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CONTENTS

YES 73%

Last week’s result

NO 27%

This week’s question

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Should Barry Bhangoo continuehis fight for justice?

Details on page 8

Details on page 9

Details on page 45

Details on page 44

Bollywood ---------------------- 40-41

Classifieds ------------------------- 51

Community Post -------------- 13-23

Date Book -------------------------- 50

Edit Page --------------------------- 53

HealthScience Post --------- 37-39

Horoscope ------------------------- 48

Immigration Post ------------- 45-47

India ---------------------------------- 44

Life Style ----------------------- 25-31

Philosophy ------------------------- 52

Publisherís Diary ------------------ 4

Real Estate ------------------------ 49

TechBiz Post ------------------- 42-43

Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 32-34

Indian MPs atYale leadershipprogram

Details on page 42

Details on page 13

Bhopal activistsin NY try to servewarrant on Warren

Details on page 17

Details on page 25

Details on page 14

Details on page 42

Barry Bhangoo (India born US citizen, on right) being dragged out of his car and beaten in this

video grab from CCTV installed in the GK-II market, Delhi

California-based CEO attacked in DelhiPolice trying to protect highly connected culprits

KRISHAN SHARMA & VINOD DHAWAN

India Post News Service

NEW DELHI: Beaten up nearly to death by a groupof highly-connected youths, Barry Bhangoo, CEO of aUS-based software company now visiting India, hastaken up the fight against the system in India at greatrisk to his own life and that of his family. Barry receiveda hemorrhage and a slip disc in the assault and doctorssaid it might have led to paralysis. The incident in GreaterKailash-II, a South Delhi market, has drawn the ire of

many bloggers and the support for his single-handedfight is growing.

Forty-five year old US citizen Barry runs softwarecompany Oystersoft (http://www.oystersoft.com) fromBerkeley, CA. These days he is running it from Delhi ashe is visiting his mother after his father expired a fewyears ago. Barry says his attackers from a group of 10revelers were led by Maninder Singh, owner of SirocoClub in Vasant Vihar and Jeevesh Sabharwal, owner ofShivam Estates who also has shares in 5 Star Hotels,including Radisson.

Details on page 7

INDIA INC. CREATES50,000 JOBS IN U.S.

SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY


NEW YORK: Debunking the popular perception that In-dia is taking away American jobs, a new study shows thatIndia Inc. has made $21 billion worth of acquisitions and $5.5billion worth of greenfield investment in the US creating morethan 50,000 jobs in this country in the last five years.

The report of a latest study undertaken by the India-US World Affairs Institute, in association with the RobertH. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, andthe Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Indus-

try (FICCI), released June 15in Washington D.C., showsthat during 2004-2009, 239 Indian companies made 372acquisitions in the United States. The deal value for only267 of these transactions was $21 billion, or $78.7 millionper acquisition.

During the same period, 90 Indian companies made 127greenfield investments worth $5.5 billion, and created 16,576jobs in the United States. The top three destination states forgreenfield investments were Minnesota, Virginia, and Texas,in that order. However, the top three states in terms of jobscreated were Ohio, Texas, and California.

Details on page 6

Andhra studentfound dead inTexas lake

Indian youthkilled in roadaccident

Details on page 17

Rahman hitshome with soldout concert

IT firm sues Fedsfor changingH1B policy

Kean Universitylaunches Hindi,India programs

Chicago FIAwelcomes &thanks AAHOA

Warren Anderson

‘Anderson wasassured 'safepassage' by govt’

US distributorsues Mahindra &Mahindra

NRIs investingin India in abig way

Are Andhra students moreaccident prone?

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June 25, 2010 India Post 3www.indiapost.com

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Bollywood:Hottest stuffRanbir Kapoor is the hottest stuff intown, with his natural good looks andoverflowing talent.

1Cover Story:Creating jobs

13Community:Hindi program

44India:Safe passageThe Home Ministry, under NarasimhaRao, had assured "safe passage" toUnion Carbide Chief Warren Anderson.

25Life Style:

A.R. Rahman provides a breathtakingconcert at New Jersey's famous AtlanticCity Boardwalk Hall.

42Techbiz:

Mahindra & Mahindra’s exclusiveAmerican distributor has sued the com-pany for missing two deadlines.

32Travel:KausaniAt the hill resort of Kausani the moun-tains rise so dramatically as if to reachthe heavens.

Mahindras sued

A Hindi learning and Indian culture learn-ing program was organized by Kean Uni-versity in Union, NJ.

Contrary to popular perception, India Inc.has created more than 50,000 jobs in the USapart from large investments.

Breathtaking concert

After what could only have been a haggling with the Obama administra-tion, British Petroleum has agreed to set aside a $20 billion fund tocompensate the oil spill affected people on the American gulf coast. And

that is besides the compensation the company has announced for those who lostjobs on the oil rig, the amount it would be spending to clean up the mess and thecost of capping the leak itself.

People, of course, say it is not enough. And knowingly, President Obama hassaid that those figures are not necessarily full or final while stressing that morethan anything else this was all about accountability.

So, now we know what a foreign company doing business in the US is likelyto face if it causes trouble.

Check back now to Dow Chemicals - the company that has taken over UnionCarbide, which caused the death of over 10,000 people in Bhopal when toxicgases leaked out of its plant 26 years ago and continue to cause severe healtheffects in the people of the city even today. Over 10 years after the disaster, thecompany paid some $400 odd millions to the Indian government in compensa-tion before washing its hands off any further responsibility.

For a company that is the second largest chemical manufacturer in the world- posting a revenue of $44.8 billion last year and having total assets worth $65.9billion as of the same year - its sense of accountability monetary and otherwise,towards the affected Indians, was practically zilch.

Obviously, the rules of accountability vary depending who one is answerableto, which makes me ask what has perhaps been asked by many before - Are livesof people in the Third World really cheap as compared to lives of people in theFirst World? So we all know it to be true; but what makes it really depressing isthe fact that the negligibly low value placed on those lives is by none other thanthe established systems in their own country and not necessarily by any FirstWorld entities.

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India Inc. creates 50,000 jobs in USSRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY


NEW YORK: Debunking thepopular perception that India istaking away American jobs, a newstudy shows that India Inc. hasmade $21 billion worth of acquisi-tions and $5.5 billion worth ofgreenfield investment in the UScreating more than 50,000 jobs inthis country in the last five years.

The report of a latest study un-dertaken by the India-US World Af-fairs Institute, in association withthe Robert H. Smith School of Busi-ness, University of Maryland, andthe Federation of Indian Chambersof Commerce & Industry (FICCI),released June 15in WashingtonD.C., shows that during 2004-2009,239 Indian companies made 372 ac-quisitions in the United States. Thedeal value for only 267 of thesetransactions was $21 billion, or$78.7 million per acquisition.

During the same period, 90 In-dian companies made 127greenfield investments worth $5.5billion, and created 16,576 jobs inthe United States. The top threedestination states for greenfieldinvestments were Minnesota, Vir-ginia, and Texas, in that order. How-ever, the top three states in termsof jobs created were Ohio, Texas,and California.

Of the 267 acquisitions, thestudy obtained the numbers ofjobs created/saved for only 85transactions, which came to over40,000 jobs. (The total number ofjobs created or saved by all 372transactions must be much higher).

Study authors Vinod K. Jain andKamlesh Jain state that: "Whilepopular perception has it that thecompanies of India Inc. are takingjobs away from Americans andadding little value to the USeconomy, nothing could be furtherfrom the truth. Indian companieshave been investing steadily in theU.S. for decades, and with the riseof India Inc. the magnitude andimpact of such investments haveincreased."

"This study challenges the re-ceived wisdom, the old paradigm,of international economic engage-ment between developed and de-veloping nations, using India andthe United States as a case in point.The study shows how major mul-tinationals from India are now mak-ing significant acquisitions andgreenfield investments, and creat-ing jobs, in the United States."Greenfield investments

The five US industrial sectorsthat received the most greenfieldinvestment from India were Met-als; Software & IT Services; Lei-sure & Entertainment; industrialmachinery, equipment & tools; andfinancial services, accounting for

almost 80% of total greenfield in-vestment in the United States. It isnoteworthy that the software andIT services sector received lessthan 15% of total investment, and

the bulk of investments went intomining, manufacturing, and otherindustries.

Ten Indian companies mademore than 70% of the total $5.5 bil-lion dollars of greenfield invest-ments in the United States:

- Essar Steel (Minnesota):$1,600 million

- JSW Steel (N/A): $1,000 mil-lion

- Tata Consultancy Services(California, Michigan, New York,Ohio): $273.4 million

- Welspun Group (Arkansas;Texas): $246 million

- Reliance Adlabs (Illinois): $161million

- Indage Group (Virginia): $160.5million

- HCL Group (New Jersey):$148.7 million

- Flag Telecom, Reliance (N/A):$124.1 million

- Tata Communications (Vir-ginia): $102.7 million

- PSL (Mississippi): $100 millionMergers & Acquisitions

Five states that attracted the

most M&A investments from Indiancompanies accounted for 75% oftotal deal value: Georgia, New Jer-sey, Michigan, California, and Texas.

The five leading US sectors re-ceiving M&A investments fromIndia were: Manufacturing; IT &IT Enabled Services; Biotech,Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals;Automotive; and Telecom - for atotal of 83% of total deal value. Thebulk of M&A investments by In-dia Inc. in the United States werein manufacturing and other indus-trial sectors, rather than in servicesfor which India is well known.US Exports to India

The US-India goods tradetripled during 2004-2008. For theperiod 2004-2009, US exports toIndia grew by a total of 269 per-cent, while India's exports to theUnited States grew by 136 percent.

US manufactured exports to In-dia were linked to 96,000 manufac-turing and non-manufacturing jobsin the US in 2009. Ten states (Cali-fornia, Washington, Texas, Illinois,New York, Utah, Pennsylvania,South Carolina, Florida, and Geor-gia) accounted for only 62 percentof all US jobs linked to exports toIndia in 2009, indicating that thebenefits of exporting to India are

wide spread throughout the nation.These numbers do not include

agricultural, mining, and servicesexports, which will have their ownimplications for jobs in the United

States.Entrepreneurs, Professionals

and Students from IndiaThe 2.57 million Indian Ameri-

cans contribute to the US economyand society in numerous ways.

A 2007 joint Duke University-UC Berkeley study found that In-dian immigrant entrepreneurs hadfounded more engineering andtechnology companies during1995-2005 than immigrants fromBritain, China, Japan, and Taiwancombined.

A 2007 study by the NationalVenture Capital Association(NVCA) found that India was themost common place of birth forforeign-born founders of venturecapital-backed public companies,followed by Britain, China, Iran,and France.

The list of major companieswhose founders or co-founders areof Indian heritage include Akamai(1,750 employees), Bose Corpora-tion (8,000 employees), iGate (6,910employees), Kanbay International(6,900 employees), Sun

Microsystems (29,000 employees),and Syntel (13,600 employees).Dozens of such companies in theUnited States have created tens ofthousands of jobs.

There are currently almost10,000 Indian American owners ofhotels/motels in the United States,who together own over 21,000 ho-tels with 1.8 million guest roomsand property valued at $129 billion.They employ 578,600 workers.

There are about 50,000 physi-cians (and 15,000 medical students)of Indian heritage in the UnitedStates, serving in cities, rural, andperipheral areas throughout thecountry.

Education is one of America'sfinest exports. The expenses in-curred by foreign students in theUnited States are treated as"deemed exports," with implica-tions for thousands of jobs linkedto such exports.

India has had the largest num-ber of foreign students in the UnitedStates among all countries of originfor eight years in a row. In 2008,there were 94,563 students from In-dia whose net contribution to theU.S. economy was $2.39 billion.

All in all, the study shows howAmerica benefits from economicengagement with India and withpeople of Indian origin. It has high-lighted only the financial and em-ployment benefits of such engage-ment to the United States, whichof course are the biggest issuesfacing the United States today.However, the non-financial ben-efits of engaging with India areequally significant - cultural, so-cial, regional security, and politi-cal advantages to name just a few.

The study is based on a varietyof published information, informa-tion from world-class sources suchas the Financial Times, ThompsonSDC Database, the US Departmentof Commerce, and Reserve Bankof India, among others. The au-thors conducted their own inter-views with several Indian compa-nies in the United States to furtherexplore areas of the study.

US objection to China-Pak nuke deal welcomedIndia Post News Service

NEW YORK: US India Politi-cal Action Committee(USINPAC) welcomed theObama administration's deci-sion to object to a nuclear dealbetween China and Pakistan thatwould lead to the constructionof two more nuclear reactors inChasma, Pakistan. USINPAChad earlier raised concern over

the Obama administration's delayin denouncing the China-Pakistandeal, and asked the administrationand the Congress to act againstthis attempt at nuclear prolifera-tion.

The deal would be a direct vio-lation of China's NSG and NPTobligations under which it is for-bidden to supply nuclear materi-als to a non-NPT member like Pa-kistan. The deal could severely

affect the security and stability ofSouth Asia, particularly the vola-tile Af-Pak region.

According to State Departmentspokesman Gordon DuGuid, theUS government "has reiterated tothe Chinese government that theUnited States expects Beijing tocooperate with Pakistan in waysconsistent with Chinese nonpro-liferation obligations." The deal isexpected to be discussed during

next week's NSG meeting.Sanjay Puri, Chairman of

USINPAC said, "The US objec-tion to the China-Pakistannuclear reactor deal reiterates itscommitment and leadership tothe global non-proliferation re-gime. This decision could en-sure that the China-Pakistandeal does not get a NSG ap-proval, which requires consen-sus."

‘While popular per-ception has it that thecompanies of IndiaInc. are taking jobsaway from Americansand adding little valueto the US economy,nothing could befurther from the truth.Indian companieshave been investingsteadily in the U.S. fordecades’

All in all, the studyshows how Americabenefits from eco-nomic engagementwith India and withpeople of Indian ori-gin. It has highlightedonly the financial andemployment benefitsof such engagementto the United States

The five leading USsectors receiving M&Ainvestments from Indiawere: Manufacturing; IT& IT Enabled Services;Biotech, Chemicals &Pharmaceuticals; Auto-motive; and Telecom -for a total of 83% of totaldeal value. The bulk ofinvestments India Inc. inthe United States werein manufacturing, ratherthan in services forwhich India iswell known

India PostJune 25, 2010 7

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Top Stories

California-based CEO attacked in DelhiPolice trying to protect highly connected culprits

KRISHAN SHARMA &

VINOD DHAWAN


NEW DELHI: Beaten up nearlyto death by a group of highly-con-nected youths, Barry Bhangoo,CEO of a US-based software com-pany now visiting India, has takenup the fight against the system inIndia at great risk to his own lifeand that of his family. Barry re-ceived a hemorrhage and a slip discin the assault and doctors said itmight have led to paralysis.

The incident in GreaterKailash-II, a South Delhi market,has drawn the ire of manybloggers and the support for hissingle-handed fight is growing.

Forty-five year old US citizenBarry runs software companyOystersoft (http://www.oystersoft.com) from Berke-ley, CA. These days he is runningit from Delhi as he is visiting hismother after his father expired afew years ago.

Barry says his attackers from agroup of 10 revelers were led byManinder Singh, owner of SirocoClub in Vasant Vihar and JeeveshSabharwal, owner of Shivam Es-tates who also has shares in 5 StarHotels, including Radisson.

As a software person, he him-self collected footage from CCTVcameras installed in the GreatKailash-II market and presentedto the police as evidence againstthe persons who attacked him butthe Police is dragging its feet andeven after nearly a month of theincident, it has taken no actionagainst the culprits who are highlyconnected and have been con-stantly threatening Bhangoo.

He alleged that instead the po-lice are trying to frame him in falsecases of being drunk and tryingto molest girls in the attackers'group.

In his complaint and FIRlodged with the police, Bhangoosays on the midnight of May 21,he was returning to a restaurantin GK-II market after dropping hiswife and son at home, where theyhad gone earlier in the evening tocelebrate their son's first birthday.

"I saw a group of boys andgirls, apparently drunk, steppingout of Swagat Restaurant andblocking the road. They stoppedright in front of my car, and I hadto hit the brakes quite hard. Thisstartled one of the girls in the car.''At this he apologized.

As he tried to drive away, some-one from the group flung a stoneat his window. ''One of them cameover to the car, dragged me outand hit me on the head before

flinging me headfirst to theground,'' Barry added, who re-ceived a hemorrhage and a slipdisc due to the assault.

Barry said, "I was attackedby a group of 10 people. Theirimages were caught on CCTVbut the footage is not clear. Ihave identified two of them, butthe police have not done any-thing to identify the rest."

Nearly two weeks after theassault, the police arrested oneColumbian national HenryWilfredo Senior Vega, who runsa music band and came to Delhithree months ago. He wasgranted bail after two days.

He was arrested on the ba-sis of the description providedby Barry in his complaint. Thearrest came after media reportsabout how the cops were drag-ging their feet on the incident.

The police claim that only thisone person had assaulted him, butBarry has alleged that at least twomore people were involved and hehad given their names to the po-lice, but since they are rich andinfluential, they are not beingtouched. Meanwhile, he has filedmore complaints after allegedlyreceiving threats from thesepeople.

Bhangoo said, "The arrest ofHenry is an eyewash. There weretwo more people involved in theincident. Their identity has beenestablished and I have been re-ceiving threats from these people.I have filed a complaint with thepolice but no charges have beenpressed against them. The CCTVfootage is grainy but cops shouldbe able to identify the accused."

His complaint described one ofthe attackers as stout, of mediumheight and a foreigner. He hadlifted him and thrown him on theroad. This man was identified asHenry. He has alleged the group,headed by Maninder Singh andJeevesh Sabharwal, threatened

him after the incident.Barry says he was called to

Chittaranjan Park Police Station ona couple of occasions. Barry andhis brother, who was with him,were surprised

to find that the offenders hadalso been called to the police sta-tion and all witnesses were beinginterrogated by both the policeand the offenders' group. "Wewere very surprised by this pro-cedure of making every witnessface the person against who theywere testifying. It seems to me thatit can easily lead to intimidationof the witnesses. To me it wouldseem a fair investigation is whenthe police questions both the

alleger, the defender, independentneutral witnesses reports their in-vestigation. We were also verysurprised by the fact that wit-nesses were being investigatedbefore even a case has been reg-istered."

On one occasion Barry wasconfronted by the two culpritsManinder Singh and JeeveshShabharwal at the police stationwho used threatening languageright in front of the SHO.Maninder Singh said, "I swear to

God, I'll show you what I will doto you. You don't know who all Iam connected to."

Asked by the SHO, Manindersaid, "My father flies for SoniaGandhi and Rahul Gandhi."

Barry has been doing his re-search to find out the "high" con-nections of these individuals.Barry said according to hissource, Maninder Singh's fatherCapt. Amarjit Singh, originallyfrom Bhatinda, Punjab runs an airservice called ATS in partnershipwith Satish Sharma, MP.

His friends include TirlochanSingh (MP), DCP Dhaliwal and theIAS lobby. He also knows Mr.Ahmed Patel, political secretary to

Congress President Sonia Gandhi.Barry says he went to the US

Embassy in Delhi and met two of-ficers to explain his case. Accord-ing to him, "They were very sur-prised to see the mix of the group- a Columbian national, four Rus-sian girls, a French girl, a Frenchboy, 4-5 Indian girls and 4-5 In-dian boys They are going to alsoinvestigate this through US agen-cies."

Asked by India Post if he wasaware he had touched powerful

people and there could be conse-quences, he said, "Yes I am aware,sure I am frightened, not as muchfor myself but more for my family.However, I would not be able tolive with myself if I let wrong hap-pen to me and I do not even com-plaint. I feel that is part of the prob-lem with India.

Most of the time people do noteven take the time to complain.When my case started and I sawhow badly the system is broken, Igot determined to push as hardas I can to help shake it. Sure I amvery small and I may get crushedbut at least I will be able to livewith myself knowing that I tried. Iam answerable to me first!"

Maninder, Jeevesh and Surge with friend Maninder and Surge. Pic from Zee News

Maninder Singh In SHO Office. Pics by Barry BhangooHenry Wilfredo Senior Vega

The police claim thatonly this one personhad assaulted him, butBarry has alleged thatat least two morepeople were involvedand he had given theirnames to the police, butsince they are rich andinfluential, they are notbeing touched


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Indian parliamentarians attend Yale leadership programIndia Post News Service

NEW YORK: Global political-economic affairs and the chal-lenges of leadership are the focusof the fourth India-Yale Parliamen-tary Leadership Program beingheld at Yale University campus,June 9 to 19.

Yale University launched theIndia-Yale Parliamentary Leader-ship Program in 2007, in collabo-ration with the Federation of In-dian Chambers of Commerce andIndustry (FICCI) and the India-USForum of Parliamentarians.

In total, nearly fifty membersof India's parliament have partici-pated since the program was cre-ated.

The 2010 cohort of Indian par-liamentarians is at the Yale Uni-versity campus in New Haven,Connecticut for the seven-dayleadership program with Yale fac-ulty complemented by a three-dayprogram of meetings, discussionsand interactions with US politi-cians, policy analysts and seniorUS government officials in NewYork City and in Washington, D.C.

Among the 2010 participantsare Abhishek Manu Singhvi, thenational spokesperson of the In-dian National Congress party;Ajay Maken, Minister of State forHome Affairs; and AgathaSangma, Minister of State for Ru-ral Development. MinisterSangma is presently the young-est minister of state in the Coun-cil of Ministers. Underscoring theprogram's emphasis on fosteringdiscussion and dialogue acrossparty lines, the 2010 participantsare drawn from seven different

political parties.Yale President Richard C. Levin

said: "The Program underscoresYale's longstanding commitmentto educating our students for ser-vice and leadership. We have nowgone a step further to includeemerging and mid-career leaders.

The program will provide the par-liamentarians with opportunitiesto critically think about the chal-lenges of leadership and to ex-plore freely, away from the legis-lative arena, the issues facing In-dia."

FICCI Secretary General AmitMitra said: "The Program encour-ages greater understanding ofpublic leadership, accountability,transparency and parliamentary

oversight amongst the parliamen-tarians. It is designed to providethe parliamentarians capacitybuilding and skill developmentand greater engagement in publicpolicy discussions. The programis aimed at making an importantcontribution to their leadership

capabilities to prevent and man-age challenges through effectiveparliamentary governance."

Abhishek Manu Singhvi, theChairman of the India-US Forumof Parliamentarians, said: "TheIndia-Yale Parliamentary Leader-ship Program is pioneering in theamazing diversity of topics ex-plored; in the outstanding, cuttingedge quality of the world-re-nowned lecturers; in the truly bi-

partisan nature of the multipartydelegation; in the unusual blendof the vibrant young and the ex-perienced vets comprising thedelegation; and, in the intense,disciplined and highly structuredmix of academics and policy plan-ning at our Yale and Washington,

D.C. interactions. Most important,and perhaps most unquantifiablebut clearly tangible, is the re-markable bonding between themembers of the delegation overthe course of the program - some-thing not found easily even af-ter years in Parliament!"

Faculty for the program isdrawn from experts at Yale, aswell as research institutes, gov-ernment offices, and the private

sector.The participating 2010 parlia-

mentarians are Anto Antony (In-dian National Congress - Kerala);Harsimrat Kaur Badal (ShiromaniAkali Dal - Punjab); JyotiDhurve (Bharatiya Janata Party- Madhya Pradesh); GaddamVivekanand (Indian NationalCongress - Andhra Pradesh);Bhartruhari Mahtab (Biju JanataDal - Orissa); Ajay Maken (In-dian National Congress - Minis-ter of State for Home Affairs);Pradeep Majhi (Indian NationalCongress - Orissa); AsaduddinOwaisi (All India Majlis-e Ittihadal-Muslimin - Andhra Pradesh);Agatha Sangma (NationalistCongress Party - Meghalaya,and Minister of State for RuralDevelopment); Neeraj Shekhar(Samajwadi Party - UttarPradesh); Abhishek ManuSinghvi (Rajya Sabha - IndianNational Congress - Rajasthan);and Janardhana Swamy(Bharatiya Janata Party -Karnataka).

The India-US Forum of Par-liamentarians is a body of lead-ing Indian parliamentarians rep-resenting the broad politicalspectrum of India from bothHouses of Parliament. The Fo-rum was formed six years agowith the support of FICCI. TheForum, constituted on the linesof "Senate Friends of India"Group and the "India Caucus" inthe United States Congress, to-day, has more than 130 lawmakerscutting across party lines, withmany of its members heading orserving in vital policy planningparliamentary committees.

'India assured US that Anderson will not face any action'WASHINGTON: India had as-

sured the US that the then UnionCarbide chief Warren Andersonwould not be subjected to "anyactions" during his visit to Bhopalafter the deadly 1984 gas leakageincident, a former top Americandiplomat said here.

Gordon Streeb, who was thedeputy chief of the American mis-sion in New Delhi in 1984, also saidhe never met the then Prime Min-ister Rajiv Gandhi or the ForeignMinister on the issue.

He said the US' request to theIndian Government to allowAnderson into the country andhis safe return was a "one timeaffair" and there was no similarrequest or assistance sought forany future legal action againsthim.

"It (the request) was strictly forthis visit. I think, what I am begin-ning to get a sense of from someof the questions that I am being

asked and few of the reports thatI have seen is that people are try-ing to mix together this particularvisit and the assurances that hewould be allowed to leave to goback home and any future legalaction," Streeb told PTI in an in-terview.

"We did not; I did not get intoany discussion with any Indianofficials about anything down theroad. It would have been totallyimproper for us to get into discus-sion about the future," he said.

Streeb said as far as he couldrecollect the Union Carbide con-tacted the US Embassy in NewDelhi and said that Andersonwould like to come to India to as-sess the situation and to showUnion Carbide's concerns at thehighest levels for the victims.

He said he got in touch withthe External Affairs Ministry andthe then Foreign Secretary M KRasgotra and told them about

Union Carbide's interest and theUS' concerns that Anderson beassured that he would be able tocome and move about freely andbe able to leave again without anydifficulty.

"The Foreign Ministry got backto me and said that the Govern-ment of India agreed that it wouldbe a good idea for Anderson tocome there and that they assuredthat he would not be subjected toany actions then. So, on that ba-sis, we told him to come ahead,"Streeb said.

"...But, we are all very cautiousfor people coming in the situationslike that because the legal envi-ronment is very unpredictable,especially how different levels ofauthority between the federal au-thorities and the local authoritiesare going to react.

"Neither we know that theUnion Carbide wanted to get intoa situation where Anderson wouldbe exposed to the risk of beingdetained or arrested while he wasin India. That is the precaution,we thought, we all needed to betaken," Streeb, now visiting Pro-fessor at Emory University and

also a member of the India, China,America Institute's advisoryboard, said. .

Streeb said once Anderson gotto Madhya Pradesh, local authori-ties took their own actions recol-lecting the events of December 7when Anderson was detained fora few hours by the local police inBhopal.

"Once, we found out that (ofhis arrest) --- we were told thatAnderson was under house arrest,this is the way it was put, I be-lieve that there was a Union Car-bide guest house in Bhopal wherehe was staying in and he was thentold that he would not be allowedto leave the premises," the formerDeputy Chief of Mission said.

Streeb said then he got in touchwith the Foreign Ministry and saidthat we needed the government ofIndia to intervene in consistencewith the "agreement that we hadreached about then.”-PTI

‘The Foreign Ministrygot back to me andsaid that the Govern-ment of India agreedthat it would be agood idea for Ander-son to come there andthat they assured thathe would not be sub-jected to any actionsthen. So, on that basis,we told him tocome ahead’

Indian Parliamentarians pose at Yale University


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Bhopal activists in NY try to serve warrant on AndersonSRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY


NEW YORK: On June 14, amotley group of about 10 peoplestood outside a midtown Manhat-tan high-rise, a warrant andcharge sheet in hand for UnionCarbide's former US chief WarrenAnderson. Among them were sib-lings, 15-year-old Gautama and 12-year-old Akash Mehta (sons ofnoted author-writer SuketuMehta).

Three weeks after an Indiancourt delivered a verdict in thedeadly Bhopal gas leak case thathas in the course of 25 years re-sulted in the death of more than25,000 people and continues topoison people on a day-to-daybasis, the outrage against the ri-diculously lenient sentencesagainst the accused company ex-ecutives continues to rage withinand outside India.

So last week, in New York, thegroup comprising members of theInternational Campaign for Justicein Bhopal (ICJB) - a coalition ledby four survivor organizations -and Kids for a Better Future (KBF)attempted to hand-deliver copiesof a warrant and criminal chargesagainst Union Carbide Corpora-tion and against its former CEOWarren Anderson (who remainsin hiding), to the offices of theirattorneys, Kelly, Drye & Warrenin connection with the criminalcase against them. Akash andGautama, who attempted to enterthe building, were, however,turned away by the securityguards at the plaza on Park Av-enue.

According to the gatheredgroup, although the District Courtin Bhopal handed down a slap onthe wrist to the executives andmanagers of Union Carbide IndiaLimited (UCIL), the criminalcharges against the American par-ent company and its CEO remainoutstanding.

After 19 years of criminal pro-ceedings, seven UCIL execu-tives were found guilty of"death by negligence" (the le-gal equivalent of responsibilityfor an auto accident), sentencedto just two years' imprisonmentand fined the equivalent of a$2,000 per defendant, they said.

Brian J. Mooney, a culturalanthropologist and Clinical As-sociate Professor of Social Sci-ences, New York University whowas among the group has beenstudying the activism in Bhopalsince 1995. Ironically, his associa-tion with Bhopal started with himworking for the law firm that rep-resented Union Carbide at thattime.

"In 1984, fresh out of lawschool, I happened to begin work-

ing for the law firm that was repre-senting Union Carbide at thattime," he told India Post. "Likemost young novice attorneys atthat firm, I was called on for lowlevel legal assignments on thecase and began to get familiar withit that way, including working inNew Delhi on the case for a fewweeks. I have since seen the casefrom the standpoint of the survi-vors and the equities of the casecould not be more clear: the sur-vivors have met with a gross in-justice and continue to do so."

Prof. Mooney points out thatjust one year ago, after the US

Department of State flatly refusedto take action on a duly-issuedextradition warrant against Ander-son and UCC, the Chief JudicialMagistrate for Bhopal re-issued anew arrest warrant to addressAmerican objections.

Efforts are ongoing by Bhopalsurvivors in India to demand ac-

tion by the Government of Indiaon that warrant.

Prof. Mooney told India Postthey were now trying to think ofother ways to confront Union Car-bide/Dow with its ongoing re-sponsibility for the disaster inBhopal. "As we speak, there aremany thousands of people suffer-ing from the health consequencesof the gas exposure in 1984 andno significant medical research isbeing done to address their healthissues," he said. "Meanwhile, theentire time the Union CarbideBhopal plant was in operation un-til 1984, it was generating liquidtoxic waste on a daily basis whichUnion Carbide dumped on thefactory grounds in pits and lateron adjacent land in "solar evapo-ration ponds". This contaminatedthe groundwater for thousands ofslum dwellers who have been poi-soned and suffer more health ef-fects."

Union Carbide was aware ofthis toxic legacy as of 1989 andnow Dow Chemical (which ac-quired Union Carbide as a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2001) refusesto take responsibility. Various civillawsuits against Dow Chemical inNew York have been pending nowin the US District Court in Man-hattan for nearly ten years and re-main in litigation as Dow flatly re-fuses to accept responsibility.

Prof. Mooney further said, "Anew generation of Bhopalis is be-ing born with horrific birth defectsand research must be conductedinto whether this is due to theirparents' exposure to the gas and/or to the contaminated water.Lawsuits concerning the ground-

water have been pending in theUS and in India for nearly 10 yearsnow. Our goal in drawing atten-tion to UCC and WarrenAnderson's criminal responsibil-ity is to not only find answers tothe outstanding questions aboutthe gas disaster, but to focus at-tention on Dow's current refusalto take any responsibility for thewater contamination."

In 1992, both Union CarbideCorporation and Warren Ander-son were declared abscondersfrom justice by the Chief JudicialMagistrate of Bhopal. Internaldocuments from the United States

Department of State indicate thatthe Department of State has pe-remptorily declared Anderson in-nocent of all charges and, in apolitical decision, stated that ex-tradition of an American CEOwould have a chilling effect onAmerican multinationals seekingto do business overseas.

The ICJB says that as theUnited States faces the BritishPetroleum Deepwater Horizon di-saster, the American people willsurely demand-and deserve-thatthat all responsible parties be heldto account, even the CEO andparent corporation of a multina-tional entity like BP.

Prof. Mooney argues, "Thepoint is that Bhopal is not a di-saster that happened over 25years ago and is over with. It isongoing and it is still essential toknow the responsibility of theAmerican corporate parent for thegas disaster and for the water di-saster. Bhopal must serve as a pre-cedent for holding multinationalcorporations to account for theiractions. They seem to be every-where at once when it is time to takeprofits but nowhere to be foundwhen it is time to take responsibil-ity. That is the case as well for BP.Americans will surely demand thatBP be held to account from the topdown for that multinational;Bhopalis deserve no less."

The ICJB says survivors inBhopal will not relent from their 25-year long struggle for justice and willpursue extradition against UCC andAnderson to secure their appearanceto stand trial for their criminal respon-sibility for the 1984 disaster. "Afternearly 25,000 people have died as aresult of exposure to Union Carbide'sdeadly methylisocyanate gas, afterover 100,000 people have suffered ahost of debilitating medical prob-lems, and as a new generation is be-ing born with horrible birth defects,it is imperative to hold all respon-sible parties to account in this disas-ter," the group says.

GIANT WAVE: A police vehicle patrols along

the promenade as a large wave breaks during

high tide near the landmark Gateway of India

monument in Mumbai on June 16. Indiaís

monsoon, the annual downpour crucial to

farmers and national economic growth, hit the

western Indian city of Mumbai this week with

hopes high for better rains than last year

‘The entire time theUnion Carbide Bhopalplant was in operationuntil 1984, it was gen-erating liquid toxicwaste on a daily basiswhich was dumpedon the factory groundsin pits and on adja-cent land in ‘solarevaporation ponds’

Bhopal must serve as aprecedent for holdingmultinational corpora-tions to account . Theyseem to be every-where at once when itis time to take profitsbut nowhere to befound when it is time totake responsibility


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FM may not meet DowChemicals officials in US

NEW DELHI: Finance Minis-ter Pranab Mukherjee may notmeet officials of Dow Chemicals,the new owners of Union Carbidethat caused the 1984 Bhopal gastragedy, during his visit to the USnext week.

"I am not aware that this issueis on the agenda in any way,"Planning Commission DeputyChairman Montek SinghAhluwalia told reporters to aquery if Mukherjee would be meet-ing with Dow Chemicals chiefAndrew Liveris.

In 2001, Dow Chemicals tookUnion Carbide Corporation,whose Indian arm was behind oneof the world's worst industrial di-saster that claimed over 15,000lives in 1984.

"No, absolutely not. I mean let'sbe clear about it. We are the gov-ernment delegation led by the Fi-nance Minister (and) will have ameeting with the US governmentpeople on a wide range of issues.

"We are also invited to join fora couple of hours, the meeting ofthe US-India CEO Forum,"Ahluwalia said when asked aboutreports that Mukherjee wouldraise the Bhopal tragedy withLiveris.

The Indian officials will attendthe US-India CEO Forum meetingon June 22.

A local court on June 7 con-victed seven people, includingUnion Carbide India's ChairmanKeshub Mahindra, to two yearsimprisonment holding them re-sponsible for the gas leak thatkilled over 15,000 people in 1984.Union Carbide's then CEO War-ren Anderson was not tried, whileanother accused passed away.

Following fierce protests fromcivil rights activists and politicalparties, Prime MinisterManmohan Singh on June 14 or-dered a group of ministers to lookinto the issue afresh and reportback in 10 days. -PTI

MAF team tells success storyof US troops in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq: The pro-troop group Move America For-ward has revealed that spokesper-son Debbie Lee and a team ofMAF representatives is in Iraqobserving and collecting inter-views and film for a full report onthe progress and success of UStroops in Iraq.

Debbie Lee is the mother of thefirst US Navy SEAL to be killed inthe war in Iraq. Her son Marc AlanLee was killed in Ramadi, Iraq, in2006 and was posthumouslyawarded a Silver Star for valor.Debbie Lee visited Baghdad andRamadi in 2007 with MoveAmerica Forward and became thefirst known Gold-Star parent totravel to the battle zone wheretheir son or daughter made theultimate sacrifice.

"In Marc's last letter home hesaid 'It will take longer than mostthink but we will get Iraq to standon its own two feet.' Success any-

where has a cost but to know thepersonal cost our family has paidand see firsthand that it is giving

Iraqis freedoms and ridding thisworld of terrorism brings me greatcomfort." said Debbie Lee, in ane-mail later posted to the group'sblog on their homepage(www.moveamericaforward.org).

The delegation sent to Iraqconsists of Debbie Lee, Gold Starmom and Move America Forwardspokesperson, Mary Pearson of-ficial tour photographer for MAFand other groups, and ChristianHartsock, cameraman. Also trav-eling with the group is specialguest Matt Sanchez, who has vis-ited Iraq several times before as ablogger and Fox News correspon-dent. Matt is helping the teamnavigate the ropes in Iraq and as-sisting in the reporting and film-ing of all materials and is a wel-comed addition to the team.

Oz teenager charged with murderin Nitin Garg's killing

MELBOURNE: A 15-year-oldAustralian boy has been chargedwith the murder of Indian studentNitin Garg, with the police sayingthere was no racial motive in thekilling, which had sent shockwaves back home.

The breakthrough in the high-profile case, which threatened toderail India-Australia ties, camewhen the homicide detectivesknocked on the doors of the boy'sMelbourne home early this morning.

The teenager who cannot benamed was produced before aChildren's Court after his arrest ina Melbourne suburb and was re-manded to be held in custody tillOctober. He will now be producedin court on July 8.

Garg, 21, was stabbed to deathwhile walking to work through apark on January 2, and the incidentwas one in a series of violent at-tacks against Indians in Australia.

The crime which came in forstrong condemnation both in NewDelhi and Canberra, with ExternalAffairs Minister S M Krishna de-scribing it as a "heinous crime onhumanity" and "an uncivilizedbrutal attack on innocent Indi-ans."

However, the Victorian police,who made the arrest, said therewere no racial motive found in thekilling of Garg investigation so far.

"In our inquiries at this stagewe don't believe (Garg's death)was racially motivated," DetectiveInspector handling the case,Bernie Edwards said.

"It's relatively clear why it hap-pened and how it happened but I

won't speculate on the motive,"he said.

He further said there was noevidence of gang involvement inGarg's death.

Victorian police have not iden-tified the 15-year-old suspect andhaven't disclosed the details ofthe crime because of legal issuesin dealing with a juvenile.

Edwards admitted that homi-cide detectives had felt the pres-

sure of solving the murder afterthe Indian government hadclaimed it was racially-motivated.

"Like any homicide we willkeep going until we solve it, how-ever there was a lot of pressureand I congratulate Senior Ser-geant Dave Snare and his team intheir investigation," Edwardssaid.

"We are extremely pleased forNitin Garg's family and the Indiancommunity here in Australia," hesaid.

The teenager responded"okay" after the magistrate out-lined the schedule of dates for his

case. His parents were alsopresent in the court and the motherwas seen weeping as the teenagerwas remanded to custody after abrief appearance.

Edwards said police was alsoquestioning a number of otherpeople in connection with the kill-ing but did not say if furthercharges were expected. Fifteendetectives were involved in theinvestigation, he said. .

The 21-year-old accountancystudent from Punjab was stabbedin a local park at Footscray Westin January as he walked to workat a fast food restaurant.

Earlier this morning, the policequestioned the 15-year-old afterarresting him at Yarraville, a state-ment from the Victorian policesaid.

Garg suffered stab wounds tohis upper body while walking tothe Hungry Jack's restaurantwhere he worked, on the cornerof Geelong and Somerville roads,about 9.30 pm on January 2 thisyear.

He stumbled into the restau-rant, bleeding in front of hisworkmates, before he died at thescene.

The weapon used in the attackhas not been found.

Garg was a resident of Newportsuburb and was employed in a fastfood outlet of Hungry Jack.

The breakthrough in the casecame as Minister for OverseesIndian Affairs Vayalar Ravi is tour-ing Australia and discussed prob-lems faced by the community withAustralian leaders.-PTI

'Shakira ready to makeBollywood debut'

NEW DELHI: Columbian popsensation, Shakira, who madewaves recently with her FIFAWorld Cup song 'Waka Waka',may soon make a debut inBollywood.

The 33-year-old star is in talkswith Bollywood music composersSalim-Sulaiman to sing in a yet-to-be-titled film.

Shakira may follow in the foot-steps of Australian pop star KylieMinogue who sang for Oscar-winner A R Rahman in AkshayKumar starrer 'Blue' last year.

Salim-Sulaiman, who collabo-rated with South African sing-ers in Shakira's World Cupsong 'Waka Waka', are in touchwith her and says that 'HipsDon't Lie' singer is very will-ing.

"We are in talks with hermanagement. She seems tobe really willing to collabo-rate and we are hoping apositive response in 5-6days," Salim Merchant ofthe duo told PTI.

And if everythinggoes right Salim-Sulemanwill be recording withShakira in a month's time.The song would be aCabaret number withLatin influence in it.

The film will behelmed by PrakashChadha who last di-

rected Himesh Reshammiya's 'AapKa Suroor'. It will mark the actingdebut of entrepreneur SachinJoshi who is also the producer ofthe film.

Shakira, would be the latestforeign import after Mexican starBarbara Mori seen with HrithikRoshan in 'Kites'.

Hollywood action starSylvester Stallone and formerBond Girl Denise Richards alsomade their Bollywood debut inAkshay-Kareena's KambakkhtIshq last year. -PTI

Also traveling withthe group is specialguest Matt Sanchez,who has visited Iraqseveral times beforeas a blogger and FoxNews correspondent

Victorian police havenot identified the 15-year-old suspect andhaven't disclosed thedetails of the crimebecause of legalissues in dealingwith a juvenile


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Pak for concrete steps to bridge trust deficitISLAMABAD: Pakistan wants

to firm up Confidence BuildingMeasures at the upcoming foreignsecretary level talks with India asa top official said Islamabad waslooking for concrete steps tobridge the trust deficit.

With hardly a week to go fortalks to be held here, an officialspokesman said Pakistan was"keenly looking" forward to thedialogue and lessening of tension.

"Pakistan has always beenpromoting the cause of peace andstability in South Asia and we arekeenly looking forward to our en-gagement with India with a viewto promoting this cause in the in-terest of peace and prosperity inour region," Foreign Officespokesman Abdul Basit told aweekly briefing.

"We hope that this engage-ment should be a sustained andpurposeful engagement (and it)should address all these issues sothat we bridge this trust deficit,"he said.

Pakistan is approaching the"resumed engagement with a posi-tive mindset" with the "hope thatthis leads to results which are inour mutual interest and result inlong-term benefits to the peopleof Pakistan and India," Basit said.

His comments came as diplo-matic sources said that Islamabadhad broadly classified the issuesto be raised during the meeting of

the two Foreign Secretaries inIslamabad on June 24.

These include Kashmir issue,humanitarian matters like the re-lease of prisoners and fishermen,terrorism and trade and com-merce.

An inter-ministerial meetingchaired by the Foreign Ministerwas held here and another ses-sion is in the offing to formulaterecommendations for the Paki-

stani leadership.Representatives of the military

establishment, including the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, at-tended the meeting.

The sources said there are in-dications that the Pakistani sidecould ask for the withdrawal of the

Armed Forces (Special Powers)Act and the release of politicalprisoners to improve the groundsituation in Jammu and Kashmirwhen Foreign Secretary SalmanBashir meets his Indian counter-part Nirupama Rao.

The sources also said there isa realization at the highest levelsof the Foreign Office of the needto lower tensions in the regionwhile at the same time preventingany further deterioration of bilat-eral relations.

In this regard, the two sides areexpected to discuss ways to im-prove cooperation in counteringterrorism. Islamabad also wants toupgrade the existing Joint Anti-Terrorism Mechanism (JATM),which was set up in 2006.

Prime Minister Yousuf RazaGilani spoke of the need to reacti-vate the JATM earlier this monthand Pakistani officials now be-lieve intelligence agencies shouldbe represented in this body, thesources said.

However, the Foreign Officeappears to be undecided on howto respond to India's call for firmaction against anti-India groupslike Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed and militant leaderslike LeT founder and Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz MuhammadSaeed.

Despite several dossiers pro-vided by India on Saeed, Pakistani

leaders like Foreign Minister ShahMahmood Qureshi and InteriorMinister Rehman Malik have con-tended there isn't enough evi-dence to act against the JuD chief.

In the run-up to the meeting ofthe Foreign Secretaries, the gov-ernment has been given the go-ahead by parliament's standingcommittee on national security totake "difficult decisions" to nor-malize ties with India, the Dawn

newspaper reported.The advice from the parliamen-

tary panel was part of eight rec-ommendations made by it for theforthcoming meetings of the For-eign Secretaries, Interior Ministersand Foreign Ministers.

Home Minister P Chidambram

will meet Interior Minister RahmanMalik on the sidelines of aSAARC minister's meeting inIslamabad on June 26 while a meet-ing of Foreign Ministers is slatedfor July 15.

The standing committee onnational security said tough deci-sions are necessitated due to thechanging global scenario.

However, it said all such deci-sions should be in conformitywith Pakistan's long-standingstance on issues like Kashmir,Siachen, Sir Creek and sharing ofriver waters.

The committee asked the For-eign Office to rethink policies forrelations with India and to dove-tail them with Pakistan's long-termstrategic objectives.

Gilani and his Indian counter-part Manmohan Singh, duringtheir meeting on the sidelines ofthe SAARC summit in April,tasked the Foreign Secretaries tofind ways to bridge the trust defi-cit between the two countries andto finalize the agenda for the meet-ing of the Foreign Ministers.

Foreign Minister Qureshi hadchaired an inter-ministerial meet-ing at the Foreign Office to pre-pare for the meeting of the For-eign Secretaries.

The meeting was also attendedby representatives of the militaryestablishment, including the Inter-Services Intelligence. -PTI

CHESS MASTER: India's Gujarat state Chief Minister Narendra Modi (L) plays a game of chess with Indian

chess champion Vishwanathan Anand at the Town Hall in Gandhinagar,

some 30 kms. from Ahmedabad, on June 16

Pak says will welcome India joining pipeline projectNEW DELHI: A day after seal-

ing final pacts with Iran on a long-talked gas pipeline, Pakistan hassaid it will welcome India joiningthe project and will guarantee safedelivery of the fuel.

With New Delhi boycottingtalks on Iran-Pakistan-India pipe-line over pricing and security con-cerns, Iran and Pakistan havesigned government guarantees -the last of a series of agreements -that commits the Islamic republicto supply its eastern neighborwith natural gas from 2014.

"We have kept open the optionof India joining the project (at alater date). We will welcome India(in the project)," Muhammad EjazChaudhry, Additional Secretary inPakistan's Ministry of Petroleumand Natural Resources, told PTIfrom Islamabad.

India fears terrorists may holdthe pipeline hostage to their de-mands and even cut supplies byblowing it to hurt the interest ofworld's second fastest growingeconomy. Also, it is upset with fre-quent changes in pricing of gasby Iran and has boycotted talksfor almost three years now.

New Delhi has now proposed

talks with Iran to sort out impedi-ments but the two are yet to agreeon mutually acceptable dates.

"We have signed governmentguarantees, letters of comfort andcondition precedents for theproject," Chaudhry said.

Pakistan had in July last yearsigned a gas sale and purchaseagreement and in March signedamong other pacts a gas transpor-tation agreement (GTA). TheGTA, which has been notarized inParis, provides for internationallyacceptable transit arrangement forgas to be supplied to India.

"We will stand guarantee forsafe delivery of gas (at Pakistan-India border)," Chaudhry said.

Of the 1,035-km length of thepipeline in Pakistan, only 100-oddkm would be exclusively for car-rying gas to India while the restwould be transporting fuel forboth Pakistan and India, he said,pointing that it was in Pakistan'sown interest to protect the pipe-line.

Iran will supply 21.5 millioncubic meters a day of gas to Paki-stan for 25 years. The deal can beextended by five years and thevolume may be increased to 30

million cubic meters on Pakistan'srequest.

The Persian Gulf nation has sofar constructed 907-km of thepipeline from the industrial hubAssaluyeh in southern Iran. It willnow start the second leg of the

pipeline toward Pakistan, about300-km in length, that will carrynatural gas from Iran's South Parsfield.

South Pars, which extends fromQatar's North Field, forms the larg-est known gas deposit in the

world. . Chaudhry said Pakistanwill now start work on the pipe-line from Iran-Pakistan border toits consumption centers.

"We expect first gas (from Iran)to flow by December 2014," hesaid.-PTI

‘Pakistan is approach-ing the "resumedengagement with apositive mindset" withthe "hope that thisleads to results whichare in our mutualinterest and result inlong-term benefits tothe people of Pakistanand India,’ Basit said

Prime Minister YousufRaza Gilani spoke ofthe need to reactivatethe JATM earlier thismonth and Pakistaniofficials now believeintelligence agenciesshould be representedin this body, thesources said


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Sikhs petition Canadian Parliament on 'Genocide'A petition requesting the Ca

nadian Parliament to recog-nize the massacre of Sikhs in No-vember 1984 as "Genocide" asdefined in U.N. Convention waspresented in Parliament of Canadaon June 10, a day after the peti-tion was blocked by the Conser-vative government. On June 9, acommemorative ceremony tookplace on the front lawn of parlia-ment which was attended by morethan thousand members of Sikhcommunity, and where many

Members of Parliament voicedtheir support, including: AndrewKania, Sukh Dhaliwal, Bob Rae(Toronto Centre), Rob Oliphant(Don Valley West), BonnieCrombie (Mississauga South),Kirsty Duncan (Etobicoke North),Dan McTeague (Pickering-Scarborough East), Mark Hol-land (Ajax Pickering) and JeanDorion (Longueuil -PierreBoucher). NDP leader JackLayton has also voiced his sup-port in a statement.

Buffett, Gates ask rich Americans todonate half their wealth

NEW YORK: Warren Buffettand Bill Gates, two of the wealthi-est people in the world, are urg-ing rich Americans to pledge atleast half of their wealth to chari-ties.

Legendary investor Buffettalong with Microsoft founder Bill

Gates and his wife Melinda Gatesare leading an initiative askingwealthy Americans to commit ma-jority of their wealth for philan-thropy.

"Now, Bill and Melinda Gatesand I are asking hundreds of richAmericans to pledge at least 50per cent of their wealth to char-ity," Buffett has written in a lettertitled 'My Philanthropic Pledge'.

The letter was posted on thewebsite of 'The Giving Pledge' ini-tiative, being led by the three ofthem. The US has more than 400billionaires, according to theForbes magazine.

Well known for his wise invest-ment decisions, the 79-year-oldBuffett is the chairman of con-glomerate Berkshire Hathawaythat has invested in diverse com-panies.

"More than 99 per cent of mywealth will go to philanthropyduring my lifetime or at death.

Measured by dollars, this commit-ment is large. In a comparativesense, though, many individualsgive more to others every day,"the billionaire investor said.

In 2006, Buffett had pledged togive all the stocks he owns in Berk-shire Hathaway to philanthropicfoundations.

Buffett said he has already dis-tributed about 20 per cent of hisBerkshire shares and would con-tinue to "annually distributeabout 4 per cent the shares I re-tain".

"At the latest, the proceedsfrom all of my Berkshire shares willbe expended for philanthropicpurposes by 10 years after my es-tate is settled.

"Nothing will go to endow-ments; I want the money spent oncurrent needs," the letter noted.

This year, Gates and Buffettwere ranked as the world's sec-ond and third richest people,respectively, by the Forbes,which pegged Gates' wealth atUSD 53 billion and Buffett's at

USD 47 billion.Buffett said the pledge to do-

nate wealth would not affect hisand his children's lives. "They(children) have already receivedsignificant sums for their personaluse and will receive more in thefuture....I will continue to live in amanner that gives me everythingthat I could possibly want in life,"he wrote in the letter. -PTI

Pak Punjab govt gave Rs 82.77 millionto JuD in 2009

LAHORE: The government ofPakistan's Punjab province pro-vided Rs 82.77 million to Jamaat-ud-Dawah and its allied institu-tions during the last fiscal year,according to official documents.

The supplementary budget forthe past fiscal tabled in the Punjabassembly for approval revealedthat the PML-N-led provincialgovernment made a grant of overRs 79 million to the Markaz-e-Tayyaba, the JuD headquarters inMuridke near Lahore.

Another Rs 3 million was givenas grants to schools run by theJuD in different districts ofPunjab, according to the officialdocuments.

Provincial Law Minister Rana

Sanaullah, under a cloud for hislinks to banned groups like theSipah-e-Sahaba, admitted that themoney had been given to the JuD.

He told a TV news channel yes-terday that the money was givento these institutions after the JuDwas "banned" in the wake of the2008 Mumbai attacks and thePunjab government appointed anadministrator for the organisation.

The purpose of giving thesegrants was to continue welfareservices provided by JuD'sschools, dispensaries and hospi-tals, Sanaullah said.

The UN Security Council de-clared the JuD a front for thebanned Lashker-e-Taiba shortlyafter the Mumbai attacks.

Despite claims by Pakistanileaders that the JuD has been"banned," no formal notificationhas been issued by the federalgovernment to proscribe theorganisation.

Meanwhile, a Punjab govern-ment spokesman has contendedthat the grants for the JuD hadbeen given to the administrator forcontinuing welfare services.

A syllabus approved by thegovernment had been adopted inthe JuD's educational institu-tions, the spokesman said in astatement.

JuD spokesman YahyaMujahid claimed his organisationhad not received any money fromthe provincial government.-PTI

Pak trying to act as bridge betweenKarzai, Haqqani network

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is try-ing to mediate for a rapprochementbetween Afghanistan's dreadedHaqqani network and the HamidKarzai government, in an apparenteffort to have a major say in thecountry's set up after the Ameri-can troops withdraw in 2011.

Pakistan has entered the rec-onciliation process in Afghani-stan by taking on the task of act-ing as a bridge between the net-work of militant commanderSirajuddin Haqqani and the gov-ernment in Kabul, a media reportsaid today.

"Preliminary contacts havebeen established with SirajHaqqani and other leaders of hisgroup through intermediaries in abid to engineer a rapprochementwith the Karzai administration," anunnamed senior Pakistani securityofficial was quoted as saying bythe Dawn newspaper.

Intermediaries have presenteda roadmap for a political settle-ment between Kabul and the

Haqqanis, the official said.If the plan is accepted by the

two sides, it could bring peace tothe war-torn country, governmentofficials claimed.

The Al Qaeda-linked Haqqanigroup is considered the most po-tent militant faction in Afghanistanand is viewed as a serious threatby the regime of President HamidKarzai and American troops.

"Although the future of theinitiative is unclear at the moment,the initial signs are encouraging

because the leadership of the mili-tant group appears to be willing(to talk)," the security official said.

However, the daily reportedthat Pakistani officials were reluc-tant to discuss the matter at lengthand few details were availableabout the talks.

The initiative on the part of thePakistan government followsovertures from the Afghan gov-ernment.

Analysts noted that there hadbeen a change in PresidentKarzai's attitude towards Pakistanin recent weeks.

Karzai's hostile statementsagainst Pakistan have apparentlystopped and he acknowledgedPakistan's role in the Afghan rec-onciliation process during his visitto Islamabad in March.

In addition, the resignation ofAfghan intelligence chiefAmrullah Saleh and Interior Min-ister Hanif Atmar is likely to helpimprove relations between Af-ghanistan and Pakistan.-PTI

Warren Buffett

Bill Gates

‘Preliminary contactshave been establishedwith Siraj Haqqani andother leaders of hisgroup throughintermediaries in a bidto engineer a rap-prochement with theKarzai administration’

Buffett said he hasalready distributedabout 20 per cent of hisBerkshire shares andwould continue to‘annually distributeabout 4 per cent theshares I retain’

India Post www.indiapost.com June 25, 2010

COMMUNITYACROSS AMERICA

Details on page 1913

Desi News

Details on page 15

Details on page 17

Details on page 18

Kean University launches Hindiand India programs

Dr. Farahi and Mr. Chivukula at Kean Startalk Hindi


NEW JERSEY: June 5 was a dayof celebration for 21 students andprofessionals, who participated inthe first ever Hindi learning andIndian culture learning programorganized by Kean University inUnion, NJ. The 10-day program ranfrom May 24 to June 5.

"The program was designedto immerse the participants intothe fascinating world of Indian

culture and Hindi language dur-ing which they watchedBollywood movies, danced topopular tunes and interactedwith their friends on social net-working site, Orkut," said Dr.Michael Searson, Director ofSchool for Global Education andInnovation at Kean University.

"They also played cricket inthe athletic field and made a tripto Indian business district inIselin, NJ where they bargained

for better prices for Indian goodsand costumes."

Dr. Searson emphasized theimportance of learning a foreignlanguage in today's competitiveworld. He said that Startalk pro-gram was the first among manythat are being launched by theSchool for Global education. "Wefeel very encouraged by the suc-cess of Startalk Hindi Programand plan to introduce similarprograms for other languages,such as, Chinese and Arabic."

Dr. Searson announced that a'Travelearn India' program will belaunched in winter this year,which will be followed by 'Hindi

in the Himalayas' program insummer 2011.

Addressing the students andguests at the concluding dayevent, Dr. Dawood Farahi, Presi-dent of Kean University, high-lighted the increasing role thatIndia was playing as an emerg-ing market in the world economy.He said that learning about In-dia and its culture was importantfor Americans because thatwould help us succeed in Inter-national business. He under-scored Kean University's com-mitment to producing global citi-zens with a diverse range of edu-cation.

Dr. Farahi distributed certifi-cates of completion to all 21 stu-dents and joined them in a groupdance based on Bollywoodtunes. New Jersey AssemblymanUpendra Chivukula, who at-tended the celebration, assuredcontinued support of the Indian-American community of New Jer-sey in promoting Hindi and theIndian culture in academic insti-tutions of the state. Dean SusanPolirstock, Dean of Education,Kean University pointed out thatteaching a foreign language wasthe need of the day.

Cont’d on page 17

RamakrishnaMission swamion US tour

GIRISH PARIKH

CHICAGO: Swami Nikhiles-warananda, head of Vadodara(Gujarat state, India) center ofRamakrishna Mission would be ontour of the U.S. from June 18 toAugust 3.

In his first lap of schedule, hewill meet devotees of Ramakrishnaand seekers of spiritual bliss in NewYork on June 22, 7 pm at VedantaSociety of New York. The theme ofthe talk is 'Practical Spirituality.'

He will present discourses atfollowing places: June 25 7 pm,Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, NewYork, Topic 'Unity in Diversity;'June 27 10 am Veerayatan Inter-national, New Jersey.

Nine-day RamCharit Manasrecitation

JODH SINGH RAWAT

CHICAGO: Sri Upsana, a no-profit socio religious body in Illinoisaiming to integrate spirituality withritualism, has slated a nine-day ofrecitation of Ram Charit Manas atManav Seva Mandir in Bensenville,a north side Chicago suburb, begin-ning Friday, June 25 from 5 to 9 pm.The Manas recitation will be by agreat devotee of Lord Hanuman,Shri Ajaybhai Yagnik accompaniedby Bede Bhaiyya Virednra Yagnik.Smita Khapekar.

Rememberingheroics of Savarkaron his centenary

ANURUPA CINAR

July 8 will mark the centenary ofthe daring escape by Indian

freedom fighter Veer Savarkar fromthe ship Morea, belonging to Brit-ish rulers. This event is celebratedby Indians across the world withreverence to the hero Savarkar andfreedom fighters in general. Thedaring escape and the subsequenttrail in the International Court isrecapped here.

Recyclingcontestlaunched inFremont & Dublin

Dr. Searson empha-sized the importanceof learning a foreignlanguage in today'scompetitive world.‘We feel very encour-aged by the successof Startalk Hindi Pro-gram and plan tointroduce similarprograms for otherlanguages, such as,Chinese and Arabic’

Chicago FIA welcomes & thanks AAHOASURESH BODIWALA

CHICAGO: 'Thank you andwelcome to Chicago' was thetheme of a dinner reception thatthe Federation of Indian Associa-

tion (FIA) headed by SunnyGabhawala and National RepublicBank headed by Hiren Patel heldat India House Banquet Hall inChicago downtown last week towelcome the AHHOA membersand office bearers who have come

to Chicago to attend its annualconvention here.

Gabhawala in his address em-phasized the tie that existed be-tween AHHOA and needs to befurther cemented for the good ofthe community at large. He ac-

knowledged the moral and mate-rial support that AHHOA has beenextending to the FIA Illinois forthe past many years and hopedthat this support would only in-crease in coming years. He pro-fusely thanked the AAHOA team

and recognized the incomingpresident CJ Patel, incoming vicepresident Hemant Patel and in-coming treasurer Alpesh Patelwho were part of 22 strongAAHOA team that attended theevent.

The ball was started with KirtiRavori welcoming the guests.Babu Marsha Patel proposed avote of thanks. From NRB, DineshGandhi, president commercial lend-ing, was present and was all praisefor AAHOA and FIA.

FIA NR Bank Group that hosted the event (R-L) FIA President Sunny

Gabhawala, former FIA chief Babu Marsha, NRB Commercial lending

chief Dinesh Gandhi and AHHOA guests

(R-L) Dinesh Gandhi, Sunny Gabhawala and a guest

(pics courtesy Asian Community News Services)

India Fest for enhancing trade through cultureSURESH BODIWALA

CHICAGO: It is a start and it may be asmall start. But still it is a start in welcomedirection.

India Fest International, a newly estab-lished agency concerned with promotingtrade and culture between USA and India,hosted a launch dinner on Tuesday, June15 at the at prestigious Yacht Club in Chi-cago downtown inviting media and elite ofChicagoland.

Hosts, Eric Shah and Rajinder Singh Bedibriefed all those present - close to 50 distin-guished guests - about the objectives andmission of the IFI and fielded questions on

the modus operandi to achieve these ob-jectives.

"The concept of India Fest Internationalis now a reality," said Bedi, a communityactivist, and one of the promoters of the IIF."The purpose of this organization is to pro-mote and foster trade and cultural ties be-tween the people of India, USA and the restof the world," he added.

"My vision is to provide advice, infor-mation and solutions to address criticalbusiness issues that make a positive differ-ence in our community; a commitment toexcellence and to consistently exceeding

expectations. My firm belief is that integ-rity, dedication and perspective are the keysto ensuring individual and community'senduring prosperity," Bedi said.

"In all fairness, this idea is based uponour vision, drive and enthusiasm about In-dia and its' impact on the rest of the world,"observed Eric Shah. "My belief is that be-fore you know where you want to go, youmust know where you came from. Aware-ness of cultural heritage is the foundationof future success," he said.

Some of the programs in the offing are:Banquet in September 2010, Trade Mission

to India in Mid January 2011and India Fest2011 at the Millennium Park, Chicago in thesummer of 2011.

The Mission Statement as elucidated byBedi and Shah, touches upon the follow-ing:

• To foster and promote trade relation-ships between the people of the India andUnited State

• To showcase India's Heritage and cul-ture around the world

• To promote cultural heritage and expand

trade relations among the Indian Diasporaaround the world.

I.I.F. will be formally inaugurated on Sep-tember 12 at Navy Pier in Chicago. The eventwill feature highlights of India's culturalheritage mixed with the glimpse of modernIndia's high culture and entertainment.

Rajinder Singh Bedi Eric Shah (Pics Asian Community News Services)

Cont’d on page 15

June 25, 2010India Post14 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

Gabhawala empha-sized the tie that ex-isted between AHHOAand needs to befurther cemented forthe good of the com-munity at large. Heacknowledged themoral and materialsupport that AHHOAhas been extendingto FIA Illinois

‘In all fairness, this idea isbased upon our vision, driveand enthusiasm about Indiaand its' impact on the rest ofthe world,’ observed EricShah. ‘My belief is that beforeyou know where you want togo, you must know whereyou came from. Awarenessof cultural heritage is thefoundation of futuresuccess,’ he said

The IIF initiative first involves organiz-ing trade mission to India from January 15,2011 to January 30, 2011.The mission willentail visiting major financial, political andIT centers in India like Mumbai, Bangalore,Ahmedabad and New Delhi.

Highlights of planned activities:1) Facilitate meetings between trading

counterparts to explore supply chain man-agement, channel distribution, market seg-mentation, economies of scale, operationalefficiencies, etc.

2) Explore competitive advantages be-tween US and Indian companies to promotemutual cooperation.

3) Tour prominent establishments thatexhibit best practices in various sectors.

4) Visit research and educational institu-tions to explore commercial potential of newand existing intellectual properties.

5) Collaborate with members and heads

of trade associations.6) Interact with state and federal leaders.7) Attend India Republic Day Parade on

January 26, 2011 to celebrate the birth anni-versary of the Indian Republic.

The second step in this direction will beto host an international trade conference inChicago in mid-2011 in cooperation with USIndia Trade Council. The event will educate

and explore upcoming global trends in tradeand commerce. Participants will includeseven governors from Midwestern statesand Union and State leaders from India.

The third step would be to hold

IndiaFest 2011 in Grant Park, Chicago. Thistwo days "Taste of India" fest will highlightrichness and diversity of Indian culture. Theactivities will range from culinary events,conferences, film screenings to exhibitions.Star packed entertainment will feature thebest of Indian music and performing arts.

The fourth initiative will be to organizePride of India Awards on October 2011, torecognize outstanding Indo-American busi-nesses and individuals for their commitmentand contribution in areas of trade and edu-cation in India and United States.

The fifth initiative would be hosting In-dia Film Festival 2012 Awards night rec-ognizing prominent Hollywood,Bollywood and regional film talents. Theevent will feature entertainment from In-dian film industry.

India Fest for enhancing trade through culture

Ramakrishna Mission swami on US tourGIRISH PARIKH

CHICAGO: Swami Nikhiles-warananda, head of Vadodara(Gujarat state, India) center ofRamakrishna Mission would be ontour of the U.S. from June 18 toAugust 3.

In his first lap of schedule, hewill meet devotees of Ramakrishnaand seekers of spiritual bliss in NewYork on June 22, 7 pm at VedantaSociety of New York. The theme ofthe talk is 'Practical Spirituality.'

He will present discourses atfollowing places: June 25 7 pm,Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, NewYork, Topic 'Unity in Diversity;'June 27 10 am Veerayatan Inter-national, New Jersey, Topic 'Nur-turing Relationship and the art ofsharing and caring;' June 27 7 pmSanatan Mandir, New Jersey Topic'Adhunik Manav Shanti ki Khojme' (in Hindi).

Swami Ji will come to Chicagoon July 2 and he will have a talk atVivekananda Vedanta Society,Chicago, at 7-30 pm. The subjectcovered will be 'Time Manage-ment for spiritual aspirants'. Sub-sequent talks in Chicago will be:July 4, 11 am Vivekananda VedantaSociety on 'Swami Vivekananda -

Swami Nikhileswarananda with former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam

A universal Personality'.He will come to California after

that and will have a talk on July 11at Vedanta Society, Hollywood at11 am on 'Memoirs of Holy Asso-ciation'. On July 14, he will talk atVedanta Society, Sacramento, 7p.m. on 'Happiness and Peace inEveryday life' and then go to Bos-ton. Here he will be speaking atthe Nineteenth International Con-gress of Vedanta at Massachu-setts University, Dartmouth, MA'

(to be held from July 28 to July 31)on 'Practical Vedanta for Happi-ness and Peace in everyday life'(Plenary Session)

The Swami would also visit theholy places in different cities as-sociated with Swami Vivekanandawho visited the US in the 1890s.The cities include New York, Thou-sand Island Park (New York State),Chicago, Los Angeles, San Fran-cisco, and Detroit.

The Swami said to this writer,

"I want to follow the footsteps ofSwami Vivekananda."

Ramakrishna Mission wasstarted by Swami Vivekanandamore than a hundred years ago. Ithas its Headquarters at BelurMath (near Kolkata) and has 173branches all over the world.

Swami Nikhileswarananda

graduated in Chemical Engineer-ing (with honors) in 1970, and postgraduated in Industrial Engineer-ing in 1972. After working for ashort period as a ManagementConsultant, he renounced theworld and joined Ramakrishna Or-der at its Headquarter at BelurMath in 1976.

Before coming to Vadodara hewas the Head of Porbandar centerfor eight years. He was instrumen-tal in constructing 37 school build-

Cont’d from page 14

ings, and three colonies inPorbandar district as part of anearthquake rehabilitation project;and in starting Vivekananda Insti-tute of Value Education & Culture(VIVEC) which was inauguratedby Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the Presi-dent of India on January12, 2006.

He has participated in many in-

ter-faith conferences. He was oneamong the few selected Hinduleaders invited to participate in theHindu-Catholic dialog which tookplace in Mumbai on June 12, 2009at the instance of the PontificalCouncil for Inter-Religious dialogheaded by Cardinal Tauran, therepresentative of the Pope fromVatican. His presentation after theinter-faith prayer service at theHoly Name Cathedral on June 12,2009 was very much appreciated.

TNF to invest in school infrastructure in Tamil NaduIndia Post News Service

NEW YORK: In a significantstep that could boost governmentresources for upgrading schoolfacilities in the state of Tamil Naduin southern India, the US-basedTamil Nadu Foundation (TNF) hassigned a Memorandum of Under-standing with the government ofTamil Nadu for school infrastruc-ture in the state.

As per the MoU, the founda-tion will be regularly investingfunds into school infrastructure

projects in numerous districts,building on the 35-plus years ofexperience that it has in this field.

The understanding comes in thewake of the Government of TamilNadu opening up a new vista forfinancing much-needed school in-frastructure in the state throughpublic-private partnerships withdomestic and overseas institutions.

At the signing of the MoU onJune 12, M. Kutralingam, Princi-pal Secretary to the School Edu-cation Department, Tamil Nadu,said, "Government schools still

have a lot of requirements in termsof infrastructure - additional class-rooms, toilet facilities, water facili-ties, furniture and compoundwalls, for example."

In a statement ThangamThennarasu, Minister for SchoolEducation, said, "I am very gladthat TNF has decided to under-take school education in TamilNadu as its Focus Project. TheGovernment of Tamil Nadu is grate-ful to the American Tamil commu-nity for their support to TNF'sFocus Project. We are looking for-

ward to working with TNF instrengthening the state's schooleducation system."

In an interview prior to the sign-ing of the MoU, Kutralingam saidthat the Government of Tamil Naduand TNF had formulated a public-private partnership framework un-der which "anybody can adopt aschool for these purposes - that isto provide furniture, computers,lab facilities, library facilities, com-pound wall, and classroom facili-ties."

Cont’d on page 18

June 25, 2010 India PostCommunity Across Americawww.indiapost.com

15

The Swami would also visit the holy places indifferent cities associated with SwamiVivekananda who visited the US in the 1890s.The cities include New York, Thousand IslandPark (New York State), Chicago, Los Angeles,San Francisco, and Detroit

ThangamThennarasu, Ministerfor School Education,said, "I am very gladthat TNF has decidedto undertake schooleducation in TamilNadu as itsFocus Project

The fourth initiative will be to organize Pride of IndiaAwards on October 2011, to recognize outstanding Indo-American businesses and individuals for their commit-ment and contribution in areas of trade and educationin India and United States


Nine-day Ram Charit Manas recitationJODH SINGH RAWAT

CHICAGO: Sri Upsana, a no-profit socio religious body in Illi-nois aiming to integrate spiritual-ity with ritualism, has slated a nine-day of recitation of Ram CharitManas at Manav Seva Mandir inBensenville, a north side Chicagosuburb, beginning Friday, June 25from 5 to 9 pm.

The Manas recitation will be by agreat devotee of Lord Hanuman, Shri

Ajaybhai Yagnik accompanied byBede Bhaiyya Virednra Yagnik. SmitaKhapekar, one of the organizers, saidthat the program is free for all but anearly registration is required for atten-dance. There will be special celebra-tions for Shiv Vivah, Ram Janam, Sita-Ram vivah and Ram-Bharat milap withRajya-Abhishek as the events hap-pen in Ram Charit Manas.

Long time after Valmiki wrote"Ramayan", Goswami Tulsidas

Lord Ram, Lord Hanuman and Ajaybhai Yagnik

wrote Ram Charit Manas in locallanguage Avadhi to spread itsmessage among the general peoplein 1600 AD, about 400 years back.

As Valmiki Ramayan is in San-skrit, very few people are able toread and understand it. Also 400years back, India needed to keepup its religion and culture duringthe onslaught of foreign rule ofMuslims. To awaken people's lost

confidence, to inculcate the prin-ciples in everyday life, a mediumto reach widespread Indian com-munity was needed. GoswamiTulsidas - an orphan boy who sur-rendered to Sri Ram and Hanumanand became a famous saint - wasable to write "Ram Charit Manas"in non-Sanskrit local Avadhi lan-guage under the guidance andblessings of Hanuman. At firstPandits from Kashi refused to rec-

ognize this Ramayan, but withLord Shiva's blessing they had tooblige to give due respect Manas,it being such a wonderful devo-tional spiritual script.

Although it was in Avadhi - aneastern Hindi local language ofAyodhya (Shri Ram's birth place)- it soon crossed the language andplace barrier to reach people fromdifferent states.

Ram Charit Manas has been in-terwoven with Shloka, Doha (cou-plet-two liner), Choupai (four liner)and Soratha (a special four liner).

Ram Charit Manas delivers themessage to all strata of society -from simple laborer to royal rulersof community.

It is a manuscript for maintain-ing family relations, friendly rela-tions and teacher-pupil (Guru-Shishya) relations and relationswith God to reach salvation. Manydevotees recite Manas individuallyas well as in group. Manas is sopoetic that devotees enjoy to singit with melodious tune with music.

Sri Upasana is very happy andexcited to do Manas Parayan with

Ajaybhai Yagnik for benefit of Chi-cago devotees. Ajaybhai is a well-known devotional singer fromDelhi -India. Being a staunch LordRam-Hanuman devotee he recitesSundarkand - fifth chapter fromManas.

He has visited almost all Indiaand many countries like USA, UK,Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Philippines,Middle East and African countriesin his quest to spread Lord's name.He has been felicitated by manytemples, communities, saints andalso President of Mauritius.

Fulbright scholarshipfor Shreya Trivedi

SUDHIR VYAS

NEW JERSEY: Fivemembers of Pennsylva-nia VillanovaUniversity's 2010 gradu-ating class, along withone upperclassman,have been chosen to re-ceive nationally-recog-nized awards includingFulbright Teaching As-sistantships, NationalScience FoundationGraduate Research Fel-lowships and an UdallScholarship.

Among them IndianAmerican Shreya Trivedihas been awarded aFulbright ETA to SouthKorea for one year.Trivedi is a VillanovaUniversity PresidentialScholar and a VillanovaUndergraduate ResearchFellow whose work onuterine tissue remodelinghas been published and presented at na-tional conferences. Shreya will be flying toSouth Korea on July 2 where she will beteaching English and volunteering at a medi-cal clinic in an underprivileged village

She recently graduated as a Biology and

Honors majors with a minor in Philosophy.At graduation, she received two medallionsfor Honors Science and the Gregor MendelAward for Excellence in Science.

Shreya Trivedi with her parents.

Cont’d on page 21

Sikhs to participate in theSmithsonian Festival


WASHINGTON: Smithsonian Institutionis celebrating the Asian Pacific Americans inits Folk life Festival from June 24- July 5. GuruGobind Singh Foundation is participating onbehalf of the Sikhs in many activities.

This is attended by over 100,000 Ameri-can tourists in Washington, DC through-out the day at the National Mall. It willshowcase the Sikh spiritual and cultural tra-ditions. There will be turban tying on July1st from 11 am - 5.30 pm. In addition, Sikh

Kirtani Jatha of GGSF will be performingkirtan twice on July 1 in a tent at the Na-tional Mall from 11 am - 12 pm and 2 pm -3.30 pm.

Many other communities from Asia andSouth Asia are part of this festival. June24th, on the opening evening, will also fea-ture several Punjabi folk dances for twohours starting at 5 pm.

July 1st will also feature Mehndi (henna),Punjabi cooking, traditional Punjabi cloth-ing and panel discussion on Punjabi lan-guage.

Goswami Tulsidas - an orphan boy who surren-dered to Sri Ram and Hanuman and became afamous saint - was able to write "Ram CharitManas" in non-Sanskrit local Avadhi languageunder the guidance and blessings of Hanuman

Kean Startalk Hindi programparticipants represented a diversegroup of students from Kean andRutgers universities as well asprofessionals from health, traveland education fields.

All of them had a common goal- to learn to communicate in Hindiin a native setting. They capturedsamples of their achievements us-ing iPods and flip video camerasand created pod casts that werescreened at the valedictory dayevent. All participants performedBollywood dance numbers underthe direction of Smita Miki Patel, awell known Bollywood dance in-structor.

Melda Yildiz of School for Glo-bal Education and Innovationconducted the proceedings of theday. The program ended with stu-dents promising to continue learn-ing Hindi and share their progressat a reunion meeting in the fall.

Kean Universitylaunches Hindi andIndia programs


Indian student found deadin Texas lake

DALLAS, TX: Adarsh Johnson, 22,graduate student of University of MaryHardin Baylor (UMHB), Belton City, Texaswas found dead on Saturday June 12 in alake at the University Campus.

Adarsh hailed from Tandur, Ranga Reddy

District, Andhra Pradesh enrolled in Mas-ters in Information Systems at UMHB in Jan,2009 and was supposed to graduate nextmonth. Adarsh is survived by parents DonBosco and Jasintha and a brother.

"As per Benton Police Department's ini-tial report there is no indication of any foul

play in this drowning accident. DallasCounty Chief Medical Examiners are per-forming the autopsy to find out more de-tails of the accident. As per the familywishes, Telugu Association of NorthAmerica (TANA) is making arrangementswith a local funeral home and Consulateoffice in Houston to send the body toHyderabad," said Prasad Thotakura, TANA

Executive Vice President.Mohan Nannapaneni, TANA Secretary

thanked all Team Square volunteers andSukumar Selvam, cousin of Adarsh wholives in Atlanta, Dr. YV Rao, a communityleader from Temple City, Murali Vennam,TANA Southwest Regional Director andRam Yalamanchili, TANA Treasurer andfriends of Adarsh Ajay, Jag and Sunny whoare helping in this case.

Jayaram Komati, TANA President ex-pressed deep condolences to the Johnsonfamily on behalf of TANA members.

Adarsh Johnson

Indian youth killed inroad accident

ASHWIN PATEL

ST. LOUIS: Hirenkumar M. Patel, 27,of Glen Carbon, was killed Sunday June13 when the car he was driving skiddedoff southbound Interstate 255 nearCaseyville during a rain storm and strucka guardrail.

The wreck happened shortly after 5:30

pm. Investigators say Patel lost control ofhis 2009 Audi at the 20-mile marker and ranoff the pavement into the median.

The car continued off the road andslammed into a guardrail protecting thesouthbound lanes, before the car spunaround and then crashed into the north-bound barrier.

Officials say the driver was pronounceddead at the crash scene by Deputy CoronerJohn Crump. A passenger in the vehicle;29-year-old Bhavinkumar of Maryville, wasnot hurt in the accident.

State Police say both men were wearingseat beats at the time of the crash. The pas-

senger Bhavin was Hiren's cousin. Hirennicknamed Banty was cremated at GraniteCity crematorium. His father MahendraKumar Patel said that he was devastated atthe death of his son who had a promisingcareer ahead. They hail from a small town inBaroda, Gujarat.

Hiren Patel (Banty)

June 25, 2010 India PostCommunity Across Americawww.indiapost.com

17

Adarsh hailed from Tandur,Ranga Reddy District,Andhra Pradesh enrolled inMasters in Information Sys-tems at UMHB in Jan, 2009and was supposed to gradu-ate next month. Adarsh issurvived by parents DonBosco and Jasinthaand a brother

The wreck happened shortlyafter 5:30 pm. Investigatorssay Patel lost control of his2009 Audi at the 20-milemarker and ran off the pave-ment into the median. Thecar continued off the roadand slammed into a guard-rail protecting the south-bound lanes, before the carspun around and thencrashed into thenorthbound barrier

July 8 will mark the centenaryof the daring escape by Indianfreedom fighter Veer Savarkar

from the ship Morea, belonging toBritish rulers. This event is cel-ebrated by Indians across theworld with reverence to the heroSavarkar and freedom fighters ingeneral. The daring escape and thesubsequent trail in the Interna-tional Court is recapped here.

The car was speeding down theroad, heading towards the harbor

As per the MoU the areas to which in-vestments will be channeled include: provi-sion of uniforms, notebooks and stationery;provision of computers and furniture in-cluding the costs of a computer skillsteacher; provision of educational aid andplay materials; support for English languageclasses; construction and renovation ofschool toilets; provision of water supply;and counseling for students to ensure con-tinuation of schooling and bringing backdrop-outs.

The MoU would be valid for a period offive years. After reviewing the results of thepartnership and mutual consent the MoUcould be renewed for a further period of twoyears at a time.

Kutralingam noted that the local ChiefEducation Officer (CEO) would be the per-son in charge of this process and "any com-pany or any individual who wants to enterinto a MoU can deal with the CEO."

TNF already had experience in this areafrom its adoption of schools located inMaduranthakam taluk, where they had pro-vided furniture, built classrooms and soforth, he said. He added that the Govern-ment of Tamil Nadu would be working withthem to extend the Maduranthakam experi-ence to at least two districts, to begin with.Later on they would extend this to otherdistricts, he said.

The MoU would, however, be applicable

to the entire State, paving the way for fur-ther investments from both TNF as well asother overseas entities that wished to part-ner with the State government.

On the motivation for the projectKutralingam said that for corporations this

TNF to invest in schoolinfrastructure in Tamil Nadu

process was about corporate social respon-sibility and for individuals it was about giv-ing back something to their roots. "Theyhave graduated from schools of that type,and now they want to improve suchschools," he said.


Guru Purnima at Bharat SevashramDR BAKUL BANERJEE

Bharat Seva Ashram Sangha in Chicagoland

Remembering heroics ofSavarkar on his centenary

ANURUPA CINAR

CHICAGO: The BharatSevashram Sangha of North America(BSSNA) has announced celebrat-ing Guru Purnima at its Aurora (inthe western suburb of Chicago), Illi-nois, location on July 25 at 4 pm.

Swami Purnatmananda, the headof the monastery, has pitched for alarger community participation in theevent. Swami Parameshwaranandafrom New York, SwamiAmarnathnanda from New Jerseyand Swami Pushkarananda fromCanada will take part in this celebra-

tion and give blessings to all. Con-sul General Ashok Kumar Attri fromConsulate General of India, Chicagowill also be coming to the ashramon that day. Guru Puja, Havan,Bhajans, along with short dis-courses will be performed followedby Prasad distribution.

The full moon day in the Hindumonth of Ashar (July-August) isobserved as the auspicious dayof Guru Purnima, a day memorial-izing the great sage Krishna-dwaipayana Vyasa. It is said that

Vyasa, the supreme teacher orGuru of Hindu Dharma, was bornon this day. He classified theVedas, wrote the eighteen Puranasand the Mahabharata. On this day,the Guru is worshipped by all Hin-dus who are considered to be hisdisciples. Over time, the originalname of Vyasa Purnima changedto Guru Purnima.

In Sanskrit, "gu" means dark-ness, and "ru" means one who re-moves it. So, a guru is one whoremoves the darkness, that is, dark-ness of ignorance in us. Due toignorance, we identify ourselvesto our ever-changing bodies. Oncethis ignorance is removed by theGuru, we realize that we arechangeless and blissful souls.

Bharat Sevashram Sangha is avibrant place for Hindu worshipand spiritual education. Classesfor languages, dance and music areheld for both children and adults.The Sangha is seeking sponsor-ships from the community to en-hance young personalities.

With its international headquar-tered in Kolkata, BSSNA is a phil-anthropic and charitable organiza-tion with a non-sectarian, non-communal, and non-political char-acter and outlook.

in Marseilles, France, as if onwings. It was early morning of July8, 1910. Madam Bhikaji Cama, agracious, refined middle-agedlady, a towering Nationalist per-sonality of the Indian Revolution-ary Movement, watched the pass-ing scenery with anxious eyes.Every so often she muttered toherself, we must reach, O, we re-ally must! Why, O why had theircar broken down? Precious min-utes were lost in fixing it. Now, theywere racing against time. AndSavarkar…! Savarkar, where areyou? Are you safe? Have you es-caped from the S.S. Morea? Willwe make it to the harbor in time?All unanswerable questions! Sheclosed her eyes and leaned herhead against the window, handclasped to her bosom. The atmo-sphere in the car was thick withtension and urgency. The Frenchdriver, ever the romantic, whistledsentimental songs under hisbreath.

Madam Cama sucked herbreath in sharply, "Driver! Driver,please hurry up! We are late, verylate!"

Cont’d on page 22


Freedom fighter Veer Savarkar

As per the MoU the areas towhich investments will bechanneled include: provi-sion of uniforms, notebooksand stationery; provision ofcomputers and furnitureincluding the costs of acomputer skills teacher;provision of educational aidand play materials; supportfor English language classes;construction and renovationof school toilets; provision ofwater supply; and counsel-ing for students

Recycling contest launched inFremont & Dublin


OAKLAND, CA: Recycling just got morerewarding in Fremont and Dublin, whereStopWaste.Org announced the start of a re-cycling contest that gives residents achance to win prizes for keeping their trashfree of recyclables and compostables.

During regular garbage collection daysfrom June 21 - July 31, the prize crew willselect random garbage carts and separatethe contents into three categories:recyclables, compostables and garbage.Five households in each city with the leastamount of recyclables and compostablesin their garbage relative to the whole cartwill be declared the winners.

They will receive their choice of $50 incash or gift vouchers for BART orSafeway, with the best of the group in

each city being named the grand prizewinner. A grand prize winner from Dublinand Fremont with the least amount ofrecyclables and compostables in theirgarbage overall will each receive an addi-

tional $250 in cash and the title of beingtheir city's best recycler.

"Alameda County has already reducedthe amount of materials it sends to the land-fill by approximately one third since 2000,"

says Brian Matthews, Senior Program Man-ager at StopWaste.Org. "With 93 percent ofour residents reporting that they recycleregularly, we're proud to say that we're someof the best recyclers in the country.

"Our goal is to divert 75 percent of wasteby the end of the year, and residents par-ticipating in the Ready, Set, Recycle con-test will help their communities make stridesin achieving our goal."

All Dublin and Fremont residents canmake an online pledge to recycle and com-post on www.ReadySetRecycleContest.Organd enter to win a $15 gift card to Starbucks,BART or movie theaters of their choice.

"Ready, Set, Recycle is a fun way to en-courage residents to do their part by sort-ing their recyclables and organics," saysMathews. "We hope that selected partici-pants will share their recycling tips withfriends and neighbors and encourage eachother to properly sort their waste every day.Reducing waste from the landfills benefitseveryone in the community and the envi-ronment."

The winners will be announced in mid-August and recognized again at the firstcity council meeting in each city followingthe summer recess (scheduled for Septem-ber 7 both Fremont and Dublin).

Hinduism training at ClaremontSchool of Theology


CLAREMONT, CA: School ofTheology (CST) at Claremont in Cali-fornia (USA) plans to train "religiousleaders for a variety of religious tra-ditions", including Hinduism.

Indians across the country, es-pecially Hindus, have welcomedthis move on the part of the school.Rajan Zed, in a statement in Ne-vada (USA), said that "religion wasthe most powerful, complex and far-reaching force in our society, so wemust take it seriously. And we allknew that religion comprised muchmore than our own particular tradi-tion/experience."

Nand Kapur, a former head ofAssociation of Indian in AmericaAIA, said "this move could leadto a better understanding ofSanatan Dharma and its traditions.It should spark a more serious in-terest among Westerners to learnmore about ancient Indian reli-gions, that would include Bud-dhism, Jainism and also Sikhisim,"he said in a talk to this paper inChicago.

Rajan Zed, who is President ofUniversal Society of Hinduism,

pointed out that in our shared pur-suit for the truth, we could learnfrom one another and thus couldarrive nearer to the truth. As dia-logue brought us reciprocal en-richment, we would be spirituallyricher than before the contact.

The CST website says: "…wewill graduate religious leaders who

Rajan ZedNand Kapur

are well-prepared to recognize andcooperate with other religious tra-ditions that can play importantroles in addressing the needs ofour contemporary world".

Claremont School of Theology,a graduate school of The UnitedMethodist Church, has functionedas a Methodist theological schoolsince its foundation in 1885. JerryD. Campbell is the President.

Shankaracharya named RiversideTemple family member

VICTORIA TRUVER

RIVERSIDE: Members ofRiverside's Shri Lakshmi Mandirwere blessed by the presence ofHis Holiness JagadguruShankaracharya SwamiDivyanand Teerth who shared hisimmense knowledge during aweek-long Shreemad BhagawadKatha. Devotees, who attendedlast year's Shiva Purana Katha bySwamiji, filled the Mandir everyday to listen to one of the mostrevered spiritual leaders of ourtime.

When the Jagadguru arrived,everyone rushed to the Mandirentrance to greet theShankaracharya and offer theirpranams. In a procession led byPandit Shukavak Dasa with gong,Mandir children carried colorfulpennants, devotees blew conchesand devotees took turns carryingthe Holy Book on their heads.

Everyone present joined in theprocession to welcome Swami Jito the Mandir and accompaniedhim to his seat on the mandap.Mandir President Bhoodev Tiwari

introduced Swamiji and explainedhe is the 11th Shankaracharya ofBhanpur Peeth. In 1984 he was ini-tiated into sanyas by His HolinessSwami Harishwaranand Teerth atChitrakot.

A devotee, Lopa Patel, who at-tended every evening of the Kathaexplained that although there are18,000 slokas in the Bhagavatam,Swami Divyanand Teerth focusedon four slokas, found in the sec-ond skanda, which are its essenceand are the most important. SwamiJi explained these extremely welland gave advice on how to usethese teachings for our benefitduring this Kali Yuga.

On Friday, the main focus of theKatha was the Gopi Geet. TheShankaracharya spoke about thelife of Krishna and emphasizedhow His relationship with thegopis was not at all sensual, it wasof purely spiritual nature.

Cont’d on page 20

June 25, 2010 India PostCommunity/Californiawww.indiapost.com

19

‘Ready, Set, Recycle is a fun way to encourage residents todo their part by sorting their recyclables and organics,’ saysMathews. "We hope that selected participants will share theirrecycling tips with friends and neighbors and encourageeach other to properly sort their waste every day’

It should spark a moreserious interest amongWesterners to learnmore about ancientIndian religions, thatwould include Bud-dhism, Jainism andalso Sikhisim

Swami DivyanandTeerth focused on fourslokas, found in thesecond skanda, whichare its essence and arethe most important.Swami Ji explainedthese extremely well

June 25, 2010India Post20 Community/Californiawww.indiapost.com

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Every story from the life ofKrishna has special meaning to itand we should learn from them tobenefit in our lives. One importantpoint explained that Krishna asParamatma is the main Atma andwe are all rays of the same atma.

Two spiritual giants graced theMandir on Saturday night. World-famous Jagraan musician,Narendra Chanchal, gave a con-cert on very short notice. Themoment Chanchal arrived he hur-ried to offer pranams to theShankaracharya. While NarendraChanchal and his musicians wereseated on one side of the Mandir,Swamiji with his entourage wasenthroned on the opposite side.Swamiji later commented that hevery much enjoyed the musical

performance.The Geeta Rahasya lecture was

in English on Sunday and attracteda new audience. Head Priest Dr.Shukavak Dasa introducedSwamiji and explained that he isthe Shankaracharya of Bhapur

Shankaracharya named RiversideTemple family member

Peeth. Swamiji travels worldwideperforming hundreds of kathasand has devoted his life to theupliftment of humanity andSanatan Dharma. He has made acharitable hospital and an ashramat Chapkauli Village. He is the

founder patron of SwamiDivyanand College of Polytechnicat Mulana, in Ambala, district ofHaryana.

The Katha program was spon-sored by Shri Lakshmi NarayanMandir and Hindu Society of In-

land Empire. The main sponsorswho were responsible for arrang-ing the program included MandirPresident Bhoodev Tiwari, Boardof Directors Chairman SurendraSharma as well as Ratan Lal Tiwari,Girdhari Purohit, and Harilal

Shivashankar. Past-ChairmanAkshaya Sheth introduced theJagadguru with, "Swamiji is partof the Mandir family now." Afterthe Katha he gave blessings andheld babies. Yes. He is definitelyMandir family now.


Grand re-opening ofNithyananda Vedic Temple


MONTCLAIR, CA: TheNithyananda Vedic Temple,Montclair celebrated its grand re-opening to the public on Saturday,June 12 after two months of inter-nal re-structuring.

The festive all-day event beganin the morning with a PurnaKumbha procession for founderand enlightened MasterParamahamsa Nithyananda, who

was represented by senior disciple,Sri Nithya Sachitananda Swami.

This was followed by GaneshaPuja and Guru Puja. Abhishekamfor Lord Venkateshwara, LordAnandeshwara and DeviAnandeshwari was then per-formed, including an alankaram byvolunteers.

In the evening, devotees en-

joyed a session of Nithya Yoga,followed by meditation, whichconcluded with Guru Puja andMaha arathi. Sattvic breakfast,lunch and dinner were served toattendees by numerous volun-teers, who also extended their sevato Temple activities.

When addressing attendees,Sachitananda Swami conveyedthanks to devotees for their un-failing support during the past twomonths, and many in attendance

were happy to hear that the Templeprograms and seva activities areback in full swing.

"My wife and I are so happy tosee the temple up and runningagain. We missed the vibrant dei-ties, the people, the programs andthe beautiful energy of the temple.Whenever we come, we find it sohard to leave,"said one devotee.

In addition, she was also presented withthe Lawrence C. Gallen Award that recog-nizes academic performance combined withservice to the Department of Biology. Shewas also a honorable mention for theGoldwater Scholarship and was inductedinto Phi Beta Kappa as a junior, which is arare honor as only three students in theuniversity were inducted as juniors.

It was her hard work that earned her theaward. Besides studies she also took partin extracurricular activities, most notableones being the President of her key cluband the Peer Education Chairman and Com-munity Service Chairman of the Red CrossNorthwest NJ Youth Council. She dedicateda lot of time to these two activities and or-

Fulbrightscholarship forShreya TrivediCont’d from page 16

ganized many activities in these clubs.When she matriculated into Villanova,

she became involved right away as theFreshman representative of the University'sSouth Asian cultural club (SAMOSA). Shethen became the activities chair of the cluband never settled in what she could do withthe organization. Shreya planned many newevents, such as a Holi day, Garba night anda Gandhi Day of Service. During the annualDiwali show, she was also the master of cer-emony for three years and entertained thecrowd of 1,200 people. Shreya eventuallybecame co-chair of SAMOSA and left hermark on the organization.

She is also a certified Emergency Medi-cal Technician and has volunteered with theVillanova EMS and Lafayette EMS squads

She owes much of her success to herfather, Paresh Trivedi, who taught her howto be fearless in life, no matter what ob-stacles may come.

Move to suspend Muslim body condemnedIndia Post News Service

IRVINE: The Muslim Students'Association National has con-demned the recommendation fora one-year suspension of the Uni-versity of California, Irvine Mus-lim Student Union (MSU) madeby the Senior Executive Directorof Student Housing due to alle-gations that the MSU violatedsections of the University policy.

The allegations come from aUC Irvine-sponsored event inFebruary featuring Israeli Ambas-sador Michael Oren. Several UCIrvine students stood up and pro-tested during the event regard-

ing Israeli policies toward Pales-tine. The University alleges thesestudents acted alongside theMSU, but the MSU repeatedlydenies these claims, reiteratingthat the students acted on theirown accord.

The MSU denied news reportsthat it has already been sus-pended. It claims the Jewish Fed-eration of Orange County inac-curately leaked information per-taining to the Office of StudentConduct's recommendation to putthe MSU on one-year probation.According to University policy,the Office of Student Conductcannot make a unilateral informal

decision to suspend an on-cam-pus student organization. TheMSU has made an appeal to theUniversity following the recom-mendation.

The MSU says in a statement,"While MSA National agrees thatdissenting views must be given therespect to be heard, we are con-cerned with the implications that asuspension of the MSU would haveon the rights and freedoms of Mus-lims on UC Irvine's campus.

The MSU is currently the onlystudent group at UC Irvine thatrepresents Muslim interests andincludes over 100 active studentsand approximately 250 registered

student members. Such an actionwould be unprecedented, unwar-ranted, and unjust to the largerMuslim community that the MSUserves on campus.

We call on the university to re-ject the proposed recommendationand allow Muslims on campus topreserve their rights to fair repre-sentation, free speech, free exer-cise of religion, and the right topeaceably assemble."

It said "The MSU at UC Irvineprovides space for Muslim stu-dents on campus and serves theirspiritual, educational, and socialneeds alongside other studentgroups."


21

The MSU denied newsreports that it has al-ready been sus-pended. It claims theJewish Federation ofOrange County inac-curately leaked infor-mation pertaining tothe Office of StudentConduct's recommen-dation to put the MSUon one-year probation

When she matriculated intoVillanova, she becameinvolved right away as theFreshman representative ofthe University's South Asiancultural club (SAMOSA)

"Madame! The car, is she a birdthat she fly?" he reproached, leav-ing the steering wheel and gesticu-lating wildly, "We reach, soon wereach! Is it that you want the car tobreakdown again? Oui? Oui?"

"Madamji, leave him alone,"said Shyamji Krishnavarma, Edi-tor of the Indian Sociologist anda staunch patriot of India, fromthe front seat, "We do not wantany more complications."

"Shyamji, the British are out towipe out the Savarkar family!Babarao, the eldest brother is sentto Andaman islands, Narayanrao,the youngest, is rotting in jailawaiting trial---and now theyhave got their claws on Savarkar!Why did we let him leave Paris?"Madamji wailed.

"Let him leave…!" exclaimed'Rishi' V. V. S. Aiyer, Savarkar'sright hand man, from her right, "Hejust left on that Sunday, March13, when we were all away, leav-ing behind a note. A note…! Doyou think I would not have physi-cally stopped him from returningto London, if I was there?"

"It is always duty first withSavarkar! He insisted that as aleader he must set an example andface the music. Little did he knowthat they would scheme to extra-dite him to India. O, my Dear boy,I hope they have not used youroughly."

"Madamji," said Aiyer omi-nously, his beard twitchingangrily,"If they hurt a hair on hishead, it will not be good for them!Was I not going to shoot thatone, that Mr. Palmer who drewblood by hitting Savarkar on thehead? Savarkar stopped me, orelse…."

"Rishi, Rishi," said Shyamji,"We must stay calm! Losing ourheads won't help anyone. Hope-fully, Savarkar has escaped fromthe ship. Though how he will doit, I can't say! It is an impossibletask!"

"Nothing is impossible forthat brave, brilliant boy!" saidMadamji, very proudly, "I haveutter faith in him. Did he not verycleverly send us a subtle mes-sage through Rishi? Even fate iswith us, so far. The British di-verted the route of the Moreaaway from Marseilles, and yet---yet, the ship was forced to dockthere for repairs! It must meansomething, right?" What elsecould they do but hope?

Madamji closed her eyes oncemore. Pictures of Savarkar, work-ing to save Mother India with hispassionate devoted energy,floated before her eyes. Withwhat dedication they had de-signed the National Flag of India.He had insisted on the symbols

of Muslims, Sikhs and the otherHindus---freedom with nationalunity---that was his goal! She hadproudly unfurled the flag inStuttgart, Germany. Even the Kai-

ser himself had declared that thatabsolute political independenceof India was one of the indispens-able conditions of world peace!That was a major step forward ininternational politics for India,indeed! Who but, Savarkar, wascapable of researching, in secret,material from the British library andwriting it in such a short space oftime as an inspiring history of therevolution of 1857. Only he couldhave come up with that national,patriotic title! His 'O, Martyrs'speech had stirred up a storm.

No wonder the British werehounding him. He was truly athreat to their empire and well

they knew it. Vinayak Savarkar, anIndian hero---perhaps the great-est one of them all! And now theywere shipping him to India in theS.S. Morea. At Marseilles was hislast chance of escape, of savinghimself from the horrors of Brit-ish Jail brutality in India or eventhe gallows. A quite tear rolleddown her cheek.

"Madamji, Madamji, wake up!

We're here!" Aiyer exclaimed ex-citedly.

"What is that crowd?"Madamji wondered, "Shyamji!That ship there…is it the Morea?It is leaving the dock! Stop!Driver, stop the car. Come on, letus get out!" They hardly waitedfor the car to come to a halt, be-fore they rushed out to thecrowd. "What happened here?Someone please tell us what hap-pened here?!" cried Madamji. Atonce several men and womengabbled excitedly in the best Gal-lic fashion. "You there! Tell me,quickly!" Madamji pointed to aman, who looked as if he couldmake some sense of this.

"Madame, a half naked man athief, escaped from that ship. Ooh!We were sooo scared! That Gen-darme there was questioning him.But the British police came andcaught him by the neck anddragged him off back to the ship."

"Dragged him off…!" Madamjiwent white as a sheet, "Shyamji,Shyamji, what is this man saying?Savarkar escaped, reached Frenchsoil and still they took him away!What about the Right to Asylum,by the decree of the InternationalLaw?"

"Let us talk to the Gendarme,"said Shyamji purposefully. TheGendarme quailed a bit, facedwith three aggravated individu-als. Aiyer demanded, "Gendarme,did you allow the British guardsto take the escaped man back?"

"But, Monsieur, why the an-ger? It is the law---all deserter sail-ors must be returned to the ship.And that one was a thief, too."

"Thief! Thief…!! You dare…."Aiyer burst out. Shyamji, grip-ping his arm warningly, said,

"Gendarme that was no deserter!He is a political prisoner, VinayakSavarkar. He had the right to asy-lum. You should have taken himto the Magistrate!"

"But, how is this? The Britishdid not inform us of the presenceof a political prisoner---theyshould have, n'est ce pas? MonDieu! Mon Dieu! What now?"

"Let us go to the Magistrate.

Now!" said Shyamji and they allhastened to the car.

At the Magistrate's they reg-istered their report of this graveirregularity, this catastrophe thathad occurred. Back in the car, theydiscussed their next actions.

"We have to take some strongaction here," cried Madamji, "TheFrench truly believe in Liberty.That the British should bend thelaw like this to trap a patriot fight-ing desperately for his country'sfreedom will have them up in arms!They will fight for Savarkar's rightwith us, I am positive. We need topublicize this, get their support."

"First, let us go to M. Jaures,as the Socialist Leader of Franceand Mayor of Marseilles, he willbe of enormous help," saidShyamji, "Let us form an organi-zation devoted to bring justice toSavarkar. We will also contact M.Jean Langue, grandson of KarlMarx. I am sure we can convincehim to head this organization."

"M. Francis De Pressense,president of League of Man'sRights, is also one who will take

up this cause." Aiyer put in, "Wewill involve all the French nationalpapers---L'Eclaire, Le Temps, LeMatin, L'humanite----let them alldeclare the same thing, that thearrest of Savarkar on French soilby foreign police is an internationalscandal and an absolute violationof the Right of Asylum. Let themall scream for his return."

"Don't forget we have interna-tional contacts. Worldwide thisissue is to be discussed! Let ac-counts be published of Savarkar'sextraordinary heroism atMarseilles, his career, his politicalexploits in England and India."Madamji's eyes glowed with thepassion of emotions. "Savarkarshall be rescued. I don't put it pastthe British to hang on to him, re-gardless of the law. In India theyare a law unto themselves!"

So, hue and cry was raised. Thetopic was discussed in embassiesall over the world. No stone wasleft unturned in the effort to bringSavarkar back to France. Britainfound herself in an embarrassingdiplomatic conflict with her valuedneighbor, France over a desperateact of heroism by her most dan-gerous political prisoner, Savarkar.Ultimately, Sir Edward Grey, For-eign Secretary of the British Gov-ernment was compelled to sign a

six-articled agreement on October25, 1910 agreeing to refer theSavarkar case to the InternationalCourt in Hague.

But, did Britain wait for the ver-dict? Of course not! They triedSavarkar in the Special TribunalCourt in India---no jury, no ap-peals! Savarkar stated he wouldtake no part in the proceedings ashe was under the protection ofFrance and he objected to the ju-risdiction of the Special TribunalCourt.

Nevertheless, he was foundguilty of his crimes. A hefty sen-tence of two consecutive 25 yearlife sentences spent in transpor-tation in the Andaman Islandswith forfeiture of property wasslapped upon him.

This would surely crush thisdare-devil---So, mistakenly, be-lieved the British Government. OnFebruary 24, 1911, The Interna-tional Hague Tribunal judgmentwas declared in favor of the Brit-ish Government. Incredibly, it hadsanctioned this gross aberrationof justice! Freedom-loving minds

all over the world were shocked!International press condemnedthe Hague judgment. Briand, theFrench Premier had to resign onlythree days after this verdict. Thedie was cast! Savarkar was throwninto the torture chamber, the Cel-lular jail and the daily grind ofbreaking his spirit was ruthlesslycarried out.

In Paris, his friends were heartbroken. Madamji said, "Yes.Savarkar's life has been sacrificedto international politics! Britainneeds France and France needsBritain---with Germany sniffingaround their heels and a potentialwar brewing on the horizon," shebroke down, "What care they forthat brave, valiant man? I must takecare of his family, send somemoney each month. The govern-ment has thrown them on thestreet, confiscated all their prop-erty and wealth!"

Aiyer said, gnashing his teeth,"Madamji! Let us not waste timein tears! We have to carry out ournext plans. Does Britain think thatwe will give up the Movement be-cause they have trapped ourleader? They do not know ourpowers, we shall still communicatewith Savarkar, we have our ways."

Remembering heroics of Savarkar on his centenaryCont’d from page 18

British ship S.S. Morea that Savarkar jumped from

June 25, 2010India Post22 Community/Californiawww.indiapost.com

Cont’d on page 23

Freedom fighter Madam Cama

‘With what dedication they had designed theNational Flag of India. He had insisted on thesymbols of Muslims, Sikhs and the other Hindus---freedom with national unity---that was hisgoal! She had proudly unfurled theflag in Stuttgart, Germany’

Religious leaders offer condolences at Turkish ConsulateIndia Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: Representa-tives from the Greater Los Ange-les Area office of the Council onAmerican-Islamic Relations(CAIR-LA) and other faith-basedgroups visited the Turkish Con-sulate in Los Angeles to offer con-dolences from the Americanpeople to the Turkish people andgovernment for their recent losses

of innocent lives at the hands ofthe Israeli soldiers.

The delegation visit followsIsrael's May 31 attack on a Gazaflotilla of ships that was deliver-ing much-needed humanitarian aidto the people of Gaza.

The delegation featured lead-ing Southern California Muslim,Jewish and Christian leaders whomet with Turkish Consul GeneralR. Hakan Tekin. Those taking partin the meeting expressed a strong

desire to bring an end to the bru-tal Israeli siege of Gaza and its oc-cupation of Palestinian territories.

CAIR-LA Executive DirectorHussam Ayloush stated: "We alsowant to offer support and praisesfor the efforts and leadership theTurkish people and their electedgovernment have been playing toend the inhumane and illegal siegeon Gaza's over 1.5 million resi-dents. We wanted them to know

that while our government mightnot have been supportive, manyAmericans, including Muslims,Christians and Jews, are very sup-portive."

Rick Chertoff of LA Jews forPeace spoke of Turkey's histori-cal role in protecting the rights ofJewish people, including duringthe Spanish Inquisition and Nazirule in Germany. He also said thatIsrael's actions do not speak forthe many Jewish and Israeli peoplewho do not condone the state'scollective punishment of the Pal-estinians and its disregard for in-ternational law.

Ahmad Azam, West CoastMAS Freedom leader, praised theTurkish people's leadership instanding up for justice and humanrights and expressed theorganization's determination toend the embargo, which has

caused horrific suffering forGazans.

Consul General Takin said:"This has been a great tragedy forus. The brutal reaction by the Is-raeli Defense Forces on a civiliangroup of people was never ex-pected. . .Such a needless use offorce, the timing, and the place,being in international waters andunder darkness, and with seriousreports that Israelis fired first, havemade us call for an independentinvestigation. We are disap-pointed with the U.S. reaction. Itwas not unexpected, but it wasdisappointing that the U.S. is notconsistent and holds differentstandards for Israel."

Those participating in the visit

were Hussam Ayloush, CAIR-Greater Los Angeles Area; Rev.Jerry Stinson, 1st CongregationalChurch of Long Beach; ShakeelSyed, Islamic Shura Council ofSouthern California; Sana Ibrahim,Palestinian American Women's

Association; Ahmed Azam, MASFreedom - LA; Marcy Winograd,Progressive Democrats of America- LA chapter; and representativesof LA Jews for Peace Rick Chertoff,Lillian Laskin, Dick Platkin, andJeff Warner.


23

Rememberingheroics of Savarkaron his centenaryCont’d from page 22

Madamji stiffened her back anddeclared with renewed fervor,"You are so right, Rishi. We shallnot let his work be in vain. Weshall continue the revolutionarywork abroad, and bring about therevolutionary war that Savarkaraimed for. You carry on toPondicherry. Take care of Ashethere," she looked at him meaningfully. "Har Dayal can consolidatethe Movement in America. Weeach have our specific task! Letus all clasp hands and renew ourvow. Vande Mataram!"

Footnote: A prominent person-ality of the Indian NationalistMovement, Bhikaiji Rustom Camawas born as on 24th September,1861 to a Parsi family in Bombay(now Mumbai). On August 22,1907, she raised the flag for India'sIndependence at the InternationalSocialist Conference in Stuttgart,Germany. While Madam Cama wasin London, she served as the pri-vate secretary to DadabhaiNaoroji, who was the first Asianto be elected to the British Houseof Commons. When Bhikaji Camawas in Paris, she happened tocome across a number of notableleaders of the Indian NationalistMovement, including VeerSavarkar.

The delegation featured leading Southern CaliforniaMuslim, Jewish and Christian leaders who met withTurkish Consul General R. Hakan Tekin. They part inthe meeting expressed a strong desire to bring anend to the brutal Israeli siege of Gaza


June 25, 201024

www.indiapost.com June 25, 201025 India Post

RUCHIT DESAI

ATLANTIC CITY: At New Jersey's fa-mous Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall thispast weekend, an almost electric feelingof excitement swept through the entireestablishment, as devout followers of A.R.Rahman made a mad rush to experiencethe maestro's 'journey home'. It was theJai Ho: The Journey Home World Tour2010 (presented by Rushhi Majik) withRahman.

The concert started a bit late, with thecrowd periodically erupting in anticipa-tion as they screamed out for the Mozartof Madras to regale them with the hitshe's consistently been churning out forthe last 18 years. At long last, the showbegan with two gigantic, virtual goldendoors swinging open and revealing a tal-ented young boy - whose eponymousjourney home we would share - dancingabout the stage.

Suddenly, a figure representing a run-ning Rahman racing against a montage ofhis past collaborations and experiencesappeared followed by the maestro him-self emerging at the top of the stage todeafening applause.

If the vocals of the night were of A.R.Rahman's stature, then surely the visualaesthetic would match that caliber. Andthis is one aspect of the show that wastruly captivating - a huge, high resolu-

tion backdrop, a breakthrough new dis-play of projection mapping, and a dizzy-ing array of lights certainly served to setthe concert apart from the rest.

One of the first numbers of the nearlythree hour concert, Swades' Yeh Jo DesHai Tera perfectly represented the veterancomposer's flair for creating evocativemusic. The lush, verdant backdrop withhuge kites looming in the air comple-mented the nostalgic nature of the song,beautifully depicting the idyllic home theboy wished to reach.

Later on, the stage shifted from a richgreen to a brilliant blue as Guru's BarsoRe resounded throughout the hall. An

intense showcase of the tremendously tal-ented musicians followed as the tabla player,violinist, and flutist each used their respec-tive instruments to compete, commune, andcreate a unique presentation of the aforemen-

tioned track.One of the most popular segments of the

evening was Dil Se's titular track representedby a powerful lightning storm, its thunderonly trumped by the thunderous applause

of excited fans. The incredibly high notesRahman was hitting coupled with the mag-nificent backdrop (which was just shy ofraindrops) made it quite a memorable num-ber. Staying true to his roots, the maestroeven went on to tickle the ivories for his"different and funky" Hello MisterEdirkatchi, a blend of jazz and classical In-dian music, from the Tamil film Iruvar.

Throughout the night, Rahman alsoplayed tribute to Michael Jackson, LataMangeshkar (through an impressive duetrecorded specially for the show), MohandasGandhi, and even Islam and Hindu religions.

Cont’d on page 28

One of the first numbers of the nearly three hour concert,Swades' Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera perfectly represented theveteran composer's flair for creating evocative music. Thelush, verdant backdrop with huge kites looming in the aircomplemented the nostalgic nature of the song, beautifullydepicting the idyllic home the boy wished to reach

Pics Gunjesh Desai/Masalajunction.com


June 25, 201026

June 25, 2010 India Post

www.indiapost.com

27

Not the Ramayana, it is Raavanaya!RUCHIT DESAI

NEW YORK: For an insidelook at Mani Ratnam's highly an-ticipated Raavan, the star cast andRatnam himself joined press allover the world through a special,first ever teleconference providedby Cisco Systems. With Abhishekand Aishwarya live from Mumbaiand Ratnam and Vikram in Chennai,the team behind the film brought abehind the scenes look into theworld of Raavan to journalists inNew Delhi, Dubai, and New Yorkon June 11.

Based on the classic characterfrom Valmiki's Ramayana saga,Ratnam attempts to paint his ownversion of the tyrannical Raavanthrough Beera played byAbhishek Bachchan.

"What's unique about thismovie is that the audience gets tojudge what is right and what iswrong," Bachchan commented.Ratnam has framed the film fromBeera's perspective, allowing anopportunity to explore other di-mensions of the character tradi-tionally depicted as pure evil. Tokeep it short and sweet, Bachchanasserted, "It is not the Ramayana,it is the Raavanaya." While shoot-ing the movie, an array of swim-ming snakes and leeches, ruggedfilming terrain, and the occasionalleap off a cliff all served to takequite a toll on the actors. In oneparticular scene, AB Jr. struggledto single-handedly hold onto fel-

low star Vikram (who was danglingfrom a bridge high in the air) onlyto be asked to do the entire sceneall over again and again. "But, outof love and respect for Mani, wedo it with a smile on our face."

Acknowledging the fact thatevery actor wants to work withRatnam, Bachchan dismissed theaches and bruises and reflectedupon his own fortune to be se-lected as the lead.

The star recounted the experi-ence by describing Beera as "allmy previous roles put into one,then amplified by one hundred -

it's the most challenging that I'veever taken on." Ratnam attestedthis fact saying the role offeredBachchan "aspects he has not

done before" and jokingly claimed,"I didn't know there was a mon-ster inside!" in reference to thewild character coming so naturallyto the star. Already having col-laborated on Yuva (2004) and Guru(2007), the duo hopes to capturethe same magic with Raavan, fit-tingly releasing three years later.

Aishwarya Rai, reminiscingabout her debut film Iruvar (1997),described the "immense creativesatisfaction" that can only be at-tained by working with ManiRatnam at the helm of a project.The actress also chimed in on the

difficulty of simultaneously creat-ing a film in two different lan-guages as she reprises her role inthe Tamil version of the film.

When asked about the specificdifferences between the Hindi andTamil versions, Ratnam claimedthat although they are essentiallythe same film, each is presentedwith a slightly different slant, per-haps stemming from the fact thatBachchan and Vikram (who playsVeera in the Tamil version) are ap-proaching the roles differently.

Nevertheless, the two actorscontinually consulted each otheron how to best portray this com-plex character. In reference to whatpoints they exactly discussed,Bachchan stated, "there wasn'tany one point, there was everypoint" as he stressed the constantfeedback, constructive criticism,and support they provided eachother during filming.

About A.R. Rahman's music inthe film, Ratnam mentioned thatworking with the world-renownedmusician was as easy and as diffi-cult as it was for their first collabo-ration on the hit film Roja (1992).

When asked about what view-ers can take away from the film,AB Jr. jokingly mentioned that -aside from their trash - fond memo-ries and a certain impact thatRatnam intended are sure to leavewith them.

Indeed audiences will soon seeif the film lives up to its high ex-pectations.

A scene from the Raavan movie

Trailing authors, books, festivals; Tourism goes literary

NEW DELHI: Kerala, HimachalPradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan...a new breed of tourists are trailingtheir favorite authors to discoverlocales set in novels or film adap-tations of books, or simply turn-ing into literary junketeers hop-ping from one festival to another.

The annual Jaipur literaturefestival is already a must-visit onthe itinerary of book-lovers andwith Kerala set to host the first

edition of the international Hayfestival in November this year,India is gearing up for a place onthe map of enthusiasts who arecombining their love for literaturewith wanderlust.

"There are far too few literaryevents in India. Around 20,000people, including foreign visitorsturn up at the Jaipur literature fes-tival every year. Another majorevent in India is the Kolkata Book

Fair which attracts about 2 millionpeople on an average," says NikhilGanju, Director, Marketing,Tripadvisor, India.

In Himachal Pradesh there is aproposal to consider developing

sites along the Hindustan-Tibetroad, where noted author RudyardKipling had stayed and pennednovels such as the classic "Kim."

"We had proposed to call it theKipling trail after the famous au-thor who is said to have stayed atvarious places along the Shimla-Kinnaur route," says Avay Shuklawho was additional chief secretary,

forest department of HimachalPradesh when he forwarded theproposal in 2008.

Also Shimla and surroundingplaces like Dharmashala andMussourie attract a lot of foreign-ers especially British tourists whocome to trace their roots. "Whatattracts them is that their forefa-thers, great grandfathers etc livedhere and died here," says Shukla.

Historian Raja Bhasin who hasconducted guided tours for tour-ists in Himachal Pradesh says," Ihandle a fair amount of groupsfrom overseas. Some groups havespecific interest in RudyardKipling and we did readings fromhis book at places where wethought the author would havestayed or passed through."

Jaipur Festival Directors Namita Gokhale and William Dalrymple

Bhutan Literary Festival

Cont’d on page 30

‘What's unique aboutthis movie is that theaudience gets tojudge what is rightand what is wrong,’Bachchancommented

In Himachal Pradeshthere is a proposal toconsider developingsites along theHindustan-Tibet road,where noted authorRudyard Kiplinghad stayed

June 25, 2010India Post

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Breathtaking show byeAR Rahman

Notable side acts included Hariharan's tribute to India,the mellifluous voice of Shweta Pandit, Benny Dayal, andcrowd favorite Vijay Prakash. But, while the compendium ofsingers did manage to bring diversity to the evening,Rahman's raw talent showed why he is the star of the showand the recipient of two Oscars (among many other awards).

Now, when thinking of the myriad songs Rahman hasunder his belt, the mammoth task of selecting exactlywhich ones to best exemplify his musical canon seemsnearly impossible. Still, the concert offered many popu-lar songs including Pappu Can't Dance, Urvashi, HaiRama, Chaiya Chaiya, Ringna, Khwaja Mere Khwaja, andHumma just to name a few.

The night concluded with a jokey Rahman abruptly remark-ing, "that's it...bye!" as all the lights around the stage went out.After a few moments, though, the distinct beginning of thewell known Jai Ho galvanized the crowd and served as a per-fect finale to the event. Ending as it began, the large goldendoors closed on Rahman and the young boy - who finallyfound his way home - perched high up on the platform.

The Jai Ho: The Journey Home World Tour 2010 con-tinues on to Chicago, Toronto, LA, Houston, Dallas, andmany more cities in the US and abroad.



www.indiapost.com

29

Star Plus unveils Ruby Star logoIndia Post News Service

MUMBAI: Star India has unveiled a re-freshed Star Plus with the tagline 'RishtaWahi, Soch Nayi (Old relationship, New think-ing)' to further deepen its bond with viewers.It debuted on June 13 with the Star ParivaarAwards 2010. The channel refresh now fea-tures a new Star Plus logo, the Ruby star.

The Channel said the 'nayi soch' on StarPlus is manifest in the shows currently on air -demonstrated in strong characters who reflectthe fresh thinking on the channel. "The womanof Star Plus brings in 'nayi soch' either quietly,staying in the background or leading from thefront. All content created on Star Plus will con-tinue to reinforce the brand promise - 'nayi soch'- the new perspective on life and relationships."

It said the new logo is a ruby star whichbeckons viewers to enter the crystal worldof Star Plus, making it come alive in their

lives. "The ruby star is the beating heart ofthe channel, the heart of India - feminine,strong, full of energy and life.

The white hot swoosh, lit from within, rep-resents inner strength and quest for fulfill-ment. A key component of the Star Plus iden-tity is the color red. Nothing epitomizes In-dia better than the color red. Red is the colorof prosperity, optimism, weddings, celebra-tion, hope, desire, purity, passion, love andholiness. The Star Plus logo is the traditional

and familiar star emblem infused with a verymodern, fresh and energetic expression."

Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India Pvt. Ltd.said, "India has always been a land of newthinking, which was perhaps been forgottenwith our preoccupation with development,and Star Plus aims to revive conventionthrough the refreshed brand promise of 'rishtawahi, soch nayi', We are committed to enter-taining our viewers with content that pro-pels them in a new direction and setting theagenda for entertainment on Hindi GECs.'

‘The ruby star is the beatingheart of the channel, theheart of India - feminine,strong, full of energy and life.The white hot swoosh, lit fromwithin, represents innerstrength and quest forfulfillment

June 25, 2010India Post

www.indiapost.com

30

Savvy, smart cross-cultural Guide to AmericaPREM KISHORE

Yankee go home - but take me withyou! Much of the world indulgesin America bashing but given the

opportunity a good many people would liketo get the all important visa to share theAmerican Dream. So reflects Raj Gadasalliand to turn the dream into a reality he hasprovided direction and practical tools tonewcomers to America in three perceptivebooks. Let's Explore America, Let's SpeakAmerican English, and Let's Master Ameri-can soft skills. Gadasalli defines his bookas the book "tailored to meet the needs ofthe students, H1B Visa holders, immigrantsand visitors."

The first guide will be reviewed this weekand the other two in the following weeks.

Getting to know America and enjoying theprocess is the key to this manual of instruc-tion. It's about mastering the fundamentals,the basics and a practical framework to helpone to enjoy the quality of life in America.

Making friends, working with colleagues,dining out, shopping, using verbal skills,all come together in this welcome manualLet's Explore America. In the US, one has towork with different cultures and behaviorsand to get things done effectively, one mustunderstand and respect intercultural differ-ences in order to resolve situations andavoid miscommunication.

The secret to cross cultural integrationis to decipher as much as you can about thecountry you find yourself in and Gadasalliseems to have cracked the code.

The book throws up surprising factsabout living in America with 216 pages chockfull of invaluable details about making the

transition non- traumatic. Fascinating nug-gets of interest are sprinkled through thepages. Did you know that Americans use 2000words, phrases and sentences over and overagain in their day-to-day activities in greet-ings, goodbyes and everyday small talk?

There are pages on Asian Indian v Americanpronunciation for example:

Comments - Kamments (the Indian pro-nunciation) and the right way of saying it -Calm-ents.

Gadasalli traces the history of Americabriskly, and entertainingly, as he informs usof the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and

even gives the words of The Star SpangledBanner, the Gettysburg Address andAmerica the Beautiful!

The book explores the land, society, cul-ture, education, economy, immigration, in-come tax, social security, citizenship, diplo-matic missions and even inaugural addressesof Presidents George W Bush and Obama.

The diverse, engrossing chapters rangefrom Crime in America with tips on protect-ing oneself to dealing with impolite lan-guage used by Americans. "Bullshit, bitch,screw you" are mild words, he cautions andtells you not to wince at the offensivewords. Back home, your mother and teacher

would frown on such crudity. In actionpaced, frenetic God's country, don't sweatthe small stuff! But you do not have to usethe explosive words!

In the etiquette section he stresses ongood manners particularly about shoving,belching, yawning, spitting, littering andeven urinating. Another important tip, the

necessity of not talking in your languagewithin earshot distance of someone whodoes not speak it.

There are lists of Graduate Schools, Span-ish for Beginners, Native American proverbs,information on states, rivers and mountains,and names of popular cities and states withthe correct pronunciation .Armed with thisinformation you will easily enter the main-stream and feel at home right away.

The style is crisp, lively and analytical.Lots of do's and don'ts infused with dili-gent research. The author is also a story-teller giving us snapshots of his life inAmerica laced with wry witticisms.Gadasalli's vision and goal is to encouragethe newcomer to improve personal skillsand face America with a positive approachand reach full potential.

Gadasalli traces his interest and passionfor America to the early 1940s when hiscousin Nagaraja Rao arrived in Chicago topursue higher studies. Since then theGadasalli clan have a cumulative experienceof over 700 years in the USA. Gadasalli, anative of Bangalore, India and an electricalengineer by training and an internationalmarketing executive with an MBA from IowaState, has lived in the USA for 30 years andnow commutes between India and the USwriting books on America. His latest bookis called His Utopia, Her Utopia - an IndoAmerican vignette written to promote crosscultural understanding.

Gadasalli is unafraid to talk of the ridicu-lous but so necessary stuff that must bespoken about. He tells us things aboutourselves which we are not aware of! AMust Read book for anyone who is readyto take on America!

Next week: Let's Speak American English.The books are published by Vipra Books Inc

"There are places that captured his imagi-nation. The cave where the lama stayed insaid to exist even today in the Spiti moun-tains. Similarly within Shimla Kipling hadset many stories and said to have stayed atvarious forest guest houses some of themwhich are present today," says Bhasin.

The Mumbai-born author had spent a lotof time in the United States and is of also ofliterary importance to travelers from there,says the historian.

A veteran Canada based tourism profes-sional Stephen Burnett says, "Often we dis-cover that literature tourism is one of thesupporting branches of cultural tourism anddepending on how robust the program is itcan also be the dominant motivating factorin the consumer's travel decision."

Burnett points out traditionally the UKattracts a lot of tourists with a taste for lit-erature.

"Emily Bronte's writing turned Haworth,a grimly north Yorkshire village into a lite-rati Mecca for followers of "WutheringHeights". The homes of Beatrix Potter andWilliam Wordsworth have attracted legionsof loyal followers of Peter Rabbit andBritain's Poet Laureate," says Burnett.

A survey released by travel portalTripadvisor has listed London, the inspira-

tion for Charles Dickens, on top of ten liter-ary destinations worldwide.

In Canada's tiny Prince Edward Islandthe writing of Lucy Maud Montgomery con-tinues to capture the imagination of millionsof schoolgirls the world over, with her story"Ann of Green Gables." Visitors from Japanare perhaps the most loyal followers of themarvelous heart warming tale. In Kenya the

writing of Baroness Karen Blixen regener-ated an entire African Safari business withher novel "Out of Africa."

Meanwhile, Lyndy Cooke, executive di-rector, Hay Festival says," We are very ex-cited to celebrate the Hay Festival in Indiaand Kerala became the obvious choice forits high literacy rate and popular tourist des-tinations. The Festival will also create a plat-

form to present Indian writing to an interna-tional audience."

"Literature can be linked to tourism. AtHay on Wye, we sell almost 200,000 ticketsevery year and 80 per cent of the crowd arevisitors who come to Wales. They live inhotels, bed and breakfast lodges, in a 100-km radius of the lush hamlet," says Cooke.

According to official estimates foreign

tourist arrivals in India jumped by over 15per cent in May against the same period asthe figure touched 3.45 lakh. In May lastyear, 2.99 lakh foreign tourists visited In-dia which was lower than 3.04 lakh in thesame month in 2008.

"Touristy places also help to attractpeople to literary festivals," says Binno KJohn who organizes the Kovalam Litera-

ture Festival in Kerala which in its thirdedition this October will host celebratedPakistani authors Fatima Bhutto,Mohammed Hanif and H M Naqvi amongother international literary giants.

Agrees Sanjoy K Roy, Teamworks whichhas worked to bring Hay to Kerala. "It iseasier to sell Kerala as a destination becauseit is well known."

"With the Hay festival we hope to createa literary event in south India that we hopebecomes a magnet for people to come intoIndia," he says. .

Earlier this year Indian writers like Gulzar,Chetan Bhagat, Bulbul Sharma and OmairAhmad were joined by international nameslike British author Patrick French as well aslocal writers and poets from Bhutan for a three-day festival "Mountain Echoes" in Thimphu.

"Obliquely the festival which has a sepa-rate segment on travel writing has focusedon literary tourism which has become a newgenre of tourism," says Mita Kapur, Siyahi,which organized the event in May.

Author and co-founder director of JaipurLiterary festival Namita Gokhale says,"Jaipur has been a huge inspiration for othermodels. If you are open to the literary ex-pression it helps you understand the peopleand culture of a place in a deeper way. Other-wise it is just a virtual holiday. -PTI

Trailing authors, books, festivals; Tourism goes literaryCont’d from page 27

Fascinating nuggets ofinterest are sprinkled throughthe pages. Did you know thatAmericans use 2000 words,phrases and sentences overand over again in theirday-to-day activities ingreetings, goodbyes andeveryday small talk?

Literary festival in Kerala

Lyndy Cooke, executivedirector, Hay Festival says,"We are very excited tocelebrate the Hay Festivalin India and Kerala be-came the obvious choicefor its high literacy rate andpopular tourist destinations


www.indiapost.com

31

Leading radio exec joinsHumDesi Radio


NEW YORK: WorldBand Media Inc. (WBM,) the companythat pioneered Ethnic Radio through the launch of its HumDesiRadio Network across the US, has appointed Manav Dhandaas Head of Network Programming and Business Strategy.

With Dhanda, HumDesi radio plans to revitalize its pro-gramming line up as well as offer a more enriching experienceto its existing listeners.

Dhanda brings over 15 years of experience in creativecontent, operations and business strategy & managementwith some of India's biggest and most recognized radio &television networks. As Senior VP and National Head of

Programming, Business Head - West, for Reliance Big 92.7FM, India's largest radio network, he launched over 45 radiostations across India and Singapore.

He held the position of Senior Creative Director at Midi Tech,one of India's largest television production companies with arepertoire of shows like Indian Idol and Deal or No Deal. Addi-tionally, he served as VP & Programming Head Mumbai for Ra-dio Mirchi, ENIL, India's foremost radio network and an associ-ate company of India's No.1 English daily, The Times of India.

HumDesi Radio is North America's largest South Asian radionetwork. It currently broadcasts around the clock in New York/New Jersey, Washington DC, Chicago, and Los Angeles, withplans to expand to another six markets across the United States.

HumDesi Radio is North America's largestSouth Asian radio network. It currentlybroadcasts around the clock in NewYork/New Jersey, Washington DC, Chi-cago, and Los Angeles

Sukhwinder Singh at his concert in Santa Clara

32 India Post www.indiapost.com June 25, 2010

At the hill resort of Kausanithe mountains rise so dramatically as if to reach the

heavens. In fact not just Kausanibut the entire Kumaon Hills havebeen known for their idyllic beautywith the huge mountains silhou-etted against the sky. Kausani wasoriginally called Valna. Situated atan altitude of 1890 m above sealevel, it offers the magic of deeppine forests and the majesticmountains. It is the birthplace offamed poet Sumitra Nandan Pantand is often referred to as the 'Swit-zerland of India' owing to its natu-ral bounty.

Best time to visit: Kausani ex-

periences snowfall during themonths of December and January,thus these two months may beavoided. The hill resort is a retreatin the summer months and may bevisited during April-June and Sep-tember-November.

Tourist attractions: The majorattraction at Kausani is that is of-fers wondrous vistas of theKumaon Himalayas. You may en-joy the endless stretch of famous

Cont’d on page 34

peaks like the Nanda Devi, Trishul,and the Nandakot.

You may move to various vintage-points in order to capture the spec-tacular sights of the snow-cappedpeaks of the Himalayas that arespread majestically across the 300 kmrange.

The sunrise and the sunset arethe special moments for naturelovers and photographers alike.

Then there is the AnashaktiAshram a landmark of Kausani.The Anashakti Ashram is re-nowned for its association withMahatma Gandhi, the Father of theNation.

Kausani was originallycalled Valna. Situ-ated at an altitudeof 1890 m above sealevel, it offers themagic of deep pineforests and the ma-jestic mountains. It isthe birthplace offamed poet SumitraNandan Pant

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Massage in spa; yoga in 'stilts villa'PREETI VERMA LAL

Yoga in Angsana Velavaru (Pics: Preeti Verma Lal)

Ocean Villas in Velavaru

In the middle of the night,Maldives, a country of 1,199islands, looked like a hurried

scribble - I could hear the swish ofthe palm fronds and the fury of anirate ocean; I could see the whitewaves lacing the emerald greenwaters and the white speed boatprepped to take me to theVabbinfaru island that sits smug inthe North Male Atoll, roughly 30-minutes from Male.The sea was choppy, the night inkyand the speed boat complete withsilk bolsters and green umbrellas.

The boat hooted on arrival andbeyond the long, wooden jetty,silken sand and the whiff of thesalty sea, stood my villa in Ban-

yan Tree Resort with hibiscus pet-als on the bed and a stuffed turtleon the window sill.

After the long flight, my wob-bly knees and creaking bones

yearned not for rest but a massagethat could slough off 'flighty' tired-ness. As a high-end destination,Maldives is cluttered with spas;each resort flaunting its spa as theUSP. Thai, Indonesian, Balinese,Swedish massages… You get themall in Maldives. But that night, Iwas not seeking just any massage,what I needed was a rejuvenatingAyurveda massage. Stretchedimagination? I consoled myself. Inthe far off island, a spa withAyurveda massage seemed suchan anomalous dream. Surprisingly,that early monsoon morning Ifound one such spa in BanyanTree, Vabbinfaru.

At the Banyan Tree Spa, what

waited was not just the flicker of acandle in a votive lamp, honey andrice grains in a stone leaf, but alsoa handcrafted copper bathtub witha green patina. Ayurveda within

concrete structures look utterlydiscordant, but here Natureseemed everywhere. The treat-ment rooms with high ceilings areshaped like a tepee and stackedwith coconut leaves, the walls aremade of bamboo, natural drinks arereplete with vitamins and antioxi-dants and cooler than the summerbreeze and footwash laden with thegoodness of orange peel. A straychampa flower added that daintyeffect on the green linen.

The 150-minute Restful Balancemassage looked tempt-ing. For this combina-tion of massages and ashirodhara, special oilis used that has a verycalming effect and thenone is literally em-balmed with a concoc-tion called theLepanam which iswashed off with steambath.

At Banyan Tree,the options weremany and I was notsure whether to optfor Peace of Mind orPerfect Energizer,both 150-minute ses-sions. For that much-

needed peace of mind, I could getscrubbed with dry powder andthen revel in the Banyan Tree sig-nature Rain Mist Steam Bath, atreat for the senses topped withAvocado Splash and a shirodhara.

At Vabbinfaru, I was oscillat-ing between peace of mind andenergy. Did I need a Perfect Ener-gizer which begins with Podi Kishior warm herbal pouch treatmentthat concludes with an Ayurvedamassage and a Marma Face Mas-sage that focuses on the marma(energy) centers of the face to re-balance the internal body system,relieving the body of stress?

As if these were not enough,there's the Yoga Massage, a 90-minute dry massage that is done

through a combination of thumband palm pressure and lightstretching.

As Fikki, the therapist, appliedthat first drop of oil, I knew in thefaraway Vabbinfaru island tired-

ness would be vanquished in the150-minute session. That momentI forgave the delayed flight and thechoppy sea. That night curled upin the four-poster bed, I dreamt Iwas on the seaplane to VelavaruIsland where at the absolutely luxu-rious InOcean Villas I was relearn-ing yoga on the terrace ofAngsana villas that stand on stiltsin the middle of the ocean. Twodays later, that yoga dream cametrue at Angsana/Velavaru.

Next time when grime piles on

my body and soul, I know whereto go. A thousand miles away toBanyan Tree/Vabbinfaru andAngsana/Velavaru. Where else?

(www.deepblueink.com)

India Post June 25, 201034 Travel & Hospitality Postwww.indiapost.com

Kausani: Wondrous view of NandaDevi, Trishul, Nandakot peaks

Sindhu Darshan festival in LehSRINAGAR: In an attempt to

promote the Indus river as an iconof communal harmony, Jammu andKashmir Chief Minister OmarAbdullah inaugurated the three-day long Sindhu Darshan festivalat Leh region of Ladakh.

Sindhu Darshan, which wasfirst organised in 1997, is a three-day festival celebrated on the fullmoon day (Guru Poornima) in themonth of June every year.

Following the ritual, a largenumber of people from differentparts of the country participatedin the festival by bringing water

from the rivers of their own statesin earthen pots and immersed

these pots into the Sindhu riverthereby symbolizing the multi-di-mensional cultural identity of In-dia.

Among others present werestate minister for Tourism and Cul-ture, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minis-ter of State for Tourism, NasirAslam Wani and Chief ExecutiveOfficer, Ladakh Hill DevelopmentCouncil, Tsering Dorji.

A folk music program was or-ganized by the Jammu and Kash-mir Academy of Art, Cultureand Languages on the occa-sion. -PTI

ADB to fund tourism projectsin Himachal

SHIMLA: Asian DevelopmentBank (ADB) has agreed in principleto fund tourism, power transmis-sion and urban developmentprojects in Himachal Pradesh,Chief Minister Prem KumarDhumal has said.

Dhumal, who held a meetingwith high level delegation of ADBheaded by Xiaoyu Zhao, VicePresident and Hun Kim, CountryDirector, Indian Resident Missionand Bank, welcomed the proposalof Bank authorities to fund tour-ism, transmission line laying andurban development projects be-sides additional funding of otherongoing projects.

Dhumal said the State has vasthydel potential of over 23,000 MWwhich was being harnessed in

conformity with prescribed eco-logical safeguards and a number

of hydel projects were under ex-ecution in public and private sec-

tors.He said that need had arisen to

have valley-wise single dedicatedtransmission line for evacuation ofpower to main grid and with ADBfunding, work on power transmis-sion projects would be expedited.

The chief minister apprised thedelegation that state had achieved100 percent electrification two de-cades ago and was providingcheapest power to domestic con-sumers.

Xiaoyu Zhao, Vice President ofADB, expressed satisfaction overthe progress of different projectsbeing funded by ADB in the stateand said the Bank would be happyin funding tourism, transmissionline laying and urban developmentprojects in the state. -PTI

Till date the Ashram acts as aresting place for weary tourists toKausani. You will be able to catchsome scintillating spectacles of theHimalayan peaks from theAnashakti Ashram. The magnifi-cent library of the Ashram is worthvisiting too.

For the adventure seekersKausani offers interesting trekslike the Adi Kailash Trek,Bageshwar Sundardhunga Trekand the Base Kausani Trek.

Places around:Hill resorts of Nainital, Almora

and Ranikhet are easily accessiblefrom Kausani. They also offer won-drous vistas of the Himalayas andmake excellent excursion options.

Then there are the temple townsof Baijnath and Bageshwar thatattract several pilgrims and tour-ists every year and are in closeproximity to Kausani.

The nature lovers may even goon an excursion to Binsar fromKausani. Binsar boasts of a birdsanctuary that is worth visitingand the panoramic views of the Hi-malayan peaks like Nanda Devi.

How to reachAir - The airport nearest to

Kausani is Pantnagar, at a distance

180 km.Rail - The railway station at

Kathgodam is the nearest railheadat a distance of 142 km.

Road - Kausani is well con-nected with other hill resorts likeAlmora, Ranikhet, Pithoragarh,Gwaldam and Nainital throughroad routes


Nepal has 'world'stallest' Shiva statue

KATHMANDU: The world'slargest Shiva statue, built at thecost of Rs 7 crore near Kathmandu,will be inaugurated on June 21.

Kailashnath Mahadev statue(143 feet) complex at Sanga, located20-km east of Kathmandu, is spreadin 400,000 sq feet area and housesa 16 deluxe room resort, spa, yoga,health club and meditation centre.

It will also include a children'spark, physiotherapy, steam andsauna bath facilities.

The statue, which is made ofcement, concrete and iron iscoated with zinc and copper. Itdepicts Lord Shiva carrying atrishul in his hand while a snake isresting on his shoulder.

Swami Madhav AshramjiMaharaj, the Shankaracharya ofBadridham in India, will be presentat the inaugural function, accord-

ing to the organizers. They hope itwill give a boost to tourism, themainstay of Nepal's economy. -PTI

It will also include achildren's park,physiotherapy,steam and saunabath facilities

Dhumal welcomedthe proposal of Bankauthorities to fundtourism, transmissionline laying and urbandevelopment projectsbesides additionalfunding of otherongoing projects

Sindhu Darshan, whichwas first organised in1997, is a three-dayfestival celebrated onthe full moon day (GuruPoornima) in the monthof June every year

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www.indiapost.com37 India Post June 25, 2010

Health ScienceHealth Line

Indian American convictedfor Medicare fraud


NEW YORK: An Indian Ameri-can physical therapist fromFarmington Hills, Mich., BaskaranThangarasan, was sentenced June11 to 57 months in prison for hisparticipation in a fraudulent physi-cal therapy scheme, announcedthe Departments of Justice andHealth and Human Services (HHS).

US District Court Judge SeanCox in the Eastern District ofMichigan sentenced Thangarasanto three years of supervised re-lease following his prison term andordered Thangarasan to pay $2.3million in restitution, jointly withco-defendants.

Thangarasan pleaded guilty onDec. 9, 2009, to one count of con-spiracy to commit health care fraud.

According to information con-tained in plea documents,Thangarasan, a licensed physicaltherapist, admitted that he beganworking in approximately Febru-ary 2003 as a contract therapist fora co-conspirator who owned andcontrolled several companies op-erating in the Detroit area that pur-ported to provide physical and

occupational therapy services toMedicare beneficiaries.

According to his plea docu-ments, Thangarasan admitted thathe, his co-conspirator and otherscreated fictitious therapy files ap-pearing to document physical andoccupational therapy servicesprovided to Medicare beneficia-ries, when in fact no such serviceshad been provided. According to

court documents, the fictitiousservices reflected in the files werebilled to Medicare through shamMedicare providers controlled byco-conspirators.

Thangarasan also admitted thatduring the course of the scheme,he signed approximately 1,011 fic-titious physical therapy files indi-cating that he had provided physi-cal therapy services to Medicarebeneficiaries, when in fact he hadnot. Thangarasan admitted that he

was paid approximately $50 foreach file that he falsified.Thangarasan also admitted thatbetween approximately September2003 and May 2006, he falsifiedphysical therapy files that sup-ported claims to the Medicare pro-gram totaling approximately $5million. Medicare paid approxi-mately $2.3 million on those claims.Thangarasan admitted that,

throughout the conspiracy, he wasfully aware that Medicare was be-ing billed for physical therapy ser-vices that he falsely indicated hehad performed.

The sentencing was an-nounced by Assistant AttorneyGeneral Lanny A. Breuer of theCriminal Division; U.S. Attorneyfor the Eastern District of Michi-gan Barbara L. McQuade; SpecialAgent in Charge Andrew G. Arenaof the FBI's Detroit Field Office;

and Special Agent in ChargeLamont Pugh III of the HHS Of-fice of Inspector General's (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office.

This case was prosecuted byAssistant Chief John K. Neal andTrial Attorneys Gejaa T. Gobenaand Stephanie Hays of the Crimi-nal Division's Fraud Section aswell as former Special AssistantU.S. Attorney Thomas W. Beimers.The case was investigated by theFBI and HHS-OIG, and was broughtas part of the Medicare Fraud StrikeForce, supervised by the CriminalDivision's Fraud Section and theUS Attorney's Office for the East-ern District of Michigan.

Since their inception in March2007, Medicare Fraud Strike Forceoperations in seven districts haveobtained indictments of more than585 individuals who collectivelyhave falsely billed the Medicareprogram for approximately $1.3 bil-lion. In addition, HHS's Centers forMedicare and Medicaid Services,working in conjunction with theHHS-OIG, are taking steps to in-crease accountability and de-crease the presence of fraudulentproviders.

Health overhaul toforce changes inemployer plans

WASHINGTON: Republicansare pointing to a leaked adminis-tration document as evidencePresident Barack Obama hasbroken his promise that Ameri-cans who like their health planscan keep them under his newoverhaul law.

An early draft of an Obama ad-ministration regulation says thatmany employers will be forced tomake changes to their healthplans under the new law. The draftsays in just three years, a major-ity of workers 51 percent will bein plans subject to new federal re-quirements.

Employers say it's another signthat the law will drive up costs.Republicans say Obama did notkeep his word. But some expertsbelieve the increased regulationwill lead to improved benefits forconsumers. -AP

Lawsuit: Deafpatients didn't getinterpreters

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.: Sevenhearing-impaired emergency roompatients are suing Baptist HealthSystems for allegedly failing toprovide qualified sign languageinterpreters.

The lawsuit, filed in federalcourt in Jacksonville, claims thehealth care provider violated theAmericans with Disabilities Act.One patient said she was given astuffed monkey instead of a signlanguage interpreter. Anothercouldn't hear when her name wascalled by emergency workers.

A Baptist spokeswoman saysit's hospital policy to comply withall applicable laws and regulationsrelating to those who are deaf orhard of hearing. She says they arecommitted to effective patientcommunication. -AP

Sebelius stumps foranti-childhoodobesity plan

OKLAHOMA CITY: Health andHuman Services SecretaryKathleen Sebelius says the Obamaadministration is calling on may-ors to help in the fight againstchildhood obesity.

Sebelius touted first ladyMichelle Obama's anti-obesitycampaign at the annual U.S. Con-ference of Mayors. Sebelius toldabout 400 mayors and membersof their staffs that the ``Let'sMove'' campaign won't work``unless it's engaged in by com-munities.'' -AP

Public & private sector should jointly fight TBBABS VERBLACKT

In Asia, partnerships betweenpublic and private healthcareproviders are especially rel-

evant in the fight against tubercu-losis (TB). "These partnershipscan help guarantee quality of careand improve information on thenational TB situations," saysGiuliano Gargioni, Team Leader,Partnering and Social Mobilizationat the Stop TB Partnership.

In the global response to tu-berculosis, all care providersneed to be engaged, Gargionistresses. "In countries like India,you see that the state sectoralone will find it very challeng-ing to reach all people, even be-cause many persons choose toconsult first with private practi-tioners," he says.

"The private sector with non-governmental and faith based or-ganizations can join efforts with

the national programs to imple-ment TB control plans. And na-tional programs can help mobilizeresources to support initiatives ofpublic utility that come from thenon-state sector. This is the ba-sic concept of national Stop TBpartnerships."

These partnerships may beespecially relevant in Asia, par-ticularly "in places where thereis even some stigma attached tothe public sector and peoplethink going there is somethingonly the poor do," Gargioni il-lustrated at the sideline of theinternational symposium "Re-

search and development of newtuberculosis vaccines" inZaragoza, Spain (June 3-4).

"It is important to recognizethis specific situation when ad-dressing tuberculosis issues: thismeans availing proper diagnosisand care based on international

standards wherever people willdecide to seek medical attention."

The International standards forTuberculosis (TB) Care and certi-fications for private practitionerswho follow them give some guar-antee about the quality of theirwork and of their collaborationwith national TB programs,

Gargioni adds."Moreover, WHO (World

Health Organization) tuberculosisepidemiological data come fromcase reporting by public healthsystems and, unless they also in-cludes information of the privatesector, might then not fully reflectthe situation."

The establishment of (more)public-private partnerships canplay an important role in facingthese challenges, Gargioni says."We're looking at the privatesector not as a problem, but asa resource," he stresses. "If theprivate and public sector estab-lish partnerships this can im-prove access to diagnosis forthousands of sufferers, ensurequality of care and make the datawe have on the global tubercu-losis epidemic more accurate."

Cont’d on page 39

Details on page 39

Thangarasan also admitted that during the courseof the scheme, he signed approximately 1,011fictitious physical therapy files indicating that hehad provided physical therapy services to Medi-care beneficiaries, when in fact he had not

The International standards for Tuberculosis (TB)Care and certifications for private practitionerswho follow them give some guarantee aboutthe quality of their work

Obama faces raredefeat on healthhelp for jobless

WASHINGTON: If ChuckLacasse had gotten his pink slipfour days earlier, Uncle Sam wouldhave covered most of his family'shealth insurance while he lookedfor a new job.

Experts seeing rise in tick population, diseaseIndia Post June 25, 2010Health Science Post38

www.indiapost.com

MACON, Ga.: Perched atopblades of grass or taller vegetation,ticks wait for a feast to walk by.

Standing on their back legs withtheir front legs outstretched, theblood-thirsty critters are ready tolatch on at the first hint of carbondioxide or heat alert from their in-frared sensors.

Mercer associate professor ofbiology Alan Smith actively seeksout ticks for research.

In recent weeks, he has beenteaching seventh-grade studentsat the Amerson Water Works Parkon the Ocmulgee River about allforms of wildlife.

`Ì picked up a lot of ticks therewithout even trying,'' Smith said.`Ì think the populations are prettyabundant.''

Last year, Smith struggled topick up samples for his researchbut recently collected 100 of themfrom around Lake Tobesofkee.

He blames the wet spring and anabundance of deer and mice, he said.

``Data shows when the deerand especially the mouse popula-tions are up, then the tick popula-tions goes up,'' Smith said.

Mice are crucial to the tick'stwo-year life cycle. After hatchingfrom eggs, the tiny arachnids must

feast on a blood meal to carry themthrough each stage of develop-ment from larva to nymph andadult. Most ticks cut their babyteeth on mice, which are close tothe ground.

The bloated little bulb youmight discover dining away onyour DNA is likely an adult enjoy-ing her last meal. Left alone to gorge,she will eventually fall off in about aweek. As the female tick nears theend of her life, she may lay 3,000eggs that hatch on the ground.

Larva, which are about the sizeof the period at end of this sen-tence, don't pose a threat as theyhave yet to come in contact withan animal that may be carrying astrain of disease. It's when theyreach the nymph stage, or the sizeof a tiny freckle, that they posethe biggest danger to humans.

Because the ticks are so small,they may go undetected for days,giving ample time to pass alongbacteria to their host.

Smith says if people can get atick off of their body within 24hours, they're fairly safe.

Liz Schmitz, director of the Geor-gia Lyme Disease Association,warns that may not be the case if atick is improperly removed.

Squeezing a tick's midsectioncan actually pump more bacteriainto your body and increase therisk of illness, she said.

The proper way to remove a tickis to use tweezers as close to theskin as possible and pull straightback without twisting.

Schmitz said she acquired Lymedisease from a tick that was at-tached to her for just four hours.Her husband removed it by using

a hot match stick immediately af-ter the flame was blown out. Theheat caused the tick to spit bacte-ria into her that gradually beganto make her sick.

About a month after the bite,she began to feel dizzy andshrugged it off as a sinus infec-tion. Next, her elbow felt as thoughit was bruised, and she was diag-

nosed with cellulitis of an un-known origin. When she began toexperience tingling sensations upand down her arms, suffer jointand muscle aches and was unableto get out of bed some mornings,doctors decided it was probablymultiple sclerosis.

But Schmitz had always beenhealthy and couldn't understandhow she could have gotten so sick.Then she remembered the tick bite.

Now 20 years later, she is stillfighting to raise awareness abouttick-borne illnesses. Many healthprofessionals believe Lyme dis-ease is only prevalent in the north-eastern United States and ignorethe threat in Georgia, she said.

Part of the problem is that thetest for Lyme disease is based ona northern strain of the diseaseassociated with the deer tick andnot enough research is being doneon Georgia's very aggressive LoneStar tick, Schmitz said.

`Ìt just warrants investigationhere,'' she said. ̀ Ì got this 20 yearsago, and it's still not funded. Thisis something that is huge that canpotentially explain a lot of differ-ent diseases on our planet.''

Only in recent years have Cen-ters for Disease Control and Pre-

vention scientists been classify-ing southern tick-associated rashillness, which they say is similarto Lyme disease. But no one hasidentified the bacteria that causesit, Smith said.

A rash may develop within aweek of a bite and expand outthree inches or more. The skin in-flammation may be accompaniedby fatigue, fever, headache,muscle and joint pains.

Unlike Lyme disease, south-ern tick-associated rash illnesshas not been linked to any ar-thritic, neurological or chronicsymptoms, according to the CDCWeb site.

But Schmitz and Smith aren'tso sure, due to the lack of re-search. Plus, a Georgia SouthernUniversity expert has discoveredsimilarities in the northern deertick and the southern Lone Star,Smith said.

`Ìf any of my students go outin the field and show sign of arash, I tell them to get the antibi-otic,'' Smith said. ̀ Ì don't want tobe an alarmist, but it makes youwonder how many people havethese kinds of arthritic or rheuma-toid conditions that are really un-diagnosed Lyme disease.'' -AP

Michelle Obama vows to helpCamp Pendleton troops

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.:After meeting with wounded Ma-rines, first lady Michelle Obamatold thousands of troops and theirfamilies that she is launching anational challenge for everyAmerican to find ways to make lifeeasier for those fighting U.S. wars.

Since her husband took office,Obama has been visiting basesacross the country as part of hermission to help military families.She called Camp Pendleton andthe surrounding Southern Califor-nia cities a model for communitysupport of troops.

But California Republicans calledthe event a publicity stunt to helpDemocratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, whois running for a fourth term and hasbeen criticized by opponents for notdoing enough to support troops.President Barack Obama has flownto California twice in recent monthsto help the imperiled incumbent'sfundraising efforts.

Boxer and U.S. Rep. Susan Davis,D-Calif. accompanied Obama duringher visit to the San Diego-area baseon a sunny afternoon.

The first lady paid tribute to thefive Camp Pendleton Marines killedin the last week in Afghanistan. Shetold the crowd of 3,500 troops andtheir families that she came to the

base for a simple reason: ̀ `To helpthe rest of our country better un-derstand and appreciate the incred-ible service of you and your fami-lies, and to make sure your voicesare heard back in Washington andthat your needs are met.''

Obama began focusing on theneeds of military families duringthe 2008 presidential campaign as

the country fought two wars inIraq and Afghanistan and servicemembers and their loved ones en-dured multiple deployments to thecombat zones.

President Obama has proposedmillions of dollars more for coun-seling, support services and mili-tary child care in his 2011 budget.Aides justified the spending onmilitary families by saying theirwelfare is an important part of U.S.national security.

Marine Sgt. Keyonna Adkins,a single mother, said she could usethe help.

The 23-year-old has struggledto find day care for her 3-year-oldson. The base had such a longwaiting list for its day care cen-ter, she finally went to a privateone in nearby Oceanside, whereshe pays high rates.

`Ìt's good there are a lot of pro-grams, but we need day care,''Adkins said.

Obama praised nearby Fallbrook,whose chamber of commerce offersMarines the chance at an all-expensepaid wedding package, and alsolauded Oceanside, which has an`Àppreciation Day'' for troops. Shesaid many cities in the area adoptMarine units and send the troopscare packages. -AP

Michelle Obama

Neb. woman recalls years ofstruggling with cancer

FREMONT, Neb.: Sept. 30, 1998,was supposed to be a festive dayfor Carol Zakovec and her family.

On the day Zakovec's son,Jacob, was to be celebrating hisseventh birthday, Zakovec wasdiagnosed with breast cancer.

The Cedar Bluffs woman hadgone to her doctor for a routinecheckup when she was sent to havea mammogram and ultrasound.

That's when Zakovec wastold that she had a very rare typeof breast cancer one that affectsonly 2 percent of all breast can-cer patients.

`Ìt was very difficult to find anddiagnose,'' Zakovec said.

Zakovec was scheduled forsurgery just two weeks later, andwas contemplating her options.

``Because it was such a raretype and so aggressive and so dif-ficult to diagnose, we pinneddown the doctor and finally said,'If it was your wife, what wouldyou do?''' Zakovec said. ̀ `He saidbilateral radical mastectomy.''

The tissue that was removedwas sent to California for testing,and a second tumor was found.Zakovec was told that becausethe second tumor was quite a bitsmaller and harder to find, shelikely would not have lived fiveyears without the surgery.

``That'll knock the wind out ofyou,'' she said.

The real ordeal for Zakovec,though, was only beginning.

She began radiation and che-motherapy treatments, whichcaused her to lose all of her hair.

Zakovec's husband, Doug, wasworking full time and the couple'syoungest children - Kayla andJake - were in second and firstgrade, respectively.

`Ì was not feeling well enoughto cope with it all,'' Zakovec said.``When I had a treatment I wouldbe OK for 10 or 12 hours, but thenI was extremely sick, very tired andhad a lot of trouble coping.''

Zakovec and her husband,Doug, lived in an old farmhouseat the time that had no insulationin the winter, so Zakovec livedfrom late December until the endof May with her sister, JoyceSidlar, in Colorado. Sidlar wouldbring Zakovec back to Nebraskaeach month for chemotherapy.

Zakovec originally was sched-uled for six chemo treatments, butended up having to do nine.

During that time, Zakovec's old-est daughter - Staci Jensen - foundout she was pregnant. Zakovec'sgranddaughter was born in October1999, something that helped motivateZakovec in her recovery. -AP

But Schmitz hadalways been healthyand couldn't under-stand how she couldhave gotten so sick.Then she remem-bered the tick bite

California Republicanscalled the event apublicity stunt to helpDemocratic Sen.Barbara Boxer, whois running for a fourthterm and has beencriticized byopponents for notdoing enough tosupport troops

India PostJune 25, 2010 Health Science Post 39

www.indiapost.com


Public & private sectorshould jointly fight TB

Not only health care providers,also communities have to get moreinvolved. "Communities couldand should play a decisive role,particularly in tuberculosis detec-tion by referring to health facili-ties people with chronic respira-tory symptoms and supportingpatients during their treatment,"Gargioni says. "But communitiesare often completely unaware ofthe TB problem and not involvedin a dialogue to shape successfulstrategies at grassroots level."

In a presentation at the sympo-sium in Zaragoza, Gargioni pre-sented an overview of the globalachievements and challenges inTB control and research. Incidencerates are highest in Africa. "But interms of absolute number of cases,more than half are in the South-east Asian and Western Pacificregion," he said.

Of special concern in the Asianregion are drug-resistant forms oftuberculosis, which are even moredifficult to treat. "Multidrug-resis-tant (MDR) TB is a serious prob-lem in China and in countries of

the former Soviet Union. The In-dian subcontinent also shows animportant role in the estimatedabsolute numbers of MDRcases," Gargioni stressed. "Ex-tensively drug-resistant TB(XDR-TB) has unfortunatelybeen detected in all countrieswhere public health officials havelooked for it."

Weak health systems are a ma-jor challenge in efforts to controltuberculosis in general, andMDR-TB in particular. "Problemnumber one is the crisis in thehealth work force. There are notenough people on the ground, tobe close to where the TB patientslive and make care accessible,"

Gargioni said, adding that morelaboratories, improved infectioncontrol and more financial re-sources are needed as well. "If weconcentrate the efforts to controlMDR-TB in India, China and theRussian Federation, we can makea significant difference."

Thanks to the implementationof the DOTS (directly observedtreatment, short course) and StopTB Strategy 36 million peoplehave been successfully treatedfrom 1995 to 2008 and more than6 million deaths have beenaverted, according to WHO. Butthe challenges ahead remainhuge. The latest WHO data showthere are 9.4 million new TB casesand almost 2 million peopledeaths in 2008. Worldwide, al-most 1,5 million people are TB/HIV co-infected, of which almost0.5 million die every year. In 2008,there were 440,000 new MDR-TBcases and 150,000 MDR-TB re-lated deaths.

The two day symposium (June3-4) was organized by the Univer-sity of Zaragoza, the foundationRamon Areces and TuBerculosisVaccine Initiative (TBVI).-CNS

Obama faces rare defeat onhealth help for jobless

WASHINGTON: If ChuckLacasse had gotten his pink slipfour days earlier, Uncle Sam wouldhave covered most of his family'shealth insurance while he lookedfor a new job.

But Congress allowed emer-gency health care assistance forunemployed workers to expireMay 31, and seems unwilling torenew it despite pleas from Presi-dent Barack Obama.

Not three months after law-makers passed his $1 trillion in-surance overhaul, Obama is fac-ing a rare defeat on health care atthe hands of his own dividedDemocrats. Moderates have re-belled against adding billionsmore to the deficit in a treacher-ous election year.

``The same Congress that spentall this political capital trying toget people health insurance is go-ing to take a crucial benefit awayfrom unemployed people,'' saidAndrew Stettner, deputy directorof the National Employment LawProject, which advocates for theunemployed.

On June 4, Lacasse lost his jobas advertising director for a com-pany that makes nutritionalsupplements. He'll soon have to

pay the entire $1,500 monthly pre-mium to keep his family coveredunder his former employer's healthinsurance plan.

Until May 31, under Obama'seconomic stimulus law, the gov-ernment provided a 65 percentsubsidy. That would have loweredhis cost to $525.

``This really isn't about welfare,''said Lacasse, 40. ̀ `It's about buy-ing people some time. In a posi-tion as specialized as mine, it wouldhave been nice to know that I hadsome time to look for the right job.''He lives near Green Bay, Wis., withhis wife and two children.

Democratic Sens. Bob Casey ofPennsylvania and Sherrod Brownof Ohio have introduced a mea-sure that would allow the programto continue helping people whoget laid off through Nov. 30. Thatwould cover Lacasse.

The lawmakers want to attachtheir nearly $7 billion provision tomust-pass legislation that wouldextend unemployment benefitsand make changes in dozens offederal programs. But a similar pro-posal was dropped from theHouse-passed bill, and SenateDemocratic leaders also omitted itfrom their version. -AP

Thanks to the imple-mentation of the DOTS(directly observedtreatment, shortcourse) and Stop TBStrategy 36 millionpeople have beensuccessfully treatedfrom 1995 to 2008

6 Bekarar - Paathshaala

7 Ranjha Ranjha - Raavan

8 Yaadan - Virsa

9 Rang De - Bumm Bumm Bole

10 Ankahi Si - Chase

1 Khili Re - Raavan

2 Ghum Suhm Ghum Suhm - IAWA

3 Dont Know What To Do - Housefull

4 Mein Tenu Samjjawan - Virsa

5 Chaska - Badmaash Company40 India Post June 25, 2010www.indiapost.com

Kareena Kapoor feels she shares a strange connec-tion with her Hollywood counterpart, Julia Rob-erts. Here's why.

A popular film magazine recently polled for India's MostBeautiful Woman and Kareena Kapoor emerged on top ofthe list. In the US, Julia Roberts has won the poll as theMost Beautiful Woman In The World.

Bebo is thrilled to be in the same league as Julia. This isher third 'link' with the Hollywood actress. Kareena playsRoberts' role in the remake of Stepmom. And had an oppor-tunity to meet the Pretty Woman, who stayed at Pataudi onher last trip to India.

Kareena says, "There's a strange connect between us.It's weird that I happened to be essaying Julia's role atsame time and we both feature as the most beautiful womentogether in a magazine.

I have watched all of Julia's films and it's a big high toessay the same role that she did. I am inspired by her. I havealways admired and tried to do the kind of woman-centricroles Julia essays like Erin Brockovich and Pretty Woman."

She continues, "I feel our personalities are also similar.She has a natural smile and the choices she makes, standout." About being voted the Most Beautiful Woman in thecountry, she says, "Having perfect features doesn't meanbeauty. Juila is so happy and fulfilled that it shows. I amlike that too."

Ranbir Kapoor is the hottest stuff in town, withhis natural good looks and overflowing tal-ent. His latest film Raajneeti stunned the au-

diences and critics alike. Now he has made a comfyspot for himself as a leading and the most soughtafter actor of tinsel town.

With his busy life, an endless number of scriptscoming his way and few more firmly under his belt,Ranbir is just like any normal lad.

Only 28, he has high aspirations to settle downby the time he is 32, and would also like to have achild by then. But currently single, he is enjoyingevery moment of it.

Ranbir, who broke up with the very sexy DeepikaPadukone after two years of dating, has no regretsand is concentrating fully on his expanding career.He also spends his time hanging out with buddiesand playing the guitar. In short, his life is just per-fect at the moment.

Sanjay Dutt is flying high these days.The beloved Munnabhai is going tobe a proud father of twin babies in the

beginning of 2011. Confirming the news,Dutt said, 'God has listened to our prayers,I am very happy.'

This is going to be a double bonanza forSanjay, who already has a daughter namedTrishala from his first marriage to RichaSharma.

Manyata Dutt is reported to be threemonths pregnant.

Dutt is very much excited to have twinbabies but he is worried about the healthof his wife as he needs to be out of Indiafor two weeks in June. He will be travelingthe interiors of Morocco, Istanbul and Tur-key for his home production, Rascals,which also stars Ajay Devgan.

However, he has assured that all hisfriends and family members will take goodcare of the would-be mother in his absence.

India Post 41June 25, 2010

www.indiapost.com

Bollywood

Bollywood's hunk Salman Khan is addicted toTwitter these days. He is hooked to this networking site so much that he ends up spend-

ing considerable time on the same.And guess what? Salman chats only with his close

buddies. Actor Imran Khan is one of them. Thesedays, Salman and Imran's bonding on the net is be-coming the much talked about affair in tinsel town.

Reportedly, Salman has even promised Imran Khanthat he would watch his film I Hate Luv Storys assoon as its first draft is ready to be screened.

She did it, but without prompting. Aishwarya Rai featuring in theHindi as well as Tamil versions of 'Raavan,' says she didn't useany prompting for either and relied on memory for her dialogues

in both the languages."I can't take prompting. First of all, I don't know the art of someone

holding a placard and me reading it," Aishwarya said in an inter-view.

"I tried it once, but it was such a flop because I was in thewater and they were holding the placard behind the cameraand suddenly Vikram enters the frame and he started actinghis bit. Then I had to bank on my memory because Vikramcame in front, blocking the placard.

"I don't know how to go with these cheating tactics.So prompting doesn't work. I tried, but it didn't workbecause of the waterfall. You can't hear a thing. So Iliterally had to rely on memory," she said.

Aishwarya plays the female protagonist in bothversions of Mani Ratnam's much-awaited movie thatis titled "Raavan" in Hindi and "Raavanan" inTamil. For the Hindi version, she has teamed upwith southern star Vikram, who plays her hus-band, and her real life partner Abhishek, whois seen as her tormentor.

Abhishek Bachchan, is perhaps the onlystar in the Indian film industry, creating,unique historical records with his film's

promotions.Last year, his whirlwind promotional tour

for his film Delhi 6, across seven cities was aworld record for public appearances by a filmstar, at different cities in 12 hours. The JuniorBachchan has now achieved yet another ex-ceptional feat. For his film Raavan's promo-tions he created history by chatting with over50,000 fans online at the office of Zapak. Tre-mendous excitement by his fans, eventuallylead to a system crash. However, it was re-stored immediately.

This is the first time that a star has encoun-tered such an enormous fan following for anonline chat. Recently Hrithik Roshan, had man-aged to get a good number, of around 27,000plus online fans for a chat while promoting Kites.But Abhishek has surpassed them all.

The very fact that the actor is being followedby hoards of fans on the streets wherever he ispromoting his movie also proves that Abhishekis finally is a star on his own right today.

Hollywood has always been the ultimate goal for many of our Bollywood actors. Some of the bignames in Bollywood have tried their hands in Hollywood films but none could not it very big so far.

Akshay Kumar, the Bollywood superstar, has made his mark, both in the comic and action genre,is considered to be a good pick for Hollywood. But, our Akki seems to be satisfied with the tag of thehighest paid actor of Bollywood now.

The actor is receiving several roles, both small and big, from Hollywood but chose not to go forthem yet. Akshay thinks he is not going to fit well in Hollywood and is not willing to desert his fanshere in India.

Speaking to the media in London the 'Khiladi' of Bollywood said, "I am happy and satisfied with theBollywood offers. Here, I have a huge fan group to entertain and I am not going to fit in to Hollywood so Ikeep refusing to do projects there."

In his next film Khatta Meetha, Akshay will don the role of a Marathi manoos 'Sachin Tichkule', astruggling road construction contractor. It is his fifth film with filmmaker Priyadarshan. It is going to be yetanother addition to his comedy films.

HOLLYFOLLY

42 India Post June 25, 2010www.indiapost.com

Tech News TechBizFear of recession in Europe draws

NRI investment in IndiaIndian expatriates have started

investing in their home country in a big way. Increasing job

security in Gulf countries,coupled with fears of recessionin Europe and North America, areprompting NRIs to repatriate theirsavings to Indian assets, the mostfavored being real estate, closelyfollowed by equities and high-coupon debt.According to Capitaline data-base, NRI shareholding in com-panies like Rajesh Exports, UttamGalva, Tanla Solutions, GraphiteIndia and Carborundum Univer-sal, among several other smallercompanies, has gone up over thepast one year.

A look at BSE scrolls revealsthat NRIs have been net buyersof Indian shares since February,with April being the best monthwhen Indian expats invested overRs 20 crore at the net level in In-dian shares. In February, Marchand May, NRIs invested Rs 10crore, Rs 10 crore and Rs 13 crore,

respectively; June is poised to beeven better as the Diaspora hasinvested close to Rs 17 crore inthe first ten days of the month."NRI investments back home areshowing a healthy trend. Confi-dence level of investors is high;they are buying shares at everyfall," said Krishnan

Ramachandran, chief executiveofficer, Barjeel Geojit Securities,a Dubai-based brokerage, servic-ing Indian clients.

According to MrRamachandran, Gulf-based inves-tors have become a bit morebolder after fears of job lossessubsided. "There is a change inthe way Gulf-based NRIs are in-

vesting in Indian shares. Most ofthem prefer to trade in mid-capstocks these days; they sell thesestocks on gaining 5-10%," MrRamachandran added.

NRIs from the Gulf region ac-count for nearly 25% of the totalinflow of remittances. Apart frominvestments through Indian bro-

kers, affluent investors also in-vest in India indirectly throughparticipatory notes (PNs). Suchinvestments do not disclose thename of the investor or the bene-factor. Many of those who investthrough PNs are based out ofEurope and the US, say brokerswith operations overseas.

Several Gulf-based investors

had redeemed or sold their in-vestments during the Dubaicredit crisis last year. The currentflow of money to Indian sharescan be seen as Gulf-based inves-tors reversing those transactions,according to investment experts.While Gulf-based NRIs are tryingto benefit from investing in homemarkets, the Indian expats in Eu-rope and North America are send-ing back their savings to preserveit in Indian assets.

"The monetary crisis in Europeand America is forcing wealthyIndians to send their savingsback to their home country. Thistrend may continue for some time,unless there is a dramatic recov-ery in the West," said SaurabhMukherjea, head of Indian equi-ties, Execution Noble Group, aLondon headquartered moneymanager. "Rich Indians living inEurope and America are investingin Indian equities, Indian real es-tate and Indian fixed deposits," MrMukherjea added.-PTI

Mahindra's American distributor suesover delay in US launch

WASHINGTON: With Indianconglomerate Mahindra &Mahindra missing two deadlinessince 2009 to launch its pick-uptruck in the US, the automaker'sexclusive American distributor hasslapped a lawsuit against the com-pany.

The company has set a revisedtarget of entering the US market

by end of 2010.Atlanta-based distributor Glo-

bal Vehicles (GV), in the lawsuitfiled before an Atlanta DistrictCourt, alleged that there has beeninordinate delay in the launch ofthe truck, based on M&M's SportsUtility Vehicle Scorpio platform.

Reacting to the development,an M&M spokesperson said:

"Mahindra & Mahindra haslearned that GV has filed a lawsuitin the US. GV has also initiated aseparate arbitration proceedings.Mahindra firmly believes these le-gal actions to be without merit andwill vigorously contest these ac-tions."

M&M and GV entered into apact in September 2006 andMahindra proposed to launch thepick-up truck in 2009.

However, this got delayed overregulatory clearances and it re-vised the entry deadline to begin-ning of this fiscal year, which toowas missed.

In its lawsuit filed on June 14,GV said that it spent close to USD35 million in preparation for thelaunch of the Mahindra vehiclesin the US and had signed with asmany as 360 dealers nationwide.

This also includes an initial dis-tribution appointment fee of USD

8.5 million.GV also said that the US deal-

ers have spent more than USD 60million in franchisee fees for theright to sell Mahindra vehicles. Ithas also initiated arbitration pro-ceedings against M&M.

Pawan Goenka (left), President, Automotive and farm equipment sector,

Mahindra & Mahindra at a press conference

Cont’d on page 43

Revised tax movenot to eat intorevenue

NEW DELHI: Having proposedtax exemptions on retirement andlong-term savings schemes in thesecond draft of the Direct TaxesCode (DTC), the Finance Ministryhas said the move will not entailany revenue loss. "EEE (exempt-exempt-exempt) is only for the lim-ited number of saving instruments.It (recommendation) is balanced,"Revenue Secretary Sunil Mitra toldPTI when asked about the rationalefor discarding the original proposalof taxing retirement schemes at thetime of withdrawal.

The revised draft favors con-tinuance of the EEE (exempt-ex-empt-exempt) mode for providentfunds and pension schemes. Un-der the EEE mode, the tax exemp-tion is enjoyed at all the threestages--investment, accumulationand withdrawal.-PTI

Air India to openengineering basein Dubai

DUBAI: Air India is set to openan engineering base in Dubai tohelp streamline the airline's opera-tions in the Gulf sector, its chair-man and managing directorArvind Jadhav has said.

Jadhav said the airline pro-poses to put five aircraft onstandby in Dubai to solve emer-gency technical snags.

The base is likely to be set upeither in Dubai or Sharjah depend-ing on the cost factor, he told me-dia persons here. The national car-rier, Jadhav said, will also lease outfive new aircraft besides opening a24-hour toll free call centre to dis-seminate information, Jadhav said,adding that there is a potential toadd 200 flights in this region.-PTI

BP agrees tofinance USD 20billion fund

WASHINGTON: BP has agreedto finance a USD 20 billion fund topay the claims of people whosejobs and way of life have beendamaged by the devastating oilspill in the Gulf of Mexico, Presi-dent Barack Obama has said.

The USD 20 billion will providesubstantial assurance that legiti-mate claims made by people andbusinesses in the Gulf will be hon-ored, Obama said.

The president, speaking alonein the State Dining Room of theWhite House, also announced thatBP had voluntarily agreed to es-tablish a USD 100 million fund tocompensate laid-off oil right work-ers affected by his six-month drill-ing moratorium. -PTI

New applications for TVchannels not accepted

I&B ministry Secretary Raghu Menon has said that no new applications for TV channels will be entertained by the government until the

TRAI will produce its recommendations on Foreign Direct Investmentissue in the broadcasting space. However, the ministry has reinitiatedthe processing of license issuing for new TV channels.

"Trai is working on some points we referred to them on the FDIpolicy. Meanwhile, we thought it is not fair to keep the applicants wait-ing," Menon said. In the recent past, citing the shortage of radio waves,the government was not considering the applications regarding thelaunch of new television channels.

‘NRI investments back home are showing ahealthy trend. Confidence level of investors ishigh; they are buying shares at every fall,’ saidKrishnan Ramachandran, chief executive of-ficer, Barjeel Geojit Securities

M&M and GV entered into a pact in September2006 and Mahindra proposed to launch thepick-up truck in 2009. However, this got delayedover regulatory clearances

43India PostTechBiz Postwww.indiapost.com

June 25, 2010

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On whether the lawsuit will further delaylaunch of its vehicle in the US, the M&Mspokesperson said: "Mahindra remainscommitted to launching its products in theUS market."

She, however, did not elaborate stating"this matter is now under litigation,Mahindra would not like to comment fur-ther at this stage on these unfortunate de-velopments." GV has also asked the courtto prevent M&M from selling its vehiclesthrough any other dealer or distributor.

Earlier, explaining the delay in the launchof the product, M&M President (Automo-

tive and Farm Equipment) Pawan Goenkahad said it was because of changes made tothe vehicle to conform to US regulationsand meet American tastes.

"We wanted to give the best product tothe American consumer and thereby wantedto be absolutely sure on all parameters be-fore its launch," he had said.

He had stated that M&M expected toget certification from the US EnvironmentalProtection Agency by July this year andwould begin production in India in mid-Sep-tember and the trucks would arrive in USshowrooms by late December. -PTI

Mahindra's American distributorsues over delay in US launch


Defaults by listed companiesmay be disclosed

A committee comprising senior gov-ernment officials and financial regulators has proposed mandatory dis-

closure of loan defaults by listed compa-nies, a move aimed at protecting sharehold-ers' interest and boosting investor's confi-dence. The proposal was discussed at theMay 24 meeting of the High-Level Coordi-nation Committee on Financial Markets,said a senior finance ministry official. Mar-ket regulator Securities & Exchange Boardof India (Sebi) will examine the practical as-pects of the proposal.

"Sebi may consider making changes inthe listing norms so that whenever a com-pany defaults on any payment obligation,it would trigger a public announcement,"the official said, requesting anonymity. Themeeting of the coordination committee waschaired by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) gov-ernor D Subbarao. Finance secretary AshokChawla, department of financial servicessecretary R Gopalan, chief economic advi-sor Kaushik Basu, Sebi chairman CB Bhave,Insurance Regulatory & Development Au-thority (IRDA) chairman J Hari Narayan andsenior officials of the Pension Fund Regu-latory & Development Authority (PFRDA)

attended the meeting.At present, information on loan defaults

is available only to the lenders, RBI andcredit information companies such as CIBIL.As per the current practice, banks disclosea list of defaulters to RBI on a quarterly ba-sis. A copy of this report is forwarded toSebi and CIBIL. Globally, there were a num-ber of corporate loan defaults in 2009, aftersome of the world's largest economies werehit by the worst financial crisis since 1930s.India also felt the tremors of the crisis, lead-ing to a few high-profile default cases.

Several companies in the worst-hit sec-tors such as retail and real estate had atough time servicing their loans. Institu-tional lender IDBI recalled a loan to a pri-vate airline recently after it failed to meet itsrepayment obligations.

Industry officials and policymakers areof the opinion that disclosure on loan de-faults will promote transparency andstrengthen corporate governance. "Sebishould not have any problem. There are al-ready laws in place making it mandatory forpromoters to disclose information aboutshares pledged," a finance ministry officialsaid. -Agencies

Firm launches anti-piracy initiativeIndia Post News Service

NEW YORK: Databazaar Media Ven-tures (DMV), the media wing ofDatabazaar.com, that has been acquiringthe latest Bengali films for distribution inNorth America has initiated an "unprec-edented drive" to stop piracy of Bengalifilms in the US.

"We have adopted a zero tolerancepolicy towards unscrupulous businessmenand individuals who have no respect for"intellectual property rights," stated OneySeal, Chairman of the Databazaar Group ofCompanies. "We have initiated the processand are confident that we will be able toeffectively counter "piracy of movies" andensure that producers are not deprived oftheir rightful profit."

Under the legal framework of this his-toric drive initiated by DMV, all retail out-lets in North America will be issued legalnotices well in advance by attorneys ofDMV to desist from stocking and sellingpirated versions of the films for which DMVholds the intellectual property rights.

"If these retail outlets continue with thispractice then legal action will be takenagainst the infringement parties. Legal ac-tion will also be taken against those whoviolate digital rights of these movies," addedSeal.

DMV will also be sending a similar no-

tice to the organizers of the North AmericanBengali Conference to be held this July,2010, informing them of the intention to en-force "intellectual property rights" as in thepast some vendors were seen selling piratedversions of Bengali movies to unsuspect-ing and trusting customers."

Welcoming this initiative undertaken byDMV, House Majority Leader, State of Mary-land, Delegate Kumar Barve said, "This isthe right move in the right direction. I havealways believed in enforcement of "intel-lectual property rights" and I am glad thatDatabazaar Media Ventures is taking therequisite legal steps to enforce this. Thiswill also help the economy."

Under the legal frameworkof this historic drive initi-ated by DMV, all retailoutlets in North Americawill be issued legal noticeswell in advance by attor-neys of DMV to desist fromstocking and sellingpirated versions

Briefs India India Post June 25, 2010www.indiapost.com44

NewsAnderson was assured 'safepassage' by govt: Rasgotra

NEW DELHI: The Home Min-istry, under P V Narasimha Rao,had assured "safe passage" toUnion Carbide Chief WarrenAnderson before he came to In-dia in the aftermath of the deadly1984 Bhopal gas leakage, the thenForeign Secretary M K Rasgotrasaid here.

He said the then Prime Minis-ter late Rajiv Gandhi was subse-quently told about grantingAnderson a safe passage, towhich he did not object and hadconcurred.

"Rajiv Gandhi was not in Delhiand I felt that really the HomeMinistry was concerned and theywill do the needful, which theydid," Rasgotra said when askedwhy he did not consult the latePrime Minister, who was holdingthe Foreign Ministry portfolio too.

"Obviously, he (Rajiv) con-curred with that decision but thatwas after the event," he said.

Anderson had requested a"safe passage" through the USEmbassy, Rasgotra told KaranThapar in an interview for CNN-IBN channel.

"He (Gordon Streeb, the thendeputy chief of the US mission here)said Anderson wanted to come here.There was a tragic situation and hewanted to see things himself, wantedto offer his condolences but hewould come only if granted safe pas-sage," Rasgotra said.

"I said, I cannot assure of safe

passage. I would have to con-sult concerned authorities and Iwill get back to you...I got intouch with the Home Ministry

and I got in touch with the Cabi-net Secretary. I told them whatStreeb had asked for and I waitedfor the instructions," the formerdiplomat said.

Rasgotra also maintained thathe got the instructions the"same day".

Terming the request for safe

passage by Anderson as "under-standable", Rasgotra also de-scribed his arrest as "wrong."

"It was quite understandablerequest. This man wanted to come,

Blood donation drive in NavsariNIDHI SOPARAWALA

MUMBAI: Gandhi WorldPeace Mission and SyedDargahwala Foundation joinedhands to organize a blood do-nation drive recently at Navsariwith twin objectives of collect-ing blood for Blood Bank in thearea as also to promote unityand brotherhood among differ-ent communities.

The successful event helpedcollect 35 bottles of blood. Sahid

Syed of the Foundation said thatbut for the marriage season beingin full swing, there could havebeen a larger number of donorscoming forward to donate blood.

"However, we are satisfied withour efforts in the sense that wehave focused on the need of blooddonation and helped promotebrotherhood among all communi-

ties here," he saidVishnu Mehta of Gandhi

Peace Mission and Sahid Syedof the Foundation then distrib-uted certificates to all those do-nating blood. Deepak Rawal ofNational Blind foundation wasthe first to donate blood. Com-munity activists like Raju Joshi,Rupi Thakore, Chiman Tibediaand Pradeep Vinayak wereamong those giving time andenergy organizing this drive,said Vishnubhai.

CBI had soughtdilution of chargeagainst Anderson

BHOPAL: In the midst of thepolitical storm over the Bhopalgas case verdict, the records ofthe trial court show that the CBIhad sought dilution of the strin-gent charge against UCC CEOWarren Anderson on the lines ofthe relief given by the SupremeCourt in the case against the In-dian accused.

In 2002, the CBI had filed anapplication in the court seekingthat the charge under section 304II of IPC (culpable homicide notamounting to murder) againstAnderson be changed to section304 (A) (causing death by negli-gence). While 304 II entails amaximum of 10 years imprison-ment, 304 provides for two yearsjail term. -PTI

Govt to buy airtickets for strandedIndians in Kyrgyzstan

NEW DELHI: India has said ithas offered to buy air tickets forreturn of its 105 nationals lodgedin Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek af-ter they were evacuated from vio-lence-hit southern Kyrgz towns.

Ministry of External Affairsspokesperson Vishnu Prakashtold reporters here that the offerwas made to all the Indians evacu-ated from Osh and Jalal-Abad,though some of them wanted toremain in Bishkek.

"In accordance with estab-lished consular procedures, theIndian Mission in Bishkek hasoffered to buy tickets for thosestudents who may be facing tem-porary financial difficulties,"Prakash said, replying to report-ers' queries on the ethnic violencein the Central Asian nation thathas claimed over 120 lives. -PTI

Nuke liability billto safeguard USinterests: Karat

NEW DELHI: Maintaining thatthe Bhopal verdict was of "directrelevance" to the Nuclear Liabil-ity Bill, the CPI(M) has said thelegislation bore the "handiwork"of US nuclear industrial lobby asit would exempt them from any li-ability in case of an accident.

The bill is "meant to safeguardthe interests of the US companieswho will supply reactors to India. Inthe event of a nuclear accident, theyare to be exempted from any liabilityto pay compensation for the dam-ages caused," party General Secre-tary Prakash Karat said. -PTI

La Marts refuse to sackprincipal for caning

KOLKATA: The authorities of La Martiniere for Boys'School have refused to sack its principal for caning a stu-dent who allegedly committed suicide four days later lastFebruary.

"There is no question of sacking the principal. He is in-nocent unless proved guilty," secretary of the schoolSupriyo Dhar said. -PTI

express his condolences and sor-row. I thought it was quite under-standable and if he wanted tocome, we should let him come...Hewas given safe passage and thearrest was wrong. And the authori-ties, I think, realized that was a badthing to do and they releasedhim," he said.

Asked if then chief minister ofMadhya Pradesh Arjun Singh wasunaware of the safe passage whichresulted in Anderson's brief arrestin Bhopal, Rasgotra said "DidArjun Singh really arrest him or theadministrative authorities or policearrested. I cannot say.-PTI

Activists from the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist Liberation (CPI-ML) shout anti-Congress-led UPA

government and anti-Bhopal Gas tragedy verdict slogans as they demand the extradition of Union Carbide

CEO Warren Anderson and prepare to burn his effigy during a demonstration in New Delhi

Terming the request for safe passage byAnderson as 'understandable', Rasgotra alsodescribed his arrest as 'wrong.' 'It was quiteunderstandable request. This man wanted tocome, express his condolences and sorrow'

The successful event helped collect 35 bottles ofblood. Sahid Syed of the Foundation said thatbut for the marriage season being in full swing,there could have been a larger number ofdonors coming forward to donate blood

45 India Post June 25, 2010www.indiapost.com

In Brief ImmigrationIT staffing firm sues Feds for

changing H1B policyIndia Post News Service

NEW YORK: TechServe Alli-ance, the national trade associa-tion representing the IT servicesindustry, filed a lawsuit on June 8in US District Court in and for theDistrict of Columbia against fed-eral agencies for altering policythat allowed IT staffing firms toobtain H-1B visas on the samebasis as other companies.

The suit has been filed againstthe US Citizenship and Immigra-tion Services (USCIS), AlejandroMayorkas, Director of USCIS, theDepartment of Homeland Security(DHS), and Janet Napolitano, Sec-retary of Homeland Security.

The five count complaintcharges that the government im-properly and without any valid le-gal basis altered long-standingpolicy that has allowed IT staff-ing firms to obtain H-1B visas onthe same basis as other compa-nies. In an abrupt reversal of itspolicy without any notice or op-portunity for comment and con-

trary to well settled law, the gov-ernment now erroneously con-tends IT staffing firms are not "USemployers" and are therefore ineli-gible to serve as petitioners for H-1B visas, and since implementingthis new policy, the agency has beenimproperly denying petitions of ITstaffing firms on that basis, the com-pany said in a press release.

Along with the complaint,TechServe Alliance filed a motionseeking entry of a preliminary in-junction barring the agency fromcontinuing to enforce this policyas it was adopted in violation oflaw.

"USCIS's actions are a thinlyveiled attack on the IT staffing in-dustry and its business model,"observed Mark Roberts, CEO of

TechServe Alliance.In a Memorandum dated Janu-

ary 8, by Donald Neufeld, Associ-ate Director of Service Center Op-erations at USCIS ("NeufeldMemo"), USCIS reversed wellsettled policy, determining that ITstaffing firms are not "US employ-ers" under US immigration law andare therefore ineligible to access

the H-1B visa program.TechServe says USCIS arrived

at this erroneous determination byarguing that IT staffing firms failto exercise control over theirconsultants; summarily conclud-ing there is no employer-employeerelationship - an element of the defi-nition of US employer. In doing so,USCIS ignores the fact that IT staff-ing firms hire, fire, pay and super-

vise; activities which the applicableregulation as well as other areas oflaw have long recognized as estab-lishing an employer-employee re-lationship, it says.

In Count I of the Complaint,TechServe Alliance contends theNeufeld Memo amends an exist-ing legislative rule allowing theSecretary of Homeland Security toissue the rule only after a notice-and-comment rulemaking processhas been properly conducted inaccordance with the Administra-tive Procedure Act (APA).

The APA requires federal agen-cies to provide notice and an op-portunity for interested parties tocomment and have those com-ments considered prior to issuingfinal rules and regulations. Be-cause USCIS failed to conductsuch a process in accordance withthe APA, TechServe Allianceseeks entry of a preliminary in-junction barring the agency fromenforcing its rule and vacating theNeufeld Memo.

Feds proposing new round of immigration fee hikesWASHINGTON: The cost of

the first step toward becoming aU.S. citizen _ getting a green card- may be going up. But the Obamaadministration won't be raisingthe price to apply for full-fledgedcitizenship.

The administration has pro-posed increasing the applicationfee for a green card - given to for-eigners with permission to live andwork in the U.S. permanently -from$930 to $985. The fee for requiredfingerprinting also would go up $5to $85, for a total of $1,070.

Foreigners wanting to becomea U.S. citizen must have held agreen card for five years beforethey are eligible to apply for citi-zenship, which costs $595 plusthe fingerprinting fee. The ad-ministration is not proposing anincrease in the citizenship appli-cation fee even though an admin-istration study found the feeshould be increased as much as$60 an application -to cover thefull cost of processing those ap-

plications.``Requesting and obtaining

U.S. citizenship deserves specialconsideration,'' said Ali Mayorkas,director of Citizenship and Immi-gration Services, part of the Home-land Security Department.

The increases are being pro-posed as Congress has put off over-

hauling immigration laws that Presi-dent Barack Obama promised wouldbe done in his first year in office.

Mayorkas said the increases areneeded because his agency is fac-ing $2.3 billion in estimated coststo process immigration-relatedapplications. The agency expectsjust $2.1 billion in revenue this fis-cal year to cover those costs.

The fee increases, if approved,are only expected to make up some

of the revenue gap. Mayorkas alsois asking for $248 million from Con-gress for the 2011 fiscal year thatbegins in October and additionalmoney to cover naturalizations ofmilitary personnel. The agency islargely funded by fee revenue andis required by law to study the feesevery two years and adjust them

based on costs and revenue.Mayorkas said the administration

has been ̀ `mindful of the effect of afee increase on the communities weserve'' and has made budget cuts tolimit the size of the increases.

The agency hiked fees in thesummer of 2007, helping to trig-ger a flood of citizenship appli-cations that were filed in ad-vance of the increases. But sincethen, applications for citizenship

and other immigration benefitshave slowed.

The agency proposed tocharge fees for three other pro-grams that previously had nocharge, including a new $6,230 feefor investor visas, known as EB-5. The visas are given to foreigninvestors who pledge at least$500,000 to a project that createsjobs. The visa is popular withVermont Democratic SenatorPatrick Leahy, chairman of theSenate Judiciary Committee thatoversees immigration issues.

Fees would drop for five ap-plications, including petitions tolegally bring a fiance or fianceeor an orphan to the U.S.

Obama had promised duringhis campaign to work on the citi-zenship system to make it cheaperand faster. As a senator, he spon-sored legislation with IllinoisDemocratic Rep. Luis Gutierrezcalling for more oversight of im-migration application fees. Thebill stalled. -AP

Calif island in stormof immigrationdebate

AVALON, Calif.: An island off theLos Angeles coast reluctantly findsitself in the middle of an interna-tional tussle over illegal immigration.

And some leaders are blamingtheir own congressman for puttingthem there.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher earlierthis month confronted a Mexicanofficial who was distributing identitycards that nationals use in the U.S.to cash checks. The GOP congress-man said the IDs only help illegalimmigrants get a foothold in the US.

Many island residents saw hisvisit as grandstanding, portrayingtheir community as a haven for il-legal immigrants and unnecessar-ily drawing them into a raging im-migration debate that could harmtheir tourist-dependent economy.

They say they've received e-mails with people threatening totake their business elsewhere. -AP

Cont’d on page 46

Arizona seeksdismissal of lawsuitover new law

PHOENIX: Arizona Gov. JanBrewer and Attorney General TerryGoddard have asked a judge to dis-miss a lawsuit that seeks to over-turn the state's new immigration law.

Lawyers for both officials saythe lawsuit by Washington-basedresearcher Roberto Frisanchoshould be thrown out because hisclaim is based on his speculationthat, as a U.S.-born Hispanic, hewill be asked for immigration pa-pers as a result of the law.

The law requires police, whileenforcing other laws, to questiona person's immigration status ifofficers have a reasonable suspi-cion that the person is in the coun-try illegally. -AP

Ohio immigrantdenies torture claimfrom Somalia

COLUMBUS, Ohio: A formerSomalia military colonel who livesin Ohio is rejecting the claims of alawyer who says the colonel or-dered his detention and torture inSomalia in 1988.

Abdi Aden Magan of Columbussays he's immune from prosecutionin the United States and his accuserwaited too long to sue him.

Magan also said in a federalcourt filing that the complaintshould have been brought in thecountry of Somaliland or Kenya,which could hear cases arisingfrom Somalia.

Magan says he faced his ownordeal in Somalia and had to fleein 1991 after falling out of favorwith the government. -AP

Details on page 47

Texas GOP oustschair, wants Ariz.immigration law

DALLAS: Fired-up Republi-can activists in no mood for com-promises threw out their partychairwoman then bucked TexasGov. Rick Perry by pushing for acrackdown on illegal immigrationsimilar to Arizona's new law.

The suit has been filed against the US Citizenshipand Immigration Services (USCIS), AlejandroMayorkas, Director of USCIS, the Department ofHomeland Security (DHS), and JanetNapolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security

Foreigners wanting to become a US citizen musthave held a green card for five years beforethey are eligible to apply for citizenship,which costs $595 plus the fingerprinting fee

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India Post46 June 25, 2010Immigration Postwww.indiapost.com

Deadline nears for Haitians'deportation reprieve

Count II sets forth a claim un-der the Regulatory Flexibility Actin light of the government's fail-ure to conduct the required analy-sis of the rule's impact on smallentities, Count III sets forth a claimthat the regulations exceedsUSCIS's statutory and regulatoryauthority, and Counts IV & V as-sert the Neufeld Memo is arbitraryand capricious and not authorizedby law.

"IT staffing is a lawful businessmodel that greatly benefits the USeconomy, US businesses and USworkers. The government shouldnot be allowed to attack the indus-try by circumventing the

MIAMI: With their homelandravaged by an earthquake, morethan 50,000 Haitians have appliedto legally stay and work in the U.S.and immigration advocates areurging others not to miss theirchance.

The deadline to apply for tem-porary protected status is July20. Only Haitians who were al-ready living in the U.S. illegallywhen the earthquake struck Jan.12 are eligible.

Temporary protected status, orTPS, allows immigrants from coun-tries experiencing armed conflictor environmental disasters to stayand work in the U.S. for 18 months.

As of June 4, 51,881 applica-tions have been processed, morethan half of them in Florida, ac-cording to U.S. Citizenship andImmigration Services. About 11percent have been rejected forbeing incomplete or lacking theproper fee.

Federal officials initially saidthey expected about 100,000 to200,000 Haitians to apply for tem-porary protected status. The gov-ernment now says that's actuallythe number of applications theycan handle. They expect about70,000 applications by mid-July.

Immigration advocates saysome Haitians who are eligible

won't apply because they don'thave $470 for application fees, orbecause they fear stepping for-ward will only lead to trouble anddeportation to Haiti.

``We understand this commu-nity is going through incrediblehardship,'' CIS spokeswoman AnaSantiago said. ``We're urgingpeople to please register, because

this is something that will help youdeal with the situation.''

The Haitian community centerSant La in Miami offers small loansto some applicants. Others havebeen trying to save up the moneybefore the deadline, instead of ask-ing immigration officials for a feewaiver.

Executive Director GepsieMetellus said some Haitians re-gard the offer of temporary pro-tected status warily, believing thedocumentation just makes it easier

to deport them later. They don'tsee it leading to better paying jobsthat can support their families inthe U.S. and in Haiti.

``All we can do is debunk themyths that are out there,'' Metellussaid. ``We encourage people toapply and point out that the gov-ernment knows where you arenow, and they've got bigger fishto fry.''

Manouse Jean of Miami saidtemporary protected status will bea relief from years of frequent re-locations to elude immigration au-thorities after her appeal for asy-lum was denied. She fled Haiti'spolitical instability in 1999.

``I used to be afraid to work, togo walking in the streets. To catchthe bus, my heart would be beat-ing so fast,'' the 33-year-old saidafter dropping off documents forher TPS application at the Arch-diocese of Miami's Catholic LegalServices.

She joined hundreds of peoplewho packed a Haitian neighbor-hood church in January for infor-mation about temporary protectedstatus. She hopes TPS also willallow her to pursue training for li-censed practical nurses so she canfind work caring for earthquakesurvivors if she eventually is de-ported to Haiti. -AP

rulemaking process and reversinglongstanding policy by decree,"stated Roberts. "Because of theirvast power to destroy lives andbusinesses, government institu-tions should be required to rigor-ously comply with applicable lawand process. USCIS, DHS and itsleadership failed to meet the mostminimal standards of compliancewith the law.

Despite wide spread objectionand outrage over the policy enun-ciated in the Neufeld Memo onboth substantive and proceduralgrounds, USCIS and DHS havefailed to rescind this policy. Accord-ingly, we were left with no choicebut to defend the industry againstthese unfair, ill-conceived, and un-

authorized actions and seek equi-table relief from the Courts."

Alongside TechServe Alliance,the American Staffing Associationand IT staffing firms Broadgate,Inc. Logic Planet, Inc. and DVRSoftek Inc. are also plaintiffs in theaction.

TechServe Alliance is a col-laboration of IT services firms, cli-ents, consultants and suppliersdedicated to advancing excellenceand ethics within the IT servicesindustry. Hundreds of IT staffing,IT solutions and IT consultingfirms and tens of thousands of af-filiated professionals, count onTechServe Alliance to keep theirleadership informed, engaged andconnected, claims the company.


IT staffing firm sues Feds for changing H1B policy

The Haitian commu-nity center Sant La inMiami offers smallloans to some appli-cants. Others havebeen trying to save upthe money beforethe deadline

India Post 47June 25, 2010 Immigration Postwww.indiapost.com

Texas GOP ousts chair, wantsAriz. immigration law

DALLAS: Fired-up Republi-can activists in no mood forcompromises threw out theirparty chairwoman then buckedTexas Gov. Rick Perry by push-ing for a crackdown on illegal im-migration similar to Arizona'snew law.

Some delegates at the Repub-lican state convention alsocalled for a nonbinding resolu-tion calling on House Republi-cans to oust their own speaker,Rep. Joe Straus of San Antonio,considered too moderate formany of the bedrock conserva-tives meeting in Dallas. Conven-tion organizers ruled the Strausresolution out of order.

While the convention beganwith scripted unity and Demo-crat-bashing speeches, its finalhours were marked by divisionand heated debates over GOPpolicy priorities.

In a sometimes chaotic andraucous roll-call vote, delegatesoverwhelmingly decided to ditchtheir firebrand leader, conserva-tive activist Cathie Adams, in fa-vor of Houston businessmanSteve Munisteri. Munisteri hadfocused his campaign on theparty's $500,000 debt, saying Re-publicans should be in better fi-nancial shape since they controlboth houses of the Legislatureand all statewide offices.

The immigration proposal, ahard-line approach that Perryhas said isn't right for Texas, wasone of several initiatives de-bated as delegates wrapped upthe two-day convention. TheRepublican Party platform is ablueprint of the policies thatGOP activists want elected offi-

cials to pursue.Delegates voted to include a

plank advocating for a state lawthat would bar illegal immigrantsfrom `ìntentionally or know-ingly'' living in Texas. Similar toArizona's strict law that hassparked nationwide debate, theproposal would require local po-lice to verify U.S. residencywhen making arrests.

Perry has said the Arizona law,if adopted in Texas, would un-duly burden police.

Another potentially contro-versial plank advocates an`òpen carry'' law, which wouldallow residents to openly carryfirearms in public without a con-cealed weapons permit.

The convention brought morethan 8,000 delegates to Dallas todebate the party platform, selectparty leaders, train volunteersand adopt rules to guide the

nomination process.Held every other year, it's

mostly designed as a giant peprally to fire up Republicansahead of the November elec-tions. The choreographed con-vention began with prayers,video tributes and speeches bytop Republican leaders, includ-ing Perry.

The main guest speaker, Mis-sissippi Gov. Haley Barbour, tolddelegates that the stakes in the2010 elections were ̀ `higher thanany midterm election in my life-time.'' Barbour urged activists tofocus their ire not on each otherbut on the Democrats who hadengineered the ̀ `biggest lurch tothe left in American history.''

Barbour warned the delegatesnot to engage in divisive inter-nal battles or demand a ̀ `purity''test of Republican leaders whomay not agree with them on ev-ery single issue.

``We cannot forget unity be-cause some people will let puritybe the enemy of unity,'' Barboursaid. `Ìt's a big party and weneed everybody who is on ourside.''

That didn't stop conserva-tives from criticizing their mod-erate speaker.

A resolution circulating on thefloor of the Dallas ConventionCenter called for Republicans to``remove and replace'' Straus,who came to power in 2009 withthe help of House Democrats.Straus spokeswoman TracyYoung said the speaker remainedfocused on increasing the HouseRepublican majority. He had nocomment on the resolution, shesaid. -AP

The main guestspeaker, MississippiGov. Haley Barbour,told delegates that thestakes in the 2010elections were ‘higherthan any midtermelection in my lifetime.’Barbour urged activiststo focus their ire not oneach other but on theDemocrats who hadengineered the ‘big-gest lurch to the left inAmerican history’

June 25, 2010India Post48

www.indiapost.com

HoroscopeARIES

Mar 21-Apr 20

June 25

to

July 1

You will finally hear the much awaited

news about your child. Guests will

bring some nice gifts. Business will

improve and things will get more relax-

ing at work. You will be calling over-

seas more frequently. You may be call-

ing a government agency to seek

some favors. You may also go on a

short trip to a nice place with family.

You may win ongoing legal case in a

big way. Business will be better and

new vendors will be easier to deal

with. Avoid any suspicion and take

your chance when it comes to matter

of heart. You will take a trip to a real

nice and warm area. Child will get ad-

mission far away from home but in the

university of his or her choice.

Avoid making an rash decisions and

seek explanation as facts could be just

opposite to what you are thinking. Trip

will be somewhat tiring of all. Bach-

elors will be introduced to a nice per-

son by another friend. Little diplomacy

can make life easier and get the job

done quickly. It will be better to dispose

off money making stocks.

TAURUS

Apr 21-May 20

LEO

Jul 23-Aug 22

SAGITTARIUSNov 23-Dec 22

VIRGO

Aug 23-Sept 22

CAPRICORN

Dec 23-Jan 19

GEMINI

May 21-Jun 20

LIBRA

Sept 23-Oct 22

CANCER

Jun 21-Jul 22

SCORPIO

Oct 23-Nov 22

AQUARIUS

Jan 20-Feb 18

PISCES

Feb 19-Mar 20

You will hear from other side and make

a counter offer. You may replace oneof your vehicle with a newer and luxury

model. Affairs related to a child willcome to a pleasant end and everybody

will be happy. You will be working on agreat project that requires specialized

skills and can take you to totally differ-ent level.

Dream job or assignment is within your

reach and you can start planning ac-

cordingly. Package will be better than

expectations. You will be introduced

to a person who is not only intelligent

but far sighted. Some of you will be

getting ready for an overseas trip also.

You will receive help and encouraging

words from your sibling.

Determination to do something will take

you closer to your goals. Planets will

continue to help those looking for a

change or first time job seekers. You

will hear some encouraging news from

distant places. You may misplace some

important item but quickly find it. You

will be invited to a big party by an old

acquaintance.

Planets make you more popular in so-

cial as well as professional circle.

Money wise you will be comfortable as

liability will come down a lot. Some of

you may accept a short term assign-

ment as a teacher or consultant. You

may be getting ready for an upcoming

big move. Prompt actions by you will

get quick response from other side too.

You will do all the work and some one

else will try to take credit, so watch

out. You will try to control your sugar

intake. Keep working on your ideas as

ultimate success just around the cor-

ner. You will have less worries about

a child from now and on. It will be bet-

ter to stay away from people who are

not completely trustworthy.

You will attend a religious ceremony. It

will be an expensive week but money

will go on good things. You are really

going to enjoy this week with family

and friends. Professionally expect big

improvement and you will step by step

march towards your goals. Eye sight

may give trouble and you may need

new prescription for glasses.

Gambling and speculation will be prof-

itable. Some of you will take excep-

tional steps to get out of rat race and

will see immediate success. You may

be able to finally dispose off a prop-

erty with mediocre gains. Your exper-

tise will help many needy persons.

Family will be excited and getting ready

for an upcoming long distance trip.

Your advice will change some one's

life. Lady luck is on your side so try

your hands at lottery. You will beat the

competition and will be selected for the

job. Money wise things should start look-

ing up from now and on. A close rela-

tive will call from out of state and in-

form you the date of their arrival for a

short vacation.

You will receive call from an old and

almost forgotten friend this week. Be

careful as someone will try to drag

your name in unnecessary litigation.

You will be spending lots of money on

a child. You may attend a religious

ceremony at friends place with family.

You will enjoy the company of a new

colleague at work place.

UK inquiry into misuse ofIndia education aid

LONDON: Britain has launchedan inquiry into reports that mil-lions of pounds of aid for educa-tion and the 'Sarva ShikshaAbhiyan' in India has disappearedinto the depths of corruption with-out any benefit to the poor chil-dren the aid was intended for.

Shocked by reports based onfindings by the Ministry of Hu-man Resources Development,Andrew Mitchell, Secretary ofState for International Develop-ment, said: "These are shockingallegations.

"I have launched an immediateinquiry to ensure British aid moneyhas not been misused. The newBritish Government will have azero tolerance policy to corrup-tion".

Reports in the British mediaabout the corruption mentioned afigure of 340 million pounds in aidto a schools project for childrenunder the age of 14.

One audit of money earmarkedfor the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyanproject found that 70 million

pounds had reportedly vanished.Mitchell said: "When I took up

this job a month ago I made apledge to taxpayers that they mustknow that for every pound of theirmoney, we will get 100 pence ofvalue".

"Now I'm reviewing every singleone of the Department for Inter-national Development's countryprograms to ensure we are givingaid to where it's most needed - tohelp the world's poorest people".

'The News of the World' quoteda report by India's Auditor Gen-eral that almost 14 million poundshad been spent on items and luxu-ries that had nothing to do withschools.

The newspaper's investigationsaid: "Cash meant for kids' educa-tion has been blown onluxuries."We discovered that offi-cials throughout the country hadused it to buy new cars and in oneinstance aid cash was spent onfour luxury beds costing a total of17,754 pounds as well as a 3,803pounds computer". -PTI

India Post June 25, 2010www.indiapost.com

Real Estate49

Realty Tidbits

RBI asks companies to restructuredeals with foreign investors

About a dozen companies,mostly in the real estatesector, have been told by

the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) torestructure the deals they have cutwith foreign investors. These lo-cal firms have recently brought inforeign direct investment (FDI) byselling convertible papers - notesthat will convert into shares aftera date - to offshore funds and stra-tegic players.

A customary practice amongforeign private equity funds andoverseas investors is to link thenumber of shares on conversion tothe performance of companies inwhich they invest. A companywhich does well has to convert lessshares than one which misses per-formance milestones. In otherwords, promoters of firms that haveperformed badly will suffer a sig-nificant dilution in their holdings.

This sliding rule mechanism has

now been questioned, thanks tochanges in the FDI guidelines andthe new method for calculation offloor price at which local compa-nies and existing shareholders cansell their stocks to foreign inves-tors. "In the last three weeks, RBIhas written to several companies,asking them to spell out the exact

number of shares against convert-ibles they have issued. Thesefirms are in a spot because themoney from foreign investors hasalready come in. Now, they will tryto convince the central bank, fail-ing which they will have to reworkthe transaction structure," a se-

nior industry source familiar withthe development told ET.

The central bank's letters are inresponse to the standard formssubmitted by companies a monthafter issuing securities to non-resi-dent investors. Companies receiv-ing foreign investment have tospell out transaction details like

identity of investors, size of theinvestment, and conversion termsin these forms, known as FC-GPRfilings. "Since these investmentsare in sectors in which FDI is al-lowed through the automaticroute, it's like a post facto intima-tion to RBI. "

"I feel RBI may not questionthose investments in which the FC-GPR forms have already been pro-cessed. But in many companies,investments have happened alittle before or around May, whenthe new FDI norms and pricingwere announced," said the invest-ment banker. "Perhaps, theyshould have been more careful,"he added.

Interestingly, some of the localfirms are taking refuge in the newguidelines to avert a significantdilution in the promoter holdings."These companies, mostly prop-erty firms, have not delivered andaccording to the terms, they haveto accept a high conversion ratioin favor of the foreign investors.But they are trying to wriggle outof their commitment by simply cit-ing the new pricing rule," said alegal advisor to one of the foreigninvestors.

Bengaluru new real estate hotspotBangalore or Bengaluru has

gained popularity as anideal place to settle, dur-

ing one's working years and post-retirement, not just due to it's con-sistent and pleasant climate, butalso because it has over the years',thrown up immense opportunitiesfor world-class education, work,etc. Today there are a significantnumber of non-Bangaloreans whohave made this city their own.From a humble city with greenery

and tranquility, to a city buzzingwith business, dreams and hope,Bangalore has come a long way. Ithas been able to carve a niche foritself as the most preferred onewith ITES/BPO and other techcompanies.

They find the right talent andco-operative authorities, infra-structure may, however, not be thebest in class. These factors haveproved to be a great boost to the

real estate market, residential andcommercial. Bangalore is the fast-est growing major metropolis inIndia. This "Silicon Valley of In-dia" is prime destination for mul-tiple IT companies which contrib-ute over 33% of India's IT exports.The city is home for HNWIs andis home to over 10,000 dollar mil-lionaires and about 60,000 super-rich people who have an investiblesurplus of Rs. 4.5 crore and Rs. 50lakh respectively.

So much going for the city, itcomes as a little surprise that itcommands a significant premiumvalue on rentals and capital forboth residential and commercialproperties. The supply is growingin line with the revived commer-cial real estate demand. Latest re-port from Cushman & Wakefieldsuggests that the total projectedsupply for the year is 12.42 millionsq ft of office space, more than

double the supply delivered in2009.

Demand recorded at approxi-mately 2.54 million sq ft, compris-ing pre-commitments of 546,000 sqft during Q1 2010, which is in facta high from over two years. Resi-dential market has seen some sig-nificant action with many devel-opers like Sobha, Prestige andSunil Mantri rolling out newprojects in micro markets. Some ofthe key areas in Bangalore, wherethe residential demand has pickedup, are Jayanagar, Whitefield andSarjapur Road, Doddakanenahalli.

There has been a paradigm

shift since the 2008 meltdownwhen the real estate market saw atough phase, this in fact provedto be a wave which rationalizedprices significantly. A survey con-ducted by MT commissioned In-dian Market Research Bureau(IMRB) among five cities, amongstindividuals aged between 25 to 39years, stated that Bangalore andMumbai emerged as the most pre-ferred places to live. Some of theparameters that they evaluated areas suggested in the below table.

Clearly, it provides the bestquality of life and of course themost courteous people!

Tata's luxuryhousing projectin Kolkata

Tata Housing DevelopmentCompany has announced the

launch of Eden Court-Primo', aluxury housing project at NewTown, Rajarhat in Kolkata. Theproject consists of two high risetowers with sky garden offeringpremium apartments (with threeand four bedrooms), starting at Rs3,950 per sq ft with a minimum sizeof 1,719 sq ft.

"We have received an over-whelming response to the EdenCourt project from our consum-ers," said Brotin Banerjee, manag-ing director and chief executiveofficer of Tata Housing. The com-pany claims that Eden Court-Primowill offer maximum views and ven-tilation and has a swimming pool,clubhouse, open communityspace, children's playground, tabletennis room, jogging track, andlandscaped gardens.

RBI revisesnorms for housingloans

Reserve Bank of India has re-vised the norms for urban co-

operative banks for giving loansto the housing and real estate (RE)segment. Working capital loans tosmall contractors against hypoth-ecation of construction materialare exempted from the existingnorms that allows UCBs to use 15per cent of the total deposits forgiving loans for housing and com-mercial real estate, RBI said. In acommunication to chief executiveofficers of UCBs, RBI said it hasfine-tuned the rule for aggregatelimit for housing finance. Now, ur-ban banks can use up to 15 percent of deposits to provide hous-ing, real estate and CRE loans.

Godrej maytransfer land toanother Co

NEW DELHI: Business con-glomerate Godrej may transfersome of the landholdings held byits subsidiary Godrej Agrovet toanother group firm for developingreal estate projects.

"Yes, there is a possibility ofmore land from Godrej Agrovetbeing available for development,"Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrejsaid on a conference call with ana-lysts.

Godrej Agrovet (GAVL) is a di-versified agribusiness companywith interests in animal feed, oilpalm plantations, agrochemicalsand poultry.

Regaliaa Realty plans newprojects

Chennai-based Regaliaa Realty Ltd is planning toinvest around Rs 65 crore in various hospitality

and residential projects. The company, which is cur-rently promoting mid and high-end residential projects,would also look at foraying into low-end housingprojects. The company has set up 11 services apart-ments under the brand Homcourt at Nugambakkam andis planning to add five more in the same location.

‘In the last three weeks, RBI has written to severalcompanies, asking them to spell out the exactnumber of shares against convertibles they haveissued. These firms are in a spot because themoney from foreign investors has already come in’

Today there are a significant number of non-Bangaloreans who have made this city their own.From a humble city with greenery and tranquility,to a city buzzing with business, dreams and hope,Bangalore has come a long way

WASHINGTON DC

Upcoming

ILLINOIS

Upcoming

June 25, 2010India Post50

www.indiapost.com

DatebookNEW YORK

Upcoming

NEW JERSEY

Upcoming

Every Sunday• Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan host

Satsang, Bhajan & Meditation ProgramVenue: Woodbridge township ambulance and Rescuesquad, 77 Queen Road, 3rd Floor, Iselin, NJ 08830Time: 10:30am to 1pmContact: (732) 485-0647Highlights: Lecture by close disciple of Shree AshutoshJi Maharaj, Bhajans, free meditation and Mahaprasad.

Fri June 25• Bollywood Night with Special Guest

Shweta TiwariVenue: Zin Banquet, 1150 Paterson Plank Rd, Secaucus,New JerseyTime: 10pm to 2amContact: 551-998-1507

Sat June 26• Ghulam Ali Live in Concert - New Jer-

seyVenue: Holiday Inn, 3050 Woodbridge Ave, Edison, NewJerseyTime: 8pmContact: 732-277-6687

Sat June 26• Chamunda Swamiji Presents

Tathaastu - Spiritual ConferenceVenue: Holiday Inn, 3050 Woodbridge Ave, Edison, NJTime: 11:30am to 4:30pmContact: 732-653-5353

Sum July 4• Manav PremVenue: Knights of Columbus Hall, 116 Grand St., Iselin,New JerseyTime: 10am to 11:30amContact: 732-207-7592

Sat June 26• Shreya Ghoshals concertVenue: Palace Theatre, Coulmbus, OhioTime: 6:30pm to 10:30pmContact: 614-596-6842

Wed June 30• Amma's North American Tour Summer

2010 - ChicagoVenue: Westin Lombard Yorktown Center, 70 YorktownCenter, Lombard, IllinoisContact: 630-468-2320

Sat July 10• The 2010 South Asian Spelling Bee in

ChicagoVenue: Harper College, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine,IllinoisContact: 848-248-4199

Sat July 10• Dealmaas 2010 USTAD AMJAD ALI KHANVenue: North Shore Center For Performing Art, Skokie, IllTime: 7:30pm to 9pmContact: 414-336-5982

Sun July 11• Yoga-Meditation Sessions & Spiritual

Talks By Swami MukundanandaVenue: Holiday Inn, 3405 Algonquin, Rolling Meadows, IllTime: 10:30am to 9pmContact: (630)-915-1281

Fri July 23• Single Gujarati Find your Perfect

Match at Matri 2010Venue: Ramada Inn, 999 Rt. I S, North BrunswickTime: 8pmContact: [email protected]

Fri June 25• Sathvaro Shri Radhe ShyamnoVenue: Ganesh Temple Auditorium, 143-09 Holly Ave,Flushing, New YorkTime: 8:00pmContact: 718-639-9200

Sat June 26• Bollywood WeddingVenue: The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 236 East 3rd St. (bet.Avenue B and Avenue C), New York City, New YorkTime: 7pm to 9pmContact: (212) 505-8183

Fri July 2• Ariz Presents Atif Aslam Live In NyVenue: Colden Center, Queens, NY, 65-30 Kissena Bou-levard, Queens, New YorkTime: 8:30pm to 11:30pmContact: 646-452-3424

Sat Jul 3• Ghulam Ali Live in Concert - New YorkVenue: Hindu Auditorium, 143-09 Holly Ave, Flushing, NYTime: 8:00pmContact: Balwinder Bajwa, Phone: 516-852-2222

Thur July 1• The Infamous NYC Lock & Key PartyVenue: Kush, 191 Chrystie Street (Between Stanton &Rivington Street, New YorkTime: 6:45pm to 4pmContact: 4420-7112-2280

Sun July 4• Amma's North American Tour Sum-

mer 2010 - New YorkVenue: TBD, TBD, New YorkTime: 10am to 7:30pmContact: 212-714-5445

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Every Sat (start from Sat Aug 8)• Gurukul Classes for ChildrenVenue: Sindhu Center, South CaliforniaTime: 2pm to 4pmContact: 818-541-1754 & 909-576-1114Highlights: Children between the ages of 5 and18. Children will be taught the Fundamentals ofHinduism, Prayers, Shlokas, Bhajans and Valuesof our culture.

Sat June 26• Baltimore Rathyatra, Festival of IndiaVenue: Baltimore Inner Harbor, Pratt Street and LightStreet, Baltimore, Maryland, WDCTime: 12pm to 7pmContact: 443-762-2524

Sun June 27• Indian Wedding Exhibit Presents The

Grand Bridal FairVenue: Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 North3rd Street, VirginiaTime: 6pmContact: 2024553413

Sun July 4• DC Rathyatra & Festival of IndiaVenue: National Mall, 4th Street & Madison Ave, Wash-ington, DCTime: 10am to 9pmContact: 301-299-2100

Sun Jun 26• Arangetram by Neha ShekharVenue: Mexican Heritage Plaza, 1700 Alum Rock Ave,San José, California, 95116Time: 6:00pmContact: [email protected]

Sun June 27• Guru ParamparaVenue: Visual and Performing Arts Center, De AnzaCollege, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino, Cali-forniaContact: (408) 871-5959

Mon June 28• Mahatma Moses Comedy Tour -

San FranciscoVenue: Punch Line Comedy Club, 444 Battery Street,San Francisco, CaliforniaTime: 8pm to 9:30pmContact: 415-676-1371

Sun July 4• Transformation through MeditationVenue: San Ramon Marriott, 2600 Bishop Drive, SanRamon, CaliforniaTime: 2:30pm to 4pmContact: 888-248-3962

Thurs July 8• Art of Living CourseVenue: Sierra 2 Center, 2791 24th Street, Sacramento,CaliforniaTime: 7pm to 5pmContact: 916-529-7800

Sat July 10• Mehta Entertainment presents

Aatif Aslam Live In ConcertVenue: Oracle Arena, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland,CaliforniaTime: 8pmContact: 925-980-9297

Sun July 11• Solo Recital by Divya VetturiVenue: Jewish Community Center, 3921 Fabian Way,Palo Alto, CaliforniaTime: 4pm to 6pmContact: [email protected]

Fri July 9• Amma's North American Tour

Summer 2010 - Washington DC

Venue: Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, 5000 SeminaryRoad, Alexandria, Virginia, 22311Time: 10am to Jul 11 7:30pmContact: 240-696-1927

Sat Jun 26• Singh Entertainment Presents

Jai Ho - AR Rahman The Journey

World Tour 2010Venue: Oracle Arena, 7000 Colisium Way, Oakland,CaliforniaTime: 7:30pmContact: Paul Singh, Phone: 209-604-2543

Fri July 2• NAVIKA 2010 World Kannada Sum-

mitVenue: Pasadena Convention Center (Los Ange-les), 300 E Green Street, Pasadena, CaliforniaTime: 2pm to 11:35pmContact: 949-415-2125

Sun July 11• AATIF ASLAM Live in Concert

"IMPACT"Venue: Long Beach Terrace Theatre, 300 East OceanBlvd, Long Beach, CaliforniaTime: 6pmContact: 562-436-3661

Sun Jul 31• Arangetram by Sneha JayaprakashVenue: Cubberley Theater, 4000 Middlefield Road,Palo Alto, CaliforniaTime: 4:00pm to 6:00pmHosted By: Jayendra Kalakendra

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Philosophy

There is a SecretOne inside us

KABIR

I have been thinking ...I have been thinking of thedifference between waterand the waves on it. Rising,water's still water, falling

back,it is water, will you give me

a hinthow to tell them apart?

Because someone has madeup the word

"wave," do I have todistinguish it

from water?There is a Secret One inside

us;the planets in all the

galaxiespass through his hands like beads.

That is a string of beads one should look at with luminous eyes.

Are you looking for me?Are you looking for me? I am in the next seat.

My shoulder is against yours.you will not find me in the stupas, not in Indian shrine

rooms, nor in synagogues, nor in cathedrals:not in masses, nor kirtans, not in legs winding

around your own neck, nor in eating nothing butvegetables.

When you really look for me, you will see meinstantly --

you will find me in the tiniest house of time.Kabir says: Student, tell me, what is God?

He is the breath inside the breath.

There's a moon in my bodyThere's a moon in my body, but I can't see it!

A moon and a sun.A drum never touched by hands, beating, and I can't hear it!As long as a human being worries about when he will die,

and what he has that is his,all of his works are zero.

When affection for the I-creature and what it owns is dead,then the work of the Teacher is over.

The purpose of labor is to learn;when you know it, the labor is over.

The apple blossom exists to create fruit; when thatcomes, the petal falls.

The musk is inside the deer, but the deer does notlook for it:

it wanders around looking for grass.

The Bhakti path...The bhakti path winds in a delicate way.

On this path there is no asking and no not asking.The ego simply disappears the moment you touch

him.The joy of looking for him is so immense that you

just dive in,and coast around like a fish in the water.

If anyone needs a head, the lover leaps up to offerhis.

The 570th birth anniversary of Kabir will be celebrated on June 26

Man is condemnedto be free

JEAN PAUL SARTRE

When we speak of forlornness, a termHeidegger was fond of,

we mean only that God does notexist and that we have to face allthe consequences of this. The ex-istentialist is strongly opposed toa certain kind of secular ethicswhich would like to abolish Godwith the least possible expense.

About 1880, some Frenchteachers tried to set up a secularethics which went something likethis: God is a useless and costlyhypothesis; we are discarding it;but, meanwhile, in order for thereto be an ethics, a society, a civili-zation, it is essential that certainvalues be taken seriously andthey be considered as having ana priori existence.

It must be obligatory, a priori,to be honest, not to lie, not to

beat your wife, to have children,etc., etc. So we're going to try alittle device which will make itpossible to show that values ex-ist all the same, inscribed in aheaven of ideas, though other-wise God does not exist.

In other words--and this, I be-lieve, is the tendency of every-thing call reformism in France--nothing will be changed if Goddoes not exist. We shall find our-selves with the same norms ofhonesty, progress, and human-ism, and we shall have made aGod an outdated hypothesiswhich will peacefully die off byitself.

The existentialist, on the con-trary, thinks it very distressingthat God does not exist, becauseall possibility of finding values ina heaven of ideas disappearsalong with Him; there can nolonger be an a priori Good, sincethere is no infinite and perfect con-sciousness to think it.

Nowhere is it written that the

Good exists, that we must be hon-est, that we must not lie; becausethe fact is we are on a plane wherethere are only men. Dostoievsky[sic] said, "If God didn't exist, ev-erything would be possible." Thatis the very starting point of exis-tentialism. Indeed, everything ispermissible if God does not exist,and as a result man is forlorn, be-cause neither within him nor with-out does he find anything to clingto. He can't start making excusesfor himself.

If existence really does precedeessence, there is no explainingthings away by reference to a fixedand given human nature. In otherwords, there is no determinism,man is free, man is freedom. Onthe other hand, if God does notexist, we find no values or com-mands to turn to which legitimizeour conduct.

So, in the bright realm of val-ues, we have no excuse behind

us, nor justification before us.We are alone, with no excuses.

That is the idea I shall try toconvey when I say that man iscondemned to be free. Con-demned, because he did not cre-ate himself, yet, in other respectsis free; because, once thrown intothe world, he is responsible foreverything he does.

The existentialist does not be-lieve in the power of passion. Hewill never agree that a sweepingpassion is a ravaging torrentwhich fatally leads a man to cer-tain acts and is therefore an ex-cuse. He thinks that man is re-sponsible for his passion.

The existentialist does notthink that man is going to helphimself by finding in the worldsome omen by which to orienthimself. Because he thinks thatman will interpret the omen to suithimself. Therefore, he thinks thatman, with no support and no aid,is condemned every moment toinvent man.

Excerpted from the essayExistentialism is a Humanism

The 105th birth anniversary ofJean Paul Sartre was observedon June 21

Jean Paul Sartre

‘If God didn't exist,everything would bepossible.’ That is thevery starting point ofexistentialism

53Edit Pagewww.indiapost.com


Nuclear terrorism overlookedat NPT Revcon

JASBIR RAKHRA

The PanAm jet bombing in1988 over Lockerbie inScotland; the Tokyo sub-

way sarin gas attacks in 1997 byAum Shinrikyo; the World TradeCentre and Pentagon attacks in2001 and the Madrid train attacksin 2004, along with the 2008Mumbai attacks have shown thetenacity of terrorist organizationsand their methodology of usingterror tactics.

Today, the greatest fear hoversaround the ability of these organi-zations to acquire nuclear materi-als for use as a dirty bomb or acrude nuclear explosive.

Keeping in view the dangersposed by nuclear terrorism,President Obama hosted aNuclear Security Summit in April2010 in which 47 nations partici-pated and committed to advanc-ing nuclear security goals andcombat the threat of nuclear ter-rorism.

A more comprehensive dis-cussion was expected during theNPT RevCon 2010, which con-cluded a month later. Unfortu-nately this was not on the pri-mary agenda of the Conference.

Out of 78 working papers pre-sented during the 2007 PrepComfor the 2010 Revcon, only onewas devoted to nuclear terror-ism. The issues of nuclear ter-rorism, prevention of black mar-ket supply networks and acqui-sition of nuclear weapons bynon-state actors drew attentionto the importance of implement-ing UNSC Resolutions 1540,1673 and 1810. On this particularissue, only the 2007 InternationalConvention for the Suppressionof Acts of Nuclear Terrorism wasmentioned in the RevCon.

The issue of nuclear terrorismis also absent from the draft re-ports of Main Committee II andMain Committee III. In the firstdraft report of Main CommitteeII, paragraph 50 welcomed theestablishment of the 'Global Ini-tiative to Combat Nuclear Terror-

ism'.To the disappointment of

many States, the final draft doesnot make any reference to theGlobal Initiative to CombatNuclear Terrorism. In thepresent context where terrorismis the primary threat to nationstates; where the world has wit-nessed new methods of terror at-tacks, it is regrettable that its im-portance was not appreciated atsuch an important world forum.

If we take an in-depth look atthe Nuclear NonproliferationTreaty, nuclear terrorism is notan issue that the treaty has spe-cifically addressed, but it has abearing on this issue; especiallywhile issuing statements regard-ing particular States.

The NPT RevCon com-mended and 'encouraged' (ac-cording to paragraph 65 of thefinal document) the States to be-come party to the 2007 Interna-

tional Convention for the Sup-pression of Acts of Nuclear Ter-rorism which at present has 115signatories. 66 States have ratifiedthe Convention, including India.

Considering the case of Indiaand Pakistan, paragraph 108 of theNPT RevCon's draft final docu-ment stated that "The conferenceurges India and Pakistan to accedeto the Non-Proliferation Treaty asnon-nuclear-weapon States andto place all their nuclear facilitiesunder comprehensive Agencysafeguards without conditionsand promptly.

The Conference urges bothStates "to strengthen their non-proliferation export control mea-sures over technologies, materialand equipment that can be usedfor the production of nuclear weap-ons and their delivery systems."

As far as the security of nuclearmaterial and equipment or preven-tion of nuclear terrorism is con-cerned, India is abiding by inter-national norms and best practices.India acceded to the Conventionon Physical Protection of Nuclear

Material (CPPNM) in 2002; ratifiedthe 2005 CPPNM Amendment in2007 and ratified the Nuclear Ter-rorism Convention in 2006.

The NPT RevCon failed to men-tion, however, the role of stateslike Pakistan in the context of ter-rorism which is not a party to theConvention for the Suppressionof Acts of Nuclear Terrorism; hasacceded to but not ratified theCPPNM. Moreover, it is quite evi-dent that the proliferation recordof Pakistan, notably the AQ Khannetwork, and the current situationin Pakistan where its nuclear fa-cilities seem to be vulnerable toterrorist outfits poses the great-est danger.

The 2010 NPT RevCon failed toaddress these alarming issues andit also failed to encourage statesof the concern to abide by inter-national norms to prevent nuclearterrorism.

The 2010 NPT RevCon noted the

importance of the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA) andinternational safeguards on manyoccasions but failed to recognizethe warnings issued by former Di-rector General, Mohamed ElBaradei.In September 2008, he describednuclear terrorism as the number onethreat to world security.

On several occasions he repeat-edly pointed out that terrorist or-ganizations are seeking nuclearmaterials. The IAEA released datafrom its illicit Trafficking Databasewhich confirms fifteen cases ofnuclear trafficking in 2008 alone.The IAEA has also reported 1266incidents of illicit trafficking overthe last 12 years.

These incidents involved 99countries and included 18 inci-dents involving highly enricheduranium (HEU) or plutonium traf-ficking. The importance of nuclearterrorism cannot be ignored.Nuclear terrorism is the most im-mediate and extreme threat to glo-bal security.

The writer is Research Officer,IPCS

Bhopal furor

Twenty six years too late but a furor is happening over cal-lous attitudes of governments, corporations, courts andeven the media over the deaths of thousands of poor people

in Bhopal from the leak of poisonous gas from the plant of UnionCarbide, an American Company. Nothing is more symptomatic ofthis indifference than the statements of some responsible peoplewho were expected to behave with some sympathy. India's PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh is considered a decent, responsible man.According to a Bhopal NGO leader, he told them in 2006, "Bhopalswill happen, but the country has to progress." It is hard to believebut India's top leader is not unwilling to base the country's progresson the graves of people he was elected to serve. What will be thecredibility of the great schemes for the poor that his ruling Congressparty proudly proclaims?

It is again revealing that the Congress party has gone into over-drive on this issue not because of a rediscovered concern for theaffected poor victims of the Bhopal tragedy but because the nameof their late leader Rajiv Gandhi has been dragged into it. UnionCarbide's former Chairman Warren Anderson was arrested in Bhopalfor the neglect of safety standards which caused the tragedy. Hewas let off and escorted in the then Chief Minister's plane to Delhiand finally allowed to leave for the US. It is being insinuated thatthis could not have happened without the concurrence of the thenPrime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi. The suggestion has not beenliked by Sonia Gandhi, the widow of Rajiv and now the supremeleader of the Congress. A cover-up has been organized in which allleaders have been told not to speak on this issue. An official state-ment of the party says Rajiv was not responsible and all those mak-ing such allegations are "unpatriotic." Another statement almostjustifies the release of Anderson on the grounds that the law andorder situation was explosive and it was the duty of the governmentto protect Anderson, a US national.

Americans are often accused of double standards where lives ofthose others than Americans are concerned. And they place verylittle value on lives of Indians. After the Bhopal disaster, UnionCarbide was taken over by Dow Chemicals, another US company.Defending the low compensation for Bhopal victims which the In-dian government had accepted, a Dow official was reported to haveremarked, "$500 is plenty good for an Indian to cover a full year ofmedical care in India."

This comes in stark contrast to the compensation being asked forthose affected by the British Petroleum oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

The behavior of Indian corporations is no better when the ques-tion of social responsibility comes up. Says FICCI president RajanBharti Mittal ''Just because you are in a train accident does not meanyou will not take a train ever again.'' This sounds so much likeManmohan Singh's remark. Indeed, there is evident a politician-bigbusiness nexus in running the affairs of the country. Not that this isa new discovery. It has always been so. What is different this time isthat the Indian people have grown up and they are not taking it alllying down. They are demanding accountability.

Why now? Ordinary Indians are so used to being brutalized bydeath and disaster that Bhopal seems only to be a part of the pat-tern. Vir Sanghvi of Hindustan Times says part of the answer lies inthe role of the media (television in particular) which is more aggres-sive than ever before, more willing to remind people of injusticesand more liable to demand accountability.

There is also a growing assertion of Indian pride. The youngergeneration wants revenge for decades of being treated badly.

India Post

Karachi Nuclear Power Complex AQ Khan


June 25, 201054


June 25, 201056

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