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NEW YORK EDITION

Vol.5 No. 2 April 28-May 4, 2012 60 Cents
Tendulkar nominated to Indian Parliament Walmart bribery on Justice Dept radar since 11 US Affairs, Page 10

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Spy satellite catapults India into Bofors storm rocks parliament, a select group of nations fresh probe demanded
Sriharikota (AP): An Indian rocket successfully launched into orbit a microwave Radar Imaging Satellite (Risat-1) from the spaceport here in Andhra Pradesh. With this launch, India has joined a select group of nations having such a technology. The indigenously built, 1,858 kg Risat-1, with a life span of five years, will be used for disaster prediction and agriculture forestry. The high resolution pictures and microwave imaging from Risat-1 could also be used for defense purposes as it can look through the clouds and fog. At 5.47 a.m., the rocket - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C19 (PSLV-C19) - standing 44.5 metres tall and weighing 321 tonnes and with a one-way ticket, hurtled towards the skies ferrying the 1,858 kg Risat-1 after unshackling itself from launch pad No.1. See detailed story on page 14. New Delhi: Almost a quarter century after it surfaced, the Bofors payoff scandal created a storm again Thursday disrupting parliament, as the opposition vociferously demanded a fresh probe into the deal that has long haunted the Congress. Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were disrupted with opposition members asking the government to explain how the main accused, Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, was given a safe passage to leave the country in 1993 to avoid

Indias PSLV rocket lifts off carrying the countrys first indigenous radar imaging satellite RISAT-1 from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh Thursday.

Ex Swedish police chief gave a clean chit to Rajiv Gandhi but said the former PM let the guilty, Quattrocchi, get away arrest, six years after the Jaswant Singh made a passcandal surfaced in 1987. sionate appeal for a fresh Veteran BJP leader Continued on page 4

President Bush to address AAHOA convention in Atlanta

By Parveen Chopra New York: Former President George W. Bush is scheduled to give a keynote address May 4 at the annual convention of AAHOA in Atlanta, GA. As per the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, the 43rd President will offer informative insight, unique perspective and powerful recollections . More information on the state of the nation is promised at AAHOAs annual meet and trade show from May 2-5 that offers Continued on page 4

Team Anna alleges kickbacks in India's major deals

New Delhi: Team Anna Thursday released a set of documents that allude to "kickbacks and money laundering" in several defense and commercial deals of the Indian government, alleging that top government functionaries were aware of these. The team also alleged the involvement of an accused in the Naval War Room leak case in these deals, as indicated by these documents, though they did not want to take responsibility for the authenticity of the documents or the veracity of their contents. The documents indicated that Continued on page 4

Dr Doshi to receive Ellis Island medal on May 12

New Delhi: Indian Americans walking away with about one-tenth of the 100-odd Ellis Island medals every year is commonplace now. But what must be a rarity in the history of this prestigious award for immigrants is a couple winning it. Entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr Leena Doshi, founder of the Doshi Diagnostic radiology chain, is on the 2012 list while her husband, Dr Nitin Doshi, received the honor last year. The Long Island based Doshis Diagnostic Imaging Group employs 1,400 people and has 30 locations in New York, New Jersey and Florida. They have now diversified into real estate and hedge

Dr Leena Doshi funds. Doshis family foundation supports charities such as Pratham, American India Foundation and Share & Care. Continued on page 4

President George W. Bush

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April 28-May 4, 2012

US-India Business Summit held in Silicon Valley

Menlo Park, CA: The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC), in partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), hosted its inaugural U.S.-India Business Summit-West in Silicon Valley on April 26-27. The theme of this year's summit was Building Bridges, Fostering Innovation. Heads of global organizations joined distinguished political leaders at the Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park to discuss the dynamic frontier of US-India trade and business. "As the global economic recovery continues to show signs of weakness in various countries, it is more important than ever for the U.S. and India to fortify our commercial partnership. For this, it is essential that business leads and entrepreneurship that symbolize American innovation, as well as successful partnerships with India, which makes it the perfect venue for our first west coast summit." The closing keynote was delivered by Condoleezza Rice, Former Secretary of State, and Professor of Political Science at Stanford University. Rice is also a Founding Partner at The Rice Hadley Group. Other keynote speakers included Sam Pitroda, Advisor to Prime Minister of India; Paul Maritz, President & CEO, VMware, Inc.; Andy Bird, Chairman, Walt Disney International; Vinod Khosla, Partner, Khosla Ventures; and Wim Elfrink, EVP, Emerging Solutions & Chief Globalization Officer, Cisco Systems.

Indian American part of group buying Philly media network

New York: Krishna P. Singh, cofounder, president and CEO of Marlton, N.J.-based technology company Holtec International, is part of a business consortium paying about $55 million to acquire major two daily newspapers the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News and Web site philly.com. In the deal, the investor group will also invest $10 million in working capital. Buyers include influential New Jersey Democrat George Norcross III; former New Jersey Nets owner Lewis Katz; cable TV mogul H.F. Garry Lenfest; William Hankowski, CEO of Liberty Property Trust; and Joseph Buckelew, chairman of Conner Strong & Buckelew. Singh has M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the School of Engineering

Krishna P Singh, CEO, Holtec International and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania. The Indian American entrepreneur donated $20 million to the university to establish a Krishna P. Singh Center for Nanotechnology, which broke ground in February 2011. Holtecs customers include more than 150 U.S. power generation stations and over 80 commercial nuclear power plants.

Ron Somers, President of the USIBC the way," said Ron Somers, President of the USIBC. "Silicon Valley is the epicenter of technology

LIRR bans drinking on weekend late-night trains

New York: In a move to curb rowdy passengers from disturbing the peace aboard the Long Island Railroad (LIRR), it has announced a trial ban on weekend drinking during the party hours of 12 midnight to 5 am on Friday and Saturday nights. LIRR president Helena Williams announced on Monday: We think that [alcohol] continues to fuel some of the rambunctious behavior we've been getting, all the way up to criminal behavior. We're just trying to get a different tone on the trains that lessens these incidents. LIRR officials also say the program is intended to protect transit workers, as two recent assaults on LIRR employees pushed railroad officials to take action. The city's subway system has also witnessed a similarly disturbing trend, with a 16 percent rise in attacks on subway workers reported back in November. In 2010, the LIRR started a ban

White House gate crasher to run for Virginia governor

Washington, DC: More than two years after he gate crashed into the White House State Dinner hosted for visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Tareq Salahi has announced his intent to run for governor of Virginia. "It's not part of reality TV. It's not a stunt. It's real," Salahi told The Washington Post. He said he will run as a Republican to avenge a recent lawsuit brought against him by another GOP gubernatorial hopeful -- Virginia Attorney Genjust how much taxpayer money politicians waste. So he decided someone else should run for the state's top job. "I woke up thinking 'someone should do this'," Salahi said. "And I thought 'Wait a minute. I'm someone!', he said. Salahi and his wife Michaele created a major security breach in November 2009 when the couple managed to enter the White House and attend the state dinner hosted by US President Barack Obama for Singh.

Tareq Salahi eral Ken Cuccinelli II. According to the daily, Salahi feels the lawsuit made him realize

on alcohol for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, also classily referred to as "Blackout Wednesday," the biggest suburban party night of the year. The evening is known for the raucous drinking aboard trains, as the bridge and tunnel folk ride out of the city and prepare to rage in their hometowns. The pilot program will go into effect May 14 and MTA police officers are scheduled to be on hand, breaking the news to unaware passengers about alcohol ban.

South Asians want Arizona immigration law rejected

Washington: As the US Supreme Court began a hearing on Arizona State's tough immigration law, a South Asian umbrella organization asked the apex court to reject the law that it said permits racial profiling. Passed in April 2010, the "show me your papers" law, as it is called by critics, "permits racial profiling of immigrant communities and communities of color regardless of immigration status", South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) said in a statement Wednesday. The law, SB1070, includes provisions that allow police officers to ask individuals to show proof of their residency status based on the reasonable suspicion that they are undocumented. Failure to provide such proof is a criminal offence. The Obama administration has challenged the Arizona law, saying immigration matters are under the federal government's exclusive authority. "It is imperative for the Supreme Court to strike down SB1070 in order to protect the basic rights of all individuals," said Priya Murthy, policy director at SAALT. "The law encourages racial profiling, as police can target individuals simply based upon their skin color, accent, or language that they speak, whether they are US citizens or not." This impact on South Asians is clear, as demonstrated by South Asian organizations, including SAALT and Arizona South Asians for Safe Families, which have joined amicus briefs challenging this law. States beyond Arizona, including Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, have also passed similar laws.

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April 28-May 4, 2012

Tendulkar, Rekha nominated to Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar will now play the new role of a parliamentarian with President Pratibha Patil Thursday approving his nomination to the Rajya Sabha, along with that of renowned actor Rekha and businesswoman Anu Aga. Rules allow the nomination of 12 eminent personalities to the upper house. Tendulkar, who turned 39 Tuesday, had last month become the first batsman in cricket history to complete 100 international centuries. He scored his much awaited 100th international century in the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh in March. The approval of his Rajya Sabha nomination came on a day he met

Hillary Clinton to visit India next month

Washington: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to India, China and Bangladesh next month to discuss bilateral relations, the State Department said Thursday. Clinton will visit Kolkata, where she will meet state government officials and representatives of civil society organizations. In New Delhi, she will meet Indian government officials and discuss the upcoming US-India Strategic Dialogue to be held in Washington June 13. She will also travel to China and Bangladesh.

Gilani convicted for contempt of court, given 30 second sentence

Islamabad: In fresh trouble for Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the Supreme Court Thursday convicted him for contempt of court for refusing to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, prompting the opposition to demand his ouster. Gilani, 59, who is the first Pakistan prime minister to be held guilty for contempt, was given just a symbolic sentence of about 30 seconds but could have been jailed for six months. He found backing in his cabinet colleagues but the future continues to remain clouded with the opposition firm on its demand that he quit. His government has come under increasing strain ever since Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was gunned down in Abbottabad last year. Its ties with the US also worsened following a NATO attack that left two dozen Pakistani soldiers dead in November last year. The Supreme Court order said "the contempt committed by him is substantially detrimental to the administration of justice and tends to bring this Court and the judiciary of this country into ridicule", reported Geo News. The judgment was not proper, complained Gilani, after the apex court held him guilty of contempt for refusing to write to Swiss authorities to reopen a corruption case against Zardari. He argued that the president enjoys immunity under the Pakistani constitution. Accused of graft, Zardari had been granted amnesty under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) in 2007 by then president Pervez Musharraf to facilitate his return home and, primarily that of his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The NRO that granted immunity to politicians and bureaucrats in corruption cases was struck down by the Supreme Court as void in 2009.

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her Delhi residence. Tendulkar's nomination to Rajya Sabha came as a surprise as many of his admirers have been wanting him to be given Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award. He is the first active cricketer to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Aga is former chairperson of Thermax Industries.

Bofors story Continued from page 1 inquiry but slammed the Congress-led government for not doing enough to dig the truth behind the alleged scandalous purchase of the 155-mm Howitzer guns in 1986. In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley said after spending "25 years trying to unearth the truth", the government was "unable to nail the culprits...despite of having conclusive evidences". The issue was back to haunt the government with former Swedish police chief Sten Lindstrom, the original whistleblower of the bribery scam, disclosing that the late Rajiv Gandhi "watched the massive cover-up" and the guilty, Italian Ottavio Quattrocchi, got away. In an interview to media watchdog The Hoot, Lindstorm, however, gave a clean chit to the former prime minister for his alleged direct role in the payoff scandal. As Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the

widow of Rajiv Gandhi, listened with rapt attention, Jaswant Singh said: "I feel no delight to raise this issue... It was a mistake and we are still paying for it." He admitted he "failed to extradite Quattrocchi" when he was external affairs minister President Bush story Continued from page 1 one-stop shopping for the hoteliers besides educational programs. There will be a political debate between former Democratic National Committee Chair (DNC) Howard Dean and former Republican National Committee Chair (RNC) Michael Steele, moderated by ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Jonathan Karl. With nearly 11,000 members owning more than 20,000 hotels that total $128 billion in property value, AAHOA is one of the fastestgrowing organizations in the hospitality industry

Team Anna story Continued from page 1 certain foreign companies doing business in India had approached a middleman in India, asking him to deal with top government functionaries on issues ranging from roll back of anti-dumping duty to getting their names removed from the list of banned companies. "We received documents from a US citizen C. Edmonds Allen, who claimed to have entered into an agreement with the Naval War Room leak case accused to secure the money earned from these deals. And after the two had a fallout, Allen has sent these documents to us," said Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal at a press conference here. Referring to the documents, copies of which were circulated to the media, Kejriwal alleged that an Israeli firm had promised $1 million to the Indian representative if the anti-dumping duty of $100 million imposed on it is rolled back. A total of 112 pages, Kejriwal claimed, were Consultant - Media Alliances Bhrigu Pankaj Prashar C: 516.303.4002 Bhrigu@TheSouthAsianTimes.info

written by the Indian middleman to the Israeli company.

Dr. Doshi Continued from page 1 Other Indian Americans who will be bestowed the medal at a grand ceremony on Ellis Island on May 12 are two New Yorkers, Ravishankar Bhooplapur, President of Xavier University School of Medicine and prominent Rotarian; and Peter Bheddah, entrepreneur and philanthropist; as well as Dr Sanjiv Chopra, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School (and younger brother of Deepak Chopra) in Boston; Dr. Rajendra Singh, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Clemson University, SC; and Dr Surendra V. Jain, a gastroenterologist in Downey, CA. Ellis Island, in the New York harbor, is the symbol of American immigration and the immigrant experience. Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/ masalajunction.com. Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com Photo Journalist: Parveen/Bhanu Seth Chief Cartoonist: Mahendra P. Shah Art and Design: Vladimir Tomovski Bhagwati Multimedia, Rahul Sahota Web Editor: B.B.Chopra News Service: HT Media Ltd. IANS Newswire Services Printing: Five Star Printing, NY Richner Publications Contacts Editor@TheSouthAsianTimes.info Subscribe@TheSouthAsianTimes.info Advertisements Advertise@TheSouthAsianTimes.info P : 516.390.7847 F : 516.465.1343

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April 28-May 4, 2012

Citi's Pandit sued over excessive pay

Washington, DC: compensation research firm. Citigroup's Indian He had an annual salary of American CEO Vikram $1 for most of 2009 and Pandit and its directors 2010 while the bank dug out have been sued by a bank from a government bailout. shareholder over a compenThe suit follows Tuesday's sation package that was vote by Citi's shareholders at Citigroup CEO contested by investors in a the bank's annual meeting in rare failed "say-on-pay" Vikram Pandit Dallas after critics comvote. A lawsuit filed in Manhattan plained Pandit and other top bank offiFriday by shareholder Stanley Moskal cials enjoy high pay that's not well says Pandit and directors breached connected to increasing shareholder their fiduciary duties by awarding value. Friday's suit is filed under the more than $54 million of compensa- "say on pay" provision of the Dodd tion in 2011 to the executives. Frank reform act which gives shareThat pay included $15 million to holders the right to vote on executive Pandit, which as the suit says "repre- pay. Citi says the suit is baseless and sented a raise of 1,499,999,900 per- plans to seek its dismissal. cent over his 2010 compensation", in At issue is what shareholders a year when the bank's share price fell believe are undeserving compensation 44 percent. packages despite poor performance. In Pandit, 55, had the 45th highest addition to its stock taking a big hit in compensation among CEOs last year, 2011, Citi failed the Fed's stress test according to Equilar, an executive this year.

Boston police probe murder of Indian student

Washington, DC: Boston police are investigating the murder of an Indian student of Boston University whose body was found lying on the road in front of his house, about a mile from campus. Odisha native K Seshadri Rao, a student at Boston University's Graduate School of Management, was shot in the head and leg in the early hours of April 19. He was pronounced dead on the scene by Boston police. Telugu Association of North America executive vice-president Mohan Nannapaneni said Rao's killing was not a hate crime, as is being speculated in some sections of the media. "It is absolutely not a hate crime. It is an isolated incident. We do not yet know who did it and why but it is definitely not a hate or targeted crime." The police has some good leads in the case and any speculation about the cause of the shooting could jeopardize the investigation, he said. No arrests his concern to the BU community, said he has asked Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore to provide support to any member of the community who needs it. "This appears to be an isolated incident," said Brown. "I want to assure all students, whether they live on campus or off campus, that public safety is a priority for this institution." Orissa Society of the Americas (OSA) has condemned the killing. Indian American Bodies like IAGB and OSNE are organizing a Candle light march in the memory of Seshadri Rao in Boston. Nihar Nanda of OSA said that, "We the Odias in North America are devastated by this great loss and we send our heartfelt condolences to the parents and other family members of the deceased. Orissa Society of America, New England chapter (OSNE) and IAGB are organizing a Candle light march in the memory of Seshadri Rao."

K Seshadri Raos body was cremated at Swargdwar in Puri

have yet been made in the case. "We have added patrols for the neighborhood and detectives continue to look for clues in this tragic incident," said Boston Police Captain James Hussey as cited by the Boston University website. "Our prayers go out to the family and friends of the student," BU president Robert A. Brown said in a statement. "We are all deeply saddened by his death." Brown, who sent a letter expressing

'India is truly an assault on all one's senses'

Bewitched by the prevailing contradictions, actors of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel shared their experiences
By Jinal Shah/SATimes New York: Actor Dame Judi Denchs incisive one-liner - India is truly an assault on all ones senses- in the current British bittersweet The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel also sums up her personal experience with the country. Dench described how she was bewitched by India and its people at a press conference here. The movie releasing May 4 in the US is about a group of British pensioner expats who get enticed by the ads about a hotel, only to realize they were given false dreams of a life with leisure. Its ensemble cast boasts Celia Imrie, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Ronald Pickup, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton besides Dench and of course Dev Patel. We were all essentially in the same situation as the characters. It was our first time to this astounding country. Only Maggie Smith of the British contingent had been to India before, said the director John Madden. India has a powerful effect on you and the external things dominate very quickly such as the national character, peoples temperament. You cannot go to the country and come back unaffected. Wilton added, In Jaipur to shoot a car scene, we had to apply guerilla

Dev Patel tactics. To disperse the crowd we middle class emerging from the had to shoot a tiny bit and then dis- shadows of caste and poverty. appear and then again shoot Maddens response: We didnt set There were logistical challenges; out to measure ourselves with government restrictions and a Slumdog Millionaire even though bureaucracy. Yet, I found it exhila- Dev has come in both the films. I rating because there was a welcome didnt want this story to be about benign attitude. In one scene I and tourism and about them just observBill are helping Penelope get onto ing sites but engaging with the the bus and when we just turned world that they have never known around to help Judi, someone wan- and now going to live in and so they dered into the shot and helped her were getting jobs and mending taps. get onto the bus, recollects I did not want to put India in a box Madden. and thats why the story is as much Comparisons with Oscar winner on an Indian boy and his equation Slumdog Millionaire? Unlike with his mother and girlfriend as it Slumdog, this film goes beyond is about the retirees. slums and poverty, it portrays the Yet, there was a conscious effort

Director John Madden and Judi Dench to show glimpses of old world colonized India especially through the story of the character played by Tom Wilkinson. Our relationship with India as British people is complicated but when you go to India now, it is thriving, it is a sophisticated country in all respects. The old dinosaurs have gone and India has moved on and it is taking on the world, said Wilton. Unlike his character in the movie who wanted to die in India, Wilkinson was the most critical about his experience. For me it was one of the most brain cuddling experiences as I have ever encountered. India is a land like no other; I never quite fully recovered from the culture shock. One would never get ease to the fact that he or she would see a woman washing her baby in a puddle on a road and 50 yards ahead the same road would have evidence of wealth so huge; and that sought of contradiction exists in Indian society is one that cannot be reconciled inside me. I hope that Indians can sort out that massive contradiction themselves. They are becoming a fantastic wealthy country. As far as retiring in India goes, Judi, who made a lot of friends there, revealed, Oh, I can see myself retiring in India putting my feet up the chimney.

National Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

April 28-May 4, 2012

Huge Indian investments NY Consulate celebrates create jobs in US: Survey Ambedkars 121st birth anniversary
Washington, DC: Indian companies operating in 40 American states have invested over $820 million in manufacturing facilities in the US, creating thousands of jobs, according to the 2012 India Business Forum (IBF) survey. The survey "Indian Roots, American Soil: Adding Value to US Economy and Society", released by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at a reception on Capitol Hill Wednesday, highlights the significant economic and social impact made by Indian companies on American communities. The reception was attended among others by the four cochairs of the India Caucus on the Senate and House side: Senator John Cornyn, Senator Mark Warner, Congressman Joseph Crowley and Congressman Ed Royce. "Our aim, through the India Business Forum, is to highlight the range and depth of Indian investments in the United States and also to try and dispel some of the misconceptions associated with Indian companies," said Sandhya Satwadi, director and head, CII. Key findings: * 70 percent of surveyed companies have increased the number of employees since 2005, despite the US economic downturn; * More than 34 percent of the surveyed companies have established manufacturing facilities in the US, investing more than $820 million in those facilities; * Since 2005, the surveyed companies have collectively conducted 72 mergers and acquisitions in the US, saving, creating and sustaining thousands of jobs; * Their collective revenues for 2010-2011 were more than $23 billion * Projected research and development investments of the surveyed companies are estimated to be over $190 million in 2012 alone; and * Nearly 65 percent of companies surveyed engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, * These include programs that support 27 universities, community colleges and high schools in developing curriculum, establishing training programs and encouraging Science-TechnologyEngineering-Mathematics (STEM) education. CII's survey respondents, consisting of 36 Indian companies, represent sectors including education, financial services, healthcare pharmaceuticals and life sciences, information technology, manufacturing, media and telecommunications. New York: The Consulate General of India, New York celebrated the 121st birth anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar in association with the Ambedkar International Mission on Saturday 14 April, 2012 at the Consulate premises. A large number of academics, social activists, local officials and the media attended the event. Ambassador of India to US Nirupama Rao and Consul General of India in New York Prabhu Dayal inaugurated the program by garlanding of the photograph of Dr. Ambedkar. Ambassador Nirupama Rao in her inaugural address underlined Dr Ambedkars contribution towards bringing social change in India through constitutional means. She highlighted his efforts in bringing about social justice by doing away with various divisions in society. She said that Dr. Ambedkars teachings are of enduring relevance in building the India of the 21st century. Consul General Prabhu Dayal

Ambassador Nirupama Rao and Consul General Prabhu Dayal (third from right) with guests at the function mentioned that in the form of the Constitution Dr Ambedkar provided us with the document of social change which gave freedom for humanity. He informed the gathering about the Government of Indias contribution to establish Dr Ambedkar Chair in Constitutional Studies at the Law School in Columbia University. Prof. Vivek Kumar, a renowned sociologist from India and a Fulbright Teaching Fellow currently in residence at Columbia University, presented keynote address titled Ambedkars Ideas of a Nation and his Role in Nation Building. He highlighted various aspects of Dr Ambedkars multifaceted personality, his social movement and his contribution towards building India a nation. Prof. Dr. Anupama Rao, an associate professor from Bernard College, Columbia University, presented another keynote address titled Ambedkar - In his Time, and Ours. She traced the origins of Ambedkars social movement and stressed that his revolution was still incomplete.

BCNA awards enterprising immigrants

Jinal Shah/SATimes New York: Even a dab of makeup could not hide the wrinkles on 35 year old immigrant Guadalupe Galicias face. Her wrinkles are a testimony of her struggle as an immigrant, her pain of single handedly raising five kids and her trauma of being repeatedly harassed by the cops for selling food on streets without license. But today she successfully runs her food cart on a street corner in Brooklyn. Galicia, on April 20th was awarded The Boot Strap Entrepreneur Award by the Business Center for New Americans (BCNA) for showing that a successful business does not need large amount of start-up capital. The center celebrated the indomitable spirit and courage of immigrants during New York's 9th Annual Immigrant Heritage Week by presenting special awards to three outstanding entrepreneurs including Galicia, said Vish Dasma, senior loan officer at BCNA. Fatima Shama, Commissioner of the New York City Office of Immigrant Affairs, handed over the awards. Shama told SATimes, The 9th Annual Immigrant Heritage Week focuses on showcasing the immigrant experience through films. Five films will be screened across the city. The award also recognized the work of the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center, a leader in street vendor entrepreneurship. The other two awards - the New Beginning Award and The New Yorker job creator award- were given to Dr. Leonid Isakov, a refugee from the former Soviet

Panel discussion at BCNA about How to use Technology to Market Your Business Union and Hui Ping Liu, owner of L H Human Resources Inc. respectively. Also present at the event was senior principal analyst manager Microenterprise, Belay Embaye, While we are giving away awards to the successful immigrants who started from scratch, one also should see the number of refugees. About 120,000 refugees, including victims of trafficking, refugees from Afghanistan and Iraq in entire US need attention. The award ceremony also featured a panel discussion about How to use Technology to Market Your Business, especially for street vendors. Panelist included Karen Seiger, author of "Markets of New York," Sean Basinski of the Street Vendor Project, Deepti Sharma Kapur, CEO and founder of Foodbeat.com and Adam Sobel of The Cinnamon Snail.

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall (C) is flanked by youngsters on steps of Borough Hall, where she hosted rally, Thursday, April 19th, with Campaign for Children to support restoration of funding for child care, Beacon and After School programs that thousands of youngsters participate in across the borough. Marshall told the crowd that during tough economic times, "The last thing that we should be slashing is essential early education and after school programs that children and hard-working families need to survive."

National Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

April 28-May 4, 2012

Members of Congress demand Sikh hate crime tracking

Washington, DC: Over 90 members of the United States Congress, led by New York Congressman Joseph Crowley, have issued a letter to the Justice Department, demanding that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) track hate crimes suffered by Sikhs. The letter, spearheaded by the Sikh Coalition, represents the most extensive show of support ever for Sikhs in a letter from Congress. Although Sikhs continue to experience hate crimes because of their distinct religious identity, the FBI treats all bias crimes against Sikhs as anti-Muslim hate crimes. For these reasons, the federal government has no means of tracking hate crimes against Sikhs. Under current federal policy, Sikh targets of hate crimes are not even given the dignity of being a statistic, said Rajdeep Singh, Director of Law and Policy for the Sikh Coalition. The Sikh Coalition hopes that the Justice Department and FBI will finally honor our communitys request for recognition. Doing so will increase hate crime reporting, improve the quality and accuracy of hate crime data and strengthen relationships between Sikhs and local law enforcement agencies nationwide. In the first month after the 9/11 attacks, the Sikh Coalition documented over 300

Protect 'innocent bystanders' from global financial crisis: India

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee at the meeting of the G-24 Finance Ministers at IMF's Spring Session Meetings in Washington, DC on April19, 2012 (Photo: Indian Embassy Facebook album)
Washington, DC: As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) doubled its lending power with over $430 billion pledged to a reinforced safety net to bail out countries during global financial crises, India stressed that contributions should be voluntary and not linked with future voice or governance reform and should be able to bail out "innocent bystanders" affected by them. These contributions also "need to retain their temporary character; they should not be looked upon as a substitute to quota resources," Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said as the Group of 20 and the IMF-World Bank concluded their semiannual meetings here Saturday. "At the same time it is important that innocent bystanders affected by the crisis, particularly low income countries, are adequately protected and there should be sufficient resources available for them," he said calling upon IMF to anchor an "integrated and interconnected" response to global developments. "The IMF has a critical role in anchoring global coordination in order to effectively harness the positive externalities of durable global economic and financial stability," Mukherjee told the policy-setting International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) of the 188-member global lender. "This will create the basis for more fundamental reform that creates a virtuous cycle of inclusive growth with low inflation, growing trade, and an international financial architecture that prevents future global financial instability and mitigates the adverse effects of crises," he said. While welcoming the recent efforts by EU to raise the size of its firewall, Mukherjee stressed that EU efforts should continue to play the primary role for its members and the IMF assistance should only underpin the EU's efforts and play a catalytic role in order to provide confidence to investors.

The effort was led by NY Congressman Joseph Crowley along with Sikh Coalition cases of violence and discrimination against Sikh Americans throughout the United States. More recent incidents include the murders of two elderly Sikhs in Elk Grove, California in March 2011. Because the FBI does not track these crimes, exact figures are unavailable to diagnose the full extent to which Sikhs are targeted.

Kamaljit Bawa elected to prestigious US academy

Washington, DC: Indianborn Kamaljit Singh Bawa, a distinguished professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, has been elected a member of the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Bawa, founder and president of Bangalore based Ashoka Trust for Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), will join the academy Oct 6 with some of the worlds' most influential artists, scientists, scholars, authors and leaders. Besides sustainability expert Bawa others elected to the Academy in public affairs and journalism category are: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, Jr, veteran diplomat R. Nicholas Burns, television journalist Judy Woodruff; and Boston Globe editor Martin Baron. "Election to the Academy is both an honor for extraordinary accomplishment and a call to serve," said Academy President Leslie C. Berlowitz. "We look forward to drawing on the knowledge and expertise of these distinguished men and women to advance solutions to the

Sustainability expert Prof Kamaljit Bawa pressing policy challenges of the day." The announcement of Bawa's election came as he was receiving the Gunnerus Sustainability Award the world's first major award for sustainability, awarded by the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters, for the impact his research has had on the sustainability of global biodiversity.

'US appreciates India closing missile gap with China'

Washington, DC: The lack of US condemnation of India's latest missile test demonstrates that the Washington appreciates India's need to meet the emerging strategic challenge posed by rising China, according to two US scholars. It also shows "US is comfortable with Indian progress in the nuclear and missile fields", Lisa Curtis, senior research fellow for South Asia and Baker Spring research fellow in National Security Policy at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank said in a commentary. "India's successful test of the Agni-V, a nuclear-capable long-range missile, is a major step forward for New Delhi in attaining nuclear deterrence against regional rival China," they said calling it as "telling that no country has criticized India's missile test." Curtis and Spring also noted that the US State Department simply called on all nuclear-capable states to exercise restraint and underlined India's solid record on non-proliferation and its cooperation with the international community on nuclear issues."This is a far cry from Washington's position on Indian ballistic missile development throughout the 1990s, when Washington pressured New Delhi to modify its nuclear and missile posture," they said suggesting "the new US stance also demonstrates a welcome evolution in US non-proliferation policy." "The US change in position with regard to Indian missile capabilities demonstrates how far the US-India relationship has evolved over the last decade," Curtis and Spring said. "Now the US views India as a strategic partner with growing economic and political clout that will contribute to promoting security and stability in Asia."

National Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

April 28-May 4, 2012

No change in visa policy for Indian students: US

Washington, DC: The US has said that there is no change in its policy towards issuing visas to Indian students. "I don't think we've changed our policy with regard to the way we interview applicants," state department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters at her daily news conference. "I think what we are doing is making sure that the sponsoring organizations truly are what they say they are in the United States; that if they say that they are bringing students over to educate them, that they intend to educate them, not put them to work, et cetera," she said. Nuland said the US supports the recent initiative of opening community colleges in India on the pattern of those here. Last week, education ministers of four Indian states Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, visited several US cities to have a firsthand experience of the community colleges here. "Well, obviously, we support this initiative. We have been working with the Indian side to flesh out the initiative that was agreed between the President and the prime minister through our Education Bureau here. And obviously, we are responsible for the visa issuance for the various folks studying in the United States," Nuland said. The United States is working with India to flesh out an initiative to set up hundreds of community colleges in India on the American pattern, according to Nuland. Asked if the Indian degrees are accepted in the United States, she said that was on a case-by-case issue depending upon where they graduate from and where they're looking to get accredited from. "So obviously, if there's a sister university relationship, sometimes those accreditations can be recognized, but it just depends on what they want to do," Nuland said. "I don't think there's a blanket way of looking at that."

Mathais impressive Voice run finally ends

By Vikas Girdhar/SATimes New York: Indian-American Sharon Mathai, an 18-year-old medical student from Atlanta, Georgia was sent home from the second season of NBCs The Voice on Tuesday as the contest narrows competitors for the next months finals. Mathais impressive run began with the first of three stages in The Voices format. During the first stage, the blind audition, Mathai sang Rumor Has It by Adele and immediately caught the attention of viewers and celebrity coaches Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine. She ultimately picked Levine to be her coach for the duration of her run. During the second stage, the battle from an opposing teamwere originally on the chopping block. It then came down to Mathai and teammate Katrina Parker to battle head-to-head for their spots. Mathai sang Cowboy Casanova by Carrie Underwood garnering some positive remarks from the judges but was ultimately determined to have put on a lesser-deserving performance than her opponent. Despite Mathais unsuccessful finish, she maintained throughout her tenure on the show that this is a dream she would still love to pursue even if it means putting her medical dreams on hold or getting rid of them altogether. I was a senior in high school and I was working towards being in the medical field, being a doctor, says Mathai. I wish I had a really cool story but honestly what happened to me is I just woke up one day and I was like, I really think Im supposed to be a singer. Id always been a nerd, I was such a big academic. It was kind of hectic and finally I decided to let go of school for now and just follow this dream because its freaking awesome and I want to make the most of it. [My parents] were upset, they said what would I do with my life in music and could end up homeless. I had to swim against that cultural current. I could not live a life of regrets, what ifs. I had to try. Thats exactly how she ended up winning the hearts of countless viewers and gaining the respect of those same parents who had doubted her dreams initially.

Sharon Mathai round, Mathai squared off against hopeful Nicolle Galyon as they both served their best voices up for a rendition of Sara Bareilles Love Song. Mathai was a unanimous winner chosen by the judges. On Tuesdays show, the third stage of the shows format, live performances, Mathai, along with five otherstwo from her team and three

Oprah Winfrey Travels to India goes on air in US this week

New York: Months after her maiden trip to India earlier this year, American talk show host Oprah Winfrey is all set to telecast a two-week Indian extravaganza on her new show. Oprah, who was in India in January, is all set to air Oprah Travels to India. The first part of the India series would feature her in Mumbai's slums of Dharavi. The episode would also have her first attempt at having a traditional meal with an Indian family, especially with hands. Ace Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani would also be featured showing Oprah how to wear a saree. The first episode would be telecast on Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) across the United States this week.

Indian-origin woman burns hubby in Austin

Shriya Biman Patel Washington, DC: An Indian-origin woman set her husband on fire and locked him in a bathroom, after promising him a hot oil massage, police said. Shriya Biman Patel,25, has been arrested on charges of first-degree felony aggravated assault and arson and booked into the Travis County Jail in Austin, Texas. An Austin police statement said officers answering a family disturbance call at a north Austin apartment Monday night found a naked, severely burned 29-year-old man screaming in pain on the floor, with his wife nearby and a strong smell of gasoline in the air, the Daily Mail website reported Friday. Fire Captain Andy Reardon said the man was expecting his wife of one year to massage him with oil but the oil turned out to be gasoline. The man, whose name has not been released, was airlifted to Brooke Army Medical Centre in San Antonio where he is said to be in a critical condition, suffering from second and third-degree burns to 70 percent of his body.

Oprah on visit to slums of Dharavi

Indian engineer found dead in Dallas apartment

Washington, DC: US authorities are investigating the death of a 28-year old Indian engineer in his apartment in Dallas, according to the Telugu Association of North America (TANA). Nikhil Karanam, identified as a native of Visakhapatnam, was found dead in his apartment April 21 in Trophy Club City, a suburb of Dallas. Local police say they believe Karanam had died almost 10 days ago but his body was discovered only after neighbors informed the authorities of "foul smell" coming from the apartment. Karanam had lived alone in the apartment and the police found his body in an "unbearable condition." was done Monday and the police do not suspect that it is either a case of murder or suicide. They suspect that Karanam could have died due to a "medical reaction" of some kind. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office and the crime investigator Robert Corley are investigating the case to determine the cause of his death. Karanam graduated from NIT Allahabad with MS (Industrial Engineering) in 2006 and after that he had worked in Noida. He joined AM University in Texas in 2008 and graduated with MS in 2011. He worked in Dallas with an investment firm from April 2011 till January 2012.

Nikhil Karanam TANA President Prasad Thotakura said preliminary investigation has ruled out any foul play in Karanam's death. The autopsy

National Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

April 28-May 4, 2012

Washington, DC: Around 13 percent of the world's adults -- or over 640 million people -- would like to emigrate with roughly 150 million, including ten million Indians wishing to settle in America. So suggests a new Gallup survey giving the US an undisputed title as the globe's most desired destination for would-be migrants since Gallup began tracking patterns in 2007. Would-be migrants who express desires to relocate to the US most likely come from populous nations such as China (22 million), India (10 million), Brazil (7 million), Nigeria (15 million) or Bangladesh (8 million). In addition to the almost 1 in 30 adults globally who would like to permanently settle in the US, vast numbers are attracted to the UK (45 million), to Canada (42 million), to France (32 mil-

10 mn Indians wish to move to US: Gallup poll

lion), and to Saudi Arabia (31 million). Despite large numbers of people in China, Nigeria and India who want to migrate permanently to the US, these countries are not necessarily the places where the US is the most desired destination. Potential migrants aspire to move to countries all over the world for the simple reason that they are in search of opportunity, Gallup said.

India needs to make 'tough choices': Ajay Banga

the USIBC, representing about 350 top American companies doing business with India, said he intended to focus on creating "a competitive environment between various state governments in India that are moving forward faster than others" to "help propel reforms - state by state, as well as at the Centre." "And if you are looking to the horizon for the next hill to climb, we need to be pushing for a Bilateral Investment Treaty, as well as flesh out the contours of something much bigger - an Economic Cooperation Arrangement between the world's two largest free-market democracies," he said. Among the key issues that the USIBC plans to champion was the need to resist protectionist impulses in both countries, Banga said. "This must be a priority for USIBC in India, as well as in the United States. As importantly, we need a visa regime in the United States that moves professionals with specialized knowledge back and forth freely to build on the knowledge economy that is at the heart of the US-India commercial relationship." Noting that in the run-up to the 2004 presidential elections, "there was a worrying uptick in rhetoric on targeting outsourcing and other Indian service businesses this front", he said "We hope we have outgrown this in 2012. But we must remain vigilant."

Opportunity could mean the chance to join family members who are already in other countries, to start a new business, to express one's views without fear, or to live where children are treated with respect. The reason the US is such a highly desired destination for potential migrants, in addition to being the land of opportunity, could be that many Americans are accepting of migrants in their communities, Gallup said.

Ajay Banga, chairman, USIBC Washington, DC: Ajay Banga, the new chairman of US-India Business Council, says India needs to make "tough choices" and implement progressive steps to create a welcoming business climate to attract investment. "The fundamentals are strong. India's demographic advantage presents an enormous opportunity," he said in an e-mail interview with the Wall Street Journal. Banga, president and chief executive of MasterCard Worldwide and as chairman of

Immigrants taking naturalization oath

Sepia Mutiny blog takes a bow after over seven years

By Vikas Girdhar/SATimes New York: Popular South Asian blog and discussion forum Sepia Mutiny has shut down its website and all operations beginning this month. The site, launched initially in August of 2004 by second-generation IndianAmerican students and young professionals, cited a changing blogosphere and personal reasons for its founders and regular contributors for its closing. Although we all still love our work on SM, the blogosphere has evolved quite a bit since we first started and for variety of reasons SM has not been able to keep up in recent years so as to remain a cutting edge product both from a content and technological standpoint, wrote the owner, known simply as Abhi. Most of the conversations that once took place daily on blogs now take place on your Facebook and Twitter accounts. To try and fight that trend is a losing proposition. Almost all prominent blogs are now corporatized with actual budgets, so continuing to play in that shrinking sandbox doesnt make a whole lot of sense. I dont think any of us who have poured so much sweat and so many sleepless nights writing about issues we are passionate about or just fascinated by are happy with simply coasting by on past glory. All of us have also gotten older since we started. Some got married, some had kids and all of us have super demanding day jobs. The not-for-profit blogs title was played off of the Sepoy Mutiny, the first war of Indian independence in 1857. Sepia was used in place of Sepoy as a lever way to refer to the brownish skin-tone of South Asians. The main purpose of the website was to

The blog was launched to be the voice of South Asians highlight social issues facing both generations Indian immigrants and IndianAmericans, to bring attention to the expanding role of South Asians in American politics and to focus on a number of violent acts or injustices against them. Abhi went on to offer some closing remarks as he wrote, I also truly feel that the mission of Sepia Mutiny is complete, especially for what I envisioned SM would be all about (other bloggers can share their view). Back in 2004 there was very little brown representation in the media and very little voice representing us. There was not a single loud speaker for the South Asian American community. Now there is quite a bit more and brown is everywhere. There seems much less need for a Mutiny given our strides. We were even invited to blog at the 2008 Democratic National Convention which was hard to imagine in 2004. That is not to say we are anywhere near where wed like to be but a Mutiny should naturally give way to a more organized movement of some kind. I believe SM did its job in sowing the seeds for that next chapter, whatever forms it now takes.

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US Affairs TheSouthAsianTimes.info

April 28-May 4, 2012

Walmart Mexico bribery scandal on Justice Dept radar since 2011

New York: Allegations that WalMart covered up the findings of an internal probe that proved its Mexican subsidiary bribed officials in that country could harm the world's biggest retailer and its executives. The alleged bribery scheme hush up was reported by The New York Times last weekend. It said that WalMart failed to notify law enforcement after the company's investigators found evidence of millions of dollars in bribes given to Mexican officials in exchange for getting building permits faster and other favors to help it aggressively expand in the region. Two Democratic U.S. congressmen Elijah Cummings and Henry Waxman said on Monday that they were launching an investigation into the matter, and they sent a letter to CEO Mike Duke asking for a meeting. The Washington Post reported late Monday that the U.S. Department of Justice has been conducting a criminal probe of the allegations since December, citing people familiar with the matter. If Wal-Mart is found to have violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, shut down the probe despite a report by its lead investigator that Mexican and U.S. laws likely were violated. In December, Wal-Mart said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it had begun an investigation into an overseas operation related to its compliance with the foreign corrupt practices law. Over the weekend, the company revealed that it had met with officials from the SEC and the Justice Department to discuss the company's ongoing investigation. But, according to the Times, WalMart only did so after being informed that the paper was looking into the allegations. "We are committed to getting to the bottom of this matter," Dave Tovar, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said in a statement. The Justice Department and the SEC declined to comment for this story. But legal experts say if there is a government investigation into the bribery allegations, the results could vary widely. In recent probes into corporations-- and their executives the penalties for violating the foreign corruption law have ranged from big fines for the companies to jail time for the executives.

Big decline in Mexican immigration to US

Washington: Mexican immigration to the US, the largest wave of migrants from a single country in the nations history, has stopped increasing after four decades of surging growth and may be declining, according to a report released Monday by the Pew Hispanic Crammed in like cattle, that is how some Center. Mexicans enter America In what the report called We really havent seen anything a notable reversal of the historic like this in the last 30 or 40 years, pattern, the number of Mexicans leaving rose sharply in the five years said Jeffrey Passel, the senior after 2005, while the new flow of demographer at the Pew Hispanic migrants coming from Mexico into Center and a co-writer of the report the US fell steeply, Pew demogra- with DVera Cohn and Ana Gonzalez-Barrera. The center, a phers found. For the first time in at least two nonpartisan research organization in decades, the population of illegal Washington that does not advocate immigrants from Mexico living in policy positions, has provided some this country significantly decreased, of the most reliable estimates for the according to the report. In 2011, elusive numbers of Mexican immiabout 6.1 million Mexicans were grants. Over all, the report said, living here illegally, down from a about 58 percent of an estimated peak of nearly 7 million in 2007, it 11.2 million illegal immigrants in the United States are from Mexico. said.

Walmart pic, caption: Walmart store in Mexico city which forbids paying bribes to foreign officials, the company could face fines of hundreds of millions of dollars. Top Wal-Mart executives could lose their jobs or worse, go to jail. And the retailer could suffer a public relations nightmare if a lengthy investigation ensues. "Unlike prior bad PR stories in recent years, this will be a material distraction for Wal-Mart on multiple fronts," said Charles Grom, a retail analyst at Deutsche Bank. The Times reported on Saturday that a former company executive in 2005 told Wal-Mart top brass about a bribery campaign that was used to help the retailer expand in Mexico. The paper said Wal-Mart officials launched an investigation into its Wal-Mart de Mexico subsidiary, but

Social Security not in the pink of financial health

Washington: The Obama administration reported a significant deterioration in the financial outlook for Social Security on Monday, while stating that the financial condition of Medicare was stable but still unsustainable. The Social Security trust fund will be exhausted in 2033, three years sooner than projected last year, the administration said. And Medicares hospital insurance trust fund will be depleted in 2024, the same as last years estimate, it said. The projections in this year s report are somewhat more pessimistic than last years projections, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said in issuing the annual report on the two programs, which together account for more than 35 percent of all federal spending. The central message of the new report was the same as in recent years: the two programs are unsustainable without structural changes that have so far eluded Congress and the administration. Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue, a trustee of the two programs, said Social Securitys disability insurance program faced the most immediate threat, with its trust fund expected to run out of money in 2016, two years sooner than predicted last year. For the disability program, as for Social Security over all, tax receipts would be sufficient to pay about 75 percent of promised benefits after the trust fund was exhausted.

Supreme Court hints OK on Ariz. immigration law

Washington: In a reversal for Obama administration, Supreme Court justices seemed to find little trouble Wednesday with major parts of Arizona's tough immigration law that require police to check the legal status of people they stop for other reasons. But the fate of other provisions that make Arizona state crimes out of immigration violations was unclear in the court's final argument of the term. The latest clash between states and the Obama administration turns on the extent of individual states' roles in dealing with the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants. Immigration policy is essentially under the federal government's control, but a half-dozen Republican-dominated states have passed their own restrictions out of frustration with what they call Washington's inaction to combat an illegal flood. Parts of laws adopted by Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Utah also are on hold pending the high court's decision. Civil rights groups say the Arizona law and those in some other states encourage racial profiling and ethnic stereotyping, and debate over such laws could have an impact on this fall's elections. More than 200 protesters gathered outside the court, most of them opposed to the Arizona law. However, in an unusual comment, Chief Justice John Roberts made clear at the outset of the administration's argument Wednesday that the court was looking only at state-versus-federal power, not the civil rights concerns that already are the subject of other lawsuits. "So this is not a case about ethnic profiling," Roberts said. That matter dealt with, both liberal and conservative justices reacted skeptically to the administration's argument that the state exceeded its authority when it made the records check, and another provision allowing suspected illegal immigrants to be arrested without warrants, part of the Arizona law aimed at driving illegal immigrants elsewhere. "You can see it's not selling very well," Justice Sonia Sotomayor told Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. Verrilli tried to convince the justices that they should view the law in its entirety, and as inconsistent with federal immigration policy. He said the records check would allow the state to "engage effectively in mass incarceration" of immigrants lacking documentation. He said the law embodying Arizona's approach of maximum enforcement conflicts with a more nuanced federal immigration policy that seeks to balance national security, law enforcement, foreign policy, human rights and the rights of law-abiding citizens and immigrants. But Roberts was among those on the court who took issue with Verrilli's characterization of the check of immigration status, saying the state merely wants to notify federal authorities it has someone in custody who may be in the U.S. illegally. "It seems to me that the federal government just doesn't want to know who's here illegally and who's not," Roberts said. Verrilli did not mention Wednesday that the administration has deported nearly 400,000 people a year, far more than previous administrations, although the information was included in written submissions to the court. The other provisions that have been put on hold by lower federal courts make it a state crime for immigrants not to have registration papers and for illegal immigrants to seek work or hold jobs. Arizona's Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the law two years ago, was at the court Wednesday. Arguing for Arizona, Paul Clement said the state law mirrored federal immigration law and that the state it took action because, with its 370-mile border with Mexico, Arizona "bears a disproportionate share of the costs of illegal immigration." The case is Arizona v. U.S., 11-182.

Census data shows one in 10 couples are interracial

Washington: Interracial partnering across the USA has reached new peaks, according to Census 2010, which reflects sharp increases in the percentages of different race individuals who are married or living together. Among opposite-sex unmarried couples, one in 10 (5.4 million couples) are interracial, representing a 28% increase since 2000. In 2010, 18% of heterosexual, unmarried partners were of a different race (1.2 million couples) and 21% (133,000) of same-sex partners were interracial or interethnic. The newly-released data show "we're becoming much more of an integrated, multi-racial society," says demographer William Frey of the Washington, D.C. think tank the Brookings Institution. "This is a movement toward a postracial society, but most social scientists would agree we're a long way from a colorblind or post-racial society," says sociologist Dan Lichter of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. who studies such relationships. "Race is still a category that separates and divides us." However, Lichter says "this might be evidence that some of the historic boundaries that separate the races are breaking down," since we're more likely to be sharing the same geographic space.

US Affairs TheSouthAsianTimes.info

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April 28-May 4, 2012

Prostitution scandal claims more US Secret Service agents

Washington: The US Secret Service Tuesday announced the fate of five remaining agents implicated in a scandal involving agency personnel and prostitutes during a presidential visit to Colombia. Two of the agents have decided to quit. According to a statement from the agency's assistant director Paul Morrissey, two of the agents have chosen to resign, while two others have been cleared of misconduct and will face appropriate administrative action, reported Xinhua. Morrissey said one other agent had his security clearance stripped, and can now appeal that decision. If the appeal is unsuccessful, he will lose his job because all agency personnel must have a security clearance. Eleven agents were alleged to have engaged in misconduct in Cartagena, where President Barack Obama attended a weekend summit of American countries. According to US media reports, the allegations involved prostitutes before Obama's arrival April 13. Six of the implicated agents were forced to leave last week in the wake of an internal investigation into the scandal. In addition to Secret Service agents, a dozen military personnel were also implicated in the scandal and are being investigated. Obama Tuesday called the Secret Service agents caught in the prostitution scandal "a couple of knuckleheads" who did not reflect the overall professionalism of the agency, during the taping of an appearance for Jimmy Fallon's late night show on NBC, according to the White House. "The Secret Service", Obama told Fallon on the campus of the University of North Carolina before heading for Colorado, "they protect me, they protect our girls. A couple of knuckleheads shouldn't detract from what they do. What they were thinking, I don't know. That's why they're not there anymore."

After 5-state sweep, Romney readies to battle Obama

Washington: Sweeping five Republican primaries to effectively clinch the Republican nomination, Mitt Romney prepared to challenge President Barack Obama in the November general election. "A better America starts tonight," the former Massachusetts governor told a cheering victory rally in New Hampshire Tuesday after building a big lead in delegates with victories in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. "The last few years have been the best that Barack Obama can do, but it's not the best America can do," he said. "Tonight is the beginning of the end of the disappointments of the Obama years and it's the start of a new and better chapter that we will write together." Far ahead of the field in the battle for delegates, Romney became the presumptive nominee April 10 after his closest rival former senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, suspended his campaign. Santorum has yet to endorse Romney and declined to do so despite repeated prodding on a TV show Tuesday saying he hoped to meet with Romney "in the next

Presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney with Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla), currently being talked about as his running mate. week or two". ing events Wednesday and Thursday Newt Gingrich, on the other hand, in New York and New Jersey to will not only officially end his bid build up his war chest for the next week, his spokesman said November election. Wednesday, he will also back To win, Romney needs to overRomney in his bid to defeat come a big Obama advantage President Obama in November. among young voters. In 2008, voters With the nominating fight virtual- ages 18 to 29 supported Obama over ly over, Romney's campaign has Republican nominee Senator John already been working to build up its McCain by 66 percent to 32 percent, general election organization, and according to CNN exit polling. engaged in a "rapid build-out", a Obama has maintained his lead Romney adviser said. among the group, as also maong Romney plans a series of fundrais- women and Hispanics.

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India TheSouthAsianTimes.info

April 28-May 4, 2012

CD row: Singhvi quits party, parliamentary posts

New Delhi: A day before parliament reconvenes for the budget session, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi quit as party spokesperson and as head of the parliamentary panel on law and justice in the wake of a controversial CD allegedly featuring him. Singhvi announced his decision to resign from the posts in a statement issued Monday evening, in which he said he had quit to prevent "even the slightest possible parliamentary disruption". Quick to cash in on the controversy, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Singhvi should explain in parliament why he had quit as chairman of the parliamentary committee, which is looking into the Lokpal bill, among others. "It is a serious matter and the party has not given any statement on the issue. As he has resigned from the post of chairman of the parliamentary standing committee, we hope he will make a statement on why has he resigned," BJP leader Arun Jaitley said. BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said the matter "is nothing less that a casting couch" and Singhvi should explain. The Congress MP said in the statement that "canards and baseless allegations" were being spread about an alleged inappropriate conversation in the CD that took the social media by storm following a high court directive that it should not be published or telecast by the mainstream media. He, accordingly, informed Congress chief Sonia Gandhi about his decision "not to brief the press" and his resignation as chairperson of the parliamentary or he had quit on his own, but he had taken the correct step. Party spokesperson Rashid Alvi, meanwhile, said Singhvi had resigned on "moral grounds" despite a court injunction against the releasing the contents of the CD. Alvi also attacked BJP over its MLAs and Ministers in Gujarat and Karnataka having allegedly watched a porn video inside the respective assemblies, saying the opposition party should not give lessons on morality. Meanwhile, Delhi Bar Council member and former president of the Delhi Bar Association Rajiv Khosla said the CD row involving Singhvi has harmed the dignity of the legal profession. "The Delhi lawyers are, therefore, interested to to the truth as to why an advocate's driver stooped too low to make this dirty CD," he added. Singhvi said in his statement, that the canard was spread to give the issue a public interest flavour "since otherwise the contents of the CD, assuming them to be true (which they certainly are not), would disclose only something private and consensual giving a cause of action only to aggrieved family members (who have stood completely by me) and to no one else." Stressing that privacy issues should be respected, he said: "Either the CD is morphed or it is not. In either event it raises no public interest issue, yet evokes salacious private and prurient interest and contumacious internet violation of a flagrant kind. As a political or a professional class, instead of gleefully watching, promoting or participating in a person's natural and understandable discomfiture, we must respect privacy issues."

Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi was allegedly featured in a controversial sex CD. standing committee on law, justice and personnel. "I have done this only to prevent even the slightest possible parliamentary disruption regarding the purported CD being circulated about me. Since I am a disciplined party soldier, I did not think it fit to subject the party to any inconvenience on this account. All allegations are patently baseless and false." Singhvi, an eminent lawyer, accused sections of print and visual media of spreading falsehoods about contents of the CD by repetition and hearsay that there is reference in the CD to the promise of any post and said there was no reference to any illegality, corrupt practice, or wrongdoing. "People inimically opposed to me, who have assiduously spent over 10 days hearing, seeing, amplifying and distilling the CD have found no vestige of any reference, not even remotely, to any illegality, corrupt practice, or wrongdoing. "No one has heard any such reference in the CD. There is none simply because it does not exist. It is pure imagination, wishful thinking and sensationalism," Singhvi said. He said the CD raises no public interest issues but has evoked salacious private and prurient interest and demanded that privacy issues be respected. "It is lamentable that such canards are being spread about a CD which has, in fact, been accepted thrice over to be fabricated and morphed," he added. The Congress leader said a reputed media house, which was co-defendant in the suit also recorded a consent statement based on the statement of the author of the CD and a final permanent decree of injunction has been passed over five days ago. Congress media cell chief Janardhan Dwivedi said that it did not matter whether the party had sought Singhvi's resignation

Court dismisses plea for probe into Singhvi CD

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court dismissed a petition seeking direction to the Bar Council of Delhi and the Delhi Bar Association to investigate the CD controversy related to Congress MP and lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Dismissing the public interest litigation (PIL), a division bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said the Bar Council of Delhi and the Delhi Bar Association were not empowered to take action against the employee of a lawyer. The petitioner, advocate Sanjay Kumar, had moved the court saying that the controversy had been decided without considering the allegations made in the CD and the FIR had been dropped without any further investigation. Kumar added that the image of two prominent lawyers of the high court has been tarnished in the row.

Bugging row: Tejinder moves Pawar meets Sonia over presidential election New Delhi: Nationalist Congress and discussed the candidature of SC against Army chief Party (NCP) chief and Vice President Hamid Ansari for
New Delhi: After filing a defamation suit in a Delhi court against Army chief General V K Singh for accusing him of offering a bribe in the Tatra truck deal, Lt Gen (Retd) Tejinder Singh moved the Supreme Court accusing the Army chief of unauthoLt Gen (Retd) Tejinder Singh. rizedly recording conversations in relating to private life of petibreach of his right to privacy. tioner (Lt Gen Tejinder Singh)". He requested the apex court to The petitioner said he has "seize from the possession of "obtained incriminating eviGen V K Singh, his immediate dence against the Respondent staff, family members and rela- No 5 (Gen V K Singh) which tives and to keep in sealed cover are being submitted to the SC in any recording or document sealed cover".
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to evolve "consensus" on the presidential election due in July. "We want consensus on the candidate," NCP leader D.P. Tripathi told reporters after Pawar met Sonia, who heads the United Progressive Alliance. Sources said the NCP's working committee met earlier in the day the post, who is being considered by the Congress. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad had come out in Ansari's support Tuesday. The Opposition BJP has decided to put up its own candidate for the election. President Pratibha Patil's fiveyear term expires in July but no date for the poll has been announced yet.

Federal Agriculture Minister Shard Pawar.

India TheSouthAsianTimes.info

13

April 28-May 4, 2012

Relief, tears as Maoists release Odisha legislator

Balipeta (Odisha): Emotions ran high as Odisha legislator Jhina Hikaka walked into a crowd of people here, released by Maoists after being held captive for over a month in Koraput district. The 37-year-old Biju Janata Dal (BJD) legislator, wearing a green kurta, hugged his wife Kaushalya and, seconds later, both broke down. He said he was in good condition and the rebels had treated him well. Reporters and photographers surrounded Hikaka, who appeared relieved and healthy, as he came with a group of villagers to a mango garden at Balipeta, over 500 km from Bhubaneswar, at about 10.30 a.m. Replying to a question from a reporter at the site on whether he had given an undertaking to the rebels that he would resign from the assembly and from the BJD, Hikaka said, "You will come to know about it."

HSBC axes 750 employees in India

Hyderabad: Over the last two days, HSBC India has undertaken a massive layoff exercise showing the door to as many as 200 employees ranging from assistant manager to vice presidents from its centers in Hyderabad alone. The axe has fallen on over 350 employees at HSBC's Pune centres. It is estimated that a total of 750 employees have been asked to leave across locations and designations. So from assistant managers to vice presidents have been summoned to the meeting room in the last two days, asked to choose between termination or resignation, pack their bags and leave. Every couple of hours, employees were escorted out of the building by guards after quick meetings with the human resource department. No time was given to bid goodbyes to friends and colleagues. They were later packed off in cabs after their access cards were taken. A manager who was asked to leave said, "I was asked to log off from my computer and leave in ten minutes. Even those who have done well were asked to leave." to just one. The company refused to divulge numbers. Sources said that restructuring of the company was in the offing since mid-2011 and that employees have been on tenterhooks ever since. Videos had been posted on the intranet to create awareness that some could lose their jobs soon. "Project Nemo, a de-layering exercise was initiated at a global level to remove people across levels because of which assistant managers, managers, vice-presidents and even presidents who had put in years of loyal service were asked to leave. Around 10% of staff has been laid off," claimed a source. Sources said that the project was started to improve organizational efficiency and cost cutting. Further, a target saving of $1 billion was sought and the corporation was aiming at spending between 48 cents and 52 cents against the current 61 cents for earning a dollar. Rajesh Joshi, HSBC spokesperson, declined to comment on the sackings but said that India is a key market and that HSBC would continue to invest here.

Odisha legislator Jhina Hikaka has been released by Maoists. Party colleague and MP Baijayant Panda told reporters, "We're glad that he is safe and unharmed." The leftwing extremists, who kidnapped Hikaka from Laxmipur in Koraput March 24, had Wednesday announced that a people's court had decided to release him after he apologized to the rebels and local villagers. A Maoist leader calling herself 'Aruna', in an audio message aired by a local television channel here, had said the decision to release him was taken after he promised to resign from the assembly and the primary membership of the ruling BJD.

HSBC India has undertaken a massive layoff exercise in India.

An "adequate" compensation (one month's salary for each year spent in the company plus three months salary) has been part of the layoff deal. While the new entrants into the international bank are crying hoarse, the senior ones are taking solace in the cash with some having made Rs 8-15 lakh. Sources said that most lower level employees heaved a sigh of relief as they were spared while many from the middle and high level management were given the boot. However, the last two days saw the bank taking precautionary measures including closing its balconies to possibly avert any aggressive reactions to the layoff. Vijay Kumar (name changed), a manager in HSBC India, was enjoying his morning coffee in the cafeteria when within minutes he saw himself signing his resignation letter stating that he was leaving the organization on personal grounds. Employees have been sacked from the two HSBC global service centers and its invest direct and commercial banking and software development departments in Hyderabad. Even the bank's corporate communications team was trimmed from five employees

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India TheSouthAsianTimes.info

April 28-May 4, 2012

Bofors resurrected, Congress on mat over Q

New Delhi: The Bofors ghost returned to haunt the Congress with former Swedish police chief Sten Lindstrom giving a clean chit to the late Rajiv Gandhi in the payoff scandal but also saying that he just "watched the massive cover-up" and the guilty, Italian Ottavio Quattrocchi, got away. The sensational disclosures by the original whistleblower of the bribery scam of the late 1980s gave fresh ammunition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left with both demanding an explanation from the government. The BJP also decided to pin the government down in parliament. Then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and several others were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors AB for winning a bid to supply India 155 mm field howitzers. The Rs.64 crore (approx $12 million) scandal, bigger than any that India had seen before, led to the defeat of the "Nobody in Sweden or Switzerland was allowed to interrogate him." Lindstrom also said that the case against actor and then Congress MP Amitabh Bachchan and his family was planted in Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter by Indian investigators. Bachchan said he was happy to be cleared of the Bofors allegations but was "pained" this had happened after 25 years. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Bachchan said that he had "lived with humiliation and loss of reputation" all these years. In another damning revelation, Lindstrom said they had barely met Indian investigators. "Can you imagine a situation where no one from India met the real investigators of the gun deal," he asked. The interview gave the opposition the leverage it was looking for against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance regime. The BJP again alleged that Quattrocchi was close to the Gandhi family and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and sought the government's apology for letting him go free. "The entire government of late Rajiv Gandhi was out to secure Ottavio Quattrocchi. What was his link with the government and with the Gandhi family that the entire government was there to bail him out... it is a serious matter," said BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad. The Bachchans, Bollywood's first family, said they had been vindicated. "We knew the truth 25 years back but justice takes its own time and our stand has been vindicated," said Rajya Sabha member Jaya Bachchan. Her husband, megastar Amitabh, who was an MP at the time said the accusations had led to years of "anguish of petulant blame".

Former Swedish police chief Sten Lindstrom gave a clean chit to Rajiv Gandhi in the Bofors payoff scandal but said he watched the massive cover-up and the guilty, Italian Ottavio Quattrocchi (pictured), get away. Congress in the November 1989 elections. In an interview to website thehoot.org, Lindstrom said there was no evidence to show that Gandhi had taken a bribe in the Rs.1,500 crore ($285 million) gun deal. "But he watched the massive cover-up in India and Sweden and did nothing. Many Indian institutions were tarred, innocent people were punished while the guilty got away," he said. The evidence against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi "was conclusive", he said.

No touring with Ramdev, Hazare denies rift

Odisha hostage row: Uncertainty over talks

Raipur/New Delhi: Emergency medicines were rushed for abducted Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon, who is being held by Maoists in Chhattisgarh for the past three days, even as uncertainty prevailed over talks for his release. With hours to go for the Maoist deadline, the Chhattisgarh government Tuesday named two former chief secretaries to negotiate with the guerrillas after two of the three mediators named by the left-wing extremists refused to join the talks. Meanwhile, medicines and clothes were rushed to Menon who is being held in a forested hideout in Chintagufa close to National Highway 221, close to the Andhra Pradesh district of Khamam, tribal leader Manish Kunjam said. Chintagufa is the area where Maoists had massacred 76 security personnel, including 75 of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), on April 6, 2010. Medicines for asthma, dehydration and eyedrops were collected from Menon's wife Asha by Kunjam and taken to the forested hideout. According Kunjam, Asha Menon requested him to urge the Maoists to send back some "electronic evi-

Abducted district collector Alex Paul Menon. dence" like a video clip of her husband, to indicate his well being. Maoists are demanding that Chhattisgarh's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime must free its eight key jailed colleagues- Marakam Gopannam, Nirmal Akka, Devpal Chandra Shekher Reddy, Shanti Priya Reddy, Meena Chowdhary, Korasa Sunny, Markan Sunny and Asit Kumar Sen - and have set April 25 as deadline.

Anna Hazare with yoga guru Baba Ramdev. New Delhi: Denying a rift in his team, social activist Anna Hazare said he will not tour with yoga guru Baba Ramdev but share the stage wherever needed in the course of their nationwide campaign against graft. The comment comes after reports of a rift within team Anna as the 74-year-old announced his alliance with Ramdev for a nationwide campaign where the two will be leading individual movements for a strong Lokpal and against black money respectively. "I have told you before that we (me and Ramdev) are not touring together, but we are fighting for the same purpose of getting black money and the Lokpal and Lokayukta bills. We shall stand together and share the same stage wherever needed," Hazare told reporters at the Delhi airport before heading back to his village Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra. "After the Maharashtra trip, when we go together, it is possible that we share the stage," the septuagenarian added. Hazare will start his countrywide tour by the end of June. Hazare was here for the core committee meeting in suburban Noida Sunday. A major rift emerged at the meeting with member Mufti Shamoon Qasmi being asked to stay away from the proceedings after he was reportedly found recording discussions on his mobile phone and transmitting it outside.

Indian rocket successfully launches Risat-1 satellite

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh): An Indian rocket successfully launched into orbit a microwave Radar Imaging Satellite (Risat1) from the spaceport here in Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km from Chennai. The indigenous Risat-1, with a life span of five years, would be used for disaster prediction and agriculture forestry and the high resolution pictures and microwave imaging could also be used for defense purposes as it can look through the clouds and fog. At exactly 5.47 a.m., the rocket - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C19 (PSLV-C19) standing 44.5 meters tall and weighing 321 tons and with a one-way ticket, hurtled towards the skies ferrying the 1,858 kg Risat-1 after unshackling itself from launch pad No.1. With a rich orange flame at its tail and a plume of white smoke, the rocket ascended towards the blue sky amidst the resounding cheers of ISRO scientists and media team assembled at the launch centre. People perched atop nearby buildings too happily clapped as PSLV-C19 went up. Space scientists at the new rocket mission control room of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) were glued to their computer screens watching the rocket escaping the earth's gravitational pull. The ISRO-made Risat-1 is the heaviest luggage so far ferried by a PSLV since 1993. At around 17 minutes into the flight, PSLV-C19 delivered Risat-1 into a polar circular orbit at an altitude of 480 km and an orbital inclination of 97.552 degrees. For ISRO, this is the first launch this fiscal as well as in the calendar year.

Tristate Community Thesouthasiantimes.info

15

April 28-May 4, 2012

60,000 march down Manhattan in Sikh Day Parade

New York: An estimated 60,000 people took part in the 25th annual Sikh Day Parade on April 21 in a celebration of Baisakhi, Khalsa Saajnaa Divas and the rich cultural flavors of Sikhism.NYC Comptroller John Liu (who shouted Jo Bolde So Nihaal to a cheering crowd), Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, NY Assemblywoman and Senate aspirant Grace Meng, Councilmen Mark Weprin and Tony Avella and others dignitaries walked as Parade Marshalls and spoke about various issues including need to document hate crimes, diversity, respect for all, workplace religious freedom act recently enacted in NY amongst others. Twenty floats and 47 Tristate organizations/gurdwaras took part in

Sikh identity issues were displayed on placards. the parade. Free vegetarian food was served to all.

Golden Temples was one of 20 floats.

Panj Piyare leading the parade.

Gatkaa martial arts performance was the main attraction.

Baisakhi celebrated at the NY Consulate

New York: The Consulate General of India, in association with the Sikh Art and Film Foundation, celebrated Baisakhi on April 19. Consul General, Ambassador Prabhu Dayal, while welcoming the guests, said that though Baisakhi is celebrated all over India, it is particularly significant for the Sikh community as it was on this day that Guru Gobind Singh had founded the Sikh Khalsa. Sir Mota Singh, UKs first Sikh and Asian judge to be Knighted by the Queen for his services to the administration of justice and community relations, New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Assistant Professor of Medicine & Associate Neuroscientist, Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, a Canadian who became a Sikh, also graced the occa-

Sir Mota Singh, UKs first Sikh and Asian judge to be Knighted by the Queen, being honored by Amb. Prabhu Dayal, accompanied by Thomas DiNapoli and Tejinder Bindra. sion. Explaining the significance ofBaisakhi in the Sikh community, Sir Mota Singh dwelt at length the establishment and rise of Khalsa Panth. Tejinder Bindra, President of the Sikh Art & Film Foundation, appreciated the efforts of the Consulate in celebrating Baisakhi. The 200 plus guests also enjoyed an energetic Bhangra performance.

A Bhangra performance is de rigeur at Baisakhi events.

Some 200 people attended the event. ( Photos: Gunjesh Desai / masalajunction.com )

Singers regaled the sizeable audience at Punjabi Virsa 2012 organized by Rajvir & SRK2 in Monroe Township, NJ, on April 14.

16

Ultimate Bollywood TheSouthAsianTimes.info

April 28-May 4, 2012

'Dirty Picture' loses on prime time, Bollywood furious

time. Information and broadcasting ministry officials in New Delhi said that they have sent a letter to Sony TV not to telecast the movie during prime time. "The channel has been told to screen the movie only after 11 p.m.," they said to a query in this regard. This directive from the ministry left Luthria, fuming, even as the Mumbai film industry reacted angrily to the development. "I am shocked and disappointed that this decision was taken at the last moment. For the last two months we have been working on this and as per the rule few scenes had to be cut to get the U/A certificate. Don't harass us like this," Luthria said. "We re-submitted the film after 59 cuts. Now I am curious to know why has this happened. DVDs of the films are already out and many people have already seen it," Luthria added. The film, which is reportedly based on the story of late southern actress Silk Smitha and fetched Vidya Balan her first National Award, was to be shown at 12 noon and at 8 p.m. Sunday on Sony TV. However, it was not shown. Sony had bought the rights of the Ekta Kapoor's production venture for Rs 8 crore. After the decision to pull it off from the small screen, Sony ran a ticker saying: "For unavoidable reasons we regret to inform that the film 'The Dirty Picture' will not be telecast today. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted." Johar too was surprised at the decision. "A national award winning film cannot have a national telecast??? this is not an irony but plain and simple hypocrisy!!!! #dirtypicture. If the censorship is not a final authority then what is??? Complicated and blurred lines defeat the core of democracy!!!! #dirtypicture," he tweeted. The film, which also features Tusshar Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah and Emraan Hashmi, is replete with "bold scenes" and after cuts it was given a UA certification for being shown on Indian television.

Vidya Balan starrer The Dirty Picture was stalled at the last moment, despite 59 cuts in the film to make it suitable for television viewing. he much-anticipated television premiere of Vidya Balan starrer "The Dirty Picture" was stalled at the last moment, despite 59 cuts in the film to make it suitable for television viewing. While film's director Milan Luthria is shocked and dis-

appointed, filmmaker Karan Johar branded it hypocrisy. The government moved quickly to stall the screening of film by an entertainment television channel, ostensibly due to its "adult" content, and asked the channel to telecast it late in the night after prime

Bala's 'Peddlers' selected for Cannes Critics' Week

Argentina and Germany. "Peddlers" talks about Mumbai, a lady on a mission, a man living a lie and an aimless drifter. They collide. Some collisions are of consequence, some not, either ways the city moves on, according to Cannes Critics Week official website semainedelacritique.com The film, produced by Guneet Monga of Anurag Kashyap Films Pvt. Ltd., will compete for the prestigious Camera d'Or at the 2012 festival, the 65th edition of the cinematic jamboree. "Sinking in thanks so much team...reminds me I worked with the best film in the world," Bala tweeted after the lineup was announced. Bala had assisted filmmaker Anurag Kashyap in "Dev D". He was also an associate director in Michael Winterbottom's "Trishna", starring Freida Pinto.

Ajay tells Anil who's 'Tezz' on F1 track

A scene from Peddlers. ndian director Vasan Bala's debut feature film "Peddlers" has been selected to represent India at the 51st edition of Cannes Critics' Week, a parallel section of the prestigious Cannes

International Film Festival. "Peddlers", starring Gulshan Devaiah, Kriti Malhotra and Nishikant Kamat, will be showcased alongside six other films from countries like Spain, France,

Anil Kapoor and Ajay Devgn at Noida F1 track. he silence at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) at Greater Noida was broken by a loud screeching sound of roaring Lamborghinis as Bollywood stars Anil Kapoor and Ajay Devgn took over the racing track to show each other who is 'Tezz'! The actors, who were to promote their forthcoming film "Tezz", took everyone by surprise with their stylish entry. Both the actors tried their hands on the Italian super sports car and were fascinated by its speed on the 5.14 km-track, which was developed for the country's inaugural Formula One Grand Prix last year. "The highest speed at which we drove today was 260 kmph. I've never done such an act before in my life," Anil told reporters here post the casual race, in which Ajay was faster. "It's like an addiction! We drove four laps and still wanted to do more. This track is simply amazing and very smooth," added the 52-

Madonna's naked photo to fetch 5,000 pounds?

naked picture of Madonna is expected to fetch 5,000 pounds as it goes under the hammer at Bonhams' auction house next month. The black-and-white image taken by photographer Steven Meisel, shows a topless 32year-old Madonna reclining in bed while smoking a cigarette. The photograph was a part of a series of X-rated photo-

graphs, which were never used in the singer's controversial 1992 book "Sex", reports aceshowbiz.com. The sale will come as a blow to the 53-year-old pop superstar who has previously claimed she has never been able to put the erotic tome behind her.

The black-and-white image shows a topless 32-year-old Madonna reclining in bed while smoking a cigarette.

year-old. Looking comfortable in a blue checked shirt and wayfarer shades, Ajay said: "This is the first time that someone from Bollywood has come up with the idea of promoting a movie on a racing track. It's very exciting yet innovative." "Tezz" also features Zayed Khan, Boman Irani, Sameera Reddy and Kangna Ranaut. It is directed by the maverick Priyadarshan, whose showbiz career spans close to three decades. Known for his comedy flicks, the filmmaker says he wanted to try something new. That's the reason why he thought of directing an action thriller this time. "It's a social drama, thriller and is about a chase between cops and criminals. This is the 84th film of my career. I've put all my experience in this movie. The movie also has a thin line of emotions, something similar to 'Deewaar' and 'Sholay'," Priyadarshan, who was also present at the track, said here.

Ultimate Bollywood Thesouthasiantimes.info

17

April 28-May 4, 2012

Even today Ray remains alive in me: Soumitra

eteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee, who starred in 14 celluloid classics of Satyajit Ray, says working with the master filmmaker was an exciting learning process. And he continues to inspire, even 20 years after his death. Saluting Ray's poetic, lyrical and artistic qualities, Chatterjee said. "He is a special kind of poetic, lyrical, artistic visionary. If you see his films you can feel that such poetic, lyrical, artistry can belong to nobody else." Chatterjee, this year's winner of Indian cinema's highest award, the Dadasaheb Phalke, shared a "comradeship" with Ray that was spread over three decades, and ended only with the film maestro's death on this day in 1992. Making his movie debut in Ray's masterpiece Apur Sansar (the world of Apu) - the third

Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee. part of the Apu Trilogy - in 1959 "Abhijan", "Aranyer Din Ratri" - Chatterjee became the famed and "Ganashatru". director's favorite actor, playing The association has often been lead roles in films like "Sonar compared with the famous actorKella", "Jai Baba Felunath", director duos of the world such "Charulata", "Ghare Baire", as Akira Kurosowa-Toshiro "Ashani Sanket", "Devi", Mifune and Marcello

Mastroianni-Federico Fellini. "He had helped me enormously. He was my mentor in that way. I learnt many things from him, I learnt because I worked with him. From the very beginning we had developed a comradeship, a rapport, by knowing each other, understanding each other," said Chatterjee. "I don't know what I would have done if he was not there. But I can say one thing for sure that many dreams would have remained unfulfilled. I couldn't have learnt so much. Even today he remains alive in me. Even today he is an inspiration for me," said Chatterjee. Going down memory lane, the 77-year-old actor - equally at ease in films and on stage - said during the shooting for "Apur Sansar" in Madhya Pradesh, Ray had instructed him to act in a scene in which he looked a trifle

tired after trekking. "So in order to master the scene I ran up and down the mountain repeatedly to appear tired. But at the end of the day, due to the running and cold weather, I fell sick, I had a real spasm." "From that incident I learnt two lessons. Now I can fake tiredness while acting and I don't need to run up and down to become tired. At the same time my attraction for true acting helped me and it was necessary." Chatterjee would not point out any particular role in Ray's films that gave him the most satisfaction. "Working with him (through the years) is like working in one film. The journey is so exciting and fulfilling and a huge learning process too. I cannot differentiate between the roles I have done under him," he said.

Sunny Leone, Poonam Pandey won't clash

Kashmir is ultimate for outdoor film shooting: Saroj

Poonam Pandey's upcoming film, directed by Amit Saxena, is not clashing with Sunny Leone's Jism 2. ontrary to media reports, Poonam Pandey's upcoming film, directed by Amit Saxena, is not clashing with Sunny Leone's Jism 2 at the box office. While Poonam's film will see a December release, Sunny Leone's debut venture will hit the screens on August 3. In fact we even announced the date in our first press release which we put out more than a few months ago!" Pooja Bhatt told hindustantimes.com. "For all those asking, Jism is due to release sometime around August.. It will be amazing...I promise :)" Sunny Leone had tweeted few days back. Aditya Bhatia, National Marketing Head Eagle, who had earlier said he's not afraid of his film clashing with Sunny Leone's Jism 2, confirms that the Poonam Pandey starrer will hit the theatres in December. "The clash was not intentional. We are

still going ahead with the December release," he told us. Poonam Pandey had earlier told us, "Yes, my film is releasing around Jism 2. If people compare me with Sunny, I cannot stop their thinking. There are bound to be comparisons. But at the end of the day, your work will speak." "It's going to change people's mindset. It will change the way people think about Bollywood. It's radically different from the way films are being made here. I would say, it's not a normal story of a-boy-meets-girl-and-theyfall-in-love genre. It's a very different story," the starlet had said about her upcoming film. Jism 2 is being directed by Pooja Bhatt and will star Sunny Leone, Arunoday Singh and Randeep Hooda in lead roles. Imran Zahid and Mohan Agashe will play key roles.

or renowned Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan, the locale for her latest song sequence could just not be better. Srinagar's Tulip Garden not only fascinated Khan, but also convinced her that this was the ultimate shooting destination. "We have wandered in Europe and America for many years as Kashmir had remained unavailable for us. This is really the ultimate destination for all the filmmakers whose stories and theme are powered by nature," Saroj said. She not only choreographed the song for "Kaash Tum Hote", featuring Priya Kapoor and Mukesh Bharti, but also did the directorial honors as the film's director, Israr

Khan was indisposed. The veteran choreographer said she had come to Kashmir with a Shammi Kapoor film unit before militancy broke out in the Valley. "This is for the first time I have come to choreograph a song in Kashmir as things are fast returning to normal here. "I have always believed and today my belief has been redoubled that Kashmir is the place where you see a dream and can finally realize it," she said. Saroj said she has seen film shooting locations across the world, but nothing compares with the phenomenal wealth that nature has bestowed this land with. "The eternal relationship between

Kashmir and Bollywood needs to be reaffirmed and carried forward with renewed zeal and vigor", she asserted. One thing she regrets is the use of cement concrete that she has been seeing around the city and other places. "Cement and iron does not gel with the tradition and beauty of Kashmir. You need to preserve your traditional architecture which has a definite central Asian overtone. "Wood and brick with latticed windows and balconies is what comes to mind when we think of Kashmir's majestic architecture. Cement and iron does not go down well with the overall picture one has in mind about this land," she said.

Actors Prinya Kapoor with Mukesh Bharati at Tulip Garden in Srinagar.

18

Travel TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Royal Barge will lead the procession, with the Queen herself on board. Viewing points will be available along the length of the Thames, with hot areas expected to include the Southbank, Victoria Embankment, Battersea Park and Millbank Towers. The Jubilee Family Festival Hyde Park, London June 2-3 Live music and entertainment will be on offer from this two-day festival, which will feature huge screens showing important Jubilee events from other parts of the city. Look out for the 70-minute finales on both days, which come courtesy of Disney. BBC Jubilee Concert Buckingham Palace, London June 4 This event, featuring the likes of Elton John, Tom Jones, Annie Lennox, Paul McCartney, Jessie J and Kylie Minogue will be streamed live onto screens around the Palace.

April 28-May 4, 2012

To London, to greet the Queen

Changing of guard at Buckingham Palace in London.

Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952. She is today queen regnant of 16 sovereign states, 12 of which were British colonies or Dominions at the start of her reign. Queen Victoria in 1897 is the only other monarch in the histories of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and a few other Commonwealth realms to have celebrated a Diamond Jubilee. Following the tradition of jubilees past, a Diamond Jubilee medal is being awarded in various countries and holidays and events will be held throughout the Commonwealth. Plans were discussed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2011.

ith the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth just weeks away, the British capital is gearing up to host all kinds of special events to mark the occasion. Here is a look at five events not to be missed, if you're one of the millions of visitors expected to descend on London for the weekend. Epsom Derby Epsom, Surrey June 2 The Epsom Derby is one of the world's most prestigious horse races and will be attended by the Queen, a lifelong racing fan. Over 125,000 visitors are expected -- to see the Queen, as well as Katherine Jenkins' performance and the races themselves.

Royal Procession St Paul's Cathedral to Buckingham Palace, London June 5 The Queen, Prince of Wales, Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry are expected to join the formal carriage procession following the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral on June 5, with vantage points set up along the route for crowds keen to gain a glimpse. Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant River Thames, London June 3 This will be the largest flotilla ever organized on the Thames, with over 1000 vessels passing down the waterway decked out in bunting, flags and other decorations. The

Queen Elizabeth was coronated (right) in 1952

t will be international celebration throughout 2012 marking the 60th anniversary

of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the thrones of seven countries upon the death of

by Juhi Jhunjhunwala Dhingra

By: Sneha Mahale have attracted the envious stares of friends each time I've rambled about some unheard spots visited in India or abroad. So it did come as a surprise when a friend described her thrilling encounter with a cheetah in Africa. "Oh, you visited?" I asked. "Only via webcam," she said. Welcome to the wonderful world of virtual vacations. You no longer need to plan breaks, book hotel rooms, share space with strangers or spend a single rupee to take a break. Through live streaming done on webcams, panoramic videos and voiceovers in several languages, a round trip around the world is just a click away. Art story: Art lovers worldwide are

Virtually on vacation
taking free walking tours of the world's best museums with the Google Art Project. Topping the list of must-visit spots are The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The National Gallery in London, The Palace of Versailles in France, Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid and Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, and their many masterpiece on display. Recently, the NGMA and the National Museum were added to the list, providing an Indian flavour. The best part, there is no closing time and no fellow art lover can nudge you to move on. Worth a visit! Go wild: Several zoos and safaris offer live streaming via webcams to help you observe wildlife without actually visiting the place. Take for example Africam.com that has tied up with Tembe National Elephant Park and Nkorho Pan. Cameras placed around waterholes let you watch a cheetah or deer headed for a drink. Cameras with stereo audio and night-vision are on offer, as are sighting alerts via Facebook and Twitter. The option of watching recorded highlights is available too. Similarly, the National Zoo in the US has webcams to let you observe cheetahs, flamingos, elephants and pandas while the pandas, apes, and polar bears at the San Diego Zoo too are just a click away. And for an undersea experience, do try webcams at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Such a wonder: If you are a history buff or into natural and man-made wonders, browsing through Armchair Travels' virtual tours is worth the effort. From a walk around the Taj Mahal in Agra to walking down the same aisle as Kate Middleton at Westminister Abbey, this website has it all. At the Taj, tourists can avail of maps to explore 22 different areas of the monument and gardens through 360 panoramas, maps,narrated mini-movies, music and text. The website offers similar tours of St Paul's Cathedral, Chatham Historic Dockyard and Royal Botanic Gardens in London. A visit to Niagara Falls and Clifton Hill too can be crossed off your bucket list by logging on to cliftonhill.com. And if you wish to know what the inside of the British Parliament or what the White House looks like, Armchair Travel and Google Project let you roam down the hallways where once Winston Churchill or Abraham Lincoln walked.

Through live streaming done on webcams, panoramic videos and voiceovers in several languages, a round trip around the world is just a click away.

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Op Ed TheSouthAsianTimes.info

19

April 28-May 4, 2012

Afghanistan: US exit plan on course despite Bloody Sunday

By Subhash Chopra he Afghan exit strategy of US-led NATO alliance is gathering pace even as the Taliban and al Qaeda offensive gathers new ferocity. Kabuls Bloody Sunday (April 15) will be remembered not just for Talibans self-proclaimed spring offensive on the citys central district targeting the national parliament, NATOs headquarters, and the German, British, Japanese and Russian embassies but for another reason. The US ambassador to Kabul, Ryan Crocker , who squarely blamed the attack on Pakistanbased Haqqani network, was not far off the mark when he characterized the ability of the Afghan security forces to repulse the Taliban attack as a clear sign of progress. It was a very professional performance by Afghan security forces who acquitted themselves far better than their critics would like to credit them with. They (Afghan security forces) are able to deal with events like this on their own. A clear sign of progress , Crocker emphasized. Gen John Allen, commander of

The 18-hour battle in Kabul left 35 militants dead against the loss of 11 Afghan soldiers and four civilians. the International Security Assistance Force, added that he was enormously proud of the response of the Afghan security forces, with other commanders agreeing that it showed that foreign training was paying off and that the western strategy was working. Both Allen and Crocker s remarks are quite in line with those of President Obama who said a few days earlier in Washington that it was important for us to make sure that we get out in a responsible way, so that we dont end up having to go back in. The US, he said, did not want to leave Afghanistan in a way that is just a rush for the exits. The clearest reaffirmation of that strategy was spelled out three days after the Bloody Sunday by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta at a meeting of Nato allies in Brussels. The allies, they said, had agreed on a three-pronged strategy: to further push Afghan forces into a lead combat role; to retain a modicum

of international troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014; and to pay some billions of dollars to support the Afghan regime and its forces. The cost sharing and details of the support strategy would be worked out at a summit in Chicago in May. Setting aside all doubts, Clinton summed it up: The big picture is clear. The transition is on track, the Afghans are increasingly standing up for their own security and future and Nato remains united in our support. Further evidence of that scenario emerged in a new USAfghan agreement resolving the thorny issues of nightly drone raids in Afghanistan and the control of jails holding Taliban insurgents. The night raids will be led by the Afghan forces under the pact agreed soon after the Kabul attack while the handover of the main US prison is already halfway through. All this indicates no shift in US long term policy. Those who have been predicting an exit at any cost are perhaps missing the signals that the US forces are determined to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014, despite allies like Australia announcing pullout time tables.

Signals from the earlier widely leaked Pentagon sources had also pointed to an action plan that retains US presence in Afghanistan for a long enough period while Afghan security forces increasingly take charge province by province with the US forces doing back seat driving. The strategy suits President Obama even in his own re-election campaign at home as it would blunt the Republican hawks who are averse to a cowardly early exit from Afghanistan. At the same time it would reassure the Afghan womens rights and other human rights activists that the US wont be putting their hopes and interests in jeopardy with a cynical withdrawal abrogating all moral considerations. Nobody is under any illusion, not least President Obama and NATO allies that the road ahead is going to be easy. The breakdown of tenuous talks with Taliban in Qatar followed by the bloody Sundays all-out April offensive on Kabul and three other regions in the country is a reminder of the stark prospects ahead. But that is no reason to believe that the US end-game in Afghanistan is cut and run.

Indian politics: where is a viable alternative?

By Amulya Ganguli

lections in India for even the panchayats and civic bodies are seen as political barometers. Although they are supposed to reflect local concerns, no party can afford to ignore their outcome, not least because they are all fought on political lines. The high turnout for these contests, as for the recent Delhi Municipal Corporation polls, is also an indication that like the parties, the electorate too takes them seriously and intends to send a message to the contenders. However, the message for the two main parties - the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress - was a curious one. While the BJP could congratulate itself for its success, especially because it made history of sorts by beating the anti-incumbency factor, the fall in its tally of seats from

Neither the Congress nor the BJP can, therefore, be said to be bubbling with confidence about the future.

164 to 138 was nevertheless a reminder that voters were not all that pleased with it. On the other hand, the increase in the Congress' tally to 78 seats from 67 was an indication that although people were not willing to write it off completely, they weren't ready to repose full faith in it either. The complexity of this outcome has an implication at the national level. What it seems to mean is that the BJP's success is largely the result of disillusionment with the Congress rather than any approval of its policies. It is therefore possible to conclude from the outcome that while the Congress is losing its shine, the BJP is still not ready to replace it. For the Congress, this particular warning has been conveyed by a number of elections, starting from the Mumbai municipal polls to the ones in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa and now Delhi.

There is little doubt that the trend portends a drop in the party's Lok Sabha seats from its present 200-plus to near what it was after the 2004 parliamentary polls, which was 145. At the same time, the BJP's tally may increase from the present 116, but the two parties would still run neck-toneck with neither being able to pull ahead decisively. The resultant dependence on their coalition partners presages more indecision in the realm of government initiatives. What is noteworthy is that the reason why the two are marking time at the moment is not far to seek. In the Congress, it is not only the scams which have tarnished its reputation but also the dispiriting impression of a policy paralysis. A similar "war" afflicts the BJP too. Neither the Congress nor the BJP can, therefore, be said to be bubbling with confidence about the future.

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

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First Person TheSouthAsianTimes.info

April 28-May 4, 2012

Priests dirty business tricks

A New Jersey woman recounts her sad experiences at Narasoba Wadi in Maharashtra.
By Janya Bhave ome time ago we visited Narasoba Wadi in southern Maharashtra. It is well known to devotees of Lord Datta and Shri Narasinha Saraswati Maharaj. Maharaj was kind and just and his temple is beautiful. Wadi is a few miles from cities like Sangli, Miraj, and Kolhapur. It used to be a quiet village near the river Krishna. However, lately, Wadi has become a dirty business place. Thousands of devotees come here with great hopes but find out the sad truth. Many priests in Wadi insist that various specific pujas must be performed here only for full benefit. They threaten that if a devotee says anything bad about the priests or complains to the police, he will face the wrath of Narasinha Maharaj. Most devotees go along with all this believing that spending money on rituals as asked by the priests will solve their problems or help them reach God. Priest No. 1 (Dattatreya Nana Rukke): He referred us to his brother for performing pujas but later took advantage when I stayed in Wadi alone for an extended time after my family returned to USA. He told my husband on the phone that I was a victim of black magic and needed a special ritual costing Rs 25000. He insisted on Rs 35000 more for additional pujas. His wife and son backed him and I ended up spending a substantial amount. His wife would ask me to give money to her many poor relatives and maids although this priest is rich. When I visited nearby holy place (Audumber), the priest got a commission for referring me. Worse, when I came back, I found that my Rs 4000 was stolen. So, I kept away from this family. Priest No. 2 (Shripad Rukke): He is priest No. 1s brother. While he told us the pujas cost, he also insisted on additional religious things and, at the end, took advantage of our being from USA assuming we must be rich and able to spend any amount in rupees. He asked for double the amount he had originally quoted us. He misled us on the phone but when we actually went to Wadi, we found that he knew very little himself and had to hire another priest. He promised but did not perform Maha Puja, a must after certain other rituals are performed in Wadi, as ruled by Narasinha Maharaj. Priest No 3 (Balasaheb Wadikar): A retired college professor, he settled in Wadi with his wife and became a priest, which apparently does not require much. He also rents out rooms. The room he gave me at a high rent was hot and the road to the temple was filthy. He wanted me to perform Maha Puja with him as priest. Then, he wanted to pay for repairs to his house. My stuff was stolen by his wife. When I confronted them, they cursed me saying I will not get any benefit from staying in Wadi. I soon moved out. Priest No 4 (Sadhu Pujari): He has a lodge and also performs pujas. He charges Rs 500 a day even though his rooms do not have air conditioning, TV, or good water supply. I stayed in this lodge because it is closer to the temple. Initially, he and his wife were nice to me, but when I had to go to Sangli to stay with a friend, they turned nasty. His wife tried to convince me to stay for longer to get full benefit from Maharaj. I also learnt that all Wadi priests, otherwise a bickering lot, get united vis--vis devotees. Now I can say that most Wadi priests do not know many of the pujas and other rituals, but take advantage of the fact that nor do most gullible devotees. The priests own cars and cellphones and are generally getting rich. I did not go to the local police because I had to return to the USA. However, later I sent a written complaint to the DSP in Kolhapur. Unfortunately, many other religious places in India too are becoming more of a business. The universal creator Shri Narasinha Maharaj has wished and inspired me to pen thise for the benefit of everyone.

Diaspora TheSouthAsianTimes.info

21

April 28-May 4, 2012

NRI children return home from Norway

New Delhi/Kolkatta: The two NRI children, who were in foster care in Norway after they were separated from their parents on grounds of alleged negligence, returned to India Tuesday. Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur too was at the airport here to welcome threeyear-old Abhigyan and one-yearold Aishwarya along with their joyous grandparents. The children were accompanied by their Norwegian care-givers. The Norwegian court's decision came as a major breather for the Bhattacharya family, which had been trying to get back the custody of the children from their foster parents for nearly a year now. The Indian government had put in all diplomatic efforts to ensure that the siblings returned to their homeland and grew up in their family environment. Soon after the children returned to India, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna stated that he was "delighted to welcome" them back home. "They belong to India. They are Indian nationals," he said, ment on a social networking site after the children landed in the country. "I do not know how my children are but always pray to God that they should be well in future," she wrote, conveying her regards to government and those who stood up to bring the children back. Speaking to the Indian media from Norway, the children's father Anurup, however criticized the Norwegian authorities, in particular the child welfare services, for causing the family difficulties. "Things could have been sorted out in a different way. But they (Norwegian authorities) did not allow for that to happen. The pressure (they put) also led to panic and differences between us (parents). We cracked under that pressure," he said. "The removal of the children was, of course, something predecided. The people (from child welfare services) who came to our home were not helping us but pushing us to the brink, to create a situation that would justify the removal of the children," he charged.

Indian woman arrested for UK visa fraud

London: An Indian woman who applied for a student visa in New Delhi has been arrested by the police after it was discovered that she used another person to appear for her in the mandatory English language test, the Home Office said. The UK Border Agency, which is responsible for immigration, referred the applicant to the police in New Delhi. The applicants visa application has been refused, and she has been banned from the UK for up to 10 years, a statement said. According to recently released figures by the National Audit Office (NAO), there was a surge in the number of forgeries detected in student visa applications lodged in New Delhi during 2010, when the British high commission stopped accepting new applications. The NAO report said that 6,388 forgeries were detected in the New Delhi office, which was a considerable increase compared to the number of forgeries detected in previous years: 2,846 in 2009 and 2,153 in 2008. Responding to the latest example of forgery by the woman applicant, Regional Director Thomas Greig said: We have made it very clear that we will continue to welcome all Indian students who wish to study at the UKs high quality institutions and meet the new criteria. However, we will not tolerate abuse of our immigration system and have a zero tolerance to fraud, as this case shows.

Abhigyan and Aishwarya returned with their uncle expressing the confidence that their uncle "will take care of them in the environment of their extended family in India." "All is well that ends well," he added. Krishna also thanked the Norwegian government and his counterpart for his "constructive approach in resolving this humanitarian issue". He also congratulated the Norwegian judiciary. Ajay Bhattacharya, the grandfather who was at the New Delhi airport to receive the children, thanked the government for its "unbelievable help" in getting the children back. "We had lost all hope of getting the children back. It is all because of the efforts of the government that the children are back. I am so happy and proud. We hope the children will now have a peaceful and a normal childhood when they return to Kolkata," he said. Sagarika, who according to Chakrabarty was at a relative's home in Kolkata, posted a com-

Sikh caught drinking over Skype, kills cousin in Britain

London: A Sikh stabbed his cousin in Britain during a heated row after being caught out while drinking by relatives in India over Skype, an inquest heard Friday. Kanwarjeet Singh Batth, 24 was with his cousin Opinderpal Singh Randhawa at a celebration in Slough town in Berkshire for a friend's upcoming wedding when they called their family back in India on the online video communication service, Daily Mail reported. The inquest heard Batth thought his aunt photographed him drinking whiskey during the video conversation, which he thought would embarrass him and bring shame to his mother if she saw it. Batth then argued with his cousin Randhawa, 23, over the picture's ramifications and stabbed him. He fled the scene and remains at large since the knifing in December

Kerala-born Yusuffali making waves in Gulf

Abu Dhabi: Kerala-born M. A. Yusuffali is today dubbed as one of the most influential Indians in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a political and economic alliance of six Middle Eastern countries - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. He is the first non-Arab elected member of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Khaleej Times reported. The Thrissur-born Yusuffali is managing director of the Middle East's retail giant Emke Lulu Group. The group is all set to register a 20 percent business growth this year, hitting $5.4 billion as the UAE's home-grown regional brand expanded outlets to 100 with the opening of a hypermarket at its newly built mall last week. Lulu, which started out as super-

Kanwarjeet Singh Batth, the accused 2010. Randhawa later died in hospital due to the wounds. The party guests initially told officers that Randhawa had injured himself after slipping on glass and the truth came out only later.

M A Yusuffali market and department store chain, has gradually moved onto to the big format hypermarkets (retail store that combines a department store and a grocery supermarket), and now manages 10 shopping malls in the GCC, said Yusuffali. The retail major, accounting for 32 percent of the retail business within the GCC, cruised to a 19 percent sales growth in 2011 to $4.5 billion despite the general downturn.

Two Indians slaving it out on Saudi camel farm

Chennai: Two Indian workers promised construction work in Saudi Arabia but sold as slaves to a camel farm owner are languishing without food in the desert there, say their family members in Tamil Nadu. A. Muniasamy, 45, hailing from Ramanathapuram district and 44year-old Jagabir Ali from Nagapattinam district have been stuck on a camel farm for the past three months with an expired visa. "They are also being tortured, with no medication for their wounds. The farm is located in a remote place with the sea on one side and the desert on the other. The nearest market is around 50 km away from the farm," G. Subramanian, executive director of Manitham, a human rights organization said. Manitham has taken up the issue of the two Indians with the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia. Prabhavathi, Muniasamy's wife said: "I spoke to my husband a couple of days back. He said that food was a problem. We came to know that he had been sold to a camel farm owner soon after he went to Saudi Arabia." "I have bought you. And I cannot send you back to India. This is what the camel farm owner had told my husband," Prabhavathi, mother of two said in a choking voice. She said Muniasamy had worked abroad prior to their marriage and this is the first time he was cheated. Subramanian said he got the information about the two Indian workers slaving it out in Saudi Arabia around 15 days back. "We did cross check their case with people whom we know in Saudi Arabia and found it to be true," he said. Subramanian had sent a brief about the case of Muniasamy and Ali to T.C. Barupal, first secretary, Community Welfare at the Indian External Affairs Ministry in Riyadh. "He has forwarded my email to another official, marking a copy to me," Subramanian said. Both the unfortunate victims had gone to Saudi Arabia, paying Rs.150,000 to Sofia Travels based in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu. The agent guaranteed construction jobs in Riyadh and issued a validated 90 days visa from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the duo. The two had boarded a flight to Saudi Arabia January 23.

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Subcontinent TheSouthAsianTimes.info

April 28-May 4, 2012

India, Pakistan to sign 'liberalized' visa agreement

New Delhi: Seeking closer ties through a sustained talks process and a step by step approach to solve outstanding issues, India and Pakistan are likely to sign a "liberalized visa agreement" when their home secretaries meet in Islamabad next month, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said. Krishna was speaking in the Lok Sabha on the April 8 day-long visit of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to India during which he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over lunch. "The two leaders (Manmohan Singh and Zardari) felt that priority needed to be given to issues of people-to-people contacts. In this context, they decided that a liberalized visa agreement which has been worked out should be signed during the next meeting of the home/interior secretaries," Krishna said. The home secretary level talks between India and Pakistan, in the pipeline since December last, are likely to place in Islamabad by the end of May. Home ministry sources said Islamabad has been asked to the months to come." Krishna said that the prime minister appreciated "the fact" that Pakistan has moved forward in traderelated issues. Both leaders, he said, felt "that we should tap into the considerable potential of bilateral economic and trade ties for progress and prosperity. The issue has been discussed by the commerce ministers of the two countries and there is a way forward which has already been identified". Krishna was apparently referring to Islamabad's in principle agreement on granting most favoured nation status to India that would allow Indian businesses to export nearly 6,000 trade items to that country as against less than 2,000 items currently. The minister said that Manmohan Singh raised the issue of terrorism and the anti-India activities of Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Haafiz Saeed from Pakistani soil. "It would be evident that our concerns on terrorism had to be addressed if the people of India are to support and sustain progress in bilateral relations."

Gilani to appear before SC for sentencing

Islamabad: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said he would appear before Pakistan's Supreme Court for sentencing in a contempt of court case that could decide his fate. Gilani could face a six-month prison term and disqualification if he is convicted. Gilani has refused to write to the Swiss authorities to reopen a corruption case against Zardari, arguing that the president enjoys immunity under the Pakistani constitution. Accused of graft, Zardari had been granted amnesty under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) in 2007 by then president Pervez Musharraf to facilitate his return home and, primarily that of his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The NRO that granted immunity to politicians and bureaucrats in corruption cases was struck down as void in 2009.

The two countries are promising to throw open their economies to each other by the end of the year. give fresh dates for the talks - some- marriages and funerals. Krishna said Manmohan Singh and time after May 22 when the ongoing budget session of parliament ends. Zardari met for about 40 minutes for The sources said easier travel and "friendly and constructive discusvisa procedures were aimed at boost- sions covering India-Pakistan relaing trade ties so that businesspersons tions, regional and global issues of from the two countries travel without common interest". hassles and do business. "The two leaders noted that there The proposal also includes non- had been steady progress in the bilatbusiness visas for divided families, eral dialogue process which was particularly for those aged over 65 resumed last year. The dialogue years, and for those wanting to attend process will continue as planned in

Pakistani safe havens hinder Afghan war: US

Washington: Pakistani safe havens and corruption are two factors retarding the progress of NATO forces in Afghanistan, according to a senior US military commander. Pakistan represents a safe haven for terror groups working inside Afghanistan, Maj. Gen. John A. Toolan, commander of the 2nd marine division and the former commander of regional command-South West, told reporters. The problem of Pakistan frustrated him during his year-long tour in command of the region, he said noting that two places inside Pakistan that were particularly problematic are Chaman -- a Pakistani city near Spin Bolduk -- and Bahram Chah.

Kabul accord signals long-term US role: Panetta

Kabul: A new security partnership agreement between the United States and Afghanistan is a "significant step" that signals a long-term American presence in Afghanistan, US defense secretary Leon Panetta said. But the terms of a future US and NATO military role -- including how many American troops would remain after a scheduled withdrawal of most combat forces in 2014 -- had yet to be worked out, Panetta told reporters aboard his plane en route to Colombia. He said the agreement finalised on Monday "represents a significant step in Asked about future troop levels, he said: "That really remains to be worked out, obviously, with our NATO allies and the Afghan government, to determine what the nature of and the size of that force beyond 2014 will be." Discussions on the details of a followon force would likely continue after a NATO summit in Chicago on May 20-21, said Panetta, on the first leg of a trip to South America that include stops in Bogota, Rio de Janeiro and Santiago. In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman described the agreement as a statement of "intent" but not a "mutual defense treaty."

US defense secretary Leon Panetta. the relationship and makes clear that the US is committed to an enduring presence in Afghanistan" to help the country stand on its own.

Pakistan test-fires N-capable missile

Islamabad: Pakistan has successfully test-fired an intermediate range nuclear-capable missile, less than a week after India tested a 5,000-km range missile that can reach deep inside China. "Pakistan today successfully conducted the launch of intermediate range ballistic missile Hatf-4 Shaheen-1A weapons system," an army statement said. "The missile is an improved version of Shaheen-1 with improvements in range and technical parameters," the statement said. The missile is capable of "carrying nuclear and conventional warheads", said the statement from the InterServices Public Relations (ISPR). Pakistan carried out the test after India April 19 test-fired its longindigenously over the last four years. Only the US, Russia, China, France and Britain have missiles in their arsenal that can hit targets 5,000 km and beyond. Senior Pakistani officials involved in the country's missile system witnessed Wednesday's missile test, reported Xinhua. The army statement did not mention the place where the test was conducted, but said that the missile hit the target in sea. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani congratulated the scientists and the military on the successful launch of the missile system. The nuclear-capable Shaheen-1 missile has originally a range of 700 km, according to the army.

Myanmar Parliament opens without Suu Kyi

Myanmar: Myanmar's parliament convened without Aung San Suu Kyi and newly-elected members of her party, according to an AFP photographer, amid a dispute over the swearing-in oath. Suu Kyi has vowed not to swear to protect a constitution created by the former junta, in the first sign of tension with the government since a landmark by-election this month saw the democracy icon win a parliamentary seat.

The missile is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warhead. range nuclear-capable Agni-V mis- India emerged as a major missile sile. With its launch from Wheeler powerhouse of the world, having Island off Odisha coast Thursday, developed Agni-V almost entirely

International TheSouthAsianTimes.info

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April 28-May 4, 2012

22 mn Chinese seek migration to US

Beijing: Experts in China have called for more measures from the government to stop the outflow of talent after an American study said 22 million Chinese want to leave the country and settle in the US. The findings by Gallup showed that about 13 percent of the world's adults -- or more than 640 million people -- said they would like to leave their country permanently, according to the Global Times daily. The US is the most desired destination for potential migrants. Around 150 million people want to move to the US, including 22 million from China, 15 million from Nigeria and 10 million from India. According to Gallup, the results were based on telephone and face-to-face interviews with 452,199 people, aged 15 and older, in 151 countries and regions from 2009 to 2011. The findings sparked a mixed response, with some skeptical about the data. "The survey cannot reflect the real picture in China," said He Weiwen, a co-director of the China-US-EU Study Center.

Jr Murdoch grilled over phone hacking failures

London: James Murdoch defended his record at the head of his father's scandal-tarred British newspaper arm, saying that subordinates prevented him from making a clean sweep at the now-defunct News of the World tabloid. Speaking under oath at Lord Justice Brian Leveson's inquiry into media ethics, Murdoch repeated allegations that the tabloid's theneditor Colin Myler and the company's former in-house lawyer Tom Crone misled him about the scale of illegal behavior at the newspaper. Leveson asked Murdoch: "Can you think of a reason why Mr. Myler or Mr. Crone should keep this information from you? Was your relationship with them such that they may think: 'Well we needn't bother him with that' or 'We better keep it from it because he'll ask to cut out the cancer'?'' "That must be it,'' Murdoch said. "I would say: 'Cut out the cancer,' and there was some desire to not do that.'' The 39-year-old Murdoch said that at the time he had no reason to doubt his subordinates when he took over at News International, which

'Osama planned shoe bomb attacks on US'

New York: Al-Qaida's slain leader Osama bin Laden had planned to follow up the September 11 attacks with shoe bombers to blow up American passenger planes, which would have brought the American economy to its knees, a British man convicted on terrorism charges testified in a trial here. Saajid Badat gave his testimony through a video link in the ongoing trial in federal district court in Brooklyn of Adis Medunjanin , a Queens man accused of plotting with two of his schoolmates to blow up New York subways. "He (bin Laden ) said that the American economy is like a chain. If you break one link of the chain, the whole economy will be brought down," he testified. Badat, 33, was convicted in London for his role in a 2001 plot to bring down an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami with explosives hidden in his shoes. While Badat's testimony was not directly related to

Revelations that reporters at the News of the World had hacked into the phones of high-profile people pushed Rupert Rupert to close the newspaper. published the News of the World, saying he had repeatedly been told that nothing was amiss. Revelations that reporters at the News of the World had hacked into the phones of hundreds of high-profile people, including a teenage murder victim, pushed Murdoch's father Rupert to close the 168-yearold newspaper, triggered three U.K. police investigations, led to more than 100 lawsuits, and launched Leveson's inquiry into media practices.

Saajid Badat, the shoe bomber. NY subway terror plot, it was used to corroborate facts about the training in Qaidarun camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a report in the New York Times said.

Einstein world's worst husband: Book

London: Albert Einstein may be regarded as one of the world's most important scientists but despite his innumerable professional successes, he found it hard to sustain a thriving personal life, according to a new book. In his book, 'Einstein: His Life and Universe', Walter Isaacson has described how Einstein found maintaining a harmonious love life a battle he would never win. In fact, so pragmatic was Einstein's approach The revelation is made in 'Einstein: His Life and Universe.' to love, that when he found his 11-year marthree meals a day (to be eaten in riage to fellow scientist Mileva his room), keep his clothes and Maric was floundering, he issued laundry in good order, and keep a list of outrageous rules that he his bedroom and study neat (she believed would allow the two to should not use his desk, of remain together for the sake of the course). Also, Einstein stipulated children, the Daily Mail reported. that his wife should not expect The list demanded Maric contin- any intimacy from him, should ue to act as maid to him - yet not reproach him in any way; should and not expect affection or should stop talking to him if he attention in return. requested it; should leave his bedEinstein was prompted to write room or study immediately withthe list when, in 1914, he realized out protest if requested, and that after 11 years, his marriage to should refrain from belittling him first wife Maric - one of the first in front of the children, either women to study mathematics and through words or behavior. physics in Europe - was destined However, just a few months after for failure. he issued his misogynistic maniThe scientist ordered that she festo, she left Einstein in Berlin keep his rooms tidy, bring him and moved with their sons.

North Korea's nuclear test ready "soon"

Beijing: North Korea has almost completed preparations for a third nuclear test, a senior source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said, an act that would draw further international condemnation following a failed rocket launch. The isolated and impoverished state sacrificed the chance of closer ties with the United States when it launched the long-range rocket on April 13 and was censured by the U.N. Security Council, which includes the North's sole major ally, China. Critics say the rocket launch was aimed at honing the North's ability to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the United States, a move that would dramatically increase its military and diplomatic heft. Now the North appears to be about to carry out a third nuclear test after two in 2006 and 2009.

NATO cautiously optimistic on Afghan war

Brussels: NATO remains cautiously optimistic of progress in the war in Afghanistan, despite the tactical challenges it has faced in recent months, the alliances top military officer said. Danish Gen Knud Bartels said Afghan security forces are becoming increasingly more effective in their fight against insurgents. Despite a number of tactical challenges in recent times, we remain cautiously optimistic that our plan is on track, said Bartels, who heads NATOs Military Committee, the alliances highest military body. He did not elaborate on the challenges, but said that this month alone nearly 100 Afghan soldiers and policemen have been killed in action. Thirty NATO service members also have died in April. The generals caution is a more sobering take than NATOs upbeat official pronouncements on the conflict, which usually stress the alliances confidence that it and its Afghan allies are winning the 10-year war. Relations between NATO and the Afghan government also have been strained by an Internet video of US Marines urinating on the corpses of presumed Taliban fighters, by Quran burning at a US base that sparked days of deadly protests and by the alleged killing spree of Afghan civilians by a US soldier in a southern Afghan village.

urchm, mcy

aid to of by UN

24

Business TheSouthAsianTimes.info

April 28-May 4, 2012

US housing prices lowest in a decade

Citibank pays Rs 950 cr for 3L sq ft in Mumbai

Mumbai: Citibank has signed the biggest commercial office space deal in the country, shelling out Rs 950 crore for about 3 lakh sq ft spread over six floors in a 12-storey building in the Bandra-Kurla Complex. The Citi mega buy comes in a year when companies are tightening belts under the shadow of an economic slowdown . Citibank India has purchased 2.97 lakh sq ft space at the First International Financial Centre (FIFC) Tower, constructed by the Purnendu Chatterjee-promoted TCG Urban Infrastructure and New Yorkbased realty firm Vornado Realty Trust, at an approximate rate of Rs 31,000 per sq ft. TCG had purchased the two-acre plot for Rs 1,041 crore in November 2007. The FIFC Tower will have an area of about 6.5 lakh sq ft, of which Citibank will now own half. Citibank confirmed the transaction, stating, "This investment represents another significant commitment by Citi to its franchise in India. FIFC will house all key businesses of Citi currently spread across Mumbai and other cities. FIFC will be the second landmark property

Nine cities - Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Las Vegas, New York, Portland, Seattle and Tampa - saw home prices fall to their lowest level. New York: Prices of single-family homes in the 20 largest US metropolitan areas fell 3.5 percent in February from a year earlier, leaving the national averages at their lowest level since early 2003, according to the latest S&P/CaseShiller Home Price Indices. Both the 10-City and the 20City Composite Home Price Indices slipped by 0.8 percent between January and February, show the indices released Tuesday by Standard and Poor's. Inter-annual price declines eased from 4.1 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively, in January, to 3.6 percent and 3.5 percent in February. "While there might be pieces of good news in this report, such as some improvement in many annual rates of return, February 2012 data confirm that, broadly speaking, home prices continued to decline in the early months of the year," David M. Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Indices, said in a news release. Nine cities - Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Las Vegas, New York, Portland, Seattle and Tampa - saw home prices fall to their lowest level since before the housing bubble burst in 2007. Home prices in Atlanta plunged 17.3 percent over the 12 months ending February 29. US home prices have plunged 35 percent from their level at the peak of the housing boom in mid-2006, CaseShiller's data shows.

for Citi in BKC, after Citigroup Centre." CBRE, the global property consultants who structured the deal, refused to comment. Citibank's office expansion comes in the backdrop of its shareholders, showing frustration against large payouts to Wall Street executives, voting against its proposal on top-level compensations, which included a $15 million package for its India-born CEO Vikram Pandit.

S&P cuts India's outlook

Mumbai/New Delhi: Ratings agency Standard & Poor's has lowered its outlook on India to negative from stable, and warned of a ratings downgrade citing deteriorating economic indicators and slow progress on fiscal reforms in the backdrop of a "weakened political setting". Standard & Poor's credit analyst Takahira Ogawa said there was one-in-three likelihood of India's sovereign ratings downgrade. The ratings agency kept India's long-term rating unchanged at BBB-, which is the lowest investment grade rating. "The outlook revision reflects our view of at least a one-in-three likelihood of a downgrade if the external position continues to deteriorate, growth prospects diminish, or progress on fiscal reforms remains slow in a weakened political setting," Ogawa said. Ogawa said India's real per capita gross domestic product (GDP) growth will fall to 5.3 percent in 2012-13 as compared to an annual average growth of around 6 percent registered in the last five years. Reacting to the revision, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the government is concerned over the lowering of outlook, but there is no need to panic.

Akshaya Tritiya: sales dip as gold prices soar

New Delhi: Gold demand on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya in the national capital remained subdued due to high prices of the precious metal, which rose marginally to Rs. 29,100 per 10 grams, traders said. Sales were also down in Gujarat by 25-30 per cent compared to last year, they said. "Gold sales were lower than last year. The demand was less because of high prices. People are confused whether to buy now or wait for price fall, if happens in future," a GTM Jewelery Mart official said. Gold prices have risen by almost Rs. 7,000 to Rs. 29,100 per 10 grams since the last year's Akshaya Tritiya, when prices were ruling at Rs. 22,120 per 10 gm. Echoing views, an Omsons Jewelers official said the sales were average and customers were buying gold in smaller quantity because of high rates. The maximum sale was in gold coins followed by jewelery like earrings of lighter weight, he added.

The Akshaya Tritiya festival is celebrated in North-West India, including Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The Akshaya Tritiya festival is celebrated in NorthWest India, including Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

New Delhi: Amid pressure from international investors, the finance ministry is planning to provide a lifeline to angry foreign institutional investors by keeping them outside the proposed General AntiAvoidance Rules (GAAR) to ensure that they are not subjected to a higher tax burden or hardship. But so far, the government appears unrelenting in its pursuit to tax a dozen overseas deals -including Vodafone -- through the proposed "retrospective clarification" on taxing M&A deals involving foreign companies with assets in India. Officials in the tax department told TOI that "carve outs" for FIIs, a majority of them route their funds

India may go easy on FIIs, but not on Vodafone

into India through tax havens such as Mauritius, was being finalized and would be notified under the rules that will also provide safeguards against misuse by authorities. "We are assuring investors that there will not be any need to provide details of their clients if the FII decides to pay the short-term capital gains tax," said an official. The plan is seen as an attempt by the government to get Parliament to overrule the Supreme Court order on the Vodafone-Hutch deal. The apex court had rejected tax claims of Rs 11,000 crore on the grounds that it was an "offshore" transaction and outside the jurisdiction of Indian authorities.

Sports TheSouthAsianTimes.info

25

April 28-May 4, 2012

F1: McLaren perturbed by pit-stop problems

The two bungled wheel-changes cost him about 18 seconds in the race and wrecked his hopes of retaining the leadership of the drivers' championship as Vettel stormed to victory and swept back on top of the title race. Hamilton said: "There should be an inquest because we gave away a lot of points which championships are lost through. So we have to try and make sure we pick up on them for the next race because we can't afford to lose points like we did." Whitmarsh reacted to the sense of crisis - Hamilton's team-mate and fellow-Briton Jenson Button had suffered from a bungled pitstop in the previous weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, costing him a chance of victory - by confirming the team would treat the whole issue seriously and urgently. As Red Bull celebrated and led the rush to the airport to leave Bahrain after a weekend overshadowed by civil unrest and outbursts of violence, Whitmarsh promised swift action.

Hockey: Indian women beat USA to win bronze

India defeated USA by a solitary goal to win the bronze medal. New Delhi: India defeated USA by a solitary goal to win the bronze medal in the second leg of four-nation women's hockey tournament in Pakuranga, Auckland. Midfielder Deepika scored the allimportant goal in the 40th minute after the two teams failed to break the deadlock in the first period at the Llyod Elsmore Hockey Stadium. The Indians showed good temperament and defended stoutly to deny USA, who have made the London Olympics cut. The Indian defense and midfield displayed a compact game as Joydeep Kaur, Ausnta Lakra, Deepika and Ritu Rani made timely interceptions. Credit should also go the India's custodian Yogita Bal, who made some splendid saves and was declared as the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

The McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton in the pit area at Bahrain GP. Manama: McLaren team chief Martin Whitmarsh said that his team will be launching a full internal investigation into the pit-stop problems that threaten to derail the team's Formula One title challenge. In the aftermath of defending double world champion German Sebastian Vettel's first win of the season for Red Bull in Bahrain Grand Prix, Whitmarsh confirmed he had changed the left-rear wheelgun operator. He also conceded that the escalating pit-stop problems could undermine McLaren's bid for the championship, as Briton Lewis Hamilton warned after he suffered two slow problematic stops during Sunday's race.

LA Lakers' Metta World Peace banned

Los Angeles: Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace has been suspended seven games for delivering an elbow to the head of Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden, the National Basketball Association (NBA) said. Moments after his slam dunk in Sunday's game, World Peace was headed back up court when he ran into Harden. After pounding his chest in celebration, World Peace raised his left elbow and hit Harden flush, just behind his left ear toward the back of his skull. Harden fell to the court and stayed down for about a minute and missed the rest of the game and World Peace was ejected. "The concussion suffered by James Harden demonstrates the danger posed by violent acts of this kind, particularly when they are directed at the head area," NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement. "We remain committed to taking necessary measures to protect the safety of NBA players, including the imposition of appropriate penalties for players with a history of on-court altercations." World Peace, who changed his name from Ron Artest last September, has been suspended 13 times in his career for total of 111 games. He will miss the Lakers' regularseason finale on Thursday and serve out the rest of his ban over

Guys like Sachin can't play forever: Rhodes

Johannesburg: Stating that players of Sachin Tendulkar's caliber would not be playing forever, former South Africa cricketer Jonty Rhodes said it is important that the youngsters who emerge from tournaments like the Indian Premier League are good allround cricketers. "Guys like Sachin can't play forever and it's important that the young Indian players who come through the IPL are all-round players, not just in batting and bowling, as most of the Indian Sachin Tendulkar. players are, but also as good fielders," Rhodes, who is Mumbai seen that in the 1999 World Cup Indian cricket is going to strengthagainst Australia and the World en and improve because of the Indians fielding coach, said. "They've got quite a few young Cup against Sri Lanka in South IPL. I think that was the key for Indian players and what I think Africa. "I'm not asking them to do the BCCI, who were very wise in the organizers are trying to do is miraculous things. I'm saying just making sure that the youngsters to make sure that once the find me one run that you can save were getting great coaching and Tendulkars and the Harbhajans for the team. It's more about atti- opportunity to play with international cricketers. retire, the younger guys coming tude than anything else," he said. Rhodes said IPL has proved to "The IPL is a great platform through will carry India," he be a great platform for the bud- where you get international playadded. ers and international coaches Rhodes said his job is to try and ding cricketers. "It's always been my view that working with the young players." teach the players the importance of fielding. IPL-V: Points Table "What I'm tryTeams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts ing to get across Delhi Daredevils 7 5 2 0 0 10 to them is that Kolkata Knight Riders 8 4 3 0 1 9 fielding is Rajasthan Royals 8 4 4 0 0 8 important to a Pune Warriors 8 4 4 0 0 8 one-day game, 7 4 3 0 0 8 especially in 20- Chennai Super Kings 7 4 3 0 0 8 over games Royal Challengers Bangalore Mumbai Indians 6 3 3 0 0 6 where one run 7 3 4 0 0 6 can make a dif- Kings XI Punjab Deccan Chargers 6 0 5 0 1 1 ference. I've

Metta World Peace suspended for seven games for delivering an elbow to the head of Oklahoma City's James Harden. the next six games he is eligible and physically able to play, including this season's playoffs. The Lakers, who are 41-24 this season, said World Peace has for the most part been a model citizen both on and off the court since joining the Lakers in 2009 but that his behaviour on Sunday was not acceptable. "His actions could have seriously injured another player, and his absence during this suspension will hurt our team as well," Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. "While we accept the league's decision, we will be supportive of Metta and try to help him be more professional on the court."

26

Health TheSouthAsianTimes.info

April 28-May 4, 2012

Dal chawal is even better than your momma told you

ur elders did not tire of telling us to eat everything, repeatedly. Actually the point they were making was: Get variety. They followed a simple logic our body needs all sorts of nutrients. Also some foods are always paired with others; they are just eaten that way. But these arent blind pairings, theres a methodology at work here, and as experts the world over are now realizing, this hides a simple truth nutrient optimization. It is clear enough now that instead of isolation, some foods work better for the body in combination with others. Every food that we eat has its own profile of nutrients, which do the body good, but when combined judiciously with other foods, the benefits get squared thus delivering better health. The simplest example is the dalchawal combination, which has been a staple in Indian homes forever. The wisdom here is that both fill in the missing essential amino acid (protein building blocks) in the other making the protein complete. Similarly in some parts of the world sliced almonds are added to lentil soup (this again boosts the protein quality). These are age-old, widely practiced examples of what experts today call food synergy or optimized food combinations. Researchers have for years been looking beyond the basic food groups (fats, carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, vitamins and minerals) to try and arrive at the perfect diet. And fortunately, along the way they have also unearthed best partners that together maximize goodness. Here are some super combinations for you to follow: Salad and dressing

We thought the smartest thing we did was to switch to fat-free dressing? Well, we and the experts were wrong then. Its been found (in an Iowa State University study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition) that eating salads with full or low-fat dressings helps absorb lutein, a micronutrient, which prevents age-related vision loss. (Good sources: corn, egg yolks and fruits like oranges and raspberries). Its common news that some fat is essential for efficient absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K). Case in point: peas, carrots, bell peppers, sweet potato and broccoli are loaded with A and E vitamins. So a drizzle of heartfriendly oil (like, say, olive) will absorb better. Or add some good fats to your salad by throwing in some nuts (great good fat source). And use butter even if in small amounts like on roasted bhutta. Grilling your fruit with a dotting of butter makes for a healthier dessert than other calorific options. Also, tomatoes cooked with some oil help absorb the carotenoids (vitamin A when in the body) in their skin. Haldi and kali mirch Turmeric contains an antioxidant

called curcumin, which has been linked to a lower risk of some cancers and Alzheimer s disease. Adding black pepper which our mothers did to curries and other spicy dishes for years until chilli came and edged out the local pepper may boost curcumin absorption. So switch back to kali mirch ayurveda approves too, as its milder heat doesnt irritate internal membranes like chillis capsaicin does. Apples and green tea When you snack on an apple (keep the peel on), sip green tea right after. Apples contain a flavonoid called quercetin and green tea contains catechin. Studies show that pairing the two stops platelet clumping (trouble for your heart). You could even ditch tea for red wine (maybe try a few apple slices before that glass of wine!). And the next time youre chopping for a fruit salad, include both grapes (they have catechin) and apples. Pairing apples with dark chocolate also gives the same benefit. A to Zinc To soak up enough infectionfighting vitamin A, make sure that you have a good zinc source along with it. Thats because the body

cannot use the A unless there is enough zinc present. So have some Vitamin A-loaded baked sweet potato fries (instead of potato chips) along with grilled chicken, add some roasted wheat germ or sesame seeds to your lettuce and carrot salad, or simply snack on dried apricots with these crunchy seeds. Green tea with lemon What makes green tea a rock-star superfood? Its the anti-oxidant: EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) in it which boosts metabolism, reduces the risk of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and rheumatoid arthritis and also keeps our cholesterol numbers in control. But when you add a dash of lemon to your cup, then the vitamin C in the citrus powerhouse increases the absorption of EGCG manifold making an already good thing even better. Peanut butter on whole wheat bread Yes, the good old peanut butter sandwich is a nutritional powerhouse. Research says so too. Pairing peanut butter with whole wheat bread enables the body to get the proper sequence of amino acids (a similar principle like dal-chawal). When our body is synthesising proteins, it needs all the amino acids there at the same time. Wheat lacks some amino acids. Peanuts have the amino acids lacking in wheat. Together they make a whole a synergistic whole. Thats fabulous news for vegetarians. So garnish your green veggies or potatoes with some roasted mungphali like nani used to, and enjoy with hot phulkas. Now do you understand why peanuts are added so liberally in the poha cooked extensively in Maharashtra and Gujarat? They are there not just for taste you see! Khatte chhole anyone! So youre a vegetarian and

depend on plant sources to get your iron? Then get C smart. Often plant foods are choc-a-block with iron (such as spinach and chickpeas), but not in a readily available form. When paired with a vitamin C-rich food though, the availability improves (some studies say up to six times). So add some orange segments to your beet salad, bell pepper to your chhole (chickpea), or cook it with tomatoes, top the cereal with strawberries, make a tamarind-based curry with spinach. Uncomplicated really! Theres more! You already know that having a lot of broccoli is a super smart choice. Now eat it with tomatoes as together they offer better protection against prostate cancer, a study has demonstrated. Similarly cholesterol-beating effects get a boost when fish is eaten with garlic, and some rosemary sprinkled on red meat steaks helps keep the free radicals (which cause cancers and ageing) in check. Pair your salmon dish with red wine to increase omega 3s absorption and have cheese with egg, or whip up a broccoli frittata (vitamin D in the yolk helps absorb calcium better). Or just listen to our elders: eat a little of all, rotate what you eat, pair unconventional stuff just what the body needs. Tzatziki A traditional Greek dip, tzatziki makes a tasty addition to sandwiches and hamburgers. Method: Place 1 cup grated cucumber on several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with a little salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Combine drained cucumber with 1 cup low-fat yogurt, 1 tbsp chopped pudina, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving

Dark chocolate may reduce cardio risks, study shows

ark chocolate, rich in flavanols, may reduce the risk against cardiovascular diseases by lowering blood pressure, blood flow and improving blood lipid levels, says a new study. Flavanols, compounds also found in grapes, berries and apples, counteract the role of rogue oxygen molecules known as free radicals which not only damage healthy cells, but also alter cellular DNA and are known to cause at least 60 different health problems, ranging from heart ailments to cancer. A group of people was randomly assigned by researchers at the San Diego State University, US, to take

either a daily serving (50 grams) of regular dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa) or its version that had been

overheated or "bloomed," or white chocolate (no cocoa), for a period of 15 days.

According to a university statement, blood pressure, forearm skin blood flow, circulating lipid profiles, and blood glucose levels of the subjects were recorded at the beginning and end of the study. When compared to those assigned to the white chocolate group, those consuming dark chocolate had lower blood glucose and low-density of lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL or 'bad' cholesterol) levels coupled with higher highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, the 'good' form), the study said. Researchers thus concluded that dark chocolate may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by

improving glucose levels and lipid profiles. However, they cautioned that it must be eaten in moderate quantity, as it can easily increase daily amounts of saturated fat and calories. "We had great compliance with our study subjects because everybody wanted to eat chocolate. We actually had to tell them not to eat more than 50 grams a day," a researcher said, adding that the university is planning follow-up studies involving more people and a longer duration of chocolate consumption. These findings were presented at the Experimental Biology 2012 meeting in San Diego, US.

Lifestyle TheSouthAsianTimes.info

27

April 28-May 4, 2012

Hand shadowgrapher Amar Sen holds infinity in his palm

Amar told IANS. He said he has vowed never to sacrifice the art's purity for a client's requirements. "More than anything else, HSG is an immensely powerful communication medium," Amar explains. The duo gets going when an advertiser approaches them with a concept, which is then scripted into a story and then finally the video is shot with 'bare hands' and music is added to bring it to life. All these aspects are taken care of by the duo themselves which is a testament to Amar's gamut of talents as a magician, musician, designer/painter, actor, and poet. "HSG allows me to channelize all my talents into a single platform," he says. The Sens took to hand shadowgraphy in the 1960s, and after a lengthy self-taught process, conducted their first show at the Outram Club here in 1988. For the first few years, the genre was treated with indifference and ignorance. "Initially we were asked to perform at children's shows since they thought it is child's play," he reminisces. But now the tables have turned - and he proudly proclaims, "Handshadowgraphy has been successfully resuscitated." In 1997, the duo performed internationally for the first time in Muscat, Oman, and since then their reach has expanded to Jordan, the US, Germany and other countries. So far it has been a rewarding experience, a token of which is the Governor's Citation by the Governor of Maryland during their 2004 trip to the US and an invitation to perform at "India's Got Talent 3" last year. "But all this fades in comparison to the real reward which is being able to have successfully nurtured the art as my own child and the way it has touched the audience, who at times have been moved to tears and given us standing ovations," he says with a touch of emotion.

A still from the Madhya Pradesh tourism ad that uses hand shadowgraphy by Amar Sen mar Sen knows literally how to create the world with his fingers. With a swish and a flick of his fingers, grains of sand transform into pictures and, in silhouette, his fingers imitate a tiger, a peepul tree, a bird, a house... almost anything. Sen says he introduced sand animation or creating images with bare hands on a sheet of sand in India. He and his partner Sabyasachi Sen are also the only Asian exponents of hand shadowgraphy - that is practiced by only

A sand animation performance at NIT Trichy 2010 hai, sabse Gazab hai' - based totally on hand shadowgraphy, as well as another 'Let Calcutta Surprise You'. Both videos have received millions of hits on Youtube. Amar says hand shadowgraphy's (HSG) uniqueness lies in its purity and minimalism. "No props are needed besides the essential three a couple of bare hands, including 10 fingers, a blank white screen and a light source - and there is no use of computer graphics or effects; otherwise it would be just like any other entertainment form,"

around nine artists in the world. 'Hand shadowgraphy' or 'cinema in silhouette' as coined by the two Sens, is the art of creating shadows using only hands and fingers against a blank screen against a light source. From depicting animals to silhouettes of monuments to personalities including Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela, the two can project anything with their hand movements. Amar has to his credit the very eye-catching Madhya Pradesh tourism campaign ad - 'MP Ajab

Where's bachelor party? On foreign shores, say desi boys

ho doesn't want some fun before entering wedlock? Traditional pre-wedding sangeet and mehndi celebrations notwithstanding, young Indian bridegrooms, inspired by movies like "Hangover" and "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara", are heading to international destinations with their gang of boys for that last fling. Abhishek Jain, a Delhi-based businessman, took seven of his friends to an unusual destination like Tashkent (capital of Uzbekistan) prior to his wedding last year. "I did not want to go to a usual destination like Bangkok for my bachelor's. I wanted to go to some unheard place. I asked seven of my friends to be part of the celebration. Eventually, the six-day trip turned out to be an amazing one. The city had everything we were looking for -- great pubs, even better night clubs and it was complete value for money," Jain said. The trip cost them Rs.35,000 per person, but who was complaining? "Besides the colorful nightlife and the ballet shows, the nearby areas of Tashkent had all that you need on a vacation. We were taken to a beautiful lake known as Charvak. We did water sports there, paragliding, go-karting and a whole lot of other things," he added. Sachin Awasthi, a 26-year-old IT professional, wants to let loose once before the D-day. "Since it would perhaps be the last time to have crazy fun with my cousins and friends, I want to do something bizarre, something similar to what the guys did in the movie 'American Pie'. But that might not be possible in our country because of legal issues and other rules. Places like Bangkok and Macau allow us to do those, and that's quite a temptation," said Awasthi. Adventure, thrill, casual gambling and, sometimes, just the idea of beach, booze and belly dancers work well for men who may be as young as 24 but are ready to tie the knot. It's international destinations like Dubai, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Bangkok and Pattaya, which are most frequented, thanks to cheaper deals and unlimited avenues for the boys' idea of fun. Macau's Cotai Strip has become a "24-hour party zone" with its recently opened Sands Cotai Central, an integrated

Office boredom drives men to flirt

Common bachelor party scene resort, and now offers more than 10,000 hotel rooms, around 60 bars and restaurants, live entertainment, casinos, spas, 600 shops and so on. "There are specialist party organizers in Macau ready to show you the various nightlife options," said Natasha Tome, executive director, marketing, Sands China Ltd. "You can have fun on almost any budget. From fine dining to fast food, including many Indian options, from palatial suites to affordable comforts in world class hotels, with great shopping options for men, we even have gondola rides and entertainers. Indian groups will find everything here," Tome said. "You can also work in other exciting elements, such as bungee jumping, go-kart racing or helicopter rides to Hong Kong," added Tome. According to Kushdeep Sawhney of BonVoyage Travels, "Travelling has more or less become a hobby for people, especially in India, and 70 percent of them are young boys and girls aged 20 to 25 years." "The interest of people going abroad has taken an upward graph in the past two to three years due to increased awareness of tourism, affordable packages, high-level publicity of the tourism ministry of countries and states in India," Sawhney said. He says the easy visa process to places like Thailand and Hong Kong is also an attraction for youth, apart from flightcum-hotel packages as cheap as Rs.20,000 per person.

ffice boredom rather than sparks of passion drives men to flirt with female colleagues, says a Surrey University study based on a survey of 200 people. A follow- Boredom is often solved with a little flirting from men to women, studies show. up questionnaire suggested that such against that notion that you workplace flirts had lower can flirt your way to the levels of "emotional intelli- top." The researchers then cargence," or understanding of other people's feelings or ried out a second survey to establish whether men who even sensitivity. The second study, but not flirted at work were different the first, also indicated that from their peers in any way. women who flirted at work Flirtier men had lower levels were happier at their jobs of emotional intelligence, but researchers said the they found, meaning the result could have been a men were worse at understanding other people's emofluke. Psychologists from Surrey tions and controlling their University set out to test the own feelings. This could theory that flirting could have meant they were less improve people's chances of able to suppress flirtatious being promoted at work, the behavior or judge whether their actions were inapproTelegraph reports. Adrian Banks, who led the priate, Banks suggested. Although it was unclear study, said: "What we found was the complete opposite. why flirty men had less job Flirts don't perform better at satisfaction, one explanation work and men who flirt are could be that their behavior less satisfied with their jobs. was down to boredom, he There is strong evidence added.

28

Humor TheSouthAsianTimes.info

April 28-May 4, 2012

Humor with Melvin Durai

What the Boston Marathon doesnt test for

he top finishers at the Boston Marathon are tested randomly for steroids such as THG (Tetrahydrogestrinone), hormones such as HGH (human growth hormone) and almost anything else that gives athletes an unfair advantage. But nobody tests them for something scientists have identified as AKB, which appears to give them the biggest advantage that any marathoner can have. AKB is so effective, so potent, that you dont need to see the official results of the Boston Marathon to be almost certain that the winners have AKB coursing through their veins. Im referring, of course, to Authentic Kenyan Blood. At this years Boston Marathon, in the mens division, the top three finishers all had AKB. In fact, five of the top six finishers had AKB and I have a strong suspicion that Jason Hartmann, the American runner who finished in fourth place, recently had a transfusion of AKB. I know how effective AKB can be, because I once had a transfusion of AKB myself. As a result, I managed to improve my personal best time in the one-mile run by a full minute. It helped, of course, that there was a tall man running after me, shouting, Hey, come back. You forgot to pay me for my blood. Luckily, he couldnt catch up with me, as I

had fooled him into trying some AIB (Authentic Indian Blood). Youll be glad to know that hes still into running. Last I heard, he was running a motel in Georgia. In case you still doubt the potency of AKB, heres more proof from this years Boston Marathon: In the womens division, the top three finishers all had AKB. In fact, five of the top six finishers had AKB, and Firehiwot Dado, the fourth-place finisher, had something thats almost as effective: AEB (Authentic Ethiopian Blood). If youre a marathon runner and cant get yourself some AKB, the next best thing is AEB. Two of the last 10 mens

winners had AEB. The other eight had AKB. Do you need any more proof? The sports governing bodies need to look into this, said Dr. Samuel Banda, a substance abuse expert. Obviously some people are lucky enough to be born with AKB and we cant do anything about that. Take President Obama, for example. The man cant stop running, whether hes running for the Senate, running for the White House or just running his mouth. Its in his blood. Banda is concerned about all the marathon runners who dont naturally have AKB. They may get a transfusion of AKB or even worse, they may get themselves some SKB (Synthetic Kenyan Blood). We dont know how safe that is. AKB and SKB dont have the same effect, Banda said. If you get a transfusion of SKB, youll be able to run a little faster. If you get AKB, youll be able to run a little faster and youll also be able to speak a few words of Swahili. That explains why, after my transfusion, I found myself saying hakuna matata a lot.

(Or maybe it was because I had just watched The Lion King.) I wondered how Kenyan runners feel about AKB, so I interviewed four-time Boston Marathon winner Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot. Me: First let me congratulate you on Kenyas dominance at the Boston Marathon! Cheruiyot: Dominance? How can you call it dominance? We allowed three other runners to get into the Top Ten. And one of them, Jason Hartmann, was celebrating like a champion at the finish line, saying he had won the Boston Marathons Non-Kenyan Division! Me: Perhaps he had some AKB in him. Cheruiyot: No, you cant win with just AKB. You need to train hard and you need to be blessed with slow twitch muscle fibers. Me: Slow twitch muscle fibers? Ive never heard of them. Cheruiyot: Theyre very important. They help you run long distances. Me: Really? I didnt know that. Tell me something, Robert, do you know where I can buy some AKSTMF (Authentic Kenyan Slow Twitch Muscle Fibers)?

Laughter is the Best Medicine

by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Tech Life

Google's Drive to dominate your digital life

California: Google is hoping to build the world's largest digital filing cabinet in the latest attempt to deepen people's dependence on its services.The internet search leader began its pursuit of the audacious goal on Tuesday with the muchanticipated debut of Google Drive, a product that stores personal documents, photos, videos and a wide range of other digital content on Google's computers. With the files kept in massive data centres, users will be able to call up the information on their smartphones, tablet computers, laptops and just about any other internet-connected device. Content can also be shared more easily among friends, family and coworkers by sending links to the information instead of emailing large attachments. Google Drive is offering the first five gigabytes of storage per account for free. Additional storage will be sold for prices starting at $US2.49 a month for 25 gigabytes up to $US49.99 a month for one terabyte, which is equivalent to five laptops with 200gigabyte drives. The service is initially available for installation on Windows-based computers, Mac computers, laptops running on Google's Chrome operating system and smartphones powered by Google's Android software. A version compatible with Apple's hot-selling iPhone and iPad is due in the next few weeks.

Astrology
TheSouthAsianTimes.info

29

April 28-May 4, 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: April 28-May 4, 2012
Aries: This week you will have influential and experienced people all around you, but avoid putting too much money into any financial schemes just on the advice of others. Sudden good news later in the week brings happiness and cheers for the entire family. Your business sense will be upbeat and new ideas will bring you fresh gains. Residential moves will be beneficial. If you need to take a break then a pleasure trip with loved one will be both relaxing and rewarding. Taurus: Good week to gather public attention. Your creative mind will be at its best, so make the most of it. You should venture out and expose yourself to new cultures, people and places. Your outgoing personality and sense of humour will attract a large crowd. Unexpected changes concerning financial and legal matters will be positive. A close relative is likely to be an important source of happiness and inspiration in your life during these days. Gemini: This week you will be surprised by how willingly people help even if you do not ask them. You will be in the limelight where ever you go and you will easily dazzle people with your generosity, honesty and leadership qualities. Financial gains are certain during this period, but avoid speculation or risky financial schemes. Friends are likely to disappoint you if you expect too much from them. Property related disputes will settle to your satisfaction. Cancer: This week do not take additional responsibilities if you feel your work will suffer. Opportunities for growth will develop through your contacts. Be prepared to come in front and face challenges if you want others to recognize you from distance. Sportsmen, writers and marketing professionals can look forward to rewards for their efforts. A new romantic alliance might develop for some of you. Travelling will be in your best interest, but do not overspend. Leo: This week you will acquire knowledge on new subjects. You will move with new confidence and will have an urge to learn more. You will also read new books, browse the Internet and discuss with people on these new topics. Your views and thoughts will bring you closer to important people. Later in the week guests will come unexpectedly, bringing you gifts and presents. Minor health problems due to untimely food habits cannot be ruled out. Virgo: This week you will be able to share your workload and responsibilities with others. Avoid travelling unless absolutely necessary. Religious feelings will arise making you spend more time on religious and spiritual activities. Competitive sports and outdoor activities will attract you. Changes at home during this period will be hectic but highly beneficial. You will also make some adjustments with yourself to maintain peace and harmony at home. Libra: This week problem with friends will arise if you tell them too much about your private life. There will be a sensitive situation, which will add lot of pressure on your mind. Ultimately the outcome will depend on how you handle people around you. Expanding your knowledge and signing for new courses will be beneficial. Someone you work with will try to induce new confidence into you. Speculation during this period will not bring favorable results. Scorpio: This week you are likely to play a role of a critic, but you should not ruin someone else good time with your remarks and thoughtless comments. Even if you think you are being funny, others may not see it that way. Your mind will be capable of taking quick decisions, but financial risk should not be taken without a second opinion. By focussing on your goals you will send a signal of your commitment and dedication. Sagittarius: This week someone you know will make you look bad in front of others. You will feel as if you have been misused and highly misled. You spirits will be low and you will lack in confidence. Gains from past investments will brighten up your days ahead. Travelling should be used to gather important information. Children will be helpful in bringing you in contact with interesting people. Spend quality time with loved ones. Capricorn: This week you will be on the verge of breaking down emotionally. You will be tired of all your efforts, exhausted of your strength and feel defeated for not getting to your goals. An unexpected support from important person raises your spirits. This period is not good for making investment in real estate and shares. You will make new friends if you get involved in evening parties and other social get-togethers. Blessing from a holy man provides mental peace. Aquarius: This week use your contacts to get whatever you want. A stable period of growth and prosperity sees you shine with new confidence and enthusiasm. It is also the perfect time for getting involved in creative hobbies or take a short pleasure trip that you have been contemplating for a long time. Dont let friends and relatives interfere in your personal decisions. Real estate investment will be worthwhile. Pisces: This week you will be little restless and irritated, but you should not make waves or bring up issues that you think are sensitive and need to put off to another day. You need to relax and go for little recreation to make you feel better. Stick to a simple and easy schedule, which includes proper diet, sports and entertainment. Yoga and meditation will bring remarkable results. Overseas travelling will ensure monetary gains.

Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

April 28: Influenced by number 1 and the Sun, you have the traits of being stylish, clever, lively, amicable and highly distinguished person. You are a great fan of fine art and literature, but you have to rein in your inclination to behave intractable, hesitant and casual at times. If you take benefit of the opportunities being given to you, you will make good monetary gains this year. Your magnetism and extrovert individuality will bring you reputation and win you favoritism. Home front will be serene with family members who will be always ready to lend a hand. Spouse and brood will look after you well, but be highly challenging at times. Some of you will tie the knot in the last quarter of the year while others will find romance to keep them in the true strength and good frame of mind. The months of April, July, October, February and March will bear out to be imperative and exciting. April 29: Leaded by number 2 and the Moon, you are inventive, candid, responsive, touching and a trouble-free human being. You keenly assist those in agony with cash and kind, but your affinity to conduct yourself introvert and reticent wants to be verified at times. This New Year you ought to finish awaiting jobs before initiating anything new. Promotions and transfers for some govt. workers cannot be ruled out. Journey to far off place for business as well as enjoyment seems almost definite during middle of the year. Health of your parents will cause nervous tension and concern. Increase in medical costs will certainly trouble your mind. Avoid any fiscal trade/ affiliation with informal friends or relatives to avoid future hurdles. Trying your hand in speculation and dealings in property during this phase will bring monetary gains. The months of August, October, March and April will provide evidence to be action-packed. April 30: Influenced by number 3 and the planet Jupiter, you are determined, gutsy, venerable, hostile and gracious. You are self-governing by temperament and thinking and you steer clear of any intervention in your work, but you also become a topic of gigantic criticism because of your behavior to be inflexible and violent at times. This year sees that your financial situation will become better by profits from previous investments. New coalition and projects would boost up your morale. At office valiant decisions would be indispensable at office. In spite of slight disagreements at times with your seniors and co-workers your professional graph would grow with victory and accomplishments. There will be huge overheads on the reconstruction or adornment of the house or on acquiring of luxuries seems high later in the year. Issues linked with property require to be handled with extreme vigilance. Your spouse would be compassionate to your concerns and endow you with love and warmth. Health without doubt would have need of more consideration, in particular for those suffering from chronic ailments. Some fortunate ceremonies and functions are expected to be performed in the family. The months of July, September, November and January appear to be important. May 01: Opposite sex will be substantial in constructing your fortune. Revisiting to the unfinished work time and again will change their status to the finished ones. Guessing while trading will reap rich dividends for you. You will be on the money mountain if you upgrade yourself before taking vital determinations. Excess of physical activity means continuous look out for the body requirements. Promptly realize which part of art suits you the most. Dole on it and impress everyone as favorable time starts. Charge taken by your partner will be delivered up to your expectation and provide immense calmness to your mind. Pay special heed towards the upbringing of the children. Months of July, August, November and January will be important. Allin-one man with qualities like dynamic, archetype, classic, intelligent and gifted. You need to stop implementing your profligate, adamant and despiteful attributes. Number 1 and the Sun will guide you. May 02: Options of excelling in your career are in plenty this time. Current demands will be fulfilled by the revival of previously laid down of money. Implement your innovative ideas carefully on the business trips you are on. Trading of shares and property will be beneficial. Words do not matter; actions do, so find someone to take your legal matters to the court in systematic manner. Juniors will fulfill their pledge of doing well in studies. They will be the ultimate source of enjoyment. Now duties will come in bundles as you are likely to take the promises of getting into a relationship. Months of May, August, September and March will have good fortune. Work pressure will never bother you as you do things in such a defined manner that everyone will get spellbound. But you should ensure the removal of gloomy, envious and flexible mind. You are childlike, amiable, supportive and tranquil in nature. Number 2 and the Moon will make smooth path for driving. May 03: Number 3 and planet Jupiter will act as morale booster at every point of time. You are challenging, ennobled, convinced, encouraging, tireless and characterized by order and planning. Your highly creative and maverick ideas will make you string headed but actual problem are your uneasy, revengeful and bossy attitude. Time will produce strong and influential contacts for the odd situations. The vibrant and lively nature of your mind will change the trend and take the graph of success upward. Many new people will enter in your life during this year. Academically, students will thrive a lot. Accept the signals of your stars which depict the change of status. Escape the unnecessary botheration of give and take of money at this time. Months of June, July, September, December and January will be full of events. May 04: Months of July, October, November, January and March will be banging for you. The focus of the time will be to change your marital status. Explanation of the terms and conditions is necessary to avoid any kind of downfall. Devote some time for packing too as travelling is high on your cards. Give everyone the status they deserve to have the long term relations with existing or new people. Minor jerks might act a source of botheration but do not fret things will not harm you too much. Far-fetched proposals seem to take the realistic face automatically. It will be a surprising gift for you by your destiny. You will end every confusion by tactical approach but you need to settle out your revengeful, fearful and prodigal nature. Your charm and aura will entice everyone from far flung areas too. You are patriotic, industrious, dominating, jocund and diplomatic person and all these qualities are provided by number 4 and planet Uranus.

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

April 28-May 4, 2012

Part two of the discourse 'The lesson of the tree'

Accept joy and sorrow as sweet gifts of God

lost in a maze of untruths and misunderstandings. Instead, we should remain steady like the tree. Circumstances around us are always changing. We should stay calm and cool. Let us not get sidetracked by the wiles of the mind. The scholar had what he needed right there on top of his head, but he was looking everywhere for his glasses. Then, he got lost in his mind searching through all permutations and combinations to find answers. We too are searching everywhere, when all answers lie right within. The solutions to everything are within us. We are looking for knowledge outside, but all wisdom lies within us. We are searching for happiness outside, but all happiness lies within. We are searching for love outside, but all love lies within. We only need to sit in the stillness of body and mind to find it. The mind will do everything to keep us from this stillness. But we need to be fixed and steady like the tree and not fall victim to the minds tricks. If we wish to learn how to lead our life, then look at the example of those who were successful at stilling their mind. There is an instructive true anecdote from the life of Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj, the fifth Sikh Guru. Guru Arjan Dev Ji was the torchbearer of humility and an example of how to have devotion and surrender to the will of God. His whole life was a song of "sweet is Thy will." One day, he was actually giving a satsang on which he recited this verse, which said: "Your will is always sweet to me, O Lord! The wealth of Naam is all that Nanak begs from You, O Lord." Sitting in the satsang was a disciple named Bhai Gurmukh. He thought about life and wondered about this verse of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. Bhai Gurmukh thought to himself, "How could both the joys and pains of life be sweet gifts of God? This does not make any sense. Joys can be sweet. But how can pain and sorrow be sweet?" He began to have doubts about the teachings of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. Bhai Gurmukh put his name on the interview list, and was lucky enough to get an audience with his Master. Bhai Gurmukh asked him, "How could both the joys and pains of life be sweet? I do not understand this." In reply, Guru Arjan Dev Ji said to him, "Rather than me answering this question, I suggest you go and visit another disciple. His name is Bhai Bhikari. He is a true disciple. Observe him and your question will be answered." Of course, the disciple wanted the answer right there and then, but the Master did not change his reply. Bhai Gurmukh made arrangements to visit Bhai Bhikari, and when he arrived there, some function was already in progress. He found that the ladies and children were dancing and singing. He discovered that Bhai Bhikaris son was getting married the following day. Bhai Gurmukh asked to see Bhai Bhikari, and he was led to a back room. There, Bhai Bhikari was sitting in a calm and collected manner. His face did not have any signs of joy or sorrow on it. He was engaged in sewing a white cloth sheet. Bhai Gurmukh was surprised at this disciples behavior and asked him, "Everyone is making merry on the occasion of your sons marriage, and you are ding and to further observe this disciples behavior. The next day, everyone prepared for the wedding. Everyone was decked out in their finest clothes. The wedding party began its procession to the home of the bride. Bhai Gurmukh followed along to further observe Bhai Bhikari. The wedding went off well. It was a beautiful ceremony. The following day, the groom and bride returned to the home of Bhai Bhikari, as was traditional. Bhai Gurmukh was still noting how calm Bhai Bhikari was throughout the wedding functions, showing no signs of extreme elation. He was steady in his emotions and demeanor. Bhai behavior. Here was a man who was in the midst of a celebration for the marriage of his son now having to bury the young man. Yet, he was as calm during the moments of happiness as he was during the moments of deep sorrow. Bhai Gurmukh finally understood what the Guru was saying in his verse about accepting joy and sorrow as both being sweet gifts of God. He saw a disciple living up to those teachings in that no matter what was happening, the disciple was focused on the words of his Master, both the outer teachings, as well as repeating the Names of God within or the Simran practice. Nothing that happened in his outer life took this disciple from his devotion and meditation. He was focused on the Light and Sound no matter what was happening, and that enabled him to remain steady and calm no matter what was going on outwardly in his life. Bhai Gurmukh bowed to the disciple, thanked him for teaching him this lesson, and returned to his Guru with a new outlook on life. He now understood how to lead a life of "sweet is Thy will, O Lord." This true anecdote is not meant to teach us to be heartless and callous. On the contrary, the Guru was teaching him to be filled with compassion and love. Bhai Bhikari loved his son. But this love did not take him off balance in which he went through the ups and downs. His love for his son did not take him away from his focus on his love for God, his meditation, and his attention being on the Naam, or the Light and Sound of God within. One can feel joy and sorrow, but it does not send us into a tailspin of anger, rage, depression, or sadness. We experience love and note the feeling. We experience sadness and note that feeling, too. But we do not let it interfere with our meditations. We have a balanced outlook and can remain calm and steadfast whether our outer life brings joy or sorrow. We lead our life like the tree that remains steady through all the changes of life. What are the benefits of being like the tree in which we remain stable through all the winds of change that surround us? (To be continued) Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is an internationally recognized spiritual leader and Master of Jyoti Meditation who affirms the transcendent oneness at the heart of all religions and mystic traditions, emphasizing ethical living and meditation as building blocks for achieving inner and outer peace. www.sos.org.

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj

e thought harder about the situation and concluded, "That means that it is someone who needs glasses and already has glasses, or it is someone who needs glasses and lost them so he took someone elses glasses, or someone who was absent-minded and pushed his own glasses up from his nose to put on the top of his head and forgot about them." "For instancesomeone like me! Uhoh," he thought. He reached up to the top of his head and there discovered his own glasses. He then realized that he had absent-mindedly slid them up from his nose to sit on top of his head and had forgotten about it. His glasses were on his head all along. He thought to himself, "Thank God, I am a scholar and trained in reasoning. Otherwise, I would never have found my glasses at all!" This story shows the twists and turns into which the mind takes us. All the time, the glasses were on his head but he wasted an hour of his lifes breaths looking elsewhere for them. When he did not find it, he concocted all sorts of reasons to explain their loss, none of which were even true. This is what the mind makes us doall the time. A situation arises. We get caught up in the situation. Then, when we cannot find a solution, our mind conjures up one reason after another to explain it. We have no facts upon which to base our thoughts, but we believe our own thoughts to be true. At times, our thoughts even rile us up to get mad and angry. We think someone did something to us, and with each passing hour we grow madder and madder at that person. We may harbor anger for days against someone based on what we think happened. Then, later, we are embarrassed to find out that what we thought happened was not true at all. The mind is happy that it has taken us off our focus on God and our meditations. It has led us down a wrong pathway to become

One can feel joy and sorrow but it does not send us into a tailspin of anger, rage, depression, or sadness. We experience love and note the feeling. We experience sadness and note that feeling, too. But we do not let it interfere with our meditations. We have a balanced outlook and can remain calm and steadfast whether our outer life brings joy or sorrow. We lead our life like the tree that remains steady through all the changes of life
sitting alone in this back room sewing. Your face does not show any joy at the wedding. Why are you sitting in here sewing while a party is going on in your own house?" Bhai Bhikari replied, "Pain and sorrow do not make me sad, and pleasure and joy do not make me glad. I surrender to Gods sweet will, for who knows what tomorrow will bring. Today, my son is part of a marriage party. But tomorrow he may have to be part of his own funeral procession. I want to be prepared, so I am sewing a shroud for him." Bhai Gurmukh was shocked by these words, but knew why the Guru had sent him to meet this disciple. He stayed overnight to attend Bhai Bhikaris sons wedGurmukh thought, "He is happy for his son, but not off balance. He is calm and not becoming overly excited." The bride and groom spent some time with Bhai Bhikari, but later that day, the groom became ill. His illness took a turn for the worse, and suddenly, the groom died. All of the families began to scream and wail at the sudden loss of the young man. Relatives were crying hysterically. Yet, Bhai Bhikari remained calm. He did not shed tears or cry. He went into the back room, brought out the white sheet he had been sewing, and wrapped it around his sons dead body. As he did so, he kept repeating the verses of his Master in a calm way. Bhai Gurmukh observed his

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RAJASTHAN ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA (RANA) NY

181-25 Midland Parkway, Jamaica Estates, NY 11432, Phone: 718.969.2745
WWW.RANAUSA.ORG CORDIALLY INVITES YOU WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS TO OUR

HOLI CELEBRATION & HASYA KAVI SAMMELAN

at AKBAR RESTAURANT, 2 SOUTH STREET, GARDEN CITY, NY. TEL:516 248 5700

SUNDAY APRIL 29 2012, 5.30 PM ONWARDS

Contribution: $40 per person

HASYA KAVI SHRI ABHINAV SHUKLA

Seats are Limited. Don't miss the opportunity to see these two renowned poets. Contact the persons below for tickets.
HARIDAS KOTAHWALA 917 842 3201 BEENA KOTHARI 631 586 1579 SHYAM SARAF 718 997 7673 AJAY K LODHA MD 347 865 7906 MANJU SURANA 914 725 1025 VINOD KOTAHWALA 718 268 3211 ANIMESH GOENKA 516 624 2460 SHASHI SHAH MD 516 365 4854 DASHRATH DUGAR 516 294 1968 KANAK GOLIA 516 365 8410 VINOD JAIN 845 480 5580 RAVI LASHKERY 516 294 2651 SUSHIL GOYAL 516 621 1725 KAILASH SINGHVI MD 516 621 4760 SURENDRA KAUSHIK MD 914 762 6168 AJEY JAIN MD 516 627 1891

HASYA KAVI SHRI AAS KARAN ATAL NARENDRA HADPAWAT MD 516 295 0215 JUGAL AGARWAL MD 718 353 0340 SMITA LODHA MD 516 869 1681 AJAY K JAIN 516 801 4540 RAVI JARGAD 718 268 6951

RANA is well known for its annual Holi-Diwali Celebrations in the community for last 12 years. This year, on April 29 Shri Aaskaran Atal is specially coming from India to perform with very talented, famous poet Shri Abhinav Shukla for our celebration of the Festival of Colors. Please come with family & friends to enjoy the ethnic Rajasthani delicacies, and hilarious performance by hasya poets.Thank you. With warm greetings, Haridas Kotahwala President