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Vol.5 No. 26 October 13-19, 2012 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

London: The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded its 2012 peace prize on Friday to the 27-nation European Union, lauding its role over six decades in building peace and reconciliation among enemies who fought Europes bloodiest wars, even as the Continent wrestles with economic strife that threatens its cohesion and future. While some Europeans swelled with pride at the decision, howls of derision erupted from the continent's large band of skeptics. To many, the EU is an unwieldy and unloved agglomeration overseen

Some deride Nobel Peace Prize DEBATING RYAN, BIDEN for European Union SAVES OBAMA CAMPAIGN FROM FURTHER SLIDE
Joe Biden's spirited performance in the vice presidential debate had Republicans criticizing him on Friday for snide grins, but it set the stage for President Obama to try to regain his footing in a rematch with Mitt Romney on Tuesday in New York.
by a top-heavy bureaucracy devoted to creating arcane regulations about everything from cheese to fishing quotas. Set up with noble goals after the devastation of World War II, the EU to critics now appears impotent amid a debt crisis Continued on page 4

By Vikas Girdhar

Analysis on page 9-10.

Now Kejriwal targets Law Minister Khurshid

Law Minister Salman Khurshid and Arvind Kejriwal.

New Delhi: India Against Corruption (IAC) activist Arvind Kejriwal and his supporters were Friday detained while protesting alleged irregularities in an NGO run by Law Minister Salman

Khurshid and his wife Louise. Taken to a stadium on the outskirts of Delhi, they refused to leave even after being later released by the police. Continued on page 4

Silver Diwali: AIA makes history at South Street Seaport

Special Coverage on page 2, 14-19.
Vice President Joe Biden Congressman Paul Ryan

Business 23

Fashion 25

Bollywood 26

Spiritual Awareness 30

excellence in journalism

October 13-19, 2012

AIA DIWALI MELA

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AIAs historic Silver Diwali celebrated at The Pierre

New York: Hours before the 25th annual Diwali Mela last Sunday at South Street Seaport, there was a pre-Diwali dinner and Awards Ceremony hosted by AIA-NY at the Pierre hotel, a first for the association. Over 200 invitees, including corporate heads of sponsoring companies, attended the glittering event. This was a "special thank you, celebrating those who support both the Indian-American community, and the exposure of the culture," said Ranju Batra, AIA President. A "Silver Diwali Bright Light Award" was bestowed upon three members of Congress: Eliot L. Engel, Carolyn B. Maloney and Gregory W. Meeks, with the names of Indias Amb. Hardeep Singh Puri and Pakistans Amb. Abdullah Hussain Haroon inscribed upon each award. On her part, Cong. Maloney presented 3 American flags flown on the Capitol Hill Dome in honor of Amb. Puri, Amb. Haroon and Ravi Batra, remarking that Amb. Puri representing India, Amb Haroon representing Pakistan, and attorney Ravi Batra representing the United States, have "made the world safer with their mutual respect and affection." Amb. Puri called Amb. Haroon "a very dear friend, who wins a gold medal as an ambassador for all the respect and friends he has earned for Pakistan," and acknowledged Ravi as "the missing link between the two of them." Amb. Haroon regaled the audience with the history of Diwali and its traditions, that his mother was born on Diwali, and that India and Pakistan had to get closer and start to disarm the border between them. Ravi Batra said "these two ambassadors had enhanced the peace-trajectory of 1.5 billion people of the Sub-Continent with willing governments." Ranju Batra said, "Cong. Maloney has given wings to my pet project Diwali Stamp by issuing a Congressional letter in support of the Stamp. Now, please call your member of Congress and have them sign the Maloney Diwali Stamp Letter." She added, "This gathering speaks of the actual triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness. It even speaks to the power of goodness and mutual respect. Ranju Batra thanked Silver Diwalis main sponsors: State Bank of India for the Fireworks, Star Plus for Grand Television Media Sponsor, Bank of Baroda for "Kids Fun Zone, India Tourism, Bank of India and Air India as Platinum Sponsor, Toyota, McDonald's, New York Life, who had major presence at the mela and Wells Fargo for support. She also thanked her Executive Committee, the media and her family for support. The dignitaries present included

3 flags flown over Capitol Hill dome presented by Congresswoman Maloney to Amb. Puri, Amb Haroon and Ravi Batra. (L to R) ASG UN Women Lakshmi Puri, Amb. Hardeep Singh Puri, Amb. Abdullah Hussain Haroon, AIA President Ranju Batra, Ravi Batra, Congress members Greg Meeks, Carolyn B. Maloney and Eliot Engel. (Photos: Vijay Shah/Freelance US Media).

Indias Consul General Prabhu Dayal, Indias Secretary in GOI P.K. Misra and Manjeev S. Puri, Indias Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN. There were also elected officials, leaders from society, banking, media, and noted author Vikram Seth. The program started with a pledge of allegiance conducted by justices of the New York Supreme Court. Welcome remarks were made by Rajeev Bhambri, COO of India Abroad. Senator Ruth HassellThompson spoke of her grandson wanting to attend Diwali celebration and Mt. Vernon Mayor Ernie Davis spoke of culture and achievement. NYC Council member Dan Halloran celebrated the communitys hard work and achievements. Bollyarts provided spellbinding dance performances. Traditional boxes of burfi sweet were given to all attendees.

A "Silver Diwali Bright Light Award" was bestowed upon three members of Congress: Carolyn B. Maloney, Eliot L. Engel and Gregory W. Meeks, with the names of Indias Amb. Hardeep Singh Puri and Pakistans Amb. Abdullah Hussain Haroon inscribed upon them. (Photo: SnapsIndia.)

Indias Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Hardeep Singh Puri speaking at the event.

Pakistans Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Abdullah Hussain Haroon addressing the audience.

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October 13-19, 2012

At OFBJP reception Advani bats for Modi, slams Congress' FDI move

L K Advani at the Overseas Friends of BJP reception. (right) Advani, as part of the Indian delegation, speaks at the UN General Assembly in New York [Photo: Jay Mandal/On Assignment].

By Jinal Shah/SATimes Edison: Seeking to put to rest reports of a widening rift between him and Gujarats chief minister Narendra Modi, senior Bhartiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Sunday eulogized Modi and said that the party is proud of his achievements. Advani added that he is confident that Modi will get a thumping majority in the upcoming Gujarat elections. Addressing Indian Americans in New Jersey at a reception hosted by the Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP), Advani, who is visiting

U.S. after a gap of nine years, did not wade too deep into an analysis of the current political situation in India. But the 84-year-old veteran politician and former deputy prime minister of India maintained that the BJP was destined to come to power in the 2014 general elections. On the ongoing war on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail, Advani said that the BJP believes in FDI but not in multi-brand retail and in areas like pension and insurance. Executive committee president of Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP), Jayesh Patel, Chandrakant Patel, Adapa Prasad, past-president and H.

R. Shah also spoke at the event. Jayesh Patel briefed Advani about the workings of the OFBJP with 21 chapters in North America, including the one recently inaugurated in Canada. OFBJP aims to work towards projecting a positive and correct image of India and its people and also towards strengthening social bonds among IndianAmericans, irrespective of region, religion, race, creed and color, and help to generate a feeling of oneness and brotherhood, said Jayesh Patel adding, The organization has taken up a number of issues such as voting rights of non-resident Indians in

Indian elections. Advani advocated voting rights for all overseas Indians across the board irrespective of their nationality. He emphasized the need for character building among the people of India. To the delight of the audience that was packed to capacity, he said that it would be a good idea to grant voting rights to all overseas Indians, even if they had acquired the nationality of another nation. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would grant voting rights to overseas Indian citizens when it came to power. His remarks were greeted by a standing ovation by the audi-

ence, including leaders of several Indian and ethnic community organizations. Accompanied by his wife Kamla and daughter Pratibha, Advani is among 13 members of parliament who are currently in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly. Accompanying him are P.C. Chacko, Rishang Keishing, Gurudas Kamat, Anu Tandon (all Congress), Najma Heptullah and Ananth Kumar (both BJP), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Vandana Chavan (NCP), Dharmendra Yadav (SP), Satish Chandra Mishra (BSP), N K Singh (JD-U) and P Karunakaran (CPI-M).

Harvard professor receives Genius Grant for work on economic policies

By Jinal Shah/SATimes New York: A young Harvard economics professor, named one of the worlds eight best economists by The Economist magazine has recently been announced as the recipient of a $ 500,000 MacArthur Genius Grant. Last week, 33 year old professor Raj Chetty was awarded for his work in the emerging field of behavioral public finance- using empirical data to measure how economic policies and public-sector investment affect individual behavior and social outcomes. Chetty is one of 23 innovators to win this years batch of MacArthur Grantscommonly referred to as genius grants. The grants provide its recipients with a no-strings-attached award of $500,000 and guidance over the next five years for academic and professional pursuits. These extraordinary individuals demonstrate the power of creativity, said MacArthur Foundation president Robert Gallucci, in a statement announcing this years recipients. Upon receiving the award Chetty in research and discovery. This young Indian American professor, joined a broad spectrum of fellows, including novelist Junot Diaz; Washington Post reporter David Finkel, who spent 10 months with U.S. Army troops in Baghdad; and pediatric neurosurgeon Benjamin Warf, who has developed a low-cost method for treating young children afflicted with hydrocephalus in the developing world. A public economist, Chettys work focuses on issues ranging from sales tax to teacher effectiveness. His research has included nuancing the economic assumptions of optimization, focusing on how people respond to tax changes. Chetty said that he is currently focusing on issues of equality.Chetty earned both his B.A. and Ph.D at Harvard, and was a tenured professor at U.C. Berkeley before his appointment to Harvard at the age of 29, a mere eight years after graduating from the college summa cum laude. Today he continues to be a tenured professor and director of the Lab for Economic Applications and Policy.

Some of Chettys work:

n a study released 2010, Chetty tracked one million U.S. students from childhood to adulthood and found that a students exposure to a high-quality teacher even for just a single year raised his cumulative lifetime income by $50,000. Such students were also more likely to go to college and less likely to become teen mothers. The quality of teachers you had in childhood dramatically impact your life 25 years later, stated Chetty, adding that he and his colleagues had developed methods to identify high-quality teachers. In another study conducted by Chetty in 2011, he looked at the impact of classroom size on STARtesting scores and eventual economic success. Looking at testing data and class size of 11,571 kindergarten to third grade students

Raj Chetty said that he was very excited and happy for the department to hear that he had been awarded a MacArthur Grant. He said that he originally received the telephone call while having lunch with his mother in downtown Boston. Son of V.K. Chetty, who served as an economic adviser to the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Raj in a video created by the MacArthur Foundation said that the academic environment of his childhood fostered an early interest

in Tennessee, the researcher concluded that students in smaller classrooms in those early years were more likely to go to college, buy homes and save for retirement, all measures of economic success. Theres a lot of focus especially in politics on the short-term economic situation, but I think as a nation, its very important to think about longer-run economic growth, said Chetty, adding that investments in primary school education could have significant longterm impacts for the U.S. Inequality in the U.S. is rising. Many people are concerned that there is a huge group of people who will never have the chance to succeed, said the Indian American economist, adding that he hoped his work could mitigate some of those concerns.

October 13-19, 2012

TURN PAGE

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Big B 70: A birthday bash to remember

Reception in honour of Minister Ahmed at the Consulate

New York: The Consulate General of India in New York organized a reception in honor of E. Ahmed, Minister of State for External Affairs, to meet members of the IndianAmerican community as well as the media on October 10. Dharmendra Yadav, the youngest MP who had addressed the UN in Hindi earlier in the day, was also present at the function. The minister was welcomed by Consul General Ambassador Prabhu Dayal. Expressing his happiness at the comfortable life led by the Indian-American community, Mr Ahmed hoped to see a similar standard of life in India in the near future. He also urged the Indian-American community to make optimal use of the recently announced FDI policy initiatives by the Government of India.

E. Ahmed, Minister of State for External Affairs, speaking at the Consulate in New York.

Amitabh Bachchan posing with his family

Bill Gates, Kofi Annan back leniency for Rajat Gupta

New York: Rajat Gupta, Goldman Sachs' former Indian-American director convicted of insider trading, has received letters of support from the likes of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan ahead of his sentencing . Gates and Annan are among more than 200 friends of Gupta, 63, who have written letters to US District Judge Jed Rakoff through his lawyers ahead of the Oct 24 sentencing, according to local media reports. "I know most personally that the poor of the world have a profoundly capable and articulate advocate in Rajat Gupta," wrote Gates, who worked with Gupta when the latter served as chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Wall Street Journal citing submissions examined by it said Gates wrote that he was "not in a position to comment on any of the particulars of the case against him," but wanted to lend his voice "to round out Rajat's profile." Annan, who was UN Secretary General from 1997-2006 said Gupta worked on many projects with him. "I came to respect his judgment, and we became good friends." On one of the projects, management reform at the UN, Gupta was an adviser. Ajit Jain, a top Berkshire Hathaway executive and possible successor to Buffett, in his letter to the judge wrote that the impression of Gupta at his trial of someone who abused his position "for personal gain or aggrandizement" is "wholly inconsistent with the character of the man I know." "On no occasion of our meetings did Rajat ever seek to inappropriately obtain or leverage information," he wrote, adding that Gupta "has already paid a terrible price" and "been disgraced personally and professionally."

Mumbai: The Indian film industry's biggest stars like Dilip Kumar, Yash Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan and Rajnikanth to high profile politicians flocked to the big bash Wednesday to usher in the living legend Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday. The red carpet was rolled out for as many as 800 guests at the Reliance Media Work, Film City, Goregaon. Amitabh, dressed in a black velvet outfit, came with his family -- wife

Jaya Bachchan, son Abhishek, daughter Shweta, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai -- and he too walked the red carpet with live orchestra playing hit numbers from his films. If glamour was at its high, the big names from political corridor including NCP leader Praful Patel, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav gathered here to wish Big B.

4 Queens teens die in car crash

New York: Peter Kanhai, 18, Christopher Khan, 18, Darian Ramnarine, 18 and Neal Rajapa, 17, all of Queens, died in an accident on the Southern State Parkway Tuesday. While Peter Kanhai, Christopher Khan and Darian Ramnarine were from Ozone Park, Neal Rajappa was from Jamaica. The loss hit hard at Richmond Hill High School, which some of the teens attended and where counselors were on hand to help students cope with their grief State Police said the car, a 2012 Subaru Impreza carrying five teens, crashed into trees along the shoulder between Exit 18 and Exit 17. Police said the survivor, Joseph Beer, 17, of South Richmond Hill, was driving with a learners permit and lost control. He was being treated at Winthrop University Hospital.

Noble peace prize story Continued from page 1 that has widened north-south divisions, threatened the euro currency and plunged several members, from Greece to Ireland to Spain, into economic turmoil. The vocal anti-EU politicians known as euroskeptics burst into a chorus of disdain. "First Al Gore, then Obama, now this. Parody is redundant," tweeted Daniel Hannan, a euroskeptic European lawmaker. President Barack Obama won the peace prize in 2009, less than a

year after he was elected, while Gore, a former US vice president, was the 2007 recipient for his campaign to fight climate change.

Kejriwal Khurshid story Continued from page 3 A group led by Kejriwal were proceeding towards Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 7 Race Course Road residence to demand Khurshid's dismissal from the cabinet over alleged misuse of funds sanctioned for buying equipment for disabled people

in different parts of Uttar Pradesh. Rashtriya Viklang Party president K.K. Dixit, who was among the protesters, alleged that "Khurshid and his wife's Dr. Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust were allotted Rs.71 lakh to provide cycle rickshaws to the differentlyabled in UP's 16 districts. But they misused the funds as per an RTI." Khurshid has denied the charge. On Tuesday he said that he will sue Kejriwal for his allegations in connection with a sting aired by Aaj Tak TV channel.

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October 13-19, 2012

Liu, Sikh groups launch initiative to reform NYPD religious garb policy
New York: City Comptroller John C. Liu, the Sikh Coalition, and United Sikhs launched a petition calling on the City to reform the NYPD dress code policies that forbid Sikh officers from wearing turbans and beards, practices that are required by their faith. The petition (available at comptroller.nyc.gov/sikh) follows a letter Comptroller Liu sent Mayor Bloomberg last month requesting the policy changes, which was delivered in the wake of the shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis. Last week, Sikh leaders convened in Washington, D.C. to discuss hate crimes and domestic extremism at a Senate subcommittee hearing. The NYPD shouldnt force Sikhs to choose between serving their City and honoring their faith, Comptroller Liu said. Changing these policies would show that New York City deserves its reputation as a global capital of religious acceptance. The petition highlights recent changes made by the MTA and Washington, D.C.,

NYPD dress code bans beards and turbans required by faith

Metropolitan Police Department, and a 2011 New York City Council law that augments religious freedom at work. Comptroller Liu, the Sikh Coalition, and United Sikhs also noted that the policy changes would benefit

non-Sikh New Yorkers who require head coverings or beards for religious reasons. Copies of the petition will be circulated throughout New York City, and it is available online atChange.org. In the coming weeks, Comptroller Liu will visit gurdwaras and community groups to discuss the issue and gather signatures. Sikhs can and have served as police officers successfully all over the world, said Amardeep Singh, Director of Programs at the Sikh Coalition. The NYPD needs to understand that its ban on Sikh service is both wrong and illegal. If the NYPD does not soon welcome Sikhs into the force, it will eventually be sued and ordered to do so. Its time to stand on the right side of history. Let's integrate the force. The Sikh Turban and the beard signify the emblems on which the American Civil Rights movement is based upon, said Mankanwal Singh, National Community Empowerment Director of United Sikhs.

I introduced bill A6170-A, which will protect the rights of uniformed employees and all New Yorkers against discrimination for wearing any sort of dress or garment in observance of religious practices, including beards and turbans, said Assemblyman David Weprin. In order to promote understanding and tolerance in our city, we must make sure that individuals see people of all ethnicities, religions, and colors working as our firefighters, MTA workers, and police officers. An individual should never have to choose between their place of employment and their religious observance. It is important that the chief enforcement agency, the NYPD, is reflective of the diversity of the city it serves and protects, said Councilman Ruben Wills. It is imperative that the policies we set do not limit the opportunities for those who are willing to serve. I know lots of Sikhs who want to join the NYPD but dont because of this regressive policy, said Prabhjot Singh Narula.

NFIA to honor six for outstanding contribution

Performing arts needs professional management in India: Dance guru Jonathan Hollander
New Delhi: With modern dance becoming an important communication tool to address the needs of the community and spur changes at the deepest levels of society, there is need to professionalize the management of performing arts, says one of the world's top choreographers, who wants to set up an institution for this in India. Indian performing arts organizations will "need to embrace the idea that they need to be managed in a professional manner like any other business to make an impact at the grassroots," says Jonathan Hollander, who is trying to set up an Arts Management Institute in India. "The organizations in India will have to say that we are going to have an arts management school... And a professional group will have to help set it up and run it," said Hollander, the founder of the New York-based Battery Dance Company. Hollander, who has choreographed 75 dance productions since 1976, said he was looking for arts organizations and funding agencies which would help him get his dream off the ground. The Battery Dance Company, located on Broadway, is one of the oldest and most popular modern dance repertories in the US that makes creative use of dance as a community outreach across the globe - especially in the developing worlds of Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America - to connect to rainbow communities over and Bollywood dancers," he said. The high points of his Indian collaborations are choreographies on social activism with danseuse Mallika Sarabhai's Darpana company, "Purush" - a composition featuring 10 of India's finest dancers - and "Songs of Tagore" with Samir and Sanghamitra Chattopadhyay. "In 1997, I toured 17 cities in India with my troupe," Hollander said. The choreographer has been a pioneer in introducing Indian dances to American audiences as the founder of the Downtown Dance Festival. In 1998, he founded the Indo-American Arts Council to promote exchanges in Indian and American performing cultures. "The boundaries between different dances are breaking in India. India is waking up to the reality that dance can be a medium of education among younger human beings. Religious ethics and social divides evaporate... It isn't hard to get your foot on the door to creativity," Hollander said. Hollander said US dance is on a regressionary course despite the fact that "it is still 20 years ahead of India in styles, innovations and intent. There has been no resurgence unlike in India, where dance is opening up," he said. The choreographer said he wants to bring his "Dancing to Connect" program to India - one of the few countries where he has not conducted his creative community dance workshop.

Individual Award Recipients (L to R): Harkrishana Majumdar, Dr. Najma Sultana, Nitin Shah, Dr. Hemant Patel, Ratna Kumar and Dr. Sid Gautam

New York: In keeping with the long tradition established 17 years ago, the National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA), an umbrella organization of various Indian American organizations, once again, will honor six individuals and three organizations for their exemplary contributions to the welfare of the community. These awards will be presented to the recipients on the Gala Banquet on October 13, 2012 in Chicago, in conjunction with the 17 the Biennial Convention of the organization. The names were recommended by an award committee headed by Haresh Panchal, past president of NFIA. We are indeed delighted to honor these recipients for their valuable

service to their profession and their contributions to Indian American community, noted Lal Motwani President of NFIA. Among the individuals receiving these awards are Harkrishana Majumdar and Dr. Najma Sultana for their involvement in community service; Nitin Shah in the field of hospitality and financing; Sid Gautam for promoting entrepreneurship; Rathna Kumar for her excellence in performing arts and Dr. Hemant Patel for his service to medicine and organizational leadership. In addition to these individuals, three organizations namely Sahara TV, India Abroad, and IndoAmerican Center of Chicago will also be recognized for their exemplary achievements.

Jonathan Hollander, founder of NY based Battery Dance Company issues like addiction, conflicts, gender equality, dysfunctional families, empowering the marginalized and spreading of education through its award-winning "Dancing to Connect" program. The company also choreographs compositions for dance festivals and stand-alone concerts around the world. Like his "Dancing to Connect" global program, Hollander connects to India through his craft - and the link goes back a long way. "I first visited India as a Fulbright lecturer in dance in 1992 and toured the country extensively," Hollander said. The rich dancing traditions of India led him to explore the sub-continent and then the rest of Asia. "I have worked with Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi

October 13-19, 2012

TRISTATE COMMUNITY

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Young CEO arms food trucks and carts with technology for sustained business
By Jinal Shah/SATimes New York: Partners Salun Sukonta and Jugkrwut Borin worked at different Thai restaurants before breaking out with their own Tuk Tuk Boy, a Thai street-food cart on 50th street just west of 6th avenue, where Thai restaurants are oddly absent. They picked up a perfect location for business targeting profiled mid-town lunchers. However, long queues and slow turnaround time started eating up on their business. But then came along portable GPRS printers and online ordering system. Business was rough in the beginning as it was our first venture. But we slowly picked up the pace. Orders came in electronically, leaving us enough time to work on our special dishes, said Sukonta. Today they have a flourishing business. Portable year old FoodToEat.com, an online food ordering and delivering service for food trucks, carts and restaurants alike. Set to launch a smartphone app for ordering and delivery, Kapur is also planning to give her business a major marketing push which will in turn help sustain small businesses. As of now the website features 350 restaurants in New York and 40 food trucksthe first service of its kind to align with street vendors. Patrons can jump the line when they arrive to pick up orders, and, unlike competitors, who charge restaurants up to 15 percent of the total order, FoodtoEat charges a flat 10 cents not burdening them with another business. Not just sustaining, her business plan contains within it the seeds of a progressive social movement. Restaurants are a very high-risk business, explains Kapur adding, If a restaurant doesnt survive within its first year, they usually just shut down. And weve had that happen with two or three of our restaurants. Our pricing model is helping them to be able to sustain their business. Also the food-truck business is very seasonal, our system helps them keep their customers around all year round. FoodtoEat designed a three-way system to get orders to the truck operators. Trucks can choose to receive orders via a lightweight GPRS printer, for which FoodtoEat built custom software, or through emails sent to their smartphones. For trucks that have Wifi, orders appear on the website, says Kapur. Kapur, who has eight employees, says, Our intention is not to make money through our vendors but through data collection and advertising." She added, "At FoodtoEat, our job is not just to make profits but also to provide tangible business support to scores of family businesses, many run by immigrants, by teaching them how to use technology to further the success of their business." In doing so, shes providing a bridge of social interaction reshaping awareness of immigrants as being capable of so much more than just selling you your chicken and rice or hot dogs. After overhauling the online ordering business giving a tough competition to ordering giants like Seamless.com and Grubhub, Kapur is soon launching a new venture seakatable.com similar to that of opentable.com where patrons can make online reservations, read restaurant reviews from diners and earn points towards free meals.

Deepti Sharma Kapur

lightweight GPRS printers are a part of a larger well thought out social entrepreneurial plan of a petit looking 26 year old Deepti Sharma Kapur whose agenda is to arm low tech food truck owners with technology to sustain in their business. Kapur is the CEO of a

Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" Four generations of family served the blind in two continents film to open in India
New York: A film based on Salman Rushdie's novel "Midnight's Children" is set to be screened in India, its distributor said, a month after the movie's director said she feared "insecure politicians" could prevent it from being shown. The film, which chronicles the story of an Indian family living through the tumultuous events from India's recent past including the partition in 1947 and 1970s state of emergency, features a voiceover by Rushdie. The British author, who won the coveted Booker Prize for Midnight's Children in 1981, was forced to cancel a visit to a literature festival in India earlier this year after assassination threats were made against him. Rushdie's 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses", which many Muslims deemed blasphemous, is banned in India, and his depiction of sensitive issues like former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's role during the Emergency in Midnight's Children had thrown the film's screening into doubt. Director Deepa Mehta chose to film the movie in Sri Lanka instead of India, after her previous production in the country was hit by protests from right-wing Hindu groups. Last month, Mehta said she feared "insecure politicians" might derail the film's release plans in India. Washington, DC: Swapna Shah, who died here aged 66, was the fourth generation of a family that provided educational services to the blind in the US and India for over a 100 years. Swapna, in the first 19 years of her life, lived on the campus of one of the first schools for the blind in Asia, which had been founded by her great-grandfather, L.B. Shah, her brother, Amit Shah, said. The Calcutta Blind School, founded in 1897 in Lower Circular Road, Kolkata, with four blind students, later moved to Behala, on the outskirts of the city where Lal Behari Shah had bought land and deeded it to a trust for the new school. Swapna's distinguished over 40 years of professional life included working as a teacher for emotionally disturbed and multi-handicapped groups at the New York Institute in the Bronx, New York and resource teacher for the visually impaired, Dept. of Special Ed, Westport, CT. She was also co-developer of model classroom for NY Medical Center Mental Retardation Institute; program designer and member of tri-county ad hoc group for itinerant vision program, Charles County, MD, itinerant teacher for vision programs in P.G. County, MD, and in the

Swapna Shah's great grandfather Lal Behari Shah in 1897

Jericho Sunrise Rotary Dandiya event Oct 5 raised about $ 3000 to help Jaipur foot project in India.

District of Columbia, said a communique. Lal Behari Shah, a printer by trade, became blind when he was in his forties and created the Bengali Braille script known as Shah-Braille. The various Braille scripts for Indian languages were codified into a centralized and uniform code, the Indian Braille Code, in 1941. Lal Behari Shah's son, Arun Kumar Shah, was on the committee that approved the Indian Braille Code. Swapna's father, Amal, was the principal of the school from 1949 to 1968 and like him she was dedicated to a life of educational service, especially for the blind. Amal Shah gave the Calcutta

Blind School an international focus for the education of the blind, especially the rural poor, in post-Independent India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1961. In 1997, on the centenary year of the Calcutta Blind School's founding, the Indian government issued a commemorative stamp in its honor. Swapna died Sep 20. She leaves behind her husband, John Sturdivant, whom she married in 2010. Her previous husband, Bill Caldwell, passed away in 2007. Her extended family includes her stepson Brennan Caldwell, her grandchildren, and her nephews, Arnav and Simon, the sons of her only brother, Amit.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

NATIONAL COMMUNITY

October 13-19, 2012

Bill Clinton boosts Ami Bera in California

Washington DC: Charismatic former US president Bill Clinton has endorsed Indian-American physician Ami Bera, giving the Democratic Party candidate a big boost in a tight congressional race in Northern California. Clinton gave a resounding backing to Bera, 45, along with House members John Garamendi and Jerry McNerney and former astronaut Jose Hernandez, at a rally Tuesday in University of California Davis attended by thousands of people. "The four people I'm on stage with - two in Congress, two trying to get there - each in their own way, they represent the American dream," Clinton told the crowd. "They prove that a commitment to shared prosperity works better than 'Trickle down, you're on your own'." He particularly praised migrant-farm-worker-turnedastronaut Jose Hernandez, who is running for a Modesto-area House seat, and first-generation Indian American Bera, who is making a second run for a Sacramento seat - as living the American dream. Both candidates spoke of how they wouldn't have been

Indian Americans help raise millions for Romney Campaign

Washington, DC: Away from the public glare, prominent Indian Americans supporting Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney are believed to have raised between $15-20 million for his presidential campaign. While Romney campaign has not released any fundraising statistics from ethnic coalitions nor has it made public the list of its bundlers or exclusive Stars and Stripes members, the list of big donors include over 200 prominent Indian Americans. The 'Indian American Coalition' was established in November 2011 by the Romney Campaign National Finance Committee Chairman Spencer Zwick to recognize not only the individual donor, but also the larger community under a group identity. There have been other ethnic coalitions in the Romney campaign's Finance Committee such as Jewish American coalition, Women's coalition, Veteran's

Dr.Ami Bera with President Clinton

able to succeed without student loan programs, which Republicans seek to cut. The former president also referred to the ads that the National Republican Congressional Committee has been running locally against all four Democrats. He called allegations in the ads, that Democrats have cut Medicare benefits, false. All four races are among 10 in California that are targeted by both major parties as they battle for control of the House. Bera, whose parents migrated from India 50 years ago, tweeted after the rally: "Honored to share the stage with Pres. Clinton. It was a great event!" "Fired up after President

Clinton's speech? It's time to volunteer for our grassroots campaign in CA07," he later tweeted again. If elected, Bera would be only the third Indian American ever to be a member of the US House of Representatives after Dalip Singh Saund and current Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal. Besides Bera, four other Indian-Americans - Upendra Chivukula from New Jersey, Ranjit 'Rikky' Gill from California; Manan Trivedi from Pennsylvania and Syed Taj from Michigan - are in the fray for the Congress. Except Gill, who is running on Republican Party ticket, all other are Democrats.

Dr.Sampat Shivangi, one of the prominent Indian American supporters of Gov Mitt Romney

Coalition, etc. By conservative estimates Indian Americans supporters of Romney believed to have collectively helped raise between $15-20 million for his Campaign, according to those familiar with the fundraising efforts. Some of the prominent Indian American bundlers/Star and Stripes members include Sampat Shivangi from Mississippi; Sudhakar Shenoy and Shreedhar Pottarazu from

Virginia, Zach Zachariah, Akshay Desai and R Vijaynagar from Florida; Bharat Barai from Indiana, Rupesh Sreevastava and Raj Vatticutti from Michigan. "Everyone has contributed funds, bundled money or held an event that has raised a minimum $ 1 million," Sue Ghosh Stricklett, Stars & Stripes Member, Romney Finance Committee, said during a conference call with top Indian American donors.

Bobby Jindal to head Republican governors' body

Washington, DC: Louisiana's Indian American Governor Bobby Jindal is expected to become chairman of the Republican Governors Association next year to keep the potential future presidential candidate in the public eye, according to a media report. Under an arrangement worked out by current chairman, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, Jindal will chair the panel in 2013, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, another possible Republican presidential candidate, will assume the post the following year, local Times-Picayune reported. The announcement was first reported Monday by CNN. It signals that Christie, a first-term governor in a mostly Democratic state, will run for re-election next year. He was slated to become chairman in 2013, but clearly wouldn't want to hold the post in the same year's he running for re-election in New Jersey, the newspaper said. If President Barack Obama is re-elected in November, running the Republican governors association would make Jindal and Christie key Republican players in articulating the Republican view on the president's agenda during his second term, it said. If Republican Mitt Romney is elected president, the Republican Governors Association chair likely would be policy advocates for the new president's agenda, though the media profile would be lower than with a Democratic president and any presidential ambitions would be put off until 2020. Previous heads of the Republican Governors Association, most notably Texas Governor Rick Perry and Romney, who served as Massachusetts governor, followed their leadership terms with presidential runs. The Republican governors are expected to ratify the Jindal/Christie leadership roles at a meeting after the November elections. Under the arrangement, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will serve as Jindal's vice chairman in 2013, and Jindal will serve as Christie's vice chairman in 2014, Times-Picayune said.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna speaking at the Oak Creek Gurudwara on October 4, 2012 [Photo:-Jay Mandal/On Assignment] via Embassy of India, Washington DC Facebook Page. During the visit he met families of the shooting victims.

October 13-19, 2012

NATIONAL COMMUNITY

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

20th Global Conference on Mysticism sees over 8 million hours in meditation

Delhi, India: After three months touring the globe, His Holiness Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj, head of Science of Spirituality / Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission, returned to India to preside over the 20th Global Conference on Mysticism (September 13 20, 2012). Addressing an audience of tens of thousands gathered from India and abroad, he defined the spiritual significance of the conference as an opportunity to focus on the supreme goal of life: self knowledge and God Realization. The spiritual Master teaches that meditation is one of the most important tools for achieving success in our spiritual life. He tells us when we sit for meditation daily we can contact the Inner Light and Sound of God and experience for ourselves that which others only read about in the scriptures. Unique this year was the pledge to meditate made by the Indian sangat. From January 1 to September 19, they collectively meditated over eight and a half million hours, a commitment made as a birthday gift to the spiritual Master. The conference began with a Mushaira, an Urdu Poetry Symposium that drew celebrated poets throughout India to honor the great 20th century mystic poet, Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj. It continued with seminars, meditation periods, cultural programs, and presentations by noted religious, spiritual, and civic leaders. The last day of the conference, coincident with Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharajs birthday, saw hundreds of thousands from India and around the world gathered at Darhan Dham in Burari, Delhi to celebrate and honor him for the gifts of spirituality he spreads throughout the world. In his closing address, His Holiness described mankind's ageold search for lasting happiness and the real purpose of life. He said saints and mystics have advised man since time immemorial to "Know Thyself." To release the soul permanently from the cycle of unending life and death, we need to experience the divine Light and sound of God for ourselves. The inner spiritual realms experienced during meditation are full of indescribable peace and bliss which remain with us long after we come out of meditation. He urged the audience to tune into the channel of God and focus their attention within so they can merge back with the creator and fulfill the goal of human birth in this very lifetime. For more information about H.H. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj, his teachings, and his schedule, please visit www.sos.org.

During the 20th Global Conference on Mysticism held in Delhi, Sept. 13 20, 2012, doctors at the 22nd Free CataractOperation Camp screened 1796 people for cataract surgery, out of which 1070 patients were short-listed for the operation.

INOC hosts reception in honor of Dr.Shashi Tharoor Over 50 cos to attend Young Gujarati filmmaker
His new book launched at the function
Washington, DC: Dr. Shashi Tharoors made a presentation of his newly released book, PAX INDICA: India and the World of the 21st Century in Washington, DC on Sunday, October 7, 2012 at a reception organized in his honor by the Indian National Overseas Congress(I)-Washington, DC chapter. The first respondent Deputy Assistant Secretary Alyssa Ayers, US Department of State warmly welcomed the publication of the book and made some insightful observations about the usefulness of the book in better understanding Indias Foreign Policy. Majority Leader Kumar Barve, Maryland House of Delegates, as the second respondent said, "Shashi Tharoor is the embodiment of a new, confident, sophisticated leadership mindset for a new 21-century superpower. But more than that, his rise and the rise of similar broadminded leaders like Barack Obama auger an era of convergence between the worlds of two great republics. His new book is more a challenge than a road map. A challenge we should take up," Professor Paul Nehru Tennassee who teaches Global Security and International Institutions at UDC and is Chair of the Research and Policy Committee of the INOCDC was the Moderator of the

Indian American job fair in Chicago

Washington, DC: Over 50 major companies, including IBM, Infosys and Abbot Labs, will participate in a job fair being organized in Chicago on October 17 by Indo-American Community Services (IACS). New York Life Insurance, Caterpillar, Walgreens, Infosys, Grainger, Mass Mutual, HCL Global Systems and Bourntec, are some of the other companies participating, a media release said. The companies are expected to have open positions for entrylevel, mid-career and senior level positions in varied career fields, including financial and accounting services, information technology, engineering, healthcare, marketing and sales, it added. "IACS is the first Indian organization in the US to host such a job fair," its Chairman Sreenivas Katragadda said. "We have done this for the past two years and have had an excellent response from employers and career seekers in the Greater Chicago area. The community, at large, benefits from this job fair," he added. Founded in 2010 by a group of technology executives, entrepreneurs and professionals of Indian origin based in the Chicago area, IACS is a not-for profit association based in the Greater Chicago area. Its mission is to nurture and foster the development of the South Asian community in the region through job fairs, women's empowerment forums, student internships and professional networking opportunities, the statement added.

to make a debut with a crowd-funded feature film

Kickstarter-funded film Guttersnipes addresses autism and homelessness
funded in part through Kickstarter, an online funding platform for creative projects. In the current climate, it is very difficult to get funding for lowbudget films that arent horror or comedy, Shuchi said. Thats why Kickstarter and the crowd-funding model is so important. It allows people who care about such stories to come together and make sure they get made. And it us filmmakers to remain in complete creative control so there is no interference with the authentic, grounded film we set out to make. Born and raised in Vadodara, Shuchi made the move to Mumbai and then to Los Angeles to attend the prestigious American Film Institute to pursue filmmaking. While at AFI, she received the BridgesLarson Production award as well as the Women in Film endowment in recognition of her work. During her time in LA, Shuchi has made eight short films -the last of which is just hitting the festival circuit.

On the Dias: Kanwal Sra, Shudh Jasuja, George Abraham, Alyssa Ayers (Deputy Secretary of State), Christine Warnke, Kumar Barve (Majority Leader, Maryland House).

Q&A. He called on all present, particularly the US State Department, to facilitate more Indian students coming to the USA to study. The packed audience included dignitaries, professors and students from Duke, Yale, Georgetown, American, Johns Hopkins, University of the District Columbia and the University of North America. The interactive session consisted of over three dozen questions and responses from Dr Tharoor. Senior leaders including President George Abraham, Senior Vice President, Shudh Jasuja, and Kanwal Sra, Treasurer of the Indian National Overseas CongressINOC (I), USA represented the organization at the event hosted by its Washington Chapter, headed by Lavika Bhagat Singh. "We would also like to

see our organization become a catalyst for better communication and interrelationship between political establishments in India and U.S," said President, INOC (I), USA, George Abraham. The senior VP of INOC (I) who also came from New York impressed by the extremely well attended event commented, "Lavika Bhagat Singh has once again proved she is a great organizer and an asset to our organization." Earlier Shudh introduced the Chief Guest Shashi Tharoor with his witty remarks filled with humor. He introduced Shashi as a man of many Firsts. Dr Tharoor, a Member of Parliament, seasoned foreign affairs authority, lived up to his reputation and enthralled the audience with his wit and encyclopedic knowledge, concluded Kanwal Sra.

Shuchi Talati

California: Los Angeles based Gujarati girl, Shuchi Talati, is working on a feature film titled Guttersnipes about an autistic girl. Set in Arkansas, Guttersnipes is a moving story about a teen homeless girl who finds a 12 year old autistic girl who has been abandoned. Shuchi first heard the story from the writer, Joe Aaron, while they were both students at the American Film Institute. Joe, being father to an autistic child, was writing from first-hand experience. The authenticity and universality of the story touched me right away. It is our hope that this film will create greater understanding about autism, says Shuchi. The project is being

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

US ELECTIONS

October 13-19, 2012

Biden wrestles momentum away from Republicans using his face

By Vikas Girdhar New York: Take a look at the mere body language that was on display Thursday at the sole Vice-Presidential debate of 2012 in Danville, Kentucky. As if the upcoming second Presidential debates fire needed any more fuel, Joe Biden and Paul Ryan certainly provided it. Late Thursday and early Friday, the analysis and conversation focused less on what the VP and his friend said and more so on the nonverbal elements. Showcasing a strong sense of aggression that was clearly absent from President Obama last week, Biden provided a spunk on behalf of all Democrats as he smirked, grinned, laughed and animated his way toward hammering home points and disputing Ryans claims. Ryan was no pushover in any sense, however. He was consistent and seemed to carry through Romneys established tone. As for the winner of the debate, you may as well call it much attention to, especially by the speaker himself, the latter is usually governed by distractors. Ryan, as well as he could, spoke well but appeared to pay too much attention to Bidens expressions. Of course, opinion was divided on how to interpret Bidens body language. Republicans, understandably, were completely turned off by the smug and condescending looks provided by the VP. Democrats, on the other hand, were thrilled to see such energy and fight, which is exactly what the President ordered en route to Tuesday. In a moment that seemingly stole the show, Biden said that Ryan was speaking a bunch of stuff , malarkey. In addition to sending social media gurus into a frenzy, the statement accomplished what had already been established at that point. Biden could have said nothing at all and the result would have been the same. His facial expressions were the ones that spoke volumes Thursday.

Vice President Joe Biden blaming Congressman Paul Ryan and his party for the economic downturn with the comment, they talk about this Great Recession as if it fell out of the sky.

tied, as we got precious little new information regarding the stances of the respective campaigns. The main take-away from Thursday night was the apparent shift in strategy for

the Obama administration: when pushed, push back and stand your ground. Biden and Ryan both defended their senior ticket-mates as loyally as they could, which

was expected. But it seemed as though Biden had figured out a strategy that clearly echoed loudly in viewers minds: when the reaction of the person who is not speaking is being paid so

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October 13-19, 2012

US ELECTIONS

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

You vote for a candidate, but Electoral College decides the President
By Vikas Girdhar he millions of citizens that will make their way to a local voting booth on November 6 will not be the be all and end all of the voting process. That night, television stations will be focusing much of their election coverage on the results of the Electoral College in addition to the all-important popular vote. Basically, the Electoral College is a group of elected officials in each state who pledge to support and submit their vote (known to those millions of citizens) for President and Vice-President. While the law does not officially state that Electors must vote for that candidate to whom they have pledged, this is almost never an issue. It is understood that the pledgers will stand by their initial indication. Many voters may not be fully aware about this body or mechanism, of which differing forms have been employed in other countries. The United States Electoral College is a form of indirect election, wherein the 50 states and District of Columbia are appointed a certain number of representatives or elec-

tors to choose the President and Vice-President. There are 538 Electors, which is equal to the total number of voting membership in the US Congress: 435 representatives in the House, 100 members of the Senate and three Electors from the District of Columbia. The Constitution Article II, Section 1, Clause 2, specificallydetails exactly how many Electors each state is entitled to, with state legislatures deciding how they are ultimately chosen. States have all different types of numbers of Electors, so the impor-

tance of candidates winning those states with the highest number of Electors is obvious. California has the highest number of Electors, with 55, followed by Texas with 38 and New York and Florida, each with 29. There are, of course, critics and proponents of this ancient yet widely employed. Those against the idea of an Electoral College believe that the practice is not democratic and gives too much leverage to the results of swing states with high Elector numbers. Swing states, remember, are those states that do

not have an overwhelming support for either candidate and can very well swing either way. Those that are in favor of the Electoral College argue that it is federalism at its best and that it ultimately protects the rights of smaller states. Of course, the national popular vote is not the only factor in determining the President and VicePresident. The candidate must receive an absolute majority in the Electoral College, which is currently 270, to win. Below are the important clauses that helped shape the practices of this all-important body, with original plans considered. Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the Constitution states: Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. Article II, Section 1, Clause 4 states:

The Congress may determine the Time of choosing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States. Article II, Section 1, Clause 3 of the Constitution provided for the original fashion by which the President and Vice President were to be chosen by the electors. In the original system, the candidate who received both the most votes and more than half of all votes cast would become President, the candidate receiving the second most votes would become Vice President. The design of the Electoral College was based upon several assumptions and anticipations of the Framers of the Constitution: * Each state would employ the district system of allocating electors. * Each presidential elector would exercise independent judgment when voting. * Candidates would not pair together on the same ticket with assumed placements toward each office of President and Vice President. * The system as designed would rarely produce a winner, thus sending the election to Congress.

Deputies' night sets tone for next Obamas excuse for debate debacle: I was too polite Obama-Romney encounter
Washington: The morning after the high stakes debate between US Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Paul Ryan, there was no consensus on who emerged the winner, but it did set the tone for their principals' second encounter. Reports agreed that the sole vice presidential debate of the 2012 campaign in Danville, Kentucky, was fiery and impassioned, more substantive than the first presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney that the president admittedly flubbed by being "too polite". Thursday's debate has raised expectations that the second Obama-Romney encounter set for Oct 16 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, would see Obama take the battle back into Romney camp in a bid to regain the advantage that he lost to the challenger after the first debate. A CNN survey of registered voters who watched the debate found 48 percent calling Ryan the winner, to 44 percent for Vice President Biden. A CBS News survey of uncommitted voters on the other hand gave Biden the edge, 50 percent to 31 percent, with 19 percent calling the debate a tie. Back at the debate, pulling no punches Biden and Ryan "quarreled aggressively", using the forum "to highlight the sharp contrasts facing voters in November" as the influential New York Times put it. The Washington Post said the "debate's dominant voice was Biden's. The vice president was assertive in a way that President Obama had not been, chuckling in seeming exasperation several times at Ryan's arguments, and interrupting the Republican in mid-argument". He had the night's most memorable one-liners, calling Ryan's arguments "malarkey", "loose talk", and "a bunch of stuff". However, "at times, Biden's tone edged toward dismissive". Meanwhile, taking a cue from his deputy, a more aggressive Obama campaigned in Florida Thursday, telling students at the University of Miami that Mitt Romney is "trying to go through an extreme makeover", as he turns away from positions he took during the Republican primary season. Washington: Many Democratic supporters and pundits were disappointed with President Obama's performance in his first presidential debate against Mitt Romney last Wednesday, in which the chief executive seemed somewhat listless compared to his opponent's energetic performance. But in an interview Oct. 10, Obama said he just didn't correct Romney enough on his inaccurate claims. I think its fair to say I was just too polite, because, you know, its hard to sometimes just keep on saying and what youre saying isnt true," the president said on the Tom Joyner Show Wednesday morning. "It gets repetitive. But, you know, the good news is, is thats just the first one. Governor Romney put forward a whole bunch of stuff that either involved him running away from positions that he had taken, or doubling down on things like Medicare vouchers that are going to hurt him long term." President Obama said he plans to confront Romney's dis-

President Obama and staff aboard Air Force One watch the vice presidential debate Thursday night. He called Jo Bidens performance terrific.

tortions more vigorously in their next debate. "I think its fair to say that we will see a little more activity at the next one," he stated.

How Romney has positioned himself on abortion and immigration

n various interviews throughout his political career, Governor Mitt Romneys statements on these two combustible issues have established some distance from conservative orthodoxy.

On Abortion Theres no legislation with regards to abortion that Im familiar with that would become part of my agenda. Mitt Romney, in an Oct. 9, 2012 interview with The Des Moines Register Governor Romney would of course support legislation aimed at providing greater protections for life. Campaign clarification on Oct. 9 Mr. Romney stated that he is "firmly

Gov. Mitt Romney

pro-life" and advocates overturning Roe v. Wade and returning the decision of abortion to the states. October 2011 On Immigration The people who have received the

special visa that the president has put in place, which is a two-year visa, should expect that the visa would continue to be valid. Mitt Romney, speaking on Oct. 1, 2012, with The Denver Post Andrea Saul, a spokesperson for the Romney campaign, said by e-mail to The New York Times that a Romney administration would not continue Obama's program. They would replace it and only honor deportation deferrals already issued. Campaign Clarification At a town hall meeting in Iowa on New Year's Eve, Mr. Romney said that, as president, he would veto the Dream Act. December 2011

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

October 13-19, 2012

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October 13-19, 2012

INDIA

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Kejriwal takes on Haryana government now

New Delhi: Anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal has questioned the Haryana government's clarification on a 30-acre plot sold to realty major DLF by a hospitality company, saying it should have kept the land for a hospital stipulated to come up there. The allegations again drew the Congress's attack, which accused Kejriwal of shooting off his mouth without substantial evidence. Kejriwal continued his attack on the Haryana government on October 10 and said it could have prevented the sale of the land in Gurgaon to DLF and allowed a hospital to be built at the place. "An honest government would have acquired it for hospital, canceled the sale. Rather than doing this, it allowed DLF to build an SEZ," he said. Kejriwal had released a set of documents to establish alleged quid pro quo between Haryana government and DLF, which has business links with Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra. He had said that 30 acres of land in Gurgaon was supposed to be used for constructing a hospital

PIL against Vadra

Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has asked the central government to respond to charges levelled against Robert Vadra, son-inlaw of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, by India Against Corruption (IAC) member Arvind Kejriwal. The court, which was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) by activist Nutan Thakur, fixed November 21 as the next date for hearing. The PIL sought a thorough probe into the charges levelled by Kejriwal and his colleagues. In her petition, Thakur told the court that she had also sent a letter to principal secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) but was sure that it would not be responded to.

Khurshid to sue Kejriwal

Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and Anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal

but the Haryana government had issued notifications to allow DLF to use it for an SEZ. Kejriwal had added that Punjab and Haryana High Court had passed strictures against the Haryana government, terming its action "mala fide" and showing a "nexus". Following Kejriwal's allegations, the Haryana government had denied that it had granted favours to DLF. Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury also said Haryana government and DLF had already

refuted Kejriwal's allegations and said he was shooting his mouth off without substantial evidence. She accused Kejriwal of speaking in a "slipshod" way. "Because he randomly shoots, we're supposed to come out and answer," she said. The Haryana government had said that the 30-acre land was owned by East India Hotels (EIH) and was transferred by it to DLF in 2005. It said the high court had quashed the land sale in February 2011 and the matter was pending in the Supreme Court.

Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid New Delhi: Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid is planning to drag social activistturned-politician Arvind Kejriwal to the court for alleging that the minister was involved in siphoning of funds

meant for disabled people in several districts of Uttar Pradesh, according to a media report. Reacting to Kejriwal's allegations, Khurshid said that his behavior is worse than that of "gutter snipes". He said that he would file a civil as well as a criminal case against Kejriwal. The Congress refrained from commenting on the allegation by India Against Corruption about financial irregularities in the functioning of Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust run by Salman Khurshid.

UPA anti-people, but will cling to it: Maya

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has once again rapped the Manmohan Singh-led UPA 2 but stopped short of spelling out whether she is snapping her relations with the union government. After a two-hour long meeting of her party's Parliamentary Party Board meeting preceded by the extensive national executive meet late Tuesday, the BSP supremo labelled the UPA government "antipoor, anti-farmer and procorporate". Addressing a press conference at the state party headquarters, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister avoided saying whether she is withdrawing support to such a government, but added the party's two top bodies have authorised her to take a decision and that she would soon take an appropriate decision. "Mujhe faisla lene ki jimmewaari saunpi gayi hai aur main bahut jald is mudde par apna faisla loongi," she said. When asked why she was not taking a prompt decision on the matter as she had already said that the union government was

Won't allow Wal-Mart: Didi

Haldia (West Bengal): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said she would not allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail in the state. "They (union government) allowed FDI in retail, capped subsidised cooking gas and now they will invest pension money in the share market. By doing this, they want to ruin the country. They want to sell the country to foreigners," Banerjee said at a public meeting in Tamluk in East Midnapore district. "They want to snatch your land and livelihood and set up Walmart here. But let me say this: 'As long as I'm here, we will not allow Walmart to enter'. We cannot and will not allow anything that jeopardises the interest of common people," Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress chief, said. She was in district to inaugurate a slew of projects in Haldia. Banerjee came down heavily on the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for the steep hikes in diesel and fertiliser prices and said the government would have to roll back the hikes. Following the UPA government's decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail, her party had withdrawn support from the ruling coalition last month.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati

anti-people, she said she needed time to think over the whole issue, but promised that it was going to be "very soon". Asked whether the fear of a revival of cases pending against her by the Central Bureau of Investigation was at work, she refused to respond, saying her answers would be limited to topics relevant to the day. She also told the media that the UPA government was unstable and its future uncertain. She repeated that she was of the view that snap polls for the Lok Sabha could take place anytime now. She made it amply clear

that her party's patience was running out. A senior party leader said Mayawati no longer wanted to be seen with an "antipeople" party. During her deliberations with party leaders before meeting the press, there was "an overwhelming sense that Mayawati should stop supporting the Manmohan Singh government", an informed source said. "The growing unpopularity of the UPA government and the risks of siding with it were discussed threadbare, and due to lack of any consensus, the issue was left to Behenji to decide," a senior party MP said.

US to give 245 Stinger missiles to India

New Delhi: The US is offering 245 Stinger missiles to India as part of a weapons package for the Apache attack choppers being acquired by the Air Force. "245 air-to-air Stinger missiles and 56 launchers are included in the weapons package for the Apache helicopters," officials of Raytheon, which manufactures the missiles, were quoted as saying. "The Stinger compliments the advanced performance of the Apache by providing the IAF with the critical air-to-air defence capability," they said. India has selected the American Apache helicopter for its requirement of 22 attack helicopters which will have both airto-ground and air-to-air roles in the service. The American helicopter edged out the Russian Mi-28 in the race for the IAF contract. The surface-to-air version of the Stinger missile is widely credited for the collapse of Russian helicopter fleet in Afghan war in 1980s and was also used by Pakistani troops to bring down an IAF Mi-17 helicopter during the Kargil war in 1999.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

INDIA

October 13-19, 2012

13

PM for maintaining balance between RTI, privacy

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for fine balance between right to information and right to privacy, an issue that cropped up after Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi sought details of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's foreign travel bills, which include those for health reasons. Addressing the annual convention of information commissioners here, Manmohan Singh highlighted the concerns over possible infringement of personal privacy with the government providing information under the RTI (Right To Information) Act, 2005. Public authorities should not view the law as "an irritant" but as one that does collective good, he said, indicating that there were concerns about "frivolous and vexatious use" of the act in demanding information, the disclosure of which cannot possibly serve any public purpose. "Concerns have also been raised regarding possible infringement of personal privacy while providing information under the RTI Act." "There is a fine balance required to be maintained between the RTI

US to evaluate Modi visa application on merits

Washington: Without directly naming Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, a senior State Department official has said that US will evaluate any visa application based on merits and according to US laws. "As you probably know, we don't get into questions of visa matters on any particular individual. That said, we, of course, will evaluate any visa application based on its merits and in accordance with US law, so I don't have anything further on that specifically," assistant secretary of state for public affairs Mike hammer told reporters at a news conference on Thursday. Hammer was responding to a question on Narendra Modi in the aftermath of Britain taking decision to end its decade long policy of nocontact with him, which it took after the communal riots in the Gujarat a decade ago. "Is there a shift in the US policy towards Modi, or not yet?" Hammer was asked in view of the latest decision taken by the British government. The British decision to resume its contact with Modi was noted in several major American media outlets.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressing the annual convention of information commissioners in New Delhi

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi

and the right to privacy, which stems out of the fundamental rights to life and liberty," Manmohan Singh said at the event. The prime minister said the citizens' right to know should "definitely be circumscribed" if disclosure of information encroaches upon someone's personal privacy. "But where to draw the line is a complicated question," he said, but did not mention Modi's demand that Sonia Gandhi's travel bills be made public while citing media reports of an RTI response from the government in this regard.

Global uncertainty stalls Infosys growth story

Bangalore: Global economic uncertainty continues to haunt the Indian IT industry as evident from the marginal (five percent) revenue growth year-on-year (YoY) its bellwether Infosys Ltd. has retained for 2012-13 fiscal in dollar terms. "Global economic uncertainties continue to face the industry. Our revenue outlook ($7.3 billion) remains the same as projected earlier (in July) in dollar terms," said Infosys chief executive S.D. Shibulal in a statement. For the second time in succession, the global software major has not given revenue guidance for third quarter (OctDec) of the fiscal under review (FY 2013), as repeat business from existing clients was 98 percent in second quarter (July-Sep) as against 99 percent in first quarter (April-June) and same a year ago. Even in rupee terms, revenue guidance has been lowered 1.9 percent to Rs.39,582 crore (Rs.396 billion) from Rs.40,364 crore (Rs.404 billion) the company gave in July, projecting 17.3 percent YoY growth as against 19.7 percent YoY earlier. "We are focused on high quality growth despite global currency and economic volatility," chief financial officer V. Balakrishnan said after the company released its financial results for second quarter (Q2). Currency volatility, however, strengthened the rupee to Rs.53 per dollar from Rs.55 during the quarter under review (Q2). Earlier, the company reported net profit of Rs.2,369 crore (Rs.23.69 billion) for second quarter, posting 24 percent YoY growth and 3.5 percent quarter-on-quarter (sequentially) in rupee terms. The blue chip firm's scrip, however, lost over seven percent on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), trading at Rs.2,350 during pre-noon trading and recovered in the post-noon trading to Rs.2,407 as against Thursday's closing of Rs.2,531.

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October 13-19, 2012

AIA DIWALI MELA

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Silver Diwali: History made at South Street Seaport

AIA-NY President Ranju Batra delivers on her promise of a bigger and better Deepavali Festival held on October 7 in its silver jubilee year.
New York: The Association of Indians in America's (AIA-NY) day-long Diwali festival that shut down South Street Seaport and several city blocks was an inspiring sight this past Sunday. Tens of thousands of people flocked to the downtown, outdoor event, despite the drizzle throughout the day. AIANY President Ranju Batra, who organized the event, said, "My main objective for AIA has always been to heighten exposure of the rich Indian culture in New York so that it increases understanding, leading to more social and cultural harmony. The Diwali Festival was a lot of work to put together, but after many sleepless nights, I'm very pleased that so many people, of every age and ethnicity, joined the celebrations and enjoyed this festive window into Indian culture." AIA's signature Diwali fireworks over the East River, seen by millions of New Yorkers, was sponsored by State Bank of India. Star Plus, Grand Television Media Sponsor, brought their lead pair Nikhilesh and Sanyukta Mazumdar from the hit show "Ek Dusre Se Karte Hain Pyaar Hum" to hold auditions for the Bharat Matrimony Main Bhi Star contest and had an endless line of auditioners coming to their studio/booth for the TV network's "Star Search." Bank of Baroda's carnival-esque Kids Fun-Zone was packed with young kids entertained continuously by jugglers, magic shows, arts and crafts, painting Diwali T-shirts and diyas, and the crowd favorite: a big jumping castle. Visit to Incredible India's Booth was both enjoyable and informative. Toyota's booth was one of the most aesthetically pleasing at the event. With new model cars being shown on the pier atop a red carpet, the preparation needed to create this eye-catching display was evident to festival-goers. Bank of India, Air India, New York Life, and McDonald's all had booths that were crowded the entire day. Health Fair, organized by the Flushing Hospital Medical Center, was busy checking blood pressure and taking mammograms. The Diwali Mela, staying true to its roots, had a crowded Meena Bazaar, and a full city block of different restaurants serving various kinds of Indian cuisines. There were two stages full of performances throughout the day. Many of those on stage were children and young adults who have trained for months to perform synchronized dances to classical Indian, folk, Bollywood, fusion, and American music. Just Dance finalists of Star Plus rocked the stage. McDonald's had an Asian-themed martial arts performance that excited the crowd, and dance on Jai Ho was performed inside a big clear balloon, mesmerizing the audience. This year had special, neverbefore seen acts for Diwali arranged by Diamantaire Management, representing much more fusion of the Indian and American culture acknowledged. The VIP hour started with Bravo's Real Housewives of New Jersey's reality personality Teresa Giudice and Stephanie Ovadia of Plaid P.R. wishing everyone a "Happy Diwali." This was followed by recording artists Cha$e and Raquel Castro,

AIA-NY President Ranju Batra

Diwali Fireworks on East River enable viewing from all five boroughs of New York City.

Ranju Batra with her team at the AIAs information booth.

contestant on NBC's The Voice, hitting the stage for a performance, quickly followed by an array of well-wishing politicians and event sponsors. Reggie Noble, a.k.a. Redman, a well-known recording artist and actor, sent a grateful video response from Germany, while on tour, for the "Creative Harmony Award" he has been given by AIA for his innovative work mixing Indian sounds and vocals with mainstream hip hop. AIA-NYs Vice President Sunil Modi gave the welcome remarks and introduced Ranju Batra as a "very hard working president who has given her all to AIA and the results show - bigger and better than ever before Diwali." Ranju Batra gave her presidential remarks, noting the historic nature of celebrating Diwali for the 25th year and that it is the largest in North America, as

well as the history made the night before at The Pierre hotel. Dr. Ghansyham Pandey, AIA national president expressed his pride in Ranju Batras tenure for taking AIA to new heights and his thanks to all committee members. Then, the audience was addressed by Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, her 1st Diwali, along with her mom, Dr. Una Clarke, both pioneers as Jamaican-American trailblazers the mom as a Council member and her daughter as a Congresswoman. NYC Controller John Liu presented a Commendation, NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio presented a Proclamation, Councilman Halloran presented two Proclamations issued, in addition to his own, by Inez Dickens, Mark Weprin, and Speaker Chris Quinn. Assemblywoman Grace Meng, Councilwoman Tish James and Amb. Vijay Nambiar felicitated with Diwali wishes, followed by K.C. Pandey, and district leaders Uma Sen Gupta and Jenifer Rajkumar. VP Harish Thakkar gave the vote of thanks. Also celebrating was senator-elect Councilman James Sanders. Ranju Batra royally thanked the sponsors on stage with historic plaques, in the presence of all dignitaries, for making Silver Diwali a 2day grand success. To cap off a remarkable day of celebration, the heavens, heavy with all the days rain stored up, let loose the very second the last firework had lit up the New York night sky brilliantly and with a crescendo.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

AIA DIWALI MELA

October 13-19, 2012

15

As every year, fireworks was the main attraction at the Diwali mela. This year fireworks were sponsored by State Bank of India.

AIA-NY President Ranju Batra and her committee were presented two Proclamations by Councilman Halloran -- from himself and the other from Inez Dickens, Mark Weprin and Speaker Chris Quinn. Eminent attorney Ravi Batra, an admirer of the way Ranju Batra put her heart and soul into organizing the mega event, speaking on the occasion during VIP hour.

Silver Diwali

NYC Comptroller John Liu presented a Commendation to Ranju Batra and her team.

NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio presented a Proclamation to Ranju Batra.

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October 13-19, 2012

AIA DIWALI MELA

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

AIA DIWALI MELA

October 13-19, 2012

17

AIA's Bigger and Better Diwali

The proud AIA-NY team that organized the successful mega event in the New York calendar.

Photos: Vijay Shah Freelance US Media

Bank of Baroda's carnival-esque Kids Fun-Zone entertained children through jugglers, magic shows, painting Diwali T-shirts and diyas, and the crowd favorite: a big jumping castle.

Ranju Batra with Bravo's Real Housewives of New Jersey's reality star Teresa Giudice who came to wish happy Diwali.

State Bank of India, Grand Sponsor of Fireworks at Silver Diwali, recognized with a plaque by Ranju Batra.

President of AIA-NY Ranju Batra addressing the audience during 25th Deepavali Festival celebration in New York.

Ranju Batra presented a plaque in recognition of continued support from Air India for the annual Diwali mela.

Ranju Batra thanked Star Plus for their support. A dance on Jai Ho song was performed inside a big clear balloon, mesmerizing the audience. An energetic Bollywood style dance performance.

Ranju and other AIA team members shaking a leg along with dancing children on stage. Bad weather could not hamper people participation. The audience was regaled with non-stop entertainment program.

A group of children in festive attire posing before their performance.

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October 13-19, 2012

AIA DIWALI MELA

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Sponsors and Supporters of Silver Diwali

State Bank of India sponsored the Fireworks this year, replacing Air India. Seen in the picture is AIA-NY President Ranju Batra with the SBI team at their stall.

Ranju Batra at the stall of Air India, Platinum Sponsor this year.

McDonalds also had a big presence at the mela. The colorful Zee TV stall at the mela. Bank of Baroda sponsored the "Kids Fun Zone again this year.

Ranju Batra with the team of New York Life at their stall.

Ravi and Ranju Batra posing in front of a Toyota car displayed by the automobile major which had a big presence at the mela.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

AIA DIWALI MELA

October 13-19, 2012

19

Aspiring actors invited to win a chance to appear on a Star Plus Show

New York: Star Network celebrated Deepavali at the AIA South Street Seaport event. Aside from being the exclusive media sponsors, Star Plus engaged visitors by hosting the much awaited Bharat Matrimony Main Bhi Star contest. This year, Star Plus brought in the lead couple from their very popular prime time show Ek Dusre Se Karte Haim Pyaar Hum, Sanyukta Majumdar and Nikhilesh Majumdar to judge the contest. Two lucky winners will be chosen, one male and one female winner, and flown to India to appear on a popular Star Plus show. Auditions were also held in Santa Clara, CA, as part of Utsav 2012. Aside from the auditions, the US finalists of the popular dance show, Just Dance gave a special performance at the event, giving audience members a "Star Plus Experience." The performance showcased the best of South Asian talent in America and included music, Bollywood dance, Contemporary dance, Hip-Hop dance, and other forms of dance. STAR India, the leading Media and Entertainment conglomerate,

Star Plus brought in the lead couple from their popular prime time show Ek Dusre Se Karte Hain Pyaar Hum, Sanyukta Majumdar and Nikhilesh Majumdar to judge the contest.

has the highest reach amongst the countrys broadcasters, beaming to over 400 million people, every week across India and over 65 countries across the globe. Its portfolio includes 33 channels in eight languages, including STAR Plus, Life OK, STAR Gold and Channel [V]. News Corp Star US LLC is one of the largest distribution network

and leading choice for South Asian channels available in Hindi in the U.S. The channel portfolio in the U.S. includes Star India Plus, Star India Gold, Life OK and ABP News available through both satellite and cable platforms. News Corp Star US LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corporation. Website: www.startv.com/usa.

Bank of Indias chief executive felicitated at the AIA Diwali Mela

New York: Bank of India, New York has been participating in the Diwali Mela since 2010, and was a Gold Sponsor for this year's event. The Bank's stall at the Deepavali Festival was well attended and appreciated. The banks Chief Executive Mr. B.B. Joshi was felicitated by the organizers and spoke on the occasion. He wished a happy Dassehra and Diwali to the Indian community and others in USA. Besides the branch in Manhattan, the bank has an agency in San Francisco.

APPEAL
CALL FOR SCHOLARLY ARTICLES ON JAINISM
About a year ago, JAINA, Jain Center of Southern California and ISJS (International School for Jain Studies) have partnered together to promote Jain studies at CLU (Claremont Lincoln University) in Claremont, CA. Within the last 12 months, we have made lots of progress towards creating a robust program leading to graduate degree in Jainism at CLU. CLU is committed to offering Masters and PhD degree program in Jainism and has many innovative projects to reinforce teaching and research activities related to Jainism: In September, the University hosted the first International Jain Scholars conference Bio Ethics: Religious and spiritual approaches. Planning has already begun for the 2013 Jain Scholars conference on Role of Women in Dharma Traditions. A very ambitious, India based multi media research project is under way on the role Jains played (or did not play) in the violent aftermath of the partition of India following the independence from the Britain. In cooperation with the Jain Center of Southern California, the University is planning to offer a national summer youth program for Jain studies on campus. A campus wide Ahimsa day celebration on October 2nd of every year emphasizing Forgiveness. The University is preparing for on line courses on Jainism that will be offered free of cost to anyone in the world. As companion to these on line courses, we are looking to build a sizable library of high quality Jain knowledge such as research papers, articles and discourses in English, French, German, Hindi, Gujarati and Kannad languages for the CLU website. Through this announcement, we are requesting you to send us your articles, essays or videos for the Jain studies pages on CLU web site. The material should be original, not copyrighted and with permission for its free and unrestricted use by CLU. The material can be sent to LidyaPotapenko: lpotapenko@claremontlincoln.org. CDs or DVDs can also be mailed to her at: Center for Jain Studies, 1325 North College Avenue, Clermont, CA 91711.All of the material should be made available to CLU free of cost. Credit to the authors will be given on the CLU web site. No material weather used or not will be returned to the author. We thank you for help in this noble endeavor. If you have any questions, you may contact any one of the following ISJS volunteers.

Bank of Indias Chief Executive (US) Mr. B.B. Joshi speaking on the occasion of the South Street Seaport Diwali mela.

Bank of India staff with AIA- NY President Ranju Batra at their stall at the Diwali mela.

Dr, Sulekh C Jain scjain@earthlink.net

Dilip V Shah dilipvshah@gmail.com

Dr. Nitin Shah nitinshahmd@gmail.com

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October 13-19, 2012

DIASPORA

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indians in Belgium mourn Sikh family's murder

Yamini Mehta appointed Sothebys global head of South Asian Art

London: Sothebys announced the appointment of Yamini Mehta as International Head of Indian and Southeast Asian Antiquities /Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art. Based in London, Yamini will be in charge of Sothebys worldwide selling strategy for the two related South Asian areas, working with our team of international experts and developing key relationships with Sothebys Indian clients. A veteran of the Indian Art market, Yamini joins Sothebys after 14 years at Christies where, since 2006, she has headed the London Modern and Contemporary Indian Art department. Yamini Mehta said, I am thrilled to be joining Sothebys at such an exciting time for the market, with its profile at an all-time high and Indian artists increasingly recognized on the global stage. Sothebys is making major commitments in this collecting area and I am so pleased to be joining a great institution that has been a pioneer in the field. I look forward to working with Sothebys talented specialist teams on an international level and seeing the market place develop and expand to new heights. Robin Woodhead Chairman, Sothebys International said, Sothebys is delighted to welcome Yamini Mehta, who, I know will be a great asset to our international Indian Yamini Mehta and South East Asian Art team. She comes to the company with an impressive track record, responsible for helping to develop the rapidly growing market for Modern and Contemporary Indian Art. With her vast experience, and close links with collectors in India, Asia and the US, she will be able to further consolidate Sothebys presence in this important area of our business.

Community paid tributes to the Sikh family members

Brussels: Hundreds of members of the Indian community paid tributes to four members of a Sikh family who were brutally murdered in the Belgian capital, EuAsiaNews reported. Jasbir Singh's wife and their three young children were killed by a suspected Bangladeshi man in their home in Etterbeek area of Brussels Sep 28. On Sunday evening, Sikh priests recited prayers for the deceased, while mourners placed flowers at the door of the house. A "white march" was also held, with mourners carrying white balloons and pictures of the three slain

children and their mother. The march was supported by the Etterbeek municipality whose mayor was also present to offer his condolences to Jasbir Singh, the father and husband of the deceased. A number of Belgians and Bangladeshis also joined the march to express their condolences and condemnation of the killing. Belgian police are looking for a 29-year-old Bangladeshi man for his alleged involvement in the crime. He was working at the same restaurant where Jasbir Singh worked and has disappeared since the day of the killing.

Indian-origin British MP Keith Vaz's finances probed

London: The finances of Indian-origin Labor MP Keith Vaz were subject to a secret police investigation that uncovered "hundreds of thousands of pounds in mystery bank accounts," a media report said. Vaz, a minister in the Labor government, had almost 500,000 pounds deposited in accounts between 1997 and 2001, the Daily Mail reported. A Scotland Yard probe found "significant amounts of cash" said to have been of a "suspicious nature." Vaz denies any wrongdoing. The Indian-origin leader chairs the home affairs select committee which holds the police to account. Documents from the police suggest that in a single year 28,959 pounds was deposited into an HSBC account held by Vaz. A number of other bank accounts were also investigated, the daily said. Detectives said their belief was that "the level of funds received are of a suspicious nature." However, no further action has been taken. Vaz and his wife Maria Fernandes held seven bank accounts which were investigated by Scotland Yard. There was no suggestion that Fernandes has done anything wrong. The daily also said that in 2000, the parliamentary commissioner for standards launched an inquiry into Vaz after there were allegations that he received money from businessmen in his constituency. The next year, he was investigated for allegedly helping Indian billionaires, the Hinduja brothers, to obtain British passports. Vaz was cleared of receiving illicit funds but was forced to resign for obstructing the inquiry and failing to provide information relating to his finances. He was also suspended from parliament. "These matters relate to two parliamentary inquiries which began in 1999 and concluded in 2003. My finances were discussed by every newspaper in the country for a period of three years and were the subject of extensive examination," Vaz was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.

Mahatma Gandhi continues to influence us: Indonesian vice president

Jakarta: Mahatma Gandhi was "an extraordinary human being, a man whose inspiration, thoughts and beliefs continues to influence us," Indonesian Vice President Boediono said here Tuesday. Delivering the 1st Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Lecture to commemorate the 143rd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Boediono said we are living in a world amidst intolerance and it is easy to be cynical and lose faith in humanity. Fortunately, we have Gandhi and his values to guide us, he added. The vice president mentioned that three forms of depravity exist: greed, passion for violence and intolerance. To overcome these depravities, Gandhi's teachings have become all the more relevant. The vice president mentioned that Indonesia and India share similar diversity in language, religion and culture and the virtue of tolerance preached by Gandhi has helped both countries to maintain unity in diversity. On arrival, the vice president was warmly received by Ambassador Gurjit Singh; Suresh Vaswani, chairman of the Gandhi Memorial International School; Shyam R Jethnani, president of the Gandhi Seva Loka and to the accompaniment of enthusiastic cheering from children of Gandhi School. About 1,000 people from all walks of life, including members of parliament, senior bureaucrats, ambassadors, think tanks, academia, charitable organizations and the like, attended the event. A rare collection of photographs encapsulating Gandhiji's life was also displayed. Earlier, the Gandhi Seva Loka and Gandhi School handed over checks amounting to Rp 264 million to 12 charitable organizations in Indonesia. As part of Gandhi Jayanti celebrations over the week, several organizations in Indonesia volunteered to hold charitable activities. The Sri Sathya Sai Baba Trust organized a free medical camp and free vaccination for children, Jain Social Group donated 8 wheelchairs to the Yayasan Wisma Cheshire, the Sadhu Vaswani Trust distributed 40 prosthetic aids, Swami Teoram Satsang provided 20 free cataract operations, Indian Women's Association will be sponsoring full tuition fees to 30 undergraduate students till completion of their studies, India Club is organizing a blood donation camp and the Art of Living is doing free yoga therapy. There were in response to the embassy's initiative to mark Gandhi Jayanti and the International Day of Non-Violence in a significant manner.
Indonesian Vice President Boediono (third from right) being welcomed by Indian Ambassador Gurjit singh (second from right) as he arrives for the 1st Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Lecture in Jakarta to mark the 143rd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Oct 2, 2012

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

SUBCONTINENT

October 13-19, 2012

21

Jolt to Zardari: court approves Swiss draft

Islamabad: The Pakistan Supreme Court has approved the fresh draft of a letter that the government has to send to Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, a media report said. A three-member bench comprising Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, and Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh heard the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case. Federal Law Minister Farooq H. Naek presented the fresh draft of Swiss letter to the court. Justice Khosa said that there has been improvement in the draft of the letter. The draft of the letter was read out, which said that former Attorney General Malik Qayyum's letter was being withdrawn and should be considered such that it was never written. The draft also mentions the immunity of the heads of state, the president of the country, from cases. The hearing of the case was adjourned until Nov 14. Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the government has decided to withdraw a letter sent out during President Pervez Musharraf's tenure to close graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. Accused of graft, Zardari was granted amnesty under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) in 2007 by then president Pervez Musharraf to facilitate his return home from exile, and primarily that of his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Zardari and Bhutto were suspected of using Swiss accounts to launder about $12 million in alleged bribes paid by companies seeking customs inspection contracts in the 1990s.
The letter will be sent to Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari

Maldivian ex-President freed after court appearance

US embassy issues alert Won't meddle in Sri Lanka: Indian Court for Americans in Pak
Islamabad: The US embassy in Islamabad has issued a threat alert for Americans in Pakistan, especially in the capital, and asked them to keep a low profile. Xinhua said the embassy drew attention of Americans that the Pakistani interior ministry Sunday issued a general threat alert on possible terrorist attacks in Islamabad. It said the attacks will be against key government installations in Islamabad's "Red Zone" and on five-star hotels in the city. "The US embassy in Islamabad advises all US citizens to avoid these areas, remain vigilant, keep a low profile, and continue to exercise caution while in Pakistan," said the message posted on the US embassy website. It was the second alert message issued to Americans in Pakistan in a month. US citizens were earlier warned of possible attacks during protests against an antiIslam movie made in the US. New Delhi: The Supreme Court has refused to interfere with the military training imparted to Sri Lankan army and air force personnel in India. Justice Aftab Alam and Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai dismissed a PIL filed by advocate N. Rajaraman, observing that the court cannot go into policy decisions of the government having foreign policy implications. The court said the petition was misconceived. The petitioner submitted that the government cannot train Sri Lankan military personnel and cited letters written by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and other political leaders in the state. Jayalalithaa has argued that India must not train Sri Lankan soldiers because of allegations that they committed atrocities on Tamils

Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed

Male: Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed was freed by a court where he appeared after an overnight detention and was given 25 days to answer allegations of abusing power while in office. A day after he was dramatically arrested, the prosecution submitted a total of 19 witnesses against Nasheed, along with material evidence of audio and video clips, letters and other documents. The defense lawyers said that they needed a month to study the

material evidences but the judges gave 25 days and fixed the next hearing for November 4. Nasheed, 45, was let off after the court's session. He was arrested in Gaaf Dhaal Atoll Faresmathoda on Monday morning following an arrest warrant to produce him in court to face charges over the arrest of Judge Abdulla Mohamed during his tenure as President. Nasheed had been kept in custody overnight at Dhoonidhoo detention facility.

during the end stages of the ethnic conflict that destroyed the LTTE in 2009. Sri Lankan military personnel attending a training course recently in Chennai were moved to Bangalore after Jayalalithaa protested against their presence in Tamil Nadu. The petition contended that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had committed genocide on the Tamil people in his country and has been charged with committing war atrocities in violation of the international convention on human rights. It held that the central government's decision to train nine Sri Lankan Air Force personnel at the air force training college at Tambaram in the state was "very unfair and a cause of serious injury to the people of Tamil Nadu".

Pak girl critical, Obama calls attack tragic

I s l a m a b a d / Wa s h i n g t o n : Teenaged peace activist Malala Yousufzai, who was shot at by the Taliban, remained in critical condition. US President Barack Obama called the assault tragic even as her attackers were identified. Malala will be shifted to Rawalpindi and her condition is not out of danger, Geo News quoted an official as saying Thursday. "Her condition is not yet out of danger despite improvement. She is being shifted to Rawalpindi," said Masood Kausar, governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Malala was shot and seriously injured in the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when she was returning home from school. Taliban claimed responsibility for the shooting that also injured two other girl and has sparked outrage across the world. Doctors Wednesday removed a bullet that pierced Malala's head and got lodged in her shoulder. Malala "reprehensible, disgusting and tragic", the White House Wednesday said. "We strongly condemn the shooting of Malala Yousufzai," Obama's spokesperson Jay Carney said. Condemning the attack on Malala, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said here it was a reminder of the "challenges that girls face" just for speaking out. Clinton said that Malala has been active in speaking out for the right of girls to get an education. "She's even blogged about it, and she has been very brave in standing up for the rights of girls in the area where she comes from in Pakistan," Clinton said in remarks to a group of visiting Girl Scouts in honour of the first-ever International Day of the Girl. She added that the attack on Malala "reminds us of the challenges that girls face, whether it's poverty or marginalization or even violence, just for speaking out for their basic rights".

Child peace campaigner Malala Yousufzai recovering in the hospital (Inset) a close-up of Malala

US condemns attack on Pak girl

Washington: The US government has condemned the attack on a Pakistani girl who has received peace award for her courage to stand against the militants in her hometown, Xinhua reported. "We strongly condemn the shooting of Malala (Malala Yousafzai)," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland at a regular briefing, adding: " Directing violence at children is barbaric." "It's cowardly. And our hearts go out to her and the others who were wounded, as well as their families," she told reporters.

Asim Bajwa, a senior official, said Malala will be accompanied by her doctors during the transfer. The decision to shift Malala to Rawalpindi was taken by a committee of Pakistani and British doctors. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that her attackers have been

identified and would be brought to justice. She will not be sent abroad for treatment, said Malik. US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the Taliban attack. Obama found the news of the Talibani shooting of 14-year-old

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October 13-19, 2012

INTERNATIONAL

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Radical cleric Abu Hamza presented in US court

New York: Egyptian-born cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri has been presented before a federal judge here following his extradition from Britain to face terror charges. Abu Hamza faces 11 terror charges and is one of the five men who left England Friday, hours after the London High Court ruled they could be extradited "immediately", the CNN reported. Two planes carrying the men left the Royal Air Force base Mildenhall so they could face trial in the US, British Home Secretary Theresa May said in a statement. Separately, Khaled al-Fawwaz and Adel Abdul Bary pleaded not guilty before a judge in London Saturday. The trio are being held at New Talha Ahsan, clad in green and yellow prison jumpsuits, also pleaded not guilty Saturday before a judge in New Haven, Connecticut. The charges against Abu Hamza include conspiracy in connection with a 1998 kidnapping of 16 Westerners in Yemen, and conspiring with others to establish an Islamic jihad training camp in rural Oregon in 1999. He could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted. The cases of Ahmad and Ahsan are both linked to a website called azzam.com, which US prosecutors say was run by the two men to support terrorism around the world. Meanwhile, al-Fawwaz and Bary are accused of being Al Qaeda associates of Osama bin Laden in London during the 1990s. Abu Hamza is one of the highestprofile radical Islamic figures in Britain, where he was already sentenced to seven years for inciting racial hatred and other terror charges. He travelled to Britain to study before gaining citizenship through marriage in the 1980s, according to the CNN. The one-eyed radical preacher has called the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center "a towering day in history" and described Osama as "a good guy and a hero". He also described the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003 as "punishment from Allah" because the astronauts were Christian, Hindu and Jewish.

Egyptian-born cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri

York's Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, a US federal

law enforcement source told CNN. Two others, Babar Ahmad and

Thousands protest Merkel's Greece visit

UK may cut 1 billion pound Australian PM charges opponent with 'sexism' aid to India
London: Under pressure to slash its annual financial assistance to India, cash-strapped British government is likely to cut its 1 billion pound aid bill to the country. Justine Greening, who took over as development secretary last month, said she wants to see Britain's links to richer developing nations become about business, rather than hand-outs. Greening's comments came amid pressure on her to get better value for money from Britain's 12 billion- annual spending on countries like China and India, which have their own space programme. Signalling that India will be a target for cuts, she said, "We should recognize that as countries get richer, we need to be responsible about how we transition in our relationship with them from aid to trade. "Those are the discussions that I am having with the Indian government at the moment," Greening said at the Tory Party conference in Birmingham. Greening also pledged to stop programmes that are not working because of corruption or inefficiency, amid criticism of many old schemes. "I'm going to take a new approach to ensure that every pound we spend has the biggest possible impact," she was quoted as saying by 'The Telegraph'."That may well mean stopping programs where I don't think they are working and putting the money elsewhere." Prime Minister David Cameron has come under criticism for promising to keep spending 0.7% of GDP on foreign aid during the recession.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Athens: About 30,000 demonstrators gathered in Athens to protest German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit, Greek media reports said. The demonstrators blamed Germany for forcing painful austerity measures on their country. Police fired teargas towards some stonethrowing protesters. It was Merkel's first visit to Greece since the eurozone crisis broke out almost three years ago. Pledged continuing sup-

port to Greece, Merkel said, "Greece has made good progress in dealing with its vast debt but was on a "difficult path". Athens is preparing to make new cuts of 13 billion euros to qualify for more bailout cash. Merkel acknowledged that there were "many people suffering in Greece" as a result of the financial crisis and austerity measures, but the difficult path was necessary to "ensure future generations could live in prosperity".

Sydney: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's attack on opposition leader Tony Abbott as "sexist and misogynist" in parliament has gone viral. The Australian newspaper wrote that Gillard has won international acclaim for her 15minute attack on Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard Abbott. The video of her speech has insipid and pathetic and un-prime attracted hundreds of thousands of ministerial." The opposition's most senior views. Her blistering speech went viral on the internet and followed woman Julie Bishop, deputy Liberal weeks of debate over Abbott's atti- party leader, said Gillard was using tude towards women. Gillard's gender to protect her from attacks speech followed an attempt by the on her performance. Abbott Wednesday attacked opposition to sack Speaker Peter Slipper, who eventually resigned Gillard for her willingness to over a series of sexist text messages. "knife" Kevin Rudd - the former Senior figures on both sides spent prime minister whom she ousted in much of their time debating the 2010 - while refusing to sack the merits of Gillard's impassioned rant, "vile" Slipper. The New Yorker suggested US according to the newspaper. Opposition figures said the speech President Barack Obama could take marked a lapse of judgment. An a lesson from her ability to "cut opposition frontbencher, through the disingenuousness and Christopher Pyne, said: "Her feigned moral outrage of her oppodefence of the Speaker Tuesday was nent".

Lefkowitz, Kobilka share Nobel in Chemistry

Stockholm: Robert J. Lefkowitz and Brian K. Kobilka, both from universities in the US, won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, announced Staffan Normark, permanent secretary of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. They got the award "for studies of G-protein-coupled receptors", Xinhua quoted Normark as saying. This was the third of this year's crop of Nobel prizes. All but one of the prizes were established by the 19th century dynamite millionaire Alfred Nobel. The economics award was created by Sweden's central bank in 1968. The prizes have been awarded since 1901. Each prize consists of a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award. This years's cash award is 8 million Swedish kronor (about 1 million US dollars). Earlier, France's Serge Haroche and US researcher David J. Wineland shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics, announced Staffan Normark, permanent secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm Tuesday. Haroche and Wineland got the awards "for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems", Xinhua quoted Normark as saying. They have independently invented and developed methods for measuring and manipulating individual particles while preserving their quantum-mechanical nature, in ways that were previously thought unattainable, according to a statement from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Robert J. Lefkowitz and Brian K. Kobilka

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

BUSINESS

October 13-19, 2012

23

S&P warns India of rating cut

action in the past six months. The weaker global economic outlook and domestic policy instability contributed to deteriorating growth prospects and investor confidence in the country, S&P said in its report titled Asia-Pacific Sovereign: A Bit of Stability in the Sea of Uncertainty. In our view, there is a significant chance that this trend could eventually affect political, economic, fiscal or external factors to lower the credit rating on India, the agency said, adding that the negative outlook signaled at least a one-in-three likelihood of a downgrade of the sovereign rating within next two years. The rating agency, however, said that it may revise the outlook back to stable if the government carries on with reforms and implements its announcements along with making the investment climate better and attempt for a better growth rate. S&P had revised the outlook on Indias sovereign rating to negative from stable citing the high fiscal deficit, stalled policies, slowing growth and stubborn inflation.

More economic reforms on way: Chidambaram

Tokyo: Promising more reforms initiatives in the next two years, finance minister P Chidambaram said that there was no serious threat of downgrade of the country's credit rating by Standard and Poor's. "I don't think there is a serious threat of downgrade", he said when asked about his reaction to the recent threat of downgrade of India's credit rating to junk grade in 24 months by global agency S&P if more reforms measures were not implemented. The minister, who was addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank annual meetings, said that there would be lot of action on the reforms front in the next 24 months, the timeline provided by the S&P.The rating agency said that there was one-in-three likelihood of rating downgrade for India if "the country's economic growth prospects dim, its external position deteriorates, its potential climate worsens, or fiscal reforms slow". The minister said, "(we will) convince them that India does not deserve a downgrade and in terms of growth and growth potential...India is way above most countries of the world".

The rating agency said it may revise the outlook back to stable if the government carries on with reforms

New Delhi: Despite announcements of a series of reforms, Global ratings agency Standard & Poors has said that there were chances that India's credit ratings might be downgraded. It stated that the country's external position and political climate looks shaky and if that continues it won't be a good sign. The rating agency said it had not

released anything new on India's sovereign rating but only published the Asia-Pacific sovereign report card which has no information on India's rating. Still the news of warning hit the Indian markets hard and BSE Sensex came down crashing by more than 100 points and dragged rupee as well. India was the only Asia-Pacific sovereign to see a negative rating

India commits $6 bn for stealth US-based Beam probes India unit for irregularities jet development
Mumbai: Worlds fourth largest premium spirits company Beam Inc has initiated investigations into some allegations of financial misdemeanors at its India unit, a news report said. A similar case of financial mismanagement had earlier emerged with another multinational, Reebok India, earlier this year. The makers of Jim Beam bourbon and Teacher s scotch whisky have ordered the whole management in India, including managing director Harish Moolchandani, to stop all the work till the investigations are finished. The development closely tracks move by Adidas Group to fire the top brass of Reebok India citing financial irregularities. Beam Inc is a NYSE-listed and fully owns the local subsidiary and Teacher's brand is the largest selling scotch in India.

A fifth-generation stealth combat jet

New Delhi: India has committed an initial $6 billion for jointly developing a fifth-generation stealth combat jet with Russia, a project that will eventually cost the country $30 billion and envisages the manufacture here of 144 aircraft. The IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne, said all these aircraft would be single seaters, the same which the Russian Air Force will have, but some components like onboard computers and systems would be different as in the case of the Sukhoi SU-30MKIs. Now designated PMF, or Perspective Multirole Fighter, by Russia, the Indian aircraft would be made in India, Browne said. India and Russia had signed an agreement in this regard on December 21, 2011, to set up a 50:50 joint venture on the lines of BrahMos

Aerospace and share development work. Indias Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), aided by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) will partner Russias United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) which will provide the super cruise engines and certain stealth technologies in the project. Indian scientists are keen to pool in the R&D effort, and the agreement calls for joint development, particularly in design, guidance systems and onboard software. That means India will also have a proprietary share on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). The exact costing is yet to be worked out but, inclusive of the development costs, the figure could be around $30 billion, according to HAL sources.

Beam Inc's Teacher's brand is the largest selling scotch in India

Sources said investigations cover possible violations of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in the US as MNC subsidiaries in key emerging market economies face the heat of tougher anti-corruption rules and rising instances of whistleblowers. The areas of investigations include excise duty violations, invoicing prob-

lems and handing over distribution in some key markets to relatives of the top brass, the report said. Based on a routine internal audit of operations in India, we are taking a closer look at the actions of certain individuals and practices in the India business, the report quoted Beam spokesman Clarkson Hine as saying.

Indian public sector impotent: Chinese daily

Beijing: India is plagued by its "inefficient and impotent public sector", said a state-run Chinese daily, which added that successful Indian software and banking industries "contribute little to the employment and income growth of the overall economy". An article "Inefficient public sector lets down India's entrepreneurial spirit" in the OpEd section of the Global Times said that as the two most prominent emerging countries in the fast-growing Asian region, China and India have often been compared. It said that despite their commonalities, the two are diverging in development paths and have fostered different comparative advantages for economic growth. "We also need to bear in mind that there is actually a great gap in terms of GDP per capita between the two countries, with $5,414 for China and $1,389 for India, according to the IMF statistics in 2011," said the article by Xue Lei, a research fellow in the Department of International Organization and International Law of Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. It said that in recent years, although the Indian economy has been staying in a high growth track, "its achievement was attained with higher costs compared to China". "India's debt to GDP ratio is now over 70 percent, accompanied by over 7 percent inflation. China has performed better in many macroeconomic indicators, with even higher growth rates," said the daily. It added that China may have stepped into a period of a relatively stable macroeconomic environment combined with rapid growth and moderate inflation rates as well as a healthy fiscal structure, while "India may still be in a stage characterized by fluctuation amid growth". The daily went on to say that over 50 percent of Indians are still working in the agricultural sector, "which means it needs further efforts to transform itself into a modern industrialized or post-modern service-led economy. Therefore, we can say that in economic terms India still lags far behind China".

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October 13-19, 2012

SPORTS

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Shanghai Masters: Bopanna-Bhupathi advance

Shanghai: Indian doubles tennis players advanced to the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters here. Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna and Indo-Czech pairing of Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek registered straight set Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna at victories to advance Shnaghai Masters in the penultimate ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event Bopanna earned the much important break on their only break point they of the year. Bhupathi and Bopanna, seeded got, converting it. Seeded fourth, Paes and Stepanek seventh, defeated American-British unseeded pair of Treat Huey and also scored a straight sets victory Jonathan Marray 7-6(9), 6-4 in one over the American-South African duo of Sam Querry and Kevin hour and 16 minutes. The Indians, who got a first round Anderson in little over an hour. Paes-Stepanek won 6-4, 6-4 and bye, next face a tough task against second seeds Max Miryni and will next face Jurgen Melzer and Daniel Nestor, who overcame Milos Raonic, who upset eighth Tomas Berdych-Nenad Zimonjic 6- seeds Alexander Peya-Bruno Soares 2, 7-6(5). Both teams could not earn 6-3, 6-4 for a place in the last eight. In both the sets, the fourth seeds a break in the first set forcing it into the tie-break. In the tie-break, the earned the break points on the secseventh seeds got the mini-break at ond opportunity they got. Also, the right juncture with Bopanna three double faults by their opponents at significant points helped serving out the set. In the second set, Bhupathi- Paes-Stepanek to win.

ICC suspends six umpires pending inquiry

New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended six umpires pending an inquiry into the corruption claims made against them by an Indian news channel. "The ICC and its relevant Full Member Boards have agreed not to appoint any of the umpires named in a sting operation recently conducted by India TV to any domestic or international cricket matches pending the outcome of the ongoing investigations into the allegations made. "The officials named are not contracted by the ICC and those Boards who employ and nominate the umpires directly will conduct the investigations as a matter of urgency," said the ICC in a statement. The suspended umpires are Nadeem Ghauri and Anees Siddiqui of Pakistan, Nadir Shah of Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka's Gamini Dissanayake, Maurice Winston and Sagara Gallage.India TV, which had earlier conducted a sting operation on corruption in India's domestic cricket circuit, released another footage Monday showing the six umpires expressing their willingness to give wrong decisions during a game for monetary benefits. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice president Rajiv Shukla welcomed ICC's move and said it was only right for the sport's inter-

Nadeem Ghauri of Pakistan and Nadir Shah of Bangladesh

national body to take action against the umpires. "It is good that they have taken action. It is apt that ICC takes action against umpires rather than an individual board," said Shukla, who is also the Indian Premier League chairman.

Deccan Chargers sold to Kamla Landmarc

Mumbai: The owners of the cash-strapped Deccan Chargers have sold the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise to a real estate company for an undisclosed sum. Deccan Chronicle Holdings, who paid $107 million for the franchise in 2008, informed the Indian stock exchanges on Friday of their decision to sell the team to Kamla Landmarc, a Mumbai-based real estate company. Last month, the owners had invited bids for the franchise after being granted approval by the Indian cricket board (BCCI) but rejected the sole offer of nine billion rupees ($162.4 million) for the 2009 IPL champions. The BCCI later terminated the franchise for various defaults, including failure to pay overdue player fees, but the owners immediately issued a legal challenge against the expulsion, a case which is still ongoing. Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara captained the team in the 2012 edition of the lucrative IPL, heading a team which also included South Africa paceman Dale Steyn but failed to qualify for the playoffs. Last year, the BCCI terminated the contract of the Kochi franchise for defaulting on payments while DLF, India's largest real estate firm, terminated the title sponsorship of the league in August ending a five-year association.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

WILLS LIFESTYLE INDIA FASHION WEEK

October 13-19, 2012

25

Young designers shine at WIFW, lure buyers

The five-day fashion extravaganza, organized by Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), saw participation from 132 designers, including some international names. A sneak peek.
New Delhi: The stage was set for a big leap and the brigade of young designers, including Samant Chauhan and Rahul Mishra, caught the buyers' attention with their collections that have the desi themes made with Indian textiles and weaves. The spring-summer edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) concluded with many young designers impressing the buyers from around the globe with their unique design aesthetics and out-of-the-box presentation. From debutante Payal Pratap - wife of ace designer Rajesh Pratap Singh - to designers like Atsu Sekhose, Nachiket Barve, Anand Bhushan and Aneeth Arora -- all impressed buyers from Japan and other European nations. Japanese buyer Tomoko, one of the regulars at the fashion gala, praised them saying that she was truly impressed with their collections. Another buyer Nadezda Kuzuvova, from Russia, added: "We work with designers like Malini Ramani but we were quite impressed with Rajdeep Ranawat's show. This is our fourth time at the WIFW and I think the attraction this time was the creative side of some of the new faces." Veterans shared the limelight too. Ashish N. Soni, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Namrata Joshipura, Wendell Rodricks, Gaurav Gupta, James Ferreira, Manish Malhotra, Suneet Varma, Kavita Bhartia and Ritu Kumar presented a mix of prett and couture line. Fashion is also about glitz and glamor, but designers concentrated more on the creative side than glamour. Bollywood 'tadka' was not as strong as in earlier editions. A few names from Bollywood like Manoj Bajpayee, Parineeti Chopra, Diana Penty, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Esha Gupta were seen walking the ramp.
Actor Parineeti Chopra walks the ramp for designer Manish Malhotra at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2012 in New Delhi

Every trend comes back: Malini Ramani Dreams vs reality, colonial

New Delhi: Designer Malini Ramani who is known for her East meets West-inspired designs believes fashion never fades and every trend keeps coming back. "I would advice that one should never say never to any kind of fashion. I believe every trend comes back," Ramani told reporters after her show at the ongoing Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. "So just enjoy it and keep in mind not to throw away any of your your animal prints, bell bottoms or anything. They will definitely again make a style statement in the coming time," she added. Showcased on the fourth day of WIFW, her collection titled "warriors of the rainbow" started with a message from mother earth and a beautiful pattern was created with on the stage with lights of differ-

fashions on final day

New Delhi: It was an amalgamation of dreams and reality at the final day of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week as designer Joy Mitra chose to showcase a collection that recalled colonial India, while designer Nida Mahmood showcased a line inspired by her quirky dreams.Nida, who is known for presenting a Bollywood-inspired ramp with hit songs playing in the background, did it again this time but in a very different way through her "Sapna Cinema" collection. The designs had lot of psychedelic prints and quirky designs with a silhouette that has dominance of prt collection. "The collection is called Sapna Cinema. I have taken inspiration from the crazy, mad dreams that we often see. So its about all those fun things that we see, it's about realistic space that happen in our dreams.

Models showcasing designer Malini Ramani's creations at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week

ent colors. The collection had khaftans, shirt dresses, swimwear, jumpsuits, and lounge wear that infused

block prints from India, bead work from Africa, motifs from Mexico, all brought into an integration of the new spirit of universalism.

A model showcasing designer Nida's 'Sapna Cinema' collection

Indo-Dutch show gets applauds at WIFW

New Delhi: It's time now for the Dutch fashion industry to showcase their design aesthetics on Indian shores, and they not just managed to do it successfully but also got a warm response from fashion connoisseurs during the opening day of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW). Co-initiated by the FDCI (Fashion Design Council of India) foundation, HTNK Fashion recruitment and consultancy foundation and House of Denim, the programme titled "Dutch Fashion Here & Now India" (DFH&NI) saw Indians Suneet Varma, Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna team up with Dutch fashion designers Jan Taminiau and designer duo Diederik Verbakel and Marieke Holthuis of the label DIED respectively, to showcase their collections. From blings, shimmers, gold and glitter, the collection displayed on the ramp had everything that fashion patrons will ask for. From dresses, skirts, to lehangas and saris, the designs truly personified a mix of east meets west.

Esha turns muse for Ritu Kumar

New Delhi: Model-turned actress Esha Gupta, who walked as a showstopper for designer Ritu Kumar at the grand finale of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) spring-summer 2013, says that it's great to be back on ramp from where she started her journey. Dressed in black and gold asymmetrical lehangas, Esha says that the designer was the one who gave her the initial breaks in modeling so when she asked her to walk as a showstopper, she couldn't say no. "I just adore her designs. I know Ritu aunty since my modeling days and I think she is absolutely fantastic with her designs. When I started as the model, she was one of the designers with whom I worked. I remember, during my starting days, she only used to shoot with the big models but when she saw me, she started working with. "Then she designed for my Miss International outfit and today I am here. We are always like family so there was no point of saying no to her call," Esha said. The finale show was divided into two parts, first was of Label Ritu Kumar brand and second Ritu Kumar Couture. Both the segments recreated the magic and simplicity of art deco. Actor Esha Gupta in Ritu Kumar's creation

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October 13-19, 2012

ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Mask must fall in 'Bigg Boss' house: Siddhu Don't expect entertainment from me: Aseem Trivedi
ormer cricketer and TV personality Navjot Singh Siddhu hopes to bring positivity in the "Bigg Boss" house. He promises to be his real self on the show as he believes it is hard to pretend for long. "I am going inside the house with a crystal clear mind and hope to convert it into a positive and resonating show with my stint," Siddhu, the BJP member of parliament from Amritsar, said. "I don't see it as a controversial show, rather it will be an entertaining show this time. You will see a metamorphesis happening this time. I have taken a challenge," he added. Siddhu will be locked inside the house with 14 other contestants for three months without any connection with the outside world. Others in the house will be Sana Khan, Vrijesh Hirji, founder of Gulaab Gang Sampat Pal, Urvashi Dholakia, Aashka

Former cricketer and TV personality Navjot Singh Siddhu Goradia, Bhojpuri actor Dinesh Yadav, celebrity hair stylist Sapna Bhavnani, Delnaz Paul, cartoonist-activist Aseem Trivedi, Sayantani Ghosh, Rajev Paul, models Niketan Madhok, Karishma Kotak and a commoner Kashif Quereshi.

hat should one expect from Aseem Trivedi on the reality show "Bigg Boss 6"? "Not entertainment for sure," says the controversial activist and cartoonist, who hopes to use the platform to spread his message on anticorruption. "I am not an entertainer. I am not going to the show for providing any entertainment," Trivedi, who was jailed on charges of sedition in Mumbai last month and is out on bail, said before he stepped into the "Bigg Boss" house. "I believe viewers want to watch things other than entertainment on TV. Aamir Khan's show 'Satyamev Jayate' was a serious show, it wasn't to entertain. But peo-

Controversial cartoonist Aseem Trivedi is locked inside the 'Bigg Boss 6' house with 14 strangers ple watched it. A huge chunk of people want to watch serious issues too," he added. The 25-year-old, an

activist associated with India Against Corruption (IAC) and founder of anti-corruption campaign Cartoons Against Corruption, says he hardly gets time to watch TV shows and Bollywood movies. But he was tempted to be a part of "Bigg Boss 6" solely to "talk to the masses". He was locked up in jail for three days last month on charges of sedition for drawing cartoons insulting Indian emblems and the constitution during Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement in Mumbai in December 2011. The charges haven't been dropped yet, and Trivedi will be locked inside the "Bigg Boss 6" house with 14 strangers for 98 days, followed by 70 cameras.

'English Vinglish' - Sridevi's grand comeback

I feel I am daughter of the country: Rani A

ctress Rani Mukerji is happy with the fact that everyone is talking about her marriage and says that people's concern makes her feel like being the daughter of the country. "I feel very lucky that the entire country thinks about my marriage. In that sense I am the daughter of the country because they are so concerned about my marriage," Rani said. "I am extremely happy that they are thinking about my marriage and not of anything else but such an auspicious thing. So for me, it is a very sweet thing," added the 34-year-old, who is said to be dating filmmaker Aditya Chopra. Interestingly, her forthcoming film "Aiyyaa" revolves around marriage. Directed by National Award winning director Sachin Kundalkar, it sees Rani as a Pune-

Actress Rani Mukerji in Aiyyaa based Marathi girl Meenakshi Deshpande whose parents want to her to get married. But she falls in love with a Tamil painter as she is attracted by his body odour. After actors like Katrina Kaif, Vidya Balan and Chitrangada Singh, Rani has done a sensuous Lavani number in the film. "Aiyyaa" will introduce southern star Prithviraj Sukumaran when it releases Oct 12.

Sridevi plays Shashi, a middle-class homemaker ridevi may have just won the hearts of millions of middle-class Indian housewives with her flawless performance in "English Vinglish". Every minute spent watching the film is worth the time we've all been waiting to see the actress back in action. Sridevi plays Shashi, a middleclass homemaker with exceptionally good parenting and laddoomaking skills. Her only purpose in life has been taking extremely good care of her family despite being ridiculed by her own children and husband at her poor English-speaking ability. Along the course, Shashi gets to travel to the US for a family wedding, where persuaded by an advertisement, she signs up for 'Learn English in 4 Weeks' crash course and what follows is best watched on screen. The character Sridevi plays on screen is very close to the charac-

ter she's been playing off-screen. She's returned after 15 years doing something that she was portrayed doing in the first half of the film. She was taking care of her own daughters all these years to date where she's certain that they don't need her support. The language-speaking impediment was merely used as a tool to help the audience connect with the character on a more emotional level. This is not the story of one Shashi, but thousands like her in this country who are subjected to daily embarrassment and looked at as an experienced hand only in the kitchen. To sum it up, "English Vinglish" proves that language is only a mode of communication, but not something that can be used to divide people. As brilliantly shown in one scene which has Shashi venting heatedly in Tamil to Laurent, who replies in French, it isn't about language.

'Barfi!' to compete with 70 films for Oscar

ndian filmmaker Anurag Basu's "Barfi!" is among a record 71 films vying for a nomination in the best foreign language film category for the 85th Academy Awards. "Barfi!", featuring Ranbir Kapoor as a deaf and mute boy, Priyanka Chopra as an autistic girl and Ileana D'Cruz as a compassionate Bengali girl, won hearts across India and among people overseas, with its heartwarming narrative. The movie is competing among films from countries like Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Germany, Israel, Russia, Singapore and Vietnam. Kenya has sent an entry for the first time, with a film titled "Nairobi Half Life", directed by David 'Tosh' Gitonga. Iran, whose entry "A Separation", took home the golden statuette last year, has decided not to send any film for the Oscars this year as a mark of protest against the recent anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims". The country had initially decided to send Reza

The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Jan 10, 2013 Mirkarimi's "A Cube of Sugar" as their entry this year, but then reportedly decided to boycott the award ceremony. The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live Jan 10, 2013. The award giving ceremony will be held Feb 24, 2013.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD Music

October 13-19, 2012

27

I admire Aamir's work for society: Tom Hanks

I will surprise India: Enrique

s fans count days to the big night when Enrique Iglesias will perform in Delhi this month, the Spanish singing sensation says he has lots in store. I am very excited to come to India. Fans can definitely expect a lot of surprises and some great new production, says Enrique, who last performed in India in 2004, but is performing in Delhi for the first time. Promising a good mix of hits, the 37-year-old known for chart-topping hits such as Hero, Love To See

Aamir Khan ollywood star Tom Hanks read about Bollywood actor Aamir Khan's work for the Indian society, and is mightily impressed. He says "giving back" (to the society) is tough. Hanks, whose new film "Cloud Atlas" is releasing in Indian theatres on Oct 26, read about Aamir in the latest issue of the Time magazine, in which he was positioned as India's "first superstar-activist". "I really admire the work that Aamir Khan is doing (in India). Very few celebrities take the initiative of coming forward to change the society and he has done a remarkable job," Hanks said in a

You Cry, I Like It and Tonight (Im Loving You) says hes been looking forward to this trip for years. Ive been trying to come back for a while, and just waiting for the right opportunity. Besides the show, Im looking forward to the fans, who are so amazing and enthusiastic, as well as the great food, says Enrique, who as part of his multi-city tour, will perform in Gurgaons HUDA Grounds on Oct 19, followed by gigs in Pune and Bengaluru. Enrique, who has in the past col-

Singer Enrique Iglesias laborated with Indian singer Sunidhi Chauhan for the song, Heartbeat, is up for more such opportunities.

statement. Aamir awakened several television viewers with his small screen debut, "Satyamev Jayate", a show through which he brought several social issues like female foeticide and dowry to the fore, backed by statistics. Hanks feels it is all a part of giving back to the people, who give artists so much love. "It's the 'giving-back' that's tough. Aamir seems to understand the influencing power of being a celebrity and is using it to act as a catalyst for change in society, something that definitely deserves both appreciation and support from all quarters," said Hanks.

Asha Bhosle's daughter commits suicide

arsha Bhosle, daughter of playback singer Asha Bhosle, committed suicide at their Peddar Road residence in Mumbai. Varsha, 56, shot herself in the head, police said.Varsha, who worked as a freelance journalist, was divorced and had also tried to commit suicide in 2008 and 2010 by consuming a heavy dose of sleeping pills. She was, however, immediately taken to the hospital and saved. Varsha stayed with her mother, who is currently attending a function in Singapore.

Asha Bhosle with daughter Varsha Bhosle

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October 13-19, 2012

HUMOR

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Humor with Melvin Durai

Obama, Romney clash in exciting first debate

he first debate between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney was so exciting that after 15 minutes, Nielsen TV ratings determined that almost 39 percent of the audience at home was still awake. Thats a record for presidential debates, beating the previous record of 36 percent set at the memorable 1992 Clinton-Bush-Perot debate. Obama and Romney faced off at University of Denver, with Jim Lehrer of PBS serving in the dual role of debate moderator and punching bag. In case you missed the debate - or fell asleep in the middle of it - here is a condensed transcript. Lehrer: Gentlemen, welcome to you both. Lets start with the economy and jobs. How would you go about creating new jobs? Mr. President, you go first. Obama: Thank you, Jim. There are a lot of points I want to make tonight, but the most important one is that 20 years ago, I became the luckiest man on earth because Michelle Obama agreed to marry me and

so, I just want to wish you, sweetie, a happy anniversary. Romney: The president has his facts wrong again. Michelle Obama did not agree to marry him - Michelle Robinson did. And I was already the luckiest man on earth. Ann and I were married 43 years ago before the president even knew how to spell anniversary. Lehrer: I said jobs gentlemen - what would you do to create jobs? Obama: Well, Jim, let me begin by saying that without Michelle, I would not be where I am today - standing before

you to talk about jobs. I love you, sweetie. Lehrer: Thank you, Mr. President, but Obama: Wait, Jim, I havent finished. You know, four years ago we went through the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. But over the last 30 months, weve seen 5 million jobs in the private sector created. The auto industry has come roaring back and housing has begun to rise. And my marriage to Michelle has never been stronger. Lehrer: Governor Romney, two minutes. Romney: Thank you, Jim. My plan has five basic parts. One, get us energy independent, North American energy independent. That creates about four million jobs. Number two, open up more trade, particularly in Latin America. Thats two million jobs. Number three, crack down on China if and when they cheat. Thats three million jobs. Number four, make sure Americans spend less time on Facebook. Thats 10 million jobs. Number five, get rid of Twitter. Thats six million jobs. So I plan to give America 25 million jobs. The president plans to give America 25 million excuses. Lehrer: Mr. President, please respond directly to what the governor just said. Obama: Governor Romneys central economic plan calls for a $5 trillion tax cut, on top of the extension of the Bush tax cuts, so thats another $2 trillion, and $2

trillion in additional military spending that the military hasnt asked for. Thats $9 trillion. I dont know if the average American understands what $9 trillion is, but thats more money than Governor Romney, in his entire lifetime, has spent on Brylcreem. Romney: First of all, I dont have a $5 trillion tax cut I have a $5 zillion tax cut. Thats a big difference. Second of all, under the presidents policies, middleincome Americans have been buried. Theyre being crushed. Just imagine: a family of four, trying to make ends meet on just $250,000. Lehrer: Thank you, Governor Romney. Now lets move on to the federal deficit, the federal debt. How would you go about tackling it? Romney: What things would I cut from spending? Well, first of all, Obamacare is on my list. I apologize, Mr. President. I use that term with all respect. Obama: I like it. And you are a Scrooge, Governor Romney. I use that term with all respect. Romney: Thank you. I like it too. Another thing Im going to get rid of is the subsidy to PBS. Im sorry, Jim. I like PBS. I love Big Bird. I actually like you too. But dont worry, Jim. Im going to create 25 million jobs. Im sure therell be one for you. And Big Bird too. Obama: Jim, can I respond to that? Lehrer: You have five seconds. Obama: Thank you, Jim. Five seconds isnt a lot of time, so I will just say this: Michelle, I love you, sweetie.

Photo of the week

Chris Gayle celebrates T20 triumph 'Gangnam Style'.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

ASTROLOGY

October 13-19, 2012

29

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma

Stars Foretell: October 13-19, 2012
Aries: Interference in others work will not help in any way, it will only bring you criticism. You need to check your financial position and control your excessive spending. Although you have a good chance to bring your creative ideas to use, your colleagues and coworkers are not likely to extend much support. You could have a hard time convincing people who will be slow to catch on your plans. Contribute generously to social organizations. Taurus: This week spend time with family members and friends. It promises to be a special week, when loved ones bring you gifts and presents. You will find yourself bubbling with loads of energy and your intuition will be helpful in making crucial decisions. You will definitely pick up valuable suggestion if you listen properly. Love and romance will dominate your week as you go out of the way to please your beloved. Gemini: This week you will feel somewhat let down by people you trust. Don't allow people to take undue advantage of you. Be patient, not stubborn and control your emotions. Take time to think before you speak. Meditation and yoga will bring you spiritual as well physical benefits. A small pleasure jaunt towards the weekend will be good for lifting your spirits. Financial gains will be slow but certain. Cancer: This week your profile will be positive and you will work on projects, which would have tremendous effect on your life. Your artistic abilities and hard work will bring you recognition and fame, but make sure that you don't compromise on your principles in the process of glamour and finances that seem to come your way. Attending social functions will ensure you meet someone who will help you come closer to your goals. Leo:This week you will benefit from your leadership strength. You would take charge of important work and gain additional respect from people in your group. Your ability to negotiate important deals, make plans, and carry them to perfection will help you stay ahead of others. Elders and family members provide you with necessary love and care. You will also find sufficient time with the one you love, so don't shy away from expressing your true feelings. Virgo: This week be extra cautious how you deal with your colleagues and employers. Although you will be in a special position to express your ideas, too much interference in the affairs of others will only bring unnecessary tensions. Relatives and friends will make demand, which you will find difficult to keep. Real estate investment will pay off well in the long run. Spiritual gains likely for some. Libra: If you have a new idea, which you feel could bring you major recognition and monetary gains, then you should put your sincere efforts to convert it into concrete form. You will win support from family members and friends on your new project. If you are planning to travel abroad during this week, then this trip will be a major success. You will find members of the opposite sex very appealing, but try not to annoy someone you really care. Scorpio: New projects will be alluring and hard hour will ensure outstanding gains in the long run. You'll attract more respect and honor from people young as well as old. Financial gains are also certain, but if you have been ignoring your health lately, then you will feel tired, weak and might require some medication. Extra rest, proper diet and little exercise will be important to regain your strength and spirits. Although a favorable period but don't be afraid to speak in your defense if you feel others are trying to suppress you or ignore your opinion. Sagittarius: This week some memories or unresolved issues come to the surface, bringing you lot of tension and stress. If you thought you had these problems resolved for good, then you will be surprised that they appear once again. Frustration will engulf you. Unless you deal with these problems with proper advice and some help, you will find it extremely difficult to resolve this issue and concentrate on other work. Message from overseas will bring happiness. Capricorn: There will be many social activities this week, including few family gathering where you will get to spend some special moments with people you haven't seen for a long time. You will be the center of attention, and you should not waste these opportunities to revive lost contacts. At office your efforts will bring desired results. You will accomplish jobs at a speed that usually seems impossible. New job opportunities for some seem later in the week. Aquarius: This week you should set new goals for yourself. You will have a vision and determination, which will bring you, gains much beyond your expectations. Elders will join you in your efforts and provide support whenever needed. Sudden romantic encounter with someone you have secretly admired will make your head spin. A wonderful week to spend with children, friends and relatives. Look for something to do together towards the weekend. Pisces: This week it doesn't matter if you are the guest or the host because you will be at the center of attention. Your observation and creativity will help you meet new and fascinating people, bringing you new opportunities. Unusual circumstances will involve legal matters and prove financially expensive. You might also need to seek favours from an influential person to sort the issue. Later in the week, a spiritual person gives blessings and good wishes.

Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874 Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899 psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com

Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

October 13: Influenced by number 4 and the planet Uranus, you are energetic, methodical, systematic and possess an attractive personality. You are highly social and helpful, but you need to check your tendency to behave jealous and self centered at times. This year should see you improve your financial position, but there would be an increase in your expenses as well. Only prudent investment will be rewarding and you should avoid speculation on all fronts. Middle of the year you should expect plenty of guest and relatives, some of whom would bring you gifts in cash and kind. Those unsatisfied with their present job environment can look forward to promotions and monetary benefits. Romance would be pleasant and would add a zing to your lonely life. October, November, March and May would be significant. October 14: Ruled by number 5 and the planet Mercury, you are practical, friendly, accommodating and possess a strong intuition. You are a no-nonsense, action-oriented individual to whom hard work and discipline takes high priority. But you need to control your tendency to behave sceptical and dominating at times. This year you can look forward to major changes in your professional career. A transfer or a promotion towards the middle of the year will bring additional responsibilities and good monetary gains. Those undertaking a foreign trip in the second quarter of the year would have a highly pleasurable and a very educating journey. Home front will not be that pleasant as frequent arguments and confrontations will always bring discomfort and uneasiness. Despite few initial problems your financial position will become better as new moneymaking ventures will be undertaken. November, January, April, July and August will be highly eventful. October 15: Dominated by number 6 and the planet Venus, you are attractive, emotional, intelligent and possess a remarkable memory. You hate disharmony and disruption but once in a while you do enjoy an intelligent discussion. It would be wise to rein in your tendencies towards timidity and moodiness at times. This year you gain from past investments. New business ventures would prove quite lucrative. Improved finances will make you spend more on luxuries and other living comforts. Children will cause some dissatisfaction but spouse will extend full support and affection. Any legal or property disputes should settle around the middle of the year. New romance for some could develop through social gatherings and recreational activities. Health of some elderly person in the family might cause stress and anxiety towards the end of the year. February, March, May and July will be important. October 16: Influenced by number 7 and the planet Neptune, you are ambitious, independent, sincere and love peace and harmony. You are highly enterprising and have an in built talent to impress others, but at times you need to check your impatience and erratic behaviour. This year you will finally receive long expected recognition and rewards. New partnership and joint venture projects towards the beginning of the year will be worthwhile and highly rewarding. Renovation and beautification of your house will be high on your personal agenda. This year will also be significantly important for students wanting to follow higher education in the country or overseas, as they would manage to obtain admission in spite of tough competition. Middle of the year you would prefer to take a break from your hectic schedule and embark on a pleasure trips or a pilgrimage. New romance for some May initiate at a marriage, that you attend towards the end of the year. March, April, June and July will be eventful. October 17: Ruled by number 8 and the planet Saturn, you are practical, systematic, original, authoritative and highly disciplined. For you your duties and responsibilities take precedence over everything else, but you need to control your tendency to behave cynical and stubborn. The beginning of year sees you finish many pending jobs and projects already in your hand. Speculation will not be much beneficial and sudden losses or gains likely on your business front. Middle of the year you come in contact with an eminent person, who would bring enormous change in your personality and thoughts. Relation with your spouse will be cordial and on an even footing. Watch out for over friendly strangers towards the latter half of the year as they could have a selfish interest in coming close to you. Romantic alliances will prosper and strengthen, but there wont be much to celebrate on the financial side. October, December, February and July will be important. October 18: Influenced by number 9 and the planet Mars, you are active, courageous, energetic, and enthusiastic person. Your impressive personality and your command over your work can do wonders for you, but you loose many good opportunities due to your fickle mindedness and indecisive nature. This year your mood will oscillate between extreme happiness and visible displeasure. You will feel more secure with your prevailing job and your monetary position will also improve. Businessmen should see their new plans and ventures getting executed. Frequent journeys in-between the year would bring in pleasure and an opportunity to build new and important contacts. Standing surety for someone will cause embarrassment and many legal problems. This might not be the perfect year for matters relating to your heart and forming a matrimonial alliance. The latter half of the year sees you undertake a pilgrimage for solace and peace of mind. November, June, July and August will be highly significant. October 19: Influenced by number 1 and the Sun, you are active, authoritative, assertive, practical, dignified and highly sensitive. You are charming, attractive and jovial by nature, but you need to check your tendency to behave spendthrift, dominating and restless at times. This year you need to concentrate on your goals to achieve desired results. New sources of income will see your financial position getting better. Speculation will also yield gains. Spouse and other female members will do their best to keep you happy. Traveling would be highly pleasurable and educating. New romance for some through social gatherings and family ceremonies. Avoid standing surety or a guarantee for others, as it would lead to embarrassment and legal problems. Real-estate transaction towards the yearend should bring monetary gains. Health needs care. October, June, July and September seems to be eventful.

Before you consult...

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 outcome is not as desired, never give up. v) Consult: Take second opinion before spending thousands on cure/remedies.

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October 13-19, 2012

SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Sharing the divine honey

gift you could bring him. The princess did not know what to do. It was forbidden to share the secret of making honey with anyone outside of her kingdom. How could she bring the gift without her mother, the queen, finding out? She decided the best way to bring this gift was to bring to the emperor some of the bees that made the honey. The princess asked one of her attendants to put her hair up into an elaborate hair style. She hid the eggs of the bees in the folds of her hair. Then she set off for the other country. Since no one could see the eggs in her hair she was able to transport them from her kingdom. When she reached the distant kingdom, she took care of the eggs until they hatched. She then let them grow into bees that produced the honey. She presented the honey to the emperor. He greatly appreciated the valuable gift she had brought. She then taught the emperor the secret of how bees make honey. The emperor took care of the bees which laid more eggs. Over time they multiplied. They continued to thrive in his country. Soon there were thousands of bees. The honey they produced was fering humanity the secret of how to find the sweet nectar of the Divine that leads the soul back to God. Throughout the ages, saints and Masters have blessed this earth with their spiritual teachings. Through their grace, suffering souls are able to find a way to reunite with God. Just like the queen who wanted to keep knowledge of honey a secret, so does Kal, the sustaining power, want to keep it secret that God exists and that we can reunite with God. We are kept in ignorance of the most valuable gift of all, experiencing our soul and God. We are in the dark about the fact that there is God, the soul is a part of God, and bring us knowledge of the divine honey. They are able to put people in touch with the divine nectar that reconnects our soul with God. How do they do it? They teach people through the process of initiation how to find the spiritual honey within. At the time of holy initiation, they open our third or single eye so we can contact the holy Naam within. They open our inner eye to see the Light of God, and they open our inner ear to hear the Celestial Music, or Sound of God. They teach us a method of meditation by which we can become absorbed into the inner Light and inner Sound within. Once we connect with the inner Light, we see inner vistas unfold for us. We think that honey is delicious. But tastier than outer honey is the honey within. This inner nectar also radiates with divine Light and sings with divine Music. We see Light of various colors and radiant inner stars, moon, and sun. We come to the most beautiful manifestation of all, the ethereal or radiant form of the Master. This form serves as our inner guide on the further journey within. The Master takes us to Light and Sound within us. The Masters are selfless and sharing. Unlike the queen who wanted to keep the secret for herself, the Masters want to share their gift with all humanity. They are generous and want to make sure the whole world avails itself of this blessing. They make their gift known to all sincere seekers after truth. They bring this gift to people of all countries. They share the gift with people of all religions. They share it with people of all walks of life, from the rich to the poor, from those who are highly literate to those who are illiterate. They share it with people of all cultures. Just as the princess gave the honey to the emperor freely, and he, in turn, freely shared the knowledge of it with the rest of the world, so do the Masters share the gift of Naam with the world. They do not hold back the secret from anyone. How can we share the divine honey within? How can we be like the princess who shared the secrets so the whole world can benefit? The best way we can share the gift of what we receive with others is to be a model to inspire others to want to partake of this divine honey. How can we be a model to others? Mahatma Gandhi once said, Be the change that you want to see in others. This profound statement holds the key to how we can inspire others to taste of the divine Nectar that has transformed our lives. Rather than telling other people what they should and should not do, we can become an example of what we want others to try. When they see us living up to that example, they, on their own, will be inspired to undergo the same transformation. There are several ways in which we can be the change we want others to undergo. It is a process of three steps: step one is meditation; step two is ethical living; and step three is leading a life of intoxication, joy, and bliss. If we can stop telling others how to live, but start leading a life of ethical living, meditation, and bliss ourselves, then others, on their own, will want to follow our lead. There are many people who preach leading an ethical life. But on closer examination, many of them are hypocrites who profess one way of living but do not follow it themselves. The end result is that when others see the mismatch between what the hypocrites say and what they do, others feel the hypocrites are not honest. Others see through them. This gives a bad name to leading an ethical life because others see such people teaching it but not living it. If we want to inspire others to lead an ethical life, then we need to first do so ourselves. (To be continued...)

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj

here is a story of a beautiful queen who loved to sit under the trees and enjoy the beauty of nature. One day, as she looked up, she noticed a bee flying around a honeycomb. As she sat there, some liquid dripped onto her face. When some dripped onto her lips, she accidentally licked them and was surprised by its sweetness. She thought, This liquid dripping out is sweet. This would be great to add to tea and give it a sweeter flavor. She asked her attendants to collect some of this liquid and bring it to the palace. She took this sweet substance and experimented by flavoring different foods with it. She had discovered honey for the first time and learned how the bees made it. She continued to experiment with it to learn how it could improve the taste of food and beverages. Over time, she taught the people in her kingdom how to cook with honey. This new type of flavoring became popular throughout her kingdom. No other country had ever seen it or heard of it before. Over the years, word spread about this special flavoring that was being made in her kingdom. The queen told the people of her kingdom to keep the information on how honey was made a secret. Although people heard of the honey, no one from her kingdom would divulge the method of how it was made. Years later, the queens daughter, the princess, was invited to visit another country to visit the emperor. It was traditional to bring a gift when visiting the emperor of another country. She thought deeply about what would be special to bring to him. She asked her father, the king, what to bring. Whenever one had a problem, one would ask the wise men for a solution. The king sent for the wisest men in the land to find out what would be the most special gift that the princess could bring with her for the emperor. The princess asked, What do you think would be the most valuable gift that I could bring the emperor? The wise men thought about it for a while and told her, The secret of making honey is the most valuable

The best way we can share the gift of what we receive with others is to be a model to inspire others to want to partake of this divine honey. How can we be a model to others? Mahatma Gandhi once said, Be the change that you want to see in others.This profound statement holds the key to how we can inspire others to taste of the divine Nectar that has transformed our lives. Rather than telling other people what they should and should not do, we can become an example of what we want others to try. When they see us living up to that example, they, on their own, will be inspired to undergo the same transformation
used by the people of his land. Unlike the queen who discovered the honey, the emperor did not keep the information on how honey was made a secret. As a result, not only people of his country, but people throughout the world were taught the secret of honey. Before long, everyone around the world knew the secret of honey. This imaginary tale is a beautiful analogy to describe the role of the Masters and saints. The secret they share with the whole world is not physical honey, but the sweet nectar of the Divine. They share with sufwe can reunite the soul with God. The honeyed divine nectar that connects us with God is called the holy Naam, Shabd, or the Light and Sound of God. We have forgotten who we are as soul and are ignorant of reuniting our soul with the Creator. The Masters are like the princess who was able to bring the honey out of the kingdom to impart it to the whole world. Just as the princess was able to find a way to bring the honey out of her country even though the queen tried to keep it there, so do Masters find a way to even more beautiful realms, from the astral to the causal and supracausal realms until we reach the souls eternal Home, Sach Khand. There, our soul merges back in God. There is no more valuable gift that can be brought to humanity than contact with the inner Light and Sound. Just as the princess brought the most valuable gift her kingdom had to offer, which was the secret of making honey, the Masters bring from God to humanity the most valuable gift, the secret of contacting the inner nectar of the

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October 13-19, 2012

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

October 13-19, 2012

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