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The 35 Varsitap Tapasvis were introduced at Bhakti Bhavna event at the Jain Center of America in Elmhurst, Queens, on May 1.
Hyderabad: Security was stepped up for BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi ahead of his rallies in Seemandhra Thursday in the wake of twin bomb blasts in a train in Chennai the same morning. "Modi is on the hit list of terrorists... and in view of the blasts in Chennai, additional security was provided to him - on the request of his security detail -- during his visit to Andhra Pradesh today. Security was also tightened in the areas where he addressed rallies (in Seemandhra). Certain areas were cordoned off," a senior police official said. The BJP leader addressed
five election rallies - at Madanapalle (Chitoor district), Nellore, Guntur, Bhimavaram (West Godavari district) and Visakhapatnam. He left for Gandhinagar late in the evening. Meanwhile , Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday fired a fresh salvo against Modi. Campaigning in Faizabad, UP, she said, Modis tone shows as if the election results are in and he has become the Prime Minister. He has forgotten that it is the people who will decide the fate and not him," she said adding that Modi was hungry for power.
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INDIAN ELECTIONS
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Women queue up to cast their votes at a polling booth during the sixth phase of 2014 Lok Sabha elections at a village in Dausa district of Rajasthan on April 24. Gujarat Chief Minister and prime ministerial candidate of the BJP displaying his partys lotus symbol after casting his vote at a media interaction near a polling booth in Gandhinagar on April 30. FIR was filed against him for violating the poll code, so speculation arose whether he did it purposely or by mistake.
Actor Manish Kumar Jhangra - look alike of Narendra Modi with actress Mandira Bedi during promotions of new TV soap Gangs of Haseepur in New Delhi on April 23.
Minorities have reason to fear Narendra Modi, Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen (top) has said; while Columbia Professor Jagdish Bhagwati (above) argues that Gujarat CM has vision of where he will take us, and offers to be an adviser to Modi.
YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy addressing a massive rally in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh on April 30.
Security personnel deployed on the streets of Srinagar as separatist groups call for a strike during the seventh phase of 2014 Lok Sabha polls on April 30.
National Conference president and Union minister Farooq Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah arrive at a polling booth to cast their votes in Srinagar on April 30, 2014.
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Rep. Grimm from Staten Island indicted for fraud, tax evasion
New York: A 20-count indictment unsealed Monday charged Rep. Michael Grimm (RNY),with an alleged tax evasion scheme involving the concealment of more than $1 million in receipts from his New York restaurant where he employed an undisclosed number of undocumented immigrants. Grimm surrendered to federal authorities and pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, obstruction, mail fraud and perjury related to the alleged scheme involving his restaurant Healthalicious. But he said he would not resign his seat in Congress. "In total, Grimm concealed over $1 million in Healthalicious gross receipts alone, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars of employees' wages, fraudulently depriving the federal and New York state governments of sales, income and payroll taxes,'' court documents state. From 2007 to 2010, according to the court documents, Grimm also "intentionally'' hired undocumented immigrants and engaged "in a pattern and practice of such
"Just like an American election, all it really comes down to is two people, the satirist John Liver said tongue-in-cheek on the new HBO show.
"One Billion Votes" when India actually has only 800 million plus voters, saying: "Their own graphic is wrong by the entire population of Brazil." Turning to Times Now's Newshour debate, he suggests it has come close to American media and exclaims in mock horror. "Do you have a ludicrous number of people shouting at each other in a TV debate? Check." Commenting on the segment, the New York Times said it "seemed to speak for the legions of Indian journalists who actually are covering the story, as well as the political junkies here who are avidly tracking every development." The Washington Post called it "a smart, protracted segment on the western media market's stubborn disinterest in the current Lok Sabha polling in India - the biggest election in history, by sheer numbers".
hiring and continued employment.''Grimm, a former FBI agent, was released on $400,000 bond, and outside of court called the case a 'political witch hunt.' Grimm made national headlines in January when he threatened a TV reporter on camera who attempted to ask him about the long-running federal investigation. Grimm later apologized to NY1 reporter Michael Scotto. Grimm represents a swing district based on Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn.
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TIME honors social entrepreneur... Continued from page 1 pad-manufacturing businesses. The invention has sparked interest around the w o r l d . Muruganantham was inspired to devise the machine around year 1998 by his wife Shanthis hoarding dirty During his New York stay A. rags for use dur- Muruganantham was met with by Kanchana Poola of New ing menstruation. York Tamil Sangam. Speaking to The South Asian Times while in New York, Muruganantham, 50, said that he is a school dropout and used to work as a welder. Raised by a single mother, he is now harnessing his invention to empower women. He is spreading awareness particularly among students to become solution providers. We dont need more businessmen, we need social entrepreneurs, he says emphatically. Among the many honors he has received is the Best Innovation Award from The President of India in 2009. From India three other people were on the TIME 100 unranked list: BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal and writer-activist Arundhati Roy. More details about the work of Murugananthams Jayashree Industires at the website new inventions.in. Celebrating our 6th Anniversary... Continued from page 1 high standards of an ideal publication. We refrain from sensationalizing news, nudity, promotion of casinos, nightclubs, tobacco and alcohol, psychic readers, fortune makers, black-magic removers and other kinds of fraudulent/misleading advertising. We allow only up to 35% space for ads so more space is devoted to useful and informative reading material. Our website is updated round the clock with latest news and lifestyle stories. We sincerely thank our patrons, advertisers and readers for their continuous support and cooperation. You are encouraged to communicate with us for all complaints and compliments. Without you, we wont be the most read and admired newspaper in East Coast USA. Thank you for all your love & support, With warm greetings, Team@The South Asian Times Editor@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Dr. Dev GnanaDev will head the planned medical school, The California University of Science and Medicine. Los Angeles, Orange County and Shasta counties in California, and in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Kansas, Rhode Island and Texas. The hospital network
The entire Varsitap event for 35 Jain Tapasvis in New York was initiated, organized and sponsored by Kishore and Ranjan Mehta at their home. Here the couple is seen with their family.
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First ever Indian musical reality Indo-US ties important for India's development: S Jaishankar show produced in the US
Contestants on Sur Taal aur Sanskar show will be nurtured by Shankar Mahadevan Academy
By Jinal Shah New York: On Monday New York based Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB) announced a new reality show, a voice hunt contest along with Shankar Mahadevan Academy to encourage and support talents in the field of Indian music. The announcement comes close on the heels of the recently concluded International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Tampa Bay, Florida that showed Bollywoods growing imprints in US. The show titled Sur Taal aur Sanskar will be a 13 episode program televised on TV Asia. Participants will be picked from across Northern America by Shankars Academy to make it to the finals. They will be selected from each genre- Hindustani Classical and Hindi movie songs. Our (Shankar Mahadevan academy) association with BVB is twofold- first combining technology (virtual classes) with traditional way of teaching and second launching an Indian music based reality show in a 13 episode program with BVB and TV Asia, said Mahadevan at the press conference held at the Indian Consulate. I am excited to be part of Sur Taal and Sanskar. My academy will be involved in filtering out talent and mentoring and I will be here for the finale and if there is a spark in any of the contestants, we will absorb him or her in my coming films, said Mahadevan adding, I always had a passion to educate people our rich Indian music so as an experiment we started first virtual Shankar Mahadevan music acadeWashington, DC: Calling the India-US re- this book represents much of today's interlationship "an important factor in the future nal Indian conversation," Jaishankar said. development of India" Ambassador S JaisNoting that "the overarching theme of the hankar says the relationship is awaiting "its volume is of India's passage into moderninext quantum leap patiently. ty" the ambassador said: "Today, it is just as The Indian envoy was speaking on Tues- important to realize our shortcomings, as it day at the launch of the book "Reimagining is to wake up to how the world perceives India: Unlocking the Potential of Asia's us." "At the end of the day, we will be Next Super Power" by McKinsey & Com- judged by how we pass the twin tests of ampany at the Brookings Institution, a Wash- bition and performance," he said."Finally, if ington think tank. we are re-imagining India, perhaps we Jaishankar described the collection of 62 should also re-imagine the India-US relaessays by "leading thinkers from around the tionship," the ambassador said. world to explore the challenges and oppor"It is an important factor in the future detunities" faced by India as "a full specvelopment of India. And it trum effort, spanning a wide variety awaits its next quantum of issues and challenges." leap patiently." "The issues of this book are the "Since all successes very debates of India's 16th Genneed a sequel, in Hollyeral Elections that are still unwood as much as in folding," he said. Bollywood, McKinsey "And if you look at what our pomight wish to give this litical parties are doing, they are a thought," suggested actually asking the voters to reimagJaishankar. ine India, locally, regionally or nationally." "So whether it is the distribution of power or the nature of growth, vision or implementation, the material or intangible, Ambassador S Jaishankar
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Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Shankar Mahadevan Academy have collaborated for the program
my. Started as a pilot project for free with just 15 students three years ago the academy has teaches students across 47 countries. We are expanding into 35 weeks courses. Mahadevan, who won IIFA award (along with Ehsaan and Loy) for best background score in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, is hopeful that the popularity of Indian films and songs especially Bollywood songs will make younger generation more. Also present at the conference was the consul general of India, Ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulay, H R Shah, chairman, BVB, Dr Navin Mehta, president trustee committee BVB. Online registration begins May 5.
American flag flown over Capitol in honor of BJP President Rajnath Singh
Washington, DC: On a day when the BJP President Rajnath Singh was contesting his election from the city of Lucknow for the parliament of India, the American flag was flown over the U.S. Capitol in his honor. We are thankful to have the cooperation of friends of India in the U.S. Congress who today honored Mr. Rajnath Singh by flying the American flag on U.S. Capitol. This important symbol recognizes the leadership of Mr. Singh in building the BJP party from strength to strength, the US India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) said in a statement. Ranking Member Eni Faleomavaega of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, which has broad jurisdiction for U.S. foreign policy affecting the region, including India, had requested that a flag be flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor of Rajnath Singh. The flag was flown on April 30. The certificate accompanying the flag reads as follows: This is to certify that the accompanying flag was flown over the United States Capitol on April 30, 2014. At the request of the Honorable Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, Member of Congress, this flag was flown for Shri Rajnath Singh, president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), born in a farmer's family, educated in a village, a brilliant student who completed his MSc Physics, entered politics in 1974, and together with Shri Narendra Modi and the love and affection of the people of Lucknow is taking forward the historic work of transforming India. I especially commend BJP Party President Rajnath Singh for encouraging people to vote in large numbers for a strong government, Faleomavaega said. Indias elections now underway are the most historic the world has seen, and Shri Rajnath Singh is to be commended for the important role he has played in calling for good governance, development and security. As the people of Lucknow choose their candidate of choice, I applaud the work of Shri Narendra Modi and Shri Rajnath Singh. Together, they are building the nations peace and prosperity and, by extension, the promise of deeper U.S.-India ties, Faleomavaega concluded.
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fitted with the official golden-colored race tshirt, runners lit up the park with their enthusiasm and positive mood. Prabhnoor Singh Bandesha (BIB# 860) was the firstplace male winner, and Jasvinder Kaur Braich (BIB# 931) was the first place female winner.The race was organized by long-time marathoner Dr. Avtar Singh Tinna and India Association of Long Island President Satnam Singh Parhar in association with The Sikh Cultural Society.
maceutical companies for optimization, said De. But it may take five years or so before the new drug hits the market after optimization and clinical trials, said De who was one of the winners of 2009 Young Investigators' Poster Competition by the American Peptide Society. Talking about his research, De said: "Patients often have to take an insulin injection after every meal. An overdose of insulin may drastically reduce blood glucose leading to life-threatening diabetic coma." "Hence we wanted to develop a non-insulin drug, which would hopefully act for a prolonged period of time so that patients do not need to take it every day," he said.
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Punjab Congress President Partap Singh Bajwa with an NRIs group led by the Indian National Overseas Congress (I) USA President Shudh Parkash Singh and Inder Musafir, Chair, NRI cell of the state. The NRIs campaigned for Bajwa in Gurdaspur constituency.
the while living the American Dream. Saund is featured prominently in the Smithsonians Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation exhibit, in which a full wall is given to a famous picture of Saund chatting with then-Congressmen (and future Presidents) John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Short films and documentaries will be screened on Saturday, prior to the evening showing of Empty Inside. The short films this year are: Rab da Vaasta, Message from Satwant Kaur, Kush, Kirpa, Baggage, One Day, and Onkar. The short documentaries are: Kaur, A Sacred Journey, Niam, Wrinkles of Life, Raw Conversations, and The Last Killing.
or past 25 years, Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation has been dispensing literacy, health care and integral development in rural and tribal areas of India uplifting the lives of countless neglected isolated masses. Recently, 'Ekal' hosted three fund-raising concerts in New Jersey by renowned Kathak dancer Aditi Bhagwat and her equally talented musical group for the same cause. The events, headlined as "Avartan", took place at various locations in NJ where it was spearheaded by respective Chapter Presidents - Mohan Khanna in Glen Rock, Harshad Mehta in Blackwood and Satish Karnik in Edison. The events raised over $225,000. Ekal has yet to host one more fund-raising concert at 'Mahatma Gandhi Center', Wayne,
N.J. This unique concert will feature Gujarat's nightingale Vibhavari Yadav & her group which will be completely devoted to old nostalgic Bollywood melodies. With this last concert for NJ region, the total fund-raising amount for NJ is likely to reach to a quarter of million dollars, this year. To donate visit www.ekal.org. To volunteer for this cause, call 732-672-8071.
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umbai-born IIT Madras alum Vic Gundotra, the mastermind behind Google's social network Google+, has abruptly resigned putting a question mark on the future of his creation. Making the announcement via a posting on his own Google+ page Thursday, Gundotra, 45, who was Senior Vice President, Social for Google said he was proud of his eight year tenure with the online search giant but felt that now was the time to look ahead. However, he didn't say much about his future plans. His departure follows a rumor posted two days ago on the app Secret that, "Vic Gundotra is interviewing," according to technology site CNet. Citing a person familiar with the matter, it said that Gundotra had problems with Google's management team. CEO Larry Page praised Gundotra in his own Google+ post, thanking him for "a tremendous almost eight years at Google" and for building Google+ "from nothing." In addition to spearheading the development of Google+, Page congratulated Gundotra for his work on guiding the teams that
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Vic Gundotra
introduced turn-by-turn navigation to Google Maps, and improving Google's developer relations, which Page described as "disparate efforts" before Gundotra fixed them. However, his tenure was also a rocky one, according to CNET. Soon after the launch of Google+, Gundotra came under heavy criticism for insisting that Google+ users must display their real names, as opposed to pseudonyms. Gundotra came to Google in 2007, following a 16-year stint at Microsoft as a general manager and a year off working on charitable causes.
he California Institute of Integral Studies will present the 2014 Haridas and Bina Chaudhuri Award for Distinguished Service to Indian American entrepreneur Lata Krishnan at a ceremony April 26 at the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel in Palo Alto. Krishnan is receiving the award in recognition of her leadership, insight, philanthropic perseverance, and dedication to improving the quality of lives in the Bay Area and worldwide, said a press release. The Chaudhuri Award is named for the universitys co-founders, Haridas and Bina Chaudhuri. Previous recipients of the award include Deepak Chopra, Kavita N. Ramdas, and Mani L. Bhaumik. Krishnan is the CFO of Shah Capital Partners and a board member of Silicon Valley Bank Financial Group. She is chair of the American India Foundation, an organization with a long-term com-
mitment to accelerating social and economic development in India and to strengthening the bonds between the United States and India.
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj was on a tour of Australia and New Zealand recently. While in Perth, he was honored by the Western Australian Parliament and presented with an Award of Honor. Also seen in the photo is his wife Mata Rita ji.
He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence and battery charges last week, dodging 45 felony counts for the beating that was captured on videotaped. The video was ruled to be inadmissible in court because of the nature of the way in which the police obtained it, and the victim later declined to testify and cooperate with prosecutors. However, in a controversial ruling, Chahal was sentenced to three years' probation, 52 weeks in a domestic violence training program, and 25 hours of community service, but was spared jail time.
wo Indian American doctors are among six people charged by the US federal regulator with insider trading in advance of eBay's acquisition of an e-commerce company to reap more than $300,000 in illegal profits. The Securities and Exchange Commission charged that Suken Shah and his brother Shimul Shah received confidential tips from Christopher Saridakis, the CEO of the marketing solutions division of GSI Commerce, an e-commerce company. To settle the SEC's charges, Saridakis agreed to an officerand-director bar and must pay $664,822, which includes a penalty equal to twice the amount of his tippees' profits. Shah earned insider trading profits of $9,838 and provided the non-public information to his brother and another individual, SEC alleged. Shah agreed to settle the SEC's charges in an administrative proceeding by paying disgorgement of $10,446, which includes $609 in trading profits made by the other individual he tipped. Shah agreed to pay prejudgment interest of $1,007 and a penalty of $64,965 for a total of $76,418. Shah's penalty is three times the amount of his and his tippees' trading profits. In a separate settled administrative proceeding, the SEC charged Shimul Shah, a doctor who now resides in Cincinnati, with insider trading on the non-public information he received from his brother. Besides trading himself, Shah tipped others with the nonpublic information during a group dinner he attended with several friends from his medical residency, SEC alleged.
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message to the perpetrators (Dont mess with us) were also the ones who thought that his death balanced the scales of justice. The second important finding from the study is that bin Ladens death did not fully quench Americans desire for revenge. Although justice might be achieved, the avengers might not feel psychological closure. Re-establishing justice, successfully asserting ones message, does not necessarily close the chapter in the case of revenge, the researchers maintained.The study titled Vicarious Revenge and the Death of Osama bin Laden has been published online in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his girlfriend V. Stiviano, to whom he said in a taped conversation to not bring black friends to NBA games.
thority to force a sale of the team. "The owners have the authority subject to three quarters vote of the ownership group, of the partners, to remove him as an owner. I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners to remove him," said Silver, adding that Sterling acknowledged it was his
voice on the tape. Magic Johnson, Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan and Miami Heat player LeBron James had condemned Sterling and wanted the NBA to do the most to punish him. Twelve companies had suspended their sponsorship with the Clippers since the scandal.
House Speaker John Boehner said he was just teasing last week when he criticized his caucus's reluctance on immigration issue.
Boehner has long talked of his interest in getting an immigration bill through Congress to address concerns such as border security. The Senate last year passed a sweeping measure that included a path to citizenship for certain undocumented immigrants. But some House conservatives oppose that measure, which they view as amnesty for lawbreakers. Some Republicans have suggested the possibility of legalizing some undocumented residents instead of establishing a specific pathway to citizenship.
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BATTLEGROUND 2014
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BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi clicks a 'selfie' after casting his vote in Ahmedabad
Pradesh's Telangana region, which also voted for a legislature for the proposed state, saw a huge voter turnout. Apart from Srinagar where the voter turnout barely crossed 25 percent, heavy polling took place in Punjab (73 percent), Daman and Diu (76 percent) and Andhra Pradesh (70 percent). West Bengal saw a staggering 81 percent voter turnout. Polling in Uttar Pradesh was around 57 percent, while in Bihar and Gujarat, it crossed the 60 percent mark. Vadodara, from where Modi is contesting, recorded 70 percent turnout, while Rae Bareli, the constituency of Sonia Gandi, saw just over 51 percent of electors casting their ballots. Balloting took place in Gujarat (26 Lok Sabha seats), Andhra Pradesh (17), Uttar Pradesh (14), Punjab (13), West Bengal (9), Bihar (7) and Jammu and Kashmir, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (one constituency each). After voting in Gandhinagar, Modi flew to Bihar where he addressed a rally in Ujiyarpur Lok Sabha constituency calling for "a strong government in the country".
"It is certain a new government led by the BJP will be formed," he said, predicting a defeat for the Congress-led UPA government. All 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat and all 13 in Punjab voted Thursday. Punjab is witnessing some high-profile electoral battles. The most keenly watched contest is in Amritsar where the BJP's Arun
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said: "The blast sound was not very loud. On seeing people running away from the train, we learnt something was wrong." He said there was not much of a damage to the rail coach and only a seat was damaged. Inside the compartment, the passenger baggages were strewn around. The Chennai Central Railway Station handles a staggering 200 trains every day. Railway porters told reporters they were moving towards the train on its arrival when they heard the blast and passengers rushed out of the bogies in panic.
The porters ran to the illfated coaches and helped the injured passengers and others to get out. Southern Railway general manager Rakesh Mishra told reporters that 22-yearold Swathi from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh was killed and two other passengers have suffered serious injuries. The other injured are not in a serious condition. The train scheduled to arrive at 5.40 a.m. was running late by around an hour and a half. A top Tamil Nadu Police official said the cause of explosion is yet to be ascertained.
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Poor show may see Kejriwal's Burden of high expectations from Modi worries RSS men deserting party
Varanasi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) may have gone big this Lok Sabha election by fielding more than 400 candidates, but leaders in states where it is in disarray are jittery about the rookie party's future. In Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat where the AAP is not likely to make much impact on its general election debut the party could face a split or an exodus after results are announced on May 16, according to state leaders. Some of them feel dissent over ticket distribution, gap between the central and state leaderships, and opportunists joining the AAP after its stellar assembly poll debut in Delhi last year could hurt the party. "We could see upheaval in the state unit after the results on May 16," Ajit Kumar Singh, an office-bearer in the Bihar unit, said. "The central leadership should have kept a close watch on state units," he New Delhi: The high voter turnout in the seven phases so far is being construed as a vote for change and tilt towards the BJP and its prime ministerial choice Narendra Modi. Surely a matter of jubilation and elation for the RSS, one would assume. But there is the flip side, too. The widely-perceived wave has left the RSS brass worried on account of the high expectations from Modi to deliver if the BJP forms the government at the Centre. The pressure emanating from such expectations is the main reason for the saffron fountainheads worry. I have no doubt that a BJP-led NDA government will come to power at the Centre. The people have shown unprecedented belief in the BJP. But will it be able to fulfil all these expectations? RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat reportedly told some swayamsevaks recently in Nagpur. During the interaction, Bhagwat who was instrumental in steadfastly projecting Modi as the BJPs
Some of them feel dissent over ticket distribution, gap between the central and state leaderships,
added. The AAP is contesting all 40 seats in Bihar. If Singh is to be believed, the party does not hope to win any of them. In Madhya Pradesh, an AAP office-bearer said there was no check on the people who came on board. "Many joined the party to milk its popularity after the Delhi assembly results, and if the results (of the Lok Sabha elections) are not favourable, they would not stay," he said. State convenor Abhay Verma admitted if the party failed to win any seat, the
going will be tough. "We are hoping to win one seat, but if that does not happen, we will have a difficult time." The AAP has fielded candidates in all 29 seats in MP. The situation is not very different in Rajasthan. Ashok Jain, AAP's state convenor, said the party could have chances of winning a few seats if the central leadership had devoted more time. In Gujarat, the AAP is hit by a tug of war between activists-turned-politicians and leaders with political background.
PM candidate made it clear that the hopes notwithstanding, the BJP government will have to function within a specific framework and limited leg room. Besides, the RSSs reputation was tied to the BJPs performance, he said. According to sources, the RSS chief told the swayamsevaks that they should not expect the Modi government to immediately scrap Article 370 or build a Ram temple at Ayodhya. We should allow the government to function smoothly. After the elections, the swayamse-
vaks should return to propagating the RSS ideology and conducting shakhas, he said. When a swayamsevak asked whether the Modi wave had spawned more RSS branches, Bhagwat retorted: If the wave increased the Sanghs shakhas, we would have engaged him as a pracharak instead of sending him to the BJP. Meanwhile, nearly 1 lakh RSS group leaders and 6 lakh swayamsevaks from 42,000odd units spread across the country are working tirelessly to ensure the BJPs victory.
in addition to losing substantially down south and in the east, a bookie was quoted as saying. In this case, given the fact that Modi as PM would be unacceptable to the leaders of the TMC, the LJP and the AIADMK, the BJP will be forced to put up another candidate for the post of PM. This will be Rajnath Singh, the bookie added. According to these new rates, every Re 1 bet on BJPs Rajnath Singh for can fetch returns of Rs. 2.50, which makes him most likely to become PM in case Modi fails, a Re 1 bet on the TMCs Mamata Banerjee can earn Rs. 6 in this sceneario, the AIADMKs Jayalalitha can fetch Rs. 12 on a Re 1 bet and a bet of Re 1 on the Lok Janshakti Partys Ram Vilas Paswan can earn Rs. 18. Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress is the second least-likely candidate to become PM with the odds of Rs. 20 on a Re 1 bet and the AAPs Arvind Kejriwal remains the least likely to become PM with a Re 1 bet on him offering a return of Rs. 650. Believe it or not, punters, according to these new national rates, have also assigned specific ministries to regional satraps in this worst-case coalition government.
ously campaigning against Rahul Gandhi for several weeks. The BJP has fielded Smriti Irani, a popular actor-turned-politician, in Amethi. Priyanka Gandhi insisted that no other party would be able to bring about development in Amethi as none of them will come to power nationally or
even in Uttar Pradesh. "The other candidates who come here have no capacity to bring about development. If someone else were to win from here, they can just use Rs.5 crore from the MP fund... "With that money, they can only build five kilometres of roads at one time."
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If the NDA gets around 230 seats, they will be able to draw more allies. But if they fail to reach that mark, a Third Front government is a possibility.
"Any party will start to stink if it spends 10 years in power," he stated in a matter-of-fact way. Another union minister averred that the party was set to lose the elections but may still continue to be in power. "We are not going to win this time. But you may still see another UPA government at the centre," he said. A union minister in the outgoing UPA-2 government said allying with the Third Front was a distinct possibility for the Congress as it was unlikely to get a majority on its own. "We are keeping our options open and will take a call on allying with the Third Front once the results are out," the minister said, not wanting to be identified because of the delicate nature of these issues. Aware of the situation, the Left, which has played a part in forming a Third Front government at the centre each time in the past, is working towards the formation of another such government without making much noise about it. Admitting that a Third Front government cannot come to power without support from the Congress, the Communist Party of IndiaMarxist (CPI-M) is actively working towards the victory of candidates belonging to non-National Democratic Alliance (NDA), nonUnited Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalitions, a well placed CPI-M source said. In Delhi, for example, the CPI-M asked its cadre and sympathizers to vote for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), except in South Delhi from where a Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate was in fray. Although the AAP has not yet shown an interest in the Third Front, the CPI-M considers it a potential ally. In Bihar, the CPI and the ruling Janata Dal-United are contesting together. In Telangana, the CPI has an alliance with Congress. In other states like Odisha, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the Left Front is working towards the victory of candidates belonging to Biju Janata Dal, Janata DalSecular, and YSR Congress respectively except a few seats where its own candidates are contesting, said the CPI-M source. Manindra Thakur, a political science professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, said that "the possibility of a Third Front government will arise if the BJP fails to cross the
Elections
tally of 200 seats. In that case, the Congress may be able to stitch together a group of allies to form a next government". Thakur also opined that a Third Front government this time may not be unstable. "A good number of experiments in coalition politics have been done since the Janata Party government came to power in 1977. A Third Front government may run for a good number of years this time," Thakur argued. Nisar Ul Haq, professor of political science at Jamia Millia Islamia, felt a Third Front would come into picture only if the NDA failed to cross the tally of 230 seats. "If they get around 230 seats, they will be able to draw more allies. But if they fail to reach that mark, a Third Front government is a possibility. The number of seats regional allies get in UP, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Odisha will be crucial to its formation," he said.Haq also said that due to past experiences of having formed such governments, the parties may do a better job this time. "The stability will also depend on the number of seats the Congress gets. If it gets more than 100 seats, it will be in its favor to keep the alliance and the government," added Haq.
s the world's largest democracy braces itself for the results of the ongoing general elections, due May 16, Indian equities already seem to be pricing in the verdict of the nation's 1.3 billion people. This, on expectations that Narendra Modi, the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, will head the next federal government. The benchmark equity index, Nifty, has rallied more than 14 percent to an all-time high since early February. Although, the market is at all-time nominal highs, in inflation adjusted terms we are still below the pre-credit-crisis levels unlike equity indices in the West such as the S&P 500 and the German DAX. Till recently, the move-up was largely driven by blue chip stocks. It is only in the past few weeks of this "pre-election rally" that we have seen money being churned out of IT and pharma names into beaten down infrastructure and financial stocks. The mood is supremely bullish in the equities market and the common joke doing the rounds on Dalal Street is that the fair value of the Sensex is the number of seats secured by the NDA multiplied by 100. At this juncture, it would be unwise to be a contrarian and not place bullish bets. If the next government is, indeed, successful in
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reviving the investment cycle, we could very well find ourselves in the midst of a new secular bull market. The swiftness with which the anticipated next NDA government will introduce policy reforms will only be seen in the coming months. But one must also keep a close watch on how the bond market has been behaving in the run-up to the election results. Looking through the prism of another asset class in the prevailing bullish market, the context tells a different story. There has been a stark divergence in the performance of bonds versus equities. The yield on the 10-year benchmark Treasury bond is hovering around 9 percent, only half-percentage-
The mood is supremely bullish in the equities market and the common joke doing the rounds on Dalal Street is that the fair value of the Sensex is the number of seats secured by the NDA multiplied by 100.
point away from a 10-year high. The bond market, it seems, is still not buying the "Modi rally". Concerns still loom over prices (recent retail inflation data saw an unexpected uptick) and the sustainability of the correction in the fiscal deficit. JP Morgan has correctly pointed out in a recent report: "It is difficult to envisage a situation where growth revives meaningfully, driven by the investment cycle, with the Government of India borrowing long-term funds at interest rates in excess of 9 percent. Over the past, restrictive monetary policy and elevated treasury yields have coincided
with growth moderation and have not been supportive of equity market performance. This underpins the relative attraction of bonds, particularly adjusted for risk." Thus, as the report points out, either the bond market can join the rally on expectations of an improved macro outlook or the equities will eventually correct as investors shed their enthusiasm if corporate earnings do not justify the recent multiple expansion. Historically, according to JP Morgan, long bonds seem to be more attractively valued than equities. The ratio of the 10-year yield to the earnings yield is now close to 1:4. According to this historical valuation metric, equities are now in an overvalued zone. This ratio was higher than the current level only at the peak of the credit crisis of 2008. According to JP Morgan analysts, this relative valuation favoring debt holds good for the five-year and one-year bonds as well. The price action in the bond market points out that equities may have over stretched themselves in the short-term. But there is no near-term catalyst that would prompt an immediate sell off - unless the BJP's tally is far worse than the current projections on May 16. This is not the time to fight the upward momentum and every dip in Indian equities should be used as a buying opportunity for the near-term.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
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n a visit to Mumbai two days before the city would vote, I did the clichd thing of talking to Nithyanand, my cab driver, on a slow ride from the airport into town. A second-generation Tamil migrant in Mumbai, Nithyanand is 32. I asked him whom he was going to vote for. He smiled: Ab ki bar, Modi sarkar, sir! He said hed be voting for Rahul Shewale, Mumbai South Centrals candidate from the Shiv Sena, an ally of the BJP. The Marathi chauvinism of the Sena, which in its early days targeted south Indian immigrants, especially Tamils, in Bombay (as it was then known) didnt seem to faze him although he admitted that his parents had suffered during those years. He said it was to Narendra Modi that his vote would go and that if things had to change and his future turn brighter there was
The BJP has turned the polls into a presidential form of elections like in the United States, pitching Narendra Modi as the PM candidate all across its campaign verticals.
only one man in these elections who could do that. As it happened, on voting day, Mumbaikars did better than they traditionally do the turnout was the highest in 25 years and everyone said this was in keeping with the high voting in most large cities because urban Indians want to plump for
change. A few hours after my chat with Nithyanand, Maharashtras articulate and well-respected chief minister, Congressman Prithviraj Chavan, told me how the BJPs campaign had not only turned the polls into a presidential form of elections, pitching Modi as the PM candidate but it was also the
first time that product marketing principles had been used in elections and that regardless of whether it created a tsunami, a wave or a ripple, there was a lesson in this for the future. He is right. How successful Modis singular campaign is will be known less than three weeks from now, but the contrast between his and the Congress campaign couldnt be starker. Modi revved up his campaign long before the election dates were announced. In six months, hes addressed more than 400 rallies; the BJPs advertising, all of it focusing sharply on one man, has been like a relentless series of carpetbombings; theres been copious use of hi-tech aids such as simulcasts of his campaigns using 3D holography and real-time feedback analysis from key constituencies; and, not to forget, an eager media has generously covered the blitz, particularly the TV news channels, which have lapped up feed from every meeting hes addressed and telecast it live. In contrast, the Congress cam-
paign has been tepid. Its star campaigner and vice-president Rahul Gandhi can hardly match the demagogic yet arresting oratory of Modi, who skilfully customizes his messages for the audience hes addressing with appropriate tweaks depending on whether hes at a Google Hangout or hes speaking at a rally of Dalits. It is almost as if the two parties are fighting two different elections one here and now and the other in the past. The BJP has been quick to adopt technology, modern marketing and new media tools to take things to a new level, while the Congress campaign has been retro-styled and old-fashioned. Elections arent won solely on the strength of rallies or advertising. The vast majority of peoples votes, like Nithyanands, are decided by who they think will make their lives better. But, if the BJP strikes success when the results are announced on May 16, it may well have changed the way elections will be fought in the years to come.
SVP model", "toffee model", "AK49", "news traders", "jijaji", "maabeta government", "shehzada",... the Lok Sabha slugfest has contributed much to the political lexicon, spicing it up but also causing a fair degree of heartburn. These expressions are unlikely to be forgotten in a hurry. BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is way ahead in hitting out against his adversaries. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has also framed new epithets but these appear to be few and far between. Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal has thrown up a few to enhance his image as an anti-corruption crusader. This is perhaps the first Lok Sabha election where tea sellers have hogged some limelight due to Modi's references to his origins as a tea-seller. The Bharatiya Janata Party has sought to capitalise on Modi's humble origins by launching "chai pe charcha (discussion over tea)". TV anchors are also peppering their election shows by talking to people at teashops - a traditional neighbourhood hub for political gossip. The 2014 Lok Sabha elections have also seen a thrust on marketing and branding, terms which are otherwise identified with management. It is also an election in which political attacks have involved the names of some leading industralists. The elections have seen "personalised" accusations from leading contenders. Issues of women's empowerment and security also appear to
Elections
he has given the key of Gujarat to an industrialist. Modi has sought to reply to each barb thrown at him by Gandhi and has often alluded to the Congress leader as a prince. "Shahzada would be busy with his balloons and toffees...the nation wants mature politics and wants to win as many trophies," Modi said in an election speech. Modi has also sought to pitchfork his model of development as a mark of his ability as an administrator. Modi has referred to Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra as "jijaji" in some of his speeches. "They ask for RSVP in big functions. In India's politics, we have RSVP too and a media house threw light on their activities...Rahul, Sonia, Vadra and Priyanka... this is the RSVP model. Rahulji, you talk of the Gujarat model but the nation wants to know this model," Modi said at an election rally. Modi has termed the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government as "mabeta (mother-son) government" and the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh as " baap-beta (father-son) government." Modi's reference to Kejriwal as "AK-49" appeared as much an effort to take a dig at the AAP leader over his rapid-fire style of accusations as an attempt to revive memory of a controversial statement about Kashmir by a senior AAP leader.
Narendra Modi has referred to Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra as "jijaji" in some of his speeches.
be more in focus during the campaign than in earlier general elections. Many of the new political epithets have arisen from the debate around the Gujarat model of development - one of the central themes of the Lok Sabha election. While Modi has tom-tomed his model of development, many parties, including the Congress, Communist Party of IndiaMarxist, AIADMK, Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party, have slammed it. Rahul Gandhi has termed the Gujarat
model a "toffee model", saying it has benefited only one industrialist in the state and ignored the interests of the farmers and the poor. Gandhi also used "20-20 match" to hit out at Modi over the Gujarat model. "They have given 45,000 acres of land to one single person. This is their 20-20 match, not ours," Gandhi said in an interview. Gandhi also targeted Modi over his remarks that he wanted to be the "chowkidar (watchman)" of the country, saying that
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
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arsitap is a rigorous fast in Jainism not for the weak of stomach. To eat on alternate days and Upvas on the rest, for a whole year, while following the prescribed rules like not eating in the evening after sunset, not eating root vegetables (like potatoes, onions, ginger), and various other rules. In Swetamber sect of Jainism, Varsitap entails eating once a day (Ekasanu) on alternate days and fasting on other days. So 34 devout souls completing Varsitap in New York is noteworthy and a first for North America. What is more remarkable, may be a first in the world, is that one single family, Shri Kishorebhai and Smt. Ranjanben Mehta, sponsored this event for all 13 months at their residence. Now austerities are over, and it is celebration time. On May 2 morning, Jains first Tirthankar, Adinath Rishabha Dev, Parna for the 35 drinking sugarcane juice for his Varsitap Parna. Tapasvis (breaking of the fast) is being hosted at Gujarati Samaj Hall in Fresh Meadows, Queens. This event Tritiya from that time. Akshay Tritiya has thus special meaning for the Jain comshould be attended by hundreds may be a thousands of Jains. This celebration is traditionally held on the third day munity, as it marks the celebration of the end of a Tapsavis alternate day of strict fasting of 13 months, and the Parna is of the month of Vaisakh. The Varsitap Parna celebration is associated with Jains traditionally done with sugarcane juice. Fasting in Jainism first Tirthankar Adinath Rishabha Dev. After his Varsitap is for self-purification of body and mind, ridding it of earthhe went to many houses to get the proper food (Gochari) for ly sins. The more rigorous Varsitap is for atonement of the him, but no one could understand his desire for food. The soul for any wrong deed that one may have committed even people were ready to give him elephants, horses, jewelry or unconsciously. For those living in India, a majority of Jains prefer to do even brides. But they could not offer any food. Karma has its ways! In his previous birth, Rishabha Dev had tied a net the Parna celebration in the holy city of Palitana and on the mouth of a cow and acquired the sin of starving the Hastinapur, both in Gujarat, rather than in their hometown. Traditionally Varsitap begins on the eighth day of the dark cow. Finally, Shreyans Kumar, with special power of knowing previous births, recognized that Rishabha Dev wanted half of a lunar month of Falgun and ends on the third day of to break his fast. So he gave him the juice of sugarcane and the bright half of a lunar month of Vaisakh. The total duraRishabha Dev broke his fast. This day is known as Akshay tion of Varsitap is around 13 months and 13 days.
Ranjan & Kishore Mehta initiated, organized and sponsored the Varsitap at their home in New York.
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All the 35 Tapasvis are members of the Jain Center of America, NY. The sponsoring family, Kishorebhai and Ranjanben Mehta, are also members of JCA. The Jain Center of America is located on Ithaca Street in Elmhurst, NY.
would like to congratulate Kishorebhai and Ranjanben for their efforts, discipline, and courage in undertaking the task of taking care for 35 Tapasvis doing Varsitap tapascharya. Two records have been created. For the first time on US Soil, 35 Jains in New York observed Varsitap, 13-month long fasting on alternate days, and only
two meals on the other days. Nowhere in the US among the over 70 Jain centers, have so many Jains ever come together to observe the Varsitap. The second record has been established not only on US soil but globally. One single family has hosted this 13month event on their own. This includes sponsoring the event not only in terms of
money but a firm commitment with Mind and Body as well. Any appreciation is twofold. One can be categorized as General and the other is From the heart. In this case, my heart reaches out not only to these 35 Tapasvis but to their sponsors Shri Kishore bhai and Smt. Ranjanben Mehta. As Chairman of the Jain Temple of New York, New Hyde Park, I take pride not only on behalf of my Sangh but also personally. Going forward, this will pro-
vide a great deal of "Anumodana" to all Sadharmik Jains not only in North America but in the entire world as well. I, on behalf of the Jain Temple of New York, New Hyde Park, congratulate the 35 Tapasvis for their Apurva Siddhi, to their host the Mehta family as well as all the volunteers who worked selflessly during these Tapascharya. Lastly I like to wish best of health and spirit to all Tapasvis during and after Parna.
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The 35 Tapasvis
These New York Jains fasted for 200 days on alternate days over 13 months.
ay 2, Akhatrij Day, will make history for all Jains in New York. On this particular day, 35 devout Jains who are observing Varsitap aradhana for the last 13 months will perform Parna (breaking of fast). This is the first time ever in North America that such as large number of people are performing this great "Tap " (austerity). On May 2, the ceremonies will start with Abhishek at the New Hyde Park Jain Temple and at 10AM, Parna program will begin at Gujarati Samaj Hall in Fresh Meadows, Queens. On behalf of all Jains we congratulate not only the 35 Tapasvis but also the sponsors Mehta family.
The Varsitap Parna (breaking of fast) ceremonies will start with Abhishek at the Jain Temple of New York, which is located in New Hyde Park, Queens.
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arsitap is a great tap and it is not easy to do it especially in foreign countries. But this become so easy for 35 people because ranajanben and kishorebhai who took a lead in a strong positive way and work hard for 413 days this is not an easy task tapasvi got all facilities what ever they needed during their tapashrya in india usually this tap is done
either by individual at their own home or at temple location facilities are provided only one time eating during their eating days where here twice a day during their eating days i bow my head to this couple whos name will be written in jaion history book whithout them it was not possible at all also
entire sangh and community were with us their blessings also has given us great boostings we are in in good health due to good food and great help from all vouleneters who were stand by to serve food with their good heart and great bhav no one got sick during 413 days this is not possible without their great afforts and love given by them not even thinkg of their family their routine life their holidays enjoments pranam and we pray lord to give
them very long and healthy life. Kanubhai Lakhani is a leader of Jain Samaj of Long Island in Plainview. Coordinated by : Hemant Shah Past President, Jain Center of America and Trustee of Jain Temple of New York, New Hyde Park Edited by Parveen Chopra Managing Editor, The South Asian Times
ainism is one of the oldest religions in the world. Jains traditionally trace their history through a succession of 24 propagators of their faith known as tirthankara with dintha as the first tirthankara and Mahvra as the last of the current era. For long periods of time Jainism was the state religion of Indian kingdoms and widely adopted in the Indian subcontinent. Jainism is a religious minority in India, with 4.2 million adherents, and there are small but notable immigrant communities in Belgium, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and the United States. Jains have the highest degree of literacy of any religious community in India (94.1 percent), and their manuscript libraries are the oldest in the country. Jainism, traditionally known as Jaina dharma, is one of two Indian non-Vedic religions (the other being Buddhism). Jainism prescribes a path of non-vio-
lence towards all living beings and emphasizes spiritual independence and equality between all forms of life. Practitioners believe that non-violence and self-control are the means by which they can obtain liberation. C u r r e n t l y, Jainism is divided into two major sects Digambara and vtmbara. The word Jainism is derived from a Sanskrit verb Jin which
means to conquer. It refers to a battle with the passions and bodily pleasures that the jaina ascetics undertake. Those who win this battle a r e termed as Jina (conqueror).
The term Jaina is therefore used to refer to laymen and ascetics of this tradition alike. Mahatma Gandhi, revered by Indians as Father of the country, was influenced by Jainism in honing his concept of truth and non-violence. He wrote: "No religion of the world has explained the principle of non-violence so deeply and systematically, with its applicability in life as in Jainism.... Bhagwan Mahavir is sure to be respected as the greatest authority on non-violence".
The 24th Tirthankara, Lord Mahavir, was a contemporary of Gautam Buddha. Mahatma Gandhi called him the greatest authority on non-violence".
arly this year, the Indian government granted the Jain community followers of an ancient faith often confused to be a sect of Hinduism the status of a national minority. This fulfills a long-standing demand by the over 4 million-strong community that has sought to maintain its religious and cultural identity. Jains, according to the 2001 Census, make up 0.4 per cent of the countrys population Under the Constitution, religious minorities enjoy special rights. For example, under Article 30, they can manage their own educational institutions without interference or opening them up for reservation for students from other communities. They also become eligible for funds under the governments minority welfare programs. Jains, an otherwise affluent minority, were fighting for national minority status mainly to protect and promote Jainism as a distinct faith and culture. Along with Hinduism and Buddhism, it is one of the
three most ancient religious faiths in the world. A national minority status allows us to enjoy fundamental rights under Article 25 and Articles 26 to propagate our religion and also freedom to manage our religious affairs. Without this, our identity was eroding, said Sanjeev Jain, an advocate of the cause. Although Jainism has many shared concepts with Hinduism and Buddhism because of a common cultural background, scholars agree that the Jain tradition constitutes an independent faith. Jains already enjoy minority status in 11 states. In 2005, the communitys representatives had moved the Supreme Court seeking a similar status nationally, a proposal backed by the National Minorities Commission. However, the top court had left the decision to the Centre. Jains have now become the sixth designated minority community of the country after other such religious minority groups: Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis.
A rally organized by the Jain community in Mysore focused on ahimsa and environment conservation.
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Australian gallery will not contest Rajiv Suri named Nokia CEO India's antique idols claim
Canberra: The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) would not contest the Indian government's request for return of antique idols, the Indian high commission said Tuesday. Tarun Kumar, first secretary in India's high commission in Australia, said he expected a decision to be made regarding the return of the artifacts within a month, Canberra Times reported Tuesday. He added that the deadline has now passed and it has been reported that the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) and the Art Gallery of New South Wales will not contest the Indian government's request for the return of the idols. In March, the Indian government formally requested the return of a 900-year-old Dancing Shiva statue from the national gallery and a stone sculpture of the god Ardhanarishvara from the art gallery of NSW, the report said. Both the artefacts were bought from the New York-based disgraced Indian-origin antiquities dealer Subhash Kapoor, currently on trial in India. The artifacts are in the care of the Australian federal government under the Moveable Cultural Heritage Act, a law which allowed the galleries 30 days to challenge India's claims. With those claims uncontested, the decision on the future of both statues rests with the Commonwealth, the report said. The NGA paid $5 million for the Dancing Shiva statue in February 2008. The statue was one of the 22 items it bought from Kapoor's Art of the Past gallery for a total of $11 million between 2002 and 2011.
Rajiv Suri
Helsinki: Finnish technology giant Nokia Tuesday named India-born Rajeev Suri as its chief executive officer (CEO). "As Nokia opens this new chapter, the Nokia Board and I are confident that Rajeev is the right person to lead the company forward," said Risto Siilasmaa, chairman of the Nokia board of directors, in a statement Tuesday. "He has a proven ability to create strategic clarity, drive innovation and growth, ensure disciplined execution, and deliver re-
sults. We believe that his passion for technology will help ensure that Nokia continues to deliver innovations that have a positive impact on people's lives," Siilasmaa added. Siilasmaa, who has also been serving as an interim CEO, will return to focusing exclusively on his role as chairman of Nokia's board of directors from May 1. "I am honored to have been asked to take this role, and excited about the possibilities that lie in our future," said Rajeev Suri. "Nokia, with its deep experience in connecting people and its three strong businesses, is well-positioned to tap new opportunities during this time of technological change. I look forward to working with the entire Nokia team as we embark on this exciting journey." Suri was born in 1967 in India and joined Nokia group in 1995. He held a wide range of leadership positions 1995-2007. He has been CEO of Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN) since 2009.
Ashraf Thamarassheri has been helping families with documentation work for repatriating dead bodies
Transport Corporation (KSRTC), hoped that the Indian audiences would appreciate the touching stories from the Gulf - and especially the movie based on a selfless community worker like Thamarassheri. "It is a good gesture to send the right message to the community. It is an incentive to other social workers, too, in the Gulf. My work will continue irrespective of whether books or cinema are made about it," the news report cited Thamarassheri as saying.
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Mumbai: Pakistan is closely watching the unfolding parliamentary elections in India and is eager to work with whichever government come to power, its High Commissioner Abdul Basit said. "We are keen to resume the engagement process between he two countries, as comprehensive and meaningful as possible," he said. "Whoever becomes the next prime minister of India, whichever government comes to power, we are all for having a meaningful engagement," Basit declared, interacting with media persons informally during his three-day visit to the country's commercial capital here. He pointed out that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is committed to the "Region
First Vision", which is not only timely, but also long-lasting. "Peace through a peaceful process is very important. We (India-Pakistan) have had wars in the past, but it did not help much," Basit said, adding that the dialogue must be "comprehensive, uninterruptable and uninterrupted". "Let us not re-invent the wheel every time we meet. We share a history. Why hype around disagreements... We need to deal in a peaceful manner," he urged. Basit said that India and Pakistan have been talking now for decades, but now they need to "walk the talk". He however conceded that neither side had "a magic wand to fix everything overnight".
Rich-poor divide in China Sri Lankan opposition vows surpasses US, study finds protests over casino bill
Beijing: Income gap between the rich and the poor in communist China has surpassed that of the US by a big margin, a new study said, warning of increased social unrest as the growth slowed in the world's second largest economy. Although the government has shown it is serious in dealing with the issue, observers warn the severe inequality is undermining China's economic development and risks triggering more social unrest, a study by Xie Yu and Zhou Xiang, scholars at the University of Michigan in the US, said. The study said China's Gini coefficient a gauge of income gap has reached very high levels in the range of 0.53-0.55. In 2010, the Gini coefficient was about 0.55, while the figure in the US was 0.45. A reading above 0.4 usually marks strong inequality, which could be an indicator of social unrest. However, China's official Gini coefficient was 0.481 in 2010, already higher than the US level, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Most experts agree that China's Gini coefficient is about 0.5, Li Shi, director of the Institute for Income Distribution and Poverty Studies at Beijing Normal University, told state-run Global Times. Experts say while Africa and Latin America have the highest level of income disparity, China's Gini coefficient is among the highest in Asia, the newspaper said. Economists believe the severe income inequality, among the highest in the world, is taking a toll on the Chinese economy, which has been experiencing slower growth.
Colombo: Sri Lanka's opposition staged a protest outside the proposed building site for three proposed casinos valued at $1.3 billion, including one from gaming mogul James Packer, an official said Wednesday, as parliament prepares to push through legislation delayed since last year. The three projects are a $350-million casino project by Australian casino mogul James Packer, a $300-million gaming facility by local tycoon Dhammika Perera called Queensbury and the largest venture of $650 million by local conglomerate John Keells Holdings (JKH) that will also have a casino. The government has already twice rolled back attempts to push through legislation in parliament that will make casinos legal. Strong protests from the opposition United National Party (UNP) and Buddhist hardline group Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), which is part of the ruling coalition, have stalled the attempts. The government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa has a twothirds majority in parliament and the latest presentation of the projects Thursday is expected to have a high chance of success, Xinhua reported. Last year, following protests, the government removed the word "casino" from the draft bill and inserted the phrase "mixed development projects", which the UNP claimed was just a euphemism for casinos. The government had previously stated existing casino licenses could be transferred to the three projects and opposition politicians have charged that loopholes exist in the regulations to establish casinos at a later date. Packer's casino in particular has been severely censured by the UNP for being given sweeping tax concessions for 12 years. The Australian Financial Review has estimated that the tax holiday will add up to as much as $1 billion.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
INTERNATIONAL
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Washington: The US has put India and nine other countries on its Priority Watch List to highlight what it called "growing concerns with respect to the environment for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection and enforcement". Releasing its annual Special 301 report on IPR, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said it will conduct Out-of-Cycle reviews to promote engagement and progress on IPR challenges identified in this year's reviews of India, Kuwait, Paraguay and Spain. "The Obama Administration is committed to meaningful and sustained engagement with trading partners -- from China to India to Canada -- with the goal of resolving intellectual property-related concerns so that Americans and American firms can compete on a level playing field in those markets," said USTR Michael Froman. In the last 25 years since USTR published the first Special 301 'Fact Sheet', "we have achieved dramatic changes in the interna-
tional intellectual property landscape", he said USTR said it reviewed 82 trading partners for this year's Special 301 Report, and placed 37 of them on the Priority Watch List or Watch List. Besides India, Algeria, Argentina, Chile, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, and Venezuela too have been placed on the Priority
Watch. These countries, according to the USTR, "present the most significant concerns regarding insufficient IPR protection or enforcement, or otherwise limited market access for persons relying on intellectual property protection". These countries will be the subject of particularly intense bilateral engagement during the coming year, it said.
The United States unveiled a new round of sanctions aimed at business leaders and companies close to Vladimir Putin,
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BUSINESS
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Eversmile Construction Company Private Limited, Conwood Construction and Developers (P) Ltd., DB Realty Ltd., and Nihar Construction Pvt. Ltd. The accused have been booked under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002. "The investigation revealed that amount of Rs.200 crore was paid by promoters of the
STPL, using their group entity Dynamix Realty, to KTV, through KFVPL and CFPL (Cineyug Films) in the garb of legitimate financial transaction, i.e. as loan/share application money," the ED counsel said. The ED said the payment was illegal gratification for and on behalf of Raja and his associates in lieu of illegal favors given to the STPL for grant of UAS license.
from giving the merger scheme of the two drug giants the green signal. The petitioners alleged that by virtue of trading based on this unpublished price sensitive information, the people who were privy to the information benefited to the tune of nearly Rs 284.15 crore at the expense of retail investors. Though the market has been abuzz about foul play in the bigticket deal ever news of the deal broke out, Sun Pharma has even earlier denied the insider trading charges against Silver Street Developers LLP by clarifying the purchase of Ranbaxy shares by its arm did not "violate any insider trading" norms.
The 18 names that were disclosed by the government are of those in respect of whom the investigations have been completed
Dhupelia, Rupal Dhupelia (all Ambrunova Trust reg. & Marline Management S.A), Hansmukh Ishwarlal Gandhi, Chintan Hansmukh Gandhi, Madhu Hansmukh Gandhi, Late Mirav H. Gandhi (all Manichi Trust reg.), Chandrakant Ishwarlal Gandhi, Rajesh Chandrakant Gandhi, Viraj Chandrakant Gandhi, Dhanalaxmi Chandrakant Gandhi (all Ruvisha Trust reg.), Arunkumar Ramniklal Mehta, Harshad Ramniklal Mehta (both Dainese Stiftung and Dryade Stiftung), K.M.Mammen (Webster Foundation), Arun Kochhar (Urvashi Foundation) and Ashok Jaipuria (Raj Foundation).
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SPORTS
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Woods holds on to number SC reserves order on spot-fixing probe panel one spot
London: Tiger Woods has stayed atop the world rankings despite his continued absence from competitive golf following back surgery. The 38-year-old US superstar was treated for a bulging disc in his spine in late March and subsequently pulled out of the Masters, the first of the year's four majors. He is in serious doubt for the US Open at Pinehurst in mid-June with reports saying he could be targetting a return to action at the British Open which starts at Hoylake, near Liverpool, on July 17. In the meantime his main rival
Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone at Indian GP
for the top spot, Australian Adam Scott, took time off, while thirdplaced Swede Henrik Stenson closed the gap slightly with a tie for fifth in the China Open.
Tiger Woods
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has reserved its order on setting up a panel to probe allegations of spot-fixing and betting against some of the cricketers playing the Indian Premier League (IPL) and inaction by BCCI president N. Srinivasan. A bench of Justice A.K. Patnaik and Justice Fakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla reserved the order after it was told that Justice (retd) Mukul Mudgal has consented to head the panel to investigate these allegations. When Srinivasan's counsel Mukul Rohtagi contended that his position should be restored if the court was entrusting the investigation to an outside agency, the court, not inclined to budge from its position to have an independent investigation, asked: "Do you think till investigations are over he (Srinivasan) should stay (as the head of the cricketing body?" "Since BCCI itself is not probing (the allegations) then the man-
agement of the cricketing body should be restored with a rider that he (Srinivasan) will not interfere into the probe," he said. As Rohtagi said there was no finding in the report against Srinivasan, Justice Patnaik said: "It is all in your interest and Srinivasan that we should not read
it (allegation given to the court in sealed cover by Mudgal Committee) out in the open court." "I have not spoken to the secretary general (of the apex court). What you say may not be entirely correct," he said as Rohtagi told the court that audio recording of the Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni, Srinivasan and IPL's chief operating officer Sunder Raman's interaction with Mudgal Inquiry Committee nowhere recorded their having described Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan as a "cricket enthusiast". "To find out what you are saying is right or what the probe committee (has said) then we will have to go to the video room to see," Justice Patnaik said. Rohtagi said the court was hearing the plea by the Cricket Association of Bihar which is not even affiliated to BCCI but was allegedly a front for A.C. Muthiah and (Lalit) Modi.
Former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi
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SELF HELP
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Dont rule with an iron fist. This may have worked when the kids were younger, but teens need to be part of the rule making.
arenting a teenager can be an uphill battle. In addition to the problems you may have faced in your youth, a new host of issues are presented by texting, sexting, social media and cyberbullying, point out experts. Say the right thing and youll open up lines of communication. Say the wrong thing and it could lead to a fight or silent treatment,
says Joani Geltman, child development and parenting expert and author of A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens: Talking to Your Kids About Sexting, Drinking, Drugs, and Other Things That Freak You Out (AMACOM). Geltman offers her Top Ten Parenting Tips. Encourage teens to think inde-
Quick and tasty lunch ideas to 5 quick fixes for big improvements around your home take to work
he work week can be busy and stressful, from shuttling the family around to packing everyones lunch. If youre constantly taking care of others, ask yourself, are you taking sufficient care of yourself? At mealtime, its important to take a minute to re-energize, particularly during a long work day. Rather than ordering heavy meals or packing the same old thing day in and day out, find yourself other quick and tasty lunch ideas that are satisfying and have nutritional value.
hen it comes to home improvement, you dont need to do a complete overhaul to make a big impact. A less is more approach may serve you better, say experts. Sometimes quick fixes are the ones you need most, says Lou Manfredini, host of HouseSmarts TV and home improvement contributor on NBCs The Today Show.
According to Manfredini, there are five small projects you can do yourself that can make a huge difference in your home: Clean the Disposal: Your kitchen sink and disposal work hard, but sometimes they can stink. Every few months, eliminate odor and freshen things up by pouring half a cup of general purpose disinfectant cleaner down the drain. Using a small nylon pipe cleaning brush or clean toilet brush, reach in between the sink drain assembly and scrub the sidewalls of the pipe below it, paying special attention to the underside of the rubber flap on the disposal. Patch in a Snap: Unsightly holes in walls can ruin the look of a room. Luckily, patching those holes doesnt have to be time-intensive. For holes smaller than a dime, apply wall spackle with a putty knife. For larger holes, you may need to use a self-stick metal patch to cover it, and then apply spackle to smooth it out. Achieving professional looking results quickly and on-budget requires the right products, says Manfredini. Use a high-quality wall patch like 3M Patch plus primer spackle and primer in one, now available in a kit for holes up to three inches wide. It applies smoothly and has a built in primer, so once the wall is dry and sanded, you can paint immediately, cutting the repair time in half. Peace and Quiet: Plagued by squeaky wood flooring? Try pouring baby powder over the noisy area. Then, wrap a block of wood in a dish rag and tap the boards down with a hammer to drive the powder between the tongue and groove of the flooring and tighten the nails holding it in place. It may not work in all instances but Ive had great success with this process, says Manfredini. Accent with Paint: To update a room without investing much time or money, paint one wall an accent color. Half of all paint sold in the US is white, so why not add bold color to your home like blue, red or even tangerine? Prep by lightly sanding the entire surface. Patch any holes and then paint using a paint and primer in one. Two coats will give you the depth of color you want and should take only an afternoon. Light it up: To save money and help the environment, switch to LED light bulbs. With all the improvements in color, they can now mimic the warm lighting associated with incandescent bulbs, using two-thirds less electricity. You dont have to spend lots of time or money to spruce up your home this spring. Small projects can go a long way towards make it look great. StatePoint
Here are some things to keep in mind. Whats possible? When planning your meals, consider the amenities of your work environment. Do you have access to a refrigerator? If not, think shelf stability. Heat it Up: Tired of cold sandwiches? You dont need to spend all afternoon lingering in a bistro for a quality Italian lunch. Single-serve, portable pasta meals can be ready in one minute. For example, Barilla Italian Entres are shelf stable and easy to eat on the job. Since the pasta
and sauce are stored separately, the taste and texture of the ingredients are maintained until youre ready to eat. At 350 calories or less, they contain 10-13 grams of protein and six and 11 grams of fiber per meal. They come in a variety of options for meat lovers or vegetarians, such as Vegetable Marinara Whole Grain Fusilli and Meat Sauce Gemelli. For lunch ideas, visit www.barilla.com/italianentrees. Nutrition: Some meals can offer a quick burst of energy only to cause you to crash soon after. To truly take care of yourself throughout the day and get through that afternoon slump, make sure your meals are packed with pro-
tein and fiber to help you feel full. Look for a wholesome way to stay fueled. Be Balanced: Its important to eat wellbalanced meals as much as possible. Eating pasta or a sandwich at lunch? Try incorporating vegetables and fruit on the side to add valuable vitamins and nutrients. All you need is a bag of baby carrots or celery sticks and youre set. No matter what you choose, you neednt resign yourself to forgoing meals or getting bored. If youre juggling work, parenting duties and chores, challenge yourself to find ways to prepare tasty, nourishing lunches in just a minute or two, so you dont go hungry or renege on important responsibilities.
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HEALTH
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Wamp it up!
Processed Foods = Bad Whole and Minimally Processed Foods (WAMP) = Good
animals. Juice needs to be squeezed out of a fresh orange in a similar way to how olive oil needs to be extracted from the olive. All of these are great examples of minimally processed foods. We dont find them as is in nature, but theyre changed only in small ways for us to better consume them. With just a little common sense and some thinking about the origins of foods, knowing whats minimally processed becomes simple. Keep It Real Another key attribute of WAMP foods is their deep-rooted connection to the history of food, culture, and ancient ways of cooking and eating. WAMP foods tend to be key ingredients in authentic recipes of traditional cuisines. For example, when our ancestors made some of the very first breads, they did so with WAMP ingredients: wholewheat kernels crushed using millstones (minimally processed), unrefined sea salt, wild yeast (sourdough starter, not bakers yeast), and water. Same with yogurt: A traditional food of the Balkans, it was likely made from the milk of pasture-raised animals (goat, sheep, or cows) and wild bacteria (not a manufactured strain as is the case today in most of the Dannons and Yoplaits). Even the first pizzas were likely made using minimally processed flours, fresh herbs, fresh cheese from pasture-fed animals, handmade olive oil, and tomato saucenothing like the kind of pizza pies we eat at Pizza Hut. WAMP ingredients and dishes tend to be those that have been around for the longestthrough generations. Theyre old school. Okay, so you must be thinking at this point, Why arent we talking about organic or non-GMO? If WAMP foods are organic, local, sustainable, or otherwise produced in a healthier way for us and the planet (i.e., without pesticides, without antibiotics, without genetic modification, etc.), theyre superioror what I like to call Super WAMP. Whole Food Almonds he idea that eating whole foods is good and processed foods is bad may seem selfevident, but its not as obvious as you might think. In fact, pinpointing WAMP foods isnt simple. Processed foods can be sneaky and disguise themselves as healthy foods without our noticing. For example, we all know that chips, fries, and doughnuts are processed junk-type foodsthats obvious. But what about bagels, cereal, and yogurt? Maybe notit all depends on the ingredients that make them what they are. Most bagels are full of refined, processed wheat, and mainstream cereals are stuffed with processed sugar theyre certainly not WAMP foods. The fact is there isnt a standard, regulated definition of the words whole or minimally processed. Youll need to learn what makes a food WAMP and what doesnt because labels on packages wont tell you. Luckily, there are a few key attributes that flag a food as WAMP.
An organic banana is a better WAMP food than a conventionally grown banana. Sustainably grown rice is a better WAMP food than genetically modified rice. Eat Super WAMP foods when you can, especially when choosing foods from animal origins. Remember, though, that a food labeled organic doesnt make it WAMP. Doughnuts, table sugar, cookies, and potato chips can be organic, but WAMP? Usually not. The Science Now we get to the part about why WAMP foods are the best foods for us, and why theyre so good. Science loves WAMP. Researchers agree that whole and minimally processed foods are more nutrientdense than processed foods, and therefore healthier. WAMP foods contain more fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and so on more of the disease- and cancerfighting good stuffthan processed foods. The case for WAMP foods is only getting stronger each year. Study after study reveals that these foods, especially plant-based WAMP foods, can help prevent certain cancers, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. The idea that the whole is better than the sum of its parts, a quality described as synergy, takes WAMP foods to the major leagues. Scientists have realized that whole foods have a certain je ne sais quoi that foods made by humans dont, a characteristic that is best exemplified by what happens when you eat a whole carrot versus ingesting a pill that contains beta-carotene. You dont get the same benefits from the pill; eating the carrot is better. Science has found that theres a special synergy among nutrients in whole foods that humans cant replicate. When we take a bite out of a carrot, hundreds of nutrients within that bite of carrot work together to ensure they function optimally and provide us with the nourishment Processed Food Almond Joy Candy Bar Chocolate Chip Muffin White Bread The Flavor Ready for the best news about WAMP? This food is t-a-s-t-y! And its no wonder, since our species is biologically hardwired to find WAMP foods pleasurable. In fact, scientists have found that humans acquired a sense of taste to help them stay aliveedible, nourishing WAMP foods generally tasted sweet (signaling we may eat them) while poisonous foods tasted very bitter (signaling the opposite). The sweet flavor of ripe summer
Direct From Mother Nature Lets start by defining whole foods. Whole foods are foods that come directly from Mother Nature, period. What this means is that these foods look pretty much the same whether you find them at a grocery store or on a farm. Whole foods, for the most part, come from the plant, animal, or fungi kingdoms. Carrots, whole chickens, mushrooms theyre all considered whole. Take cinnamon sticks, for example. Theyre bark, from plants, and we find them essentially as is, direct from nature. Same with coconuts, apples, lettuce, and hundreds of other foods. Once those foods are processed, though, they lose their nutrient power and goodness theyre no longer WAMP. The key here is that whole foods are unaltered from the way youd find them in the wild. Minimally Touched by the Human Hand With minimally processed foods, a little common sense goes a long way. For example, minor alteration by the human hand is necessary for some whole foods to be stored, shipped, preserved, and consumed. Some fish are smoked to prevent them from going bad. Whole chickens are skinned, deboned, and fit into convenient packages for us to pick up from the supermarket. In the preparation of chocolate, cacao beans need to be extracted from the pods they came in, fermented, and dried prior to consumption. Butter needs to be made by humans from the milk of
WAMP (Whole and Minimally Processed Foods) offers a bulletproof definition of healthy food, superseding the terms organic, natural, and local. Here is an extract from natural food chef and healthy living expert Pooja Mottls new book, The 3-Day Reset: Restore Your Cravings For Healthy Foods in Three Easy, Empowering Days (Seal Press).
were meant to have from that carrot. Its for this same reason that taking fish-oil pills (a product of extracting and isolating oils from whole fish and then encapsulating them) doesnt give you as much benefit as eating fresh, whole fish; why drinking apple juice just isnt as healthy as munching on a whole apple; why enriched white bread isnt as nourishing as wheat berries. The bottom line is that WAMP foods have a quality that trumps the duplicative powers of modern medicine and nutrition science. We know theyre uniquely healthy, yet we cant figure out how. But we do know that WAMP foods are the true definitionthe par excellenceof healthy food. strawberries is euphoric. Oysters are deliciously salty. Mushrooms have the perfect touch of umami. These kinds of foods give us incomparable pleasure. Composed of hundreds of flavor compounds with beautiful hues, tantalizing textures, and heavenly aromas, WAMP foods deliver on many levels. And in their freshest state (harvested at the peak of ripeness and used shortly thereafter), nothing can beat the multisensory experience we can obtain from them. Similar to the special synergy in their nutrient value, WAMP foods are made up of complex combinations of chemicals that affect their taste and smellcombinations that humans have a hard time replicating as well. For example, the potent oils found in an orange peel contain a mind-boggling combination of over 200 chemicals alone. The distinct flavor of pure maple syrup cannot be reproduced, the science behind its flavor a secret of Mother Nature. Excerpted from The 3-Day Reset: Restore Your Cravings for Healthy Foods in Three Easy, Empowering Days, by Pooja Mottl. With permission from Seal Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright 2014.
Raw Cacao Pod 85% Cacao Dark Chocolate Wheatberries Orange Whole-Wheat Pasta
Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice Packaged Orange Fruit Drink Frozen Chicken Tenders Brand-name Peanut Butter with Additives and Preservatives
Peanuts
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ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
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merican actor John Trovolta said he has been approached by filmaker Shekhar Kapoor for "Paani". "Yes, I have been offered a film that I am considering doing. I believe it's an honest Bollywood film and its called "Pani". Shekhar Kapoor has asked me to be a part of it," Trovolta said. Shekhar Kapur has been planning to make "Paani" for a while now and Hrithik Roshan was earlier approached for this film.
ctor-filmmaker and host of socially-relevant TV show "Satyamev Jayate", Aamir Khan says he is "sad like every Indian" due to the state of the country's political system, but stressed that change will only come when people stop voting for criminals contesting elections. "I wish and hope that political parties rise above this and stop giving tickets to criminals. Ultimately, the change will come when people stop voting for criminals," Aamir said here during the NDTV Indian of the Year Awards. He does not like the way people end up voting, but he said that he does understand why they end up casting a vote for the people they do. "What I don't understand is that why political parties give a ticket to criminals," he said.
Aamir Khan
Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in '2 States' Rs.1.25 crore and Samrat & Co. must have earned not more than Rs.50 lakh, Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia
he footprint of the over $2 billion Indian cinema industry is rapidly growing overseas, says National Award-winning filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. He stresses that while non-traditional markets are vital, the US, powered by a three-million strong Indian diaspora, remains the biggest international market for Indian moviemakers. "America is an important market for us. It is important for us to have a (wide) presence there as it is the final frontier for the business of films and the biggest market for us overseas," Mehra said. "I remember taking 'Rang De Basanti' (in 2006)...the market in the US is most certainly growing. Now we have our films in the US, the UAE, Australia and Britain, but we need a stronger presence in the US, and we need to go beyond the diaspora to explore more non-traditional markets," he said. Mehra's last entertainer, "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", a biopic which was recently named the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment by the National Film Awards jury, was released in multiple territories abroad the US, Australia, Britain, Fiji, Singapore, Thailand, Malasiya, Hong Kong, East Africa, South Africa, Indonesia, the UAE and New Zealand.
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ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
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nal piece of cinema, crafted with compelling concentration and impassioned intuition. The mayhem is meticulously executed. It serves as the evocative backdrop for the life of an outlawed banditpolitician. Kangna plays a woman of substance who, going by her highoctane energy level, seems to be guilty of substance abuse. And that's the least of her crimes. Alka Singh, as played by Kangna in her second powerhouse performance this year, is the female goon who speaks most eloquently with the nozzle of her gun. There is an awkwardness to her 'Chambal ki boli' that dissolves when she has to converse with a 'bandook ki goli'. Kangna's askew personality and her lisping halting dialogue delivery give her character that cutting edge with distinguishes a remarkable performance and takes a potentially powerful performance into the realm of the truly inspired. I wonder what Alka Singh would
Review
Kangna Ranaut in a scene from 'Revolver Rani' have been if Kangna had not played this feisty women! Alka's epic saga is partly cartoonish, partly a documentary on bandit-politics spliced together to make the woman an outrageously endearing outlaw. At heart, "Revolver Rani" is a heartbreaking love story of a crass, powerful female politician who falls for a sleazy selfish Bollywood aspirant. We can see what a jerk he is. She can't. As she goes through a sham marriage and a very real pregnancy with the certifiable asshole, Kangna's character's blind love turns into frustration and fury in front of our eyes.
"Revolver Rani" is a film of baffling contradictions and anomalies. It starts with 10 minutes of dreadfully self-conscious political humour and then steers adroitly into Alka's love life with a cocky contempt for conventional signposts of female empowerment. The feminist hoardings all all bypassed in favour of creating untried rules of unorthodox womanhood. More than the political intrigue, I was enthralled by Kangna's growing love for the thoroughly undeserving "Cham-cham" (yup, that he cheesy nickname for her toy boy). The desperate passion she feels for this cad is so palpable as to make love appear as the greatest crime in Alka Singh's world of pervasive outlawry. Like Kangna's Alka Singh, there is no artifice in the technique applied to the proceedings. "Revolver Rani" is as real as comic book heroines can get. And if that seems like an irreconcilable merger of two separate worlds, then so be it. Commercial Hindi cinema has come of age.
"Kaanchi" hit the theaters April 25 and it has got a lukewarm response, both from the audience and critics. It minted Rs.1.25 crore in two days since its release. However, Ghai is hopeful the film will pick up in the coming days. "A little bit of patience is needed for a film made with a new cast, so just wait and watch, everything will be fine in a few days. I know people are enjoying it," the filmmaker said. The film chronicles the story of an innocent rural beauty and her fight against power and features Kartik Aaryan, Mithun Chakraborty and Rishi Kapoor in key roles.
sessions court has begun the retrial in the 2002 hit-and-run case involving Bollywood actor Salman Khan, with the partial deposition of witnesses. The witnesses included Samba Gowda who had drawn the list of articles (panchnama) seized by police on the day of the incident, Sep 28, 2002. Gowda informed public prosecutor J. Kenjalkar that the car involved in the accident was a big vehicle that rammed into a laundry and its bumper hit the shop's shutters. He said he saw glass pieces, number plate and bits of the bumper lying at the scene of the accident that were collected by police and a list was made. He expressed readiness to identify the articles. Two other witnesses were discharged as they had already admitted the lists recorded by them. The prosecution said it had submitted a list of 64 witnesses but would not examine all of them in the retrial. Salman Khan
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HUMOR
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Aidan whether he really intended to kill his teachers. "A little," the child admitted. Personally, I don't see a lot of difference in being killed a little or a lot; you're dead either way, right? One TV host in New Zealand was criticized for being non-PC after he said on air that reasoning with toddlers was "like trying to explain bad behavior to drunken rugby hoons (louts) with the language skills of chimpanzees". I was shocked. How could he get away with insulting chimpanzees like that?
Personally, I never use pepper spray when my children get out of control. I keep totally calm and we come to a compromise. I compromise by giving them what they want and they compromise by shutting up. This is known as "good parenting". Meanwhile, I am seriously considering getting myself diagnosed with fear of children as an official disability so that the government will be forced to relieve me of the stress of parenting. I'll have a miraculous recovery as soon as they've graduated from university. Sounds like a plan?
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.
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ASTROLOGY
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Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874 Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899 psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
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SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
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any people want to take some time off from their day-to-day jobs so that they can take a vacation. They want to get away from the drudgery of their day-to-day life to relax and find some peace of mind. They wish to get away from the daily troubles and worries of life and experience happiness by being in a place where they can enjoy themselves. Most people, however, want to experience peace not only for a few fleeting moments, but for all times. There are three levels of peace that occur simultaneously. There is peace of mind, peace of heart, and peace of soul. Peace of mind is not only essential to our daily lives, but it is very helpful in our spiritual journey back to God. When we analyze what happens during the day, we know that there are countless occurrences that keep us from experiencing
Spirituality and meditation not only provides us with peace of mind, but it also gives us peace of heart. Each human being needs love and each human being can give love. The spiritual path provides us with a means of lasting love and happiness because the love of God is beyond time and space.
only provides us with peace of mind, but it also gives us peace of heart. Each human being needs love and each human being can give love. The spiritual path provides us with a means of lasting love and happiness because the love of God
God and we really feel it, then our heart is dancing with joy. It is filled to overflowing with the divine nectar of Gods love. There are no bounds to its ecstasy. Every so often our soul awakens to its true nature. The sweet voice
n each persons life a moment comes when we have a transcendent experience or a revelation in which we become aware that we have a higher purpose in this world. Suddenly, amidst the daily rituals of waking up, getting dressed, going to work, eating, and sleeping, we get a glimpse that there is something more to this life. That moment may come when we are a child. It may come to us while a teenager, or it may come in adult life. Some may have it when they are young adults, and some have it in their senior years of life. Whenever it comes, it leaves us transformed. Suddenly, we begin to question who we are, why we are here, where we go when we die,
and what our purpose in life is. Read about the life of any of the great saints and mystics and you will find some life-transforming experience that awakened their quest. Once these burning questions arise, there is no turning back. We are restless until we find the solution. Before our awakening, it is like we are sleeping. Our soul has been asleep for aeons. We started out in the lap of God but became lost in the attractions of the world. We have forgotten our true Home. We are in a state of slumber or forgetfulness that we are souls, a part of God. We think we are the mind and the body and have forgotten our true essence as soul, as a part of the Creator.
has two dimensionsouter and inner. Sant Mat focuses on the inner dimensionthe deep spiritual essence known as mysticism. Mysticism looks beyond rites, rituals, and scriptural knowledge and pursues spirituality as a matter of personal inner experience. Sant Mat expresses the deepest values of every great spiritual traditionlove for God, compassion for Gods creation, and a daily life grounded in ethical values. Sant Mats unique contribution is distilling these noble ideals into a simple, universal spiritual path and then providing the tools and techniques to make them a personal reality. Sant Mat does not demand that we renounce our families or societies. Instead, we can pursue our spiritual goals while leading normal lives.
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The Seventh Year of Leadership & Legacy. Our Gratitude for your Continuous Love.