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Vol. 3 | No. 42 | February 5-11, 2011 | 60 Cents
The South Asian Times
Diaspora 14 Valentines Day 15 Spiritual Awareness 30 Bollywood 18
NEW YORK EDITION
Excellence In Journalism
Cairo protests
continue, but
Mubarak wont quit
International,
page 22
List of Indian
secret account
holders outed
Community,
page 3
Republic Day
celebrated at
Ganesh Temple
R Day Celebrations,
Page 16
Former telecom
minister Raja held
for 2G scam
India,
Page 12
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Lis t of 15 In d ian s ecr et accou n t
h old er s ou t ed by Teh elk a
In d ian s t u d en t s of s h am
v ar s it y fear d ep or t at ion
Cuomo budget proposes painful cuts
New Delhi: A list of 13 individ-
uals and 3 trusts allegedly holding
secret accounts in the tax haven
of Lichetenstein has been released
by Tehelka news magazine.
The list has been with the Indian
government since March 2009 but
Pleasanton, CA: A woman
broke down in Shah Peerallys of-
fce. She feared what was going to
happen to her, Peerally said. Her
sobs were so uncontrollable, the
immigration attorney here thought
she would faint.
The woman is a student at
Pleasanton-based Tri-Valley Uni-
versity, which is being probed by
the federal government for fraud.
Many of its students from India
have been left in limbo about their
status in this country.
Peerally has had more than 300
calls seeking advice since news of
the investigation by Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
broke Jan. 19.
The colleges president said no
laws have been broken, but Peer-
ally said students, many of whom
have never had so much as a traf-
fc ticket, now fear interrogation
by federal agents or even depor-
tation even though the school re-
mained on ICEs list of schools
approved for foreigners.
Albany, NY: Gov. Andrew
Cuomo on Tuesday proposed a
budget that would cut overall
state spending for the frst time in
15 years as New York tries to es-
cape crippling defcits, including
up to 9,800 layoffs and massive
cuts to schools and colleges.
New York state is functionally
bankrupt, Cuomo said in his bud-
get presentation to lawmakers.
He said the overall budget,
including federal funds tied to
state spending, is cut 2.7 per-
cent under his plan, a reduction
in spending not seen in Albany
since the mid-1990s. Thats $3.7
billion less than the 2010-11
budget. But most of the reduc-
tion refects the automatic loss
of more than $5 billion in tem-
porary federal stimulus funds,
which runs out this fscal year.
Cuomo actually increased the
state funds by 1 percent.
Besides addressing a $10 bil-
lion defcit projected for the
coming fscal year, the spending
cuts would reduce huge project-
ed defcits in future years. Cuo-
mo said the four-year total def-
cit would be $9.2 billion, down
from a projected $64.6 billion.
Cuomos spending plan ad-
dresses what the comptrollers
offce projected as a more than
$10 billion defcit without new
or higher taxes and without bor-
rowing, a longtime Albany prac-
tice in hard fscal times.
Cuomos proposal would cut
$918.4 million in state aid to
New York City, more than half
of it school aid, and provide no
municipal aid to the city for the
second straight year.
Although short of some expec-
tations of a deeper cut in the state
budget that jumped a record $14
billion since 2008, the proposal
Th eSou t h As ian Times .in fo
Commu n it y 3
Fe b r u ar y 5- 11, 2010
it did not disclose names because
of the German government gave
the list in confdence.
Tehelka said it has approached
those on the list and was await-
ing their response before giving
their details. The name of chair
man of a major Indian corpora-
tion was also on the list but his
name is held back pending his
response. Here is the list:
1. Manoj Dhupelia
2. Rupal Dhupelia
3. Mohan Dhupelia
4. Hasmukh Gandhi
5. Chintan Gandhi
6. Dilip Mehta
7. Arun Mehta
8. Arun Kochar
9. Gunwanti Mehta
10. Rajnikant Mehta
11. Prabodh Mehta
12. Ashok Jaipuria
13. Raj Foundation
14. Urvashi Foundation 15. Am-
brunova Trust
The three trusts in this list are
registered outside India
The State Department said some
of the students have been issued
ankle bracelet monitors, but did
not specify how many people are
being tracked.
According to the U.S. Attor-
neys Offce complaint the college
had sent fraudulent information
so it could illegally sponsor for-
eign students.
The varsity has stated that of its
5,000 students, 1,555 are interna-
tional students, 140 of whom ap-
plied for visas through the school.
On Jan. 19, the university was
denied recognition by the state
Department of Consumer Affairs
because it had not been accred-
ited by a recognized agency. Ac-
cording to its website, Tri-Valley
University was accredited by the
International Association of Bible
Colleges and Seminaries.
Indias Ministry of External Af-
fairs has expressed serious concern
about the federal investigations
impact on Indian students, and in
particular the radio monitors.
Not very impressive entrance to the Tri-Valley University
remains an uncommonly conserva-
tive plan for Albany.
Cuomos $132.9 billion budget cuts
education and health care spending
and he said he seeks to avoid most lay-
offs through attrition and by securing
concessions from unions in contract
negotiations. The proposed layoffs
would amount to roughly 5 percent of
the states 200,000 employees.
Cuomos budget, which includes
no new or increased taxes, calls
for a 7.3 percent cut in state aid to
schools, or $1.5 billion from the
states more than $20 billion in an-
nual school aid. Cuomo said that
means local school budgets will get
2.9 percent less state aid.
Operating aid to the State Univer-
sity of New York, City University
of New York and community col-
leges would fall 10 percent. State
aid to private colleges also would
be cut 10 percent.
Governor Cuomos cuts to our
kids schools are the largest in his-
tory, said Billy Easton, executive
director of the Alliance for Quality
Education. If they are adopted the
damage to students will be perma-
nent because children do not get a
second chance.
Advocates for public schools,
higher education and public work-
er unions will now take their case
to the Legislature. The established
practice in Albany is a governor
proposes a low budget total in part
by trimming areas the Legislature
most wants to protect, then negoti-
ating restorations.
Cuomo said he hopes to use attri-
tion, estimated at more than 10,000
jobs a year, to help achieve $550
million in savings from the work
force through contract negotiations
to minimize layoffs. Last year,
then-Gov. David Paterson had said
he could have achieved almost half
that total savings through union
concessions without any layoffs.
The budget also would raise rev-
enues by expanding lottery play,
some fee increases, a few one-shot
revenue raisers and a surcharge on
horse racing in the state.
The proposed budget includes no
new borrowing, but calls for anoth-
er cut in the $50 billion Medicaid
program that funds health facilities
and programs and was cut deeply
in the last two fscal years.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
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Th e Sou t h As ian Times
Excellen ce In Jou r n alis m
Tristate Community 5
TheSouthAsianTimes.info February 5-11, 2011
Washington, DC: The leader of a
gang of picky New York City burglars,
who targeted the homes of Indian and
South Asian residents around
Washington for their gold jewellery
has been sentenced to 46 months in
federal prison.
Dagoberto Soto Ramirez, 28, and his
wife, Melinda M. Soto, 34, of Queens,
admitted that they travelled to Fairfax
and Loudoun counties, two
Washington suburbs in neighbouring
Northern Virginia, from January to
November of 2009, using online White
Page listings to search for South
Asian-sounding names.
Melinda Soto acknowledged she
would knock on doors during the day
to see if anyone was home, and if not,
she would sit in their rented car and
monitor a police scanner while her
husband and another man, Francisco
Gray, 40, broke in and searched for
gold and other valuables.
About $600,000 worth of gold and
other items were taken in 37 burgla-
ries, prosecutors said.
The trio were arrested in the Clifton
area in November 2009, but released
after judges in Fairfax and Loudoun
found no evidence in their car or hotel
room tying them to any one burglary.
Gray was then deported to Peru, and
has not been located since.
Federal prosecutors picked up the
case and last summer charged the trio
with conspiracy to transport stolen
goods across state line.
The Sotos pleaded guilty, and
Melinda Soto was sentenced last
month to three years in prison.
Dagoberto Soto is a career criminal
dating to age nine, prosecutors said in
a brief. He faced a recommended sen-
tencing range of 37 to 46 months, and
US District Judge Leonie M.
Brinkema gave him the maximum.
The Sotos agreed to make restitution
of $590,860, but in $200 monthly
chunks to the 37 victim families. None
of the stolen items was ever recovered.
Raman Kumar, one of the early vic-
tims who organised the community
against the crime, told the judge: 'As a
minority community, we want protec-
tion. We want security.' 'The South
Asian community is a victim of an
economically motivated - hate crime.
The crimes justify most severe punish-
ment under the law,' he said.
New York: The Consulate General of India, New York, in
association with the Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan, USA
observed the 63rd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on
Sunday, January 30, 2011 at the New India House. About
80 guests including teachers, students, journalists, and
office bearers of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan attended the func-
tion.
The program began with garlanding of the bust of
Mahatma Gandhi by Consul General of India, Amb. Prabhu
Dayal, Chairman of Bharatiya Bhavan, Mr. H. R. Shah, Dr.
Navin Mehta,Trustee of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, and Dr.
Najma Sultana, Board Member, American Federation of
Muslims from India.
Speaking on the occasion, Consul General touched upon
the different aspects of Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy and
its continuing relevance in the contemporary world. The
program was followed with singing of Gandhiji's favorite
bhajans by Mrs. Sanjukta Sen and students of Bharatiya
Vidya Bhavan. Students of Indian Culture Course of
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan recited poems on Gandhiji. The
program concluded with a vote of thanks by Kenny Desai,
Secretary of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
Gold burglar targeting South Asians
gets 46 months
Community pays homage to Gandhiji
Jersey City, NJ: The Art of Living
Foundation, an international NGO founded
by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, host-
ed Indias 62nd Republic Day Celebrations
on January 29, 2011 at the prestigious
Westin Hotel in Newport, Jersey City, NJ.
The event showcased rousing cultural per-
formances by the Foundation's volunteers
and a stellar dance performance by NYC
Bhangra group which brought the audience,
over 350 of them, to their feet. The celebra-
tion was part of Art of Living Foundations
Proud to be an Indian campaign.
The event started with the beautiful rendi-
tion of Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera from the
movie Swadesh by Divya. This was fol-
lowed by a hilarious, yet touching, hip-hop
performance presented by Karishma
Bhambani called Pseudo-American Desi.
It was the story of Gurinder Sehgal who
moved to the US to be with his sweetheart
Nidhi. The events captured in the perform-
ance had the audience rolling on the floor as
Nidhi taunts Gurinder A desi a desi you
dont have to be, for God sake, this is
America not an Indian colony every time
he made a mistake. The performance con-
cluded with Gurinder confronting Nidhi and
saying You might have taken me out of
India but not the Indian out of me.
The evening continued with the hoisting
of the Indian flag and rendition of the
Indian national anthem. The event was
attended by Assemblyman Upendra
Chivukula, who in his speech appreciated
the work of the Art of Living Foundation
and His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in
spreading the message of peace and love.
He also commended the Foundation for its
service initiatives to help the poor and
needy. Assemblyman Chivukula presented a
Proclamation from New Jersey General
Assembly announcing January 29, 2011 as
the 62nd Republic Day celebrations hosted
by Art of Living Foundation.
The evening included performances by
Noah Damer s Dance Group to the
Bollywood hits of Dhol Bajne Laga,
Chori Chori, Tera Hone Laga Hoon and
by Art of Living Volunteers to the
Bollywood Hits of Jai Ho, Morni Baga
Ma, Desi Girl and Vande Mataram.
Sarini Ettigi performed Bharatnatyam on a
clay pot (also known as Perani Natyam).
Hameer Ruparel had the audience dancing
to the tunes of Kuhu Kuhu Bole and
Rang De Basanti Chola, while Divya took
the audience down the memory lane
through her rendition of Aage Bhi Jaane
Na Tu.
The evening ended with the crowd of over
350 being led into a 20 minute interactive
bhangra session by the fabulous and ener-
getic dancers from NYC Bhangra group.
Art of Living celebrates Indias Republic Day in NJ
The event was part of Foundations Proud to be an Indian campaign
Connecticut: Dr Prasad
Srinivasan became the first
Indian-American and the
only physician among 151
members of the Connecticut
General Assembly to be
sworned in to the office in
January.
He is also the second
Indian American after New
Jersey Assemblyman
Upendra Chivukula to
become a state lawmaker in
the New York-New Jersey-
Connecticut tristate area.
A graduate of Baroda
Medical College, Srinivasan,
a Republican, won from the
31st District in Glastonbury
trouncing the two-time
Democratic incumbent. He
campaigned on issues like
fiscal responsibility, opportu-
nities for businesses to grow,
and better health care.
Srinivasan was appointed
to the Public Health,
Education and Finance,
Revenue and Bonding com-
mittees for his first term in
the legislature.
Born in Kerala into a Tamil
family, he came to the
United States in 1975 and is
an alumnus of the Brookdale
Hospital in Brooklyn, New
York and the Michael Reese
Hospital in Chicago. He is
actively involved with the
American Association of
Physicians of Indian Origin
and the Connecticut Valley
Hindu Temple Society.
He has served in leadership
positions in the Community
Health Advisory Committee,
Connecticut State Medical
Society, and the Hartford
County Medical Association.
He is a founder of Free
Public Health Clinic for
Uninsured patients.
His wife Kala is a musi-
cian. Their son Shashank is a
physician at the Harvard
Medical School and daughter
Anusha is a financial profes-
sional with Citibank in New
York.
Prasad Srinivasan
sworn in to CT general
assembly
Prasad Srinivasan is second
Indian-American assembly-
man in tristate area
Consul General Prabhu Dayal garlanded
the bust of Gandhiji
Assemblyman Chivukula presenting a
proclamation from NJ General Assembly
on the occasion
Sarini Ettigi performed Bharatnatyam on
a clay pot
6 Tristate Community
February 5-11, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Washington, DC: Lawyers for
Indian guestworkers who are
suing Signal International, LLC
along with its co-conspirators and
other entities for human traffick-
ing and racketeering, filed for
class certification today to include
hundreds of additional Indian
guestworkers in the lawsuit. If
class status is granted, the lawsuit
could be the largest human traf-
ficking case in the U.S. history.
The Southern Poverty Law
Center (SPLC), American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU), Asian
American Legal Defense and
Education Fund (AALDEF),
Louisiana Justice Institute (LJI)
and the law firm Dewey &
LeBoeuf LLP filed the original
proposed class action lawsuit on
behalf of the seven individuals,
who seek to represent a class of
approximately 500 former guest-
workers lured to work in the U.S.
after Hurricane Katrina and sub-
jected to racial and national origin
discrimination, forced labor, and
other abuse by Signal and its
agents and co-Defendants, includ-
ing labor recruiters Sachin Dewan
and Michael Pol and immigration
attorney Malvern Burnett. Todays
filing urges the court to certify the
class.
Signal, a marine and fabrication
company with shipyards in
Mississippi, Texas and Alabama,
is a subcontractor for several
major multi-national companies.
After Hurricane Katrina scattered
its workforce, Signal retained its
co-Defendants who used the U.S.
governments guestworker pro-
gram to import employees to
work as welders and pipefitters.
Between 2004 and 2006, hun-
dreds of Indian men paid
Defendants as much as $20,000
each for travel, visa, recruitment
and other fees after they were told
it would lead to good jobs and
permanent U.S. residency for
themselves and their families.
However, when the men arrived
at Signal in late 2006 and early
2007, they discovered that they
wouldnt receive the green cards
as promised, but rather 10-month
guestworker visas. Signal also
forced them to pay $1,050 a
month to live in overcrowded,
unsanitary and racially segregated
labor camps where as many as 24
men shared a trailer with only two
toilets. When the guestworkers
tried to find their own housing,
Signal officials told them they
would still have the rent deducted
from their paychecks. Visitors
were not allowed into the camps,
which were enclosed by fences.
Company employees who stood
guard at the camps regularly
searched the workers' belongings.
Workers who complained about
the conditions they faced were
threatened with deportation.
The guestworkers attorneys
filed the class action human traf-
ficking and racketeering lawsuit
in the U.S. District Court for the
Eastern District of Louisiana in
March 2008.
Indian guestworkers want
human trafficking civil suit to
be certified as class action
New York: 59 teenagers of Indian origin
are among the 300semifinalists selected
from 1,744 applicants this year the Intel
Science TalentSearch 2011, according to a
release from the Society for Science that
handlesthe competition.
The semifinalists were to be further
shortlisted to 40 on Jan. 26.
Thoseselected will then be invited to
Washington, D.C., in March to display
theirwork to the public, meet with
notable scientists and compete for the
topaward of $100,000. The winners will
be announced March 15.
59 Indian American students in
IntelScience Contest
US court orders
jailed doctor to
pay $ 43 mn
Boston: An Indian-American
doctor has been sentenced to 15
years in prison by a US court
for committing health care
fraud with his wife and has
been ordered to forfeit over
USD 43 million in cash and
property gained through the
fraud.
Arun Sharma, 56, conspired
with his wife Kiran Sharma and
committed a health care fraud
over a 10-year-period in Texas,
United States Attorney Jose
Angel Moreno said today.
Handing down the sentence,
US District Judge DavidHittner
ordered Sharma to forfeit over $
43 million,including the cou-
ples $ 700,000 home in Texas,
numerous parcels of real prop-
erty, more than $ 700,000 in
cash found during a search of
their home, over $ 800,000 in
cash found in two safe deposit
boxes and a number of invest-
ment accounts funded with the
proceeds of their fraudulent
scheme.
Sharma has been remanded to
the custody of the USMarshals
Service.
Kiran, who also has been con-
victed of conspiracy and health
care fraud after pleading guilty
in April 2010, is scheduled to
be sentenced on February 23.
She remains in custody at the
Federal Detention Centre in
Houston pending sentencing.
Sharma had pleaded guilty to
one count of conspiracy and
one count of health care fraud
in April last year. During his
plea, he admitted that from
January 1, 1998 through June
10, 2009, he and his wife had
fraudulently billed Medicare,
Medicaid and various private
health care providers for med-
ical procedures that were not
performed.The couple owned
and operated multiple medical
clinics operating under the
name Allergy, Asthma, Arthritis
Pain Centre in Texas.
Ambassador Meera Shankar and US Under Secretary of State William Burns at the
Republic Day Reception at Embassy Residence in Washington DC on January 26, 2011
National community 7
TheSouthAsianTimes.info February 5 - 11 , 2011
Indian American writers
have impacted our literary
culture: Jay McInerney
Indian American engineer
gets 32 years for selling
secrets to China
Jaipur: Acclaimed post-
modern US novelist John
Barrett 'Jay' McInerney, a
master of New York sagas,
says writers of the Indian
diaspora in his beloved city
have made a significant
impact on contemporary
American literary culture.
'The Indian diaspora has
become a part of the
American and English liter-
ary tradition,' McInerney
told HT Media in an inter-
view.
The 56-year-old blue eyed writer, a friend
and neighbor of novelist Salman Rushdie,
is known for his path-breaking social reali-
ty novels set in New York, 'Bright Lights,
Big City', 'Ransom', 'Brightness Falls',
'Story of My Life', 'The Good Life' and the
screenplay of the Paramount production,
'Gia'. His books capture his racy sex, coke
and gut culture of the changing US of the
1980s.
McInerney was labeled by the American
media as the 'literary brat pack' along with
two fellow novelists Bret Easton Ellis and
Tama Janowitz.
'I don't know why I was waiting so long
to come to India. I was
on my way to India in
1979. I was in Japan
but I was ill in
Bangkok and they sent
me home,' McInerney
said, soaking in the
rainbow shades of con-
temporary literature on
show at the DSC
Jaipur Literature
Festival from Jan 21-
25.
McInerney is writing
a new novel that spans
seven defining years of New York from
2003 to 2010. 'I am looking at the years of
recession in my new book. The recession
has made New Yorkers more reflective by
necessity - people are a lot more afraid of
what they have experienced,' he said.
McInerney is a connoisseur of fine wines
thanks to two of his wine columns.
He says 'the Indian wine industry is open-
ing up'.
'Ten years ago, there was no Sula. Wine
drinking is civilizing. But Indians should
lobby to lower the tariffs of wine from
other countries. They pay so much more for
their wine,' McInerney said.
Washington, DC: Weeks after
China conducted a flight test of
its new J-20 stealth fighter, a
US court has sentenced a for-
mer Indian American B-2
stealth bomber engineer to 32
years for selling military secrets
to China. Mumbai-born Noshir
Gowadia, 66, who has been in
custody without bail since his
2005 arrest, showed no emotion
as Chief US District Judge
Susan Oki Mollway pronounced the punish-
ment in Honolulu Monday, according to
media reports.
In August, a federal jury had convicted
Gowadia of 14 counts, including conspiracy,
communicating national defence information
to aid a foreign nation and violating the arms
export control act. Prosecutors said Gowadia
helped China design a stealth cruise missile
to get money to pay the $15,000-a-month
mortgage on his multimillion dollar home
overlooking the ocean in Haiku on Maui.
They said Gowadia he pocketed at least
$110,000 from the sale of military secrets
and showing his Chinese contacts how his
stealth cruise missile design would be effec-
tive against US air-to-air missiles.
Gowadias defence attorneys
said its true the engineer gave
China the design for a stealth
cruise missile exhaust nozzle
but he based his work on
unclassified, publicly available
information. Gowadias son
has said his father plans to
appeal.
Between 2003 and 2005
Gowadia made six secret trips
into mainland China and
exchanged numerous communications to
help Chinese defence engineers design a
cruise missile that is able to evade air-to-air,
heat-seeking missiles, they said.
Gowadia helped design the propulsion sys-
tem for the B-2 bomber when he worked at
Northrop Corp., now known as Northrop
Grumman Corp, between 1968 and 1986.
Gowadia moved from India to the US for
postgraduate work in the 1960s and became
a US citizen about a decade later. He retired
from Northrop for health reasons in 1986,
two years before the B-2 made its public
debut.
Gowadia moved to Maui in 1999 from the
US mainland where he had been doing con-
sulting work after retiring from Northrop.
Novelist John Barrett Jay
McInerney
Noshir Gowadia
Businessman indicted for
concealing bank accounts in India
GM food preferable to chemical
ones, says Siddhartha Mukherjee
Washington, DC: An Indian-American
businessman has been indicted by a federal
grand jury in New Jersey on charges that
he tried to conceal undeclared bank
accounts in the British Virgin Islands and
India.
The indictment filed in Newark federal
court charges India born Vaibhav Dahake,
who became a naturalized US citizen in
2006, with one count of conspiring to
defraud the IRS, according to nj.com, a
New Jersey website.
From 2001 through 2010, Dahake main-
tained undeclared bank accounts in the
British Virgin Islands and India that he
failed to report on his federal income tax
returns, prosecutors said.
The accounts located in India were main-
tained at a large international bank, which
was headquartered in England and main-
tained offices throughout the world includ-
ing in India, Singapore, Hong Kong and
the US, they said.
The indictment didn't identify the bank
by name, saying only that the institution
'was one of the largest international banks
in the world and was headquartered in
England.'
But the Wall Street Journal citing a per-
son familiar with the case said the bank
was HSBC Holdings PLC.
The count with which Dahake is charged
carries a maximum potential penalty of
five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
New Delhi: There are many kinds of 'or-
ganic' food flooding the market, but they
are actually produced using chemicals,
says Indian American oncologist
Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of a much-
talked about book on cancer, adding he
would prefer GM food instead.
'I tend to think that genetically-modified
food is safer than chemically-modified
food.
I know it is controversial but GM food is
a step ahead of chemically-modified food,'
Mukherjee, the author of 'The Emperor of
All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer', said
during a talk in Indias national capital
Monday.
Several studies from different parts of
world suggest that GM food may expose
people to greater risk of cancer and have
been termed a potential health hazard.
'There are so many food items listed as
'organic' in the market, but when you read
the fine print you know it is not organic at
all and all kinds of chemicals have been
used. However, we have a large number of
people to feed and so we cannot go organic
all over. Till we live in this imperfect
world, I would rather have GM food than
chemically modified ones,' he said.
Mukherjee's book which attempts to trace
the history of cancer through several sto-
ries related to the disease, its diagnosis, and
research and discovery of various thera-
pies, was nominated for the reputed
National Book Critics Circle Award in the
non-fiction category Monday.
FIA Chicago celebrates India's
Republic day
STAR Plus to show ICC World Cup
highlights in America
Indian Muslims' group pays tribute to Gandhi on death anniversary
Chicago: The Federation of Indian
Associations, Chicago celebrated
Indias 62nd Republic Day in the
Holiday Inn, Skokie on Jan 28. The
program began with the singing of
US and Indian national anthems.
Keerthi Kumar Ravoori welcomed
the gathering. He hailed the leaders
of that era and remembered their
heroism. FIA trustees Iftekhar
Shareef, Kanti Patel, Sohan Joshi
and Anil Pillai spoke and conveyed
their Republic Day wishes.
Alderman Bernard Stone was one of
the guest speakers who conveyed
his greetings on the occasion.
He asked all Indians to bring
peace and prosperity in this world,
especially in India through their
generosity and leadership.
R K Group entertained the gather-
ing with their Vande Mararam
dance. Rohit sang some Hindi oldies
to bring back the glory of Indian
Cinema.
Vishwas Sabkanth from the office
of Consul General of India, Chicago
gave a message and requested FIA
to unite and get involved in commu-
nity activities. He asked all Indians
to contribute to bring development
in India in all spheres of life.
A delicious dinner marked the
finale of the program. Over 350
took part in the celebration in spite
of the wintry chill and it being a
Friday night.
Los Angeles: STAR Plus will bring
the ICC World Cup all over North
America, showing the best action-
packed highlights from the premier
tournament beginning February 26.
STAR Plus will showcase World
Cup 2011s highlights over 6 weeks
from 49 matches played in the sub-
continent: India, Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh. ICC Cricket World
show will provide the latest cricket
news, recent cricket action as well
as off-field fea-
tures and up and
personal inter-
views with the
sportsmen from
around the world.
"Were excited
to be able to com-
plement our
robust program-
ming schedule with highlights of the
upcoming ICC World Cupand
further deliver to our viewers
throughout North America, the best
that STAR Plus has to offer," said
David Wisnia, STARs Senior Vice
President of Distribution, Sales and
Marketing and head of STARs
North American office.
STAR is a leading media and
entertainment company in Asia.
STAR broadcasts over 60 TV serv-
ices in ten languages to more than
300 million viewers across 53 Asian
countries. STAR channels cover all
genres including general entertain-
ment, sports (ESPN, Star Sports),
movies (Star Chinese Movies, Star
Gold, Star Movies), music (Channel
[V]), and news and current affairs
(Star News, Star Ananda, Star
Majha, Phoenix InfoNews
Channel). STAR is a wholly owned
subsidiary of News Corporation.
Boston: The Indian American Muslim
Council (IAMC), an advocacy group dedi-
cated to safeguarding India's pluralist and
tolerant ethos, paid tribute to Mahatma
Gandhi on the occasion of his death anniver-
sary Jan 30 by calling on all Indians to come
together as one nation, to rise above commu-
nal politics and to discredit the hate-filled
ideologies that claimed the Mahatma's life.
In a press release it said that Mahatma
Gandhi's leadership during India's freedom
struggle and his steadfast espousal of the
rights of the oppressed among the lower
castes and minorities made him an enduring
source of inspiration for millions across the
world.
"On January 30, 1948, the nation lost its
greatest leader to an assassin' s bullets.
Tragically, the hate and bigotry that mani-
fested itself on that momentous day continue
to be perpetuated in the form of religious
extremism and radical communal politics,"
said Shaheen Khateeb, president of IAMC.
"Now, more than ever, we need to join
hands and commit ourselves to ensuring that
it is Gandhiji's legacy of compassion, love
and justice for all that shapes this nation's
future, and not the hate-filled legacy of
Nathuram Godse," added Mr. Khateeb.
IAMC has called upon the Government of
India to mark the anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi's assassination by taking concrete
steps to strengthen civil society and the insti-
tutions established to safeguard human
rights, religious freedom, and equal opportu-
nities for all. Indian American Muslim
Council (formerly Indian Muslim Council-
USA-) is the largest advocacy organization
of Indian Muslims in the United States with
10 chapters across the nation.
Washington, DC: President
Barack Obama has named two
Indian-Americans Vivek
Murthy and Islam Siddiqui for
key posts in his Administration, the
White House has said.
Dr. Murthy has been appointed as
member of the advisory group on
Prevention, Health, Promotion and
Integrative and Public Health,
while Dr. Siddiqui would be the
U.S. Presidents Chief Agricultural
Negotiator.
Our nation will be greatly
served by the talent and expertise
these individuals bring to their new
roles. I am grateful they have
agreed to serve in this
Administration and I look forward
to working with them in the
months and years ahead, Dr.
Obama said in a statement after
announcing the appointment of Dr.
Murthy. Dr. Murthy is an attending
physician at Brigham and Womens
Hospital and an instructor at
Harvard Medical School, where he
is an internal medicine hospitalist.
He is the co-founder and presi-
dent of Doctors for America, a
grassroots organisation of over
15,000 doctors and medical stu-
dents in 50 States who are working
to build a better health care system
for all Americans.
He is also the co-founder and
chairman of Epernicus, a privately-
held company that builds social
networking platforms for scientific
institutions and clinical trials.
Dr. Murthy received a BA from
Harvard University, an MD from
the Yale School of Medicine, and
an MBA from the Yale School of
Management.
On Wednesday, Obama also sent
to the U.S. Senate his intent to re-
nominate Mr. Siddiqui to be his
Chief Agricultural Negotiator,
Office of the United States Trade
Representative, with the rank of
Ambassador.
He was nominated for the first
time in September last year.
Siddiqui brings to this office
incredible agricultural expertise
built over years of work in both
government and private sectors.
Siddiqui formerly served as vice-
president for Science and
Regulatory Affairs at CropLife
America, where he was responsible
for regulatory and international
trade issues related to crop protec-
tion chemicals.
Before joining USDA, he spent
28 years with the California
Department of Food and
Agriculture.
Siddiqui received a BSc degree
in plant protection from Uttar
Pradesh Agricultural University in
Pantnagar, India, as well as MS
and PhD degrees in plant patholo-
gy, both from the University of
Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
Two more Indian-Americans in Obamas team
Dr Vivek Murthy will be on a
health advisory group
Over 350 people attended the event
Sikh group to challenge
diplomatic immunity
for Kamal Nath
Washington, DC: A
Sikh community group
says it will challenge any
effort by the Indian gov-
ernment to get diplomat-
ic immunity for urban
development minister
Kamal Nath for his
alleged role in the 1984
anti-Sikh riots.
The issue of diplomat-
ic immunity is decided
by the court and the US
Department of State can
only give its recommen-
dation, according to
Gurpatwant Singh
Pannun, legal advisor to Sikhs For
Justice (SFJ), a US based human
rights advocacy group, which filed a
civil suit against Kamal Nath last
April. If diplomatic immunity is
granted to Kamal Nath, plaintiffs
will challenge it in the highest court
of the US and will also lodge peti-
tions and complaints before the UN
Human Rights Commission with
regard to India's open practice of
impunity, he said Thursday.
The US is still reviewing whether
Kamal Nath, who has been sum-
moned by a New York court for his
alleged role in the1984 anti-Sikh
riots, can be given diplomatic
immunity, State Department
spokesperson Philip J. Crowley told
reporters Monday.
"The immunity question remains
under review here at the State
Department, and we have not made
any determination at this point," he
said.
Kamal Nath has
been summoned
Feb 9 by New
York's Southern dis-
trict court for a pre-
trial conference,
according to
Pannun.
In April 2010, SFJ
along with two indi-
viduals filed a law
suit against Kamal
Nath in US District
Court under Alien
Tort Claims Act
(ATCA) & Torture
Victim Protection Act (TVPA) ask-
ing the Court to order compensatory
and punitive damages against
Kamal Nath. "Alien Tort Claims
Act, the law under which the trial
against Kamal Nath will be held, is
specifically created to provide reme-
dy and forum to victims of genocide
to vindicate their complaints,"
Pannun said.
"The trial against Kamal Nath is
one such opportunity through which
SFJ plans to put on the record of the
court evidence related to genocide
of Sikhs and Kamal Nath's role in
it."
Plaintiffs have asked for a jury
trial and will have the right to call
upon survivors and experts on geno-
cide as witnesses to prove that sys-
tematic killing of Sikhs in
November 1984 was genocide as
defined in Article 2 of the UN
Convention on Genocide, he said.
8 National Community
February 5-11, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Kamal Nath, Indias
Urban Development
Minister is in eye of the
storm for his alleged role
in 1984 anti-Sikh riots
National Community 9
TheSouthAsianTimes.info February 5-11, 2011
Acharya Lokesh Muni to
receive National Community
Harmony Award 2010
New Delhi: For the year 2010,
Acharya Lokesh Muni of Delhi has
been selected for the National Com-
munal Harmony Award by the jury
headed by Vice-President of India
in the individual category. The
award carries a citation and Rs. 2.
lakh for the individual.
Aged 49, Acharya Lokesh Muni is
a writer, orator and social worker.
He is the chief functionary of Ahim-
sa Vishwa Bharati, a Delhi based
voluntary organisation which aims
at promoting non-violence, peace,
communal harmony, working
against female foeticide & drug ad-
diction, providing help during natu-
ral calamities, etc. Acharya Lokesh
Muni worked to de-escalate Hindu
Muslim strife after the Jama Masjid
explosion in 2006-07 and tension
between Dera Sacha Sauda and the
Sikh community in 2007. He partic-
ipated in a 1500 km walk from
Haryana to Gujarat to promote com-
munal harmony. Muniji studied
Jainism, Buddhism and Vedic phi-
losophy and has 12 books to his
credit on subjects like female foeti-
cide, terrorism, principles of peace
and brotherhood. For his academic
pursuits, the Indian Board of Alter-
native Medicines awarded him the
Doctor of Philosophy. He has also
been honored with the Naitik Sam-
man by the Gulzarilal Nanda Foun-
dation and Bhaskar Puraskar by
Bharat Nirman Sangathan for his
contribution in restoring human val-
ues of peace and brotherhood.
The National Communal Harmo-
ny Awards were instituted in 1996
by the National Foundation for
Communal Harmony (NFCH), an
autonomous organization set up by
the Government of India, Ministry
of Home Affairs, for promoting
communal harmony and national
integration.
New Jersey: OFBJP-USA on behalf of more
than two million strong Indian Americans con-
gratulated Narendra Modi for attracting 450
Billion US Dollars (about one-third of India's
GDP) in overall investment to the state of Gu-
jarat. As in the past, a host of India's top busi-
nessmen including Mukesh Ambani, Anil Am-
bani, Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra and Sunil
Mittal lavished praise on Gujarat's progress un-
der the exemplary leadership of Modi whose
name reverberates across global expatriate In-
dians and business people.
Dr. Adapa Prasad, OFBJP President said that
Modi jis development and progress oriented
policies and vision brought Gujarat a double-
digit growth rate, the only Indian state to do so.
He emphasized that, with only 5% of India's
1.2 billion population, Gujarat accounts for al-
most one-third of the country's stock-market
capitalization,more than one-fifth of its ex-
ports, and about one-sixth of its industrial pro-
duction. Per-capita electricity consumption in
the state is about twice the national average.
Jayesh Patel, OFBJP President Elect, ob-
served that Gujarat has acquired a reputation
for aggressively wooing both domestic and for-
eign investors. In 2008, it bagged the Tata
Group's flagship Nano car project after politi-
cal unrest forced the company to flee Commu-
nist-ruled West Bengal.
Gadkari predicts NDA victory in
next general elections
New Jersey: Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin
Gadkari addressed Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP)
Karyakartas, Kashmiri Forum of America, Indian
Americans, members from other Indian community
organizations and BJP sympathizers from around the
globe. More than 500 members of the Indian diaspo-
ra attended from USA, Canada, Caribbean Islands,
Germany, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and
Middle East.
The teleconference was initiated and moderated by
Dr. Adapa Prasad, National President of OFBJP-USA.
In his address Gadkari said that the UPA govern-
ment has been thoroughly incompetent in controlling
inflation, which at 18% was causing extra ordinary
hardships to lower and middle class India. The govt.s
inaction was causing all round wastage of food grains
worth 58,000 crore rupees, while poor people were
going hungry for day to day food.
Gadkari further said that inaction against the princi-
pal perpetrators in many scandals like 2G, Common
wealth games, Adarsh society, Bofors etc showed that
the UPA was not serious about tackling institutional-
ized corruption. He also revealed that the UPA Govt
did not want to releases the names of the account
holders who have stashed away the countrys money
in foreign tax heavens. This money belonged to the In-
dian people and must be brought back, he added.
The BJP president also predicted that the NDA
would definitely return to power in the next parlia-
mentary elections whenever it is held and that BJP it-
self would win more than 200 seats.
Answering a question on plight of Kashmir Pandits,
Gadkari said that the BJP was very serious about this
issue and was planning to appeal to Human Rights
Commission in this matter. He promised that they
were monitoring the situation proactively and have
been following up in the Supreme Court in this regard.
He chided the J&K govt for discriminating the Jam-
mu and Ladakh area and was disappointed to see that
the Hindus in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and
Pakistan do not have any rights in comparison. He
promised that the BJP ruled state may consider the
suggestion of passing a resolution concerning the
Kashmiri Pandits.
In response to another question, Gadkari stated that
BJP will firmly deal with Maoists and separatists,
when asked why the UPA Govt is ignorant when
Kashmiri separatists and Maoists are conducting
meetings all over India and raising anti India slogans.
He asserted that J&K was an integral part of India
and that it was non-debatable and non-negotiable.
BJP President Nitin Gadkari addressed Indian dias-
pora over teleconference
Acharya Lokesh Muni
Sikhs urged to celebrate March
14 as Environment Day
OFBJP-USA applauds Modi for grand
success of investors summit
Washington, DC: An interna-
tional Sikh group has ap-
pealed to all Sikh gurdwaras
and institutions to celebrate
March 14, the day Guru Har
Rai became the 7th Sikh Guru
in 1644 AD, as Sikh Environ-
ment Day.
EcoSikh said it has received
confirmation of participation
from many Sikh institutions in
India and abroad. EcoSikh has
also launched a website for
gurdwaras and Sikh institu-
tions to register their partici-
pation internationally. Guru
Har Rai is known to be a great
humanitarian who had special
sensitivity towards nature
preservation and animal well
being. He maintained an ex-
tensive herbal garden for me-
dicinal purposes for the bene-
fit of the masses in Kiratpur
Sahib, his birth place and his
spiritual centre near Anandpur
Sahib. Dr. Rajwant Singh,
Chairman of Washington
based Sikh Council on Reli-
gion and Education and con-
vener of EcoSikh, said: 'Guru
Har Rai ji inspired Sikhs to
care for nature and his legacy
provides one of the most in-
spiring models for our ecolog-
ical consciousness especially
when earth is facing crisis due
to human carelessness.
'His birth anniversary is on
January 31st and we would
like every Sikh to prepare to
celebrate March 14th as Sikh
Environment Day dedicated
to nature preservation as a
tribute to Guru Har Rai.'
'This will be our way to par-
take in making mother earth
liveable and lovable for future
generations!' he said.
Bandana Kaur, New York
based Programme Director of
EcoSikh in USA, said: By
joining the celebrations, gurd-
waras in the diaspora will also
be expressing their support to
over 100 gurdwaras in India
that will use the day to raise
awareness about the state of
ecology across their spiritual
homeland'
By Pankaj Vohra
W
ith the Supreme Court
directing the govern-
ment to bring back
black money stashed in foreign
banks and also nd its sources, the
Center nds itself in yet another
complex situation. The govern-
ment has so far pleaded helpless-
ness in dealing with the issue in
the absence of a legal framework
but its detractors are insisting that
it was lack of will which prevent-
ed the sensational disclosures.
The apex court's observations
came close on the heels of a press
conference convened by Union -
nance minister Pranab Mukherjee
where he said that the names of the
defaulters in relation to informa-
tion provided to the authorities by
the German government could not
be disclosed. He also said that the
Double Taxation Avoidance
Agreement and the Exchange of
Taxation Information Agreement
were two instruments under which
the Center can obtain information
and the government has already
amended pacts with 23 countries.
It is common knowledge that the
government has the names and had
even informed the Supreme Court
about the existence of such infor-
mation in an afdavit. But for
Pranabda to state it when he could
have skirted the issue is being in-
terpreted as a warning of sorts.
There is already wide speculation
over who gures in the list of those
having foreign bank accounts.
These names include those associ-
ated with the present regime and
the previous one. And since
Switzerland, where most of the
black money is stashed, is not go-
ing to disclose the information,
'the names' may nd their way into
the public domain, though without
proper authentication. If that hap-
pens, the government will nd it-
self on the backfoot.
The black money issue has as-
sumed serious proportions be-
cause people expect that the gov-
ernment will take steps to get it
back and order action against
those responsible. It is also being
argued that in the case of some of
the accounts, the government must
move Swiss courts with evidence
that the money parked in banks
there was being used for terrorism
purposes or other illegal activities.
Under such circumstances, the
condentiality rules can be re-
laxed.
At the ground level, since the
government has the names, raids
must be conducted at the premises
of the suspects based on informa-
tion obtained from various
sources, including the German
government. Their businesses
should be sealed and they must be
held accountable. Otherwise, our
democracy will be stuck at the
crossroads.
By Sitaram Yechury
N
otwithstanding ancient
wisdom that tells us not to
rush where angels fear to
tread, it is impossible not to reect
upon the hurricane of change
sweeping across West Asia. The
massive popular protests in Egypt
defying curfew with over 150 dead
and thousands injured continue to
swell demanding the ouster of the
three-decade-long regime of Hosni
Mubarak with the hope of a better
livelihood for the people. On Janu-
ary 14, popular upsurge ousted the
Tunisian president, Zine El Abidine
Ben Ali, after 23 years in power.
Similar upsurges have erupted in
Yemen and Jordan. Irrespective of
how these developments will nal-
ly unfold, it is clear that a very ma-
jor transformation process is under-
way.
Apart from being subjected to au-
thoritarian rule for decades, the
people of these countries have suf-
fered severely during the last two
years of the global economic crisis.
Egypt and Jordan have been touted
as darlings of economic reforms by
the International Monetary Fund
and the World Bank and are deeply
integrated with the global econo-
my. The global nancial crisis had
a devastating impact as three mil-
lion in Egypt and half a million in
Jordan are directly employed in
this sector. Egypt's revenues from
the Suez canal, tourism and exports
took a deep hit leading to a sharp
decline in the GDP growth. Youth
unemployment, which was already
at 34 % in 2005, sharply increased.
Clearly, the 'New World Order'
that the United States sought to cre-
ate post-Cold War is crumbling.
More importantly, the US's capaci-
ty to determine world events ap-
pears to have weakened consider-
ably. The US, in the past, had inter-
vened unscrupulously in many
countries, particularly in West Asia,
to safeguard its strategic global in-
terests. The overthrow of the dem-
ocratically elected prime minister
of Iran, Mohammad Mosaddegh,
by a CIA-led coup in 1953 after the
country nationalized its oil, the An-
glo-French invasion of Egypt after
President Gamal Abdel Nasser na-
tionalized the Suez Canal, and the
installation of pro-US regimes per-
mitted imperialism to safeguard its
three basic concerns in the region:
holding the reins of control over the
oil resources, maintaining control
over the Suez canal so crucial for
the movement of western cargo and
US military movements, and ce-
menting Israel's pre-eminent mili-
tary superiority in the region.
Egypt was to serve as the lynch-
pin for this strategy to succeed. In
return, since the 1978 Camp David
accord, Egypt received over $ 35
billion of military aid from Wash-
ington, the largest after Israel. It re-
ceives on an average $ 2 billion a
year as 'other' aid.
It is, therefore, not surprising that
the US, that self-declared protector
of human rights, democracy and
human values, is very cautious in
its reactions to the turmoil in West
Asia. Tunisia, Yemen and Jordan -
they all have pro-US regimes. But
they are a different kettle of sh
from Egypt. On January 30, the
New York Times reported that
President Barack Obama, "at least
for now" is talking short of calling
for Mubarak's resignation. Howev-
er, as is by now familiar to the
world, he has spoken of the "uni-
versal rights" of the people of
Egypt and West Asia etc etc.
While not openly articulating a
regime change in Egypt, the US is
preparing to retain its strategic con-
trol through various alternatives.
Clearly, the Islamist scarecrow of a
Muslim Brotherhood takeover has
not worked. Mubarak's appoint-
ment of his long-serving intelli-
gence head, Omar Suleiman as
vice-president, ostensibly to neu-
tralize the army has not cut much
ice as any meaningful reform with
the people. Now all eyes are turned
on the former International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) chief, Mo-
hamed ElBaradei, who returned to
Egypt after a long stint abroad,
heading what he calls the National
Association for Change.
For generations, the peoples of
the Arab countries, despite their
longstanding sacrices and strug-
gles, have been repeatedly thwart-
ed from achieving a radical shift in
their countries. This cannot be al-
lowed to happen once again. It is
clear that this popular upsurge in
West Asia has been sparked by the
acute impoverishment that has
sharply escalated during the current
global recession. Such obscenely
widening inequalities are also nd-
ing reection in our country in the
growing gap between 'IPL India'
and 'BPL India'. Are we being fore-
warned?
(Sitaram Yechury is CPI(M)
Politburo member and Rajya Sab-
ha MP. The views expressed by the
author are personal.)
10 Op Ed
Govt must plug this black hole
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of
The South Asian Times.
Hasan Ali Khan, a Pune-based scrap dealer, holds a staggering
$8 billion in a single bank account in Zurich, Switzerland.
Philippine protesters burn a placard with Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak's photo during a rally in front of the US embassy in Manila
on February 1.
Crossing the Nile
February 5-11, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New Delhi: Home Minister P.
Chidambaram has denied allega-
tions by opposition leader Sushma
Swaraj that he "misled" the com-
mittee that selected P.J. Thomas as
central vigilance commissioner
(CVC) last year.
"I take exception to the state-
ment by Swaraj that I 'misled the
selection committee' and told the
committee that Thomas had been
'acquitted'," Chidambaram said in
a statement issued here.
"Actually, Swaraj is tying her-
self in knots by making thought-
less allegations," he said. The
committee included
Chidambaram, Sushma Swaraj
and Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
leader Sushma Swaraj had
claimed that at the Septemb 4
meeting of the committee
Chidambaram had said Thomas
had been acquitted in the pal-
molein case. The case relates to
corruption in the import of palm
oil from Malayasia when Thomas
was food secretary of Kerala in
the 1990s.
"Firstly, if no sanction for prose-
cution had been granted since
1999 against Thomas (as admitted
by her), how could the case have
proceeded to trial or ended in an
acquittal of Thomas?"
Chidambaram asked.
"Secondly, if the Supreme Court
had stayed the trial of the case (as
admitted by her), is it not self-evi-
dent that the case was pending
and nobody could have been
either acquitted or convicted?" he
added.
"I reiterate that the committee
was aware of the palmolein case;
that no sanction for prosecution of
Thomas had been granted since
1999; that the case was pending in
the trial court; that the Supreme
Court had stayed the trial of the
case; and that the then CVC had
granted vigilance clearance in
respect of Thomas," the statement
said.
"I issue this rejoinder, once
again, most reluctantly,"
Chidambaram said. "I would
request the leader of opposition to
respect the rule of sub judice and
allow the Supreme Court to
decide the case."
Sushma Swaraj said she was
dropping her plan to file an affi-
davit in the Supreme Court in the
matter as "he (Chidambaram) has
admitted that she had raised the
palmolein case issue at the selec-
tion committee meeting".
'Didn't mislead Swaraj on Thomas'
India Newswire 11
TheSouthAsianTimes.info February 5-11, 2011
'Chavan made undue
recommendations in Adarsh'
Mumbai: Former Maharashtra
chief minister Ashok Chavan
allegedly made undue recommen-
dations to allow allocation to
civilians in the scam-hit Adarsh
Society during his tenure as the
state's revenue minister, said the
FIR filed by the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI).
A few details of the FIR that
was filed, stating that Chavan
along with other promoters Brig
(retd) M.M. Wanchu, the presi-
dent of the society, Kanhaiyalal
Gidwani, a former Congress
councilor and co-promoter of the
society, R.C. Thakur, a former
Defense Estates officer and the
chief promoter of the society,
became a part of an alleged crimi-
nal conspiracy.
The FIR listed Wanchu, Thakur
and Gidwani as the main conspir-
ators in the scam.
Chavan also granted other
favors to the society after he
became chief minister, the FIR
said.
Chavan remained unavailable
for comment despite repeated
efforts. The FIR has also named
army officials including A.R.
Kumar, Lt.Gen. P.K. Rampal,
Major Gen. T.K. Kaul, alleging
they failed to protect the interests
of the Indian Army.
Among other things, the society
was accused of usurping a prime
plot of defence land meant to
house heroes of Kargil war and
their kin, violating floor space
index rules, flouting Coastal
Regulation Zone norms and other
rules.
Central Vigilance Commissioner P.J. Thomas.
Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan.
New Delhi: As the government battles sev-
eral allegations of corruption, Congress
president Sonia Gandhi said there was a
limit to happiness gained from money and
power and there was need to imbibe the
spirit of freedom fighters.
Speaking at a function to release a stamp
in the memory of freedom fighter
Chaudhary Ranbir Singh here, Gandhi said
efforts should be made to work for the wel-
fare of the people by keeping aside person-
al gains.
Citing the example of Ranbir Singh, a
member of the Constituent Assembly who
opted out of politics at the age of 64, she
said such an attitude had a lot of value
today when people were engaged in a blind
race for gaining wealth and high posts.
"It seems often that we have moved away
from the ideals of the independence strug-
gle and that of our ancestors. Everybody
should think what ideals they were leaving
for the new generation. Money and power
is not everything. The happiness from it is
not everything. There is limit to such happi-
ness. It can be used only to a limit. After
that, it is only greed the world is running
after," Gandhi said.
She said the sacrifices made by the free-
dom fighters should not be forgotten. "One
should remember that if they were seeking
personal comforts, they would not have
been able to fight for freedom," Gandhi
said.
The United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
chairperson stressed that the meaning of
public life was to understand the suffering
of the common man and to make efforts to
lessen it. "We have to fight the attempts to
destroy our social fabric through terrorism,
communalism and casteism," she said.
Gandhi's remarks come at a time when
the government is battling allegations of
corruption and the party's top leadership is
contemplating changes in the party organi-
zation followed by those in the cabinet after
the budget session.
The function was attended by Chaudhary
Ranbir Singh's son and Haryana Chief
Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and
Communications Minister Kapil Sibal.
Happiness gained from power limited: Sonia
Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
US welcomes
India's role in Asia
Pacific
Washington: The US welcomes
India's greater involvement in
East Asia and is committed to
working with New Delhi as it
increases ties with US allies in
Southeast Asia and Japan, a sen-
ior US official has said.
"Ultimately, we think that
India's role in the Asian-Pacific
region stands to be one of the
most important new develop-
ments over the course of the
next decade, " Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asia
Kurt Campbell told reporters.
Offering to help India and
China improve their relations,
he said: "We also, frankly, sup-
port an improvement in dia-
logue between India and China,
and we would seek to take steps
to facilitate that as we move for-
ward."
Back in November 2009, India
had expressed deep concern
over a joint statement issued
after President Barack Obama's
China visit acknowledging
Beijing's role in South Asia.
Among other things, it "wel-
comed all efforts conducive to
peace, stability and develop-
ment in South Asia".
It also supported "the
improvement and growth of
relations between India and
Pakistan" and expressed readi-
ness "to strengthen communica-
tion, dialogue and cooperation
on issues related to South Asia
and work together to promote
peace, stability and develop-
ment in that region".
However, after Chinese
President Hu Jintao's visit to
Washington last month, the joint
statement made no reference to
South Asia apparently in
response to New Delhi's sensi-
tivities.
12 India Newswire
February 5-11, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New Delhi: Three months after
he was forced to resign as com-
munications and IT minister in
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh' s government, A. Raja
was arrested was arrested for his
suspected role in the allocation
of airwaves for second genera-
tion (2G) phone services, billed
as the country's biggest corrup-
tion scandal to date.
The Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) arrested
Raja, a senior leader of govern-
ment ally DMK, and two of his
aides on primarily two counts --
misuse of office in allocation of
spectrum, a finite national
resource, and amassing wealth
much higher than the known and
legal sources of their income.
The two aides are former tele-
com secretary Siddartha Behura
and Raja's personal secretary
R.K. Chandolia. Raja, once a
powerful minister, was alleged
to have misused his office and
given away spectrum at below
market rates.
"CBI has today arrested then
union minister for communica-
tions and IT, then secretary for
telecom and then private secre-
tary to minister of communica-
tions and IT based on the facts
disclosed so far in the investiga-
tion, regarding their role in the
allocation of letter of intent and
resultant UAS (unified access
service) licenses and spectrum
to certain companies ahead of
others in violation of established
guidelines and procedures," said
CBI deputy inspector general
Anurag.
"I would say this is the end of
the beginning, " a beaming
Janata Party leader Subramanian
Swamy told reporters, reacting
to Raja's arrest.
It would have been embarrass-
ing otherwise for the CBI to face
the apex court later this week,
he added.
Swamy's petition on the 2G
allocation -- which names Raja
as an accused in what is now
being called the 2G spectrum
scam -- is to come up for hear-
ing before the Supreme Court
next week.
The issue crippled parliament's
winter session, bringing impor-
tant legislative business to a
standstill, over the opposition's
demands for a joint parliamen-
tary committee (JPC) into the
scandal.
The principal opposition
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
was unimpressed with Raja's
arrest and said their stand was
now vindicated. "This is too lit-
tle too late," Rajiv Pratap Rudy
said, wondering why Raja was
allowed to function as commu-
nications minister for such a
long time.
"I wish Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, rather than
being in a denial mode, had
acted two years ago when it
became clear that the exchequer
had lost crores and crores of
rupees on account of spectrum,"
his colleague Arun Jaitley
added.
Earlier, Manmohan Singh had
defended Raja and had told par-
liament May 24 that the then
communications minister had
only implemented the policy
that was already in place. No
norm was flouted, he added.
Raja's successor in the telecom
ministry Kapil Sibal had also
defended the process adopted by
Raja. Sibal said it was because
of the policy in existence since
1999 that the average telecom
tariff in India had came down
from almost Rs.17 per minute
(45 cents) to about Rs. 3 (6
cents) per minute in 2004 and 30
paise (less than a cent) per
minute now. Raja was asked to
resign Nov 14 last year after the
Comptroller and Auditor
General (CAG) indicted him in
the spectrum allocation scam
and for causing losses of
between Rs.58,000 crore ($12.8
billion) and Rs.1.76 lakh crore
($40 billion) to the exchequer.
The issue dates to 2008 when
nine telecom companies were
issued scarce airwaves, a nation-
al resource, and licences for 2G
mobile phone services at
Rs.1,658 crore (less that $350
million) for a pan-India opera-
tion. As many as 122 circle-wise
licences were issued.
'Spectrum' Raja finally arrested
Former Indian telecom minister A. Raja arrives at
CBI office in New Delhi.
Could it be Kalmadi next?
2G Timeline
New Delhi: Suresh Kalmadi, con-
troversial chief of the Organising
Committee of the Commonwealth
Games, may be the next political
leader to be arrested on corruption
charges by the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI), official
sources said.
A high-level meeting of CBI offi-
cials held in the capital recently
found several cases of corruption
involving Kalmadi in the conduct
of the Commonwealth Games
Baton Relay, purchase of equip-
ments and the conduct of the
Games, the sources said. The arrest
could happen soon, they hinted.
However, a CBI spokesman
declined to make any comment.
Three senior officials of the
organizing committee - T. S
Darbari, Sanjay Mahendroo and M.
Jayachandran - were arrested earli-
er.
Darbari was set free on bail as
the CBI failed to file a charge sheet
against him within the mandatory
time.
Oct 22, 2009: The CBI files a
first information report (FIR)
against unidentified officials of
the department of telecommuni-
cations on the 2G spectrum (air-
waves) auction, based on a refer-
ence from the Central Vigilance
Commission.
Nov first week, 2010: Media
publishes contents of the
Comptroller and Auditor General
(CAG) report on the 2G spectrum
auction.The CAG said that the
public exchequer suffered a
notional loss of Rs.1.76 lakh
crore ($40 billion) due to faulty
auction procedure under Raja in
2008.
Nov 9, 2010: Parliament's win-
ter session begins. Protests by the
National Democratic Alliance
(NDA), the Left parties and other
parties - demanding a joint parlia-
mentary committee (JPC) probe.
Nov 14: Raja submits his resig-
nation to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.
Claims he did no wrong.
Nov 16: CAG report on 2G
spectrum allocation tabled in
both houses of parliament amidst
uproarious scenes.
Dec 8: The CBI raids the house
of Raja and premises of former
aides Siddhartha Behura and
R.K. Chandolia in New Delhi.
Dec 15: The CBI raids the
houses and offices of Niira
Radia, a corporate lobbyist linked
with Raja. She is subsequently
questioned by the CBI several
times.
Dec 24: The CBI questions
Raja in New Delhi.
Dec 25: Raja's questioning con-
tinues for the second day.
Jan 31, 2011: The CBI ques-
tions Raja again.
Feb 2: The CBI arrests Raja,
Chandolia and Behura.
Suresh Kalmadi.
A
s the government legal-
ized homosexuality in
India two years ago, tour
operators in the country are trying
to sell India as the ultimate
tourists destination for gays and
lesbians.
A section of the tourism indus-
try hopes to benefit from visits by
homosexual tourists, a market
which is yet to be exploited in
India, said travel experts at the
18th South Asia Travel and Tour
Expo (SATTE) held recently. Gay
and Lesbian Tourism was largely
discussed at a session in SATTE,
organized under the banner of ITB
Berlin. Director of Indjapink, the
first and only gay travel boutique
for gay vacations, Sanjay
Malhotra claimed that after Delhi
High Court rule in favor of homo-
sexuals, the tourism industry in
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Tourists
(LGBT) has increased manifold.
On July 2, 2009, the Delhi High
Court had ruled in favor of scrap-
ping Section 377 of the Indian
Penal Code (IPC) that criminal-
izes sexual acts between consent-
ing adults of the same gender.
"Gay men usually come in
groups from Western Europe,
United States and Canada and
their favorite destination is
Kerala, Rajasthan and Varanasi,"
Malhotra said.
He also said two years ago gay
men and lesbians have been
bypassing India for other coun-
tries like Nepal, Thailand and
Indonesia but now things are
changing and stated that in three
years India will become the
hottest destination for gays and
lesbians.
Indjapink organizes vacation
and tour programs for gays and
this year they are looking to cater
lesbians. "Gays or lesbians are the
biggest spender of lifestyle prod-
ucts. They have maximum dispos-
able incomes as they come from
DINK (Double Income, No Kids)
group. So they are recession proof
and they are vacation savvy,"
Thomas Boemkes, managing
director, Tom On Tour, a portal for
gay travelers and friends.
According to Rika Jean
Francois, sales director - South
Asia and Pacific, ITB - Berlin one
of the panel member in the discus-
sion informed that India is still
perceived as a conservative socie-
ty, but it has all the capacity to
become a hottest destinations for
gay and lesbian markets.
"After the High Court tourism
industry in India is exploring the
gay and lesbian market and many
see this as a start, but there are
more challenges which should be
addressed," Malhotra said.
He also further stated that one of
the biggest challenges Indian mar-
ket is the heightening insensitivity
of the hospitality industry in many
luxury hotels.
"Although New Delhi has a
string of luxury hotels only one or
two is gay friendly. For example,
in a hotel despite informing that a
group of tourists is gay, the front
desk staff at certain hotels allotted
rooms with separate single beds,"
he added.
Welcome to India, gay tourists!
India Newswire 13
TheSouthAsianTimes.info February 5-11, 2011
A section of the tourism industry hopes to benefit from visits by homosexual tourists,
a market which is yet to be exploited in India.
14 Diaspora
February 5-11, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Husband on murder
charge of wife in NZ
Hindu legislator quits in
Pakistan, shifts to India
Wellington: The husband of an
Indian-origin woman, who was
burned to death in New Zealand
last week, has been charged with
killing his wife and was presented
before a court Saturday, Radio
New Zealand reported.
Twenty nine-year-old Diwesh
Sharma, a postal worker from
Manukau, is accused of killing his
wife Ranjeeta, 28.
Diwesh's wife was found dead on
the side of the road Jan 20 in
Huntly, a town in the Waikato
region of the North Island in New
Zealand.
Diwesh along with his four-year-
old son had left for Fiji soon after
the incident. New Zealand police
officers travelled there to question
him and both accompanied the
officers back to New Zealand
Friday.
He was arrested in Hamilton
overnight and will appear again in
court Tuesday. He is also facing
charge of breaching bail.
Ranjeeta Sharma, the victim
Islamabad: A Hindu member of the legislative assem-
bly in Pakistan's Sindh province resigned from his seat
after receiving threats and shifted to India, media
reports said Saturday.
Ram Singh Sodho was elected a member of the
Sindh assembly on a reserved seat for minorities on a
Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) ticket in
the 2008 general elections, Dunya TV reported.
Sodho received threats and shifted base to India,
from where he sent his resignation to Sindh assembly
speaker Nisar Ahmad Khoro, the report said.
The resignation has been accepted with immediate
effect. The PML-F is an ally of the ruling Pakistan
People's Party (PPP) in Sindh.
The law and order situation in Karachi, capital of the
province, and other interior regions -- where the Hindu
community is based in large numbers and its members
are quite well off -- has been deteriorating for quite
some time now.
Incidents of kidnapping for ransom of Hindu chil-
dren have seen an alarming rise during the last few
months, forcing many families to abandon their homes
and shift to India or other countries.
Lakki Chand Garji, 82, who is the 'maharaja' of the
Kali Mata Mandir in Kalat town in Balochistan
province and considered to be one of Pakistan's most
revered Hindu spiritual leaders, was kidnapped by a
gang of armed men Dec 21 last year. He is yet to be
rescued.
Anti 'honor-based' marriage law
sought in New Zealand
Auckland: Various ethnic women
groups in New Zealand have urged the
government to make a law which can
prevent forced marriages, as an escalat-
ing number of high-risk young victims
are coming forward to seek help.
Shakti, which runs refuges for Asian,
Indian, and Middle Eastern women in
New Zealand, has joined with Pacific
Women's Watch and 46 others to peti-
tion Parliament to outlaw forced under-
age marriages which, they say, put
young girls in situations that can lead to
horrendous physical and sexual abuse,
reported The Dominion Post Friday.
Calls to Shakti, the women support
group's crisis line have risen to 350
calls a month since July 2010, when
they averaged 250 a month.
Among these are many young girls
and though more are coming forward,
there would be others who are too fear-
ful, Priyanca Radhakrishnan of the
Shakti Community Council says.
Examples of 'honor-based' forced
relationships included a 14-year-old
who was raped and told by her parents
she was 'sullied goods' before being
made to marry her rapist. Other girls
had been threatened with death if they
don't agree to an arranged marriage, or
were forced into marriage because their
parents find out they have a boyfriend
or think they dress inappropriately,
Radhakrishnan said.
'Domestic violence in general and
honor-based violence in specific is a
reality for a number of women and we
have first-hand experience of this and
should not be ignored. Violence to a
large extent has been normalized in the
home country. Many times rape within
a marriage isn' t even considered,
because the idea is once you're married
to your husband you are his property.'
But forced relationships were an
abuse of human rights, which should be
illegal in New Zealand, she said.
The petition asks the Government to
introduce legislation similar to the
Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act
introduced in Britain in 2007. This
would include raising the legal mar-
riage age to 18, penalizing accomplices
to forced marriage, and allow the courts
to issue forced-marriage protection
orders.
Steamy scenes in Indian films irk Malaysian group
Kuala Lumpur: The Consumer
Association of Penang state has com-
plained that Tamil and Hindi movies
screened in Malaysian theatres showed
'violent and steamy scenes' although the
films were vetted by the censorship
board, a media report said Monday.
The association's education officer
N.V. Subbarow expressed doubts if the
board had carried out its job thorough-
ly, suggesting that some of the commit-
tee members 'could be unsure of their
responsibilities', Tamil language daily
Malaysia Nanban reported.
'It is a fact that some Tamil and Hindi
movies had given rise to many social
problems among the younger genera-
tion in the country,' he said, comment-
ing on board secretary
S.Thanasegaran's statement that the
committee was very strict in editing
violent and steamy scenes in films.
Subbarow said he is surprised that
there are 11 members in the committee
but still there are films shown in the-
atres with violent and vulgar scenes.
He suggested the censor board should
have standard guidelines on violent and
vulgar scenes so that all the members
are aware of their roles and uniformity
is ensured.
Tamil language films, as also Hindi
films and their actors, are popular in
Malaysia that is home to 2.1 million
ethnic Indians.
Ram Singh Sodho was subjected to threats
'Year of India in
Canada' launched
in Ottawa
Ottawa: India has launched
year-long activities and pro-
grams for its 'Year of India
in Canada' to showcase the
country's rich art and cul-
ture, as well as its rise as an
economic power.
Indian high commissioner
S M Gavai launched the
program with a major
investment in Canada-India
Centre for Excellence in
Science, Technology, Trade
and Policy at the Carleton
University.
Gavai and Roseann
O'Reilly Runte, Carleton
University president, signed
a memorandum of under-
standing (MoU) governing
the visiting chair in the field
of humanities and social
sciences that would bring
together key members of
the academic, business and
public policy communities
in both countries to provide
cutting-edge research,
analysis, training and
exchanges.
Gavai said that the year-
long festivities would
include exhibitions of
Indian art and culture, semi-
nars on promoting trade and
business, conferences on
enhanced co-operation,
food and film festivals and
more in different parts of
the country. The celebratory
year was designated for
2011 by the Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and his
Canadian counterpart
Stephen Harper during the
latter' s visit to India in
November 2009.
As part of the celebration,
the 2011 regional PBD
would be held in Toronto
on June 9 and 10th, Preeti
Saran, consul general of
India, said in Toronto after
hoisting tricolor to com-
memorate India's Republic
Day.
Indo-Canada Chamber of
Commerce would be the
nodal agency for the event.
The theme is Building
Bridges: Positioning
Strategy of the Indian
Diaspora.
For the first time, the 12th
edition of the IIFA awards
will take place in Toronto
later this year, which has
become the first North
American city to host the
glittering ceremony, popu-
larly known as the Oscars
of Bollywood.
The International Indian
Film Academy Awards
(IIFA) takes place in a dif-
ferent world city each year.
The ceremony caps off a
four-day festival that tradi-
tionally features a film fes-
tival and industry forum.
Indian High
Commissioner S M Gavai
launched the program at
Carleton University
Valentine's Day 15
TheSouthAsianTimes.info February 5-11, 2011
A
nnie Rupani, a 21 year old from
Sugar Land, Texas was crowned
Miss Pakistan World 2010 in
August last year in Toronto. She is current-
ly studying Religion and Anthropology at
Boston University.
Excerpts from an interview:
Tell us a bit about your background.
I was born in Austin and raised in Sugar
Land. My parents moved from Karachi to
the U.S. 30 years ago. I have two sisters,
Natasha and Mona. I will be graduating
from Boston University in May.
What do you aim to do with the Miss
Pakistan World title?
To bring awareness to the world about
Pakistan, its qualities and imminent needs.
This is a beautiful country with some of
the worlds highest mountain peaks and a
history going back to one of the worlds
first civilizations. Further, I would like to
give other Pakistani women the confi-
dence and motivation to push past the tra-
ditional stereotypes, which are holding
them back in our society. I want to prove
that a Pakistani woman can be strong and
independent and still live within the values
of her faith and culture. I hope to use my
title as a platform to create networking
tools between Pakistani women across the
US and hopefully the world.
Where do you see yourself in the next
5 years?
I hope to gain experience in promoting
stronger relations between the US and
Pakistan and begin pursuing my studies in
Law.
The Miss Pakistan 2010 pageant was
held at the time of floods that took
many lives in Pakistan.
I sympathize with the magnanimity of
the crisis that has affected over 14 million
Pakistanis, and I believe Pakistan has
struggled to quickly overcome this crisis is
because of the lack of awareness and sup-
port from other countries. We need to cre-
ate more awareness about Pakistan and
call attention to its immediate needs and
believe the Pageant is one way of doing
just that.
Then, pageant was held in Ramadan...
Ramadan is not a month in which
Muslims are to completely stop their lives
and hold off on their motivations and pas-
sions. Ramadan is a month to be celebrat-
ed, when the Quran was initiated and a
month to focus on balancing your physical
and spiritual lives.
In Pakistan, anything and everything
sparks controversy, why is that?
Unfortunately, a major issue in Pakistan
is the lack of education. The literacy rates
are very low, especially among women;
therefore religious leaders often drive the
opinions of people, which is also how the
Taliban gained power in the Northern
Areas of Pakistan.
Any message for girls who want to
participate in Miss Pakistan World?
I would tell them to go for it! It is an
unforgettable experience with a great
cause.
I want Pakistani women to push back stereotypes
Toronto: As the world gets ready for
Valentine's Day Feb 14, new research shows
that just fancy cars cannot win you a
woman's heart. The way to a woman's heart
is through your kitchen, according to the
research by luxury appliance brand
Thermador.
Its survey showed that 83 percent women
fall for suitors with a luxury kitchen in their
bachelor's pad. Just 17 percent women go
for guys with a fancy car in their garage.
Suped-up red convertibles may impress
your mates but they won' t make your
Valentine's heart race and cheeks flush like
a top-of-the-line gourmet kitchen,'' said the
luxury appliance maker on the findings of
its survey.
In fact, 61 percent of women said a beau-
tiful kitchen would better help them decide
whether to 'heat things up' in a relationship
than a romantic bedroom (38 percent ) or
flashy garage (1 percent),'' said the state-
ment.
Steve Preiner, director of marketing for
Thermador, said, ' Not only is a well-
designed and outfitted kitchen a great way
to impress your date, it will also help
strengthen your home's resale value.
You can knock thousands of dollars off
the value of a new car as soon as you drive
it out of the dealership but investing in a
beautiful kitchen with quality appliances
will only increase the beauty and the value
of your home.''
If you are looking for a first date to turn
into a second then renovating your kitchen
and installing luxury handcrafted appliances
is the way to go, according to the survey.
So gentlemen, before you blow your
bonus on a hot ride to impress a girl, invest
your money where it counts.''
But having an impressive kitchen is only
part of the story, said the survey, adding that
a lover also needs to be a good cook to
impress his valentine.
Forty-six percent women 'swoon over
men who can cook and 44 percent over
'who are fit, ' according to the survey find-
ings.
Just one percent women are impressed by
the guys who drive nice cars.
Thermador is part of Bosch and Siemens
Home Appliance Group, which is the third
largest appliance manufacturer in the world.
New Delhi: Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty is
planning to make her Valentine's Day celebra-
tion meaningful by spreading love among
underprivileged children.
The 35-year-old, who co-owns a chain of
IOSIS Medispa along with her friend Kiran
Bawa, shared her plans on Twitter.
She wrote: 'For Valentines we gifting LOVE
2 Street Kids by sharing 10% of al Feb bills at
IOSIS. Pl tk a spa & make your contrbtn. Call
+91 22-42683636 (sic).' It's an unusual way of
celebrating the day of love, but one wonders
what are her romantic plans with her business-
man husband, Raj Kundra.
Women fall for guys with fancy kitchens, not cars: Survey
Shilpa plans V-Day
for underprivileged
V
alentines Day is fast
approaching. Now it is
time to think about
what to get your loved one for
Valentines Day. Generally,
flowers and chocolates are
loved by girls, while men
would love to receive electron-
ic gadgets like Apple iPods,
Apple iPhone, Nokia
Smartphone, Canon Digital
Camera, etc. on Valentine Day.
Canon PowerShot SD1300
IS ($129)
The good thing about Canon
PowerShot SD1300 IS is that it
has different five colors for
design, so you can choose what
colors he likes, as well as this
camera captures great images
and video.
Nikon Coolpix S8100
With fast performance, good
photos, and an excellent fea-
ture-to-price ratio, the Nikon
Coolpix S8100 is a compact
megazoom worth considering.
Flip Camcorders ($150
$230)
Rock your boys socks off
with the ultra portable Flip
camcorder, which you can cus-
tomize to fit the theme of the
holiday, or come up with
something totally unique on
your own.
Apple iPhone 5
Apple iPhone 5 comes with a
sleek design and face recogni-
tion mechanism. It is equipped
with OLED screen and 64GB
memory. It has got a built in
GPS navigation feature and
HD audio quality. With so
many outstanding features,
Apple iPhone is always the
most-wanted gadgets for men,
even though it is not cheap.
Wesc Bing Bang
Headphones
Wesc worked with jewelry
designer Anna Sheffield on the
Bing Bang headphones, a
flashy pair with gold hearts on
the outside of the earcups. The
headphones feature gold metal
accents and come with a jewel-
ry accessory that can be
attached to the cord or worn on
the wrist.
Best gadget gifts for Valentines Day 2011
Annie Rupani, Miss Pakistan World 2010
16 Republic Day Celebrations
February 5-11, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Nupur Joshi
Pictures by Xitij Joshi Photography
D
espite the lack of parking space due to an
earlier snowfall and incredibly cold weath-
er, a few hundred patriotic Indians attended
the Republic Day of India celebration and the Flag
Hoisting Ceremony at the Ganesh Temple
Auditorium in Flushing, Queens on January 30.
The evening commenced with an invocation by the
temple priest followed by a flag march and the
singing of the Indian national anthem and national
song as well as the Americna national anthem. The
event continued with vocal singing by Prachi and
Surya Makkar brother-sister duo and Pradeep
Parikh.
The flag hoisting was conducted by Chief Guest
Raja Amar, Founder, CEO, President of Portables
Unlimited Inc, accompanied by Mr. Champak
Parikh. Septuagenarian Champakbhai
Tribhuvandas Parikh has been doing the flag hoist-
ing in style at the Ganesh temple Republic Day
functions year after year.
Dr. Uma Mysorekar, president of the Hindu
Temple Society of North America, welcomed the
audience in her speech. Throughout the evening,
the participants and other significant figures,
including The South Asian Times Chairman, Mr.
Kamlesh Mehta, were honored and given prasadam
from the temple.
The event included multiple group dance per-
formances, which were beautifully choreographed
and executed. The first sequence was presented by
the students of the Nartan Rang Dance Academy
and choreographed by Swati Vaishnav. The per-
formance was breathtaking and captured the
essence of three Gujarati folk dances: garba, tippni,
and supdi. The second sequence was presented by
the students of the East West Dance School and
choreographed by Satyanarayan Charka. The three
talented dancers completed the kathak routine with
ease and form.
The third sequence was presented by the students
of Bharti Desai, whose garba choreography has
won various awards including that of FOGANA.
The dresses for every presentation were wonderful-
ly colorful and the music was well chosen
Indias Republic Day celebrated
Champakbhai Parikh and Raja Amar, Chief Guest, doing the flag-
hoisting of tricolor at the Republic Day celebrations at the temple
Waving national flags of India
and USA.
Raja Amar, Chief Guest and head of Portables
Unlimited Inc, addressing the audience.
Dr Uma Mysorekar, President of the Hindu Temple Society of North
America, giving her welcome speech
Kamlesh Mehta, Chairman of The South Asian Times, being honored
by Dr. Uma Mysorekar of the Ganesh Temple.
The audience join in even as the US National Anthem is sung
Champak Parikh, full of patriotic fervor, makes a sweeping gesture, even as Raja Amar,
Chief Guest, stands in appreciative silence.
Republic Day Celebrations 17
TheSouthAsianTimes.info February 5-11, 2011
Dance teacher Bharti Desai being felicitated.
Prachi and Surya Makkar gave vocal performance.
Group dance choreographed by Bharti Desai and Swati Vaishnav.
The movements were fluid and costumes flowing.
Students of East West Dance School doing kathak choreographed by
Satyanarayan Charka.
Group dance by students of the Bharti Desai Group.
The program started with an invocation by the temple priest.
Patriotic songs were rendered
by Pradeep Parikh.
Swati Vaishnav being felicitated.
at Ganesh Temple in Flushing
18 Ultimate Bollywood
February 5-11, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
T
he Khan charisma was on display
again. Bollywood Badshah Shah
Rukh Khan picked up his 14th
Filmfare Award for Best Actor in his home
production My Name is Khan; while his co-
star in the film, Kajol, stayed up way past
midnight to pick up her trophy as Best
Actress.
SRK also dazzled the audience with a
magical dance performance with one of his
favorite ladies, Madhuri Dixit, before
switching loyalties to the lady-in-black. The
superstar said he would dedicate the award
to his daughter, Suhana, who has been
unwell. "My children love it when I win
awards," he said. "And, of course, I love it
most of all."
Karan Johar bagged the Best Director
Award for My Name is Khan, a film that he
co-produced with SRK. Karan wept holding
the 3.5 kilos trophy. It had taken him 12
years to woo back this snooty black lady for
his directorial skills.
Produced by Sanjay Singh and Anuraag
Kashyap and directed by Vikramaditya
Motwane, Udaan stormed the 56th Idea
Filmfare Awards 2010 by winning seven
trophies for Story and Screenplay,
Background Score, Cinematography, Film
(Critics' Choice), Actor in A Supporting
Role (Male) Ronit Roy and Sound Design.
Vidya Balan won the Best Actress (Critics
Choice) for Ishqiya. The film also got veter-
an lyric writer Gulzaar a trophy for Best
Lyrics for his soulful Dil Toh Bachcha Hai.
Playback singer Rahat Fateh Ali, who lent
his vocals to Dil Toh Bachcha Hai, also
took home one of the gorgeous black ladies.
Rishi Kapoor won the Best Actor (Critics
Choice) Award for his terrific performance
in Do Dooni Chaar.
Arbaaz Khan and the super-sexy Malaika
Arora Khan took home a trophy for 2010's
biggest commercial success Dabangg that
was chosen as the Best Film.
The film's chart-busting music also won
trophies for its composers Sajid-Wajid and
Lait Pandit. Mamta Sharma, who lent her
voice to Munni Badnaam Hui, and the irre-
pressible Sunidhi Chauhan, who sang
Sheila Ki Jaawani (Tees Maar Khan),
shared the award for Best Female Playback
Singer. Farah Khan won the Best
Choreography Award for Sheila Ki Jawaani.
Sonakshi Sinha took home her first trophy
for her very assured debut in Dabangg; and
Ranveer Singh was adjudged the Best
Debutant (Male) for Band Baaja Baraat.
Ronit Roy wept copiously when he heard
his name announced as the Best Supporting
Actor; Kareena Kapoor bagged the Best
Supporting Actress award for We Are
Family.
Ninety-year-old legendary singer Manna
De got the lifetime achievement award,
while Bollywood megastar Amitabh
Bachchan was honored for his forty years in
Hindi cinema and his so-called arch rival
Shah Rukh Khan gave him the award.
Madhuri Dixit Nene was presented a spe-
cial award by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for
completing 25 years in the film industry.
The show was hosted by Imran Khan and
Ranbir Kapoor, who brought the house
down with their gags on Action Replayy,
Dabangg, Guzaarish and My Name Is Khan.
SRK, Udaan sweep Filmfare Awards
Shah Rukh Khan addressing the
gathering after receiving the Best Actor
trophy at the 56th Idea Filmfare Awards.
Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora Khan receiving the trophy for Best Film Dabangg.
Priyanka Chopra paying tribute to Madhuri Dixit at the 56th Idea Filmfare Awards.
H
rithik and Suzanne may have
attended the Filmfare awards
with great expectations, but the
couple was visibly disappointed and
decided to head home early this time.
After an award-winning performance in
Guzaarish, Hrithik was hopeful of win-
ning an award either for popular choice
or critics choice but his hopes were
dashed.
Apparently, he came to know halfway
during the ceremony that he won't be
winning any award, and the actor made
an early exit from the ceremony.
Suzanne took to Twitter to express
her disappointment, "Just came back
from Filmfare. Sometimes in life we
get what we don't deserve makes it
diff to understand what's the logic in all
this." A source confirmed to Mid Day,
"The Roshans walked out of the awards
way before it ended. Rishi Kapoor
received the Best Actor (Critics'
Choice) for Do Dooni Char while Shah
Rukh won it in the Popular category.
Duggu found out early on that he was-
n't winning anything that night and
decided to walk out."
Hrithik Roshan and wife Suzanne at the
Filmfare awards.
Hrithik walks out of Filmfare awards
B
ollywood diva Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan has made it to the cover
of Vogue for the third time, sporting
an all black feathered look. The magazine
carries interesting tidbits on the former
beauty queen from 10 men who know her
well.
The magazine has spoken to people
including Ash' s husband Abhishek
Bachchan, designer Manish Malhotra,
director Ashutosh Gowariker and ace
make-up artist Mickey Contractor, said a
statement.
Abhishek shared the memories of his first
meeting with Ash saying: "The first time I
met Aishwarya was in August 1997. I was
on a recce for my father's film 'Mrityudata'
in Switzerland and she was shooting her
first film 'Aur Pyar Ho Gaya' with my dear
friend Bobby Deol. I remember one
evening Bobby invited me over to his hotel
for dinner and Aishwarya and the rest of
the unit were there. That was the first time
I actually met her."
"If you ask her, she will tell you the same
thing - that the minute we came together,
we both knew that this was something for
keeps. So, there wasn't just this 'one' defin-
ing moment, it always felt perfect," he
added.
Others too have shared similar interesting
episodes related to the beauty queen.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan sizzles in an
all-feathered look on Vogue cover.
Ash on Vogue cover again
Ultimate Bollywood 19
TheSouthAsianTimes.info February 5-11, 2011
D
isregarding the rather
strenuously upbeat ending
"Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji"
(DTBHJ) turns out to be quite a
charming and clever concoction.
Though this time Madhur
Bhandarkar, one of the strongest
celluloid creators of contemporary
times, veers into virgin territory,
the trademark Bhandarkar touch-
es, like the almost-incestuous use
of sex as a bartering point between
the sexes, are evident everywhere
in this multi-plot story of love, sex
and betrayal during times of
laughter music and backchat in
Mumbai.
The writing (by Bhandarkar,
Anil Pandey and Neeraj Udwani)
weaves skillfully through the
hearts and conscience of our three
heroes who are designed to be a
study in contrasts and yet so
believable, you can touch their
lives by just watching them stum-
ble, fall and redeem themselves in
tentative, sometimes funny, some-
times moving ways.
This, then, is the story of three
house-mates wading through the
concrete jungle of Mumbai in
search of love, sex and, yes, a
sense of belonging. Their houses,
hearts and environment look
believable. They are shot to res-
onate reality.
Though projected outwardly as a
comedy, DTBHJ has deeper, dark-
er resonances that we cannot miss
even if we are too busy laughing
at the protagonists' clumsy
attempts to get lucky in love.
In DTBHJ, Bhandarkar walks a
tightrope. He has to balance the
laughter with the dark underbelly
of Mumbai's beautiful, but alas,
desolate people.
Every actor breathes life into the
constantly mutating comedy. If we
care for all the three love stories
that run in criss (never crass) cross
it is because the actors enacting
the love relationships go beyond
their own personalities in search
of the people they play. While
Omi Vaidya and Emran Hashmi
make a great impact, it is Ajay
Devgn, echoing Amol Palekar's
Common Man from the 1970s,
who must be congratulated in the
loudest voice for abandoning his
6-pack mean-mirth-machine
image to play a mousy middle-
aged divorcee with the hots for his
comely secretary.
DTBHJ is a true-blue sex come-
dy that doesn't lapse into unneces-
sary passages of vulgarity and
innuendos. Though Bhandarkar
has sought inspiration from the
romantic comedies by Hrishikesh
Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee,
the style of storytelling and the
tantalizing merger of libido and
urban morality would have flum-
moxed those wondrous comedy
makers.
A charming sex comedy
A still from Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji.
T
he sudden income tax raid
at her residence in
Mumbai's Versova area and
the presence of actor Shahid
Kapoor there was a double wham-
my for actress Priyanka Chopra.
The actress, however, declined
any tax evasion, and said because
Shahid stays at a stone's throw
from her house, he was the only
person she could think of in such
an unfortunate situation.
"The only person who stays
with me is my mom, who was not
present at home and Shahid stays
three minutes away from my
place. So he was the only person I
could call up then. So he was
there," Priyanka told reporters at a
press conference recently.
When asked about the reported
discovery of Rs. 6 crore ($1.3 mil-
lion) from her residence, she said:
"My CA (chartered accountant)
has given an official statement
regarding that and personally my
spokesperson has given you an
official statement. It's shocking
the way unsubstantiated news is
making rounds as authentic
news."
"I had never experienced any-
thing like this before. Whatever
happened has deeply hurt me and
deeply affected me. As far as the
discovery of Rs. 6 crore from my
house, neither I had so much of
money under my mattress nor I
have seen so much of money
together in my life," she said.
The media then wanted to know
even as she is one of the highest
taxpaying actors in Bollywood,
why did she come under the
income tax scanner.
"As people say that it happens
with big stars. I still feel proud
that I am counted among the few
highest tax paying Bollywood
stars and hope to be so as long
God continues to give me the
opportunity," Priyanka said.
K
nown for making realistic
and thrilling cinema with
romance as an integral
part, director Sudhir Mishra
returns with "Yeh Saali Zindagi",
about the unpredictability of life
and complexity in relationships.
What happens when you are
screwed in love? Irrfan Khan,
Arunoday Singh, Chitrangada
Singh and Aditi Rao Hydari will
show you the quirky, romantic
coincidences and commotions
through their characters Arun,
Kuldeep, Priti and Shanti respec-
tively in "Yeh Saali Zindagi",
which is releasing on February 4.
In the film, Arun (Irrfan) has to
save Priti (Chitrangada) the
woman he loves, but before that
he has to save the man Priti loves
- Shyam who is the future son-in-
law of a powerful minister.
On the other hand, time is run-
ning out for Kuldeep (Arunoday),
a gangster, who is on his last job
as his wife threatens to walk out
on him. But he believes that she is
cheating on him and wants to
leave him for another man.
Kuldeep can handle dreaded
gangsters, but when it comes to
his wife, he is weak and soft. He
is screwed when the minister's
daughter calls off her engagement
with Shyam whom Kuldeep has
held captive.
She doesn't care about Shyam
anymore; neither does the minis-
ter who Kuldeep hoped would pay
the ransom.
The film shows how far these
two men would go to get the
women they love and how some-
times what they believe to be a
goof-up can also help put things
on the right track.
Made at a budget of about Rs.10
crore, the film is produced by
Prakash Jha and was shot in
Delhi.
The director canned the scenes
in areas like Chandni Chowk and
Karol Bagh and even in a village
on the outskirts of the capital.
T
he dialogues and heartwarming songs of leg-
endary actor-director Guru Dutt's 1957 cine-
matic masterpiece "Pyaasa" have been
immortalized into a book by author Nasreen Munni
Kabir. Titled "The Dialogue of Pyaasa", it also
includes extensive commentary by Kabir and is
available in Hindi, Urdu and English. It will be
launched Wednesday.
The film was a masterpiece thanks to Abrar Alvi's
flawless script and Guru Dutt's deft direction and
impeccable performance. He was amply supported
by Waheeda Rahman as Gulabo and Johnny Walker
as Abdul Sattar in the black and white saga about a
poet' s thirst for love, recognition and
fulfillment.The songs are said to be soul of Guru
Dutt's immortal classic.
Never seen $1.3 mn
ever: Priyanka
Twisted tales of love
'Pyaasa' immortalized in book
Priyanka Chopra.
A still from Yeh Saali Zindagi.
A still from Pyaasa.
20 Subcontinent
February 5-11, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Dhaka: The Dhaka High Court on
February 2 rejected a writ petition seeking
to bring back 195 Pakistani soldiers, who
were sent back through the tripartite Shimla
Treaty, to try them for their "crimes against
humanity" during the 1971 Liberation War.
High Court Justice Imman Ali rejected
the writ petition filed by a BNP leader last
year, also challenging the legality of the
1972 tripartite Shimla Treaty between
Bangladesh, Pakistan and India through
which 195 Pakistani soldiers were sent
back to their country.
The court order came as the lawyer of
petitioner Wing Commander (retd)
Hamidullah Khan said his client was no
more interested to pursue the writ.
Earlier in November, a two-member High
Court bench had passed split orders on the
petition with senior judge of the bench
rejecting the petition while the junior judge
issued a rule on the government to explain
why it should not be directed to bring back
the 195 Pakistani army personnel.
The split judgment required the case to
referred to the chief justice who then sent it
to Ali''s single member bench who today
said the petition was "not pressed".
The order came a year after Pakistan said
the 1974 tripartite treaty between Dhaka,
New Delhi and Islamabad had resolved the
1971 war crime issue as Bangladesh initia-
tives were underway to expose to trial the
Bengali-speaking war crime suspects dur-
ing the Liberation War.
"Pakistan thinks the issue (of war crimes)
was duly resolved for good in that treaty,"
Pakistans envoy to Bangladesh Ashraf
Qureshi had told newsmen at that time.
He added Pakistan''s stance on the issue
"remained as earlier as we abide by the
treaty" signed three years after the
Bangladesh''s Liberation War crucially
backed and eventually joined by India.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni earlier had
said Bangladesh would try its own citizens
for war crimes through a fair judicial
process "adhering to highest international
standards" and added by no means this
would affect bilateral relations with
Pakistan.
While Foreign Secretary Mizarul Quayes
had said Dhaka wanted a constructive for-
ward-looking engagement with Pakistan
but Islamabad should accept the truths
relating to 1971 Liberation War as
Bangladesh was determined to stage the
trial of war criminals.
Plea to try 195 Pak soldiers rejected
Bangladeshi refugees heading to India to flee persecution
during the 1971 war of liberation.
Kathmandu: Nepal's oldest and
holiest Hindu temple is to intro-
duce fines to deter "amorous
behavior" on its premises after
becoming a favorite spot for
courting couples, its management
said Tuesday.
The committee that runs the
sprawling Pashupatinath temple
complex on the outskirts of the
Nepalese capital Kathmandu said
it also planned to fine smokers
and anyone taking photographs in
an effort to clean up the holy site.
"The couples sit on the stairs
leading to one of the temples. On
any given day you can find one on
each step," the committee's treas-
urer Narottam Vaidya said.
"From this Saturday, couples
found hugging or indulging in
amorous behavior will face a fine,
under new rules introduced to dis-
courage such inappropriate activi-
ties in the Pashupatinath area."
The rules will be enforced by a
team of security guards deployed
to protect the complex, Vaidya
said. Anyone found breaking them
faces a fine of up to 500 rupees
($7).
The Pashupatinath temple com-
plex, a UNESCO world heritage
site, covers 2.6 square kilometers
(one square mile) on the banks of
the holy Baghmati river and
attracts thousands of pilgrims
every year, mostly from neighbor-
ing India.
Vaidya said standards of behav-
ior at the complex had deteriorat-
ed and many people were now
using their mobile phones to take
pictures of the centuries-old tem-
ples, even though photography is
banned.
"It has been difficult to control
because people can easily hide
their phones. But from now we
will be stricter about monitoring
people and anyone violating the
rules will be fined," he added.
Pashupatinath temple bans
courting couples
The committee that runs the sprawling Pashupatinath temple complex
said it also planned to fine smokers.
Colombo: Sri Lanka's mili-
tary on February 2 offered to
discharge all its 50, 000
deserters without disciplinary
action to mark the country's
independence anniversary.
Officers and enlisted men
who have been absent with-
out leave can report to their
regiments and then be
released from their duties,
military spokesman Major
General Ubaya Medawala
said.
"This is not an amnesty, but
a special concession to mark
independence, " he said,
adding the deserters needed
to register between February
4 and 12.
Mass desertions have
plagued the Sri Lankan army
before and since the defeat of
the separatist Tamil Tigers
rebels in 2009, which ended
decades of bloody warfare on
the island.
The army is still recruiting
troops to fill vacancies and
deploy forces in areas of the
north and east captured from
the rebels.
Lanka offers
freedom to army
deserters
Mass desertions have plagued the Sri Lankan army.
Subcontinent 21
TheSouthAsianTimes.info February 5-11, 2011
Islamabad: At least 11 people, including
three children and two women, were killed
and 32 injured in a massive explosion in
Peshawar, capital of Pakistan's Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province, on February 2,
police said.
The deafening blast took place in Budha
Bair area in the outskirts of this city. 'The
bomb was planted in a vehicle that was
destroyed completely,' a police official said.
'Several vehicles and nearby shops were
damaged in the blast,' Siraj Ahmad, a senior
official, was quoted as saying.
At least 32 people have been injured in
the blast.
Liaqat Ali, a senior police official, said:
' Police and bomb disposal squad have
sealed the area and started collecting foren-
sic evidence.'
'The nearby police station seemed to be
the target of the blast, but the terrorists
could not penetrate because of tight securi-
ty cordon around the building,' he said,
adding that 'the attack was in retaliation of
crackdown against the militants in tribal
areas'.
The attack took place barely two days
after four people, including a senior police
official, were killed in a suicide bombing in
this city. The January 31 bombing was
fourth terror act in Peshawar during the
first month of 2011.
Bashir Bilour, a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
minister, visited the blast site and con-
demned the terror attack.
'Nobody seems to be bothered about the
situation in our province where terrorism in
rampant and our people are dying on a
daily basis,' he said and urged the federal
government to 'look at the situation and
take measures on priority basis'.
Militants also attacked a checkpost of the
security forces at the Pakistan-Afghanistan
border, killing at least three personnel of
the Frontier Constabulary (FC). Four troop-
ers were injured, Dawn stated.
11 killed in Peshawar blast
ISLAMABAD: In a rare public
appearance, Jamaat-ud-Dawa
chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed
addressed a rally in Lahore, capi-
tal of Pakistan's Punjab province,
and vowed to resist any change in
the blasphemy law on January 30.
"What business the Pope has
when he says that we should
repeal the blasphemy law?" he
asked, adding that "the foreign
countries want to give a message
to their public that it is ok to
demean Islam".
"We would not tolerate such a
stance," he said while referring to
a statement of Pope Benedict
XVI.
Pope Benedict had issued the
statement about the need to repeal
the blasphemy law in the after-
math of Punjab governor Salman
Taseer's assassination by his secu-
rity guard on January 4.
Saeed said, "The "anti-Islamic
forces are out to conspire against
Pakistan and I urge the govern-
ment to severe all diplomatic ties
with these countries, including the
US."
Meanwhile, police in Karachi
have arrested a student for
allegedly writing derogatory
remarks against Prophet
Mohammed in his examination
answer sheets.
Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz
Muhammad Saeed.
I s l a m a b a d :
Pakistan's Supreme
Court on February
2 issued contempt
notices to Army
Chief Gen Ashfaq
Parvez Kayani, for-
mer president
Pervez Musharraf,
former prime min-
ister Shaukat Aziz
and several army
officers for their
alleged role in
imposing emer-
gency and sacking
judges November 3, 2007.
This is the first time that a serving
army chief has been issued con-
tempt of court notice in the coun-
try's judicial history.
Musharraf had imposed emer-
gency after developing differences
with then chief justice, Iftikhar
Muhammad Chaudhary, and sacked
the judges besides clamping down
on opposition protests and banning
the broadcast of news channels.
Musharraf had also introduced a
provisional constitution order
(PCO) for judiciary and only those
judges of the apex court and high
courts who agreed to take a new
oath under PCO were retained.
These judges, including then
newly appointed chief justice Abdul
Hameed Dogar, also validated the
emergency and the sacking, while
others, including Justice Chaudhary,
were shown the door and put under
house arrest.
Justice Chaudhary, upon his
restoration, took suo-motu notice of
the Nov 3 directive and declared all
actions taken for imposition of
emergency as null and void.
The judges, who took oath under
the PCO, were made to leave and
were also barred from using the title
of ex-judge or ex-chief justice with
their names.
These judges submitted a written
apology and were pardoned by the
court, while 11 of them, including
Abdul Hameed Dogar, decided to
contest the case. The trial has been
going on for more than a year and
the verdict was announced
Wednesday, Dawn TV reported.
"The apex court rejected the plea
of the PCO judges and ordered to
issue contempt notices to them, as
well as Musharraf, Shaukat Aziz,
Kayani and other generals serving
as corps commanders at that time,"
the channel added.
Contempt notices for
Kayani, Musharraf
Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief slams Pope
Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf and
Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
Pakistani police officers look for evidence
amid of the wreckage of a vehicle at the site
of the car bomb blast on February 2.
Police officers examine the wreckage of a
police vehicle after a road side bomb blast in
Peshawar on January 31.
Paks public debt Rs.9.47 trillion
Islamabad: Pakistan's public
debt stands at a whopping
Rs.9.47 trillion (about $110
million), said an official state-
ment.
Dawn reported on February
2 that due to the massive pub-
lic debt, the government has
violated the limits on borrow-
ing imposed in the Fiscal
Responsibility and Debt
Limitation Act. The act
requires the federal govern-
ment to take measures to
reduce total public debt and
maintain it within prudent
limits.
"The total public debt stood
at Rs.8.894 trillion as of June
30, 2010, an increase of
Rs.1.265 billion or 16.6 per-
cent higher than the debt stock
at the end of last fiscal year,"
said a mandatory debt policy
statement for 2010-11
released by the Ministry of
Finance on February 1.
While the government took
Rs.798 billion from domestic
sources, it borrowed Rs.189
billion from external sources
to finance fiscal operations.
The government also bor-
rowed Rs.271 billion from the
International Monetary Fund
for balance of payments sup-
port and incurred an exchange
loss of Rs.200 billion on the
external debt portfolio
because of the rupee deprecia-
tion against the US dollar.
The statement observed that
the total public debt situation
worsened in the first quarter
of the current fiscal year and
"stood at Rs.9.473 trillion at
the end of the first quarter
(July-September) of fiscal
2011, registering an increase
of Rs.579 billion or 6.5 per-
cent in just three months of
the current fiscal year".
The media report said that
the depreciation of the US
dollar against other currencies
has added approximately $2.4
billion to the external debt.
22 International
February 5-11, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Cairo: Shots rang out in Cairo's
Tahrir Square as violent clashes
broke out between anti- and pro-
Hosni Mubarak protesters leaving
five people dead and over 600
injured. The running clashes took
place for over 12 hours with day-
break witnessing an escalation in the
deteriorating situation as gunfire
was being heard in this city of 18
million. Faced with the escalating
protests, the octogenarian president
has said he would step down only at
the end of his term in September.
The pro-Mubarak supporters -
some of them on horses and camels
- plunged into the protesters and
lashed out with sticks Wednesday.
Anti-Mubarak supporters initially
retreated but came back in force and
surrounded some of the horsemen
and pulled them down from their
steed. The horsemen were left
bloodied.
The anti-Mubarak protesters con-
tinued to remain defiant in the face
of the attacks mounted on them as
their protest entered the 10th day.
Witnesses told DPA that the two lat-
est victims were anti-government
protesters who died from gunshot. A
soldier was among the three killed
late Wednesday.
Salma, a young activist camping
out in the square, said she would not
leave until Mubarak and his entire
government resigned. "Mubarak
should be tried as a war criminal for
unleashing armed people on
unarmed civilians," she said.
The clashes have left at least 600
injured, Xinhua estimated.
Witnesses said the army permitted
thousands of pro-Mubarak support-
ers to enter the square that has been
the focal point of the political
unrest. Salma Eltarzi, an anti-gov-
ernment protester, told Al Jazeera
there were many wounded people.
"There are no ambulances in sight,
and all we are using is Dettol," she
said.
The opposition groups have said
that the "members of security forces
dressed in plain clothes and a num-
ber of thugs have stormed Tahrir
Square".
Former head of IAEA Mohamed
ElBaradei accused Mubarak of
resorting to scare tactics. "I' m
extremely concerned, I mean this is
yet another symptom, or another
indication, of a criminal regime
using criminal acts," said the Nobel
laureate.
Amnesty International has criti-
cized the Egyptian army for failing
to protect anti-government protest-
ers. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-
moon called violence against peace-
ful protesters "unacceptable". Ban
spoke alongside Britain' s Prime
Minister David Cameron in London
as they called for speedy political
reform.
"I am deeply concerned at the
continuing violence in Egypt," said
Ban. "I once again urge restraint to
all the sides. An unacceptable situa-
tion is happening. Any attack
against the peaceful demonstrators
is unacceptable and I strongly con-
demn it."
5 dead, 600 hurt in Cairo clashes
Egyptian anti-government demonstrators face pro-regime opponents (bottom) in Cairo's Tahrir Square on February 2.
Washington: Hours after embattled
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
announced that he would not run for
re-election in September, President
Barack Obama warning of "difficult
days ahead" said the transition in
Egypt must begin now.
"We've borne witness to the begin-
ning of new chapter in the history of
a great country and a long-time part-
ner of the United States," Obama
said in a brief statement to reporters
at the White House less than three
hours after Mubarak's announce-
ment in Cairo.
Obama pledged continuing US
support for both a longtime ally and
the aspirations of protesting
Egyptians, whose eight days of
growing demonstrations led to
Mubarak's dramatic announcement
on state television. Noting that he
and Mubarak had just spoken by
phone, Obama said Mubarak "rec-
ognizes that the status quo is not
sustainable and a change must take
place."
Repeating earlier calls for an
orderly transition in Egypt from
Mubarak's nearly three decades of
autocratic rule to a fully representa-
tive democracy, Obama said the
transition "must be meaningful, it
must be peaceful and it must begin
now."
"Furthermore, the process must
include a broad spectrum of
Egyptian voices and opposition par-
ties," Obama said. "It should lead to
elections that are free and fair. And
it should result in a government
that's not only grounded in demo-
cratic principles but is also respon-
sive to the aspirations of the
Egyptian people."
Egypt's transition must begin
now: Obama
The name of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is written on the
forehead of a supporter in Cairo.
212 more Indians return
Mumbai: A third batch of 212
Indians stranded in Egypt, which
is in the midst of a political
upheaval, arrived here on
February 3 in a special flight. Air
India flight AI-160 landed with
the Indians at 5.30 a.m., an offi-
cial said.
This is the third flight to
Mumbai in Air India's efforts to
bring back the Indians stuck in
Egypt. Earlier this week, two
flights carrying 320 and 280 pas-
sengers respectively arrived in
this city. Air India flew a Boeing
747-400 from Mumbai to Cairo to
bring the stranded Indians late
Wednesday.
The airline had made it clear
that though it was carrying a
humanitarian mission, it would
charge the passengers Rs.45,000
each to cover the costs of opera-
tions.
'I'll quit only by Sept'
Cairo: As protesters took out a
"march of a million" against his
three-decade rule, Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak finally
announced that he would step
down but not before the end of
his term in September. In his tel-
evised speech, the 82-year-old
leader said he would not run for
presidency for another term and
pledged to ensure a smooth
transfer of power after
September.
"My main responsibility is to
ensure stability, and in the next
few months I will work on the
country's stability," he was quot-
ed as saying. The president said
that he would seek constitutional
change, which controls the crite-
ria of the candidacy of the next
president. "I am a military man
who served this country during
war and peace and I will die on
the soil of Egypt," Mubarak said.
Responding to Mubarak' s
announcement, Egyptian
reformist leader and former head
of the International Atomic
Energy Agency Mohammed
ElBaradei said that Mubarak's
speech did not meet the people's
demand and asked for more
immediate action.
The people want Mubarak to
leave as he has "lost his legitima-
cy", ElBaradei told al-Arabiya
channel.
Business 23
TheSouthAsianTimes.info February 5-11, 2011
New Delhi: Welcoming the conditional
clearance to its $12 billion steel project in
Orissa, the Indian subsidiary of South
Korean steel major Posco said it will
resolve the concerns raised by the people
living in the vicinity of the project.
Industry bodies said the move will shore
up India's investment-friendly credentials.
"We fully appreciate the concerns of dif-
ferent stakeholders on sustainability of
environment as well as livelihood of
affected people," Posco-India said in a
statement issued here.
The project, which is the biggest foreign
direct investment (FDI) in the country,
was stopped by the environment ministry
after concerns were raised by environmen-
talists and local inhabitants.
Posco requires about 4,004 acres, mostly
government land, for its project in
Jagatsinghpur district, about 100 km from
the state capital Bhubaneswar. Of the land
earmarked, 2,900 acres is forest land.
Industry body Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI) also welcomed the move and said
that a careful balance has to be maintained
for protection of the environment and
safeguarding the interests of the local
inhabitants.
"In producing a careful balance between
developmental goals and growth objec-
tives, optimal level of environment pro-
tection, and concern for the human dimen-
sions of change, we welcome the Posco
clearance which will meet the multiple
objectives," FICCI's secretary general
Amit Mitra said. FICCI said that it hoped
that the conditions in approval for the
project are viable for long term sustain-
ability.
Meanwhile, another industry lobby
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
said the decision to approve the project
would help build the country's image to
attract foreign investment.
"CII is hopeful that this decision would
pave the way for future greenfield projects
and capacity additions within a reasonable
time frame, " CII' s director general
Chandrajit Banerjee said.
The $12 billion investment is intended
for an integrated steel, mining and port
project. The investment would also be
directed towards a captive power plant to
provide electricity to the steel plant.
Industry welcomes conditional nod to Posco
The $12 billion investment is intended for an integrated steel, mining and port project.
Geneva: Trading powers who have
embarked on an intensified push for
a new trade deal sought by political
leaders must go faster if they are to
have any hope of finishing the Doha
round this year, the head of the
WTO said. Trade ministers meeting
in the Swiss resort of Davos last
week agreed to push for an outline
agreement by July and to tell their
negotiators at the World Trade
Organization to show enough flexi-
bility to clinch a deal in the long-
running talks.
But WTO Director-General Pascal
Lamy told a meeting of the trade
body' s 153 members to review
progress on the nine-year-old talks
that movement on substance in real
negotiations was needed as well as a
change in mood. "Atmospheric
improvement is good and important,
but we will not advance on air
alone," he said.
Lamy said it was clear the broad
negotiating groups working on tear-
ing down trade barriers in areas such
as agriculture, industrial goods and
services were now working hard.
But much more must be done in
the bilateral talks and discussions
among small groups of key players
that are critical for a deal, and this
would require give and take, he said.
The Doha talks were launched in
late 2001 to boost the world econo-
my and help poor countries prosper
through trade.
Since then they have stalled
repeatedly, the last time in July
2008, and trade diplomats at
Wednesday's meeting said 2011 was
probably the last chance to reach a
deal.
Speed up Doha talks: Lamy
WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy.
Budget could permit
new private banks
New Delhi: India is considering
allowing new private sector banks,
including by industrial houses, and
a roadmap for the same could be
announced in the annual Union
Budget to be presented later this
month.
While the formal and final guide-
lines would be announced by RBI
on who should be allowed to set up
new banks and what should be the
terms and conditions for them, a
roadmap on the subject could be
announced in the Budget speech on
February 28 by Finance minister
Pranab Mukherjee, sources added.
In his Budget speech last year,
Mukherjee had said that there was a
need for extending the geographic
coverage of banks and improving
access to banking services.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
is close to finalizing the guidelines
for entry of new banks in the pri-
vate sector, based on its consulta-
tions with the government and vari-
ous stakeholders, as also the feed-
back to its August 2010 discussion
paper on the issue, sources in the
know said.
Among the various options, the
RBI is considering grant of license
for small banks for initial few
years, which could be upgraded to
full-fledged banking licenses after
the central bank is satisfied with
their performance and fulfillment
of certain criteria, sources said.
The guidelines would dwell upon
issues like minimum capital for
new banks and promoters contribu-
tion, minimum and maximum caps
on holding of promoters and others,
foreign shareholding, business
model for the new banks and
whether industrial houses, NBFC
(non-banking financial companies)
could be allowed to run banks.
Among others, a number of cor-
porate houses, including Anil
Ambani-led Reliance group, the
Aditya Birla group and the Religare
group, have expressed interest in
obtaining banking licences. A num-
ber of NBFCs and micro-finance
institutions are also said to be inter-
ested in the banking business.
Mukherjee had said in his
Budget speech in February 2010
that RBI was considering giving
some additional banking licenses to
private sector players and NBFCs
could also be considered, if they
meet the RBI's eligibility criteria.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is close to finalizing the
guidelines for entry of new banks in the private sector.
New Delhi: India said it will insist on getting the key
to intercept Blackberry's enterprise mail from the
smart phone's Canadian-manufacturer Research-in-
Motion (RIM).
The government-set deadline for RIM to provide
the key to intercept enterprise mail was Monday.
Home Minister P. Chidambaram said a decision on
allowing BlackBerry's enterprise mail would be taken
soon. "I think a decision will be taken today
(Monday) by the home ministry and the telecom min-
istry. I have not yet been briefed on the development
in the last few days. As I said, like they have given us
a solution to the messenger service, we will insist that
they give us solution for the enterprise (mail) service
too," Chidambaram said here after presenting his
ministry's monthly report.
Chidambaram's remarks come in the wake of RIM
saying it was not possible for it to provide the Indian
government an access to its the enterprise mail serv-
ice. "There is no possibility of us providing any kind
of a solution. There is no solution, there are no keys
to be handed... It's not possible to do so because the
keys of the service are in possession of the corporate
enterprises," said RIM Vice-President (Industry,
Government and University Relations) Robert E.
Crow earlier.
Security agencies have been demanding access to
all BlackBerry services as part of efforts to fight ter-
ror and security threats.
India firm on intercepting Blackberry mails
24 Sports
February 5-11, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New Delhi: India skipper Mahendra Singh
Dhoni feels that the introduction of the
Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS)
in the cricket World Cup won't make all
teams happy.
The debatable UDRS will make its debut
in the World Cup from the quarterfinal
stages and Dhoni said the Indian team has
done its homework on the system.
"We have done our homework on the
UDRS system. Some decisions will help
you while some will go against you. As a
captain you can't help it. But I can say
UDRS won't make all teams happy in the
World Cup," said Dhoni during a promo-
tional event on February 2.
Dhoni admitted that some of the players
are carrying few niggles and the lengthy
gaps between the matches will help them
select the best eleven.
"Getting a perfect schedule is very diffi-
cult. In fact long gaps between matches is
not a big issue for us and it may work in
our favor. I am happy with this format
because some of the players in our team are
carrying niggles and it will give them some
time to recover well for the next match,"
said Dhoni.
UDRS won't please all teams: Dhoni
Indian cricketers, (L-R), captain M.S. Dhoni,
Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf
Pathan, Piyush Chawla and Yuvraj Singh
at a promotional event in New Delhi
on February 2.
Kolkata: Expressing regret over the iconic
Eden Gardens losing the India-England
World Cup tie, ICC chief executive
Haroon Lorgat wrote an "emotional" mail
to Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB)
chief Jagmohan Dalmiya saying it was not
within his powers to overrule the decision
of the tournament technical committee.
The International Cricket Council (ICC)
official said he was "equally disappointed"
that the Eden Gardens could not stage the
Feb 27 game and expressed desire to meet
Dalmiya soon to clear up the "misunder-
standing".
"I am equally disappointed that the Eden
Gardens couldn' t host the match. But
believe me, it was not within my power to
change the technical committee's decision.
I intend to meet you soon to clear up the
misunderstanding," a Dalmiya aide quoted
Lorgat as having said in the mail.
Lorgat' s mail was in response to
Dalmiya's missive, where he said the Eden
Gardens would be completely ready by
Feb 7, when the ICC would conduct an
inspection to determine whether the his-
toric venue was prepared to hold three
World Cup matches next month.
None of the games involve hosts India.
The ICC has now decided to carry out
three inspections - Feb 7, Feb 14 and Feb
22 - to gauge the stadium's preparedness
for the three other matches, said a CAB
official.
ICC sorry, but firm on Eden
New Delhi: New Sports Minister Ajay Maken
has said the government will come out with a
National Sports Development Legislation that
would force the sports federations to come
down hard to age cheaters, dope offenders and
handle cases of sexual harassment strictly.
Maken said that the Ministry will put on its
website the draft Bill Feb 20 and will invite
suggestions from the stakeholders and public
for one month before taking it forward.
Maken said that the proposed comprehen-
sive legislation would be based on Basic
Universal Principles of Good Governance
(BUPOGG), International Olympic
Committee (IOC) Charter, international leg-
islative practices, anti-doping laws, age fraud
detection and measures against sexual harass-
ment.
"Some of the core principles enunciated in
the BUPOGG as adopted by the XIII Olympic
Congress of the Olympic and Sports
Movements include, elections to sports bodies
should be governed by clear, transparent and
fair rules. Adequate procedural regulations
must exist to ensure there is no conflict of
interests. The term of office should be of limit-
ed duration, in order to allow renewal of office
bearers on a regular basis. Co-operation, coor-
dination and consultation with governments to
preserve autonomy. The resolution passed by
the XIII Congress also underlines the essen-
tiality of athletes' involvement in decision
making with full voting rights," said Maken.
New Delhi: As
Sachin Tendulkar
gears up to play
probably his last
World Cup, the
Mahendra Singh
Dhoni-led Indian
cricket team is
desperate to
make it a special
one for him by
gifting the cham-
pion batsman the
trophy, which has
eluded the side
for 28 years. In his two-decade
long illustrious career, during
which he has featured in five
World Cups since 1992,
Tendulkar has virtually every
batting record under his belt but
a world title is the only trophy
which is missing from his cup-
board.
And Dhoni said his team will
do whatever it takes to make it
a memorable tournament for
Tendulkar, who is approaching
38.
"We all love him (Tendulkar)
a lot. Most probably it is his last
World Cup although we all
want him to play many more
World Cups. But practically
speaking it seems impossible,"
Dhoni told reporters during a
promotional event in New
Delhi.
"So, that (the World Cup tro-
phy) can be the biggest gift
from the team to him," he said.
E
ven as preparations for the World
Cup enter the final stretch for most
teams, Indian worries have an added
concern. Injured pacer Praveen Kumar,
named in the final squad of 15, may
well have to sit out of the quadrennial
event with murmurs within the BCCI
steadily gaining momentum that the
swing bowler is yet to completely
recover from his elbow problem.
The Uttar Pradesh seamer, who was
undergoing treatment at the National
Cricket Academy in Bangalore, will
now be heading to England for further
treatment, a board official confirmed.
Based on the medical reports from
England, we will decide whether to
pick him or to ask for a replacement, a
top BCCI official confirmed, even
though the BCCI has not yet given any
request for a likely replacement
required.
The Board has also not yet informed
the National Selection Committee
about the issue and a final call on
Praveen Kumars availability will be
taken only after assessing reports from
England. But should the need arise if
Praveen fails to recover completely, a
selector said they had one ready.
And the lucky player is likely to be
Kerala speedster Sreesanth, brightening
his chances of making the cut for his
second World Cup. Praveen Kumar
hasnt received an England visa yet but
will be getting it soon. His elbow has
not completely healed, and we dont
want any problem to occur when the
team starts playing its league games. So
far, it is unclear whether he will be part
of the team for the World Cup, the
BCCI official admitted. rs and public
for one month before taking it forward.
Maken said that the proposed com-
prehensive legislation would be based
on Basic Universal Principles of Good
Governance (BUPOGG), International
Olympic Committee (IOC) Charter,
international legislative practices, anti-
doping laws, age fraud detection and
measures against sexual harassment.
"Some of the core principles enunci-
ated in the BUPOGG as adopted by the
XIII Olympic Congress of the Olympic
and Sports Movements include, elec-
tions to sports bodies should be gov-
erned by clear, transparent and fair
rules. Adequate procedural regulations
must exist to ensure there is no conflict
of interests. The term of office should
be of limited duration, in order to allow
renewal of office bearers on a regular
basis. Co-operation, coordination and
consultation with governments to pre-
serve autonomy. The resolution passed
by the XIII Congress also underlines
the essentiality of athletes' involvement
in decision making with full voting
rights," said Maken.
Sports bill proposed by Maken
'World Cup biggest
gift to Sachin'
Praveen's injury opportunity
for Sreesanth
Sports Minister Ajay Maken
Sachin Tendulkar.
A view of the under-construction area of
Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Praveen Kumar
Lifestyle 25
TheSouthAsianTimes.info February 5-11, 2011
M
arried couples live with
the illusion that they
communicate well with
their partners. But a new study
could be an eye-opener for them.
It has revealed that married
couples do not always convey
messages to their better halves as
well as they think and in some
cases, the spouses communicate
no better than strangers.
Psychologists also found the
same communication problem
with close friends. People com-
monly believe that they commu-
nicate better with close friends
than with strangers. That close-
ness can lead people to overesti-
mate how well they communi-
cate, a phenomenon we term the
cl os enes s - communi cat i on
bias, said Boaz Keysar, a pro-
fessor in Psychology at the
University of Chicago and a
leading expert on communica-
tions.
Keysars colleague Kenneth
Savitsky, professor of
Psychology at Williams College
in Williamstown, devised an
experiment resembling a parlor
game to study the issue.
The researchers had 24 married
couples sit with their backs to
each other and were asked to
decipher the meaning behind
ambiguous phrases used in
everyday conversation.
The goal was to see if the
spouses were better at under-
standing their partners than
strangers. They found the spous-
es consistently overestimated
their ability to communicate, and
did so more with their partners
than with strangers.
Although speakers expected
their spouse to understand them
better than strangers, accuracy
rates for spouses and strangers
were statistically identical. This
result is striking because speak-
ers were more confident that they
were understood by their
spouse, said Savitsky.
Savitsky conducted a similar
experiment with 60 Williams
College students. In the study,
the students overestimated their
effectiveness in communicating
with friends, replicating the pat-
tern found with married couples.
T
he fashionistas who have for
long been sporting scarlet red
lips and dewy pink eye shad-
ows are in for a surprise. Not red,
not even pink, but tangy orange has
emerged as the hottest make-up hue
for the season. At the cosmetic
brand Make-up Forever training
in Paris sun-kissed orange was
declared as the make-up color to
watch out for 2011.
At the Hong Kong fashion week,
models at designer Doils show
sported orange lips and made a pret-
ty picture. Versace too, showed
models wearing a nasty orange on
their pouts, announcing it as the
color of the season. At Prada and
Marc Jacobs show at the Paris fash-
ion week, orange surfaced as the
favored hue. Closer home, designer
Shilpa Chavan showcased models
with tangerine rouge parading on
the ramp. So, as orange becomes the
hottest make-up trend the world
over, we ask experts in the city how
to wear this bold color.
Tangerine tango
The shift from red and pink to
orange has begun. Make-up brands
are coming out with an orange
palette to suit every skin-tone, says
beauty expert Neha Khanna. But it
is a tricky color and has to be used
cleverly on dusky complexions.
A lot of people are wary of the
color as its too zany. But it is the
perfect color as blushers for 80% of
the Indian skin-tone since we have
that undertone of a yellow pig-
ment, says make-up expert Cory
Walia.
Tread with tact
While it can give your lips the
most desirable glossy pout, a wrong
tint can make you look very trashy.
Orange in its various shades add
glamor. The best thing about this
shade is it can be used with your
casual outfits. It also is the perfect
color to go with your evening wear.
Stick to pastel shades this season,
but avoid the gloss and glitter, sug-
gests Samantha Kochhar, celebrity
make-up artist and expert. So bring
on some sunshine to your make-up
palette this spring.
The closeness-communication bias
Time for sun-kissed lips!
A new study has shown that
spouses often communicate
no better than strangers.
The tangy orange palette has
emerged as the hottest make-up
hue for the season.
A
re you one of those who
looks for an excuse to
get hold of some junk
food, just because you're hungry
and are craving for that one par-
ticular snack? Well, here are
some things you can do to pre-
vent falling into the craving trap.
1 Know your craving: Food
craving are different for differ-
ent people. So first figure out
what sends you on a food ben-
der, and then strategize to steer
clear from these food.
2 Keep junk food out of the
house: Dont store junk food at
your home. If you have craving
for them, buy a single serving to
fix your craving. But only allow
one serving every time you
crave for it.
3 Try a healthier substitute:
Try to opt for a healthier substi-
tute. Fix your craving for sweets
with dates, grapes, or dried figs.
Or try low-fat Greek yogurt if
you desire something rich and
creamy. For a salt fix, try a pick-
le.
4 Make a deal with yourself:
If attacked by a food craving, try
to resist that food for an hour. If
you still cant do without the
food, then eat a little of what
you desire. Most food cravings
dont last more than 20 to 30
minutes.
5 Cleanse your palate: Brush
your teeth or chew some gum.
Nothing tastes good after you
have that minty taste in your
mouth.
6. Call a friend: Chances are
your quick-fix craving could be
due to stress or other emotions.
Look for comfort in a friend
rather than in a pint of ice-
cream.
If attacked by a craving for junk food, make a deal with yourself and try to resist that food for an hour.
How to curb your food craving
New York Life Insurance Co.
(Last May, Andy Singh was included among Nation's Top 10 Insurance Agents of New York Life Insurance Co.)
With Best Compliments
Ajay Bhumitra, Arjay Wireless
Japreet S.Mayall, Centilman Balin Adler & Hyman
Raja Amar, Portables Unlimited
Vikas Dhall, ZCom Wireless
Rotary Club of Hicksville South
South Asian Chamber of Commerce
For receiving
Agent of the Year award
and
Agency Growth Award
from New Jersey
Central Office of
The CompanyYou Keep.
E
veryones offering money-saving tips
these days, trying to help people sur-
vive the economic downturn. It does-
nt take much to save a few bucks here and
there, even if youre already scrimping, even
if you order the short cappuccino at
Starbucks and have reduced your cable TV
package to only 380 channels. Anyone whos
really serious about saving money needs to
follow Melvins cant-miss tips:
1. Be more religious. Yes, going to the
temple, gurudwara, mosque or church can
save you money. How? Well, many of these
religious institutions offer you something
you cant usually find anywhere else: FREE
FOOD! Entire meals are served at many
temples, gurudwaras and mosques, while
snacks are commonplace at churches.
Im not suggesting, of course, that you go
there just to eat. You can also get something
to drink. But if the minister asks if you want
to be filled with the spirit, its probably not
a good idea to say, No, thanks. Im driv-
ing.
2. Dont pay interest on your credit
card. If youre buried in credit card debt, it
might be time to look in the mirror and
accept that theres only one person to blame
for the mess youre in: your spouse. (Or sig-
nificant other.) He or she buys all sorts of
luxury items with the credit card, whereas
you use it only for essential items, such as
wool pajamas for the dog. It might be time to
get a divorce - from your credit card.
3. Find vacations on the Internet. Lets
face it: its expensive to travel abroad and,
even if you can afford it, do you really want
to spend half your vacation going through
airport security? Thankfully, theres an easy
solution. Just travel anywhere in the world -
Tahiti, Jamaica, Hawaii - by gazing at your
Facebook friends vacation pics. Put your
face right against the computer screen and
youll almost feel yourself there.
4. Cancel your gym membership. Does it
really make sense for you to spend two hours
lifting weights, sweating profusely and not
getting paid for it? Instead, head to the air-
port or train station and get yourself a job as
a porter. Many companies, including UPS,
Wal-Mart and Sears, offer lifting opportuni-
ties, though it might be a good idea to stay
away from shoplifting.
5. Take the bus or train to work and do
some reading. The first step is to buy a
monthly bus/train pass. The second step is to
cancel your newspaper subscription. Why
subscribe to the newspaper when you can
read it for free over someones shoulder?
6. Take advantage of telemarketers. If
you get lots of calls from telemarketers, you
need to do what I do: sell them stuff. Its
amazing how much you can sell if youre a
little forceful. Just ask Satwinder, the guy in
New Delhi who just bought 100 copies of
my novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
7. Do your own recycling. Dont throw
out that fashion magazine - pull out the
glossy pages and use them to wrap small
gifts. Dont throw out that worn boot - fill it
with soil and grow a plant in it. Dont throw
out that old pair of underwear - cut it into a
fancy shape and use it as a doily.
8. Keep your lotto dreams in check. Its
okay to buy a lottery ticket now and then, but
if youre plunking down 10 bucks a week,
youre throwing your hard-earned money
away. Yes, people do win the lottery, but you
have a better chance of getting Justin Bieber
to share nail polishing tips with you.
9. Think big. Dont buy a small bag of rice
when a big bag is more economical in the
long run. The best part is, once the bag is
empty, you can recycle it. Just write Gucci
on the side of it and use it for shopping.
10. Get to know your neighbors.
Neighbors can save you a lot of money. In
fact, if youre trying to buy a house, make
sure you find one with a plumber living on
one side, an electrician on the other and a
carpenter across the street. Dont forget to
show them your appreciation with a special
gift, such as a nicely wrapped doily.
MELBOURNE: Scientists have developed
what they claim is the world's first hack-free
software which can protect systems from
failure or malicious attacks.
The 'seL4' microkernel has been developed
by a team led by Australia's ICT Research
Centre of Excellence's spinout company --
Open Kernel Labs (OK Labs). It is a small
operating system kernel which regulates
access to a computer's hardware.
Its unique feature is that it has been mathe-
matically proven to operate correctly,
enabling it to separate trusted from untrusted
software, protecting critical services from a
failure or a malicious attack, say the scien-
tists.
In future applications, seL4 could ensure
that trusted financial transaction software
from secure sources like banks or stock
exchanges can operate securely on a cus-
tomer's mobile phone alongside "untrusted"
software, such as games downloaded from
the Internet, according to its developers.
It could also provide a secure and reliable
environment for mission-critical defence
data, operating on the same platform as
everyday applications like email. Or, it could
protect the life-supporting functions of an
implanted medical device, such as a pace-
maker, from hacking, they say.
"Our seL4 microkernel is the only operat-
ing system kernel in existence whose source
code has been mathematically proven to
implement its specification correctly. Under
the assumptions of the proof, the seL4 kernel
for ARM11 will always do precisely what its
specification says it will do," lead scientist
Gerwin Klein said.
Added another scientist Gernot Heiser,
"Verification of operating-system kernels has
been attempted since the 1970s -- we pulled
it off!"
28 Humor
February 5 - 11, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Money-saving tips that really work!
World's 'first hack-free' software developed
Tech Life
Humor with Melvin Durai
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.
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Aries: This week your convincing power
will show remarkable results. Pressure at
work and home would make you short-tempered
and a little restless too. Friends and spouse bring
comfort and happiness to a dull and hectic week.
Investment needs to be made only after proper
guidance. Your children would seek help on school
projects, therefore be liberal in giving them some
time. Contribute generously to social organizations.
Taurus: A female friend tries to take emo-
tional advantage of you. Hard decisions at
work could bring strong resistance but improve
things for the better. Your creative side would grow,
bringing you popularity. Physical chances to
enhance your look would be appreciated. Friends
would help you out in sorting personal problems.
Later in the week an elder person gives blessings
and good wishes. Your involvement in the affairs of
other people would attract criticism.
Gemini: Do not forget to call on a friend
who has not been keeping to well. Love and
romance dominate your week as you go out of the
way to please your beloved. Pending proposals will
get implemented. Money and influence will play an
important role in deciding major business contracts.
Spend some time involving yourself into hobbies
that you enjoy the most. Your high energy and
dynamic approach would make you popular
amongst the people of opposite sex.
Cancer: Beneficial news, another job offer
or a fresh assignment will bring moments
of happiness and jubilation this week. Participating
in organizational functions will bring growth
opportunities. You are likely to gain approval from
your seniors if you present your ideas well.
Children would be confused and seek your advice.
Take care of your health and avoid overwork and
late nights. Sudden infatuation would only lead to
heartaches.
Leo: Unforeseen obstacles might arise in
your work this week. Try to control your
temper and concentrate on your work. A week of
cautious moves, when your mind would be needed
more than your heart. Find relief and comfort in the
arms of your beloved. If you move and work cau-
tiously things might take a desired twist. Some per-
son from the opposite sex would extend her best of
the cooperation to ease out your stress. Some rituals
likely to be performed at home. Foreign transac-
tions and journeys to the overseas may not yield
results immediately but eventually.
Virgo: Important correspondence should be
attended to without delay as new proposals
and assignments seem to come your way. Business
associates might behave little difficult and try to
disrupt your plans. Little tact and patience would be
needed to achieve your goals. Difficulties concern-
ing financial matters would ease, bringing happi-
ness and peaceful atmosphere at home. Weekend
would be perfect to go out with your friends for a
small holiday.
Libra: This week you should concentrate
on new way to make some extra cash. Use
your imagination and seek assistance from success-
ful people. Personal spending on yourself and your
friends should be avoided, rather children and fami-
ly members should be on your priority this week.
Rewards or gifts likely for some. Health related
problems might bring some discomfort. Your varied
interests and vast knowledge would become a
major attraction for you at social gatherings.
Scorpio: Hasty and thoughtless speech
might put months of hard work into ruins.
You need to be highly diplomatic and sensible in
handling emotional circumstances. Activities with
family members would be highly enjoyable. You
should look for ways to make things better for all
those around you. Personal needs and requirements
would be fulfilled and a cordial relationship with
the spouse would bring in peace and harmony at
home. Children would spend more time on outdoor
activities than look into their books. You can make
long lasting relationships during this period if you
are open to new ideas.
Sagittarius: This week social activities
would be plenty leading to new contacts
and alliances. A lonely phase that has been gripping
you for long ends, as you seem to find your soul
mate. You will gather valuable information if you
are open to new cultures and ideas. Unexpected
guests crowd your place later in the week. Travel
related work would be completed as expected. A
small outing towards the weekend will be good for
the entire family.
Capricorn: Somebody at office might take
advantage of your generous behaviour. You
need to be firm and strong to put an end to this
unreasonable pressure. Your communication skill
and knowledge would be impressive. Investment
opportunities if any should be properly verified, as
only wise investments would fetch returns, there-
fore be sure where to put your hard-earned money.
Spouse remains cooperative and helpful. Domestic
issues would need immediate attention.
Aquarius: This week is significantly good
for real estate and financial transactions.
Your income will improve but the rise in expenses
would make it difficult for you to save. You also
need to concentrate on how to make your hobbies
into money making preposition. Elders and family
members provide you with love and care. You
should follow your instincts when it comes to mak-
ing personal and important decisions. Avoid spicy
and oily food. Meditation and yoga will help in
achieving physical and spiritual gains.
Pisces: This week your health might suffer
if you keep thinking about this difficult and
stressful period. You might just have to
bend to the wishes of others to avoid further argu-
ments and conflicts. Depression and frustration
may dampen your work progress, but you should
console yourself, your views would be heard one
day. Children would be a major source of your hap-
piness. Outing with friends would keep your
relaxed. Shopping would be pleasurable and exiting
provided you stick to your budget.
February 05:
Ruled by number 5 and the planet Mercury, you are
active, energetic, honest, systematic and highly
courageous person. You have good administrative
abilities and can easily handle jobs, which require
immense responsibility. You have high taste and a
good sense of humor, but you need to curb your
tendency to behave moody, jealous and reckless at
times. This year new alliances and projects will
lift your confidence. Despite minor disagreements
that you might have with people around you the
months ahead promise you major gains. However
property related matters and investments need to be
dealt with extreme caution. You will be following
a hectic social life during this period. Outdoor
sports, clubs and parties will attract you. You will
make major gains in your career if you listen to
those with experience. Health needs proper care.
The months of February, March, April, June and
October seem to be significant.
February 06:
Ruled by number 6 and the planet Venus, you are
generous, practical, energetic, creative and a trust-
worthy person. You are fond of worldly pleasures
and you like to enjoy life to its best, but at times
you face lot of criticism because of your tendency
to behave extravagant, stubborn and moody at
times. This is the perfect time to undertake im-
portant changes in your career and make strong de-
cisions. Matter concerning property, finance and
new ventures should be given priority. Focus to-
wards your goals and growth and prosperity will
follow by itself. The latter half of the year will
bring in opportunities for you to travel overseas for
business as well as pleasure. Some good news can
be expected from relatives towards the last quarter
of the year. The months of February, May and Sep-
tember will prove to be highly significant.
February 07:
Dominated by number 7 and the planet Neptune,
you are smart, responsible, affectionate, creative,
simple and highly charming individual. You pos-
sess many talents, which make you popular
amongst your friends and family members, but you
need to check your tendency to behave jealous,
stubborn and hypocrite at times. You will become
more established and feel secure in your present
job. Although finances will improve but there will
be an increase in expenses as well. Your spouse
will be cooperative and helpful, but behave very
stubborn and moody at times. Matrimonial al-
liances for some cannot be ruled out, as others will
find romance to keep them going. The months of
March, June & October will prove to be highly sig-
nificant.
February 08:
Influenced by number 8 and the planet Saturn. You
are highly energetic, ambitious, talented, deter-
mined and well-mannered individual. You possess
remarkable confidence and your systematic ap-
proach to life wins you lots of respect and appreci-
ation from others, but you need to check your ten-
dency to behave stubborn and jealous at times.
This is an important period of your life when most
of the planets will be in your favour. You will de-
velop a very strong relationship with the organiza-
tion that you work for. Brilliant years that will
tremendously improve your earning power and
bring you many comforts of life. Overseas travel
seems likely for some later in the year. Health def-
initely will be a matter of concern. The month of
January, May, August and October will prove to be
highly result oriented.
February 09:
Ruled by number 9 and the planet Mars. You are
smart, intelligent, dashing, enthusiastic and highly
trustworthy individual. You are very emotional per-
son and once you make a relationship you see that
it lasts forever. You never shy away from showing
your affection to the person you love, but you need
to check your tendencies to behave cynical and
short-tempered at times. This year you will make
several important decisions related to your work,
which will bring you gains, not immediately but
eventually. Your charisma and outgoing personali-
ty will bring you popularity and win you lot of fa-
vors. Home front will be peaceful. You and your
beloved will make a good team and accomplish
lots together. Keep a check on your spending or
you would easily surpass your budget. The months
of February, January, April and August will prove
to be important and highly eventful.
February 10:
Dominated by number 1 and the Sun. You are in-
telligent, ambitious, imaginative, energetic, friend-
ly and a creative person. You have a risk taking at-
titude which brings you lot of gains, but at times
heavy losses as well. You are quick in taking deci-
sions, which is rather good but you also have a ten-
dency to behave stubborn, timid and moody at
times. This year your creativity will bring you
tremendous gains. Several of your original ideas
will become real success. Your income would be
good this year, but will fall short of your expecta-
tions. Gains through selective speculation cannot
be ruled out. You should also utilize this period to
expand your knowledge and sign up for courses
that would help you in the future. Overall a
favourable period, but minor stress and tensions
cannot be ruled out. The months of February, April,
July and October will prove to be significant.
February 11:
Governed by number 2 and the Moon. You are hon-
est, sensitive, emotional, kind hearted and an intel-
ligent individual. You possess a magnetic appeal
and people admire you because of your knowledge
and talents. You are patriotic and highly religious,
but you also possess tendency to behave introvert
and shy at times. This year you will make several
decisions related to your work, which will not be
supported by your family members. Although your
income will fluctuate between good and not so
good, friends and family members will be support-
ive and helpful at times of distress. You should take
advantage of the given opportunities, but avoid
speculation and gambling. Working on new ideas
will bring you instant gains. Heath will be a matter
of concern. The months of May, July, September
and October will prove to be highly beneficial.
Astrology 29
TheSouthAsianTimes.info February 5-11, 2011
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874; Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898,
2648 9899; psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
Stars Foretell: February 5-11, 2011 Annual Predictions: For those born in this week
i) Accurate Data: Please make sure Date,
Time and Place of birth is accurate.
ii) Careful: Did you check background of the
astrologer before disclosing your secrets.
iii) Fee: Discuss the charges before, dont feel
shy. Its his business.
iv) Expectation: Expect the best, if the out-
come is not as desired, never give up.
v) Consult: Take second opinion before
spending thousands on cure/remedies.
Learn about the fair value of
diamonds & precious stones.
To the readers of The South Asian Times
by an expert gems dealer.
For appointment, please call 516 390 7847 or
email consult.gems@gmail.com
Before you consult...
Free Consultation
30 Spiritual Awareness
February 5 - 11, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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