Bollywood 16

Diaspora 19

Sports 23

Spiritual Awareness 30

NEW YORK EDITION

Vol.5 No. 19 August 25-31, 2012 60 Cents
Indian-Americans get top spots at presidential conventions Pooja Kumar: Breakout role with an Indian legend Interview, Page 18

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Things to keep in mind if falsely accused Law, Page 24

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World War II Jeeps are in vogue again in India Features, Page 27

India-US ties 'retreated' under Obama: Romney aide

Washington: The strategic partnership between India and the United States has "retreated" under the current Obama Administration as compared to the momentum built during the Bushera, Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney's campaign has said. "The relationship between India and the US is mutually beneficial and there is a need to forge new areas of cooperation," a top foreign policy advisor to Romney said Wednesday. "I worked in the Bush Administration both 41 and 43. Especially in 43 ( George W. Bush) we were very proud of the partnership we were able to forge between US and India. "It was mutually beneficial as these things should be both economically, diplomatically and in military and security sphere as well," Mitchell B Reiss, a senior foreign policy advisor to Romney told a group of foreign journalists during a conference call. "What I have seen under the current administration is little bit of retreat, little bit of backsliding from the promise that was starting to be to realize the momentum under the Bush Administration," Reiss said. "The Romney Administration would like to restore relationship, restore that strategic partnership with India, and see areas where we can continue to cooperate, perhaps forge new areas of co-operation," Reiss said in response to a question on Romney's India policy.

Now, coal blocks scam bedevils UPA government

New Delhi: Parliament was disrupted for the third day Thursday as the opposition insisted on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over the CAG report on alleged faulty allocation of coal blocks, even as an allparty meeting called on next Monday held out hope of ending the logjam. In a war of words, the government on Wednesday hit back at the BJP saying that it was avoiding a Parliament debate because BJP-ruled states had objected to the auction of coal blocks. The BJP-ruled states opposed bidding in writing.

Habib American rebrands itself as HAB Bank

As per CAG report, allocation of coal blocks without auction to private companies has resulted in loss to the exchequer of Rs 1.86 lakh crore ($37 billion). The states rejected Centre's proposal for bidding," coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said. On her part, Congress Continued on page 4

Thousands homeless, 32 dead in Assam violence

Guwahati/New Delhi: More than 50,000 terrorstricken people fled their homes in lower Assams Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts as raging ethnic clashes between Bodos and Muslims claimed four more lives on Tuesday. The violence that started on Friday has left 32 dead so far but state police chief JN Choudhury said it would take three or four days to restore order. Meanwhile, India was readying evidence on the alleged Pakistan-origin of morphed pictures of Assam violence which sparked an

Villagers flee their homes at Dujabari village in Kokrajhar district of Assam. Elsewhere in the country, panic of attacks by Muslims drove northeasterners to escape to their home state. exodus of northeastern citizens from other states and plans to present it when External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna goes to Continued on page 4

New York: The Habib American Bank is being rebranded as HAB Bank, announced its Chairman Muhammad H. Habib on Thursday at a reception in his honor at Pranna restaurant in midtown Manhattan. The Zurich, Switzerland based Mr Habib also unveiled the new logo of the bank that is set to celebrate in 2013 its 30 years of serving the South Asian community in America. Mr Habib was accompanied by HAB top officials including President Saleem Iqbal, Vice Chairman AG Abbasi and Senior Vice President Zilay Wahidy. Gracing the event were 75 of the communitys elites. The changeover to the name and new logo will be accomplished over the next quarter, according to Mr Wahidy. Chartered in New York, HAB has 6 branches in New York, New Jersey, and California.

Awards TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

Thespian Akkineni Nageswara Rao being honored by TLCA President V. Nagendra Gupta, other officials and community members.

Telugu community honors Akkineni in US on completing 80 years in acting

Special to The South Asian Times Flushing, NY: Veteran Telugu film star Akkineni Nageswara Rao has expressed gratitude for honor accorded him by NRIs, especially those in the US, in the year he completed 80 years in actingonstage and in movies. The Telugu Literary and Cultural Association (TLCA), a tristate organization, honored the thespian here on the occasion of his 89th birthday. Nageswara Rao, popularly known as ANR, is formally scheduled to celebrate his birthday early next month in Dallas, Texas. Confidence in a person is a great thing. Your mind is sacred; your love towards me is unparalleled, ANR told the audience, many of them in their late 40s and above. Up to 800 attended the dinner event held August 17 at the Ganesh temple auditorium in Flushing. He spoke for about 20 minutes in chaste Telugu and received standing ovation thrice. ANR said he came to the US at the invitation of various Telugu organizations, including the TLCA. V. Nagendra Gupta, president of the TLCA, said later that when they invited him over two months ago, he accepted immediately. On the occasion, TLCA honored prominent Telugus and others who have been closely associated with the community. All the awards were formally presented by ANR on behalf of TLCA; he urged IndianAmericans to promote languages and cultures of the motherland and pass them to future generations. From zero to hero ANR had humble beginnings. He was born in a village near Gudivada in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh and his education was limited to primary school due to his parents' economic condition. But in his later years, he studied vigorously and became a fluent English speaker. He excelled in youthful roles, showed his dancing skills, and acted as a romantic hero with ease even when he reached his early 60s. Recalling the same spirit at the TLCA honor ceremony, he said: I am ready to dance with any young girls even now. The stage was decorated with ANR portraits from his hit films. Impressed, he lauded V. Nagendra Gupta and his TLCA colleagues for the arrangements. Starting in the 1960s, ANR has visited numerous times. He stressed that the latest visit was at the invitation of his Telugu fans. And this time he wanted to meet everybody. New Jersey, Michigan, Missouri and Texas are among the states where he is scheduled to be honored by the local Telugu organizations. ANR is one of the most honored Indian actors. Various state governments, particularly that of Andhra Pradesh, and the Center have felicitated him for his services to the film industry. The Padma Vibhushan honor and the Dadasaheb Phalke award were also conferred on him. He began acting in street plays at the age of nine. Those days even female characters used to be donned by males and ANR's case was no exception. Though Dharmapatni was his first film, in which ANR played the role of a friend during the hero's childhood days, it did not help him much. He continued his life with stage plays such as Asoka Jyothi, Sathyanveshana and Telugu Thalli. Ghantasala Balaramaiah, a noted filmmaker of those times, noticed the youngster's talent and offered him the hero's role in his Seetharama Jananam. Many consider that film of 1944 in which ANR played young Rama as his first, and his latest is Sreerama Rajyam (2011) in which he donned the role of Valmiki. Since the mid-1940s, he acted in more than 250 films, including halfa-dozen in Tamil. ANR is considered the pioneer of the Telugu film industry's shift to Hyderabad from its Madras base. Though he started his career in mythological films, ANR slowly began moving toward social themes. Still he proved his mettle with such roles as Abhimanyu (in Maaya Bazaar) and Arjuna (in Srikrishnarjuna Yuddham). He acted to the satisfaction of the audience in historical films like Tenali Ramakrishna, Kalidasu and Anarkali. With such films as Bhakta Tukaram, (Maharashtra) Vipranarayana, (Tamil Nadu) Jayabheri (Orissa), Amara Silpi Jakkanna (Karnataka) and ChanakyaChandragupta (northern India), ANR proved himself as an all-India actor. But special performances and recognition have always been reserved for his present-day social roles as Devadasu (failed lover), Dr Chakravarthi (as a doctor in a romantic love story) and Donga Ramudu (as a thief turned good man). As a prominent person who praised ANR's all-round acting abilities once stated frankly that words are simply not enough to describe his roles. Many of his films were runaway hits. Premabhishekam, released in 1981 during his twilight years as a hero, ran for 533 days in Hyderabadsome still rate it as the longest run for a Telugu film. The Akkineni International Foundation is the charitable wing of Annapurna Studios, which was established after the name of ANRs wife. As part of its social responsibility, the foundation gives the annual ANR National Award for lifetime achievement and contributions to the Indian film industry. According to the TLCA, 11 USbased Telugu luminaries were honored for their contributions to various fields. Aside from the award winners, Pailla Malla Reddy and Jaya Sekhar Tallurimajor donorsjoined executive members and others on the stage in receiving honors from ANR. Gupta and Hyma Reddy, chairperson of the TLCA board of trustees, presented the chief guest with a plaque, a shawl and a bouquet. TLCA Secretary Krishnasri Gandham proposed a vote a thanks and expressed gratitude to those who were present. Anjana Sowmya, a noted film singer; Srihari Vegesna, a singer from Chicago; Abhinaya Krishna, a mimicry artist and anchor from India; and ventriloquist Sylvester; and whistle wizard Siva Prasad entertained the audiences at the seven-hour event. Later in a brief interview, Gupta told this newspaper that the TLCA was proud to have organized the event. The stage was like a cinema setting, something we see back home, Gupta said, quoting ANR. Mahesh Saladi was the MC for the felicitations.

Akkineni Nageswara Rao

Those honored by TLCA, NY, posing with ANR after receiving the plaques from him.

Tristate Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

Xavier med school holds White Coat ceremony

New York: The Xavier University School of Medicine Aruba celebrated its 23th White Coat Ceremony on August 21 at St Francis Hospitals DeMetteis Center for Cardiac Research and Education in Roslyn, NY. In the annals of medical education the White Coat, the attire physicians have worn for hundreds of years, symbolizes a rite of passage from the pre-clinical sciences portion of a students education to the clinical sciences and patient interaction. Each of the 34 students was called to the stage and was formally cloaked in a White Coat by the Dean of Clinical Sciences, Dr. Manuel Flores and the Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Brian W. Little. In attendance was Mr. G.S. Narula a member of the Board of Trustees as well as President Ravishankar Bhooplapur. Special recognition was given to valedictorian Farrah Siddiqui for her outstanding performance in her pre-clinical work. The White Coat Ceremony is celebrated following each 5th semester by Xavier University School of Medicine, Aruba. The staff, faculty and administration are very proud of this class of students and have very high hopes for all of them.

Valedictorian Farrah Siddiqui with her professors.

Students with Xavier University School of Medicine Aruba academic staff, President Ravishankar Bhooplpaur, and G.S. Narula, board member, at the White Coat Ceremony. (Photos: Xitij Joshi)

Laser tribute to Swami Vivekananda in Chicago

Chicago: Denverbased Manick Sorcar, son of the legendary magician P.C. Sorcar, has produced a laser documentary on Swami Vivekananda as a tribute to the revered saint on his 150th birth anniversary. "Swamiji" is the world's first laser documentary on the great monk and takes the audience on a journey that starts from his birth and ends with his 'Mahasamadhi', the Indian American artist said. "Swamiji" will be premiered at Kolkata's Grand Theatre of Science City Oct 10. The Kolkata premiere will be followed by screenings in other major cities in India, the US and other countries, Sorcar added. The innovative one-hour documentary starts with rare, black and white original images from the pages of an old picture book where the audience visits famous scenes from the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago before arriving at the Columbus Hall of the Art Institute. There, Swami Vivekananda gives his famous speech at the Parliament

Zakaria quits Yale board to focus on 'core of my work'

New Haven (Connecticut): Hit by plagiarism charges, celebrated Indian-American journalist Fareed Zakaria has resigned from the board of Ivy League Yale University, citing the need to focus "on the core of my work". Zakaria, Fareed Zakaria apologized for plagiarizing an editor-at-large couple of paras in his Time column. at Time magazine and CNN host, has kid from India in 1982 and instantbeen reinstated in both his jobs af- ly fell in love with it. That affection ter a brief suspension after he apol- has never waned. I have tried to ogized for plagiarizing a paragraph give back to the university a small from The New Yorker for his own measure of what it gave me - decolumn in Time magazine. voting time, effort, and resources, "My service at Yale is the single as best I could," Zakaria wrote. largest commitment of time, enerIn accepting Zakaria's resignagy, and attention outside of my tion, Levin commented: "My colwriting and television work," Za- leagues and I are deeply grateful karia wrote in a letter to Richard C. for Fareed Zakaria's generous conLevin, president of the New tribution of time and service to the Haven, Connecticut-based univer- Yale Corporation these past six sity. years.""His keen intelligence and "The work of the Yale Corpora- broad knowledge of world affairs tion needs and deserves such atten- have enlightened our discussions, tion, but I simply do not have the and his appearances on campus capacity to do it and keep up with have benefitted our students and my main professional obligations." faculty. We will miss him as a col"I came to Yale as a scholarship league, a contributor and a friend."

The poster for the laser documentary Swamiji, which has been created by (right) Manick Sorcar.

of Religions, where the opening line produced a standing ovation that lasted over two minutes. As his message of religious tolerance is carried out and white doves are seen flying from the roof of the Art Institute, the pages flip back to the front page as the black and white images come to live in colorful laser and three-dimensional visual effects to narrate the story from the beginning - all through the medium of the state-ofthe-art lighting technology. The laser documentary is preceded by Vandana, a laser-live extravaganza paying homage to the Holy Trio - Sarada Devi, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and Vivekananda, Sorcar said. "The entire 90-minute show is conceived as a pure, educational, entertaining and magical experience

for the entire family," he added. Research for this project started several years ago when Sorcar visited the Art Institute in Chicago. "It was my heart's desire to do a laser documentary on the life story of Swamiji who has been the inspiration all my life", he said. "Then came an invitation from the Ramakrishna Mission Cultural Institute who wanted me to do this unique documentary and my dream came true". Students especially will enjoy the merger of art and science in the documentary, Sorcar claims. Sorcar's interest in science and art has its genesis in the back stage work he did as a child for his late father's touring magic shows where he managed the lighting designs in addition to helping on stage.

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August 25-31, 2012

Indian American actor held in $13 mn extortion plot

Chicago: A small-time IndianAmerican actor has been arrested by federal agents on charges of trying to extort millions of dollars from five business tycoons, including Harvey Weinstein, the Oscar-winning producer of "Shakespeare in Love". Vivek Shah, 25, who has had bit parts on "Bones," and "Outsourced" and an unaccredited role in "The Dark Knight," was living in West Hollywood, California, while trying to launch a career in film and television, according to ABC News. Shah is accused of death threats against Harvey Weinstein's famisending menacing letters to four other millionaire tycoons, including a coal magnate, an oil executive and the owner of a National Hockey League team. Shah was arrested Aug 10 by federal agents at his parents' home near Chicago after he was named in a US District Court complaint for allegedly sending threatening interstate communications. He is being held without bail in West Virginia, which is where one of his alleged targets lives. If convicted of the felony charges, Shah faces a maximum 20-year prison term.

Indus American Bank, community bank icon, participated with a float in Long Islands first India Day Parade in Hicksville on August 11. Coal blocks scam Continued from page 1 president Sonia Gandhi told party MPs not to be defensive on the CAG report on coal blocks allocation as the government had not done anything wrong. India's official auditor, comptroller and auditor general (CAG), last week revealed that the lack of transparency in the allocation of coal blocks to private players resulted in a loss of a whopping Rs.1.85 lakh crore ($37 billion) to the exchequer. The beneficiaries of coal block allocation included Essar Group, Jindal, Adani, ArcelorMittal and Tata Steel. The opposition was quick to capitalize on the CAG report with BJP demanding the resignation of Manmohan Singh taking moral, political and personal responsibility for the wrongful loss due to coal block allocations. However, the government rubbished the reports with the coal minister saying they were not in agreement with the CAG calculation while minister of state in the PMO, V Narayanasamy said the auditor has not followed the constitutional mandate. Assam Violence Continued from page 1 Islamabad next month for talks. In Assam, tensions between Bodos and Muslims over control of land and settlements have been simmering for a long time. Clashes broke out last Friday night when four Bodo tribals were allegedly hacked to death by residents of a Muslim-dominated village in Kokrajhar. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi to do everything possible to control the situation. The violence has spread to 400 villages in the Bodoland Territorial Administered Districts. The communal violence left some 25,000 train passengers stranded and the central and Assam governments were on Tuesday urged to provide security so that train services can resume.

Vivek Shah ly in an attempt to extort $4 million from the film producer and

Almost 100 children participated in the Meet the Legend" Cricket Coaching Camp with legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar. The event was conducted by the DreamCricket Academy and US Youth Cricket Association and sponsored by MetLife. Children ages 7 to 15 took part in the event, which was held in Hillsborough, NJ.

Strategy & Business Development Namit Narain, C: 516.303.2075 Namit@TheSouthAsianTimes.info Printed Every Saturday by Forsythe Media Group, LLC ISSN 1941-9333 76 N Broadway, Suite 2004, Hicksville, NY 11801 P: 516.390.7847 Website: TheSouthAsianTimes.info Updated Daily Chairman and Co-Founder Kamlesh C. Mehta Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull President: Arjit Mehta Board Advisors (Honorary) Ajay Lodha, MD, Lakhpat B. Mehta, Esq. Rajasthan High Court & Supreme Court West Coast Correspondent Pooja Jain, Pooja@TheSouthAsianTimes.info New Delhi Bureau Meenakshi Iyer Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra C : 516.710.0508 Editor@TheSouthAsianTimes.info Associate Editors Vikas Girdhar, Hiral Dholakia-Dave, Meenakshi Iyer Contributing Editors: Melvin Durai, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma, Harry Aurora, Ashok Vyas, Ashok Ojha, Jinal Shah, Dr Akshat Jain, Nupur Joshi Administration and PR (New York) Smita Bhooplapur. P: 516.390.7847 Smita@TheSouthAsianTimes.info Marketing & PR (Washington DC) Chander Gambhir, P: 703.717.1667 Jaipur (India) Bureau Prakash Bhandari Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info Print Distribution in India Maneesh Media Agency, P: 91.141.4188811, MMedia@TheSouthAsianTimes.info Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/ masalajunction.com. Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com

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August 25-31, 2012

Chinmaya Mission youth camp in October

New York: For the first time in New York City, Chinmaya Mission is hosting a three day retreat for young professionals from Oct 5-7 called Seeker in the City. True to its title, most of those who work in the city are always trying to find a balance between materialism and spiritualism. We ask ourselves how we can inner fullfilment in the chaos of the City. Surprisingly there is no better text than Gitas Chapter 3 to teach us how to be successful in the city and yet find equipoise and peace in every action we do. In an all-inclusive three day retreat, globally acclaimed Acharya Vivekji masterfully applies the Gita to modern day living and teaches that action and meditation happen simultaneously. Learn to be your best in the city, achieve the highest results in every action, while growing more peaceful and happy. Make New York City your modern day Kurukshetra and like Prince Arjuna learn how to win the battle through inner strength. Through classes, seminars, and excursions with likeminded young professionals from all backgrounds explore this knowledge and learn how to incorporate it into your city lives. You will take part in lectures, leadership workshops, meditation in times square and various other activities with successful young professionals from varied fields like medicine, law, finance, arts, science and so on. Chinamya Mission has been conducting classes for young professionals in New York City for many years now. Most of these individuals will attribute their external and internal success to the ancient knowledge that Chinmaya Mission applies to modern day living. For more information contact: chyk.nyc@gmail.com or logon to: http://www.chyknewyorkretreat.t k/

Attorney Ahuja denies plagiarism allegation

In Lindsay Lohan vs Pitbull, the latter's lawyers have accused Lohans attorneys of plagiarizing lawsuit documents and sought sanctions against them. Fingers have been pointed towards attorney Anand Ahuja in a news report.
New York: Attorney Anand Ahuja has denied allegations of plagiarism as reported recently in a story by New York Daily News. The newspaper quoted entertainer Pitbulls lawyer saying that he has sought dismissal of the lawsuit by actress Lindsay Lohan, and sought sanctions against her lawyers for lifting numerous passages in their legal documents word-for-word from legal websites. The NYDN report also says that Ahuja filed an affidavit suggesting hed had a fall out with his co-counsel on the case, Stephanie Ovadia, and was not really Lohan's lawyer even though his name appeared on court documents. Reacting to the report, Ahuja told SATimes, As the court documents would reveal, I had withdrawn from the case long back, after initial complaint was from the court, pending in this matter, will make everything crystal clear. The rapper Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Christian Perez, wants dismissal of Lohans suit which seeks substantial monetary damages for uttering her name in the song Give Me Everything by Pitbull. The song includes the lyric: "I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan." Lohan, suing under New York civil rights laws, has been concerned the song's reference to her stint in jail will cause "irreparable harm" to her reputation. Two years ago, Lohan settled a $100 lawsuit against E-Trade over a Super Bowl TV commercial featuring talking babies referring to a "milkaholic" named Lindsay. Ovadia and Ahuja also represented Lohan in that case.

Anand Ahuja

filed but before the questionable motion papers were filed with the court. You will not see my signatures or my name on the questionable motion papers. Also, the court papers would reveal that if there are any accusations of wrong doings, they are against Stephanie Ovadia, Esq.; and not me. The decision

Nipun Marwaha: I studied at YouTube university

A headline performer at Hicksvilles first India Day Parade tells SATimes how his career is progressing
ByVikas Girdhar/SATimes New York: I first met this seemingly nevertiring, walking jukebox by the name of Nipun Marwaha back in May. On a bus to attend a function in Washington D.C., he self-appointed himself the entertainment for the 18 passengers on board and was singing songs way before his time as well as ones from todays age. Then I found out that Marwaha does more than just singhe acts and emcees as well. Finding his name among performers at Long Islands first India Day Parade, I thought it worthwhile to find out more about him. Excerpts from the interview: How long have you been performing at cultural shows? I started taking vocal classes in late 2004 and then had my first on stage performance at the age of 16 (2006) at Indian American Night in front of a crowd of close to 1000 people. When and how did you first discover singing/acting/performing is something you one because I wanted to make sure that I could make a great first impression when I come out with my first CD. Did you go to a school for performing arts? Yes, I went to YouTube University! I never really had formal training in stage performance, I would spend hours at my computer watching videos of Shah Rukh, Hrithik, Shahid Kapoor, and Sonu Nigam and try and emulate them until I could come up with my own style. What do you feel is most rewarding about this craft? By far the most rewarding part about music is the ability to lose yourself in it. Whenever I am stressed, angry, sad, or face any other negative emotion, I can sit down in front of my harmonium and disappear from the world. What are your plans for the near and distant future? I hope to start putting together a song of my own soon and be able to launch it within the next year-- maybe a mix of English, Hindi, and something else that's fun. As a young adult, what advice would you give to aspiring performers? The most important thing you can do is not stress about what people will think. The only expectations you have to exceed are your own. What has been your most memorable gig? Normally I am on such an adrenaline rush on stage that I don't remember everything but I would say my most memorable time on stage was when I got to the semi-finalist spot in SAAVN's Destination Bollywood (video available on Hulu). Anything else about your personal life that you would like to put on the record? I would not be where I am today if not for my sister! She (Kanika Marwaha) is the one person who would not let me quit. She continually gives me ideas on how to make myself better.

Nipun Marwaha wanted to do and you had a particular talent in? I credit the "discovering" of my talent to my family and first teachers, because they are the ones who really pushed me to be better and better. The move to go pro was a fairly recent

Tristate Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

IN BRIEF

Congressman Crowley, Senator Schumer show solidarity with Sikhs

ongressman Crowley has led efforts in Congress to promote understanding and appreciation of the Sikh communitys vibrant culture and history, while also calling for increased efforts to protect the Sikh-American community from acts of hate or discrimination. In April, Congressman Crowley called on the Justice Department to encourage the FBI to begin documenting and quantifying the commission of hate crimes against Sikh-Americans.

Texan Syamantak Payra clinches 2012 MetLife Spelling Bee title

Mohinder Verma from Jackson Heights Merchants Association, Congressman Crowley, Senator Chuck Schumer, South Asian community leader Dilip Chauhan, community board member Harbhajan Singh and other Sikh leaders at Shri Guru Ravidass Temple of New York

Silicon Valley joins hands with Coca-Cola and NDTV's joint initiative Support My School
eading actor Anil Kapoor, kicked off Season 2 of The Support My School Campaign at a special event in San Francisco. Support My School, a joint initiative of CocaCola and NDTV in its first season has already touched the lives of over 43,000 students in 10 states across India. The second innings of this unique initiative promises to be more ambitious with an aim of targeting over 250 schools across India with funds that will be generated globally. The Coca-Cola Foundation has already committed USD 500,000, which will be matched by new campaign partners World Vision India and Plan International taking total funding yet raised for season 2 to USD 1 Million. These funds will help revitalize 100 schools across the country. The target is to raise at least USD 3 million globally culminating in a telethon later this year. Leading Business executives and entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley such as Sabeer Bhatia, Shailesh Rao, Gurbaksh Chahal, amongst several others were present at the launch. As a special gesture, to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs and executives from rural and semi-urban India, a revitalized school in name of each of the Silicon Valley luminaries present will be dedicated as part of Season 2. Silicon Valley will also seek to generate funds and create awareness on Support My School campaign.Vikram Chandra,

yamantak Payra correctly spelled the word dghaisa during the 2012 South Asian Spelling Bee Finals to clinch the title of National Champion. During the event on August 17, which was taped live for broadcast on Sony Entertainment Television, Syamantak along with 21 other finalists competed for the title. Chetan Reddy from Plano, TX was the National Runner-Up. Twenty-two top spellers from the 11 regional centers gathered at the Rutgers College auditorium to battle it out for the title of champion and a $10,000 Grand Prize from MetLife. It took spelling words like drahthaar, Neufchtel and wappenschawing for the winner to emerge. The special guest at the Finals was Narahari Bharadwaj, 2011 South Asian Spelling Bee National Champion, who helped co-host a

Syamantak Payra with the trophy portion of the event. It was an honor to once again serve as the title sponsor of the South Asian Spelling Bee. The competition this year was remarkable, says Laurel Daring, assistant vice president of Marketing at MetLife.

Hindu Temple Society to celebrate rakhi

T
(From Left) Vikram Chandra, CEO, NDTV, Anil Kapoor, Leading Actor, Atul Singh, President & CEO, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, David Owens, Vice President, Corporate Development, World Vision, Deepak Jolly, Vice President, CocaCola India and South West Asia, Scott Schroeder, Chief Marketing Officer at Plan International and Jeff Seabright, Vice President, Environment and Water Resources at The Coca-Cola Company

he Hindu Temple Society of North America along with Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC will be celebrating "Rakhi" (Brother-Sister day) on

Saturday, August 25th, 2012 at the Saraswati Hall located at 45-52 Bowne Street, Flushing, NY - exactly opposite the temple.

'Gateway to God's Own Country' released in New York

CEO, NDTV said NDTV has always felt strongly about social causes and believes that with the help of the corporate sector, and the support of our viewers, one can bring about the necessary change that is required. Also present at the occasion was actor Anil Kapoor who flew in especially from India for the launch of the NDTV channels in the US and the 'Support My School' campaign as he feels strongly for this cause. He said, "Girl child in our rural and semi-urban areas require special attention which is finally being brought about by this campaign. It has proven that a simple facility of a clean and hygienic toilet can go a long way in keeping girls in school.

ver 200 academics, entrepreneurs, community leaders and media personnel attended the launching of the first ever produced reference cum text book on Kerala, titled " Introductioon to Kerala' at the Kerala Center New York, on July 29, 2012. In the absence of Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao, Dr. Babu Paul the former Pro-VC of Kerala university and former Chief Secretary of Kerala, officially launched the Book on Kerala in USA by handing over its first copy to Padmashree Somasunderan of Colombia University. Ambassador TP Sreenivasan the Chairman of the Higher Education Advisory Council of Kerala handed over another copy to Baby Uralil, President of FOMAA [Federation of Malayali Associations of Americas]. Dr. Babu Paul declared that this book is the first of its kind and every Malayali family must possess it as a treas-

ure for posterity. He stated that he was proud to write the introduction pages for this book after going through its 85 chapters covering 1400 pages. Ambassador Sreenivasan informed that the Kerala State's Higher Education Council has strongly recommended this book to college curriculum. Padmashree Prof. Somasunderan , a famous professor of Columbia Univ. has committed to introduce this book to his University and other universities of USA. The speech of the world renowned ship designing and building company's CEO Antony Prince, who was the key note speaker at 'Kerala's Development' seminar, was an eye opener to all. Alex V. Koshy, Executive Director of IISAC, the publishers of the book, thanked all the chapter contributors , the editorial team headed by Dr. JV Vilanilam, Dr. Sunny Luke, Dr. Antony Palackal and the mega sponsors of the project.

New fashion line ClicBySiddhi launched

By Vikas Girdhar New York: Fashion designer Siddhi Vaishnav unveiled a brand new fashion couture line at an extravagant event entitled A Tale of Two Cities held at 28 on 27 Studio over a week ago. The party-like atmosphere at the venue was complete with a cocktail hour, emcee, DJ, flashing lights and of course, two rounds of a diverse group of models showcasing Siddhis best designs. Clic consists of catchy and modern American looks premised on the latest South-Asian style clothing for women. The collection is designed to be worn interchangeably to any event no matter where in the world it isfrom New York to Mumbai and everywhere in between, as was the catch phrase of the event. Clic is based on the options to go PROpersonalizing, renting and owning. All of the clothes modeled on the runway were clearly a fusion of many tastes and styles, which is what Siddhi pushed as anyone and everyone having the option to do with her line. Siddhi thanked all her friends and family for coming out to the event and helping promote her brand new line. She thanked her parents for understanding that this is her passion and allowing her to take a leave of absence from medical school. She said that the most important thing for everyone to notice was that all of her models were of different ethnicities, shapes and sizes and thats exactly who the clothes were designed foreveryone. You dont have to be tall and thin to look great, she said. Clic is made for people with diversity in mind and with the individuals preferences as their number one priority. Jeffrey Iqbal, performer on the hit singing show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, was emcee for the evening and performed Mitwa while the models changed for their second round.

Siddhi Vaishnav at the event, and (right) Models displaying Siddhi's designs.

National Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

Community groups seek hate crime hearings

Washington, DC: A diverse group of over 150 organizations led by the Sikh Coalition has asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to conduct hearings on hate crimes and the proliferation of hate groups in the US. The group sought the hearings in a letter to the panel Tuesday, citing the recent massacre of six Sikh worshipers at a gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and a string of attacks on Muslim communities nationwide during the last month. Hate violence continues to affect the lives of thousands of individuals due to their race, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability, and immigration status, it said. The group also urged people to sign an online petition to the Senate panel to hold hearings on hate crimes in the US as also email a letter to members of the US Congress urging them to support Sikh hate crime tracking by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Asking the Senate panel to hold a hearing next month on the need to address hate crimes and the proliferation of hate groups in the United States, the group said this is not a theoretical concern. The number of hate groups in the US, currently numbering over a thousand, has grown by almost 60 percent since 2000, it said, citing the Southern Poverty Law Centre. In 2010, more than 47 percent of hate crimes were racially motivated, 20 percent were motivated by the religion of the victim, 19 percent were based on sexual orientation and almost 13 percent of all hate crimes were based on ethnicity or national origin. The letter was signed among others by the Arab American Action Network, Asian American Federation, Council on AmericanIslamic Relations, Counsellors Helping (South) Asians/Indians, Federation of India Community Associations, National Congress of American Indians and United Club of Indian Women.

Indian-Americans get prime spots at presidential conventions

Washington, DC: With both the Democratic and Republican parties out to woo the three million strong IndianAmerican community with its growing political clout, three of them have been given prime spots at the two parties' presidential conventions. While California's Indian-American Attorney General Kamala Harris has won a prime speaking role at the Democratic National Convention in North Carolina next month, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley would be among the "headliners" at the Republican National Convention at Tampa Florida next week. Apart from a speaking slot at the Democratic convention that would endorse President Barack Obama's run for a second term, Harris, daughter of an Indian mother and an African-American father, is also a co-chair of the Rules Committee. Jindal, who spent most of last week in the Midwest stumping for the Republican nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan, said in a statement Monday: "I look forward to talking about the important choice facing our nation." "We can either go the way of Europe, grow the public sector and make Americans more dependent on government or we can get behind Mitt Romney, reinvigorate the private sector and get our people back to work," he said. Meanwhile, five Indian-ori-

California Attorney General Kamala Harris to address Democratic convention gin candidates, four Democrats and one Republican have been left in the fray for the simultaneous elections to the US Congress after the primary phase that eliminated four of them. Giving a tough fight to their opponents are Democrats Upendra Chivukula from New Jersey; Ami Bera from California, Manan Trivedi from Pennsylvania; and Syed Taj from Michigan. Bera, Trivedi and Taj are doctors, while Chivukula is currently deputy speaker of New Jersey assembly. At 25, lone Republican Ranjit 'Rikky' Gill, the unmarried "young gun" from California is the youngest of them all. Though not of Indian origin Tulsi Gabbard, is set to become the first Hindu to become a member of US Congress as she won the primary contest from a safe Democratic seat from Hawaii.

Teen charged in Wisconsin murder of elderly Sikh

Milwaukee: A 16-year-old felon from Milwaukee has been charged with the fatal shooting of Dalbir Singh, a member of the Oak Creek gurdwara where six worshippers were gunned down Aug 5. According to the criminal complaint, Deangelo Williams shot and killed Dalbir Singh at Harmony Food Store, owned by his nephew Jatinder Singh, on Wednesday around 9.15 p.m., according to local TV station TMJ4. Jatinder Singh, who was with his uncle during the shooting, told police he was closing up the store Wednesday night when he allegedly saw Williams point a gun at his uncle near the rear door. Jatinder Singh and Dalbir Singh then ran back inside

Dalbir Singh the store and held the door in such a way that shielded the suspect from getting in. Then Jatinder Singh claims the suspect fired a gun through the door and it struck Dalbir Singh in the head. Dalbir Singh was pronounced dead at the scene. Jatinder Singh said that Williams was in the store earlier that evening, walked around and didn't buy anything. Authorities say that Jatinder Singh positively identified Williams from a photo array.Williams has been charged of first-degree reckless homicide with use of a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon. Those charges could result in a maximum of 75 years in prison, TMJ4 said.

Alabama Judge dismisses Infosys harassment case

Washington, DC: An Alabama judge has dismissed a whistleblower harassment case against Indian outsourcing giant Infosys Technologies despite ongoing investigations of alleged U.S. visa fraud that arose from the complaint. Infosys consultant Jack Palmer claimed he was harassed after calling attention to what he believed was systemic U.S. visa fraud at Infosys. Palmer alleged that Infosys misused short-term work visas -which are cheaper and easier to get than long-term work visas -- to send Indian employees to the United States for permanent work. Infosys denies the charges of visa fraud and welcomed Monday's judgment in the Palmer case, which was filed in 2011. "We are extremely pleased to consider this matter officially closed," Infosys chief executive S.D. Shibulal said Tuesday. "This is a reaffirmation of our position that we did not retaliate and our view that this is a company which is built on core values." He said that, for now, Palmer remains an employee. The judgment does not address the allegations of visa fraud, which are being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security and a federal grand jury, only the allegation by Palmer that he was harassed.

US Affairs TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

The middle class falls further behind

New York: The middle class is struggling to survive and shrinking before our eyes, the Pew Research Center reported on Wednesday. "America's middle class has endured its worst decade in modern history," the Pew Research Center said in its report. "It has shrunk in size, fallen backward in income and wealth, and shed some -- but by no means all -of its characteristic faith in the future." Of the 2,500 people Pew surveyed, 85% of those who identify themselves as middle class say it is more difficult now than it was a decade ago to maintain their standard of living. The report also found that the middle class is a much smaller part of the population than it used to be, while the poor and rich extremes of society are expanding. The biggest issue facing the middle class is that their wealth is deteriorating, said economist Richard Fry, who co-authored the report. The housing crisis eroded much of the middle class' net worth, creating a "lost decade" in terms of economic well-being for this group. The mean net worth (assets, such as a home or retirement account, minus debt) of middleclass families plunged 28% to $93,150 in 2010 from $129,582 in 2001. Meanwhile, the mean net worth of the upper class edged 1% higher over the course of the decade to $574,788. Fry said the upper class was better able to cushion themselves against housing losses because they are more diversified and have much of their wealth in stocks, bonds and other investments.

Akin to spoiling Republicans party

Washington: Missouri congressman and included in the party platform for Todd Akin was favored to win the next week's convention, noted Wendy US Senate seat held by Democrat Schiller, a political science professor at Claire McCaskill, and tilt the balBrown University. ance of power in favor of "When the hard-core conservative Republicans in the Senate. Now that policy differences of the Republican is in doubt after his incendiary and Party are emphasized, it really reduces ignorant comments on rape and the GOP ability to win over independpregnancy, and refusal to exit the ents, undecided and even Democrats race. Worse for his party, the story is disappointed with Obama," Schiller creating a shadow on the Republican said. The Republican reaction to the National Convention next week, Akin controversy shows the level of forcing presidential nominee Mitt concern. Top leaders including Romney to repeatedly address it Romney, Republican National when he wanted to focus on conCommittee Chairman Reince Priebus, vincing Americans why he would be Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell a better president than Barack and five past and present Republican Todd Akin is deflecting pressure from party bigwigs to Obama. senators from Missouri such as John quit the race for Senate after his legitimate rape comment. Even more, the controversy surDanforth and Christopher "Kit" Bond rounding Akin's remarks on "legitimate" rape nomic issues that could attract them in a cli- called for Akin to drop out of the race. has forced Republicans to publicly confront mate of high unemployment and stumbling The Republican Senatorial Campaign the elephant in their living room: the party's recovery, the GOP officials said. Committee and the American Crossroads "No party wants to be defined by its most super PAC that backs GOP candidates both internal rift between traditional fiscal conservatives such as Romney and the increasingly extreme element," noted Darrell West, the announced that they will stop spending influential social conservatives of the reli- vice president and director of governance money on the Missouri Senate race. Even tea studies at the Brookings Institution. "That's party groups that have backed Akin in the gious right such as Akin. Republican officials told CNN on condi- exactly what has happened to Republicans. past said he should step aside for the good of tion of not being identified that the Akin con- The danger is that voters will see the party as the party and the conservative cause. troversy hurts on several fronts. It decreases out of step and not see Akin as an aberraAkin, who won a tough primary battle this the chances of capturing McCaskill's Senate tion." month, has apologized for his comments but The debate that Republicans sought to also stubbornly defied the pressure to get out seat, which is crucial to GOP hopes of winfocus on economic issues such as the budget of the election. On Tuesday and Wednesday, ning control of the chamber, they said. At the same time, the brouhaha shifts the deficit and tax reform now covers the full he described the race as a "cause" with the national discussion to divisive social issues spectrum of GOP policy, including the con- goal of strengthening the anti-abortion voice that could repel swing voters rather than eco- servative stance on abortion stated by Akin in Washington.

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August 25-31, 2012

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India TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

Social media becoming double-edged sword

New Delhi: The online hate campaign targeting people from the northeast has put the spotlight on the power of the social media network in India, which counts more than 60 million users, and how this burgeoning community can be manipulated for insidious propaganda. The unprecedented exodus of people from the northeast, abetted by hate messages, has also opened the debate about issues related to internet freedom and content regulation. India, which is looking into the alleged role of Pakistan-based elements in using morphed images on internet, has blocked over 250 websites for orchestrating the online campaign of hatred. The last two years have seen an explosion of social media in the country with overwhelmingly young users. According to a report by iCRossing, nearly 36 million people in the country use Facebook. Of these, nearly 50 percent users are aged below 50. Estimates for 2012 posted on the India pages of various network sites show that microblogging site Twitter and LinkedIn have nearly 15 million users each in India. This mushrooming is a doubleedged sword. Social media has created a vibrant online community and widened public discourse, allowing a platform for activists with a thousand causes. On the flip side, it has also become a vehicle of skewered propaganda, as the latest exodus of people from the northeast from cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad shows. "The next big war that India may have to wage against terror will be on the internet," said India-born Ankit Fadia, who is based in New York and is a cyber security consultant. "If any wrong, unacceptable and vicious content originates in Pakistan, it is the responsibility of the citizen of India to check the veracity of the content. If anything goes wrong, those monitoring the content should be held culpable. The government must take action against those who put unacceptable content on social media websites," BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman said. Experts say the vast volume of users makers makes the task of monitoring difficult. The wide spectrum of subscribers' database which cuts social and language divides - with Facebook using Hindi as one its languages - has the potential to make the networks national security risk. Not every user is discerning and the fact that there are no entry barriers makes the sites porous. Anyone can log in. "The potential of an individual using a social networking site in a secretive manner is much more in a social networking site than in a social media. There is no procedure for registration and ownership. And so there is no way to pin down the culprits," media commentator N. Bhaskar Rao said.

Respect internet freedom, US tells India

Washington: Voicing its support for full freedom of the internet, US has urged India to maintain respect for fundamental freedoms, while probing rumours that have caused an exodus of northeastern Indians from southern cities. The US "have seen these reports that northeastern Indians are returning to the northeast from cities in southern India, and these media reports that the returns are due to concerns about personal safety", State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters Tuesday when asked about India blocking some websites for allegedly orchestrating a campaign of hatred. "On the larger question of internet freedom, you know where we are on that issue, and we are always on the side of full freedom of the internet," she said. "But as the Indian government continues to investigate these instances and preserve security, we also always urge the government to maintain its own commitment to human rights, fundamental freedoms, rule of law." Asked to explain its stand on WikiLeaks in view of its professed support of full freedom of the internet, Nuland said: "WikiLeaks didn't have to do with freedom of the internet. It had to do with the compromise of US government classified information."

Rajasthan Bhavan mooted in Mumbai

By Prakash Bhandari Jaipur: Seventy five nonresident Rajasthanis participated in the fellowship program and interaction of the Mumbai chapter of the Rajasthan Foundation at the The Club Millennium in Juhu, Mumbai, under the chairmanship of the newly appointed Vice Chairman of the foundation, Rajiv Arora. Vinod Ajmera, Executive Director of the Rajasthan Foundation, briefed the audience about their functions and objectives. Rajiv Arora said that by the CMs efforts, Rajasthanis living outside the State and the country were getting bonded by their roots towards their native land. He also mentioned the 'Rajasthan Ratna Award' announced by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to recognize the contribution of NRR community in their respective areas of work. At an open session suggestions and queries made by NRRs were addressed by Arora and Ajmera. Eminent Pravasi Rajasthanis such as Shankar Kejriwal suggested building a Rajasthan Bhavan dedicated to the Rajasthani community in Mumbai. Ashok Saraf and K.C. Jain emphasized continuous interaction with the state. Praveen Maheshwari, CFO, Hindalco Ltd., offered help for development under their Social Corporate Responsibility. Uttam Agarwal, Ex. Chairman, ICAI Regulatory Body, talked about his Rs 90 crore education project in Abu Road and stressed need to contribute in Rajasthans various sectors viz. Social, Education, Medical and Industry.

D.R. Mehta (right), founder of the Jaipur based Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahayata Samiti, the makers of the world famous Jaipur Foot, was presented the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavna award at a function August 19 at Jawahar Bhawan, New Delhi, by Dr Karan Singh, chairman of the advisory committee of the award. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi are also seen.

Nukes protect India from blackmail by other powers: Menon

New Delhi: In a delicate balancing act, India Tuesday renewed its pitch for universal nuclear disarmament, but underlined that until the world arrived at "this happy state" it will continue to maintain atomic weapons as they have helped deter others from attempting nuclear coercion or blackmail. "On at least three occasions before 1998, other powers used the explicit or implicit threat of nuclear weapons to try and change India's behavior," National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon said at a national outreach conference on global nuclear disarmament. Menon disclosed that after India became a declared nuclear weapons state in 1998, it has not faced such threats. weapons were weapons of deterrence and not war-fighting weapons. "These weapons are for use against an attack on India." "Unlike certain other nuclear weapon states, India's weapons were not meant to redress a military imbalance, or to compensate for some perceived inferiority in conventional military terms, or to serve some tactical or operational military need on the battlefield," he added. Menon underlined that said the acquisition of nuclear weapons has imparted an added authority to India's moral authority for universal disarmament on the global fora. "We spent 24 years after our first peaceful nuclear explosion in 1974 urging and working for universal nuclear disarmament and a nuclear free world," he said. India argued for a nuclear weapons free world out of conviction that such a scenario would enhance national security and that of the rest of the world, he said. "But sadly this was a conviction and view that obtained much lip sympathy and verbal support but was actually flouted in practice with increasing impunity by others," Menon said. "And when the division of the world into nuclear weapon haves and havenots was sought to be made permanent in the nineties it became clear that possession of nuclear weapons was necessary if our attempts to promote a nuclear weapon free world were to be taken seriously and have some effect," he said.

"So the possession of nuclear weapons has, empirically speaking, deterred others from attempting nuclear coercion or blackmail against India," he added. The day-long conference, organized by the Indian Council of World Affairs and supported by the external affairs ministry, saw the participation of nearly 1500 students from around 37 uni-

versities. It was held to commemorate the 68th birth anniversary of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who presented a plan for a nuclear-weapons-free world order at the UN General Assembly June 9, 1988. In an oblique reference to Pakistan, Menon stressed that India has consistently maintained that its nuclear

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August 25-31, 2012

Coal blocks scandal: Parliament adjourned for third day

New Delhi: Parliament was disrupted for the third day Thursday as the opposition insisted on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over the CAG report on alleged faulty allocation of coal blocks, even as an all-party meeting called on Monday held out hope of the ending the logjam. As the ruling Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stuck to their positions, back channel talks were on to end the standoff, government sources said Thursday. The sources said there was hope of the all party meeting called by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Monday ending the impasse and a solution being worked out. In the morning, Meira Kumar had held an informal meeting in her chamber. The BJP did not attend. Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari too called a meeting in his chamber to try and end the impasse in the upper house, which remained inconclusive. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde met BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the lower house Sushma Swaraj in an effort to bring her party around to letting parliament function. Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha saw noisy scenes as the BJP members kept raising slogans demanding Manmohan Singh's exit. In the morning, the Lok Sabha saw proceedings disrupted as BJP members shouted slogans and rushed noisily towards Meira Kumar's podium. The house was adjourned till 12 noon, followed by another adjournment till 2 p.m. and later for the day. Congress MPs were equally vociferous. Some waved copies of The Indian Express which carried a report saying opposition-ruled states had not favoured the auction of coal blocks. Shinde kept pleading with the opposition that the prime minister should be allowed to speak. Similar scenes were seen in the Rajya Sabha, forcing three adjournments and finally for the day. Here too BJP MPs raised slogans demanding the prime minister's resignation. However, MPs from the BJP's ally, the Janata Dal-United, did not take part in the sloganeering. The JD-U favours a discussion on the alleged scam. India's official auditor last week

revealed that the lack of transparency in the allocation of coal blocks to private players resulted in a loss of a whopping Rs.1.85 lakh crore ($37 billion) to the exchequer. Parliament has been stalled since Tuesday over the report. The government said that the opposition was in no mood to talk. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called for a discussion in parliament on the coal

allocation. "Let them (opposition) decide what format they want for the discussion. We must consult the opposition parties. I believe there are so many big issues which can be sorted out through discussion and negotiation," she said. "The opposition is demanding the resignation of the prime minister. It is up to the prime minister to decide," she said.

Sangma to lead National People's Party

S h i l l o n g : Defeated presidential candidate Purno A. Sangma will float the National People's Party (NPP) here in Meghalaya Friday, an aide said Thursday. PA Sangma was in "The NPP Pawars NCP and will be led by contested presidenSangma," the tial election against aide said. "NPP Pranab Mukherjee. will be tribalcentric but will be open to all." Its symbol will be a book. The party will soon seek recognition from the Election Commission. According to the aide, the new party will draw most of its members from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), his former party.

Pakistani firing seeks to push terrorists into Kashmir

Jammu: The sudden spurt in firing by Pakistani border guards along the Jammu and Kashmir border is aimed at pushing militants as well as narcotics smugglers into India, say experts. And the firing is concentrated on the international border -- as opposed to the Line of Control (LoC) -- as it is plain in nature and where infiltration is easier during rainy season. "The international border becomes porous during rains due to breaches triggered by floods in rivers and water channels," an expert said. Moreover, wild vegetation provides natural camouflage to infiltrators." India has erected a three-tier barbed wire fence to prevent infiltration of terrorists and smugglers from Pakistan. This fence too gets damaged due to heavy rains or snow in winters. The international border is about 200 km long and the LoC covers 720 km. Pakistan has been almost continuously firing along the international frontier since Aug 5 in which one Border Security Force (BSF) trooper and an intruder have been killed. The firing has caused panic in villages close to the border. Experts and military officials say the firing was stepped up after India discovered a 500 meter long underground tunnel originating in Pakistan and leading into India July 28. The experts say that Pakistan was adopting the "fire and move method" tactic. "They are firing at our positions to keep Indian troopers engaged so that militants and smugglers can sneak in unnoticed," an official said. The experts feel that heightened vigil of the Indian Army with the help of sophisticated gadgets along the mountainous LoC has prompted Pakistan to shift focus on the international border.

Assam legislator held for role in ethnic violence

Guwahati: An Assam legislator was arrested Thursday for his role in the ethnic violence in the state, police said. Pradip Brahma belongs to the Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF). Soon after his arrest, the district administration imposed an indefinite curfew in Kokrajhar district from 5 a.m. But hundreds of BPF supporters defied the curfew and came out to the streets and blocked railway tracks several places including Kokrajhar railway station, demanding Brahma's immediate release. "Brahma was arrested from his residence after midnight," a police officer said. He was held after seven cases were registered against him in Fakiragram and Dotama police stations in Kokrajhar district, Inspector General of Police L.R. Bishnoi said. Police sources said complaints were filed against the legislator by Bengali-speaking Muslims from the Dotama area. The BPF, led by its chief Hagrama Mihilary, is in power in the Bodoland Territorial Council that runs the four Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts. The party is also a partner in the state's Congress-led government.

India, Pakistan MPs brainstorm on liberal visas, media role

New Delhi: In a confidence-building exercise, the parliamentarians of India and Pakistan Thursday held a wide-ranging dialogue that focused on easing the visa regime and the role of media in promoting peace between the two subcontinental neighbors. The Pakistani parliamentary delegation, led by Senator Sabir Ali Baloch, deputy chairperson of the Pakistan Senate, engaged in intense discussions with Indian MPs led by Yashwant Sinha, a senior BJP leader and a former foreign minister, and Congress' Mani Shankar Aiyar. Besides Sinha and Aiyar, many other Indian MPs joined the dialogue. They included Satyavrat Chaturvedi, Naresh Gujral, Kanimozhi, Kirti Azad, Supriya Sule and B.J. Panda. The MPs from both sides discussed the opportunities of deepening ties between the two countries and focused the easing of the visa regime, the role of media, education and local government in promoting stronger relations between the two countries. They also reviewed and analysed the progress in the official dialogue between the two countries. India and Pakistan have finalized an agreement for liberalizing the visa regime, but the signing of this accord has been deferred as Islamabad is keen that such an important agreement should be signed at the political level between home ministers of the two to bridging trust deficit between the two countries. On Friday, the MPs are expected to discuss opportunities of collaboration in the area of health while also developing recommendations to enhance the scope of the MPs' Dialogue. The parliamentarians are expected to press for a resolution of humanitarian issues, like the release of prisoners in each other's territory that has the potential to create a lot of goodwill between the two countries. The dialogue is being facilitated by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), a think-tank that works for strengthening democracy and democratic institutions in Pakistan. The dialogue takes place weeks before External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna goes to Islamabad for talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar to review the second round of dialogue after the two sides revived their ties following a long hiatus after the 26/11 terror attacks. While Krishna and Khar will discuss contentious issues like terror and Kashmir, the two ministers are also expected to discuss strengthening of cross-border trade and travel linkages. On Saturday, the Pakistani parliamentarians will leave for Patna where they will meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna goes to Islamabad next week for talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. countries. "The Pakistani side informed that some internal approvals were under process and the agreement will be signed once they are in place," Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed told the Rajya Sabha Thursday. The two-day India-Pakistan parliamentarians dialogue seeks to discuss all issues that affect bilateral relations and will focus on exploring ways to promote trade and boost people-to-people contacts with a view

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August 25-31, 2012

Sonia Gandhi ranked world's sixth most powerful woman

Washington, DC: India's ruling United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi has been ranked sixth, a notch ahead of US first lady Michelle Obama, in the Forbes magazine list of 100 powerful women. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is ranked the most powerful in the world for the second year in a row in the annual list dominated by politicians, businesswomen and media figures. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is placed second, followed by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, making the top three spots unchanged from that of last year. Besides Sonia Gandhi, the list released Wednesday features three other Indians. Padmasree Warrior, chief technology and strategy officer, Cisco Systems, and Chanda Kochhar, managing director and CEO, ICICI Bank, are ranked 58th and 59th, while Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder and chair, Biocon Ltd, is placed 80th. PepsiCo's Indian-American chairperson and CEO Indra Nooyi is ranked 12th. The list named women involved in policymaking, entertainment, technology and nonprofit organizations, among other fields. They were ranked according to influence, the amount of money they control or earn, and media presence. "These power women exert influence in very different ways and to very different ends, and all with very different impacts on the global community," said Moira Forbes, president and publisher of ForbesWoman. Also in the top five were Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and wife of Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates, and Jill Abramson, executive editor of the New York Times. US first lady Michelle Obama, who had topped the list in 2010, was ranked No.7. The average age of the 100 powerful women from 28 countries was 55. They had a combined 90 million Twitter followers, Forbes said.

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi

Bank strike hits financial sector in India

New Delhi: Banking transactions across India were severely affected Wednesday as employees of most public sector banks and some private and foreign banks went on a two-day strike, protesting reforms in the sector and outsourcing of non-core services among other things. The strike in 27 public sector, 12 private banks and eight foreign banks also affected the equities, bond and foreign exchange markets. The All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) said over a million employees joined the strike after talks with the union labor commissioner in New Delhi Tuesday failed. "The strike has been a success all over the country. Banking services have been affected and paralyzed," AIBEA General Secretary C.H. Venkatachalam said in a statement. Reports indicated that the strike had its maximum impact in Karnataka, West Bengal and the northeast. "The strike call received an overwhelming response as over 50,000 employees and officers abstained from work across the state in support of our long-pending demands, especially fresh recruitments and promotions,"

Twitter assures to cooperate after PMO complains

New Delhi: Popular microblogging site Twitter has assured the government cooperation after the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) complained about six accounts with objectionable content that impersonated the PMO's official account. The government had blocked six accounts after Twitter took no action. The social networking portal has assured the PMO that it would be finding the "unlawful content", said reliable sources. The microblogging site said it was "now actively reviewing" the request and will be seeking more information from the ministry of communications and information technology "to locate the unlawful content and the specific unlawful tweet", they said. Twitter also said that it could not take action earlier "because the government entity did not intimate through proper procedure electronically to our system and hence the request was not located", said the sources.

said United Forum of Banks Unions (UFBU) Karnataka convener B.S. Ravindra in Bangalore. The strike coincided with the government move to take up the Banking Laws Amendment Bill, 2011, Thursday, which contains provisions such as raising shareholders' voting rights from 10 percent to 26 percent in private banks and supersession of bank boards. The forum further said that the outcome of the proposed bill will translate into closure of rural bank branches and lead to opening of ultra-small branches, thereby privatizing rural banking operations through contractual business. The bank employees are also opposing outsourcing of non-core services to outside agencies and other "antilabor" policies which they said would jeopardize jobs in the banking sector and undermine collective bargaining strength of the employees.

CWG graft cases: CBI files charges against six

New Delhi: The CBI has filed a charge sheet against six accused in two graft cases related to the Queen's Baton Relay ceremony in London ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in New Delhi, an officer said Wednesday. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) named in the charge sheet three joint directors belonging to the organizing committee of the CWG -- Sanjay Mohindroo, T.S. Darbari and M. Jayachandran -- one director of a London-based transport firm, Ashish Patel, and his two private firms AM car & Van Hire and AM Films. The charge sheet filed last week said that "in order to justify the allotment of the work to Ashish Patel's company, the accused officials prepared various forged documents." The probe agency said that these officials did not follow the standard tendering process and instead favored Patel's company. All the accused are at present out on bail. "The accused officials prepared fake notes on the proceedings and placed forged e-mail in support of the proposal for engagement of the London-based transport firm," said the officer. "They acted dishonestly and fraudulently to justify allotment of work related to first aid, additional barriers, mobile temporary toilets, power generations to the London-based transport firm at exorbitant rates," said the officer.

Indian Air Force ahead with over 10 percent women officers

New Delhi: Women officers in the Indian army, navy and air force constitute only 3.3, 3.9 and 10.4 percent of the officer cadre respectively and these figures were achieved within 20 years from when they were first recruited, parliament was informed Wednesday. Defence Minister A.K. Antony said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that the representation of women in the armed forces has been progressively increasing since their first recruitment in 1992-93. "At present, the percentage of women officers in army, navy and air force, excluding medical streams, is 3.3 percent, 3.9 per cent and 10.04 percent respectively," Antony said. "The representation of women officers in the armed forces has increased progressively These figures are excluding the medical stream women officers. Women officers are inducted in the branches open to them within the overall authorized strength of officers' cadre of respective service, based on merit on an all- India basis. "There is no separate fixed sanctioned strength for women officers in the armed forces," he added. Noting that a fresh policy on induction of women officers was laid down last November, Antony said it was issued after considering the paper submitted by a highlevel tri-service committee with the approval of the chiefs of staff committee. "There is an endeavor to fill up the vacancies of officers from amongst eligible candidates, which is a continuous and an ongoing process," Antony said. Barring the medical stream, women officers are inducted on short service commissions in certain branches of the three armed forces. In the army, women officers are recruited in the Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Intelligence Corps, Army Education Corps and Judge Advocate General branches. In the navy, they are inducted into the Judge Advocate General, Logistics, Observer, Air Traffic Controller, Naval Constructor and Education branches. In the air force, though, women officers are recruited in all branches and streams, except the fighter stream of the flying branch.

over the years," the minister added. To another query on the same subject, the minister said the number of women officers in the army is 1,214, in the navy 302 and the air force 1,079. At present, the existing strength of the army is 36,788 officers, the navy 7,744 and the air force 10,747. There is a shortfall of 13,000 officers across the three services.

India TheSouthAsianTimes.info

13

August 25-31, 2012

Shankar Mahadevan to spread message of Akshaya Patra in India

Stoneham, MA: I have grabbed this opportunity to be associated with Akshaya Patra, said Shankar Mahadevan, legendary singer and brand ambassador of Akshaya Patra, at the one billionth meal celebration held in Bangalore on August 5th. I know that music is a very powerful medium. It makes people cry, it makes people laugh, it inspires, it motivates, and it can help people in realizing many things. So I am definitely going to use this opportunity, this platform, with music and spread awareness about Akshaya Patra and the wonderful work that they are doing. Mahadevan and his wife used to sit and think in what ways they could help feed Indias children. He calls the first email from Akshaya Patra, requesting that he join as ambassador, a God send. It was exactly what they were looking to do for society. Renowned lyricist, Javed Akthar, commenting on Mahadevans status of Ambassador to Akshaya Patra, stated that, with his kind of charm and his kind of talent I am sure that Shankar will be able to spread this message of Akshaya Patra to every nook and corner of India! The Akshaya Patra Foundation has accomplished the significant milestone of serving one billion meals to school children in India from the programs inception. To commemorate this momentous occasion Mahadevan composed and sung a special song written by Akthar and performed it live at the celebration in Bangalore. The music video accompanying the song was released by Infosys Foundation Chairperson Sudha Murty. Akshaya Patras leadership has called this occasion not only a time for celebration but a time for introspection into what has been accomplished over the last 11 years and what should be accomplished in the years to come. The organizations goal is to serve 5 million children by 2020 but there was also talk of diversifying the mid day meal program to address other challenges, such as safe drinking water and sanitation. Mohan Das Pai, Chairman of Manipal Universal Learning, who also spoke during the festivities said, The idea behind the mid day meal program was to make sure children came to school, had a meal and got an education. If 45% of our children are malnourished and most children are born low weight what is the future of this great county? We must solve this challenge once and for all.

Shankar Mahadevan at One Billionth meal celebration in Bangalore

Kiva begins lending in India

on-profit microfinance organization Kiva has announced a new initiative that enables their global community of lenders to begin funding microloans to some of Indias most geographically isolated, underserved, and socially-excluded people. To reach these communities, Kiva is partnering with three nonprofit organizations, Peoples Forum and Mahashakti Foundation in Odisha and WSDS-Initiate in Manipur. Kiva selected these nonprofits because of their holistic approach to poverty alleviation through microfinance services, livelihoods training, and social support programs. Kiva is the worlds first and largest microlending platform where 800,000 individuals around the world have funded US$340 million in loans for 840,000 borrowers in 63 countries, and now India. There is a shared desire within India and around the world to support Indias working poor and sociallyexcluded people, said Premal Shah, President of Kiva. Today, for the first time, Kiva is providing individuals with a chance to fund microloans and livelihoods training in India through three deeply dedicated communitybased nonprofits. Kivas lending community in India and worldwide has consistently shown interest in supporting people in India. More than 800 Kiva lenders identify themselves as being from India and have lent US$ 160,000 to 29,500 borrowers outside of India. Last year alone, there were over 400,000 visits to Kiva.org from people in India. One can visit kiva.org/india to learn about the borrowers and their businesses, and connect with someone who one would like to support with a loan of $25 or more. The loans help borrowers access critical capital they need to start or expand their business and receive livelihoods skills, financial literacy training, and social support services. So far loans funded through Kiva have proved a 98% repayment rate .

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Op Ed TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

Baba Ramdev in Anna's vacant spot?

By Amulya Ganguli

t's a Third Front with a difference. While the earlier versions were non-CongressnonBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combinations, the group conjured up by Baba Ramdev at Delhi's Ramlila grounds included e.the BJP. However, its similarities with the basic concept of the Third Front were, first, a pronounced anti-Congress thrust and, secondly, the presence under the yoga guru's umbrella of parties like the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaje Party (BSP), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Akali Dal, the Shiv Sena, et al. Notwithstanding the apparently formidable nature of the combination on the surface, the Congress however may not be too worried because of the inchoate characteristic of the new formation. For a start, the Baba does not want to launch a political party - yet. At the moment, his focus is on cornering the government on the black money issue. It is the same with the BJP and other parties, which have clarified that their support for the Baba is confined to the question of the funds stashed abroad. It is, however, unclear whether this fine-tuning can be a politically effective tactic. Instead, the

The Indian government, on its part, seems to have finally found an effective way to deal with these agitations by ignoring them general suspicion will be that these parties have jumped on to the yoga guru's bandwagon because of their inability to present - either singly or together - a credible challenge to the Congress and the government. As it is, the differences between these parties became obvious during the presidential election when the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the Shiv Sena broke away from the BJP to back the Congress' Pranab Mukherjee. Even now, there is little doubt that the Samajwadi Party and the BSP will continue to support the Congress in parliament despite their brief dalliance with Ramdev. Given the oddity of the CPI's support for a Hindu religious mascot, it is unlikely that the party will continue to back him even if the issue is only black money. True, both the CPI and its Big Brother, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), had joined Anna on his Jantar Mantar stage along with the BJP. But Ramdev's proximity to the saffron brotherhood is even closer than that of Anna considering that the fiery Muslim-baiter, Sadhvi Rithambara, had once appeared with the yoga teacher at the Ramlila grounds. There is, therefore, every likelihood of many of those who turned up at Ramdev's "circus", to quote Press Council chief Justice Markandeya Katju, will gradually drift away lest their hobnobbing

with the yoga guru should scare away their Muslim supporters. Among the parties which will be extremely wary of this possibility is the JD-U, for it will realise that its flaunting of secular credentials by criticising Narendra Modi may be neutralised if it moves too close to Ramdev. As for the Baba himself, his objective is still unclear. Since he is unlikely to float a political party like Team Anna, or go on fastsunto-death like the crusader from Ralegan Siddhi, the fighter against black money will have to firm up his game plan soon if he wants to remain in the public eye. All that he has done so far is to step into the vacuum that was created when Anna retired hurt from the scene. The government, on its part, seems to have finally found an effective way to deal with these agitations by ignoring them. It has evidently learnt from the mistakes it made by rushing senior ministers to receive Ramdev at the Delhi airport last year or inviting Team Anna to a joint meeting on the Lokpal bill. Its latest tactic is to adopt a hands-off attitude where official contacts are concerned and leave it to a few ministers to make sarcastic comments. Who will have the last word in this cat-and-mouse game is difficult to predict.

North-East exodus: Hate begets hate

By Harsh Mander

he country is once again dangerously adrift in a stormy sea of competitive hate politics. The signs are both ominous and familiar the systematic creation of hatred against people because of their ethnicity or religion; rumors and hate propaganda choking the internet; the public moral justification of violence against targeted communities on grounds of larger alleged wrongs; and weak-kneed State action against people and organizations which preach hate and organize slaughter and arson. In what is probably the largest displacement of human populations by hate violence after Partition, four lakh Bengali Muslim and Bodo people are driven away from their homelands after attacks and the burning of their villages. They are living fearfully in cramped makeshift relief camps. In Mumbai, mobs protesting the Assam attacks and slaughter of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, run amuck, criminally set aflame public property and attack media and police personnel.

Rumors of retaliatory attacks by Muslims against people from North-east India in many southern cities have led to a panic exodus of migrant students and workers. In district towns in which I have worked, I observed during the 1980s how dedicated communal organizations skillfully spread rumors, which manufacture hatred locally and provoke communal attacks. But hate propagandists are today equipped with sleek new vehicles of cyberspace and mobile phone technology, which they deploy to transport provocative falsehoods, rumors and emotive messages of hate across the country and indeed across the world. These recast people of different ethnic or religious identities as the dangerous other, and foment suspicion, dread and loathing against them. Even more hazardous is the creation of an alternative moral universe in which violent attacks on people of specified communities is accepted as defensible, even justified. The underlying ethical assumption is that it is acceptable to physically attack people who

belong to a community which has committed a real or perceived wrong. The same rationale was meted out for the slaughter of Sikhs in 1984, understandable anger against all Sikhs because two Sikh bodyguards murdered Indira Gandhi. Even today I hear people say that the carnage against Gujarati Muslims in 2002 was a natural outcome of spontaneous mass anger because Muslims allegedly burned the train and killed pilgrims in Godhra. The demolition of the Babri Masjid and the years of violence which accompanied it were explained by warranted anger because Muslims had demolished temples in medieval times. Whenever Christians are attacked, people immediately speak of missionary conversions, as though this in any way is cause for the killing of Christians. It is long overdue that the people of this vast diverse nation affirm that nothing nothing can justify the shedding of blood of even a single person, or sexual assault, or the burning of her properties, for no reason except that she belongs to

People from Assam and other North-East states at Pune Railway Station leaving for their homes the religious or ethnic community of the Muslim Welfare Association of a perceived wrong-doer. We can- appealed to people from the Northnot be selective in our espousal of east who were fleeing the city, non-violence, democracy and rule Those who feel unsafe in their of law. If, for instance, we believe homes are welcome to come to our that there are illegal residents in homes and mosques to take shelter. Assam, the only legitimate demand We will protect you, but please do is not mass violence and ethnic not leave the city. It is your city as cleansing, but for due process of much as ours. law to identify the illegal residents (Harsh Mander is a member of and if proved to return them to their the National Advisory Council. The homeland. views expressed by the author are In Bangalore, Akbar Ali, convener personal)

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

India I Day in US TheSouthAsianTimes.info

15

August 25-31, 2012

(L to R): Ambubhai Patel, Laxmanbhai Patel, Hon. Mayor Brian Levine, Prabhu Dayal, Mayor Ricigliano, Peter Kothari, Joseph Kyrillos, Judge Daily, Sam Thompson, H.R. Shah, Rajeev Bhambri & Riya Bhambri.

(L to R): Atma Singh, Hon. Brian Levine Mayor of Franklin Twp., Senator Samuel Thompson (12th Dist.), Senator Joseph Kyrillos (13th Dist.), Consul General of India Prabhu Dayal, H. R. Shah, President of Indo American Cultural Society Pradip (Peter) Kothari, Antonia Ricigliano, Mayor of Edison, Councilmen Dr. Prasad & Mr. Mascola at the event. (Photo: Deval Parikh)

IACS organizes flag hoisting ceremony in Iselin

New Jersey: Indo American Cultural Society, Inc. [ IACS] and Man Making Group with the cooperation of the 1st Presbyterian Church of Iselin have successfully organized 15th Flag Hoisting Ceremony to mark India's 66th Independence day on August 18, 2012 at the 1st Presbyterian Church of Iselin, Woodbridge under the leadership of Pradip [Peter] Kothari. Celebrating its 15th year, with over 400 attendees including elected officials, prominent community leaders and business personalities graced this occasion. Rev. James Thomas of 1st Presbyterian Church welcomed the gathering and reminded how this event started in 1998 with small group of Man Making Group with Rev. Premdas and since that day this event is organized with help of Pradip [Peter] Kothari. B. K. Patel of Man Making Group informed every one about their activities to help seniors to obtain US Citizenship and driver license. Prabhu Dayal, Consul General of India, Joseph Kyrillos, state senator, 13th district and candidate for Republican party from New Jersey for US Senate; Samuel Thompson, State Senator, 12th District; Brian Levine, Mayor of Franklin Township; Antonia Ricigliano, Mayor of Edison and Sudhanshu Prasad & Wayne Mascola, Councilmen of Edison were amongst the dignitaries who not only addressed the gathered audience by inspirational speeches, but also cherished the bond between India and USA. A spectacular cultural program of colorful dances, patriotic songs and beautiful cultural portray were excellent part of the event.

Telangana NRIs make a debut at Manhattan India Day Parade

New York : Telangana NRI Association (TeNA), a US based non-profit working towards the cultural and developmental issues of Telangana community held a cultural march as a part of India day parade in New York City to show case the Telangana culture and identity. New York City witnessed a tri-color deluge on Sunday on the eve of India day parade more than 150,000 NRIs from all over the east coast witnessed the greatest display of Indias Independence Day celebrations outside India. Every year, Indians across the US celebrate the Indian Independence day on the following Sunday of August 15. Hundreds of Telangana NRIs from surrounding

Chicago rolls out magnificent I-Day parade

Chicago: The torrent of patriotic euphoria was domineering as the crowds waving tricolor flags accompanied by shouts of Bharat Mata ki jai permeated the Chicagos India Independence Day parade hosted by the Federation of Indian Association-Chicago [FIA] on the crowd-jammed sidelines of Mahatma Gandhi Marg in the heart of the India Town in Chicago on Saturday, August 18, 2012. There was uninhibited patriotic fervor abundantly palpable as the parade snaked through nearly a 2-mile march led by a massive Indian flag carried by teenagers with the Scottish Band playing the marching beat interspersed with high-decibel sounds of drum-beats and pulsating music emanating from several floats making the parade an extraordinarily grand affair that showcased the celebration

Bollywood Actor Aftab Shivdasani led the India Independence Day parade as GrandMarshall. Seen here [LtoR] Keerthi Ravoori, Babu Patel, Sanhita Agnihotri, Iftekhar Shareef, Parade Chair, Ajai Agnihotri, FIA President and Bhailal Patel of Indian Independence. Parade Grand Marshal Aftab Shivdasani, the Bollywood star led the extensive parade with an enduring smile as he waved and greeted crowds of people with a great convoy of decorated floats laden with colorfully dressed and spirited participants as it gently made its way through on Devon Avenue amidst the cheers and shouts from the crowds lined up on both sides of the street. Before the parade stepped out, the tri-color Indian flag was gently hoisted with saluting hands of the FIA executive board members, community and business leaders encircling the raised flag who spontaneously erupted in singing the national anthem in zestful unison on the corner of Devon & Western.

states and as far as from Boston and Washington DC gathered to celebrate Indian Independence Day and also display the Telangana culture. The Bathukamma a cone shaped concentrically arranged flower mound representing Goddess Gauri and, Bonalu an earthern pot filled with rice and

turmeric mix, a sacred meal offered to the Goddess Kali, were displayed along with poster placards of Telangana cultural, historical and artistic identities. Venkat Maroju, Board member of Telangana NRI Association said, Identity of Telangana is its vivacious culture and we wanted to show case it to the world.

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Ultimate Bollywood TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

Soon, a film on Mary Kom's life

A lonely Eid for SRK

way from the hustle-bustle of Eid-ul-Fitr festivities in tinsel town, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan spent the festival in solitude in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, where he was busy shooting for Yash Chopra's yet-untitled romance drama. "All alone on Eid... on a thin winding road. Nowhere and everywhere. Just gave myself a hug after a long time. Will celebrate with happy winds," Shah Rukh tweeted. The 46-year-old wanted to be with his family in Mumbai to ring in the festival. But work commitments for the last schedule of his new film didn't allow him to travel home. Shah Rukh, who reportedly plays an army man in the film, himself suggested that some portions

Actor Shah Rukh Khan should be shot in Ladakh. The movie, slated for a Nov 13 release, also stars Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma.

Olympic medal winner Mary Kom with her kids anjay Leela Bhansali's next production will be a film based on the life of Olympic medal winner, boxer MC Mary Kom. Art director Omung Kumar who worked with Bhansali on Black and Saawariya will helm the film. Omung approached SLB with a detailed script based on the life of the boxer after getting the required permission. Sanjay said that he liked the fact that Omung had done his homework; was actually inspired by Mary's life and was in awe of her much before she went for the Olympics, rather than it being an afterthought following her victory. Not only that, Omung

had met her a year ago and had also got her to agree to the film. Sanjay further confirmed that, "Omung brought the script to me a month before the Olympics. Mary Kom has made India proud. I was moved by her story. She is a mother of two, has been through so much struggle, has tremendous spirit and a sense of living and dignity and is now a World Champion. She has what it takes to make a great champion. An Indian woman boxer is rare. It will be an exciting film to produce and I am very happy to do it." He added that while he has still not met Mary Kom, he would do so on August 23 in Mumbai.

Miss World 2012: Vanya Mishra loses

hina's Wen Xia Yu was crowned the Miss World 2012 at a gala ceremony in Ordos, China. Wales' Sophie Moulds was adjudged the first runner-up, while Australia's Jessica Kahawaty was the second runner-up. India's Vanya Mishra made it to the top seven spot but failed to progress further. She, however, did bag the titles of Miss Social Media and Miss Beauty with a Purpose. In the semi-finals, the contestants were asked to perform on the music of their country and Vanya chose to dance on "Dil cheez kya hai" from 1981 film "Umrao Jaan", which landed her a spot in the top seven finalists. The competition saw 116 countries competing for the title.

China's Wen Xia Yu was crowned Miss World 2012.

Bollywood salutes 'pure Melissa wows Madonna genius' Tony Scott fans, in Gurgaon
their memories of his work. Here's what they wrote: Karan Johar: RIP Tony Scott... Your true romance with cinema will live on forever. Anubhav Sinha: This is unfair Mr.Tony Scott. But rest in peace sir and remember we feel obliged for what you did to cinema worldwide. Madhur Bhandarkar: Shocked to hear about my favourite 'THE UNSTOPPABLE' Filmmaker Tony Scott's demise... RIP. Sujoy Ghosh: How much I learnt from watching films of Tony Scott. Nobody blended style and pace better. Atul Kasbekar: Director Tony Scott passed away. Huge filmography, but if you haven't seen 'True Romance', do yourself a favour and see it asap. Pure genius. Neha Dhupia: The loss of yet another film genius. He made action look so pleasant! Tony Scott RIP. Ranvir Shorey: Shocked to read about Tony Scott. The mysteries of the human heart. RIP. Sonam Kapoor: This is so sad. He was one of my favourite filmmakers. Siddharth: Terrible news about Tony Scott ending his own life. Big fan of his big ticket Hollywood pictures what a way to go! Sad. Sophie Choudry: Thank you for your movies that made us dream, think and sit on the edge of our seats! You blended style and story like no other. RIP Tony Scott. Madonna's lookalike Melissa Totten performing in Gurgaon

Hollywood filmmaker Tony Scott Pure genius" - that's how Bollywood celebrities like Karan Johar, Madhur Bhandarkar and Neha Dhupia remember Hollywood filmmaker Tony Scott, who ended his life by jumping off a bridge in Los Angeles. He jumped off the bridge in San Pedro, reported The Los Angeles Times. Tony, brother of director Ridley Scott, is credited with biggies like "Top Gun", "Enemy of the State", "Beverly Hills Cop II", "True Romance" and "Crimson Tide". Bollywood celebrities mourned the loss of the filmmaker, and took to Twitter to share

"

he is Madonna's impersonator, but Melissa Totten created the same magic by singing and performing on the pop diva's hit numbers - "Papa don't preach" and "Music" - at a glitzy show in Gurgaon. Dressed in a short black dress, the fortyplus singer made a dramatic entry Sunday evening. Instead of appearing on the stage directly, she decided to walk through the crowd to reach the dais, which was kept small and simple. As part of Black Dog's easy evenings concert "Madonna Forever", Totten created the right mood by involving the crowd. She came down from the stage with the dancers and prompted everyone to stand up and shake a leg with her.

If that was not enough, Melissa added desi flavour by mixing songs like "Jai ho" and "Mundiya tu bachke rahi" with English songs and it had an electrifying impact. The 90-minute-performance required frequent costume change, but it was made sure that the stage was not left empty for even a minute and the disco-jockeys kept the heat bars high with good music. The show was closed with a soulful performance on Madonna's song "Like a prayer". Totten is here on a seven-city-tour, which started in Goa Aug 17, followed by her Delhi show, and now she will move to Shillong, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Vizag and a last performance in Hyderabad Aug 31.

Ultimate Bollywood Thesouthasiantimes.info

17

August 25-31, 2012

Rajesh Khanna was destined to be superstar: Dimple

or the first time after Rajesh Khanna's death, his estranged wife Dimple Kapadia opened up about the time she spent with him. She said he was special and destined to be a superstar. "I spent my life with him as I was 16 when I got married. He was not a normal man, he was a very special man," Dimple said on the sidelines of the inauguration of "Retrospective of Rajesh KhannaSuperstar Forever" at the Siri Fort auditorium in New Delhi. "There are so many things I can say about him but what is very very special about him is that his DNA was that of superstar," she added. Recalling the last few days she spent with Rajesh Khanna, Dimple said: "In the last few days he said to me 'Pack up, the show is over'. He also said that 'I lived my life with lot of grace and please make sure that it lives forever'." The retrospective is being organized by

Dimple Kapadia with daughter Rinke Khanna at Rajesh Khanna's funeral the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as a tribute to the cinema legend, who died July 18 at his Bandra resi-

dence after a prolonged illness. He was 69. The three-day event starts Saturday and will screen ten of the actor's landmark films. These are "Aap Ki Kasam", "Aradhana", "Aakhri Khat", "Amar Prem", "Kati Patang", "Ittefaq", "Avishkaar", "Bawarchi", "Safar" and "Anand". The 55-year-old Dimple, who was accompanied by daughter Rinke, thanked the ministry for organising the retrospective and help Rajesh Khanna fans relive the memories. "I like to salute his each and every fan for having made this possible. I think the one thing that he would have said if alive today to his fans is - 'humein tumse pyar kitna yeh hum nahi jaante, magar jee nahi sakte tumhare bina'." "I would like to thank DFF and the information and broadcasting ministry for having this retrospective. Thank your for giving a chance to relive his memories," she said.

On Eid, Pakistanis flock to watch Batman!

Why is Akshay missing from 'Joker' promotions?

hile Farah Khan can be seen promoting husband Shirish Kunder's directorial venture "Joker", lead actor of the movie Akshay Kumar is missing from all the action. His no-show has thrown up a lot of questions, but Farah clears the air. "It's a strategy, please don't go by what you are reading in the papers, it's somebody trying to do mischief. It's a strategy we have adopted," the 47-year-old said here in an interview. Farah adds that the recent release of Akshay-Sonakshi Sinha-starrer "Rowdy Rathore" is the primary reason behind Akshay's no-show. "We have just seen a lot of them doing 'Rowdy Rathore' promotion, we didn't want our film to

The other big Hollywood catch is The Expendables 2, the sequel to its 2010 edition

ith no new Urdu or Punjabi films releasing on Eid in Pakistan, movie buffs in the port city of Karachi are flocking to theatres showing action movies "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Expendables 2". Moviegoers were excited with reports that said at least a couple of Urdu films and a few Punjabi movies were to see the light of day on Eid. The only new Urdu film is Syed Noor's "Shareeka", but that will be shown only in Lahore, the Dawn reported. However, three Pushto films have been lined up in Karachi's cinemas -- "Toofan" starring Shahid Khan, Jehangir Khan, Sono Lal and Sahiba Noor, "Fakhri-Afghan" starring Shahid Khan, Asma Lata and Dua Qureshi, and "Ghaddar" starring Arbaz Khan, Jehangir Khan and Sobia Khan. Meanwhile, the superhero known for his courage, cape and cowl in Gotham City, is back. On Eid, the final chapter of the Batman trilogy, "The Dark Knight Rises", is the most talked about film in Karachi. Pakistani film distributors thought it best to showcase the Christopher

Nolan-directed movie on the festive occasion of Eid. Fans are waiting to watch Christian Bale, but it is Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy who have impressed them the most. The other big Hollywood catch is "The Expendables 2", the sequel to its 2010 edition. Pakistanis are equally eager to watch macho men Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren and Bruce Willis, all of whom are famous for their action-packed antics. However, Hasan, a worker at Nishat Cinema, said the movie business has changed over the years. "English films in this area are not watched with eagerness any more," he said. "This happened after 9/11. Before that, Hollywood movies were a rage. Now only Indian films are received with excitement. For example, recently 'Bol Bachchan' did very well at the box office." On Pakistani films, Hasan says: "They are no good. They don't have content or anything else to impress the viewers with. Last year 'Bhai Loag' was screened. I don't think many people liked it."

Akshay Kumar in a scene from Joker look the same. It's a very different film, it's a kids-friendly film. Our USP are the aliens and we want to play upon that," Farah said. "Joker" also stars Sonakshi Sinha, Shreyas Talpade and Minissha Lamba and hits theatres Aug 31.

After reading book, I thought of divorce: Pooja Bedi

ctor Pooja Bedi confesses to be a book lover and revealed how a paperback helped in her decision to separate from her husband Farhan Ebrahim Furniturewalla. "When I read books, my life changes. I read a book 'Who moved My Cheese?' written by Dr. Spencer Johnson. After reading that book, I thought of divorce," the 42-year-old said here at a bookstore. "I realized that all the problems and emptiness in my life were my own creations, I should be strong to start life again. After reading the book, my life changed forever," she added. Pooja was accompanied by good friend model Sky, aka Akashdeep Sehgal, and confesses that their choices are very different. "Sky's choices are very different from mine, especially in books. He is mostly interested in magazines, sports magazines, fitness magazines, car, gadget magazines, he loves them. But I usually read non-fiction, I love Richard Branson books,"

Actor Pooja Bedi with friend Sky Pooja said.Pooja and Sky became friend during their stay at reality show "Bigg Boss 5".

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Interview TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

Pooja Kumar: Breakout role with the Indian acting legend

In an exclusive interview to The South Asian Times, the Hollywood-Bollywood actress gave a peep into her new bilingual film,Vishwaroop, shared her excitement of working with Kamal Haasan and what she loves about the film industry.
ema. So they scheduled a call with Kamal Sir. I got on Skype with him and he said [in a deep voice], hello and I said [same deep voice] hello. Then he says, Im Kamal Hassan and Im thinking to myself, I know who you are! I said, Hello Sir, Im Pooja Kumar, very nice to meet you. And he says, Im directing this movie and my production will be in touch with you. Thats it. He saw me in bad lighting and still decided to cast me! The next thing I know, a week later, Im on a plane to Chennai. I mean, you never know where your work can come from. I think the main thing is you continue to do good work and itll continue to get out there and people will see it. Of course, promotion and marketing play a big role in that but I also believe that talent will prevail. The people who want to cast you and you work with will find you somehow. The Skype call can really show the up-and-coming actors out there that you can get cast internationally, it just depends on the project no matter where you are. I keep telling them to keep practicing the craft. Tell us what Vishwaroop is about, your character in it, and what it was like to film it? Pooja Kumar: Its an action movie. The story is based in New York and I play a nuclear oncologist and the wife of Kamal Haasan. Basically, we go on this journey together and youll discover that people arent who they really are and we all have different roles that we play in our lives. Vishwaroop means Vishnu and we have all these different roops or roles that we have to play in our lives. Theres also the theme, were all good people and were all bad peopleits all a combination of who we are. If youre truthful in your situation and in your life, youll be successful. I think thats the universal theme Kamal Haasan is hitting on, whether its in India or in Europe or America. The film is coming out soon and everyone is really excited about it because we havent seen a film from Kamal Hassan in Hindi for a while. That was the other fascinating thing for me, to do a movie in two languages. We first shot every scene in Hindi and then we shot the same exact scene in Tamil. For actors in India, I think theyre used to flowing from all the different languages-- Marathi, Bengali, Tamil or Hindi. For actors based out here in America, for us to flow between languages is not something we do commonly. That was an interesting challenge for me because I did not know how to speak Tamil. It was amazing to see him (Kamal Haasan) so seamlessly between the scenes and roles. Hed be in the scene with me and then as soon as hes done with that hed go back to directing. In the beginning, the language barrier was huge and nerve-wracking, but he made it very comfortIn Vishwaroop, Pooja plays able for me. Everyone on Kamal Haasans wife. the sets was just a big family and if everyone do because thats the only way to has that mindset to want to do well, live. Were born in this country the project is going to turn out even where all the opportunities are better. available to us. If youre able to love what you do, thats the key to To date, what do you consider your success. If you can spread that to be your greatest accomplish- happiness, thats the most imporment? tant thing. What I love most about Pooja Kumar: I would sayI our industry is that we get to play mean, I havent accomplished! But all these different characters, we I would say my greatest accom- get to interact with so many differplishment is to work with this leg- ent people across the world and we end (Kamal Haasan). I mean, he get to meet so many fantastic could choose any actress he wants artists. Thats the biggest thing you to work with. Im humbled and can learnis from other people. honored that he decided to give me I am a big believer in supporting the opportunity to share the screen the arts. Weve got to encourage with him. Its still sort of unbeliev- filmmakers and writers to keep able to me that Ive been able to do working on good stories, especially that. Hopefully, it comes out the our South Asian stories in America. way he wants it and the audience I think if we continue to support loves it. them and write them, we can really make a difference. Weve got such What is your most favorite and lovely stories and we come from least favorite thing about the film such a rich culture that we should industry? share them. Pooja Kumar: Well, I dont have any least favorite because I wouldPooja Kumar can be followed on nt be doing it if I disliked anything Twitter (@TheRealPOOJA) and on about it. You have to love what you Facebook.

Pooja Kumar
S-based model and actress Pooja Kumar is busy these days promoting her new bilingual Tamil-Hindi film Vishwaroop/Vishwaroopam in which she stars opposite legendary Indian actor Kamal Haasan. This is a big break for the Miss India-USA (1995) and TV host who has acting credits both in America and India. In 2003, she received the Screen Actors Guild Emerging Actress Award for Flavors. She appeared in IFCs musical comedy miniseries Bollywood Hero in 2008, starring opposite Saturday Night Live comedian Chris Kattan, and in Anjaana Anjaani (2010) starring Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.

Excerpts from the interview with Pooja Kumar: What projects are you working on currently? Pooja Kumar: I just finished Vishwaroop with the legend and icon Kamal Haasan. Its in Hindi and in Tamil and will release in the next couple of months. Im excited because its an action movie, one of those wonderful projects collaborating between Americans and Indians. There are a couple of other projects in the pipeline What was it like working with Kamal Haasan? Pooja Kumar: To get an opportu-

nity to work with a man of his caliber is like a dream come true for me because his knowledge of politics, cinema, literature, philosophy, poetry is phenomenal. Hes a pioneer in the sense that hes dedicated to what he does. Hes also an innovator, which I think is fantastic. Hes a filmmaker, actor and dancer, all of those things combinedbut hes also a humble human being and his thirst for knowledge is infectious. Learning with him was a great opportunity for me to experience what he does not only behind the scenes but on the scene as well. To be up close and personal with someone like that is fantastic, for any actor or artist. Hes just so curious about life, work and cinema and thats why hes been able to make his career so long50 years. Thats inspirational for the rest of us, that you can keep going, keep learning and keep moving forward. You Skyped into your role for Vishwaroop Pooja Kumar: His production company found me on the internet because they had seen some of the work I had done here in the US. They approached my manager who asked me if I had heard of this actor named Kamal Haasan? I said, of course I have. I mean, I grew up watching his movies so I remember him since then and I said wow, this actor is really different from the other actors in Indian cin-

Pooja with Chris Kattan in Bollywood Hero (2008)

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August 25-31, 2012

Just imagine if Gandhi had Twitter and internet: T&T minister

Port-of-Spain: "What would have happened if Gandhi had today's new technology like internet, Skype, Twitter, email and facebook to challenge the British Raj," a Trinidad and Tobago minister asked while calling for tolerance in society during an event to mark India's Independence Day. Minister of Communications Jamal Mohammed called for tolerance in society, similar to the one applied by Mahatma Gandhi in his quest for Indian Independence. He was addressing a gathering Tuesday at the Independence Day celebrations of India and Trinidad and Tobago. An exhibition titled, "Freedom to March: Rediscovering Gandhi through Dandi" was held at Divali Nagar. India celebrates its Independence Day Aug 15 while Trinidad and Tobago will celebrate its Independence Aug 31. Trinidad and Tobago's Indian diaspora consists of 44 percent of the population of 1.3 million people. Mohammed said "Gandhi tolerated all forms of religious, cultural, social or political adversities, and maintained his focus on the achievement of India's Independence". He said Gandhi was a "perfect communicator to have been able to access over 300 million Indians in the 1930s and 1940s and have them join and work with him and achieve Indian Independence was an epochal humanitarian initiative." Asking what would happen if Gandhi had access to new technology like internet and Skype, he said: "Can you imagine that scenario, and yet he changed the course of human history? He used the power of the tongue by passing the word to each one." The minister praised the strong, friendly and cordial relations between India, and Trinidad and Tobago over the past 50 years. Indian High Commissioner Malay Mishra urged the audience to take the teachings and philosophy of Gandhi, whom the world still respects for promoting peace, unity and love in India. He said that August is the month of freedom for India as well as Trinidad and Tobago. Deokienanan Sharma, president of the National Council of Indian Culture, said this country's independence can be directly related

Jamal Mohammed to India's struggle for independence. Indians were brought to these Caribbean islands between 1845 and 1917 to work on sugar and cocoa plantations, principally from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Biju comes home from the forests of Philippines

Don't use British jails as hotels: Indian-origin MP

London: Jails in Britain should not be used as hotels for foreigners, Indian-origin Conservative MP Priti Patel said after reports emerged that the public was paying 400 million pounds a year to keep foreign criminals in jail. Official figures from the justice ministry showed that more than 10,000 foreign nationals were lodged in England and Wales prisons till June, comprising about one in eight of the prison population, the Daily Express reported. Other MPs have called for overseas criminals to serve their sentences in their own countries. "Prison is always the best place for dangerous criminals but our jails should not be used as hotels for foreigners. Living in Britain is a privilege and foreigners who come here and flout our laws should be sent packing without delay," Patel said. The ministry said it costs 40,000 pounds a year to keep a foreign national in prison, leaving a total bill of

Trinidad Hindus celebrate Janmashtami

Port of Spain: More than 300,000 Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago celebrated Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, at temples and homes by hosting special prayers and meditation sessions. Special prayers were recited for the continued peace, progress and stability of the Caribbean nation ahead of its 50th Independence Day Aug 31. Hindus fasted and abstained from meat or alcoholic beverages as they made their way to the more than 300 temples. Several families and community groups held Lord Krishna Bhagwat. Lord Krishna, who blew the flute to catch the ears of all mankind, is known as the principal author of the Hindu religious text, the Bhagavad Gita. Recently, the International Gita Society of the US embarked on a program to distribute copies of the Gita here and worldwide so that the recipients would read, examine, analyze, spread and practise its message with the hope that mankind would redeem itself from the social, moral, ethical spiritual morass. It is argued that the philosophy of the Gita influenced luminaries like Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Aldous Huxley and Albert Schweitzer among others. Huxley called it the 'perennial philosophy."

K V Biju Kozhikode: It was a homecoming for 36-year-old K.V. Biju, who was held hostage in the forests of southern Philippines for over a year by the Abu Sayyaf Group, one of the most violent Islamic separatist sects in the south east Asian country. "It was god almighty who gave me a chance to escape from them and I did," said Biju, who arrived at the airport here Sunday from the Philippines with his wife Elena and two children. On Aug 10, Biju escaped from his abductors while they were sleeping. Biju had been kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf Group in the Philippines on June 22 last year while he was visiting his wife Elena's house in the coastal town of Patikul. Biju was employed in a garment factory in Kuwait but does not plan to go back. "It was an emotional moment for all -- first at the airport and then at his home where Biju's mother was waiting for him. The entire village gave a reception to him. His family had arranged lunch for a thousand people," said K. Dasan, the local legislator at Koilandy near here.

Priti Patel 434 million pounds at current levels. "We have voluntary prisoner transfer agreements with more than 100 countries, allowing prisoners to serve their sentences in their home countries," a ministry spokesman said.

Indian chef makes curry that helps people sleep

London: An Indian-origin chef and TV presenter has created a "lamb masala" curry that he says will help people sleep, because it produces effects similar to sleeping pills. The spicy dish created by Gurpareet Bains contains an oil that is said to produce "intoxicating" effects, the Daily Express reported. The insomnia-fighting recipe contains nutmeg, a spice which contains a psychoactive substance. The dish appears in the Indian Indian dishes into disease-fighting concoctions. He says the lamb masala curry was created to help people combat the woes of sleep deprivation. "Its ingredients have been used for millennia for their tranquilizing properties," Bains was quoted as saying. Experts, however, recommend eating no more than half a nutmeg in any 24-hour period. The Indian chef also said he recommends that no more than one portion of his curry should be eaten per day.

Chef Gurpareet Bains chef's latest cook book, "Indian Superspices," a collection of recipes designed to fight everyday illnesses. Bains says he can turn traditional

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Subcontinent TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

Krishna to present proof on morphed images to Pakistan

New Delhi: India is readying evidence on the alleged Pakistan-origin of morphed pictures of Assam violence which sparked an exodus of northeastern citizens from other states and plans to present it when External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna goes to Islamabad next month for talks, sources said Monday. Krishna goes to Islamabad on a three-day visit Sep 7 for talks with his counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar that will focus on reviewing the second round of dialogue that was revived early last year following a hiatus after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.The talks are expected to encompass all bilateral issues, including terrorism and Kashmir, but with recent disclosures about the role of Pakistan-based elements in using morphed internet images that triggered an exodus of northeastern people from other states, the issue is set to figure in the discussions. Krishna is expected to take up the issue of morphed pictures as such northeast fled the Indian states of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu last week after hate messages were spread through mobile phones and on Facebook, threatening retaliation for the ethnic violence in Assam last month. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said elements based in Pakistan used social networking websites to circulate morphed pictures to whip up communal tension in India. This was conveyed by Shinde to Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik during a telephonic conversation Sunday. Islamabad has, however, rejected these charges and demanded evidence to prove it. "The Indian minister has said that rumors were generated from Pakistan through cellular services," Malik told reporters in Islamabad while referring to his phone conversation with Shinde. "I had requested him (Shinde) to provide evidence in this regard to us and we will take care of it," Malik added.

US military commander's plane damaged in Afghan attack

Kabul: Rockets fired by insurgents from outside a heavily fortified airfield in Afghanistan damaged the transport plane of Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, the New York Times reported. The C-17 plane was parked at Bagram base, 50 km north of Kabul, Monday night or early Tuesday, American and NATO officials said. Dempsey later left Afghanistan on a different aircraft as his plane was seriously damaged. Officials said Dempsey was not hurt and was nowhere near the plane during the attack, but two service members who work on aircraft maintenance suffered minor wounds from the explosions. The airplane was not directly hit by the rockets but was damaged by flying shrapnel, they said.Dempsey was visiting Kabul to talk to military leaders, including Gen. John R. Allen, the senior American and NATO commander in Afghanistan, about issues including the rising problem of Afghan soldiers and police officers killing NATO troops.

Indian paramilitary forces patrol the streets in Bangalore August 18. Hundreds of Indians from the northeast were leaving Bangalore and other towns, spurred by rumors they would be attacked in retaliation for communal violence in Assam. incidents show that elements engaged in anti-India propaganda have continued to be active in Pakistan, said sources. During the talks, India is also set to highlight the activities of Hafiz Saeed, the alleged 26/11 mastermind, who continues to spout antiIndia rhetoric with impunity. Such anti-India campaigns were not conducive to creating a healthy atmosphere for improved relations, said sources. Thousands of people from the

Myanmar ends political, religious media censorship

Bangkok: The information ministry of Myanmar has cancelled censorship for the media publishing political and religious information, a Thai daily reported Monday. An international NGO, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), ranked Myanmar seventh in this year's list of 10 most-censored countries in the world. "Starting from August 20, all media publishing political and religious information are exempt from the obligation to get the approval of the information ministry's department of media control and registration before publishing," a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the Kom Chad Luek newspaper. The reform, the latest in a series of pro-democratic changes, might lead to an end to the country's censorship history that lasted for more than five decades. Information Minister Kyaw Hsan announced in March that censorship was abolished for 173 dailies and weeklies and 124 magazines publishing information about culture, sports, fashion, science and technology, but religious and political information remained under state control.

Insane to accuse girl of blasphemy: Pak daily

Islamabad: The blasphemy law has "What this mob did not take into become a death warrant at the hands account is that the girl is afflicted with of mob vigilantism, a Pakistani daily Down syndrome and that without having the ability to think, how could said after an 11-year-old girl afflicted she know that she was soiling somewith Down syndrome was accused of blasphemy and sent to jail. thing holy and revered?" it asked. In an editorial "Another mad act", The daily said that this is not the Daily Times Monday cited news only case of so-called blasphemy followed blindly and taken up as a matreports as saying that Rifta Masih, 11, has been sent to jail for committing Rifta Masih: a minor Christian ter of life and death. blasphemy. "Even those who dared speak against girl suffering from Down "She was caught tearing and dumpthe abuse of this law had to pay with Syndrome ing a few pages of Quranic text while their lives like the late governor of playing outside her home in Islamabad. The act enraged Punjab Salmaan Taseer and federal minister of minoriMuslims in the neighborhood who immediately tried to ties Shahbaz Bhatti." intimidate and pressurize the police to arrest the girl and "This case shows the depth of the abyss into which people have fallen in Pakistan," it added. her mother.

764 Pakistanis granted Indian citizenship in 2009-11; India ready to give long term visas to Pak Hindus
New Delhi: As many as 764 Pakistani nationals were granted Indian citizenship during 2009-11, Minister of State of Home Affairs M. Ramachandran told the Rajya Sabha Wednesday. Ramachandran said that 1,290 applications of Pakistani nationals were received from various state governments/union territories for grant of Indian citizenship by registration and naturalization during last three years (2009-2011). "Indian citizenship was granted to 764 Pakistan nationals during this period," he said. The minister said that the grant of Indian citizenship is a multi-level and multi-agency activity. "Since initial application is submitted to the collector concerned and a number of agencies are involved in grant long-term visas to those who want to stay back in the country. Around 250 Pakistani Hindus recently moved to India after promising Pakistani authorities there that they will return after their pilgrimage. Many of them have complained of ill-treatment and persecution in Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad. "We can grant them long-term visas if they apply under rules of the India-Pakistan visas," government sources said here Thursday. Most Pakistani Hindus have come on a month-long visa here for pilgrimage, but many of them have voiced their desire not to go back to Pakistan. The Indian government has, however, rejected Pakistan's charges of a "conspiracy" about giving so many visas to Pakistani Hindus, saying due process and diligence was exercised in accordance with the India-Pakistan visa pact which regulates travel between the two countries. "Pakistan has an exit control policy which empowers them to detain any traveler if the visas were not issued in proper categories and following the prescribed system," said the sources. The treatment of Hindus in Pakistan has evoked concerns across the political spectrum in India. The BJP has demanded the government rehabilitate the Hindus who have arrived in India from Pakistan. Parliamentarians and politicians across the political divide Monday expressed concern over the plight of the minority Hindus in Pakistan and urged the government to spell out what action it has taken in the matter.

Pakistani Hindu pilgrims arrive at the India-Pakistan border border post in Wagah. the processing of applications for ministry are processed as expedigrant of citizenship, no case/religion tiously as possible," he added. based centralized data of such appliWith growing concern over the cations is maintained," plight of several hundred Pakistani Ramachandran said. Hindus coming to India, the govern"All cases received in the home ment Thursday said it was willing to

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August 25-31, 2012

Israel may attack Iran before US election: Report

London: Israel is planning a military strike against Iran's nuclear program before the US presidential elections in November, a media report said. According to British officials, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has begun a process of getting support for airstrikes and build a case for military action, the Daily Mail reported. A military correspondent for Israel's Channel 10 News said the country was "closer than ever" to a strike against Iran. He said Netanyahu was "determined" to attack Iran before the US election Nov 6. Israeli leaders believe that President Barack Obama would be forced to back an Israeli strike, even though US military chiefs are against it, for fear of alienating Jewish voters. Tensions have grown after Iran displayed a new arsenal of Fateh110 short-range missiles designed to destroy targets within 300 km, including US warships in the Persian Gulf. Netanyahu has described Iran's nuclear ambitions as "an existential threat" that could be used to destroy the Jewish state. British and American security chiefs believe military action would spark a lethal Middle East conflict. British diplomats and intelligence chiefs believe Netanyahu is preparing the ground for possible military action but stress they have no foreknowledge of any attack. "We would not expect to know anything about it in advance," an official said. "It is not even clear whether they would tell the Americans until very close to the act itself, or possibly slightly after it." Obama has sent many senior officials to Israel in recent months, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to try to persuade Netanyahu that the sanctions in place will force Iran to abandon its nuclear program. Even Israeli defence and intelligence figures have opposed an Israeli attack. Military analysts have warned that, without US bunker-busting bombs and other vital armaments, Israel cannot destroy Iran's welldefended nuclear installations.

Raiding embassy for Assange will be 'suicidal', Ecuador tells UK

London: It would be "suicide" for Britain to enter Ecuador's embassy in London to arrest WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Ecuador President Rafael Correa has warned. Correa warned such a provocative precedent would leave British embassies across the world facing similar "violating" moves by foreign governments, the Telegraph reported. In an interview with Ecuador's state TV, Correa suggested the diplomatic impasse with Britain was no closer to being solved. He said that because British diplomats had yet to apologize or retract its threat to enter the London embassy, the "danger still exists". Assange is at the centre of a diplomatic row involving six countries on five continents, having skipped bail to avoid extradition to Sweden. The British Foreign Office has insisted it will not grant Assange "safe passage" to Ecuador as it seeks a diplomatic solution to him being given asylum. Assange, who is wanted in Sweden on allegations of serious sexual assault, has been warned that he faces immediate arrest if he steps outside the embassy in Knightsbridge. Despite claims by Julian Assange that Washington is plotting to extradite and execute him, U.S. and European government sources say the US has issued no criminal charges against the WikiLeaks founder and has

Harry to face Queens wrath after naked photos from Vegas romp
London: Prince Harry flew back to England late Tuesday to face a dressing down from his grandmother, the Queen, over photos of the naked noble cavorting around a pool table with some equally uninhibited women in a game of strip billiards that surfaced on TMZ.com. Sources told the gossip site that Harry and friends invited a bevy of beauties up to his VIP suite at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino last Friday. A round of strip pool erupted, and apparently everyone lost. One photo shows Harry in the buff being embraced from behind by a topless woman, while another has him pulling the same move on a nude lass next to the pool table. Before boarding a London-bound flight from Los Angeles, the redfaced royal still made time to hug a mysterious blonde woman as a photographer snapped pictures. Reached for comment, Clarence House, Harry's official residence

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange spoke to the media outside the Ecuador embassy in west London Sunday. launched no attempt to extradite him. Moreover, Obama administration officials remain divided over the wisdom of prosecuting Assange, the sources said, and the likelihood of U.S. criminal charges against him is probably receding rather than growing. The Obama administration has said Assange's immediate fate is in the hands of Britain, Sweden and Ecuador. Earlier this year, British authorities obtained a court order authorizing them to extradite Assange to Sweden for questioning in a sexual molestation case. Assange took refuge in Ecuador's London embassy a few days before his extradition was due to occur and Ecuador last week offered him permanent asylum.

The naked photos of Prince Harry surfaced on celeb gossip site TMZ.com. and household, told the Daily News that Harry was on a private holiday and due back in the UK soon. The prince, who is set to resume his military duties upon his return to the United Kingdom, could face censure or be reprimanded by the Army for "social misbehavior," military experts told London's Telegraph.

Battles rage on across Syria, UN observers keep leaving

Damascus: The battles in Syria rocked on in a number of battered areas on Wednesday, gaining momentum notably in the capital Damascus at the time the UN observers are leaving Syria one group after another after their mission ended up Sunday with an abject failure. Sources said the armed opposition fighters have tried to boldly attack the military airport in alMazzeh district earlier in the day, prompting the government troops to fend off the attack by hammering the armed rebels' strongholds with artilleries. Sounds of shelling and gunfire have been heard echoing in a number of areas all day and overnight Wednesday, as witnesses said that the clashes have been raging on at a cluster of adjacent areas in Damascus mainly, Kafar-Suseh orchards, Darayya, Mu' adamiyat al-Sham, al-Razi orchards and the Aisha river slum. The state news agency SANA said that the authorities seized a big quantity of weapons and ammunition while storming a hideout for an "armed terrorist group" at Mu'adamiyat al-Sham. It said the Syrian forces also clashed with an armed group at the Darayya orchards area, adding that the clash left all the group's members dead. Urban fights have also cast its lumpish shadow on other areas near Damascus, such as the Harasta suburb, witnesses said. Meanwhile, fighting continued unabatedly in a number of areas in the northern Aleppo province amid reports that the Syrian troops are making progress in its feverish operation to root out armed insurgency from the northern area. SANA said that the Syrian troops are "severely hitting the mercenary terrorists" in a number of neighborhoods in Aleppo, adding that scores of "terrorists" were killed Wednesday across Aleppo. Meanwhile in the day, the oppositional Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a woman was killed by the government forces bombardment on the Hanano neighborhood of Aleppo, adding that the neighborhoods of al-Midan, al-Sha'ar, and most of the neighborhoods at the east wing of Aleppo were bombarded Wednesday. In Damascus, the Observatory said dozens of bodies had been found tossed at al-Qaboun neighborhood, adding that the victims were thought to have been killed by point-blank gunshots. The Observatory also reported clashes and violence in the eastern Deir al-Zour, central Hama, southern Daraa and northern Idlib province. It said that as many as 120 Syrians were killed Wednesday, 60 of whom were unarmed civilians as the rest of the alleged toll is split between rebels and government troops. Yet, such account could not be verified independently. As the fighting drags on, the UN observers are keeping on leaving Syria one batch after another after their mission expired Sunday. A total of 18 UN observers left Syria on Wednesday, with the rest of them expected to leave by next

Torched Syrian Army tanks litter an avenue in Tariq al-Bab, a rebel-held area. Friday. Most of the mission's Their mandate was extended in members have already left the July for a final 30 days and a new unrest- ravaged country after their head for the mission was also role had turned from observing a appointed. cease- fire into witnessing an However, there was no sign the ongoing escalation of violence. violence was declining, which The UN Supervision Mission in prompted the UN Security Council Syria (UNSMIS) suspended its not to further extend the mission field trips in June, citing the esca- but only left a civilian office in lating violence that has not even Damascus to keep a foothold in spared their convoys some attacks. case the situation gets better.

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Business TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

Investors apprehensive of Bengal's policies: Assocham

Kolkata : The West Bengal government must take measures to attract big investment as industrialists are still "very apprehensive" about its policies, industry group Assocham said Wednesday. "Still the people are very apprehensive of the state government...Once they attract an investment to the extent of Rs.10,000crore or so, then that will be the real indication that the state is willing to attract investors," Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) secretary general D.S. Rawat told reporters here on the sidelines of a seminar on "Positioning BengalPartnering for Growth, Development and Sustainable Security". He said investment proposals to the tune of Rs.5.84 lakh crore were still pending with the state due to a global economic slowdown coupled with a "wait-and-watch policy" taken by the entrepreneurs in the post-Singur land agitation scenario. "People also became apprehensive that what has happened to the Nano (car's Singur) project should not happen to me. And therefore a waitand-watch policy was adopted," he said. Tata Motors had pulled out its Nano car project from Singur town in Hooghly district following a strong anti-land acquisition movement there. "The state should say come what may, they are going to support the project and it will come up on time," Rawat said. According to a study released by Assocham, "Job Trends Across Cities and Sectors", job creation in Kolkata dipped over 33 percent in the first quarter of this fiscal as compared to the preceding quarter. More than 1.5 lakh jobs were generated across India in the fourth quarter of the last financial year, of which over 8,200 were generated in the city. Kolkata's share in total job creation across the country was a paltry 4.3 percent as compared with Delhinational capital region, which accounted for over 23 percent, the study said.

Sensex ends 38 points down; BhartiAirtel drops 3.85 percent

Mumbai : A benchmark index of Indian equities markets closed 38 points down Wednesday in choppy trade that saw realty and power stocks coming under intense selling pressure amid weak global cues. The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 17,827.25 points, closed at 17,846.86 points, 0.21 percent or 38.40 points down from its previous day's close at 17,885.26 points. "Market closed negative on global cues. It may correct further till 5,380 Nifty and if broken till 5,330 whereas upside seems capped at 5,500 in this settlement," said Kishor P. Ostwal, chairman and managing director, CNI Research. The Sensex touched a high of 17,912.08 points and a low of 17,800.29 points in intra-day trade. The wider 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange closed 0.15 percent down at 5,412.85 points. The BSE realty index was down 16.10 points and so was the power index, down 15.97 points. The biggest Sensex loser was BhartiAirtel, down 3.85 percent at Rs.248.70. The scrip dropped after foreign brokerage Credit Suisse downgraded the firm. The other major Sensex losers were SterliteInds, down 1.32 percent at Rs.112.20; NTPC, down 1.32 percent at Rs.171.50; Gail India, down 1.04 percent at Rs.366; and RIL, down 0.90 percent at Rs.807. The major Sensex gainers were DrReddys Lab, up 1.05 percent at Rs.1,676.50; Coal India, up 0.94 percent at Rs.355.35; Infosys, up 0.93 percent at Rs.2,429.40; Bajaj Auto, up 0.86 percent at Rs.1,726.75; and Hero MotoCorp, up 0.85 percent at Rs.1,935.10. Among other Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei closed down 0.27 percent while Shanghai's composite index closed 0.50 percent down. Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed 1.06 percent down. At closing bell here, European markets were in the red too. France's CAC was down 0.91 percent. Germany's DAX and Britain's FTSE 100 were down 0.98 percent and 1.21 percent, respectively.

Apple becomes most valuable company in history

New York : US technology giant Apple has become the most valuable public company in history with its market value hitting $623 billion in intraday trading eclipsing Microsoft's record of $618.9 billion. Apple's market value Monday topped the record set by Microsoft Dec 30, 1999, at the height of the dotcom bubble, as its stock rose to new high of $664.74 per share, CNNMoney reported citing S&P's senior index analyst Howard Silverblatt. The anticipated September launch of the new iPhone, coupled with rumors of a smaller iPad and a more feature-rich Apple TV have lifted the stock in recent weeks. It is a stunning achievement for a company that was a struggling also-ran when Microsoft was setting records in the late 1990s, CNNMoney said, noting Apple was valued at less than $10 billion as recently as 2004, and at $100 billion just three years ago. Since 2007, however, Apple has been an unstoppable force. Its iPhone business alone now brings in more money than Microsoft and the iPad has become a multi-billion dollar product for Apple. Apple is on pace to be the world's largest technology company in terms of sales by the end of the year, and it is among the most profitable companies in the world, CNNMoney said. In the last three months of 2011, Apple made $13 billion -- second only to ExxonMobil's record-setting $14.8 billion quarter from the fall of 2008, when oil prices were at an all-time high. Its growth continues unabated with Apple stock soaring 64 percent in 2012. However, Microsoft still holds the record for most valuable company on the stock market if inflation is taken into account. In 2012 dollars, Microsoft's all-time high would have amounted to $851 billion. To hit that mark, Apple's stock would have to reach $908 per share, CNNMoney said.

Reliance Life Insurance in talk with banks for tie-up

Bangkok : The Reliance Life Insurance Company, a unit of the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Capital, is in talks with several public and private sector banks to utilize their services in offering insurance products, a senior official has said. "We are in talks with several banks, including public sector banks for bancassurance," said Malay Ghosh, president and executive director of Reliance Life Insurance. Ghosh said bancassurance was a big distribution gap for Reliance Life Insurance Company and tieup with banks was necessary for boosting the business. "Being a late entrant in the business, we have very limited option of choosing a bank partner, because most of them are either having an insurance unit themselves or have already entered into tie-up with other firms," Ghosh said. Bancassurance refers to banks acting as corporate agents for insurance companies to distribute insurance products, which include life as well as non-life insurance products. Ghosh said Reliance Life Insurance was pushing for changes in regulation to allow banks to have more than one partner for selling insurance products. Under the current Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) regulations, one bank can tie-up with only one insurance company for bancassurance.

Millionaires prefer Romney over Obama in President poll

Washington D.C. : Why is Romney raising more money than Obama? The answer may lie in which candidate do millionaires prefer in this upcoming Presidential Election. SeekingArrangement.com, the worlds largest sugar daddy dating website, posed this question to over 10,000 of its American Sugar Daddy members after Romney announced Paul Ryan as his running mate. While Sugar Babies preferred Obama to Romney by a ratio of almost 3 to 1, wealthy Sugar Daddies on the other hand agreed with the websites endorsement of Mitt Romney for President earlier this year:42.06% said they prefer Romney, 34.59% said they prefer Obama, 14.65% said they prefer neither candidates and 8.71% said they are undecided. The poll further asked each respondent how much money they have or will contribute to their preferred candidates campaign. Over 73.2% of the Romney millionaires say they have or will contribute an average of $1,758 to his campaign, while only 58.1% of the Obama millionaires say they have or will contribute an average of $1,192 to his campaign. While poorer female sugar babies had chosen Obama over Romney by 3 to 1 in an earlier poll, millionaires in America prefer Romney for President, says Brandon Wade, Founder & CEO of SeekingArrangement.com. What is significant is that millionaires who support Romney are more willing to contribute money to his campaign than are millionaires who support Obama. Romney will have a significant fund-raising edge with millionaires over Obama in this upcoming election.

Major lenders like State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank have their own insurance unit. Those who don't have insurance units have already tied up with insurance firms long before Reliance set up its insurance unit. Bancassurance has been allowed in India since 2002 following an amendment to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) Act. Most of the lenders entered into partnership with insurance firms soon after. Reliance started its insurance business in 2006. Ghosh said Reliance Life Insurance was in talk with several banks and as soon as regulation allowed it would enter into the partnership. "We are looking for a long-term partnership and might offer a small equity stake say up to five percent to banks," he said. The business of Reliance Life Insurance, which has over Rs.18,700crore assets under management, is largely driven by agents working on commission basis. At the end of the last financial year, the company had 150,000 agents, also called insurance advisors. It also has 35 corporate agents and 72 brokers. Over 60 percent of the company's insurance policy is sold through agents.

Sports TheSouthAsianTimes.info

23

August 25-31, 2012

Golf: Sharmila ahead by two strokes

Bangalore: Sharmila Nicollet shot a one-under 71 Wednesday in her first tournament in India in more than six months and the only sub-par card of the day giving the 21-year-old a two-stroke lead in the Rs.10 lakh Hero-KGA Women's Pro Golf event. Sharmila was two strokes clear of NehaTripathi (73) and Saaniya Sharma (73) and three ahead of Nalini Singh Siwach (74) and local amateur Aditi Ashok (74). VaniKapoor, making her debut as a professional went into the water on the first hole, but still finished the day with an impressive 75 to lie sixth. Seasoned SmritiMehra had a tough day with a five-over 77. Sharmila, who last played on the domestic Tour late last year, has been on the Ladies European Tour (LET) since. "I played well and hit the ball well and am happy overall with the game," she said. "I want to do well and get back my confidence before I go for more events in Asia and Europe. I know there is room for improvement," Sharmila added. Sharmila, who won twice in the 10 events she played on the domestic Tour last season, had four birdies and three bogeys. "The good thing is the 71 came despite three bogeys on par-fives, which is usually my strength. All my bogeys came on par-fives and that really is unusual because I can reach most of these par-fives in two (shots). "But it also means I can look forward to doing better tomorrow," she said picking the positives from the first

U-19 World Cup: India faces New Zealand for place in final
Townsville, Australia: As the Indian senior team takes on New Zealand in the first of the two-match Test series starting in Hyderabad, the colts from either side will be locking horns to book a place in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup final here Thursday. Both the semi-finalists booked their berths after registering thrilling victories in their respective quarterfinals Monday. While, India held on to clinch an enthralling one-wicket win against arch-rivals Pakistan here at the Tony Ireland Stadium, New Zealand snatched a win from the jaws of defeat over an in-form West Indies at the Endeavour Park. The venue for the semis, Tony Ireland Stadium, should be advantageous for the sub-continental team as they have played three matches so far at the ground. The Black Caps, however, will be making their debut at the venue. But to be fair, the Indian batsmen have failed to impress on the ground. They have regularly lost wickets in all the matches they have played here. Against the West Indies, India lost scoring just 166/8. Against Zimbabwe they made 261, but were in danger of scoring much less after a good start. And in the last match against Pakistan, the two-time champions almost gave away the match chasing a meager score of 136, winning with just one wicket in hand. If India wins, they will reach their fourth final equaling Pakistan as the most number of times a team has made the title clash. New Zealand reached their only final in the 1998 edition when they lost to England. Defending champions Australia are already in the final, having beaten South Africa in the first semi-final Tuesday.

Sharmila-Nicollet round. Sharmila was the only player to bogey three parfives. NehaTripathi, who won the season opener last year, had a great day with five birdies - the most by any player on the first day - but she also gave away six bogeys in her card of 73. The bad patch for Neha came from the sixth to ninth, when she bogeyed four in a row. She had birdies on first, second, 10th, 11th and 16th. Saaniya, who also had one win last season, had three birdies, all on back nine, and four bogeys, three of them also on the return journey. "I hit the ball well and from that point I am happy with my game and I don't want to think negative," said Chandigarh girl Saaniya. Amateur Aditi, who won an event on pro tour last year, shot 74 with two birdies and four bogeys. She was all over the course, but her amazing putting saved the day. She found just three greens in regulation, but needed only 23 putts.

Adriano signs with Flamengo

Kiwis' confidence up in absence of Dravid, Laxman

Hyderabad: New Zealand captain Ross Taylor said the confidence of his team has gone up in the absence of experienced Indian batsmen Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman, who have retired from international cricket. Talking to reporters Wednesday ahead of the first Test starting here Thursday, Taylor said his team would try to put pressure on whoever replaces the two batsmen. "I won't say it is going to be easy but the confidence of the group goes up not having to get Rahul and Laxman who were quality players but it gives an opportunity for youngsters," he said. The Black Caps captain said his team would approach the series being as positive as possible but admitted that it would have to improve the performance and play well than they did in the West Indies. "We didn't play as well as we should have been in the West Indies. This is a new era of New Zealand cricket under coach Mike Hesson," he said, hoping that the series would be a turnaround for them. Describing India as a tough opposition, Taylor said his team was capable of delivering the match-winning performances. He said Hesson was great for the group and brought new energy. "Any new coach will have different philosophies and theories. The team is responding well." Asked about the plans to check Sachin Tendulkar, the Kiwis skipper said the team had plans for all. "Sachin is a world-class player but we have lot of other players to watch out for. We will not be focusing only on one individual." On the absence of Daniel Vettori, he

Ross Taylor
said New Zealand would miss his experience but felt it gives an opportunity to others to have a go. "Daniel played most tests for New Zealand you can never replace that but it gives an opportunity to others and hopefully in these cloudy conditions in which we are expecting swing and swung, they will come good."

Adriano Rio de Janeiro: Former Brazil international striker Adriano has signed with Flamengo football club on a performance-based contract until the end of the year. Flamengo confirmed on its official website Tuesday that the 30year-old had committed to his third spell at the Rio de Janeiro club, reports Xinhua. In a written statement issued to the media, Adriano said he felt like he was home and promised to repay the club's faith. "I want to express my gratitude to all those who have supported me," Adriano said. "Now I want to honor the shirt of the club I call home with plenty of goals. It's impossible to describe the happiness I'm feeling now." Adriano has been given the No.10 shirt and will officially begin training with his new teammates Wednesday. The former Inter Milan and Roma forward has not played since March when he injured his left achilles tendon while playing for Corinthians against Santos. He was released by the Sao Paulo club days later amid allegations of disciplinary problems, which Adriano has denied. Following surgery to repair the damaged tendon in April, Flamengo helped Adriano recuperate under the guidance of the club's medical staff. He was cleared Monday to begin training again by the club's doctor Jose LuizRunco. Given his history of off-field controversy, Flamengo has been cautious in drafting the terms of the new contract. It is understood Adriano will need to meet several conditions mutually agreed to by player and club - if he is to continue at the club beyond December. Adriano helped Flamengo win the 2009 Brazilian SeriesA title with 19 goals from 31 matches.

Kuznetsova to miss US Open for 'recovery'

Moscow: Two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova will miss the upcoming US Open to recover from injury. Kuznetsova, Estonia's world No.15 KaiaKanepi and Italy's 18th-ranked FlaviaPennetta were added to the US Open's list of withdrawn players Monday, although organizers did not specify why any of the three had withdrawn. "I've pulled out of the US Open," Kuznetsova said on Twitter Tuesday."One of my very favorite events. I'm going to continue my recovery." Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion and 2009 French Open winner, has spent several weeks away from competition with a knee injury. Pennetta blamed a long-running wrist problem for her absence in a statement on Twitter Monday, while Kanepi missed Wimbledon last month with tendinitis. Earlier this month, men's No.3 Rafael Nadal withdrew from the tournament with tendinitis after missing the London Olympics. Others missing the tournament include France's Gael Monfils, Spain's Juan Carlos

Svetlana Kuznetsova Ferrero and British player Elena Baltacha. Qualifying for the US Open starts Tuesday, with the main draw to be made Thursday and main draw play scheduled to start Monday. The women's final will be played Sep 8, with the men's final a day later.

24

Law TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

Guilty until proven innocent

12 things you should know if falsely accused
Michelle Gesse, whose husband lived the nightmare of being falsely accused of a felony, explains what all Americans need to know about the criminal justice system.
he scary part of this story is how easily it could happen to any one of us. Steven and Michelle Gesse thought that the small dinner party they hosted in April 2009 would be just that: a pleasant gathering of neighbors over good food and good wine. Instead, it turned out to be the beginning of a nightmarish spiral into a confusing and frightening justice system that in practice, if not in theory, considers you to be guilty until proven innocent. During dinner that night, Steven made an offhand comment that offended one of our guests, recalls Michelle, author of the new book Bogus Allegations: The Injustice of Guilty Until Proven Innocent (Johnson Books). The neighbors son, who had also been a guest at the dinner party (and was an active Navy Seal), returned later in the evening threatening Steven and demanding an apology. Thinking, Okay, Ill go over and apologize and be done with it, Steven went next door to try to smooth things over. Later that night the Gesses were shocked when law enforcement officers arrived at their home in the middle of the night to arrest Steven and search their home. As it turned out, Michelle reports, the son of the offended guest had falsely accused Steven of threatening him with a gun. Over the next seven months, she would watch helplessly as her innocent husband was treated by the justice system as a criminal whose guilt was already assumed. We were in and out of court, and were forced to spend our retirement money to fund Stevens defense. And as part of the conditions of his bail, Steven had to receive special permission to leave the state, and had to meet regularly with a drug counselor, she says. In October 2009, Steven was found not guilty of Felony Menacing and Prohibited Use of a Weapon by a jury. Yet being exonerated did not make up for the fact that he had been treated like a convicted felon. The unfairness of it all set Michelle Gesse on a mission to shine a spotlight on the injustices of the American justice systemand to make people aware of what to do in case they are ever falsely accused. Here are 12 lessons that Michelle Gesse has learned in the Criminal Justice School of Hard Knocks.

The criminal justice system is focused on prosecution and on garnering guilty verdicts, so dont expect a full-scale Law and Orderor CSI-type investigation. Instead, expect to be prosecuted even if the facts and evidence dont support a guilty verdict. Unless your case is extremely high-profile, its unlikely that the prosecutor will even review the case file until shortly before the trial. And the prosecutor will proceed even when the supposed victim indicates that he or she prefers to put an end to the proceeding. Meanwhile, you might be forced to live under court-ordered stipulations that resemble nothing so much as parole. Proving your innocence comes with a very high price tag. Proceeding to trial doubled the Gesses legal expenses and made the process last twice as long. In contrast, the false accuser did not have to pay legal fees, and his transportation to and from the trial was covered. And the sad reality is that the Gesses had no recourse to either the individuals or the legal system that falsely accused them and prosecuted them even after Steven was found not guilty. Getting a lawyer doesnt imply guilt. (In fact, innocent people need the most help!) TV shows make it seem like getting representation implies guilt. But if youre ever falsely accused of a crime in real life, youve never needed a lawyer more. As an innocent person, you have no idea whats going on, what to expect, or how to handle the many obstacles that will be thrown in your path. You certainly arent equipped to represent yourself in court. So yes, youll definitely need the help of an experienced professional if you dont want to end up serving time for a crime you didnt commit. Dont skimp on a lawyer. If you are falsely accused of a crime and decide to proceed to trial, dont skimp on a lawyer. This is not the time to save money. If your finances are tight, shop at discount stores and give up steak and winebut dont look for bargain legal counsel. If you simply cannot afford a lawyer, public defenders are an option, though a public defender will try to dispose of your case by urging you to take a plea bargain offer. Public defenders are overworked and have a lot of cases, so theyre probably looking for the easiest and fastest solution.

Yes, it can happen to you or your loved one. should think through and be prepared for a possible arrest. Its a good idea to think about what you would do if you were confronted by the police at your own front door, or how you might respond if you received a phone call telling you that a loved one had been arrested. Likewise, have the talk with your kids about what they should do if they are ever arrested or interrogated by law enforcement officers, regardless of the reason. Be the first to call 911. The person to call 911 is always going to be considered the victim, regardless of the circumstances. If you find yourself in any sort of threatening situation, whether its with a family member, friend, coworker, or complete stranger, dont hesitate. Be the first to call 911. The so-called victim always receives support from victims advocates, the press, law enforcement, the community, etc., while you and your family are on your own to clear your name. Being the first to pick up the phone can save you an unimaginable amount of stress, time, notoriety, and money. Everyone involved has the right to remain silent. Even if you arent the person being accused of a crime, exercise your right to remain silent! Dont talk to anyone without a lawyer present. Insist on a search warrant, even if you have nothing to hide. If you know that you have not committed any wrongdoing and have nothing to hide, you may be tempted to think The more cooperative I am, the sooner this will be over. But squelch the impulse to be open and helpful, and dont allow anyone to search your house without a warrant. It can tell your lawyer what the police were looking for. And if the search wasnt executed properly, having the warrant might make whatever was found ineligible to be introduced as evidence. Remember, its always best to have physical documentation when youre dealing with the criminal justice system. Realize that the criminal justice system is hard on the innocent. From TV shows or movies based around the legal system, you might believe that the law officers, investigators, and prosecutors are going to search for the truth and examine the evidence before prosecuting. But thats Hollywoodreality looks very different. But the criminal justice system in the US is a flow system. The system wants to dispose of as many cases as quickly as possible. They do this by negotiating plea bargains. A plea bargain is the quickest and least expensive way for them and for you to end the process. Accepting a plea bargain even to a lesser offense, however, may mean having a criminal record as well as having conditions imposed on you like alcohol testing, community service, or limits on travel. Otherwise, you end up paying financially and emotionally for not playing the game the systems way. Expect to be treated like youre guilty.

Youre not as alone as you think you are. If you ever find yourself or a loved one falsely accused of a crime, youll probably feel alone and totally adrift. But keep in mind that more people than you would ever expect have found themselves in this situation. Unfortunately, an unwarranted sense of shame keeps most falsely accused individuals from sharing their stories. Dont be afraid to do your own research on the subject of false accusations or to reach out to others who have been there. You will need to establish your own safety net of a very small number of individuals with whom you can confide. I have been amazed by the number of people who have told me similar stories about themselves, their family, or friends after Bogus Allegations was published, Gesse shares. These stories include an ex-boyfriend accusing a former girlfriend of a felony in order to get her deported, an ex-wife accusing her former spouse of hiding financial assets, and a teenage girl accusing a young man of inappropriate sexual advances. Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster. If the process of going to trial is financially costly, its every bit as brutal on your emotional reserves. Expect for everyone in the family to feel stress, fear, anger, and exhaustion on a regular basis. You might cry easily, little things will make you mad, and your sex life will likely suffer. So cut yourself and your loved ones some slack, and be easy on yourselves. This is not the time to go on a diet or start a new job. And dont worryfeeling this way is normal. Youll find out who your true friends are. If you are wrongfully accused of a crime, youll probably be surprised and saddened by the number of people in your life who dont want to be involved. People whom you had considered to be friends may pull away, become distant, or even refuse to help. Unfortunately, many individuals may feel so awkward even approaching the topic that they avoid it, denying you the support you need so badly. Sadly other friends may assume that since you have been arrested, you are probably guilty. Michelle Gesse, the author of Bogus Allegations lives in Boulder, Co, with her husband. She has an MBA from the University of Chicago, has worked in banking and ran a manufacturing company.

Have an arrest plan in place (yes, it could happen to you). Your family may have a wildfire, hurricane, tornado, or earthquake plan in place. In the same way, you

Lifestyle TheSouthAsianTimes.info

25

August 25-31, 2012

Social rejection can spur inventiveness

ocial rejection can spur inventiveness, rather than a feeling of hurt, particularly among those with a strong sense of independence or self esteem, suggests a Johns Hopkins's study. "For people who already feel separate from the crowd, social rejection can be a form of validation," says Johns Hopkins assistant professor Sharon Kim, who led the study. "Rejection confirms for independent people what they already feel

about themselves, that they're not like others. For such people, that distinction is a positive one leading them to greater creativity," Kim was quoted as saying in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Conversely, social rejection has the opposite effect on people who value belonging to a group: It inhibits their cognitive ability. Kim says numerous psychological studies over the years have made this finding, according to a Johns

Hopkins statement. With her co-authors, Lynne Vincent and Jack Goncalo of Cornell University, she decided to consider the impact of rejection on people who take pride in being different from the norm. Such individuals, in a term from the study, are described as possessing an "independent self-concept". "We're seeing in society a growing concern about the negative consequences of social rejection, thanks

largely to media reports about bullying that occurs at school, in the workplace, and online," said Kim. "Obviously, bullying is reprehensible and produces nothing good. What we tried to show in our paper is that exclusion from a group can sometimes lead to a positive outcome when independently minded people are the ones being excluded," said Kim, who earned her doctorate in organizational behavior from Cornell.

Kim states that the paper has practical implications for business because of the desire among managers to employ imaginative thinkers who can maximize creativity. A company might want to take a second look at a job candidate whose unconventional personality might make him an easy target for rejection, but whose inventiveness would be a valuable asset to the organization, the study concluded.

From Hollywood to Bollywood, tribal fashion gets modern makeover

Rohit Bal wants to dress up Riya Sen

ell-known designer RohitBal, known for his signature peacock and lotus motifs, wishes to dress up RiyaSen whom he describes as "the most beautiful face". "Riya has not got her due credit in the film industry. But she has the most beautiful face I have ever seen. She is a typical Bengali beauty. I would love to dress her up," Balsaid at an event here. However, he considers Bollywood actress SonamKapoor as the best dressed person in the country. Asked about the Bengali beauty he adores the most irrespective of age, Bal replied: "Obviously it's Riya's grandmother, Suchitra Sen." The ace designer thinks Delhi Couture Week "is becoming an important fashion event in the country". "The best part of the show was that I was not participating. I was chilling out, watching all the shows and having a great time. I am happy to be a part of it by not being a part of it," he said. He was here to inaugurate Veda, his signature restaurant at Park

ribal prints seem to have attracted the fantasy of fashionistas in a big way as a number of Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities are happily flaunting these in various modern styles, colors and silhouettes. From Bollywood divas like SonamKapoor, KarismaKapoor, MalaikaArora Khan to international fashion icons like Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Garner and Gwen Stefani, all of them have been seen wearing outfits with tribal prints. Fashion designer Indira BaikerikarGhosh, who owns a label called Indira and has worked closely with high-end brands like Anu in Australia and Djgin in France, feels social influences have played a pivotal role in bringing back the trend. "Social influence is always a part of setting a trend and fashion forecast. In today's socio-economic state, people want to move away from urban trend and return to the basics. So that is the reason why tribal art and culture is influencing the mind of the artist and the creator. The rural and relaxed art pleases the eye," Ghosh said. HomiAdajania's recent release "Cocktail" saw actresses DeepikaPadukone and Diana Penty creating a style statement with tribal looks, while international reality TV star Kim Kardashian stepped out in a one-shoulder, lime green tribal print dress at the Wet Republic grand opening party in Las Vegas. Designer PriaKataariaPuri feels comfort is another factor behind tribal (also known as African trends) making a comeback in a huge way. "Tribal prints are not only making a big comeback but also termed as hot trend for 2012. They are easy to carry as

they have a classic vintage feel; however the silhouettes are very modern in the form of mini-dresses, swimsuits, kaftan tops, maxis, halters, rompers. It's just that one needs to carry it with confidence and wear it more casually than opting for it formally," Purisaid. How to wear it the right way? "Most tribal prints are strong and oversized; so they look best when worn as your outfit's focal point or by pairing them with solid or neutral separates," said designer RitikaBharwani. "If you are wearing a dress, silhouettes such as shift dresses, maxis or tunics in flowing fabrics work well. Dresses and tops with subtle beading, raffia or fringing details work well," she added. Colour also plays an important role, said Bhirwani. "Although tribal prints in deep desert hues or earthy colors are all-time favorites, brighter hues such as orange, yellow and red have been seen as the hottest colors on the runway this season. So if you're new to wearing tribal prints, it is better to start with subtle colors and then move on to trying out bolder hues," she said. However, one has to be extra cautious while accessorizing the tribal outfit so that one doesn't overdo it, according to accessory designer Pallavi Foley. "Tribal trends are big, right from garments to accessories! This look should be dressed and styled with detail as the secret lies in keeping this look as an accent and not overdo it," she said. "Brooches, necklaces and belts can be best option. Also, folk or rural theme-inspired accessories are more suited such as beaded flats or feather earrings or jewellery, clips, made of bone, wood or ivory," said Foley.

Fashion designer Rohit Bal Street. The eatery specializes in North West Frontier and Mughlai cuisines and he summed up the fine dining experience there as "opulent" and "decadent". Kolkata is set to see a lot more of the fashion icon who thinks: "Fashion in Kolkata is intellectual, subdued and subtle due to its roots and culture. It is about the strength of women, the strong personality of women, but it is not loud." Giving a sneak-peek into his itinerary in Kolkata, he said: "I am actually planning on opening a small workshop here. Get a good team of craftsmen from Bengal. That's my plan for this trip."

t is the hometown of Santa Claus, but this Land of the Midnight Sun offers much, much more in terms of thrilling experience for adventure seekers and those looking for solitude and quiet. As one enters this capital city of Lapland - located in the northern Arctic Circle - from the airport, the silence and the wild expanse overwhelm one. As one moves on farther into the city, one realizes with a start that there are no cars around for miles - a far cry from bustling Delhi. The streets also look deserted, making one wonder about the people. But these are initial impressions. The neat rows of hotels, restaurants and nightclubs - including an exotic one - beckon you for chilled out evenings and nights. The best thing about this city,

which is a commercial center of Finland's northernmost province of Lapland, is that it can be visited both in summers and winters. Compared to Indian summers, the summers here are cool and windy and the sun gives one a warm, cozy

feeling lifting one's spirits. The Finns usually declare summers if it is over 20 Degrees Celsius. During winters this city, where the sun never sets in midsummer, turns into a fairyland. Winters are also the time when Christmas carols ring in

the air and one can even go for a ride on a reindeer-drawn sleigh Santa Claus' favorite ride. The Santa Claus village is not far from the city. For most visitors clicking a photograph with the most-loved man in red robes and flowing white beard is the high point of the visit. And if one is looking for gifts and souvenir shops, there is a wide variety to choose from. A beautifully decorated post office draws tourists. It is where "elves" help out -- either in writing a letter to Santa or buying a gift to take home. All letters to Santa Claus from all over the world land at this post office. Santa Claus has received 15.5 million letters from 198 countries since 1985. The true Lappish holiday, however, is not complete without experiencing the reindeer sleigh ride. But

it is available only in winters when thick snow covers the land, lending it an ethereal beauty. However, summer visitors need not feel disheartened - there are husky rides to compensate. Huskypoint, run by Aki Hulk and his wife Malla, has over 200 huskies. They arrange short to long distance dog-sled races during winters and summers. "This place is blessed. It shows its new side during different seasons," Jari Virtanen, managing director of Arctic Holidays Oy, said. "This place is where reality and fairytales meet on the border of the Arctic." "Every season in Rovaniemi is an unforgettable experience: the neverending summertime sunshine, the twilight period leading up to Christmas, and the melting snow in spring that looks like fields of glistening diamonds," he said.

26

Health TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

Kerala to take ayurveda tourism to next level

erala has now set its eyes on pushing tourism centered around ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of medicine and well-being, to the next level by promoting its curative and cosmetic properties. "Beaches, backwaters, hills and ayurveda are the four pillars of tourism in Kerala. We realize there is still a large potential within ayurveda to attract people to our state," says state Tourism Secretary Suman Billa. "So far, when it came to ayurveda, we mainly focused on well-being. But there are also the curative and cosmetic sides, and these are what we now also intend to promote," Billa said. "What we will offer is the art and science of living, and living well." He said while ayurvedic massages were hugely popular, attracting tourists from India and abroad, the system also offered cures for ailments such as back pain, rheumatism and psoriasis that needed to be advertised better. "Similarly, we have also promoted the integration of ayurveda with yoga so that when a tourist goes back after undergoing a treatment, he or she also maintains a healthy lifestyle on a daily basis," Billa said. "Surva namaskar, for example, is known to exercise as much as 97 percent of the muscles. So when a person undergoes an ayurvedic therapy, it seeks to restore a balance in your system, and yoga can help in maintaining it." Billa said a pilot project would also be started on a public-private partnership mode

30 minutes of daily exercise enough to lower weight

hirty minutes of daily exercise provides an equally effective loss of weight and body mass as does a 60minute routine, according to a Danish research. Forty percent of Danish men are moderately overweight. For 13 weeks, a research team at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences of the University of Copenhagen followed 60 heavy but healthy men in their efforts to get into better shape. Half of the men were set to exercise for an hour a day, wearing a heart-rate monitor and calorie counter, while the second group was to exercise for 30 minutes, the American Journal of Physiology reports. Research results showed that 30 minutes of exercise hard enough to produce a sweat was enough to turn the tide on an unhealthy body mass index, according to a Copenhagen statement. On average, the men who exercised 30 minutes a day lost 3.6 kilo in three months, while those who exercised for a whole hour only lost 2.7 kg. The reduction in body mass was about 4 kg for both groups, reports Mads Rosenkilde, doctoral student from the Department of Biomedical Sciences.

A treatment called shirodhara being extended at an ayurveda resort. In this form of treatment, specially cured oils are poured on the forehead for a deeply relaxing therapy and even remedies for some ailments. (Photo: Courtesy, Kerala Tourism).

where all forms of medicine and well-being -allopathy, ayurveda, unani and siddha -- will come under one roof to offer an integrated system. Towards this, he said, 25 acres had already

been acquired and that the project would be showcased prominently at the upcoming Emerging Kerala conclave in Kochi in September to attract potential partners. The location, he said, was at Nelliyampathy in Palaghat district, which is also a popular hill station surrounded by tea and coffee plantations with some breathtaking views. Billa said Ayurveda was endemic to the entire region but there was now some emerging competition from neighbouring Sri Lanka. This was being countered by branding and maintaining the quality of service, he said. The Kerala government already extends its approval to treatment-centers and resorts, and rates them as green leaf or olive leaf -- fivestar and three-star and above categories, respectively -- based on the service quality and facilities. Explaining how well the four pillars of tourism were intertwined in Kerala, Billa said visitors to the state generally seek to experience more than just one of these offerings by the state. "The average period of stay is 16.1 days for an international visitor and 6.8 days for domestic. You can see the average period of stay is high and allows people to experience more than just a beach, backwater, hill or ayurveda." Kerala received 10 million tourists last year, of which 9.2 million were from within India and 800,000 were from overseas. Britain, France, Russia were the main overseas markets.

In the works: A food additive to quell hunger

esearchers are developing a new 'antihunger' powder that dieters can just mix into curds or smoothies for freedom from the pangs of hunger. The new ingredient is a modified version of a common food additive, methyl cellulose. It could help people shed pounds by making them feel full after eating smaller amounts of food, according to German scientists. A trial by Dow Wolff Cellulosics, the company behind the product, showed that volunteers who ate food containing the additive consumed 13 percent fewer calories when given a second meal two hours later, the Telegraph reports. If further trials prove that it could be of benefit to dieters, the ingredient would be suitable for use in a variety of cold foods and drinks including yogurts, fruit shakes and smoothies, they said. CarstenHuettermann, the

Asking women what they want: A step to improve maternal health

as the labor room clean, was the medical staff polite and caring, were the mother and baby looked after properly? These are among questions proposed to be asked of women post delivery to determine if the quality of services provided at rural health centers was satisfactory and met expectations. "The aspect of care, respect for the woman's privacy, and good behavior by the medical staff -these are important indicators in enthusing women to want to go for institutional deliveries," says Sanghita Bhattacharyya, a senior public health specialist with the Public Health Foundation of India. "While women want a healthy child, what is equally important to them is that they want to be treated nicely during the delivery," Bhattacharyya said. The government's JananiSurakshaYojana, under which women going for free institutional deliveries are given Rs.1,400 as incentive, has helped increase the number of such deliveries from 53 percent in 2005 to 73 percent in 2009. But women are still made to spend money for deliveries, said Bhattacharyya who along with others has conducted a study on women's satisfaction with maternal health services in Jharkhand. "Women are made to cough up informal payments, for transport, medicines, which amounts to 40 percent more than the Rs.1,400 they get," she said. According to Bilal Avan of the London School of

German scientist from Dow Wolff, said: "With a sense of fullness and hunger-satisfaction, people would not crave more food. In our first study, we saw that fewer calories were consumed at the following meal after eating our new product." Huettermann presented the findings at a meeting of the American Chemical Society. The ingredient, known as SATISFIT-LTG, is a modified version of methyl cellulose, a food additive used as a binding agent in ready meals, baked goods and other snacks for 50 years. Methyl cellulose is a white powder which dissolves in cold water and, when heated, turns into a gelatin-like material that holds ingredients together and gives foods a more desirable texture. In its normal state, the ingredient passes through the stomach very quickly and does not make the person who has eaten it feel any less hungry.

Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the experience of satisfaction is an important criterion in helping women choose between home and institutional delivery. "While there is relatively less safety in home delivery, but the comfort level is high for them. They decide to go for home delivery though they know it will be safer at a public health center. Therefore quality of service is an area where we must concentrate to improve maternal health,' Avansaid on the sidelines of an event here With regard to cleanliness and hygiene, women were okay with the levels during home deliveries and did not have much expectations from institutions either, he said. According to P. Padmanabhan, advisor, National Health Systems Resource Centre, service providers have to be sensitized on issues of quality. He mentioned a health center that he visited recently where the "instruments in the labor room were rusted and the newly-born baby was kept on the floor. But the labor room was air conditioned". "If we have quality guidelines in place, it will lead to an attitudinal change in service providers," said Padmanabhan, adding that "there is reluctance on the part of the service provider to change coupled with low expectations on the part of beneficiaries". The Maternal Death Review could be an important tool to improve health care, suggested Padmanabhan.

Features TheSouthAsianTimes.info

27

August 25-31, 2012

World War II Jeeps are in vogue

Old jeeps from Word War II era are much in demand. The two editions of the Ford and Willys jeep rally in Jaipur have created new awareness about these beauties, spurring their acquisition and restoration.
By Prakash Bhandari in Jaipur hese sturdy machines of World War II that saw action in various parts of the world and were truly remembered as faithful war heroines are now prized possessions. These jeeps made between 1941 and 1945 in the US by Willys and Ford during are fetching very good prices. Despite this new craze the total number of such jeeps in India could be just a few hundred and only half of them can still run on the road, the remaining lying as disused vehicles that have seen better days. Daabwali in Punjab is the place where these old beauties are restored and new features added. Daabwali has numerous workshops where the restoration work goes on. Those collecting vintages are looking for these old jeeps that were auctioned off by the army after World War II. During that war, the Indian army received several thousand Willys and Ford jeeps which were phased out later. But those who bought them and used them for decades and then put them for permanent rest or sold as kabad are restoring them back. The restored jeeps are fetching Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh and one owner in Mumbai has put a tag of Rs 25 lakh on his 1942 Willys. The name Jeep has an interesting story to it. The first coinage of the word "JEEP", as applied to a motor vehicle, occurred during World War I. According to Major E.P. Hogan, who wrote a history of the development of the Jeep for the Army's Quartermaster review in 1941, "Jeep is an old Army grease monkey term that dates back to WWI and was used by shop mechanics in referring to any new motor vehicle received for a test." Jeep was still used in Army motor pools well into the 1930's as general purpose or "GP" for short. Though in a 1941 Army manual it refers "GP" as Government 80 inch wheel base car (Jeep). Then in 1936, 'Jeep' was introduced to the world by a Popeye comic strip character, "Eugene the Jeep". The only words Eugene could say were "Jeep, Jeep", and "GP" then became "Jeep". Then the "Willys Quarter-tonne Jeep was first used by the US military in WWII. When the WWII Jeep was issued during wartime, the term "Jeep" was here to stay. A further note to the history of the Jeep was provided by Rodney Hawk of US, "The American Bantam Car Works of Butler, PA, answered the

A remodelled and recreated World War II Willeys jeep is the prized possession of the owner.

A 1940 model jeep which is recreated by the owner ( Photos: Ashok Sharma )

A US army disposed off jeep which was sent to India for auction was restored and looks like a new vehicle even after 70 years. call of the US army and designed and successfully tested and demonstrated the jeep for the Army. Willys Overland and Fords entries did not meet the Army's specifications. American Bantam had a limited production capacity so the army took Bantams entry and gave it to Willys and Ford to produce. Unfortunately there was no recognition or compensation for American Bantam and the company shortly went bankrupt.' Bantam built the first Jeep in 1940. It was the Bantam Pilot (BRC-60). Seventy of these units were produced. Ford produced two units called the PYGMY. In 1941 they produced 3700 units called the Ford GP. Willys produced 1553 Model MAs. The rest is history. In Jaipur, the Rajputana Jeep Club has encouraged the jeep lovers to unite to buy old jeeps and restore them. It recently organized its second jeep rally covering 80 km area where one of the oldest jeeps in the country was seen and it was discovered that there were more than 30 restored jeeps of the 1941-1960 era that are road worthy. Devendra Pratap Singh Mandawals 1941(RJE 260) that still still bears the US army numbers is one of the oldest jeeps in the country now. This is from the first lot of jeeps produced by Willys in Ohio, US. There is a passion for the old jeeps now. Most of the owners who possess them have spent a huge amount of money in restoring the

An owner, who has more than half a dozen old beauties in his stable, adjusts the map reading lamp. Willys or Ford, one could get as much as Rs 5 lakh. The more you keep and maintain it you would get a higher price in future as Ford and Willys from 1941-1945 is considered a treasured possession. The two editions of the Ford and Willys jeep rally has created new awareness about old jeeps and more and more people are going to far off places like Bhopal, Ludhiana,

jeeps with parts that were difficult to get. We are carrying forward our legacy of jeeps, said Inder Vijay Singh, president of the Rajputana Jeep Club who is personally into restoring old jeeps. What amazed us even a BMW within a week after its delivery from the showroom loses up to 20 percent of its value. But in the case of a truly restored World War II

Patiala, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune, Lucknow, Kanpur and Kashmir to look for the jeeps. The buyers usually spend a couple of lakh rupees to restore it and make it road worthy. Its more than passion. said Ayush Singh, a jeep enthusiast. Retired naval chief Admiral (Retd) Manvendra Singh still uses the old jeep and participates in the rally only because he has a love for these old autos. This jeep was procured by my father late Gen Bhagwati Singh. It was used in the second World War and was bought from an army jawan in Uttar Pradesh .This serves as a memorial of my father who was a decorated soldier, said the admiral. Maintaining the vehicle is very tough as these old beauties suck a lot of petrol doing 5-7 km a litre, said Ajay Singh Rathor, who owns a 1942 Ford that he procured from former chief minister Vasundhara Rajes royal family of Dholpur. The war jeeps still possess the blackout lights that were specially designed and allowed the movement of the vehicles without being noticed by the hovering aircraft ready to bomb them. Some of the vehicles had space for not only fitting spade and axe that one needed while negotiating jungles and sand dune, but also were equipped with wireless antenna and even place to keep guns, said Abhimanyu Singh Alsisar, who owns the original war jeeps made by Ford.

An amphibious seep!
he family of jeep guru Uday Bhan Singh in Kolkata was once in possession of a rare amphibious jeep that Singhs uncle bought at an army disposal. There are jeeps that run on roads or tract and terrain. There used to be a jeep that was produced to run on water to meet the requirements of war areas that had plenty of water bodies and rivers around. Particularly in Burma, Malay and Bengal. Amphibious Jeeps were a totally different animal. In 1941 the US National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) had begun plans on working on a quarter ton amphibious jeep dubbed the QMC-4 Truck Light Amphibian. Marmon Herrington was the engineer on this project with the assistance of several naval architects, Sparkman and Stephens Inc and Ford. By 1942 the NDRC showcased a fully functional amphibious jeep. A number of decorated soldiers and officers witnessed the demonstration and praised the amphibious jeep. In 1942-43 Ford manufactured almost 13,000 amphibians, called the GPA, A for amphibious. The overall design was decent, but it had its own problems. This vehicle is also known as a seep (sea jeep). It was capable of carrying five people, including a crew of two. It was truly an amazing vehicle known to travel at 10 knots in the water. Frederick Benjamin (Ben) Carlin, an Australian, had seen amphibious Jeeps in India during the war and

decided that one could drive, and swim, around the world. He had considerable trouble in obtaining an amphibious Jeep, a 1942 Ford General Purpose Amphibious GPA number 1239, and in making it serviceable, or at least `Half Safe'. A more boat-like bow was added, as well as a cabin, and an under-belly fuel tank that could be jettisoned when empty. Standard Jeeps were open and many of them had sunk but the addition of a cabin kept the water out and made up for the low freeboard. Carlin set on the world trip in this Sea Jeep and faced enormous problems. He and his wife crossed France on this amphibious jeep in 1955 and their route took them through Europe, Iraq, Persia, Pakistan and India. They shipped the Jeep from Calcutta to Perth so that they could tour Australia, including a visit to Guildford Grammar, Ben Carlin's old school. The Jeep was then returned to Calcutta so that it could resume the circumnavigation on its own wheels and hull. The Jeep sailed to Burma and drove overland to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It then sailed to Japan via Hong Kong, Taiwan and Okinawa. It finally drove into Montreal where the project had started. It had covered "9,600 nautical miles by water and 39,000 miles overland" by Carlin's reckoning.

28

Humor TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

Humor with Melvin Durai

Watch out for typos they can make you look stoopid

eve all made typos those pesky errors that sneak into our writing when we hit the wrong key or suffer a momentary lapse in concentration. Thats why we have smart programs such as spellchecker and autocorrect, which were created to make our jobs easier. When autocorrect, for example, comes across a sentence like The Sixth Cense is my favorite movie by M. Night Shyamalan, it automatically corrects it to The Sixth Sense is my favorite movie by M. Night Shy Melon. As you can see, proofreading is very important, otherwise your writing might be full of very embracing errors. You might even have to apologize publicly for a typo, as many individuals and organizations have been forced to do throughout history. Indeed, when Moses first brought the Ten Commandments down from the mountain, they seemed to contain a decree against skin lightening creams: Thou shalt not bear false whiteness. A more recent example comes from the

University of Texas at Austin, where the 2012 commencement program distributed to students stated that they were graduating from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Pubic Affairs. The university apparently learned about the mistake when a student asked if the graduation ceremony was open to the general pubic. The university should take a lesson from other educators, such as the teachers union in Twin Rivers Unified School District in California which recently sent out a flyer with this important message: Twin Rivers teachers are strong supporters of Parent-Teacher partnerships to assure that parents and teachers work together to educaate our children. The correct word, as even George W. Bush will tell you, is educumate. Some years ago, The Torrance Press, a weekly newspaper in California, accepted an ad from Sealy mattress company carrying the slogan: Sleeping on a Sealy is like sleeping on a cloud. But when the

ad appeared in the paper, it read: Sleeping on a Sealy is like slipping on a cloud. The newspaper apologized and agreed to print the ad again at no charge. It re-appeared the following week: Sleeping on a Sealy is like sleeping on a clod. Theres an important lesson here: To embarrass an entire organization, all it takes is one clod. At least those errors werent particularly offensive. Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa got into trouble in 2008 for a calendar entry in its school handbook. The entry for Feb. 16, 2009 (during Black History Month) was supposed to say Black History Lunch and Learn, but instead appeared as Black History Linch and Learn. It was a little too close to the word lynch for anyones comfort. But all it took was a slip of the finger for that typo to occur. Much harder to explain is the error that caused Penguin Books Australia to destroy 7,000 copies of its cookbook The Pasta Bible in 2010. The publisher had to apologize after a recipe for tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto listed among its ingredients salt and freshly ground black people. The publisher apparently learned of the mistake when a diligent reader sent an email to the author: Regarding your recipe for tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto, would it be okay to substitute a white person? Back in 2007, CNN had to apologize for a graphic it used during a piece about the hunt for Osama bin Laden. The graph-

ic asked the question: Wheres Obama? Producers at the network realized their mistake when they received hundreds of calls from astute viewers informing them on the whereabouts of Obama. I just spotted him in Chicago, one man said. Dont worry, he wasnt looking at any tall buildings. Four years later, when bin Laden was killed, a Fox News affiliate in Sacramento ran a Breaking News graphic that said: Reports: Obama bin Laden Killed. The stations producers realized their mistake when an alert viewer called them. He isnt dead! the woman said. I just saw him on the news, taking credit for killing some guy named Osama. As you can see, typos can be both offensive and embarrassing. Thats why, even in the age of Twitter, its important to carefully proofread what we write. Otherwise, like the University of Texas at Austin, well get what we deserve: a lot of pubic ridicule.

Photo of the week

BUS VS. HOUSE: A Montgomery County bus crashed into a home in Silver Spring, Md., Monday. Police said some of the bus passengers suffered minor injuries; two people inside the home werent injured. The crash is under investigation

Astrology
TheSouthAsianTimes.info

29

August 25-31, 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: August 25-31, 2012
Aries: With pressure on your mind you wont see things with a clear perspective. Your confidence and morale would also suffer, as unexpected problems come your way. Take care of your dealing with govt. agencies. Avoid making any hasty decisions or statements. Social activities would bring about a new romantic relationship. Travel would be educating but prove expensive. All legal matters would require immediate attention. Taurus: This week you should not invest in ventures and schemes that only appear to be lucrative. Look from each and every angle before you put your hardearned money on the table. Watchful period for expecting mothers. Do not be lavish in your spending, try to save maximum for the not so good days. Health and family matters would require lot of attention. Gemini: Added responsibilities at home would add to your burden. You would be unable to handle unexpected rise in expenses that catch you by surprise. This disappointment would make you irritated and short-tempered. Career wise you need to fix your eye on your goal, but take necessary precautions. You should not make any hasty investments during this period. Support from friends would be immense. Social events would be exciting. Cancer: The benefits that would accrue to you this week would double if you play your cards well. You would be in a commanding position and reap incredible financial benefits from work that depends on your creativity. Expect social activities to be lively and exciting. Your personality would have a magnetic appeal that would attract the right kind of people towards you. Rest would be important in-between work. Leo: This week you would possess some new ideas and plans, which might not be implemented due to increase in your responsibilities or other financial pressures. Female members of the family would be extra helpful in completing pending jobs. Attend seminars and exhibitions that would bring you in touch with the right kind of people. A long journey concerning work is on the cards for some of you. Virgo: Cash and expensive items need careful handling. If you are planning to venture into a new business, seek assistance from individuals who are established and experienced. Romantic alliances would suffer, as emotional moments would arise, causing problems in your love relationship. A close friend would try his best efforts to influence your decisions. Good week for outdoor activities. Libra: You would possess a remarkable ability to put together projects that would be extremely dynamic and profitable. You need to focus on small yet important tasks, to reap long-term gains. Your mate would enjoy helping you out at this moment. Funds for new entrepreneurs would generate through loans or property transaction. Foreign transactions need careful handling. Good week for auspicious functions. Scorpio: This week your lover would be jealous if you do not pay enough attention to his/her needs. Professionally it would be a remarkable week for you. Your ability to act as a leader would put you into strong position. Financial gains are certain through investment. You should also do something special with children. Your involvement into their work would make you understand each other much better. Sagittarius: Career matters should take priority this week. Be especially careful while handling finances, because you are likely to suffer losses due to your overconfidence. Close friends and relatives would try to keep you happy but tend to promise more than what they can deliver. Family responsibilities would mount pressure. New romance for some would help you take worries off your mind. Capricorn: This week your optimism and positive outlook would push your career to new heights. You would be able to complete difficult problems without the support from others, which would bring you immense recognition. Your recent work is surely going to bring you the respect you deserve. Travel and educational pursuits would be highly rewarding. Pay attention to your health. Aquarius: You would find that your opinions are welcomed by those around you. New opportunities for some. Accept new offers that come your way. You would feel that changing position of planets tend to bring favorable results in your life, as your creative ability would also heighten and earn you popularity and gains. Chronic health problem may cause you to miss something important. Pisces: This week seeking help from close associated would be essential to ease work pressure that grips your mind. Any contribution that you make towards social cause would enhance your reputation and bring you mental peace. Your family members would extend their full support. Social activities would provide you with knowledge and amusement. Spend enjoyable time with youngsters and friends.

Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

August 25: Dominated by number 7 and the planet Neptune, you are highly creative, affectionate, trustworthy, original, energetic and emotional person. You never run away from difficult task. What might appear impossible to others would look like a challenge to you. You have great talents, but you need to control your tendency to behave arrogant and dominating at times. This coming period is good for starting new ventures. Projects that have been slow till now would gain momentum. Disputes if any would get sorted out and bring a sense of relief to your mind. Romantic encounters with colleagues might develop, though it would be very short lived. Your competitive nature would make you stay ahead of others and also make you popular amongst your peers. Friends will be helpful but demanding. The months of September, December, March and July will prove to be significant. August 26: Influenced by number 8 and the planet Saturn. You are ambitious, authoritative, systematic, sober and simple person. You have great potential to influence large group of people. You possess modern, revolutionary views which keep you in the limelight, but you need to control your tendency to behave stubborn and jealous at times. This year you would have abundance of energy, which if properly used would bring you overwhelming results. Financially it seems to be a good period to invest in stocks and property, but all investments should be made for a long-term basis. A distant journey seems likely later in the year, most probably for attending some auspicious occasion. Friends and relatives will not be very helpful and should not be depended upon. The months of August, February and June will prove to be beneficial. August 27: Ruled by number 9 and the planet Mars. You are active, energetic, trustworthy, systematic and quick in taking decisions. You always welcome new ideas and are fond of reading to increase your knowledge and discover new and unknown things, but you need to control your tendency to behave shy, arrogant and moody at times. This year you would make new contacts, which would help you in your line of work. You would also receive unexpected advancements in your career. You would do extremely well socially if you travel and get involved in clubs and other social events. Your income would be much better than the past few years. Your beloved though possessive at time would be helpful and supportive. Minor health ailments such as backache, stiff neck or body pains will pose frequent problems. The month of September, December and March will bring in the desired result. August 28: Influenced by number 1 and the Sun, you are active, energetic, determined, responsible and original. You are creative and highly result oriented person, but you need to curb your tendency to behave reckless, spendthrift and stubborn at times. The coming year improves financial status of many and some even inherit ancestral property. Business will flourish and financial gains will lift your confidence. Legal matters that have been haunting your mind will settle to your satisfaction. Promotions and increments are likely for some. Romance however will not be pleasant as frequent arguments and disagreements will keep on bothering your mind. Students will perform remarkably well in academics and sports. Those suffering from blood pressure and piles need to take extra care of their health. The months of August, February and May will be highly significant. August 29: Ruled by number 2 and the Moon, you are highly creative, practical, emotional, friendly, simple and generous person. You enjoy enormous respect at your workplace, but at the same time you need to check your tendency to behave introvert, selfish and jealous at times. New jobs and assignments will be the highlight of the coming year. Promotions and transfers for some employees. Investment in property will yield good returns in the long run. Frequent and fruitful journeys will be undertaken bringing monetary gains and help you build up long lasting relationships. Relations with someone of the opposite sex will strengthen giving a refreshing and interesting twist to your life. Some exciting news from children will lift your spirits. Rise in your medical bills as health of your parents could cause tension and anxiety. The months of October, December, January and April seem to be highly eventful. August 30: Governed by number 3 and the planet Jupiter, you are bold, ambitious, dignified, courageous and intelligent. You are hard working and always appreciated for your commitment and efforts, but you need to control your tendency to behave erratic, stubborn and lazy at times. This year will be highly beneficial for those who are willing to take investment and business risks. Speculation in property and stocks will bring in handsome results. This year will be highly significant for working and professional women, as they will prosper in their respective fields. New romance will be exciting but short-lived. Journey or pilgrimage will provide comfort and peace. Be extra careful of your jewelry and expensive items. Chances of overseas education for few students who are looking for a better career. The months of September, November, February and June will be important. August 31: Influenced by number 4 and the planet Uranus. You are energetic, practical, enthusiastic, authoritative and trustworthy. You are intelligent and can do wonders with your ability to put in your maximum, but you need to control your tendencies to behave reckless, stubborn and impatient at times. Financially this promises to be a highly lucrative year. New contract or partnership will take shape, lifting your moral and confidence. Investment in stocks and real estate recommended. Businessmen dealing in trading and export will benefit. Students will find this period highly exciting, adventurous and full of good opportunities. Religious feeling will arise making you go for a pilgrimage later in the year. Nuptial knots for few lovebirds. Chronic patients need to take preventive medication. Drive carefully, especially during the night. The months of August, January and May seem to be important and 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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30

Spiritual Awareness TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 25-31, 2012

Don't stop until the goal is reached

all, the ethereal or radiant form of the Master. This form serves as our inner guide on the further journey within. The Master takes us to even more beautiful realms, from the astral to the causal and supracausal realms until we reach the souls eternal Home, Sach Khand. There, our soul merges back in God. There is no more valuable gift that can be brought to humanity than contact with the inner Light and Sound. Just as the princess brought the moHazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj was the great spiritual Master who initiated Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj and Sant Darshan Singh JiMaharaj. There are still some initiates left who were initiated by Hazur and who even met him physically. While he may have physically left this physical realm, he is still very much with us and those who have their inner eye opened can still see him within in the higher realms. Those who never met Hazur physically are still entwined in his circle of grace and love. His grace continued to pour out through Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj and Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, and continues even today. Before Hazur, the teachings of Sant Mat were mostly taught in India. But Hazur opened the floodgates of spirituality making Sant Mat available to people around the world. When we look at the life of Hazur, we find that two qualities stand out. The first quality was that once he had the awakening within to find God, he did not stop until he found a Master. Once he found his Master, he was diligent in his meditations until he attained communion of his soul with God. The second quality was that he knew that a part of spiritual progress rested on leading a life of ethical virtues. Coupled with being regular in his meditations, he remained true to his ethical values. Unfortunately, many people are intense about reaching their goals only for a short period of time or in short bursts. They do not maintain the passion and zeal long enough to attain their goal. For example, when people are in the stage of seeking God or looking for a Master to show them the way back to God, they have great intensity. Often, they experience an awakening in life in which they realize life has not given them the happiness they want. Sometimes they experience a difficulty or shock in life that awakens them to the truth that life is suffering. Others experience disappointment with some aspect of their life and feel there must be another way to joy. Whatever route leads one to seek God also may drive one to search with great intensity. When such a person finds a spiritual teacher or Master to show him or her the way back to God, he or she is often dedicated and committed to the spiritual practices being taught. Such people put great effort into meditating and following an ethical life. They are happy when they get some spiritual experience and start seeing results. Over time, though, many people become complacent. They feel that because they are on the path back to God, there is no more need to make any effort. They begin to take it easy. They feel their intense need for God has been met by finding a spiritual teacher or a path and there is no more urgency. They begin to get caught up in their worldly life again and forget to put in time for meditation. They feel because they have the spiritual key to heaven that even if they do not follow the ethical virtues their failures will be overlooked and forgiven. Thus, they become less diligent about being nonviolent, loving, caring, and humble. As a result of forgetting about meditating and not improving in the ethical virtues, they stall out in their spiritual progress. They wonder why they are not making any headway and seem to be staying in the same place. There is a story about a man who Ah, said the man, This must be what the yogi was telling me. I never knew there were sandalwood trees here before. These are worth much more money than the trees I had been cutting down. The man cut down some sandalwood trees, took them to the market, and earned a lot more money for them. After several days, the man recalled the words of the yogi directing him to not stop but keep moving forward. The man thought, I followed that advice before. What if I follow that advice again? The man decided to go further into the woods, beyond the sandalwood trees. As he did so, he discovered that beyond the sandalwood trees there was a silver mine. The man said, Silver will bring me much more money than the sandalwood trees. He collected silver from are. We should examine the effort we have made to reach the place we have reached now. Whatever we have done to achieve our current state, we should increase our efforts to move forward. If we see pinpoints of light or lights of any color, we should meditate longer or more accurately until we see the inner sky or stars. If we see the inner stars, we should meditate more accurately, or put in more time to see the inner moon or sun. If we are seeing the inner moon or sun, we should meditate with more accuracy, more zeal, more passion, or more time to see the radiant form of the Master. If we have reached the first realm within, the astral realm, we should progress further to the causal realm. If we have reached the causal realm we should transcend to the supracausal realm. If we have reached the supracausal realm, we should transcend further to Sach Khand and merge back in God. If we find that we are not making internal progress in meditation, we need to look to the failures in our ethical living that we record on our introspection diary. The diary is a record of impediments to our inner progress. Do we think we can make inner headway to the kingdom of God, if we are thinking or saying violent words or committing acts of violence? Do we think we can merge back in God if we are hurting Gods creatures? Do we think we can merge back in God if we are egotistical and think we are better than all the rest of Gods creation? The introspection diary shows us where we are blocking our spiritual progress. The goal is to weed out those hindrances that stand between us and God. Those hindrances are the minds efforts to slow down our progress. We need to keep a vigilant watch on the many ways in which the mind distracts us from spiritual progress. By doing so, we are clearing the pathway to go deeper into the forest. The Masters want us to move forward in two areas. They want us to put more time and more accuracy into our meditations. They also want us to weed out any failures in ethical virtues that bar our way to moving forward spiritually. It is a two-step process. Clear the pathway by weeding out failures in ethical virtues on our introspection diary and then move forward in our meditations. If we find that we are committing the same failures we have been making for years, then we are stagnating. We need to make efforts to take a good look at where we are and resolve to do better the following day. If we hurt other peoples feelings by our harsh words twenty times a day, then let us reduce that number to nineteen the following day. Then, let us go further to reduce that failure to eighteen the next day. Then, day by day, let us continue to decrease the failures until we reach zero. Then, let us select another category and begin improving in that quality also. Over time, we will discover that our diary glistens with the purity of a diamond reflecting the light. (To be continued...)

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj

his imaginary tale is a beautiful analogy to describe the role of the Masters and saints. The secret they share with the whole world is not physical honey, but the sweet nectar of the Divine. They share with suffering humanity the secret of how to find the sweet nectar of the Divine that leads the soul back to God. Throughout the ages, saints and Masters have blessed this earth with their spiritual teachings. Through their grace, suffering souls are able to find a way to reunite with God. Just like the queen who wanted to keep knowledge of honey a secret, so does Kal, the sustaining power, want to keep it secret that God exists and that we can reunite with God. We are kept in ignorance of the most valuable gift of all, experiencing our soul and God. We are in the dark about the fact that there is God, the soul is a part of God, and we can reunite the soul with God. The honeyed divine nectar that connects us with God is called the holy Naam, Shabd, or the Light and Sound of God. We have forgotten who we are as soul and are ignorant of reuniting our soul with the Creator. The Masters are like the princess who was able to bring the honey out of the kingdom to impart it to the whole world. Just as the princess was able to find a way to bring the honey out of her country even though the queen tried to keep it there, so do Masters find a way to bring us knowledge of the divine honey. They are able to put people in touch with the divine nectar that reconnects our soul with God. How do they do it? They teach people through the process of initiation how to find the spiritual honey within. At the time of holy initiation, they open our third or single eye so we can contact the holy Naam within. They open our inner eye to see the Light of God, and they open our inner ear to hear the Celestial Music, or Sound of God. They teach us a method of meditation by which we can become absorbed into the inner Light and inner Sound within. Once we connect with the inner Light, we see inner vistas unfold for us. We think that honey is delicious. But tastier than outer honey is the honey within. This inner nectar also radiates with divine Light and sings with divine Music. We see Light of various colors and radiant inner stars, moon, and sun. We come to the most beautiful manifestation of

Unfortunately, many people are intense about reaching their goals only for a short period of time or in short bursts. They do not maintain the passion and zeal long enough to attain their goal.
made his living by cutting down trees and selling the wood in the market. One day, when he went into the forest to collect wood, he found a yogi sitting by the side of a stream. The yogi had been meditating, but came out of meditation as the man came near. The yogi smiled at him and said, O woodcutter, dont stop, but keep moving forward. Then, the yogi closed his eyes and resumed his meditation. The man continued his days work, cutting down some trees, and then taking them to the market to sell. When the man reached home that night he thought about the words of the yogi. The man asked himself, Why did he tell me not to stop but keep moving forward? There must be some meaning in this. After giving the words of the yogi much thought, he realized the yogi must have meant that he should not stop at the same place all the time to cut the wood, but go further into the forest. The next day, the man decided that instead of cutting wood in the usual area, he would go deeper into the forest. After he walked further than he had ever gone before, he noticed that the usual trees he had been cutting down ended and there was a grove of sandalwood trees. the mine, went to the market, and quadrupled his earnings. Realizing the wisdom of the yogi, the man thought, What if I go further than the silver mine? He went deeper into the forest. This time he discovered a gold mine. Digging out the gold, he went to the market and made even more money than he had made with the silver. The words of the yogi now carried great meaning for the man. Going further into the forest, he encountered a diamond mine. He hit the jackpot. The diamonds he found led him to earn great wealth. He realized that the simple words of the yogi had led him to greater and greater riches than he could have ever dreamed. We are in the same condition as the man in the story. We are toiling away in one part of the forest. The Masters keep telling us to awake, arise, and stop not until the goal is reached. The Masters tell us, Do not stop, but keep moving forward. They want us to go further in our spiritual practices than we have ever gone before. They do not want us to rest on our laurels of whatever we have attained so far. They want us to go higher and higher. To do this, we need to put in more and more effort. We should take stock of where we

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August 25-31, 2012

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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