US Affairs 10 Health 25 Humor 28 Spiritual Awareness 30

NEW YORK EDITION

NRIs launch Punjab

Chalo to help

Congress in poll

Tristate

Community,

Pages 18-19

Indian American

dean for Cornell’s

business school

Abhi-Ash to host

Oprah Winfrey

in India

Bollywood,

Page 26

14 awarded

Pravasi Bharatiya

Samman at

PBD 2012

PBD Jaipur,

Page 14

PBD 2012: A catalyst for30-mn strong diaspora

Now given voting rights, overseas Indians moveto partner in and benefit from India's march

towards progress and prosperity.

Vol.4 No.38 January 14-20, 2012 60 Cents Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

PPP govt vs army battle ofnerves in Pak

Punn arraigned on child sexploitationand healthcare fraud charges

Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari has

left Pakistan, tense with rumors and fears of

another military coup, and gone to Dubai

amid a stand-off between an increasingly

belligerent political leadership and the pow-

erful military. Political parties were quick to

speak up against a likely army take-over.

Zardari went to Dubai, as per BBC, to

attend a wedding. A month back, Zardari, 56,

had abruptly left for Dubai from where he

returned Dec 18 after nearly two weeks of

medical treatment.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani

Wednesday asserted his authority by dis-

missing defense secretary Naeem Khalid

Lodhi, a retired lieutenant general close to

army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Gilani also accused the army chief and ISI

chief Lt. Gen. Shuja Pasha of violating the

constitution by submitting their replies to the

Supreme Court without the government

approval in the case over a memo sent to

Washington that said President Zardari

feared a military take-over following last

year's killing of Osama bin Laden.

The Inter-Services Public Relations, the

military's media arm, took a serious view of

Gilani's statement: "This has very serious

Continued on page 4

By Vikas Girdhar/SATimes

Hicksville, NY: On January 11,

Rakesh K. Punn, 53, was

arraigned on a 36-count federal

indictment alleging his sexual

exploitation of children and

fraudulent billing of insurance

companies.

Punn, a Long Island pediatri-

cian, was first arrested on July

16, 2010 by Nassau County law

enforcement and charged with sexual

exploitation of three children under the pre-

tense of medical treatment at his Bethpage

clinic cum residence. After filming the sexu-

al acts, he fraudulently billed insurance com-

panies for those three children who were as

young as 11 years old, and three others under

the guise of standard pediatric procedures.

He is also accused of a prescription scam for

obtaining chloral hydrate, described as a

“date-rape drug.”

Punn, who has remained in state

custody since his arrest, has had his

bail set at $5 million. The federal

arraignment, held in Central Islip

at the US Courthouse before US

District Judge Joanna Seybert, is

based on an indictment returned on

Jan 4, 2012. Alleged in the 36-

count indictment are the multiple

acts of sexual exploitation Punn

committed between September 6,

2007 and January 21, 2008.

“As alleged in the indictment, the defen-

dant not only violated criminal law, he also

betrayed his oath as a licensed physician to

first do no harm,” said Loretta E. Lynch, US

Attorney for the Eastern District of New

York. “These children were entrusted to the

defendant by their parents for health care

and what they allegedly received was sexual

Continued on page 4

Jaipur/New Delhi: The 10th edi-

tion of the annual diaspora meet

'Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2012' saw

the highest participation this year.

Over 2,000 delegates from 59 coun-

tries participated at the three-day

event in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

"This PBD also signals a para-

digm shift in the level, the range

and the pace of our engagement. It

is our conviction that the vast

majority of overseas Indians have

the ability and the willingness to

partner in and benefit from India's

march towards progress and pros-

perity," said Union Minister of

Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar

Ravi.

The highlight of the annual con-

gregation that kicked off in the Pink

City Jan 7 was fulfilling a long-

standing demand of the diaspora on

voting rights.

Continued on page 4See pages 13-17 for more PBD

stories.Pravasi Bharatiya award winners with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his counterpart from Trinidad

& Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, at the Jaipur PBD.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani hascalled a meeting of the defense committeeSaturday and the army chief will attend, apossible sign of efforts to defuse tensions.

Bethpage pediatricianRakesh Punn

Tristate Community 3

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

Trinidad's 'daughter PM' returns to village in Bihar for emotional reunion

Bhelupur (Buxar): It was an emo-

tional 'pilgrimage' for Trinidad and

Tobago prime minister Kamla Per-

sad-Bissessar to her ancestral vil-

lage Bhelupur. She tried to fight

back her tears but failed. As tears

rolled down her cheeks, the 'grand-

daughter of the soil' entered her an-

cestral home and hugged women

relatives in this remote and dusty

village on Wednesday afternoon.

Looking resplendent in a red sari

with floral borders and a matching

color flower tucked in hairs, Kam-

la, 60, seemed to face no language

bar as she made a forceful speech

in English, starting with 'Bhaiyon

aur bahno, Pranam' and told the

people how she traced her roots to

this village. "Your granddaughter

has come here. I can see one hun-

dred thousand people here to greet

me. I say 'dhanyavad' for this love

and hospitality," she said.

The visiting VIP's great grandfa-

ther Ram Lakhan Mishra from this

village had set out for the

Caribbean islands in 1889 as Gir-

mitia labourer. He had boarded

Volga ship from the then Calcutta

on October 21, 1889.

"Whatever I am today is because

Bihar is in my DNA and whatever

my ancestors taught me," she said

as villagers from Bhelupur and

surrounding villages cheered her

lustily.

Earlier, she and her entourage

reached here in two IAF choppers.

She straightaway went to the house

of her uncle Jagdish Mishra on

foot and spent a good 40 minutes

there meeting women and chil-

dren. The relatives presented her

with a silk sari and ornaments be-

sides serving local dishes and

sweets.

Accompanied by husband Gre-

gory Bissessar and other relatives

who came from Port of Spain, she

was overwhelmed by the people's

response.

She came to India to attend

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Jaipur

as chief guest, where she was also

bestowed the Pravasi Bharatiya

Samman award.

Trinidad & Tobago prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar visiting her ancestral village in Buxar district of Bihar.

FeTNA’s silver jubilee convention for Maryland in July

New York: The Federation of

Tamil Sangams (Associations) of

North America called FeTNA will

hold their annual convention in

Baltimore, MD from July 6-8,

2012. It will be the Silver Jubilee

Convention for FeTNA with an an-

ticipated attendance of 5,000

Tamils from all over North

America.

For the last 24 years, FeTNA, an

umbrella organization for nearly

40 local organizations, presents a

mega event each year in a different

state and city where Tamils of

North America congregate, cele-

brate their culture, recognize com-

munity achievements, organize

professional forums, enjoy music,

dance, literature and theater per-

formances, rejoice meeting Golly-

wood (South Indian movie) artists,

film and music directors, eminent

speakers/poets, soap opera stars

from India. The locals also get to

showcase their talent.

Guyanese Indian broker in Queensaccused of massive mortgage fraud

Woman files class-action lawsuitagainst company for discrimination

New York: Edul Ahmad was a real

estate magnate in Richmond Hill,

Queens, who drove a Lamborghini,

sponsored a cricket team and held

white-glove parties at a lavish ban-

quet hall that he owned.

Awed by his magnetic personality,

many residents of the area took out

high-risk mortgages with him. In July,

it all came crashing down when FBI

agents arrested Ahmad, charging him

with masterminding a $50 million

mortgage fraud that seemed to exem-

plify a nationwide phenomenon of

celebrated immigrant brokers who

were accused of preying on their own.

Now, scores, if not hundreds, of

Guyanese immigrants are facing fi-

nancial ruin because of loans said to

have been arranged by Ahmad, and

the repercussions from the case have

extended from Queens to Washington

to Guyana.

Ahmad is currently engaged in in-

tensive plea-bargain negotiations with

federal prosecutors, according to

court documents, but it appears that

the impact of the loans will endure for

years. Richmond Hill has been hit

harder by the foreclosure crisis than

most other neighborhoods in the city,

officials and analysts said. Mr. Ah-

mad’s case has also ensnared two

politicians whom he considered

friends: US Representative Gregory

W. Meeks, a Queens Democrat, and

John L. Sampson of Brooklyn, the

Democratic leader of the State Senate.

A House ethics panel is investigat-

ing Meeks for failing to disclose that

he received $40,000 from Ahmad. Mr.

Sampson worked as Mr. Ahmad’s

lawyer and was disciplined by the

New York secretary of state for nota-

rizing a document for Ahmad without

a license.

Mr. Ahmad, 44, is charged with lur-

ing buyers into subprime mortgages,

inflating the values of their properties

and concealing his involvement by

using straw buyers, like his wife and

the Guyanese-born captain of the US

cricket team, Steve Massiah.

Mr. Ahmad pleaded not guilty and

posted $2.5 million in bail in July.

New Jersey: Deepa Shanbag of New Jersey has filed a class-

action lawsuit against Edison, N.J.- based L&T Infotech, a

wholly owned subsidiary of Mumbai company Larsen &

Toubro, claiming discrimination on grounds of sex and preg-

nancy. The suit was filed Jan. 3 in the U.S. District Court in

New Jersey.The lawsuit seeks damages of "not less than $20

million" on behalf of a class of about 1,500 past and present

women employees and injunctive and declaratory relief to

stop further misconduct.

Shanbag was employed by L&T Infotech in October 2010

as a contractor and was made an employee after three

months.On March 2, 2011, she told the human resources de-

partment and her immediate supervisor that she was preg-

nant. On March 4, she was fired, the court filing said. It also

notes that Shanbag made attempts to resolve the issue

through proper channels and then went to the Equal Em-

ployment Opportunities Commission.

New York attorney Krishnan Chittur who is handling

Shanbag's case, alleges that L&T Infotech, "discriminated

against her and other employees on grounds of sex and preg-

nancy." "Women in the work- place should be treated with

respect and dignity," Chittur is quoted as saying in a press re-

lease. "We intend to hold L&T fully accountable under the

law for what these women had to suffer."

Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni presented the first copy of English edition of themagazine ‘Aahwan’ to President Pratibha Patil last week in Delhi. CabinetMinister Shriprakash Jaiswal and Swami Chidanand Saraswati were pres-

ent on the occasion. The Acharya, founder of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti,talked about their campaign against female feticide, drug addiction and

environment pollution and announced ‘Clean Election Campaign’in 5 states going to the polls.

Guyanese Indian broker in Queensaccused of massive mortgage fraud

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4 Community

Indian American suspected of fraudin red wine research

Corrections in Amb. Puri article

Hartford, Conn: A charge of widespread

scientific fraud, involving 26 articles pub-

lished in 11 journals, was leveled by the

University of Connecticut Wednesday against

Dipak K. Das, one of its researchers, whose

work reported health benefits in red wine.

Many of the articles reported positive

effects from resveratrol, an ingredient of red

wine thought to promote longevity in labora-

tory animals.

The charges, if verified, seem unlikely to

affect the field of resveratrol research itself,

because Dr. Das’s work was peripheral to its

central principles, several of which are in

contention.

Federal grants are increasingly hard to get,

even for high-quality research, yet money

seemed to have flowed freely to Dr. Das, who

was generating research of low visibility and

apparently low quality. The University of

Connecticut said Wednesday that it was

returning two new grants to Dr. Das, worth a

total of $890,000, to the federal government.

The agency that granted the funds was the

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Renate Myles, a spokeswoman, said in

response that scientific misconduct “can go

undetected for a length of time even under the

most rigorous systems of research oversight

and review.”

The investigation of Dr. Das’s work began

in January 2009, two weeks after the universi-

ty received an anonymous allegation about

research irregularities in his laboratory. A spe-

cial review board headed by Dr. Kent Morest

of the University of Connecticut has now pro-

duced a 60,000-page report, which has been

forwarded to the Office of Research Integrity,

a federal agency that investigates fraud by

researchers who receive government grants.

According to a 60-page summary of the

report, Dr. Das’s published research articles

were found to contain 145 instances of fabri-

cation and falsification of data.

There were some differences between the text of your article titled, "Seasoned Diplomat

who took India to new heights at UN" in the January 7-13, 2012 issue and the actual com-

ments of Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN.

i) While your piece refers to PR as saying that India will be the third largest

power in the world, he had actually said that India will be the third largest economy in the

world.

ii) You stated: “Puri is more than confident that India will finish its term as a permanent

member by the end of the year 2012. Today we are at a crucial stage when the final rounds

of negotiations are due to begin in the fourth week of January and expected to complete in

March."

The actual transcript of PR's interview reads: “…The Chair of the informal negotiations

will be holding a series of meetings starting with the fourth week of January to about the

fourth week of March in which the different proposals which are on the table including the

one by the G4 (India, Brazil, Germany and Japan) and proposals by the L69 for expansion

in both categories. These will be discussed as the proposals by others like UFC and the

C10, which is the African Group. The year 2012 will see forward movement and it is my

hope and we will certainly work towards it that before the end of 2012 and before we

leave the Security Council, we will have at least the contours of the expansion of the

Security Council ready.”

--Vinod K Jacob, First Secretary, Indian Mission to the UN.The errors are regretted. The author of the article, Ashok Ojha, responded: “While writ-

ing the article about accomplishments of Amb. Puri as at the UN, it was my goal to repro-

duce the essence and spirit of his thoughts for the readers of the paper.

--Managing Editor

January 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

PBD StoryContinued from page 1India said it would allow NRIs to vote and par-

ticipate in the election process. "Pursuant to the

law that was enacted to enable NRIs to vote in our

national elections, the government has issued noti-

fications for registration of overseas electors under

the Representation of People Act, 1950," Prime

Minister Manmohan Singh announced while inau-

gurating the event.

"This constitutes the first major step to enable

Indian residents abroad to participate in our elec-

tion process," the prime minister added.

In another major initiative, India asked its 30-

million strong diaspora, spread over 130 countries,

to contribute in the development of healthcare,

energy and infrastructure sector.

The Indian government also launched a special

pension and life insurance scheme that would ben-

efit over 5 million unskilled and semi-skilled

workers employed overseas mostly in Gulf coun-

tries on temporary contract visas.

Chief ministers of several states urged overseas

Indians to step up investment, assuring a business-

friendly environment.

Showcasing the development initiatives

launched by their respective governments, they

assured NRIs and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO)

that their states would facilitate investment provid-

ing all possible support.

"We welcome with open hearts whatever sup-

port or contribution you may wish to extend. Your

support will be a great morale booster for us," said

Ashok Gehlot, chief minister of Rajasthan.

On the last day, President Pratibha Patil con-

ferred the "Pravasi Bharatiya Samman" awards to

14 eminent overseas Indians, including Kamla

Persad-Bissessar, and a Canada-based institution,

for their outstanding contributions in enhancing

India's image globally.

PPP Vs. Army StoryContinued from page 1

ramifications with potentially grievous conse-

quences for the country."

Pentagon spokesperson George Little said that

US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin

Dempsey had spoken to General Kayani.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said US fully

backs the civilian government.

Soon after Lodhi was dismissed for "gross mis-

conduct", General Kayani decided to call an

emergency meeting of his top commanders.

Lodhi's dismissal came after the Pakistani Army

angrily reacted to Gilani's recent remarks to a

Chinese daily that the statements of Kayani and

ISI chief submitted to the Supreme Court were

"unconstitutional". As the military and the gov-

ernment slugged it out, political parties made it

clear that they were against any army coup.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan

said the party would not support a military coup.

The former cricketer said in Lahore that any

unconstitutional way would not be tolerated.

Awami National Party leader Asfandyar Wali

said that his party would continue to back the

government and fully oppose any undemocratic

move.

Punn StoryContinued from page 1

abuse. Dr. Punn then compounded his charged

offense by billing insurance companies for his

sexual misconduct. He will now be held to

account.”

Evidence seized in this case includes cell-

phones, a video camera and Punn’s laptops and

computers, which contained a self-compiled

“how-to” guide on molestation and included pas-

sages from the Kama Sutra and naked photo-

graphs and videos of young girls, prosecutors say.

Prosecutors have also noted that Punn has a 24-

year old wife living in India and had a large

amount of cash at his Bethpage residence at the

time of his July 2010 arrest. Nassau County

District Attorney Kathleen M. Rice said that as a

doctor in the Indian community, Punn was well-

respected and trusted by many parents, who

would often send their children to Punn in

Bethpage for private visits.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas

V. Dale stated that “the arrest and prosecution of

Dr. Punn is the direct result of an investigative

commitment to end this alleged criminal conduct,

and to prevent others from falling victim to the

reprehensible acts charged in the indictment.

These efforts demonstrate the effectiveness of law

enforcement’s combined efforts to apprehend sex-

ual predators and prosecute to the fullest extent of

the law.”

Punn, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges,

faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’

imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 30

years’ imprisonment for each individual count of

sexual exploitation of a child, if convicted. In

addition, he faces a maximum sentence of 10

years’ imprisonment for each individual count of

health care fraud, if convicted.

Punn is due back in federal court on March 2

and has thus far been unable to post bail.

Tristate Community 5

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

New York: The vice-chancellor of Darul

Uloom Deoband, one of India's most influen-

tial Islamic seminaries, has called on the

government to deny Indian-born writer

Salman Rushdie a visa to attend the Jaipur

Literary Festival over the insult caused to

Muslims by his 1988 novel The Satanic

Verses.

"I call upon the Muslim organizations of

the country to mount pressure on the centre

to withdraw the visa and prevent him visiting

India, where community members still feel

hurt owing to the anti-Islamic remarks in his

writings," Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani said

this week. "The Muslims cannot pardon him

at any cost. If he visits India, it would be

adding salt to the injuries of Muslims."

The call has drawn some support from

Muslim political figures and cast a shadow

over an event that this year boasts the most

impressive line-up of international literary

stars in its six-year history.

Rushdie is one of the biggest names in a

rollcall of star writers to attend this month's

Jaipur Festival, including Michael Ondaatje,

David Hare, Tom Stoppard, Annie Proulx,

Mohammed Hanif, Lionel Shriver and even

Oprah Winfrey.

Rushdie is scheduled to appear at three

events during the five-day festival, has

vowed to attend regardless, tweeting: "Re my

Indian visit, for the record, I don't need a

visa."

The Indian government has also refused to

intervene, confirming that Rushdie - who

holds a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card -

does not need a visa to enter the country.

Salman Rushdie brushes off callfor festival 'blasphemy' ban

New York: An Indian cab driver in New York

has been arrested on charges that he raped and

robbed a 26-year-old passenger in his taxi last

year.

Gurmeet Singh, 40, had allegedly held his

victim at knifepoint and bound her wrists. He

faces charges of rape, assault and robbery

among others.

The woman had told the police that she fell

asleep after she got into Singh's cab on her

way back to her home one night in May last

year.

When she woke up Singh allegedly held her

at knifepoint and raped her, The New York

Post reported.

Singh, who is a Sikh, also stole her cell-

phone and some cash before letting her go in

the morning.

Police officers had posed as city taxi com-

mission inspectors to get evidence that Singh

was the cab driver they were looking for.

They matched his DNA, obtained through a

glass of water they had offered to him, with

evidence uncovered in the police investigation

of the sex assault.

Singh has been driving a cab since 1999 and

his license was suspended in 2007 for violat-

ing motor vehicles rules.

Indian cabbie arrested oncharges of rape in NY

Gurmeet Singh

Dr Sudhanshu Prasad takes oathof office on Gita for NJ council

New Jersey: Indian-American physician

Dr Sudhanshu Prasad, who was re-elected

on a New Jersey township council, took

oath of office on Gita for his second-term.

An internal medicine physician and a

resident of the Iselin-Edison - which is

dominated by Indian Americans -- area in

New Jersey for over 25 years, Prasad was

re-elected for his second term in the

November 2011 elections.

57-year-old Prasad, with his roots from

Patna in Bihar, said he chose the Gita

because he grew up believing in it, and it

is "where my conscience is."

He said his top goal in his second-term

is to ensure that municipal property taxes

remain as stable as possible, especially in

the current challenging economic times,

and to make the township more business-

friendly.

Prasad, a former chairman of the JFK

Hospital Department of Medicine in

Edison, in his acceptance speech said in

addition to providing essential services

like police protection, fire safety and pub-

lic works, he wants to be able to preserve

high-quality health services for senior cit-

izens and children in Edison.

Court asks for specifics of financialbenefits made by Rajat Gupta

New York: A US judge has

asked prosecutors to provide

specific financial benefits

they allege former Goldman

Sachs director Rajat Gupta

made by passing inside infor-

mation to his friend Raj

Rajaratnam amidst allega-

tions that he also tipped him

about Proctor and Gamble's

2008 sale of Folgers Coffee

Co to JM Smucker.

The judge's direction came

after Gupta's lawyers

claimed he made no profits

and called the government's

allegations "mumbo jumbo."

In a pre-trial hearing in

Manhattan federal court here,

Judge Jed Rakoff said he

would "encourage" the gov-

ernment to be "more specif-

ic" about the financial bene-

fits accrued to Gupta, as

alleged in the indictment

filed against him in October

last year.

Rakoff said the prosecutors

should "spell them (any

financial profits) out with

reasonable specificity" in any

superseding indictment the

government may bring

against Gupta in the coming

weeks.

During the hearing that

lasted for over an hour and

which Gupta attended, the

government said it is likely

to bring slightly revised and

expanded charges in a super-

seding indictment against

Gupta by the end of January.

"A final decision has not

been made, but more likely

than not there will be a

superseding indictment,"

Assistant US Attorney

Richard Tarlowe told the

judge. Prosecutors also dis-

closed during the hearing

that apart from passing confi-

dential information about

Goldman Sachs and Proctor

and Gamble to Rajaratnam,

Gupta tipped the Galleon

hedge fund founder about

P&G's three billion dollar

sale of Folgers Coffee Co to

JM Smucker in 2008.

Dr Prasad taking the oath

Salman Rushdie

6 Tristate Community

January 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Sikh Coalition trainsAmerica's largest police force

Raj Kapoor Film Festivalon at MoMa

New York: The Museum of Modern Art

(MoMa), in New York City is hosting a Raj

Kapoor film festival titled "Raj Kapoor and

the Golden Age of Indian Cinema" from

January 6 and January 16.

The festival kicked off with Awaara.

Directed, produced, and starring Raj Kapoor,

Barsaat was the next film being shown.

Taking an emotional story with the next film,

Boot Polish showed a more heart wrenching

film produced by Raj. This star makes the

smallest cameo in the film and focuses all his

attention to production. Aag, Jis Desh Men

Ganga Behti Hai, Shree 420, Mere Naam

Joker and, Bobby are the rest of the films

being showcased in this film festival.

Chatwal plans to open 52 hotels in India New York: Hospitality major Hampshire

Hotels and Resorts promoted by Indian

American entrepreneur Sant Chatwal plans to

launch 52 hotels in India in the next five years,

under the Dream and Night brands.

About 40 Night Hotels, which is a luxurious

lifestyle brand, and 12 Dream Hotels, a bou-

tique hotel targeting the business traveler,

would come up in places like Goa, Chennai,

Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Jaipur, Udaipur,

Hyderabad and Kolkata.

The hotels, brainchild of Chatwal's son

Vikram, would be managed by one of the

world's largest chain of hotels, the Wyndham

Group."We would like to give more options

for the 70 million Indians that travel within the

country. Our aim is to be the largest boutique

hotel company in the world in the next 10

years," said Vikram Chatwal. Sant Chatwal

said his company would invest Rs.2,000 crore

in these ventures -- many of which would be

operated on a franchisee basis."We have

already signed 18 deals for both Dream and

Night hotels. Most of them would be on the

franchising and management model," said

Sant Chatwal, chairman and chief executive of

Hampshire Hotels and Resorts.

Woman gets 38 years for killing Indian student Bridgeport, Conn: A woman

who fired the fatal shot that

killed Arun Narote, a 26-year-

old engineering student work-

ing part-time in a grocery store,

was sentenced to 38 years.

Vanessa Ortiz, 21, pleaded

guilty in September to felony

murder and conspiracy to com-

mit first-degree robbery. She,

along with two others, was

charged in Narote's July 12,

2010, murder and was singled

out by prosecutors as the one

who fired the shot that killed

him at Norman's Grocery and

Deli in Bridgeport, Conn. Luis

Torres, 25, who pleaded guilty

to the same charges as Ortiz,

has also been sentenced to 38

years. The driver of the get-

away car, Marisol Malave, is

yet to be sentenced.The murder

of Narote was particularly ruth-

less for what was meant to be

an armed robbery. Ortiz com-

mitted the robbery/murder

while already on probation for

one year for a disturbance she

caused in a local hospital.

Narote, originally from

Hyderabad, was studying in

Virginia's Stratford University

and had taken the summer job

at Norman's to meet his

expenses. He was behind the

plexiglass enclosure when

Torres and Ortiz entered the

store; Ortiz pointed the gun

through the access hole in the

plexiglass and later shot him,

while Torres grabbed the cash

register and left, the

Connecticut Post reported.

Stratford University officials

called it "a senseless murder" in

a release. Before he was at

Stratford, Narote was a student

at the University of Bridgeport.

Bernards SchoolDistrict is consider-ing Diwali holiday

New Jersey: Bernards Township School District

(BTSD) in Somerset County is considering Diwali as a

school holiday.

Official summary of its Board of Education

December 19 meeting says: "A request by a group of

Indian American parents and students to make Diwali

(the Indian New Year) a school holiday was referred to

the Board's Policy Committee for further considera-

tion." About 28,500 students, including about 20%

Asians, attend Bernards schools and 11 Indian lan-

guages are spoken as principle language in their

homes. BTSD, which believes "Children learn in dif-

ferent ways", has been ranked by Forbes magazine as

one of "America's Best School Districts for Your

Housing Buck."

South Brunswick School District and Passaic City

School District, both in New Jersey, have already

declared Diwali as holiday. Los Angeles Unified

School District (California) lists Diwali in its

"Calendar of Commemorative Dates and

Observances", while New Jersey Department of

Education includes Diwali in its "List of Religious

Holidays Permitting Pupil Absence From School."

The Sikh Coalition delivering first-ever presentation on Sikhs and Sikh practices to theNew York Police Department’s (NYPD) newest graduating class of 1500. The new policeofficers watch the presentation by the Coalition members which also included a turban

tying demonstration.

Raj Kapoor

New York: The Scheme of Ministry of

Overseas Indian Affairs(MOIA) for providing

legal/financial assistance to Indian women

deserted or divorced by their overseas spouses

has been revised in November, 2011 based on

suggestions received from various quarters.

The scope of the Scheme has been extended so

as to cover as many of the needy Indian

women who have been either deserted or

divorced from funds available under the

Scheme. The scheme would be available to

Indian women who have been deserted by

their overseas Indian / foreigner husbands or

are facing divorce proceedings in a foreign

country, subject to the following conditions: (i)

The woman is an Indian passport holder; (ii)

The marriage of the woman has been solem-

nized in India or overseas with an overseas

Indian or a foreigner; (iii) The woman is

deserted in India or overseas within fifteen

years of the marriage; or (iv) Divorce pro-

ceedings are initiated within fifteen years of

the marriage by her overseas Indian / foreigner

husband; or (v) An ex-parte divorce has been

obtained by the overseas Indian / foreigner

husband within twenty years of marriage and a

case for maintenance and alimony is to be filed

by her; (vi) The scheme would not be available

to a woman having a criminal case decided

against her, provided that a criminal charge of

Parental Child Abduction shall not be a bar if

the custody of the child has not yet been adju-

dicated upon; (vii) The domicile of the Indian

woman seeking relief under the Scheme is not

relevant for allowing the benefit. The woman

may be domiciled in the country of her over-

seas Indian /foreigner husband or in India at

the time of making the application; (viii)

Preference will be given to applicants on the

basis of financial need; (ix) Assistance will be

provided to meet the legal and other costs, by

the Heads of Indian Missions/Posts overseas

directly to the applicant’s legal counsel empan-

elled with the concerned Indian Mission/Post,

or through the Indian Community Associations

/Women’s organizations / NGOs acting on the

woman’s behalf in an overseas legal institu-

tion; (x) The assistance will be limited to US$

3000 per case and will be released to the

empanelled legal counsel of the applicant or

Indian Community Association / Women’s

organization / NGO concerned to enable it to

take steps to assist the woman in documenta-

tion and preparatory work for filing the case;

(xi) The Indian Women’s Organizations /

Indian Community Associations / NGOs will

make efforts to enlist community advocates,

preferably women advocates, to extend further

legal assistance / appearance in court etc on a

pro-bono basis. The Scheme has been posted

on MOIA's website "http://moia.gov.in/".

MOIA scheme helping women deserted ordivorced by NRI husbands revised

Arun Narote was shotthrough the plexi glass at

grocery store

National Community 7

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

Bobby Jindal takes oath as Louisiana GovernorHouston: Indian-origin Louisiana

governor Bobby Jindal took the oath

of office for his second term before

hundreds of people, with a focus on

education and a pledge not to rest on

the accomplishments of his first four

years. Jindal who won re-election

with no formidable challenge from

democrats walks into his second term

with a huge mandate. "I love to boast

about the progress the people of

Louisiana have made over these past

four years but I won't and here is

why. All of that was yesterday, we

cannot stand, we must not rest on our

laurels," said Jindal.

He expressed the need for more

jobs and even more gains in public

education. When it came to overhaul-

ing education, Jindal said "I believe

we all need to check our party affilia-

tions, our ideologies and our political

agendas at the door... Reforming and

improving education should not be a

partisan issue. Getting our kids ready

to face the challenges this world has

to offer, getting them prepared to

succeed and triumph should not be a

political matter."

"Look our kids only grow up once.

Waiting for the system to reform

itself is not an option, now is the time

to act," he said.

Jindal easily coasted to a second

term Saturday, winning in a landslide

election after failing to attract any

well-known or deep-pocketed oppo-

sition. The 40-year-old Republican

overwhelmed nine competitors in the

open primary, where a candidate

wins the race outright if he or she

receives more than 50% of the vote.

With four-fifths of precincts report-

ing, Jindal had received about two-

thirds of the total vote.

His closest competitor, Tara Hollis,

a Democrat from north Louisiana,

garnered about one-fifth of the total

vote.All of the other candidates were

in single digits. He's had consistently

high approval ratings since taking

office in 2008.

Wadhwani Foundation and Virginia Foundation for CommunityCollege Education sign MoU

New Delhi: The Wadhwani Foundation

(WF) and the Virginia Foundation for

Community College Education (VFCCE)

USA signed a memorandum of understand-

ing here Jan 10. The memorandum was

signed by Dr. Ajay Kela, President and CEO

of Wadhwani Foundation and Dr. Glenn

DuBois, member, Virginia Foundation for

Community Colleges Education and

Chancellor of Virginia’s Community

Colleges. Union Minister of HRD for India,

Kapil Sibal and U.S. Senator Mark Warner,

Co-chair of the Senate India Caucus who is

visiting India with his delegation were also

present at the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion Kapil Sibal

underlined the requirement for enhanced

skilled development in the country. He said

that considering the high rate of growth India

needs massive skill upgradation to prepare

for the jobs that will be created.

The Wadhwani Foundation and Virginia

Foundation for Community College

Education partnership seeks to leverage the

combined expertise of Virginia’s Community

College system in running industry relevant

professional education sharing technical and

organizational know-how,

curriculum/courseware and teacher training

to enhance such programs in India.

As part of the memorandum, the VFCCE

and the WF will together identify high-

impact skill development programs in India

that need such support. These partnerships

could be forged with government or private

initiatives and would involve vibrant

exchange of ideas and technology transfer,

adapting U.S. expertise to position Indian

institutions to meet local needs. Virginia

Community College experts will serve as

consultants, sharing best practices. The

Wadhwani Foundation will provide local

support and co-funding for this capacity

building. “Virginia’s two-year community

colleges play a vital and unique role in our

workforce training efforts,” Senator Mark

Warner said. “This partnership agreement

will allow Virginia’s Community Colleges to

share their expertise and materials as we

work with the Wadhwani Foundation to

expand skills-based job training for India’s

young people” he added.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal takes the oath of office from LouisianaSupreme Court Chief Justice Catherine “Kitty” Kimball.

Hindus, Huntsman condemnpolitical advertisement

Washington, DC: Republic

presidential candidate Jon

Huntsman has slammed as

"stupid" a web video using

images of his adopted

daughters from India and

China to suggest that he

doesn't have American val-

ues.

"If someone wants to poke

fun at me, that's OK,"

Huntsman said. "What I

object to is bringing forward

pictures and videos of my adopted daughters

and suggesting there's something sinister

there."

He called the video, posted by a group back-

ing GOP rival Ron Paul, "stupid" and "politi-

cal campaign nonsense.”The video includes

footage of Huntsman, a former US envoy to

China, speaking Mandarin and holding his

adopted Chinese-origin daughter 12-year-old

Gracie.

There is also an image of him holding

another daughter, Asha, who was adopted

from India and is now 6. Both are sporting

bindi in the picture.

The Huntsmans have

seven children, two of

them adopted. Meanwhile,

a Hindu American group

also strongly condemned

the advertisement, as the

ad criticizes Huntsman for

raising his adopted Indian

daughter in her native

Hindu faith. "This

deplorable ad is blatantly

racist and religiously intol-

erant, and crosses all lines of acceptable polit-

ical discourse," Hindu American Foundation

managing director Suhag Shukla said in a

statement.

"Instead of vilifying Governor Huntsman,

he should be applauded for being open mind-

ed enough to raise his adopted daughter as a

Hindu," Shukla said.

"To attack a candidate's family, particularly

his young daughters, is completely unaccept-

able and should be denounced by all

Americans," said Samir Kalra, HAF director

and senior fellow for Human Rights.

Opening of single-brand retail in Indiawill promote investment: USIBC

Washington,DC: The U.S.-India Business

Council (USIBC) has welcomed the

Government of India Press Note finalizing

the 100% opening of foreign direct invest-

ment (FDI) in single-brand retail. This poli-

cy will be a win-win for Indian consumers

and companies, as well as global retailers.

India's growing population of consumers,

including 300 million individuals identified

as 'middle-class' with a purchasing parity

equivalent of $30,000/year, are seeking

access to world-class products offered by

foreign single-brand retailers, the arrival of

which will encourage a competitive environ-

ment to stimulate Indian manufacturers and

retailers.

"The opening of India's single-brand retail

sector sends a crystal clear signal that India

is open for business at a time when econom-

ic opportunity is certainly welcome amidst

global uncertainty," said Ron Somers,

President of USIBC. India's single-brand

retail market is valued at roughly $7 billion,

and is expected to reach $20-25 billion in

value over the next five years. Prominent

American brands, including Nike, Reebok,

Calvin Klein, Estée Lauder and others have

already established a presence in India under

various operating models. The lifting of FDI

restrictions in single-brand retail now pres-

ents an attractive option that will broaden

brand awareness, and incentivize many other

companies to enter the Indian market.

After an initial opening to 51% in 2006 for

single-brand retail, the Ministry of

Commerce and Industry has now fully liber-

alized investment to 100% under the

Government Approval route, allowing for-

eign investors complete ownership of their

Indian operations. Sourcing requirements

attached to the Press Note mandate that a

minimum 30% of the value of products sold

is to be sourced from Indian small industry.

"While USIBC is encouraged by this lift-

ing of FDI caps in single-brand retail, there

is still much work to be done. USIBC will

focus on helping companies navigate the

conditions required by the Press Note, par-

ticularly concerning local sourcing, recog-

nizing India's goal to spur local manufactur-

ing and create employment. USIBC will

simultaneously continue to seek an opening

for the multi-brand retail sector, as well,"

Somers said.

Republic presidential candidateJon Huntsman adopted Asha

from Gujarat, India.

8 National Community

January 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Colorado celebratedNew Year with

Panchatantra talesDenver: On New Year`s day,

children in Colorado woke up

to celebrate the new year with

an animation series made by

Denver-based Indian American

Manick Sorcar. The program,

which was aired for two hours

on the PBS channel, has been

running every year since 1992,

making it a record of sorts.

The series "Animation of

India" included four of

Sorcar`s award-winning clas-

sics -- "Deepa and Rupa: A

Fairy Tale from India", "The

Sage and the Mouse", "The

Woodcutter`s Daughter", and

"Sniff."

While "Deepa and Rupa",

which won the Gold Plaque at the 26th

Chicago International Film Festival, is based

on a popular story from Bengal`s "Thakumar

Jhooli" (Grandmother Tales), "The Sage and

the Mouse" and "The Woodcutter`s Daughter"

are from the fables of the Panchatantra.

"Sniff" is based on a popular nonsense

poems by satirist Sukumar Ray in "Aabol

Tabol." "Deepa and Rupa" is India`s first film

that mixed animation with live action. All

works are produced in

English, except for

"Sniff" (based on

"Gandhabichar"), which

is in Bengali with

English subtitles. These

animations are popular at

the elementary schools

where Sorcar is frequent-

ly invited to make a

presentation and conduct

workshops on animation

with the students.

Sorcar, an engineer-

artist-animator, is the

eldest son of celebrated

Indian magician the late

P.C. Sorcar. Referring to

the 20th anniversary of

Sorcartoons, as it is called here, Sorcar said,

"When you fall in love doing something, you

find magic in it. I can`t believe it has been that

many years - many of the kids who watched

the first telecast are probably watching with

kids of their own now and new kids are join-

ing in each year. What can be more pleasing

than watching the smiling and giggling faces

of happy children first thing in the morning of

a New Year!"

WLP accepting applications forsummer program

The Washington

Leadership Program

(WLP) is accepting

applications from high-

potential South Asian col-

lege students for the 2012

summer leadership program

scheduled to take place

from June 9, 2012 to

August 3, 2012. The WLP

cultivates the South Asian

American community's

next generation of leaders

by placing them in

Congressional offices or

Government Agencies for

eight-week summer intern-

ships and a structured lead-

ership-training curriculum.

The students gain a first-

hand view of the policy-

making and legislative

process, as well as gain

access to high-profile

South-Asian leaders in the

nation's capitol.

Applications are available

online at

http://www.thewlp.com/wl

p-2012-application.html.

The deadline for submitting

applications is January 20,

2012.

Indian-American owned PipingTechnology faces $1 mn in fines

Houston: Indian-American owned Piping

Technology and Products has been slapped

with more than $1 million in fines for alleged-

ly exposing workers to hazardous substances.

According to the US Occupational Safety

and Health Administration, the company was

being investigated for six months, wherein

they found 13 willful and 17 serious viola-

tions of worker safety regulations at the com-

pany’s Houston facility. The amount of fines

totals $1,013,000.

“Piping Technology deliberately exposed its

workers who operate band saws and other

dangerous machinery to amputation hazards

while misleading OSHA investigators about

the use of these machines,” David Michaels,

OSHA’s Assistant Secretary of Labor, said in

a written statement.

The company has 15 days to pay the fine,

request a conference with OSHA or contest

the citations before an independent review

board.Piping Technology Vice-President,

Rakesh Agrawal, declined to address specific

violations cited by OSHA but said that com-

pany leaders “disagree strongly with the con-

clusions that they reached.’’

He said the company has cooperated with

OSHA’s investigation.

“We started out in a garage in Southeast

Houston and we have grown the company to

nearly 600 employees over the last 30 years.

All the while, we’ve maintained employee

safety as our first priority. And we think the

data supports it,” Rakesh said.

OSHA launched an investigation into the

company’s operations after an employee

tipped the federal agency of alleged work-

place violations, including lack of brakes on

overhead cranes. Agency inspectors found

several cases where required protective gear

and equipment were not being used to shield

employees from machines, OSHA said.

According to the announcement, the inspec-

tion not only substantiated the complaint

items, but it found that that employees were

permitted to cut metal I-beams and pipes

without the proper machine guarding, which

exposed them to possible severe injuries.

Inspectors also found that during machine

maintenance, workers were exposed to the

unexpected release of stored energy because

of improper safeguards.

Piping Technology, a supplier of piping

products to petrochemical and oil industries,

is owned by Houston-based Indian American

and philanthropist, Durga D. Agrawal.

Manick Sorcar’s animation serieswas aired for two hours on PBS

Hotelier C K Patel named 2011“Person of the year” by Blue Mau Mau Atlanta: Hotelier and imme-

diate past chairman of the

Asian American Hotel

Owners Association

(AAHOA) Chandrakant

“C.K.” Patel has been named

2011 “Person of the Year” by

the daily franchise news site

Bluemaumau.com for his

many innovative initiatives

on behalf of hotel fran-

chisees.

During his term as chair-

man, C.K. Patel led AAHOA

to combine forces with the

Coalition of Franchisee

Associations so together the

two groups can push for bet-

ter contracts with franchisors

as well as for stronger lobby-

ing influence on behalf of

franchise owners. He

became one of the founding

drafters of a Bill of Rights for

franchisees in all industry

segments.

In announcing the “Person

of the Year” recognition, Blue

Mau Mau founder and editor

Don Sniegowski said, “Years

from now franchisees may

affectionately look back to

2011 and refer to C.K. Patel

as the franchise industry’s

George Washington.”

Also last year, Patel

launched a study by AAHOA

of return on investment (ROI)

for franchise units among

various hotel brands so

potential owners will be able

for the first time to compare

independent information with

the disclosure documents

provided by franchisors.

Two other pioneering pro-

grams begun last year at

AAHOA by Patel were an

online supply chain coopera-

tive and an online travel por-

tal – mybesthotelrate.com –

to book hotel rooms at the

20,000 properties owned

across the country by

AAHOA’s 11,000 members.

Patel, who has been a hote-

lier since 1982, is president

of Atlanta-based BVM

Holdings, which owns and

operates hotels as well as cer-

tain commercial real estate

investments in Georgia. In

January of 2011, he was

appointed by the Secretary of

Commerce to the prestigious

30-member Travel and

Tourism Advisory Board,

which advises about industry

program and policies.

He was a founder of two

community banks in Georgia

– Quantum National Bank in

1996, the first bank owned by

Indian Americans in the

southeast, and Home Town

Community Bank in 2005.

Chandrakant “CK” Patel

National Community 9

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

GOPIO honors seven with community service awardsBy Prakash Bhandari/SATimes

Jaipur: The Global Organization

of the Persons of Indian Origin

(GOPIO) during its 10th annual

conference and community service

awards honored seven eminent per-

sons of Indian origin. The function

was held here a day prior to the

Pravasi Bhartiya Divas meet.

Rajasthan governor Shivraj Patil

and the Chief Minister Ashok

Gehlot were present during the

function.

The awardees:

Faisal Kottikollon (Bahrain): As

the founder-chairman of the UAE-

based KEF Holdings, he has script-

ed a phenomenal success story that

continues to inspire many entrepre-

neurs. With many years of service

in practicing corporate social

responsibility, he also set up the

Shabana & Faizal Foundation char-

ity organization directing funds

and support for the betterment of

deprived people.

Raghunath Manet (France):

Prominent Indian classical dancer

and teacher with exemplary contri-

bution to social and humanitarian

activities that include active collab-

oration with UNESCO for promo-

tion of art and Indian culture

worldwide. He offers basic educa-

tion, training facilities, shelter,

access to art & culture, including

handicrafts, to the disabled, blind

persons and kids and disadvan-

taged persons through his own

school based in Pondicherry.

Prof. Ved Prakash Nanda (USA):

Director of the International Legal

Studies Program at the University

of Denver and an internationally

renowned jurist. He was also the

former president of the World

Jurist Association and President of

the World Association of Law

Professors.

Dr. Rami Ranger, MBE (UK): A

very successful businessman with

recognition from the Queen five

times, four times for business (Sun

Mark Ltd) and once personally for

community service. This year the

company was added to the Sunday

Times most profitable 100 compa-

nies in Britain in their "Profit Track

100". He also devotes his time to

benefit society by launching

ground breaking initiatives

designed to strengthen social cohe-

sion in Britain.

Ajeet Singhvi, MD (USA):

Immediate Past President of

American Association of

Physicians of India Origin (AAPI).

Prominent physician with faculty

appointment at Loma Linda

University Medical Center, a

Fellow of the American College of

Gastroenterology and the

American Gastroenterological

Association. He is presently serv-

ing on the Board of Riverside

County Medical Association.

Datuk A. Vaithilingam

(Malaysia): A dedicated national

leader of NGOs for social service

and community development in

Malaysia; recognized as a

spokesperson for the advancement

of inter-faith advocacy and its role

in fostering harmony within the

multi-religious communities of

Malaysia. He has helmed various

leadership roles of Malaysia Hindu

Sangam that is Malaysia's national

representative organization of the

1.8 million Hindus in the country.

Hendry H Wickramasinghe (Sri

Lanka): Secretary/Consultant at

Office of M.P. Praba Ganesan. He

has participated in the peace

process activities in Sri Lanka at

the grass root level, representing

Indian origin Tamils. Actively

campaigns for the civil rights of

Indian origin Tamils in Sri Lanka

who were disenfranchised in 1948.

Gopio also honored bureaucrat

K.Mohan Das of India for his serv-

ices to the Indian diaspora.

Indian food is nowofficially vegan

in the US

Soumitra Dutta to headCornell's Business School

Houston: A frozen Indian cui-

sine producer has been award-

ed the vegetarian and vegan

food certification by the US’

pres t ig ious American

Vegetarian Association. The

award represents an acknowl-

edgment of the growing

demand for Indian food, espe-

cially vegetarian Indian food.

The growth of the Indian

vegetarian food industry in

the US and other countries

represents a booming market,

that is likely to grow further

as being vegetarian is now

seen as a healthier, alternative

food choice.

“As consumers become

more and more health con-

scious, it’s our responsibility

to offer a diverse range of

restaurant quality Indian cui-

sine that is 100 per cent safe

for vegetarians and vegans,

and for those with allergies,”

sa id Mike Ryan, VP

Marketing, Deep Foods.

“For that reason, Deep

Foods is proud to manufacture

products that are AVA vegetar-

ian and vegan certified.”

The AVA-certified logo will

be clearly displayed on a total

of 35 Deep Foods products,

denoting either vegetarian or

vegan certification.

The product line of the com-

pany offers 19 vegetarian and

16 vegan options, that tanta-

lizes the taste buds of Indian

food lovers by using authentic

recipes, that include snacks,

frozen food, ice creams.

Deep Foods is a second-gen-

era t ion family owned and

operated company. Since

1977, the company has been

producing restaurant quality,

all natural frozen Indian food.

The AVA aims to provide a

widely recognized certifica-

tion program that will enable

vegetarian-minded people to

make accurate food choices,

being certain they can be con-

fident in their selection and

that of the manufacturer ’s

claims.

Satyendra Huja tapped forCharlottesville mayor

Virginia: Satyendra S. Huja has

been chosen as the next mayor of

Charlottesville after the City

Council voted unanimously Jan 3

to elect the longtime city planner

as the ceremonial head of local

government.

Huja, known as being one of the

architects of the Downtown Mall,

was nominated by fellow

Councilor Kristin Szakos, who in

turn was elected to be the next

vice mayor, also by a unanimous

vote.

A Sikh who came to America

from India at the age of 19 to

attend college, Huja thanked his

wife, his council colleagues and

the city voters for giving him theopportunity to serve as mayor.

“It says a great deal about our

community that someone like me

can become mayor,” Huja said.

“Our community appreciates …

diversity.”

“As the mayor, I will work with

City Council for a future agenda

for the community,” Huja contin-

ued. “I will listen to the desires

and concerns of the citizens, resi-

dents and businesses. I’m accessi-

ble 24/7 to hear your concerns and

ideas. As mayor, I will work my

very best to protect the interests of

our community. I will work to

enhance the quality of life and the

environment, so that

Charlottesville can be a great city,

a great community for all of its

residents.”

Bangalore: Soumitra Dutta, a 48 year

old Indian American, will take the posi-

tion of Dean of Cornell University’s

Management School on July 1, 2012. He

is the first Indian origin person to be in

charge of a top American Business

school.

Soumitra Dutta is a Professor of busi-

ness and technology, who is also the

founder and faculty director of a new-

media and technology innovation lab at

INSEAD’S French Campus. The search

for a new dean for the business school

began from August last year and

Soumitra Dutta turned out to be one among the two

finalists in the end.

"Professor Dutta's appointment is a natural fit with

Johnson's increasingly global outlook," said David

Skorton, President of Cornell University.

Soumitra was born to an Indian Air

Force doctor in Chandigarh. He is an

alumnus of IIT-Delhi campus where he

completed his BTech in electrical engi-

neering and computer science securing

second rank. Even though Soumitra has

been outside his native land for more than

22 years, he does not have a Western

accent nor does he have the famous

European indifference. "I strongly hold on

to two things that I brought with me from

India: respecting diversity and the impor-

tance of family values," he says.

Professor Dutta is also involved in policy develop-

ment activities, both at national and European levels.

Apart from being an academician and businessman, he

is also the author of many books.

Satyendra Huja

Indian AmericanSoumitra Dutta

The awardees with GOPIO members

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10 US Affairs

January 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Washington: After winning New

Hampshire with ease, Republican

presidential candidate Mitt Romney

said Wednesday he has "an uphill

climb" to win South Carolina pri-

mary, but is ready to defend himself

from the "underbelly" of politics in

a state known for bare-knuckled

tactics.

Boarding a plane Columbia, S.C.,

to campaign for the Jan. 21 primary,

Romney said he's prepared for the

direct and indirect attacks that are

sure to come from Newt Gingrich

and other rivals for the GOP nomi-

nation.

"Politics ain't bean bags and I

know it's going to get tough and no

one's going to be happy if things are

said that are untrue. But I know that

is sometimes part of the underbelly

of politics," the former

Massachusetts governor said when

asked if he was prepared for a whis-

per campaign about his Mormon

religion or other aspects of his

background.

Romney said he was surprised that

Gingrich was so aggressively

attacking his past tenure at the pri-

vate equity firm Bain Capital.

Gingrich, soundly defeated in the

first two Republican contests, has

gone after the front-running

Romney as a former venture capital-

ist who earned millions through

buyouts of companies that ultimate-

ly cost people their jobs.

"We understood for a long time

that the Obama people would come

after free enterprise. (I'm) a little

surprised to see Newt Gingrich as

the first witness for the prosecution

but I don't think that's going to hurt

my efforts," Romney said.

Romney also previewed a new

line of attack against President

Obama, and said Obama has been "a

venture capitalist at Solyndra,"

referring to a California energy

company that declared bankruptcy

and laid off 1,100 workers despite a

$528 million loan from the Obama

administration. He also said Obama

was a "private equity guy at General

Motors and Chrysler," referring to

Obama's intervention to save the

companies from collapse.

"So I'll be talking about his record

when I'm facing him," Romney said.

The GOP front-runner, Romney

said he faces "more of an uphill bat-

tle" in South Carolina, where he is

less well known than in New

Hampshire, which handed him a

victory in its primary Tuesday night.

Romney concedes 'uphill climb' in South Carolina

Easier green card forillegal immigrant

spouses and children Washington: Obama administra-

tion officials announced last Friday

they are proposing a fix to a Catch-

22 in immigration law that could

spare hundreds of thousands of

American citizens from prolonged

separations from illegal immigrant

spouses and children.

Although the regulatory tweak

appears small, lawyers said it

would mean that many Americans

will no longer be separated for

months or years from family mem-

bers pursuing legal residency. Even

more citizens could be encouraged

to come forward to bring illegal

immigrant relatives into the sys-

tem, they said.

The move was greeted with

unusually broad praise from immi-

gration lawyers and immigrant and

Latino groups, which have been

critical of the high rate of deporta-

tions under President Obama.

Angelica Salas, executive director

of the Coalition for Humane

Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles,

called it a “welcome rational solu-

tion to a simple problem” that will

mean “thousands upon thousands

of families will remain together.”

The fix is one of a number of

recent measures by the administra-

tion that do not require the

approval of Congress, designed to

ease the effects on immigrant com-

munities of contradictory or out-

moded statutes. White House offi-

cials have been seeking ways to

shore up sagging support for the

president, particularly among

Latinos.In essence, officials at

Citizenship and Immigration

Services (CIS) are proposing to

change the procedures by which

illegal immigrants with American

family members apply for green

card, allowing a crucial early step

to take place in the United States

rather than in the immigrant’s

home country. The new step was

only the beginning of a long

process the CIS hopes to complete

by issuing a new rule before the

end of this year. The new rule

would make no change in the situa-

tion of illegal immigrants who do

not have immediate American fam-

ily members. White House officials

acknowledge that there will be no

progress before the November

elections on legislation the presi-

dent supports to give legal status to

millions of illegal immigrants.

Michelle rejects ‘angry blackwoman’ portrayal

Washington: Michelle Obama said depictions of

friction in a new book, "The Obamas," between her

and former top aides to her husband, President

Obama, aren't true.

In a wide-ranging interview with "CBS This

Morning" co-host Gayle King, the first lady also

said that some have tried to portray her as an "angry

black woman" since Barack Obama first

announced he was seeking the presidency.

" ... I guess it's more interesting to imagine this

conflicted situation here and a strong woman and--

you know? But that's been an image that people

have tried to paint of me since the day Barack

announced, that I'm some angry black woman."

"The Obamas," written by New York Times

reporter Jodi Kantor, reports that there was tension

with former White House Chief of Staff Rahm

Emanuel and with former presidential Press

Secretary Robert Gibbs.

But Mrs. Obama told King that simply wasn't so.

"Rahm is -- and Amy, his wife, are some of our

dearest friends," Michelle says. "Rahm and I have

never had a cross word. He's a funny guy."

The book also reports that Gibbs cursed Mrs.

Obama during a meeting dealing with the fallout

from a book written by her French counterpart,

Carla Bruni Sarkozy, which claimed that Mrs.

Obama said living in the White House "was hell."

Mrs. Obama says she hadn't heard that at the time,

and that Gibbs "is a trusted advisor. He's been a

good friend and remains so."

She added that she hasn't read Kantor's book.

"...who can write about how I feel? Who? What

third person can tell me how I feel, or anybody for

that matter," she told King.

The first lady admits she's one of her husband's

"biggest confidantes, but he has dozens of really

smart people who surround him. ... That's not to say

that we don't have discussions and conversations.

That's not to say that my husband doesn't know how

I feel."

"You know, I just try to be me. And my hope is

that over time people get to know me. And they get

to judge me for me."

As for living in the White House, Mrs. Obama

told King, "It has been a privilege, from day one.

Now, there are challenges with being a mother and

trying to keep your kids sane. And I worry a lot

about that. I mean, if there's any anxiety that I feel,

it's because I want to make sure that my girls come

out of this on the other end whole. But me, Barack,

we're grown-ups. You know, all the ups and downs,

we take it on."

Appeals court blocksOklahoma's ban on Sharia Law

Denver: An amendment that would

ban Oklahoma courts from consider-

ing Sharia law is discriminatory and

unnecessary, a federal court ruled

Tuesday in a decision that allows a

Muslim community leader to push

forward with his attempt to challenge

the ban's constitutionality.

The Associated Press reports that

the ruling from the Denver-based 10th

Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a

previous federal ruling that blocked

implementation of the so-called Save

Our State Amendment shortly after it

was approved by a whopping 70 per-

cent of Oklahoma voters in November

2010. The amendment seeks to pre-

vent courts from looking "to the legal

precepts of other nations or cultures"

and specifically singles out Sharia

law. Sharia law is a term for the laws

of Islam as laid out by the Quran and

by Muhammed's example. In some

Muslim countries, Islamist groups

have imposed strict versions of it as

the primary governing code. A small

group of Americans -- but apparently

quite a few Oklahomans -- believe

that the U.S. is also at risk for such a

scenario.

One-third of middle class sufferdownward mobility

New York: Nearly one third of

Americans who were raised in the

middle class dropped down the eco-

nomic ladder as adults -- and that's

before the Great Recession hit.

"Being raised in the middle class

is not a guarantee that you'll have

that same status as an adult," said

Erin Currier, project manager at

Pew's Economic Mobility Project.

"With all the economic turmoil in

the past four years, there's good rea-

son to think that downward mobility

is more severe."

Pew looked at children born in the

early- to mid-1960s and assessed

their economic status roughly 40

years later. Being middle class in the

parents' generation meant a house-

hold income of roughly $33,000 to

$64,000 in 1979. But their children

had to earn between $54,000 and

$111,000 to maintain their relative

standing in society in the mid-2000s

(adjusted for inflation.)

The middle class is defined as

those between the 30th and 70th

income percentile.

Marital status and educational

attainment had a great bearing on

whether people were able to remain

in the middle class, Pew found.

Race and gender were also factors.

Those who are divorced, widowed

or separated are more likely to fall

out of the middle class, particularly

if they are women. And Americans

who don't attend college are also

more likely to slip.

The First Lady gave an interview to Gayle King for CBS

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney with his wife and sons, who are aiding his poll campaign.

India Newswire 11

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

India denies hacking into US emailsNew Delhi/Washington: India has

dismissed claims that its military

intelligence had snooped into emails

of an American commission that

monitors economic and security mat-

ters with China with the help of

mobile service providers.The issue

surfaced after an alleged memo from

the Director General of Military

Intelligence, Foreign Division

appeared in the cyber world, accord-

ing to which Indian officials discuss

plans to target the US-China com-

mission. The documents shown in

the memo doing rounds on the inter-

net are forged and don't belong to us,

Army sources said here. However,

the US has already ordered an inves-

tigation into these claims.

"We are aware of these reports and

have contacted relevant authorities to

investigate the matter," said US-

China Economic and Security

Review Commission spokesman

Jonathan Weston.

"We are unable to make further

comments at this time," said Weston,

who was responding to questions

about the alleged memo.

The memo stated that the Indian

military used "backdoors" provided

by RIM (Research in Motion),

Nokia, Apple and unspecified other

mobile service providers.

Govt seeks report onJarawa tribes video

New Delhi: The Union government

has asked the Andaman and Nicobar

authorities to file a report on the inci-

dent of Jarawa women dancing for

food. A video of Jarawa women— a

tribal group inhabiting the islands—

allegedly dancing for food was

released by The Observer, a London-

based newspaper, along with a report.

The video enraged both rights

activists and the authorities.

Even though the authorities say the

video, which is doing rounds on net-

working sites like Facebook, is four-

five years old, the home ministry

sought a detailed report to verify the

authenticity of the video and the inci-

dent involving contact of the tribe

with outsiders.The Andaman police

were quick to state that the person

alleged to have asked tribals to dance

for the tourists is not a policeman as

has been “widely and erroneously

reported.”“We are ascertaining the

year when the video was shot.” The

statement also said the police had

asked The Observer, which claimed

that a policeman had taken bribe to

make the tribals, especially women,

dance naked, to apologize to police.

Home minister P Chidambaram,

who is touring the islands on January

21, will take up the issue.

“We asked for a report from the UT

and I will also visit the islands. The

government will continue its efforts to

preserve the identity of tribals,” union

tribal affairs minister Kishore Chandra

Deo said. The tourism ministry said it

was planning a policy to prevent such

incidents. “I have sought a report and

will take action against the tour opera-

tors concerned,” tourism minister

Subodh Kant Sahay said. Jarawa is

one of the most primitive tribal groups

in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

and close contact with the hunter-

gatherers is prohibited.

The issue surfaced after an allegedmemo from the Director General of

Military Intelligence, ForeignDivision appeared in the cyber

world.

Suspended Indian diplomat granted bailNew Delhi: Suspended Indian diplomat Madhuri Gupta

arrested over 21 months ago allegedly for passing country's

sensitive information to Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI,

was granted bail by a Delhi court.While enlarging Gupta

on bail, Additional Sessions Judge Pawan Kumar Jain,

however, restrained her from leaving Delhi without prior

permission of the court. The judge, who had on January 7,

charged her with offences entailing three years jail term on

conviction, released her on bail on a personal bond of Rs

25,000 and surety of same amount. The court granted bail

on her plea that she has already spent over 21 months in

jail while the offences she has been charged with carries a

maximum jail term of three years on being held guilty.

Gupta, 55, was arrested on April 22, 2010 by the Special

Cell of Delhi Police. She was posted as Second Secretary

(Press and Information) in the Indian High Commission in

Islamabad.

Madhuri Gupta was arrested in 2010 for passing coun-try's sensitive information to Pakistan's intelligence

agency ISI.

A video of Jarawa women a tribal group inhabiting the

islands allegedly dancing for foodwas released by The Observer, a

London-based newspaper.

12 India Newswire

January 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Assembly polls: EC puts minorities quota on holdNew Delhi: Amid fierce resist-

ance by the BJP to religion-based

reservations, the Election

Commission asked the govern-

ment to put on hold the imple-

mentation of the 4.5 percent sub-

quota for minorities in the five

poll-bound states till the elections

are complete.

Last month, just before elec-

tions were announced for five

states including Uttar Pradesh, the

Congress-led United Progressive

Alliance (UPA) government

decided to provide 4.5 percent

reservation to minorities in central

government jobs and educational

institutions within the 27 percent

quota for Other Backward Classes

(OBCs).

Taking note of the opposition,

the poll panel ruled Wednesday

that the decision was taken and

announced on Dec 22, much

before the coming into force of

the model code of conduct on

Dec 24.

It, however, directed the min-

istry of personnel, public griev-

ances and pensions that the office

memorandum (on the minorities

quota) issued by them shall not be

given effect to in the five poll-

bound states -- Uttar Pradesh,

Goa, Manipur, Punjab and

Uttarakhand -- until the comple-

tion of the election process in

these states.

Law Minister Salman Khurshid

promised that the party will pro-

vide nine percent reservation to

backward Muslims within the

OBC quota if the Congress was

voted to power in Uttar Pradesh.

The move has elicited vehement

opposition from the BJP, with

party leader Uma Bharti accusing

the Congress of a "bigoted men-

tality" for talking of "religion-

based reservation" ahead of the

Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

The BJP had even complained to

the EC Tuesday, which issued

notice to Khurshid.

Uma Bharti, a former Madhya

Pradesh chief minister, said that

the Muslim community should

also oppose the proposal as it was

"against the basic tenets of

Islam".

"Islam does not accept discrimi-

nation. Caste inequality has been

a part of Hindu society," Uma

Bharti said.

"It reflects the bigoted mentality

of Congress. Muslims should also

condemn the Congress... We will

not tolerate it. We will fight on the

streets, in parliament," Bharti said

and added that the party will not

allow a "second partition of the

country".

BJP leader Uma Bharti said that the Muslim community should alsooppose the proposal as it was "against the basic tenets of Islam".

Congress condemns BJP's criticismSamajwadi Party plansa Muslim-quota ace New Delhi: The Congress Party

condemned Bharatiya Janata

Party (BJP) leader Uma Bharati's

criticism of its promise of nine

percent reservation for the back-

ward sections of Muslims and

other minorities in Uttar Pradesh,

if voted to power.

"It is ironical that the BJP,

which is culpable of injecting

communal element in the body

politic, is accusing the Congress

of psychological division of the

society," Congress spokesperson

Manish Tewari said at a press

briefing here.

"All know the character and

conduct of the BJP. Even their

phraseology is condemnable," he

added.

Lucknow: The Muslim quota pol-

itics seems to be the flavor of UP

poll season. Even as the Election

Commission directed the Centre

to put on hold the 4.5% sub-quota

to minorities it announced recent-

ly, the Samajwadi Party think tank

is busy finalizing the party mani-

festo that might push the

Congress to the wall on the issue

of reservation to Muslims.

"It would be something no one

would have imagined," said a sen-

ior SP leader who is also a mem-

ber of the party's manifesto draft-

ing committee.

The committee includes

Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ram

Gopal Yadav, Mohan Singh,

Azam Khan and Akhilesh Yadav.

Reports suggest the committee

has given its nod to the proposal

of offering reservation to Muslims

higher than whatever given in any

state of the country.

Though Mohan Singh was the

only senior member of the com-

mittee who did not attend the

meeting, party leaders said he was

unwell. "He had instead sent a

detailed representation compris-

ing his views on various topics on

the agenda," a senior leader said.

Some party leaders, however, said

Singh is annoyed after being

removed as party's national

spokesperson.

Apart from Muslim reservation,

the SP election manifesto is likely

to promise sops like free irriga-

tion, water and cheaper power

supply to farmers, additional

unemployment allowance to job-

less, free medical treatment for all

including advance level surgeries

and free education.

New Delhi: Slapped a notice by the

Election Commission of India (ECI)

to explain his remark that if elected

to power Congress would provide

nine percent reservation for

Muslims in jobs in Uttar Pradesh,

Union Law Minister Salman

Khurshid said he was only uttering

what was in the manifesto.

He said while opposition leaders

like Mulayam Singh demanded 18

percent and even 28 percent he only

said what they had come up after

survey when he was at helm in UP

and had followed at the centre.

"I will explain my position to the

Election Commission," he said,

adding that a notice is not an order

to shoot someone.

said even with model code of con-

duct a party has the right to speak

about its policies.

Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elec-

tions, political parties are in a race

to outdo each other over wooing the

minority and Congress courted a

fresh controversy when Salman

Khurshid promised nine percent

sub-quota for the backward

Muslims in the state jobs, inviting

an explanation from the Election

Commission of India (ECI).

The ECI, which was moved by

parties like the BJP over the issue,

has issued a notice of Khurshid and

his wife over the remark.

The statement was made in the

constituency of Salman's wife Louis

Khurshid in Farrukhabad.

Before the announcement of poll

dates in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress

had played its Muslim card as the

union cabinet announced a 4.5 per

cent sub-quota for the minorities

under the 27 per cent quota reserva-

tion for Other Backward Classes

(OBCs). With Muslims forming a

major chunk of the vote bank (18.5

percent) in Uttar Pradesh, the politi-

cal parties are in a battle to woo the

community with promises and sops.

The Congress led by Rahul

Gandhi and the Bahujan Samaj

Party (BSP) led by present UP chief

minister Mayawati are engaged in a

fullscale war over Uttar Pradesh, a

state the Gandhi scion is desperately

trying to get back to the Congress

fold.

UP is going to a seven phase elec-

tion in Feb-March this year.

Congress courted a fresh controversy when Union Law MinisterSalman Khurshid promised nine percent sub-quota for the backward

Muslims in the state jobs.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari.

The party, led by Mulayam Singh Yadav, is busy finalizing the partymanifesto that might push the Congress to the wall on the issue of

reservation to Muslims.

Salman defends self onMuslim quota row

NRIs get right to vote in Indian elections

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 13

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

By Prakash Bhandari

Jaipur: Fulfilling a long-standing demand

of its diaspora, India said it would allow

NRIs to vote and participate in the election

process.

"Pursuant to the law that was enacted to

enable Non-resident Indians to vote in our

national elections, the government has issued

notifications for registration of overseas

electors under the Representation of People

Act, 1950," Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh said.

"This constitutes the first major step to

enable Indian residents abroad to participate

in our election process," the prime minister

said while addressing the annual Pravasi

Bharatiya Divas diaspora meet here.

He said the diaspora plays an important

role in the growth and development of the

country. The government recognizes it, and

was committed to address their concerns and

fulfil their demands.

"The government and people of India rec-

ognize and value the important role being

played by Indian communities living abroad.

We believe that Indian diaspora has much

more to contribute to the building of modern

India," the prime minister said.

"We propose to facilitate, encourage and

promote this engagement. Over the past year,

we have taken a number of steps towards

this end," he added, as he formally inaugu-

rated the 10th annual diaspora meet, the

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) here.

Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar

Ravi said NRIs would be able to exercise

their franchise in upcoming elections.

"Indian nationals living abroad can now

exercise their franchise in India at the time o

f the elections," Ravi said.

Now those NRIs who have registered with

the embassies of their respective countries of

stay, would be eligible to vote in the upcom-

ing assembly elections in five states includ-

ing Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa

and Manipur. Polls will take place in these

countries between Jan 28 and March 3.

Ravi said objective of the government was

to further increase engagements with diaspo-

ra. "Our objective is to raise the level of

engagement to go beyond mere investment

related issues and address a broader agenda."

"We believe that this will provide the vast

majority of you the opportunity to benefit

from as well as contribute - each in your own

way - to India's development story," the min-

ister said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launching a book at PBD-2012 in Jaipur.

CMs urge diaspora to step upinvestment

Jaipur: Chief ministers of sever-

al states urged overseas Indians

to step up investment, assuring a

business-friendly environment.

Showcasing the development

initiatives launched by their

respective governments, they

assured the Non-Resident

Indians and Persons of Indian

Origin at the 10th Pravasi

Bharatiya Divas here that their

states would facilitate investment

providing all possible support.

"We welcome with open hearts

whatever support or contribution

you may wish to extend. Your

support will be a great morale

booster for us," said Ashok

Gehlot, chief minister of

Rajasthan, which is co-hosting

the meet.

Gehlot said his government

was taking proactive measures to

attract investments from over-

seas Indians.

He said the proposed Delhi-

Mumbai Industrial Corridor

would boost manufacturing

activities in Rajasthan as the

maximum 39 percent of the dedi-

cated corridor would pass

through the state. "Infrastructure

will be developed in a band of

150 km on both sides of the cor-

ridor," he added.

Gujarat Chief Minister

Narendra Modi said his state was

a model of development and

overseas Indians should play a

role and benefit from it.

Modi, however, said he was

concerned about the well-being

of overseas Indians. "The first

thing that we in Gujarat think is

what we can do for the diaspora

instead of expecting something

from them."

Kerala Chief Minister

Oommen Chandy said the dias-

pora played an important role in

the development of the state.

He said remittances by non-

resident Indians to Kerala were

to the tune of Rs.49,965 crore

(around $10 billion), which is

almost 22 percent of the state's

gross domestic product (GDP).

According to a World Bank

report, the total remittance flow

to India was around $58 billion

in 2011, which was around 4.2

percent of the country's GDP.

Chandy said Kerala planned to

organise a global investor meet

called "Emerging Kerala" in

September this year to woo

investments from the diaspora.

Urging overseas Indians to

come and invest in the state,

Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun

Munda said: "I assure you that

the government will extend all

necessary help in making

Jharkhand the first choice for

your valued investment."

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot addressing the session on ‘Global Indian: State Initiatives andOpportunities’ at PBD-2012.

India pushing Gulfnations for liberal

labor lawsJaipur: India will enter into

bilateral agreements with the

Gulf countries to curb exploita-

tion of Indian labor in the

region and ensure a decent

working environment for its

diaspora, Minister of Overseas

Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi

said.

Addressing the inaugural ses-

sion of the annual diaspora

meet here, Ravi said India has

already signed bilateral agree-

ments with some of the Gulf

Cooperation Council (GCC)

countries to ensure a decent

work environment for its dias-

pora, especially women work-

ers.

The minister said majority of

Indian workers in the Gulf

region were on temporary con-

tractual visas employed in

informal sectors.

"They often do not have the

protection of labour laws in the

host countries. A significant

number of them are women.

This makes them especially

vulnerable to economic down-

turns and sometimes exploita-

tion," Ravi said.

Ravi said the appalling condi-

tions of work and the absence

of social security protection for

women domestic workers in the

Gulf region needed strong gov-

ernmental interventions.

"Even the International

Labour Organisation has

recently drawn attention to the

urgency in this regard," he said.

The minister said an estimat-

ed five million Indians were

employed on contractual tem-

porary visas abroad mostly in

Gulf countries and Malaysia.

"There is a net annual outflow

of over half a million workers

from India, excluding

returnees," he said.

Ravi complimented the con-

tribution of these workers in the

development of Indian econo-

my. "These workers make a sig-

nificant contribution to India

and account for close to 40 per-

cent of the total remittances that

India receives each year," he

said.

According to a World Bank

report, India is estimated to

receive around $60 billion

remittance in 2011. "Over the

years the PBD has gained in

stature and is now globally rec-

ognized as a pre-eminent plat-

form for overseas Indians to

engage with India and its lead-

ership," Ravi said.

On the occasion, Ravi

announced that Indian govern-

ment has created a special fund

called "Indian Community

Welfare Fund" that will be used

to provide "on-site" welfare

services to overseas Indians in

distress.

The new fund is placed at the

command of the heads of the

Indian missions across the

world. The fund provides for

food, shelter, legal assistance

and other welfare support to

overseas Indians on a "means

tested" basis.

14 awarded Pravasi Bharatiya Samman

14 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

January 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Jaipur: President Pratibha Patil Monday

conferred the 'Pravasi Bharatiya Samman'

awards to 14 eminent overseas Indians,

including Trinidad and Tobago Prime

Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, and a

Canada-based institution, for their out-

standing contributions in enhancing India's

image globally.

The other Pravasi Bharatiya Samman

awardees include: P V Radhakrishna Pillai

(Bahrain) for his outstanding contribution

to the Indian community, Prof

Sachchidanand Sahai (Cambodia) for his

scholarly work, Indo – Canada Chamber

of Commerce (Canada) for its role in fos-

tering relation between India and Canada,

Deepak Naraindas Shivdasani (Cote

D’Ivoire) for his services to the Indian

community and promoting India in Africa,

Dr Victor Shahed Smetacek (Germany) for

his outstanding contributions in the field

of science, Sri Prakash Lohia (Indonesia)

for enhancing the Indian community’s

prestige abroad, Jose Parayanken

(Mozambique) for furthering the Indian

community’s interests abroad through his

activities, Kiran Navinchandra Aher

(Oman) for his outstanding contribution to

the Indian community abroad, Hassan

Abdulkarim Chougule (Qatar) for his con-

tributions towards the welfare of the

Indian community abroad, Dr Khorshed

Noshir Ginwala-Rustomjee (South Africa)

for her outstanding contributions to the

local community and public service,

Rajesh Kumar Saraiya (Ukraine) for his

contributions in the field of business and

for outstanding community service, Prof

Surendra Kumar Kaushik (USA) for his

contributions in the field of economics and

for enhancing the Indian community’s

stature abroad, and Dr Kalpalatha

Kummamuri Guntupalli (USA) for her

contributions in the field of medicine and

for outstanding public service.

Also awarded was S R Nathan, Former

President, Singapore, for his outstanding

contributions in the field of public service,

in absentia.

Kamla Persad Bissessar

Jose Parayanken

P.V. Radhakrishna Pillai Sachchidanand Sahai Satish ThakkarDeepak Naraindas

Shivdasani Victor Shahed Smetacek Sri Prakash Lohia

Kiran NavinchandraAsher

Hassan AbdulkarimChougule

Khorshed NoshirGinwala-Rustomjee Rajesh Kumar Saraiya Surendra Kumar

KaushikKalpalatha Kummamuri

Guntupalli

‘Jewels of Rajasthan’ – a proud chronicle of NRRsJaipur: Maneesh Media Agency

released its 24th publication titled

‘Jewels of Rajasthan’ in an extraordi-

nary event held at Hotel Clarks

Amer, Jaipur on January 8, 2012 on

the sidelines of the Pravasi Bharatiya

Divas.

The publication covers 64 profiles

of Non-Residential Rajasthanis

(NRRs) especially from United

States of America, United Kingdom,

Middle-East and other states of India.

The event received more than 40

attendants out of its 64 profiles who

were felicitated with the ‘Jewels of

Rajasthan’ award.

This 10th PBD gave a platform to

Maneesh Media Agency whose CEO

Chand Mal Kumawat has a lateral

vision to host an evening for Non-

Residential Rajasthanis. The publica-

tion was also titled the same as it has

life stories of such successful people.

Managing Director, Manish

Kumawat revealed that “Jewels of

Rajasthan’ not only focus on entre-

preneurs or business tycoon but also

those who have dedicated their life

for human welfare, social cause and

other distinguished fields.” When

asked about what was the criterion to

declare people as the Jewels? Manish

replied that any Rajasthani who has

made a positive impact on the society

through their act of working even

when living outside their domain was

featured in the coffee table book. The

evening had Chandu K. Patel,

Chairman for National Federation of

Indian-American Associations

(NFIA) as the special guest. He had a

special message for the evening as he

announced the opening of Rajasthan

Chapter of NFIA. Moreover, Mrs.

Mamta Sharma, Chairperson for

National Women Commission, India

also graced the event by being a dis-

tinctive guest for the evening. These

two shared the dais with O.P. Modi

(Chairman and MD , Okay Plus

Group, India), Haridas Kotahwala

(President – RANA), Kuldeep

Mathur (CEO and Board of Member,

Blueline Shipping, Dubai), Suresh

Gandhi (MD, Al Samier Electricals

and Equipment Trading Co. Ltd,

Dubai) and Dr. Ramesh Sharda

(Professor – Oklahoma State

University, USA). Dr. Renu Khator

(Chancellor – University of Houston

System and President – University of

Houston, Texas) was the early atten-

dant. Although Narpat Bhandari of

Bhandari Foundation, USA had the

plan to come to Jaipur he did not

make it because of unavoidable cir-

cumstances, his message was read

out by Sarika Saggar, chief editor,

Maneesh Media Agency. The publi-

cation was co-sponsored by Okay

Plus Group, Jaipur; Media partner

was ETV Rajasthan; while other

associates were Sanskriti Yuva

Sanstha, Meri Car and Wow Retail

Pvt. Ltd.

The coffee table book features 64 Non-Resident Rajasthanis.Chandu Patel (left) Chair of NFIA, was special guest at the event.

Guests such as Dev Ratnam and his wife Runi (middle) were given atraditional welcome.

Maneesh Media Agency CEOChand Mal Kumawat

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 15

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

India seeks diaspora investment inenergy, health care

Jaipur: India has asked its 30 million

strong diaspora spread across over 130

countries to contribute in the development

of health care, energy and infrastructure

sector.

Overseas Indian Affairs Minister

Vayalar Ravi said the event would provide

an opportunity to the overseas Indians to

understand about their motherland and

explore business opportunities here.

He said the event also provides an

opportunity to the Indian government to

understand issues and problems affecting

the workers employed abroad.

On the occasion, India launched a spe-

cial pension and life insurance scheme

that would benefit over 5 million

unskilled and semi-skilled workers

employed overseas mostly in Gulf coun-

tries on temporary contract visas.

The government has created a special

fund called Pension and Life Insurance

Fund which will be used to partly con-

tribute to pension and insurance cover to

the low-paid workers.

Ravi also urged overseas Indians to play

a role in development of infrastructure

and energy security in the country.

India targets to invest over $1 trillion in

infrastructure development in the next

five years. To fund the major infrastruc-

ture projects, the government is trying to

woo foreign investors and overseas

Indians.

"Come back and give something that is

important for the development of your

motherland," said New and Renewable

Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah.

He asked the Indian diaspora to invest in

development of solar and non-convention-

al source of energy, saying it would offer

lucrative returns in the coming years.

"You should look at generating capacity

and investment in research and develop-

ment. It has the potential of high profits,"

Abdullah said.

Addressing a conference on the first day

of the three-day event, Health and Family

Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad

urged the NRIs to help develop health

care infrastructure in the country.

He said the government targets to

increase spending on health care to 2.5

percent of the country's gross domestic

product (GDP) during the 12th Five Year

Plan, that starts April 1, 2012, from the

present level of around one percent.

"Indian diaspora of over 30 million peo-

ple has acquired an enviable reputation for

innovative start-ups, successful business-

es, ground breaking research leading to

Noble prizes and countless distinguished

contributions in diverse fields such as

education, energy, environment, research,

literature, business and industry," Azad

said.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot

said the event was intended to enhance

interaction with the diaspora, rather than

seek investment.

Some of the diaspora, especially those

in Europe and north America showed

eagerness to move back to India because

of economic turbulence in those countries.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Union Minister for Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah and Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi,

during a seminar on solar energy.

Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi addressing a Seminar at PBD-2012.

Azad seeks diaspora's participationin health sector

By Prakash Bhandari

Jaipur: Seeking active participation of the diaspo-

ra in health sector, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi

Azad said the government will walk the "extra

mile" to liberalise policies to facilitate their "mean-

ingful" participation in areas of medical research

and skill building.

He also said that the Government is piloting nec-

essary changes required in the relevant legislations

to facilitate overseas Indians with foreign medical

qualification to practice and teach in India.

Addressing overseas Indian and Indian-origin

delegates from 24 countries on the first day of

Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, Azad listed the number of

initiatives and schemes launched by the

Government like the flagship National Rural

Health Mission to improve the public health sys-

tem in the country.

The Minister said India wants to forge one of the

"most effective partnerships" in a slew of areas like

medical research, academic collaboration, tele-

medicine and skill building.

"The Government has now taken the initiative to

facilitate overseas citizens of India to both practice

and teach in India. The Health Ministry is piloting

the necessary changes required in the relevant

acts," he told the gathering.

He said the government was prepared to go an

"extra mile to adequately liberalise policies and set

up a single window within the Ministry of Health

and Family Welfare to ease the process of your

meaningful participation."

Azad also noted that the government is now

recognising post-graduate degrees of five English

speaking countries like the UK, US, Canada,

Australia and New Zealand for teaching as visiting

faculty in the country.

He also said there are 300,000 doctors of Indian-

origin working abroad out of which 40,000 work in

the National Health System of the UK alone, form-

ing the core of its service delivery.

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azadaddressing the seminar on health care.

'India requires gender-based teaching'

Jaipur: Overseas Indians

attending the Pravasi Bharati

Diwas (PBD) here Jan 7-9 feel

that to become a developed

country, India requires to fill the

gaps mainly in the education

sector.

"India requires gender-based

teaching and it will help to uti-

lize 50 percent of human

resources meaningfully. This

would also help in women

empowerment," Anita Singh, an

academician at the University of

Toronto, said.

Singh, who belongs to

Bhilawat village near Ajmer dis-

trict of Rajasthan, said that

mathematics can be understood

differently by girls and boys and

so teaching should focus on gen-

der too.

She said that in India, the

majority of girls do not have

access to quality education,

which undermines the overall

efficiency of human resources as

almost 50 percent do not get

proper education.

She said that there still exists

conservatism, old values, super-

stitions and traditions which

widen the gap between econom-

ically growing India and devel-

oped countries.

The most important sector to

overcome such obstacles is edu-

cation, Dr Singh added.

She said that in the next 10

years, India will require thou-

sands of colleges and if teaching

is modernized as per the require-

ments of the day, India will sur-

pass all developed countries in

more than one way.

Earlier, Dr. Singh interacted

with youth during a session and

answered their queries. She said

that the rural students like urban

should also get top priority.

Dr Singh visited her home

state after 10 years and was

mesmerized to see changes

especially in Jaipur.

"I am very excited and thrilled

to be here and after the PBD, I

will go to my village to meet

family members," she added.

16 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

January 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Modi steals the show at PBD-2012

By Prakash Bhandari

Jaipur: Speaking at the Pravasi Bharatiya

Diwas – 2012 Conclave, Gujarat Chief

Minister Narendra Modi said new India

should stand on the three pillars - Scale,

Speed and Skill – a model propagated by the

state of Gujarat, to realize its full potential.

The Gujarat’s chief minister was the star

performer at the event and shared the plat-

form with three chief ministers - Kerala’s

Ooomen Chandy, Rajasthan’s Ashok Gehlot

and Jharkhand's Arjun Munda.

The Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and

the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister were

absent.

Modi was given a standing ovation by the

audience after his 30-minute speech, high-

lighting the growth achieved in his state.

Modi said Gujarat is the India’s rather glob-

al capital of solar energy. Gujarat and

Rajasthan are major hubs of solar energy radi-

ations. “When I think of Gujarat, I think of

Rajasthan too. Gujarat is the first state in

India to have a solar energy policy which was

later adopted by the Government of India.

World’s largest solar park with 3,000 MW

capacity is being established in Gujarat joint-

ly with Clinton Foundation," he added.

He said that when he became the chief min-

ister of Gujarat in 2001, there was a shortfall

of 2,000 MW power in the State.

"Whereas the nation is still facing a similar

situation, we introduced the Jyotigram

scheme to provide round-the-clock power in

every nook and corner of Gujarat and today

state has become, a power surplus state," he

added.

Narendra Modi said that Gujarat has 4,000

MW suplus electricity and it will generate

7,000 MW surplus power by the end of 2012,

which is the overall production rate of many

Indian states.

While interacting with the delegates, he

said the event was not for discussing invest-

ments but for interacting with overseas

Indians and making them aware about the

development and opportunities in the country.

Speaking of global recession, the chief min-

ister apprised that Gujarat took the initiative

to host Global Investors Summit in 2011

which invited a record investment of 450 bil-

lion US dollars.

He further cited the example of Tata’s Nano

car project which came to Gujarat after

falling in troubled waters and has become a

success story, followed by other auto majors

establishing their manufacturing bases in

Gujarat.

He stressed that within a decade, the State

will be producing five million cars annually.

Shri Modi told the gathering that the metro

coach manufacturing factory in Gujarat has

yielded tremendous results and today coaches

are supplied to all metro projects.

"The state of Gujarat has the biggest ship

breaking industry in the world and we have

moved from ship breaking to ship repairing to

ship making industry. Gujarat plan to con-

tribute five percent to the world’s entire ship

building industry," he told the gathering.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi speaking at the PBD-2012 in Jaipur.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot with Indian Overseas Minister Vayalar Raviat one of the pavilions at PBD-2012.

Jaipur: Youth from the Indian diaspora

will be invited to visit Rajasthan and

know the state better, Chief Minister

Ashok Gehlot announced.

Addressing the inaugural session of the

10th annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas dias-

pora meet here, Gehlot emphasized on the

need for ensuring that the younger gener-

ation of the diaspora remained "connect-

ed" with India.

The chief minister stressed the need for

regular interaction between the youth of

the country and the youth of Indian origin

living abroad.

He said that regular exchanges were

necessary to connect the NRI youth with

their motherland and to educate them

about their heritage.

"It is with this objective that on this aus-

picious occasion, I declare Know Your

Rajasthan Scheme," Gehlot said.

Under this scheme every year 50 men in

the age group of 18-28 years from the

diaspora would be invited by the state

government to visit and experience

Rajasthan.

"Ninety percent of the cost of air fare

will be borne by the Rajasthan govern-

ment. Besides this, the expenses on their

internal transport, boarding and lodging

will also be borne by the Rajasthan gov-

ernment," the chief minister said.

He said that the diaspora from

Rajasthan was recognized for its entrepre-

neurship and hard work and had done the

country proud.

"The achievements of business houses

like Birla, Bangur, Bajaj, Goenka,

Singhania, Poddar and Mittal and others

are well known," said the chief minister.

Rajasthan invites diasporayouth to come visiting

Jaipur: Dal-bati-choorma, lak jewelry,

bandhej textiles...Most overseas Indians

participating in the Pravasi Bharatiya

Divas (PBD) here took time off from their

busy schedule to shop, sightsee and soak

in the rich culture of Rajasthan.

The state government spruced up

Jaipur's old city areas, known as the

Walled City, for them. The pink-colored

buildings and shops are sparkling with

glittering lights and decorative items.

Many enthusiastic delegates, braving

the winter cold, went for a ride of the

Walled City after dinner at Sisodia Rani

Garden.

"I really liked the rich heritage of the

city. The Walled City is really beautiful.

The outer part of the city has a sign of

modern development, but the old city still

has the old charm," said A. Bhattacharya,

a delegate from the US.

He said he was attracted the most to the

small shops on both sides of the road in

the Walled City selling traditional items.

The markets here are crowded with del-

egates who were seen shopping.

Traditional clothes and accessories,

including lugadis, chunnis, bangles and

handbags, are turning out to be a major

draw.

"I've come with my family. So while I

am attending the sessions here, my family

is busy shopping. They bought lak ban-

gles, bandhej and some jewellery," said

Mahaveer Singh from France.

Another delegate said apart from meet-

ing businessmen from all over the world,

getting an opportunity to observe

Rajasthani culture had been a major

advantage of his visit to Jaipur.

"I really enjoyed Rajasthani food like

dal-bati-choorma, which I had at a place

near the main bus station," said Deepak

Kumar from Canada.

However, he said, the traffic and

encroachments seemed to be a major

problem. "The authorities should do

something about the traffic," he said.

Artists performing Rajasthani folk dance at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-2012 conclaveoutside the B.M. Birla Auditorium in Jaipur.

NRIs shop, soak in Rajasthanidelights in Jaipur

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 17

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

Increase investment in India: Pranab urges diaspora

Jaipur: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee

urged non-resident Indian (NRI) entrepre-

neurs to increase investment in India, saying

the the economic engagement of the diaspo-

ra was not been upto the potential so far.

"We have not yet reaped the full benefits

of India's great diaspora. The most obvious

area remains that of investment and entre-

preneurship," Mukherjee said while address-

ing the 10th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya

Divas annual diaspora meet here.

The finance minister pointed out that flow

of foreign direct investment in the countries

like China had been mostly by the Chinese

living overseas, while in case of India, it

was not upto that level.

"I am aware that there have been large

ticket investments by non-resident Indianentrepreneurs. But I think it is far less than

the potential and perhaps too concentrated

on the formal sector," he said.

"Rather, we must pursue an alternative

model. One that is more balanced and holis-

tic in a socio-economic sense," he added.

Mukherjee said the entrepreneurial skills

of the Indian business community settled

abroad were a matter of envy for other

nations.

"Foreign firms are increasingly aware of

the sharp business acumen of the Indian

entrepreneur and managers. They have come

to respect our business houses and prac-

tices," he said.

The finance minister said India was

emerging as a major player in global eco-

nomic affairs and talents and entrepreneur-

ship of its citizens were widely recognised.

"We are widely recognized as a major

driver of global growth. India is a member

of the G20 and, within the G20, it is consid-

ered a part of the systemically most impor-

tant 7," he said. Mukherjee said migration of

people should not be regarded as a

"brain drain".

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee addressing at PBD-2012.

PBD-2012 In Pictures

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot felicitating Chief Guest and Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Jaipur: The regional annual

diaspora meet, the mini-Pravasi

Bharatiya Divas, will be held in

Dubai later this year, Overseas

Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar

Ravi said.

"I am happy to announce that

the regional PBD for 2012 will

be held in Dubai for the Gulf

region," Ravi said while address-

ing the valedictory function of

the 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

here.

Last year the regional diaspora

meet took place in Toronto,

Canada. It was organized by the

overseas Indian affairs ministry

in partnership with Indo

Canadian Chamber of

Commerce.

The Indo-Canadian Chamber

of Commerce has been s one of

the recipient of this year's

"Pravasi Bhartiya Samman"

awards.

Ravi said the 10th edition of

the annual diaspora meet saw the

highest participation. Over 2,000

delegates from 59 countries par-

ticipated at the three-day event.

Regional diaspora meet inDubai this year: Ravi

Jaipur: Jharkhand, which has

huge mineral resources and hosts

some of India's big companies like

Tata Motors, is poised for higher

level of industrial growth on the

back of liberal government poli-

cies and increased investment in

soft infrastructure, Chief Minister

Arjun Munda said.

"The state is determined to

reach another higher level of

industrial growth and invest more

in training and skill development

to achieve high employment gen-

eration for the educated youths,"

Munda said here at Pravasi

Bharatiya Divas, the annual dias-

pora meet.

He said Jharkhand has already

achieved high growth in mineral

based industries like steel, alumi-

na and power production.

Munda said his government was

taking steps to convert the abun-

dantly produced metals like steel

and alumina into high value inter-

mediary or end products through

downstream processing in a bid to

boost manufacturing activities in

the state. Some of the big private

and public sector steel companies

like Tata Steel and Bokaro Steel

are based in Jharkhand.

Tata Motors, which is the largest

producer of commercial vehicles,

is also based in Jharkhand. Munda

said Jharkhand was also giving

priority to development of infor-

mation technology and informa-

tion technology enabled services.

"We are in the process of setting

up IT-Special Economic Zone at

Jamshedpur besides IT hub

around capital city of Ranchi," the

chief minister said.

Jharkhand poised for higher industrialgrowth: Munda

Former West Indies cricket player Brian Lara attends the closingceremony of the 10th PBD-2012.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor at the session on 'Partnering forProsperity' at PBD-2012.

18 Tristate Community

January 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Punjab Chalo launched to boostCongress chances in polls

The campaign was formally launched at a gala event in New York where it was announced that coordinated byShudh Prakash Singh, around 200 NRIs from Punjab will travel to their home state on January 19 to canvass insupport of the Congress party and dislodging the Akali government in the election scheduled for January 30.

Shudh Prakash Singh, Chief Coordinator of ChaloPunjab campaign, gave a rousing speech at the

Sunday event.

Former chief minister of Punjab, and Patiala Maharaja Capt.Amarinder Singh, spoke to the gathering via video conferencing.

(Photos: Baldev Singh/BJ Digital Video & Photo)

Honor to Kanwal Sra of KSRA group for serving the community in Punjab was presented by Comptroller DiNapoli.

Rajesh K Singh of Raj and Rajeshwari Foundation receiving the plaque from DiNapoli.

New York state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli gave abrief address.

Jaswinder Singh Johal and Desh Deepak Bharadwaj, co-owners ofApna Bazar, were also honored.

New York Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel lauded India’s democracy and Punjab Chalo’s ‘Get Out The Vote’ campaign.

Bhangra by boys and girls concluded the program.Dr Kiranpreet S Parmar receiving the citation from

NY Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel.

Tristate Community 19

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

NRIs for Congress launch Chalo Punjab to woovoters in Jan 30 state poll

Capt. Amarinder Singh promises to put Punjabback on path to progress

By Jinal Shah/SATimes

New York: On Sunday a group of

NRI Punjabis gathered under the

banner of ‘NRIs for Congress’ at

World’s Fair Marina in Flushing to

demonstrate their solidarity for the

Indian National Congress which is

contesting the state assembly elec-

tions later this month to wrest

power from the Akali Dal-BJP

alliance. The gala event, also

graced by New York State comp-

troller Thomas DiNapoli, saw the

launch of the ‘Chalo Punjab’ cam-

paign with Shudh Prakash Singh as

chief coordinator.

The event was aimed to urge

Punjabi NRIs to visit their state to

campaign for Congress party. “We

are trying to take about 200 NRIs to

support the party in Punjab as a

whole and also in their respective

constituencies. The visiting group

will be received in Delhi from

where a luxury coach will be

flagged off from the AICC head-

quarters,” said Shudh Prakash

Singh. He said about 125 NRIs had

already registered for the cam-

paign.

The group will head to India on

January 19 and will campaign till

the end of elections on January 30.

About expenses on the trip, Shudh

maintained, “NRIs will be bearing

the cost of flight and hotel accom-

modation themselves.”

Shudh Singh, who was recently

appointed as chief coordinator of

Congress party’s Election

Campaign Committee (USA), had

asked for at least five assembly seat

tickets for NRIs. “We had demand-

ed at least five seats for this elec-

tion however except for the two

already given, no fresh seats have

been given to the NRI community,”

said Singh partly blaming the NRI

community for the same. “No new

member of the NRI community

applied for it.”

How will the recent corruption

scandals rocking the Congress

party and its partners in the UPA

government affect the party’s

prospects in five states going to the

polls in the next two months?

Shudh Singh is optimistic.

“Corruption is everywhere, howev-

er people understand Congress is

the first party to have actually taken

action against their own party lead-

ers, putting them behind bars.”

Shudh Singh’s personal take on

the Lokpal bill. “Lokpal bill itself is

a good effort to curb corruption.

However, Anna Hazare’s version

goes too far in putting the prime

minister under radar. In my opinion

prime minister and president should

not be screened under Lokpal to

keep sanctity of the high office.

Prosecuting them after their tenure

is the right thing to do.”

At the Sunday event, Captain

Amarinder Singh, President of

Punjab Pradesh Congress

Committee, Dr Karan Singh, head

of the Foreign Affairs Deptt, AICC,

and Inder Dev Singh Musafir,

chairman, NRI cell (PPCC)

addressed the gathering from India

through pre-recorded video mes-

sages shown on overhead screens.

The gala event also honored illus-

trious Punjabis rendering service in

India: awards were given in the

field of medicine to Dr Kiranpreet

S. Parmar, a physician at Staten

Island University Hospital, in phi-

lanthropy to Kanwal Sra of KSRA

grou and Rajesh K Singh (not

strictly from Punjab) of Raj and

Rajeshwari Foundation and for

extraordinary friendship and broth-

erhood to Jaswinder Singh Johal

and Desh Deepak Bharadwaj, co-

owners of Apna Bazar.

By Parveen Chopra

Former Punjab chief minister

and President of the Punjab

Pradesh Congress

Committee, Captain Amarinder

Singh’s videotaped speech was

shown at the launch of the Chalo

Punjab campaign and was the cen-

terpiece of the evening. He regret-

ted that he wanted to address the

gathering in person but could not

make it because of his busy sched-

ule in the run up to the elections in

Punjab.

Amarinder Singh voiced a sharp

criticism of the incumbent Akali-

led government of Prakash Singh

Badal. He said Punjab had become

debt ridden, rife with lawlessness

and faced with rising unemploy-

ment, particularly among the youth

who were getting trapped by drugs.

He promised that the Congress

government will initiate a number

of development projects, add new

crops to revive agriculture and

bring in new industry. In sports like

hockey too, he said, Punjab will

again see its glory days of old.

The Patiala Maharaja promised

his NRI audience that the Congress

government would set up an NRI

affairs department to resolve their

cases and problems in the state on a

priority basis. For the development

projects NRIs want to set up in

their town or village, the govern-

ment will give a matching grant

and give a single window clear-

ance. Arguing that Captain

Amarinder Singh led Congress

government in Punjab (2002-07)

was the most honest, most trans-

parent ever, Shudh Prakash Singh

in his speech implored NRI

Punjabis to join the Chalo Punjab

kafila going to their home state to

bring back Congress to power. It

was their responsibility, he added,

to volunteer in this project for a

better Punjab, for a corruption free

Punjab. He also gave logistics and

flight cost etc details of the travel to

Delhi and further on to Punjab.

Shudh Singh also praised the hon-

orees mentioning the community

service they were rendering back

home in India. The honorees were

also given an opportunity to speak.

Dr Karan Singh also spoke to the

audience via video conferencing.

He said each NRI was an asset for

India. He deplored factionalism,

and invited NRIs from Punjab to

join the group coordinated by

Shudh Prakash Singh and visit their

village or constituency in Punjab

where they have rapport and sup-

port the Congress.

Inder Dev Singh Musafir, chair-

man, NRI cell (PPCC), in his pre-

recorded speech, gave details of the

welcome awaiting the Chalo

Punjab kafila of NRIs converging

on Punjab via Delhi from New

York, Chicago and Toronto.

New York Assemblywoman

Michelle Schimel, in her address,

lauded India’s democracy as the

largest in the world. She highlight-

ed the importance of ‘Get Out The

Vote’ (GOTV) in a democracy, and

so the significance of Chalo Punjab

campaign to make India and the

world a better place.

Lavika Bhagat Singh, General Secretary, Punjab Election CampaignCommittee (USA) compered the program.

Some more prominent Punjabis were honored with saropas by NewYork Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel.

A group of attendees at the event held at World Fair Marina in Flushing.

Phuman Singh, President East Coast of Punjab Election CampaignCommittee (USA), giving his speech.

(Photos: Baldev Singh/BJ Digital Video & Photo)

20 Diaspora

January 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Alok Gupta murder: No racist anglein the attack, says Canadian envoy

New Delhi: Canada has assured

that there will be no repeat of inci-

dents like the murder of Indian

student Alok Gupta. It also added

that there was “no racist angle in

the attack.”

In an interview to Headlines

Today, the Canadian high com-

missioner to India, Stuart Beck

said: “We regret the tragic inci-

dent and will ensure that there is

no repeat…There is no racist

angle in the attack.”

“We value Indian

Diaspora…millions of Indians in

Canada. I can assure people of

India that Canada is safe for

Indian students and visitors,”

Beck was quoted as saying to

Headlines Today.

Alok, an Indian student, work-

ing part time at a convenience

store, was shot dead in the west-

ern Canadian city of Surrey, in a

shocking Christmas Day attack.

27-year-old Alok had volun-

teered to work the afternoon shift

to allow the store owners cele-

brate Christmas together and was

killed by an unidentified gunman.

It is not yet clear whether Alok

was shot during a robbery

attempt.

Police is yet to make an arrest in

connection with the case, but say

they do not believe it was gang-

related.

Alok Gupta was shot dead in a shocking Christmas Day attack

New Delhi/Moscow: As Hindus

in Russia celebrated their legal

victory over efforts to have the

Bhagavad Gita banned, they are

bracing to counter any move by

Tomsk city state prosecutors to

appeal against the Siberian court

verdict dismissing the plea to

brand the revered text as "extrem-

ist" literature.

With the Leninsky district court

Federal Judge G.E. Butenko

rejecting the petition of Tomsk

city state prosecutors to ban the

Gita, Hindus and Krishna devo-

tees in Russia and members of the

International Society for Krishna

Consciousness (Iskcon) in India

held celebratory sessions at their

temples and held prayers to

express their happiness over the

verdict.

"We are very happy with the

judgment of the Tomsk city court.

To express thanks and our joy,

several thousands of Hindus in

Russia and Iskcon devotees gath-

ered at the Krishna temple in

Moscow and other Iskcon centres

in 80 cities of Russia to celebrate

and hold prayers," Sadhu Priya

Das, a leader of the Iskcon move-

ment in Russia, told over the

phone from Moscow.

The Tomsk court verdict came

about after India took up the mat-

ter with Russia, following an

IANS report on the case caused a

political storm in parliament, with

MPs calling for the government to

protect the rights of Hindus in

Russia.

Meanwhile, Hindus in Russia

are watchful of the Tomsk state

prosecutors as the law provides

for them to appeal in the supreme

court of Russia in their case see-

ing a ban on "Bhagavad Gita As It

Is" written by Iskcon founder A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhapada

and declare distribution of its

Russian translation in Russia ille-

gal.

He said personally, he was

hopeful the state prosecutors may

not appeal, as there was no private

party in the case that was

aggrieved by the judgment.

"It is a state prosecutors' case.

So they may decide against

appealing. We hope they decide

against it," he

Hindus in Russia celebrateGita verdict; brace for

possible appeal

New Delhi: India has made it clear to

Norway that the decision of the

Norwegian Childcare Services to sep-

arate two children from their NRI par-

ents was an extreme step and unjusti-

fied. Strong demarches were made to

the Norwegian embassy in New Delhi

and to the Norwegian foreign ministry

and the ministry of children, equality

and social inclusion in Oslo to reiter-

ate the government’s serious concern,

the external affairs ministry said in a

statement here.

Three-year-old Abhigyan and one-

year-old Aishwarya, infant children of

Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya,

an NRI couple living in Stavanger,

Norway, were taken under protective

care by Barnevarne (Norwegian Child

Welfare Services) in May on grounds

that they were not looked after proper-

ly by their parents. Barnevarne has

placed them in foster parental care as

per the directive of the local

Norwegian court, mandated under

Norwegian laws. The Indian govern-

ment is concerned that the circum-

stances prevailing in this case may not

justify an extreme step like long-term

separation of the children from their

natural parents, the ministry said.

The Norwegian authorities have

expressed understanding for the gov-

ernment’s concerns.

Bhattacharya and his wife have

been appealing to the Indian govern-

ment for help in getting their children

back. As the matter is sub-judice, the

external affairs ministry has also

advised Bhattacharya to take suitable

legal recourse.

Speaking to Indian dailies, the cou-

ple from Kolkata have said that the

Norwegian authorities came up with

“bizarre explanations” for taking

away their children and it appeared to

them like “child kidnapping in a civi-

lized society”.

India to Norway:Separating kids from NRI

parents unjustified

6.7 percent ethnic Indians in MalaysiaKuala Lumpur: Around 6.7 percent of Malaysia's

total population of 27.5 million are people of Indian

origin, according to the country's latest census

report.The decennial census report was released by

the statistics department Thursday, Xinhua report-

ed. Ten years ago, Malaysia's population was 22.2

million.

Of the 27.5 million people counted till 2010, eth-

nic Malays made up 50.1 percent, followed by eth-

nic Chinese at 22.5 percent, natives at 11.8 percent

and ethnic Indians at 6.7 percent, the report said.

Around 71 percent reside in urban areas. Capital

city Kuala Lumpur alone has the largest population

of 1.58 m

Australian teen gets 13-year jail for killing Indian student

Melbourne: A teenager in Australia was sentenced to 13

years in prison Thursday for stabbing to death an Indian

student here last year.Nitin Garg died of his injuries after a

15-year old tried to snatch his mobile phone while the for-

mer was walking through a park on his way to work in

January last year, The Australian reported. Supreme Court

judge Paul Coghlan sentenced the youth, who cannot be

identified, to 13 years in prison for the murder, with a min-

imum of eight years before parole.Justice Coghlan said,

without a guilty plea, the sentence would have been 16

years with 12 years before parole. The teenager, who has

already served 18 months in jail, is now aged 17.

In his judgement, Justice Coghlan said he accepted the

boy had not intended to kill Garg, saying the foreign stu-

dent was a "completely innocent" and random victim cho-

sen not because of his race but because of his mere pres-

ence in the park."Although this is a very serious crime, it

was committed spontaneously," said Justice Coghlan.

Garg, following the attack, tried to call 000 before drop-

ping his phone. But his call did not get through. He stag-

gered to the Hungry Jacks where he worked before col-

lapsing just inside the door.The teenager was arrested six

months later, after a friend he was with came forward to

police.

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan tobe honored with knighthood

London: Indian-origin scientist

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, a win-

ner of the 2009 Nobel Prize for

chemistry, will be honored with

knighthood in 2012.

Venkatraman works as a biologist

at the Medical Research Council's

Molecular Biology Laboratories in

Cambridge, BBC reported.

Born in 1952 in Chidambaram in

India's Tamil Nadu state,

Venkatraman was awarded the

Nobel Prize in 2009 along with two

other scientists "for studies of the

structure and function of the ribo-

some", according to the Nobel Prize

website.

The ribosome -- the cell's protein

factory -- translates genetic code

into proteins, which are the building

blocks of all living organisms.

Experts said the India-born scien-

tist's work solved an important part

of the problem posed by Francis

Crick and James Watson when they

discovered the now-iconic double

helix DNA structure as to "how does

the code become a living thing."

Subcontinent 21

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

Islamabad : Pakistan's political and

military establishments were set for

a showdown as Prime Minister

Yousuf Raza Gilani sacked the

defence secretary Wednesday after

coming under attack from the mili-

tary.

In a move that caught many by

surprise, Gilani asserted his authori-

ty by dismissing Naeem Khalid

Lodhi, a retired lieutenant general

widely seen to be close to army

chief General Ashfaq Parvez

Kayani.

Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi

was quickly asked to take charge of

the defence secretary's post, which

Lodhi had held since November last

year, Geo News reported.

A peeved Kayani called for an

emergency meeting of the army's

top commanders Thursday.

Pakistan's all-powerful army

warned earlier Wednesday that the

prime minister's recent "critical

comments" of the military would

have "serious ramifications" with

"potentially grievous consequences

for the country".

The public criticism of the prime

minister by the army and Gilani's

counter quickly fuelled speculation

of a possible military takeover in the

world's only nuclear-armed Islamic

state.

While sacking him, Gilani

charged Lodhi with "misconduct"

and taking "unlawful steps" over

what has come to be known as

memogate -- a row that has pitted

the military against the civilian lead-

ership.

Glani said Lodhi had created

"misunderstanding between the state

institutions" by submitting state-

ments of Kayani and Lt. Gen.

Ahmad Shuja Pasha, who heads the

Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), on

the scandal.

The Pakistani judiciary is probing

a memo delivered to former US mil-

itary chief Admiral Mike Mullen by

Pakistani American Mansoor Ijaz

seeking to prevent a military coup

which President Asif Ali Zardari

feared after the killing of Al Qaeda

chief Osama bin Laden by US com-

mandos in May 2011.

Gilani told a Chinese daily that

Kayani and Pasha acted illegally by

making unilateral submissions to a

Supreme Court inquiry on the mem-

ogate. The Inter-Services Public

Relations, the military's media arm,

said Gilani had termed the responses

of Kayani and Pasha in the court as

illegal and unconstitutional.

"There can be no allegation more

serious than what the prime minister

has levelled against (Kayani and

Pasha) and has unfortunately

charged the officers (with) violation

of the constitution.

"This has very serious ramifica-

tions with potentially grievous con-

sequences for the country," it

warned.

The dramatic developments come

at a time of growing turmoil in

Pakistan, which has been increas-

ingly at loggerheads with the US

over the conduct of the war in

neighbouring Afghanistan.

Many in Pakistan also believe that

the military is quietly siding with

cricketer-turned-politician Imran

Khan, whose recent public meetings

have attracted tens of thousands.

With Zardari denying that he had

contemplated stepping down and

with Gilani taking a hard line vis-a-

vis the army, some fear that chances

of a military coup cannot be ruled

out. Retired army officer Talat

Masood told India's CNN-IBN

channel: "The military thinks it is

being blamed very badly in public. I

hope they don't take over but it is

very much possible."

Since its independence in 1947,

Pakistan has had four spells of mili-

tary rule -- headed by Ayub Khan,

Yahya Khan, Zia ul-Haq and Pervez

Musharraf.

Gilani sacks Defence Secretary, takes on army

By Ravi M. Khanna

At last India and Pakistan, it seems,

have woken up to the need for gen-

uine cooperation in South Asia where

countries of the region start depending on

each other for those crucial products which

they now import from the West. This way

they will pay lower freights and at the same

time contribute to the economic growth of

the region.

May be the first step in this direction came

this week when New Delhi and Islamabad

agreed in principle to trade in electricity

through a specially-built high voltage direct

current link between Amritsar and Lahore.

Right now the plan is to transfer 500 MW

through the Punjab border with the tariff

linked to the market rate.

If this kind of pragmatism spreads in the

region, the region, given its potential, can

become a bigger market than China and the

whole of Europe and can also become self-

reliant in a number of products and services

that they now import from the West. And the

West knows that, and may be that is why it

does not encourage such logical moves that

may not serve their self-interest.

Let us take Sri Lanka first. It produces

almost 150,000 tonnes of rubber annually.

This trend continues with Sri Lanka export-

ing about 20 percent - 30 percent of the rub-

ber production in raw form while 70 percent-

80 percent is used by domestic industries. So,

given the quantity and quality of the rubber

produced in Sri Lanka, they can even pro-

duce more quality tyres than the total demand

of the South Asian countries and then even

export some.

If its tyre industry gets a boost from

SAARC, or just India, it can produce enough

tyres itself and for the whole region. Then

countries like India, Pakistan, Nepal and

Bangladesh will not have to import tyres

from Western countries. They will also have

to spend less on freight due to the proximity

of the supplier.

Bangladesh is among the fortunate to have

a substantial volume of natural gas resources.

Part of it is discovered, and only part of dis-

covered resources has been proven. But the

natural gas situation in Bangladesh is a des-

perate situation because it is letting its gas

fields to hibernate. So it needs swift develop-

ment and production of natural gas in order

not to allow it to hibernate. SAARC countries

can help Bangladesh do it and at the same

time produce fertilizer and also power in

some sectors. Such a pragmatic move can

help Bangladesh in producing power and also

fertilizer to meet the demand of the whole

region, eliminating the need for importing

fertilizer from the West by India, the biggest

importer of fertilizer in the region..

Power is also in shortage in Nepal that has

a huge hydropower potential. In fact, the

perennial nature of Nepali rivers and the

steepness of the country's topography pro-

vide ideal conditions for the development of

some of the world's largest hydroelectric

projects there. According to some estimates,

Nepal's hydropower potential is more than

40,000 MW of which it has developed less

than 1,000 MW. Therefore, bulk of this eco-

nomically feasible generation has not been

realized yet. SAARC countries can help

Nepal generate enough hydroelectricity for

domestic consumption and then also for

export to neighboring countries like Pakistan

and India.

So, if the SAARC countries begin looking

beyond their noses, they can prosper them-

selves and in the process make South Asia a

self-reliant region, perhaps to the envy of the

West.

(Ravi M. Khanna is a longtime South Asiaobserver. He has also headed the South AsiaDesk in the Voice of America Newsroom inWashington.)

SAARC can bring real cooperation in South Asia

Islamabad : Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari did

not offer his resignation during a meeting with coali-

tion partners, presidential spokesman Farhatullah

Khan Babar said Wednesday.

In a statement issued in the capital, the spokesman

said the issue of the resignation was not discussed

during a meeting Tuesday night with the allies of the

ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Online news

agency reported.

Earlier media reports quoted Zardari as saying that

he was ready to give up his post if the PPP and coali-

tion partners so desire.

The president reportedly told his allies that he was

elected president with their help, and if they wanted

he was ready to resign and even hold new elections.

The meeting was held after the Supreme Court

warned that action could be taken against Zardari

and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for failing to

reopen graft cases against the president.

The meeting was attended by Awami National

Party chief Asfandyar Wali, Pakistan Muslim

League-Quaid chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain,

Muttahida Quami Movement leaders Farooq Sattar

and Babar Ghauri and other leaders of the PPP.

Zardari has not offered toresign: Spokesman

Yousuf Raza Gilani

Bangladesh is among the fortunateto have a substantial volume of natural

gas resources.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

Pakistan to blow upOsama's hideout

London: The house in

Pakistan where former Al-

Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden

was hiding, before he was

killed by US commandos in a

special operation last May, will

be blown up and bulldozed,

The Sun reported.

Military officials in Pakistan

plan the event to be carried out

in front of TV cameras to pre-

vent the walled complex from

becoming a shrine to the for-

mer Al-Qaeda chief. Pakistan's

Interior Minister Rehman

Malik said: "We will hit it like

an enemy fort. But first we

must erase everything related

to bin Laden from our coun-

try."

The demolition will take

place next month. According to

chief military spokesman

Major General Athar Abbas,

US and European officials will

be invited to witness the event.

"It will be a big event," he said.

Osama, the world's most

wanted terrorist who orches-

trated the 9/11 attack on the

US through his Al-Qaeda out-

fit, was killed in Abbottabad

near the Pakistan capital by US

special forces, ending one of

the world's biggest and costli-

est manhunts.

22 International

January 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Beijing: Beijing said a new US defense strat-

egy focused on countering China's rising

power was based on "groundless" charges,

and insisted it posed no threat to any nation.

President Barack Obama unveiled the strat-

egy, calling for a leaner US military focused

on countering China's rising power and sig-

naling a shift away from large ground wars

against insurgents.

But China, whose People's Liberation

Army has benefited from a huge and expand-

ing budget boosted by the nation's rapid eco-

nomic growth, said the fears were baseless,

urging the United States to "play a more con-

structive role".

"The charges against China in this docu-

ment are groundless and untrustworthy," for-

eign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said in

response to a question from state media about

whether China poses a threat to US security.

Liu was referring to the strategy document

released last week, which said the growth of

China's military power "must be accompa-

nied by greater clarity of its strategic inten-

tions in order to avoid causing friction in the

region".

"To maintain the peace, stability and pros-

perity of the Asia-Pacific region serves the

common interest of all countries within the

region," he added. "We hope the US side will

play a more constructive role to this end."

Washington's focus on Asia is fueled by

concerns over China's growing navy and its

arsenal of anti-ship missiles that could jeop-

ardize US military dominance in the Pacific.

China's responses to recent US moves to

boost its military presence in Asia -- includ-

ing the deployment of up to 2,500 Marines to

northern Australia -- have so far been

restrained.

China's official Xinhua news agency said it

welcomed a bigger US presence in Asia as

"conducive to regional stability and prosperi-

ty", while urging it against "warmongering".

China "adheres to the path of peaceful

development, upholds an independent foreign

policy of peace and a defense policy that is

defensive in nature," said Liu.

President Barack Obama unveiled the strat-egy, calling for a leaner US military focused

on countering China's rising power.

China criticizes new USdefense policy

Iran N-scientist killed incar bomb blast

Tehran: An Iranian nuclear

scientist was killed in a

Tehran car bomb assassina-

tion blamed on Israel that

threatens to ignite a danger-

ously tense international

standoff over Iran's atomic

program.

An Iranian official imme-

diately blamed "the Zionist

regime" for the explosion,

saying the method -- two

men on a motorbike attach-

ing a magnetic bomb to the

target's vehicle -- was simi-

lar to those used in the assas-

sinations of three other sci-

entists over the past two

years.

Iran's parliament erupted

with yells of "Death to

Israel" and "Death to

America" during a speech by

one MP who said

Wednesday's attack would

not dissuade the Islamic

republic from "achieving

progress."

Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan,

32, died immediately in the

blast, which occurred in

front of a university campus

in east Tehran.

Two other occupants of the

Peugeot 405, one of them his

bodyguard/driver, were

wounded, Iranian media

reported. Ahmadi Roshan

was a deputy director at

Iran's Natanz uranium

enrichment facility, accord-

ing to the website of the uni-

versity he graduated from a

decade ago, Sharif

University.

He was specialized in

making polymeric mem-

branes to separate gas. Iran

uses a gas separation method

to enrich its uranium.

"The responsibility of this

explosion falls on the Zionist

regime," the deputy gover-

nor of Tehran province,

Safar Ali Bratloo, told Iran's

Arabic-language Al-Alam

broadcaster, using Iran's

term for Israel.

"The method of this terror-

ist action is similar to previ-

ous actions that targeted

Iran's nuclear scientists," he

said.

Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, 32, died immediately in the blast.

US condemnsIran's move tostart uraniumenrichment

Washington: The US has con-

demned the Iranian govern-

ment's decision to begin urani-

um enrichment operations at a

facility in the country's north.

The International Atomic

Energy Agency (IAEA)

Monday confirmed that Iran

had started enriching uranium

to the 20-percent level at its

Fordo plant near Qom city.

"This step once again demon-

strates the Iranian regime's bla-

tant disregard for its responsi-

bilities and that the country's

growing isolation is self-

inflicted," US Secretary of

State Hillary Clinton said in a

statement Tuesday.

Clinton lamented that the

construction of the new plant

in Qom had been carried out

secretly for three years.

"Iran only declared the Qom

facility to the IAEA after it was

discovered by the international

community following three

years of covert construction.

Iran has announced it intends

to consolidate and increase its

production of uranium

enriched to a near 20 percent

level at this facility," she said.

"There is no plausible justifi-

cation for this production.

Such enrichment brings Iran a

significant step closer to hav-

ing the capability to produce

weapons-grade highly enriched

uranium," Clinton said.

She said Tehran's statement

that the decision was necessary

to produce fuel for the Tehran

Research Reactor (TRR) was

"false".

"We call upon Iran to imme-

diately cease uranium enrich-

ment and to comply with its

international nuclear obliga-

tions. We also call on Iran to

return to negotiations with the

P5+1 (five permanent mem-

bers of the UN Security

Council plus Germany),"

Clinton said.

Western nations suspect Iran,

already under international

sanctions, of pursuing a secret

nuclear weapons programme

but Tehran insists it needs

nuclear power solely for civil-

ian purposes.

NATO urged to properlyplan Afghan withdrawal

Islamabad: The withdrawal of

NATO troops from

Afghanistan should be proper-

ly planned and executed to

ensure that the law and order

situation does not go out of

control, a Pakistani think tank

has said.

Though the main focus of the

discussion at a round-table

organized by the Institute of

Regional Studies (IRS)

Tuesday was the situation in

Afghanistan, the participants

also expressed optimism over

the improvement in Pakistan-

India relations, Dawn News

reported.

Participants also discussed

the volatile Pakistan-US rela-

tions and US relations with

Iran.

Shaheen Akhtar, senior

research analyst at the IRS,

said that for long-term stabili-

ty in Afghanistan, NATO

forces would have to plan their

withdrawal in a very responsi-

ble manner.

"It has to be ensured that a

power vacuum is not left in

Afghanistan, which will give

rise to non-state actors in the

country," he said.

Some of the speakers said

Afghanistan had become a bat-

tleground for a "proxy war"

between many powers and the

growing Indian influence

could not be ignored by

Pakistan.

Most of the speakers stressed

direct dialogue between India

and Pakistan to resolve the

issues between the two coun-

tries.

George Perkovich, vice pres-

ident for Studies and director

of the Nuclear Policy Program

at the Carnegie Endowment

for International Peace in

Washington, said India was

eyeing a global role for itself,

which made it more inclined to

talk peace with Pakistan.

In this, he saw an opportuni-

ty for Pakistan to build a

peaceful future for the region.

He dispelled the impression

that the heavy presence and

investment by India in

Afghanistan could be a threat

to Pakistan.

India could never substitute

Pakistan in Afghanistan, as

there was a historical interde-

pendence between Kabul and

Islamabad, another expert

said.

Business 23

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

Los Angeles: Tim Cook

could well end up being the

highest paid CEO in America

in 2011, after Apple granted

him a million restricted stock

units last August for taking

the reins shortly before co-

founder Steve Jobs died.

An Associated Press

review of a securities filing

shows Cook's pay package

was valued at $378 million.

The vast majority came in a

grant of a million restricted stock units worth $376

million at the time. Half of the stock units will vest in

August 2016, the other half in August 2021.

His salary and performance bonus, about $900,000

each, made up much of the rest. He also made $16,520

from company contributions to a retirement account

and company-paid life insurance premiums.

In comparison, Jobs

accepted a $1 annual salary

for years and owned about

5.5 million shares, worth

about $2.3 billion today.

In total, Cook has about

1.36 million restricted

shares that haven't yet vest-

ed and 13,754 regular

shares worth a combined

$580 million, the filing

showed. Cook's award is

well above that given to

Philippe Dauman, the Viacom chief executive who led

the top-paid CEOs of 2010 with an $84.5 million haul

based on a new contract that granted him shares and

stock options.

Cook's pay package was also valued at more than all

of the next nine highest paid CEOs of 2010 combined,

or about $356 million.

With $378m, Apple CEO totop 2011 pay list

Wall Street at 5-month highNew York: US stocks climbed to

a five-month high, led by materi-

als stocks after an upbeat forecast

by aluminum company Alcoa

and strong gains in bank shares.

Alcoa Inc posted revenue that

topped expectations late Monday

and gave a bullish outlook for the

aluminum industry. The stock

gave up early gains to end at

$9.44, up 1 cent. However, data

showing strong Chinese imports

of copper helped buoy the rest of

the sector. A gauge of materials

companies' shares was among the

leaders of S&P 500 sectors, with

a gain of 1.8 percent.

The U.S. equity market contin-

ued its recent divergence from

the woes of the euro zone.

Recent economic reports and

optimism about the U.S. earnings

season have pushed stocks higher

in the start of the new year, with

the benchmark S&P 500 rising in

five of six sessions.

"Investors are still focusing on

Europe but not putting as much

weight on Europe as they were in

November," said Jonathan

Corpina, head of NYSE floor

operations for Meridian Equity

Partners in New York.

Tim Cook, the new Apple CEO.

New Delhi: Global credit rating

agency Moody's Investor Services

has raised India's sovereign credit

ranking to investment grade.

The Moody's upgraded the

country's short-term foreign cur-

rency rating from speculative to

investment grade, saying "diverse

sources of Indian growth have

enhanced its resilience to global

shocks". The present slowdown, it

said, "could reverse sometime in

2012-13, as inflation cools from

current 9 percent levels".

The news was welcomed by the

markets with the 30-scrip sensi-

tive index (Sensex) of the

Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)

rallying 350 points or 2.22 percent

to close at 16,165.

Moody's upgrade India'sratings, Sensex soars

Auto Expo 2012 inNew Delhi

India opens retail sector to foreign brandsNew Delhi: India has allowed

100 percent foreign equity in sin-

gle brand retail, notifying the

norms that among other things

said all wholly-owned interna-

tional brands will need to source

30 percent of their requirements

locally.

The government justified the

move, saying that foreign direct

investment (FDI) in single brand

will attract investments in produc-

tion and marketing, improve the

availability of such goods for the

consumer and encourage sourcing

of goods from India, according to

a notification by the commerce

and industry ministry.

"The cabinet took the conscious

decision to liberalize policy for

FDI in single brand retail. FDI in

single brand has led to emergence

of some global majors in Indian

market," said Commerce and

Industry Minister Anand Sharma.

Until now, global retailers own-

ing a single brand had to look for

an Indian partner as the cap on

foreign equity was 51 percent.

The ministry had earlier mooted

relaxation in multi-brand retail

investment norms up to 51 per-

cent, which led to a nation-wide

furore and unrest, even within the

ruling United Progressive

Alliance government, resulting in

the withdrawal of the decision last

month.

"This is a welcome move with a

clear potential to lift the general

mood in the economy. Increased

investments by foreign single

brand retailers will not only help

improve consumer choice but also

enhance competitiveness of

Indian enterprises," said Rajan

Bharti Mittal, vice chairman and

managing director, Bharti

Enterprises.

As per the notifications, prod-

ucts to be sold should be of a sin-

gle brand only as they are sold

internationally. Companies which

propose to set up wholly owned

subsidiaries under the single

brand format would have to

source at least 30 percent of the

value of products sold from

Indian small industries, artisans

and craftspersons.

"Further, if at any point in time,

this valuation is exceeded, the

industry shall not qualify as a

'small industry' for this purpose.

The compliance of this condition

will be ensured through self-certi-

fication by the company, to be

subsequently checked, by statuto-

ry auditors," according to the noti-

fication.

"This step will provide stimulus

to domestic manufacturing value

addition and help in technical

upgradation of our local small

industry," said Sharma.

Until now, global retailers owning a single brand had to look for anIndian partner as the cap on foreign equity was 51 percent.

The 11th edition of the Auto Expo promised a slew of launches and first-time exhibits of vehicles in virtually every segment. Here is,

the Tata Pixel concept car.

24 Sports

January 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Perth: India's veteran bats-

man Rahul Dravid rubbished

Australian media reports of a

rift in the dressing room and

defended the decision of

some of the players to go for

a go-karting session here at a

time when the team has suf-

fered two embarrassing loss-

es in the first two Tests.

Dravid laughed off rumors

of rift between India captain

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and

Virender Shewag.

"When you do badly, sud-

denly everything is seen as

wrong with the team. There is

no truth (in Sehwag vs Dhoni

reports) to those matters. As I

said, the spirit of the team is

really good," Dravid said.

Defending his team mate

decision to skip nets for go-

karting session, Dravid said:

"One of the good things

about traveling abroad is you

are in a bit of a cocoon. You

don't gauge what's happening

back home. There's a sense of

disappointment with the

results so far, we would cer-

tainly like to do better but the

spirit of the team is very

good."

Dravid also said that the

team was not bothered about

comments from Australian

vice captain Brad Haddin,

who said Indians are fragile.

"We haven't bothered (with

Haddin comments) really.

There are five days of impor-

tant cricket to worry about

and there is no time about

anything else to be honest.

You don't need anyone's com-

ment to motivate yourself.

We are not even bothered" he

said.

Dravid said young Indian

batsmen have a daunting task

in hand and the seniors will

always help them out.

"There's no formal talk as

such. In the course of spend-

ing time in dressing room, at

team dinners or go-karting

for that matter, conversations

can happen which are useful.

It's not like a powerpoint

presentation, that's not how

teams work. We speak to

each other, juniors to seniors

and seniors to juniors, and it's

always a healthy conversa-

tion," he said.

No rift in Indian dressingroom: Dravid

Rahul Dravid laughed off rumors of rift between Indiacaptain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virender Shewag.

Perth: Australia's veteran middle-order

batsman Mike Hussey feels the

'Monkeygate' incident during the 2008

Sydney Test motivated the Indian team to

come back strongly and win the Perth Test

in the 2007-08 series.

Australian Andrew Symonds had accused

Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh of calling

him a monkey during the acrimonious

Sydney Test. The duo, however, made up

later and played together in the Indian

Premier League (IPL) for Mumbai Indians.

Hussey felt the Monkeygate incident gal-

vanized India to rattle Australia at the

WACA Ground by 72 runs, just a week later.

Australia, however, held their nerve at

Adelaide to secure a 2-1 series win with a

draw in the fourth Test.

"There was obviously a lot of controversy

after the Sydney Test match, which I think in

a way really galvanized the Indian team.

They came to Perth with a real determina-

tion to do well," Hussey was quoted as say-

ing by The Age.

"I didn't feel at the time that it affected our

team, but maybe it did a bit with all the con-

troversy going on outside of the game," he

said.

With India trailing 0-2 in the current

series, Hussey said it was too early to write

off the visitors. Hussey also praised the

calming influence of India captain

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, with whom he

shared the dressing room at Chennai Super

Kings during the Indian Premier League.

"Whether things are going well or whether

things are going poorly, he keeps a very

level head. He doesn't get too emotional.

He's a very calm character and he tries to

instil a lot of belief into his players," he said.

Hussey also praised Australian skipper

Michael Clarke, who posted an unbeaten

329 last week.

"I think Michael Clarke learnt a lot from

playing under Ricky Ponting for quite a few

years. He wants the game to go forward all

the time. He's an aggressive sort of a captain

and he wants the team to be scoring quickly.

He's always thinking as a captain and he's

very passionate about the job," he said.

2008 Monkeygate inspiredIndia at Perth: Hussey

Mike Hussey.

New Delhi: Iconic footballer

Bhaichung Bhutia got a grand

farewell at the Jawaharlal

Nehru Stadium here though it

was Bayern Munich who

stole the show pumping in

four goals and making it look

too easy against the Indian

team.

The Bavarians led 4-0 in the

first half with goals from

striker Mario Gomez (14th),

Thomas Mueller (28th and

37th) and Bastian

Schwiesteiger (43rd). In the

second half, the Indian team

fought valiantly to go down

with a respectable scoreline.

The 30,000-odd fans didn't

bother too much about the

number of goals scored, they

relished how the Bavarians

got them. For India, every

minute was a learning experience of what

European football is all about.

The atmosphere was electrifying and the

talking point was whether this team Indian

could stop the Germans from getting to the

margin by which their predecessors in 1991

lost on a similar chilly January afternoon.

The Dutch club PSV Eidenhoven had

pumped in seven without reply at the

packed stadium.

Though this time the showpiece stadium

of the Commonwealth Games was only

half-filled, the attendance was enough to

create a deafening support for the Indian

team.

In 2008 a packed Salt

Lake Stadium in Kolkata

gave a grand farewell to

legendary German and

Bayern goalkeeper Oliver

Kahn, Tuesday was

Delhi's turn to honour

Bhutia, who remained a

crowd puller during an

era when Indian football

was in its sorry stage.

Emotions ran high

among fans, when

Bhutia, who retired last

August after being frus-

trated with a spate of

injuries, posed for the

photographers with

Bayern captain Phillip

Lahm with a Bayern jer-

sey that had the Indian's

name on it.

Fans went wild every

time Bhutia touched the ball. Though it was

a one-way traffic but for Indian fans it was

surely a double delight.

Bayern, who are on their third trip to

India, have come with their best team, and

the grand farewell for Bhutia was some-

thing unheard of in past in Indian sports.

Bhutia was also honored with an Audi Q8.

Finally, Bhutia's journey that started from

a sleepy hamlet in Tinkitam in Sikkim in

1993 ended and even in last match he con-

tributed for a noble cause ensuring that

some of the proceeds from the match will

be given to the earthquake victims of his

home state.

Bhutia dazzles in lastmatch against Bayern

Baichung Bhutia presentedwith a team jersey by Philipp

Lahm of Bayern Munich at theJawaharlal Nehru Stadium in

New Delhi.

Health 25

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

By Premila Bhat MD

Director of Home Hemodialysis,Atlantic Dialysis

What is sodium?

Sodium is the main ingredient in table

salt. Sodium is also found in some quanti-

ty in natural and processed foods. The

body needs a small amount of sodium for

survival, but most people eat much more

sodium than their body requires.

Why is it important to pay attention to

sodium intake?

Experts say that no one should have

more than 2,300 milligrams a day, and

many people—particularly those with high

blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and

kidney disease—should have even less.

Yet the average American man takes in

about 4,000 milligrams of sodium each

day and the average American woman

about 3,000. One study of South Indians

showed an average intake of 3,400 mil-

ligrams sodium daily.

Lowering sodium intake can result in

many health benefits:

• Lower blood pressure, resulting in

lower risk of stroke, heart attack, blind-

ness, and kidney damage.

• Reduced tendency to retain water,

which is especially important for people

with heart failure and kidney disease.

• Reduced chance of kidney stones

• Reduced risk of osteoporosis

The relationship between blood pressure

and sodium intake is very strong. In fact,

high blood pressure is seen almost exclu-

sively in societies with average sodium

intake above 2,300 milligrams per day.

High blood pressure is rare in societies

with average sodium intake of less than

1,200 milligrams per day.

Where is sodium found?

The sodium content of several common

foods is listed below. Notice that even

foods that seem harmless—like diet

soda—have some sodium content. And

foods that do not even taste salty, like

donuts, can add a substantial amount of

sodium. When eating out, keep in mind

that you will usually have no idea of sodi-

um content.

Generally speaking, “processed foods”

have the most sodium. These foods are

processed from their original state and are

usually sold in cans, boxes, and jars.

Many of these foods do not taste salty.

Often the sodium is “hidden” in the preser-

vatives. In fact, 75-80% salt in the U.S.

food comes from processed foods, not

from salt added during food preparation or

consumption. Many countries, including

Japan and the United Kingdom, have regu-

lations on salt content in processed food.

The U.S. Institute of Medicine has strong-

ly recommended that sodium in processed

food should be regulated in this country.

In the mean time, many companies have

voluntarily started reducing sodium con-

tent in their foods.

Here are some examples of foods thatoften have too much sodium:

• Canned soups

• Rice and noodle mixes

• Sauces, dressings, and condiments

(such as ketchup and mustard, soy sauce)

• Pre-made frozen meals (also called

“TV dinners”)

• Deli meats, hot dogs, and cheeses

• Smoked, cured, or pickled foods

• Restaurant meals

• Snack foods like crackers and chips

• Baking soda

Also be aware that some medications

contain sodium. For example, one tablet

of Alka-Seltzer contains 445mg of sodium.

How can I limit my sodium intake?

The only way to know the sodium con-

tent is to look at the label. Food labels can

be very helpful in monitoring and limiting

sodium intake. Be aware that the “%DV”

(Percent of Daily Value) is a calculation

based on a 2,400 milligram per day sodi-

um recommendation.

Some people may be advised to con-

sume only 1,600 or 2,000 milligrams of

sodium per day, and will need to adjust

their calculations accordingly. Also pay

attention to serving size.

Labeled sodium content is measured per

serving, and sometimes the serving size on

the label may be different from what you

consider a portion of food.

Some foods are advertised as having less

sodium content. As per the Food and Drug

Administration, a food can have the fol-

lowing labels if it meets certain criteria:

How can I reduce my sodium intake?

The start of 2012 is a great time to make

positive health changes for you and your

family. No one is immune to the health

consequences of excess salt intake—not

even children or young adults. Changes in

food choices that you make at home can

impact the long-term health of your loved-

ones.

Reduce your sodium intake gradually.

Over time, your taste buds will adjust to

the lower levels of salt and sodium, and

you (and your family) will not taste the

difference. Small steps that you can start

taking today include:

• Replace salt in cooking with herbs

and spices

• Put away the salt shaker from the

table

• Replace regular foods with lower

sodium versions when available. For

example, replace buttermilk with plain

yogurt and choose unsalted butter and

margarine

• Replace canned foods with fresh or

frozen

• Look at labels for sodium content.

Read ingredients for foods and medica-

tions, and Avoid products that contain

sodium carbonate or Sodium bicarbonate

• Ask for no salt when eating out and

ask for any sauces or gravies to be served

on the side.

Controlling blood pressure through lifestyle changes: power of cutting salt intake

Atlantic Dialysis Management Services, LLC (ADMS) provides new dialysis site develop-ment, day to day administration and management of dialysis services and related businessdevelopment activities. Its business strategy is to produce economies of scale and maximizeindividual site results through consolidated activities. Central to the ADMS approach is thelong term control of clinical services by nephrologists. In 2010, ADMS affiliates providedover 225,000 dialysis treatments to over 2,500 patients in New York City and Long Island.

The author of this article,Dr Premila Bhat is board certified nephrologist and internist.

Information provided in this article is only for educational purposes. Please consult your per-sonal physician for specific advice on these and any other health related matters.

In fact, 75-80% salt in the U.S. food comes from processed foods,not from salt added during food preparation or consumption

26 Ultimate Bollywood

January 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Bips upset withleaked b'day party video I

f the grapevine is to believed, Hollywood biggie

Richard Gere may feature in "I Am Kalam" fame

director Nila Madhab Panda's next, an untitled

project based on the issue of world food security.

Gere, a regular to India thanks to his Buddhist

beliefs, was offered the role of a foreigner who visits

India and gets involved with the socio-political set

up of a village.

Panda, who enjoyed rave reviews for the critically

acclaimed "I Am Kalam", contacted Gere for the role

through a common friend, said a statement.

According to a source, the 62-year-old veteran was

impressed with the script and consented to do the

film, which will also star Harsh Mayar, the National

award-winning child protagonist of "I Am Kalam".

To be produced by a company from the

Netherlands, the film's pre-production work is

expected to begin this month, and Panda will shuttle

between India, Amsterdam and Los Angeles for the

shooting. If all goes well, singer-actor Will Smith

might also come on board, says the source.

Richard Gere to work inIndian film?

Richard Gere was recently spotted at a Buddhistevent in India.

Talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey is

coming to India next week and has

expressed desire to meet Bollywood

couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya

Rai, whom she hosted on her popular talk

show, and the junior B has confirmed the

news.

"Oprah is coming here to shoot a docu-

mentary and she has expressed a desire to

meet," the 35-year-old actor said here at the

Filmfare Awards press conference.

Aishwarya made her maiden appearance

on the "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2005,

the year in which she featured in an Indo-

British production venture "Mistress Of

Spices". In 2009, she was invited with her

spouse Abhishek to the show and in the

same year Ash featured in "The Pink

Panther 2".

Abhishek is looking forward to meeting

Winfrey. "She is always very respectful and

very loving towards both of us and it'll be

wonderful to meet her," said Abhishek

whose latest flick "Players" received mixed

reviews at the box office.

Buzz is that the Bachchan clan is plan-

ning to host a private dinner for Winfrey.

This is Winfrey's first visit to India and

she is also expected to attend the Jaipur

Literature Festival scheduled for later this

month.

The visit is largely a part of her new show

"Next Chapter", which will see Winfrey

travelling around the world and interview-

ing celebrities.

Reportedly, she is planning to interview

Indian spiritual guru Deepak Chopra for

her new show.

Abhi-Ash to meet Oprah Winfrey in India

Buzz is that the Bachchan clan is planningto host a private dinner for Oprah Winfreywhen she visits India.

Jackson unreleasedlyrics up for sale

Late pop legend Michael Jackson's unreleased

lyrics has been put up for auction. Singer's

dermatologist Arnold Klein, is selling the

eight-and-a-half line handwritten lyrics after being

declared bankrupt.

"It looks like it is written in poetic format. There

are eight-and-a-half lines and they feel like lyrics.

We could not find it in any of his published music

so maybe it was a work in progress or is a song that

has not yet been released, femalefirst.co.uk quoted

Catherine Williamson an auctioneer from

Bonhams, who is expecting offers from 3,000

pounds to 5,000 pounds.

"These lyrics are pretty intriguing and we will

expect they will attract a lot of attention,"

Williamson added. The verse reads as "Across the

sea of time, we shall meet on endless shores, count-

ing our blessings of love's eternity."

The auction is set to take place in Los Angeles

Jan 23.Late pop legend Michael Jackson.

Bipasha Basu is comfort-

able with her sexuality

and doesn't mind getting

steamy on screen if the scene

demands. Here's a look at her

boldest B-Town moments.

Bipasha Basu's crazy birthday

party is out there on the internet

for all to see. But the leaked

video has left the actress miffed

as she feels her privacy has been

invaded.

"I'm still in shock that my pri-

vacy has been invaded! These

were private moments from my

birthday that were leaked

The actor turned 33 and true to

her latest song Ho Gayi Tunn

from her new release, Players,

Bipasha seemed to be high in

the video.

She can be seen dancing

around with celebrity friends

like Milind Soman, Aftab

Shivdasani, Sikander Kher and

Abhay Deol, amid a lot of

drinks and cheers.

She even cut a quirky cake,

with special candles on it, and

looked fabulous in a nude-

coloured gown. She can even be

seen dancing in the washroom

with a couple of girls, and later

grooving on the dance floor with

Sikander.

No wonder Bipasha is so

upset. "Just because we are

actors doesn't mean we are not

entitled to our privacy! These

troublemakers should just get

more productive with their

time!" Bips wrote on her Twitter

account.

“I'm still in shock tht my pri-

vacy hs been invaded! These

were pvt moments frm my bday

tht were leaked n m very upset!”

She went on to add.

Bipasha Basu dancing during her B'day party.

Ultimate Bollywood 27

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

Filmmaker

M a d h u r

Bhndarkar

asserts that

K a r e e n a

Kapoor's per-

formance in his

latest project

Heroine is not

only fabulous, it

will also be a

shocker for her

fans.

"Her character

Mahi Arora is

very contempo-

rary, very edgy,

very hard-hitting

and very real

like my other

cinema.

Kareena will

definitely be a

shock element to

the people

because of the

way she has

worked in the

film," the 43-year-old producer-

director said here at the launch of

photographer Dabboo Ratnani's

calendar.

"I am looking at the film

because I know the story, I know

the screenplay, I know the dia-

logues. She will be fabulous," he

added.

Known for his films like

Chandni Bar, Satta, Page 3,

Traffic Signal and Fashion,

Bhandarkar believes Heroine will

be a milestone in Kareena's

career.

"Heroine is 25% over. The next

schedule is in February, March

and April and the picture will

release in September.

The way you people are waiting

for the film, so am I. I hope it fin-

ishes really soon," he said.

The director found himself in a

tight spot when Aishwarya Rai,

the original choice for the film,

decided to quit the project due to

her pregnancy.

Kareena is also expected to tie

the knot with Saif Ali Khan early

this year and the actress may

wrap the film up before that.

'Heroine' Kareenawill shock you:

Bhandarkar

Kareena Kapoor.

Filmmakers Abbas-Mustan, known for

making fast-paced action thrillers,

are set to entertain their fans with

another lean and mean heist flick,

"Players", that releases Friday.

Co-produced by Viacom 18 and Abbas-

Mustan, the film is the official remake of

Hollywood movie "Italian Job" and stars

Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor,

Bipasha Basu, Bobby Deol, Neil Nitin

Mukesh, Sikander Kher and Omi Vaidya in

prominent roles.

Abhishek plays Charlie Mascarenhas, a

chartered accounted by day and a master

thief in the night. He's got razor sharp intel-

ligence, is an expert in conning people and

loves to call himself an artist.

Naina (Sonam) is an expert in ethical

hacking. A beautiful girl who did every-

thing right in her academic life but for per-

sonal reasons decides to be a part of the

heist.

Riya (Bipasha) is known to charm her

way into the hearts of rich and famous men

and later into their safety vaults. She has

been Charlie's longstanding partner-in-

crime and is also an automobile expert.

Ronnie (Bobby) has no experience in the

game of conning people, but is a master of

illusions. He was one of the most popular

illutionists in the country, but abruptly

switched tracks at the peak of his career.

Bilal (Sikander), having worked in the

secret services, has strong contacts all over

the world and is fluent in several languages.

He also has had a thing for home-made

bombs.

Spider (Neil), a quintessential computer

geek and a master hacker, has robbed mil-

lions from banks all over the world. Sunny

Mehra (Omi) is an aspiring Bollywood star,

but when rejected by all the producers, he

goes on to become a face-changing expert -

- a prosthetics expert.

All of them come together and plan to

pull off the heist of their lives by creating

the largest traffic jam ever.

"People love the commotion in such

films. The way actors escape through tun-

nels and drainage pipes makes the film

interesting. The double crossing, scheming

and plotting are something that keeps peo-

ple glued to the screens," said Abbas-

Mustan.

The makers started shooting in Goa and

then embarked on a journey to places like

Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand,

Siberia and St Petersburg in Russia, as well

as the North Pole to make the backdrop as

thrilling as possible.

"Shooting in foreign locations isn't new,

but we chose locations that are different

from the rest. We even shot a part of the

film at the North Pole. It has been the best

experience for us. We knew we couldn't go

in the winter as it is dark all day," said

Abbas-Mustan.

Neil was left battered and bruised while

doing stunts in the film. Sonam is getting

rave reviews for her cool and glamorous

look in the film. "Players" found itself in

trouble after the censor board raised objec-

tions over her middle finger act in the film.

"Players" is the first big release of 2012

and many hope it will ring in profits in the

new year.

Lean, mean heist flick

Bhopal's teenager playsHrithik's sister in 'Agneepath'

Kanika Tiwari, a 15-year-

old girl from the City of

Lakes, got a life-time

opportunity when she was select-

ed to play Bollywood star Hrithik

Roshan's younger sister in the

forthcoming film "Agneepath".

Kanika, who studies in Class 11

in the Sharda Vidya Mandir in

Bhopal, was selected after the

audition of 6,500 girls.

"Agneepath", a remake of

Amitabh Bachchan starrer 1990

movie of the same name, is sched-

uled for a Jan 26 release.

"I used to take part in the cultur-

al activities in school. I participat-

ed in a few dramas also. My

grooming teacher Ravindra

Mathur told me to take part in the

audition of Dharma Production,

which was searching for a young

girl for Hrithik Roshan's younger

sister role," said Kanika.

She has almost an hour-long

role in the movie and she will

share screen space with Hrithik,

Priyanka Chopra, Rishi Kapoor

and Zarina Wahab.

Excited Kanika said: "Zarina

Wahab is my mother and Rishi

Kapoor is the one who kidnaps me

in the movie."

The only connection Kanika has

with showbiz is her cousin, televi-

sion actress Divyaka Tripathi of

"Bano Mein Teri Dulhan" fame.

A poster of Hritik's new film 'Agneepath.'

Katie Holmes goes toplessfor jewelery ad

Katie Holmes has gone

topless in the latest ad

campaign for jew-

ellery brand, H. Stern.

In the sexy new commercial

Holmes looks seductively into

the camera as her long brown

hair blows out around her as

she showcases a pretty neck-

lace, the Daily Mail reported.

In another shot, mother-of-

one is seen writhing around in

the sand, advertising a pretty

chain bracelet.

Kat ie , who is marr ied to

Mission: Impossible star Tom

Cruise, is also seen displaying

her stunning figure in a sexy

black one-piece, going for the

wet look with her hair slicked

back to show off her model-

like bone structure.

While the advertisement,

33-year-old’s third campaign

for H. Stern, are currently

only running in Israel, they

are set to hit America this

autumn.Katie Holmes.

REVIEW

For the last nine years or so,

I’ve been a stay-at-home dad,

but I prefer to call myself a

write-at-home dad. That’s because I

spend a lot of time writing. I mostly

write emails to my wife with ques-

tions such as: “Why isn’t the baby

drinking from the bottle? Doesn’t

she like Coke?” and “Is it okay if

the baby watches Law & Order with

me? She seems to like it.”

Actually, I don’t ask many ques-

tions these days. That’s partly

because my three kids aren’t babies

anymore -– the youngest is 5 –- and

partly because I’ve become an

expert at being a stay-at-home dad.

If this were a real job, I would have

been promoted by now. I’d be the

Director of Domestic Affairs or the

CEO of Home Management.

Being an expert at this job does

not mean doing everything well. It

means making a list of everything

that needs to be done and figuring

out a way to get the kids to do it.

My youngest child, Rahul, often

helps me load the washing machine.

My oldest child, Lekha, often helps

me sort the socks and underwear.

My middle child, Divya, doesn’t

help much, but at least she doesn’t

leave her dirty clothes lying around

on the floor like a few other mem-

bers of this household, who appar-

ently believe that Dad has nothing

better to do than pick up after them.

I do have something better to do:

watch Law & Order.

Yes, being a stay-at-home dad

isn’t easy, even when you’re an

expert. There’s so much to do at

home -- cooking, washing, sweep-

ing –- and it’s hard to get it all done

during the commercial breaks. I

don’t know how the stay-at-home

moms do it –- I just don’t.

Thankfully, I don’t do most of the

cooking –- my wife does. It’s her

main responsibility when she

returns from work, aside from

spending time with the kids and ask-

ing me why the house is such a

mess.

Most of the cleaning falls on my

shoulders –- and then I flick it onto

the kids’ shoulders. At least I try to.

When I turn on the vacuum cleaner,

my son gets excited and I can usual-

ly con him into doing some of the

vacuuming. He loves to watch

things get sucked up. This arrange-

ment has worked rather well, espe-

cially since my wife hasn’t counted

our children recently.

The biggest challenge for a stay-

at-home dad, I’ve come to realize, is

dealing with society’s expectations.

Dads are not supposed to stay at

home. We’re supposed to go out and

make money. And if we can’t make

money, we’re supposed to go out

anyway –- go out and play golf, go

out and watch a movie, go out and

do yoga under a tree.

A woman can call herself a house-

wife and no one will bat an eyelid.

But you should see the looks I get

when I call myself a houseband.

“Stay-at-home dad” is more accept-

able, of course, but even then, the

first question you’ll get is “Are you

looking for a job?” Trust me, I

know. I’ve heard that question hun-

dreds of times –- and not always

from my mother.

It’s going to take another century,

perhaps, for society to completely

embrace the idea of a father staying

at home, looking after his kids. After

all, the custom of fathers working

outside the home goes back thou-

sands of years. Just imagine a cave-

man saying to his wife: “You go kill

mammoth. I stay in cave, look after

baby.” What do you think would

have happened to him? Yes, he

would have received a threat: “You

no kill mammoth, you no get my

mud pudding tonight.”

Caveman: “Me no need your nasty

pudding.”

Wife: “You no kill mammoth, you

no get my fire-roasted worms

tonight.”

Caveman: “Me no need your nasty

worms.”

Wife: “You no kill mammoth, you

no pudding your little worm any-

where near me tonight.”

Caveman (grabs spear): “How

many mammoths you want me kill?

One or two?”

28 Humor

The challenge of being a stay-at-home dad

Tech Life

Humor with Melvin Durai

by Mahendra ShahMahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession,

artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recordingthe plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons.

Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Toronto: Angry Birds and Facebook were the most

downloaded iPhone apps of 2011, according to

Apple, but some less predictable apps also made

their lists.

Craig Palli, a vice president at Fiksu, a marketing

company for app developers, explained that this

year's top apps incorporate three main trends: the

ability to connect with friends, discovery and

games that let users past the time and pick up where

they left off.

The top app in the social networking category

was Facebook. But Palli said the trend of connect-

ing with friends extends further.

"It also encompasses Skype, all the free texting

apps and even Bump. These are all apps that lend

themselves to enriching our lives through an easier

and greater amount of communication and connec-

tions with friends," Palli explained.

In the music category, Pandora, which generates

personalized radio stations for its users based on

their music preferences, was the top app.

TuneIn Radio Pro, which provides access to over

50,000 local and global stations, was another popu-

lar music app. In the games category, Words with

Friends, a multi-player game, and Angry Birds

were the most downloaded apps. Games captured

nine of the top ten spots on the paid apps list.

He added that phones are beginning to replace

cameras, which explains the success of apps in the

photo and video category.

Groupon, the daily deal service, and Pimp Your

Screen, which lets users customize their device

with backgrounds and other visual features, were

the top apps in the lifestyle category.

Netflix, the video streaming service, was the top

app in the entertainment category, along with

FatBooth, which lets users visualize how they

might look with a few extra pounds.

Las Vegas: As sleek new smartphones

prepared to make splashes at the

Consumer Electronics Show, a Californian

firm was out to prevent water from being

the death of them.

Liquipel was showing off a clear coating

a thousand times thinner than a human

hair that shields smartphones outside and

inside from damaging effects of water.

"Water will just run through the machine,"

Liquipel president Danny McPhail said as he casu-

ally tossed an iPhone into a tub of water and

watched it sink. "It actually beads right on top of

the circuit board and rolls off."

He plucked the unscathed iPhone

from the tub and shook the water

from the gadget, which continued

to work.

About six weeks ago, the

Southern California company

launched the first public service

that let smartphone owners send gadgets in to be

coated using the nano-technology.

Liquipel came to CES to close deals with major

electronics makers to have protective coating pre-

applied to new smartphones.

Facebook, Angry Birds most downloaded apps in 2011

See what makes your smartphone waterproof

January14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Aries: This week you should cut down your

expenses to ease financial constraints.

Moneymaking ventures will not be as good as they

appear. You are likely to be bothered with too

much work and too many family obligations and it

will cause mental stress. Try to relax as much as

possible and go after recreation and entertainment.

Travelling will promote new romance and addi-

tional knowledge.

Taurus: This is a good week for making

important decisions. You should work

towards completing your projects and remember

to take into confidence all those who are involved

with you. You will be able to get along well with

your colleagues. The best way to keep yourself

happy and relaxed will be to get involved in new

hobbies. Opportunities for new and exciting rela-

tionship will be yours if you go out and socialize.

Be very careful about what you say in public.

Gemini: This week financially you will be

on a better footing. Investments in stock

may not bring in desired results, but real estate

matters look promising and can bring you hand-

some gains. Friends will seek your support and

someone will even share a secret with you, make

sure you keep it to yourself. Efficiency will be

more important than creativity and try not to let

any underlying discord ruin your mental peace.

Travel will be important for strengthening ties.

Cancer: Friends and near ones will pro-

vide financial support. However, you may

be a bit reluctant and hesitant to accept it. This is

the period of compensation and rewards and you

will be appreciated for the good deeds you have

done in the past. If you go out shopping, you will

find it extremely difficult to control yourself from

overspending. Driving too fast and getting

involved in gossip will put you into trouble with

elders in the family.

Leo: Sudden speculative gains during this

week may not be ruled out. Expenditures

on the renovation or beautification of the house or

on the other domestic requirements are likely to

rise. This is a good period to work on creative hob-

bies and to purchase mart items that will grow in

value. Professionally your hard work will pay off,

and you will be appreciated for your efforts, but

try to keep your professional life completely sepa-

rate from your personal one.

Virgo: Although it will be a hectic and tir-

ing week yet you will be extremely

pleased with your achievements. Fresh business

deals will bring in good financial gains.

Emotionally things might be disturbing and some-

one close to your heart will disappoint you

immensely, but you should follow your conscience

and behave exactly the way you normally do. Your

friends and coworkers will be grateful to you for

the help that you extend to them. You will be gen-

erous and enjoy the pleasure of giving.

Libra: Take time off to have fun with fam-

ily members.

You need to remember that life is short and you

should enjoy each and every moment of it. You

will make some new friends if you go out and

socialize. You will have good opportunities to

make major changes that will swing you in a posi-

tion of leadership. Your unique and original ideas

will be appreciated. Financial gains are certain, but

speculation should be completely avoided.

Scorpio: This week you will buy luxurious

and exorbitantly expensive items for the

spouse or beloved to attract more love and affec-

tion. Your income will increase, but so will your

expenses. Investments put in the past will fetch

returns. Past differences with colleagues if any

will get sorted out. By doing what makes you

happy, you will attract the right crowd. Everything

that happens around you will bring you lot of fun.

Opportunity for a new romance seems likely for

those unattached.

Sagittarius: This is a mixed period of

gains and losses. On one side financially

things will improve and on the other side some

unexpected development on the work front may

disturb your mental peace. Sudden romantic

encounter will set your head spinning, but you

should make sure that this doesn’t distract you

from your responsibilities. You will be in the

mood to overspend, however if you don’t control

yourself you could have a severe financial con-

straint in the coming days.

Capricorn: Funds may flow in through

various sources to ease out your financial

constraints. You may spend lavishly on your

friends as well as your family members.

Concentrate on your pending work. Someone with

big plans and ideas will capture your attention but

you should not make any financial commitments

until you are sure you can keep to it. Business

dealing with relatives or friends will definitely not

be in your interest. You will enjoy the time you

spend with children.

Aquarius: This week don’t force your

opinion on others. Lectures and meeting

that you attend will help you in building important

professional contacts. Money gains from unex-

pected sources likely to boost up your spirits.

Ignoring your spouse will only bring tensed

moments at home. Avoid any arguments or con-

frontation. Travel and communication will be

important but will not go as smoothly as expected.

Focus your attention on domestic issues and look

after the needs of others.

Pisces: This week you should use your

extra energy to finish pending jobs.

Prevailing projects and plans will carry on in a

smooth pace. Children may cause some dissatis-

faction as they get distracted from their responsi-

bilities.

Be careful of your belongings while travelling.

Foreign transactions expected to yield good

returns. It would be better to control over your

expenses and plan out the budget according to

your sources and means. Spiritual gains for some

will bring solace and mental peace.

January 14

Ruled by number 5 and the planet Mercury, you are active, intelligent, sen-

sible, systematic and highly courageous person. You are a great admirer

of music and literature, but you need to curb your tendency to behave

moody, spendthrift and careless at times. This year you would be more in-

clined to work than usual. Improving your earnings would be your primary

concern. Promising and long lasting contacts would build through social

get-togethers and traveling. Your beloved would provide you with love

and affection. He/She would be so devoted to you that you may take this

person for granted. Pilgrimage or overseas journey for some. The months

of February, May, September and November would prove to be highly sig-

nificant. Grilled by number 5 and planet Mercury, you are dynamic, well-

informed, reasonable, passionate and extremely audacious personality.

You thoroughly understand the esoteric nature of music and art but should

erase the word like gloomy, extravagant and cavalier from your vocabu-

lary. Now you will act as policymaker for the organization. You try to

bamboozle to make huge profits out of the deal. You start from scratch and

sustain the relation till the end. You are out going fellow. Your better half

will the most closest to you and act as energy provide to you. Their utmost

concern might low down their image in front of you. Visit to different vil-

lages and cities for finding the deity is o the anvil. February, May, Sep-

tember and November will be fruitful.

January 15

Ruled by number 6 and the planet Venus, you are energetic, smart, attrac-

tive, accommodating, diplomatic & highly practical person. Your great as-

sets are your charming personality and confidence, but you need to check

your tendency to behave too outspoken and restless at times. This is the

perfect time to put in maximum efforts to reap long-term rewards. Your

family members will be supportive and assist you in making important de-

cisions. Pending jobs and projects will get completed to your satisfaction.

Your health will be normal but health of a family member may become

reason for stress and anxiety. A distant journey preferably overseas brings

financial benefits and opportunity to meet eminent and influential people.

The month of January, April and October will prove to be eventful. You

have special intelligence and resplendent features which makes you killing

and captivating in nature. Despite being adjusting, political and pragmat-

ic fellow you also possess some human enemies like restive and straight-

from-the-shoulder attitude which needs to be alter. You always found to

implement your growing plans with the mindset of having several facets.

You well connected with your blood relatives who always stand by you.

Delayed jobs will be back on track by breaking the cordon. In holistic

view health concern might be there not of you but of someone close to

you. Your mania percolates down to grassroots and energizes the interna-

tional decrepit associations. January, April and October will be advanta-

geous time. Number 6 and planet Uranus will make you to take advantage

of the situation.

January 16

Influenced by number 7 and the planet Neptune, you are trustworthy, af-

fectionate, creative, sensitive and an emotional individual. You are a per-

son who always wears a million-dollar smile on your face, which makes

it very easy for you to make friends and win favours. You are smart and

talented, but you need to control your tendency to behave stubborn, arro-

gant and extravagant at times. You will find many good investment op-

portunities this year, so be highly judicious in making your decisions.

Dont share your ideas and plans with people you cant trust. Businessmen

will expand into new and more profitable ventures. Especially rewarding

period for journalist, doctors and marketing professionals. Spouse and

children will be supportive, but require your additional attention. Health

of a near one, possibly a young infant may bring stress and tension. Wed-

ding bells for those eligible. The months of February, April and Septem-

ber will prove to be significant. Number 7 and planet Neptune will chan-

nelize your way. You are true, lovable, artistic, emotional and delicate per-

sonality. You manage to garner everyone’s applauds because of your

miraculous grinning that you possess all the time irrespective of the situ-

ation. Also you are fresh chic with witted mindset but you should smash

your adamant, arbitrary and profligate nature. Many new unheard and in-

credible deals will find your way so be vigilant to track them before oth-

ers which are anticipated to be record breaking monetary gains ventures.

Be aware of the term plagiarism as you might fall into its pit. Rejoicing,

thriving and amplifying period for entrepreneur. Media, professional and

marketing personnel will excel and reach to newer heights. Spearhead

your family in systematic way which are the end source of your contend-

ing life. Take good care of small babies if any in family. February, April

and September will be tremendous time for you.

January 17

Influenced by number 8 and the planet Saturn. You are smart, practical,

honest, disciplined, methodical and authoritative person. You are helpful

and sincere to your friends and enjoy enormous respect in your group, but

you need to check your tendency to behave rigid, extravagant and jealous

at times. This year you should concentrate on your priorities and your ef-

forts will definitely bring desired results. Past investments will fetch re-

turns and long pending property disputes will settle amicably. Unexpect-

ed gifts and presents from near ones and friends will keep you in high spir-

its. New plans and ventures will start on a positive note. Family front will

be pleasant as children and spouse will provide you with love and affec-

tion. Health seems fine but even then, it is recommended that you avoid

overeating and alcohol. The months of February, June and August will

prove to be highly important. Number 8 and planet Saturn will provide

lifetime experience to you besides making you a saucy, pragmatic, loyal,

decent, systematic and dominating soul. You are honored by your loved

ones as you always tend to increase their self-worth and confidence level.

Moderate your way like acting stiff, spendthrift and envious at times. You

are an integral part of your organization so you should know the impor-

tance of task beforehand to do remarkable job on time. Furnishing time

for your bank balance and any arguments with anybody to what extent it

may be will settle down seamlessly. You will be amazed by some surpris-

es from loved ones. Acquaintance with new technologies will help you to

start your own business. Abuzz by the unending cooperation of your per-

sonal people. Elude bad habits and live life disease free to the fullest. Feb-

ruary, June and August will be favorable for you.

January 18

Ruled by number 9 and the planet Mars. You are intelligent, energetic,

confident, enthusiastic and courageous person. You make firm decisions

and once you have taken a decision it lasts forever. You are strong and

highly diplomatic person, but you need to check your tendency to behave

short tempered and vindictive at times. This year you will make major

gains if you associate with creative people. Your performance will be at

its best and you will easily impress your seniors with your dedication and

ability to handle jobs, which require immense responsibilities. Property

transaction, or construction, or renovation will be high on your agenda.

Moments at home will not be all that pleasant. You will suffer due to the

very unpredictable behaviour of your spouse. Spiritual gains provide sol-

ace and comfort. A journey abroad is also on the cards for some of you.

The months January, April, July and November will remain significant.

Energized by number 9 and planet Mars, you are witted, industrious, pos-

itive, excited and dauntless lad. You have great vision combined with high

efficiency which helps you to take plausible decisions which last forever.

Your political attitude and bold attempts will help you to increase the size

of your pocket but need to bar your revengeful and impulsive nature. This

time you will develop strong nexus with some innovative people. Your

popularity is on the rise and there is no substitute for you and everybody

know this within the system so they can’t afford to lose you. Buying and

selling of immovable items will cater required thrust to your growing busi-

ness. A dismal ambience at abode might strain you. Lack of interest of bet-

ter half might put you in pitiable circumstances. Inner silence and im-

mortal nature by paying special obeisance to the deity. January, April, July

and November will be accomplishing period.

January 19

Influenced by number 1 and the Sun, you are authoritative, confident, de-

termined, responsible and creative person. Your are very attracted to your

father who is generally your inspiration and best friend. You are highly de-

cent and well mannered, but you need to curb your tendency to behave

careless and spendthrift at times. This year your energy will be high and

you will feel strong enough to face any challenge. Middle of the year

seems exceptionally good for those who are looking for a change in their

career, as they will receive an excellent job offer. Frequent and fruitful

journeys will be undertaken. You will also improve your relationship with

important people during this period. Children will win laurels at school

and over achieve the expectations of their parents. Family members will

gather around you providing you with love and affection. The months of

April, July and December will be highly eventful. Your father is your role

model whom footprints you always try to follow and create benchmark for

upcoming generation.

A well disciplined and sincere lad who should give second though before

behaving cavalier and prodigal in nature. There is not any unacceptable

stance for you as you are mentally and logically very stable. Another ver-

sion of your job is calling you with added advantage and hike in salary

package. Travelling suits you a lot with increase in your overall well be-

ing, so do not avoid any chances. This time you will show more flexibili-

ty towards your enemies or loved ones who carries grudges for you and

tries to patch up with them. A thriving period for students as they will sur-

pass everybody’s expectations. A cordial relation in family continues to

flourish. April, July and December will be full of events. Number 1 and

the Sun will take you to the newer heights of excellence.

January 20

Ruled by number 2 and the Moon, you are highly imaginative, practical,

emotional, honest, simple and generous person. You have a very sharp

mind, an exceptionally good grasping power and you believe that its nev-

er to late to learn. You have a pleasing personality and manners, but you

need to check your tendency to behave extravagant and moody at times.

This year new plans and projects will be alluring but instant gains might

not be possible. Great period for consultants and brokers. Investment is

definitely recommended but sudden losses due to thoughtless decisions

cannot be ruled out. New romance for some as others get involved in a

matrimonial wedlock. Distant pilgrimage is certain later in the year. Dont

be too friendly with strangers and avoid disclosing your plans, as chances

of deceit are very strong. Be extra careful while lending money and take

extra care of your jewelry, precious gifts and items. The months of March,

June, August and November will be important. Number 2 provides spec-

ulative, pragmatic and sensitive approach while the moon will imbibe

feeling of simplicity, loyalty and kindness in you. These both are the two

basic foundation of your life. You always gives your best throughout your

life whatever work you undertake irrespective of the age factor. You al-

ways maintain decorum and decency in all your attempts. But beware of

threatening and profligate approach. Your fate will be on full height to

make big money for you but slowly and steadily. Traders and service ori-

ented people will grow remarkably. Do not trifle with any risk taking deal

or instead avoid it which might block your money rather spend in trans-

parent assignments.

A widespread notion in your family regarding your marriage is strong, so

be ready. At the end of the year a quest for sacred deity is predictable. Do

not brush your stand before everyone as you might get plagiarized by

someone. Be cautious towards your hard earned money. March, June, au-

gust and November will be best time for you.

Astrology 29

TheSouthAsianTimes.info January 14-20, 2012

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

Stars Foretell: January 14-20, 2012 Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

i) Accurate Data: Please make sure Date,

Time and Place of birth is accurate.

ii) Careful: Did you check background of the

astrologer before disclosing your secrets.

iii) Fee: Discuss the charges before, don’t feel

shy. It’s his business.

iv) Expectation: Expect the best, if the out-

come is not as desired, never give up.

v) Consult: Take second opinion before

spending thousands on cure/remedies.

Learn about the fair value ofdiamonds & precious stones.

from a Gems Expert For appointment, please call 516-390-7847

or email consult.gems@gmail.comA special offer for the readers of

The South Asian Times

Before you consult...

Free Consultation

30 Spiritual Awareness

January 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Perseverance

The life story of gold medal

winners at times reveals they had

uphill battles against many obsta-

cles. They may have suffered

physical pain, emotional pain fac-

ing criticism of others, or finan-

cial setbacks.

Many gold medal winners suf-

fered falls with resulting broken

bones or torn muscles. Did that

stop them? No, they were back in

action as soon as possible. We

have seen people win gold

medals with colds, flu, and

fevers. Some competed with their

legs or arms wrapped up because

they had not completely healed.

Tiger Woods won a major golf

tournament playing with a broken

foot! These great athletes rise

above their physical challenges

and compete despite their pain.

Many athletes faced criticism

and ridicule from others who may

have said, "You must be crazy!

What makes you think you can

win a gold medal in the

Olympics?" Family and friends

may have tried to dissuade the

athlete from competing by put-

ting them down or saying they do

not have the right stuff. Gold

medal winners have worked

through the criticism of others

because they stayed focused

despite outer challenges.

Many other obstacles can deter

an athlete. Some face financial

challenges. It costs money to

have a coach, to practice, to get

the right equipment, and to pay

membership in certain sports

training facilities. Over many

years, these costs become daunt-

ing. The parents of one gold

medal winner had to mortgage

their house several times to pay

the fees for their child to practice.

Where there is a will, there is a

way for winners.

Unaffected by Failure

Many athletes have a defeatist

attitude. If they cannot do it well

the first time around, they give

up. The first time someone loses

a race they take it as a sign that

they do not have a chance. What

sets an Olympic gold medal win-

ner apart is that they learn from

their failures. If they do not win

the first time, they try again.

They take that as an incentive to

try even harder.

The winners will look at video-

tapes of their performance to spot

their errors and fix them. If they

fall, they get back up on their feet

and try again. They do not let

failure stop them. They take it as

a challenge to overcome and keep

going.

Olympians who were runners-

up or who only made silver or

bronze may return four years

later to try again for the gold.

Sometimes they get it on their

second or third try. They do not

let failure sidetrack them from

their goal.

Full Concentration and Focus

Watch any gold medal winner

perform and one finds an almost

superhuman ability to concen-

trate and focus. Before they per-

form, they are mentally focused.

They mentally rehearse the

movements they must do. They

are focused within themselves on

what they must do. They visual-

ize the task they are going to per-

form over and over to set their

mind in gear. They do not let any-

one distract them. When they per-

form, they have one hundred per-

cent attention on what they are

supposed to do.

When one watches those who

make mistakes in gymnastics, in

diving, or in any routine, one may

at times see a moment of distrac-

tion set in. They lost focus. Those

who win are those who are able

to maintain full concentration for

the entire duration of their per-

formance. This is one of the keys

to going from good to great.

If we look at the qualities men-

tioned above in the field of

sports, we will find they also

apply to spirituality. We can look

at the life of Sant Kirpal Singh Ji

Maharaj who left this earth in

1974. He started his mission in

1948, after Hazur Baba Sawan

Singh Ji commissioned him to

carry on the spiritual work of ini-

tiation into the Light and Sound

for sincere seekers after truth. He

continued his mission until his

passing away in 1974. Sant

Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj helped

spread the teachings of Sant Mat

outside the borders of the East to

reach the entire world. He was

the first Master of Sant Mat to

undertake world tours to North

America, South America, and

Europe. He published over twen-

ty books in English which were

translated into many other lan-

guages. He made the teachings

accessible to a Western audience

who had a scientific bent of

mind.

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj

as a Model of These Qualities

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj

exemplified qualities that make a

gold medal winner. His achieve-

ment was the Olympics of

Meditation and Spirituality. He

attained the goal that every per-

son who meditates is trying to

attain—union of the soul with

God. His life exemplified all the

qualities an Olympic gold medal-

ist needs to win the gold. If we

examine his life from this angle,

it gives a blueprint of what we

need to do to also achieve the

same goal.

In the physical Olympics there

can only be one gold medalist,

but in the field of meditation and

spirituality each of us can win the

gold medal. Winning the gold

medal means meditating on the

inner Light and Sound, rising

above physical body-conscious-

ness, soaring on the current of

Light and Sound through all the

higher realms and reaching the

abode of God, Sach Khand,

where our soul merges with the

Creator and becomes one with

God. It is not restricted to an

Olympics every four years—we

can participate in this Olympic all

24/7 and can attain it at anytime.

The questions are: Why wait?

Why not start now and complete

the course now?

We have observed each of the

traits of a gold medal winner in

the life of Sant Kirpal Singh Ji

Maharaj.

100% Focus on the Goal

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj

had one hundred percent focus on

his chosen goal. When he had

matriculated from high school he

took seven days to decide what

he wanted to do in life. He had

interests in being a doctor and

having a huge library. But he ulti-

mately came to the decision,

"God first and the world next."

Once he took that decision he

never looked back. He did attend

to his duties in life as he had a

successful career and raised a

family. But his mind, heart, and

soul were all focused on achiev-

ing God-realization. He never

swerved from that goal and stuck

with it until he attained union of

his soul with God.

A Ruling Passion and Drive to

Achieve His Goal

From the moment the question

about solving the mystery of life

and death entered his being, Sant

Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj had a

ceaseless ruling passion and drive

to achieve that goal. When he

was a youth, he observed at a cre-

mation ground that the body of a

young person and an old person

had both passed away. He pon-

dered over what was that element

within a person that made that

person alive and then left when

the person died. He began seek-

ing answers by studying books

and visiting those who could

answer these questions. He had a

continual prayer to meet a perfect

Master who could lead him to the

Truth. In fact, when he had com-

passionately nursed his own

father back to health after a seri-

ous illness, his father told him to

ask for anything he wanted. Sant

Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj said that

all he wanted was to find some-

one who could show him the way

back to God. When Sant Kirpal

Singh Ji Maharaj began seeing

the inner radiant form of a Master

in 1917, he took the form to be

that of Guru Nanak. That form

continued appearing to him with-

in until finally in 1924 he came in

contact with Hazur Baba Sawan

Singh Ji Maharaj and realized

that this was the form he had

been seeing within all along. He

thought it was due to the boon

granted by his father that he was

able to meet the Master who

could show him the way back to

God.

Once he took initiation from

Hazur, Sant Kirpal Singh Ji

Maharaj fully committed to fol-

low the teachings to the letter.

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj

often exhorted his disciples, say-

ing, "If you love me, keep my

commandments." Why? The rea-

son was that this was the attitude

he had when he followed the

teachings of his own Master. He

obeyed Hazur implicitly with full

passion and zeal which was

another gold medal trait that

helped him achieve union of his

soul with God in his lifetime.

Time Commitment to

Meditation and Spirituality

When we observe the life of

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji we find that

he made a time commitment to

meditation and spirituality far

beyond that made by many oth-

ers, This was a key component in

his success in finding God.

When he asked Hazur about

how much time he should put in

for meditation, Hazur told him to

mediate six to eight hours a day.

This was the schedule he was told

to keep even while holding a full-

time job and having a wife and

children to support. He also put

in time for selfless service, help-

ing the sick and needy at their

homes or in hospitals. It is hard to

believe as we try to meditate even

two and a half hours a day, as a

minimum, in our own lives, while

working fulltime and raising our

own family, what an amazing feat

this was. He made the commit-

ment and stuck to it no matter

what.

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji often told

the story of a wrestler who would

go out every night in the cold

weather to practice. It was this

nightly practice that made the

wrestler successful. Similarly,

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj

would sometimes meditate on the

banks of a river to help him stay

awake.

When Sant Kirpal Singh Ji

Maharaj began his mission, he

started by spending time in

Rishikesh. He would put those

with him into meditation for six

to eight hours a day. He lived that

example in his own life and

encouraged others to do the

same. Through his time commit-

ment to meditation and spirituali-

ty he was able to achieve union

of his soul with God in his life-

time.

(To be continued..)Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj

is an internationally recognizedspiritual leader and Master ofJyoti Meditation who affirms thetranscendent oneness at the heartof all religions and mystic tradi-tions, emphasizing ethical livingand meditation as building blocksfor achieving inner and outerpeace. www.sos.org.

Winners don't let failures stop them

Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj exemplifiedqualities that make a gold medal win-

ner. His achievement was the Olympicsof Meditation and Spirituality. He

attained the goal that every person whomeditates is trying to attain—union of

the soul with God.

Part two of the discourse on ‘Olympics of meditation’

By Sant Rajinder SinghJi Maharaj

Flight takes

off on

Jan 19, 2012