Bollywood 35 Humor 36 Astrology 37 Spiritual Awareness 38 NEW YORK EDITION Tennis mess: AITA rejects Sania’s claims Sports, Page 34 Konkani A-listers to attend conference in New Jersey Sunita Williams heading back to space again Pranab leaves active politics: End of an era Op Ed, Page 31 Vol.5 No. 11 June 30-July 6, 2012 60 Cents Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info Supreme Court upholds Obama's signature healthcare law Washington: In a historic verdict, the US Supreme Court Thursday upheld President Barack Obama's signature health care law, handing him a major victory in the run-up to the November presidential poll. In a split 5-4 decision, the court upheld the law's central provision requiring all people to have health insurance beginning 2014 or pay a fine, saying that while people could not be forced to buy insurance the proposed penalty could be imposed as a tax. In a surprise majority deci- sion written by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, appointed to the top post by Obama's predeces- sor George Bush, the court essen- tially ruled that the so-called indi- vidual mandate was unconstitution- al under the commerce clause, but okay as a tax. "Our precedent demonstrates that Congress had the power to impose the exaction in Section 5000A under the taxing power, and that Section 5000A need not be read to do more than impose a tax. This is sufficient to sustain it," Roberts wrote. Obama, hailed the decision that would give a major boost to his political fortunes in a tough re-elec- tion battle as he has defended his health care law as the way forward for the American people. But, his Republican rival Mitt Romney told supporters in Virginia the same day that if the Supreme Court upheld the law, "Then we'll have to have a president -- and I'm that one -- that's gonna get rid of Obamacare. We're gonna stop it on day one." Black, Asian and Latino Americans are expected to see sub- stantial gains in insurance coverage under the law. The bill was designed to offer the greatest assistance to those with low and moderate incomes. Chief Justice John Roberts’ support tilted the scales in favor of Obamacare. Shed fear, invest in Afghan opportunity: India New Delhi: India Thursday unveiled its vision of pro- moting economic rejuvenation and stability of Afghanistan by ask- ing companies from the region to invest in that country in the spirit of solidar- ity, despite the risks, and called for CEOs to replace generals to lead the country's reconstruc- tion. "We need to offer a narrative of opportunity to counter the anxiety of withdrawal, uncertainty, insta- bility and foreign interference," External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told the first regional con- clave organized in India to encour- age private sector investment in Afghanistan. "India will continue to pursue its vision to stabilize Afghanistan through trade and investment and regional cooperation," he said while jointly inaugurating the con- clave with his Afghan counterpart Zalmai Rassoul. "We invite inter- national investors and regional Continued on page 4 Foreign minister S.M. Krishna with his Afghan counterpart, Zalmai Rassoul, at a conclave in Delhi on Afghanistan. Mumbai police want to confront Hamza with Kasab New Delhi: The Mumbai police Thursday again petitioned a court here for the custody of Abu Jindal Hamza, a key 26/11 suspect, so as to confront him with Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab caught alive during the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Yadav Wednesday dismissed Mumbai police's application seeking custody of Hamza, alias Zabiuddin Ansari. Kasab has been convicted for the terror attack and lodged in a special cell in a Mumbai jail. Hamza, an Indian mastermind of the attack and an alleged member of the outlawed Indian Mujahideen group, was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here June 21 after his deportation from Saudi Arabia. Konkani meet in New Jersey this weekend New York: The 16th Konkani Sammelan organized by the North American Konkani Association will be held in Edison, NJ June 29-July 1. It is being attended by 1800 Konkanis from all over the world – mainly North America and India. Featured speakers and delegates include T.V. Mohandas Pai, ex-CFO of Infosys, Padma Vibhushan filmmaker Shyam Benegal, classical singer Mahalaxmi Shenoy and Bollywood actress Amrita Rao. The motto of the convention is “Connecting Konkanis, Heart to Heart, Home Away from Home.” Abu Jindal Hamza, 26/11 suspect now in custody, and Ajmal Kasab. The South Asian Times has brought out a 20-page, full-color Special Section in this issue on the Konkani Sammelan 2012. See pages 11-30.
Transcript
Bollywood 35 Humor 36 Astrology 37 Spiritual Awareness 38
NEW YORK EDITION
Tennis mess:
AITA rejects
Sania’s claims
Sports,
Page 34
Konkani A-listers to
attend conference
in New Jersey
Sunita Williams
heading back to
space again
Pranab leaves
active politics: End
of an era
Op Ed,
Page 31
Vol.5 No. 11 June 30-July 6, 2012 60 Cents Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Supreme Court upholds Obama'ssignature healthcare law
Washington: In a historic verdict,
the US Supreme Court Thursday
upheld President Barack Obama's
signature health care law, handing
him a major victory in the run-up to
the November presidential poll.
In a split 5-4 decision, the court
upheld the law's central provision
requiring all people to have health
insurance beginning 2014 or pay a
fine, saying that while people could
not be forced to buy insurance the
proposed penalty could be imposed
as a tax. In a surprise majority deci-
sion written by conservative Chief
Justice John Roberts, appointed to
the top post by Obama's predeces-
sor George Bush, the court essen-
tially ruled that the so-called indi-
vidual mandate was unconstitution-
al under the commerce clause, but
okay as a tax.
"Our precedent demonstrates that
Congress had the power to impose
the exaction in Section 5000A under
the taxing power, and that Section
5000A need not be read to do more
than impose a tax. This is sufficient
to sustain it," Roberts wrote.
Obama, hailed the decision that
would give a major boost to his
political fortunes in a tough re-elec-
tion battle as he has defended his
health care law as the way forward
for the American people.
But, his Republican rival Mitt
Romney told supporters in Virginia
the same day that if the Supreme
Court upheld the law, "Then we'll
have to have a president -- and I'm
that one -- that's gonna get rid of
Obamacare. We're gonna stop it on
day one." Black, Asian and Latino
Americans are expected to see sub-
stantial gains in insurance coverage
under the law. The bill was designed
to offer the greatest assistance to
those with low and moderate
incomes.
Chief Justice John Roberts’support tilted the scales in favor
of Obamacare.
Shed fear, invest in Afghanopportunity: India
New Delhi: India
Thursday unveiled
its vision of pro-
moting economic
rejuvenation and
stability of
Afghanistan by ask-
ing companies from
the region to invest
in that country in
the spirit of solidar-
ity, despite the risks,
and called for CEOs
to replace generals
to lead the country's reconstruc-
tion.
"We need to offer a narrative of
opportunity to counter the anxiety
of withdrawal, uncertainty, insta-
bility and foreign interference,"
External Affairs Minister S.M.
Krishna told the first regional con-
clave organized in India to encour-
age private sector investment in
Afghanistan.
"India will continue to pursue its
vision to stabilize Afghanistan
through trade and investment and
regional cooperation," he said
while jointly inaugurating the con-
clave with his Afghan counterpart
Zalmai Rassoul. "We invite inter-
national investors and regional
Continued on page 4
Foreign minister S.M. Krishna with his Afghancounterpart, Zalmai Rassoul, at a conclave in
Delhi on Afghanistan.
Mumbai police want to confront Hamza with Kasab
New Delhi: The Mumbai police
Thursday again petitioned a court
here for the custody of Abu Jindal
Hamza, a key 26/11 suspect, so as to
confront him with Pakistani terrorist
Ajmal Kasab caught alive during the
2008 Mumbai terror attack. Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod
Yadav Wednesday dismissed
Mumbai police's application seeking
custody of Hamza, alias Zabiuddin
Ansari. Kasab has been convicted
for the terror attack and lodged in a
special cell in a Mumbai jail.
Hamza, an Indian mastermind of
the attack and an alleged member of
the outlawed Indian Mujahideen
group, was arrested at the Indira
Gandhi International Airport here
June 21 after his deportation from
Saudi Arabia.
Konkani meet in NewJersey this weekend
New York: The 16th Konkani
Sammelan organized by the North
American Konkani Association
will be held in Edison, NJ June
29-July 1. It is being attended by
1800 Konkanis from all over the
world – mainly North America
and India. Featured speakers and
delegates include T.V. Mohandas
Pai, ex-CFO of Infosys, Padma
Vibhushan filmmaker Shyam
Benegal, classical singer
Mahalaxmi Shenoy and
Bollywood actress Amrita Rao.
The motto of the convention is
“Connecting Konkanis, Heart to
Heart, Home Away from Home.”
Abu Jindal Hamza, 26/11 suspect now in custody, and Ajmal Kasab.
The South Asian Times hasbrought out a 20-page, full-colorSpecial Section in this issue onthe Konkani Sammelan 2012.
Padma Shri Dr Sobha Naidu played Sai baba in the Kuchipudi dance ballet.
Hindu women’s conferenceheld in Staten Island
Staten Island: On June 24 a first
ever "Hindu Women's Network”
Conference was convened at "New
Dorp High School" in Staten Is-
land, NY with the initiative of
"Vishwa Hindu Parishad of Amer-
ica" (VHPA). Although open to all
women, the forum was meant to
give voice to Hindu women on
contemporary issues faced by them
as the nucleus of the family in USA
and develop, support structures for
their holistic, physical, intellectual
and emotional empowerment.
As the director and main conven-
er, Dr Ila Sukhadia's primary ob-
jective for the conference was to
highlight the various challenges
faced by women and create an in-
teractive network to guide them as
support-group, in their moment of
crisis.
The daylong well attended con-
ference was divided into ten differ-
ent sessions, incorporating panel
discussions and experts’ counsel-
ing sessions on – Family Relations,
Self-Identity & Connecting with
your roots, Motivating Children,
Caring for Aging Parents, Personal
Loss & Loneliness, Marital &
Conjugal conflicts, Fitness &
Health, Empowerment, Youth Ses-
sion, and Money Management.
During the panel discussion on
‘Family Relations’, Sweta Vikram
emphasized that, “while playing
the role of mother, wife or daugh-
ter one should not lose self-identi-
ty and self-confidence and cau-
tioned all mothers against trying to
mold their children in your own
image. Dr Bharati Palkhiwala, the
renowned Psychiatrist, while com-
menting on stress, anxiety and de-
pression, asked women to open up
channels of communication with
people they trust most and try to
change the overall attitude to look
at the things. She further elaborat-
ed that, “one should come to terms,
as soon as possible, with the mis-
guided notion of stigma most of
the Hindu women feel about get-
ting treatment for Anxiety and De-
pression”.
Sukanya Krishnan, the famous
TV personality of WPIX CH 11
was the keynote speaker of this
conference.. On the heels of grand
success of this conference, the
‘Hindu Women’s Network’ is al-
ready planning to convene multi-
ple such forums throughout USA.
The key coordinators of the conference
Congressman Charles Rangel
The Share & Care Foundation organized an ‘Evening with Javed Akhtar’on June 22 at TV Asia studio in New Jersey, where Consul General Prabhu
Dayal released the Bollywood script and song writer’s latest collection ofpoetry titled ‘Lava’. (Photo: masalajunction.com)
Recently the Dialogue Committee of the Long Island Council of Churches(LICC) in cooperation with the Long Island Multi Faith Forum (LIMFF)visited Global Harmony House, the Brahma Kumaris’ headquarters for
North & South America in Great Neck, and met Sister Mohini, head of theBrahma Kumaris for the Western Hemisphere.
In the Front Row are: Rev. Charles Cary, Arvind Vora, Chairman ofLIMFF, Anil Vora, Sister Mohini, Rev. Lorraine De Armitt, Rev. Moire
Ahearne, Rev. Forrest Parkinson. In the Back Row are: Rev. Harold Lay,Rev. Tom Goodhue, Executive Director, LICC, Rev. Richard Visconti,Grace Simonette, and Br. Erik Larson, Regional Coordinator of BKs.
Notice: The South Asian Times is published weekly by The Forsythe Media Group, LLC. POSTMASTER: Send all address notices, subscription orders/payments and other inquiries to The South Asian
Times, 76 N Broadway, Suite 2004, Hicksville, NY 11801, USA. Copyright and all other rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be reprinted without the consent of the publisher. The
views expressed on the opinion pages and in the letters to the editor pages are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of The South Asian Times. The editor/publisher does not warrant accuracy
and cannot be held responsible for the content of the advertisements placed in the publication and/or inaccurate claims, if any, made by the advertisers. Advertisements of business or facilities included in this
publication do not imply connection or endorsement of these businesses. All rights reserved.
4 Turn Page
June 30-July 6, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Shed fear invest story Continued from page 1
countries to join in this vision for
Afghanistan individually or in part-
nership with others," he said.
Afghanistan robustly backed this
approach. "I believe greater invest-
ments results in increased economic
national activities in any country
including, but not limited to, addi-
tional revenues, job creation, income
generation opportunities which in
turn leads to increased prosperity
and service delivery," said Rassoul.
Over 80 Afghan companies, 130
Indian companies and 70 interna-
tional companies from 33 countries,
including Pakistan, China, Iran and
the Gulf countries, participated in
the summit. The Afghan delegation
included five senior ministers,
including Rassoul, Commerce and
Industry Minister Anwar-ul-Haq
Ahady, Finance Minister Hazrat
Omar Zakhilwal, Minister of Mines
Wahidullah Shahrani and
Agriculture Minister Mohd. Asef
Rahimi. The recommendations of
the day-long investment conclave
will be submitted as a framework at
the Tokyo Conference July 8 where
international donors will pledge
funds for Afghanistan after interna-
tional troops leave the violence-torn
country in 2014.The key recommen-
dations of the summit included pro-
viding the private sector investment
protection and risk mitigation, pro-
viding incentives for investing in
Afghanistan, and the creation of an
international fund for SMEs.
The conclave identified key sec-
tors for investment in Afghanistan
that included natural resources, man-
ufacturing, infrastructure, agricul-
ture, IT and telecommunications.
Commerce and Industry Minister
Anand Sharma announced that he
would soon lead an Indian business
delegation to Afghanistan, in a bid to
enhance economic engagements
between the two countries.
Attorney General Holder foundin contempt of Congress
Washington: The House of
Representatives on Thursday voted
to hold Attorney General Eric H.
Holder Jr. in contempt for failing to
disclose internal Justice Department
documents in response to a subpoe-
na. It was the first time in American
history that Congress has imposed
that sanction on a sitting member of a
president’s cabinet.
The vote – 255 to 67 – followed an
acrimonious and politically charged
debate. Many Democrats walked out
of the chamber in protest without
voting, accusing Republicans of rail-
roading the motion so they could
inflict political damage on the
Obama administration during an
election year.
The politically and constitutionally
charged dispute centers on whether
the Justice Department must turn
over e-mails and memorandums
showing its internal deliberations last
year as officials grappled with a
Congressional investigation about
the botched Arizona-based gunrun-
ning investigation known as
Operation Fast and Furious.
President Obama has invoked execu-
tive privilege to block the subpoena.
In early jostling on Thursday,
Republicans repeatedly invoked the
death of Brian Terry, a Border Patrol
agent killed in a shootout in
December 2010. Two guns that had
been purchased by a suspect in the
gunrunning case the previous
January were found near the scene.
Continuations of page 1
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr
Pratham USA inducts Dr. MollySmith as Executive Director
Indian girl is Miss Asia Pacific 2012New York: Pratham USA has
named Dr. Molly Easo Smith as its
Executive Director. Pratham USA
primarily raises money to support
the efforts of Pratham to ensure chil-
dren in India stay in school and
learn well.
An educationist who hails from
Chennai, Dr. Smith has previously
held positions as President, Provost,
Dean, and Professor of English at
several colleges and universities in
the US as well as at the University
of Aberdeen in the UK. She current-
ly serves on the Board of Trustees at
Fairleigh Dickinson University and
is a representative of the
International Association of
University Presidents to the United
Nations.
“The opportunity to bring my
experiences to bear on extending
Pratham's powerful mission and
positive impact on individuals and
communities is an extraordinary
opportunity in service and leader-
ship,” says Dr. Smith. “This position
allows me to wed my interests in
educational excellence, access to
learning, India, globalism, and phi-
lanthropy into a single role.”
Throughout her career, Dr. Smith
has spoken about the power of phi-
lanthropy to transform communities
and lives and about the compelling
responsibility we all share as global
citizens to ensure that all children
have the opportunity to acquire a
quality education.
“We are extremely excited to have
Dr. Smith assume the role of
Executive Director,” says Dr. Atul
Varadhachary, President of Pratham
USA. “She is an outstanding educa-
tor and proven leader who distin-
guished herself throughout our
search process.”.
Founded in 1994, Pratham cur-
rently has programs in 19 of the 28
states in India.
A known Shakespeare scholar, Dr.
Smith earned her M. A. in English
from Madras Christian College and
her Ph.D. from Auburn University.
Dr. Molly Easo Smith
Himangini Singh Yadu, crowned Miss Asia Pacific 2012, flanked by 1stRunner up - Tuyanaa Temenjargal of Mongolia and 2nd Runner up
Diana Kubasova of Latvia. Himangini is a BCA graduate from Indore.The beauty pageant was held in Busan, South Korea, June 16.
Tristate Community 5
TheSouthAsianTimes.info June 30-July 6, 2012
India should officially be declareda Hindu state: Narain Kataria
New York: Narain Kataria, President of Indian
American Intellectuals Forum (IAIF) was conferred the
title of “Dharma Rakshak” for his untiring services to
Hindu cause by HindiUSA at Monroe Township, N.J. on
May 20, 2012.
Addressing the gathering, Kataria, who is survivor of
the Partition of India, said that India was partitioned in
1947 on the basis of two-nation theory as propounded
by the Muslim League party. Pakistan was immediately
declared as an Islamic state. The corollary of that action
was that India should have been declared a Hindu state.
But that did not happen. It was a monumental blunder
committed by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal
Nehru and his governing Congress Party. As a result of
that one blunder, Hindus have been suffering the injus-
tices, inequalities and barbarities for the last 64 years in
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The secularism, as
practiced in India, has become synonymous with the
Hindu-bashing, while the Hinduism has become a dirty
word in the lexicon of country’s ‘secular’ fundamental-
ists.
“Fortunately, the ever shrinking Hindu population in
India is still near 83%. By traditions and by culture,
India is still a Hindu nation. And, for the survival of that
Hindu nation, it is absolutely essential that the blunder
from the partition time is rectified and India declared a
Hindu State,” he said.
Tracing the history of India, Kataria said that before
the advent of Islam, India’s cultural influence extended
from Afghanistan to Indonesia. Afghanistan was a
Buddhist nation; Malaysia and Indonesia also were
under the Hindu influence. Indonesia today is an Islamic
state. In Malaysia, even though the Muslim population
is only at 51%, officially, it too is called an Islamic state.
In 1947, Hindus lost Sindh, Baluchistan, North West
Frontier, 60% of Punjab, and East Bengal (later
Bangladesh) to Islam. In Assam, the Muslim population
has increased to 35%; in West Bengal it has become
almost 30%. In Utter Pradesh and Bihar, the Muslim
population is at 20%. In the southern state of Kerala, the
Muslim and Christian population together is around
50%. In the North East, in Nagaland, Mizoram, and
Meghalaya, the Hindus population is negligible.
Javed Akthar and ShankarMahadevan team up for
Akshaya Patra FoundationStoneham, MA: To commemo-
rate the billionth meal to be served
by Akshaya Patra in August, 2012,
lyricist Javed Akthar and singer
Shankar Mahadevan are partnering
to create music that will celebrate
the joys of childhood and help
Akshaya Patra to raise awareness
about its program to enable hunger
free education. According to
Shankar the music will be poetic
and will have a melody that
lingers.
With this partnership,
Mahadevan is joining the league of
socially conscious celebrities by
becoming the brand ambassador
for The Akshaya Patra Foundation.
He will help celebrate the momen-
tous occasion by performing at a
special function to be held in
Bangalore.
Mahadevan will pay tribute to
the midday meals provided by
Akshaya Patra and focus on the
joys of childhood where children
have fewer worries and responsi-
bilities and do not have to worry
about their next morsel.
Commenting on Akshaya Patra’s
mission; no child shall be deprived
of education because of hunger, the
singer said, "I am very happy to be
associated with Akshaya Patra as
the cause is very close to my heart
and something that I have always
wanted to do - feed children."
Madhu Sridhar, President and
CEO of Akshaya Patra USA, com-
mented, “Javed Akthar and
Shankar Mahadevan teaming up
for the Akshaya Patra children – it
will be a powerful message with a
powerful voice to ensure hunger is
not a barrier to education for these
deserving children. We hope that
Mahadevan will spread Akshaya
Patra’s mission across the world
through his performances to touch
hearts and expand the Akshaya
Patra family.”
Akshaya Patra, a grassroots
organization, is continuously
working on building support in
communities all across USA
through Akshaya Patra chapters.
To learn more about Akshaya Patra
visit www.foodforeducation.org
From (L to R): Devendra Singh, Director,HindiUSA, renowned scholar Dr. Rajiv Malhotra
and Narain Kataria
Police released video grab of Pawan Kumar Anjaiahafter Danielle Mehlman was found murdered
Winner of Western Union Main Bhi Star Contest meets cast of Navya
By Ujwala Chinni
New York: Saurabh Arora, 31
auditioned for Western Union
Main Bhi Start Contest in New
York City and was selected
among hundreds to be flown to
Mumbai, India to play a role in
Star’s serial Navya. He shares
his experience with SATimes..
Describe your experience on
set?
It was one of the most memo-
rable experiences of my life. The
moment I landed on the set, I
was treated like a prince from
New York. Starting from being
picked up by a Star Plus repre-
sentative, who stayed with me to
guide through the shoot whole
day, to being given a personal
vanity room, spot boy and a
makeup artist, it was everything
anyone would dream of on
becoming a star!
How was it interacting with
famous soap stars?
Expectedly, I started off nerv-
ous and a little intimidated until I
heard them speak! I was floored
by their humbleness and willing-
ness to help someone new.
Navya (Soumya) was incredibly
sweet and Anant’s mother was
quite inspiring – I got to know
about her passion for the indus-
try and how she left a career in
London to go pursue her dreams.
I was very motivated by their
energy and dedication.
How was your overall experi-
ence with Star TV?
From the day of the audition to
the end of the shoot, Star TV has
been a constant companion and a
generous provider – I cannot
thank Star enough for giving me
an experience, which is very rare
for anyone to get. Their profes-
sionalism is second to none and
the passion to entertain is perva-
sive in everyone attached to
them – from the actors, to the
crew and staff. I can safely
ascertain that my experience
with them has turned me into an
ardent loyalist and a lifetime Star
TV evangelist.
How did it feel to be chosen
to represent the U.S. as an
actor?
Proud! I immigrated to the
U.S. eight years ago and never
thought one day I would be able
to represent America in my own
country – with the sheer amount
of talented Indians, I just feel
humbled to have been the lucky,
chosen one.
Do you plan to continue act-
ing?
Yes. I am enrolled in the Stella
Adler Acting School and plan to
continue scouting for opportuni-
ties in Indian theater & movie
circuit in NYC.
Indian techie wanted inmurder case found dead
New York: A 26-year-old Indian employee at an
IT firm, who was accused of murdering an
American woman, was found dead after he
allegedly committed suicide due to suspected drug
overdose at a New Jersey hotel.
Pawan Kumar Anjaiah, 26, a software engineer,
was in the US on an assignment with IT firm
Cognizant.Delaware state police had issued arrest
warrants against Anjaiah, charging him with first
degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon,
after a Pennsylvania woman Danielle Mehlman
was found murdered in Delaware's Dewey Beach
motel on June 18. However, the search for Anjaiah
ended after authorities found him dead at a north-
ern New Jersey motor lodge on June 19. Anjaiah
was in the US on an H1 B work visa, according to
a statement from US Immigration and Customs
Enforcement in Newark, New Jersey.
Saurabh Arora, pictured above on the set of Navya, with Shaheer Sheik (Anant), Hemaakshi Ujjain (Sugandha).
6 Tristate Community
June 30-July 6, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
'Do thorough background check of NRI grooms'By Jinal Shah/SATimes
Recently in the news for her
‘sexy’ remark and her ongo-
ing effort for seeking one-
time payment for ex-women crick-
eters from the profits of Indian
Premier League, India’s National
Commission for Women chairper-
son Mamta Sharma in an exclusive
interview with SATimes said atroc-
ities against NRI women is increas-
ing. Excerpts from the interview.
Firstly your association with
the Bharat Gaurav awards...
It feels really great to honor our
own people for their extraordinary
work living abroad. I feel
immensely proud to see achievers
taking over businesses, gas sta-
tions, jewelry businesses and high-
er positions in American compa-
nies. However I am looking for-
ward to see more female awardees
next year. Many Indian women
have made it up to the top not just
in India but worldwide and they
need to be felicitated for their work
as well.
Your agenda in USA apart
from the awards?
I am here to gather support for
various programs related to girl
child and women empowerment.
There are a lot of American NGO's
here and if they support our cause
especially education for girl child it
will make a huge difference.
Recently there was a scheme
for giving legal/financial assis-
tance to women distressed by
their overseas Indian spouses.
How is it going through?
Contrary to the commonly held
belief that domestic violence is
only seen in India among the uned-
ucated, shockingly there are a lot of
cases here and the biggest draw-
back is that NRI marriages are less
successful. We get a lot of atrocity
and cheating related cases in India.
Punjab state is considered to have
maximum number of NRI cases.
What about other states in
India. Is it a pan India problem?
Punjab has a lot of cases however
increasingly Gujarat and Delhi are
reporting a lot of these cases. In
Delhi alone we have registered 741
cases.
What is NCW doing about
these cases?
It is a very unfortunate thing that
NRIs runaway after marriage or
even if they bring their wives, they
treat them as domestic servant,
having said that I would like to
point out that we have an NRI cell
running since 2006. The cell is ded-
icated to such cases. We are trying
our best to provide legal recourse
to these women. Also we are plan-
ning to send our recommendations
to the government of India to stop
such atrocities by seizing their
passports and blocking NOC. We
have also released a book on NRI
women. The book is an eye-opener
for those parents wanting to get
their daughters married abroad.
What is your message to the
parents wanting to get their
daughters married to NRI men?
Firstly do not get your daughters
married to NRIs and if you do
please check the background thor-
oughly. It’s a matter of your girl’s
life.
Aamir Khan’s Satyamev Jayate
a reality based show is garnering
a lot of response from the society.
He recently aired two grave
issues of female feticide and NRI
marriages. Your take on the
same?
Aamir Khan began with the issue
of female feticide with special ref-
erence to Rajasthan. It is a good
beginning because it helps in creat-
ing awareness. The government
and NGO volunteers have also
been making efforts to curb the
social evil and their role is definite-
ly prime but celebrities have their
attraction among people which
really works.
Talking about the ‘sexy’
remark (at a function in Jaipur
earlier this year, Sharma said
"sexy" meant "beautiful and
charming" and so it should not
be taken in a negative sense.) that
has garnered a lot of comments.
No comment on that please.
Indian Americansfund Hindu studies
chair in USC
Washington, DC: An Indian
American organization has made a
contribution of $3.24 million to
establish Swami Vivekananda
Visiting Faculty and Dharma
Civilization Foundation Chair in
Hindu Studies at a prestigious uni-
versity in California.
To be established at the
University Of South California
(USC) School Of Religion with
funds from the Dharma
Civilization Foundation, this is the
first chair of Hindu studies in the
US funded by the Indian
American community.
"We are very proud to house the
first chair of Hindu studies in the
United States endowed by the
Indian-American community," the
USC President C L Max Nikias
said in a statement.
The Los Angeles based Dharma
Civilization Foundation aims to
fund studies of the Indian civiliza-
tion, focusing on Hinduism,
Buddhism, Jain and Sikh reli-
gions.
The objective is to promote
Dharma education through
research scholarship, degree
courses and endowed chairs.
Last year Nikias led a delegation
of university faculty, administra-
tors and trustees, including USC
Dean of Religious Life Varun
Soni, to India, where they met
with key Indian partners in higher
education, business and govern-
ment, and with USC alumni, to
build sustainable alliances in the
areas of medicine and health care,
neurosciences, the arts, communi-
cation and journalism, business,
technology and engineering.
"This historic gift to the USC
School of Religion highlights the
department's commitment to study
the enduring questions of human
life and values from a global per-
spective," said Duncan Williams,
chair of the School of Religion.
Carnegie Endowmentannounces new South
Asia scholarsWashington, DC: Carnegie
Endowment for International
Peace has announced hiring of
three leading South Asia
experts: Frederic Grare, Sarah
Chayes, and Milan Vaishnav.
This marks a major expansion
of Carnegie’s already signifi-
cant research on India,
Pakistan, and Afghanistan and
supports the planned opening
of a Carnegie center in New
Delhi.
Founded in 1910, Carnegie is
America’s oldest international
affairs think tank. Carnegie is
in the process of building the
world’s first truly global think
tank with research centers in
Washington, Moscow, Beijing,
Beirut, and Brussels.
Making the announcement,
Carnegie Endowment
President Jessica Mathews
said:
“South Asia—with its vast
population and growing eco-
nomic clout—is poised to play
a major role on the world stage
throughout the decades to
come. After careful study and
reflection, Carnegie is enor-
mously excited to be opening a
center in New Delhi in the near
future that will deliver ground-
level insights from this vibrant
and critical region.
As we prepare to expand into
India, we are extremely fortu-
nate to welcome three scholars
of this caliber.”
All three scholars will be
based out of Washington, D.C.
Frederic Grare is a leading
expert and writer on the region,
his research focuses on South
Asia security issues. He also
works on the tension between
stability and democratization
in Pakistan, including civil-
military relations, the chal-
lenge of sectarian conflict, and
Islamic political mobilization.
Sarah Chayes, a former
reporter, she covered the fall of
the Taliban for National Public
Radio, then left journalism to
remain in Kandahar in order to
contribute to the reconstruction
of the country. In 2010, Chayes
became special adviser to the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen,
contributing to strategic policy
on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and
the Arab Spring.
Milan Vaishnav is currently a
postdoctoral research fellow at
the Center for Global
Development, where he helps
direct an initiative on U.S.
development strategy in
Pakistan.
His research focuses on the
political economy of India,
examining issues such as cor-
ruption, ethnic politics, gover-
nance and state capacity, elec-
tion finance, and distributive
politics.
India’s National Commission for Women chairperson
Mamta Sharma
Padmasree Warrioradds strategy-chief
role at CiscoWashington, DC: Cisco
Systems Inc. (CSCO), the
makers of computer-network-
ing gear, said Padmasree
Warrior, chief technology offi-
cer of Cisco Systems Inc is
taking on an expanded role to
oversee strategy, underscoring
the company’s move away
from the consumer-focused
acquisitions favored by her
departing predecessor, Ned
Hooper.
Pankaj Patel, 58, will lead
Cisco’s engineering organiza-
tion, a job he shared with
Warrior, 51, the San Jose,
California-based company
said in a blog posting.
The changes are part of a
broader overhaul undertaken
by Chief Executive Officer
John Chambers last year to cut
costs and bureaucracy and
reverse market-share losses.
Warrior will oversee deals
activity as one of the most
acquisitive companies in tech-
nology reconfigures strategy.
Padmasree Warrior
University of South California campus
National Community 7
TheSouthAsianTimes.info June 30-July 6, 2012
Sunita Williams headingback to space again
Washington, DC: Indian-
American astronaut Sunita
Williams is all set to return to the
International Space Station, where
she spent a record six months in
2006.
Daughter of an Indian American
father from Gujarat and a
Slovenian mother, Williams is
currently making final prepara-
tions for a July 14 launch from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan, according to a NASA
announcement.
She will be a flight engineer on
the station's Expedition 32 with
Flight Engineers Yuri
Malenchenko of the Russian
Federal Space Agency and
Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency.
On reaching the space station she
will take over as commander of
Expedition 33.
Williams and her colleagues
will be aboard the station during
an exceptionally busy period that
includes two spacewalks, the
arrival of Japanese, US commer-
cial and Russian resupply vehi-
cles, and an increasingly faster
pace of scientific research, the US
space agency said.
Williams is the second woman
of Indian heritage to have been
selected by NASA for a space
mission after Kalpana Chawla and
the second astronaut of Slovenian
heritage after Ronald M. Sega.
She holds three records for
female space travelers: longest
spaceflight (195 days), number of
spacewalks (four), and total time
spent on spacewalks (29 hours
and 17 minutes).
Sunita Williams
US-India trade grouppushes for BIT
Washington, DC: A leading
US-India trade group has
launched a major effort to pro-
mote a high-standard US-India
Bilateral Investment Treaty
(BIT) calling it the ‘next hill to
climb’ in their strategic partner-
ship.
“A US-India Bilateral
Investment Treaty is truly the
‘next hill to climb’ in the strate-
gic partnership,” said Ron
Somers, president of the US-
India Business Council (USIBC)
comprising over 300 top US and
a score Indian companies,
Monday.
USIBC’s Coalition for Jobs
and Growth will serve as the
organizing body to provide input
to US negotiators and to promote
support and understanding of the
importance of a US India BIT
and its ultimate ratification by
the US Senate, the group said.
Co-Chaired by Susan G.
Esserman, a USIBC board mem-
ber, former Deputy US Trade
Representative and currently
partner at Steptoe & Johnson, the
coalition will continue the work
begun by USIBC’s Trade and
Investment Initiative in 2007.
USIBC was then the first advo-
cate for a bilateral investment
treaty, eventually succeeding in
placing the BIT on the bilateral
agenda when the two countries
announced BIT negotiations in
2008, it said in a release.
The coalition announced at a
USIBC briefing with US BIT
negotiators, will leverage the
collective strength of industry,
academic experts and the Indian
American community to make
sure this critical agreement is
completed and ratified. “The BIT
will engender greater coopera-
tion and collaboration, protect
and promote foreign investment
and ultimately lead to economic
growth and job creation in both
countries,” Somers said.
South Asians fear racial profilingover court ruling
Washington, DC: South Asian
and other immigrant groups have
joined the White House in warn-
ing that a US Supreme Court
decision upholding a controver-
sial provision of Arizona's immi-
gration law could lead to racial
profiling.
In a 5-3 decision hailed by both
sides as a victory, the court
Monday largely sided with
President Barack Obama in strik-
ing down most of the tough state
law but upheld what has been
dubbed "show me your papers"
provision allowing police to
check people's immigration sta-
tus.
"The national government has
significant power to regulate
immigration," Justice Anthony
Kennedy wrote in the majority
opinion ruling the federal govern-
ment had the power to block the
Arizona law.
A "pleased" Obama called on
the Congress to "act on compre-
hensive immigration reform" say-
ing "a patchwork of state laws is
not a solution to our broken
immigration system - it's part of
the problem."
He also expressed concern that
immigration status checks
allowed by the court ruling could
lead to racial profiling by police
saying: "No American should
ever live under a cloud of suspi-
cion just because of what they
look like."
The National Coalition of
South Asian Organizations
(NCSO), a network of 42 com-
munity organizations led by
South Asian Americans Leading
Together (SAALT), too feared
the decision "will result in racial
profiling by state and local law
enforcement of individuals sus-
pected of being undocumented."
"As an organization committed
to upholding immigrant rights,
SAALT remains deeply con-
cerned that the court failed to
strike down the papers please'
aspects of the law," it said in a
statement.
CII, World Bank Group ink pact to save tigers
Washington, DC: The Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII) and the World Bank Group have
agreed to establish the India Wildlife Business
Council (IWBC) to promote tiger and biodiversity
conservation for sustainable development.
A memorandum of understanding to set up the
IWBC to improve the dialogue between business,
conservation stakeholders as well as decision
makers was signed here Tuesday by CII Deputy
Director General Indrani Kar and World Bank
Group President Robert B. Zoellick.
The International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD), the International
Development Association (IDA), the International
Finance Corporation (IFC) - which comprise the
World Bank Group - and CII will jointly create
and support the IWBC, an institutionalized plat-
form for collaboration.
Tiger population has dwindled massively due to
rapid industrialization, habitat fragmentation,
poaching and illegal trade, according to a CII
statement.
Barely 3,000 tigers remain in the wild today,
confined to only seven percent of their historical
geographic presence.
Beyond the tiger's iconic value as India's nation-
al animal, the conservation and protection of their
habitat is important for maintaining biodiversity,
which is the natural capital that has helped drive
Chief GuestT.V. Mohandas Pai Chairperson, Manipal UniversalLearning, Ex-CFO Infosys
T.V. Mohandas Pai is the Chairperson of
Manipal Universal Learning, a global
educational services corporation & advisor
to the Manipal Education & Medical Group.
Mr Pai received a B.Com from St Joseph's
College in Bangalore and a law degree from
Bangalore University and is a fellow of the
institute of chartered accountants. He joined
Infosys in 1994, was elevated as a board
member in 2000, and served as CFO of
Infosys (1994-2006). He was the most
influential, admired and widely emulated
CFO in India. He then became chief of
human resources, education & research at
Infosys.
He is a member SEBI (Securities and
Exchange Board of India) and served in
various capacities in financial institutions.
He conceived and operationalized
Akshaya Patra Foundation in 2000, which
was designed as a mid-day meal program
for school going children. Today it feeds
1.2 million each day in 8,000 government
schools across 9 Indian states with Rs.100
crores revenue each year.
Mr Pai has made personal contributions to
enhance the educational infrastructure at
several government schools and educational
institutions. His generous donations enabled
the establishment of many computer labs in
several educational institutions across India.
He has contributed for the farmers educa-
tional program in Karnataka and teachers
training programs for government schools.
He gives an incredible 40 percent of his
income to social causes and charities each
year. In some years, he has given his entire
salary (estimated to be Rs. 3.5 crore) to
charity. He says, "I give because you cannot
make an island of prosperity amid rampant
poverty."
He is one of the biggest contributors to the
World Konkani Center in Mangalore. After
retiring from Infosys, he has decided to
devote his time for furthering education and
for social causes in India.
Workshops on EntrepreneurshipAjit PrabhuCEO of QuEST Global
As the co-founder, CEO
& co-chairman, Ajit
Prabhu provides the vision
and strategic direction for
QuEST Global. QuEST
was founded in 1997 to
develop expertise in the
engineering services out-
sourcing space.
Ajit is a Six Sigma
Greenbelt certificate hold-
er. He gained practical
experience at GE’s
Corporate R&D Center, in
Schenectady, NY, while
working on power genera-
tion, aircraft engines,
appliances and locomotive
related engineering prob-
lems.
He is a Fellow of the
Royal Aeronautical
Society, UK.
Vinodh (Vin) BhatCo-founder & CEO, Saavn
Vinodh (Vin) Bhat is a
cofounder and the
CEO of Saavn (South Asian
Audio Visual Network), a
consumer media and tech
company, which is the
largest digital rights holder,
packager and distributor of
Bollywood movies and
music. Today, Saavn
includes Saavn.com as well
as its Saavn Chrome,
Android and iPhone/iOS
applications.
Vin Bhat began his career
at the investment bank
Donaldson, Lufkin &
Jenrette (DLJ), advising and
financing media, telecom &
technology companies such
as Voyager, Earthlink,
AT&T, @Home and
Akamai. He then co-found-
ed and served as the
Director, Sales & Business
Development at Simile, a
media software and services
company that advised the
business units of Time
Warner, McClatchy, Scripps
and Hearst.
Saavn.com’s content is
available and programmed
in over 19 million Time
Warner, Cox, Rogers,
Virgin and other digital
cable homes, on over 30
Internet services such as
iTunes, Amazon MP3 and
Rhapsody, and with all
major wireless carriers
including Verizon Wireless,
AT&T, and Rogers. In addi-
tion, the company reaches
over 3M consumers through
its own direct web sites
such as Saavn.com and
Smashits.com, mobile
applications and services
every month. Saavn is
based in New York, with
offices in Boulder, CO,
Sunnyvale, CA and
Mumbai, India.
Ranjit DatePresident and JointManaging Director,Precision Automation andRobotics India (PARI)
Dr. Ranjit Date received
his Engineering
degree with honors at
College of Engineering,
Pune, and then a Graduate
& Doctoral degrees from
Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, NY. Ranjit was,
in 1991, the youngest per-
son to receive a doctorate
in this field at RPI.
After earning a doctorate
he returned to India. He
hoped to help automate
factory assembly lines in
his home country. His
company, Precision
Automation and Robotics
India (PARI), has done
that.
Ranjit is responsible for
the vision, business direc-
tion, and mentoring at
PARI. He is also responsi-
ble for building the PARI
brand and formulating
growth strategies.
PARI is amongst the
largest global automation
companies with over 850+
employees and 8 facilities
worldwide. Its solid engi-
neering strength enables
PARI to be a complete
"Solution Provider", from
conceptualizing, designing,
manufacturing, implement-
ing and supporting
advanced factory automa-
tion systems. More recent-
ly it has begun selling
robots to western manufac-
turers like Caterpillar, Ford
and Chrysler.
Ranjit is a tennis and golf
player. He enjoys traveling
and sports. He has visited
past 4 Olympic Games and
is looking forward to
London in 2012.
special section
16June 30-July 6, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Compiled by I J Saldanha-Shet
The mythological and historical back-
ground of the Gowda Saraswat
Brahmins popularly known as GSBs
is amazing and ancient. Saraswat
Brahmins, includes the integral Konkani
community of GSBs, one of the five
ancient Gowda Brahmins, some others are,
Kanyakubja, Maithili, Utkal and Gowda
Brahmins, their name derive basically from
the mythological river Saraswati that had
flowed in the present Punjab and Rajasthan
region, from the Himalayas to the western
sea near Dwaraka in Gujarat.
The River SaraswatiIt is believed even today that the River
Saraswati flows underground as detected
by the remote sensing satellites. There is
also a strong belief that in Prayag,
Allahabad, it is flowing under-ground;
Saraswati joins Ganga and Yamuna to form
the triveni sangam. Again this is corrobo-
rated now with some research studies that
Saraswati flowed very close to Yamuna
which merges the waters of Saraswati.
Therefore, today the once famous and great
river that had acted as the cradle of Vedic
Civilization called Saraswati Valley
Civilization is not visible. Then it is
believed that Rajasthan became a desert as
the river went dry. This obviously must
have taken place thousands of years ago.
Manusmriti makes a mention of
Brahmavarta as the most sacred land lying
between two rivers, Saraswati and
Drishadwati which in fact formed the
homeland of Saraswats - the Saraswat
country and from here several migrations
took place to the other parts of Bharat
Khanda, the Indian sub-continent.
First migrationA king from Saraswat country, called
Videgha Mathava with his follower,
Gautama Rahugana set out to find out new
pastures. In those days fire was to be car-
ried physically from place to place and the
king carried a tiny spark on his tongue. On
the way the companion started conversing
with the king but the king remained tight-
lipped without giving any reply for fear that
the spark might fall or get extinguished. He
understood the anxiety of the king and
invoked Agni, the fire-god. On hearing the
praises, out came the flames of fire from
the mouth of the king and started rolling on
the ground like the waves of the sea.
"Agnideva, what is thy command?" the
king asked, "Follow me," was the com-
mandment of the fire-god. Accordingly,
they followed. The flames sped away
through the Gangetic belt and on reaching
the western bank of the River Sadaneera
vanished. This is how the civilization
moved to the other region, later to be
known as Aryavarta, and some of the fami-
lies of Saraswat Brahmins moved to the
east and settled down in Trihotrapura a
township in Gowda Desha and later called
themselves as Gowda Saraswats.
According to another version, our forefa-
thers never went to Trihotrapura but were
called Gowda Saraswats as Saraswats were
one among five groups of Brahmins who
were collectively called Panchagowdas as
stated earlier. Whatever be the version, civ-
ilization moved from western part of India
to the Eastern India and definitely some
families, when the river went dry must have
gone to Trihotrapura. This anecdote is men-
tioned in Shatapatha Brahmana.
In the Sahyadri Khanda of Skanda Purana
Lord Parashurama after reclaiming land from
the western sea invited various groups of
Brahmins from different parts of Bharat Khanda.
In response ten families of Gowda Saraswats
came down from Trihotrapura with their deities
of daily worship and settled down in Gomantak
now known as Goa. In gratitude even today the
Gowda Saraswats dedicate all their havans and
yajnas be it Gayatri or Mrityunjaya to Lord
Parashurama stating "Yajnantargat Bhagwan
Shri Parashuramamurti priyatam."
In the course of time the ten families multi-
plied and they took to trade and commerce as
permitted by the scriptures, besides officiating as
priests. This gave them various surnames as they
have to-day like Kini - a treasurer handling
money with the jingling sound, Mallya - a con-
struction contractor who built mansions or
mahals, Nayak-a leader in any army. In Goa they
were in full bloom and they built up hundreds of
shrines and temples besides establishing Shri
Kaivalya Math in the eighth century.
Gomantak virtually became a golden land for
them for a long time, till Goa came under the
rule of Muslim kings and then under the
Portuguese. Both the rulers especially the latter
were ruthless to Gowda Saraswats, so in the six-
teenth century they had to migrate to other parts
of the country like the Malenad and the coastal
belt of Karnataka and Kerala, besides
Maharashtra.
Here they had to start afresh from a scratch
and all this they did just to protect their deities
and preserve their religious beliefs for posterity.
Not all the Saraswats did migrate from the banks
of the River Saraswati to the Eastern India or
Goa. Only one section called Gowda Saraswats
travelled and migrated this way. Even here there
is another version that people followed the
course of the River Saraswati went up to
Dwaraka and by ship they sailed to Goa. For
their stay in Dwaraka, the Gowda Saraswats are
nicknamed as Dorkes also.
Their brother Saraswats migrated to vari-
ous other parts of the country. Those
who migrated to Kashmir called them-
selves as Kashmiri Pandits, Sind-Sind
Saraswats, Kutch-Kutchi Saraswats, Rajapur-
Rajapur Saraswats, Punjab-Punjab Saraswats,
Rajasthan-Rajasthan Saraswats and Chitrapur-
Chitrapur Saraswats.
Culture and traditionIn respect of culture and tradition of the
GSBs H. H. Shrimat Sudhindra Tirtha
Swamiji has this to-say: Basically Gowda
Saraswat Brahmins are mild natured. In edu-
cation, trade and commerce and service sector
they have contributed very significantly.
Wherever they reside they identify themselves
with the locality and become one with other
people. They build centers of worship in the
places of their residence and offer prayers for
the welfare of the people of the locality. They
seek the assistance of the people in their own
community and rarely do they seek the help of
others, even if they are in great financial diffi-
culties. They are always conscious of respect
and honor instead of wealth and money. For
all their religious and cultural activities they
collect donations and subscriptions from their
own people. They have an attitude of helping
others and they hold Swamiji, God and
Dharma in high esteem. Even if they are in
difficulties or even if they are away from their
home and town they communicate with each
other only in Konkani, a dialect which is said
to have evolved from ancient Sanskrit form
called Prakrit.
The amazing history of Gowda Saraswat Brahmins
Lord Parshurama with Saraswati Brahmin settlers commanding Lord Varuna to make the seas recede to make the Konkan.
The Konkani migration map.
Sri Mangeshi Devasthanam
The second & third waves Brother communities
special section
Historical view 2
Due to geo-morphosis in the
Himalayas, the Saraswati began
to dry up and the Saraswats were
forced to migrate to greener pastures.
Some went to Kashmir in the north, oth-
ers went eastward. Few made their way to
the Konkan and Goa. These came to be
recognized as Goud Saraswats or
Dakshinatya Saraswats, to distinguish
them from other Saraswat groups of the
north.
This community was called 'Goud'
because they were followers of Monism
or Advaita as preached by Shri
Goudapadacharya, who was guru of Shri
Govinda Padacharya whose direct disci-
ple was the great Shri Shankaracharya,
who resurrected Hinduism or Vedic reli-
gion in India. Shri Gaudapadacharya
Mutt, first mutt of Saraswats dedicated to
the memory of Goudapadacharya was
established in Keloshi (Quellosim) in Goa
in the 8th century AD. He later moved to
Kaivalyapura or Kavale in Goa as the
mutt at Keloshi was destroyed in 1564
AD. To this day, the swamis of Kavale
math are known as Goudapadacharyas.
Kavale Math is the Goud Saraswat com-
munity's Adimath (first math) and three
main sub-sects of Dakshinatya Saraswats
— Sashtikar, Shenvis (Karbharis), and
Chitrapur Saraswats (Bhanaps) — were
known as Goud Saraswats or Konkani
Brahmins until 300 years ago. Other
Saraswat subsects include Pednekars,
Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins Balavalikars
and kudaldeshkars. In the 13th century,
Dwaita (Vaishnava) philosophy advocat-
ed by Madhvacharya became popular and
many Saraswats adopted Vaishnavism.
They continued to worship the deities
they brought with them from the north.
These were 'Mahan Girish' or Mangueshi,
Shakti or Shanta durga, Vishnu, Ganesh
and Surya. They form the 'Panchayatan'
or five deities, sacred to all Saraswats.
The Saraswat Brahmins are mentioned in
the Vedas, the Ramayana, the
Mahabharata, the Bhagavata and even the
Bhavisyottara Purana. They may have
come from Central Asia to the Indian sub-
continent through the Hindu-Kush moun-
tains and the Khyber pass to south in
about 2000–1500 BC or they were indige-
nous. The meaning of 'Saraswat' has more
than one origin. One refers to 'offspring
of Saraswati the goddess of learning
applied usually to learned and scholarly
people. It may denote the residents of
Saraswati river basin. The Brahmins of
this region who are referred to as
'Saraswats' in Mahabharata and Puranas
were learned in Vedic lore. They concen-
trated on studying subjects like astrono-
my, metaphysics, medicine and allied
subjects and disseminating knowledge.
Goud Saraswats could be found in all
the kingdoms of the western coast under
different dynasties right from 6th century
A.D. Kadamba, Rashtrakuta, Hoysala,
Chalukya Shilahara and Vijayanagara
kings had given important posts to
Saraswats. There were admirals, treasur-
ers, ambassadors, army chiefs and foreign
language interpreters among them.
They were famous traders, who con-
ducted maritime trade with Eastern and
Western countries of the contemporary
world. They were highly respected and
trusted by the rulers. The spoken lan-
guage of Saraswats is Konkani.
The Portuguese traders were followed
by Christian missionaries. Conversions
began to take place under the Portuguese
in 1560. Most of the Saraswat families
left Goa with their family deities, risking
life and limb. New temples came up in
the coastal districts of Karnataka for
Saraswat deities. As time passed, the idols
were taken newly constructed temples in
Goa, though are not in the original
ancient spots. Many people migrated to
Kerala and built temples mainly dedicat-
ed to Vishnu and his avatars. The first
Vaishnava Saraswat Math of Gokarna
Math lineage was established in the year
1475 in Varanasi.
The origin of Gokarna Math comes
from the lineage of Sri Palimar Math, one
of the eight Maths established by Sripad
Madhwacharya in Udupi. Kashi Math at
Kochi came up in 1560 A.D. All the
Vaishnav Saraswats (Madhwa) are
Kulavis (followers) of either Kashi Math
or Gokarna Math. 'Smarth' Saraswats owe
allegiance to either Kavale Math or
Chitrapur Math.
Saraswats continued to hold important
posts under Keladi or Nagar rulers. Many
families who emigrated from Goa settled
down in smaller towns and villages in
Shimoga, South and North Kanara dis-
tricts. Saraswats were the first beneficiar-
ies of English education introduced in
1840. Thus they became a forward and
prospering community in the modern
context. Gaud Saraswat Brahmins are cat-
egorized by last name (indicating profes-
sion), Gotra (lineage) or Math (spiritual
guru).
17June 30-July 6, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Sri Shankaracharya is credited for resur-recting Hinduism or Vedic religion in India
Most of the GSB's including
Chitrapur Saraswats and some
Rajapur Saraswats are vegetari-
an. Their food is usually without onion
and garlic. However some GSB's from
North Kanara, Goa and Maharashtra are
piscovegetarian (fish eaters).
The inclusion of fish in the diet is not
looked upon as non vegetarian. Legend
has it that when the Saraswati River dried
up, the Saraswats who could not farm,
were permitted to eat sea food/fish. The
fish were euphemistically called Sea
Vegetable (Jal Kaay).
However they too eat only vegetarian
food without onion and garlic on festival
days and on Mondays, which is auspi-
cious for Lord Shiva. The recipes use
large amounts of coconut and spices.
Rice is the staple food of all GSB's.
Some of the special recipes of GSB's
are- Daali thoy (Konkani dal. Most
famous recipe of the GSB's), Beebe-
upkari (cashew based), Val val (Mixed
vegetable stew, adapted from the French)
, Patrode (Colocasia leaves in spicy bat-
ter),Chana Ghashi (Chickpeas in coconut
gravy),Kadgi chakko (Raw jackfruit side
dish), Avnas ambe sasam (Pineapple
mango gravy), Patoli(coconut and jag-
gery in turmeric leaves), Muga mole ran-
dayi(Sprouted moong daal side dish),
Payasu(kheer made from milk and dry
fruits).
Like most communities, the Gowda
Saraswat Brahmins have rituals
which occur throughout the life
cycle.
Barso: During the eighth month the
mother moves to her parental home antic-
ipating childbirth. On eleventh day of
child birth barso is held. Child's ears are
pierced, child is named and cradled on
this day. The grandmother whispers the
child's name into his/her ear and a horo-
scope is cast. When the child turns 3
months old, a visit to the temple is done
and thereafter, the child goes to the
father's abode.
Chawla: When the child is 2 years,
before he completes third year the
"Chawla" (Child's first hair cut) ceremo-
ny is held.
Munji: When a male child turns 8 years
old, the Munji (Konkani word for
Upanayanam) is performed. In this cere-
mony, the jannuvey or the sacred thread is
placed on the left shoulder of the child.
From that day on he becomes an official
member of his caste and is called a dwija
(translated in English as "twice-born") and
expected to practice extreme discipline
during this period known as brahmacharya.
The thread is changed every year in a festi-
val. The main rituals in a GSB munji are
Devatha Prarthana, Ganapathi Puja, Udada
Murthu, Matrubhojan, Yajnopavita
Dharana, Brahmachari Agnikaryam,
Savitri Upadesha, Danda Dharana,
Matrabiksha etc.
Marriage: A typical GSB marriage
consists of the following events – Varan
Appoche, Nandi, Nishchaithambul,
Yedur Kansnani, Urdha Murthu, Kashi
Yatra, Lagna, Havan Purnavati,
Chautanan, Tulsi Puja and Mandal
Virajan.
Death Ceremonies: The other
extremely important rituals for the GSB's
are the death ceremonies. All GSB's are
cremated according to Vedic rites, usual-
ly within a day of the individual’s death.
The death rites include a 13-day ceremo-
ny. The ashes of the departed are
immersed at a confluence of two rivers
(sangam) or the sea. Like all other
Hindus, the preference is for the ashes to
be immersed in the Ganges, Godavari
river or river Kaveri. There is also a year-
ly shraddha that needs to be performed.
These rituals are expected to be per-
formed only by male descendants
(preferably the eldest son) of the
deceased.
Festivals: GSB's celebrate almost all
festivals in Hinduism. They follow the
Hindu Lunar calendar, almanac to be spe-
cific which is known as Panchang in
Konkani that gives the days on which the
fasts and festivals should be observed.
Compiled: I J Saldanha-Shet. (Withreference to various published sources).
Saraswat cuisine Chief rituals of GSBs
special section
24June 30-July 6, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Anil Mulchandani
The beautiful Konkan coastline of
Uttar and Dakshin Kannada regions
of Karnataka possesses some of pret-
tiest beaches in India.
From Goa’s airport, we headed south to
Karwar, a town set along the estuary of Kali
River with a naval base opened in 2004-05
by the then Defence Minister Pranab
Mukherjee to protect the country’s Arabian
Sea maritime routes. Karwar’s coastal
stretch is surrounded by islands like
Anjedive where men from Vasco Do Gama’s
ship are believed to have found a ruined
temple and water tank. Franciscan mission-
aries visited the island in 1500 and are said
to have made their first converts on Indian
soil at Anjedive. The Portuguese fort built in
1505 was abandoned and occupied in the
17th century by the British whose tombs can
still be seen. The Portuguese rebuilt the fort
and canons were added in 1731.
Rabindranath Tagore wrote, ``Here in
Karwar I wrote the Prakritir Pratishodha,
Nature's Revenge, a dramatic poem. The
hero was a Sanyasi who had been striving to
gain a victory over Nature by cutting away
the bonds of all desires and affections and
thus to arrive at a true and profound knowl-
edge of self.’’ Karwar features prominently
in Tagore’s memoirs as a place where he
stayed as a teenager when his elder brother
was in the civil services.
We visited the maritime museum which is
on the main road near Naval Base and the
Tagore beach. The INS Chapel, which
played an important role in the Indo-Pak
war during the early 70s, is now a Warship
Museum. The museum has a statue of
Paramvir Chakra winner, 2nd Lt Rama
Raghoba Rane, whose accomplishments in
1948 are remarkable.
Karwar has scenic beaches ranging from
isolated stretches to a boulevard with hawk-
ers and vendors. There are places to stay and
the Devbagh Island approached by a short
crossing has resort and facilities for diving
and watersports.
From Karwar, we drove south to Gokarna,
just off the NH17.Gokarna has become one
of Karnataka’s most famous beach destina-
tion and is getting popular with European
tourists besides drawing Indian families.
The most famous site is Om Beach, which is
named for its contours and its popularity has
resulted in huts created along the beach to
house backpacking tourists and beach-
junkies. Equally attractive is Kundle Beach
which has lovely sands and runs along a
pretty stretch of sea.
Both these beaches are accessible by
descending steps and walking along sandy
trails and those who enjoy walking could
also climb the headland beside Om Beach to
trudge down to the Half-Moon and Paradise
beaches.
There is also a beach beside the Gokarna
town, which is a cultural and religious cen-
tre. The Mahabaleshwar Shiva Temple and
the Ganesh Temple attract devotees in large
numbers. Around the temples you can see
tribal people like the Goudas. This town is
also a Sanskrit education centre. From the
overcrowded town beach, you can get a boat
to visit other beaches.
Continuing along the National Highway
17 we came to the town of Bhatkal, which
has important Jain and Hindu temples. The
Khetapai Narayana Temple, built in the 17th
century, is in the classic South-Western
India style with a simple steeply pitched
roof to deal with the heavy rainfall on the
seaward side of the Western Ghats chain.
The exterior walls have fine latticework on
stone with high-quality sculpture while the
temple’s piece-de-resistance is the magnifi-
cent Vijayanagara-style entrance with some
superb sculpture. The Jain temples of the
17th-18th century are also worth seeing –
among the best is the Chandranatha Basti.
From here, you can take detours to visit the
14th century Vidhyashankara temple at
Sringeri, the 15th-16th century Jain shrine at
Karkala, and the beautiful Jain temple of
Mudabidri.
We travelled onward to Udupi, an impor-
tant pilgrimage site. This is also the birth-
place of Madhva, a 12th century saint who
set up eight monasteries in the town. The
Krishna Temple here is set around a large
tank that devotees believe has associations
with the holy River Ganges every 10 years.
According to a local legend the idol of Lord
Krishna turned around to give darshan to a
devotee from a lower caste who was not
allowed access to the shrine. Malpe near
Udupi is a scenically attractive place.
After lunch at Udupi, we travelled onward
to Mangalore Airport for our return flight.
Karnataka’s sapphire Konkan coastline
Om beach at Gokarna
The Mahabaleshwar Shiva Temple and the Ganesh Temple attract devotees in large numbers to Gokarna.Shiva instructed Ravana thatthe sacred atmalinga should not be placed on the ground as it would establish itself where placed on earth. On his way back to Lanka,
Ravana stops for his evening prayers at Gokarna. To prevent Ravana from getting a weapon as powerful as the atmalinga, Ganesh in thedisguise of a Brahmin boy, tells Ravana that he will hold the atmalinga until Ravana finishes his prayers. As soon as he receives theatmalinga, Ganesh promptly puts it down. Ravana tries to extricate it, resulting in throwing the coverings of the Linga to Surathkal,
Dhareshwar, Gunavanteshwar, Murudeshwar and Shejjeshwar temples. A local fish vendor at Gokarna
Gowda woman in Gokarna
Photos by Dinesh Shukla
special section
26June 30-July 6, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Not just Konkanis…From cinema to sports, from banking to theater, people of Konkani origin have created a
distinguished mark for themselves in almost all walks of life. The SATimes profiles some of the well-known Konkani-origin personalities
Anant Pai
LataMangeshkar
Anant Pai, popularly known as Uncle
Pai, was an Indian educationalist and
creator of Indian comics, particularly the
Amar Chitra Katha series in 1967, along
with the India Book House publishers, and
which retold traditional Indian folk tales,
mythological stories, and biographies of
historical characters.
In 1980, he launched Tinkle, a children's
anthology, which was started under Rang
Rekha Features, India's first comic and
cartoon syndicate, that lasted till 1998,
with him as the Managing Director.
Today, Amar Chitra Katha sells about
three million comic books a year, in
English and more than 20 Indian lan-
guages, and has sold about 100 million
copies since its inception in 1967 by Anant
Pai, and in 2007 was taken over by ACK
Media.
AGoan by
o r i g i n ,
She is one of
the best-
known and
most respect-
ed playback
singers in
I n d i a .
Mangeshkar's
career started
in 1942 and has spanned over six and a
half decades. She has recorded songs for
over 1,000 Hindi films and has sung in
over 36 regional Indian languages and for-
eign languages, though primarily in Hindi.
She is the second vocalist to have ever
been awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's
highest civilian honour. Lata was featured
in the Guinness Book of World Records
from 1974 to 1991 for having made the
most recordings in the world.
Girish Karnad
Girish Raghunath Karnad is
a contemporary writer,
playwright, screenwriter, actor
and movie director in Kannada
language. His rise as a promi-
nent playwright in 1960s,
marked the coming of age of
Modern Indian playwriting in
Kannada, just as Badal Sarkar
did it in Bengali, Vijay
Tendulkar in Marathi, and
Mohan Rakesh in Hindi.
He is a recipient of the 1998
Jnanpith Award for Kannada,
the highest literary honor con-
ferred in India.
For four decades Karnad has
been composing plays, often
using history and mythology to
tackle contemporary issues. He
has translated his major plays
into English, and has received
critical acclaim across India.
His plays have been translat-
ed into several Indian lan-
guages and directed by emi-
nent directors like Ebrahim
Alkazi, B. V. Karanth, Alyque
Padamsee, Prasanna, Arvind
Gaur, Satyadev Dubey, Vijaya
Mehta, Shyamanand Jalan and
Amal Allana.
He is also active in the world
of Indian cinema working as
an actor, director, and screen-
writer, both in Hindi and
Kannada cinema, earning
numerous awards along the
way. He was conferred Padma
Shri and Padma Bhushan by
the Government of India.
Mario Miranda
Mario Miranda or Mario de Miranda
was a famous Indian cartoonist
based in Loutolim, Goa. Miranda had
been a regular with The Times of India
and other newspapers in Mumbai, includ-
ing The Economic Times, though he got
his popularity with his works published in
The Illustrated Weekly of India.
Miranda was born in Daman, then in
Portuguese India, to Goan Catholic par-
ents. At an early age when his mother saw
him drawing his home walls, she brought
him a blank book, which he calls his
"Diary". Miranda's early cartoons present-
ed vignettes of Goan village life, a theme
he is best known for even today.
Deepika PadukoneBorn to badminton player Prakash
Padukone, she chose to become an
actress and not pursue a career in sports.
Padukone made her acting debut in the
2006 Kannada film Aishwarya.[2] The fol-
lowing year, she made her Hindi film debut
in Om Shanti Om, for which she earned the
Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. It also
remains her biggest commercial success so
far. She subsequently appeared in films such
as Love Aaj Kal (2009) and Housefull
(2010). While the former earned her a
Filmfare nomination in the Best Actress cate-
gory, the latter emerged as a commercial suc-
cess. In addition to acting, Padukone is also
the ambassador of prominent brands such as
Tissot, Sony Cybershot, Nescafe and
Kingfisher Airlines.
Madhuri DixitBack on stage after an illustrious career,
Madhuri is cited by the media as one of
the best actresses in Bollywood. The Dhak
Dhak girl made her film debut in Abodh
(1984) and received wider public recognition
with Tezaab (1988). She went on to establish
herself as one of Hindi cinema's leading
actresses, acknowledged for several of her
performances, her beauty, and her accom-
plished dancing.Some of her proceeding
films include such box-office hits as Dil
(1990), Saajan (1991), Beta (1992), Hum
Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994) and Raja (1995).
After a relatively low phase, she reinvented
herself with the romance Dil To Pagal Hai
(1997) and subsequently received critical
acclaim for her work in films like
Mrityudand (1997), Pukar (2000), Lajja
(2001) and Devdas (2002). In 2002, she
retired from films in order to raise her chil-
dren and made a comeback with the musical
Aaja Nachle in 2007. In 2008, she was
awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-high-
est civilian award by the Government of
India. She is married to Dr Shriram Madhav
Nene, with whom she has two children. The
couple resided in the United States before
moving to India in 2011.
special section
27June 30-July 6, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The great Konkani story continues...Guru Dutt
Margaret Alva
Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone, popularly known as
Guru Dutt, was a well-known film director, producer and
actor. He is often credited with ushering in the golden era of
Hindi cinema.He made quintessential 1950s and 1960s classics
such as Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam and
Chaudhvin Ka Chand.
In particular, Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool are now included
among the greatest films of all time, both by Time magazine's
"All-TIME" 100 best movies. He is sometimes referred to as
"India's Orson Welles". In 2010, he was included among CNN's
"top 25 Asian actors of all time".
Margaret Alva is the Governor of
Rajasthan. She was the Governor of
Uttarakhand before being appointed
Governor of Rajasthan. Alva became
Uttarakhand's first woman governor in
July 2009. She took over from Punjab
Governor Mr. Shivraj Patil,who was hold-
ing an addtional charge of that State.She is
a senior leader of the Indian National
Congress and was the General Secretary
of the All India Congress Committee. A
lawyer by profession, she was conferred
an honorary doctorate in literature by the
University of Mysore, Karnataka. She is
the founder President of NGO 'Karuna'.
Remo FernandesLuís Remo de Maria Bernardo Fernandes, popularly known as
Remo Fernandes, is a pop/rock/Indian fusion artist and playback
singer. His musical work is a fusion of many different cultures and
styles he's been exposed to as a child in Goa and in his later travels
around the world.
His music, reflecting life and socio-political happenings in India
with which every Indian could identify, became popular largely with
the growing, English-educated, Indian middle class. A popular stage
performer in India, he has also taken part in many music festivals
around the world. He now writes and sings his songs in five different
languages, English, Hindi, French, Portuguese, and Konkani.
Reita Faria
Reita Faria Powell became the first
Indian to win the Miss World title, in
1966. After winning the Miss Bombay
crown earlier that year, she won the Eve's
Weekly Miss India contest. Reita Faria
was a student at the Grant Medical
College & Sir J. J. Group of Hospitals
where she completed her M.B.B.S.
degree.
She lives in Dublin, Ireland with her
husband, endocrinologist David Powell,
whom she married in 1971. Reita was a
judge at Femina Miss India in 1998, and
has come back to judge the Miss World
competition on a few occasions.
George FernandesGeorge Mathew Fernandes is an Indian trade unionist, politician,
journalist, agriculturist and member of Rajya Sabha from Bihar.
He is a key member of the Janata Dal (United), and was the founder
of the Samata Party. He has held several ministerial portfolios includ-
ing communications, industry, railways, and defence, and was the
only Christian minister in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cabi-
net.
A native of Mangalore, Fernandes was sent to Bangalore in 1946 to
be trained as a priest. He moved to Bombay in 1949, and joined the
socialist trade union movement. As a fiery trade union leader,
Fernandes organised many strikes and bandhs in Bombay in the
1950s and 1960s. He was a defense minister in the National
Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government (1998–2004).
Leander PaesLeander Adrian Paes is a pro-
fessional tennis player who
currently features in the doubles
events in the ATP tour and the
Davis Cup tournament.
He is the sports ambassador of
Haryana. Paes completed the
career grand slam in men's dou-
bles after winning the Australian
Open in 2012. Having won
seven doubles and six mixed
doubles Grand Slam titles and
finishing as runner up in numer-
ous other Grand Slam finals, he
is considered to be one of the
greatest and most respected con-
temporary doubles and mixed
doubles players in the world. He
is among the most successful
professional Indian tennis play-
ers and is also the former cap-
tain of the Indian Davis Cup
team. He is the recipient of
India's highest sporting honor,
the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
award, in 1996–1997; the
Arjuna Award in 1990; and the
Padma Shri award in 2001 for
his outstanding contribution to
tennis in India.
Dilip Vengsarkar
Former cricketer Dilip Balwant
Vengsarkar is now an administrator. He
was also known by the nickname 'Colonel'.
Vengsarkar made his international cricket
debut against New Zealand at Auckland in
1975–76 as an opening batsmen. India won
this Test convincingly, but he did not have
much success. He played a memorable
innings in 1979 against Asif Iqbal's Pakistan
team in the 2nd Test at Feroz Shah Kotla,
Delhi. He was a member of the 1983 World
Champion's team. He had a productive run of
scores between 1985 and 1987, where he
scored centuries against Pakistan, Australia,
England, West Indies and Sri Lanka, many of
them in successive games. At this pinnacle of
his career, He was rated as the best batsmen
in the Coopers and Lybrand rating (a prede-
cessor of the PWC ratings).
While the West Indies pacemen dominated
the cricket world, Dilip Vengsarkar was one
of the few batsmen who was successful
against them, and scored 6 centuries against
the likes of Marshall, Holding and Roberts.In
particular, Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool are
now included among the greatest films of all
time, both by Time magazine's "All-TIME"
100 best movies. He is sometimes referred to
as "India's Orson Welles". In 2010, he was
included among CNN's "top 25 Asian actors
of all time".
special section
28June 30-July 6, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Smita Bhooplapur
An essential part of each Indian
culture and language is its cui-
sine. The cuisine not only reflects
on the kind of agricultural cultivation in
the region, but also on the tastes of native
people in the area. The Konkani cuisine
is unique because of the ingredients that
are its own. For example, coconut,
seafood, jackfruit and different kinds of
meat are popular ingredients in their
dishes.
Due to its coastal location, Konkani
food traditionally and historically
includes lot of seafood. Also, coconut use
gives Konkani cuisine a characteristic
taste.
Coconut trees are a given in most
Konkani backyards and the use of
coconut oil in preparing dishes is a com-
mon practice. Now with growing health-
consciousness, coconut oil use has
decreased but traditional foods are still
made with it.
Two other trees/plants you could find
easily here are:
Teppal a key, niche spice used in vege-tarian and non-vegetarian dishes alike.
Bimal a fruit commonly grown in theregion is used as a souring agent and inpickles.
Besides tamarind, Ambade used both as
souring agents and to make pickles.
Jackfruit, mango, and drum sticks also
get in Konkani food.
Fish and seafood have been popular in
Konkani cuisine, there are other foods
used, such as beef, mutton and chicken.
Rice is a staple carbohydrate in most of
the meals and consumed on a daily basis
by Konkanis.
The Konkani cuisine is a delight for
those seeking new flavors and new tastes
as there is much variety in dishes to
explore. Over the years, Konkani cuisine
has carried down its traditional foods.
However, it has also managed to attain
newer dishes as well due to creativity and
experimentation.
Indeed, those who try Konkani cuisine
will know that through its history it has
managed to encompass a wide range of
foods in the region.
In addition to the main course meals
that would have a variety of fish, meat,
chicken, and rice-based dishes, there are
other integral portions such as desserts,
beverages and appetizers that are includ-
ed in Konkani cuisine.
Side dishes could be broadly classified
as -
Urad papads which are roasted
directly on the flame, pickles and then
some kind of vegetable.
• Upkaris - These are simple vegetable
dishes garnished with few fresh coconut
shavings and seasoned with green chilli
or red chilli powder.
• Talasanis – Unlike upkaris, here the
vegetable is stir-fried and cooked in more
oil and red chilli powder used.
• Randayis - These have a base of
coconut, usually have a combination of
pulses and vegetables (there are randayis
with pulses alone or vegetables alone
too). The coconut paste is usually watery
and the dish looks like a gravy. But these
are served on the side.
The most popular in this category must
be - dudde randayi, muga mole randayi.
• Sukke, sagle - These also have a base
of coconut. But unlike randayis, these
have a dry (sukke) paste.
• Phodis - A masala is applied to differ-
ent vegetable pieces, then they are rolled
in sooji and tava fried.
Apart from these we have
kosambaris/kismuris, bharth, sasam etc.
Gravy dishes are often coconut-based.
Most of the Konkanis are fish eaters.
Fish gravies usually have a coconut
base - either a gravy with coconut and
onion or teppal and coconut.
For frying, fish is marinated in spicy
masala and then rolled in sooji and fried.
The meals are usually accompanied by
a cup of plain buttermilk or in kokum
season, a cup of kokum kadi.
Kairi ani Chana Gashi / Raw Mangoand Kabuli Chana Coconut Curry
This coconut curry is a delightful com-
bination of spicy, sweet and sour. In
Konkani cuisine, it is common to find a
seasoned coconut curry with the combi-
nation of bean/legume and or vegetable.
The ground coconut paste is called
‘Maasolu’ and depending on the type of
seasoning (mustard, garlic, onion), the
curry is referred to as that (Ambat/kod-
del/ghashi).
This serves well with rice, yogurt rice
or with Rotis/Chapathis.
Serves: 3-4 people
Ingredients
1 raw mango/green mango/kairi
½ cup kabuli chana/ garbanzo beans/
any chana should be fine (soak in water
for 6-8 hours)
¾ cup coconut (shredded) [fresh or
frozen]
2-3 red chillies [roast in 1 tsp of oil]
1 Tbsp urad daal
1/8 tsp methi/fenugreek seeds
1 Tbsp Tamarind paste
½ Tbsp jaggery
Salt
Water (as required to make fine
paste)
For tadka
1 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
1 Tbsp Oil (coconut or regular veg-
etable)
Method
Pressure cook the soaked Kabuli
chana/garbanzo. Keep aside to cool.
Meanwhile roast the red chilies in a
little oil till they are crispy.
Roast the urad daal, methi in a drop
of oil until it turns light brown.
Grind the roasted chillies along with
coconut, tamarind, urad dal, methi to a
smooth paste. Add water as required.
Wash the raw mango thoroughly and
chop into big bite size pieces (along with
skin).
Boil a little water in a sauce pan and
add the chopped raw mango.
When it is half cooked, add the
coconut paste/masala, salt, jaggery, and
add the boiled kabuli chana.
Simmer on medium for the next 10-
15 minutes until the gravy thickens a bit
and then switch off the gas.
In another small pan, heat 1 tbsp of
oil and add mustard seeds, curry leaves
and let it splutter. Add this seasoning to
the boiled curry and mix well. Cover
with lid.
Serve hot as a side dish with rice
along with Aloo Raita and some pappads.
The unique Konkani palatespecial section
29June 30-July 6, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Roopa Shenoy
On the rare occasion that I get some
time off from work, I find myself
googling ‘Konkani History’ or ‘Where
are the Shenoys from?’ – perhaps out of hope
of finding royal lineage or to corroborate the
“cut above the rest” feeling I have! What I
find is definitely an ego-booster. The travels
and travails of our ancestors are sure to make
anyone proud to be part of such an illustrious
community. We have come a long way and we
can proudly claim to be the most forward,
enterprising and fun-loving folk.
The engineer in me would categorize every-
thing Konkani into cuisine, culture, language
and values. The sequence of the categories
gives an idea of just how important food is to
us (Now don’t point out that values came
last!). Any Konkani worth his/her salt will
know the makings of the perfect Dalitoy, the
all but official “Kul-devu”. I’m not a big fan
of “Patrade”, but you may disagree! Food is
always the focus of most of our social events.
A typical Mangalorean conversation starter
would be, “Jevna kasale aaji?” We may love
our sushi or pasta but there’s still room for
some good ol’ “Doodh Pak”! (Though, one
may pass over the “Madgane”). A high point
in the aamchigele gastronomical calendar
would be “Chavathi”; funnily enough, for the
lesser souls amongst us, it’s more about the
food and who gets the “naivedya Deva –
paan” ( and at the risk of blasphemy, dubbed
‘the holy mess’). The Diwali special ‘Visonu
rava fry’ and ‘Motiyale Ghashi” deserves a
special mention!
Over the years, the food we eat has begun to
define our cultural heritage to such an extent,
they have blurred the lines between the first
two of my Konkani compartments (cuisine-
culture). The most remarkable displays of cul-
ture would be the “Kodial Theru” and your
“Big-Fat Amchigele Weddings”. During
Theru time, “Bird Watching” is usually high
on every guy’s agenda – a close contender to
“Darshana” of Lord Venkateshwara; the birds
and the Lord both step out in their full glory
and ritual regalia. The seasoned Theru-goer
knows the algorithm to identify the optimal
route to the temple dodging all the road
blocks, the best parking spots and always
enlists the trusted neighbor’s cousin’s mother-
in-law (another seasoned Theru-goer who was
there since 9 am) to keep a seat with a square
hand kerchief. If you take a friend along, the
common strategy is to slowly encroach into
the towel-reserved area next to yours inch by
inch (as you distract the sentinel stationed to
keep the seat with “Aren’t you a Shenoy from
the Mangalpady clan?”) until you’ve com-
pletely outmanoeuvred the neighbor and his
handkerchief! . Then comes the food; the
quintessential “Dali-toy” and “Tori Ghashi”
own the show. I deliberately skip over the part
following the ‘burki-fying’ (lapping up the
food with a single minded devotion that would
certainly please the Lord!). The end of the
meal involves single-arm-wrestling your way
through the crowd (which usually includes a
quivering dog) striking a Statue Of Liberty-
esque pose with all the “Payasa” dripping
down your other elbow which is held high
above your head, the piece of “Kuwale” you
stepped on, lodged between your toes with
some random “Mai’s” 8-sovereign
“AshtaLakshmi Vanki” nudging your spine
and egging you forward. Let the reader con-
centrate on conjuring images of the spectacu-
lar “Theru” and not dwell over minor incon-
veniences.
For the average Konkani, weddings are a
great occasion to socialize and bring on the
bling. It is considered normal to turn up
decked like a Christmas tree, even if it’s the
wedding of a second cousin’s high school
friend, that you met briefly two “Therus” ago.
At almost every Konkani wedding you can
witness the ‘Manglorean wave’ an off shoot of
the Mexican wave. First, you will notice the
guest trickling rate spike up at noon.
Secondly, the ‘first circle’ will be near deliri-
ous with hunger-pangs in their sweat soaked
Kanjivarams and itchy baubles which seemed
like a good idea while dressing up at 5 am
before leaving for the marriage venue. And
then the eldest, most venerable looking uncle
of the bride will ‘Vinanti’ to the crowds to
have lunch - which has the same effect as
waving a red flag in the bulls face. The tidal
wave of people lunging towards the food is a
rather alarming sight to the non-Mangalorean
eye. Mai’s and Mamu’s drop all pretence of
poise and chivalry, break from their stupor
and just go for it with gusto. The venerable
uncle runs for cover and trips over the wires,
cutting out the Kadri Gopalnath music for a
few minutes, providing some relief to the
newborns in the crowd. An interesting point to
note: 80% of the guests never notice the
“Kanyadana” and “Sapthapadi” - considered
the most important of the wedding rituals.
Most attendees are busy compiling the
“Annual Bling Report” and “The
Comprehensive Eligible Bachelors Reference
Guide” and debating if the new BMW parked
outside is a gift from the Bride’s or the
Groom’s parents. (Actually it is rented out on
hourly basis to provide some fodder for gos-
sip). Moving with the times, we do have
rather elaborate “Mehendi” ceremonies and
cocktail parties but the puritans would cock a
snook at them – “ Kasaki nanche kai pura.
Kaam na ve?”
The common thread that binds us the world
over, without a doubt, is the language. My
ears perk up each time I hear someone speak-
ing this familiar and comforting tongue in a
strange city, and I am sure it is true for all of
us. It acts as the glue binding us all together.
Replete with double entendres and whimsical
metaphors, Konkani is the linguaphiles’
delight. Personally, the lullabies and mindless-
ly cute ‘songlets’ for babies are a favorite.
One of them loosely translates to ‘Sit here,
right here, Peacock! Peacock flies to the
Kundapur temple festival’ – lyrics worthy of
R.E.M, indeed! The witticisms scattered in the
“devasthana-saleri” talk could fill a tome.
Konkani & Tulu are two of the languages I
know, that have the uncanny ability to give a
comic twist to just about any talk, be it at
funerals or an uncle’s business running into a
loss. The tone and other subtleties twist and
turn the meaning of a seemingly innocent sen-
tence. For instance, “budanti” means intelli-
gent, whereas “savai-budanti” is one and a
quarter more, but cannot be taken quite literal-
ly (Rather than implying over-intelligence, it
is a satirical manner of speech). Brevity, is the
soul of wit and the explanation above proba-
bly butchered it, but you see my point? The
stories passed down from grandmother to
grandchild are a legacy we should protect.
Although I recently heard a pretty jazzed up
version of ‘Mukund and Malati’, (read Hansel
& Gretel) who found a box with an iPad 2 and
a Blackberry and lived happily ever after with
free apps! Heck, some alterations to suit the
changing world are inevitable and welcome,
as long as we retain the morals and essence of
the stories.
Lastly, the values instilled in us from a
young age and reinforced by seeing them in
practice all around us are what truly mould us
into balanced, loving and essentially good
human beings. Your non-Konkani friends may
call you ‘Kokke’ which is an euphemism for
shrewd, calculating and crooked; they’re just
jealous you get all the good deals and are
genetically wired to process a tad faster! Your
father taught you the value of hard earned
money. Your mother taught you selflessness
by doing your laundry and insisting on serving
you hot dosas right out of the pan, even with
that bad back. Your sister taught you...well,
tolerance and patience. Those are virtues too!
The mandatory Saturday evening temple drills
that you detested as a youngster surely evoke
an overwhelming feeling of being a part of
something bigger, albeit in retrospect. It is this
community feeling that is enriching and gives
us a sense of belonging. Sure, I’m all for
maintaining a secular and open-minded out-
look to the world but being a Konkani is a part
of my personality and adds more shades to it.
Life of a Mangalorean Konkani – An insider report
Konkani language uses many double rhyming words.
special section
For the average Konkani, weddings are a great occasion to socialize andbring on the bling. It is considered
normal to turn up decked like aChristmas tree, even if it’s the weddingof a second cousin’s high school friend,that you met briefly two “Therus” ago.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info June 30-July 6, 2012
Pranab leaves activepolitics: End of an era
Respected among friends and
foes alike, Pranab Mukherjee,
the "most perfected politician
of the current lot", left active politics
marking the end of an illustrious
career spanning four decades in the
Congress and government.
The redoubtable number two in the
Manmohan Singh cabinet since
2004, Mukherjee has been the chief
trouble shooter of the Congress-led
United Progressive Alliance govern-
ment.
The fact that he heads 83 out of the
183 group of ministers adds to his
reputation for versatility, which few
others can match. Senior Congress
leader Manishankar Aiyar said
Mukherjee is unique as he can be
firm and yet reach out to his oppo-
nents.
"He could be firm not only with
leaders of other parties but with
Congress leaders as well," Aiyar
said.
Another trait Aiyar finds remark-
able in Mukherjee is his "elephan-
tine" memory on issues related to
polit ics and governance. The
Bharatiya Janata Party too has nice
words for him.
"Mukherjee is a seasoned politician
and a good human being... he is a
dedicated Congressman," BJP's
national vice president Mukhtar
Abbas Naqvi said. Mukherjee 's
father Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee, a
Congress politician, influenced him.
His political career started as a
deputy minister for industrial devel-
opment in 1973 and he became the
finance minister in 1982, a post he
holds currently.
His parliamentary career began in
1969 with a Rajya Sabha member-
ship and he was nominated to the
upper house until 2004 when he was
elected to the Lok Sabha from West
Bengal's Jangipur constituency.
The 76-year-old Mukherjee is a
man of unparalleled experience and
has served as commerce, foreign,
defence and finance ministers.
While the accolades have been
many, there are some brickbats too.
According to senior journalist
Kuldeep Nayar, Mukherjee served
the Congress well for over four
decades but "the only blot on him
was when he, as union commerce
minister, went along with former
prime minister Indira Gandhi, who
declared emergency in 1975, and her
son Sanjay Gandhi, who had become
an extra constitutional authority."
Opinion on how Mukherjee as
finance minister managed a slowing
down economy of late too is varied.
Nayar said Mukherjee failed as he
became bereft of ideas in the past
two years while presenting the gen-
eral budgets. "He is leaving the econ-
omy in a mess," Nayar said, adding
"he perhaps was thinking more about
his presidency."
However, political commentator N.
Bhaskara Rao described Mukherjee
as the most perfected polit ician
among the existing lot across parties
as he understands national issues,
can analyse them and always found a
solution to a political crisis."
"He was the most relied upon
leader by the Congress while making
its strategy whether the party was in
power or not," Rao said.
Though Rao said his absence from
the government would be worrying
for the Congress as the country is
facing an economic crisis, Aiyar said
"the Congress is bigger than any
individual and would find a replace-
ment of Mukherjee."
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
The 76-year-old Pranab Mukherjee is a man of unparalleled experience and has servedas commerce, foreign, defense and finance ministers
Op Ed 31
South Asia: China ondiplomacy rail
By Subhash Chopra
The Western demo-
nization of China as
Dragon power has
tried to create a bug bear
image in the minds of peo-
ple across the world, not
excluding South Asia.
However, not everyone has
fallen for it. Even the West,
though wary, is more than
eager to expand trade rela-
tions with the fastest grow-
ing global economy.
Countries like Britain have
introduced Mandarin as
one of optional new lan-
guages being taught in
schools on par with
European and other lan-
guages. Ideological caution
notwithstanding, govern-
ments from Africa to Asia
are more than ready to dis-
card the stereotype image
of China. South Asian
countries are no exception.
From Afghanistan to Sri
Lanka and Nepal, China
has assiduously wooed
South Asian countries with
aid, trade and even military
assistance when thought
fit. Diplomatically too,
China has been quick to
exploit differences, as
between India and
Pakistan, or back a new
regime, as in the case of
Bangladesh after its birth
in spite of old ties with
Pakistan, as also in Nepal
by heavily supporting the
emerging Maoist forces
after having earlier played
ball with the royal regimes
of Kings Mahendra,
Birendra and briefly even
Gyanendra.
Relations with India have
necessarily been on a dif-
ferent plane because of
India’s size, strength and
the 1962 war between the
two countries. Yet China
has not allowed the past to
stop striking new paths like
trade with India.
On their part, South
Asian countries too have
displayed a practical
approach in dealing with
China. The Hamid Karzai
government in
Afghanistan, for instance,
has had no hesitation in
awarding the $3.5 billion
copper mining project in
Aynak area of Logar
province, south of Kabul.
Afghanistan is thought to
be sitting on copper ore
worth more than $80 bil-
lion. China has also been
selected as the preferred
bidder for petroleum
exploration in northern
Afghanistan. There is also
talk of rail and road proj-
ects some time in the
future.
Pakistan’s relations with
China go a long while
back, especially to days
when it brokered a thaw
between Beijing and
Washington under Nixon
and Kissinger administra-
tion. The building of
Karrakoram Highway
through northern Kashmir
territory controlled by
Pakistan but disputed by
India has led to a highly
piquant situation between
New Delhi and Beijing.
Sino-Indian territorial dis-
putes, of course, go back to
British Indian colonial
times left unresolved since
the Durand Line border
drawn up by the British but
unrecognized by China and
Afghanistan. The resultant
issues have been made
more complex by China’s
recent involvement in the
Gilgit region of Kashmir.
Fortunately, barring the
odd diplomatic spat, India
and China have successful-
ly charted the new path of
bilateral trade relations,
while putting aside border
disputes. Indeed the border
trade between the two
countries has crossed the
$60 billion mark in less
than a decade , and is rac-
ing towards the $100 bil-
lion level. Whatever the
historical territorial bag-
gage, the two Asian giants
have no desire to give up
the fruits of trade for the
sake of barren land strips
where “not a blade of grass
grows.” That is not to say
that the two giants are any-
where near the “Hindi-
Chini” bhai-bhai (brotherly
) euphoric days.
China’s forays into Sri
Lanka and the Maldives or
Bangladesh and Nepal con-
tinue to be watched closely
by India. China’s establish-
ment of a fully fledged
embassy in the Maldives
and its tourist spending in
the island nation, outstrip-
ping the combined spend-
ing of Western tourists,
have not gone un-noticed
by India.
Bangladesh too has its
arms open for aid and trade
with China which is
already a major trading
partner, with total volume
topping $7 billion by 2010.
China, in turn, has its eye
on opening a trade route to
the Bay of Bengal via
Myanmar for its land-
locked south western
province of Yunan.
Overall, the Chinese
impact on South Asia
keeps a fine balance
between economic and
strategic influence.
In fact strategic influ-
ence derives its strength
from trade and economic
cooperation, which is per-
haps overly interpreted as
‘hegemony’.
India and China have successfully charted the new path ofbilateral trade relations
32 Diaspora & Subcontinent
June 30-July 6, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New Delhi: Ahead of
his outreach visit to
Central Asia in the first
week of July, External
Affairs Minister S.M.
Krishna said he had
asked embassies and
consulates to be
"responsive" and
"proactive" in mitigat-
ing problems of expatri-
ates living around the
world.
Krishna will be meet-
ing heads of Indian mis-
sions in the region next
week. Over the last few
months, he has held
such interactions on a
regional basis in Singapore, Cairo,
Abu Dhabi, Madrid and Havana.
"In the meetings (with heads of
Indian missions) that I have been
having in various regions of the
world, what we have done is to try
analyse the various issues and prob-
lems of Indian expatriates in the
respective countries, and how they
look at the global developments of
the region," Krishna said.
"The feedback that I have got so
far is that this has served an impor-
tant and useful purpose of the
ambassadors in that region trying to
share their perceptions, views and
experience with their colleagues and
their counterparts," Krishna said.
Based on the interaction, the min-
istry of external affairs will prepare
an assessment and provide the need-
ed inputs.
Krishna said the message he had
been persistently providing to the
heads of missions is to "treat our
own people well".
Giving examples of racial attacks
against Indians in Australia a couple
of years ago, Krishna said the Indian
missions in Sydney and Melbourne
had begun walk-in meetings with
officers for Indians on Fridays.
"With that, the problems of
Indians in Australia has been sub-
stantially solved, if not eliminated.
"So, in many other nations, partic-
ularly where we have a large expa-
triate population making substantial
remittances to India, it is all the
more reason why our embassies and
consulates should be more respon-
sive and proactive in terms of miti-
gating their problems."
"Particularly in the Gulf region,
when they are in distress, their
issues need to be taken up and
resolved. This has helped quite a bit
in addressing the Indians' concerns
abroad," he added.
Be responsive to expat'sneeds: SM Krishna
New Delhi: India has renewed its
request to Pakistan to release death
row prisoner Sarabjit Singh after a
midnight volte-face by Islamabad
and said it was awaiting official
communication from the Pakistan
government and a report from the
Indian High Commission in
Islamabad on this issue.
"I have seen media reports about
the impending release from impris-
onment in Pakistan of Surjeet
Singh...I welcome this decision and
further renew our request to the
president of Pakistan to release
Sarabjit Singh who has been in
custody for over two decades. He
is serving a death sentence,"
External Affairs Minister S.M.
Krishna told reporters here.
Krishna's statement came after
Pakistan's apparent volte-face
about releasing Sarabjit Singh. On
June 26, the Pakistani media had
carried reports of Sarabjit getting a
presidential pardon. However,
Islamabad clarified late evening
that it was not Sarabjit but Surjeet
Singh, his fellow inmate at Kot
Lakhpat jail, who would be
released.
Admitting confusion over the
issue, Krishna said he has also seen
media reports and stressed that
there is no absolutely no official
communication from Pakistan on
reports of Sarabjit Singh's release.
Krishna, however, renewed
request to the Pakistan government
to take a lenient and humanitarian
view and release Sarabjit Singh,
who has been in custody for over
two decades and is serving a death
sentence for his alleged involve-
ment in a string of blasts in the
Punjab province in 1990.
"As you are aware that govern-
ment of India has consistently
urged the government of Pakistan
on several occasions to take a sym-
pathetic and humanitarian view on
the case of Sarabjit Singh," said
Krishna.
"I also appeal to the government
of Pakistan to release all Indian
nationals who have completed their
prison term. I request the release of
all Indians who are serving jail sen-
tences in Pakistani prisons," he
added.
Pakistan claims that Sarabjit
Singh, who is known as Manjit
Singh there, was involved in stag-
ing four blasts in Lahore and
Multan in 1990, which claimed 14
lives. His family however, main-
tains that Sarabjit, a resident of
border town of Bhikhiwind, had
strayed across the border in an ine-
briated state in August 1990.
Surjeet has been in Pakistani cus-
tody for over 30 years. He was cap-
tured near the India-Pakistan bor-
der on charges of spying during the
era of military ruler Zia-ul-Haq and
was on death-row too, but his sen-
tence was commuted to life-impris-
onment in 1989.
"I think there is some confusion.
First, it is not a case of pardon.
More importantly, it is not Sarabjit.
It is Surjeet Singh, son of Sucha
Singh. His death sentence was
commuted in 1989 by President
Ghulam Ishaq Khan on the advice
of then prime minister Benazir
Bhutto," presidential spokesperson
Farhatullah Babar was quoted as
saying by Geo News.
India presses for Sarabjit's release, awaits response
Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna
On June 26, the Pakistani media had carried reports of Sarabjit getting a presidential pardon.
London: Indian-origin British tel-
evision actress Shobna Gulati has
said she was forced to quit micro-
blogging website Twitter after
suffering a stream of racist abuse.
Internet users mutilated photos
of the 45-year-old "Coronation
Street" actress and posted them
online with "sick comments", The
Sun reported.
One user wrote: "You're not
British, you're foreign", while
another tweeted, "You have got to
be the ugliest f***** I've ever
seen".
One post read: "I'll always be
here to bother you."
Gulati, who plays the character
Sunita in the TV soap, said:
"Being racially abused on Twitter
really shook me up. It felt like
going back in time to the 1970s."
"It put me in mind of a psycho -
like a horror movie. I just decided
enough was enough. I tried to
ignore it but it started to affect my
confidence. Violent, vitriolic
hatred gives people their moment
in the spotlight. It beggars belief,"
Gulati said.
Gulati, born in Oldham to
Indian parents, spoke out after
"Towie" star Lauren Goodger was
also targeted by internet users
over her weight.
"I know how she (Goodger)
feels. It's just bullying," she said.
Indian-origin British TVstar faces racist taunts
Washington: Noting that India's
arrest of terror suspect Abu Jindal
has exposed Pakistan's role in the
26/11 Mumbai attack, a US expert
has asked Islamabad to take action
against all those involved, includ-
ing serving intelligence officials.
Jindal's alleged confession that
"Pakistani intelligence officials
were present in the control room
from which he directed the attack-
ers is explosive," wrote Lisa
Curtis, senior research fellow for
South Asia at the conservative
think tank Heritage Foundation.
"If true, these accusations will
undermine an already shaky US-
Pakistan relationship and further
tarnish Pakistan's global image,"
she said noting the US likely
assisted India in tracking Jindal
and may have even weighed in to
pressure the Saudis to deport him
to India.
Noting that Islamabad has
dragged its feet on investigating
and prosecuting 26/11 suspects,
Curtis said: "Pakistan must take
action against any individuals
involved in the Mumbai attacks,
even if it means punishing serving
intelligence officials."
"Doing otherwise would only
hasten the country's international
isolation and slide toward pariah
state status."
Meanwhile, State Department
spokesperson Victoria Nuland
reiterated US support for India's
efforts to bring the perpetrators of
the Mumbai attacks to justice.
Abu Jindal's arrest exposesPak role: US expert
Surjeet Singh's familyrejoices
Ferozepur (Punjab): While the
family of Sarabjit Singh, the
Indian prisoner on death row in
Pakistan, was left shocked by
Islambad's flip-flop over his
release, there was jubilation in
the home of his fellow inmate
Surjeet Singh, who will be freed
after over three decades in
Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail.
At Phidde village in Punjab's
frontier district of Ferozepur,
280 km from Chandigarh,
Surjeet's family celebrated the
news that he would be released
soon.
"We are all eagerly awaiting
my father's release from Lahore
jail. He completed his term years
ago. Finally, he is being released.
We will welcome him at Attari
border with great fanfare,"
Surjeet's son Kulwinder told
media in his village.
Shobna Gulati
Terror suspect Abu Jindal
Business & International 33
TheSouthAsianTimes.info June 30-July 6, 2012
Put service tax on NRI remittances on hold: TharoorThiruvananthapuram: Lok Sabha MP from
Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor has urged Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh to put on hold the service tax
on remittances by non-resident Indians (NRIs). In his
letter to the prime minister, Tharoor pointed out that the
decision to impose 12.36 per cent service tax on remit-
tances to India by NRIs with effect from July 1 has gen-
erated tremendous resentment across Kerala.
"The imposition of the service tax will adversely
affect millions of Keralities, especially those working in
low-paid jobs in the Gulf region. This tax of Rs.1,236
for every Rs.10,000 sent home will be an unbearable
burden on these ordinary people... and their dependent
families at home," he said.
He called for keeping the decision in abeyance pend-
ing a more detailed examination of the "adverse impli-
cations" of the move. Tharoor argued that this was a
short-sighted measure which risked diverting remit-
tances to hawala channels and tempting otherwise law-
abiding citizens to indulge in undesirable malpractices.
"At a time when the country needs to attract inward
remittances and investment, any measure which dis-
courages these should not be contemplated," he said in
the letter.
Damascus: Syria is in a
state of war, President
Bashar al-Assad has said,
ordering his cabinet to
crush the anti-regime revolt
even as fierce fighting
broke out near the capital
Damascus. With the upris-
ing now in its 16th month,
Assad told his cabinet that
Syria was in a "real situa-
tion of war".
"When one is in a state of
war, all our policies and
capabilities must be used to
secure victory," he said
according to the official
SANA news agency.
Turkey meanwhile said it
had issued fresh rules of
engagement to its army in
response to the shooting
down by Syria of one of its
fighter jet last Friday.
And a senior official trav-
eling with US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton told
AFP that a Geneva confer-
ence on the crisis planned
for this weekend was threat-
ened by Russia's refusal to
consider Assad's departure.
Across the country, the
violence continued with at
least 116 people killed,
according to the
Observatory for Human
Rights which said 68 civil-
ians, 41 soldiers and seven
rebels had lost their lives.
The fighting drew closer
to the capital with clashes
breaking out Tuesday in the
suburbs of Damascus
between rebel forces and
Syrian army units, around
elite Republican Guard
posts, the London-based
Observatory said.
"Violent clashes are tak-
ing place around positions
of the Republican Guard in
Qudsaya and Al-Hama,"
Observatory head Rami
Abdel Rahman told AFP in
Beirut.
It was the first time that
artillery had been used "so
close to the capital", he
added.
"This development is
important because it's the
heaviest fighting in the area
and close to the heart of the
capital."
President Assad saysSyria 'in a state of war'
At least 116 people have been killed in the violence so far
Athens: Assailants
attacked the offices of
Microsoft in Athens, driv-
ing a van through the front
doors and setting off an
incendiary device that
burned the building
entrance, police said.
There were no reports of
injuries in the pre-dawn
attack on the U.S. compa-
ny's headquarters in the
Greek capital, located in
the Maroussi suburb north
of the city center.
Police said initial infor-
mation indicated three peo-
ple had been inside the
van. They forced the two
security guards at the
building to leave before
they reversed the van into
the front entrance, smash-
ing the door.
The two security guards
were giving testimony to
police.
The assailants then trig-
gered an incendiary device
inside the van that police
said appeared to have con-
sisted of camping gas can-
isters and several contain-
ers of gasoline.
Police forensic teams
examined the burned-out
van, which was still out-
side the blackened entrance
later Monday morning.
Authorities said no warn-
ing call had been made
before the attack. There
was no immediate claim of
responsibility.
Greece has experienced
attacks by several small
armed anarchist or domes-
tic terrorist groups for
decades, which usually tar-
get official buildings,
banks or symbols of state
power with small bombs or
incendiary devices. The
attacks usually occur late
at night and rarely cause
injuries.
Although they have died
down over the past year,
attacks had spiked follow-
ing the fatal police shoot-
ing of a teenager in Athens
in December 2008 that led
to widespread riots across
the country.
Assailants attack Microsoftheadquarters in Athens
There were no reports of injuries in the pre-dawn attack
New Delhi: On his first day after
taking additional charge of the
finance ministry, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh set about putting
together a unified mechanism for
the ministry. As part of that exer-
cise, Singh met key advisors.
The meetings focused on mecha-
nisms for taking inputs and making
policy decision, which will
announced soon.
Singh faces a slew of challenges,
key among them slowing growth,
rising inflation, a ballooning fiscal
deficit and a falling rupee.
The toughest challenge for the
Prime Minister is to push growth
back to at least the 7 per cent lev-
els. The Budget estimate for the
current fiscal is 7.6 per cent, with a
margin of error of around 0.25 per
cent. With GDP growth dipping to
6.5 per cent last fiscal, and a nine-
year low of 5.3 per cent for March
quarter, reviving growth will likely
be a priority.
Additionally, he must also take
steps to boost investor confidence,
which has taken a hit after the
introduction of retrospective tax
laws, and the new General Anti-
Avoidance Rules (GAAR).
The monsoon this year has also
been weaker than usual, raising
concerns that agricultural output
could fall, putting more pressure on
the government to raise minimum
support prices for crops. This, in
turn, could push the subsidy bill
higher. A poor crop could also
force farmers to opt for the national
jobs program, the Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment
Guarantee scheme, which would
also push up the government’s
expenditure and add to the deficit.
India's economic crisis: PMmeets top advisors
Prime Minister Manmohan Singhwith UPA's President nominee
Pranab Mukherjee
Mumbai/New Delhi: In a bid to
prop up the battered rupee, the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
hiked the limit of overseas invest-
ments in government bonds and
announced a few other measures
to improve market sentiments.
The limit of overseas invest-
ment in government bonds has
been raised by $5 billion to $20
billion and that of external com-
mercial borrowings to $10 billion.
Certain manufacturing and
infrastructure companies that earn
foreign exchange can now borrow
from overseas markets to repay
rupee loans for capital expendi-
ture.
"The overall ceiling for such
ECBs would be $10 billion," the
central bank said.
The measures are aimed at
attracting more foreign invest-
ments that would help revive the
battered currency, which hit a
record low of 57.33 to the dollar
last week.
The RBI announced the new
measures after discussions with
Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee and Economic Affairs
Secretary R. Gopalan.
The Reserve Bank of India said
in a statement that it has taken
measures "in consultation with
the government of India". The
new measures are introduced with
immediate effect.
However, the move failed to
cheer the markets as investors
were expecting bolder steps.
The rupee pared the gains and
ended the day 0.2 percent higher
at 57.01 after rallying 1.3 percent
before the announcement was
made. Benchmark indices of the
Indian equities markets also
ended in the red. Chairman of the
the Prime Minister's economic
advisory council C. Rangarajan
said the RBI measures will have
some impact on the currency in
the short run.
The limit of overseas investmentin government bonds has been
raised by $5 billion to $20 billion
Government bonds:India raises overseas
investment limit
INTERNATIONAL
34 Sports
June 30-July 6, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Tennis mess: AITA rejects Sania's claimsNew Delhi: The All India Tennis Association (AITA)
has rejected claims made by Sania Mirza that she was
made a bait to pacify Leander Paes and said that pairing
them for the mixed doubles event of the Olympics was
done purely on merit.
Sania in a strongly worded statement Tuesday night
ripped apart the AITA and didn't spare Paes and
Bhupathi either for the selection controversy for the
Olympics.
But the AITA defending its selection strategy said
their decision to pair Paes and Sania was purely on
merit as they are two highest ranked players in India.
"As regards selection of teams, the selection commit-
tee on 21st June, the last date for nomination, noted that
Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna had made them-
selves not available for selection with Leander Paes
despite efforts of AITA.
The committee then selected Leander Paes with
Vishnu Vardhan as his doubles partner as Vishnu
Vardhan was the preferred partner and also silver medal-
list in Asian Games. The committee also decided that
wild card application be made for Somdev Devvarman
and for Sania Mirza for both women's singles as well as
women's doubles as without a wild card she will not be
eligible to play mixed doubles.
"The committee, thereafter, selected world No. 7 and
India No. 1 Leander Paes to partner world No. 12 and
India No. 1 Sania Mirza in the mixed doubles Olympics
event. With a combined ranking of 19 they were placed
9th in the top 12 teams to be eligible for mixed doubles.
This selection is purely on merits," AITA secretary gen-
eral Bharat Oza said.AITA said it respects all its players
and is fully aware of the accomplishments of Sania as
an excellent tennis player.
"AITA believes that Leander & Sania together are
capable of producing fantastic results in the Olympics.
The final decision of the selection committee has
already been communicated to the IOA on 21st June
2012. We earnestly appeal to all the players to unite
together, shed off all their differences, stop going public
and join hands together in the best national interest of
winning medals for the country and to bring glory to the
nation," she said.
US eye 30 athletics medalsWashington: US Olympic athletics
team is aiming at no less than 30
medals at the upcoming London
Games, said coaches Andrew Valmon
and Amy Deem. Men's Olympic coach
Valmon and women's coach Deem
expressed confidence on a rest day at
the US Olympic track and field trials.
"There is a lot of opportunities to
get those 30 medals," Valmon was
quoted as saying.
The 30-medal goal for London was
set by former USA Track and Field
chief executive Doug Logan and
backed by new chief executive Max
Siegel.
The US team claimed 23 medals
from athletics at Beijing with seven
golds, nine silvers and seven bronzes.
"We're going to have a strong team.
We're excited," Valmon said.
"Our goal is always to bring home
as many medals as we can. We are on
track to do that," Deem said. "I think
we have an opportunity to bring home
a lot of medals."
The women's team includes reigning
100m World champion Carmelita
Jeter, reigning 100m hurdles Olympic
champion Dawn Harper and reigning
Olympic discus champion Stephanie
Brown Trafton.
The men's team comprise 2004
Olympic 100m champion Justin
Gatlin, former world 100m champion
Tyson Gay, reigning world high jump
champion Jesse Williams and reigning
Olympic 400m champion LaShawn
Merritt.
Tennis player Sania Mirza
ICC declines to makeDRS mandatory
Kuala Lumpur: The International
Cricket Council (ICC) executive
board has rejected its chief execu-
tives' committee's (CEC) decision to
make the controversial Decision
Review System (DRS) mandatory
for all Tests and ODIs.
The board approved the recom-
mendations of the CEC relating to
the inclusion of Hot Spot cameras as
part of the minimum specifications
for the DRS and the amendment of
the LBW protocols regarding the
"margin of uncertainty", but felt
using the system was better left to
judgment of the two competing
nations.
"ICC Board agreed to continue
with the present arrangement where
the two competing nations in a bilat-
eral series decide on the use of
DRS," the ICC Board said at its
meeting. After receiving detailed
match data and consumer research,
the board agreed with the CEC that
there should be continued and con-
sistent emphasis placed on the pro-
motion of the three formats of inter-
national cricket, particularly 50-over
cricket. "At the same time it was
decided that, in conjunction with the
changes in playing regulations,
there should be further considera-
tion of the branding of ODI cricket,
while being cognisant of the high
level of interest in 50-over cricket in
many countries," the ICC said.
When considering the appeal of
the 50-over format, the board
approved the recommended regula-
tion changes, including that
Powerplays be restricted to the first
block of 10 overs and a batting
Powerplay of five overs to be com-
pleted before the start of the 41st
over.
European tour should stand in good stead: Nobbs
New Delhi: India hockey coach
Michael Nobbs warned his boys
that there won't be room for errors
against top European teams at the
London Olympics.
Nobbs said the tour of Europe
ahead of the Games will help his
team iron out its flaws ahead of the
Games. The Indian team will play a
three-match Test series in France
and two invitational tournaments in
Spain that also involve South
Africa and Great Britain.
"I have always maintained that
we have to play against best teams
in the world. I am confident that
the matches that we will play in the
coming few days will boost the
confidence of the boys. The boys
will realise that there is no room
for error when you ply against top
European teams. They will punish
you hard. This experience will
come handy in the Games," said
Nobbs ahead of the team's depar-
ture for Europe.
Asked where he would expect
the team to finish, Nobbs said: "It
is difficult to predict. With a little
bit of luck we can do wonders (in
the Olympics). We are really a tal-
ented side but the boys need to
have belief and absolute confi-
dence in their abilities."
India captain Bharat Chetri con-
curred with the coach and said the
team is not going to London to
make up the numbers.
"We are not just going there
(London) to participate in the
Olympics we want to do something
for the country. A medal in London
will mean a lot for Indian hockey
as it help in reigniting interests for
the game among youngsters. Semi-
final is our first target and it is pos-
sible if every single player give his
70-80 per cent on the field," he
said.India hockey coach Michael Nobbs
Cricket
Ultimate Bollywood 35
Thesouthasiantimes.info June 30-July 6, 2012
Asha remembersPancham-da, breaks down
Singing legend Asha Bhosle
broke down while shooting
for special R.D. Burman
episode for singing reality show
"Indian Idol 6". In the episode, the
contestants are to pay a tribute to
music maestro fondly called
Pancham-da by singing his compo-
sitions. A small video was played in
remembrance of Pancham-da that
chronicled a few special moments of
Pancham and Asha during their
recordings. Asha became emotional
when a video showed Pancham-da
thanking her for motivating him to
bring the trend of Jazz and Latino to
Bollywood and inspiring him to
compose better music.
She could not control her tears
remembering the days spent with
the evergreen music composer and
credited him for all her knowledge.
Romantic-thriller "Ek Tha
Tiger" starring Salman Khan
and Katrina Kaif will hit the-
atres on Independence Day, Aug 15,
while its trailers will be unveiled
Wednesday.
Directed by Kabir Khan and pro-
duced by Aditya Chopra, the film
will see Salman-Katrina pair on sil-
ver screen after four years. Their
last film together was 2008 release
"Yuvvraaj".
Yesteryears superstar Rajesh
Khanna is much better but
would have to stay in the
hospital for "a couple of days", said
his estranged wife, actress Dimple
Kapadia, who is taking care of him.
"He is much better today
(Tuesday). He is not getting dis-
charged today. He will be back
home in a couple of days," Dimple
said.
The 69-year-old was admitted to
the Lilavati Hospital here Saturday.
But his recovery will perhaps take
more time. Rajesh Khanna, known
as India's first superstar, has been
battling health issues for quite some
time. His manager had said that the
actor had stopped taking food for
"three or four days".
This left fans worried, but the
actor stepped out of his Bandra bun-
galow, Aashirvad, to wave at fans
next day. Dimple and son-in-law
Akshay Kumar were at his side and
said that he was "fine".
In April, the actor was admitted to
hospital after he felt uneasy and
weak, and was discharged after
about three days.
Asha Bhosle breaks down on the setsRajesh Khanna
'Ek Tha Tiger' to release on August 15
Rajesh Khanna to stay fewmore days in hospital
A poster of Ek Tha Tiger.
Small films make it to big screen this weekend
Avatar 2, 3 and 4 to startfilming in September
The shooting of Avatar 2, 3 and 4 will begin this
September -- that was the revelation made by
Sigourney Weaver to entertainment website
Showbiz411.com, confirming that James Cameron
intended to produce a four-part saga. While promoting
TV series Political Animals, Sigourney Weaver put an
end to the endless speculation about the future of
Avatar.
The actress will indeed be involved in the new films
despite the death of her character, Grace Augustine, in
the first installment. Weaver also confirmed rumors
that James Cameron had decided to extend the futuris-
tic eco-fable to four parts, after having originally
intended to create a trilogy. The first sequel to Avatar,
the biggest box office success in the history of cinema
with takings of $2.78 billion, is not scheduled to arrive
in theaters until the end of 2014, or even the following
year, taking into account the long post-production
process needed to bring to life the graphic effects of
the flora and fauna of planet Pandora as well as its blue
inhabitants, the Navi.
Nowadays, small is big at the box
office. After san stars medium budg-
et "Gangs Of Wasseypur" set the
cash registers ringing last week, the ticket
window is gearing up for a string of small
budget movies - "Maximum", "Dal Mein
Kuch Kaala Hai" and "3 Bachelors" - com-
ing out this Friday to woo movie buffs.
"Gangs Of Wasseypur", inspired by a real
life story, is a crime thriller. Director Kabeer
Kaushik's "Maximum", featuring actors
Sonu Sood, Naseeruddin Shah, Neha
Dhupia, Amit Sadh, Arya Babbar, Anjana
Sukhani and Vinay Pathak is also from the
same genre.
The story of the film goes back to 2003 in
Mumbai where a war against the underworld
had been declared. And the responsibility
was on two chosen officers - Pratap Pandit
(Sonu) and Arun Inaamdar (Naseer), the
shoot-out specialists.
Both are equally ruthless. Their motive is
maximum control. But they are not alone in
this game. There are other players. Moving
at every level, they take the drama through a
complex interplay of politics, land deals,
fake shootouts and dirty money.
The story moves through five long years
and ends on a railway platform.
The item number "Aa ante amalapuram" is
already popular. The other two films will - "3
Bacheors" and "Dal Me Kuch Kala Hai" -
will lighten up the mood as they are come-
dies. "Daal Mein...", Pakistani actress Veena
Malik's Bollywood debut movie, will seen
her in a double role.
The story is a tale of a budding actress,
played by Veena, who is over motivated to
become successful in Bollywood.
Dabu, a man in his forties, a total looser,
has a weak point which is luxurious life and
women. He is obsessed with this budding
actress. At some point all of a sudden he gets
rich after hitting a roll-over prize of
birthright. Dabu decides to share his destiny
and his future with her. Directed by actor
Anand Balraj, the film also features Jackie
Shroff and Vijay Raaz. On the other hand "3
Bachelors" is a humorous take young men's
love life. The story is about two young bach-
elors and one young at heart bachelor.
With actors Sharman Joshi, Manish
Nagpal, Raima Sen and Ria Sen in lead char-
acters, the film went on floors a decade back
and is seeing an abrupt release now.
The story is a mix of comedy, romance and
confusion. TV show "Astitva" fame Ajai
Sinha has directed it.
A scene from the file ‘Maximum’
AmitabhBachchan notdead: Netizens
Afake news item about
actor Amitabh
Bachchan's death in a
car accident has been doing the
rounds this week. A blog post
said, “Amitabh Bachan died in
a single vehicle crash on Route
80 between Morristown and
Roswell. He was pronounced
dead at the scene by para-
medics responding to the
vehicleThe blogpost went on to
give details about the super-
star's funeral also. “Memorial
services for Amitabh Bachan
have not yet been announced.
The service is expected to be a
closed casket funeral due to the
severe head trauma. Additional
details and information will be
forthcoming as they become
available.”
Iwas at the dentist’s office the other day
and came across an issue of People
magazine. On the cover was a picture
of singer Beyoncé Knowles, along with the
headline “World’s Most Beautiful
Woman!“
I was surprised, shocked, stunned, stupe-
fied – and many other ‘S’ words. Beyoncé,
the most beautiful woman in the world?
Don’t get me wrong. Beyoncé is indeed a
beautiful woman but I thought that every-
one agreed that Aishwarya Rai is the most
beautiful woman in the world.
Indeed, when an Indian men’s magazine
recently asked its website’s visitors “Is
Aishwarya Rai the most beautiful woman
in the world?” only one percent clicked on
the response “No, she isn’t.” Everyone else
– a whopping 99 percent – chose the
response: “Yes, she is. Continue to free
pics of Beyoncé.”
Despite such overwhelming evidence,
People magazine decided to name Beyoncé
the world’s most beautiful woman. I had
no choice but to call the editor of People
and get to the bottom of this.
Me: “Is Beyoncé really the world’s most
beautiful woman?”
Editor: “Yes, that’s what we believe.”
Me: “Did you tell Aishwarya Rai?”
Editor: “The Bollywood actress? No, we
didn’t tell her. But we informed her agent
and he’s breaking the news to her gently.”
Me: “Was it because you thought that
Aishwarya had gained some weight? You
may have heard that some Indian publica-
tions are calling her FAT, but trust me, they
are just using an acronym for ‘fit and
trim.’”
Editor: “You’re kidding!”
Me: “It’s true. Many people who are FAT
in India would be considered ‘fit and trim’
in America. Aishwarya is actually quite
slim. I’m sure you already know this, but
she won the Miss World title in 1994, was
named most beautiful woman in the world
by none other than Julia Roberts, and is
still considered the most beautiful woman
in the world by 99 percent of Indian men
taking an online survey, as verified by the
independent accounting firm of Ash,
Warrior & Rye.”
Editor: “That’s impressive, but it really
wouldn’t have affected our choice of
Beyoncé. We looked at hundreds of photos
of beautiful women from around the world
and Beyoncé just stood out – she has this
special quality.”
Me: “Yes, I know she has a special quali-
ty, but I thought you looked at these
women only from the front.”
Editor: “We did! We try to focus on
beauty, not booty. All of us – my staff and I
– agreed that Beyoncé is the world’s most
bootiful … I mean, beautiful woman this
year.”
Me: “What about last year?”
Editor: “In 2011, the world’s most beau-
tiful woman was Jennifer Lopez.”
Me: “Did you tell Aishwarya?”
Editor: “No, we didn’t tell her. But we
informed her father-in-law, Amitabh
Bachchan, and he tweeted his three million
followers to visit every magazine rack in
America and draw a mustache on J-Lo’s
cover photo.”
Me: “So he took it pretty well, then.”
Editor: “Yes, I suppose you could say
that. By the way, do you know how I can
get rid of 10,000 Bollywood DVDs that
were dropped on our building from a heli-
copter?”
Me: “Just go to Edison Township, New
Jersey, and have a sidewalk sale. What
about previous years? Going back a decade
or so, who did you put on your cover as the
world’s most beautiful woman?”
Editor: “Julia Roberts in 2010, Christina
Applegate in 2009, Kate Hudson in 2008,
Drew Barrymore in 2007, Angelina Jolie in
2006, Julia Roberts again in 2005, Jennifer
Aniston in 2004 and Halle Berry in 2003.”
Me: “What do you have against poor
Aishwarya?”
Editor: “Nothing. We just think these
other women were really beautiful. Before
our ‘beauty’ issue comes out, we spend
days poring over photos of beautiful
women from around the world — some
from as far away as Alaska!”
Me: “I’m sure your readers appreciate
how much hard work you put into this
important task — searching the entire
world for the most beautiful woman. And
somehow she always seems to turn up in
America.”
Editor: “Yes, we’re quite lucky to find
her right here in America.”
Me: “It doesn’t surprise me. According
to the U.S. State Department, America has
the world’s highest BWD (beautiful
woman density) — about 25 beautiful
women per square mile, slightly less in
West Virginia. You cannot walk down the
street without running into a beautiful
woman. Maybe that’s why Freida Pinto
moved from Mumbai to Los Angeles. She
was beautiful before, but now she has a
chance to be the most beautiful woman in
the entire freakin’ world!”
36 Humor
The most beautiful woman in the world
June 30-July 6, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Photo of the week
Humor with Melvin Durai
Naked volunteers, numbering around 1700 pose for US artist Spencer Tunick indowntown Munich as part of the city's opera festival on Saturday. Tunick's latest
installation, 'The Ring' is inspired by Andreas Kreigenburg's new Ring cycleproduction for the Bavarian State Opera. Tunick is best know for organizing large-scale nude shoots. Since 1994, he has photographed over 75 human
installations around the world.
Aries: This week do not spend on others
just to impress them. Your expenses would
rise and it would be difficult for you to save. Avoid
spending on things that are not necessary. You
would have plenty of social gatherings to attend to,
and you would make new and important contacts.
You would easily impress members of the opposite
sex and win approval and confidence of your
clients. Do not let others make investment deci-
sions for you or losses are almost certain.
Taurus: Maintain a positive outlook to
grab the best of this week. Travelling
would help establish important and long lasting
relationships. Financial gains would pick up later
in the week, which would take care of pending
bills, jobs and proposals. This period also seems
good for taking a break from your recent hectic
schedule and relax and spend loving moments with
family members. Don’t be harsh in your speech if
minor differences may arise.
Gemini: This week if you mix business
with pleasure, and socialize with col-
leagues and important clients, then you would cer-
tainly stand to gain. Your expenses are likely to rise
and you would find that money slips through your
fingers rather easily, but rapport and trust that you
would build now would go a long way in improve-
ment of your career. Transfers and promotions for
some. Residential moves and renovation during
this period will prove auspicious. Keep an eye on
your weight, avoid overeating and be regular
towards your exercise.
Cancer: Domestically this period would
be sensitive therefore be careful how you
handle your family members. Difference of opin-
ion would create an uneasy atmosphere at home
making you tensed most of the time. Avoid con-
frontations and arguments, as it would lead to
nowhere. Contacts that you make during this week
would teach you new things, some of which you
can put to use to your benefit. Property or vehicle
transactions seem quite likely for some. Keep away
expensive and injurious tools and equipment from
the reach of children.
Leo: Insincere gestures of friendliness are
likely to occur. Try to stay away from indi-
viduals whom you find difficult to get along with.
Obstacles that have been pulling your morale down
recently seem to get over. Try not to overspend on
visitors and guests, although gifts and presents dur-
ing this period would be plenty. Family members
will be supportive and caring. Do not sign any
legal documents or papers without consulting a
lawyer.
Virgo: This week travel would entice you,
however your tendency to overspend
would create problems at home. Fresh business
opportunities would come through most unexpect-
ed sources. Making decisions after discussing mat-
ters would help you build a better rapport with col-
leagues, co-workers and partners. Opportunities to
go out with friends will be informative and pleasur-
able. Its time to look after the needs of your chil-
dren as they will look forward to you for knowl-
edge and assistance.
Libra: This week your professional
approach to your work is going to enhance
your position and bring you immediate gains. Past
efforts will result in unexpected gains, add to your
new income, and keep you financially comfortable.
Your ability to come up with quick solutions will
keep you in the forefront. A relatively good period
to enter into new business alliance or to finalize a
real estate deal. New relations and attachments
will develop as a result of vacation and other recre-
ational activities.
Scorpio: This week don’t expect people to
perform miracle for you rather make you
own plans and decisions and you shall never regret.
Empty promises are certain from people whom you
trust the most, but don’t let this effect your moral
and lower your work performance. Set yourself new
goals, and rewards will come with time. Overseas
news and business offers for some. You will find
travelling benefiting and highly motivating.
Sagittarius: This week take care of any
medical problems that you or one of your
family members may have been ignoring for some
time. You would have sufficient time for yourself
therefore you should not ignore your health and
looks at any costs. You can always fall back on
your family members for some advice. Do not take
any hasty decision and stay away from any form of
gambling and speculation. Yoga and meditation
will improve physical as well as mental health.
Foreign related matters would take shape.
Capricorn: This week concentrate on your
work as someone at a higher position is
keeping an eye on you. Your morale and spirits
seem to be high and if you show results as expect-
ed monetary gains and other, benefits cannot be
ruled out. Expand your circle of friends by joining
new clubs and participating in social activities. A
visit to a religious place or a religious person is
high on the cards for some of you. Take extra care
while driving.
Aquarius: This week meeting people in
your trade would be beneficial. Children
and spouse would provide care and love. Guests
and visitors will bring you gifts in cash and kind.
Going out with friends will be exciting and you
will learn new and different skills. Your enthusiasm
and energy will make you a star at social gather-
ings. Avoid committing yourself into any new joint
ventures
Pisces: This week expenses rise but help
from others will take care of your needs.
Romance clouds your mind and you will find it
extremely difficult to concentrate on important
work. Pleasure trips for some will be educating.
Little time for meditation and yoga will be impor-
tant for mental as well as physical gains.
Investment needs to be handled with care.
Someone close to you will get easily upset if
behave insensitive to their needs. Do not overspend
just to impress others.
June 30:
Governed by number 3 and the planet Jupiter, you
are energetic, honorable, ambitious, dignified and an
intelligent person. You are a person with outstand-
ing personality and ability to make many friends.
You are always appreciated for your sincerity and
commitment, but your need to check your tendency
to behave over ambitious and dictatorial at times.
This year new plans and projects will be alluring but
instant gains might not be possible. Great period for
consultants and brokers. Investment is definitely rec-
ommended but sudden losses due to thoughtless de-
cisions cannot be ruled out. New romance for some
as others get involved in a matrimonial wedlock.
Distant pilgrimage is certain later in the year. Don’t
be too friendly with strangers and avoid disclosing
your plans, as chances of deceit are very strong. Be
extra careful while lending money and take extra
care of your jewelry, precious gifts and items. The
months of October, December, March and May will
be important.
July 01:
Influenced by number 1 and the Sun, you are active,
energetic, determined, responsible and original. You
are creative and highly result oriented person, but
you need to curb your tendency to behave reckless,
spendthrift and stubborn at times. You would get
great deal of satisfaction from your work this year.
New sources of income will improve your financial
position and your confidence will be at its peak. Pro-
fessional changes if done towards the middle of the
year will prove to be beneficial. Family responsibil-
ities will escalate and people at home will be more
demanding. Real-estate transaction towards the
yearend should bring monetary gains. The months of
August, November and February will be result ori-
ented.
July 02:
Influenced by number 2 and the Moon. You are ac-
tive, smart, energetic, responsible, systematic and a
friendly person. You are never satisfied until you
achieve your dreams. You can really do wonders
with the given opportunities but you need to check
your tendency to behave stubborn and fickle-mind-
ed at times. This year you would place yourself in a
much better position, both socially and financially.
Your high confidence and morale will benefit you in
your career. Your income would rise, but you would
also spend more on luxuries making it extremely dif-
ficult for you to plan any savings. You will expect
very highly from your beloved, which might be the
reason for some problems at times. Understanding
the needs of each other would be essential to main-
tain the harmony at home. Property disputes or long
pending matters may be decided amicably towards
the end of the year. The months of July, October and
March will be highly important.
July 03:
Governed by number 3 and the planet Jupiter. You
are a practical, energetic, business minded, brilliant
and an optimistic person. You’re co-operative and
helpful and enjoy great respect in your friend’s cir-
cle, but you need to check your tendency to behave
jealous and stubborn at times. New sources of in-
come will improve your financial position. New
contracts will be highly beneficial. Frequent and
fruitful journeys will be undertaken bringing you de-
sired results. A property transaction or acquiring a
new vehicle during this period seems likely. Visit to
a religious place or blessings from a spiritual person
will be high on your agenda. Your outgoing nature
will work to your advantage as you gain favors and
benefits from important people. The months of July,
Begin to live your life accordingto your aspirations,
And step towards your chosengoal.
Our trouble is that we have not
yet made up our mind what our
aspirations are. One day we say we
want God, but the next day we want
to make a lot of money. Then, the
next day we want to have a physi-
cally fit body. Then, the next day we
want to travel and see the world. We
do not stick with one goal long
enough to have success. We allow
the chatter of the world to sway us
from our goal.
If our goal is to find God, we need
to stay still, physically and mentally,
in meditation. This requires us to
quiet the distracting voices that call
to us from the world outside and
from our own mind. We need to set
our sights on our spiritual goal and
silence all other distractions.
We do not realize what a great gift
simran is. We do not have to worry
about silencing our mind by our-
selves. We can repeat the five
Charged Names given to us at the
time of our holy initiation as a way
to silence the mind. While repeating
the five Charged Names, our mind
is automatically silenced. The
Names do not allow any space for
our own thoughts to distract us.
Simran is a powerful tool given to
us by the attention of the Master to
help us silence our mind. All we
need to do is make a decision. What
is that decision? We need to decide
that we want to find God and that
we are willing to put in time to
meditate. If we make that choice,
then all we need to do is sit still and
keep quiet. Five magic words—sit
still and keep quiet. Repeating sim-
ran helps our mind stay quiet. In
this way, we will be still long
enough for God to have a chance to
meet us and greet us. God will have
a chance to bathe us with the Light
and Sound. Absorbed in the Light
and Sound, we will rise on that
Current to meet the radiant form of
the Master. The Master will then
guide us through the higher spiritual
realms until our soul reunites with
God. Let us stay still for God. If we
can do so long enough, we will find
we can achieve our lifelong goal
and desire—to be one with the lov-
ing Lord.
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj isan internationally recognized spiri-tual leader and Master of JyotiMeditation who affirms the tran-scendent oneness at the heart of allreligions and mystic traditions,emphasizing ethical living and med-itation as building blocks forachieving inner and outer peace.www.sos.org.
Concluding part of the discourse ‘Stay still for God’
Distractions keep us from achieving our goal
By Sant Rajinder SinghJi Maharaj
Our trouble is that we have not yet made up ourmind what our aspirations are. One day we saywe want God but the next day we want to makea lot of money. The next day we want to have aphysically fit body. Then we want to travel and
see the world. We do not stick with one goallong enough to have success. We allow the
