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Previewing President’s State of the Union address
On Tuesday, Obama is set to reiterate his policies on economy, immigration and gun control.

MODI FOR PM CASE GROWING STRONGER

President Obama listens to Secretary of State John Kerry during a meeting on immigration with Cabinet members and advisors at the White House Feb. 7, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Washington: President Barack Obama on Thursday sought to rally House Democrats around the polit-

ically weighty issues of gun control and immigration reforms in a Continued on page 4

India’s GDP growth may drop this year to decade low 5%
New Delhi: India's economic growth is estimated to slump to 5 percent in the current financial year, the lowest in a decade, due to poor performance of manufacturing, agriculture as well as services sector, the government data showed Thursday. Continued on page 4

Narendra Modi, arguably the tallest politician in India today, speaking at the Shri Ram College of Commerce in Delhi. (Photo: IANS)

New Delhi: Even as Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi spelled out his vision for India in his wellreceived speech at the Shri Ram College of Commerce here, support as well as clamor for projecting him as the opposition candidate for prime minister gathered steam. Modi in his speech to over 1,000

students at the capital’s premier college stayed away from the usual and divisive political overtones, and dwelt on progress and development, repeatedly referring to the youth of the country, and outlining his vision for India. News outlets called his speech a “roadmap for India” even as protesters showed

up en masse and Twitter went bananas. “The whole world is looking at India as a big marketplace. Why? Because they (other countries) think they can sell here easily. It is the demand of our time to make India a leader in manufacturing and Continued on page 4

South Asians charged in $ 200M credit card fraud in New Jersey
New Jersey: People of Indian and Pakistani origin, including jewelers, dominate the list of 18 charged by federal prosecutors in one of the largest credit card fraud schemes spanning 28 states and eight countries, including India. The scamsters used over 25,000 fraudulent credit cards and wired millions of dollars to Pakistan, India, the UAE, Canada, Romania, China and Japan leading to losses of over $200 million, prosecutors said. Continued on page 4

Universal Orlando features "Elegance of India" Parade Float at Mardi Gras
Orlando, Fl. : The all-new “Elegance of India” float at Universal Orlando Resort’s 2013 Mardi Gras parade beginning Feb 9 celebrates the magic of Bollywood, complete with exotic fabrics and hypnotic dances of color and light. This year’s parade celebrates “Colorful Cultures Around the World,” featuring several elaborate, hand-crafted floats. Running select nights through April 20, Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras also features authentic New Orleans musicians, mouth-watering Cajun cuisine and live concerts by high-profile artists.

Valentine’s Day Spl. 14

Deepak Chopra’s office 26

Humor 28

Spiritual Awareness 30

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Obama seeks South Asians' backing for immigration reforms
By Arun Kumar Washington: President Barack Obama has initiated a round of meetings with business and labor leaders as also immigration rights advocates including those representing South Asians to marshal their support for immigration reform. "The President made clear his commitment to immigration reform," said Deepa Iyer, executive director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), who was among the invitees at Obama's meeting Tuesday with immigrant rights advocates. "We intend to have a voice at the table when issues around immigration are addressed and will present holistic recommendations that impact our community," said Iyer. SAALT coordinates the work of the National Coalition of South Asian Organizations (NCSO), and has submitted a statement to the House Judiciary Committee for an immigration hearing focused primarily on employmentbased immigration and enforcement measures. "While SAALT supports employment-based immigration for all workers, we believe in holistic reform that also focuses on familybased immigration," its statement said. "Additionally, we firmly advocate for the termination of profiling in immigration enforcement and the inclusion of due process and human

Skilled immigrants would boost US economy: Indian-Americans
Washington: Struggling to come out of recession, the US must find ways including granting more H-1B visas to attract skilled immigrants to boost its ailing economy, top Indian American experts have told lawmakers. "When you bring skilled immigrants in, they create jobs. Right now, we're in an innovation economy. Skilled immigrants are more important than ever, not only to create jobs, but to make us innovative and help us solve major problems," said Vivek Wadhwa, Vice President of Innovation and Research, Singularity University, CA. "So bring the right people in and you will make the pie bigger for everyone, and we can bring in more unskilled as well because we will have a bigger economy. We need them,” Wadhwa said during a Congressional hearing on immigration convened by the House Judiciary Committee. Puneet Arora, vice president, Immigration Voice, said it's important to protect

Deepak Bhargava, Deepa Iyer, ED, Center for Executive Director, Community Change SAALT

Puneet Arora, vice president, Immigration Voice American workers yet have a robust immigration system where skilled immigrants can come in and fill real needs. "Our problem is that we've restricted the mobility of the skilled workers who come into the country. They are trapped in jobs for long periods where promotions can be denied, where they have no way of going to another employer who is willing to offer a market wage or advancement based on the experience gained and towards skills that are really

Vivek Wadhwa, Vice President of Innovation and Research, Singularity University required where the demand for jobs is," Dr Arora said. Prominent among measures pushed by Arora and Wadhwa included substantial jump in H-1B visas, removing country specific caps for legal permanent residency, automatic green card to those earning masters and doctorate in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Arora said the benefits of removing per-country limits will accrue to only one nation in this world -- the US.

rights standards for immigrants, including within the detention and deportation system.” Deepak Bhargava, Executive Director, Center for Community Change, Washington DC, was also invited to the White House. The mission of the Center for Community Change is to build the power and capacity of low-income people, especially low-income people of color, to have a significant impact in improving their communities and the policies and institutions that affect their lives. A bipartisan group of senators as also Obama have advanced immigration plans outlining a path to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented immigrants, including about 250,000 from India.

Congresswomen Maloney and Grace Meng rally support for Diwali Stamp
By Parveen Chopra New York: Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan and Queens) joined fellow US Rep Grace Meng (D-Queens) and South Asian community leaders like Ranju Batra, President of the Association of Indians in America-NY, on Feb 2 to rally grassroot support to press the Citizens Stamp Advisory Commission of the U.S. Postal Service to issue a postage stamp to commemorate Diwali, which is widely celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Christians in India, the US, and around the world. “Diwali is an important spiritual and cultural festival along with other major religious holidays for which stamps are issued, such as Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Eid, and it merits similar recognition,” said Maloney who introduced House Resolution 47 on January 25. “Diwali also signals the start of the Hindu New Year. It serves not only as a time for celebration, but also as an occasion for communities and families to convene in spiritual enlightenment. The practice of Diwali has survived political, economic and social asked my dear friend Rep. Carolyn Maloney to take the lead in Congress. I am so delighted to see Congresswoman Grace Meng here in person, and to have the support of Steve Israel, Ami Bera and Tulsi Gabbard. We need everyone who supports religious freedom to sign on. We now finally have a strong core group to make it happen." “The Postal Service has issued stamps for several major religious holidays and now it’s time for them to do the same for Diwali,” said Grace Meng. “Creating a Diwali stamp would be an outstanding way to recognize and celebrate the vibrancy of the Hindu American and Indian American communities, and salute the traditions and tremendous contributions that they’ve made to our nation.” Ravi Batra, attorney and chair of National Advisory Council on South Asian Affairs, added, "The target audience of the Diwali stamp isn't just three million IndianAmericans but one billion in India alone. The sale of Diwali Stamp would be a muchneeded source of revenue for the US Postal Service in tough economic times." Indian’s Permanent Representative to UN, Amb. Hardeep Puri, and Laskhmi Puri, Asstt

S W in

Ravi Batra, Grace Meng, Ranju Batra, Carolyn Maloney, Lakshmi Puri and Ambassador Puri at the meeting. (Photo: Parveen Chopra)

changes throughout history, while always carrying the universal symbolism of the victory of light, goodness, knowledge and truth.” Maloney added. Ranju Batra said at the luncheon meeting

at Tulsi restaurant, “When I took over as president of AIA-NY, I set two goals: To make the 25th Silver Diwali celebrations history-making, and they were, and to laserfocus on getting the Diwali Stamp issued. I

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February 9-15, 2013
Modi for PM story Continued from page 1 dump our goods in the world market,” Modi said. Since he won a fourth consecutive term in office in December, many in BJP have called him to lead the party in general elections due by early 2014. RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat too appeared Thrusday in Allahabad to back Modi as BJP's prime ministerial candidate but said the party will be responsible for the consequences of its decision. Speaking at the VHP 'dharma sansad', a gathering of religious leaders, he referred to the clamor for Modi as PM candidate at the meet and also elsewhere. Without referring to the Gujarat Chief Minister by name, Bhagwat said, "People know what is in your heart. The whole country is echoing with the same voice.” Before him some sants spoke out in favor of BJP announcing Modi as its PM candidate. Yet, BJP chief Rajnath Singh, in Chennai, maintained that the BJP Parliamentary Board will decide the issue at an appropriate time. If Modi emerges as BJP's candidate, he will likely be competing against Rahul Gandhi who is projected to take over the reins from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. President’s address story Continued from page 1 speech to them. It was a preview of sorts for his State of the Union address to be delivered Feb 12 from the Capitol, which will be widely telecast. "Obviously economic growth is a priority, but making sure that we're opening up opportunity for everybody is also important. And that's why immigration reform is so critical," the president said to applause from the House Democrats gathered for their annual retreat at Lansdowne Resort in Virginia. "I

TURN PAGE
said this is going to be a top priority and an early priority in my administration. I am heartened to see Republicans and Democrats starting to be in a serious conversation about getting this done. Now is the time." The president acknowledged that there are some lawmakers for whom this will be an especially politically tricky issue because of their constituencies. Those same regional political differences exist for the issue of gun reform, Obama later noted. "Guns mean something different for somebody who grew up on a farm in a rural community than somebody who grew up in an inner city," he said. "They're different realities and we have to respect them. But what we know is the majority of responsible gun owners recognize we cannot have a situation in which 20 more of our children or 100 more of our children or 1,000 more of our children are shot and killed in a senseless fashion." The president conceded that it could be a tough slog for Congress to accomplish these reforms and that, at times, Democratic lawmakers will likely be "mad at" the president. But, Obama said, Democrats need to hold firm to their values and remember why they campaigned for Congress to achieve success. "And as a byproduct of doing that good work and keeping that focus, I would expect that Nancy Pelosi is gonna be Speaker again pretty soon," Obama added, referring to House Democrats winning back their majority. White House officials say Obama’s top priority is job creation and that he will make a case for fiscal policies that encourage economic growth. Setting up a contrast with Republicans who are insisting on spending cuts, not tax increases, to stanch federal red ink, Obama told reporters Tuesday,

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“We can’t just cut our way to prosperity India’s GDP growth story Continued from page 1 In the advance estimate of national income, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) drastically cut the GDP growth forecast to 5 percent for the year ending March 31, 2013 as compared to 6.2 percent in the previous year. This will be the worst performance of the Indian economy since 2002-03 when the growth was recorded at 4 percent. Services sector, which accounts for more than half of India's GDP, is estimated to register a sluggish 5.2 percent growth in the current financial year as compared to 7 percent in the previous year. The growth of industry sector is expected to decline to 1.9 percent in the year ending March 31, while the farm sector growth is likely to slump to 1.8 percent. The latest official projection is sharply lower than the budgetary estimate and projections by the central bank and other organizations. In the union budget for 2012-13 presented in March last year, the government had pegged the economic growth at 7.6 percent. In the quarterly monetary policy review last week RBI has projected 5.5 percent growth while Finance Minister P. Chidambaram projected 5.7 percent. In the first half of 2012-13, Indian economy grew by 5.4 percent. The new projection indicate that the growth will be around 4.6 percent in the second half of the year. Reacting on the CSO data, Chidambaram said the government was monitoring the situation and would take appropriate measures to revive growth. Credit card fraud story Continued from page 1 The names of the defendants listed in the complaint are Babar Qureshi, Muhammad Shafiq (both alleged ringleaders), Ijaz Butt, Qaiser Khan, Shafique Ahmed, Habib Chaudhry, Raghbir Singh, Muhammad Naveed, Khawaja Ikram, Nasreen Akhtar, Mohammad Khan, Azhar Ikram, Shahid Raza aka Abid Mian, Vernina Adams, Sat Verma, Vijay Verma, Tarsem Lal, and Vinod Dadlani. The complaint says Sat Verma, Vijay Verma, Lal and Dadlani ran the jewelry stores where millions of dollars in fraudulent credit card transactions were processed. The jewelry stores, Ashu Jewels, Tanishq Jewels and Raja Jewels in Jersey City were shut down Wednesday because of their alleged involvement in the crime, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman told the media. The allegedly complicit businesses would allow the defendants to conduct sham transactions on the fraudulent credit cards and would then receive the proceeds from the credit card companies and split them with the other conspirators, the complaint alleges. All of the defendants can run the maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. The defendants appeared later Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court. Though the scheme targeted credit card companies, Paul Fishman, US Attorney for New Jersey, said customers everywhere could feel the impact. "Through their greed and their arrogance, the individuals arrested today and their conspirators allegedly harmed not only the credit card issuers, but everyone who deals with increased interest rates and fees because of the money sucked out of the system by criminals acting in fraud rings like this one," Fishman said.

Winter Storm Nemo to hit Northeast hard
Washington: The National Weather Service has forecast a powerful winter storm to affect the Northeast beginning Friday and continuing into Saturday. The Weather Channel has dubbed the impending weather system winter storm Nemo. According to the National Weather Service, the storm could bring anywhere from 6 inches to 2 feet of snow across an area stretching from the New York City metro area to Maine, with localized heavier amounts possible. There was a blizzard warning in place for New York City and surrounding areas, including Long Island, western Connecticut, upstate New York and northern New Jersey. Commuting will be difficult and flights bound to get disrupted.

USPS to cut Saturday mail delivery to save $2B a year
Washington: The United States Postal Service said Wednesday that it plans to cut back to five-day-a-week deliveries for everything except packages to stem its financial losses in a world radically re-ordered by the Internet. "Our financial condition is urgent," declared Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe. But Congress has voted in the past to bar the idea of eliminating Saturday delivery, and his announcement immediately drew protests from some lawmakers. The plan, which is to take effect in August, also brought vigorous objections from farmers, the letter carriers' union and others. The Postal Service, which suffered a $15.9 billion loss in the past budget year, said it expected to save $2 billion annually with the Saturday cutback. Mail such as letters and magazines would be affected. Delivery of packages of all sizes would continue six days a week.

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Gandhi memorialized by multi-faith prayers

Indian-American gets one year prison for insider trading
New York: A former Indian American employee of Galleon Group, who played a key role in the conviction of hedge fund billionaire Raj Rajaratnam for insider trading, has been sentenced to one year in prison. Federal district judge Jed S. Rakoff Thursday also ordered Roomy Khan, 54, to serve three years of probation and pay $1.525 million in restitution, money she made by trading on confidential information about Google and Hilton Hotels among others. Despite the assistance that Khan, a Delhi University graduate, had provided prosecutors in the case against Rajaratnam, her actions-in particular, lying to federal investigators-were serious enough to merit a prison term, Rakoff said. "You cannot have it both ways," he was quoted as saying by the New tence of 20 years. She also admitted to lying to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents. The case was the second time Khan had been convicted of illegally passing information to Rajaratnam, according to the Times. In a letter to Rakoff, Khan described how she returned to illegal trading, saying she needed money and felt pressure to maintain appearances. In a separate case not directly related, Jason Pflaum, a witness who gathered evidence about his former Indian-American boss, hedge fund manager Samir Barai, was sentenced to two years of probation. Pflaum, who pleaded guilty in 2010 to securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud, had helped prosecutors secure a guilty plea from Barai on insider trading charges, Times said.Romm

Roomy Khan

"Children sharing a Gandhi Story" - Gathering of Light youth presentation under the leadership of Rev. Kathleen Kufs and Rev. JoAnn Barrett. At the even Volunteers of Shanti Fund launched a gun buy back program.

Hauppauge, NY: Over 200 people observed the Gandhi Punya Tithi on January 30 at the Hyatt Regency here. The event was jointly organized by the Volunteers of Shanti Fund and members of Long Island Multi Faith Forum. The faiths represented included: Baha’i, Buddhism, Brahma Kumaris, Christian, Gathering of Light, Hindu, Islam, Jain, Jewish, and Unitarian Universalists. This event in the past five years was held at HLD building in Hauppauge where Gandhi Statue is at the

Plaza Level. This year due to constructions at the HLD Building it was shifted to the Hyatt. In light of the tragedy at the school in Connecticut, Shanti Fund requested each faith to involve youths, and they made spectacular presentations. Chairman of LIMFF Arvind Vora said that the daily life of Mahatma Gandhi began and ended with multi faith prayer services. The program ended with a special announcement of Gun Buy Back Program by Volunteers of Shanti Fund to minimize gun violence in Long Island. The idea came from Prof. Andali Raghunath, who said, “Victory to Ahimsa (Non-Violence) - where there is a gun, there is violence.” He himself has pledged $400 every year to buy back two guns on the occasion of Gandhiji’s birthday - October 2. Volunteers have reached out to various connected parties Dr. Panna Shah, Trustee, Shanti Fund, including police departments, receiving a citation from Nassau County law enforcement officers and Executive representative Apurvi Mehta. clergy people.

York Times. "You cannot obstruct justice and then say, 'Well, because I've done good things since, forget about it.'" The punishment, Rakoff added, sends a "very important message" about the consequences of hindering a government investigation. Khan, who had sought five years of probation, pleaded guilty in 2009 to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and securities fraud, a charge that carried a maximum prison sen-

Gandhiji’s 65th death anniversary observed at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
New York: The Consulate General of India, New York, in association with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, USA observed the 65th Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's Punya Tithi on January 30, 2013. About 50 guests including teachers, students, journalists and office bearers of the Bhavan attended the event. Speaking on the occasion, Consul General of India Prabhu Dayal, touched upon various aspects of Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy and its continuing relevance in the contemporary world. Mr. H. R. Shah, Chairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan briefly spoke about the relevance of Gandhism today. The program continued with the paying of floral tributes to the Mahatma's portrait by the Consul General of India and Mr. H. R. Shah and guests present on the occasion. A recital of Gandhiji's favourite Bhajans by Mrs. Sanjukta Sen and students of the Bharatiya Vidya

Consul General Prabhu Dayal paying floral tribute

Bhavan instilled a feeling of peace and serenity in the hearts and minds of all present.

Dr.A P J Abdul Kalam launches LeadIndia2020.com
Livingston (NJ): On Monday Feb 4, 2013, at LB Stadium in Hyderabad, India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former president of India as chief guest at the Lead India 2020 National Summit declared 25,000 students who attended the event from all over India as Lead India Change Agents. All these students underwent the “Aap Bhado Desh Ko Badhao” intensive training program conducted by Lead India 2020 and successfully graduated. Dr. Kalalm has a vision to see India among the developed nations in the world by the year 2020, his mission and methodology is simple, “Individual Development Leads to National Development”, as the motto is “Aap Bhado Desh Ko Badhao.” Dr. Kalam says India has over 640 Million youth under the age of 25; there is no such powerful resource anywhere in the world. By encouraging youth and providing appropriate resources and guidance, they will become responsible citizens to build the nation; Dr. Kalam interacted with many of these students as he boosted their morale with his inspirational message and charisma. Further, Dr. Kalam launched the Lead India 2020 global website, www.LeadIndia2020.com. Also, he released the inaugural issue of “Yuva Shakti” monthly magazine published by Lead India 2020 primarily focused to inspire the youth with motivational articles and success stories.

Suresh Ediga (2nd from right) along with friends from New Jerseywho contributed aid to farmers and their families in Vidarbha, Maharashtra.

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Murder suicide of Sikh family rocks Atlanta community
Atlanta: Members of metro Atlanta's Sikh community are turning to prayer — and each other — as they mourn the loss of four family members whose bodies were found in their suburban apartment. Shivinder Singh Grover, 52; and his wife, Damanjit Kaur Grover, 47, were found Feb. 4 in Johns Creek, along with their sons, 5year-old Gurtej Singh Grover; and 12-year-old Sartaj Singh Grover. Word of their deaths began spreading by phone Monday afternoon, but there were more tears than answers. "Everybody was crying on the phone, so we thought it would be best to meet together to pray," said Parvinder Singh, a member of Gurudwara Sahib in nearby Roswell. More than 50 people gathered at the congregation the night of Feb. 4 to pray and console each other. The Indian American family had moved to the Atlanta area from Michigan, Parvinder Singh said. Shivinder Grover, who had studied at the University of Michigan, was an executive at one of the many technology firms in Atlanta's northern suburbs, Singh said. "He's an extremely talented and high-intellect guy," he said. His wife had worked for Emory Healthcare in the past, Singh said. A co-worker of the slain woman had called police and requested a welfare check when she didn't show up for work, Johns Creek city spokeswoman Rosemary Taylor said. Police responded to the gated apartment community around 11:30 a.m. Monday and found the bodies. The cause of death was released Feb. 5 by the Fulton Medical Examiner’s Office, which said it appeared the case was a murdersuicide. The medical examiner said Gurtej and Sartaj were stabbed to death, Damanjit Kaur-Grover was beaten to death and Sivinder Grover hung himself, according to WGCL-TV.

(L to R): Damanjit Kaur, Gurtej Singh, Sartaj Singh and Shivinder Singh Grover

New York Indian Film Festival to open April 30
New York: The oldest and most prestigious film festival for Indian cinema in North America, the 13th Annual New York Indian Film Festival, will kick off its weeklong festivities with a star-studded opening April 30. Organized by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), the festival will begin with a red carpet premiere at a prestigious new opening venue for the festival, the Skirball Centre for Performing Arts in New York City. Festival screenings will take place throughout the week at Tribeca Cinemas, with the closing night selection to be followed by the annual awards ceremony and after-party at the Skirball Centre, IAAC announced Wednesday. NYIFF's selection committee, led by Film Festival Director and noted film journalist Aseem Chhabra, will consider submissions for narrative and documentary features and shorts. The final submission deadline is Feb 8. Extended deadline for Withoutabox members is Feb 15. In addition, this year marks the launch of a new award at the 2013 Festival that will honor studentcreated short films (five minute or less). Through open, no-fee submissions from film schools, one student will be selected to receive a special award at the closing night award ceremony. Started in 2001 following the Sep 11 attacks on New York City, the festival creates an awareness and better understanding of the people and stories from the Indian diaspora by bringing the most acclaimed feature films, documentaries, and shorts from that region to America's biggest and most remarkable city, the organizers said. "I am thrilled to entertain, educate and challenge audiences with yet another year of fantastic Independent films from every country in the Indian subcontinent as well as the global Indian diaspora," said IAAC executive director Aroon Shivdasani. Festival director Chhabra added: "We are particularly excited about this year's festival since it marks 100 years of Indian cinema. "As such, we are curating a series of recently restored classics from India, never seen before in this condition. There is no better place for these films to be showcased than at this year's New York Indian Film Festival."

Washington DC CFO Natwar Gandhi resigns
Washington, DC: Indian-American Natwar Gandhi, who as the chief financial officer of Washington DC was responsible for dramatic financial turnaround of the American capital, has resigned, less than a year after he received a third term. Gandhi, 72, said he is resigning for "purely personal" reasons. He will step down on June 1. Accepting his resignation, mayor of Washington DC Vincent C Gray said that Gandhi would be missed under whom Washington DC's finances experienced a dramatic turnaround over the last dozen years. Gandhi has held the office since 2000 and was appointed to a new, fiveyear term last year. "I want to express my profound gratitude to Dr Gandhi for being an exemplary steward of the District's finances for over a decade, and I am sorry to see him go," Mayor Gray said. "In the time that he has served as our

Natwar Gandhi chief financial officer, he has helped take us from the days of the control board to our just-announced USD17 million fiscal year 2012 surplus," he said. Gray thanked Gandhi for being a strong partner in helping him restore crucial fund balance to USD 1.5 billion. "Without his leadership, the District would not have experienced the extraordinary fiscal turnaround that we have seen in the last dozen years. Our city owes him a great debt of gratitude," he said.

Indian-origin man pleads guilty to conspiring to commit fraud
New York: An Indian-origin man has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit fraud under which he used a call center in India to defraud hundreds of individuals across the US. Baljit Singh, 47 of California would be sentenced on April 8 and could also be slapped with a $500,000 fine, US Attorney Benjamin Wagner said. He faces 20 years in prison. According to Singh's plea agreement, between 2010 and 2011, Singh and co-defendant Sharanjit Kaur, 36, owned and operated several companies based in California for the purpose of defrauding hundreds of customers located throughout the US. The two falsely promised that the companies offered debt consolidation services like low-interest loans for customers, assist in avoiding lawsuits, lower car payments and replace high-interest credit cards with low-interest ones. The two used a call center in India from which individuals would call customers under fake names. fter luring customers into using these services, Singh and his agents instructed customers to send in monthly payments of over $500. In order to mislead customers, forged letters from creditors were sent indicating that loan modifications had been approved and when customers would contact the debt repair companies about late-payment or default notices they had received from their creditors, the defendants and their agents would hang up on customers. The funds received from customers were used for the defendants' own benefit or wired to an individual located in Kolkata, India.

INOC launches Karnataka Chapter

(from left) Dr. Vaijanath Chakote, Ravi Bhooplapur, Dr. Dayan Naik, Hon. Minister Veerappa Moily, George Abraham, Shudh Jasuja and Mohinder Singh Gilzian at the event.

New York: The Indian National Overseas Congress (I) formally inaugurated its Karnataka Chapter in the presence of the Union Minister of Petroleum and former Chief Minister of Karnataka Veerapan Moily on February 3 at Royal Palace Restaurant in White Plains, NY in presence of the executive members of INOC(I) , chapter heads and other dignitaries and guests from Karnataka. The chapter is headed by former AAPI President and philanthropist Dr.Dayan Naik who runs several medical schools in Aruba and other parts of the world.

Moily praised the NRIs and the INOC (I) for organizing such a beautiful event at such a short notice and their concern and love for India. He spoke on the great Indian mindset from the Indian mythologies and documented by his literary work in the books that he authored. He said that the backbone of India was its pluralistic society and its secularism and the inborn talent and willingness to succeed. The Karnataka Chapter honored Mr. Ravi Bhooplapur for his outstanding service to the Indian Community.

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Subra Suresh quits NSF to join Carnegie Mellon University
Washington, DC: Subra Suresh, President Barack Obama's top Indian-American science official, has resigned as director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to become the president of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Obama appointed Suresh in 2010 as head of NSF, a $7 billion independent federal science agency charged with advancing all fields of fundamental science and engineering research and related education. "Subra has shown himself to be a consummate scientist and engineer - beholden to evidence and committed to upholding the highest scientific standards," Obama said accepting Suresh's resignation "He has also done his part to make sure the American people benefit from advances in technology, and opened up more opportunities for women, minorities, and other underrepresented groups." "We have been very fortunate to have Subra Suresh guiding the National Science Foundation for the last two years," Obama

Obama awards national science medal to Indian-American inventor
Washington, DC: President Barack Obama has awarded Rangaswamy Srinivasan, an Indian-American co-inventor of LASIK eye surgery, with a national medal for science, technology and innovation along with 22 other researchers and inventors. Srinivasan, 82, an inventor at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Centre, received the 2011 National Medal of Technology and innovation with Samuel Blumand James Wynne. They were awarded for "the pioneering discovery of excimer laser ablative photodecomposition of human and animal tissue, laying the foundation for PRK and LASIK, laser refractive surgical techniques that have revolutionized vision enhancement," according to the White House citation. Lauding the recipients for their hard work and contributions at a White House ceremony Friday, Obama joked that they represented "the

Subra Suresh will take over as the 9th president of CMU

stated. "I am grateful for his service." In a note to his staff, Suresh said NSF "is blessed with a marvelous cohort of highly talented and devoted staff, as well as hundreds of thousands of innovative grantees and investigators from every field of science and engineering." Carnegie Mellon University announced Tuesday that Suresh will be its ninth president. He succeeds Jared Cohon, who is stepping down after 16 years as president.

Rangaswamy Srinivasan, co-inventor of LASIK eye surgery receiving medal from President Obama.

Google’s stock rise makes Ram Shriram $31 million richer
Washington, DC: One of sale—as most top executives Google's earliest directors, Ram and insiders typically do, he's set Shriram, has added to his forup a 10b5-1 trading plan which tune by selling Google stock dictates his selling according to over the past month—$31 milpreplanned conditions. Based on lion worth. previous sales, it appears that He and his wife recently sold Shriram sets round numbers as 42,000 shares, according to SEC price levels at which he autodocuments. In January, the coumatically sells shares. Shriram ple sold the first chunk, 20,000 and his wife still own more than shares for $730 a pop ($14.6 150,000 shares. Plus, $31 milmillion), and last week, he and lion is pocket change for Ram, Ram Shriram his wife sold 22,000 shares in who has net worth of $1.6 biltwo transactions at $760 ($16.7 million) lion, says Forbes. according to Business Insider. Shriram is one of the Valley's golden The sale on Friday came as Google's stock angels. In his early career he worked for was reaching an all-time high of $776.60 (It Netscape. Then he founded a company closed at $775.60). The rise was attributed to called Junglee, which was bought by news that Google was close to settling the Amazon in 1998 for about $185 million. European Union's three-year probe into its That gave him the capital to invest in Google business. when it was still operating out of a Menlo Google's previous high was $774.38, Park garage. Through his venture firm, reached in October 2012. Sherpalo Ventures, he's also an investor in Not that Shriram could have timed the StumbleUpon, Zazzle, and other startups.

greatest collection of brainpower we've had under this roof in a long time." The medals represent the highest honors the US government can give to scientists, engineers, and inventors. Speaking in the East Room of the White House, Obama thanked the recipients for "the sacrifices they've made, the chances they've taken, [and] the gallons of coffee they've consumed."

The president also used the opportunity to make a pitch for increased focus on science and technology education, as well as immigration reform. "In a global economy, where the best jobs follow talent, whether in Calcutta or Cleveland, we need to do everything we can to encourage that same kind of passion" that has led to scientific breakthroughs and innovation, he said.

Peter Roskam is co-chair of India Congressional caucus
Washington, DC: The Republican caucus dedicated to one country in the House, showing the importance party has chosen Peter Roskam, a House of Representative member of nurturing our ties with one of the from Illinois, as the co-chair of the largest and fastest growing Congressional Caucus of India and economies in the world," he said. Indian Americans - the largest cau"Our countries are linked through our common interest in the democus dedicated to one country in the cratic process, global security and House - charged with advancement of US-India relations. international prosperity.” He takes over from Ed Royce, "In my meetings back home with who has become chairman of the the large Indian-American community in my district, there's always a House Foreign Affairs Committee and joins Democrat co-chair Joe natural connection between their Peter Roskam entrepreneurial spirit and our Crowley on the panel. "It's an honor to play a leading role in the shared values. advancement of US-India relations along with "This caucus has the opportunity to further my friend Joe Crowley," Roskam said. these priorities and I'm proud to be part of that "This caucus has grown to become the largest effort," Roskam said.

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February 9-15, 2013

NATIONAL COMMUNITY

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10 Indian-American school kids Sikh community seeks gun-control measures among 40 Intel contest finalists
Washington, DC: Ten IndianAmerican school students have made it to the 40 finalists of the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search for the year 2013. These 40 students were selected from 300 semifinalists and more than 1,700 entrants to compete in Washington, DC from March 7-13 for $630,000 in awards, with the top winner receiving $100,000 from the Intel Foundation. The 10 Indian-American students include the maximum three from California, Paulomi Bhattacharya from Cupertino, Pavan Mehrotra from Simi Valley and Sahana Vasudevan from Palo Alto. Two Indian-Americans are from Portland in Oregon, Naomi Shah and Raghav Tripathi. The other five are Surya Bhupatiraju from Lexington in Massachusetts; Naethan Mundukur from Louisville in Kentucky; Akshay Padmanabha from Collierville in Tennessee; Raja Selvakumar from Alpharetta in Georgia; and Mayuri Sridhar from Kings Park in New York. "This year's Intel Science Talent Search finalists are presenting a wide range of research, from optimizing algae oil for biofuel to developing a new treatment for blood cancer," said Wendy Hawkins, executive director of the Intel Foundation. "It's exciting for the future of innovation because the US needs these 40 high school seniors, and others like them, to question, explore and help solve some of the world's greatest challenges," Hawkins said. Young innovators chosen to participate in the Science Talent Search over the past 72 years have gone on to receive some of the world's most prestigious honors. For example, Science Talent Search alumni have gone on to win seven Nobel Prizes, two Fields Medals, five National Medals of Science, 11 MacArthur Foundation Fellowships and even an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Washington, DC: A Sikh group has urged communities of all faiths to observe Feb 5, marking six months of the Aug 5 shooting at a Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, with a call to lawmakers to pass gun control measures. Appealing to all the Sikh gurdwaras to observe Sunday as 'ardas diwas', a prayer day, the Washington based Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) asked Sikhs to also call members of US Congress to

tell them that gun violence prevention laws work. The suggested steps include: requiring universal background checks for all gun purchases; banning semiautomatic assault weapons and highcapacity magazines; making gun trafficking a federal crime; and improving access to mental health services. SCORE Chairman Rajwant Singh also asked gurdwaras to stress to Sikh community members the importance of speaking out and to ask

congregants to contact their representatives to support gun control measures. Amardeep Kaleka, son of slain Oak Creek Gurdwara president, Raghuvinder Singh, grandson of Punjab Singh, who is recovering from the gun wounds sustained in Oak Creek, Rana Sodhi, brother of Balbir Singh Sodhi who was killed after 9/11 in Arizona, also joined in appealing to Sikhs across the US to work for gun control measures.

Bobby Jindal asks Republicans to get heads examined
Washington, DC: Louisiana's Indian American Governor Bobby Jindal has brushed off speculation about the 2016 presidential race, saying any Republican already considering a bid needs to get his or her "head examined." "Anybody on the Republican side even thinking or talking about running for president in 2016, I've said, needs to get their head examined," Jindal said on Fox News's "Fox & Friends." "And the reason I say that is, we've lost two presidential elections in a row, we need to be winning the debate of ideas-then we'll win elections," he said cautioning against "nonstop" presidential campaigning. "The country doesn't need four years of non-stop presidential-we just inaugurated a new term of this president's second term," said Jindal, often mentioned as a 2016 presidential contender. Instead, the new head of the Republican Governors Association suggested the party should focus on examining where the party went wrong during the 2012 cycle. "We as Republicans need to reject identity politics, reject this divisiveness, and instead appeal to what really unites us as Americans," Jindal said. Jindal, who has emerged as a vocal critic of his own party since the November election, told the Republican National Committee's meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, last month that it needed to "stop being the stupid party."

Actor Shauvik Kundagrami in film on Bengali diaspora
Kolkata: Mirroring the Indian diaspora in the US and how home struck Bengalis cope with contradicting realities back home in his film 'Maach Misti & More', actor Shauvik Kundagrami said he was 100 per cent Kolkatan to the core. "I am not a migratory bird flocking to this city in one time of the year. I am as much at home in this city as I am in San Jose or elsewhere in the States. I have Bengali genes within me but again I am cosmopolitan outside like every present day Kolkatan," says Shauvik. Asked if the character's supposed return to America, after deciding to set up base in the city of his roots implied Kolkata was not as much adaptive to the changes, Shauvik said "on the contrary you may dub it as the clock turning full circle. Things change but then again return back to where they were." Shauvik, who had also featured in Anjan Dutt's Bong Connection in 2006, would rate the two films as two sides of mirrors.

Deepak Chopra to headline Akshaya Patra's Atlanta fundraiser
Atlanta: Dr. Deepak when creativity and comChopra will be in Atpassion come together.” lanta on Saturday, “A charitable donation March 30 as the keynote should be evaluated like speaker for a fundraising any other investment -dinner to benefit the Aknamely, consider which shaya Patra Foundation, one will earn the best rean organization that proturn,” explained vides freshly prepared Palaniswamy “Raj” Raschool lunches to more jan, who was instrumenthan 1.3 million undertal in founding the Akprivileged children shaya Patra Foundation’s every day at more than chapter in Atlanta. 9,000 schools across “Akshaya Patra needs nine states in India. Dr. Deepak Chopra just $15 to deliver school “There is no one more lunches to one child for appropriate than Deepak Chopra, a an entire year, so the funds we raise are world-renowned mind-body healing very important -- and they certainly are pioneer, to inspire our minds as we used very efficiently and productivehelp fill the stomachs of needy young ly.” students,” said Rakesh Chauhan, Pres“Significant progress requires signifident and CEO of Banyan Investment icant support, so we depend on conGroup, who serves as co-chairman of cerned community members and on the event, which is appropriately titled special events such as ‘Body & Soul’ to “Body & Soul.” help us eliminate hunger and promote According to Chopra, who serves on education -- one child at a time,” added the Advisory Board of the Akshaya Pa- Madhu Sridhar, President and CEO of tra Foundation USA, the organization Akshaya Patra USA, based in Massais “a perfect example of what happens chusetts.

Dance show winner makes Bollywood debut with ABCD
New York: For Lauren Gottlieb, the winner of dance reality show So You Think You Can Dance, making her Bollywood debut with dance movie ABCD is a dream come true. Lauren is set to make her debut in Bollywood with Remo D'Souza's directorial venture ABCD (Any Body Can Dance), a 3D dance film. "When Remo approached me for this film, I agreed as I liked the script. I believe everything happens for a reason. It was my biggest dream to do a dance film and now it has come true through Remo," said Lauren . "Somewhere, I have taken a chance with this film. And I hope people will like me," she said. Talking about her role, Lauren says, "I play a girl named Rhea, who is a very talented and determined dancer. She starts out in a contemporary ballet school and decides to follow her teacher when he decides to leave the school and head to a more underground urban dance scene." "She gets pulled from being a con-

Lauren Gottlieb in a still from ABCD

temporary dancer to a hip hopper, which in turn helps her to open up and find her true passion through dance," she said. Considering she is making her debut in Bollywood, Lauren had to take training in learning Hindi. "I had a tutor who helped with the dialogues. I can speak a bit of Hindi on my own now," she said.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

US AFFAIRS

February 9-15, 2013

9

Republicans blast Obama's stopgap budget fix as ploy to push tax hikes
President Obama made a statement on the sequester at a White House briefing Tuesday.

Washington: President Obama is facing strident Republican criticism that his latest call for a stopgap fix to avert automatic budget cuts is an unserious proposal that would once again lock in permanent tax hikes without addressing the country's spending. The president went to Annapolis, Md., Wednesday to sell that and

other policy proposals to Senate Democrats at their annual retreat. With Congress facing a March 1 deadline before sweeping defense and other cuts kick in, Obama on Tuesday said the best thing to do if they can't meet that deadline is to pass a package of "spending cuts and tax reforms" that would push off the deadline for a "few more months."

But Republican leaders roundly rejected the idea. "At some point, Washington has to deal with its spending problem. Now, I've watched them kick this can down the road for 22 years that I've been here," House Speaker John Boehner said Wednesday. "It's just more of the same," House Republican Leader Eric Cantor told Fox News. Cantor and others claimed that after the fiscal-crisis deal yielded a tax rate increase on top earners, Obama and his Democratic allies are trying to squeeze in more tax hikes in lieu of spending cuts. Republicans also want to replace the

indiscriminate spending cuts set to hit March 1. But they want to replace them with other spending cuts. Meanwhile, lawmakers across Capitol Hill are putting out dueling proposals to deal with the March 1 deadline. The Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of liberal House Democrats, on Tuesday unveiled a bill that would cancel the looming spending cuts and replace them with tax hikes. It would also cut $300 billion from the Pentagon and divert it to "job creation." House Republicans are sure to oppose the bill. Republicans on the armed services

committees in both chambers unveiled a proposal of their own on Wednesday. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, RN.H., introduced a bill that would replace the cuts for one year, by reducing the federal workforce and imposing a pay freeze on Congress. The automatic cuts add up to roughly $1 trillion over 10 years. While many lawmakers are still committed to achieving that level of deficit reduction and more, the fact that half the cuts hit the Pentagon -which is already dealing with cutbacks -- and the other half hit domestic programs favored by Democrats has made the current course unpalatable in Washington.

US can kill Americans linked to Al Qaeda, says memo
Washington: A confidential leaders of Al Qaeda or an memo obtained by media associated force: and published Tuesday 1. When "an informed, spells out the US governhigh-level official of the US ment's legal justification for government has determined killing US citizens linked to that the targeted individual Al Qaeda. The memo offers poses an imminent threat of a rare look at one of the violent attack against the US most secretive policies of 2. When capturing the Imam Anwar President Obama's adminindividual is not feasible al-Awlaki was killed istration. "The president 3. When such action is by a US drone in has authority to respond to consistent with the princiYemen in 2011. the imminent threat posed ples of war The memo by Al Qaeda and its associated forces, states that in such circumstances, the arising from his constitutional respon- killing would be lawful under US and sibility to protect the country," as well international law. At least four US citias the right to national self-defense and zens have been killed in US drone congressional authorization for mili- strikes in Yemen. tary force against Al Qaeda, the 16Anwar al-Awlaki, a Muslim cleric page document reads. born in the US, was killed by a drone The memo, released by NBC News, strike in September 2011, and was spells out three circumstances in which accused of helping an organization, the US government finds just cause for affiliated with Al Qaeda, plan attacks the use of lethal force against its own against the US, according to the citizens who are senior operational Washington Post.

Feds: S&P defrauded investors, leading to crash of ‘07
Washington: Standard & Poor's defrauded investors of billions of dollars by issuing falsely inflated credit ratings on financial instruments at the heart of the national financial crisis, US Attorney General Eric Holder alleged Tuesday. Holder accused S&P of falsely claiming that its high ratings were independent and objective. In reality, Holder charged, the ratings were influenced by conflicts of interest and the firm's drive to reap higher profits by pleasing bond issuers at the expense of investors. Federal investigators found evidence of more than $5 billion in losses to institutional investors from mortgage-backed bonds rated by S&P between March and October 2007, the period just before the financial crisis. "During this period, nearly every single mortgagebacked, collateralized debt obligation that was rated by S&P not only unperformed, but failed," Holder said during a news briefing at the Department of Justice. "Put simply, this conduct is egregious, and it goes to the very heart of the recent financial crisis." The case is the government's first major action against one of the credit rating agencies that stamped their seals of approval on Wall Street's mortgage bundles. It marks a milestone for the Justice Department, which has been criticized for failing to make bigger cases against the companies involved in the crisis. S&P, a unit of New York-based McGraw-Hill, has denied wrongdoing. It says the government also failed to predict the subprime mortgage crisis. The government's lawsuit says S&P was more concerned with making money than issuing accurate ratings. It says the company delayed updating its ratings models, rushed through the ratings process and kept giving high ratings even after it was aware that the subprime market was flailing while it gave high marks to investments made of subprime mortgages. The government filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles late Monday. The government charged S&P under a law aimed at making sure banks invest safely, and said that S&P's alleged fraud made it possible to sell the investments to banks. If S&P is eventually found to have committed civil violations, it could face fines and limits on how it does business. The government said in its filing that it's seeking financial penalties. McGraw-Hill shares dropped 5.3%, to $47.65 in morning trading Tuesday after plunging nearly 14% Monday in anticipation of the filing of the lawsuit.

Beyonce struts back onto world stage with tour, film
Los Angeles: Hot on the heels of her hijinks Super Bowl performance, US singer Beyonce on Monday announced a world tour starting in April, the latest move in her carefully choreographed return to music. The singer, who was watched by more than 100 million people as she performed at half-time in New Orleans on Sunday, is making a comeback after taking a year off following the birth of her first child with rapper husband Jay-Z. The Super Bowl was her second major public appearance this year after she performed at President Obama's inauguration, after which she admitted that she sang with a pre-recorded track of the national anthem. On Sunday there was no questioning her vocal skills and her live performance. She called out to the crowd midsong during a string of hits in her 12minute set and reunited on stage with former Destiny's Child band members, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, for their hits "Bootylicious" and "Independent Woman." Reviews of her performance were largely positive, with hashtags :#SuperBeyonce" and "#BeyonceBowl" becoming top trending topics on Twitter. David Rooney at The Hollywood Reporter said it was tough for Beyonce to follow Madonna's 2012 Super Bowl performance. "(But) she pulled together a slick, hits-laden performance that combined the tightly choreographed spectacle of Madge's show with her own thoroughbred vocal pyrotechnics," he said. A power outage at the stadium following her performance, which led to a half-hour delay in the game, prompted her husband of five years to tweet: "Lights out!!! Any questions??" On the back of the praise, Beyonce, 31, wasted no time in announcing her world tour, which starts in Belgrade on April 15 and includes 20 European cities and more than 20 North American venues. Slated to run for almost one year, a second wave is planned for Latin America, Australia and Asia. The notoriously private singer will also open up about her life in a new documentary, "Life is But a Dream," which she directed, that is set to air on HBO on February 16.

Beyonce gave an electrifying halftime performance at the Super Bowl.

10

February 9-15, 2013

US AFFAIRS

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

What did Ed Koch have against Rudy Giuliani?
Koch, who died last week, served as NYC mayor for 12 years (1978-1989) and became synonymous with the name of the city he governed well. But why did he repeatedly berate Giuliani, who transformed New York from a crime infested place to the safest big city in the country?
By Robert Golomb he deserved chorus of accolades and tributes after the recent death of former Democrat NYC Mayor Ed Koch keeps coming in. As well they should. Koch served as mayor for 12 years and became synonymous during that time in the minds of many New Yorkers and non-New Yorkers alike with the name of the city he governed. Since he left office nearly 24 years ago, his presence on the New York scene as a writer, radio and television commentator, political activist and just plain quintessential, lovable old New Yorker will keep his memory alive in the hearts of New Yorkers for generations to come. Koch’s palpable love for New York and New Yorkers was as apparent as the city’s skyscrapers. And yet that begs a question. What did Koch have against Republican Rudy Giuliani, a man whom he twice crossed party lines to support for Mayor, and a man whom Koch admitted had improved the quality of life for the same ordinary New Yorkers whom Koch so obviously loved and who now mourn his loss? Koch had a long and famous history of attacking Giuliani at seemingly any opportunity -- the only respite being the two mayoral election contests in which he supported Giuliani. In his last shot at Giuliani, less than two months before his death, Koch, commenting upon the then likely (and later formally announced) mayoral candidacy of Republican Joe Lhota, who had served as deputy mayor under Giuliani in the 1990’s, told a newspaper, “I don’t believe that the city will elect a Republican at this time, which is what Joe Lhota is, because of his {Giuliani’s} pugnaciousness.” To be fair to Koch, Giuliani was widely viewed as being pugnacious during his two terms in Gracie Mansion. But, it appears that only a fighter could have saved us back then. Just take a look back in time. On that cold New Year’s day that Giuliani took the oath of office to become the New York’s 107th mayor, New York was known as “Crime City”: A moniker even the most diehard New Yorkers couldn’t refute. Giuliani’ s 4 predecessors, beginning with John Lindsay back in 1966, had all but conceded that rising rates of serious crimes including the most troubling of all - the murder rate - were a fact of life that New Yorkers had no alternative but learn to accept and deal with. So the New Yorkers were told they had to learn how to survive in a

T

Since he left office 24 years ago, Koch’s presence on the New York scene as a writer, radio and TV commentator, political activist and just plain quintessential, lovable old New Yorker will keep his memory alive in the hearts of New Yorkers for generations to come.

Giuliani’s strong and decisive leadership in the wake of 9-11 attacks helped maintain the order and calm in a city that had just experienced unimaginable sorrow, grief and ruin.

city with a murder rate that under Lindsay’s 8 year tenure (1966-1973) would rise from 836 murder victims the year before he took office, to 2,040 the day he left. New Yorkers were even subsequently told to be grateful that under the one term mayoralty of Abraham Beame (1974-1977) the horrendous murder rate would be reduced to “only” 1919 victims in his final year in office. By the time Ed Koch (19781989) left office the “only” 1919 homicide victims from his predecessor’s administration had risen to 2,246, another deadly statistic New Yorkers were lectured to accept. (In total 24,139 New Yorkers were murdered from the first to the last day of Koch’s three terms.) The tragic number of innocent New Yorkers killed by human predators edged up even further under David Dinkins (1990-1993), reaching 2,420 in his fourth and final year in office. The murder rate cited above was only part of the picture of a city hovering on the brink of total lawlessness. Other serious crime – including forcible rape - had become a plague in New York, increasing with only slight statistical variances under Giuliani’s 4 predecessors. (In the final year of the Koch Administration, there were 5,242 reported cases of forcible rape and a slightly less 5,008 such violent assaults during Dinkins’ final year in office – both more than double since the pivotal year of 1965.) Giuliani was to soon turn around the crime ridden city he inherited by 360 degrees, even as legions of skeptics, pointing to mayors in large cities throughout America who were (and remain to this day) unable to halt the rising rate of serious crime in their own municipalities, claimed it would be impossible. But Giuliani - a former United States

Associate Attorney General long a serious student of criminal justice unlike Lindsay, Beame, Koch and Dinkins, and unlike his then mayoral counterparts in large urban areas across America - came in with a well thought out plan to combat crime. Adapting the controversial “Broken Windows” theory as his crime prevention philosophy, Giuliani and his first Police Commissioner, William Bratton, ordered the police brass to begin to direct street cops to concentrate on low-level crimes - such as graffiti and vandalism. One of the key underlying premises of the “Broken Window” theory, which had proven successful on an experimental basis in several small cities but was widely considered unworkable in a large city like New York, is that preventing minor crime in the short run will eventually lead to the prevention of more serious crime. But, Giuliani knew, every theory requires a strategy to support it. So just as the “Broken Window” theory was the underlying philosophical pillar of Giuliani’s war to deter crime, “Computer Mapping” became the key strategy by which the actual war against criminals was fought. Employing sophisticated computer technology to identify the exact locations in neighborhoods in which violent crime was prevalent, police brass flooded those areas with uniformed and plain clothed officers. Many would-be violent criminals were deterred by the sight of uniformed police. Actual perpetrators were being caught and arrested in increasing proportions during or after the commission of their crimes. Ultimately, far more criminals in jail contributed to far less crime in the streets. “Crime City” had finally earned a

new title. In 2001, as Giuliani’s second term came to an end, the FBI recognized New York, with its 70% decrease in the murder rate (960 occurred that year) and overall 56% drop in serious crime, as the “Safest Large City in America.” That New York has kept that title and even become a safer town under Mayor Bloomberg the past 12 years, according to Bloomberg himself, a man not known for his modesty, would not have been possible had it not been for Giuliani. Ending the crime wave would prove to have a snowball effect that continues to provide a better life for New Yorkers to this day. Safe neighborhoods resulted in increasing property values throughout the city. A safe city motivated business people to open up shop throughout the 5 boroughs, creating jobs and producing tax revenue. A safe city revitalized the tourism industry, which, prior to Giuliani, had been on the decline for decades. Staying at our hotels, eating in our restaurants, attending our theaters, riding in our cabs, the foreign visitors, vacationers and business travelers who returned to New York in record numbers further added to our increasing tax revenue, and, at the same time, helped create additional service industry jobs. But this increasing tax revenue alone would not have been enough to repair New York’s broken budget. Again beginning with Lindsay and continuing to grow throughout the subsequent aforementioned administrations, an inexorably increasing percentage of New York’s tax revenue was set aside to pay for welfare recipients. A budget breaking one million New Yorkers, an almost inconceivable one in eight city residents, were on welfare at the start of Giuliani’s first term. By the end of

his second term, that number had been reduced to less than 400,000, as a result of the city’s ambitious “Workfare” program, which moved 691,000 people off government hand- outs and led them to enter the city’s growing work force. The increase in tax revenue and the decrease in welfare expenditures enabled Giuliani to reduce taxes. This tax reduction (as conservative economists argue tax reductions always will) produced a higher amount of tax revenue coming into the city. All of this enabled Giuliani to turn the two billion dollar plus deficit he inherited from David Dinkins to the multi billon dollar surplus he was to pass on to Michael Bloomberg. And then, of course, there was the darkest day in the history of New York, September 11, 2001. Giuliani’s nationally praised strong and decisive leadership on that tragic day - and the horrible days after when New York was locating, counting and burying its almost three thousand murdered citizens helped maintain the order and calm in a city that had just experienced unimaginable sorrow, grief and ruin. Why then would Koch have been so inclined to berate a man who has made the city such a better place to live for the average New Yorker, whose champion Koch had so long been? That is a question that will probably forever go unanswered for those countless New Yorkers, who, while fondly remembering the life and public service of the iconic Ed Koch, will continue to celebrate the day that Rudy Giuliani became their Mayor. Robert Golomb is a nationally published columnist. He writes on a range of educational, cultural and political topics. MrBob [email protected]

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

INDIA

February 9-15, 2013

11

With eye on 2014, Modi says he is visionary leader
New Delhi: In a speech with barely disguised claims of his capabilities, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi portrayed himself as a visionary who wants to see India as a global power. In an hour-long speech at the Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) here, Modi underlined that the government's job was not to run businesses but to provide good governance -- and he was doing so in Gujarat. As Modi spoke in Delhi University's second oldest college, hundreds of leftwing protesters screamed slogans against him for his role in the 2002 communal riots in the state. Police used water cannons and batons to disperse them after they pulled down police barricades outside the college. But the protest outside had no impact on Modi, who got a roaring welcome in SRCC. He pressed the need to re-brand India, saying India's young could do it. Amid repeated applause, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran told the hundreds of students that Indian leaders should view the country's youths as "new age power", not "new age voters". "If this thinking persists, the situation can't change," he said. "I think differently." Modi made no criticism of any politician but left amid applause, he governed -with optimism and hope. Modi recalled that when he was young, the "Made in Japan" brand stood for quality. "Why can't we brand Made in India globally?" The world, he said, was eyeing India for its market. "The time has come to make the world a market for us and dump our products there." Modi said the 21st century will belong to India. "Our youths have the ability to achieve that... There was a time when we were seen as a nation of snake charmers and black magic. India's image has today changed, thanks to our youngsters. "We are a nation of mouse charmers," he said to laughter, referring to the Indian strength in software. Modi presented himself as different from the rest of the political class, one who had a long-term vision and one who had faith in the Indian youth. He made no reference to Hindutva issues or the growing clamor in the BJP that he be named the prime ministerial candidate. This was Modi's first major speech outside Gujarat since he took oath as chief minister in December for the fourth time after leading the BJP to a thumping electoral win.

Ashok Singhal compares Modi with Nehru

Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi advocates development politics; says votebank politics ruined country

no one in doubt that he was pitching himself as a progressive and visionary leader. Marshalling facts and figures to prove how Gujarat has developed since he became chief minister in 2001, he said: "The root of all our problems is a disease called lack of good governance." In Gujarat, he said, "we have given emphasis on good governance". A leader's job "is to visualize the situation ahead, look for new avenues, and bring about changes in the situation". "We see that in the last six decades, we (India) have failed to do that. As a result there is wide-

spread despondency," he said, addressing the more than 1,000 students at the college basketball ground in Hindi. "But I think differently," Modi went on, and said in Gujarat he had used the "same constitution, same laws, same rules and regulations, same files, same offices (and) same people" to bring about radical changes. The 62-year-old then picked up a glass of water, and said: "The optimist will say this is half full, the pessimist will say it is half empty. I have a third view. This glass is full - half with water, half with air." This was the way, he pointed out

Allahabad: Comparing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi with India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal said the public demand that Modi be made prime minister reminded him of Nehru. "There was demand from the masses in the first general elections to make Nehru prime minister... I see a similar demand for Modi now," Singhal told reporters in Allahabad. He, however, said that it was up to the political party (BJP) to decide who would be its prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 polls. The VHP leader's statement came even as BJP national president Rajnath Singh was set to attend a meeting of the central advisory committee of the VHP here, amid reports that Modi's candidature for prime ministership will be discussed at a conclave during the ongoing Maha Kumbh.

India's political system can respond well: Washington Post
Washington: An influential US daily has hailed India's new laws against sexual violence, saying the "political system can respond to an urgent popular demand for change", and wondered if the US political system would respond the same way to the massacre of innocent children at an elementary school. "India has a reputation as a place where needed government action comes slowly, if it all," noted the Washington Post's Editorial Board in an editorial titled "India's government, impelled to action on rape." "This fault is often blamed on the country's democracy, which is said to be ineffective compared to the authoritarian regimes of China or Russia." However, on Sunday the Indian cabinet, it noted, ratified a landmark package of laws dealing with sexual violence, just 56 days after the brutal gang rape of a 23-yearold woman on a New Delhi bus. "The reforms fall short of what is needed and must be seen only as the beginning of a struggle to protect women from rape, trafficking and other abuses," the Post said. "But they also demonstrate why India's political system can respond in a way unthinkable in Beijing or Moscow." "India has nevertheless shown how its political system can respond to an urgent popular demand for change," the Post said suggesting that the same could certainly not be said of China or Russia. "As for the United States, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings occurred two days before the New Delhi rape; whether our political system will respond to the subsequent outcry remains to be seen," the daily said.

Protests outside SRCC over Modi's visit

The police resorted to lathi-charge and water cannons to disperse students

New Delhi: Left-wing students outfits staged protests outside Delhi University's Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's visit. ABVP activists also thronged the site to support Modi. The police resorted to lathicharge and water cannons to disperse students of Left-wing unions who tried to pull down the barricades and gain entry into the college where Modi was addressing

students. Around 600 policemen, some of them in riot gear, tried to bring the situation under control. Angry students shouted, "Modi go back!" Posters held up by protestors read: "Expose Modi!" Meanwhile, Akhil Bharaitya Vidyarthi Parishad members raised slogans in praise of Modi. "People of Gujarat have not got justice yet. How can Modi be welcomed when he had such a big role in the Gujarat riots? It is not all about

development," Prashant Singh, a member of the All India Students' Federation, told IANS. "The development model of Modi is needed in the entire country. He is the best leader and India needs people like him," Utkarsh Sahni, a student of DU's PGDAV college, said. Many of the students belonged to the All India Students' Association, the Students Federation of India and the All India Students Federation -- all Left-wing unions.

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February 9-15,2013

INDIA

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Kashmir's all-girl rock band quits performing
Srinagar: The teacher of the allgirl rock band against whom a 'fatwa' was issued said that the girls have stopped performing even as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah promised police investigations into the threats. Adnan Muhammad Mattoo, who trained the three Class 10 girls before they formed the valley's first girls' rock band, said: "Since the grand mufti, whom we treat as part of the government, says they must not play music, the three girls have decided to quit." "I formed the valley's first rock band, Blood Rock, seven years ago. I now feel seven years of my life have been wasted. I have also decided to quit and give up my pursuit of rock music," Mattoo said. He added that there are nearly 40 rock bands in the state. "Their future is also in doldrums now," he said. After receiving threats on the social media, the family sources of the three girls who formed the Pragaash band said they had told their wards not to continue their pursuit. Bashir-ud-din Ahmed, head of the Muslim clergy in Kashmir, issued a 'fatwa' (religious decree) asking the parents of the three girls to impart religious education to their daughters and labeled the girls' performance as "a shameful act". Separatist leaders also disaptheir vested interests." He added: "These are elements which do not want the youth of Kashmir to be a part of the national mainstream in democratic India." The band Pragaash (morning light) comprising three Class 10 girls, gave their first live performance at Srinagar's music festival, Battle of the Bands, Dec last year.

Three held for online threats to band
Noma Nazir, Aneeqa Khalid, and Farah Deeba formed the Kashmir Valley's first all girl rock band Pragaash last year.

proved of the girl's band and said: "This (band) was against moral values and they (the girls) should refrain from singing. There is no place for such acts in Islam." Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had hoped on his micro-blogging Twitter site that the three talented girls would not give up under threats from "a handful of morons". Abdullah also said he would have the threats against the girls investigated. Mehbooba Mufti, president of opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), said here Monday that Kashmiri women singers like Raj Begum, Kailash Mehra and Shamima Azad had been widely appreciated and encouraged. "I don't know what religious reasons the grand mufti had to issue his decree, but I feel it is being blown

out of proportion," she said. PDP spokesperson Naeem Akhtar told media persons: "Music is part of our spiritual culture since decades. Kashmir has produced many women singers and Kashmiris are still fond of their songs." Ruling National Conference leader Mustafa Kamal said: "The chief minister has said he would provide security to these girls if they want to pursue their passion. He has also said he would not intervene if the girls decided to give up their pursuit of music." Taking strong exception to the 'fatwa', state BJP chief spokesperson Jitendra Singh said: "These (fundamentalists) who are uncomfortable with the return of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir want to keep the Kashmir pot boiling for

Kashmir girl rock band Pragaash performing at Battle of Bands

Srinagar: Three people accused of posting threats on social networking sites against the Kashmir girl rock band Pragaash have been arrested, an official said. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said more arrests were possible. The arrests took place late Wednesday after special investigating team (SIT) headed by a deputy

superintendent probed the threats against the three-member all girl band, police said. "One was arrested from Baba Wayil village of Ganderbal district, the other from Srinagar city and the third from south Kashmir's Anantang district," a police official said. The chief minister expressed satisfaction over the arrests and said more were possible.

Tell Sri Lanka to devolve power, India urged
Mumbai: India must press Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse "to ensure reconciliation, devolution of power and justice", Human Rights Watch said. "India has reason to be disappointed that Sri Lanka has failed to uphold its commitments to New Delhi, to the international community and to the people of Sri Lanka," the rights body said in a statement. "We hope that India will continue to encourage the Rajapaksa government to do the right thing to ensure reconciliation, devolution of power and justice," said Meenakshi Ganguly, its South Asia director. Rajapaksa, who is set to visit India this week on a pilgrimage, has come out against devolving powers to provinces, a statement seen as a U-turn on the promises he has made to Indian leaders in the past.

Envoy sees limitless horizon for India-US ties
Washington: Noting an "increasing convergence" of Indian and US interests across major global issues, Indian ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao says she sees a "virtually limitless horizon" for the two countries to achieve together. "Just as we share values of democracy, freedom, tolerance and diversity, there is an increasing convergence of our interests across major global issues," she said in a congratulatory letter to Republican House member Peter Roskam, the new co-chair of the Congressional Caucus of India and Indian Americans. "Today, it is an exciting time for India-US relations when we have a virtually limitless horizon of what we can achieve together, with our futures linked in so many ways," Rao wrote. The Republican party selected Roskam as co-chair to join Democrat co-chair Joe Crowley to head the largest caucus dedicated to one country in the House charged with advancement of US-India relations. He takes over from Ed Royce, who has become chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and on the panel.

President Pranab Mukherjee at Surajkund Arts and Crafts mela in Surajkund, Haryana. (Photo: IANS)

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

INDIA

February 9-15, 2013

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Notice to Buddha for questioning Mamata's honesty Stop targeting Kurien in Suryanelli case: Chandy
Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress has slapped a legal notice on former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and demanded an apology from him for questioning his successor Mamata Banerjee's honesty. The notice, sent by lawyer Rajdeep Mazumdar following the directive of the party's all India general secretary Mukul Roy, asked Bhattacharjee to apologize publicly within 48 hours for his remarks against the Trinamool chief, failing which the party would start legal proceedings against him in both civil and criminal courts. Raising questions about Banerjee being projected as a "symbol of honesty" by the Trinamool, CPI-M politburo member Bhattacharjee Tuesday asked the media to probe her family's financial situation after she came to power. On Wednesday, Trinamool leader and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim slammed Bhattacharjee. "Nobody in Indian politics can question Mamata Banerjee's honesty. Workers of the Trinamool Congress believe her. The people of the state believe her. Buddhadeb should come to his senses. When that happens, he will admit his mistake and apologise to Banerjee," Hakim said. "Bhattacharjee left (former chief minister) Jyoti Basu's ministry in the 1990s. His daughter said he would not continue in a ministry of thieves. But he rejoined the cabinet in a couple of years lured by its office," he said. Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy urged the media to refrain from linking Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien to the Suryanelli sex scandal, saying he has been "exonerated by two previous state governments and the Supreme Court" from the charges. "It's most unfortunate that the media has targeted Kurien in the Suryanelli case. Kurien has been exonerated both by two previous Left governments in Kerala and the Supreme Court," Chandy told reporters at a press conference here. The apex court Jan 31 canceled a Kerala High Court verdict acquitting all but one of the accused in the 1996 Suryanelli sex scandal and ordered a retrial in the case. The victim Friday indicated that she was considering the legal option of re-opening the case against Kurien. "The victim said the same things about Kurien

Former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Hakim then referred to the Left Front's defeat in the 2011 assembly polls. "Bhattacharjee was rejected by the people of the state. Even people of his constituency rejected him. He has no moral right to make such allegations against a person of integrity like Banerjee, who is a real mass leader," Hakim said. "We condemn his statement. Mamata Banerjee has faith in the people. We leave the matter to the people who will give a befitting reply (to Bhattacharjee)," he said. Lashing out at Bhattacharjee, who had during a TV interview gave Banerjee a "zero" for her performance, Hakim said: "When West Bengal is on the fast track to development, peace and progress, he is giving a zero to the government. Bhattacharjee himself is a big zero. Can you name one industrial venture which succeeded during his tenure? In contrast, he left the state with 55,000 closed factories".

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien

that she said 17 years ago," Chandy said. "We did everything according to the rule of law and Kurien has been exonerated by the apex court. Raising this issue again is nothing but an attempt for political gain. This is really sad, especially the media targeting Kurien," he said. The chief minister said the scandal took place when A.K. Antony was state chief minister, and a police team appointed by him had prepared a list of accused. But soon the Left

government assumed office, a new probe was conducted under police officer Siby Mathews. The Suryanelli case was named after the place where the victim hailed from in the state's Idukki district. The crime occurred January 1996 when the then 16-year-old was threatened, abducted, abused by a bus conductor, and brutally raped and treated as a pleasure object for a period of 45 days by 42 men.

14

February 9-15, 2013

VALENTINE'S DAY

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Learning to love
Only when we fill the inner void by turning within can we truly love the other.
By Pulkit Sharma nkit and Pallavi had been married for three years, when they came for counseling. Before marriage, they had been in a committed relationship for nine years and had stuck by each other through the highs and lows of their individual lives. Both of them were sure that they were made for each other. They had had a good marriage with minor differences of opinion, which they maturely sorted out. Both report that until sometime ago, there was a good level of understanding and connect between them. Ankit, however, has developed feelings for a female friend over the last year. He is rethinking whether to stay in the marriage. After we discussed all possible reasons for wanting to move out from a relationship, we understood that Ankit was searching for something which he could not put into words, but hoped to find in his new relationship. He was extremely depressed that his wife could not provide the same. This brings us to the oft-asked question of why people find it hard to remain in love? I have been grappling with this question myself while providing therapy to couples. Contrary to popular belief, it is not our animal nature, advent of multiple dating and relationship sites, or the lust for sex. Psychologically, there is something far deeper and complex. Any new relationship seems to start on a great note. The couple exchanges numerous text messages and phone calls everyday, catches up every weekend at least, and spends many minutes each day, engrossed in fantasies of the new person in their life.

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Avidly, they explore each other’s inner psychological world, and experience bliss in the strong hope that they have finally found the soul mate they craved for. Life appears perfect and blessed by Divinity. In all romance stories, there comes a day eventually when we get a rude and painful shock – the person differs from our image of the perfect one. There is rage and pain. One feels cheated, and tries to convey this to the other person. For some people this becomes the point of break-up, while others hold on to hope and give it another try. Depending on their sense of self, people are able to deal with this pain to varying extents and continue. But the really important question is to inquire why we need the other to be perfect. The truth is that we need perfection in the other because a void exists within our self. And we expect to get this fulfillment from our relationships. This becomes a major reason why people find it hard to stay committed in relationships. This is not to say that there are no bad and abusive relationships. But, for the moment, we are focusing on what goes on in most normal healthy relationships. Love idealized All of us feel disappointed with our selves to certain degrees. It may be lack of confidence, physical beauty, courage, patience, financial stability, university education, or a tendency towards mood swings. We feel helpless to change these attributes, and this helplessness creates the fantasies of an idealized other who will come some day, fill our gaps and make us perfect. We look for this powerful other in God, parents, teachers, and friends, but most importantly in our romantic relationships, because they

are the most intimate ones. In the Bhagvatam, there is an interesting story of a prostitute named Pingla. One night she dressed beautifully and stood at her door looking for a wealthy customer. Although many approached her, she kept rejecting them in her hope for an ideal man. One can infer that Pingla was trying to fill an inner vacuum. We all are similar to Pingla. We enter a new relationship in the hope of filling our inner emptiness and we idealize the other person. Love devalued This idealization of the other puts a lot of burden on them as they are expected to do more than they realistically can. Reena, a psychologist in training, who comes to me for self-analysis, felt ugly from within, and this made her extremely sensitive to rejections. In her relationships, she looked for a grandiose degree of acceptance. She terminated three relationships, only because there was a single instance in which the person had not talked to her when she wanted to. Many people have confided in me that they feel angry with God for not having given them what they wanted. When one partner is unable to change according to the wishes of the other, disappointment sets in. The pain and rage destroys their perception of the relationship, and one is not receptive to what the other person is offering. As a result, one wants to exit the relationship, or think of it as a compromise. The other person’s love, which was once cherished, gets devalued and is not acknowledged any more. In the story from Bhagvatam, Pingla feels shattered to see that there is no one to give her what she wants and she is all alone. In a similar manner,

amidst potentially good and loving relationships, we continue to feel empty, unloved, and uncared for. Love valued Aman, a client of mine who came for psychoanalysis was often enraged that his wife did not understanding him. He was convinced that if she really loved him she would have sensed all his needs and emotions without him having to say anything. As we worked through his negative sense of self, he could see that this expectation was unrealistic, and started valuing the fact that though his wife had no magical powers to read his mind, she had tolerated his disappointment and stood by him. Pingla, after suffering moments of great despair, realizes her folly. By looking towards people outside to fulfill her inner void she was chasing a mirage. The acceptance of this void alerts her, that the divine love has always been with her and she feels fulfilled. It is only when we understand that there is a void within which none can fill except our own selves, that we neither idealize nor devalue others and cherish whatever love and good exists in our life. When we become active agents of our own life, we can see how the love and care of others is filling and healing our lives. It is therefore important to understand how realistic our hopes and expectations from the relationship are. Once this awareness sets

in, we start working on ourselves, only to realize that love and care from the partner always existed. Then the mad thirst for the perfect relationship ends and we feel satisfied with what we have. Self-analysis Follow these simple steps to reflect on whether you devalue the love that exists in your life: Ask yourself whether your perception of the relationship changes intensely and whether you feel a strong ambivalence towards the other person. Sit with a piece of paper and write down comprehensively what you want from your relationship. Be nonjudgmental. Evaluate how realistic your expectations are and whether it is possible to measure up to them. Also, ask yourself if you would be able to do something similar for the other. Ask yourself where these expectations have come from and why they are important for you. Analyze whether you feel unfulfilled or empty and for how long you have been feeling so. Think about ways to fulfill the void within yourself. The author is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalytical therapist at Vimhans Hospital, Delhi. (Courtesy: Life Positive magazine)

Celebs vote for their 'Love Capital'
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head of the forthcoming Valentine's Day, celebrities like Sania Mirza and Ayushmann Khurrana have voted for "India's Love Capital", an online project to "bring in a feeling of positivity". Tennis star Sania voted Hyderabad as her Love Capital because "I've lived there all my life", while actor Ayushmann has picked two cities - Delhi and Chandigarh. The movement, by Snapdeal.com, aims to get votes from people across the country for the city they associate with love. "My Love Capital is an endeavor by us to bring back positivity and love for our country, its cities and the people around us," Kunal Bahl, cofounder and CEO, Snapdeal.com, said in a statement. "The measure of success in this movement is not which city emerges as the Love Capital of India, but whether it galvanizes people to feel more positive about the country we live in. We are hopeful and confident, that in our own small way, we'll be able to move the needle," he added. The voting began Feb 4, and the results of the poll will be announced Feb 13, a day before Valentine's Day. A dedicated online destination with presence on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter will act as the platform for the movement, where anyone would be able to vote, upload photographs and videos denoting the city they associate with love the most.

Tennis star Sania Mirza loves Hyderabad. ‘Vicky Donor’ fame Ayushmann Khurrana loves Delhi and Chandigarh.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

VALENTINE'S DAY

February 9-15, 2013

15

South Asian Mills & Boon is here
ebruary 2013 will see the launch of Indirom, an online platform that will showcase romance and captivating stories from around South Asia, written by South Asians for a target audience comprising South Asian at home and abroad. Readers will be able to log on to the Indirom website, which is designed as an e-publishing platform and bookstore, and view the collection of books exclusively written for, and published by Indirom. They will be able to select the book they like, purchase it online, and either read the book online or download it to an electronic device of their choice (computer, reader, tablet or smartphone). Established by Naheed Hassan and Shanti Dominic, Indirom aims to connect fresh and compelling voices from South Asia with discerning readers globally. The writing and plots are reflective of a modern South Asian ethos and culture, and tell modern, compelling stories that will appeal to young, modern, urban South Asians across the spectrum. “South Asian romance, which has its own unique characteristics, is very different from the western concept of romance, and is rooted in South Asian culture and tradition. South Asian women today are independent, career-minded, and forward thinking and are able to

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On Valentine's Day, Indirom will be launched with the release online of two score romance novellas rooted in South Asian culture and tradition.

Indirom co-founders Naheed Hassan and Shanti Dominic

relate to romance that is more than just escapist. They are coming of age and able to wear their brand of romance and their sensuality and sexuality on their terms, rather than search for it in western romances and in western contexts,” says Naheed Hassan. On February 14 Indirom planned to launch 40-45 new, unpublished authors from across India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, including some from among the South Asian diaspora and expatriate communities living in the UK, US, Singapore and Dubai. “Indirom has offered both the platform as well as the editorial support for young and new writers to achieve their dream of writing

and being published, and we will continue to nurture new talent,” says Shanti Dominic. “We are looking to redefine romance itself. We want to move away from escapism towards realism, with modern stories that the reader can relate to. We want to move away from women being objectified and into stories about women's feelings,” says Naheed. “We are clear that we are not aiming for literary intellectualism but for readable, enjoyable and current books that are reflective of the new South Asia. While desi romance is our main entry point into the market, we are also looking for writers in other genres, and will be expanding to other genres and

audiences over time.” The Indirom brand will be based on good stories, good writing and excellent editing. Shanti Dominic adds, “No formulas are provided and no rules are given to the authors, who have complete creative license in terms of story and voice. The authors are supported by a highly experienced editorial team. Through Indirom, we hope to be creating a thriving community of readers who enjoy reading wellwritten South Asian stories and a group of committed writers who are then able to profitably pursue their passion of writing.” In the past Naheed Hassan has incubated a skills-acceleration program for the Canadian

Government, has successfully launched the business faculty of a leading university, and as a social entrepreneur, has led initiatives in development and disaster relief. She holds an MPA in International Development from Harvard (Harvard Kennedy School), and an MBA from the Institute of Business. She lives in Boston. Before co-founding Indirom, Shanti Dominic worked at Temenos, one of the world’s largest banking software companies. She has worked from Switzerland, South Africa and the UAE. She holds an Engineering degree in Electronics and Communications and lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.

New app lets users have sex with Facebook friends?
controversial new sex app called "Bang With Friends" claims to facilitate sexual encounters with users and their Facebook friends without the embarrassment of rejection. "Anonymously find friends who are down for the night," the company website said. "Your friends will never know you're interested unless they are too!" The Bang With Friends app, aimed at 20somethings, was created by three "collegeaged" men from California, who are withholding their identities, according to US media reports. The app only alerts users of a potential hookup if both parties express interest by selecting what is called the "Down to Bang" button. The creators of the app said it has already gained more than 30,000 users, registering five new users every minute according to a report on the online tech site Mashable. Critics of "Bang With Friends" told RIA Novosti, putting the physical first is the reason for the demise of the majority of marriages and relationships in the US. "Back in the days people would court, they would go out with different people without exploring the sexual relationship because it allowed you to get to know what you may or may not have in common," said Kristen Crockett, a Washington-based relationship

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sex, one of the creators said. Crockett, who has authored several book on creating lasting relationships, met her current boyfriend of three years on eHarmony.com. She said the couple spent several weeks emailing and talking on the phone before they met in person. Crockett said she is a firm believer in using technology to cultivate a relationship, but this app goes about it the wrong way. coach. And while some who use the app may be more interested in sex than building a relationship, Crockett cautions users with the potential drawbacks of getting physical with a Facebook friend. "Once you start sleeping with someone, your red flags, your fears, all of those things get pushed into the back of your mind," she said. She added that often people ignore signals and signs because of how the person makes them feel physically. One of the app's creators told The Daily Beast that the group came up with the idea as a way to improve traditional online dating sites like Match.com. "It would be great, as guys, if you could find out which girls are actually into you and not dance around anything," he said. Skip the dating and jump straight to the

"I think the app contributes to people going into a relationship and actually dating backwards," Crocket said. "It's the exception more than the rule that a relationship will last if it has begun with a physical encounter rather than emotional spark," she added. Currently the app only matches users of the opposite sex. "Support for same-sex selections is already under development," the app's creators told Mashable.

Surf and ye shall find love too
hristians in the US trying to find their soul mates are turning with increasing frequency to the internet, so much so that Christian dating sites have become a booming and competitive business. "The benefit of coming to a site like ours is knowing you are coming to an online Christian community where you know people share your faith and your values," said Ashley Reccord, spokeswoman for ChristianMingle.com. "We are the largest and fastest growing online dating site for Christians," she said. With just over eight million registered members, ChristianMingle.com is the

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largest of a dozen or more Christian dating sites. It is also the most popular of the 28 different, niche-dating sites owned by Spark Networks including JDate.com which is targeted toward Jewish singles and has 750,000 active members. While LDSSingles.com is for Mormons, which reports over a thousand couples that have found their matches, BlackSingles.com reports thousands of members that log onto its site each day. The popularity of Christian dating sites across the US seems to contradict reports about the decline of religion in America, particularly for those under 30.

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February 9-15, 2013

ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Kamal Haasan thanks fans for support
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ctor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan has thanked his fans for the constant support that helped him steer clear of the controversies surrounding his multi-lingual film "Vishwaroopam". The film, which is written, produced and directed by Kamal, was finally released all over Tamil Nadu. "I am ever grateful to the Tamil Nadu and Indian people at large. Many peers in the trade in Tamil Nadu also reached out personally to enquire. Unbeknownst to me, the rest of my fraternity throughout the country raised their voice in my defense," Kamal said in a statement. He also said that it is the media which on his behalf fought the battle. "The media fought for my freedom as if it was theirs at stake - probably it is so. Nevertheless, the time they spent on my small cause and the warmth they imparted strengthened me," he added. The Rs.95 crore espionage thriller was set for release in Tamil and Telugu Jan 25, but a day before the release the Tamil Nadu government imposed a two-week ban on it fearing protests by Muslim groups. The ban on the film was revoked after Kamal agreed to edit a few scenes from his controversial film in the presence of Tamil Nadu Home Secretary R. Rajagopal and members from Muslim organisations. Kamal says he was moved to see how fans around the country sent donations to him, to soften the financial crisis, which was caused due to the delay in the release of the film. According to trade pundits, initial losses on the film were between Rs.30 crore to Rs.80 crore. "I was angered and hurt by injustice. I stood stoic through all the troubles but what broke me to an emotional pulp was the sight of money orders, currency notes and bank cheques sent to me by admirers to help me tide over my crisis," said the 58-year-old. "I will be sending all of these to the respective senders. Please do not take offense. All my fans, I owe you all a big salute. You respected my request as if it was my command and maintained peace and harmony in spite of provocation," he added.
A poster of Kamal Hasaan's controversial film 'Vishwaroopam'

'I felt very safe in Deepa Mehta's hands'

Rajinikanth to see Kamal's 'Vishwaroopam' T
hey've always been the best of friends and the best of rivals. The two icons of Tamil cinema - Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth have always stood by each other. It, therefore, comes as no surprise to know that the latter would be watching the former's controversial "Vishwaroopam”. Said Kamal: "I'm expressing my gratitude to all my colleagues in the Tamil film industry for standing by me. I've a screening at the 6 Degrees theatre in the Auro 3D format for all my friends." Said a source close to Kamal: "Yes, Rajini sir is indeed watching 'Vishwaroopam' on Kamal sir's request. Rajini Sir was one of the first actors in Tamil Nadu who spoke up in favor of Kamal sir's film when all the protests broke out. He even offered to do a film free of cost to compensate for the losses suffered by Kamal sir because of the protests. Kamal sir has arranged a screening of 'Vishwaroopam' in the special Auro 3D for Rajni

Kamal Haasan with Rajinikanth

sir." On Feb 9, Kamal leaves for Paris for the special French premiere on Feb 10 of "Vishwaroopam", which stars Kamal along with Pooja Kumar, Jaideep Ahlawat, Shekhar Kapur and Rahul Bose.

Milkha charged one rupee for biopic!
Shriya Saran in Deepa Mehta's 'Midnight's Children'

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ctress Shriya Saran, who features in Deepa Mehta's "Midnight's Children", says she had a "brilliant" experience working with the Canada-based Indian filmmaker, who played a perfect guide to her. "Working with Deepa was a life changing experience. She is brilliant to work with. She is very driven and I felt very safe in her hands," Shriya, who earlier worked in Mehta-scripted "Cooking With Stella", said. "She is very understanding and very sensitive. She's always there to guide you. Something very special about her is that every morning she comes and gives you a very warm hug," added the actress who is active in both Bollywood and southern cinema.

She is known for working in Tamil film "Shivaji: The Boss" and Bollywood film "Mission Istaanbul". The movie is a big screen adaptation of Salman Rushdie's Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name. The 30-year-old, who plays Parvati in the film, said: "Parvati is very a wonderful and strong character for any actor to play. She is one of the children born at the stroke of midnight, the moment India's independence was announced." "Midnight's Children" also features Rajat Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Anupam Kher, Ronit Roy, Satya Bhabha, Seema Biswas, Darsheel Safary, Shahana Goswami, Siddharth, Anita Majumdar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Soha Ali Khan.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Milkha Singh

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lying Sikh Milkha Singh took just one rupee from Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra to allow him to make a film on his life. What's special about the currency note is that it was printed in 1958, the year when the athlete won the

first gold medal for independent India in the Commonwealth Games. The biopic titled "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" features actor Farhan Akhtar in the lead role and is slated for a July release. "We wanted to give a priceless

token of appreciation to Milkhaji for letting us tell his story through our film. We looked for that something special for a very long time. Then we finally ended up sourcing a special Re.1 currency note that was printed in 1958," Rajiv Tandon, CEO, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Pictures Pvt. Ltd, said in a statement. The relevance of the note is that "in 1958 independent India won its first gold medal in Commonwealth Games because of Milkhaji and he also won two gold medals in Asian Games", added Tandon. Money was not Milkha's priority -- he only wanted Mehra to make the film. The legendary athlete wanted that "it should be made in such a way that it inspires more youngsters to earn medals in athletics", said Tandon. A source close to Singh said: "The legend (Milkha Singh) was extremely moved. It (Re.one note) was like a souvenir for him."

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD

February 9-15, 2013

17

It's Akshay versus Prabhudheva this Friday
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fter Kamal Haasan's bravura kathak in "Vishwaroop", it is time for some serious freestyle western dancing and a heist drama at the box office. "ABCD AnyBody Can Dance" and "Special 26", releasing this week, are mainstream entertainers, but those that bend the conventional rules of entertainment. Choreographer-director Remo D'Souza's "ABCD...", touted to be India's first true-blue dance film, is a dance film with Indian cinema's most celebrated filmbased dancer Prabhudheva taking the lead along with a lineup of well-known choreographers pitching as actors. Last week, we had the diligent Tamil superstar Vikram speaking his own Hindi lines in Bejoy Nambiar's "David". This week,

Akshay Kumar in 'Special 26' and Prabhudeva in 'ABCD - AnyBody Can Dance'

Prabhudheva too speaks his Hindi lines in his own voice. "It was a real ordeal. Not just for me, but the people who were assigned to get me to speak correctly. But I managed. Let's see how it goes," he said.

Contrary to rumors that he has only a cameo to play in 'ABCD...', Prabhudheva says he has a full-fledged role in the film. The other release "Special 26" is a realistic space for masala superstar Akshay Kumar after the

underwhelming performance of his out-and-out potboiler "Khiladi 786". Anupam Kher has gone on record to state that Akshay should be given the National award for his performance in "Special 26". The caper-heist adventure film

recreates a true-life incident in March 1987, where a bunch of conmen posing as CBI officers raided a well-known jewellery store in Mumbai and walked away with loot worth lakhs of rupees.

'Why aren't there more female musicians?'
that people are noticing music talent and they also want variations in music. It is good. Many young musicians like us are getting more opportunities to pull out their creative talent. "There are a lot of variations in music that need attention and it is good to get festivals like these, which are helping people to step out and give what the audience is actually getting interested in. Commercializing (the festivals) a bit has also helped, but then it is important to bring new things to the country," she added. Known popularly for her single "Reflections", Pais is not the only one from her family who is inclined towards music. "My dad loves music, so he plays the guitar and he sings superbly. He kind of got me and my brother into music. Right from when we were kids, I would sit down and just enjoy him playing for hours and I'd always get the best sleep. He played a lot of Bob Dylan and John Denver," she said. So what next after Storm fest? "I am actually writing a lot more songs and also I am recording a single," said the singer, who is also open to Bollywood.

There's someone in my life again: Zeenat Aman

Singer-songwriter Alisha Pais

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he non-Bollywood Indian music industry is burgeoning with new talent and genres, but women still seem hesitant to choose music as a career, says singer-songwriter Alisha Pais, one of the few female musicians to feature at the just-concluded Storm Music Festival here. "I don't think there are many female artists in the (non-Bollywood) Indian music industry; so I am trying to bring the change. I see the profession dominated by males. I hope a few female singers like us (me) will inspire women to step out of the door and follow their passion," Pais said. Hailing from Mangalore, Pais is a singer-songwriter, who currently resides in

Mumbai. She has been at music festivals like NH7 Weekender in 2010 and 2011, and also at Sunburn 2011. She was among just five female performers at the two-day Storm Music Festival that concluded Saturday. Pais received a good response and says it was amazing to see people coming and saying: "You were the best so far". "It is my first time in Coorg and it's amazing because a lot of people have come in and noticed. I received many compliments and the response is fabulous," Pais said. "From 2009 I started my music and today there are more festivals happening in India. I think it is fabulous

Yesteryear's actor Zeenat Aman

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o beautiful and so ahead of her times, Zeenat Aman, who redefined the liberated unfettered modern woman of Hindi cinema of the 1970s through her noholds-barred performances in "Hare Rama Hare Krishna", "Manoranjan" and "Dhund", has found love again but hasn't decided anything about marriage. She says if at all there's marriage, "it would be very quiet". "Yes, I am in love. There is someone in my life, I won't deny it. But I am not getting married! Not right now at least. Yes, he has proposed to me. But I haven't decided to take the plunge as yet," said Zeenat. Zeenat, 61, agrees she's been unlucky in love. "It's a fact. I've my fingers crossed this time. Let's see how the relationship plays out. We're taking each day as it comes. Who knows what tomorrow holds? A very close

friend passed away last week. So one never knows what life holds in store. If at all there's marriage, it would be very quiet. At my age, I can't have a big fat wedding, though I feel you are as old or as young as you feel," she said. The actress, who was married to actor Mazhar Khan until his death in 1998, has two adult sons - Azaan and Zahaan - who she says, are the prime focus of her life. "No doubt my boys are my priority. Now there's this man. And he's serious about our relationship. He wants to get married, so I am thinking about it," said the actress of yesteryears. Zeenat, who blazed a new trail with her unabashed sensuality in "Satyam Shivam Sundaram" and "Qurbani" says her sons are happy for her.

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February 9-15, 2013

TRAVEL

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

A train runs where the Buddha walked

The Mahaparinirvana Express does the Buddhist circuit twice every month in the cooler months of the year - beginning from Delhi and taking the pilgrim-travelers to places like Varanasi in UP and Gaya in Bihar. Kushinagar into Lumbini, across the border with Nepal, where the Buddha was born. A large stone sculpture here shows baby Buddha emerging from his mother's side. (Yes, side. That was where he was believed to have emerged from.) Last month, the train for the first time made a trial run into Odisha, where there are ruins of ancient Buddhist monasteries, all constructed between 3rd and 5th century AD, at Udaigiri, Ratnagiri and Lalitgiri. The cells of the monks are typically arranged around a central courtyard, and resting against the wall across the main entrance is a large, imposing statue of the Buddha. There are clear signs of vandalism on the statues -one large Buddha figure has the nose hewn out roughly, and sharp edges mark the hollow where the nose was. Alexandar Cunnnigham, known as the father of the Archeological Survey of India, was renowned for excavating Buddhist sites in India in the mid-19th century. The Mahabodhi Temple in Gaya, about 95 km from Patna, Bihar's capital, was among the important sites that Cunningham unearthed. This temple marks the site where the Buddha gained nirvana or enlightenment. There are many reasons to take the Mahaparinirvana ride. It's not just about religion - there are 350 million Buddhists in the world - it's also about delving into the ancient past. And one's orientation would colour what one sees. "What tourists on this circuit see are only ruins of great antiquity. For those who have not witnessed it, it's hard to imagine the awe and devotion that pilgrims feel when they see these ruins," said Joginder Gujjar of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The Mahanirvana Express begins from New Delhi's Safdarjung station and ends there. Travel on the airconditioned train ranges from $700 per head to $1,120, including meals and the cost of travel to the various destinations.

The statue at Kushinagar, representing the Buddha in Mahaparinirvana (death, which is also the "deathless state"). By Rosamma Thomas Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh): It's a trip down the Buddha's lane, into antiquity and serenity. Tracking the Buddha's path, the Mahaparinirvana Express is for the historian, the tourist and, of course, the pilgrim seeking salvation in retracing the footsteps of the man who walked this land some 2,400 years ago. The special train dedicated to Buddhist pilgrims does the circuit twice every month in the cooler months of the year - beginning from New Delhi and taking the traveler to places like Varanasi and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh before getting into Gaya in Bihar. Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon, is just 13 km from Varanasi. From Gorakhpur, travelers are taken to Kushinagar, where he died and attained mahaparinirvana (death, and ascent to "deathlessness"), and Lumbini, where he was born. And Gaya is where he attained enlightenment. The train, which has been running for six years, takes a week to complete the tour. It is named after the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha's sayings in days preceding his death. (The association with death makes some people think Indian Railways should change the train's name!) It's a train ride to history for some, spirituality for others. At Sarnath, a solitary man sat chanting in a nook among the ruins. Other visitors peeped into bottomless wells, and wandered looking at the ruins of monasteries and what remains of Emperor Ashoka's famous Sarnath pillar, the capital of which is the four-lion emblem of modern India. The lone pilgrim sat hidden from sight by what, over 2,000 years ago, was the corner of a room. These days, the brick walls are just high enough to shield a man squatting on the ground from intrusive, photograph-seeking tourists. A group of Thai pilgrims on the Mahaparinirvana ride sat crosslegged at the Mulagangha Kuti, the site in Sarnath where the Buddha is believed to have sat in meditation. Only 200 years after he died, when Emperor Ashoka had converted to Buddhism, did many of these spots become sites for monasteries. From Gorakhpur, the travelers take the bus to Kushinagar, about 50 km away, where the Buddha died after a brief spell of diarrhea. He is believed to have had a premonition of death, and travelled to this spot on the banks of the Hiranyavati river to make it convenient for followers to converge for his last rites. At Kushinagar, an over six-meter terracotta statue of the Buddha lying on his side tells of a peaceful death. The Buddha died when he was nearly 80, but not a wrinkle mark is on the face of the statue, which has since been painted golden. (The red of the terracotta peeps through from the base.) The Mahaparinirvana pilgrims then ride a bus nearly 160 km from

The Buddha statue at the centre of a monastery in Ratnagiri, Odhisa. The nose appears to have been roughly hewn out of the stone by vandals.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

OP-ED

February 9-15, 2013

19

Faith stifles free speech in India
oth Hindu and Muslim fanatics are up in arms against artistic and literary freedom in India. One of their targets is the old "sinner" Salman Rushdie. But there are two others. One of them is social scientist Ashis Nandy, who stirred a hornet's nest by saying at the Jaipur Literature Festival that most of the corrupt people in the country happened to be from the lower castes (he said this in a certain context that was ignored). It is a slur which champions of these communities can hardly ignore if only because their entire political career is based on promoting caste consciousness that fuels antipathy towards the upper castes. Foremost among them is Dalit czarina Mayawati, whose slogan at one time was: "Tilak, tarazu aur talwar, inko maro jootey char." It meant beat with shoes the Brahmins (who wear 'tilak' on their foreheads), Banias (who weigh the goods in their shops with 'tarazu' or pair of scales) and

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There is little doubt that the decline of Congress and the growth of backward-looking parties are responsible for the prevailing cultural terrorism.

Kshatriyas (the warrior class who sport 'talwar' or sword and hold second place after Brahmins in caste hierarchy). Mayawati's demand was that Nandy be arrested forthwith under an act which seeks to protect Dalits and adivasis (tribals) from atrocities. Nandy is not the first academic, of course, who has to confront the

bigots. Not long ago, the Oriental Research Institute in Pune was vandalized because historian James W. Laine had worked there while preparing a biography of Shivaji, which was not liked by the present-day admirers of the Maharashtrian warrior. Arguably, if vandals and intemperate politicians are having a free run in the matter of intimi-

dating those holding contrarian views in their opinion, the reason is that the governments at both the centre and in the states have tended to yield ground to the extremists. One notable instance of such a retreat was the banning of Rushdie's novel, "The Satanic Verses", by the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1988 under pressure from Muslim hardliners. The fact that the kowtowing did not satisfy them is, however, evident from Rushdie's decision to stay away from the Jaipur Literature Festival last year because of the government's reluctance to guarantee him protection. And this year too, he had to call off a visit to Kolkata for the same reason along with filmmaker Deepa Mehta in connection with the release of "Midnight's Children", a film based on his Booker prize-winning book of the same name. The government did not even allow the film to be shot in India for fear of offending fundamentalists. As a result, Mehta had to

shoot the film in Sri Lanka. Another film, which is having to run the gauntlet of the Muslim militants is Kamal Haasan's "Vishwaroopam" even though it shows an Indian Muslim intelligence officer battling Islamic fanatics in Afghanistan and should be a matter of pride therefore for "patriotic" Muslims, as Haasan said. The standard explanation given by the Muslim radicals for lambasting Rushdie or Haasan is that they have hurt the community's religious sentiments. It is the same argument which compelled Galileo to deny in the 17th century that the earth moved round the sun since his claim was found hurtful to their beliefs by Christians at the time. It took the Catholic church three centuries to offer a formal apology for its denunciation of the astronomer. There is little doubt that the decline of the Congress and the growth of backward-looking parties based on specific castes and communities are responsible for the prevailing cultural terrorism.

No India think tank in Global 50!
By Rohit Bansal ot one Indian think tank figures in the Global 50 annual list for 2012 released by the University of Pennsylvania end-January. China beats India in this area as well and so do, in some specific cases, think tanks from such countries as Ethiopia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Egypt and Argentina. The best India has managed is the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) at Number 51. The US occupies five of the top 10 slots, with Brookings, Carnegie Endowment, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Council on Foreign Relations and Rand Corporation. But for those who want India to shine and value the contributions made by think tanks in shaping a country's future, the carps aren't limited to the fact that only those in the US or even the UK, with Chatham House, Amnesty and International Institute for Strategic Studies, make it to the top 10. China, despite its innate disadvantages in the English language, sits with two such institutions in the global 50 -- the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences is at Number 17 and the Chinese Institute for Social Sciences is at Number 38 and many more in the pyramid below. Beyond China, at Number 24 is Brazil's Fundacao Getulio Vargas and at Number

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The best India has managed is the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) at Number 51 in University of Pennsylvania list

39 is Argentina's Consejo Argentino par alas Relaciones Internacionales, while Egypt's Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies at Number 50, who all show India the mirror. Even Kenya, Indonesia and Chile have institutions that figure higher than our second-highest ranked institution. Our bunching in the global 150 begins in

the bottom 33 percentile. After Centre for Civil Society, the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) sits at Number 105, the Indian Council for Research on International Economics Relations at Number 109, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) at Number 110, the Observer Research Institute (ORF) at Number 115 and Development

Alternatives at Number 141. U-Penn offers the same listings sans US think tanks. They also divide the institutions by the region, and in domains such as science, economics, health and the environment. They even slice Asia into an amusing construct. In one such list only India, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea are ranked. Naturally, Indian think tanks rank higher when any of this is done. But so do a whole lot of them from China. There's a similar blank India has drawn in the list of the world's 30 best party-affiliated think tanks. Among governmentaffiliated think tanks, there's only IDSA at Number 16. A silver lining, perhaps, is the role two corporate notables -- Reliance and in an earlier hue the Tatas - who seedfunded ORF and TERI, respectively. Both think tanks have found government funding for their programs. Is that the future? India's poor show continues in lists of 40 think tanks which best use the Internet and social media. Here the irony is, an Ethiopian and a Costa Rican think tank, respectively, make it, but none from India. The Economist magazine gives away a hint on how India can do better. So, here it goes: A good think tank is one that is able to combine intellectual depth, political influence, and flair for publicity, comfortable surroundings, and a streak of eccentricity!

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

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February 9-15, 2013

OP-ED

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Men can cap violence against women
Violence against women has become a global issue. What will cause the tipping point? Profound changes in action, attitude and culture. Led by men. And starting at home.
By Mallika Dutt

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ontinuing violence against women, including the recent brutal and deadly gang rape of a promising 23-year-old girl in Delhi, has sparked an unprecedented moment in Indian history and forced the world to take a hard look at the level of violence against women from Delhi to Steubenville and beyond. Will the calls for women’s rights and safety be heard? Will these tragedies trigger a tipping point? Will the global pandemic of violence against women — the most socially tolerated human rights violation — finally become intolerable? It depends. Specifically, it depends on men. I was in India when news of the attack broke in mid-December last year and the extraordinary protests erupted. That was the first time I had seen men hit the streets for something usually considered a “women’s” issue. Indeed, men have been strong leaders and partners in recent months, criticizing participants in violence — such as those seen boasting and joking about the Steubenville, Ohio gang rape — and demanding safety, respect and rights for women. This is heartening — and crucial. Because the problem is not just that violence against women is common. The problem is that it is accepted. If a woman is raped or beaten, she’s thought to have done something to “ask for” or “deserve” it. Street harassment is simply as common as, well, walking down the street. Domestic violence behind closed doors is “none of our business.” Law and policy will not — by themselves — change any of that. What will cause the true tipping point? Profound changes in action, attitude and culture. Led by men. And starting at home. On March 8, International

On March 8, International Women’s Day, Breakthrough will launch the global phase of “Ring the Bell,” a campaign to end violence against women in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative and other groups. The campaign, which began in India in 2008 as “Bell Bajao” (“Ring the Bell” in Hindi), directly called on men to ring the doorbell — literally or figuratively — to interrupt overheard domestic violence.

Women’s Day, Breakthrough will launch the next — global — phase of “Ring the Bell,” a campaign to end violence against women in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative and other groups worldwide. The campaign, which began in India in 2008 as “Bell Bajao” (“Ring the Bell” in Hindi), directly called on men to ring the doorbell — literally or figuratively — to interrupt overheard domestic violence. Millions of men and women joined the cause, taking direct action to interrupt domestic violence and communicate that violence against women was no longer a "private" matter and would no longer be accepted by individuals and neighbors, community and society. In this next phase, Breakthrough will secure specific and varied promises from one million men worldwide to take concrete action to end violence against women. I’ve seen promising signs this is possible. I was encouraged by the millions of men who joined the Indian campaign and by the outrage expressed by men in Steubenville, at Notre Dame and beyond. But out-

How you too can Ring the Bell
Teach kids who look up to you that strong men respect women—and walk the talk. Challenge friends or internet commenters who disrespect women or girls. Interrupt violence by causing a distraction or finding an excuse to ring the doorbell. Push for anti-harassment trainings and policies at your job. Respect the women in your household. Share on your social networks in support of the safety of women. Donate money, skills, or other assets to those working for women’s safety. Educate yourself about the impact of violence against women. Support political candidates committed to women’s rights and equality. Stand by women who share their encounters with violence.

rage is relatively easy, and I believe men have the potential to do more. And more is desperately needed. India’s burn units remain full of the bodies of women deliberately scorched in family dowry disputes. In the United States, a woman is beaten every 15 seconds, usually by her partner, with a third of female homicide victims killed by intimate partners. More than 600 million women around the world live in countries where domestic violence is not even a crime. And millions of women, indeed the majority of victims, face violence at the hands of family members, showing that encouraging men to “protect our mothers, our daughters, our sisters” is not enough to end the pandemic. As citizens of India or the U.S. or any country, women are entitled to fundamental human rights — to safety, to security — that have nothing to do with whether we are anyone’s mother, daughter, or sister. What’s more, in so many cases, mothers and daughters and sisters are not treated with respect in the first place. Respect for women begins in our own homes and families, with our own actions and attitudes — that is where we need to start, and men play a critical role in that. The good news? This is doable. Can one man alone change the fact that globally one in three girls is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime? No. But one man can take one small action. One man can glare at a street harasser. One man can take on half the chores. One man can denounce misogynist comments online. One man can bring anti-sexual harassment training into his firm. One man can say, “Dude, that is just WRONG.” One man can be respectful to women in front of his kid. One man can ring the bell to inter-

rupt overheard domestic violence. What if every man did one small act? One eventually adds up to one million; one million acts add up to change: to immediate prevention, to shifts in societal norms, to a culture of equality and respect. We know this from the impact of Breakthrough’s Bell Bajao (“Ring the Bell”) campaign in India, which, by calling on men to stand up against domestic violence, has measurably changed the way people view and respond to violence against women. It has also directly interrupted and prevented violent acts. I founded Breakthrough over a decade ago with the conviction that human rights begin at home and live in our actions toward those around us. It started with Man Ke Manjeere, an album and music video about women’s rights that topped Indian charts and generated an unprecedented public dialogue about violence against women. Since then, we have emerged as a global leader in advancing human rights through media and pop culture creatively combined with community mobiMallika Dutt, founder of global human rights organization Breakthrough, is one of today’s most innovative, admired, and effective leaders in cultural transformation. She has reinvented the delivery of social and behavioral change through a mix of stirring multimedia campaigns, smart social media, cutting-edge pop culture and authentic on-the-ground community engagement. Her entrepreneurial style and ability to pinpoint the leading edge of the cultural arc has inspired millions to take bold action, moti-

lization and leadership training. We have inspired millions of men to stand up for women’s and human rights, in ways both small and grand. Now is the time for millions more to join them. From one angle, I know things look bleak. A young woman in India is dead, and bright Malala risked her life and nearly died for daring to champion the educational rights of girls. And now the U.S. House of Representatives has, outrageously, continued to oppose the uncontroversial Violence Against Women Act, meaning that many more women — perhaps especially those among vulnerable immigrant, Native Americans, and LGBT populations — may also die. Still for me, hope flickers. I see a world where violence against women is rare, unacceptable, and aberrant. I can imagine a world where women are safe and thriving — as are their families, neighborhoods and nations. I saw tiny glimpses of that world last month on the teeming streets of Delhi. I’ve seen millions of men ring the bell. Now, it’s time for a million more men to join us. vating them to challenge deeply entrenched norms and attitudes, and bring the ideals of dignity, equality and justice into their own communities.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

DIASPORA

February 9-15, 2013

21

Prank call Australian RJs will not face charges
London: Two Australian radio hosts who made a prank call to a London hospital, which led to the suicide of Indian-origin nurse Jacintha Saldanha, will not face any charges in Britain, a media report said Friday. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there was no evidence to support a manslaughter charge against Mel Greig and Michael Christian, the Daily Mail reported. The hosts posed as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles to call the King Edward VII's hospital in London. Saldanha, who transferred the phone call to a colleague who then described Kate's condition in detail, was found hanging a few days after the incident. Following a global backlash against the two callers, the case was investigated. But Malcolm McHaffie, deputy head of special crime at the CPS, said any potential prosecution would not be in the public interest. He said Scotland Yard provided the CPS with a file of evidence and asked advice on whether a prosecution should be brought. "Having carefully reviewed the evidence currently available, we have concluded that there is no evidence to support a charge of manslaughter," he said. McHaffie said the CPS had taken into account, among other matters, that it was not possible to extradite people from Australia on the potential offences in question. He said it considered that "however misguided, the telephone call was intended as a harmless prank". "The consequences in this case were very sad. We send our sincere condolences to Jacintha Saldanha's family," the British official said. Greig and Christian of 2Day FM in Sydney received death threats following the phone call. Their show has been axed, but the presenters are still employed.

Mel Greig and Michael Christian will not be prosecuted for the death of Indian origin nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who committed suicide following their prank call.

India, Austria sign social security agreement
New Delhi: India has signed a social security agreement with Austria to encourage movement of people and enhance business and trade engagements.Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi and Austrian minister for labor, social security and consumer protection Rudolf Hundstorfer signed the agreement in Vienna Monday. The agreement will encourage Indian workers to take employment in Austria and enhance social security cover for the people already working there, Indian government officials said here Tuesday. Currently there are nearly 17,000 Indians in Austria, most of them professionals and self-employed. "This bilateral social security agreement will enhance trade and investment between the two countries," said an official statement. The agreement will benefit Indian professionals as well as self-employed persons in Austria. As per the terms of the agreement, the workers on contracts of up to five years won't be required to pay for social security in Austria if they continue to pay in India. If any Indian worker is paying for social security programs in Austria, the benefits can be transferred on his/her relocation to home country. India has signed similar agreements with several other countries, including Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Finland, South Korea, Sweden, Japan and Norway.

NRI women in Indonesia seek justice for Delhi gangrape victim
Jakarta: The campaign for justice for the young woman who died days after her brutal gang-rape in Delhi Dec 16 continues to find echo around the world. Women of Indian origin in Indonesia met the Indian ambassador and handed over a petition condemning the crime.The women, representatives of NRIs in Indonesia and people of Indian origin, met the ambassador last Thursday, expressing concern over the rising instances of crime against women in India, and seeking speedy justice for the victim of the gangrape.The women also offered suggestions for dealing with such crime to Ambassador Gurjit Singh, who shared their sentiments and assured them that the Government of India was making all efforts to make the country safer for women. He said better governance, better policing, gender sensitization and growth in social awareness and education were necessary, to prevent such crime.

Gandhi's death anniversary marked in Mexico
Mexico City: Friends of India in Mexico, schoolchildren gathered at a monument here to mark the 65th death anniversary of Mahatama Gandhi as the strains of his favorite hymn "Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram", played on the sitar, filled the air. The Embassy of India in collaboration with Ora World Mandala, an India-Mexico NGO which strives to promote the Gandhian value of ahimsa through art, organized a solemn function at the Gandhi monument in Chapultepec in Mexico City, said an official statement. Ambassador Sujan R. Chinoy placed a wreath at the monument. A two-minute silence was observed by the gathering, which included Mexican friends of India, representatives of the City Government and the Miguel Hidalgo Delegacion, school children and other Gandhians in Mexico, said the statement. Noted sitar player, Hollving Argaez, teacher at the Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Centre, played Gandhi's favorite melody "Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram" on sitar. Jan 30 is observed as Martyr's Day to commemorate Gandhi's death anniversary.

Internet a boon for independent musicians: Indo-Canadian singer
Chennai: The internet has opened the floodgates for independent musicians and global artists like "Gangnam Style" singer Psy, says Indo-Canadian independent singer Shweta Subram, who feels it has now become easier to take music beyond one's own region. "The independent music scene has nose-dived in India and music labels aren't pushing out independent music the way they were in the late 1990s. However, the Internet has opened up opportunities and this has worked wonders for many artists," Toronto based Shweta told IANS in an e-mail interview. "Now anyone can put their music out there and become famous. The most recent example that I can think of is 'Gangnam Style' by Psy," said the singer. Born and brought up in Dubai, Shweta also got her training in music in Dubai before moving to Toronto. She has two singles - "Jee le live life" and "Ajooba" - to her credit. In the last two years, she also managed to collaborate with Indian composers like Salim-Sulaiman, Shankar Tucker and Pravin Mani. "I was contacted by SalimSulaiman to perform with them at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Rocks event in Toronto in 2011. Shankar Tucker also reached out to me and we collaborated on 'Mere saajan sun sun'. Following my performance at IIFA, ence between Pravin, Shweta, and playback singer Karthik. An urbanized world-fusion song, it incorporates smooth classical singing with drums and bass grooves. Shweta, who wants to sing for Bollywood films, will always remain an independent artist at heart. Asked why she couldn't find a strong foothold despite being part of TV shows such as "Voice of India" (VOI) and "Sunsilk Gang of Girls", Shweta said: "I featured only in one episode of 'VOI' and then I chose to exit the show because of the backstage drama and politics. However, VOI helped me get picked for 'Sunsilk Gang of Girls', but soon after the show I returned to Canada, when ideally I should've stayed back and capitalized on the opportunities." Do you feel TV music shows help aspiring singers? "I haven't heard of many that have found a major foothold in the playback scene. However, there are lots of reality shows out there, and there is some phenomenal talent coming out of these shows. The contestants definitely get an exposure and become household names," said Shweta. She believes a complete singer should have a "good voice, needs to be highly confident to perform at shows and if he or she can play an instrument, it is an added advantage".

Shweta Subram

Pravin Mani expressed his interest to work with me for the song 'Piya', which will be released soon," she said. A romantic number, "Piya", is a result of a friendly Skype confer-

22

February 9-15, 2013

SUBCONTINENT

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India welcomes US 'Asia pivot'
Washington: India welcomes the US engagement in Asia Pacific as New Delhi's vision is to create a web of inter-linkages for shared prosperity and security, according to Indian ambassador Nirupama Rao. "We want the Indian Ocean and Asia-Pacific regions to develop into a zone of cooperation rather than one of competition and domination," she said at Brown University, a private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island. "We would like to work for an open, inclusive and transparent architecture of regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, where all major powers in Asia and beyond work together to address the traditional and non-traditional challenges and to create a basis for a stable and prosperous Asia," she said. "These are the challenges that cut across national boundaries and require cooperative responses," added Rao speaking Monday on "America's 'Asian Pivot': The View from India," at the opening seminar of the Spring 2013 Brown-India Initiative Seminar Series. "Based on this vision, we welcome the US engagement in the Asia of the Indo-Pacific. The continuance of economic growth and prosperity in both our countries is in many ways linked to the opportunities for growth and prosperity in this region," she said. "It is a space that impacts our destinies, whose security and prosperity is vital to both of us, and where we have an increasing convergence of interests," Rao said. India, she said will continue to deepen its engagement with the United States and other partners in the Asia-Pacific region with the goal to promote their collective prosperity, stability and security. Noting that, the "wellbeing of Asia is equally dependent on the resolution of strife and violence in countries like Afghanistan and the defeat of non-state actors who perpetrate a terrorist agenda in countries like Pakistan," Rao said; "This must be kept in focus as we look to the future."

Indian ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao

'Afghan army not prepared to thwart Qaeda'
London: Withdrawing British troops from Afghanistan will spark a "global jihad" and allow Al Qaeda and the Taliban to seize power, a top Afghan army commander has said. British Prime Minister David Cameron is hosting a summit to discuss plans to combat terrorist threats after American and British troops pull out in 2014. Col. Amin Jan of the Afghan National Army said that Afghan troops are "not good enough" to defeat the militants. Jan, 55, is the deputy commander of a brigade of 4,500 soldiers in Helmand province. He accused politicians of making misleading assessments of Afghan troops' capabilities to justify their decision to accelerate the pull-out of international forces. Cameron will meet Pakistani President Asif Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai Monday. Asked if 2014 was the right time for a handover, Jan said: "No, I would say that it is too early, because the situation will not have ended." "If the British leave, the jihadists will see it as a good sign. A worldwide jihad will take place. That is my view." Asked if the Afghan army could defeat the Taliban without international help, he said: "Our leaders might say we are able to do the task, but it will be difficult." "We have enough soldiers, we have the quantity, but we need the quality. We need more professional and better trained commanders." "Do the British want Afghanistan to return to being a Taliban state? That is the prospect," he said.

US lifts ban on Afghanistan's Kam Air US trade mission to visit Sri Lanka
Colombo: A multi-sector US trade mission - the first since the end of the Sri Lankan conflict - will travel to Colombo this week after visiting India. The 3C Trade Mission includes companies in the education sector, design consulting services and engineering, food industries, health care, airline support, and infrastructure development. A US embassy statement said the delegation earlier visited Chennai and Kochi in India. The US is the largest single country market for Sri Lankan exports, and the US embassy is seeking increased bilateral trade. The embassy's economic counsellor Allison V. Areias-Vogel said: "Enhanced trade would further strengthen our economic ties, create opportunities for fruitful joint ventures and distributorship." The mission is designed to foster commercial engagement and lasting relationships by creating a forum to discuss prospective business opportunities and to explore avenues for collaboration.

Afghanistan's biggest private airline Kam Air

Moscow: The US has lifted a ban on Afghanistan's biggest private airline Kam Air after the Afghan government pledged an investigation into US claims of opium smuggling by the carrier, the NATO-led ISAF said. Last month, the US military barred Kam Air from its list of potential contractors after accusing it of smuggling large amounts of opium. The US military claimed Kam Air ferried bulk quantities of opium the key ingredient in heroin - on civilian flights into Tajikistan, a major regional drug transit route.

"The Afghan government has agreed to conduct a full investigation of Kam Air and, if warranted, to take further action," the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF) said in a statement. The US "will support the Afghan government's investigation by providing evidence and documents as required", ISAF said. The UN estimates Afghanistan supplies some 90 percent of the world's illegal opiates and that, in 2009, it supplied 84 percent of the heroin consumed worldwide.

Pak to turn Osama town into amusement city
Peshawar: Pakistan is planning to build a $30 million amusement park with a zoo and adventure sports facilities in the town where Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces, officials said. The 50-acre riverside development on the edge of Abbottabad, where the US navy SEALs shot the al-Qaida leader dead on May 2, 2011, will include restaurants, a heritage center and artificial waterfalls. The government of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province hopes the project, announced as a public-private partnership, will boost tourism but denied it was intended to improve extended to 500 acres," said Syed Aqil Shah, the provincial minister for tourism and sports. "It will have a heritage park, wildlife zoo, food street, adventure and paragliding clubs, waterfalls and jogging tracks." Work is due to begin in late February or early March, he said, and will take eight years to complete. Funds worth $30 million have been allocated, he said. Abbottabad , a quiet, leafy town nestling in the foothills of the Himalayas, has long been a popular spot for well-heeled families from the capital to spend weekends away.

The $30 million amusement park will have a zoo and adventure sports facilities

the town's image after the humiliation of Osama raid. "The amuse-

ment city will be built on 50 acres in the first phase but later will be

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

INTERNATIONAL

February 9-15, 2013

23

India supports efforts at Mali: French troops clash with Islamists restoring order in Mali
Brussels: India said it strongly supports ongoing efforts aimed at restoring constitutional order in Mali and welcomed the progress made by the UN-backed International Support Mission towards restoring the authority of the state in the African country. Ambassador Dinkar Khullar, speaking at a meeting of the support and follow-up group on Mali, said: "The continuing deterioration in the security and humanitarian situation in the northern part of Mali, because of the presence of armed terrorists and criminal groups, had been a matter of grave concern to the international community. "India co-sponsored the UNSC Resolution 2085, which was adopted unanimously, authorising the deployment of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali," according to an official statement. "India strongly supports ongoing efforts aimed at restoring constitutional order in Mali and re-establishing a fully sovereign democratic government. We also believe that the fight against the scourge of terrorism must be unrelenting." Paris: Defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian vowed that French and Malian troops would chase down Islamist militants holding out around Gao. Confirming that French and Malian troops had clashed with Islamist militants near the main northern Mali town, Le Drian admitted the rebels were still resisting. "There were clashes yesterday around Gao," Le Drian said on Europe 1 radio. "Once our troops, supported by Malian forces, started patrols around the the towns that we have taken, they met residual jihadist groups who are still fighting. "We will go after them. We are securing the towns we have been able to take along with the Malian forces. The jihadists around Gao were using rockets yesterday." Questioned over his comment that French troops had killed hundreds of Islamist fighters, Drian replied: "This is a real war with significant losses but I'm not going to get into an accounting exercise." Islamist group Mujao claimed to have attacked the positions of French and African troops around Gao.

Islamist group Mujao claimed to have attacked the positions of French and African troops

Witnesses suggested that there had only been longdistance exchanges of fire. Le Drian added that the French force in Mali had reached 4,000 troops and would not increase any further. The size of the force matches the French deployment in Afghanistan at its height in 2010.

US Super Bowl blackout: Officials have no answer Tunisian opposition leader assassinated
"The initial response that we all had was 'I hope everyone's OK, it's not a security issue,'" Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One. "And then once that became clear, it was just impatience to get the game going again." Officials have not yet explained why the power outage occurred, although New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has pledged an investigation into what he called "an unfortunate moment" and said foul play is not suspected. Aside from the delay, it appears that Obama enjoyed the game - the most-watched television event in American history. About two hours after the game, officials revealed that an "abnormality" in the power system triggered an automatic shutdown, forcing backup systems to kick in, according to CBS. But they weren't sure what caused the initial problem. Most fans seemed to take the outage in stride, even starting up the wave to pass the time. London: A senior opposition leader in Tunisia has been assassinated in the capital Tunis, media reports said. Chokri Belaid, secretary general of the leftist Democratic Patriots Party, was shot in his head and neck on his way to work and died on the spot, Xinhua reported. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. This is the first major incident in the country since then President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was toppled in 2011. BBC said Belaid was shot outside his home. He was a prominent secular opponent of the moderate Islamist-led government. His assassination sparked protests in many places in the country. President Moncef Marzouki cut short a visit to France and cancelled a scheduled appearance at a summit in Egypt to return home. Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali said the assassination was an "act of terrorism" and a blow to the country's

The blackout plunged parts of the 73,000-seat Superdome in New Orleans

Chokri Belaid, secretary general of the leftist Democratic Patriots Party

Washington: Two day after a 34minute blackout at Super Bowl, America's biggest pro football game of the year, red -faced officials were still trying to figure out what went wrong. However, the blackout, which plunged parts of the 73,000-seat Superdome in New Orleans, the largest city in Indian American gov-

ernor Bobby Jindal's home state of Louisiana, did not play spoilsport for millions of TV viewers. President Barack Obama, who had friends over to the White House for a Super Bowl party, was at first concerned that there could be a security issue, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday.

Arab Spring revolution, which took place in January 2011. "This is a criminal act, an act of terrorism not only against Belaid but against the whole of Tunisia," Jebali told Tunisia's privately owned FM Radio Mosaique.Thousands of people took to the streets of Tunis near the headquarters of the interior ministry to protest the killing, and chanted slogans against the government.

Five dead as quake hits Solomon Islands
Moscow: At least five people were reported dead after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The quake reportedly struck 5.8 km deep near the Santa Cruz islands, part of the Solomon Islands nation. Those who died were residents of Lata district of the Santa Cruz islands, according to a Solomon Islands police official. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, and Wallis and Futuna islands. A tsunami watch was also in effect for Samoa, New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia.

Ahmadinejad: Iran is already a nuclear power
Cairo: Iran already has nuclear capabilities but is not interested in attacking Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview published in the Egyptian media. Ahmadinejad arrived in Egypt on the first trip by an Iranian head of state since the 1979 revolution, underlining the thaw in relations since Egyptians elected an Islamist head of state last year. The world must now relate to Iran as an atomic power, Ahmadinejad told AlAhram, as it is "already a nuclear state." He said that Tehran does not seek a military confrontation with Israel, and did not threaten to strike the "Zionist entity." In fact, Al-Ahram quoted him as saying, all of Iran's military capabilities are they know what they are doing in the US and Europe. They are taking over the places of wealth, money, and politics in deceiving the world and strive to dominate all of these sectors through the destruction of cultures, economies, and wars.” Ahmadinejad also expressed opposition to any interference in Syria, Mali or any other place. Meanwhile, the Saudi paper al-Madina reported that Ahmadinejad threatened to withdraw from a press conference on Tuesday over differences with al-Azhar sheikh Hassan al-Shafi, who is an advisor to the Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayyeb. Tayyeb was appointed by former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 2010.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

"defensive". “We disagree with the occupation and discrimination and massacres against the people," he said. "Zionists are playing a special role in deceiving the world and

24

February 9-15, 2013

BUSINESS

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Reforms must to restore India's growth: IMF
Washington: With India's growth expected to decline to 5.4 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has suggested reforms to facilitate infrastructure investment and lowering costs to do business as keys to restoring high growth. Although India's growth remains one of the highest in the world, it has slowed markedly and inflation remains elevated, IMF economists said Wednesday after their annual health check of India's economy, technically known as article IV consultations. Since recovering rapidly from the global financial crisis, India's economy has slowed substantially, and its growth rate is expected to decline further in the coming year for a range of domestic reasons, improved market sentiment, it noted, expecting India's growth to pick up to 6 percent in 2013-14. Continued implementation of measures to facilitate investment and slightly stronger global growth should deliver a modest rebound in the near term, IMF said. Inflation is forecast to remain above the Reserve Bank of India's comfort zone, given that supply constraints are likely to ease only gradually. On the domestic front, insufficient follow-through on recent reforms, in particular those intended to relieve supply constraints, or resorting to expansionary fiscal policy are key downside risks, IMF said. On the upside, going beyond announced reforms or legislative progress would lead to higher growth and lower vulnerabilities, IMF said. Between 2004-11 - a period that includes the global financial crisis - India's growth averaged 8.3 percent a year. High growth and higher incomes added to demand, especially for food, electricity, and transportation, it said. This growth outpaced new investment in power plants, roads, and coal production. As concern about corruption scandals slowed approvals for new projects, supply bottlenecks became evident, culminating in the July 2012 blackout across much of India, when a tenth of the world's population lost power for up to two days, IMF said.

the global financial watchdog said. In 2011-12, India's growth rate was 6.5 percent. That figure is expected to drop to 5.4 percent in 2012-13. Despite the poor outlook

for the global economy, this is a far larger drop than might be expected, IMF said. In recent months, the authorities have taken steps to reverse the slowdown, which have led to

Habitations in India with 100-plus population to get roads
New Delhi: The union cabinet Thursday approved road connections for habitations with a population of 100 or more tribals in 82 Maoist-affected districts under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY). Currently the PMGSY envisages connecting all habitations with a population of 250 people and above. "Right now, all habitations with over 250 population have been taken up. But in most tribal areas, the density of population is very, very low. Large number of habitations but smaller number of population," Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh told reporters here. The habitations would, however, have only one black-topped road, he said. The rural development ministry's proposal came after Tribal Affairs Minister Kishore Chandra Deo pointed out that bulk of the habitations in tribal areas have populations below the 250-mark. The cabinet also approved connecting 2,687 habitations in tribal areas which had been left out, other that the 82 districts already included. It also approved providing connectivity to these habitations, at an estimated cost of Rs.5,929 crore and allowing upgradation of certain roads measuring about 2,000 km in these areas at an estimated cost of Rs.1,000 crore. Around 1,410 left-out unconnected habitations with population of 250 people and above in the 10 hill

Foreign varsities to receive direct Rupee payments
Coimbatore: Western Union Business Solutions, a unit of The Western Union Company, has announced a new service that will allow universities and higher education institutions around the world to accept tuition payments in Indian Rupee. Over 2 lakh Indian students study abroad each year, making India the second largest market for international students in the world after China. Indian students who choose to study abroad grew by over 250% between 2000 and 2009, with overall numbers increasing from 53,000 to more than 189,000 during that period. Western Union's new service will enable participating schools and universities to offer Indian students the option to pay tuition fees in their home currency. It will be offered by Weizmann Forex and Paul Merchants, the two largest Western Union agents in India. Both Weizmann Forex and Paul Merchants will make this product available to students at multiple locations across the country. Students will also be able to pay from their homes by calling a toll-free number and requesting a house visit. In that instance, a trained representative of Paul Merchants or Weizmann Forex will come to the student to collect the relevant documentation and arrange the rupee settlement on behalf of the university.

states and desert areas will be provided new connectivity to these habitations, at an estimated cost of Rs. 8,551 crore. In Arunachal Pradesh, the cluster blocks approach would be extended from international border blocks to international border districts by clubbing the population within a path distance of 10 km, providing new connectivity to 126 habitations at an estimated cost of Rs.1,200 crore. PMGSY was launched in 2000 and has the objective of providing all-weather connectivity to all unconnected habitations with population of 500 people and above 250 people and above in hilly states, desert areas, Tribal Schedule-V areas and 82 selected tribal and backward districts as identified under Integrated Action Plan in rural areas of the country.

Top US firms eye Indian defense pie
Washington: A large industry delegation from the US will participate at Aero India 2013 in Bangalore showcasing advanced capabilities geared towards India's air, land, naval, and internal security systems needs. Focused on enhancing industrial partnership and meeting India's defense modernization requirements, the US-India Business Council (USIBC) has sent its largest industry delegation to Aero India 2013 in Bangalore. The 12th executive defense mission from USIBC, comprising nearly 400 top American and Indian companies focused on enhancing the US-India commercial relationship, includes senior executives from America's premier aerospace and defence companies. It's led by Lt. General Jeff Kohler (Ret.), vice president, Boeing military aircraft, and Vice Admiral (Ret.) Kevin J. Cosgriff, senior vice president, international business and government, Textron Systems. Kohler and Cosgriff expressed optimism towards the growing defence partnership, and noted the maturing partnership between the two countries' defense industries. In meeting many of India's defense modernization requirements, "US industry leads the way in offering the most advanced technology with long-term support for the multitude systems offered", said Kohler in a statement. "In addition to offering proven US platforms and systems and an end-to-end commitment to customer satisfaction, we are eager to initiate cooperative programs with India's defense industry," Cosgriff said. Top US defense companies represented at the show include ATK, BAE Systems Inc, Bell Helicopter, Boeing, DuPont, Exelis, FLIR, General Electric, Gulfstream

The 12th executive defense mission from USIBC comprises 400 top American and Indian companies

Aerospace Corp, Harris, Honeywell, L-3 Aviation Products, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Rockwell Collins, Sikorsky, Textron

Systems, Telephonics Corporation and Tyco. US defense sales to India have risen from just over $200 million in 2001 to over $14 billion today.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

SPORTS

February 9-15, 2013

25

Our pace attack crucial against India: Siddle
Melbourne: The wickets in India might be considered a spinner's paradise but Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle feels his team's chances of winning the upcoming Test series would depend on how well its pacers perform on the dustbowls. India were beaten at home by England, who relied on their spinners to wreck the famed the batting line-up of the hosts, but Siddle feels every team has to play to its strengths. "The best way of attacking India is with whatever your best line-up is. The way we've won Test matches for years now has been with our pace and I think that is going to play a big role," Siddle told 'The Age'. "But Nathan (Lyon) is going to play a big role at the other end, and his game is going to flourish even more with the pressure we build at our end. "Combined, we'll do well and definitely be able to take 20 wickets. We're strong, we've got a good set of quicks going over repeat that, the Aussie bowlers will have to be very consistent. "Trying to bowl as straight and be as patient as we can be. In India the games go a little bit slower because the wickets are hard to score on so it's about patience, setting the right fields with your captain and bowling to your fields. Our side is disciplined enough now to go about it in that way," he said. The first of four Tests starts in Chennai on February 22. "You look back at the series results we've had over there and it has been hard work for us. It's been a tough stomping ground. "This is a new-look set-up, a new-look team and hopefully we can stamp our authority," he said. Siddle is among eight Australian players who left for India on Thursday. The rest of the nine players will depart on Saturday and Monday after the ongoing limitedovers series against the West Indies.

The first of four India-Australia Tests starts in Chennai on February 22.

and we've got good back-up for Nathan over there with spin," he added.

The last time Australia won a Test series against India was in 2004. Siddle said to

Court slaps cheating charges against Kalmadi
New Delhi: A Delhi court formally slapped charges of forgery and cheating against former Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi and nine others in a corruption case related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The BJP welcomed the move and sought action also against Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for alleged lapses. The 10 accused were present in the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court when Judge Ravinder Kaur framed the charges. All accused are at present out of prison on bail. The court order came in a case against Kalmadi and his associates, including former Organizing Committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot, in the case related to financial irregularities in awarding a Rs.141 crore contract for time, scoring and records system for the Games. The court earlier passed the order for framing the charges for illegally awarding the Rs.141 crore contract to Swiss firm Swiss Timing Omega that caused a loss of over Rs.90 crore to the exchequer. Kalmadi was arrested in the case April 26, 2011. Besides Kalmadi and Bhanot, the other accused in

Armstrong tops most disliked US athletes' list
Washington: Disgraced US cyclist Lance Armstrong, who confessed last month to doping after being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles last year, tops the new Forbes magazine list of most disliked US athletes. The list, released on the magazine's website, saw Armstrong edge collegiate American football player Manti Te'o on a higher name recognition tie-breaker after each had only 15 percent appeal in a Nielsen/E-Poll survey. Armstrong backpedaled on years of denials last month by admitting he had taken performance-enhancing drugs during his 1999-2005 victory run in the Tour, tainted his cancer-comeback story and Livestrong Foundation charity efforts. Tiger Woods, the 14-time major

Disgraced US cyclist Lance Armstrong

Former Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi

the case are the Organising Committee's former director general V.K. Verma, former director general (procurement) Surjit Lal, former joint director general (sports) A.S.V. Prasad and former treasurer M. Jayachandran.

golf champion who won his 75th career US PGA Tour title last month at Torrey Pines, was third on the list at 19 percent appeal, a likely lingering aftermath of the epic sex scandal that destroyed his marriage and damaged his iconic good-guy marketing image and sponsorship deals.

Massive match-fixing disclosure wake-up call
es, countries and people involved is high, it basically confirmed what was already widely assumed. It is just the tip of the iceberg. The purpose of Europol was more or less to make a wake-up call. We know about the problems. It was a good PR stunt. We now need to understand the message." The European investigative organization Europol revealed an extensive criminal network involved in widespread soccer match-fixing with a total of 425 match officials, club officials, players, and criminals, from more than 15 countries, suspected of being involved in attempts to fix more than 380 professional soccer matches. The alleged activities are said to be part of organized crime, which generated over eight million euros ($10.8 million) in betting profits and involved over two million euros in corrupt payments to those involved in the matches. The operations would be run from Singapore with bribes of up to 100,000 euros paid per match. "I think the total is a significant amount," reacted Van Rompuy. "It is difficult to trace the gambling money. It is probably an estimate based on concrete evidence. But it is clear that generally much more money is involved." Among the suspected matches are matches in the Champions League, European Championship and World Cup qualifiers and matches from several European top leagues. In addition another 300 suspicious matches were identified outside Europe, mainly in Africa, Asia, South and Central America. Most of the alleged illegal betting activities were organised in Asia, working closely together with European facilitators. "Europol's investigation confirms how widespread the networks are," said Van Rompuy. "More than 200 suspects were named, of which only fourteen were eventually convicted," said Van Rompuy. "That puts this matter well into perspective. A total of 425 people are now suspected, but the questions is how many will be convicted. How many matches will actually be proven to be fixed? Is there sufficient evidence? Look at the case in Germany. With appeals going on, perhaps only a handful of convictions will be left."

More than 380 professional soccer matches may have been fixed

The Hague: The disclosure of massive match-fixing in European soccer caused a shock, but the outcome was no real surprise, said senior researcher Ben Van Rompuy of the T.M.C Asser Institute, a center for international and European law in The Hague. Van Rompuy's research specialties include international and EU

sports law and regulation. Besides that he also is a member of the Interpol Global Academic Experts Working Group for Integrity in Sport, for which he recently had a meeting in Singapore. "No, I was not surprised or shocked," Van Rompuy told Xinhua. "I knew these things happen. Although the number of match-

26

February 9-15, 2013

FEATURES

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The office as an extension of myself: Deepak Chopra
Your work is an act of worship; and that's why both of my main headquarters embody the principles of healing.
By Deepak Chopra s a child my parents emphasized a few very important principles regarding work. They are summarized in the following aphorisms. Your work is an act of worship. Pursue the goddess of wisdom and the goddess of abundance will pursue you. Pursue excellence, ignore success. Always do your best, but detach from the outcome. The place where you work is an extension of yourself. It is your extended body. The key to the progressive realization of worthy goals is the joy that you derive everyday from the work that you do. These principles have guided me throughout my life. I began my career as a medical doctor and soon became aware that if you looked only at a person as their body you might sometimes treat the illness, but you never evoke healing from within. My career spontaneously extended into first mind-body healing and then expanded into the realms of spirituality, personal relationships, social interactions, and environment; all as components of the healing process. I started to recognize that the word healing is related to the word holy, and for me, health, healing, and holy were all strategies for the return to wholeness. As my career broadened into holistic healing, I began to realize that my workplace should embody the principles that went into healing in its broadest sense. I now have two places where I spend most of my time working when I am not on the road. The Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, California and Deepak Homebase in New York City. The Chopra Center is a place where patients see physicians trained in western scientific principles, but where the doctors are also trained in various aspects of mindbody healing and systems biology. We offer courses for the general public on every aspect of healing and also provide courses approved for Continuing Medical Education (CME) for health professionals and physicians. We also conduct research on the efficacies of the treatment modalities that we employ including the biological markers of brain and body aging. In summary, the Chopra Center is a place for healing, education, and research. The aesthetics of the building as well as the architectural environment represent sacred space. My office is a place where the wisdom

A

Deepak at the Chopra Center Meditation Room in Carlsbad, CA.

Deepak Chopra at the Deepak Homebase in New York City.

of the ages is wall-to-wall book shelves from philosophers, scientists, cosmologists, physicians, and healers. Deepak Homebase, on the other hand, is more of a laboratory for ideas that can help us in our personal and social transformation. I conduct workshops and dialogues with thought leaders in this space. The aesthetics of this place is more like a thought and idea laboratory. I engage here with luminaries who share my passion for personal and social transformation and for reaching a critical mass of people (100,000 million), so we can move in a direction for a more peaceful, just, sustainable and healthy world. At Deepak Homebase, we film conversations with leading thinkers. We also do podcasts, occasional radio shows and filming for our own YouTube channel, The Chopra Well

and our hope is to reach a wider and wider audience, which we manage to do fairly well. Our goal here is to inspire and motivate people in the areas of self-awareness, self-reflection, transcendence, conscious choice making and accessing higher consciousness. If we could summarize all of that in one sentence, it would be: "Love In Action". The two places that we have created, one for healing, education and research and the second for thought leadership and love in action aesthetically portray these motifs. Deepak Chopra, MD is the author of more than 70 books with twentyone New York Times bestsellers and co-author with Rudolph Tanzi of Super Brain: Unleashing the Explosive Power of Your Mind to Maximize Health, Happiness, and Spiritual Well-being (Harmony). This article courtesy Linked-In.

Fashion trends: Functional wear, green textiles, recycling
Kolkata: Promoting traditional garments and simultaneously developing functional wear, manufacturing green textiles and reducing use of toxic chemicals, besides recycling and setting up of online thrift stores, are some of the emerging trends in the fashion world, experts say. "India is viewed as a fashion destination mainly for its traditional garments. The indigenous designs and raw materials are very popular abroad and Indian fashion designers should focus on these," Gianfranco Olivotto of Domus Academy, Italy, said. Olivotto was in the city to take part in an international seminar on 'Fashion in Global Economy', jointly organized by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). On the contrary, Anil Buchasia of the Apparel Export Promotion Council feels Indian fashion gurus need to shift gear to functional "We must attempt to make textiles greener and safer for the environment. When organic cotton was introduced 15 to 20 years ago, it did not become very popular because of the price and because it was dyed using chemicals. So how much of organic cotton is really organic?" Arun Baid, founderdirector of the Ahmedabad-based Aura Herbal Textiles, asked. To make textiles organic and thereby eco-friendly, Baid felt fashion designers must harness nature's bounty like herbs and other plants to extract dyes from them. "We have to move to another level of technology and fashion to use natural resources. There are raw materials available in nature which Indians have used since ages. However, we have never explored those options for applying them to the textile industry on a large scale," Baid added. On one end of the spectrum, while the fashion industry must turn to nature for answers, on the other it must make efforts to take the second-hand goods sector online. "We have to start organizing the second-hand goods sector to make it more palatable and affordable for the masses. Given the ability to recycle in an intelligent way, consumers are likely to generate vintage ideas rather than throw them away," said Deepsikha Chatterjee, lecturer in costume design and history at New York's Hunter College. Besides the second-hand goods market, Chatterjee said artists can use the internet to directly showcase their work to the world. Most importantly, Chatterjee felt that Indian designers should adapt handicrafts to everyday needs to sustain the sector. She said, "We have to be able to support our handicrafts by making our products better suited to everyday life rather than trying to preserve their museum-like quality and thereby provide a larger market for our art and crafts."

It is high time Indian designers went beyond the traditional to think in terms of functional garments to integrate with the world.

clothing to integrate with the world. "Why can't we think beyond the traditional dresses? Why can't we think in terms of functional garments? We have to integrate with the world," said Buchasia. Seconding Buchasia, K. Rangarajan, a professor at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Kolkata, said although intra-Asian trade rose by nearly 12 percent in the last year, India is facing stiff competition from Bangladesh's and

Vietnam's fashion industry. "In terms of low labor costs, Bangladesh is the competitor, whereas Vietnam gives India stiff competition because of its design superiority. It is time to move from traditional to non-traditional products," Rangarajan contended. To keep pace with the rapid progress globally in an eco-friendly way, fashion designers must also factor in harmony with the environment and opt for "fashion with a cause".

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

PERSONAL FINANCE

February 9-15, 2013

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This Valentine's Day – can improving your finances improve your romance?
alking about money can be difficult. While we’re taught to avoid the potentially sensitive topic in polite conversation, there’s at least one person with whom you need to be able to have frequent and honest financial conversations -- your partner or spouse. This Valentine’s Day, take the opportunity to strengthen your relationship by understanding what drives your partner’s financial decisions. While experts say it may not always be possible to agree on everything, knowing each other’s perspective can help couples avoid frustrating conversations and make better decisions together. “We all bring our own feelings and experiences to the table and that can have a big impact on how

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we invest and spend money,” says Joe Duran, CEO of United Capital, a private wealth consulting firm and New York Times best-selling author of The Money Code, a new book that aims to improve financial decision making. “But by honestly getting to the root of what money means to you and to your partner, you can take steps to improve your financial life together.” In time for Valentine’s Day, here are some ways couples can smooth over their differences: Prioritize: List your financial priorities and savings goals and determine which are necessary, negotiable and realistic. Draw up a budget and create a financial decision making checklist that satisfies both of you and resolve to stick to it. A clear action plan will help

avoid surprise purchases or investments made by you or your partner that could become potential sources of argument. Communicate: “I like to think of each of us as having a ‘Money Mind,’ which motivates the way we think about money,” says Duran. “Some of us are driven by fear, some by the pursuit of happiness and others by commitment. Whether you’re spending too much in the pursuit of happiness, or missing key opportunities out of fear, become actively aware of what guides you and your partner financially and the potential consequences.” You’ll be more likely to avoid letting conversations turn into arguments if you’re speaking the same language as your partner. Each of you should have an active

voice in the discussion and be participating fully in the financial planning process. Seek Help: Personal biases can sometimes get in the way of sound judgment. But a financial adviser can help you objectively map out a process to achieve your financial goals. Opt for one who doesn’t just focus on investments, but who can also match your financial aspirations with your current

resources. Don’t let miscommunication stand in the way of a healthy financial future. By taking steps to understand your partner’s perspective, you can develop a joint solution that makes everyone happy. More tips on how to discuss money with your partner can be found by visiting www.HonestConversations.com.

Smart tips for your tax refund How to manage your money better W L
ike any sudden inflow of cash, your tax refund presents an opportunity to spend your money wisely or foolishly. And while it would be easy to blow the cash on fleeting fun, like a shopping spree or a slew of the latest gadgets, experts say the money would be best used to pay down debt and invest in saving plans that can help you grow your nest egg. Here are some ideas to help you make the most of your refund this tax season: Eliminate Debt: Interest can build quickly, so consider using your tax refund to pay off a portion of your outstanding debt. Whether it be credit card debt, student loans, or a mortgage, opt to pay off the obligation with the highest interest first. Or, eliminate an entire smaller debt in full if possible. Doing so will give you a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to keep going. You can use financial calculators online to help you calculate where your refund would be most beneficial.
hen it comes to healthy finances, periodically evaluating one’s budget and savings goals is crucial. Unfortunately, most people don’t do enough reflection. According to a recent survey by Ally Bank, only 15 percent of consumers check their bank account daily. “If you’re looking to shape up your finances, you’ll want to have a concrete plan. Without one, it will be harder to meet your goal,” advises Di Morais, deposits and innovation executive at Ally Financial. “Drawing up a budget, and allotting a portion of each paycheck to savings is crucial to short and long-term financial health.” Here are some tips to get started: Build a budget: Budgeting can help you better understand your financial situation, save for the future and pay your bills today. By tracking spending, you can pinpoint which expenditures can be eliminated or trimmed, leading to greater savings over the coming months. Just be sure to perform a regular self-review so you stay Perform a Checking Check Up: Don’t settle for an outdated or inconvenient checking account that offers little to no return in interest. Some newer checking accounts offer daily compounded interest on checking balances. Consider options that have additional perks, such as cardlinked offers and deals. A direct or online bank is a good bet, as they typically have lower operating costs compared to traditional banks and can offer you competitive rates. Connect Anywhere, Anytime: Don’t leave a literal paper trail! Opt for a bank that allows you to perform transactions online or by phone. Not only is this a faster, more convenient way to bank, you can also keep track of your finances in real time. Don’t forget to research the availability of your financial institution. Look for fea-

Budget: Budget and plan how you will use your refund. Once you know the amount you’re due to receive, spend time planning how you wish to allocate the money. Free online services like www.Mint.com can help you establish a budget for your goals. Or use personal finance desktop software, like Quicken, to help you manage the sudden cash flow. Remember to budget in a little fun. Treating yourself to a small reward that you can afford responsibly may help you stay on track with your more serious priorities. Invest: Consider investment options that can help you grow your wealth. A no-fee, selfdirected IRA that pro-

vides predictable returns with tax advantages is a decent choice for longterm savings. Experts say that with the right investment tools, you can expect to grow your wealth substantially over time. “The key to doubling and redoubling your money is avoiding mistakes and investing smarter,” says financial advisor, Brendan Ross of Ross Asset Advisors, Inc. Just because your tax refund arrives in a big lump sum, doesn’t mean it’s any different than your regular income. Use the money responsibly to meet goals that matter to your future. More tax refund ideas and tips can be found at www.Mint.com/blog.

tures like 24/7 live customer service and online chat. Earn While Saving: If you’re looking to earn on short-term savings without a hard commitment, consider CDs and other short-term savings options. Even an interest-bearing savings account can be a good alternative. The ability to adjust your rate, should interest rates increase, can be very advantageous. For example, Ally Bank offers “Raise Your Rate” Two- and Four-Year CDs which allow customers to raise their rate once or twice respectively during the CD term should rates increase. Plan for Retirement: Setting aside enough money for retirement is the primary concern among the majority of consumers, according to a recent survey. In addition to participating in employer-sponsored plans, consider bolstering individual savings and look to bank with an institution that can provide products such as IRAs. More money management ideas and strategies can be found online at www.ally.com. With a little planning, you can become a more financially secure you.

28

February 9-15, 2013

HUMOR

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Bone by Nury Vittachi

So what happened when India reached Australia four millennia ago?
group of Asian sailors reached Australia 4,000 years before Captain Cook, scientists recently learned. And Australian dogs, known as dingoes, are probably descended from the dogs on that ship, the same DNA studies revealed. Wow, just imagine that first historic encounter. INDIAN SAILOR: Namaste, esteemed indigenous persons! How would you like us to address you? Aboriginals… Maoris? ABORIGINAL: G'day, mate. The Maoris are next door. We use clan names, so I'm a Koori. SAILOR: Really? That is similar to our word "curry", which we use for food. This, for example, is a delicious curry called fish tikka masala. ABORIGINAL: Strewth! Smells ripper. But tell me: Why do some of you have four legs and go round sniffing people's bottoms? SAILOR: We are calling those members of our team "dogs". They eat the rodents on our ship. We note you have many giant rodents hopping around. ABORIGINAL: No worries, they can eat as many kangas as they like; we're over-run with the buggers. INDIAN DOG: Woohoo! Food City! And so, with a meeting something like the above, the dingo was born, and Asian and Australian gene pools were joined forever. Reader Karuna Menon tells me that ancient Sangam literature specifically mentions a lost

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land south of India - a reference to Australia? *-* Washington woman Donna Lange, 51, was recently accused of smothering her boyfriend to death with her breasts. How did police work this out? Was the corpse smiling? *-* An Air India pilot let her snack addiction over-ride orders from bosses, various media reported recently. Passengers were stuck after Captain Smriti Trehan ignored orders to fly them from Mumbai to Delhi, opting instead to fly a different plane to Jodhpur to buy kachoris (onion pastries), they said. I would love to have heard her cabin announcement: "This is your captain speaking. Don't eat the inflight muck, follow me after landing for a SERIOUSLY cool snack." *-* Why is everyone raving about how wonderful technology is? I thought that by 2013 we would have spaceships to Mars. Instead we have leaf blowers. *-* Someone forwarded me a photo of "Mike the Murasai", a fish found near Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant last week. Mike looks normal, but contains 2,500 times the legally allowed limit of radiation. Why call it "Mike"? Surely "Lance Armstrong" would have been a better name? *-*

Australian dogs, known as dingoes, are probably descended from the dogs on the ship with Asian sailors who discovered Australia 4,000 years ago. A parable of modern life: To stop my kids sitting and staring in silence at little screens all day, I forced them to invite their buddies around. Now I have several families' kids sitting around my apartment staring silently at little screens. *-* Scientists at Toyota HQ have now created driverless cars to match the Google ones in America, a Japanese reader named Ren tells me. The driverless revolution is coming. I can't wait. About one in 20 taxi-drivers, in my experience, has SERIOUS digestive problems. I got into a taxi once and I swear there was NOT ONE MOLECULE of breathable air inside. It had all been replaced by lethal gas processed by the driver's colon, which was basically the biochemical weapon that United Nations weapons inspectors have spent years seeking in Iraq. I spent most of the ride with the upper half of my body hanging out of the window. Filipino reader Otis Schindler told me he plans to get a driverless car with a remote camera to drive from his bed. "If the car gets stuck at a red light, no problem. You can get some snack from the fridge and wait for a green light," he said. Reader Athena Huang envisaged a world where everybody works from home, but driverless cars scoot around so that the roads and bridges, etc, "aren't wasted". Right, Athena. And let's also shoot people so that guns aren't wasted

and set off all the nuclear bombs so they aren't wasted too. *-* Are you a lonely loser who sometimes has to eat by himself in a restaurant with only your phone for company? I am. Miso Soup Design, a Japanese-American firm, has come to our rescue. They've made a large bowl with a stand on the opposite side that holds your phone up, so you can read the screen while you eat. It is so big and distinctive that people will stare at you from all over the restaurant thinking, and possibly saying out loud: "What a loser!" I GOTTA have one. *-* Samsung will soon launch a Wi-Fi fridge, the Korean company announced recently. Hotspots are spreading through Asia. When this columnist set up our home Wi-Fi hotspot, we named it "DON'T STEAL OUR WIFI". But then we thought our neighbors may feel accused of being untrustworthy. So we changed it to "POLICE INTERNET MONITORING SERVICE". No one EVER hooks into our Wi-Fi capacity. *-* The Hayaa (extremist religious police) of Saudi Arabia recently shut down a dinosaur show and ordered all the children out, the Economist reported. They wouldn't say what law was broken. Theories are circulating on Twitter: 1) Male and female dinosaurs illegally appearing in one show. 2) Female dinosaurs seen in public without male guardians. 3) Dinosaurs not wearing hijabs. I think the hard truth is that Hayaa bosses felt there was only room in the country for one set of ancient anachronistic creatures "and that's us". *-* A message to all wives on behalf of all husbands: If we tell you we'll fix it, we'll fix it. You don't have to keep reminding us every six months. Geez! Nury Vittachi is an Asia-based frequent traveler. Send him comments or ideas via www.mrjam.org.

Photo of the week
In this Jan 22 photo released Feb 4, 15-year-old Malala Yousefzai relaxes. The Pakistani girl shot by the Taliban on Oct 9, 2012 has made her first video statement since she was nearly killed, released Monday, saying she is recovering. Speaking clearly but with a slight stiffness in her upper lip, Malala said that she was “getting better, day by day.” Her name is also floated for Nobel Peace Prize.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

ASTROLOGY

February 9-15, 2013

29

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
Stars Foretell: February 9-15, 2013
ARIES: Mental clarity gives a decisive edge over all competitors at professional front. Family members appreciate the changes made in & around the house. Speculation coupled with some unexpected gains improves financial health. Enjoying the company of partner in a lively restaurant would bring immense romantic pleasure. A sparkling laughter filled week when most things proceed, as you desire. Planning for traveling requires advice of persons whom you travel with. Plans for commercial loans might be postponed. Don’t forget to listen to the voice of wisdom and don’t jump to conclusions. TAURUS: Calculated risks would enable to complete the project on time. An auspicious week for family functions and important ceremonies. Finances will definitely get a boost. But at the same time there will be rise in expenses too. Prepare yourself to face the onslaught of cupid’s arrows. You must realize your true potentials to regain self-confidence. It is important to delve into your desires before you plan to travel. Are you longing to buy a farmhouse, try for it? You put mind to test by playing chess/crosswords or writing a story/poetry. GEMINI: A firm commitment will not only enable to achieve professional targets but also to realize your dreams. A unilateral decision could create some problems at family front. Investment without proper advice/guidance will bring financial losses. The presence of love would make you feel life meaningful. Your enormous confidence would help in enjoying a healthy life. Finally you have found the time for your deserving break, travel will be favourable. If you want to invest on property, then go for residential one. A promising week to follow issues that you have neglected earlier. CANCER: Cooperative nature brings desired results at professional front. Friends and family members would encourage working harder. A new source of income will generate through influential contacts. Love life brings some memorable moments that you could cherish rest of your life. A very healthy week filled with happiness & vitality. Adventurous holidays, the best way to experience with your friends, time to enjoy. Selling your home privately can be an excellent way of saving on costs. Charity & social work will attract you. LEO: For some change of job would bring mental satisfaction. You are likely to hear good news from close relatives. Rise in expenses will put unnecessary burden on budget. You might find it hard to express true feelings to dream prince/dazzling beauty. Pleasure trip would help in maintaining sound health. When preparing to travel with a family be humble and patient. Reduce your property loans otherwise you will be in great trouble. Don’t get surprised if some of you have to shoulder the legal problems. VIRGO: Your inner values coupled with a positive attitude will bring success at work. A week for renewal of bonds and family ties. You will be presented with many new financial schemes. However you must weigh them considering all pros & cons before making any commitment. Your flashing smile would work as the best antidote for romantic partner’s unhappiness. Yoga and meditation would help in keeping in shape and mentally agile. Take a trip, as there is some place waiting for you. Older properties tend to suffer more than the new ones. Honest and to-thepoint approach would be needed to succeed this week. LIBRA: Responding positively & quickly to new ideas in business will go in your favor. An old friend makes a pleasant visit later in the week. Investment made this week would enhance prosperity and financial security. Love is a serious business; therefore don’t take it for granted. Your `lack of will might make it difficult to achieve your goals. Great time for perfect family vacation to an exciting destination. Shopping for a commercial real estate loan can be tricky. Blindly following others could land in some troubles. SCORPIO: Calculated risks at professional front will be rewarded with success. Evening enjoyed with family and close relatives brings immense pleasure. An improvement in financial position would enable to make important purchases. Finding faults in love partner would not only waste time but also ruin relationship. Body pain and stress related problems can’t be ruled out. If you’re planning a vacation, be sure to consider your work does not effect. Your plan to buy a plot, may lead to bankruptcy. You find it a little difficult to change old habits and views. SAGITTARIUS: To bring a bloom in professional life you will have to formulate new strategies. If possible undertake the projects that would benefit the whole family. Investment needs to be made keeping long-term perspectives in mind. If possible make sure you enjoy the lovely romantic journey to cement the bond. Blessings of a saintly person give peace of mind. It’s high time to visit a relatives place otherwise relationships can be ruined. Your plan for a personal loan might not work out. As far as possible avoid unnecessary risks. CAPRICORN: You will be successful in regaining your professional touch. You are likely to plan a short trip with family. Do not make rash decisions, especially when negotiating major financial deals. Sharing candy floss and toffees with lover/beloved would bring unlimited joy. Chances of recovering from physical ailment are high. Travel opportunities full of challenges are often the beginning of great enterprises. Off-plan property investment is one of the easiest and most profitable methods to maximize gains in the real estate market. Construction work undertaken will finish to your satisfaction. AQUARIUS: Engineers are likely to find it very difficult/hard to complete the work on time. Encourage children to engage themselves in household activities in their spare time. You seem to know exactly what people need and want from you, but don’t try to be too lavish in your spending. Company of love partner would inspire to take initiatives. Inexhaustible energy enables to participate in outdoor activities. You will discover travel destinations that are unique and magical. Plan your budget first, and then try for a property. Make sure you restrain yourself from any kind of temptation. PISCES: Self-confidence helps in making an impact at professional front this week. Unexpected visit by old friend could give you a pleasant surprise. You are likely to earn monetary profits through most unexpected sources. Love works like a panacea as you find sanity. You attain a bloom in health on sharing happiness with others. A trip that is unconventional and adventurous will be favorable enjoy every minute of it. Your property prices will boost in the coming period. If possible, avoid giving unnecessary importance to minor issues otherwise.

Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874 Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899 [email protected]; www.premastrologer.com

Annual Predictions: For those born in this week
February 09 Influenced by number 9 and the planet Mars. You are active, energetic, trustworthy, systematic and quick in taking decisions. You have a good command over your work which in return brings you rewards and appreciation, but you need to check your tendency to behave vindictive and jealous at time. This coming year is good for judicial and govt. favours. Long pending disputes will get sorted out and important contacts will play immense role in improving your financial standing. A sudden influence of a person from the opposite sex will give a new and interesting twist to your life. Later in the year blessing from a saintly person will provide comfort and peace of mind. Stay away from strangers who behave extra friendly and excuse all those who approach you for temporary loans and financial assistance. Friends will be helpful but demanding. March, April, July, September & December will prove to be significant. February 10 Governed by number 1 and the Sun. You are active, dynamic, authoritative, brilliant and a talented person. You always welcome new ideas and thoughts, but you need to check your tendency to behave extravagant and stubborn at times. The coming year brings you many opportunities to fulfill your dreams. A pleasure trip to an exotic destination would be high on your agenda. Also during this period you will establish new contacts and fruitful partnerships. Long expected monetary benefits will accrue. Speculation and unexpected gains will make your financial position much better than expected. But despite all goodies, minor tensions and stress will always bother you especially concerning health of your parents and increase in household expenditure. Your spouse would be supportive to your concerns and provide you with love and affection, but children might take advantage of your generous behaviour and cause some disappointment. May, June, September & August seem to be significant. February 11 Ruled by number 2 and the Moon. You are simple, honest, cooperative, love peace and harmony. You are full of new and innovative ideas and simply a perfectionist in whatever work you decide to do, but you need to control your tendency to be whimsical and jealous at times. Your coming year promises many new surprises and rewards for you. Your long desires are likely to be fulfilled this year. New sources of income will improve your financial position and boost your confidence. Journeys undertaken for work purpose would be beneficial and highly rewarding. Investment in a house and selected stocks recommended. Later in the year a distant trip maybe overseas bring new opportunities for growth and a chance to meet old associates. Legal matters are likely to be extended for much longer than expected and also prove highly expensive. Children will win laurels in their respective fields and will be supportive and understanding towards you. June, August, December & February will bring prosperity. February 12 Ruled by number 3 and the planet Jupiter. You are ambitious, dignified, independent and kind hearted. You enjoy a good position and respect at your work place, but you need to check your tendency to behave extravagant and dominating at times. Don’t be hesitant in executing your new plans in the coming year. Fame and fortune will be at your doorsteps provided you are able to grab the right opportunities. New relationships and attachments will develop bringing you good opportunities through out the year. Gains from speculation is also quite likely. People looking for matrimonial alliances will find a suitable life partner. Health will show improvement despite the hectic hours that you might put in office. Foreign transactions or foreign trips for some. March, September, December & January will be eventful. February 13 Influenced by number 4 and the planet Uranus. You are active, practical, enthusiastic, authoritative and energetic. You are intelligent and can do wonders in your profession with your ability and proficiency, but you need to control your tendencies to behave impatient, whimsical and stubborn at times. New proposals and assignments for you this year. Business will flourish and financial gains will lift your confidence. Legal matters that have been haunting your mind will settle to your satisfaction. Promotions and increments are likely for some. Relationship with somebody close might get strained over trivial issues. Romance and new alliances look likely for those unattached. Elders and children in the family will demand a lot of your attention. Health of your spouse may cause concern and anxiety. Sportsmen and artists can look forward to some fame towards the end of the year. August, November, December & January will be significant. February 14 Governed by number 5 and the planet Mercury. You are practical, sharp, dignified, sensitive, original and dashing. You are friendly and very helpful, but you need to control your tendency to behave impatient and short-tempered at times. A very promising and favourable period starts this year. Investors who speculate in the stock market will benefit financially. Those involved in art and other creative profession should expect recognition and monetary gains. Sudden help from some near one or a friend will bring a major boost to your professional career. This is also a good time to invest in property. Children will be supportive and bring in some happy news later in the year. Pilgrimage or a long journey would be high on your cards. September, November, and January will prove to be significant. February 15 Ruled by number 6 and the planet Venus. You have a pleasant personality, sharp memory and you are fond of worldly pleasures. You stay ahead of others because of your interest in new things and new technology, but you need to control your tendencies towards moodiness, timidity and interference in the affairs of others. This period is good for you to take important decision. You shall gather knowledge, information and make new and long lasting contacts. You shall leave no stone unturned to achieve your desired goals. Businessmen will expand their ventures into new and more profitable avenues. Investment in stocks would bring spectacular results. Health would definitely need more attention. Meditation and Yoga should be practiced for spiritual as well as physical gains. Some exhilarating news from your children would boost up your spirits later in the year. April, July, September & November will be eventful.

Before you consult...
i) Accurate Data: Please make sure Date, Time and Place of birth is accurate. ii) Careful: Did you check background of the astrologer before disclosing your secrets. iii) Fee: Discuss the charges before, don’t feel shy. It’s his business. iv) Expectation: Expect the best, if the outcome is not as desired, never give up. v) Consult: Take second opinion before spending thousands on cure/remedies.

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30

February 9-15, 2013

SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

God's love is all around us
By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj

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henever we swim or sail in the ocean, the beautiful blue waters of the sea surround us on all sides. Just as while swimming we are surrounded by the ocean, every second of our lives we are also surrounded by the ocean of divine love. The ocean of God’s love surrounds us. It is not only around us, but within. It is to the right of us, the left of us, above us, below us, and in us. If we could only have the eyes to see, we would find we are perpetually swimming in the ocean of God’s love. In this connection, there is a story of a man who had been meditating many years yet was frustrated because he had not seen God. He had given up many worldly pleasures to meditate and spent long hours meditating in silence. He was devoted and did whatever he could to find God. Finally, he prayed to God, “O Lord, I have been meditating and praying to You all my life, yet You have not appeared to me.” God did not respond to his prayer. The man became more and more impatient and soon started saying, “There is no God. I have wasted my time.” The man strolled along the side of the river, upset at his lack of experience with the Lord. Finally, the man took a pebble and threw it into the river, saying, “O river, I have wasted my life. I have prayed and meditated to find God, but there is no God.” Suddenly, a fish raised its head out of the water, saying, “Why have you thrown a stone at me?” The man apologized and said, “I did not mean to hit you. I only threw it into the river in frustration.” The fish asked, “Why are you frustrated?” The man said, “I have spent my life searching for God, but have not found God. My efforts have been wasted.” The fish said, “You think you have problems? Look at me. I have been swimming in this river my whole life looking for water. I am dying of thirst and cannot find any water to drink.” The man said, “What is wrong

with you? You must be a fool instead of a fish. The whole river is filled with water. There is not a spot in the river where there is no water. You are surrounded by water. Just open your fish eyes to see it.” The fish said, “Well, it is the same with you. You are surrounded by God. God is all around you and within you. You are swimming in the Lord and claim there is no God. Who is the bigger fool? You or I?” This amusing story points out a great truth. We are all looking for God, but do not realize God is surrounding us and within us. There is no place where God is not. We only have to open our eyes to see it. God is everywhere. Just as the ocean is all around us,

Meditation is merely changing our vision from blindness of God to vision of God. God is all around us every moment. God is pulsating with us. God is closer to us than our jugular vein. Meditation helps us experience that. We may feel we are putting in a great deal of time meditating but have not yet seen God. It is only because we are not really meditating. We are thinking. We are evaluating. We are judging. We are sitting and thinking, “O, God is not coming, God is not coming.” That is not meditating; rather, that is thinking. If we truly want to find God, we need to stop thinking. We merely need to gaze within. The fish could have just looked out of

ing to see one thing or another in meditation. We feel unsatisfied no matter what we see unless it is what we planned to see. Clutching interferes with us enjoying what we do receive because we are too focused on what we want to receive instead. Thus, clutching takes our attention away from the stillness needed in meditation. It is incredible how many ways the mind can interrupt our meditation with thoughts. The mind uses the habit of complaining as one of its tools to keep us occupied. We are swimming in the ocean of God’s love, but cannot see it because we are engaged with the negative trends of the mind. There is an interesting example

Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj said in a verse: Every grain of sand in the desert is a mirror; Amidst your infinite reflections, your mad lovers are lost. The verse explains how God is everywhere. God is in every grain of sand in the desert. God is in every particle of creation. God is in the fish. God is in the reptiles. God is in the animals. God is in every human being. When we can see God everywhere, we are lost in the love of God at every moment. God is love. When we recognize God everywhere, we are recognizing the power of love and are lost in the madness of that love.
so is God. Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj said in a verse: Every grain of sand in the desert is a mirror; Amidst your infinite reflections, your mad lovers are lost. The verse is explaining how God is everywhere. God is in every grain of sand in the desert. God is in every particle of creation. God is in the fish. God is in the reptiles. God is in the animals. God is in every human being. When we can see God everywhere, we are lost in the love of God at every moment. God is love. When we recognize God everywhere, we are recognizing the power of love and are lost in the madness of that love. its eyes and seen water. But it was so busy thinking, “I cannot find the water. I am dying of thirst.” While thinking that, it was distracting itself and not able to see the reality in front of it. Let us not be like the man or the fish in the story. Let us truly meditate, by stilling our mind and opening ourselves to the vision of God. God is available at every moment. We need to still our body and mind to experience it. Any thoughts of evaluation, judging, or clutching is going to keep us from the experience. Avoid Clutching in Meditation Clutching is another form of expectation in which we are tryof how clutching puts us into a complaining mode so that we do not experience the beauty around us. In the United States, there are national parks and state parks in which people can enjoy the beauty of nature. In these beautiful parks we can enjoy mountains, valleys, rivers, streams, creeks, forests, and fields. These areas are kept preserved so that people can be in touch with nature without the development of houses, buildings, commercial areas, and concrete jungles found in towns and cities. These parks are places where people can walk in nature and enjoy the lovely trees, flowers, and waterways. We can hear the

lovely sounds of birds chirping. We can get glimpses of God’s beautiful creatures such as deer, rabbits, squirrels, butterflies, and fish. We can hear the sounds of silence, wind blowing through trees, and the natural sounds of wildlife. We can see the lovely sky with floating clouds in the day, or the stars and moon at night. Some people feel the national or state parks are a natural paradise. Yet, in one of the state parks, the park administrators were processing a pile of unopened mail that had accumulated in their office for a long time from people who had visited the parks. These letters came from many different people over a long period of time. Instead of writing to thank the park administrators for their preservation of nature’s beauty, the people wrote a list of complaints. Some complaints were humorous and some were ridiculous, yet the nature of the letters showed what people were really thinking about when they visited these natural parks instead of enjoying their beauty. People complained that some of the natural trails were not wide enough for people to walk along together, side by side, holding hands. Some complained that they did not like some of the trails that went up the side of the mountains because it made them have to walk uphill! Some complained that the hiking trails meant for hiking should have chair lifts so the people did not have to hike. Some said that the animals made too much noise at night and kept them awake when they camped out and the people wanted the park department to get rid of all the animals. Someone else said that a deer came into his campsite and stole a jar of pickles and the person wanted the park department to reimburse him for the stolen jar. Another said they wanted escalators put on the mountains so they did not have to climb. Another wanted a fast food restaurant put into the forest so they did not have to cook out. Someone even said there were too many rocks on the mountain. TO BE CONTINUED.. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is an internationally recognized spiritual leader and Master of Jyoti Meditation who affirms the transcendent oneness at the heart of all religions and mystic traditions, emphasizing ethical living and meditation as building blocks for achieving inner and outer peace. www.sos.org.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

February 9-15, 2013

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

February 9-15, 2013