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The South Asian Times

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Vol.6 No. 32 November 30-December 6, 2013 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Washington: The Obama administration has announced another delay to its healthcare law, this time to online medical insurance for small businesses. The marketplace website allowing employers to buy health coverage for their workers will be put off by one year until November 2014. Ongoing problems with

Obamacare delays small-business US leads world enrolment by a year in clinching historic N-deal with Iran
Healthcare.gov, beset by glitches since its October 1 launch, were blamed for the delay. Enrolment for small businesses was originally meant to start in October, until the administration delayed it by a month. On Wednesday it pushed that deadline back again, by a full year. Administration officials told reporters in a conference call that employers who want to buy healthcare plans for their workers would need to go through an insurance company or agent, rather than through a government website. Officials said this would allow employers to buy coverage while avoiding slowing down technical repairs on the federal website, which has been plagued by errors. New Delhi: Hours after not ruling out an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the possibility of a hung assembly in the state, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila D i k s h i t Sheila Thursday backDikshit, three tracked, saying time chief the Congress minister. will win a majority on its own. "Won't comment on alliance with AAP. I didn't rule it out, I didn't rule it in," Dikshit told CNN-IBN in an interview. Dikshit, however, later issued a statement which said: "The Congress would form government on its own without any alliance in Delhi." The chief minister has always refused to acknowledge the yearold AAP's potential of harming the Congress' prospects of winning the Delhi polls for the fourth straight time. Several opinion polls have suggested the AAP would emerge as a major political force and eat into the votes of Continued on page 4

India, Israel, and US should join forces to combat terrorism

Delhi CM flip-flops on alliance with AAP

Consul General of Israel Ido Aharoni, President of AIPAC Jagdish Sewhani, Director of AJC David Harris, and Consul General of India Dnyaneshwar Mulay at a meeting marking five years of the Mumbai terror attack.

Could Iranian President Hassan Rouhani be another Mikhail Gorbachev -- a real reformer who opens his country's political system and creates the space for dtente with the United States and Europe? Maybe.

New York: The American India Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), in conjunction with American Jewish Committee (AJC), and the Hindu Temple Society of North America, organized a meeting to mark the fifth anniversary of the 11/26 Mumbai terrorist attack. It was a substantive, meaningful, and truly heartwarming example of the warm relations between India and Israel. Consul General of Israel Hon.

Ido Aharoni, Consul General of India, Hon. Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Jagdish Sewhani, David Harris and Shira Loewenberg of AJC, Dr. Uma Mysorekar and Shira Loewenberg stressed the need for India, Israel & America to join forces to fight terror. In his speech, Jagdish Sewhani, President of AIPAC, said: We have assembled here to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Continued on page 4

Geneva/Washington/ Tehran: After intense negotiations, the Western powers and Iran reached a first-step agreement this week on Tehran's nuclear program that most of the world welcomed but Israel slammed as a "historic mistake". European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represented the P5+1 group - the five UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany during the talks with Iran - made the announcement last Sunday at the headquarters of the UN office

in Geneva. President Barack Obama said the historic deal includes "substantial limitations that will help prevent Iran from creating a nuclear weapon". Key players will work over the next six months toward a "comprehensive solution" on Iran's nuclear program, Obama said in a nationally televised address from the White House shortly after the deal was announced in Geneva. Continued on page 4
More related stories on page 7, 9, and 21.

Delhi Diary 15

Travel 18

Self Help 27

Spiritual Awareness 30

excellence in journalism

November 30-December 6, 2013

NEWS IN PIX

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Photos of the Week


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Typhoon Haiyan was an exceptionally powerful typhoon that devastated parts of southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, in early November. Deadliest Philippine typhoon on record, it killing at least 5,235 people in that country alone.

Indian Consul General in New York, Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay celebrated Diwali on November 17 with Ranju Batra, chair of the Diwali Stamp Project, and past president of AIA-NY, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, Ravi Batra, Amb. Manjeev S. Puri, judges and distinguished members of the community.

Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, which is one of the world's holiest Buddhist shrines, is getting its dome inlaid with 300 kg of gold donated by Thailand's king and other devotees. The precious metal (worth around $14.5 million) arrived in mid November and is under armed guard.

Priests and devotees perform Mastakabhisheka of a giant idol of Nandi at Chamundi Hill in Mysore on Nov 24.

Now, in Baramati, Maharashtra, you one can skydive from a height of 4,000-10,000 feet. Ace skydiver Shital Mahajan will organize the state's first skydiving camp there in December. The participants will be given training before they fly in a Cessna 172 aircraft, and jump out as the parachute opens. The package starts at Rs.20,000 per jump.

A view of the Christmas lights seen at London Eye, a giant Ferris wheel on the south bank of River Thames in London, Britain, on November 25.

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TRISTATE COMMUNITY

November 30-December 6, 2013

New York: The Indian American community has been stunned by the racist graffiti on a Gap advertisement featuring Sikh actor and model Waris Ahluwalia at a New York City subway station. The American multinational clothing and accessories retailer had launched a 'Make Love' drive featuring several multi-cultural figures in Gap garments during the holiday season. One of the posters featured the turbaned Ahluwahlia, next to Quentin Jones, a model and filmmaker -- with a caption that read "Make Love". This was followed by the brand's logo. An unidentified vandal crossed out "Make Love", only to replace it with "Make Bombs." Shockingly, someone also wrote under the ad's caption: "Please stop driving taxis." To ensure the situation didn't spiral out of control, Gap has taken immediate action to show its support of Ahluwalia and the Sikh community by featuring him on its Twitter and Facebook profiles. It also asked journalist Arsalan Iftikhar, who had alerted them about the defaced ad, to share the details of the location of the billboard to remove the racist graffiti. "Gap is a brand that celebrates inclusion and diversity. Our customers and employees are of many different ethnicities, faiths and lifestyles and we support them all," the company told The New York Daily News.

Racist graffiti against Sikh model in New York subway


The vandalized Gap ad featuring Waris Ahluwalia

Gap spokesperson Kari Shellhorn told The News that the company plans to erase all signs of the offensive remarks. Ahluwalia, who hails from near Amritsar in India, is a well-known fashion designer and actor who is frequently listed among the bestdressed and most stylish men in the entertainment and fashion industries. As an actor, Ahluwalia is perhaps best remembered for his small roles in Wes Anderson films like "The Darjeeling Express" and his small but memorable turn in Spike Lee's 2006 crime thriller "Inside Man", starring Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster. The North America Punjabi Association (NAPA) has strongly condemned the vandalized ad, calling it a hate crime. Its executive director Satnam Singh Chahal said the perpetrators should be brought to book at the earliest and punished.

New York: Till Tuesday BJPs Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was leading the Times Person of the Year poll, garnering about 25 percent of the vote, but Miley Cyrus fans have clearly come out in full force, propelling the tongue wagging, twerking superstar ahead with nearly 28 percent of the vote. Time magazine has shortlisted 42 global leaders, entrepreneurs and celebrities, including Modi, for its 'Person of the Year 2013'. Other candidates in fray are Pakistani teenage education activist Malala Yousafzai, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and even the new heir to the British throne Prince George. On Modi, Time said, "the controversial Hindu nationalist and Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat is the most likely candidate to unseat India's ruling Congress party in the world's largest democracy." Narendra Modi is the only Indian in the shortlist. While Time's editors will choose the winner, it has asked readers to cast their votes for the person they think "most influenced the news this year for better or worse". Obama, who has twice been chosen 'Person of the Year', is in the shortlist with the US magazine saying the President's "second term

Modi in running for Times Person of the Year

Narendra Modi has been edged from the top spot by Miley Cyrus

started with a slew of self-inflicted wounds and unfulfilled promise(s), from an IRS scandal and stalled immigration reform to the bungled Obamacare launch". Chechen brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the suspects in the Boston Marathon terror bombings, are in the shortlist too. Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 4, and the combined winner of reader polls will be announced on Dec. 6. Time's Person of the Year will be announced Dec. 11.

New York: A new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) report has reported that found that New York seniors and persons with disabilities with Medicare prescription drug coverage have saved hundreds of millions of dollars as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney called it wonderful news, saying. The ACA has saved New Yorks seniors and people with disabilities nearly $670 million since the law was enacted. This year alone, the average beneficiary has saved $975. Thats real money that has helped ease the financial burdens on hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and those savings will only grow as the dreaded donut hole is eventually closed for good, thanks to the ACA. The ACA has successfully kept cost growth low, which means that

Rep. Maloney cheers $670 million saving for NY seniors under Obamacare
these seniors will be able to use more of their Social Security benefit cost of living adjustment on what they choose because the Medicare Part B premium will not increase in 2014. Nationally, more than 7.3 million seniors and people with disabilities who hit the dreaded donut hole -the gap in the Medicare prescription drug benefit before catastrophic coverage for prescriptions takes effect in their Medicare Part D (Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage) plans have saved $8.9 billion on their prescription drugs. That is an average savings of $1,209 per person since the program began. Without this assistance from the ACA, Medicare beneficiaries, once they hit the donut hole, would have to pay out-of-pocket for the entire cost of prescription drugs until they reach catastrophic coverage.

Chicago: A US Court of Appeals has dismissed a human rights violation case against Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on the ground that a Sikh rights group failed to serve federal court summons on him. Dismissing the case Tuesday, Judge Richard Posner of the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, however, gave Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) the right to refile the lawsuit against Badal. In its appeal to the Chicago Court of Appeals, SFJ argued that 30 days given to plaintiffs were not sufficient to complete jurisdictional discovery to find out whether Badal or someone else was served the summons at Oak Creek High School in Wisconsin in August last year.

US court dismisses Sikh group's case against Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had visited Wisconsin in August last year to show solidarity with the victims of the shooting in a gurdwara there.

The trial court had dismissed the SFJ lawsuit against Badal on the grounds that Chicagobased Sikh Surinder Pal Singh Kalra was served with the summons instead of Badal. SFJ said it will file an appeal with the US Supreme Court challenging the Court of Appeal's order and seeking a review of its judgment. It can file the appeal in the apex court till Feb 24. SFJ and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) have alleged that there have been several hundred cases of extrajudicial killings, police tortures and human rights violations against the Sikh community in Punjab during 12 years of the Badal rule - from 1997 to 2002 and from 2007 to present.

November 30-December 6, 2013

TURN PAGE
US leads world in clinching ... Continued from page 1 The deal which capped days of marathon talks addresses Iran's ability to enrich uranium, what to do about its existing enriched uranium stockpiles, the number and potential of its centrifuges and Tehran's "ability to produce weapons-grade plutonium using the Arak reactor", according to a statement released by the White House. Iran also agreed to provide "increased transparency and intrusive monitoring of its nuclear program," it said. The deal halts Tehran's nuclear program, including the development at the Arak reactor and requiring all of the uranium enriched to 20 percent -- close to weapons-grade -- to be diluted so it cannot be converted for military purposes, the White House statement said. In Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the Geneva agreement is the first step towards building confidence between Iran and the world powers. By this agreement, the world powers recognized Iran's nuclear rights. Iran possesses the right to uranium enrichment under the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty, said the Iranian president. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon led the rest of the world in hailing the agreement. Leaders of the European Union (EU) too hailed the agreement as a major breakthrough for global security and stability. India, Israel, and US... Continued from page 1 November 26 terrorist attack in

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Mumbai in which 166 innocent men, women and children were brutally murdered by terrorists while property worth millions of dollars was destroyed. In that terrible attack Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, who was five months pregnant, were also killed by Pakistani Islamic terrorists. Sewhani continued, That terrorist attack was organized by Pakistans spy agency ISI in collaboration with the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba's (LeT) Hafiz Saeed, David Headley and several other LeT terrorists. While David Headley, the plotter of this terror attack, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison by a US judge in Chicago, Pakistan's government has so far taken no action against the mastermind of the attack, Hafiz Saeed. He is still a free man, openly inciting his thousands of followers to teach India and USA a lesson. In this connection I would like to inform you that the US government has offered a $10 million bounty for Hafiz Saeed. The 11/26 attack in Mumbai has been the most brutal since the 9/11 attack in New York. Five years after the Mumbai attacks, LeT is stronger than ever. Pakistan's military and its spy agency ISI use this terrorist organization against India according to Bruce Reidel, the fomer CIA counter terrorism expert. He has also revealed that the intention behind this insidious plan was to trigger a war between nuclear India and Pakistan. Sewhani further said that in the arc extending from Cairo to Jakarta, India and Israel are the beacons of democracy. These two democratic countries, along with the USA, are under constant threat by terrorists. Hence, it is the moral duty of the most powerful democracy in the world, America, and India and Israel to join hands to fight the onslaught by those whose belief systems are incompatible with the spirit of the 21st Century. India, Israel and America have been the victims of terrorism for several years--we are natural allies. I believe that if these three countries, along with other victims of terror, join hands together, we can definitely quash the vicious designs of these religious bigots, concluded Mr. Sewhani, adding, The civilized world will not be satisfied until Pakistan swiftly concludes the 11/26 trial and gives maximum punishment to its perpetrators. Delhi CM flip-flops on alliance... Continued from page 1 the BJP and Congress in Dec 4 election. The BJP will emerge the single largest party, but wont have enough seats to form a government on its own. A survey predicted a win for AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal against Dikshit in the New Delhi constituency. Taking a jibe at the AAP, Dikshit said: "There are those who took up 'jhadoo' (broom) to clean up corruption but the sting operation has shown that even they are corrupt." However, in the interview, the threetime chief minister said she was confident of Congress winning its fourth term in Delhi.

By Jinal Shah

IAAC turns 15 with glitz and glamor

New York: Prominent Indian American artists congregated here to celebrate Indian literature, films, music and glamor at the Angel Orensanz Foundation for Performing Arts on November 21 to celebrate Indo American Arts Council (IAAC) completing 15 years. Born to build awareness of Indian artists and artistic disciplines of India in mainstream America, IAAC came when Indian art was still invisible as Aroon Salman Rushdie, Aroon Shivdasani Shivdasani, executive direcand Madhur Jaffery at the IAAC gala. tor and founding member, IAAC puts it. Fifteen years ago high-quality of craft and storythe art and culture of the Indian telling, Nair (director of such subcontinent was invisible in this films as The Namesake and amazing, diverse cultural land- Monsoon Wedding) said of her involvement in IAAC. scape. In a way, honoring me is a way So, IAAC has been on a mission of promoting and building aware- of honoring the organization; its a ness about classical Indian music, way to jointly celebrate the dance, films, theater and fashion IAAC, said Rushdie who has supand cross-cultural art forms in ported the organization from its North America. Its been an uphill inception. What has happened struggle, not because we dont during these 15 years is that this have wonderful artists, not because community has matured and develof volunteers, its because money oped. What I like about IAAC is is difficult to come by to support its supporting different forms of art the arts, added Shivdasani. like Indian classical dance here in People dont realize you breathe the U.S., its showing how high the level of complexity of the dance art, its all around you. Prominent author Salman is, he added. The guests were treated to a perRushdie, filmmaker Mira Nair, Homeland actress Sarita formance by Oscar winning musiChoudhury, celebrity chef and cian Paul Williams accompanied author Madhur Jaffrey and many by pianist Kenny Ascher performother celebrities were in atten- ing iconic love ballads like weev dance at the celebration. On the only just begun and Let me be occasion, IAAC honored Rushdie, the one. A fashion show followed featurNair and Dr Manjula Bansal, who is attending Pathologist at The ing Indian designer Manish Arora Hospital for Special Surgery in best known for his psychedelic Manhattan. Its about sharing a colors and kitsch motifs.

Panaji: Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal has been given interim bail until 2.30 p.m. Friday by the district and sessions court here in Panaji in the case of his alleged assault on a junior journalist colleague. Tejpal's counsel said that he will

Tejpal granted interim bail, may be arrested


cooperate with the investigation and that the summons did not give enough time for Tejpal to arrive in Goa from Delhi. The hearing was to resume at 2.30 p.m. Friday. In another development, Tehelkas Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhury resigned from the weekly paper, admitting lapses in her handling of the sex assault case. And, Delhi BJP leader Vijay Jolly courted trouble by protesting outside Shomas residence and smearing black paint at the entrance and the name plate.

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TRISTATE COMMUNITY

November 30-December 6, 2013

New York: Members of the IndianAmerican and American-Jewish community here held a commemorative ceremony to pay tribute to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, calling for perpetrators of the carnage to be brought to justice. The commemorative event marking the fifth anniversary of the attacks was organized on Tuesday by the American India Public Affairs Committee along with the American Jewish Committee Asia Pacific Region. Those gathered at the ceremony observed a moment of silence and lit 12 candles, one each for the number of sites in Mumbai that were attacked by 10 militants belonging to Pakistanbased terror group LeT during the three-day carnage in November 2008 that killed 166 people and injured several more. Among those killed in the gruesome terror attacks were several foreign nationals including Gavriel Noach Holtzberg, who was a rabbi and the Chabad emissary to Mumbai, and his wife Rivka. Indian consul general here ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulay con-

26/11 terror attacks: Commemorative service held in NY


demned terrorism in all forms and said the scourge has no religion, caste or nationality. "The gift of the 21st century is the word called terrorism. It is time that we come together in a stronger and more determined manner to fight terrorism so that we do not hand over this phrase to the future generations," Mulay said. Israel's consul general in New York ambassador Ido Aharoni said the "well-coordinated and multi-layered attacks" brought India and Israel closer in their fight against terror. "We need to look at every agreement with any world regime, with any terrorist organization through the prism to what affect the agreement is addressing the issue of motivation of terrorists." American India Public Affairs Committee president Jagdish Sewhani said Pakistan has to act swiftly in concluding the 26/11 trial and in bringing the perpetrators of the attack to justice. He said the Pakistani government has not taken any action against the mastermind of the attacks Hafiz Saeed, "who has been openly inciting his followers" against India.

Nationwide Indian Festive Food Week announced

The core group of New York restaurateurs supporting India Festive Food Week. from left, Mohan Ahluwalia of Bombay Palace; Hemant Mathur, Tulsi; Rajesh Bhardwaj, Junoon; Shiva Natarajan, Chola; Nitin Vyas, Madras Mahal; Kamal Arora, Arora Hospitality Group and Ravi Pillai of Bombay Duck Company.

CG Mulay announcing the Indian Festive Food Week on Nov 22

New York: A unique nationwide celebration of Indian cuisine was announced at the Indian Consulate in New York Nov 22, targeting 7 US cities with a weeklong Indian Festive Food Week, starting Dec 12th . While announcing the food week Indian Consul General in New York Dnyaneshwar Mulay said it will provide unprecedented gastronomical delight to the food connoisseurs. During the Indian Festive Food Week, an initiative of India Unlim-

ited and Indya One, Indian food lovers can experience the complexity, yet subtly of Indian cuisine through the hands of celebrated Indian American chefs that call America their home. The rich flavors of Indias mainstream and regional cuisines, ranging from Punjabi, Awadhi, Mughlai, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Bengali and Udupi, will entice gourmands at select fine dining Indian restaurants in New York, New Jersey, Washington DC, Chicago, Dallas,

Houston, Austin and San Francisco. Participating restaurants will showcase their signature prix-fixe menu, including some that will bring out green and low-calorie options. The pricing of the prixfixe menu will vary by city. During the festive food week, various workshops and sessions will be organized with industry experts to create more awareness about Indian cuisine and various regional methods and styles adopted for cooking.

Iselin, NJ: The Indus American Bank recently appointed Dr. Hemant Patel, a prominent New York City physician and businessman, to its Board of Directors. In announcing the appointment, Executive Chairman & Founder Anil Bansal said '' Dr. Patel brings an exceptional combination of medical knowledge, business acumen and community commitment to the Indus American Bank." The bank, based in Iselin, New Jersey, serves the South Asian community in the Tri-state area. Among its many services is a loan program for growing medical practices. "Dr. Patel's experience in building a thriving medical practice and in educating and mentoring medical students will be invaluable as we work to improve and expand our programs for medical professionals." Mr. Bansal says. A well established and successful Board Certified Primary Care Physician and businessman in Harlem, Dr. Patel established his

Dr Hemant Patel appointed to Indus Monica Gill is Miss India USA 2013 American Bank board

Dr Hemant Patel

first private practice in 1987. In addition, he served as the Medical Director at Greater Harlem Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for five years. Currently he is the Medical Director of Ambulatory Services for Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and has Faculty appointment with the institution. Dr. Patel resides in Scarsdale, NY with his wife and has two children, both pursuing their studies in the field of Medicine.

New Jersey: Monica Gill, a clinical affairs associate from Boston, Massachusetts, is the new Miss India USA 2013, an Monica Gill annual pageant where Indian American beauties compete for the grand Miss India Worldwide crown. Gill, 24, was crowned by outgoing Miss India USA 2012 Priyam Bhargava at the pageant organized Sunday by the Indian Festival Committee at Royal Albert's Palace at the Fords, New Jersey. Gill will now compete against other beauties in the international contest for the title of Miss India Worldwide. Alycia Rehmatullah, 15, from Atlanta Georgia was declared new Miss Teen India USA 2013.Gill, who was previously crowned Miss India New England at the pre-elimination round held Nov 9, has in the past worked with various social organizations in the New England area.

Washington, DC: The Sikh Coalition and prominent national civil rights leaders released version 2.0 of a mobile phone application FlyRights that enables users to report TSA screening discrimination in real time. For years, Sikh travelers have complained of discriminatory Transportation Security Administration(TSA) screening and pat downs at airport checkpoints across the United States. At some airports, the Sikh Coalition has found that Sikh travelers are subjected to secondary screening 100% of the time. The Sikh Coalition released FlyRights in April 2012 to bridge the gap between communities affected by discrimination and official government action. Complaints filed through FlyRights are reviewed as official complaints by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Nearly 20 times more complaints alleging TSA screening discrimination were filed through FlyRights in 2012 than the Department of Homeland Security reported to Congress for the same year, the Sikh Coalition said in e press release.

2.0 version of mobile app to combat TSA profiling


FlyRights 2.0 adds new layers of transparency and visibility to the question of whether TSA is engaging in unlawful discrimination and profiling. The updated app allows travelers to copy their Members of Congress on their complaints of discrimination. The new version of FlyRights also contains a crowd-sourced map that allows users to compare the number of complaints filed through FlyRights for each airport in America. The release of FlyRights 2.0 immediately received support from leaders on Capitol Hill and in the civil rights community. Airport safety measures based on someones race, gender or faith are not safety measures at all they alienate targeted communities and make victims out of travelers, said Congresswoman Judy Chu, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. A process for travelers to submit complaints can provide recourse while helping improve TSAs performance, said Congressman John Mica, former Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and current senior member of the Committee.

November 30-December 6, 2013

NATIONAL COMMUNITY

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Washington, DC: An Indian techie has filed a lawsuit against Bosch, a German multinational engineering and electronics company, alleging that the firm compelled Indian employees in the US to pay their tax refunds back to it. In a lawsuit filed through national plaintiffs' law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, Indian national Suraj Kamath charged that Bosch unjustly enriched itself by requiring all of its non-US citizen employees to pay to Bosch federal and state tax refunds the employees had received while working in the US. In the class action lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles, the complaint seeks certification by the Court of a class consisting of "All non-US citizens who were, are, or will be employed by Bosch from whom Bosch has demanded payment of their tax refund amounts. It is estimated that at least 160 persons are class members. The complaint seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief. "I worked diligently for Bosch for years. When I objected to Bosch's demand to pay

Indian techie Suraj Kamath files lawsuit against Bosch

back all tax refunds I had received, Bosch threatened to fire me, send me back to India and make my life miserable. The way Bosch treats its employees is wrong and that's why I am standing up to Bosch for myself and my fellow colleagues at Bosch," Kamath alleged. In 2005, Kamath, a citizen of India, began working for Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions, Ltd ("RBEI") in India. In March 2009, RBEI transferred Kamath to the US, where he worked as a Project Manager in Santa Barbara, California, until May 2013. "The Indian citizens who Bosch brought to the United States have contributed to the US economy and helped Bosch grow and prosper in America," Daniel M Hutchinson, counsel for Kamath and the proposed class, said in a statement. "All Bosch employees should receive their full wages, and that includes the tax refunds they are entitled to. These employees deserve to be treated fairly, and not have their livelihoods threatened for insisting that Bosch comply with the law," Hutchinson said.

but only Marajh is believed New York: A 28-year-old Indian-origin man has been to have participated in the arrested here on hate crime assault. Marajh was in court yescharges after he allegedly terday for his arraignment assaulted a Jewish man as hearing on misdemeanor part of so-called "knockout attacks." assault and harassment Amrit Marajh of Brookcharges and has been released on $750 bail. lyn is charged with aggraMarajh had left a local vated harassment as a hate bar here with four friends crime, assault as a hate and was talking about boxcrime and misdemeanor asing when the "knockout" sault, the New York Police Department said. game came up, police said. Amrit Marajh He allegedly boasted that The arrest came amid investigations by law enforcement officials into he could knock out his victim after one of his increasing incidents of random "knock-out friends challenged him. Marajh allegedly attacks" where young assailants try to knock said, "Yes I can. I'll do it to this guy right out unsuspecting victims with a punch. now!" He punched the young Jewish man Police say Marajh assaulted a 24-year-old and hurled an anti-Semitic slur. Jewish man wearing a yarmulke on Friday in The growing incidents of 'knock-out' asBrooklyn after he was talking about the saults have raised concerns across the country after a spate of such attacks in New York, knockout games with three other men. A report in New York Daily News said New Haven, Washington, and Philadelphia. Marajh voiced an anti-Semitic statement be- In New Haven, police spokesman David fore attacking his victim. Hartman said police are investigating six inAll four men were taken into police cus- cidents in the last month as part of the knocktody shortly after the early morning attack out trend.

India-origin man arrested on hate crime charges

IN BRIEF

BAPS Charities partners with UNICEF for typhoon Haiyan relief

TRIBUTE

Dr. Najma Sultana passes away


ith the sad demise for the Indian National Overof Dr. Najma Suseas Congress from its inceptana, Indian Amertion. Her dedication to the ican community has truly lost lofty ideals and goals of the a pioneer who has dedicated Congress party was unshakher life fighting for the civil able. She truly believed that rights of the people here in the hope for India rests on the U.S. and India. Undoubtedly, pluralistic ethos Mahatma her greatest attributes were Gandhi, the father of the nathe laser focus she had on tion who has preached and critical issues and the selfless practiced those principles. service to the community. Dr. Najma Sultana inspired She was indeed an icon in our her colleagues with her hucommunity who has never manity, her wonderful sense hesitated to stand up for what of irony, her grit, savvy, and Dr Najma Sultana is just and righteous. She was passion. She became a close soft-spoken but tenacious and unflappable in- friend and confidant to many of us who were dividual who fought against racial, ethnic and fighting for civil rights, religious freedom and religious discrimination. human dignity. She will be sorely missed. Our Our community has benefited tremendously community that she often fondly described as from Dr.Sultanas tireless efforts to ensure that the extended family wants her relatives to all people are treated equally. She believed know that Dr. Sultanas legacy endures: her that regardless of ones position, status, race, leadership is forever embedded in the DNA of creed, color, religion or gender, everyone has all civil rights work she has undertaken and an obligation to ensure equality for all. the impact we have achieved. Dr. Najma SulShe worked with scores of civic and cultur- tana - may your soul rest in peace! al organizations. I am indeed grateful for the -George Abraham, Chairman, Indian Natime and opportunity to work together with her tional Overseas Congress (I),USA

BAPS Charities board member Praful Raja (center) handing over the donation.

APS Charities donated $11,000 to the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) to support the typhoon Haiyan relief efforts in the Philippines which displaced more than three million people and killed more than 4000. UNICEF brings years of expertise aiding natural disaster victims in over 150 countries and has an extensive network to quickly reach communities in need. UNICEF is also uniquely positioned to focus on the special needs of children, who are often the most vulnerable survivors of natural disasters. Funds donated will support UNICEFs efforts to provide both immediate and longterm support to communities in central Philippines. BAPS Charities board member Praful

Raja and other representatives presented the donation to the UNICEF on Nov 21, 2013 at their New York headquarters. Lacey Stone, UNICEF representative and Manager of Civil Society of Partnerships, was very appreciative of BAPS Charities generous contribution. The current situation in the Philippines is devastating, and UNICEF is working around the clock to help children and families affected by Typhoon Haiyan, said Leslie Goldman, Vice President of Program and Community Engagement for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Donations from our partners are critical in supporting our efforts to provide relief in the Philippines, as well as to save childrens lives around the world.

CT Sikhs celebrate Thanksgiving with spirit of sharing


onnecticut Sikh Association members decided to donate food to the local organization Southington bread for life.Bread For Life was opened on September 10, 1984. It initially operated three days a week at three different churches, serving sixteen people. By 1990, it expanded to a fiveday-a-week program. Members of CT Sikh Association delivered them more than 1000 cans of tin food with other items which can be used by them on daily bases to prepare food like ketchup, maize, sugar bags, flour etc. Eldon Hafford, BFL executive director of

Bread for life specially thanked Kulwant singh Samra former president of sikh temple, Southington for his generous donation and support from CT Sikh association members. He also emailed S.Swaranjit Singh Singh Khalsa ,Member Sikh Sevak Society International and thanked for specially coming from Norwich,CT to support Bread for life and for providing them brochures Who are Sikhs to create awareness about Sikhism. Member of CT Sikh Association also gave Eldon Hafford a souvenir from Sikh Temple which says Recognize all Human race as One.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

NATIONAL COMMUNITY

November 30-December 6, 2013

New York: A top Indian-American executive at Citigroup has been appointed president of Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, the world's largest ratings firm. Neeraj Sahai, 56, will assume his new role at S&P from January 6, 2014, financial intelligence company McGraw Hill Financial said in a statement here. Sahai, who did his master's in economics from the University of Delhi, is currently head of Citi's Securities and Fund Services business and also acts as chief fiduciary officer of Citigroup. He succeeds Douglas Peterson, who became president and chief executive officer of McGraw Hill Financial on November 1. Peterson has taken over as chief executive of the parent company earlier this month. Sahai has "significant experience serving global capital markets. His insights, leadership and background in driving growth, as well as in risk, control and governance will be enormously valuable to Standard & Poor's Rating

Neeraj Sahai appointed president Iran nuke deal has an Indian-American architect of S&P Ratings Services
Washington, DC: Months of clandestine US-Iran bilateral talks preceded the first-step deal signed on Sunday in Geneva, and Puneet Talwar, an Indian-American, was at the heart of it. US back-channel efforts are said to have started clandestinely in March, according to published accounts citing administration officials over past some weeks. Undersecretary of state William Burns led these recent efforts, building on those by Talwar, National Security Council aide who has driven President Barack Obamas Iran initiative for years. Talwar, who holds the designation of assistant to the president, has been at the center of the diplomacy (with, and on, Iran), The Wall Street Journal said in a recent article. He has represented the White House at all of the formal negotiations conducted between Iran and the global P5+1 powers, since 2009, the article added. The accord is the direct result, though, of recent talks taking place with the election of President Hassan Rouhani, fol-

Neeraj Sahai

Services, to market participants and to credit markets," Peterson said. He added that as debt markets expand around the world to finance the increasing demand for development and infrastructure projects, S&P and its 1,400 analysts would offer globally comparable measures of relative credit risk. "I am eager to get started, to work alongside S&P's deeply talented employees and to build on the progress Doug and the management team have achieved," said Sahai. In his previous role at Citi, Sahai significantly grew the business, which offers securities services to investors, issuers and intermediaries.

Puneet Talwar, Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs

lowed by an exchange of letters with Obama, and a phone call. Details of the accord were hammered out at secret meetings -five, according to one count -- led by Burns. Some of these meetings took place in Muscat, Oman. But the final deal was sealed in Geneva. Talwar, who has refused media interviews, was there as part of the US team. He will be happy to move on now though with the mission being accom-

plished. Obama named him recently as the assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, which, if confirmed, will make him the second Indian American currently of that seniority at state. The other is Nisha Biswal, who was sworn in earlier this week as the assistant secretary of state for Central and South Asia, the most powerful US bureaucrat dealing directly with India.

Washington, DC: As Nisha Desai Biswal officially became Washington's first Indian-American pointperson for South and Central Asia last week, her boss mentioned that she is known as "somebody who speaks softly and carries a big stick." But whether it was with her soft speech or her big stick, Biswal's efforts to bring peace between the feuding begums of Bangladesh even before she was formally sworn in won praise from US Secretary of State John Kerry. "This week in Bangladesh, Nisha showed how she never misses a chance to speak up or stand up for America's values," Kerry said, recalling her meetings with both Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia. "She spoke forcefully about the need for leaders to rise above partisan differences and find a peaceful way towards the ballot box," said Kerry, who first met Biswal in 2004 when she was volunteering on his presidential campaign. Kerry called Biswal's story a

All the President's Indian-American men and women


"great American" story "of a woman who left a small town in India at age 6 to come to America and now becomes one of the most important leaders in the Department of State as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia." But it's now becoming an increasingly common story as President Barack Obama has turned to more and more accomplished IndianAmericans to take up key jobs from arts to science to commerce to diplomacy. Biswal herself for the last three years has served as assistant administrator for Asia at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is headed by Rajiv Shah, the highest-ranking Indian American in the Obama administration. Days in her new job, Biswal in her own words "stole" another Indian-American Atul Keshap, who had done a stint at the US embassy in New Delhi 2005-2008, from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Bureau, to be her new deputy. Just six months after his inauguration, Obama named Vinai Thummalapally as the US ambassador to Belize. Son of a retired scientist who worked for Andhra Pradesh Forensic Sciences Laboratory, he is the first Indian American ambassador in US history. In September, Obama nominated Puneet Talwar, a noted IndianAmerican Middle East policy specialist to a key diplomatic post as the assistant secretary of state for political military affairs. In the Pentagon, the highest ranking Indian American is Vikram J. Singh, deputy assistant secretary of defence for South and Southeast Asia. He serves as the principal advisor on development and implementation of defence strategies and plans for the region, including India. Obama, who at two over two dozen has more Indian-Americans serving in his administration than any of his predecessors, has appointed at least ten from the community since his re-election last November. In September, Chandigarh-born

Nisha Desai Biswal is Washington's point person for entire South and Central Asia

Rajiv Shah is highest ranking Indian American in Obama administration

legal luminary Sri Srinivasan made history as he became the first Indian American judge of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which is often called the second most powerful court in the US. Earlier this month, Obama nominated Dr. Vivek Hallegere Murthy, the Indian-American head of a doctors group that promotes his signature healthcare law, to be the next US surgeon general, also known as "America's doctor." Last month Obama tapped Kerala University physics graduate Arun M. Kumar to lead the trade promotion arm of the Commerce Department, charged with helping

American companies succeed in markets around the world. Other recent nominees include Gargee Ghosh, director of policy analysis and financing (PAF) at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as a member of his Global Development Council, and actor Kal Penn of "The Namesake" fame to his Committee on the Arts and Humanities. Then there is Manhattan's US Attorney Preet Bharara, dubbed "Sheriff of Wall Street" by Time magazine, who in a four-year insider trading crackdown has won a record 76 convictions, including that India-born former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta

November 30-December 6, 2013

NATIONAL COMMUNITY

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Indian-American chemist jailed for faking forensic test results


Houston: An Indian-American former chemist at a Massachusetts drug lab has been sentenced to prison for faking forensic test results, a scandal that has jeopardized thousands of convictions. Annie Dookhan pleaded guilty on Wednesday in Suffolk Superior Court to all 27 counts against her related to the drug lab scandal. She was sentenced to three to five years in prison. Dookhan, 36, showed little emotion and spoke softly as she pleaded guilty. After accepting Dookhan's plea, Judge Carol Ball sentenced her to three to five years in state prison in Framingham. Dookhan's falsification of drug tests, in an attempt to look like a highly productive employee, prompted the release of hundreds of convicts, raised questions about thousands of cases, and forced the state to spend millions to ad-

AAPs US activists pin hope on Delhi win


By Roopsi Narula New York: Even as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is threatening to spoil the calculations of both the long-standing political parties - Congress and the BJP in the Delhi state election, the debutante party, with the broom symbol, formed to clean up politics is finding a groundswell of support among Indian Americans. These NRIs share a passion for bringing positive change in their country of origin. And their faith is unshaken by the recent controversies maligning AAP in India. I recently got a chance to interact with some of these volunteers on why they support AAP. Devesh Pandey, a software professional in Dallas, says that in the dark political scenario in India, he first saw a ray of hope in Anna Hazare and his team. Then emerged Arvind Kejriwal who challenged the political class to change the entire corrupt system of politics. I realized that this will be possible only if each and every Indian supports this noble cause to cleanse the country, he argues. Pandey adds, We (my family and the Dallas team) have adopted the constituency Sangam Vihar, a slum in Delhi, to campaign for AAP. We helped raise funds of Rs.8.5 lakh. We make phone calls to voters in Sangam Vihar and encourage them to vote for honest and good people. Shyam Panjwani, who is pursuing a PhD from University of Houston, had turned an activist of Team Annas JanLokpal movement as an undergraduate at IIT Kanpur. However, he says, I wasn't fully convinced with their idea of satyagraha and wanted them to join politics. Later, after the formation of AAP, I decided to actively support it. I support AAP because they do not think like politicians or rulers, they think exactly like me (a common man). AAP has proposed a practical solution for issues such as health, education, water, electricity etc., Panjwani adds. Panjwani is currently active in a program to motivate volunteers to directly campaign for AAP in Delhi and in calling voters to convince them to vote for AAP. Over 70% people I spoke to are willing to vote for AAP, he reports. Ajit Singh, who lives in New Jersey and works as Technical Architect for an IT company had followed Anna's anti-corruption movement and supported Kejriwals decision to form a political party. I support AAP because the multitude problems in India can only be solved by being in active politics. Yes, good people should participate in politics and become lawmakers, he argues. Ajit Singh says that he had foreseen the challenge of raising clean money that AAP will face after forming a party, so he joined AAP Global fundraising team and initiated the concept of Monthly Donors Force on the AAP Global Forum. The global group got a warm response from fellow Indians and we were able to generate good funds on a monthly basis. The slogan Join the Force, Participate in the Change worked! I also joined the calling campaign. Our slogan was Ghanti Bajao, Delhi Jagao." For Chaitra Padsalgi from Chicago, living in the USA for eight years showed the contrast in governance in India and the US. I felt helpless after watching those mind bog-

Annie Dookhan

Aam Aadmi Partys badge

dress the problems. Ball, who found that Dookhan had entered her plea "freely, willingly, and voluntarily", also sentenced Dookhan to two years of probation. Prosecutors had requested a five-to-seven-year sentence for Dookhan. Her defense attorney had argued for a maximum sentence of one year. Sentencing guidelines called for a maximum sentence of three years for Dookhan, but Ball said in a ruling last month she wanted to impose a tougher sentence

"given the magnitude of the harm she has done, considerations of general deterrence and, particularly, punishment." Massachusetts officials identified more than 40,000 criminal cases affected by testing Dookhan did during the nine years she worked at the now-closed Hinton state lab. Michael O'Keefe, president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association, says prosecutors have sifted through hundreds of cases and close to 350 people have been released from prison.

gling numbers of scams. I couldn't be a mute spectator of the JanLokpal movement, so I got actively involved in it, she says, adding, I was disappointed with the political class and felt like I had lost my fight against corruption when the Indian government refused to take any concrete steps on formation of Jan Lokpal. And then Kejriwal formed AAP. I had never been involved with any political party before but now it was the need of time. Apart from the integrity and golden past of the top leaders, what made me believe in AAP are its clean candidates. AAP's agenda JanLokapal, Swaraj and its sensitive prioritizing of the issues affecting common man made Padsalgi support AAP wholeheartedly. Though there may be imperfections, they have the courage to admit and correct the mistakes, something missing in the current arrogant political class she adds. Padsalgi is involved with the calling campaign, in adopting a constituency, local awareness events and fundraising for AAP. Sometimes, this keeps me away from my two kids less than four years old. But I know one day my kids will be proud of me. They will know that their mother was a small part of a political revolution that changed Indian politics! she says. Anand Sharma is from Karnataka but has been in the USA since 1999. An Electronics Engineer, he works for Seagate Technology and lives in Colorado. Says he candidly, I support AAP to clear my conscience. I am among those who have seen corruption from a very close quarter (both as beneficiary and as victim). Though I was lucky to escape from the clutches of this evil system, I could not get rid of the guilt and shame. Supporting AAP is my way of making a sincere effort to correct the evils that confront India. Sharma has been involved in a program to respond to the thousands of emails that AAP receives every day. He also contributes for Administration/Email Support and PR activity of the Call Campaign. He adds, I have made financial contribution for AAP and manage various social media forums and AAP Google Groups. Listening to such spirited and committed volunteers seemed as if the soul of a nation long suppressed has finally found utterance. They are real heroes of modern India. With Delhi election just a few days away, the world is looking for voters verdict in favor of AAP to trigger change in the entire country and make Kejriwals Vision Swaraj a reality. The author is an AAP activist in New York. She can be reached at roopsi@india.com

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

US AFFAIRS

November 30-December 6, 2013

Washington: The Obama administration has announced another delay to its healthcare law, this time to online medical insurance for small businesses. The marketplace website allowing employers to buy health coverage for their workers will be put off by one year until November 2014. Ongoing problems with Healthcare.gov, beset by glitches since its October 1 launch, were blamed for the delay. It is the latest setback for the law commonly known as Obamacare. Enrolment for small businesses was originally meant to start in October, until the administration delayed it by a month. On Wednesday it pushed that deadline back again, by a full year. Administration officials told reporters in a conference call that employers who want to buy healthcare plans for their workers would need to go through an insurance company or agent, rather than through a government website. Officials said this would allow employers to buy coverage while avoiding slowing

Obamacare: Small-business enrolment delayed by one year

By Arun Kumar

The historic phone call that led to US-Iran thaw

The more problems for President Obamas signature law persist, the more scathing the cartoons about it.

down technical repairs on the federal website, which has been plagued by errors. The White House has promised the website will be fixed by the end of November. Government health spokeswoman Julie Bataille said on Wednesday the portal was now handling 25,000 users at the same time. She said it was on track to meet its goal of handling double that number by the weekend.

Washington: In Thanksgiving spirit, President Barack Obama has indicated a willingness to split the new immigration legislation into pieces, if that will get it passed, as he rejected a plea by a heckler to stop deportations by executive fiat. "That's okay," Obama said in a speech in San Francisco Monday as he urged House Republicans to back new immigration legislation to resolve the issue of 11 million illegal immigrants, including nearly 300,000 Indians. "It's Thanksgiving. We can carve that bird into multiple pieces - a drumstick here, breast meat there," he said. But Obama also said a final package must include certain elements, including a proposed pathway to citizenship that has drawn opposition from Republicans. "As long as all the pieces get done, soon, and we actually deliver on the core values we have been talking about for so long, I think everybody is fine with it," he said. As Obama spoke, a young protester called for the president to halt the deportations of undocumented workers arguing "You have a

Obama willing to carve immigration bird into pieces

power to stop deportations for all." "Actually, I don't, and that's why we're here," Obama responded as the heckler and several others continued shouting, breaking out into a chant of "stop deportations!" It's "easy" to shout about problems, said the President, but he is seeking a harder path designed "to use our democratic processes to achieve the same goal that you want to achieve. But it won't be as easy as just shouting." Earlier this year, the Democratic-led Senate passed an immigration bill about which India has some concerns as it imposes new restrictions and higher visa fees on firms that rely heavily on highly skilled foreign workers. But the Republican-run House has not taken action on the issue. Republican House Speaker John Boehner has said his party wants to take a "step-by-step" approach to immigration challenges. "The American people are skeptical of big, comprehensive bills, and frankly, they should be," Boehner said last week. "The only way to make sure immigration reform works this time is to address these complicated issues one step at a time."

Washington: After seeing off Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh following their summit meeting in September, President Barack Obama hurried back to his Oval office in the White House to make a historic phone call. Obama's 15 minute call to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept 27 - as the latter headed in a car to the airport after attending the UN session in New York - laid the foundation for the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers led by the US announced Sunday. "The two of us discussed our ongoing efforts to reach an agreement over Iran's nuclear program," said Obama in a statement from the White House briefing room after the first conversation between the US and Iranian leaders since the 1979 Iranian revolution. What part Manmohan Singh played, if any, in Obama's decision to make the ice-breaking call to Rouhani is not clear, though they did discuss Iran at their summit hours earlier. As the India-US Joint Statement after the Obama-Singh Summit noted: "The Leaders stressed the need for diplomacy to resolve outstanding issues relating to Iran's nuclear program, and called on Iran to comply with its IAEA and UN Security Council obligations." But media reports suggest that Obama's historic conversation with Rouhani was less of "a foreign-policy milestone born of a rush of last-minute

Obama's 15 minute call to his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, on Sept 27 this year came soon after US Presidents summit with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh: coincidence or cause-and-effect?

diplomacy" than it was made out to be and "was more intricately choreographed" with an Indian-American official playing a key role. "Obama had empowered the administration's top Iran specialist, Puneet Talwar, for some time to have direct meetings and phone conversations with Iranian Foreign Ministry officials," the Wall Stree Journal reported citing unnamed US and European officials. "Talwar, an Indian-American steeped in Iran policy, has at times conveyed a succinct message for his Iranian interlocutors: The US wants to peacefully resolve the dispute over Tehran's nuclear program," it said citing the officials. Talwar, special assistant to the president and National Security Council senior director for Iran, Iraq, and the Gulf States, earlier served as a senior staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by then Senator Joe Biden, who is now vice presi-

dent. The Nov 24 "initial nuclear agreement" between Iran and the six powers announced Nov 24 freezes key elements of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for limited sanctions relief and provides negotiators with a six-month time frame to work toward a comprehensive and lasting accord. As the six powers have agreed to freeze plans to further reduce Iran's crude oil sales, India, Iran's second largest customer, is expected to be one of the biggest economic benefactors from the interim deal, according to analysts. Without the sanctions India, China, South Korea and Japan, who have been given waivers by the US, would find it easier to lift the contracted supplies. India, which has reduced its crude imports from Iran from 12-14 percent to 7.2 percent post sanctions, would also not be under pressure to cut them down further.

Republican lawmakers pledge to strengthen India-US ties Thanksgiving and Hanukkah overlapped,
Washington: In the first of its kind meeting here, the Republican party has pledged to work to strengthen Indo-U.S. ties and assured the influential Indian-American community to protect their interests. Led by top Republican leadership, more than two dozen lawmakers reiterated their commitment to IndiaU.S. relationship and Indian-Americans. To top it all, Nikki Haley, the South Carolina Governor and a rising star of the Republican Party, addressed the select group of an over two hundred eminent Indian-Americans invited from across the country at the first-of-its kind "Indian-American Meet up". In her video message, Haley said she was proud of her Indian heritage. New York: It last happened in 1888 and won't occur again for another 79,000 years: Hanukkah and Thanksgiving overlap this year, leading many Jewish families to combine the holidays. Hanukkah started Wednesday at sunset when Jews will lit the first candle on their menorahs to mark the beginning of the eight-day holiday, also known as the "Festival of Lights." The second candle was to be lit after Thanksgiving dinner Thursday for many Jewish families. The holidays are colliding because the lunar Jewish calendar shifts its religious observances each year

never again for 79,000 years

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley addressed the meeting as well as Congressman Ed Royce

This is part of the effort by the Republican Party to bring the IndianAmericans, which traditionally have been supporters of the Democratic Party, into its fold. "Let us engage with our natural ally," said Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of the powerful House Foreign Relations Committee.

"As we have got more and more engaged, we have found just how many things we have in common with India," he said. "This should be the focus of our foreign policy," Royce said adding that trade liberalization with South Asia, India in particular should be the key goal of the United States.

compared to the U.S., or Gregorian, calendar, said Rabbi Charles Klein, head of the Merrick Jewish Center and former president of the New York Board of Rabbis. Next year, Hanukkah will fall much closer to Christmas as it typically does, from Dec. 16 to 24.

10

November 30-December 6, 2013

INDIA

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Charged with sexually assaulting a former colleague in Goa, Tehelka's former editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal goes missing; political slugfest between Congress and BJP continues

Sexual assault: Tarun Tejpal evades arrest


him. "A union cabinet minister who is the founder and patron of Tehelka is shielding Tejpal," BJP's Sushma Swaraj tweeted. Sibal denied any links with Tejpal and said he had no shares in the Tehelka magazine. He also denied that Tejpal's mother was related to him. Earlier in the day, responding to allegations by Tejpal about alleged victimization by the BJP, Parrikar questioned the editor over his supposed Congress links. "Is Tejpal a Congress stooge? First Tejpal should clarify that," Parrikar said. Parrikar denied he was taking a

Panaji/New Delhi: In one of the most bizarre case that has struck the Indian media, Tehelka a top-rated investigative newsmagazine found itself in great trouble as its former editor-in-chief and noted author Tarun Tejpal was summoned by Goa police in a case where he is charged with sexually assaulting his junior colleague at a five-star resort in Goa earlier this month. In a fast-paced development, Tejpal, under a scathing attack from media fraternity, public and social media for changing statements, was off the radar as the deadline given to him for deposing before Goa police ended on November 28. He had sent a letter to Goa police, seeking two more days to appear for questioning. Early on November 28, Tehelka managing editor Shoma Chaudhury resigned, saying she did "not want questions raised about my integrity to tarnish the image of Tehelka", and denied trying to hush up the case of sexual assault in which

Tehelka's editor went in hiding after being summoned by Goa police in the sexual assault case (Inset) Tehelka's former managing editor Shoma Chaudhury

personal interest in the case. "There is no interference of any sort. I am not in the habit of interfering with police investigations." Parrikar said Tejpal's first confession via email where he admitted to sexual liaisons with the victim and his willingness to do penance had done the investigative journalist in. The fate of the controversy-ridden ThinkFest, an annual high-brow conference organized in a Goa resort by Tehelka where Tejpal is alleged to have assaulted his junior colleague twice, could now hang in balance, with the tourism minister saying the state government may not give the event the nod this year.

Tejpal is the accused. The Goa police's case strengthened after the victim deposed in a Goa court. The case, which has triggered a political war between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar insisting there was no political vendetta against Tejpal but he did ask whether Tejpal was a "Congress stooge". In Delhi, the high court reserved its order on Tejpal's anticipatory bail plea. The court also declined to grant any interim protection to him against arrest by Goa Police.

The victim, who gave her statement to the police in Mumbai, was flown to Goa quietly. She appeared along with a lady police officer before a judicial magistrate. "The victim's statement was recorded under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code," Deputy Inspector General O.P. Mishra told reporters here. A statement recorded before a judicial magistrate makes it admissible in court as evidence and is a preferred legal route in case of sensitive crimes. The BJP, which has accused the Congress of trying to protect Tejpal, said a cabinet minister was shielding

New Delhi: As numerous instances of sexual harassment at workplaces are being brought to the fore, Foundation for Media Professionals, a forum to promote media freedom and quality journalism, underlined the need for security of women. The foundation said all media organizations must have committees that could look into issues of sexual harassment, and such committees could go a long a way in insulating women staff from such experiences.

'Make media work safe for women'

Addressing a press conference here, Delhi Union of Journalists' president Sujata Madhok said the absence of sexual harassment committees in media organizations had forced women working in the media to adopt a "culture of silence". "Though just the formation of such committees will not ensure the safety of the female employees, it itself is needed to ensure that someone intervenes and takes action against such erroneous activities", Madhok said.

By Prakash Bhandari

Royal factor in Rajasthan polls

ainly fielded by the BJP, two Maharanis, two princesses, a Maharaja and a Nawab are in the fray for Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha seats. Topping the list is the Maharani of Dholpur, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje who is spearheading BJP's campaign hopping from one constituency to the other in a helicopter. Vasundhara Raje, who was born with a silver spoon in the royal family of Gwalior, has inherited the political legacy of her mother, late Vijayaraje Scindia. Vasundhara Raje was married to Maharaja Hemant Singh of Dholpur, a small principality, and is since divorced. In 2003 when the BJP made her the state leader, replacing the patriarch Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, she admirably led the party, inflicting crushing defeat on Congress. She took the CMs chair but lost power in 2008 as Ashok Gehlot returned to form the government. This time again she is fighting it out with the Congress. With her personal charm and riding on the Modi wave, Vasundhara has

Vasundhara Raje during a rally in Rajasthan

emerged as the electors favorite. Draped in chiffon and wearing a sparkling diamond pendent, she campaigns tirelessly, never missing any temple and mingles with singing women wearing colorful clothes. Rohini Kumari, the Maharani of a small principality Karauli near Dholpur, is contesting the Karauli seat held by her in 2008 and looks like a winner against a Gujjar rival. Siddhi Kumari, the 40-yearold maiden princess of Bikaner, is buoyed by the political legacy of her grandfather, five-time Independent MP Maharaja Karni

Singh. Siddhi Kumari is contesting from Bikaner North, the seat she won handily in 2008 for BJP. Her opponent is Gopal Gehlot, who left BJP just a day before filing nomination form. Congress workers have been harping on the fact that was an absent MLA. For Diya Kumari, the Jaipur princess, going is not that smooth in Sawai Madhopur. Her formidable opponent is Danish Abrar of Congress as well as RJP's Dr Kirori Lal Meena. So, she can neither bank on the Muslim vote nor the tribal Meena vote. I am not seeking votes on caste

basis and am seeking the support of all, said Diya. The former Bharatpur ruler Vishvendra Singh is trying to avenge his 2008 defeat at the hands of a fellow Jat Dr Digambar Singh in Deeg-Kumher constituency. In the past five years Vishvendra Singh has nursed the constituency and hopes to win this time. Vishvendra Singh came to the Congress fold after being a Janata Dal and BJP MP. But since his own Bharatpur constituency became reserved for SC, he had to return to the state politics. His wife Divya Kumari, who was herself MP and MLA, is also campaigning for him. He has criticized Dr Digmbar Singh for neglecting the constituency. Aimamuddin Ahmed Khan (Duru Miyan), the former Nawab of Loharu in Haryana, is domiciled in Jaipur. Fondly called Duru Miyan, Gehlots health minister is contesting from Tizara constituency in Alwar district, with a large number of Meo Muslims. But the Meos are annoyed with the Congress this time because of the Gopalgarh police firing in which six of them died.

Islamabad: The Pakistani media has been warned by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan to immediately stop praising India's cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who has just retired from all forms of the game. In a video message, Taliban spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid, said it was unfortunate to see the Pakistan media hail the 40-year-old Tendulkar, who retired Nov 16 after playing his 200th Test match in Mumbai. "There is this Indian cricket player Sachin Tendulkar. It was unfortunate to see Pakistani media go to great extent to pay tribute to him," Shahid, who was flanked by two AK-47 wielding masked men, said in the video message. "Now someone should tell Pakistani media and other Pakistanis that no matter how good Tendulkar is, they should not praise him, it is against Pakistani nationalism and against loyalty to the country," he said.

Stop praising Sachin, Taliban tells Pak media

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

INDIA

November 30-December 6, 2013

11

Ghaziabad: In what is termed as the most gruesome murder that shook the Indian middle class, dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment by a Special CBI court for The couple were convicted of killing their daughter Aarushi and domestic killing their 14-year-old daughter Aarushi and 45-year-old help in a keenly domestic help Hemraj in 2008 watched murder case that will now play on in the higher judiciary. A day after holding them guilty, Special CBI Judge Shyam Lal said he was convinced that the gory murders of May 2008 at the Talwars' plush residence in Noida adjoining Delhi were committed "by the accused only". "This court reaches the irresistible and impeccable conclusion that only the accused persons are responsible for committing this ghastly crime," he said in his 210-page judgment. The distraught couple, who were until recently among the most sought-after dentists in Delhi and Noida, were in the court when the verdict was given. They were quickly taken back to the Dasna Jail in Ghaziabad district. Talwars' lawyer Tanvir Ahmed Mir described the couple as "brave" and said they would "fight for the honour of their daughter till the last drop of their blood". They would approach the higher court. The Talwars were convicted of killing their 14-year-old daughter and 45-year-old domestic help Hemraj on the night of May 15-16, 2008.

Noida double murder: Talwars get life

Jaipur: A court in Rajasthan's Jodhpur city took cognizance of the charge-sheet filed against Asaram Bapu and his four aides in connection with a rape case lodged by a 16-year-old girl against the spiritual guru, a lawyer said. After determining the charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the court of district and sessions judge (Jodhpur rural) slated the next hearing in the case for Dec 4, when the trial against the accused people will begin. "Asaram Bapu and his four aides - Sanchita Gupta alias Shilpi, the warden of Asaram's ashram in Chhindwara, his cook Prakash, aide Shiva and ashram director Sharad Chandra were produced in the court of District and Sessions Judge (Jodhpur Rural) Manoj Vyas today (Wednesday)," said the girl's lawyer Manish Vyas. A charge sheet was filed against the five by Jodhpur police Nov 6. "The court took cognizance of the charge sheet and fixed the charges under IPC and POCSO sections," the lawyer said.The Rajasthan High Court had Oct 1 rejected Asaram's bail plea.

Asaram trial to begin Dec 4

Asaram Bapu

Puducherry: A court here has acquitted all the 24 accused, including the two Shankaracharyas of Tamil Nadu's Kanchipuram Mutt, in the 2004 murder of a man found dead in a temple. As Hindu groups celebrated the verdict raising slogans in support of Jayendra Saraswathi and Vijayendra Saraswathi, the family of the murdered man demanded justice. Puducherry Principal District and Sessions Judge C.S. Murugan said the witnesses could not support the prosecution case that the Shankaracharyas were part of the murder conspiracy. The two seers left the court soon after the judgement was delivered. Both the Shankaracharyas were the prime accused in the murder of A. Sankararaman, a manager at the Varadarajaperumal temple in Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu. His body was found at his temple office Sep 3, 2004. According to police, Sankararaman was writing letters to the Mutt using a pseudonym complaining about financial misappropriation. K.M. Subramaniam, counsel for the two religious leaders, told the media that the prosecution could not

Kanchi seers, 22 more acquitted in murder case

Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswathi

prove the charge of conspiracy. He said this was not a fit case for appeal by the government in the higher court. The murder victim's wife Padma, son Anand Sharma and daughter Uma Maithreyi also failed to identify the accused, he said. Tamil Nadu Police arrested Jayendra Saraswathi in Andhra Pradesh on Diwali day in 2004, shocking his mass of followers spread across India and abroad. He was in jail for two months. He got bail from the apex court Jan 10, 2005. His junior Vijayendra Saraswathi was arrested Jan 10, 2005 and was let out on bail a month later by the Madras High Court. One of the accused, M. Kathiravan, was murdered in March this year.

12

November 30-December 6, 2013

INDIA

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

New Delhi: The BJP may emerge the single-largest party in Delhi assembly elections which are expected to throw up a hung house, said a survey. According to the ABP NewsDainik Bhaskar-Nielsen opinion poll, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to get around 32 seats in the 70-member house with a vote share of 33 per cent. The Congress is expected to get 25 seats with 26 per cent vote share and Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is likely to get 10 seats with 23 per cent vote share, it said. BJP's Harsh Vardhan is the most preferred chief ministerial candi-

Hung house in Delhi, BJP largest party: Survey


date, closely followed by Kejriwal, said the survey. However, the survey said 15-20 seats, where the victory margin would be narrow (two percent), could impact the final poll outcome. Noting price rise is the key factor working against the ruling Congress, the survey said people do recognise the work done by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit over the past 15 years. As many as 81 percent respondents said soaring vegetable prices may prove to be the deciding factor in the elections. While the AAP is seen as a party that can bring down corrup-

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to get around 32 seats in the 70-member house with a vote share of 33 per cent, says the survey

tion, the BJP is seen as a party that can control inflation and the Congress as one that can maintain law and order, said the survey. However, opinion is divided over the issue of safety of women. While 47 percent respondents said crime is increasing as Delhi Police is busy protecting VIPs, 40 percent said absence of fear of law among people is the reason behind rise in criminal activities. Almost one-third respondents felt poor policing is the most important reason behind spurt in crime cases against women. The opinion poll was conducted with 6,340 respondents.

New Delhi: There has been an increase in the number of candidates with criminal cases in the 2013 assembly polls in Delhi. The BJP has the maximum number of such candidates and the Congress tops the list of "crorepati" nominees, a study revealed. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Delhi Election Watch (DEW) analysed affidavits of 796 of 810 candidates contesting the Delhi assembly polls. Polling for the 70-member Delhi assembly will be held Dec 4. They found that the average assets of 66 MLAs, who are recontesting the polls, has gone up substantially from Rs.2.9 crore in 2008 to Rs.10.43 crore in 2013, marking a whopping average asset growth of 259 percent. The study said the number of candidates with criminal cases in Delhi has gone up from 111 out of 790 (14 percent) in

Candidates with criminal cases up in Delhi

2008 to 129 out of 796 (16 percent) in 2013. Out of these 129 candidates, 93 (72 percent) have declared serious charges against them, including murder, dacoity and crimes against women. Among the various political parties whose candidates have declared criminal cases against them, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) topped the chart with 31 out of 68 candidates (46 percent), according to data released by the ADR and DEW. The Congress has 15 such candidates out of 70 (21 percent), Bahujan Samaj Party has 12 out of 67 (18 percent) and Aam Aadmi Party has five out of 70 candidates (7 percent), the NGOs said. The other 64 candidates who have declared criminal charges against them are from smaller parties or are Independents.

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) filed a defamation case against India News editor-in-chief Deepak Chaurasia and two others, alleging that they conducted a fake sting operation to harm the reputation of the party. The defamation case was filed by AAP national secretary Pankaj Gupta. The case will be heard in court Nov 27, an advocate for the AAP said. According to the AAP petition, the sting operation CD was released to the media by Anuranjan Jha, CEO of Media Sarkar, and run by India News editor-in-chief Deepak Chaurasia and CEO Vinod Sharma on the news channel. It said the trio damaged the reputation and the image of the AAP. "Act of the accused is clearly malafide and calculated to defame the complainant in the eyes of voters of Delhi where assembly election is going to take place Dec 4," the petition said. "Therefore, the accused have committed an offence of defamation under Section 500 (defamation) of the India Penal Code," it said.Chaurasia said the AAP was targeting him. "It (the footage) was run by other channels also. Why does the AAP not file cases against them?" Chaurasia said. The AAP was set up a year back with the sole object of ending corruption and the sting opera-

AAP files defamation case over sting op

Although an edited version of the CD was released, it failed to show any illegal activities by AAP members, the party said

tion maligned the party's image, AAP claimed. It said the Media Sarkar group came out Nov 21 with a CD of about 48 minutes containing the so-called sting operation by its reporters on seven AAP candidates and one party leader. Although an edited version of the CD was released, it failed to show any illegal activities by AAP members, the party said.

Bhopal/New Delhi: A record 32 million people - or the population of Peru - voted in Madhya Pradesh in a largely peaceful exercise, with both the ruling BJP and the Congress claiming they will win. Only minor incidents of violence marred the polling that began at 8 a.m. to pick a new 230-member legislature barring three constituencies of Balaghat district where it started an hour earlier to foil Maoist designs. "Madhya Pradesh voting exceeded 71 percent, the highest ever turnout in the state," Deputy Election Commissioner Sudhir Tripathi told the media in New Delhi. "Despite a few incidents of violence, voting remained peaceful. The maximum voting of 83.19 percent was witnessed in Hoshangabad and minimum voting of 54.44 percent in Satna," State Election Commission officer Jaideep Govind told reporters.

Over 32 million vote in Madhya Pradesh


traditional Budhni constituency as well as from Vidisha, said he was confident the BJP would retain the state. He told the media before voting in his village in Sehore district that his dream was to make Madhya Pradesh a developed state. Aizawl/New Delhi: Balloting to elect a new government in the northeastern border state of Mizoram ended peacefully, with over 81 percent of voters exercising their franchise, officials said. "Over 81 percent of the total 690,860 voters cast their ballot across the state," said Mawia, the joint chief electoral officer of Mizoram. In the last assembly elections of December 2008, the polling percentage was 80.02 percent. The voting percentage of men voters was 78.77 percent while 81.24 percent women cast their votes last

81 pc voting in Mizoram
time. In New Delhi, Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi confirmed the figure. "Polling was brisk and peaceful. No untoward incident was reported," Zutshi said. According to the election officials, this time also the percentage of votes cast by women voters was expected to be higher than men. With a population of 10.91 lakh, Mizoram is the only state in India where women voters outnumber men by 9,806 in the total of 690,860. In all, there are 350,333 women voters against 340,527 males.

Madhya Pradesh voting exceeded 71 percent, the highest ever turnout in the state

Bharatiya Janata Party's Sushma Swaraj, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, tweeted after balloting ended that her party would get another five-year term to govern Madhya Pradesh. "I am sure the BJP will win with

a huge margin in Madhya pradesh, bigger than last time," she said. Congress leaders said the record turnout showed that people were determined to oust the BJP. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who contested from his

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

OP-ED

November 30-December 6, 2013

13

Tehelka: Lifting lid on medias worst-kept secrets


By Barkha Dutt ike so many other journalists who have known Tarun Tejpal and his family for several years he also lives down the road from my home in Delhi my first response to the horrific details emerging, still only bit by bit, was one of shock and disbelief. At this moment, all one knew was the rather abrupt internal announcement that he was to step down for six months after what the magazines managing editor described as an untoward incident. It was only much later, when I was able to read the detailed, stomach-churning account of the written complaint by the young journalist who said she had been grievously violated by the man she saw as a paternal and professional mentor that I understood the gravity of what was happening. Disbelief turned to disappointment and disgust; now, as a woman, as a journalist, I was angry. I felt absolutely sickened by the thought of this young reporter, still only in her early 20s, being assaulted and sexually abused, not once, but twice, by her boss, who, according to her written complaint, retained the arrogant audacity to send her casual text messages about it. The hypocrisy was staggering.

In Tehelka editor Tarun Rejpal's case, Silence is the enemy of justice, and is no longer an option. Hierarchy cannot become a license for harassment. This is every womans battle.

Here was a man who had always claimed to champion the cause of those who live on the margins of our society now accused of using his position of authority to transgress every boundary of decency, allegedly remembering in what he brazenly called drunken banter to warn the young woman that surrendering to the violence was the easiest way to keep the job.

Several senior lawyers have already explained that what Tejpal is charged with and chose to call in an internal e-mail an awful misreading and a lapse of judgment under the new amended law, qualifies as rape. Thats how serious the indictment was in the journalists first-person narration of what unfolded in an elevator of a Goa hotel.

In a week that saw the media chase two big stories with gender at their heart the hidden harassment of women in the highest echelons of the judiciary and the alleged surveillance of a young woman in Gujarat, how could we possibly sustain our critique of politicians and judges with any credibility without now turning the lens sharply inwards? Sexual assault is a crime, a grave breach of the law and any such complaint requires legal scrutiny and investigation. It is in its first set of responses to the complaint that Tehelka fell astonishingly short of the standards it likes to demand of others. Barraged with probing questions from reporters, its managing editor initially described the issue as an internal matter, one that she argued had been resolved to the satisfaction of the young journalist at the heart of the storm. Her internal e-mail to her office colleagues announcing the temporary stepping down of its editor-inchief failed to detail the gravity of the charges that had been made against him or the fact that they pertained to a complaint of sexual assault. Now as this column goes to print comes news that the young womans narrative is being contested. According to Tehelkas managing editor, Tejpal presented an entirely different version

which she over-rode because of her commitment to womens rights, and because regardless of the differing versions he had transgressed as leader of the institution. She says the newly-appointed harassment panel will determine which version is true, with Tejpal claiming that what happened was consensual and not forced. She also admits that her first e-mail could and should have been worded more sensitively. But disappointingly, till the Goa Police filed an FIR booking Tejpal on charges of rape, Tehelka continued to maintain that a criminal case was not necessary, unless the victim herself filed one. The controversy has lifted the lid on the one of the medias worst kept secrets. We may like to judge others, but our own workspace can be just as hostile to women. For too long many of us have remained silent at the receiving end of harassment, not only out of fear, but because we dont want to open another front in a profession where we already have to be better than the men to be considered equals. But silence is the enemy of justice, and is no longer an option. Hierarchy cannot become a license for harassment. This is every womans battle. (Barkha Dutt is Group Editor, NDTV. The views expressed by the author are personal)

'26/11 planners were familiar

with NSG strategies'


forewarned of a fidayeen attack, of a dozen gunmen making a sea landing in Mumbai and even about most of the targets of the three-day assault that left 166 people, including foreigners, dead. The book claims a Major Iqbal of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence boasted of a super agent dubbed 'Honey Bee' in New Delhi who passed them classified files on the training manuals of Indian police and army commandos. Levy and Scott-Clarke interviewed officers of the National Security Guards (NSG), India's elite counter-terror force that played a major role in eliminating the nine gunmen and ending the siege. One gunman, Ajmal Kasab, who was caught alive, was hanged last year after a trial. The NSG officers "recounted how in the Taj

Ranjana Narayan he fidayeen who laid siege to the Taj Hotel during the 26/11 terror attack not only knew the layout of the top Mumbai landmark by heart but were also very familiar with the training method of the NSG commandoes and police and were able to outmanoeuvre them at times giving credence to the Lashkar claim that they had a mole in the Indian security establishment, according to Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark, authors of 'The Siege'. The authors also say that Indian intelligence agencies had received 26 alerts from the CIA before the terrorist strike on India's commercial capital by 10 Pakistani gunmen on Nov 26, 2008. The alerts

Palace clearance they came across several set pieces by the terrorists which caused them to worry", say the authors. "One of these showed an intimate familiarity on behalf of Lashkar with NSG counter hostage strategy and room clearance. As a result, an NSG team was outmaneuvred and several officers were severely injured. One of the injured recounted to us what he saw and thought at the time," the authors told IANS in an email interview. How did they infer about the Pakistani super agent codenamed Honey Bee in the Indian security establishment? "We never concluded there was a mole as such. The Lashkar claimed to have obtained documentation from a source inside the national security establishment in

Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark, authors of 'The Siege'

India, inasmuch as they had training manuals relating to counter hostage operations, top down clearances, etc. Some of these materials were found in several locations used by Lashkar in Karachi - two barracks and one control room. Similar finds came to light in Muzaffarabad." "(David) Headley was advised of the existence of some kind of source by the ISI - was this counter espionage work by the directorate? We don't know. Finally, two Gulf intelligence agencies

warned India of the same - that training materials potentially from Special Forces were being put up for sale in the Gulf. These accumulative claims were then reported by us," they said. Levy and Scott-Clark went through classified documents of Indian, the US and British security sources and thousands of unpublished court documents and confidential annexures and conducted hundreds of interviews, including with Lashkar cadres and Mumbai Police.

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

14

November 30-December 6, 2013

DIASPORA

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Sydney: The number of Indiaborn taxi drivers will soon exceed Australia-born cabbies in Australia, a media report said Sunday. India is set to emerge next year as the country of birth of most number of automobile drivers made up of cabbies and chauffeurs - news.com.au reported, citing Australian Bureau of Statistics data. Australian-born workers make up less than half of all workers in low-paying, manual professions like sewing machine operators and clothing trades workers. However, Australian is still the most common nationality among those employees. The number of Indian taxi drivers rose from around 2,000 in 2006 to 6,000 in 2011, which the report partly attributed to Australia's success in attracting Indian students to its education system. "There's been a big push to sell education in Australia to the subcontinent, which has produced a

India-born cabbies to outnumber Australian cabbies next year


large number of subcontinent students looking to make a bit of money on the side," said David Chalke, social analyst and consultant to AustraliaSCAN, a market research organization. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics census data, an Indian-speaking taxi driver is more likely to have finished high school than an English-speaking one. "There aren't necessarily the jobs available in the area (in which the students graduate), so they end up taxi driving. A lot of those education visas were those that allow you to graduate and then work," Chalke said. According to the census report, between 2006 and 2011, Australian-born taxi drivers declined by around 1,400, while Indian-born drivers increased by more than 4,000. Chalke said, South Australia and Victoria are home to more Indianborn cabbies. There are other areas in the country where the number of India-born drivers is less in number. Besides drivers, the textile industry, housekeeping and professional cooking are among the ocSydney: A Sikh taxi driver in Australia, who returned A$110,000 in cash he found on the rear seat of his cab to its owners, has received a Melbourne City Council award for his honesty. Lakhwinder Singh Dhillon found the money after dropping off a group of people at Crown Casino in Melbourne last month. The Lord Mayor Robert Doyle presented Singh with a certificate of commendation, the Herald Sun reported Wednesday. Singh said the seven men and two women,

cupations with the highest proportions of Indian workers.

Sikh taxi driver awarded for honesty in Australia


he drove to a police station but he soon received a call from the owners to return the money at the casino where he left them. Singh believed they were visitors from China staying at the casino. "They gave me a A$500 reward. One of them said: 'You're very honest, you're a very good man, you've helped us a lot'," Singh said. "He is truly an inspirational Melbournian - it was the act of an honest man of integrity," Mayor Doyle said. Singh said he was greatly honored by the award.

Lakhwinder Singh Dhillon

whom he had picked up from Chinatown in his maxi cab, seemed very drunk. "When I saw all that

money, I thought, what is happening, it is something amazing, what should I do," Singh said. After finding the cash,

London: The historic contribution made by Sikh soldiers who fought for Britain has been honored by the British Army at an event at the Royal Military Academy in Camberley, Surrey.Thousands of Sikhs died fighting for the British Indian Army during the two World wars. Academy curator Anthony Morton said during the days of the British empire, Sikh soldiers were highly regarded by British officers for their martial prowess. "Today is really about commemorating the Sikh contri-

British Army recognizes Sikh's contribution


bution to the armed forces both today and in the past," BBC quoted Lt.Col. John Kendall, who organized the event at the Indian War Memorial room at the academy, as saying. Author Jay Singh Sohal believes contribution of Sikhs in the British Army is largely unrecognized, which is why events like this are important. "British Sikhs, third generation, fourth generation can take inspiration from the fact that their forebears fought for Great Britain," he said.

London: London-based Indian billionaire couple, Cyrus and Priya Vandrevala, hosted a gala event at the Buckingham Palace to mark the 65th birthday of Prince Charles, heir to the British throne. The fact that the Vandrevalas were extended this privilege is noteworthy and thereby, by way of proximity to the British royal family, might have stolen a march over richer Indian businessmen resident in Britain, such as Lakshmi and Usha Mittal of ArcelorMittal and the Hinduja brothers and their wives of the Hinduja Group, both of whom were conspicuous by their presence at the function Thursday, Raymedia reported. The evening commenced with a cocktail reception, followed by a 90-minute Richard Wagner (whose 200th birth anniversary is being celebrated this year) concert by the Philharmonia Orchestra, of which Prince Charles is a patron. Finally, there was black tie, sit down banquet for 400. According to wealth estimators Spear's, Cyrus Vandravala, now in his 40s, is a "visionary private equity investor" who started investing in technology businesses in his 20s. Cyrus Vandravala has "global investments in a

Indian billionaire couple hosts Prince Charles' birthday dinner

Private equity tycoon Cyrus Vandrevala and his philanthropist wife Priya with Prince Charles

multiple of public and private companies ranging from telecom, infrastructure, energy, real estate, food and cement", according to Spear's. His wife, Priya, is heiress to the Hiranandani real estate fortune. The pair's wealth is put at $9 billion by Spear's, which makes them the sixth richest in Britain.

Melbourne: Indianorigin doctor Jayant Patel, facing a series of charges of manslaughter and fraud, would now walk free after an Australian court on Thursday sentenced him to two years in jail, wholly suspended. Brisbane District Dr Jayant Patel (center) Court judge Terry Martin sentenced 63-year-old Patel tradition process. Martin further said he took into to two years of imprisonment to be account the two-and-a-half years wholly suspended, according to mePatel has already spent in jail for the dia reports here. Last Friday, Patel, now a US citi- charges overturned by the High zen, pleaded guilty to two counts re- Court. The judge also noted that the lated to him dishonestly gaining ruling brought to an end a lengthy registration and two counts related and tragic period in the state's medto dishonestly gaining employment. ical history. The seven year-long trial of Patel In the court, Martin told Patel "you calculatedly deceived your has cost the country a whopping 3.5 way into that position" at Bund- million dollars. Last week, Queensland's Director aberg hospital. He said Patel's unlawful conduct of Public Prosecutions dropped all medical negligence put patients at risk. "I see no indica- criminal charges against him, ending his tion of, and hear no expression of, your genuine remorse for your of- long-running legal woes. Patel thanked his legal team and fending," the judge said. The court was informed that Patel said he was looking forward to rehas already spent 788 days in cus- turning to his family and work in tody, plus 131 days during the ex- the US.

Dr Jayant Patel finally walks free

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

OP-ED

November 30-December 6, 2013

15

Delhi Diary

by Parveen Chopra

Justice, finally, in 30 lakh cases, including mine


ou may have come across a news item, not at all highlighted in the media in India, that the National Lok Adalat heard and settled over 30 lakh cases in a single day on November 23. The news item could not have given you an iota of the idea of the enormous suffering, now ended, the people entangled in those cases whether defendant or plaintiff would have endured for years on end. I know because a 10-year-old case I was embroiled in too was settled on the same day in Delhis Tees Hazari court, and my prosecutor was the State, though the state or its agencies did not participate in the National Lok Adalat. But about my case later. The Lok Adalats held in courts from Supreme Court to taluka level courts was historic and created a record of sorts by settling out-ofcourt about 10 per cent of the 3.5 crore pending cases. It was the brain child of Indias Chief Justice P. Sathasivam, the patron-in-chief of the National Legal Services Authority, which organized the adalats, and Justice G.S. Singhvi, the executive chairman of the authority. The cases heard included minor criminal cases, check bounces, bank recovery, civil suits, motor accident claims, family matters, traffic violation cases, revenue matters, land acquisition references, consumer matters, service and labor matters, where there was a

business was transacted, but the accused had to be present. When you miss a few hearings, they issued non-bailable warrants. After moving to the US I became aware of plea bargaining, and would tell my lawyer, I am ready to plead guilty. He would reiterate that plea bargaining does not happen in India, and in any case, the charges were yet to be framed and the judge yet to determine if to proceed with the trial. On November 23, National Lok Adalat heard and amicably We filed a quash petition in the settled long pending cases in courts at all levels bringing relief high court earlier this year, which and closure to lakhs of people. too did not bring any relief. possibility of amicable settlement. which I was editor at the time. The Meanwhile, this November was the The focus of the Lok Adalat is on small, display classified ad head- second time I flew from New York compromise. When a compromise lined Why Foeticide promoted a to New Delhi especially to show is reached, a settlement amount or mystical system to beget the child my face in the court. Finally, the magistrate hearing the award is decided, which is binding of the desired gender. Well, realizon both the parties. It is enforced as ing that it probably fell foul of the case perhaps under pressure from a decree of a civil court. The award extended scope of the PNDT Act the superior courts and the law is final and cannot be challenged (Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal ministry to cut pendency or ascerlater on, to put a lid on the case. Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994), taining that the states case was The idea to fast track petty cases which aims to stop female feticide weak made us plead guilty and is to give the courts more time to and arrest the skewed male-female just fined Rs 10,000 to each of the hear more serious cases. ratio in India, I published an apolo- three accused. We paid the fine on National Lok Adalat day, when the Reasons for the abominal pen- gy in the very next issue. dency in Indian courts are many Yet, the Delhi government initiat- corridors of Tees Hazari were so mainly the circuitous trial process, ed the criminal case against me and packed with litigants that you judge vacancies, absence of plea the two doctors who had put in that inched your way out. I am relieved mightily after this bargaining (which has been ad. The doctors from Madhya allowed only lately in some kinds Pradesh evaded the warrants for closure, but what riles me is that the of cases). three years, but I had been appear- Department of Family Welfare, To cite my case, the charges were ing in the Tees Hazari court all when apprised of the controversial not even framed 10 years into the along, though less frequently after I ad in the magazine I edited, could trial. That case was slapped on me moved to the US seven years ago. have summoned me, fined me and by the Delhi governments Family Along the way, the judge hearing let me off with a warning, rather Welfare department, for publishing the case changed at least five times. than go through this rigmarole. an ad in Life Positive magazine of In the hearings I would attend, no Certainly, to a non-legal person like

me, the quantum of crime committed seemed miniscule compared to an actual feticide, or a doctor running a clinic that offered such services. Incidentally, I have noticed ads in a leading Indian paper from California advertising sex selection services using advanced medical techniques. So the affluent, sonobsessed Indian parents must be hotfooting to America to avail such services. In prosecuting criminal cases, the State does come across as a bully at least to the aggrieved/accused -in any country you look, but it is more so in India. A friend of mine I told my ram kahani to had an insight into this aspect of Indias judicial system, which he gained the hard way. He was running his media services office from a basement in South Extension owned by his sister-in-law. Six years ago during the sealing drive in Delhi, that basement was sealed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). No information was forthcoming from MCD on building bylaws violations or when and if the office will be de-sealed. After paying hefty fees to lawyers with no headway, he studied law to fight his own case (now he says he will also seek compensation from the MCD). The courts, he points out, rarely go against the state and still rarer is getting compensation from state agencies because the Law of Torts, so well developed in the US, is still in its infancy in India.

n the evening of November 23 while channel surfing, I wanted to see a news about the National Lok Adalat on television, but could not find it (only Zee News mentioned it briefly). News channels were all going to town with the Tehelka sexual assault case, the sting against Aam Aadmi Party and Narendra Modis snoopgate. The Tarun Tejpal case saddened me. He was my immediate boss during my stint in India Today in the mid-1990s. He wanted to be a poet but had strayed into journalism. At the time he was Copy Editor but on the way up in the India Today hierarchy. He seemed a devoted husband to Geetan a pretty girl he fell in love with in Chandigarh. Later, after some sting operations and exposes done by Tehelka the website, he had become an anti-corruption icon, and was invited to speak on such subjects. I too interviewed him for Life Positive for a cover story on corruption. Gradually he grew in influence and affluence and seemed to have become the proverbial alpha male and brought down his own downfall. Now, besides the sexual assault case, his financial dealings, properties purchased, all are under the scanner.

Sexual assault World class Delhi Metro ditched by car owners creates Tehelka T
his time in Delhi, I commuted a lot by the Metro, Delhis shaan and which truly is world class. But I doubt it would have reduced traffic snarls what with the ever growing population of the National Capital Region. Having taken the Metro, from north to south and east to west Delhi, I can say the trains are overcrowded during rush hour and most other times too, so you reconcile to traveling standing, at times getting jostled while boarding or deboarding. Sadly also, the Metro is not a mode of transport of choice for the class of people who have cars. So the number of cars on the roads is not reducing, it is rather growing with more people now able to afford cars. People who can commute on the Metro but dont cite overcrowding and betray distaste for travelling with the hoi polloi. Metro sure takes you to your destination in very good time. All systems work. Train stations are clean. People cooperate in obeying the rules. Women have a reserved coach and some reserved seats in other coaches too. More routes are being added in phase 3 and from initial 4-coach trains, now there are 6-coach and even 8-coach trains.

Delhi Metro, now criss-crossing the city, is world class, but the increasing capacity is barely keeping pace with the growing ridership.

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

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unny Deol is seen romancing a much younger Urvashi Rautela in Anil Sharma-directed "Singh Saab The Great" and he says he will continue to work with new talent as established actresses are not keen to work with him. He is also in no mood to mince words about the way the film industry functions nowadays. "About time a film of mine was well-received. I am tired of the long non-happening phase. Unfortunately I haven't had too many releases recently. There are some of my films that are on hold. Hopefully, they'll be released soon. But let me add, I don't need to prove myself. I just need good cinema, the kind of cinema I believe in," said Sunny. Sunny, 57, is seen romancing 19-year-old Urvashi Rautela in the film. Why a co-star half his age? "We are acting. We are not really husband and wife. If she's much younger, that's fine. A lot of wives are much younger than husbands. That's no secret. And

Top heroines turn me down: Sunny Deol S

A scene from Dhoom 3's new song

Sunny Deol in 'Singh Saab The Great'

by the way, I am sure Urvashi is not 19 year either," said the actor who completes 30 years in filmdom after starting his journey with "Betaab" in 1983. On the way, he has given hits like "Ghayal" and "Damini". The actor, who worked with the likes of Dimple Kapadia and Meenakshi Sheshadri, says that the current lot of established actresses are not keen to

work with him. "I've had problems with established heroines. For reasons best known to them, they don't want to work with me. It's a fact. The top heroines turn me down whenever I ask them to work with me. They want to work with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan. So it's fine," said Sunny.

First look: Dhoom 3's Rs. 5 crore song

ere's looking at one of the most expensive songs ever created in Bollywood. The track titled Malang is a high-energy number and reportedly has a whopping budget of over Rs. 5 crore. The track features Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif. "The song features 200 professional gymnasts who were specially flown in from the US. And yes, the budget is roughly Rs. 5 crore," says a source. The cost includes the fees of the gymnasts, their costumes and the elaborate sets. "The 200 artistes stayed in the city for 20 days as they were training. The humongous set took nearly two months to be created," adds the source.

Aamir Khans two-year-old son Azad

Aamir's toddler Azad can tap dance!


ollywood star Aamir Khans son, Azad, might be all of two years old, but he sure is a fast learner. Sometime ago, reports revealed that the toddler was accompanying his father Aamir to all his rehearsals and shoots while wife Kiran Rao was on vacation in the north-east. It was around then that the actor had just returned from a secret trip to Australia, where he was apparently learning tap dancing from a professional trainer. The details of the trip, however, were kept under wraps. Since this form of dance is extremely difficult and needs a lot of practise, Aamir made sure he regularly rehearsed at home or on the sets of his upcoming film, and since Azad was with him during that time, he used to keenly observe him, says a source. Now, an insider close to Aamir has revealed that thanks to all those days of watching his father practise tap dancing, Azad seems to have picked up a few steps himself. The actor is apparently keen on giving Azad the opportunity to take this interest to the next level.

ctor Ajay Devgn, who has partnered with Brillstein Entertainment Partners to launch a US-based production house Shivalaya Entertainment to back independent Films targeting a global audience, says he is excited to be part of the changing scenario in the Hindi film industry. The development and financing outfit will focus on independent films which will aim for broad appeal. "At one end, traditional films continue to entertain and make business sense. At the other, there is a resounding presence of some new forms and voices making a mark in this ever expanding medium. I am keen to be part of that growth, that change," Ajay said in a statement. "I am coming forth to support the independent film process where we can share important stories that need to be told -- global stories that will resonate with international

Keen to be part of change in Indian cinema: Ajay Devgn I

Win or lose, Bigg Boss means big money

Actor Ajay Devgn

audiences," added the actor, who has another production banner titled Ajay Devgn Films Productions. Shivalaya Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, has given the green signal to its first film "Parched", to be directed by Leena Yadav. The movie is said to be centred on the bitter-sweet journey of women in the parched rural landscape of India.

ts not for no reason that they are ready to take a dip in deep sh*t (remember the cow dung task?), withstand electric shocks and swallow their egos while getting scolded by actor Salman Khan on national television. The fat pay cheque that they are drawing every week is Tanisha is the highest paid whats keep- contestant this season, while ing the Gauahar is fetching Rs. 6 lakh per week celebrity contestants of reality TV show Bigg Boss put up with all this and more. Sources reveal that in the last 10 weeks, actors such as Tanisha Mukherji and Gauhar Khan have made more money than the actual cash prize of Rs. 50 lakh. According to sources, at Rs. 7.5 lakh per week, Tanisha is the highest paid contestant this season, while Gauahar is fetching Rs. 6 lakh per week. Actors Armaan Kohli and Kushal Tandon are drawing Rs. 5 lakh and VJ Andy and wrestler Sangram Singh are believed to be fetching anything between Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 3.5 lakh each, every week. TV bahus Pratyusha Banerjee and Kamya Punjabi were reportedly signed for anything between Rs. 3.5 to Rs. 4 lakh respectively. The contract for every contestant depends on how he or she has got the show. If the channel approached them, they can demand big money. But if they approached the channel, then they end up agreeing on a paltry sum for the heck of grabbing eyeballs, says actor Kamal Rashid Khan, a former show contestant. For instance, cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu was approached by the makers and he drew Rs. 10 lakh a day. I settled for Rs. 2 lakh per day and actor Vindu Dara Singh who eventually won the show merely got Rs. 25,000 per week, he adds.

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November 30-December 6, 2013

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Actress Huma Qureshi in 'Dedh Ishqiya'

'Ishqiya' was intense, 'Dedh Ishqiya' is fun: Huma

ctress Huma Qureshi says "Dedh Ishqiya" is different from the original "Ishqiya" and is confident that the viewers will enjoy the comedy-thriller. Abhishek Chaubey directed film stars Madhuri Dixit, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi in the lead roles. "This film has nothing to do with 'Ishqiya', it's altogether a different story. My character is very interesting. 'Ishqiya' was intense, 'Dedh Ishqiya' is fun and I am sure everyone will enjoy it," said Huma. The actress, who is sharing screen space with renowned actors like Naseer and Madhuri so early in her career, considers herself lucky. "I am very fortunate to work with such good actors. I think I have worked with some of the best actors of our time," said the actress who teamed up with Manoj Bajpayee in "Gangs of Wasseypur".

he censor board has axed "Eggjactly" from being used in Sunny Leone starrer "Jackpot". However the Indo-Canadian adult film star says it is a family film and doesn't "require censorship". The 32-year-old, who has shot some bold scenes for the movie, admits that it's censor board's job to see what's suitable for young adults to watch. At the same time, she feels that "Jackpot" "is not an A-certificate movie. So, they have to be really careful on what the subject matter is." But I don't think there is anything in the

movie that requires censorship. It's a very nice family movie that everyone can watch," added the actress who entered Bollywood with erotic thriller "Jism 2". Meanwhile, director Kaizad Gustad is upset with the censor board for banning "Eggjactly", by Javed Jaffrey. "Jackpot" has been shot in Goa and also stars Naseeruddin Shah. It hits theatres Dec 13.
Sunny Leone in 'Jackpot'

I always wanted to play a gangster: Saif

aif Ali Khan who plays gangster Raja Mishra in the forthcoming film "Bullett Raja," says he always wanted to play such a character. "After many years, I got this chance to play a character which is very different from me. I always wanted to play a gangster," the 43-year-old said here Wednesday at a promotional event of the film. Saif says the Tigmanshu Dhulia-directorial, Saif in a scene from 'Bullett Raja' premised on a fictional mafia based in Uttar Pradesh, is neither vulgar nor violent. But it is fully entertaining. "Tishuji (Tigmanshu) has tried to make each scene an item. There is action in the film but not violence, there is comedy but not vulgarity. So it is a good action drama set in the background of Uttar Pradesh. I'm very glad I could be part of it," Saif said. Set in Lucknow, "Bullett Raja" also stars Jimmy Shergill and Sonakshi Sinha.

Madhuri shy shooting 'intense scenes' with Naseer

Is Aishwarya fed up of Jaya's constant interference?


ollywood diva Aishwarya Rai has been living as a dutiful daughter-in-law since she got married to Abhishek Bachchan in 2007. She is known to share a strong bond with both her father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan and his wife Jaya Bachchan. However, if rumors are to be believed then Aishwarya is keen to move out of the family home and live separately with her husband and daughter. A report in Indian Express says that things are not smooth between Aishwarya and Jaya. The report further adds that Jaya allegedly keeps a tab on all activities of her bahu and keeps on interfering in her professional as well as personal mat-

adhuri Dixit, who has some intimate scenes with award winning actor Naseeruddin Shah in the forthcoming film "Dedh Ishqiya", says she was shy doing them, thanks to her co-star's intense eyes. "I found his eyes very intense. Whenever I did intense scenes with him, I used to get very shy. This is for the first time I found myself in such a situation," Madhuri told reporters Monday at an event here. "When you are with him, you don't have to act, you just have to react. He is such a natural actor," added the actress. A sequel to Vidya Balan starrer 2009 hit film "Ishqiya", this will be Madhuri's first full-fledged movie role in six years. She feels filmmaking has undergone a lot of changes in the last few years.

Madhuri Dixit with Naseeruddin Shah in 'Dedh Ishqiya'

Aishwarya is keen to move out of the family home and live separately with her husband and daughter

She was last seen playing the lead in 2007 release "Aaja Nachle". "Things have changed. There is a lot of discipline now. Things are well planned now, which is good for the actors. Promotions have become a big deal and it's very hectic, but it's all for the good," said the actress of hits like "Beta", "Dil To Pagal Hai" and "Devdas". Recently, she made a guest appearance in the "Ghaghra" song in hit movie "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani".

ters. It is said that Aishwarya is expected to update Jaya about all her professional activities, something that Aishwarya does not appreciate. There are also rumors that both of them are very uncomfortable in each other's company at public events. It was also report-

ed a few days back that Jaya scolded a reporter who called Aishwarya by her name, creating quite a scene at a party. Well we sure hope that they resolve their differences and can put these rumours about a rift between the saas-bahu to rest.

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Some of the 147 fountains at Peterhof on the outskirts of St Petersburg, a sight to behold

One of the colourful churches' spires in Moscow that are all over the city

By Vijay Badhwar rans-Siberian travel has its unique wow appeal. With embellishments like the worlds longest train journey along the borders of the Gulag country, the Trans-Siberian travel becomes once in a lifetime experience. When the intrepid traveller K.K. Gupta, formerly Air Indias Manager in Sydney, initiated the idea a year ago with two fellow lovers of adventure - Ashok Malik and myself - it immediately bonded into a team eager to experience the never never land replete with stories of intrigue and hardship, a land of extremes which, once upon a time, only had an entry but no exit. Regular meetings to plan the journey became an excuse to down umpteen glasses of beer at the Bowlers Club in Sydney, a journey more pleasant than the rigours of applying for visas and going through the train schedules. In the end there was nothing organised (did not like to be tied down with itineraries), laissez faire, except doing the bare minimum to obtain the visas, air tickets and the first accommodation when we landed in Moscow. What could happen to three old men, we thought. Russia is certainly not looking for tourists; the country is still in a paradox whether to open itself up to the world or

Hermitage Museum - one of the best in the world

remain in the shadows. Its embassy in Woollahra still bears the authoritarian remnants of the old no discussions, do as you are told. The visa rules require an invitation from a Russian hotel which they provide at a fee and can be arranged directly or through a travel agent. The invitation is emailed or faxed and attached with the application, a mere formality. But the visa officer just made up a rule for one of us who holds an Indian passport to provide the invitation in original, which had to be urgently couriered. He also insisted that the visa application must be lodged in India to our bewilderment, retracting later due to pleading on our behalf by the travel agent. We prepared for much more as we had booked our Delhi-Moscow flight with Aeroflot. But to our surprise the aircraft was a shimmering airbus, the service even better than most top-rung airlines. The stark Moscow airport lacked energy but the six-lane roads beyond slowly opened up a mega city. The mid-rise buildings on either side of the road were unostentatious and of a similar character. It is said that Stalin, after his visit to US, was so impressed with the Empire State Building that he got seven of them built all around the city. Colourful domes and spires of orthodox churches add spice to the city architecture, each one a masterpiece in its own right. More than 10,000 of these churches were razed to the ground in the Stalin era to eradicate religion from the society, we were told during the free bus tour of the city. Big cars lined the kerb side along all roads - latest model BMWs, Mercedes and Audis with silhouettes of drivers visible through darkened windows. We longed for the sight of a real Oligarch getting into the car but were disappointed. There was a time when we heard of long queues outside shops but the shelves were empty. But now there were huge shopping centres with exclusive shops which sell label brands galore but there are no buyers. There were only shop assistants who wandered around the shops aimlessly. The Kremlin area, Red Square and the famous landmark St Basils Cathedral (Church of the Saviour) were the main attractions in Moscow besides many world class museums and art galleries. The area, indeed grand, swarmed with tourists. A

cruise in Moskva River was another way to see the architectural highlights of the city. Public travel in Russia is very cheap. While taxi fares are most times negotiated and may cost anywhere between $40-70, a metro or a bus ride to far flung places within the city are only about a dollar. The Metro stations are also a must see, built deep underground and accessed by massive escalators. Each one is a sculpted piece of art in granite and marble with chandeliers that will befit a palace. These are indeed a sight to behold. Language remains the biggest barrier for English-speaking tourists. As all the signs and names are in Cyrillic script (thankfully the number of letters provides the clue) and virtually no one speaks English, it becomes hard to move around. We had gone unprepared not having booked our Trans-Siberian journey and virtually reached a desperation point at the ticket windows unable to explain either orally or in writing. This was until a guardian angel arrived asking if he could be of any assistance. We were flabbergasted. Lev, a young lawyer, met us every evening after work and sorted out all our travel arrangements. We came across many other instances when the otherwise stern looking Russians went out of their way to help. St Petersburg The train from Moscow to St Petersburg is the most modern mode of transport in Russia has developed with German collaboration. It covers a distance of 650 km in less than four hours at speeds touching 200 km/H. St Petersburg rivals successfully with Brussels and Paris as the worlds most beau-

Church of the Resurrection in St Petersburg known for its mosaics

tiful city as for as architecture starting from Renaissance period is concerned. The prodigious public square outside the Hermitage Museum where the human dimension becomes inconsequential relative to the space around is absolutely awe-inspiring. The Hermitage Museum itself is among the worlds best where just walking through would be a sin. It would need several days, if not weeks, if justice is to be done to appreciate its art collection. One is at a loss where to pay attention to: should it be the ceiling or the floor, the walls or the artefacts. The Hermitage Museum had a humble

The author Vijay Badhwar (second from left) with friends in Moscow.

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beginning when a Russian banker gifted some paintings to Catherine the Great. These were stored in an annexe of the Winter Palace. But in the following years it became a tradition to donate artwork to win state favours as with the Nizam of Hydrabad in India. There are now more than three million catalogued works which cannot be displayed at one time even in the entire three wings of the palace. For a casual visitor to St Petersburg, a visit to St Isaacs Cathedral and the Church of the Saviour on Blood are famous tourist haunts. The former is a colossal work of art of stained glass windows and carved doors, walls laden with mosaics and gold-trimmed paintings. The interior of the Church of the Saviour is exclusively of mosaics that is a sight to behold. On the outskirts of St Petersburg is Peterhof, a palace built by Peter the Great that is famous for its gravity-fed fountains. The city is full of other attractions, among them its world-renowned metro stations. We spent an entire day just admiring the underground stations, getting on and off from the metros, for a mere three Roubles (15 cents), the public transport being so cheap in Russia. Back in Moscow, we started the TransSiberian train journey eastwards towards Vladivostok, a distance of 9289 km, longest train journey in the world, announced proudly on a pillar at the station. We had planned not to go all the way to Vladivostok but changing over at Irktusk, Lake Baikal, to Trans-Mongolian towards Mongolia and then China. In hindsight, it turned out to be the right thing to do to escape the long monologue with an unchanging landscape. The railway built in the early 20th century was a major engineering challenge not only due to the inaccessible terrain but also due to permafrost in large sections under the tracks. It was constructed by nothing more than wooden shovels by Italian, Turkish and Chinese labour earlier and then by convict labour whose sentence was reduced by four months for eight months work. The Trans-Siberian train is alike an Indian express train that also travels at a comparable speed but powered by electricity. Its four-berth, two tier kupe is also similar to its Indian counterpart, smaller and with compartments replacing the curtains that separate the aisles from the berths. Two attendants (provodnitsa) work alternatively in 12-hour shifts to clean the carriage, lock/unlock the toilets when the train is 10 minutes on either side of a town, lower/raise steps when the train stops at a station and provide hot water in the samovars. Although August is the peak season of travel, our carriage was mostly empty virtually all through the journey. Whoever boarded the carriage ended up in our compartment sharing many cans of beer and conversing with mere looks and appreciative laughter. The dining car many carriages apart was also empty and provided the option of the same soup, same grilled chicken for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Passing the carriages on the way to the dining car we realised that local Russians carried their own bread, cheese and cold meats which they supplemented whenever the train stopped at the stations. Irkutsk, the fur capital of Russia and a town at the edge of Lake Baikal was four nights away from Moscow. As there were no shower facilities in the train, we managed to refresh ourselves with a wet towel soaked in boiling water from the samovar. The time virtually stood still as did the landscape of the Ural forests. We just imagined that it would be only a month when everything would be

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under of blanket of thick snow for the next nine months. Irkutsk is a busy trading town. Shared Mercedes vans ply frequently to and fro to Lake Baikal, some 60 km away, to run a continuous stream of tourists. The lake is like a vast sea of fresh water, which, it is said, can supply drinking water to the whole humankind for 40 years if there was no other source of water left on earth. The Trans-Mongolian from Irkutsk travels towards the southern tip of the lake and then along its western bank for more than eight hours as it heads towards the Russian border. To Mongolia and China It is an irksome process to cross a border in the train. The guards take the passports away; so the passengers can not leave the carriage. The toilets are locked as the train is at a station. It is put on hold for the next four or so hours. As part of the cross-border checks, the dogs entered to sniff around. And the police started going through the luggage and then all the nooks and corners. They got the Mongolian attendants to remove the runner in the aisle and then unscrew a lid in the corridor where the linen was stored. They asked the attendant to get inside the pit and remove everything. This was right outside our compartment. We watched with bated breath as the rather heavy attendant was sweating inside the pit. Out came from underneath the pillows and blankets boxes after boxes of something. It took more than an hour as the corridor filled with stacks of those removed items. There was a problem and we were witness to that, we thought. But, to our surprise, after all this sweating and drama, the boxes ended up in the attendants cabin and everyone was drinking and we heard bouts of laughter. Matters had been sorted out to mutual benefit, we thought. Mongolia is a tiny nation. Only recently it has begun to find its own identity free from Soviet guardianship. Nearly 80 per cent of its population is Buddhist and it prides itself with the conquests of Chengis Khan. In recent times, the country is experiencing an invasion from mining companies due to its large reserves of gold, zinc and copper. Its capital Ulaanbaatar is now a booming town bustling with construction of new buildings everywhere. There is also a rush of fourwheel drive vehicles which choke the city streets. Thankfully, you can wave to any private car and they will drop you at your destination for a charge per kilometre. It feels perfectly normal to share a ride with a housewife with shopping in the backseat. An excursion out of town, Terelj National Park being the most common, is what most tourists do. It includes a visit to a Buddhist temple, Turtle Rock, traditional lunch in a Gher, and a long drive to Chengis Khan Museum whose claim to fame is the largest statue on a horse which is rather a brutal imposition on an expansive terrain. The visit to a Gher, a nomadic living space made out of a wool blanket on a timber lattice, is interesting as a peek into the local way of living. The Trans-Mongolian train towards Beijing chugged along vast steppes and grasslands with gently undulating hills in the background, occasional drill rigs and cranes being the only interruption to the otherwise lifeless desert. At the China border, the train again halted for several hours for the routine checks but also for an unusual experience as carriages were lifted one by one to change their axles to suit the narrower gauge of the Chinese railways. The passengers remained

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Terracotta warriors in Xian.

Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing - a piece of art

Shanghai, a city of skyscrapers.

in their normal seats and hardly experienced being up in the air except for the comparison with the other bogies on the ground. Immediately on entry into China there was a noticeable change: dams and reservoirs, six-lane highways and smog in the air even outside the towns. Unending corn fields followed the train continuously albeit the appearance of an occasional township comprising high-rise apartment blocks. Welcome to the 21st century. Beijing Railway Station swarmed with people, an overwhelming experience arriving from desolated lands. This station was only one of many in the city and each one was so huge that it defied imagination. One wrong exit may take you a few kilometres away from your desired destination. The roads were majestic with stately buildings on both sides. The tourist sites were etched in the memory even without a visit the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square were all too familiar. Virtually all the tourists were local.

All tours must include shopping detours, we were told. But we protested and sat on the steps outside the shops, the Gandhian way. The inter-city trains are superfast that travel at 300-310 km/hour. Within a few hours you are in Xian or Shanghai more than a thousand kilometres away. Xian is a lovely city known for its Terracotta Warriors. The story goes that the king was told to build an army to protect him after death. And he built many thousands of full size statues in clay, each one different from another. There they stood in vaults roofed with timber beams and then paved over. A farmer discovered the warriors while digging for a well. The bazaars in Xian remind of Mughal Delhi, the food, specially, a welcome change. Shanghai, our last stop before we took off for Sydney, was a megatown of skyscrapers. It was also good for the last minute shopping to end the trip. The author is editor of The Indian Down Under, Sydney, and a travel buff.

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SUBCONTINENT

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Kabul: Afghan President Hamid Karzai supported the decision of the traditional Loya Jirga or grand assembly of tribal elders and notables in favour of inking a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the US but set conditions for signing the controversial accord. "We want to give bases to America, although it is difficult for us, but in return we want peace in Afghanistan from today onward but not 10 or 15 years later. This is our first condition," Xinhua quoted Karzai as categorically saying in his speech on the last day of the four-day Jirga. Other conditions include halting military operations on Afghan homes and cooperation in the coming election process slated for April 5 next year. He put the conditions in the wake of the killing of two civilians allegedly by US forces in eastern Nangarhar province. "I am repeating that from now on the American forces cannot search Afghan houses and cannot kill

Afghan president backs security accord with US

Raheel Sharif new Pakistan army chief


Islamabad: Lt General Raheel Sharif, the third in terms of seniority, was appointed as Pakistan's new army chief and the man tipped for the position of army chief, Lt General Rashad Mahmood was appointed to the largely ceremonial position of chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, local media said. Geo Television reported that Sharif, who hails from Lahore, was chosen by Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif from a list of four candidates sent to him by the outgoing army chief General Pervez Ashfaq Kayani. Earlier, the favorite for the position was General Mahmood, who was the second senior most in the rankings and seen as the favorite of General Kayani. General Raheel Sharif comes from a military family. Hailing from the

The Loya Jirga earlier approved the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the US after four days of debates

Afghans ... otherwise the agreement will be annulled," President Karzai warned in his 30-minute emotional speech. However, the chairman of the 2,500-member historic gathering, Sibghatullah Mujadadi, urged President Karzai to respect the decision of the four-day Jirga and ink the security accord at the earliest before the end of 2013. The Loya Jirga earlier approved the BSA with the US after four days of debates.

"The second article of the resolution said that keeping in mind the security condition of Afghanistan and its need to the support of the international community, the Loya Jirga supports and approves the Bilateral Security Agreement with the US," Abdul Karim Aymaq, deputy to the Jirga, said while reading out the resolution issued at the end of the Jirga. The resolution wants the security agreement to be inked by the end of 2013, he added.

Lt General Raheel Sharif

Frontier Corps, Sharif's elder brother - Shabbir Sharif was a recipient of Pakistan's highest military award, the Nishan-e-Haider. He is also related to another war hero, Major Aziz Bhatti. Sharif has worked extensively on countering India's cold start doctrine with more sophisticated responses.

'Why hurry in Nepal elections: No party Pakistani leaders announcing Bangladesh protest US drone likely to win majority poll dates?'
Islamabad: A group of officials and lawmakers in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Monday lodged a protest at the US consulate in Peshawar city against the US drone strikes. Senior minister of the provincial government Siraj-ul-Haq led a group of provincial ministers and lawmakers who marched to the heavily-guarded US consulate and handed over a protest note to the diplomats, saying that the American drone strikes violate Pakistan's sovereignty and kill innocent people, Xinhua reported. The protest came days after a US drone fired missiles on a religious school in Hangu district, killing six students and teachers along with two leaders of the Afghan Taliban- linked Haqqani Network. Protests against the drone strikes continued with supporters of the provincial ruling parties blocking supplies for NATO-led troops in Afghanistan for the third consecutive day Monday. The protesters set up camps on different routes leading to the Afghan border to stop and search all loaded container trucks heading to the border points. Meanwhile, transporters in the port city of Karachi said hundreds of NATO containers in the city and those on the way to the Torkham border point were stopped due to protest.

attacks

The Maoists are demanding the new government be formed on the basis of consensus among political parties

Kathmandu: Elections for Nepal's 601-member constituent assembly, held on November 19, are unlikely to end political instability in the country.No party is likely to get a majority, and the Maoists are demanding the new government be formed on the basis of consensus among political parties rather than a majority and they be made part of the government. The counting of votes could continue into next week. Nepali Congress and moderate Communist UML leaders have been urging the Maoist leadership to accept the election result and join the constituent assembly following the former rebels' threat to

boycott the house unless there is an investigation into alleged poll irregularities. The two biggest parties have said all parties will be included while drafting a constitution - the first task of the new assembly. As the vote count in the general elections nears its end, the Nepali Congress is set to be the largest party in the constituent assembly, which will also act as parliament, but will fall short of a majority. Nepal's oldest party has already won 105 seats in the 240 constituencies elected through direct vote, the UML secured 91 seats and the Maoists were a distant third with 26 seats.

Dhaka: The Bangladesh poll schedule "cannot be said to have been properly thought through", said a leading daily which observed that the announcement was made in "undue haste". Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin has "surprised the nation by announcing the schedule for the 10th Jatiya Sangsad election in undue haste", said an editorial in the Daily Star Wednesday. The Bangladesh Election Commission Monday announced that the country will undergo parliamentary elections next year Jan 5. The daily noted this action "flies in the face of his previous days observation that he was waiting for a political reconciliation among the major political stakeholders". "What then happened in the next 24 hours that compelled him to say in his address to the nation that he has no more time in hand to wait? It boggles the mind." The editorial

observed that had the chief election commissioner used discretion, "he would have allowed a reasonable length of time to see that the ruling AL (Awami League) and the main opposition BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) come to an understanding before declaring the election schedule". The daily went on to say that "considerations of possible political imperatives should have weighed in more with him than they have". "For it is not the polls dates alone, the entire schedule from the date of submitting the nomination papers, their scrutiny and withdrawal cannot be said to have been properly thought through with enough breathing space in between," it said. "...it appears the statutory body has been driven more by someone elses diktat than discharging its constitutional obligations." The nomination to contest elections can be filed till Dec 2, 2013, according to the poll schedule.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

INTERNATIONAL

November 30-December 6, 2013

21

Geneva/Washington/Tehran: After intense negotiations, the Western powers and Iran reached a first-step agreement this week on Tehran's nuclear program that most of the world welcomed but Israel slammed as a "historic mistake". European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represented the P5+1 group - the five UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany - during the talks with Iran - made the announcement Sunday at the Palace of Nations, the headquarters of the UN office in Geneva. "...we reached agreement today on a joint plan of action which sets out an approach towards reaching a long-term comprehensive solution," read a joint statement, which was announced by Ashton. "...the process leading to this comprehensive solution will include a first-step on initial reciprocal measures to be taken by both sides for a duration of six months," the statement said. US President Barack Obama said the historic deal includes "substantial limitations that will help prevent Iran from creating a nuclear weapon". Key players will work over the next six months toward a "comprehensive solution" on Iran's nuclear program, Obama said in a nationally televised address from the White House shortly after the deal was announced at 3 a.m. Sunday in Geneva. The deal which capped days of marathon

World clinches historic N-deal with Iran

istry spokeswoman, as saying. The US has also released $8 billion of Irans frozen assets, former head of Irans chamber of commerce Alinaqi Khamoushi announced. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon led the rest of the world in hailing the agreement. Leaders of the European Union (EU) too hailed the agreement as a major breakthrough for global security and stability.

Iran 'cautiously optimistic' about future


Key players will work over the next six months toward a 'comprehensive solution' on Iran's nuclear program

talks addresses Iran's ability to enrich uranium, what to do about its existing enriched uranium stockpiles, the number and potential of its centrifuges and Tehran's "ability to produce weapons-grade plutonium using the Arak reactor", according to a statement released by the White House. Iran also agreed to provide "increased transparency and intrusive monitoring of its nuclear programme," it said. The deal halts Tehran's nuclear program, including the development at the Arak reactor and requiring all of the uranium enriched to 20 percent -- close to weapons-grade -- to be

diluted so it cannot be converted for military purposes, the White House statement said. In Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the Geneva agreement is the first step towards building confidence between Iran and the world powers. By this agreement, the world powers recognized Iran's nuclear rights. Iran possesses the right to uranium enrichment under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, said the Iranian president. "The nature of (Geneva) agreement was a success for Iran's negotiating team," Xinhua quoted Marzieh Afkham, Iranian foreign min-

Tehran: Iranian government said it was cautiously optimistic about future of the nuclear talks. "Iranians proved that the nuclear issue would only be solved through negotiations based on mutual respect and equal footing. Thus, the only option is to enter the talks with caution and optimism, with the eyes wide open. "If there is a political will, no issue would remain unsolved in the nuclear area." "Iran is ready to remove the logical concerns of (the P5+1 group) over the country's nuclear program," he said, stressing that "removing the concerns is one of our objectives" in the nuclear negotiations.

Rome: The Italian Senate has expelled three-time ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi from Parliament over his tax fraud conviction, ending, for now, his two-decade legislative run but not his political career. Berlusconi has warned that the unprecedented move would embarrass Italy internationally. He maintained his defiance as the Senate voted, declaring on Wednesday a "day of mourning for democracy" before thousands of cheering, flag-waving supporters outside his Roman palazzo. Even though Berlusconi won't hold a seat in Parliament, he is

Berlusconi expelled from Italian parliament

expected to remain influential in Italian politics. He has relaunched his Forza Italia party and he still commands millions of loyal supporters. While his lawyers chart possible legal challenges and his allies move into Italy's opposition, Berlusconi's fans massed in front of his Roman palazzo for a rally that analysts said was essentially the start of Italy's next electoral campaign. "Today they are toasting because they can take an adversary, they say a friend, in front of the executioner's squad," Berlusconi said. "It is the day they have been waiting for for 20 years." He pledged to continue his role as a political leader, citing other figures not in Parliament, namely the founder of the Five Star Movement, Beppe Grillo, and Matteo Renzi of the Democratic Party, tipped by many as a future premier candiEx Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi date.

London: The European Union's (EU) justice and rights commissioner Viviane Reding has threatened to halt data-sharing arrangements with the US following revelations of surveillance activities by the US spying agency, a media report said. The US will have to adjust their surveillance activities to comply with EU law and enable legal redress in the US courts for Europeans whose rights may have

EU threatens to freeze data sharing with US


been infringed, The Guardian cited Viviane Reding as saying. Reding is negotiating with the US on the fallout from the NSA scandal. Reding said that the European businesses need to compete on a level playing field with US rivals, the report said. The US has come under increasing criticism and pressure from the international community since June after former National Security Agency (NSA)

contractor Edward Snowden exposed its secret massive spying programmes monitoring worldwide phone calls and Internet communications under the excuse of counterterrorism. US allies in Europe have been in an uproar over media reports that US intelligence agencies have monitored the communications of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and tens of millions of phone calls in France and Spain.

having a new government in Berlin: Chancellor Angela Merkel has clinched a coaliplace by Christmas. "We entered negotiations tion deal with the Social with very different ideas, and Democrats (SPD) that rolls back decade-old reforms of that is why things took a little time," Merkel told a news the German welfare state but conference, sitting between preserves Berlin's strict SPD Chairman Sigmar approach towards struggling Gabriel and Horst Seehofer, European partners. The agreement, spelled out leader of the Bavarian Christian Social Union. in minute detail in a 185Chancellor Angela Merkel has clinched a page policy document entiGabriel said he was sure a coalition deal with the Social Democrats "broad majority" of SPD tled "Shaping Germany's Future", was struck two months after Merkel emerged members would back the deal in the mail-in vote, the victorious from an election but fell just short of a parlia- results of which are due to be published on December 14. All three politicians praised the atmosphere in the mentary majority. The result forced the popular 59-year-old Protestant talks, with Gabriel and Seehofer joking with reporters pastor's daughter from East Germany into negotiations about whether they could now address each other with with the arch-rival SPD, with whom she ruled in an the informal "du" in place of the formal "sie". "Perhaps that changes after you win the poll of your awkward "grand coalition" during her first term from 2005-2009. The SPD is still smarting from that experi- members," quipped Seehofer. The deal was greeted with ence, and its leadership has agreed to put the new deal a sigh of relief by investors, who pushed the euro curto a vote of the party's 474,000 card-carrying members, rency to a four-year high against the Japanese yen and a adding an element of uncertainty to Merkel's goal of one-month peak versus the U.S. dollar.

Merkel signs 'grand coalition' deal

22

November 30-December 6, 2013

BUSINESS

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New Delhi: Besides easing Iranian oil sales, the interim nuclear accord between Iran and the six world powers would have more longterm advantages for India closer home, with Tehran perhaps being able to play a more active role in Afghanistan to help keep the Taliban in check, knowledgeable sources and experts here say. The deal, inked between Iran and the P 5+1 countries - the US, UK, France, Russia and China and Germany - is a welcome development for India as the lifting of sanctions would be beneficial for India. Iran would be able to export more oil, and with sanctions on shipping insurance eased, India would be able to import more Tehran crude. The prices of global crude would also soften. But the advantages for India in the larger sense are more. If Iran and the US are able to normalise relations, then vis--vis Afghanistan in a regional sense it has advantages as it would enable once-pariah Tehran to play a more active role and also keep the

'Iran N-accord will be advantageous to India'


manage its relations with Riyadh and Tel Aviv. And moreover India has not been involved in the Geneva talks in any way, The six world powers, especially the US, had their own backchannel talks going on for many months. The nuclear deal is an enabling first step and the fact that the players have been able to work out the deal reasonably quickly also gives India the optimism that both sides would be able to work out the comprehensive agreement as well. "That is what we would urge them to do," the sources added. According to leading strategic affairs expert C. Uday Bhaskar, while the Iran deal has no immediate benefit for India, the easing of sanctions on shipping insurance is a big positive development. The sanctions on insurance had left refiners that processed Iranian oil without insurance cover and led to slashing of India's imports. "With easing of sanctions, the shipping insurance companies will now be willing to pay higher insur-

India would be able to import more Tehran crude and the prices of global crude would also soften

Taliban out, the sources said. In a regional sense, the deal gives India a closer working relationship with Iran on regional issues, like Afghanistan. India would also be able to have more frequent social exchanges with Iran that were constrained due to the US and Western sanctions, the sources said. India also need not worry about

the concerns aired by Saudi Arabia and Israel, both friends of India, to the deal. The US has closer ties with Saudi Arabia and Israel than India has with the two. According to theses sources, who spoke in background to IANS, if the US has been able to push through with the deal for the sake of "wider interests" it would also be able to safely

ance for Iranian crude," Bhaskar, a Distinguished Fellow with the Society for Policy Studies, told IANS. Another benefit of the deal was it would have a positive effect on the "global eco system of oil" which was tense earlier due to the US sanctions, he said. Arundhati Ghose, former top Indian diplomat, said since the deal is only for six months, it would not have much benefit for India. "It is not as if all sanctions have been lifted, only specific sanctions, that too only for six months. In the specific sanctions, they have included gold, automobile parts.. three things which are very restrictive," she said, Ghose said the "warming of relations between US and Iran, the timing is such that it may assist the Americans in their plans for withdrawal from Afghanistan, giving them an alternate route for one thing,.. The Iranians have helped them before in Afghanistan. And obviously it would be of political interest to us too," she added.

ArcelorMittal, Nippon Steel to buy US plant

Nippon Steel of Japan and Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal have reached a basic accord with ThyssenKrupp on the deal

Tokyo: The world's two biggest steelmakers, Lakshmi Mittal's ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal, are close to a USD 2 billion deal to buy a US factory from Germany's ThyssenKrupp, a report said. Nippon Steel of Japan and Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal have reached a basic accord with ThyssenKrupp on the deal worth nearly 200 billion yen (USD 1.97 billion), the Nikkei economic daily said, without naming its sources. The partners are making a joint bid for the plant in the state of Alabama that manufactures automotive sheet steel, aiming to more than double their combined production capacity in the United States, it said. Nippon Steel declined to comment on the possible purchase, which could be its largest ever outside Japan. The firm became the world's second-biggest steelmaker following its merger with

Sumitomo last year. Without identifying possible buyers, ThyssenKrupp said this month that it was in exclusive negotiations on selling the state-of-the-art, but unprofitable plant which only came online in 2010. Nippon Steel and ArcelorMittal will split the purchase costs evenly, with specifics to be fleshed out and announced in early December, the Nikkei said. ArcelorMittal and the Japanese giant already jointly produce steel in the state of Indiana. The yen's plunge against the dollar since late last year has improved Japanese automakers' income but Nippon Steel believes they will continue shifting automobile production overseas, the Nikkei said. The firm started an automotive steel sheet factory in Mexico in August and in Thailand in October. Nippon Steel's Tokyo-listed shares closed 0.90 per cent lower at 328 yen after the report.

New Delhi: BlackBerry has launched BBM Channels, which will lets brands create conversations with people and communities. The new service will become available on all BlackBerry devices running BlackBerry OS 5 through to BlackBerry 10 and willneed an update of their BBM app. iPhone and Android devices will launch in the coming months. BlackBerry is banking big on channels to bring it additional

BlackBerry launches BBM channels

revenue in the coming months. This is also expected to let it monetise the BBM app across other platform where it became avaiable recently. For the brands, the BBM Channels will give a way to connect to loyal users and reach out to new ones. Channel owners will be able to "post messages, share pictures, spark discussions, post animated GIFs and chat directly with subscribers".

New York: US auto giant Ford ordered a recall of nearly 150,000 of its popular Escape vehicle citing a potential risk of engine fire. The vehicles in question are the 2013 model equipped with the 1.6 litre engine, manufactured between October 2011 and June 2013. Some 139,917 vehicles affected by the recall are at risk of localised overheating of the engine cylinder which could lead to an oil leak resulting in fire. The automaker said yesterday it was aware of 12 incidents where this was believed to have occurred in the United States and Canada. Ford also wants to reinspect some 9,469 vehicles which were already subjected to a recall last

Ford recalls 150,000 vehicles over fire risk

year, because of concerns of the possibility of a fuel leak leading to a fire. Reports of gasoline odours in the affected vehicles had prompted concerns that

repairs on the vehicles had not been Last year some 85,000 Escapes were recalled in two phases between July and November.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

SPORTS

November 30-December 6, 2013

23

New Delhi: Veteran India fast bowler Zaheer Khan made a comeback after a year and will be leading the Indian pace attack in the Test series against South Africa next month while there was no place for opening batsman Gautam Gambhir. The only new face in the 17member Test squad is Ambati Rayudu, who made his ODI debut in the tour to Zimbabwe in August. Zaheer last played a Test match against England at home last December. He was recently dropped from the central contract list. Zaheer had done well in the Ranji Tophy, picking 13 wickets, including a five-wicket haul, from the first three matches. Gambhir was also in good form and also hit a century against Haryana to fashion a big win for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy. Besides Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh, who have also been dropped from the central contracts, were also ignored. Ishant Sharma's selection in both the ODI and the Test teams raised a few eyebrows. He was expensive in the ODIs against Australia and conceeded 189 runs from three matches. India will be play three ODIs and two Tests in South Africa. The three ODIS will be played in Johannesburg

Zaheer back, no place for Gambhir

(Dec 5), Durban (Dec 8) and Centurion (Dec 11). The two Tests will be held in Johannesburg (Dec 18-22) and in Durban (Dec 26-30). Test squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kolhi, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Ambati Rayudu, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha One-day squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper), Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina,Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane ,Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ambati Rayudu, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra
Veteran India fast bowler Zaheer Khan

Kanpur: Riding on opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan's fine 119, India wrapped up the series 2-1 against the West Indies, winning the third and the deciding ODI by five wickets at the Green Park Stadium here. Dhawan, who struck 20 fours in his 95-ball innings, and Yuvraj Singh (55) helped the the team recover from a shaky start with their 129-run stand for the third-wicket as India overhauled the target of 264 runs, scoring 266 for five in 46.1 overs. It was a clinical performance by India right from the start as West Indies failed to capitalise on a good start a n d

ODIs: India defeat West Indies 2-1


managed a par score of 263 for five in 50 overs. Kieran Powell was the top scorer with 70 while Marlon Samuels made 71. In reply, Dhawan led the charge right with a fiery knock of 119 off 95 balls - his fifth ODI century this year - while Yuvraj also came up with an unimpressive but yet a valuable half-century. Chasing a modest total of 264, India were off to a poor star as opening batsman Rohit Sharma (4) and Virat Kohli (19) were back in the pavilion with just 61 runs on board in the ninth over. It was fast bowler Ravi Rampaul (2-55), who did the early damage by removing t h e both Rohit and Kohli, who were in form. Rohit, fresh from back-to-back centuries in his first two Tests, was
Opener Shikhar Dhawan made a stunning century

out fishing outside the off stump and edged to Dwayne Bravo at first slip. Kohli, who fell for 99 in the last outing, was in two minds, whether to leave the ball and while he was trying to withdraw the bat he found an edge to wicketkeeper Johnson Charles. Dhawan then joined forces with Yuvraj, who was not in best of his forms, but still got a hard earned 55 in 74. They put India back on t r a c k with their 129-run stand for the third wicket. Dhawan's was on top of the West Indies bowlers and he struck 20 fours that ripped apart the bowling. Yuvraj looked shaky, especially against spinner Sunil Narine, but gave good company to Dhawan. Yuvraj, who hit seven fours in his 74ball innings, finally fell to Narine after he failed to read a tossed up delivery and edged to Dwayne Bravo in the slip.

Chennai: Norwegian Magnus Carlsen dethroned Viswanathan Anand as the World Chess Champion with a 65 move draw in the 10th game here. Carlsen, 22, becomes the first World Champion from Norway defeating the five-time champion Anand, 43, on his home turf. The final tally stood at 6.5-3.5 in favour of Carlsen in the title match sponsored by the Tamil Nadu government. The winner takes home $1.53 million while Anand will settle for $1.02 million. Giving full credit to Carlsen for his title victory Anand said his mistakes did not happen on their own. He said he lost the plot in the fifth game. "I would first take rest and take

Magnificent Magnus is new chess king

Norwegian Magnus Carlsen defeated Viswanathan Anand to become World Chess Champion

stock of what has happened at the match and come to terms. At the end of the day the match was disappointing. I was not able to execute the match strategy," he said.

"I haven't achieved any other thing I had aimed for," he added. According to Carlsen the third and fourth games made him feel that Anand was vulnerable.

24

November 30-December 6, 2013

ART & BOOKS

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

"KPS Gill: The Paramount Cop",


By Rahul Chandan, Maple Press, 244 pages; Rs. 295.

.P.S. Gill, the supercop who crushed terrorism in Punjab, gives a clean chit to Gujarat Chief Minister and BJPs prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for the 2002 riots in this book. Gets your attention, doesn't it? The book quotes Gill as saying that he was "moved with his (Modi's) sincerity". Gill was appointed security advisor to Modi during the 2002 riots -- and it was a decision that worked. He is quoted as saying that "...through the pages of this book I want to make it clear to one and all that Modi was never communal in his conduct during this whole mayhem". Gill's praise for Modi practically eclipses Rahul Chandan's effort to pen this book on Kanwar Pal Singh Gill, bet-

K.P.S. Gill: Larger than life


ter known as K.P.S. Gill, who is willing to challenge the system for the larger good, an official who stands by his juniors, an official who takes on his superiors and is frank enough to call a spade a spade. The author has focused soft light on Gill's persona, highlighting his strengths. It is an attempt to showcase his checkered career, practically without blemishes. Incident after incident only go on to strengthen the nagging doubt that perhaps the writer, like many others, got carried away by Gill's strong personality. Gill was undoubtedly a supercop. He was one of the few men in khaki who were an inspiration. But surely he must have his foibles. One hardly gets any insight into that. He spent a good number of years in

Book Review

Assam before moving to Punjab where the situation needed his unwavering attention. Gill is quoted in the book as saying that "one of the factors that had led to the emergence of militancy in Punjab was high-level complicity of New Delhi. Eager to consolidate its political hold over the state, the ruling party at the centre was prepared to ignore political violence when it served to intimidate opposition parties at the state level. This gave a kind of encouragement to the acts of terrorism". K.P.S. Gill was an honest, brave, highly efficient and upright officer - attributes which every police officer in this country must have. He is a national hero in a way, but some would wish that he had not been deified.

Kolkata's Victoria Memorial Hall on Google Art Project soon


The project, a collaboration between Google and some of the world's finest and acclaimed art institutions, includes collections of the White House in Washington DC, Musee d'Orsay in Paris and the National Gallery in London among others. The others institutions roped in from India are the National Museum and the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi.
Kolkata: Want to experience the grandiosity of the Victoria Memorial Hall from the confines of your home or office? Thanks to Google Art Project, millions across the globe will be able to virtually discover and explore the artworks housed in the iconic monument from January next year.The project, a collaboration between Google and some of the world's finest and acclaimed art institutions, includes collections of the White House in Washington DC, Musee d'Orsay in Paris and the National Gallery in London among others. Now, the sprawling 92-year-old Victoria Memorial Hall - a tribute to Queen Victoria conceived by Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of India - will become the third Indian museum or gallery to be showcased on the Google initiative beside 46 other museums from 40 countries. The others from India are the National Museum and the National
Queen Victorias statute inside the Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata.

Photographic delight: JFK's India connect


New Delhi: Black-and-white photographs of John F. Kennedy with Jawaharlal Nehru along with many rare and candid photographs from the assassinated US president's life have been put together in an exhibition here to mark his 50th death anniversary. Kennedy was assassinated Nov 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Not following any chronological order, over 35 photographs displayed at the American Centre in the national capital throw light on his personal life and professional associations. "It was very interesting and surprising to see such warm connection between Kennedy and Indian leaders at a time when relationship between the two countries weren't as close as they are today," American Centre director Natalia Susak. "The frequency of contacts was amazing," Susak added. Hence, as one browses, Kennedy's photographs with India's first prime minister

John F Kennedy, seen with Nehru, contemplated using nukes to save India from China. The exhibition celebrates JFKs legacy and charisma on the occasion of 50th anniversary of his death.

Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi. "We have signed an agreement with Google and a team will soon visit us to shoot the video of the Hall. We will upload 120 artworks that are part of the Hall's art collection... we are hoping by January it will be on the platform," the Hall's curator Jayanta Sengupta said. The cyber platform (christened Google Institute of Culture) enables users not only to view high resolution images from various museums but also allows them to compile their own collection. Besides, they can learn about the history, the artists and other details of the art-pieces.Enthusiasts can go for the popular walkthrough feature to tour the galleries and exhibits. "It will showcase our collection globally and will be an upgraded experience...it will show to the world what we are really about," said Sengupta.

Jawaharlal Nehru and second president S. Radhakrishnan at the White House reaffirm Susak's observation. Another frame that grabs attention is Kennedy's wife Jacqueline

celebrating the festival of color Holi - in India with Nehru in 1962. "It wasn't just Kennedy, his family had formed close associations with Indian leaders. This is why we see his wife enjoying festive revelries with warmth," Susak said. Some other photographs which captured important moments of Kennedy's life - his wedding picture, when he won the presidential election in 1961, connecting with people in rallies, enjoying a beach holiday with Jacqueline and two sons, and the rally where he was shot. "We are not remembering his assassination by celebrating this day. What we are celebrating is his legacy and charisma," Susak said. The exhibition is open for the public till Dec 28.

Jackie Kennedy with Nehru: it wasn't just JFK, his family had formed close associations with Indian leaders.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

LIFESTYLE

November 30-December 6, 2013

25

London: For British women, skincare routines hold higher priority than sex, reveals a survey. "Women's skincare routines are obviously high priorities as the majority would give up sex before their moisturizer," read the result of a survey conducted by Sanctuary Spa, reports femalefirst.co.uk. Also, women claimed they would choose their beauty products over catching up on the latest episode of hit TV show "Downtown Abbey." The average British women are spending 162 pounds a year on skincare products alone, with almost half of ladies admit to lying to their partner about money spent on beauty products. Its fantastic to see that British women are placing such importance on their skincare regime," said Sanctuary Spa skincare Expert, Nichola Joss.

Skincare most important for Traveling less stressful, thanks to new airport steps British women
New York: Some people find travelling by air a stressful task. But now people can travel without extra stress as there are new steps taken by airports. Here's a list of ways to cheer up gloomy passengers, reports huffingtonpost.com: 'Zen rooms at airports: Some airports in the US have rooms where people can sit in quietly, meditate or do yoga. This can help them in easing up the frustration. Finland followed suit by opening a relaxation area at Helsinki airport earlier this year. Spreading puppy love: Some airports have adorable dogs, who can attract the canine lovers and get some pampering and love from them. These therapy dogs can spread the cheer among waiting passengers. LAX, San Jose International, and Miami airport have such dogs. Serving healthy food: As many as 76 percent of airport

The study also found that over half of women respondents would prefer to look younger than slimmer. As far as their appearance is concerned and what they would most like to change, a quarter of women surveyed admitted to longing for more youthful looking skin, followed by longer legs and fuller, thicker hair. The research revealed that when it comes to first impressions, the first thing women notice about each other is clothing followed by skin and weight.

restaurants now offer at least one cholesterol-free, vegetarian entree. Airports at Denver, Detroit and Chicago are top three airports for best health options. Kids-free zone: If screaming children annoy and disturb you on the flight, Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and Scoot Airlines have introduced kids-free zone for their passengers. You can

read a book and take a nap without getting disturbed. Inflight nannies: What can be better than trained staff to meet the demands of your children on the flight. These trained nannies will assist families with everything from keeping the kids entertained to watching over them while parents are taking a very well-deserved nap.

Tricks to throw memorable yet money-saving marriage Women stick with hairdressers
Los Angeles: If spending too much of moolah on your wedding worries you, try some smart money-saving tips. Here are some ways to not let the wedding expenditure burn a hole in your pocket, reports huffingtonpost.com. Marry during the off-season: Hotels and popular wedding destinations generally lower their prices during the non-traditional wedding season. This can help you get the best of the venue at a reasonable price rate. Marriage during holiday season: If you decide to marry during the holiday season, chances are that you will already have churches and other venues pre-decorated. Skip things that are insignificant: If certain things are not a must-have on your list, you can always chuck them off. For instance, a three-tier cake or a skyscraper-like center-piece. Buy in bulk: Discounts are usually given to larger purchases of candy, liquor or other materials required for wedding. Have your ceremony and reception at the same venue: A lot of money spent in transportation and location can be saved if you have your wedding and the reception at the same place. For example, the wedding ceremony can be outdoor and the reception can be indoor. London: A new survey shows that British women tend to have longer associations with their hairdressers than with their life partners. The study, conducted by online shopping site NetVoucherCodes.co.uk, found that women will remain with the same hairdresser for 12.4 years, which is longer than a typical marriage lasts in Britain, which currently stands at 11 years and six months, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

longer than partners

It was also revealed that women put their hairdressers in the top 10 important people in their life. "The bond a woman has with her hairdresser is an extremely close one, and one she would not give up lightly," said a spokesperson for NetVoucherCodes.co.uk. As our study found, women spend over a year trying to find the right hairdresser, so it is completely understandable that they remain with them for a long time," spokesperson added.

New York: If you are not traveling alone, you end up with people who are either fun to be with or downright annoying -- travelers who will make you plead for the trip to come to an end. Huffingtonpost.com shares a list of such types of travelers: The latecomer: Traveling with people who are always late will screw up your plans. It is always better to tell such people to arrive much earlier than you really need to The motormouth: Sure you want to talk to the person you're traveling with, but you also enjoy some quality downtime. People who come go on talking, dont care if you're reading, listening to your iPod, watching a movie, or even trying to sleep. This annoying traveler needs stern and clear boundaries

Top four types of travelers to be avoided

The lazy bones: Yes, vacations should be about relaxing, but they should not be about doing absolutely nothing throughout the day. It's okay to sit on the beach for hours on end, but the lazy bones like to sleep in until 11, then have lunch for long hours, then finally make it to the beach, where they'll nap the day away, and you'll be lucky if you even get a night out on the town the entire trip The overactive traveler: They will also ruin your travel plans in numerous ways. For example, waking up for a 4 a.m. hike on a 5,000 foot mountain or swimming with the sharks. They are not the kind of people you want to bring with you if you plan to lay on the beach, sipping margaritas and working on your tan.

London: If you want to impress your lady love on the first date, it is important to keep your outfit simple yet classy. According to a research conducted by Cotton USA, an internationally licensed trademark for quality US cotton-rich products, women don't like men in formal or fancy attires, reports femalefirst.co.uk. It was found over half of women branded leather trousers as a big turn-off. Even the skinny jeans phenomenon is not popular with women, as over one in four of women claim tight trousers are a huge no-no. As many as 36 percent of women are more attracted to men who keep it casual with jeans on the first date, signifying a relaxed

Dress up casually to impress women on first date

sense of style. "The research shows that although trends in fashion change all the time, a classic look made from quality fabric will never go out of style," said Stephanie Thiers-Ratcliffe, international

marketing manager, Cotton USA. "An outfit like a shirt and denim jeans made with US cotton will not only last for a long time but will also help men clinch that all important second date," she added.

26

November 30-December 6, 2013

HEALTH

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indian origin medical students Indian Americans favor lighter skin tones: study in US get endowment fund
Washington: A group of IndianAmerican physicians has donated $30,000 towards creating an endowment fund for Indian origin students of the University of Central Florida College of Medicine in Orlando, Florida. Uday A. Desai, president of the Central Florida Association of Physicians from the Indian Subcontinent (CAPI), presented a check to Deborah German, vice president of Medical Affairs and dean of UCF's Medical School at an event recently. "We at CAPI are a strong medical community, and are already doing good community service in addition to providing the best patient care," Desai said. "This will be a permanent reminder of CAPI's commitment to future physicians and to assure that they are able to complete their medical education with the least amount of debt possible." The CAPI M.D. Endowed Scholarship will be given to students of Indian origin on the basis of merit and financial need, Desai said. In a message, Florida Medical Association (FMA) executive vice president Timothy J. Stapleton said: "The FMA is thrilled to have the opportunity to cooperate with the CAPI to provide assistance to Central Florida's medical community. "We hope that by working together, CAPI and FMA will be better positioned to reach our goals while overcoming the challenges that Florida's physicians face." CAPI is the second largest ethnic physician group in Florida state. Washington: A vast majority of Indian Americans have an aesthetic preference for lighter skinned people and consider those with darker skin to be less attractive, according to a study conducted by an IndianAmerican dermatologist. Sejal K. Shah, a young doctor at the St. Luke's and Roosevelt (SLR) Hospital in New York City, conducted the study with Andrew F. Alexis, director of SLR's Skin of Color Centre. About 190 individuals recruited from local cultural fairs and temples participated in the study. One out of seven - or approximately 15 percent of participants said they use or have used some sort of skin-whitening or bleaching product because they want to make themselves look more beautiful. An equally alarming result from the study indicated a low awareness of the potential risk of skin cancer among South Asian Americans: * Only 46 percent of the study population believes that individuals with darker skin tones are at risk for
The bias showed when many Indians said new Miss America Nina Davuluri can never become a beauty queen in India because of her dark complexion.

cancer; * Only 26 percent reported regularly protecting themselves from sun exposure; * Only 64 percent believe that sun exposure is associated with skin cancer. Shah blames pop culture for most of the misunderstanding, especially for the biases Indian Americans

have towards lighter skinned people. "Many Bollywood actresses and Miss India winners have noticeably lighter complexions," she notes. "A quick look at Indian matrimonial sites also indicates a strong preference for a 'fair' bride. "Our study brings to light what has long been suspected in the South Asian culture: Lighter skin tones are favored." Most disturbing, Shah points out, is the commonly held - and incorrect - belief among South Asian Americans that they do not require the same skin protection against the sun in comparison to people of paler complexions and skin tones. "People with darker skin tones have more melanin, which is a natural protector against ultraviolet radiation," said Shah. "However, that does not mean that skin of color individuals are not at risk when out in the sun." Shah and Alexis have submitted the study to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.

Why no dialysis unit in every district, asks Indian apex court


New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday issued notice to the central, all state governments and union territories, asking them why they should not set up a dialysis unit in every district. A bench of Chief Justice P. Sathasivam, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and Justice Ranjan Gogoi issued notice on a public interest litigation (PIL) when senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the court two lakh people were dying in the country every year due to renal failure, or a rate of 547 people per day or two people per minute. The PIL has been moved by advocate Sanjeeb Panigrahi, who said there are 671 districts in the country and the number of dialysis unit in each district should be commensurate to its size and population. The PIL petitioner urged the court to issue directions to the central, all state governments and union territories to forthwith initiate steps to prevent incidents of kidney failure and related renal diseases by having at least one dialysis centre in each district headquarter hospital throughout the country. The PIL also sought direction that such "procedures and mechanism" be developed to minimize "the deaths due to renal failure primarily by establishing dialysis centers in every district headquarter of the country commensurate with the number of persons afflicted with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and in need of dialysis support." It has also sought putting in place a regulatory or quality control mechanism for dialysis units run by private hospitals so that chronic kidney/renal patients could be

Two lakh people die in India every year due to renal failure because of not enough dialysis units.

given efficacious medical support. The PIL said the incidence of CKD in India is high and according to the National Kidney Foundation of India, about 100 people in one million suffer from kidney diseases. These diseases can be treated and in some cases are curable. However, of the people requiring dialysis in India, only 22.5 percent receive treatment. A study by the National Kidney Foundation of India says there are 7.85 million people suffering from chronic kidney failure in India. A recent research suggests one in 10 of the population may have CKD, but it is less common in young adults (one in 50) and one in two people among those aged over 75 years.

Hyderabad: The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) honored eminent ophthalmologist Gullapalli N. Rao with its outstanding humanitarian service award, said a statement here Tuesday. G.N. Rao is the founder and chairman of L.V. Prasad Eye Institute. This award was bestowed on him in recognition of the eye care delivery model he created with the institute and his contributions to prevention of blindness globally. The award was presented to Rao on Nov 17, at the AAO's annual meeting in New Orleans, said the statement. LVPEI's model of eye care, represented by a pyramid, emphasizes the creation of sustainable permanent facilities within communities, staffed and managed by locally trained human resources, and linked effectively with succes-

Ophthalmologist G.N. Rao honored by US institute

G.N. Rao is the founder and chairman of L.V. Prasad Eye Institute.

sively higher levels of care. Rao was also earlier the recipient of international prevention of blindness award of the Academy. The L.V. Prasad Eye Institute was established in 1986-87 here as a not-for-profit comprehensive eye care institution.

New Delhi: Drinking red wine can help protect the heart, and it may boost brain power too. According to beauty magnate Liz Earle, creator of Liz Earle Beauty company, drinking red wine in moderation may prevent blood clots and strokes, and hence keep the heart healthy. The drink can even help in warding off certain cancers including colon and prostate, reports contactmusic.com. A glass of red wine contains

Sip red wine for healthy heart, brain


high amounts of antioxidants which not only help our cells fight against free radical damage, but also increase cholesterol levels in a positive way. It also contains procyanidins which help reduce blood pressure and protect against hardening of the arteries. Earle also said that red wine may boost brain power, especially for older women. But keep your intake to a glass or two, not a whole bottle!

London: Scientists from five leading British universities will begin a ground-breaking clinical trial next year to test a possible cure for HIV. The researchers, led by John Frater of Oxford University and Sarah Fidler of Imperial College, London, hope the trial will show that a cure is feasible, said a press release issued by Imperial College, London. The scientists said efforts to cure HIV in the past have been thwarted by the virus's ability to lie dormant inside blood cells without

British scientists to begin trial of potential HIV cure


being detected. Thirty-four million people are infected by HIV worldwide. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is highly effective in stopping the virus from reproducing, but it does not eradicate the disease. The new therapy combines standard antiretroviral drugs with a drug that reactivates dormant HIV, and a vaccine that induces the immune system to destroy the infected cells. "We know that targeting the HIV reservoir is extremely difficult," Fidler said.

She said their research has led to some very promising results. "We now have the opportunity to translate that into a possible new treatment, which we hope will be of real benefit to patients," Fidler said. Fifty patients in the early stages of HIV infection will take part in the trial. The researchers hope that within months, the hidden HIV in these patients, called the HIV reservoir, will be significantly reduced. They expect to know the results by 2017.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

SELF HELP

November 30-October 6, 2013

27

ost people dont development that uses think about their ultrasonic, electromagnetsugar intake, ic and thermal technoloinsulin and blood glucose gies to non-invasively levels, but for those with measure glucose levels in diabetes, these are aspects the blood. The device is of everyday life. There are battery-operated and more than 24 million peoincludes a main unit, ple in the United States which contains display living with the disease, and control features, as according to the American well as transmitter, receivDiabetes Association, and er and processor, and a this number is on the rise. GlucoTrack, by Integrity personal ear clip, which For these individuals, man- Applications, is a patent- contains sensors and caliaging the disease can be a ed product in develop- bration electronics, and is stressful, time-consuming ment that uses ultrasonic, clipped to the earlobe. and even painful process. If you have Type 1 or electromagnetic and As diabetes can result in thermal technologies to Type 2 diabetes, here are serious health complica- non-invasively measure some things to consider glucose levels in tions including eye, kidney about the new technology the blood. and nerve disease, and can that soon may help to lead to premature death, optimal treat- make life less painful and managing diament is crucial. But for this to take place, betes more cost efficient: frequent measuring of blood glucose lev Convenience: About the size and els is required. weight of a smartphone, these new moniWhile conventional blood glucose mon- toring devices are small, light and easy to itoring involves drawing a blood sample carry. Results are given both visually and from ones finger, hand, thigh or forearm verbally. with a needle, medical innovations on the Cost: Compared to a finger prick horizon are promising to make diabetes device, over the long-term, GlucoTrack management easier on patients. will have a reduced life cycle cost, saving Blood glucose monitoring, the crucial patients money. tool for controlling diabetes, is soon Data: Blood glucose readings over going to be more cost-effective and less time give healthcare providers useful data painful, says Avner Gal, CEO of that helps determine proper treatment for Integrity Applications, a medical device patients. The new devices store up to company working on solutions for dia- 1000 past readings, and have a betes patients. USB port for downloading data While at this time there are virtually no for off-line analysis, simplifying viable devices for the non-invasive meas- the logging process for patients. urement of glucose levels on the market, Take steps to make your diathis soon will change. betes more manageable. Talk to For example, GlucoTrack, by Integrity your doctor about innovations in Applications, is a patented product in blood glucose monitoring.

Medical Innovations could make diabetes management easier

he average family spends more than $1000 annually -- nearly half a home's total energy bill -- on heating and cooling costs, according to the U.S. governments Energy Star program. Unfortunately, a large portion of those expenses are wasted due to poor home insulation. Homeowners prepping for winter can stop the energy waste cycle by taking a closer look at their insulation. As one of the fastest and most cost-efficient ways to reduce energy waste and lower bills, insulation traps warm air inside a homes walls - similar to how a fleece sweater does for the body -- to regulate a homes temperature. But how do you know if your home is properly insulated? Fortunately, there are telltale signs that can alert any homeowner that its time to add to or replace their homes insulation - before the temperature plunges and the energy bill rises, says Mike Benetti, segment manager at Roxul, a leading manufacturer of stone wool insulation. The experts at Roxul advise any homeowner with a do-ityourself mentality to run

Five signs you need to insulate your home this winter

through the following checklist to determine whether their home has adequate insulation: Vintage home: Prior to consistent building codes, most homes built before 1980 were not insulated. If your home has no materials trapping heat, energy conservation is an uphill battle. Walls, ceilings and floors are the most important areas to add insulation for an immediate, positive impact on a homes energy usage and bills. Non-stop furnace : Does your furnace seem to run nonstop in the winter? Adequate insulation leads to less maintenance on your heating system, as it lasts longer, runs less and will require less maintenance for long-term cost savings. Temperature inconsistency: If you feel cold spots coming from the walls or attic, or one room of your home is drafty and another one warm, you may need to beef up your insulation. The fireplace, walls and attic are prime spots for drafts. Look for insulation that can fit snugly in rafters and other tight areas. Roof hot spots: If your shingles are exposed after a recent snowfall, chances are these hot

spots are indicative of warm air escaping. Check your attic for adequate insulation. If you can easily see your floor joists, you should add more. Use insulation, such as stone wool, that wont sag or lose density over time. Mold Growth: Mold in the corners of ceilings could mean your current insulation slumps and holds moisture. If this occurs, its time to replace your insulation with one that does not store or transfer moisture and is completely resistant to mold, mildew, rot and bacterial growth, such as Roxul ComfortBatt. Dont let cool weather take you by surprise. With proper insulation, you can improve the comfort of your home significantly and enjoy energy savings.

Are you getting your eyes checked often enough?

Tips for taking better photos

re you taking good enough care of your eyes? According to a new study, your gender and where you live may indicate if you are practicing good eye health. Women go to eye doctors 28 percent more than men, according to the 2013 Eye Health Index released by VSP Vision Care, the largest not-for-profit vision benefits and services company in the country. Analysis showed that women, who are statistically at greater risk for eye-related diseases, make a more concerted effort to care for their eyes. The research also concluded that Boise City, Idaho, is the top city where more residents took care of their eyes in 2012. Boise City had the highest rate of eye exams compared to any other city on the index for the past two years. Other cities ranking in the top 10 eye healthy cities are Sacramento, Oklahoma City-Tulsa, Wichita,

Women, who are statistically at greater risk for eye-related diseases, go to eye doctors 28 percent more than men do.

Columbus (Ohio), Des Moines, Birmingham, Denver, Raleigh, and the San Francisco Bay Area. More details about the new study, along with eye care tips, can be found at www.vspblog.com/healthyeyes. In addition to identifying vision correction needs, eye doctors are often first to detect signs of serious health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

rom selfies to portraits of lunch, more people these days are taking photographs in more places. But theres a big difference between great photos and throwaways -- and a big difference between great photographers and anybody with a smartphone. But dont despair. Anyone can learn to take better photos, says Lucas Gilman, a professional adventure photographer whose work for such magazines as National Geographic and Sports Illustrated has taken him all over the globe. Gilman is offering photographers of all levels tips for producing more compelling photography: Dont Wait: Shoot images in the moment. Never put anything off until tomorrow. The weather could change, the leaves on the trees could blow. Anything that can happen will. Think Narrow: When photographing a scene that mixes bright and

dark, the camera will lose much of the detail and youll end up with overexposed white and underexposed black. Instead, look for mid-tones with little difference between the brightest highlights and darkest shadow. Flowers and trees, for example, are often best photographed on overcast, drizzly days. Golden Hour: My favorite time to shoot is right after sunrise or just before sunset, when the sun is low in the sky. It makes for more interesting and dramatic lighting, says Gilman. Shoot around these hours and youll be amazed at the great images you make. Working the Subject: Once you've found your spot and the light is right: shoot, shoot, shoot. Take different shots from different angles and unusual viewpoints. Dont be afraid to take ten shots and edit out nine later, says Gilman. SanDisk Compact Flash and SD cards are super affordable these days. Shooting landscapes: Something dynamic in the foreground adds depth and scale. Look for a high vantage point, such as a balcony or rooftop. Study the light, especially when shooting from high angles. Shadows can be your best friend, and make for very interesting photos. Protect: Photography is about making a fleeting moment permanent, whether its a kayaker hurtling over a waterfall or the look on your daughters face when she opens that gift shes been hoping for all year, says Gilman. These events cant be recreated. Reliable photo storage is critical

A good time to shoot is right after sunrise or just before sunset when the sun is low in the sky.

for protecting your work. A reliable external hard drive data back-up system allows you to seamlessly transfer and store all your digital content with one system. For example, the Evolution Series with Thunderbolt from G-Technology lets you capture, transfer, edit and distribute media files all within a single storage system. Whether youre traveling, or at home editing your photos, a high-performance external hard drive can make working with your photos easier. More information can be found at www.g-technology.com And you can simplify the task with Time Machine backup, which works with Mac computers to automatically back up files. For more photography tips and talk, follow Gilman at www.Twitter.com/lucasgilman Dont settle for fuzzy, uninteresting images. By paying attention to light and being persistent, you can take a better photo. Just be sure to protect and store your work!

28

November 30-December 6, 2013

HUMOR

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Bone by Nury Vittachi

truggling to learn Mandarin? Unhappy with English? Why not learn a niche language, such as Elephant? Nirmala Topno did, and it made her a star. At age nine, she discovered that elephants in her part of India speak a language close to Mundaari, a tribal tongue in rural Orissa. I guess this makes more sense than if she found that they spoke Michael Caine-style British slang: "Wotcher, guv, got any bleedin' peanuts, wot?" Today, Nirmala is 17, fluent in Elephant and in big demand. In summer, a herd of wild, killer pachyderms entered Rourkela, an industrial town, and refused to leave. Up went the cry: "Call for Nirmala." The teenager entered the town, said her prayers, and approached the elephants. "This is not your home," she told them. "You need to go back where you belong." "Okay, right-o, terribly sorry," they replied. Nirmala and her team walked the 11-strong herd many kilometres back to the jungle. This is astonishing, especially when you consider that I cannot get my own kids to move two metres from the TV to the dining table without shocking levels of bribery and corruption. I learned this tale from Hong Kong reader

Why I am giving up Mandarin classes to learn Elephant


Sunita Chau, who sent me links to newspapers, one of which included a dismissive quote by "an expert" who claimed elephants wouldn't really be able to converse with a human girl. What rubbish! Lots of animals talk. Remember Fluffy the dog who appeared on America's Funniest Home Videos, saying "I want my momma"? Or the YouTube clip of Russian cat Marquis who reacts to a stranger entering her home by saying "Oh, no, no, no, no", which is exactly what I feel like saying in that situation? Granted, most animals fail to speak actual meaningful sentences, but then so do most humans. The most common comment I see under YouTube videos is "you're stupid" spelt "your stuped". I know someone who visited Kosik, the famous South Korean talking elephant. Kosik can say things like "yes, yes, yes" and "lie down", two phrases which I'm told form the bulk of the vocabulary of sex-obsessed Seoulsinger Psy. It is well known that in Africa, elephants classify humans by language. If pachyderms hear you speaking the Maasai warriors' tongue, they back off, thinking "elephant

Struggling to learn Mandarin? Unhappy with English? Why not learn a niche language, such as Elephant? Nirmala Topno did, and it made her a star. At age nine, she discovered that elephants in her part of India speak a language close to Mundaari, a tribal tongue in rural Orissa.

killers". If you speak Swahili, they calm down, thinking "friendly farmers". If they hear you speak English they relax completely, thinking "idiot tourists who hold their cameras backwards and fall off safari jeeps". Animals are smarter than many people. Did you see the recent news report about a dog that found a human leg in a forest? The pooch realized it was important, and took it to a human. The human buried it in his garden

without telling the police. Now which one had the brains? My pet dog not only talks with her mouth but has very expressive eyes. I once tried to teach her to play "fetch", but she made her thoughts perfectly clear by sighing and rolling her eyes at passers-by, as if to say: "My master spent ages searching for a stick and now the idiot has thrown it away. See what I have to put up with?" I guess she had a point.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

ASTROLOGY

November 30-December 6, 2013

29

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma


Stars Foretell: November 30-December 6, 2013
ARIES: A promising week to start a new venture in partnership. All are likely to be benefited. You would prefer to relax and enjoy the company of family members in the evening. Financial position will improve later in the week. Romantic vibrations from someone unknown would lift your spirits taking imaginations to scaling heights. You attain a bloom in health on sharing happiness with others. Many people want to fly international and you are one of them. Your dream for new house might be full filed now. You are likely to plan a trip to pilgrimage. TAURUS: Your technical expertise gives a decisive edge over competitors at work. You move with new excitement & confidence as you receive support from family and friends. Real estate investment would be lucrative. Love life brings immense romantic pleasure. A cheerful state of mind would allow enjoying the perfect health. By traveling youll learn about new places and cultures, which is ultimately a great deal about yourself. Getting your dream home will be the greatest pleasure for you. Inner opposition would pave the way for a new development in you. GEMINI: Hard work of the past brings rich dividends. However continue enhancing your skills/adopt techniques for further development. Family front seems to go smoothly as you receive their full support to your plans. Investment in stocks & mutual funds would help in earning profits. Those engaged will find their fiance a source of great happiness. Divine knowledge from a saintly person provides solace & comfort. You and your loved ones been busy for quite sometimes and have finally decided to go on a vacation. Selling a plot might be profitable as property rates tend to rise sooner. You will be successful in developing some social contacts for personal use. CANCER: Dedication & loyalty at work would bring desired results. You find relief, comfort and affection in the company of family members. Long-term investment in stocks & mutual funds will enable to earn profits. Traveling proves a blessing in disguise by bringing a love in your life. Meditation and yoga prove beneficial for spiritual as well as physical gains. Your next journey is to a place which is full of natural beauty and ravishing. Lifestyle home is what you are looking for? By sticking to your beliefs & faith, you succeed in achieving many personal favours. LEO: New ventures start on a positive note. Time spent with relatives will be to your advantage. Put your extra money at a safer place promising to return you on time. You are likely to get a new friendship opportunity in the evening. A very healthy week when your cheerfulness gives the desired tonic and confidence. Time for a vacation, sit back and relax. Deals on commercial property can tend to be at full boom. The good news for you is that you would objectively evaluate yourself. VIRGO: You succeed in completing projects efficiently provided you put in all your efforts. Family members will be very positive & supportive to your plans. Control your expenses and avoid being too lavish in your spending. New romance that some of you are going to experience would take the worries off mind. You are likely to maintain good health that would also give you success. If you are thinking of escaping from the hectic daily routine- plan a trip. Investing residentially is one thing you can rely on. You keep a vigilant eye at whats happening around you. LIBRA: Hard work put-in the past will yield handsome rewards in business in this week. Relatives will be willing to lend a helping hand at the time of need. Explore new investment opportunities that comes your way, commit only after considering the viability of the projects. You enjoy a memorable time with partner to cement the lovely bond. A continuous positive thinking gets rewarded as you succeed in whatever you do in this week. Your travel experience is going to be an extent of sharing your knowledge and communication. Investment on overseas property has to be considered seriously. You will be able to shift your focus/attention from personal to social life. SCORPIO: Business partners behave supportive on executing strategies to sort out pending problems. New relationship at family front will be long lasting & highly beneficial. Improvement in finances is certain. You will be attracted to someone special. Creative hobbies are likely to keep you relaxed. Its time for a vacation after a long and hard year at work. Time to spend money on your homely accommodations. You are likely to make a commitment without knowing how to honour it. SAGITTARIUS: Innovative ideas & technical expertise would enable to win the confidence of seniors at professional front. Guests visit would make it a pleasant & wonderful week. Speculation coupled with some unexpected gains improves financial health. Warm romantic thoughts occupy mind. With a positive outlook & confidence, you succeed in impressing people around you. Time to relax and unwind for few days. A good week to make some investment on kitchen items. You succeed in reassessing your strengths and weaknesses. CAPRICORN: Service people, artists and those in creative field will get several new opportunities. You will be in the mood to celebrate with family and friends. Even though funds might easily slip through your fingers, let it not unnerve you because your lucky stars would keep the finances flowing. Your charm & generosity bring new romantic opportunities for you. Mental alertness would enable to solve a tricky problem. Weekend getaway to enjoy pubs and clubs is on your way. You might be purchasing a refrigerator or any other gadget for your house. You are likely to realise the necessity of reaching out to people. AQUARIUS: Your greatest gains will come through your creative ideas at professional front. Good advice from family members brings gains. A new source of income will generate through influential contacts. Love life brightens your week. A cheerful state of mind brings mental peace. A short trip with lavishing experiences is the right thing for you. Purchasing of electrical appliances can be done. You motive a friend showing him/her the truth by facts & arguments. PISCES: Success is certain provided you work as a team. The company of family friends will keep you in a happy & relaxed mood. Investment made in this week would enhance prosperity and financial security. Your wit & charm would help in catching the attention of opposite sex. Good time to divert attention to spirituality to enhance mental toughness. Pack your bags and be ready for an amazing holiday. A good deal for residential property is ahead. You succeed in changing the thinking of a close friend for the better.

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

Annual Predictions: For those born in this week


30th November,13 Ruled planet:JupiterRuled by no:3 Traits in you: Being ruled by Jupiter, you are ambitious, confident, creative, dignified and optimistic. People trust you as you are very helpful and you win their trust with your behavior. You need to work on your nature of being jealous and arrogant. Health this year: You may suffer from some minor health issues and that would not bother you very much. Finance this year: Your quick decision making capability will help you gain enough money. Your social life would be very pleasant this year as you may go on developing various profitable contacts to get help in your business. You may frequently travel and go for parties in various social events. Career this year: You will gain respect in your organization as a hardworking and efficient professional. Your colleagues would seek your advice in critical situations. Your value as an employee would increase in your organization and you will b e considered as an asset to the organization. Romance this year: You may not find enough mental support from your partner, which may weaken your relationship with your partner. Lucky month: April, May and November 1st December, 13 Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1 Traits in you: Being ruled by the Sun and number 1, you are original, authoritative, dignified, and determined. As you are sensitive for your relationships, your friends and family may consider you to be an asset in their lives. However, you need to take care of your nature of spending unnecessarily and your dominating character. Health this year: You will remain healthy throughout the year provided you go for regular medical checkups. Finance this year: If you are a professional, you will be among financial benefits. Career this year: You may get excellent returns from your investments in business and it may improve your standard of living by making you spend a more luxurious life. Romance this year: You will find yourself in romantic peak this year and marriage may happen for few. Lucky month: February, May, July and November 2nd December, 13 Ruled planet: Moon Ruled byno: 2 Traits in you: You are blessed with a lively, creative, practical and trustworthy nature. You epitomize simplicity and leadership. You possess enough capability to perform your job that requires huge responsibility and courage. You have to work on your nature of becoming impatient and spending unnecessarily. Health this year: You might undergo tension and nervousness as your spouse might fall sick. You need not bother for a long time as your spouse would recover soon. Finance this year: You may find yourself in a busy schedule as you may have to solve various matters related to property, business, and new business initiatives. This may make ypou earn lot of money if you succeed. You may concede a huge amount of money on renovation or construction activities during the ending months of the year. Career this year: Your efforts are not destined to go unnoticed and unrewarded this year should you to concentrate on your goals and put qualitative effort. Your skills will get recognition and appreciation from your colleagues. Romance this year: Your romantic life would be filled with love and affection by your partner. Overall your romantic life would remain blissful forever. Lucky month: December, March and October 3rd December, 13 Ruled planet:Jupiter Ruled byno: 3 Traits in you: You are blessed with positive traits like confidence and optimism. You are independent as you have high ambitions in your life. You enjoy your dignity whatever the situation may be. You are quite religious by nature and you trust on God. Health this year: Backache, stiff neck or body pains will prove to be obstacles for you to spend a healthy life. Finance this year: You may help your earning improve by implementing new plans in your business. You may start various new and profitable ventures. You may find your speculations worthy enough to improve your financial status you may get a chance to travel foreign countries for business purpose or you may plan a personal trip with family to spend your holidays. Career this year: Being a perfectionist in your profession, you will get ample recognition. However, you need to control your emotions of being extravagant, dominating and fickle-minded to forward your career. You may take frequent critical decisions in your professional life this year. Romance this year: Your partner may expect you to spend more time at home. However, this may create disturbances as you will be busy throughout this year. Lucky month: February, May, July, and October 4th December,13 Ruled planet:Uranus Ruled byno: 4 Traits in you: You are the owner of a responsible, disciplined, sociable, organized and creative personality. You hold religious beliefs and philosophy at high esteem. You should avoid being jealous, stubborn and self centered at times to improve your personal traits. Health this year: You may undergo stress for your parents health. However, your health will remain good. Finance this year: You will earn a handsome amount of money from your previous investments. The legal issues will be solved in your favor to provide you with monetary benefits. You may plan for a business trip to a distant place to enhance the territory of your business. Career this year: If you are a sportsperson or artist or writer, this year will be fruitful for you. You would be oozing with confidence to make tough tasks easy. Romance this year: You will enjoy a blissful relationship with your partner with ample love, care and support. Lucky month: January, April and September 5th December, 13 Ruled planet:Mercury Ruled by no: 5 Traits in you: As you are guided by Mercury, you are gifted with strength, intelligence, diplomacy and practicability. You are physically and mentally active with an intelligent business mind. Health this year: To attain peace of mind, you should plan a pilgrimage during the end months of the year. Finance this year: You may undergo financial crisis in the first couple of months this year. You may get carried away by new ventures. However, you need to do enough research on the market before investing. You will find your past investments paying off in the latter half of the year. You will be able to solve the property related matters during the middle months of the year to receive extra monetary gains. Career this year: Your effort and commitment in your professional life is appreciated by your peers and higher authorities. Your will be criticized hugely at times for your nature of being extravagant and reckless. Romance this year: Some of you may find your new love interests and some may tie their knots this year. Lucky month: February, April and October 6th December, 13 Ruled planet:Venus Ruled by no: 6 Traits in you: Being under the guidance of Venus, you are bestowed with simplicity. You are philosophical, cooperative, and a talented. You are inclined to literature and witty discussions. You are able to memorize lot of things as you will be the master of a sharp memory. However, you need to work on your erratic and careless behavior to become a better person. Health this year: You may remain concerned over the health of your family members. Finance this year: You may find new sources to earn money. However, you will end up spending lot of money, which would make you unable to save money. You may travel a lot during this year to find new opportunities and to enhance your business relationships. Career this year: You may find this year to be a mixture of good and bad experience as far as your professional life is concerned. You may not get expected credit for your hard work. Romance this year: Your partner will be understanding enough to support you during your emotional break downs. You will enjoy a mature relationship with your partner. Lucky month: March, June and November

30

November 30-December 6, 2013

SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Pass on the goodness on this Thanksgiving


By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
hanksgiving is a special day in the United States devoted to giving thanks. It began with the newly arrived people from Europe who landed in America and gave thanks to the Native Americans for their help. Over time, Thanksgiving has come to symbolize giving thanks for anything in our lives for which we are grateful. Oftentimes, when we give thanks, it is because we received something from someone else. We may have received something from our family, our friends, our teachers, our community, or our country. We also may give thanks to God for the many gifts we received. For those who follow a particular religious belief, we may give thanks to the founder of that religion. For those who have a spiritual Master, we may give thanks for the spiritual treasures we received. Yet, most of these forms of thanks are for what we have received. There is another way to show appreciation and that is not only by thanking others, but by giving of ourselves. When we give thanks, it is mostly for what we have taken or received. If we really want to show appreciation for what we have received, we can express it by giving to others. It is a way of passing on the goodness of what we have received to others. In this way, we are not only takers, but we also become givers. Others in need become recipients of our gifts. Saints and Masters are shining examples of being givers. They want nothing for themselves from their disciples. They have everything they need. They are one with God, the source of all bliss and love. When we have love and joy, what else can compare to that? It is only we who have forgotten that innate love and joy who try to find it in the material wealth and playthings of the world. To illustrate this, there is an anecdote about a saintly man. He was devoted to God and spent a great amount of time in both prayer and service to his fellow human beings. He was generous to those in need and spent a lot of time doing charitable work. As a result of his generosity, he was often in financial difficulties. His wife complained all the time about how he spent all their money helping others. One day, a poor man came to his house. The saintly man invited him in and listened to his long tale of sorrow. The man badly needed money to help his family. The saintly man was moved and wanted to help the poor man. The saintly man went to his lock box to see if he could give the man any money, but saw that he had used up his financial resources. His heart was so touched by the poor mans story that he could not bear to send the man away empty-handed. When his wife was in the kitchen preparing a meal, the saintly man crept into her room and found her jewelry box. He saw that she had a ring with a small diamond in it. He took the ring and brought it out to the poor man. man. She rushed out to the living room and began shouting at her husband for giving away the only valuable thing they had leftthe ring. She implored her husband, Please, run after the man, and get the ring back. Tell him you have made a mistake. Tell him that you accidentally gave him a gold ring with a real diamond in it. The saintly man was stuck now, because his wife was expecting him to get the ring back from the man. The saintly man had no choice but to run after the man who had accepted the ring from them. The saintly man raced out of the house to catch up to the poor man. Breathlessly, the saintly man, caught up to the man, took him by the arm and said, I have to tell you something. The poor man turned to him and said, Yes, what is it? The saintly with someone who was so needy he had nowhere else to turn. It is common to see saints sacrifice their own selves and their own needs for the needs of others. Sometimes the saint gives them straight out money. Sometimes they pay their bills for them. At other times, they help them with medical care. Sometimes they provide help for their children. Saints and Masters can do all this because they consider material earnings to be flimsy and impermanent. They know that worldly belongings will ultimately perish, and we will leave them at the time of death. To them, it does not matter whether they have material wealth or not. If they have it as a result of their hard work or circumstances in life, they are not attached to it. If they do not have it, they are content also. Some saints are in circumstances of wealth and some are in circumstances of simplicity

We have seen cases of extreme generosity in the lives of the saints. We have seen them being generous with their money and time. They bring solace and help to the poor, the needy, and the downtrodden. They bring comfort and peace to all who come, whether rich or poor.
The saintly man said to him, I do not have any money at the moment as I have given it all away. But I do have this ring I bought my wife, and you can surely sell it to get enough to help your family. The poor man was grateful. Tears came to his eyes. He thanked the saintly man and left with the ring. The wife, who was in the kitchen, had overheard parts of the conversation and did not make much of it because she could not believe her ears and thought she was hearing things. She thought she heard something about a ring, but could never imagine her husband would be giving away the ring he had bought her. But when she went to her room and saw her jewelry box lying open on the bed without the ring in it, she knew she had heard correctly. Her husband had, indeed, given away the ring to the poor man said, My friend, I want you to know I made a big mistake. The poor man asked, What is the mistake? The saintly man said, The ring I gave you is solid gold and the diamond is genuine. Make sure, then, that when you sell it to a jeweler he gives you its true value and does not cheat you. This anecdote shows the extreme generosity of a saintly man. Instead of getting the ring back, he wanted to make sure the poor man got the fair value price for the jewelry. This story shows that saints care more about helping others than for their own material belongings. It is difficult for those living with a saint to understand this quality. Throughout history, they had to stand by while the saint dispensed grace and mercy to one and all. In this case, the wife had to share the gift she received from her husband they accept the circumstances in which God places them. They are indifferent to their outer circumstance, because they know they are here to distribute spiritual wealth. Spiritual wealth is available to all, regardless of outer circumstances in life. Saints teach that we can gain that divine wealth through receiving a conscious contact with the holy Word or Naam that can lead us back to God through the help of a living Master. If we were to come in contact with such a Master, we would transcend physical body-consciousness to know there are spiritual realms beyond. Our soul can soar through inner spiritual realms until it is united with God. When we reunite our soul with God we will experience spiritual love which penetrates to our core. Then, we too would be overflowing with love and radiate

that to others. We have seen cases of extreme generosity in the lives of the saints. We have seen them being generous with their money and time. They bring solace and help to the poor, the needy, and the downtrodden. They bring comfort and peace to all who come, whether rich or poor. We know from the lives of Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj and Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj that they would use whatever they earned to help others. If Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj found people who could not afford food and medicine he would purchase these from his own money even if he had to forego his own needs until his next paycheck. There is the story of how, as a young man in his twenties, he would visit the sick and needy in hospitals. Once, his own uncle was hospitalized with an illness, so he went to visit him to assist him with food and medicine. There, in the next bed, was an elderly man who had no family or friends to visit him. The man was weak and thin and had no blanket to cover him. Sant Kirpal Singh Ji asked him, What can I do for you? Suddenly, tears flowed from the eyes of the elderly man. The man replied, It has been many years since somebody has asked me what he can do for me. Sant Kirpal Singh Ji was moved and decided to help the man. He began taking care of both his uncle and this elderly man. He brought them milk and fruit and paid for their medicines. Those were days when there was no health insurance and families would have to provide their own food and medicine if they were in a hospital. Although Sant Kirpal Singh Ji was only making a meager salary of his own, he spent his own money on helping the sick. As a result, he himself had to live on dry bread and water. His uncle observed this strange behavior, because most people only take care of their own families, especially when they have no financial resources of their own. His uncle questioned him about the care he was taking for the elderly stranger despite his own lack of resources, by asking, You are doing all you can for me because I am your uncle but I see that this old manwith no means to reward your services, receives the same kind of treatment from you as I do. Sant Kirpal Singh Ji beautifully replied, as is customary with all great saints, Respected uncle, you are both alike to me. He has as much right on me and my services as you have. In fact, the entire creation has the same right on me. I have come to serve all. (To be continued...)

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

November 30-December 6, 2013

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

November 30-December 6, 2013

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