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  By Prakash Bhandari/SATimes
  Tristate Community 5
  TheSouthAsianTimes.info September 24-30, 2011
  Indian-Americans played key role in
  shaping Indo-US ties: Nirupama Rao
  Washington, DC: Indian
  Ambassador to the US
  Nirupama Rao has lauded
  Indian-Americans, saying
  they played a key role in
  shaping the strategic part-
  nership between the world's
  two leading democracies.
  "You have contributed
  and played a significant role
  in crafting US-India part-
  nership; strategic partner-
  ship between the world' s
  two leading democracies;
  this defining relationship
  that has the capability to
  impact the destiny of the
  21st century," she said.
  Rao was addressing the
  Indian-American communi-
  ty of Washington DC
  Metropolitan who had
  organized a welcome recep-
  tion for her.
  "I particularly recall your
  role in the successful real-
  ization of India-US civil
  nuclear agreement and the
  zeal and the enthusiasm
  with which you supported it
  - the passage of the deal in
  the United States
  Congress," Rao said.
  "Your accomplishments
  and achievements as a com-
  munity has caught the imag-
  ination of this country... this
  is because of the reputation
  you have established, disci-
  pline, diligence and deter-
  mination to succeed," she
  said, urging the community
  to work towards even big-
  ger relation-
  ship between the two coun-
  tries.
  The State Department is
  working on initiatives to
  realize the full potential of
  the Indian-American com-
  munity.
  24 years of prison term for
  Rajaratnam?
  New York: Federal prosecu-
  tors want to send the convict-
  ed hedge fund chief Raj
  Rajaratnam to prison for as
  long as 24 years, which
  would be the longest insider
  trading sentence in history.
  How a judge rules next
  week on Rajaratnams pun-
  ishment is being seen in legal
  circles as a litmus test of
  whether the crime of insider
  trading justifies such a long
  prison term says a
  Bloomberg News report.
  In May, a jury convicted
  Rajaratnam, the head of the
  hedge fund the Galleon
  Group, of 14 counts of secu-
  rities fraud and conspiracy.
  Prosecutors, calling him the
  modern face of illegal insider
  trading, placed him at the
  center of a vast insider trad-
  ing ring, accusing him of
  using a global network of tip-
  sters to gain about $64 mil-
  lion from illegal stock trad-
  ing. For Rajaratnam, the gov-
  ernment has requested a sen-
  tence from 19 years and
  seven months to 24 years and
  five months, based on federal
  sentencing guidelines. The
  government said he did not
  deserve leniency because he
  was a fundamentally decep-
  tive. Rajaratnams lawyers
  call the proposed sentence
  grotesquely severe and
  argue that the advisory
  guidelines severely overstate
  the seriousness of the instant
  offenses, and would expose
  Rajaratnam to a sentence
  grossly out of proportion to
  the sentences imposed on
  other insider trading defen-
  dants.
  They point out that the sen-
  tence is not only dispropor-
  tionate to the sentences
  imposed in other insider trad-
  ing cases, but also greater
  than the average federal sen-
  tence for murder (23 years),
  kidnapping (14 years) or sex-
  ual abuse (9 years), accord-
  ing to the United States
  Sentencing Commission.
  His lawyers also criticize
  prosecutors for comparing
  Rajaratnams crimes to the
  accounting fraud committed
  by Ebbers of WorldCom and
  the Ponzi scheme run by
  Bernard L. Madoff. Those
  crimes ruined the lives and
  livelihoods of scores of vic-
  tims, while Rajaratnams
  insider trading offenses vic-
  timized no one, his lawyers
  said.
  Jury convicted Raj
  Rajaratnam of 14 counts
  of securities fraud and
  conspiracy
  Ambassador Nirupama Rao
  speaking at welcome
  function organized by the
  Indian American
  Community, Washington
  DC, September 18, 2011
  Embassy of India in Washington, DC hosted Hindi Diwas celebrations on September 14. Seen
  here poetry recitation and songs by children.
  Washington, DC: Documenting the expe-
  riences of South Asian Americans in the
  decade after the 9/11 terror attacks, a com-
  munity organization has suggested steps to
  ensure American ideals of diversity, inclu-
  sion and equality.
  Looking back at the past decade, South
  Asian Americans Leading Together (
  SAALT), in a report entitled, Community
  Resilience recounts the experiences of
  South Asians who suffered loss as a result
  of the Sep 11, 2001 tragedy as well as
  examples of best practices around commu-
  nity collaborations.
  The report, complemented with pictures
  and stories, takes note of backlash suffered
  by South Asian communities living in the
  US; bias-based bullying at schools; work-
  place discrimination; racial and religious
  profiling; and, Islamophobia and attacks on
  faith. In the face of these challenges, the
  report also presents the stories of success,
  resistance and resilience of individuals,
  organizations and communities.
  "Over the past decade, South Asian,
  Muslim, Sikh and Arab, Muslim, Sikh and
  Arab American organizations have been
  instrumental in developing resources, creat-
  ing safe spaces for those affected by post
  9/11 backlash, shifting the public conversa-
  tion, and advocating with government
  agencies and policymakers," said SAALT's
  Executive Director, Deepa Iyer.
  "As we look ahead, we must continue to
  build strong partnerships to create an
  America that belongs to all of us," she said
  noting the impact of the post 9/11 backlash
  continues today.
  Many South Asian, especially those of
  Sikh and Muslim faiths, endured bigotry
  and harassment at workplaces, schools, and
  at airports after 9/11, according to the
  Still others became ensnared in never-
  ending government investigations that scru-
  tinized their personal and professional lives
  for any traces of terrorist activity or affilia-
  tions. Several were detained and deported
  in connection to immigration and national
  security investigations, it said.
  South Asian Americans seek
  return to diversity ideals
  6 Tristate Community
  September 24-30, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
  Modern and contemporary
  South Asian Art totals $2.3
  million at Sothebys
  New York: Sothebys week of
  Asian Art sales concluded with
  Modern and Contemporary South
  Asian Art which brought
  $2,262,000 (est. $2.6/3.8 million).
  This brings the combined total for
  the weeks three sales to
  $31,447,375. The auction was led
  by the cover lot Eglise by SH
  Raza. The painting comes from an
  important period in the artists
  work and met expectations when
  it sold for $362,500 (est.
  $300/500,000). This was one of a
  number of strong prices for mod-
  ern paintings with works by
  Jehangir Sabavala, Jagdish
  Swaminathan, and M.F. Husain
  all selling well. A further highlight
  was Untitled (Himalayan Beauty)
  by Raja Ravi Varma which had
  passed though the family collec-
  tion of the artists German print-
  ing technician. The magnificent
  painting sold well above the esti-
  mate for $266,500 (est.
  $100/150,000).
  Priyanka Mathew, Head of the
  Modern and Contemporary South
  Asian Art sale commented: We
  are pleased with a number of the
  prices in the sale.
  Our cover lot by SH Raza met
  expectations and paintings with
  strong provenance performed
  well. Untitled (Himalayan
  Beauty) by Raja Ravi Varma com-
  fortably exceeded the high esti-
  mate to sell for $266,500 and
  Jehangir Sabavalas The Cobweb
  Cloud also fetched $266,500. Of
  the MF Husain works that found
  buyers, many exceeded the high
  estimate, particularly works that
  have not appeared on the market
  recently. Overall, our total of $2.3
  million was a solid result in a
  market that remains price sensi-
  tive.
  Anu Ghosh-Mazumdar, Head of
  the Indian Art Department at
  Sothebys New York continued:
  We were also pleased with the
  performance of the Indian
  Miniatures which included a wide
  range of works from a variety of
  Rajput and Pahari schools.
  Here too, works with distin-
  guished provenance and in good
  condition were actively sought
  after by collectors from around
  the world. The highlight of this
  part of the sale was Krishna and
  the Cow from the Sirmur School
  circa 1810 which sold for $56,250
  to an anonymous buyer after it
  was pursued by a number of bid-
  ders.
  Children's Hope to host Royal India
  Gala on October 9
  New York: Children's Hope India
  will be hosting "The Royal Gala"
  on Sunday, October 9, 2011, at
  Pier Sixty in Manhattan.
  Pier Sixty, the fabulous space on
  the water in Chelsea, will be
  transformed into a royal palace for
  entertainment; bidding will be
  invited on luxury trips and palace
  stays in India. People will get to
  savor a feast of regional dishes
  made for the maharajas of India.
  Over 500 guests are expected at
  this fun-filled evening including
  Ambassador Prabhu Dayal, the
  Consul General of India and Mrs.
  Chandini Dayal. The emcee for
  the evening is popular television
  personality Tinku Jain. Guests
  will be treated to a live perform-
  ance by noted singer Falu, and a
  magical dance presentation of
  'Mystic India'.
  Royal Gala CHI recognizes top
  leaders for their exemplary leader-
  ship, philanthropy and support of
  social causes with the Lotus
  Award. This year's honorees are
  Dr. Melvin and Daryl Rand, and
  Dr. Samin K. Sharma.
  Dr. Melvin Rand is a distin-
  guished forensic and clinical psy-
  chologist who has practiced in the
  State of New Jersey since
  1968.Daryl Rand is the founder
  and president of HarrisonRand
  Advertising and incorporates three
  decades of active volunteerism on
  boards of several non-profits,
  including CHI.
  Dr. Samin K. Sharma is Director
  of Interventional Cardiology and
  Cardiac Catheterization
  Laboratory at Mount Sinai
  Hospital. He is Co-Director of the
  Zena and Michael A. Wiener
  Cardiovascular Institute and a
  Professor of Medicine.
  The Making a Difference Award
  is being presented to Urmi Basu,
  Founder of New Light Foundation
  for her ground-breaking work
  with the children of sex workers
  in Kolkata. The proceeds from
  the event will benefit Children's
  Hope India's health and educa-
  tional programs.
  Children's Hope India is a vol-
  unteer organization of Indian
  women professionals in New York
  that has been raising funds for
  children's health and education
  since 1992. They support over 20
  projects across several major
  cities in India reaching out to over
  20,000 children per year.
  New York: Prachi Makkar, 15, has been
  selected for National Honor Society (NHS)
  for her outstanding academic performance.
  In addition to scholastic achievements NHS
  requires candidates to demonstrate three
  additional criteria: service, leadership and
  character. NHS is a prestigious organization
  recognized by colleges and universities
  throughout USA.
  US born Prachi plays harmonium and vio-
  lin and can sing in four languages; Sanskrit,
  Hindi, Punjabi and English.
  In March 2007 Prachi was selected to
  attend Junior National Youth Leadership
  Conference in Washington D.C. for out-
  standing 6th & 7th Graders organized by
  Congressional Youth Leadership Council.
  Prachi along with her younger brother
  Surya is first to recite a Hindu Sanskrit
  prayer, Indian national song Vande Matram,
  Sikh Shabad Kirtan recital Vahe Guru and
  US national anthem while playing harmoni-
  um & tabla on American TV NJN12 in Aug
  2007. Both are winner of various Hindi poet-
  ry competitions, devotional singing competi-
  tions, essay, posters, educational competi-
  tions organized by their school and various
  organizations in Tri State area. In 2008 both
  received "True Ambassador of India" award
  from The Indian Panorama News Paper for
  their tremendous love for music and adher-
  ence to the pristine culture of India.
  Prachis video with her request to
  President to Fight Poverty & Hunger was
  shown to 2,800 students during President
  Obamas swearing ceremony in Jan. 2009.
  Prachi has been an exceptionally outstanding
  meritorious student at Springfield Schools in
  New Jersey with High Honor Rolls in every
  subject. In June 2009 she got President
  Obamas Outstanding Academic Excellence
  Award. This award is given to students for
  achieving more than 95 GPA in 6th, 7th &
  8th grade. In 2009 she was selected for
  admission in Academy of Performing Arts of
  Union County in New Jersey for the academ-
  ic year 2009-2013 by competing against
  more than 2,000 students for 50 seats. She is
  doing the 4 year course in Acting, Dancing
  & Stage Management while pursuing her
  regular high school studies in the Academy.
  In Jan 2010 Prachi and Surya again
  became the first in America to recite bhajans
  for two hours non stop while playing harmo-
  nium and tabla at Shirdi Sai Cultural and
  Community Center in Iselin, New Jersey.
  Since 2009 both are performing Maa Durga
  Chowki independently in New Jersey and
  adjoining areas in private homes. Both of
  them received Excellence in Gurmat Sangeet
  Award and First Prize for Shabad Kirtan in
  May 2010 from Guru Nanak Foundation of
  America. In Sep 2010 Prachi received 3rd
  prize in an Adult Singing Competition
  organized by JusPunjabi TV.
  In Jan. 2011 Prachi & Surya won the first
  prize in Republic Day Video contest held for
  all 50 states of America organized by Indian
  American Muslim Council for their video
  Sare Jahan Se Accha Hindustan Hamara. On
  top of this Prachi & Surya' s bhajan
  "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" became No.
  4 on You Tube chart in Aug. 2011 with over
  165,000 views.
  Prachi is planning to join an ivy league
  college for her Masters in Law and Business
  Administration in the future while perusing
  her singing and acting also.
  Prachi Makkar selected by National Honor Society
  Prachi Makkar, a multi-talented youngster
  Cardiologist Dr Samin Sharma
  will receive Lotus Award
  Urmi Basu will receive The
  Making a Difference Award
  Shining Stars
  Falu and the Dancers of Mystic India to perform
  National Community 7
  TheSouthAsianTimes.info September 24-30, 2011
  Will relocate to India by October: Madhuri Dixit
  Shwetak Patel recipient of
  2011 MacArthur Fellows
  Chicago: The John D. and
  Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
  named 22 new MacArthur Fellows
  for 2011, including 29-year-old
  Indian American Shwetak Patel.
  The recipients will each receive
  $500,000 in no-strings-attached
  genius grant over the next five
  years. MacArthur Fellowships
  come without stipulations or report-
  ing requirements and offer Fellows
  unprecedented freedom and oppor-
  tunity to reflect, create, and explore.
  Patel is a computer scientist who
  has invented a series of sensor tech-
  nology systems for home environ-
  ments with the goal of saving ener-
  gy and improving daily life through
  a broad range of applications. Much
  of his work to date has focused on
  the development of low-cost and
  easy-to-deploy devices that can
  detect and measure household ener-
  gy consumption without an elabo-
  rate network of expensive instru-
  ments.
  To allow residents to track their
  energy usage down to the level of
  individual appliances and fixtures,
  Patels distinctive approach lever-
  ages existing infrastructure such
  as gas lines, electrical wiring,
  plumbing, and ventilation ducts
  and requires only a minimal number
  of small, wirelessly connected sen-
  sors attached to the central hookup
  of each of these utility sources.
  When coupled with a machine
  learning algorithm that analyzes
  patterns of activity and the signa-
  ture noise produced by each appli-
  ance, the sensors enable users to
  measure and disaggregate their
  energy and water consumption and
  to detect inefficiencies more effec-
  tively.
  In addition to the resource conser-
  vation applications of his sensor
  systems, Patel is also exploring
  their potential for home security or
  elder care, as they serve the related
  function of sensing human activity
  and monitoring movement through-
  out a buildings rooms.
  While envisioning cutting-edge
  new tools to address pressing social
  challenges and to make the build-
  ings we live in more responsive to
  our needs, Patel devises elegant,
  simple solutions that dramatically
  reduce the cost of implementation.
  Patel received a B.S. (2003) and a
  Ph.D. (2008) from the Georgia
  Institute of Technology. Since 2008,
  he has been an assistant professor in
  the Departments of Computer
  Science and Engineering and
  Electrical Engineering at the
  University of Washington.
  The unusual level of independ-
  ence afforded to Fellows under-
  scores the spirit of freedom intrinsic
  to creative endeavors. The work of
  MacArthur Fellows knows neither
  boundaries nor the constraints of
  age, place, and endeavor..
  New York: Bollywood diva
  Madhuri Dixit Nene, who recently
  announced that she is relocating
  to India says she will return to
  Mumbai by October.
  After living in the US for more
  than a decade, the 44-year-old
  actress is looking forward to
  returning India.
  "Excited! Should be back in
  Mumbai by middle of October,"
  she wrote on Twitter.
  Madhuri, who spent two
  decades in the Hindi film industry
  establishing herself as one of the
  leading actresses and most accom-
  plished dancers, shifted to the US
  after tying the knot with Denver-
  based cardiovascular surgeon
  Shriram Madhav Nene in 1999.
  They have two sons Arin and
  Ryaan.
  Madhuri made her acting come-
  back with the 2007 film Aaja
  Nachle.
  The actress is currently working
  with chef Sanjeev Kapoor for the
  Food Food channel. She also
  appeared as one of the judges in
  reality dance show Jhalak Dikhla
  Ja this year.
  In a media interview Madhuri
  said her husband has a few
  options in Mumbai that he wants
  to explore.
  "I think this was going to hap-
  pen one day anyway...it's preor-
  dained. We are all very excited,
  the kids especially," she said.
  Madhuri quit Bollywood when
  she was at the top of her game, a
  shockingly unconventional move
  in an industry where stars hang
  around much after their time is up.
  One of her biggest hits, Dil To
  Pagal Hai released in 1997. The
  same year, her performance in
  Mrityudand won her critical
  acclaim. Yet, just a year-and-a-
  half later, she gave it all up for a
  quiet married life.
  Madhuri said she has begun
  looking for a school for Arin, a
  grade III student and Ryan, who is
  in grade 1. Dr Nene is also in
  touch with his friends in the med-
  ical field and some top-notch hos-
  pitals in the city.
  "Everything is changing rapidly
  in India. It's a land of opportuni-
  ties. There is so much to do there.
  So we thought this is the right
  time."
  The Bollywood diva is returning to India with husband Dr.Sriram Nene
  and children, Arin and Ryaan
  Computer scientist Shwetak Patels
  work focuses on making low-cost,
  easy to deploy devices to measure
  household energy consumption
  GOPIO seeks relief on US
  penalties on foreign accounts
  Reserve Bank of India relaxes
  rules for NRI remittances
  Businessman arrested for
  $2.4 Million investment
  fraud scheme
  Washington, DC: A leading
  organization let-
  ters inheri-
  tance received before migrating
  to the United States.
  Singh also sought exemption
  for the temporary workers, such
  as H1B and L1 visa holders as
  they were never told about com-
  pliance with such laws while tak-
  ing."
  By Ashok Motwani
  New Delhi: After the Reserve Bank
  Of India (RBI) amended requisite
  law discussed at Pravasi Bharatiya
  Divas event for purchasing immov-
  able assets / properties in India,
  here is further good news.
  RBI has doubled the amount a
  resident in India can transfer to a
  person resident outside India as gift,
  to $50,000 during a financial year.
  Also it has decided that individuals
  resident in India may be permitted
  to include non-resident close rela-
  tive(s) as a joint holder(s) in their
  resident bank accounts on former
  or survivor basis. However, such
  non- resident Indian close relatives
  shall not be eligible to operate the
  account during the life time of the
  resident account holder.
  NRIs may be permitted to open
  NRE / FCNR(B) account with their
  resident close relative on former or
  survivor basis. The resident close
  relative shall be eligible to operate
  the account as a Power of Attorney
  holder in accordance with extant
  instructions during the life time of
  the NRI/ PIO account holder.
  Indians will be able to lend up to
  $2 lakh in rupee in a fiscal to NRIs
  and PIOs, who are their close rela-
  tives, for personal purpose or busi-
  ness activities other than agricul-
  ture, real estate or relending
  business.
  Fresno, CA: Janamjot Singh Sodhi, aka Jimmy Singh,
  35, was arrested on an outstanding warrant issued on
  Sept. 13, 2011, for an investment fraud scheme,
  announced U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner.his license to sell investments had
  been revoked, and in January 2009, the state of
  California issued a cease and desist order against him
  and Elite Financial from selling securities to investors. It
  is alleged that Sodhi defrauded investors of $2.4 million.
  Company: Lotus Exim International, Inc.
  Industry: Leading distributors of Natural Stone,
  Marble and Granite
  Position Offered: Inside and Outside Sales
  Profile: Build Sales and Distribution network,
  create market base and service existing clients.
  Requirements: Service oriented people with
  proven track record and strong communication
  and people skills. Industry experience a plus.
  Travel: Intensive traveling in Tri-state area
  Rewards: Competitive salary, Performance
  Bonus and benefits package Right opportunity
  for fresh graduates: Willing to sponsor OPT
  Visit us at
  JOB OPPORTUNITY
  8 National Community
  September 24-30, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
  Memorial for first 9/11 backlash
  murder victim held
  Washington, DC: Ten years ago, on
  September 15,2001, Balbir Singh Sodhi
  was shot and killed outside of his Mesa,
  Arizona, gas station in a misguided
  attempt at retaliation for the attacks on
  September 11. He was murdered
  because he had a turban and beard in
  accordance with his Sikh faith. He was
  the first murder victim due to post-9/11
  backlash.
  Frank Roque wanted to kill a
  Muslim in retaliation for the attacks on
  September 11.
  He selected Sodhi simply because he
  had a beard and wore a turban in accor-
  dance with his Sikh faith. Roque shot at
  Mr. Sodhi three times, then shot at
  another service station owned by a
  Lebanese American and finally shot at a
  home of a family of Afghan descent.
  Fortunately, no one else was injured.
  He was convicted of first degree mur-
  der and sentenced to life in prison for the
  hate crime.
  Balbir Singh Sodhi was the oldest of
  five brothers. He immigrated to the
  United States from India in 1988 to
  realize the American dream. He joined
  his brother Harjit Sodhi in Los Angeles,
  CA, where he worked at a 7-Eleven for
  several years until he moved to Walnut
  Creek, CA to become a cab driver. He
  had moved to Mesa a year prior to his
  death, bought a house, and the gas sta-
  tion across the street. He worked 12,
  14 hours a day, said his brother Harjit,
  and he saved his pennies. He regularly
  sent money to his family still in India.
  Jagjit Sodhi, his older brother, stated,
  We depended on the money he sent us
  from time to time.
  Just a few months before the tenth
  anniversary of his death and the attack
  on America, the Arizona legislature
  decided to remove Sodhis name from
  the state 9/11 memorial because he was
  not deemed a victim of 9/11. After
  advocacy by community groups,
  Governor Jan Brewer would veto the bill
  and continue to honor the memory of
  Mr. Sodhi. On September 15, 2011, indi-
  viduals from across Arizona and the
  country participated in a memorial serv-
  ice at 7955 E. University Drive, Mesa,
  Arizona, to commemorate the victims of
  9/11 and to remember Balbir Singh
  Sodhi.
  New York: con-
  ference held at Hilton Hotel, Boston, MA on
  August 14, 2011. The award was conferred
  by the guest of honor, Yogi Shri Amritji, of
  Amrit Yoga Institute in the presence of over
  350 Ayurvedic professionals from 35 coun-
  tries. The prestigious international award
  was given to Dr. Gopinathan Nair, in recog-
  nition for his excellence in promoting aware-
  ness physi-
  cian estab-
  lished facilities provide state of the art
  Ayurvedic Treatments to local and interna-
  tional patients, suffering from various chron-
  ic ailments since the past 15 years. Under his
  leadership these centers have consistently
  provided quality services to its clients and
  they are the first Ayurvedic service provider
  to be awarded ISO 9001:2000 quality certifi-
  cation in India.
  Dr. Gopinathan's special efforts have creat-
  ed history for Ayurveda in United States.
  Since the last five years, his efforts have
  come a long way in establishing authentic
  Ayurvedic Panchakarma Centers in US, pro-
  viding.
  Dr Gopinathan Nair receives "Dharma Award" from AAPNA
  Photo of Balbir Singh Sodhi at his
  Mesa, Arizona residence
  Santhigram Group's Dr. Gopinathan Nair,
  being conferred Dharma Award from
  AAPNA by the guest of honor, Yogi Shri
  Amritji, of Amrit Yoga Institute
  Michael Salahi with husband Tareq
  Gate crasher Salahi
  deserts husband for a
  rock band guitarist
  Washi ngton, DC:
  Cel ebri t y Whi t e House
  gate crasher Michael Salahi
  is reported to have left her
  husband Tareqs home to
  be with another man, the
  lead guitarist for the rock
  band Journey.
  Tareq Salahi had reported
  his wife missing Tuesday
  night, telling authorities in
  Virginia he feared she had
  been ki dnapped.
  Authorities, however, said
  ex-reality TV personality
  Michaele Salahi told them
  she was fi ne and di dn' t
  want to return home. Then
  cel ebri t y websi t e TMZ
  reported that a representa-
  tive for Journey said she
  was safe and with guitarist
  Neal Schon.
  "Tareq is devastated but
  he is relieved to know that
  Michaele is safe," Salahi
  attorney David Silek told
  ABC' s "Good Morni ng
  America. "That was his
  first concern."
  Silek said it's premature
  to say if the couple would
  get a divorce.
  "He' s so devast at ed
  there's not a goal other than
  trying to figure out what is
  goi ng on at t hi s t i me, "
  Si l ek sai d of Tareq. "If
  there's an opportunity for
  reconciliation, that's some-
  thing they can and ought to
  explore."
  Di ane Di mond, who
  wrote the book "Cirque du
  Salahi" about the couple,
  told the morning show that
  Michaele had been frustrat-
  ed with her husband and
  t hat she had a previ ous
  relationship with Schon.
  "She told me, in effect,
  that he was one of the loves
  of her life," Dimond told
  the show.
  The Salahis burst onto
  the scene in 2009 when
  t hey crashed a Whi t e
  House st at e di nner.
  Michaele Salahi was a cast
  member of the reality show
  "Real Housewives of D.C."
  last year, but the show was
  canceled after one season.
  The couple posted a pic-
  ture of Twitter of them-
  sel ves wi t h Schon and
  other band members last
  week.
  TMZ posted video of the
  couple partying with Schon
  at their embattled winery
  last year.
  Man of South Asian origin sentenced
  for insider trading
  New York: An accounts manager for a Taiwanese firm who
  pleaded guilty to insider trading in May, was sentenced Sept. 15
  to 1 years in prison, $35,000 in restitution, and two years of
  supervised release. The information he provided led to $1 million
  in gains for his "clients." Manosha Karunatilaka was convicted
  of conspiring with others in an insider-trading scheme in which
  he defrauded a public company to obtain material, nonpublic
  information and provide that information to members of the
  investment community so that they could execute securities
  transactions.
  Karunatilaka participated in the insider-trading conspiracy
  while working as an account manager for Taiwan Semiconductor
  Manufacturing Company Ltd. He pleaded guilty to one count of
  conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud May 11.
  U.S. District Judge Jed S.Rakoff pronounced the sentence,
  according to a release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the
  Southern District of New York. Between 2008 and 2010,
  Karunatilaka and his co-conspirators obtained inside informa-
  tion, including product sales and shipping information for
  Taiwan Semiconductor. They used an "expert networking" firm
  to facilitate so-called "con sultation calls," during which
  Karunatilaka provided the inside information, prosecutors
  said.On Oct. 8, 2009, for example, he had a telephone conversa-
  tion with a technology analyst at a financial institution in New
  York City during which he provided nonpublic information
  about Taiwan Semiconductor and its customers, the release
  said.Between January 2008 and June 2010, he was paid more
  than $35,000 for his consultation calls, according to the release.
  In his plea agreement, Karunatilaka admitted that, based on his
  participation in the conspiracy, the inside information he provid-
  ed to others resulted in trading gains of more than $1 million.
  National Community 9
  TheSouthAsianTimes.info September 24-30, 2011
  Karan Singh to keynote
  Satyajit Ray Lecture at
  UC-Santa Cruz
  California: Diplomat and statesman Karan
  Singh will deliver the 2011 Satyajit Ray
  Lecture at the University of California at
  Santa Cruz Sept. 24. His topic is: Nava
  Vedanta: Ancient Indian Philosophy of
  Non-Dualism and its Modern
  Transformation.
  The lecture will be preceded by a screen-
  ing of Indian director Satyajit Rays last
  movie Agantuk (The Stranger) at 3 p.m.
  in the UCSC Media Theater. The lecture
  will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Music Recital
  Hall on campus.
  President of the Indian Council of
  Cultural Relations in New Delhi, Singh is
  the last Maharaja of Kashmir and served as
  its governor for 18 years. He was a member
  of Prime Minister Indira Gandhis cabinet
  and has served as Indian ambassador to the
  U.S.
  The lecture and film screening are pre-
  sented by The Satyajit Ray Film and Study
  Center, a research center dedicated to Rays
  work at UC-Santa Cruz. Under the direc-
  tion of founding director Dilip Basu, the
  Ray FASC has a collection of 32 of Rays
  36 films, including 22 fully restored prints.
  The New York Times has called Rays
  last film a gentle, exquisitely realized
  comedy, beautifully observed, sweet, and
  enriching.
  During the past year, we have curated
  complete retrospectives at film museums in
  Munich, Zurich, Basel, London, Paris,
  Singapore and at the Lincoln Center in
  New York, said Basu, an Indian American
  professor at UCSC. We expect to continue
  to have similar global reach in the foresee-
  able future.
  A professor of history at UC-Santa Cruz,
  Basu also teaches an annual upper division
  class, Cinema and History: Film Author
  Satyajit Ray.
  Indian diplomat and statesman
  Karan Singh
  Anand Sharma: India will
  return to 'double digit growth
  Guv Rick Perry welcomes as honored guest of Texas
  Texas: Addressing a 650
  Indian-American business
  leaders at the annal gala of
  the Greater Dallar Indo-
  American Chamber of
  Commerce, Indias
  Commerce, Industry and
  Textiles Minister, Anand
  Sharma, promised Indias
  return to double digit
  growth after the wobbles
  of the global economic
  downturn and the shaky
  ongoing recovery.
  In his speech the Minister
  asked the US companies
  to do more than they are
  doing, to revitalize a bilat-
  eral trade relationship that
  was well below potential.
  Sharma sought to allay
  concerns surrounding the
  controversy on outsourcing
  of U.S. jobs to India, argu-
  ing that for every job out-
  sourced to India, two
  skilled and well-paid jobs
  were created on U.S. soil.
  In building this case he also
  made a plea to end a host of
  restrictive rules that made it
  difficult for Indian profes-
  sionals in areas such as
  information technology to
  work in the US. At the
  event Sharma was bestowed
  with the keys to Dallas city
  and also was felicitated by
  Ashok Mago, GDIACC
  founder and a prominent
  Dallas businessman who
  facilitated the movement of
  the India-U. S. civilian
  nuclear agreement bill
  through the U.S. Congress
  in 2008. While Texas
  Governor and presidential
  hopeful Rick Perry could
  not attend the event owing
  to his campaign activities,
  his colleague read out a
  note on Perrys behalf in
  which the Governor wel-
  comed Sharma as an hon-
  ored guest to Texas.
  Sharma also attended the
  India-U.S. CEO Forum on
  September 22, along with
  Indian Finance Minister
  Pranabh Mukherkjee and
  their US counterparts.
  India's Commerce, Industry and Textiles minister,
  Anand Sharma
  Comedian Ansari named
  Funniest Man Under 30'
  New York: Comedian Aziz Ansari, who
  starred in the recent film C"30 Minutes or
  Less," was featured on the back cover of the
  September issue of Rolling Stone magazine
  that dubbed him "The Funniest Man Under
  30." The 28-year-old has appeared in films
  like "Funny People," "Get Him to the Greek"
  and stars in "Parks and Recreation" on NBC.
  Ansari, whose parents migrated to the
  United States from Tamil Nadu, grew up in
  South Carolina.
  He began his career as a stand-up comedi-
  an in 2004 and landed his first movie,
  "School For Scoundrels," in 2006.
  On "Parks and Recreation," centered on a
  dysfunctional city hall in Pawnee, Ind.,
  Ansari plays Tom Haverford, a wannabe big
  fish in a small pond, Rolling Stone said.
  "He wants to be Russell Simmons, but he's
  too scared to go to a big city," Ansari told the
  magazine about his character.
  "He's doing stuff he sees rappers doing,
  and it's not impressing anyone but himself,
  but he's doing it.
  That's really sweet and funny to me." Like
  Tom, Ansari, 28, grew up in a small town
  Bennettsville, S.C., where he was the only
  Indian kid in his school.
  Unlike Tom, Ansari leapt out of his small
  pond the first chance he got, enrolling at
  New York University as a marketing major.
  His heart wasn't in it, and after people kept
  telling him he was funny, he tried stand-up,
  the mag- azine said about Ansari's early
  years.
  He hustled his way up from five-minute
  slots to hosting entire evenings. On the
  strength of his stand-up buzz, Ansari was
  able to co- write and co-star on a daffy,
  unhinged MTV sketch show, "Human
  Giant," which ran for two seasons; MTV
  offered a third, but Ansari was already plan-
  ning to move to Los Angeles where he was
  hired on to "Parks and Recreation." In "30
  Minutes or Less," Ansari plays a school
  teacher, whose best friend, played by Jesse
  Eisenberg, is forced by some goons to rob a
  bank. The film is directed by "Zombieland"
  helmer Ruben Fleischer.
  He is also featuring in the next "Ice Age"
  film lending voice to a prehistoric rabbit,
  which is part of a pirate gang.
  Aziz Ansari
  10 US Affairs
  Washington, DC: The Federal Reserve
  announced a new plan Wednesday to stimu-
  late growth by purchasing $400 billion in
  long-term Treasury securities with proceeds
  from the sale of short-term government
  debt, defying Republican demands to refrain
  from new stimulus actions.
  In extending its campaign of novel efforts
  to shake the economy from its torpor, the
  Fed said that it was responding to evidence
  that there is a clear need for help.
  Growth remains slow. Recent indicators
  point to continuing weakness in overall
  labor market conditions and the unemploy-
  ment rate remains elevated, the Fed argued.
  Household spending has been increasing at
  only a modest pace in recent months.
  The central bank said in a statement that
  the program was aimed at reducing the cost
  of borrowing for businesses and consumers,
  including the cost of mortgage loans. It
  hopes that the lower rates will encourage
  companies to build new factories and hire
  more workers, and consumers to start spend-
  ing again on homes and cars and clothes and
  vacations.
  Specifically, the Fed said that by June
  2012 it will.
  The Fed added it would resume direct
  efforts to help the mortgage market by rein-
  vesting the proceeds of its existing invest-
  ments in mortgage-backed securities into
  new mortgage-backed securities, rather than
  putting the money in Treasuries.
  Three members of the Feds 10-member
  policy-making committee, however, dissent-
  ed from the decisionthey had earlier
  objected to hold short-term interest rates
  near zero until at least 2013.
  Economists project that the effort could
  reduce interest rates by a few tenths of a per-
  centage point, a significant increment when
  multiplied by the vast extent of borrowing.
  The forecasting firm Macroeconomic
  Advisers estimated in advance of the Feds
  announcement based on its best guess
  about the details of such a program that
  the Feds efforts could add about 0.4 per-
  centage points to economic output and cre-
  ate about 350,000 jobs.
  Fed moves on long-term rates to spur growth
  Boston: Children whose parents are
  illegal immigrants or who lack legal
  status themselves face uniformly
  negative effects on their social
  development from early childhood
  until they become adults, according
  to a study by four researchers pub-
  lished Wednesday in the Harvard
  Educational Review.
  The study concluded that more
  than five million children in the US
  are at risk of lower educational per-
  formance, economic stagnation,
  blocked mobility and ambiguous
  belonging because they are grow-
  ing up in immigrant families affect-
  ed by illegal status.
  The study is the first to pull
  together field research by social sci-
  entists nationwide to track the
  effects of a familys illegal immigra-
  tion mil-
  lion children were brought here ille-
  gally by their parents, while about
  4.5 million are US citizens because
  they were born here.
  In all, about 9.5 million people
  live in mixed status families that
  include American citizen children
  and unauthorized immigrants,
  Jeffrey S. Passel, senior demograph-
  er at the Pew center, said on
  Tuesday. Unauthorized status casts
  a big shadow that really extends to
  citizen as well as undocumented
  children, Marcelo Surez-Orozco,
  a professor of education at New
  York University who is an author of
  the study, said on Tuesday. It
  affects their cognitive development,
  engagement in school and their abil-
  ity to be emerging citizens.
  The Harvard study reports that
  fear and vigilance guide the home
  lives of young children whose par-
  ents are illegal immigrants, making
  the parents significantly less likely
  to engage with teachers or be active
  in schools.
  Parents fears of deportation led to
  lower levels of enrollment of their
  American children in public pro-
  grams dif-
  ficult work conditions contribute
  substantially to the lower cognitive
  skills of children in their families.
  This was true even though the chil-
  dren were more likely to be in two-
  parent families than American chil-
  dren as a whole.
  As teenagers, children without
  legal status face a hard awakening
  when they apply for jobs, drivers
  licenses or financial aid for college
  and discover they are not legally
  qualified for any of them. Their
  paths diverge from siblings who are
  American citizens by birthright.
  Academic achievement does little
  to lift the prospects of illegal immi-
  grants who have grown up here. Out
  of 150 immigrants studied, 31 had
  completed college or advanced
  degrees, but none were in a career
  that matched their educational
  training.
  Children of illegal immigrants face hampered growth
  September 24-30, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
  Ben Bernanke, the chairman of Federal
  Reserve: defying Republican demands to
  refrain from new stimulus actions.
  Ban over, Marines
  seek recruits at
  gay center
  Tulsa, OK: Master Sgt.
  Anthony Henry, a top Marine
  recruiting trainer for the
  southwestern United States,
  visited Tulsas biggest gay
  community center on
  Tuesday. He had been invited
  to set up a recruiting booth
  on the first day of the end of
  dont ask, dont tell at the
  Dennis R. Neill Equality
  Center in downtown Tulsa.
  He spent the day talking to a
  trickle of gay women inter-
  esting in joining the Marines.
  Its your business and you
  dont have to share it,
  Sergeant Henry told Ariel
  Pratt, 20, who asked whether
  she would face discrimina-
  tion in the military as a les-
  bian serving openly. But
  youre also free to be at the
  mall with your girlfriend.
  The Marines were the serv-
  ice most opposed to ending
  the dont ask, dont tell
  policy, but they were the
  only one of five invited
  branches of the military to
  turn up with their recruiting
  table and chin-up bar at the
  center Tuesday morning.
  Although Marines pride
  themselves on being the most
  testosterone-fueled of the
  services, they also ferocious-
  ly promote their view of
  themselves as the best. With
  the law now changed, the
  Marines appear determined
  to prove that they will be bet-
  ter centers AIDS quilt, only
  three women had wandered
  in, none ideal recruits.
  Repeal of a 1993 law that
  allowed gays to serve only so
  long as they kept their sexual
  orientation private took
  effect on Tuesday.
  To GOP ire, Obama seeks taxes
  on wealthy to cut debt
  Washington: Striking a confrontation-
  ist posture, President Barack Obama
  has proposed $1.5 trillion in new taxes
  for the wealthy to cut the national debt
  by $3.2 trillion over the next decade.
  In a White House address Monday he
  also threatened to veto any debt reduc-
  tion legislation that cuts benefits like
  Medicare and Medicaid, government
  provided healthcare for the elderly, and
  doesnt include higher taxes on the
  wealthy.
  I will not support any plan that puts
  all the burden on ordinary Americans,
  he said abandoning earlier attempts at
  compromise with the GOP.
  Rather than trying to identify com-
  mon ground, the president is taking the
  same kind of tough stance that
  Republicans adopted in the debt-ceiling
  debate, said the influential New York
  Times.
  The proposal drew an angry response
  from key Republicans, underscoring the
  considerable opposition to his plan on
  Capitol Hill as a special bipartisan com-
  mittee on deficit reduction ramps up its
  work in coming weeks.
  US assembling secret drone bases in Africa,
  Arabian Peninsula
  Washington: America is assembling
  a constellation of secret drone bases
  for counterterrorism operations in
  the Horn of Africa and the Arabian
  Peninsula as part of a newly aggres-
  sive campaign to attack al-Qaeda
  affiliates in Somalia and Yemen, US
  officials say. One of the installations
  is being established in Ethi o pia, a US
  ally in the fight against al-Shabab,
  the Somali militant group that con-
  trols much of that country.
  Another base is in the Seychelles,
  an archipelago in the Indian Ocean,
  where a small fleet of hunter-killer
  drones resumed operations this
  month after an experimental mission
  demonstrated that the unmanned air-
  craft could effectively patrol Somalia
  from there.
  The US-
  clared drone wars is a reflection of
  the growing alarm with which US
  officials view the activities of al-
  Qaeda affiliates in Yemen and
  Somalia, even as al-Qaedas core
  leadership in Pakistan has been
  weakened by US counterterrorism
  operations.
  The U.S. government is known to
  have used drones to carry out lethal
  attacks in at least six countries:
  Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan,
  Somalia and Yemen.
  President Obama in his Oval Office
  12 India Newswire
  September 24-30, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
  Chidambaram dragged into 2G net
  New Delhi: The Supreme Court is
  expected to decide whether a
  Central Bureau of Investigation
  (CBI) probe is needed into what
  Subramanian Swamy alleges to be
  the role of P Chidambaram in
  deciding the price of 2G spectrum
  allocations.
  Janata Party president
  Subramanian Swamy had indicat-
  ed that Home Minister P
  Chidambaram, as the then finance
  minister, was along with jailed
  former communications minister
  A Raja involved in deciding the
  2G spectrum price.
  The documents filed by Swamy
  included a communication of Jan
  30, 2008, by the department of
  economic affairs of the finance
  ministry recording the gist of the
  meeting between the then finance
  minister Chidambaram and Raja.
  The communication signed by
  the then finance secretary D
  Subbarao said: "The FM (finance
  minister) said that for now we are
  not seeking to revisit the current
  regimes for entry fee or revenue
  sharing."
  Swamy told the court that all
  along, on the question of 2G spec-
  trum pricing, the then finance
  minister and his ministry's offi-
  cials were kept in the loop.
  He pointed to various letters and
  internal communications and said
  that April 21, 2008, the then
  finance minister sent a "non-
  paper" to the communications
  minister, conveying that an "in
  principle" decision may be taken
  to price the spectrum beyond 4.4
  MHz as has been suggested by the
  department of telecommunica-
  tions (DoT).
  The government and the CBI
  have opposed a CBI probe into
  Chidambarams role. They are of
  the view that, as a special trial
  court is besieged of the matter, the
  SC should not order a CBI probe
  at this juncture.
  Meanwhile, in a new twist to the
  second generation (2G) spectrum
  case, a note to the Prime
  Minister's Office from the finance
  ministry says this resource could
  have auctioned in 2008 if Home
  Minister P Chidambaram, then the
  finance minister, had "stuck to his
  stand".
  In the note, the finance ministry
  says Chidambaram could have
  prevented spectrum from being
  given away at throwaway prices
  by insisting on its auction -- allud-
  ing that presumptive losses worth
  thousands of crores could have
  thus been avoided.
  The Janata Party wants Home Minister P Chidambaram
  to be made co-accused in the 2G case.
  Advani not in PM race, ready for yatra
  Nagpur: Senior Bharatiya Janata
  Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani
  indicated for the first time he may
  not be the candidate for prime
  minister's job in the next general
  election, provoking the Congress
  to say there was a war within the
  main opposition party.
  Already 83, the former deputy
  prime minister made the com-
  ments after meeting Rashtriya
  Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief
  Mohan Bhagwat "to seek bless-
  ings" for his (Advani's) proposed
  nationwide rath yatra on "clean
  politics and good governance".
  Advani, who was widely seen as
  the BJP's unstated prime ministe-
  rial nominee in the 2009 Lok
  Sabha battle, did not give a cate-
  gorical "yes" or "no" when he was
  asked if he was eyeing the top
  executive post.
  Instead, he gave a philosophical
  answer, saying he had got more
  from the BJP than anything he
  could have got from the post of
  prime minister.
  Pressed if the RSS wanted him
  to make it absolutely clear that he
  was not in the running for the post
  of prime minister, Advani said:
  "There are reports."
  That statement did not amuse
  the Congress, which said there
  was "upheaval in BJP" and that
  there were five to seven prime
  ministerial candidates in that
  party.In contrast, "there is no
  vacancy for the prime minister's
  post" in the Congress, spokesman
  Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.
  Advani, one of the most experi-
  enced leaders in Indian politics,
  flew to Nagpur amid reports that a
  section of the BJP was miffed at
  him for announcing the rath yatra
  next month.
  Some BJP leaders complained
  privately that he had not taken the
  party into confidence and that it
  was an attempt by him to portray
  himself as the prime ministerial
  candidate.
  The RSS, however, clarified that
  it had no role to play in shaping
  the BJP's choice of who a prime
  minister should be.
  "These are issues the BJP
  decides," RSS spokesperson Ram
  Madhav said in Nagpur, where the
  RSS has its headquarters.
  The senior Bharatiya Janata
  Party leader says he has got more
  from the BJP than anything he
  could have got from the post of
  prime minister.
  Delhi blast suspects to
  be produced in court
  New Delhi: Three people arrested in
  Jammu and Kashmir for the Sep 7 Delhi
  High Court blast were brought to New
  Delhi by a National Investigation Agency
  (NIA) team, police said.
  Shariq Ahmed, Abid Hussain and Amir
  Abbas Dev were brought here on transit
  remand by the NIA team led by Deputy
  Inspector General Mukesh Singh.
  The accused are expected to be presented
  in the Patiala House district courts, where
  the NIA is likely to seek their remand for
  further probe.
  Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel
  also accompanied the three accused.
  At least 15 people were killed in the blast.
  Dev, arrested by NIA Sep 16, was
  remanded in police custody for seven days,
  while Ahmed and Hussain were arrested
  Sep 13 and were sent to police custody for
  10 days.
  The accused have been booked under
  Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 153-
  A (promoting enmity between different
  groups on grounds of religion, race or lan-
  guage and doing acts prejudicial to mainte-
  nance of harmony) and 134-A (attack on
  government servant on duty) of the Indian
  Penal Code.
  The NIA has announced a reward of
  Rs.10 lakh for anybody giving information
  about the perpetrators of the blast.
  The National Investigation Agency has
  announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for
  anybody giving information about the
  perpetrators of the blast.
  PM to focus on terror,
  reforms at UN
  United Nations: Indian
  Prime Minister Manmohan
  Singh came to the United
  Nations focused on global
  challenges such as terror-
  ism, economic slowdown,
  terrorism and unrest in
  West Asia and North
  Africa.
  External Affairs Minister
  S.M. Krishna, his
  Principal Secretary T.K.A.
  Nair, National Security
  Advisor Shiv Shankar
  Menon and Foreign
  Secretary Ranjan Mathai
  are part of the high-level
  team accompanying
  Manmohan
  Set to address the UN
  General Assembly on
  September 24, Manmohan Singh will also
  dilate on the issue of UN reforms as he speaks
  about the role played by India since being
  elected as a non-permanent member of the
  Security Council after a gap of 19 years.
  As he said in a statement in New Delhi
  embarking on the five day UN trip, "Our
  efforts at promoting international peace and
  security and bringing to
  bear a developing country
  perspective have, I
  believe, enriched the
  Council' s deliberations
  and enhanced its effec-
  tiveness."
  "The UN must be seen
  as an impartial, credible
  and effective body. I will
  stress the need for early
  reform of this unique
  organization, particularly
  an expansion of its
  Security Council."
  "The UN General
  Assembly is meeting this
  year at a time when the
  world is faced with mul-
  tiple challenges. The
  global economy is in the
  midst of an economic slowdown coupled with
  all its attendant problems, including inflation-
  ary pressures," the prime minister said.
  He also said terrorism and non-traditional
  threats to international security, such as pira-
  cy, were threatening states and the internation-
  al political and social order and called for col-
  lective action to address all these issues.
  Manmohan Singh is set to address the
  United Nations General Assembly on
  September 24.
  Ajmer set to host first global Sufi festival
  Why Big B playing a stereotypical Jewish gangster?
  Swiss ready to share
  black money details
  Mumbai : Qawwali, ghazals, discus-
  sions and Sufi music will be offered
  at the first edition of the International
  Sufi Festival Oct 21-27 in Ajmer,
  Rajasthan. The week-long event will
  bring together Sufi artists from coun-
  tries like Britain, Pakistan, Egypt and
  France with an aim to capture and
  project the spirit of Sufism.
  I want to bring about the true mes-
  sage of Sufism globally where the
  core belief and practice is nothing but
  the acceptance of each other without
  the barrier of religion, festival direc-
  tor Gulshaa Begum told IANS.
  The core intention is to awaken
  the spirit of brotherhood, together-
  ness, thoughtfulness, selflessness and
  oneness which alone can make life in
  the world successful. It will revive
  the message Sufi saint Hazrath
  Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty, she
  added. per-
  form.
  Mumbai: Superstar Amitabh
  Bachchan will make his
  Hollywood debut with 2012
  Warner Bros. remake of 'The Great
  Gatsby.'
  What is rather interesting in this
  new sis why Big B has agreed to
  play the role of down-
  right anti-Semitic, some scholars
  claim.
  Bachchan has agreed to play the
  one-scene role of the stereotyped
  Jewish gangster -- and for free. prelimi-
  nary reading of the script with the
  entire cast and done hair makeup
  costume rehearsals. It has been a
  wonderful experience to be a part
  of [the Hollywood] system and to
  observe with what detail and dili-
  gence they work."
  But playing the crooked Jewish
  Gatsby associate Meyer
  Wolfsheim, a Fitzgerald stereo-
  type?."
  New Delhi: Switzerland
  Ambassador Philippe Welti
  said his country would share
  details of the secret bank
  accounts held by Indians,
  provided everything is with-
  in the framework of the
  revised double taxation
  treaty between the two
  nations.
  To a question in an inter-
  view to a private news
  channel that whether
  Switzerland would share
  details of Swiss bank accounts held
  by Indians, the Ambassador said,
  "Yes, provided it is in the frame-
  work of the treaty."
  Switzerland's Parliament on June
  17 approved the revised Double
  Taxation Avoidance Agreement
  (DTAA) with India that would
  allow access to details of its citi-
  zens having unaccounted money in
  Swiss banks.After ratification by
  Parliament, the treaty is open to
  scrutiny by Swiss people for 100
  days. That period ends on
  October 6.
  India had inked an agreement
  with Switzerland to revise the
  DTAA in August 2010. Once in
  force, the treaty would allow India
  to seek information for cases relat-
  ed to tax evasion also.
  Going by statistics from the
  Swiss National Bank, the total
  deposits of Indian individuals and
  companies with all the Swiss banks
  was collectively about $2.5 billion
  at the end of 2010.
  Amid raging debate over the
  issue of black money, the govern-
  ment is looking at various ways,
  including renegotiation of existing
  bilateral treaties to bring back
  unaccounted money stashed by its
  citizens in overseas accounts.
  When asked whether the Indian
  government has submitted any
  request regarding accounts held by
  its citizens in Swiss banks, Welti
  said, "I have not seen the request
  going through me but I am not the
  only channel.
  Amitabh Bachchan has agreed to
  play the one-scene role of the
  stereotyped Jewish gangster -- and
  for free, in 'The Great Gatsby.'
  Switzerland Ambassador Philippe Welti.
  India Newswire 13
  TheSouthAsianTimes.info September 24-30, 2011
  14 India Newswire
  September 24-30, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
  Deaths, destruction as strong quake hits India
  Gangtok: Days after a devastating
  earthquake measuring a forceful
  6.8 on Richter scale struck large
  parts of North East India, rescue
  and relief teams are still trying to
  reach thousands of people trapped
  in remote areas.
  Across India, buildings shook
  triggering panic almost all over
  northern and eastern India, includ-
  ing Delhi, Uttar Pradesh,
  Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Bihar,
  West Bengal, Assam and Mizoram.
  While the death toll rose to 78 in
  Sikkim, West Bengal reported 15
  deaths and Bihar nine.
  Sikkim passed through one of its
  darkest hours, with landslides
  snapping its only road link with the
  rest of the world and preventing
  disaster response teams from
  reaching affected sites - a problem
  compounded by incessant rain.
  The toll in Sikkim mounted to 78
  even as landslides in several places
  cut off road links between the state
  and the rest of the country. The toll
  may further increase as rescue
  workers were unable to reach some
  interior north Sikkim areas because
  of landslides, a government official
  said.
  An Army aerial survey showed
  that at least five villages in north
  Sikkim have been obliterated.
  More disturbingly, the survey
  failed to detect any people in or
  around the area, raising fears of the
  quake toll going up significantly.
  Authorities also said that 11 bod-
  ies were retrieved from the rubble
  at the hydel project near here
  where rescue teams fear that 40
  workers are trapped in a flooded
  tunnel. With more bodies being
  found as the rescue teams are
  reaching areas that were cut off,
  fears of the toll going up are rising
  by the hour.
  There was no news of the 40
  workers trapped in the tunnel of the
  Teesta Urja hydel project between
  Theng village and Mangan with
  authorities now fearing the worst.
  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
  has sanctioned Rs.2 lakh each for
  the next of kin of those killed in
  India.
  The India Meteorological
  Department (IMD) said the epicen-
  ter of the quake was on the Sikkim-
  Nepal border.
  The quake also damaged some
  Indian Army bunkers in eastern
  Sikkim near Nathu-La pass along
  the India-China border and left
  many soldiers injured, said
  sources.
  This is the fourth earthquake to
  hit India this month. An earthquake
  measuring 4.2 on the Richter Scale
  had shaken north India Sep 7 at
  around with its epicenter near
  Sonepat in Haryana, 65 km from
  New Delhi.
  The toll in Sikkim alone mounted to 78 even as landslides in several
  places cut off road links between the state and the rest of the country.
  India lacks quake
  preparedness: Experts
  New Delhi: Pointing to an increase in tectonic
  activities that escalate the chances of more
  earthquakes in India, experts say the country's
  preparedness to deal with the disasters seems to
  be missing.
  "Nearly 60 percent of India is prone to earth-
  quake," India Meteorological Department's
  seismology department director B.R. Vaidya
  said.
  The quake that has killed over 100 people and
  injured several others in the northeast and east
  was caused by a collision between the Indian
  plate and the Eurasian plate. The boundary
  between the plates is broadly along the
  Himalayas.
  The Indian plate usually has a north and
  northeastward movement. But scientists say the
  present quake indicates a westward movement.
  "Over the last 100 years, there has been an
  increase in global tectonic activities," R.K.
  Chadha of Hyderabad's National Geophysical
  Research Institute said.
  "Particularly from 2000, there has been an
  increase in earthquake activities. The 2004
  Sumatra quake in Indonesia, which registered
  9.3 magnitude, has triggered stress in many
  areas. The stress is accumulated wherever the
  earth is weak," he said. Chadha said the move-
  ment in the Indian plate was around 1 to 2 mm
  after the earthquake that rattled large parts of
  India, from Sikkim to Bihar. It also shook
  Nepal, Tibet and Bangladesh. It had its epicen-
  ter in Sikkim. "With the effect visible on the
  surface and the registered 6.9 magnitude, we
  can estimate that it can be 1 to 2 mm," he said.
  Even as most parts of India lie in a high risk
  zone for earthquakes, the country has little pre-
  paredness for dealing with the impact.
  Jamia Millia Islamia civil engineering depart-
  ment professor Gauhar Mahmood said the
  tremors take place due to the movement in the
  plates but the damage is caused by wrong plan-
  ning. The northern plains of India along with
  the Himalayas lie on the border of the Eurasian
  and Indian plates.
  "The Himalayas are 65 million years old and
  the youngest mountain chain. Their uplifting is
  still going on, making the area highly unstable,"
  Mahmood said.He said planning and precau-
  tions are the only possible guard against major
  damage. "The only precaution is best city plan-
  ning with wider roads and earthquake-proof
  structures."
  According to the expert, until 1995 Delhi was
  under Zone 3, which is a moderate risk zone.
  But later it was updated to Zone 4 - a high dam-
  age risk zone.
  The Indian plate usually has a north and
  northeastward movement. But scientists say
  the present quake indicates a westward
  movement.
  Rahul Gandhi visits
  quake-hit Sikkim
  Gangtok: Congress
  leader Rahul Gandhi
  made an aerial survey of
  quake-hit North Sikkim,
  besides visiting an affect-
  ed.
  Gandhi also visited the
  Central Referral Hospital,
  Manipal, here and inter-
  acted with the injured.
  After the aerial survey, he
  left for Meghalaya.
  Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling and Rahul Gandhi visit the
  earthquake-affected area of Lumsay in Gangtok.
  Rahul Gandhi meets quake hit victims in Sikkim.
  Tribute 15
  TheSouthAsianTimes.info September 24-30, 2011
  Tiger Pataudi's legacy lives on
  Always played with straight bat, on and off field
  New Delhi: As the cricketing world
  grieves the loss of one its finest cap-
  tains mar-
  riage between a aspiring cricketer,
  not considered a career proper for a
  man in the 60s, and a Bollywood
  star, considered a sex symbol at the
  peak of her career. The fact that
  theirs was an inter-religious mar-
  riage also sparked off objections.
  But despite dissimilar family
  backgrounds, they married in
  December 1969 and Tagore convert-
  ed to Islam adopting the name
  Begum Ayesha Sultana. Despite her
  top billing and stunning good looks,
  Tagore decided to take a hiatus from
  acting. Many in the industry point-
  ed' cata-
  pulted her to fame, is often left
  unsung. Pataudi came from an old
  family of Muslim royals with a lega-
  cy that transcended many genera-
  tions to imbibe a strict sense of dis-
  cipline deci-
  sion was to follow his famous moth-
   fathers fami-
  ly."
  New Delhi: Former India captain Mansur
  Ali Khan Pataudi always played the game
  with a straight bat and was equally forthright
  off the field. He will be remembered as the
  Tiger who preyed with one eye. was one of the best educated Indian
  cricketers. He spent his formative years at
  Welham Boys' School in Dehradun and then
  went to England like his father to study at
  Lockers Park Prep School in Hertfordshire,
  Winchester College and Balliol College,
  Oxford.
  He lost his father on his 11th birthday
  while Iftikhar was playing polo. But Iftikar,
  who captained India in 1946, was a constant
  source of inspiration in Tiger's life.
  Pataudi suffered another setback 10 years
  later, when he lost the vision of his right eye
  after a car crash in England. But a steely
  resolve saw him making his international
  debut a few month later against the formida-
  ble Ted Dexter' s England in Delhi, in
  December, 1961.
  Once asked by a journalist, how he played
  with one eye, Pataudi said: "In I fact see two
  balls. I hit the one on the inside."
  Like his father, Pataudi couldn't get a cen-
  tury on debut but achieved his maiden ton, a
  classy 103, in his third Test against England
  to set-up a 128-run win in Chennai. He never
  looked in discomfort playing with one eye,
  and swotted the fast bowlers with ease. The
  innings earned him a berth for the Caribbean
  tour.
  The presence of Polly Umrigar, Nari
  Contractor and Vijay Manjrekar made it dif-
  ficult for Pataudi to find a place in the final
  eleven in the West Indies and he had to miss
  the first two Tests, in which India suffered
  humiliating defeats.
  But a nasty injury to Contractor, who had
  to undergo a brain operation after being hit
  by a Charlie Griffith bouncer, changed
  Pataudi's fortunes. There was bickering in
  the team and none of the seniors were will-
  ing to take up the responsibility of leading
  the side.
  They found a leader in Pataudi, who on
  March 23, 1962, at the age of 21 years and
  79 days, became the youngest cricketer to
  captain any country in a Test match.
  The next 13 years were known as the
  Pataudi era during which he went on to re-
  write India's cricketing history by captaining
  the side to its first ever overseas series win,
  when they defeated New Zealand 3-1 in
  1967-68, at a time when a draw was consid-
  ered as a win.
  Under him, India played some good crick-
  et and got the confidence of beating big
  teams overseas. The spin quartet of Bishan
  Singh Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, S.
  Venkatraghavan and Erapalli Prasanna also
  flourished under his captaincy.
  His spotless career was scarred after he
  was arrested for killing a blackbuck in
  Jhajjar in 2005. He spent few days in jail
  before being released on bail.
  Tiger Patudi captained the Indian cricket
  team from 1962-70
  Mansur Ali Khan Pataudis royal family
  Tiger Pataudi with actor-son Saif Ali Khan Sharmila Tagore with actress-daughter Soha Ali Khan.
  Wedding picture with film star Sharmila Tagore
  16 Ultimate Bollywood
  September 24-30, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
  W
  hich demons could
  possibly provoke two
  normal healthy ambi-
  tious- cy of Anusha's dreams and how
  drastically they get subverted
  within the time-frame of a few
  decisive days, that forms the core
  of the compelling, often repug-
  nant unthink-
  able crime is charted with a kind
  of subverted dismay that is the
  opposite of the dramatic sighs
  and gasps that Hindi cinema usu-
  ally uses to punctuate crime dra-
  mas.
  All the craziness of the camera
  angles becomes one with the
  insanity of the crime committed
  by two people who, before
  butchering their victim, had prob-
  ably only committed minor
  offences.
  .
  M
  alaysian prime minister
  Najib Razak seems to be
  an admirer of Bollywood
  films and finds actress Priyanka
  Chopra very pretty.
  Razak said he has watched a few
  Hindi films, in spite of their length.
  "I have seen some films, I find
  them quiet interesting but too
  long," he told visiting Indian jour-
  nalists.
  Razak said he had liked Shah
  Rukh Khan starrer Kuch Kuch
  Hota Hai. And among the bevy of
  Bollywood beauties, former Miss
  World Priyanka seems to have
  caught his fancy.
  Razak, who has met Priyanka
  earlier, said that he found the 29-
  year-old "very pretty but a little
  snobbish. I didn't find her friend-
  ly," he quipped in a lighter vein".
  Malaysian Prime Minister Najib
  Razak said he didnt find
  Priyanka Chopra friendly.
  Not a Love Story is not an easy film to watch. Crime has never
  looked more unglamorous on screen.
  B
  igg Boss makers have invit-
  ed actor Madhuri Dixit her
  to be a part of season 5
  being hosted by Salman Khan and
  Sanjay Dutt.
  Madhuri has apparently been
  approached by Endemol and Colors
  for the show and is reportedly
  being offered a huge amount for a
  special appearance in the
  House.Other celebrity guests on the
  show include boxer Mike Tyson
  and actor Babara Mori. Charles
  Shobhraj's wife Nihita Biswas, 22,
  has also confirmed her presence on
  Colors' controversial reality show.
  "Madhuri will be paid equivalent
  to international boxer Mike Tyson
  while actor Babara Mori's remuner-
  ation is still being worked out," a source said. The show is set to go on air in October.
  Madhuri approached for
  Bigg Boss 5!
  The actress is reportedly being offered a huge amount for a special
  appearance in the Big Boss House.
  Toronto: Kiran Rao' s ' Dhobi
  Ghat,' which premiered at the
  Toronto International Film
  Festival (TIFF) in the presence of
  the whole cast at the city's Elgin
  Garden Theatres, wowed the
  audiences with its artistry and
  fluidity.
  The film is Kiran Rao's directo-
  rial debut, with her husband
  Aamir Khan playing the lead role
  of a painter (Arun living in
  Bhendi Bazaar).
  Set in the Mumbai monsoon
  season, the plot revolves around
  Shai' s feelings for Arun and
  Zohaib in the teeming metropo-
  lis.
  A beaming Kiran Rao intro-
  duced the cast to the audience
  before the start of the film. She
  said she was immensely pleased
  with her directorial debut and
  expected 'Dhobi Ghat' to do well.
  For his selection for the lead
  role, Aamir said initially the cou-
  ple's idea was not to cast him
  because they thought that his
  presence will "overpower'' oth-
  ers. But after a few weeks, he
  said, they had second thoughts.
  And Kiran put him through usual
  tests before casting him, he said.
  Dhobi Ghat wows Toronto
  film festival
  Dhobi Ghat is Kiran Rao's directorial debut, with her husband Aamir
  Khan playing the lead role of a painter.
  Priyanka pretty but
  snobbish: Malay PM
  Mumbai: The.
  The festival, a Reliance enter-
  tainment initiative, which is being
  organised by the Mumbai
  Academy of Moving Image
  (MAMI) will host a special sec-
  tion "4me Rendez-Vous", in col-
  laboration.
  The festival will also offer a
  special presentation by Lee Yong
  Kwan, director Busan
  International Film.
  France focus at
  Mumbai film fest
  'Not A Love Story' leaves you open-mouthed
  Ultimate Bollywood 17
  Thesouthasiantimes.info September 24-30, 2011
  P
  ankaj Kapoor's directorial
  debut "Mausam" is
  described as a true romantic
  film in which he has teamed up
  with his actor son Shahid and
  Sonam Kapoor to recreate a
  bygone era through the movie,
  releasing September 23. togeth-
  erness, although they had to sacri-
  fice.
  M
  anisha Koirala is
  back in Mumbai
  and is said to be
  on the lookout for roles in
  Hindi films.
  The actress had shifted
  to Nepal post her marriage
  with Nepalese business-
  man Samrat Dahal l ast
  year.
  But now, with reports of
  the marriage falling apart,
  Mani sha i s back i n
  Mumbai and looking for
  work.
  Says a source,
  "Manisha' s manager has
  supposedly sent an SMS to
  Bollywood producers that
  goes like this, 'Sir is there
  a role suitable for Manisha
  in your production?'."
  With reports of her marriage falling apart, Manisha is back
  in Mumbai and looking for work.
  Shot in Edinburgh, London, Mumbai, Gwalior and Agra, the film is
  an attempt to bring back the pure romance that is lost somewhere in
  Indian cinema.
  'Mausam' - a tale of
  timeless love
  Prachi Desai not sexy
  enough?
  J
  ust a fortnight before
  Jannat 2 goes on
  floors, producer Mahesh
  Bhatt and director Kunal
  Deshmukh have parted ways
  with actress Prachi Desai,
  who was earlier announced
  as the female lead in the
  film.
  The decision was taken
  after the actress refused to
  get intimate on screen, and
  as a result, the producer-
  director duo is now casting a
  Delhi girl in the part.
  After Murder 2, it was
  decided that the sexuality of
  the movie should be upped,
  but Prachi seemed uncom-
  fortable with that. Bhatt con-
  firmed the development and
  said, "We realized that a sex-
  ual component that was
  missing from the movie. But
  Prachi was clear from the
  beginning that she wouldn't
  cross certain boundaries.
  She can' t be faulted and
  there was a dignity in our
  parting, which is rare in
  Bollywood."
  Prachi' s publicist said,
  "Prachi's association with
  them has been great. It has
  been a very amicable deci-
  sion."
  The decision to drop Prachi Desai from Jannat 2 was
  taken after the actress refused to get intimate on screen.
  Madhur Bhandarkar faces trial for rape
  T
  hree times national award
  winning filmmaker
  Madhur Bhandarkar may
  have to face the trial in a rape case
  lodged against him by small time
  actress Pretti Jaiin seven years
  back.
  A metropolitan magistrate' s
  court in Andheri, ruling against
  Bhandarkar, observed that a case
  was made against him and that he
  can take a defense against the case
  at an appropriate stage. The court
  has issued summons to
  Bhandarkar for October 18.
  Metropolitan magistrate B B
  Pantawane observed that before
  lodging the FIR, Jain had sent a
  legal notice to Bhandarkar in July
  2004. The filmmaker however,
  chose not to reply, thus showing
  that he did not refute the allega-
  tions at the first available opportu-
  nity.
  Jain, needless to say, was visibly
  happy after the order. The aspiring
  actress who was present in court
  said that she had full faith in God
  and the judiciary.
  Jain had filed a case of rape and
  criminal intimidation against
  Bhandarkar at the Versova Police
  station over 7 years back - in July
  2004. She had alleged that
  Bhandarkar had intercourse with
  her 17 times between 2000 and
  2003, making false promises of
  marriage and a big role in a good
  film.
  In November 2009, the police
  had filed a report in the Andheri
  court stating that the relationship
  between Bhandarkar and Jain was
  by mutual consent.
  The report also stated that Jain
  had filed the complaint "only to
  teach him a lesson as he didn't
  give her a role of the leading
  actress in his film".
  This report was strongly con-
  tested by Jain through her advo-
  cate Sushan Kunjuraman. They
  had argued that there were enough
  precedents from the Supreme
  Court about testimony of the vic-
  tim being enough to convict an
  accused in a rape case. Based on
  his submissions, the Magistrate
  rejected the report and ordered an
  inquiry in November 2009.
  Bhandarkar said that after going
  through the order in detail he
  would challenge it in higher
  courts. "As the lower court has
  issued a process against me for a
  case which has been going on for
  7 years, I would like to say that
  after reading the judgment, we
  will challenge this order in higher
  courts to seek justice," stated the
  filmmaker.
  Talking about the case, Madhur
  revealed, "Initially, on 12th July
  2004, Pretti Jaiin had sent a legal
  notice to me stating that if I do not
  cast her in my film as the leading
  lady within the next 48 hours, she
  would adopt necessary criminal
  and civil legal proceedings against
  me. There was no mention of rape
  charges in that notice.
  Small time actress Pretti Jaiin had filed a case of rape and criminal
  intimidation against director Madhur Bhandarkar at the Versova
  Police station over 7 years back - in July 2004.
  Manisha Koirala's
  looking for roles
  18 Religion
  September 24-30, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
  Amityville, NY: Over 400 people came from
  throughout the Tri-State area to the Science of
  Spirituality (SoS) Meditation Center in
  Amityville here to celebrate the birth anniver-
  saries of two great spiritual luminaries, Sant
  Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj and Sant Rajinder
  Singh Ji Maharaj. SoS sponsors an annual fes-
  tival on this special occasion combining fun
  activities for the whole family, along with
  inspirational presentations to nourish the spir-
  it. SoS is a nonprofit, multi-faith organization
  that provides a forum for people to learn med-
  itation, experience personal transformation,
  and bring about inner and outer peace and
  human unity. It is currently under the direction
  of Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj, who is
  internationally recognized for his work toward
  inner and outer peace through spirituality.
  The festival has become a much-anticipated
  yearly event at the Amityville SoS center,
  which recently celebrated its 7th anniversary.
  Hundreds of people from diverse cultures and
  backgrounds attended this years program.
  Upon arriving, one strolled under a festive
  blue and white balloon archway and viewed
  the Center grounds dotted with large white
  tents. Booths that housed different activities
  were gaily decorated in whites and bright
  blues.
  The day began with the Centers weekly
  Yoga for Beginners class, taught by Mrs.
  Anup Bawa. And the weekly spiritual pro-
  gram was presented on the theme of Human
  Unity and Respect for All Life, followed by a
  Jyoti meditation session. At 1:00 pm the out-
  door festivities began with a range of fun
  activities. A free luncheon was served consist-
  ing of a wide variety of vegetarian food stalls
  offering delicious Indian, Caribbean, and
  Italian selections. Ice cream, fruit smoothies,
  an array of fresh fruits and salads, cakes and
  delightful Indian sweets added to the festive
  atmosphere for children and adults alike.
  A spiritual bookstall and photo exhibition
  were on display, including multi-media of
  spiritual talks given by the Spiritual Masters
  of Sant Mat, along with music and gift items.
  During the day there were a variety of games,
  kids entertainment, clowns, rides and colorful
  face painting for the children. For the grown-
  ups there were workshops including Embrace
  the Light Within: Meditation for Health &
  Well-Being, presented by Jim Rose, and a
  seminar entitled Vegetarian Quick-Start: 7
  Easy Steps to a Healthy Diet, offered by Susan
  Rose. Beautiful gift baskets were raffled off
  throughout the afternoon, free of charge.
  Many benefited from the free medical check-
  ups and advice provided by Dr Suresh
  Hemrajani.
  Moving inside the hall, poetry, music and
  special videos were presented celebrating the
  lives of Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj and
  Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj. The former
  (1921-1989) was a Master of Surat Shabd
  Yoga and the founder of Science of
  Spirituality. He was known to be a spiritual
  leader of the greatest compassion and kind-
  ness - an ocean of divine grace and love. In
  addition, he was acclaimed as Indias greatest
  mystic poet writing in the Urdu language. He
  won four Urdu Academy Awards for poetry.
  His many books, articles and tapes spread a
  message of love, unity and peace the world
  over.
  Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is one of the
  worlds most highly regarded and distin-
  guished masters of meditation. As the current
  spiritual leader of Science of Spirituality he
  tours the world year round presenting his
  powerful, yet simple meditation technique to
  millions of people. His many books include
  the critically acclaimed Spiritual Pearls for
  Enlightened Living, and Empowering Your
  Soul through Meditation, and Inner and Outer
  Peace through Meditation, both Barnes &
  Noble #1 bestsellers in their genre. His latest
  work, entitled Spark of the Divine, provides
  an easy blueprint for those searching for a
  way to create a life of greater peace, health
  and inner well-being.
  The SoS Amityville center holds spiritual
  programs weekly in multiple languages
  including English, Hindi and Spanish. It also
  offers special presentations including medita-
  tion retreats, public talks and workshops on
  meditation, stress-reduction and healthy living
  by distinguished guest speakers and profes-
  sionals in their field.
  All programs sponsored by the Science of
  Spirituality are free of charge and all are wel-
  come. To learn more call: 631-822-7979; e-
  mail: NYinfo@sos.org, or visit-
  tate.org.;.
  Children enjoyed games, clowns, rides and face painting.
  Free vegetarian food stalls served Indian, Caribbean, and Italian dishes.
  Ice cream, smoothies, fruits and salads, cakes and Indian sweets
  added to the festive atmosphere.
  Hundreds gather to honor
  two spiritual masters
  Birth anniversaries of Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj and
  Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj celebrated Sunday on Long
  Island combining fun activities for whole families and
  inspirational presentations about mysticism and spirituality.
  Op Ed 19
  TheSouthAsianTimes.info September 24-30, 2011
  Congratulates and Commends
  Dr. Ganesh Bhat Dr. Dev Ratnam Mr. Mohinder Taneja
  Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation
  And All Other Honorees of
  Accepting Applications for MD
  BJP's PM wannabes more enthusiastic than party
  By Amulya Ganguli
  I
  t is understandable that the Congress'
  present condition of disarray will encour-
  age its opponents to take it on in an elec-
  toral battle. But curiously, the enthusiasm is
  noticeable more among individuals than par-
  ties.
  As the Congress' principal adversary, the
  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) might have
  been expected to be more assertive in chal-
  lenging the former to a frontal confrontation
  before the scheduled year of 2014.
  Instead, it is two of the BJP's major lead-
  ers, L.K. Advani and Narendra Modi, who
  have signaled, without mentioning elections,
  their intentions to be front-runners in the
  ensuing battle as prime ministerial candi-
  dates. fer-
  v-breath-
  ing minority-baiter to a man of goodwill.
  Earlier, his emphasis was on development,
  which had earned him the plaudits of the
  corporate sector. But he seems to have real-
  ized the inadequacy of that praise as long as
  he is seen as a Hindutva hawk, an unsavory educa-
  tional facilities for Muslims and stressed that
  his plans envisage progress without "dis-
  crimination". for-
  giveness is astounding. If anything under-
  lines his intention to move from Gujarat to
  the national stage, this is it.
  For the BJP, however, the sudden emer-
  gence of two PM wannabes can be problem-
  atic. For a start, the party is wary of Advani's
  ambition. In fact, it had tried to sideline him
  by making him the leader of the parliamen-
  tary party, a post created for him, when he
  insisted after the BJP's 2009 defeat on con-
  tinuing patri-
  archs had eased Advani out of the party
  chief's post because of his praise for Jinnah
  in Pakistan in 2005.
  It is difficult to say which of the two,
  Advani or Modi, the BJP and, more impor-
  tantly, the RSS will choose to be the person
  to succeed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
  In any event, the process of selection will not
  be easy, for it will mean marginalizing two
  others, Sushma Swaraj and Jaitley..
  Irrespective of who beats whom in the
  race, the fact that no one in the BJP is talking
  about building the temple any more means
  the party has realized that the pseudo-reli-
  gious card it played during and after
  Advani's first rath yatra has no place in what
  will probably be his last.
  It is two of the BJP's major leaders, L.K.
  Advani and Narendra Modi, who have sig-
  naled, without mentioning elections, their
  intentions to be front-runners in the ensu-
  ing battle as prime ministerial candidates.
  Mr. Inder Bindra, Chairman
  Mr. Gurdeep Narula, Treasurer
  For Excellence in Community Leadership
  &
  20 Travel
  September 24-30, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
  By Meenakshi Iyer
  Srinagar:, but bond-
  ing the old-fashioned way is still a
  way of life in the Valley.
  Far from the madding crowds and
  the world of mall footfalls,
  Kashmiris still get together for sim-
  ple picnics and walks in the park.
  Living up to the description of 'par-
  adise on earth', Kashmir surprises
  you every moment with its serene
  beauty that unfolds in the backdrop
  of its volatile history -- insurgency
  claiming the lives of 40,000 people,
  including civilians, security forces
  and terrorists. Unofficial estimates
  put the figure at 80,000.
  A walk in the gardens of Srinagar
  transports you to a different world.
  Families sitting on mats under the
  shades of chinar trees, carrying
  their Sunday brunch and 'nun chai'
  or ' namkeen chai' , discussing
  everything under the sun - events of
  daily life, inflation, movies, kids...
  Scenes that are confined to just a
  few pockets in metropolitan cities
  of India, with weekend outings for
  so many limited to mall hopping,
  pubbing and watching movies.
  Not so in the case of the people in
  Kashmir Valley. "This is all we
  have got, isn't it?" asked lawyer
  Narjees Nawab, referring to the
  values rooted in the Kashmiri cul-
  ture.
  "Today you don't know what will
  happen tomorrow. So, why not live
  life today? We have accepted this
  and we live with this fact," Nawab
  added.
  So, people here are happy to
  derive joy from simple pleasures,
  shorn of glitz. It's a lifestyle which
  is quite old school, yet something
  that one yearns for in the concrete
  jungles of big cities.
  "In a way, we feel blessed for not
  having swanky malls, because they
  don't go with the old world charm
  that the valley still has, " said
  Nawab.
  One must thank the Mughals for
  not building tombs and forts in the
  city but banking on natural beauty
  and building several gardens, popu-
  larly known as Mughal gardens,
  that the city is so proud of.
  Srinagar, the summer capital of
  Jammu and Kashmir, boasts of gar-
  dens like Harwan, a much loved
  picnic spot, Shalimar Garden,
  Chashme Shahi, Nishat Garden and
  Pari Mahal -- all meticulously
  maintained.
  The trimmed decorative trees,
  roses in different hues, a variety of
  flowers, chinar leaves on the side-
  walks and the 'chashma' -- a small
  water canal -- are sight for tired
  eyes.
  Beyond Srinagar, 90 km away, is
  the quick getaway of Pahalgam. It
  is where people enjoy their brunch-
  es amid majestic mountains and the
  crystal-clear Liddar river flowing
  nearby.
  "If we are looking for a more
  interesting picnic, where we can
  cook, make fresh tea, we head
  towards Pahalgam with our stove,
  food items and other necessary
  things, " said Samina Habib, a
  homemaker.
  "Kids get their cricket bats and
  we are joined by some friends or
  relatives and it is a day well spent,"
  she added.
  In the flowing water of the
  Liddar, women and children clean
  up the utensils.
  In the small waterfalls of the
  Mughal gardens, couples
  unabashedly throw water at each
  other, children plead for some more
  leisure time and grandmothers dis-
  cuss their old lives. They make for
  a picture-perfect scene, all too rare
  in these busy days.
  As the day nears an end, the sky
  changes color. The illuminated Hari
  Parbat Fort here merges with the
  sky and darkness slowly takes over.
  And people return to their bases
  after a weekend well-spent, a suc-
  cor for their not-so-easy lives.
  A boy riding Shikara on Dal Lake. People enjoying their Sunday at Harvan Garden in Srinagar.
  Boat Houses on Dal Lake
  The famous Gondola ride at Gulmarg.
  Schoolchildren taking rest at Mughal Garden
  Kashmir is witnessing perhaps
  the best tourism season in years.
  Boat houses are full to their
  capacities, hotel industry is
  seeing a surge in tourists arrival
  and locals are praying for the
  peaceful atmosphere to stay in
  the Valley, devastated by
  insurgency in last two decades.
  Insurgency paves way for tourism in Kashmir
  London: Britain' s Electoral
  Commission is looking into a case
  involving an Indian-origin British
  parliamentarian following allega-
  tions that the Indian tourism office
  donated 5,000 pounds for a party
  hosted to celebrate his general
  election victory, a media report
  said.
  Virendra Sharma is a Labor MP
  for Ealing Southall, a borough
  constituency represented in the
  House of Commons.
  According to the spokesman of
  the Electoral Commission, it has begun an "assess-
  ment" of what, if any, involvement the India-born
  Sharma had with the donation, Daily Telegraph
  reported.
  Accepting donations from foreign sources is illegal
  under the Political Parties, Elections and
  Referendums Act 2000.
  The party, which was attended by David Miliband,
  the former foreign secretary, and
  Lord Paul, the Labor donor, was
  held May 23 last year at Monsoon
  Banqueting Suites in Southall,
  Sharma's constituency in west
  London.
  An invoice of 5,000 pounds was
  allegedly sent to the tourist office,
  Incredible India.
  Sharma says: "I welcome the
  opportunity to have the facts
  properly examined and will fully
  co-operate with the Electoral
  Commission so that this matter can
  be resolved without delay."
  When Sharma's attention was earlier drawn to the
  matter by Phil Taylor, a councilor in Ealing, he said:
  "I vehemently deny the false allegations that have
  appeared in various media. "I have never received a
  donation from India tourism and have, therefore,
  never been liable to make a declaration in the
  Parliamentary register of members' interests."
  Ganesh vs Hitler play in Melbourne
  Festival worries Hindus
  Nevada: Hindus are concerned at
  the play " Ganesh Versus the Third
  Reich", which is having a world
  premiere at Melbourne Festival in
  Australia on September 29.
  Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a
  statement, said that Lord Ganesh
  was meant to be worshiped in tem-
  ples and home shrines and not to
  be made a laughing stock on the-
  ater, international-
  ly acclaimed "Back to Back
  Theater", itself calls it a "strange"
  fable, "rambunctious." Describing
  the play, media release of co-pre-
  senter Malthouse Theater says that
  Ganesh "seeks to go one-on-one
  with Hitler." It is also described by
  some as "wildly inventive ride
  through history, where sacred
  icons and rituals become
  weapons" and "brimming with
  humor." deroga-
  tory remarks, ridiculing Hindus'
  holy river Ganga, on Sydney's hit
  music station. Australian
  swimwear company, Sandilands
  and his radio station later apolo-
  gized after the protests.
  Founded in 1987, Back to Back
  Theatre claims to be "one of
  Australia's leading creative voices,
  focusing on moral, philosophical
  and political questions about the
  value of individual lives." It states
  on its website: "The stories they
  create explore 'the cold, dark side'
  of our times...."
  These French
  nationals yearn for
  Indian recognition
  New Delhi: Their ancestors were
  taken to the French territories of
  Guadeloupe and Reunion Island
  over a hundred years ago. But
  these French nationals of Indian
  descent still value their Indian
  ancestry and are pained at non-
  inclusion in the Persons of Indian
  Origin (PIO) category.
  "We are not rejecting our French
  identity but we want to be official-
  ly recognized by India as People
  of Indian Origin. We are third and
  fourth generation descendants but
  we value our links with India,"
  French banking professional
  Christelle Gourdine said.
  "It is an intensely emotional link
  and many people long to have
  their connection with the ancestral
  land formalized with a PIO card,"
  she said.
  While Guadeloupe is in the
  Caribbean, Reunion Island is in
  the Indian Ocean.
  "The PIO card has become an
  emotional issue. Many of the
  older people believe it would
  establish their connection with
  India which was lost because of
  French colonial policies," she
  added.
  Gourdine's parents were part of
  the 55,000-strong Indian commu-
  nity in Guadeloupe - just over 10
  percent of the population - till
  they moved to mainland France.
  However, the Indian govern-
  ment has not accepted French
  documents as evidence of ethnic
  Indian ancestry that would make
  them eligible for PIO cards.
  The Indian government gives
  the card to any person of Indian
  descent whose parent, grandparent
  or great grandparent was born in
  India.
  The card allows a visit to India
  without a visa and certain invest-
  ment facilities on the same lines
  as are available to non-resident
  Indians (NRIs).
  People of Indian descent living
  in France and in French overseas
  territories like Guadeloupe have
  petitioned the Indian government
  to recognize them as PIO and
  grant them cards.
  "You cannot imagine the kind of
  feeling it generates. My mother
  lives in Paris. She went door-to-
  door to get the petition signed.
  She collected over 200 signa-
  tures," said Gourdine.
  The petition was handed over to
  Overseas Indian Affairs Minister
  Vayalar Ravi during a visit to
  Trinidad earlier this year.
  Diaspora 21
  TheSouthAsianTimes.info September 24-30, 2011
  The play will premiere on Sept 29
  Virendra Sharma
  Indian-origin British MP faces
  electoral probe
  UK NRI millionaire may face jail for
  dangerous driving
  London: Tarlochan Singh, 34,
  was found guilty of running over
  50-year-old Nasreen Khan and
  her son, Shaffad Khan, aged 30,
  while driving a red Ferrari Spider
  through the car park at Gallagher
  Retail Park.
  Singh has been disqualified
  from driving. Tarlochan Singh
  was on trial this week at Coventry
  Crown Court for one charge of
  dangerous driving. A jury of 10
  people took less than two hours to
  return a unanimous guilty verdict.
  Sentencing is yet to take place
  but, following the verdict on
  Wednesday afternoon, Judge John
  Maxwell instantly banned Singh
  from the roads. According to
  Coventry Telegraph, the incident
  happened on May 23 last year.
  Singh was then seen to hit the
  Mrs. Khan, throwing her into the
  air like a ragdoll and bouncing
  on the bonnet.
  During cross-examination,
  Singh, who said he worked as a
  taxi driver in the city, said wit-
  nesses had fabricated the whole
  story.
  22 Subcontinent
  September 24-30, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
  Kathmandu: After initial panic
  and chaos, prayers began to be
  offered in Nepal with the realiza-
  tion that the earthquake that hit its
  eastern region and capital city
  Kathmandu along with India
  Sunday could have wreaked far
  greater devastation, being the
  biggest in almost eight decades.
  Nine people were killed.
  As the resilient Himalayan state
  began to limp back to normal fol-
  lowing adher-
  ence to building regulations, suf-
  fered with three people dying in a
  wall collapse while over 50 were
  injured trying to jump down from
  windows and balconies in the
  panic.
  Police said that the nine ft wall
  fencing the compound of the
  British Embassy in the Lainchaur
  area of the capital, close to the
  Indian Embassy, collapsed soon
  after the jolt, smashing down on a
  two-wheeler, a car and a pedestri-
  an. Army and armed police person-
  nel assisted by locals dug out the
  three from under the debris and
  rushed them to the Manmohan
  Memorial Hospital where all three
  succumbed to their injuries.enter of the quake was farther
  away in Sikkim in northeastern
  India and not in Bihar, the Indian
  state adjoining Nepal's boundary.
  Hundreds of people rushed out
  on the streets in the capital with lit-
  tle open space, crying and taking
  the names of gods as the tremors
  started.
  Nepal's parliament was in ses-
  sion when the quake struck, caus-
  ing alarmed lawmakers to scream
  and run out for safety. Chairman
  Subash Nembang said he was
  adjourning the house for some
  time.
  Biggest quake in 80 years in Nepal
  Kabul: Former Afghan president
  Burhanuddin Rabbani was killed in
  a suicide blast at his house here,
  media reports said.
  He was meeting with a group of
  Taliban insurgents when the explo-
  sion was triggered, Xinhua reported
  quoting an unnamed source from
  Rabbani's office.
  "The suicide bomb went off at
  18.10 outside the house. There are
  casualties, but details will be
  released later," said Hashmat
  Stanikzai, the provincial police
  spokesperson.
  The Taliban insurgents had come
  to the capital to meet the officials of
  the Afghan High Peace Council that
  is headed by Rabbani.
  It was not immediately clear if the
  visitors were involved in the attack,
  which also left five others dead and
  several injured, the local Tolo TV
  channel said.
  A witness said that it was a suicide
  bombing. Security was beefed up
  after the attack.
  Rabbani was selected by President
  Hamid Karzai in October 2010 as
  chairman of the 70-member High
  Peace Council to broker peace with
  the Taliban.
  Many members of the council are
  former warlords who spent years
  fighting the Taliban and their inclu-
  sion led to doubts as to whether it
  could succeed in its mission, the
  BBC said.
  The Taliban rejected the council
  and called for the withdrawal of for-
  eign troops from Afghanistan.
  Taliban kills former Afghan
  president Rabbani
  Dhaka: Bangl adeshi pol i ce
  arrested over 600 members of
  the country' s largest Islamist
  party after protests demanding
  the release from jail of its top
  leaders erupted into violence.
  Three top Jamaat-e-Islami offi-
  cials were among those held,
  sai d seni or pol i ce offi cer
  Mahfuzur Rahman, after thou-
  sands of party activists went on
  t he rampage i n maj or ci t i es
  across Bangladesh.
  "We have arrested more than
  600 peopl e. They have been
  accused of vandalism, violence,
  torching vehicles, obstructing
  duty of police and breaking law
  and order," Rahman said.
  Some 260 of the arrests were
  made in the capital, according to
  Dhaka police spokesman Masud
  Ahmed, where Jamaat activists
  fought street battles with baton-
  wielding riot police and set fire
  to dozens of vehicles.
  The party's acting deputy head
  and offi ci al spokesman were
  among those arrested after the
  violence, Ahmed said.
  The edi t or of a pro-Jamaat
  Bengali daily was also arrested
  by t he count ry' s el i t e Rapi d
  Action Battalion on charges of
  inciting violence and obstructing
  police, he added.
  At least 70 people -- including
  some 50 police officers -- were
  injured in the worst political vio-
  lence in recent months, police
  said, adding that tear gas and
  rubber bullets had been used to
  break up the protests.
  Jamaat called the protests to
  demand the release of five senior
  party officials, who have been
  detained by a new tribunal set up
  to prosecute atrocities carried out
  during the country's liberation
  struggle in 1971.
  Two officials from the opposi-
  t i on Bangl adesh Nat i onal i st
  Party have also been detained by
  the tribunal.
  Both parties have denounced
  the tribunal as a show trial and
  say charges against their officials
  are politically motivated.
  Over 600 held in
  Bangladesh Islamist
  crackdown
  Officials said Nepal was spared greater havoc this time since the epicen-
  ter of the quake was farther away in Sikkim in northeastern India.
  Burhanuddin Rabbani was select-
  ed by President Hamid Karzai in
  October 2010 as chairman of the
  70-member High Peace Council
  to broker peace with the Taliban.
  Ahmednagar (Maharashtra): A three-member
  Pakistani delegation met social activist Anna Hazare at
  his village to seek his opinion on starting an anti-graft
  drive in their country.
  Former Pakistan law minister Iqbal Haider, Pakistan
  Supreme Court's former judge Nazir Aslam Zahid, and
  trade unionist Karamat Ali also invited the 74-year-old
  activist to visit Pakistan to initiate a movement similar
  to the one he launched in India.
  The meeting was held at Hazare's hometown in
  Ralegan-Siddhi.
  "Hazare's movement has become a topic of great sig-
  nificance in Pakistan and other countries in the world.
  On behalf of the people of Pakistan, we congratulated
  him. We have invited him to Pakistan and he has
  accepted it," Justice Zahid told reporters after the
  meeting.
  The meeting was organized by NGO Sarhad. "The
  delegation had an over three-hour long discussion with
  Annaji about starting a similar movement in their
  country because both have similar problems of corrup-
  tion and terrorism," Sarhad head Sanjay Nahar said.
  Hazare went on a 12-day fast in the capital last
  month to press his demand for a strong anti-graft bill,
  attracting the support of a large section of people.
  The visiting delegation also apprised Hazare of
  Pakistani social activist Raja Jehangir Akhtar, who has
  been on hunger strike in Islamabad since Sep 12, seek-
  ing an anti-corruption legislation in the country.
  The delegation urged Hazare not to limit his anti-cor-
  ruption crusade to India, but extend it to all over South
  Asia.
  While agreeing that there was a need for similar
  movements in neighbouring countries, Hazare said the
  success in India was mainly due to the ideals of
  Mahatma Gandhi.
  The delegation arrived in India September 16 to take
  up the cause of Indian fishermen languishing in
  Pakistani jails for years.
  Pak team takes anti-graft
  tips from Anna
  The visiting delegation told Hazare of Pakistani
  social activist Raja Jehangir Akhtar, who has been
  on hunger strike in Islamabad since September 12,
  seeking an anti-corruption legislation in the country.
  At least 70 people -- including some 50 police officers -- were injured in
  the worst political violence in recent months, police said.
  International 23
  TheSouthAsianTimes.info September 24-30, 2011
  United Nations: President Barack
  Obama, trying to avert a show-
  down on Palestinian statehood, told
  the United Nations that there was
  no substitute for Israeli-Palestinian
  negotiations or a short cut to peace.
  With US credibility and influ-
  ence in the Middle East at stake,
  Obama wants to dissuade the
  Palestinians from asking the UN
  Security Council for statehood in
  defiance of Israeli objections and a
  US veto threat. But they have
  shown no sign of renouncing their
  plan to stake their claim.
  Flag-waving Palestinians filled
  the squares of West Bank cities to
  rally behind the statehood initia-
  tive.
  A year after telling the UN," Obama said.
   securi-
  ty; on refugees and Jerusalem," he
  added.
  However, it is the failure of 20
  years of US-brokered negotiations
  that has driven Palestinian
  President Mahmoud Abbas to take
  his quest for statehood to the
  United Nations -- a move that
  threatens to embarrass the United
  States by forcing it to protect its
  Israeli ally against the tide of world
  opinion. re-
  election battle next year.
  The United States gives the
  Palestinian Authority financial sup-
  port worth $500 million a year.
  Some US politicians have said they
  will try to cut American aid to the
  Palestinians if they do not give
  way.
  Obama rejects Palestinian UN statehood bid
  Although Obama said he had set out a new basis for negotiations in
  May, chances of reviving peace talks look bleak.
  Tehran: Two US hikers jailed for
  allegedly spying in Iran were
  released on bail, the state media
  reported.
  Joshua Fattal and Shane Bauer
  were sentenced to eight years in
  prison last month on charges of
  espionage.
  The Tehran Province Appeals
  Court agreed to change their
  prison terms to five-billion-rial
  (over $400,000) bail each, the
  official IRNA news agency
  reported.
  The development comes after
  President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
  said in an interview last week
  with the NBC News that Fattal
  and Bauer would be released in a
  couple of days.
  One more US national, Sarah
  Shourd, who was held along with
  them in July 2009, was freed in
  September last year on health
  grounds. She had since returned
  to the US.
  The three were arrested for ille-
  gally entering the country and
  then charged with carrying out
  espionage activities.
  Joshua Fattal and Shane Bauer were sentenced to eight years in prison
  last month on charges of espionage.
  Iran frees two US hikers
  Brussels: NATO allies decided to
  extend their air campaign in Libya
  by another 90 days, as forces loyal
  to ousted strongman Muammar
  Gaddafi "techni-
  cal rollover" of a mission that has
  lasted six months.
  Any decision to end the air strikes
  will be taken in coordination with
  the United Nations and "in line with
  the will of the Libyan authorities,"
  he said.
  "This decision sends a clear mes-
  sage jus-
  tify NATO air strikes against
  Gaddafi targets.
  "So long as the Libyan people are
  being threatened, the NATO-led
  mission to protect them will contin-
  ue," US President Barack Obama
  said Tuesday at a United Nations
  meeting on Libya welcoming the
  country's new leadership.
  Libya' s National Transitional
  Council took control of Tripoli last
  month, but Gaddafi forces still con-
  trol some towns, putting up a fierce
  resistance in the deposed despot's
  hometown of Sirte after seven
  months of fighting.
  NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said warplanes
  would stay in the air as long as Libyan civilians are under threat.
  NATO extends Libya mission
  Powerful Typhoon Roke hits Japan
  Tokyo: A powerful typhoon has
  buffeted Tokyo with strong winds
  and rain, halting trains and strand-
  ing tens of thousands of commuters
  as it barrelled toward the tsunami-
  ravaged northeastern coast with its
  crippled nuclear plant.
  Police and local media reported
  that six people were dead or miss-
  ing after being swept away by
  rivers swollen with rains from
  Typhoon Roke.
  Nearly 260,000 households in
  central Japan were without electric-
  ity, and authorities called for more
  than a million people to be evacuat-
  ed in central and eastern Japan.
  The storm, packing sustained
  winds of up to 144km/h, made
  landfall in the afternoon near the
  city of Hamamatsu, about 200km
  west of Tokyo.
  Fire department officials reported
  three people were injured in Tokyo.
  In the trendy shopping district of
  Shibuya, winds knocked over a tree
  onto a footpath but no one was hurt.
  Television footage showed pedes-
  trians struggling to walk straight in
  powerful winds that made umbrel-
  las utili-
  ty that operates the plant, said the
  cooling system for the reactors, cru-
  cial to keeping them under control,
  will not be endangered by the
  typhoon.
  Heavy rains caused floods and
  road damage in dozens of locations
  in Nagoya and several other cities,
  the Aichi prefectural (state) govern-
  ment said.
  More than 200 domestic flights
  were cancelled and some bullet
  train services were suspended.
  Police and local media reported that six people were dead or missing
  after being swept away by rivers swollen with rains from Typhoon Roke.
  24 Business
  September 24-30, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
  Labor unrest to
  hurt profitability: Maruti
  New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki's profitability will be hit
  due to the ongoing labor stir at the Manesar plant,
  said chairman RC Bhargava, ruling out any leniency
  towards agitators who engaged in violence against
  senior staff and sabotaged production.
  "We should not make losses, but profitability will
  be reduced," Bhargava said. The slowdown in the
  economy was also impacting margins, he added.
  The latest labor trouble, which started on August
  29, has impacted the production of Swift, one of the
  company's most profitable model, creating a huge
  backlog. While the company has started makeshift
  production plans using senior staff and temporary
  workers, the waiting list (believed to be around
  80,000 units) is too huge to be cleared just by alter-
  native arrangements.
  The labor trouble started after the company asked
  workers to sign a 'good conduct bond' before going
  to work. A little over 100 workers out of the 950-odd
  regular staff at the factory have signed the bond,
  while others are still not ready to accept it.
  "Everybody is suffering - the company, our vendors
  and the customers," Bhargava said.
  Retailers divided over 51%
  FDI in industry
  Mumbai: The $28-billion organ-
  ized retail trade in India is await-
  ing the cabinet nod on 51% for-
  eign direct investment (FDI) in
  multi-brand retail, based on rec-
  ommendations made by the com-
  mittee of secretaries (CoS), but
  domestic retailers and trade asso-
  ciations are still divided on the
  issue.
  At the India Retail Forum
  (IRF) 2011 in Mumbai, industry
  leaders like Future Group, Bharti
  Walmart, Reliance Retail and
  Aditya Birla Retail stressed on
  the importance of FDI in multi-
  brand retail in order to build
  scale, reduce supply chain costs
  and improve efficiency in pro-
  duction.
  Modern retail has created a
  great base and there are multiple
  brands in every format, said
  Kishore Biyani, founder and
  group CEO, Future Group.
  Now, we need an impetus which
  can be provided by foreign capi-
  tal, that looks at a horizon of 15-
  20 years. No Indian retailer
  would look beyond five years.
  Moodys cuts ratings
  on three US banks
  New York: Moodys Investors
  Service cut its credit ratings on
  Bank of America, Citigroup and
  Wells Fargo, saying that
  Washington was now less likely to
  bail out the banks if needed.
  The downgrades result from a
  decrease in the probability that the
  U.S. government would support
  the bank, if needed, Moodys
  said.
  The ratings agency said that it
  did think the government would
  provide some support to systemi-
  cally important financial institu-
  tions. But the huge bailouts that
  rescued Bank of America and
  Citigroup and others during the
  financial crisis might not happen
  again, Moodysas long-term senior debt
  to to Baa1 from A2 and lowered
  short-term debt to Prime-2 from
  Prime-1.
  Moodys also cut its ratings on
  Citigroups short-term debt to
  Prime 2 from Prime 1, while
  affirming its A3 long-term rating.
  The ratings agency cut Bank of Americas long-term senior debt to to
  Baa1 from A2 and lowered short-term debt to Prime-2 from Prime-1.
  Marutis Manesar plant in Haryana.
  India-US investment
  treaty pact soon
  Chicago: India and the
  United States will soon
  have a bilateral agreement
  to facilitate two-way invest-
  ments. Commerce and
  Industry Minister Anand
  Sharma said that negotia-
  tions on the India-US
  Bilateral Investment Treaty
  were almost complete.
  Addressing the US-India
  Economic Opportunities
  and Synergies Summit here
  organized by the FICCI in
  association with The
  Executive Club of Chicago,
  Sharma said he would meet
  US Trade Representative
  Ron Kirk to discuss the
  issues related to trade and
  investments.
  The commerce and indus-
  try minister urged US entre-
  preneurs to increase invest-
  ments in India's infrastruc-
  ture sector, saying his coun-
  try was one of the safest
  places for investments and
  offered attractive returns.
  He said India would be
  seeking investment in infra-
  structure impe-
  tus to investors," Sharma
  said.
  40.74 crore Indians below poverty line: Govt
  New Delhi: The Planning Commission.
  The Planning Commission in an affi-
  davit said that the BPL population at
  present touched by the public distribu-
  tion services (PDS) was 35.98 crore.
  "If the Tendulkar (committee) poverty
  ratio for 2004/05 is applied to the pro-
  jected population of the Registrar
  General of India as on March 1, 2005,
  the total BPL population would be 40.74
  crore," the affidavit said.
  The Planning Commission told the
  Supreme Court anyone spending more
  than Rs 965 per month in urban India
  and Rs 781 in rural India will be deemed
  not to be poor.
  Updating the poverty line cut-off fig-
  ures, the commission said those spend-
  ing in excess of Rs 32 a day in urban
  areas or Rs 26 a day in villages will no
  longer be eligible to draw benefits of
  central and state government welfare
  schemes meant for those living below
  the poverty line.
  The poverty estimates for year 2009-
  10 were being worked out and the "pro-
  visional estimates suggest that the total
  BPL population as per 2009-10 estima-
  tion com-
  pletion of the 2011-12 National Sample
  Survey (NSS) and this would vary from
  state to state because of price
  differential.
  Sports 25
  TheSouthAsianTimes.info September 24-30, 2011
  BCCI gets new chief,
  Kochi out of IPL
  New Delhi: Board of Control for
  Cricket in India's (BCCI) newly
  appointed president N.Srinivasan
  said that there is no conflict of inter-
  est appropri-
  ate appoint-
  ment would be subject to the final
  outcome of a petition by former
  BCCI president A.C. Muthiah, who
  had questioned his eligibility for
  holding any board post while own-
  ing an IPL team.
  "The conflict of interest matter is
  sub judice and it wouldn't be appro-
  priate-
  bished suggestions that "non-stop"
  cricket was taking a toll on Indian
  cricketers.
  New Delhi: Former India captain
  Sourav Ganguly says it is not
  right for the selectors to force the
  senior players into retirement.
  Ganguly said that seniors like
  Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid
  and V.V.S. Laxman should decide
  on their own when it comes to
  taking a call on quitting the game.
  "The day their performance
  drops, they will leave on their
  own. Dravid and Laxman have
  already phased out from ODI
  cricket. Sachin also plays very
  less. It is good to see youngsters
  perform so well in the shorter for-
  mat but I am more worried about
  Tests. We haven't seen anyone
  who can challenge these seniors.
  Definitely, the time hasn't come to
  phase out seniors in Tests,"
  Ganguly was quoted as saying by
  a TV channel.
  Kapil Dev, captain of the 1983
  World Cup winning team, dis-
  agreed with Ganguly and said that
  selectors should take a call on the
  retirement of the senior players.
  "It is the selectors who will have
  to take a call on their retirement.
  A player never likes to retire.
  Selectors should see the bigger
  picture and take a tough decision.
  But, they (selectors) should this
  while giving full respect to these
  seniors," Kapil said.
  Kapil also proposed that the
  three seniors - Tendulkar, Dravid said.
  Kapil said it is not going to be
  easy to find replacements for the
  likes of Tendulkar, Dravid and
  Laxman.
  "It is going to be extremely dif-
  ficult. But, youngsters, even
  though they might have failed in
  whatever chances they've got till
  now, have to be given another go.
  Actually, the problem is not with
  their (youngsters') talent.
  It is their poor fitness level
  which is letting them down.
  Coach and selectors will have to
  play a big role in coming times.
  Youngsters should also learn to
  take pride in their cricket," said
  Kapil.
  Kapil Dev disagreed with Ganguly and said that selectors should take a
  call on the retirement of the senior players.
  BCCIs newly-appointed president N. Srinivasan.
  Sachins ODI proposal not
  accepted by ICC
  Colombo: International Cricket Council (ICC) said that
  the world cricket body has no plans to tinker with the
  format of the One-Day Internationals as suggested by
  batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.
  ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said that he had a
  discussion with Tendulkar on the future of the 50-over
  cricket. "I was engaged with Sachin a long time back on
  his thinking on the 50-over format. I met with him dur-
  ing the World Cup. He gave me a written proposal
  which we took to the Cricket Committee in May. The
  Cricket Committee considered that proposal," said
  Lorgat, who was here for the launch of the ICC's
  Twenty20 World Cup that will be held here next year.
  The South African said that the Cricket Committee
  felt that there was no need to alter the format of 50-over
  cricket because it is in good health.
  "But the view of the committee, which was supported
  by the board, was that the 50-over format was in sound
  health and there was no need for dramatic changes to it
  at this stage. You are well aware of the two new innova-
  tions introduced. And that is what was felt was suffi-
  cient at this stage," he said. Tendulkar, in a letter to the
  ICC, said that ODIs should be changed to four 25-over
  innings. He said that it was the best way to balance the
  advantages gained by the team that won the toss.
  Tendulkar had also proposed voluntary Powerplays.
  Sachin Tendulkar, in a letter to the ICC, said ODIs
  should be changed to four 25-over innings.
  Hyderabad: Kolkata Knight
  Riders lost to Somerset by 11 runs
  in their last qualifying match pool
  A match here at the Rajiv Gandhi
  International Stadium here
  Wednesday but both teams quali-
  fied for the final round of
  Champions League Twenty20.
  Chasing a target of 167, Knight
  Riders made 155 for eight in 20
  overs after a brilliant 31-balls 46
  by Dutch star Ryan ten Doeschate
  and qualified for the main round
  on the basis of better net run rate.
  Opting to bat first, Somerset put
  on a competitive 166 for six in 20
  overs thanks to a crucial 72-run
  stand between Peter Trego (70)
  and the county's South African
  import Roelof van der Merwe
  (40). Besides Knight Riders and
  Somerset, who have qualified for
  the third time, Trinidad and
  Tobago is the third team that qual-
  ified while for the next stage,
  while Leicestershire Foxes,
  Auckland Aces and Ruhunu
  Rhinos went back home.
  Trego, Man of the Match, said:
  "I have been playing for Somerset
  for some time and this one of the
  proudest nights of my career with
  them. When Roelof bats the way
  he did, it takes the pressure. All
  other batsmen batted at more than
  run a ball. We had nothing to lose
  as outsiders, so we can give it our
  all."
  Knight Riders captain Jacques
  Kallis said he was happy that his
  team has qualified but termed it as
  a poor performance.
  "To be honest, we are happy to
  qualify. It was tight in the end. To
  be brutally honest, it was a poor
  performance. We fielded poorly,
  didn't bat well. Ryan played an
  exceptional innings to get us
  through. When we lost a couple of
  wickets up front, we realized we
  didn't need to be heroes," he said.
  Somerset, Knight Riders
  qualify for CLT20
  Don't force seniors into retirement: Sourav
  26 Art & Books
  September 24-30, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
  E
  -commerce sites are chang-
  ing tech-
  nology and confident. E-com-
  merce is a budding platform in the
  country through which one can
  access buyers all over the world. It
  is very nascent in India but impor-
  tant because people are looking at
  the Indian art market, " said
  Vazirani.
  "The buyers, mostly upwardly
  mobile, bid very aggressively on
  the mobile phones because it
  affords them anonymity and flexi-
  bility. contem-
  porary art for its autumn online
  auction Sep 21-22. The collection
  featuring 70 lots by 32 contempo-
  rary artists is estimated at about
  Rs.35.2 crore.
  The selection includes works by
  masters like Jehangir Sabavala,
  Tyeb Mehta, M.F. Husain, S.H.
  Raza and Arpita Singh.
  Vazirani said buyers will be bid-
  ding online and on their cell
  phones.
  "There has been convergence
  within technology. Hand-held
  instruments like mobile and i-pads
  are integrating with the internet on
  one platform, the mobile phone, to
  help more and more people con-
  duct their lives through technolo-
  gy, organize them. One can see all
  kinds of transactions on the inter-
  net, tech-
  nology all around. It has changed
  their behavioral consol-
  idation of the collectors' market
  and e-commerce in art will lead to
  a "next phase of infrastructure
  building".
  "Many new private museums
  and archives modeled collec-
  tors, cre-
  ate a new segment of buyers and
  promote awareness about quality
  in purchase, he said.
  Vazirani said, "The three major
  trends that will guide the Indian
  art market in the next decade are a
  new emphasis of art infrastructure,
  globalization of Indian art and
  emergence of serious collectors."
  E-commerce changing India's art mart: Saffronart CEO
  Dinesh and Minal Vazirani started Saffronart Indias first online
  art auction house
  A
  t the age of 74, Anita
  Desais prose and story-
  telling seem to have
  arrived at a level that only 50
  years of writing can give. So her
  three novellas in The Artist of
  Disappearance make you want to
  savor the narratives and plots
  which few writers in English can
  today attempt to write.
  In an interview after the book`s
  publication, Desai said the three
  stories were based on memory and
  past experience. This is evident in
  the first novella, The Museum of
  Final Journeys -- about an elderly
  civil servant narrating an incident
  from the 1970s, during his first
  posting as a sub-divisional officer
  in a small town in north Bengal.
  The narrator, who carries the
  burden of his IAS fathers hope, is
  shamelessly prejudiced against the
  people he has been hired to serve.
  One day, an uninvited stimulation
  knocks on his circuit houses owners, mid-
  dle-aged, unmarried and of mixed
  parentage (like the writer) and
  unwillingly teaches the works of
  George Elliot and Jane Austen at a
  girls college in Delhi (like
  Miranda House where Desai stud-
  ied). Tara on the contrary is now a
  famous publisher and has a young
  lover.
  Prema wants to reclaim her
  departed mothers bucolic Orissa
  through an obscure Oriya writer
  she had stumbled upon -- Suvarna
  Devi. Tara agrees to publish her
  translation of Devis book into
  English. Therein comes the trepi-
  dation and rapture of working on
  the work of a writer who had been
  the axis of her life and the reclu-
  sive writer too emerges, her char-
  acter partly resembling
  Mahasweta Devi (living with adi-
  vasis, writing about them). But the
  spell starts to break as Prema
  begins to translate Devis next
  story. She sees flaws -- and begins
  to rewrite the novel and in the end
  is shamed, publicly.
  "When she got home on the bus
  and climbed the stairs...the day
  was sinking into its murky nico-
  tineais mastery over
  evoking nature with words, the
  flora and fauna of the hills above
  Mussoorie (where Desai was
  born). There is Ravi, the boy who
  feels closer to plants and animals
  than he is to his Anglicized creat-
  ed the secret `rock garden` in
  Chandigarh). Then one day a trio
  from Delhi come to make a film of
  ecological degradation and in the
  process `desecrate Ravis garden,
  who as a result retreats deeper into
  himself, like a scared child.
  At first reading, the stories seem
  unalterable, as if they could not
  have been written in any other
  way, given the forces of circum-
  stances acting on the characters.
  But as the spell breaks, questions
  arise.
  Why was the IAS officer shown
  to be so worthless? Or why did
  Desai not give readers a peek into
  Suvarna Devis special prose
  (except for a few lines) when
  Desai had made her works the
  storys foundation?
  May be she wanted us to feel as
  disappointed as her characters.
  Anita Desais new characters search for wholeness
  Her three novellas in The Artist of Disappearance make you want to savor the narratives
  Book Review
  Author Anita Desai
  Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), New York, NY 10166. Securities products and investment advisory services offered by MetLife Securities, Inc. (MSI) (member FINRA/SIPC) a registered investment adviser.
  MLIC and MSI are MetLife Companies. L0811203601[exp0812][NJ,NY]
  E
  veryone has dreams and
  mine was to become a
  Bollywood star. I know it
  sounds crazy but please don' t
  laugh. I'll be the first to admit that
  it was a long shot that I had a bet-
  ter chance of becoming a Sports
  Illustrated swimsuit model.
  But I've listened to enough moti-
  vational tapes to realize the impor-
  tance of "going for it." What did I
  have to lose?
  So after much deliberation, after
  consulting my friends ("You're
  nuts!"), my mother ("You' re
  crazy!") and my wife ("You' re
  delusional!"), I decided to audition
  for a Bollywood agent, giving him
  a quick look at my acting, dancing
  and singing skills. Following my
  performance, he asked me to have
  a seat, scratched his chin and
  looked directly into my eyes.
  Agent: "Thank you for audition-
  ing, Mr. Durai. Since you're so
  determined to work in Bollywood,
  I might be able to find you a job.
  The directors are always looking
  for someone to fetch them coffee."
  Me: "But I want to be an actor."
  Agent: "I'm sorry, Mr. Durai. We
  have four major criteria for
  Bollywood actors and I'm afraid
  you fail all of them."
  Me: "I realize I don' t speak
  Hindi but I'm willing to learn."
  Agent: "Speaking Hindi is not a
  requirement anymore. The pro-
  ducers are very good at dubbing.
  They can even make George Bush
  speak Hindi."
  Me: "Is it my singing then? I
  realize I don't sing very well."
  Agent: "Well, your singing isn't
  bad, Mr. Durai -- it's terrible. I've
  heard better singing from a don-
  key. But singing isn't an issue. The
  producers can easily dub the voice
  of a professional singer, so movie-
  goers don't have to stuff popcorn
  into their ears."
  Me: "Is it my looks then? Am I
  not handsome enough?"
  Agent: "Well, let' s just say
  you're no Salman Khan. Come to
  think of it, you' re no Salman
  Rushdie either. What's more, Mr.
  Durai, you' re not exactly fair-
  skinned. You'd have to be a vil-
  lain."
  Me: "But I'm willing to do any-
  thing: wear a mask, cover my face
  with talcum powder, or see
  Michael Jackson' s plastic sur-
  geon."
  Agent: "Really? While you're at
  it, you might as well see Michael
  Jackson's dance instructor. You
  dance like a cow. I hope you're not
  offended by that. I really don't
  mean to insult cows. Dancing is
  very important in Bollywood, Mr.
  Durai, more important than acting.
  But of even greater importance is
  your name. Yours, unfortunately,
  does not end with 'han.'"
  Me: "What do you mean?"
  Agent: "All the top Bollywood
  actors, in case you didn't notice,
  have surnames ending with 'han.'
  For example: Amitabh Bachchan,
  Shahrukh Khan, and Hrithik
  Roshan. This formula has even
  worked for another top Asian star:
  Jackie Chan."
  Me: "What's the significance of
  'han.'?"
  Agent: "We're not sure. 'Han'
  means 'yes,' but it might also be a
  short form of 'handsome.' It makes
  these actors more appealing on
  screen."
  Me: "Well, in that case, I'm will-
  ing to change my name to Melvin
  Roshan. In fact, I'm even willing
  to change to Mohan Roshan. That
  way, you'd get twice the 'han.'"
  Agent: "Your determination is
  inspiring, Mr. Durai. But if you're
  not born with such a name then I
  am sorry to say, the gods have not
  smiled on you. Are you sure you
  don't want to fetch coffee?"
  28 Humor
  September 23-30, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
  Taking a shot at Bollywood
  Tech Life
  Humor with Melvin Durai
  by Mahendra Shah
  Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession,
  artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording
  the plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his car-
  toons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
  Laughter is the Best Medicine
  Washington, DC: Are you addicted
  to your phone while driving? Well, it
  could be due to an anxiety disorder,
  says a new study.
  Researchers at the University of
  Arkansas have suggested that people
  who engage in the risky practice of
  using their cell phones while behind
  the wheel, may be suffering from
  obsessive-compulsive disorder
  rather than addiction.
  The findings have significant poli-
  cy implications because most legis-
  lation prohibiting mobile phone
  usage while driving - which general-
  ly has failed - has relied on research
  that links dangerous and excessive
  usage to addictive traits.
  "Despite evidence that addiction
  might drive some excessive and dan-
  gerous mobile phone usage, that
  model explains only part of the phe-
  nomenon," said Moez Limayem,
  professor and associate dean for
  research and graduate programs in
  the Sam M. Walton College of
  Business.
  "Our study shows that another
  potential driver of such behaviors
  may relate more closely to obses-
  sive-compulsive disorders than
  addictions.
  "This is important because behav-
  ioral interventions to treat OCD and
  addictions differ fundamentally, and
  the possibility that mobile phone
  usage is a compulsion rather than an
  addiction may suggest more effec-
  tive legislative interventions and
  prevention tactics," he stated.
  Limayem and a doctoral student,
  Zach Steelman, came to the conclu-
  sion after they collected data from
  451 men and women of various age
  groups and locations through an
  online survey website.
  "Evidence of compulsive behavior
  brings to light the notion that the
  underlying motivation to use a
  mobile phone is not pleasure, as pre-
  dicted by addictions studies, but
  rather a response to heightened
  stress and anxiety," Limayem added.
  New York: Google's Wallet is get-
  ting thicker, with the addition of
  Visa, American Express and
  Discover to the search company's
  payment system, which aims to
  make cellphones the credit cards
  of tomorrow.
  MasterCard, the other major
  payment processor, is already part
  of the project. And Google
  released the Wallet application on
  Monday for one Sprint smart-
  phone for users with MasterCards.
  People with that phone will be
  able to "load" a Citibank
  MasterCard into the Wallet appli-
  cation on the phone, and pay by
  tapping the phone to wireless-
  capable payment terminals in
  stores instead of swiping a credit
  card.
  Visa, American Express and
  Discover cards are set to appear
  later.
  Visa plans to bring out its own,
  competing wallet application as
  well.
  Mobile addiction linked
  to anxiety disorder
  Google adds Visa, Amex,
  Discover cards to Wallet
  Aries: This week your personality would
  attract lot of attention. Use your intelli-
  gence to extract favours from others. New project
  would be alluring, but govt. rules and regulations
  would pose hindrances. Your spouse would love
  you and take care of you a lot. Try not to over-
  spend on visitors and guests, although gifts and
  presents during this period would be plenty. Your
  ability to stand out in a group will bring you pop-
  ularity and recognition.
  Taurus: This week you would make extra
  money through your own creative efforts.
  You would have some good ideas and your ability
  to discuss those with people who can provide
  assistance would help you in your situation. Your
  energy would be high and competitive games and
  outdoor activities would attract you. Your love
  life would blossom as you receive gifts and pres-
  ents. Great period to go out for shopping of
  expensive jewelry and items. Residential moves
  would be beneficial.
  Gemini: This week you would accomplish
  a lot through joint efforts. You would take
  a position of a leader and guide others to success.
  Your co-workers, colleagues and seniors would
  notice your ability, which would work to your
  advantage. Spouse would be caring and provide
  you with love and affection. Go for social events
  that would improve your social circle. Added
  knowledge that you acquire during this week, will
  give you advantage in your career.
  Cancer: Unexpected changes regarding
  financial and legal matters would be
  favourable. As your energy would be high, you
  would be able to achieve more than what you
  expect. Although office pressures would increase
  during this period, you still would be in a glorious
  and energetic mood. Little time for meditation
  and yoga would be important for mental as well
  as physical gains. Do not neglect your beloved no
  matter how hectic may be your work schedule.
  Leo: Good period to sign new business
  deals and alliances. Businessmen and
  investors would see past investments reaping
  profits. Good week to call important people over
  to your place, as you would gain valuable infor-
  mation and knowledge. You would also have little
  free time to yourself, which you should spend in
  helping those who are incapable of taking care of
  their personal affairs. Opportunities to travel to a
  distant place for some.
  Virgo: A highly result oriented week,
  where efforts bring desired goals. Your
  career would get a boost, as you would be able to
  gather small part-time projects to increase your
  earning ability. Problems in your personal life
  would enlarge much beyond your expectations, if
  you were not open about how you feel. Use your
  intelligence and charms to attract attention at
  social get-together.
  Libra: Good period for Libras, as excel-
  lent surprises would keep you in a delight-
  ful mood. Your career and your earning ability
  would also take an upward climb and your posi-
  tion would strengthen amongst your peers. Your
  original ideas would win acceptance from others,
  and people would seek your advice. However,
  you would be overly tired and need extra rest
  towards the weekend. Do not trust people with
  important information.
  Scorpio: This week you would have influ-
  ential and experienced people around you
  who would constantly be a source of inspiration
  and support. You need to do things that would
  improve your health since your body would be
  highly receptive to change. Sudden good news
  later in the week brings happiness and cheers for
  the entire family. Traveling will not be as benefi-
  cial as expected. Children and spouse will be
  demanding.
  Sagittarius: This is not the good period
  to enter financial agreements.
  Disagreements with partners would make it diffi-
  cult for you to carry out your plans. Although you
  would get substantial time with your beloved but
  your relationship would suffer due to arguments
  and silly contradictions. This temporary phase
  would soon be over until then you need to spend
  maximum time with friends, go out for a vacation
  or do things that will keep you relaxed. It would
  also be wise to meet experienced people who will
  broaden your awareness concerning your career
  goals.
  Capricorn: Any renovation or decoration
  that you carry out this week should be
  done with the approval of others. You would also
  improve your reputation if you help those who are
  under extreme mental pressure. Your convincing
  power would have a deep impact and people
  would praise you for your efforts. Your money-
  making ideas would be highly lucrative. Deals
  related to land, home, and property would bring
  gains. Recognition and rewards for creative
  Capricornians during this period are certain.
  Aquarius: Opportunities to travel outsta-
  tion for business cannot be ruled out. Your
  hectic work schedule would put you under stress
  therefore it would be essential for you to seek
  help from others. You might even feel depressed
  and irritated but it would only be a temporary
  phase. Participate in activities that would provide
  you with entertainment, little adventure and
  knowledge. Losses are likely if you invest on the
  advice of dubious individuals.
  Pisces: This week some arguments could
  ruin your mood. Take your time before
  making any crucial decision. Do not make hasty
  decisions or you could blow situation out of pro-
  portion and ruin a long lasting relationship. Be
  careful not to get involved in easy money making
  schemes. Gambling certainly is not on your cards.
  You should try to put some extra time and energy
  into learning additional knowledge and skills that
  will help you in your career.
  Sep 24:
  Ruled by number 6 and the planet Venus. You have
  a pleasant personality, sharp memory and you are
  very fond of worldly pleasures. You are very me-
  thodical, emotional and helpful person. You make
  your plans and stick to it, but you need to control
  your tendency to behave moody, timid and spend-
  thrift at times. This year businessmen would ex-
  pand their ventures into new and more profitable av-
  enues. You would do extremely well if you deal in
  real estate, but expect some opposition to arise from
  partners. New romance for some, so make the best
  of it. Meditation and Yoga should be practiced for
  spiritual as well as physical gains. Some exhilarat-
  ing news from your children will bring happiness
  later in the year. The months of August, January and
  May will be highly eventful.
  Sep 25:
  Dominated by number 7 and the planet Neptune,
  you are highly creative, affectionate, trustworthy,
  original, energetic and emotional person. You nev-
  er run away from difficult task. What might appear
  impossible to others would look like a challenge to
  you. You have great talents, but you need to control
  your tendency to behave arrogant and dominating at
  times. This coming period is good for starting new
  ventures. Projects that have been slow till now
  would gain momentum. Disputes if any would get
  sorted out and bring a sense of relief to your mind.
  Romantic encounters with colleagues might devel-
  op, though it would be very short lived. Your com-
  petitive nature would make you stay ahead of oth-
  ers and also make you popular amongst your peers.
  Friends will be helpful but demanding. The months
  of September, December, March and July will prove
  to be significant.
  Sep 26:
  Influenced by number 8 and the planet Saturn. You
  are ambitious, authoritative,
  systematic, sober and simple person. You have great
  potential to influence large group of people. You
  possess modern, revolutionary views which keep
  you in the limelight, but you need to control your
  tendency to behave stubborn and jealous at times.
  This year you would have abundance of energy,
  which if properly used would bring you over-
  whelming results. Financially it seems to be a good
  period to invest in stocks and property, but all in-
  vestments should be made for a long-term basis. A
  distant journey seems likely later in the year, most
  probably for attending some auspicious occasion.
  Friends and relatives will not be very helpful and
  should not be depended upon. The months of Au-
  gust, February and Sep will prove to be beneficial.
  Sep 27:
  Ruled by number 9 and the planet Mars. You are ac-
  tive, energetic, trustworthy, systematic and quick in
  taking decisions. You always welcome new ideas
  and are fond of reading to increase your knowledge
  and discover new and unknown things, but you need
  to control your tendency to behave shy, arrogant and
  moody at times. This year you would make new
  contacts, which would help you in your line of
  work. You would also receive unexpected advance-
  ments in your career. You would do extremely well
  socially if you travel and get involved in clubs and
  other social events. Your income would be much
  better than the past few years. Your beloved though
  possessive at time would be helpful and supportive.
  Minor health ailments such as backache, stiff neck
  or body pains will pose frequent problems. The
  month of September, December and March will
  bring in the desired result.
  Sep. 28:
  Influenced by number 1 and the Sun, you are active,
  energetic, determined, responsible and original.
  You are creative and highly result oriented person,
  but you need to curb your tendency to behave reck-
  less, spendthrift and stubborn at times. The coming
  year improves financial status of many and some
  even inherit ancestral property. Business will flour-
  ish and financial gains will lift your confidence. Le-
  gal matters that have been haunting your mind will
  settle to your satisfaction. Promotions and incre-
  ments are likely for some. Romance however will
  not be pleasant as frequent arguments and disagree-
  ments will keep on bothering your mind. Students
  will perform remarkably well in academics and
  sports. Those suffering from blood pressure and
  piles need to take extra care of their health. The
  months of August, February and May will be high-
  ly significant.
  Sep 29:
  Ruled by number 2 and the Moon, you are highly
  creative, practical, emotional, friendly, simple and
  generous person. You enjoy enormous respect at
  your workplace, but at the same time you need to
  check your tendency to behave introvert, selfish and
  jealous at times. New jobs and assignments will be
  the highlight of the coming year. Promotions and
  transfers for some employees. Investment in proper-
  ty will yield good returns in the long run. Frequent
  and fruitful journeys will be undertaken bringing
  monetary gains and help you build up long lasting
  relationships. Relations with someone of the oppo-
  site sex will strengthen giving a refreshing and in-
  teresting twist to your life. Some exciting news from
  children will lift your spirits. Rise in your medical
  bills as health of your parents could cause tension
  and anxiety. The months of October, December, Jan-
  uary and April seem to be highly eventful.
  Sep 30:
  Governed by number 3 and the planet Jupiter, you
  are bold, ambitious, dignified, courageous and in-
  telligent. You are hard working and always appre-
  ciated for your commitment and efforts, but you
  need to control your tendency to behave erratic,
  stubborn and lazy at times. This year will be high-
  ly beneficial for those who are willing to take in-
  vestment and business risks. Speculation in proper-
  ty and stocks will bring in handsome results. This
  year will be highly significant for working and pro-
  fessional women, as they will prosper in their re-
  spective fields. New romance will be exciting but
  short-lived. Journey or pilgrimage will provide
  comfort and peace. Be extra careful of your jewelry
  and expensive items. Chances of overseas education
  for few students who are looking for a better career.
  The months of September, November, February and
  Sep will be important.
  Astrology 29
  TheSouthAsianTimes.info September 24-30, 2011
  By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
  Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874; Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898,
  2648 9899; psharma@premastrologer.com;
  Stars Foretell: September 24-30, 2011 Annual Predictions: For those born in this week
  i) Accurate Data: Please make sure Date,
  Time and Place of birth is accurate.
  ii) Careful: Did you check background of the
  astrologer before disclosing your secrets.
  iii) Fee: Discuss the charges before, dont feel
  shy. Its his business.
  iv) Expectation: Expect the best, if the out-
  come is not as desired, never give up.
  v) Consult: Take second opinion before
  spending thousands on cure/remedies.
  diamonds & precious stones.
  from a Gems Expert
  For appointment, please call 516-390-7847
  or email consult.gems@gmail.com
  A special offer for the readers of
  The South Asian Times
  Before you consult...
  Free Consultation
  30 Spiritual Awareness
  September 24-30, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
  T
  he saints tell us that what dies
  is the physical body, which is
  made of matter. Being made
  of matter, the physical body deterio-
  rates, decays and is finally
  destroyed. But our true self, which is
  our spirit or soul, is eternal. It lives
  on and on. By connecting with our
  soul, we will have access to the
  answers of what awaits us beyond
  deaths door and how we can take a
  peep into the beyond while still
  alive.
  Is there any evidence to prove the
  souls immortality? We have two
  pieces of evidence to examine. One
  is the statements and accounts given
  by saints, prophets and mystics who
  claimed to pass through the gates of
  the Beyond in their mystic travels.
  The second is current statements
  made by doctors and scientists who,
  through modern medicine, have
  brought back to life people who had
  been declared clinically dead.
  Millions of people in the past three
  decades have had near-death experi-
  ences and their reports are all simi-
  lar. A doctor discovered that those
  patients who had clinically died but
  were brought back to life through the
  wonders of modern medicine all had
  a similar experience. Many reported
  having separated from their body.
  They were able to watch from above
  their own body as the medical practi-
  tioners tried to revive them. Many
  were able to see relatives in other
  rooms or other cities and hear what
  they were saying while their body
  was on the operating table. Later, the
  accounts of what they saw and heard
  were borne out by the relatives.
  Many of them found themselves
  going through a tunnel and emerging
  in a world of Light. There they met a
  Being of Light who was radiant but
  whose light was not scorching. They
  were embraced by the Being of
  Light who poured out more love
  than any of them had experienced on
  earth. They also underwent a life
  review in which they experienced all
  the good they had done to others and
  all the pain they had caused others.
  This was a life-changing experience,
  for those undergoing the NDE real-
  ized that what matters most in this
  world is the love we give others.
  They came back transformed and
  vowed to lead their lives giving love
  and doing good as their main focus.
  They also lost their fear of death.
  They gained newfound fearlessness
  because they realized their soul was
  immortal. They realized there is no
  death but just a change of vesture.
  Thus, they could live the rest of their
  lives without fearing death because
  they had already experienced what
  lies beyond this life.
  Those who have a near-death
  experience are just visiting the bor-
  ders between this physical realm and
  higher spiritual regions. Through
  meditation we can transcend to high-
  er, more blissful realms. Saints have
  given detailed accounts of the vari-
  ous regions of existence to which a
  soul goes after death. There are three
  lower regions: a physical, an astral,
  and a causal region made of mix-
  tures of matter and consciousness
  and which are subject to dissolution;
  and the higher spiritual regions
  which are eternal: the supracausal
  plane and a spiritual plane known as
  Sach Khand or True Realm from
  where God emanates. If we can rise
  above the three lower worlds, the
  soul enters the purely spiritual
  regions where it merges back in the
  Lord and lives eternally in bliss and
  love.
  We can experience the souls
  immortal nature when we go within.
  We need not experience the trauma
  of a near-death experience, nor
  would we want to, in order to find
  out what lies Beyond. Rather, we can
  learn how the saints and mystics
  from all different religions had their
  inner experiences. We can learn the
  techniques they used and begin to
  practice them ourselves. This tech-
  nique is meditation. In this form of
  meditation, we sit in a comfortable
  position, one in which we can sit the
  longest without moving. We close
  our eyes, very gently as if we were
  going to sleep. With our attention,
  we focus into the middle of whatever
  lies in front of us. At first we may
  see darkness, or gray, or Lights of
  various colors. As we gaze into the
  middle of whatever we see, our soul
  will begin to concentrate at a point
  known as the third or single eye,
  located between and behind the two
  eyebrows. As it concentrates there,
  and we continue to gaze, we will
  begin to see inner vistas. We may see
  flashes of Light, Lights of any color,
  an inner sky, moon, or sun. We may
  see our inner guide who will take us
  on an inner journey.
  At the time of initiation, the
  Masters impart some of their spiritu-
  al attention to us to give us a spiritu-
  al boost within so we can see and
  hear the inner Light and Sound of
  God. To keep our mind still, they
  give us five Charged Words to
  repeat. These have several benefits.
  They keep our mind occupied so that
  no thoughts can distract us. We have
  seen that even yogis who meditate
  for many years and do physical
  poses and breathing exercises, still
  have to grapple with distractions
  from their mind. Stillness of mind is
  needed to be able to see the inner
  Light and hear the beautiful inner
  Music. These are always shining and
  reverberating within us, but we do
  not see or hear them because our
  mind is occupied with external
  thoughts. The moment we can stop
  these thoughts and enter the stillness
  within, we can see and hear the inner
  Light and Sound. These words are
  also charged to help our attention
  withdraw from awareness of the
  body to become aware of the inner
  Light within us.
  As we become more absorbed into
  the inner Light and Sound, we can
  transcend physical body-conscious-
  ness and cross into spiritual realms
  beyond. As we gaze into the inner
  Light we may find Lights of various
  colors, inner vistas, and ultimately
  we transcend physical consciousness
  and become conscious of the inner
  spiritual realms. Our soul soars into
  these inner states of consciousness,
  and experiences those places to
  which we will go when we leave this
  world for our final time. We find that
  we exist without our body as soul.
  Each inner region is alive with beau-
  tiful colors, celestial Music more
  enticing than any in this world, and
  divine love. All our suffering ends.
  We are embraced by the love of God
  that puts us into states of eternal
  bliss and happiness. We become
  fearless as we realize that our body
  is not our true self, but that our soul
  is our real essence and exists beyond
  this physical world.
  This experience fills us with
  tremendous joy and peace. We are
  thrilled to know that we can be fully
  conscious in another realm of exis-
  tence. We experience a state of all
  love, all joy, and all consciousness.
  This inner journey takes us
  through different levels of inner
  realms; each higher one has more
  and more consciousness and less
  matter. There is an astral realm filled
  with more Light than this realm and
  beautiful Music. There we travel in a
  lighter body known as an astral
  body. There are beautiful sights and
  colors in this region unseen on earth.
  Even more ethereal is the causal
  region, which is more subtle, more
  blissful, and more loving. It contains
  equal parts matter and conscious-
  ness. From there, there is the supra-
  causal plane, which is predominantly
  consciousness with a small amount
  of illusion. Finally, there is the
  region of all spirit, with no trace of
  matter. It is here that our soul merges
  into God, and becomes one with
  God. Here we realize that our soul is
  the same essence of God and is a
  part of God. This state is one in
  which we gain immortality, perma-
  nent peace, and divine love that
  knows no end. We can attain each of
  these states through meditation on
  the inner Light and Sound, or Shabd
  Meditation, as taught by Masters of
  Sant Mat. To reach these heavenly
  realms, we need to meditate daily.
  By sitting still and keeping our mind
  still through mental repetition of the
  Charged Words given by a saint or
  Master, we can begin to witness the
  inner Light and Sound and learn to
  rise into spiritual consciousness of
  the Beyond.
  The benefits of doing so are that
  we will lose our fear of death. We
  will be able to journey at any time of
  day or night, from the comfort of our
  own homes, into the spiritual realms
  that await us Beyond. We will not
  fear death because we will have seen
  in life what is awaiting us Beyond.
  People who have had spiritual expe-
  riences of the Beyond do not fear
  death any longer because they know
  that there is a house waiting for them
  within.
  Another benefit is that we will not
  fear the death of our loved ones. It is
  true that we will grieve for them and
  miss them terribly, but we will be
  comforted in knowing for certain
  that they are safe, happy, free of
  pain, and in ecstasy in the realms
  Beyond. We will know that they
  have taken up residence in a far
  more beautiful and blissful place
  than where we live on earth. We will
  know that they are free of suffering
  and are in a peaceful place. While
  we still miss them, we are not fearful
  of what has happened to them.
  Finally, another benefit of medita-
  tion and finding God within is that
  we see that we are all one. We see
  the same Light of God that is in us is
  in everyone else. Then, we love all
  and serve all. We are able to forgive
  others because we realize their mis-
  takes were caused by ignorance of
  our oneness. When we forgive oth-
  ers, we can contribute to a nonvio-
  lent world.
  In this connection, I would like to
  relate an anecdote about forgiveness.
  Once there was a warrior who went
  to a wise monk and asked him,
  "What is the difference between
  heaven and hell?" The monk looked
  at this warrior who was very large
  and muscular and had a savage look
  about him.
  The monk then replied, "You igno-
  rant brute. You are nothing but a sav-
  age. Why would I waste time with
  you teaching you about heaven and
  hell?" When the monk said that, the
  warriors blood began to boil and he
  was filled with anger and hatred.
  Suddenly, he could not control his
  temper and he started beating up the
  monk. After a few moments, the
  warrior realized what a heinous act
  he was committing and stopped.
  The monk smiled, and said, "That
  fit of anger is hell." The warrior was
  so ashamed for his violent act and
  begged the monk to forgive him.
  The monk again smiled and said,
  "Your asking for forgiveness is heav-
  en." This story describes in a nut-
  shell the answer to the question
  about dealing with all the violence,
  injustice, and evil in the world. We
  can choose to respond in kind, which
  creates more of a hell, or we can
  respond with forgiveness, which cre-
  ates heaven in our own lives on
  earth. Meditation can uplift our soul
  to realms in which we can find the
  answers to all our spiritual questions.
  We can journey to the regions that
  await us when we leave our physical
  body at the time of death. The burn-
  ing question of where we go after we
  die will be answered, because we
  will have already journeyed there
  through meditation. Death no longer
  fills us with fear for we see for our-
  selves that it holds more bliss, joy,
  and love than we can ever imagine.
  Ultimately, we reach the stage of
  merger with God and become all-
  conscious. It is at that stage that our
  spiritual thirst is quenched. If we can
  spend some time daily in meditation
  we will gain the fearlessness to over-
  come all lifes challenges and lose
  our fear of death. We will contribute
  to a world of nonviolence and attain
  lasting happiness, bliss and joy.
  Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is
  an internationally recognized spiri-
  tual leader and Master of Jyoti
  Meditation who affirms the transcen-
  dent oneness at the heart of all reli-
  gions and mystic traditions, empha-
  sizing ethical living and meditation
  as building blocks for achieving
  inner and outer peace..
  Meditation to know what lies Beyond
  Concluding part of three part series of Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharajs keynote address at the 26th International
  Human Unity Conference held in Mexico City, Mexico, in November 2008.
  By Sant Rajinder Singh
  Ji Maharaj
  We can experience
  the souls immortal
  nature when we go
  within. We need not
  experience the trau-
  ma of a near-death
  experi ence, nor
  would we want to,
  in order to find out
  what lies Beyond.
  Rather, we can
  learn how the saints
  and mystics from all
  different religions
  had thei r i nner
  experiences. We can
  l earn the
  techni ques they
  used and begin to
  practi ce them
  ourselves. This tech-
  nique is meditation.
  Heartiest Congratulations
  Dr. JG Bhat, Dr. Dev Ratnam Mr. M S Taneja
  On being honored by
  Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation
  At 30th Annual Gala Dinner
  Rotary Club Hicksville South
  "And all other honorees"
  Ashok Varshney,
  Harendra Singh,
  Jerry Kohli
  Jagadeesan Poola,
  Kamlesh Mehta,
  Raja Amar