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Community Post ----- 18-27,34-35

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HealthScience Post --------- 50-52

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Top Stories

U.S. MAY GIVE INDIADEFENSE TECH ACCESS

Details on page 7

Details on page 44

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Details on page 5

Details on page 6

Details on page 6

Narendra Modicalls for strongleadership

Details on page 23

Tulsi Gabbardjoins grandGanesh Visarjan

Details on page 18

WASHINGTON: TheUnited States is working ongiving India the same sta-tus as some of its "very clos-est allies" in the area oftechnology and export con-trols by getting the bureau-cratic hurdles out of theway, says a top Pentagonofficial.

As part of its efforts totake the India-US defenserelationship to the next leveland help New Delhi raise theindigenization of its of itsdefense systems, the Pen-tagon has initiated severalIndia-specific steps, detailsof which have not been re-vealed so far.

Deputy Secretary of De-fense Ashton B Carter willbe in India with a number ofco-production and co-de-velopment projects to NewDelhi to see whether Indiawould be interested in themand could further be dis-cussed when Prime Minis-ter Manmohan Singh meetsPresident Barack Obama onSeptember 27.

"So what we're doing isin the technology and exportcontrols area, working sothat India has the same sta-tus as our very closest al-lies and that our system isoperating on a time scalethat's consistent with theneeds for the Indian side tomake decisions," DeputySecretary of DefenseAshton B Carter told PTI.

Carter, who leads the USside for the Defense Technol-ogy Initiative, will have dis-cussions with officials in In-dia on the DTI. National Se-curity Advisor ShivshankarMenon leads the Indian side.

HAIL NEW AMERICA: The first-ever Miss America of Indian origin 24-year-old Nina

Davuluri, defying racist reactions, claimed after her victory at a New Jersey pageant

Sunday, Sept. 15, "I always viewed myself as first and foremost American."

(Details on page 8)Details on page 5

Details on page 7

RepublicanParty top gunsback Manju

Congress urgedto remove Indiaspecific clauses

AmbassadorRao visits OrangeCounty in LA

Centenary ofAmbedkarjoining varsity

Two securityguards held formurder of NRI

Indian-Americanamong 13 killedin US shooting

NY Police memoclarifies Indiansare Asian too

Leander Paes is greatest Indiantennis player?

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Bollywood:Who is Bigger Boss?Salman Khan has invited his arch rivalShahrukh Khan to Big Boss 7 to promotehis film, if he wants to

1Cover Story:Defense tech access

18Community:Ganesh Visarjan

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44Immigration:

Five former US Ambassadors to Indiahave requested the Congress to removeIndia-specific discriminatory provisions

12Techbiz:

The Indian Home Ministry has expressedstrong reservations over the proposedNational Telecom Security Policy

41Travel:JaipurJaipur, the City of Victory, is chaotic andcongested, though it still has a habit oftickling travelers pink.

Telecom security

This year's Ganesh Visarjan celebrationwas made special and memorable by thevisit of Congresswomen Tulsi Gabbard

The United States is working on givingIndia the same status as some of its "veryclosest allies" in the area of technology

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One country that is most worried about the US immigration reform bill -except perhaps Mexico - is India and by extension, all those dealing in trade

and business between the two countries.America's concerns over the out-of-control immigration system, and its anxiety

to make some sense of it is totally justified if it wants to set limits on who entersits borders and how.

But, it must also be said that in today's global economy, it would only befoolhardy not to consider the impact of any laws on the national economy.

The US-India Business Council (USIBC) has been lobbying the US Con-gress for long to have US-India trade and business interests to be factored inbefore any bill is made into law. In fact, last week, the USIBC and the Coalitionfor Jobs and Growth worked with five former US Ambassadors to India toreach Congress about American jobs and competitiveness.

The letter signed by former Ambassadors Thomas R. Pickering, Frank G.Wisner, Richard Celeste, David C. Mulford, and Robert Blackwill, speaks morefor India than India can ever speak for itself.

The facts first: Two-way trade in goods and services has reached over $100billion a year, investment by American companies in India and Indian corpora-tions in the US now exceeds $50 billion; US-India defense trade has surpassed $10billion; and most importantly, at the heart of opportunities for US exports to, andinvestments in India, is India's 300 million-plus middle-class - larger than theentire US population - with a purchasing power greater than $30,000 per year.

The former US envoys make pertinent observations that "protectionist legis-lation, which is normally reserved for nations with whom the US has non-productive relations" does not fit India.

The letter urges the Congress to revise those sections of the Bill and removeany features that would limit market entry of IT professionals, as they arevirtually punitive.

Well, if the diplomats have spoken, I am sure their message will fall on theright ears, because any blocks on the US-India trade progress at this stage willmake little or no economic sense to either country. Health Science

Drugmakers from India have got morethan 100 generic drug approvals from theAmerican health regulator FDA this year

FDA approval

India PostSeptember 20, 2013 5

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US may give India defense tech accessWASHINGTON: The United

States is working on giving Indiathe same status as some of its"very closest allies" in the area oftechnology and export controls bygetting the bureaucratic hurdlesout of the way, says a top Penta-gon official.

As part of its efforts to take theIndia-US defense relationship tothe next level and help New Delhiraise the indigenization of its ofits defense systems, the Pentagon

has initiated several India-specificsteps, details of which have notbeen revealed so far.

Deputy Secretary of DefenseAshton B Carter will be in Indiawith a number of co-productionand co-development projects toNew Delhi to see whether India

would be interested in them andcould further be discussed whenPrime Minister Manmohan Singhmeets President Barack Obama onSeptember 27.

"So what we're doing is in thetechnology and export controlsarea, working so that India has thesame status as our very closestallies and that our system is oper-ating on a time scale that's con-sistent with the needs for the In-dian side to make decisions,"Deputy Secretary of DefenseAshton B Carter told PTI.

Carter, who leads the US sidefor the Defense Technology Ini-tiative, will have discussions withofficials in India on the DTI. Na-tional Security AdvisorShivshankar Menon leads the In-dian side.

Asserting that the US and In-dia are destined to be partners inthe world stage even thoughtheir interests do not coincidealways, Carter said the ObamaAdministration is keen to take theIndia-US defense relationship tothe next level and help New Delhiincrease indignation of its de-fense system.

"Many find our foreign mili-tary sales program cumbersome,and many of my Indian col-leagues say the same thing to me,and I readily acknowledge thatwe need to get better at making itmore user-friendly," Carter toldPTI.

"So co-production and co-de-velopment projects...I'm bringing anumber of them to India to presentand say only you know whetheryou'd be interested in these, butwhat I can tell you is, I've gottenthe bureaucratic obstacles out ofthe way," Carter said.

National Security AdvisorShivshankar Menon is leadingthe Indian side in this initiative,which many say is going to bepath-breaking.

"It obviously has many dimen-sions. We're working very, veryhard on it, as are our colleaguesin India. This is a long-termproject, but it has a number ofvery short-term excellent pros-pects for doing things the wayIndia would like to do it, which isan emphasis on co-production,co-development, technology-

sharing, and digitization, and soforth," he said.

"We hope to have some ofthat ready so that when the PrimeMinister comes and meets withPresident Obama. I'm sure they'llbe discussing the idea, but they'llalso have some specific ex-amples, in addition to the C-130Jand the things that are alreadygoing on and the things that wemight be able to do in the futuretogether," Carter said.

"The goal is to make it so thatthe only limitations on what wecan do together as two defenseestablishments are limitations thatarise from our different interestsor different policies, but that thereotherwise isn't any mechanical orbureaucratic impediment to doingthings together that we want todo," Carter said. -PTI

Asserting that the US and India are destinedto be partners in the world stage even thoughtheir interests do not coincide always, Cartersaid the Obama Administration is keen totake the India-US defense relationship to thenext level and help New Delhi increase in-dignation of its defense system

Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton B Carter

Narendra Modi calls for strong leadership at Center

Modi seeks mother's blessings on birthdayAHMEDABAD: BJP's prime

ministerial candidate NarendraModi sought blessings from hismother on his 64th birthday onSept 17 and said the goodwishes that he has received fromcommon people will not go invain.

Modi went to the house ofhis younger brother PankajModi in Gandhinagar early in themorning to seek blessings of hismother Hira Ba (94), who giftedhim a book and some money.

REWARI, Haryana: In his firstpublic rally after being anointedBJP's Prime Ministerial candidate,Narendra Modi on Sept 15 made astrong pitch for "strong leader-ship" at the Centre and asked poli-ticians to take lessons in true secu-larism from the Army.

Modi, who has accused theUPA government of poor gover-nance, said if the country has tobe steered out of the present mess,it needs a "strong government"with a person who can lead fromthe front.

"If you want to see the coun-try strong, if you want a stronggovernment in Delhi, then checkwhether your name is on the voterlist," he said while urging the

youth to exercise their right tovote.

In his 65-minute address, Modimade several references to formerPrime Minister Atal BehariVajpayee, who was considered amoderate in the BJP, and to the"true secularism" prevailingamong armed forces.

The politics of vote banks hasbecome disgusting in our coun-try. Politicians who want to dividethe society through vote bankpolitics, should learn true secu-larism from our armed forces," hetold the rally attended by formerArmy Chief Gen V.K. Singh and alarge number of ex-servicemen.

Training his guns at the Cen-tre, Modi said the border troubles

with Pakistan and China were notbecause of any shortcomings inthe Army.

"The problem is in Delhi. Andhence the solution to this prob-lem has to be found in Delhi itself.The problem will be solved onlywhen a competent, patriotic andpeople-oriented government isformed at the Centre," he said.

Lashing out at the policies ofthe Centre, he said that "every daywe are facing problems...Pakistanis not giving up its design...Chinais showing us its might by intru-

sion... is keen to stop Brahmaputrarivers water and wants to take con-trol over Arunachal Pardesh."

"...The government that is sit-ting in Delhi is not at all con-cerned about them. They feel thatsuch incidents keep taking place,"he said.

Noting that today's rally is the"call for change" and that the"land of Haryana has challengedthe Delhi Sultanate," he said"when you are standing amid theArmy in battlefield, then your abil-ity to lead is seen.-PTIBJPs prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 elections and Gujarat CM Narendra Modi addressing

an ex-sevicemen rally in Rewari

Narendra Modi shares sweets with his mother Hira Ba on his 64th birthday

in Gandhinagar on September 17Cont’d on page 6


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Modi seeks mother'sblessings on birthday

"I came for my mother's bless-ings, there is no bigger privilegethan that," Modi said.

Sources in Modi's office saidthat he received good wishes fromPrime Minister Manmohan Singh,BJP leader L K Advani and alsonoted singer Lata Mangeshkar,among others.

"Today is a day of dignity oflabor and dignity of laborers -

Shrameva Jayate. And this isthe biggest prayer to BhagwanVishwakarma. I extend greetingsto all Vishwakarma devotees,"Modi said

"Everyone has blessed me,and given love to me. I believethat people's blessings never gowaste. That will give me strength,understanding and capability," theGujarat Chief Minister said.

He also said that on this daySardar Vallabhbhai Patel liberatedHyderabad from the Nizam's rule.

Modi also went to the houseof former Chief MinisterKeshubhai Patel to seek his bless-ings. Patel, who parted ways withBJP and formed his own party,greeted Modi.

Later, Modi went to his officeand was engaged in routine work,officials said.-PTI

Cont’d from page 5

Ambassador Rao visits Orange County in LAIndia Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: AmbassadorNirupama Rao visited OrangeCounty in the vicinity of Los An-geles, California on September 14at the invitation of the Chairmanof the House Foreign Affairs Com-mittee, Congressman Ed Royce,who represents that district in theUnited States Congress.

As one of the most well-re-spected leaders on foreign policyin the US Congress, ChairmanRoyce has been an ardent sup-porter of India and India-US rela-tions and one of the earliest pro-tagonists of the CongressionalCaucus on India and IndianAmericans, which he has co-chaired in the past on more thanone occasion. He continues tobe an active member and a lead-ing voice of the Caucus.

Speaking at a welcome gath-ering of local leaders and the In-dian American community hosted

in her honor by the former Mayorof Anaheim, Harry Sidhu, Ambas-sador Rao thanked ChairmanRoyce and Mrs. Marie Royce fortheir invitation, saying that she

counted them among her closestfriends in the United States.

Ambassador Rao describedthe "great resurgence" in India-U.S. ties as a partnership in a

"state of irreversible excellence"and "with its sights firmly set onthe future". She praised Chair-man Royce's personal contribu-tion in this transformation, call-ing him "one of the greatestchampions and pioneers of theIndia-U.S. Strategic Partnership."

She spoke of the "natural af-finity" between the peoples of thetwo countries, who she said wereat the heart of this partnershipspanning from defense coopera-tion and counter-terrorism totrade, innovation, technologyand education.

Ambassador Rao affirmed thatgeopolitical shifts in the worldmade India and the US "naturalpartners in the advancement ofcommon goals of peace, prosper-ity and development for all of hu-manity".

In his welcome remarks, Chair-man Royce praised AmbassadorRao's untiring efforts to promoteIndia-US cooperation in diverse

fields. He reflected on the role ofthe India Caucus in the transfor-mation of India-US relations overthe last two decades, which hedescribed as "phenomenal" and

"based on same interests and val-ues". Chairman Royce counteddeepening of India-US trade rela-tions and counter-terrorism coop-eration among his priorities. He

commended the role of the IndianAmerican community in buildingcloser India-US partnership withtheir talent and determination.

The California State SenatorMimi Walters also joined the eventto welcome Ambassador Rao.

Later that afternoon, the Ameri-can Women for International Un-derstanding (AWIU) hosted Am-bassador Rao for a discussion onrecent developments in India andIndia-US relations.

AWIU is a non-governmentorganization which has beenworking on promoting awarenessand understanding on issues fac-ing women through worldwidedelegations and internationalnetworking. During the discus-sion moderated by Mrs. MarieRoyce, Ambassador Rao an-swered questions on women'sempowerment, economy, educa-tion and technology, as well asforeign policy issues in India'sneighborhood.

Chairman Royce hasbeen an ardent sup-porter of India andIndia-US relationsand one of the earli-est protagonists ofthe CongressionalCaucus on India andIndian Americans

Later that afternoon,the AmericanWomen for Interna-tional Understanding(AWIU) hosted Am-bassador Rao for adiscussion on recentdevelopments inIndia and India-USrelations

2 security guards held formurder of NRI youth

NEW DELHI: Two securityguards at a house where a US-based NRI youth was murderedafter a scuffle at a party recentlyhave been arrested in connectionwith the killing. Four friends of thedeceased, who were presentthere, have been booked underanti-narcotics law.

Anmol Sarna was found deadon Sept 14 night in Kalkaji areaafter being hit with a heavy ob-ject during a scuffle at the party.

The security guards, identifiedas Surender Bali (46) of Madangir

area and Naresh Mishra (60) ofSangam Vihar have been arrestedand booked for murder, policesaid.

Anmol's four friends have alsobeen arrested and booked underSection 27 of the Narcotic Drugsand Psychotropic Substances Act.

The arrested friends of Anmolare identified as Pranel Shah,Shivank Gambir, MadhavBhandari and Ridham Girhotra, allin their 20s, they said.

Police said search is on to nabthe drug supplier. -PTI

China for understanding,widening of ties with India

NEW DELHI: China hasstrongly pitched for better under-standing and widening of ties withIndia, asserting that it was notonly important for these two coun-tries but also for the region.

There is a need for greater in-teraction between people from allwalks of life, especially journalistsfor better understanding of howthe government and systems

function in respective countries,Cai Mingzhao, Chinese Ministerof the State Council InformationOffice, said during a visit to PressTrust of India (PTI) headquartershere.

The minister, who was accom-panied by Chinese Ambassadorto India Wei Wei and other seniorofficials of his ministry and em-bassy, talked to senior PTI editorson several media- related issues,including enhanced cooperationbetween Chinese official newsagency Xinhua and the Indiannews agency.

The minister, who inaugurated

the first India-China media forumalong with External Affairs Minis-ter Salman Khurshid here, alsosaid that India and China's rela-tionship has great potential forgrowth which should be utilized

through enhanced interactions.He also advocated the depen-

dence on "authentic" sourceswhile reporting big events hap-pening in China instead of de-pending on western media, whichmay have difference in their per-ception while doing the reportageof incidents there.

During the Forum meeting, hehad also proposed that the media

forum become an institutionalizedplatform for regular exchangesbetween the media persons of thetwo sides and should be held al-ternatively in India and China. -PTI

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and China Minister of the State Council Information Office, Cai Mingzhao

pose with participants during the inauguration of India-China Media Forum in New Delhi on September 16


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NYC to fete centenary ofAmbedkar joining varsity

NEW YORK: The ConsulateGeneral of India in New York willcelebrate in a grand manner thecentenary of Dr B R Ambedkarjoining the Columbia Universityfor a graduate course in legal stud-ies.

Indian Consul General in NewYork Dnyaneshwar Mulay saidAmbedkar joined the Ivy Leagueinstitution in New Yorkin 1913 to pursue higherstudies in law.

He said the contribu-tion of Ambedkar to In-dia especially the draft-ing of Indian Constitu-tion will remain for cen-turies to come. TheConsulate will cel-ebrate the occasion in afitting manner, headded.

Addressing the re-ception hosted by In-dia-America Chamber of Com-merce, Mulay said India is morethan Hinduness and is home toMuslims, Buddhists, Christians,Jews, Jains and Zoroastrians.

The basic thread that unites allIndians is the Indianess and notHindusim alone. India gives thefreedom to people from all faith tomaintain their identities.

Mulay blamed both the na-

tional and international media forexaggerating the incidents of rapeand ill-treatment of women andsaid such a negative coverage hasbrought a bad name to India inthe eyes of foreigners, especiallyinvestors.

He said rape is a universal phe-nomenon not restricted to Indiaalone. He was answering a ques-

tion from an audience and refer-ring to the half-page article in TheNew York Times on the increas-ing incidents of rape in India.

Rajiv Khanna, president of In-dia-America Chamber of Com-merce, said the Chamber stoodwith India from the days of sup-ply of 301 Super Computers toIndia to the passage Indo-US CivilNuclear deal. -PTI

Addressing the receptionhosted by India-AmericaChamber of Commerce,Mulay said India is morethan Hinduness and is hometo Muslims, Buddhists,Christians, Jews, Jainsand Zoroastrians

Indian-American among 13killed in US shooting

WASHINGTON: At least 12people, including an Indian-American, were killed by a lonegunman in an audacious massshooting at the high-securityWashington Navy Yard locatedat a short distance from the WhiteHouse.

In all 12 people - mostly mili-tary contractors - were killed whenthe gunman, himself a defensecontractor, went on a shootingrampage inside the WashingtonNavy Yard on Sept 16.

"We now have a total of 13 fa-talities, including the shooter,"the Washington DC Mayor,Vincent Gray, told reporters at anews conference.

The Washington Metropoli-

tan Police released the names ofseven of those who were killedin the shootout, with one of them

being 61-year-old Indian-Ameri-can Vishnu Pandit.

The other six identified were

Michael Arnold, 59; SylviaFrasier, 53; Kathy Gaarde, 62;John Roger Johnson,73; FrankKohler, 50 and Kenneth BernardProctor, 46.

No other details were immedi-ately known about Pandit, exceptthat he was a defense contractor.

The shooter, who died in thebrazen incident, was identified as34-year-old military contractorAaron Alexis.

According to officials, Alexisleft Texas about a year ago. He isbelieved to have entered the NavyYard with a valid badge and hadbeen in the Washington region forabout four months. He worked asan hourly employee with a de-fense contractor.-AP

Police released thenames of seven ofthose who werekilled in the shootout,with one of thembeing 61-year-oldIndian-AmericanVishnu Pandit

NY Police memo clarifiesIndians are Asian too

NEW YORK: Police officers ofNew York received a lesson in de-mography when their chief issueda memo clarifying the differencebetween Native Americans andAsian Indians.

New York Police Department(NYPD) Commissioner Ray Kellyissued the memo to prevent "in-correct racial identification" in thefuture.

Kelly told NYPD of-ficers that "incorrectracial identification im-pacts the department'sdata collection."

A person's race isnoted in police reportswhen a crime suspectsare described by a vic-tim. It is also noted onUF-250s - the stop,question and frisk reports.

There has been an apparentmix-up between Asian Indians andAmerican Indians in a modestnumber of reports. The mistakewas discovered by the QualityAssurance Division.

"Like any large organization weregularly post internal memos re-minding employees of the impor-tance of uniformity when prepar-ing official documents," saidNYPD spokesman Deputy Com-missioner John McCarthy.

Incorrect data could hideemerging crime patterns or pro-vide police with a misleading de-

scription of a suspect, sourcessaid.

The new memo asked suspectsto be identified as white, black,American Indian, Asian or PacificIslander and Hispanic white orHispanic black. -PTI

There has been an apparentmix-up between AsianIndians and American Indi-ans in a modest number ofreports. The mistake wasdiscovered by the QualityAssurance Division

China reacts cautiously toIndia's Agni-V 2nd launch

BEIJING: Reacting cautiouslyto India's second launch of ballis-tic missile Agni-V that has a strikerange of over 5,000 km, China hassaid both sides should make con-certed efforts to enhance politicaltrust and asked media to play amore conducive role to improvebilateral ties.

"We have noted relevant re-ports and comments and hope rel-evant media can do more, that isconducive to the growth ofChina-India relations and regionalpeace and stability," Foreign Min-istry Spokesman Hong Lei toldreporters when asked for his re-action to the second successfullaunch of Agni-V.

"Both China and India are im-portant emerging economies andnatural cooperative partners.Both sides should make concertedefforts to enhance political mutualtrust and work peace and stabil-ity of this region," he said.

Unlike its first test launch lastyear, this test of Agni-V evoked sub-dued reactions in Chinese media.

The state-run Xinhua newsagency as well the official ChinaDaily reported about the launchand took note of the successfultest firing of the nuclear capablemissile, which brings into its rangeseveral major cities of China.

When the missile was first testfired last year, it evoked mixed re-actions among Chinese strategicanalysts.

While one expert termed it as a"milestone" in propelling Indiainto exclusive club of countrieswith intercontinental ballistic mis-siles another analyst said it re-

flected India's plans to becomeworld power.

"No doubt it is a milestone forIndia," Fu Xiaoqiang, a Chineseexpert on South Asia at the ChinaInstitutes of Contemporary Inter-national Relations, said reactingto the launch of Agni-V.

"It not only makes India sit atthe same table as the ICBM clubbut also makes it a bigger playerin a multi-polar world," Fu toldstate-run Global Times after thefirst test launch last year.

"India has been seeing Chinaas a goal or a competitor for its

own development, military powerincluded," he said, adding "Chinadoes not see India as a threat inreality. The development of Indiahelps push forward the multi-po-larization of the world."

"The media focuses much onIndia's challenge to China with themissile but neglects how it willchange the international patternand enhance India's role on theglobal stage," Fu said.

"It is worth noting that India'smissile could also pose a poten-tial threat to other countries be-sides China," he said. -PTI

India conducted second

test flight of its indig-

enously developed

nuclear- capable Agni-V

long-range ballistic

missile from the Wheeler

Island, Odhisa on

September 15


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Top Stories

Indian-origin beauty becomes Miss AmericaNEW JERSEY/HOUSTON: Twenty-four-

year-old Miss New York Nina Davuluri onSeptember 15 became the first contestantof Indian-origin to win the prestigious MissAmerica pageant after wooing the judgeswith a Bollywood fusion dance.

Nina, who aspires to become a physi-cian like her father, will earn at least USD50,000 in scholarships.

She was crowned Miss America duringan event held in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

"I'm so happy this organization has em-braced diversity," she said in her first pressconference after winning the crown.

"I'm thankful there are children watch-ing at home who can finally relate to a new

named Miss America, waving and brush-ing away tears of joy.

Fifty three gorgeous women from asmany states participated in the competition.Miss California Crystal Lee was the run-ner-up. Miss Oklahoma Kesley Griswoldcame in third place.

Contestants were judged on eveninggowns, lifestyle/fitness, talent, a personalinterview and an on-stage question.

Davuluri is the second consecutive MissNew York to win the Miss America crown,succeeding Mallory Hagan.

She was asked about the wisdom of TVanchor getting plastic surgery on her eyesto alter her appearance.

Davuluri said she's against plastic sur-gery, but said people should make their ownchoice but be confident in their appear-ances.

She showcased a classical Bollywoodfusion dance piece as her talent.

Soon after being named Miss New York,Davuluri was working with Nakul DevMahajan, a choreographer with the "So YouThink You Can Dance" television show.

She also had formal training in Indiandance for the past 15 years, including sum-mers in India.

Davuluri, who struggled with bulimiaand weight problem, said she lost 60pounds prior to becoming Miss New York.

Davuluri was born in Syracuse, butmoved to Oklahoma at age four then toMichigan at 10. Six years ago, her familymoved to Fayetteville, where her dad is anobstetrician/gynecologist affiliated with StJoseph's Hospital.

Davuluri's has a degree from the Univer-sity of Michigan in brain behavior and cog-nitive science.-PTI

Miss America."Her pageant platform was "celebrating

diversity through cultural competency"and Davuluri said she's had to dispel a lotof misconceptions about her culturethrough the years, such as whether herparents will arrange a marriage for her.

She said she plans to represent her rootsand push her platform of diversity in hernew role.

"I'm most excited to promote my plat-form, I was the first Indian Miss New Yorkand I'm so proud to be the first Indian MissAmerica," she said tearfully.

Davuluri, in a canary-yellow eveninggown, walked the runway after being

Miss New York Nina Davuluri, front, is

crowned as Miss America 2014 by Miss

America 2013 Mallory Hagan, Sept. 15, in

Atlantic City, N.J

Miss New York Nina Davuluri poses for

photographers following her crowning as

Miss America 2014


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Miss America won't look the same anymore, she saidMiss America is evolving. And she's

not going to look the same anymore."

So predicted Nina Davuluri during herquest to become the first Indian-Americanwinner of the quintessential Americanbeauty pageant. Then Davuluri backed itup by whirling through a Bollywood dancein a sari, baring her skin in a bikini, andchampioning the kind of diversity thatmade her milestone seem inevitable.

So why did her victory make such asplash among those who rarely pay atten-tion to the contest, when America alreadyhas its fair share of Indian-American gov-ernors, CEOs, scientists, actors and otherhigh achievers?

For many Americans of Indian heritage,it showed the unique promise of America,the way the nation and its new immigrantsare responding to each other - and the chal-lenges that remain as America changes indeeper ways than black and white.

Amardeep Singh, an English professorat Lehigh University, said that MissAmerica is a symbol of national identity,

who represents the society as a whole. Sowhen an Indian woman wins, "that reallyresonates."

Even though there was some racially-charged online criticism of the choice, hesaid that overall, "America is willing to ac-cept and celebrate her version of beauty."

And Indian-Americans, especially thoseborn here like Davuluri, are demonstratinga newfound comfort level in their country."I always viewed myself as first and fore-most American," Davuluri said after her win.

"It's a relatively new phenomenon thatIndian-American women would even thinkof themselves as potentially having achance," Singh said. "It's the way thingsare changing in America. The Indian com-munity is becoming more comfortable in itsskin."

There have been seven black MissAmericas, starting with Vanessa Williams30 years ago. A Hawaii-born Filipina wonin 2001. But Davuluri's win drew the atten-tion "because it's so different," said

Lakshmi Gandhi, editor of the Indian-Ameri-can blog TheAerogram.com.

"I grew up in the States, and I wouldnever have thought of an Indian MissAmerica," she said. "That's why people areso excited, they've never seen this before."

Gandhi said that Davuluri's choice to per-form a Bollywood dance in the talent por-tion of the contest struck a chord with otherIndians. That, and the fact that Davuluri'sskin tone is a bit darker than what Indianculture often considers beautiful.

"I don't see a lot of darker Indians inBollywood, in movies, so that is somethingI noticed," Gandhi said.

Cont’d on page 10

She did a Bollywood dance number


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Many observed that Davuluri'sskin tone would be too dark forher to win a Miss India pageant -so it said something special aboutAmerica when it chose her as anideal beauty.

"The United States, at the endof the day, is a country that repre-sents diversity and inclusion anda sort of coming together of theworld in some of the most incred-ible ways," said Mallika Dutt,founder of the human rights or-ganization Breakthrough.

But Dutt also pointed out thatDavuluri's milestonelanded in the middle ofa heated national debateon immigration, na-tional identity, and whois - or should be - anAmerican. "So havingan Indian-American winthis very symbolic mo-ment is challengingsome very fundamentalnotions of Americanidentity in a way theyhaven't been challenged," Duttsaid.

That challenge was evident ina smattering of racist tweets in thewake of the pageant. "That's animportant angle to the story," saidDeepa Iyer, executive director ofthe advocacy group South AsianAmericans Leading Together.

"There are a number of narra-tives coming out," she said. "Oneis, isn't it something that some-one who looks like her, who hasher name, can win this pageant?"

"The other piece," Iyer contin-ued, "is that we're still seeing thisstory of racist backlash that wehave seen in many ways over the

Miss America won't look thesame anymore, she said

years. It just reflects the racialanxiety that some people have inthis country when someone wholooks or sounds differentachieves a level of success thatfor some reason is seen as beingreserved for a certain type ofquote-unquote Americans."

Vandana Kumar, publisher ofIndia Currents magazine, likenedthose racist tweets to some of theracial resistance faced by Presi-dent Barack Obama: "Whenpeople of different races breakbarriers, we get some scrutiny,some pushback."

But ultimately, she saw

Davuluri's win as a sign of prom-ise.

"This sounds so cliche; but ifyou set your heart to do anything,don't let your skin or your religionor anything hold you back," shesaid. "I loved the fact that sheproved that the best womanwins."

The second best woman in thisyear's pageant, Miss California, isChinese-American. Which makesDavuluri's prediction resonateeven more deeply - especially in aslightly shortened form:

"America is changing. Andshe's not going to look the sameanymore."-AP

Target of racism on social media

Davuluri's win similar to Myerson's: US lawmakerWASHINGTON: Describing

the crowing of Nina Davuluri asMiss America as a proud momentfor the Indian-Americans, a topUS lawmaker has said that her featwas similar to the proud momentfor Jews when Bess Myerson be-came the first woman of their com-munity to win the title in 1945.

"I cannot be happier to con-gratulate Nina Davuluri on be-coming the first person of Indiandescent to be crowned MissAmerica," Congresswoman GraceMeng said.

Davuluri is the first Indian-American to have ever won theprestigious beauty pageant.

"This is a huge accomplish-ment not only for her but for theentire Indian-American commu-nity, and I am privileged to join allIndian-Americans in celebrating

this outstanding mile-stone," she said.

"It draws parallels to thepride felt by the Jewishcommunity when BessMyerson became the firstJewish woman to win MissAmerica in 1945," Mengsaid.

Davuluri is a wonderfulyoung woman who over-came obstacles to win thisprestigious title throughhard work and determina-tion, added Meng, the firstAsian-American Memberof Congress from NewYork.

"I am proud to saluteher, my fellow New Yorker,for all she has accom-plished on her exceptionaljourney. I know that

whether she pursues medicine oranother career, she will always findsuccess in life," Meng said.

The Indian-American commu-nity cheered the crowning of the24-year-old Davuluri,also the first IndianMiss New York.

"Not only are we theprofessionals that weused to be known for -doctors, pharmacists,lawyers, engineers -from there we havemoved to an entirebreadth of the economyand the cultures of the UnitedStates of America," eminent In-dian-American philanthropistKiran Patel told the local Fox 13 inTampa.

"I mean, they're beautiful,

“Having an Indian-Ameri-can win this very symbolicmoment is challengingsome very fundamentalnotions of American identityin a way they haven'tbeen challenged”


smart; I was not surprised at theleast. I thought it was just a mat-ter of time," said Roshni Hannon,an executive producer at Fox 13and a former Miss India America

finalist."The one thing that I always

told myself is that there is alwaysgonna be one person out therethat doesn't like you," she said.-PTI

“They're beautiful, smart;I was not surprised at theleast. I thought it was just amatter of time," said RoshniHannon, an executiveproducer at Fox 13

Congresswoman Grace Meng

NEW JERSEY: The crowningof the first Miss America of In-dian origin sparked a racist re-action on social media but 24-year-old Nina Davuluri playeddown the issue, saying she hadto "rise above" such things.

On Twitter, some users un-charitably referred to Davuluri asan Arab and a terrorist with tiesto Al Qaeda.

A user with the handle@emi_adkins tweeted, "It'scalled Miss America. Get outtahere New York you look like aterrorist."

Some like Luke Brasili soughtto link Davuluri's win with theanniversary of the September 11terror attacks in the US.

"9/11 was 4 days ago and shegets Miss America?" he tweeted.

"Congratulations Al-Qaeda.Our Miss America is one ofyou," posted@Blayne_MkltRain.

Davuluri, who described her

performance of a Bollywood-styledance at the Miss America pag-eant a victory for diversity in the

US, appeared unfazed by racism."I have to rise above that...I

always viewed myself as first andforemost American," the New

York native told a news confer-ence after being crowned.

"I'm thankful there are chil-dren watching at home who canfinally relate to a new MissAmerica," she said.

Amid the racist tweets, therewas support for Davuluri.

The Jezebel feminist blogdenounced the commentsagainst the beauty queen andsaid "racists are being racistbecause Miss America isn'twhite."

Twitter user @CJlovebugposted: "This world is so igno-rant. #MissAmerica Indian ornot had every right to gain thetitle of MissAmerica. This iswhy I want to leave America!"

"Stop hating, America. She'sone of us..." tweeted EmmaSydney, while @ericatessawrote: "I think it's fabulous that@NinaDavuluri won#MissAmerica! America isabout diversity. -PTI

Nina Davuluri

Indian doc found guilty of rape in AustraliaMELBOURNE: A 39-year-old

Indian doctor has been foundguilty by Australian SupremeCourt of raping two women dur-ing consultations, even as hepleaded not guilty to the charges.

Manu Maimbilly Gopal was ar-rested on March 1 at MelbourneInternational Airport while wait-ing to fly to Kochi after contactedby local police about the sexualassault claims.

Gopal was accused of digitallypenetrating two women after tell-ing them they needed internalvaginal examinations when they

complained of abdominal painduring separate visits to aSunbury medical clinic in Febru-ary last year.

He was found guilty after atwo-week trial.

Justice Geoffrey Nettle re-manded him for a pre-sentencehearing on September 26, accord-ing to 'The Age' newspaper.

The report said that Gopal tookhis first victim, an 18-year-old full-time student suffering from stom-ach cramps, to the consultationroom and locked the door.

"(The young woman) told you

that she didn't understand whatthe internal examination wouldinvolve, where it was going to be,"Crown prosecutor Lesley Taylorsaid in her closing address to thejury.

The examination took up tofour minutes and Gopal did nottake notes.

The victim after the examina-tion said she "crumbled" and herboyfriend had to hold her up asshe cried uncontrollably. "Shesaid the perfect word to describehow she felt was violated," Tay-lor said.-PTI


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'Missile test won't changeAsian security dynamics'WASHINGTON: The success-

ful Agni-V missile launch that canreach as far as Beijing, is unlikelyto change the security dynamicsin Asia specially between Indiaand China, some American expertsfeel.

Agni 5, however, enhancesIndia's deterrence capabilitiesagainst China, they said.

"The existence of the Agni-vdoes not change the weapons re-quirements of any of India's po-tential foes: China already haslong-range missiles and Pakistancan credibly threaten Indian com-mercial and political centers withits existing systems," ChristopherClary, a former country director forSouth Asian affairs in the Officeof the Secretary of Defense, toldthe Global Security Newswire.

Clary, currently is the StantonNuclear Security fellow at theRAND Corporation, an eminentAmerican think tank.

"For a long time, Indian strate-gic planners had to construct wildschemes to deliver a nuclearweapon to China's political andeconomic heartland in the East, orbe content with mushroom cloudsabove Lhasa (Tibet) in the eventof a nuclear exchange," said.

Michael Krepon, co-founder ofthe nonpartisan Stimson Centre,said Agni-V won't stop Chinesepatrols from making incursionsacross the Line of Actual Control.

"Beijing won't deign to ac-knowledge a mutual deterrencerelationship with India," Kreponwas quoted as saying by GlobalSecurity news wire. -PTI

Dada Vaswani's discourseon Five Pillars of Spirituality

Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Dada JP Vaswanicommemorated his 95th birthday

in Chicago on September 15 withan evening discourse on the "FivePillars of Spirituality" at theMarriott Hotel in Burr Ridge, Ill.

Among the guests of honor

were the Mayors of Oak Brook andof Burr Ridge. Almost 500 devo-tees and members of the public,composed largely of members ofthe Sindhi community, filled thehall. Thisfree eventwas pre-ceded byan hour ofm e l o d i -o u sbhajans inHindi byP r a m i l aB h a t i aand in En-glish byV i n a yVaswani,a touch-ing documentary presenting thework of the Sadhu Vaswani Mis-sion in bringing joy to the poorand helpless in India, includingdogs and other animals. The dis-course was followed by a ques-tion and answer session with the

renowned humanitarian.Sister Krishna Kumari pre-

sented the activities of the PuneMission and Vaswani's recent

books brought from In-dia, several of which fo-cused on women.Ashiyana Narayani re-counted his life workand presented her Chi-cago Youth group ofvolunteers. Chair of theSadhu Vaswani Center(SVC) of Chicago GopalLalmalani introducedMickey Straub, Mayorof Burr Ridge. The eventwas chaired by NargisLalmalani and emceedby Helen Chandani.

Dada began by ex-pressing gratitude to hisChicago hosts, the sev-eral doctors taking careof his frail body, and theaudience. He immedi-

ately set the spiritual tone for hisdiscourse by resolving to giveaway the shawl gifted to him to aneedy person instead. He paidobeisance to his uncle-guru

Sadhu T.L.Vaswani, whobelieved only inthe religion ofunity and forwhom "to livewas to love."He recountedan incident from70 years ago ofhis guru joy-fully givingaway hisclothes to a beg-gar "for my pos-

sessions and very life are but aloan."

Dada briefly enumerated withexamples the five pillars of spiri-

tuality. Handing yourself over inchildlike trust to the Lord, livewithout a care (just as you oncehad implicit faith in your parents'nurturing). God's mercy is re-flected in everything that happensto you, which has a deeper per-

haps as yet unknown meaning, asimplied in the prayer "Let Thy Willbe done." Do your duty as deter-mined by your present station inlife (svadharma), quoting theBhagavad Gita, for it is not somuch what you do but the wayyou do it, "as an offering to Me."Also, instead of stopping there,go on to do additional acts of dailyservice for "the welfare of theworld" (loka-sangraha) withoutexpecting anything in return, noteven the recognition of yourname.

Finally, observe a period of si-lence everyday, preferably at thesame time at the same place. Usethe alternation of breath as thevehicle, while invoking your pre-ferred deity or the power of syl-lable AUM, to delve within.

Dada Vaswani speaking on the "Five Pillars of

Spirituality."

Dada Vaswani (center) with Mayors of Burr Ridge and

Oak Brook

Bhajan singers at Dada Vaswani discourse

12 India Post September 20, 2013www.indiapost.com

TechBizTech News

Home Ministry objects to proposedTelecom security policy

NEW DELHI: The Indian HomeMinistry has expressed strongreservations over the proposedNational Telecom Security Policysaying it must lay down guidelinesallowing interception of commu-nication network by only law en-forcement agencies.

The Ministry conveyed to theDepartment of Telecommunicationthat the policy must clarify that thelaw enforcement agencies will beempowered to intercept telephonecalls, voice-mails, emails and otherservices like BlackBerry Messen-ger on a real time basis and alsospecify proper code for setting upa secure communication network.

The policy should have enoughprovisions for priority communi-cations for specified users over allnetworks like cellular, landline and

broadband, the Home Ministrytold the DoT, adding that the con-

cerns of the security agencieshave not been addressed in thedraft policy.

The Ministry asserted thatthese issues needed to be ad-

dressed before policy finalization.The proposed National

Telecom Security Policy is being

considered by the National Infor-mation Board (NIB), headed byNational Security Advisor ShivShankar Menon.

The Home Ministry conveyedits objections to NIB too.

Once the NIB clears the draft, itwill be presented before the Cabi-net Committee on Security headedby Prime Minister ManmohanSingh for final approval.

The Home Ministry had also redflagged the widespread use of Chi-nese telecom equipments.

The proposed National TelecomSecurity Policy is expected to en-sure that all future procurementswould be done through trusted In-dian or foreign vendors andtelecom operators will get their net-works audited yearly for bugs andsecurity breaches. -PTI

India Inc's hiring plans may pick upNEW DELHI: Corporate India's

hiring plans are expected to wit-ness a pick-up in the comingmonths as companies will not onlyhire for their core business areas,but also for positions that were onhold due to weak economic senti-ments, experts have said.

Recent initiatives by the gov-ernment and RBI to stabilize therupee seem to have improved themarket sentiment and created asense that better times are ahead.Investors and entrepreneurs havewelcomed the moves.

"If the positive sentiment ulti-mately turns into a positive eco-nomic cycle, recruitments in com-ing months and quarters may alsoget a push due to investments and

expansion plans," CareerBuilderIndia MD Premlesh Machama said.

On account of rupee deprecia-tion rupee, exports from IT andsome other sectors have becomehighly competitive, growing about12 per cent in July. The trend isexpected to get stronger, experts

said."Even though the worst is not

over yet, one can see the light atthe end of the tunnel," saidChangeyourboss.com CEOBhupender Mehta.

Info Edge (India) CEO andManaging Director Hitesh Oberoisaid: "Hopefully, the worst will bebehind us soon and the market willstart looking up in the second halfof this year."

Info Edge (India) owns job por-tal naukri.com.

Meanwhile, the latest Man-power Employment Outlook Sur-vey also paints a bullish picture.According to the survey, India hasemerged as the most optimisticnation in terms of hiring plans forthe next three months after fourconsecutive quarters of relativelylackluster forecasts.

The dramatic turnaround inemployer confidence was mainlydue to the recovery made by ITfirms and allied companies.

"The future demands in the ITsector for skills would include Webanalytics, design skills, IT lan-guages, sector knowledge, under-standing on security issues, data-base management and analysisskills," ManpowerGroup IndiaGroup Managing Director A G Raosaid.

There is an influx of jobs avail-able in the e-commerce spacepurely due to the current markettrends. India for instance, is emerg-ing as a new yet a strong name ine-commerce industry based on theacceptance as well as ever-increas-ing demand of e-commerce as aconcept, Mehta added. -PTI

Jet-EtihadAirways dealchallenged in SC

NEW DELHI: The controversialmulti-crore Rupees Jet-Etihad Air-ways deal has reached the Su-preme Court with senior BJP leaderSubramanian Swamy filing a peti-tion seeking to quash the approvalgiven to it by the Centre.

In a voluminous petition,Swamy also sought a CBI probeagainst the government officialswho had cleared the deal.

"Issue a direction to set asideand revoke any action or decisionor grant of any further approvals/permissions/ permits, etc. by therespondent (govt) authorities,based upon, relying upon or in fur-therance of the impugned bilateraldated April 24," the petition said.

"The petitioner challenges sucharbitrary, irrational and malafide actof grant of largesse in the form ofbilateral/ MoU dated April 24 andby way of the present petitionseeks an investigation under thesupervision of this Court into thematters of national and public in-terest," he said in his petition.

He questioned the Center's de-cision to execute the agreement infavor of Abu Dhabi under the ex-isting Air Service Agreement be-tween the governments of Indiaand United Arab Emirates. -PTI

CBI to lodge caseswithout Karnatakaconsent

NEW DELHI: The SupremeCourt has allowed CBI to lodgecriminal cases without taking con-sent of Karnataka government inconnection with illegal export ofiron and ore, the investigation intowhich was carried out under thedirection of the apex court.

"We make it clear that restric-tion imposed by section 6 of theDelhi Special Police Establishment(DSPE) Act will not apply on theinvestigation directed by thiscourt," a special forest benchheaded by Justice A K Patnaik said.

The bench also gave a go-ahead to CBI to register criminalcases against those exporters whowere subjected to preliminary en-quiry (PE) as per the September 5,2012 report and recommendationof the apex court-appointed Cen-tral Empowered Committee (CEC)and had exported iron ore of morethan 50,000 metric tonnes.

The bench also permitted theagency to refer the matter with re-spect to exporters, who had ex-ported a total quantity of less than50,000 tonnes and were not underthe umbrella of CBI's PE, toKarnataka government for takingfurther action under relevant lawsas recommended by the CEC. -PTI

DeLoreans getting'Back to the Future'makeovers

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.:It may not time travel, but theDeLorean sports car is findingits way into the future even with-out a flux capacitor.

The Orange County Registersays people are havingDeLoreans outfitted to resemblethe car from the 1985 movie``Back to the Future.''

DeLoreans, with their stain-less steel bodies and gullwingdoors, were built in 1981 and1982 before the original companycollapsed. The brand's nowowned by DeLorean Motor Co.of Huntington Beach.

General Manager CameronWynne says ``Back to the Fu-ture'' has been a huge part of hisbusiness. Company mechanicDanny Botkin has built six moviereplicas so far at about $45,000each.

The company's also workingon an all-electric version - al-though it won't need the 1.21 gi-gawatts required by DocBrown's car. -AP

Bajaj Allianz aims toincrease rural biz pieMUMBAI: Bajaj Allianz General Insurance aims to increase its rural

business to around 20 per cent in next five years from 6-7 per cent atpresent, and is planning big expansion in these regions, according to atop official.

"We aim to increase rural business pie to 20 per cent from the present6-7 per cent in next five years. So, we are planning to expand our pres-ence significantly to achieve this," the company's managing directorand chief executive Tapan Singhel told PTI over the weekend.-PTI

13India PostTechBiz PostSeptember 20, 2013

www.indiapost.com

US court orders fresh proceedings on SatyamNEW YORK: Nearly five years

after India's biggest corporatescam broke out at erstwhile SatyamComputer, a US court has orderedfresh proceedings into chargesthat the Indian IT firm had fraudu-lently induced a company, VentureGlobal Engineering, into a partner-ship.

Satyam, whose founder andthen Chairman B Ramalinga Raju,had admitted in January 2009 along-running fraud at the com-pany, was later acquired by TechMahindra and its entire businesswas integrated with the newowner earlier this year.

The latest ruling by a US Ap-peals Court follows an earlier di-rection issued by a Districts Courtof Michigan, which had dismissedclaims made by Venture Global

Engineering (VGE) against Satyamwith regard to a joint venture.

In its order dated September 13,the Appeals Court has reversedthe judgment of the district courtand has ordered further proceed-ings into the matter.

In its appeal, VGE and the LarryJ Winget Living Trust alleged thatSatyam Computer Services "in-duced" them to form a joint ven-ture by "misrepresenting its finan-cial stability and general suitabil-ity as a business partner."

Satyam had argued that VGEshould have brought their claimsduring an arbitration in 2005. Thearbitrator had ruled that all ofVGE's ownership interest in the50:50 JV - Satyam Venture Engi-neering Services (SVES) - betransferred to Satyam. VGE had

complied with the order at thattime.

After Raju confessed to a fraudin a letter to investors in 2009, VGEin December 2010 filed an 'instant

action' case, alleging that Satyamwas engaged in a massive fraudeven before the joint venturestarted.

"We hold that because plain-tiffs' (VGE and the Trust) com-

plaint adequately alleges thatSatyam wrongfully concealed thefactual predicate to plaintiffs'claims, the defense of claim pre-clusion does not apply.

"Thus, the district court erredin granting defendants? (Satyam)motion to dismiss. We thereforereverse the judgment of the dis-trict court and remand for furtherproceedings," the US States Court

of Appeals for Sixth Circuit ruled.As per the court documents,

Satyam had approached VentureIndustries Australia, a companyowned by the Trust, for a jointventure to provide auto industryengineering services.

Satyam told the Trust that itwas an attractive business part-ner, with a strong brand and rec-ognition as a leading global ITcompany, having a broad base ofautomotive customers.

It further said it was a publiclytraded company and was audited,liquid, and financially stable.

The Trust later formed a sepa-rate legal entity, VGE, which even-tually formed a JV in the year 2000with Satyam. The relationship,however, soured in 2005 and thematter reached arbitration. -PTI

In its appeal, VGE and the Larry J WingetLiving Trust alleged that Satyam ComputerServices "induced" them to form a joint ven-ture by "misrepresenting its financial stabilityand general suitability as a business partner."

United Spirits to be Diageo's sales agent in IndiaNEW DELHI: World's largest

spirits maker Diageo Plc will useUnited Spirits, in which it picked25.02 per cent stake for Rs 5,235.85crore, as the entity to sell all itsbrands in India as part of plans toconsolidate its business in thecountry.

Diageo has agreed to ink a pactwith the Bangalore-based UnitedSpirits Ltd (USL) under which thelatter would sell Diageo brands inIndia with effect from next month.

"Diageo has agreed on the prin-ciples of a proposed sales agencyagreement with USL under whichUSL will be a sales agent for allDiageo brands in India," a com-pany spokesperson told PTI.

Under the proposed salesagency arrangement, USL will pro-vide sales promotion services toDiageo India for all Diageo brands

manufactured and/or imported byDiageo India and sold in India fromOctober, 1, 2013.

Diageo India would remain re-sponsible for the strategy, market-ing, import, manufacture, and bot-tling of Diageo's brands in India.

Further Diageo India would re-main responsible for business per-formance relating to Diageo

brands, including all marketing andinvestment decisions relating tothose brands.

"We would expect to formalize

this arrangement shortly and thatthe arrangement will be effectivefrom October 1, 2013," the spokes-person added.

Commenting on the rationalebehind the deal, the company saidthe arrangement puts into placethe best model that will help de-liver growth and maximize USL'sexisting infrastructure and rela-tionships with trade.

"USL brings increased scale toDiageo's current sales activity withtheir large sales force which canpromote Diageo's brands throughtheir calls to on and off trade out-lets and through merchandisingactivities and sales activation," thespokesperson said.

The arrangement leveragesUSL's superior route to market andDiageo's suite of brands and ex-pertise in premium and luxury mar-

keting, she added.Earlier this year, Diageo Plc had

completed the acquisition of 25.02per cent stake in Vijay Mallya-ledUSL on completion of a share pur-chase deal announced last year.

Last year, Diageo had an-nounced that it would pick up 53.4per cent stake in USL in a multi-structured deal for a total of Rs11,166.5 crore. Instead, it couldpick only 25.02 per cent stake inUSL for a total consideration ofRs 5,235.85 crore due to subduedresponse to its open offer.

Diageo sells various popularbrands, including Smirnoff Vodkaand Johnnie Walker whiskey. USL,which is the India's top spiritsmaker, markets various liquorbrands including Signature, Bag-piper, Antiquity, Royal Challengein the country. -PTI

Rs one lakh crore projects remain stalledMADURAI: About Rs one lakh

crore worth of projects remainstalled due to some problem or theother in various states and theCentre has formed a cell to expe-dite and give clearance to them,Union Minister of State for Com-merce and Industry E MSudarsana Natchiappan has said.

In various states, includingTamil Nadu, various projects hadbeen stalled due to some problemor the other. The Centre had formeda cell to expedite and give clear-ance to all those projects, he said.

He suggested Tamil Nadu gov-ernment also could form a cell un-der the chairmanship of the ChiefSecretary to clear the stalledprojects.

"Tamil Nadu government also

can form a cell to help the Centreclear the projects. If the Chief Min-ister does not have time, she canask the Chief Secretary to do thesame. About Rs one lakh croreworth of projects remain stalled,"he told reporters after inaugurat-ing a Cereals, Pulses and StaplesCluster here.

The projects, if the state givesconsent, would bring invest-ments from both inside the coun-try and abroad.

He said the Centre had askedJapan International CooperationAgency members to meet theChief Minister for holding talkswith regard to the Chennai-Ban-galore industrial corridor.

Small corridor, using local in-frastructure, for producing both

agricultural and industrial prod-ucts has been mooted inTirunelveli, Ramanathapuram,Coimbatore, Tiruppatur andSivaganga. European countriesand Japan, Singapore, Taiwan andSouth Korea were interested inmaking India a manufacturinghub, he said.

Once Tamil Nadu governmentgives clearance, internationalteams would visit India and studythe infrastructure and decide onthe type of industries that couldbe started, he added.

A team of more than 1500 ex-perts would visit various states,assess them and file a report.Then international tenders wouldbe called to set up the corridors,the minister said.-PTI

India Post September 20, 2013www.indiapost.com

Horoscope14

Your Weekly FutureSEPTEMBER 21ST - SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2013

by Pandit Parashar

(March 21 to April 20)

If you play your cards right and take prompt action, you could berolling into big money soon. People in business will see an up-

surge in sales. You may travel with family to another city to attend asocial event. For some it could be the beginning of an exciting rela-tionship. This is the best time to appear for a competitive exam.

(November 23 to December 22)

Things will kind of slow down this week and you will try to makegood use of extra time on hands. Boss may call you few times to

discuss the progress. You may try to plan an evening with somecolleagues. Money wise things will be stable. You may start yoursearch to buy some high tech electronic gadget.

(December 22 to January 19)

Concentration of few planets in tenth will help you achieve yourprofessional goals. Suddenly life will take a positive turn and few

things you had been dreaming about, will become a reality. Opportu-nity will not be less than a jackpot. You will be studying some veryuseful material to update your knowledge.

(January 20 to February 18)

Positive changes will not only boost your morals but will improveyour image in professional world. Little sacrifice at your end will

help you achieve a lot this week. Some of you will start packing tomove to another location. You may invite few friends and close rela-tives at your place for dinner.

(February 19 to March 20)

Very favorable week for people connected with health industry.You will have several chance to make extra money but may

decide to wait for better one. Mind will be relaxed and you will helpspouse do some clean up in and around your home. It will be betterto seek expert opinion before you reply to any legal matter.

(May 21 to June 20)

Luck is definitely on your side so do not hesitate and launch yourideas with full force. People seeking a change in career will go for

the one that is beneficial in long term. Some of you make somedrastic change in diet in order to get into better shape. You may becontacted by a government agency to seek some clarification.

(July 23 to August 22)

Efforts will bring desired results. You may take a short businesstrip this week. Some of you may initiate some legal action to

prove your point. Very favorable week for people in communicationsor sales. large gains from distant places or in projects going on over-seas indicated. You may also go for eye sight testing this week.

(September 23 to October 22)

Planets are in right order to help you in big way. Just stick to yourguns and the other side will come to terms very quickly. Money

wise things will start picking up from now and on. people in businesswill have few new customers that will make big purchases. There isno harm in enjoying, but within limits.

(April 21 to May 20)

Combination of four planets in sixth will help those seeking achange in career this week. You could be the one selected among

many strong contenders for the assignment. Money will come but willnot stay. Aggressive attitude will help you get few important issuesresolved. Mind will start leaning towards religion and charity work.

(June 21 to July 22)

Courageous actions will take you closer to your professional goals.Some one you thought is of no good, will come back with mind

boggling idea or finished product. You may also travel to a nice placewith family this week. Some of you may replace an old vehicle with anewer model. Little exercises will do wonder to health.

(August 23 to September 22)

You should be careful with extra money you have and learn littlefrom past experience. You will keep picking up rich rewards for

the efforts made in the past. Very favorable week for people in com-puters. You should do some more home work before making finalcommitment to a new relationship or business partnership.

(October 23 to November 22)

Do not panic if you don't get immediate results this week. justkeep working on your plans and keep making efforts as results

will come at a later date. Try not to give any one a reason to adoptlegal procedure against you. You may need to pay little extra atten-tion to an elderly person and maybe take him for checkup.

Pandit Parashar, CEO & COO Astro Scan USA is also available for individualconsultations. He can be reached at: [email protected]

510-886-4370 website: www.parashar.com


September 20, 201316

www.indiapost.com September 20, 2013

COMMUNITYACROSS AMERICA

Details on page 23

18 India Post

Desi News Republican Partytop guns backManju Goel for

Congress

Tulsi Gabbard, Anuradha Paudwaljoin grand Ganesh Visarjan

VIDYA SETHURAMAN

India Post News Service

FREMONT: Ganesh Chaturthiis celebrated with much pomp bypeople outside India as well andthe rituals associated with the fes-

tivities go on for 10 days. FremontTemple had organized a week longGaneshotsav starting withSthapana of Ganapati Murti onSeptember 9. The festivities cameto an end with the grand Ganesh

Visarjan on September 15 in PacificOcean at Pier 3, San Francisco.

The rituals started around 8amon September 15 at Fremont templeand special pujas and havans wereperformed. Melody queenAnuradha Paudwal sang in praise

of Ganesha Bhagvan anddid the Mangal Aarthi.This was followed by tak-ing Ganesh idol palkiaround the temple. Thisyear's celebration wasmade special and memo-rable by the visit of Con-gresswomen TulsiGabbard, first Hindu inCongress, to the Fremonttemple and her address tothe devotees on the aus-picious ceremony.

Seven buses with over700 devotees and 400

Ganesh idols started from Fremontat 11:30 am and reached Pier 3 of SanFrancisco. On the cruise the panditsperformed maha abhisekham andaarthi.

Anuradha Paudwal, Deepak Chhabra, Dr Romesh Japra Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard with the idol

Deepak Chhabra, Mr & Mrs Ram Saini, Dr Japra, Veena Birla, Rajesh Verma,

Manorama, Soni Singh, Chandru Bhambhra, Vijay Thapar, Ritu Maheshwari

Tulsi Gabbard, Govind and Dr Romesh Japra

(L-R) Dr Veena Puri, Ritu Maheshwari, Rajesh Verma, Dr Romesh Japra,

Manorama, Leela Mathur, Soni SinghYogi Chugh speaks on the occasion

Pt Vishwa Prasad Kristipati, Dr Romesh Japra

Cont’d on page 19

IACS to host4th job fairnext monthRAMESH SOPARAWALA


CHICAGO: The Indo AmericanCommunity Services (IACS), aMetro Chicago based non-profitservice organization, has an-nounced hosting its Fourth An-nual Diversity Job Fair at the Chi-cago Hilton next month.

Sreenivas Katragadda, theIACS president, said that the Jobfair is slated on October 24 from10 am to 3 pm. "We expect doone better than last year and keepup our pace with a likely partici-pation of over 60 leading Chi-cago land companies from a broadrange of industries at this event.

This compares quite favorablywith the last year participation ofabout 40 plus companies. Partici-pating companies are expected tohave entry-level, mid-career and

senior level positions in variedcareer fields including Engineer-ing, Information Technology, Fi-nancial and Accounting services,Healthcare and Marketing / Salesetc," he said in a talk to this paper

Some of the companies thathave confirmed their participationat the IACS Job Fair includeAllstate, W.W. Grainger, ITW,Dover Corporation, CME Group,Adobe, IBM, Morning Star,PepsiCo, TCS, Infosys, New YorkLife, HCL Global Systems, MillerElectric Mfg. Co., Nokia, Alcatel-Lucent, Morgan Stanley, TechMahindra and others.

IACS will also host a breakoutsession on the importance of so-cial media networking for careersuccess and a separate panel dis-cussion on career advancementskills featuring top industry ex-perts.

There will also be free resumecritiquing and career counselingsessions conducted by experi-enced professionals. "This is afree event for all the job seekers.All those intending to come to theFair should get pre-registered forthe event to avoid delays at thedoor," Sreenivasa added.

Sreenivas Katragadda,

President IACS

India Post 19September 20, 2013 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

Amidst dhol and bhajan,Ganesh Visarjan was done by DrRomesh Japra. This was followedby devotees performing the arthiand visarjan for their ownGanapthi idol. Dr Romesh Japra,Chair of Fremont Temple, said,

"We have been doing the grandvisarjan in Pacific Ocean forover three years and recreatingIndian atmosphere here in Bayarea and wish to see over 1000people join us next year forvisarjan".

Ganesha is known asVighnaharta, destroyer of ob-stacles, which is why he is wor-

shipped prior to undertaking animportant or auspicious newendeavor and we wish all devo-tees a prosperous New Year, saidDr Japra.

Dr Japra thanked DeepakChhabra, Govind Pasumarthi,Anu, Manorama Joshi andTemple priests Shri Vishwan,

Shri Ravi Kant and Shri Joginderwho were behind the week longfestivities and visarjan. This fes-tival was possible with the vi-sion of Dr Romesh Japra, Chair,Rajesh Verma Co-Chair and execu-tion managed by Deepak Chhabra.

Thanking Pramod of DosaPlace for providing excellent foodto the devotees

Tulsi Gabbard, Anuradha Paudwaljoin grand Ganesh Visarjan in PacificCont’d from page 18

Rajesh Verma, Anuradha Paudwal, Deepak Chhabra, Dr Romesh Japra

Rousing speakers praise work of HinduAmerican Foundation

VIDYA SETHURAMAN


MILIPITAS, CA: The HinduAmerican Foundation educatesthe public about Hinduism, speaksout about issues affecting Hindusworldwide, and builds bridgeswith institutions andindividuals whosework aligns withHAF's objectives.HAF focuses on hu-man and civil rights,public policy, media,academia, and inter-faith relations.

Over 500 enthusi-astic supporters at-tended the HinduA m e r i c a nFoundation's (HAF)Northern CaliforniaFundraiser on Satur-day, September 14 atIndia CommunityCenter, Milpitas, Cali-fornia. In attendancewere several localgovernment officials,including city councilmembers, Mayors andother elected repre-sentatives from Fre-mont, Cupertino andSan Jose. This wasHAF's 10th annualfundraiser and as be-fore, it was a combina-tion of outstandingfood, rousing speak-ers, and a feeling ofcommon purpose revolving aroundthe work of the organization.

The evening kickstarted withprayers by Chinmay followingwhich SriVani Ganti, Director ofMember and Chapter Relations,thanked the media and volunteersfor their persistent support. Coun-cil Member Ash Kalra and SriVani

were the emcees and welcomed themembers. Mihir Meghani, M.D,Co-founder of HAF thanked thedonor circles and long time sup-porters.

He urged the guests to opentheir hearts and wallets to the or-ganization. As he pointed out,HAF's peer organizations such asthe American Jewish Council andthe Council on American IslamicRelations spend far more on ad-vocacy, which enables them to in-fluence policies. He made a quickreference to Murali who was work-ing on textbooks.

Congressmen Eric Swalwell,who has supported FBI trackinganti-Hindu crimes, addressed thegathering on his stand against themilitary intervention. Congress-men Mike Honda sponsored a let-ter to secretary of State John Kerryabout the plight of Hindus in Pa-kistan, supported FBI trackinganti-Hindu hate crimes and laudedHAF's persistent work.

Ro Khanna, who is running forDistrict 17, spoke on how unique

was the district. The New Califor-nia 17th Congressional District islocated in the heart of Silicon Val-ley in the Southern area of the SanFrancisco Bay area housing larg-est technological companies suchas Yahoo, eBay, Apple, Intel.

Samir Kalra and Vineet Sharmawelcomed State Senate Majority

Vineet Sharma, Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett, Samir Kalra

Ro Khanna

Congressmen Eric Swalwell

Mihir Meghani

Ash Kalra and Sri Vani Ganti

Leader Ellen Corbett and pre-sented her the Friend of Commu-nity Award. "We are extremelygrateful to Senate Majority LeaderCorbett for spearheading SCR 32and the State Senate for unani-mously passing the resolution,which will go a long way to rais-ing awareness and understandingabout the Hindu American com-

munity and our beliefs," saidVineet Sharma.

Ellen Corbett while addressingthe large gathering said, "I amhonored to represent the 10thState Senate District, which hasconstituents from many diversebackgrounds, including a signifi-cant number of Hindu Americans".

Mike Honda

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard

Cont’d on page 20

September 20, 2013India Post20 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

Rousing speakers praise workof Hindu American Foundation

"California is home to a thriv-ing community of over 370,000Hindu Americans that enrich ourstate's diversity and professionalassets in fields as diverse asacademia, science, technology,business, arts and literature", saidEllen.

SCR 32 designates October2013 as California Hindu American

and Appreciation Month and rec-ognizes and acknowledges thesignificant contributions made byCalifornians of Hindu heritage tothe state.

Keynote speaker Congress-women Tulsi Gabbard, the firstHindu ever elected to the USHouse of Representatives and aDemocrat from Hawaii, electrifiedthe audience with her narrative of

serving in the combat zone in Iraq."I believe strongly in embracingdiversity," said Tulsi Gabbard. Sheinvoked the "aloha spirit" to con-vey her Hawaiian sentiment foraffection, peace, and compassion.

"The Gita has been a tremen-dous source of inner peace andstrength for me through manytough challenges in life, includingbeing in the midst of death andturmoil while serving our country

in the Middle East," she said. Sheadded, "I support the work HAFdoes because there are many or-ganizations that care about Hin-duism, but HAF cares about Hin-dus."

The night then closed with In-terns Tejas and Rupa sharing theirexperience on working in CapitolHill followed by sumptuous Indianvegetarian dinner.


A section of the audience

Bay Area artists mesmerize with Bollywood musicRITU MAHESHWARI


Music binds us all. Kishore,Asha and Lata music night orga-nized by Vinod Baba proved thatBollywood music indeed moti-vates and drives people of Indianorigin, regardless of ethnicity orculture. Superb singing by localBay area artists recreated the auraand atmosphere of greatBollywood musicals and left theaudience spellbound.

Vinod Baba Prasad, SeemaVerma, Vijay Kotian, VarshaVasconcellos, Dennis Singh, AshaRam, Ashok Narayan, AshokSahai, Kaushal K. Singh, HemKumar Joshi and Kajal Bautistaproved their musical prowess inthe fun filled evening. Time flewby with the great numbers coming

one after another and audienceasking for more.

Dr Romesh Japra of India Postwas the Chief Guest and sponsorof the event. Nick Khelawan, local

community leader also supportedand was instrumental in organiz-ing the event. Hanif Koya was theemcee for the event.

Recounting the preparationsleading up to the event, Vinod Babasaid "The main motivation for put-ting this event together was togive local artists an opportunityto shine and treat Bay area musiclovers to some of the finest mu-sic".

Vinod Baba started his musicjourney in Bay area in 1996 by in-troducing Karaoke in North Cali-fornia and has been performingmusic internationally ever since.

Vinod Baba's ZMelody Enter-tainment plans to put together agrand music show in Bay areaover next few months and is look-ing forward to engaging Bay areamusic lovers.

Vinod Baba performing

Vinod Baba and Dr Romesh Japra

Vijay Thapar, Dr Romesh Japra, and Nick Khelwan

(L-R) Varsha Patel, Dr Japra, Dr Hundal, Priya Nayar and Ritu Maheshwari

Vinod Baba with emcee Hanif Koya

Ending consumption of meat & dairyproducts can heal planet

VARUN PANDE

SANTA CLARA, CA: Deliver-ing a presentation to an open andengaged audience, Sailesh Rao,Executive Director of Climate Heal-ers, promoted a message of peaceand sustainability to attendees ofDharma & Yoga Fest. Before Ispoke with Mr Rao, he had beenspeaking at another event inthe East Bay and had plans ongoing to Los Angeles.

Veganism was the charge hesought to bring to the audi-ence, believing that a singlechange in this lifestyle choicearound food could set off alarger conscious network andbring solutions to numerousother environmental problems.He compared such a shift to theKhadi movement underGandhi, under which the Brit-ish Empire's cotton mills andproduction were subverted byIndians not buying British cotton.This part of the conference wasabout Karma Yoga, social actionand reform, with Gandhi being the

peaceful instigator to an oppres-sive system.

He sent a poignant and rathercontroversial message to a mostlyHindu, Indian-national audience,about the necessity for a move-

ment to end the consumption ofmeat and dairy due to the perva-sive issues it presents. Cows suckforested lands dry, and especially

because of their cultural eminencein India (a place that was oncecovered in lush forest) cows livefar longer and are crowding outland which would otherwise behabitable by a wide variety of spe-

cies as well as providing a car-bon sink. Industrial systemshave also augmented the dairyprocess in a way that exploitsand extracts from the cow'snatural cycle to satisfy our un-necessary and massive needfor milk and dairy products.

He told me most of his mes-sage has been delivered at uni-versities, but he hopes to en-gage more with media outletsto educate individuals aboutthe devastating nature of live-stock production. His vast ar-ray of knowledge, includingnumerous statistics and factsbased on scientific data, made

the many arguments from thecrowd easy to challenge.

Sailesh Rao

Cont’d on page 22

India Post 21September 20, 2013www.indiapost.com


Kesari's quest for answers, solutions and meaning

"This time is unlike any otherin history; our patterns and hab-its affect and constrain resourcefor close to 7 billion others, manyof whom are seeking carbon inten-sive lives that match our own. In-dustries and consumption pat-terns around food, meat and dairyhave been driving factors such asreduced soil fertility, desertifica-tion, and deforestation with far-reaching ecological consequencesthat take much more time to healthan human corporate time-scalescan comprehend," he said.

Climate Healers is spreading theprovable message that humans are

Ending consumption of meat &dairy products can heal planet

the only mammals who drink milkwhich is not necessary for goodhealth. That dairying is extremelycruel to cows and that vast swathsof land can be reforested if peoplemade the one choice to shift theirdiets away from dairy consump-tion.

It seeks to begin a reversal ofthe single-minded destruction weperpetrate on the planet daily. Hebelieves that this would bringabout much reconciliation with theplanet and its other animal species,as well as send a democratic pushagainst an extremely unjust sys-tem of industrial practices and theeffects they are having on a dyingplanet.



John Hunt Publishing (Man-tra Books) has announced thenew title 'Eternal Way to Bliss'

by Vinita Dubey Pande. 'EternalWay to Bliss' is about Kesari's

soul stirring journey, an ordinarygirl who wants to be free. It's herquest to seek truth, happiness,and solutions for life's challenges.This is about her entrapment in the

world, the grand design of hermind, and her journey towardsfreedom.

Like each one of us, she is ear-nestly seeking guidance for mak-ing life evolutionary, transformingfrom feeling incomplete to being

complete…whole. As she seeksand explores, an ancient wisdomtradition becomes her guidinglight. Starting from her distress anddisillusionment with the world, she

articulates her search for answers,meaning, solutions; and for con-sciousness and bliss.

The theme rhymes with theBhagavad Gita and summarizes itsteachings. Having faith in thistime-tested path for liberation, sheunravels the discoveries made.Being a householder with a familyand a career in the Silicon Valley,Kesari's quest becomes real andachievable.

As a Hindu of Indian origin liv-ing in America she presents a glo-bal, modern perspective. Shebrings this deep and complex wis-dom to us in a simple, practical,concise yet authentic way. Theproblem is that her journey is notyet complete... Welcome to herworld, the truthful tale of an im-

perfect human.Some testimonials:Vinita Pande has a clear un-

derstanding of the steps and

As a Hindu of Indian origin living in Americashe presents a global, modern perspective.She brings this deep and complex wisdom tous in a simple, practical, concise yetauthentic way.

stages on the spiritual path.With insight and compas-sion she guides the readeron the journey to the Self. -Swami Prasannatmananda,Vedanta Society, Berkeley

I am happy you wrote abook on Hinduism. Love andBlessings.-Sri Sri RaviShankar, Founder, Art ofLiving Foundation

This book is a welcomeaddition to the literaturethat brings the wisdom ofthe Vedic seers to life formodern seekers.- PhilGoldberg, Author, AmericanVeda

Vinita Pande has livedworldwide, studied severalreligions and spirituality forthe last 25 years. A certified

yoga, meditation and spiritualityteacher, mother, IT consultant andauthor. She lives in the Silicon Val-ley, California.


Republican Party top guns backManju Goel for Congress

IPNS & Asian Media USA

ELK GROVE VILLAGE: It was a day thatmany an Indian would not forget for a longperiod of time. It was just a Northwest Re-publican Annual Picnic but turned out tobe a unique event with top brass of Na-tional Republican Party descending on toElk Grove Village to lend their support to anIndian American woman activist, ManjuGoel, who is seeing Congressional seat fromIllinois district 8

Manju is first generation Indian Ameri-can and this sparked all the more interestamong Indians settled in the area to come inlarge numbers to show their support andbacking. The attendance estimated at over1200 was twice the usual crowd that gathersevery year. It was also unique this time as Ex-NRCC Chairman and currently the Chairmanof House Rules Committee, Rep. Pete Ses-sions, made a special trip from Dallas to at-tend the picnic and he was greeted by over400 Indian Americans joining the picnic.

The occasion was to launch the cam-paign of Manju Goel, a first generation In-dian American, for US Congress. The Re-publican Party is truly going all out to reachout to the minority and ethnic communitiesto build a new coalition, said Shalli Kumar,Chairman of Indian American AdvisoryCouncil of House Republican Conference(IAAC-HRC).

Chairman Sessions and Shalli Kumar,Chairman (IAAC-HRC) are co-chair of Ses-sions-Kumar project to elect as many as 8-10 Indian Americans to Congress. In intro-ducing Chairman Sessions to the crowd, hesaid "Chairman Pete Sessions is no ordi-nary leader. As head of NRCC in 2009, rightafter Obama's big victory, he challengedNancy Pelosi that we are going to take backthe house in 2010….we all know what hap-pened, it was the biggest gain of seats inover 50 years. And then in 2012, he main-tained the majority in Congress despite theObama wave for President".

Chairman Sessions introduced Manju Goelas the voice of the people and the voice ofcommon sense. He highlighted her personalexperience in the healthcare industry as a bigasset to the Indian American population, who,disproportionate to their population, represent

8% of all physicians in the country.Manju told the cheering crowd: "I'm run-

ning for Congress because America is onthe wrong track. We're spending $1.60 forevery $1.00 we bring in. We're discouragingrather than encouraging entrepreneurs andjob creators with burdensome regulations.I am deeply concerned about our children'sfuture. More than half of recent collegegraduates are either unemployed or underemployed. Why? Because businesses haveno incentive to expand and create jobs inthe light of high taxation, massive regula-

tions and the biggest road-block,Obamacare."

"I believe in fiscal responsibility. Sincemy childhood I was taught that first youdeserve then you desire. I was taught toearn and save before I spend. I still do notbuy anything unless I can afford it. I instillthese same principles in my children. Ifelected, another one of my priorities will beto do away with deficits and pass a consti-tutional amendment to balance our budget."

"Also, I believe in calling a Terrorist aTerrorist. It is a shame that we were payingthe Fort Hood terrorist hundreds of thou-sands of dollars while the families of oursoldiers who were gunned down by thiscoward terrorist Hassan, were not even paidcombat benefits. Together, let's retireObamacare, let's retire big government, let'sretire high taxes, let's retire deficits, let's re-

tire debt, let's retire foreign aid to countriesthat support terrorism and let's retire TammyDuckworth"

Manju's speech struck a chord with ev-ery picnicker - immigrant or not. Her mes-sage of wanting to keep the American dreamalive was very well received.

This is a moment of great pride for theIndian American community across the

country. The Republican Party leadershiphas recognized that Manju epitomizes thecore values of almost all Indian Americans -living within one's means, hard work, freeenterprise, education, and family values.They share Chairman Kumar's vision of afree, safe and prosperous America for fu-ture generations of all Americans, especiallyIndian Americans.

Manju Goel with a group of her supporters

Manju Goel with Pete Sessions (left) and Shalli Kumar, Chairman IAAC-HRC


IACS women conference meets grand success

RAMESH SOPARAWALA


CHICAGO: One of the most pre-miere service organizations of In-dian Americans, Indo AmericanCommunity Services (IACS)added one more feather in itsgrowing caps of achievements bysuccessfully organizing its sec-

ond in row South Asian Women'sConference here last week.

The event held at OakbrookMarriott in Oakbrook (southwestsuburb of Chicago) on SundaySeptember 8 featured two highlysuccessful businesswomen execu-tives - Sona Chawla and Dr.Masum Momaya - and a recentlyelected Congresswoman RobinKelly, all scaling new heights intheir respective fields thru profes-sional skill and dint of hard workand commitment.

The event facilitated an exclu-sive networking experience de-signed to help women from all

walks of life create professionalconnections, generate ideas, anddevelop successful new strategiesfor advancement in their careersas well as in their personal andsocial lives. The success that asimilar conference last year hadachieved induced a larger atten-dance this time with a larger num-ber of businesswomen, entrepre-

neurs and professionals fromMetro Chicago coming to attendthis meet.

Srinivas Katragada, presidentof IACS said that the forum soughtto explore a range of topics rel-evant to professional women de-veloping leadership techniquesand overcoming career obstacles.It was also designed to helpwomen with tools and techniquefor achieving a true work life bal-ance. The Conference attendeeshad an opportunity to informallynetwork with each other at a post-conference dinner

Congresswoman Robin Kelly, Sona Chawla and Dr Masum Momaya (center)

with a group of attendees and IACS activists.-Pics Sreeram BoppanaWomen Conference speakers: (A) Sona Chawla (B) Dr Masum Momaya getting Plaque from Robin Kelly (C) IACS

President Srinivas K (D) Attorney D Savla, putting a question to speakers. -Pics Sreeram Boppana

President Srinivas and Secretary Jagan Bakaraju with guest Roger Chawla

Start of the Conference

Cont’d on page 25


Dr Masum Momaya has ahighly distinguished educationalbackground being a graduate ofthe Cora Fellows Program in Pub-lic Affairs and holding a doctoratein Human Development and Mas-ters Degree in Education fromHarvard University and an hon-ors BA in Public Policy fromStanford University

Curator at the Smithsonian In-stitute in Washington DC and DrMomaya was one of the featuredspeakers of the evening. She urgedSouth Asian women profession-als to be proud of their heritageand to embrace it wholeheartedly.

Momaya is part of a team thatis helping the Smithsonian with anambitious initiative chroniclingthe history of Indian immigrantsin the United States. The multi mil-lion dollar exhibition that she is incharge of is titled BeyondBollywood: Indian AmericansShape the Nation. It is slated for alaunch in Washington DC fromDecember 2013-March 2015 andthen would be travelingacross the country forfive years thereafter.

She reminded at-tendees of the numer-ous economic and so-cial contributions madeby Indian Americansever since the first im-migrant from the sub-continent arrived inAmerica back in 1790.

Before coming toWashington DC, shehas been Curator at theInternational Museumof Women in San Francisco andwas Researcher and Writer for theAssociation for Women's Rightsin Development. She has 20 yearsof experience working for women'srights, human rights and socialjustice. Her more than 100 publi-cations, podcasts and exhibitionshave been translated into a dozenlanguages.

Sona Chawla , born in Delhi butraised in Calcutta India, with de-grees in Mathematics, ComputerScience and Masters in Manage-ment under her belt, is the Presi-dent of E-commerce at Walgreenin Deerfield, Illinois, She said thatthe determination and proper pri-oritizing of goals helped her finetuning between her personal lifeand career without impacting eitheradversely.

Before joining Walgreen, Sonawas vice president of global onlinebusiness at Dell, Inc. She alsoworked at Wells Fargo's InternetServices Group as executive vicepresident of online sales, service

IACS women conferencemeets grand success

and marketing.She recounted how she suc-

cessfully overcame many of thechallenges that she initially en-countered as an immigrant in theUnited States. Chawla used herpersonal story as an inspiring ex-ample of how perseverance, deter-mination and a willingness to learncan help individuals achieve theirdreams no matter what obstaclesmight come their way.

Congresswoman Robin Kelly,representing Illinois' 2nd Districtechoed similar sentiments during apanel discussion at the conference.Kelly urged those present not toget discouraged by failure and ad-versity, but to instead learn fromthem.

She presented the crowd with apersonal example about her failurein a statewide race and how shehad not let that incident discour-age her from running for electionsa second time and being elected asa Congresswoman.

Robin Kelly presented IACSrecognition Plaques to SonaChawla and Dr Masum Momya.

Earlier, Srinivas Katragadda IACSPresident and IACS activist VidyaKadayale welcomed the guests andspeakers while Saily Joshi intro-duced featured speakers alongwith Sri Vidya. Addresses by thefeatured speakers got followed withlively question- answer sessionsthat sought some of the ticklishproblems faced by Indian Ameri-can women in their careers and per-sonal life.

IACS founded in 2010 by agroup of accomplished technologyexecutives, entrepreneurs and pro-fessionals of Indian origin, worksto nurture and foster the develop-ment of the South Asian commu-nity in the Greater Chicago areathrough job fairs, women's empow-erment forums, student internshipsand professional networking op-portunities. The group's flagshipevent is the IACS Diversity Job Fair,an annual event that matches hun-dreds of qualified job candidatesin the Chicago area with some ofthe region's top employers.


Momaya is part of a teamthat is helping the Smith-sonian with an ambitiousinitiative chronicling thehistory of Indian immigrantsin the United States. Themulti million dollar exhibitionthat she is in charge of istitled Beyond Bollywood:Indian Americans Shapethe Nation.

Dharma & Yoga Fest energizesHouston community

VASANT PANDAV

HOUSTON: Sixty six differentorganizations with 150 volunteersfrom 20 organizations pooled theirtime and energy to successfullyhost the Dharma and Yoga Feston Saturday, September 7 atGeorge Brown Convention Centerin Houston. It was attended over1000 participants.

It was a unique "once in a life

time" event spreading the mes-sage of "Universal Peace ThroughDharma and Yoga". Spearheadedby Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh(HSS), Dharma and Yoga fest washeld as the culmination of the year-long festivities called SwamiVivekananda 150 (SV150), in com-memoration of Swamiji's 150thbirth anniversary and 120 years ofthe monumental speech he deliv-ered in Chicago on September 11,1893.

Similar events are happening in30 different cities across USA,spreading the awareness aboutSwamiji's teachings and path ofreligious tolerance and brother-hood.

The event started at 1 pm withguest registration and ended at 6pm with the recital of Shanti Man-tra (Prayer for Peace) by over 1000people in the main hall of the Con-vention Center.

The guests were treated to asoul stirring, awe inspiring exhibi-tion on Swamiji's life and teach-ings before being directed to theirrespective tracks. Taking inspira-tion from Swami Vivekananda'steachings, the entire event was setup in four parallel tracks, namely,

Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, KarmaYoga and Raja Yoga.

Jnana Yoga:The Jnana Yoga track had two

parallel sessions: a Panel Discus-sion Session and Speech Contestfor middle school and high schoolkids and saw participation fromclose to 150 attendees belongingto 14 different organizations.

Chaya Timmaraju of Vedanta So-ciety of Greater Houston andKhyati Vaidya of HSS moderatedthe panel discussion session

which had six distinguished pan-elists from different walks of life.Rao Garuda of Sri MeenakshiTemple Society and Niyati Vaidyaof HSS coordinated the Speechcontest for over 30 participants,in which three winners were cho-sen in each category after tworounds of speeches.

Bhakti Yoga:Four parallel sessions were

planned for this track: Bhajan &Kirtan recitals by groups from vari-

ous organizations; Panel discus-sion on Nava Vidha Bhakti; Recitalof the entire Srimad Bhagvad Gitaand an exhibition on Bhakti Yoga.23 different organizations wererepresented by close to 400 at-tendees in this track. Bhajan andKirtan session, coordinated byVishnu Ramanarine of LakshmiNarayan Temple and RajeshJaiswal of HSS, was the first tostart off and saw participation ofover 200 people at its peak.

The Panel discussion moder-ated by Padmakanth Khambati ofSanatan Hindu Center and coor-dinated by Diwakar Ramamurthyand Madhukar Adi of HSS had anattendance of about 150.

The Bhagvad Gita recital,which was inaugurated by PanditAbhedanandji of LakshmiNarayana Temple, was coordi-nated by Viswasankaran Kartick ofSringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation.It attracted over 100 devotees whotook turns to recite various chap-ters in a uniform meter in their me-lodious voices. The exhibition onBhakti Yoga drew another 60people.

Karma Yoga:Karma yoga track had partici-

pation from over a 150 people rep-resenting 26 organizations, activein Greater Houston Area, on thefield serving humanity with char-ity, social service, disaster re-sponse and rehabilitation. Thesession started with a presenta-tion by a grant writer and was fol-lowed by a panel discussion bynine eminent panelists of the cityon various aspects of service(Sewa).

Dharma and Yoga Fest in Houston had huge participation

Arjun Luthra participating in speech contest. Indian CG Houston Harish

Parvathaneni presenting winner Sarika with certificate award

The winners of the speech contest, the judges and the coordinators

Cont’d on page 26


The track concluded with theorganizations coming to a com-mon desire to hold such gather-ings on a regular basis. This trackwas coordinated by KavitaTewary of Sewa International andSamba Sannabadthi of HSS.

Raja Yoga:This track started with the at-

tendees performing Pranayama(breathing exercises) and then

heading into the lecture series.Attended by close to 100 repre-sentatives, seven types of uniquetechniques were presented anddemonstrated by seven organiza-tions. The session concluded witha short lecture on Ayurveda andholistic healing. The session wasa coordinated effort ofVishwaroop from SVYASA andManoj Rathi, Bhagwan Bhutadafrom HSS.

Over 40 kids from all overGreater Houston put together aplay showcasing the life and teach-ings of Swami Vivekananda. Thekids beautifully enacted differentphases of Swamiji's life: the earlychildhood, life as a disciple of SriRamakrishna and his representa-

tion of Hindu Dharma at the Par-liament of World's Religions inAmerica.

The grand finale of the cer-emony glowed with the presenceof esteemed luminaries including:Harish Parvathaneni - CGI, Hous-ton, Saumitra Gokhle - Global co-ordinator, HSS; Ramesh Bhutada- Vice President, HSS USA, AmitMisra - National PR Incharge, HSS

Dharma & Yoga Fest energizesHouston community

USA; Sharad Amin - President,Hindus of Greater Houston andSubhash Gupta - President, HSSHouston.

Amit Misra briefed thosepresent about year-long activities.Nikita Gamini who won the na-tional Dharma Bee contest for herage group shared her experiencesas a participant of the covetedcontest. CG Harish in his keynoteaddress talked about the greatnessand relevance of Swami

Vivekananda's teachings in themodern world and observed thatSwamiji was not just a spiritualthinker but was also a great con-tributor to the freedom strugglemovement of India. After giving avivid description of how theVedanta Society emblem cameabout, he explained what Swamijiin his own words had said aboutthe emblem "The idea of the pic-ture is that by union of Karma,Gyana, Bhakti and Yoga, the vi-sion of Paramatman is obtained".

Saumitra Gokhle, Global coor-dinator, touched upon the variousactivities that are happening allover the world and mentioned thatit is the need of the hour for uni-fied action to uphold Dharma for

peace. Subhash Gupta, Presidentof Houston HSS thanked all thosepresent and those who had con-tributed relentlessly for the pastfew months for making the occa-sion happen.

The event concluded with recitalof Shanti Mantra (Prayer for Peace)by all those present and the entireauditorium echoed with Om ShantiShanti Shanti (Peace Peace Peace).

Bhajan Sandhya in progress

Sessions on Gyan Yoga and Raj Yoga in progress


Jeeyar Swami conducts SitaRama Kalyan Puja

Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: The Aurora-basedIllinois chapter of the Jeeyar Edu-cational Trust (JET), headquar-tered in New Jersey, hosted a col-lective ritual performance of the"auspicious marriage of LordRama and his consort Sita" (SitaRama Kalyanam) conducted by SriChinna Jeeyar Swamiji.

Preceded by an afternoon pro-gram of devotional songs andSouth Indian classical dances, thisout of turn event took place onSeptember 7 at Harper College lo-cated in Palatine, a northwest sub-urb of Chicago. The large numberof registered participants filled theentire width and length of thegymnasium.

Chinna Jeeyar Swami is a "wan-dering monk"who belongsto theVa i s h n a v aspiritual lin-eage of phi-losopher andr e f o r m e rA c h a r y aS h r e eRamanuja. Hewalked be-tween therows distrib-uting imagesof Rama, Sita,Lakshmana,a n dHanuman, before explaining thephilosophy underlying Hindu im-age-worship through a familiaridiom appealing to the Americanand Christian sensibility that didnot hesitate to draw on the Bible.

Inspired by his message and

example, JET provides humanitar-ian services including schoolingfor tribal, fishermen and the visu-ally challenged and runs traditionalVedic, Agama and Vedantaschools. All services, education,books, board and lodging andhealthcare facilities are provided

free of cost to all. It also runs ahospital,

Besides Indian community lead-ers, those present included Illinois

State Rep. Michelle Mussman (D)and Manju Goel, a Republicancandidate for Illinois District 8,whose campaign was officiallylaunched.

The cultural program in the af-

ternoon featured songs anddances that had episodes from theRamayana for their theme. MinooPashupati affiliated to the Univer-sity of Chicago, presented a cho-rus of mostly girls led by a whiteAmerican who played South In-dian temple pipe (nadaswaram).

Director of Nrityanat Dance Acad-emy, Poonam Mahesh performeda Bharata Natyam duo with heraward-winning student Joshua

George to the Tamil composition(keerthanam) "Nee UraipaiHanumane" set to Ragamalika andAdi thalam (rhythmic cycle).

Radhika Ramakrishnan, a stu-dent at Vijayalakshmi Shetty's Chi-cago-based Nataraj Dance Acad-emy, depicted nine (aesthetic) sen-timents (rasa), namely humor,wonder, love, fear, anger, sorrow(instead of the traditional disgust),heroism, (pathos understood hereas) compassion, and tranquilitythrough nine select Ramayanaepisodes in Navarasam, the Tamillyrics.

Director of Lasyasudha DanceAcademy Sudha Kalavagunta per-formed an Annamacharya compo-sition followed by a Sanskrit songfrom Jayadeva's Geeta Govindamin Kuchipudi style. HemaRajagopalan's Natya Dance The-ater performed GovindanKuzhalosai or "the music ofKrishna's flute" (Tamil) inRagamalika. The last item beforeSwamiji's sermon was JayaJagadeesha Hare by ShobhaNatarajan and her group whichdescribed the incarnations of LordVishnu.

Cultural program and Sri Jiyara Swami being introduced by Raghu Mudumbai,

secretary of JET USA

Participants at the Puja

Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji with his followers and disciples

Cont’d on page 34


Saweraa raises $23,000 for women empowermentSEETA BRAHMBHAT

SAWERAA Fashion

Bridal Show was

greatly appreciated

SAWERAA Board

Members with Judge

Douglas Beach

ST LOUIS: South Asian Women's Em-powerment Regional Association(SAWERAA) of St Louis celebrated its elev-enth year anniversary on Saturday Septem-ber 7 with a grand and highly successfulfund raising gala for the benefit of victimsof domestic violence.

Over 320 people attended the near threehours program that helped SAWERAA toraise over $23,000 to help the clients.

The event comprised a judicious combi-nation of silent auctions, aristocratic fash-ion displays, sparkling jewelry sales, and, ofcourse, delectable dinner. The highlight ofthe event was an inspiring and informativespeech by Douglas R. Beech, Circuit CourtJudge, St. Louis County. SAWERAA hon-

ored two individuals from the St. Louis com-munity, Ashwin Patel and Ms. Manju Khosla,for their outstanding 'behind-the-scene' ser-vice to the victims and their families. ItsBridal/ Fashion show was highly appreciated.

SAWERAA is a charitable organizationin St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Its mission isto identify, help, and protect the women andfamilies from all racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups. It is particularly focusedon assisting women of South Asian originwho are facing real and present danger ofdomestic violence and are frightened toreach out for help. These women are par-ticularly vulnerable because of the culturalbackground that enjoins them to be 'obedi-ent' despite hostile environment.

Managed by a group of highly dedicatedvolunteers headed by Ms. Anjali Apte andDr Ann Duncan-Hively SAWERAA pro-vides free financial, legal, physical, psycho-logical, educational, and social services toits clients.

Its mission is to identify,help, and protect thewomen and families fromall racial, ethnic, andsocio-economic groups.It is particularly focused onassisting women of SouthAsian origin who are fac-ing real and present dan-ger of domestic violence

More Community newson Pages 34-35

www.indiapost.comIndia Post

TOP TENHINDI FILM SONGS

1 Get On The Dance Floor:Chennai Express

2 Titli: Chennai Express3 Gulabi: Shuddh Desi Romance4 Ye Tune Kya Kiya: Once Upon

A Time In Mumbaai Dobara5 Lungi Dance: Chennai Express6 Sun Le Re: Madras Cafe7 Tere Mere Beech Mein:

Shuddh Desi Ro-mance8 Main RangSharbaton Ka :

PhataPoster Nikla Hero9 ShuddhDesi Romance: Shuddh Desi

Romance10 Zinda: Bhaag

Milkha Bhaag

31 September 20, 2013

Salman Khan has invited his arch rival Shahrukh Khan to Big Boss 7. He said that if Shahrukh Khan wants to come to Bigg Boss to

promote his film then he is most welcome."Of course, he can come. If he is pro-

moting his next film, he is more than wel-come," Salman said at the launch of the

show.The two actors who were avoiding each

other for five years broke the ice whenthey hugged each other during an Iftaar

party. Speaking about the hug,Salman said it was the natural thing

to do.He added if he has to compete

with Shahrukh then he will dothrough his work. "If we have to

hit at each other, we will do sothrough our work. Aamir is also

coming (with his film now) andthere is Ranbir too," he said.

"Finally u realize turning thepage is the best feeling in the world,

becos there is so much more to the book than thepage u were stuck on," Shah Rukh tweeted.

Kareena Kapoor Khan, Imran Khan and director PunitMalhotra, all three came dressed in black for the trailerlaunch of Gori Tere Pyaar Mein.

Well, there was no dress code, but it was just a "happy stylishaccident" as producer Karan Johar said.

Karan added that he was repeating the pair because they were gor-geous and meant to be together. "It is just that they have different spouses.

I wish they were married to each other," joked Karan.Asked if it was practically possible, he further joked, saying, "Anything

can happen tomorrow," adding, "I am not starting any controversy."Amused by Karan's remark, Kareena said, "Then what will happen to Saif?"

Upon a query on Kareena working with the Khans, Imran's quick retort was,"Kareena's now one of us, she's a Khan too."

"IT IS JUST THAT THEY HAVE DIFFERENT SPOUSES.I WISH THEY WERE MARRIED TO EACH OTHER,"JOKED KARAN

India Post September 20, 2013www.indiapost.com

Real Estate32

Realty Tidbits Singaporeancompanies

believe inIndia

PM promises 15 lakh houses for urban poorCHANDIGARH: Noting that

rapid urbanization has led to theproblem of growing slums in cit-ies, Prime Minister ManmohanSingh has said the Centre plans toconstruct over 15 lakh houses forthe urban poor.

Inaugurating a Rs 2,400-crorehousing project for slum dwellerson the outskirts of the city, Singhsaid he expects Chandigarh to be-come the first slum-free city in thecountry.

"I believe such importantprojects will give a new dimensionto the country in its journey forbecoming a developed nation," hesaid.

Rapid increase in urban popula-tion would put immense pressureon urban infrastructure in nextcouple of years, the Prime Ministersaid, adding the urban populationin the country was going to in-crease by 22 crore in next 20 years.

"The pace of urbanization inIndia is going very fast.

In 1971, the urban populationwas 11 crore. In last 40 years tillthe year 2011, the strength in ur-ban population went up by 27crore. It is estimated that itsstrength will go up by 22 crore innext 20 years," Singh said.

Increase in urban populationwill put immense pressure oncountry's urban infrastructure."Our growing slums in citiespresent a picture of the kind ofproblems arise because of urban-ization," he noted.

He said that the strength ofpeople living in slums was esti-mated to grow from 10 crore to 10.4crore by 2017.

The Prime Minister said a sumof Rs 41,000 crore is expected tobe invested for setting up 15.6 lakhhouses under Jawaharlal Nehru

National Urban Renewal Missionscheme (JNNURM) scheme.

"Till now since the inception

of JNNURM, 15.6 lakh houseshave been approved to be devel-oped and for which Rs 41,000 croreof investment is expected to be

invested," he said.The Centre has floated Rajiv

Awaas Yojna scheme for making

the country slum free, Singh said.Under this scheme, the Centre willtry to construct up 10 lakh housesfor urban poor people in next four

years.The government is providing a

loan of Rs 5 lakh to urban poorpeople with interest subsidy of 5per cent on bank loan.

"A Credit Risk Guarantee Fundof Rs 1000 crore has also been setup for this purpose whereby urbanpoor people will get collateral freebank loan for the houses," he said.

He said that a scheme to involvethe private sector in creating hous-ing facilities for the urban poor hasbeen started.

"Under the scheme private sec-tor companies will be given finan-cial support for the constructionof houses for the weaker sectionsand those in the LIG categories,"the Prime Minister said.

After Independence, he said,Chandigarh was the first plannedcity in the country.-PTI

86 realtors show interest in Haryana projectCHANDIGARH: As many as

86 real estate companies, includ-ing DLF, Emaar MGF, Raheja De-velopers have shown interest indeveloping Haryana government'smost ambitious affordable hous-ing project in the state.

Haryana's Town and CountryPlanning Department has re-ceived license applications fromreal estate developers for settingup affordable houses for whicha policy was announced byBhupinder Singh Hooda led stategovernment last month, officialsources said here.

Maximum number of applica-tions for licenses has come forsetting up houses in Gurgaon city

at 50, followed by Sohna at 14,Faridabad at 10 while rest are forJhajjar, Palwal, Rewari, Karnal andNilokheri.

Among companies which havesubmitted license applications,prominent real estate groups areDLF Ltd and Emaar MGF, EsselHousing at Gurgaon, SRS Hightechprojects at Faridabad, CHD Devel-opers at Karnal and Sohna at RahejaDevelopers, they said.

In a bid to ensure affordablehouses in urban areas, Haryanacabinet approved an affordablehousing policy 2013 last month.

Under this policy, the state gov-ernment envisaged to make avail-able 1.25 lakh affordable dwelling

units having carpet area of about500 sq ft each in the urban cen-ters of Haryana, which are con-structed through the capital in-vestment of private sectorwithin a period of next fiveyears.

The maximum allotment ratefor the apartment units ap-proved under such projects hasbeen kept at Rs 4,000 per sq ft ofcarpet area in the developmentplans of Gurgaon, Fairdabad,Panchkula and Pinjore-Kalka, Rs3,600 per sq ft in the develop-ment plans of other high andmedium potential towns and Rs3,000 per sq ft in the remaininglow potential towns. -PTI

CCI rules outabuse of marketdominance

NEW DELHI: Fair trade regula-tor CCI has dismissed the chargesof abuse of dominant positionagainst four real estate firms in themarket for residential flats.

In four separate orders passedearlier this month, CompetitionCommission of India (CCI) saidthat realty firms - Sanathnagar En-terprises, Media Video, DesignarchInfrastructure and City Corpora-tion - prima facie, did not "appearto be in a dominant position in therelevant market."

The complaints against thecompanies were mostly related toalleged anti-competitive practicesin the builder-buyer agreements.

In the case of Sanathnagar En-terprises - an associate companyof real-estate major Lodha Group,the Casa Paradiso Owner's Wel-fare Association in Hyderabadhad complained that thecompany's 'Agreement for Sale'was one sided, highly in favour ofthe seller and contained wrongfacts.

Casa Paradiso (Hyderabad) waslaunched by Lodha Group throughSanathnagar Enterprises in Octo-ber 2010.-PTI

Credai against linking of home loansto construction stages

MUMBAI: Criticizing the Re-serve Bank's decision to link dis-bursal of home loans to stages ofconstruction, real estate apexbody Credai said the move willharm developer sentiment and dis-turb business plans.

RBI has asked banks to link thedisbursal of home loans to stagesof construction to protect the in-terests of buyers and contain thefallout of "innovative" housing fi-nancing schemes.

It has directed banks thatupfront disbursal "should not bemade in cases of incomplete/un-der-construction/ green field hous-ing projects".

Confederation of Real EstateDevelopers' Associations chair-man Lalit Kumar Jain said: "Hous-ing finance institutions or banksnormally safeguard their interestwhile devising such instruments.Abruptly issuing such circulars,advising bank against established

practices only harm the sentimentand disrupts business plans. Thiswill create setback for projects, af-fecting the end consumers."

The notification follows the in-troduction by some banks of "in-novative housing loan schemes"in association with developers orbuilders, where upfront disbur-sal of housing loans is made tobuilders without being linked tothe various stages of construc-tion.

New mobile homebeing built inVt. post-Irene

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt.:A new, more durable mobile homeis being manufactured in Vermontafter about 560 mobile homes weredestroyed or damaged in the stateby Tropical Storm Irene.

The Aug. 28, 2011 floodprompted housing advocates, en-ergy specialists and others to ana-lyze the quality of mobile homesbeing sold, said Peter Schneider, anenergy consultant with EfficiencyVermont.

``Tropical Storm Irene reallyshowed us how vulnerable our mo-bile home communities are,'' he said.

Mobile homes are a critical partof Vermont's low incoming hous-ing options but they depreciateover time, he told Vermont PublicRadio (http://bit.ly/18lckkT).

Details on page 33

33 India Post Real Estate Post September 20, 2013

www.indiapost.com

Singaporean companies believe in IndiaSINGAPORE: Singaporean companies still believe in

long-term opportunities in India despite the recent plungein rupee value and the weakening economic outlook, ac-cording to a media report.

Singapore property group Ascendas, which has real es-tate assets in Bangalore and Chennai, believed in its long-term growth, its president and chief executive ManoharKhiatani said.

"It has a competitive, qualified labor force and globalcompanies will continue to choose India to conduct theirbusinesses," The Straits Times quoted Khiatani as saying.

"The country's real estate sector is in its growing phaseand we believe key sub-sectors including industrial, IT andcommercial space will continue to see steady demand," hesaid.

Singapore-listed Religare Health Trust (RHT), which hasa portfolio of health-care assets in India, was banking onthe Indian market potential, especially citing the shortageof hospital beds relative to rising demand.

RHT chief executive Gurpreet Dhillon said strong andsustained growth in the Indian health-care sector was be-ing driven by solid fundamentals such as a growing middleclass, an ageing population and changing disease profiles.

India has a "huge untapped demand but limited supply"of serviced residences to cater to rising numbers of expatri-ates and travelers, added Alfred Ong, managing director forstrategic development and Indian market at The Ascottwhich has two serviced residences in Bangalore andChennai and would open five more over the next few years.

The general consensus about India was still positive,even though the country faced challenges in the short-run,said Benjamin Yap, regional director for South Asia at tradepromotion agency, International Enterprise Singapore.

Yap saw new opportunities for Singapore companies inthe infrastructure, manufacturing and consumer goods sec-tors in the Tier 2 cities such as Pune, Lucknow andVisakhapatnam, especially after growth saturates in Tier 1cities like Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore.

"India continues to pursue economic liberalization, cre-ating opportunities for foreign investors, includingSingapore companies. What we are seeing is a short-termissue which should not detract companies from the market'slong-term potential," Yap said.

The Straits Times also cited other business executivesexpressing concern about India's red tape, complicated taxenvironment and challenges of dealing with bureaucrats.

International media reports have highlighted foreign in-vestors pull out of Indian stocks and bonds on the back ofeconomic uncertainties. -PTI


Swamiji began his sermon ex-plaining Vishnu (from root vish-)as God in his all-pervasive aspectand Rama as "beauty" from(ramayati). Citing the Bible that"the kingdom of God is withinYou" to underline that Vishnudwells within, he recounted theparable of the old lady who losther sewing needle and kept search-ing for it under a street lamp onthe opposite side of the road. Our

Jeeyar Swami conductsSita Rama Kalyan Puja

required lamp is the scriptures andGuru.

The purpose of puja was to ini-tialize this process within oneself.To perform Sita-Rama-Kalyanam isto invoke the "wedding" ofRama's supremacy and Sita's com-passion within us. Swamiji then ledthe collective performance of theritual, explaining the minutest de-tails regarding the various itemsof worship, the gestures (mudra),incantations (mantra), etc., andtheir meanings.

Sita Ram Kalyan Puja at Harper College


Chicago Kabaddi Tournament attract hundreds

Winner of the Chicago Kabbadi Cup Fateh Club, California Kabbadi game in progress

Punjabi folk singer Gill Hardeep entertaining those present

Asian Media USA

CHICAGO: Shere PunjabSports & Cultural Club, Chicagoheld its annual Kabaddi cup tour-nament on Sunday September 1 atBusse Woods forest preservewhich turned out to be a big festi-val of fun, food and sports. Peoplenot only from Chicagoland butalso from Indiana, Ohio, Michiganand Wisconsin came in large num-bers.

The Kabaddi and Volleyballteams from Toronto, California,Indianapolis and Michigan partici-pated in the tournament. In the

evening a famous Punjabi folksinger Gill Hardeep entertained theaudience with his popular songsfor more than one and a half hours.Madan Popli from Milwaukee wasthe Chief Guest.

In the open Kabaddi Cupmatches four teams competed.The first prize was won by theFateh Club, California which de-feated Miri Piri Sports Club, Indi-ana. In under-21 Kabaddi matcheshost Shere Punjab Sports club wasthe winner and Malton Sportsclub-Toronto (Canada) was therunner-up. Under 21 Kabaddiprizes were given out by Baldev

Singh Sallah and Makhan SinghDulley.

In Volleyball matches ToniSanghera`s 'Illinois Sikh Commu-nity Sports Club' team was the win-ner and Lakbir Dhindsa`s teamfrom Madison, WI was the run-ner-up. Volleyball prizes were spon-sored by Amarjit Singh Dhindsa.

The event was successful withthe generous donation by eventsponsors. The sponsors were rec-ognized and presented plaques.Club president Sardar Amritpal Gillthanked all the spectators and sup-porters. The event was telecastlive by Global Punjab channel.

Telugu Community pays glowingtributes YSR

SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: Telugu Christiancommunity convened a specialmemorial meeting to celebrate andhonor the life and the golden

legacy of late former Chief Minis-ter of Andhra Pradesh Dr Y.S.Rajashekara Reddy in commemo-ration of his fourth death anniver-sary on September 14 inRiverwoods, Illinois.

The event was highlighted withglowing tributes, reflections, homi-

lies, prayer and solemn music thatattracted a host of prominent TeluguChristian community. Each one ofthem stepped up to Dr YSR's picture

and lit a candle in veneration of YSR.Dr Heyer Paul Devarapalli - who

hosted the event - welcomed theguests and described YSR as agreat statesman, extraordinarypeople's leader and an outstand-ing friend of the Telugu Christiancommunities all across the conti-

nents. Keerthi Kumar Ravoori,YSR Event Co-Chair in his tributesaid Dr YSR will remain indeliblyenshrined in the hearts and minds

of the people of AndhraPradesh.

Earlier, Rev Dr JohnDevarapalli, an evangelistfrom Andhra Pradesh, pre-sented a historical overviewon the life and the distin-guished career of DrY.S.Rajashekara Reddy andchronicled his lineage de-scribing how Dr YSRemerged as the greatestChief Minister of AP.

Rev. Peter Pereira, CEOof Hope for Today, Indiaeulogized Dr. YSR as agod-anointed leader whoserved all sections of

people with indefatigable devotion.Other speakers who spoke and

lit the candle include VasanthCharles, Johnson Sukka, VijenderDoma, Merari Bushpaka, RajuPasumarathi, Emmanuel Neela,Ravi Pulikuri, Edward Jenner,Surender Charles and Samuel.

Community figures at YSR Memorial seated [L to R] Surender Charles, Rev. Peter Pereira,

Rev. John Devarapalli & Keerthi Ravoori. Standing [L to R] Ravi Pulikuri, Samuel, Merari

Bushpaka, Vijender Doma, Dr. Paul Devarapalli, Vasanth Charles, Raju Pasumarthi, Ed

Jenner, Johnson Sukka & Emmanuel Neela.


Exhibition on Sikh Heritage in IndiaSURENDRA ULLAL

Aurora Durga Puja tobegin on Oct 10

SEETA BRAHMBHATT

CHICAGO: Aurora-Chicagobased Bharat Sevashram Sangh(BSS) has slated the 2013 DurgaPuja Celebration beginning fromWednesday October 10 to Mon-day October 14 at its Aurora facil-ity.

According to S. Sucheta, anAshram spokesperson, the morn-ing Maha Asthami Puja will com-mence on Saturday at 8-30 amwhile the evening Puja will start at5 pm.

The Maha Navmi Puja on Sun-day will start at 8-30 am and theevening Puja at 5 p.m.Acharya Swami Pranabanandji

Maharaj, the founder of BSS

CHICAGO: Indian Consul Gen-eral in Chicago Dr Ausaf Sayeedinaugurated a week long photoexhibition "The Sikhs - A Heritageof Valor and Devotion" in theatrium of the State of Illinois Build-ing in Chicago on Monday Sep-tember 9.

The Exhibition by the re-nowned photo artist SondeepShankar is a pioneering workwhich showcases the rich Sikh

Heritage and traditions. The Exhi-bition is sponsored by the IndianCouncil for Cultural Relations,New Delhi and is co-hosted bythe Indian Consulate in Chicago,Illinois Governor Pat Quinn andthe Punjabi Cultural Society ofChicago (PCS). The Exhibition re-

mained open to the public till Sep-tember 13. Other venues for thisdisplay are also being planned.

Nearly fifty Indian Americancommunity members attended theinauguration ceremony of the ex-hibition. On behalf of the Gover-nor Pat Quinn, Ms. Theresa Mahwelcomed everyone and an-nounced that it was a part of theseries of events displaying the di-versity of cultures in Illinois.

Rajinder Singh Mago of PCSgave an overview of the Sikh be-liefs, the history of Sikhs inAmerica and their contributionsand sacrifices in the world warsgallantly fighting for the successof the allies.

Mago introduced Consul Gen-

eral Dr Ausaf Sayeed who alongwith dignitaries cut the ribbon toofficially de-clare the exhi-bition open tothe public. Inhis remarks,Dr Sayeedspoke highlyof the richSikh Heritageand the open-ness and in-clusive natureof the Sikhculture per-sonally expe-rienced by him over the yearsthrough his many Sikh friends. Healso touched upon the inclusivenature of Guru Granth Sahib.

A moment of silence was ob-served in memory of the twoSikhs, one US national and an-other Indian national, who weremurdered at a grocery store inMiddlebury Street in Elkhart innorthern Indiana during a rob-bery attempt recently.

The Consul General and otherinvitees viewed the exhibits ondisplay.

"This exhibition will generateawareness and understandingabout the Sikh American commu-nity among their fellow Ameri-cans, which is invaluable duringthe week of nine eleven," said

Rajinder Singh Mago.Sikhism established in the 15th

century, is just over 500 years oldreligion. Its teachings arefounded in philosophy of human-ism, pluralism, universal brother-hood etc. Guru Nanak Devji wasthe first Sikh Guru, born in

1469.He was followed by nineGurus whose descendants and

close followers are spread in largenumbers across the world. Thereare approximately 700,000 SikhAmericans in United States, in-cluding thousands in the state ofIllinois.

Indian CG Dr Ausaf Sayeed formally launching Sikh Exhibition

in Chicago downtown

A view of Sikh exhibition in Chicago

Free Health Fair at Swaminarayan TempleHARISH RAO

ITASCA: A free Health Fair hasbeen arranged at MidwestSwaminarayan Temple on Sunday,September 29 between 8:15 am and1 pm. The Health Fair is one of thetemple's regular annual programs.Along with MidwestSwaminarayan Temple, other insti-tutions including Lohana Associa-tion of Greater Chicago, GujaratiSamaj of Chicago and KadvaPatidar Samaj of Chicago arealso cosponsoring this event.

The fair is open to all in needof medical checkup and healthrelated problems. Preregistrationis not required. Registration willstart at the temple at 8 am and

close at 11 am. The check up willinclude testing of Blood Pres-sure, Blood Testing, BloodSugar, EKG, Urinanalysis, EyeScreening, Bone Density tests,ENT exam, Chiropractic Consul-tation, Physical Therapy, Den-tal Examination, Hearing Testand Physical Examination.

Information about Social Ser-vices and Benefits will also beprovided. Also arranged is adiabetic education program. Ap-proximately 25 volunteer doc-tors and 85 health care profes-sionals will provide their volun-teer services for the event.

This year free Flu shots will

also be provided to all abovethe age of 25 years.

Patients requiring blood test-ing are requested to observefasting for 12 hours before thetest. Please do not take food ordrinks after 8:00 PM from theprevious night (Saturday night).

Any medical problems de-tected during the Health Fair canbe further treated at the monthlyclinic at the temple once amonth. This is again a free ser-vice provided by the templemanagement and includes doc-tors' check up, laboratory testingand providing medicines on aregular basis.

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September 20, 2013

September 20, 201340 India Post

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DatebookNORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Upcoming

Fri, Sep 27

• Lata's Voice Klose To My Soul

- A Musical Evening

Venue: Haveli Indian Cuisine, 17221

Pioneer Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701

Time: 7:30 pm

Contact: 562-869-9009

Sat, Sep 28

• Planet Bollywood

Venue: Ultraseude Hollywood, N Robertson

Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Time: 10:00 pm

Contact: 858-610-7388

Sat, Sep 28

• Invitation for Dharma &

Yoga Fest

Venue: Granada Hills high school , 10535

Zelzah Ave, Los Angeles, CA 91344

Time: 4:00 pm

Contact: 805-203-0726

Fri, Oct 4

• The International Gem and

Jewelry Show

Venue: Los Angeles Convention Center,

1201 Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90744

Time: 12:00 pm

Sat, Oct 5

• Raas-Garba With Jayshree

Gohil & Group

Venue: Anaheim Convention Center,

800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim,

CA 92802

Time: 4:00 pm

Contact: 951-318-7375

ATLANTA

Upcoming

Fri, Sep 20• Playback Singers withLakshman Sruthi in AtlantaVenue: Forsyth Conference Center, 3410Ronald Reagan Boulevard, Cumming,GA 30041Time: 6:30 pmContact: 4048049912

Sat, Sep 21• Guest House ,Gujarati NatakVenue: Gujarati Samaj of Atlanta, at SardarPatel Bhavan, 5331 Royal Woods Pkwy,Tucker, GA 30084Time: 8:30 pmContact: 404-401-4404

Sat, Sep 21• Dharma Yoga Fest 2013

Venue: Excelsior High School Grounds,

15711 Pioneer Blvd, Norwalk, CA 90650

Time: 9:00 am

Contact: 650-215-8484

Sat, Sep 28• Sef Dandia 2013

Venue: Kellogg Gym, 3801 W Temple Ave,

Pomona, CA 91768

Time: 8:00 pm

Contact:714-587-7466

Sat, Oct 12• "Bharathanatyam

Fund Raiser"

Venue: Madrid Theatre, 21622 Sherman Way,

Canoga Park, CA 91605

Time: 4:00 pm

Time: 8183575313

• J K Yog Satsang and Bal

Mukund Hindi Classes are held

every 2nd and 4rth Sunday of

Month

Chicago Satsang Information:

J K Yog, Chicago - Swami Mukundananda

Venue: Clarion Inn/Waterford Banquets,

Board Room, 933 South Riverside

Drive, Elmhurst, IL 60126

Time: 3:30pm-5:30pm

Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok

@ 630-561-4807

Website: www.jkyog.org

1st and 3rd Sunday of Month• Chicago Children's

Bal Mukund

Character Building Program

and Hindi Literacy Classes

Venue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. Higgins

Road, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Next

to Nissan Dealership)

Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @

630-561-4807

Website: www.jkyog.org/bal-mukund

Fri, Sep 20• Chicago South Asian Film

Festival 2013

Venue: Showplace Icon Theater:, 150 W

Roosevelt Rd, Chicago, IL 60605

Time: 10:00 am

Fri, Sep 20• Tribute to First Super Star

Rajesh Khaana

Venue: Des Plaines Theater, 1476 Miner St,

Des Plaines, IL 60016

Time: 5:30 pm

Contact: 630-913-6660

ILLINOIS

Upcoming

NEW JERSEYUpcoming

NEW YORKUpcoming

Thu, Oct 3• DJ Rekha Presents BasementBhangraVenue: Le Poisson Rouge, 158 BleeckerStreet, New York, NY 10012Time: 7:00 pmContact: 718-207-0058

Sat, Octp 5• Raas Garba BenefitVenue: Van Wyck Junior High School, 10Hillside Lake Rd, Wappingers Falls, NY12590Time: 6:00 pmContact: 845-245-6047

Sat, Octp 5• Navratri Rass-GarbaVenue: Navratri Rass Garba 2013 St.Anthony’s High School 275 Wolf Hill Rd,Melville, NY 11747Time: 5:00 pmContact: 347-455-8515

Sat , Sep 21• Ganesotsava - 2013Venue: Felician College Auditorium, 262 SMain St, Lodi, NJ 07644Time: 10:30 amContact: 609-923-1377

Sun, Sep 22• Amjad Ali Khan – Live inConcertVenue: North Brunswick Township HighSchool Auditorium, 98 Raider Road, NorthBrunswick, NJ 08902Time: 04:00 pmContact: 817-781-6869

Fri, Oct 4• Bollywood Legend, FarooqSheikhVenue: Edison Hotel, 3050 Woodbridge Ave,Edison, NJ 08837Time: 8:00 pmContact: 732-277-6687

India Post41 www.indiapost.com September 20, 2013

Jaipur, the City of Victory, is chaotic andcongested, though it still has a habit oftickling travelers pink. Stunning hilltopforts and glorious palaces fit like footprintsfrom a rich royal past, candyfloss-bright

turbans blaze a trail through brilliant bargain-filledbazaars, and fluttering saris catch the eye likebutterflies.

As the gateway to the desert state ofRajasthan, however, it's also a city permanently

under siege. Package tour-ists are captivated by (and

offloaded on) the bustling bazaars, world-classhotels and clammy sophistication, while camelcarts and cows waddle through diesel-soakedstreets, rampaging rickshaw drivers hustle andburn past businessmen and tourists, and scoresof street children beg outside huge jewelleryshops and palatial hotels.

Jaipur beams boldest at dusk - when it'swell worth walking to Amber - and, much likeits founder, Jai Singh II, the Pink City isboth proud and resilient.TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Hawa Mahal: Hawa Mahal of Jaipur isan example of the architectural magnifi-cence prevalent in that period. HawaMahal is the signature building of Jaipur.A must in any Jaipur sightseeing trip.

City Palace of Jaipur: City Palace of Jaipur isa combination of Rajasthani and Mughal archi-tecture. It is spread into a vast area and holdsmany palaces, gardens, forts, museums andtemples in it.

Jantar Mantar: Jantar Mantar was conceivedas a quest for discovering the cosmos. The aimwas to verify astronomical observations and togenerate interest among public about astronomy.

Amber Palace: Amber Palace is a magnificentbuilding built to rival the Mughal grandeur. It is asignificant symbol of the rich Rajput architecture.

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS:Jaipur is the land of fairs and festivals. The Pink

City remains soaked with the splendor of colors.Every fair and festival has its own significance.

Teej festival: Teej festival is well known acrossthe world and is an icon of Jaipur tourism.

It is celebrated to welcome the monsoonduring Shraavan month (July-August) asper Hindu calendar. Millions of devo-tees participate in the auspicious rally

of Teej Mata, said to be an incar-nation of Goddess Parvati.

Cont’d on page 42

India Post September 20, 201342 Travel & Hospitality Postwww.indiapost.com

JAIPURSTUNNING HILLTOP FORTS& GLORIOUS PALACES

This two-day long festival iscelebrated on the 3rd and 4th dayof Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight)of Shravan month.

Bright fortnight symbolizes"growth" hence the women ofRajasthan keep fast for the longlife of theirh u s b a n d swhile the menoffer prayersto Teej Matafor good rainand crop.Hindu mytho-logical signifi-cance of thisfestival is thatafter a longs e p a r a t i o n ,G o d d e s sParvati re-united with her husband LordShiva. She gave a boon to this daythat whoever does worship of God-dess Parvati on this day, she ful-fills his/her wishes.

Parents of married women send"Sinjara" to their daughters on theday before Teej. Sinjara is a giftpackage which includes make-upstuff symbol-izing herSuhaag (co-verture), i.e.bindi, vermil-ion, mehendior henna,b a n g l e s ;Ghevar (a spe-cial discs h a p e dsweet), andLahariya (amul t i - co lo rsari with zigzag pattern).

After receiving those gifts fromthe parents home, a married ladydecorates herself with henna, vari-ous ornaments, wears Lahariyasari and enjoys Teej fair with her

husband, in-laws and relatives.In Teej fair, an auspicious rally

of Teej Mata starts from TripoliaGate of Jaipur which passesthrough various main markets andends at Chaugan Stadium. Mem-bers of royal family decorate theidol of Teej Mata for this auspi-cious rally. Accouterment(Lawajma) of decorated elephants,horses and camels walk before TeejMata's Palki (palanquin) which ismade of gold and silver. Variousfolk dances and folk arts are per-formed during this rally.

Gangaur Festival: Gangaur fes-tival starts in Jaipur on Tritiya tithi(3rd day) of Krishna paksha (wan-ing moon) of Chaitra month(March-April) and ends on Tritiyatithi (3rd day) of Shukla paksha

(waxing moon) of Chaitra month.Hence, Gangaur festival is cel-ebrated in Jaipur for 16 days."Gangaur" is the combination oftwo words "Gana" and "Gaur"."Gana" stands for Lord Shiva, and"Gaur" is the synonym of goddess"Gauri" or "Parvati". In Rajasthan,married women worship goddess

Gauri for long life and good healthfor their husbands while unmar-ried women worship her for beingblessed good husband.


Cont’d on page 43

India PostSeptember 20, 2013 43Travel & Hospitality Postwww.indiapost.com

Married women and unmarriedgirls collect water everyday fromdifferent sacred places or templesto offer ablution to Gangaur. Theydecorate their Kalash (water pots)with traditional RajasthaniMaandna (special type of paint-ing done by lime water). They alsocollect grass leaves and flowers forworship ofGangaur. Duringwater collectionand flower collec-tion, they singRajasthani folksongs related toGangaur festival.

One of themost popularsongs is"Bazaraan meinjaata hi Isar ramadgayo, mhaanemelo to dikha degangaur Isar Choto So..." It meansthat young Isar presses Gauri inthe market to see the Fair (Mela)and wants lot of articles pur-chased for him. Though Gangaurfestival is observed in many partsof Rajasthan, the Jaipur Gangaurfestival is world famous.

After collecting water, grassleaves and flowers; they worshipGangaur with grass leaves andsing a specific Rajasthani folk song"Gaur Gaur Ganpati, Isar Pooje

Parvati" which means goddessParvati worships Lord Shiva (Isar)to marry him.HOW TO REACH:

Air: Indian Airlines connectsJaipur with Delhi, Jodhpur,Udaipur, Aurangabad, Bombay,Varanasi, Calcutta, Ahmedabad.

Rail: Jaipur is connected by railwith Delhi, Agra, Ahmedabad,Ajmer, Abu Road (Mount Abu),

Udaipur, Bombay and SawaiMadhopur.

Road: Good motorable roadsconnect Jaipur with Delhi 258 km,Agra 236 km, Bikaner 321 km,Udaipur 405 km, Ajmer 131 km,Jodhpur 316 km, Bharatpur 176 km,Jaisalmer 638 km and Bombay 1202km

Bus: Regular buses ply fromJaipur to the above places andAlwar, Kota, Sariska, Mathura,Indore, Chittorgarh and Barmer.

JAIPURStunning hilltop forts

& glorious palacesCont’d from page 42

Australia eyes over 8% risein Indian travelers

NEW DELHI: Australia is eye-ing an over 8 per cent rise in thenumber of Indian travelers visit-ing the country in the next finan-cial year on the back of initiativesto promote itself as a leisure andbusiness destination.

"We expect the numbers of trav-elers from India to rise by 8.5 percent to around 1,91,000 in the nextfiscal year 2014-15," Tourism Aus-tralia Country Manager IndiaNishant Kashikar told PTI.

Tourism Australia is the Aus-tralian government agency re-sponsible for attracting interna-

tional visitors to Australia and en-couraging Australians to traveldomestically, both for leisure andbusiness events.

"The focus will be on promot-ing Australia as a leisure destina-tion which includes both visiting

friends and relatives and holidayssegment and as a business desti-nation," he added.

At present, India is already thenumber tenth source market interms of travelers visiting Austra-lia and has strong potential forgrowth, Tourism Australia said.

"India is already Australia's

tenth largest source market andhas the potential to become topseventh or eighth market by 2020,"Kashikar said.

Arrivals from India are expectedto grow by 7.2 per cent on an aver-age for next eight years, he added.

As per Tourism Australia, In-dian travelers are also importantbecause of their average length ofstay and average expenditure. In-dia is one of the 11th largest sourcemarket in terms of expenditure.

"The average expenditure forIndian visitors was AUD 5,323 perperson," Kashikar said.-PTI

Goa beaches to be withoutlifeguards

PANAJI: Goa's beaches wouldbe without lifeguards from Septem-ber 15 as the private agency en-gaged to provide services has de-cided to withdraw its personneldue to Government's failure to re-new contract.

Drishti Special Response Ser-vices (DSRS), in a notice to the StateTourism Ministry, has informed theywill withdraw all their 550 lifeguardsfrom 105km stretch of the beachesas the Ministry has failed to renewtheir five-year contract.

Tourism Minister DilipParulekar said his department hasinvited fresh tenders from agen-cies interested to provide life-guards.

He declined to comment whenasked whether the beaches wouldbe allowed to remain without life-

savers as the tourist season is be-ginning from mid-September.

DSRS, which bagged the con-tract in 2008, was initially assignedselect beaches. However, since2010 the agency has been manningthe entire coastline, which attractslakhs of tourists from India andabroad.

DSRS Chief Operations OfficerV K Kanwar told PTI that theagency carried out 1,187 opera-tions rescuing 1,750 people in thelast five years on Goa's beaches.

Of late, their services were ex-tended to other tourist hotspotslike Dudhsagar waterfall, fromwhere several drowning incidentshad been reported.

Kanwar said the agency issuedthe notice as their regular contractexpired on June 15 and since then

the Tourism Ministry has been re-newing it on a monthly basis. "Wedecided not to seek monthly renewaldue to various issues," he said.

DSRS was not receiving pay-ments from the Ministry on timeand even the 10 per cent annualincrement embedded in the agree-ment was not honored by the Gov-ernment this year, he added. -PTI

Kerala CM inaugurates tourismweek celebrations

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:The annual tourism week celebra-tions, being organized by theKerala state Tourism departmentas part of the Onam festival, gotoff to an exciting start hereevening with a performance by a

group of 101 percussion artistes.Chief Minister Oommen

Chandy inaugurated the celebra-tions by lighting the traditionallamp.

Noted actors Sreedevi and

Prithviraj were the chief guests atthe inaugural function presidedover by Tourism Minister A P AnilKumar. Bollywood film producerBoney Kapoor, Sreedevi's hus-band, also attended the function.

Union Minister of State for Hu-

man Resource DevelopmentShashi Tharoor and state HealthMinister V S Sivakumar spoke.

The percussion performanceled by Peruvannan Kuttan Mararand Kalamandalam Sivadas en-

thralled the audience at the cen-tral stadium here.

The inaugural function wasfollowed by a mega show pre-sented by Jaihind TV channel.

Various dance, music and stageevents as part of the tourism week

would be held in different venuesin the city including the mainvenue central stadium,Nisagandhi auditorium,Sooryakanthi ground, GandhiPark and VJT hall. -PTI

44 India Post September 20, 2013www.indiapost.com

In Brief ImmigrationDetails on page 46

Don't lose focus onComprehensive

ImmigrationReform

People waiting in a queue for visa interview at U.S. Consulate General.

Congress urged to remove Indiaspecific immigration barriers

WASHINGTON: Five formerUS Ambassadors to India haverequested the Congress to removeIndia-specific discriminatory pro-visions in immigration reform, un-derscoring that continuation ofsuch steps would have an adverseimpact on the bilateral relationshipbetween the two countries.

In a letter to top lawmakers,these former envoys observedthat American competitivenessand vitality depend heavily on ro-bust US-India commercial ties

They further said any compre-hensive immigration reform legis-lation approved by the Congressneeds to appreciate the mutualbenefit of deepening the bilateralpartnership, which is vitally impor-tant to the two countries and glo-bal economy.

The letters were addressed tothe Speaker of the House of Rep-resentatives John A Boehner, Sen-ate Majority Leader Harry Reid,Senate Minority Leader MitchMcConnell, and the House Minor-ity Leader Nancy Pelosi.

The letter was jointly signed byformer US Ambassadors to India -Thomas Pickering, Frank Wisner,

Richard Celeste, David Mulfordand Robert Blackwill.

"While we believe that the USCongressional efforts to furtherComprehensive Immigration Re-form can be of great benefit, weare concerned that the high-skilled

visa provisions in legislation cur-rently contemplated by the Sen-ate are not in US economic inter-ests and they complicate our rela-tions with India," they said.

The US India Business Coun-cil (USIBC) and the recently

formed Coalition for Jobs andGrowth worked with these fiveformer US Ambassadors to Indiato reach Congress about Ameri-can jobs and competitiveness.

The letter comes ahead of thescheduled meeting between the

Prime Minister Manmohan Singhand US President Barack Obamaat the White House on September27.

"We hope the visit of PMManmohan Singh and his meet-ing with President Obama will re-

invigorate the US-India ties,prompting the US Administrationand Congress to take a secondlook and eliminate specific dis-criminatory provisions in the im-migration reform bill, which willhurt American competitivenessand damage US-India commercialties," USIBC president RonSomers said.

We ask that any comprehen-sive immigration reform legislationapproved by Congress appreci-ates the mutual benefit of deepen-ing the US-India partnership,which is vitally important to ourtwo countries and the globaleconomy," Somers said in his let-ter to the Congressional leadersaccompanying the Ambassadorsletter.

In their letter, the five formerenvoys write that the Comprehen-sive Immigration Reform legisla-tion that has passed the US Sen-ate unfortunately differentiatesbetween US providers of IT ser-vices, and Indian IT companieswhich provide the same servicesto American businesses using vir-tually the same labor pool sourcedfrom India. Cont'd on Page 45

Advance in India 2nd preference visa cut-off dateCYRUS D. MEHTA

The India second preference cut-off date has advanced by more than

three years, to January 1, 2008.In July, it stood at September 1,2004. The Department of State'sVisa Bulletin for August 2013notes that the advance is in aneffort to fully use the numbersavailable under the overall em-ployment second preference an-nual limit.

"It is expected that suchmovement will generate a signifi-cant amount of new India demandduring the coming months," thebulletin notes, adding that "sometype of 'corrective' action will berequired at some point during FY2014 in an effort to maintain num-ber use within the applicable an-nual limits. Such action would in-volve the establishment and ret-

rogression of such cut-off dates,and could occur at any time."

DHS Inspector General ReleasesReport on Implementation ofL-1 Visa Regulations

On August 9, 2013, the Depart-

ment of Homeland Security(DHS)'s Office of Inspector Gen-eral (OIG) released a report con-taining recommendations aimed atimproving the L-1 visa program in

response to a request from Sen.Charles Grassley for an examina-tion of the potential for fraud orabuse in the program. The L-1 visaprogram facilitates the temporarytransfer of foreign nationals withmanagement, professional, and

specialist skills to the UnitedStates. For the report, the OIG ob-served DHS personnel and Depart-ment of State consular officialsprocess L-1 petitions and visas.

The OIG also interviewed 71managers and staff in DHS andthe Department of State.

The OIG found that althoughU.S. Citizenship and ImmigrationServices regulations and head-quarters memoranda provideguidance on the definition ofspecialized knowledge, they areinsufficient to ensure consistentapplication of L-1 visa programrequirements in processing visasand petitions.

More communication be-tween DHS and the Departmentof State would improve the pro-cessing of blanket petitions, thereport says. The OIG determinedthat program effectivenesswould be improved and risks re-duced with additional effort in(1) training for U.S.

"It is expected that such movement will gen-erate a significant amount of new India de-mand during the coming months," the bulletinnotes, adding that "some type of 'corrective'action will be required at some point duringFY 2014 in an effort to maintain number use

Cont'd on Page 47

Ryan reiteratescriteria for changesin immigration

BROOKFIELD, Wis.: U.S. Rep.Paul Ryan says the House will takeup immigration reform this fall, buthe won't be supporting the bill thatpassed the U.S. Senate.The Wisconsin Republican spokeabout immigration in response toa question following his speechto a business group in Brookfield.Ryan has been working largelybehind the scenes in Washingtonon an alternative to the Demo-cratic-backed Senate plan.Ryan says his priorities are firstsecuring the border, then movingforward with creating an effectiveguest worker program and way forpeople who aren't here legally togain citizenship.Ryan says he opposes givingpeople who are here illegally am-nesty and instead wants to createa probationary status for them asthey work their way toward citi-zenship. -AP

Legal statusdefines immigrantWA health benefits

SEATTLE: For immigrants livingin the country illegally, the newhealth care coverage under Presi-dent Barack Obama's AffordableCare Act will be simple: They don'tget any. In Washington State, how-ever, some of those immigrants canstill qualify for certain already-ex-isting state health programs.Both immigrants legally in the coun-try and those illegally here whoqualify for state programs will beable to look up their eligibilitythrough the web portal created bythe Washington Health Benefit Ex-change.Those are a few nuggets of infor-mation in often-confusing healthcare facts the exchange is taskedwith diffusing among minoritypopulations in the state before en-rollment begins on Oct. 1 for theexpanded marketplace of health in-surances.``We have to make sure 6.5 millionpeople are aware of what's happen-ing,'' said Michael Marchand, com-munications director for the ex-change.According to U.S. Census figures,nearly half a million Washingtonresidents over age 5 speak a lan-guage other than English and saythey don't speak English very well.More than 200,000 say Spanish istheir primary language, but another150,000 say they speak an Asian orPacific Islander language. -AP

India Post 45September 20, 2013 Immigration Postwww.indiapost.com

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Advocates turn to Obama for action on immigrationWASHINGTON: With immigra-

tion legislation stalled in Con-gress, advocates are intensifyingpressure on the Obama adminis-tration to act unilaterally to stopdeportations or grant legal statusto some of the 11 million peoplenow living in the U.S. illegally.

Activists are stepping up actsof civil disobedience like one lastmonth in Phoenix, where theyblocked a bus full of immigrantdetainees. And labor leaders planto press the issue with a top WhiteHouse official in an upcomingmeeting.

Far-reaching legislation withnew visa and workplace enforce-ment programs and billions forborder security - along with a pathto citizenship for millions - passedthe Democratic-controlled Senatein June, but it has been stalled inthe Republican-led House eversince.

Congress' just-completed Au-gust recess did little to create mo-mentum for the House to act, de-spite efforts by advocates and anotable absence of anti-immigrantprotests. Washington's recent fo-cus on Syria seemed to furthersideline the issue. Also, lawmak-ers will be occupied in comingweeks with finding ways to passbills to keep the government run-ning when money runs out onSept. 30 and raising the ceiling onthe federal debt.

Many advocates continue tohold out hope for a legislative so-

lution even as some shift their fo-cus to the White House.

`Ìf Congress doesn't move, thepresident has a duty to act,'' said

Ana Avendano, director of immi-gration and community action atthe AFL-CIO. ``Just because theRepublicans have buried theirheads in the sand doesn't meanthat immigrant communities aren'tfeeling the sting of constant de-portations.''

The possibility of executiveaction is inflaming Republicansuspicions. Sen. Marco Rubio, apossible 2016 presidential candi-date, and others warn that Presi-dent Barack Obama will be temptedto act on his own to legalize someor all of the people now living in

the country illegally.`Ì think that's actually what

Obama wants to do. I think hewants Congress not to pass some-

thing so he can do it on his ownand he can take credit for it,'' Rep.Raul Labrador, a Republican, saidin an interview. ``He needs to bevery careful, though, because hecontinues to flout the law, and hecontinues to do things that arebeyond his authority. And at somepoint, Congress is going to haveenough.''

The administration acted on itsown a year ago to change policyand suspend deportations ofsome immigrants brought illegallyinto the country as children.More than 450,000 of them have

benefited so far.White House officials refuse to

publicly entertain any discussionof taking further steps. ̀ `The onlyway to bring 11 million undocu-mented individuals out of theshadow economy is for Congressto pass common-sense reform withan earned path to citizenship.That's it. Full stop,'' said WhiteHouse spokesman BobbyWhithorne.

When asked in interviews aboutthe high number of deportationsunder his administration, Obamahas sought to put the onus onCongress. ̀ Ì'm not a king,'' he toldTelemundo earlier this year.

Advocates say administrationofficials are no more receptive inprivate, although Cecilia Munoz,director of Obama's DomesticPolicy Council, has agreed to meetwith labor leaders on the issue,

something that's in the process ofbeing scheduled, according toone union official who spoke oncondition of anonymity to discussthe private gathering.

The issue arises against thebackdrop of an uncertain outlookin Congress for comprehensiveimmigration legislation offeringeventual citizenship to those al-ready in the country illegally.

Immigrant communities, mean-while, are increasingly restive overthe large number of deportationsunder the Obama administration -close to 400,000 annually in recentyears, according to U.S. Immigra-tion and Customs Enforcement.Activists say Obama should haltdeportations of immigrants whowould be eligible for eventual citi-zenship under the Senate immigra-tion bill, which the White Housesupports. -AP

Women link arms and sit in a circle to block the intersection of IndependenceAvenue SE and New Jersey Avenue SE outside the House of Representa-tives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 12, to protest Congress'inaction on comprehensive and inclusive immigration reform. They were all

arrested soon after this image was taken.

"In particular, the bill will blockIndian IT companies (as well assignificant US IT service provid-ers) from providing these essen-tial services, and free-market com-petition, to our leading US-basedmultinational companies.

Equally important, such legis-lation sends a protectionist signalto our Indian counterparts - a sig-nal normally reserved for nationswith whom we have non-produc-tive relations. India does not fit this

category," the envoys argued."Many US companies entering

the Indian market have found tre-mendous success. Others havestruggled with Indian policies re-lated to tariffs, intellectual prop-erty, tax treatment and local manu-facturing requirements as well asneedless interference by state andlocal officials," the letter said.

"Our ongoing bilateral dialoguewith India and not punitive legisla-tion has, in the past, helped resolvedifferences.

Departing from this approach

will not solve these problems. Itrisks provoking 'tit for tat' retalia-tion, which denigrates this impor-tant relationship," the letter said.

"We would appreciate yourbringing our concerns to the atten-tion of those who are responsiblefor the preparation of final compre-hensive immigration legislation,and ask that they revise those sec-tions and remove those features ofany Bill that would limit market en-try of IT professionals who workfor so-called Visa-dependent ITcompanies," they said. -PTI

Congress urged to remove Indiaspecific immigration barriers

Cont'd from Page 44

India Post46 September 20, 2013Immigration Postwww.indiapost.com

Britain's deputy PM opposesvisa bond

LONDON: The split withinBritain's Conservative-led coali-tion government over the contro-versial 3,000 pounds visa bondscheme, which would affect visi-tors from certain countries includ-ing India, has been further ex-posed with deputy prime ministeropposing the move.

Nick Clegg is the latest seniorfigure from the Liberal Democratparty to speak out against plansto charge 3,000 pounds from for-eigners belonging to certain "highrisk" nations.

"I am absolutely not interestedin a bond which becomes an in-discriminate way of clobberingpeople who want to come to thiscountry," he told the BBC, addingthat the bonds "are certainly notgoing to go ahead" on that basis.

He confirmed that the decisionwas yet to be finalized and thattalks were still going on behind thescenes.

"Of course in a coalition I canstop things," he added.

Earlier, his senior party col-

league and UK business secretaryVince Cable had also attacked theplans and revealed that Cleggwanted the bond to be set at 1,000

pounds and be offered to visitorsfrom "high risk" countries whohave been refused a visa as a "dis-

cretionary tool" for immigration of-ficers.

However, UK home secretaryTheresa May has set the amount

at 3,000 pounds, which will berefunded upon departure butforfeited if visitors overstaytheir visas.

A pilot version of thescheme is scheduled to goahead in November and is ex-pected to affect countries likeIndia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, SriLanka, Nigeria and Ghana.

Indian ministerial circles hadraised strong objections andsought full details on the ap-plication of the scheme.

Immigration remains a sen-sitive political issue in Britainagainst the backdrop of unem-ployment and austerity mea-sures brought on by the eco-nomic crisis.

Prime Minister DavidCameron has pledged to cut net

immigration from 252,000 a year in2010 to below 100,000 a year by2015. -PTI

British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg

Legal status defines immigrantWA health benefits

Customs and Border Protectionofficers to enable them to fill theirL-1 gatekeeper role at the north-ern land border more effectively;(2) improving internal controls ofthe fee collection effort at the north-ern land border; (3) more rigorousconsideration of new office peti-tions to reduce fraud and abuse;(4) providing an adjudicative toolthat is accessible to all federal per-sonnel responsible for L-1 deci-sions; and (5) consistently apply-ing Visa Reform Act anti-"job-shop" provisions to L-1 petitions.

An appendix notes that the top10 L-1 employers are TataConsultancy Services Limited,Cognizant Tech Solutions US Corp,IBM India Private Limited, WiproLimited, Infosys TechnologiesLimited, Satyam Computer ServicesLimited, HCL America Inc.,Schlumberger Technology Corp.,PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, andHewlett-Packard Co.

The report, which includes de-tails on the OIG's recommendationsand USCIS's response, along withappendices containing statistics, isavailable at http://www.oig.dhs.gov/assets/Mgmt/2013/OIG_13-107_Aug13.pdf.

State Dept. Transitions toOnline Immigrant Visa Applica-tion

The Department of State istransitioning to an online immigrantvisa application, effective Septem-ber 3, 2013. The new online formsreplace the paper DS-230 and DS-3032. Only Diversity Visa and Cu-ban Family Reunification Paroleapplicants will continue to use thepaper forms.

Immigrant visa applicants willnow apply online using Form DS-260 (Application for Immigrant Visaand Alien Registration), and appli-cants will name their agent online

using Form DS-261 (Choice of Ad-dress and Agent). The forms areavailable at https://ceac.state.gov/ceac/.

USCIS To Conduct I-9 FormStudy

U.S. Citizenship and ImmigrationServices (USCIS) is developing anew version of the I-9 employmenteligibility verification form. USCISplans to propose the revised formand invite public comment. Theagency is selecting nine employ-ers for a study to determine howmuch time it takes employers tocomplete the revised form.

The study will be administeredat USCIS offices in Washington,

DC, on September 3, 2013; Septem-ber 5, 2013; or September 6, 2013,between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. USCISannounced on August 5, 2013, thatinterested employers, large andsmall, were invited to submit a re-quest by August 15, 2013, to vol-unteer to participate in the study.USCIS said it would randomly se-lected four large employers and fivesmall employers from all submis-sions received by the deadline.

USCIS contacted the selectedemployers by August 23, 2013, toschedule an appointment to partici-pate in the study. At the study, thepoint of contact for the employerwill be asked to play the role of anemployer completing Section 2and/or Section 3 of the Form I-9.

SEATTLE: For immigrants liv-ing in the country illegally, the newhealth care coverage under Presi-dent Barack Obama's AffordableCare Act will be simple: They don'tget any. In Washington State,however, some of those immi-grants can still qualify for certainalready-existing state health pro-grams.

Both immigrants legally in thecountry and those illegally herewho qualify for state programs willbe able to look up their eligibilitythrough the web portal created bythe Washington Health BenefitExchange.

Those are a few nuggets of in-formation in often-confusinghealth care facts the exchange istasked with diffusing among minor-ity populations in the state beforeenrollment begins on Oct. 1 for theexpanded marketplace of health in-surances.

``We have to make sure 6.5 mil-lion people are aware of what's hap-pening,'' said Michael Marchand,communications director for theexchange.

According to U.S. Census fig-ures, nearly half a million Washing-ton residents over age 5 speak alanguage other than English andsay they don't speak English very

well. More than 200,000 say Span-ish is their primary language, butanother 150,000 say they speak anAsian or Pacific Islander language.

In all, people in Washington whodon't speak English well speak morethan 150 different languages, notincluding dialects, according to theCensus.

State officials estimate about 1million Washington residents areuninsured, or about one in sevenpeople who live in the state. Abouta third of them will likely becomeeligible for free health insuranceunder the expanded Medicaid. Therest will be targeted by the state'snew health insurance exchange.

So far, the agency has had somestumbling steps.

Their efforts to translate infor-mation pages on their website hadto be scrapped after it was re-vealed by a public radio report thatslang and unprofessional lan-guage was used in some of them.Some advocates have also raisedquestions on requiring a bank ac-count to pay for the services - thepopulation without bank accountsin the state is estimated to be highamong immigrants and minoritypopulations.

But with three weeks to go be-fore enrollment, an advertisingblitz has already begun, and ear-lier this summer, the exchangeposted a chart showing immigranteligibility. The exchange's commu-nity partners were also vetted tomake sure they could communi-cate in foreign languages presentin their region, Marchand said.

Refugees and people who ap-ply for asylum qualify for the ex-panded insurance marketplaceprovided by the exchange. Lawfulpermanent residents qualify forthe expanded insurance market-place provided by the exchangeas well. Refugees, people await-ing asylum and other immigrantslegally in the county may qualifyfor Medicaid, but it depends ontheir circumstances.-AP

Advance in India 2ndpreference visa cut-off date

Cont'd from Page 44

Omaha rally protestsimmigration policies

OMAHA, Neb.: A rally outsideOmaha's courthouse protestswhat participants say are govern-ment policies that protect immi-grants in the U.S. illegally.

Between 30 and 40 people attendedthe rally which was timed to coincidewith a closed court hearing for 20-year-old Sergio Martinez-Perez.

Martinez-Perez is charged withfirst-degree murder in the July rapeand beating death of 93-year-oldLouise Sollowin in her home. Au-thorities say Martinez-Perez is a

Mexican national in the countryillegally.

Speakers at the rally includedstate Sen. Charlie Janssen, a Re-publican candidate for governor,and Republican Iowa Rep. SteveKing. Both men have been vocalabout their opposition to grantinglegal status to immigrants nowhere illegally.'Rally organizers aredemanding that the Nebraska Leg-islature pass a measure ``barringlocal sanctuary policies across thestate.'' -AP

U.S. Citizenship andImmigration Services(USCIS) is develop-ing a new version ofthe I-9 employmenteligibility verificationform

Their efforts to trans-late informationpages on theirwebsite had to bescrapped after it wasrevealed by a publicradio report that slangand unprofessionallanguage was used

India Post 47www.indiapost.com

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Health ScienceHealth Line

Details on Page 52

Judge upholdsChesapeake Bay

cleanup plan

Indian firms get FDA approvalfor 110 generic drugs

WASHINGTON: Drugmakersfrom India, the biggest overseassource of medicines sold in theUS, have got more than 100 ge-neric drug approvals from theAmerican health regulator FDAthis year so far.

This has taken India's share inthe Original Abbreviated NewDrug Application (ANDA) ap-provals to nearly 40 per cent inthe US market so far in 2013, evenas Indian companies are increas-ingly coming under the regulatoryscanner here.

Since the beginning of 2013,the US Food and Drug Adminis-tration (FDA) has approved nearly290 ANDAs allowing pharmaceu-tical firms to manufacture and sellgeneric drugs as a safe, effectiveand low-cost alternative to theAmericans.

At least 110 of these approvedapplications are from the Indiancompanies, or entities owned orcontrolled by an Indian firm, theFDA data showed.

These companies include enti-ties belonging to Sun Pharma

group, Lupin, Aurobindo Pharma,Zydus, Glenmark, Dr Reddy's,Emcure, Wockhardt, Torrent,Claris, Alkem, Ipca, Cipla, FamyCare, Natco, Hetero and Alembic.

The US market is home to ge-neric drug spending of about USD300 billion every year and India

produces nearly 40 per cent ofgeneric and over-the-counterproducts, while its share in the fin-ished dosage medicine segmentis about 10 per cent.

While the FDA has stepped upits efforts to ensure that onlygood quality medicines reach the

American shores, the demand forgeneric drugs is surging underPresident Barack Obama'shealthcare program.

With over 150 FDA-approvedplants, including facilities run byMNCs, India shipped pharmaceu-tical products worth over USD 4

billion to the United States in 2012,year clocking a growth of around30 per cent from the previous year.

Indian companies have tappedthe US market by focusing onopportunities in plain-vanilla ge-nerics segment. However, manycontinue to improve their product

offerings and look at alternativeavenues to generate higher mar-gins.

These include difficult-to-makeproducts having technologicalentry barriers, as also niche prod-ucts that require dedicated facili-ties and clinical trials and are noteconomically viable for many ge-neric players.

Lupin was the top Indian drugseller in the American market lastyear by prescriptions, followed byDr Reddy's, Cadila Healthcare andAurobindo Pharma, according todata compiled by IMS Health.

As the market for genericdrugs, which usually sell at a frac-tion of cost to the original drugs,grows bigger with an estimatedUSD 100 billion worth medicinesgoing off-patent over next 5 years,FDA has stepped up its inspec-tions as well.

The new US laws requires FDAto inspect overseas plants on thesame schedule as domestic facili-ties, and to bring an end to its bigbacklog of drug applicationswithin 5 years. -PTI

India's Dr Poonam nominated WHO Regional DirectorIndia Post News Service

NEW DELHI: Dr PoonamKhetrapal Singh has been nomi-nated as Regional Director for theWHO South-East Asia Regionfor a five-year term by the 11Member States of the Region.The 32 member Executive Boardof the World Health Organizationis expected to appoint DrKhetrapal Singh as Regional Di-rector in January 2014, inGeneva. Dr Khetrapal Singh isexpected to take office as the RDat the Regional Office in NewDelhi on 1 February 2014.

As the Regional Director, DrKhetrapal Singh brings a vastrepertoire of experience, havingworked in the health sector forover three decades at both na-tional and international levels.She served with WHO for thepast 15 years. She is the first

woman to be nominated to thispost in the Region.

She started her WHO career in1998 as a member of Dr Gro HarlemBrundland's cabinet who was

WHO Director-General at thetime. Dr Khetrapal Singh servedas the Executive Director for Sus-tainable Development andHealthy Environments in Geneva.

From 2000 to2013, as theDeputy RegionalDirector forWHO's South-East Asia Re-gion, she servedas the principaladviser to theRegional Direc-tor, providingmanagerial, tech-nical and pro-grammatic sup-port for WHO'sprograms.

Dr KhetrapalSingh served asa senior civil ser-vant in India as a

member of the Indian Adminis-trative Services. She was Sec-retary and Joint SecretaryHealth and Family Welfare. Shehas also served with Health,Population and Nutrition (PHN)with the World Bank Missionin India, where she worked toimprove the efficiency and ef-fectiveness of the delivery ofhealth services.

Recently she has been work-ing as an Adviser in Interna-tional health to the Ministry ofHealth and Family Welfare, inthe Government of India.

WHO's South-East AsiaRegion comprises the follow-ing 11 Member States:Bangladesh, Bhutan, Demo-cratic People's Republic ofKorea, India, Indonesia,Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, SriLanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh

Plans finalized forMoore emergencycenter

NORMAN, Okla.: A temporaryhospital building is slated to openthis year in the Oklahoma Citysuburb of Moore after a violenttornado hit the community in May.

Norman Regional Health Sys-tem officials said that the tempo-rary facility is expected to open inlate November or early December.

The Norman Transcript reportsthat the emergency and urgentcare treatment facility will have CTand X-ray capabilities and a lab.That means outpatient lab ser-vices can be performed in Moorewhile the new hospital is beingbuilt.

More than 40 Norman RegionalHealth System employees andeight volunteers lost their homesin the May tornadoes.

Norman Regional Health Sys-tem CEO David Whitaker said thehospital's care committee has dis-tributed $400,000 donated fromgroups across the country to em-ployees. -AP

Apollo to invest Rs400cr on newCradle centers

NEW DELHI: Healthcare ma-jor Apollo Hospitals Enterprise'ssubsidiary Apollo Health andLifestyle plans to invest aroundRs 400 crore over the next fiveyears to set up 36 premiumbirthing centers across the coun-try under 'The Cradle' brand.

"We will be investing approxi-mately Rs 400 crore to open 36cradle centers across the countryin the next five years," ApolloHealth and Lifestyle Ltd (AHLL)Chief Executive Officer NeerajGarg told PTI.

The company currently has anoperational Cradle centre each inKozhikode, Gurgoan, while it hastwo in Bangalore.

When asked how AHLL is plan-ning to raise funds for the futureexpansion, Garg said: "It will be acombination of internal accruals,funding from the parent companyand external funding which couldbe taken as and when required."

The company plans to build apan-India presence as it believesthere is a huge potential for cradlecenters in metros and in tier I cities.

"We will build a national pres-ence. We are already operating inthe South and North. We shallconsolidate our position in thethree big Southern metros - Ban-galore, Chennai and Hyderabad,"Garg said.

The company will also make anentry into the metro markets in theWest and the East. It will also con-tinue to expand in the Delhi andNCR region, he added.-PTI

India PostHealth Science Post 51

www.indiapost.com

September 20, 2013

Health care law perplexing to business ownersALBANY, N.Y.: Restaurant owners Col-

leen and Tim Holmes were consideringopening a third business in a growing up-state New York suburb but decided againstit. One factor was the risk from expandingtheir staff beyond 50 full-time employeesand having to provide them federally man-dated health coverage.

Despite knowing the penalty for thatpart of the Affordable Care Act had beenpostponed for a year, the couple said theirmargins are thin and the requirements andcosts under the law remain unclear.

They also face some disruption fromtheir current health plan, with some cover-age moving to the new insurance exchangeafter this year. They've discussed whetherthey need to hire a consultant to help themunderstand what the law means for theowners of small businesses, but it's an ex-pense they'd rather not have. Yet they havelittle time to research the act on their own,since they already work more than 70 hoursa week.

`Às small-business owners we take allthe risk and we employ a lot of people, soany additional cost is difficult for us to jus-tify without having additional revenue,''Colleen Holmes said.

Even though they offer health insurance,the couple said most of their employeesrefuse it because of the cost of premiums

and because most are young and feel theydon't need it or can now get coverage un-der their parents' policies through age 26.

At costs ranging from $300 to $500 amonth for one healthy employee, the busi-

ness could not afford to pay a fraction ofthe premiums, they said. At even $100 amonth, it would be $5,000 monthly for 50workers.

``Where's that money going to comefrom?'' Colleen Holmes said.

Her husband said it would be more ad-vantageous for their employees to go di-rectly to the new health exchange for indi-vidual coverage because it can be subsi-dized by the government.

Since 2004, they'veowned and operatedWheatfields Restaurantand Bar in SaratogaSprings, an upscale citywith a thoroughbredtrack, performing artscenter and Skidmore Col-lege. In 2009, theyopened a cafe in thenearby Albany suburbof Clifton Park and morerecently consideredopening a third restau-rant in between in Malta,a town that's been grow-ing with a new semicon-ductor manufacturingcenter.

``There's a lot of otherissues out there, but the

health care definitely made us re-evaluateour business strategy in expanding,'' Col-leen Holmes said.

Another was New York lawmakers thisyear boosting the state's minimum wage,which will rise incrementally from $7.25 an

Tim Holmes, left, and his wife Colleen Holmes

hour to $9 an hour in 2016.In addition to the New York health ex-

change, a separate one will serve small busi-nesses, defined as having 50 or fewer eli-gible employees. Many owners expect torely on brokers to help them find the bestdeal.

The definition of a small business willincrease from 50 to 100 full-time employeesin 2016 in New York, expanding access tothe state-run exchange and possible taxcredits for providing coverage.

However, businesses with 50 or more full-time staff still will be required to provideaffordable coverage or face tax penalties,which start in 2015. Employee premiumscannot exceed 9.5 percent of gross income.

Several city and regional chambers ofcommerce, which have traditionally offeredpooled insurance coverage for small busi-nesses, plan to continue. However, soleproprietors now will have to go to the ex-change.

For now, the Holmes and other small-business owners are trying to understandthe law's effect on them and their employ-ees, as well as figure out what the relatedcosts might be.

``When you can't pinpoint your costs,''said Tim Holmes, ``you can't make strate-gic decisions regarding your business.'' -AP

'Navigators' help Kansansenroll in health plans

WICHITA, Kan.: The ̀ `navigators'' whowill help Kansans enroll in health plans asthe new insurance marketplaces prepare togo live are training for the role, but still don'tknow details of the plans, rates or subsi-dies.

The Kansas Association for the Medi-cally Underserved held a training confer-ence for about 40 navigators last week inWichita, so they could learn about the Af-fordable Care Act and what to expect oncethe marketplace opens onOct. 1.

The Wichita Eagle re-ports that plans vary bystate, but Kansas and mostothers still have not re-leased information aboutthe cost of plans that willbe offered.

Enrollment will takeplace online atwww.HealthCare.gov, butthe site has not yet gone live.

``Visually we don't know,'' said NickClasen, a patient care coordinator and navi-gator-in-training for the Center for Healthand Wellness.

``But I do think we all have a pretty goodidea of the process,'' he added. `Ìt's goingto be sit down, explain things, help themapply, check eligibility and then it's aboutgiving them all the information about eachoption - not guiding them to an option -but making sure the person can make anautonomous decision.''

The navigators will have about 20 hoursof online training through the Centers forMedicare and Medicaid Services and mustpass tests to become certified.

`Ì do feel prepared on assisting peoplewith it; it's just not knowing what it's goingto look like is challenging,'' said Juven Nava,GraceMed outreach coordinator and navi-gator-in-training.

Navigators, unlike a typical insurancebroker, are not supposed to recommend one

plan over another, saidCathy Harding, KAMUexecutive director.

``The (website) isgoing to be designed ina way that shows com-parisons,' ' Hardingsaid. ̀ Èach of the planswill have different lev-els - bronze, silver,gold, platinum - side byside, apples to apples,

to show what each of those plans look like.''Although anyone is able to enroll them-

selves online, the navigators can help, shesaid.

Because the Affordable Care Act wasdesigned to accompany an expansion ofMedicaid, Harding said states like Kansasthat turned down federal money to expandMedicaid have a ``Medicaid doughnuthole,'' where some residents will make toomuch to qualify for Medicaid but notenough to afford insurance available onthe marketplace. -AP

``The (website) isgoing to be designedin a way that showscomparisons,''Harding said. ̀ Èachof the plans will havedifferent levels"

India Post Health Science Postwww.indiapost.com

September 20, 2013 52

Judge upholds Chesapeake Bay cleanup planHARRISBURG, Pa.: A judge rejected a

bid by farm industry groups to block fed-eral and state pollution limits designed toimprove the health of the Chesapeake Bayby more tightly regulating wastewater treat-ment, construction along waterways andagricultural runoff.

U.S. District Court Judge Sylvia Ramboin Harrisburg ruled that the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency was within itsauthority to work with six states and Wash-ington, D.C., to set and enforce standardsto reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sedi-ment that drain from rivers into the bay andharm the ecology of the nation's largestestuary.

In her 99-page decision, Rambo rejectedarguments that the EPA overstepped itsbounds under the federal Clean Water Act,created an unfair process and used stan-dards that were flawed or unlawfully com-plicated.

The EPA and the group of ChesapeakeBay states `ùndertook significant effortsto preserve the framework of cooperativefederalism, as envisioned by the (CleanWater Act),'' Rambo wrote. The act is `ànàll-compassing' and ̀ comprehensive' stat-ute that envisions a strong federal role forensuring pollution reduction.''

The American Farm Bureau, which origi-nally filed the suit in 2011, was still review-ing the decision and did not immediatelysay whether it would appeal.

``We are disappointed for all farmers ofall sizes, whether they grow food for localrestaurants and markets or for nationalstores,' ' spokeswoman Tracy TaylorGrondine said.

The EPA called the ruling ̀ à victory for

the 17 million people in the Chesapeake Baywatershed'' while other groups that sup-ported the regulations, including the Na-tional Wildlife Federation and ChesapeakeBay Foundation, applauded Rambo's deci-sion.

``This is a great day for clean water inthe region, there could be no better out-come,'' Chesapeake Bay Foundation Presi-dent William Baker said in a statement.

Groups that had joined the farm bureau'seffort included the Fertilizer Institute, theNational Pork Producers Council, the Na-tional Corn Growers Association, the Na-tional Chicken Council, the U.S. Poultry andEgg Association and the National Turkey

Federation.Farm runoff - such as animal waste and

fertilizer that get into streams and riversfrom watering or rainfall - is the single larg-est source of pollutants in the ChesapeakeBay, according to the EPA. Agriculture

groups had becomealarmed at the plan,saying it unfairlysingled out farmersand the cost to pro-tect waterways fromrunoff could devas-tate farmers. The Na-tional Association ofHome Builders alsohad challenged theChesapeake Bay plan.

To date, more than 47,000 water pollu-tion-reduction plans have been completedthroughout the United States, and the

Chesapeake Bay plan is the largest andmost complex so far, Rambo said.

State-federal efforts to improve theChesapeake Bay water quality stretch back30 years to 1983, when the governors ofMaryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, themayor of Washington, D.C., and the headof the EPA signed the first ``ChesapeakeBay Agreement.''

After years of missing deadlines, the EPAand six states - Delaware, Maryland, NewYork, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Vir-ginia - and Washington, D.C., agreed in2007 to establish a pollution-reduction pro-gram by May 1, 2011, and to reach the tar-geted limits by 2025.

The agreement did not violate the CleanWater Act because the EPA and the statesall agreed to it and states were given theflexibility to decide how to meet the limits,Rambo wrote. -AP

After years of missing deadlines, the EPAand six states - Delaware, Maryland,New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia andWest Virginia - and Washington, D.C.,agreed in 2007 to establish a pollution-reduction program by May 1, 2011, andto reach the targeted limits by 2025.

A look at the Medicaidexpansion issue in Pa.

MEDICAID EXPANSION: Hundreds ofthousands of low-income Pennsylvaniaadults could get health care coverage nowthat federal law expands Medicaid's incomeeligibility guidelines to 133 percent of thefederal poverty level, or about $31,300 for afamily of four. The sweeping 2010 federalhealth care law initially promises to foot100 percent of the bill to expand Medicaideligibility beginning Jan. 1. After the firstthree years, the federal share gradually de-clines to 90 percent and the state pays theremaining 10 percent.

The 2010 Health Care Law: PresidentBarack Obama's 2010 health care law hadrequired states to go along with the Med-icaid expansion as a way to ensure moreresidents have health insurance and thathospitals see fewer uninsured patients andneed less financial assistance. However, theU.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federalgovernment could not force states to ex-pand Medicaid, effectively making it a state-by-state decision.

Corbett's Stance: Gov. Tom Corbett, aRepublican, sued unsuccessfully to over-turn the 2010 federal health care law and

contends Medicaid is bloated and costly.He will insist on various conditions to pareback Medicaid coverage and push morecosts on to enrollees, and seek approval to

use federal Medicaid dollars to help theuninsured buy private insurance policiesinstead of expanding traditional Medicaidcoverage.

Gov. Tom Corbett

NH gets $230K grant to fight tooth decayCONCORD, N.H.: New Hampshire is get-

ting some help to fight tooth decay andimprove fluoride use.

The state is one of three that have re-ceived a $230,000 grant from the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention.

The funding is designed to improve ba-sic state oral health services, includingsupport for program leadership and addi-tional staff; monitoring oral disease levelsand risk factors; and educating residentson ways to prevent oral diseases.

``The health field has learned muchmore recently about the connection be-

tween oral health and overall health,'' saidDr. José Montero, Director of PublicHealth at the state Health Department.``This grant will allow us to build infra-structure and capacity to assess theplaces in the state where the dentalworkforce is insufficient, to monitor andevaluate fluoridation efforts, and to de-velop a plan that addresses barriers toachieving good oral health for all NewHampshire residents.''

The grants are renewable for up to fiveyears. The other two states to receive thegrants are Hawaii and Idaho. -AP

India Post 53September 20, 2013

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Philosophy

Shirdi Sai Baba knew contentsof people's minds

Peace & understanding prevailsat the end of the road

Sai Baba

The door to God is theinsecurity of not know-ing anything.

-Adyashanti

I believe that happinesscan be achievedthrough training themind.

-Dalai Lama

In the moment ourthoughts come still andjust before the nextthought arises - there,just there, is happiness.There, in the vast quiet,just there, is relation-ship.

-Steven Harrison

Give up waiting for theproverbial "Enlighten-ment Bus" to comealong for you. It's nevergoing to show up. Get-ting enlightened is nota big task for who youare. It is only a big taskfor who you are not.

-Chuck Hillig

These words are inter-changeable: I, ego,egocentricity, condition-ing, karma, suffering.The definition theyshare is that they arethe illusion of a self thatis separate."

-Cheri Huber

The spiritual core of ahuman being is that partof our soul that has di-rect contact with God.

-Richard Moss

I felt a deep longing in me, but at the sametime a resistance was preventing me fromliving the current situation to the fullest, fromresponding with all my being to this invitationfrom the now

ARTHUR OSBORNE

Water jars are kept inmosques for people towash their feet before

entering the sacred precincts. Inthe dusk the villagers saw Babatake water from the jars and pourit into his lamps. Then he lit thelamps and they burned.

They continued to burn, andthe watchers realised that the fa-kir had turned the water into oil.In consternation they fell at hisfeet, and prayed that he would notput a curse on them for the waythey had treated him.

This was the first miracle SaiBaba performed before the public,and it was the match that lit the firewhich became a beacon drawingthousands of men to him from afar.Many became his devotees.

He used his miraculous powersto cure their ailments, to help themin their day-to-day problems, toprotect them from danger whereverthey happened to be, and to drawthem towards a spiritual way of life.

A great many found their senseof values changing. Some surren-dered themselves entirely to thedivine will which they saw inBaba, gave up their worldly lives,and came to live at Shirdi as closedisciples.

Sai Baba taught them accord-ing to their needs and capacities.Learned pundits who thought himilliterate found that he could dis-

course on spiritual philosophyand interpret the sacred writingsof India more profoundly andclearly than anyone else they hadever known. But always he led hisdisciples along the Bhakti marga,the radiant pathway of divinelove, self-surrender and devotion.

Loving care of his devoteeswas the ruling motif of all Baba'sactions and many of them havestated that in his presence theyalways felt a spiritual exaltation.

They forgot their pains, their caresand their anxieties. They felt com-pletely safe and the hours passedunnoticed in blissful happiness.

One devotee, a Parsi woman,wrote: "Other saints forget theirbodies and surroundings, andthen return to them, but Sai Babawas constantly both in and out-side the material world. Othersseem to take pains and make ef-forts to read the contents ofpeople's minds, or to tell them theirpast history, but with Sai Baba no

effort was needed. He was alwaysin the all-knowing state."

Many quaint, amusing and il-luminating stories are told abouthim in the volumes on his life andteachings. But for our purposesthere are just a few points wemight note.

One object of the fire he keptburning always at the mosque wasto provide a ready supply of ash.This he called udhi, and used itfor many kinds of miraculous pur-

poses, particularly for curing ail-ments. The miracles he performedcover the full range of siddhis, orsupernormal powers, as expressedin such spiritual and yogic clas-sics as the Srimad Bhagavata andPatanjali's Yoga Sutras.

Many times he proved to hisdevotees that he knew what theywere thinking and saying anddoing when hundreds of milesaway from him. Frequently in cri-ses he appeared wherever he wasneeded, either in his own form or

apparently in some other body - abeggar, a hermit, a workman, a dog,a cat or something else.

There was plentiful evidencethat he could project himselfthrough space and take any ma-terial form he chose. Those whowere in the best position to know,his nearest disciples, had nodoubts whatever on this point.

Baba gave visions to people,as for instance, the visiting highBrahmin who was dubious about

going into the Moslem mosque.From outside the mosque theBrahmin saw Sai Baba as the God-form he worshipped, Sri Rama. Soconvincing was this vision ofRama that he rushed in and fell atBaba's feet.

Other types of miracle includethe giving of protection at a dis-tance -protection against acci-dent, plague, ill-fortune and immi-nent death, etc.

Excerpted from 'The IncredibleSai Baba' by Arthur Osborne.

FRANCIS LUCILLE

There is not a one-size-fits-all path to the truth. Theway to the discovery of our

true nature varies from one seekerto another. It may be a sudden anddramatic experience or a subtle,seemingly gradual path. Thetouchstone, in all cases, is thepeace and understanding thatprevails at the end of the road.

Due to my upbringing by ma-terialistic and antireligious par-ents and to my training in Math-ematics and Physics, I was bothreluctant to adopt any religiousbelief and was suspicious of anynonlogically or nonscientificallyvalidated hypothesis.

I was sitting in silence, medi-tating in my living room with twofriends. It was too early to fix din-ner, our next activity. Havingnothing to do, expecting nothing,I was available. My mind was freeof dynamism, my body relaxedand sensitive, although I couldfeel some discomfort in my backand in my neck.

After some time, one of myfriends unexpectedly began tochant a traditional incantation inSanskrit, the Gayatri Mantra. Thesacred syllables entered myste-riously in resonance with my si-lent presence which seemed to

become intensely alive.I felt a deep longing in me, but

at the same time a resistance waspreventing me from living the cur-rent situation to the fullest, fromresponding with all my being tothis invitation from the now, andfrom merging with it. As the at-traction toward the beauty her-alded by the chant increased, sodid the resistance, revealing itself

as a growing fear that transformedinto an intense terror.

At this point, I felt that mydeath was imminent, and that thishorrendous event would surelybe triggered by any further let-ting go on my behalf, by any fur-ther welcoming of that beauty. Ihad reached a crucial point in mylife.

As a result of my spiritualsearch, the world and its objects

had lost their attraction. I didn'treally expect anything substan-tial from them. I was exclusivelyin love with the Absolute, andthis love gave me the boldnessto jump into the great void ofdeath, to die for the sake of thatbeauty, now so close, that beautywhich was calling me beyond theSanskrit words.

As a result of this abandon,

the intense terror which had beenholding me instantaneously re-leased its grip and changed intoa flow of bodily sensations andthoughts which rapidly con-verged toward a single thought,the I-thought, just as the rootsand the branches of a tree con-verge toward its single trunk.

In an almost simultaneous ap-perception, the personal entitywith which I was identifying re-

Francis Lucille

Many times he proved to his devotees thathe knew what they were thinking and say-ing and doing when hundreds of milesaway from him.

vealed itself in its totality. I sawits superstructure, the thoughtsoriginating from the I-conceptand its infrastructure, the tracesof my fears and desires at thephysical level.

Now the entire tree was con-templated by an impersonal eye,and both the superstructure ofthoughts and the infrastructureof bodily sensations rapidly van-

ished, leaving the I-thoughtalone in the field of conscious-ness. For a few moments, the pureI-thought seemed to vacillate,just as the flame of an oil lamprunning out of fuel, then van-ished.

At that precise moment, theimmortal background of Presencerevealed itself in all its splendor.

Excerpted from Eternity Now,by Francis Lucille

54 Edit Pagewww.indiapost.com

September 20, 2013India Post

India Post

China will remain hostile ifIndia gets into US orbit

D. SUBA CHANDRAN

Why did Chinese militaryintrude along theDaulat Beg Oldi sector

in Ladakh a few months ago? Inretrospect, it appears more thanholding of territory; there are largerpolitical calculations behindBeijing's calculations. First andforemost, in the recent years, thegrowing India-China relationshave been chequered now, espe-cially after the Indo-US nucleardeal.

Beijing is apprehensive that theUS is attempting to rope India un-der its strategic umbrella with anobjective to check China withinAsia. The bigger worry for Beijingis whether India will also go alongwith this American plan and be apartner to counter China in Asia.

In the recent years, as a part ofits renewed ef-forts relating toits Look eastpolicy, India hasbeen pursuing alarger partner-ship with notonly SoutheastAsia, but alsohas been at-tempting tobuild long termstrategic part-nership espe-cially with Japanand South Ko-rea. From the In-dian perspec-tive, it is ex-tremely impor-tant to attract investments from theabove two countries. Despite in-ternal problems and bottleneckswithin India, both Japan and SouthKorea are extremely interested ininvesting in India.

Besides the economic compo-nent, India is also equally inter-ested in forging a partnership withJapan for strategic reasons. Indiahas been attempting to build apartnership with select countriesin East Asia. Japan is an importantcomponent of this partnership.Unfortunately, China sees thegrowing India-Japan relationshipas part of countering China's risein Asia.

While India-China conflicts arewell known to the audience in theregion, the growing Sino-Japandifferences are not well appreci-ated here. Especially after Abe tak-ing over as the Prime Minister,there has been an increased hos-tility towards China. Japan underAbe is getting increasingly asser-tive vis-a-vis China; Abe in facthas even asked his business com-munity to withdraw from Chinaand invest in Southeast Asia and

India.India is also looking forward to

build partnerships in SoutheastAsia and East Asia, to counterChina's growing presence andpolitical infiltration into SouthAsia. Today, China has a strongeconomic and political presence inPakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, SriLanka and now Maldives.

As a result, India is also at-tempting to build partnerships allalong China's periphery - startingfrom Myanmar to Japan. The in-trusion in Ladakh that happenedjust before the Indian PrimeMinister's visit to Japan was nocoincidence. It was a warning toIndia not to move closer to Japan.

For China, Pakistan is of ex-treme importance for political andeconomic reasons. Economically,

Pakistan is important for China, asit plans to build gas pipelines andrailway across the KarakoramHighway starting from Gwadarport. In fact the Gwadar port wasbuilt completely by the Chinese,to serve a larger strategic purpose.

China has also substantiallyinvested in the construction ofKarakoram Highway linking Gwadarwith Kashgar - all the way acrossthe mainland Pakistan and Gilgit-Baltistan. China's presence and thesubstantial investments in GB isalso part of this larger objective.

Obviously, the above is partlyIndia specific, and partly relatedto its own larger economic require-ments, however over stated thecase has been. As a result, onecould easily conclude, China'spresence in Gilgit Baltistan is un-likely to reduce.

On the eastern sector, espe-cially on what has been occupiedby China - especially Aksai Chin,Beijing is unlikely to even engagein a dialogue with India. For allpractical purposes, China consid-ers Aksai Chin as an essential partof its territory and non-negotiable.

Along the Ladakh sector,across the Line of Actual Control,China's objectives will be guidedby Beijing's larger political calcu-lations vis-a-vis India, and thelarger India-China relationship. IfIndia is perceived by China asgrowing closer into the Americanorbit, and/or building a partnershipwith China's periphery especiallyin Myanmar, Vietnam, and Japan,Beijing is likely to pursue a hostilestrategy along the LAC in Ladakh,and perhaps also in ArunachalPradesh.

More than the larger politicaland strategic calculations, Tibetwill play, as has been in the past,an important role in China's per-ceptions and subsequent strate-gies across the LAC in the Ladakhregion. Despite the increasing

presence and investments - humanand infrastructure, Tibet contin-ues to be in turmoil. Sharing a richhistory and a border with Tibet,Ladakh is important for China.

What does the above mean?First, the LAC in Ladakh sector willremain active; even if there is arelative calm, it will be an uneasyone. Depending on larger strate-gic equations elsewhere by India,China and the US, Beijing will al-ways use the LAC - from Ladakhto Arunachal Pradesh as a part ofshort term strategy serving a largerobjective. Second, it means, theattempts to open KailashMansarovar route from Leh willtake more time to get implemented.

Finally, the efforts to open upthe border villages and throwopen to regular traffic of peopleand goods within Ladakh will alsohave to go slow. This also means,the border communities livingalong the LAC in Ladakh will con-tinue to remain under the largerIndia-China shadows, furthercomplicating a complex living en-vironment.

The writer is Director, IPCS

An aerial view of five tents erected by the Chinese in Indian territory

UPA achievementsImplying that Narendra Modi is vain and boastful, some Con-

gress leaders have been saying after the elevation of Modi thatCongress vice president Rahul Gandhi is neither neither boast-

ful nor aggressive "like some others." There was an immediate re-ply on the social media, "What has Rahul Gandhi proved or doneanything worthwhile to boast of!"

At a recent public meeting Rahul Gandhi listed all that the Con-gress had done under his mother, viz "Right to Education, Right toInformation, Right to Food, Right to jobs like the NREGA and Rightto forests, Rights to free medicines," etc etc.

These are wonderful schemes, but only schemes. A few dayslater his party, the Congress bared its real face. According to newrules set out by the Government's Ministry of Personnel, bureau-crats and their dependent family members can now get complexmedical treatment abroad at State expense and also get their airfarereimbursed. It need not be said that the ruling party politiciansalready enjoy this facility. There is need to ask Rahulji, why politi-cians and bureaucrats should not be forced to use the hospitalsthey build for the common man?

This raises questions about the callousness and audacity of thegovernment that it could introduce such a measure on the eve ofelections. Imagine what it would do after elections when it will notbe subjected to questions about its supposed empathy for thecommon woman and her healthcare?

According to one expert, the decline of government hospitals isin part associated with the decision of ministers and officials togive themselves the benefit of being monetarily compensated forprivate health care. "Ironically, their departure as users from publicsector hospitals partly contributed to their decline. Usurpation bypoliticians of whatever was being offered by specialized publicsector institutions meant marginalization of ordinary people in theseinstitutions," he says.

As for the Right of Education, Tavleen Singh asks in her latestcolumn in Indian Express, "Have you ever met an official, even alowly one, who sends his children to a government school? Whyshould schools built for the common man be too common for thechildren of political leaders?" From statistics available, even thepoor in villages strive to send their children to private schools, andnot to government schools which, in any case, exist on paper, andeven when they exist, the teachers are never found to be present.So this is what the paper promise of Right to Education amounts toon the ground.

Then there is the latest Food Security Bill. Sonia Gandhi, makinga rare speech on the occasion of introducing the Bill, told Parlia-ment that if there is no money for the Food Security bill, it wouldjust have to be found. And if the public distribution system isbroken, it would have to be fixed. But how, she did not say. Anotherinstance of promises on paper.

The Right to Information Act, for which the Congress wants totake lot of credit, was recently under attack by the same govern-ment over an order by the Central Information Commissioner whichbrought political parties under the purview of the information law.MPs cutting across party lines closed ranks to override the CICdecision. The Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to amend the RTIAct in order to give immunity to political parties from providinginformation. The government brought in a bill with the intent toexempt political parties from the RTI. There was great hue and cryover this. The RTI community saw it as an attack on the hard-fought information regime. Coming under great pressure even fromsome parliamentarians, the proposal has thankfully been deferredand referred to a parliamentary committee for consideration.

In public the UPA government and its representatives speak ofpublic welfare schemes but in private they take measures whichenhance their own clout and block any accountability.

indiapost 09 20 2013

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