires us to look at the problem from a new perspective. We cannot change the nature of the world or its problems, but we can add a new dimension to life that will give us peace. Lasting peace can be found within us. Enlightened luminaries throughout history have had mystical experiences which verified for them the existence of an inner spiritual reality. Mystics from every religious tradition have described their inner spiritual experiences. They have spoken of heavenly realms that co-exist with the physical world. These are realms of joy and love which are within us. They are
regions of eternal peace and bliss beyond time and space. Although we cannot change the fundamental nature of the world, we can become attuned to the worlds lying within us. In order to find peace in the world, we must first find it within ourselves. We can do this only by changing our perspective in life. The way to reach the spiritual realms is to invert through a process known as meditation. Through meditation we can separate our soul from the body and voyage into the regions within. We have within us an opening or door by which our attention can enter the higher regions. This entryway is located between and behind the two eyebrows, referred to in many ways by various religions and philosophies. It has
been called the single eye or third eye, the shiv netra, divya chakshu, daswan dwar, or tenth door. If we can withdraw our attention from the outer world and focus it at this point we will see the Light of the higher regions reflected therein. As our soul collects at this point, it rises into the beyond. We may spend our time seeking worldly enjoyments, but they last for only short periods of time. So long as our attention is identified with the world outside, we are faced with the problems and miseries that are inherent in physical existence. By inverting our attention and rising above the physical body through a process of meditation on the inner Light, we will find regions within which give us lasting peace. For more visit www.sos.org