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Vol.5 No. 20 September 1-7, 2012 60 Cents
Dinesh D'Souza's anti-Obama film making waves in US US Affairs, Page 9 Popular guru Asaram Bapu survives chopper crash India, Page 11

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Olympians Vijay Kumar, Yogeshwar honored with Khel Ratna Sports, Page 24

Reform global governance structures, India urges NAM

Not hankering after n-weapons, says Iran
Tehran: Admitting to deficits in global governance, India Thursday called on the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to "take the lead" in reforming international institutions like the UN, even as it urged member states to tackle problems by "developing solutions that are best suited to our own circumstances". Addressing the 16th NAM summit here, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also sought immediate steps to reduce tensions in global hotspots like West Asia and

Romney promises 12 million new jobs if elected President

Tampa, FL: Already acting presidential, Mitt Romney in his acceptance speech Thursday as Republican nominee for US President did not sound strident as some other speakers at the three day Republican National Convention (RNC) have been. Insisting that President Obamas promises gave way to disappointment and division, he presented his own vision and plan to restore the promise of America. What

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh addressing the 16th NAM Summit in Tehran on August 30. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is on the left. North Africa. NAM summit represents 120 countries. On its part Iran said they were not hankering after Continued on page 4

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan put the Democratic White House on notice. America needs is jobs. Lots lion new jobs, which of jobs, he said. involved making North Then he presented his 5- America energy independent step plan to create 12 milContinued on page 4

Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj to draw thousands to New York programs

Amityville, NY: World-renowned spiritual master Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj, head of Science of Spirituality, will be in the New York area on Labor Day Weekend to give a series of talks and meditations. On the evening of August 31, he will give a talk in Hindi, Discover True Treasures through Meditation, at the Science of Spirituality Center in Amityville. The Saturday program, Key to Spiritual Wealth and Happiness will be at the United Palace Theater, Washington Heights with simultaneous translation into Spanish. In fact, all his talks are translated to accommodate the large numbers of Spanish-speaking seekers who attend his events. On Sunday, he will be back at the Amityville center for an afternoon talk, Meditation: Journey to Realms of Light. Sant Ji is no stranger to New York. In August 2007, New York State Assemblyman Jose R. Peralta presented him with a New

Speeding up 26/11 justice biggest CBM: Manmohan tells Zardari

Tehran: India told Pakistan Thursday that expeditiously concluding the trial of the 26/11 Mumbai attack's perpetrators would be the biggest sub-continental confidence building measure (CBM).Prime Minister Manmohan Singh conveyed this message to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, on the sidelines of the two-day Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit here, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai told reporters. "The prime minister reiterated he desired to have peaceful relations. For this, we have to be patient and move forward in a step-by-step and graduated manner. This is the best way to succeed," Mathai said. "The PM thanked President Zardari for repeating his gracious invitation to visit Pakistan and said he would like to visit at a suitable time. We would like a well-prepared visit," the foreign secretary said. "India wishes Pakistan well and is willing to

Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj York Assembly Proclamation which stated: On the occasion of his visit to the Empire State, it is imperative to honor H.H. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj who breathes life into the human unity movement. His is a globContinued on page 4 al effort to seek

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meting Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on the sidelines of the NAM summit in Tehran. meet Pakistan more than halfway," Mathai quoted Singh as telling Zardari. Mathai quoted President Zardari as reiterating his commitment to bring to justice the perpetrators but saying he was facing ajudicial roadblock. Zardari, Mathai said, "mentioned they have had the processes taken up in the court and the court had taken a different view when Continued on page 4 the trial resumed.

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Long Island India Day Parade Gala Dinner on Sept 9

Hicksville, NY: The concluding part of the 3-event, massive program of India Day Parade in Long Island is a Gala Dinner to be held on September 9 at the Woodlands at the Greens in Melville, NY. Over 300 eminent people representing the Indian American community of Long Island and officials and dignitaries are expected to attend. Among the many highlights of the Gala Dinner Extravaganza will be honoring Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto and Bobby Kumar Kalotee for their leadership and extraordinary contributions to the Indian American community. Bobby Kumar, a longtime community leader in mainstream politics, will be bestowed the special Jewel of India Award. The award has been constituted by IDP USA to honor individuals who have contributed outstanding community service and leadership role for the Indian American diaspora. The Sept 9 gala will also showIDP USA was founded by Bobby Kumar Kalotee, Harendra Singh and Kamlesh Mehta to unite and bring the community together through India Day Parade in Long Island. Indu Jaiswal, Harendra Singh, Kamlesh Mehta, Gobind Munjal and Mohinder Taneja were the conveners amply aided by Animesh Goenka, Nagendra Gupta, Lal Motwani, Sunita Sadhnani, Suchita Chadha, Ajay Batra, Rajan Nabe, Ashok Varshney, Prof Parveen Chopra and many Committee Chairs and others who have been heavily engaged in the task of detailed planning and the putting together of all three events. The India Day Parade was widely supported by the community. Patel Brothers and Bolla Oil were grand sponsors, whereas Bolly Arts, Air India, Met Life and Kingfisher Airlines were major sponsors besides Habib American Bank, The South Asian Times, Doshi Diagnostics and Friends of Good Health.

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto and Bobby Kumar Kalotee will be honored for their leadership and extraordinary contributions to the Indian American community.

case a cultural entertainment extravaganza by Sunita Sadhnani of Bolly Arts after the scrumptious dinner. Woodlands at Greens is one of the best known venues for gala events in Long Island. On August 11, Hicksville witnessed a grand India Day Parade which was attended by over 12,000 people. In a first, over 100

organization came together to support one common community event in Long island. Veteran Bollywood actor Vinod Khanna, County Executive Hon. Mangano and Harry Singh of Bolla Oil led the parade as Grand Marshalls. On August 15, the Theodore Roosevelt Legislative Buildings of Nassau County, colorfully decorated, became the venue for the

Flag-Hoisting Ceremony. The Indian Tri-color flag saffron, white and green was officially raised and flew that day honoring and celebrating Indian pride with democracy, unity and freedom. The flag hoisting event was cohosted by Nassau county Executive Office, IDP USA and National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA).

Rebuild the American Dream: Ricky Gill to RNC

Tampa Bay, FL: Congressional candidate Ricky Gill, running a tight race against incumbent Jerry McNerney for a House seat from Californias 9th Congressional district, briefly spoke of at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL, in the afternoon session on August 28. The young, rising Indian American star in his party, delivered these remarks to the RNC: I am humbled to stand before you as a Republican nominee for Congress and a proud son of Californias San Joaquin Valley. My parents immigrated to the Valley from India and Africa with only their love for each other, a strong work ethic, and the enduring desire to pursue their American dream. We all work hard in the Valley, and were proud to live there. But today we face crippling unemployment and foreclosures even the bankruptcy of Stockton, our largest city. Young people leave or drop out of school to help their families make ends meet. Our friends and neighbors are suffering. But the Valley is a cautionary tale of failed policies, not false ambitions. No one in this country dreams of dependency; no

Wipro ties up with UMass to train US teachers

Bangalore: Wipro and the University of Massachusetts (UMass) have jointly launched a 12month fellowship program in the US to train 120 school teachers in the next three years. It's also aimed at developing competencies and galvanizing leadership potential of teachers to make them catalysts of change in their schools and districts. UMass-Boston will partner with a university in the New York City area and multiple school districts in Boston and New York to administer this program. "The program is designed to create a cadre of teacher leaders and help underprivileged students achieve excellence in science education," said Anurag Behar, chief sustainability officer at Wipro. Wipro's science education initiative aligns with the "Educate to Innovate" campaign launched by President Barack Obama to improve the participation and performance of students in STEM. Apart from the US federal government, corporates, foundations, non-profit outfits, science and engineering societies, among others, can be part of the program. Obama had earlier said that improving STEM education would be a national priority for the US administration. "The US is the cradle of innovation. This program is part of Wipro's efforts to align with US' goal to engender an environment that continues to instill and nurture scientific temper and innovative spirit among young people," said T K Kurien, CEO (IT) at Wipro. The program, to be entirely funded by Wipro, will identify 40 experienced science teachers in the Boston and New York areas from those engaged with kindergarten to grade 12 - every year, after a rigorous selection process. The nomination process for the fellowship will commence in January 2013 and the selection is due to be completed within three months. The course is scheduled to begin on September 1, 2013.

Ricky Gill, Republican candidate for Congress from the 9th district of California one hopes for mediocrity. We are ready again to seize the measure of our ambitions not because the government says we can, but because we believe we can. We need a new generation of leadership to chart the path to fight for policies that create jobs, rather than red tape and to help small businesses succeed, rather than helping green energy companies fail. Like you, we Valley folks are tough, independent, and faithful and we are ready to rebuild our American Dream.

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NAM Story Continued from page 1 nuclear weapons. The countrys Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned the efforts of a few world powers - the very ones who had used such weapons - to monopolize civilian nuclear technology. He also warned that the sanctions against the country to curb its nuclear program would backfire. Inaugurating the 16th NAM summit, the Ayatollah also launched a blistering attack on the US for misusing the UN to bully the world, even as he called for reforming the movement itself to make it more relevant to the current global economic and strategic scenario. "The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns use of nuclear and chemical weapons and the like as an unforgiveable sin, and we have raised the slogan of a Middle East Free from Nuclear Weapons and we are committed to it," he maintained. This did not mean Iran would ignore the right to the use of peaceful nuclear energy, he said Meanwhile, Manmohan Singh harped on the deficit in global governance, saying it was perhaps most stark in the sphere of international peace and security and in restoring just and fair economic mechanisms". "Our movement should take the lead in building global governance structures that are representative, credible and effective," he said, adding it was his sincere hope there can be agreement "on action to reform institutions such as the UN Security Council, the World Bank and the IMF". "Existing problems cannot be solved effectively without a greater voice for developing countries on issues such as global trade, finance and investment," Manmohan Singh said.Noting in this context that developing countries can be "drivers of global growth", he said that international financial institutions should be encouraged to fund infrastructure development in the developing world "in innovative ways". 26/11 Story Continued from page 1 Thus, they have requested a repeat visit" of the judicial commission that came to India to examine the witnesses in the trial of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive in the Nov 26-29, 2008 attack that claimed 166 lives. Both leaders also felt that the meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries early next month "would be an opportunity" to chart out the roadmap for further dialogue. Trade issues were also discussed, with Zardari saying that given the "great scope for regional economic cooperation, Pakistan can be a catalyst in this process. The prime minister welcomed this approach," the foreign secretary said. Responding to a question on the US placing eight more members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, including the son of its founder Hafiz Saeed, on the terror list, Mathai said: "We welcome all steps to combat global terror." India says Hafiz Saeed masterminded the Mumbai attack. Romney Story Continued from page 1 by year 2020; giving people the skills they need for the jobs of today and the careers of tomorrow; forging new trade agreements; assuring investors by cutting the deficit and balancing the budget; and champion small businesses. He proudly referred to the success story of Bain Capital, which he cofounded with just 10 people and which went on to help start Staples, The Sports Authority and Steel Dynamics, among others. To allay the fear that his party was anti-woman, he said, "As Governor of Massachusetts, I chose a woman Lt. Governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women, and in business, I mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies. On global affairs, he chided Obama who had promised to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet saying simply, my promise ...is to help you and your family. On foreign policy, he offered his thoughts, "We will honor America's democratic ideals because a free world is a more peaceful world. This is the bipartisan foreign policy legacy of Truman, and Reagan. Mitt Romney's running mate Paul Ryan accepted the Republican vicepresidential nomination on Wednesday, saying time is running out to solve America's fiscal problems, but they can do it if elected in November."We will not duck the tough issues -- we will lead," Ryan, 42, said. Ryan's speech was part of a Republican effort to portray Romney, a multimillionaire businessman and former Massachusetts governor, as a champion of working-class Americans who struggle under the policies of President Obama.Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was another featured speaker Wednesday who made a case for compassion on immigrants issue. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Story Continued from page 1 unity at the level of the soul and transcend racial, cultural, national, religious, and economic differences. His Herculean efforts to uplift humanity deserve our special recognition. According to Jim Rose, SoS organizations regional coordinator, the honors Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj receives wherever he goes are an indication of the growing recognition of the role spirituality plays in helping to actualize both inner peace and world peace.

September 1-7, 2012

Hundreds evacuated as storm floods homes in Bobby Jindal's state

Washington: Though downgraded from a hurricane, a slow-moving tropical storm Isaac still packed a punch flooding homes and pushing water over the top of several levees in Louisiana and Mississippi, reports said. As they conducted search-and-rescue missions in the two states for stranded residents, officials warned of continued life-threatening hazards from storm surges and local flooding. CNN citing a release from the office of Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal said 1,500 people had been evacuated with 1,500 more needing rescue. The state sent 89 buses to take evacuees to shelters. The situation also was particularly dire in Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans, where 3,000 people remained in one area close to an 8-foot tall levee that waters are threatening, Jindal's office said.

Bobby Jindal skipped the Republican convention to lead efforts to tackle hurricane Isaac. Earlier Jindal said a first estimate from local officials in the parish showed as many as 800 homes may have received significant water damage. The US Army Corps of Engineers reported significant storm surge in the parish, scene of many rescues. Hurricane Isaac has cost state and local government more than $24 million so far, The Times-Picayune reported citing Jindal.

IAFPE (Indian American Forum for Political Education) hosted a reception for Indias Ambassador to the US, Mrs. Nirupama Rao, on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Tampa FL on August 29 at the India Cultural Center at Tampa, FL. Pictured are Dr. Venkat Rao, Mrs. Rao, Dr.Sampat Shivangi, National President of IAFPE and Dr. V. Kabaria.

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Message of peace and harmony mark Consulate Eid celebration

New York: Prominent members of the Indian American community gathered at the Consulate General of India office in New York City to greet each other on the occasion of Eid, which is celebrated all over the world as an auspicious day after the month of fasting-- a ritual meant for purification of the soul, developing self-control and taking people closer to God. With these festivities the Consulate General of India in New York continued its tradition of celebrating the diversity of Indian culture. Supported by Juned Qazi, a promising young entrepreneur and New York based community leader, the celebration reflected a rare combination of social and cultural integration. An added attraction of the evening was the enchanting Ghazal singing by Sudhir Narayan, a wellknown singer of Agra Gharana. Qazi recently came to the limelight after he hosted a reception in New Jersey in honor of Digvijay Singh, a spokesman of Indias ruling Congress Party and a former chief minister of the state of Madhya Pradesh. Eid is a festival of friendship, fun and peace. People belonging to diverse faith and religion should ignore their differences and greet each other with love and happiness, commented Ambassador Prabhu Dayal, Consul-General of India in New York. Regretting that an atmosphere of suspicion currently prevailed in the world, the Consul-General hoped that the people of Indian Diaspora would work towards strengthening harmony and peace in the world. He introduced the singer Sudhir Narayan as a tal-

Community leader Juned Qazi event. Dr. Anita Soni, a singer of high caliber, also recited poems and Ghazals on the occasion. Nazma Sultana, a leading community leader and executive committee member of Indian National Overseas Congress, congratulated Qazi for his efforts to create friendship and harmony in the community, she said that time had come to pass on the leadership to the youth led by Juned Qazi. Her feelings were echoed by many.

Sudhir Narayan enthralling the audience with live rendition of ghazals ented artist whose singing represented love and friendship among people and lived to the true message of peace and harmony. Trained under the able guidance of Late Ustad Shabbir Ahmed Khan of Agra Gharana, Sudhir Narayan sang a wide range of traditional and folk songs that made the evening even more enjoyable. Prominent Indian American professionals and business owners of tri-state area, who belonged to different faiths of India, attended the

Historic 8 day celebration of Paryushan Festival in US

New York: Paryushan is an occasion for inner transformation; a priceless opportunity to set aside ones attachments and aversions, to behold the virtue of forgiveness in ones heart and to make rapid advances on the path of liberation. The festival of Paryushan is a precious invitation to connect with our divine self, to immerse ourselves in devotion, to listen to divine discourses, to bask in the presence of saints and to come close to the Jain Lords. The spiritual seekers of the United States were the lucky beneficiaries of the addition of a leap month during this calendar year. In the first month of Bhadarva, by the grace of Shrimad Rajchandraji and in divine presence of Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai, over 800 aspirants celebrated 8 unforgettable days of the Paryushan festival with immense zeal and enthusiasm from Aug 14-22. To take eight days off work; to spend eight days away from home; to immerse oneself in eight days of spiritual pursuit is unthinkable in the United States unless it was propelled by an intense yearning for liberation and divine inspiration. In an atmosphere conducive to spiritual upliftment, seekers from all across U.S & Canada gathered in New Jersey, reveled with fervor and participated enthusiastically in the the four virtues Maitri (Amity), Pramod (Appreciation), Karuna (Compassion) and Madhyasthata (Equanimity) and presented valuable lessons on how to apply them when interacting with others to create loving relationships. Shant Sudharas offers unique teachings on the twelve contemplations including the impermanence of the material world and aims to instill the virtues of detachment and dispassion. Revealing the true nature of material world and exposing its worthlessness and hollowness, giving spiritual seekers valuable guidance to seek real and permanent soul bliss within themselves.

Zee TV paints the town blue at India Day Parade

Announces launch of Zee TV HD
Attendees absorbed in elevating pravachan (discourses) celebration and festivities. It is worth mentioning that nearly half the participants were young men and women, under the age of forty. Many observed an 8-day fast while others restricted to eating only once or twice a day. The festivities began every morning with a glorious Snatra Puja (A celebration of the birth of Tirthankar Bhagwan). Soul-stirring devotional singing brought tears in the eyes of the listeners, filled their hearts with emotion, enhanced their feeling of surrender and drew them closer to the divine. Each day, aspirants gathered eagerly to listen to the inspirational, motivational, heart-touching and spiritually enriching divine discourses by Pujyashri Gurudev. One evening, residents of U.S presented a poignant drama based on the life of Dhanna Shalibhadra an inspiring saga of renunciation and salvation. The 8-day celebration culminated in Samvatsari an occasion of intense practice of atonement and forgiveness leading to immense internal purification. On this auspicious day, people seek forgiveness from everyone they may have hurt knowingly or unknowingly by thoughts, words or actions, by saying Michhami Dukkadam. Based on Upadhyay Shri Vinayvijayji Maharajs splendid composition, Shant Sudharas, Pujyashri Gurudev expounded on
New York: Zee TV announced its launch in HD making it the first South Asian channel to go HD in the US at the India Day Parade in New York City. Zee TV HD was promoted through various activities at the India Day Parade- families had a chance to take part in an exclusive raffle to win iPads. Winners were chosen during the course of the day. Raffle winner Rohan Savant said Im thrilled to win an iPad courtesy of Zee and Im looking forward to seeing Zee in HD. Zee TV created a Zee Zone. Jagdish Patel, a resident of Long Island said Hands down Zee TV HD has the best booth at this event. This modern space allowed raffle entrants to walk away with cool goodies such as eco-friendly tote bags, water bottles, t-shirts and hats families also had an opportunity to

Zee TV float at India Day Parade make memories with the Zee TV HD photobooth where they could take free picture. Commenting on the Zee tote bags, event attendee Avni Modi said The Zee HD bag is so cool, I would carry it to work every day! Radio personality Sunil Thakkar kept attendees in splits with his comedy while DJs at the Zee booth added music to the festivities.

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September 1-7, 2012

IN BRIEF

Gujarati drama fest held in NY

rama Festival was organized by Gujarati Samaj of New York in association with Shakuntal Arts on August 4 at Gujarat Samajs community center in Fresh Meadows, NY. Five plays were staged in a day. The drama committee comprised Bharti Desai, Rohit Pandya, RD Patel, Manikant Patel & Sailesh Trivedi. Drama Planning & Presentation of Festival: Sailesh Trivedi The first play was by Rakesh Nayak titled Sarhad and as the title suggests it was about two soldiers of two countries on the border. The second play was Hemant Sheths Dashavtar. It was a comedy about what will happen if god takes another birth in this world. Rohit Pandyas Aam amasta besvu was the third play staged. It was about four friends talking about the system and their life and likings. Ba Mommy Mom by Sonia Shah was the third play. The fifth was traditional folk form of Bhavai performed by

GOPIO-CT celebrates I-Day with flag hoisting and feting high school graduates

G
A still from the Bhavai performed at the fest Shailesh Trivedi. It was a satire on the theatre scenario where insincere actors make the worst show of one of the best plays Ramayan. More than 250 people attended the festival.This event was organized by NY Gujarati Samaj after they saw last years three day drama festival in New Jersey. Ambassador Nirupama Rao and Dr. Julian Raby, Director of the Freer & Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution inaugurating the event Inspired by India: A Family Celebration on August 11, 2012 in Washington, DC. Sponsored by the State Bank of India, and with support from the Embassy of India, the event included classical kathak dancing, Bollywood dancing, traditional Indian flute music, making of rakhi bracelets, Indian rangoli paintings, Henna designs and Indian food. Also at the display was Worlds within Worlds: Imperial Paintings from India and Iran.

OPIO-CT organized India Independence Day celebration with a flag hoisting, dignitaries and entertainment at the Stamford Govt. Center on Saturday August 18th. Over 100 members of the Indian-American community, from toddlers to seniors, and elected officials gathered to celebrate 65 years of India's Independence and the hoisting of the American, Indian and Connecticut flags while the GOPIO-Youth sang American and Indian national anthems. The chief guest at the event was Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the UN. City of Stamford was represented by Randall Skigen, President of Board of Representatives and Deputy Mayor of Stamford. The program was sponsored by Dr. Prasad Manoharan and Shashi Prasad of Poughkeepsie, New York. Deputy Mayor Skigen praised the IndianAmerican community and GOPIO-Connecticut's leadership in organizing these events in Stamford. He said, looking in the internet and reading the Indian constitution, it could have been very well written by Thomas Jefferson. Connecticut Assemblyman Gerald Fox representing Stamford thanked the community for

GOPIO-CT officials with dignitaries (L to R): Dr. Thomas Abraham, Prakash Chakravarti, Anju Simon, Shashi Prasad, Namrita Puri, Ambassador Manjeev Puri, Stamford Board of Representatives President Randall Skigen, Assemblyman Gerald Fox, GOPIO-CT President Shailesh Naik and Nandita Suvarna bringing the best of cultural traditions to Stamford. GOPIO-CT also recognized over two dozen high school graduates at the event. Entertainment program included children Shivani Kotikalapudi and Devi Srinidhi Thoka singing 'Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon..' and a Tamil semiclassical dance by Arunodhaya Dance Academy.

Free mega health fair in New Brunswick

orth American Telugu Association (NATA) in association with Saint Peter Health Care System present Free Mega Health Fair on Saturday, September 22, 2012,From 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm across the street from Saint Peters University Hospital, 254 East-

on Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. To attend, register at http://nata2012.org/healthfair.php. Free Flu vaccinations have been sponsored by: http://www.movers.com/. Refreshments will be served. Contact: Srinivas Ganagoni 732 429 4855 | Tab Chukunta: 732 745 8551.

Caravanseri: Building bridges between American and Islamic societies

By Jinal Shah/SATimes New York: There is a reason why people associate peace and harmony with music and art. They say music transcends all boundaries-cultural, racial and even age, and Caravanserai a groundbreaking artistic and cultural exchange programis doing just that; establishing greater understanding between Americans and Islamic societies especially in the post 9/11 world. Caravanserai- A place where cultures meet is a multi-year cultural engagement program in which over three seasons a year US communities host a series of performing and visual arts artists in residence tours. Its mission to realign perceptions about Muslims by introducing artists to US communities. Starting this fall, Caravanserai will enter into its second edition, this time featuring artists from Morocco (see box for dates and venue). The program will focus on the music and culture of Morocco and will feature compelling contemporary and traditional vocal and instrumental music along with Moroccan film and photography. The 2011-2012 season concluded spring2012- featured the diverse cultures of contemporary Pakistan. Five organizations hosted two musical residencies featuring traditional and contemporary Pakistani artists and one film residency featuring a young and innovative Pakistani filmmaker. Led by Arts Midwest, a non-profit Regional Arts Organization (RAO) and funded by a one million Contemporary dollar grant from the Pakistani American Doris Duke Foundation singer Arooj Aftab and for Islamic Art her Indian American (DDFIA) Building collaborator guitarist Bridges program, CaraBhrigu Sahni. Image: vanserai is a platform Lindajoy Fenley through which Americans are exposed to the diverse contemporary Muslim artistic expressions. The idea is to introduce western audiences to exciting and dynamic artists from the Muslim world. David Fraher, Arts Midwest Executive Director, who conceived Caravanserai said, It is no secret that over the last decade, there have been limited, direct conversations and interactions between Americans and people from predominantly Muslim nations or for that matter, between troop included the Qawwal brothers - Mohammad Najmuddin,Saifuddin, Mughisuddin, Zameeruddin, and Ehtisham, table maestro Lahori UstadTari Khan, Dholis Abid Hussain and Abdul Rasheed, Punjabi folk music legend Arif Lohar, Pakistani-American contemporary singer Arooj Aftab and BhriguSahni, her Indian-American guitarist collaborator. At every workshop/ show they were greater with interested audience that ranged from school children as young as 3rd graders, special children, librarians and music lovers. Post-performance discussions indeed changed their perspective about Muslims, many even vouched to fight against hate crimes.

Arif Lohars chimta lesson for high school students in Providence, Rhode Island. Image: Community MusicWorks/Jori Ketten Americans and Muslim Americans. Caravanserai was conceived to create safe places. Moments in time in smaller American communities, wherein open sharing and exchange of ideas and cultures might take place. Through music, film, literature, and visual art we hope to build a bridge between people with different perspectives. Artists participating in the Pakistan edition went into the same five communities in three consecutive waves to Helena, Montana; Littleton, New Hampshire; West Long Branch, New Jersey; Oswego, New York; and Providence, Rhode Island. Performers and filmmakers from the Pakistani

Caravanserai: Morocco begins in Fall 2012.

September 30 October 6 | Reif Performing Arts Center | Grand Rapids, MN October 7 13 | Jamestown Fine Arts Assoc. | Jamestown, ND October 14 20 | King Fahd Center | Fayetteville, Arkansas October 21 28 | Global Education Center | Nashville, TN

National Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

Michelle Obama meets gurdwara victims

Singh Dhaliwal and Oak Creek Mayor Stephen Scaffidi greeted Obama before the meeting, which was closed to reporters. "It was very graceful of her. It means a lot to us," Dhaliwal said after the meeting. The family of Oak Creek police Lt. Brian Murphy, who was shot more than eight times by alleged white supremacist Wade Michael Page met privately with Obama in a separate room. It was not clear whether he was there, Journal Sentinel said. Afterward, Amardeep Kaleka, whose father, temple president Satwant Kaleka, was killed trying to fend off Page, told the Journal Sentinel: "It felt sincere. She knew about my father and what he'd done. She called him a hero... and said he should be remembered for the good that he had done."

BAPS Mandirs across North America celebrate Janmashtami

Michelle Obama greets Sikh community representative Dr. Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Washington, DC: Reaching out to the Sikh community, First Lady Michelle Obama met families of those killed in the Aug 5 massacre at the gurdwara in Wisconsin to offer her support. "It's my honor to be here with you. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances but I am anxious to meet with the families and lend whatever support I can," she told them as in a private meeting at Oak Creek High School Thursday evening. Obama spent about 30 minutes with them, moving from family to family to offer her condolences and concerns, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported citing Sikh families. Temple secretary Kulwant

Children and youths of BAPS enacting a scene from Mahabharat during Janmashtami Celebration at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Boston Edison, NJ: On Saturday, August 11, 2012, devotees celebrated this festival at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Edison, New Jersey on a grand scale with many from the surrounding community. This years theme, Yato Dharmas-tato Jayaha (Where there is Dharma, there is Victory) provided a deeper look into the wisdom from the Mahabharat, elaborating on the various types of conflicts that arise while following dharma. The program consisted of traditional dances and various skits performed by the youth of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) to recall the divine incidents of Bhagwan Krishna and the everlasting messages from the Shrimad Bhagwad Gita. One of the key messages of the program was that Bhagwan always supports those who are good. He tries to lead all onto the right path, even though some are unable to follow due to their immoral personalities. The skits also demonstrated the qualities of a person who stays true to his dharma and explained how Bhagwan always guides those people who follow dharma. Both young and old enjoyed the program. Demonstrating their passion, dedication and love towards their tradition and heritage, all of the participants worked tirelessly to prepare for the festival. The program concluded with blessings from His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the current spiritual leader of BAPS. Similar celebrations were held at BAPS mandirs across North America.

500 people protest injustice of BP oil spill settlement

Houston: More than 500 small Gulf Coast business owners affected by the 2010 BP oil spill, including many hoteliers, gathered at the headquarters of BP America in Houston Aug 23 to protest being excluded from just compensation of their financial losses. This strong turnout emphasizes the frustration among small business owners who were impacted by the oil spill and who are now being ignored by BP, explained Dipak Danny Patel, a hotel owner from Texas and a board member with the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) who organized the event along with other AAHOA leaders and members. It also underscores the determination and the solidarity of our group in gaining the settlements which we are entitled to and which BP is legally obligated to provide, added Ricky Patel, an attorney and senior partner with Farrell & Patel who represents many of the affected hoteliers and small business owners. During the protest, a BP employee engaged in discussions with protest leaders but no date was set for substantive discussions. There are thousands of small business owners in the Gulf Region, from Texas to Florida, who have suffered significant economic loss, said Alkesh Patel, Chairman of Atlanta-based AAHOA. Our individual voices and claims have been dismissed until now, but our collective voice is impressively strong and will be impossible for BP to ignore. With more than 11,000 members who together own almost 50% of the hotels in the United States, AAHOA is one of the most prominent and most respected organizations in the hospitality industry.

As hurricane hits home, Bobby Jindal takes charge

Washington, DC: As Hurricane Isaac hit southeast Louisiana on the eve of the seventh anniversary of catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, the state's Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal warned residents to prepare for the hard times ahead. Packing 80-mph winds and torrential, stinging rains, the storm made landfall at Plaquemines Parish at 6.45 p.m. Tuesday as it began battering New Orleans, Louisiana's largest city and a major US port that was devastated by Katrina. Isaac's eye then "wobbled westward" and moved back over land by 9 p.m., all the while keeping up its strength as it lashed southeast Louisiana, CNN reported citing the National Hurricane Centre. "This is a serious storm. It's a slow-moving storm. It's important that our folks take it seriously," said Jindal, a rising Republican star, who skipped the party's national convention in Tampa Florida to deal with the situation at home. As tropical storm Isaac, now upgraded to category one hurricane, approached the Gulf Coast, Jindal also shot off a letter to President Barack Obama asking for more federal help, urging him to reimburse Louisiana for the full cost of its preparations. "Given the extraordinary developments of this storm and its approaching impact on the state of Louisiana, I ask that you exercise your discretion to approve the state's pending request for all emergency protective measures," he wrote.

National Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

US aid to transition from cash to electronic form

Washington, DC: Entrepreneur Karl Mehta, the only IndianAmerican among 18 Presidential Innovation Fellows, would work on "The 20 percent Initiative" that aims to transition international development assistance payments from cash to electronic methods. Selected out of 700 applicants for their data, coding and programming expertise, the fellows would spend six months in Washington DC to work on five "high-impact" federal IT projects aimed at supporting entrepreneurs, small businesses and the economy. "The 20 percent Initiative" assigned to Mehta to transition "the last mile" of international development assistance payments is aimed at "lowering administrative costs, promoting financial inclusion, and reducing theft, fraud, and violence", the White House announced. A member of TiE Silicon

Indian American director's thriller wins two US awards

Washington, DC: "9 Eleven", a Bollywood-style thriller by Indian American director Manan Singh Katohara, has won the Best Feature and Best Director awards at the 2012 World Music & Independent Film Festival (WMIFF) here. Written and directed by Katohora, who won the 2012 Rising Star Award for the film at Canada International Film Festival, the film had been nominated in a record eight categories at WMIFF. The awards were announced at a star studded spectacular event at the Capitol Hilton here Saturday hosted by the IMDB qualifying international film festival that showcases and recognizes all global independent artists and their diverse talents. Dedicated to building a global film community and supporting emerging filmmakers, WMIFF, founded by June Daguiso, offers all selected artists exceptional exposure. A fast paced thriller with undertones of terrorism, "9 Eleven" poses the question how does one survive collectively in meeting the growing phenomenon of terrorism head on.

Neurosurgeon convicted of tax evasion

Karl Mehta is working on the project. Valley, Mehta is founder & CEO of PlaySpan, which was acquired by Visa in March 2011. He is said to be a leader in monetization platform for digital media, mobile apps, social networks and online games. Mehta has more than 18 years of experience in founding, building and funding technology companies in the US and international markets. Milwaukee (Wisconsin): An Indian-American neurosurgeon has been convicted by a federal jury on tax charges for his alleged failure to disclose $8 million in income held in a bank account in India in 2009. Arvind Ahuja, 50, of Greendale in Milwaukee County, is scheduled to be sentenced in January by Chief US District Judge Charles Clevert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Thursday. He remains free on bond. The jury convicted Ahuja of filing a false tax return and of failing to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, while acquitting him on five other counts. Ahuja's attorney asked Clevert during the trial to dismiss the charges. If the judge did that, he could in effect overturn the jury's conviction. Clevert has not issued a ruling, the Journal Sentinel said. Prosecutors alleged Ahuja moved millions from US bank accounts to accounts located in India, earning more than $2.7 million in interest income between 2005 and 2009 but failing to report that income, according to prosecutors.He also maintained an account in the Bailiwick of Jersey, a British Crown dependency located in the Channel Islands off the coast of Normandy, France, they said. Despite the conviction, Ahuja's attorney Dan Webb called the verdict "a tremendous victory." The case never should have been filed, Webb was quoted as saying, as prior to being indicted, Ahuja had filed amended federal and state tax returns and paid all amounts due, together with interest and penalties.

US Affairs TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

Mitt Romney nominated as Republican presidential candidate

Washington: Republican Mitt Romney is all set to challenge incumbent Barack Obama after the party nominated the former Massachusetts governor as its candidate for the presidential elections in November this year. Romney won the nomination as he crossed the support of necessary 1,144 delegates during the ongoing Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida yesterday. The convention also approved Congressman Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate. Romney's nomination will become official after he delivers his acceptance speech on Thursday, campaign officials said. He will legally be able to spend money raised for the general-election campaign only after Thursday's speech. Romney, 65, is the first Mormon to be nominated as the Republican presidential candidate. Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement which began with the visions of Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. 65-year-old Romney will now contest against Barack Obama in the November polls to occupy the White House as new US president. Latest opinion polls indicate that Obama and Romney are in a statistical tie with each other. Meanwhile during the convention, Republican speakers lashed out at President Obama and condemned the policies followed by him during his term as the president. "The last four years under President Obama have been trying and troubling for this entire counRomney's wife, Ann, repeatedly referred to her first date with the man she fell in love with in, urging Americans to trust him to fix the nation's problems. Touching on issues considered vulnerabilities for her husband -support from women, his personal wealth -- she encouraged people to look closely at his record and get to know him for the warm and loving man she met at a high school dance. In the speeches after the voting for the nomination process was over, Republican leaders lashed out at Obama and alleged that the nearly four years of his administration has failed to address American problems, the economy and unemployment in particular. Obama, on the other hand, had recently lashed out at Romney for his announcement that he would repeal his health care bill.

Ann Romney and Mitt Romney after she addressed the convention. try. The tired big government policies of the past have failed us. We can't afford more disappointments. We need a new direction. We need a new president," said Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee. "The American people are still asking 'where are the jobs', but President Obama only offers excuses instead of answers. His record is a shadow of his rhetoric. Yet he has the nerve to say that he's moving us forward, and the audacity to hope that we'll believe him," said Joe Boehner, Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Nikky Haley slams Obama at RNC

Washington: South Carolina's Indian American Governor Nikki Haley has slammed President Barack Obama, painting his administration as an obstructing force that hinders American businesses as Mitt Romney officially clinched the Republican presidential nomination. "We deserve a president who won't sacrifice American jobs and American workers to pacify the bullying union bosses he counts as political allies," said the rising Republican star, hours after the party's national convention in Tampa, Florida, anointed Romney to challenge Obama in the Nov 6 election. "American businesses deserve a federal government that doesn't stand in their way, not one that tries to chase them overseas," said Haley, born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, recounting how her Sikh parents moved to the US from India and built a multi-million to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue," added Haley, who with Louisiana's IndianAmerican governor Bobby Jindal was chosen as a 'headliner' at the convention. Jindal, however, skipped the convention as hurricane Isaac hit his home state Tuesday. The 2,200-plus convention delegates also approved a conservative platform that opposed same-sex marriage and endorsed a "human life amendment" to ban abortion with no specific exceptions for cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is threatened. Like Haley, many other speakers too accused Obama of failed leadership and undermining the American dream stressing how as descendants of immigrants they worked hard to achieve success for their families and never expected government help or handouts.

India gets high praise in Republican platform

Washington: Seeking a stronger relationship with India, the Republican Party platform set to be adopted as the foreign policy plank of its presidential candidate Mitt Romney, urges New Delhi to permit greater foreign investment and trade. "We welcome a stronger relationship with the world's largest democracy, India, both economic and cultural, as well as in terms of national security," says the platform posted on the Republican National Committee's website ahead of the party's national convention in Tampa, Florida. "We encourage India to permit greater foreign investment and trade. We urge protection for adherents of all India's religions," says the platform that also praises the contributions of Indian-Americans. "Both as Republicans and as Americans, we note with pride the contributions to this country that are being made by our fellow citizens of Indian ancestry." "We hereby affirm and declare that India is our geopolitical ally and a strategic trading partner," the party platform said. The Republican platform "arguably lavishes more praise on India than on any country mentioned in the document except Israel and Taiwan", says Uri Friedman in his blog post in influential Foreign Policy magazine. The passage relating to India particularly stands out when compared with the more businesslike language employed in the 2008 Republican platform, he says. While the 2008 Democratic platform praised India as a "natural strategic ally", the Republicans then simply said, "We welcome America's new relationship with India, including the US-India Civil Nuclear Accord." "Our common security concerns and shared commitment to political freedom and representative government can be the foundation for an enduring partnership."

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley speaking at the RNC. dollar business. "Slighting American ingenuity and innovation, that's what this president has meant to South Carolina. That's what this president has meant to this governor," she said. "And that's why this governor will not stop fighting until we send him home, back to Chicago, and send Mitt and Ann Romney

Washington: An anti-Obama film by an Indian-American conservative author that has rocked the box office is set to make further inroads across the nation, thanks to the buzz created by Republican National convention. Mumbai-born Dinesh D'Souza's documentary "2016: Obama's America," that purports to show what the nation will be like should President Obama be re-elected, will expand to about 1,800 theatres Friday, entertainment trade site TheWrap reported citing Rocky Mountain Pictures. That's up from the 1,091 theatres it played in over the weekend, when it took in $6.2 million between Friday and Sunday for a per-screen average of $5,940 the best of any film in wide

Indian-American's anti-Obama film making waves in US

release. It added another $1.2 million at the box office Monday. Produced for roughly $2.1 million, the film - with its catchphrase, "Love Him. Hate Him. You Don't Know Him" - has made $10.3 million since its release seven weeks ago and has surpassed "Bully" as the year's top-earning documentary. Co-directors John Sullivan and D'Souza, along with producers Gerald Molen and Doug Sain, are in Tampa, Florida for the Republican gathering that Tuesday officially anointed Mitt Romney as its presidential candidate to challenge Obama in the Nov 6 election. Based on D'Souza's book, "The Roots of Obama's Rage", the documentary basically

Dinesh D Souza and the film based on his book argues that Obama has a pro- danger whose socialist governthird world view inherited from ing philosophy has been indelihis Kenyan father, and he is bly colored by radical influactively and willfully working to ences." Although it's not likely to win dilute America's primacy in the fans among Obama supporters, world. Trade publication Variety pegs Variety's review continues, it as a "slickly produced" docu- "there's no gainsaying the value mentary that could "turn a tidy of '2016' as a sort of Cliffs Notes profit" with content that prompts precis of the conservative case discussion about "President against the re-election of our Obama as a clear and present current US president".

10

India TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

Coalgate jams Parliament

No work for eighth consecutive day in both Houses of Parliament; BJP hellbent on prime minister's resignation over alleged irregularities in coal block allocation
New Delhi: Both Houses of parliament were disrupted for the eighth day on August 30 as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) persisted with its demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over coal block allocation. In the Rajya Sabha, the BJP members were on their feet demanding the prime minister's resignation. Chairman Hamid Ansari urged members to let the question hour proceed. Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office V. Narayanasamy said he was ready to answer but the BJP members were unrelenting, forcing the house to be adjourned. In the Lok Sabha, BJP members raised slogans, also forcing Speaker Meira Kumar to adjourn the house till noon. The BJP has been forcing

The continuing stalemate has seen the BJP and Congress going hammer and tongs at each other over the past few days
adjournment of the house since last week over its demand for the prime minister's resignation. It has also sought cancellation of coal block allotments on the basis of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report and inquiry by a special investigative team into the allocations.The continuing stalemate has seen the BJP and Congress going hammer and tongs at each other over the past few days.

New Delhi: Amid signs of a rift with fellow activists, Kiran Bedi, a key member of the disbanded Team Anna, said the India Against Corruption (IAC) agitation of Sunday should have pressed for the resignation of the prime minister over coal blocks allocation "instead of bracketing all in Coalgate". Bedi, who had kept away from the IAC agitation, said in a tweet: "Instead of bracketing all in Coalgate, demonstration of yesterday (Sunday) should have been for PM's resignation! PM has breached national trust!" The former woman top cop who had made known her opposition to targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by the IAC, clarified that she was not

Agitation should have targeted PM: Kiren Bedi

joining that party. "When you speak for an issue for which that party (BJP) also stands today doesn't mean that you have joined the party, or the party has incorporated you. The country must get used to independent voices... without aligning them up with interests and commitments. The country also has independent people they have nothing to gain but their own conviction to promote," Bedi told a TV channel here. Bedi had not joined the IAC agitation as she felt the target of the protesters should be only on the ruling Congress. She said she was "only for focus of the movement to hold the party in power accountable. They alone have the power to replace the rotten system". In the IAC agitation, Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan led hundreds of supporters to besiege the houses of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BJP chief Nitin Gadkari to protest alleged corruption in coal blocks allocation. Asked if reports of a rift between Bedi and other IAC members was true, an India Against Corruption key aide said: "I don't want to comment." Bedi also said she would join the next protest by IAC "only if they focus and remain non-partisan and they remain inclusive, and if they don't paint everyone with the same brush".

CBI not to probe Manmohan in 'Coalgate'

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will not be probed for alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks between 2006 and 2009, the CBI said. The Central Bureau of Investigation has launched a preliminary inquiry into the alleged scam. According to official sources, the probe agency will scrutinize two aspects - misuse of allocation of coal blocks and misuse of coal blocks by private companies. "The agency will scrutinize 156 companies and 65 coal blocks," said a CBI source. The CBI has started verifying the allegations of irregularities in the allocation to private companies between 2006 and 2009 and their alleged misuse.

BJP paints itself into corner

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) stalling of parliament by its aggressive insistence on the prime minister's resignation in the socalled coal scam may be rooted in the belief that it had been unable till now to exploit the government's seeming weaknesses. Apart from L.K. Advani mentioning this inability in his blog, it was felt that the BJP had been playing second fiddle to the civil society activists, Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev, and even trying to hitch a piggyback ride on their campaigns. Earlier, the BJP was unable to invite its chief ministers to its anti-corruption rallies lest the tainted presence of B.S. Yeddyurappa, who was then Karnataka's chief minister, made a mockery of its show. Now, at last, what the media calls the coalgate issue has given the BJP an opportunity to launch an anti-government offensive without any ifs and buts. But, even then, there are several difficulties. One is that the party does not seem to have considered the condebate to a prolonged disruption since it gives a bad name to the politicians and to the parliamentary system. The BJP's case has been further weakened by the fact that the CAG's report is not foolproof. It isn't only that its calculation of the losses suffered by the exchequer - an estimated Rs 1.86 lakh crore - has been called "notional" and "presumptive", the auditors have also been accused of exceeding their brief with their expressed preference for auctioning of the coal "blocks" instead of official allocations to the private players. The argument is that it is not for the CAG to prescribe government policy. It can only check the accounts. Furthermore, since the BJP had followed a similar policy when in power at the centre and its governments in the states opposed auctioning, the party will clearly be at a disadvantage if there is a debate on the subject in parliament, as the Congress wants. However, since an indefinite stalling of parliament tends to be counter-productive after a while, the BJP has been indulging in other dramatics as well, such as storming out of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the telecom scam. The seeming absence of a mellow and accommodating decision-making process points to leadership deficiencies at the top. It is not impossible that an element of competition among the present set of leaders comprising, in the main, Advani, Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj to gain primacy is behind the BJP's present rigidity. Such an attitude denotes either a mature, uncluttered appraisal of the future scene or a peevish rejection of everyone from the two major parties since Advani himself does not stand much of a chance to be prime minister. Since the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) dragged him kicking and screaming from the party president's post in 2005, he is unlikely to be its favorite for the prime minister's post. But, whoever is the BJP's current tactician, he or she is painting the party into a corner.

The BJP's case has been further weakened by the fact that the CAG report is not foolproof
sequences of such an uncompromising stand. Since it cannot seriously expect Manmohan Singh to resign simply because of the adverse implications of some of the observations of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the allocation of coal "blocks", it should have had a Plan B. But, at the moment, it doesn't seem to have left itself any escape route. Another hitch is that no other party is fully supportive of its stand. Although some of them do join it in the well of the house to disrupt the proceedings, at least some of their leaders maintain that they will prefer a

India TheSouthAsianTimes.info

11

September 1-7, 2012

Ties with US to help India tackle China: Saran

New Delhi: India's burgeoning ties with major powers like the US and Russia hold the key to how effectively New Delhi manages the "China challenge" in the years to come, former foreign secretary Shyam Saran said, even as he advocated mutually beneficial relations between the Asian giants. "The stronger India's links are with these major powers, the more room India would have in its relations with China," Saran said while delivering the second lecture in memory of K. Subrahmanyam, India's prominent strategic thinker. The annual commemorative lecture was organized under the aegis of Global India Foundation (GIF), a think tank. "...how India manages its relations with other major powers, in particular, the United States, would also be a factor. My own experience has been that the closer India-US relations are seen to be, the more amenable China has proved to be," he said. He was delivering the lecture on 'China in the Twenty-First Century: What India Needs to Know About China's World View'. The lecture was chaired by M.K. Rasgotra, a former foreign secretary. In a lecture that delved deep into the troubled past of the IndiaChina relations that led to the 1962 war and looking ahead at the trajectory of this crucial relationship, Saran said the two nations looked set to have an adversarial relationship due to their competing ambitions, but it would not lead to a military confrontation in the changed geopolitical landscape. Saran, a former envoy of China from launching an attack in 1971 when the US was trying to persuade it to do so to relieve pressure on Pakistan. "I also believe that it is a question of time before similar concerns surface in Russia as well. India should be mindful of this in maintaining and consolidating its already friendly, but sometimes, sketchy relations with Russia," said Saran. The lecture was attended by many strategic thinkers, diplomats, students and admirers of Subrahmanyam, who was a pioneer in helping create a culture of strategic thinking in India. In a pragmatic vein, Saran said the simultaneous rise of India and China could generate tensions, but that should not preclude them from forging a collaborative relationship on a host of issues.

Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran the Indian prime minister on the India-US nuclear deal, also debunked a notion floated by sections of the strategic community in the West that "a closer India-US relationship leads China to adopt a more negative and aggressive posture towards India". Saran added that India should take care to sustain its relations with Russia and added that the 1971 Indo-Soviet treaty deterred

Hitler clothing store causes stir in India

Ahmedabad: A clothing store called Hitler has upset residents and the small Jewish community in Vastrapur, in Ahmedabad. The shop owners do not find the name objectionable. We had put up a cloth banner for over a month saying Hitler opening shortly, no one objected to the name then, Rajesh Shah, the co-owner of the shop was quoted as saying. Hitler was a nickname given to my business partner Manish The Jewish community objected to the Chandanis grandfather because of clothing stores name his strict nature. Frankly, till the time we applied for the trademark permission, from Vadodara objects the name of the store I had only heard that Hitler was a strict man. It and wants the owners to change it. They ask was only recently that we read about Hitler on how can anyone celebrate a person like Hitler the internet. We have spent Rs 40,000 on the in the city of Mahatma Gandhi and non-viobanner, couple of other thousand on visiting lence. A member of the Jewish community cards and branding activity. We have run out who visited the shop recently claims that the of money now. We are willing to change the owners knew exactly who the Hitler was and name if we are compensated for the board, what he stood for. In a conversation, the owners told him that the name brings good busisaid Shah. However, the Friends of Israel organization ness since the stores launch a week earlier.

Asaram Bapu survives chopper crash

Ahmedabad/New Delhi: Spiritual leader Asaram Bapu and four others had a providential escape when a private helicopter he was flying in crash-landed in Godhra in Gujarat, officials said. Soon after the accident, the country's civil aviation regulator ordered a probe and rushed a team of investigators to the spot, they said. Asaram Bapu and four others on board the chopper, however, sustained only minor injuries in the accident. "The chartered helicopter Asaram Bapu and his followers were travelling in developed a technical snag prior to landing at Godhra Science College and fell from a considerable height," an official said. The helicopter, flying in to

The spiritual guru was to address a two-day religious gathering

land at unusually rapid speed, was captured on television cameras, and so was its nose hitting the ground after crash landing and resting on its sides with its rotar wings damaged. Police said the spiritual guru and others had to be removed from the chopper by breaking open its glass

panes. They were later rushed to a hospital run by his ashram. Asaram Bapu was to address a two-day religious gathering organized at the college grounds. Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has rushed its team to investigate the crash-landing.

Naroda Patiya massacre: Ex-minister Kodnani, 31 convicted

Ahmedabad: Ten years after a mob hacked and burnt to death 97 Muslims in Naroda Patiya locality here during riots, a Gujarat special court convicted 32 people, including former BJP minister Mayaben Kodnani and Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, for the massacre. The special court in Ahmedabad also acquitted 29 people. This is the first time that a former minister has been convicted in a Gujarat riots case. All those convicted, including Kodnani, have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 302 (murder) and 120B (conspiracy). Public prosecutor Akhil Desai said the charge of criminal coning, murder, arson and attack on a religious structure. "More than 90 people, including many women and children, had been roasted alive by the mob," Desai said, adding that he would argue for "imprisonment for life" for the guilty. Welcoming the judgment, rights activist Teesta Setalvad said: "Truth has won." The massacre took place a day after the Feb 27, 2002, Godhra train burning in which 59 people were burnt to death. A rioting mob attacked Naroda Patiya with guns, bombs and machettes, hacking and killing Muslims. Many were chased into a deep pit and then set on fire. Witnesses told the court that Kodnani, who was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)legislator of the area, was seen inciting the mob. Bajrangi was also accused of leading the mob. He was caught on camera by Tehelka news later, boasting about his hand in the carnage. In 2009, the Supreme Court appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case as well as other cases relating to the Gujarat riots in which 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed. Of the 64 people accused in the case, three died during trial. The remaining 61 accused were tried for murder, arson and rioting. Most of them were out on bail.

Former BJP minister Mayaben Kodnani spiracy has been proved and no leniency should be shown to the guilty. Desai told reporters that the guilty were charged for riot-

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India TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

Supreme Court backs death for Kasab

New Delhi: The Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of Ajmal Kasab, the only Pakistani terrorist caught alive after the 26/11 Mumbai strike that claimed 166 lives, saying he never showed any remorse. "We...hold that in the facts of the case, the death penalty is the only sentence that can be given to the appellant. We hold accordingly and affirm the convictions and sentences of the appellant passed by the trial court and affirmed by the high court," the apex court bench of Justice Aftab Alam and Justice C.K. Prasad said. The saddest and the most disturbing part of the case is that Kasab never showed any remorse for the terrible things he did, the court said. "In the initial weeks after his arrest, he continued to regard himself as a 'watan parast', a patriotic Pakistani, who considered himself to be at war with this country, who had no use for an Indian lawyer but needed a Pakistani lawyer to defend him in the court," the judges noted. Kasab, one of the 10 Pakistanis who sneaked into Mumbai on the night of Nov 26, 2008, for a terror strike in the city that ended on Nov 29 afternoon, had moved the apex court challenging the death sentence awarded to him by a trial court, which was later confirmed by the Bombay High Court. The apex court rejected Kasab's contention that the terror attack appellant in furtherance thereof," he said. The court rejected the contention by senior counsel Raju Ramachandran, who appeared for Kasab, that if his confession was excluded from consideration, then there was not enough evidence to prove the charge of larger conspiracy against him beyond reasonable doubts. "...the confession by the appellant was quite voluntary and there was no violation of any constitutional or legal right of the appellant in the recording of the confession. Hence, there is no reason for not taking the confession into consideration to judge the charges against the appellant," the court observed. "We are clearly of the view that the confessional statement recorded by the magistrate is voluntary and truthful, except insofar as it relates to the other two accused, namely, Fahim and Sabauddin." The apex court did not accept Kasab's plea that not providing him a lawyer soon after his arrest vitiated the entire process, including his trial and consequent conviction and sentencing. The court said that a trial was vitiated if the accused was not provided with legal assistance but the same did not hold in the case of not providing legal assistance in pre-trial stage. "And to say that any failure to provide legal aid to the accused at the beginning, or before his confession is recorded under Section 164 CrPC, would inevitably render the trial illegal is stretching the point to unacceptable extremes," the court said.

Kasab is one of the 10 Pakistanis who sneaked into Mumbai on the night of 26/11 was a war against the government of India and not against people. "The primary and the first offense that the appellant and his co-conspirators committed was the offense of waging war against the government of India," the court said. "It does not matter that the target assigned to the appellant (Kasab) was CST Station where they killed a large number of people...What matters is that the attack was aimed at India and Indians." The court said the government of India was only the elected organ of the state and the embodiment of the sovereign powers. "The use of the phrase 'government of India' to signify the notion of sovereignty is consistent with the principles of public international law, wherein sovereignty of a territorial unit is deemed to vest in the people of the territory and exercised by a representative government," the judges said. Justice Prasad said that it was crystal clear that the conspiracy for the attack was hatched by Pakistanis in Pakistan. "I am more than certain that the planning and conspiracy to commit the crime were hatched in Pakistan, the perpetrators of crime were Pakistanis trained at different centers in that country, and the devastation which took place at various places in the city of Mumbai, were executed by the

Shiv Sena demands public hanging for Kasab

Mumbai: Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray demanded public hanging for Ajmal Kasab, the only Pakistani terrorist caught alive after the 26/11 Mumbai strike that claimed 166 lives. He also wanted to know why Afzal Guru, a 2001 parliament attack convict on death row, should not be hanged immediately. "Why should enemies of the state be shown any mercy or leniency," Thackeray demanded here after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence awarded to Kasab. Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil hoped that the Supreme Court verdict would be "implemented as early as possible" and lauded the role played by Indian Police Service officer Rakesh Maria, the anti-terrorism squad and other state and central agencies which helped investigate the case.

Beauty-conscious girls behind malnutrition: Modi

New Delhi: Gujarat chief m i n i s t e r Narendra Modi sees not just Gujarat's highprofile growth but, ironically, even its malnutrition as a sign of prosperity. In an interview to the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Wall Street Journal, Modi Gujarat's vegetarianism. This candid offered this explanation on why claim about malnutrition being a malnutrition level in the state - oth- middle-class phenomenon came erwise seen as an economic power- amid other familiar claims: that house - was persistently high. Gujarat is the engine of growth; that "Gujarat is a middle-class state. it shone as a "flicker of light" when The middle-class is more beauty there were massive power blackouts conscious than health conscious - in July. that is a challenge. If a mother tells He even made it clear that to pick her daughter to have milk, they have up from negligible growth was easy a fight. She'll tell her mother, 'I - many may see this as a veiled barb won't drink milk. I'll get fat'." He at Nitish Kumar's Bihar - but to susthen added: "We'll try to get a dras- tain high growth was difficult. tic change in this. Gujarat is going "Going from 1% or 2% growth to to come up as a model in this also." 10% isn't difficult. What is difficult He gave another reason too: is to sustain 10%."

Assam violence: Sonia warns against partisan finger-pointing

New Delhi: Warning against "partisan finger-pointing" over the Assam violence, Congress president Sonia Gandhi called for "strictest possible action" against those who targeted people from the northeast and indulged in "treacherous activities". Condemning the violence as "unacceptable", Gandhi stressed that those guilty of the traumatic violence in parts of Assam have to be brought to justice. In a critique of the Bharatiya Janata Party's attempt to portray it as an inhabitant versus foreigner issue, Gandhi stressed that this was not the time for partisan finger-pointing, but for healing wounds and bringing about reconciliation among communities that have been hurt. "Every effort should be made to ensure that people still living in camps return to their homes and rebuild their lives as quickly as possible," she told a meeting

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP). "The strictest possible action must be taken against those who deliberately seek to divide us, incite and provoke people by their incendiary speeches and aggressive actions," Gandhi said.

Op Ed TheSouthAsianTimes.info

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September 1-7, 2012

The partition of laughter

By Shazia Mirza m in India. Now that Im here I dont want to leave. Not because I love the masala dosas or because of the number of marriage proposals I constantly get from rickshaw drivers but because Im worried if I leave, Ill never be allowed back in. It took me six months to get a visa to come and perform in India. The first time I rang the visa office in London and asked the woman, How long will it take to process? She said normally it takes three to five working days for a tourist visa, or a business visa can be dispatched within a day. I said, Ok great. She said, Whats your name? I said, Shazia Mirza. She said, Oh! There was a silence on the phone. I became worried, Had I insulted this woman at one of my gigs? Did she not like my comedy? Was I on the black list for India? Youre Pakistani? She asked. No, Im British. Where are you from? England. Where are your parents from? Pakistan. That means youre Pakistani. No, Im British, I have a British passport. I love bad weather, queuing and misery, Im definitely British. My parents also have British passports and have not lived in Pakistan for 50 years. Im afraid, Ms Mirza, you are Pakistani and I cant guarantee that youll get a visa. People of Pakistani heritage are not being allowed into the country under the normal procedure. At the moment I have a man whos been waiting a year to get into India because his parents are of Pakistani origin. I reacted calmly and shouted, You prejudiced bigot. What are you talking about? Which is not like me at all, normally I would act very British and write a letter of complaint. But I was shocked at the blatant discrimination. Im not coming to your country to set up a training camp; I just want to make your country laugh! Im sorry but I dont make the rules, it is the Indian Government that has decided this. Imagine if we applied this procedure to other parts of the world. Its like someone from the British government saying, Im sorry Madam, you cant come in because you parents are French. She said, What is your occupation? Comedian. She had never heard of the word comedian and was not letting me in because my parents were Pakistani Im not sure if India was the place for me. My first show was in Pune, and when I told the audience about the difficulty in getting a visa, they roared with laughter. They thought it was a joke. Later that night after the show, I was talking to an Indian woman who had a German husband and was shocked when I told her it had taken me six months to get a

visa just because my parents were originally from Pakistan. She said, My husband is German and they let him in no

problem. I explained to her that Hitler was now dead, but people seem to think he has been re-incar-

nated back as a Pakistani. Germany is not as scary as Pakistan anymore. She said, Really, are you serious? Is that why theyre not letting any of your people in? My people? I dont own them; Im not even the leader. I dont represent anyone, and moreover, I dont think these people would want me to represent them. I just want to tell some jokes. The shows have been great, the audiences wonderful. When I told friends I was going to India to perform they said, Youd better be careful

people might be easily offended. Why? Its not like Im smuggling the entire passport-less population of Pakistan in a cling filmed suitcase with me. The Indian people didnt treat me any differently because my parents are from Pakistan, they treated me just great. Lets not judge a country by its Government, lets judge it by its people. The author is a stand-up comedian, writer and columnist for The Guardian UK. This blog is courtesy Dawn.

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Op Ed TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

Coalgate: Black days ahead

By Sitaram Yechury

or the last few days, Parliament has remained disrupted on the Comptroller and Auditor Generals (CAG) report on the allocation of coal blocks. Unfortunately, while the debate is taking place through the media, the institution that is entrusted with implementing the centrality of our Constitution the supremacy of peoples sovereignty is being denied the discharge its responsibilities. This leads to the suspicion of a match-fixing between the government and the leading Opposition party, the BJP. If an informed discussion were to take place in Parliament, the two parties stand the risk of being exposed over their attempts to privatize our coal reserves, a nationalized resource, through backdoor allocations. Amid the din, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke in Parliament on Monday and sought to justify his governments actions, and thus negate the CAG report. It was a labored and defensive exercise. He stated that the policy of allocation of coal blocks to private parties, which the CAG has criticized, was not a new policy introduced by the

What needs to be done now is to cancel all coal block allocations made so far and to go in for a process of transparent bidding UPA. With this, he brought the previous NDA government into the frame. Justifying backdoor privatization, he stated: As the economy grew in size the demand for coal also grew and it became evident that Coal India alone would not be able to meet the growing demand. According to the CAG report, the allocation of coal blocks is estimated to have led to a windfall financial gain to private operators to the tune of Rs. 1.86 lakh crore. A bulk of this would have come to the national exchequer if these allocations were made in a competitive and transparent manner. The concept of allocation of captive coal blocks through competitive bidding was first made public on June 28, 2004, by the then coal secretary. Subsequently, the coal ministry accepted this proposal as policy. The CAG report notes, Despite

these facts, the GOI (February 2012) is yet to finalize the modus operandi of competitive bidding. The PM does not satisfactorily answer why the modus operandi could not be finalized during these eight years. First, he says that there were issues with the department of legal affairs that needed to be resolved through appropriate legislative amendments. Second, and strangely, he says that in a democracy, consensus building among various stakeholders takes time. But eight long years! Finally, he states that the major coal and lignite-bearing states, ruled by the Opposition parties, were strongly opposed to a switch over to the process of competitive bidding. Among these states, he lists West Bengal, which was then governed by the Left Front. But his argument is incorrect. What needs to be done now is to cancel all allocations made so far and to go in for a process of transparent bidding. This should not cause any problem as the finance minister himself says that coal is still inside mother India. The government should not wait to be rapped on its knuckles once again by the Supreme Court like it happened in the 2G spectrum case.

Social media: Hanging the hashtag

PM and the Congress, was blocked. Indians apparently are so dim that they might believe our PM takes potshots at himself on Twitter the whole day. But beneath the veneer of selfrighteous disapproval of "hate propaganda", the government and the senior journalists possibly have a far more earthy and personal reason to unite against social media: insult. A small but vocal section of Twitter users, known as trolls direct abuses at public personalities. Technology has provided a 'Block' button to deal with this bunch, and commonsense supplements it with an invisible 'Ignore' button. But for champions of censorship, those are not enough. They are fed up with 24X7 barrage of abuse, and the NE threats, rumors and violence gives them a perfect opportunity to turn their attention from the hatemongers in the real world to the delinquents of the virtual world. Here are some thoughts on the rationale presented for censorship: * No social media, no rumors? Bombay, Gujarat, Sikh riots and other cases of mass violence did not need social media to spread. In Bombay '93, I remember a short, swift rumor blazing across the city before the backlash to the Radhabai chawl killings began: 'Bal Thackeray arrested.' Twitter and Facebook were not even conceived then; SMS was just out of science's womb. Lord Ganesh started drinking milk on September 21, 1995, long before TV reporters could rub sleep out of their eyes. The media had to scramble to capture the mysteriously speedy rumors; rumors didn't follow the media. During the Arab Spring, every dictator from Hosni Mubarak to Ben Ali tried to stifle social media, only to fail and attract more popular wrath. * Don't shoot the medium: You can't ban aeroplanes after an air crash. You can't attack a knife because you cut your finger in the kitchen. Similarly, you can't go putting virtual terrain out of bounds because some use it irresponsibly. * You don't make the law here: A newspaper or channel sells information to an audience under welldefined social, ethical, legal and commercial contracts. But social media is not bound by such understanding. You may ignore every word of it. It has still not been conclusively established whether social media is in the public or private domain or in a strange twilight zone. It doesn't and won't ever play by your rules. If you still want to punish somebody for abuse or defamation, sue them. * Take lampooning with a laugh: The art of lampooning is the sign of an evolved society. And the even the most obnoxious verbal abuse is not reason enough for the government to step in as the bully. The Queen inspires at least two dozen spoof accounts. Each funnier than the other, sometimes nasty, but we know it is not the Queen tweeting. * Rage vs Insecurity: Social media uses its teeth of direct feedback pretty ruthlessly. It may be uninformed, rabid, harboring a sly agenda and abusive, but it constantly challenges mainstream media's own commercial and political agendas, slants, political correctness. To journalists' dismay as well as delight, it even breaks news. While this turf war for information is inevitable, the two are destined to co-exist. While social media is here for good, large and credible news organisations will exist because gathering, presenting and legally defending news is very expensive. Pop group One Direction's Zayn Malik recently quit Twitter "sick of all the useless opinions". So did singer Miley Cyrus and Press Council of India's boss Justice Markandey Katju. Many more may follow them. This creature called social media is way beyond our individual or institutional control. Because this creature is us.

This creature called social media is way beyond our individual or institutional control. Because this creature is us By Abhijit Majumder Together, the government and the journalists have blamed rumort is embarrassing now, and after mongering on social media for the a few years, it may be even spread of violence in the country more embarrassing to be over the Northeast riots. They cited reminded of this moment. To be it to call for what they termed "limreminded that some of us journal- ited censorship" on Twitter, ists had actually campaigned for Facebook and other social networkState censorship. This is perhaps ing sites. unprecedented in the history of The government, emboldened journalism. and pleasantly surprised to suddenIn the last few days, some senior ly have a section of the media cojournalists have persistently called cheering its little autocratic project, for "regulation" of social media, the first went about reportedly blocking bewildering organism that wouldn't half a dozen spoofs of the PM and stop growing. They have, by acci- the PM's office. For instance, the dent or design, allied with a parody handle, @PM0India, which bungling and cornered government. tweeted uncharitable stuff about the

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

Virchand R Gandhi 15 TheSouthAsianTimes.info September 1-7, 2012

The Forgotten Gandhi: Unsung saga of Virchand R Gandhi

Virchand R Gandhi (1864-1901) was a friend to Mahatma Gandhi and a contemporary of Swami Vivekananda; he represented Jainism at the World Parliament of Religions in 1893 in Chicago. August 25th was his 148th birth anniversary. The community recognizes this scholar, humanitarian, reformer and exponent of Indian culture.
By Pankaz Hingarh and Hiral Dholakia-Dave hile great Swami Vivekananda received his recognition primarily for his speech in the first ever World Parliament of Religions in 1893, where he represented Hinduism, hardly much is known about one more Indian legend who at the same forum boldly expressed his patriotism, defended Indian culture and Hinduism and represented Jainism. He was the charismatic and captivating Virchand Raghavji Gandhi (VRG). VRGs forceful speeches and his fearless yet courteous expressions created such a deep and brilliant image that the American people were magnetically drawn towards him. At their request VRG prolonged his stay in the US for two years and was invited there twice later in 1897 and 1899. Virchand Gandhi received equal attention in the country as did Swami Vivekananda. VRG delivered 535 lectures mainly in Chicago, Boston, New York and Washington as well as traveled to England, France, Germany and other European countries. He was felicitated and honored nationally and internationally many times over. A polyglot, he knew 14 languages. His captivating speeches were on the fundamentals of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Indian culture. He also spoke on a plethora of subjects like Indian international trade system, Indian economic and industrial outlook, real estate, ancient history of Indian civilization, science of eating, yoga, concentration, hypnotism, astral vision and astral body, occultism and vegetarianism. He spoke as a non-sectarian Jain but as an Indian first. He had studied Vedanta Philosophy, Buddhism, Christianity and Western philosophy which enabled him to talk on various subjects and present his views with confidence. He had clear vision, unbiased approach and clarity in his explanation. Before birth of Virchand Gandhi, Shree Padmavati Devi had appeared in dream of his father Sheth Raghavji Tejpalji Gandhi (a business tycoon) and had conveyed that his wife Smt. Manbai would give birth to a Narkesari whose fame would spread across the world and as auspicious token Lord Parswanathji's ancient idol would be discovered from his house. The dream came

At the 1893 first ever World Parliament of Religions he was a Jain Religion Delegate. He defended Hindu religion and Indian culture when it was attacked by Christian Missionaries at the Parliament. true, when the area was excavated and Lord Parswanathji's idol was discovered and his wife had given birth to a son in Mahuva in Gujarat. Originally Muni Atmaramji alias Acharya Vijayanandsuriji , the learned high priest of the Jains in India, was invited to represent Jainism at the 1983 Parliament of Religions. But he couldnt attend and deputed his disciple Virchand Gandhi for the same. The same year Virchand Gandhi was also acknowledged as an interesting participant in Worlds Real Estate Congress (NY Times, 26th Oct, 1893). His one more international participation came as an all-India sole delegate in the historic International Congress of Commerce by Philadelphia Commercial Museum on 19th October, 1899. Talk of versatility. When Virchand visited USA, he was just 29 years old. He died at early age of 37 due to lung hemorrhage. But in a short life span, VRGs immense success was covered by leading newspapers and periodicals of the USA such as: a) New York Times, b) St. Joseph Gazette, c) The Jamestown, New York, d) Editors Bureau, e) Chicago Daily Sun, f) Chicago Herald, g) Chicago Suburban Star, h) Light of Truth, Cincinnati, i) Buffalo Times, j) The Illustrated Buffalo Express, k) Morning Star, l) Buffalo Evening Times, m) Buffalo Express, n) Buffalo Courier, o) The Evangelist, p) Evening Post, q) Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, r) The Rochester Herald, s) Rev. R. A. White, Chicago and t) Addison Parker Pastor of leading Baptist Church. The Evangelist from New York commented on Aug. 23, 1894, Mr. Gandhi is an exponent of all the religions of India. Buffalo Evening Times on Aug. 13, 1894 said, Mr.Virchand R. Gandhi, the east Indian, who represented 5,000,000 of his co-religionists at the congress of Religions, Continued on page 16

Virchand Gandhi, Anagarika Dharmapala and Swami Vivekananda represented Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism at the 1893 World Parliament of Religions in Chicago

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Virchand R Gandhi TheSouthAsianTimes.info TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Virchand R Gandhi

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September 1-7, 2012

September 1-7, 2012

The Forgotten Gandhi: Unsung saga of Virchand R Gandhi

Continued from page 15 preaches the universal brotherhood of man. He is much farther advanced in the Esoteric philosophy than the western Theosophists, and gives far more lucid explanations of the Oriental teachings. The Hindu is decidedly the Lion of the season. He is credited for translating a rare book Unknown Life of Jesus Christ from French to English. Chicago Herald wrote on August 4, 1894, Virchand R. Gandhi, who was a prominent member at the Parliament of Religions, has just published a correct translation of the Unknown Life Of Jesus Christ and being a native of India and having traveled much in that country, has been able to add to his book a fine picture of the Himis Monastery where Notovitch discovered the manuscript. Also, he has added many other illustrations and a most scholarly and exhaustive introduction, altogether giving to his work a dignity that no other translation possesses. Everyone should possess a copy of this most scholarly translation. Key modern researches about Virchand reveal that at several instances Mahatma Gandhi was misunderstood as VRG. 1. In a June 13, 1931 letter, Mahatma Gandhi clarifies to Miss Emelia Mac Bean of Chicago when she mistook him as VRG, Madam, I have your letter for which I thank you. You are giving me credit of which I am wholly undeserving. You are thinking of another Mr. Gandhi my name-sake but in no way related to me. He and I were, however, friends and lived together for some time. You will be sorry to hear that he died many years ago, leaving an only son. It was he who visited America and made many friends. I have never had the privilege of visiting your continent. 2. Mark Twain, father of American literature, too was impressed by Virchand Gandhi and his philosophy. His newspaper Buffalo Express had widely covered VRG. In his Mark Twain on Biblical and Hindu Miracles, GB Singh states that Virchand Gandhi had met Mark Twain on the latters visit to India, but somehow Inventing Mark Twain: The Lives of Samuel Langhorne Clemens by Andrew Hoffman mistook Virchand as Mahatma Gandhi, who at that stage of Mark Twains travel was living in South Africa. As a reformer for promoting Indian philosophy and culture, VRG had founded four institutions in the West in his three long journeys from 1893 to 1901: Gandhi Philosophical Society in Washington; Society for the Education of Women in India (SEWI) in Chicago (which brought several Indian women to USA for studies since the 1890s); School of the Oriental Philosophy in London; and Jain Literature Society, also in London (which inspired Herbert Warren to adopt Jain religion and write a book Herbert Warren's Jainism'.) VRG was admired by personalities such as Mahatma Gandhi, Lokmanya Tilak, Mark Twain, British Governor Lord Reay, British Col. Watson, Mrs. Charles Howard, Dr. Paul Carus, Alexander Fullerton, Miss Lilian Whiting, Annie H.S. Olcott, Swami Vivekananda, Chief Justice Govind Ranade, High Court Justice Sir Narayan Ganesh Chandavarkar, William Pipe, George Francis Train, and Helmut von Glasenapp. VRG, Ranade and Chandavarkar were key members of the Indian National Congress founded in 1885 in Bombay. It is a real tragedy that VRG, a great Jain scholar, humanitarian (he sent ship-load of grains from America to India in the worst famine of 1896-97), a reformer (who founded "Society for the Education of Women in India") and a patriot (who talked about freedom of India at the 1893 Parliament of Religions five decades before India's independence) has been totally forgotten by the larger community. Gurudev Chitrabhanuji tried to revive Virchand Gandhi in 1964. In 1990 a major initiative was taken by Nemu Chandaria (UK), Tansukh Salgia (USA) and Padmashri Kumarpal Desai (Ahmedabad) by installing his statue in Chicago and Mahuva. Chandresh Gandhi, great grandson of VRG, has started conducting small lectures on him. Recently due to major efforts of Mahesh Gandhi (Mumbai), Prakash Mody (Canada), Pradip Jain (Patna), Pratap Bhogilal (Batliboi), Pravin C Shah (NY), the Indian Government issued commemorative postal stamps to honor this legend. From the last 20 years New York based Pravin C Shah (founder JAINA, and VRG Chair 1997-2010) has been working tirelessly to get Virchand Gandhi his due. He has suggested several programs to celebrate VRG's 150th centenary which includes: pursue a VRG Chair either in India or USA; persuade governments to introduce VRG in school curriculum; and to erect VRG statues and name roads after VRG; to get VRG's contribution recognized at Palitana (who got Pilgrimage Tax axed) and Sammet Shikhar (where he got slaughter houses removed) by installing his statues/busts at both places. These efforts are being made by the Jain community to perpetuate the name and contributions of VRG, but today when the Indian government has plans to celebrate 150th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda in 2013, the question is, whether Virchand Gandhi will also be duly recognized by Indians and Indian government on his 150th anniversary. (The author Pankaz Chandmal Hingarh) is credited with the worlds maximum modern researches on Virchand Gandhi.) Text edited by Hiral Dholakia-Dave

Barrister Virchand Raghavji Gandhi (VRG) Timeline Biography:

(Note : some years could be approximate indications for better understanding) 1863-64: Goddess Padmavati appeared in dream of Mahuva Nagar Sheth Shree Raghavji Tejpalji Gandhi and conveyed that his wife will give birth to narkesari son whose fame will spread worldwide and as an auspicious sign from his house an ancient Lord Parwanathji idol will be discovered. Discovered Lord Parswanathjis idol as per forecasting of Goddess Padmavati. 25th August 1864: Born to Nagar Sheth Shree Raghavji Gandhi & Smt. Manbai at Mahuva 1879: Got married to Miss Jiviben 1880: Passed Matriculation examination from Alfred High School, Bhavnagar. Stood first in Gohilwad district - obtained Sir Jashvant Sinhji Scholarship 1880: Family shifted to Bombay for higher education of Virchandbhai. Admitted to Elphinstone College. 1884: Passed B.A. with hons. Same year Mastered 14 languages and had become scholar in all world religions, Indian economics, trade and commerce. 1885-86: Joined as an article clerk in the firm of Govt. solicitors Ms. Little, Smith, Friar and Nicholson. While the year is on confirmed but according to reliable sources it could be 1890-1893 when Virchand Gandhi and Mahatma Gandhi were together for their experiment on dietetics. He also used to help Mahatma Gandhi understand Indian Law. At that time virchand Gandhi was studying for solicitors examination (Reference: Mahatma Gandhis Autobiography Story of My Experiments with Truth, part2, chapter III, First Case) April 1886: He succeeded in getting the tax per head for pilgrims to Shatrunjaya Tirth abolished by convincing Col. Watson and the governor of Bombay, Lord Reay. 1891: Went to Calcutta, learnt Bengali and with documentary evidences successfully helped Jains to win legal battle against an English mans tallow factory at Sammet Shikhar Tirth. The factory was closed. 1892: Muni Atmaramji invited for 1893s world religion parliament to represent Jainism. But as he couldnt visit, he for six months trained and deputed Virchand Gandhi. 1893: Could be officially first Gujarati youth to land on USA soil accompanied with a personal Gujarati cook for vegetarian diet. 1893: Defends Hinduism, Indian culture and represents Jainism at first World Parliament of Religions, Chicago. At the parliament he also praises King Akbar for his religious tolerance. Virchand Gandhi, Swami Vivekanand and Dharamapala drew equal attention and captivated everyone (Reference: Henry.S.Olcott old diary leaves) 1893: Also acknowledged as interesting speaker in Worlds first Real Estate Congress from India. (Reference New York Times) 1894: Swami Vivekanandji from Chicago wrote a letter to diwan of Junagadh , Shree Haridas Desai and praised Virchand Gandhi as following Now here is Virchand Gandhi, the Jain whom you knew well in Bombay. This man never takes anything but mere vegetables even in this terribly cold climate and tooth and nail tries to defend his countrymen and the religion. It seems Great Swami Vivekanandji through his quote tried to portray VRG as lion when he used phrase tooth & nail tries to defend his countrymen and religion. 1894: Translated a rare book Unknown life of Jesus Christ from French to English. 1893-95: (1) Lectures in various American cities on Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism under the ages of 'School of Oriental Philosophy'. (2) Publication of the book 'An unknown Life of Jesus Christ' in Chicago. (3) Came to London - Lecture on Indian Philosophy in a meeting chaired by Lord Reay. In between attained Bar at Law in Britain but date and year is not known. (4) Established Society for the Education of Women in India (SEWI) at Chicago, 6558 Stuart Boul, where Mrs. Charles Howard was appointed its secretary. (After Virchand Gandhis first visit to West, Mrs.Howard wrote a letter as secretary of SEWI to VRG which was printed in book Glimpses of Jainism and Biography of Forgotten Hero : Shri Virchand Raghavji Gandhi by Pannalal R.Shah (Appendix-7, page 101to 106)). 1895: Returned to the motherland, lectured under the ages of Arya Samaj, Buddhiwardhak Sabha and other organizations. Founded the Hemchandracharya Class. 1896: Represented Mumbai province in Indian National Congresss Poona gathering. On January 25th accompanied Mark Twain on his visit to Mumbai and visited Byculla Jain temples. Same year made second trip to America along with his wife upon an invitation on 21st August. A day prior to the departure (on 20th Aug), he was felicitated by Shri Mangrol Jain Sangit Mandali. The meeting was presided over by Shri Premchand Raichand (Bombays cotton king and one of the main donors of Bombay University). On hearing in America about the drought in India organized a Drought Relief Society and collected Rs. 40,000 and arranged for a shipment of food-grain to India. 1897: Went to England regarding the Shatrunjaya Tirth case. (Reference : Book Glimpses of Jainism and Biography of Forgotten Hero : Shri Virchand Raghavji Gandhi by Pannalal R.Shah, page 83) 1899: On September 23rd returned to India for short time, was felicitated at a meeting where Justice Mahadev Govind Rande was the president. (Reference: book Glimpses of Jainism and Biography of Forgotten Hero: Shri Virchand Raghavji Gandhi by Pannalal R.Shah, appendix 6, page 95-page 98). Same year was sole delegate from India at the International Conference for commerce. Till 1901 delivered 535 captivating speeches in USA and Europe on a plethora of subjects like Indian international trade system, Indian economic and industrial outlook, real estate, ancient history of Indian civilization, science of eating, yoga, concentration, hypnotism, astral vision and astral body, occultism, vegetarianism, world religions and won many medals. 1901: Mysteriously health deteriorated, resulting lung hemorrhage (Lung Hemorrhage reference: Open Court Magazine, 1902). In July, Barrister Virchand Gandhi returned to Mumbai, India. On 7th August died at the age of 37.

On Nov. 27, 1897, the New York Times described Virchand Gandhi as a profound scholar, forcible & interesting speaker. Two days later, the same paper described VRG as Wearing a turban of yellow , signifying knowledge and a robe of purple , portraying purity and activity

Through Jain community's effort Indian govt. issued a postage stamp in Virchand Gandhi's honor.

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Ultimate Bollywood TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

Spielberg to make film on Now, kids and teens in Bigg Boss? Osama's death
ollywood heavyweight Steven Spielberg is reportedly interested in adapting the forthcoming Navy Seal literary account of Bin Laden's demise. According to The New York Post, Steven Spielberg is currently in talks with Matt Bissonnette, the former Navy SEAL involved in the operation that led to Bin Laden's death, who announced a forthcoming book under the pen name Mark Owen detailing what really happened. The book is expected in the US in September, under the title No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden. The daily newspaper adds that Matt Bissonnette has also started negotiating with cable network HBO. Kathryn Bigelow is first in line to provide her take of the hunt for Bin Laden, which will hit theaters in December under the title Zero Dark Thirty. Joel Edgerton, Kyle Chandler, Mark Strong and

The set of reality show Bigg Boss he drama gets bigger; the ages, small. The upcoming season six of reality show Bigg Boss is likely to see children and teenagers be part of the bickering in the house. The reports have sparked a debate on whether it is okay to involve children in a show that is high on glamour, theatrics and politics, and requires confinement for months in a house with strangers. Ex-inmates say its a bad idea.I dont think its a good idea at all. The purpose of the show is to put the housemates under such extreme physical, mental, emotional stress that they crumble, thus providing drama and content. I dont think its correct to put a child

through this, says actor Ashmit Patel, who was an inmate in season 4. Afghan beauty Vida Samadzai, an inmate in the shows fifth season, says, I wouldnt want fragile teens or innocent children to be a part of this war zone. Psychiatrists dont give it the green signal either. I would not recommend children to be part of such a show. Confinement of any kind adversely affects a childs intellectual pursuits. And I think the channel should not try to encash the vulnerability of kids for TRPs, says Dr Jitendra Nagpal. Kids are impressionable, and its not a good idea to expose them to so much stress, says Dr Deepak Raheja.

Hollywood director Steven Spielberg Jessica Chastain are part of the cast for the patriotic thriller.

Sikh body wants action against Ajay Devgn

laiming that Sikhs were being shown in a bad light in the film "Son of Sardar", the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) has urged the clergy to take action against actorproducer Ajay Devgn. In a letter to Akal Takht head Gurbachan Singh, AISSF president Karnail Singh demanded action against Devgn for hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs. The Akal Takht is the highest temporal seat of the Sikh religion. Karnail Singh said the film, to be released in November, had blasphemous remarks against Sikhs. AISSF has sought registration of a police case against the filmmak-

'Heroine' makers move court on smoking scene rider

The film's producer, UTV Software Communication, approached the court seeking issuance of a board certificate for the movie without the conditions related to anti-smoking messages. The producer also sought the setting aside of letter issued to them by the information and broadcasting ministry Aug 2, imposing an additional condition that films that have smoking scenes should start with a 20second warning on smoking hazards. According to the ministry's letter, producers have to shoot the 20-second message on the actor seen smoking in the film, repeat it in the middle of the movie and also have a static message on the screen during the entire length of a smoking scene. "It would kill the creativity of the scene," the film producer said.

Actor Ajay Devgn ers. "The film's trailer has demeaning dialogues," Karnail Singh said. "In the film, the lead actor wears a Sikh turban but has the tattoo of a Hindu god on his chest. This is against Sikh principles," he said. Karnail Singh said they had sent a legal notice to the filmmakers and asked to delete the objectionable scenes. But Devgn had not responded to the notice, he said.

Kareena Kapoor in Heroine China's Wen Xia Yu was crowned Miss World 2012. he makers of Bollywood film "Heroine", starring Kareena Kapoor, moved the Delhi High Court against the information and broadcasting ministry's order to display anti-smoking messages during smoking scenes in the movie. The film is scheduled to be released on September 21. Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to the information and broadcasting and health ministries and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and sought their responses by Sep 10. The CBFC was also directed to view the movie and file a report in sealed cover on next date of hearing.

'Halkat jawani' crosses 1 mn hits on YouTube

areena Kapoor's peppy number "Halkat jawani" from "Heroine" is grabbing eyeballs. It has crossed over one million hits on YouTube. The video was officially put on the site Aug 16, and has received a stupendous response. From Ganesh Acharya's choreography to Kareena's svelte looks, viewers have praised the song for all its aspects.

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September 1-7, 2012

Shah Rukh film shoot rekindles Kashmir magic

eople have started calling it the Shah Rukh Khan factor -- Kashmir perhaps could not have had better brand ambassador than the Yash Chopra film unit shooting in the valley. While Chopra has returned after a gap of three decades to the locales in Kashmir, this is Shah Rukh's maiden shoot in the valley. The Bollywood superstar's massive fan following could be seen with scores of youths and tourists heading for Pahalgam hill station where Shah Rukh and co-actor Anushka Sharma are shooting for Chopra's untitled film. "The revival of Yash Chopra's

Shah Rukh Khan shooting in Kashmir

relationship with Kashmir and the arrival of Shah Rukh has been the biggest Kashmir promoter in recent years," Nazir Bakshi, owner of Shiraz Travels, told IANS. His agency is handling the film unit's schedule in Kashmir. A heavy blanket of security has been thrown around Pahalgam where the actors and nearly 100member crew are staying. "The unit will shoot in Pahalgam for around a week before it moves to Gulmarg and Srinagar to complete rest of the shooting," Bakshi said. In Srinagar, Shah Rukh is likely

to shoot in the Zabarwan Hills, Dal Lake and Lal Chowk. While Chopra is busy shooting the film, his wife, Pamela, and son Aditya are enjoying the beauty of the Lidder Valley. Yash Chopra had filmed his blockbusters, "Silsila" and "Kabhi Kabhi", in the Kashmir Valley before separatist violence broke out here. "The fact that a high profile filmmaker like Yash Chopra is back to his choice destination proves that things have really improved here," said a member of the film unit, who did not want to be named.

Obituary

A.K. Hangal: Once an actor, always an actor

Priyanka heads for London to promote 'Barfi!'

e faced the cameras first when he was 50. At 96, he took to the fashion runway on a wheelchair. At 97, he gave voice-over for an animated film and did a TV show. Age was clearly never a bar for A. K. Hangal. He lived with an undying passion for his craft almost till his last breath, even when a financial crisis took a heavy toll. "I believe there is no age limit to work," Singhal told media back in May when he gave a nod for a cameo in a TV show "Madhubala". He was ill by then but he wasn't willing to give up. After featuring in over 200 films in an over four-decade career, Hangal was living a life of penury - a fact which came to light in 2011. He had no income and his only son Vijay, who is 70-plus, had to give up his job due to a severe back ailment. The result was their inability to afford mounting medical bills. But even then Hangal didn't give up or sought financial aid. Such was his spirit -- and pride. Born in Sialkot now in Pakistan, Hangal spent most of his childhood in Peshawar. He grew up to be a tailor but quenched his thirst for acting through theatre. Post partition, he is said to have moved to Mumbai in 1949. He was with the Left-leaning Indian People's

Theatre Association (IPTA), which also attracted Balraj Sahni, Utpal Dutt, Kaifi Azmi and many others. He stepped into the Hindi film industry in 1966-67. His initial films included "Teesri Kasam" and "Shagird". As an actor, who began his tryst with cinema at age 50, he had little options in terms of the variety in his roles. But he gladly and responsibly played an uncle, father and grandfather to heroes and heroines starting from the 1970s. Known as a character artist, he is remembered for playing Rahim Chacha in "Sholay". Some of his other memorable movies include "Namak Haraam", "Sholay", "Bawarchi", "Chupa Rustam", "Abhimaan" and "Guddi". And who can forget his role in "Shaukeen", where he played a retired old man who goes on a holiday with two of his friends to make the best of life. A man with a never say no attitude, he maintained his enthusiasm to wear the grease paint when he entered the sets of TV serial "Madhubala" in May this year.He reached the sets, looked around, and just as he must have done in his prime, he called out: "Make up man!"

Ranbir Kapoor with Priyanka Chopra in Barfi

fter a busy schedule of working on her international music debut, Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra is off to London to promote her new film "Barfi!". "London bound! So excited about promoting 'Barfi!' The film and my single comes the same time, and such different vibes to both! Very grateful," tweeted the 30year-old. In "Barfi!", releasing Sept 14, the National

Award-winning actress plays an autistic girl. At the same time, the actress is making her debut as a singer with "In my city", featuring Will.i.am. It will be launched Sep 13 as part of "Thursday Night Kickoff", a pre-game show for NFL Network's Thursday Night Football. However, the release of the full song and accompanying video for "In my city" are expected later this year.

Poonam claims to topple Hilton, Kardashian

A.K. Hangal

o you know what Paris Hilton, Poonam Pandey and Kim Kardashian have in common? Socialite Paris Hilton makes a wish everyday at 11:11. Kim Kardashian shows off her legs everyday, and actor Poonam Pandey trends on Twitter everyday. The Indian strip sensation has taken the social networking site by storm, and in a short span of time has crossed 3 lakh followers, at an astonishing rate. No other celebrity has managed to snap up that many followers in a year. Poonam has nearly 3 lakh followers since she went live last year. However, what really makes the Mumbai gal stand out is her magical ability to come up with attractive hashtags that almost instantly climb on the trend charts across

Poonam Pandey the world. Poonam Pandey an entire week. During the FIFA Without Bikini went on to make world cup, Poonam had managed Poonam a name to reckon with, to replace Octopus Paul as the girl and was alive on the trend list for with the midas touch.

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Diaspora TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

'Dr Death' Patel to face another trial

Melbourne: India-born American surgeon Jayant Patel who was recently freed from jail after an Australian high court quashed his conviction of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm to his patients, will face another trial. Patel, 62, was charged and convicted two years ago on three counts of manslaughter and one count of grievous bodily harm to his patients at the Bundaberg Hospital in Queensland. Last week, an Australian high court quashed his convictions of manslaughter of three patients. Tony Moynihan on Thursday confirmed he would pursue another trial against Patel. "I have carefully considered the judgment and I am satisfied that, on the admissible evidence, there are reasonable prospects of a conviction and it is in the public interest to proceed with a new trial," Moynihan said in a statement. "The charges have to be tried separately. Peter Davis, SC, who prosecuted the matter in the high court, will continue to appear for the Crown," he added. "As the matter is before the court, it is inappropriate for me to make any further comment," he said. Patel, who is a US-trained surgeon, had pleaded not guilty in 2010 to the manslaughter of three patients -- James Phillips, 46; Gerry Kemps, 77; and Mervyn Morris, 75, who died following surgeries performed by him at Queensland's Bundaberg Base Hospital between 2003 and 2005. He had also pleaded not guilty to the grievous bodily harm of Ian Vowles, whose bowel he removed in October 2004.

Hindus demand apology from Australian PM Gillard over racist job ad

Nevada: Upset Hindus want Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard to publicly apologize over the underlying racist attitudes in Australia against others as exhibited in the recent no Indians offensive job ad in Tasmania. An advertisement, reportedly appearing on Gumtree website, announced about "Positions available for experienced cleaners in supermarket" at a Coles supermarket in Hobart, but added "store requires no Indians." Launched in 1914, Colesis said to be Australias second-biggest chain with over 13 million weekly customers and over 750 stores. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA), said that it was highly disturbing to note that such racist attitudes still existed in 21stcentury Australia, a culturally diverse society now. The others had contributed greatly to the Australian economy, academia and business despite such apparent barriers, he noted. Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, stressed that anti-racism initiatives were immediately required in Australia and it needed to do deep introspection of its heart and be kind to immigrants, minorities, indigenous people, and other vulnerable groups. Gillards public apology would send a strong message against xenophobia. A report by Australia Human Rights Commission, a statutory organization that reports to the Federal Parliament, in the past highlighted a lack of constitutional protection against racial discrimination in Australia and talked about absence of any entrenched guarantee against racial discrimination that would override the law of the Commonwealth. Battle against racism would need effective solutions, amends, compensation, rights recognition, public education programs, etc., at various levels besides developing a bill of rights as a high-priority, Zed added.

Dr.Jayant Patel According to 'The Age' report, director of public prosecutions

NRI Consortium to invest over Rs 2,000 crore in Kerala

Kochi: A Dubai based consortium of NRIs from various countries around the world proposes to invest over Rs 2,000 crore in Kerala to set up IT/ITES enabled Business Parks and Life Spaces projects. The investments would primarily be through Foreign Direct Investment ( FDI), Sebastian Joseph, Chairman of the Consortium, told reporters here. The proposed 'Emerging Kerala' initiative of the state government here next month and its investment friendly policies have given the NRIs confidence to start their project in Kochi, he said. Pravasi Investment Consortium & Equity Holdings Ltd (PRINCE Holding) promoted Prince GATES (Global Advanced Technology Enabled Society) projects are proposed to be set up in about 100 acres in Kochi, Joseph said. The consortium is awaiting clearances from the concerned authorities and discussions are on with various government authorities and execution partners in this regard, he said. The project is expected to give 20,000 job opportunities. Each GATES project will contain a Special Business Zone, a Centre for Excellence in Advanced Technology and Innovation, an International Financial Centre, an Education Zone and Hospitality zones comprising clubs, spas, Service apartments and NRI facilitation centre, he said. This is perhaps first of its kind investment by NRIs in the country.

Indian-origin judge named next chief justice of Singapore

Singapore: An Indianentrusted with this aweorigin judge has been some responsibility; named as the new chief and humbled by the caljustice of Singapore, ibre of those who have making him the first been so entrusted before from the community to me." head the courts. Menon, 50, obtained Sundaresh Menon, his Master of Laws Sundaresh Menon presently Singapore's from Harvard judge of appeal, will assume the University, after graduating with office of the chief justice from First Class Honors in Law from the November 6. National University of Singapore. He would take over from Justice Justice Menon has been a leading Chan Sek Keong, who retires at the lawyer and later became Singapore's age of 75, said a statement from the Attorney General before he was Prime Minister's office on the appointed to the position of judge of appointment announced by President appeal on August 1, 2012. Tony Tan. Reacting to his appointChief Justice Chan has served in ment, Justice Menon said: "I am the public service for 26 years, greatly honored and privileged to be including six years as chief justice.

Indians in Iran raise concerns with Manmohan Singh

Tehran: Representatives of the Indian community in Iran raised issues of property rights, work permits and recognition of marriages during their interaction with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who kick-started his much awaited visit here. The Indian community representatives said that though Indians were the oldest expatriate community in Iran, unfortunately due to various reasons, the strength of the community has come down tremendously as the "new generation faces problems, face difficulties to work and many families have left for good." One of the main problems that were raised was the issue of property rights which is not given to the Indian community. "One is always at grave risk of issuance of commercial card and registration of companies were also the issues raised in the petition. On the issue of recognition of marriages, the petition said that Indian-origin Iranians are facing very serious problems as despite all certification and legalization, their marriage certificates are not recognized. On his part Prime Minister Singh assured to look into the matter. He also announced a Rs 2 crore grant to the only Kendriya Vidyalaya here and a grant of Rs 20 lakh to an Indian school in Zahidan. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, who was also present on the occasion said he will come back in November and follow up on the problems being faced by the Indian community.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh interacting with members of the Indian community in Tehran on August 29. his/her investment, peace of mind and long term security if they are unable to register the property in their own name," a petition given to the Prime Minister said. he issue of resident permit status was also raised under which Indian nationals are issued permits only for one year and accordingly need to renew them every year. Issuance or waiver of work permits, inheritance and estate duty,

Subcontinent TheSouthAsianTimes.info

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September 1-7, 2012

Mullah Omar hiding in Pakistan: US general

Washington: In a direct repudiation of repeated claims of Pakistan, a top American general based in Afghanistan has said that reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Omar is hiding in Pakistan along with his commanders. The statement contradicts Islamabad's stand that the Taliban leader lives across the border in his own country. "Omar lives in Pakistan, as do many of his commanders. From that safe vantage point, they've sent hundreds of young, impressionable, and helpless youths to their deaths and detention in Afghanistan. For this, they must forfeit their honor and any claim to Islamic virtue," General John Allen, Commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan , wrote in an article in The Washington Post. Allen's article focused on the recent increase in attack on US troops from the Afghan security force, which Taliban has been claiming it has infiltrated and carrying out such strikes. "The focus on 'greenon-blue' attacks obscures the callous slaughter of Afghan civilians by insurgents led by Mohammad Omar. He has the blood of innocents on his hands even though he hypocritically tells his subordinates not to attack civilians," Allen said, holding that Omar is either out of touch, or his forces are out of control. "Perhaps that should be no surprise. 'Green' and 'blue' have been taking the fight to the red enemy, the Taliban, and the enemy is fighting back from a position of weakness," he said. "His forces have largely been ejected from most of the relevant population areas, and from among the most relevant terrain in Afghanistan. Omar is losing

Reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Omar financial support from donors, who thanks to Afghan and coalition are sending their money elsewhere efforts to stamp out poppy har, and from reduced drug profits, vest," he said.

Taliban attack Pak army post, kill 9 troops

Islamabad: A Pakistani military official says Taliban militants attacked an army post near the Afghan border, killing nine soldiers. The official says several other soldiers were wounded in the attack in the South Waziristan tribal area. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The group's spokesman, Ahsanullah Ahsan, claimed they killed 12 soldiers and beheaded some of them. The differing accounts could not be independently verified. South Waziristan was once the main stronghold for the Pakistani Taliban. The military launched a large offensive against militants there in 2009, but insurgents still operate in the area and periodically stage attacks.

Taliban behead 17 at late-night party

Kandahar: Taliban Islamist insurgents beheaded 17 civilians, including two women, who were holding a party with music in a southern Afghanistan village, officials said. "I can confirm that this is the work of the Taliban," the Helmand provincial governor's spokesman Daud Ahmadi said. "Two women and 15 men were beheaded. They were partying with music in an area under the control of the Taliban," he said. Nematullah Khan, the Musa Qala district chief confirmed that the villagers had organized a party with music, and one local official said he suspected that the two women had been dancing. Secret parties with dancing women from a gypsy-type tribe are common across southern Afghanistan. During their 1996-2001 rule in Afghanistan the Taliban, waging a fierce insurgency against the NATObacked government of President Hamid Karzai, also tried to stop the

Nepal to introduce new visa regime

Kathmandu: Nepal is set to introduce a new visa regime in an attempt to discourage foreign criminals from using Nepal as a transit point to sneak into a third country and also as a haven for refugees, an official said. "We had started granting a 90-day visa on arrival to promote tourism but the provision now needs to be reviewed and we are in talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to amend it," Suresh Adhikari, director general of the Department of Immigration (DoI), told The Kathmandu Post daily. The new visa regime that will soon come into effect is likely to change existing visa regulations and citizens of more countries might not get visa on arrival, according Adhikari. As of now, residents of all countries, except 11, can avail of a three-month visa on arrival, reported Xinhua. The countries exempted from the arrival visa are Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Cameroon, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan. According to Adhikari, people visiting Nepal for trekking, expedition or mountaineering purposes will continue to get an arrival visa for 90 days, but those who come here for a visit will get arrival visa for 30 days. As per the new proposal, citizens of China, the US and the European Union will be given priority in the new visa regime as these countries send thousands of tourists to Nepal annually, according to the daily.

Secret parties with dancing women from a gypsy-type tribe are common across southern Afghanistan mixing of men and women who were not related. The latest atrocity happened near Zamindawar village, an area on the border between Kajaki and Musa Qala districts where the Taliban are active. The insurgents have in the past been blamed for beheading local villagers, mostly over charges of spying for Afghan and US-led NATO forces. Haji Musa Khan, a tribal elder in Musa Qala district, said the region had seen a surge in such killings in recent months.

Ashraf to write against Zardari

Islamabad: He could have been on his way out but Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf was Monday given a three-week reprieve by the Supreme Court that adjourned the contempt case against him till Sep 18, giving him more time to write to Swiss authorities on reopening corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. Ashraf, who stepped into the shoes of Yousuf Raza Gilani who was disqualified for contempt when he refused to accept the court's orders, requested that he be given four to six weeks to write the letter to Swiss authorities. "I need time to understand the matter as it involves certain legal and constitutional points," Ashraf, 61, told the court. He Khan Khosa, Ejaz Afzal Khan, Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Gulzar Ahmed and Muhammad Ather Saeed heard the case. Justice Asif Khosa said Ashraf did not have to write the letter himself. He could nominate someone else to write it. The court appreciated the prime minister's appearance and said he was appearing as the premier and not as an accused as no charges had been framed against him, reported Online news agency. The court was irked by the prime minister's repeated requests seeking more time to hold deliberations with his legal aides over the issue. The apex court in January ordered Gilani to write a letter to the Swiss authorities to reopen cases against Zardari.

Pakistans Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf also pleaded that the show-cause notice be withdrawn. "I need enough time from the court to seek the assistance of constitutional and legal experts," Dawn quoted him as saying. A five-judge special bench comprising Justices Asif Saeed

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International TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

Build global governance structures, India to NAM

Tehran: Pointing to deficits in global governance, India called on the Non-Aligned Movement to "take the lead" in rectifying this and sought immediate steps to reduce tensions in global hotspots like West Asia and North Africa. "The deficit in global governance is perhaps most stark in the sphere of international peace and security and in restoring just and fair economic mechanisms," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said while addressing the 16th NAM summit here. "Our movement should take the lead in building global governance structures that are representative, credible and effective," he said, adding it was his "sincere and the IMF". "Existing problems cannot be solved effectively without a greater voice for developing countries on issues such as global trade, finance and investment," Manmohan Singh said. On the situation in West Asia and North Africa, the prime minister said that while India supports popular aspirations for a democratic and pluralistic order, "such transformation cannot be prompted by external intervention, which exacerbate the suffering of ordinary citizens". A meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Tehran "could be an important continuation of the efforts to improve ties between the two nations", said a Pakistani daily. The two leaders were expected to meet on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit being hosted by Iran. The News International in an editorial said: "What could also be significant is that on the sidelines of the conference, President Zardari is expected to meet India's prime minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in what could be an important continuation of the efforts to improve ties between the two nations." The daily said that Iran has "made its biggest attempt in 33 years to draw itself back into the mainstream of global life by hosting NAM summit".

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Iran's Minister of Economy Shamseddin hosseini after his arrival at the Mehrabad airport in Iran hope" there can be agreement "on action to reform institutions such as the United Nations Security Council, the World Bank

Japan, N Korea hold first Argentina criticizes Britain's 'arrogance' bilateral talks since 2008 Buenos Aires: in Assange case
Beijing: For the first time in four years, Japan and North Korea held intergovernmental discussions here, raising expectations that the nations -- deeply suspicious of each other -- would be able to resolve some of their disputes. Diplomats of the two nations met at the working-level meeting in here and discussed the issue of retrieving the remains of Japanese soldiers who died in northern part of the Korean Peninsula during World War II. The two-day meeting in Beijing is widely being looked upon as an opportunity for Tokyo to reopen talks on the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents decades ago, a major hurdle in bilateral ties. In 2002, North Korea had admitted that its agents had kidnapped several of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s to help train spies in their language and culture. Five of the abductees had been released and returned to Japan later. However, Tokyo believes that Pyongyang had not completely been honest on the fate of abducted Japanese citizens and therefore continues to demand answers. Japan claims that 17 nationals, including five who were repatriated, were abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s. Both the nations had agreed on a reinvestigation in 2008, but North Korea failed to be cooperative. A r g e n t i n a ' s Ambassador to Britain Alicia Castro has criticized the British government's "arrogance" in dealing with the Julian Assange case. Castro told a radio station that the diplomatic conflict between Britain and Ecuador, as a result of the latter's decision to grant WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange political asylum, "resembles its declarations regarding the Malvinas question, with which Britain also disregards international law". Both Britain and Argentina claimed ownership of the Malvinas islands - called Falklands islands by Britain - and Britain has repeatedly ignored UN resolutions to address the issue. Regarding Assange, Britain initially threatened to storm Ecuador's embassy in London, where the freedom-of-information activist has been seeking refuge since June 19, but retracted the

UK phone hacking: Another journalist arrested

London: British Police investigating computer hacking and privacy offenses arrested a journalist at his home. The 28-year-old man was being questioned at a London police station for alleged hacking related to the identification of an anonymous blogger in 2009. He is also suspected of perverting the course of justice, police said. Police did not identify the journalist by name but the Press Association said he was Patrick Foster, a former reporter at The Times. The journalist was the 11th person arrested by detectives from Operation Tuleta, one of three parallel police investigations triggered by the phonehacking scandal that has rocked Britain and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. media empire. More than 40 people have been arrested in the probes of media wrongdoing and corruption. Criminal charges have been brought against suspects such as Rebekah Brooks, the former chief of News Corp.'s British operations, and Andy Coulson, a former Murdoch tabloid editor and the former communications chief for Prime Minister David Cameron. Separately, police in Scotland said they detained a journalist in Glasgow on Wednesday over allegations he attempted to pervert the course of justice during the 2006 defamation court case between Murdoch's News of the World Scotland tabloid and former lawmaker Tommy Sheridan. British media including the Press Association identified the 56-year-old man as former News of the World editor Bob Bird, who edited the now-closed Scottish edition of the tabloid when it ran allegations about Sheridan's private life.

Julian Assange threat last Saturday after countries throughout Latin America condemned the warning. "To Argentinians, the threat shows the arrogance of British diplomacy. We are not surprised by it," said Castro. Britain says it must hand over Assange to Sweden for questioning in two sexual misconduct cases brought against him, but Assange fears Swedish authorities will extradite him to the US, where he could be prosecuted and possibly sentenced to death for having revealed US military secret documents through his website.

Time needed to win Syria battle: Assad

Damascus: Syria needs more time to "win the battle" raging across the country, President Bashar al-Assad said in a television interview. In excerpts of the interview broadcast by pro-regime AlDunia channel, Assad also scoffed at an idea being championed by Turkey of creating buffer zones within Syria to receive those displaced by the conflict.

US hires private firms for 'dirty work': Russia

Moscow: Allowing private security companies to work in conflict zones helps the US government "avoid responsibility" for violating the norms of international humanitarian law, a Russian diplomat has said. "We have to state that, regardless of the controversial experience regarding the Blackwater company, the US State and Defense Department continue to actively hire contract specialists, notably to perform 'dirty work' in armed conflict zones," said Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian foreign ministry's Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. "By 'outsourcing' state functions to private companies, the US government can avoid responsibility for violating norms of international humanitarian law," he said. in 2007. "This company tried to pay a $1-million bribe to get a license to work in Iraq and block an investigation into the September 2007 killing of 17 civilians, including children, by its employees in Baghdad," Dolgov said. He said the US State Department terminated its contract with Blackwater only two years after the tragedy. Dolgov said the US legal system demonstrated "double standards in US justice" when sentencing Russian national Viktor Bout to 25 years in prison "only for his intention (unproved) to sell weapons to Colombian rebels", while "the successor company of Blackwater officially admitted illegal arms sales in Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan".

Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian foreign ministry's Commissioner for Human Rights He said Moscow was concerned after the US Justice Department ended investigations into an attempt to bribe the Iraqi interior ministry by private security company Academi LLC (formerly known as Blackwater)

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September 1-7, 2012

'Indian economy to perform below potential in 2012'

Coimbatore: Indian economy will perform below potential throughout 2012 and the second quarter GDP figures due to be released on Friday, are expected to show that the economy grew by just 5.2% year-on-year, the weakest performance since 2009, according to Moody's Analytics. "The current slowdown is broadbased and we see little on the horizon to lift growth from its current path," said Glenn Levine, senior economist, Moody's Analytics. " The slowdown is well entrenched, with most sectors of the economy growing below trend. The broader economy is clearly growing below potential," he said "The only questions concern how far below potential it is growing and whether the second quarter growth figures will be even worse than those of the disappointing opening quarter," Levine said. "Industrial production has been weak, as have local car sales and external trade." The slowdown this time is largely due to domestic factors, unlike the 2009 slowdown that was precipitated by developments abroad. "The biggest problem is weak business confidence, weighed down by stubborn inflation, elevated interest rates, a weak global economy, and political gridlock and policy stagnation at the national level," Moody's Analytics, a division of Moody's Corporation said. None of these is likely to reverse soon, and the economy will continue to grow below potential, it predicted. "A soft second quarter should reaffirm our 2012 GDP forecast, which sits at 5.5%, while thoroughly rejecting the government's overly optimistic outlook for 7.6% growth across 2012-2013." "Our GDP tracking model, which uses lending data, industrial production and trade suggests a 5.2% y-o-y expansion in the quarter ending June," Moody's Analytics said. But there is also some downside risk to this forecast, and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see 5% flat growth, it said.

After Apple bruising, Samsung to bounce back

Seoul: Samsung Electronics Co unveiled the second generation of its popular Galaxy Note phone-cum-tablet at Europe's biggest electronics show in Berlin, as the South Korean firm came under pressure to innovate after losing a U.S. patent battle with Apple Inc. A US federal jury last week found Samsung had copied critical features of the iPhone and awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages. Apple is now seeking speedy bans on the sale of eight Samsung phones, moving swiftly to turn legal victory into tangible business gain. The Galaxy Note phablet, Samsung's second most popular smartphone after its flagship Galaxy S, is not included in the list of the potential U.S. sales ban, and Samsung hopes the phablet upgrade will lift any post-Apple gloom at the South Korean group. "There won't be huge innovative changes in design, but the Note 2 will feature quite a few improvements and enable Samsung to carry on its strong sales momentum in the category," said Lee Sun-tae, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities. "With the launch, Samsung will also be trying to turn around downbeat sentiment after the U.S. legal defeat." The new version of the Note is expected to feature a thinner and slightly bigger 5.5-inch screen, powerful quad-core processor, the latest version of Google's Android operating system called Jellybean, and improved stylus function.

A US federal jury found Samsung had copied critical features of the iPhone and awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages It's the latest product to illustrate Samsung's attempts to make bold design changes as it comes increasingly under pressure to differentiate its line-up from the iPhone, whose simple and large touchscreen-based design revolutionized the mobile industry and is still considered the gold standard of design. A U.S. judge set a December 6 court date to hear Apple's request for a permanent injunction against Samsung smartphones, which could delay the potential impact of Apple's legal victory. Also, ratings agency Standard & Poor's said Apple's bruising legal win had not affected the agency's ratings on Samsung.

'Gold price to hit Rs 32,000 by Diwali'

Mumbai: Gold price is likely to hit a record high of over Rs 32,000 per 10 grams during Diwali due to rising tensions in West Asia, Bombay Bullion Association (BBA) said. "Prices of gold may hit new highs around Diwali as rising tensions in West Asia may increase demand for the metal as a safe haven investment. Civil war in Syria and geopolitical tensions in Iran are major factors pushing up gold prices despite the fall in physical retail demand for the metal in India, China and many other countries," BBA President and Riddhisiddhi Bullions Managing Director Prithviraj Kothari said. Strong possibility of the US announcing a third round of quantitative easing to boost the economy may also drive overseas gold prices up to USD 1,800 an ounce,

India Inc braces for stricter bribery laws

Mumbai: India Inc is gearing up to face more stringent and specific anti-bribery laws with the government planning to amend the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to cover bribes given domestically by the private sector. Once this comes into force, the employee concerned and also the company's management could face imprisonment of up to seven years. It is likely that the proposed IPC amendment would be broad based and, in addition to bribes given to public officials, will also cover bribes within the private sector (such as company A, a supplier, bribing an official in company B to bag huge orders). "Currently, an employee of a private company could be held liable under the Prevention of Corruption Act for bribing a public official. In turn, the company's management could also be held liable, based on evidence available about their role. It will be easier to take action against private players if the IPC is amended and provisions are made clearer," said Vivek Kathpalia, partner, Nishith Desai Associates, international legal counsellors.

Kothari added. Gold prices have been consolidating since the beginning of the year as the market is waiting for the US

HSBC upgrades Wipro to 'overweight' from 'neutral'

Thales, BEL to form joint venture radar company

Bangalore: French aerospace and electronics major Thales Wednesday said it would form a joint venture company with staterun Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to build civilian and defense radars. The decision by the directors of both companies to form the joint venture (JV) is subject to mandatory approvals of the respective governments. The two companies had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) three years ago. "The parent companies aim at making the JV company a centre of excellence with the ability to offer solutions specifically aimed at meeting the needs of both Indian and export customers," Thales said in a statement. "The JVC will be dedicated to

Mumbai: HSBC upgraded Wipro to 'overweight' from 'neutral', saying the Indian software services exporter was "competing effectively" for large deals, and adding the company is well positioned to improve sales after its "exten-

sive restructuring." "We believe with continued investments in sales and client partners, deal wins will start to improve from 2QFY13 and results in terms of better growth should be visible in 2HFY13," HSBC said in a note.

the design, development, marketing, supply and support of civilian and select defense radars for Indian and global markets," the statement said. Thales said that under the cur-

rent Indian foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in the defense sector, the company will hold 26 percent equity in the new JV. The remaining 74 percent equity will be held by BEL.

24

Sports TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

Vijay, Yogeshwar honored with Khel Ratna

New Delhi: Olympic medalists Vijay Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt were conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award by President Pranab Mukherjee while a record 25 athletes were honored with the Arjuna Award. Pistol shooter Vijay, who won the silver medal, and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, a bronze medalist, were awarded the country's highest sporting honor for their sterling performance in the London Olympic Games. The award carries a statuette, citation and cash prize of Rs.7.5 lakh each. For the first time, an unprecedented 25 athletes were given the Arjuna Award since this was the Olympic year. The award carries a statuette, citation and enhanced cash prize of Rs.5 lakh each. The sportspersons are as follows: Cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who has recovered from cancer, and para athlete Deepa Malik were among those who were awarded with the Arjuna Award. But the loudest applause was reserved for Deepa and another paralympics athlete, Ramkaran Singh. "I am deeply honored by this award. Paralympics is a very

Olympic medalists Vijay Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt underrated event and I hope now that people will take more interest," said Deepa. The president also gave away Dronacharya Awards to eight coaches in recognition of their meritorious achievements in the field of coaching. The award carries a statuette, citation and enhanced cash prize of Rs.5 lakh each. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: Vijay Kumar (shooting), Yogeshwar Dutt (wrestler). Dronacharya: Virender Poonia (athletics), Sunil Dabas (kabaddi women), Yashvir Singh (wrestling), Harendra Singh (hockey), Satyapal Singh (para sports ahletics), J.S. Bhatia (athletics), Bhawani Mukherjee (table tennis), and B.I. Fernandez (boxing). Arjuna Award: Deepika Kumari (archery), Laishram Bombayla Devi (archery), Sudha Singh (athletics), Kavita Ramdas Raut (athletics), Ashwani Ponnappa (badminton), Parupalli Kashyap (badminton), Aditya Mehta (billiards and snooker), Vikas Krishan (boxing), Yuvraj Singh (cricket), Sardar Singh (hockey), Yashpal Solanki (judo), Anup Kumar (kabaddi), Samir Suhag (polo), Annu Raj Singh (shooting), Omkar Singh (shooting), Joydeep Karmakar (shooting), Deepika Pallikal (squash), Sandeep Sejwal (swimming), Sonia Chanu (weightlifting), Narsingh Yadav (wrestling), Rajinder Kumar (wrestling), Geeta Phogat (wrestling), Bimoljit Singh (wushu), Deepa Malik (athletics paralympics), and Ramkaran Singh (athletics paralympics). Dhyanchand Award: Jagraj Singh Mann (athletics), Gundeep Kumar (hockey), Vinod Kumar (wrestling), and Sukhbir Singh Tokas (para-sports). Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar: Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL), Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB), and Services Sports Control Board (SSCB).

Foreign coach would benefit women boxers: Kom

Mumbai: After making the country proud with her bronze medalwinning feat in the London Olympics, M C Mary Kom on Wednesday said that training under foreign coaches will be beneficial for women boxers of the country. "Of course there is a need for foreign coaches. I have practised with Indian coaches for so many years and after the Olympics, we need to learn something from a foreign coach as well," she told reporters at a promotional event here. Mary wanted to be trained by a foreign coach prior to the Olympic qualifying rounds, a demand that wasn't met by the Sports Ministry. The men, on the other hand, have Cuban B I Fernandez -- the first foreign coach to be recommended for the prestigious Dronacharya Award -to train them.Fernandez has been with the country's male boxers for over a decade during which the ring sport has taken a significant leap forward, including the pioneering bronze won by Vijender Singh in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Looking ahead, Mary said she is eager to take part in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro where she would try to bag another medal. She is confident that it would be a gold if her pet 46-48 weight category is introduced by the world body AIBA in the Brazil Games.

India U-19 cricket team gets rousing welcome

Mumbai: The triumphant U-19 Indian cricket team arrived home to a euphoric reception here. As Delhi boy and skipper Unmukt Chand, who hit a match-winning unbeaten century in the final against Australia, came out of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport terminal here, holding the trophy, celebrations broke out. Local Harmeet Singh's relatives and friends also turned up in large numbers and carried a huge cutout of the spinner. "I am very happy. We played well in Australia and won it. It's a proud feeling," Chand told reporters at the airport. Asked if a national call is near, Chand said: "(Berth in the) Senior team is a long way away. Now there is an India A team (tour to New Zealand) where I have to perform. If

Sania Mirza, Mahesh Bhupathi split at US Open

New York: Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi will not play mixed doubles at the US Open despite the pair having captured two Grand Slam titles together as the bitter fallout from the Olympics continued. Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi Bhupathi will team up with Andrea Hlavackova of or Rohan Bopanna, would be paired the Czech Republic in New York with her. Angry Sania hit out about the while Sania will link with Britain's arrangement, saying she was Colin Fleming. Sania played mixed doubles at the uncomfortable at being used as Olympics with Leander Paes but "bait" to keep Paes happy. Sania and Bhupathi won the only in controversial circumstances after Paes had demanded an assur- Australian Open in 2009 and French ance that only he, and not Bhupathi Open in 2012.

U-19 Indian cricket team skipper Unmukt Chand I perform well, then let's see." Chand is the third U-19 captain after Mohammed Kaif and Virat Kohli to lead the country to the under-19 World Cup title. Chand has been included in the Abhinav Mukund-led India A squad that will tour New Zealand.

Cricket: Ashwin achieves career-best ranking

Dubai: Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's match haul of 12 for 85 against New Zealand in the first Test in Hyderabad has helped him vault 19 places to a career-best 25th position in the ICC rankings for Test bowlers. Ashwin's spells of six for 31 and six for 54 led his side to an innings and 115 runs victory, and also fetched him the player of the match award. The win also gave India a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series. Ashwin backed up his bowling performance with a handy knock of 37 in India's total of 438. The show with the bat has helped Ashwin move up by three places to 78th in the rankings for Test batsmen, while the combined performance with the bat and the ball has given him a Ashwin's team-mate, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who ended with a match haul of six for 92, has also jumped six places to 15th spot, which is also his career best ranking. Zaheer Khan, who remained wicketless in the match, has dropped two places to 14th while his pace partner Umesh Yadav has moved up two places to 47th. For New Zealand, off-spinner Jeetan Patel, who finished with figures of four for 100, has jumped seven places to 52nd. The list is still headed by South African speedster Dale Steyn, with teammate Vernon Philander and Saeed Ajmal of Pakistan in second and third positions, respectively.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin career-high 12th position (up by 14 places) in the Test all-rounders standings.

Books TheSouthAsianTimes.info

25

September 1-7, 2012

Debunking the theory of Aryan invasion of India

By Madhusree Chatterjee his is probably the beginning of SinoIndian diplomacy forged over textiles... Long before the Aryans came to India, a team from ancient Bharat Varsha had visited China, known then as Kosa Karas, to exchange silk for cotton, says Canada-based historian, filmmaker and writer Bhagwan S. Gidwani, the author of the just-published, "The March of the Aryans". Rishi Skanda, an ancient seer, had established an "ashram" near the source of the Sindhu river in Tibet, which attracted a number of local people. "One of them presented to the "rishi a cloth of soft, sleek silk. The sage was told that the silk, brought by a traveler from north, was made from the cocoons of domesticated worms. The traveler had been delighted to exchange silk for the finest cotton made in the Sindhu region," Gidwani said. The sage "sent the silk cloth to the ruler Karkarta Bharat, who began series of consultations between the weavers' guild and the guild of merchants about the possibility of producing silk". The merchants guild decided to organize a team to travel north with the sage's help. The team, comprising 54 local residents from Tibet and six weavers from the Sindhu region, left for the "Land of Kosa Karas" in what can be described as the first bilateral

"The March Of The Aryans by Bhagwan S. Gidwani, Penguin India; 680 pages; Rs.599. visit. Such interesting odd bits aside, a large portion of "The March of the Aryans" is devoted to the Aryans leaving India - and then returning to their homeland again after realizing that no land in Asia and Europe was as peaceful as India. It is an attempt to put the misconceptions about the Invasion of

Aryan theory, propounded by many, right. Gidwani argues that the Aryans did not invade the country but gradually integrated into the country's pre-Vedic spiritual culture. "The Aryan impulse to leave Bharat Varsha (India) arose after the assassination of their spiritual leader, Sindhu Putra, as the apprehension was that the murder had been plotted by the lords of the lands," the writer said. After Sindhu Putra's death, many had their Aryan lands and farms confiscated for no fault. But overriding all the fears was their belief that "somewhere under the vast sky there must be the 'Land of Pure' where their assassinated spiritual leader (Sindhu Putra) resides". And they went out to search for that land. "But wherever they went, they found degradation, brutality, injustice, slavery," Gidwani said. Eventually, it dawned on those wandering Aryans that their homeland of India was better than the rest of the world into which they had tumbled in their futile search for a home earlier. The "March of the Aryans" details their knightly deeds and attachment to the concept of "Daya (compassion), Dana (charity) & Dharma (righteousness)". In their ancestry, the Aryans were Hindus. "I stress that never did they belong or considered themselves as a different people. Many, at different times, have tried to highlight the difference between the ancient Hindu and the Aryan in support of the Aryan

invasion theory of India which I hope 'March of the Aryans' clearly shows as false and frivolous, thereby agreeing with those who had questioned the Aryan Invasion theory," Gidwani said. The British, in presenting the Aryan Invasion Theory offered no proof. They did not need to. Hundreds of Indian historians rushed forward to earn their doctorates, promotions, patronage and government-aided jobs and positions for supporting the British theory of Aryan Invasion of India, Gidwani says. The book tries to prove that the British "invented" the Aryan Invasion theory and this myth was created to prove that Indians were incapable of ruling themselves. It is set in 8,000 BC and says that the Aryans originated from India in 5,000 BC. The writer, who has researched the reign of the ancient king Bharat in his book, says the king, after whom the country is named, encapsulated the spirit of an uncorrupted India. "Bharat loved his country, tolerated no corruption, never engaged in favors to friends and family, he would never permit criminals to be part of his Cabinet nor divide communities to secure votes... He was different from the post-Gandhian politicians who have turned politics into a lucrative profession," Gidwani said. Gidwani is also the best-selling author of the "The Sword of Tipu Sultan", which was adapted into a tele-serial.

India: Mother of civilizations

mountable evidence of 'Indian Origins of World Civilizations'. There is a wealth of information in this book, which will make any Indian proud of their scientifically based and technologically advanced ancient past. The book spells out how Egyptian, Sumerian, Greek, Chinese, and American civilizations, among others, emerged from the Indian cradle. There is lot more to 'History of India and its Civilization' than what is doled out by some dogmatic, biased western academicians in the name of 'World History' where everything began more or less with them and their advances. The author uses language that is fluid and simple to understand in spite of its complex subject. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, especially to second generation NRIs who want to know India's real heritage. Swami Viditatmanand of Arsh Vidya Gurukulam has endorsed the book at a recent release of the book. Last month, New York State Senator Thomas Libous presented a special 'Proclamation' honoring Niranjan Shah for this 'Historic' book. The book is available on Amazon, otehr major retailers, "Arsh Vidya Gurukul" or through the author himself at nshah32@hotmail.com.

Rushdie writes of years underground

New York State Senator Thomas Libous (right) releasing Niranjan Shahs book "Indian Origins of Ancient Civilizations". By Prakash Waghmare reflects his painstaking research and hard work. well-known columnist, There is a bibliography of 120 author and sought-after books and articles from around speaker for academic the world for this slim book of conferences, Niranjan Shah has only 140 pages. In the book, this recently come out with a new scholar of Vedanta and pre-Christ remarkable book titled "Indian era has extensively drawn on Origins of Ancient Civilizations". these sources to prove his various For several years Mr. Shah has points. At times, the book appears to been known to his thousands of avid readers as 'Grandpa' who be a collection of quotations, but dispensed forgotten history of Shah, a practicing engineer of India through his popular weekly several decades, has used his anacolumn 'A letter From Grandpa' lytical mind to weave different which appeared in India Tribune references, rather than his own newspaper. This book is a sort of narration, to avoid any conflict, I crystallization of them and guess, to stack before us insur-

n 14 February 1989, Valentines Day, Salman Rushdie was telephoned by a BBC journalist and told that he had been sentenced to death by the Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran. For the first time he heard the word fatwa. His crime? To have written a novel called The Satanic Verses, which was accused of being against Islam, the Prophet and the Quran. So begins the extraordinary story of how a writer was forced underground, moving from house to house, with the constant presence of an armed police protection team. He was asked to choose an alias that the police could call him by. He thought of writers he loved and combinations of their names; then it came to him: Conrad and Chekhov Joseph Anton. How do a writer and his family

live with the threat of murder for over nine years? How does he go on working? How does he fall in and out of love? How does despair shape his thoughts and actions, how and why does he stumble, how does he learn to fight back? In this memoir Rushdie tells that story for the first time; the story of one of the crucial battles, in our time, for freedom of speech. He talks about the sometimes grim, sometimes comic realities of living with armed policemen, and of the close bonds he formed with his protectors; of his struggle for support and understanding from governments, intelligence chiefs, publishers, journalists, and fellow writers; and of how he regained his freedom. "Joseph Anton: A Memoir" will be released on September 18 by Random House.

26

Health TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

Dependency on marijuana damages intelligence, shows study

ependency on marijuana before 18 years of age may cause lasting damage to the addict's intelligence, attention and memory, according to an international research. A long-range study of more than 1,000 New Zealanders, individuals who started using cannabis in adolescence and used it for years afterward, showed an average decline in IQ of eight points when their age 13 and age 38 IQ tests were compared. Quitting pot did not appear to reverse the loss either, said Madeline Meier, post-doc-

toral researcher at Duke University and study co-author, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science reports. The key variable in this is the age of onset for marijuana use and the brain's development, Meier said. Study subjects who didn't take up pot until they were adults with fullyformed brains did not show similar mental declines, according to a Duke statement. Before 18 years of age, however, the brain is still being organized and remodeled to become more efficient, she said, and may be more vulnerable to damage from drugs.

"Marijuana is not harmless, particularly for adolescents," said Meier, who produced this finding from the long term Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. The study has followed a group of 1,037 children born in 1972-73 in Dunedin, New Zealand, from birth to age 38 and is led by Terrie Moffitt and AvshalomCaspi, psychologists who hold dual appointments at Duke and the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London. At the age of 38 years, all the study participants were given a battery of psychological

tests to assess memory, processing speed, reasoning and visual processing. The people who used pot persistently as teens scored significantly worse on most of the tests. Friends and relatives routinely interviewed as part of the study were more likely to report that the persistent cannabis users had attention and memory problems such as losing focus and forgetting to do tasks. The decline in IQ among persistent cannabis users could not be explained by alcohol or other drug use or by having less education, Moffitt said.

It's never too late to walk for life

Sounds, smells help people learn while asleep?

eople can pick up new information with the help of specific sounds and smells, even while asleep, says an Israeli study. For instance, if certain odors are presented after specific tones during sleep, people will start sniffing when they hear the tones alone -- even when odor is absent, both during sleep and later, when awake, say researchers. Sleep-learning experiments are notoriously difficult to conduct. For one thing, one must be sure that the subjects are actually asleep and stay that way during the "lessons," the journal Nature Neuroscience reported. Noam Sobel, professor of neurobiology at the Weizmann Institute's and research student AnatArzi, along with colleagues from Loewenstein Hospital and the Academic College of Tel Aviv -- Jaffa, chose to experiment with a type of conditioning that involves exposing subjects to a tone followed by an odor, so that they soon exhibit a similar response to the tone as they would to the odor.

"Now that we know that some kind of sleep learning is possible, we want to find where the limits lie -- what information can be learned during sleep and what information cannot," said Arzi, according to a Wizemann statement. The pairing of tones and odors presented several advantages: Neither wakes the sleeper (in fact, certain odors can promote sound sleep), yet the brain processes them and even reacts during slumber. Moreover, the sense of smell holds a unique non-verbal measure that can be observed -- namely sniffing. Researchers found that, in the case of smelling, the sleeping brain acts much as it does when awake: We inhale deeply when we smell a pleasant aroma but stop when assaulted by a bad smell. This variation in sniffing could be recorded whether the subjects were asleep or awake. Finally, this type of conditioning, while it may appear to be quite simple, is associated with some higher brain areas -- including the hippocampus, which is involved in memory formation.

hey say it is never too late. And the saying seems very much true when it comes to going for a walk, as experts have found a daily stroll could save one's life by protecting against a host of chronic diseases. According to the US study, just a little light exercise can stave off heart failure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and even Alzheimer's. And it is never too late to start. Stepping up exercise in your 50s can have major long-term benefits, Daily Express reported. People who increased their fitness by just 20 percent in the middle age reduced their chances of developing the chronic diseases even decades later by 20 percent. In fact, introducing a gentle walk, housework, gardening or DIY (do it yourself) into your

daily routine from the age of 50 can cut the risk of developing these deadly illnesses at 65. Jarett Berry, a senior author of the study, said: "We've determined that being fit is not just delaying the inevitable, but it is actually lowering the onset of chronic disease in the final years of life." Researchers assessed the fitness levels of people in midlife and then followed them up 26 years later. Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Centre in the US city of Dallas, studied data of 14,726 healthy men and 3,944 healthy women of an average age of 49, enrolled in the Cooper Centre Longitudinal Study, which keeps medical records from over 40 years.

New device removes clots from brain

new device that removes clots from the brain could be a game changer in the treatment of strokes, say researchers. In a recent clinical trial, the SOLITAIRE Flow Restoration Device, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration this March, outperformed the standard treatment. SOLITAIRE is among an entirely new generation of devices designed to remove blood clots from blocked brain arteries. It has a self-expanding, stent-like design, and once inserted into a blocked artery using a thin catheter tube, it compresses and traps the clot. The clot is then removed by withdrawing the device, reopening the blocked blood vessel, the British journal The Lancet reports. "This new device is significantly changing the way we can treat ischemic stroke (caused by blockage

of an artery to the brain)," said Jeffrey L. Saver, director of the University of California Los Angeles Stroke Centre and a professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine. "We are going from our first genera-

tion of clot-removing procedures, which were only moderately good in reopening target arteries, to now having a highly effective tool," added Saver, who led the study, according to a California statement. Results of the study showed that the device opened blocked vessels without causing symptomatic bleeding in or around the brain in 61 percent of patients.The standard FDA-approved mechanical device, a corkscrew-type clot remover called the MERCI Retriever, was effective in 24 percent of cases. The use of SOLITAIRE also led to better survival three months after a stroke. There was a 17.2 percent mortality rate with the new device, compared with a 38.2 percent rate with the older one. About 87 percent of all strokes are caused by blood clots blocking a blood vessel supplying the brain.

Belly fat linked to higher death risk

tral obesity is bad, but what is new in this research is that the distribution of the fat is very important even in people with normal weight," said Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, senior study author and cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "This group has the highest death rate, even higher than those who are considered obese based on BMI, a height to weight ratio. From a public health perspective, this is a significant finding," said Lopez-Jimenez, according to a Mayo statement. The study included 12,785 subjects aged 18 and above from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) and provided a representative sample of the US population. The surveys recorded body measurements such as height, weight, waist circumference and hip circumference, as well as socio-economic status, physiological and lab measurements. Subjects were divided into three categories of BMI -- normal, overweight and obese -and two categories of waist-to-hip ratio in women and men. The mean age of subjects was 44 years and 47.4 percent were men. The median follow up period was 14.3 years. There were 2,562 deaths, of which 1,138 were related to cardiovascular issues. The subjects with normal BMI but central obesity as defined by the belly fat had the highest cardiovascular death risk and the highest death risk from all causes among all subgroups. The risk of cardiovascular death among those with belly fat was 2.75 times higher and the risk of death from all causes was 2.08 times higher in normal weight obese people as compared with subjects with normal BMI and normal waist-to-hip ratio. "To our knowledge, it is the first study that evaluated nationwide estimates of death in central obesity even in the absence of obesity as measured by BMI," said KarineSahakyan, cardiology research fellow at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. These findings were presented at European Society of Cardiology Congress 2012.

eople envied for their normal weight surprisingly face a higher death risk than the obese -- if they carry a prominent belly, according to latest research. "We knew from previous research that cen-

Lifestyle TheSouthAsianTimes.info

27

September 1-7, 2012

Models bypass pageants for straight road to Bollywood

ave beauty pageants become passe? With just one international win in 12 years, India's dry run continues with insiders saying that models and other aspirants to the glitz and glamour world are bypassing the pageant route to head straight for Bollywood. It was the other way around in the decades gone past with women like AishwaryaRai, SushmitaSen and Lara Dutta winning their international crowns and then going to the movie world. On Saturday, Miss India World Vanya Mishra made it to the top seven at the 62nd edition of the Miss World contest in Ordos, China, but the crown went to China's Xia Yu. Had she clinched it, she would have got the first big win in 12 years. The last Miss Universe title came home in 2000 with Lara Dutta winning the crown; the last Miss World also came the same year with Priyanka Chopra bagging the title. So why this drought, even though the money and perks remain pretty

much the same? According to model ShamitaSingha, who represented India during the Miss Earth 2001 pageant, the problem starts at the root level. "The girls participating in such pageants don't match expectations. We can't blame the judges panel. We are not getting good entries. Most girls want to make a career in Bollywood and with so many modeling agencies these days, it is easier for them. So they avoid taking the longer beauty pageant route," Singha said. Amongst the models who have taken the direct road to Bollywood are DeepikaPadukone and Katrina Kaif, who catapulted to big time stardom, as well as those like SayaliBhagat, Geeta Basra, MugdhaGodse and Jiah Khan. India first made its mark in the international beauty pageant scenario way back in 1966 with ReitaFaria winning the Miss World title. In 1994, Aishwarya brought back the crown, while Sushmita became the first Indian to be crowned Miss Universe

the same year. Describing Bollywood as a major roadblock, ShonalRawat, Femina Miss India Asia Pacific 2003, said: "Bollywood might be the reason that girls are not interested in getting into such pageants. I believe the young generation simply gets attracted by short-term fame they receive during their initial days and this somehow stops them from looking at different career options." She also feels that girls lack the right attitude. "Miss India requires the culmination of different things like poise, confidence, looks and intelligence. It is about the whole packaging needed to win the crown." NehaDhupia, now an actress, started as a model, won the Femina Miss India 2002 crown and then made inroads into showbiz. In her opinion, the luck factor is equally important. "I don't think anyone is lacking at any level. It is about the person who shines that day. Everyone's beautiful as you are compet-

ing with the 80 most beautiful women in the world. No one is lacking anywhere. The reason why everyone's there is that they are winners in themselves," she said. Over the years, the craze for beauty pageants and viewer interest has also dipped. "Earlier, people used to be excited about watching Miss India contests on TV or in person. But that is dying. We need to get public interest back. This will help us in winning," said Shweta Vijay, Femina Miss India Earth 2003. Till 2009, the Femina Miss India title winner used to participate in the Miss Universe pageant. From 2010 onwards, Sushmita's organization I Am She chooses the country's official entry for Miss Universe and Miss Asia Pacific. Sushmita's candidate Himangini Singh Yadu won the Miss Asia Pacific 2012. She was the first Indian to win the crown in 12 years - the last time was the victory of DiaMirza, who is now a known Bollywood actress and film producer.

Bollywood stars to walk for Shabana's Mijwan

ollywood celebrities like DeepikaPadukone, Karan Johar and Imran Khan will lend support to Shabana Azmi's Mijwan Welfare Society (MWS) by wearing clothes made by the NGO's girls at an upcoming fashion event. MWS works for the empowerment of the girl child in rural India, and will hold the Mijwan Sonnets In Fabric for the third consecutive year. It will be held at the Grand Hyatt here Sep 3. "This year is particularly significant because it is the culmination of a process started three years ago when we first started our partnership with Manish Malhotra. "Like the two previous years, Bollywood stars will walk the ramp for Manish Malhotra. But this year they will showcase the craftsmanship of our girls from Mijwan. It is a huge boost for them to be pulled out of oblivion and have 23 reigning stars of Bollywood wear their creations," Shabana said in a statement. "I'm overwhelmed by the support we have received from the film, fashion and sports fraternity, who have come forward once again to

walk the ramp at this very special event," she added. Among the confirmed names to be present at the event are Amy Jackson, Arjun Kapoor, Chiraag Paswan, Chitrangada Singh, DiaMirza, Imtiaz Ali, Kalki Koechlin, Kunal Kapoor, Malaika Arora Khan, Neha Dhupia, Parineeti Chopra, Prateik, Rohit Roy, Rohit Shetty, Sameera Reddy, Shahana Goswami,Shahzanne Padamsee and Yuvraj Singh. "There are a couple of surprises too but let's hold on to the suspense! Wait and watch," said Shabana. The 61-year-old, who associates herself with various social causes, is making more efforts to improve the quality of education for the MWS girls. She said the girls "are learning English through Skype from US under the auspices of the Ann Foundation. We propose to expand this program further to start a full-fledged Diploma course. "Processes are underway to start a technical institute so Mijwan becomes the center around which a lot of satellite villages and small towns can learn skills that will generate employment."

Now share your wedding wish-list with your guests

t is a popular concept abroad, but Bridal Registry, a service whereby a would be-couple can share their list of desired gifts for their D-day with their guests, has got a kick-start here as well. "Bridal Registry assists the would-be couples in conveying their wish lists to their guests. It also makes for an easy selection for the guests to gift something that will be appreciated by the couple, who is getting married," said DinazMadhukar, vice president, DLF Emporio. "The complete process has been created wherein the couples register and select the list, which they can later share with their family and friends," added Madhukar. The concept was introduced during the opening day of Wedding Atelier, an exhibition jointly organized by the luxury mall and wedding planner Vandana Mohan. From floral installations by international floral designer Rob Van Helden, tips from

industry experts including Mohan and Madhukar to leading couturier RohitBal suggesting couples about the latest trend in wedding trousseau -the three-day event, which began Friday, offers a complete range of services catering to those who want a chic, newage wedding set-up. "When it comes to selecting the right wedding trousseau, things have changed. Unlike aunties and grandmothers selecting the right dress for bride, it's the girl only who makes sure that the dress is made only after taking her suggestion. It's only the would- be bride who is taking care of her wedding dress rather than family members," said Bal. Also wedding photographer Joseph Radhik and wedding cinematographer Badal Jain will offer tips about latest trends in the wedding market. "The Wedding Atelier is our gift to our patrons that will help them create a picture perfect wedding," said Madhukar.

11 designers to participate in India Bridal Fashion Week

s many as 11 top-notch designers will participate in the forthcoming Aamby Valley India Bridal Fashion Week and they gave a sneak peek into their special creations at an introductory event here Tuesday. SonakshiSinha was the special guest at the fashion event, which kick started with Miss India World Vanya Mishra walking the ramp in designer JJ Valaya's A-line burgundy-colored suit with golden embroidery. The five-day fashion show will be opened by TarunTahiliani in Mumbai Sep 12. Also, VikramPhadnis, designer duo Shantanu-Nikhil, Meera-Muzaffar Ali, Ashima-Leena, Narendra Kumar Ahmed, Falguni-Shane, Anjalee-ArjunKapoor, MandiraWirk, JyotsanaTiwari and JJ Valaya, who is the closing designer, are participating in it.

Talking about grand finale, Valaya said: "What I showed here was actually Burgundy and obviously red is intrinsic to the whole bridal thing, but my collection will see a lot of turquoise, a lot of flame colors." The event took a starry turn when Bollywood actress SonakshiSinha sashayed down the ramp in a red net sari with a thin golden border created by JyotsnaTiwari. Asked when does she plan to get married, the 25-year-old said: "I don't know what I am doing day after tomorrow, how can I say that? Right now I am just glad wearing these beautiful bridal outfits." The Aamby Valley India Bridal Fashion Week has also announced the date for the fashion event in 2013 - it will take place in the capital from Aug 2 to Aug 7 and in Mumbai, will be held between Sep 20 to Sep 25.

Miss India Vanya Mishra with JJ Valaya

SonakshiSinha as show stopper

28

Humor TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

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, youll be known to your customers as Gaurav. Randy, youll be Ranjit. And Jane, youll 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? Gary: How can I help you? Professor: Youre on the right track.

Anyone else? Jane: How can I be helping you? Professor: Good try! Youre using the correct tense, but its not quite right. Anyone else? Randy: How I can be helping you? Professor: Wonderful! Word order is very important. Okay, lets try some small talk. Give me a comment that would help you make a connection with your Indian customers. Randy: Its really hot, isnt it? Professor: The heat is always a good topic, but you havent phrased it correctly. Try again. Randy: Its deadly hot, isnt it? Professor: Thats better. But your tag

question can be greatly improved. Randy: Its 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 lets 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): Thats a different yaar, yaar. The yaar that Im talking about means friend or buddy. You can use it if youve 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, lets talk about accents. If your client says I yam wery vorried about vat I bought for my vife, how would you respond? Randy: Please dont 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 havent said anything in a while. Do you have any questions about what weve just learned? Gary: Yes, Professor, I do have one question: Wouldnt it be simpler to learn to speak Hindi?

Photo of the week

A boy with his body painted like a tiger waits backstage before performing during festivities marking the annual harvest festival of Onam in the southern Indian city of Kochi August 25, 2012. The 10-day-long festival is celebrated annually in India's southern coastal state of Kerala to commemorate the return of King Mahabali to meet his beloved subjects.

Astrology
TheSouthAsianTimes.info

29

September 1-7, 2012

Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874 Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899 psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma

Stars Foretell: Septmeber 1-7, 2012
Aries: This week advancement is certainly yours, if you put your energy to positive use. You would be in the limelight during social get-togethers that you attend. Your attitude at work would open new avenues for you and the hard work that you do would not go unnoticed. Home improvement projects that you undertake would run smoothly. Include family members and friends in your plans. Taurus: This week you are advised to concentrate on your professional endeavors. Family responsibilities would mount, bringing some tensions on your mind. Trips that you undertake would be fruitful and the communication that you have with your partner would be helpful in clearing misunderstandings if any. Children would bring you enough reasons to be happy. Blessings from spiritual person bring solace and mental peace. Gemini: This week is especially beneficial for artistic and educational pursuits. Unexpected gains are foreseen. Your practical approach to life would win you appreciation from people who would be watching you. Good week, which would fill your life with happiness, best wishes and gifts. A distant trip or a visit to a religious place will be on the cards for some of you. Cancer: This week pressure builds up from all sides and severe differences would crop with partner, leaving you in a confused state and unable to take decisions. Talking would be the best method to resolve conflicting issues. Dont waste your time waiting for favors and things to happen by themselves. Plan out things very wisely to reap rewards on work front but do not do this at the cost of ignoring your family and health. Leo: Your business and career-related problems, which have been going on, are likely to get sorted out. New assignments or ventures are likely to take place. Efforts put in during this period would bring excellent results. Being extra generous with children would only lead to trouble. Avoid overeating and visit a health club regularly to stay fit. Foreign transaction/trips made during this period would bring handsome monetary benefits. Virgo: Challenging, but very fruitful period. Your work would get recognized and rewarded. Trips, outstation travel or shopping would be exciting. Your ability to be practical in business would help. Financial gains from unexpected sources for some. Spend some extra time with your family members. Good week to revive contacts with acquaintances that you have nearly forgotten. You should focus on your goals and making money. Libra: This week important meetings would take up most of your time. Listen to others before you give your opinion. Domestic matter would require attention otherwise your family members are likely to create a mountain out of a molehill. Avoid confrontation and arguments as much as possible as it would do no good. Go out with close friends who understand your situation and your needs. Minor infection and cold could upset you. Scorpio: Favourable period for professionals as well as businessmen. Financial investments would be lucrative as long as you make them on your own. Property investment made during this period would be solid and grow in value. Your willingness to help others would leave you tired and exhausted, but would enhance your reputation. Going out with friends towards the weekend will be in your own interest. Sagittarius: This is the time for allurement. Hasty decisions in making investments can perturb the smooth pace of life. Be careful with whom you do business, and dont get involved with dubious individuals. You would spend lavishly on luxuries and other comforts. Do not be erratic in your behaviour, especially with family members; otherwise it will ruin the peaceful atmosphere at home. A trip or small journey would bring positive results. Capricorn: This is not the week to dominate others or ignore the opinions of seniors. Financial confusion is likely. Refrain yourself from overspending on unnecessary items. Travelling would help improve business contacts. This period would see you come up with great imaginative ideas, which would interest others. Some changes are in store for you in the next few days, and eventually gains are certain. Aquarius: If you are not travelling this week then make sure you sign up for courses that are stimulating and satisfy your craving for knowledge. Concentrate on new projects, as these are favourable days. Fresh obstacles would stand in your way but you should work quietly behind the scenes and seek help from people who are experienced and willing to help you. Children demands would add pressure to your mind. Pisces: This week added responsibilities would be burdensome. You would have to try to get other relatives and friends to pitch in and help. Avoid getting trapped in disputes that do not concern you in any manner. Be discreet in your approach and dont present your ideas until you are certain theyre foolproof. Put your extra cash into personal investment such as real estate or art objects.

Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

September: 1 You are governed by the number 1 and the Sun. You are a good judge of character. Blessed with the ability to judge people at first sight, enables you to keep away from those who are not your type of people. Studious and methodical in your approach to work, you will not tolerate indiscipline or laziness from you colleagues at work. Your hard work and sincerity will be rewarded by your seniors, in the year ahead of you. You will achieve honor and prestige and will go to any lengths to achieve the same. Sometimes, however you may tend to get a bit proud. You tend to show off your achievements. This could lead to friends and relatives, to move away from you. Material gains, will be yours, in the coming year. You will be able to acquire costly items and you will buy the best and nothing but the best. September, November and January 2013 will be highly eventful. September: 2 You are governed by the number 2 and by the planet Moon. Those of you, in the field of writing and teaching, can expect to attain newer heights of excellence, in the year ahead of Most of you, stand to gain by your proximity to a water body. Any transfer to a city or town to a river side or a sea side, should not be refused. You will enhance your career prospects, close to a water body. Your self confidence and your communication skills will be your assets and you should use these to the optimum. The opposite sex will be charmed and attracted by your pleasing personality and you can expect to have special friends from the opposite sex. Your warmth nature draws you towards the oppressed class. You will go out of your way to help those who are needy and in distress. Helping the needy will give you a sense of satisfaction. January, May and August 2013 will be highly important. September: 3 You are governed by the planet Jupiter and the number 3. Gentle and sincere in nature, you will be able to achieve success in your professional career, in the year ahead of you. Those of you, in the administrative and educational field, can expect to reach newer heights of excellence in your professional fields. Your warmth nature will draw you towards charitable institutions, and you will spend a lot of your time in doing social work, especially for the handicapped. A hectic social life, which will include parties, cinemas and in general lots of friends, is what is predicted for you, in the coming year. You will also travel a lot in the coming year. Travel for pleasure and work, is foreseen. Visit to pilgrimage places, is not ruled out. Love and art, are your passions, and you will spend money and time in re decorating your house, in the coming months. December and May, August of 2013 will be highly significant. September: 4 You are governed by the number 4 and the planet Uranus. You are peace loving by nature. You like to be amongst few friends and avoid controversy of any kind. Your personality will catch the attention of the opposite sex, and you will be able to charm someone special in the year ahead of you. You will make few friends, but these will be your true friends, who will stand by you, in times of need. Your ability to take sensible and quick decisions will be your asset. Try to use this to your optimum use, in the year ahead of you. Sometimes, you do tend to get restless, and this creates unnecessary worries and unpleasantness. But with a sensible approach, you will be able to overcome all minor obstacles that may come your way. Success and fulfillment in your studies and career is what is predicted for you. February, July and October 2013 will be highly significant. September: 5 You are governed by the number 5 and the planet Mercury has a strong influence on you. You are over ambitious by nature. Those of you, who are students and pursuing your studies, it will be a good year for you. With hard work and determination, you will be able to reap the fruits of your hard work. The year ahead will be full of peace and solitude for most of you. You will refrain from getting into any sort of controversy at work or at home. Music and art will fascinate you. Most of you will pursue these as your hobbies. Travel will be important for you. You are likely to travel far and near in relation to your job. Pleasure trips are also not ruled out. Your communication skills will help you to be popular amongst your colleagues and friends. You will be drawn towards religion, but will not bend down to orthodox views and customs. October and January, July and August 2013 will be highly significant. September: 6 You are governed by the number 6 and the planet Venus. Honor, dignity and prestige, are yours to achieve in the year ahead of you. You will achieve all this, and more with your capacity to take quick decisions and your sincerity towards your work. You are independent in your thoughts and actions, and this allows you to be quick and swift in whatever you do. Your intelligence will impress your bosses and coupled with your communication skills, you will be able to reach newer heights of excellence in your professional field. Full of optimism and hope, you are able to instill happiness wherever you go. You will be able to make good friends, in the year ahead of you who will extend their warmth and affection to you. The months of September, November of 2012 and February, August of 2013 seem to be significant. September: 7 You are governed by the planet Neptune and dominated by the number 7. You are a lover of peace. Both in your domestic front, as well as your professional front, you will avoid controversies, so as to maintain peace and harmony. Your children will be a source of joy and happiness for you in the coming year. They will see all your dreams come true. You will be independent in your thoughts and actions and will not tolerate any interference in your work. You may appear to be outwardly calm, but sometimes you get agitated for nothing. Try to relax and not make a mountain out of a molehill. Take to outdoor activities to get mental and physical rest. Your methodical approach to work will draw you towards intellectual work, rather than physical and laborious work. The months of October, December of 2012 and March, July and August of 2013 will be highly significant.

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, dont feel shy. Its 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.

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For appointment, please call 516-390-7847

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30

Spiritual Awareness TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

Second part of discourse 'Don't stop until the goal is reached'

of Hazur in the 1950s. From these verses, we can get a glimpse of how Sant Darshan Singh Ji revered him and the wondrous qualities he found in him.

Language of godly love

with love and bliss. Sant Darshan Singh Ji is describing that love as perennial fountains of eternal bliss. The image of a fountain is that it is continually flowing. The water in a fountain never runs dry. It goes on gushing continually. So it is with the love of God. It is always flowing. It will flow eternally. What a wonderful destiny for our soul! Once we are connected to that fountain through a living Master, our soul can drink of that bliss for all times to come. We can do so by meeting the Master outwardly and experiencing his divine darshan. We of life grew into fragrant roses. What he is describing is the power of a true Master. When we come into his presence, all the problems and pains of the world disappear. Problems may be there but we do not feel them. Instead, we experience a delicious nectar and wondrous fragrance of love. The Master can turn thorns into roses just by his loving glances, his sweet words or his gentle touch. We may be in the thick of terrible suffering but the Master s love is so embracing that we no longer suffer. Instead, we are lost in the ecstasy of Gods love.

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj

imilarly, let us look at our meditations. If we are putting in five minutes a day, let us move forward to putting in six minutes the next day. Then, let us increase to seven minutes, and eight minutes, until we reach our minimum time of two and a half hours daily. When we reach two and a half hours daily, let us increase to two and three quarters hours daily and then three hours daily and so forth. There is no ceiling on the amount of time we can put into our meditations. When we go on a retreat we often put in six, seven, or eight hours daily. We can create a retreat in the midst of our own lives and whenever we are not going to work, attending to our family responsibilities, or doing selfless service, we can snatch away as much time as possible to meditate. We can get up early to put in more time or add time at the end of the day. We can use our holidays or weekends to boost up the amount of time we put in. We need to follow the words of the yogi advising us not to stop but keep moving forward. It is not only the time we spend physically sitting still but in meditation we need to make sure we are mentally still. For this, we need to do simran which is the repetition of the five Charged Names. We need to keep our gaze fixed on the field lying in front of us when our eyes are closed. We need to have love in our hearts and devotion to God, so that we meditate with zeal, passion, and intensity. Let us take stock of where we are in our meditations and our ethical life and resolve to not stop, but keep moving forward. We will find that we will gain more and more spiritual wealth. We will go from just collecting mere trees, to collecting spiritual sandalwood, spiritual silver, spiritual gold, and ultimately the spiritual diamond of becoming one with God. Hazur was a living example of one who did not stop until he reached his goals. I would like to take up a poem of Sant Darshan Singh Ji that he wrote in praise

The first verse says: You have set afloat the perennial fountains of eternal bliss and everlasting ecstasy. You have brought forth fragrant roses where there were prickling thorns before. In this verse, Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj is describing what it was like to be in the presence of Hazur. Sant Darshan

Let us take stock of where we are in our meditations and our ethical life and resolve to not stop, but keep moving forward. We will find that we will gain more and more spiritual wealth. We will go from just collecting mere trees, to collecting spiritual sandalwood, spiritual silver, spiritual gold, and ultimately the spiritual diamond of becoming one with God.
Singh Ji is describing the incredible ecstasy and bliss he experienced when in the presence of Hazur, both outwardly and within during meditations. Although we may not have met Hazur, we can relate to what he is saying by remembering times we have been in the presence of Sant Kirpal Singh Ji or Sant Darshan Singh Ji. How is it possible for people to get so much bliss from being around another human being? The truth is that the bliss is not coming from the human form of the Master. It comes from the God power that radiates through that form. God is love and our soul is love. When we come into the presence of a Master, that love radiates from God through the vehicle of the Master and is perceived by our soul. When soul experiences God, it is experiencing its own divine nature. That force is so attractive that the soul is enraptured and filled can also do so by meeting the Master within through meditations. The inner form of the Master is so radiant and loving that we want to stay immersed in that form for all times to come. The bliss without is great, but the bliss within is far greater. We can experience those fountains of bliss when we meditate and go within. If we were to not stop but move forward, we would ultimately come to the radiant form of the Master. Then, that form would guide us into higher and higher regions where we would experience those fountains of bliss. If we know this bliss is waiting for us, why would we want to stop before bathing in those fountains of divinity? The next line of verse says: You have brought forth fragrant roses where there were prickling thorns before. Sant Darshan Singh Ji is saying that in the presence of Hazur, all the thorns The Master removes our pain by bathing us with so much love and grace that we are no longer aware of it. We become oblivious to the slings and arrows of life. They may still come our way but we are so intoxicated that we lose awareness of even our body. Thus, we are so filled with love that instead of the thorny pains and sorrows, we experience the beauty of the rose garden. If we knew that freedom from pain and sorrow was awaiting us within, why would we stop until we reached that pain-free state? In another verse of this poem, Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj says: You have taught us the language of love which is both unspoken and unwritten. You have solved for us the mystery of life and death. Sant Darshan Singh Ji is describing how Hazur has enabled us to solve the greatest mysteries of life. There is hardly

a person who has not at one time or another pondered over the question of life and death. Many wonder why we are here and where we go when we die. Hazur enabled people to solve this mystery. By putting people in touch with the Light and Sound of God at the time of initiation, he gave people a way to rise above body-consciousness. By doing so, they realized they were not the body but the soul that inhabits the body. They could journey to wondrous spiritual realms within. Through meditation, they could cross the astral, causal, supracausal and purely spiritual realms. This inner journey brings confirmation that there is no death. Death is just like taking off a layer of clothing to reveal one below it. We realize that the body is only an outer coat for our soul. When we remove it, we have our astral body, our causal body, and a thin veil over the soul in the supracausal region. When we reach the purely spiritual region of Sach Khand, then all layers are removed and we experience ourselves as pure soul, free of all coverings. It is at this stage that we merge back in God. The language of love of which Sant Darshan Singh Ji speaks in this verse is unspoken and unwritten. It is not something that can be adequately described. It can only be experienced. How can one describe what it is like to eat chocolate? We can use the word sweet for it but one can only know it when one tastes the chocolate for ones self. Similarly, love has to be experienced not described. People have tried to describe it but those who have experienced it readily admit that words and language do not do justice to it. They are only pale comparisons. Similarly, tasting divine love defies any words. It is an experience far greater than worldly love. Hazur did not have to teach this experience by words or language. By giving people a contact with this divine love through his eyes, through his radiation, and through contact with the inner Light and Sound, they were able to learn the divine language. That language is of godly love. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is an internationally recognized spiritual leader and Master of Jyoti Meditation who affirms the transcendent oneness at the heart of all religions and mystic traditions, emphasizing ethical living and meditation as building blocks for achieving inner and outer peace. www.sos.org.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

September 1-7, 2012

His Holiness

sant rajinder singh ji maharaj

In New York
SATSANG IN AMITYVILLE FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012, 8:00PM saccao Kja,anao kI Koaja Sachey Khajanae ki Khoj
Science of Spirituality Meditation Center 79 County Line Road, Amityville, Long Island, NY 11701

SATSANG IN WASHINGTON HEIGHTS Saturday, September 1, 6:00PM Key to Spiritual Wealth and Happiness English, with simultaneous translation into Spanish Naamdan* following the talk
United Palace Theater, 4140 Broadway (175th St.), NY 10033

SATSANG IN AMITYVILLE Sunday, September 2, 3:00PM Meditation: Journey to Realms of Light English. Naamdan* following the talk *In-depth instructions for meditation on the inner Light and Sound
888.666.1990 NYinfo@sos.org www.sos.org www.sos.org/usa/tristate