Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765” Top Stories VOICE OF INDIANS WORLDWIDE www.indiapost.com NEW YORK • WASHINGTON D.C. • CHICAGO • ATLANTA • CALIFORNIA VOL 16, No. 874 June 10, 2011 50¢ Periodical Postage India Post CONTENTS YES 63% Last week’s result NO 37% This week’s question INDIA POST SURVEY [email protected]Bollywood ---------------------- 22-23 Classifieds ------------------------- 47 Community Post -------------- 10-19 Date Book -------------------------- 45 Edit Page --------------------------- 49 HealthScience Post --------- 38-41 Horoscope ------------------------- 28 Immigration Post ------------- 34-37 Life Style ----------------------- 24-27 Philosophy ------------------------- 48 Publisherís Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 20-21 TechBiz Post -------------------42-44 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 29-31 Details on page 12 Details on page 8 Has Indian govt broken the anti-corruption front? Details on page 7 Atul Khare to lead UN reforms team Details on page 15 Details on page 7 Details on page 42 Hindu priest gets Person of Year Award Details on page 34 Details on page 12 Details on page 7 INDIA, U.S. ASK PAK TO EXPEDITE TRIAL US-India Homeland Security Dialogue launched India Post News Service WASHINTON/ NEW DELHI: India and the US have called on Pakistan to move expeditiously in prosecuting those involved in the Mumbai terror attack, while commit- ting to each other a comprehensive sharing of information relating to the Mumbai attack. This commitment was part of the first ever US-India Homeland Security Dialogue - launched by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on her visit to New Delhi May 25-27 - a critical step forward in the ongoing partnership between the United States and India to strengthen homeland security and counterterrorism col- laboration and ensure the safety and security of both na- tions. JOINT FRONT: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram meeting the US Secretary for Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, in New Delhi on May 27 Details on page 6 Merger of PIO/ OCI Cards soon, says govt Top MEA team here to discuss visa issues DoJ officials collaborate with Sikh teams Priest Rameshwar Das 'US should invest in India infrastructure’ Desmond Tutu presented Chinmoy award Beware of govt's motive, Hazare warns Ramdev US court sets date for Kamal Nath trial Is New York police biased against Indians?
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Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”
Top Stories V O I C E O F I N D I A N S W O R L D W I D E
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NEW YORK • WASHINGTON D.C. • CHICAGO • ATLANTA • CALIFORNIA VOL 16, No. 874 June 10, 2011 50¢ Periodical Postage
WASHINTON/ NEW DELHI: India and the US havecalled on Pakistan to move expeditiously in prosecutingthose involved in the Mumbai terror attack, while commit-ting to each other a comprehensive sharing of informationrelating to the Mumbai attack.
This commitment was part of the first ever US-India
Homeland Security Dialogue - launched by Secretary ofHomeland Security Janet Napolitano on her visit to NewDelhi May 25-27 - a critical step forward in the ongoingpartnership between the United States and India tostrengthen homeland security and counterterrorism col-laboration and ensure the safety and security of both na-tions.
JOINT FRONT: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram meeting the US Secretary for Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano,
in New Delhi on May 27
Details on page 6
Merger of PIO/OCI Cards soon,says govt
Top MEA teamhere to discussvisa issues
DoJ officialscollaborate withSikh teams
Priest Rameshwar Das
'US shouldinvest in Indiainfrastructure’
Desmond TutupresentedChinmoy award
Beware of govt'smotive, Hazarewarns Ramdev
US court setsdate for KamalNath trial
Is New York police biasedagainst Indians?
India Postwww.indiapost.com
June 10, 20112
June 10, 2011 India Post 3www.indiapost.com
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Bollywood:Rift rumorsThe rumors about a rift in the marriageof Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora Khancame as a surprise for many of their fans.
1Cover Story:Napolitano in Delhi
10Community:Swarnnim Gujarat
34Immigration:Visa promiseVayalar Ravi promises rationalization ofthe various schemes for facilitatingtravel by Indian Diaspora in India.
24Life Style:
Along with her hit single "Born ThisWay", Lady Gaga is releasing twoBollywood-inspired remixes of "Judas."
40Techbiz:
US investors have at least a $300 billionopportunity if they care to not miss theboat of India infrastructure.
29Travel:Corbett National ParkHome to a variety of flora and fauna,Corbett National Park is famous for itswild population of tigers and elephants.
India infrastructure
The nearly year long celebration ofSwarnnim Gujarat culminated in a grandstage presentation organized by India TV.
India and the US have called on Pakistan tomove expeditiously in prosecuting those in-volved in the Mumbai terror attack.
Remixes of ‘Judas’
I heard someone say the other day that there was nothing "news-worthy"about what Sarah Palin does, but the media can't seem to get enough of her.
That could be the irony of politics or simply the desperation of a media tryingto find glamour in an otherwise staid political arena. Whatever it is, what amazesme more than Palin's uncanny knack for getting into the headlines is the way themedia panders to her whimsies.
She hasn't even decided whether she wants to run for President in 2012 -when many of her Party-mates are already sweating it out in television debates- but she has the media panting after her as she zooms around on a HarleyDavidson or 'tours' around the country in a mega bus for no apparent reason orhangs out with Donald Trump at a pizza joint in New Jersey.
And all the frenzy for a few shots of her getting in and out of the bus, signingautographs, posing for pictures and talking about nothing in particular.
While her whole gig could be a carefully choreographed strategy of who-ever is handling her publicity or whoever is behind keeping her in the publiceye as part of a larger agenda - irrespective of whether she actually runs forPresident or not - what surprises me is people actually turning out to see her,to meet her.
What is it about Sarah Palin that draws people? She is neither an astutepolitician nor a statesman capable of running a campaign let alone run thecountry, nor even some kind of a messiah with solutions for the many ills facingAmerica. What is it that people hope to get from her when all she's got areincredibly parochial and narrow critiques of the Obama government that offerneither alternatives nor assurances to the American people.
Perhaps there is something to her… she makes for pretty pictures. But is thatwhat America needs for what President Obama calls 'winning the future' - apretty looking President? Nah, it's ugly out there, people, I'd give PresidentObama four more years.
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India, US ask Pak to expedite trialUS-India Homeland Security Dialogue launched
India Post News Service
WASHINTON/ NEW DELHI:India and the US have called onPakistan to move expeditiously inprosecuting those involved in theMumbai terror attack, while com-mitting to each other a compre-hensive sharing of informationrelating to the Mumbai attack.
This commitment was part ofthe first ever US-India HomelandSecurity Dialogue - launched bySecretary of Homeland SecurityJanet Napolitano on her visit toNew Delhi May 25-27 - a criticalstep forward in the ongoing part-nership between the United Statesand India to strengthen homelandsecurity and counterterrorism col-laboration and ensure the safetyand security of both nations.
"The United States and Indiaface common threats, and we mustwork together to develop commonstrategies to protect our mutualsecurity," said SecretaryNapolitano. "Through the Home-land Security Dialogue, we willcontinue to expand upon our worktogether on issues including pro-tecting cyber networks, securingthe global supply chain, and po-licing our largest cities in order toenhance the safety and resilienceof communities and citizens inboth of our nations."
In New Delhi, SecretaryNapolitano joined Indian Minis-ter of Home Affairs P.Chidambaram in launching thefirst comprehensive bilateral dia-logue on homeland security is-sues between the United Statesand India. During the Dialogue,Secretary Napolitano and Minis-ter Chidambaram highlighted theefforts of both nations to securethe global supply chain, developbest practices and resources for
effective policing in large cities,eliminate the trafficking of illicitgoods and materials, and continueto develop and protect criticalcyber infrastructure.
Chidambaram and Napolitanoreaffirmed their governments' re-solve to defeating the forces ofterrorism and called for effectivesteps by all countries to eliminatesafe havens and infrastructure forterrorism.
The two countries agreed toshare information and assessmenton equipment, technologies and
systems for homeland securityand counter-terrorism, and to fa-cilitate bilateral technology trans-fer and trade in these items, in thespirit of the strategic partnershipbetween the two countries.
They discussed their coopera-tion in the investigations into theMumbai terror attack in Novem-ber 2008 and reiterated their gov-ernments' commitment to bringthe perpetrators and the support-ers of the Mumbai attack to jus-tice.
Napolitano and Chidambaramagreed that the two governmentsshould maintain a regular dialogueto share information while noting
the role of the private sector inIndia and the US in providingtechnological solutions andequipment. They also agreed toexplore engagement between thegovernments and the private sec-tors through appropriate forums.
Further, the two leaders alsoagreed on a calendar of events,collaborative activities and initia-tives to be implemented over thenext twelve months. They alsodecided that the Home Secretaryof India and the Deputy Secretaryof Homeland Security should meetat the end of six months to reviewprogress in their collaboration.
Chidambaram and SecretaryNapolitano committed to hold theHomeland Security Dialogue an-nually to set strategic directionsfor continued cooperation inhomeland security.
Chidambaram and SecretaryNapolitano expressed satisfactionwith the growth in counter-terror-ism and related security coopera-tion between India and the UnitedStates. They noted the contribu-tion of existing mechanisms suchas the Joint Working Group onCounter-terrorism, established in2000, the Defense Policy Group,the Joint Working Group on In-formation and CommunicationsTechnology and the Aviation Se-curity Working Group and theCounter-terrorism CooperationInitiative of July 2010 in advanc-ing India-US cooperation.
Committing to expand India-UScooperation to further strengthentheir capacity to secure their coun-tries and protect their people, thetwo leaders agreed to share ideasand experiences on the ongoingtransformation of their countries'security-related organizationalstructures and systems as wellregulatory framework, in a demo-
cratic and federal environment.They decided to strengthen
agency-to-agency engagement,including in the areas of intelli-gence exchange, information shar-ing, forensics and investigation,access and sharing of data relat-ing to terrorism, security of infra-structure, transportation andtrade, conducting joint needs as-sessments, combating counterfeitcurrency, countering illicit financ-ing and transnational crime. Theyagreed that the two sides shalldesignate points of contact and
establish protocols for engage-ment.
They decided to foster capac-ity building in areas includingcounter-terrorism, counter-nar-cotics, counterfeit currency, illicitfinancing and transnational crime,security of infrastructure, trans-portation and trade, coastal secu-rity and large city policing. Theyagreed on the need for appropri-ate government agencies to worktogether and share best practicesto enhance the security and resil-ience of the global supply chain.
They affirmed the importanceof increased dialogue and coop-eration in the area of cyber secu-
rity. They welcomed the decisionof the two governments to nego-tiate a MoU between CERT-IN andUS-CERT, the designated agen-cies for information exchange.They also decided to cooperatein capacity building and to worktogether, and with other countries,to advance cyber security stan-dards.Napolitano's other engagements
During her visit to Delhi, Sec-retary Napolitano called on Fi-nance Minister PranabMukherjee, Defense Minister A.K.Antony, Minister for Communica-tions and Information Technol-ogy Kapil Sibal, Indian Ministerof Civil Aviation Vayalar Ravi andForeign Secretary Nirupama Rao.
Secretary Napolitano also metwith leaders of the Indian privatesector and attended an industrybreakfast hosted by the US-IndiaBusiness Council and the Ameri-can Chamber of Commerce in In-dia to highlight the Department'scontinued engagement with theprivate sector partners in India onissues including critical securityinfrastructure protection to ongo-ing US-India cyber security col-laboration and best practices.
Earlier, Secretary Napolitanovisited Mumbai, where she com-memorated Indian law enforce-ment personnel who lost theirlives in the devastating Nov 26,2008 terror attacks in a wreath lay-ing ceremony at the Mumbai Po-lice Memorial, and met with Indianofficials, including MaharashtraState Chief Minister PrithvirajChavan, Home Minister R.R. Patil,and Commissioner of the MumbaiPolice Arup Patnaik, to discusssecurity best practices and con-tinued collaborativecounterterrorism efforts betweenthe United States and India.
US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano addresses a joint press conference as Home Minister P. Chidambaram looks on in New Delhi on May 27
Secretary Napolitanoalso met with leadersof the Indian privatesector and attended anindustry breakfasthosted by the US-IndiaBusiness Council andthe AmericanChamber ofCommerce in India
‘Through the HomelandSecurity Dialogue, wewill continue to expandupon our work togetheron issues includingprotecting cyber net-works, securing theglobal supply chain,and policing ourlargest cities’
India PostJune 10, 2011 7
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Top Stories
Atul Khare appointed to leadUN reforms team
India Post News Service
NEW YORK: Atul Khare, cur-rently an Assistant Secretary-General at United Nations, hasbeen appointed by Secretary-Gen-eral Ban Ki-moon to lead the worldbody's Change ManagementTeam.
The Change ManagementTeam will guide the implementa-tion of a forward-looking reformagenda for the United Nations,starting with the formulation of acomprehensive plan to streamlineprocesses, increase accountabil-ity and improve the effectivenessand efficiency of the Organizationin the delivery of its mandates.
The establishment of the Teamis a further step in the efforts ofthe Secretary-General tostrengthen the United Nations asit is called on to play an increas-ingly prominent role in a period ofrapid change and financial con-straint, and build a managementculture focused on excellence andresults. Under the direction of theDeputy Secretary-General, theTeam will report to the Secretary-
General and work closely with de-partments and offices in the Sec-retariat and across the UnitedNations system, as well as withMember States.
Khare has served since May2010 as Assistant Secretary-Gen-eral and Deputy to the Head of
the Department of PeacekeepingOperations. Prior to assumingthose functions, he was SpecialRepresentative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste and Headof the United Nations IntegratedMission in Timor-Leste from De-cember 2006 to December 2009.
Khare started his career as anIndian diplomat in 1984. He hasserved in various capacities in theIndian Foreign Service, includingas Deputy High Commissioner ofIndia to Mauritius, Counsellor atthe Permanent Mission of Indiato the United Nations in New Yorkand Chargé d'affaires of the IndianEmbassy in Senegal with concur-rent accreditation to Mali,Mauritania, Gambia, GuineaBissau and Cape Verde. He wasChef de Cabinet of the ForeignSecretary of India and of Directorof the United Nations Division inthe Ministry of External Affairs inNew Delhi and served as Directorof the Nehru Centre and Minister(Culture) of the High Commissionof India in London since 2005.
Khare holds master's degreesin business administration andleadership from the University ofSouthern Queensland, Australia,as well as bachelor's degrees inmedicine and surgery from the AllIndia Institute of Medical Sci-ences, New Delhi.
Born in India in 1959, he is mar-ried to Vandna Khare, a writer.
bishop Desmond Tutu was pre-sented the first Sri Chinmoy PeacePrize in Tacoma, WA for fosteringthe ideals of peace worldwide.Archbishop Tutu delivered a talkentitled "Be the Spark" duringwhich he encouraged 15,000mostly young people "to be God'spartner" in bettering the world.
As part of the award presenta-tion, one of Sri Chinmoy's stu-dents said, "From his first trea-sured meeting with you in 1995while you served as Archbishopof Cape Town, Sri Chinmoy alwaysloved, admired and treasured you.You are our supreme hero andmost fitting person to receive thefirst Sri Chinmoy Peace Prize foryour extraordinary courage, lovefor humanity and dedication topeace."
The 79-year-old DesmondTutu replied, "Thank you so muchfor this very special award whichI shall treasure. Please pray for us.I wish to say that world has gotvery many ugly things - war andpoverty and disease. But it alsohas beautiful things…. Sri
Chinmoy was one of God's verybest fellow workers, working forharmony and peace, and we thankGod for his tireless service. We
pray for God's Blessings on allwho follow his teachings to plantthe seeds of peace and harmonythroughout the world."
Beware of govt's motive,Hazare warns Ramdev
RALEGAN SIDDHI,Maharashtra: Anna Hazare hasdecided to associate himself withBaba Ramdev's hunger strike witha warning to the yoga guru thathe should not be swayed by theovertures made by the govern-ment saying it plays "fraud" byfirst agreeing to demands andthen backing out.
Hazare, who rattled the govern-ment in April through his fast fora stronger Lokpal that generatedwidespread nationwide support,said all those fighting against cor-ruption should not be satisfiedwith the oral assurances of thegovernment.
Hazare said he would joinRamdev at RamlilaMaidan in Delhi, wherehe is to sit on a fast-unto-death protest, emphasiz-ing that there was no di-vide in the civil societyon the issue of corrup-tion.
"I will supportRamdev so that the gov-ernment does not dowhat it did when we werefighting. We will fighttogether against corrup-tion," he said.
Hazare criticized theextraordinary step takenby the government tosend four senior minis-ters, including FinanceMinister PranabMukherjee, to Delhi air-port to receive Ramdevand talk to him there.
"There was no needfor so many ministers togo. One or two ministerswould have been enough for thetalks. When so many ministers go,it means there is a plan of fraud.Sign papers, make promises, allthis is to pass time," he said.
"Once the time passes, they(government) will do what theywant to. When I went on fast, itreached such a stage that the gov-ernment conceded all our de-mands to save itself. Now, theyhave backed out," Hazare said.
He was referring to the ques-tion of bringing Prime Ministerunder the purview of Lokpal,which he claimed the governmenthad agreed to earlier but now dis-favors.
Claiming that the governmenthas "cheated" activists on the is-sue of Lokpal and people haverealized the "betrayal" by the gov-ernment, Hazare said, "it is a fraudif the government agrees on cer-tain issues and says the PrimeMinister will be accountable un-der Lokpal and later backs out."
Hazare also noted that the yoga
guru has a standing in the publicand wherever he goes peoplegather to hear him.
"Baba Ramdev has been rais-ing the issue of black money fromso many days. Why did the gov-ernment not think of doing some-thing on the issue? People havenow come to know what the in-tentions of the government are.
"Now no more hollow assur-ances and oral promises. What wewant is action and the fightagainst corruption will continuethroughout the country till we getwhat we want," he said.
He said the government wasgetting its act together now onlyafter Ramdev made it clear that he
would start his agitation from June4.
"For so many days we are de-manding (immediate implementa-tion of the Lokpal Bill), why didthe government not listen to us.Now the government is runningjust because time has to come tosit on fast, he said.
Asked about the bitternessthat surfaced recently betweengovernment and civil societymembers of the Lokpal draftingcommittee, Hazare said he warnedthat if the draft of the proposedbill was not prepared in time andin line with their demands, theywill part ways and hit the streetsagain.
"Government is not bigger thanpeople. People are bigger thanpeople," he said.
Hazare also made it clear thateverybody should come underthe ambit of the Lokpal Bill. "Allthe government officials shouldcome under the ambit of theLokpal," he said. -PTI
Baba Ramdev with Anna Hazare
The Change Manage-ment Team will guidethe implementation of aforward-looking reformagenda for the UnitedNations, starting with theformulation of a com-prehensive plan tostreamline processes
File photo of Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Sri Chinmoy
India Post June 10, 20118
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US court sets date forKamal Nath trial
NEW YORK: A US federalCourt here has set September 21date for pre-trial hearing in a caseagainst Urban Development Min-ister Kamal Nath and India's Con-gress Party in connection with the1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Judge Robert W Sweet of USFederal Court of theSouthern District of NewYork issued an order inthis regard.
Gurpatwant SinghPannun, legal advisor toSikhs for Justice (SFJ)which filed the suit seek-ing compensation, saidthe plaintiffs will presentevidence showing howCongress party plannedthe riots that killed 3000Sikhs.
The case, which wasfiled last year in NewYork, initially targeted Kamal Nath.
In March this year, the courthad issued summons to Congressparty, charging it with "conspir-ing, aiding and abetting" orga-nized attacks on the community.
The complaint against Nathstated that "the defendant wasseen and heard by many on thescene of Gurudwara Rakab Ganj
(in New Delhi). In this particularincident defendant was leadingand in control of a mob of aboutfour thousand people."
Nath has repeatedly denied anyinvolvement and has been clearedby the Nanavati Inquiry Commis-sion, which described the
minister's testimony as "vague"but concluded that there was noevidence that he had incited amob.
Adam Finkel, from the NewYork-based law firm, SabharwalNordin & Finkel is representingthe defendants.
The plaintiffs have asked for ajury trial. -PTI
Kamal Nath
Maj Iqbal asked Rana aboutMumbai plot progress
2G scam: Court rejects pleaagainst Ambani, Tata
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court hasdismissed pleas for a direction tothe CBI to make Reliance ADAGchairman Anil Ambani, Tata groupChief Ratan Tata, corporate lob-byist Niira Radia and DMK chiefM Karunanidhi's wife DayaluAmmal, as accused in the 2G spec-trum scam.
Special CBI Judge O P Sainialso imposed a cost of Rs 10,000each on Delhi-based scribe MFurquan and Ghaziabad's scrapdealer Dharmender Pandey for fil-ing complaints in this regard.
"The applications are not onlydevoid of any substance but are
CHICAGO: Major Iqbal, be-lieved to be an ISI officer, hadasked Pakistan-born CanadianTahawwur Hussain Rana aboutthe progress made on the Mumbaiterror plot, FBI testified before acourt here, in another pointer tothe involvement of Pakistan's in-telligence agency in the attacks.
Iqbal had telephonictalk with Rana and an-other co-accused in theMumbai attacks DavidColeman Headley, a Pa-kistani-American, andexchanged e-mails withthem, five FBI agentstestified during Rana'strial in the court hearingthe 26/11 case.
In an e-mail of July 7,2008, Iqbal asked Ranaif there was any"progress made on theproject". Prosecutors said he wasseeking an update on the prepa-rations for the 26/11 attacks.
Defense attorneys, however,argued that any discussion Iqbalhad with Rana was focused ontheir plans to work as partners inRana's immigration business.
In his deposition, Headley, an
LeT operative, had said that Iqbalhad given money to Rana to opena business office in Mumbai whichwas used as a cover to zero in ontargets for the attacks.
An e-mail sent from a ChaudheryKhan, another name for Major Iqbal,from [email protected] which he gave his mobile num-
ber for future contacts, was shownin the court by prosecutor SarahStreicker.
Another e-email [email protected] in whichRana booked Headley's flight onDecember 8, 2008, from New York toChicago with a stop at Atlanta, wasalso placed before the court. -PTI
also contrary to law and deserveto be dismissed with heavy costas application after application ofthis nature are being filed by thirdparties resulting into loss of pre-cious time of the court.
"However, I am inclined to takea little lenient view as far as costis concerned. Accordingly, bothapplications are dismissed, sub-ject to nominal cost of Rs 10,000each," the judge said.
The court also directed boththe complainants to deposit thecost within three days failingwhich warrants shall be issuedagainst them. The complainants
had earlier told the court that CBIwas "deliberately" suppressingthe facts against Ambani and"overlooking" the role of Tata andRadia in the scam.
Furquan and Pandey had alsoalleged in their separate privatecomplaints that CBI was not look-ing into the matter and trying toprotect them.
The court on May 25 had alsoslapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on ajournalist seeking a direction forCBI to make some telecom com-panies like Videocon-ownedDatacom, S-tel, Aircel and Maxisas accused in the case. -PTI
Afghanistan for stronger defenseties with India
NEW DELHI: Afghanistan to-day said it aims to establish closerdefense ties with India and willwelcome any cooperation from itin training of its security forces.
"We will welcome any coop-eration (from India) in the field oftraining and helping of Afghannational security forces so thatthey are able to secure and de-fend the country," Afghan De-fense Minister General AbdulRahim Wardak told reporters here.
He was asked about the natureof help Afghanistan has soughtfrom India in areas of security anddefense.
Wardak, who arrived here on athree-day visit, was received atthe South Block by his Indiancounterpart A K Antony.
On whether the enhanced co-operation between the two coun-tries could result in India supply-ing military equipment to Afghani-
stan, Wardak said, "We will bediscussing (it).
There is a very genuine inter-est in strengthening our relationsin all sectors including defense."
The visit of the Afghan De-fense Minister assumes signifi-cance against the backdrop of in-creasing terror activities in Paki-
stan and the killing of Osama binLaden.
India has been actively in-volved in modernization pro-grams in Afghanistan and isviewed as one of its trusted alliespushing for closer security tieswith the war-torn nation.
There have been periodic de-fense exchanges between thearmed forces of the two countriessince General Wardak last visitedIndia in April, 2008. The AfghanChief of General Staff, GeneralSher Mohammad Karimi had vis-ited India in October last year.
India has carried modernizationtasks worth over USD 1 billionafter the Hamid Karzai govern-ment took over power there.
The visit of the Afghan De-fense Minister comes close on theheels of Prime MinisterManmohan Singh's tour of thatcountry earlier this month. -PTI
An e-mail sent from aChaudhery Khan, anothername for Major Iqbal, [email protected] inwhich he gave his mobilenumber for future contacts, wasshown in the court byprosecutor Sarah Streicker
India has beenactively involved inmodernization pro-grams in Afghanistanand is viewed as oneof its trusted alliespushing for closersecurity ties with thewar-torn nation
US gives Pak deadline till July for NorthWaziristan operation
ISLAMABAD: The US hasgiven Pakistan a deadline till Julyto launch a military offensive inthe restive North Waziristan tribalregion for capturing five mostwanted al-Qaeda and Taliban ter-rorists, including Ayman al-Zawahiri, Mullah Omar and IlyasKashmiri.
Pakistani security forces havebeen asked to capture al-Zawahiri,Omar, Kashmiri, SirajuddinHaqqani and Atia Abdur Rehmaneither in a unilateral or joint mili-tary action within the deadline tillJuly - the month when NATO andallied forces will begin withdraw-
ing from neighboring Afghanistan.The US demand has set alarm bells
ringing in Pakistani civil and militarycircles, The News daily reported to-day quoting unnamed sources.
Pakistan's security forces hadso far shown reluctance in launch-
ing a military offensive in NorthWaziristan despite sustained pres-sure from the US to do so.
The Haqqani militant network,based in North Waziristan, "hadnot been any threat to Pakistan"and has served as "a vital contactbetween the Pakistani intelligenceagencies and the AfghanTaliban," the report said.
Another factor for the Paki-stani military's reluctance to moveinto North Waziristan is the pres-ence of "some very important pro-government" militant factions, in-cluding those led by Mullah Nazirand Hafiz Gul Bahadar.-PTI
Mayawati announces new land acquisition policyLUCKNOW: Under pressure
over farmers' agitation, theMayawati government in UttarPradesh has announced a newland acquisition policy underwhich its role in acquiring land forprivate developers would only bethat of a facilitator.
The chief minister, who held afarmers' panchayat earlier in theday to discuss their problems,announced that the new policywill be implemented with immedi-ate effect.
Facing flak over acquiring landfor private companies, the gov-ernment has decided that fromnow on, the developers would beacquiring land directly from thefarmers.
The chief minister also said thatsuch acquisitions could only hap-pen with the agreement of 70 percent of the farmers in a given area.In case of disagreement, the projectwould be reviewed, she said.
Giving details of the new policy,she said that in the affected vil-lages where land has been ac-quired, the developer would haveto construct a kisan bhawan aswell as a model school.
The chief minister clarified thatareas where land has already beenacquired and compensation dis-tributed to farmers includingBhatta-Parsaul and Tappal will beout of the ambit of the policy. .
Mayawati said the new policyhas been framed to safeguard theinterest of farmers, adding thattheir suggestions during the day-long panchayat here, would beincorporated in the governmentorder.
Terming the new policy a his-toric one, she said efforts wouldbe made to get it implemented at
the national level as the Uniongovernment also plans to bring aland acquisition bill during themonsoon session.
She stuck to her threat of pro-testing outside Parliament if theCentre failed to bring a new bill inthe monsoon session.
This policy is even better thanthe ones being implemented in
Congress-ruled states likeHaryana, she claimed.
Blaming the Opposition for in-stigating the recent agitations,she said that instead of puttingpressure on the Centre to amendthe existing policy, they enacteda "drama" in UP and created a lawand order problem at some placesin the state.
The chief minister said an as-surance has been given to repre-sentatives from Bhatta-Parsaulthat the government would com-pensate the damages.
According to the new policy,Mayawati said that for purposesincluding National Highways, ca-nals or other basic amenities, landacquisition would be throughmutual agreement and farmerswould get the benefits of state'srehabilitation and relocationpolicy.
For setting up power and otherprojects, private companies wouldbe negotiating directly with thefarmers with the government justplaying the role of a facilitator.
She said two options would begiven to farmers, adding that theycan either take 16 per cent of thedeveloped land along with annu-ity of Rs 23,000 per acre for 33years or take cash for some por-tion of the 16 per cent land.
Farmers would also have theoption of taking a one-time pay-ment in case they do not wantannuity which otherwise wouldbe paid in July with a hike of Rs800 annually.
Exemption on stamp duty willbe given to farmers, she said add-ing that one member of the farm-ers' family being displaced, wouldget a job as per his qualificationin the company. -PTI
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati during a meeting with the farmers at Tilak Hall at Vidhan Bhawan in Lucknow
Headley lied to law enforcementagencies: defense attorneys
Headley was ready to doublecross his terror friends
CHICAGO: David ColemanHeadley, co-accused in theMumbai terror attacks, lied to thelaw enforcement agencies andimplicated Tawahhur HussainRana in the plot in a bid to savehis life, defense attorneys saidtoday.
50-year-old Headley, a Paki-stani-American, has been cross-examined by defense lawyers of
Rana, a 26/11 co-accused and aCanadian of Pakistani-origin whois standing trial at a Chicago courthere after being slapped with adozen charges in connection withthe Mumbai attacks in which 166persons were killed.
Headley, who pleaded guilty toavoid the death penalty and ex-tradition, wrapped up testimonywith prosecutors saying they ex-
pect to call up to eight more wit-nesses starting today.
The FBI agents and Rana's rela-tives will be the next witnesses inthe trial.
The defense lawyers saidHeadley lived multiple lives andused his friend over the years.Rana and Headley, who are both50, met as teenagers at a Pakistanimilitary school.
CHICAGO: Confessed terroristDavid Headley was ready todouble cross his comrades-in-arms after his 2009 arrest and hadprepared to set up dreaded al-Qaeda commander Ilyas Kashmirito be targeted in a US drone strike.
Headley, for this task, offeredto travel undercover to Pakistan'stribal areas to present Kashmiriwith an ornate sword that couldbe fitted with a homing device toset up a US missile attack, accord-ing to his testimony before a Chi-
cago court.The Pakistani-American terror-
ist, who had done the recee for theaudacious 2008 Mumbai attacks,was not only after Kashmiri but hadalso tried to lure Sajid Mir, an LeTmilitant and one of the brains be-hind the 26/11 attacks out of Paki-stan so that he could be nabbed.
However, the attempt hadfailed, Headley told the court andMir remains a fugitive, ProPublicareported.
Kashmiri remains on the most
wanted list of the US and carries areward of USD 5 million on his head.The PoK-born terrorist was behinda plot last fall to carry out Mumbai-type shooting attacks in Britain,France, Germany and Denmark.
Kashmiri has a far-flung net-work and is one of the most fearedterrorist leaders today, especiallyafter Osama bin Laden's killing.According to Headley, Kashmiriwas planning to kill CEO of de-fense equipment manufacturerLockheed Martin.
Sonia launches free deliveryscheme of Health MinistryMEWAT, Haryana: A national
initiative guaranteeing free deliv-ery, free medicines and diet forpregnant women in governmenthealth institutes was unveiled byUPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhihere today.
In an effort to tackle maternalmortality, the Ministry of Healthand Family Welfare is starting thescheme.
"It is sad that 67,000women die in childbirthevery year and nine lakhchildren die in onemonth of birth. Thisscheme will give rightto all pregnant womento have free delivery ingovernment health orga-nizations," Gandhi saidlaunching the programhere.
Gandhi said all medi-cines and medical tests and pro-vision for blood will be free ofcost. She said the government willalso take care of the expenses ifthe patient is referred to a biggerhospital.
Officials said the scheme willalso include the treatment of sick
new borns till 30 days after theirbirth.
Gandhi said social health work-ers ASHAs will help in implement-ing the scheme. "I hope all stateswill implement this scheme withfull responsibility," she said, add-ing the scheme will be under theNational Rural Health Missionwhich was started by UPA in 2005.
The initiative aims at guaran-
teeing free delivery, including cae-sarean operation for every preg-nant woman accessing a govern-ment health institute besides pro-vision of free transport from hometo health unit, facilities in case ofreferral and drop back from healthcentre to home. -PTI
Gandhi said all medicinesand medical tests and provision for blood will befree of cost. She said the gov-ernment will also take care oftheexpenses if the patient is
India Post www.indiapost.com June 10, 2011
COMMUNITYACROSS AMERICA
Desi News
10
Details on page 12
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Details on page 14
Superb culmination of SwarnnimGujarat by India TV
Lamp lighting by (a) businessman Bhagubhai Patel, (b) Scientist Dr Dayal Meshri (c) Physician Dr. Sherry Merchant
RAMESH SOPARAWALA
India Post News Service
Chicago : The nearly year longcelebration of Swarnnim Gujarat(the Golden Jubilee of the estab-lishment of the State of Gujaratwithin Indian Union) could nothave a better ending or culmina-tion than the stage presentationorganized by India TV, aptlydubbed Purna Gujarat.
The four hour show held lastmonth at Hemmens Cultural Cen-ter in Elgin had 900 plus membersof the audience spellbound. Theunanimous end of the show opin-ion was that they would drivemiles to come to a show like this.
The mood was clearly reflected bya guest of honor Dr. Dayal Meshriwho had flown from Tulsa Okla-homa to attend the show.
"I had no idea what was in storebefore the performance began and Iwas wonderstruck that Gujaratis herecould preserve the rich cultural heri-tage of Gujarat so well. I congratu-lated the organizers Mina and KishorePurohit for bringing on the stage orgiving a platform to the young and
old artists for a vivid presentation oftheir talents. I would have regretted ifI had not come to this show of theyear," he told this paper.
One of the features of the showwas that there were not manyspeeches that would bore the au-
dience. Everything was crisplyorganized. One item after the other- be it a dance, folklore or songs orpoems - was presented captivat-ing the audience to the core.There were 80 plus artists repre-senting five dance academies andmusic schools and all were local.TV India Anchor Mina Purohit,Kruti Jain and Kishore Purohitemceed the show quite elegantlywith Mina Purohit excelling in
shayaris and ghazals while Krutiin describing the details of the pre-sentation and Kishore Purohitthanking all those who helpedmake the show a great success.
The show started with the tra-ditional lighting of the lamp. Chief
Guest Naren Patel began the cer-emony accompanied by his wifeSumitraben Patel followed by aceGujarati entrepreneurs BhagubhaiPatel, Gujarat raised scientist Dr.Dayal Meshri, Gujarati lady phy-sician Ms Sherry Merchant andfront ranking community activistHarendra Mangrola. Naren Patelincidentally, was instrumental inorganizing similar cultural presen-tations during the Swarnnim cel-
ebration under the auspices ofVishwa Gujarati Samaj and he ex-claimed that the Purna Gujaratcould be easily described as theapt culmination of year-long cel-ebration of Swarnnim.
Chief Guest Naren Patel (right) and Sumitraben Patel (middle) being honored by organizers Mina and Kishore Purohit
Contíd on page 11
DoJ officialscollaborate withSikh organizationsIndia Post News Service
NEW YORK: Sikh communitymembers in Charlotte, North Caro-lina recently met with AssistantAttorney General Tom Perez, USAttorney Anne Tompkins, andstaff members from the Depart-ment of Justice to discuss impor-tant issues that affect the SikhAmerican community.
Continuing to collaborate withfederal law enforcement agenciesacross North and South Carolinato highlight challenges faced bythe Sikh community, Sikh advo-cacy group United Sikhs and theSikh Gurdwara of Charlotte hostedthe DOJ officials for a discussionabout the civil rights concerns ofboth the local and national Sikhcommunity.
Blind Associationplans to helpIndian blind
SURESH SHAH
CHICAGO: Blind Foundationof India (BFI) based in Napervillerecently held a meeting here at theMunicipal Center, City ofNaperville. It was attended amongothers by the Naperville MayorGeorge Pradel, Councilman Dou-glas Krause and the guests fromIndia.
Dr. Manu Vora, President of BFIwelcomed all the guests in atten-dance and briefed them about theactivities of the Foundation. Hesaid that founded in 1989, the BFI'scharter is to prevent and cure blind-ness besides educating the blindin India about the cures and help.There are over 15 million blind inIndia.
Rajan getsInterfaith Awardin NevadaIndia Post News Service
NEVADA: Religious statesmanRajan Zed has been awarded"Northern Nevada Interfaith Lead-ership Award".
Citation of this Award, pre-sented on May 31 at Reno (Ne-vada, USA) by Dave Asher, Execu-tive Director of Reno-Sparks Lo-cal Business Co-Op & GreenChamber of Commerce, said: "toInter-Religious Statesman RajanZed for his leadership efforts tocreate trust and mutual loyaltyamong various faith traditions inthe region.
The four hour showheld last month atHemmens CulturalCenter in Elgin had 900plus members of theaudience spellbound.The unanimous end ofthe show opinion wasthat they would drivemiles to come to ashow like this. Themood was clearlyreflected by a guest ofhonor Dr. Dayal Meshriwho had flown fromTulsa Oklahoma toattend the show
Top MEA teamhere to discuss
visa issues
June 10, 2011 India PostCommunity Across Americawww.indiapost.com
11
Superb culmination of Swarnnim Gujarat by India TV
Dr. Meshri in his chaste Gujaratisaid that Purohit couple live up tothe oft repeated Gujarati maximYahom Karine Pado, Fateh ChheAge- (Just jump with courage andyou meet success).
The dance academies -Kalapadma, Nritya Kalashree,
Mudra and Tarana - with theirmember artists presented a vari-ety of performances. There wasGarba, Kathak and dances whichbrought repeated applause fromthe audience. Singers sang beau-tiful songs and excelled the ex-pectations that were entertainedby the members of the audience.They were Rohit Parekh, AshwinAcharay and Gayatri Patel. Ac-companying them were Kalpesh
Modi and Ajay Modi on tablaand Nehal Achaya on Keyboard.Ramesh Brahmbhat, a writer,sang a poem penned by him inpraise of Gujarat and Gujaratispirit. Subhash Bhat and IndrajitPatel talked about Swarnnimcoin, the sale of which wouldhelp raise funds for Sardar Patelmemorial.
Ending as usual was a thank-ing ceremony conducted aptly byKishore Purohit and the beginning- may not be that usual - was serv-ing delicious Gujarati food byAshyana Banquet. Surinder Jainand Shashi Jain hosted the dinnerthat was tasteful to the last dish -Ghughra and Kheer. Kudos to TVIndia for the wonderful PurnaGujarat organized to perfection -the Purna way.
Contíd from page 10
India TV hosts (L -R) Mina Purohit, Kruti Jain and Kishore PurohitChief Guest, honored guests Purohits and Jains on the podium
June 10, 2011India Post12 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com
DoJ officials collaborate with Sikh organizationsIndia Post News Service
NEW YORK: Sikh communitymembers in Charlotte, North Caro-lina recently met with AssistantAttorney General Tom Perez, USAttorney Anne Tompkins, andstaff members from the Depart-
ment of Justice to discuss impor-tant issues that affect the SikhAmerican community.
Continuing to collaborate withfederal law enforcement agenciesacross North and South Carolinato highlight challenges faced bythe Sikh community, Sikh advo-
DoJ staff with Sikhs
cacy group United Sikhs and theSikh Gurdwara of Charlotte hostedthe DOJ officials for a discussionabout the civil rights concerns ofboth the local and national Sikhcommunity.
As part of its Protect Our Iden-tity Campaign, United Sikhs hasworked closely with the USAttorney's Office, specifically withUS Attorney Anne Tompkins, whois one of the 94 US Attorneysacross the 50 states. In additionto these local collaborations, theSikh organization has been devel-oping a relationship with Assis-tant Attorney General Tom Perez,who leads the Department of Jus-tice Civil Rights Division, through
quarterly inter-agency meetings inWashington, DC.
At the meeting, Perez indicatedthat his department was review-ing several hate crime incidents,land use, and discrimination casesand stated that, "Security con-cerns can be addressed whilemaintaining respect for liberties.We can and must do both." Heshared his own story of the im-portance of diversity in maintain-ing the fundamental values thatmake the US an example for civiland human rights.
In his opening comments,Pushpinder Singh, United SikhsCoordinator for North Carolinasaid, "Civil Rights are the corner-
stone of all modern nations, andprotection of civil rights is an in-tegral part of our mandate."
Singh went on to highlight sev-eral civil rights challenges facedby the community including ra-cial/religious profiling at airports,school bullying, workplace dis-crimination, and hate crimes. Healso highlighted the collaborationbetween United Sikhs and theDOJ to address many of these is-sues.
With support from AnneTompkins and Fred Hudson (Dis-trict Program Manager for West-ern North Carolina), the UnitedSikhs team in North Carolina hasbeen able to reach out to the local
police department, Sheriff's office,FBI field office, Department ofHomeland Security and Transpor-tation Security Administration toraise awareness about Sikh issuesin a short period of time. The teamhas also recently attended 2 day-long seminars on the MatthewShepard and James Byrd, Jr. HateCrimes Prevention Act inGreenville, SC and Asheville, NC.
This visit to the CharlotteGurdwara is testimony to the dili-gence with which the North Caro-lina sangat has reached out to law-makers and government agenciesin bringing attention to Sikh Ameri-can civil rights concerns, the or-ganization said.
Hindu priest gets Person of Year AwardASHWIN PATEL
Priest Rameshwar Das
ST LOUIS: Gitana Productions hasnamed Rameshwar Das, a priest at the HinduTemple of St. Louis, to receive their presti-gious 10th annual "Extraordinary/OrdinaryPerson of the Year Award."
Rameshwar Das was honored May21during performance of Faultlines, a newplay by Lee Patton Chiles. It focuses ondomestic violence of women, particularlyin the South Asian immigrant communityand ran through June 5 at the CardinalRigali Center at Laclede Station Road, StLouis.
Gitana Productions works to increasecross-cultural awareness in the St. Louisregion through international music, danceand drama. Gitana's 2011 Extraordinary/Or-dinary Person of the Year Award honors avolunteer who reaches across racial, cul-tural and religious lines to support victimsof domestic violence.
"Rameshwar Das is the humblest of menwith less than most financially, yet he is al-ways there to help with cases of domesticviolence," said Cecilia Nadal, executive di-rector of Gitana Productions. "He workshand-in-hand with Saweraa, a nonprofit or-ganization that helps South Asian womenwho are victims of domestic violence. He
helps abused families from both a spiritualand therapeutic standpoint. He is an impor-tant example to our community, speakingup on behalf of women and children."
Rameshwar Das currently lives with his
wife Bainti Devi at the Hindu Temple after afire destroyed their home. Several years ago,the couple learned of a severe case of pa-rental abuse and brought the parents to stayin their home. He rendered all help throughthe crisis and when they insisted on return-
ing to India with dignity, he gave themmoney for the trip.
In the US, one of every four women ex-periences domestic violence in her lifetime.The numbers are much higher for South
Asian women. This year, several Gitanaevents will focus on domestic violence inSt. Louis' South Asian community (immi-grants from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Af-ghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan andMaldives.)
Forty-five to fifty percent of South Asianwomen, both in the US and in their home-lands, are victims of domestic violence, ac-cording to Saweraa, a local organization thatempowers South Asian women. And amongthose Indian women who are abused, 70percent have attempted suicide.
The problem in the South Asian commu-nity is well hidden because victims rarelyseek help, are unaware of services availableto them and are uncertain about their rights.Culturally, many South Asian women fearbringing shame to their family names orundue attention to themselves as newAmericans.
On Saturday, May 21 Saweraa, thewomen's empowerment group held afundraiser and reception just before theshow. Jasmine Huda, co-anchor for KMOVtelevision spoke before the performanceas did Saweraa President Dr. Ann DuncanHively. Gitana Productions presentedRameshwar Das as the winner of their 11thAnnual Extraordinary Person of the Yearfor his contributions in helping abusedfamilies. Gitana is supported by the Re-gional Arts Commission, Missouri ArtsCouncil and the National Endowment forthe Arts.
At the meeting,Perez indicated thathis department wasreviewing severalhate crime incidents,land use, and dis-crimination casesand stated that,"Security concernscan be addressedwhile maintainingrespect for liberties”
“Rameshwar Das is thehumblest of men with lessthan most financially, yethe is always there to helpwith cases of domesticviolence," said CeciliaNadal, executive directorof Gitana Productions
June 10, 2011 India PostCommunity Across Americawww.indiapost.com
13
Blind Association plans to helpIndian blind
SURESH SHAH
Dr Manu Vora, Raj Bakshi, Mayor George Padrel, Councilman Douglas Krause and Avni Kothari
CHICAGO: Blind Foundationof India (BFI) based in Napervillerecently held a meeting here at theMunicipal Center, City ofNaperville. It was attended amongothers by the Naperville MayorGeorge Pradel, Councilman Dou-glas Krause and the guests fromIndia.
Dr. Manu Vora, President of BFIwelcomed all the guests in atten-dance and briefed them about theactivities of the Foundation. Hesaid that founded in 1989, the BFI'scharter is to prevent and cure blind-ness besides educating the blindin India about the cures and help.There are over 15 million blind inIndia, which equates to one out of3 blind people in the world.
BFI has so far raised over $3.5million and performed over 100,000
free cataract operations, donated96 mobile vans for transportingdoctors and patients for eye carework, and reached 400,000 schoolchildren for their eyesight checkup
and provided glasses, and VitaminA as necessary. Through BFI's ef-forts in India, over a million peoplegot their eyesight checkup so far,Manu Vora said
Special guests in attendance
from India were: Dr. Manu Kothari,Dr. Minoo Kothari and Dr. LopaMehta. From US: Dr. PaulPrabhaker, Associate Dean, Col-lege of Business at Northern Illi-
nois University (NIU). Eight ChiefInspectors from the Ministry ofInterior from Turkey, who are atNIU for a Leadership and Manage-ment Training Program, also at-tended.
Hindu Temple organizesHealth Fair
ASHWIN PATEL
Volunteers help patient
Blood Drive at Hindu Temple
Health Fair in progress
ST LOUIS: The annual healthfair sponsored by the HinduTemple of St Louis was held onMay 7 at the Gandhi Center.
It was an event well attended
by people of all ages from the StLouis community. This year therewere more registrants. The ser-vices offered were general physi-cal exams, basic screening labtests like cholesterol, sugar levels,PSA, hemoglobin etc, EKGs, bonedensity measurements, dental
checkups, eye checkups andmany other specialty consulta-tions.
This is an event organized andparticipated by physicians and
non physicians of Indian commu-nity on a voluntary basis. The labtests were sponsored by StAnthony's Medical Center and thecost of the fair was borne by theHumanitarian Committee of theHindu Temple with the support ofMahatma Gandhi Center, St. Louis.
He said that founded in 1989, the BFI's charter isto prevent and cure blindness besides educat-ing the blind in India about the cures and help.There are over 15 million blind in India,which equates to one out of 3 blind peoplein the world
June 10, 2011India Post14 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com
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NEVADA: Religious statesmanRajan Zed has been awarded"Northern Nevada Interfaith Lead-ership Award".
Citation of this Award, pre-sented on May 31 at Reno (Ne-vada, USA) by Dave Asher, Execu-tive Director of Reno-Sparks Lo-cal Business Co-Op & GreenChamber of Commerce, said: "toInter-Religious Statesman RajanZed for his leadership efforts tocreate trust and mutual loyaltyamong various faith traditions inthe region. We recognize hisachievements through dialog andbuilding a cohesive and harmoni-ous community and offering Spiri-tual Enrichment to the region,country and world. We are proudto present this award."
Rajan Zed has taken up reli-
gion, interfaith, Hinduism, envi-ronment, Roma and other causesall over the world. He has readopening prayers in US Senate,various state senates and housesof representatives, counties andcity councils all over USA. He ispanelist for "On Faith", a presti-
gious interactive conversation onreligion produced by The Wash-ington Post. He is President ofUniversal Society of Hinduism,Senior Fellow and Religious Ad-visor to New York headquarteredFoundation for Inter-religious Di-
plomacy, Director of Interfaith Re-lations of Nevada Clergy Associa-tion, Spiritual Advisor to NationalAssociation of Interchurch & In-terfaith Families, etc.
This Co-Op and Green Cham-ber brings together communityleaders, independent business
owners, government officials, andsocial innovators to build a thriv-ing sustainable local community.Its tagline is "Think Local-ChooseLocal-Live Local" and it aims tohelp provide a better quality of lifefor all, Asher pointed out.
At the Award presentation, from left to right, Debbie McCarthy, Rajan Zed, Beth Williams,
Dave Asher, and Sandy Bountis.
Sikhs join Memorial Daycelebrations
Sikhs participate in Memorial Day celebrations
Silver Jubilee ofChicago HinduTemple
RAGHU BADDI
CHICAGO: The Hindu Templeof Greater Chicago in Lemont willcelebrate its Silver Jubilee calledRajatotsavam from June 8 to June12 in the temple complex. Elabo-rate religious, spiritual and culturalactivities are being planned at dif-ferent times of the day.
Besides religious events start-ing with Ankurarpanam andAgniprathishta on June 7 and 8,Vishwakasena Yagam andMoolamantra Homam on June 9 and10, MahasamprokshanKumbhabhishekam on June 11, cul-minating on June 12 with SahasraKalasabhishekam, there will be cul-tural events starting with a grandmusical extravaganza on Friday,June 10. The event will be featuredwith well known Bollywood singersKavita Krishnamurthy and SureshWadkar with live orchestra providedby Hitesh Master and his group,Saregama.
CHICAGO: More than 60 Sikhsfrom Northwest Suburbs of Chi-cago, participated in Memorial Daycelebration in Schaumburg, anorthwest suburb of Chicago
Two Sikhs from World War IIwere the main attraction. S GurdevSingh Bhattal and Mukand SinghDhaliwal attended the function.Dhaliwal also participated in host-ing the Color Guard accompaniedby Thakar Basati who was one ofthe organizers for the event alongwith many veteran organizations ofSchaumburg and Hoffman Estates
Mayors of Schaumburg andHoffman Estates Al Larson andWilliam McLeod, attended theevent and both addressed thegathering. Veterans also institutedan award to a young person whohelps the veterans. This year'saward went to Eagle Scout Michael
Einig. Athena Saldhena, Junior atJB Conant High School was in-vited to talk about US Constitu-tion. She is also from India.
Sikhs donated money to thepicnic that was enjoyed in beauti-ful weather at around 80+ degree.Veterans thanked the Sikhs for par-ticipation and for showing up tobe part of the community. Thereare many heroic stories of Sikhsfighting in World Wars. Manymedals were won by Sikhs, yetthey got very little recognition.The younger generation has noclue. Sikhs put up banners depict-ing number of Sikhs killed in WorldWars. Many books have been writ-ten about Sikh gallantry.
Both Village of Schaumburg andHoffman Estates invited the Sikhsto get more involved and partici-pate next year.
Contíd on page 18
“We recognize his achievements through dia-log and building a cohesive and harmoniouscommunity and offering Spiritual Enrichment tothe region, country and world”
June 10, 2011 India PostCommunity/Californiawww.indiapost.com
15
Top MEA team here to discussvisa issues
From left to right: Niraj Baxi; Rajeev Awasty; Ashok Sinha; Inder Singh; Sushmita Thomas; Ajai Choudhry; Basant Gupta; Haresh Panchal;
Jeevan Zutshi; Ashok Madan; T. Cherian and Gursharan Nat.
India Post News Service
SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Mr. AjaiChoudhry, Secretary Ministry of ExternalAffairs (MEA), Mr. Basant K. Gupta, Addi-tional Secretary and Mr. T. Cherian, UnderSecretary visited San Francisco Bay Area,on a 'fact finding mission' on current issuesand hardships relating to the surrender cer-tificate requirements, OCI, PIO cards and tolearn the grievances of NRIs about visa is-suance. Prior to visiting San Francisco, theMEA delegation had visited Houston Con-sulate.
GOPIO Fremont chapter with NFIA andFIANC coordinated the Bay Area commu-nity meeting of MEA officials and commu-nity activists at the Sneha Banquet Hall onMay 26. Consul General of India, SushmitaThomas and Consul, community affairsAshok Sinha also attended the meeting.Several members from various organizationsand community activists attended the meet-ing and provided valuable input on the re-lated issues.
Haresh Panchal, GOPIO International trea-surer opened the meeting by welcoming theguests while Inder Singh chairman of GOPIOInternational moderated the meeting.
Shoba Vohra, President of Jain Templeasked about obtaining surrender certificatewhen the passport is lost or misplaced."Once a person gets US citizenship, he/shefinds no need to keep the Indian passport.Some of the people had their minor childrenas part of their passport but now the chil-dren can't obtain a visa because they don'thave the Indian passport to prove their In-dian background," said Shoba Vohra. RajBhanot of Sunnyvale Hindu temple raisedhis concern about those who can't readEnglish and don't have the ability to use acomputer to access the consulate websiteto comply with visa related issues. He alsotalked about cases where people had pain-ful experience to obtain visa in an emer-gency situation.
Dr. Suresh Mahawar of FIANC felt thatthe consulates must not ask for too manydocuments to prove their Indian back-ground and suggested relaxing the rules.Chandru Bhambra, President of overseasBJP, recommended adding more offices inFremont and San Jose to process visa re-lated documents.
Jeevan Zutshi, GOPIO San Franciscochapter President suggested that all theconsulates in the United States should imple-ment a uniform policy regarding passportsurrender and visa issuance and have acommon website. He also complimented theSan Francisco consulate staff for workingvery hard in handling large number of visa,PIO and OCI card applications.
Mr. Basant K. Gupta, Additional Secre-tary MEA applauded GOPIO for taking thelead in finding resolution to the problemsrelated to issuance of visa. "The fees of $175was reduced to $20 at the initiative of GOPIOunder the leadership of Inder Singh," said
Basant K. Gupta. Both Susmita Thomas andBasant Gupta responded to the questionsfrom the audience and clarified many of thepoints raised by the attendees.
Mr. Chaudary, team leader heard com-plaints and took notes of input from the at-tendees. He promised to resolve several is-sues and streamline the visa process.
GOPIO submitted a memorandum to thehigh level delegation offering suggestionsbased on community input:
1. All consulates and embassies shouldimplement uniform policies regarding pass-port surrender and visa issuance and this
information should be identical on consu-lar websites. In fact, it is preferable that theIndian embassy website should post the setof policies and fees regarding passport sur-render and visa issuance and all consularwebsites should have link to the embassywebsite.
2. Those who became naturalized citizensbefore 2001 need not obtain surrender cer-tificates since their old passports are nolonger valid documents.
3. Reduce the passport surrender fee of$175 to $20 if the new naturalized citizensurrenders his/her passport within threemonths from the date of becoming citizen
of the adopted country. If not surrenderedwithin three months, charge full fee of $175.
4. Insert notation on each Indian pass-port that if the holder becomes citizen ofanother country, he/she must surrender thepassport to the nearest Indian Missionabroad and obtain receipt for surrender.
5. Eliminate penalty fee being chargedcurrently from those who have become citi-zens of other countries after January 1, 2005.
6. An applicant should not be requiredto send his original US passport with his/her OCI application. Since the OCI applica-tion has been taking longer than three
months to process, the applicant shouldsend his/her passport on receipt of approvalletter of his/her OCI application from theIndian Consulate or High Commissioner'sOffice.
7. An applicant who previously had along term visa should be given short termvisa in emergency without completing thelengthy formalities for surrender certificate.
8. Monthly visa camp in Los Angelesshould be started again to reduce the num-ber of people who have to travel to San Fran-cisco for consular services.
9. Travisa Outsourcing has so far provento be a failure. It has added another layer of
bureaucracy with inefficient and untrainedstaff. Neither Travisa office nor the Consu-late takes responsibility of the status of thevisa applications. Each blames the other fordelay at the cost of the applicants. Elementof sensitivity is lacking by both agencies. IfTravisa has to be retained as theoutsourcing agency, their staff should betrained. The staff also needs to change theirattitude and behavior in dealing with theapplicants.
Inder Singh, GOPIO International chair-man concluded by stating "during the lastseveral years, efforts have been made todevelop goodwill between India and herDiaspora. Organization of annual PravasiBharatiya Divas, Mini PBDs, grant of OCICard and PIO card and establishment of aseparate ministry for Overseas Indians aredecisions in the right direction and are ap-preciated by the Indian Diaspora.
However, the ambiguous rules of pass-port surrender are causing undue hardshipsand delays in obtaining visa for visiting In-dia and consequently alienating NRI/PIOcommunities all over the world. We urgeyou to resolve these issues immediately. Inthe coming months of June and July, manyparents will be applying for visa to visit In-dia as the schools are closed in Canada andAmerica during July and August. Promptresolution will avoid crisis situation whichmight develop during the coming months."
Niraj Baxi, past Chairman of the NationalFederation of Indian Associations (NFIA)thanked everyone for giving input. He alsothanked the Consul General of India andvisiting high ranking officials from India fortheir presence and commitment to addresscommunity concerns.
Dr. Suresh Mahawar of FIANC felt that the consulates must notask for too many documents to prove their Indian back-ground and suggested relaxing the rules. ChandruBhambra, President of overseas BJP, recommended addingmore offices in Fremont and San Jose to process visarelated documents
June 10, 2011India Post16 Community/Californiawww.indiapost.com
Sant Nirankari Mission organizes Blood DrivePRAFULL LANDE
TRACY, CA: The SantNirankari Mission, a spiritualmovement working towards uni-versal brotherhood celebrated'Manav Ekata Divas' (HumanUnity Day) by organizing aBlood donation camp on Sun-day, May 15 in Tracy, Califor-nia. The Delta Blood Bank con-ducted this blood drive. Repre-sentatives from the Delta BloodBank as well as volunteers of theSant Nirankari Mission(sewadal) gathered at the TracyBhavan very early in the morn-ing to set up the blood camp.
Sewadal members hadworked hard for last few weeks
spreading the word about thisblood camp. The blood campreceived an overwhelming re-sponse and total blood col-lected exceeded everyone's ex-pectations. Although the timingfor blood camp was announcedfor 10 am to 2pm, it had to beextended well beyond thattimeframe and still there were afew who missed their chancedue to time constraints. But theypromised to visit again nextyear. One could see joy and sat-
isfaction on the faces of volun-teers conducting the event aswell as blood donors. Some ofthem had come from places asfar as Reno, Fresno, San Jose,and Sacramento. Total bloodcollection was 34 units whichsaves 102 lives.
Arrangements of snacks, wa-ter, fruits and juices were madefor the blood donors. Apart fromthat Langar (community lunch)arrangement was also made.
The Sant Nirankari mission
celebrates human unity day andorganizes blood donation campsand health fairs as a tribute tothe supreme sacrifice of BabaGurbachan Singh. A satsangprogram (spiritual congrega-tion) was conducted from 11 amto 2 pm in the same hall and itconcluded with screening of themessage to mankind by the headof the Sant Nirankari Mission,His Holiness Baba HardevSingh. He reinforced the impor-
tance of human unity. This mes-sage of human unity was notjust listened to but being livedby the people who participatedin the blood donation camp.
The Sant Nirankari Missiontoday is one of the leadingblood donating voluntary orga-nizations in India. Scores ofblood donation camps are orga-nized in the month of April ev-ery year.
Contíd on page 19
Arrangements ofsnacks, water, fruitsand juices weremade for the blooddonors. Apart fromthat Langar (commu-nity lunch) arrange-ment was also made
June 10, 2011 India PostCommunity/Californiawww.indiapost.com
17
SAFF films shown at Yuba City festival
India Post News Service
YUBA CITY, CA: Sikh Arts and FilmFestival (SAFF) in collaboration with thePunjabi American Heritage Society fea-tured SAFF films at the Sikh Film Festi-val, Yuba City, during the Punjabi mela onSunday May 29 at Yuba City's Sutter Fair-grounds.
The PAHS-sponsored mela, attendedby several thousand celebrants, offeredKamal Khan live on stage, as well astented booths selling desi khanna fromFive Rivers and other kitchens, jewelryby such artisans as Nirinjan Khalsa of LosAngeles, and desi women's clothing.Mehndi artists plied their trade, childrendanced to the music, and social activistslike Maninder Saini of Sikh Women Now!
signed up new members for their causes,all on a brisk day under brilliant sunnyskies.
SAFF's director Michael Singhscreened "Prisoner's Song" and "Ridingthe Tiger," two of his Sikhpoint films pro-duced by Bicky Singh. Michael then re-ceived a special commendation andplaque "for his dedication and produc-
tion of documentaries about HumanRights and Sikh issues," presented byfestival founder Dr. Jasbir Kang of YubaCity and Ravie Aujila and her husbandBhajan of the Punjabi American HeritageSociety.
"Your recognition means the world tome; thank you so much," said a gratefulMichael to the event's organizers."
Actually, it is you who deserves the
thanks," said Dr. Kang as he handedMichael a generous cheque to help fundhis future projects, "We always look for-ward to your films."
"Michael, we loved your films," saidevent organizer Dr. Narinder Singh. "MayI offer you my encouragement to finishyour documentary about 1984. We shouldnever forget, and with the help of film-makers like you, we won't."
"I came up from Los Angeles to see
your films and meet you," said Jaz Kalkat,himself a budding feature film producerlooking for a bit of guidance from Michaelas he embarks on his first dramatic fea-ture film, slated to start shooting in twoweeks.
Topping off the evening, Sikhlens do-nated a limited-edition, gilt-framed SinghTwins painting, "1984," to PAHS mem-bers, destined for their new Sikh Museumin Yuba City.
"Michael, we loved your films," said event organizerDr. Narinder Singh. "May I offer you my encouragement tofinish your documentary about 1984. We should never for-get, and with the help of filmmakers like you, we won't." "Icame up from Los Angeles to see your films and meet you,"said Jaz Kalkat, himself a budding feature film producer
June 10, 2011India Post18 Community/Californiawww.indiapost.com
Ahmadis celebrate 103 years of spiritual unity
This is the only ticketed eventand music fans can get tickets.The other cultural events plannedinclude a Kuchipudi ballet, a mu-sical opera called Sri Rama Ganam,Kathak and Bharatha Natyamdances and a fusion ensemble ofragas on Saturday and a dance
Silver Jubilee of ChicagoHindu Temple
drama called "Divya Chethana" onSunday. There will also be a talkand a spiritual discourse in Teluguon Sunday by Dr. MedasaniMohan. All these events are freeof charge.
The Rajatotsavam committee isheaded by Sri Bhima Reddy. Ms.Prasanna Reddy is the Templepresident.
Contíd from page 14
India Post News Service
CHINO, CA: Southern Califor-nia area Muslims of theAhmadiyya Community gatheredon Sunday, May 22 at the BaitulHameed Mosque in Chino to cel-ebrate 103 years of continuous,non-political and purely spiritualleadership by Khalifas (Caliphs) intheir Islamic sect. About 350 men,women and children from theCommunity's three So-Cal areachapters attended the afternoonmeeting, which featured recitationof the Quran, an Urdu poem, and
Imam Shamshad delivers address at Khilafat day event Abdur Rahim Hubbs expounds importance of Khilafat
several speeches detailing the his-tory, significance and necessity ofKhilafat (Caliphate) in Islam for theunity and success of Muslims,both spiritually and worldly. Theclosing address was delivered byImam Shamshad A. Nasir.
In recognition of this non-vio-
lent and unifying spiritual leader-ship in Islam (an exclusive featureof the Ahmadiyya Muslim Com-munity) in May Ahmadi Muslimsin more than 190 countries cel-ebrate the 103rd year of their Is-lamic Community's successive,divinely-appointed spiritual lead-ership known as Khilafat (Caliph-ate). The current and 5th Khalifa(successor), Hadhrat MirzaMasroor Ahmad, was elected in
April 2003 following the passingof the 4th Khalifa, Hadhrat MirzaTahir Ahmad, who headed theCommunity from 1982-2003.
Nowadays, the word "Caliph-ate" is used by some to instill fearin people - the fear of a radical andoppressive Islamic political tidal
wave sweeping over their coun-try, imposing Islamic Shariah lawon all, Muslim or not. The truth isthat Islam cannot be forcibly im-posed on anyone, not even Mus-lims, and its shariah is entirely self-imposed by Muslims on them-selves, much as devout Christiansare expected to follow the NewTestament as their shariah law.
Hadhrat Ahmad claimed to bethe long-awaited Promised Mes-
siah and Imam Mahdi for the Mus-lims. Upon his death, HadhratMaulvi Hakeem Nooruddin waselected the first Khalifa of the Com-munity. Since that time, theAhmadiyya Muslim Community,based originally in Qadian, north-ern India, has seen its influenceand membership expand from 40people at the birth of the Commu-nity in 1889, to tens of millions ofmembers from virtually ever raceand nationality across 198 coun-tries of the world.
And, as Imam Shamshad A.Nasir from the AhmadiyyaCommunity's Baitul HameedMosque in Chino explains, "It isthis divinely-promised and pro-tected institution of spiritually-guided leadership in Islam calledKhilafat that is the foundation andsource of strength that keeps theAhmadiyya Muslim Communitygoing and growing, stronger andstronger, even despite terrible acts
of murder and persecution fromother Muslims because of someof our beliefs - none of which goagainst any actual teaching of Is-lam or the Holy ProphetMuhammad," he said.
The Imam's reference to murderand persecution hits home with hisfellow Ahmadis because whilethey are celebrating the blessingof spiritual leadership that distin-guishes Ahmadi Muslims from allother Muslims, it is this very dis-tinction (and some differing inter-pretations of Quranic verses)which raises the ire of manyradicalized, extremist Muslims,who then take our their anger onmembers of the non-violentAhmadiyya Community throughverbal, written and often physicalattacks. In fact, Saturday, May 28,the one-year anniversary ofdeadly attacks on two of theirmosques in Lahore, Pakistan,when Taliban militants armed withAK-47s, suicide vests and explo-sives simultaneously attackedworshippers attending FridayPrayer services, killing 86 andwounding hundreds more.
Mosque officials at table (L to R) Asim Ansari, Dr Hamidur
Rahman, Imam Shamshad
Audience listening to speech at Ahmadiyya Khilafat day
Nowadays, the word"Caliphate" is used bysome to instill fear inpeople - the fear of aradical and oppres-sive Islamic politicaltidal wave sweepingover their country,imposing IslamicShariah law on all,Muslim or not
June 10, 2011 India PostCommunity/Californiawww.indiapost.com
19
Plight of Hindus in Pakistan
D i s c l a i m e r : - I n d i a P o s t d o e s n o t e n d o r s e o p i n i o n s e x p r e s s e d i n t h e l e t t e r s .
Sant Nirankari Mission organizes Blood Drive
These camps are held as per thewishes of the present SpiritualHead of the Mission Baba HardevSingh who said that donation ofblood would be the best tribute toBaba Gurbachan Singh who sacri-ficed his life for the sake of Truthand human values. Moreover,blood donation is the best serviceone could offer to humanity.When transfused in human veinsblood knows no religion, caste ornationality.
The Mission has organizedmore than 1247 Blood DonationCamps in India and abroad duringthe past one decade. It is esti-mated that the volunteers of theNirankari Sewa Dal and otherdevotees have so far donatedmore than 248,000 units of blood.In 2006, 168 camps were held and28,587 units of blood donated.Quite often, His Holiness, his es-teemed spouse and other membersof the gracious family also donateblood during these camps. Themiracle is that the number of blood
donors always exceeds the capac-ity of the blood collecting teams.
In recognition of the Mission'sefforts towards promoting volun-tary blood donation, the IndianRed Cross Society conferred aspecial award on the Mission onJune 14, 2006.
The Sant Nirankari Mission isessentially a spiritual movement.Its principal commitment to its fol-lowers is to make their minds con-scious of the Eternal Reality andunite their Soul with the Creator,the Formless God. The Mission
believes that ignorance and super-stition are the biggest obstaclesin man's path to real progress andhappiness. The narrow-mindedness, hatred and pridebrooded by them are the most vi-cious source of trouble for themankind. The Mission endeavorsto remove the same by makingspiritual enlightenment within thereach of every man and woman--young or old, rich or poor, high orlow, educated or illiterate, what-ever the language, faith or culture,whatever the state or the nation.
Contíd from page 16
Extortion by policein Mumbai
Readers Write...www.indiapost.com
Extortion is not new toMumbai police. Remem-ber, Dawood is the son of
a police constable and he and hissiblings (Dawood's sister is alsoan extortionist) must have got in-spired and got training from theirdad.
In Mumbai one is more wor-ried about police extortion ratherthan pick pocketing. Unfortu-nately it is the state of Mumbai.People pay bribes to becomeMumbai police for extra income.A constable makes at least Rs.10,000 (salary) + 70,000 (extra)every month.
I personally have gonethrough the same GRP checking/extortion racket at Dadar station.Their modus operandi is
1. pick single male passengers2. In the name of security
check, they open your bags andwallet and make an assessment.
(ATM cards, large amounts ofcash etc are attractive)
3. Ask for the nature of yourjob/profession to estimate yournet worth and potential threats(you might be in police or haveother connections)
4. Take the potential victimsinto a room and God knows whathappens beyond that point.
This case (Piyush of IITMumbai robbed by cops) cameto light because the victim is anIIT student and contacted Deanafter the incident and due to theIIT aura the case was pursued.What about a common man likeyou and I? I was threatenedand looted by Dindoshi policePSO but I don't have a place togo and report. (I moved out ofthat area since then). Who isgoing to provide security postcomplaint?
S Murthy
Dr. Arvind Chandrakantan,a New York anesthesiologist and critical care phy-
sician, set up the Pakistan HinduEmpowerment Fund with Hindu Heri-tage Endowment last year. Recent tor-rential monsoon rains sent watersrushing into the flood plains of SindhProvince, home to the vast majorityof Pakistan's 2.5 million Hindus.
He used the fund to send$6,000 in immediate relief tostricken Hindu families. But muchmore is needed. The Indus Riverhad spilled five to seven milesbeyond its banks. The flood af-fected a quarter of Pakistan andmade vivid the plight of Pakistan'sHindu minority.
"Lots of long-term problemscome with a disaster," Dr.Chandrakantan said. "Most Paki-stani Hindus lack access to edu-cation. They are sons of the soil,and a catastrophe like this wipesaway their lands, forces some intobonded labor, puts their legal sta-tus at risk, and brings on a state oflawlessness." He added that someChristian sects have taken advan-tage of the disaster to proselytize.
He said that he had beenshocked to hear that twenty totwenty-five Hindu girls per monthare kidnapped in Sindh Provinceand sold into prostitution. He hadlamented widespread bonded la-bor among Pakistani Hindus andother poor, tantamount to slaverythat is illegal but widely practiced.
He added that Hindus, whohave lived for centuries in whatbecame Pakistan in 1947, struggletoday with illiteracy, poverty anda complex history of Muslim-Hindu antagonism.
Dr. Chandrakantan, the son ofIndian immigrants, practices atStony Brook University MedicalCenter. He compares his good for-tune as a US resident and medicalprofessional with the plight of Pa-kistani Hindus: "The contrast isstriking and unfortunate."
Dr. Chandrakantan, who serveson the executive committee of theHindu American Foundation, isworking with about six otherHindu-Americans to grow the Pa-kistan Hindu Empowerment Fundso it can create significant income.Their long-term goal is the cre-
ation of a nonprofit organizationdedicated to Pakistani Hindus.
Not many Pakistani Hindus livein the US, he explains, so he hasused the floods to help the Ameri-can-Hindu community feel moreacutely the problems faced bytheir co-religionists. He cites theprosperity enjoyed by AmericanHindus and uses karmic reasoning- if one sows goodness, one willreap goodness - to encourage con-tributions to the Pakistan Fund.
"Hindus are not the only groupsuffering in Pakistan," he admits,"I understand their issues better. Iam after all a Hindu." He prays thatthis sense of oneness remains wellafter the flood waters have receded.
Those who wish to join Dr.Chandrakantan in contributing to thePakistan Hindu Empowerment Fund(fund #81) can do so by contactingSannyasin Shanmuganathaswami at808-822-3012 extension 244 [email protected], or giving directly ath t tp : / /www.hheonl ine .o rg /donate.shtml .
Madhu PatelFounder President, NRI
Press Club, Chicago
In recognition of theMission's efforts to-wards promotingvoluntary blood do-nation, the Indian RedCross Society con-ferred a specialaward on the Missionon June 14, 2006
India Post June 10, 2011www.indiapost.com
Real Estate20
Realty Tidbits
5 tips for hiring an interior designerSONYA STINSON
Working with an interior de-signer on a home improve-
ment project can be a time- andmoney-saver if you plan the col-laboration carefully.
But first you need to under-stand that for all the expertise andcreative ideas that an experiencedinterior designer can offer, thereare two questions that only youcan answer. What do you want,and how much do you want tospend? Once you've figured thosethings out, you'll be ready to be-gin the process of hiring a de-signer.
Denver interior designer GailDoby says the first step is to askaround for referrals. She is also co-founder of Design Success Uni-versity LLC, a business mentoringservice that offers a free report forconsumers with tips on workingwith designers.
"Real estate agents are great,(along with) your neighbors andfriends ... whose homes you'veseen that you like. Also, if you seesomething in a magazine or an ar-ticle online, those are great placesto start," Doby says.
Once you have a list of interiordesigners you'd like to check out,head to the computer. Doby esti-mates that 75 percent of interiordesigners these days havewebsites, although the extent ofthe information they contain willvary. Pay close attention to thevisual samples on each site.
"With the photographs that areon the website, you can get agood idea about style and whetheryou like what the designer is do-ing," says New York interior de-signer Judy Sheridan, author of"How to Work with an InteriorDesigner."
Consider hiring designerswhose services fit your needs.Some specialize in renovations.Others prefer to work with newconstruction projects. Some de-signers offer nothing but windowtreatments. Others focus onkitchen and bath design.
If you've never done an inte-rior design project before, you'llneed to do a little homework todetermine a reasonable budget.Friends and neighbors who havedone makeovers similar to whatyou have in mind -- and are willingto discuss what they spent -- can
provide a good basis for a ballparknumber.
Another helpful resource isRemodeling magazine's annual"Cost vs. Value" report on someof the most popular remodelingprojects, based on a survey by theNational Association of Realtors.The most recent report appears inthe November 2010 issue and canbe accessed from the magazine'swebsite.
On the midrange scale of luxury,a major kitchen remodel averaged$58,367, according to Remodeling.The average cost of an upscale
kitchen remodel was $113,464. Thecost of a midrange bathroom re-model averaged $16,634, while theupscale version averaged $53,759.A master suite addition averaged$108,090 in the midrange and$232,062 for an upscale project.
Doby and Sheridan stress theimportance of being upfront abouthow much money you're willing tospend on your design project. Butaccording to Sheridan, the diffi-
culty in getting clients to discusstheir budgets is a frequent sourceof frustration for interior design-ers.
"It's a real cat-and-mousegame," Sheridan says. "Theyleave it up to the designer to some-how, with a crystal ball, figure thisout."
Sometimes your vision for adesign project will turn out not tomatch your budget. If you'redreaming of a custom kitchen buthave a budget of only $20,000, it'sprobably not going to happen. Aninterior designer can help you pri-
oritize your wish list, showing youwhat your budget will allow youto do now and how you can worktoward your goal a little bit at atime.
Sheridan says designers canprovide you with ballpark figureson the cost of doing a particularkind of project, say a whole livingroom or a bathroom renovation.But with such a wide range in thequality and costs of materials, how
much you end up spending ismainly up to you.
According to the Design Suc-cess University website, interiordesigners frequently charge anhourly fee, plus a markup for han-dling the purchase of furnishingsand materials. Some provide ac-cess to a discount on retail pur-chases. A few designers simply billby the hour with no purchasingservices offered. There also aredesigners who charge a flatproject fee.
Be aware that if the interior de-signer does the purchasing onyour behalf, you will be expectedto pay 100 percent of the costsupfront. Many designers also re-quire the payment of a retainer,ranging from $500 to $25,000, whenyou sign the contract, accordingto the Design Success Universitywebsite.
Make certain the designer youhire is selling the services youwant to buy. For instance, if youare thinking about a do-it-yourselfroom makeover, some designerswill offer consultation for an hourlyfee to provide a few ideas or someplanning assistance. But manywon't take on these types of cli-ents.
"They're going to do a completeproject ... from conception all theway through to execution," Dobysays.
Cont’d on page 21
Godrej videos ofprojects onYouTubeGodrej Properties, the real es-
tate development arm ofGodrej Group, has launched itsYouTube Channel with an aim tooffer viewers an easy access tovideos of its upcoming and ongo-ing projects pan-India.Walkthroughs of projects includ-ing apartments will be posted tohighlight various amenities andfacilities that the project wouldprovide thus giving viewers achance to get an actual feel of theproperty.
The company will be updatingthe bulletin board to notify view-ers on any new videos uploadedon the channel and will graduallyallow viewers to post any querieswith the company thus making itan interactive experience, the com-pany said in a statement here."YouTube is an interactive portaland is all about sharing videos. Thisplatform will help viewers and cus-tomers connect with us easily andin an interactive manner," GodrejProperties' vice president (sales &marketing) Girish Shah said.
20% decline inDFL's salesvolume
The country's largest realty firmDLF has sold 10 million square feetarea worth Rs 6,658 crore in thehousing segment during the lastfiscal, lower by 20 per cent thanthat sold in the previous year. Thecompany, however, said that theaverage sales realization was higherby 14 per cent in 2010-11. "…10million sq ft sales achieved in FY'11against 12.5 million sq ft in FY'10 …While sales booking in FY'11 wasmarginally lower, average realizationwas at Rs 6,500 per sq ft (up 14 percent from FY10)," the company saidin a presentation.
JP Morgan investsin ParsvnathprojectJP Morgan has invested $30 mil
lion in Parsvnath Developers'residential project La Tropicanacoming up in the Civil Lines areaof New Delhi. The deal includesan additional funding for the realestate group through JP Morgan'slocal NBFC in India. According toa source close to the development,part of the funds raised has beenused by Parsvnath to provide anexit to Red Fort Capital, which hadinvested Rs 115 crore in the projectin 2009. Red Fort has made a 30%return on its investment in theproject, sources in the know of thedeal said.
DB Realty defers financial results
With its promoters facing probe in the 2G telecomscam, DB Realty has deferred the board meeting
to announce the financial results for the year endedMarch 31, 2011, citing delay in the audit process andconsolidation of the financial statements.
In a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange, D B Re-alty said that the company's Audit Committee membersreviewed and took stock of the compilation and con-solidation of accounts and the audit process.
Once you have a list of interior designers you'dlike to check out, head to the computer. Dobyestimates that 75 percent of interior designersthese days have websites, although the extent ofthe information they contain will vary. Pay closeattention to the visual samples on each site
June 10, 2011 India PostReal Estatewww.indiapost.com
21
One of the biggest ways an interiordesigner can save you time and moneyis by helping you find good construc-tion and remodeling contractors.
"This is what we do all daylong," Doby says. "Usually wehave a group of contractors andsubcontractors that we work withevery day. We know they're goingto show up on time, and they're
going to be respectful of people'shomes and their personal posses-sions. They're going to have integ-rity and do what they say they'regoing to do for reasonable prices."
Courtesy Bankrate.com
5 tips for hiring an interior designerCont’d from page 20
Avoid falling into the dual-mortgage trapSTEVE MCLINDEN
Dear Real Estate Adviser,We want buy a house in anothercity that's closer to our grandkids.Should we try to sell our housefirst? We could afford to pay twomortgages for a while, but withthe uncertainty in the sales mar-ket, we are a little worried. What'sthe best way to handle this, typi-cally?
-- Louis W. Dear Louis,
There are two distinctly differ-ent schools of thought here.
One says you should avoidgiving up your present home be-cause you may have to put every-thing in storage and move intoless-than-satisfactory temporarydigs if the purchase of your newhome is delayed or falls apart forany reason. That could be a head-ache if you have pets and lots offurnishing and other belongings.The other school of thought says
you should never commit to a newhouse before you sell the old one,especially if you have to use theequity from the old house to buythe new one.
In a perfect world, of course,you would have enough cash tocarry both mortgages indefinitelyand the coordination of the buy-sell maneuver wouldn't be an or-deal. But if you aren't in that posi-tion, especially given today's mar-ket realities, I'd lean toward ce-menting the sale of that existinghome first if possible. Because it'sa buyer's market, you stand tohave far fewer problems executingthe buy side of the equation thesedays because sellers tend to bemore motivated -- and grateful --that they have an offer.
If you do feel compelled to buya place near your grandkids soonerthan later, there are a few financ-ing options that can mitigate the
potential discomfort of carryingtwo mortgages. One is called abridge loan, which gives youenough capital for a down pay-
ment on the new place and per-haps enough to pay your secondmortgage for a while. In mostcases, you wouldn't have to close
on such a loan unless you neededit. A bridge loan, which is typicallyrepaid when you sell the house,generally requires an appraisal.Plus, an origination fee will kick inwhen you start using the loan.
Or you could take out a homeequity line of credit, or HELOC, touse toward the down payment andclosing expenses, although somelenders frown on this if you've al-ready put your present home onthe market. Arrange for yourHELOC in advance of sales activ-ity, but commit to leaving thatcredit line alone until it's needed.Financing and terms will dependlargely on your income, of course.
There are some contractualstrategies that might help youavoid falling into the dual-mort-gage chasm as well. You could adda "sale of buyer's home contin-gency" to your sales contract,sometimes called a "Hubbard" in
industry lexicon. That allows youa stipulated period, typically twoto three months, to sell your cur-rent home before you have toclose on the new one.
There's also a "reverseHubbard" that allows the seller aset period of time to find a replace-ment home after accepting a pur-chase offer. Both allow "outs"without repercussions with theproper contract language. Thenegative to the Hubbard is thatother buyers can swoop in withno-contingency offers and grabthe house you want, or in the caseof the reverse Hubbard, they candrop your deal to buy anotherhouse that isn't saddled by suchcontingencies.
These days, at least in my opin-ion, the sale of the present housetrumps the purchase of the new onein order of importance. Good luck.
Courtesy Bankrate.com
Hospitality sector profitability goes upIndia's nationwide occupancy in
2010-11 was 68%, whichmatches the occupancy levels of2007-08," says KaushikVardharajan, MD of the hospital-ity industry consulting firm, HVSConsulting & Valuation Services.What's more, revenue per availableroom, which indicates a hotel'sprofitability, grew 10.7% in 2010-11. Nationwide revPAR haddropped by 14% and 11.6% in2008-09 and 2009-10 respectively.Hoteliers also say that demandfor number of room nights grewby 15-30% on an average acrossthe nation. Demand is a measureof the number of rooms sold,while occupancy is a ratio of de-mand and total rooms available.
Crisil Research, the researchwing of credit rating agency Crisil,says in its report that the April-June 2011 period is expected towitness an improvement in occu-pancy rates compared to the sameperiod last year though averageroom rates are expected to bestable. Traditionally, occupancyduring this quarter dips - as com-pared to winter. HVS'sVardharajan adds that he expectsrevPAR to also grow at 9-10%during the current fiscal year. Asan industry patriarch, PRS Oberoi
knows this best. Chairman of EIHLtd, which owns and operates theOberoi and Trident hotels, hesaid, "The winter has been rea-sonably good. Most hotels havemet their budgets. Business willbe better than expected. I am ex-pecting the current months to begood as well."
EIH will be putting out itsquarter numbers on May 30. Mostof the other big hotel chains in-cluding ITC and Indian HotelsCompany (Tata's Taj group ofhotels) have reported higher rev-enues in the fourth quarter endedMarch 30, 2011 and for the fiscalyear 2010-11. IHCL says its netprofit for the quarter grew 56.7%to 93.93 crore. The company at-tributed this to improvement inoccupancies across most keymarkets driven by improved de-mand cutting across major cus-tomer segments.
This began in October 2010, itadded. ITC's hotel's businessgrew 17%. What is, however, in-
teresting is the fact that it wasn'tthe international business whichdrove growth; instead it was theever growing domestic traffic. Forluxury hotels, internationalguests contribute nearly 70% ofthe demand, while for mid-markethotels, nearly 90% of the demandcomes from domestic travelers.
Even Oberoi acknowledgesthat. He says that a decline in theglobal flow of foreign direct in-vestments, especially into India,has slowed down foreign execu-tive travel. Despite this, and thedip in tourist flow from some Eu-ropean countries, his hotels havemaintained momentum in the lastfew quarters. Dilip Puri managingdirector-India and regional vice-president (south Asia) forStarwood Hotels & Resorts, says,"Some of our big hotels in thecountry are still getting nearly60% of their occupancies from in-ternational footfalls. But the do-mestic demand has seen highergrowth in the past fiscal."
DLF switches to sale ofdeveloped properties
In a significant shift in strategy,DLF plans to sell developed prop-erties, including five IT parks andits hotel business, hoping to mopup 7,000 crore in the next two yearsand reduce its burgeoning grossdebt of 23,990 crore. At 10:36 am,shares of DLF were trading 2.20per cent up at Rs 230.15 on theBombay Stock Exchange.
India's largest real estate firm'stax dues are also on the rise -t o u c h i n g1 , 7 0 3 . 0 4crore in thefiscal year2011. DLFhas re-ceived anadditionaltax demandof 546.85crore fromthe income tax department in thelast quarter of 2010-11, over andabove the 1,156.19-crore demandmade in the previous quarter, asenior executive in the companytold ET on the condition of ano-nymity.
The company has reported aconsolidated net profit of 344.54
crore in the fourth quarter endedMarch 11, but that included an in-come of 93.73 crore brought intothe books from the earlier years.Net profit in the correspondingquarter of last year was 426.38crore. Fourth quarter revenues in-creased to 2,683 crore from 1,994crore from the year ago period.
Over the last one-and-a-halfyears, the real estate major had al-ready sold some non-core assets
such as hotel sites in Delhi andHyderabad as well as non-con-tiguous land parcels to rake inaround 3,000 crore. But it has neversold its buildings and other devel-oped assets. The company said itcould sell non-core assets "likecertain IT Parks that yield low re-turn".
Because it's a buyer'smarket, you stand tohave far fewer prob-lems executing thebuy side of the equa-tion these days be-cause sellers tend tobe more motivated --and grateful -- thatthey have an offer
June 10, 2011India Post22 www.indiapost.com
1 Humko Pyaar Hua : Ready2 Tere Bin Jiya Na Jaye :
Love Express3 Kutta : Pyar Ka Punchnama
Shor In The City4 Hare Jhande Ke Shehzaade :
A Strange Love Story5 Khoya Kya : Kashmakash6 Khwab (Rock) : Kucch Luv Jaisaa7 Zindagi : Shaitan8 Ishq Da Keeda : Bheja Fry 29 Bhaag D.K Bose, Aandhi Aayi :
Delhi Belly10 O Yaara : Shaitan
Katrina Kaif is one actress who has made it to the top slot of Bollywood on thebasis of sheer beauty and glamour because her acting skills and dialogue deliv-ery is still a major target with critics. However, the pretty lady is all set to prove
that she can impress her fans even without her oomph and glamour because she will beseen without any traces of makeup for Kabir Khan's next 'Ek Tha Tiger' where she ispaired opposite Salman Khan.
Kabir has strictly instructed Katrina to use no make-up at all before her shots as
Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora Khanmake one of the most adorablecouples of Bollywood and it did
come as a surprise for many of their fanswhen the rumors stating a rift in their mar-riage started rising now and then in thegossip columns. Some reports evenstated that Malaika had shifted to hermom's place due to irresolvable disputebetween the two.
However, Arbaaz vehemently denied anytrouble in his marriage and even expressedhis anger and disappointment on such base-less rumors.
"Let me clarify one last time that Malaikaand me are very much together… gossipmongers and stupid malicious reportingabout us should stop," Arbaaz posted onhis Twitter page.
"It would be nice if over-enthusiasticjournalists show a little responsibility be-fore carrying personal news about peoplethat is a lie," he posted.
"Recently read and heard some ridicu-lous nasty rumors that Malaika and mehave split. It's very disgusting to readsuch untrue news in media (sic)," headded.
We hope and pray that theirs remains ahappy marriage now and ever after!!
she plays a character of a girl-next-door who doesn't stand out in the crowd. Kats willnot even be allowed to dab on some natural-colored lipstick or touch up her facebefore every shot, like a lot of actresses do while playing de-glam roles. Sourcesimply that the brief to Katrina from Kabir strictly read, 'Your only makeup would beface-wash before every shot."
Though we have full confidence in Kabir Khan's visualization of his characters, howKaif's fans react to her de-glam avatar is yet to be seen.
TOP TENHINDI FILM SONGS
India Post 23June 10, 2011
www.indiapost.com
Bollywood
The year 2011 seems to be an action packed year for seemingly fragile Kareena Kapoor forshe has not one or two, but three action films in her kitty. Normally, Bebo has done romantic, cute and bubbly roles in her career and this is the first time she will be seen in serious
action roles. She plays a diverse range of roles as a college student, a super spy and a mother in herfilms to come which include Siddique's 'Bodyguard', Sriram Raghavan's 'Agent Vinod' and AnubhavSinha's 'Ra.One'.
Ra.One has her indulging into some serious fist fights and director Anubhav Sinha is thoroughlyimpressed with the way Bebo has indulged into preparations for her role. He says, "This is the firsttime Kareena is doing action scenes. She is the part of the serious action sequences including handto hand combat. The film has several such sequences and she features in almost all of them."
The action scenes for 'Ra.One' have been directed by Hollywood's ace action directors Andy Gilland Spiro Razatos of 'Fast and Furious' fame.
Bollywood actor Arshad Warsi, who feels that after a heavy dose of comedyhe needs to do serious roles, is looking forward to playing a negative role in"Zila Ghaziabad".
"I'm going to start a film called 'Zila Ghaziabad' in July. It's a film about theGhaziabad mafia, that entire belt, politics and all that stuff. I'm playing a negativerole for the first time, a complete bad guy with no justifications. The role is that ofa guy who works for the politicians in that region," Arshad said.
Newcomer Anand will direct the film. Sanjay Dutt and Vivek Oberoi are rumoredto be part of the project.
Actor Saif Ali Khan, who is cur-rently working on "Aarakshan",a film looking at caste-based res-
ervations and the politics around it,doesn't like politics in real life.
"I can't bear politics. I'm a little awareabout it; I read the papers but I just feelthat with the kind of politics this coun-try has, it's so difficult to keep everyonehappy... it's something very exhausting,"said the 40-year-old.
"I think I'm in the right profession forme. Things keep changing every nowand then in acting, but at least there isno politics here," he added.
Directed by Prakash Jha,"Aarakshan" also features AmitabhBachchan, Deepika Padukone, ManojBajpayee and Prateik.
Badman Arshad
Beware politics
www.indiapost.com24 India Post June 10, 2011
India Post News Service
NEW YORK: Lady Gaga released twoBollywood remixes of her hit single "BornThis Way" in April. Now, along with it,she is releasing two Bollywood-inspiredremixes of "Judas." One produced by topBollywood producers Salim and Sulaimanand the other by Panjabi MC, both cre-ated in conjunction with fusion mediacompany Desi Hits!
"We are thrilled with the overwhelm-ing response to the Born This Way re-mixes, and decided to create a special ver-sion of Judas for our Desi fans" said TroyCarter, CEO-Atom Factory, Lady Gaga'smanagement company.
"When we started working on 'Judas'we felt like the song already had an in-credible blend of emotion and aggression,so we wanted to create the same feeling,but with an Indian interpretation. Thechoice of bringing in sarangi and voiceboth from Rajasthan seemed perfect asthey both complement Gaga's drama,"said producers Salim and Sulaiman
Salim and Sulaiman are best knownfor incorporating western, folk,Hindustani and Sufi influences into theirmusic. The brother duo has won morethan 10 industry awards, including anEmmy, and are sought after by some ofthe world's top talent.
"Good music is all about the emo-tional connection that an artist makeswith his or her audience. Gaga is sucha massive star, so her music will natu-rally transcend language barriers andreach audiences around the world,"says Anjula Acharia-Bath CEO of DesiHits, who is working closely withGaga's camp on a strategy for theSouth Asian market.
Her new record is the follow-up to her2008 debut album "The Fame", which wenton to sell more than 12 million copies andtopped the charts. An extended play re-lease "The Fame Monster" came out thefollowing year.
‘When we startedworking on 'Judas' wefelt like the song al-ready had an incred-ible blend of emotionand aggression, so wewanted to create thesame feeling, but withan Indian interpretation’
June 10, 2011 India Post
www.indiapost.com
25
Zee's Subhash Chandra to receive International Emmy Award
Shilpa Shetty's estate takenover by squatter gang
India Post News Service
NEW YORK: Founder of India's leadingsatellite television channel Zee TV, SubhashChandra makes history as the first Indian toreceive the 2011 International DirectorateAward, as Zee Entertainment Enterprises Lim-ited (ZEEL) approaches its 20th anniversary.
Chandra, the media magnate behindIndia's Essel Group of companies andFounder of ZEE TV- India's first Hindi satel-lite channel, will receive the prestigiousaward at The International Emmy AwardsGala, in New York, on November 21.
"Subhash Chandra is a one of a kind vi-sionary - a self-made entrepreneur whomade his mark on the Indian television in-dustry by launching the first privately-owned channel in India," said Bruce Paisner,President & CEO of The International Acad-emy of Television Arts & Sciences. "We lookforward to presenting him with our 2011 In-ternational Emmy Directorate Award as ZeeEntertainment Enterprises prepares to cel-ebrate its 20th anniversary, in 2012."
Acknowledging the award, Mr. SubhashChandra, Chairman, Zee Entertainment En-
terprises Limited (ZEEL) said, "I thank theAcademy for bestowing this honor on me.Our belief has always been to explore andcapitalize on opportunities that arise in form
of new businesses. From being India's firstprivate satellite broadcast company, Zee En-tertainment has spread its wings to being
an International Media Enterprise today. Asa Company our endeavor will be to build-on our good work, achieve greater heightsand in-turn play an important role as pio-neers, in shaping the growth & the futureof the media and entertainment industry."Mr. Chandra added.
Launched in 1992 by Chandra, ZEEL is apioneer of the television entertainment in-
dustry in India with 500 million viewersacross 167 countries and a library of over80,000 hours of television and 3,000 films.Zee's well known brands include Zee TV,Zee Cinema, Zee Premier, Zee Action, ZeeClassic, Ten Sports, Ten Cricket, Ten Ac-tion+, Zee Cafe, Zee Studio, Zee Trendz,Zee Khana Khazana, Zee Salaam, ZeeJagran, Zing, ETC Music and ETC Punjabi.
ZEEL is part of Chandra's Essel Group ofCompanies; one of India's largest conglom-erates, housing a diverse portfolio of as-sets in media, packaging, entertainment,technology-enabled services, infrastruc-ture, development and education. An influ-ential philanthropist and sports aficionado,Subhash Chandra also heads up severalnon-profit organizations with a focus onaccess to quality education through dis-tance and open learning.
The International Academy of TelevisionArts & Sciences is a membership based or-ganization comprised of leading media andentertainment figures from over 50 coun-tries and 500 companies from all sectors oftelevision including internet, mobile andtechnology.
A private estate in Britainthat is home to a host ofcelebrities -including
Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty - isreportedly being taken over by agang of squatters.
The celebrity residents of theSt. George's Hill community inWeybridge, Surrey, are now beingasked to be "vigilant" followingthe arrival of the squatters, theDaily Mail reported.
Former residents of the estateinclude singer Elton John, formerBeatle Ringo Starr and Hollywoodactress Kate Winslet.
Six squatters reportedly moved
into the abandoned three millionpound, six-bedroom WoodlawnCottage on the exclusive estate inApril, and claim they were not act-ing illegally.
The property was reportedly
abandoned six years ago and hassince become derelict. The squat-ters say they plan to stay as longas possible.
"It is legal for me to be here. I
found the place on Google mapsso I came up to have a look andthe place was open. The lockshad been broken off, no onewas living here, it was com-pletely open - so why not?" asquatter named Stefan Cybulskisaid.
Homeowners now say theywant the illegal movers out.
"It does seem pretty extraordi-nary that the police can't do any-thing to get these people off theestate," a resident said.
"They have no right to be here,yet the law appears to be on theirside - it's completely wrong."
Properties on the estate areworth nearly 10 million pounds.
A security guard is now beingemployed to keep the propertyunder surveillance. Police have setup extra patrol of the area.
Woodlawn Cottage (circled) is one of many luxury homes
on the private estate
Artist T Anilkumarr, CMD, World Art Works India presents two portraits
of AR Rahman to him in Bangalore
‘It does seem prettyextraordinary that thepolice can't doanything to get thesepeople off the es-tate,’ a resident said
‘From being India's firstprivate satellite broadcastcompany, Zee Entertainmenthas spread its wings to beingan International Media Enter-prise today. As a Companyour endeavor will be tobuild-on our good work,achieve greater heights andin-turn play an importantrole as pioneers, in shapingthe growth & the futureof the media andentertainment industry’
Shah Rukh upset overChammak Challo leak
Just a day prior to the unveil-ing of the theatrical trailer ofRa.One, the much talked
about song Chammak Challo wasleaked on the internet.
Many thought that leaking thesong, which stars Kareena Kapoorand is rendered by Akon, was justanother publicity funda to get maxi-mum attention for Ra.One. How-ever, Shah Rukh denied any suchintention.
Expressing his regret over theleak, he said, "I am very upset thatthe song was leaked. We havetracked the IP address and arehunting for the person who's re-sponsible for the leak. Also, thisis not the final version of
Chammak Challo. It's one of theinitial recordings."
Looking at the positive side,SRK said that he was happy byaudiences' response to the song."I am glad that people have likedthis one. I am now sure the finalversion will be a hit."
India Postwww.indiapost.com
June 10, 201126
June 10, 2011 India Post
www.indiapost.com
27
Pakistan PM Gilani isAishwarya's ardent fan
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has a hugefan following worldwide and one ofthe ardent fans of the former beauty
queen is Pakistani PM Yusuf Raza Gilani.That Gilani is a huge fan of the Bachchanbahurani came to know when an NGO fromIndia visited the PM.
While discussing various issue, someraised the issue of Hindi cinema. From the dis-cussion, it was revealed that Yusuf Raza Gilani
is a huge fan of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.He wanted to know from them more about
the beauty queen. He asked them about herlikings and disliking and enquired manythings about her. From his queries, it can beunderstood that Gilani is clean bowled bythe actress.
Well, after Lata Mangeshkar andMadhuri Dixit, Ash's charm smitten Pak'speople.
June 10, 2011India Post28 Horoscope
Pandit Parashar, CEO & COO Astro Scan USA is also avail-able for individual consultations.He can be reached at: [email protected]
925-833-7170website: www.parashar.com
Your Weekly FutureJUNE 10TH - JUNE 16TH
Knowledge recently gained will help you move into right
direction. You will make final payment on several bills.
You will visit a nice place with family to meet an old friend. A
child not doing so well in the past will make remarkable re-
covery. Enemies and opponents will try their best to hurt
you but will not succeed.
Money will come and disappear fast but will go on
good reasons only. You will learn some thing new
and useful that can help and open new doors in ca-
reer. Chances are you will be on the move throughout
the week and also accomplish a lot. Avoid any argu-
ment at home or some one close. You will need to
replace electric item in the house.
Money wise you will do better from now but
may have some concerns about health. You
will make big change in food habits. You will pay
lots of attention to some one who took care of you
in the past. You will spend some time among poli-
ticians also. Stress at work place will come down
and you will be assigned to an easier job.
GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20)
LEO (JULY 23 TO AUGUST 22) VIRGO (AUGUST 23 TO SEPTEMBER 22)
LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23 TO OCTOBER 22) SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23 TO NOVEMBER 22)
CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22 TO JANUARY 19)SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 23 TO DECEMBER 22)
AQUARIUS (JANUARY 20 TO FEBRUARY 18) PISCES (FEBRUARY 19 TO MARCH 20)
by Pandit Parashar
www.indiapost.com
CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22)
TAURUS (APRIL 21 TO MAY 20)ARIES (MARCH 21 TO APRIL 20)
Take a chance and listen to advice given by some
one in powerful position. There will be some progress
in a property related issue and things can come to a
closure soon. You will continue to deal with strong oppo-
nents and ultimately win. Some one will call from distant
place and give a pleasant news. People in business will
have better sales.
It will take few weeks to regain self confidence. You will
take few courageous actions but will be nervous and
scared at the same time. You will be making plans with
children and spending more money on them. Uncertainty
will disappear and stress will also reduce a lot at work
place.
Your talents will be recognized. Opportunity will come on a
silver platter. It will be better to have the language changed
and clause removed before you sign that contract. Some one
from past will read the signs wrong and try to flirt with you.
You have to be careful when driving or parking your vehicle.
Business trip will be very fruitful.
Uncertainty and confusions could develop and you
will be given limited options. You may be in touch
with an expert for advice but any decision will be hard.
You will spend a lot of time on writing mails and reaching
out people. Some of you may travel long distance in con-
nection with office work.
Some one close will hurt your feelings. Do not let slow
progress shake your self confidence. Some of you will
start trying your luck in total different field. There will be
victory in ongoing legal battle very soon. You will be mak-
ing big plans with family for coming summer. You will be
applying for credit or some kind of loan application also.
Efforts made in the past will start bearing fruits from
now and on. You will be assigned to a prestigious
project. You may attend a get together with other people
in similar profession. Business will also pick up suddenly
and new vendor will help you save lots of money.
Legal matter will come to an end and the wastage will
stop. You will be getting ready for an upcoming trip.
Money wise you will continue to stay very comfortable and
have several chances to make extra bucks. You will have
the opportunity to enjoy company of some beautiful people.
Money will go on buying new cloths and expensive perfumes.
There is a threat to your reputation, so express your self
in black and white very carefully and make correct choice
of words to communicate. Planets will keeps hopes high
about money and you are right there is a big chance to
strike it rich or make big bucks this week. Risk will pay off
and once again things will start moving your way in career.
Do not fall for the false promises; it's a bait to get more
out of you. If you can keep emotions under controls
you have absolutely nothing else to worry about. Changes
you had been waiting for will start taking place in career at
fast pace. You may purchase some big ticket item for per-
sonal use. Value of your assets and stocks will appreci-
ate.
www.in June 10, 201129 India Post
Located in the foothills of the Himalayas is the majestic CorbettNational Park. Home to a variety of flora and fauna, it is famousfor its wild population of tigers, leopards and elephants. Corbett
National Park was established in 1936, as the Hailey National Park.India's first national park and the first sanctuary to come under ProjectTiger, Corbett supports a variety of vegetation making it the idealhabitat for the tiger and its prey.
Jim Corbett Wildlife National Park is a majestic place for nature andwildlife lovers. In this wildlife park you can choose the option of El-ephant Safari or Jeep Safari. The park is situated on the bank ofRamganga River. Forests of Sal are very famous for this area. In thispark thrive more than 600 birds, 50 mammals, and 25 reptiles. It is alsovery famous for elephants and tigers. More commonly seen wildlifeincludes the wild elephant, langur monkey (black face, long tail), rhesusmacaque, peacock, and several type of deer including chital (spotteddeer), sambars, hog deer and barking deer. There are also crocodiles,the odd-looking gavial or gharial, monitor lizards, wild boars and jack-als. Leopards (referred to as panthers in India) are occasionally seen.
Cont’d on page 30
Jim Corbett Wildlife Na-tional Park is a majesticplace for nature andwildlife lovers. In thiswildlife park you canchoose the option of
Elephant Safari or JeepSafari. The park is situ-ated on the bank of
Ramganga River
India Post June 10, 201130 Travel & Hospitality Postwww.indiapost.com
The Jim Corbett Wildlife Sanc-tuary is also a bird-watcher's para-dise, and since the creation of theKalagarah Dam on the RamgangaRiver, large number of waterfowlhave been attracted here.
Once a popular hunting groundof the British, this 201 square milepark was named in honor of thelate Jim Corbett, the legendaryhunter-naturalist turned authorand photographer who most of hisyears in this area had contributedin setting up the this park. Withthe help of the World WildlifeFund, Project Tiger was launchedin Corbett National Park in 1973 andit is one of the first such tiger re-serves in the country.
Flora: The varied topographycomprises hilly and riverine areas,temporary marshy depressions,plateaus and ravines. The lowerareas are almost completely popu-lated by Sal trees. In the Jim CorbettNational Park are found 110 treespecies.
Major Wildlife AttractionsCorbett is a haven for tigers as
well as its prey, which include fourkinds of deer, wild boar and some
lesser-known animals. Leopardsare mostly found in the hilly areasof the park. Some nocturnal catsfound here are the leopard cat,jungle cat and fishing cat. Slothbear is found in the lower regionsof the park while the Himalayanblack bear is seen in the higher hillsonly. The dole or wild dog can beseen in the southern areas of thepark along with the Jackal.
Some of the smaller residentsof the park are Himalayan PalmCivet, Indian Gray Mongoose,Common Otter, Blacknaped Hareand Porcupine. Elephants areamong the main attractions of JimCorbett Park. Along the RamgangaRiver shores, one can spot thelong-snouted, fish-eating Gharial,Crocodile and the 'Mugger' Croco-
Corbett National Park: Famous for wild populationof tigers, leopards, elephants
dile. Also seen on the rocky hill-sides is the Ghoral or Goat Ante-lopes. The Langur and RhesusMonkeys are well distributed
through out the park and warningthe whole Jungle with alarm callswhen they see either a tiger or leop-ard from tree-top perches.
Other AttractionsRamnagar: Situated in the rich
farm belt of Terai, on the south-eastern fringes of the great forests,the busy market town of Ramnagar
is the main administrative centrefor Corbett National Park andProject Tiger. Ramnagar makes afishing base camp. At Lohachaur,15-kms north along theRiver Kosi, good anglersare in with a chance oflanding the legendaryMahseer, a redoubtablebattling River Carp. Per-mits to have a go must besought from the ProjectTiger office in Ramnagar.Most resorts also arrangeall inclusive fishing trips.
Wildlife Viewing:Chital, Sambar, and vari-ous other deer speciesfind refuge in the Savan-nah grasslands known asthe Maidan, behind the
campsite to the south, tigers areoccasionally drawn in looking forprey. Two hour elephant rides ex-plore this sea of grass, rarely pen-
etrating far into the deep junglesbeyond. Try to convince yourMahout or elephant driver to ven-ture in, as they can be quite magi-cal. Come at dusk or dawn; in theheat of the day you probably won'tcome across much more than deeramong the tall grass. Tiger-sightings are few and far between,
but you may be rewarded withfresh pug marks.
Jeep Safari: Jeeps Safari, is themost convenient way to travel
within Corbett National Park, andcan be rented for the park trips fromRamnagar, from the KMVN Tour-ist Lodge and other travel agen-cies. One bus each day goes toDikhala from Ramnagar, stoppingat the Forest Rest houses en route.Banking and other important tour-ist facilities are available atRamnagar andLucknow.
Note: Bring bin-oculars, remainquiet, and don'twear bright colorsor strong per-fumes.
Best Time toVisit: The best vis-iting season ofCorbett is from No-vember 15 to June15. Corbett remainsclosed betweenJune 16 and No-vember 14, whenthe monsoonsflood the river bedsand cut the fragile road links.
How to get thereAir: Phoolbagh, Pantnagar at a
distance of 50-kms is the nearest
airport. Delhi at a distance of 300-kms is the nearest international air-port.
Rail: Ramnagar is on the broadgauge track fromwhere the roadtransport optionshave to be availedto reach the park.For faster trains andconnections toother parts changeat Moradabad.
Road: Dhikala is300-kms from Delhi,145-kms fromLucknow and 51-kms from Ramnagar.The route fromDelhi spans Hapur-M u r a b a b a d -
Ramnagar. The turn off is some 7-kms beyond Muradabad to theleft, marked by a small board. Theroute from Lucknow spansBare i l ly-Kichha-Rudrapur-Doraha-Kashipur. Ramnagar isserved by frequent buses to andfrom Nainital and Ranikhet, 112-kms north. Buses arrive every half
hour or so after the eight hour tripfrom Delhi; Delhi Transport Cor-poration runs a semi deluxe ser-vice, and most of the alternatives
are pretty basic.Entry Inside: Visitors are ad-
vised to reach the gate half an hourin advance to complete the formali-ties for entry into the park.
Tourist Information Centers:All visitors to Corbett NationalPark have to obtain permits fromthe park administration centre atRamnagar. The closest of the vari-ous gates into the Corbett Na-tional Park, 1-m from centralRamnagar, is on the road to Bijranicamp, 11-km away, a base for daytrips. Dhangarhi Gate, 18-kmsalong the highway north toRanikhet, provides access to thenorthern and north western por-tion of the Jim Corbett Park alongthe Ramnagar River valley, and tothe main camp of Dhikala.
Cont’d from page 29
Once a popular hunt-ing ground of theBritish, this 201 squaremile park was namedin honor of the late JimCorbett, the legendaryhunter-naturalistturned author andphotographer
India PostJune 10, 2011 31Travel & Hospitality Postwww.indiapost.com
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ITANAGAR: In a bid to wootourists, Arunachal Pradesh gov-ernment has said it will soon imple-ment the concept of village tour-ism and make the northeasternstate "a favorite tourist destinationin the country."
"The concept of village tour-ism will be implemented soon tomake Arunachal Pradesh a favor-ite tourist destination of the coun-try," state Tourism Minister andformer Chief Minister DorjeeKhandu's son Pema Khandu saidhere.
Pema, who was sworn in as acabinet minister in the JarbomGamlin ministry on May 20 afterthe April 30 chopper crash inwhich Dorjee Khandu and fourothers on board died, said hewould work to fulfill the vision andmission of his father to makeArunachal a developed state.
"I am planning to create tour-ism infrastructure in selected vil-lages in all the 16 districts withmajor facilities for comfortable stayof tourists," he said.
"This will not only boost thetourism sector but will provideemployment opportunities to local
youths," Pema told PTI.Many tourists prefer to stay in
places far from the din and bustleof crowded areas and the conceptof village tourism will suitably ful-fill their need, he said.
The concept, he said, would bebased on PPP (public-private-part-nership) model.
Stating that tourism industrycannot thrive without appropriateinfrastructure, the Tourism minis-
ter said that he would submit sev-eral proposals on adventure tour-ism, nature tourism and sports tour-ism to New Delhi for approval.
"Arunachal Pradesh with abun-dant potential offers a vast scopein all forms of tourism and mythrust will be to exploit them all tothe fullest," the young ministersaid, adding that the state's futuredepended on the tourism indus-try.
Disclosing that his departmentwas contemplating to lease outtourist amenities like lodges andway-side cafeterias to local entre-preneurs on PPP mode, Pema alsoexhorted locals to help the gov-ernment boost the sector.
Pema, who also holds the Wa-ter Resources Development port-folio, disclosed that many newprojects for the department werein the offing and he would do hisbest to develop it into a major rev-enue earning source for the stategovernment.
"WRD mainly deals with irriga-tion and unless it is strengtheneddepartments like horticulture andagriculture cannot progress," headded. -PTI
SL's East province openingup to tourists
PANAJI: Having put 30 yearsof conflict behind it, Sri Lanka nowsees the earlier war-prone Easternprovince as a suitable region fortourism promotion, as it is be-stowed with very beautifulbeaches.
"Eastern is a virgin territory, it'sa fantastic area with beach frontswhere joint ventures or invest-ments can work," said PrasadKariyawasam, the High Commis-sioner of Sri Lanka in India.
He said there is lot of confi-dence amongst investors in SriLanka as a destination.
"We have a board of invest-ment, which is one-stop shop forthis kind of needs," he said, add-ing that serious investors shouldvisit the area and see for them-selves.
Kariyawasam said there aremassive tax holidays offered bythe government and 100 per centforeign ownership is allowed, be-sides approval for 100 per centprofit repatriation.
"Considering manpower short-age in the country, even foreignlaborers are allowed in this sector,"he added.
Kariyawasam said areas of thecountry, both in the interiors as
well as the coast, that were inac-cessible to tourists for 30 longyears are now opening up.
"This includes some of our bestwildlife parks, and beaches on theEast coast," he said.
The High Commissionerpointed out that the interest of in-ternational chains of hotels in SriLanka is increasing.
"The Shangri-La Chain has justgone into Sri Lanka. They paidupfront in convertible currency forthe land that they purchased in theheart of Colombo," he added.
Kariyawasam was in Goa to par-ticipate in the seminar organizedby International Centre Goa on thequest for promoting tourism be-tween Goa and Sri Lanka. -PTI
'Focus on monumentsin rural areas'
Nepal campaignto promoteresponsible tourism
KATHMANDU: Nepal haslaunched a campaign to promoteresponsible and green tourism inhigh-altitude areas to conserve theHimalayan wetlands.
Known as the 'Green Hiker' cam-paign, the program was formallylaunched by Tourism Minister KB Biswakarma to commemorate the4th international Mt Everest Day.
The campaign is an initiative byWorld Wildlife Fund (WWF) toconserve the Himalayan high alti-tude wetlands. It has already beenlaunched successfully in five Hi-malayan states in India.
In Nepal, the campaign waslaunched in association with theNepal Tourism Board. Targetedprimarily at tourists and tour op-erators, it is primarily an awarenessdrive to promote responsible tour-ism in high altitude areas.
Tourism is a strong revenue gen-erator for Nepal and its communi-ties, with Nepal's natural heritagebeing a major attraction for tourists.The campaign is aimed at encour-aging tourists towards environ-ment-friendly ways and contributeto local economies while travelingthrough this fragile eco-region, ac-cording to WWF Nepal. -PTI
NEW DELHI: ArchaeologicalSurvey of India should focus itsattention towards monuments lo-cated in rural areas whose preser-vation would "infuse a new life"in the local people and also assistthe tourism industry, Culture Min-ister Kumari Selja said here.
Selja's suggestion to the ASIcame at the 35th meeting of theCentral Advisory Board of Archae-ology where she also asked theheritage body to launch a massivepublic awareness campaign tosensitize citizens to the provisionsof the Ancient Monuments andArchaeological Sites and Remains,Amendment and Validation(AMASRA) Act.
The minister stressed that theASI should pay more attention tomonuments located in rural areasas well those that need immediateattention and preservation.
"The monuments located in theremote areas of our country trulyrepresent the heritage of the re-gion concerned which is the prideof the locals. The betterment ofthese monuments would infusenew life for their survival and alsoassist in Tourism and local enter-prises," she said.
Selja said this will essentiallyconnect the present to preserving
the past. "We need to create thesesymbiotic inter linkages whicheventually lead to generation ofjobs and sustainable livelihoods."
As the ASI celebrates its 150thanniversary, Selja said ASI shouldhost an international conclave todeliberate on the issues ofhumanity's shared cultural heritage.
Referring to Culture Secretary
Jawahr Sircar's suggestion of es-tablishment of "Forum for Archaeol-ogy in the East" with countries likeChina and Japan, she said after 150years, India can surely claim that ar-chaeology in the country is matureenough to lead the way for many ofthe nations in the East. -PTI
Disclosing that hisdepartment was con-templating to lease outtourist amenities likelodges and way-sidecafeterias to localentrepreneurs on PPPmode, Pema alsoexhorted locals to helpthe governmentboost the sector
The minister stressedthat the ASI shouldpay more attention tomonuments locatedin rural areas as wellthose that need im-mediate attentionand preservation
Kariyawasam saidthere are massive taxholidays offered bythe government and100 per cent foreignownership is allowed
In Brief Immigration108 illegalimmigrants inPhoenix drop house
PHOENIX: Immigration andCustoms Enforcement officialssay 108 illegal immigrants havebeen discovered in a drop housein west Phoenix and some may behuman smugglers.
The drop house was discov-ered near 91st Avenue andEncanto Boulevard.
ICE spokesman Vincent Picardsays among the people found inthe drop house were five teenageboys and 14 women.
He says the illegal immigrantscame from Mexico, El Salvador,Guatemala and Honduras.
The Arizona Republic says au-thorities received a tip about 10:30a.m. about suspicious activityaround the home.
Authorities suspected the ve-hicles were bringing in loads of il-legal immigrants. -AP
Indian government to announcemerger of PIO/OCI Cards soon
India Post News Service
NEW YORK: Responding to aspate of complaints from the In-dian Diaspora in the United Statesregarding India's visa and pass-port rules for NRIs, Minister forOverseas Indian Affairs VayalarRavi on his recent visit to New Yorksaid his Ministry was embarkingon several measures including ra-tionalization of the variousschemes for facilitating travel andstay of the Indian Diaspora mem-bers in India.
At a reception hosted in hishonor at the Indian Consulate inNew York, May 26, Minister Ravisaid that the Indian governmentwas streamlining the issue of sur-rendering passports and penaltieslevied on PIOs for not surrender-ing their passports in time.
The modalities for merger of theOverseas Citizenship of India(OCI) and Persons of Indian Ori-gin (PIO) cards was also in ad-vanced stage of consideration andthe government would be able toannounce it soon, he informed.
The Minister also mentionedthat a Welfare Fund, establishedin a few Indian Missions has nowbeen extended to all Missions andPosts and would be of helpful inrendering assistance to Indians indistress in foreign countries. Heelaborated on the evacuation ef-forts made by our Mission in Libyawhere all Indians were evacuatedsafely in record time.
Referring to the various initia-tives taken for the benefit of NRIsby his ministry, Minister Ravipointed out to the granting of fullvoting rights to NRIs.
Speaking in the spirit of "let's notpoint fingers but let's talkchange", Dr. Agrawal told theminister, "You know these issuesand their implications better thananybody else. Please take appro-priate actions to soothe the painsinflicted upon the Diaspora bythese irritant policies," empha-sized Dr. Agrawal.
Organizations like the IndianReligious and Cultural Center,Kashmir Hindu Foundation, TheAssociation of Indians in America,American Association of Physi-cians of Indian Origin, VishwaHindu Parishad of America,GOPIO, Asian American HotelOwners Association, HinduSwayamsevak Sangh, BAPS,Diwali Nagar and Trinidad & To-bago Diaspora were representedat the reception.
Illegal immigrationfoe facesrecall vote
MESA, Ariz.: Critics of ArizonaSenate President Russell Pearcesay they're proceeding with plansto file petitions to force a recallelection.
Depending on how long vari-ous officials take to process andcertify petitions and signatures,the election would be held in No-vember or March.
Recall supporters call Pearce anextremist who's out of touch withmost voters' major concerns, suchas jobs and housing.
Pearce says he takes the re-call effort seriously, but he's notworried.
And Pearce says his critics ineffect are launching an assault onthe state - not him - by criticizinghis efforts to combat illegal immi-gration. -AP
Limited policerole urged inimmigration plan
LOS ANGELES: City leaderswant Los Angeles to limit policeparticipation in a federal deporta-tion program where fingerprints ofpeople arrested are shared with im-migration agents.
The Los Angeles Times saysCouncilman Bernard Parks, aformer Los Angeles policechief, and Councilwoman JanPerry support a council resolu-tion that would limit participa-tion in the Secure Communitiesprogram.
San Francisco County is imple-menting a similar policy. -AP
Assembly limitsusing immigrationcheck in arrests
SACRAMENTO, Calif.: Demo-crats in California's Assemblyjoined other states in questioningthe federal system that uses finger-prints to check the immigration sta-tus of people picked up by police.
Details on page 37
Changes in OCIprocessing
India Post News Service
WASHINGTON: The IndianEmbassy in Washington DC hasannounced through its website,that effective June 15, 2011, ap-plicants for the Overseas Citizen-ship of India (OCI) card need notsubmit their US/Foreign passportat the time of submission of theinitial application to the process-ing agency Travisa Outsourcing.
The announcement said thatapplicants will be alerted byTravisa Outsourcing when theirOCI card is ready and they willneed to provide their original US/Foreign passport only at thattime. Detailed information aboutthe OCI process and the contactdetails of Travisa Outsourcing are
available at https://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com/oci/homepage. Any queries re-garding OCI may be taken up withTravisa Outsourcing, the Em-bassy said.
The current requirement thatOCI applicants submit their origi-nal US passport along with theapplication was found to be prob-lematic by many applicants as itwas hindering them from travel-ing anywhere during the pro-cessing period, which runs intoseveral weeks.
Recently, Indian Americancommunity organizations hadmade representations to the vari-ous Indian Consulates that apractical solution should befound to this problem.
Ravi, who has recently takenover the portfolio of Minister ofCivil Aviation, stated that he wastrying to solve the long term prob-lem of India's national carrier, AirIndia and improve its service.
Florida reception for RaviThe issues regarding recent visa
policies of the Indian governmentand problems relating to passportsurrender certificate by naturalizedAmerican citizens of Indian origin
were brought up at a dinner recep-tion in honor of Minister VayalarRavi hosted by Dr. Piyush Agrawal,national coordinator of the GlobalOrganization of People of IndianOrigin (GOPIO), in Miami, Florida,the following day.
Several South Florida IndianCommunity members werepresent on the occasion to honorthe minister and other govern-ment officials accompanying him.
Minister Ravi reiterated his as-surances to the community that hewould look into their concerns ashis top priority.
The minister pointed out that itwas easy to sit back and pass judg-ment on whatever one feels iswrong with India. Many peoplesuccumb to this laissez-faire atti-tude but very rarely does one takea stand on change, he said. Al-though solutions to the issuescannot be "whipped up" in a day,they can be achieved through theawareness and persistent effortsof the community such as that inSouth Florida, he said.
On the occasion, the ministerwas presented with a plaque withan embedded commemorative sil-ver coin released on the first Diwalicelebration at the White House.
Minister Ravi saidthat the Indiangovernment wasstreamlining the issueof surrendering pass-ports and penaltieslevied on PIOs for notsurrendering theirpassports in time
Although solutions tothe issues cannot be"whipped up" in aday, they can beachieved through theawareness andpersistent efforts ofthe community suchas that in SouthFlorida, he said
India Post 35June 10, 2011 Immigration Postwww.indiapost.com
Lessons from the fallof Strauss-Kahn
CYRUS D. MEHTA
From an immigration lawyer'sperspective, the fall of Do-minique Strauss-Kahn, the
former head of the InternationalMonetary Fund, who has beencharged with attempted rape andother serious sex offenses againstan immigrant hotel worker fromGuinea in a posh New York hotel,resonates with important immigra-tion themes.
Most important, the word of animmigrant worker who was subjectto attempted rape, imprisonmentand other charges has been takenextremely seriously against one ofthe world's most powerful men. Soseriously was her word taken thatthe NYPD actually arrestedStrauss-Kahn while his Air Franceplane was about to take off fromJFK airport.
It is difficult for any victim of asex crime to come forward, giventhat the defense will seek to turnthe tables against her and under-mine her credibility. It is even moredifficult for an immigrant who hasbeen a victim of a sex crime to comeforward since this person's immi-gration status, or lack thereof, willalso be put under the microscope.
While media reports indicate thatStrauss-Kahn's accuser was grantedasylum, and as a result, is in a lawfulstatus, there are many survivors(rather than victims) of domesticabuse and sex crimes who may noteven be in a lawful status. Despiteall the flaws in the US immigrationsystem, one shining spot is thatsurvivors of domestic violence andsex crimes do have recourse.
ther do not apply to this groupof vulnerable immigrants or canbe more easily waived.
Another lesson can also bedrawn from the sordid Strauss-Kahn saga. Even the alleged per-petrator, Strauss-Kahn, is not acitizen of the US and has been ona nonimmigrant visa, presumablya G-4 visa for officers of interna-tional organizations, while he waswith the IMF.
I have observed that manynonimmigrants, who are accusedof crimes, even non-violent whitecollar crimes, have a harder timeto get bail after they have beenarrested. In many situations, thenonimmigrant visa status islinked to the employment in theUS, which more often than notdisappears after the defendant isaccused of the crime. The pros-ecutor seizes upon this to arguethat the defendant is more of aflight risk than a defendant whois a US citizen.
While Strauss-Kahn is in a dif-ferent league from a regular non-immigrant who is charged with acrime, and poses additional flightrisk considerations, the fact of thematter is that one who is on a tem-porary visa in the US has a hardertime to get bailed out. Still, Strauss-Kahn has done better than mostother criminal defendants on anonimmigrant visa because he justgot bail.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
The battered spouse of a UScitizen or lawful permanent resi-dent, and in some cases of anonimmigrant, can apply on theirown for status without the helpof the abuser. Those who are thevictims of sex crimes, eventhough the perpetrator may notbe a spouse, can apply for U orT visas if they are helpful to theinvestigation or prosecution.Once the application is ap-proved, many of the grounds ofineligibility that would apply toother prospective immigrants ei-
* Cyrus D Mehta, may be contactedat 212-425-0555 or
WICHITA, Kan.: A federaljudge has dismissed chargesagainst a man accused of falselyclaiming U.S. citizenship in a casethat upholds the right of immi-grants to remain silent underquestioning from immigration au-thorities.
U.S. District Judge Eric Melgrengranted the government's motionto dismiss charges against JoseManuel Ortiz-Del Rio with preju-dice, meaning the same chargescannot be filed again.
Prosecutors had sought thedismissal in the wake ofMelgren's ruling last month thatsuppressed statements Ortiz-Del Rio made during question-
ing by immigration agents. Theagents had gone to an apart-ment in November to arrest an-other man for deportation pro-ceedings after a drug traffickingconviction. The agents did nothave a warrant.
The judge ruled in April thatarmed federal agents from Immi-gration and Customs Enforce-ment lacked reasonable suspi-cion when they detained Ortiz-Del Rio in what amounted to cus-todial questioning after happen-ing to find him in the apartment.Melgren noted that Ortiz-Del Riowas ordered out of a bedroom,asked to sit on the floor and re-peatedly questioned about
where he was born.Any responses Ortiz-Del Rio
gave at the time in the absence ofthe Miranda warning about self-incrimination must be suppressed,Melgren ruled. He also said anysubsequent statements the sus-pect made when taken to the ICEstation for processing must alsobe suppressed as ``fruit of thepoisonous tree.''
``In our view, the ruling in thiscase is based on a unique set ofcircumstances that are not likelyto occur again in other cases,'' JimCross, spokesman for the U.S.attorney's office in Kansas, saidin an email.
Cont’d on page 36
I have observed thatmany nonimmigrants,who are accused ofcrimes, even non-violent white collarcrimes, have a hardertime to get bail afterthey have beenarrested
India Post36 June 10, 2011Immigration Postwww.indiapost.com
SC House approves illegal immigration billCOLUMBIA, S.C.: The South
Carolina House approved a billrequiring law enforcement to tryto check the status of people theysuspect are in the country illegally.
The House voted 69-43 to givethe key second reading. The mea-sure requires another perfunctoryvote before returning to the Senate,which passed a different version.
Republicans who control boththe House and Senate have calledthe bill a top priority for the year.
``It has become abundantlyclear that if we want somethingdone about illegal immigration,we're going to have to do it our-selves,'' said House SpeakerBobby Harrell, R-Charleston. ̀ `Ifthe federal government refuses toenforce these laws, the SouthCarolina General Assembly willsupport state laws that do _ andover the past several years, that isexactly what your state lawmak-
ers have done.''The bill specifies that the check
must follow a stop or arrest forsomething else. Someone with avalid driver's license, military IDor passport would be presumed alegal resident.
Unlike a law passed in Arizonalast year, the South Carolina pro-posal says people can't be held onthe suspicion of being an illegalimmigrant.
Opponents argued it flies in theface of American freedoms.
Though the proposal specifiesthat suspicion can't be based onrace, color or national origin, op-ponents contend that clause ismeaningless. They argue the un-defined ``reasonable suspicion''clause will lead to abuse, turningthe innocent-until-proven-guiltyprotection on its head and invit-ing lawsuits.
``There's no way this bill works
without racial profiling,'' said Rep.David Mack, D-North Charleston.``This is not needed. I believe it'sracist, it's mean and it's punitive.''
The measure would also make ita felony to make fake photo IDs forillegal immigrants, and it creates anew law enforcement unit withinthe Department of Public Safety toenforce the state's immigration law.The Senate put $1.3 million toward
that unit in its proposed budget for2011-12, which it passed and re-turned to the House.
Opponents said it will also costlocal governments.
Rep. Bakari Sellers, D-Denmark,mocked Republicans by suggest-ing the bill require a fence - at least15 feet high - along the state's bor-ders that could be painted red,white and blue. Legislatorsquickly shot down his proposedamendment.
The measure would alsotoughen a measure passed in 2008that put the onus on businessesto check their employees' legal sta-tus. That law, considered one ofthe toughest in the nation whenpassed, began applying to busi-nesses of all sizes last year.
The latest measure would let thestate's labor agency fine busi-nesses up to $50,000 for repeat-edly violating the law and refus-
ing to comply with a temporaryshut-down order.
Roan Garcia-Quintana, whoheads an organization calledAmericans Have Had Enough,said the measure is about jobs in astate struggling for years withhigh unemployment. He said it'simportant to target the businessesthat hire illegal workers.
``Maybe some jobs will openup. They will self-deport if wemake it so they're not welcome andtarget employers. It's all aboutgreed and selfishness,'' he said ofbusinesses.
The Cuban native immigratedto America in 1961, at age 10, as apolitical refugee. He said he re-sents any comparisons to the civilrights movement.
``Civil rights was about Ameri-can citizens. This is not aboutAmerican citizens or legal immi-grants,'' he said. -AP
Lawmaker withdraws controversialimmigration bill
BATON ROUGE, La.: A Repub-lican lawmaker has withdrawn hissweeping immigration enforce-ment proposal from debate thissession, in the face of oppositionfrom Catholic Church officials, lawenforcement officers and advo-cates for immigrants' rights.
After hearing testimonyagainst the bill, Rep. Joe Harrisonof Napoleonville deferred his pro-posal. It's the fourth year in a rowthat Harrison has failed to pass asimilar bill, which he had hopedwould spur the federal governmentto end illegal immigration acrossthe U.S. border with Mexico.
``If we're a land of laws, weshould abide by those laws andenforce those laws,'' Harrison toldthe House Judiciary Committee.He expressed concern about pub-lic health and safety problemscaused by illegal immigrants, buthe also said that undocumentedworkers are exploited in the U.S.marketplace.
The bill would have requiredpolice to verify the citizenship ofany arrested person before theyare released. It would have re-quired certain employers _ anystate entity or the recipient of agrant totaling more than $50,000__ to verify the citizenship statusof their workforce. And it wouldhave required colleges and socialservice providers to verify the citi-zenship of all applicants.
People seeking public assis-tance in Louisiana would have hadto verify their citizenship by ex-ecuting an affidavit under penaltyof perjury and have the sworn
statement notarized. But the stateagency providing the benefitswould also have to verify theapplicant's status through theDepartment of Homeland Security.
At the request of the LouisianaConference of Catholic Bishops,Harrison removed a provision tocriminalize the transportation ofillegal immigrants, which mighthave affected charity work. But theconference still opposed the bill,
saying the church prefers compre-hensive federal reform over en-forcement-only state policies.
Gary Bennett, the assistant di-rector of the Louisiana Sheriffs'Association, said it would be im-possible for law enforcement of-ficers to carry out the mandateunder the bill.
``Currently we have no way thatI'm aware of to verify the citizen-ship electronically and immedi-ately upon booking,'' said Bennett.``And, not being able to do this, it
would create a tremendous back-log in our jails.''
And although the bill says it``shall be enforced without regardto race, religion, gender, ethnicity,or national origin,'' several wit-nesses said implementing it wouldlead to racial profiling.
In particular, Harrison alsosquared off in the committee hear-ing with Rep. John Bel Edwards,D-Amite, who is proposing a nar-rower piece of legislation, target-ing only employment on publicworks projects.
Edwards said that Harrison's billwould make applying for publicbenefits more costly for U.S. citi-zens and undocumented immi-grants alike. He said the employ-ment provisions would also likelyplace burdensome requirementson many more employers, land-lords, charities and legal citizensthan the bill intended to affect.
``The bill is not workable be-cause it does so much more thanyou say you intend to do,'' saidEdwards.
In addition, he said Harrison'sbill would impose open-ended sen-tences on misdemeanor violatorsof its provisions.
Edwards' bill has a much nar-rower scope, requiring only con-tractors doing business with stategovernment to verify that theiremployees are U.S. citizens. Con-tractors who fail to do so wouldface the possibility of losing theircurrent state contract, lose eligi-bility for future deals for up to threeyears, and pay any costs causedby the contract cancellation. -AP
Neb. city's atty hails Ariz.immigration ruling
FREMONT, Neb.: An attor-ney for the Nebraska city ofFremont is hailing a U.S. Su-preme Court decision uphold-ing an Arizona law that penal-izes bus inesses for h i r ingworkers who are in the UnitedStates illegally.
Kansas Secretary of State KrisKobach says the decision ̀ `vindi-cates Fremont's position'' on itsown ordinance governing illegalimmigrants.
Kobach is representing Fre-mont in a challenge filed over a
2010 law that bans hiring or rent-ing to illegal immigrants. A trial isset for April.
Kobach says the hiring re-striction in the Fremont ordi-nance is similar to the Arizonalaw. The court ruled federal im-migration law gives states theauthority to impose sanctionson employers who hire unautho-rized workers.
Cecillia Wang of the ACLU Im-migrants' Rights Project says thedecision has nothing to do withlocal immigration laws. -AP
Assistant public defenderSyovata Edari said the judge de-termined that the statement wasthe product of an ``unconstitu-tional interrogation.'' She said inan email that her client's allegedstatement was the sole basis forthe charges in the supersedingindictment.
``Since the statement was or-dered suppressed the prosecutionno longer had the evidence itneeded to prove its case,'' Edarisaid.
None of the facts presented bythe government established thatauthorities had reasonable sus-picion to believe any person atthe apartment other than the man
they were seeking would be vio-lating the law, Melgren wrote inhis ruling.
``Moreover, the agents had noreason to suspect that Ortiz-DelRio had committed or was in theprocess of committing a crime,''the judge said.
“Any indicia of a consensualencounter ended when Ortiz-DelRio was questioned five times, aclear indication that the agentwas rejecting his prior answers,and ordered to answer a ques-tion about his birth place orally.''
Prosecutors noted in a filingearlier this month that even if thegovernment moved to dismiss thecriminal charges, Ortiz-Del Riowould go into ICE custody as hiscivil immigration case. -AP
Cont’d from page 35
Federal judge tosses Kansasimmigration indictment
The latest measurewould let the state'slabor agency finebusinesses up to$50,000 for repeat-edly violating the lawand refusing to com-ply with a temporaryshut-down order
In particular, Harrisonalso squared off inthe committee hear-ing with Rep. JohnBel Edwards, D-Amite, who is pro-posing a narrowerpiece of legislation,targeting onlyemployment onpublic works projects
India Post 37June 10, 2011 Immigration Postwww.indiapost.com
Assembly limits using immigrationcheck in arrests
SACRAMENTO, Calif.: Demo-crats in California's Assemblyjoined other states in question-ing the federal system that usesfingerprints to check the immigra-tion status of people picked upby police.
The Assembly approvedAB1081 on a 43-22 party line voteafter heated debate over publicsafety and whether the measurewould help or hurt it.
The measure would revise thestate's agreement on use of theSafe Communities automatic fin-gerprint program to screen sus-pects for citizenship and criminalbackground.
The proposed change wouldlet counties opt out of the system.The bill now moves to the Senate.
Several other states have takensimilar steps amid complaints theprogram is supposed to help de-port convicted felons but has alsoswept up crime victims, witnesses,and people who were arrested butnever convicted.
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano,
D-San Francisco, argued that hisbill would protect public safetybecause immigrants would be morewilling to report crime if they didn'tfear deportation.
The fingerprint program ``hasactually harmed public safety and
seriously undercut communitypolicing strategies,'' he said.
Comparing fingerprints withfederal records under the U.S. Im-migration and Customs Enforce-ment fingerprint program led to de-portation of nearly 36,000 undocu-
mented immigrants from Californiafrom October 2008 through Feb-ruary 2011, according to an analy-sis of the bill by legislative staff.
But 27 percent were not crimi-nals and 41 percent were consid-ered low-level offenders.
Opponents said the bill wouldleave criminals free who should bedeported.
``This bill expands the conceptof sanctuary cities to sanctuarycounties,'' said Assemblyman TimDonnelly, R-Twin Peaks, whohelped found a Minuteman chap-ter in Southern California and in-troduced a bill that echoed majorelements of Arizona's controver-sial immigration enforcement bill.That California bill was shot downthis session in committee.
Donnelly cited a 2008 San Fran-cisco case in which three membersof a family were shot to death by agang member who was an illegalimmigrant and had been releasedfrom custody as a juvenile
The bill ``is going to lead tomore deaths.'' he said. -AP
NC bill would track illegalimmigrants in schools
RALEIGH, NC: A bill that wouldrequire principals to keep track ofillegal immigrants in their schoolswould intimidate parents and likelyrun afoul of federal law, oppo-nents told a legislative panel.
Members of the public spokeagainst a bill introduced by Rep.Dale Folwell, R-Forsyth, who saysthe legislation wouldn't bar any-one from attending school inNorth Carolina, but would be im-portant for determining the costsof illegal immigration to the state.
``In this building, we're havingto make decisions about who getsmoney and who doesn't,'' Folwellsaid. ``The people of this statedeserve to know what their publiceducation dollars are going for.''
The House Education Commit-tee, which is considering the bill,didn't vote on the measure. Chair-man Rep. Bryan Holloway, R-Rockingham said members wouldwant to hear from the public andtake time to think over the legisla-tion first.
None of the nine people whospoke were in favor of the legisla-tion, including Ann McColl, a repre-sentative for the State Board of Edu-cation, who said the bill would riskputting school districts in the posi-tion of having to violate federal law.
``It truly is the role of educa-tors to educate whoever comesthrough the door,'' she said.
In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Courtruled that all children are entitledto a public education, includingchildren who are in the U.S. ille-gally. Earlier this month, the fed-eral Department of Education'sOffice for Civil Rights sent out aletter warning school districts notto let enrollment policies lead to
the exclusion of students basedon their immigration status.
``You must ensure that you donot discriminate on the basis ofrace, color, or national origin, andthat students are not barred fromenrolling in public schools at theelementary and secondary levelson the basis of their own citizen-ship or immigration status,'' theletter reads.
Folwell's bill would require prin-cipals to ask the parents of new stu-dents to say whether the child is aU.S. citizen, and if not, to give thestudent's immigration status. The
language of the bill says the infor-mation will only be used for fiscalanalysis, and not to deny admissionto any student. The bill would alsorequire parents to provide immuni-zation records for their children.
``This is a very serious problem,''Folwell said. ``We must get ourarms around the unfunded mandateof illegal immigration in this state.''
But critics said the unintendedconsequence of such a law would bea chilling effect on immigrants, withsome parents likely opting not to en-roll their children in school at all.
Viridiana Martinez, 24, ofDurham said she came to NorthCarolina with her parents when shewas in second grade, and gradu-ated from high school here. Hadsuch a law existed when she wasin school, she said, ``I would nothave felt safe. I would have felttargeted.'' -AP
US withdraws Mush's security &protocol while UK, UAE beef up
ISLAMABAD: The US admin-istration has withdrawn the secu-rity and protocol given to formerPakistan President PervezMusharraf after a UN commissionreport blamed him for not provid-ing adequate protection to slainformer premier Benazir Bhutto.
But in contrast, Britain and theUAE have beefed up his securityin light of threats following the kill-ing of al-Qaeda leader Osama binLaden.
The US administration with-drew 67-year-old Musharraf's se-curity and protocol after a UNcommission's report on former pre-mier Benazir Bhutto's assassina-tion blamed the military ruler forfailing to provide her adequatesecurity.
Musharraf is treated like an or-dinary citizen who has to joinqueues at the immigration counterin airports and undergo a thor-ough body search at the depar-ture lounge; The News dailyquoted diplomatic sources inWashington as saying.
"Musharraf, in the past, wouldhave his immigration process ex-pedited after landing at US air-ports," said a diplomatic source atthe Pakistani embassy in Wash-ington.
Instead of waiting in line, theAmerican protocol staff would dothis on Musharraf's behalf.
"It has been stopped now," thesource said.
When Musharraf departs fromthe US, he stands in line, takes offhis shoes and belt, has his handsup for a thorough search and onlythen is cleared for check-in, said asource.
On the other hand, Britain andthe UAE have increased his secu-rity cover.
The reason for enhancingMusharraf's security in these twocountries is the threats he hasbeen receiving after the killing ofbin Laden, according to hisspokesman Chaudhry Fawad.Musharraf, who has been livingin self-exile outside Pakistan since2009, is usually based in Londonand frequently travels to Dubai.
Fawad claims Musharraf is theonly foreign leader in Britain whois provided more security than thatgranted to former premier Tony Blair.
Adding to Musharraf's woes, acourt conducting the trial of fivesuspects charged with involve-ment in Benazir Bhutto's assassi-nation declared him a "proclaimedoffender" or fugitive for failing tocooperate with investigators.-PTI
None of the ninepeople who spokewere in favor of thelegislation, includingAnn McColl, a repre-sentative for the StateBoard of Education
The measure wouldrevise the state'sagreement on use ofthe Safe Communitiesautomatic fingerprintprogram to screensuspects for citizenshipand criminalbackground
www.indiapost.com38 India Post June 10, 2011
Health ScienceHealth LineMaine governortouts new healthinsurance bill
AUGUSTA, Maine: Gov. PaulLePage says health insurancecosts in Maine will soon be goingdown with the recently passedhealth care insurance bill.
In his weekly radio address,LePage said more than 30 stateshave laws on the books that aresimilar to the bill he signed thismonth.
LePage said despite what crit-ics say, the law delivers what con-sumers have been asking for af-fordable health care insurance.
He said it will allow companiesto offer less expensive insuranceproducts to younger people, butshouldn't result in higher premi-ums for older Mainers. -AP
New Mexicoreports thirdhantavirus case
SANTA FE, N.M.: The NewMexico Health Department reportsa third case of hantavirus has beenconfirmed in the state.
Health officials say a 39-year-old man from McKinley Countyis hospitalized in critical condi-tion at University Hospital in Al-buquerque.
Both previous cases were fa-tal. The first was a 51-year-oldwoman from McKinley Countywho died in January. The secondwas a 35-year-old man from Tor-rance County who died thismonth.
The Department of Health sayscase of hantavirus -- which isspread through rodent urine, drop-pings or saliva -- usually increasein spring and summer when ro-dents are more active.
Health officials warn people toavoid contact with rodents and touse disinfectant when cleaning upnests or droppings. -AP
San Diego groupchallenges potclinic restrictions
SAN DIEGO: Opponents ofnew restrictions on San Diegomedical marijuana dispensarieshave filed more than 46,000 signa-tures with city officials, setting thestage for a possible referendum onthe issue.
The Citizens for Patient Rightsgroup opposes a newly ratified lawthat it says amounts to a de factoban on marijuana collectives.
The San Diego Union-Tribunesays the ordinance limits medicalpot dispensaries to commercial andindustrial zones and prohibits themwithin 600 feet of schools, play-grounds and other facilities. -AP
In shift, fed enforcers targettop execs for health fraud
WASHINGTON: It's gettingpersonal now. In a shift still evolv-ing, federal enforcers are target-ing individual executives in healthcare fraud cases that used to beaimed at impersonal corporations.
The new tactic is raising theanxiety level - and risks - for cor-porate honchos at drug compa-nies, medical device manufactur-ers, nursing home chains and othermajor health care enterprises thatdeal with Medicare and Medicaid.
Previously, if a company gotcaught, its lawyers in many caseswould be able to negotiate a finan-cial settlement. The company wouldwrite the government a check for anumber followed by lots of zeroesand promise not to break the rulesagain. Often the cost would just getpassed on to customers.
Now, on top of fines paid bya company, senior executives canface criminal charges even ifthey weren't involved in thescheme but could have stoppedit had they known. Furthermore,they can also be banned fromdoing business with govern-
ment health programs, a career-ending consequence.
Many in industry see the moreaggressive strategy as govern-ment overkill, meting out radicalpunishment to individuals whoseguilt prosecutors would be hardpressed to prove to a jury.
The feds say they got frus-trated with repeat violations and
decided to start using enforce-ment tools that were already onthe books but had been allowedto languish. By some estimates,health care fraud costs taxpayers$60 billion a year, galling whenMedicare faces insolvency.
``When you look at the historyof health care enforcement, we'veseen a number of Fortune 500
companies that have been caughtnot once, not twice, but some-times three times violating thetrust of the American people, sub-mitting false claims, paying kick-backs to doctors, marketing drugswhich have not been tested forsafety and efficacy,'' said LewisMorris, chief counsel for the in-spector general of the Health and
Human Services Department.``To our way of thinking, the
men and women in the corporatesuite aren't getting it,'' Morris con-tinued. ̀ `If writing a check for $200million isn't enough to have a com-pany change its ways, then maybewe have got to have the individu-als who are responsible for thisheld accountable. The behavior of
a company starts at the top.''Lawyers who represent drug
companies say the change hasdefinitely caused a stir, but the endresult is far from certain.
``People are alarmed,'' said BrienO'Connor, a partner in the Bostonoffice of Ropes & Gray. ``Theywant to know what facts and cir-cumstances would cause the Jus-tice Department to indict someonewho hadn't even known about themisconduct. They are doing allthey can to achieve compliance.''
Others say high-powered cor-porate targets won't go meekly.
``If the government does con-tinue to press its campaignagainst individuals, we will seethe limits of the government'stheories tested,'' said Paul Kalb,who heads the health care groupat the law firm of Sidley Austinin Washington. ``In my mind,there is a very important openquestion as to whether individu-als can be held criminally cul-pable or lose their jobs simplyby virtue of their status.''
Cont’d on page 41
Meditation helps veterans reduce stress disordersIndia Post News Service
NEW YORK: Veterans of theIraq/Afghanistan wars showed a50 percent reduction in theirsymptoms of post-traumaticstress disorder (PTSD) after justeight weeks of practicing thestress-reducing TranscendentalMeditation (TM) technique, ac-cording to a pilot study publishedlast week in Military Medicine.
The study evaluated five vet-erans, ages 25- to 40-years-old,who had served in Iraq, Afghani-stan or both from 10 months totwo years involving moderate orheavy moderate combat.
The study found that Tran-scendental Meditation producedsignificant reductions in stressand depression, and marked im-provements in relationships andoverall quality of life. Further-more, the authors reported thatthe technique was easy to per-
form and was well accepted by theveterans.
The Clinician AdministeredPTSD Scale (CAPS) was the pri-mary measure for assessing theeffectiveness of TM practice onPTSD symptoms. CAPS is consid-ered by the Department of Veter-
ans Affairs as the "gold standard"for PTSD assessment and diagno-sis for both military Veteran andcivilian trauma survivors.
The paper's senior researcher,Norman Rosenthal, M.D., is clini-cal professor of psychiatry atGeorgetown University MedicalSchool and director of research atCapital Clinical Research Associ-
ates in Rockville, Maryland. Dr.Rosenthal was the first to describeseasonal affective disorder (SAD)and pioneered the use of lighttherapy as a treatment.
"Even though the number ofveterans in this study was small,the results were very impressive,"
Rosenthal said. "These youngmen were in extreme distress as adirect result of trauma sufferedduring combat, and the simple andeffortless Transcendental Medita-tion technique literally transformedtheir lives."
The findings were similar tothose from a randomized con-trolled study of Vietnam veterans
conducted by researchers at theUniversity of Colorado School ofMedicine. In that study, pub-lished in the Journal of Counsel-ing and Development in 1985,after three months of twice-dailyTM practice, the veterans hadfewer symptoms than those re-ceiving conventional psycho-therapy of the day. In fact, mostof the TM-treated subjects re-quired no further treatment.
"Even though the combat ex-periences of OEF/OIF veteransand Vietnam veterans are quitedifferent, the fact that our studycorroborates the results of theprevious study tells us that thistechnique has the potential to bean effective tool against PTSDand combat stress, regardless ofcombat situation," explainedSarina Grosswald, EdD, co-re-searcher on the study.
Cont’d on page 40
Mental healthdominates onlinediscussions
Details on page 40
'People are alarmed,' said Brien O'Connor, apartner in the Boston office of Ropes & Gray.'They want to know what facts and circum-stances would cause the Justice Departmentto indict someone who hadn't even knownabout the misconduct'
'These young men were in extreme distressas a direct result of trauma suffered duringcombat, and the simple and effortlessTranscendental Meditation techniqueliterally transformed their lives'
India PostHealth Science Post 39
www.indiapost.com
June 10, 2011
WHO urges countries to tackle tobacco 'epidemic'India Post News Service
NEW DELHI: On "World No-Tobacco Day", 31 May, TheWorld Health Organization fo-cused global attention on imple-menting the WHO FrameworkConvention on Tobacco Control(WHO FCTC). The FrameworkConvention is the world's first everglobal public health treaty devel-oped and adopted under the aus-pices of the World Health Organi-zation and reflects the power ofprevention.
Globally nearly six millionpeople die each year from tobaccouse and exposure to second-handsmoke. The annual global deathtoll from the epidemic of tobaccouse could rise to eight million by2030. It is estimated that up to onebillion people could die from to-bacco use the world over duringthe 21st century. In the WHOSouth-East Asia Region over 240million adults smoke tobacco andnearly the same number of adultsuse smokeless forms of tobaccoin different forms.
"WHO is urging governmentsto prioritize tobacco control, seekalternative methods to financetobacco control and commit nec-essary human and financial re-sources to tackle the tobacco epi-
demic in their countries", said DrSamlee Plianbangchang, WHORegional Director for South-EastAsia. "This is the only way thatthe WHO Framework Conventioncan live up to its promise of pro-tecting present and future genera-tions from the devastating health,social, environmental and eco-nomic consequences of tobacco".
The Framework Convention em-braces all elements of tobacco con-trol. It entered into force and be-came an international law on 28 Feb-ruary 2005. It is one of the most rap-idly and widely embraced treatiesin the history of the United Nationsin terms of number of signatories,with 172 Member States of the
World Health Organization beingParties to the Convention till date.
The WHO Framework Conven-tion on Tobacco Control includesprovisions for reducing demandas well as supply of tobacco prod-ucts. It also recognizes the impor-tance of international cooperationand helping low- and middle-in-come countries to meet their treatyobligations. It has catalysed ac-tions across the globe, and el-evated the importance of tobaccocontrol as a global health and po-litical issue. It has also stimulatedpolicy changes at the nationallevel and injected new public andprivate resources into the field.
In South-East Asia, the coun-
tries that are signatories to theWHO Framework Convention areBangladesh, Bhutan, DemocraticPeople's Republic of Korea, India,Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, SriLanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.Nine countries have formulatedcomprehensive national laws toimplement the provisions of theFramework Convention. Theselaws include banning smoking inpublic places, prohibiting tobacco
advertising, sponsorship and pro-motions, and making tobacco-re-lated health warnings mandatoryon the packs of tobacco products.
The Framework Conventionrecommends 30%-50% coveragefor health warnings on tobaccoproduct packages. Some MemberStates in this Region have gonebeyond the Convention's provi-sions. Thailand has recently up-
graded graphic health warnings tocover 55% of the front and backsurfaces. The Convention hasalso led countries to change theirtax policies to control this causeof disease and deaths. SomeMember countries have demon-strated innovative ways of healthfinancing using tobacco taxation.India has levied a 10% cess ontobacco for the National RuralHealth Mission and Thailand isusing 2% of its tobacco and alco-hol tax for health promotion.
However, all tobacco productsare not covered under nationaltobacco control legislation insome Member countries, and biggaps exist in taxation levels ondifferent tobacco products inmany countries. Furthermore, the100% smoke-free policy in publicplaces has also not been enforcedin many Member countries of theRegion.
WHO is at the forefront of co-ordinating and supporting Mem-ber States in their efforts at to-bacco control. The UN healthagency is providing technicalsupport to Member States inimplementing the treaty, espe-cially in formulating and draftinglegislation, adopting best prac-tices and identifying well-knownindustry tactics.
Kashmiri Madarsa students and Ulmas shout anti-tobacco slogans during
an awareness rally to mark the World No Tobacco Day at
Lal Chowk in Srinagar on May 2
The WHO FrameworkConvention onTobacco Controlincludes provisionsfor reducing demandas well as supply oftobacco products
India Post June 10, 2011Health Science Post40
www.indiapost.com
Rosenthal hypothesizes thatTranscendental Meditation helpspeople with PTSD because regu-lar practice produces long-termchanges in sympathetic nervoussystem activity, as evidenced bydecreased blood pressure, andlower reactivity to stress. "Tran-scendental Meditation quietsdown the nervous system, andslows down the 'fight-or-flight' re-sponse," he said. People withPTSD show overactive fight-or-flight responses, making them ex-cellent candidates for Transcen-dental Meditation.
Rosenthal points out that thereis an urgent need to find effectiveand cost-effective treatments forveterans with combat-related
PTSD. "The condition is common,affecting an estimated one inseven deployed soldiers and Ma-rines, most of whom do not getadequate treatment. So far, onlyone treatment-simulation exposureto battleground scenes-has beendeemed effective, but it requiresspecialized software and hardware,trained personnel and is labor in-tensive.
"Based on our study and pre-vious findings, I believe Transcen-dental Meditation certainly war-rants further study for combat-re-lated PTSD," says Rosenthal.
Rosenthal is the author of anew book, Transcendence: Heal-ing and Transformation throughTranscendental Meditation, re-leased by Tarcher Penguin.
Meditation helps veteransreduce stress disorders
Cont’d from page 38
Health group disputes SDakota3-day abortion wait
Mental health dominatesonline discussions
India Post News Service
NEW DELHI: Data from the firstAsia Pacific Digital Health Indexhas revealed mental health hasbeen weighing down online dis-cussions in India, dominating dis-cussion above India's leadingcause of death - cardiovasculardiseases.
Developed by Edelman andderived from Brandtology data,the quarterly Digital Health Indexis the first such index of its kindthat seeks to identify the types ofhealth discussions that are takingplace online throughout the AsiaPacific region.
The data, which looks at theonline environment in India fromOctober - December 2010, has re-vealed depression, anxiety andstress were the leading mentalhealth topics discussed or men-tioned during the period.
"Mental health is of significantconcern in India, with depression,anxiety and stress being the mosttalked about online. This is un-derstandable in a society under-going rapid change where tradi-tional family and social structuresare breaking down and the certain-ties of the past, like job security,do not exist anymore. This is evi-dent from online conversationsand reinforced by the researchdata uncovered by the DigitalHealth Index. There is a great needfor healthcare professionals toreach out online to those needinghelp," said Robert Holdheim,Managing Director India.
Edelman conducted furtheranalysis on the way in which in-dividuals search for information
on depression and anxiety to re-veal that while there were a num-ber of online properties from repu-table sources that came up inthese searches, there was a reallack of engagement.
Other highlights of the DigitalHealth Index in India include:
- Infectious diseases are thesecond most discussed healthcondition, with discussionsaround AIDS, malaria and choleraoutweighing other conditions
Trial opens for Ore. couple overchild health care
- Cancer, which is one of theleading causes of death amongstIndians, is further down the listas the seventh most talked aboutdisease area Twitter India is theleading online channel for Health-related mentions online
Over 18, 000 mentions pertain-ing to 17 disease areas, across 60online channels were monitoredin Singapore between Octoberand December 2010.
PIERRE, S.D.: Planned Parent-hood has filed a lawsuit in federalcourt seeking to block a SouthDakota law that would requirewomen seeking abortions to facethe nation's longest waiting pe-riod - three days - and undergocounseling at pregnancy helpcenters that discourage abortion.
The lawsuit asks a federal judgeto suspend the law from taking ef-fect until a final ruling on whetherthe new law, set to take effect July1, violates a woman's constitu-tional right to abortion establishedunder the U.S. Supreme Court's1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade.
The legal challenge was filed inSioux Falls, where Planned Parent-hood Minnesota, North Dakotaand South Dakota operates SouthDakota's only abortion clinic.
During this year's legislativesession, supporters said the mea-sure was needed to ensure nowoman has been coerced intohaving an abortion.
The lawsuit contends the lawviolates a woman's legal right toabortion by imposing ``the mostextreme mandatory delay in thecountry.'' The measure also inter-feres with a woman's right to pri-vacy and violates the free-speechrights of women and their doctors,the lawsuit says.
``This law goes farther thanany other in the country in in-truding on the doctor-patient re-lationship and putting womenand families at risk,' ' SarahStoesz, president of Planned Par-enthood, Minnesota, North Da-kota and South Dakota, said in awritten statement.
The private, nonprofit crisispregnancy centers located inSouth Dakota's largest cities havedelayed registering with the stateto provide the counseling requiredunder the law, partly because theyexpect the measure to be sus-
pended during the court battle.The law says an abortion can
only be scheduled by a doctorwho has personally met with awoman and determined she isvoluntarily seeking the proce-dure. It cannot be performed un-til at least 72 hours after that firstconsultation.
The woman also would haveto consult with a pregnancy helpcenter, all of which encouragewomen to give birth. The centerswould determine if a woman isbeing pressured to have an abor-tion and tell her about servicesavailable to help her give birth andkeep a child.
Lawyers for the American CivilLiberties Union also took part infiling the lawsuit on behalf ofPlanned Parenthood.
Brigitte Amiri, a senior staff at-torney with the ACLU Reproduc-tive Freedom Project, said the lawplays politics with women'shealth issues.
``It is demeaning for the gov-ernment to force a woman to visita non-medical facility with a po-litical agenda when she is makingone of the most personal medicaldecisions of her life,'' Amiri said ina written statement. ̀ `We hope thecourt will stop the law from goinginto effect.'' -AP
OREGON CITY, Ore.: A pros-ecutor charged that an OregonCity couple watched a growthover their infant daughter's left eyeballoon into a golf ball-sized bulgebut didn't seek medical treatmentbecause that conflicted with theirreligious practices.
In her opening statement, pros-ecutor Christine Landers said thechild's father, Timothy Wyland,told a detective that ``sometimesGod heals, and sometimes God letschildren die.''
Timothy and Rebecca Wylandare members of the Followers ofChrist, a congregation that relieson faith healing. They werecharged with first-degree criminalmistreatment after the growthover their daughter Alayna's eyewent untreated until a court or-dered her taken to a doctor.
Defense lawyer John Neidigtold the Circuit Court jury that thecouple are loving parents who be-came victims of overzealous childwelfare workers at the Oregon De-partment of Human Services. Hesays the couple believed the
growth would shrink and thenvanish as their daughter grew.
The little girl, now 11/2 yearsold, has improved under court-ordered medical treatment for ahemangioma, an abnormalbuildup of blood vessels. She re-mains in state custody but liveswith her parents.
Doctors who testified at juve-nile court proceedings last yearsaid she would have lost visionin the eye if the condition was leftuntreated.
The eye is still not properly setin its socket, Landers said.
The state criminal mistreatmentstatute says it is a crime when aparent ``knowingly withholdsnecessary and adequate ... medi-cal attention'' from a child, the Or-egonian reports.
Clackamas County sheriff'sDeputy Emile Burley testified thathe made a child welfare check atthe family home on June 29, 2010,and instantly noticed a ``largebulging area'' on Alayna's left eye``the size of a golf ball, maybe alittle larger.''
Defense lawyer Neidig said theparents had been assured by fam-ily, friends and even strangers thatthe mass would eventually van-ish. A relative had a similar growththat went away, Neidig said.
In the past two years,Clackamas County has pros-ecuted two other couples from thesame church whose children diedfrom untreated ailments.
Jeff and Marci Beagley wereconvicted of criminally negligenthomicide last year and sentencedto 16 months in prison after their16-year-old son, Neil, died of com-plications from an untreated uri-nary tract blockage.
In 2009, the Beagleys' daugh-ter, Raylene Worthington, andher husband, Carl BrentWorthington, were acquitted ofsecond-degree manslaughter inthe death of their young daugh-ter, Ava, who died in 2008 of bron-chial pneumonia and a blood in-fection. Brent Worthington wasconvicted of the lesser charge ofcriminal mistreatment and sen-tenced to 60 days in jail. -AP
The woman alsowould have to consultwith a pregnancyhelp center, all ofwhich encouragewomen to give birth.The centers woulddetermine if a womanis being pressured tohave an abortion andtell her about servicesavailable to help hergive birth and keepa child
'Mental health is ofsignificant concern inIndia, with depression,anxiety and stressbeing the most talkedabout online. This isunderstandable in asociety undergoingrapid change wheretraditional family andsocial structures arebreaking down andthe certainties of thepast, like job security,do not exist anymore'
India PostHealth Science Post 41
www.indiapost.com
June 10, 2011
In shift, fed enforcers target topexecs for health fraud
Cont’d from page 38
Although the Obama administration hasincreased scrutiny of corporate Americagenerally, this shift in health care enforce-ment seems to have come up from the ranks,government and corporate attorneys say.
Investigators and lawyers at the HHSinspector general's office, the Justice De-partment and the Food and Drug Adminis-tration started moving more or less inde-pendently toward holding executives ac-countable. Morris outlined the inspectorgeneral's position in congressional testi-mony this spring, saying his office will useits power judiciously.
A test case is playing out with an 83-year-old drug company chief executive,Howard Solomon of New York City-basedForest Laboratories. Forest makes antide-pressants, blood pressure drugs and othermedications. Last month, the inspectorgeneral's office notified Forest thatSolomon could potentially be banned fromdoing business with federal programs.
The power to ban or ``exclude'' an indi-vidual rests with the inspector general. It'sroutinely applied to low-level violators, butrarely to people of Solomon's rank. In theindustry, they call it the ``death penalty.''
Last year, a Forest subsidiary pleadedguilty to criminal charges as part of a settle-ment with the Justice Department in whichthe company also agreed to pay $313 mil-
lion to resolve long-running investigations.Prosecutors charged that Forest deliber-ately ignored an FDA warning to stop dis-tributing an unapproved thyroid drug, pro-moted the use of an antidepressant in treat-ing children although it was only approvedfor adults and misled FDA inspectors mak-ing a quality check at a manufacturing plant.
The company said it had considered thecase closed. But then came the inspectorgeneral's letter.
``No one has ever alleged that Mr.Solomon has done anything wrong and ex-cluding him would be completely unjusti-fied,'' Herschel Weinstein, Forest's generalcounsel, said in a statement. ̀ `In prior caseswhere a senior executive has been excluded,that individual has been accused of wrong-doing and ultimately has either been con-victed of or (pleaded) guilty to a crime.''
Forest is fighting the move to banSolomon. The inspector general's office re-fused to comment on the case, and no finaldecision has been made. In congressionaltestimony, Morris said that when there isevidence an executive knew or should haveknown about misconduct, the inspector gen-eral ̀ `will operate with a presumption in fa-vor of exclusion of that executive.''
Separate from the inspector general'spower to ban, the FDA has resurrected some-thing called the ``Park Doctrine,'' whichmakes it easier for prosecutors to bring crimi-nal charges against an executive. -AP
US agency approves new drugfor hospital infection
WASHINGTON: The US Foodand Drug Administration has ap-proved a new antibiotic to treatan intestinal infection that afflictsmore than 700,000 patients eachyear in the United States andsometimes can prove fatal.
Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc.'sDificid tablets were approved totreat Clostridium difficile, an infec-tion that usually affects older pa-tients and can cause symptomsranging from diarrhea to poten-tially life-threatening inflamma-tion of the colon. It is most com-mon in hospitals and nursinghomes where the bacteria sporescan be found in bed linens, bath-rooms and medical equipment.
Clostridium difficile recentlysurpassed a type of staphylococ-cus bug as the most common hos-pital-acquired infection, accord-ing to researchers at Duke Uni-versity Medical Center.
Optimer's twice-a-day tablet isthe first new drug approved forthe infection in nearly 25 years,according to the company.
In recent decades, some vari-eties of germs have grown immuneto popular antibiotics like penicil-lin, creating anxiety about the
dwindling number of new antibi-otics available. The new drug,known generically as fidaxomicin,is only the third antibiotic clearedby the FDA since 2006, accordingto Optimer.
``When we started out, thiswas a relatively small segment ofthe market, and it was not clearhow a drug could be better than
Indiana fails report card onkids' dental health
INDIANAPOLIS: A new reportgives Indiana a failing grade whenit comes to children's dentalhealth.
The report from the Pew Cen-ter on the States gave Indiana anF. Four other states also earnedfailing grades in the report.
The Indianapolis Star reportedthat Indiana got credit for havingnearly 95 percent of residentsdrinking fluoridated water and forhaving 47 percent of Medicaidpatients receiving dental care,better than the national averageof 38 percent.
But the state was dinged forhaving Medicaid reimbursementrates below the national averagefor dentists' retail fees, and for notmeeting Pew's standards for den-tal sealants, which are plasticcoatings that go on children'smolars to prevent cavities.
Some Indiana officials won-dered whether the state deservesan F, but said the report can helpthe state.
``This provides a lot of goodinformation for us to look at andtry to improve where we can,'' said
James R. Miller, director of the In-diana State Department ofHealth's oral health program. ̀ `Butthere are other sets of bench-marks that could have been used,and the grade might have beendifferent.''
Not all of the benchmarksPew used in compiling thegrade contribute equally todental health, said Doug Bush,executive director of the Indi-ana Dental Association.
``If we were going to receivean A in any of these areas, I thinkthe public water fluoridation iswhere we have to have the A themost. Its impact on kids' dentalhealth far outweighs probably allof these other factors,'' Bush said.
Miller said maintaining thefluoridation rate and increasingthe number of dental sealant pro-grams top the state's list of dentalhealth priorities.
Seal Indiana, a program run bythe Indiana University School ofDentistry, provides mobile dentalcare to about 2,000 low-incomechildren a year within 120 miles ofIndianapolis. About half of thechildren have untreated decayingteeth and 15 percent have an ur-gent need for dental care, saidKaren Yoder, director of the divi-sion of community dentistry at theIndiana University School of Den-tistry. -AP
vancomycin,'' said Optimer ChiefExecutive Pedro Lichtinger, refer-ring to the currently prescribedantibiotic. ``But our scientistswere able to see the growth of thismarket and the weakness of thecurrent treatment.''
In company trials, Dificidworked as well as vancomycin intreating the infection. -AP
Shelly Gehshan, director ofthe Pew Children's Dental Cam-paign, said untreated tooth de-cay is five times more commonthan asthma and can lead toother health problems.
``Dental care is the biggestunmet health need among chil-dren,'' Gehshan said.
James R. Miller saidmaintaining thefluoridation rate andincreasing thenumber of dentalsealant programs topthe state's list ofdental healthpriorities
Clostridium difficilerecently surpassed atype of staphylococ-cus bug as themost commonhospital-acquiredinfection
42 India Post June 10, 2011www.indiapost.com
TechBizTech News
'US should not miss boat in Indiainfrastructure investment'
SRIREKHA CHAKRAVARTY
India Post News Service
NEW YORK: The $1 trillion in-frastructure story is the big invest-ment story from India over the nextfive years, of which US investorshave at least a $300 billion oppor-tunity if they care to not miss theboat, was the message that cameout of the opening session ofSUITE 2011, the second summit ofthe Indo-American Chamber ofCommerce held at Hotel Pennsyl-vania in New York City May 25-26.
The two-day event brought outthe scope of further Indo-US col-laborations focusing on potential ar-eas of mutual interest and facilitatingmatchmaking sessions betweencompanies of the two countries.
While India seems to be say-ing that American companies needto adapt to Indian circumstancesto be able to partake in its growthstory, American investors appearto be hesitant to enter the Indianmarket more aggressively withoutthe right policy mechanisms inplace.
Consequently, although it is thesecond most populous nation inthe world, India ranks 17th as aUS export partner. Still, the in-crease in Indo-US bilateral tradefrom $34.4 billion in 2009 to $45.01billion in 2010 - an impressive 30%growth - reflects the ongoing suc-cess of the strategic partnershipbetween these two leading econo-mies of the world.
Speaking on the sidelines of theconference, Chief Guest SureshKumar, Asst Secretary and Direc-tor General of US and Foreign Com-mercial Services, US Dept of Com-merce, told India Post there was tre-mendous interest of US businessesin India post-Obama India visit. Butwhile there was tremendousamount of engagement on theground, the government can onlyprovide the infrastructure for fur-thering trade but it was for the busi-nesses to consummate trade.
Kumar further said there was nohesitation at all in the minds ofAmerican businesses over invest-ing in India. "The extent of USFDIs in India is obviously many
Suresh Kumar, Assistant Secretary
of Commerce and Director General
US and Foreign Commercial Service
times more than what India has inthe US. But if you need to see moreinvestments, India needs to openmarkets in different sectors. Ameri-can firms are ready, willing, ableand want to engage (with India),but India's policy mechanismsshould be able to attract Ameri-can businesses."
Kumar said he has met with sev-eral Indian ministers of varioussectors such as oil, civil aviation,etc. "Investments follow businessopportunities and there are busi-ness opportunities in India… sowhy wouldn't companies engageor invest… they would if the cir-cumstances are such that we are
allowed to invest and engage in anopen manner. That is something theIndian government needs to intro-spect on and look at how they willcreate the circumstances or buildpolicy mechanisms that will attractgreater trade."
Addressing the inaugural ses-sion of the conference, IACCpresident Gautam Mahajan saidIndian investors are realizing thatthat trade and investment is a two-way street and that they can't beglobal players without investingin America. Indian investors havebeen, over the past few years,making significant investments inthe US, the latest being the $200million Greenfield investment inKentucky by Uflex, India's largest
flexible packaging company.The US, Mahajan said, has a
great opportunity to be part of the$1 trillion investment opportunityin infrastructure. "The US alwaysmisses the boat by often chang-ing their rules of overseas invest-ments," he observed. "By the timethey get their act together otherswould have taken their businessto India.
Further, he said, America caneasily get $300 billion of India'sinfrastructure requirements if theycan come up with the "next prac-tices" by coming up with ideas forbuilding Indian cities in the next15 years. "Sell us the "next prac-
tices" and beat other countrieswho are selling the "me too" prac-tices," Mahajan said challengingpotential American investors.
"There was a time when Indiawas looked at as only a countrythat takes money," said vice presi-dent IACC S.K. Mitra, in his briefremarks. "But now we are intomajor acquisitions and mergersacross the world and Indians areall over the place; it's now truly atwo-way traffic."
Indians, he said, have becomehyper active and restless and In-dia was on a growth path. To takeadvantage of India's growth story,global investors need to look atits unique aspects that work inthat country, Mitra felt. "American
businesses always talk aboutwhat's not there in the rule book…one of the beauties of investing inIndia is one always makes a profit;if they don't it has to be really anexception," he said.
Saud Siddique, Joint MD ofSREI Infrastructure Finance Ltd.,said India was undergoing remark-able transformation and the reformprocess has by no means ended.India's infrastructure investmentneeds in the next five years are $1trillion and even if that amount isdebatable, arguably the figures areenormous, he said. "The (Indian)government believes these invest-ments will happen," he stressed."They are not figures on the fly.Infrastructure investment in Indiatoday is akin to the industrial revo-lution of the '80s.
There are indeed issues andchallenges in this sector like landacquisition, but overtime theywould be tackled successfully andthese investments would becomesustainable, he said.
Several European and Asiancountries are already taking ad-vantage of these opportunities inIndia and it would make tremen-dous sense for American compa-nies to come in since they havethe experience and expertise,Siddique pointed out.
Challenges in infrastructuresector
As a veteran of the infrastruc-ture industry, Saud Siddique saidthere were many challenges in theIndian economy, still "there mustbe something right or we wouldn'thave the average 8% growth rateover the last decade."
Siddique said corruption andenforceability of law are the twobiggest challenges, but they werenot unique to India as many de-veloping countries like China,Mexico and Brazil also faced thesimilar challenges.
"By no means," Siddiquewarned, "entering the Indian mar-ket is not for the faint of the heart.But the opportunities are there forthe innovative, the street smart,and those investors who canthink out of the box."
Contíd on page 44
From left, PM
Telang, Managing
Director- India
Operation, Tata
Motors Ltd., Ralph
Speth, CEO, Jaguar
Land Rover, Ravi
Kant, Vice
Chairman Tata
Motors and Carl
Peter Forster,
Group CEO and MD
during the Jaguar
Land Rover Pune
assembly plant
inauguration,
in Pune.
Govt committed toachieve fiscaltargets: Pranab
NEW DELHI: Buoyed by bet-ter-than-expected performance ongovernment finances' front in 2010-11, the Union government has saidit will keep a tab on public expendi-ture to ensure that Budget targetsfor this fiscal too are achieved.
"Efforts to get the economy onthe path of fiscal prudence are ontrack... The government is commit-ted to achieve the fiscal targets,"an official statement quoting In-dian Finance Minister PranabMukherjee at a meeting of Con-sultative Committee said.
He further said that to ensurethat scarce resources of the coun-try are productively deployed, "itis extremely important to measureoutcomes."
In the Budget for 2011-12, thegovernment had set fiscal deficittarget at 4.6 per cent of the GDPand the revenue deficit target ataround 3 per cent.
Now the government has alsostarted providing, along with theBudget and revised estimate ofcurrent year and Budget estimatesof the ensuing year, the details ofactual expenditure incurred oneach scheme "for a better analy-sis of the budgetary provisionsand the trend in expenditure".
Mukherjee said the govern-ment has been able to contain thefiscal deficit and revenue deficitwell within the revised estimatesin 2010-11. -PTI
Chinese hackersbreak into Gmailaccounts
WASHINGTON: Internetsearch giant Google has said "badactors" from China, in a sophisti-cated phishing attack, hacked intohundreds of Gmail accounts, in-cluding those of senior US officialsand Chinese political activists.
Google has uncovered a"phishing campaign," which "ap-pears to originate from Jinan,China" in which access wasgained to Gmail user passwordsand emails, its Security Team'sEngineering Director Eric Grossesaid in a blog post.
"Through the strength of ourcloud-based security and abusedetection systems, we recentlyuncovered a campaign to collectuser passwords, likely throughphishing," he said.
The "bad actors" hacked intopersonal Gmail accounts of hun-dreds of users including, seniorUS government officials, Chinesepolitical activists, officials in sev-eral Asian countries (predomi-nantly South Korea), military per-sonnel and journalists, the USinternet giant stated. -PTI
Indians, he said, havebecome hyper activeand restless and Indiawas on a growth path.To take advantage ofIndia's growth story,global investors needto look at its uniqueaspects that work inthat country, Mitra felt
43India PostTechBiz PostJune 10, 2011
www.indiapost.com
Quality will build Brand India: Dr Kalam
Former President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, inaugurates CII Institute of Quality: 10th IQ Anniversary Day Celebra-
tions, in Bangalore on Wednesday. Also seen are Chairman, CII Institute of Quality, N. Kumar, former Chairman,
K.N. Shenoy and former Chief Mentor, CII, Tarun Das.
India Post News Service
BANGALORE: AppreciatingCII's efforts of injecting qualityinto all products and services forits members right from 1986, ChiefGuest Dr A P J Abdul Kalam,Former President of India, deliver-ing the 10th Anniversary Day Lec-ture "Vision 2020 : Leading theChange India Needs: New Impera-tives for Quality" noted that "thenation needs branding for its prod-ucts and services".
While it was imperative thatIndian products met all the perfor-mance and quality parameterspromised by the manufacturer, itwas his experience that over 60%of the efforts needed to be devotedto design, 20% to developmentand 20% to testing by a team of
dedicated personnel to be able tocreate a successful brand.
He further discussed his expe-riences in evolving a quality cul-ture and the quality interventionsneeded in agriculture and foodprocessing, the education andmedical systems. Stressing theneed for seed productivity andquality in food production, he sug-gested that CII-IQ could considercertifying quality seeds to avoidreduced output and related losses.
He also spoke of his experi-ences in evolving quality culturein organizations touching upon in-novative concepts of quality
mechanisms, standards, proce-dures and documentation.
Quoting his conversation withthe President of Finland, he saidthat it was Education, life longlearning and women empoweredwith education that was the rea-son for her country to top the com-petitiveness index. He added that"real quality in education is fun-damental to the quality of the hu-man resource of the nation as awhole which is responsible fordelivering the products and ser-vices to the community".
Commenting on the improve-ment of Primary Health Centers, hesaid that CII-IQ could undertake,with the help of pharma compa-nies, doctors and para-medicalpersonnel, the important task ofensuring that spurious drugs did
not infiltrate the market. Dr Kalamalso suggested that CII-IQ couldconsider designing and imple-menting a mechanism throughwhich total quality consciousnesscould be brought about in variousinfrastructural segments yet at thesame time implementing a feedbacksystem to continuously improvethe quality of service.
Calling upon business leadersto become creative leaders, he ana-lyzed how national economic de-velopment was linked to creativeleadership. "Creative leaders areconcerned about quality which willderive a brand for Indian products
all over the world," he concluded.Dr Kalam also released a work-
book titled "Self Assessment forBusiness Excellence" on this oc-casion. This publication will en-able organizations to self- assesstheir standing across different fac-ets of their business so as to planfor improvements on their journeytowards Excellence. CII- IQ has,at the national level, been propa-gating the adoption of the EFQMbased Business Excellence Frame-work. This holistic tool will be cru-cial for enhancing the competitive-ness of Indian Industry."
Mr Tarun Das, President, As-pen Institute and Former ChiefMentor, CII delivering the SpecialAddress recalled all the initiativessince1986 taken by CII in estab-lishing the roots of the qualitymovement in India which waslooked upon with respect and
credibility. According Dr Kalam ashis role model who had drivenhome the point of the "importanceof developing indigenous technol-ogy" and his vision for the youthwhich had spun off the hugelysuccessful Young Indian programof CII which had 12,000 volunteersand led by a 32 year girl leader, henoted seven positive factors ben-efiting the country.
India's stable democracy withthe second highest growth rate,its evolving mixed economy, itsElection Commission, skilling 500million people and its entrepre-neurship talent was somethingthat the world was looking at verypositively.
In his welcome remarks, Mr NKumar, Chairman, CII Institute ofQuality noted that CII had beenprivileged to work closely with DrKalam earlier and had always been
inspired by his pioneering thoughtleadership and his dedication andcommitment to realizing a grandvision for India a role which hecontinued to play after demittingthe office of President of India.Extending a warm welcome to MrTarun Das, Former Chief Mentor,CII he recalled his instrumentalrole in initiating the Quality move-ment in India. He also recognizedthe outstanding leadership of MrK N Shenoy, Former Chairman, CIIInstitute of Quality in making inmaking the Institute an eminentpartner for industry and govern-ment in the quality movement.
"The DNA of quality had notonly inculcated itself in industrywhere it had made a vast differ-ence, but needed to be extendedto social, governance and innova-tion and creativity spheres aswell", he noted.
India Economic Summit 2011 moves to MumbaiIndia Post News Service
NEW DELHI; The Confedera-tion of Indian Industry (CII) andthe World Economic Forum(WEF) will host their annual IndiaEconomic Summit 2011 in Mumbai,India, on 20- 21 November. Underthe theme, "Linking Leadershipand Livelihood", this year's sum-mit will focus on the critical gov-ernance reforms and innovativepublic private partnershipsneeded for India's rapid and inclu-sive growth.
Announcing this move, the CIIDirector General, ChandrajitBanerjee said that "Our two or-ganizations - CII and WEF, to-gether started a journey morethan 26 years ago. This partner-
ship based on trust, confidence,teamwork and friendships has
helped to Promote, Position andProject India Globally. The India
Economic Summit, which has al-ways been a highlight of theyear's calendar, will, in its 27thedition, for the first time, be heldin Mumbai.
The CII and WEF think it's anappropriate time to build on theenthusiasm of the key stakehold-ers and capitalize on the opportu-nity by positioning other centersin India to the world".
In their statement the WorldEconomic Forum said that "Com-ing to Mumbai is a reflection ofthe Forum's intent to show notonly what the national govern-ment and central policies mean forregional growth, but to also dem-onstrate how the regions of Indiacontribute to the success of thenational agenda,"
The CII and WEF thinkit's an appropriatetime to build on theenthusiasm of the keystakeholders andcapitalize on theopportunity by posi-tioning other centers inIndia to the world
Dr Kalam also suggested that CII-IQ couldconsider designing and implementing amechanism through which total quality con-sciousness could be brought about in variousinfrastructural segments yet at the same timeimplementing a feedback system to continu-ously improve the quality of service
Alcatel & Percept bring digital entertainment to India
Govt's overdrive to check black money yield results
44 India Post TechBiz Post June 10, 2011
www.indiapost.com
Land acquisition, he said, was anothermajor challenge since displaced farmerswhose farmlands have been acquired do notfind employment in the absence of laborintensive industries. These are the differ-ent issues that the government is seriouslythinking on, Siddique said.
Throwing an entirely different light onIndo-US trade challenges, Glenn Stone, Prin-cipal, Head of Infrastrcuture, GrantThornton, threw interesting insights whichdrew out the similarities and dissimilaritiesin the nature of the two economies. "Bothcountries are facing an infrastructure defi-cit running into trillions of dollars," he said."But the similarly ends there."
Recognizing that infrastructure was thebedrock of growth the Indian governmentcame up with the extremely innovative Pub-lic-Private-Partnership (PPP) model openingup the largest infrastructure market in the
world. The US, meanwhile, was not invest-ing in infrastructure, he said. "It's goingbackwards. They haven't invested in 30years in this sector and the country is fac-ing a real infrastructure crisis."
While about 100 countries across theworld use the PPP mode of investment, the
US came into this very late, with only 30 ofits states having passed the PPP legisla-tion, Stone said. The federal government inthe US was not involved in the delivery ofpublic services, including education. "TheUS is facing some very big problems in in-
frastructure because the federalgovernment's involvement in these servicesis minimal," Stone added.
Another big difference in the US asagainst countries like India was that thereis a lot of money chasing very few projects."In India it's the other way around," he
pointed out. "In the US, there is at least$100 billion in infrastructure fund sitting withno projects to spend on."
Adding to these observations, Siddiquesaid the reason for this complacent situation inthe US was because infrastructure was not a
'US should not miss boat in India infrastructure investment'Contíd from page 42 matter of life and death. "So there are no hard
decisions being taken unlike in India and Chinawhere infrastructure is a matter of life and deathfor their developing economies."
India, Siddique said, needs to educatepotential investors in the US to get themout of their mindset about ground realitiesin India.
Symbiosis for SuccessA research publication titled 'Symbiosis
for Success: India-US Bilateral Trade andEconomics' by Grant Thornton, released onthe occasion, summarized that winds ofchange in America would further open upits economy, rationalize tax and regulatorystructures and embrace Indian companiesmore candidly, more positively. The direneed of investment in sectors such as infra-structure, healthcare and education wouldessentially invite participation from privatecompanies and the time was apt for bothUS and Indian companies to make the mostof these opportunities early on.
India Post News Service
NEW DELHI: Percept Knorigin(PK), a digital media companyincubated by Percept Limited,and Alcatel Lucent has signeda collaboration agreement toexpand the distribution of digi-tal entertainment content tosubscribers across India. PKwill use Alcatel-Lucent's Digi-tal Media Store (DMS) to en-hance its web and mobile en-tertainment service, which is of-fered to consumers through part-nerships with telecom service pro-viders such as BSNL, MTNL andAirtel.
With more than 1.2 billionpeople, India provides an enor-mous potential audience for PK'sentertainment content - every-thing from Hindi Movies to Re-
gional language spectacles andlive TV on mobile. PK's serviceslike Adchakra, Cinecurry, HelloTVand 51010 dial-a-video has experi-enced rapid growth - nearly 300percent last year, and to meet thisincreased demand they needed arobust digital media platform thatcould meet the demanding require-ments of Mobile and Web serviceproviders.
Alcatel-Lucent's Digital MediaStore simplifies the distribution ofapplications and multimedia con-tent across any network to anyconnected device - PC, MobilePhone or TV. With DMS, PK nowhas a cost-effective and secure so-lution that is easy to expand, andgives service providers the flex-ibility to offer video, audio andgames to their subscribers - overwireless or wireline networks, eas-
ily and profitably.As importantly, DMS will en-
able the service providers offer-ing PK services to establish cus-
tomized and personalized store-fronts and portals, supported bymerchandizing tools that includethe ability to cross-recommendand cross-sell content based onsubscriber interests and buyingbehavior. While DMS will pro-vide both PK and service pro-viders increased earning poten-tial, it will also aid bottom linesby reducing content pilferingthrough the use of a digital-rights-management mechanisms.
Commenting on the deal, Mr.Viraj Malik, MD & CEO, PerceptKnorigin said, "Content will bekey to building internet penetra-tion in India. We were looking ata scalable service which can keeppace with the great growth weexperienced last year; one thatcan provide us with the capabil-ity to create services across mo-
bile phones, tablets and laptops.Our deployment of Alcatel-Lucent's Digital Media Store willprovide an all-in-one solution tothe challenges service providersface in terms of content, platformand business operations."
Mr. Munish Seth, Presidentand Managing Director, Alcatel-Lucent India noted, "Our DigitalMedia Store will enable PerceptKnorigin to introduce very at-tractive services, and enablethem to keep pace with chang-ing market demands - driven bythe need for an 'it's-all-about-me'user experience. Building on thiscooperation, Indian consumerswill soon be able to move fromplace to place and device to de-vice freely, getting their multime-dia content whenever and wher-ever they want it."
NEW DELHI: Amid the threatof Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev to goon hunger strike on the issue ofblack money, the government saysthe series of steps taken by it tounearth unaccounted wealth havestarted yielding results.
The income tax department,sources said, has detected unac-counted income of Rs 18,750 crorein the last two financial years andcollected an additional Rs 22,697crore as taxes by stepping up vigilon cross border transactions.
Besides, they added, the gov-ernment detected mis-pricing ofgoods to the tune of Rs 33,784crore in the last two years.
Called as transfer pricing in taxparlance, the mis-pricing hasemerged as the main method oftransferring illicit funds outside
the country.The success achieved in
checking the menace of blackmoney, sources said, can be attrib-uted to the focused strategyadopted by the Finance Ministry.
The focus of the strategy in-cludes stopping the transfer offunds to other countries; betterrealization of taxes through spe-cial attention to cross broadertransactions; unearthing the blackmoney in the country and en-hanced flow of information fromforeign jurisdictions.
The income tax department,sources further said, has collected7,704 pieces of information relatedto tax evasion and money launder-ing from different countries and isgoing ahead with investigations.
Referring to information re-
ceived in respect of LGT Bank ofLiechtenstien from Germany,sources said, the government has
already launched prosecutionproceedings against several indi-viduals and raised a tax demand
of Rs 75.86 crore.Besides, the government has
made 175 requests to seek specificinformation about tax payers fromthe countries with whom Indiahad signed tax treaties.
Pointing out that generationand detection of black money isan on-going process, sourcessaid, the government has adopteda five-pronged strategy to dealwith the issue.
The elements of the strategyinclude joining global crusadeagainst black money, creating anappropriate legislative framework,setting up of institutions to dealwith illicit funds, developing sys-tems and imparting skills to offic-ers for effective action.
As part of the drive, the gov-ernment had also constituted a
committee under Central Board ofDirect Taxes (CBDT) chairman toexamine legal and administrativeframework and suggest steps tostrengthen laws to curb genera-tion of black money.
It has also set up Directorate ofCriminal Investigation (DCI) todeal with tax crimes related to ille-gal activities. The other importantinitiatives include commissioningof a study by economic think-tanksto estimate the quantum of blackmoney held within and outside thecountry. The estimates of suchfunds range from USD 500 billionto USD 1,400 billion.
The study, to be undertakenjointly by NCAER, NIPFP andNIFM, will also suggest steps tobring back unaccounted moneykept outside the country. -PTI
While DMS will provideboth PK and serviceproviders increasedearning potential, itwill also aid bottomlines by reducingcontent pilferingthrough the use of adigital-rights-man-agement mechanisms
Pointing out thatgeneration anddetection of blackmoney is an on-going process,sources said, thegovernment hasadopted a five-pronged strategy todeal with the issue
Recognizing that infrastructure was the bedrock of growth theIndian government came up with the extremely innovativePublic-Private-Partnership (PPP) model opening up thelargest infrastructure market in the world. The US, meanwhile,was not investing in infrastructure, he said
June 10, 2011 India Post 45
www.indiapost.com
DatebookNEW YORK
UpcomingILLINOIS
UpcomingNEW JERSEY
UpcomingNORTHERN CALIFORNIA
U p c o m i n g
WASHINGTON DC
Upcoming
Fri June 10• Pune HighwayVenue: Roy Arias Studios and Theatres, 300W 43rd St # 506, New YorkTime: 8pm to 5pmContact: 212-594-3685
Thurs June 16• Wine N DineVenue: Heart of India - East Village, 79 2ndAve (between 4th St & 5th St) New YorkVenue: Time: 5pm to 10pmContact: (212) 598-0746
Sat Oct 8• Rhythm For ReliefVenue: Haven NYC, 244 East 51st St, NYTime: 6pmContact: 347-307-1378
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAU p c o m i n g
Fri June 10• Upakar Foundation Presents
Emerging Artist Series: Aparna
Nancherla Comedy ShowsVenue: The Heritage Center at the United StatesNavy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Avenue,NW, WashingtonTime: 7pm to 11pm
Fri June 24• Art of living courseVenue: Art of Living Ashburn center,Virginia,43618,Millay Court, Ashburn, VirginiaTime: 6:30pm to 9:30pmContact: 703-723-8181
Mon July 4• Rathyatra, Festival of IndiaVenue: National Mall (in front of Air & SpaceMuseum), Washington, DCTime: 10:30am to 9pmContact: 301-299-2100
Fri June 10• Warrior FormalVenue: CSU Stanislaus Main Dining Hall, OneUniversity Circle, Turlock, CaliforniaTime: 6:30pmContact: 209-535-3468
Sat June 18• Sonu Nigaam Live In ConcertVenue: San Jose State University, Event Cen-ter, 290 south 7th street, San Jose, CaliforniaTime: 8pmContact: 408-368-6865
Sat Nov 12• Hello Namaste Salaam
Satsriakal MastiVenue: Chandni Restaurant, 5748 MowrySchool Rd, Balentine Plaza, across HiltonHotel, Newark, CA 94560Time: 7pmContact: 510-299-1138
Sun June 5• International Gurukul Cultural
Extravaganza 2011Venue: Woodside High School, PerformingArts Center, 199 Church Hill Avenue,Woodside, CaliforniaTime: 11am to 5pmContact: 408-416-7568
Sun June 12• Wedding Bells - Bay Area
Baraat 2011Venue: India Community Center, 525 LosCoches Street, Milpitas, CaliforniaTime: 11am to 7pmContact: 510-894-3047
Sat June 25• Tagore Festival : 150th Birth An-
niversaryVenue: Amador Theater, 1155 Santa Rita Road,Pleasanton, CaliforniaTime: 11am to 9pm
Sat June 11• Meera Jasmin Mega
Show 2011Venue: Excelsior High School Auditorium,15711 Pioneer Blvd, Norwalk, CaliforniaTime: 6pm to 10pmContact: 818-399-0638
Thurs June 16• Jay DabhiVenue: The Conga Room at LA LIVE, 800 W.Olympic Blvd., Los AngelesTime: 8pm to 12amContact: (323) 362-6450
Thurs June 23• Art of Living CourseVenue: Art of Living Los Angeles Center, 948West Adams Blvd., Los AngelesTime: 6:30pm to 3pmContact: 310-820-9429
Thurs July 7• 2011 Western Regional Family
& Youth ConferenceVenue: St. Thomas Orthodox Church of LosAngeles, 14121 Coteau Dr. Whittier, Cali-forniaTime: 4pm to 2pmContact: 714-342-5196
Sun July 17• Indian Cruise to Mexico from
Long BeachVenue: Carnival Splendor, 231 Windsor Way,Long Beach, CaliforniaTime: 4:30pmContact: 858-925-7806
Mon Aug 1• Yogalicious!Venue: Art of Living Center Los Angeles, 948W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CaliforniaTime: 6:30pm to 9pmContact: 310-820-9429
Sat June 11• BasementBollywood NightVenue: Fire N Ice, 583 Fords Ave, Fords, NJTime: 9pm to 2amContact: (732) 734-1364
Sat June 18 to Sat June 25ï YFS Cricket For CharityVenue: Lincoln Park, Jersey City, New JerseyContact: 201-844-8937
Fri June 24• The Science Of God -
RealizationVenue : Durga Mandir, 4240 Route 27,Princeton, New JerseyTime: 7:15pm to 8pmContact: 201-848-0680
Sat June 11• SUR SANDHYA- Musical NightVenue: Metropolitan Asian Family Services, 1032 E.Ogden Avenue, Naperville, IllinoisTime: 6pm to 11pmContact: (630)705-1208
Sat June 11• Rajatotsava Cultural Programs @HTGCVenue: The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, 10915lemont Road, Lemont, IllinoisTime: 3pm to 9pmContact: 630-972-0300
Sat July 30• Surtarang Music CompetitionVenue: Naperville Community Concert Center, 104 E.Benton Ave., Naperville,IllinoisTime: 11am to 4pmContact: 630-355-5468
www.indiapost.com
Perspective
Here is what Mr. Curmudgeon wrote in an editorial piecein the Tea Party Tribune on May 3rd, 2011: "Only the moregullible among us believes Pakistan's military and ISI intel-ligence service knew nothing of Bin Laden's hideout inAbottabad, where he lived his last five years. It's well knownthat Pakistan provides weapons and intelligence to Talibanfighters in Afghanistan so as to kill American forces fight-ing there."
Now to fully understand why Pakistan's military estab-lishment and ISI aids the terrorists, we turn back once againto Mansoor Ijaz. After Mansoor ran into a road block whennegotiating the behind the scenes deal between India andPakistan on the issue of Kashmir, he wrote: "The key prob-lem was finding a way to get the ISI on board for a wide-netceasefire by reigning in its insurgents operating in the Val-ley. But I am now convinced that the ISI does not have aninterest in ending the militancy in Kashmir. War is big busi-ness for ISI intermediaries and the money trail that fundstheir illicit activities leads well beyond the borders of Paki-stan." If anyone knows ISI well, it is Mansoor!
A wise man once said: "follow the money trail" when-ever you are trying to investigate or solve a problem. For-get about the radical ideology everyone talks about, no-
June 10, 2011India Post46
Time for Americans to review US Pakistan policybody is going to solve the terror problem until you dealwith the money issue so well written by Mansoor Ijaz.
Whereas prominent congressmen and senators as writ-ten above, have called for cutting foreign aid to Pakistan,the Administration, as well as the Washington old guard,both Democrat and Republican, with a behind the scenesimmense lobbying effort by Pakistan, is hesitating in tak-
ing any serious action to safeguard the interests of Ameri-can public and tax-payers.
We, the tax-payers, have given almost $20 billion dollarsin foreign aid to Pakistan since 9/11 and in return Pakistanhides and protects Osama Bin Laden and other terror mas-terminds fighting American forces all around the world and
terrorizing American civilians. How do you explain to thefamilies of our service men and women killed in Afghani-stan that they pay Pakistan to get their sons and daughterskilled! It is insane.
If there ever was a question as to Al Qaeda links to theMumbai terror attacks in India, just consider thatMohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, the most wanted terrorist inIndia as well as US, widely known for plotting the Mumbaiattacks, is on the short list of contenders to succeed OsamaBin Laden as head of Al Qaeda. Pakistan has blood on itshands for the attack on Indian parliament in 2001 as well asthe Mumbai terror.
It is high time that Indian Americans in the US bandtogether to have their voices heard in Congress to stop allaid to Pakistan until it takes concrete action to unequivo-cally join the fight on terror. As a starter, we should demandthat Pakistan turn over #2 Al Qaeda leader Al-Zawahiri,Taliban Head Mulla Omar and Mohammad Kashmiri, overto the US, and stop supporting the Haqqani network oper-ating out of Quetta in Pakistan, if Pakistan was to ever getanother dime from us.
We call upon you to send the attached letter to yourCongressman and Senator, and please spread the word,so that all of 3 million Indian Americans can speak withone voice.
Contíd from last week
The future of nuclear non-proliferationMAJ. GEN. (RETD.) DIPANKAR BANERJEE
While the death of Osama Bin Laden closes onechapter of recent history against the global waron terror, the risk of terrorism merging with nuclear
weapons poses the greatest threat today, even more starklythan a nuclear holocaust. Pakistan, representing the trian-gulation of a rogue military, terrorism (with suicide terrorismas a norm) and the world's fastest growing nuclear arsenal,remains the world's highest concern and the deepest sourceof anxiety.
Conversely, India as one of the three de-facto nuclearweapon powers, maintains an excellent record at adheringto international laws and global norms pertaining to nuclearweapons. Till date, the parameters of India's nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament policy have remained con-sistent. In June 2008, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh re-stated India's policy as "fully committed to nuclear disarma-ment that is global, universal and non-discriminatory in na-ture" and that for India, "the only effective form of nucleardisarmament is global nuclear disarmament"; nuclear disar-mament cannot be "regionalized."
India's principled opposition to the NPT is well knownand has been often stated. India does not participate in theNPT preparatory or Review conferences. Besides being adiscriminatory treaty with no clear balance of responsibili-ties between the nuclear haves and have-nots, the NPT hasdone comparatively little over four decades to further thecause of nuclear disarmament in the world.
It has instead led to a vast vertical proliferation, whicheven decades after of the end of the Cold War, does notquite seem to go away.
The New START is a welcome development, but it doesnot meet global aspirations and is of limited disarmamentconsequence. The New START will not entice the othernuclear powers to even consider reducing their arsenals.It is pertinent to ask at this stage whether it is the non-proliferation treaty or the nonproliferation regime whichis in crisis.
Despite its opposition to the treaty, India's nuclearpolicy is in fact in compliance with the objectives andgoals of the NPT. Given its excellent nonproliferationrecord and the NSG approval to the India-US civil nuclearagreement, India will not have difficulty in the future toaccede to the NPT as a nuclear weapons power and for-
mally accept all the responsibilities that go with it. But inview of the country's security environment, joining theNPT as a non-nuclear weapons state is not an optionthat any Indian government will contemplate now or inthe future.
Therefore some creative thinking is required towardsmodifying the NPT to accommodate India, Pakistan andIsrael in the system rather than keeping them outside.One possibility is to introduce a third category of "statewith nuclear weapons" or "advanced states with nucleartechnological capability" to be added in the NPT.
In keeping with certain carefully considered bench-marks, such as nonproliferation track record, civil con-trol over arsenals, nuclear doctrines and such, exceptionscan be made. No treaty should be embedded in stone andas circumstances call, should to be amended, howsoeverdifficult the process.
It is also time to consider fresh approaches towardsglobal elimination of nuclear weapons. India is aware ofthe new proposals that are currently being debated andhurdles that they face. In a landmark declaration at theConference on Disarmament (CD) in February 2008, Indiaformally proposed two multilateral agreements and two
global conventions in a detailed framework for nucleardisarmament and laid out a seven point agenda:
1.Reduction of the salience of nuclear weapons in se-curity doctrines
2.Negotiation of an agreement on no-first use ofnuclear weapons among nuclear weapons states
3.Negotiation of a universal and legally binding agree-ment on non-use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclearweapons states
4.Negotiation of a convention on the complete prohi-bition of the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons
5.Negotiation of a nuclear convention prohibiting de-velopment, stockpiling and production of nuclear weap-ons, moving towards a global, non-discriminatory andverifiable elimination of these weapons
6.Unequivocal commitment of all nuclear weaponsstates to reduce risks and dangers arising from the pos-sibility of accidental use of these weapons
7.Adoption of additional measures by nuclear statesto reduce accidental use
In early May 2011, India's Acting Permanent Repre-sentative to the CD in Geneva reiterated India's strongsupport to the UNSC Resolution 1540 on preventing pro-liferation of WMD and their means of delivery. India isnot yet a member of PSI as there are concerns about itsconsonance with international maritime law and the arti-ficial distinction it makes with regard to rights and re-sponsibilities of nuclear weapons states and non-nuclearweapons states.
However, India has no problems with the purpose andthe strategy of the initiative; and there is a growing beliefthat India should join the PSI and support its expandedmandate as envisaged by President Obama. This fits invery well with India's own concern over clandestine pro-liferation, especially in its own neighborhood, whichcould facilitate the acquisition of nuclear weapons or fis-sile material by terrorist or a jihadist groups.
Excerpts from a presentation made at the Conferenceon the Atlantic World and Rising Global Powers at Berlin,Germany on 15-16 May 2011 organized by the Council onForeign Relations, USA and the Stiftung Wissenschaft undPolitik, Berlin
The writer is Mentor, IPCS
SHALLI KUMAR & SHRI CHANDAK
National Indian American Council
Some creative thinking is requiredtowards modifying the NPT to ac-commodate India, Pakistan andIsrael in the system rather thankeeping them outside. One possibil-ity is to introduce a third category of‘state with nuclear weapons’ or‘advanced states with nucleartechnological capability’ to beadded in the NPT
It is high time that Indian Americansin the US band together to have theirvoices heard in Congress to stop allaid to Pakistan until it takes concreteaction to unequivocally join thefight on terror
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Philosophy
I'm interested in onlybeing love
RAM DASS (RICHARD ALPERT)
The most important aspectof love is not in giving orthe receiving: it's in the be-
ing. When I need love from oth-ers, or need to give love to others,I'm caught in an unstable situation.Being in love, rather than givingor taking love, is the only thingthat provides stability. Being inlove means seeing the Beloved allaround me.
I'm not interested in being a"lover." I'm interested in only be-ing love. In our culture we thinkof love as a relational thing: "Ilove you" and "you are mylover." But while the ego is builtaround relationship, the soul isnot. It wants only to be love. It'sa true joy, for example, to turnsomeone whom you didn't ini-tially like into the Beloved.
One way I practice doing sois by placing a photograph of apolitician with whom I intenselydisagree on my puja table - myaltar. Each morning when I wakeup, I say good morning to theBuddha, to my guru, and to theother holy beings there. But I findthat it's with a different spirit thatI say, "Hello Mr. Politician." I
know it sounds like a funny thingto do, but it reminds me of howfar I have to go to see the Be-loved in everybody.
Mother Teresa has describedthis as "seeing Christ in all hisdistressing disguises." When Irealized that Mother Teresa wasactually involved in an intimate
love affair with each and everyone of the poor and the lepersshe was picking up from thegutters in India, I thought to my-self, "That's the way to play thegame of love." And that is whatI have been training myself forthe last past quarter century: tosee and be with the Beloved ev-erywhere.
One of the interesting as-
pects of seeing the Beloved in thisway is that it doesn't require theother person to see him - or her-self as the Beloved. All that's nec-essary is that I focus on my ownconsciousness properly. It's in-teresting to notice, though, howwarmly people respond to beingseen as the Beloved, even if they
don't know what's happening. (Ofcourse, it all assumes that allyour feelings are genuine andthat you aren't compelled to acton them or to lay any sort of tripon the other person. The idea issimply to live and breathe amongthe Beloved.
The way I work at seeing oth-ers (like the politician), as the be-loved is to remind myself, "This
is another soul, just like me, whohas taken a complicated incarna-tion, just as I have. I don't wantto be in this incarnation any morethan he wants to be in mine. Butsince I want to rest in my souland not in my ego, I would like togive everybody the opportunityto do the same."
If I can see the soul that hap-pens to have incarnated into aperson that I don't care for, thenmy consciousness becomes anenvironment in which he or sheis free to come up from air if heor she wants to. That personcan do so because I'm nit tryingto keep him or her locked intobeing the person that he or shehas become.
Ram Dass (Richard Alpert)
Suzanne Segal
In the Spring of 1982, SuzanneSegal, pregnant and 27, wasliving in Paris and waiting for
a bus to take her home from abirthing class. As the bus ap-proached, she took a place inline with other commuters. Sud-denly she felt her ears pop, andwas at once enclosed in a kindof bubble which cut her off fromthe rest of the scene, and left heracting and moving in the mostmechanical way.
She says, "I lifted my right footto step up into the bus and col-lided head-on with an invisibleforce that entered my awarenesslike a silently exploding stick ofdynamite, blowing the door of myusual consciousness open and offits hinges, splitting me in two.
“In the gaping space that ap-peared, what I had previously called'me' was forcefully pushed out ofits usual location inside me into anew location that was approximatelya foot behind and to the left of myhead. 'I' was now behind my bodylooking out at the world withoutusing the body's eyes."
Walking home from that busride, she felt like a "cloud of aware-ness" following the body. Thecloud was a witness located be-hind and to the left of the bodyand completely separate frombody, mind and emotions.
The witness was constant andso was the fear, the fear of com-plete physical dissolution. Thewitnessing continued for several
'Cloud of awareness'following the body
months, even during sleep, andSegal had to endure the fear andthe accompanying stress, findingrelief in long and frequent sleeps.
The 'benefit' of the presence ofthe witness was that it retainedsome sense of the personal self, the'me'. But after a few months the wit-ness disappeared, and with it alltraces of a personal self, of the 'me'.
"When the personal self disap-pears, there is no one inside who
can be located as being you. Thebody is only an outline, empty ofeverything of which it had previ-ously felt so full."
Now there was no one whothought, felt or perceived, yet thesefunctions continued smoothly andnobody noticed anything strange.Yet she struggled to understandwho was living and why her bodycarried on its functions.
"Life became one long, unbro-ken koan, forever unsolvable, for-ever mysterious, completely outof reach of the mind's capacity to
comprehend."With the witness gone and,
also gone, all vestiges of a famil-iar 'me', a heightened level of feararose. She called it terror. Sheknew a continuous shaking of theextremities and constant and co-pious perspiration. Now sleepwas not a blessed drug, for therewas no one to sleep. It broughtno relief. She could not identifyanyone who gained rest by sleep-
ing, just as there was no one whowas awake.
"What had vanished was thereference point of a personal selfthat felt the feelings personally.Emptiness was consistently co-present with all emotional or men-tal states, and this co-presenceprecluded any personal qualityfrom existing. No thoughts, feel-ings, or actions arose for any per-sonal purpose anymore."
"The mind's hypervigilancewas exhausting. Because it wasconstantly engaged in rejecting
the experience of emptiness, therewas very little attention availablefor anything else. My life was filledwith seeing no-self, and raisingquestions about no-self.
“Even in sleep the emptinessof personal identity continued un-perturbed. No mental activity everchanged the experience of no-selfin any manner, and none of theattempts to figure out, organize,or evaluate it ever brought back a
sense of an individual identity."Segal had sought out a variety
of therapists and teachers, andworked with them, to no avail. Af-ter ten years she began to explorethe spiritual perspective on theemptiness of the no-self. Shefound volumes of material in Bud-dhism on anatta (no-self) andshunyata (emptiness). Now shelearned that not only was her expe-rience understood, it was soughtby those on the spiritual path.
Excerpted from 'Collision withthe Infinite'
Being in love, rather than giving ortaking love, is the only thing thatprovides stability. Being in love meansseeing the Beloved all around me
‘When the personal self disappears, there is noone inside who can be located as being you.The body is only an outline, empty of everythingof which it had previously felt so full’
49Edit Pagewww.indiapost.com
June 10, 2011 India Post
India Post
A war within Pakistan's securityestablishment?
D SUBA CHANDRAN
The kidnapping and subse-quent killing of a Pakistanijournalist - Saleem
Shahzad, along with the testi-mony made by Headley, raises apertinent question relating to awidely prevalent hypothesis: Isa section of the security forces,including the ISI, influenced byradical elements within?
For long, there has been a fearwithin India and elsewhere at theinternational level that radical el-ements are well entrenched in Pa-kistani security forces. This fearemanates from two primarysources - those who want Paki-stan to fail, giving rise to bizarretheories without any factualsubstantiation, and from thosewho fear that Pakistan might fail,thus constantly analyzing hap-penings at the most coherent in-stitutions within Pakistan.
Both sources could notpresent a case, based on factsand evidence, of theradicalization of the Pakistani se-curity establishment. These accu-sations and fear were based moreon an inbuilt bias (in the first case)and conjecture (in the secondcase).
Two events during the last fewdays confirm the fear. First, themurder of Saleem Shahzad, a Paki-stani journalist and the bureau chiefof Asia Times Online, who recently(in May 2011!) published a booktitled: Inside al-Qaeda and theTaliban: Beyond Bin Laden and 9/11 (London: Pluto Press, 2011).
More than the book, his recentarticle in Asia Times Online on theattack on PNS Mehran was re-vealing and damning in its imme-diacy. According to him, "Severalweeks ago, naval intelligencetraced an al-Qaeda cell operatinginside several navy bases inKarachi, the country's largest cityand key port."
Worse, Saleem Shahzad, in hisreport, quoted a senior navy offi-cial who said that, "Islamic senti-ments are common in the armedforces…We never felt threatenedby that. All armed forces aroundthe world, whether American, Brit-ish or Indian, take some inspira-tion from religion to motivate theircadre against the enemy…
“Nonetheless, we observed anuneasy grouping on different na-val bases in Karachi. While no-body can obstruct armed forcespersonnel for rendering religiousrituals or studying Islam, thegrouping [we observed] wasagainst the discipline of thearmed forces. That was the be-ginning of an intelligence opera-tion in the navy to check for un-
scrupulous activities."Following the above, action
was initiated by the Navy, whichwas not appreciated by the alQaeda. According to Shahzad,"At least 10 people - mostly fromthe lower cadre - were arrested ina series of operations." Follow-ing the detention, the al Qaedawanted these members to be re-leased; however, when the nego-tiations between the Navy andthe al Qaeda failed, the latter at-
tacked the PNS Mehran. The factof the existence of the al Qaeda'ssympathizers within the Navygave them a blueprint to targetthe PNS Mehran with precision.
If the above account byShahzad is true (which seems tobe the case, for he would nothave been murdered otherwise),
then it blows away two signifi-cant rhetoric often repeatedwithin Pakistan on the PNSMehran attack. First, it was a re-venge attack for the killing ofOsama bin Laden, which implies
that had the al Qaeda chief notbeen killed, there would havenever been an attack on the PNSMehran. Second, the attack onthe PNS Mehran was targeted atthe US, especially the Americanreconnaissance aircraft, P 3COrion. This was intended to af-fect the American supply line toAfghanistan via Karachi.
Clearly, Shahzad's reportsprove that the attack on PNSMehran would have taken place
irrespective of the killing ofOsama bin Laden. In this case, theattack on PNS Mehran is less todo with anti-American sentimentsand the disruption of the pipe lineto Afghanistan.
It appears that a section withinthe armed forces is under the in-fluence of radical elements andthat the top brass are unaware ofwhat is happening within theirforces. This should be read alongwith Headley's recent statementthat the ISI chief may not haveknown what the Lashkar handlerswere doing in terms of planningthe terrorist attack in Mumbai.
This is a war within Pakistan'ssecurity establishment, whichshould be seen differently fromthe war within Pakistan. From aregional perspective, what doesthis mean for Pakistan and Af-ghanistan? Clearly, such a siegewithin the security forces and in-telligence agencies is not in theinterest of Pakistan. Neither willit help regional and internationalsecurity.
The exit of international troopsat this juncture will further com-plicate the situation, for this willbe seen as a victory for the radi-cal groups. Worse, after the exit,the international community mayeven ignore the region. From anIndian perspective, this will onlymake the situation worse and theresumption of the Indo-Pak dia-logue precarious.
The writer is Director, IPCS
Soft power
Pakistan is wary of Indian influence in Afghanistan. For years ithas been trying to keep that big, volatile mountainous coun-try in its pocket as a "strategic depth" against India. As if the
people of that country do not matter and they do not have a choiceto decide their friend or foe. To keep its sway, Pakistan uses violentmeans and keeps in its pay militants of various varieties, rangingfrom Taliban, al Qaeda and the Haqqanis. It believes that all co-religionists will do its bidding in Afghanistan and elsewhere. If everthere was a myth that all those professing the religion of Islam willunite for a cause then the benighted country of Pakistan is an ex-ample of that failure.
India has not gone to Afghanistan for "influence." As Prime Min-ister Manmohan Singh made it clear during a recent visit to Kabulthat India has no "agenda" in Afghanistan. However it is well knownIndia's primary goal in Afghanistan is to ensure that the countrydoesn't emerge as a hotbed for the anti-India Taliban and other ex-tremist groups.
The Afghans look to India with lot of respect and gratitude. As aleading donor, India had pledged to spend $1.5bn on helping rebuildthe country's shattered infrastructure, making it the sixth largestbilateral donor. The Indian Prime Minister pledged a further $500mto Afghanistan over the next six years.
Funds have been committed for education, health, power andtelecommunications. There has also been money in the form of foodaid and help to strengthen governance. India is building the country'snew parliament building, erecting power transmission lines in thenorth, and building more than 200km (125 miles) of roads.
Manmohan Singh and Afghan President Hamid Karzai held dis-cussions about regional stability, counter-terrorism and the India-Afghanistan strategic partnership, built on what is largely a sharedmistrust of Pakistan.
On his recent visit to Washington, Afghan Education MinisterFarooq Wardak said his country was highly appreciative of India'shelp in developing its education sector. He would rather have Af-ghan students studying in India than coming to the US for educa-tion. During his meetings with USAID and the Education Secretary,he requested for allocating special funds to provide scholarships toAfghan students to study in Indian educational institutions.
He argued that it would be too expensive to have Afghan stu-dents in the US for scholarship. "Also the fear is that these peoplewould not return to Afghanistan, some of them would wish to settlehere in the US. So in order to prevent that worry it is always better totrain them in India. It is cost effective, it is good quality, it is easierfor us because the language and culture is friendly to the people ofAfghanistan and they are not stranger in India," he elaborated.
The minister also said that Kabul is negotiating with New Delhi toestablish an information technology college in the war-torn nation.
There can't be a better certificate for the success of "soft power"that India exercises in Afghanistan. And this is not counting theinfluence of Bollywood and Indian television content which is ea-gerly lapped up by the Afghans.
The angry response of Pakistan to Indian strategy has been vio-lent attacks on Indians in Afghanistan and on Indian institutions.These were apparently planned by the notorious intelligence agencyISI and carried out by its proxy militants. They are always on theprowl and Kabul has ensured additional security for Indians work-ing there and for Indian establishments. The attacks did temporarilystall Indian efforts in Kabul but it should now be clear to Islamabadthat violence doesn't pay as much as "soft power" does.
The siege of PNS Mehran in Karachi
More than the book,his recent article inAsia Times Online onthe attack on PNSMehran was reveal-ing and damning inits immediacy. Ac-cording to him, "Sev-eral weeks ago,naval intelligencetraced an al-Qaedacell operating insideseveral navy bases inKarachi, the country'slargest city andkey port”
