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January 11-17, 2014TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Smt Chandra Kunwar Mehta(w/o Late Dr B.C. Mehta, Jodhpur)
Heavenly Abode Dec 31, 2013New York**********
K.K. Mehta, CPA (Son) Smt Chandra Mehta (Daughter in Law) Sanjeev & Dr Rajeev Mehta (Grandsons)
&(Daughters & Sons in Law)
Smt Vallabh - Dr SS Lodha, Smt Sushila - Dr Banshi MehtaSmt Chitra-Dashrath Dugar, Smt Prabha-Kanak Golia
*****
With Sincere CondolencesThe South Asian Times
Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA)Rajasthani Association of Jains in America (RAJA)
TRIBUTE
Prayers In Fond Memories of Pujya Bai jiSunday, February 2, 2014
9.30 AM OnwardFollowed by Swamivatslya (Lunch)
at Jain Center of North America43-11 Ithaca Street,Elmhurst NY 11373
Our Beloved Bai ji You will always remain in our values
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4 January 11-17, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TURN PAGE
Indicted by US court but granted immunity...
Continued from page 1
Government of India and the people of India, asalso the media, for their strong and sustained sup-
port during this period.
“She is pleased to be returning to her country,”
Khobragade’s lawyer Daniel Arshack said. “Her
head is held high. She knows she has done no
wrong.”
Expressing joy at the turn of events, eminent
attorney Ravi Batra issued a statement, "The
grant of full immunity to Devyani by the
Secretary of State John Kerry pre-indictment is a
historic down-payment by these United States
towards a continued path of shared dignity and
warmth of the highest order with India.”
Meanwhile, the maid in question, Sangeeta
Richard, will stay in the US for now under a tem-
porary immigration status reserved for victims of
human trafficking, her lawyers said.
Gov Cuomo pushes infrastructure boost and tax...
Continued from page 1
statewide, which is NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s
pet project. He also disclosed his support for
loosening restrictions on marijuana, saying he
planned to use an execut ive action that would
allow limited use of the drug by those with
serious illnesses.
Obama announces promise zonesto tackle poverty
Washington: As part of his efforts to focus on income
inequality and poverty in the country, President Barack
Obama Thursday announced five "promise zones". "I will
work with anybody who's willing to lay out some concrete
ideas to create jobs, help more middle-class families find
security in today's economy, and offer new ladders of
opportunity for folks to climb into the middle class,"
reported Xinhua quoting Obama at an event in the White
House. The five designated zones are located in San
Antonio, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Southeastern
Kentucky and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. They
would be eligible for tax breaks and other forms of federal
support. Obama first announced the "promise zone" initia-
tive in his State of the Union speech last year. He said then
his administration planned "to partner with 20 of the hard-
est-hit towns in America to get these communities back on
their feet. We' ll work with local leaders to target resources
at public safety, and education, and housing". The initiative
is part of Obama's plan to create a better bargain for the
middle class by partnering with local communities and
businesses to creat e jobs, incre ase economic secur ity,
expand educational opportunities, increase access to quali-
ty, affordable housing and improve public safety, according
to the White House. Another 15 zones will be launched in
the next three years.
Washington: President Barack
Obama is expected to rein in spyingon foreign leaders and is consider-
ing restricting National Security
Agency access to Americans' phone
records, according to people famil-
iar with a White House review of
the government's surveillance pro-
grams.
Obama could unveil his highly
anticipated decisions as early as
next week. On Thursday, the presi-
dent is expected to discuss his
review with congressional lawmak-
ers, while his top lawyer plans to
meet with privacy groups.
Representatives from tech compa-
nies are meeting with White House
staff on Friday. The White House
says Obama is still collecting infor-
mation before making final deci-sions. Among the changes Obama is
expected to announce is more over-
sight of the National Intelligence
Priorities Framework, a classified
document that ranks U.S. intelli-
gence-gathering priorities and is
used to make decisions on scrutiny
of foreign leaders. A presidential
review board has recommended
increasing the number of policy
officials who help establish those
priorit ies, and that could result in
limits on surveillance of allies.
Lucknow: Amit Shah, the BJP's
general secretary in-charge of
Uttar Pradesh, Thursday said therewas no need to fear the Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP).
The fact that the BJP won 72
percent of the seats in the recently
concluded assembly polls in four
states was an indication that the
pa rt y wa s ga in in g po pu la ri ty
across the country, Shah told
reporters after wrapping up a
three-day-visit to the state.
Asked about the findings of a
survey by an English daily in
which 40 percent voters in metros
chose AAP as their party of choice
for the Lok Sabha polls, Shah said
he saw no challenge as such, but
added that the BJP did not take its
political opponents lightly.
On the RSS warning the BJP not
to underestimate the AAP, Shah
said he was not aware of any such
advisory.
Shah, a close aide of BJP's PM
candidate Narendra Modi, also
said his party would contest all 80
seats in Uttar Pradesh and would
not go for alliances with any
regional party.
Asked about the possibility of Modi contesting from a con-
stituency in Uttar Pradesh, he said
the decision has to be taken by the
party 's parli amentary board and
that nothing was final yet.
Praise for New Year SpecialI would like to congratulate you for making
Mayor Bill de Blasio as your Man of the Year. No
one deserves it more than him. The New Year
Special (Jan 4) issue was extremely classy. Your
editorial team has done an extraordinary job. The
front page with Bill's very impressive photo can
be compared with New York Times style.
- Pam Kwatra
I just finished looking at The South India Times copy for the
January 4 issue. I must compliment your entire staff for the rele-
vant content, great presentation and the layout. Keep it up, the
paper is an asset for our community. Best of luck for 2014.
-Bhupi Patel
Amit Shah, a close aide of Narendra Modi
President Obama to curb NSA accessto phone records
AAP not a threat, says Modi’sright hand man
L e t t e r s t o t h e E d i t o r
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5January 11-17, 2014TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
New York: Renu Kha-
tor, chancellor of the
University of Houston
System and president of
the University of Hous-
ton, has been named
deputy chair of the Dal-
las Federal Reserve
branch for 2014. She hasserved on the Dallas
Fed’s board since 2011.
The Federal Reserve
Board in Washington,
D.C., Dec. 13 made the
appointments for the 12
Federal Reserve Banks
nationwide.
Each Federal Reserve Bank has a nine-member
board, and every year the Fed's board of governors ap-
points three of the local directors and designates a chair
and a deputy chair.
Khator took the dual position of chancellor and pres-
ident at UH in 2008, becoming the system’s first
woman chancellor, the university’s first foreign-born
president and the first Indian American to head a com-
prehensive research university in the United States.
Under Khator’s leadership, UH has experiencedrecord-breaking research funding, enrollment and pri-
vate support and was given Tier One University status
by the Carnegie Foundation.
Khator holds a bachelor's degree from the University
of Kanpur and a master's degree and Ph.D. in political
science from Purdue University. She is a noted scholar
in the field of global environmental policy and has pub-
lished numerous books and articles on the subject.
Khator named deputy chair of Dallas Federal Reserve Board
New York: Krishna “Kris” P.
Singh, founder and CEO of New
Jersey-based Holtec International,
a manufacturer of equipment and
systems for power plants, has sold
his stake in Interstate General Me-
dia, the company that owns the
Philadelphia Inquirer daily news-
paper, the Inquirer reported Dec.
10.
George E. Norcross III said his
company, General American Hold-
ings, bought out Singh’s holdings,
becoming majority owner of the
newspaper, as he continues to bat-
tle in court over control of the
company.
Singh had been a Norcross ally
in the ongoing dispute, according
to media reports.
Norcross now owns about 52
percent of Interstate General Me-
dia, which operates The Inquirer,
the Philadelphia Daily News andPhilly.com.
Norcross has been feuding with
Lewis Katz and H.F. “Gerry”
Lenfest, who control roughly 42
percent of the company.
Their simmering dispute blew
open in October when editor Bill
Marimow was fired. Katz support-
ed Marimow, while Norcross
wanted him gone. A judge in No-vember overturned the firing, rul-
ing that Katz, the former New Jer-
sey Nets owner, had been cut out
of the decision. Norcross has ap-
pealed.
Lenfest said that neither Singh
nor Norcross informed him of the
sale before it was announced. The
deal doesn’t change the manage-
ment structure, he pointed out.
The managing partners are still
Katz and Norcross and each has
equal authority over IGM’s major
business decisions. “That is still
the case," Lenfest told the Inquirer
Dec. 9. “This wouldn’t change any
balance of power.”
Singh’s son, Krishna P. Singh II,
who led the family’s involvement
in the newspaper through its firm
Tequesta Investment LLC and was
a managing director of IGM, de-
clined to comment, the Inquirer re-
ported.
Norcross did not reveal terms of the sale.
New Delhi: Career diplomat Hard-
eep Singh Puri, who recently retired
as India's Permanent Representative
to the United Nations, on Thursday
joined BJP.
Welcoming him in the party fold,
BJP President Rajnath Singh said,
"We look forward to utilizing his ex-
perience in the areas of Foreign, Se-
curity and Trade policies."
A 1974-batch Indian Foreign Serv-
ice Officer, Puri in his 39 years of
service held several senior positions
in the Ministry of External Affairs
and Defence and held Ambassadori-
al assignments in London and Brasil-
ia. In 2011 and 2012, as Permanent
Representative at UN in New York,
he led the Indian delegation to the
Security Council. He also chaired its
Counter-Terrorism Committee.Puri said he was delighted to for-
mally join the party which he had
long admired for its strong sense of
nationalism. He said he looked for-
ward to doing party work and was
ready to contribute in whatever man-
ner the Party President and its senior leadership asked him to.
Former envoy to UN HardeepPuri joins BJP
New York: A path-breaking re-
search by an Indian-American sci-
entist suggests that a simple blood
test may determine whether gene
mutations associated with pancreat-
ic cancer exist without the need of
locating tumor tissue.
The research takes into accounttiny particles called 'exosomes' that
are shed by cancer cells into the
blood and contain the entire genet-
ic blueprint of cancer cells.
“By decoding this genomic data
and looking for deletions and muta-
tions associated with cancer, we be-
lieve this discovery could be trans-
lated into a test that helps physi-
cians detect cancer and treat pa-
tients,” said Raghu Kalluri, chair-
man and professor in University of
Texas' MD Anderson's department
of cancer biology.
"At present, there is no single
blood test that can screen for all
cancer-related DNA defects,"added Kalluri.
In many cases, current protocols
require a tumor sample to deter-
mine whether gene mutations and
deletions exist and therefore deter-
mine whether the tumor itself is
cancerous or benign, said the study
published in the Journal of Biolog-
ical Chemistry.
"To procure tumor tissue, one
needs to know that a tumor exists
and if so, is it accessible for sample
collection or removal? Finally,
there are always risks and signifi-
cant costs associated with surgical
procedures to acquire tumor tis-sue," informed Kalluri.
The MD Anderson research team
was surprised to learn that the per-
son's entire double-stranded ge-
nomic DNA spanning all chromo-
somes can be found in exosomes,
including those mutated chromo-
somes that cause various cancers.
Furthermore, Kalluri and col-
leagues discovered that DNA de-
rived from exosomes carried the
same cancer-related genetic muta-
tions compared to the cancer cells
taken from tumor.
“We believe analysis of exosome
DNA taken from blood samples
may not only help determine the presence of a cancerous tumor
somewhere in the body but also
identify mutations without a need
for tumor sample," added Kalluri.
This would increase our abilities
to detect cancer in an earlier stage
and therefore increase our chances
of effective treatment, he added.
Simple blood test may detectcancer: Indian-origin scientist
Kris Singh
Hardeep Puri
University of HoustonSystem chancellor
Renu Khator
Washington, DC: The Smithsonian Asian Pacific Amer-
ican Center is opening its much-awaited, ground-break-
ing exhibition ‘Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans
Shape the Nation’ in February. This first-of-its-kind
Smithsonian Indian American Heritage Project exhibition
chronicles the cultural, political and professional contri-
butions of Indian immigrants and Indian-Americans to
shaping US history. From workers who built some of the
first railroads in the West to the creator of Hotmail, Be-
yond Bollywood explores the history of sub-continentalIndian immigration to America.
Included in the exhibition will be historical and con-
temporary images and several dozen artifacts, including
those documenting histories of discrimination and resist-
ance, those conveying daily experiences and those sym-
bolizing achievements across the professions. Music and
visual art works providing commentary on the Indian
American experience will also form a critical component
of the exhibition. Among the specific topics to be covered
are: early (late 1800s-1900s) immigrant experiences,
struggles for citizenship in the first half of the 20th centu-
ry, professional contributions from the 1960s and beyond,
organizing for labor rights, women's rights and labor
rights and cultural contributions through food, music,
dance and in the entertainment industry.
Venue is the National Museum of Natural History, Sec-
ond Floor, Special Exhibits Gallery, 10th Street and Con-
stitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.
The exhibition is free, open to the public and on view
through March 1, 2015.
The museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
For more information, readers can call 202-633-1000 or
go to www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/
After a one-year tenure at the Smithsonian, Beyond Bol-
lywood will travel to 15 sites throughout the US, reaching
Indian American communities and others closer to home.
Groundbreaking exhibition onIndian Americans to debut in Feb
Kris Singh sells stake in Philadelphia Inquirer
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6 January 11-17, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Limca Book of Records honors filmmaker Rohit GuptaNew York: Limca Book of Records
(India's equivalent of Guinness
World Records) honored acclaimed
filmmaker Rohit Gupta for his
award-winning feature film Life!
Camera! Action... for setting two na-
tional records. The new record set is
for the first full-length motion pic-
ture shot by just a two-member crew;
these being producer/director Rohit
Gupta & Ravi Kumar R and the first
film to release on Facebook.
Since its release Life! Camera! Ac-
tion... has received wide critical ac-
claim, earning over seventy interna-tional accolades in various categories
including the prestigious Top Nine
Most Popular and Board of Direc-
tors' Special Awards, 28th Goldie
Film Awards (USA), Orson Welles
Award-California International Film
Awards, Royal Reel Award-Canada
International Film Festival, Grand
Jury Award-Oregon Film Awards
(USA), Best Feature Film-IFFPIE
(Official World Peace Film Festival)
(Indonesia) and many others around
the world.
This inspiring ninety-minute qua-
si-autobiographical family drama
features the struggle of the protago-
nist Reina - played by award winning
actress Dipti Mehta - who sets off on
a career in filmmaking against
parental consent. Running the risk of
being disowned for going against the
norm of pursuing a future in engi-
neering, medicine or architecture, the
film celebrates the strength of the
central character to challenge the
rules regardless of the consequences.
Rohit's journey and the process of
his work is widely considered a ma-
jor source of inspiration to aspiring
filmmakers, students of cinema and
youth at large the world over. Gupta
has co-written, produced, directed,
edited, written lyrics, shared credits
in music and photography, marketed,
branded and distributed his work.
New York-based Gupta is an MBA
graduate and an alumni of the NewYork Film Academy. He first forayed
into films with a four-minute Ameri-
can suspense-thriller film Another
Day Another Life, which also re-
ceived tremendous acclaim from
around the world including an Offi-
cial Selection at Cannes in 2009. He
is currently working on the post-pro-
duction of his highly anticipated up-
coming American comedy feature ti-
tled Midnight Delight, due for re-
lease in 2014.
PanIIT USA names Chairman, President for 2014-15New York:
PanIIT USA, the alum-ni body in the US of the Indian In-
stitutes of Technology, announced
Jan 6 that Shailesh J. Mehta and Ar-
jun Sen will assume the post of
chairman and president, respective-
ly, for 2014-15.
Mehta is managing general part-
ner of Granite Hill Capital Partners
and a former chairman, CEO and
founding team member of Providi-
an Financial Corp.
He also was a general partner at
mutual funds company Invesco and
operating general partner of West-
Bridge Capital and served as presi-
dent and chief operating officer of
Capital Holdings, which was the
10th largest insurance firm in the
U.S.
The Indian American executive
also was executive vice president of
Key Corp (formerly AmeriTrust)
and served on the boards of numer-ous companies.
Mehta established the Shailesh J.
Mehta and Kalpa S. Mehta Charita-
ble Foundation, which has awarded
millions of dollars to recipients in-
cluding the Shailesh J. Mehta
School of Management at IIT-Bom-
bay, the Asian Art Museum, the
American India Foundation, Case
Western Reserve University, Cali-
fornia State University at East Bay
and U.C.-Berkeley.
“The IITs are renowned for pro-
ducing some of the best global cor-
porate leaders, academicians, tech-
nologists and entrepreneurs,”
Mehta said in a statement.
“I attended the (PanIIT) Houston
conference and was impressed with
the energy and enthusiasm of the
volunteers who delivered a world
class conference that all of us alum-
ni will be proud of. It gives me con-fidence that working with such a
dedicated group we can make a sig-
nificant difference.”
Sen is president and Founder of
ZenMango, a consulting company
whose clients include Fortune 500
companies and sports figures. Be-
fore ZenMango, he was a vice pres-
ident of marketing for Papa John’s
International and chair of the gov-
ernor’s small business council in
Colorado.
“Our energetic and passionate
alumni takes pride in giving back,”
Sen said in a statement. “Going for-
ward, I see many opportunities to
enhance our brand and provide val-
ue to our members.”
There are more than 60,000 IIT
alumni in the U.S., of which more
than half are actively involved with
PanIIT, the group said.
Rohit Gupta
New York: The Board of Directors and staff
of South Asian Americans Leading Together
(SAALT) has announced that Suman Raghu-
nathan will join as the organization’s Execu-
tive Director on February 3, 2014.
Raghunathan is a seasoned immigrant rightsadvocate with extensive experience on a range
of issues addressed by SAALT, deep connec-
tions to South Asian communities, and rela-
tionships with key stakeholders. Through her
work at organizations including the American
Civil Liberties Union, Progressive States Net-
work, and the New York Immigration Coali-
tion, she has developed expertise on policy is-
sues and implemented capacity-building and
advocacy campaigns. She is also well-versed
in leading non-profit organizations, having
served first as Interim Executive Director and
then as a long-time member of the Board of
Directors of Chhaya Community Develop-
ment Corporation, one of SAALT's close part-
ners. She received her undergraduate degree in
international relations from Brown University
and has a Master's in Nonprofit Management
from Milano School of International Affairs,
Management, and Urban Policy in New York
City."Suman has the optimal combination of
skills, experience, and ability to connect to
people that will deepen SAALT's social
change mission and expand our reach. She is
a passionate advocate who is sure to identify
and implement strategic and innovative op-
portunities to amplify the voices of South
Asians in the United States," said Nitasha
Sawhney, Co-Chair of the SAALT Board of
Directors.
"I am thrilled and humbled by the opportu-
nity to lead such an influential, community-
centered, and vital organization as SAALT,"
said Raghunathan. "As a daughter of Indian
immigrants who has been anchored in the im-
migrant rights movement, I believe whole-
heartedly in the importance of South Asians
playing a critical role to work towards inclu-
sive and responsible public policies in our na-
tion on issues ranging from civil rights and
xenophobia to health access and gender equi-ty. I look forward to working with SAALT's
committed staff to forge coalitions across eth-
nic, racial and class lines, and strengthen the
leadership of South Asian organizations and
individuals around the country."
Deepa Iyer, SAALT's outgoing Executive
Director, will remain in her position through
January 2014, and then transition to serving as
a strategic advisor in a consultancy role. "I am
so pleased to welcome Suman as she steps into
the role of Executive Director at SAALT," said
Iyer. "SAALT has been a labor of love for me
for over ten years, and I am fully invested in
supporting Suman, and our staff and Board
members, during this transition and beyond."
Suman Raghunathan is new Exe Director of SAALT
New York: New York City’s
Mayor Bill de Blasio, in one
of his first actions on taking
office, has appointed a South
Asian in his City Hall press
office.
Mahen Gunaratna is one of
7 appointees the Mayor’s of-
fice announced Jan. 7.Gunaratna will serve as di-
rector of research and media
analysis. He most recently
served as an aide to Mayor de
Blasio’s mayoral campaign,
handling communications
and research. Before that, he
was communications director
for New Mexico and Arizona
in the Obama for America
campaign organization where
he was the President’s re-
gional spokesman for the
Southwest.
Gunaratna has held a num-
ber of congressional and
campaign roles, including
communications director to
U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson,D-FL, research director to the
U.S. Senate campaign of
Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-GA,
and as press secretary to Rep.
Meek. He was also a research
associate at Nesbitt Research
LLC. Born in New York, Gu-
naratna is a graduate of
Georgetown University,
Washington, D.C.
NYC Mayor appoints MahenGunaratna to media team
Suman Raghunathan
Dr Akshat Jain led the young physicians wing at the Global Healthcare Summit 2014 held in Ahmedabad. He present- ed his findings at the prestigious forum, leading the way
for strong legislations supporting pediatric care in thecountry. The focus was preventive care and his presenta- tion in Obesity and Iron deficiency anemia found a good audience and a lot of attention. Close to 500 physicians
from world over attended the summit.
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7January 11-17, 2014TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
23 Indian-origin youths in Forbes list of 'brightest young stars'New York : Over 20 Indian-origin youths are
among Forbes magazine's annual list of the
world's "brightest young stars" under the age
of 30 from diverse fields like finance, media,
sports and education, described by the publi-
cation as "prodigies reinventing the worldright now."
The Forbes third annual '30 Under 30' list
comprises young achievers in 15 different
fields and includes icons like pop singers
Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift,
founder and CEO of the short-form blogging
platform Tumblr David Karp, tennis player
Maria Sharapova and Pakistani girls' rights
activist Malala Yousafzai.
"This is an exhilarating time to be young
and ambitious. Never before has youth been
such an advantage. These founders and fun-
ders, brand builders and do-gooders aren't
waiting around for a proper career bump up
the establishment ladder. Their ambitions are
way bigger -- and perfectly suited to the
dynamic, entrepreneurial, and impatient digi-
tal world they grew up in," Forbes said.
The list of 450 young achievers includes 23
men and women who are of Indian-origin and
are doing exemplary work like foundinglearning centers in India, or establishing a
software company that helps teachers track
classroom behavior, working as vice president
at an American football team based in
Jacksonville, Florida and owner of an exclu-
sive chocolate boutique.
The young turks in the field of finance
include Ganesh Betanabhatla, 28, who is the
Managing director at investment firm Talara
Capital.
Rushabh Doshi, 29, is a trader at financial
firm DW Investment Management, who spe-
cializes in high-yield and distressed debt.
Chaitanya Mehra, 28, is the portfolio manager
at investment firm Och-Ziff Capital
Management.
Neil Mehta, 29, is the founder of investment
firm Greenoaks Capital, where he manages
some USD 600 million, investing in industries
ranging from ecommerce to insurance.
Sahil Lavingia, 21, is the founder and CEOof Gumroad, a web tool that lets creators
quickly and easily sell digital products online.
Among the list of social entrepreneurs is 29-
year-old Karan Chopra who co-founded,
GADCO, which is Ghana's largest producer of
rice.
Krishna Ramkumar, 28, is the co-founder of
Avanti, a group of learning centers in
Mumbai, Delhi, Kanpur and Chennai that pro-
vides 750 bright, low-income high school stu-
dents with science and math education.
Ajaita Shah, 29, founded India-based
Frontier Markets which brings clean energy to
families at the base of the pyramid.
Kavita Shukla, 29, invented and patented
FreshPaper'a low-cost, compostable paper
infused with edible organic spices that keeps
produce fresh two to four times longer, while
still in high school.
Making a mark in the field of sports is 28-
year-old Megha Parekh, who is Vice president
at American football team Jacksonville
Jaguars.
Amir Rao, 29, is a studio director at
Supergiant Games and is co-creator of the
action role-playing video game Bastion,
which has sold over 2.2 million copies since
2011 and won multiple awards.
In the science category, Divya Nag, 22, is a
leading name having co-founded, Stem Cell
Theranostics and StartX Med.
Raghu Chivukula, 29, is Resident Physician
at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
Surbhi Sarna, 28, was inspired to found
nVision Medical when at age 13, Sarna suf-fered from ovarian cysts that were so painful
they made her faint.
Since doctors couldn't tell her if they were
cancerous, a young Sarna vowed to create a
technology to detect ovarian cancer quickly
and early, Forbes said.
Sam Chaudhary, 27, co-founded ClassDojo,
a software company that helps teachers track
classroom behavior.
Sayamindu Dasgupta, 29, is a PhD student
at MIT Media Lab and is vital to the Lifelong
Kindergarten Research Group's Scratch proj-
ect, which enables kids to programme their
own games, animated stories, and art and
share them with millions of other children
around the world.
Pranav Yadav, 28, is the CEO of Neuro-
Insight, a neuromarketing firm that has devel-
oped a patented brain-mapping technology to
investigate and improve the quality of TV
commercials, programming and platforms.
Eesha Khare, 18, won the Young Scientist
Award at the 2013 Intel International Science
and Engineering Fair.
Forbes said her invention could pave the
way to a cell phone that can be fully charged
in just seconds.
Aditi Malhotra, 28, is the founder of Tache
Artisan Chocolate boutique.
India to showcase its soft power inUS, France: Karan Singh
Washington, DC: It has
taken India almost a quarter
of a century to open a cultur-
al centre in Washington. The
hurdles have been finally
cleared and New Delhi will
very soon be able to show-
case its "soft power" in the
world's most powerful na-
tion, Indian Council for Cul-
tural Relations (ICCR) pres-
ident Karan Singh said.
Apart from the US, India
will also open a cultural cen-
ter in Paris.
Karan Singh, a Congress
member of the Rajya Sabha,
said he had first proposed a
cultural cell in the US in
1989.
"I had moved in a propos-
al for a cultural center when
I was the ambassador to the
US in 1989. It is only now
that we have finally man-
aged to buy a property there
thanks to (former Indian am-
bassador to the US) Nirupa-
ma Rao. She has been really
helpful," says Karan Singh.
"We have also bought a
nice property in Paris. One
would think we should have
done these things earlier, but
it was only in 2013 that we
managed to clinch a good
deal," he added, saying that
India would now be able to
effectively project its soft
power - power to attract oth-
er countries and people -
through its multi-faceted
and multi-dimensional cul-
ture.
With the new additions,
ICCR will have 40 cultural
centers spread across the
globe in cities like London
Moscow, Berlin, Johannes-
burg, Tehran, Cairo, Beijing,
Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, As-
tana, Tashkent, Seoul, Suva
(Fiji) and Phoenix
(Mauritius).
Mindy Kaling on Elle cover,courts controversy
New York: Elle magazine has spurred a back-
lash for how it featured Indian American ac-tress, writer and producer Mindy Kaling.
After the four covers of “The Women in TV
Issue” were released on Monday, critics
quickly pointed out that the actress is pictured
in a black-and-white close-up on her cover,
while Zooey Deschanel, Amy Poehler and Al-
lison Williams — all white — are seen in col-
or, almost-full-length shots on their covers.
The difference, bloggers speculated, is that
Kaling isn’t as thin as the other honorees.
The Mindy Project creator and actress
turned to Twitter to defuse the controversy.
“I love my @ELLEmagazine cover,” she
wrote. “It made me feel glamorous & cool.
And, if anyone wants to see more of my body,
go on thirteen dates with me.”
Elle, meanwhile, complimented Kaling in a
statement addressing the cover controversy.
“Mindy looks sexy, beautiful and chic,” the
magazine said. “We think it is a striking and
sophisticated cover, and are thrilled to cele-
brate her in our ‘Women in TV Issue.’”The Elle cover featuring
Mindy Kaling
-
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8 January 11-17, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Mumbai: Bollywood's 'jhakaas' star Anil
Kapoor and 'desi girl' Priyanka Chopra willset out on a three-day tour to Los Angeles,
Tampa Bay and New York, starting Jan 13,
with the International Indian Film Academy
(IIFA) management to create a buzz about
the 15th edition of the awards extravaganza.
This year, the IIFA awards will take place
in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Together, they plan to make the right nois-
es about the upcoming edition of the IIFA
awards, which will happen for the first time
in the US April 24-26.
Both Anil and Priyanka have an interna-
tional connect. While Anil is popular for his
act in the Oscar-winning film "Slumdog
Millionaire" and TV show "24", Priyanka
launched her career as a singer with her first
single "In my city" in the US.
"We are very excited to bring IIFA to
Tampa Bay. With the support of representa-
tives of Visit Tampa, we have been able to
conceptualize and actualize an incredible
event. There will be music, dance and a
whole lot of spice. We're looking forward to
giving our fans and new audiences the ex-
perience of a lifetime," Priyanka said in a
statement. Anil, who recently gave Indian
television a desi version of the American se-
ries "24", said: "As a friend of IIFA, I am
delighted as IIFA makes its debut in the
USA through Tampa Bay."
"We commit to give our audience an op-
portunity to witness one of the finest cele-
brations of culture and cinema," he added.
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is busy gearing
up for the event.
"This tour is just the beginning of a very
exciting journey. Our entire region is enthu-
siastically preparing to welcome tens of
thousands of visitors to our destination, and
we look forward to serving as great hosts to
the biggest and best IIFA awards in history,"
said Santiago Corrada, president and CEO,
Visit Tampa Bay.
Anil, Priyanka to tour US tospread IIFA buzz
New York: Pop/R&B singer-songwriter
Shilpa Narayan has partnered with MySpace
to exclusively premiere music video for her
single, "Renegade." Set in the Mojave
Desert with breathtaking views, the upbeat
and progressive song channels an innate re-
bellion that lives in all of us. In the video,
Shilpa and her cohorts literally break free of
their colorless world and into a world of col-
or after overthrowing a repressive sherrif.
Shilpa sings "So call me a deserter, discard
me like a traitor, I don't follow convention,
but isn't that the point now, I am my own
dictator." As a way of empowering women,
Shilpa leads this revolution of pursuing
one's true passion.
Shilpa so far has opened up for several
rappers including Waka Flaka, Wale, Cul-
ture Shock and also performed at the Apol-
lo, Times Square Diwali (150,000 people), NY Fashion Week, clubs around NYC/At-
lanta and more. She's been featured by The
Voice's Carson Daly, AOL Music, ArtistDi-
rect, UrbanAsian, All Voices, Channel One
News, and many more and has over 1 mil-
lion hits on her youtube channel and associ-
ated videos to date.
New York: An Indian-American
physician will pay $400,000 to re-
solve allegations that he and his clin-ics violated federal laws by billing a
government insurance program for
vein injections and physician office
visits performed by unqualified per-
sonnel.
Florida-based Ravi Sharma agreed
to pay the amount to resolve allega-
tions under the False Claims Act, the
justice department announced on
Monday.
As part of the settlement, Sharma
entered into a three- year integrity
agreement with the Office of Inspec-
tor General of the Department of
Health and Human Services.
The agreement requires Sharma to
attend training courses provided by
the Centers for Medicare and Medi-
caid Services and provides for an in-
dependent external review of his fed-
eral health care program coding and
billing procedures.
"Vein injections and other invasive
procedures should be performed by
appropriately qualified personnel,"
said Assistant Attorney General for
the Justice Department's Civil Divi-
sion Stuart Delery.
"We will not tolerate those who put
patients' health at risk for their per-
sonal gain and convenience."Between 2009 and 2010, Sharma
owned and operated clinics, including
a weight loss facility, in the Tampa
area. He allegedly sent text messages
to his office manager instructing her
to perform varicose vein injections on
patients when he was not in the office.
The government alleges that when
Sharma was in the office, he per-
formed unnecessary vein injections
and unnecessary ultrasound imaging
procedures associated with those vein
injections.
At his weight loss clinic, unquali-
fied personnel met with patients of
the clinic, but Sharma billed those
visits as physician office visits to
Medicare. The allegations covered by
the settlement were originally raised
in a lawsuit filed by Patti Lovell, the
former office manager for Sharma,
under the whistleblower provisions of
the False Claims Act, which permit
private parties to sue on behalf of the
government for the submission of
false claims and to receive a share of
any recovery.
Lovell will receive $72,000.
Shilpa Narayan’s music videopremieres on MySpace
Indian-American doctor to pay $400Kto resolve fraud case
New Delhi:There is major support
among the Indian American commu-nity for BJP's prime ministerial can-
didate Narendra Modi, while a grow-
ing number also support Arvind Ke- jriwal's Aam Admi Party (AAP), says
Indian American Mohan L. Jain from
Chicago. Jain is a delegate at the 12th
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the world's
largest annual gathering of people of
Indian origin that began here Tues-
day.
"We want a strong leader to come
(to power in India). There has been
enough of dynastic politics.. Others
should be given a chance to rule..
Modi has very strong support amongthe Indian American community."
Asked what he felt about the giant-killer AAP, which decimated the rul-
ing Congress in the Delhi assembly
elections and has formed govern-
ment, Jain said: "The AAP phenome-
non is very good.. It is good to give a
jolt. It is good for India and for the
whole country."
A growing number also support
Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Admi Party.
Jain said he met Kejriwal a few yearsago when the latter was in Chicago to
give a talk, and has also met AAP
leader Prashant Bhushan. "I have met
Anna Hazare too. They have a lot of
supporters in the US," said Jain who
is trustee and founding president of
India Development Coalition of
America (IDCA) that works with NGOs to help eradicate poverty in In-
dia. Jain's organization works with
grassroots NGOs in the fields of edu-
cation, healthcare, water and liveli-
hood in many states, including Mad-
hya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Ra-
jasthan. Jain, who migrated to the US
42 years ago, said his son left his jobin the US to form an NGO in India.
According to him, the "foundation
of the pyramid of India", or the peo-
ple who live in villages have been ig-
nored by the Indian government. "In2015, it will be 100 years of Mahat-
ma Gandhi's return to India (from
South Africa), We have not achieved
the India of Gandhi's dreams. We
have not done enough for the people
who sustain our lives."
"The foundation of the pyramid of
India is getting weak. We need to
strengthen the foundations.. The peo-
ple who live in villages, they are the
life givers. We have to take care of
them," Jain said.
"We have lost our values. ..Our val-ues will tell us we are all one, we
should work together to solve our
problems.. We welcome all the peo-
ple who want to work for India," said
Jain, adding that if the government
had done its work in the past 65 years
for poverty alleviation and education,
then organizations like his would notneed to have to come to work in In-
dia. "We are doing the work in India
which the government of India has
not done for 65 years," he said. "We
are telling Indians in the US to comeand work for India," he added. Ac-
cording to Jain, there is a
groundswell of support in India too
for Modi, more than for Kejriwal.
He said an autodriver he spoke to
said while he had voted for Kejriwal
in the Delhi elections and during the
April-May Lok Sabha elections, his
vote would be for the BJP. "We are
not against (Congress vice president)
Rahul Gandhi, we have had enough
of dynastic rule.. Whatever work he
has done has been for the family, for the party, not for India.. If he had tak-
en up a position of responsibility and
done something concrete he would
have proved something."
'Major support forNarendra Modi among Indian Americans'
Shilpa Narayan
Narendra Modi
Washington, DC: Taking cue from
Barack Obama's successful cam- paigning strategy, the Overseas
Friends of BJP has decided to cre-
ate an army of Indian-American
volunteers to call their friends and
relatives back home seeking their
support for Narendra Modi in thenext Lok Sabha polls.
"Each volunteer is expected to
make at least 200 calls," president
of OFBJP Chandrakant Patel said.
Indian-Americans to garnersupport for BJP on phone
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US AFFAIRS
By Vatsal Srivastava
O
n Feb 1, Janet
Yellen will find
herself occupyingthe seat of the most pow-
erful central banker in the
world. Having served as
the vice chairwoman of
the Fed's board of gover-
nors, she has played an
instrumental part in imple-
menting the Federal
Reserve's accommodative
monetary policy meas-
ures via its Quantitative
Easing (QE) measures.
But as the American
economy heals, the Fed intends to wind
down its stimulus program. On Dec 18, the
Fed announced a reduction in its monthly
pu rc ha se s of tr ea su ry - and mort ga ge - backed securities by $10 billion to $75 bil-
lion a month. The minutes of that meeting
will be released during the US trading ses-
sion. (The Federal Open Market
Committee, or FOMC, issues minutes of its
meetings with a lag. The minutes of the
previous meeting are reported three weeks
after the meeting.)
Ben Bernanke's influence will be limited
to just one more Fed meeting and thus it
becomes crucial to understand where the
other voting members stood on their
appetite to taper, and more importantly at
what pace they would prefer to scale back
in the Federal Reserve's bond buying pro-
gram.
The markets have traded sideways so far
this year as their is no consensus on
whether Yellen would stick to her well-
known dovish stance or whether the
improving economic conditions will lead to
faster-than-expected scaling back of the
QE. The dollar index, a
weighted average of the
dollar against six other
major currencies, has been
inching higher this week reflecting the currency
market traders' pricing in
"a hawkish Yellen".
Meanwhile, the bond
market is reacting in the
opposite manner with 10-
year bond yields dropping
from their year-end highs
suggesting bond traders
still feel that the Fed will
have to back out from its
aggressive stance on taper-
ing most probably due to
weak data releases on the housing market
and the jobless claims front.
The equity market, whose performance
can be gauged by the broad-based S&P 500index, will also most likely show volatile
moves as these FOMC minutes are
released. At 1842, the S&P 500 is trading at
a near all-time high. However, much of this
rally has been attributed to multiple expan-
sion and not earnings growth.
Margin stock buying is once again at the
pre-crisis levels of 2006-07. Although equi-
ty strategists welcome the talk of US taper-
ing on the back of consecutive quarters of
above 3 percent GDP growth, only time
will tell whether the momentum in equities
can be maintained as liquidity is squeezed
out the system going forward in 2014.
As of now, we know that Yellen did in
fact vote in favour of tapering. Stanley
Fischer, former governor of the Bank of
Israel and Bernanke's Ph.D. advisor at MIT,
has been nominated for the post of vice
chairman to replace Yellen. If his nomina-
tion is accepted, yet another hawk would be
added to the board of governors.
Yellen to head Fed from Feb 1
Analysis
Washington: The share of Americans who
identify themselves as Republicans is at the
lowest the party has seen in over 25 years,
according to a new poll.Instead, more and more people consider
themselves independents. On average, 42% of
the public said they were independents last
year, according to a Gallup Poll published
Wednesday. The rate is the highest for the
party since the organization began polling cit-
izens 25 years ago. Support of the Republican
party simultaneously fell to 25%, the lowest
number from the same time period.
GOP identification peaked in 2004 at 34%
when former President George W. Bush won a
second term in office. But then it fell, mostly
during his final years as the country’s leader.
Participation in the Democratic
party–31%–didn’t change from the past four
years but is below its 36% recording whenAmericans first elected President Obama in
2008. Last November, half of the country
believed Republicans would have more influ-
ence over the country in 2014, according to a
CNN/ORC International poll. Only 42% of
the public said President Obama would wield
greater influence. The president’s credibility
took a hit last year among his administration’s
mishandling of the health care website rollout
and leaks about the National Security
Agency’s spying program. He received all-
time low approval ratings.
Fewer call themselves Republicans,
Independents’ numbers up
Washington: “Get a gym body wi thou t go ing to the
gym” by sprinkling a powder
on your food. “Significantlyslim your thighs and but-
tocks” using an almond-
scented cream. Lose up to
one pound a day with just two
drops under the tongue.
Such claims were too good
to be true, according to the
Federal Trade Commission.
On Tuesday, the commis-
sion charged four companies
with deceptively marketing
weight-loss products, assert-ing they made “unfounded
pr om ises ” that co ns um er s
could shed pounds simply byusing their food additives,
skin creams and other dietary
supplements.
The four companies —
Sensa Products, L’Occitane,
HCG Diet Direct and
LeanSpa — will collectively pa y $34 mi ll ion to refund
consumers. They neither
admitted nor denied fault inthe case.
The case is part of a broader crackdown on companies that
the government says “peddle
fad weight-loss products.”Linda Goldstein, the chair-
woman of the advertising and
marketing division at the law
firm Manatt, Phelps &
Phillips, said the settlements
made clear that the commis-
sion would accept only dou-
ble-blind, placebo-controlled
studies to document the med-
ical effectiveness of diet
regimes. The commission is
also proposing new guidancefor media outlets to help them
catch potentially fraudulent
claims. The F.T.C. said itwould urge media companies
not to accept advertisements
that make dubious weight-
loss claims.
4 weight-loss firms charged with fraud
9January 11-17, 2014TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Washington: President Barack Oba-
ma lacked belief in his administra-
tion's policy toward the war in
Afghanistan and was skeptical it
would even succeed, his former de-
fense secretary, Robert Gates, writesin a memoir to be published next
week.
Gates, who served as Pentagon
chief from 2006 to 2011 under Oba-ma and his Republican predecessor,
George W. Bush, mixes strong praise
with scathing criticism for Obama
and his administration, the Los An-
geles Times reported.
Obama doubted his own policy af-
ter he decided to send 30,000 more
troops to Afghanistan early in his
first term, Gates wrote. The president
became “skeptical if not outright
convinced it would fail,” a stance
that Gates says led him to consider resigning in September 2009. Ac-
cording to the Washington Post,Gates wrote that Obama "doesn't
consider the war to be his. For him,
it's all about getting out."
"I never doubted Obama's support
for the troops, only his support for
their mission," Gates writes in
“Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at
War”.
Reacting to the comments reported
in Gates' book, the White House Na-
tional Security Council said, "Delib-erations over our policy on
Afghanistan have been widely re-
ported on over the years, and it is
well known that the president has been committed to achieving the
mission of disrupting, dismantling
and defeating al Qaeda, while also
ensuring that we have a clear plan for
winding down the war, which will
end this year."
Obama "deeply appreciates" Gates'
service as defense secretary, NSC
spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in
a statement, and "welcomes differ-
ences of view among his national se-
curity team, which broaden his op-tions and enhance our policies."
In one example of those differ-ences, Gates called Obama’s deci-
sion to order the Bin Laden raid, de-
spite doubts about whether the Al
Qaeda founder was at the compound
in Abbottabad, “one of the most
courageous decisions I had ever wit-
nessed in the White House.”
Gates had favored using heavy
bombers to obliterate the compound.
The option was less risky because it
did not involve putting troops on the
ground, but might have left doubts
about whether Bin Laden was in fact
killed. After Obama was elected in
2008 to succeed Bush, Gates agreed
to the new president's request that he
remain as defense secretary, becom-
ing the first Pentagon chief to serve
presidents of different parties.
Gates describes Obama as "a man
of personal integrity" and says later
in his memoir that "Obama was
right" in his decisions regarding
Afghanistan.
But Obama was uncomfortablewith the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan he inherited from the
Bush administration and distrustful
of the military that was providinghim options, Gates writes.
According to the Post's account of
the book, the different world views
of Obama and Gates "produced a rift,
that at least for Gates, became per-
sonally wounding and impossible to
repair."
The Post said Gates acknowledges
in his book that he did not confront
Obama over the president's determi-
nation that the White House control
all aspects of national security poli-cy.
"His White House was by far themost centralized and controlling in
national security of any I had seen
since Richard Nixon and Henry
Kissinger ruled the roost," Gates
writes.
Former Defense Secretary Gates criticizes Obama in memoir
U.S. President Barack Obama lacked belief in his administra- tion's policy toward the war in Afghanistan and was skeptical it would even succeed, his former defense secretary, Robert Gates,
writes in his memoir.
Janet Yellen becomes the first woman to head the Federal
Reserve in its 100-year history.
Sensa Products,L’Occitane, HCG Diet
Direct and LeanSpa will pay a total $34 million to
refund consumers.
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11January 11-17, 2014TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
Priyanka in Congress meeting,bigger role ahead?
New Delhi: Priyanka Vadra, sister
of Congress vice president Rahul
Gandhi, attended a meeting of
senior party leaders at his house,
triggering speculation of her
greater involvement in the party
ahead of the general elections.
The meeting at Rahul Gandhi's
12 Tughlak Lane residence was
held as the party is making prepa-
rations for the All India Congress
Committee (AICC) meeting later
this month.
There were speculations that
Rahul Gandhi could be declared
the party's prime ministerial can-
didate at the meeting.
Party sources said several mem- be rs of the Cong ress el ec tion
coordination committee, including
par ty pre sident Son ia Gandhi 's
politi cal secretary Ahmed Patel,
union minister Jairam Ramesh,
general secretaries Madhusudan
Mistry and Janardan Dwivedi and
media department incharge Ajay
Maken, were also present at the
meeting.
It was not clear if Rahul Gandhi
was present. Looking after the
constituencies of her brother
(Amethi) and mother (Rae
Bareli), Priyanka Vadra, who is
considered charismatic by the
pa rt y rank an d fi le , is a ye ar
younger to her brother and will
turn 42 on Jan 12.
Her presence at the meeting cre-
ated a buzz in party circles, with
many speculating whether she
would take an active role in the
campaign for the Lok Sabha elec-
tions to be held in April-May.
The party, however, down-
played Priyanka's presence at the
meeting. Dwivedi told reporters
that Priyanka Vadra was a mem-
be r of an im po rt an t po li ti ca l
family.
Lucknow: A war of words broke
out between political parties after
Delhi Police claimed that a
Pakistan-backed terrorist outfitallegedly scouted for recruits
among the riot victims in Uttar
Pradesh.
The BJP, the Congress and Uttar
Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party
sparred after police sources said
they had stumbled upon evidence
about a visit to refugee camps in
Muzaffarnagar by Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) activists.
Delhi Police were not categorical
about the alleged recruitment effort.
But police sources said that the LeT
did try to rope in youths in the
camps housing victims of the
September riots in Muzaffarnagar.
Delhi Police said they were look-
ing for some LeT operatives after
arresting two men from Mewat in
Haryana who admitted to visiting
Deoband and Muzaffarnagar."This is a very serious matter that
imperils the internal security of the
country," Bharatiya Janata Party
spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak
said.
"What is even more a matter of
concern is that security agencies in
the state and in New Delhi do not
seem to be in tandem with the find-
ings," he added.
Added BJP national president
Rajnath Singh: "The issue should be
probed and taken very seriously."
More than 60 people were killed
and thousands fled their homes fol-
lowing Hindu-Muslim violence in
Muzaffarnagar in September.
War of words overMuzaffarnagar riot victims
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh's announcement
that he will not seek a third term could
effectively result in a Narendra Modi
versus Rahul Gandhi contest in this
year's Lok Sabha elections, analysts
said and noted that Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) would also make its presence
felt in the polls through its rising star,
Arvind Kejriwal.
The prime minister's remarks at his
press conference Friday that he will
give "the baton" to a new PM after 2014 elections has set the stage for
Congress leaders expressing their
desire to see the party vice president
Rahul Gandhi in the chair after
Manmohan Singh.
The prime minister had also stated
that Gandhi had "outstanding creden-
tials" to be the prime ministerial can-
didate. Though suggestions have been
made in the past by Congress mem-
bers about projecting Gandhi, 43, as
the prime ministerial candidate, the
party has not taken a firm decision on
the issue. All that it has stated is that
the prime ministerial candidate will be
declared at an "opportune time".
Party sources said that those push-
ing for declaration of a prime ministe-
rial candidate feel it will present vot-
ers with a clear choice. The Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) has officially
declared Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi as its prime ministeri-
al candidate and suggestions have
started coming from within the AAP
for projecting Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal as the prime ministe-
rial candidate, though Kejriwal has
declared he is not going to contest the
Lok Sabha polls.
The Congress had projected
Manmohan Singh as prime ministerial
candidate in 2009 and the decision is
reckoned as a factor that contributed
to party's improved performance over
its tally in 2004 Lok elections.
Congress sources said that those
pressing for declaring Rahul Gandhi
as prime ministerial candidate feel
that the step will galvanise the party
workers and inject momentum in the
party's poll campaign. There is also a
feeling that projection of Gandhi, who
publicly slammed a proposed ordi-
nance on convicted lawmakers, will
help the party distance itself from per-
ceived failures of Manmohan Singh
government on issues of price rise and
corruption.
A session of the All India Congress
Committee is being held here Jan 17
and there is growing speculation that
Gandhi could be declared prime min-isterial candidate at the meet.
On his part, Rahul Gandhi has been
taking a more active stance on issues
after the party's drubbing in the
assembly polls last month. He sought
to take political credit for govern-
ment's push for the passage of Lokpal
bill and clearly articulated his eco-
nomic vision at an event organised by
a business chamber. He also held a
meeting of party chief ministers to
deliberate on the issue of price rise.
Party sources said there was also a
view in the party that projecting
Gandhi as PM candidate at this stage
may not be the best strategy due to the
nature of challenge before the
Congress. This section feels that
Congress prospect do not appear to be
very bright and a sharp downslide in
performance could affec t Gandh i's
long-term political prospects.
Surrender to musicalevenings at Jaipur lit fest
Modi vs Rahul in 2014, but Kejriwal a rising star
Jaipur: Evenings at the
upcoming Jaipur Literature
Festival will be audiovisual
treat for music lovers as they
will be treated to Africa's tradi-
tional nomadic melodies along
with Rajasthani folk, Indie-pop
and classical jazz."The Musical Stage", on the
sidelines of the five-day literary
event, will begin here from Jan
17 and will be hosting musical
wizards from around the globe.
Grammy Award winner
Tinariwen -- a band of Tuareg
musicians from northern Mali
in Africa, Rajasthani folk
artists, composer-singer Karsh
Kale, Indian electronic band
Midival Punditz will bring
evenings alive after a heavy day
of literati debates and discus-
sions.
The musical sidelight is
scheduled for four days fromJan 17. On the opening day,
giving a glimpse of sophisticat-
ed rhythms of India, will be
Jaipur Kawa Brass band who
have given many international
performances with their riotous
trumpets, clarinets and loud,
clattering drums.
Other performances include
Rajasthani folk music and
dance, Delhi-based band Ska
Vengers, sarangi player Suhailand the Sufi gospel project.
The festival is also hosting
two Nobel Prize winners,
Amartya Sen and Harold
Varmus, Order of the British
Empire (OBE) awardee Mary
Beard and teacher of classics at
Cambridge University and
Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa
Lahiri.
British writer Samantha
Shannon, actor Irrfan Khan and
bo xer Mary Kom wi ll al so
address sessions.
The Jaipur Literature Festival
is an annual event, billed as the
world's largest free literary fes-tival. The first of these festivals
began on a small scale as part
of the Jaipur Heritage
International Festival in 2006.
Priyanka Vadra, sister of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi
More than 60 people were killed following Hindu-Muslim violencein Muzaffarnagar in September last year
In a recent survey, 44 percent of urban voters are to vote for AAP candidates in general elections
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13January 11-17, 2014TheSouthAsianTimes.info 12TH PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS 2014
I n d i a h o n o r s 1 d i a s p o r amembers for enhancing imageabroadNew Delhi: India's economic
growth slowdown is temporary andthe country has the ability to over-
come the challenge, President
Pranab Mukherjee said.
"We have the ability to overcome
the temporary downtrend,"
Mukherjee said in his valedictory
speech at the 12th edition of the
annual meeting here of the Indian
diaspora, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
The president pointed out that
India has registered a sustained high
growth in the past decade -- lower
only than China among the world's
major economies.
India's gross domestic product
(GDP) growth is expected to be
around 5 percent in the financial
year ending March 2014. This is
sharply down from the nearly 8 per-
cent growth registered in the previ-
ous eight years.
The president honored 10 promi-
nent members of the Indian diaspora
from various parts of the world,
including Mahatma Gandhi's grand-
daughter Ela Gandhi with the
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award.
Ela Gandhi, who is based in South
Africa, was honored for her contri-
butions in the field of public servic-
es, enhancing
India's image and
pr omot in g ti es
betw een Indi a and
South Africa.
Other awardees
included Bahrain- based businessman
Kurian Verghese,
Canada-based entre-
preneur and philan-
thropist Vasdev
Chanchlani and
France-based edu-
cationist Bikas
Chandra Sanyal.
Two people whose names were
included in the list did not attend the
event, while the Ramakrishna
Mission's Fiji unit was honoured for
its community service and philan-
thropic activities and enhancing
India's prestige abroad.
Gandhi, who was a member of
Parliament in South Africa from
1994-2004, was placed under house
arrest in 1943 for five years during
that country's freedom struggle.
Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of
Mahatma Gandhi, is a peace
activist. She was conferred the
Padma Bhushan award from
Government of India in 2007.
Gandhi was born in South Africa
to Manilal Gandhi and grew up in
an ashram of the Phoenix
Settlement near Durban, South
Africa. She received her B.A.degree
at the former Natal University and
later received a B.A. in social sci-
ence with honors from UNISA.
Following graduation, she worked
as a social worker with the Verulam
Child and Family Welfare Society
for 15 years and the Durban Indian
Child and Family Welfare Society
for five years.Her political affiliations include
the Natal Indian Congress, which
she served as vice president, the
United Democratic Front, Descom
Crisis Network, and Inanda Support
Committee.
After serving in parliament,
Gandhi developed a 24-hour pro-
gram against domestic violence,
founded the Gandhi Development
Trust, serves as a member of the
Religious Affairs Committee, and
oversees a monthly newspaper.
Growth slowdown challenge will be overcome: President
Mahatma Gandhi's granddaughter Ela Gandhi receiving the award from the president
New Delhi: Several states, includ-
ing Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar,
Kerala and Punjab, showcased
investment opportunities and urged
the Indian diaspora to play a role in
the growth and development of their
respective states.
In separate presentations at the
12th edition of the annual diaspora
meet - Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
(PBD) - here, chief ministers, minis-
ters and senior officials of different
states highlighted the need for over-
seas investments.
Addressing a separate session,
Bihar Industry Minister Renu
Kumari said her state needed help
from the diaspora to accelerate the
development process.
She said that with a view to hav-
ing industrial development and pro-
motion in the state, the Industrial
Promotion Policy 2011 has been
successfully implemented. Kerala
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy
also made a strong pitch for diaspo-
ra investment. Rajasthan highlight-
ed its large mineral deposits, market
access, trained manpower, lower
costs, availability of land, peaceful
law and order and industrial rela-
tions, offers huge advantages in
comparison to other states.
Punjab officials, while pitching
for diaspora investment, said:
"Robust infrastructure, attractive
policy package for industries, mak-
ing Punjab the easiest place to do
business, abundant talent and skills,
competitive operating costs with
superior quality of life, prosperous
economy and an affluent consumer
bas e, leadi ng agr icu ltu ral sta te,
large industrial base, access to large
markets and excellent industrial and
labour relations."
Indian states seek diaspora investment
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek
Singh Ahluwalia, Overseas Minister Vayalar Ravi, Kerala CM Oommen Chandy and Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma at PBD 2014.
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14 January 11-17, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 12TH PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS 2014
Delegates during the inaugural session of 12thPravasi Bharatiya Divas 2014'
Reunion Island Indiansconnect with 'Mother India'
New Delhi: Making a strong pitch for greater connec-
tivity with the diaspora youth, Overseas Indian Affairs
Minister Vayalar Ravi said partnerships between young
Indians in the country and those residing overseas in
industry and social sectors would create jobs and bring
prosperity.
He was speaking after inuagarating the 12th edition of
the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD), India's flagship
annual event to connect with its diaspora spread across
the globe, which kicked off on Tuesday with special
focus on "engagement with the youth".
Referring to the opportunities for growth and develop-
ment that India's growing economy presents today, he
said "the interactions should foster greater connectivity
between Indian and diaspora youth, which should even-
tually result in economic cooperation leading to the cre-
ation of wealth, livelihoods and prosperity."
Ravi said that in this age of globalisation, there are
greater trade and business links between nations.
"Indian youth and their diaspora counterparts should
come together in developing strong networks, which
would lead to partnerships in trade, industry, entrepre-
neurship and social work," he said.
"This will lead to the creation of wealth and employ-
ment, which will benefit the masses at large. Our goal
should be to build a strong global connect of youth for
this purpose," he said.
This year's theme is "Engaging Diaspora: Connecting
Across Generations" and this is the first time that the
Youth PBD is being held on the first day of event.
"It is estimated that more than 50 per cent of our
working population is between the age group of 18-35
years and are contributing immensely to the growth and
development of our great country India," Ravi said.
India is where real democracy is: Bilimoria on AAPNew Delhi: India is the place
where there is real democracy,
highlighted by the stupendous per-
formance of the Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) that swept aside the ruling
Congress to form the government
in Delhi, Indian-origin British
entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria said
here. Addressing a session on soft
powe r at th e ongo ing Prav as i
Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the largest
gathering of Indian diaspora in the
world, Bilimoria said Britain may
have its Magna Carta on democrat-
ic reform and Westminster, "butthis (India) is where the real
democracy is".
"This is where the real democra-
cy is, where a party can start from
nothing and in one year win a state
election," said Bilimoria, to loud
applause from the audience.Bilimoria's reference was to the
AAP, which won the Dec 4 Delhi
elections to oust the Congress after
15 years of uninterrupted rule. The
AAP was formed in November
2012. Bilimoria, the owner of
Cobra beer, also said Indians vote
much more than in Britain.
He said evidence of India's soft
power could be seen in the 10,000
Indian restaurants in Britain and
with Indian cuisine becoming a
favorite food in the country.
However, he said the Indian for-
eign service needs to be strength-
ened from the 600 at present to
push ahead with public diplomacy.
Bilimoria said Indians are
excelling in many fields in Britainand gaining in prominence. He said
he was hopeful of seeing an Indian
becoming prime minister of Britain
in his life time.
Overseas Indian AffairsMinister Vayalar Ravi with NRI delegates
Indian-origin Britishentrepreneur Karan Bilimoria
Govt reaches out to diaspora youth
New Delhi: Our economic funda-
mentals remain strong. Our sav-
ings and investment rates are still
over 30 per cent of our GDP and
the entrepreneurial spirit in India
is very much alive and kicking,
said Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh while addressing the Indian
diaspora in New Delhi.
The Prime Minister also tried to
dispel the environment of pes-
simism. “There is a perception in
some quarters outside India that
the country is losing its momen-
tum of the past decade. This is
also amplified by the political
contests here in India, which are
inevitably louder in the election
season that is now on the horizon.
I wish to assure you that there is
no reason to despair about our
pr es en t or worr y ab ou t ou r
future,” he mentioned.He also urged the Diaspora to
remain engaged in the future of
this country with confidence and
optimism.
Singh highlighted various deci-
sions taken to accelerate the
implementation of mega infra-
structure projects, reform tax
administration, improve fiscal
management, liberalize foreign
direct investments and rationalize
the system for allocation and uti-
lization of natural resources.
“With greater political support,
we could have legislated deeper
reform measures — for example,
in the financial and insurance sec-
tor. However, our decisions are
already beginning to make an
impact and India is re-emerging as
an attractive investment destina-
tion. I am confident you will see
the evidence clearly in the next
few months,” he said.
The Prime Minister mentioned
that one of the key priorities of the
Government is to provide open,transparent, accountable and clean
government. The Right to
Information, the Lokpal legisla-
tion, the Government
Procurement Bill, changes in the
systems for the allocation of natu-
ral resources and empowering law
enforcement and audit agencies
are some of the steps the
Government has taken.
“The task is complicated
be ca us e we ha ve to ov er ha ul
entrenched practices and systems
while respecting the federal nature
of our polity. Strengthening gov-
ernance is an ongoing process and
we can never say that we have
done enough, but I am confident
that we are moving in the right
direction,” he informed.
He also assured the non-resi-
dents of continuous support and
assistance in promoting their links
with India in every possible way.
“We have also recently launched
the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi
Suraksha Yojana to provide socialsecurity to Indian workers abroad.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in
Delhi will be completed this year.
We also intend to start a schemeto assist state governments in
establishing Pravasi Bharatiya
Bhawans,” the Prime Minister
informed.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Minister of Overseas Affairs Vayalar Ravi during the 12th Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas 2014' in New Delhi.
No reason to despair, Manmohan tells diaspora
New Delhi: French is their mother
tongue and they have been bornand lived for four generations far
away from India, but a thirst to
know more about the land where
their forefathers came from draws
them to India regularly.
Armoudom Lena, an orthodontist
from Reunion Islan, is heading the
Indian delegation at the 12th
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
Reunion Island is a small French
island in the Indian Ocean, near
Mauritius. The Indian-origin popu-
lation comprises 45 percent of the
people on the island that has a pop-
ulation of over 837,000 inhabi-
tants.
"We are the most important
Indian community in France,"
Lena said. Lena, who has come
with her son and other Indian
members, said the visit to PBD is
aimed to help strengthen links with
"Mother India".
"We want the young people tostrengthen links with Mother India
and our country of adoption. We
want to share our experiences from
abroad."
"France is a country of human
rights and we have good education.
I think we can share our experi-
ences," said Lena, adding that they
are also keen to find out about
investing in India.
"There are many people who can
invest in India in fields like envi-
ronment and recycling of water,"
said Lena, a fourth generation
Indian.
Among the problems Lena said
she faces while in India is lan-
guage, as they are French speaking
with halting knowledge of English.
The other is of passports for
Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs),
she said.
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ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD 17January 11-17, 2014TheSouthAsianTimes.info
AMumbai court has postponed till Jan 21 the hearing
in the 2002 accident case involving Bollywood actor
Salman Khan after the prosecution sought time to
appeal against the retrial order in the Bombay High Court.
The grounds for the fresh trial was that Salman Khan wasnot given opportunity to examine witnesses in the context of
the enhanced charges of culpable homicide under Indian
Penal Code Section 304(2) slapped on him midway during
the trial.
Earlier, the actor was tried by a magistrate court for the
lesser offence of causing death by negligence which attracts
jail of up to two years.
After examining 17 witnesses, the magistrate court held
that the higher charge of culpable homicide was
made out against Salman Khan and referred
it to the sessions court.
The high-profile case dates back
to Sep 28, 2002 when a SUV
Toyota Land Cruiser
allegedly driven by
Salman Khan ran over
some pavement
dwellers in Bandra
west, killing
one and
injuring
four.
Versatile Nawazuddin now wants fee hike
Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, known for
roles in films "Kahaani", "Talaash"
and "Gangs of Wasseypur, says he
wants his fee to be increased now.
"I want to hike my price because that should
happen with each actor. It's just a wish which
is unfulfilled. So far I don't know when this
will happen. But I am certain things will
change for me," said Nawazuddin.
After facing many obstacles, the 39-year-
old feels happy that he is being approached
for lead roles.
"I had lot of hurdles in my journey. People
used to feel that with the kind of looks I have,
I can't pull off a lead role. So, it took too long
to remove that tag. Now, the kind of roles that
I am getting, I am playing lead in all of them.
I am thankful to the industry for accepting
me," he said.
He says the most difficult job is to choose
the right script.
"There are lots of things to be considered
before signing a film. Even people try to offer
you lot of money to be part of their film but if you are after money then your career will
come to an end within two years. It's my duty
to sign good films for which I am known for,"
he said.
Nawazuddin is currently busy promotinghis film "Miss Lovely", which is slated for
Jan 18 release.
R
eacting to Naseeruddin
Shah's criticism of
Farhan Akhtar's per-formance in "Bhaag Milkha
Bhaag" (BMB) calling it
"fake", actress Shabana Azmi
and Prasoon Joshi, writer of
the film, said the veteran actor
is entitled to his opinion but
they feel that Farhan was out-
standing in the biopic.
Shabana, who is Farhan's
stepmother, has worked exten-
sively with Naseer in some of
the most influential films of
Indian cinema such as "Masoom". She
said: "Farhan was outstanding in
'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'. His perform-
ance gave me gooseflesh. He has raised
the bar for what actors should demand
from them while portraying real-life
characters. Naseer is entitled to his
opinion. But most Indians don't agree
with him." While the film's director
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Farhan
desisted from comment, Prasoon was
forthright in expressing his feelings on
the issue. He said: "I respect Naseer
saab and he's entitled to his opinion.
But I don't agree with his opinion on
BMB. I've written the film. It has
inspired and connected with people all
across the world. It was not meant to be
a documentary or a niche film."
Actor Nawazuddin Sid