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Steering AAPI to great success
Obama, Bloomberg sent poison laced letters by gun rights guys

Washington: The Secret Service confirmed on Thursday that it had intercepted a ricin-laced letter sent to President Obama. The letter was similar to the one sent earlier in the week to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg over his stance on gun control. Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan said the letter had been turned over to the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Two other letters laced with the poisonous toxin were intercepted on their way to the president in April President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg: will not deter from championing stricter gun laws Continued on page 4
AAPI President (2012-13) Dr. Narendra Kumar (left) presenting the gavel to Dr. Jayesh Shah, the incoming president, at the organizations annual convention in Chicago on May 27, as a token of passing on the mantle of AAPIs leadership. Stability, unity, restoring AAPIs image, excellent organization of events, and increased membership have been hallmarks of Dr. Kumars Presidency.
Detailed article and more pictures on page 16-17
Russian missiles headed for Syria to New York lad Arvind Mahankali weaken Western effort to end civil war is National Spell Bee champ
President Bashar al-Assad is better placed lately to retain control over Syria.
Indian American kids monopoly of Scripps National Spelling Bee championship continues.
Washington, DC: The seven-letter German word "knaidel" (meaning a type of dumpling) crowned Arvind Mahankali, 13, of Bayside Hills, N.Y., champion of the 86th Scripps National Spelling Bee, breaking his streak of bad luck in past Continued on page 4
Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missile system when delivered would make it far more dangerous for Western countries to impose any no-fly zone over Syrian air space.
Beirut: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday Moscow was still committed to sending him advanced anti-aircraft weapons, although a source close to the Russian defense ministry said the missiles had Continued on page 4
Arvind Mahankali, 13, of Bayside Hills, NY.
Indo-US Relations 8
Fashion 15
Health 27
Spiritual Awareness 30
excellence in journalism
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
June 1-7, 2013
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
June 1-7, 2013
Tea Party groups file massive Vayalar Ravi promises to address pressing NRI issues lawsuit against IRS
Washington: The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) announced Wednesday that it has filed a federal lawsuit against the IRS on behalf of 25 Tea Party and conservative organizations regarding the government entity's recent scandal involving the alleged unfair targeting and scrutiny of conservative groups seeking tax exemption status. The lawsuit is being filed against the US Attorney General, Treasury Secretary, and IRS, and is representing Tea Party organizations from various states including Hawaii, Colorado, California, and Kentucky. The lawsuit specifically names as defendants Attorney General Eric Holder, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, former IRS Commissioner Steven Miller, IRS' Tax Exempt Division Director Lois Lerner, as well as "Unknown Named IRS Officials." The text of the lawsuit, which has been made public online, calls for the court to rule that the Obama administration violated the First and Fifth amendments of the US Constitution, the Administrative Procedure Act as well as the IRS' own rules and regulations. The lawsuit also seeks to receive injunctive relief so that conservative organizations may no longer be allegedly targeted. Additionally, the groups represented are seeking monetary compensation for damages and, for the ten conservative organizations being represented in the lawsuit which didn't receive tax-exempt status, they are requesting that they receive said status. "The IRS and the federal government are not going to get away with this unlawful targeting of conservative groups," Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ, a Washington D.C.-based human rights firm, said in a statement. New York: Interacting with the Indian community here on May 27, Indias Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi promised to circulate a comprehensive document addressing all major issues raised by NRIs. He was speaking at an interactive meeting organized by the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) at Utsav Restaurant and attended by Consul General Dnyaneshwar Mulay. GOPIO President Ashook Ramsaran complimented Minister Ravi for initiating several programs benefiting the Overseas Indian communities. GOPIO Secretary J. Nami Kaur presented a memorandum listing several issues of the PIO/NRI community including: Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Card reissue problem - when passports are renewed at age 20 and at age 50, while at age 20-49 they carry old passport with U-Visa along with the new passport. For PIOs who are unable to obtain original documents due to poor records in countries where Indian laborers migrated from 1834-1920, should allow alternative documentation for PIO Card. MBBS and BDS entrance exams in India should be held at convenient time for students in USA and Europe by the Medical Council of India. NRI Tax beyond 60-day
Indias Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi addressing the meeting, flanked by GOPIO President Ashook Ramsaran, Consul General Dnyaneshwar Mulay and GOPIO Founder President Dr. Thomas Abraham. (Photo: Parveen Chopra)
Bloomberg ricin letter linked to gun control effort

New York: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says a poison-laced letter sent to his office appears to be linked to his highprofile campaign for gun control. Bloomberg spoke to reporters Wednesday after traces of the deadly poison ricin was discovered on two letters sent to the mayor. He said at least one of the letters cited his work for tougher U.S. gun laws, but that he would not be deterred. "Its not the first letter that was ever sent to anybody," the mayor said. "In terms of why theyve done it, I don't know, the letter obviously referred to our anti-gun efforts, but there's 12,000 people that are going to be killed this year with guns and 19,000 are going to commit suicide with guns and we are not going to walk away from those efforts." Bloomberg was a prime organizer of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group formed in 2006 with a meeting of 15 mayors.
stay in India Waiver needed for families, retirees and emergencies. Also, uniformity of information, policies and practices for visas, OCI cards, etc by Indian missions and ministries. Provide reciprocity for spouses of temporary foreign workers in India so that H1 visa holders spouses can also work in the US as stipulated in the new US Immigration Bill. NRI Property Rights and Fast Track Judiciary A problem affecting NRIs with the increasing number of Indians emigrating or working overseas. GOPIO Founder President Dr. Thomas Abraham, who moderated
the meeting, said that OCI renewal has become cumbersome experience, and process should be made easier. He asked to maintain status quo for NRI students admission for medical studies and requested the Minister to talk to the Health Ministry and MCI to set up entrance exam centers in the US and in Europe. Minister Ravi said that many issues raised need to be worked with other ministries and in particular Home Ministry which is concerned about the security of India and terrorists entering India with doctored documents. But he promised to do the needful.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
The group now comprises more than 950 mayors from across the country. The group stepped up its efforts this year after a lone gunman killed 26 people, most of them young children, in Newtown, Connecticut. The organization backed its campaign with a $12 million advertising effort, financed in part from Bloomberg's personal fortune.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie hobnobbing with President Obama is being dubbed bromance where the governor may be aiming at a 2016 bid for the Oval Office. Obama had visited the Hurricane Sandy ravaged New Jersey shore last year and he was there again Tuesday as the duo toured the Jersey Shore admiring the recovery efforts.
Stronger than the storm
US is worlds most competitive again

Geneva: The US has topped the 2013 world competitiveness ranking of 60 economies, followed by Switzerland and Hong Kong, a report said Thursday. According to the IMD business school in Switzerland, the US regained the top spot this year after being ranked second in 2012 due to its rebounding financial sector, high technological innovation and successful companies. Switzerland rose to the second place this year from last year's third. In Europe, against the context of a stalled eurozone, Sweden and Germany were the most competitive besides Switzerland. In Asia, China and Japan also saw their competitiveness ranking rise by two and three notches to the 21st and 24th place respectively. BRICS economies including India experienced mixed fortunes but remain lands of opportunities".
June 1-7, 2013
TURN PAGE
Obama, Bloomberg sent poison laced... Continued from page 1 and have been linked back to a Washington man, Matthew Ryan Buquet, who was charged last week. CNN, citing a source with knowledge of the letters to Bloomberg and his guncontrol group, said those letters include this warning: "You will have to kill me and my family before you get my guns. Anyone wants to come to my house will get shot in the face. The right to bear arms is my constitutional God-given right and I will exercise that right till the day I die." The letters "obviously referred to our anti-gun efforts, but there's 12,000 people that are going to get killed this year with guns and 19,000 that are going to commit suicide with guns, and we're not going to walk away from those efforts," Bloomberg said, adding he didn't "feel threatened." The letters addressed to Bloomberg and Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, both tested positive for ricin, New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said. New York lad Arvind Mahankali ... Continued from page 1 years with spelling words of German origin. "I thought a German curse has turned into a German blessing," Arvind said as he cradled the trophy Thursday evening at the nationally televised event held in the capital. He also took home $30,000 in cash. The Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School 74 student of Grade 8 is a speaker of Telugu and Spanish and hopes to one day pursue a career as a physicist. His victory continues IndianAmericans' winning streak at the Bee. There have been five in a row and 10 of 14, a run that began in 1999 when Nupur Lala captured the title and was later featured in the documentary "Spellbound." At least 8 of the 11 finalists this time were Indian Americans. As were the last three to remain standing after elimination rounds. Pranav Sivakumar got out with cyanophycean. Sriram Hathwar spelt ptyalagogue wrong. Some 281 students competed in this years Bee held in
Washington, D.C. They came from all 50 states and eight foreign countries, and ranged in age from 8 to 14. A new rule was added to this years bee, in which contestants take a vocabulary test in the early rounds. Russian missiles headed for ... Continued from page 1 yet to arrive. The prospect of the S-300 missiles arriving is a serious worry for Western and regional countries opposing Assad which have called on Moscow not to send them. The S-300 missiles would make it far more dangerous for Western countries to impose any future no-fly zone over Syrian air space, and could even be used to shoot down aircraft deep over the air space of neighbors like Israel or Turkey. The two-year-old civil war, which has killed more than 80,000 people, has reached one of its bloodiest phases with a counter-offensive by Assad's forces, backed openly by allies from iran and neighboring Lebanon's Hezbollah Shi'ite militia. With his Western-backed Syrian opponents mired in squabbles, Assad sounded confident of his position. Speaking to Hezbollah's al-Manar television, he said he would attend peace talks in Geneva convened by Washington and Moscow, but expected to keep fighting. US, Russian and UN officials will meet on June 5 to make arrangements for a peace conference, known as "Geneva 2" after a first conference last year in the Swiss city, which produced an international agreement to set up a "transitional government" but no agreement on whether Assad would remain a part of it. If the latest U.S. initiative aims to win over Moscow to the position that Assad must leave power, it seems to have failed. Moscow spoke out on Thursday against the Syrian opposition's insistence on Assad's removal as a precondition for talks and criticized Washington for refusing to rule out imposing a no-fly zone to help the rebels. Syria's foreign minister also laid out a hard line Wednesday, saying Assad will remain president at least until elections in 2014 and might seek another term.
Stayed back in US to consult eye doctor: Shinde

New Delhi: Facing flak over his extended stay in the US following the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Thursday said he was consulting an eye doctor. Shinde told reporters that he had an appointment with an eye specialist May 28 and he returned to the country soon after. He said he had received permission to stay in the US till May 29. He said in between, there was two-day weekend and the US Memorial Day May 27, which was a public holiday. The minister, who will visit Chhattisgarh Friday, said politiShinde condemned the attack by the Maoists in Chhattisgarh in which 28 people, including two senior state Congress leaders, were killed. He said the government had information that the Maoists may try to target urban centers. Asked if the BJP government in the state had failed to protect the Congress leaders, Shinde said a judicial inquiry was on. He said the government may have to review its counter strategy according to changing tactics of the Maoists. Shinde was in the US to lead a delegation for homeland security dialogue.
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde
cal leaders working to strengthen democracy in the Maoist affected areas will be provided security.
MoneyGram moves to NASDAQ from NYSE

New York: MoneyGram International, Inc. (NYSE: MGI), a leading global money transfer company, announced moving its stock listing to the NASDAQ Global Select Market from the New York Stock Exchange, effective May 13, 2013. The company will continue trading under the ticker symbol MGI. Upon being listed on the NASDAQ, MoneyGram joins the worlds most innovative companies, said Pamela H. Patsley, chairman and CEO. NASDAQ is a global leader in advanced trading technologies, which will provide our shareholders with cost-efficient trading opportunities. As an innovative leader in the money transfer and payments
Pamela H. Patsley (middle), chief of MoneyGram, at Nasdaq Opening Bell ceremony on May 22.
industry, we are excited to be a part of the NASDAQ. We welcome MoneyGram to our growing list of leading companies that are innovators in their industries, said Bruce Aust, executive vice president, NASDAQ OMX. MoneyGram offers bill pay-
ment services in the US and Canada and money transfer services worldwide through a global network of more than 310,000 agent locations including retailers, international post offices and financial institutions in 197 countries and territories.
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TRISTATE COMMUNITY
June 1-7, 2013
South Asians rely on informal money transfers: Gallup

Washington, DC: Nearly six in ten adults in the South Asian region and Indonesia sent or received a payment or remittance in 2012 with a majority doing so informally, according to a new Gallup study. In terms of hard numbers 800 million South Asians and Indonesians transferred money with 512 million people sending or receiving cash in person or sending it informally in some other way, according to the study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Remittances or payments could have been domestic or international; sent to friends or family, a school, or other institution; or received from the government, a non-government employer, or from the sale of crops, produce, or livestock. Sri Lanka and Indonesia had the highest number of respondents reporting such payment or remittance activity, at 84 percent and 83 percent, respectively, in the 12 months before the survey. Those in Afghanistan were the least likely to report these types of transactions, with 46 percent responding that they had either received or made a money-based transaction. About three in 10 South Asian and Indonesian respondents (32 percent) made at least one payment to a school, company, or other institution, making this type of payment the most common across all transaction types surveyed. The majority of these school/company/institution transactions were cash only (84 percent) in nature, and Sri Lankans (60 percent) and Indians (57 percent) led in conducting these types of transactions. There is thus a largely untapped market of 512 million people in South Asia and Indonesia who currently conduct informal cash-based transactions, the study concluded. That people are frequently using options to transfer money with inherent risk illustrates the importance of providing safer, better options to transfer money, it said. Noting that 83 percent of survey respondents have access to a mobile phone, the study concluded that mobile-based banking options may be a prime target for increasing formal transactions, the study said. With only six percent having access to Internet, Internet-based banking options or transfer capabilities only have the potential to reach a small segment of the highest educated and wealthiest of the population at this time, Gallup said.Results are based on face-to-face interviews with 1,000 adults, aged 15 and older, conducted September-October 2012, in five South Asian countries and Indonesia, plus 2,540 adults in India.
White House honors Indian-Americans as 'Champions of Change'
Shradha Agarwal
Riddhiman Das
Amar Sawhney
Washington, DC: Highlighting the achievements of immigrant innovators and entrepreneurs, the White House on Wednesday presented three Indian-Americans with prestigious Champions of Change awards. The three Indian Americans among the 11 recipients are Shradha Agarwal from Chicago, Riddhiman Das from Kansas, and Amar Sawhney from Massachusetts. The Indian-Americans and others were felicitated at the "Champions of Change" event at the White House that highlighted immigrant innovators and entrepreneurs - the best and brightest from around the world who are helping create American jobs, grow the economy, and make the US more competitive, an official statement said. "Immigrants have long made America more prosperous and innovative, and the Champions we are celebrating today represent the very best in leadership, entrepreneurship, and public service," said the US Chief Technology Officer Todd Park. "We are proud to recognize these leaders who work every day to grow our economy, advance science and technology, and support their home communities," Park said. The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature groups of Americans - individuals, businesses and organizations who are doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. Shradha Agarwal from Chicago is co-founder of ContextMedia and she always had a passion for communica-
tion and launched her first media enterprise at age nine in India. "While building ContextMedia from the ground up, she branded the healthcare media company as "for-benefit"a successful for-profit enterprise that exists for social benefit-and focused on organizational culture architecture," the White House said. Based in Chicago and New York City, Agarwal is also an angel investor, conference speaker and startup advisor. Riddhiman Das from Kansas came to the United States in 2008 to pursue an American college education and studied Computer Science, Mathematics and Entrepreneurship. "As an undergraduate student, he co-founded three startup tech companies and is also heavily involved with a Kansas City-based technology startup that has commercialized the Eyeprint Verification System as a simple, safe replacement for entering passwords on smartphones," the White House said. An inventor and serial entrepreneur in the field of medical devices, Amar Sawhney holds over 120 patents, which form the basis for several first-of-a-kind medical devices that have helped millions of patients worldwide. "He has founded six companies, which account for over 1,600 jobs created and over $ 1.5 billion in revenue to date. Amar helps foster entrepreneurship by mentoring young innovators and creating companies through Incept, a medical device incubator he helped co-found," the White House said.
15 Indian-American students qualify for Spelling Bee semis

New York: A total of 15 Indian-American students, including six girls, have made it to the national Spelling Bee semifinals, making it almost one-third of the total 42 candidates who have qualified. The girls who succeeded include Himanvi Kopuri from Colorado, Nikitha Chandran from Florida, Vanya Shivashankar from Kansas, Neha Seshadri from Michigan, Shobha Dasari from Texas and Vismaya Kharkar from Utah. Vanya is already making her third appearance in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Her sister Kavya was a four-time participant and the 2009 national champion. Vanya competed in the 2010 national finals and tied for tenth place at last year's Bee. The boys who made it to the semifinals after the day-long competitions are Pranav Shivakumar from Illinois, Kuvam Shahane from Michigan, Gokul Venkatachalam from Misouri, Ryan Devanandan, Sriram Hathwar and Arvind Mahankali from New York, Ashwin Veeramani from Ohio, Aditya Rao from New Jersey, and Chetan Reddy from Texas. However, Tara Singh, 8, the youngest in the competition, could not make it to the semi-finals. In all there were nearly 50 Indian Americans who came to Washington to take part in this prestigious national-level competition.
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on May 29, the Permanent Mission of India to the UN organized a function at which the Under-Secretary-General, DPKO, Ambassador Herv Ladsous and Under-Secretary-General, DFS, Ms. Ameerah Haq participated, along with members of the diplomatic community, representatives of the media and civil society. Seen in the photo Ambassador Asoke Mukerji with Amb Ladsous and Ms. Amira Haq viewing the picture exhibition highlighting contribution of Indian peacekeepers held as a part of the event.
June 1-7, 2013
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
Actress & MLA Jayasudha captivates Chicago with her inspiring faith testimony
Zee America creates exclusive network for South Asian American youth
Locally produced content to engage viewers
ee Americas entertainment network ZING is now the first and foremost South Asian music channel targeting the 18-34 set. ZING features locally produced content with prominent South Asian celebrities and serves as a platform for emerging artists (actors, comedians, musicians, and bands) to springboard to fame. Started in 2011, ZING features a wide range of top-rated programming in addition to its Bollywood music line-up, which engages the growing youth population in the US and Canada. ZEE Americas GM, Sameer Targe said, ZING is our sincere effort to expand the pie of viewership toward the assimilated South Asians, who have a desire to consume South Asian/Bollywood content that they can relate to. Locally Grown gives budding artists a chance to rise up from their smaller communities and gain nationwide appeal for their mu-
mt. Jayasudha a reigning south-Indian movie actress and a prominent Anthra Pradesh state legislator [MLA] captivated the Chicago audience with her profoundly soul-stirring testimony of her personal faith at packed pews of the Grace Lutheran Church in Westchester, Illinois on May 22, 2013. This community event of significance hosted under the aegis of United Telugu Christians of Chicago [UTCC] drew a great host of fans, guests, lay leaders and pastors to hear her awe-inspiring story that changed her life. I want to be like Mother Teresa and I want to serve the Lord solemnly declared Smt. Jayasudha in her testimony narrative amidst resonating applause and pledged that she would like to embark on a journey of altruism to help the poor and the neediest with her Shine Development Trust charitable organiza-
Smt. Jayasudha seen with key leaders [L to R] Johnson Sukka, Vijender Doma, Keerthi K. Ravoori, Adam Dekkapaty, Vasanth Charles & Dr. Heyer Paul Devarapalli
tion (India). Articulating her personal story of faith, identity and spiritual triumph, Smt. Jayasudha gave an overview and described how her life slowly evolved into a new-found Christian faith that stirred the depths of her mind and spirit.
INOC condemns Chhattisgarh attack by Naxals

he Indian National Overseas Congress (I) USA strongly condemned the barbaric attack on a bus in Bastar, Chhattisgarh by Naxals on a convoy carrying Congress leaders.This Maoist mayhem nearly wiped out the Congress leadership in Chhattisgarh and INOC(I) USA deeply regrets this massive loss of life. We concur with Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh who has often described Naxalism as the biggest security challenge facing the country and we strongly agree with his instant order to NIA to probe this Maoist attack it said in a press statement. No stone should be left unturned to investigate this vicious attack and the perpetrators should be brought to justice, it added.
sic. ZING has aligned with the top 20 universities with the largest South Asian student populations for Campus Life programs, including reality based dance competitions like Raasadelphia (Raas is a traditional folk dance from Gujarat) which is held at an Ivyleague institution every year. So many second generation South Asians have aspirations to make it big in Bollywood but lack the access and connections. Bollywood Dreams is a reality series where ZING brings Bollywood industry leaders to the US to teach aspiring filmmakers and actors first hand. With the plethora of South Asian Film Festivals on the East and West coasts, the network has created a platform to highlight local independent films including shorts, long features,and documentaries alike; and Look Whos Watching ZING features celebrity interviews from the most prominent South Asian Americans on television.
Health Fair at Balaji Temple in Bridgewater, NJ on June 23

n Sunday, June 23, 2013, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., a health screening and disease awareness and prevention fair will be held at Shree Venkateswara Temple in Bridgewater, New Jersey. The health fair will be organized by the Indian Health Camp of New Jersey (IHCNJ) and supported by Shree Venkateswara Temple. IHCNJ will hold this health camp for the 12th consecutive year in Bridgewater. The health fair will be open to all pre-registered participants between the ages of 45 and 64 without any medical insurance. The health screening will include blood test, EKG, vision screening for glaucoma and diabetic retinopa-
thy, physical examination, cardiology and physical therapy counseling, various types of cancer screening and prevention education, chronic disease self management via ask your doctor, dietary and diabetes counseling and pharmacy counseling. Approximately 25-30 physicians and other allied health care professionals from various specialties will provide their services on this day. The registration form to participate in this health fair is available on organization website at www.IHCNJ.org or Gujarat Darpan and Tiranga. The deadline to receive the completed form to IHCNJ, P.O. Box 5686, Hillsborough, NJ 08844 is by June 10, 2013.
On Saturday, May 18, New York City's 7th Annual Dance Parade brought the world's only parade celebrating the diversity of dance on the world stage of Broadway, to thousands of spectators. Under the theme of Unity through Dance, the city's artistic communities brought over 10,000 dancers and nearly 200 dance groups showcased more than 75 ethnic and dance styles. Megha Kalia, founder, NYC Bhangra (left) represented Bhangra folk dance style at the event.
Digital money transfer company Xoom ropes in Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador
oom Corporation, a digital money transfer provider, announces Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador to launch Xooms revolutionary speed of bank deposits to India within four hours. Amitabh Bachchan is the ultimate Indian icon and he is the perfect ambassador for Xoom, says Julian King, Xooms Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Development. Amitabh Bachchan, a trusted spokesperson to Indians, is starring in the new Xoom campaign that launches the Xoom bank deposit within four hours service. I am very excited to be part of the Xoom family. I highly recommend people use Xoom.com to send money from U.S. to India. No matter where you live, taking care of your
Philadelphia Telangana Association celebrates cultural night
family is an important part of our Indian culture. Now Xoom has reduced the transfer time of bank deposits to just four hours, making it easier for our families and us, says Amitabh Bachchan, fondly known as Big B! With Xoom, people can send money to all banks in India using their computers or mobile devices from any Internet-enabled location. Banks serviced include ICICI, Punjab National Bank, HDFC, SBI, Axis Bank, Citibank and many more. Xoom processes transactions in India through Punjab National Bank, one of Indias largest and most trusted banks. Xoom is a fast-rising money transfer company and went public on February 15, 2013, which was the first tech IPO on the NASDAQ Stock Market this year.
hiladelphia Telangana Association (PTA) celebrated its second Telangana Cultural Night on Saturday May 18, 2013, with greater enthusiasm and gaiety. More than 400 guests with their family and children participated in this event making it a grand success. The event reflected the uniqueness of Telangana Culture and hospitality. Guests were welcomed and greeted by the PTA core team members in traditional Telangana dress Pancha kurta and were served a delicious dinner with Telangana dishes like pappu- pachi pulusu, Kodi Kura, Double-ka-meeta and many more. Portraits of Telangana Pramukhulu" (luminaries) by the artist Venkat Ramana Nellutla was exhibited by Sreedhar Gudala at the event and received accolades from all the guests. Pavan Tirunahari made opening remarks of welcoming guests. The performance show was coordinated by lead anchors Leena Kolluru, Madhavi Kamatala and Nishta Venkannagari and teen anchors Chitra Mosarla, Sameer Shaik and Priyanka Baireddy. Kids of various age groups enthralled with
Children enthralled all with dance and music show
wonderful songs and dances. Kids from Mana Badi performed a fun-filled skit, called Radio Jalebi. Sudheer Raju has presented PTA activities since the last Telangana Night. He explained about PTA developmental initiative in rural schools in every district in each month. All the local community organization leaders from TDF, Telangana NRI Association (TeNA), TGDV, ATA, TANA, NATA, NATS, Chinmaya Mission and Shreyobhilashi, were invited on to the stage and were recognized for their services. The souvenir magazine Singidi, was released by the Chief Guest Shri Chanda Ramulu and other community leaders.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
June 1-7, 2013
Indian inventor honored by EU for developing popular USB

Washington, DC: The European Union honored on May 29 Indiaborn inventor Ajay Bhatt-led team at the US tech-giant Intel that developed the Universal Serial Bus (USB) technology, one of the most important advances in computing since the silicon chip. The European Patent Office announced the winners of the European Inventor Award 2013, which honors outstanding inventors for their contribution to social, economic and technological progress. Some 500 guests attended the award ceremony at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, including Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Michel Barnier, the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services. Ajay V Bhatt-led team, comprising of Bala Sudarshan Cadambi, Jeff Morriss, Shaun Knoll, Shelagh Callahan of the United States won the award for inventors from NonEuropean Countries, for creating and developing USB technology, one of the most important advances in computing since the silicon chip. An industry standard today, USB not only allows users to more easily connect devices to a computer, it also streamlines work for hardware and software developers. It is found in billions of electronic devices all over the world, from webcams to cell phones and memory sticks. 56-year-old Bhatt is an IndianAmerican computer architect who helped define and develop several widely used technologies, including USB, Accelerated Graphics Port, PCI Express, Platform Power management architecture and various chipset improvements. After completing his graduation in Vadodara, India, Bhatt completed his master's degree in New York. Bhatt joined Intel in 1990. He currently holds 31 US patents. The European Inventor Award is presented annually by the European Patent Office, supported by European Union to inventors who have made a significant contribution to innovation, economy and society in Europe. Inventions from all technological fields are considered for this award. There is no cash prize associated with the award. The 2013 awards were presented in five categories, in addition to the Popular Prize for the first time.
Ajay Bhatt
Texas baby locked in hot car for hours dies, mother arrested
Washington, DC: An Indian American baby girl died one day following her first birthday, allegedly because her mother left her locked for four hours in a hot car May 17, outside a Dallas, Texas elementary school where she worked. Vibha Marks, the mother of baby Victoria, was arrested May 17 afternoon and charged with second degree felony child abandonment. She posted a bail of $50,000 and was released the same day. According to Marks arrest warrant, Exenia Gomez, a 17-year-old teachers aide at Frank Guzick Elementary School, saw baby Victoria locked in the car, on a sweltering hot day. She immediately called 911, and then tried to rescue the tiny girl by smashing a window with a 2x4 plank, as instructed by the emergency operator. "I just came out of my truck and I see something pink and I see there is a baby in there," Gomez told WFAA news. "I looked straight at the baby and it wasn't moving or anything." Police noted that the temperature was 86 degrees outside the car, and much hotter in the car, which had no ventilation. Gomez got the baby out, and told police arriving at the scene that the little girl was unresponsive, with foam coming out of her mouth. Arriving at the scene, Dallas County police officers Dianna Blevins and
Sangeet Chowfla to head GMATs parent firm

Washington, DC: The Graduate Management Admission Council, which owns the prestigious GMAT exam for admissions to B-schools across the world, has announced the appointment of Sangeet Chowfla as its new president and CEO. Chowfla, who began his career in New Delhi with IBM, joins the league of Indian-Americans ruling the management education sector in the US, including Soumitra Dutta (Cornell University), Nitin Nohria (Harvard B-School), Dipak Jain (Kellogg, INSEAD), Sunil Kumar (University of Chicago's Booth School of Business). Following this trend of US Bschools plumping for Indian-origin heads, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) appointed Chowfla to helm the prestigious company taking over from David A. Wilson, who served the company as CEO and president for the past 18 years. Chowfla will take charge as president in September and assume the CEO's role on January 1, 2014. "I know for myself that taking the GMAT exam and the opportunities it opened up for me were life-changing," said Chowfla, highlighting the significance of the exam, which management aspirants from across the world take to realize their dreams, just as he himself had done. "My job will be to take the strong foundation GMAC 2.0, if you will build on it, shape it for the future Chowfla's career took off in New Delhi with IBM and then he went on to spend 18 years with HewlettPackard. His next post was Timeline Ventures where he was a partner in the venture capital firm with experience of both acquisition and postacquisition management issues. He left Timeline Partners in 2007 to become the chief strategy officer and executive vice-president of mobile services and global market units of Comviva Technologies, an Indian telecommunications software company. "Mr Chowfla is joining GMAC at a time of great opportunity as well as change in the graduate management education marketplace," said Dina Dommett, incoming Chair of the GMAC Board (July 2013) and executive director, leadership programs, London Business School. "The globalization of management education has been a constant, yet today that globalization is occurring at a faster pace and with technology playing an ever greater role. Mr. Chowfla's experience as a technology executive, his international experience as a manager and leader, coupled with his understanding of global markets, are perfectly suited to the challenges facing GMAC, and I look forward to working with him. The London Business School is committed to helping GMAC navigate the changing marketplace, and Mr. Chowfla is a terrific choice to lead that effort," Dommett said.
Sangeet Chowfla
Baby Victoria
Ashley Olford found Victoria in an unconscious state; her lips had turned blue, her skin was ashen and hot to the touch, and foam was coming out of her mouth, according to the arrest warrant. Paramedics performed CPR on Victoria, en route to nearby Baylor Medical Center. The baby was pronounced dead upon arrival. Police arrested Vibha Marks, 42, at the school. Before she was arrested, Marks according to her arrest warrant asked police: Is something wrong? What did I do? Whats wrong? Im a good person; did I do wrong? Marks asked officers, inquiring about her husband, and her daughters day care center. Marks was then taken into custody and interviewed at the Dallas Child Advocacy Center; she told law officials there that she was certain she had dropped Victoria off at her daycare center that morning, before going to work at Frank Guzick.
and establish a new, even stronger GMAC: GMAC 3.0. I am excited by the challenge and gratified that the board has chosen to entrust me with this great company, its terrific management team and its world-class staff," Chowfla added talking about his challenges. An Indian by birth, Chowfla is a US citizen currently living in India. He will relocate to Northern Virginia from New Delhi to assume this new responsibilities. "Sangeet Chowfla is just the kind of chief executive the GMAC board had in mind when we began our CEO search earlier this year," said James Bradford, outgoing chairman of the board of GMAC and dean and Ralph Owen Professor of Management at the Owen School of Management, Vanderbilt University. After graduating in BA (economics) from St. Stephen's College, he did his MBA with specialization in marketing and finance from the Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University.
June 1-7, 2013
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Economy, security, regional cooperation and energy are pillars of Indo-US relationship
Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Wendy R. Sherman, who is in India in the run-up to the Secretary of States visit, spoke to Doordarshan News in New Delhi on a host of topics concerning the two nations. Excerpts from the interview
Indian government are trying to move forward on this defense trade. The interesting part is there is a new surveillance aircraft that is going to be delivered to the Indian Navy. Youve purchased eight. The first one has been on time delivery. In fact, the Indian Navy got it before the U.S. Navy did. So I think our defense cooperation is important, growing. There are other sales coming. But we want to work on co-production and codevelopment because that will strengthen both of our economies and both of our security. Q: On the issue of energy, that also is work in progress, but we believe that the U.S. Department of Energy is in principle or more than that okayed the sale of liquefied gas? A: More than that. The Department of Energy has announced that there will be sales of LNG to non-FTA countries. Its a very transparent process. One can in fact go to Department of Energy web site and see, I think its 16 possible deals and the order in which they will be considered. This will take some time, but I think it speaks very well to what the future might look like in the U.S.-India LNG relationship. Q: Energys a core issue with India for a good reason. We are energy hungry, energy deficient, and Iran has been one of the big sources from whom we were getting our oil and then the U.S.-Iran thing got [complicated], for lack of a better word. There were sanctions. We have our own interests in Iran. Its been a partner in so many ways in the regional setup. Is there any possibility of a waiver happening for more Indian oil imports? How do you really see this? Its not just energy. A: You know the issue around Iranian oil is not a U.S. issue. Its an international community issue. The international community -and India has very much been part of that because Indias a non-proliferation leader and has just a perfect record on non-proliferation -has said to Iran that it must answer the questions of the international community about its nuclear program. Are they trying to acquire a nuclear weapon? They have not answered the question. I lead the U.S. delegation to P5+1 talks. The P5+1 have put a credible proposal down on the table to Iran and Iran has not really responded to that proposal in any substantive way. We want negotiations to work, but while were working on the diplomacy side we also want to say to Iran youre going to pay a cost of being further isolated if you do not answer the questions. And reducing the purchase of Iranian oil is one of those sanctions. India has really come through. I know this is difficult in terms of energy security for India. But India has really come through in reducing those imports. All of those sanctions can be lifted. It is in the hands of Iran to make that happen. Im sure that hopefully the Supreme Leader will take the strategic decision to in fact work this through with the international community. Q: Because one view in Delhi is that India wants to really expand its ties, and it is expanding with the U.S. Its crucial, very important. At the same time Iran has its own role for India in the geopolitical setup in the region. Whether you look at it from the prism of Kabul or Islamabad, energy, Central Asia, and somewhere there is a section, which feels that we kind of lose out on that traditional relationship because of whats happening internationally. And thats one cost one has to pay for Indo-U.S. relations. A: The United States has said that we understand that Iran has a relationship here in Asia and in Central Asia. And certainly has an ongoing and traditional relationship with many countries in the area. Have been players in the development of the region going forward. But on the other hand, we all have to be cognizant of what Iran is doing in terms of attempting to acquire a nuclear weapon, actually fomenting further civil war in Syria by sending in their own IRGC Quds force, by being state sponsors of terrorism. So we have to deal with that side of the equation, which has grown larger and larger. Terror is something that India understands, sadly, all too well and has been a great counterterrorism partner with the United States to deal with threats in the region and throughout the world. Thats something we need to continue to do. Q: On the issue of counter-terrorism, the Indian Home Minister was there meeting Homeland Security officials and senior people there. Anything further issue there? One issue here always has been Headley, Rana, more access to them. And overall, more cooperation on the issue of terror. A: I think as you said, we just had a Homeland Security Dialogue in Washington. We will continue this dialogue as part of the Strategic Dialogue that we have, and this is a really important channel because we both have experienced terrorism. We both want to stop it and deepen our relationship, both regionally and in the world. And I think thats quite important. Where David Headley is concerned, U.S. courts have now sentenced him to 35 years. I think that Indian viewers will well understand that although many many Indian lives were lost in the horrible Mumbai attack, six Americans died as well. So we have interest and we care deeply too, for ourselves and for India. Before he was sentenced, India had access to Mr. Headley and I know theres a request for continued access of some sort and that will get worked through in whatever way is appropriate in the Homeland Security channel and with our Department of Justice.
Wendy R Sherman, Under Secretary for Political Affairs
Q: How did your interaction with the Indian Minister of External Affairs and later the Foreign Secretary go? Its in the run-up to the Secretary of States visit. A : Yes. We had a terrific meeting, both with the Minister of External Affairs as well as the Foreign Secretary. I will see also National Security Advisor Menon and the Deputy [Chairman] of the Planning Commission Ahulwalia. So it is just a terrific set of meetings here in India, as it always is, as good friend always have a comprehensive, deep relationship. In the last year, there have been 42 senior meetings between the U.S. and India, let alone many many sub-group meetings. And that really speaks to the nature not only of the Strategic Dialogue well have at the end of June between Secretary Kerry and Minister Khurshid but the entire breadth and depth of the U.S.-India relationship. Q: So in these few hours you are packing -- from economy to strategic affairs to diplomacy -- all of that in? A: All of that and more. There are really four pillars when we look at the breadth of the relationship: 1) global economic, which is very important because we all want India to prosper, the United States to prosper, the world economy to prosper so we can all raise our families to have a great future; 2) A global security dialogue, which really gets to how the U.S. and India are working together, not only regionally but all over the world for peace and security; 3) regional cooperation - India has really been a leader in ensuring the transition and stability in Afghanistan and the region as a whole, economically and in terms of security; and 4) energy, which is
so important to all of us - climate change, clean energy. This has been a long relationship between the U.S. and India, which has been the leader in renewables. Q: Lets pick up on these one by one. The strategic partnership. One key area, of course, is the outstanding issue of the civil and nuclear deal between India and the U.S. Any progress on that? Because the U.S. wants to put the nuclear power issues on the table, have the liability issues resolved. Any discussions? A: We are very committed to the development of our civil nuclear relationship. We made tremendous strides over the last years. I would suspect that when the Strategic Dialogue happens we will make even further progress. Its interesting, Secretary Kerry who will be coming here at the end of June for the Strategic Dialogue, came here at a point when the civil nuclear deal didnt look like it was going to get through. He was a United States Senator at the time. He came, he met with everyone in Indian society and in the government. He went back home and he became a bipartisan strong advocate for the civil nuclear deal. So I know he will want to see it take one more step in its realization and Im sure that will occur. Q: The other big area, of course, is what U.S. is keen, as we see it, to push its strategic defense deals. Already a big market, India, $9 billion or so. Going forward, will that be also on the table? Was that issue also discussed? A: Very much on the table. Very much discussed. Important for Indias economy, important for the United States economy. Deputy Secretary of Defense Ash Carter along with National Security Advisor Menon and others in the
US AFFAIRS
June 1-7, 2013
Feds bust $6 billion global money-laundering operation

New York: Calling it perhaps the biggest money laundering scheme in US history, federal prosecutors charged seven people Tuesday with running an online, underworld bank that handled $6 billion for drug dealers, child pornographers, identity thieves and other criminals around the world. The case was aimed at Liberty Reserve, a currency transfer and payment processing company based in Costa Rica that authorities say allowed customers to move money anonymously from one account to another via the Internet with almost no questions asked. US officials said the enterprise was staggering in scope: Over roughly seven years, Liberty Reserve processed 55 million illicit transactions worldwide for 1 million users, including 200,000 in the US. The network "became the bank of choice for the criminal underworld," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in announcing the unsealing of an indictment against the defendants, including Liberty Revenue founder Arthur Budovsky, an American who renounced his US citizenship after deciding to set up in Costa Rica. Liberty Reserve allowed users to open accounts using fictitious names, including "Russian Hacker" and "Hacker Account." An undercover investigator was
Two politicos in news

Representative Michele Bachmann, Republican of Minnesota, announced in a video early Wednesday that she would not seek a fifth term in Congress next year. Her status as a leading voice of the Tea Party movement in Congress has faded in the wake of a failed presidential bid and a widening investigation into her campaign spending. Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, the only Independent Governor, is joining the Democratic Party ahead of his bid for a second term. He served in the US Senate as a Republican but left the GOP in 2007 the year after he lost re-election to the Senate. He was elected governor of the small northeastern state in 2010.
US Attorney Preet Bharara for the Southern District of New York explaining the operation of Liberty Reserve company based in Costa Rica. able to register using the name "Joe Bogus" and the address "123 Fake Main Street" in "Completely Made Up City, New York," and then conduct transactions he recorded as "ATM skimming network" and "for the cocaine." "The coin of the realm was anonymity," Bharara said. "It was the opposite of a knowyour-customer policy." The network charged a 1 percent fee on transactions through middlemen known as exchangers, who converted real currency into virtual funds and then back into cash. In the indictment, prosecutors called the network "one of the principal means by which cyber criminals around the world distribute, store and launder proceeds of their illegal activity ... including credit card fraud, identity theft, investment fraud, computer hacking, child pornography and narcotics trafficking." Budovsky and another defendant, identified as Azzeddine el Amine, were arrested Friday at a Madrid airport while trying to return to Costa Rica. They were ordered jailed while they await a hearing on extradition to the U.S. Two other men, including Liberty Reserve co-founder Vladimir Kats, were arrested last week in New York City. A notice pasted across Liberty Reserve's website Tuesday morning said the domain "has been seized by the United States Global Illicit Financial Team." Attempts to reach Liberty Reserve by phone and email were unsuccessful.
Chinese hackers compromise US weapon designs: Report

Washington: Chinese hackers have compromised the designs for many of America's most sensitive advanced weapons systems, according to a media report citing a confidential report prepared for US defense officials. Among more than two dozen major weapons systems whose designs were breached were programs critical to US missile defenses and combat aircraft and ships, the Washington Post reported citing a report by the Defense Science Board. The electronic intrusions gave China access to advanced technology that could accelerate the development of its weapons systems and weaken the US military advantage in a future conflict, warned unnamed experts cited by the influential US daily. Citing a confidential list of compromised weapons designs, the Post said some of the weapons form the backbone of the US defense department's regional missile defense for Asia, Europe and the Persian Gulf. The designs included those for the advanced Patriot missile system, known as PAC-3; an army system for shooting down ballistic missiles, known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD; and the Navy's Aegis ballistic-missile defense system, it said. Also identified in the report are vital combat aircraft and ships, including the F/A-18 fighter jet, the V-22 Osprey, the Black Hawk helicopter and the navy's new Littoral Combat Ship, which is designed to patrol waters close to shore, the Post said.
JC Penney yanks out kettle with moustache

Culver City, Calif.: Tempest in a teapotthat could be the headline of this news story that developed over the memorial Day weekend. A billboard ad for the Michael Graves Design Bells and Whistles Stainless Steel Tea Kettle ($40) was seen along Interstate 405 near here and caused several to take to social media to post pictures and discuss whether the tea kettle was intentionally made to resemble Adolf Hitler. By Tuesday, the kettle had gone viral and was sold out on JC Penneys site. By Wednesday morning, the tea kettle was yanked from JC Penney site, and the billboard taken down where the advertisement was first spotted. The company said on Twitter that the tea
Tinpot dictator!: The kettle in question and the historys most hated man. kettles resemblance to Hitler was unintentional. If we had designed it to look like something, we would have gone with a snowman or something fun :) , the company tweeted.
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June 1-7, 2013
US AFFAIRS
Good home and consumer confidence Obama visits tornadoreports rally US markets ravaged Oklahoma
New York: Home values nationally and locally hit their highest level in six years during the first quarter and consumer confidence strengthened in May, factors that combined on May 28 to propel the Dow to another record high. During the first quarter, the Standard & Poor's/CaseShiller Home Price Index for the nation increased by 10.9 percent from a year earlier, its biggest gain since April 2006, the company said Tuesday. The gain for the Los Angeles area was more robust a jump of 16.6 percent and the largest increase since September 2006. Prices have been increasing for about a year now, a good signal that the housing recovery has some steam. "It's certainly fair to say the data is very clear that we're off the (price) bottom and there is not going to be a double dip," said Craig Lazzara, senior director of index investment strategy at Standard & Poors. "Prices are accelerating, and that's a good sign," he said. More encouraging news came Tuesday from the Conference Board, a non-profit group that conducts a monthly consumer attitude survey. The New York-based research center said that its Consumer Confidence Index for May rose to 76.2 from 69 in April and from 64.9 a year ago. This month's index was the highest since 76.4 in February 2008, two years after the Great Recession began unfolding, the board said. The index starts with a benchmark value of 100 in the year 1985. The confidence index for California increased to 80 this month from 74.1 in April. The outlook for the labor market was also more upbeat. Those expecting more jobs in the months ahead improved to 16.8 percent from 14.3 percent, while those expecting fewer jobs decreased to 19.7 percent from 21.8 percent. The home price report was released before the markets opened and it jolted investors into action. The rally gained momentum after the confidence report came out. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 106.26 to close at 15,409.39, another record Tuesday, bouncing back from a loss the week before. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 10.6 to 1,660.06 and the Nasdaq gained 29.75 to close at 3,488.89. Washington: President Barack Obama Sunday called on Americans to help rebuild the tornado-ravaged Oklahoma City area during a visit to places hit by a deadly twister last week. The president caught a glimpse of the damage from the air before Air Force One landed in Oklahoma, Xinhua reported. Obama began touring some of the hardest-hit areas and met officials and residents in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, a town of some 41,000 people. The tornado, classified as an EF-5 or the strongest storm on Earth with winds of speed of more than 300 km per hour, killed 24 people and injured 377 others. As many as 12,000 homes were damaged. Official statistics estimated the damage caused by the tornado at $2 billion. Speaking in front of the wreckage of the Plaza Towers Elementary School, where seven children died in the tornado, Obama urged Americans to help in the storm relief and reconstruction efforts. "It's going to take a long time for this community to rebuild, so I want to urge every American to step up," the president said. He asked the public to donate via the American Red Cross website. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said the state needs quick action from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help Moore town.
Thousands of bridges across the Most Americans still oppose Obamacare: poll country are at risk of collapse
Washington, DC: A majority of Americans still oppose President Obama's signature health care reform, dubbed Obamacare, three years after it became law, according to a new survey. But a CNN/ORC International poll released Monday also indicates that more than a quarter of those who oppose the Affordable Care Act, say they don't support the measure because it doesn't go far enough. According to the poll, 43 percent of the public says it supports the health care law, a figure that's mostly unchanged in CNN polling since the measure was passed in 2010 by a Congress then controlled by Democrats and signed into law by Obama. Fifty-four percent of those questioned say they oppose the law, also relatively unchanged since 2010. The survey indicates that 35 percent oppose the health care law because it's too liberal, with 16 percent saying they oppose the measure because it isn't liberal enough. The wide partisan divide over the law remains. Nearly three quarters of Democrats say they favor the Affordable Care Act. That number drops to 16 percent among Republicans. "Not surprisingly, the Obama coalition is most supportive of Obamacare," says CNN Polling
Director Keating Holland. "A majority of younger Americans favor the new health care law; support among other age groups falls as low as 31 percent among senior citizens. "Only a third of whites support the law, compared to six in 10 non-whites. Obamacare also wins majority support in urban areas and in the Northeast, the bluest region of the country," he notes. The CNN poll, conducted May 17 and 18, right after the Republican-controlled House voted to symbolically repeal the entire law for the third time in three years, surveyed 923 adults. It has a three-point margin of error.
The collapsed bridge at Mt Vernon, Washington
Seattle, WA: A highway overpass in southeast Missouri collapsed Saturday after two freight trains collided, injuring seven people. Taking place mere days after an Interstate highway bridge 60 miles north of Seattle collapsed, it served as a reminder that, thousands of bridges across the country could be at risk of collapse from one freak accident or mistake. These structures, known as fracture critical in the industry, are kept standing by design and dont have the redundant protections of modern bridges. Millions of drivers cross these fracture critical structures every day and they probably dont even know it. Officials spend the little money they have for infrastructure on
repairing bridges that are structurally deficient, but those arent the only ones at risk of collapse. Case in point, the Mt Vernon, WA, bridge that collapsed Thursday was not structurally deficient. Washington state officials insist the bridge was inspected twice last year and its likely the bridge gave out because of the impact from a truck that was carrying an oversize load that was likely too tall for the structure. The collapse in Washington needs to serve as a wake-up call, says the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "This is a really significant event and we need to learn from it, not just in Washington but around the country," Debbie Hersman said.
Millions join protests against Monsanto production policies

St Louis, MO: Marches and rallies against the agricultural corporation Monsanto were held across the US and in dozens of other countries last Saturday. Protesters said they wanted to call attention to the dangers posed by genetically modified food and the food giants like Monsanto that produce it. Monsanto Co, based in St Louis, said in its defense that its seeds improve agriculture by helping farmers produce more from their land while conserving resources such as water and energy. According to AleterNet.org, the global day of protest against Monsanto drew two million people in cities around the world. Demonstrators in the US called for the labeling of genetically-modified organisms. Protest organizers say that genetically-modified food can lead to cancer and birth defects. It was empowering and inspiring to see so many people, from different walks of life, put aside their differences and come together today, Tami Canal, the Utah-based activist who organized the campaign, told
Protest organizers say that genetically-modified food as produced by corporations like Monsanto can lead to cancer and birth defects.
the Chicago Sun-Times. We will continue until Monsanto complies with consumer demand. They are poisoning our children, poisoning our planet. If we dont act, whos going to?
INDIA
June 1-7, 2013
11
Chhattisgarh attack: NIA probe on

Shukla still critical: Doctors
Congress leader V.C. Shukla
Gurgaon: Congress leader V.C. Shukla, who was critically injured in the Maoist attack on party leaders in Chhattisgarh last week, continues to remain critical, doctors attending on him here said. "He is still critical but conscious. He has been put on ventilator and administered strong antibiotics to contain the infection. We are closely monitoring him," a doctor treating Shukla at Medanta Medicity. Doctors had performed exploratory laparotomy surgery (a diagnostic tool that allows physicians to examine the abdominal organs) when he was admitted to the hospital. Shukla, 84, a former
union minister, received three bullet injuries and lost a lot of blood in the attack on a Congress convoy in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region Saturday. About 30 people, including two senior leaders, were killed in the attack. Shukla was flown in an air ambulance to Delhi, and taken to Medanta Medicity in Gurgaon, where a multi-disciplinary team of doctors is treating him. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani visited him in the hospital Sunday.
Raipur/New Delhi: Sleuths of the NIA surveyed the site of deadly Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh and spoke to the injured in a hospital in Raipur even as the defense ministry ruled out any army role in fighting the rebels and the union home ministry asked the troubled states to review politicians' security. National Investigation Agency (NIA) members arrived in Chhattigarh's Sukma district and inspected the Dharbha Ghati Valley where the Maoists' attack on Congress leaders left nearly 30 people dead, including the party's state chief and the 'Salwa Judum' founder, an official said in Raipur. A group of NIA investigators also spoke to some of the injured survivors of the attack in a hospital in Raipur around 7 p.m., he said. A huge contingent of paramilitary was present at the attack spot, over 350 km from Raipur, and some teams of the troopers even went into the forest in pursuit of the Maoists involved in the Saturday attack, an officials said. "There is a possibility that the Maoists involved in the attack would have crossed into neighbor-
The convoy of vehicles which were ambushed in Bastar. Maoists attacked Congress leaders' convoy that left 30 people dead, including party's state chief.
ing Andhra Pradesh," said a police official in Sukma. A massive anti-Maoist combing operation is likely, he said. Defence Minister A.K. Antony told reporters in Tamil Nadu that the deployment of the army in anti-Maoist operations was not possible. Speaking to reporters at Thanjavur, around 340 km from Chennai, Antony said the real answer to the problem was to strengthen police and paramilitary forces to counter the rebels. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul
Gandhi led party workers in New Delhi in paying homage to party colleagues killed in Chattisgarh. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh said that a court-monitored Special Investigation Team should investigate the killing of Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh. In Mumbai, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray wrote in an editorial piece in the party's mouthpiece Saamna saying that there was a need to "crush" the terror unleashed by "Maoist devils".
New IAF chopper unit to help fight Maoists

New Delhi: The anti-Maoist operations in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh are set to be augmented with the air force putting in place a squadron of its latest Mi-17 V-5 helicopters in Nagpur for the assistance of security forces. The Bastar region had witnessed a brutal attack by the Maoists on a Congress convoy last week in Chhattisgarh. The squadron, which would be in place by next month, will help reduce time in providing air support during day and night for evacuation and other needs. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) function here, Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne said the squadron will be "an add-on fully operational day-and-night unit". He said technology should be used as an aid in tackling Maoist violence. He said there was need to deploy systems in the Maoist-hit areas which would provide better surveillance capabilities to the forces. Browne said the new squadron will provide support to anti-Naxal operations by the forces on ground in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh and other areas. He said the base of the new unit would be closer to Jagdalpur and will have lesser response time.
Manmohan in Bangkok, seven accords to be signed
BJP, Maoists work together in Chhattisgarh: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress accused the BJP and the Maoists of being hand in glove in Chhattisgarh and asked Chief Minister Raman Singh to resign in the wake of the attack on a Congress convoy in the state. "The BJP and the Maoists are working together to serve each others' purpose. The BJP has not responded to questions raised by us. They are silent because they have a vested interest," Congress spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das told reporters. "The chief minister should own responsibility for the incident and resign." He said that the state government would benefit from the attack in Sukma district May 25 as Congress workers will find it difficult to mingle with people and voters would be intimidated to come out. "Due to mass mobilisation, people had started coming to our rallies in the past one year. The Maoists did not like this," Das said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being received by Thailand leaders at the Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok on May 30
Bangkok: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here on a two-day official visit to Thailand on May 30. India and Thailand are to sign seven treaties, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said. Both countries will also sign an extradition treaty. Another treaty to be conclded Thursday will be on the sentences of prisoners from both countries. Under this, a prisoner of one country serving a prison sentence in the other will have the option of serving the term in his home country. Other accords relate to culture, space and issues of mutual interest.
Manmohan Singh and Thai Premier Yingluck Shinawatra will review the development of existing bilateral cooperation and also explore new areas of cooperation. The Indian prime minister flew to Thailand on the conclusion of a three-day official visit to Japan. He was received at the Don Muang International Airport here by Thai Deputy Prime Minister Yukol Limlamthong, who also serves as minister for agriculture and cooperatives, and his wife. Minister for Information and Communications Technology Group Captain Andith Nokornthap was also present. Manmohan Singh will return to India on Friday afternoon
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June 1-7, 2013
INDIA
'India, Japan civil N-deal may happen'
US to decide on Indian request on Headley

New Delhi: India and the US will find an "appropriate" way to decide on New Delhi's request for access to Mumbai attack plotter David Headley, US Undersecretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman said. Sherman, who separately met External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai ahead of Secretary of State John Kerry's India visit, also said the US was hoping to welcome Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "at some point in the near future". Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde during his US visit, which ended May 22, had sought access to Headley and his accomplice Tahawwur Rana, who were sentenced by a Chicago court after being found guilty of terrorism charges. Answering a media query on New Delhi's request for access to Headley, Sherman said India and the US had held the bilateral Homeland Security Dialogue during Shinde's visit. "That is the channel, along with the Department of Justice to resolve this request. And I am sure both our governments will work through this in whatever way is appropriate," she said. The US official said she had had "very productive" meetings with Khurshid and Mathai and was slated to meet National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon. The meetings are to prepare for the bilateral strategic dialogue in late June that would see Kerry making his first visit to India after taking over. Stating that Kerry was "very much looking forward" to his India visit, Sherman said both governments were working at all levels on a number of projects dealing with global economics, global strategic security, energy, climate change, people-to-people and regional cooperation.
Japan, India partners in quest for peace: PM
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presenting the Padma Award for 2013 to Prof. Noboru Karashima in Tokyo
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Tokyo
Tokyo: Japan indicated that an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation with India could happen in "shorter than two years", but both sides seemed to tread cautiously in the matter given their respective stands on the contentious issues of Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Tonohika Taniguchi, councillor and a member of the Japanese prime minister's strategic team, said that "both countries have agreed to an early commencement and conclusion of an agreement" on the civil-nuclear cooperation. Though he refused to give a definite time frame for the agreement to take place, Taniguchi said that it could happen in "shorter than two years". Led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is on a three-day visit to Japan, the Indian delegation was hoping for results
on this front by the end of this year after his bilateral meeting with Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe. But the Japanese side said that it was working with India "to prepare the ground for India to become a member of the international export control regime" like the nuclear suppliers group (NSG). "Prime Minister Abe recognized India's sound non-proliferation record," Taniguchi said. India has not signed the NPT and the CTBT while Japan considers itself as "one of the more faithful members of the NPT". But Japan has said that this "does not directly matter in the India and Japan relationship". Taniguchi agreed that the civilnuclear deal and the NPT were interconnected but added that "substantial departure had been made from the past".
Tokyo: Stressing the need for defence and strategic cooperation between Japan and India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said both countries had a major role to play in regional stability. "We see Japan as a natural and indispensable partner in our quest for stability and peace in the vast region in Asia that is washed by the Pacific and Indian Oceans," the prime minister said a day before his bilateral summit meeting with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe. He was addressing an event organized by the Japan-India Association, Japan-India Parliamentary Friendship League and International Friendship Exchange Council here. The focus was on strategic partnership with Japan, which also has territorial disputes with China. "This region faces multiple challenges, unresolved issues and unsettled questions. Historical differences persist despite our growing inter-dependence; prosperity has not fully eliminated disparities within and between states; and
there are continuing threats to stability and security," Manmohan Singh said, without naming any country. Calling for strengthening of regional mechanisms between New Delhi and Tokyo, Manmohan Singh said: "India and Japan are among the major actors in this region. It is our responsibility to foster a climate of peace, stability and cooperation and to lay an enduring foundation for security and prosperity. "On this occasion, I am reminded of Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe's inspiring and visionary address to the Indian parliament in August 2007, when he spoke of the confluence of the two seas - the Pacific and the Indian Oceans - which has defined the new framework for our bilateral relationship. "Prime Minister Abe and I will work together to strengthen our strategic partnership, impart new momentum to our economic cooperation and deepen our dialogue on shared regional and global interests," he said.
Rituparno Ghosh's death shocks nation

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to his residence. "Rituparno's comparison is only Rituparno," said Banerjee, deeply mourning his death. A bachelor, he was a versatile and innovative genius. While his films won 12 National Awards besides claiming the honours at national film festivals, Ghosh got acclaim for his acting in movies like "Memories in March", and wrote scripts, which were hailed by the critics. Born Aug 31, 1963, in Kolkata, Ghosh started his career in the world of advertisement, and shifted to celluloid in 1992 with the Bengali movie "Hirer Angti". But he shot into prominence with the 1994 offering "Unishe April", that bagged the National Award for best feature film and won Debashree Roy the honours in the best actress category. His other National Award winning Bengali films are "Dahan", "Bariwali", "Asukh", "Utsab", "Shubho Mahurat", "Chokher Bali", "Dosar", "Shob Charitro Kalponik" and "Abohoman". Kirron Kher starrer "Bariwali" also took away the NETPAC award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2000. Rituparno's last release "Chitrangada" (2012), where he also acted, won the Special jury honours at the National Film Awards. In 2007, Ghosh made his only English move "The Last Lear", that starred Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bacchan. It won the National Award for the best feature film in English. He also directed two Hindi movies - "Raincoat" (2004) and "Sunglass" (2012). The former was adjudged the winner of the best feature film in Hindi at the National Awards. Besides "Chitrangada", Ghosh acted in the movies "Ekti Premer Golpo" and "Memories in March". A learned man, Ghosh had his schooling from South Point - that for years found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records (as it was then called) for its number of students - and later pursued economics at Jadavpur University. He also wrote lucid and fluent prose, and his Bengali column in a local daily was widely read.
Rituparno Ghosh receiving 'Bangabibhusan' award from West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on May 20.
Kolkata: Rituparno Ghosh, one of the strongest Indian filmmakers in the post-Satyajit Ray period who excelled in analyzing human relationships and societal issues, died here. He was 49.
Rituparno, who was suffering from pancreatitis, passed away at his South Kolkata residence in sleep around 7.30 a.m. following a massive cardiac arrest, film industry sources said.
INDIA
June 1-7, 2013
13
BJP expels Jethmalani for six years

New Delhi: The BJP said it had expelled senior lawyer and MP Ram Jethmalani from its primary membership for criticizing then party president Nitin Gadkari and other issues. Citing "breach of discipline", BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar said in a letter to Jethmalani that the decision was taken by the party's parliamentary board. He also indicated further action against Jethmalani, 89, for violating the party whip. "The central parliamentary board, after considering all your replies, responses and letters, was of the unanimous opinion that you have indulged in a breach of discipline," the letter said. "The parliamentary board, therefore, decided to expel you for six years from the primary membership." Jethmalani had in November last year demanded Gadkari's resignation over allegations of financial wrongdoing in companies linked to him. Jethmalani had then claimed that party colleagues Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh backed his demand. This led to Jethmalani's suspension from the Bharatiya Janata Party. Jethmalani had also criticised the BJP's denunciation of the appointment of Ranjit Sinha as the Central
Government not serious about critical issues: Aruna

New Delhi: After resigning from the National Advisory Council (NAC), veteran activist Aruna Roy said that the government and parliament have not given due importance to critical issues faced by the nation. Clarifying that she was not upset with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh specifically, Roy said she was upset with the system, which had not given due importance to issues like food security and pension. "I am not upset with Dr. Manmhan Singh, I am upset with a government; I am upset with a parliament which is not able to pass a law," Roy said. Roy, in her letter to NAC chairperson Sonia Gandhi, had said it was "extremely unfortunate" that the prime minister rejected NAC recommendations on payment of minimum wages to workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and chose instead to appeal against the Karnataka High Court judgment ordering the payment of minimum wages to MGNREGS workers.
Uddhav rules out truce with cousin Raj
Senior lawyer and MP Ram Jethmalani
Bureau of Investigation director. BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj had told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the appointment of the CBI director should have been done through a collegium. "You had made several false allegations against the functionaries of the party," the letter said. "You have raised some irrelevant issues relating to the police commissioner of Delhi... "You have failed to respond to the charge of making statements embarrassing to the party... "You have again failed to show any sufficient cause for challenging the authority and legitimacy of the party by stating that the party has no guts to take action against you."
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray with his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray
Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray virtually slammed the door on efforts by his allies to attempt a patch-up with his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray, chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Thackeray said the existing grand alliance of Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Republican Party of India (RPI) was working well and that there was no need to include a fourth constituent. In a sharp editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamna, Thackeray slammed recent moves by former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari and RPI chief Ramdas Athawale for a patchup with the MNS chief. He said it would be better if the two parties
first set their own homes in order before bothering about the unity between Thackeray cousins. Last week, Gadkari had declared in Pune that he and the BJP would not rest till they brought the two warring Thackeray cousins together and convinced the MNS to join the Sena-BJP-RPI grand alliance. Similarly, RPI chief Ramdas Athawale unilaterally initiated moves to unite Uddhav and Raj and even offered to go to Raj's house to resolve the issues between them. The MNS has emerged as a force to reckon with in the next year's Lok Sabha and assembly elections. However, so far the MNS has maintained a strategic silence on the moves made by the BJP and RPI.
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June 1-7, 2013
OP-ED
UPA-II anniversary: No honest appraisal

By Amulya Ganguli he celebration of the fourth anniversary of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was preceded by predictions in various opinion polls about a fall in its number of Lok Sabha seats in the next general election. The forecast reflected the general perception about the UPA's decline as a result of its suspected involvement in a series of scams and what Finance Minister P. Chidambaram once called its "governance and ethical deficits". The jury is out, however, on the question whether the poll surveys indicate a presentday urban bias against the Congress-led alliance rather than a genuine countrywide reality. Sonia Gandhi's comment to mediapersons during the celebrations - "you Dilliwalas know nothing about the feelings of the people" - underlines the divide. Since the veracity of this assessment cannot be ascertained until after the elections, it can be regarded for the present either as a case of turning a blind eye to an uncomfortable reality or the belief in a tilt towards the Congress in the villages. In justification of the second evaluation, the Congress' vote share in the recently concluded Karnataka elections can be cited. In the 2008 assembly elections, the party received 34.8 percent of the votes, followed by 37.6 in the 2009 parliamentary polls and 36.8 in this month's assembly elections. What this means is that the public perception of the Congress hasn't been affected in the last five years. The stability of its support base has survived the various squalls which have been dominating the conversation of
Along with Sonia Gandhi's combative approach to the opposition tactics, what is therefore needed for the Congress is to be more candid in its self-evaluation.
the chatterati at the cocktail circuits of Dilliwalas. At the same time, it is worth pointing out that the political habit of blaming the media for presenting an incomplete picture is an easy way out. Unfortunately, this tactic was adopted for explaining away both the poll surveys and the rumored rift between the prime minister and the Congress president. Yet, the reality may be different. As the prime minister said in his speech, the economy is on the way to recovery. But he did not explain why it had faltered in the first place after a consistent run of 8-9 percent growth during UPA-I.
Was it because the jump in the Congress's number of seats from 145 to 206 in UPA-II emboldened Sonia Gandhi and the extraconstitutional National Advisory Council (NAC) led by her comprising Left-leaning social activists to follow populist policies at the expense of reforms ? The assumption that this may have been the reason is strengthened by the derisive manner in which an NAC member, Harsh Mander (who has since lost his place in the council), pointed out that the boost to the government in 2009 was not provided by the nuclear deal, but the rural employment scheme. It is no secret that the deal was seen
by the Left as an extension of the government's preference for pro-American policies in economic matters as well. The policy paralysis which affected UPAII was widely seen, therefore, as a result of the difference in perception between the prime minister, who favored market-oriented policies, and the Congress president who inclined towards profligate welfare measures. More than the scams, the government's credibility has been hurt by the paralysis which showed it as indecisive. Had the economy continued to grow at the earlier rate, the stench from the scandals might have been partially diluted by the "feel good" factor. If the economy is now recovering, the reason possibly is that Manmohan Singh's views have finally prevailed. Hence Sonia Gandhi's reference at the Congress's Jaipur conclave in January to the "aspirational" urban middle class that had been forgotten till then because of the party's preference for doles for rural families for engaging in unproductive labor. "How many ditches will you dig? How many ponds will you rebuild?", an exasperated Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh had asked recently about the rural projects. Both the government and the party must be aware that precious time has been lost. Moreover, the slowing down of the growth rate has made it difficult to revive the "animal spirits", as promised by the prime minister. Along with Sonia Gandhi's combative approach to the opposition tactics, what is therefore needed for the Congress is to be more candid in its self-evaluation.
War on terror
continues to terrorize
How did we arrive at a situation where the "war on terror" is being waged by an unbridled machinery?
By Saeed Naqvi
ood luck to the UPA as it attempts to put a positive spin on its nine years in power. But let me insert here a word of caution about the manner in which its war on terror is causing the world's second largest Muslim population to be dangerously alienated from the state. Those in New Delhi blinded by the approaching state and national elections must look a little beyond
and rein in a situation which, if not controlled, will unleash unspeakable instability. The war on terror has already trapped Pakistan in a situation from which it cannot easily exit. If it sustains the war on terror, it falls prey to the law of unintended consequences. Every attack causes the ranks of the militants to swell. Every peace overture causes them to regroup and consolidate. There is no reliable gauge to measure the inclina-
tion of the Pakistan Army and the Americans in given circumstances. In the Indian context, the war on terror does worse: it tends to divide the world's largest minority from the rest. If it were to be a tidy separation of the Muslims from the rest and the rest were a solid bloc of sorts, you have the outlines of a Hindu state. This outcome may be to the liking of people with a certain ideological bent. But any fool can tell you that is not the way the cookie is crumbling, given the country's linguistic ethnic and caste divisions. But something even more dangerous is happening. How did we arrive at a situation where the "war on terror" is being waged by an unbridled machinery? Convictions are in inverse
proportion to the sound and fury of the war being waged. Enough has been written on communal conflict in India since independence. Electoral politics has continuously stirred up this already simmering bowl. The war on terror has been catastrophic. It has been like a huge boulder tossed into a giant cauldron bubbling over. A quick look at how it all happened. Soon after 9/11, the US enlisted Pakistan as the frontline state in its war on terror. This hit New Delhi where it hurts. India had been a victim of crossborder terrorism at least since 1989, when the spare jehadi energy, after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, boomeranged
on Kashmir. By October 2001, the Taliban had been ousted from Kabul. To qualify for membership of the major league in the global war on terror, New Delhi had to wait for its parliament to be attacked Dec 13, 2001. This was no longer mere crossborder terrorism. Here was global jehad (it was alleged) striking at the very heart of India. A moot question was not asked: who would profit from the outrage? Can a country already riven into castes, languages, religions afford to be trapped in a war which will keep its people doubly divided in perpetuity? As it is, caste and communal sub divisions have become a nasty and inevitable accompaniment to electoral democracy.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
FASHION
June 1-7, 2013
15
Evelyn Sharma added to the glam quotient for Sonaakshi Raaj (left)
Veteran designer Ritu Kumar and RFW organizer Shishupal Singh with models
By Prakash Bhandari he Pink City, which is a tourist destination, is also trying to foray into fashion. The Rajasthan Fashion Week (RFW), launched last year by a forum of famous designers, saw a much larger turnout this year and it has emerged as a brand. RFW believes that fashion should not be just a luxury stacked in the closet of the rich and famous but it should be within the reach of common people who too crave for fashion no less than the affluent class. Also, RFW congregates the best talents of the industry with the upcoming, making it unique, said Shishupal Singh, the organizer of the RFW that concluded recently in Jaipur. B-town designer Vikram Phadnis's Nazakat marked the opening of RFW. This was a somewhat confused collection between autumn-winter and spring-summer. However, a bunch of little girls walking the ramp in gorgeous
leheriya and bandhni lehencouture remained a hot gas turned out to be the favorite of the designers. showstoppers. Himmat Singh's show L a t e r , Zareen Ae Siah shook Sonaakshi things up, and Raaj's collecrevived the magic tion From of Royal Eden with Love Rajasthan. had sensual silModels houettes in greys w e r e and blacks. Evelyn s e e n Sharma added to the flaunting glam quotient. sherVeteran designer Maharaja Arvind wanis, Ritu Kumar show- Singh Mewar turned j a c k e t s cased an ensemble up in a stunning and coats bandhgallla for young brides teamed with short embroidered Jodhpuri pants. jackets worn with bustiers and The color palette was warm with lehengas, palazzos accompa- shades of purple, rust and greens. nied with long jackets and Maharaja Arvind Singh Mewar lehangas won the hearts of fashionistas. Every outfit was crafted as a piece of art using a variety of fabrics and weaving techniques like block printing and crafts. Charu Parashars "An Ode to Royalty" was a tribute to the state's royal Mandira Wirk and her collection heritage
Hrishita Bhatt in all gold in Pallavi Jains Jaipur collection.
Navneet Kumar was the show stopper for Shivangee Sharma (right)
Actor R.
a n d culture -- long flowing silhouettes embellished with zardozi and Swarovski to elegant saris and multi-colored anarkalis accompanied by stylish accessories. Day 3 witnessed seven back to back shows, without any glitch. Bridal
seen were Rohit Madhavan Roy, Hrishita looking dapper Bhatt and Shibani Kashyap in Pallavi Jains Jaipur's coll e c t i o n bridal Kingdom of couture. Dreams. Jain Sheers, opted for black velvet, and white for a chiffons a n d georgettes dominated. Wirk's collect i o n began with beiges and peach, but as the show progressed the colors turned warmer. Lulla, turned however, disappointed -- as it was up in a Himmat Singh with models. again the usual anarkalis, strucstunning tured corsets, drapes, and couture bandhgala. If royalty paid homage change. However, the most awaited lehengas embedded with to RFW, B-Town couldn't be far behind. Actors R. Madhavan and shows were Mandira Wirks and Swarovski and zardozi. What Tushar Kapoor walked the ramp for the grand finale by Neeta Lulla. grabbed the most attention was the designer Krishna Dembla. Also Both played safe by sticking to neon pink color lehenga.
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June 1-7, 2013
LEADERSHIP
AAPI patron members during this time. On the most pressing need of AAPI when he took charge of AAPI, Dr. Kumar was more than successful in bringing in stability. We were able to run AAPI office and its functions without major financial strain, which runs to $450,000 per annum. Together, we were able to raise over a million dollar from pharmaceutical companies in the past 10 months, Dr. Kumar says. Dr. Jayesh Shah, who has worked with him very closely, affirms this. Dr. Kumar has uniquely raised the bar for AAPI in several areas, especially by improving the financial health of AAPI, by expanding our mission in India and through opening a new charitable clinic in Kerala. It was to Dr Kumars credit that AAPI was able to repay the loan of $175,000 to the Board of Trustee Fund in Oct 2012 and contributed $35,000 to AAPI Charitable Foundation. The Multi-City Educational Tour & Shreya Ghoshal Program, which had generated $1.25 million profit that was shared by national AAPI and local host chapters, was a dream project for Dr. Kumar. It was his vision and risk taking that helped bring the Chapters together and brought in a much needed financial stability to this organization. Yet another area where Dr. Kumar saw opportunities for AAPI was through developing closer ties with Industry partners by generating confidence, trust and value for mutual collaboration and partnership. We have been able to create a platform for a long-term strategic alliance with Industry partners which has a potential for long term financial stability for the organization, Dr. Kumar says. The first ever AAPI National Golf Classic in Orlando, he had initiated, could potentially bring beneficial outcome from our industry/business partners to our organization. Dr Kumar further says, "It's been a privilege for me to be associated with AAPI because I recognize the tremendous role that is being played by AAPI in promoting friendship between India and the United States. And we will carry on this responsibility of ours with greater commitment. As members of AAPI, we have not forgotten our roots and are engaged in several activities such as conducting Indo-US Healthcare Summit in Kochi last year that helped us blaze new trail in healthcare sector in India and paved the way for new frontiers in public private partnership. The Healthcare Summit, which was attended by over 1,500 including 400 international delegates, created a strong platform for AAPI on a global level, to a large extent proved Dr. Kumars organizational abilities.
LEADERSHIP
Unlike the past events, Dr. Kumar says, We have been successful in paying for all the expenses through local sponsorship and were able to make a profit of $23,500 to AAPI. Stability of the organization is vital for the success of any group. Under the leadership of Dr. Jayesh Shah and his Bylaws committee, we were able to make some positive changes, Dr. Kumar says. We tried to build partnership with component chapters for mutual benefit through multi-city educational programs and AAPI accredited CME activities. We brought some of the sub-specialty chapters even closer by providing value added benefits. The grand success of the Legislative Day on Capitol Hill, attended by over 160 AAPI delegates and endorsement and support from over 40 Senators and Congressmen from both sides of the aisle, is a testimony to his great organizational skills. It has not been all smooth for Dr. Kumar. We still have few more challenges and lot many opportunities, Dr. Kumar admits. AAPI has faced some turbulence time to time and we have overcome those and have come out stronger. I am confident and have high hopes in the future of AAPI and in the incoming leadership. They are all great leaders and will take our organization to greater heights. My sincere congratulations and best wishes to our incoming President Dr. Jayesh Shah and all the newly elected leaders for a very
June 1-7, 2013
17
Dr. Narendra Kumar leads AAPI to unique success

Stability, unity, restoring AAPIs Image, excellent organization of events, and increased membership have been hallmarks of Dr. Kumars Presidency
Dr. Narendra Kumar, President of AAPI, was bestowed the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, India's highest civilian honor for NRIs in Kochi, India on January 9th, 2013 during the 11th PBD. I consider this award as the recognition of the achievements and contributions of 100,000 physicians of Indian origin in the US, whom I represent as its sitting president, Dr. Kumar said on receiving the award from Pranab Mukherjee, President of India. He received the award for his achievements in the field of medicine, community service, global leadership and contributions to building bridges between India and the United States.
Dr. Narendra Kumar delivering his final address as the President of AAPI at the Chicago convention on May 27, 2013.
Chicago, IL: It is hard to believe that almost a year has gone by and now we are part of this historic 31st Annual AAPI Convention in Chicago, Dr. Narendra Kumar, President of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) said in his welcome address at the May 24-27 convention at the Sheraton Hotel here with nearly 2,000 delegates from across the country attending it. Dr. Narendra Kumar had assumed charge of AAPI at a critical time. Financial instability and infighting had resulted in the lowering of the morale among many members and past leaders of AAPI. In less than year, since a new and dynamic team took charge of AAPI, Dr. Kumar as its president can say proudly
that, he and his team have been instrumental in restoring its image and stabilizing the finances of this largest ethnic group of physicians of any community in the United States. When he took on the leadership role in AAPI in June 2012, during its 30th annual Convention in Long Beach, CA, this is how Dr Kumar had stated his agenda: Let me assure you that we will put all our energy in the positive direction to restore AAPIs image, improve financial health, and bring unity, integrity and stability to our organization. Today, to a large extent, he has accomplished his lofty goals. While its his leadership style and personal dedication that has tremendously contributed
to AAPIs newfound resurgence and enthusiasm, especially by bringing in many young and youthful leaders to the front, Dr. Kumar is quick to give credit to his team for the turnaround in AAPI in a short period. It is indeed a privilege to work with a dedicated group of leaders in the Executive Committee and Governing Body, he says. It was their hard work and dedication which helped to conduct the activities for the past year. We are grateful that we could overcome at least some of crucial challenges we were facing as an organization. In his efforts to lead this premier, three decades old organization, Dr. Kumar has been assisted by his dedicated Executive
Committee comprising Dr. Jayesh Shah, President-Elect; Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, Vice President; Dr. Seema Jain, Secretary; Dr. Ajay Lodha, Treasurer; Dr. Durgesh Mankikar; Dr. Kusum Punjabi, YPS President; and Dr. Amit Bhakoo, MSRF President. A Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) awardee, Dr. Kumar has ascended to prominence in AAPI with his decades of hard work and dedication for the organization and the people it is committed to serve. As a Regional Director of AAPI, he had attended almost all the local AAPI chapter meetings in his region in an attempt to serve as a liaison between the local chapters and the national organization, and he was instrumental in recruiting over 170 new
Dr. Jayesh Shah with his new executive team and Dr. Kumar.
Dr Kumar receiving AAPIs top honor from Vayalar Ravi, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs.
Dr Kumar with Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard who addressed AAPI convention, and his wife, Meenakshi Kumar.
Dr Kumar posing with his family at the Chicago convention.
Be proud of who you are and where you come from, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (seen here with Dr Narendra Kumar) said in his keynote to AAPI delegates.
successful and productive year. An accomplished physician and surgeon specializing in Otolaryngology- Head & Neck Surgery, Dr. Kumar is a Board Certified Sleep Medicine specialist and founder/Medical Director of Sound aSleep Sleep Diagnostic Labs which includes 4 Sleep Labs in the state of Michigan. Dr. Kumar, who had completed his medical degree from Trivandrum Medical College, Kerala and post-graduate residency BHU and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, is committed to giving back to the community and to the enhancing of opportunities for the professional growth of physicians of Indian origin. AAPI is an umbrella organization with nearly 130 local chapters all over America, specialty societies and alumni organizations. For over 30 years, Indian physicians have made significant contributions to health care in this country, not only practicing in inner cities, rural areas and peripheral communities, but also at the top medical schools and other academic centers.
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June 1-7, 2013
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Review
A scene from the film 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani'
'No great variants in genres of Indian cinema'
M. Night Shyamalan (left) whose new film 'After Earth' stars Will Smith.
ndian-origin Hollywood director M. Night Shyamalan feels that Indian cinema is limited in its genres by being inclined towards "Shakespearean kinds of movement and plots" -- the reason why its audiences have not developed a taste for supernatural stories or films about aliens. Shyamalan, who started his cinematic journey with a drama titled "Praying with Anger", has excelled in making thrillers. From superhero thriller "Unbreakable" and science fiction "Signs" to supernatural horror "The Sixth Sense" and fantasy adventure "The
Last Airbender" -- he has tried it all. Now the filmmaker is coming out with his alien film "After Earth", which stars Hollywood actor Will Smith and his son Jaden. It releases here June 7. "There aren't great variants in the genre of Indian cinema. They don't have a lot of horror and alien movies," Shyamalan said. "They stick to the big fight scenes, songs, lovers who met when they were kids, getting married, falling in love... Shakespearean kinds of movement and plots. More specific genres haven't had a foothold (in Indian cinema). If you make different varieties of films, the audience will start to like it," added the 42-yearold.
t's going to be a weekend dedicated to love, youth and emotions as director Ayan Mukerji's romatic drama "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" is set to hit theaters. A solo release this weekend, the youth centric film will reportedly hit as many as 2,800 screens. The movie had created a lot of buzz in its pre-production stage as it brought together ex-flames Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone on the silver screens after 2008 movie "Bachna Ae Haseeno". The story of the fun film, which also stars
Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapoor, majorly revolves around lead pair Bunny (Ranbir) and Naina (Deepika) and through them shows ambitions, dreams, emotions, love and heart breaks that the young generation goes through. While Bunny is a free spirit, who wants to travel the world, Naina is a simple lovestricken girl. The two characters part ways just to meet each other again after a few years at a wedding. However, Mukerji said that the movie does not target just the youth.
I'm not here to be a star: Ranbir
ormer Miss World Priyanka Chopra condemned her fellow actress Mallika Sherawat for calling India a "regressive nation for women" on an international platform. Priyanka is "highly offended" by the "Murder" girl's statement at the recently concluded 66th Cannes International Film Festival. "I think we are a progressive nation. I disagree that we are a regressive nation. We are all sitting here and talking about educating the girl child, taking our country forward. I think it's a misrepresentation of what our great nation is on the world platform," said the actress Monday at the launch of a mobile application by UNICEF, of which she is an ambassador. "It was something of which I felt extremely offended by," she added.
Actor Ranbir Kapoor
orn in a family of cinestars, Bollywood's star actor Ranbir Kapoor says he never entered filmdom with the intention of becoming a star. He also said the current crop of actors are no comparisons to the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, who have an "aura" about them. Ranbir, who has proved his mettle film after film since debuting with unimpressive "Saawariya" in 2007, credits the media with giving him the "pedestal" of a star. "I am not here to be a star, I am here to
be an actor. We have grown up watching Mr. Shah Rukh Khan, Mr. Salman Khan, Mr. Akshay Kumar or Mr. Ajay Devgn on the screen. They have an image, aura and stardom," Ranbir said. "That (in their) time, they didn't have (so much) media, but media has helped us a lot. It has put us on a pedestal. We are created stars," he added. The 30-year-old, son of veteran actors Neetu and Rishi Kapoor, and grandson of the legendary Raj Kapoor, believes his generation of actors need more time to prove themselves.
Actress Mallika Sherawat
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
June 1-7, 2013
19
Watch Mickey, Minnie dance to Bolly numbers

ere comes special summer holiday gift of Disney for Indian fans of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy - the cartoon characters will travel to four major cities to perform live. The world's most popular cartoons will travel to Delhi, M u m b a i , Bangalore and Chennai to perform live at the Disney Magic events and they will be seen grooving on hit
Bollywood songs like "All is well", "Disco deewane" and "Auntyji". The show will go on till June 16. The characters will entertain kids and families over two days in every city with singing, dancing, storytelling and fun activities that families can participate in, said a statement.
"Through Disney Magic we will provide kids and families in India an opportunity to experience our stories and engage with our characters first hand. We are also adding in local flavour in an interesting manner as Mickey and friends dance to popular Bollywood songs," said Roshini Bakshi, managing director, Licensing and Retail, Disney UTV. "We are constantly working towards making our characters and stories a part of our fans' day-to-day lives by giving them an opportunity to experience these across multiple platforms," she added.
Priyanka building muscles to play Mary Kom
The cartoon characters will travel to four major Indian cities to perform live
ormer German tennis champion Boris Becker is a huge Shah Rukh Khan fan. Becker has reportedly said that he will "do anything for Shah Rukh Khan". In an interview with Times of India, Becker has said he likes and trusts SRK. The daily quotes Becker as saying, "I am good friends with Shah Rukh, and I'd do anything for him. Even a Bollywood film. Anything with him, I'd do." The tennis champion also clarified that he has no interest in acting. He further told the daily, "...but I am not an actor. I can maybe play myself very well, or perhaps a mean German. I can do that, but clearly, only for SRK. I like him, I trust him, he's a big star here." Boris Beckcer won the coveted Wimbledon title at the early age of 17 in 1985. Boris has been planning to
establish business in India and expand the branches of his Becker Private Office. When he visited the country earlier this month, he said that he will advocate sports through his commercial endeavors but refused to divulge details.
Former German tennis champion Boris Becker with Shah Rukh Khan
I would do anything for SRK: Boris

Actress Priyanka Chopra
Naval's documentary on Sahni hits roadblock

ilms about Indian cinema's legendary personalities are still a rarity. And one of those rare attempts is being made by Deepti Naval - she is keenly interested in making a non-fictional film on the life and times of that amazingly naturalistic actor Balraj Sahni, but facing certain problems. Deepti, who is aesthetically motivated by Balraj Sahni's effortless performances, has been researching his life for years. Just when she was ready to put all her research material on screen for the immortal actor's birth centenary this month, a hurdle has placed in Deepti's plans by Balraj Sahni's son Parikshat Sahni. Explains Deepti, "I was really keen on making a film on Balraj Sahni. But when I approached his son Parikshat for his consent, he told me he had already given the filming rights on his father's life to another producer. He didn't think it was right for me to do a film when someone else is committed to do the same. I agree. But we're trying to find a solution to the deadlock, because I'm really keen to do do this."
ctress Priyanka Chopra's looks may not have any similarities with boxer Mary Kom, but she is working hard to get into shape to play the Olympic bronze medalist in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film. "I don't believe in size zero. Yes, I have lost weight as I am training myself for my next film. I am working hard to build muscles for my character, which is inspired by Mary Kom," said Priyanka. The 30-year-old actress, who doesn't shy away from shedding glamorous image to try different characters as she did in "Kaminey" and "Barfi!", finds the journey of Mary Kom, a girl from Manipur who went on to become five-time world champion, inspiring. "It's not a bio pic but it is a film, which is inspired by her life. I personally find her journey very inspiring. This film talks about how to grab the right opportunity, work hard and how sheer hard work can bring success. I am very nervous about the film as it is very close to my heart," Priyanka said.
Deepti Naval
20
June 1-7, 2013
DIASPORA
Indian diaspora's painful past on a beautiful island

P o i n t e - a - P i t r e (Guadeloupe): They came from distant India to verdant Gudaeloupe, a group of French islands in the French West Indies, with dreams in their eyes, only to end up being exploited for endless years. Between 1854 and 1889, an estimated 42,873 Indians came largely from five French ruled territories in India to work on contract on sugar plantations not knowing that colonial settlers had turned to them to find cheap labor after the abolition of slavery in 1848. On their arrival, the cultural shock was brutal, as Michel Narayninsamy, president of Guadeloupe Global people of Indian Origin (GOPIO) notes. "Their reception was not welcoming and they found themselves between the colonialist and the liberated people who regarded them with certain hostility as the masters were still recovering from the spirit of slavery," he said.
Free school for Sikhs approved in British city

London: A free school to cater to members of the Sikh community has been approved in the British city of Leicester. Leicester's education department has approved a bid put forward by nine gurdwara leaders for a school especially for Sikh students, the Leicester Mercury reported. This was the second bid after a similar one was rejected last July on the ground that it was not strong enough. Though the school will be open to students from other two faiths too, half its seats will be reserved for Sikh students. "The group (of gurdwara leaders) has worked incredibly hard to reach this position and we look forward to working with it as its plans progress," the report quoted Vi Dempster, assistant city mayor for schools, as saying. "It's particularly heartening that it is committed to working in partnership with the council and schools across the city in the best interests of all of our children." Free schools are paid for by the state and are usually set up by charities, parents and teachers and need not follow the national curriculum. The new school will be named Falcon's Primary and is scheduled to open in Sep 2014 at a site not announced yet. Only vegetarian food will be served in the school. Leicester is one of the cities in Britain with a very high ethnic minority population.
A picture of Indian laborers who were imprisoned on the Isle of Goats in Guadeloupe.
Indian-owned retail chain sets up charity in Ghana

Accra: An Indian-owned retail chain in Ghana has set up a charity arm as its social responsibility in this west African country, barely six months after 13 people were killed when one of its outlets collapsed. The charity has come up as the Melcom Care Foundation. "It will give charity a real focus," Bhagwan Khubchandani, chairman of the Melcom Group. Thirteen people were killed and 33 seriously injured when a shop of the Melcom Group collapsed last November. The accident prompted the company to work on social responsibility activities. "Melcom Care Foundation has already started supporting a few students and orphans and we have also set up a scholarship scheme for the benefit of children of staff of Melcom and the general public," said Godwin Avenorgbo, director of communications for the company. The Melcom Group's journey commenced when Bhagwan Khubchandani's father Ramchand Khubchandani arrived as a 14-year-old boy in 1929 in the then Gold Coast. That was 28 years before the Gold Coast attained independence and became Ghana. He worked as a store boy and later opened a shop -- Glamour Store, which went on to become a leader in retail market.
Exploited, humiliated, beaten, condemned and deported, hundreds between them died in atrocious conditions for reclaiming their rights, their religious practices and mainly repatriation to India after the end of their five year contracts. Thirty five of them were deported to the Isle of Goats and died there under atrocious conditions. This week GOPIO honors the ancestors of people of Indian origin who "resisted
the times, the isolation and humiliation" by erecting a memorial to mark the history of the Indian presence in Guadeloupe on the Isle of Goats, Terre de Hauts. The three-day event from May 31 to June 2 marks another manifestation of GOPIO Guadeloupe's efforts to re-establish their links and culture with their forgotten native land initiated since the visit of Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi two years ago.
SUBCONTINENT
June 1-7, 2013
21
Sharif to keep foreign, defense portfolios

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif will oversee the sensitive foreign and defense portfolios as he seeks to forge a working partnership with the all-powerful military in the early days of his tenure, sources close to him said. Sharif, ousted in a bloodless military coup in 1999, has decided not to appoint defense and foreign ministers in the cabinet he is putting together. He led his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), back to power in May 11 elections. Instead, he will select a retired civil servant as an adviser on foreign affairs - Tariq Fatemi, a former ambassador to the United States and the European Union, the sources said. The army has ruled Pakistan for more than half its history since partition with India in 1947 and critics say generals have jealously guarded the right to dictate foreign policy. The move to defer appointing a ployment, a failing economy, widespread poverty, a Taliban insurgency and sectarian violence. The United States is troubled by elements in the country supporting Islamic militants fighting US troops in neighboring Afghanistan. "Supporting Western-backed attempts to engage with Taliban leaders in Afghanistan; what to do about India - until the government's policy contours are crystal clear, the prime minister is not willing to take any risks," the insider said. Sharif was a protege of military dictator General Zia ul-Haq in the 1980s. But he was overthrown by General Pervez Musharraf because he refused to allow an airliner carrying the army chief to land in Pakistan. In the last days of his election campaign, Sharif spoke openly against what he called a "flawed" US war on terror, raising questions about which direction he would try to push the trajectory of bilateral relations.
US drone strike in Pak kills 7

Peshawar: A US drone strike killed seven people in Pakistan's volatile North Waziristan tribal region, security officials said, the first drone attack since a May 11 election in which the use of the unmanned aircraft was a major issue. US President Barack Obama recently indicated he was scaling back the drone strike programme, winning cautious approval from Pakistan. Pakistani security officials and tribesmen said the drone fired two missiles that struck a mud-built house at Chashma village, 3 km (2 miles) east of Miranshah, the administrative town of North Waziristan. They said seven people were killed and four wounded. It was not immediately clear if the victims were the intended targets.
Nawaz Sharif led his party back to power in May 11 elections
foreign minister suggests that Sharif wants to get to grips with the government's relationship with the army. "The incoming government and the army need to be on the same page on key foreign policy issues, not least Pakistan's relations with Afghanistan, India and the United States," a PML-N insider told Reuters, requesting anonymity as he
was not authorised to speak to the media about the issue. The United States wants ally Pakistan to help rein in the Afghan Taliban before most NATO combat troops pull out of Afghanistan in 2014. Pakistan's arch rival, India, with which Pakistan has fought three wars since 1947, is constantly a perceived threat. Pakistan is beset by high unem-
China seeks closer ties with Pakistan: Li

Islamabad: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang urged China and Pakistan to nurture even closer ties, and enhance comprehensive strategic cooperation while addressing Pakistan's parliament. In a speech titled "Let allweather China-Pakistan friendship bear new fruits," Li said peace, development and cooperation is the theme of the times, and Asia has become one of the most dynamic and most visible areas worldwide. "The deeply-rooted traditional friendship has laid a solid foundation for further development of ChinaPakistan relations, while in the fast-changing era, we should do even better to advance the bilateral strategic cooperation in an allaround way," Li said. He said the two nations should build an even closer relationship and step up their cooperation to cope with the profound interna-
Rajapaksa begins China visit

Beijing: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa arrived here hoping to enhance cooperation between the two countries in areas of trade, investment, science and technology and defense. Rajapaksa was here on a four-day state visit on an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping. He is among the first few foreign leaders to visit China since the new Chinese leadership assumed office in March. During his stay in China, Rajapaksa is expected to hold bilateral discussions with his counterpart as well as Premier Li Keqiang, according to the Sri Lankan President's Office in Colombo. The talks will centre on further enhancing cooperation between the two countries in areas of trade, investment, tourism, culture, science and technolo-
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari
tional transformations and the challenges facing Asia. Li said China would like to work with Pakistan to maintain close high-level contacts, strengthen communication and coordination over issues concerning each other's major interests, and deepen their comprehensive strategic cooperation. The two nations need to explore their pragmatic
cooperation in all areas, formulate a long-term plan for the China-Pakistan economic corridor project, promote connectivity between South and East Asia, and help improve people's livelihood. The Chinese premier also suggested that the two countries expand their people-to-people and cultural exchange, and closely coordinate over regional and international affairs.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa
gy, defence, and regional and international affairs. The Sri Lankan president is also scheduled to attend the inaugural ceremonies of the Global Service ForumBeijing Summit and the 2013 International Conference of Asian Political Parties. Since the establishment of full diplomatic ties in 1957, Sri Lanka has continuously
maintained close and friendly relations with China. The two countries have regularly exchanged highlevel visits resulting in a variety of agreements. China has emerged as one of Sri Lanka's key development partners in the postconflict period following the defeat of the Tamil Tigers.
22
June 1-7, 2013
INTERNATIONAL
British soldier's murder senseless: Suspect's family

London: Michael Adebolajo's family spoke out for the first time since last week's gruesome murder of British soldier Lee Rigby. Relatives of Adebolajo - one of the two killers who beheaded Rigby issued a statement of condolence to the victim's family saying "As a family, we wish to share with others our horror at the senseless killing of Lee Rigby and express our profound shame and distress that this has brought our family." "We wish to state openly that we believe that there is no place for violence in the name of religion or politics. We believe that all right thinking members of society share this view, wherever they were born and whatever their religion and political beliefs." "We wholeheartedly condemn all those who engage in acts of terror and fully reject any suggestion by them that religion or politics can justify this kind of violence." The statement added: "We unreon two counts - killing Rigby and attempted murder of a police officer. Scotland Yard said Adebowale was taken into custody at a south London police station - six days after the killing in Woolwich, London. Adebowale will now be grilled by the Metropolitan Counter Terrorism Command. The Met had earlier said the two killers would only be questioned after they have been discharged from hospital. Both men are Britons of Nigerian descent and had converted to Islam.
'Thousands headed to violent extremism'

British soldier Lee Rigby and his killer Michael Adebolajo
servedly put our faith in the rule of law and, with others, fully expect that all the perpetrators will be brought to justice under the law of the land." Adebolajo's and his accomplice Michael Adebowale first ran over Rigby and then hacked him in
broad daylight for "being a British soldier". Police later shot Adebolajo and Adebowale when the two charged at them with guns in hand. While Adebolajo is still in hospital, Adebowale was dischrged from hospital and immediately arrested
London: British Home Secretary Theresa May warned that thousands of people living in Britain could be "on the path" to becoming violent radicals and terrorists. The warning by the home secretary came as she confirmed a fresh crackdown on extremist groups who could be a threat to national security and revealed that around 500 police and security officers were working on the "horrific murder" of soldier Lee
Rigby, Daily Mail reported. She said that despite more arrests linked to the killing overnight, "all the indications" pointed to a lone-wolf-style incident rather than a wider planned operation. When asked if there were thousands at risk of radicalisation in Britain, May replied "potentially". "We have people at different points on what could be the path to violent extremism."
North Korea wants peace treaty with South

Seoul: The Rodong Sinmun, an official paper of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), called for the replacement of the Korean War Armistice deal with Seoul by a formal peace treaty. The paper, which effectively reflects the view of the ruling party and its leadership, said there was "a pressing need to replace the Armistice Agreement, which is a relic of the war, with a permanent peace regime", South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported. The article states that the armistice treaty, signed at the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War, benefits only the US, and Washington's move to hold on to the deal reflects its desire "to stifle the DPRK by force". "If the peace regime was created in the past, the current standoff over denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula would not have become a problem in the first place," the article reads. The statement comes a day after North Korea announced it would not give up its nuclear deterrent capability amid "continuing US threats". Tensions rose sharply on the Korean Peninsula in December last year after North Korea tested a Taepodong 2 missile and again in February when it carried out its third nuclear test.
Japan plays down China factor

Tokyo: With growing talk about India and Japan getting closer, especially on a strategic partnership to keep China in check, Japan tried to play down the issue saying that nothing of the sort was happening. "India and Japan are getting closer with or without any third nation. India and Japan have a lot of common interests. There is a natural attraction between both countries," Tonohika Taniguchi, councilor and a member of the Japanese prime minister's strategic team, said as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh got down for a bilateral summit with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe during his three-day visit. India and Japan have indicated enhanced cooperation on strategic issues, economic cooperation and other partnerships. Both countries have run into territorial difficulties with China. While Japan and China are locked in a stand-off on the ownership of the Senkaku (Diaoyu in Chinese) islands, India has territorial issues with China along its land border. Chinese troops had last month intruded 19 km inside Indian territory along the Line of Control (LOC) in the Ladakh sector. Taniguchi, however, said that no comparisons could
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe
be drawn about India and Japan's disputes with China. "I have to be cautious about comparing it (Ladakh intrusion) with Senkaku. India's case is different from the situation that Japan faces. We do not have a land border with China," he said. Taniguchi said that not only were India and Japan's bilateral relations growing but a trilateral involving them and the United States was also taking place.
Iran's presidential candidates clash

Dubai: A former Iranian nuclear negotiator running for president used his first television appearance of the campaign to reject accusations he had been too soft in talks with world powers. The most prominent moderate candidate in an election dominated by hardliners, cleric Hassan Rohani, nuclear negotiator from 2003 to 2005, oversaw an agreement to suspend Iran's fledgling uranium enrichment-related activities. Iran has since stepped up its nuclear program which many countries, particularly in the West, fear is aimed at acquiring a weapons capability, something Tehran strongly denies. Hardliners see the nuclear programme as a matter of national pride and any concession to outside pressure an affront to Iran's sovereign rights. The current nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, is campaigning for president on his record of giving no ground in talks. Western powers are watching the June 14 election to see whether President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's successor will set a new tone in talks several rounds of which in the last year have failed to defuse tensions over the nuclear programme which Israel has said it could use mili-
'Russian missile supply preventing meddling in Syria'

Moscow: Russias delivery of S-300 air defense systems to Syria is a restraining factor against possible foreign interference in the Syrian conflict, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said. We believe such steps are to a great extent restraining some hot heads from considering scenarios in which the conflict may assume an international scale with the participation of outside forces, Ryabkov said. S-300 is widely acknowledged by defence analysts as one of the world's most advanced air defence systems. The minister refused to say whether the Russian-made air defence systems had been already delivered to Syria. I can neither confirm, nor deny in what stage these deliveries are at, Ryabkov said.
Cleric Hassan Rohani
tary force to stop. In a spirited exchange on state television, Rohani said allegations he had halted nuclear development were "a lie" and suggested his interviewer was "illiterate".
SPORTS
June 1-7, 2013
23
Pressure mounts on Srinivasan to resign

Mumbai/New Delhi: The government has called for the resignation of N. Srinivasan on "moral grounds" but the BCCI chief remained adamant even as as his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan's police custody was extended till Friday. Despite growing demands for his exit, Board of Control for Cricket in India president Srinivasan, whose son-in-law faces charges of betting in Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, remained defiant. The sports ministry said it had "observed with considerable disquiet" reports about match and spot fixing since the controversy broke out May 16 with the arrest of three Rajasthan Royal players for spot fixing. It said in view of conflict of interest, Srinivasan should step aside pending the enquiry ordered by the BCCI against Meiyappan, chief executive of Chennai Super Kings, owned by Srinivasan's India Cements company. "As there is a conflict of interest, the BCCI president should tender his resignation on moral grounds," a ministry statement said. A Mumbai court extended till Friday the police custody of Meiyappan after police said they needed to confront him and arrested Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh, another accused, with Chennai hotelier Vikram Agarwal. The prosecution said they used to communicate on telephone in "coded language" regarding matches, players and bets, and that further remand was necessary to decipher the codes. IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla and Board of Control for Cricket in India vice president Arun Jaitley betrayed the disquiet in the board when they asked Srinivasan to "step away" till the charges against Meiyappan were probed. "In our opinion, he should stay away till the probe against his sonin-law is on," Shukla told the media in New Delhi. "We are concerned about the image of the board. We have requested him to step down till the probe is over, it is up to him to decide. He says he has done no wrong. It is his view." BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale, retired judge T. Jayaram Chouta of the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu high courts and former judge R. Balasubramanian of the Tamil
IPL scandal: Four more arrested

New Delhi: Four more people were arrested in connection with the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing scandal, police said. "Nitin Sharma, Monu Sharma alias Vinod Sharma and Vicky Chaudhary were arrested Tuesday night by the Special Cell of Delhi Police," a police official said. He added that they have also arrested Abhishek Shukla, a friend of Rajasthan Royals cricketer S. Sreesanth, who allegedly cleaned up the cricketer's hotel room soon after his arrest and was called by Delhi Police for questioning. Shukla, an event manager, revealed that he was called by Jiju Janardhan, an arrested bookie, after Sreesanth's arrest to hide some money and belongings of the cricketer. Replying to queries about how Janardhan knew that Sreesanth had been arrested, the official said that Rajeev Pillai, a south Indian actor who was with Sreesanth in a car at the time of his arrest, informed Janardhan, who called Shukla. "Shukla's PAN number was given for Sreesanth's transactions. He knows Sreesanth for five to six years," the official said.
Despite the mounting calls, BCCI chief N. Srinivasan remained adamant. He says he has done no wrong.
Nadu High Court will investigate the spot fixing scandal. The panel will look into the allegations against Meiyappan, Chennai Super Kings owner India Cements Ltd as well as Rajasthan Royals owner Jaipur IPL Pvt Ltd. Jyotiraditya Scinda, chairman of BCCI's finance committee, asked for Srinivasan's resignation, a demand earlier made by former board president Inderjit Singh Bindra. Ravi Savant of the Mumbai Cricket Association also wants Srinivasan to exit. But despite the mounting calls, Srinivasan remained adamant. He
says he has done no wrong. Scindia's remarks punctured Srinivasan's claims that the board was united over his continuing as the BCCI president. Former BCCI president Sharad Pawar concurred with his successor Shashank Manohar and demanded an inquiry by the home ministry into all the 75 matches of the IPL. Meanwhile, the sports ministry rejected the law ministry's first draft of the Dishonest Practice in Sporting Event (Prevention) Bill and has sent it back for revision with as many as 18 recommendations.
Tendulkar bids goodbye to IPL

Kolkata: Bringing the curtains per Rohit Sharma, who down on yet another phase of his described the victory as the perglorious career, cricketing great fect farewell gift to the batting Sachin Tendulkar bid adieu to genius. "It was disappointing not the Indian Premier League (IPL) to have Sachin in the last few at the iconic Eden Gardens, games. Nonetheless, we are moments after his side Mumbai happy that we could give him Indians lifted their maiden title. the perfect farewell by winning "This is my last IPL. I had the trophy," Sharma said. taken the decision before the With Mumbai winning the start of the tournament," 40IPL, the opening match of the year-old Tendulkar said two days next season will be held at after his former India teammate Wankhede. Rahul Dravid called it quits from Asked about playing his the cash-rich league. farewell match before his home Tendulkar, who retired from crowd, Tendulkar replied: "That ODIs in December last year, was very tempting. I think it's missed Sunday's final against the right time for me to thank all two-time champions Chennai my supporters who have been Super Kings due to a left wrist with me through thick and thin. injury he picked up May 13 My six years with Mumbai while batting against Sunrisers Indians has been a terrific jourSachin celebrating Mumbai Indians' ney and a great experience." Hyderabad. win in IPL-6 final "I waited 21 years to win the "We have to be realistic about World Cup, and six years for the IPL (trophy). It has it. This was the best season for Mumbai Indians. been a great and memorable journey with the team," Before this, 2010 was the best season," he said. said Tendulkar, who got a grand send-off as he was Tendulkar scored 2,334 runs averaging 34.83 in 78 lifted by his team mates before the customary victory IPL matches. He has a strike rate of 119.81 and lap. struck one century and 13 fifties. There was a clamour among the Mumbai Indian "I think this is the right time to stop playing the players to pose for a photo with him. During the IPL. I am 40. Got to accept it," Tendulkar added. team's group photo session with the trophy, the playTendulkar's announcement created a frenzy on ers ensured that Tendulkar was in the centre. His social networking sites as his fans seemed heartbrowife Anjali joined in the celebrations a little later. ken, while some urged the master batsmen to reconThe best gesture came from Mumbai Indians skip- sider the decision.
Wrestling will make it to 2020 Olympics: Sushil

Olympic medalist wrestler Sushil Kumar
New Delhi: With wrestling being shortlisted for the Summer Games, India's double Olympic medalist wrestler Sushil Kumar is confident that his sport will be able to make the cut for the 2020 Olympics. "It is great news for Indian wrestling. I am confident that wrestling will be included in 2020. In comparison to our competition, we are way ahead," Sushil Kumar said. The executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Wednesday recommended baseball, squash and wrestling for possible inclusion in the Olympic
program for the 2020 Games. The decision was taken at an IOC meet in St. Petersburg, Russia. The final vote on the one available spot for the 2020 edition will be held at the full IOC session in Buenos Aires in September. The IOC's decision gives wrestling a real chance of making an Olympic return after being dropped from the Olympic program in February. FILA made a variety of rule changes to make its case for reinclusion in the Olympic program and Sushil feels the wrestling governing body's efforts seem to have paid off.
24
June 1-7, 2013
BUSINESS
Committed to promote growth: PM

Tokyo: Committing himself to 'hard and difficult' decisions for long-term interest of the economy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed confidence that the economy will return to the growth path of 8 per cent. Inviting Japanese investments in the infrastructure sector, he told captains of industry here that a target of USD 1 trillion has been set for the sector in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17), and hoped that Japanese businessmen will pick up a large share of these opportunities. "Our people have tasted benefits of rapid growth and they will not settle for less. I want to assure you that our government is committed to taking hard and difficult decisions in the long-term interest of our economy," he said at a meeting of the Nippon
GST will be in place by 2014: Manmohan

Tokyo: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh acknowledged that there are difficulties with some state governments over the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) but said that he is confident it would be implemented in "an appropriate type" by 2014. "The objective of the Indian government is to move towards a Goods and Services Tax applicable all over the country. But India is a federation, and in a federation there are difficulties of getting all the states to agree and surrender their tax power in favour of this GST," said the prime minister. The prime minister was replying to a question on whether he could give a time-frame for the implementation of GST when the Japan Business Federation, the Keidanren, and the IndoJapan Business Leaders Forum hosted luncheon for him. The GST is a tax reform that seeks to create one common market for all goods and services in India. It has long been delayed due to differences between the centre and states over its design and issue of central sales tax compensation. "I am confident that we will overcome
The Prime Minister also assured business leaders that India would be taking more steps to attract foreign investments
The GST is a tax reform that seeks to create one common market for all goods and services in India
Keidanren, the premier chamber of commerce and industry. The 5 per cent growth witnessed last year should be seen as a 'temporary slow down', he said, adding "the Indian economy grew at an average of 8 per cent per year over the past decade. "The economic fundamen-
tals which made that possible are still intact. We are confident therefore that we can return to the growth path of 8 per cent." The Prime Minister also assured business leaders that India would be taking more steps to attract foreign investments.
that hurdle. We have been working for the last few months to persuade more and more state governments to fall in line. But it does require amendment of constitutional freedom, and amending the constitution requires much more efforts than for ordinary amendments. So I cannot say that we can deliver the GST tomorrow. But if you ask me, by the year 2014, I am confident that a GST of appropriate type will be in place," he said.
USs Fatburger to gain calories with India

Mumbai: Los Angeles-based gourmet burger chain Fatburger, which has strong Hollywood celebrity ties, is entering India. The $100-million chain, known for its madeto-order burgers, has struck a franchise deal with Vazz Foods to open 25 outlets in the first phase of its India expansion. Emblematic of the Californian culture, Fatburger which has famous musicians including Kanye West and Queen Latifah as its franchise owners is looking to tap the burgeoning quick service restaurant (QSR) market in Asia's third largest economy where consumers are increasingly spending on eating out. Fatburger is expanding exponentially in Asia and across Middle East after coming out of a deep financial crisis in the last decade. India's burger market has been largely dominated by American burger giant, McDonald's, which entered the country in the mid 1990s. McDonald's closest rival Burger King has also revived talks and is likely to foray into the Indian market, as reported by TOI earlier. The entry of Seattle-based coffee chain Starbucks last year revived the interest of other international brands in the Indian F&B space. Recent entrants include doughnut chains Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts. Fatburger, with its calorie-rich burgers, has a heavy focus on beef. It will be interesting to see how a smaller chain alters its
Indian software set for sturdy growth: Study

Bangalore: The resilient Indian software industry is poised for a strong revenue growth this fiscal (2013-14), as social media, mobility, analytics and cloud redefine the multi-billion dollar business, Pricewatehouse Coopers (PwC) said. The study was conducted by the Indian subsidiary of the UK-based global professional services firm, PwC. "We are seeing a change in the fortunes of the Indian software services and products due to emerging technologies such as social media, mobility, analytics and cloud (SMAC) driving growth and helping it to move to the next level," PwC India technology leader Sanjay Dhawan said. With Indian software export firms posting combined revenue of $7.97 billion in 2012, India ranks fifth among the 100 emerging markets on revenue basis.
Reliance's natural gas find may be game changer
menu and builds its brand in India, where most foreign fast food companies have customized their offerings to suit the Indian palate. The brand expects to open its first unit in the next one year, starting with New Delhi and then moving to Mumbai. "Our focus will be on selling our chicken sandwiches and veggie and turkey burger options which have fared well in the US as well. The chain is also working on revealing a lamb burger in the country soon," a company spokesperson told TOI in an email. Half of Fatburger's restaurants are now located in overseas markets. It recently signed on Puji Capital, a China-based investment bank and asset management firm, to expand in the Chinese market. The burger chain founded in Los Angeles, California in 1952 is majority owned by Fog Cutter Capital Group. It is currently operational in 27 countries, most recently extending its international footprint to Beirut, Karachi and Amman. Fatburger has agreements to open over 300 new units in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, further broadening its global reach.
RIL had announced a major gas find in the Krishna Godavari basin
New Delhi: Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries (RIL) significant natural gas and condensate discovery in the KG-D6 block may be a game-changer for the flagging eastern offshore block with analysts estimating that the find will help reverse the falling trend in output. RIL had announced a major gas find more than four kilometres below the sea bed and twokilometres directly underneath the currently producing D1&D3 field in the Krishna Godavari basin KG-D6 block off the east coast. Shares of RIL ended up 5.12 per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange to close at Rs 828.25,
its biggest gain in 8 months. Bernstein Research in a research note said that the partnership between RIL and BP is starting to pay off. "The first test of deep syn-rift Mesozoic sediments within the KG-D6 block has yielded what could be one of the largest (2 Trillion cubic feet) gas discoveries offshore India for several years," it said. Stating that the find opens up a new liquid-rich gas condensate play offshore India, it said independent estimates put the Cretaceous section of KG-D6 block may hold 9 Tcf of gas and 1.2 billion barrels of inplace oil reserves.
FEATURE
June 1-7, 2013
25
Dr Kotnis ki amar kahani

N
o single Indian has been more revered by ordinary Chinese than a doctor who died more than 70 years ago. On the day when the Chinese pay respect to their ancestors, the grave of this doctor in North China Martyrs' Memorial Cemetery, Hebei Province is covered with flowers donated by the local Chinese. The man thus remembered with fondness and respect is Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis, an Indian doctor, who rendered yeomans service during Chinas hour of need in late 1930s. Kotnis was one of the five Indian physicians dispatched to China to provide medical assistance during the second SinoJapanese war in 1938. It was during the Japanese invasion of China in 1938 when Communist General Zhu De requested Jawaharlal Nehru to send Indian physicians for providing medical assistance to Chinese soldiers. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the President of the Indian National Congress, made arrangements to send a team of volunteer doctors and an ambulance by collecting a fund of Rs. 22,000. A medical team of five doctors, including Drs M. Atal, B.K. Basu, M. Cholkar, D. Mukherji and Kotnis was sent as a part of the Indian Medical Mission Team in 1938. Dwarkanath Kotnis, born in a middle class Maharashtrian family from Solapur on October 10, 1910, had then graduated from the Seth G S Medical College, Mumbai and was preparing for post-graduation. He asked permission of his family to volunteer for service abroad. Dwarkanaths younger sister Manorama recalls that her brother wanted to travel around the world and practice medicine at different places. She said "most members of the family knew little about China at that time. We only knew that people used to come and sell Chinese silk." While his father Shantaram encouraged young Dwarkanath to venture out, his mother was very sad because he was going that far and China was in a war situation. Dr. Kotnis first arrived in China at the port of Hankou, Wuhan. The Indian medical team was then sent to Yanan, the revolutionary base at the time in 1939, where they were warmly welcomed by Mao
The statue of Dwarkanath Shantaram Kotnis is seen in the Martyrs Memorial Park in Shijiazhuang, central Chinas Hebei province. Right: Manorama Kotnis speaks during an interview in Mumbai
The recent meeting the visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had with the family members of Dr. Kotnis in Mumbai has rekindled the interest in the life of this selfless doctor. A look into the journey of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis..
A postal stamp issued in his honor by the Indian government
Zedong, Zhu De and other top leaders of the Communist Party, as they were the first medical team to come from another Asian country. In 1939, he joined the Eighth Route Army, led by Mao Zedong at the JinCha-Ji border near the Wutai Mountain Area, providing medical service in mobile clinics. His job as a battlefront doctor was stressful, where there was always an acute shortage of medicines. In one long-drawn out battle against Japanese troops in 1940, Kotnis performed operations for 72 hours non-stop, without any sleep. He treated more than 800 wounded soldiers during the battle. Dr Kotnis was eventually appointed as the Director of the Dr Bethune International Peace Hospital named after the famous Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune. Dr. Kotnis wrote letters to his family regularly. "He sounded very happy in the letters. People used to come to thank him for his help. He was telling the good part," says Manorama. Every place he went in China, he described it in detail in his letters home. The whole family found them to be great fun because what he described was so different from the life in India. During his stay in Northern China, Dr. Kotnis met and courted Chinese girl Quo Qinglan, who was a nurse at the Bethune Hospital. Quo first met Kotnis at the inauguration of Dr Norman Bethune's tomb and was immediately attracted to the Indian doctor. Kotnis could speak Chinese and even knew how to write Chinese characters, which amazed Guo. In December 1941, Quo and Dr Kotnis were married. The birth of their son Yinhua -meaning India and China, brought a lot of joy to the couple. But, the hardships of suppressed military life finally started to take its toll on him. Only three months after the birth of Yinhua, epilepsy struck Dr.Kotnis. It had struck once earlier, mildly, but this time it proved fatal for the young doctor. Quo was left alone with her baby son. Dr. Kotnis was buried in the Heroes Courtyard in Nanquan Village. At that time, Mao Zedong mourned his death by observing that "The army has
lost a helping hand, the nation has lost a friend. Let us always bear in mind his internationalist spirit." In the Northern Chinese province of Hebei, in Shijiazhuang city, a famous attraction is the Martyrs Memorial park. The north and south sides of the park are dedicated to the veterans of the Korean and the Japanese wars. The west side is dedicated to Dr. Norman Bethune, who fought for the Chinese, and the South side to Dr Kotnis. Dr. Kotnis was immortalized in 1946 in the V Shantarams movie Dr.Kotnis Ki Amar Kahaani. His life was also a subject of a 1982 Chinese film Ke Di Hua Dai Fu (Dr.D S Kotnis). China released two postal stamps on the 40th anniversary of doctors death in 1982 and then again on the 50th anniversary in 1992. In 1993, India also released a stamp depicting his photograph and showing him conducting an operation, in the background. Dr. Kotnis is such a towering and respected figure in China that whenever any Chinese Premier or President visits India he has made it a point to visit to Dr Kotnis relatives. Top Chinese leaders including Zhou En Lai, Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Hu Jintao and now Li Keqiang have all met with Dr. Kotnis extended family members in Mumbai. Widow of Dr. Kotnis, Quo was an honoured guest at many high-level diplomatic functions between China and India and was visited by former President K R Narayanan during his visit to China in 2000 and the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2003. In November 2006, she accompanied Chinese President Hu Jintao on a state visit to India. She died on 28 June 2012, and is buried alongside Kotnis at the Martyrs' Memorial Park in Shijiazhuang. "Now that it is more than seven decades since he died, we really appreciate how the government and the people of China are giving him so much respect after so many years," said Manorama Kotnis. Premier Keqiang during his recent visit to Mumbai said Dr.Kotnis is a symbol of China-India friendship.
26
June 1-7, 2013
SELF-HELP
How women help each other succeed Tips for

orget the old stereotypes that women need to be cutthroat and competitive to succeed. A new networking trend shows that cooperation is a great way to combat the challenges women face in business. Formidable ladies across industries are collaborating with each other to achieve clout and success. They are forming salons, dinner groups and networking circles at unprecedented rates, says Pamela Ryckman, author of the new book, The Stiletto Network: Inside the Womens Power Circles That Are Changing the Face of Business (AMACOM), which examines the emerging culture of womens networking groups. Groups have the power to make us big, bold and brave, she stresses. By mining a groups collective intelligence, big dreams can be realized, says Ryckman, who is offering advice for women looking to collaborate or form their own collectives for inspiration and action: Start now: When women unite early in their careers, theyre more likely to steer each other toward promotions and opportunities, counsel each other through difficulties, and ultimately become powerful together. Think diversity: Expand your horizons. Dont network exclusively
with best buddies. The most effective groups draw women with diverse skills from a variety of industries, introducing women who might not otherwise meet. Filter for shared experience: To gel as a group and quickly build bonds of trust and loyalty, look for shared common touch points, be they age, level of expertise or values and ethics. Believe in the magic: You dont need a specific goal or agenda at the onset. If you get dynamic ladies talking or walking or drinking, exciting things will happen, Ryckman assures. Strike a balance between per-
sonal and professional: Address the career-building needs of the members of your group, but remember to retain the fun. To achieve the right mix, consider appointing a different woman to lead each meeting or bring in guest speakers. Have courage, give courage: Push members to pursue their passions. Help each other script difficult conversations, encourage each other to take risks, and dont be afraid to disagree. Be a mentor: Have you already achieved great things? Consider mentoring a promising younger woman. You may find that you can learn a thing or two from the partnership. Be a cheerleader: Its okay to be critical. Everyone needs to hear the hard truths sometimes. But remember to always be lifting your friends and pushing them forward. Ensure each woman gets what she needs -- be it information, an introduction or a partnership. To learn how to find or build your own power network, visit www.PamelaRyckman.com. To be successful, you dont need to be a one woman band. By teaming with friends and business contacts, you can launch your career and be a part of a growing movement that is changing the face of business.
perfect shave
having seems to be the easiest option for those who don't want to go through the painful waxing procedure. Beauty expert dole out tip to get soft, smooth, hair-free skin. Femalefirst.co.uk shares expert beauty tips from Nathalie Eleni, beauty therapist, Venus & Braun, on how to get the perfect shave: 1. Take a shower before you shave to remove natural oils, perspiration and hydrate hair, which makes it up to 60 percent easier to cut. Two to three minutes is optimum soaking time. 2. Apply a good amount of moisture-rich shave gel before shaving to help keep water in the hair and to ensure the razor glides easily over skin. Dont rely on soap to prepare skin, it may clog the razor during shaving. In addition, many soaps cause dryness and flaking. 3. Choose your razor wisely. It is important to choose a razor that is properly equipped for the job. 4. Shave with a fresh blade. Fresh blades provide a closer, smoother, more comfortable shave
and can help prevent cuts and irritation. The blades should be replaced at the first sign of dullness or discomfort. On an average, women replace blades after about 10 shaves. 5. Use a light touch, exerting as little pressure as possible, and shave in the direction that feels most comfortable. Re-lather before shaving the bikini and other sensitive areas. 6. Leave hard-to-shave spots for last. The backs of knees and thighs, and areas like ankles, where the bone is close to the skin surface, are often difficult to shave. 7. Rinse skin thoroughly after shaving, and then pat skin dry. Dont rub skin harshly and dont dry off completely. The extra water on your body will be sealed in as you apply moisturizer, helping to eliminate dry, flaky skin, especially on freshly shaved legs so that you can achieve a healthy glow.
HEALTH
June 1-7, 2013
27
Flatulence? Eat smart, exercise and you'll be okay

alman Khan was cute when he did it in "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" and Omi Vaidya's "Silencer" got all the laughs when he let it off in "3 Idiots". But flatulence, as the many millions who suffer from it will tell you, is not funny, just embarrassing. It's abdominal bloating, also known as "breaking wind", "passing wind" or err, "farting". A problem that most experience and few talk about openly. Caused by reasons such as overeating, consumption of difficult to digest foods like milk and rajma and other health problems, the audible discharge of intestinal gas is annoying to say the least. According to dietician Anushree Sinha, avoid any food item that "belongs to the legumes plants family", whose characteristic fruit is a seed pod. Black chickpeas, peas, rajma and the like "contain trisaccharide (a carbohydrate) like stachyoses and raffinoses that are not easily broken by intestine, hence not easily digested and as a result leads to gas formation", Sinha said. It can be avoided with just a little bit of care.
Daily exercise and the consumption of at least eight glasses of water on a regular basis help in food digestion and prevents abdominal bloating. Said dietician Niharica Singh Tomar: "High carbohydrates intake causes gas problems. Food items like soy milk, dried fruits, nuts and seeds, beans, tofu, legumes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and onions cause gas problems. So one should eat it in small quantities." "Also, working out daily helps the digestive system work more efficiently. Don't sit or sleep immediately after eating," she added. Food items like brown rice, lentils and sweet potatoes contain starch and can cause gas problems too. Eat slowly, chew properly to help in digesting food, she said. Also avoid "uncooked food", Tomar said. According to Rupali Datta, dietician in Fortis Hospital, you can avoid "acute gas problems by taking antacids or natural homemade remedies like ajwain ka pani (carom water) or jeera ka pani (cumin water). We recommend it to women post their deliveries. It helps cure acidity and
improves the digestive system." Datta also suggests small, frequent meals. "Avoid juices, both canned and fresh, because they are high in sugar. Rather go for lemonade and coconut water. Drink lukewarm water after meals. Go for a walk after dinner," Datta said. Many, of course, don't adhere to the dos and don'ts, making for a pretty uncomfortable social situation. Delhi-based media professional Nayanita Singh says she avoids sitting in a train's general compartment because of bad smells. "I hate travelling in the general compartment. I get so irritated because of the bad smells - body odour, smell of the alcohol, or you never know if someone farts too. It's irritating," she complained. But then there is that feel free, be free kind of people. "When I am with my friends and I feel like farting, I don't really care what my friends will think. Sometimes they laugh, make faces or ignore. But when I am with my girlfriend, I go to the washroom," said 20-year-old Himanshu Chaddha.
Beans, rajma, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage are major culprits of producing gas.
Don't be shy with your doctor about gastro symptoms

or millions of adults in help relieve symptoms. the United States, daily Relaxation techniques may help activities like going to in stressful situations, and work or school may also be increasing exercise like walking accompanied by bothersome and yoga may also help. Check gastrointestinal symptoms such with your doctor before starting as abdominal pain and constipaan exercise program. tion. People may not talk to Change your diet: Fiber may their doctor about these symphelp create softer stools that are toms because theyre embareasier to pass. High-fiber foods rassed and find the conversation include fruits, vegetables, beans, a difficult one to have. They and bran flakes. For IBS-C sufsuffer in silence. ferers, fatty foods, alcohol, and Recurring abdominal pain and caffeinated drinks may worsen constipation, including hard symptoms. Having smaller porRecurring abdominal stools and infrequent and tions or smaller meals more pain and constipation, incomplete bowel movements, often may also help. Some peoincluding hard stools may indicate a chronic gasple with IBS may have intolerand infrequent and trointestinal (GI) condition, incomplete bowel move- ances to certain sugars such as such as irritable bowel syn- ments, may indicate a fructose or lactose. Limiting drome with constipation (IBS- chronic gastrointestinal intake of foods containing these C) or, without the presence of sugars may also be helpful. (GI) condition. abdominal pain, chronic idio Drink plenty of water: About pathic constipation (CIC). six to eight glasses of water daily are imporThere is no cure for these conditions, but tant to stay hydrated. there are ways to help manage the symptoms, Over-the-counter (OTC) products: starting with a candid conversation with a Laxatives and stool softeners are approved to doctor, sparing none of the nitty-gritty details. treat occasional constipation. These products The time to start the conversation is now. are not intended for long-term use without Dr. Steven Lamm, internist and author of supervision of a physician and are not FDA No Guts, No Glory, says patients dont approved for IBS-C treatment. always communicate all their symptoms to a Talk to your doctor: Tell your doctor all of doctor even when those symptoms may have a your symptoms, as well as treatments that negative impact on their lives. Patients must have or have not worked for you. Your doctor have candid discussions with their physician may prescribe a medication approved by the to find treatments that work best for them. No Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that tarone should feel embarrassed to talk about gets your symptoms associated with IBS-C or symptoms such as abdominal pain and consti- CIC. Learning about and improving your GI pation. health should be a part of your daily life. Take Here are some tips from Dr. Lamm: charge by speaking to your doctor and telling More exercise, less stress: Increased exer- it like it is, sparing none of the nitty-gritty cise and stress reduction have been shown to details.
Prayer, spirituality gets the doctors' nod H
ardly anyone doubts cardiologist Rakesh the power of prayer Sharma. and almost everyone Sharma related the has a turnaround tale - maybe example of one of his personal, or of someone else's patients, Saira Sheikh, - that credits the "miracle" to who couldn't maintain a a prayer. Now while science regular exercise regime and spirituality may not and, after some discussion, always see eye to eye, holistic decided to turn the spiritutreatment is now finding al way, and took to praying greater acceptance, and spirifive times a day. "Praying tuality, among everything regularly has helped me a else, is recommended by lot. It has calmed my doctors as part of the healing Doctors, however, add that mind, plus, as the doctor spirituality or any other process. says, it's a good exercise holistic treatment can only that I now do regularly," "Spirituality as a therapeuact as add-ons to the maintic modality has immense Sheikh said. line allopathic treatment. potential," eminent cardioloMental health expert gist Ashok Seth of the Fortis Escorts Heart Sameer Malhotra of Max Super Speciality Institute, said. "Spirituality is as much hospital also stressed that spirituality helps about a disciplined, balanced approach to in the healing process. life as about pursuit of things metaphysical. "Spirituality reaffirms faith and hope and In its various manifestations, for example that helps in the healing process," Malhotra music and prayer, spirituality has been said. "When you have hope, you have the observed to have a considerable impact in will to get better. It improves the quality of terms of preventing diseases and promoting life." healing," he added. "What doctors are saying now we have Seth's thoughts found resonance among known for ages," said Ranjana Das, a 50other experts who believe that veering year-old homemaker. "My sister fought towards spirituality is walking towards a breast cancer not just with medication but well-balanced, disciplined life that ulti- also with prayers. We all prayed for her mately promotes health. together during those initial days, calling "A religious or spiritual person tends to up each other to think of her every time she live a disciplined life. Waking up early for underwent therapy. After the initial loss of prayers, which is a form of meditation that hope, she started believing that she could calms your mind and de-stresses you, is become better. And she did," Das added. beneficial for one's health. Most people What all doctors, however, add is that who call themselves religious or spiritual spirituality or any other holistic treatment live healthy lives, shun alcohol and tobac- can only act as add-ons to the mainline co, eat simple, and are philanthropic, which allopathic treatment. "Such therapies do are all antidotes in today's times," opined help, but not in lieu of allopathy," Seth said.
28
June 1-7, 2013
HUMOR
Funny Bone by Nury Vittachi
When traveling, at least try to get to correct continent

eing in the travel trade sucks. You won't BELIEVE the fuss passengers make, just because some tiny mistake has been made which has led to them being taken to, say, the wrong country. Why quibble? Countries are countries. Variety is the spice of life, as the Bible says. Or was it Rod Stewart? Anyway, news broke last week about a pair of holidaymakers who were mistakenly flown to the wrong CONTINENT. Triet Vo and his wife Sandy of Los Angeles booked tickets to Dakar in Africa, but were taken instead to Dhaka in Bangladesh. The nit-picking couple made a huge fuss, pointing out that Africa and Asia are 11,000 kilometers apart. True, but they're on the same planet, right? You have to give the airlines credit for something. The couple, whose story I learned from a news report forwarded by reader Jessica Mudditt in Bangladesh, was watching the Flight Info channel on the seat-back video when they noticed the plane heading
past Africa towards Asia, according to an LA Times report. I was amazed at this. Someone actually watched the Flight Info channel! Most people stink at geography these days. When the bad guys in the Boston marathon bombing were revealed to be from Chechen, the US internet community launched vitriolic attacks on Czech Republic websites, you'll remember. The Czech ambassador point-
there was no connection between Chechen and his country, but internet haters brushed
this aside a s irrelevant. The ambas-
e d
out
that
sador had made the fatal mistake of expecting a modicum of reasonableness in webbased discussions, when in reality you'd be lucky to get an eighth of modicum, or even a jot, tittle or speck. But at least Mr and Mrs Vo ended up more or less in the SAME HEMISPHERE as their intended destination, sort of, if you hold the globe in exactly the right position. The same cannot be said for a couple
from Italy who boarded a flight in July 2009 intending to go to Sydney, Australia. They ended up in Sydney, Canada. This is quite possibly the furthest distance they could possibly get from where they meant to go, about 17,000 kilometres. The only way the travel trade could make a bigger mix-up is to accidentally send people into space. Virgin Atlantic boss Richard Branson is currently working on this. A European reader tells me that so many people go to Austria instead of Australia that Vienna shops are full of tshirts saying: "No kangaroos in Austria." I talked about this to a pilot friend and he said bad spelling was often to blame. The flight code for Dhaka is DAC, and the LA couple may have assumed it was short for Dakar. Recently Florida children intending to fly to Knoxville went instead to Nashville. I was mulling over this when I got home and found my wife searching internet sites for cheap tickets from Asia to London. She was amazed at the variety of prices. I pointed out that there were at least 28 Londons in the world, including places of that name in Ontario, Belize, Limpopo and Finland. "How do I know I have the right one?" she asked. Typical female thinking! I told her to just pick the cheapest one. Variety is the spice of life, right?
Laughter is the Best Medicine
by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
ASTROLOGY
June 1-7, 2013
29
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma

Stars Foretell: June 1-7, 2013
ARIES: Timely help of associates will not only pass difficult times at work but also help in regaining professional edge. Friends and family members would lend a helping hand. A promising week to put your innovative ideas on use to make extra money. Love comes your way as friendship turns into romance. A pleasure trip gives the much-needed tonic to health. Travel plans for better communication will be helpful for new horizons. Off-plan property investment is one of the easiest and most profitable methods to maximize gains in the real estate market. Sudden change in situations could lead in a new direction. TAURUS: Make sure you dont hire for the sake of hiring. An unexpected message from a distant relative brings happy news for the entire family. Certain important plans will be executed, bringing fresh financial gains. You are likely find comfort in the arms of romantic partner. Cutting down the number of parties and pleasure jaunts would help in keeping in good mood. Business or vacation traveling is what you needed right now. Your property prices will boost in the coming period. This week fame and social recognition are within your grasp. GEMINI: Business partners would be enthusiastic about new plans & ventures. Relatives are likely to give some valuable advice regarding personal life. Speculations are likely to bring monetary profits. Love and romantic encounter will keep you in a cheerful state. A beneficial week to work on things that will improve your health. Implementation of new ideas to travel will be beneficiary for you on work front. Buying property can lead to gains as property prices continue to increase. You enjoy involvement in voluntary work of any kind. CANCER: Female colleagues would help in completing pending work. You receive care and affection from family members. Monetary position is likely to improve later in the week. Sudden romantic encounter is foreseen this week. Your confidence and energy will be high during this week. Travel plans for ambitions are in full bloom. You could buy the property that you are looking for. If possible, assess your strengths and weaknesses. LEO: A promising week for ambitious professionals to demonstrate technical skills & abilities. Do not share personal matters with casual acquaintances otherwise it will disappoint family members. You are likely to raise capital through collecting outstanding debts or asking for funds to work on new projects. A promising week for romance when your innovation infuses a new spirit in it. A week when smile will perpetually be on your face and strangers will seem familiar. A beautiful vacation you awaited for is on your cards. Investing on properties which are under developed will be profitable. Pleasure trip with friends proves satisfying & enjoyable. VIRGO: Politicians find a very smooth sailing as results go in your favour, thus immensely boosting confidence. Matrimonial alliance for eligible bachelor in family brings joy to all. Hard work of previous days brings good fortune enabling to fulfill monetary promises. Partner brings immense romantic pleasure even if work pressure occupies your mind Your energy level will be high. Better to channelize it in a positive direction. Destination with a great deal is on your way, be ready for traveling. Whether young or old, now is the time to start investing. Many unexpected things are likely to go in your favour. LIBRA: People engaged in tourism will have the energy to keep pace with fast taking events thus giving themselves an edge over others. A new outlook will be the source of laughter at family front. You succeed in making some extra cash on playing your cards well. Romance rules heart & mind in this week. Positive outlook impresses those around you besides keeping you fit & fine. Be ready to travel with a challenge, new connections will help you. Looking to buy property, then go for commercial one. Ability to swiftly tackle problems would immensely help. SCORPIO: Working under momentary impulsion would backfire at workplace in this week. Enjoying a picnic with family will not only bring joy but also help in clearing misunderstandings. An auspicious week to invest money on items that would grow in value. Romantic imagination occupies mind forcing to go out of the way to please partner. Charity work undertaken will bring mental peace & comfort. Traveling abroad can be exciting adventure that will be remembered forever. Good time to purchase a property. Favorable planets would bring reasons to feel happy. SAGITTARIUS: Keep business interests supreme while hiring professionals. Charming nature and pleasant personality would make you the attraction of family function in this week. Investment on long-term plans would pave the way for earning financial gains. Cupids arrows would make your heart flutter high. Make the best use of your energy to enjoy a sound health. Finally you have found the time for your deserving break, travel will be favourable. A good deal for your new property is ready to be made. Boundless creativity would lead in a positive direction. CAPRICORN : Betterment awaits people engaged in the field of graphic designing. Family members appreciate the changes made in & around the house. Improvement in finances makes it convenient in clearing long pending dues & bills. You are likely to enjoy a pleasure trip that will rejuvenate your passions. Meditation and self-realization prove beneficial. Adventurous holidays, the best way to experience with your friends, time to enjoy. Buying overseas property will be beneficiary for you. Long expected compliments are likely to come your way in this week. AQUARIUS: Self-confidence would immensely help in achieving good results at professional front. Avoid sharing family secrets with casual acquaintances. Successful execution of brilliant ideas would help in earning financial profits. Short-lived romantic opportunities could come your way in this week. You will have ample time to do things to improve your health. Take a trip, as there is some place waiting for you. You can apply for your home loan. A promising week when personal expectations are likely to be fulfilled. PISCES: The efforts of people aspiring to join interior designing course are likely to be handsomely rewarded. Friends and family members would encourage to work harder. A very successful week as far as monetary position is concerned. Romantic entanglement would add spice to your happiness. Sound physical health will enable to participate in outdoor activities. If youre planning a vacation, be sure to consider your work does not effect. Your search for a house is towards its final destination. Choice of activities would keep you busy.
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874 Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899 psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

Date: June 1, 2013, Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1 Traits in you: Due to the positive effects of your ruling planet Sun, you will have the characteristics of a good human being. By nature, you are accountable, unique, courageous, committed, competitive, coordinated and intelligent. You should work on your negative personality traits such as selfishness, dependency and pessimism. Health this year: You may remain worried for the health of your spouse. Your will remain fit though it needs extra care. You should regularly visit to your doctor for checkups. Try to secure your parents health as they may suffer from frequent ailments throughout this year. Finance this year: This year may bring you huge financial benefits. You will enjoy the returns of your past investments. If you want to gain financial profits, you need to work hard. You may invest in various profitable businesses. However, you should not start new partnerships or trust new friends. Career this year: You may get the chance to complete all your previous assignments and this will enhance your respect as a brilliant performer in your professional circuit. If you are into a profession that demands creativity, then you will be very successful this year as far as your career is concerned. Romance this year: If you are yet to be in a committed relationship, you may get into one this year. If you are already committed, then you may plan for marriage towards the end of the year. Lucky month: July, November and February Date: June 2, 2013, Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2 Traits in you: As you are influenced by the Moon, you are confident, emotional, imaginative, simple, creative, courteous, and warm hearted. You can easily make friends because of your nature so you enjoy enormous respect amongst your friends. You should control your mood swings and you should not be lazy. Health this year: You will enjoy a normal health this year. However, you need to be in regular contact with your doctor to remain healthy. If you face some minor health issues, you should take prescribed medication without neglecting. Finance this year: You may go through a moderate financial condition this year. You past investments may not bring you expected results. You may get minimal return from your fixed savings and that would not make you secure financially. You should not lend money to anyone during this year as you may feel the requirement of money at any point of time. Career this year: You will be given more responsibility this year as you have proved yourself to be an efficient resource for your employer. You may expect a promotion or salary hike later this year. You should guide your ordinates to perform better and bring unexpected results for your organization. Romance this year: You may find yourself among the wedding bells if you are eligible. Your love life with your partner will flourish with the love, care, and support of your partner. Lucky month: October, December and March Date: June 3, 2013, Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3 Traits in you: Being ruled by Jupiter, you are courteous, courageous, decisive, ambitious, disciplined, and realistic. You are gifted with high imagination power, optimism, and enthusiasm. However, behaving restless and dominating may hamper your characteristics at times. You need to work on your personality to make yourself better as an individual. Health this year: You will be going through a not so very good health this year around. You might need to take proper care of your health by frequently visiting your doctor for medical checkups. You need to adhere to the medications prescribed by the doctors for your betterment. Finance this year: You may be able to improve your financial conditions by find an extra source of income. You may go for new short term investments. You will be able to obtain luxury and happiness by spending money. Career this year: Your confidence will convert you into a winner. You will be capable enough to overcome any challenge you need to face. The chances of your promotion and transfer are high due to the organizational change. Romance this year: You may get engaged to your love this year. You will enjoy a great marital life with your beloved. You will find your partner supportive enough in every situation. You should try and maintain a better relationship with your partner to enjoy a better family life. Lucky month: October, December and March Date: June 4, 2013, Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4 Traits in you: Your ruling planet Uranus blesses you with a charismatic character. You are able to impress anyone in your surroundings with your nature and attitude. You are generous, peace loving, disciplined, and creative in nature. Your hard work pays off every time and you get success as a result. Health this year: You would not remain satisfied as far your health is concerned as minor illness may disturb you throughout this year. To avoid these health issues, you need to take care of your health by taking healthy food and medicines at time. You may go for yoga and meditation. Finance this year: Financial gains will be plenty for you this year as your past investments would pay off. You may start few new business ventures. You may expand your business in foreign as well. Do not trust new people as they may prove untrustworthy. Do not lend a big amount of money. Career this year: Your efforts will bear results and you will be appreciated with awards and rewards towards the end of the year. You may get a promotion for your smart work and efficiency. Romance this year: If you are yet to be in a relationship, this year is the ideal time to find a partner. You will get ample support from your spouse in any critical decision you have to take. You should show your love to your partner as it strengthens your relationship. Lucky month: September, January and May Date: June 5, 2013, Ruled planet: Mercury Ruled by no: As you are influenced by your ruling planet Mercury, you are intelligent, unique, sensible, business oriented, dignified, optimistic and charismatic. You are also pretty warmhearted and friendly. However, you need not be restless and impatient always to get your things done. Traits in you: You will go through minor health issues this year. You have to take regular advice from the doctor and practice healthy nutrition and diet to remain healthy. Meditation and yoga may help you in retaining a perfect health throughout the year. Health this year: Your new business alliances and partnerships will help you earn financial stability this year. You will receive all the pending payments and money you gave away as loans in the past. You should go for investing in real estates and share market. Finance this year: You need to focus on your profession and put your cent per cent effort to achieve your expected goals. You will be appreciated by your peers and seniors for your efficient output. You may be assigned extra responsibilities as you are very decisive and capable of performing wonders. Career this year: You need to focus on your profession and put your cent per cent effort to achieve your expected goals. You will be appreciated by your peers and seniors for your efficient output. You may be assigned extra responsibilities as you are very decisive and capable of performing wonders. Romance this year: You should avoid any kind of conflict with your beloved. Plan a long holiday with your spouse to make your relationship stronger. If you are unmarried, you should not get to a marital relationship this year as the movement of your stars is not favorable for marriage. Lucky month: October, December and February Date: June 6, 2013, Ruled planet: Venus Ruled by no: 6 Traits in you: As you are ruled by Venus, you are optimistic, modest, focused, punctual, reliable, and dependant. You are pretty interested in doing social work and charity. However, you should control your mood swings, impatience, and whim. Health this year: You need to focus on your health a little more as you may fall sick frequently this year. You should go for regular medical checkups to maintain a healthy life. Your parents may fall sick towards the end of the year and it will put you in immense pressure. Finance this year: You will get financial benefits if you have invested in past. For future financial gains, you may invest on real estate and stock market. You should study the market well before investing on anything. Do not be in a hurry to invest as it may go in loss. Career this year: As far as your professional life is concerned, you are expected to get a lot of opportunities throughout this year. However, you have to work hard and efficiently to convert those opportunities. Being a quick decision maker, you may have to decide on many critical matters in your professional circle. Romance this year: You will share a good relationship with your spouse. You may decide to turn your relationship into marriage if you are not married yet. However, you need to understand your beloved and provide the required emotional support for the betterment of your relationship. Lucky month: November, March and May Date: June 7, 2013, Ruled planet: Neptune Ruled by no: 7 Traits in you: By nature you are sober, courteous, unique, honest and courageous as you are ruled by the powerful planet Neptune. Your charming nature attracts people towards you. You love to face challenges and you fight them pretty well by executing perfection. You need to check for your impatience, rudeness, and frequent mood swings. Health this year: You may suffer some minor injuries due to vehicle accidents. However, it will not be critical. You may go through minor health issues during the initial months of the year. Moreover, you will enjoy a sound health throughout the year with proper medical checkups and medications. Finance this year: Your financial conditions will be very stagnant this year. As you will not earn much or spend much, you will lead a peaceful life in money matters. You may invest for future. Do not lend or borrow money from your friends or colleagues. Career this year: This year you will reach to the peak of your professional career and it will offer you huge financial benefits. This year will be pretty rewarding for female employees. You may get a better performance appraisal as well as salary hike as compared to your expectations. Romance this year: The emotional attachment with your spouse or partner may blossom this year with lot of love, care, and concern. If you are not married, then you may go for a romantic relationship. You will enjoy a very blissful time with your beloved. Lucky month: June, September and February
i) Accurate Data: Please make sure Date, Time and Place of birth is accurate.
Before you consult...
ii) Careful: Did you check background of the astrologer before disclosing your secrets. iii) Fee: Discuss the charges before, dont feel shy. Its his business. iv) Expectation: Expect the best, if the outcome is not as desired, never give up. v) Consult: Take second opinion before spending thousands on cure/remedies.
30
June 1-7, 2013
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
God is surrounding us and within us

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
henever we swim or sail in the ocean, the beautiful blue waters of the sea surround us on all sides. Just as while swimming we are surrounded by the ocean, every second of our lives we are also surrounded by the ocean of divine love. The ocean of Gods love surrounds us. It is not only around us, but within. It is to the right of us, the left of us, above us, below us, and in us. If we could only have the eyes to see, we would find we are perpetually swimming in the ocean of Gods love. In this connection, there is a story of a man who had been meditating many years yet was frustrated because he had not seen God. He had given up many worldly pleasures to meditate and spent long hours meditating in silence. He was devoted and did whatever he could to find God. Finally, he prayed to God, O Lord, I have been meditating and praying to You all my life, yet You have not appeared to me. God did not respond to his prayer. The man became more and more impatient and soon started saying, There is no God. I have wasted my time. The man strolled along the side of the river, upset at his lack of experience with the Lord. Finally, the man took a pebble and threw it into the river, saying, O river, I have wasted my life. I have prayed and meditated to find God, but there is no God. Suddenly, a fish raised its head out of the water, saying, Why have you thrown a stone at me? The man apologized and said, I did not mean to hit you. I only threw it into the river in frustration. The fish asked, Why are you frustrated? The man said, I have spent my life searching for God, but have not found God. My efforts have been wasted. The fish said, You think you have problems? Look at me. I have been swimming in this river my whole life looking for water. I am dying of thirst and cannot find any water to drink. The man said, What is wrong with you? You must be a fool instead of a fish. The whole river is filled with water. There is not a spot in the river where there is no
water. You are surrounded by water. Just open your fish eyes to see it. The fish said, Well, it is the same with you. You are surrounded by God. God is all around you and within you. You are swimming in the Lord and claim there is no God. Who is the bigger fool? You or I? This amusing story points out a great truth. We are all looking for God, but do not realize God is surrounding us and within us. There is no place where God is not. We only have to open our eyes to see it. God is everywhere. Just as the ocean is all around us, so is God. Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj said in a verse: Every grain of sand in the desert is a mirror; Amidst your infinite reflections, your mad lovers are lost. The verse is explaining how God is everywhere. God is in every grain of sand in the desert. God is in every particle of creation. God is in the fish. God is in the reptiles. God is in the animals. God is in every human being. When we can see God everywhere, we are lost in the love of God at every moment. God is love. When we recognize God everywhere, we are recognizing the power of love and are lost in the madness of that love. Meditation is merely changing our vision from blindness of God to vision of God. God is all around us every moment. God is pulsating with us. God is closer to us than our jugular vein. Meditation helps us experience that. We may feel we are putting in a great deal of time meditating but have not yet seen God. It is only because we are not really meditating. We are thinking. We are evaluating. We are judging. We are sitting and thinking, O, God is not coming, God is not coming. That is not meditating; rather, that is thinking. If we truly want to find God, we need to stop thinking. We merely need to gaze within. The fish could have just looked out of its eyes and seen water. But it was so busy thinking, I cannot find the water. I am dying of thirst. While thinking that, it was distracting itself and not able to see the reality in front of it. Let us not be like the man or the fish in the story. Let us truly meditate, by stilling our mind and opening ourselves to the vision of God. God is available at every moment. We need to still our body and mind to experience it. Any thoughts of evaluation, judg-
ing, or clutching is going to keep us from the experience. Avoid Clutching in Meditation Clutching is another form of expectation in which we are trying to see one thing or another in meditation. We feel unsatisfied no matter what we see unless it is what we planned to see. Clutching interferes with us
which people can enjoy the beauty of nature. In these beautiful parks we can enjoy mountains, valleys, rivers, streams, creeks, forests, and fields. These areas are kept preserved so that people can be in touch with nature without the development of houses, buildings, commercial areas, and concrete jungles found in towns and cities. These parks are places
Meditation is merely changing our vision from blindness of God to vision of God. God is all around us every moment. God is pulsating with us. God is closer to us than our jugular vein. Meditation helps us experience that.
where people can walk in nature and enjoy the lovely trees, flowers, and waterways. We can hear the lovely sounds of birds chirping. We can get glimpses of Gods beautiful creatures such as deer, rabbits, squirrels, butterflies, and fish. We can hear the sounds of silence, wind blowing through trees, and the natural sounds of wildlife. We can see the lovely sky with floating clouds in the day, or the stars and moon at night. Some people feel the national or state parks are a natural paradise. Yet, in one of the state parks, the park administrators were processing a pile of unopened mail that had accumulated in their office for a long time from people who had visited the parks. These letters came
enjoying what we do receive because we are too focused on what we want to receive instead. Thus, clutching takes our attention away from the stillness needed in meditation. It is incredible how many ways the mind can interrupt our meditation with thoughts. The mind uses the habit of complaining as one of its tools to keep us occupied. We are swimming in the ocean of Gods love, but cannot see it because we are engaged with the negative trends of the mind. There is an interesting example of how clutching puts us into a complaining mode so that we do not experience the beauty around us. In the United States, there are national parks and state parks in
from many different people over a long period of time. Instead of writing to thank the park administrators for their preservation of natures beauty, the people wrote a list of complaints. Some complaints were humorous and some were ridiculous, yet the nature of the letters showed what people were really thinking about when they visited these natural parks instead of enjoying their beauty. People complained that some of the natural trails were not wide enough for people to walk along together, side by side, holding hands. Some complained that they did not like some of the trails that went up the side of the mountains because it made them have to walk uphill! Some complained that the hiking trails meant for hiking should have chair lifts so the people did not have to hike. Some said that the animals made too much noise at night and kept them awake when they camped out and the people wanted the park department to get rid of all the animals. Someone else said that a deer came into his campsite and stole a jar of pickles and the person wanted the park department to reimburse him for the stolen jar. Another said they wanted escalators put on the mountains so they did not have to climb. Another wanted a fast food restaurant put into the forest so they did not have to cook out. Someone even said there were too many rocks on the mountain. When we look at this list we want to laugh at how ridiculous the complaints sound. On one hand people want to be in nature, hike, and camp out, and when they get there, instead of enjoying the natural beauty, they want to turn it into a town or city. This is what we are doing when we meditate or try to experience Gods love in our lives. We have the entire kingdom of God within us, but refuse to see it because we are listening to the chatter of our mind or viewing the images our thoughts create when we think. We have the love of God flowing in us and around us every second of our lives, but do not experience it because we are focused on complaining about everything in our lives. (To be continued...) Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is an internationally recognized spiritual leader and Master of Jyoti Meditation who affirms the transcendent oneness at the heart of all religions and mystic traditions, emphasizing ethical living and meditation as building blocks for achieving inner and outer peace. www.sos.org.
June 1-7, 2013
Essence of Spirituality
Enlightening Talks in English, Yoga & Lecture by
Swami Mukundananda
Swami Mukundananda is a world-renowned teacher of Spirituality, Yoga, and Meditation. He is the founder of the unique yogic system JKYog, also known as Yoga for the Body, Mind, and Soul. He received his degrees in Engineering and Management from two world famous Institutes in India, IIT and IIM. Swamiji is the senior disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. Swamijis enlightening discourses clarify the deepest concepts of the Vedic scriptures with wit, humor, and perfect logic. Along with his discourses, he teaches the comprehensive system Yoga for the body, Mind and Soul. For the youth, Swamiji has conducted programs at prestigious universities such as Princeton, Stanford, Yale, MIT, Duke and Kellogg School of Management. He has been invited to speak at various Fortune 500 companies like Google, Oracle, etc. For children, he has established a special personality development program, called Bal-Mukund Character Building Program. He has inspired people all over the world on the path of spirituality, holistic health, yoga, meditation, service to society, and God-realization.
PROGRAM
Free Admission
June 1-7, 2013

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The South Asian Times

Steering AAPI to great success

Obama, Bloomberg sent poison laced letters by gun rights guys

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Arvind Mahankali, 13, of Bayside Hills, NY.

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Indian inventor honored by EU for developing popular USB

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Wendy R Sherman, Under Secretary for Political Affairs

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Feds bust $6 billion global money-laundering operation

Two politicos in news

Chinese hackers compromise US weapon designs: Report

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The collapsed bridge at Mt Vernon, Washington

Millions join protests against Monsanto production policies

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Chhattisgarh attack: NIA probe on

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BJP, Maoists work together in Chhattisgarh: Congress

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US to decide on Indian request on Headley

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Rituparno Ghosh's death shocks nation

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BJP expels Jethmalani for six years

Government not serious about critical issues: Aruna

Uddhav rules out truce with cousin Raj

Senior lawyer and MP Ram Jethmalani

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UPA-II anniversary: No honest appraisal

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Dr. Narendra Kumar leads AAPI to unique success

Dr Kumar posing with his family at the Chicago convention.

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A scene from the film 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani'

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I'm not here to be a star: Ranbir

Actor Ranbir Kapoor