USA

l Vol-22

l Issue-10

l November-2013

l www.fijisun-usa.com

l 510-677-4488

Happy Diwali & Eid Mubarak

FIRST FIjI DIWALI FESTIvAL 2013 IN BAY AREA

PhotoS by FAIzAl AlI (SEE INSIDE PAGE)

2ND US FIjI GIRMIT FESTIvAL SUCCESSFUL

Read Zahid Buksh (ChP investigatoR) aBout the event and futuRe Plan foR Continued tRiBute to ouR
foRefatheRs who shed Blood and sweat in Building and modeRniZing fiji islands undeR seveRe haRdshiP.

TISI SANGAM DIWALI CELEBRATION 2013 UNIFYING SANGAM GROUPS

FIjI SUN IS NOW ON FACEBOOK FOR ALL

EDItORIAl

November-2013

FIJI SUN
EDITORIAL
STAFF

Editor-Publisher

Robbie Michaelson
Contributing writer

PO BOX 54691
Hayward, CA 94544

1-800-757-6619
www.fijisun.org
Email: fijisun@gmail.com

Gulmarg coldest place in

J&K with minus
4.2 degree C
SRINAGAR: Gulmarg
was the coldest place
in Jammu and
Kashmir with the mercury plummeting
below the freezing
point to settle at a low
of minus 4.2 degrees
Celsius. The famous
ski-resort of Gulmarg
was the coldest
recorded place in the
state, a MeT
Department official
said. Srinagar, the
summer capital of
Jammu and Kashmir,
recorded a drop of two
notches in the night
temperature, as the
cold wave conditions
have set in earlier
than expected this
year. The minimum
temperature recorded
in Srinagar on
Saturday was 2.8
degrees Celsius, as
compared to yesterday's 4.8 degrees
Celsius, he said. The
south Kashmir tourist
resort of Pahalgam
also saw a drop in
temperature from the
previous night's 1.8
degrees Celsius, to
settle slightly above
the freezing point at
0.8 degrees Celsius,
the official said.

FIJISUN

Ram Lila and Diwali Celebration

by Shiv Bhawan Mandir, Modesto
President
Aklesh
PrAsAd sPeAking to
FiJi sUn tV rePorters
AboUt the stAr cAst.

H. Koya (PhD)

www.fijisun-usa.com

Ramlila, the enactment of

the story of Lord Rama is
believed to have been started by great Saint Tulsidas.
The Ramcharitmanas, on
paper by him till today forms
the basis of Ramlila performances. In some places,
Ramlila is related with
Vijayadashmi celebrations in
late September and early
October and also with Rama
Navami, the birthday of Lord
Rama. Ramlila is a staged
folk re-enactment of the ten
day fight between Lord Ram
and Ravan, as explain in the
Hindu religious epic, the
Ramayan. A belief that originates from the Indian subcontinent, the play is frequently staged over ten or
more successive nights,
timed to finish in the festival
of Dussehra that celebrate
the victory of Lord Ram.
Ramlila, basically an enactment of a myth, is presented
as a cycle-play with the story
varying from 7 to 31 days.
The Ramlila performance
evokes a festive atmosphere
and enables observance of
religious rites.
It is also rich in performance of crafts such as costume jewelry, masks, headgear, make-up and decoration. The four main Ramlila
styles are the pantomimic
style with a predominance
ofjhankis - tableaux pageants; the dialogue - based
style with multi-local staging;
the operative style which
draws its musical elements
from the folk operas of the
region and the stage Ramlila of the professional
troupes called `Mandalis'.
Ayodhya is well-liked for
mandali Ramlila. The show
is dialogue - based and presented on a platform stage.
High standard of presentation is complemented by
songs andkathak dances
and eye-catching decoration.

FIJISUN

www.fijisun-usa.com

October-2013

October-2013

www.fijisun-usa.com

FIJISUN

www.fijisun-usa.com

it was our error in

reporting Mr. Zahid
buksh as a cHP
officer. our heart-felt
apologies to him for
the mistake. (editor)

by ZAHid buksH

et me introduce myself.
My name is Zahid Ali
Buksh. I am a United
States citizen and a Gulf War
veteran. I am a member of the
American Legion, James
McDermott post 172 and of the
VFW (Veterans of Foreign
Wars) Tracy, California. I
migrated to the United States in
1989 because I wanted to live
in this great country of opportunities. I joined the United
States Army two months after
migrating here not because of
benefits, because I wanted to
serve my country the best I
could and I thought that there
could be no greater sacrifice
than serving in the military. It
was what I thought to be the
American dream.
I went
through basic training and
Advanced Individual Training at
Fort Dix, New Jersey. After that
I was stationed at Fort Hood,
Texas with the Second Armored
Division and then the First
Cavalry. From there I was
deployed to Kuwait/Iraq to
serve in Operation Desert
Storm/Desert Shield in 1990
and 1991. After an Honorable
discharge from the Army I
worked in Construction and at
Agnews Developmental Center
respectively. From there I
joined the California Highway
Patrol and am proud to say that
I am still with the CHP as a

November-2013

Fiji GirMityas

Motor Carrier Specialist I and

the United States Department
of Transportation/Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Alliance as a
Safety Auditor/Investigator.
The reason that I am writing
this article is to ask for your
help with a matter close to my
heart. Recently I attended a
Girmit Program organized by
US Fiji Suns Brother DR Hanif
Koya. The program was at
Weekes Library in Hayward Ca
On Saturday October 05th,
2013 at 13:00 hours and Radio
Zindagi, sister Jagruti Shah and
Sister SamaHanif had Fiji Nite
and
celebrated
Fiji
Independence Day on October
18th , 2013 at Mehran restaurant in Newark, CA. The Fiji
Nite / Fiji Independence Day
started with the USA National

Thoughtful of Lalla Rupen

to grace the occasion

t was very thought of Fiji

American communitys
soccer leader Lalla
Rupen and his wife Sunita
to come and grace the very
humble occasion. In his
brief
speech
Lalla
expressed deep regrets for
the lack of attendance. He
reminded everyone that our
origin is rooted in the Girmit
that our forefathers suffered in and we cannot run
away from that truth. We
need connect our children
that important history, Lalla
Rupen said.
Lallas sentiments were
echoed by Fiji Communitys
famous singer and co-host
Nityanand Maiku and landlord Chopra (inserted by
edited) I need not remind
you of the suffering of our
forefathers by the colonists,
capitalists and the elite of

local News

the day. It would be suffice

to say that the sacrifices
were made by our forefathers in
developing the sugar
industry.
Imported as indentured
laborers, which is really a
nice way of saying you are
now a slave of the Colonial
Sugar Refinery Company,
the girmityas faced monumental challenges which
they overcame with dignity
and is now evident in the
relative prosperity of today's
generation. They have
shown that in the face of
despair and slavery, men
can move mountains and
move mountains they have
done. Youths should draw
inspiration from the way girmityas overcame the struggles they encountered when
they first arrived in Fiji.

Anthom followed by Fiji

National Anthom. It was such a
thoughtful gesture by Radio
Zindagi and Sister SamaHanif
since Iam a Veteran of War.
I was shocked to see how
many Indo Fijians support
these two individuals. We are
here in this country and have
the freedom because of the
sacrifice so called Girmityas
gave. Then I read the letter To
Editor in the US Fiji Times
October 2013 vol. 112 issue by
Mohammed Shaan. So called,
the famous Fiji Ghazal and
Qawali singer Shaan . In the
same issue of the The US Fiji
Times below Mohammed
Shaans letter a letter from Uncle
NityaNanad Maiku to The US
Fiji Times. Please also read
Fijisun vol-2 issue -9 October
2013 page 5. Mohammed
Kahn Shaan To sing at the 2nd
Girmit festival. WhateverShaan
had wrote to the Letter to Editor
of the US Fiji Times Publisher /
CEO Rocky Ali Buksh it did not
happen the way he has stated. I
was there with Brother
Mohammed
Khan
from
Tracy,CA. US Fiji Times CEO
Rocky Buksh should get the
facts before publishing this kind
of letters to the Editer. News
Papers should be about news
not for personal gain. If to publish something get the facts
straight. My grateful thanks DJ
Sunny for bringing his sound
system all the way from
Pittsburgh that we were unable
to use as the Library changed

Major attributes
girmits' sacrifice
Speaking at the youth night to
mark the 125th anniversary of
the arrival of Indians in Fiji, Nadi
Mayor BalramKistaiya said all
the suffering, humiliation and
exploitation that the girmityas
experienced was endured so
that their future generation
would enjoy a better and prosperous life.MrKistaiya said girmityas were responsible for the
development and maintenance
of the sugar industry, which
started the economic engine of
the colony which laterbecame
Independent Fiji's economic
backbone.MrKistaiya said the
present generation should
grasp the lessons of the girmityas and use it as a driving
force toward achieving goals.He
challenged youths to emulate
the significant progress
achieved by the
girmityas.MrKistaiya encouraged youths to follow the principles and vision of nation-building of Ratu Sir Kamisese
Mara.He said everyone had to
recognise the challenges of living in a multicultural society and
ensure that all goals were inclusive and collective MrKistaiya
said the nation should show the
qualities of hard work, sacrifice
and resilience shown by girmityas and rise to the challenges affecting the country.
Prime Minister, LaiseniaQarase
unveiled a plaque commemorating the arrival of girmits in 1879
at the Lautoka Girmit Centre.

their stand in contrast to last

year when were able to use the
system and feature certain performance. DJ Sunny did not
think It was just a waste of time
as Mohammed Shaan had stated in The US Fiji Times Letter to
the Editor. We strive for acceptance from others yet some of
our own stab us in the back
which is a sad part of our history
that we as a community must
recognize. One has to lookat
what happened to the
Agricultural Land Tenure Act in
1976, the Coalition Government
in 1987 and to the People's
Coalition Government in 2000,
where thespoilers in all these
cases were the self-serving in
the Indo- Fijian community. At
the time of each coup, these
people from within our own
ranks were behind-the-scene
instigators, the financiers of the
coup and the destabilization
campaigns. The history of the
Indo-Fijian people in Fiji has no
dull moment. If we are not
oppressed by others, we fight
among ourselves which keeps
the story line moving and the
excitement and tension remain
vibrant throughout. Even today,
we are denied our political rights
in the land of our birth, we are
still fighting against racially
motivated statutory discrimination in all aspects of life despite
a very liberal constitution that
guarantees us equal citizenship
rights and equal opportunities.
Our people have been subjected to three racially instigated
coups that have deprived them
of their legitimate constitutional
rights to participate in the formation of a government and to
help formulate national policies.

GirMiT AT A GlAnce
1833 Britain abolishes slavery
1834 Indenture system, an alternate source of labour for British Empire, first started with the
labourers being sent to work in Mauritius, Uganda and Nigeria for an initial 5 year period.
This system became widely known as "Girmit" - a mispronunciation of the word "agreement"
by the non English speaking Indian labourers.
1874 Fiji's Deed of Cession to Britain
1874 Fiji's Deed of Cession to Britain
1875 Fiji first Governor Arthur Gordon arrives. He has already served as Governor in Mauritius
and Trinindad and has encountered indentured labourers. His preference for indentured
labour as opposed to native labour stems from his unwillingness to employ native labour on
the grounds that it will disrupt village life.
1879 First indentured labourers arrive in Fiji aboard the Leonidas. The ship set sail in Calcutta on
March 03 and arrived in Fiji on May 14, with 373 male and 149 female labourers. Cholera,
dysentery and smallpox were also onboard - 17 labourers had already succumbed to these
diseases.
1882 Colonial Sugar Refining (CSR) company of Australia sets up its first sugar mill in Nausori.
Second emigrant Ship arriveS in Fiji
Fiji'S capital moved From levuka to Suva
1884 The fifth emigrant ship to Fiji, Syria was wrecked on the Nasilai reef, off Nausori on May 11
killing fifty six immigrants and three lascars (Indian sailors).
FirSt lot oF labourerS complete their Five year contract.
Sixty percent chooSe to remain in Fiji.
1908 Sizes of "Lines" in which the labourers are housed is changed from 10 feet by 7 feet to
10feet by 12 feet.
1912 Legislation passed requiring employers of indentured labourers to provide school buildings.
1917 Government grant assistance extended to vernacular schools
1916 Indenture system is officially abolished by Britain.
the laSt Shipload oF labourerS arrive in november aboard the
Sutlej v. thiS iS the 87th Ship that brought labourerS to Fiji. Some 60,
553 labourerS came to Fiji between 1879 and 1916
1920 All indenture in Fiji is cancelled
1921 Census show 84,475 Fijians and 60,634 Indians and a balance of 12,117 made up of
Europeans, Chinese, Rotumans and others.

sources

FijisUN

Girmit - A centenary Anthology 1879 - 1979,

Suva, Fiji: Girmit Centenary Celebrations National Committee, 1979.
Girmit: Its Significance in Fiji
Ali, Ahmed, Kumar Printers PVT Limited New Delhi, India, 1979.
Crossing the Kala Pani: A Documentary History of Indian Indenture in Fiji
Lal, Brij V, Australian National University and Fiji Museum, Suva, 1998
Fiji Times, Special Girmit liftout,
Suva, Fiji, May 12, 1979 pp 05 -36.

To be conTinued nexT issue

INDIA NEWS

November-2013

www.fijisun-usa.com

FIJISUN

Sardar Patel should have been India's

first PM, Narendra Modi says

AHMEDABAD: In a vieled
attack on Congress in front
of
Prime
Minister
Manmohan Singh, Gujarat
chief minister Narendra
Modi on Tuesday said the
country's destiny would
have been different if
Sardar Patel had become
the
first
Prime
Minister.Sharing dais with
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh here for the opening
ceremony of Shri Sardar
Vallabhbhai
Smruti
Smarak, he credited Patel,
the first home minister,
with uniting the country
and said the same unity
and integrity was under
threat from terrorism and
Maoism at present. "Every
Indian still regrets that he
(Patel) did not become the
first Prime Minister. Had he
been the first Prime
Minister, the country's destiny would have been different," he said in com-

ments that may be seen as

an attack on Nehru. The
BJP's prime ministerial
candidate was speaking at
a function to inaugurate a
museum dedicated to
Sardar Patel, who was
born in Gujarat.Invoking
Patel, Modi said the first
home minister was instrumental in uniting the country
after
Independence."That unity
and integrity of the country
today is under threat from
all fronts, be it terrorism or
Maoism," he said, adding
Singh himself had said that
maoism is a great threat to
the country. Referring to
those who have resorted to
terrorism and Maoism,
Modi said they were causing the biggest harm to
their own communities and
appealed to the "misguided" youth to shun violence
and return to the mainstream for the country's

development. Citing the

example of Punjab, he
asserted that those resorting to violence would not
succeed in the country of
Mahatma Gandhi and
Patel."I want to tell the misguided youth who resort to
bombs and guns that they
cannot succeed in the land
of Gandhi and Sardar
(Patel). They cause harm
to the country. But the
biggest harm is caused to
their own communities," he
said. Reading from a prepared speech, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh
said, "Sardar Patel was a
secular leader and I represent the same party that
he belonged to." PM
seems to question Modi's
claim on Patel Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh
on Tuesday appeared to
question Narendra Modi's
claim on Sardar Patel's
legacy as he said the late

Narendra Modi, L K Advani to lay Sardar

Patel statue foundation stone today
GANDHINAGAR: Chief
minister Narendra Modi
and BJP stalwart and
member of parliament
from Gandhinagar L K
Advani will lay the foundation stone of the 'Statue of
Unity'
of
Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel on
October 31, 2013. The

ceremony will be held

near Sadhubet at Kevadia
colony close to the main
Sardar Sarvoar dam.
Advani,
a former deputy
prime minister, will be the
chief guest at the function.
During the foundation laying ceremony, Advani will

launch the book, 'Hind ke

Sardar',
and also a ringtone
for the title. Besides Modi
and Advani, the Speaker
of
Gujarat Assembly
Vajubahi Vala and other
senior leaders will also
attend the function. The
statue, when finished,

leader was secular and liberal, having respect for

those having a different
ideology. Singh, while
sharing dais with the
Gujarat chief minister here,
underlined that Patel was a
Congressman and he was
proud to be a member of
the same political party he
was associated with.
"Sardar Patel was secular
to the core. He had a deep
faith in the integrity of
India. He believed that the
whole country was a village and people of all communities here were his relatives and friends," he said
at a function to inaugurate
a museum on the first
home minister. The Prime
Minister said it was
responsibility of everyone
to appropriately make
aware the people of the
country, particularly the
youth, about Patel's contributions.

Gujarat chief minister speaks with the Prime Minister

during the inauguration of the renovated memorial of
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Ahmedabad.

Narendra Modi takes swipe at PM Manmohan

Singh, says we want Sardar Patel's secularism
NEW DELHI: Gujarat chief
minister Narendra Modi
said on Thursday that
"Sardar Patel was secular
and we want the same
secularism that Sardar
saheb believed in". Taking
a swipe at PM Manmohan
Singh, Modi said that
Sardar Patel was secular

but that that didn't stop him

from building a temple.
Sardar Patel's secularism
was not for vote bank politics, Modi said. The
Gujarat CM also said that it
was wrong to associate
Sardar Patel with any single party. "Leaders don't
belong to any party, they

45 charred to death in AP bus fire, DNA

tests to be conducted for identity
he Jabbar Travels air-conditioned Volvo bus began
its journey at 11pm on
Tuesday
from
Kalasipalyam area in
Bengaluru to Hyderabad
and picked up 50 passengers along the way.
There were 52 people,
including the driver and the
cleaner, on board.Charred
bodies of 45 persons have
been retrieved from the
bus, said deputy inspector
general (Hyderabad range)
V Naveen Chand. The
accident occurred around
5.10am
on
National
Highway-44 near Palem
village in Mahabubnagar,
around
140km
from
Hyderabad,
police
said.Bus owner Shakeel
Ahmed said seven people,
including driver Feroze
Khan and cleaner Ayyaz,
escaped through a window
but suffered burns. The
injured are undergoing
treatment at various hospitals, police said.The other
passengers were apparently asleep when the
diesel tank exploded and
were trapped inside the
bus.Most of the passengers could not escape as
the flames caught the plastic and cloth materials,
especially the seats, and
were charred to death,

Ahmed said.The passengers in the bus were burnt

beyond recognition, said
Wanaparthy deputy superintendent of police Srinivas
Reddy. It appears that the
bus was travelling at a high
speed when its fuel tank hit
the roadside culvert and
caught fire. The entire bus
has been gutted, he
said.Initial reports said
there were some software
engineers among the
deceased.The identification of the deceased will be
done after conducting DNA
tests and collecting blood
samples of the relatives,
said Mahabubnagar district
collector
Girija
Shankar.The
mortal
remains will be handed
over the kin of the
deceased after the DNA
tests.A team of doctors
from Gandhi Hospital and
Osmania General Hospital
and forensic experts from
Hyderabad rushed to the
spot to conduct postmortem
of
the
bodies.Andhra Pradesh
transport minister Botsa
Satyanarayana
told
reporters in Hyderabad
that the bus was overcrowded.The total capacity of the bus was 45 but
there were 50 passengers
on board.

belong to the country,"

Modi said.Narendra Modi
was speaking at a function
to lay the foundation stone
of the 'Statue of Unity' of
Sardar
Vallabhbhai
Patel."We want the world
to see the 'Statue of Unity'
as a symbol of India's glory
and rise,

Infosys to pay $34

million in US
visa case

Rain wreaks havoc in Andhra, Odisha Flood-affected Hinjili block and Ganjam block, Odisha.

4 killed in fresh firing incidents in Muzaffarnagar

Four people died in two
separate incidents of firing
in
Uttar
Pradesh's
Muzaffarnagar
district
where at least 60 people
had been killed and more
than 40,000 displaced in
an orgy of communal violence in August this
year.Three people died
when unidentified armed
men fired at a group of
farmers in Mohammadpur
village of the district. The
fourth critically injured

farmer has been rushed

to Muzaffarnagar district
hospital, the police said.
It was not yet clear
whether the killing was
triggered by communal
tensions or enmity over
land.Police rushed reinforcements to the spot
keeping in view how lax
policing had allowed the
violence to spiral out of
control.In another incident in nearby Phugana
village,

Air marshal
Arup Raha to be
next IAF chief
Air marshal Arup Raha will
take over as the next chief
of the Indian Air Force,
replacing
Air
Chief
Marshal NAK Browne,
who retires on December
31.Raha, who is currently
the IAF's vice chief, will
have a tenure of three
years in the top job at a
time when the air force is
expected to make some
critical acquisitions, including finalising a $20-billion
deal to buy 126 modern
fighter planes.

Infosys Ltd, India's second-largest IT services

exporter, has agreed to
pay $34 million in a civil
settlement
with
US
authorities investigating
its use of visas in the
United States, the company said on Wednesday.
US authorities have been
investigating Infosys' use
of visas since 2011.
"There were no criminal
charges or court rulings
against the company.
Furthermore, there are no
limitations on the company's eligibility for federal
contracts or access to US
visa programs as a result
of
the
settlement,"
Bangalore-based Infosys
said in a statement."As
reflected in the settlement, Infosys denies and
disputes any claims of
systemic visa fraud, misuse of visas for competitive advantage, or immigration abuse. Those
claims are untrue and are
assertions that remain
unproven," it said.Earlier
in October, Infosys said it
had set aside a reserve of
$35 million as it worked
towards a resolution for
the US government's
investigation.

FIJISUN

www.fijisun-usa.com

INDIA NEWS

November-2013

Make me chowkidaar in Delhi, I promise no claws

will reach Indian treasury, says Modi
Attacking
Congress
over the issue of corruption, BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi
today said he wished to
become a 'chowkidaar'
(watchman) of the people
so that "no claws can
reach the country's treasury."
Modi said BJP projected him as its prime ministerial candidate despite his
humble origin as one who
had once sold tea in trains.
He told a party rally
here that people should
not make him the prime
minister but only a watchman.
"I will sit like a chowkidaar in Delhi and promise
that no claws can reach
Indian treasury", he said. "I
want to serve as your
chowkidaar, you have
given them 60 years, give
us 60 months", he said.
He claimed Congress
leaders have not answered
the concerns of the people
as they considered themselves to be rulers.

Pak army violates

ceasefire, fires on forward areas
The Pakistani army on
Tuesday violated the
ceasefire once again by
firing on forward areas
along the Line of Control
(LoC) in Jammu and
Kashmir's Poonch district.Pakistani
troops
opened fire with automatic weapons and small
arms on forward areas
along LoC in Gambhir
area in Bhimbher Gali
sub-sectors from 5.10am,
defence spokesman Col
RK
Palta
said
in
Jammu.This fresh violation forced Indian troops
guarding the borderline to
retaliate with equal calibre
weapons,
triggering
exchanges which ended
at around 7am,

"It is the time for Lok

Sabha elections. Should
they (Congress) not speak
about what they have to
say on corruption? Why
are you not answering?
Inflation, crimes against
women, should you not
answer? Should not this
elected
government

No change in
stand on visa to
Modi: US official
The US consular general
Peter Haas on visit to India
has said there was no change
in his countrys policy regarding granting of the visa to
BJPs prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. Modis
US visa issue had bounced
into a political controversy in
July, 2013 when MPs belonging to 12 political parties had
urged the White House
through a letter "to maintain
the current policy of denying
Modi a visa to the United
States. One such letter was
signed by 25 Rajya Sabha
members and the other by 40
Lok Sabha MPs written on
November 26 and ecember 5,
2012 respectively and re-faxed
to the White House in July.In
2005, the US had denied Modi
a diplomatic visa and revoked
his existing tourist/business
visa under the Immigration.

Narendra Modi modifying his image?

NEW DELHI: BJP prime
ministerial
candidate
Narendra Modi's "outreach" to Muslims at his
Patna rally is not likely to
be a one-off reference as
the leader is expected to
elaborate on the theme
that minorities need to be
part of the mainstream.
After outlining poverty as
the common enemy of
poor Hindus and Muslims
in Patna, Modi utilized his
address at the Sardar
Patel memorial function at
Ahmedabad on Tuesday
to argue that extremists
have caused great harm to
their communities. In a
less noticed part of his
speech in Ahmedabad,
Modi said that those
resorting to terrorism and
Maoism were causing the
most harm to their own

communities. He appealed
to 'misguided' youths to
return to the mainstream.
Modi's pitch to Muslims
seems audacious as he is
seen by many as culpable
for the post-Godhra 2002
riots where the Gujarat
government has been
accused of being complicit
in violence against the
minority community. The
reference in Patna was
immediately noticed as it
was fairly detailed and
Modi lent it particular
emphasis, signaling a
shift in his poll strategy
that has often projected
his "tough" image in the
context
of
attacking
Congress over alleged
appeasement
politics.
BJP leaders do see his
comments as jettisoning
of his Hindutva persona,

Ceasefire violations matter

of concern: Antony

Defence
minister
AK
Antony on Wednesday
voiced
concern
over
increasing ceasefire violations and infiltration attempts from
across the border
and said they cannot take place
without the "tacit
support" of the
Pakistan Army.
"We are watching all these new
developments.
Instead of preventing infiltration or trying to minimise
the infiltration attempts,
still there attempts are
going on increasing. That
means, these are going on
with the support of elements across the border.

Two killed, seven injured

in Manipur bomb blast

Two persons were killed

and seven others got seriously injured when a powerful bomb, allegedly planted by militants, exploded
at Yaiskul area in Imphal
West district of Manipur on
Wednesday
morning,
police said.The bomb
(improvised
explosive
device), planted near the
roadside at Yaiskul bus
stand in Imphal to attack
the security personnel,
went off at 6.20am killing
one person on the spot
and injuring eight others,
they said.While one of the
injured died in a hospital,
the condition of seven others who are now in the
emergency department of

answer to the people? But

they consider themselves
to be kings and princes
and are not willing to
answer," Modi said.
The Gujarat chief minister also attacked UPA's
outside supporters SP and
BSP accuising them of
looting the people.
Alleging that poverty
was a subject of mockery
for Congress, Modi said
the Planning commission
had come out with statistics which suggested that
Rs. 26 in rural areas and
Rs. 32 in urban areas was
sufficient to sustain a family for a day.
The Gujarat CM said he
was experimenting with a
project under which youth
from UP and Bihar, who
work in Gujarat, would be
paid on an hourly basis for
their work in factories.
He said the attempt was
to allow them to work more
each day so that they can
get more leave to return to
their homes during agricutural season.

the Regional Institute of

Medical Science and
Hospital was reported to
be 'serious', sources said.
The spot is about one
kilometre south of the official residence of chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh
and Manipur police headquarters which is adjacent
to Singh's office-cum-residence,
sources
said.Immediately after the
incident, senior police officials rushed to the spot
and blocked the exit points
to launch a search but no
arrest could be made,
sources said, adding that
the bomb might have been
planted late last night with
a timer.

But I am sure nothing has

happened without the support and knowledge and
tacit support of Pakistan
Army. It is a matter of concern to
us," he said
addressing
a
press
conference.
The defence
minister
wondered how such
attempts
can
take place without the support or knowledge of the armed forces
of Pakistan when the international border is guarded
on one side by Indian Army
and BSF and Pakistan
Army and Rangers on
the other.

Punjab: inmates
assault prisoner,
upload video on FB
The
Modern
Jail
in
Kapurthala has landed in a
controversy after an inmate
was mercilessly beaten by
another inmate who then
uploaded the gruesome act
on his Facebook page using
his personal smartphone.
The accused Sukhvir Singh
alias Sukha Kahlwan, who is
lodged in the jail on charges
of killing BJP leader
Sudershan Dhillon, along
with 15 to 16 acomplices
reportedly thrashed another
prisoner to settle an old rivalry.Sukhvir, an alleged sharp
shooter, had created his page
on the social networking site
Facebook on October 1 and
had been updating it regularly
from the jail premises.

Blasts hit Modi's Patna rally

Smoke rises after a blast at the venue of Narendra Modi's Hunkar rally in Patna.

Vengsarkar: Dawood had

come in our dressing room
Former
skipper
Dilip
Vengsarkar today made a
startling revelation about
underworld don Dawood
Ibrahim entering the Indian
team dressing room and
offering the players cars if
they beat Pakistan in the
final of the Sharjah tournament in 1986. Vengsarkar
claimed that Dawood had
walked into the team's
dressing room a day
before the match and
offered each player a
Toyota car if they beat
Pakistan and won the
Austral-Asia
Cup
in
Sharjah.Vengsarkar said
the fugitive gangster was
introduced by the famous

actor Mehmood as a businessman.

However,
Dawood was asked by the
then India's captain Kapil
Dev to walk out of the
dressing
room."Actor
Mehmood was in our
dressing room. Kapil Dev
was not in the dressing
room at that time because
he had gone out to
address the press confer-

ence. Dawood was introduced by actor Mehmood,"

Vengsarkar said at a function in Jalgaon."No one
recognised him but I had
seen his photographs.
Mehmood introduced him
to us as a big businessman
from here. Mehmood said
he wants to announce a
prize for us. He said 'If you
beat Pakistan tomorrow,
everyone will get a car'.
Jayawant Lele was our
manager then," he added.
The match will be best
remembered for the lastball six hit by Javed
Miandad
off
Chetan
Sharma
that
helped
Pakistan win the trophy.

fiJi News

November-2013

www.fijisun-usa.com

FIJISUN

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PROVINCE OF LOMAIVITI

Under the Ministry of
Agricultures Rural and
Outer Island (ROI) program a total of fourteen
(14) projects have been
approved for the farmers
in
the
province
of
Lomaiviti with a total funding of about $93,973.43
from the year 2007 to
2013.The
Ministrys
Senior Agricultural Officer
in Lomaiviti Nimilote
Waqabaca said major
crops funded under this
program and cultivated by
the farmers in the

BRIEF

NEWS
Detectives
stuDy
FORTY investigators have
completed a five-week Level
II investigators' course.
Investigators from the
police, prisons department,
FICAC and the military
spent the past five weeks in
an upskilling course at the
Fiji Police Academy. Acting
Police Commissioner Ravi
Narayan said expectations
by the executive management of the respective
organisations would be high
following the course.

Day for the

poor
INTERNATIONAL Day for
Eradication of Poverty will
be marked at Natewa in
Cakaudrove. The three-day
event from October 16-18
will carry the theme
Working together towards a
world without discrimination.
People in the area are being
encouraged to be part of the
event. They'll be helped with
information from bank personnel, tertiary institutions
and government departments.

NZ scholarships
TEN postgraduate study
positions in New Zealand
will be available next year
for Fijians under the Pacific
Scholarships awards. "The
New Zealand Pacific scholarships not only recognise
and support leadership
potential, they build country
to country links between
New Zealand and Fiji," said
NZ acting head of mission
Mark Ramsden. Applications
will be received until
November 1.

New health uNit

THE Social Welfare Ministry
plans to establish a
Reproductive Health
Services Unit next year as
the ministry looks to promote healthy reproductive
development among youth
and women. Minister Dr Jiko
Luveni said the good news
was that the UN Population
Fund had approved a proposal that the ministry submitted for assistance to
establish such a unit within
the ministry next year.

province
are
dalo,
yaqona, banana, cassava, coconut and other
assorted vegetables.
Production of dalo and
cassava has increased
from 2012 to 2013 with
farmers earning an estimated $3.07 million for
dalo and $12,350,000.00
for
cassava.
Mr
Waqabaca included this in
a recent brief to the
Minister for Agriculture,
Inia Seruiratu during his
visit to Ovalau last week
and added that this would

impact a province consisting of eight (8) islands

with the total population of
a close to 21,000 distributed among the 76 villages within these islands.
Since many peoples
livelihoods
are
fully
dependent on farming, yet
majority farmers are still
cultivating on a subsistence
level.
Mr
Waqabaca said that the
Government continues to
assist some of these
farmers under the Rural
and Outer Island (ROI)

Program.Farmers were
also assisted under the
Coconut
Revitalisation
Program where a total of
sixteen (16) copra driers
were given to people of
Koro, Gau, Nairai and
Batiki which brought an
increase of income of
about $663,790.00 within
a year. Coconut replanting
program is currently continuing on some of the
islands as the demand for
the high value products
such as Virgin Coconut
Oil continues to grow. The

Minister had also visited

some of the successful
agricultural projects on
the island which included
the visit to Ligavata
Yaqona
Project
and
Green Valley Yaqona
Project. Mr Waqabaca
said that the inconsistent
shipping services to the
different islands in the
province often hindered
developments and the
transportation of produce
to the market. Meanwhile
Minister
Seruiratu
assured the Heads of

Department serving in the

province that the Ministry
of Rural and Maritime
Development is looking
into the matter and would
soon address the issues
faced by the people in the
province.He said that
there are opportunities for
more developments in the
Eastern Division and he
instructed
government
officials serving in the
Province to work closely
with people and assist
them in attaining success
in whatever they do.

FIJIAN GOVERNMENT PREVIEWS Park Jin Young, Seen At Fiji

Islands For Honeymoon
MEETING WITH EU

A preparatory meeting
organised by the Ministry
of Finance and the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and
International Cooperation
was held last week to coordinate all inputs from various Government sectors
and highlight the potential
sectors in which the
European Union (EU) can
provide assistance on.The
meeting was also intended
to prepare Fijis position in
regards to the programming meeting with the
Deputy Director General of
EuropeAid, the European
Commission Directorate
General for Development
and
Cooperation
Mr.
Marcus Cornaro which will
be held tomorrow. That

meeting will see the participation of an EU delegation

and representatives from
the Fijian Government.The
European Union is now
looking to re-engage with
government in terms of
development cooperation
and tomorrows meeting is
expected to cover the 11th
EDF
Programming
Discussions and the areas
of assistance for Fijis
National
Indicative
Programme which is to
cover a seven year period
from 2014 to 2020.The
Preparatory
Meeting
included representatives
from the Reserve Bank of
Fiji, Ministry of Finance,
Ministry
of
Strategic
Planning,
Ministry
of

4 ACP CALLS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH

FIJI TOWARDS ELECTIONS PHASE

The International
Community has been
urged to assist Fiji in its
transition to return to parliamentary
democracy.The call was
made by an important
player in the African,
Caribbean and Pacific
(ACP) region during the
13th ACP Sugar
Ministerial Meeting in
Sigatoka. Hon. Satya
Faugoo, the Attorney
General of the Republic
of Mauritius and the
Minister for Food and
Agriculture said it was
important that international partners do not shy
away from assisting Fiji
in the transition. With

Fijis Roadmap and the

new Constitution, We
(ACP) see every reason
for the international community to accompany,
engage and assist the
Fijian Government and
the Fijian people as they
prepare to undertake
important changes such
as the elections in 2014,
he said.Hon Faugoo also
paid tribute to Fijis contribution to international
forums in recent years
such as the Group of 77
(G77, the International
Sugar Organisation
(ISO), the Melanesian
Spearhead Group (MSG)
and other international
gatherings.

Sugar, Ministry of Industry

and Trade, Department of
Agriculture, Office of the
Prime
Minister,
Department of Energy and
Department
of
Environment. The meeting
was chaired by the
Permanent Secretary from
the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and International
Cooperation, Mr. Amena
Yauvoli. The forum included discussions highlighting
Fijis development strategy, Fijis economic update,
sectoral challenges to
development,
development assistance and cooperation and also highlighted Fijis trade, sugar, agriculture, energy and waste
management needs.

Pedestrian road
deaths concern
authorities

Authorities are concerned

with the high number of
pedestrians whove died on
our roads so far this
year.Official stats show
that out of the thirty one
deaths recorded so far this
year, nineteen were pedestrians.Fiji Police Force
Director
Traffic
SSP
Mahesh Mishra told FBC
News, the number indicate
that communities arent
doing enough to prevent
deaths on our roads.
Unfortunately these nineteen deaths that occur, if
you see the classification
of these deaths as far as
pedestrians
are
concerned,

Park Jin Young leaving for

his honeymoon was seen.
In Y-STAR "Live Star
News" aired today, the new
groom Park Jin Young
leaving for his honeymoon
was shown. He got married on October 10 to a
non-celebrity 9 years
younger than him in a private wedding and it had
been publicly announced
that he'll be leaving for his
honeymoon on the next
day (October 11), but he
appeared at the airport on
October 12.
Park Jin Young
appeared at the airport
with extra security protection in his blonde hair and
a stylish outfit, making it
hard to believe that he is in

his 40s. When others recognized him at the airport,

he thanked them and said,
"I'll be back after a
quiet trip."

YASAWA WELCOMES
NEW CONSTITUTION

Nabalebale villagers of Viwa

Island in Yasawa have welcomed the new Constitution
adding that its translation
into the iTaukei language will
now allow them to find out
about their individual rights.
Sakaraia
Batiuvi,
Nabalebale, the villages
headman
commended
Governments effort in translating the new constitution
into three different languages
and distributing it. This is the
first time for us to be given
copies of constitution and
given the opportunity to read
it and understand it, Mr
Batiuvi said.The iTaukei version will really assist the elderly in the village since most

prefer the translated one. He

said this will enable people in
rural areas to know their
rights. More than 150 people
from the village were presented sized copies by the
Minister for Works, Transport
and Public Utilities, Colonel
Timoci
Natuva.Minister
Natuva said this was part of
Governments initiative to
ensure that the public are
well informed about the new
Constitution. Copies of the
Constitution in English, Hindi
and iTaukei languages are
distributed to ensure that all
the Fijians are well informed
about their rights and
responsibilities under the
2013 Constitution,

HEALTH MINISTRY SPEARHEADS REGIONAL VACCINATION TRAINING

A regional training, aimed
at providing capacity
building for health professionals in administrating
vaccinations, opened in
Suva today. With the support of the Japan
International Cooperation
Agency (JICA), the World
Health Organisation, the
UN Childrens (UNICEF)
and AusAID, the training

includes methods of storage, distribution and

maintenance of vaccines.
A total of 20 regional participations will undergo
training on the management of vaccine stock,
monitoring of storage procedures, cold-chain maintenance and equipment
requirements till the end
of this week. Fijis Health

Minister, Dr Neil Sharma

said that the training
would address common
challenges faced by
health professionals in the
region. Our challenges in
the maritime transportation, ambient temperature
maintenance and reducing our vaccine wastage
by expiry needs attention,
Dr Sharma said. With

over 90 percent success

rate, he said that Fijian
children are protected
from more than 13 disease entities through vaccination. The Pacific
region has benefited from
the support of the
Japanese people and
their government and
JICA in this wide area of
expanded program on

immunization and vaccine

management, Dr Sharma
said. He also highlighted
the need to have better
access to vaccination and
protection against communicable diseases in the
Pacific. The Minister said
another aim of the training
is to strengthen leadership
in the region and provide
easier access to vaccine.

FIJISUN

FIJI NEWS

www.fijisun-usa.com

BRIEF

NEWS
PSC AWARDS
PSC permanent secretary
Parmesh Chand says the
Service Excellence Awards
continue to improve
processes and create efficiency within government
agencies. "Every year the
PSC invests in the Service
Excellence Awards we
have seen a definite impact
of results from the awards,"
he said. "We have trained
more than 500 evaluators
using the Australian model
of business excellence."

TEACHERS PRAISED
TEACHERS serving in rural
and remote schools have
been praised for their work
despite the adversities they
face. Fiji Teachers Union
president Muniappa
Goundar said rural teachers
should be honoured for the
work they do. "I am aware
of the fact that many of the
teachers have spent their
entire working life in the
remote areas, sacrificing the
so-called luxuries of towns
and cities."

RESEARCH NEED
THERE is a need for capacity-building of forestry officers in sustainable forest
management practice
research. Professor Biman
Prasad says Fiji has good
research and extension
training programs but in the
last 20-25 years this has not
been so. "Part of the reason
we see failure in agriculture
policies, forestry policies
and livestock policies is
because we don't have
capacity for research training," he said.

PM OPENS TALKS
THE Prime Minister will
open the 13th African,
Caribbean and Pacific
Sugar Ministerial meeting in
Sigatoka today. Ministers
and officials from the ACP
keen on maintaining preferential access to the EU and
an extension of the EU's
present quota system will
attend. The talks will be led
by the most senior EU official to visit Fiji for seven
years, Deputy Director
General Marcus Cornaro.

Fiji TV to shed PNG shares

Fijis largest commercial television is to shed its majority shares in
Papua New Guineas number one
television company EMTV, as Prime
Minister Peter ONeills government
moves to introduce new media ownership legislation. Waigani has yet
to formally announce the new law
but Fiji Television Limited (Fiji TV) is
moving ahead in anticipation of the
imminent move by the PNG
Government. In one of his first
media interviews as Chief Executive
Officer of Fiji TV, Tevita Gonelevu
told ISLANDS BUSINESS that its
PNG subsidiary EMTV has been
privately informed of the PNG
Governments intentions. He said
the plans were communicated to the
company through a number of senior government ministers and officials in Waigani. He said PNGs
Trade and Commerce Minister
Richard Maru had also made mention of these intentions in parliament. EMTV is the number one television provider in PNG, explains
Gonelevu. From the PNG government side, there have been indications that they would want changes
in the ownership of the company.
They would be enacting a law,
something like the Fiji Media
Decree, where ownership would be
majority owned by locals. The
board of Fiji TV is aware of this fact
and in the next few months, we
would be working closely with
stakeholders in PNG to find the right
path. We dont want to exit from
PNG. We think we have much more
value to bring into the PNG media
market and we will work closely with
our new partners to deliver.

Protecting investment

Asked by ISLANDS BUSINESS

whether Fiji TV had attempted to
seek the help of the Fijian Prime
Minister in protecting its investment
in PNG, Gonelevu said Fiji TV had
not done so. The Fijian
Government has got similar legislation on media ownership and the
stance of Fiji Television has been
we would comply with all legislation
on the media in whatever country
we operate in. Research by
ISLANDS BUSINESS reveals that
the Melanesian Spearhead Groups
Trade Agreement covers trade in
goods only for now, and therefore
the proposed PNG media ownership law does not contravene the
MSGTA. Even when the MSGTA is
widened to include trading in services and labour mobility, MSG member countries can still protect certain
industries from foreign competition
by putting these industries in their
negative list. Peni Sikivou, deputy
Director General of the MSG
Secretariat in Port Vila, said: I can
confirm that the MSGTA is a goods
only agreement and excludes services. However, leaders have
agreed for members to negotiate a
roadmap on the possible inclusion
of investment, trade in services and
labour mobility in a new economic
cooperation architecture which
would further deepen the level of
integration between the MSG membership. A meeting of MSGs Trade
and Economic Officials will be held
in November to discuss the draft
roadmap. The new architecture
once completed, will be tabled at
the 20th Leaders Summit in

Honiara in 2015. In Papua New

Guinea, it is unclear whether the
rest of the media companies operating in PNG are aware of the PNG
governments plans, and whether
some have begun moves to comply
like EMTV. In an Australian
Associated Press (AAP) dispatch
dated 17 November 2003, then
Deputy Prime Minister Andrew
Baing created controversy when he
announced moves to change media
ownership laws in PNG. He was
deputy to Sir Michael Somare at the
time. The statement sent shockwaves through the audience of business and media chiefs, which
included representatives of Rupert
Murdochs News Corporation and
Kerry Packers Publishing and
Broadcasting Ltd, said the AAP
report. AAP had said then that
Baings proposals would have serious implications for investors in
PNG, at a time when the country is
desperate to attract foreign money
and promote stability. Then, EMTV
was wholly-owned by Kerry Packer,
while the Post-Courier newspaper is
majority-owned by Rupert Murdoch.
Malaysian logging giant Rimbunan
Hijau owns The National newspaper, whilst a Fijian radio firm owns
two of PNGs major radio networks.

Aggressive

Fiji TV did not buy EMTV until

January 2005 when it purchased it
for A$2.1 million, according to the
Fiji Times. Despite this obvious setback in its investment portfolio overseas, Gonelevu who until his Fiji TV
appointment was General Manager
Investment for Fijian Holdings

Limited, which bought the controlling shares of Fiji TV from another

Fijian investment company, Yasana
Holdings early this year. The new
TV boss said the Fijian TV company
is still pursuing investment opportunities in Solomon Islands, Samoa
and Kiribati. He described the companys expansion plan into the
Pacific as very aggressive and that
it should be announcing its investment in Solomon Islands soon.
Similar talks with a local partner are
being pursued in Samoa while Fiji
TV is looking into managing
Kiribatis sole television service.
Gonelevu has appointed the man
he succeeded to lead Fiji
Televisions foray into the wider
Pacific and grow its investments as
the Pacifics largest media conglomerate. Tarun Patel is the companys
new Chief Strategy Officer. He has
been CEO of Fiji TV since 1 January
2009. The companys aggressive
plan will be pursued in its home
market in Fiji too.
November 1 is the launch date
of the new-look Fiji TV, according to
Gonelevu. Viewers should expect a
fresh-look and sound from
November 1. Expect changes in our
content, including our premier news
service at 6pm every day. Even our
local signal too, especially in some
parts of the Suva-Nausori corridor
should improve.
Sky Pacific will also increase its
paid channels from the current 17
channels to 25. Admitting that competition in Fijis small TV market is
intense, the Fiji TV head adds that
competition is good. It keeps us on
our toes.

ACP STANDS BY FIJI: CHAIR

The African, Caribbean

and Pacific (ACP) Group
of States, stands by Fiji as
it charts its future under a
new Constitution and elections next year says the
ACP Sugar Ministerial
Group chairman Hon Satya
Faugoo.He made the comments during a traditional
ceremony accorded to
members of the ACP region
who have gathered at
Shangri Las Fijian Resort
in Sigatoka for the 13th
ACP Sugar Ministerial
Meeting.We (ACP) wish to
take this opportunity to
commend the bold and sustained efforts made by the
Fijian Government, under
the leadership of Prime

Minister Voreqe ainimarama

to chart an ambitious and
an all inclusive economic
and political agenda for
Fiji, he said.Let me assure
you Hon. Prime Minister of
the unifying support and
solidarity of the ACP sugar
family in Fijis course
towards a better
future.Hon. Faugoo who is
a lawyer by profession and
the Attorney General of
Mauritius welcomed the
principles that have been
incorporated in the 2013
Constitution.The adoption
of a new Constitution on 6
eptember 2013 which
enshrines fundamental principles such as an independent judiciary.

Keep out of our affairs: PNG Attorney General

SUVA, Fiji --- The Government

has advised foreign diplomats in
Papua New Guinea not to interfere in its internal affairs. In a
statement Monday, AttorneyGeneral and Justice Minister
Kerenga Kua, said diplomats
should not implicitly threaten and
intimidate this country in the way
it should be designing its social
development agenda.He was
responding to a newspaper
advertisement last Thursday
released by ambassadors Martin
Dihm and Pascal Maubert of the
European Union and France, and
United Kingdom High
Commissioner Jackie Barson.
They had said the most disturbing
suggestion discussed frequently
in their respective countries as a
measure to curb crime in PNG

November-2013

was the proposal to resume the

implementation of the death
penalty.They argued the international trend to abolish the death
penalty was based on a number
of sound reasons.Their joint
statement read in part: The
death penalty is widely seen as
an inhuman and archaic way of
punishment. More and more
countries believe that abolition
contributes to the enhancement
of human dignity and the progressive development of human
rights; and many faith-based
organisations see capital punishment as violating fundamental
principles.Death is irreversible.
Even the best judge or court in
the world can and does commit
errors. Once executed, no worldly
power can ever reverse the sen-

tence when new evidence

appears. This has been highlighted with the introduction of
DNA testing and in a significant
number of cases elsewhere, previously convicted murderers were
found to be innocent.Kua, who is
acting Foreign Affairs and
Immigration Minister, said he was
surprised that foreign diplomats in
PNG were making comments that
suggested that the country and its
leadership and the government
should break their own laws.I am
extremely surprised that foreign
diplomats in this country should
be making comments of that
nature, especially when I have
explained to them personally that
the death penalty is legislated by
Parliament and it is a valid law in
this country,

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10

PAKISTAN NEWS

November-2013

www.fijisun-usa.com

FIJISUN

Pakistan says drones killed 67 civilians since 2008

Pakistan has said 67 civilians died in US drones
strikes in the country since
2008, a figure much lower
than estimates by independent organisations.
It said 317 US drone
strikes killed 2,160 militants in Pakistan in the
same
period.The
Pakistani
Defence
Ministry provided the figure on Wednesday in a
written response to the
Senate.It claimed no civilian had died in a drone
strike since the beginning
of last year.The US has
defended its drone strikes
by insisting that it takes
"extraordinary care" to
ensure they comply with
international law.
Call for explanationThe
latest figures released by
Pakistan differ dramatically from previous estimates, but no explanation
was given for the apparent
d i s c r e p a n c y. L o n d o n ' s
Bureau of Investigation,
which
researches
Pakistan drone strikes,
told the BBC it estimated
based on reports that
between 308 and 789
civilians had died since 1
January 2008 (of between
2,371 and 3,433 total
deaths).A recent UN

Nawaz Sharif urges Obama

to end drone strikes
Pakistan civilian
drone death figures
n
n
n
n
n
n

investigator said this

month that Pakistan had
told him that US drone
strikes had killed at least
400 civilians in Pakistan
since they began in 2004.
Source: Pakistan defence
ministry"If the true figures
for civilian deaths are significantly lower, then it is
important that this should
now be made clear, and
the apparent discrepancy
explained," UN special
rapporteur
Ben
Emmerson said in an
email
sent
to
The
Associated Press new
agency.He has previously

Girl buried alive after

rape in Pakistan, survives
LAHORE: A teenage girl was
buried alive after being raped
in Pakistan's Punjab province,
prompting a court to order a
probe into the brutal attack.
Siddique Mughal, a resident
of a village in Toba Tek Singh
district, located 225km from
Lahore, told police that his 13year-old
daughter
was
abducted by two unidentified
men while she was going to a
seminary
for
Quran
lessons.The men took the girl
to a deserted place and raped
her. They believed she had
died during the assault and

buried her by the roadside.

Mughal said. However, the girl
regained consciousness and
dug her way out of the mud
covering her. She raised an
alarm and caught the attention of a passerby, who took
her to a nearby rural health
centre.As police were not
cooperating with the girl's
family, the Lahore high court
chief justice's Complaint Cell
took notice of the incident on
Saturday and directed the district and sessions judge of
Toba Tek Singh to probe the
matter.

2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013

21
nine
two
35
zero
zero so far

WASHINGTON:
Pakistani
Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif on
Wednesday
urged
US
PresidentBarack Obama to end
drone strikes in Pakistan,
touching on a sore subject just
as relations between the two
countries improve after years of
suspicion over Afghanistan and
the US counterterrorism fight."I
... brought up the issue of
drones in our meeting, emphasizing the need for an end to
such strikes," Sharif told
reporters after meeting with
Obama
in
the
Oval
Office.Relations were badly
strained following the 2011
Navy SEAL raid that killed alQaida chiefOsama bin Laden
deep inside Pakistan where he
was in hiding. But they appear
to be on the mend as the United
States prepares to pull forces
out of Afghanistan in 2014.The
United States has quietly
restarted security assistance to
Pakistan after freezing aid during the period of soured relations, when Washington frequently voiced complaints
about the ties of the Pakistani

intelligence service to militant

groups active in Afghanistan.A
series of major setbacks in
recent years included a 2011
Nato air strike that mistakenly
killed Pakistani border guards
and another incident that year
in which a CIA contractor killed
two men on the streets of
Lahore.Obama acknowledged
tensions and "misunderstandings" between the two countries. He said he and Sharif had
pledged to work together on
security issues in ways that
"respect Pakistan's sovereignty.""We committed to working
together and making sure that
rather than this being a source
of tension between our two
countries, this can be a source
of strength for us working
together," Obama said.Sharif
was elected prime minister in
June in a historic election that
marked Pakistan's first civilian
transfer of power after the completion of a full term by a democratically elected government.
He is the first Pakistani leader
to visit the White House in five
years."

accused the US of challenging international legal

norms by advocating the
use of lethal force outside
war
zones.Pakistan's
Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif on a recent visit to
the US called for an end to
drone attacks in his country, saying the attacks violated Pakistan's sovereignty.Drone warfare has
become common in the
US pursuit of al-Qaeda
and
the Taliban.Few
details are known about
these covert operations,
which
are
directed
remotely from control

rooms often on other continents.A

controversial
aspect of the US policy is
that drone attacks are carried out not by the military
but by the Central
Intelligence Agency.US
Defence Secretary Leon
Panetta has argued in
favour of the policy, saying
that the US will continue to
defend
itself.President
Barack Obama has insisted the strategy was "kept
on a very tight leash" and
that without the drones,
the US would have had to
resort to "more intrusive
military action".

Pakistan military
blames India for
truce violations

Doctor who helped track Osama'not a hero': Pak

ISLAMABAD : Faced with India's

charges of continued ceasefire violations, Pak military blamed Indian
troops of targeting its forward
posts in the past two days."Indian
troops have intensified violations
and carried out unprovoked firing
in Pukhlian, Chaprar, Harpal and
Charwah Sectors near Sialkot, and
targeted civilian areas," military
spokesperson, Asim Saleem
Bajwa, said in a statement. It
comes a day after a BSF head
constable was killed and seven
personnel injured in heavy firing by
Pakistani troops, prompting Indian
home minister Sushilkumar Shinde
to call for a befitting reply.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has

told the US that Shakil Afridi,
the jailed doctor who helped the
CIA track al-Qaida chief Osama
bin Laden, is not a hero and his
fate will be decided by the
courts. Foreign secretary Jalil
Abbas Jilani said Pakistan had
told the US that Afridi was
involved in "criminal activities"
that violated the laws of the
land.
Addressing a news briefing
in Washington on Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif's ongoing visit to the US, Jilani said
the doctor was "not a hero and
was facing cases in courts".
Pakistan also told the US that
the Lashkar-e-Taiba had been

banned and action could be

taken against its founder, Hafiz
Mohammad Saeed, if substantial evidence is made available,
he said. Responding to questions after the US house committee on foreign affairs
demanded the release of Afridi,
Jilani said that the Pakistani
courts would decide his fate.
The demand for Afridi's release
was raised during a meeting
between the US house committee and a Pakistani delegation

that includedfinance minister

Ishaq Dar, Jilani and Sartaj
Aziz, the premier's adviser on
foreign affairs and national
security.The two sides discussed matters related to the
war on terror, militant groups
like the LeT, civil nuclear programme, drone strikes, energy
crisis, educational reforms,
regional stability and trade,
Dawn newspaper reported.
Afridi was arrested shortly after
the May 2, 2011 raid by US
commandos that killed bin
Laden. He was subsequently
convicted by a court in the tribal
belt on a charge of treason for
alleged ties to the Lashkar-eIslam militant group.

Press club dharna: Pakistani couple seek asylum in Delhi

or the last ten days, a Pakistani couple, Zulfikar and Fatima Shah have
been camped outside the Press Club
of India in Delhi, demanding asylum in
India. The lonely vigil, accompanied by little homemade posters claiming Pakistan
wants to kill us, has drawn little attention.
Zulfikar and Fatima, however, have quite
an incredible story to tell. The Shahs claim
to be human rights activists in trouble with
the Pakistan authorities who are trying to
assassinate them. They also say that the
ISI poisoned them when they were living in
asylum in Nepal and that the Pakistan
High Commission has been threatening
and harassing them in India. The couple
ran a think-tank in Pakistan called the
Institute of Social Movements which they
were forced to shut down in 2012. Zulfikar,
who also describes himself as a freelance
journalist, has written extensively against
human rights violations, kidnapping and
forced conversions of Hindu girls, Federal
rights etc, which angered the ISI. He also

has a book called Beyond Federalism published by German publishers on the subject of Sindhi nationalism. But in In 2012,
the ISI told us join us or leave the nation. If
you dont leave, youll be killed, says
Fatima. Image: Shruti Dhapola The couple
then moved to Nepal where, according to
Fatima, they faced several health issues.
In Nepal, the couple had applied for help
with the UNHRC and were even given asylum. Doctors later revealed to them that
there were slowly being poisoned. Fatima
says the level of poisoning was so severe
that her husband had started losing his
memory and faced breathing problems.
With no proper medical help, they then
contacted their relatives back in Pakistan
who asked them to return. The argument
was that if they died in Pakistan, at least
the finger of blame would point at the government. On their return to their country,
Zulfikar held a press conference to highlight his story. Due to pressure from international media, the couple was allowed to

go to India for treatment in February 2013,

but their troubles did not end. The doctor
at Moolchand refused to believe we were
being poisoned. When we went to AIIMS
after that, we found that the doctor had
given us depression tablets. Later, the doctor at AIIMS told us to not to come back. It
was only the doctors at Apollo who
believed us and started treated without any
fear from Pak pressure, says Fatima. He
and his wife are currently in India on a
medical visa which expires on 27 October.

Zulfikar is confident that logically speaking

my visa should be extended. The couple
have been in India for nine months but
money has now become a concern. They
were initially staying at a guesthouse near
JNU but had to leave after they were
unable to pay rent. SBI was ready to open
an account for us but needed residence
proof from the guest house. Initially the
person was ready to help us but the next
day he asked us to leave, adds Fatima.
For now, the Shahs are hoping that they
will be allowed to open a bank account SO
as to allow them to continue with their
treatment for poisoning which will continue
for another 3-4 months. As far as Shahs
newspaper writings in Pakistan dailies like
Dawn, etc are concerned, it is hard to find
any working links for articles he has written. Its also hard to pinpoint what exactly
the Shahs wrote or did that so angered the
Pakistan establishment to prompt a crossborder vendetta. Marvi Sirmed, a prominent Pakistani journalist told us, It is a bit

problematic to believe the story. Dont

know him personally, but have been reading his stuff. He has written some research
papers for international think tanks and for
newspapers as well. But I dont see anything outrageously against Pakistans intelligence community on which they would
react violently. She adds, while she too
fears for her life in Pakistan due to what
she has written, but its not like I take
refuge in another country or things like
that. Some people make use of foreign
media, especially Indian media, to seek
international attention by repeating rhetoric, without having done much damage to
the policies of military establishment here.
But the Shahs themselves are steadfast in
their demand for a safe haven. I have
applied for asylum in other countries, but I
cant reveal which due to security concerns. However I want to be granted asylum in India since the culture here and in
Pakistan is similar, I can adjust easily,
says Zulfikar.

fiJiSun

www.fijisun-usa.com

PAKISTAN NEWS

November-2013

11

new movie shows why Pakistan loves to hate india

ISLAMABAD : Militants
overrun a Pakistani police
academy and kill 100 officers. An Indian spy and her
accomplice waltz in a glitzy
flat in Islamabad to celebrate the success of their
mission.This is a scene
from Waar (" Strike"),
Pakistan's first big-budget
movie which opened this
month to enthusiastic audiences in the nuclear-armed
South Asian country of 180
million.Filmed with the support of the all-powerful military, the movie depicts
every volatile aspect of
Pakistan's rocky relationship with India.Even in
Pakistan itself, Waar is
denounced by some liberals
wary of what they see as

fiery nationalistic rhetoric

and scenes demonising
India. The narrative is simple and packed with action.
Indian villains team up with
Islamist militants to plot
spectacularattacks across
Pakistan. Pakistani security
forces jump in and save the
day."Like any other action
film, we wanted to show the
triumph of good over evil,"
said director Bilal Lashari,
31. "And we wanted to do it
with a great amount of spectacle and scale."Politics
aside, Waar is fun to watch.
Helicopter gunships whizz
over mountains and commandos lay siege to militant
sanctuaries in Pakistan's
picturesque, lawless tribal
regions."The army was

record box
office receipts

Presented almost entirely in English, Waar took more than three

years to make and officially cost around $2.2 million in a country
where the average film is made on less than $25,000. Its distributors say Waar grossed more than $900,000 during the first
week - a record for Pakistani cinema.But some in Pakistan have
mocked Waar as a propaganda movie. Cultural critic Nadeem
Paracha said: "This film is basically the Pakistani state's fantasies being played out on a big screen." India's film industry
produces highly successful anti-Pakistan films of its
own.Bollywood film "Ek Tha Tiger", one of the Hindi film industry's biggest box-office successes in 2012, but banned in
Pakistan, depicted a Pakistani intelligence agent choosing her
love for an Indian agent over her country.This year, a film based
on an Indian operation to capture a fictional mafia don given
asylum in Pakistan riled Pakistan's censor board. The villain in
"D-Day" was loosely based on real-life gangster Dawood
Ibrahim, who India says is harboured by Pakistan.

11 killed in Karachi violence

KARACHI: At least 11 people
have been killed in gunbattles
between rival criminal gangs
and law enforcement agencies
in the last 24 hours in
Pakistan's
largest
city.
Additional IG police, Shahid
Hayat said that four criminals
died in exchange of fire with
paramilitary rangers and police
yesterday in the crime-infested
area of Lyari."The rest of those
killed have died as a result of
gunfire between rival criminal
gangs in different parts of
Lyari," he said. Hayat said a
woman was also killed in
Sangho area in a hand
grenade attack late night. The

clashes between the gangs of

notorious criminals, Uzair
Baloch and Baba Ladla erupted after the killing of Zafar
Baloch, a local leader of the
Peoples Party. The government has declared a bounty for
both criminals who have also
been declared as absconders
by the courts. Sources said
police and the rangers were
preparing for a joint operation
in the affected parts of Lyari.
Lyari, one of the oldest areas
of Karachi, has in recent years
been hit hard by violence and
is virtually ruled by criminal
gangs who have affiliations
with political parties.

Sharif to attend crucial meeting on Afghanistan in London

Three killed,
15 injured in
Pakistan blast

ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan
Prime Minister Nawaz will
hold a crucial meeting in
London this week
with his British counterpart
David
Cameron
and
President
Hamid
Karzai to boost the
Afghan reconciliation
process. Sharif will
hold the meeting on the
sidelines of theWorld Islamic
Economic Forum in the
British capital. The premier
left for London on Monday
afternoon. The UK's trilateral peace initiative, the fourth
since the summer of 2012, is
aimed at strengthening

ISLAMABAD: At least three

people were killed and 15 others injured when a blast hit
Quetta, the capital city of
Balochistan province in
southwest
Pakistan,
Wednesday evening, said
rescue workers.
Rescue
workers told a Xinhua correspondent on the spot that the
blast could have been caused
by a bomb planted inside a
car, but the nature is yet to be
determined by the bomb disposal squad. At least eight
vehicles were destroyed in
the blast, which took place at
about 5.10 p.m. near a government office on the Double
Road in the city.

c o o p e r a t i o n
betweenAfghanistan and
Pakistan and to encourage
an Afghan-led peace
deal. The last trilateral
meet was held in
February. Nawaz and
Karzai last met on
August 26 when the
Afghan leader visited
Pakistan to seek full
support and greater cooperation in the peace and reconciliation process. This is
the World Islamic Economic
Forum's first annual event in
Europe following meetings
in Malaysia, Kazakhstan,
Indonesia, Kuwait and
Pakistan.

great in that they gave us a

lot of logistical support,"
Lashari said. "All the scenes
with the helicopters and the
mountains - they couldn't
have been done without the
army."Though yet to be
screened in India, the film
serves as a reminder of tensions between the neighbouring states, which have
fought three wars since
independence from the
British in 1947.India and
Pakistan trade accusations
of staging cross-border
attacks and supporting militants in Jammu and
Kashmir, where violence
has seen a resurgence in
recent months.The movie
has proved hugely successful. On a recent viewing in a

packed cinema in the capital, attendees leapt to their

feet to applaud patriotic
scenes.In
one
such
moment, a retired officer
takes on an Indian contractor on the roof of a building
while a female Pakistani
officer rushes to defuse a
chemical bomb planted on
the balcony.
Many cheered as the officer
reduced the Indian man's
face to a pulp. A woman
turned to a group of giggling
boys and scolded them for
"laughing during such a
serious movie"."Of course
India supports terrorism in
Pakistan," said Sheila Raza,
23, as she left the cinema. "I
think Waar is an accurate
portrayal."

Musharraf's coup was pre-planned,

says former Pakistani army general
ISLAMABAD : The
1999
coup
in
Pakistan that saw
the ouster of Prime
Minister
Nawaz
Sharif was preplanned by the then
army
chief
General
Pervez Musharraf to preempt his own removal by
the government, according to a new book by a
former general. In his
book 'Yeh Khamoshi
Kahan Tak', Lt General
Shahid Aziz, the then DG
Military Operations and
close aide of Musharraf,

revealed that even

the army units of the
notorious
111
Brigade were issued
directions in writing
before October 12,
1999 to prepare for
the operation. The book
says several meetings
were held at the Army
House to strike at the
right time and remove
Sharif's government, The
News daily reported.
Those involved in the
preparation of the plot
included the then CGS Lt
General Aziz Khan,

obama fell prey to indian propaganda: Saeed

ISLAMABAD: Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) founder and26/11 Mumbai
terror attack mastermind Hafiz
Saeed has said that US
President Barack Obama fell
prey to Indian propaganda and
issued a statement against the
Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), an
avowedly religious front headed by Saeed.In an interview to
Geo News here, Saeed on
Thursday said it was regretful
that Obama, without making
any investigation into the
Indian propaganda, went
ahead and "issued a statement
against us", reported the News
International. Stating that
Pakistan's Supreme Court had
earlier ruled that no charges
were proved against JuD,
Saeed said: "India too had

Close aide of hafiz

Saeed killed in accident

LAHORE : Hafiz Saifullah Mansoor, one of the close

aides of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeedand a
founding member of the group, has been killed in a
road accident here.Mansoor was coming to Lahore
from Islamabad on his car when it skidded off the
road and overturned near Faizpur, a JuD statement
said on Thursday. He died on the spot, while his gunman and driver suffered serious injuries. They were
shifted to a hospital in Lahore.
failed to hand over any evidence to Pakistan on Mumbai
attacks in the past five
years."He added that instead
of levelling allegations against
his outfit, evidence should be
presented before the court.He

also said that Obama has sidelined the issue of drone attacks
and brought up the matter of
JuD during his meeting with
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif at the White House on
Wednesday.

ShArif ASked tough queStionS over SAeed, JAmAAt-ud-dAwA

ISLAMABAD : Pakistan Prime

Minister Nawaz Sharif had a tough
time at a recent meeting
withAmerican lawmakers during
which he was questioned about
Islamabad's role in
nurturingJamaat-ud-Dawa and
allowing Hafiz aeed to operate
freely to launch attacks in India.
The Dawn newspaper cited Fox
News and reported the lawmakers
made a barrage of critical com-

ments and asked harsh, unfriendly

questions much to the surprise of
the Pakistani delegation as Sharif
ended his speech to House
Committee on Foreign Affairs
members on October 22. The lawmakers criticized Pakistan's failure
to try the Mumbai terror suspects
and urged Sharif to restart the trial
soon. "The attack was so severe
and was delivered with so much
ferocity that it surprised the prime

minister and he often had to be

helped by his aides," said a witness. Some lawmakers blamed
Pakistan for killing Baluch civilians
and suppressing Baluch and
Sindhi languages and cultures.
Sharif assured them he would
reconsider the case of Shakil
Afridi, jailed for helping the CIA to
track down al Qaeda chief Osama
bin Laden. The assurance came
after US House of Representatives

member Ed Royce and Free Afridi

Campaign's Robert Lorsch "heavily pressured" the Pakistani leadership over releasing the doctor. In
his briefing, Sharif had echoed his
US Institute of Peace speech earlier and reiterated his appeal to US
lawmakers to reengage with
Pakistan. "Perhaps to appease the
lawmakers, the Prime Minister
omitted the appeal he made at the
institute to end the drone strikes.

The omission, however, had little

impact on the lawmakers who had
not come to the meeting to
humour the Pakistani prime minister," the report said. A Los Angeles
entrepreneur, who attended the
meeting, told Fox News it was "a
carefully stage-managed" private
meeting between Sharif and senior
US lawmakers in Washington and
that they brought so much pressure on him that he pledged a

legal review of the Afridi case. The

tight-knit gathering, which included
Pakistan's national security adviser
Sartaj Aziz andFinance Minister
Ishaq Dar, had not been previously
announced to the somewhat surprised Pakistani delegation, the
report said. The meeting lasted
around 25 minutes in a side-room
prior to the dinner House
Committee on Foreign Affairs hosted for Sharif, it said.

12

November-2013

BANGLADESH NEWS

2 killed, 40 hurt as train derails

Two passengers were

killed and at least 40 others injured as a compartment of Chittagong-bound
mail train from Dhaka overturned at Akhaura Railway
Junction in Brahmanbaria
yesterday. The deceased
were
identified
as
Mostakim,
20,
of
Mymensingh, and Nurul
Amin,
35,
of
Netrakona.The accident
occurred as a compartment of the Chittagongbound train overturned
after being derailed around
3:00am, just before entering Akhaura station, said
Md Saidul Islam, officer-incharge of Government
Railway Police (GRP) at
Akhaura Railway Junction.
Passengers inside the
compartment were heavily
jolted when four wheels of
the coach slipped off the
track.Mostakim and Amin
died on the spot as they
were on the roof of the
train, the OC said, adding
that at least 40 more passengers had sustained
injuries. The injured were
taken to different local hospitals and clinics for treatment.The cause of the

Ishwardi
Airport reopens
after 17 yrs
PABNA: Ishwardi Airport
was reopened by Minister
for Civil Aviation, Faruk
Khan, on Wednesday after
17 years of closure. United
Airways, a private airlines,
initially will operate two
weekly flights on Saturday
and Monday with a 37seated DASH- 100 aircraft.
The one way fare on the
route has been fixed at Tk
4,000 including all taxes
according to the Civil
Aviation
Authority
Bangladesh
(CAAB).
Earlier,
the
minister
reached Ishwardi Airport
boarding on the aircraft of
United Airways at about
11.40
am
on
the day. State minister for
Home, Advocate Samsul
Haque Tuku, was present,
among others, on the occasion. Ishwardi Airport was
set up on 412 acres of land
in 1960 and was destroyed
during the Liberation War in
1971.

The wreckage of a train after it derailed early yesterday in Akhaura while

going to Chittagong from Dhaka. The accident left two people dead.

derailment could not be

ascertained immediately,
said Abdul Motalib, station
superintendent of the junction.A three-member committee
headed
by
Divisional Transport Officer
(DTO) of Railway Eastern
Zone Md Nazmul Hossain
was formed to investigate
the cause of the derailment
by
three
days,
he
added.The rail communications of Dhaka with
Chittagong,
Sylhet,
Noakhali, and Chandpur
remained suspended for
more than five hours as
seven trains remained

stranded at different stations

after
the
incident.Communications,
however, resumed around
8:30am when a salvage
train removed the coach
from the track.Chittagongbound Turna Nishitha
Express got stuck in
Brahmanbaria
Railway
Station while Sylhet-bound
Sylhet Mail at Talshar station, situated in between
Akhaura
and
Brahmanbaria;
Sylhetbound another train Surma
Mail at Brahmanbaria, and
Akhaura-bound Titas at
Paghachang.

Death annivy
of Moksedur
Rahman observed
DHAKA: The fourth
death anniversary of
eminent educationist
and former teacher of
Teachers' Training
College Professor
Moksedur Rahman
was observed on
Thursday. He was a
teacher of Dhaka
Government
Laboratory School till
1973 since its inception. Later, he served
in Barisal Residential
College, Comilla
Teachers' Training
College and Feni
Teachers' Training
College. Rahman,
father-in-law of journalist Omar Faruque,
president of Dhaka
Union of Journalists
(DUJ), was also a
teacher of Ahsania
Mission Teachers'
Training College.
Moksedur Rahman
was born in Solna village in Sadar upazila
of Barisal district.

www.fijisun-usa.com

Khaleda enforcing hartal to

destroy country: PM
GAZIPUR, OCT 31: Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina on
Thursday urged the opposition leader not to enforce
any agitation programme
that harms the academic life
of students. Ill request her
not to enforce such agitation
programmes that harm the
academic life of innocent
students, she said referring
to the oppositions next possible hartal that might begin
on Monday. Sheikh Hasina
said the junior school certificate examination will start
on Monday when the opposition is going to enforce
their further agitation programme.
The
Prime
Minister was addressing a
mammoth rally organised
by Gazipur Awami League
at Bhawal Badre Alam
University College with its
president AKM Mozammel
Haque,
MP
in
the
chair.About the last 60-hour
hartal, Sheikh Hasina said,
Had
she
(Khaleda)
responded to my request
and sat with me then 20
people wouldnt have lost
their lives. So, shes respon-

Police busy stopping political violence

Around 700 convicted

criminals bailed in six
months Law enforcers are
occupied with the activities
of political parties and are
paying less attention to
other crimes. This has created an opportunity for
criminals to engage in
crimes like murder, robbery,
snatching
and
mugging.Even the most
secure areas like the MPs
hostels opposite the parliament have been robbed.
Specialists are concerned
that if such activities continue than the city dwellers
would face security problems and the investigation
of ongoing criminal cases
will lose their credibility.
Contacted, Dr S Ahsan
Habib, a professor of sociology department in Dhaka
University and a criminal
specialist, told the Dhaka
Tribune that such problems
have happened under
every government. If the
government cannot take
necessary steps it would

create a serious problem,

he added. Quoting a
Transparency International,
Bangladesh (TIB) report,
the professor said usually
only 18.4% of police work
hours are spent after criminal investigation, while
40.6% are used to cover
political rallies and programmes and 32.7% for
VIP security.Inspector general of Police Hassan
Mahmood Khandker said
the statistic was wrong and
police did their activities
keeping all aspects in their
schedule.There is no
need to become anxious
about this. Polices main
duty is to ensure the secu-

rity of citizens, he
assured.On the other
hand, a statistics of police
intelligence says around
700 different terms-based
convicted criminals got bail
from jail in the last six
months.Police intelligence
is preparing a list of such
criminals. Most of them are
not attending court for their
scheduled hearings and
most have changed their
addresses and houses. A
source from the law
enforcement said with the
national polls closing in, the
movement of criminals has
increased. Local criminals
are setting up their dens
again and getting in touch

FIJISUN

with their favourite political

leaders to set up the plan
for
upcoming
polls.
Intelligence officials are
investigating at the field
level to find out how these
criminals are getting bail
from court and to identify
the political leaders behind
them.
In this list, the intelligence officials have so far
identified several lawyers.
They also said criminals
were getting bail due to
poor forwarding report from
investigating
officials.
Shamsul Haque Tuku, the
state minister for home and
affairs, told the Dhaka
Tribune that law enforcers
were alert to check for any
kind of criminal activities
ahead of the national polls.
We have some information that some noted criminals got bail from jail but
there is nothing to worry
about as instructions have
been given to make a list of
such criminals and arrest
them again, he said.

sible for these killings.

Hasina, also the President
of the ruling Awami League,
said the opposition leader
has gone crazy to save her
intimate companions of
war criminals who had killed
innocent unarmed people,
raped women, made arson
attacks and collaborated
with the Pakistan occupation forces during the
Liberation War.Lambasting
Khaleda Zia for frequently
enforcing hartals, the Prime
Minister said the opposition
leader is shattering the
economy with her destructive agitation programmes.
She (Khaleda) had looted
the country when she was in
power and is now destroying the country by enforcing
hartals and affecting the
academic life of students,
she told the rally.

56 jailed for
murder in
Netrakona
NETRAKONA, OCT 31: A
total of 56 persons were sentenced to varying terms of
imprisonment for killing a
person
in
Netrakona.
Additional
District
and
Sessions Judge Court of
Netrakona, in a judgment,
delivered on October 30,
convicted and sentenced six
persons to suffer rigorous
life-term imprisonment with a
fine of Tk 20,000 each, in
default, to suffer two years
more rigorous imprisonment
and 50 others to suffer three
years rigorous imprisonment
with a fine of Tk 5,000 each,
in default, to suffer six months
more rigorous imprisonment
on the charge of killiing Abul
Kashem. a day-labourer by
profession. According to court
sources, the life-term convicted persons are Mojibor
Rahman, Ratan Mia, Saiful
Islam, Shajahan Mia, Noor
Mia and Jahangir all of village
Sowair in Mohanganj upazila
of the district.

211 fishermen arrested, fishing trawlers, nets, fish worth Tk 128 crore seized

BHOLA, OCT 31: The drive

launched against catching of
hilsha fish during the banned
period has become successful
in Bhola. About 211 fishermen
were arrested, 95 of them were
sentenced to one month to one
year imprisonment each by the
magistrate of mobile court for
catching hilsha fish defying the
ban on catching hilsha during
11 days in seven upazilas of
Bhola district. At a press conference held at the coastguard
zonal headquarters (South
Zone) of Bhola it was disclosed
that during the drive conducted

by coastguard, police and local

administration fishing trawlers,
banned fishing nets and hilsha
fishes worth about Taka 128
crore were seized.The coastguard authority stated that at
the 11 days long drive 211 fishermen were arrested, 92.92 lakh
meters of current nets, one
crore and seven lakhs meters of
other banned nets, 8,972 kilograms hilsha fish and 93 fishing
boats and trawlers were seized.
During the drive local police and
civil administration and the officials of Fisheries Department
were present. District Fisheries

Officer of Bhola, Pritish Kumar,

thanked the journalists and the
magistrates who cooperated
with them for successfully completing the drives. He also said
that they hoped that the drive
will contribute to good production of hilsha in the next season.District Fisheries Officer
also said that most of the fishermen were supporting the governments decision of banning
netting of hilsha fishes from
October 13 to 23 for safe breeding of hilsha in the current season. Coastguard Bhola Zonal
Commander thanked the local

journalists for cooperating with

them during the drives. Another
report adds: Bangladesh Islami
Bank Bhola and Borhanuuddin
branches distributed relief
goods among 2,500 destitute
families on October 26.Sources
said that the bank distributed
the relief goods among the flood
affected families who were living
in a miserable condition for the
last four months due to the tidal
water.The distribution function
was held at the Bhola branch
auditorium and was presided
over by Eanur Rahman, executive vice president of Islami

Bank Barisal zone. While

Mostafizur Rahman, Deputy
Commissioner of Bhola, attended as chief guest at the function. About five hundred families
of Bhola sadar and two thousand families of Borhan Uddin
upazila were provided with food
and
cash
money
as
relief.Among others, the distribution function was attended by
Jasim Uddin Haider, upazila
Chairman of Borhan Uddin,
Jangir Hossain, Upazila Nirbahi
Officer of Borhan Uddin, and
Zillur Rahman Al-Mahamud,
Manager of Bhola branch.

fijisun

www.fijisun-usa.com

IslaM toDay

November-2013

13

A word of Advice to the fiji MusliM coMMunities in usA

Please do not privitize Islam

and box it into secterian devides
By H. Koya
(PhD Islamic Metaphics)
While it is my foremost duty to help our
brothers and sisters of Fiji American Muslims
in promoting their good work, I have a far
greater responsibility to draw the different
shades of distinctions that exist within them.
For an outsider it might seem like Sunni,
Shiah or Ahmadi devide but the truth of the
matter is there are more serious divisions
within the Sunnatul Jmaat of Fiji than what
meets the eye.

The Milaadis, Non-Milaadis, Tablighis

and the Malayalam Muslimsof Fiji
It is one thing to be at variance with an
Islamic group such as the Ahnadiyya
Muslims but it is a socking matter to be at
odds from within. At the outset the mainstream Fiji Muslims boast of being part and
parcel of Sunnatul Jmaat but within them they
are devided first as Indian Muslims and
Malayalam Muslims the latter being severely
comitted to their Arabic milaad and former for
affinity with Urdu and then dvided as milaadis
and nonmilaadis. For decades it was either
Indian Muslims a term used for Urdu oriented Muslims and Malayalam Muslims with
very minimal social interactions and marraiges being confined within those limits.
Then nonmilaadi phenomanon came in and
devided the Inidian Muslims into two camps.
Tablighis (the Wahhabis) under the patronage of Saudi Arabia was a late comer in the
late 1960s that raised a lot of eyebrows of
their home-visiting Tabligh programs. It took
some time for them to establish their footingsand gain support of the nonmilaadis.
With the massive migration of Fiji Muslims
abroad particularly to USA, the inherent divisions followed them.

Privatized and marginalized

practice of Islam

Despite the fact that Islam is for all people

and for all times, there is no credible evidence

in any of the Fiji Muslim communities of inviting others especially Americans to Islam.
Islam is confined within the four walls of their
homes.
It is good to reap the worldly benefits of
the American systems, the social security,
unemployment benefits, the Medicare and
medical but to rise to the level stipulated in
the Holy Quran when God commands
Muslims to invite them with Hiqma (wisdom)
, is not their cup of tea. In contrast Ahmad
Muslims are extremely conscious of this high
call and commandment of God. In addition to
inviting people of other faiths to their events,
Eid and Iftari dinners at their mosques, they
host hundreds of guests at their annual
events all-expense paid. Most guests are
accommodated at local hotels or university
boarding rooms The result of the conservative
and privatized Islam is that the message of
Islam does not reach out and Islam is kept
from spreading and prevailing.

Clear understanding a pre-requisite

In my interactions with the Fiji Muslim
communities - both at personal level and at
the leadership level - I am baffled to say that
there is very low percentage that has a clear
understanding of Islam and its history. Many
so called leaders are stuck in the old school of

Not aN easy task

It is not easy to spread Islam. It
requires a planned and aggressive effort suited to address the
needs of the American public. It
requires a socio-psychological
analysis to transform the needs
into personal development goals
of Americans caught in many
unfortunates life situations and
to provide the comfort of easy,
safe and secured living under
the shade of Islam.

thought. They have not read outside their

domestic literature or tails retold at family and
private gatherings.

Karen Armstrong and other writers

It requires no elaborate evidence to understand that not even 1% has read Karen
Armstrong. I cannot see how being
in US the Fiji
Muslims can talk to
Americans without
reading her book
MUHAMMED
A
PROPHET FOR
OUR TIME
Heres A syNoPsIs oF
KAreNs booK:
The Man Who
Inspired
the
World's FastestGrowing Religion, Muhammad presents a fascinating portrait of the founder of a religion
that continues to change the course of world
history. Muhammad's story is more relevant
than ever because it offers crucial insight into
the true origins of an increasingly radicalized
Islam. Countering those who dismiss Islam
as fanatical and violent, Armstrong offers a
clear, accessible, and balanced portrait of the
central figure of one of the world's great religions. I personally met Karen at a book signing event downtown San Francisco and conveyed her the gratitude of the AHMADIYYA
MUSLIM COMMUNITY OF SFO BAY AREA
and presented her certificate of appreciation
which she gracefully accepted.
Fiji Muslims are pitted against the knowledge of Bible the mainstay of American
Christians and their lifestyle. Let alone reading the Bible which Quran affirms as a Book
to be reckoned and has ordained Muslims to
respect the Jews and Christians as people of
the book- the Fiji Muslims are poorly read in
the Quran. Very few are well read in Biblical

and Quranic studies and the theologies.

recitals, Milaad and ratib

personal and private affair
Abiding by the five pillars of Islam is compulsory. Recital of Milaad and Ratib are not
mandatory acts in Islam they are not even
optional. The Holy Quran does not even mention them make it obligatory, therefore, it does
not constitute a sin or a violation if one does
not observe them.

They want to understand

the basics of Islam

When you go out in the open market to

distribute Islamic literature to the Americans,
you will find majority of them want to know the
very basics of Islam. No one asks you about
the Milaad,
Nabiyeen. The Fiji Muslims severely lack
in this experience.
Aloofness with ICNA and ISNA There are
at least three distinct decision-making bodies
in the mainstream Muslims in USA, the ICNA,
ISNA and FIQAH COUNCIL. Having served
on a local body NCIC, I know that Fiji
Muslims are not part these major organizations. The Fiji Muslim communities choose
operate in isolation and aloofness with the
mainstream limiting them from lots of benefits
to them.

Hajji Mohammed Iqbal Khan of

Gading mosque

From the little that we know, we understand that Hajji Mohammed Iqbal Khan of
Gading Mosque in Hayward stands out when
it comes to explaining the message of Islam.
He is articulate, concise and convincing.
Other Muslim leaders lack in the depth of
knowledge of Islam and spontaneity of presentation that come to us by extensive reading
and experience.
Invite Americans and share the message
of Islam in huge numbers !

Muslim Leader Presents Quran to Maori King

U

WorldWide leAder of THe AHMAdiyyA MusliM CoMMuniTy, presenTing Holy

QurAn To THe MAori King

nforgettable scenes
as Hazrat Mirza
Masroor
Ahmad
given traditional Maori welcome
On 29 October 2013, the
World Head of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community (Jamaat)
and Fifth Khalifa, Hazrat Mirza
Masroor Ahmad was welcomed by King Tuheitia at the
TurangawaewaeMarae in New
Zealand and given a traditional
welcome by the Maori community. Upon arrival at 10.30am,
three members of the Maori
community
welcomed
HazratMirzaMasroor Ahmad
with a traditional Maori warrior
exhibition.
The Maoris began the exhibition at a far distance from His
Holiness but advanced step by
step whilst roaring in their
native tongue, whilst female
members of the Maori community chanted from the side. As
His
Holiness
proceeded
through the Marae, dozens of
Maori children and elders also
partook in the welcome by

he Quran
teaches
people
how to live
together in peace
and certainly
today we need
love, peace and
reconciliation to
spread far and
wide that is the
message of the
Quran.
Hazrat Mirza
Masroor Ahmad
chanting in the Maori language.
During the formal session, a
number of Maori elders welcomed Hazrat Mirza Masroor
Ahmad with short speeches.

The elders recognised His

Holiness as an inspirational
and strong leader who advocates for peace.The highlight
of the event was when Hazrat
Mirza Masroor Ahmad presented King Tuheitia with a copy of
the Holy Quran, recently translated into the Maori language
by MrShaqeel Ahmad Munir.
During the presentation ceremony, Hazrat Mirza Masroor
Ahmad addressed the tribal
elders and thanked them for
their traditional welcome.
Speaking about the Quran,
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad
said:
The Quran teaches people
how to live together in peace
and certainly today we need
love, peace and reconciliation
to spread far and wide that is
the message of the Quran.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor
Ahmad concluded his address
by expressing his hope that the
mutual friendship developed
between
the
Ahmadiyya
Muslim Jamaat and the Maori
Community would last forever.

14

November-2013

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Art & EntErtAinmEnt

november-2013

19

The Mark of Delhi: Daagh Dehlvi

By Ras H. siddiqui
He lived amongst the affluent but also led a life of hardship, and this cycle was repeated more than once in his life but
in the end Nawab Mirza Khan
would become the last of great
classical urdu poets of the
delhi school, from an era which
began with the grandmaster of
them all, Mirza asadullah Khan
Ghalib and his contemporary
sheikh Muhammad ibrahim
Zauq. Mirza Khans nom de
plume or Takhallus, daagh
dehlvi, in its literal sense would
translate to the stained or tainted one from delhi but since we
are in the realm of poetry here
one can take some liberties to
translate this penname from
urdu into English (an often difficult if not impossible task) so he
becomes the Mark of delhi for
this writing.
Born in that city in the year
1831, daagh died in Hyderabad
(deccan) in 1905 (rumor has it
that he left this world on
Valentines day) leaving behind
a rich legacy of ghazals and
other writings inclusive of many
mahavaras (proverbs) making
some of his work even more
treasured.
a unique event was held in
daagh dehlvis honor at the
iCC in Milpitas, California on
september 8 th under the title of
Gulzar-e-daagh organized by
one of the san Francisco Bay
areas leading urdu luminaries
Mrs Hamida Banu-Chopra and

sponsored by Computers &

structures inc. (Csis ashraf
Habibullah was present in the
audience here). a gulzar (garden) of daaghs work was presented at this venue during
which close to 200 enthusiasts
of urdu and Hindi inhaled his
poetic fragrance. and for someone who had left this world over
a century ago, he lived once
again at the iCC for over two
hours and even taught us a
thing or two about life during
this brief period.
Hamida sahiba started the
proceedings with a brief welcome and invited Khawaja
aftab ali to the stage to preside
over the event. incidentally
Khawaja sahib happens to
belong to the khandaan of
another great poet by the name
of Hali so his sadarat of this
mehfil was due to both knowledge and lineage.
The first person to recite
daagh dehlvis work was
amjad Noorani which included
some matters of the heart and

loss of lifes luggage.

anshuman Chandra, a student
of urdu, thanked both the iCC
and his ustad or teacher
Hamida for her guidance before
presenting two of the poets
ghazals which included couplets on betraying the self (Kiy
Kiya Fareb dil Ko deye). and
he was followed by Mrs atiya
Hai who used her convincing
vocals to delve into the hopelessness of love ever present in
some of daaghs verses.
Mrs.Hamida Banu-Chopra
next presented an interesting
biographic window into daagh
dehlvis life. The poet tragically
lost his father at a very young
age and was fortunate that his
mother remarried into the family
of the Mughal rulers giving him
an opportunity to spend a few
years growing up in the Lal qila
(Red Fort) in delhi. Things went
well till the 1857 war of independence (aka Mutiny) after
which Bahadur shah Zafar, the
last Mughal Emperor of india,
lost his throne and was exiled.

The Royal family or what was

left of it struggled and his stepfather too soon passed away,
forcing Nawab Mirza Khan
(daagh) to find refuge like many
others in Rampur state (whose
rulers incidentally did not act
against the British in 1857).
Later in life the poet left to
reside in Hyderabad in the
south where his success as a
man of urdu poetry and literature was sealed. His biggest
contribution to urdu was the
legacy he left within thousands
of his students who became
active all over india (including
present day Pakistan).
drawing inspiration from
daagh poets like Jigar
Moradabadi and the two
Bekhuds, he inspired another
great poet known today as
allama iqbal (even though the
two never met). an interesting
anecdote on daagh shared by
Hamida sahiba here (on a
lighter side) was his reply to
another poet who complained
to him and asked why his own

poetry just didnt have the

attractive spirit that daagh possessed. Have you ever
romanced a courtesan? was
the question-answer-hint he
received in reply from daagh
dehlvi.
deepti Warrier next
recited two of the poets works
in tarrannum or song-like fashion in which she romanticized
about names and about the one
who taught others how to
romance. and not to be left out
anil Chopra, whose well-known
civil engineering skills sometimes have to take a back seat
to support his wife Hamidas
lifelong romance with urdu, presented his own views on the
poets work and life!
dr
Muhammad saleem Malik followed up with a wonderful synopsis of daagh dehlvis life
leaving many in the audience
literally amazed. He was followed by Ravi who used the
poet's pulling of arrows out of
chests and paths less travelled
to entertain everyone. dr
salman siddique also present-

ed two ghazals of daagh, as

the sadr of the event Khawaja
aftab ali next enlightened us
further on the poets work
before anupama dazzled us
with her fine voice about memories (yaadain) and amazement.
Hamida sahiba came back
to formally close the program.
she thanked ashraf Habibullah
of Csi for making this program
possible and everyone else for
their participation.
The Mark of delhi or daagh
dehlvi may not be alive today
but his many contributions to
the urdu language live on. That
people from as far away as the
defense Language institute
(dLi) in Monterey and
Californias Capital City of
sacramento came to attend this
program in the san Francisco
Bay area serves as a testimony
to works of both the enthusiasts
of the urdu language like
Hamida sahiba and the poetic
genius of daagh dehlvi.

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20

BOLLYWOOD

November-2013

or a country of over
1 billion Hindus and
an industry that
absolutely loves to celebrate Diwali parties with
Bollywood
song
and
dance. Diwali is the countrys largest national holiday, lends itself brilliantly
to poetry (festival of lights
imagery, the story of the
Ramayan, etc.), and is
practically bound to succeed by virtue of having
very little to compete with.
People are practically
aching for these songs! Yet
they hardly exist, much
less ones worth hearing
over and over.
To be sure, plenty of
great Diwali bhajans exist
outside the realm of
Bollywood (look no further
than Tulsidas classic Shri
Ram Chandra), many of
which have excellent covers by our favorite
p l a y b a c k
singers. But within the films? The
pickings are slim.
Let us consider the example of
Christmas as we
know it in America.
When we think of great
Christmas jingles, the
songs
we
name
predominantly come from
hit singers or church traditions with only a few
actually having made it to
popular culture from films,
despite Hollywood having
had a long and successful
musical film movement
(Judy Garlands Have
Yourself a Merry Little
Christmas comes to
mind).
So perhaps Bollywood
is no different. Because
singing a song about
Diwali actually requires
Diwali to be a major part of
the plot, the happy coincidence rarely occurred
much less with the good
fortune of also having
been a brilliant composition. Furthermore, celebrations like Holi for which we
can name at least a handful of terrific Bollywood
songs, actually lend themselves much better to an
upbeat and colorful party
on-screenso
musical

iwali has always

D
been a special festival for Deepika

Padukone. Ever since

her childhood days, the
actor has loved the revelry and joyous mood that
the festival brings with it.
Even today, she always
looks forward to spending time with her family
during Diwali. However,
with so many projects
lined up, Deepika
doesnt always get the
time to do so. But this
time around, things are
going to be different for
the actor as she has
managed to take a short
leave during the festival.
A source close to the
actor reveals, Deepika
carries with her fond
memories of spending
Diwali in Bengaluru, lighting diyas in the house

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FIJISUN

Diwali
no longEr cHarms
BollywooD

Diwali used to find space in Hindi movies

once in a while, if not frequently, in the form of
a theme, scene, song or a reference point. Even
though Diwali has made a slow disappearance
from Hindi movies over the years, festivities
continue to rule the television.

composition could be a bit more

relaxed. With Diwali,
youre treading on sacred
groundand why mess
with something that nonfilmi bhajans do way better
anyway?
Like many other festivals in India, including
Holi, Dahi Handi and
Ganesh festival, Diwali
used to find space in Hindi
movies once in a while, if
not frequently, in the form
of a theme, scene, song or
a reference point.
Heres a look at how
Bollywood
celebrates
Diwali the victory of good
over evil in various ways!
An upbeat song with
lots Westernized rhythm
and harmony, Happy
Diwali in movie Home
Delivery (2005) has a
catchy tune that celebrates
the spirit of Diwali. The
song is picturized on kids
and will instantly connect
with joyous children.
Karan Johar's 2001 hit

movie Kabhi Khushi Kabhi

Gham had a scene on
Diwali, which was used to
show how times changed
for the Raichand family.
The film opens with a
scene, in which, characters played by Amitabh
and Jaya Bachchan per-

form a Diwali puja. Kabhi

Khushi Kabhi Gham has
been sung by melody
queen Lata Mangeshkar. A
Diwali song, which has
strong Indian classical elements, it is picturised on
Jaya Bachchan, Amitabh
Bachchan, Shah Rukh

Khan, Rani Mukerji and

the entire star cast of the
film. Lavish sets, opulent
costume and great music
makes Kabhi Khushi
Kabhie Gham all the more
special.
In Aamdani Atthanni
Kharcha Rupaiya (2001),
Ayee Hai Diwali is a lighthearted number, based on
the playful banter of husband and wife. With lots of
crackers and fireworks, the
song literally lights-up the
screen. In Aditya Chopra's
Mohabbetein (2000) Diwali
signified a union of three
characters played by Uday
Chopra, Jugal Hansraj and
Jimmy Shergill with their
beloved,
played
by
Shamita
Shetty,
Kim
Sharma
and
Preeti
Jhangiani respectively A
popular
Dilwali
song
Pairon Mein Bandhan Hai
celebrates
the spirit of
love and harmony on
Diwali. Check out the dhol
beats, which make it all the
more peppy and exciting.
A perfect song to celebrate
the festival.
In Haqeeqat (1964),
Aaye Hai Abke Saal Diwali
opens on a somber note,
portraying the plight of soldiers away from their families during festive season,
safeguarding their nation.
The song is not only slow
paced but also has lots of

Diwali break for

iwali is around the corner and so

firework stalls are all over the place.
D
One thing that you can not fail to notice

DeePiKA
along with her mom and
sister. She plans to take
a break from all her
shoots and promotions
and take a couple of
days off to be with her
family. The source tells
us that since it may be
difficult for her to secure
a long leave, Deepika
might just end up taking
a day or two off. When
we asked the actor about
this, she neither confirmed nor denied the
news, saying, Diwali
makes me miss home
the most. It is one of my
favourite festivals.

pathos.
In Hariyali Aur Rasta
(1962) the song Lakhon
Tare Aasma Mein Magar,
is sung by evergreen
Mukesh
and
Lata
Mangeshkar and is picturized on Manoj Kumar and
Mala Sinha. The song is
not only meaningful but
carries a lot of depth as it
focuses on human suffering juxtaposed with festival
of lights.
Crooned by Mukesh,
Ek Wom Bhi Diwali Thi in
Nazrana (1961) dwells
upon the dark side of the
festive spirit, where not
everyone is happy and in
celebratory mode. The
song offers some soul
searching, instead of burning fire-crackers and sharing sweets.
A Mohammad Rafi
number pasteurized on
Johny Walker, Kaise Diwali
Manaye
in
Paigham
(1959) is a humorous
song, evocating the plight
of the poor and impoverished during the festival of
lights, for whom, each festival is alike.
Songs on Diwali had
also become quite popular.
For the 1943 film, Kismat,
Amirbai sang Ghar Ghar
Mein
Diwali
Hai..,
Shamshad Begum sang
Aai Re Aai Re Diwali.. for
the 1949 film Seesh
Mahal. Even though Diwali
has made a slow disappearance
from
Hindi
movies over the years, festivities continue to rule the
television. On the small
screen, the festive fervor
continues to dominate during such times, as that is
the requirement on television.

Get ready for

KAT PhuljhADi
this Diwali
Katrina Kaif has grabbed top spot
this year. The actress appears on several
different products.Other popular stars
include Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra,
Asin, Bipasha Basu and Deepika Padukone.

is the Bollywood star faces on fire

cracker boxes.Like last year, this festive
season also pictures of Bollywood
actors are put on the boxes to woo customers.Katrina Kaif has grabbed top
spot this year. The actress appears on
several different products.Other popular
stars include Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka
Chopra, Asin, Bipasha Basu and
Deepika Padukone. Any actress who is
in news because of a hit film or a personal scandal makes it as a face of the
crackers.But don't you think looking at
Deepika's success rate, she should
have been the favourite this season.
Well, we have the answer. The packaging for fireworks is done in December
and last year Katrina was ruling. So, get
ready to see Deepika all over the fire
cracker boxes next Diwali. Among male
actors, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Saif
Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and
Riteish Deshmukh are the popular ones.
Among the international celebs, Michael
Jackson is a favourite.

FIJISUN

bollywood

www.fijisun-usa.com

If Krrish 2 saw Krishna defeating

Siddhant Arya and save his father Rohit,
Krrish 3 will reportedly see the superhero fighting with a dark force, an evil
genius who is spreading fear.

ell-equipped with a spectacular range of special

effects, extravagant
action sequences a la Hollywood
and Hrithik Roshan as superhero Krrish 3promises double bonanza
for the movie buffs when it comes
out Friday, two days before Diwali.
According to sources, the Rs.100Rs.150 crore film will see a wide
release and hit about 3,500
screens. When asked about the
cost, the film's director-producer
Rakesh Roshan said: "I can't
reveal the budget of the movie, but
it has been a very costly film." A
third in the franchise that began
with 2003 hit sci-fi movie Koi... Mil
Gaya, Krrish 3 will take forward the
story of the superhero Krrish,
played by Hrithik. The film
toplines Priyanka Chopra,
Kangana Ranaut and Vivek
Oberoi. While Priyanka plays
Hrithik's love interest, Kangana
and Vivek will be seen in negative roles. Predicting a "thunderous start" for the film,
trade analyst Taran Adarsh
feels that eventually the
film's content will decide its
course. If Krrish 2 saw
Krishna defeating Siddhant
Arya and save his father
Rohit, Krrish 3 will reportedly
see the superhero fighting
with a dark force, an evil
genius who is spreading
fear. "I am certain that the
film will see a thunderous

Perfect Diwali
treat for movie buffs
has been made well and it
will definitely make audiences proud," Roshan told
IANS.
Red Chillies VFX, a
subdivision of Shah Rukh's
motion picture production
banner Red Chillies
Entertainment, worked on the
special effects worth Rs.26
crore for Krrish 3. Aggressive
promotion has become must
in the current scenario as the
first three days' collection
can make or break a film.
And the Roshans have done
everything - from tapping
digital space by launching
the first poster Facebook
to merchandising to travelling to various cities.
Also, a range of special emoticons were
launched as a part
of the film's promotions on
social networking site
Facebook.

"I don't know how the opening will be for the film.
But the film has been made well and it will definitely
make audiences proud,"

Ram-leela

Will Priyanka steal

Deepika's thunder?

o last week
we witnessed
some love
between Bollywood's
femme fatales when
Deepika Padukone
thanked Priyanka
Chopra for setting
the screen on fire
with her item song in
Ram-leela, but the
film's leading lady
might be losing out
quite some spotlight
to the former Miss
World in Sanjay
Leela Bhansali's
next.Pegged as the
most awaited song
from the film,
Priyanka oozes
oomph as she
seduces her way into
the 'modern mujra' in
Ram-leela that has
generated 2 million
hits in just a week
since its release.
(Over 2,180,396 hits
in 6 days)The
tremendous
response to the song

is surely going to
generate some
smoke in camp
Deepika as the limelight is bound to shift

from her to Priyanka,

who's enticing moves
are surely going to
pull crowds to the
movie

21

After Krrish 3, you won't

be sure whether to desire or
fear Priyanka : Hrithik

Krrish 3

start. But then after that

the content of the film will
decide how many people
go and see it," Adarsh
said. Rakesh Roshan is
confident that the film
will make audiences
"proud". "I don't know
how the opening will be
for the film. But the film

october-2013

theatres.Though
movie buffs and fans
are still gushing over
how stunning
Deepika looks paired
opposite Ranveer
Singh in the trailer
and high on romance
songs, like Nagada
Sang Dhol, Lahu
Munh Laga Gaya,
Ishqyaun
Dhishqyaun, it
seems as though
Bhansali is counting
on Priyanka's charm
to make his film a
much needed success.Priyanka's
scorching item song
has also paved way
for insecurities for
Deepika fans who
expressed their disappointment with
Bhansali for making
the two actresses
share screen
space.Some even
gave thumbs down to
Bhansali for pitching
the leading ladies
together."When you
have Deepika in the
movie.....you don't
need an item song
by Priyanka :p,
Deepika dances and
looks way better (sic)
," wrote Jayshree
Salian on youtube.

Hrithik Roshan seemed to be in

a jovial mood when he visited the national
capital recently to promote his upcoming
film Krrish 3. When Priyanka Chopra said
that her role in Krrish 3 has a duality - with
both positive and negative sides, Hrithik
Roshan, who was also present chipped
in: "Basically, her true nature will
come out and you won't know
whether to desire her or be afraid
of her." Later, when a kid asked
if he can find Jaadu (a character
from the Koi Mil Gaya, the first
in series of Krrish films) in
real-life, the actor cutely
replied, "If you study well, eat
well and become a strong boy,
you will becomeJaadu yourself." After the event came to
an end, the actor got a picture
clicked with the kid. Talking
about his experience working
for the movie, Hrithik says he
is excited that he got a
chance to reprise Rohit's
(from Koi Mil Gaya, 2003)
role. "I was not sure if I will
have the same tonal sound,
body language as Rohit," (sic)
the actor said. Krrish has characters named and modelled after
animals. We have Frog-man,
Cheetah girl and Rhino-man, the
actors adds. Talking about the graphics in the film, Hrithik informs only Indian
artists have weorked for the VFX for Krrish
3. He further said, "I am excited that our
cinema has come to the stage where we
can present such characters in almost one
percent of what Hollywood films use."
Later, when asked about her alleged fight
with Kangana Ranaut, Priyanka Chopra
gets angry and replies, "I don't know why
women's stature in movies are reduced to
catfights. It's like they do not have anything
better to do on the sets.

Women should not

lose themselves in
marriage : Vidya

ctress Vidya Balan, who

will be seen next in 'Shaadi
Ke Side Effects', says
women should not lose themselves in marriage.
"There are good as well as
bad effects of marriage. I am still
experiencing it (married life) so I
can't give tips. I feel you should
be yourself as women end up
losing themselves in marriage..
That should not happen," Vidya,
who is playing wife of Farhan
Akhtar in the film told reporters in
Mumbai at its first look launch.
Vidya has become a fan of his
co-star Farhan after watching
'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'.On her costar, she said, "Farhan is an
amazing actor. I have seen his
films in the past. I am happy that
I saw 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' after
doing this film, otherwise I
wouldn't have been able to perform with him. He is fabulous,"
she said adding he has a good
comic timing too. The film is a
sequel to 'Pyaar Ke Side Effects'
and is directed by Saket
Chaudhary and produced by
Pritish Nandy and Ekta Kapoor.

22

hiNduisum

November-2013

Deepawali
or Diwali is
certainly the
biggest and
the brightest
of all Hindu
festivals. it's
the festival
of lights (deep
= light and
avali = a row
i.e., a row of
lights) that's
marked by
four days of
celebration,
which literally illumines
the country
with its brilliance, and
dazzles all
with its joy.
each of the
four days in
the festival of
Diwali is separated by a
different tradition, but
what remains
true and constant is the
celebration of
life, its enjoyment and
goodness.

Diwali
Festival
of

Lights

FIJISUN

why do we celebrate Diwali?

its not just the festive mood in the
air that makes you happy, or just
that it's a good time to
enjoy before the advent of
winter. there are 10 mythical and historical reasons why Diwali is a great
time to celebrate. and there are
good reasons not just for Hindus
but also for all others to celebrate
this great Festival of Lights.

10
Reasons to
CeLebRate
The Tradition of
Gambling
The tradition of gambling on Diwali also has a
legend behind it. It is
believed that on this day,
Goddess Parvati played
dice with her husband
Lord Shiva, and she
decreed that whosoever
gambled on Diwali night
would prosper throughout
the ensuing year. Diwali is
associated with wealth
and prosperity in many
ways, and the festival of
'Dhanteras' ('dhan' =
wealth; 'teras' = 13th) is
celebrated two days
before the festival of
lights.

The Origin of Diwali

Historically, the origin of
Diwali can be traced back
to ancient India, when it
was probably an important
harvest festival. However,
there are various legends
pointing to the origin of
Diwali or 'Deepawali.'
Some believe it to be the
celebration of the marriage
of Lakshmi with Lord
Vishnu. Whereas in
Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of
Mother Kali, the dark goddess of strength. Lord
Ganesha, the elephantheaded God, the symbol
of auspiciousness and
wisdom, is also worshiped
in most Hindu homes on
this day. In Jainism,
Deepawali has an added
significance to the great
event of Lord Mahavira
attaining the eternal bliss
of nirvana. Diwali also
commemorates the return
of Lord Rama along with
Sita and Lakshman from
his fourteen year long
exile and vanquishing the
demon-king Ravana. In
joyous celebration of the
return of their king, the
people of Ayodhya, the
Capital of Rama, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and
burst crackers.

www.fijisun-usa.com

These Four Days

Each day of Diwali has
its own tale, legend and
myth to tell. The first day
of the festival Naraka
Chaturdasi marks the vanquishing of the demon
Naraka by Lord Krishna
and his wife Satyabhama.
Amavasya, the second
day of Deepawali, marks
the worship of Lakshmi,
the goddess of wealth in
her most benevolent
mood, fulfilling the wishes
of her devotees.
Amavasya also tells the
story of Lord Vishnu, who
in his dwarf incarnation
vanquished the tyrant Bali,
and banished him to hell.
Bali was allowed to return
to earth once a year, to
light millions of lamps to
dispel the darkness and
ignorance, and spread the
radiance of love and wisdom. It is on the third day
of Deepawali Kartika
Shudda Padyami that Bali
steps out of hell and rules
the earth according to the
boon given by Lord
Vishnu. The fourth day is
referred to as Yama
Dvitiya (also called Bhai
Dooj) and on this day sisters invite their brothers to
their homes.

From Darkness
Unto Light...

The Significance of
Lights & Firecrackers
All the simple rituals of
Diwali have a significance
and a story to tell. The illumination of homes with
lights and the skies with
firecrackers is an expression of obeisance to the
heavens for the attainment of health, wealth,
knowledge, peace and
prosperity. According to
one belief, the sound of
fire-crackers are an indication of the joy of the
people living on earth,
making the gods aware of
their plentiful state. Still
another possible reason
has a more scientific
basis: the fumes produced
by the crackers kill a lot of
insects and mosquitoes,
found in plenty after the
rains.

In each legend, myth

and story of Deepawali
lies the significance of the
victory of good over evil;
and it is with each
Deepawali and the lights
that illuminate our homes
and hearts, that this simple truth finds new reason
and hope. From darkness
unto light the light that
empowers us to commit
ourselves to good deeds,
that which brings us closer
to divinity. During Diwali,
lights illuminate every corner of India and the scent
of incense sticks hangs in
the air, mingled with the
sounds of fire-crackers,
joy, togetherness and
hope. Diwali is celebrated
around the globe. Outside
India, it is more than a
Hindu festival, it's a celebration of South-Asian
identities. If you are away
from the sights and
sounds of Diwali, light a
diya, sit quietly, shut your
eyes, withdraw the senses, concentrate on this
supreme light and illuminate the soul.

DiwaLi

Goddess Lakshmis Birthday: The Goddess of wealth,

Lakshmi incarnated on the new moon day (amaavasyaa)
of the Kartik month during the churning of the ocean
(samudra-manthan), hence the association of Diwali with
Lakshmi.

2
3

Vishnu Rescued Lakshmi: On this very day (Diwali day),

Lord Vishnu in his fifth incarnation as Vaman-avtaara
rescued Lakshmi from the prison of King Bali and this is
another reason of worshipping Ma Larkshmi on Diwali.
Krishna Killed Narakaasur: On the day preceding
Diwali, Lord Krishna killed the demon king Narakaasur
and rescued 16,000 women from his captivity. The celebration of this freedom went on for two days including the Diwali
day as a victory festival.

The Return of the Pandavas: According to the great

epic Mahabharata, it was Kartik Amavashya when the
Pandavas appeared from their 12 years of banishment
as a result of their defeat in the hands of the Kauravas at the
game of dice (gambling). The subjects who loved the Pandavas
celebrated the day by lighting the earthen lamps.

The Victory of Rama: According to the epic

Ramayana, it was the new moon day of Kartik when
Lord Ram, Ma Sita and Lakshman returned to
Ayodhya after vanquishing Ravana and conquering Lanka. The
citizens of Ayodhya decorated the entire city with the earthen
lamps and illuminated it like never before.

6
7
8
9

Coronation of Vikramaditya: One of the greatest Hindu

King Vikramaditya was coroneted on the Diwali day,
hence Diwali became a historical event as well.

Special Day for the Arya Samaj: It was the new moon
day of Kartik (Diwali day) when Maharshi Dayananda,
one of the greatest reformers of Hinduism and the
founder of Arya Samaj attained his nirvana.
Special Day for the Jains: Mahavir Tirthankar, considered to be the founder of modern Jainism also attained
his nirvana on Diwali day.

Special Day for the Sikhs: The third Sikh Guru Amar
Das institutionalized Diwali as a Red-Letter Day when
all Sikhs would gather to receive the Gurus blessings.
In 1577, the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar
was laid on Diwali. In 1619, the sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind, who
was held by the Mughal Emperor Jahengir, was released from
the Gwalior fort along with 52 kings.

10

The Popes Diwali Speech: In 1999, Pope John

Paul II performed a special Eucharist in an Indian
church where the altar was decorated with Diwali
lamps, the Pope had a tilak marked on his forehead and his
speech was bristled with references to the festival of light.

FijiSUn

www.fijisun-usa.com

AfghAn news

november-2013

23

afghan soldier killed after opening fire on nato troops

An Afghan soldier has
been killed after opening
fire on a foreign trainer
from
Afghanistan's
Sandhurst-inspired officer
academy,
meant
as
Britain's main legacy, just
days after its first recruits
enrolled for class.The
Afghan was shot after having an argument with a
trainer from New Zealand
and two Australian soldiers, all three of whom
were also injured in the
skirmish.The
shooting
casts a shadow over the
start of the first term at the
academy, which has been
described as a Sandhurstinspired complex. An initial
class of 230 recruits
began training last week,
with journalists invited to
see them put through their
paces and tour the tents
serving as temporary
classrooms while work fin-

ishes on the permanent

buildings.Eventually
it
could train up to 1,500
men and women a year,
with 120 UK mentors supported by instructors from
Australia, New Zealand,
Norway and Denmark.
The brief gunfight broke
out after the trainer had
visited a nearby building at
the
Afghan
National
Defence University site in
the mountainous western
outskirts of Kabul. The UKfunded National Army
Officers' Academy nestles
by five other colleges
including a foreign languages centre and a sergeants' training academy.Following an argument, the Afghan soldier
fired three rounds before
being shot dead by the
Australian soldiers who
had been assigned to
guard the trainer.

MPs Urge IEC to Take

Second Look at Candidates
KABUL - A number of
Afghan MPs on
Wednesday asked the
election authorities to conduct a second review of
the documents of election
candidates, including
those who were disqualified last week.Last
Tuesday's announcement
of the preliminary list of
candidates saw 16
Presidential and nearly
400 Provincial Council
candidates eliminated. The
drastic cuts were not wellreceived by those who didn't make the list and speculations about mistakes in
the Independent Election
Commission's vetting
process and potential political bias have abounded
ever since.The MPs on
Wednesday told the
Electoral Complaints
Commission (ECC), which
is currently conducting its
review of complaints
against candidates as well
as challenges by those
who were disqualified last

Tuesday, to be impartial
and address the demands
those cut out of the running."The documents of
the candidates who were
announced by the IEC and
those who were removed
from the preliminary list
should be re-reviewed by
the ECC and the challenges of the removed
candidates should be
addressed ahead of the
elections," said MP
Munawar Shah
Bahaderi.ECC officials
have said they would
review the challenges by
those candidates who
were eliminated, but
admitted that due to the
time crunch they face.

Afghan recruits at the National Army Officers' Academy eventually

it could train up to 1,500 men and women a year.

"The armed Afghan soldier

had an argument with the
[foreign] soldiers and after
some minutes the misunderstanding escalated and
he opened fire. The
Afghan soldier was killed,"
said Daulat Waziri, the
deputy spokesman for
Afghanistan's ministry of

NATO Endorses
Post-2014 Troop
Numbers with
Scaled Down Plans
KABUL - NATO officials
in Brussels have
endorsed a presence of
8,000 to 12,000 troops
to remain in
Afghanistan after the
combat mission ends in
December of 2014,
reported the New York
Times on Monday. The
coalition was said to
have modified previous
plans for post-2014,
minimizing its objectives.There are currently around 100,000 foreign troops in
Afghanistan, out of
which around 68,000
are Americans. Two
thirds of the residual
force endorsed by
NATO officials is
expected to be U.S. soldiers. The figures now
being proposed by the
coalition for post-2014
are substantially smaller
than those suggested in
the past.

Indian Firms Seek to Renegotiate $10.8 Bln

Afghan Iron Ore Deal: Official - See more
KABUL- A consortium of
Indian companies led by
Steel Authority of India is
seeking to renegotiate the
terms of an iron ore deal in
Afghanistan worth up to
$10.8 billion, a senior official at the Ministry of
Mines
said
on
Tuesday.The
situation
arose after India's finance
ministry refused to help
finance the consortium
without a detailed study
about the commercial viability of the project.
Investment
in
Afghanistan's mining sector is considered one of
the greatest hopes of the
country attaining econom-

ic independence and the

halt will add to concern
that it will not be able to
support itself economically
as aid flows shrink. "The
negotiations are suspended for some reason ...
(but) they haven't withdrawn from this process,"
the official told Reuters,
asking for his name to be
withheld because he was
not authorized to speak to
the media. An Indian official with knowledge of the
matter said the finance
ministry had told the consortium to draw up a fresh
viability study, adding that
the studies submitted by
the companies dated back

to the 1950s and 1960s.

"They are asking for government funding. But that
cannot be done without
first evaluating the profitability of the project,"
said the official, who
asked not to be identified.
India's economic slowdown has hit the country's
finances, forcing the ministry to consider spending
cuts to prevent a budget
blow-out. However, the
official said the initial proposal was not rejected to
trim expenditure and that
the project would be
looked at again once the
consortium
improved
its pitch.

defence. "It wasn't inside

the [officer training] academy. It was inside one of
the Afghan National Army
military quarters nearby."
The injuries to the
Australians and New
Zealander were apparently caused by shrapnel
when a bullet fired at

short-range at one of them

disintegrated, a commander said
"Only one bullet that we're
aware of hit, the second
Australian returned fire
and critically injured and
possibly
killed
the
Afghani," said Lieutenant
General Rhys Jones, chief
of the New Zealand
Defence Force, who identified his injured soldier as
an instructor from the officer academy."Some of the
shrapnel went into the arm
of the Australian soldier
that was hit, another part
went into the foot [of the
New Zealand soldier]," he
told a news conference.A
spokesman for the Taliban
said they had not played
any role in the shooting,
even though the insurgent
group has been quick to
claim responsibility for
other attacks and has

urged Afghan soldiers and

police to turn on their foreign mentors. A steady
stream of insider attacks
on both foreign and
Afghan troops, by both
insurgent sympathisers
and angry loners,
has
undermined
morale and raised questions about plans for a
long-term training programme in the country. A
series of Nato measures
to protect its troops has
cut the toll this year from a
peak in 2012, when gunmen from police or army
ranks
accounted
for
around 15% of all foreign
military deaths. The precautions include having
armed "guardian angels",
such as the Australians
who ended Saturday's
attack, watch over all
meetings with Afghan
counterparts.

royal marine faces court martial for murder of afghan detainee

An experienced Royal
Marine sergeant accused
of murdering a wounded
detainee in Afghanistan
has told investigators he
and his troops were under
immense pressure and
had suffered devastating
losses at the time of the
incident.The man, who
can only be identified as
Marine A, said he had lost
two close colleagues and
others had been badly
injured. He said the

encounter with the man

was one of the few occasions they had come "face
to face" at close quarters
with an insurgent.Marine
A also pointed out that the
man was found with
grenades on him two days
after their base had been
subjected to a sustained
grenade attack. "Tensions
were
high,"
he
said.However the marine
insisted that neither he
nor other troops had killed

the man, rather he had

died of injuries sustained
in an earlier helicopter air
strike. "There was a little
bit of banter about topping
him but that didn't happen. All joking aside, no
one killed him. I don't want
that on my conscience.
He died of his injuries."
Marine A and two colleagues, B and C, are
accused of carrying out
the cold-blooded "execution" of the man.

Grand Fiji niGht

From Girmit
to independence

(Underscoring the future of Fiji Indians)

Featuring top key speakers

entertainers and business leaders is
coming soon that will include a number
of segments sponsored in the main by

FIJI SUN USA

The Koya Foundation

and American Institute of Management.
Zahid Buksh (a CHP investigator)
is tipped to be the program director.
Negotiations are underway with

CHANDNI RESTAURANT

It will be a gala night awards,

recognitions and entertainment.

24

US NEWS

November-2013

www.fijisun-usa.com

FIJISUN

US Capitol lights up for first Diwali festival

The first ever Diwali festival was
celebrated at the US Congress
today amidst chanting of Vedic
mantras by a Hindu priest.
Over two dozen influential
lawmakers along with eminent
Indian-Americans gathered at the
Capitol Hill to lit the traditional
'diyas'. The event -- the first of its
kind event at the Capitol Hill -was organised by the two CoChairs of the Congressional
Caucus on India and Indian
Americans, Congressmen Joe
Crowley and Peter Roskam in
recognition of increasing presence of the Indian-American community.The occasion was also
used to highlight significance of
India-US relationship. "I have
come here to say Happy Diwali,"
said Nancy Pelosi, Leader of the
Democratic Party in the House of
Representatives."United States
owes a great debt of gratitude to
India. Because our civil rights
movement was built on the nonviolent movement in India. Martin
Luther King studied there, spoke
there. We are blessed not only by

that legacy, but also by the presence of so many Indo-Americans

in our country," Pelosi said. "This
is a truly historic event," Crowley
said. Roskam said Indian
Americans are an example of an
enormous diaspora that is incredibly influential."You have the ability to bring together people from
both sides of the isle in ways that
are powerful and significant," he
said."When we look at the relationship between the United

States and India moving forward

it is a wonderful relationship that
has a great thing in store," said
Roskam, who along with other
lawmakers were welcomed at the
historic event with red tilak, jasmine garland. A Hindu priest presented them a traditional shawl
amidst chanting of Vedic
mantras.Starting
his
brief
remarks with 'Jai Hind'
Congressman
Ed
Royce,
Chairman of the powerful House

Democrats' immigration bill rings

alarm bell for Indian firms
WASHINGTON:
A
Democratic Party bill, aimed
at overhauling the immigration system introduced in
House of Representatives
this month, has sent alarm
bells ringing among Indian
IT firms as it includes provisions that would be detrimental to the businesses of
such companies. The bill
(HR 15) introduced in the
House by the Democratic
Leader, Nancy Pelosi, and
co-sponsored by several
members
of
the
Congressional
India
Caucus, carries the same
killer provisions as the one
passed by the Senate. he
killer provisions are in particular related to the muchsought after H-1B and L-1
visas. Given that the
Democrats in the House are
in a minority, Congressional
aides said that the chances
of this bill being passed with
the Republican support is
unlikely and it was introduced by Pelosi early this
month as part of the larger
political game plan to put

pressure on the Republicans

to bring a reform bill to the
floor."The time is now to
pass comprehensive immigration reform. This week,
two House Republicans
joined 187 members in cosponsoring HR 15, our immigration legislation that
reflects our core bipartisan
values: protect our borders,
protect
our
workforce,
reunite families, and create

an earned pathway to citizenship,"

Pelosi
told
reporters.
"We have 187 co-sponsors; 185 Democrats, two
Republicans. However, 28
Republicans have publicly
expressed support for a path
to citizenship. If (House)
Speaker (John) Boehner can
find the will to schedule a
vote, we can pass compre-

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hensive immigration reform

and make it the law of the
land," she said. "We support
immigration reform legislation but this bill needs to
strip out the harmful provisions," said Ron Somers
president of the US India
Business Council. USIBC
has been opposed to the
Senate version of the bill as
well as both of them have
provisions related to the H1B and L-1 visas which are
specifically
targeted
towards Indian IT companies. For instance in order
to prevent H-1B workers
from undercutting the
wages paid to American
workers, it requires that
employers to pay significantly higher wages for H1B workers than under the
current H-1B program. The
Department of Labor will also
decrease prevailing wage levels from four to three levels
and update how each level is
calculated. This would result
higher costs for employers
who use the H-1B programme.

6 people dead in
apparent domestic
dispute in US
GREENWOOD, South Carolina:
Authorities say an apparent domestic
dispute in a South Carolina home has
left six people dead. Greenwood County
Sheriff's Office spokesman John Long
told the Associated Press late Tuesday
that the dead include four adults and two
children. He said the bodies were discovered by a SWAT team that entered
the house "after several unsuccessful
attempts to make contact" with someone
inside. Long says officers first went to
the home in the city of Greenwood after
receiving a call from a man who said he
was thinking about hurting himself.

Foreign Affairs Committee said

the relationship between India
and the United States is strengthening."Our goal should be to
increase and deepen this relationship with counter-terrorism
co-operation, with more trade and
investment and trying to make
sure that we strengthen our ally
India. And that is our intention
here, whether we are Republican
or a Democrat, our goal is to
deepen this relationship," he

New York to
raise cigarette sale age
New York City Council has
voted to raise the minimum
age for buying cigarettes
from 18 to 21.New York will
now become by far the
most populous place in the
US to impose such a high
age limit, the Associated
Press reports. The new
age limit includes electronic vapour cigarettes.Across
the US there is a minimum
age for smoking of 18.
Some states have raised
the limit to 19 and at least
two other towns have
raised it to 21. The bill's
sponsor, City Councilman
James Gennaro, said it
would "literally save many,
many lives". Mr Gennaro,
whose mother and father
died from tobacco-related
illnesses, said: "I've lived
with it, I've seen it... but I
feel good today." Critics of
the measure have argued
that young people may turn
to the black market for cigarettes. New York mayor
Michael Bloomberg, who
supported the bill, has 30
days to sign it into law. The
measure would then come
into effect after 180 days.

said.Congresswoman
Tulsi
Gabbard, the first Hindu American
lawmaker, diversity in the
Congress is indicative of the special nature of Diwali itself. "It is
celebration of righteousness," she
said.Ami Bera, who is the only
Indian American in the current
Congress, this is an incredible
Diwali celebration. "It is great to
be one Indian American in the
Congress, but at our second, fifth
Diwali celebration, we want to see

more members of the Diaspora

elected to the House of
Representatives. We want to see
deepening of this relationship as
we move forward," Bera said.
Congresswoman, Carolyn B
Maloney, who had recently
launched a campaign for issuing a
Diwali stamp, rued that the US
Postal Service had recently
turned down the request. As such
she urged the Indian American
community to work together in this
regard."It is time to have Diwali
stamp," she said. "India and the
United States have so much in
common," said Congressman
Elliot Engel, Ranking member of
the House Foreign Affairs
Committee and appreciated the
contribution of Indian Americans
in the country.The outgoing Indian
Ambassador to the US, Nirupama
Rao, also spoke on the occasion,
along with other Congressmen
including Mike Honda, Sheila
Jackson Lee, David Price,
Charles Bernard "Charlie"
Rangel, and Steny Hoyer.

Afghans tried to court

Pakistani militant seized by US

WASHINGTON : The US
apprehension of a Pakistani
Taliban commander last
month came during a failed
attempt by Afghan officials
to form an alliance with his
militant group, a Western
official said on
Tuesday, confirming some
details in a
New
York
Times
report.
The United States
this month confirmed the
arrest of Latif Mehsud, a
trusted deputy to Pakistani
Taliban leader Hakimullah
Mehsud, during a military
operation that heightened
tensions with the Westernbacked government of
Afghan President Hamid
Karzai. The Times reported
on Tuesday that the United
States staged the operation
to seize Mehsud after being
tipped off about the plan by
Afghan intelligence officials
to try to work with the
Pakistani Taliban and later
use that as leverage
against Pakistan. It quoted
two Afghan officials saying

that they had struck a tentative deal with Mehsud:

Afghanistan would not
harass Pakistani Taliban
fighters along the border if
they did not attack Afghan
forces."Publicly, the Afghan
government has
described
Mr.
Mehsud as an
insurgent peace
emissary.
But
according to Afghan
officials, the ultimate plan was to
take revenge against the
Pakistani military," the
Times wrote. The Afghan
embassy in Washington
declined comment. The
Afghan government and the
United
States
accuse
Pakistani intelligence services of ties to militant
groups fighting across the
border in Afghanistan.
Asked about the Times
report, a Western official,
speaking on condition of
anonymity, broadly confirmed Afghan efforts to
form an alliance with the
group but did not provide
further details.

Pakistan still supports terror operations in India: US expert

WASHINGTON: Pakistan
continues to support terror
operations in India even
after Nawaz Sharif has
taken over as the new
Prime Minister, a former top
Pentagon official and an
eminent defence analyst
has told the US Congress.
"They support terror operations in India with terrorist
organisations. They support
the Haqqani network and
the Taliban in conducting
operations against the
United States and Nato and

Afghanistan. They've got

blood all over their hands
with
the
casualties,"
General (Retd) Jack Keane
said yesterday. Currently
the chairman of the board of
top US thinktank, Institute
for the Study of War, Keane
said during a Congressional
hearing that he does not
expect much from the current regime. "This is a
regime that is dominated by
its military, who puts its military self above the state.
We've got a weak civilian

government, fundamentally
corrupt. The economy is in
the tank. We've got a raging
insurgency. We've got an
escalating nuclear power,"
Keane said. Stating that
terrorist safe-havens is a
big issue, Keane recommended that US forces be
permitted to target Haqqani
network inside Pakistan.
"My recommendation to
mitigate that risk is to permit
targeting of the Haqqani
network in those sanctuaries in Pakistan.

FIJISUN

event

www.fijisun-usa.com

november-2013

25

EVENTS & CELEBRATIONS

tisi sangamin association with Hayward sangam Diwali
celebration 2013, supported by portland sangam
exclusiVe
interView witH
puBlicity Director
Bal s. naiDu
HaywarD In an exclusive interview with Fiji Sun
editor Dr. H. Koya, the TISI
Sangam Publicity Director
Mr. Bal S. Naidu gave a clear
picture of the future plans
for growth, unity and expansion.
Whether for profit or
non-profit, an organization
needs money, manpower
and
accompanying
resources to succeed.
The 2013 Diwali celebration was one major part of
the continuing fund-raising
plan to acquire a property
for TISI SANGAM.
We have a lot of work to
do. And we are focusing on
unifying and strengthening
our base to ensure success
with
opportunities
for
everyone to work together
with special attention to our
younger
generation,
explained Bal S. Naidu.
Asked why a property,
Bal S. Naidu said: We need
a base a center to operate
from for social, cultural and
learning purposes. Without

a center, we have no place.

Every time we want to do an
event, we have to hire a
place.
TISI Sangam needs an
over a million dollar location with temple and parking facility in the long run.
The short term goal is to
buy two side by side plots
with existing houses one to
be rented to generate
income and one devoted to
social and religious purposes.
Bal S. Naidu a lifetime
member of both TISI
Sangam
and
Hayward
Sangam said that with over
$100,000.00 funds raised
during the term of the former president Gandhi
Naidu, this goal can be
achieved easily. However,
he added that the plan is to
continue building the funds
through more effective programs.
A major focus will be
devoted to intensifying TIV
SANGAM (youth under 40
members and Maather
(womens) Sangam the two
important wings of the
organization.
The Diwali Celebration
was led on October 26th,

national convention 2014

planning is under way to host
a first major national sangam
convention in 2014.

new
years eVe
party 2013
2013 Guest Speaker : Pt.
Bimlesh Sharma, Hayward
CAKey Note Speaker :
Gyaneshwaran
Pillai,
Seattle, WA
Pundit:Pt.Ranga Swami
Goundar, Hayward, CA
Event hosted by TISI
Sangam in association with
Hayward
Sangam
and
Portland Sangam.

HosteD By
HaywarD sangam
In conjunction with

At the Buddhist Center

Alvarado Nile Rd, Union City, CA

tisi sangam oFFice-Baeres anD committees

president
BalagounDer
treasurer
nalraj gounDar
secretary
sunita naiDu
Vice president
parmesHwar nair

Vice president
gopalganganna
assistant treasurer:
pt ranga s. gounDar
assistant secretary:
arVinD raman
public relations Director:
Bal s. naiDu

BoarD oF Directors
cHairman oF BoarD
oF Directors:
Kandappa Reddy
Directors
Arvind Raman
Avinash Naidu
Bal S. Naidu
BalaGounder
GopalGanganna
Kandappa Reddy
Krishna Reddy Nalraj Goundar
Neel Naidu
Nalraj Goundar

ParmeshPillay
Parmeshwar Nair
Parsu Ram Mudaliar
Pt Ranga S. Goundar
Sunita Naidu
Vijay Prakash
tisi sangam is our
parent BoDy
suBsiDiaries oF tisi
sangam
tiV sangam
maatHar sangam

TISI SANGAM

mission
statement

ur goal is to promote and

sponsor religious and cultural activities for the benefit of
our members. Furthermore, we operate for educational, religious, cultural
and charitable purposes and our
objective isto raise funds to maintain
a Hindu religious temple and cultural
center that could be benefited by
ourmembers. its our community, i.e.
you that have made us achieve success this far so we would like to thank
you foryour support.

For more
inFormation
please call:

Bal S. Naidu
510-750-3434
Publicity Director
TISI Sangam

26

sports

November-2013

www.fijisun-usa.com

FiJisun

My heart feels it's time

Tendulkar on his reTireMenT

Sachin Tendulkar, the demi-god of Indian

cricket and the worlds most prolific runscorer, announced on Thursday he will
quit Test cricket after playing his 200th
match against the West Indies next
month. "All my life, I have had a dream of
playing cricket for India. I have been living this dream every day for the last 24
years," the 40-year-old said in a statement released by the Board Of Control
For Cricket In India (BCCI) on Thursday.
"It's hard for me to imagine a life without
playing cricket because it's all I have ever
done since I was 11 years old, he said.
"I thank the BCCI for everything over the
years and for permitting me to move on
when my heart feels it's time," he added.
Tendulkar has already retired from ODIs.
His last test will be against the West
Indies at a yet to be determined venue
from November 14-18. A legend who
shattered records but remained humble
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting
once said that he would probably be batting in a wheelchair if he survived in
world cricket as long as Sachin
Tendulkar. Feared and respected by
opponents, Tendulkar changed the definition of Indian batting, shrewdly combining orthodox and unorthodox shots to
dominate any attack on any surface at
home or abroad. Legendary India opener
Sunil Gavaskar, the first batsman to complete 10,000 Test runs, said he was convinced the 1.65-metre (5 foot, 5 inches)
batsman would achieve greatness when
he first saw him bat in the nets more than
two decades ago."It is hard to imagine
any player in the history of the game who
combines classical technique with raw
aggression like the little champion does.
There is not a single shot he cannot
play," he said.Tendulkar shattered batting
records, earned millions of dollars and
was revered as a demi-god in India and
particularly at home in Mumbai. But in
the eyes of many fans, humility remains
his prime virtue. He's the closest thing
cricket has ever seen to the great Sir
Donald Bradman, the Australian who
famously averaged 99.94 per test innings
in the 1930s and 40s and has no peers in
the game. Tendulkar learned to carry the
weight of expectations early on, after
making his international debut during a
testing tour in 1989 at the age of 16
against a Pakistan lineup containing the
great Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in
its bowling attack. The feat of scoring
centuries on debut in all three of India's
top domestic tournaments - the Ranji
Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Cupcould not be repeated in international
cricket but Tendulkar quickly slipped into
the role of a reliable middle-order batsman in tests and later as a hard-hitting
opener in ODIs. There were early comparisons with contemporaries such as
Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq. Then
the ultimate flattery, with Bradman saying

Tributes
I have been an ardent follower
and admirer of Sachin Tendulkar
from the days he came to play
Buchi Babu in Chennai. He is without doubt the greatest cricketer
India has produced. In fact one
should really say he ranks among
the top of all time great sports persons in the world
-- BCCI President N
Srinivasan
He had all the shots in the
world. Don't just think about the talent that he had, because he was
born with that. It is the effort that he
has put in which is for all young
cricketers to emulate. As for his last
test, I would want him to play his
200th test (on home ground) in
Mumbai
-- Sourav Ganguly
It's a sad day but everyone has
to go one day. He has given happiness to millions and millions of people and has never been controversial
-- Kapil Dev
It's the right time for him to retire
- after 200 tests. Pressure for him
has always been more than for anyone else because people expected
him to score a century every time
he went out to bat
-- Muttiah Muralitharan
Greatest batsman retires. The
Master brought a lot of happiness
globally
- Former England captain
Michael Vaughan
Sachin was born to be
'Milestone Sachin Tendulkar'
because whatever he did was a
milestone. Even now he practises
for two hours, which makes him a
big role model for youngsters -Lalchand Rajput, coach of the 2007
Twenty20 World Cup winning
Indian team
With thanks from Mail Today
that watching Tendulkar was like watching himself bat. "I asked my wife to have
a look at him because ... I never saw
myself play but I feel that this fella is playing much the same as I used to play,"
Bradman was quoted as saying before
he died a decade ago. "She had a look at
the television and said 'Yes, there is a
similarity between the two.'" Tendulkar
shattered batting records, earned millions of dollars and was revered as a
demi-god in the country and particularly

at home in Mumbai. But in the eyes of

many fans, humility remains his prime
virtue. If there was any arrogance, it was
in his batting because he loved to dominate bowlers before injuries to his elbow,
back and ankle forced him to adapt his
game in the latter years of his career.
"The way he conducts himself and handles fame and everything that goes with
being Sachin is a great example for all
sportsmen," Australian leg-spin great
Shane Warne wrote in his book "Shane

Warne's century". "On the field, he has

never put himself before the
team."Technically sound, temperamentally unflappable, quick to adapt to different conditions, Tendulkar came very
close to batting perfection in his
pomp.He also became an unrivalled
source of pride in a country with few
international sporting heroes, capitalising on his status with commercial deals
to advertise cement, watches, sportswear
and
apartments
among

others.While little is shared about his private life, he is known as a fast-car enthusiast once reported to take his beloved
Ferrari out in the early hours of the morning to beat the traffic in his native
Mumbai.Under the guidance of his elder
brother and to the bemusement of his
late father, a college professor,
Tendulkar spent hours honing his skills
as a boy along with hundreds of others
on a busy park known as the Oval
Maidan in central Mumbai.

Rohit Sharma's fireworks give India series win

BANGALORE: Rohit Sharma
was always reckoned to be a
special talent, and the rapturous
Diwali holiday crowd marvelled
at the pristine quality of his
classy double century on
Saturday. The knock virtually
knocked the stuffing out of a
flummoxed Australian team in
the seventh and final ODI at the
M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The 57-run win gave India a
3-2 series win though the massive and unexpected resistance

from the Australian ninth wicket

pair of James Faulkner (116;
73b,11x4, 6x6) and Clint McKay
(18) spread panic through the
Indian ranks. Their 115-run partnership in just 89 balls was a
credit to the never-say-die spirit
of the Australians, whose
response to India's mammoth
383 was rousing. Local lad Vinay
Kumar (9-0-102-1) was taken to
the cleaners, but Shami Ahmed,
Ravichandran
Ashwin
and
Ravindra Jadeja struck telling

blows and made the difference.

Earlier, man of the match
Rohit Sharma's languid elegance
was captivating and reassuring.
He used the cricket bat not like a
bludgeon, but like an orchestra
conductor's baton. And when he
is on song, like he was on
Saturday, there are few better
sights in the game.
The Australians, who opted to
field first, were bewildered when
Rohit suddenly switched to overdrive. Till then they must have

been reasonably satisfied with

the way the decider was going.
They had India pegged back
at 250 for four at the start of the
43rd over and must have fancied
chasing a target around 300
runs. It was at this stage that
Rohit Sharma decided to switch
to a higher gear. Fours and sixes
were sprayed into the stands
with the relentless consistency of
machine-gun fire as the final
eight overs yielded a mind boggling 133 runs. It was an

astounding demonstration of
classy power-hitting. There was
plenty of finesse and grace in the
execution. Crowd favourite Virat
Kohli was unfortunately run out
without troubling the scorers
while Suresh Raina (28) and
Yuvraj Singh (12) were unconvincing after Rohit and southpaw
Shikhar Dhawan (60; 57b, 9x4)
had given the team a head start.
Rohit's running between the
wickets was not reassuring even
with Dhawan.

FIJIsUN

www.fijisun-usa.com

coMMUNity News

November-2013

27

UBER TURNING ThE TAXI INDUsTRY ON ITs hEAD

nless you are living in

San Francisco you
might not have heard
about Uber - the ride-sharing
Company yet. But wait, Uber is
now operating in the East Bay,
primarily the Berkeley and
Oakland areas, and spreading to
the South Bay (read Silicon
Valley) as well.
What exactly is UBER? Quite
simply, Uber facilitates consumers to arrange a car-for-hire
through a cutting-edge smart
phone app that provides realtime locations for drivers and
their prospective customers. The
drivers use late-model cars,
limos and suvs, have been properly vetted by Uber, and are, in
most cases, already professional
drivers.
The Uber concept is brilliant
in its simplicity. All drivers working with Uber are given a I
PHONE by Uber. The I Phone
has the Uber App preloaded.

When a customer presses a call

button on their smart phone,
from a free downloaded app
from Uber, a map flashes on the
driver's I Phone showing the customer location and giving the
driver 15 seconds to hit the
screen to accept the call. Upon,
arriving at the pickup destination,
a beep sounds to alert both the
driver and the customer that the
ride has arrived. In addition,
touching a button on the driver's
I Phone alerts the customer that
the vehicle, who they have
hailed through the Uber app on
their smart phone, has arrived.
Three minutes later, if the passenger hasn't hopped in, the
driver can phone him or her on a
specially Uber number. (the customer has the same ability to
contact the driver their this number the wonders of technology). Once the passenger is in
the Uber vehicle, the driver hits
the screen and the ride starts.

By Robbie Michaelson
The fare is calculated using a
series of gps-data and sophisticated algorithms and once the
drop-off destination has been
reached the driver clicks the app
on his smart phone again to end
the ride. Within seconds another
screen appears which allows the
driver to see the fare and rate
the customer (on a scale of 1 to
5). The driver is then free to take

another ride from Uber. Once the

driver has clicked off the ride the
departing customer receives a
text on their smart phone giving
the amount that will be charged
to their credit card on file and
allowing them to rate the driver.
The entire process is seamless and takes the acrimony and
stress out of the whole ride for
hire experience. There is no
money to exchange, change to
be made, credit card to be
processed. The tip is already
included in the fare. It is simple,
it is painless and the customers love it.
In addition, a major part of the
success of Uber is the fact that
when a customer calls for a ride
on their smart phone the Uber
vehicle is guaranteed to show up
unlike a San Francisco cab
that often throws a called-in
reservation back into the system in order to pick up a flag.
Uber drivers are not taxis and do

Urdu Academy monthly Mushairah at CHANDNI

FREMoNT- Led by Real Estate professional Tashie Zaheer, the Urdu Academy hosts
a monthly Mushairah at the famous CHANDNI RESTAURANT with a growing number
of participants. Last week, the Academy honored a visiting Pakistani poet.

not pick up flags. The Uber system matches drivers to customers. In fact the customer can
track the progress of the Uber
vehicle on the Uber gps map that
they have downloaded on their
smart phone. The customer also
knows the name of the Uber driver, his or her Uber rating, and the
make and color of vehicle coming to pick them up. The driver
knows that the customer information is already on file with
Uber so this arrangement provides a greater degree of safety
than the normal taxi/customer
relationship.
Uber started operations in
San Francisco and is now operating in some 35 cities globally. It
has over 300 employees and its
growth has been phenomenal. It
is a growth cycle that is likely,
with the backing of the PUC, to
continue to grow as hi-tech
meets the entrenched taxi industry head-on!

DIWALI CLEBRATION

DEEPAWALI

GREETINGS

aster Salesh
Chand of
San Mateo,
CA and Norfolk
Strikers-Wishes
everyone a very
Happy DeepawaliSubh Deepawali to
friends and families-wishes Happy, prosperity n Peace year
and also Welcomes
everyone to come
and enjoy to our multicultural Deepawali
Function event that we are hosting on Saturday
.Sept. 28th at: Cesar Chavez middle school- 27845
Whitman st, Hayward, CA 94544: 8.00am - 8:00pm.Jai Ho. Thanks in advance for all your support and
please feel free to call me with any questions at
650-346-1454.

AAAP SAAb kE JAI Ho.

Urdu Institute of California to

support Urdu Academy editor
Speaking to several former fans and members
of UIC Urdu Institute of California, the editor
told them UIC will support Urdu Academy in its
programs and encourage them to participate in
the monthly Mushaira.

NEED TO FILE pApERs IN FIJI COURTs

CALL US FIRST

Dr. H. koya (PhD)

Legal Analyst, professor in criminal justice.

CALL:
510-677-4488
email: drhkoya@hotmail.com
P o box 56491, HAYWARD, CA 94544

FIJI MUsLIM RELIEF FUND

Will be available soon!!

510-677-4488

ISLAMIC

STUDIES

Get your degree in

Islamic Studies through:
AMERICAN ISLAMIC
ACADEMY

Life Experience, plus presentations

and written submissions
accepted! Independently evaluated!

URDU ACADEMY
Contact

TAshIE
ZAhEER

510-759-3297
Tashie.zaheer@gmail.com

28

STAR AGE

November-2013

aries

March-21
to
April-20

caNcer

June-22
to
July-23

libra

September-24
to
October-22

caPricoN

December-23
to
Januar-20

This is a satisfactory month by and large.

Not many events are indicated but leisure
activities will be pleasant if not especially
stimulating. Do not try to force the pace.
The second and third weeks are good and
successful for new beginnings. Get out and
about more than you have been doing in
mid month. The second half of the month is
busy and spendthrift. Family members will
support you in your career matters and provide you with good advice.

This is a hopeful month especially for

unemployed. New opportunities
come your way in the first half of the
month. Confidence and courage can
get you at the desired place. During
mid month, your ideas will be taking
the constructive shapes. Any of your
inspirations should be seriously considered because you may be able to
adapt them to practical everyday life
and them work for you. Curb the tendency of being extravagant.

This is a demanding month. All the important

work should be tackled as early in the month
as possible. If you leave it too late you are likely to find you are unable to come to grips with
it. By then you will be snowed under with more
mundane jobs due to festivals. People with
more influence insist that you should be creative and more original. Family members will
be supportive of your positive attitude and you
should stick to it come what. Listen to the
advice of your loved ones whom you know to
have your best interests at heart.
This is a variable month for many of
you. Good luck can come to you
through the activities of people in distant places. During mid-month you will
find it easier to cope with the practical
day-to-day problems of your life.
During the second half of the month
superiors will tend to be more generous and friendly. Financial matters
need extra attention, as expenditure is
likely to increase more than usual.

iwali is also celebrated outD

side of India mainly in
Guyana, Fiji, Malaysia, Nepal,

Mauritius, Myanmar, Singapore,

Sri Lanka, Trinidad & Tobago,
Britain, Indonesia, Japan,
Thailand, Africa, Australia and
the US among the Hindus across
the world. Diwali celebrations in
Britain The Indians are the second largest ethnic minority in
Britain. To get rid of the feeling of
missing their homeland, especially during festival times, the
Indians here celebrate most of
the festivals. The occasion is
marked by visit to the local temple to worship the shrine of
Lakshmi, which they have made
for Diwali. Eating special sweets,
burning of incense sticks, lighting
the home and surroundings and
the blowing of the conch shell
follows the prayer session in the
Lakshmi temple. The festival
here is celebrated according to
the Hindu solar calendar hence it
falls in the months of OctoberNovember, amongst the cold,
damp and windy months in
Britain. Still the enthusiasm of
the festival celebration makes
the task of leaving small lamps
on windowsills or by open doorways possible ignoring the chill.
The lamps and diyas play their
part in maintaining the atmosphere of Diwali at home.

Diwali celebrations
in Guyana
Guyana, formerly known as
British Guiana, is located on the
northeast coast of South

Global

Diwali

taurus

April-21
to
May-20

leo

July-24
to
August-23

scorPio

October-23
to
November-22

aquaries

January-21
to
February-19

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This is a sensitive month for many of you.

Activity is indicated throughout the month.
You will be intent on making a name for
yourself or seeking the limelight in some
way. Business interests can bloom beyond
expectations, perhaps, though you will
always have a good idea what you are
after and should be able to judge when
opportunity will come. The income from a
recent investment may not be as high as
you expected in the end of the month.

gemiNi

This is an easygoing and casual

month for many of you. If you are
thinking of taking up a new course of
study, it might be a good idea to opt
for an artistic subject that will bring a
deepened sense of beauty into your
life. The mid-month is favorable for
going out and about to impress your
superiors or influential people. The
last week of the month is earning
extra money to supplement your
income.

virgo

All in all a fair month for you. Good

ideas for making money are likely to
emanate from people you team up with
in the first half of the month. The midmonth is good for joining forces with
associates at you place of work in order
to increase earning s and to cut down
on the amount of time that you spend
on routine jobs. During the last week do
your best to make your creative work
close to perfect.

This is an exciting month for many of

you. The first half is good for consulting professional advisors. Efforts
made at improving yourself as a person will be helped by favorable circumstances. The second half of the
month might turn out to be a truly
happy time for romance. The preparation for festival will consume quite
a lot of your spare time.

May-21
to
June-21

August-24
to
September-23

sagittarius

November-23
to
December-22

Pisces

February-20
to
March-20

MADE FOR DIWALI. EATING SPECIAL SWEETS, BURNING

OF INCENSE STICKS, LIGHTING THE HOME AND SURROUNDINGS AND THE BLOWING OF THE CONCH SHELL
FOLLOWS THE PRAYER SESSION IN THE LAKSHMI TEMPLE. THE FESTIVAL HERE IS CELEBRATED ....

FIJISUN

This is a busy and hectic month for you.

Love life is also highlighted this month.
It is especially true of people whom you
work along side. Just be sure that your
personal life does not get too entangled
up with career matters. Family members and close relatives will be monopolizing most of your time. During the second half of the month, over expenditure
may cause financial miscalculations.
Thought could also be turning to travel
communications or deep and extensive
mental studies for students.
This is a productive month. You will have plenty
of energy at your disposal this month. It is
therefore important that you channel it in a constructive and positive way. A more sophisticated and practical approach than usual may well
pay off when you are dealing with influential
people especially in second half of the month.
Do not talk about your imaginative ideas with
others until you have them fully formulated.
During last week of the month influential people
will tend to be more cooperative.

This month is very busy and changeable for

you. The search of a bit of excitement could
lead you to mix with the wrong company.
You should better stick to your work. It
would be wise to relate to friends or at least
avoid involvement with strangers. The second week of the month presents opportunity
to satisfy your need to get things done.
Some work that has been pending for quite
some time should be completed by the third
week of this month. Plan some entertainment in the second half of the month with
family and friends.
This is a quiet Month for many of
you. The first half of the week is for
some quiet reflection. Look back over
the recent past. The second half of
the week is good for attempts to pin
down superiors and for extracting
definite promise from them. People
who reappear out of the past can be
helpful; reunions will undoubtedly
be enjoyable.

Diwali celebrations
in Indonesia
The name Indonesia came from
two Greek words: "Indos"
meaning Indian and "Nesos"
meaning islands. The majority
of population follows Islam.
Hindus constituent about 2% of
Indonesia's total population.
However, the Indonesian island
of Bali is famous for celebrating
the festival of Diwali, as a
majority of the population here
is that of Indians. It is one of
the most revered festivals of the
locals here. The celebration and
rituals of the festival is mostly
similar to that celebrated by
their counterparts in India.

Diwali celebrations
in Malaysia

America. Guyana is 82,978

square miles in area and has a
population of about 7,70,000.
Hindus constitute 33% of
Guyana's total population. The
Co-operative Republic of Guyana
in Southern America celebrates
Diwali according to the Hindu
Solar calendar. The day of the
festival is declared as a national
holiday in the official calendar of
Guyana. The tradition of cele-

brating the festival is believed to

have been brought to Guyana in
the year 1853 by the first indentured people from India. The legends related to the festival are
similar to that of India. The celebration of the festival includes,
distribution of sweets, illuminating the inside and outside of the
house, exchange of greetings,
cleaning of houses and wearing
of new clothes. The celebrations

hold special significance for the

people of Guyana. The distribution of sweet signifies the importance of serving and sharing
whereas exchange of greeting
cards denotes the goodwill of
each other. The sweets distributed mainly consist of pera, barfi,
and kheer. The tradition of wearing new cloth for the people of
Guyana is significant especially
in this festival.

Fascinating in its diversity,

Malaysia has many mesmerizing charms and attractions.
With a population of about 20
million, comprising of a harmonious multi-ethnic mix of
Malays, Malaysia promises a
colorful potpourri of cultural traditions. Most are based on the
various religious practices,
beliefs and traditions influencing
the costumes, festivals, ceremonies and rituals. The Hindu
community of Malaysia constitutes about 8% of its total population .The community celebrates Diwali as a symbol of triumph of good over evil. The
Malaysian people call Diwali as
Hari Diwali.

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November-2013

29

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November-2013

gallery

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TISI SANGAM DIWALI 2013

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GALLERY

November-2013

31

Glimpses of 2013 Diwali festival HaywarD California

pictures by Faizal ali

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November-2013

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