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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
233 Fifth Ave, Suite 4A,
New York, NY 10016 • Real Estate (commercial & residential
closings)
• Business Law (business incorporations,
contracts)
• Corporate Transactions & Litigation
• Labor & Employment
• Administrative Law
• Immigration Law (all immigration matters)
• Collections • Landlord/Tenant Law
• Entertainment Law • Criminal Defense
Languages: Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati
and Swahili
BIKRAM SINGH, ESQ.(646) 924-1950
www.bikrasmsinghesq.com
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YOGI PATEL, ESQ.(212) 300-7364
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Law Office of Bikram Singh& The Patel Law Firm
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
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