30 Vol 5 Epaper (1)

Vol.5 No. 30 November 10-16, 2012 60 Cents

November 10-16, 2012TheSouthAsianTimes.info November 10-16, 2012TheSouthAsianTimes.info

In the end, it seemed like a

facile victory for President

Obama over Governor Mitt

Romney, at least in the Electoral

College (332:206), though in popu-

lar vote, it was a close 50:48.

Indian Americans overwhelmingly

voted to re-elect President, and

they are rejoicing.

See our extensive US electioncoverage, pages 5-14.

Obama bests Romney

Washington: Dr Ami Bera, an LA-

born physician son of Indian immi-

grants, has increased his lead in the

race for California's 7th

Congressional district bringing him

a step closer to making history.

If he wins, Bera will only be the

third Indian-American elected to

the US House of Representatives

after Dalip Singh Saund in 1952

and current Louisiana governor

Bobby Jindal in 2004.

Running for the second time for

the seat around Sacramento, Bera

Dr Ami Bera widens lead inCongressional race from California

The Festival of Festivals

Diwali

Dr Ami Bera

The South Asian Timese x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m

Vol.5 No. 30 November 10-16, 2012 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Business 40 Humor 42 Spiritual Awareness 44Bollywood 34 excellence in journalism

Continued on page 6

The 17-page SATimes SpecialSection Inside.

November 10-16, 2012TheSouthAsianTimes.info

By Minu Jain

New Delhi: The burnish may have dulled,

the excitement of "Yes we can" somewhat

diminished from four years ago. But the

romanticism of being Barack Obama, the

first African American president who rose

from a middle class, mixed racial upbring-

ing to occupy the White House, continues

to be the stuff of legend.

Obama was Tuesday re-elected for anoth-

er term in the White House - writing in

another page of history. He is still up there

as the icon of hope in a world battling dis-

crimination but the US president twice over

is balancing everyday realpolitik with the

burden of a billion dreams.

There is the best-selling author and the

formidable orator who has articulated so

powerfully the struggle of being the son of

a black Kenyan father and a white

American mother growing up in middle

class America. And then there is President

Obama, 51, who took office in a world just

coming out of the recession, struggled for

four years to keep the economy afloat and

battled challenges abroad.

On Victory Night II in Chicago Tuesday,

his famous "Yes We Can" speech came

back in a happy refrain as the president

reminded his supporters: "It doesn't matter

whether you're black or white or Hispanic

or Asian or Native American or young or

old or rich or poor, abled, disabled, gay or

straight. You can make it here in America if

you're willing to try."

In the last decades, the US has seen

charismatic presidents, glamorous ones

even, a Hollywood actor, another that was a

farmer but none quite like Barack Hussein

Obama, born in Hawaii on Aug 4, 1961, to

Barack Obama Sr. from the Kenyan Luo

tribe and Ann Dunham from Kansas.

Obama, a lawyer by profession, exercises

an irresistible, emotive pull. Still.

He is a Christian with a Muslim grandfa-

ther who went to a Muslim school in

Indonesia for two years and unhesitatingly

declared Hussein as his middle name dur-

ing his 2009 oath-taking ceremony much to

the discomfiture of conservative America.

He is black and white, with the former

becoming the leitmotif of his life.

Obama was nine when the significance of

his being a different color hit him. It was in

Indonesia, where he lived with his mother

for a few years after her marriage to an

Indonesian, Lolo.

She left the young Barry in a library; he

finished his homework, read his comics and

started leafing through the collection of

Life magazines when he came across the

photograph of a man with a ghostly blue

pallor.

"The man had received a chemical treat-

ment, the article explained, to lighten his

complexion... There were thousands of peo-

ple like him, black men and women back in

America who'd undergone the same treat-

ment in response to advertisements that

promised happiness as a white person.

"I felt my face and neck get hot... I had a

desperate urge to jump out of my seat, to

show them what I had learned, to demand

some explanation or assurance," Obama

writes in his autobiography "Dreams From

My Father: A Story of Life and

Inheritance".

It was a feeling that stayed with him for

long. Even with his maternal grandparents,

who helped raise him in Hawaii.

"Never had they given me reason to doubt

their love; I doubted if they ever would.

And yet I knew that men who might easily

have been my brothers could still inspire

their rawest fears."

If color was one defining identity, Obama

has also been candid about the many con-

flicting emotions that his name evoked.

Barack means blessed in Arabic, he

remembers telling a friend, and adding,

"My grandfather was a Muslim."

In the aftermath of 9/11, the "day the

world fractured", he writes in the preface of

his blockbuster book, the name became an

"irresistible target of mocking websites

from overzealous Republican operatives".

Much of President Obama's life is an

open book. Literally. From detailing experi-

ences with a German girlfriend to his

beginnings as a community worker, he has

laid bare a lot of his life. Perhaps this is

why so many have felt a sense of empathy

for him. That he actually made it to the

White House made it a personal journey of

triumph for many who fought long and

hard for civil liberties not just in the US but

in other parts of the world too.

Champagne may not have popped across

the world this time but it was that same

hope that echoed this Tuesday, exactly four

years to that Tuesday when America voted

in Obama for the first time.

The hard-nosed politician, the dreamer,

the conflicted teen - it is tempting to cast

Obama in the mould of a legend. But the

mystique battles the reality of being presi-

dent of the world's only superpower.

The disconnect between the hype and the

reality did indeed get sharper every day of

his four year presidency. His black identity,

his Muslim identity, his white identity... all

have been called in to play in the last four

years.

Two years ago when he came to India,

fears he might be seen as a Muslim with a

headscarf back home had prompted Obama

to cancel his trip to the Sikh shrine Golden

Temple in Amritsar.

As Obama begins term two, can those

crises be laid to rest?

Barack Obama - Term II of balancingmystique and realpolitik

5November 10-16, 2012TheSouthAsianTimes.info US ELECTIONS

After making his re-election speech, President Obama celebrates with FirstLady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden.

By Arun Kumar

Washington: Winning four more years in the

White House on the cusp of a late surge from

his support base, President Barack Obama

scored a narrow yet decisive victory over his

Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Emerging triumphant from a long, con-

tentious and expensive election battle that

cost the two campaigns a billion dollars each,

Obama celebrated his re-election in the early

hours of Wednesday with a call for unity.

"We are an American family and we rise or

fall together as one nation," he told support-

ers at his campaign headquarters in his home-

town of Chicago after walking on stage with

his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and

Sasha to tumultuous cheers.

"While our journey has been long, we have

picked ourselves up, we have fought our way

back, and we know in our hearts that for the

US, the best is yet to come," he added.

Buoyed by a slowly but surely recovering

economy and a display of cool leadership

during Superstorm Sandy, Obama surpassed

the decisive 270-vote threshold easily in the

Electoral College and had 303 electoral votes

to 206 for Romney, at last tally, much easier

than the cliffhanger that the opinion polls

promised it to be. The much smaller 50-48

percent gap in the popular vote between the

two contenders reflected better the dead heat

race that most polls leading up to the election

had projected it to be.

Joyful supporters danced and cheered at

Obama's victory party in Chicago, and the

president thanked them for ensuring the

nation will continue to move forward while

warning the battle for change they seek will

continue to be difficult.

"We will disagree, sometimes fiercely,"

Obama said, noting that "progress will come

in fits and starts" and the victory Tuesday

night "won't end all the gridlock".

Obama won battleground states of Ohio,

Virginia, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Iowa,

Nevada and Colorado. One other battle-

ground, Florida, remained too close to call

even on Thursday.

Exit polls showed Obama received strong

support, as expected, from women voters as

well as overwhelming support from African-

Americans and strong backing from Hispanic

voters, similar to the coalition that carried

him to victory four years earlier to make him

the nation's first African-American president.

Meanwhile, Democrats retained their

majority in the Senate, ensuring another

divided Congress after Republicans held their

majority in the US House.

A rainbow coalition propelled Obama to the finish lineA key to Obama win was garnering votes of 93 percent of African-Americans, 71 percent of Hispanics, and 73 percent of Asians.

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Washington: The abrupt depar-

ture of celebrated general, David

Petraeus, at the helm of

America's top spy agency, CIA,

after admitting an affair sent

shock waves across the political

class.

The retired four-star general,

who had a distinguished 37-year

career in the military prior to

joining the CIA, helping turn the

tide against insurgents while

commanding forces in Iraq and

Afghanistan, became CIA chief

in September 2011.

raised by both sides of the

political divide for his handling

of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars,

Petraeus, 60, was at one time

speculated as a possible

Republican challenger to

President Barack Obama.

The FBI had a tip he was

involved with his biographer,

Paula Broadwell, and investigat-

ed the alleged affair to determine

whether it posed a security risk,

CNN reported citing an unnamed

official.

The FBI was not investigating

Petraeus for wrongdoing. The

concern was that he potentially

could be blackmailed or put "in a

vulnerable spot," the official said.

Broadwell spent a year with

Petraeus in Afghanistan inter-

viewing him for the book she co-

wrote, "All In: The Education of

General David Petraeus."

It is not clear whether

Broadwell is the woman with

whom Petraeus has admitted hav-

ing an affair, CNN said."After

being married for over 37 years, I

showed extremely poor judgment

by engaging in an extramarital

affair. Such behavior is unaccept-

able, both as a husband and as the

leader of an organization such as

ours," Petraeus said in a letter to

colleagues, explaining his deci-

sion to step down.

Obama, who has accepted the

CIA chief's resignation, said: "By

any measure, he was one of the

outstanding general officers of

his generation, helping our mili-

tary adapt to new challenges, and

leading our men and women in

uniform through a remarkable

period of service in Iraq and

Afghanistan, where he helped our

nation put those wars on a path to

a responsible end. As director of

the CIA, he has continued to

serve with characteristic intellec-

tual rigor, dedication and

patriotism."

Dr Ami Bera StoryContinued from page 3was ahead by a razor-thin 184 votes

against Republican incumbent Dan

Lungren, with 88,406 votes to

Lungren's 88,222 when the polling

ended Tuesday making the race too

close to call.

With "tens of thousands of absen-

tee and provisional ballots" still

being counted three days after the

Nov 6 election, Bera has increased

his lead against Lungren to 1,779

votes, the Sacramento County

Registrar of Voters announced

Friday. Five other Indian-American

contestants have already lost their

Congressional bids.

CIA chief Petraeus quits overextramarital affair By Prakash Bhandari

Jaipur: Thank you, supermodel Naomi Campbell, said

Jodhpur to the diva for giving the blue city such a big

international exposure by hosting the 50th birthday of

her Russian billionaire boy friend Vladimir Doronin in

the ancient desert city. By choosing Jodhpur over

Jaipur, she created a niche for the former kingdom

which the tourism department even after spending mil-

lions could not have been successful in creating.

In a first, over a dozen chartered jets zeroed in on

Jodhpur bringing in such celebrities as Demi Moore,

Kate Moss, Diana Ross, Duchess of York Sarah

Ferguson, musician Bob Geldof, designers John

Galliano and Vivian Westwood and a host of others.

The event was managed by a company run by former

Indian aviation minister Prafulla Patel’s daughter

Poorna Patel, who brought 15 truck loads of decorative

material to deck up the Umaid Bhawan Palace and the

15th century Mehrangarh fort. The fort where the

party’s first dinner was hosted never looked as bright

when it was lit up with laser beams.

Naomi gives Jodhpur a tourism boost

Washington: Peter Salovey, provost and chief

academic officer of Yale University, who has

played a key role in building the Ivy League

institution's linkages to India, will become the

university's next president in June 2013.

Salovey, whose appointment was

announced by the New Haven, Connecticut

based university Friday, has been a critical

figure of the Yale India Initiative and has been

instrumental in deploying institutional

resources in support of the India Initiative. He

succeeds Richard C. Levin, another India

friend who assumed the Yale Presidency in

1993 and announced his intention to step

down earlier this year.

A friend of India set to takeover as Yale president

Moscow: Wikipedia, the world's largest online encyclopedia, has

launched a new project enabling registered users to post videos,

according to the portal's press service.

"A new video player has been enabled on Wikipedia and its sis-

ter sites, and it comes with the promise of bringing free educa-

tional videos to more people, on more devices, in more lan-

guages," Wikimedia Foundation said Friday.

Wikipedia articles have remained largely text-based until now.

The video upload project, carried out in cooperation with open-

source video start-up Kaltura and the Google search engine, was

launched in 2008. But it was delayed due to numerous technical

problems. The new HTML5 player is a result of a combined

effort between Wikipedia, Google and Kaltura.

Wikipedia, which sees 25 million unique daily visitors to its

English section alone, currently hosts only about 15,000 videos.

The videos were added either via the older Ogg Theora player

that has been in use since 2007 or as part of testing the new play-

er, based on HTML5.

Now enjoy uploading videos on Wikipedia

The FBI had a tip, Gen. Petraeus was involved with his biographer, Paula Broadwell (right).

Fashion diva Naomi Campbell at one of the parties she hosted in Jodhpur

6 November 10-16, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoTURN PAGE


Washington: Now that he has reclaimed

the US presidency, Barack Obama needs

to "think big" and take bold steps both

domestically as well as abroad, a

Washington Post writer has said.

Quoting Lyndon Johnson's famous

comment -- "Well, what the hell's the

presidency for?", writer David Ignatius

suggested to Obama: "Surprise your

adversaries with bold moves and conces-

sions that create new space on which to

govern."

"Think big. Take risks. Get it done.

Maybe someone should slip a note in

Obama's desk drawer that asks: What

would Lyndon Johnson have done to

make it happen?" Ignatius said Thursday.

Ignatius said Obama needed a policy

equivalent of David Plouffe, the presi-

dent's senior campaign adviser who ruled

early on to focus on nine battleground

states to win the presidential election.

"He was like a general who concen-

trates his forces at the points of greatest

vulnerability and then prevails through

sheer force of will," the writer said.

"Obama's performance as president has

often lacked this decisive, strategic qual-

ity," he said.

In both foreign and domestic policy,

the impression of Obama was "of a care-

ful president who reacts to events, waits

for others to make the first moves and

plays to avoid losing rather than to win".

Ignatius asked Obama to identify a list

of necessary and achievable goals, and

then pursue them with the unyielding

manipulative skill of a Lyndon Johnson.

His priorities should be changes in

social security and medicare and reform

of the tax code.

In foreign policy, Obama will need to

be equally strategic, Ignatius said.

Here the priorities should be a deal

with Iran that verifiably limits its nuclear

program and avoids war; a deal in

Afghanistan that averts civil war when

US forces leave in 2014; and a deal for a

political transition in Syria.

"And, finally, a deal to create a

Palestinian state so that Israel has secure

borders and the Arab world can get on

with the process of becoming modern

and democratic." Ignatius said: "A suc-

cessful second term is less about ideolo-

gy than about results."

Get things done now, Obama told8 November 10-16, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoUS ELECTIONS

America has never been about what can be done for us.It’s about what can be done by us, together, through

the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government. That's the principle we were founded on.

— President Barack Obama, November 7, 2012

In the end, it seemed like a facile victory for PresidentObama-- fending off challenge from Governor Mitt

Romney -- at least in the Electoral College math (332:206,if we put Florida in Obama column), though in popular

vote, it was a more modest 50:48.

Washington: Social media technologies

made the US presidential election one of

the most instantaneously shared and docu-

mented events in history with tweets,

jokes and photos surging in real time

through internet pathways around the

world.

Micro-blogging portal Twitter lit up

Tuesday within seconds of word from

national broadcast media that President

Barack Obama had been re-elected with

innumerable tweets, including one from

Obama - "This happened because of you.

Thank you." - ranging in tone and content

from the jubilant to the livid.

Twitter said it recorded more than 31

million election-related posts Tuesday,

easily making the vote the most-tweeted

political event in the site's six-year histo-

ry. At one point, as election results were

unfolding, users tweeted at a rate of

327,452 per minute.

A post made later in the evening to

Obama's Twitter account showing the

president hugging his wife, Michelle

Obama, with a caption saying "Four more

years," instantly became the most popular

re-tweeted message of all time, with over

585,000 re-tweets, the service said.

The victory message was posted before

Obama even took to the stage in Chicago

to give his acceptance speech, illustrating

the central role his campaign gave to

social media in the campaign.

Obama's opponents angry at his re-elec-

tion also took to the social media universe

with furious - and sometimes totally ludi-

crous - comments, including a colourful

blast of invective from billionaire real-

estate mogul Donald Trump.

"The electoral college is a disaster for

democracy" Trump tweeted, followed

shortly thereafter by: "This election is a

total sham and a travesty. We are not a

democracy!"

At one point he even called for a revolu-

tion because of the election result - a

tweet the publicity-loving Trump deleted

soon thereafter after some questioned its

permissibility.

Photos and comments about the election

also abounded on Facebook and

Instagram, including pictures of voters

waiting in long lines at the polls - a seri-

ous blemish on Tuesday's election - and

several pictures of students at the

University of Mississippi burning an

Obama campaign sign.

There were also many upbeat and hilari-

ous posts on major social media sites

including one from Jamie M. Blanchard

who posted on Twitter: "I'm so excited

about Barack Obama's reelection I nearly

jumped out of my binder."

She was referring to a comment made

recently by Obama's main rival, Mitt

Romney, who said he was given "binders

of women" to consider for filling jobs in

his administration when he served as gov-

ernor of the state of Massachussetts.

Social media explosion in US election

Washington: President

Barack Obama's cam-

paign on Thursday issued

a statement announcing

the president had won

Florida. However, it 's

been more than 48 hours

after the election and not

all of the votes in the

Sunshine State have been

counted, and the state still

hasn't certified the elec-

tion, reports say.

In addition, media out-

lets like the Associated

Press still have not called

the race in Florida, saying

it's too close to call.

With the state still

undecided, Republican

challenger Mitt Romney's

campaign along with the

Republican National

Committee are still wait-

ing for Florida to finish

its counts.

Obama claims a win in Florida, but votes still being counted


By Vikas Girdhar

New York: Republicans kept a hold on the

House of Representatives, a crucial victory

after the party failed to wrest away the presi-

dency from Barack Obama and the Senate

from the Democrats.

The GOP led 233 to 194 on Thursday. The

Republicans controlled the House by 242-

193 going into the election, and all 435 seats

were up for grabs.

Some noteworthy House races were: in

Arizona, where Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick

defeated Republican Jonathan Paton in the

1st District; in New York, where Bill Owens

(D) defeated Matt Doheny ( R ) in the 21st

District; in California, where Jerry

McNerney (D) defeated Republican Ricky

Gill in the 9th District; in Colorado, where

Scott Tipton ( R ) defeated Democrat Sal

Pace in the 3rd District; and in Texas, where

Democrat Pete Gallego defeated Republican

Francesco Canseco in the 23rd District.

Michele Bachmann, after a failed run for

Republican nomination for President, had a

slim win over Democrat Jim Graves for

Minnesota Congressional seat.

In the Senate races, with 51 seats out of

100 needed for majority, the Democrats

maintained control with 53. An all-time high

record number of women were elected to the

Senate this year, 20, joining the 17 already in

place. Of those 20, 16 are Democrats,

including Tammy Baldwin, the first openly-

gay senator.

Some noteworthy Senate races were in

New York, where Kirsten Gillibrand defeat-

ed Republican Wendy Long; in Montana,

where Tester defeated Rehberg; in

California, where Democrat Dianne

Feinstein defeated Republican Elizabeth

Emken; Texas, where Republican Ted Cruz

defeated Democrat Paul Sadler; in Florida,

where Democrat Bill Nelson defeated

Republican Connie Mack; in Virginia, where

Democrat Timothy Kaine defeated

Republican George Allen; in Pennsylvania,

where Democrat Bob Casey defeated

Republican Tom Smith; and Connecticut,

where Democrat Chris Murphy defeated

Republican Linda McMahon despite the lat-

ter having spent $91 million on her two cam-

paigns for Senate. In the high profile and

expensive Massachusetts race, Elizabeth

Warren (D) defeated Scott Brown.

In Missouri and Indiana, however, the

Senate races took a turn when the

Republican candidates made controversial

comments about rape. In Missouri, where

Republican Todd Akin was defeated by

Democrat Claire McCaskill, the former

claimed that women cannot get pregnant

from “legitimate rape”. Afterward, it was all

downhill. ‘When is rape ever legitimate’,

wondered just about everyone after the

August comment.

In Indiana, where Democrat Joe Donnelly

defeated Republican Richard Mourdock, the

latter just about sealed his fate when he com-

mented that women who get pregnant during

a rape is “something God intended.” These

comments were made in October, while the

Romney campaign was in its crucial stretch

of swaying voters. Needless to say, it

attempted to distance itself from the fellow

Republican’s ignorance.

House stays red and Senate blue

Linda McMahon ( R ) of WWE fame - Senate seat from Connecticut

New York: Polling data guru and

New York Times blogger Nate Silver

correctly called all 50 states’ results

for the Presidential election held on

Tuesday. The “FiveThirtyEight” blog

analyst, despite being pilloried by

other pundits, outdid even his 2008

prediction. In that year, his mathe-

matical model correctly called 49 out

of 50 states, missing only Indiana

(which went to Obama by 0.1%.)

This year, a last-minute flip for

Florida, which finally went blue in

Silver’s prediction on Monday night,

helped him to a perfect game.

He was able to silence his critics

who ridiculed his approach and fore-

cast. Republican pundits had predict-

ed landslide victories for Mitt

Romney in several states that Silver

disagreed with. Nw he is having the

last laugh. On the NYT blog, Silver

collates opinion poll results and ana-

lyzes them in order to form estimates

about how many of the 538 electoral

college votes each presidential candi-

date will win. Praise for Silver’s

work began blossoming as election

results flowed in on Tuesday night.

His sudden fame saw sales of his

book, “The Signal and the Noise:

Why So Many Predictions Fail – but

Some Don’t”, spike by 850% on

Amazon this week.

The psephologist who hit the bull’s eye on Nov 6By Arjit Mehta

New York: On Tuesday, November 6th, 2012 the electoral

college of the United States of America elected sitting

President Barack Obama for another term. On Wednesday,

November 7th, the stock market fell 2%, its biggest drop in

over a year. The reason for the financial markets’ dismay is

the imminent ‘fiscal cliff’ facing this country. Unless an

agreement is reached in Congress by January 1, 2013, a

debilitating combination of federal spending cuts and tax

increases will be instated.

In August 2011, The Budget Control Act of 2011 was

passed by the federal government to increase the federal

debt limit. At the time, the country faced a potential sover-

eign default on its borrowings worldwide. After a con-

tentious battle for months in both the Senate and the House

of Representative between both parties, this bill was

passed. In order to gain Republican approval for this bill,

Obama and the Democratic Party had to accept a deficit

reduction plan. As part of this compromise, a Joint

Selection Committee was created and tasked with produc-

ing bipartisan legislature that would reduce the deficit by

$1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. If they were unable to

do so, automatic cuts in federal spending would commence

on January 2, 2013, and the Bush era tax cuts would expire.

The committee failed.

President Obama has roughly 8 weeks to reach an accord

with Congress that would prevent the spending cuts and the

increase in taxes, which collectively add up to approxi-

mately $700 billion, or 5% of GDP. If left undeterred, this

bout of austerity would send shockwaves through the econ-

omy. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that as a

direct result of these initiatives, the economy would con-

tract 0.5% in 2013 and unemployment would rise from

7.9% to 9.1%. Political analysts are expecting both a short-

term and a longer-term deal to avert this unfavorable situa-

tion. The short-term expectations is for a deal that will

extend the Bush era tax cuts, raise the debt ceiling, and pre-

vent automatic cuts to some $85 billion of defense and

other spending. Ideally this would happen before the end

of the year, as the Treasury Department has indicated that

we will reach our debt limit by early February. Long-term,

both parties would be wise to raise revenue by slowing the

growth in entitlement spending and revising the convoluted

tax code. However, a key aspect that cannot be discounted

in these negotiations is the willingness or otherwise of both

parties to communicate and compromise. The Republicans

feel slighted after the recent defeats on Election Day and

are not particularly eager to assist President Obama in

achieving any of his long-term goals. Without some GOP

members willing to cross the aisle, no agreements can be

reached and no new legislation can be enacted. Significant

compromises from both parties will be required to reach

this goal. Otherwise, their discord has the potential to hold

the economy hostage, and to turn back the clock on the

meager economic recovery we have seen since 2008.

On the precipice of calamity Post-victory, Obama’s first test is to try to avert the ‘fiscal cliff’

Sure, they failed to take the White

House or the Senate. And, yes, they

lost seats in the House. But Republicans

weren’t total losers on Nov. 6. They main-

tained their majority control over the

nation’s governorships. There will soon

be 30 GOP state executives, which the

Republican Governors Association touted

as a “major accomplishment” given how

evenly divided the country is right now.

Here are results of the 11 governor

races.

Delaware: Jack Markell (D) def. Jeff

Cragg (R)

Indiana: Mike Pence (R) def. John

Gregg (D)

Missouri: Jay Nixon (D) def. Dave

Spence (R)

Montana: Steve Bullock (D) def. Rick

Hill (R)

New Hampshire: Maggie Hassan (D)

def. Ovide Lamontagne (R)

North Carolina: Patrick McCrory (R)

def. Walter Dalton (D)

North Dakota: Jack Dalrymple (R) def.

Ryan Taylor (D)

Utah: Gary Herbert (R) def. Peter

Cooke (D)

Vermont: Peter Shumlin (D) def. Randy

Brock (R)

Washington: Jay Inslee (D) def. Rob

McKenna (R)

West Virginia: Earl Ray Tomblin (D)

def. Bill Maloney (R)

Governor races: Saving grace for GOP

Winners

Even as others were calling it a tight race, NYT blogger NateSilver (right) gave Obama 83.7% chance of winning.

Kirsten Gillibrand (D) - Senate seat from

New York

Elizabeth Warren (D),Senate seat fromMassachusetts

Michele Bachmann ( R )House from

Minnesota.

Losers

Washington, DC: The electoral

fate of Indian American physician

Dr Ami Bera, who has a slender

lead of 184 votes over his

Republican rival in the

Congressional election from

California, now depends on count-

ing of tens and thousands of provi-

sional and absentee ballots, which

might take days or even weeks.

Republican stalwart Dan

Lungren has refused to concede

the election to Dr Bera, who

gained a slender lead of 184 votes

after all the votes in the hotly-con-

tested Seventh Congressional

District of California were counted

last night.

This has necessitated the count-

ing of the provisional and absentee

ballots, which is estimated to be

more than 75,000.

Unlike the counting of normal

ballots, those for provisional and

absentee ballots takes time as

every signature have to be matched

and physically checked if every-

thing is in proper order.

"Although we do not know our

race's final results, we feel confi-

dent going into the next several

days," Dr Bera said in a statement

yesterday. "The top priority right

now is to make sure that every

vote is fairly counted," he said.

The Lungren campaign too

remained optimistic of the results.

"There are tens of thousands of

absentee and provisional ballots

still to be counted, and we may not

know the outcome of this race for

days or even weeks. We remain

cautiously optimistic and will

monitor the final count closely,"

the Lungren campaign manager

Jeff Wyly said.

According to Sacremento Bee,

County election officials have not

yet tallied all the absentee and pro-

visional ballots turned in by

Election Day but spokeswoman

Alice Jarboe said the sheer volume

appears to be record breaking.

"I can tell just by the bins and

all.... the pink return containers

that are filling up these hampers,"

she said of the scene at the elec-

tions office.

Bera, who outraised Lungren in

fund raising, was endorsed by

charismatic Bill Clinton during the

Congressional elections. He was

also endorsed by the Sacremento

Bee newspaper.

If he wins, Dr Bera would be

only the third Indian American to

have ever been elected to the

House of

Representatives after Dalip

Singh Saund, in the 1950s, and

Bobby Jindal, in 2005 and 2008,

who is now the Governor of

Louisiana.

Besides Dr Bera, five other

Indian Americans were in the race

for a seat in the House of

Representatives but none of them

could make it on Tuesday. They

were Ricky Gill and Jack Uppal

from California, Dr Syed Taj from

Michigan, Dr Manan Trivedi from

Pennsylvania and Upendra

Chivukula from New Jersey.

Except for Gill who represents the

Republican Party, the other five

candidates were from the

Democratic Party.

Congressional candidate Ami Bera's fatehinges on absentee, provisional ballots

Five other Indian Americans in fray for seat in House of Representatives lose

10 November 10-16, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoUS ELECTIONS

Dr.Ami Bera at his campaign headquarter in California

Washington, DC: The Majority Leader

of the Maryland House of Delegates

Kumar Barve was the only Indian-

American among 10 Presidential Electors

chosen for the State of Maryland by the

Obama Campaign. He thus becomes the

only Indian-American politician ever to

be chosen as Presidential Elector in any

Presidential election.

“I have the privilege of being chosen

by the Obama campaign to be one among

10 Presidential Electors of the State of

Maryland As you are aware, the US

Constitution provides for the election of

the President through the mechanism of

an "Electoral College." While this has

become a ceremonial function, I still con-

sider this a great honor,” Barve said.

“I will be one among ten people who

represent those voters of Maryland in the

"Electoral College." All 10 of us are

pledged to vote for Obama because

Obama won our state. Technically, the

538 electors are the people who elect the

next president. Because Obama won so

many states he has more than enough

votes to be officially certified as

President,” he said.

On Sept 11, 1990, he won his first elec-

tion - the Democratic primary for the

Maryland House of Delegates. As a

result, Barve became the first Indian-

American state elected official in history.

Since then Indian-American’s success in

electoral politics has been spectacular.

He represents a district with a popula-

tion of roughly 110,000 that is in central

Montgomery County, Maryland. For 12

years, Delegate Barve was assigned to

the House Committee on Economic

Matters, which had jurisdiction over

HMO and health insurance reform, busi-

ness regulation, consumer protection, and

state economic development strategy.

He served as the first Chairman of the

Science & Technology Sub-Committee.

Prior to becoming Majority Leader Barve

was elected Chairman of the

Montgomery County Delegation. In this

capacity, Barve was the legislative leader

of the largest county in the state of

Maryland.

Barve was a co-sponsor and primary

architect in 1993 of Maryland's landmark

reform of health insurance. He was the

prime sponsor of Maryland's 1995 law

that allows HMO patients to use physi-

cians outside of their HMO network.

Appointed chairman of the Technology

Subcommittee in 1996, Barve established

himself as a leader in technology policy

for our state. He was the sponsor of the

Technology Development Corporation

(TEDCO) and Maryland’s technology

tuition assistance program.

In 2000, Barve was the prime architect

of the landmark “e-commerce” Uniform

Computer Information Transactions Act

(UCITA). With its passage, Maryland

became the first state in the nation to

place this important consumer and busi-

ness protection statute in effect.

Barve is first ever Indian AmericanPresidential Elector chosen by Obama

Washington, DC: While all

five Indian-American candi-

dates hoping to enter the US

Congress lost out, Tulsi

Gabbard created history by

becoming the first Hindu-

American to enter the US

House of Representatives.

An Iraq war veteran, 31-

year-old Gabbard defeated K.

Crowley of the Republican

Party with a handsome margin

in Hawaii's second

Congressional district. Her

victory has been cheered by

the Hindu-American commu-

nity across the country.

The heavily Democratic dis-

trict also elected one of two

Buddhists to have ever served

in the Congress, Mazie

Hirono, who won her seat in

2006 but is now running for

the US Senate.

Born in American Samoa to

a Catholic father and a Hindu

mother, Gabbard moved to

Hawaii when she was two. In

2002, at age 21, she was elect-

ed to the Hawaii state legisla-

ture. The next year, she joined

the Hawaii National Guard,

and in 2004 was deployed to

Baghdad as a medical opera-

tions specialist. After complet-

ing officers' training, she was

deployed to Kuwait in 2008 to

train the country's counter-ter-

rorism units.

"Although there are not very

many Hindus in Hawaii, I

never felt discriminated

against. I never really gave it a

second thought growing up

that any other reality existed,

or that it was not the same

everywhere," Gabbard said in

a statement soon after she took

an unbeatable lead over her

Republican challenger.

"On my last trip to the main-

land, I met a man who told me

that his teenage daughter felt

embarrassed about her faith

but after meeting me, she's no

longer feeling that way,"

Gabbard said.

"He was so happy that my

being elected to Congress

would give hope to hundreds

and thousands of young

Hindus in America, that they

can be open about their faith,

and even run for office, with-

out fear of being discriminated

against or attacked because of

their religion," Gabbard

said.At 21, Gabbard became

the youngest person elected to

the Hawaii legislature. At 23,

she was the state's first elected

official to voluntarily resign to

go to war. At 28, she was the

first woman to be presented

with an award by the Kuwait

Army National Guard.

Tulsi Gabbard becomes first Hindu-American in US Congress

Democrat Colleen Hanabusa, right, congratulatescandidate Tulsi Gabbard after both women won theirHawaii Congressional district seats on Nov. 6, 2012.


It gives me great pleasure to convey to you

my warmest congratulations on your re-

election as the president of the United

States. The renewed

confidence that the

people of your great

country have

reposed in you is as

much a tribute to

your qualities of

head and heart as it

is an indication of

the faith that the

American people

have in your leadership. Your mandate gives

you a historic opportunity to continue to work

for the welfare of the American people as also

for global peace and progress at an admittedly

difficult juncture, not just for the U.S., but

indeed for the world at large.

Over the last four years, consistent with our

vision of a global strategic partnership

between India and the Unites States, the ties

between our two democracies have seen sus-

tained growth. We have not only advanced

cooperation across the full spectrum of our

bilateral relationship, but also deepened our

engagement in the pursuit of global peace, sta-

bility and prosperity.

I have personally valued our friendship and

I look forward to continuing our rewarding

association in order to build further on the

enduring foundations of our shared values and

the accomplishments of the past four years. I

have no doubt that there is much more we can

do together to further strengthen the India-

U.S. partnership and thereby advance peace

and stability, expand mutual economic oppor-

tunities, harness the potential of science and

technology, innovation and higher education

and empower our people to address global

challenges.

My wife joins me in wishing you and Mrs.

Obama, as well as Malia and Sasha, good

health, success and happiness as you prepare

for a new term in office.”

--Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Indians' favorite US PresidentManmohan Singh congratulates President Obama


President Obama making his victory speech in ChicagoWatching President Barack

Obama’s re-election last night

was inspiring, and in some ways

reminiscent of

his historic win

four years ago

to become the

44th President

of the United

States. The

closely fought

contest brought

to the fore

strengths of a

political system based on popular will that

binds India and the United States – the

world’s largest and the oldest democracies.

What will President Obama’s re-election

mean for India-U.S. relations?

The President and the Prime Minister of

India sent warm, congratulatory messages

to the U.S. President immediately after the

elections results were announced. In his

message, President Pranab Mukherjee

emphasized the shared values and interests

between India and the United States, and

expressed confidence in the continued

progress in our strategic partnership.

I believe that the leadership that both

Prime Minister Singh and President Obama

have imparted over the last four years, has

moved India-U.S. strategic partnership

from a 'consolidation' phase into one of

comprehensive and multifaceted engage-

ment.

Prime Minister Singh was invited by

President Obama in November 2009 to be

the first State guest of his Presidency.

President Obama’s own landmark visit to

India in November 2010, the first by a U.S.

President in his first term, paved the way

for many accomplishments in our relation-

ship. I am constantly impressed by the fact

that a silent revolution is taking place in the

way India and the U.S. engage with each

other. The depth and expanse of their mutu-

ally rewarding partnership, and the stakes

both countries have built in each other’s

success are unprecedented today. Strong

people-to-people exchanges and sterling

contributions by the Indian American com-

munity are constantly enriching this

engagement.

Our trade and economic partnership and

collaboration in innovation are new sources

of strength to our engagement. Our deepen-

ing cooperation in education, energy,

health, agriculture and science and technol-

ogy now touches the lives of millions in

both our countries. People, as I have always

said, are at the pulsating heart of this rela-

tionship. Our strategic partnership today is

rich in content, comfort and candor. It also

has an ever-increasing global relevance,

making a difference beyond our shores,

from Afghanistan to Africa. There is

increasing convergence in our foreign poli-

cy priorities. We have shared approaches to

some of the most complex regional and

global challenges of our times.

Our defense partnership, including

defense trade, has been strengthened, just

as our cooperation in counter-terrorism and

other strategic pursuits, including maritime

and cyber security. The Obama

Administration’s commitment to India’s

membership of the multilateral export con-

trol regimes, as well as President Obama’s

support for India’s permanent membership

of the U.N. Security Council, has indeed

been encouraging to us. We remain com-

mitted to bring our civilian nuclear cooper-

ation to tangible fruition.

There is a rich and textured agenda ahead

of us. The shared vision of Prime Minister

Singh and President Obama will continue

to guide our close relationship to an even

deeper and more rewarding engagement,

even as it derives strong support from

across the political spectrum in both our

countries.

--Nirupama Rao,

India’s Ambassador to the US November 7. 2012

Ambassador’s blog : On President Obama’s re-election

Washington: The Sikh community across

America has expressed happiness at President

Barack Obama's re-election saying he has

demonstrated deep respect for the Sikh faith

and stood by the community.

The election outcome was "especially great

for the Sikhs because Obama has demonstrated

in the last four years that he has deep respect

for the Sikh faith", said Rajwant Singh, chair-

man of the Sikh Council on Religion and

Education (SCORE).

"He has strong commitment to protect the

civil rights of the Sikhs in the US and has gone

an extra mile to stand by the community in the

aftermath of the Wisconsin gurdwara

shootout," he said.

Navneet S. Chugh, managing director of the

Chugh Firm, a Los Angeles-based largest

Indian law firm and president of the Santa Ana

Orange County Gurdwara, hoped Obama

would move forward with promised immigra-

tion reform. Amar Sawhney, president and

CEO of Boston-based Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.

and a board member of EcoSikh, said: Obama's

"policies and actions have been directed

towards inclusiveness and benefit more than

the few".

Sartaj Singh Dhami, an active Sikh youth

leader in Washington and an Outreach Director

of SCORE, said Obama was "the strongest

president to date who has worked to highlight

all issues for all minorities".

US Sikhs happy at Barack Obama's re-election

Washington: Indian

Americans have welcomed the

re-election of President Barack

Obama saying his administra-

tion has delivered and victory

is good for the community and

India both.

"Obama's victory is very

good for the Indian American

community and India,"

Thomas Abraham, founder

president of GOPIO said.

"The Asian American com-

munity, and in particular

Indian Americans, has a high

presence in his administration

as political appointees and this

trend will continue," he said.

"When Obama went to India,

he gave a surprise by endors-

ing India as a permanent mem-

ber of the UN Security

Council," Abraham said.

"So the Democratic adminis-

tration has delivered and we

will see increasing cooperation

in defense, science and tech-

nology, trade and fighting ter-

rorism," he added.

Welcoming Obama's re-elec-

tion, Milpitas, California,

based North American Punjabi

Association (NAPA) said the

Punjabi community is cele-

brating his victory because of

his several initiatives including

the Dream Act for the immi-

grant children and Obama

healthcare law.

On top of this "Obama rose

above politics and felt con-

cerned, taking appreciable

steps to garner sense of safety

and security amongst commu-

nity members" when six Sikh

worshippers were killed in a

shootout at Oak Creek

Gurdwara in Wisconsin in

August, said association's

president Satnam Singh

Chahal.

New York's noted Indian-

American attorney Ravi Batra

said, "Barack Obama proved

that the hard road is the sure

road for resuscitating the

American Dream."

Republican challenger "Mitt

Romney forced Barack Obama

to be at his best so that

American exceptionalism con-

tinues to provide solace and

support for all who love free-

dom and want a better tomor-

row for their kids the world

over," he said.

Indian-Americans say Obama victory good for India, diaspora

Voted Obama

Atraditional Democratic party

supporter, I stuck to my core

beliefs and

repeated my

vote for

P r e s i d e n t

Obama. I

believe, he

needed anoth-

er term to ful-

fill some of

his novel programs for uplifting the

quality of life of poor Americans

and see fruition of the Healthcare

Reform Bill with its full national

implementation. I also think

employment creation ideally would

have been a higher priority than

healthcare.

In the national interest, it will be

the moral responsibility of

Republican majority Congress to

support President Obama and help

the US come out its difficult eco-

nomic crisis.

India is a key strategic business

partner of US and the best results of

this relationship will be seen under

the leaderships of Manmohan

Singh and Obama.

Indian Americans are likely to

flourish in Obama's second term

due to favorable tax codes for the

middle class, increased educational

opportunities and incentive driven

business policies. High Indian

American voters’ turnout on elec-

tion day was critical in Obama win-

ning the election.

--Dr Mukesh Hariawala

Heart Surgeon, Boston

Ivoted Obama, no question. It

took eight years to ruin this coun-

try and take it

into reces-

sion. Even

though the

effects of the

r e c e s s i o n

began to

show four

years after

President Bush became President,

he was still re-elected. It’s not fair

to Obama to only get four years to

try to fix the country. He has done a

lot that proves his credentials. He

has brought American soldiers back

home from Iraq. He extended

healthcare for children to the age of

26 to be covered under parents’

insurance. He has provided housing

grants of up to 10K for first-time

home buyers. He even tried to get

Americans free healthcare even

though the idea was shot down as

communist. If Canada can give

their citizens free healthcare, why

can’t we?

--Karishma Sharma

Senior Supply Chain Planner(Elizabeth Arden), Hicksville

Iam relieved that Obama won.

The thought of Mitt Romney

having the

ability to

select 3-4

S u p r e m e

Court jus-

tices scared

me. He

would have

repealed Roe

vs. Wade and turned back the

progress on women's rights. Also as

a middle class, small business

owner I believe Obama supports

my interests better than Romney

would have. Four more years!

--Shyno Chacko Pandeya

Co-Owner, Santhigram WellnessWhite Plains, NY

To me a vote for Obama means a

vote for someone who under-

stands what it

means to

s t r u g g l e .

Obama never

came from a

famous or

wealthy fami-

ly. In fact, he

was raised by

a single mother and his grandpar-

ents. He is gifted, but it was a strug-

gle for him to find himself.

Through setting high standards for

himself, he rose to the position he is

in, never forgetting where he came

from. That's inspiring to me. His

background and experience show in

the policies he has put in place--

from health care reform to financial

regulatory overhaul to the presiden-

tial directive ordering a stay on

deportation of undocumented

youngsters with no criminal record,

he has shown he is in touch with

the common person, and that is

important to me. South Asians are a

fast growing segment of the popu-

lation, largely in the middle class,

yet have traditionally been silent in

having their political voices heard.

Voting and organizing helps to fur-

ther the issues that are important to

us. If we do not raise our voices

now, we will continue to live in

frustration and resignation, saying

to ourselves and each other that

"the system doesn't work". As

Maria Wright Edelman said,

"Democracy is not a spectator

sport." We have a historic chance to

have a seat at the table and voice

our concerns. It starts with the bal-

lot box.

--Bhinish Shah

Director, RE Investments, New Jersey

Four years ago when I drove

down to my voting place – the

M e m o r i a l

School in

W o o d l a n d

Park, New

Jersey – I had

a spring in my

step and a

hope for the

first African

American to potentially become

President of the world’s most effi-

cient democracy. Long lines greet-

ed me then but an optimism that

something exciting was about to

happen, especially after President

George W. Bush’s disappointing

eight years, was reassuring.

On Tuesday, November 6, after

1,463 days I was third in the line

and the mood was different. We are

just recovering from the aftermath

of a walloping hurricane Sandy,

fallen trees, dangling wires, huge

gas lines and a generally sullen

mood. Poll officials seemed robotic

and less enthusiastic.

Just as communities in New York

and New Jersey have to recover

after last week’s devastating storm,

America too has to recover from

the last few years of depressing

news.

An imperative need to mentally

return to normalcy is a priority.

Four years ago and today I prefer

the person who told the truth most

often. In spite of Mitt Romney’s

avowed successes as a business

entrepreneur, there was something

about the Republican candidate’s

policy and political outpourings

that didn’t quite mesh. As former

President Bill Clinton said at the

Democratic Convention in

September, the arithmetic didn’t

add up.

Extremist positions that the Right

has been propagating will not help.

We hope, President Barack Obama

will use this renewed opportunity –

his second term – to reach across

the aisle to senators and

Congressmen/Congresswomen of

the Republican ilk, and jointly

resolve the country’s multifarious

problems.

--Raj S. Rangarajan

Art Writer, New York

The frenzy, the energy of this

voting day was amazing. It

seemed that

this time

around more

voters were

out there and

they had a

target to

accomplish.

And so they

did. The people spoke and

President Obama is back with a

bang. Obama and the Democratic

Party are our personal choice.

Contrary to what the Republicans

would like to believe and have us

believe, the US, despite inheriting

multiple negatives from the previ-

ous administration, has made

progress under the leadership of

President Obama.

The liberal and progressive think-

ing and actions of the President and

the Democratic Party reflect posi-

tively the ideology and sentiment of

the Indian National Congress.

Both favored farmers, laborers,

labor unions, and religious and eth-

nic minorities; they have opposed

unregulated business and finance,

and favored progressive income

taxes. In recent years both the par-

ties have adopted a centrist eco-

nomic and social democratic agen-

da.

Now we hope the President is

able to deliver on jobs, immigra-

tion, a robust welfare state, climate

change, and peace.

Lavika Bhagat Singh

& Prof. Paul Nehru Tennassee

Washington Chapter Indian National Overseas

Congress (I), USA

People hoped much from our

current President, Obama. His

decisions and

actions were

to rectify the

problems in

our country

but people

have come

to realize the

kind of mess

he had inherited. Therefore, he

couldn’t match up to the expecta-

tions of people. Whereas, Governor

Romney has proven himself as a

good administrator but his policies

and agendas might not be good

enough to tackle the situation.

Under the circumstances, Obama

most likely will be the favored can-

didate by the American society.

--Suresh Thakkar

Bank Executive, Hicksville

Voted Romney

Romney’s my man. Romney is a

businessman who rewards hard

work and

that’s the

way it

should be.

Obama is a

socialist who

believes in

handing out

freebies, even

to those who are lazy.

Romney comes from big money

and that’s who I want handling the

economy. Governors have more

experience making significant deci-

sions than do Congressmen any-

way.

--Amit Gogia

Business Owner, Farmingdale

Ambivalent

Ipersonally don’t follow politics

too much but I do not like

R o m n e y

because he

seems fake,

is rude,

u n p r o f e s -

sional and I

don’t believe

he has any

c o n c r e t e

plans. I mean, as a healthcare pro-

fessional, I shouldn’t support

Obama but I just think he has a

tempo and has a better understand-

ing of an economic crisis and what

it takes to deal with it practically.

--Srushti Shah

Medical Student, Hicksville

Iwould not like to disclose who I

voted for.

But looking

at the over-

w h e l m i n g

support, I

feel Obama

will serve his

second term

as president.

He has worked hard and is very sin-

cere.

Even though he did not fare well

on immigration issue, he proved

good on other accounts.

--Ranju Batra

President of the Association ofIndians in America, New York

--Contributed by Vikas Girdhar, Jinal Shah

and Parveen Chopra

Who did we vote and whyIndian Americans traditionally favor the Democratic party. Indeed, a survey

found that nearly three-fourth of Indian Americans voted for President Obama on Nov 6 in the pivotal swing states. The SATimes asked members of the

community to explain their voting preferences.


By Vikas Girdhar

Hicksville, NY: Amid the mess left behind

by Sandy just a week prior and with a

snowstorm looming on Wednesday, there

were throngs of people looking to exercise

their right to vote in the ever-close presi-

dential election on Tuesday.

The well-documented aftermath of the

massive hurricane that left thousands with-

out power or homeless did little to sway

voters from making their way to polling

centers. Even if polling centers had to be

moved for reasons caused by Sandy or had

to bear the wrath of near-freezing tempera-

tures indoors, the show, as they say, still

went on.

Voters were not going to be caught under

constraints of a hurricane that quite frankly

got on the last nerves of people all across

New York. Scores of people came out to

voice their opinion on who should be

given the green light to lead America for

the next four years.

Not fallen trees, broken homes, a lack of

electricity, a severe gas shortage or the

threat of another storm the following day

would stop the voters on Nov 6. This is

exactly the type of stuff I had heard while

waiting on the line at East Street

Elementary School in Hicksville, NY. I

wholeheartedly agreed while I listened to

the resolve of the people speaking with

each other behind me in line.

As I walked in, I noticed a frenzied

atmosphere. People were walking from

one end of the gymnasium to the other,

task in mind and papers in hand. Tables

were set up every few feet with papers of

registered voters.

Each table had about two or three indi-

viduals behind it performing their duties

for getting voters to the polls and on their

way as swiftly and in as organized a way

as possible.

I noticed most of the crowd around me

as elderly. I had gone after the typical 5

o’clock workday had ended so I had

expected to see a lot more of the working

class as opposed to most retired senior citi-

zens.

I heard them speaking about topics rang-

ing from the weather to who they would be

voting for, with some of course remaining

tight-lipped in their discussions.

I felt like I had done my homework, in

more than one way. On television hours

before I planned on going in to vote, news-

casters were detailing the long lines and

even longer waiting times of polling cen-

ters this year. I was prepared to wait as

long as possible.

I had also put months of work into mak-

ing an informed decision for who I person-

ally wanted to lead my country. I had lis-

tened to hours of debates and seen the

countless defining moments of each

respective campaign en route to forming

my choice.

We all know what happened at the end of

the day. President Barack Obama had been

elected over challenger Mitt Romney to

lead the nation for another four years and

New York was overwhelmingly Pro-

Obama too.

What it took for residents of New York

to put in the votes to make that happen

from their state, at least, is what will stick

in their minds the most for people as they

look back on Election 2012.

They will see Sandy. They will see its

aftermath.

They will see long lines, flooding, prob-

lems with housing, mass transit and petro-

leum.

But what they will see biggest and

brightest will be the coming together of

citizens in the face of a battered state to

exercise their civic duties—and how noth-

ing Mother Nature or any other entity

could stop them.

Sandy stops few from voting, including myself


www.briarcliffe.edu

877.786.4333Bethpage | Patchogue | Queens

Learn More, Do More, Be More! Briarcliffe College. Committed to helping you achieve your academic goals!Day, Evening and Online Classes Available

A place forAcademic Excellencesince 1966

Career Education 344493–09/12. Program availability differs by location. Find disclosures on graduation rates, student financial obligations and more at www.briarcliffe.edu/disclosures Briarcliffe College cannot guarantee employment or salary. Students can begin taking courses at Briarcliffe’s Queens center but must take their last 3 credits and complete their degree at the Bethpage location.

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October 6-12, 2012TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Deepawali or Diwali is cer-

tainly the biggest and the

brightest of all Hindu festi-

vals. It's the festival of lights (deep =

light and avali = a row i.e., a row of

lights) that's marked by four days of

celebration, which literally illumines

the country with its brilliance, and

dazzles all with its joy. Each of the

four days in the festival of Diwali is

separated by a different tradition but

what remains true and constant is the

celebration of life, its enjoyment and

goodness.

The origin of Diwali

Historically, the origin of Diwali

can be traced back to ancient India,

when it was probably an important

harvest festival. However, there are

various legends pointing to the ori-

gin of Diwali or 'Deepawali.' Some

believe it to be the celebration of the

marriage of Lakshmi with Lord

Vishnu. Whereas in Bengal the festi-

val is dedicated to the worship of

Mother Kali, the dark goddess of

strength. Lord Ganesha, the ele-

phant-headed God, the symbol of

auspiciousness and wisdom, is also

worshiped in most Hindu homes on

this day. In Jainism, Deepawali has

an added significance to the great

event of Lord Mahavira attaining the

eternal bliss of nirvana. Diwali also

commemorates the return of Lord

Rama along with Sita and Lakshman

from his fourteen year long exile and

vanquishing the demon-king

Ravana. In joyous celebration of the

return of their king, the people of

Ayodhya, the Capital of Rama, illu-

minated the kingdom with earthen

diyas (oil lamps) and burst crackers.

These four days

Each day of Diwali has its own

tale, legend and myth to tell. The

first day of the festival Naraka

Chaturdasi marks the vanquishing of

the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna

and his wife Satyabhama.

Amavasya, the second day of

Deepawali, marks the worship of

Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth in

her most benevolent mood, fulfilling

the wishes of her devotees.

Amavasya also tells the story of

Lord Vishnu, who in his dwarf incar-

nation vanquished the tyrant Bali,

and banished him to hell. Bali was

allowed to return to earth once a

year, to light millions of lamps to

dispel the darkness and ignorance,

and spread the radiance of love and

wisdom. It is on the third day of

Deepawali — Kartika Shudda

Padyami that Bali steps out of hell

and rules the earth according to the

boon given by Lord Vishnu. The

fourth day is referred to as Yama

Dvitiya (also called Bhai Dooj) and

on this day sisters invite their broth-

ers to their homes.

The significance of lights

& firecrackers

All the simple rituals of Diwali

have a significance and a story to

tell. The illumination of homes with

lights and the skies with firecrackers

is an expression of obeisance to the

heavens for the attainment of health,

wealth, knowledge, peace and pros-

perity. According to one belief, the

sound of fire-crackers are an indica-

tion of the joy of the people living

on earth, making the gods aware of

their plentiful state. Still another

possible reason has a more scientific

basis: the fumes produced by the

crackers kill a lot of insects and

mosquitoes, found in plenty after the

rains.

The tradition of gambling

The tradition of gambling on

Diwali also has a legend behind it. It

is believed that on this day, Goddess

Parvati played dice with her husband

Lord Shiva, and she decreed that

whosoever gambled on Diwali night

would prosper throughout the ensu-

ing year. Diwali is associated with

wealth and prosperity in many ways,

and the festival of 'Dhanteras' ('dhan'

= wealth; 'teras' = 13th) is celebrated

two days before the festival of lights.

From darkness unto light...

In each legend, myth and story of

Deepawali lies the significance of

the victory of good over evil; and it

is with each Deepawali and the

lights that illuminate our homes and

hearts, that this simple truth finds

new reason and hope. From dark-

ness unto light — the light that

empowers us to commit ourselves to

good deeds, that which brings us

closer to divinity.

During Diwali, lights illuminate

every corner of India and the scent

of incense sticks hangs in the air,

mingled with the sounds of fire-

crackers, joy, togetherness and hope.

Diwali is celebrated around the

globe. Outside India, it is more than

a Hindu festival, it's a celebration of

South-Asian identities.

If you are away from the sights

and sounds of Diwali, light a diya,

sit quietly, shut your eyes, withdraw

the senses, concentrate on this

supreme light and illuminate the

soul.

Diwali - Light up your livesNovember 10-16, 2012 18

By Roopsi Narula

This year amidst all the

excitement of Halloween,

there was a question that

kept popping in my head. When is

Diwali? I also felt a little regret,

thinking whether I had already

missed Diwali for this year. Being

in the US, I would not have done

much on Diwali anyway.

Diwali or the festival of lights is

celebrated every year in

October/November, all across India

with great fervor. For the Hindus, it

marks the return of Lord Ram after

14 years of exile. Sikhs celebrate it

to mark the victory of Guru

Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru,

who succeeded in releasing 53

Hindu kings imprisoned by the

Muslim Emperor Jahangir. Jains

celebrate Diwali to mark the attain-

ment of Nirvana by Lord Mahavir.

Thus, the festival marks victory of

good over evil and many days of

celebrations all across India.

Born in a Sikh family in North

India, Diwali was one of the most

important festivals in my family.

Preparations of Diwali used to

begin days before the festival. The

helpers in the house joined my

Mom in her cleanliness spree

before the big day. I remember how

Mom often reprimanded me say-

ing, ‘Don’t you want to clear the

mess in your room even on

Diwali?’

Some more preparations included

buying new dresses, gifts for

friends and firecrackers with Dad. I

remember how even as a kid, I

noticed the rising prices of fire-

crackers every year. With passing

years, I also became more price-

sensitive, thus reducing the number

of firecrackers I demanded from

Dad. Finally, I became acutely

environment conscious and

stopped buying firecrackers alto-

gether.

A typical Diwali day at home

used to begin with visitors who

would start steaming in with

Diwali gifts. The first thing I used

to do as soon as someone left was

to open the gifts! Mithai or sweets

are the traditional Diwali gifts.

However, over the years, I saw

these changing to cakes, assorted

biscuits and other gifts. How I used

to wish someone would get me

chocolates on Diwali!

Diwali evening was marked by a

customary visit to the gurdwara to

join the evening prayers and light

candles. I remember how I excited-

ly joined Mom in lighting candles

outside the gurdwara and our

house.

After the lavish Diwali dinner at

home, the night was followed by

nerve wracking noises of bursting

firecrackers, which continued till

the wee hours. On the days follow-

ing Diwali, one could still hear

bursting of firecrackers.

I also remember how everyone I

met used to be so sweet-averse

because of overdose of eating

sweets on Diwali!

Diwali for us was actually the

beginning of the festive season.

Around two weeks after Diwali, we

used to celebrate the birth of Guru

Nanak Dev, the founder of

Sikhism. This day was also marked

by a visit to the gurdwara - pray-

ing, lighting of candles and burst-

ing of crackers.

The festive season continued

with Christmas fun in school and

the excitement of the next year.

Later when I was in hostel or

working in another city, I remem-

ber how I would always head home

for Diwali as Diwali is complete

only when one is with family.

Now just a few days before

Diwali as I sit in pitch dark in

Hicksville, New York, an area big

swathes of which are out of power

ever since Hurricane Sandy, I fond-

ly think of Diwali lights back home

in India and wish this Diwali leads

each one of us from darkness to

light and brightens the world with

happiness and prosperity.

Roopsi Narula is an MBA fromH u l tInternationalB u s i n e s sS c h o o l ,Boston, andhas recentlyjoined TheSouth Asian Times as BusinessConsultant. She can be reached [email protected].

My second Diwali away from homeNovember 10-16, 2012 19

Two weeks after celerbating Diwali, Sikhs celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak Dev.

By Tania Gupta

The festival of Diwali is also

called Maha Lakshmi Pujan

festival and is celebrated in

Pradosh Kaal, the auspicious peri-

od. People worship Mata Lakshmi,

the Goddess of Wealth, for auspi-

cious omens in family and life as

this puja is considered auspicious.

Narak Chaturdashi

Narak Chaturdashi is celebrated

one day prior to Diwali. This day is

also known as Narak Chaudas

because it is believed that Lord

Krishna killed Narakasur on this

day. Prayers are offered in the

evening and lamps are lit.

HOW TO PERFORM

DIWALI PUJAN?

Materials for diwali pujan Place the idol of Maha Lakshmi

and idol of Lord Ganesha (in sitting

positions). Then, you need keser,

rice, roli, bettle-nut, fruits, sweets,

milk, flowers, kheer, sindoor

(Vermilion), batashe, coins, honey

and cloves. Dry fruits, Ganga Jal,

curd, incense sticks, cotton,

coconut, kalava (red thread) 11

lamps, and copper urn.

Performing Diwali puja

The first requirement is to draw

the Navgreh or establish the

Navgreh yantra on clean ground, or

plate. Place the selected Puja items

like copper urn filled with Ganga

Jal, honey, curd, bettle-nut, cloves,

coin etc before the idols and cover

them with red cloth. Take the dry

coconut and encircle it with

thekalawa and then place it on the

urn.

The Idols of the Lakshmi,

Ganesha, and Brama or their pic-

tures can be used to decorate the

Pooja place where the navgreh

yantra is made. If you have Idol of

Maha Lakshmi made of metal bathe

it with milk and curd and then with

Ganga jal. After that decorate it

with flowers, garlands and add

Sindoor. Light the Panchmukhi

lamp on the right side with pure

Ghee or Sesame Oil.

Method

Take akshat, flower and water in

your hands. It is also good to keep

some money in front.

Then you resolve that as you a

certain person on a particular place

will do the pooja of certain Goddess

and God and that you will get the

best of results. First, one should

worship Lord Ganesha and then

Maa Gauri.

Take some water in your hand

and chant the lines “Om Deepavlya

namah” And offer the puja material

before taking AKSHAT in your

hand and chant the navgreh stotra.

After that Lakshmi is worshipped

whole heartedly and the worship is

concluded.

Bahi-khata puja

For performing this pooja of

Bahi-Khata you need to draw the

Swastika using Kesar and sandal-

wood on the books of Bahi and

Khata during the Muhurat time of

the puja. Then you write “Shree

Ganeshaye namah” on the books,

and keep in a bag akshat, grass,

coriander, lotus bundle, 5 pieces of

turmeric, and donation. After that

you put the swastika symbol on it

and offer the belongings to Mata

Saraswati. You need to chant the

following mantra 108 times after

offering the belongings to Goddess

Saraswati.

Once you chanted the mantra you

worship Saraswati praising her,

“The one who holds the shed of

lotus, pestle, Hal, shell, Shul,

Chakra, bow and arrow. She has the

graceful sparkle as of moon.

The one who slaughtered devils

like Shumba and others and the one

who is from is the seed of voice and

who is complete with

Sachidanandmay Vigrah. I worship

that Bhagwati Saraswati."

After that Bahi Khata is wor-

shipped with flowers, incense

sticks, and essence lamps and

Navedya. Chant the following

mantra as you worship.

Brief explanation of

Kuber Puja

It is important to note that Nishit

Kaal and Pradosh Kaal are used for

Kuber Pooja. For performing the

pujan you need to draw Swastika on

the locker or the box that you use to

store money. Then you call LORD

KUBER upon it chanting the

mantra as follows

You need to chant this mantra

“Om Kuberaiye Namah” 108 times

and worship the Locker with flow-

ers, incense sticks and others.

Once the pooja is over you keep

the bag containing coriander,

turmeric, grass, money etc in the

locker.

Here are few remedies for Diwali

� If you are not gettingenough income for the hard work

that you do you have to drop a dry

coconut on flowing water from the

day of Diwali regularly for the next

44 days and write the Beej Mantra

on the coconut before dropping it.

� For financial problems dueto vastu defects you need to flow a

square piece of copper for 40 days

in running water from the day of

Diwali.

� If you are suffering losses inbusiness and cannot make constant

profits, place seven beetle- nuts

coverd with silver foil in the place

of Worship of Lakshmi on the day

of Diwali. For the next seven

Mondays wrap them again with sil-

ver foil and on the eighth Monday

collect all the beetle-nuts from the

place of worship and offer them at

the temple of Lord Vishnu.

� If you are in a businesswhere you offer credit to people

and suffer huge losses, on the first

Saturday of any month bury black

surma or eye powder at any desert-

ed place.

� If money is not coming yourway even after working hard you

should perform this: On the first

Saturday of Shukla Paksha distrib-

ute Prasad of Sabji Puri to people

and repeat for next 11 Saturdays.

� For increasing income inyour business you should take an

empty pitcher and flow it on run-

ning water on a Wednesday and do

the same for the next 6

Wednesdays.

� If your business is not estab-lishing, fill a pot of iron with water

and keep it at the head side of your

bed at night. Throw away the water

in the morning from your house.

� Feed rotis to cows of wheatflour every Sunday if your busi-

ness is facing threats from govern-

ment orders.

� If you are dissatisfied withyour work eat a little bit of gur

(jaggery) before leaving home

every day.

� If you find that your incomeis unstable and savings are mini-

mum and the paternal property is

perishing you must keep some

object of iron under your bed and

on Saturdays fill an iron pot with

water and put under your bed.

When you wake up next morning

put the pot under a Bodhi Tree. Try

this for next 40 Saturdays.

� Here is one more surefireremedy to please Goddess

Lakshmi. But you have to do it

with discipline for the next three

months and you will surely get

unexpected results. From the day

of Diwali or from the first Friday

of Shukla Paksha vist the nearest

temple of Laskhmi, Seetaji and

Durga Mata or any Goddess bare-

footed. Light the lamp with pure

ghee and offer garlands to all of

them and sweet Prasad.

Important tips to please Maha

Laskhmi

� Having Indian Gooseberry(Amla) daily pleases Mata

Lakshmi. Whited colored clothes

are very dear to Lakshmi and one

should wear them to please her

because Mata resides in a house of

sheel and lotus flowers.

� To please Goddess Lakshmione should take an early bath and

wear clean clothes.

� It is also recommended thatone worships Lord Shiva regularly

and should have faith in God. One

can observe fasts for Vishnu on

Ekadashi and offer Amla to Lord

Vishnu.

� Women and girls must berespected because Lakshmi stays

in a place where women and girls

get respect.

� We should keep our senses incontrol and should follow the

moral values of life to let Lakshmi

enter our house.

� One needs to be compassion-ate towards birds and animals.

� Religious practices should befollowed in a disciplined and sys-

tematic manner.

Maha Lakshmi Puja for health, wealth and prosperity November 10-16, 2012

The author is a Delhi-basedastrologer who can be con-

tacted at www.horoscopenzo-diac.com or by email:

[email protected].

20

Lead, Kindly Light

"Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th'encircling gloom,

Lead Thou me on!

The night is dark, and I am far from home,

Lead Thou me on!

Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see

The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou

Shouldst lead me on;

I loved to choose and see my path; but now

Lead Thou me on!

I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,

Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still

Will lead me on.

O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till

The night is gone,

And with the morn those angel faces smile,

Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Meantime, along the narrow rugged path,

Thyself hast trod,

Lead, Saviour, lead me home in childlike faith,

Home to my God.

To rest forever after earthly strife

In the calm light of everlasting life."

-- John Henry Newman

From darkness to lightNovember 10-16, 2012 21

Diwali is the festival of lights, a time when members of some of the world’s great faiths cele-brate the triumph of good over evil. Its significance is laid out in Sanskrit verse which says lead

us from falsehood to truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. In HinduismDiwali marks the return of Lord Ram from exile when small lamps lit his way home. The lightingof lamps continues today marking the celebration as a time of reflection of the year gone by andtime to pray for good year to come. This is the time for celebration and also a time for contem-plation when we remember those who are less fortunate, those who may not be eating and cele-brating as festively, those who don’t enjoy the same rights to speak. Let us at this sacred timejoin together across all denominations, all religions to make a habit of empathy and reach out

to those most in need…-- President Barack Obama

President Obama at aDiwali celebration at

White House

Where: Hicksville High

School, 180 Division Avenue,

Hicksville, NY

When: Nov 10, 11, 14, 17

Hosted by: BAPS

Phone: 718-539-5373

Diwali and Annakut celebra-

tions will include main Diwali

celebration on November 9th

(6:30 pm onwards), chopda

pujan on November 10th (6 pm

onwards), grand Annakut on

November 11th (9 am to 6 pm),

New Year Annakut on November

14 (arti 9 am) and children’s

Diwali on November 17 (10:30

am to 7 pm)

Telugu Fine Arts Society’s

Deepavali celebrations

Where: East Brunswick

Performing Arts, 200 Rues Ln,

East Brunswick, NJ 08816

When: Saturday, Nov 10,

2012, 3:00PM

Hosted By: Telugu Fine Arts

Society

Phone: 9737158944

Don’t miss the great entertain-

ment by Tollywood’s all time

famous stars Dharamavarapu

Subramanyam, comedian and

singers Sri Krishna and

Malavika.

Dazzle Up This Diwali –

Broadway Style Show

Where: Hyatt Regency on the

Hudson, 2 Exchange Pl, Jersey

City, NJ 07302

When: Saturday, Nov 10 2012

6:30PM

Hosted By: Manisha Beriwala

Phone: 201-993-5805

'Most Glamorous setting over-

looking Manhattan skyline at the

Ballroom, Hyatt Regency in

Jersey City. Dazzle Up This

Diwali includes: First-time-ever

Broadway style show on Diwali

by Galli Theater Co. of NYC,

Sizzling performances by award

winning artists of Junoon

Performing Arts Dance group,

kids performances, Open Dance

Floor to the tunes of DJ FARAZ

and Guest DJ SUHEL, Red

Carpet, Heena Tattoo, Teen Patti

shootout, Full Indian buffet,

Drink Tickets – all coming

together for a fun filled evening

to celebrate Diwali. Celebrate

Diwali with your young ones.

Pre Diwali Bash Plus

Sandy Relief

Where: Devi Restaurant, 8 E

18th St, New York, NY 10003

When: Saturday, Nov 10 2012,

10:30PM

Hosted By: Bollymixnyc

Phone: 7247778187

And

Where: K-Lounge, 30 W 52nd

St, New York, NY 10019

When: Saturday, Nov 17 2012,

1:00PM

Hosted By: Bollymixnyc

Phone: 7247778187

Join The Best Desi Party A K A

Bollymixnyc For Annual Diwali

Bash.

Music by DJ Bhav from MTV

India, and DJ Gaurav from

Mumbai spin the best

Tarot Card Reading , Free

Gifts, Diwali Sweets , and much

more.

Diwali Lights Up at Asia

Society: Family Day

Diwali, the Hindu festival of

lights and New Year, is a time to

celebrate good fortune, family

and friendships. Celebrate with

performances, and arts and crafts

inspired by Diwali.

Where: Asia Society, 725 Park

Ave, New York, NY

When: 10 November 2012,

1:00pm - 4:00pm

$5 students, seniors, children;

$7 members (Dual Family mem-

bers Free); $12 nonmembers.

Tickets available the day of

event.

Mangal Dhwani - A Diwali

Special Morning Concert

Where: Pal Building, 33

Baldwin Rd, Parsippany-Troy

Hills, NJ 07054

When: Sunday, Nov 11 2012,

9:30AM

Hosted By: Taalsadhana

Phone: 908-421-4813

Taalsadhana presents Mangal

Dhwani, a Diwali special morn-

ing concert with Shri Kunal

Gunjal , Shri Partha Sarathi

ChatterjeeSantoor Sitar Duet,

Smt. Sanhita Nandivocal

recital, Suryakansha Deshpande

on tabla and Ramchandra Joshi

on Harmonium

Visionary Circle Diwali

Benefit Party at the Rubin

Museum of Art

When: November 13, 2012

7:30 p.m. - Late.

Where: Rubin Museum of

Art; 150 W. 17th Street, New

York, N.Y. 10011

www.rmanyc.org

Save the date for the Rubin

Museum of Art Visionary Circle

Diwali Benefit Party. Join the

Visionary Circle members as

they celebrate the first night of

the Indian Festival of Lights

with a Bhangra DJ, Bhangra

dance lessons, and cocktails

provided by Kingfisher Beer

and Medea Vodka.

Tickets: Tickets to attend the

Visionary Circle Diwali Benefit

Party start at $100 for individ-

ual nonmembers please see

http://www.rmanyc.org/diwali-

party for more details

Diwali Gala hosted by Roots

and Wings Foundation at

Pranna

Where: Pranna Lounge, 79

Madison Ave, New York, NY

10016

When: Thursday, Nov 15,

2012, 7:00PM

Hosted By: Roots and Wings

Foundation

Phone: 2128750012

Celebrate the Festival of

Lights with Roots and Wings

India, NYC's Premier Diwali

Fundraiser and Donate in the

spirit of Diwali!

Indian Association Of Long

Island- Diwali Celebrations

Where: Akbar Restaurant,

2nd St, Garden City, NY 11530

When: Friday, Nov 16 2012,

7:00PM

Hosted By: India Association

of Long Island

Phone: 917-715-2883

Organized by the executive

council of Indian Association of

Long Island, Diwali celebra-

tions will include cocktails, cul-

tural programs and entertain-

ment, dinner and dance.

Surati's Diwali - Lights of

India event in Newport,

Jersey City

Where: Boca Grande, 564

Washington Blvd, Jersey City,

NJ 07310

When: Saturday, Nov 17 2012

5:00PM

Hosted By: Surati For

Performing Arts, Education

And Entertainment

Phone: 2013601553

Rimli Roy and Surati invite

you to DIWALI - Lights of

India A family-friendly, multi-

cultural festival celebrating

India's most Popular Festival

DIWALI with visual & per-

forming arts, crafts, food,

drinks, fun and festivities. Part

of the proceeds will go to vic-

tims of Hurricane Sandy.

An Evening Of Culture,

Entertainment And Dancing •

Traditional, Fusion, Jazz,

Opera, Bollywood And Bhangra

Acts • The Ramayana & The

Story Of Diwali (Special New

Script) - Blending Indian Dance

Theatre, Opera And Broadway

Techniques On Stage For The

First Time Ever! • Authentic

Full Indian Buffet - Specially

Catered • Live Band •

Afterparty DJ & Dancing Other

Features •

Aum Events Diwali mela

with live performance by

Indian Idol Bhumi Trivedi

Where: Garden State Exhibit

Center, 50 Atrium Drive,

Somerset, NJ 08873

When: Saturday, Nov 24 and

25th 2012 12:00PM

Hosted By: AUM Events

Phone: 732 763-0118

Aum Events presents 5th

DIWALI MELA NJ for two

days.

Diwali Mela includes cultural

shows, display of diwali festivi-

ties along with BOOTHS &

VENDORS from various

Corporate houses viz Airlines,

Money Transfers, India

Property Show, Media,

Insurance, TV Channels, Phone

Cards, Auto Sales, Mortgage

Companies, Banks, Realtors,

Tours, Cruises, Films,

Entertainment and Local busi-

ness houses like Boutiques,

Jewelers, Fashion, Arts,

Handicrafts, Gifts, Food,

Mithais, Snacks, Mehendi,

Photographers, DJs, Video,

Decors and more.

--Compiled by Jinal Shah

To get you into the festive spirit November 10-16, 2012 22

Diwali is just aroundthe corner and if youare still undecided on

how you want to celebrate the festival,

fret no more. SATimes lists the key celebrations, partiestaking place in the

month of Novemberfor you to pick.

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Diwali celebrations

By Anil Mulchandani

Uttar Pradesh is the land of

Lord Rama, the place

where he was born and

spent his formative years.

We started out from Lucknow for

Ayodhya, considered to be the

birthplace of Lord Rama. One of

the holiest of Hindu cities, it is

described in ancient texts as a town

founded by Manu, the law-giver of

Hinduism. This city is ranked as

one of the seven holiest cities for

Hindus in the Puranas. The

Atharvaveda described Ayodhya as

"a city built by Gods and being

prosperous as paradise itself."

Valmiki is said to have written the

Ramayana at Ayodhya and Tulsidas

wrote highly about this historic city

in his version of the great epic.

The city even bears mention in

Tamil Alvars. While the city gets its

name from the ancient king Ayudh

and is best known as the land of

Rama Rajya, many other great

rulers and leaders like Jadabharata,

Bahubali, Brahmi, Sundari, P a d a l

i p t a s u r i s v a r j i ,

Harishchandra and Achalbharata

also hailed from Ayodhya.

After two and a half hours of

driving east from Lucknow we

reached the Gaghra River (also

called Sarayu) and got a glimpse of

the sacred shrines running along the

river banks.

Here, a tea vendor told us that it is

not only Rama devotees who visit

Ayodhya. For Jains, Ayodhya is

important as the birthplace of five

Tirthankaras and because their texts

mention that Mahavira also visited

this city. The Buddha is said to have

visited and the city thrived as a

Buddhist center. Lord

Swaminarayan was born at

Chhapaiya, which is about 40km

from Ayodhya and spent time here

making this is a staging post for

Swaminarayan pilgrimage as well.

Excavations have revealed ruins

dating from around the seventh cen-

tury BC and one of the oldest Jain

figures.

Among the scores of temples on

the river bank the most striking is

the Hanuman Garhi, set in the old

fort of Ayodhya. A climb of about

76 steps leads to its gilded interiors.

Nearby is Darsrath Bhavan. As

expected, most of the temples and

ghats are dedicated to Rama, Sita

and Laxman. The Kanak Bhavan, a

short distance from the river is a

palatial complex with a temple.

The Ramkatha Museum has

grand images and ancient texts.

Like the rest of India, Ayodhya is

modernizing and everywhere you

find signs of coaching classes, new

schools and computer courses.

While we were told that we could

catch a Ram Katha or Rama Lila

performance in the evening, we had

to move on to Allahabad where we

had booked our accommodations. It

was evening when we reached

Allahabad and we drove to photo-

graph the Prayag or Sangam, before

sunset. From the national highway,

we took the turn towards the river

frontage along the Yamuna where

women perform arati or evening

worship at Saraswati Ghat by float-

ing diya, small oil-filled lamps,

downstream.

Immediately to the west, in Minto

Park, a memorial marks the exact

spot where the British Raj came

into being, when India was taken

away from the East India Company

in 1858 and placed under the aus-

pices of the Crown.

East of Saraswati Ghat, close to

the Sangam, loom the huge battle-

ments of Akbar’s Fort that look

most impressive from the boat. At

the main gates of the fort stands a

poorly restored polished stone

Ashoka Pillar, inscribed with the

emperor’s edicts and dated to 242

BC. As is usual at such places, we

were soon crowded around by boat-

men looking for business, the num-

bers rising as we walked past the

stalls selling flowers, offerings and

prayer objects to pilgrims visiting

the Hanuman Temple (very colorful

and featuring an unusual reclining

Hanuman) and the river confluence.

Finally, we descended the mud

banks to the river and negotiated for

a boat to take the journey that pho-

tographer Dinesh Shukla had taken

decades ago with his late mother.

We were soon surrounded by gulls

looking for a snack. As the sunset

turned the river a blazing golden

yellow, the boatman told us that

Lord Rama himself praised this

spot for its spiritual powers, which

can uplift mankind and that he is

believed to have stayed at the

ashram of the BharadwajRishi here.

``Valmiki and Tulsidas praise this

place in their works. Lord Rama,

Lakshman and Sita crossed the

Yamuna River and there is a refer-

ence to Lakshman constructing a

boat to cross the river. There are

many places on the banks of the

Yamuna related to the exile period

of Shri Ram like Akshay Vat, Sita

Rasoi (Jasra Bazaar), Rishiyan (the

abode of Rishis), Murka (Hanuman

Mandir),’’claims the boatman.

From Allahabad, the road runs

128km southwest to Chitrakoot, the

pilgrim town along the Mandakani,

between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya

Pradesh. According to the

Ramayana, Lord Rama lived on the

Kamadgiri Mountain near the

Mandakini River and it is believed

that his brother, Bharat, came to this

site to entice him to return to

Ayodhya and rule Koshaldesha, the

kingdom of the Kaushala dynasty to

which they belonged. When Rama

refused, Bharata asked for his

footwear which he placed on the

throne of Ayodhya. Below the hill

sacred to devotees or Rama, the

Hanuman Dhara is a natural spring

that flows over an image of

Hanumana. The river shores, hill

and town are full of temples and

ashrams. A boat ride from Ramghat

offers a delightful view of the river-

front temple town.

November 10-16, 2012

Prayag - the holy meeting point of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati is an important pilgrim place

Kanak Bhavan Temple in Ayodhya A huge statue of Lord Rama

26

Ayodhya - In the footprints of Lord Rama


By Promila Gupta

There are too many dinners and invita-

tions during Diwali and one is at a loss

what special Diwali dishes to offer to

guests during the festival month. For a typical

Diwali 3-course dinner I have chosen some

simple vegetarian dishes starting with Surati

Patties as entrée, then main meal consisting

of Anjeeri Kum-Kum, Guchhi Biryani, Janat-

e-Numa and Shahi Salan. The third and final

course is the dessert Badam Barfi.

Ingredients� 500 grams potatoes – boiled, peeled

and mashed

� 2 tabs plain flour

� Salt to taste

� Vegetable oil for deep fryingIngredients for the Filling� 100 grams desiccated or freshly grated

coconut

� ½ cup fresh coriander leaves- finelychopped

� 2 green chilies – finely chopped

� 2 pods of fresh garlic – finely chopped

� 20 grams cashew nuts –cut into smallpieces

� 15 grams sultanas

� 2 tabs sugar

� Salt to tasteAdd salt and the plain flour to the mashed

potatoes and make into soft dough. Divide the

dough into 18 to 20 equal portions. Shape

them into a flat round disk.

Mix all the filling items well. Place 2 tsp of

this mixture in the middle of each disk. Lift

up sides and seal edges. Flatten each disk.

Deep fry till golden brown on both sides

and serve with raita or kheer.

Ingredients� 600 grams mushrooms

� 300 grams dried figs

� 1 tsp garam masala

� ½ tsp garlic paste

� ½ tsp ginger paste

� 1 green chili – finely chopped

� Juice of ½ lemon

� 1 onion – finely chopped

� Bread crumbs

� 8 to 10 strands of keasr (saffron soakedin ¼ cup milk)

� 3 tabs oil

� Salt to taste

Soak the figs in warm water for about 20

minutes. Remove the excess water, dry and

finely chop the figs. Mix in the garlic, ginger,

green chili, onion, garam masala and salt.

Remove the stem of the mushrooms. Make

2 tsp filling in the mushroom bottom and use

bread crumbs for keeping the mixture in

place.

Shallow fry the mushrooms on both sides.

Brush with saffron milk and serve hot.

Ingredients� 3 cups riceIngredients for the filling� 50 grams sliced Guchhi (dried mush-

rooms)

� 30 grams paneer – mashed

� 15 grams cashew nuts – chopped

� 10 grams sultanas

� 1 inch long ginger piece – finelychopped

� 1 tsp roasted cumin seedsIngredients for the curry� 2 onions – finely chopped

� 100 grams hung curd

� 1 tabs ginger garlic paste

� ½ tsp turmeric powder

� 1 tsp red chili powder


� 30 grams cashew nuts – ground

� 1/3 cup oil

� Salt to tasteBoil the rice in excess water and cook till

three quarters done. Drain excess water and

keep aside.

Mix the filling items together so that they

are uniformly mixed.

Heat oil in the pan. Add the onion and

sauté. Then add the ginger garlic paste and

hung curd. Cook for a few minutes. Then add

the turmeric powder, garam masala, red chili

powder and salt. Lower heat and cook for 5 to

7 minutes.

Place 1/3rd of rice in the bottom of a pot.

Then lay a layer of 1/3rd of filling and finally

1/3rd of the curry. Repeat till you get 3 alter-

nate layers of rice, filling and curry. Place on

low heat and cook till rice is fully cooked and

Guchhi is tender. Garnish with fried onion

strips. Serve hot.

Ingredients� 4 or 5 large size potatoes

� Oil for fryingIngredients for the filling� 100 grams mint leaves

� 250 grams coriander leaves

� 3 green chili

� 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds

� 1 tsp amchur powder

� Salt to tasteIngredients for the gravy� 500 grams frozen spinach

� 100 grams dry fenugreek leaves

� 100 grams tomatoes

� 30 grams ghee

� 1/2 cup diced 2 onions – finelychopped

� 100 grams natural yoghurt

� 1 tsp turmeric powder

� 1 tsp garlic paste





� Salt to tasteIngredients for the garnishing� 1 inch long ginger piece cut into thin

strips

� ½ cup fresh coriander leaves – finelychopped

� ½ cup grated cheesePeel the skin off the potatoes. Cut into

halves and scoop out the flesh leaving a uni-

form thick shell for the filling. Deep fry these

shells till golden crisp. Remove and keep

aside.

Place the ghee in a heavy frying pan. Add

chopped onion. Fry till golden brown. Add

the Frozen spinach, fenugreek leaves, toma-

toes, turmeric powder, red chili powder,

garam masala and salt. Mix well. Cover and

cook on slow heat for about 15 minutes so

that the spinach is cooked. Switch off the gas

and add the yoghurt and mix and let it cool a

bit. Blend it to make a puree.

Now fill the fried potato shells with the

mixed filling ingredients. Arrange the potato

shells on a baking tray. Cover with the

spinach puree. Sprinkle with the grated

cheese. Bake in a pre heated oven at 180

degrees for 8 to 10 minutes till cheese melts.

Serve hot garnished with ginger strips and

coriander leaves.

Ingredients� 1 cup chana dal – soaked for at least

half an hour

� 200 grams okra (Bhindi) – chopped

� 100 grams potatoes cut into smallcubes

� 100 grams carrots, cut into cubes

� 50 grams green round beans cut intopieces

� 100 grams frozen peas

� 100 grams paneer cubes

� 30 grams desi ghee






� 1 cup tomato puree

� 2 tsp sugar

� 1 lemon- juice

� Salt to taste

� Oil for fryingDrain the excess water and boil the Chana

dal in 1-1/2 cup water. Cook for about 15

minutes till the dal is tender. Keep aside.

Heat oil and deep fry the potatoes and okra

for a few minutes. Drain excess oil by spread-

ing them over paper towels. Keep aside.

Melt the ghee in a heavy based pan. Add

the ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 to 3 min-

utes. Add the turmeric powder, red chili pow-

der, garam masala and all other ingredients.

Cook for a few minutes and bring the mixture

to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce heat.

Cook for about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Ingredients� 500 grams almond kernels

� 1 cup sugar

� ½ cup waterIngredients for the garnishing� Silver Vark (very thin foil)Soak the almonds in hot water FOR 6 TO 7

MINUTES. Drain excess water, remove skin

and grind them to a coarse paste. Add very

small quantity of water, if needed.

Heat the sugar and water in a heavy pan.

Bring it to the boil and then reduce heat.

Keep cooking till the syrup thickens and bub-

bles start forming. Add the almond paste and

cook. Continue the stirring during cooking to

avoid sticking. Cook till the mixture starts to

move away from the sides of the pan.

Spread the mixture evenly on a greased

plate. Smooth finish the top. Keep aside to

cool and decorate with silver vark. Cut into

rectangular or diamond shape and serve.

Delight your guests with a 3-course Diwali feast

November 10-16, 2012 28

Surati Patties

Anjeeri Kum-Kum

Janat–e-Numa

Shahi Salan

Badam Barfi

Guchhi Biryani

The corporate gift industry

is booming and quality

utility items at affordable

prices is the mantra this festive

season.

A combination of aesthetic as

well as utility items has hit the

shelves to help companies

strengthen their relationship with

clients and employees without

burning a hole in their pockets.

The trend has witnessed an

upsurge in the last few years and

according to industry insiders, the

estimated market for corporate

gifts has reached the Rs.12,000

crore ($2.5 billion) mark.

Exclusive items at affordable

prices are what consumers are

looking for, points out Anuj

Sawhney, managing director of

Swiss Military India, a pioneer in

corporate gifting solutions.

"What we feel is that organiza-

tions today are looking for some-

thing exclusive and good in quali-

ty. There has been a 200 percent

surge in the demand. People are

looking for a mix and match of

traditional and modern ideas.

There is a rising emphasis on pre-

mium quality gifts but at afford-

able prices," Sawhney said.

"For example, our products

such as innovative travel gear are

popular for senior level gifting

because at that level professionals

are always on the go. Our leather

accessories and hand-crafted lim-

ited edition writing instruments

are also extremely popular," he

added.

Praveen Rao of D'Mart Exclusif

said the corporate sector was

demanding aesthetic as well as

utility items. "Corporate compa-

nies are moving away from tradi-

tional items such as diaries and

small electric appliances to aes-

thetic as well as utility pieces.

The trend has also picked up

among individual gifting," said

Rao.

"Nowadays the corporate sector

generally picks up silver trays, a

pair of goblets, deities' gift sets,

candle stands, dry fruit bowls and

the like," he added.

Keeping consumers' demand in

mind, Rao's company offers a

melange of utility products such

as silver plated crystal gifts,

wood and silver tissue boxes, sil-

ver-plated coffee set and deities.

"A limited edition of deities

hand-crafted in sterling silver,

porcelain and marble is being

picked up for individual and cor-

porate gifting," said Rao who is

offering his products in a price

range of Rs.850 to Rs.6,000,

which doesn't burn a big hole in

the buyers' pocket.

For those looking for high-end

gifting options at affordable

prices, customized hampers con-

taining a wine bottle, chocolates

and other eats is another option

this festive season.

"We have an evolving con-

sumer now and Diwali, Christmas

and New Year are known to be

the best time to acknowledge the

work of employees or support of

clients by gifting them something

different.

"The tradition of gifting sweets

has made way for spa coupons

and other customised gifting

options. We are offering cus-

tomised wine packages this fes-

tive season for our premium

clients," said Tarun Sibal, market-

ing head of Fratelli Wines.

At Fratelli, wine bottles are

paired with various items. For

instance, one can pick customised

packages of wine and organic

caramelized nuts or wine teamed

up with playing cards and choco-

lates, among others.

These are available at a price

range of Rs.615 to Rs.2,670 and

Sibal says the combinations are a

hit.

"We mainly deal with private

buyers and corporate clients. We

have seen a humungous increase

in the demand for customised

packages in the past one year. It

has risen almost 10 times,

whether it's for internal clients

(employees) or mass corporate

gifting," said Sibal who is also

offering the option of a cus-

tomized bottle-neck tag of a com-

pany's logo.

"The demand is so high that we

have stopped taking orders now,"

he added.

Corporate gift industry is booming

New Delhi: India Inc is preparing to drasti-

cally cut its festive season gifting budget by

45-50 percent this Diwali, according to a

survey by industry lobby Associated

Chambers of Commerce & Industry

(Assocham).

The survey carried out last month found

that big corporate houses across all industry

sectors, grappling with shrinking earnings

and profit margins, will cut their Diwali

gift budgets. The survey by Assocham

Society Development Foundation (ASDF)

covered 150 companies with an employee

strength of 500-plus, in pharma, banking,

financial services, insurance, automobiles,

hospitality, manufacturing energy, infra-

structure and FMCG sectors.

Nearly 20 percent of the 150 companies

surveyed have decided to do away with the

concept of corporate gifting this year and

utilize the extra funds made available for

other productive purposes.

Similarly, nearly two-thirds of the

respondent business houses said they

would be spending much less on corporate

gifting.

Many of them declared that they were

going ahead with corporate gifting half-

heartedly since it had become "an annual

tradition and unavoidable".

Interestingly, the corporate houses this

year are more inclined to presenting digital

cameras, expensive watches, writing instru-

ments, wallets, smart phones, affordable

tablets, confectioneries or sweets gift ham-

pers vis-a-vis the traditional gifts of gold

coins, dry fruit packets and luxury gifts.

This was corroborated during a reality

check among the dry fruit market in Delhi's

Khari Baoli, which rued that corporate

orders have dipped by more than 75 percent

this year while prices of dry fruits have

shot up by up to 25 percent. The ASDF sur-

vey revealed that in 2009, India Inc. had

splurged over Rs.2000 crore in Diwali cor-

porate gifts, which shot upto Rs.3,200 crore

in 2010. But in 2011, corporate gifting

budgets were trimmed by 25-30 percent.

India Inc to splurge lessthis Diwali: Survey

New Delhi: Demand for cheap and fancy China-

made Diwali items like lights, lampshades, Ganesha

and Laxmi idols, rangolis, crackers and gift prod-

ucts, has increased sharply this year, a survey has

revealed. According to the survey conducted by the

Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry

(Assocham), the demands for China made products

has surged 45 percent year-on-year this season.

Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat said local

artisans were the worst hit because of the influx of

Chinese items in this festive season.

Nearly 78 percent of the people who participated

in the quick survey said Chinese lights were almost

50 percent cheaper as compared to Indian lights.

Moreover, Chinese items have more variety.

The cheaper Chinese products can help reduce

Diwali budget by almost 35 percent.

Nearly 72 percent of the traders who participated

in the survey said the demand for the earthen lamps

or diyas were declining year after year and shifting

towards fancy and designer diyas, which are mostly

made in China. "A Chinese string of 100 tiny bulbs

can be bought in the range of Rs.40 to Rs.60. Lights

in the shape of pineapples, pomegranates, rice and

net stars among others are seen to be popular among

buyers," said a trader at Delhi's Sadar Bazaar, the

biggest wholesale market in North India.

China-made lightweight idols of Hindu gods and

goddesses made of polystone are becoming increas-

ingly popular in India.

Nearly 76 percent of the wholesale dealer of gift

items said the cheap Chinese materials have caught

the imagination of middle class shoppers. "People

use Chinese items because they are very cheap also

consume less electricity and even the poor can

afford to buy them," said a trader.

Demand for China-madeDiwali items surges


Gift hampers for this festive season Gift hampers for this festive season

The demand for China-made products hassurged 45 percent year-on-year this season

29

For those looking for high-end gifting

options at affordableprices, customized

hampers containinga wine bottle,

chocolates andother eats is an

option this festiveseason

Bored of free flowing

anarkali-style suits?

Tweak it this festive

season to give it a western

touch by playing with the 'kalis'

and, who knows, it can even

double up as a gown.

A little twist here, a little turn

there can make your anarkali-

style suit more trendy, say

designers, telling fashionistas

to play around with the hem-

line, use light embellishments

and team it with palazzos.

"I think the anarkali needs a

re-invention as we are seeing

the same pattern for so long.

The only thing that most

designers are doing is raising

or dropping the hemline.

I just feel that one could be a

little more futuristic in dealing

with the anarkali," designer

Niki Mahajan said.

"We can turn around a little

bit to make it more glamorous

and different. As a designer, I

can make it more interesting by

controlling kalis on one side

and playing on the other by

giving a sharper neckline and

repositioning colours," she

added.

"Anarkalis have always been

a hot favorite for young women

during festivities. It is, howev-

er, time to tweak anarkalis and

make them more western.

Little changes here and there

can make it trendy. One can try

anarkalis that have a European

feel, which means they can be

worn as gowns also," designer

Joy Mitra said.

Some emerging trends this

festive season are layering and

draping with lace and lighter

embroidery.

Kalidar kurtas are also hitting

the shelves and people are

going in for more layering and

draping with a lot of lace work.

They are also asking for more

styling, not just embellish-

ments, said designer Gautam

Gupta. "The unique thing that I

have discovered this festive

season is that people are look-

ing for lighter work," he added.

"Yes, they want the clothes to

look heavy with a little bit of

bling, but at the same time they

want the material used for the

embroidery to be light," he

added.

Apart from the regular geor-

gette and chanderi, fabrics like

kota and lightweight Japanese

yukata, instead of zardozi, are

being used to make anarkalis.

"It's easy to move in fabrics

like kota as it brings a lot of

flexibility," Gupta added.

Festivity also means a splash

of bright colors. According to

Ashish Parikh from brand

Studio Virtues, "Coral shades,

which could be experimented

with embroidered belts, are

making a big comeback.

Fuschia, purple and red are also

trending big time."

How does one accessorize

anarkali suits?

Go for a simple clutch and

matching footwear to add

drama to your attire, said

designer Rajdeep Ranawat.

He also suggested that jewels

should be "classic and elegant".

"One simple mantra to focus

while wearing Indian line is:

choose colours that comple-

ment the skin, silhouettes that

complement the body and

embellishments that comple-

ment the personality. Carry the

outfit with elan and a confident

poise thereafter," added

Ranawat.

Give your anarkali trendymakeover this Diwali

The traditional 'teen patti' wins hands

down when it comes to card games

on Diwali, but experimentation is

the new buzzword! This festive season, try

your luck with interesting variations -

AK47, 1942 A Love Story and Kissing

Missing - they have caught the fancy of the

young and old alike.

The pre-Diwali card parties are already

on a roll. Classic 'teen patti' or flash,

involving three playing cards, has been

around for years, and brings friends and

family together for the occasion.

In this traditional game, each person puts

in a fixed amount of money for the first

chance. People win on the basis of a trail,

pure sequence, impure sequence, colour,

pair or highest card.

The stakes may vary from game-to-game

and people-to-people - with some playing

with Rs.5 or Rs.50, and some putting

Rs.1,000 or even Rs.10,000.

But now there are more options to

choose from:

AK47: Ace, King, 4 and 7 become the

jokers in this variation. If a player has any

of these cards, they can be used as a substi-

tute for a missing colour or number to

make a competitive sequence.

Muflis: In the usual 'teen patti', the high-

est card owner wins, but it's the opposite in

Muflis. A person with the lowest cards,

walks away with the moolah.

Discard one: Instead of three, the players

are dealt four cards in this variation.

Simply keep the best three to play, and like

the name of the game, discard one!

Kissing Missing: The name is definitely

catchy, but the game is a little complicated.

Each player gets five cards. If you get a

pair, you consider it as one joker, and it is

called 'kiss'. And for 'miss', any two alter-

nate numbers in a sequence (for example 6

and 8) will together be considered one

joker. You have to discard one extra card

out of the five, and play the game.

Matha: This one totally works on guess

work! Each player just gets one card.

Without seeing your card, you have to put

the card on top of your forehead (matha),

in a way that all other players can see your

card. Then you look at others' cards, and

take a guess if your card is lower or higher.

The suspense makes this game enjoyable.

Lallan Kallan: One odd colour in your

pack of three will be the joker in Lallan

Kallan. If you have two red cards and one

black card, the 'kallan' will be considered

the joker.

And this works vice-versa too. By

chance if all your cards are of the same

color, you are out.

Blackjack: The sum of all three cards

that you get, must be 21 or below.

Anything above 21, is considered 'bust' or

disqualified. Picture cards carry 10 points,

aces carry one point or 11 points, and all

other cards carry points as per their face

value. The player whose cards add up clos-

est to 21, wins the game.1942 A Love

Story: Here, 1, 9, 4, 2 are all jokers, and

the catch is that you can't speak in English

during this game! Stick to Hindi, or you'll

be out!

Card games: Try 'Kissing Missing' this Diwali!


Anarkali by designer Pam Mehta.

Now, now there are more card-playing options to choose from

30

A little twist here, a little turn there canmake your anarkali-style suit more trendy;

play around with the hemline, use lightembellishments and team it with palazzos


Mumbai/New Delhi: Bucking the

inflationary trend that has hurt

most sectors, the gold sales chart in

Pune is spiraling up and looks to be

heading for a Diwali peak, after a

Dussehra high.

Gold is selling at Rs 31,200 per

gram but that has not deterred

deterred people from buying some

extra glitter this Diwali. A good

rush at jewelry shops this festive

season is translating into a signifi-

cant increase in sales as compared

to last year.

According to Sourabh Gadgil,

partner, P N Gadgil Jewelers, cus-

tomers are willingly spending on

gold jewelry since the festive sea-

son is preceded by a wedding sea-

son. He said people are buying

gold bars and coins, too, but the

majority is buying jewelry. “The

gold market is doing good. When

the market is bullish, people invest

in gold but during the festive sea-

son they prefer jewelry over gold

bars or coins,” adds Gadgil.

During Dussehra, jewelry stores

registered a 50 per cent increase in

sale. “During Diwali, it will proba-

bly cross 50 per cent,” adds Gadgil.

Sangeeta Lalwani, director of Gold

Mart Jewelers says, “At Gold Mart,

sale of jewelry is far more than bul-

lion sale primarily because coins

and bars are meant for investment

and not celebration.”

M.B. Ashtekar Jewelers on Kasba

Peth also saw good sales. At this

jewelry store, Dussehra sale was as

good as last year. “We are hoping it

will be even better during

Dhanteras and Diwali.”

Mangalsutras make the maximum

part of the total sale. Sale of orna-

ments is 25 per cent more than pure

gold items like coins and bars.

Platinum jewelry costs over Rs

32,000 per gram, clearly not too

much higher than gold. Gadgil said

platinum is not an alternative to

gold when it comes to Diwali.

“Across the world, gold consump-

tion is 4,000 tonne a year and plat-

inum 40 tonne a year.

Even at P N Gadgil, just 0.2 per

cent of the total festive sale is

accounted for by platinum. People

relate gold with Diwali and not

platinum,” he adds.

Diwali set to dazzle despite inflation

New Delhi: People always

end up spring-cleaning the

drawing room or bedrooms

around festive time. Try

doing up the kitchen this

season with fancy and col-

orful kitchenware and

appliances available in a

wide range.

Brands like Arttd'inox

and Fisher & Paykel have

introduced a new variety of

tableware, cookware and

home decor range to give a

new look and makeover to

the cooking space.

"A kitchen has turned out

to be the showpiece zone

in any home. People just

love to furnish and deco-

rate their kitchens to make

these places look better

and efficient," Sanjeev

Wadhwa, country manager,

Fisher & Paykel, said.

The brand manufactures

and markets innovative

household appliances, and

for the season has intro-

duced a new range of com-

panion products, which

includes steam oven, cof-

fee maker, combo

microwave oven and com-

pact oven.

"These days, the trend is

more of having kitchen-

ware concealed in the cabi-

nets so that kitchen

becomes a part or gets inte-

grated with the living

spaces. People prefer hav-

ing built-in or integrated

appliances in their

kitchen," he added.

The price range of their

products vary from electric

cooktops starting at

Rs.30,000 to a CoolDrawer

priced at Rs.2,25,000.

Meanwhile, Arttd'inox, a

brand by JSL (Jindal

Stainless) Lifestyle

Limited, is offering home

products in contemporary

designs.

"This festive season we

are offering products that

are innovative in terms of a

perfect blend of traditional

with contemporary. The

combination of colorful

designs and Indian motifs,

keeping the global usage in

mind, we feel are in very

much in trend this festive

season for kitchenware,"

Deepika Jindal, managing

director, JSL Lifestyle

Limited, said.

The brand has come up

with a couple of items

incluidng T-lite holders,

candle holders, puja thalis,

and small gift items in

serve ware.

"We have our own set of

in-house designers who

study trends, do research

on market demand before

launching any product. We

study international brands

and keep a tab on what's

coming out globally to

give our customers what

they want and would like

to see," she added.The

price range of the products

starts from Rs.500 and

goes up to Rs.27,000 for

over six categories of

designer stainless steel

products for the home.

Glam up yourkitchen this Diwali


Brands like Arttd'inox and Fisher & Paykel haveintroduced a new variety of tableware, cookware

and home decor range

New Delhi: The fragrance

of sweets already fills the

air. Very soon pretty boxes

packed with laddoos,

barfis and the choicest del-

icacies will start piling up

at homes. Diwali, after all,

is incomplete without

sweets. But the after-

effects of bingeing can be

disastrous, more so if you

are on the heavier side.

And if you are vulnerable

to heart disease or have

diabetes, you must exer-

cise caution.

But that doesn't mean

refraining from all sweets.

Dieticians and doctors sug-

gest that the craving for

sweets can be assuaged

with healthier, low-calorie

alternatives like fruit

yoghurts, dry fruits and

dark chocolate.

It will just take a little

effort to ensure that you're

buying and gifting the

right kind of sweets. With

an assortment of sweets

spread out before them,

even the most health con-

scious people end up gorg-

ing on sweets during

Diwali.

Clinical nutritionist Ishi

Khosla says people tend to

binge during Diwali as

they see a lot sweets

around them, and that stirs

up their sensory faculties.

"The smell and look of

sweets weakens your

resolve. So it's best not to

store them at home.

Instead, you can distribute

them to people who need

them more. You can

choose healthier alterna-

tives like dates, bitter

chocolates or nuts." She

also cautions people about

the quality of sweets they

order. For instance, fresh

sandesh or fruit yoghurt is

far healthier than gulab

jamuns. Honey or jaggery-

coated nuts are also a good

option.

Dietitians suggest it is

better to distribute the

sweets one gets, as it

reduces chances of

overeating. "People can

share the sweets with kids

as they burn calories easi-

ly. It's also a good idea to

distribute sweets in the

neighborhood, especially

because we do not know

where the sweets come

from. There is a high

chance of adulteration,"

says consultant dietitian at

Max Healthcare, Cheenu

Prashar.

Dietitians also recom-

mend 'guilt-free' eating.

They say worrying too

much about your weight

also creates problems.

"This is the time when

weight gain is at its peak.

Diabetics become less

careful about their sugar

intake, and those who are

predisposed to diabetes

show signs of high sugar,"

says consultant,

endocrinology and dia-

betology, Moolchand

Medicity, Dr Sanjiv

Bhambani.

Diwali diet: Keep kilos in check

Avoid sweets. You can choose healthier alternatives like dates, bitter chocolates or nuts

A good rush at jewelery shops this festive season is translating into a significant increase in sales

32

The growing ethnic and cultural diversity

of Hindu religion throughout the world

provides the opportunity to participate in

the celebrations and rituals of Diwali festival

that enhances the feeling of being part of a

close-knit group of NRIs. Most Diwali celebra-

tions around the world focus on family and

friends and it is a time to reflect on the past and

vision for a future, perhaps, in a world where

people live together in harmony.Outside India

also, as Diwali approaches, people clean their

homes to escape bad luck in the new year and

families gather for a feast and stay up late, cele-

brating with the help of crackers and sweets.

They believe that the Hindu goddess of good

luck visits homes that are brightly lit.

Mauritius has a sizeable population of Hindus

of Indian origin. So Diwali celebrations here is

as good as in India. Earthen oil lamps are placed

in front of every home - to celebrate the return

of Lord Rama from his 14 years of exile -- turn-

ing the island into a fairyland of flickering

lights.

The main day of the festivities is seen as a

particularly auspicious day for merchants to

make up their accounts and balances for the pre-

vious year, to go unburdened into the next. After

the morning prayers, Hindus share sweets pre-

pared specially for the occasion with family

members, neighbors and friends of any faith, in

accordance with the multicultural spirit of

Mauritius.

Surrounded by the majestic Himalayas,

Nepal, is a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual socie-

ty, and the erstwhile only Hindu Kingdom in the

world. Hindus in Nepal celebrate the Diwali fes-

tival with bright lights, gift exchanges, fire-

works, and elaborate feasts to welcome

Lakshmi, the goddess of light and wealth.

Various houses and shop fronts in Katmandu

display the bright lights typical of Hindu com-

munities during Diwali.

Diwali here is known as Tihar and continues

for five days. Every day has its special signifi-

cance.

The name Indonesia came from two Greek

words: "Indos" meaning Indian and "Nesos"

meaning islands. The majority of population in

Indonesia follows Islam, though only a few hun-

dred years ago they were all Hindus. Hindus

constituent about 2% of Indonesia's total popu-

lation. However, the Indonesian island of Bali is

famous for celebrating the festival of Diwali, as

a majority of the population here are Hindus. It

is one of the most revered festivals of the locals

here. The celebration and rituals of the festival

is mostly similar to that celebrated by their

counterparts in India.

Hindus in Singapore celebrate Diwali with

elaborate light and candle decorations, creating

a beautiful spectacle as the night draws in. As a

policy, crackers are not sold to avoid noise pol-

lution and only sparklers can be bought.

To mark the festival, ‘Little India’ on

Serangoon Road is decorated with lights, gar-

lands and colorful arches. On Diwali day, chil-

dren accompanied by parents go to open areas

to light the sparklers since living here is in high-

rise apartments.

There are more than 18 temples in Singapore

and it is customary to offer prayers at the tem-

ples. The whole atmosphere provides a feeling

of being at home and enables newcomers to eas-

ily integrate with the rest of the society. This

reminds us of the Tamil proverb "Yaadhum

Oore Yaavarum Kelir" which means, 'every

country is my own and all the people are my

kinsmen.'

The South African culture is a mix of many

cultures. It had the largest immigrant Indian

community in the world a decade prior to the

colonization by USA. The immigrant Indians

number almost one million in the country. But

most of them are concentrated in the provinces

of Natal and Transvaal. A majority of the

Indians her are Hindu and they celebrate their

many festivals. Diwali holds an important place

in the festival calendar of the region. Most of

the Hindus here are from UP, Gujarat and Tamil

Nadu and they continue to follow their regional

variations of Hinduism.

One million Indians reside in the former

British colonies of Kenya and Tanzania, consti-

tuting 1% of the total population of these coun-

tries. However, they wield considerable eco-

nomic influence. They also celebrate major

Indian or Hindu festivals.

As they have restricted interaction with the

locals and do not seek converts they usually cel-

ebrate their festivals the same way as India

does. Illumination, worshiping of the Goddess

of wealth are a common practice. Diwali is a

national holiday in Kenya.

Indians are the second largest ethnic minority

in Britain. To get rid of the feeling of missing

their homeland, especially during festival times,

Indians here celebrate most of their festivals.

Diwali is a time for spring-cleaning the home

and for wearing new clothes and most impor-

tantly, decorating buildings with fancy lights.

The British city of Leicester is noted for its

Diwali celebrations

The day is marked by visit to the local temple

to worship at the shrine of goddess Lakshmi.

Though Oct/Nov is a cold, damp and windy

time, the enthusiasm of the festival celebration

and lighting lamps on windowsills or by open

doorways kill the chill.

Here 43 per cent of the population of 1.3 mil-

lion or 5,60,000 are ethnic Indians.

So, Hindu festivals, customs, traditions and

observances form an integral part of the society.

Diwali has a unique flavor here. The festival is

also marked by scores of functions besides the

usual rituals. The functions and celebrations

also have an official imprint as the Ministers of

the Government participate. The celebrations

continue for over a week and the headquarters

of the National Council of Indian Culture at

Diwali Nagar becomes the focal point.

Although it is a Hindu festival, in the island's

multicultural and multi-religious society it is a

national holiday observed by people of all

denominations. The day is marked by prayers,

feasts and the lighting of thousands of diyas all

over the country.

In the Hindu community, there are two stories

of the origin of Diwali, and in the weeks leading

up to the festival they are acted out in full cos-

tume in open-air theaters in villages all over

Trinidad. Employees and even government min-

isters dress in East Indian garb and variety

shows featuring aspects of Indian and Hindu

culture are staged.

Guyana’s Hindu population of about 7,70,000

constitutes 33% of the total. The Co-operative

Republic of Guyana in Southern America cele-

brates Diwali according to the Hindu Solar cal-

endar. The day is declared as a national holiday.

The tradition of celebrating Diwali is believed

to have been brought to Guyana in 1853 by the

first indentured people from India. The legends

related to the festival are similar to those of

India. The celebration of the festival includes,

distribution of sweets, illuminating the inside

and outside of the cleaned up house. The distri-

bution of sweets signifies the importance of

serving and sharing. The tradition of wearing

new clothes is because they believe that wear-

ing new clothes is the symbol of healthy souls in

healthy bodies.

The celebration in Surinam is not as tradition-

al as that observed by Indians. But Hindus

residing here try their best to absorb most of the

aspects associated with Diwali. The population

of this country include 35-40% Hindus, making

Diwali one of the most popular Indian Festivals.

Many Indians here immigrated from Uttar

Pradesh and Bihar.

The Indian people here refer to themselves as

"Hindustani". Sarnami Hindustani (a dialect of

Avadhi and Bhojpuri) is an official languages.

Unlike Holi, Diwali is not an official national

holiday. Yet, it is big festival. Lighting homes,

Goddess Lakshmi puja and visiting temples are

important features of the celebration.

“The Festival of Lights” is celebrated with

much fanfare and gaiety in Fiji. A significant

number of Hindus residing in this country cele-

brate the festival with traditional goodwill and

rituals.

Such is the euphoria over Diwali celebrations

in Fiji that even the non-Hindu population par-

ticipates—it is a public holiday in any case.

The festival gives an opportunity to people of

different faiths and communities to come

together and live in a spirit of communal harmo-

ny.

In Fiji, several schools organize Diwali cele-

brations to let children understand the social,

cultural and religious significance of Diwali

Festival. In several schools Diwali celebrations

are marked by organizing singing, essay writ-

ing, quiz, rangoli making and Diwali Greeting

Card designing competitions besides hosting

talks in Hindi, English and Fijian languages.

Traditional Diwali Lakshmi Pooja is also organ-

ized in several schools. Such activities go a long

way in enhancing the social and cultural devel-

opment of the community in Fiji's multi racial,

multi lingual and multi cultural society.

USA is best known for hundreds of Diwali

festivals organized enthusiastically all across

the country. In places like New York and

New Jersey on the East Coast, Chicago and

Ohio in the heartland and in Los Angeles on

the West Coast, Diwali celebrations are sim-

ply splendid with melas and spectacular fire-

works, the most popular being the South

Street Seaport Diwali Mela in New York

organized by the Association of Indians in

America (AIA-NY).

There are song and dances programs, art

exhibitions, talent competitions and, above

all, coming together of various communities

and ethnicities and their bonding together.

It is a great feeling to be sharing the joy of

happiness all around. That is what Diwali is –

harbinger of a new warmth, a new hope, a

new life.

How Diwali lights gird the globe

November 10-16, 2012 33

An image of Hanuman is paraded at the Diwali celebrations in Leicester, UK. The city has

the largest Hindu population outside India.

Diwali with 6,000 candles at Google Inc. headquarters in Mountain View, California, October 27, 2011.

Ramayan performance in Bali, Indonesia.

Mauritius

Singapore

Trinidad and Tobago

Fiji

AmericaGuyana

Surinam

South Africa

Kenya and Tanzania

Britain

Nepal

Indonesia

With Diwali just around the corner, fire-

cracker stalls have already cropped up

in designated areas of the city. Like

every year, the firecrackers are named after popu-

lar Bollywood actors and this time, it's Kareena

Kapoor Khan who, if we may say so, is the

hottest selling patakha.

Sarika Wagh of a cracker stall says that people

get attracted to the pictures on the packaging and

buy them. This time, the multi-colour sparkle and

flower pots with Kareena Kapoor Khan's picture

are among the top favorites," says she.

Apart from Kareena, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika

Padukone, Asin, Sonakshi Sinha and Aishwarya

Rai Bachchan adorn the covers of most of the

firecracker boxes. Vijay Agarwal, who has been

in this business for 40 years now, adds that crack-

ers with Hindi film actors sell like hot cakes.

"This time, it's not only Bollywood but even

Hollywood's Angelina Jolie is quite a rage. The

crackers are a bit more expensive, but people

don't mind shelling out extra bucks for them,"

says Agarwal. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is seen in

her Jodhaa Akbar avatar on most cracker covers.

Veteran actress Hema Malini, who still is remem-

bered as the Dream Girl, is also on some of the

boxes. So are Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta as

a couple on the cover of a multiple aerial star

bomb. "The crackers are priced between ` 500

and 10,000 depending on the popularity of the

stars," says Vijay Kumar Arora of another cracker

stall. "Usually youngsters opt for these crackers,

and demand for patakhas with their favourite

actor's picture imprinted on them. The multi-

colour aerial bomb, with 120 shots, which has an

image of the Rangeela girl Urmila Matondkar is

also one of the most popular crackers amongst

youngsters," he adds. If we think that Anushka Sharma and

Sonakshi Sinha only fight over Ranbir

Singh, then you need to wait and hear

this story. It is not only the male stars in

Bollywood who fight at the box-office

but leading ladies of Bollywood also

involved in box-office war.

Anushka Sharma and Sonakshi Sinha

are going to clash at the box-office this

Diwali. Anushka’s Yash Raj banner

movie ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ where she is

playing a documentary filmmaker and

makes film on Shahrukh Khan who is an

army officer will release on November

13, so is Sonakshi’s film, ‘Son Of

Sardaar’.

In this film, Sonakshi romances Ajay

Devgn. Apart from the leading ladies, this

two movies are also in news for their

legal war. Ajay's production has reported-

ly send legal notice to Yash Raj banner

for influencing the distributors.

Sonakshi and Anushka are currently not

on talking terms due to Ranbir Singh.

Anushka and Ranbir are said to be alleged

couple.

They came closer during the shooting of

‘Band Baaja Baraat’ and consequently

love brewed between them.

A rift developed between them when

Ranbir signed film opposite Sonakshi in

‘Lootera’ and done an intimate photo

shoot. Anushka did not like it all that

Ranbir has signed film opposite Sonakshi

and showering praise on Sonakshi.

Following this entire story, a big crack

developed Anushka and Ranbir and their

relationship are now in troubled water.

Let’s see who wins the box-office bat-

tle, Anushka or Sonakshi?

Kareena Kapoor Khan hottest cracker this Diwali Anushka, Sonakshi to clash this Diwali

Sonakshi Sinha in a scene from 'Son of Sardaar' and Anushka Sharma withShah Rukh Khan in 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan'

Kareena Kapoor Khan with Saif

November 10-16, 2012 34

The Khans are fighting it out for the

box office with their Eid, Diwali and

Christmas releases in 2012.

Meanwhile, tinsel town's chocolate boy

Shahid Kapoor has managed to sneak in and

create a slot of his own. Shahid is eyeing a

bumper Dussehra and Diwali 2013 with his

'Namak' pitched for release in 2013.

The film is produced by veteran actor-cho-

reographer Prabhudeva and has Sonakshi

Sinha in the lead across Shahid. Critics are

calling 'Namak' unprecedented with an actor

who doesn't feature among the top five in

B'town.

The Diwali slot is

usually occupied by

actors who have

been in the business

for 20 years or

more, like the

Khans, Akshay

Kumar, Ajay Devgn

and more recently,

Hrithik Roshan.

I n t e r e s t i n g l y,

Sonakshi is deter-

mined to change

her desirable

u n c o n v e n t i o n a l

looks and lose her

c h u b b i n e s s .

Apparently, Sona is

upset with the

media criticizing her fresh pairing with

Shahid Kapoor in Prabhu Deva's upcoming

next film 'Namak'.

The plump Sona against a carved out bod-

ied Shahid has made some critics say she

looks older than a lean Shahid. Sona has

decided to prove her detractors wrong. The

Dabangg girl has asked co-star cum friend

Salman Khan's trainer to help her shed those

extra kilos.

She is adamant to get into a new shape for

'Namak'. The actress has already started

training and is following a strenuous work-

out regime on the sets of 'Dabangg 2'.

It's that time of the year when

Bollywood dress designers are at their

busiest. It is also the time of the year

when the superstars' social calendar is at

its most hectic.

The card parties that are the lifeline dur-

ing Diwali will happen at homes of

Ameesha Patel, Ekta Kapoor and Shilpa

and Raj Kundra. Ekta is clear her party

will start around midnight and end only

post breakfast.

Ameesha's invitation says, "Since

Diwali is usually spent with close friends

and family, please feel free to bring some

close friends with you. We, Kunal

Goomer (her partner) and I, will be happy

to host you."

Shilpa and Raj's taash parties are

always hit because it has everyone from

the Bachchans to the Khans in atten-

dance. "This year the celebration is even

bigger because the Kundras are happy

that they have been blessed with a son,"

says a source.

A bumper Diwali for ShahidEkta, Shilpa, Ameesha to host card parties

Shahid Kapoor

November 10-16, 2012 35

Washington/New Delhi: Prime

Minister Manmohan Singh was

amongst the several world lead-

ers President Barack Obama per-

sonally called to thank for their

congratulatory messages and to

express "his desire to continue

close cooperation moving ahead".

Manmohan Singh and Obama

had a telephonic conversation,

said an official statement from

Prime Minister's Office in New

Delhi.

The prime minister congratulat-

ed Obama on his re-election and

wished him success for his sec-

ond term in office.

He added that this had given an

opportunity to the two countries

to carry forward and build on the

enormous successes that had

been achieved in the bilateral

partnership in the last few years.

"Prime minister also expressed

his appreciation for the personal

interest and commitment that

President Obama had brought to

the relationship and said that he

looked forward to continuing

their close cooperation to pursue

their shared vision for the India-

US strategic partnership," it said.

A White House readout of the

president's phone calls with

world leaders Thursday said:

"Since Tuesday evening, the

president has been receiving mes-

sages from his counterparts

around the world congratulating

him on winning re-election to a

second term in office."

"The president appreciates all

of these messages and looks for-

ward to continuing to work with

all of his fellow leaders to

address the serious challenges we

face together in the world.

"This morning the president

was able to return some of these

messages personally, by phone.

In each call, he thanked his coun-

terpart for their friendship and

partnership thus far and

expressed his desire to continue

close cooperation moving ahead,"

it said.

In his congratulatory message

to Obama, Manmohan Singh per-

sonally committed to a "reward-

ing" association to build further

on the global strategic partner-

ship that the two nations have

built over the last four years.

By Prakash Bhandari

Writers from India and abroad will meet

at the sixth Jaipur Literature Festival

at Diggi Palace in Jaipur Jan 24-28 for

five days to discuss literature. The festival will

also highlight Indian language writing to explore

transitions in literary ethos.

Announcing the festival, the organisers in a

statement Monday said a host of writers has con-

firmed their participation. These include Ambai,

Benyamin, Bhalchandra Nemade, Diana Eck,

Elizabeth Gilbert, Hisham Matar, Homi Bhabha,

Javed Akhtar, Kancha Ilaiah, Kunwar Narain,

Linda Grant, Madeline Miller, Michael Sandel,

Michel Houellebecq, Nadeem Aslam, Neelesh

Mishra, Orlando Figes, Pico Iyer, Reza Aslan and

Simon Armitage.

Described as the mecca of literature, the festi-

val on an average has nearly 57,000 visitors each

day and drew more than 122,000 people in 2012,

the organisers said.

This year too the festival will showcase diver-

sity of writing in over 16 Indian languages,

including Hindi, Urdu, Rajasthani, Tamil, Telugu,

Bhojpuri, Maithili, Punjabi, Bangla, Malayalam,

Gujarati, Sindhi, Kannada and Kashmiri. A spe-

cial emphasis will be on the transition of Maithili

and Bhojpuri literature from the traditional to the

contemporary.

A session, "Remembering Sunil Da", will pay

tributes to noted Bengali writer, late Sunil

Gangopadhyay, who had before his death agreed

to attend the festival in 2013.

The sessions will also look into Russian litera-

ture, Jewish novel, William Shakespeare,

Rudyard Kipling, cricket writing, the New

Africa, Iran, and writings on contemporary art.

Sessions on the Buddha will comprise aspects of

literature, aesthetics, philosophy and social issues

with discussions by writers and practitioners like

Ranjini Obeyesekere, Ani Choying, Benoy K.

Behl and Kancha Ilaiah. Co-director of the festi-

val Namita Gokhale said: "This January, the

magical banyan tree of the DSC Jaipur Literature

Festival will once again spread its branches and

extend it roots, to celebrate the tradition of books,

dialogue and creativity."

Obama thanks PM, to continue close cooperation

Surajkund (Haryana):

Alerting party leaders to the

challenge of the general elec-

tions ahead, Congress president

Sonia Gandhi asked all minis-

ters to get cracking on fulfilling

the promises made in the 2009

manifesto.

"Those of you who are in the

government should get down to

implementing the work left

from the promises made in the

2009 manifesto," Gandhi said

in her opening remarks at the

party's review cum strategy

meeting being held in this Haryana town bor-

dering the national capital.

Seeking opinion of the leaders on how to

give more depth to the government's welfare

measures, she also asked the ministers to work

more with party leaders so a balance is

achieved in the implementation of these pro-

grammes.

"Sometimes the party leaders are dissatis-

fied as the ministers do not pay attention to

their concerns and suggestions," said Gandhi.

"There should be a continuous dialogue

between the party leaders and those in the

government."

She asked ministers to spend

more time at party offices and at

party events whenever they

travelled to a state, especially in

the opposition ruled states.

Gandhi did not mention for-

eign equity in retail but said the

government had to take some

difficult decisions recently and

this must be explained to the

people.

She also urged the party and

the government to rebut false

charges being levelled by the

opposition. "We have around 18 months left

for the next Lok Sabha election. We must get

ready to face the challenge," Gandhi said.

The one-day meeting of the party is being

attended by about 70 people, including minis-

ters and members of the Congress Working

Committee.

Billed as an informal Samvad Baithak

(brainstorming session), the meeting will also

discuss how to create better synergy between

the Congress and the United Progressive

Alliance government, particularly in the

months ahead of the 2014 general elections.

Sonia asks ministers to implement 2009 manifesto

36 November 10-16, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoINDIA

Manmohan Singh wished Barack Obama success for his second term in office

New Delhi: Activist-turned-politician

Arvind Kejriwal alleged that brothers

Mukhesh and Anil Ambani and Congress

MP Annu Tandon, among others, have

crores of rupees deposited in banks in

Switzerland.

He said this was based on a list of 10

account holders in HSBC bank in Geneva

that was passed on to him by a senior

Congress leader that was later cross-checked

by a team of his India Against Corruption

(IAC) organization.

"In July 2011, the Indian Government

received a list of roughly 700 people having

bank accounts in HSBC, Geneva. The list

contains bank balances of these people in

2006. These names are also part of the list,"

said Kejriwal during a press conference

here. The list named the Ambani brothers as

having Rs.100 crore each, Congress Unnao

MP Tandon of having Rs.125 crore, includ-

ing another Rs.125 crore in name of her

deceased husband Sandeep Tandon and Jet

Airways chairman Naresh Kumar Goyal of

having Rs.80 crore.

Three brothers who own Dabur have

Rs.25 crores in Swiss banks, while

Yashovardhan Birla and Kokila Dhirubhai

Ambani have accounts with zero balance,

Kejriwal alleged in the conference, also

addressed by his associate Prashant

Bhushan.

"Our sources told us Mukhesh Ambani

had come to the finance ministry when the

list of 700 Swiss account holders were pro-

vided to India. He told the finance ministry

'we are prepared to pay the tax to buy peace

and no raids should be conducted'," said

Kejriwal. According to Kejriwal, the present

CBI director once said more than

Rs.25,00,000 crore of ill-gotten Indian

money was stashed abroad while the Indian

government said that an amount of Rs.6,000

crore is deposited in Swiss banks.

He said even as black money was a big

threat to India's economic sovereignty, the

union government was trying to shield its

perpetrators. "Indian government seems to

be more interested in helping the guilty

rather than punishing them."

Kejriwal said the then finance minister

Pranab Mukherjee had even planned an

amnesty for all the 700 Swiss account hold-

ers. He also demanded strict action against

HSBC bank for encouraging kidnapping,

corruption and terrorism in the country.

"Like America, we should enact a law that

makes it mandatory for foreign banks oper-

ating in the country to furnish a list of all

account holders to the income tax depart-

ment," he said, asking the thousands of

HSBC bank employees to quit their jobs

Kejriwal targets Swiss bank account holders

Activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal

Congress presidentSonia Gandhi

Jaipur Literature Festival to focus on Indian writing


New York: A Gujarati business-

men was stabbed to death by two

masked robbers in his store in

Newport, Delaware on Saturday

morning.

Hemant Chauhan, 57, had taken

over the store over a year ago

after working in motels till

recently. He had migrated to the

US in 2001.

Delaware state police said a

man walked into the store named

Newport Penn Bantam Market at

418 Newport-Gap Pike around

7:15pm Friday and jumped the

counter and demanded cash from

Chauhan. After a brief argument,

the miscreant and his accomplice

stabbed the victim and ran away

with some money.

Chauhan was taken to

Christiana Hospital where he was

pronounced dead.

When the incident took place

his wife Bhumika was also in the

store.

Family members said the cul-

prits are yet to be caught. They

are not sure how much of cash

was looted as Bhumika is still in

a state of shock. However, it is

most likely that the family will

wind up the business in the US

and may return to India reported

media.

Gujarati businessman stabbed to death in Delaware

38 November 10-16, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoNATIONAL COMMUNITY

IN BRIEF

Indian Consulate offers support to Hurricane Sandy victims

In a press release the Consulate General

of India has conveyed its sincere sympa-

thy and support to all persons who have

been affected by the recent devastation

caused by Hurricane Sandy. ‘The Consulate

understands that several Indians have also

suffered damage. The Consulate hopes that

all such affected persons will be able to over-

come this difficult situation and that their

lives will soon be back to normal. The Con-

sulate also appreciates the efforts of the local

authorities to overcome the challenges posed

by this unprecedented crisis situation,’ the

press release read. For assistance in emer-

gency cases, one can contact Mr. V. Perumal,

Consul(CPV & PIC), Cell No. 646 289 2194

and Mr. S. Sinha, Vice Consul (Visa), Cell

No. 917 434 4785.

America India Foundation raises funds for Hurricane Sandy relief

America India Foundation has focused

its philanthropic efforts on uplifting

and empowering the lives of the mil-

lions of impoverished in India who most need

support. In a press statement AIF has offered

deepest condolences to families who lost their

loved ones during the onslaught of Hurricane

Sandy. “Just as we rallied around the Gujarat

earthquake in 2001 to form the American In-

dia Foundation, so today we come together

once more to offer relief and rehabilitation to

assist the victims and begin to rebuild com-

munities. Indeed, we have always remain con-

nected to our roots in disaster relief, whether

in response to 9/11, the 2005 tsunami, or the

2010 Haiti earthquake - and understand the ur-

gency with which dedicated response can help

alleviate the destruction and devastation that

natural disasters leave behind. With this spirit

in mind, we are pleased to announce the Hur-

ricane Sandy Relief Fund. As a trusted vehicle

for your philanthropy, 100% of your donation

will go directly to rebuilding efforts on the

eastern seaboard,” said the organization in its

press-release. One can donate by visiting the

website www.aif.org

Indian Consulate hosts CIIS event

The Consul General of In-

dia, New York hosted a

reception for the New

York Chapter of the California

Institute of Integral Studies

(CIIS) Alumni Gathering on

October 26, 2012 at New India

House. The event was attended

by about seventy guests com-

prising of the members of CIIS,

distinguished academics and

senior officials of the Con-

sulate.

Welcoming the gathering,

Consul General Mr. Prabhu

Dayal, citing examples of an-

cient philosophy, spoke about the values of

integral education and its relevance in con-

temporary living.

The main attraction of the evening was a

lecture by Ameeta Mehra,

Chairperson of the Gnostic

Centre and International Centre

for Integral Studies, Delhi.

Mehra spoke on ‘The Founding

Spirit of Auroville, the univer-

sal township in South India was

set up on the philosophical

principles of Sri Aurobindo.

She stated that Auroville was

created to bring together citi-

zens of the world to render

themselves to become a willing

servitor of the divine con-

sciousness, through unending

education to establish a new

order of human unity. Others who spoke on

the occasion were President Joseph L. Sub-

biondo and Dean Richard Buggs, of

the CIIS.

Domestic Harmony Foundation organizes Walk-A-Thon

On Sunday October 28th, supporters of

anti-violence and human rights came

together to walk in solidarity against

domestic violence at Eisenhower Park. The

“Walk to End Domestic Violence” was organ-

ized by the Domestic Harmony Foundation

(DHF). A portion of the proceeds from the

walkathon will be donated to the INN - Inter-

faith Nutrition Network. For this walkathon,

Domestic Harmony Foundation collaborated

with a number of other groups, notably the

National Council of Jewish Women

(NCJWP), Women for Afghan Women

(WAW), Indian American Women Alliance

(IAWA), Center for Civic Engagement at Hof-

stra University and Family Development

Institute.

Health camp on Dec 2 at Secaucus Swaminarayan Temple

On Sunday, December 2, 2012, a health

screening and disease awareness and

prevention fair will be organized by

the dedicated volunteers of Indian Health

Camp of New Jersey (IHCNJ) in collabora-

tion with Shree Swaminarayan Temple, 200

Penhorn Avenue, Secaucus, NJ 07094. IHC-

NJ, a non-profit organization, will hold this

health camp for the seventh consecutive year

at Secaucus Temple. The pre-registered par-

ticipants between the ages of 45 and 64 with-

out any medical insurance from the various

areas of New Jersey can participate in this full

day health screening services. About 15-20

physicians from various specialties of inter-

nal medicine, cardiology, ophthalmology,

dentist, physical therapy, pain management,

medical students and other volunteers will

provide their service to screen and educate

patients on diabetes, hypertension, cardiac

diseases, high cholesterol, various types of

cancer and other chronic debilitating diseases

which is prevalent in South Asian communi-

ty. The blood test services will be provided by

Rupen Patel of Accurate Diagnostics Labs in

Edison for all qualified participants at no cost.

The blood test reports will be reviewed by the

physicians and mailed to all participants with

a counseling note, if any abnormalities are de-

tected in the test.

The State of New Jersey, Commission for

the blind and their dedicated team under the

leadership of Dr. Sunil Parikh will provide

eye screening to all eligible participants. For

detailed information on the upcoming health

fair and future activities, visit organization

web site at www.IHCNJ.org or contact Dr.

Tushar Patel at 848-391-0499.

Indian Americans reach out to Sandy victims

The Hyderabadabi Cultural Associa-

tion has donated over 120 new blan-

kets to the Hispanic Community of

Northern Huntington and also some families

of Rockaways in Queens. These blankets

were donated by members and friends of

HCA. The President, Quddus Mohammed

and Mr Naimathullah personally delivered

the boxes and promised the Rescue Mission

organizers to do more. "There was an urgent

need due to cold weather and we responded

immediately to save those children," said

Mr. Mohammed. “There is an on going need

for food and warm clothing and blankets.

Red Cross and FEMA has not reached these

families. They are mostly daily wage labor

who lost homes and are without work.Please

Donate: We will continue to collect canned

food, rice, pasta, cooking oil etc and blankets

for next few weeks. Please call and deliver,”

he added.

email:[email protected]

Team members of Domestic Harmony Foundation

Ameeta Mehra, theguest lecturer of the

evening

Beijing: President Hu Jintao

warned China's incoming leaders

that corruption threatened the rul-

ing Communist Party and the state,

but said the party must stay in

charge as it battles growing social

unrest.

In a state-of-the-nation address to

more than 2,000 hand-picked party

delegates before he hands over

power, Hu acknowledged that pub-

lic anger over graft and issues like

environmental degradation had

undermined the party's support and

led to surging numbers of protests.

In other comments, he promised

political reform but ruled out copy-

ing Western-style democracy. He

also stressed the need to strengthen

the armed forces and protect sea

territory amid disputes with Japan

and Southeast Asian nations.

"Combating corruption and pro-

moting political integrity, which is

a major political issue of great con-

cern to the people, is a clear-cut

and long-term political commit-

ment of the party," Hu said.

"If we fail to handle this issue

well, it could prove fatal to the

party, and even cause the collapse

of the party and the fall of the state.

We must thus make unremitting

efforts to combat corruption."

Hu was opening a week-long

congress at Beijing's Great Hall of

the People that will usher in a

once-in-a-decade leadership

change in the world's second-

largest economy. Despite the high

profile of the event and the focus

on sensitive issues like reform and

graft, the comments were not con-

sidered unusual since they mainly

reinforced existing ideas and

themes.

"It was a rather conservative

report," said Jin Zhong, the editor

of Open Magazine, an independent

Hong Kong publication that spe-

cializes in Chinese politics.

"There's nothing in there that sug-

gests any breakthrough in political

reforms."

The run-up to the carefully cho-

reographed meeting, at which Hu

will hand over his post as party

chief to anointed successor Vice

President Xi Jinping, has been

overshadowed by a corruption

scandal involving one-time high-

flying politician Bo Xilai.

The party has accused him of

taking bribes and abusing his

power to cover up his wife's mur-

der of a British businessman in the

southwestern city of Chongqing,

which he used to run.

While Hu did not name Bo - a

man once considered a contender

for top office himself - he left little

doubt about the target.

Rebkong: An 18-year-old Tibetan identified

as Kalsang Jinpa self-immolated in Dolma

Square in Rebkong. According to reports,

the former monk of the Rongwo Monastery

raised a white banner carrying slogans call-

ing for the Dalai Lama's return and the rights

of the Tibetan people before setting himself

ablaze. Jinpa succumbed to his injuries, rais-

ing the self-immolation toll to a staggering

69.

Earlier, five Tibetans self-immolated on

Wednesday ahead of the 18th National

Congress of China's Communist Party of

which three young monks Dorje, 15,

Samdrub, 16, and Dorje Kyab, 16-set them-

selves ablaze in front of a police station in

Ngaba town, calling for a free Tibet and the

return of Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai

Lama.

Tamdrin Tso, 23, mother of a young son

set fire to herself and died in the Gemar mar-

ket area of Rebkong (in Chinese, Tongren)

county. The fifth self-immolation was

reported in Bekhar township in Driru county,

Nagchu prefecture, of the Tibet Autonomous

Region.

China prepares for leadership transition

Islamabad: Most Pakistanis desired

a Mitt Romney victory, a newspaper

said Thursday, adding Islamabad

will now have to again work with

Barack Obama despite "an unhappy

(US-Pakistan) marriage".

"President Obama has presided

over the deepest trough in US-

Pakistan relations in decades, and

historically Pakistan has had better

relations with the US under a

Republican president," The News

International said.

The daily pointed out that it was

the growing number of drone

attacks under Obama that had led to

"a powerful anti-Americanism that

reaches deep into the nation".

However, the Afghan endgame

would mean that Pakistan's role in

the peace prospects in Afghanistan

will come to the fore, it added in an

editorial.

"The US and Pakistan will have to

work closely - in an unhappy mar-

riage of convenience - on conflict

mitigation, and Pakistan's role vis-à-

vis brokerage with and between var-

ious groups vying for power in

Afghanistan will be crucial," it said.

The Daily Times said the next four

years of Obama were unlikely to

bring anything radically different in

terms of policy.

"There is no gainsaying the fact

though that Islamabad will have to

cut its cloth according to what

largesse or otherwise flows from

Washington from now on," it said.

"The US has been trying through

carrot and stick methods to get

Pakistan to abandon the use of prox-

ies for jehadi extremism, but this is

far from an accomplished fact,

despite the enormous costs of con-

tinuing with that outdated policy for

Pakistan itself."

Pakistan would have preferred Romney: daily

SUBCONTINENT

Vice President Xi Jinping

The Daily Times said the nextfour years of Obama were

unlikely to bring anything radi-cally different in terms of policy

London: WikiLeaks founder

Julian Assange has described

re-elected US President Barack

Obama as a "wolf in sheep's

clothing" and said he expected

his government to continue

attacking the anti-secrecy web-

site.

Speaking from Ecuador's

London embassy, where he

sought asylum in June in a bid

to avoid extradition to Sweden

over sex crime allegations,

Assange said Obama's victory

was no cause for celebration.

"Obama seems to be a nice

man, and that is precisely the

problem," the 41-year-old

Australian said, after the presi-

dent defeated Republican Mitt

Romney on Wednesday to

sweep back into the White

House. "It's better to have a

sheep in wolf 's clothing than a

wolf in sheep's clothing."

For Assange, Obama a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

New Delhi:

Nearly 20 years

after 1993 serial

bomb blasts in

Mumbai killed

257 people and

left 713 others

i n j u r e d ,

Pakistan contin-

ues to provide

safe haven to

fugitive don

D a w o o d

Ibrahim, India

said at an Interpol meeting in Rome. Home Minister

Sushilkumar Shinde, addressing the Interpol general

assembly, pointed out that red corner notices were pend-

ing against Dawood Ibrahim, according to an official

statement issued here.

"I'm constrained to point out that in spite of regular dia-

logue and credible evidence, the masterminds of one of

the most heinous act of terror of last century, that is 1993

Mumbai bomb blasts in which 257 people died and 713

were injured, are still sitting in safe heavens and are yet

to be brought to book," Shinde said.

"Their presence in a neighboring country is well known

and Interpol red notices against them, who are Indian

nationals, are pending since 1993," he stressed.

India slams safe haven forDawood in Pak

Another Tibetan self-immolates in Rebkong

International

39November 10-16, 2012TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim

Mumbai: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar was pre-

sented with the Order of Australia by Simon Crean,

Minister for Regional Australia, at a felicitation cere-

mony here this week.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard had made

the announcement on her visit to India last month,

making Tendulkar only the third Indian to receive the

honor after Mother Teresa and former Attorney

General Soli Sorabjee.

Simon Crean, who presented the award to

Tendulkar, is also the minister for regional develop-

ment and local government and minister for the arts.

On the occasion, Tendulkar chose to share his expe-

rience of playing against Australia.

“They are fierce competitors who play well and

hard. But they also shower you with praises when

you do well. And my favorite ground away from

home is Sydney,” said Tendulkar.

Recollecting his maiden tour down under in 1991-

92, Tendulkar said: “It completely changed me as a

cricketer.”

Meanwhile, in April 2013, Madame Tussauds is

bringing cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar in Sydney

in April 2013. Sachin will take up permanent resi-

dence alongside Australian cricket greats Don

Bradman and Shane Warne.

London: China's gold demand is expected to

grow 1 percent this year to a record of around

860 tonnes, the global head of metals at con-

sultancy Thomson Reuters GFMS said, with

both jewelry and investment sales rising.

That increase means China will overtake

India as the world's biggest consumer of gold

for the first time on a yearly basis, Philip

Klapwijk told the online Reuters Global Gold

Forum.

"China will overtake India ... both in over-

all demand terms and as the world's largest

jewelry market," he said.

He said China's jewelry demand is expected

to climb to around 520 tonnes from 515

tonnes in 2011, while investment is seen at

around 270 tonnes, up from 265 tonnes last

year. The balance, of around 70 tonnes, is

industrial consumption, Klapwijk said.

China is already the main consumer of a

range of commodities, including copper, coal

and iron ore.

It is also the biggest gold producer, with

mine output of 371 tonnes in 2011, but it is

still having to import large quantities of gold

to satisfy domestic demand.

Sachin bestowed Order of Australia honor

Mumbai: Debt-ridden Kingfisher

Airlines reported net loss of Rs 754

crore for the July-September quar-

ter on Thursday, a sharp increase

from Rs 469 crore in the year-ago

period, and said it is working on a

plan to resume services.

The revenue plunged to Rs 200

crore during its second quarter of

this fiscal from Rs 1,553 crore in

the same period last year because

of disruption in operations and

eventual suspension of its licence

by aviation regulator DGCA.

Even as the company's expenses

declined across various heads, the

firm suffered huge restructuring

cost. Its tax expenses also rose

sharply. Announcing the result, the

carrier said it is in discussions with

various stakeholders to ensure that

there are no future disruptions and

expects to resume operations in the

near future.

It faces the risk of losing its

license if a revival plan is not sub-

mitted by next month, while

bankers are working on plans to

handle large scale defaults by the

airline.

Kingfisher loss widens to Rs 754 crore

40 November 10-16, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoBUSINESS

Sachin Tendulkar is presented with the‘Order of Australia’ by Australian

minister Simon Crean

Sachin's eyes being matched for his wax statue at

Madame Tussaud

The airline faces the risk of losing its license if a revival plan isnot submitted by next month

Greater Noida: Cola

giants Coca Cola will

be sponsoring talent-

ed India U-16 foot-

baller Uttam Rai’s

six-month training

stint at Colorado

Rush Football

Academy in the

United States.

The 15-year-old,

who was spotted by

the All India Football

Federation (AIFF) in

2009 at the Coca-

Cola Mir Iqbal

Hussain Trophy, will

also look to land him-

self a students scholar-

ship during his train-

ing stint in the U.S. that would

allow him to stay on for a longer

duration.

The Cola giants will be picking

up the player’s tab for the airfare

and stay in the U.S.

Coca Cola chief executive Atul

Singh told IANS that football is

not just a corporate social respon-

sibility (CSR) activity for the

company but serious business.

“Uttam is the find of the first

Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy that

Coca Cola sponsored. Now we are

taking the endeavor forward.

Football is not just a CSR activity

for Coca Cola, but serious busi-

ness,” said Singh at the compa-

ny’s headquarters in

Gurgaon.Uttam, who hails from

Sikkim, said he was ready for the

challenge and was looking at a

fruitful training stint in the U.S.

Coke to help Rai’s US stint

India’s young football talent Uttam Rai withPresident and CEO, Coca-Cola India Atul

Singh, at a felicitation in Gurgaon,Haryana. (Photo: Amlan Paliwal)

Gurgaon: FMCG multina-

tional Nestle opened its

first research and develop-

ment (R&D) center in

India at the industrial

township of Manesar in

Haryana.

The center will be part of

Nestle's worldwide R&D

network enabling the company to acquire local knowl-

edge and use it on a global scale.

"Our R&D center in India will help us gain important

insights into local consumers' eating habits and taste

preferences, as well as great expertise in using and pro-

cessing local ingredients to develop products for India

and beyond," said chief executive Paul Bulcke.

With the opening of this center, the company aims to

extend the range of mainstream products it currently

offers in the country, particularly noodles, cereals, bever-

age and dairy categories, he added.

Tariq Anwar, Minister of State for Agriculture and

Food Processing Industries, was chief guest at the open-

ing of the center. He hoped the center will facilitate

exchange of scientific knowledge and development of

skills.

Nestle has been in India for 100 years. The company's

sales agents first started work in Chennai and Kolkata in

1912.

Nestle opens its first India R&D center

China to overtake India inoverall gold demand

Sports


Adults have banned love. Any young

person who marries someone they

love (as opposed to the official partner

chosen by adults) will be exiled, said the town

council of Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. "Love mar-

riages are a shame for society," council mem-

ber Sattar Ahmed told the Daily Mail. I'd love

to see him and his wife on a romantic night

out. I can imagine them passing the time stab-

bing voodoo effigies of the opposite sex.

But how do you ban love? Anti-love cam-

paigners are targeting mobile phones as the

main tools young people these days use to

"grow" love. No girls should be allowed to

have mobile phones, member of parliament

Rajpal Singh Saini told a gathering of men last

week, according to the Times of India. If your

female children have phones, "take them

away," he was quoted as saying.

I was reading the news articles above when I

realized that if a fiction-writer wrote about a

crew of ranting villains banning love, it would

be considered scarcely believable. The world's

writers of trashy novel and B-movies really

need to give these gentlemen an award, or at

least a thank-you letter.

Going back to mobile phones, here's a relat-

ed joke: The Indian government digs 1,000

metres down and finds traces of cop-

per wire. "This proves we had a

phone network 5,000 years ago,"

they announce. The Chinese

government digs 1,000 metres

down and finds nothing. "This

proves we had a wireless net-

work 5,000 years ago," they

announce.

*-*

A woman faked a kidnapping so

that she could get a day off work last

week. Sheila Bailey Eubank, 48, spent the day

away from her office in California, US, and

then tied herself up with rope and told police

she had been kidnapped. But videos from

shops she'd entered revealed she was lying.

The odd thing is that this tale reminded me a

similar case in Japan: except that focussed on

a man who loved his work too much. A 29-

year-old businessman, he overslept, missing

an 8 a.m. meeting. Burning with humiliation,

he kidnapped himself, drove himself out of

town, beat himself up and dumped himself in

the middle of nowhere. Then he called his col-

leagues. "So sorry to miss the meeting, I got

kidnapped, you know how it is."

*-*

The mystery of the red-bearded

prisoner has been solved. People

were puzzled that Khalid

Sheikh Mohammed has been

appearing in court with a

bright ginger-auburn beard,

yet Guantanamo Bay prison

is not exactly known for

haute couture hairdressing

salons. Jailers last week

revealed he "used crushed berries

from his breakfast" to make his own

hair dye.

Crushed berries from his breakfast? I always

stop my kids buying that cereal with dried

strawberry chunks because it's so expensive.

To improve my living standards, I need to

move the whole family to Guantanamo Bay

prison.

*-*

Did you read about that German guy who

went out for a few drinks and afterwards

couldn't find his car? The Bavarian man, 31,

went home in a taxi. The next day he went

back and STILL couldn't find his car. Well, he

finally found it recently - TWO YEARS after

he had lost it.

I know a guy who had a few beers in

Frankfurt and lost his hotel. He eventually

flew back to Asia and told his wife that he had

no suitcase of dirty laundry because it had

been stolen. Ancient legends talk of "the

waters of Lethe", a potion that wipes out

memories. I think it's Heineken or Carlsberg.

*-*

The phone rings. You work at the customer

service department of Bouygues Telecom. The

caller says that her phone bill is too high. You

politely tell her that she has to pay it. She says

a mistake has been made. You say the comput-

er cannot be wrong. She says the bill is for

11,000 trillion euros. You tell her it can't be

changed. She tells you that no one in the

world can pay that much money. You tell her

she can pay in installments.

A French news source named Sud Ouest

reported that a woman, Solenne San Jose of

Bordeaux, took more than 45 minutes to con-

vince staff her bill was wrong, despite the sum

being literally ALL THE MONEY IN THE

WORLD.

If I ever run a big corporation, these are the

customer service officers I want manning the

phones. Total impenetrability.

*-*

Zheng Zhenyong is truly dense. He has

applied to be listed in the Guinness Book of

Records as the owner of the world's thickest

skull. "I train by headbutting concrete pillars,"

the man from Shenzhen, China, told Econews,

a Chinese website. I would hate to live in an

apartment block with this guy running around

whacking the foundations with his head.

*-*

The latest news reports are saying former

top cyclist Lance Armstrong ran "the biggest

and most sophisticated doping program in

sports history". I can almost hear the outraged

reaction in Beijing. "Hey, what about us?"

Armstong said he "didn't have the energy"

to fight back. Hey, Lance, don't you usually

have a little something in your pocket that

solves your energy problems?

*-*

A seafood worker fell into a giant steamer

and was cooked to death, police in California

reported the other day. Poor guy. Mind you,

had this happened to a food worker in

Shanghai, where thousands of crabs are

steamed alive every week, I would have no

sympathy.

*-*

Did you read that the new president of

France is trying to win the youth vote by

promising to abolish homework? For the first

time in history, a world leader and a kid at my

children's school are running on the same plat-

form.

Funny Bone by Nury Vittachi

Mike Weigart, 30, brought his surfboard to the ballot box at thepolling place at the Venice Beach lifeguard headquarters in LosAngeles Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Weigart said "It's awesome the

polling place is where I surf."

Photo of the week

42 November 10-16, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoHUMOR

Love marriages a shame and mobiles the culprit

Aries: You are likely to become highly

ambitious, determined and enthusiastic

this week. Your high energy level would

bring enormous gains and enhance your reputa-

tion. Financially you would become more com-

fortable and have plenty of time for recreational

and other activities. Members of the opposite sex

would be source of inspiration and will help you in

need of the hour. Some tension might arise with

close friends or relatives.

Taurus: For those of you who have not

been going out lately, you will have plenty

of opportunities to meet and build new

alliances. Anxiety and indecisiveness that has

plagued you in the past seems to end, as optimism

and confidence seems to take control. Financial

gains likely but you need to be extra careful before

entering into any new partnerships. House ladies

are likely to be more involved into embroidery,

cooking or other creative activities. Children and

youngsters will look up to you for inspiration.

Gemini: Though progress has been slow

and not rewarding on financial front, some

news will bring happiness and boost your

morale. Business decisions and investments need

to be made very carefully, as speculation will only

bring major losses. Close relative might make an

unexpected visit bringing gifts and presents. These

pleasant and memorable moments bring happiness

and harmony at home. Your interest in religious

and spiritual activities would make you seek

divine knowledge.

Cancer: Finish your pending jobs that

have been hovering over your head before

you pick up any new assignment. Work

pressure might leave you irritated and exhausted,

but you should remember that harsh words and

erratic behaviour would only bring disregard and

criticism. Financial gains seem likely as you

recover delayed and pending payments. Children

would need careful handling and proper attention.

Try to meditate to calm inner conflicts.

Leo:Improvement in relationship with

important and influential people would

bring a change in your personality. Your

confidence and determination would be upbeat

and you are likely to win plenty of favours with

your charms and pleasant personality. However

deception from a close associate and losses due to

hasty investment cannot be ruled out. Encourage

children to spend their extra time with creative

activities and sports. Spouse in a loving and caring

mood banishes your troubles away.

Virgo: You might be bestowed with

rewards and recognition for your recent

achievements. The appreciation you

receive will have major contributions from your

family members and friends. Religious feeling

will arise, making some of you embark on a pil-

grimage. Journeys and travelling that you under-

take during this period would be highly rewarding

and educating. Though gains of luxury items are

foreseen, but few losses due to hasty speculation

cannot be ruled out.

Libra: This week you seem to possess the

Midas touch. Gains from investment and

speculation would be beyond expectations.

New plans and offers would dominate the week.

For those at service new job opportunities or some

sort of monetary benefit cannot be ruled out.

Domestic happiness and new romance will flour-

ish. Despite such a prosperous time and financial

gains, some tensions due to careless actions of

your domestic servants, co-workers or working

partners cannot be ruled out.

Scorpio: A brilliant week for creative as

well as literary activities. Your imaginative

talent will prove to be highly lucrative.

Financial gains are also expected from invest-

ments that you have made recently. New contacts

and friendships will develop through social activi-

ties. Uncertainty regarding career opportunities of

your children will seem to bother your mind, seek

advice from an academic counsellor if necessary.

Do not overspend on friends and spend more time

with family members.

Sagittarius: This week you should set

your goals and make the best of your

efforts to reap the rewards. Your confi-

dence and ability to work on projects, which

require high responsibility, would bring you bene-

fits in the long run. This period is also good for

building ties with influential people and important

govt. officials. A short trip for pleasure later in

week cannot be ruled out. Nuptial knots for some

lovebirds.

Capricorn: This week opportunities to

travel should not be turned down. There

would be improvement in your business as

well as professional skills. Certain legal matters

would need immediate attention, therefore seek an

advice of a lawyer if necessary. Financial gains

will accrue throughout the week, but you need to

control your tendency to be extravagant, in order

to save. Friends and relations will be helpful to

complete pending jobs.

Aquarius: Despite some tensions and both-

eration that you might have experienced

last week, this period start on an optimistic

note. Excitement and gaiety marks this week with

plenty of gains in whatever you do. New ventures

and assignments would improve your financial

conditions. Your interest in outdoor activities will

see you go out on short trips, outings and other

entertainment activities. Children are likely to win

laurels in extra curricular activities.

Pisces: This week you will benefit provided

you are willing to take bold decisions at

workplace. Your determination and confi-

dence will yield favourable results with each pass-

ing day. Money position improves as pending pay-

ments get cleared. Your life partner will bring you

immense pleasure, but would behave highly posses-

sive. During this period you should go out and build

new relationship and contacts, but avoid strangers

and people that you have ignored in the past.

November 10

Governed by number 1 and the Sun. You are active,

dynamic, authoritative, brilliant and a talented person.

You always welcome new ideas and thoughts, but you

need to check your tendency to behave extravagant

and stubborn at times. The coming year brings you

many opportunities to fulfill your dreams. A pleasure

trip to an exotic destination would be high on your

agenda. Also during this period you will establish new

contacts and fruitful partnerships. Long expected

monetary benefits will accrue. Speculation and unex-

pected gains will make your financial position much

better than expected. But despite all goodies, minor

tensions and stress will always bother you especially

concerning health of your parents and increase in

household expenditure. Your spouse would be sup-

portive to your concerns and provide you with love

and affection, but children might take advantage of

your generous behaviour and cause some disappoint-

ment. January, March, October and November 2013

seem to be significant.

November 11

Ruled by number 2 and the Moon. You are simple,

honest, cooperative, love peace and harmony. You are

full of new and innovative ideas and simply a perfec-

tionist in whatever work you decide to do, but you

need to control your tendency to be whimsical and

jealous at times. Your coming year promises many

new surprises and rewards for you. Your long desires

are likely to be fulfilled this year. New sources of in-

come will improve your financial position and boost

your confidence. Journeys undertaken for work pur-

pose would be beneficial and highly rewarding. In-

vestment in a house and selected stocks recommend-

ed. Later in the year a distant trip maybe overseas

bring new opportunities for growth and a chance to

meet old associates. Legal matters are likely to be ex-

tended for much longer than expected and also prove

highly expensive. Children will win laurels in their re-

spective fields and will be supportive and under-

standing towards you. March, June, July and Septem-

ber 2013 will bring prosperity.

November 12

Ruled by number 3 and the planet Jupiter. You are am-

bitious, dignified, independent and kind hearted. You

enjoy a good position and respect at your work place,

but you need to check your tendency to behave ex-

travagant and dominating at times. Don’t be hesitant

in executing your new plans in the coming year.

Fame and fortune will be at your doorsteps provided

you are able to grab the right opportunities. New re-

lationships and attachments will develop bringing you

good opportunities through out the year. Gains from

speculation is also quite likely. People looking for

matrimonial alliances will find a suitable life partner.

Health will show improvement despite the hectic

hours that you might put in office. Foreign transac-

tions or foreign trips for some. June, August and No-

vember 2013 will be eventful.

November 13

Influenced by number 4 and the planet Uranus. You

are active, practical, enthusiastic, authoritative and

energetic. You are intelligent and can do wonders in

your profession with your ability and proficiency, but

you need to control your tendencies to behave impa-

tient, whimsical and stubborn at times. New propos-

als and assignments for you this year. Business will

flourish and financial gains will lift your confidence.

Legal matters that have been haunting your mind will

settle to your satisfaction. Promotions and increments

are likely for some. Relationship with somebody

close might get strained over trivial issues. Romance

and new alliances look likely for those unattached.

Elders and children in the family will demand a lot of

your attention. Health of your spouse may cause con-

cern and anxiety. Sportsmen and artists can look for-

ward to some fame towards the end of the year. May,

June, August and October 2013 will be significant.

November 14

Governed by number 5 and the planet Mercury. You

are practical, sharp, dignified, sensitive, original and

dashing. You are friendly and very helpful, but you

need to control your tendency to behave impatient

and short-tempered at times. A very promising and

favourable period starts this year. Investors who

speculate in the stock market will benefit financially.

Those involved in art and other creative profession

should expect recognition and monetary gains. Sud-

den help from some near one or a friend will bring a

major boost to your professional career. This is also a

good time to invest in property. Children will be sup-

portive and bring in some happy news later in the

year. Pilgrimage or a long journey would be high on

your cards. March, June, September and November

2013 will prove to be significant.

November 15

Ruled by number 6 and the planet Venus. You have a

pleasant personality, sharp memory and you are fond

of worldly pleasures. You stay ahead of others be-

cause of your interest in new things and new technol-

ogy, but you need to control your tendencies towards

moodiness, timidity and interference in the affairs of

others. This period is good for you to take important

decision. You shall gather knowledge, information

and make new and long lasting contacts. You shall

leave no stone unturned to achieve your desired goals.

Businessmen will expand their ventures into new and

more profitable avenues. Investment in stocks would

bring spectacular results. Health would definitely

need more attention. Meditation and Yoga should be

practiced for spiritual as well as physical gains. Some

exhilarating news from your children would boost up

your spirits later in the year. February, August, Octo-

ber and November 2013 will be eventful.

November 16

Influenced by number 7 and the planet Neptune, you

are energetic, ambitious, independent, honest and pos-

sess a sharp memory. You are highly innovative and

have an in built talent to impress others, but at times

you need to control your tendency to behave impatient

and erratic at times. This year you will see an im-

provement in your financial position, but there will be

an increase in your expenses as well. Put your efforts

on projects that promise long term gains without wast-

ing much time on small problems. Only selective in-

vestment will be rewarding and you should avoid

speculation on all fronts. Arrival of guests and rela-

tives during this period will be plenty, who will bring

you gifts in cash and kind. Employment opportunities

for some of you. Romance will be pleasant and will

add a spice to your life. The months of January, August

and November 2013 will be highly significant.

By Dr Prem Kumar SharmaChandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 [email protected]; www.premastrologer.com

Stars Foretell: October 6-12, 2012 Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

i) Accurate Data: Please make sure Date,

Time and Place of birth is accurate.

ii) Careful: Did you check background of the

astrologer before disclosing your secrets.

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

shy. It’s his business.

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

come is not as desired, never give up.

v) Consult: Take second opinion before

spending thousands on cure/remedies.

Learn about the fair value ofdiamonds & precious stones.

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

or email [email protected] special offer for the readers of

The South Asian Times

Before you consult...

Free Consultation

43November 10-16, 2012TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY

Sant Darshan Singh Ji

Maharaj has beautifully

related an account from

history of a musician who illus-

trates the condition of such a dis-

ciple. There is a true account of

Tansen, one of India’s greatest

classical musicians. Tansen was a

musician in the court of King

Akbar. Tansen is known as the

greatest musician of North India.

He was one of the nine jewels or

the Navaratnas at the court of

Akbar, the third Moghal emperor

in the history of India.

Tansen was born into a Hindu

family in Gwalior. When he was

young, his parents brought him

for musical training to a

renowned music teacher, Swami

Haridas. The lad became noticed

when he played for King

Ramachandra.

Tansen studied under the great

Sufi saint, Sheikh Mohammed

Ghaus. He added the element of

mysticism to Tansen’s life, teach-

ing him about Sufism and spiritu-

ality. Tansen studied under

Sheikh Mohammed Ghaus for

three years, while also develop-

ing his musical talent. During

that time Sheikh Mohammed

Ghaus introduced Tansen to the

ruler of Gwalior. Tansen and

Gwalior’s ruler became good

friends. Tansen would frequently

visit the ruler’s palace, where he

would listen to other musicians.

During his visits to the palace,

Tansen met Hussaini. Like her

name "the beautiful one,"

Hussaini was truly beautiful.

Tansen fell in love with her and

married her.

Tansen later caught the atten-

tion of the Moghal emperor

Akbar, who made him one of the

nine jewels of his court. Emperor

Akbar called him Mian Tansen

and since then he has been known

by this name.

Legend has it that the emperor

requested Tansen’s beloved to

leave him so that Tansen’s heart

would break and his music would

be raised to sublime heights. It is

hard to refuse an emperor, and so

she had to leave Tansen. It is said

that he loved her so much that his

heart shattered into pieces.

Unable to see her again, his

music became so heart-felt and

poignant that all the listeners

were equally moved upon hear-

ing him play. This music not only

achieved acclaim in his own

times, but has been enjoyed and

praised for centuries.

Legend also has it that his

music was so powerful that it

could bring about miracles. When

he sang it was like he was per-

forming yogic siddhis and rid-

dhis. It is said that one of his

ragas was so powerful and gener-

ated so much heat that it heated

up the room so much so that the

Emperor’s flowers wilted, people

were panting for coolness, and

the candles on the wall lit up with

flames. In fact, there was such

fear that Tansen’s music was so

hot that the musician himself

would burn up and die, that his

daughter, out of concern, began

singing another type of raga that

would produce rain to cool down

the atmosphere. As he sang his

song of fire, she played her raga

of rain, and suddenly rain came

down and cooled down the prem-

ises. It brought coolness to

Tansen so he did not burn up

completely. It is said that the

effect of playing that raga was so

great that he was ill for two

months. Such is the power that

the music of a heart shattered

with agony and pain has that it

can be felt by all those around

him or her. They can try to hide

what is contained within them but

the fire of their pain is so great

that anyone who comes near will

feel its heat.

Tansen’s music was so moving

that it brought its listeners to

states of ecstasy and agony. It is

like great poets who can touch

the hearts of their listeners with

even a few words. Anyone who

reads the poetry of Sant Darshan

Singh Ji Maharaj will find it full

of pain. A large part of mystic

poetry has been written in a state

in which the poet has been bro-

ken-hearted. Mystic poetry of

saints and Masters is filled with

references to pangs of separation,

yearning, the heart undergoing

torture from separation, and the

trials and tribulations through

which the lover passes. The poet-

ry of the saints is drenched with

cries of anguish suffered when

away from one’s Beloved, from

the Master, or from God.

We can see what depths of

agony Tansen went through with-

out his Beloved and the effect

such works had on its listeners.

We experienced the moving vers-

es written by Sant Darshan Singh

Ji Maharaj who went through the

fires of agony in separation from

two great Masters, Hazur Baba

Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj and

Param Sant Kirpal Singh Ji

Maharaj. This is the fire which

disciples pass through when they

get in touch with their true nature

as soul. This fire permeates the

heart of those disciples whom we

describe as being mad in love, or

who have lost all senses. They

cannot help themselves just as

Tansen had no control over the

pain of love he experienced or

just as Sant Darshan Singh Ji

Maharaj and all great mystic

saints and Masters could not stop

the fire of love burning within

their own souls. It is a stage on

the path and we need to be com-

passionate and understanding

when we come across such disci-

ples experiencing such pain.

They cannot help themselves. It

is not their fault.

Their condition is expressed

beautifully in another verse by

Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj:

Why blame the tipplers fortheir yearning eyes,

When the wine itself dances soravishingly in the cup?

A drunkard may go to a thera-

peutic program to get over his

addiction. He may take a vow

never to drink again. Yet if you

put a beautiful goblet with rich

wine dancing in the cup in front

of him, what is the drunkard to

do? It is all that he can do to say

no, but his hand will immediately

move towards the cup. He can try

as hard as he likes, but the cup

will soon be pressed against his

lips and the warm liquid will be

flowing into him. He cannot help

himself. He is a drunkard. That is

what drunkards do. Similarly,

those drunk with the love of the

Master and God are as helpless as

that drunkard who thirsts for

wine when they come into the

presence of the Master. They are

helpless.

Why? The reason is that it is

not they who are causing this

attraction. The Master is radiating

the power of God. The power of

God is a magnet for all the souls.

All souls are made of the same

essence. When the soul comes in

contact with God, it is helplessly

drawn to God. Thus, when we

stop identifying with the body

and start identifying with the

soul, the soul’s vision changes

from the world to God. It stops

seeing the world and starts seeing

God, God’s expressions in the

form of the Light and Sound in

meditation, and the charged radi-

ation flowing through the Master.

It can make all sorts of vows and

promises to resist the wine, but

when the wine of God is dancing

in the form of the Master, all tip-

plers are helplessly drawn to

drink. Their vows and promises

are thrown to the wind, and they

come running.

We may think that we are nor-

mal and they are abnormal. We

may think we are sane and logical

and they are crazy and mad in

love. But the truth is, as Sant

Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj point-

ed out, that to reunite the soul

with God we all have to reach

that stage. Some have reached it

sooner than others. We may look

down upon them today, but one

day, sooner or later, we too will

be in that state. There is no get-

ting around it. It is a gateway that

each of us must pass to merge

back into God.

Since we will all reach that

stage sooner or later, we need to

be sympathetic to the plight of

such disciples who are dancing to

the music of their heart. They

cannot help it. They want to act

like everyone else. They want to

behave according to the dictates

of their society and culture. They

are doing all they can to maintain

the decorum expected of them.

They want to look like a harmo-

nium sitting on a table. But just

touch them, stroke them, play

them, and they start to sing in

agony and ecstasy with the music

of their heart.

This journey back to God starts

with crying out to God. Then, we

must listen to the response com-

ing from God. We will then be

put in touch with the divine Light

and Sound of God. This internal

Music will carry us from this

physical world into the Beyond.

There we will experience the

divine bliss of God’s love and the

pain of separation when away

from God. This dance of bliss

and separation leads the soul

higher and higher so we can go

from being lost in this physical

world to reach the spiritual

mountaintop to merge back in

God.

Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharajis an internationally recognizedspiritual leader and Master of JyotiMeditation who affirms the tran-scendent oneness at the heart of allreligions and mystic traditions,emphasizing ethical living andmeditation as building blocks forachieving inner and outer peace.www.sos.org.

Masters radiate the power of God

By Sant Rajinder SinghJi Maharaj

44 November 10-16, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoSPIRITUAL AWARENESS

Concluding part of the discourse ‘Yodeling for God’

The power of God is a

magnet for all the souls.

All souls are made of the

same essence. When the

soul comes in contact with

God, it is helplessly drawn

to God. Thus, when we stop

identifying with the body

and start identifying with

the soul, the soul’s vision

changes from the

world to God.



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