Geneva/New Delhi: India voted

for the US-sponsored resolution

against Sri Lanka at the United

Nations Human Rights Council

(UNHRC) here calling on

Colombo to conduct an "indepen-

dent and credible" probe into alle-

gations of human rights violations.

The resolution was adopted 25-

13 Thursday. Pakistan was among

the 13 countries that voted against

the resolution.

India's envoy Dilip Sinha said

strongly: "We note with concern

the inadequate progress by Sri

Lanka in fulfilling its commitment

to this Council in 2009. Further, we

call on Sri Lanka to move forward

on its public commitments, includ-

ing on the devolution of political

authority through full implementa-

tion of the 13th Amendment and

building upon it.

"We reiterate our call for an inde-

pendent and credible investigation

New Delhi: In a move to strengthen bilateral ties,

India and Egypt Tuesday signed seven key pacts after

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Egyptian

President Mohamed Morsi held wide-ranging talks

here, exploring ways to promote ties to the level of

"strategic partnership".

The two leaders also agreed to enhance cooperation

in defense and in international forums like the UN.

Morsi, who stressed on deeper economic ties, also

pitched for increased Indian investment in Egypt's

ambitious Suez Canal project.

"President Morsi and I have just concluded exten-

sive and productive discussions... We agreed that his

visit, at an important juncture for Egypt, offers us a

great opportunity to renew our relationship and take it

to a different level of engagement and cooperation,"

New Delhi/Mumbai: Twenty years after the 1993

serial bombings in Mumbai, the Supreme Court

Thursday upheld the death sentence of Yakub Abdul

Razak Memon as well as the conviction of Bollywood

star Sanjay Dutt under the Arms Act, but reduced his

sentence from six to five years.

While confirming Yakub Memon's death sentence,

the bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and B.S. Chauhan

said his "deeds can't be viewed distinct from the act of

Tiger Memon, hence, both owe an equivalent respon-

sibility for the blasts". The 13 blasts in India's finan-

cial capital on March 12, 1993, claimed 257 lives and

left 713 injured.

Sanjay Dutt, the most high profile of the accused,

By Arjit Mehta

New York: The latest European Union member facing

an economic crisis is the sleepy island nation of

Cyprus. Located in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea,

Cyprus is in the unenviable position of needing

money. Currently, the Cypriot banks need $21 billion

to remain solvent. Normally, the central government

would intervene and attempt to settle this matter

domestically; however, the assets in Cypriot banks are

8 times the size of Cyprus’ GDP. Their banks are quite

literally, too big to save. As many of the other belea-

guered peripheral countries in Europe have done in

this situation, they have reached out to Germany for a

Morsi visit: India, Egypt ink seven pacts

Supreme Court upholds jail term for Sanjay Dutt

The Cypriot bailout: No, thank you

DMK dumps UPA govt for dissing Tamils, not taking tough stand

Death for Yakub in 1993 Mumbai blasts; 100 crore riding on Dutt films

Union Ministers AK Antony and P Chidambaram called on DMKsupremo Karunanidhi on Monday in a failed bid to persuade him

to not withdraw support to the UPA government.

Families of people who disappeared during Sri Lanka’s brutal waragainst Tamil Tigers presented a petition to a UN office in

Colombo, calling on the international community to intervene.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi shakes handswith President Pranab Mukherjee during a recep-tion for the visiting dignitary at the Rashtrapati

Bhavan in Delhi on March 19.

Sanjay Dutt has to surrender in 4 weeks but prom-ises to complete his upcoming films like ‘MunnaBhai 3’, the ‘Zanjeer’ remake and ‘Policegiri’.

Cypriots have started withdrawing money at a breakneck speed though their parliament

voted against a plan to seize a part of depositors' bank savings.

The South Asian Timese x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m

Vol.5 No. 48 March 23-29, 2013 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Fashion 15 News in Pix 18 Spiritual Awareness 30US Affairs 9 excellence in journalism

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 4

India votes for UNresolution against

Sri Lanka

March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info

3March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY

One in 50 US school kids has autismAtlanta, GA: According to the lat-

est estimates from the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC), as many as 1 in 50 children

in US schools have autism. That's a

number higher than last year's esti-

mate of one in 88 schoolchildren.

The statistic includes all disorders

on the autism spectrum, including

Asperger's Syndrome.

The study, which compared diag-

noses in 2007 (at 1 in 86, according

to their study) to those in 2011-'12,

attributes "much" of the increase in

prevalence to "diagnoses of children

with previously unrecognized autism

spectrum disorder." Those diagnosed

after 2008 were more likely to have

a less severe form of autism, accord-

ing to researchers. Increases in

prevalence were statistically signifi-

cant for all age groups, and for boys,

but not for girls. Boys were four

times as likely to have an autism dis-

order than girls were.

The study relied on parents to

report diagnosis, severity, and the

approximate date of diagnosis them-

selves, instead of relying on medical

records.

Arun Singh appointed Ambassador to France Washington DC: Arun K. Singh,

Deputy Chief of Mission at Embassy

of India here, is moving to Paris as

Ambassador to France. Amb Singh

assumed his current assignment in

Washington DC in October 2008 and

was well respected in diplomatic cir-

cles and in the Indian community. US-

India Business Council has organized

a reception to bid him farewell on

March 26 at the US Chamber of

Commerce in Washington. Arun Singh

joined the Indian Foreign Service in

1979. After stints abroad, he served in

the Ministry of External Affairs in

Delhi as Deputy Secretary / Director

dealing with East Asia and Pakistan

Divisions (1988-91). From 1991-

1993, he headed the Offices of the

Foreign Secretary and the External

Affairs Minister.

Ambassador Singh served at the

Permanent Mission of India to the UN

Office, New York from 1993-1997 as

Counsellor and handled multilateral

social and economic negotiations. He

served in the Indian Mission at

Moscow as Counsellor / Minister

from 1997-2000. Back in Delhi from

2000-2005, he served as Joint

Secretary dealing first with the UN

policy and then Pakistan, Afghanistan

and Iran divisions at the MEA. He

served as Ambassador to Israel from

2005-08.

John Liu too enters NYC mayor raceNew York: NYC Comptroller John C. Liu,

joined by his family and hundreds of voters

from throughout the five boroughs, officially

announced his candidacy Sunday for Mayor,

a week after City Council Speaker Christine

Quinn, another Democrat, launched her cam-

paign for the coveted position.

While John’s mayoral bid illuminates the

political rise of the Big Apple’s Asian-

American population, he has been shadowed

by a fundraising-conspiracy case against two

former aides.

About three-term Mayor Michael

Bloomberg, he said, "the rich keep getting

filthy rich" while other New Yorkers are

struggling just to survive. "I'll be a mayor not

of the 1 percent but of the 100 percent," he

promised supporters standing behind him on

the City Hall steps as he announced his long-

anticipated candidacy amid a daylong slate of

appearances around the city.

John said he'll fight to bring back "the

sacred promise of New York City."

"Come here, work hard, dream big, and

work even harder, and if you do all that, you

have a chance to make good," he said.

Born in Taiwan, he came to the city at age

5. He grew up and still lives in the Flushing

section of Queens, a vibrant hub of immi-

grants from China, Korea and other Asian and

Latin American countries.

Meanwhile, John has come under scrutiny

himself over his campaign's practices. The

campaign’s former treasurer and a former

fundraiser are facing federal charges of con-

spiring to break campaign finance laws to

boost his campaign coffers. They could go to

trial as soon as next month, potentially dam-

aging his campaign even as it gets into

high gear.

Prosecutors say the ex-staffers used straw

donors — essentially, channeled money from

one backer through another — to skirt contri-

bution limits. They have pleaded not guilty.

John has not been charged with any wrong-

doing, and his lawyer has said the case will

show he has always sought to run an honor-

able campaign.

A press release from his office said his cam-

paign has raised just about the maximum

spending limit for the September 10 Primary.

Since November 2010, the Campaign account

has received $3,229,794 from 5,192 donors.

With $568,515 in total matchable contribu-

tions claimed to-date, the Campaign can

apply for an additional $3,411,090 in public

funds under the NYC Campaign Finance

Program.

In 2009, John won the historic race to

become the 43rd Comptroller of the City of

New York. Earlier he was a member of the

New York City Council from 2001 to 2009,

representing District 20 in Queens.

NYC Comptroller John C. Liuannounced his bid for Mayor from the

steps of City hall.

Nitin Parikh and Vikas Singh receive Business Awards from Nassau County Mineola, NY: Nassau County

Executive Ed Magnano honored

two noted Indian American entre-

preneurs among others at Business

Awards Breakfast Wednesday at

the Executive and Legislative

Building here. The two honorees

Nitin C. Parikh and Vikas Singh

are well known in the community.

Vikas Singh has partnered with

Biz2Credit to help small to medi-

um businesses in the cellular

phone and other industries secure

the financing they need for growth.

Founded in 2007, Biz2Credit is a

leading credit marketplace con-

necting small- and medium-sized

businesses with lenders, service

providers, and complementary

business tools. The company

matches borrowers to financial

institutions based on each busi-

ness’s unique profile-- completed

in less than fourminutes -- in a

safe, efficient, price transparent

environment.

Biz2Credit’s network consists of

1.6 million users, 1,100+ lenders,

credit rating agencies such as

D&B and Equifax, and small busi-

ness service providers including

CPAs an lawyers.

Having arranged $800 million in

funding throughout the U.S.,

Biz2Credit is widely recognized as

the #1 online credit resource for

small business loans, lines of cred-

it, equipment loans, working capi-

tal and other funding options.

Mr Parikh is the founder and

CEO of North Shore Office

Supplies Inc. based in New Hyde

Park in Nassau County. It is among

the fastest growing small business-

es in Long Island.

North Shore Office Supplies no

has a national footprint with 52

distribution centers nationwide.

Mr Parikh is also the founder and

managing trustee of Tattvamasi

Foundation, that supports over 500

students in rural India. He is also a

major sponsor of the Martin

Luther King Scholarship Fund for

Economic Opportunity

Commission in Nassau County. He

lives in Manhasset Hills with his

wife Sangita, daughter Dr.

Tattvamasi and son Meghav.

Amb. Arun K. Singh, DeputyChief of Mission at Embassy of

India in Washington DC

Nitin C Parikh is joined by his wife Sangita and daughterTattvamasi as he receives the citation from

County Executive Ed Mangano.

Vikas Singh receiving thecitation from County

Executive Ed Mangano.

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4 March 23-29, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoTURN PAGE

India votes for UN resolution against Sri LankaContinued from page 1into allegations of human rights violations and

loss of civilian lives. We urge Sri Lanka to

take forward measures to ensure accountabili-

ty. We expect these measures to be to the satis-

faction of the international community."

Sri Lanka has repeatedly denied killing

Tamil civilians during its military campaign

against the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil

Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.

DMK president M. Karunanidhi termed the

UNHRC resolution as "useless" and said India

did not bother about the Tamils in the island

nation. "The resolution has been watered

down to the extent that it has turned out to be

useless," he said. External Affairs Minister

Salman Khurshid clarified that India's amend-

ments to make the resolution tougher could

not be incorporated due to lack of consensus.

Karunanidhi said the DMK's decision to pull

out of the government was inevitable given

that the party's demands were not met-- the

party wanted declaration to the effect that

attacks on Tamils by the Sri Lankan military

were "war crimes" and "genocide" and a time

bound probe be held by an international com-

mission on the happenings in Sri Lanka.

Morsi visit storyContinued from page 1Singh said after concluding talks with Morsi

in the Indian capital.

Expressing admiration for the courage and

sacrifices of the people of Egypt in ushering

in a new era of democracy, Singh said India

has offered to share its experience as Morsi

"ably leads his nation in building strong insti-

tutions and frameworks for democracy, social

justice and inclusive economic development".

Jail term for Sanjay Dutt storyContinued from page 1was asked to surrender in four weeks.

As he has already undergone 18 months

imprisonment, he will be in jail effectively for

three and half years.

Reacting to the verdict, Dutt said he was

"shattered" but will complete all his pending

films. An estimated Rs.100 crore is riding on

Sanjay Dutt, 53, who has films like the

"Zanjeer" remake, "Policegiri", "Munna Bhai

3" and "P.K.” in the works.

Many people have expressed sympathy for

Dutt. Press Council of India chief Markandey

Katju has appealed to Maharashtra Governor

to pardon the actor arguing that he had not

been found guilty of having played a role in

the 1993 blasts (only of possessing arms with-

out license) and had already suffered a lot

The Cpyriot bailout storyContinued from page 1bailout. This is where the fun starts.

Before we get to the bailout request, it is

important to understand the banking industry

in Cyprus. Firstly, where did it get all this

money from? In short, Russia. Cyprus has

become a tax haven and many Russian oli-

garchs have stashed their capital in Cypriot

banks to avoid taxes in their home country. By

some estimates, approximately 37% of the

$88 billion deposited in Cypriot banks came

from abroad. This percentage is significantly

higher for bank accounts that have over

€100,000, and are therefore uninsured. The

major Cypriot banks used these excess funds

to lend to Greece. They purchased billions in

Greek government bonds and lent out even

more to Greek corporations. Ostensibly, this

was a pragmatic decision as Greece’s GDP

was over 11x the size of Cyprus’. However,

after having to take major write downs on

these bad loans, these banks were extended

emergency loans from European Central

Bank. Now that they need more money, they

are looking to Germany for help.

This happens to be an election year for

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. There

is growing disapproval amongst the German

population for Germany’s front-and-center

participation in the bailouts throughout

Europe. Furthermore, Merkel does not want to

be seen bailing out the questionable Russians

whose assets are tied up in Cypriot banks.

While refusing to give all $21 billion that is

currently needed, Germany has offered $13

billion while demanding that Cyprus levy a

one-time tax on all bank deposits to recoup

the remaining $7.5 billion that they need. In

effect, Germany wants the Cypriot govern-

ment to tax all bank accounts with less than

€100,000 by 6.75% and all accounts with over

€100,000 by 9.90%. Imagine waking up

tomorrow and realizing that 6.75% of your

savings account had vanished. Suffice it to

say, this did not go over well with the public

in Cyprus and on Tuesday, March 19th, the

Parliament rejected a bill that would impose

this one-time tax.

With that option out of the picture, Plan B

calls for state pension funds to pay up a little

over $5 billion, with the remaining $2+ billion

coming from Russia. Seeing that Russian

companies and citizens have over $32 billion

in Cypriot banks, the government believes

that it can convince Russia that their $2+ bil-

lion loan would prevent the 9.90% loss that

their bank accounts would be forced to take

with the one-time tax. However, if the EU

and IMF balk at deductions from the state

pension funds, Cyprus will have to find some

other way to raise that $5 billion.

In the grand scale of the world economy,

this is actually a non-event. This is evidenced

by the relative flatness of the world stock mar-

kets. This is primarily the case because

Cyprus only accounts for 0.2% of the GDP of

the EU. It’s too small to make a big differ-

ence. The interesting thing, though, is to see

whether any of the other peripheries, namely

Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain,

facing economic troubles consider the one-

time tax on bank deposits to steady the ship.

The Cypriot public has already started with-

drawing cash from Cypriot banks at break-

neck pace and corporations will surely move

their assets to other, more stable, regimes.

Long Island pizza owner nabbed for tax evasionMineola, NY: An Indian

American who owned six

Papa John’s franchises was

charged last week with steal-

ing more than $800,000 in

state sales tax revenue,

according to Nassau County

District Attorney Kathleen

Rice.

Ajay Choudhary, 38, was

charged with second-degree

grand larceny, three counts of criminal tax

fraud in the second degree and

19 counts of first-degree

offering a false instrument for

filing. He faces up to 15 years

in prison if convicted.

He failed to report sales

taxes between 2005 and

2012, Rice said. Choudhary

runs locations in Hicksville,

Valley Stream, Uniondale,

Freeport and Inwood, and is the

former owner of a location in Farmingdale.

Ajay Choudhary

Florida college student commitssuicide, planned larger attack

Orlando, FL: A college student whose name

suggests he is of South Asian descent, with two

guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a

backpack filled with explosives pulled a dorm

fire alarm Mar. 18 in an apparent attempt to

force other students out into the open so that he

could slaughter them, authorities said. But he in-

stead put a bullet in his head as police closed in.

James Oliver Seevakumaran, 30, was found

dead in his dorm room at the 51,000-student

Orlando campus of the University of Central

Florida. No one else was hurt."His timeline got

off," university Police Chief Richard Beary

said. "We think the rapid response of law en-

forcement may have changed his ability to

think quickly on his feet."

Some 500 students were evacuated from the

building in the middle of the night, unaware

how narrowly they had escaped what could

have been another Virginia Tech-style blood-

bath.

Peary told the Orlando Sentinel that “there

was a planned attack” on Tower 1 residence

hall, the dorm where Seevakumaran lived.

"It could have been a very bad day here for

everybody. All things considered, I think we

were very blessed here," Beary said. "Anybody

armed with this type of weapon and ammuni-

tion could have hurt a lot of people here, par-

ticularly in a crowded area as people were

evacuating."

Beary also stated that while police did indeed

discover four improvised explosives in See-

vakumaran’s room, the bombs were not “in fi-

nal completed stages” and would not have had

the necessary power to bring down a dorm

building as Seevakumaran may have intended.

Police shed no light on a motive, but univer-

sity spokesman Grant Heston said that before

the episode, the school was in the process of re-

moving Seevakumaran from the dormitory be-

cause he hadn't enrolled for the current semes-

ter. He had never been seen by university coun-

selors and had no disciplinary problems with

other students, Heston said.

Detectives found notes and other writings

that indicated Seevakumaran had carefully

planned an attack and “laid out a timeline of

where he was going to be and what he was go-

ing to do," Beary said.

Making of an inspirationaltalk show: Andaaz

By Parveen Chopra

New York: Sarika Batra is thrilled that her

inspirational talk show ‘Andaaz’ on Sony

network is now in its fourth season. “An-

daaz is a feel good show that empowers

you,” she told The South Asian Times. “It is

different from the usual South Asian fare in

America which is either escapist Bollywood

mix or news.”

Airing three times a week, the show has be-

come so popular now that it reaches out to

over 20 million people worldwide and will

soon be seen on a major TV channel in India.

The celebrities Sarika has interviewed for

her show include Deepak Chopra, Sri Sri

Ravi Shankar, Priyanka Chopra, Vinod

Khosla, Naeem Khan and Zakir Hussain.

“We tell their stories of how they overcame

obstacles to achieve success,” she

elaborates.

Based in the Bay Area, Sarika’s own story

is inspiring. She studied film at Northwest-

ern University and wanted to create inspira-

tional content for the South Asian commu-

nity. Not disheartened by having no contacts

in the media, she tried to meet the decision

maker at Sony for six months and kept get-

ting ignored. Finally, running into him at an

event, she pitched her idea and he liked it,

and Andaaz was launched. Of course, to

take it off the ground and make it successful

has tested her own entrepreneurship skills.

The message she wants to give to young

people is to not give up on their dreams, to

give their best shot with self-belief and be

assured of success.

Talking about the highlights of her show

this season, Sarika says, “This season we are

getting people to expand their minds. Our

community tends to focus on what they

know. We’re sort of stretching people’s

mind. We’re doing a lot on artificial intelli-

gence, faith, innovation, and talking to as-

tronauts. It’s to show people what you can

do in this world and how it’s going to impact

us in the future.”

Sarika Batra has also been featured in the

book ‘Roshni: The light of South Asia”’

about notable Indian Americans.

James Oliver Seevakumaran's namesuggests he is of South Asian descent

Sarika Batra: creator and host of 'Andaaz'

Indian art totals $6.7 million at Sotheby’s sales New York, NY: The Amaya Collection, the

first international Evening Sale of Indian Art

and the first single-owner sale in this catego-

ry to be held at Sotheby’s in more than a

decade, brought a strong total of $6,694,875,

just shy of its pre-sale high estimate of $7

million. The 43 works on offer were assem-

bled by esteemed collector and author Amri-

ta Jhaveri, and were highlighted by Untitled

from Vasudeo S. Gaitonde, one of India’s

most important modern abstract painters,

which sold for $965,000, above a high esti-

mate of $800,000. Strong prices were

achieved for Sayed Haider Raza’s Ra-

jasthan I from 1983, which brought $809,000, while multiple

bidders drove Francis Newton Souza’s The Crucifixion to

achieve $557,000 (est. $200/300,000). Additional highlights in-

cluded Manjit Bawa’s The Black Devi, which sold for

$389,000, and Bhupen Khakhar’s 1988 Satsang, which fetched

$341,000 – both above their pre-sale high estimates.

Yamini Mehta, Senior Director, Sotheby’s International Head

of Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art, London and

New York, said: “It has been a privilege for Sotheby’s to han-

dle this offering of works from The Amaya Collection.

Tonight’s strong results, which reached the high estimate, are a

testament to Amrita’s well-honed eye and decades of experi-

ence in the field of modern and contemporary Indian art. And

with 60% of the lots achieving prices above

their high estimates, there is no question that

collectors are committed to pursuing works of

the highest quality. I am delighted to have

been a part of this landmark sale which was

my first at Sotheby’s.”

Priyanka Mathew, Head of Sales, Modern

& Contemporary South Asian Art, comment-

ed: “We have been especially pleased and en-

couraged to see a number of new buyers enter

the market this season. Tonight, their presence

contributed to strong prices for works by

both the modern and contemporary artists in

The Amaya Collection. The resurgence of

interest in contemporary works is particularly exciting for this

market, with records set tonight for artists including Banerjee

and Joshi. Bidding was truly global, with equal participation

coming from Asia, North America and Europe, demonstrating

strength in the Indian market.” During this sale, Sotheby’s set

four artist records at auction including ones for: K.G. Subra-

manyan, whose Mask, Icon, Mount, Mascot sold for $185,000,

well above the previous record for the artist at auction (right);

Anant Joshi, whose mixed media piece, May Look Closer Than

They Appear – 3, fetched $60,000; Ranbir Singh Kaleka,

whose Untitled (Twisted Rope) achieved $32,500, above its es-

timate; and Rina Banerjee, whose The Strain of Fruit Eaten

Twice Produced More and More brought $27,500.

5March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY

Indian community to protest Wharton’sModi snub outside Penn Museum

New York: Americans for Free

Speech (AFS) is conducting a demon-

stration at the University of Pennsyl-

vania campus on Saturday March 23

from 12 PM to 2:30 PM EST on the

occasion of Wharton India Economic

Forum meeting. The venue is in front

of Penn Museum (on South Street be-

tween 33rd and 32nd streets). The

demonstration is against the Wharton

India Economic Forum (WIEF) sum-

mary dis-invitation of Mr. Narendra

Modi after having extended him a for-

mal invitation to be the keynote speak-

er due to Mr. Modi’s alleged human

rights violations by only three profes-

sors, none of whom are from the busi-

ness school.

Buses are being arranged from Edi-

son, NJ, Jersey City, NJ and Queens,

NY. US Congressmen, American Civ-

il Rights Groups, and distinguished

members of Indian American Commu-

nity will be speaking at the meeting.

AFS is an organization formed in re-

sponse to this unprecedented and un-

democratic action by the University of

Pennsylvania under pressure from a

minority of students. “This action

makes a travesty of the norms of aca-

demic debate in a civilized society.

The protest represents the outrage of

the Indian American Community,

Wharton and UPenn alumni, UPenn

faculty, civil rights groups and other

supporters. We feel that Wharton has

done grave injustice to its own princi-

ples of Freedom of Speech, to the prin-

ciples on which our great country is

built,” AFS said in a press release.

“After extensive investigations, the

highly respected Supreme Court of In-

dia completely exonerated Narendra

Modi from charges by ideologues, for

whom, sadly, truth does not seem to be

the highest virtue. The émigré Indian

community is distressed that a few

malafide activists at the University of

Pennsylvania are engaging in blatantly

false propaganda.

Vasudeo Gaitonde’s untitledthat sold for $965,000

6 March 23-29, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoTRISTATE COMMUNITY

IN BRIEF

Bhangra at the Bell 2013: First Bhangra competition in Philly

Punjab’s Bhangra, glamour, vivacity

and passion were recreated at the

Irvine Auditorium in Philadelphia on

Saturday March 2, 2013 as energetic col-

lege students from ten universities/private

dance teams from the USA went head to

head to prove their mettle at the first

Bhangra Competition of its kind in the city

of brotherly love “Bhangra at the Bell “

hosted by MNK event services.

About 200 dancers from the following

teams participated including Anakh E

Gabroo from New York, NY; Bruin

Bhangra from Los Angeles, CA; Carnegie

Mellon University (CMU) Bhangra, Pitts-

burgh, PA; Cornell Bhangra from Ithaca,

NY; DC Bhangra Crew (DCBC) from Dis-

trict of Columbia, USA; Drexel University

Bhangra, Philadelphia, PA; F*A*U*J,

Boston, MA; Joshiley Jawan, Clifton, VA;

Shaan Mutiyaaran di (SMD), New York,

NY; University of North Carolina (UNC)

Bhangra Elite, Chappell Hill, North Caroli-

na; Mesmerizing exhibition dance by

USciences (USP) “Dhadkan: from

Philadelphia; Promotional classical sense

of dance from TCNJ Jiva (The college of

NJ); Special performance by Ricky Jatt and

his crew from Washington D.C. The pro-

gram began with American National An-

them followed by Indian National Anthem

sung by Annjela John and then was fol-

lowed by 13 performances portraying the

beauty of Bhangra dance and culture. An

enthusiastic young crowd of over 1,000 at-

tended the sold out event.The event master

of ceremonies was DJ Gaurav.

The judges for the event included Benny

Singh from Virginia, Jagdeep Tooray from

Los Angeles, Sumjit Bajwa from Michigan

& Waleed Mahmood from Washington

D.C.

The Bhangra competition provided a plat-

form for Indian-American dancers and cho-

reographers to showcase their talent and

demonstrate a connection between modern

techniques and traditional forms. The wide

array of bhangra performed brought the

magic of Punjabi culture, colors and energy

on stage.

The first place was bagged by FAUJ

Bhangra from Boston, second place- CMU

Bhangra from Pittsburgh and third place-

Joshiley Jawan from Virgina.

FIAF presents Fashion Talks 2013 with Naeem Khan

The French Institute Alliance Fran-

caise (FIAF) has organized Fashion

Talks 2013 on March 27 at 7 pm at

Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street

with acclaimed designer Naeem Khan.

The talk will be in English and moderat-

ed by Pamela Golbin, Chief Curator of

Fashion and Textiles at Les Arts Décorat-

ifs in Paris.

More info on fiaf.org.

Indian Health Camp of NJ to hold annual health fair on April 28

On Sunday, April 28, 2012, from

8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., a health

screening and disease awareness

and prevention fair will be held at 36

Meridian Road, Behind Unity Bank, off

Oak Tree Road in Edison, NJ.

The health fair will be organized by the

Indian Health Camp of New Jersey and

supported by the Indo-American Council

of Seniors of Edison, NJ. The health fair

will be open to all pre-registered partici-

pants between the ages of 45 and 64 with-

out any medical insurance.

The health screening will include blood

test, EKG, vision screening for glaucoma

and diabetic retinopathy, physical exami-

nation, cardiology and physical therapy

counseling, various types of cancer

screening and prevention education,

chronic disease self management via ask

your doctor, dietary and diabetes counsel-

ing and pharmacy counseling.

Approximately 25-30 physicians and

other allied health care professionals from

various specialties of internal medicine,

cardiology, ophthalmology, gynecology,

urology, physical therapy, dietary and nu-

trition, pharmacist, phlebotomists, EKG

techs, medical assistants, nurses, social

workers and medical students will

provide their services on this day to

screen and educate patients on diabetes,

hypertension, cardiac diseases, high cho-

lesterol, various types of cancer and other

chronic debilitating diseases specifically

targeted to the South Asian community.

The blood test reports will be reviewed by

the physicians and mailed it to all partici-

pants with a counseling note, if any ab-

normalities are detected in the test. The

dedicated team from the State of New

Jersey Commission for the blind will

provide thorough eye screening to

qualified patients on this day to promote

their noble cause of preventing blindness

in the community.

Indian Health Camp of NJ and

their dedicated committee members and

volunteers will provide their self-less and

dedicated service to support the health

fair activities on this day.

All pre-registered participants are

requested to arrive no later than 8:30 a.m.

on the day of the screening and recom-

mended to be fasting from mid-night.

The participants can continue to take their

regularly prescribed medications and can

drink water even in the morning of the

blood test.

The breakfast after the blood test and

lunch will be provided to all participants

and volunteers on this day.

The registration form to participate in

this health fair is available on organiza-

tion web site at www.IHCNJ.ORG or

Gujarat Darpan and Tiranga. The dead-

line to receive the completed form to

IHCNJ, P.O. Box 5686, Hillsborough, NJ

08844 is by April 12, 2013.

Hindus laud offer of free yoga, meditation for female veterans in Pennsylvania

Hindus have commended Mont-

gomery County Community College

(MCCC) and the Montgomery

County Veterans Center in Pennsylvania for

offering free yoga and meditation for female

veterans.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement

in Nevada called it a “step in the right direc-

tion” and urged the community colleges all

over USA to offer similar free yoga and med-

itation programs for both female and male

veterans in collaboration with US Depart-

ment of Veterans Affairs.

Rajan Zed further said that yoga, although

introduced and nourished by Hinduism, was

a world heritage and liberation powerhouse

to be utilized by all.

No prior yoga experience is needed but

documentation of military service is required

for this program called “Warrior Yoga”,

which is starting April one in Blue Bell cam-

pus of MCCC. “Studies have shown that

yoga has several health benefits, including

improved sleep, better management of stress

and anxiety, improved focus and increased

fitness”, its announcement says.

Winner of the Bhangra at the Bell 2013

Texas-based Firm indicted for misuse of H1B Visa

Washington, DC: An Indian

American company based in Texas

has been indicted by federal authori-

ties on charges of fraud in the H-1B

visa category and using it to create a

low-cost workforce in the United

States. The multi-count indictment

filed last month against top officials

of the Dibon Solutions of Texas—

Atul Nanda, Jiten 'Jay' Nanda, Siva

Sugavanam, Vivek Sharma, Rohit

Mehra and Mohammad Khan—

alleges that the company paid H-1B

visa-holding employees only when

there was work.

According to the 15-page indict-

ment filed last month and unsealed

this month, the Nanda brothers, the

owners of the company, along with

others named in the court conspired

to defraud the H-1B system.

The indictment alleges that Dibon

hired foreign workers on H-1B visas

and instead of paying them, used

them to work for a third company

and gave them the salary only when

they worked for the third company.

The company "sponsored the

workers on H-1B visas with the stat-

ed purpose of working at Dibon

headquarters in Carrollton, Texas,

but, in fact, required the workers to

provide consulting services to third-

party companies located elsewhere,"

the indictment alleges.

"Contrary to the representations

made by the conspirators to the

workers (and the government), the

conspirators paid the workers only

when the conspirators placed the

workers at a third-party company

and only if the third-party company

actually paid Dibon first for the

workers' services," it said.

Additionally, in Dibon's visa

paperwork, it falsely represented

that the foreign workers had full-

time positions and were paid an

annual salary, as required by regula-

tion to secure the visas, the indict-

ment alleges.

'Midnight's Children' to kick offNew York Indian Film Festival

New York: The 13th Annual New

York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF)

will kick off April 10 with an exclu-

sive screening of acclaimed director

Deepa Mehta's "Midnight's

Children" based on award-winning

writer Salman Rushdie's novel.

Mehta and Rushdie, who also

adapted the screenplay, producer

David Hamilton, cast members

Sarita Choudhury and Samrat

Chakrabarti, too would be in atten-

dance, according to festival organiz-

ers, the Indo-American Arts Council

(IAAC).

Paladin and 108 Media will be

officially releasing "Midnight's

Children" in major US cities starting

in New York City on April 26.

Mehta, who returns to NYIFF

after her Oscar-nominated film

"Water" opened the film festival in

2005, said: "We have had a very

long and creatively fruitful relation-

ship with NYIFF. 'Fire', the very

first film in the elemental Trilogy

was shown there and almost every

film I have made since."

"It is enormously pleasing for me

to be once again collaborating with

NYIFF and bringing to their

extremely discerning audience

"Midnight's Children", a film that I

have been dreaming of doing since I

first read the book over 30 years

ago," she said.

India-US economic ties to growstronger: Nirupama Rao

Washington, DC: Indian

ambassador Nirupama Rao

has expressed her "firm

view" that India-US eco-

nomic relationship would

only become stronger over

time despite concerns of

businesses on both sides.

"Just as US businesses

have some concerns, Indian

industry has also highlight-

ed its concerns," she said

Friday at the Center for

Strategic and International

Studies' (CSIS) Statesmen's

Forum - "US- India

Economic Agenda in 2013".

The Indian IT industry

which employs over

100,000 in the US, and sup-

ports another 200,000 jobs

including indirect ones,

faces regulatory challenges

in the US, Rao said citing a

report by Nasscom, the pre-

mier organization repre-

senting Indian software

industry.

India "was also unable to

even begin a dialogue with

the US on a bilateral

'Totalization Agreement'" to

eliminate dual Social

Security taxation and facili-

tate return of Indian work-

ers' contributions once they

go back to India, she said.

Hoping for an early meet-

ing of the Ministerial Trade

Policy Forum to address

bilateral policy and regula-

tory concerns, Rao said "it

is through regular dialogue

that we can build common

ground and address con-

cerns in a well-reasoned,

rational way."

"Going forward, and in

order to negotiate the global

economic terrain better,

India and the US perhaps

also need to explore new

trade and economic cooper-

ation arrangements," Rao

said.

"This is where we need to

move consciously and with

momentum on the Bilateral

Investment Treaty, as also

train our sights on the

exploration of the advan-

tages, or otherwise, of any

future bilateral economic

partnership arrangements,"

she said.

Noting that President

Barack Obama had termed

the India-US partnership as

"a defining partnership of

the 21st century," Rao said:

"We need to remain com-

mitted and engaged at all

levels, continuously and

without pause, overcoming

any challenges, that may

exist."

"I am very optimistic

about the future, and of the

firm view that the economic

relationship between our

two democracies can only

become stronger with the

passage of time," she said.

The Indian economy has

grown at an average of 8

per cent per annum over the

last five years and India

hoped to achieve a growth

rate of over 8 per cent per

annum over the next five

years, Rao said.

Recent months have wit-

nessed a flurry of measures

designed to further open the

economy, with FDI reforms

having taken place in single

and multi-brand retail, civil

aviation and power

exchanges, she said.

"India's receptivity and

openness to foreign invest-

ment is only expected to go

up," she said referring to a

slew of proposals outlined

in this year's budget which

are "aimed at improving the

investment climate, re-

invigorating growth and

promoting inclusive devel-

opment."

"This is a scenario in

which there is immense

potential for increasing US

investments into India, con-

sidering that the US is the

world's leading investor,

holding 14.8 percent of

total global FDI stock in

2010," Rao said.

7March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY

Washington, DC: Asserting that South

Asian Americans contribute to American

society in numerous capacities, socially,

culturally, and economically, a coalition of

community organization has sought holis-

tic and comprehensive immigration

reforms.

"Our community members fill the gaps

in low and high skilled jobs, start their

own businesses, provide support to their

loved ones, and desire an education and

opportunity like any other American,"

Deepa Iyer, Executive Director South

Asian Americans Leading Together

(SAALT) told a House panel Thursday.

Suggesting that the current immigration

system "makes it increasingly difficult for

South Asian Americans as well as many

other immigrants to successfully con-

tribute to our country and therefore,

impinge upon our progress as a nation,"

SAALT proposed a nine point reform

agenda.

This includes creation of accessible and

affordable pathways to legalization and

citizenship for all undocumented individu-

als and keeping families together, elimi-

nating visa backlogs, and increasing caps

for family and employment visas.

Rejecting enforcement-only approaches

to immigration, the coalition of 41 com-

munity groups sought termination of

racial and religious profiling and avenues

and protections for immigrant workers

and their families.

The coalition also sought access to serv-

ices and benefits, including health care,

regardless of immigration status; and pro-

motion of support for integration pro-

grams, including English as a Second

Language, and naturalization.

"It is only with this holistic approach to

immigration reform that South Asian

Americans and all other immigrants will

be able to effectively contribute to our

society in a way that allows our nation to

flourish, prosper, and succeed," Iyer said.

South Asian Americans are the fastest

growing major ethnic group in the United

States, increasing by 81 percent from

2000 to 2010 to approximately 3.4 million

people.

South Asian Americans seekholistic immigration reforms

Bobby Ghosh named editor ofTime International

Washington, DC: Noted journalist

Aparisim 'Bobby' Ghosh, an Indian nation-

al, has been named the editor of Time

International.

"Bobby, quite simply, is a magnificent

journalist who has done the highest level of

work that one can aspire to in our

profession," the Time Inc.

Editor-in-Chief Martha

Nelson and Time Managing

Editor Rick Stengel told

staffers in an announce-

ment Friday.

Currently Time's Deputy

International Editor, Ghosh

takes over from Jim

Frederick, who is vacating

the position "to move on

to other challenges,"

the memo said.

"The breadth of

his interests and the

depth of his expert-

ise is reflected in a sampling of his recent

international covers, from soccer star Leo

Messi to Bollywood icon Aamir Khan to a

profile of Egyptian president Mohamad

Morsi," it said.

The first non-American to be named

World Editor in Time's more than 80 year

history, Ghosh started his career at the

Deccan Chronicle, in Visakhapatnam; then

went to work in Business Standard in

Kolkata and BusinessWorld in Mumbai and

Delhi.

His recent India stories for Time have

included profiles of cricket god Sachin

Tendulkar, Bollywood star Aamir Khan and

world chess champ Vishy Anand.

During his five years as Time

Baghdad bureau chief through-

out the worst of the Iraq war,

Ghosh "wrote two of our most

unforgettable cover stories:

Life in Hell, and Sunnis vs.

Shi'ites," the memo read.

"He was not only fearless in

his work in Iraq but he was

the guardian of all who

worked for us in

Baghdad."

Ghosh joined

Time in 1998 after

ten years as a jour-

nalist in India and

two on the staff of the Far Eastern

Economic Review in Hong Kong. He

became a senior editor at Time Asia, where

he wrote a weekly Time.com column called

Subcontinental Drift.

Ghosh then moved to London to become

a senior editor at Europe and in 2007, he

became the first non-American World edi-

tor in Time 's history, the memo noted.

Washington, DC: Indians have

lost their popularity with the

Americans somewhat, with their

favorability ratings going down

notably over the last one year, but

still remaining on the higher end

historically, according to a new

poll. Americans' positive percep-

tions of India fell seven percentage

points over the past year to 68 per-

cent, according to a Gallup poll

released Friday.

This follows the unusually high

favorability - 75 percent - toward

India in 2012, the public opinion

firm noted.

The current rating is similar to

what Gallup found between 2006

and 2010. The broader trend is one

of improving favorability toward

India since 2000, when Americans

were closely divided in how they

viewed it giving it a 47 percent

favorable rating.

While Americans' favorable rat-

ings of most countries stayed the

same or fell slightly this year, rat-

ings of Egypt, Russia, Saudi

Arabia, Iraq, Libya and Israel also

saw notable declines.

Americans' views of Iran, North

Korea, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and

the Palestinian Authority are also

broadly negative, similar to the bal-

ance of views toward Iraq and

Libya.

All five have unfavorable ratings

of 77 percent or higher and these

have been consistently high in

recent years. Pakistan's unfavor-

able rating remains unchanged at

81 percent, with its favorability

dipping to 14 percent.

The images of six countries -

Canada, Great Britain, Germany,

Japan, and France - have been

solidly positive in recent years,

although Americans have rated

several of these more negatively at

previous times.

Gallup poll results are based on

telephone interviews conducted

Feb 7-10 with a random sample of

1,015 adults across America with a

sampling error of 4 percentage

points.

Indians' popularity with Americansdips from historic highs

Chicago: An autopsy on the exhumed body of

an Indian American lottery winner in the U.S.

who was poisoned with cyanide yielded no

significant new clues about his death, a med-

ical examiner said Mar. 1.

No cyanide was found in Urooj Khan’s body

tissue, but that was most likely because cyanide

breaks down quickly, Cook County medical

examiner Stephen Cina said. He said nothing

significant was found in Khan’s stomach.

Cina says Khan’s death is still considered a

homicide because tests on fluids drawn from

his body before he was buried revealed he had

been poisoned.

Authorities have not publicly identified any-

one as a suspect in Khan’s July 20 death,

which happened just days before the 46-year-

old was to collect $425,000 in lottery win-

nings. Authorities initially ruled that he died

of natural causes, but his brother raised suspi-

cions, leading to the further tests.

Authorities exhumed Khan’s body in

January to gather more evidence in case

charges are filed.

Khan moved to the U.S. from Hyderabad,

India, in 1989, and over the years, he set up

several dry-cleaning businesses. Despite hav-

ing foresworn gambling after making the pil-

grimage to Mecca in 2010, Khan bought a lot-

tery ticket in June. He said winning the lottery

meant everything to him and that he planned

to use his winnings to pay off mortgages,

expand his business and donate to a children’s

hospital. The night before he died, Khan ate

dinner with his wife, daughter and father-in-

law at their house. Sometime that night, Khan

awoke feeling ill. He died the next morning at

a hospital. Khan died without a will, opening

the door to a court battle. His widow and sib-

lings fought for months over his estate, includ-

ing the lottery check. Khan’s wife, Shabana

Ansari, and other relatives have denied any

role in his death and expressed a desire to

learn the truth. Authorities remain quiet about

whom they may suspect.

Indian American lotto winner’s autopsy results unclear

8 March 23-29, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoNATIONAL COMMUNITY

2 Indian-Americans among Intel ScienceTalent Search winners

Washington, DC: Honoring high school sen-

iors with exceptional promise in math and sci-

ence, Intel Corporation and Society for Sci-

ence & the Public (SSP) recognized the win-

ners of the Intel Science Talent Search in

Washington, D.C., March 12.

Though no Indian-American student was

the among the top three winners, Sahana Va-

sudevan of Palo Alto, Calif., and Akshay Pad-

manabha of Collierville, Tenn., were declared

ninth and tenth place winners respectively.

Padmanabha received a $20,000 award for

his development of an algorithm that detects

oncoming epileptic seizures, the SSP website

said, while Vasudevan won the $20,000 award

for her math research that proved a new, gen-

eralized way to minimize an important function

of arithmetic.

Last year, Nithin Tumma, 17, of Fort Gratiot,

Mich., won the top award of $100,000 for his research,

which could lead to more direct, targeted, effective and

less toxic breast cancer treatments.

He analyzed the molecular mechanisms in cancer cells

and found that by inhibiting certain proteins, we may be

able to slow the growth of cancer cells and decrease their

malignancy. Every year the foundation awarded $1.25

million for the Intel Science Talent, the website said. This

year’s finalists hail from 20 states and represent 40

schools. Of the 1,712 high school seniors who entered the

Intel Science Talent Search 2013, 300 were announced as

semifinalists in January. Of those, 40 were chosen as fi-

nalists and invited to Washington, D.C. to compete for

the top 10 awards.

Sahana Vasudevan (first from left, below row)and Akshay Padmanabha (first from right, top row)

were declared ninth and tenth place winners

Urooj Khan

San Jose: The Art of Living Foundation is

initiating a Bay Area-wide campaign for a

“Stress Free and Violence Free Community,”

which will be launched at 4 p.m. March 24 at

the San Jose Convention Center.

The campaign aims to create a stress-free

and violence-free society by strengthening

each individual member of the society. This

initiative promotes peace, human values and

cultural unity in diversity.

The AOLF has conducted several educa-

tional and practical workshops that have

brought a positive change in the lives of a

number of citizens in the community. Its pro-

grams provide an education of non-violence

and practical tools for emotional well-being,

which are key ingredients to building a stress

free and strong community, according to a

press release. Some of the key initiatives

include strengthening family values, empow-

ering youth, fostering a feeling of community,

and building happier and safer communities.

On March 24, prominent Indian American

community leaders, government officials,

nonprofits, educators, reformers, activists,

media and other citizens are expected to come

together in honoring a commitment to a

stress-free, violence-free society. AOLF

founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will deliver the

keynote address.

A number of pre-

launch events have

already taken place

in advance of the

event. In Fremont on

March 9 there was a

conference for a

“Safe and Peaceful

Fremont,” which was

attended by many local officials who agreed

that authorities alone cannot create a safer

environment; it has to be done by a collabora-

tion of all citizens of the city. On Feb. 10 at

San Jose’s Overfelt High School, campaign

partners IAHV and Carry the Vision organ-

ized a symposium, “Ending Violence in Our

Schools - Can We Take Responsibility,”

which was attended by school teachers, stu-

dents and parents.

And on Feb. 14, the Santa Clara and Dublin

Centers of AOLF hosted a “One Billion

Rising to End Violence,” a dance party along

with a guided meditation that was attended by

over 50 people of all ages and races to stand

in solidarity, in one voice, to put an end to

violence among women and children. The

Santa Clara event was co-hosted by another

campaign partner, Maitri.

Art of Living Foundation launches new campaign in Bay Area

Art of Livingfounder Sri Sri RaviShankar will deliver

keynote address

9March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS

Washington: Chiding his own

Republican Party's "obsession with

zeroes", Louisiana's Governor

Bobby Jindal said the conserva-

tives were falling into "the

sideshow trap" of a balanced feder-

al budget.

"Today's conservatism is in love

with zeroes," he told the

Conservative Political Action

Conference, being held near

Washington, last Friday referring

to his party's tendency to place bal-

ancing the federal budget over all

other issues.

"We seem to have an obsession

with government bookkeeping. I'm

here to tell you it's a rigged game.

It's the wrong game for us to be

playing," said Jindal.

Jindal, who has emerged as a

prominent voice for change within

the Republican party since its loss

in the November election, said

Republicans should focus on how

best to grow the economy. "We

must not become the party of aus-

terity. We must become the party of

growth," he said.

"The reality is these are govern-

ment sideshows in Washington that

we have let take centre stage,"

Jindal said of recent battles over

increasing the federal debt ceiling

and avoiding the so-called fiscal

cliff. Another Indian-American

governor, South Carolina's Nikki

Haley took the stage to introduce

party's 2012 losing presidential

contender Mitt Romney.

Haley, who wasn't originally

scheduled to speak at the conserva-

tive meet, took shots at the Obama

Administration, specifically over

its decision to fight the Boeing plan

to cut hundreds of workers at its

North Charleston plant and its

opposition to her state's law man-

dating voter identification at polls.

Bobby Jindal chides Republicans' 'obsession with zeroes'

Washington: In what GOP leaders called the

“most comprehensive post-election review”

ever undertaken, the Republican National

Committee has unveiled a 100-page report

with a series of diagnoses about what ails the

party and quite a few prescriptions to resus-

citate it in the wake of a painful White House

loss last year. “Our message was weak; our

ground game was insufficient; we weren’t

inclusive; we were behind in both data and

digital; our primary and debate process need-

ed improvement,” RNC Chairman Reince

Priebus said of Mitt Romney and the GOP’s

2012 loss.

The GOP report, called the ”Growth and

Opportunity Project,” lays out a plan that

included more extensive outreach to women,

African-American, Asian, Hispanic and gay

voters, notes ABC’s Shushannah Walshe.

Among the plans: hiring paid outreach

staffers across the country in a $10 million

push that begins right away; backing “com-

prehensive immigration reform”; abbreviat-

ing the presidential primary process with

fewer debates, specifically saying the party

would like roughly half of the 20 that took

place during the 2012 cycle; and moving the

party’s nominating convention to June or

July. Chairman Priebus noted that the party’s

policies are fundamentally sound but require

a softer tone and broader outreach, include a

stronger push for African-American, Latino,

Asian, women and gay voters.

GOP: Self-diagnosis and prescriptionThe Republican party has laid out a plan that includes more extensive outreach

to women, African-American, Asian, Hispanic and even gay voters.

By Arun Kumar

Washington: Amid a contentious debate

over comprehensive immigration reforms, a

top Republican senator has introduced a bill

to eliminate what he calls "fraud and abuse"

from H-1B visa program coveted by Indian

techies.

Introducing a bill to bring "much needed

reform" to the H-1B and L visa programs

for skilled workers and corporate transfers

respectively, Chuck Grassley, top

Republican on the Senate Judiciary

Committee, said it would help ensure that

Americans are given top consideration

when applying for jobs.

The legislation makes reforms to increase

enforcement, modify wage requirements

and ensure protection for visa holders and

American workers, he said.

The bill, he said, would provide a good

basis for H-1B reform in the comprehen-

sive immigration bill being put together by

a bipartisan group of senators to put

America's 11 million illegal immigrants,

including some 250,000 Indians, on a path

to citizenship.

"The legislation will benefit the American

worker, while still ensuring that US compa-

nies get the specialized workers they need,"

Grassley said

The senator cited a 2008 US Citizenship

and Immigration Service suggesting a more

than a 20 percent violation rate by those

who use the H-1B visa program.

He also cited recent data from fiscal 2012

revealing that the top 10 companies that use

the program are offshoring firms that take

up nearly 50 percent of the visas available.

Key points of the legislation include:

requiring all companies to make a good

faith effort to hire Americans first; prohibit-

ing employers from advertising only to H-

1B visa holders; and prohibiting companies

from outsourcing visa holders to other com-

panies.

It also requires that an H-1B application

filed by an employer that employs 50 or

more US workers will not be accepted

unless the employer attests that less than 50

percent of the employer's workforce are H-

1B and L visa holders.

It also increases administrative fines per

violation from $1000 to $2000 and from

$5000 to $10,000 for willful misrepresenta-

tion and restricts the ability of these compa-

nies to Indian technology companies

bagged almost one third of the H-1B work

visas granted in 2012, according to new

data from the USCIS.

According to the data, of the top 12 com-

panies which bagged more than 40,000 of

the 134,740 H-1B visas approved in 2012

all had a strong India presence.

They included Cognizant, in first place

with 9,281 visas, followed by Tata (7,469),

Infosys (5,600), Wipro (4,304), Accenture

(4,037), HCL America (2,070), Mahindra

and Satyam (1,963). Indian professionals

also took the largest one-third piece of the

H1B visa pie in 2009 making up the second

largest group of people making the US their

temporary home.

Accounting for one-tenth of non-immi-

grant residents in the US, 364,757 Indians

were only second to the Mexicans who

made up 11.7 percent at 403,793, but

123,002 H1B visa holders from India gave

them the largest 36.3 percent share among

professionals.

US law to check H-1B visa fraud

Louisiana's Governor BobbyJindal addressed Conservative

Political Action Conference.

Washington: A ban on assault weapons won't be included

in major gun legislation set to take shape this week -- all

but guaranteeing it won't pass Congress.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a one-

time ally of the National Rifle Association, informed

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Monday that the pro-

posal to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines

won't be included in a broad package of new gun laws

that's taking shape this week and will be considered on the

Senate floor in April.

"People say well, are you disappointed? Obviously I'm

disappointed," Feinstein told reporters Tuesday. She has

worked on gun violence issues for decades.

The move waters down President Obama and Vice

President Joe Biden’s push for broad new gun control in the

wake of the shooting at a Newtown, Conn., elementary

school that killed 20 schoolchildren and six adults.

The Senate still plans to vote on the ban, but only as an

amendment to the larger gun bill. Feinstein also asked for a

second vote on a measure that would just ban high capacity

magazines for assault weapons; that's likely to garner more

support.

Why is the ban being dropped? According to Democratic

leaders, it has no chance of passing -- and if it were includ-

ed, Democrats wouldn't even be able to bring it up on the

Senate floor for debate.

Just bringing a bill up for consideration requires all sena-

tors to agree, and if just one objects, then it takes 60 votes

to keep the process moving forward.

Putting an assault weapons bill into a broad package of

gun laws -- instead of insisting that Feinstein offer it as an

amendment -- could have helped it earn more votes. But

the ban is so controversial, including it would have likely

doomed other gun restrictions that have some bipartisan

support.

The NRA has been outspoken in opposing the ban,

instead spending the months since Newtown calling for

armed guards in schools.

Meanwhile, three months after the "massacre of the inno-

cents" at the Sandy Hook elementary school in

Connecticut, public support for major restrictions on guns

may be fading, a new national poll suggests.

A majority of Americans favored major restrictions on

guns or an outright ban in the wake of the shootings in

Newtown, Connecticut, when a heavily armed gunman

killed 20 children and six adults. But that support has tum-

bled to just 43 percent, as more time has passed since that

December tragedy, according to a new CNN/ORC

International survey released Monday

"Support for stricter gun control has fallen dramatically

among two groups - older Americans and people who live

in rural areas," said CNN Polling Director Keating

Holland. Among younger Americans, however, the change

is only three points.

Assault weapons ban dropped from bill in Democrat controlled Senate

Sen. Dianne Feinstein arrives at a SenateJudiciary Committee hearing on the assaultweapons ban in Washington on Feb. 27 andposes with a pic of the victims of the Sandy

Hook elementary school shooting.

10 Marc 23-29, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoINDIA

Chennai/New Delhi: The DMK

quit the UPA voicing regret over

India's stand on Sri Lanka at the

UNHRC but government leaders

insisted there was no threat to the

ruling coalition.

DMK chief M. Karunanidhi

announced that his party was leav-

ing both the multi-party coalition

and Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh's government after New

Delhi's failure to take a hard line

against Sri Lanka.

"Continuing in this government

will be an injustice to the Sri

Lankan Tamils," the former Tamil

Nadu chief minister said in Chennai,

and charged Colombo with commit-

ting atrocities on its Tamil popula-

tion.

The 88-year-old politician accused

both India and the UN of "betray-

ing" the Sri Lankan Tamils.

The DMK has 18 members in the

Lok Sabha and six in the Rajya

Sabha. It has five members in

Manmohan Singh's council of min-

isters. Senior DMK leader

T.R.Baalu submitted to President

Pranab Mukherjee the party's letter

withdrawing support to the UPA.

Baalu, who flew into Delhi from

Chennai carrying the letter of the

withdrawal of support from

Karunanidhi, met party MPs before

going to Rashtrapati Bhavan to hand

over the letter for the president.

The five DMK ministers would be

meeting the prime minister

Wednesday to submit their resigna-

tions, party sources said.

The DMK's departure still leaves

the Congress-led UPA with a simple

majority in the 545-seat Lok Sabha

but makes it more vulnerable vis-a-

vis other allies and an aggressive

opposition.

But Karunanidhi made it clear that

if the government accepted his two

demands - charge Sri Lanka with

"genocide" of Tamils and demand a

credible investigation into alleged

war crimes -- he could reverse his

stand. Karunanidhi said the UPA

government had not only refused to

consider the DMK's views on the

US-sponsored resolution against Sri

Lanka at the UNHRC session in

Geneva but had quietly watered it

down.

He ruled out extending outside

legislative support to the UPA, in

which the DMK was the largest con-

stituent after the Congress.

Just before Karunanidhi made the

announcement, sparking celebra-

tions by DMK cadres, Congress

president Sonia Gandhi used unusu-

ally strong language in New Delhi

to denounce Sri Lanka.

Addressing party MPs, she alleged

that "unspeakable atrocities" had

been committed on Tamils in Sri

Lanka and that their plight was

"very close" to Indian hearts.

Soon after the DMK announce-

ment, top Congress leaders held a

crisis meeting. Chidambaram, one

of the three Congress leaders who

called on Karunanidhi, tried to pla-

cate him by saying that he was a

senior political leader who

"deserves all respect".

Asked if the DMK will reconsider

its decision, Chidambaram said:

"The DMK president has said he

will review its decision if a resolu-

tion is brought before parliament.

We take note of that statement."

DMK dumps UPA over Sri Lanka

DMK leader TR Baalu with party leaders outside Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party (SP)

chief Mulayam Singh Yadav,

whose support to the UPA govern-

ment has become crucial after the

DMK's exit from the coalition,

appears to be striking a hard bar-

gain with the ruling Congress.

Though the Congress said the

"ego war" between Beni Prasad

Verma and Mulayam Singh Yadav

was almost over with the steel min-

ister expressing regret over his

remarks, the SP chief refused to

say the issue had been resolved.

"The SP parliamentary party will

met Thursday morning to decide

on Verma's regret," SP MP

Shailendra Kumar told reporters.

Yadav has been demanding

Verma's sack, indicating that the

issue might not be resolved soon.

Verma's resignation was sought

after he publicly rebuked Yadav.

SP members alleged that Verma

said Yadav received "commission"

for supporting the central govern-

ment. Earlier at a rally in his con-

stituency in Uttar Pradesh, Verma

reportedly said Yadav had links

with terrorists.

The SP chief, known to be a

tough bargainer, also met NCP

chief and Agriculture Minister

Sharad Pawar as part of his plans

to forge a coalition of regional par-

ties in the event of a fragmented

Lok Sabha after the 2014 general

election results. The SP, with 22

members in the Lok Sabha, is cru-

cial for the survival of the

Congress-led United Progressive

Alliance (UPA) government, espe-

cially after the DMK, which has 18

MPs, quit Tuesday over the issue

of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Mulayam plays hardball with Congress Both Houses disruptedover Lanka issue

New Delhi: Both houses of par-

liament were disrupted as the

DMK and the AIADMK took

up the issue of the killing of

Tamil civilians by the Sri

Lankan government during the

war against the LTTE.

As soon as the Lok Sabha

assembled for the day, DMK

members gathered near the

speaker's podium to protest the

issue and also raise the matter

of the CBI raids at DMK chief

M. Karunanidhi's son M.K.

Stalin's residence in Chennai.

Trinamool Congress members

were also seen demanding a

special package for West

Bengal.

Some Congress MPs from

Telangana were protesting from

their seats. Finally, the house

was adjourned.

When the lower house

reassembled at 12 noon, the

same issues were raised again,

forcing Congress MP P.C.

Chacko, who was in the chair,

to adjourn the house till 2 p.m.

Similar scenes were witnessed

in the Rajya Sabha, where

Chairman Hamid Ansari was

forced to adjourn the house till

12 noon after DMK and

AIADMK members vociferous-

ly took up the Sri Lanka issue.

India will send 'resolute message' on Sri LankaNew Delhi: The government said it will

move amendments to the resolution on Sri

Lanka at the UNHRC by sending a "res-

olute message" and denied New Delhi

diluted the US-sponsored motion

denouncing Sri Lanka over alleged rights

abuses.

"As far as the government is concerned,

our position is that we intend to move

amendments to the draft resolution before

the UNHRC," Finance Minister P.

Chidambaram told a packed press confer-

ence.

"We will also continue to consult politi-

cal parties on bringing a resolution to be

adopted by parliament," said

Chidambaram, who was flanked by his

cabinet colleagues, Parliamentary Affairs

Minister Kamal Nath and Information and

Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari.

Chidambaram said India's position was

that the UNHRC should adopt a strong

resolution to send a "resolute message" on

Colombo's human rights violations and to

make Sri Lanka accept an independent

and credible investigation into charges of

"war crimes".

Colombo has repeatedly denied killing

Tamil civilians during its military cam-

paign against the Tamil Tigers four

years ago.

'Indian role in US resolution forced our exit'Chennai: DMK president M.

Karunanidhi said that his

party quit the UPA after India

helped in watering down the

US resolution against Sri

Lanka at the UNHRC in

Geneva.

"The party has clearly stat-

ed that the Indian government

has assisted in watering down

the US resolution (against Sri

Lanka)," he said.

"Further, the amendments

to the US resolution suggest-

ed by the party were not con-

sidered by the central govern-

ment. And at this stage, there

is no possibility of amending

the resolution," he told

reporters here.

In these circumstances, the

party decided to pull out of

the Congress-led United

Progressive Alliance and the

central government, the

DMK chief said.

He said the DMK wanted

two changes in the US resolu-

tion introduced in the 47-

member UN Human Rights

Council.

It wanted attacks on Tamils

by the Sri Lankan military to

be treated as "war crimes"

and "genocide" during the

final stages of the war that

destroyed the Tamil Tigers in

2009.

Karunanidhi said as per the

information reaching him, the

US resolution amended four

times did not contain any

strong words against the

island nation's government.

Beni Prasad Verma (right) and Mulayam Singh Yadav were close friends till 2009

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram

DMK president M. Karunanidhi

New Delhi: The Supreme Court

upheld the death sentence of

Yakub Abdul Razak Memon in

the 1993 Mumbai blasts case and

commuted the death sentence of

10 others. The apex court also

upheld the conviction of

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt

under the Arms Act in the terror

attack and sent him to five years

in prison.

While confirming the death sen-

tence of Yakub Memon, the bench

of Justices P. Sathasivam and B.S.

Chauhan said he and other mem-

bers of the Memon family had

played a predominant role in the

execution of the conspiracy that

led to 13 serial bomb blasts in

Mumbai on March 12, 1993,

claiming 257 lives and leaving

713 injured.

While commuting the death

sentence of the 10 other convicts

to life imprisonment, the court

said that they were mere sub-

servients in the execution of the

conspiracy.

The humble and underprivi-

leged background of these 10

accused, who were mere instru-

ments in the hands of "principal

perpetrators", were counted as

mitigating circumstances by the

court.

The court said that if Memons

were the archers of the conspiracy

these 10 were just arrows. The

judges also slammed Pakistan for

aiding and abetting the acts of ter-

rorism in infringement of interna-

tional obligation as a member of

United Nations.

Dutt was asked to surrender in

four weeks. The actor, who was

convicted under the Arms Act for

illegally possessing weapons, had

been awarded six years imprison-

ment by the TADA (Terrorists and

Disruptive Activities (Prevention)

Act) court.

However, the apex court

reduced the sentence from six

years to five years. This effective-

ly means that Dutt will be in jail

for three years and six months as

he has already undergone 18

months imprisonment.

The court also came down

heavily on Mumbai police and

customs officers at all levels. But

for their wrong actions the 1993

bombings could have been avoid-

ed.

A TADA court had in 1993

awarded death sentence to 12

people, including Memon. One of

them has passed away. The court

had also sentenced 20 to life

imprisonment and 46 others,

including Sanjay Dutt, were given

varying terms of imprisonment.

The Central Bureau of

Investigation (CBI) had faced flak

for not challenging the TADA

court verdict acquitting Sanjay

Dutt of charges under the TADA

but convicting him under the

Arms Act and sentencing him to

six years imprisonment.

However, in the course of the

hearing of his appeal, the CBI had

opposed the actor's plea challeng-

ing his conviction and sentencing.

A series of 13 car bomb blasts

had ripped through Mumbai on

March 12, 1993.

The locations that were targeted

included landmarks such as fish-

erman's colony in Mahim

Causeway, Zaveri Bazaar, Sahar

Airport, Air India building, Hotel

Juhu Centaur, the Bombay Stock

Exchange Building and the

Passport Office.

The TADA court trial court of

Justice P.D. Kode had com-

menced the trial Nov 4, 1993, and

pronounced its 4,230 page verdict

on July 31, 2007.

SC upholds death for Yakub, Dutt's conviction

Sanjay Dutt was asked to surrender in four weeks. (Inset) Yakub Abdul Razak Memon

11March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA

Can't imagine 'Munna Bhai' without Dutt: Director

Mumbai: The third film in the

"Munna Bhai" series is unimag-

inable without Sanjay Dutt, says

director Subhash Kapoor, follow-

ing the actor's conviction by the

Supreme Court in the 1993

Mumbai blasts case.

"I can't imagine 'Munna Bhai'

series without Sanjay Dutt. But

unfortunately, things are not in

our hands. I feel it a very harsh

punishment. I am surprised as

much as you all are surprised

with this news," Kapoor said.

The first two films -

"Munnabhai M.B.B.S" and "Lage

Raho Munna Bhai" - were direct-

ed by Rajkumar Hirani, and there

is still to be a definite word on

who will direct the third film -

Kapoor or Hirani.

However, now with Sanjay's

conviction, progress on the film

is yet to be decided upon.

"I will have to speak to the pro-

ducer Vidhu Vinod Chopra about

it. I can't take a call on that. In the

next two days, we will have a

chat and discuss what needs to be

done." "Our film has not yet gone

on floors, but just imagine about

other producers and directors,

who have done films half-way

with Sanjay," he added.

12 March 23-29,2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoINDIA

Chennai/New Delhi: The CBI

raided the residence of DMK

leader M.K. Stalin, two days after

the party's decision to pull out of

the ruling UPA. The early morn-

ing search triggered a storm with

union Finance Minister P.

Chidambaram expressing his

"strong" disapproval while DMK

chief M. Karunanidhi said enig-

matically that it "may or may not

be political vendetta".

Chidambaram spoke out in New

Delhi, declaring in no uncertain

terms that he strongly disap-

proved of the CBI raid, leading to

reports that it had been called off.

However, a state intelligence offi-

cial said in Chennai that the

search had "got over and was not

called off".

"Normally I do not comment on

the working of another depart-

ment (home ministry), but in this

case I have to say that I strongly

disapprove of the CBI's action. It

is bound to be misunderstood,"

Chidambaram said.

An angry Stalin told reporters

that it was mere political vendetta

and he would face all the legal

issues.

However, his father

Karunanidhi said: "Generally

actions of political vendetta sur-

round DMK party and this (the

CBI raid) may or may not be one

of that."

He added that he subscribes to

the views of several leaders who

have voiced their opposition to

the raids. Actions of political

vendetta, he said, were not only

carried out by the center but also

in Tamil Nadu.

The CBI was tightlipped about

the raid, which was carried out in

connection with the import of a

Hummer car used by Stalin's son

Udyanidhi, the official said.

The raid, which began around 6

a.m., came two days after the

DMK announced its decision to

pull out of the Congress-led

United Progressive Alliance

(UPA) over the central govern-

ment's stand on supporting a US-

sponsored resolution censuring

the Sri Lankan government on

attrocities against Tamils during

the civil war against the LTTE.

It is reliably learnt that the CBI

registered the case in New Delhi

and the raids were in connection

with the import of cars and pay-

ment of customs duties.

The CBI also raided Stalin's

friend Raja Shankar's house here

and houses of over dozen busi-

nesspersons in Tamil Nadu in

connection with the import of for-

eign cars and avoiding import

duties.

The investigating agency's

move gave the opposition

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

more ammunition against the

Congress-led UPA.

"This is a signal to all friendly

parties that what happened in

Chennai can happen to you as

well. The Congress is known for

misusing the CBI, which is the

Congress Bureau of

Investigation," senior BJP leader

M. Venkaiah Naidu said outside

parliament.

"It is a proven fact that the gov-

ernment (UPA), to stay in power,

has been using the CBI to contin-

ue their strength in the govern-

ment," his colleague Rajiv Pratap

Rudy told Times Now.

"When the alliance partners are

leaving them, they are using their

authority against them. It is a

sharp message to the Samajwadi

Party and the Bahujan Samaj

Party that if you leave the

Congress party, you will meet the

same fate. So, it is a veiled

threat," he added.

CBI raids Stalin, Karuna plays it cool

Congress misusing CBI tothreaten allies: BJP

New Delhi: The Bharatiya

Janata Party (BJP) accused the

Congress-led UPA of misusing

the CBI to threaten its allies into

forcibly supporting it.

"This is a signal to all friendly

parties that what happened in

Chennai (raid on M.K. Stalin's

residence) can happen to you as

well. The Congress is known for

misusing the CBI, which is the

Congress Bureau of

Investigation," senior BJP leader

M. Venkaiah Naidu told IANS

outside parliament.

BJP spokesperson Ravi

Shankar Prasad said the "govern-

ment was surviving in power

using the CBI and the

Enforcement Directorate as

crutches".

"It is a proven fact that the gov-

ernment (UPA), to stay in power,

has been using the CBI to contin-

ue their strength in the govern-

ment," BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy

told news channel Times Now.

"When the alliance partners are

leaving them, they are using

their authority against them. It is

a sharp message to the

Samajwadi Party and the

Bahujan Samaj Party that if you

leave the Congress party, you

will meet the same fate. So, it a

veiled threat," he added.

Italy's defiance on marinesunacceptable: Sonia

New Delhi: Italy's refusal to send

back the two marines charged

with killing two Indian fishermen

is "outright unacceptable",

Congress president Sonia Gandhi

said.

"No country can, should or will

be allowed to take India for

granted," she told Congress MPs

at a meeting in parliament house

here.

"All means must be pursued to

ensure that the commitment made

by the Italian government to our

Supreme Court is honored," she

said.

"The defiance by the Italian

government on the question of

the two marines and its betrayal

of a commitment to our Supreme

Court is outright unacceptable,"

the Italy-born added.

The Supreme Court said that

Italian ambassador Daniele

Mancini will not leave India fol-

lowing Rome's refusal to send

back marines Massimiliano

Latorre and Salvatore Girone to

face trial for killing the fishermen

off Kerala Feb 15, 2012.

5 Maharashtra MLAs suspended for thrashing copMumbai: The Maharashtra legisla-

ture suspended five of its members,

including one each from the BJP,

Shiv Sena and MNS, for assaulting

a police officer within the legisla-

ture premises.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister

Harshwardhan Patil announced the

suspension of the five legislators

from the house till the end of the

year.

The five are independent legisla-

tors Kshitij Thakur and Pradeep

Jaiswal, Shiv Sena's Rajan Salvi,

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's

(MNS) Ram Kadam, and the

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP)

Jaykumar Rawal.

They have been booked by police

for thrashing Assistant Police

Inspector Sachin Suryawanshi on

the first floor of Maharashtra

Vidhan Bhavan Tuesday afternoon.

The provocation for the attack was

an incident Monday when

Suryawanshi allegedly stopped the

vehicle of independent legislator

Kshitij Thakur and fined him for

violating the speed limit on the

Rajiv Gandhi Bandra-Worli Sea

Link.

Suryawanshi slapped a fine of

Rs.700 on Thakur, which resulted in

a heated argument between them.

The independent legislator from

Nala Sopara (Thane) constituency

alleged that Suryawanshi misbe-

haved with him.

Thakur recounted the incident in

the house Tuesday and moved a

breach of privilege notice against

the police official, who was in the

visitors' gallery to answer the

charges against him.

After Thakur's detailed account,

several legislators cutting across

party lines demanded Suryawanshi's

suspension for high-handed misbe-

havior with a law-maker.

Just then, some legislators saw

Suryawanshi, who was allegedly

gesticulating at the members below

from the visitors' gallery.

Thakur recognized him and along

with some other legislators, rushed

outside to chase and catch

Suryawanshi on the first floor.

There, they assaulted him, slapped,

punched and kicked him. Not taking

the incident lying down, several top

IPS officers of Maharasthra, includ-

ing city Police Commissioner

Satyapal Singh, called on Chief

Minsiter Prithviraj Chavan and

demanded action in the matter.

"This is a deplorable and repre-

hensible act. Something like this has

never happened before in the history

of the legislature. We are investigat-

ing the entire matter, checking out

the CCTV records and also mobile

records of the incident and will take

necessary action by tomorrow,"

Chavan told media-persons later.

Condemning the assault, Chavan

said there were legislative reme-

dies available for tackling any kind

of issues and the incident should

not have taken place in a democrat-

ic set-up.

DMK leaders M.K. Stalin (right) and Karunanidhi

Italian ambassador Daniele Mancini

They have been booked by police for thrashing Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Suryawanshi

OP-ED

By Amulya Ganguli

The Bharatiya Janata Party's

preparations for next year's

general election have been

hit by several snags - all of them

predictable.

First, its reverses in the

Karnataka local body elections

could have been foreseen because

of the internal tremors caused by

former chief minister B.S.

Yeddyurappa's revolt. The party

can, therefore, be said to have lost

the semifinals in the state, as the

polls were called, before the assem-

bly elections later this year.

Secondly, reports about L.K.

Advani's exclusion from a core

group at the behest of the Rashtriya

Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) may

signify a decision to emerge from

the period when the party was dom-

inated by Advani and Atal Bihari

Vajpayee, the duo who took the

BJP from the sidelines of politics to

the centre stage.

At the same time, the RSS hasn't

been an admirer of either of them

because it felt that the BJP did not

push too hard to implement the

Hindutva agenda, especially the

construction of the Ram temple,

when it was in power. The RSS also

orchestrated Advani's removal from

the post of party chief after his

praise of Mohammed Ali Jinnah

during a visit to Pakistan.

Although BJP president Rajnath

Singh has insisted that Advani

remains the party's "guide", there is

little doubt about the growing

uneasiness in the BJP about

Advani's contrarian views.

While it is undeniable that

Advani's position remains higher

than that of the others, the reports

about his marginalization are a sign

that the BJP may be entering a new,

post-Advani phase. In this context,

the RSS is said to be backing

Rajnath Singh, Narendra Modi,

Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and

Nitin Gadkari.

Modi may be the most prominent

among the five because of the larg-

er-than-life image created - even

via three-dimensional video presen-

tations - by his own personal cam-

paign to project himself as a prime

ministerial candidate.

Of the others, Sushma Swaraj and

Jaitley can be said to have merited

automatic selection because of their

position as leaders of the party in

the Lok Sabha and the Rajya

Sabha, respectively. It is however

no secret that the RSS purposefully

kept out these two Delhi-based

leaders from the BJP's president's

post because it apparently believed

their long sojourn in the national

capital might have made them less

mindful of the highly conservative

fetishes of the Nagpur patriarchs.

While such personal flaws and

angularities may be part and parcel

of politics, the chances of the new

group functioning smoothly do not

seem all that bright. It has to be

remembered that till now, the BJP

had the dominant personalities of,

first, Vajpayee and, then, Advani to

iron out the internal wrinkles. Now,

for the first time, the party is enter-

ing the post-Vajpayee, post-Advani

period. Hence the uncertainties.

BJP's bumpy entry into post-Advani phase

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

13March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info

For the first time, the party is entering the post-Vajpayee, post-Advani period. Hence the uncertainties.

By Sitaram Yechury

Without much ado, the UPA

2 government is system-

atically undoing the inde-

pendent character of India’s foreign

policy.

Unfortunately, the hallmark for-

eign policy is undergoing a meta-

morphosis. Our international posi-

tioning, say on Iran, Syria or the

downgrading of support to the

Palestinian struggle etc, is increas-

ingly becoming one of toeing the

US line, thus, making our foreign

policy subservient to US global

strategic interests.

The latest such instance is the

Italian government’s refusal to

return two marines, prime accused

in the killing of Indian fishermen

from Kerala on February 15, 2012,

to continue their trial in the Indian

courts.

These marines were permitted by

the Supreme Court to proceed to

cast their votes in Italian elections

and were to return to India’s judicial

custody for the continuation of their

trial.

However, the Italian government

has now reneged on the solemn

assurances given by its ambassador

to India to the Supreme Court.

The prime minister was forced to

make a statement in Parliament say-

ing “actions of government of Italy

are not acceptable” and if Italy does

“not keep their word there will be

consequences for our relations”.

Undertrials in India are not

allowed by law to cast their vote in

an election. Then, how can these

Italian marines charged with murder

in Indian waters and facing trial

under Indian law be treated differ-

ently?

Further, these marines were

already allowed once to proceed to

Italy to celebrate Christmas with

their families.

Will the inmates of, say, Delhi’s

Tihar jail be allowed to celebrate the

forthcoming Holi festival with their

families? Clearly, a different set of

rules seem to be followed to appease

the G-7 countries.

This is not an isolated instance.

Way back in 1984, when poisonous

toxic gas leaked from Bhopal’s

Union Carbide factory, the chairman

of the corporation, Warren

Anderson, who came to India four

days later from the US was arrested.

He, however, managed to escape

within a few hours, allegedly using

the state government’s plane.

Later in 1995, a huge cache of

arms and ammunition was air-

dropped in West Bengal’s Purulia

district. The main accused, Kim

Davy, a Danish citizen whose real

name is Niels Holck, was allowed to

escape when the plane that they

used to drop the arms landed at

Bombay Airport.

His escape was allegedly facilitat-

ed by a then Member of Parliament,

Pappu Yadav (currently in custody

facing trial as the prime accused in

the murder of Bihar CPI(M)’s

Purnea MLA Ajit Sarkar).

His associate Peter Bleach admit-

ted that these arms were meant to

help anti-CPI(M) led Left Front

government forces create violent

anarchy and chaos, which could be

used as a pretext to impose

President’s rule in West Bengal.

Bleach was granted a presidential

pardon on January 30, 2004, under

the BJP-led NDA government with

the Trinamool Congress as a coali-

tion partner.

David Headley, the mastermind

who surveyed the targets that were

hit by terrorists in Mumbai 26/11

attack was similarly allowed to

escape before facing trial under

Indian law.

India had initially insisted that

Headley had to face trial in the

Indian courts as it was conclusively

proved that he had played a key role

in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

The most famous of such

instances is that of Ottavio

Quattrocchi. Following the exposure

of the Bofors scam in the 1986 $15

billion deal, Quattrocchi left India in

1993 to avoid being arrested.

His London bank accounts were

frozen but were then mysteriously

unfrozen. In 2011, a Delhi court

allowed the CBI to close its criminal

case against Quattrocchi.

Such an undermining of India’s

sovereignty, particularly with regard

to foreign nationals who violate

Indian law with impunity reflects

upon the (in)capability of the Indian

State in ensuring the sanctity of our

sovereignty.

The eagerness to attract foreign

investments, virtually succumbing

to the dictates of international

finance capital, is leading India to

be increasingly seen as a State that

vacillates to firmly uphold our polit-

ical sovereignty and the rule of law.

Such an appeasement to foreign

capital at the expense of our

sovereignty undermines the vital

essence and character of the Indian

nation.

Italy marine row: Business as unusual

An appeasement to foreign capital at the expense of our sovereignty undermines the vital essence and character

of the Indian nation.

14 March 23-29, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoOP-ED

By Juned Qazi

Gujarat Chief Minister

Narendra Modi’s much

hyped video address to

Indian diaspora recently reflected

a narrow vision of a small time

politician surrounded by equally

small-minded people who don’t

understand the national character

of India.

Modi began his speech that was

telecast live in USA and India

reminding the listeners that he

was speaking on the auspicious

occasion of Mahashivratri, the

great Hindu festival when people

revered Lord Shiva. Then he

picked up a progressive topic of

global warming expressing his

concern over the deterioration of

the environment we live in. He

said that Hindu deities were asso-

ciated with a plant or an animal.

At this point the listeners got

very confused. What was the

message Modi wanted to give?

Will he build one temple for each

of 84 crore gods and goddesses to

reduce pollution? Does he under-

stand that development of renew-

able energy was the only viable

way to reduce global warming?

Modi didn’t delve into the issue,

may be because he is too busy

allowing big industry to open fac-

tories and plants in his state with-

out any oversight. No wonder

one industrial house, which

might have been favored by him,

withdrew their support to

Wharton India Economic Forum

because WIEF withdrew invita-

tion to Modi as a keynote speak-

er.

Modi was jubilant about win-

ning fourth term as chief minis-

ter. “After a few years doing the

same job, one gets used to it”, he

commented in his address, then

quickly diverted to claiming that

his heart bleeds when he sees a

poor man and he feels depressed

when a girl child is deprived of

education in rural Gujarat. Then

he pointed out that development

was the only answer to all prob-

lems. Modi is hooked to the word

‘development’ so much that he

forgot to add another word, ‘sus-

tainable’. Someone should ask

him if raising high-rise buildings

was the proof of real develop-

ment? Or handing over govern-

ment land to big industrialists at

throwaway prices or keeping the

labor cost cheap in the state? One

recalls him saying that he ensured

that manufacturing plants contin-

ued to produce during recession.

He made it possible by making

sure that workers’ wages didn’t

rise. In fact ‘Development at a

social cost’ is the Modi mantra.

He is the guardian of the rich

who pays lip service to the poor.

Modi picked up the provision

of Rs 1,000 crore in the union

budget of India for skill develop-

ment for the youth and tried to

prove that the Congress led gov-

ernment didn’t care about the

younger Indians who made the

bulk of India’s population. To

prove his point, he said that he

had earmarked Rs 800 crore for

the same purpose in the state of

Gujarat. Modi can’t fool the

world about a variety of provi-

sions for the youth and women in

the union budget presented by

India’s finance minister, R.

Chidambaram. Some of which

are as follows:

* In addition to allocating Rs.

1,000 crore for training youth to

boost their employability and

productivity, the National Skill

Development Corporation will be

asked to set the curriculum and

standards for training different

skills. Trained youths who pass a

test at the end of training will get

a monetary reward of Rs.10,000

on an average. This initiative is

likely to motivate 10 lakh youths.

* To provide greater support to

Micro, Small and Medium

Enterprises (MSMEs), the refi-

nancing capability of SIDBI is

proposed to be enhanced from

Rs. 5,000 crore to Rs. 10,000

crore per year. SIDBI will also be

provided a corpus of Rs 500

crore to set up a Credit Guarantee

Fund for factoring.

* A proposal to set up India’s

first Women’s Bank as a public

sector bank.

Other than reiterating his devel-

opment mantra, all that Modi

could do was to ask for ‘forgive-

ness for his mistakes’. He said,

“People are very forgiving. If you

do good work they will forget

your mistakes.” What mistakes

he was referring to? We don’t

wish to go into his past, which is

well known. He should realize

that some scars are not erased by

plastic surgery. Modi seems to

believe that he was the unchal-

lenged leader of tomorrow. Well,

he is yet to be accepted by the

hawks of his own party.

Secondly, he needs to look out-

side his shell and see the diversi-

ty of the huge nation called India.

Modi paid tribute to leaders like

Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma

Gandhi and Sardar Patel, appar-

ently wishing to gain wider popu-

larity. He talked about ‘Nation

First’ but he is not able to devel-

op his vision beyond Gujarat. He

forgets that Gandhi toured the

entire nation before plunging into

politics and Patel travelled to far-

flung states to unite India. It is

not comprehensible for Modi to

understand the democratic and

complex nature of India, which is

a kaleidoscope of diverse ethnici-

ties and cultures.

The author is INOC (I)’sMadhya Pradesh ChapterPresident.

Modi: Small time pol who lacksvision to be national leader

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

Modi is hooked to the word ‘development’ so much that he forgets toadd another word, ‘sustainable’ to it.

By Ravi Batra

St. Francis of Assisi's rele-

vance is at an all time high

in our "me" world.

The new Pope's personal,

proven and life-long humility and

simplicity will attract the unbe-

lievers and retain the faithful as

we re-enter the Great Gatsby era

anew as 2020 approaches.

I'm blessed, for I learned first

hand from my late great Hindu

parents the core connector

amongst great religions: to do

good, to take the hard road, to

honor our elders and obligations,

and inter alia, walk humbly with

thy God. My Dad always used to

paraphrase Rudyard Kipling's

"If": "walk with Kings, but never

lose the common touch." The

Jesuits' teachings, including, at

Fordham Law School, great

Judiac scholars and Islam's poet-

ry, and Buddha's serenity, all

helped too. Mahatma Gandhi's

personal religious confidence, a

necessary element to be able to

genuinely honor others' religious

beliefs, by having his home's

windows open to all faiths with-

out being blown away, but rather

enhanced to find common pur-

pose - help the powerless, the

hurt, and the hungry. Also

instructive was power's repeated

breach of fiduciary duty, so well

recorded in history, that History

has earned a "D" grade. The dis-

tilled lesson I have learned, till

now, is to have a Monk's horse-

hair habit around one's soul while

immersed in the roller coaster of

life's ups and downs - be it busi-

ness lunching at Le Cirque or

having simple "dal," lentils, and

finding the latter more satisfying

at times but always "grounding."

It is akin to being a generational

escrow agent in the relay race of

life itself, one generation to the

next.

Someday, religions, one to the

other, science, and sovereignty

will have to find a "sweet spot" of

harmonious coexistence but only

when they are dedicated to help-

ing humanity, whom each serves

and why each exists, and not

human "opinion," even as it mas-

querades as the "ultimate truth."

Until then, let patriotism, which

can be so easily mis-calibrated,

be married to the twin parents of

American exceptionalism.

Patriotism is well defined by

Nathaniel Hale's bemoaning that

he had but one life to give for his

country. The twin parents are:

Patrick Henry, when he protect-

ed, to his death, a right of another

to disagree with him - and as a

result fathered the First

Amendment and consequentially,

"Freedoms" generally; and

Separated Powers regime in the

United States' Constitution as a

recipe to harness self-enlightened

interests of power, break it apart

on purpose, and force a rejoinder,

on an ad hoc basis, so as to obtain

the highest possible public good.

Holy Father, Pope Francis, is

God-sent to restore to Mother

Church its stain-free mission to

help all, especially the young and

vulnerable, and find the "sweet

spot" between dogma, science,

and sovereignty. Mother Teresa, I

know is already a die-hard fan of

the new Holy Father, as am I.

The author is eminent attorneyin New York.

I love the new Pope, Pope Francis

Holy Father, Pope Francis, is God-sent to restore to Mother Churchits stain-free mission to help all, especially the young and vulnerable,and find the "sweet spot" between dogma, science, and sovereignty.

WILLS LIFESTYLE INDIA FASHION WEEK 2013 15March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Themes, colors, drapes, fab-

rics and even collection

titles - the just-concluded

edition of the Wills Lifestyle India

Fashion Week (WIFW) here, was

all about India and its rich, colorful

tradition and heritage. Not surpris-

ingly, the ratio of national and

international buyers was uneven.

Several designers claimed the

business was good, but the pres-

ence of domestic buyers surpassed

those from abroad, even though

one spotted representatives of fash-

ion houses and stores from places

like the US, Britain, Middle East,

Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

"The turnout is more for national

buyers. We have got queries from

Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and

Hyderabad. International buyers

are lesser and the ones who came

are not new. We can see same faces

who came in last seasons,"

Meghna Agarwal of the brand

Myoho, said. It is her third time at

the event.

Designer Puja Arya, who has

been a regular in the fashion indus-

try, said: "The business has been

pretty good. The domestic buyers

are more and international buyers

are less then past editions." Arya

said she doesn't cater to Kuwait or

Middle East buyers.

Even young designer Vaishali

Shadangule managed good

business.

"I have got orders from across all

big stores from India including

Fuel, Ogaan, Atosa and others.

Also orders have come in from

buyers from Kuwait, Dubai,

Singapore and stores from Chennai

and Hyderabad," said Shadangule.

This autumn-winter edition saw

as many as 128 designers present-

ing their creations, on the ramp

and racks, at the five-day fashion

extravaganza, which concluded

Sunday. It is organised by the

country's apex fashion body,

Fashion Design Council of India

(FDCI).

Young designer Masaba Gupta's

first line for brand Satya Paul kick-

started the 21st edition of WIFW,

and the grand finale was staged by

ace designer Manish Arora. The

buzz was equally good for both the

shows, and they didn't fail to

impress the fashionistas.

Post Arora's finale, Masaba

tweeted: "When I grow up. I want

to be Manish Arora. Mother bee of

finales."

Among other designers who daz-

zled the ramp with their creations

included Tarun Tahiliani,

Shantanu-Nikhil, Vineet Bahl,

Nikasha Tawadey, Namrata

Joshipura, Abraham & Thakore,

Anju Modi, Manish Malhotra,

Rajesh Pratap Singh and Nida

Mahmood.

Several designers did choose to

go the global way with their lines,

with gowns, dresses, tunics, skirts

and pants, while there were design-

ers who chose to stick to desi roots

and present its culture, embroidery,

techniques and textiles with a con-

temporary twist.

Nikasha Tawadey's Raat Ki Rani,

Anupamaa Dayal's Ishq-e-dilli,

Tarun Tahiliani's Kumbhback and

Samant Chauhan's Rajputana

Bikers were some such shows.

Lauding the creativity quotient at

the event, Hiba, a buyer from

Kuwait, told IANS: "Though I

have been part of FDCI for long,

this edition was good, when it

comes to using the rich traditional

designs of India. Vineet Bahl and

Tarun Tahiliani are some of the

designers who took my breath

away."

Japanese buyer Keiko was also

stunned to see a few designs.

"This is my second edition here

and I really liked the ambience

which was full of colours. My

favourite designers are Pankaj &

Nidhi and Ranna Gill," she said.

Ace designer Manish Malhotra opted

for young actors including Sidharth

Malhotra, Esha Gupta and

Jacqueline Fernandez who sashayed down

the runway to showcase a collection titled

'Threads of Emotions' at the Wills Lifestyle

India Fashion Week (WIFW).

All three grabbed the limelight when they

walked in the best of attire designed by

Malhotra. Sidharth received maximum

cheers from the audience, especially girls

who hooted his name from every corner.

"Esha, Jacqueline and Sidhartha are

young, energetic and spirited and my col-

lection is about these three things," said

Malhotra after the show when asked about

why he opted for these three faces.

The designer paid an ode to Phulkari

embroidery from Punjab through his collec-

tion.

"Last two years I promoted Kashmir

thread and zari work and chikankari from

Mijan, a small village in Uttar Pradesh.

WIFW is just the beginning. The idea is to

focus on craftsmanship and showcase it to

various fashion weeks by roping in celebri-

ties, thus making it more popular," he said.

The collection consisted of saris,

anarkalis, floor-length anarkalis and

angarakhas. For men, there were band-

hgalas and structured clothes. The fabrics

used were georgette, net and raw silk.

It was India shining at WIFW

Bollywood brigade in Manish Malhotra show

Designer Rina Dhaka's love for

Indian textiles continued at the

ongoing Wills Lifestyle India

Fashion Week as she chose to showcase a

collection that was the reminiscent of the

1990s with widespread usage of the fabric.

"My autumn winter 2013 collection

delved into ancestral Indian textiles mixed

with digital prints on the clothes," said

Dhaka, who showcased her collection on

the penultimate day of the five-day fashion

extravaganza that started here Wednesday.

"The designs are very upfront, edgy and

modern with the 90's vibe. The contempo-

rary dresses with a puff organza sleeves is

truly a reminiscent of the 90s," she added.

The ensembles featured straight shifts

and drop waist silhouettes, A-line dresses

with black as the reigning color along with

blends of gray, maroon and white.

The fabrics varied from chiffons, geor-

gettes, organzas with prints of monochrome

paisley, red and yellow ikat, tweed and

honeycomb.

Dhaka's collection reminiscent of 1990's style

Sonam Dubal's show at WIFW

Actor Esha Gupta in ManishMalhotra's creation

Models in creations by designer Rina Dhaka

Paras and Shalini's show at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in New Delhi

16 March 23-29, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD

Bollywood stars have no time for me: NairI

nternationally acclaimed filmmaker

Mira Nair says she would love

to work with Bollywood's

star actors, but says they don't

have time for her films.

"I would love to work with

the stars here, but they

don't have much time for

me. They don't have the

dates I want," the 55-

year-old said here

Saturday at the re-release

of her 1988-film "Salaam

Bombay!".

However, she said that

she only believes in

the power of an

actor.

"I've worked

with Irrfan,

Shabana Azmi,

Om Puri, we

worked with

Nana Patekar and we made him a star. So I don't

look at actors as stars, they just have to be

extremely powerful," Mira said.

"Look at Tabu in 'The Namesake', it's

extraordinary performance. So for me it's

the power of an actor and we have so

many powerful actors here. I am com-

ing back to make a film," she added.

The filmmaker's latest venture is

"The Reluctant Fundamentalist", a

film based on an eponymous

novel by Mohsin Hamid. The

film is slated to release in India

May 10. In the meantime, Nair's

1988 film "Salaam

Bombay!", which was

even nominated for an

Oscar, is re-releasing

March 22.

It's not often that a film manages

to hit us in the solar plexus with

a statement on an epidemic

social disease, and yet succeeds in

telling a story so engaging you want

to jump out of your seat and applaud

the enterprising spirit that surges

through the veins of this engrossing

saga of the judge, the judged and the

damned.

What ails the legal system in our

country? We could go on and on

about that one, and still not be any-

where close to solving the conun-

drum of legalese.

Subhash Kapoor's brilliantly

scripted film seeks to examine the

loopholes in the legal system

through which the rich and the priv-

ileged manage to go scot-free after

committing terrible crimes.

In this case, it's a young tycoon

mowing down six pavement

dwellers in his fancy car in the dead

of the night.

Sounds familiar? "Jolly LLB"

grabs the headlines about a rich

spoilt kid from a privileged family

involved in a hit and run case, and

turns it into a rollercoaster ride that

takes us into the courtroom to wit-

ness the young struggling lawyer

from Meerut, Jolly (Arshad Warsi)

take on the mighty attorney Jaipal

(Boman Irani).

It is the classic David & Goliath

tale with so many enticing twists

and turns that by the end of it you

want to kiss the hand that wrote this

script. "Jolly LLB" is a film of myri-

ad virtues. Legal proceedings would

never be the same again. This is the

kinkiest, craziest, most artful and

thought provoking courtroom come-

dy-drama in years with impeccable

performances by the ever-depend-

able Boman, Saurav and the grossly

underrated Arshad.

A scene from 'Jolly LLB'

'Jolly LLB': Engaging courtroom drama

Ahealthy mix of Bollywood,

southern, Marathi and

Bengali cinema took away

the accolades at the 60th National

Film Awards, announced here

Monday. Movies with offbeat

themes and unconventional treat-

ment shone the brightest.

Tigmanshu Dhulia's "Paan Singh

Tomar", about an athlete-turned-

dacoit, won the best film. The

much-versatile Irrfan was named

the best actor for the same film,

and he shared the title with actor

Vikram Gokhale, who was hon-

oured for the performance in

Marathi film "Anumati".

Actress Usha Jadhav won the

best actress title for playing a rus-

tic housewife in Marathi film

"Dhag", which won the best direc-

tor's gong for Shivaji Lotan Patil.

The award for the best female

playback singer was conferred on

Samhita for the song "Palakein naa

moon don" from the Marathi film

"Aarti Anklekartikekar".

In the feature film category, a

total of 38 films from 14 lan-

guages have been selected for the

awards.

One could say Bollywood was

shining, courtesy unique films like

"Kahaani", "Vicky Donor", "Paan

Singh Tomar", "OMG: Oh My

God!" and "Dekh Indian Circus",

which won multiple awards.

However, it was surprising how

"Barfi!", which was India's entry

for the Oscars this year, didn't find

a single mention.

Sujoy Ghosh won the best

screenplay writer (original) for

"Kahaani", which won Namrata

Rao a best edition National Award,

and even a special mention for

actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The

actor also made a mark for himself

with other films like "Gangs Of

Wasseypur", "Talaash" and "Dekh

Indian Circus".

"Vicky Donor", a film on a

youngster who plays a sperm

donor, won three gongs - best film

providing wholesome entertain-

ment (jointly with Malayalam film

'Vicky Donor'), best supporting

actor for Anu Kapoor and best

supporting actress with Dolly

Ahluwalia.

Actress Parineeti Chopra won a

special mention for "Ishaqzaade".

Bollywood shine at National Awards

'Paan Singh Tomar' won the best film while 'Vicky Donor' won three awards

Manoj Kumar takes legal action against 'OSO'V

eteran actor-filmmaker Manoj Kumar is in

no mood to forgive the makers of Om Shanti

Om this time around. Media had recently

reported on how Kumar was on tenterhooks since the

film was released in Japan.

Kumar was hoping that the producers and distribu-

tors would keep their word and delete his scenes

from the film. He has just found out that his scenes

are very much a part of the film. "I am disappoint-

ed," said Kumar. "My solicitors are looking into this

now. They feel I am too lenient and have told me that

they will handle the matter now," he said.

It all started six years ago during the release of the

film, when the actor got upset with the spoof on him.

Later, he even got a court order asking for the objec-

tionable scenes to be deleted before the satellite

screening.

Internationallyacclaimed filmmakerMira Nair

Review

Veteran actor-filmmaker Manoj Kumar

ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD 17March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Akshay Kumar in the role

of a fake CBI officer, car-

rying out mock-raids

across the country in "Special 26",

has gone down well with the audi-

ence. Now, the film's production

company, Viacom 18 Motion

Pictures, is keen to carry the heist

tale forward into not only a

sequel, but an ongoing franchise.

The one who is most relieved

and happy is director Neeraj

Pandey, who had his fingers

crossed about the success of his

second feature film. His first was

the critically acclaimed "A

Wednesday".

Both of Pandey's films so far

have adapted the thriller format.

But he now intends to change

tracks.

"I actually wanted to start my

career with a love story. But then

'A Wednesday' happened, and now

'Special 26'. I may go back to love

now. I haven't decided," he said.

But as of now, a sequel to

'Special 26', is being given an

added push. Viacom 18 Motion

Pictures is keen to start the sequel

at the earliest, and Akshay too is

reportedly willing to dole out

the dates.

Versatility at its best for Akshay

Actor Ajay Devgn, who

plays the male lead in the

remake of the 1983

movie "Himmatwala", says if the

film was a "classic" like

"Mughal-e-Azam", the new team

would have never touched it.

"We would never try to attempt

a 'Mughal-e-Azam', because we

could never try to beat a

'Mughal-e-Azam'. We can only

do films which we have got the

ingredients for and feel that we

can better," Ajay told reporters

here.

"Otherwise, what is the point of

making a film. So you should

never touch Classics," he added.

The comment came as a reac-

tion to Sridevi's past comment

that "'Himmatwala' was no

'Mughal-e-Azam'. Sridevi had

played the lead heroine in the

original, opposite Jeetendra.

The remake, releasing March

29, is directed by Sajid Khan,

and features southern actress

Tammannah.

'Himmatwala' not 'Mughal-e-Azam': Ajay

Akshya Kumar in 'Special 26'

At a time when most other

production houses are lining

up their projects for 2015

(their schedule for 2014 is already

full) and busy putting together their

"slate" for the year, employees of

Aamir Khan's production house are

twiddling their thumbs.

Aamir, who takes the final call on

all projects, has not green-lighted

any project since Talaash, which

was announced in 2010. This makes

it the only A-list production house

with no film on the floors. It is also

unlikely that any film will go on the

floors this year.

According to reports, Aamir's

team has carefully evaluated around

200 scripts in the last 12 months.

There are 15 submissions every

month, and Aamir has declined to

put his money into any one of them.

So what is Aamir looking for?

"An original idea... if he gets the

hint that the script borrows even as

much as a phrase from somewhere,

he will reject it," a source said.

Aamir Khan

I'm not running a prostitution racket: Deepti

Veteran actors Deepti

Naval and Farooq

Shaikh, who had formed

a very successful romantic team

in the eighties with classics like

'Saath Saath', 'Katha' and

'Chashme Buddoor' among oth-

ers, were harassed and hounded

out of Deepti's apartment by

members of her housing society.

Deepti and Farooq were speak-

ing to a prominent TV journalists

about the remake of Chashme

Buddoor at the actress's spacious

terrace apartment where she has

been living since the last 30

years. The two actors were in the

midst of the interview when

office bearers of the society in

the building 'Oceanic 1' at Seven

Bungalows, barged into her

apartment and took strong objec-

tions to her conducting work in

her residential space. "I was the

first occupant of the building

when no one dared to buy an

apartment here.

I have had many parties and the

press has always found it very

pleasant to meet me in my house.

This is the first time that I was

made to feel as if I was running a

prostitution den.

I have never felt so humiliated

in my entire life,” Deepti was

quoted as saying.

Aamir Khan rejects 200 scripts in 12 months

Chetan Bhagat is never at a

loss for words. But for

once, the voluble author

and purveyor of all things contro-

versial, was stumped by a man of

few, but very effective words.

Bhagat, who is trying his hand at

screen-writing with Sajid

Nadiadwala's Kick, has been hard

at work, to put together a script

that would win Sallu's approval.

"It is an honor and I am anxious

as well..." the author had admitted

to this newspaper earlier, about

his Bollywood challenge. Though

both his books have had success-

ful film adaptations, this time

Chetan was starting from scratch.

"It is Salman Khan, it is as big as

it gets," he had said, with a gleam

in his eyes.

Unfortunately for the irrepress-

ible author, it is Salman who has

taken the wind out of his sail. A

source was quoted as saying,

"Chetan, after putting together the

first draft of the script went to

meet Salman along with Sajid.

The whole idea was to appraise

Salman about the progress on the

script. Salman read it as both

Chetan and Sajid sat before him

anxiously."

Sallu flipped the pages one by

one and the more he read, the

more it was evident that he was

far from pleased with the script.

Added the source, "After a

while, he kept the script aside and

told Chetan very politely, that he

has failed to capture the essence

of the film which is being adapted

from a Telugu hit.

'Make it more commercial' is

what the bestselling author was

told.

Sajid and Chetan had no choice

but nod in approval.

Salman Khan

Salman rejects ChetanBhagat’s script

Ajay Devgn in a poster of 'Himmatwala'

Veteran actors Deepti Naval and Farooq Shaikh

18 March 23-29, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoNEWS IN PIX

The Week in Pictures

Lightest solid: Showing off the newly developedultra light solid material carbon aerogel at

Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China. Madeof freeze-dried carbon nanotubes and grapheneoxide, the material weighs only 0.16 mg per cc.

Saying it with drums: Andhra Pradesh party workers celebrate in Hyderabad Sonia

Gandhi’s completion of 15 years as Congress president.

Slimmer and prettier: Model Ishika at thelaunch of Sony Xperia mobile phone in

Kolkata March 12. The more familiar face isof film star Katrina Kaif in the poster.

Prayer for the Pope: A lady offers flowers during a specialprayer for Pope Francis at a church in Kolkata March 17.

The Big Gulp: FormerAlaska Governor Sarah

Palin criticized PresidentObama and Republican

analysts during heraddress to Conservative

Political ActionConference (CPAC) in

Maryland. She also tooka swipe at the Bloomberg

proposed ban on largesugary drinks in New

York, echoing Republicanopposition to govern-

ment curbs on freedom.

10-headed but funny: Bollywood actorAyushmann Khurana at the music launch of his

upcoming 'Nautanki Saala' in Mumbai early his week. In the backdrop is

a poster from the movie.

O Boy!:Madonna

dresses asBoy Scout to

tell theorganizationto lift ban on

gays. Thesinger wason hand to

give the VitoRusso Award

to CNNanchor

AndersonCooper at theGLAAD Media

Awards inNew York

March 16..

Early Holi for freed sailor: Saurabh Kumar of Meerut, India, returned home after a year in the custody of Somalian

pirates who had hijacked the Royal Grace ship on whichSaurabh was a training officer. The family celebrated the

happy occasion with colors.

There was no sign in the room

saying "Welcome to the nude

club". So, when I walked in

the buff, as instructed, into a well-

heeled drawing room with eight men

and women equally naked, I should-

n't have been surprised as the heated

glares simmered through the carnival

masks and face masks which they

wore.

Inviting a journalist for a sneak

peek into the goings on at a nude

club in Goa's upwardly mobile socie-

ty had seemed like a good idea to a

few members until Sunday (March

10) morning. But a pen and a

notepad, the only appendage on me

that time, apart from a borrowed

face-mask of course, had put what is

perhaps Goa's only or one of the very

few nude clubs on alert.

"You have to understand we are

doing nothing against the law. And we

don't want to be projected as a pervert-

ed set who like orgies. It is just a bare

lifestyle thing. We only think social

nudity is not just nice, it's fun," said the

buck of the pack, a young broad-tor-

soed man in his late 20s.

Around the room, were seven oth-

ers. None of them were addressed by

name. Each had a nom de plume.

The woman by the mock-leather sofa

wearing nothing but a purple feath-

ered mask was Robin, while the man

who opened the conversation with

me was called Tiger.

"We meet every once in a way. Not

all of us live in Goa. Some of us are

working professionals, businessmen

and women. These get-togethers are

often over-nighters and are great

stress busters," Tiger told the IANS

correspondent.

"And you don't have to have a

great body to flaunt it. It's more

about an attitude thing," said Tiger,

the only one with a toned ribbed

body.

The air-conditioned drawing room,

the only place in the apartment I was

allowed into, was not very dramatic.

A bookshelf, a largish LCD screen, a

sofa set, a dated India Today and

paintings on the walls. The dulled,

yellow lights, though, added to the

layer of intrigue.

"We keep them like that on pur-

pose. It tends to get harsh and some-

times, the new members tend to get

self-conscious. Some days the older

members do not even use masks. The

newcomers prefer to," Robin said,

sipping her beer on a day when the

temperature outside hovered around

38 degrees Celsius.

Started two years ago, the mem-

bers, Robin said, comprised local

Goans as well as regular visitors to

Goa. She did not drop any names or

hint at who any of the existing mem-

bers could be or any of them foreign-

ers.

Nearly all the members are below 50

and entry to the unnamed club is on

recommendation only.

"Recommendations made by the mem-

bers have to be vetted and okayed by

three-fourths of the existing members.

A single veto can reject a case. We

need to be sure about who we are get-

ting in. No one wants nasty surprises,"

Robin said, adding that keeping the

identity of the members' secret was top

priority.

"That is why we debated heavily

over allowing a journalist to view

our activities from up close," Tiger

said. And if you thought a nude club

was all about orgies, grapes and vain

food binges, think again. Robin said

it was just another hangout, only the

shedding of clothes made it "weird"

for some.

"We watch movies, cook food,

read, play games and if someone

wants to cozy up, they can do that

too," Robin said, as three of the

group's members watched Ben

Affleck's Oscar-winning film "Argo"

on DVD.

On the way out, I was put through

a drill similar to the one when I

walked in. And executed in almost

sleuth-like fashion.

The blindfold around my eyes was

a Virgin Atlantic sleep mask.

I was ushered into a car, parked in

what could have been a basement.

And the drive back to Panaji was an

uneventful 15 minutes.

Norwegian Cruise Line has

been named the best bang

for your buck when it

comes to traveling the high seas.

According to travel experts at

discount travel site Hotwire.com,

the international cruise liner con-

tinues to “step up its game” with

value add-ons such as onboard

credits and gratuities.

Flash sales are also frequent,

says Hotwire, with promotional

sales that will see sudden drops in

pricing or tack-on freebies.

Currently, travelers who booked

between March 6 and 8, for

instance, received an on-board

credit of $200 to use on select 7-

day Alaska cruises, while those

booked on the 14-day journeys

will receive $400. Credit can be

used on retail purchases on-board,

spa treatments, dining, as well as

shore excursions.

Bargain hunters looking to book

a cruise might also want to con-

sider a transatlantic crossing, sug-

gests Hotwire, given that many

companies are currently looking

to reposition their fleets to differ-

ent ports this year. The result?

Some crossings are going for as

low as $37 a night.

Experts give fair warning, how-

ever, that these one-way crossings

aren’t for novice cruisers as they

may suffer from cabin fever from

spending most of the time

onboard a ship.

If you’re looking for a cruise

with multiple ports of call, mean-

while, experts recommend taking

a European cruise. With ships

leaving ports with empty cabins

due to a lackluster season, cruise

lines are trying to attract con-

sumers with low prices and added

incentives such as up to $1,000 in

air fare, points out Hotwire.

Meanwhile, earlier this week

Cruise Critic, an offshoot of

TripAdvisor, named the newest

addition to Disney’s fleet of luxu-

ry liners Disney Fantasy the

world’s best cruise ship based on

the reviews submitted by readers

in 2012.

The Disney Fantasy was voted

Best Overall Ship, Best Cabins,

Best Entertainment, Best Public

Rooms and Best Service, while

the Celebrity Eclipse was named

Best Value for Money.

How to book a cruise trip on a budget

Nothing lewd about this: Jottings about a Goa nude club

Disney Fantasy was chosen the world’s best cruise ship based on reviews submitted by readers in 2012.

TRAVEL 19March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info

MY MOST COLORFUL HOLIReaders are invited to send up to 400-word, first-person write-ups on the most enjoyable and eventful Holi festival they have

had -- in India or here in America. Also talk about how you plan to celebrate Holi this year (that falls on March 27, Wednesday).

You can also send related Holi pictures/drawings from your albums. Please give your name, email address and city you live in,

and email everything to editor@thesouthasiantimes.info by the deadline: March 26.

Your contributions will be prominently published in our special, all-color, Holi issue dated March 30, 2013. As you must be

aware, the e-paper of our every issue also goes up on our website, thesouthasiantimes.info.Managing Editor,

The South Asian Timeseditor@thesouthasiantimes.info

The South Asian Timese x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m

Google Maps adds view from Mt. Everest

Google on Monday added

views from some of the

world's tallest mountains

to scenes woven into its popular

online map service.

Arm chair explorers were invit-

ed to take virtual adventures with

members of Google's Street View

team to Aconcagua in South

America; Kilimanjaro in Africa,

Mount Elbrus in Europe, and Mt.

Everest base camp in Nepal.

"Whether you're scoping out the

mountain for your next big adven-

ture or exploring it from the com-

fort and warmth of your home, we

hope you enjoy these views from

the top of the world," Google

adventurer Dan Fredinburg said

in a blog post.

"With Google Maps, you can

instantly transport yourself to the

top of these peaks and enjoy the

sights without all the avalanches,

rock slides, crevasses, and dan-

gers from altitude and weather

that mountaineers face."

The mountains climbed by the

Street View team were among

peaks referred to as the 'Seven

Summits;' the highest peaks on

the Earth's continents.

'Googlers' who made the

ascents took the pictures with tri-

pod-mounted digital camera

equipped with a fisheye lens to

capture 360-degree views.

Street View teams have cycled,

driven and walked through cities

and towns around the globe cap-

turing images to add to online

maps, letting people see what it

might be like to stand at a spot

they are curious about.

Google has added images from

a Nunavut community in the

Canadian Arctic and a portion of

the Amazon in Brazil.

Attention

Readers!

Punjab drugs haul: Indian origin Briton, ex-cop held

20 March 23-29, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoDIASPORA

Hindi writers, journalists honored in UKLondon: In connection with World Hindi Day 2013, the

following Hindi writers, journalists and organizations

were honored at a ceremony hosted by the High

Commission of India, London on March 19, 2013.

• John Gilchrist UK Hindi Shikshan Samman: Sri

Mahendra Kishore Verma (York University);

Dr.Harivansh Rai Bachhan UK. Hindi literary award:

Dr.Krishna Kumar; Acharya Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi

Award for journalism: Smt. Kavita Vachaknavi; •

Frederick Pincott UK award for dedication to Hindi

propagation: Kavya Rang, Nottingham.

On this occasion, the High Commissioner of India Dr.

J. Bhagwati gave away cash prizes, shields, shawls and

citations to the awardees.

In addition, under Dr. Laxmi Mal Singhvi Anudaan

Sahayta Yojna, cash grants were also given for publica-

tion of Hindi books to Mrs. Usha Verma for her book

'Sim Card tatha anya kahaniyan' and Dr.Krishna

Kanhaiya for his book 'Kitaab Jindagi ki'.

Prominent Hindi writers, journalists, and members of

the Indian origin community from the fields of arts and

literature were present at the ceremony.

Manslaughter conviction overturned for Dr.Jayant Patel

Brisbane: An American surgeon

previously convicted of the

manslaughter of three patients in

Australia was found not guilty of

one of the deaths Wednesday after

Australia's highest court ordered

prosecutors to retry the case.

Jayant Patel, an Indian-born U.S.

citizen, was sentenced to seven

years in prison in 2010 after being

convicted of the manslaughter of

three patients and causing grievous

bodily harm to another. The accusa-

tions related to his work as chief

surgeon at a public hospital in

Queensland state between 2003 and

2005.

Australia's highest court threw out

the conviction last year after deter-

mining prosecutors had inappropri-

ately changed the direction of their

case late in the trial. Separate retri-

als were ordered for the charges

related to each patient.

The first retrial involved the 2003

death of 75-year-old Mervyn

Morris, who prosecutors said died

after Patel wrongly removed part of

his colon. Patel's defense argued that

the operation was necessary to

address Morris' rectal bleeding.

Patel's competency as a surgeon

has been under scrutiny in both the

U.S. and Australia for more than 25

years. When his patients and col-

leagues at the hospital in

Bundaberg, Queensland, began to

complain about his work, he left

Australia and returned to the U.S.

The FBI arrested him in Portland,

Oregon, in 2008 and he was extra-

dited to Australia.

An Australian government inquiry

initially found that Patel may have

directly contributed to 13 deaths at

the Bundaberg hospital, but prose-

cutors narrowed the case to three

counts of manslaughter for the

deaths of Morris, James Edward

Phillips and Gerry Kemps, and one

count of grievous bodily harm for

his treatment of Ian Rodney Vowles.

Prosecutors argued in his original

trial that Patel misdiagnosed

patients and used sloppy, out-of-date

surgical techniques.

Prosecutor David Meredith told

the Queensland Supreme Court on

Wednesday that the prosecution

would proceed with the other trials,

despite the acquittal on the first

charge.

Outside court, Patel's lawyer Ken

Fleming said his client believed

"justice has been done."

C h a n d i g a r h :

Hours before he

was planning to fly

out of India, a

British national of

Indian origin was

arrested for his role

in the multi-million

dollar drugs racket

spanning Europe, Canada and the

US, Punjab Police said Tuesday.

Kulwant Singh, a British national

who originally hails from Phagwara

town in Punjab, was among the three

people arrested in the drugs racket

busted recently, police said.

Kulwant Singh was arrested from a

hotel in Mahipalpur area of Delhi

Tuesday, police said.

Co-accused Kirpal Singh, a retired

deputy superintendent of police

(DSP) of Uttar Pradesh Police, was

arrested from Meerut in Uttar

Pradesh and conduit Harpreet Singh

was taken into custody from Patiala,

a police

spokesman said

here.

"Punjab Police

today arrested

three more persons

in the Fatehgarh

Sahib drug recov-

ery case, in which

Anoop Singh Kahlon (a Canadian

national) had been earlier arrested

and 28.6 kg heroin had been recov-

ered. About 30 kg raw material for

production of 'Ice' drug has also been

recovered," the spokesman said.

"Kulwant Singh was planning to fly

out of the country tomorrow. His

ticket has been seized," the

spokesman said, adding that Kulwant

was the organizer of the drugs distri-

bution network in Europe and

Canada, where the gang used to send

the drugs. Two people arrested earli-

er - Anoop Singh Kahlon and Mani

Gill - are Canadian citizens, he said.

Gurdwaras in Pakistan observeSikh Environment Day

Washington,DC: For the first

time, 35 gurdwaras in Pakistan

mainly in Sindh and Balochistan,

and in Nankana Sahib, the birth-

place of Guru Nanak, joined Sikh

institutions in India and abroad in

observing Sikh Environment Day,

according to information received

here.

Tens of thousands of Sikhs

across the world celebrated the

Day Thursday, according to

Washington based Sikh organiza-

tion, EcoSikh which had appealed

to all Sikh groups to observe the

day with environmental action

programs.

The day when Guru Har Rai,

known for his deep love and sen-

sitivity towards nature and its

preservation, became the seventh

Sikh Guru in 1644, is observed by

the community as Sikh

Environment Day to garner sup-

port from various faith communi-

ties and officials.

EcoSikh president Rajwant

Singh, said: "It is amazing to see

so much enthusiasm among the

Sikh communities all around the

world, and we believe that this is

the largest direct action by the

Sikhs for the environment in the

history of Sikhism."

Ravneet Singh, Program

Manager of Ecosikh in India, said

some 1,550 Sikh gurdwaras,

organizations and institutions

from India and abroad had held

special Gurbani recitals on the

theme of nature and organized

herbal plants and flower shows.

"For the first time, Sikhs in the

British Army are also organizing

their special observances on envi-

ronment." he added.

Gurdwaras across Punjab and

other parts of the world also

pledged to reduce the use of

Styrofoam and disposables at gur-

dwaras and religious ceremonies.

"Many gurdwaras have begun

projects on implementing solar

panels, composting systems, and

steel utensils during langar (free

community meal in the Sikh tradi-

tion) for more comprehensive

environmental sustainability," said

Paramjeet Kaur, EcoSikh program

administrator in North America.

Dr Jayant Patel

High Commissioner Dr J Bhagwati presenting theDr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan UK Hindi Literary

Award to Dr Krishna Kumar at U.K Hindi Sammanfunction at India House on March 19, 2013.

Special fund proposed for Kerala diasporaThiruvananthapuram: Kerala Finance Minister K.M.

Mani, presenting the state budget for 2013-14 in the

assembly Friday, proposed a special fund to help the dias-

pora returning to the state.

"There are close to three million Keralites working

abroad. Of late, the job scenario in Middle East is chang-

ing and forcing our people to return. To help such people,

we are starting a scheme in which the diaspora can con-

tribute," Mani said.

"Once they come back for good, an amount equal to

that in their account would be given as a loan at three per-

cent interest rate to help them start a viable business. The

state-owned Kerala State Financial Enterprise will run

this program," the minister added.

Deposits made by the diaspora in commercial banks in

Kerala rose to Rs.55,000 crore as in June last year, up

from Rs.38,000 the previous year. Another proposal relat-

ed to the diaspora in the state budget was to set up

'Malayalam Missions' in countries like Bahrain, Japan,

Ireland, Singapore, Dubai and Malaysia to help the sec-

ond and third generation Malayalees to connect with the

Malayalam language and culture.

21March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info SUBCONTINENT

Colombo: The Sri Lankan govern-

ment decided to reject the final

draft of a US resolution submitted

at the UN Human Rights Council

(UNHRC) and seek a vote among

members, the external affairs min-

istry said.

In letters addressed to foreign

ministers of UNHRC member

countries, External Affairs

Minister G.L. Peiris said Sri Lanka

believes that drawing dispropor-

tionate attention to Sri Lanka's sit-

uation and introducing resolution

that seeks to discredit, single out

the country are unhelpful and

counterproductive to Sri Lanka's

current reconciliation process.

The minister noted that the bene-

ficiaries of such action would be

none other than the divisive forces

that seek to destabilize the hard

won peace in the country.

Moreover, he said the precedent

created by intrusive, biased and

politicized actions such as the US

sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka

would pose danger for all nations.

"Just as the government of Sri

Lanka did not recognize the last

HRC resolution, it rejects the new

resolution. Sri Lanka seeks the

understanding and the support of

HRC member states at the vote on

this resolution," the minister said

in his letter.

The US tabled the final version

of the resolution at the 22nd ses-

sion of the UNHRC in Geneva,

with co-sponsors including

Austria, Canada, Belgium,

Denmark, France, Germany,

Greece, Italy, Norway and Britain.

In a toned down document as

compared to the previous drafts,

the resolution, among other points,

requests the Office of the High

Commissioner for Human Rights

to present an oral update on the

progress in Sri Lanka at the 24th

session of the Council.

Sri Lanka rejects US resolution

NATO terms Karzai'saccusation as 'ridiculous'

Brussels: NATO Secretary General

Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said it is

"absolutely ridiculous" for Afghanistan

President Hamid Karzai to accuse the US

of colluding with the Taliban.

"I reject the idea that was publicly

launched by President Karzai that one

way or the other there is a so-called collu-

sion between NATO, ISAF, US and the

Taliban. It's an absolutely ridiculous

idea," reported Xinhua citing Rasmussen

as saying Monday at his monthly press

conference in Brussels.

On March 10, Karzai accused the US of

conspiring with the Taliban to keep for-

eign troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014,

when NATO is going to end its combat

mission. "We fully respect the sovereign-

ty of Afghanistan. But we would also

expect acknowledgment from the Afghan

side that we have actually invested a lot

in blood and treasure in helping President

Karzai's country to move forward."

The NATO chief said Karzai had

changed some of statements and stressed

the remarks were meant to "help reform,

not destroy, the relationship".

'Nepal reducing poverty faster than India'London: Nepal and Bangladesh

are reducing poverty faster com-

pared to India, according to a new

study based on the multidimen-

sional poverty index developed at

the University of Oxford and used

by the UN Development

Programme (UNDP) in its Human

Development Reports.

India also made significant

progress in reducing poverty

between 1999 and 2006, but at a

rate that was less than one-third of

the speed of its poorer neighbors,

with a reduction in poverty rates of

1.2 percentage points per year

[instead of 4.1% (Nepal) or 3.2%

(Bangladesh)], the study found.

However, multidimensional

poverty was reduced least in the

poorest states - such as Bihar,

Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar

Pradesh and West Bengal - and

among the poorest social groups,

such as Scheduled Tribes,

Muslims, female-headed house-

holds and larger households.

According to the study, even

India's best-performing states -

Kerala and Andhra Pradesh - pro-

gressed little more than half as fast

as Nepal or Bangladesh in reducing

multidimensional poverty, a release

from the Oxford Poverty and

Human development Initiative

(OPHI), which conducted the

study, said.

"The success of Nepal and

Bangladesh in reducing poverty

despite their relatively low income

highlights the effectiveness of

social policy investments com-

bined with active civil society

engagement," said Sabina Alkire,

director of OPHI.

The poverty measure used by

OPHI, the global Multidimensional

Poverty Index (MPI), is said to be

unique in capturing the simultane-

ous disadvantages experienced by

poor people, such as malnutrition,

education and sanitation, providing

a high-resolution lens on their lives.

According to researcher Suman

Seth, "From 1999-2006 India did

very well in certain aspects of

poverty reduction; for example,

MPI among the scheduled caste

groups showed a strong reduction,

and poverty among the most desti-

tute went down faster than the

average."

He added: "However, it's still the

case that the benefits of national

poverty reduction have been

enjoyed least by some of the poorer

groups and regions."

The study found that were 'star

performers': the percentage of poor

people in Nepal dropped from

64.7% to 44.2% between 2006 and

2011, 4.1 percentage points per

year, while in Bangladesh poverty

rates decreased by 3.2 percentage

points per year between 2004

and 2007.

The Sri Lankan government seeks a vote among UN memberson human rights violation reports in the country

Pak to hold general elections on May 11

Islamabad: Pakistani

President Asif Ali Zardari

announced that general elec-

tions would be held on May

11, in what will mark the first

democratic transition of power

in the country's history.

"The president received a

summary from the government

asking him to announce a suit-

able date for the election, so

the president announced today

that general elections to the

national assembly will be held

on May 11," spokesman

Farhatullah Babar said.

Parliament made history last

week by becoming the first

under a civilian leader to com-

plete a full five-year term, but

Taliban attacks and record lev-

els of violence against Shiite

Muslims have raised fears

about security for the polls.

The election will mark the

first time that an elected civil-

ian government hands over to

another in the nuclear-armed

country of 180 million, which

has seen three military coups

and four military rulers.

The electoral race will be

dominated by the ruling

Pakistan People's Party and the

opposition Pakistan Muslim

League-N led by former prime

minister Nawaz Sharif.

Elections will also be held

for assemblies in Pakistan's

four provinces, but Babar told

AFP there was no decision yet

on whether those polls will

also be held on May 11.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari

Dhaka: Bangladesh President

Zillur Rahman died at a hospi-

tal in Singapore on March 20,

said a media report. He was

83.

Rahman died at Mount

Elizabeth Hospital of

Singapore where he was

undergoing treatment for res-

piratory problems and some

other complications since

March 11, reported thedai-

lystar.net.

Before being flown to

Singapore, Zillur was admitted

to the Combined Military

Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka

March 10 with respiratory

problems.

He had fever since March 9.

The president was on respira-

tory support while boarding

the aircraft for Singapore, the

media report quoted

Bangabhaban official sources

as saying.

Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina, Leader of Opposition

in parliament Khaleda Zia and

Speaker Abdul Hamid

expressed deep condolence at

his death.

BangladeshPresident ZillurRahman is dead

Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman

22 March 23-29, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoINTERNATIONAL

Obama in Israel for first trip as president

China willing to help Korea reconciliation: Jinping

US denies plotting to kill Venezuelan leaderWashington: The Obama adminis-

tration rejected accusations of any

US involvement in a plot to assassi-

nate a Venezuelan opposition leader.

"Let me say it here extremely

clearly, looking right at you, the

United States categorically rejects

allegations of any U.S. government

involvement in any plot to destabi-

lize the Venezuelan government or to

harm anyone in Venezuela," State

Department spokeswoman Victoria

Nuland said at a regular press

briefing.

The allegations were leveled a day earlier by

Venezuelan acting President Nicolas Maduro, who

accused former American diplomats

Roger Noriega and Otto Reich as well

as the Pentagon and the CIA of being

behind a plot to assassinate Henrique

Capriles, his rival in the presidential

election set for April 14.

Maduro told a private channel that

he had reliable information to show

that the US plot aimed to "blame the

government" for the attack and "cre-

ate chaos in Venezuela."

Since president Hugo Chavez's

death of cancer earlier this month,

the Venezuelan government has

accused Washington of trying to destabilize the South

American nation.

Tel Aviv: President Barack Obama

plunged into the turbulent Middle

East on a mission aimed primarily at

assuring America's top ally in the

region and its friends back home

that it will not be forsaken amid bit-

ter domestic political squabbles and

budget crises in Washington.

Obama arrived in Israel for his

first visit to the country and only his

second to the Middle East, outside

of a quick jaunt to Iraq, since taking

office. He will also be making his

first trips as president to the

Palestinian Authority and Jordan

this week. But on an itinerary laden

more with symbolism than sub-

stance, an Israel that is increasingly

wary of developments in Syria and

Iran is Obama's main focus.

Air Force One touched down in

Tel Aviv early Wednesday afternoon

after an overnight flight from

Washington. Among those there to

greet him were President Shimon

Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin

Netanyahu.

Obama arrived to face an Israeli

leadership and public anxious to

hear the president affirm America's

commitment to the security of the

Jewish state while standing on their

soil.

Obama sparred frequently with

Netanyahu over the Palestinian

peace process during his first term.

And despite public assurances from

both sides that relations otherwise

remained solid, the president

endured four years of criticism from

pro-Israel advocates and conserva-

tives in the US and numerous com-

mentators in Israel for not doing

enough to back the Mideast's only

stable democracy in the face of

growing threats to its existence.

So even though U.S. officials have

set expectations low and previewed

no significant policy announce-

ments, there is a clear metric to

measure the success of Obama's

three-day stay in Israel and the West

Bank: how much he is able to

reverse the perception that his

administration is not fully commit-

ted to Israel's security.

Beijing: Chinese President Xi

Jinping told his South Korean

counterpart Beijing is willing to

help "reconciliation" between

Seoul and Pyongyang, China's

foreign ministry said on its web-

site.

"China is willing to provide

the necessary assistance to

advance South-North reconcilia-

tion and cooperation," Xi told

Park Geun-Hye in a phone call,

according to the ministry state-

ment. China is the North's sole

major ally.

Al Qaida says French hostage killed in MaliNouakchott: A French hostage has been executed in

Mali, a man claiming to be a spokesman for al-Qaida in

North Africa told Mauritania's ANI news agency.

A French foreign office spokesman said Paris was try-

ing to verify the report of the killing of Philippe Verdon,

who was kidnapped in November 2011, adding that "we

don't know at the moment" whether it was reliable.

The private Mauritanian news agency reported that

someone calling himself Al-Qairawani and claiming to

be a spokesman for al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb

(AQIM) group told them that the "spy" Verdon had been

executed "on March 10 in response to France's interven-

tion in Northern Mali."

"The French President (Francois) Hollande is responsi-

ble for the lives of the other French hostages," he warned.

In all 15 French nationals, including Verdon, are being

held captive in Africa, with AQIM claiming responsibil-

ity for six of the kidnappings.

Verdon was seized on the night of November 24, 2011

along with Serge Lazarevic. According to their families

the two men had been on a business trip and were kid-

napped from their hotel in Hombori, northeast Mali.

The families denied that the two men were mercenar-

ies or secret service agents.

AQIM swiftly claimed responsibility for the kidnap-

pings and in August last year a video showing Verdon

describing the "difficult living conditions" was released

on a Mauritanian website. The hostages' families have in

recent weeks expressed growing fears for their loved

ones in the light of France's military actions in Mali.

Venezuelan opposition leaderHenrique Capriles

Malala joins school in UK

London: Pakistani teenager

Malala Yousafzai returned to

school for the first time since

October when she was shot in the

head by the Taliban for cam-

paigning for girls' education.

The 15-year-old said she had

"achieved her dream" and was

looking forward to meeting new

friends at the independent

Edgbaston High School for Girls

in Birmingham, central England,

where she is now living.

Malala was flown to Britain

after the attack for surgery for her

head injuries and underwent sev-

eral operations as recently as last

month.

"I am excited that today I have

achieved my dream of going back

to school," she said in a state-

ment. "I want all girls in the

world to have this basic

opportunity."

She added: "I miss my class-

mates from Pakistan very much

but I am looking forward to meet-

ing my teachers and making new

friends here in Birmingham."

She will be studying a full cur-

riculum in preparation for select-

ing subjects for GCSEs, the stan-

dard exams that English school-

children typically sit at 16.

Malala was shot at point-blank

range by a Taliban gunman as her

school bus travelled through

northwest Pakistan's Swat Valley

on October 9, in an attack that

drew worldwide condemnation.

Malala Yousafzai

Pray for me: Pope Francis sends first tweet

Vatican City: Pope Francis post-

ed his first tweet to engage with

over three million followers on

his personal Twitter account, with

a message: "Pray for me."

"Dear friends, I thank you from

my heart and ask you to continue

to pray for me," the pope tweeted

from the @Pontifex account,

which was previously used by

Benedict XVI.

The 76-year-old Pope Francis's

first tweet had over 13,000

retweets within the first hours of

posting.

After Pope Benedict officially

resigned, all tweets were erased

from the feed and the @Pontifex

account holder's name was

changed to "Sede Vacante" to sig-

nify the papacy was vacant.

Shortly after Pope Francis was

elected, the Vatican used the

papal Twitter account to tweet

"Habemus Papam Franciscum"

(We have a pope named Francis).

The tweet came three months

after the Vatican launched the

first ever personal Twitter

account for the Pope, with tweets

going out in nine languages.

The Pope's English account has

nearly 1.6 million followers.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio

of Buenos Aires was elected the

266th pope by the conclave of

cardinals March 13, becoming

the first Latin American to lead

the Catholic Church.

The inauguration of the new

leader of the world's 1.2 billion

Catholics was held on March 19.

The Pope's English account has nearly 1.6 million followers

Obama arrived in Israel for his first visit to the country and only his second to the Middle East

Govt to continue with reformsagenda: Chidambaram

New Delhi: Undeterred by adverse

political developments, Union

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram

said there will be no let up in the

government’s efforts to continue

with the economic reforms and he

will go ahead with his meetings

with foreign investors to persuade

them to invest in India.

“I don’t see us any weaker today

(than) what we were yesterday.

Yes, it is true one ally has with-

drawn support. The government

enjoys a majority, the government

will continue to do its duty.

“The government will continue

to take executive action and the

government will continue to push

legislation in Parliament”, he told a

press conference.

Chidambaram was responding to

questions on fate of economic

reforms in the aftermath of with-

drawal of support to the UPA by

the DMK.

The Minister further said that he

would meet investors to persuade

them to invest in India and also the

government will not waiver in its

commitment to bring down the fis-

cal deficit to 4.8 per cent in 2013-

14 from 5.2 per cent estimated in

the current financial year.

Mr. Chidambaram is scheduled

to meet foreign investors in major

financial hubs in Japan, UAE,

Canada and the United States in the

coming weeks.

“We are in government. We have

a duty to steer the ship even if there

is mild storm in the sea. We have

our hands firmly on the wheels. We

will continue to push for legisla-

tion,” he said.

23March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info BUSINESS

H1B visas could double in the USWashington: In a major victory

for the tech industry, US visas for

high-skilled foreign workers,

including those from India, could

double under a bipartisan Senate

immigration plan, according to

the Washington Post.

The proposal would also give

permanent legal status to an

unlimited number of students who

earn graduate degrees from US

universities in science, technolo-

gy, engineering or math, the influ-

ential US daily reported citing

people familiar with the negotia-

tions.

The number of H1Bs visas for

highly skilled workers would

approximately double from the

current limit of 65,000 per year

under the plan of eight senators

working on a deal between the

Congress and the White House to

overhaul the immigration system,

it said.

Critics suggest that H1B pro-

gram has become a way for out-

sourcing firms to bring lower-paid

employees to the US. Most of the

top 10 employers of H1B visa

holders, for instance, are India-

based technology consultancies

with large US operations,

Those firms often train workers

in the United States before send-

ing them back home to do the

same jobs for considerably less

money, according to critics cited

by the Post.

The Post cited these critics as

saying that companies commonly

use the visa to bring employees

from India to work in the US for

up to three years, train them and

then return them to India to con-

tinue the same work, often for a

US company buying the services

from a contractor.

But advocates for tech compa-

nies welcomed the developments,

describing the still-evolving

immigration plan as a potential

watershed moment.

"We're encouraged," Scott

Corley, executive director of

Compete America, a coalition of

companies that includes Intel,

Google, IBM and other tech

giants, was quoted as saying by

the Post.

The foreign-worker piece of the

immigration debate has been one

of the thorniest for the eight sena-

tors, who are trying to reach a full

agreement among themselves by

Friday, the daily said. Staffers will

then take the next two weeks to

draft a bill.

The Post citing familiar with the

talks said the senators group has

agreed to a citizenship plan that

would immediately legalize mil-

lions of undocumented immi-

grants, including about 250,000

Indians, but would require certain

expenditures on border security

and internal enforcement before

allowing people to gain a path to

citizenship.

New Delhi: A Delhi court

summoned Bharti Airtel

chairman Sunil Mittal and

Essar Group promoter

Ravi Ruia in a case relat-

ing to alleged irregularities

in allocation of excess

spectrum during the

National Democratic

Alliance (NDA) regime.

Also summoned were

former telecom secretary

Shyamal Ghosh and Asim

Ghose, formerly with

Hutchison Max Telecom,

now known as Vodafone India.

Special Central Bureau of Investigation

(CBI) judge O.P. Saini issued summons for

April 11 after taking cognizance of the charge

sheet filed against mobile firms Bharti Airtel,

Vodafone and Sterling Cellular for the alleged

irregularities.

On Dec 21 last year, the CBI named

Shyamal Ghosh and the three telecom firms as

accused in the 57-page charge sheet for crimi-

nal conspiracy as also under the provisions of

the Prevention of Corruption Act for causing a

loss of about Rs.846 crore to the exchequer.

The agency told the court that additional

spectrum was allotted July 17, 2002, to Bharti

Cellular (now Bharti Airtel) and Sterling

Cellular (now Vodafone

Mobile Service) for the

Delhi metro area, and

Hutchison Max (now

Vodafone India) for

Mumbai metro area.

The late Bharatiya Janata

Party leader Pramod

Mahajan was the telecom

minister then.

The judge said Sunil

Mittal was chairman-cum-

managing director of

Bharti, Asim Ghosh was

managing director of

Hutchison Max and Ruia a director in Sterling

Cellular - and they were all prima facie in con-

trol of affairs of the respective companies.

"As such they represent the directing mind

and will of each company and their state of

mind is the state of mind of the companies.

"They are/were the 'alter-ego' of their respec-

tive companies," judge Saini said.

"In this fact/situation, the acts of the compa-

nies are to be attributed and imputed to them.

Consequently, I find enough material on

record to proceed against them."

Regarding Shyamal Ghosh, the CBI alleged

that he had abused his position, entered into a

criminal conspiracy with minister Mahajan

and had caused a loss to the exchequer.

Mumbai: Various policy

measures initiated by the

government for the civil

aviation sector have begun

to yield results and the air-

line industry in India is

witnessing a revival, union

Civil Aviation Minister

Ajit Singh said.

On account of these poli-

cies, the general aviation

business would emerge as

a key driver of regional

connectivity and economic

development, he said.

He cited the recent

examples of the Tata-Air

Asia proposal to float a

joint venture private air-

line and the interest

evinced by Etihaad as

examples of the growing

business confidence in the

Indian civil aviation sec-

tor.

Addressing the 11th

Routes Asia Conference

which has attracted 160

delegates from 88 airlines

around the world, Ajit

Singh asserted that the 49

percent FDI in aviation

was "the single most

important policy decision"

which will transform the

country's civil aviation

scenario.

In order to boost interna-

tional air travel, the gov-

ernment has liberalised

grant of traffic rights to

Indian carriers.

"The new traffic rights

have opened up several

new international sectors

and increased the traffic

entitlements of our carriers

by approximately 60 per-

cent," the minister said.

Ajit Singh called upon

all the stakeholders in the

aviation sector to engage

in jointly promoting

"Brand India".

At present, India is the

9th largest aviation market

in the world handling 121

million domestic and 41

million international pas-

sengers annually, said Ajit

Singh.

Chidambaram was speaking in the aftermath of withdrawal of support to the UPA by the DMK.

Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal At present, India is the 9th largest aviation

market in the world

Airtel chairman summoned in 2G case Indian aviation sector is reviving: Ajit Singh

Citigroup Inc has agreed to pay $730 million to

settle a class action lawsuit on behalf of

investors who said they were misled by the

company’s disclosures.

Purchasers of the bank’s debt and preferred stock

between 2006 and 2008 claimed there were misstate-

ments and omissions in the disclosures, Citigroup

said in a statement announcing the proposed settle-

ment. The investors accused the bank of bank under-

stating loss reserves for its high-risk residential mort-

gage loans and falsely stating risky assets were of

high credit quality, according to Bernstein Litowitz

Berger & Grossman, a law firm that represented pen-

sion funds and other investors in the case.

The bank denied the allegations and said it was

entering into the settlement to end the litigation.

“This settlement is another significant step toward

resolving our exposure to claims arising from the

financial crisis,” the bank said in its statement.

The class action was filed on behalf of purchasers

of 48 offerings of preferred stock and bonds, the law

firm said.

Citigroup to pay $730 mn to settle case

24 March 23-29, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoSPORTS

India eye whitewash against OzMohali: India took an unassailable

3-0 lead in the Border-Gavaskar

cricket series beating Australia by

six wickets in a thrilling finish on

the final day of the third Test at the

Punjab Cricket Association (PCA)

Stadium. The victory was all the

more creditable as it came in four

days after rain washed out the open-

ing day's play without a ball being

bowled. Debutant Shikhar Dhawan

was judged Man of the Match for

his whirlwind 187.

On the final day, there were stages

when Australia looked like saving

the Test, particularly when the last

two wickets added 80 runs to stretch

their second innings score to 223.

That, however, left India to get only

a meagre 132 runs for victory in a

minimum of 33.3 overs. Australia

made 408 in the first innings and

India replied with 499.

There was some artificial excite-

ment in the last hour when India

made heavy weather of the target.

Eventually, skipper Mahendra Singh

Dhoni (18 not out) took the team

home, hitting three consecutive

fours with 2.3 overs left.

India started with Murali Vijay

(26) and Cheteshwar Pujara (28) as

first-innings century-maker Shikhar

Dhawan injured his finger while

fielding and did not come out to bat.

The duo added 42 runs for the first

wicket before VIjay was stumped by

Brad Haddin off left-arm spinner

Xavier Doherty.

Then Pujara and Virat Kohli (34)

added 28 runs for the second-wicket

before Nathan Lyon trapped Pujara

leg-before. Kohli hit some crisp

fours, but run-making was not easy

as fast bowlers Peter Siddle and

Mitchell Starc kept a tight line,

using reverse swing to good effect.

Siddle got rid of the well-set Kohli,

whose mistimed flick ended up in

the hands of a diving Phil Hughes at

short mid-wicket.

With 17 required off the last four

overs, Sachin Tendulkar (21) was

run out after a brilliant effort from

David Warner. Ravindra Jadeja (8

not out) hit two fours in the same

over to ease the pressure and left it

to Dhoni to finish off in style.

Earlier, Jadeja (3/35) and Pragyan

Ojha's left-arm spin (2/26) ran

through the Australian middle order

with offie Ravichandran Ashwin

chipping in with two, including the

wicket of top scorer Phil Jacques,

who struck form with a gritty 69.

Ojha and Jadeja bowled in tandem

as Australia lost five wickets for 54

runs. Ojha was the first to strike to

get rid of night-watchman Nathan

Lyon (18), caught behind by Dhoni.

Lankan officials worried overplayers' safety

Colombo: Sri Lanka Cricket

(SLC) officials raised concerns

over the safety of its national

players who are to take part in

the Indian Premier League (IPL)

T20 tournament next month fol-

lowing the recent spate of

attacks against Sri Lankans in

Tamil Nadu.

The Sri Lanka Cricket Players'

Association (SLCPA) has writ-

ten to its parent organisation, the

Federation of International

Cricketers' Association (FICA),

to assess the safety of its players

during the IPL, starting April 3,

and to determine a course of

action that will ensure the crick-

eters' safety, Xinhua reports.

The IPL matches will be

played in several key Indian

cities, including Chennai, where

tensions against Sri Lankans

have risen after two Buddhist

monks and several Sri Lankan

tourists were assaulted by Tamil

groups. Ten IPL matches are

scheduled to be played in

Chennai. SLCPA chairman Ken

de Alwis said that the associa-

tion was awaiting a response

from FICA. Following a rise in

the number of incidents of vio-

lent assaults against Sri Lankans

in Tamil Nadu, the Sri Lankan

government Tuesday requested

all its nationals to exercise cau-

tion when undertaking visits to

Tamil Nadu.

Dhawan out of Delhi TestMumbai: Man of the match in the

third Test, Shikhar Dhawan, was

ruled out of the fourth Test against

Australia, scheduled to be played

in New Delhi between March 22-

26, after he sustained a fracture in

the left hand.

Dhawan, who hit a record break-

ing 187 in his maiden Test innings

in Mohali, will be out of action for

six weeks, announced a Board of

Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

statement late Tuesday.

BCCI's All India Senior

Selection Committee had replaced

Dhawan with Gautam Gambhir

and brought in Suresh Raina to the

squad for the fourth Test. However,

Gambhir was diagnosed with jaun-

dice after undergoing a blood test

earlier Tuesday. He will not take

part in the fourth match.

"The official announcement of

the team was delayed as the board

was waiting for the copy of the

report," said the BCCI statement.

Clarke may skip Delhi Test Boxer Vijender's controversyunfortunate: Bindra

New Delhi: Speculation is rife in

the Australian camp that Michael

Clarke may not like to risk his

dodgy back in a dead rubber and

leave it to his deputy Shane

Watson to lead the team in the

fourth and the final Test against

India.

The chances of Watson leading

Australia for the first time in a

Test increased after Clarke

skipped the nets at the Feroze

Shah Kotla here Wednesday.

Clarke was clearly struggling

with a recurring back pain during

the Mohali Test which India won

to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in

the series.

Clarke did not train and spent

his time chatting with head coach

Mickey Arthur and selector Rod

Marsh, though he did have a clos-

er look at the wicket.

Watson appeared visibly happy

and could barely wipe the smile

off his face following the birth of

his son Will.

It also appears that Watson has

patched up with Cricket

Australia's (CA) high-perform-

ance chief Pat Howard, who had

called Watson as only "sometimes

a team player". Howard moved

around the ground with the phone

glued to his ear.

An out-of-form Watson has

been at the centre of a controversy

after he was sidelined from the

third Test in Mohali along with

three others over a breach of team

discipline last week.

Watson was angry and left for

home to be with his wife Lee,

who delivered baby boy Will last

Thursday. Watson, who left India

contemplating retirement, howev-

er, returned in time to be with the

team for the fourth Test.

Gurgaon: India's only individual

Olympic gold medalist Abhinav

Bindra said it was unfortunate and

sad that Olympic bronze medalist

boxer Vijender Singh's name

emerged in a drug bust.

Abhinav Bindra, the World and

Olympic champion in 10-metre

Air Rifle shooting and co-owner

of Pizza Vito in India, was here to

attend a private function in a mall

on Sohna road.

On the alleged affiliation of

Vijender and his fellow boxer

Ram Singh with Canada-based

Indian Anup Singh Kahlon,

Abhinav said that he didn't have

much to say and would not like to

be part of a debate on this sensi-

tive issue.

However, he said the whole

episode was unfortunate.

"Vijender Singh is an Olympic

medallist and recipient of Rajiv

Gandhi Khel Ratna award - the

highest sporting honour in the

country. It is very sad and unfortu-

nate that his name has emerged in

such a way," Bindra said.

Anup Singh Kahlon and his

associate Kulwinder Singh, who

were arrested in connection with

the drug bust March 3, named the

boxers and said they had supplied

them with drugs.

Heroin from a flat in Zirakpur

(Mohali), worth an estimated

Rs.130 crore, was recovered by

Punjab Police.

A car registered in the name of

Vijender's wife was found parked

at the alleged dealer's home.

India has taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Border-Gavaskar cricket series

Olympic bronze medalist boxer Vijender Singh

Michael Clarke

25March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info SELF HELP

Top 5 home improvement projects to increase value of your houseS

elling a home in today’s

aggressive marketplace

can be challenging. The

good news is there are a few

tweaks that can give homeown-

ers a serious leg up on the com-

petition.

With the warmer months

being the most active time of

year to buy and sell real estate,

it’s important to ensure your

home is seen in the best light

possible.

“Despite the influx of homes

for sale this season, the process

of buying and selling a home

can be simple, efficient and

enjoyable,” says Wendy

Froehlich of Homes.com, one

of the nation’s top online real

estate listing and lifestyle

resources.

According to Homes.com, the

top five projects that improve

home equity are:

Bathrooms

If adding an additional bath-

room isn`t an option, upgrade

existing ones.

Adding a dual vanity to a

master or secondary bath

improves functionality, allow-

ing multiple people to use the

space. Change out fixtures like

faucets and shower doors to

increase aesthetic appeal. If

you’re on a budget, replace

light fixtures or switch plates to

help refresh the space.

When working with a small

space, highlight storage options

with shelving and update or

remove wall decor, paint or

wallpaper.

Kitchen

Kitchen renovations can cost

anywhere from $20,000 to

$40,000 and more. If that’s not

in your budget, upgrading cabi-

netry and paint does wonders to

liven up even the most outdated

spaces.

Add crown or decorative

molding to “shape out” the

kitchen cabinets and modernize

the space. Repaint cabinets, or

add new hardware to add visual

interest and brighten dark

spaces.

Outdoor Spaces

Curb appeal adds immediate

interest to any home’s exterior.

According to Remodeling

Magazine, improving outdoor

spaces can increase a home’s

resale value dollar-for-dollar.

Frame the front walkway with

items that add visual interest,

like flowers, potted plants, large

rocks of various sizes and solar-

powered lights. If yard space is

scarce, hanging plants are

another great, low-cost option.

Extend outdoor projects to the

backyard -- power-wash decks

or patios and clean screened-in

areas.

Basement

Basement improvements can

optimize livable space and pro-

tect the home from extreme

weather, mold, moisture dam-

age and mites. Whether transi-

tioning the basement to a home

gym, office or family room, the

basics remain the same: insulate

well and waterproof.

Maximize space by including

shelving and storage units. If

the opportunity exists, make the

space feel open and inviting by

creating an open stairwell, a

trick that visually connects the

upper part of the house with the

lower, and filters natural light

into the space.

Mudroom

Mudrooms ensure families

stay clutter-free and have a ded-

icated space to drop stuff as

they come through the door.

They can also make potential

homeowners feel welcome

upon entry.

While knocking out a wall to

create a mudroom is expensive

and labor-intensive, you can

make a “drop zone` by simply

anchoring a bench to an empty

wall and hanging labeled stor-

age units.

For many years, the average 50-some-

thing American looked forward to a

leisure-based retirement. But as

Americans are living longer and feeling

younger, many are finding it necessary to

remain professionally active beyond tradition-

al retirement age -- forging new paths that

supply both money and meaning.

“Boomers are opting to stay in the game, or

better, change the game by leaving a mark and

making a difference,” says Marci Alboher,

vice president of Encore.org, an organization

helping people transition to the nonprofit

world and public sector.

While moving into a new kind of work is

not always quick or easy, some experts say

that middle-aged Americans are well-equipped

to handle it.

“With midlife comes a newfound capacity to

tap into your accumulated experience and wis-

dom to accomplish new things you may have

been unable to do earlier,” says Alboher,

whose new book “The Encore Career

Handbook,” is a comprehensive guide for any-

one looking to make such a shift.

Whether you’re looking to jump right in ormake a plan first, here are some tips andthings to consider:� Your new work may involve a trade-off.

You may trade money for meaning and flexi-

bility. You may trade power and influence for

the chance to work more closely with people

you can help.

� Transitions will take longer than youthink, so be patient.

� Be prepared to face age discrimination.You can counter employer prejudices by

ensuring your skills are up to snuff, especially

when it comes to technology. Show you

understand the job market today by having a

great LinkedIn profile. Consider tailoring your

resume to show your strengths as an adviser

and mentor.

� Don’t be discouraged by today’s tightjob market. The nonprofit sector has added

jobs over the past decade and our govern-

ment’s need for highly skilled employees in a

variety of sectors continues to grow. Between

now and 2018, experts say that there may be

as many as 1.7 million jobs available at all

levels of government.

� Instead of jobs, think about projects.Instead of thinking about what you want to do

forever, think about what you want to work on

for a year or two. Think about a series of

engaging commitments with periodic gaps for

a personal break, retraining or travel in

between.

� Rarely can you find and craft the jobopportunity you want, simply by applying to

job postings. Create your role through net-

working, volunteering and retooling for a new

kind of work. Consider going solo as a free-

lancer, consultant or entrepreneur.

Don’t approach your mid-life and beyond

with trepidation. With skills, experience and

care, you can launch a successful new career

that combines your passion with a paycheck.

Many boomers turning their passions into new careers

New York, NY: Spring is right

around the corner, and while you

may be dreaming of warmer weather,

your feet may secretly be dreading it.

The beloved flip-flop - which is a

staple in footwear for spring and

summer - may actually be causing

you more long-term harm than cur-

rent comfort.

“While fashionable and fun, flip-

flops can actually lead to weakened

and fallen foot arches - and that’s just

the beginning,” says Dr. Dawn Sears,

a New York doctor of podiatric medi-

cine and surgery with offices in

Manhattan and Queens. “The danger

with flip-flops is that they cause both

short-term and long-term harm to

your feet.”

Sears explains that short term

effects of flip-flop wear may include

blistering, and falling injuries caused

from the bend-and-fold. Supporting

this claim is a recent study by the

National Health Service in the

United Kingdom, which estimates

that $62 million is spent annually

treating over 200,000 flip-flop relat-

ed injuries.

Other serious injuries from flip-

flops may include Plantar Fascitis,

Achilles tendon injury and stress

fractures. They also can cause Staph

infections because they are open and

attract a lot of dirt. Many flip-flops

actually test positive for the

Staphylococcus Bacteria, which

causes the infection if the skin is bro-

ken. Long term wear of flip-flops

may actually cause hammertoes and

bunions from toes buckling and

pulling. “Because you’re working to

keep the shoe on, your foot instinc-

tively goes forward, causing a grip

like pull on the toes,” said Sears.

“Wear them long enough over a peri-

od of time, and this may cause long

term pain and visibly unattractive

feet.”

So what’s the solution? First, there

are few things to consider when

wearing flip-flops. If you are of large

build, you may be at a greater risk of

ankle damage and stress fractures

because of lack of support. Older

people might also want to avoid the

shoe. As you age, your feet change,

certain muscles tighten up, they dete-

riorate, and with clawing toes, this

causes unnecessary stress on the feet.

Flip-flops are not made for a lot of

walking and definitely not support-

ive. Sears, a Harvard undergrad and

graduate of the New York College of

Podiatric Medicine, recommends

they be used only for short distance

activities including walking a pool

deck and/or in a gym shower, or on

the beach.

“There are some great alternatives

to flip-flops that can still allow you

to be fashionable, yet functional this

spring and summer,” she explained.

“I encourage my patients to look into

purchasing a great wedge sandal that

provides support of the arch and pro-

tection from outside elements.”

The flip flop failWhy rethinking footwear choice may benefit your long term health

Focus on eye care needed in India, says Rotary International

Kolkata: Lauding Rotary

India's efforts in attempt-

ing to eradicate polio,

Rotary International presi-

dent Sakuji Tanaka

Tuesday said specialized

eye care is the need of the

hour for India.

"There are a lot of issues

related to ophthalmology

that are emerging and need

to be looked at.

Specialized eye care is the

need of the hour. There are

huge incidences of cardiac

diseases too in the coun-

try," Tanaka said at a

media conference here.

Tanaka, who heads an

organization spread over

215 countries with a global

membership of 1.2 million,

said India's contribution to con-

trol the polio menace is "a great

achievement."

"It is a great achievement by

Indian Rotarians. We don't know

when polio will be eradicated

completely but there has been a

significant improvement in the

situation. It is a great effort that

India has not seen any polio

cases in the last two years," he

said.

Highlighting his theme for

Rotary year 2012-2013 'Peace

through Service', Tanaka said

there should be a focused effort

to eradicate polio.

The last polio case was seen in

West Bengal January 13, 2011.

If there are no reports of the dis-

ease in the next three years (till

January 2014), then India will be

declared polio free.

26 March 23-29, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoHEALTH

Rotary International president Sakuji Tanaka

Wearing flip-flops may not be thewisest thing to do to your feet

27March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info LIFESTYLE

Stress can lead to Alzheimer's!Impotence emerging as majorcause of divorce in India: Study

London: Sustained stress

can cause Alzheimer's

disease in advanced

years.

A research on mice has

indicated there is an

increased risk of demen-

tia in case one remains

constantly stressed. Sara

Bengtsson, a PhD student

from Umea University, in

Sweden, tested her theory

on mice and found that

mice with higher levels of

the hormone in their

brains suffered impaired

learning and memory, Daily Mail reported.

They also had increased brain levels of

beta-amyloids -- the proteins that form

plaque deposits in the brains of Alzheimer's

sufferers.

Alzheimer is the most common form of

dementia, a general term for memory loss

and other intellectual abilities serious

enough to interfere with daily life.

The study has found that stress hormones,

which are elevated in the brain when a per-

son is harassed, inhibit brain activity. If the

hormone levels are chronically elevated,

this can lead to the development of

Alzheimer's disease.

Bengtsson believes that the effect of

stress hormones on the brain could mean

the difference between living independently

and needing to be put into care.

However, Simon Ridley, head of

Research at Alzheimer's Research UK,

said: "It's important to remember this

research was not carried out in people.”

Some research has already highlighted a

possible link between chronic stress, cogni-

tive decline and the development of

Alzheimer's, and further study in people is

needed to fully investigate these links.

The latest research comes just after

another study which suggested disrupted

sleep could be one of the first signs of

Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers at Washington University

found sleep was disrupted in people who

had early Alzheimer's disease but did not

yet have the memory loss or other cognitive

problems characteristic of the full-blown

disease.

New Delhi: Impotence is emerging as a

major cause of divorce in India, says a recent

study, adding that around 20-30 percent mar-

riages in India are breaking up for want of

satisfaction in sexual life.

The study, conducted by Alpha One

Andrology Group, an association of doctors

dealing in sex-related problems in men, took

into account nearly 2,500 Indian men suffer-

ing from erectile dysfunction or impotence.

The study found that erectile dysfunction

affects 50 percent of men over the age of 40

and 10 percent of men below 40.

"The analysis revealed that of the 2,500

men suffering from erectile dysfunction, one

in five were divorced while the marriages of

one in 10 were on the verge of breaking over

their physical health," says Anup Dhir, a

reconstruction surgeon and andrologist.

Impotence is the most poorly understood

and mismanaged of all medical disorders and

results in marriages breaking up, the study

found. "Maintaining a healthy marriage

requires time, effort and compromise from

both spouses. When one or both spouses find

a marriage to be unsatisfactory, it is likely

because of problems that arise due to issues

with communication, expectations or sexual

dissatisfaction," said Dhir.

The study found that a married couple on

an average has sex 58 times per year, or

slightly more than once a week.

"If the number lacks, it means there is a

problem with partner. Sexual impotence is

becoming a common problem among cou-

ples in major cities due to sedentary lifestyle,

hypertension and busy schedule," he said.

Diabetes emerged as the leading cause of

erectile dysfunction followed by hyperten-

sion. "As many as 48 percent of patients

above the age of 40 were diabetic while 45

percent with hypertension have severe erec-

tile dysfunction. Men who have diabetes are

found to develop erectile dysfunction nearly

10 to 15 years earlier than men who do not

suffer from the disease," the study highlight-

ed.

Furthermore, people with diabetes fre-

quently take medication to lower blood pres-

sure.

Common prescriptions for blood pressure

like some diuretics and beta blockers are

known to cause erectile dysfunction.

According to C.M. Batra, an endocrinolo-

gist with Apollo Hospital, other primary

causes of erectile dysfunction include

lifestyle issues like smoking, drinking alco-

hol, being overweight and exercising too lit-

tle, among others.

Dhir said that taking medical help for erec-

tile dysfunction continues to remain a stigma

among Indian men as they are not ready to

accept the fact until it comes to the breaking

up of their marriages. "Men have an ego

problem in accepting the fact and most of

them remain secretive about their sexual

health, which leads to delayed treatment," he

said.

Tokyo: Scientists say green tea and coffee,

if made a regular part of the diet, could

benefit the heart, according to research

conducted in Japan and published in

the US.

Green tea and coffee may help lower

your risk of having a stroke, especially

when both are a regular part of your diet,

according to research published in Stroke:

Journal of the American Heart

Association.

"This is the first large-scale study to

examine the combined effects of both

green tea and coffee on stroke risks," said

Yoshihiro Kokubo, lead author of the

study at Japan's National Cerebral and

Cardiovascular Centre.

"You may make a small but positive

lifestyle change to help lower the risk of

stroke by adding daily green tea to your

diet."

They found that the more green tea or

coffee people drink, the lower their stroke

risks, reports Science Daily.

"The regular action of drinking tea and

coffee, largely benefits cardiovascular

health because it partly keeps blood clots

from forming," Kokubo said.

Tea and coffee are the most popular

drinks in the world after water, suggesting

that these results may apply in other coun-

tries too.

It's unclear how green tea affects stroke

risks. A compound group known as cate-

chins may provide some protection.

Catechins have an antioxidant anti-inflam-

matory effect, increasing plasma antioxi-

dant capacity and anti-thrombogenic (anti-

clotting) effects.

Some chemicals in coffee include

chlorogenic acid, thus cutting stroke risks

by lowering the chances of developing

type 2 diabetes.

Further research could clarify how the

interaction between coffee and green tea

might help further lower stroke risks,

Kokubo said.

Sip green tea, coffee to protect your heart

Buying meatballs from a furniture

store may seem as ridiculous as

buying furniture from a restau-

rant. But for millions of people who visit

IKEA’s gigantic furniture stores every

year, the meatballs help make the trip

worthwhile. Not only are they tasty, they

come with a nice guarantee: “Less likely

to break apart than our furniture.”

IKEA is a Swedish company and meat-

balls are extremely popular in Sweden.

Most people don’t know this but the

1977 hit song “Thank you for the

music,” by legendary pop group ABBA,

was originally released in Sweden as

“Thank you for the meatballs.” It’s one

of the reasons why the group broke

apart: Anni-Frid turned vegetarian, but

her boyfriend, Benny, couldn’t stop eat-

ing meatballs. (He would later produce a

song called “No thank you for the veg-

gieballs.”)

IKEA sells 150 million meatballs a

year at its stores worldwide – and anoth-

er 10 million are shipped directly to

George Foreman’s house. Many cus-

tomers buy frozen meatballs to take

home but if you can’t wait to taste them,

the store cafeteria is worth visiting and

it’s pretty easy to find. Just follow the

bright signs hanging from the ceiling,

which will take you several times

around the second floor in a maze of

concentric circles before bringing you,

finally, to a sign that says, “The cafeteria

is on the third floor.” This sign is usually

on the opposite end of the store from the

elevators. Once you get to the third

floor, you will have to go through the

baby furniture section, the toddler furni-

ture section, and the pre-teen furniture

section, before arriving, finally, at the

restrooms. This is okay, because this is

where you are likely to find someone

who has just been to the cafeteria and

can give you directions.

By the time you get to the cafeteria,

you will be so hungry that you could eat

a horse. And that’s a good thing because

you might actually find yourself doing

that.

Not intentionally, of course. IKEA

does not have horsemeat on its menu

and takes great precautions to ensure

that its meatballs are made only from

pork and beef.

Nevertheless, authorities in the Czech

Republic recently found traces of horse-

meat in one batch of IKEA’s frozen

meatballs, prompting the company to

recall meatballs from almost all its

European stores and release a statement

emphasizing that it takes the matter seri-

ously and will require all meat-produc-

tion workers to take an advanced educa-

tion course called “How to spot a horse

among a group of cows.”

IKEA isn’t the only company whose

European meat products have been taint-

ed with horsemeat. Britain’s Food

Standards Agency (FSA), for example,

found horse DNA in four products,

including Birds Eye’s Traditional

Spaghetti Bolognese, Brakes’ Spicy

Beef Skewer and Farm Fresh’s Assorted

Horse D’oeuvres.

Horsemeat is somehow being substi-

tuted for beef in Europe’s meat-process-

ing plants and you don’t have to be a

genius to figure out who’s probably

behind this: cows.

“Cows look innocent, but it’s all a

question of survival,” said FSA investi-

gator Ned Dunsmore. “We’ve received

several reports of cows whispering into

horses’ ears on livestock farms, perhaps

telling them that the long white truck is

headed to the carrot-processing plant.”

Eating horsemeat isn’t a big deal for

some people, of course. After all, 4.7

million horses are consumed annually

worldwide, about half of them in China

and Mexico. People in America prefer to

ride and race horses, not eat them. They

also love to bet on horses. That might

explain some of the conversations

they’re having.

“I bet there’s no horsemeat in this

meatball!”

“I bet there is!”

“You’re on, buddy. Five bucks.”

“How will we find out?”

“We’ll ask that Chinese guy over there.

He should know. Hey buddy, do you

think there’s any horsemeat in this meat-

ball?”

“Which meatball – the one on the plate

or the one talking to me?”

Humor with Melvin Durai

28 March 23-29, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoHUMOR

Someone’s horsing around with our meatballs

by Mahendra ShahMahendra 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 thepast many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

March 23:

Governed by number 5 and the planet Mercury. You

are intelligent, sharp, sensible, business oriented,

dignified, original and dashing person. People per-

ceive you as a very warm and friendly person, but

you need to check your tendency to behave restless

and impatient at times. Financially a very favorable

period starts this year, but you should avoid getting

involved in conflict with loved ones. You would

make financial gains through sale of property, ac-

crual of rent, dividends or interests. This is also a

good time to invest in long-term investments and

speculations. Children would be a source of im-

mense happiness and win laurels in their fields. Pil-

grimage or a distant journey will be high on your

cards. The months of March, April, November and

February will be highly significant.

March 24:

Ruled by number 6 and the planet Venus. You have

a pleasant personality, sharp memory and you are

very fond of worldly pleasures. You are very me-

thodical, emotional and helpful person. You make

your plans and stick to it, but you need to control

your tendency to behave moody, timid and spend-

thrift at times. This year businessmen would expand

their ventures into new and more profitable av-

enues. You would do extremely well if you deal in

real estate, but expect some opposition to arise from

partners. New romance for some, so make the best

of it. Meditation and Yoga should be practiced for

spiritual as well as physical gains. Some exhilarat-

ing news from your children will bring happiness

later in the year. The months of June, July, August,

October and November will be highly eventful.

March 25:

Dominated by number 7 and the planet Neptune,

you are highly creative, affectionate, trustworthy,

original, energetic and emotional person. You never

run away from difficult task. What might appear im-

possible to others would look like a challenge to

you. You have great talents, but you need to control

your tendency to behave arrogant and dominating at

times. This coming period is good for starting new

ventures. Projects that have been slow till now

would gain momentum. Disputes if any would get

sorted out and bring a sense of relief to your mind.

Romantic encounters with colleagues might devel-

op, though it would be very short lived. Your com-

petitive nature would make you stay ahead of others

and also make you popular amongst your peers.

Friends will be helpful but demanding. The months

of March, May, July, August and September will

prove to be significant.

March 26:

Influenced by number 8 and the planet Saturn. You

are ambitious, authoritative,

systematic, sober and simple person. You have great

potential to influence large group of people. You

possess modern, revolutionary views which keep

you in the limelight, but you need to control your

tendency to behave stubborn and jealous at times.

This year you would have abundance of energy,

which if properly used would bring you over-

whelming results. Financially it seems to be a good

period to invest in stocks and property, but all in-

vestments should be made for a long-term basis. A

distant journey seems likely later in the year, most

probably for attending some auspicious occasion.

Friends and relatives will not be very helpful and

should not be depended upon. The months of May,

June, October, December and January will prove to

be beneficial.

March 27:

Ruled by number 9 and the planet Mars. You are ac-

tive, energetic, trustworthy, systematic and quick in

taking decisions. You always welcome new ideas

and are fond of reading to increase your knowledge

and discover new and unknown things, but you need

to control your tendency to behave shy, arrogant and

moody at times. The coming year improves finan-

cial status of many and some even inherit ancestral

property. Business will flourish and financial gains

will lift your confidence. Legal matters that have

been haunting your mind will settle to your satis-

faction. Promotions and increments are likely for

some. Romance however will not be pleasant as fre-

quent arguments and disagreements will keep on

bothering your mind. Students will perform re-

markably well in academics and sports. Those suf-

fering from blood pressure and piles need to take ex-

tra care of their health. The months of April, June,

August, October and January will be highly signifi-

cant.

March 28:

Influenced by number 1 and the Sun, you are active,

energetic, determined, responsible and original.

You are creative and highly result oriented person,

but you need to curb your tendency to behave reck-

less, spendthrift and stubborn at times. New jobs

and assignments will be the highlight of the coming

year. Promotions and transfers for some employees.

Investment in property will yield good returns in the

long run. Frequent and fruitful journeys will be un-

dertaken bringing monetary gains and help you

build up long lasting relationships. Relations with

someone of the opposite sex will strengthen giving

a refreshing and interesting twist to your life. Some

exciting news from children will lift your spirits.

Rise in your medical bills as health of your parents

could cause tension and anxiety. The months of

March, July, September, October and January seem

to be highly eventful.

March 29:

Ruled by number 2 and the Moon, you are highly

creative, practical, emotional, friendly, simple and

generous person. You enjoy enormous respect at

your workplace, but at the same time you need to

check your tendency to behave introvert, selfish and

jealous at times. This year will be highly beneficial

for those who are willing to take investment and

business risks. Speculation in property and stocks

will bring in handsome results. This year will be

highly significant for working and professional

women, as they will prosper in their respective

fields.

New romance will be exciting but short-lived.

Journey or pilgrimage will provide comfort and

peace. Be extra careful of your jewelry and expen-

sive items. Chances of overseas education for few

students who are looking for a better career. The

months of June, August, October, December and

January will be important.

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

Stars Foretell: March 23-29, 2013 Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

Learn about the fair value ofdiamonds & precious stones.

from a Gems Expert For appointment, please call 516-390-7847

or email consult.gems@gmail.comA special offer for the readers of

The South Asian Times

Free Consultation

29

ARIES: Female colleagues lend a helping hand

in completing important assignments. You are

likely to plan a short trip with family. A promising week

to earn profits in real estate and financial transactions.

Romance is likely to intensify through recreational

activities & entertainment. A cheerful state of mind

would allow enjoying the perfect health. Planning a trip

for your love will embrace you and your spouse.

Buying cheap property in the right location can provide

you triple gain annually. Performing some ritual cere-

mony will highly benefit you.

TAURUS: This week you might have to take

the help of smart & motivated people at pro-

fessional front. If people approach you with problems

better to ignore them for the sake of family life. Put

your extra money at a safer place promising to return

you on time. Maintain a distance from people trying to

pry into your romantic affair. Try to keep yourself busy

because an empty brain is a devils workshop. Enjoy

your holiday with love of your life. Investing in proper-

ty business sounds very appealing. You are likely to

hear some good news in later half of the week when

your struggle & legal battle is likely to end.

GEMINI: You are likely to fail in achieving

set targets due to wrong assessment of team

members. Domestic work will be tiring and could even

vitiate peace. An improvement in monetary position

makes it convenient to purchase essential items. Love

companion could spoil the romance on making unnec-

essary demands. Suffering from body pains is high on

the cards. Therefore better to avoid any physical exer-

tion to prevent the aggravation. Your travel plans could

not workout as you will be visiting a beastly place.

Mortgaging your plot is not right for you, crisis may

arise. Chances that somebody close could be hiding

something important from you.

CANCER: At work you will be a part of

something big, bringing appreciation &

rewards. Unexpected visit by old friend could give you

a pleasant surprise. Long-term investment would enable

to make substantial gains. Romantic opportunity comes

your way as your sparkling sunshine smile injures a

lively & tender heart. Divine knowledge from a saintly

person provides solace & comfort. Romantic destina-

tions seems appealing to you. Banks love to finance

those, who invest in properties which are underdevelop-

ment. A possibility of an enhancement in your religious

thinking.

LEO: This week you are likely to be criticised

for atrocious handwriting at professional front.

Take your parents into confidence regarding your new

projects and plans. Investing money in stock market

would fail to bring expected gains. Spending time with

your beloved/lover is very necessary for you this week.

Some unavoidable circumstances could give you

uneasiness. It is important to delve into your desires

before you plan to travel. Older properties tend to suffer

more than the new ones. If possible, don’t force opinion

on others no matter what the situation is.

VIRGO: Little steps towards improving inter-

personal skills would go a long way. Good time

to get involved into activities that include children.

Control your expenses and avoid being too lavish in

your spending. Romance touches new heights, as part-

ner positively responds. Meditation and yoga prove

beneficial for spiritual as well as physical gains. Travel

for fun and pleasure is what you demand. A good deal

on commercial property might occur. You are likely to

plan a trip to pilgrimage.

LIBRA: You are likely to establish yourself a

good manager on managing people and situa-

tion without any problem. Good advice from family

members will help in reducing mental tension/pressure.

Financial hassles will be eased out with the help of your

friends. Time now to prepare yourself for the magic

moment on falling in love. Don’t forget to use your

energy to help someone in distress to benefit both.

Small journey with your office colleagues will be inter-

esting. Shopping for a commercial real estate loan can

be tricky. You find yourself tempted towards materialis-

tic things in later half of the week.

SCORPIO: You will be successful in realising

your targets at professional front. Disclosing

family secrets to casual acquaintances would offend

other members. Certain important plans will be execut-

ed, bringing fresh financial gains. Mood swings of part-

ner could deprive from enjoying romance during this

week. Too much worry & stress could affect health.

Therefore avoid them to enjoy a sound health. Be aware

of the hazards holidays are not full of happy times only.

Purchasing home loan is not the right decision for you.

It would be in your interest not to annoy anybody.

SAGITTARIUS :You will be highly benefited

by fitting yourself within a team. Looking after

the needs of children would be essential. Explore new

investment opportunities that comes your way, commit

only after considering the viability of the projects.

Romance is just round the corner. Better to prepare

yourself to grab it. A very healthy week when your

cheerfulness gives the desired tonic and confidence.

When preparing to travel with a family be humble and

patient. Your plan for a personal loan might not work

out. High time to improve contacts especially with

influential persons.

CAPRICORN : Professional success depends

on how well you can negotiate. You must

restraint yourself from nagging the child to save

him/her. You need to control your spending by purchas-

ing only essential items. You are likely to find someone

with whom you will enjoy the ecstasies of love. You are

likely to maintain good health that would also give you

success. If you’re planning a vacation, be sure to con-

sider your work does not effect. Their might be a

chance of acquiring a plot from your closed relative.

Inner opposition would pave the way for a new devel-

opment in you.

AQUARIUS : With your high confidence you

will be able to cross all hurdles at professional

front. Sudden good news in the evening will bring

cheers for the entire family. Speculations are likely to

bring monetary profits. Romance takes a beating as

minor differences erupt. Unexpected travel could be tir-

ing, putting some of you in a frenzy state. Therefore not

to forget to massage the body to give relief to tired mus-

cles. Traveling alone could be depressing for you.

Reduce your property loans otherwise you will be in

great trouble. You find going a little tough in friend

circle.

PISCES: Timely help of associates will not

only pass difficult times at work but also help

in regaining professional edge. Your efforts

bring success & happiness at family front. Monetary

position is likely to improve later in the week. Love

comes your way as friendship turns into romance. A

continuous positive thinking gets rewarded as you suc-

ceed in whatever you do during this week. Your boss

may ask you for your company to a friend’s party. You

might deal in some ancestral property or any other

parental property. Time to exploit active, pioneering

and exploring nature to your benefit.

i) Accurate Data: Please make sure Date,

Time and Place of birth is accurate.

ii) Careful: Did you check background of the

astrologer before disclosing your secrets.

iii) Fee: Discuss the charges before, don’t feel

shy. It’s his business.

iv) Expectation: Expect the best, if the out-

come is not as desired, never give up.

v) Consult: Take second opinion before

spending thousands on cure/remedies.

Before you consult...

March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY

If we are in the body of a

teenager, we are bound to go to

school and are pressured by

our friends to do what they do. We

may want to go off and meditate or

be in the company of a saint, but

our friends consider us crazy. Their

life is even crazier with their fasci-

nation with experimenting with

drugs and alcohol which make us

less conscious, but they want us to

be like them. They do not want us

using our own natural method of

meditation to get intoxicated—

they want us to use the unnatural

and dangerous means that they

use. They pressure us to engage in

worldly pleasures and if we do not

comply, we become the laughing-

stock of our neighborhood and

school. People make fun of us and

call us names. We feel torn

between finding joy in our spiritual

life and being accepted by others

who have no spiritual interests.

The soul is tormented by the world

around it and knows not what to

do.

If we are in the body of an adult,

we are bound by the responsibili-

ties of our job or of raising a fami-

ly and doing our duties in society.

Our soul wants to be lost in ecstasy

in the arms of the Lord, but our

attention is being pressured to

attend to the worldly pursuits. We

have to put in many hours on a job

to get paid to keep our body fed

and housed. We have to take care

of our spouses, our children, or our

parents. We have to pay our taxes,

pay our mortgage, pay the expens-

es of a car, pay annual licenses,

and take care of all sorts of paper-

work that each citizen of every

country has to do. Time is the

enemy of the soul, for it takes

away from the soul’s yearning to

be lost in ecstasy within.

Even if we are on a spiritual

path, the soul has some problems.

Those souls who have awakened to

their true nature are only happy

when in the presence of the Master

physically or inwardly in medita-

tion. They want to focus totally on

the Master when in his presence.

When not in his presence, they are

restless for the next chance to be

with him. They are filled with

anguish and torture when kept

away from him.

Those on the spiritual path are at

different stages. Some are at a

stage where they have not yet iden-

tified with their soul and are still

enticed by the world. They have

some pull towards the Master and

meditation, but they are still func-

tioning at the level of the mind and

the world. They act responsibly.

They look at the Master more as a

physical being. They consider

meditation a chore, and do not like

to do it. They intellectually under-

stand the path, but their soul has

not yet fully tasted the bliss within

and they are content to come and

go at the regularly scheduled times

of programs.

Then, we reach a stage in which

we awaken to our spiritual nature.

We identify with the soul. When

we do so, then the soul is not

happy with things of this world. It

finds its enjoyment in being in the

spiritually-charged radiation of the

Master and sitting in meditation. It

enjoys the bliss of seva because

during those times it is receptive to

the Master power within and flow-

ing through it as seva is done. It

finds attending to the world to be

drudgery. It wants to spend as

much time as possible in the

Master’s presence.

When such souls cannot be in the

Master’s presence, they have a dif-

ficult time. Their soul is in agony

and torture when away from the

Master. It is a real, living pain that

stabs at their heart. Their heart

feels like it is being stabbed over

and over again without stop. Their

whole being feels as if it is on fire.

They feel as if they are in torture.

Outwardly, they may look like

they are calm, cool, and collected,

but inside they are being burned

alive in the fire of separation. We

know what it is like to get a paper

cut. The thin cut goes right down

to the nerve. Now picture a soul in

separation from the Master—it is

like tens of thousands of paper cuts

are slicing the disciple at once.

Knives are stabbing at their hearts

every second of every day. Now,

picture a soul in such agony, and

then asking it to behave normally.

Ask such a soul to smile when

tears are flooding behind its eyes.

Ask such a soul to be cheerful,

when the soul cannot take the pain

anymore. Ask such a soul to do

any work, when its whole being is

filled with pain. But the worst of it

is that it cannot escape the pain

and must bear all this torture sec-

ond by second. It knows that

escaping the pain is not an option.

So, the soul just has to bear this

torture of separation.

The soul then pleads to the

Master to be gracious. It cries out

with every ounce of its being to the

Master to end the separation. It

prays that the Master is merciful in

ending its period of distance so it

can enjoy that loving, captivating

company again.

Then, if the Beloved does not

respond, the torture intensifies

because the soul feels the Master

has forgotten him or her. The soul

feels the Master does not care. The

soul cannot understand how the

Master can be aware of his or her

pain and not do something about it.

In such a state the soul has reached

the end of its limit. It prays with

great intensity to the Master and

begs for relief. Then, the Master is

gracious. The Master lifts the veil

and shows himself to the disciple.

The Master gives the disciple a

boost and a lift and pours out his

love to the disciple. He takes the

disciple in his arms and fills the

disciple with hope and love again.

The disciple is able to survive for

another day.

The plight of the disciple in the

world is best described by this

verse by Sant Darshan Singh Ji

Maharaj. This verse touches a

chord in describing the plight of a

soul in such a condition. The verse

says:

I am as full of the pangs andlongings for the Beloved as theharmonium is full of music;

Just touch it, move your finger

on it once, and see what happens.

The disciple who has reached a

stage in which he or she has identi-

fied with the soul and wants only

the Master and God is like the dis-

ciple described by Sant Darshan

Singh Ji Maharaj in this verse.

Picture a harmonium or any instru-

ment sitting on a table. It looks like

any other physical object. A har-

monium looks like a wooden box.

It has white and black keys. There

is a part of it that is like an accor-

dion which fans out as you move it

in and out. It looks very much like

a physical object. But when you

just touch the keys or move out the

accordion-like part, exquisite

sound comes out of it. Then, as

you move your fingers over it, you

can produce music so uplifting it

stirs the soul. From this physical

object comes unseen sound that

has the power to move hearts. The

music can make people dance, it

can make people sing, it can make

people smile, and it can make peo-

ple wail and cry. The element that

comes forth from this physical

form is ethereal; it has no sub-

stance, but it can move the spirit.

Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj is

saying that just as music is hidden

within the physical structure of an

instrument, such as a harmonium,

so is the music of longing and pain

hidden within the physical form of

a disciple. The disciple may have a

body like everyone else. The disci-

ple may have eyes, ears, a nose,

and a mouth like everyone else.

Yet, when one just touches its

strings the music of longing and

pining flow from it. The disciple

may look like a human form like

everyone else, but that form really

is a casing or embodiment of one

long song of yearning and pining

for the Beloved. Behind the face

and smile is a soul crying in agony

to be with the Beloved. The disci-

ple is really the music of the heart

playing its melody all twenty-four

hours of the day. It is singing songs

of pain and agony when in separa-

tion from the Beloved. It is singing

songs of ecstasy when it is with the

Beloved. The music of a disciple

only contains two ragas: ecstasy

and agony. There is little in

between.

Ecstasy and agony of a soul

By Sant Rajinder SinghJi Maharaj

A harmonium looks like a wooden box. It has

white and black keys . There is a part of it

that is like an accordion which fans out as you move

it in and out. It looks very much like a physical

object. But when you just touch the keys or move

out the accordion-like part, exquisite sound comes

out of it . Then, as you move your

fingers over it, you can produce music so uplifting it

stirs the soul. From this physical object comes unseen

sound that has the power to move hearts. The music

can make people dance, it can make people sing, it

can make people smile, and it can make people wail

and cry. The element that comes forth

from this physical form is ethereal ; it has

no substance, but it can move the spirit.

30 March 23-29, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoSPIRITUAL AWARENESS

Concluding part of the discourse 'Yodeling for God'

Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharajis an internationally recognizedspiritual leader and Master ofJyoti Meditation who affirms thetranscendent oneness at the heartof all religions and mystic tradi-tions, emphasizing ethical livingand meditation as building blocksfor achieving inner and outerpeace. www.sos.org.

”

”

March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info

To commemorate 30 years of service to the community, Habib American Bank is rebranding to new and fresher look … “HAB BANK”.

We will continue to focus on our key priorities: customer relationships, products and services. TheBank is committed as ever to deliver outstanding personal and commercial banking services that you have come to expect. Our core products are Commercial Real Estate Mortgages, International Trade Services, US Small Business Loans and well-designed commercial banking products and services for small to medium sized businesses. We offer a wide range of consumer products and services including personal checking, savings, CDs, and full-service online banking.

Your business is important to us and we look forward to continuing a long and mutually successful partnership with you as… HAB BANK.

HAB Bank99 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016t: (212) 532 4444 f: (212) 532 7136www.habbank.com HAB BANK is a registered Service Mark of Habib American Bank.

OUR NEW LOOKINTRODUCING

March 23-29, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info