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This week’s question

Modi most popular visiting

dignitary?

Last week’s result

YES 67% NO 33%

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CONTENTS

MODI MAGICAT MADISON

Bollywood ---------------------- 30-31

Classifieds ------------------------- 52

Community Post -------------- 16-26

Date Book -------------------------- 47

Edit Page --------------------------- 54

HealthScience Post --------- 32-35

Horoscope ------------------------- 51

Immigration Post ------------- 44-46

Life Style ----------------------- 36-37

Philosophy ------------------------- 53

Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4

TechBiz Post ------------------- 13-16

Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 40-42

SUDHIR VYAS

NEW YORK: The man who was denied entry into theUnited States almost 12 years ago, on Sunday walked intriumphantly with a standing ovation, with over 50 electedofficials including Governors, Senators and Congressmenstanding in attendance and millions of Indians settled inthe United States and all over the world cheering everyword that he uttered during his almost 80 minutes speech,

inspiring every Indian in the packed Madison Square Gar-den in New York.

Thousands of others viewed the event from the famousTimes Square and other locations through the length andbreadth of the United States. It looked that no one elsebut the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi can charmhis audience wherever he goes.

Details on page 5

Grants life-long visa to PIOs

ENTHRALLING SPEECH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures during his address to the large number of Indian Americans

gathered at Madison Square Garden in New York on September 28. (Right) An aerial view of the stadium

Details on page 6

KEM CHO? President Barack

Obama welcomes Prime

Minister Narendra Modi, at the

dinner hosted in his honor at the

White House, in Washington DC

on September 30.

(Details on page 11)

Obama hostsprivate dinnerfor Modi

You are the future,Modi tells youthat Central Park

Details on page 8

Modi at UNGA

Will Indian-American envoy

prove more effective?

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Bollywood:Kapil in a film, at lastKapil Sharma of 'Comedy Nights withKapil' fame will be seen romancing ElliAvram in his first film

5Cover Story:Modi magic

16Community:Kuo endorsed

44

36Life style:

A Gujarati Garba dance performancekickstarted the grand rockstar-like recep-tion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi

13Techbiz:

Modi has assured top American corpo-rate honchos of tax stability and friend-lier business environment in India

40Travel:KutchBreathtaking vistas, intriguing history,an abundance of tradition, color, andenchantment - this is Kutch

Assurance to CEOs

FIA Chairman Dr Romesh Japra has en-dorsed the candidature of Mr. Peter Kuo,who is contesting from Santa Clara

Narendra Modi charmed everyone dur-ing his speech, inspiring every Indian inthe packed Madison Square Garden

Garba greetings

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Immigration:

Sikh-Americans have requested Modi toremove the hurdles faced by them in ap-plying for visas or renewal of passports

Sikhs’ appeal

As universal dress codes go, you don't turn up at a rock concert wearinga kurta-pyjama with a bright blue bandhgala jacket. But that's NarendraModi's style, which I would call, intrepid and uninhibited. And yet, I am

not referring to only his sense of dressing. It's the way he does things.Apart from what he "officially" came to achieve, be it the UN address, the

Obama Summit, the bilateral meets on the sidelines, the desi community meet,the American CEO meet, the CFR address - his predecessors have more or lessdone all that and some, in the past - but all of that apart, what struck me as theModi chutzpah was his appearance at the Central Park to address a rockconcert crowd of over 60,000 New York youth. He took just seven minutes onstage before what was arguably the world's next generation audience that notonly knows how to rock at concerts but also is aware and conscious of thepolitics of climate and hygienic living in the third world nations. And that's noeasy demographic to impress.

Interrupting Jay-Z, Beyonce and Hugh Jackman, to hold the Sunday morn-ing crowd to rapt attention takes oodles of charisma and a self assurance thatproclaims loud and clear that "I know what I am talking about", if not, "I knowwhat I am doing here."

So during his various meetings he spoke of terrorism, climate change, sus-tainable development, and with the American President about shared technol-ogy, security cooperation, technological collaborations, trade tangles, visa sops,and a model partnership.

But, for me, those seven minutes that Modi spent in Central Park saluting thetorch bearers of the future and expressing his unmitigated faith in the universal-ity of young mindsets, concerns and beliefs were those that were spent the bestduring his visit to the US.

Without sounding like one of those thousands of unabashed Modi adulatorsin our community, I do want to give the man his due not only for his vision inknowing where the future is, but his uncanny way of reaching out to it. There isdefinitely, hope.

India PostOctober 3, 2014 5

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Modi magic at MadisonGrants life-long visa to PIOs

SUDHIR VYAS

PM Modi at Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK: The man whowas denied entry into the UnitedStates almost 12 years ago, onSunday walked in triumphantlywith a standing ovation, with over50 elected officials including Gov-ernors, Senators and Congress-men standing in attendance andmillions of Indians settled in theUnited States and all over theworld cheering every word that he

uttered during his almost 80 min-utes speech, inspiring every In-dian in the packed MadisonSquare Garden in New York.

Thousands of others viewedthe event from the famous TimesSquare and other locationsthrough the length and breadthof the United States. It looked thatno one else but the Indian PrimeMinister Narendra Modi cancharm his audience wherever hegoes. The Indian American Com-munity Foundation, an organiza-tion set up to oversee the NewYork event, did a remarkable jobin that it tried to accommodate asmany viewers as possible but thecapacity constraint limited theattendance to 20,000.

Dr Bharat Barai and Dr KiranPatel among others who primed theFoundation expressed huge satis-

faction that everything went reallywell and as planned. Dr Barai saidthat the demand for coming to theevent was so huge that even athree time bigger facility could havebeen filled to capacity. Kudos toModi and kudos to the Founda-tion for job well done.

As one Indian commented af-ter the event, `Modi came'. `Hesaw' and ̀ He conquered'. How true

it could be when at every step thecrowd rose into a thunderous ap-plause and supported every de-mand that he asked from them.

An orator that he is, Modiplayed to the galleries and wonthe heart of everyone present.

However there was one lady in acrowd of almost 18,200 who wasnot very impressed or so itseemed, when she dosed off asModi continued his oratory. Thatwoman was none else but his ownsenior cabinet minister and thattoo from external affairs ministry -Sushma Swaraj.

As if fulfilling the long stand-ing demands of the IndianDiaspora, the Prime Minister, saidhe was so overwhelmed with thelove and affection that was show-ered on him that it was his turn toreturn the generosity. "As a thankyou gift, I announce that thePeople of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders will get lifelong visas".And the whole arena erupted.

"Happy?" he asked as thecrowd cheered his announcementwith chants of "Modi, Modi"."Wait there is more to come", hesaid smilingly. Then he went onto announce, "NRIs staying inIndia for long had to visit the po-lice station for verification buthenceforth there is no need forthem to do that anymore." Modisaid under a new scheme which isto follow soon the governmentwill merge the PIO and OverseasCitizenship of India (OCI)schemes for the Diaspora. He alsosaid the Indian missions in the USwould grant long term visas to UScitizens and US tourists would get

visa on arrival in India. "With yourhelp and guidance we want tobuild India of your dream".

The Prime Minister said "weare obliged to Mahatma Gandhifor his effort to gain independenceand it is time we repay his deeds.In 2019 we will be celebrating his150th anniversary. Gandhiji gaveus independence and now wemust all make a determination that

on his anniversary we will presentto him a clean India, free of dirtand corruption."

Similarly he said it was hisdream that by the year 2022, whenwe will be celebrating our 75thyear of Independence, I want tosee each and every Indian owns ahouse and "with your supportand effort we can achieve this."Will you support me, as asked andthe Indian community agreed inunison.

Modi also announced that ev-ery year we celebrate PravasiBharatiya Divas in January. Thisyear it will be celebrated in Gujaratas it signifies the 100th year ofMahatma Gandhi's return to India.(Gandhi returned in 1915 to startthe Independence struggle) andas he returned from South Africa,I also want my brothers and sis-

ters settled outside to return andstart the struggle for a newer andbetter India" Modi said.

"I am a small man and comefrom a humble background that iswhy I like to do big things for smallpeople", Modi said adding "Indiawas once known as a world ofsnake charmers and black magi-cians, but now the magic that itspeople have woven "with the

(computer) mouse" in the ITsphere has won accoladethroughout the world.

As if presenting a report cardof his roughly five months in of-fice, Prime Minister Modi spokeabout the need to do away withold obsolete laws which were ofno use in the present day sce-nario, the cleansing of the RiverGanges, his favorite `Jan dhanscheme 'whereby every family isto have a bank account. He saidunder this scheme the people haveso far invested over Rs. 15 millionin banks. He called upon Indianssettled here as well as everywherein the world to be his partner inchanging the fortunes of India and"let us create an India of yourdreams", he said.

People seen going to Madison Square Garden A demonstrator being scolded for ill-informed protest

A Muslim family attending the event Cont’d on page 9


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Shun terrorism, then talk, Modi tells PakSUDHIR VYAS

NEW YORK: Taking a dig atPakistan for raising the Kashmirissue at United Nations GeneralAssembly Prime MinisterNarendra Modi remarked: Raisingissues in this forum is not the wayto make progress towards resolv-ing issues.

In his first-ever address to theWorld Body, the Prime Minister,dressed in black Tuxedo suit,said: our future is linked closelywith our neighbors. That is whysince my inauguration and dayone when I assumed office wehave extended our hands offriendship with our neighbors, Iam prepared to engage in seriousbilateral dialogue with Pakistan ina peaceful atmosphere, withoutthe shadow of terrorism. It is alsoup to Pakistan to create the rightatmosphere and come forward forbilateral talks.

It is the responsibility of Paki-stan to create an environment con-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the 69th Session of the United

Nations General Assembly, in New York on September 27

ducive for a dialogue. India needsa peaceful atmosphere for her ownsuccess. India has faced terrorismfor decades. Now the world real-

izes that is a global problem.Sea, Space and Cyber

space...these links that used tojoin us have now become conflict

points. Why is it that despite hav-ing a wonderful platform like UNwe have had to have the variousG platforms. When we talk aboutgood terrorism and bad terrorism,it raises a serious question andraises doubt about our intentionsto fight terrorism. .

The Prime Minister forcefullyraised the issue of terrorism, andsaid no country in the world wastoday safe from it. He condemnedthe use of terms such as "goodterrorism" and "bad terrorism" andsaid some countries were still har-boring terrorists and using terror-ism as an instrument of statepolicy. He emphasized the needfor an early adoption of the Com-prehensive Convention on GlobalTerrorism, saying it is a matter thathas been pending for long.

Come let us work towardspeace. Why is it that we need G-

platforms despite the UN? Let'smold ourselves according to theneed of the hour and work to-gether towards peace. We needto make comprehensive efforts tofight against terrorism. We haveto give full strength to UN Peace-keeping.

"At the United Nations Gen-eral Assembly no single nation orgroup of nations can decide thefate of the world", he said adding,"the world is evolving at fast pacein 21st century, it becomes impor-tant for us to change with time andemphasize on new ideas. It istherefore important to expand theUN Security Council."

The Prime Minister, called forurgent reform and rejuvenation ofthe United Nations, as it entersits 70th year of existence. Modiurged all member nations to de-liver on the commitment of UNreform. He said institutions whichreflect the compulsions of the 20thcentury risk irrelevance. He also

highlighted the need to re-ener-gize the process of UN peace-keeping, and said countries whichcontribute their military personnelfor such operations need to havegreater say in decision-making.

He said the 70th year of theUnited Nations should be an op-portunity to reflect on what all hasbeen achieved, and to prepare aroadmap for the future. He calledfor Universities and youth to beinvolved in this process of trans-formation. He said the 21st cen-tury had its own set of challenges,and the United Nations needs toreflect contemporary realities.

Modi, who himself is yoga ex-ponent mooted a plan before theWorld Body saying, "Let us worktowards adopting an Internationalday of Yoga". We will turn 70 nextyear. We have to ask ourselves -do we wait till we turn 80? No. The

next year can be an opportunity.Yoga can help fight climatechange. We should work towardsan International Day of Yoga. Letus fulfill promise to reform the UNSecurity Council by 2015. Nextyear can be an ideal opportunityfor this. We cannot developalone. The world must prospertogether.

The Prime Minister referred tothe emergence of several groupsof countries with the prefix "G"and said that we must move to-wards as "G-all" and see how theUN can be made more effective.The fact that billions of people arewithout basic sanitation, drinkingwater and electricity highlightshow much needs to be done in anorganized way at the global level.

The Prime Minister highlightedIndia as a country that stands foruniversal justice, dignity, oppor-tunity and prosperity. He said con-versation with nature was inher-ent in India's "philosophy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting UNGA Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

at United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 27

Indian-Americans hail Modi'sUNGA speech

UNITED NATIONS: Indian-Americans from across the UShailed the maiden speech of PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, withsome saying that the speech re-flects that India has arrived on theworld stage with a strong voice.

"This is once in a life time op-portunity. India has arrived onthe world stage," saidChandrakant Patel, president,Overseas Friends of BJP andchairman of the Indian AmericanCommunity Foundation.

A large number of Indian-Americans were seen seated inthe visitors' gallery to watchModi's maiden speech.

The visitors' gallery of theUnited Nations which is gener-ally empty, that too on a Satur-day, was more than half full, be-fore Modi started delivering hisspeech.

Because of unprecedented se-curity, not many people were ableto come inside the UN to listen tohis speech.

Simultaneously, several hun-dred people had gathered outsidethe United Nations with placardsand banners 'America LovesModi' to welcome Modi in theUnited States.

People in at least eight busloads from New York and New Jer-sey left their homes early in themorning to attend the 'Modi wel-come rally' outside the UN.

"After a long time, India hasgot such a leader. No one in the

Modi being welcomed in New York

past has evoked such an excite-ment as has the Prime Minister,"said Satya Shaw, a successful en-trepreneur, who flew in fromFlorida for the event.

"There were many peoplestanding outside to come to thevisitors' gallery, but were not ableto come due to security reasons,"said a disappointed Manish

Kumar, who could not watch Modispeak from the visitor's gallery.

"I watched it on my smartphone, through UN webcast," hesaid: UN officials said there wasquite unusual traffic on their UNwebcast feed during the Modispeech.

"Naturally, the traffic was high-est from India, but it was quiteunusual from even countries like

the US, Canada and Britain," theofficial said on condition of ano-nymity.

"We wanted to have a grandwelcome to our Prime Minister. Itis very unfortunate that a states-man like him was denied a US visa.He has a huge following here inthe US," said Narayan Kataria, oneof the Indian-American Intellectual

Forum, which organised the wel-come rally in front of the UN.

"The young and vibrant Indianvoice of 1.2 billion Indians, en-riched by a well-rooted democ-racy complete with loyal opposi-tion, spoke today through Modi -India's durable message of peacefree of terror, and growth for all,"said eminent Indian-American at-torney Ravi Batra. -PTI


October 3, 2014


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Pays tributes at 9/11Memorial

SUDHIR VYAS

NEW YORK: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi paid tributes at the9/11 memorial, also known asGround Zero, where the twin tow-ers of World Trade Centre de-stroyed by September 11, 2001terrorist attack stood. Dressed ina half-sleeved white Modi kurta

and churidars and a grey shawlthrown on his left shoulder, Modiwalked to the grey granite memo-rial and stood solemnly before itwith folded hands.

He then placed one by one sev-eral yellow roses on the memorialslabs with names of more than3,000 victims of the attack, includ-ing many Indian-Americans,etched on it. After that he enteredthe 9/11 Museum. Modi's visit tothe 9/11 memorial is seen as sym-bolic of India's resolve to fight

terrorism of which it has been amajor victim.

Modi's visit to the memorial ofthe 2001 terror attack by al-Qaeda,when they crashed two hijackedpassenger jets into the iconicWorld Trade Centre, is seen as asignificant gesture of support by

India to the war on terror.Followed by the visit to the me-

morial, the Prime Minister visitedthe museum that displays artifactsassociated with the events whilepresenting stories of loss and re-covery. Names of nine Indian vic-tims inscribed on the panels of the9/11 memorial are Ganesh K Ladkat,Anil Shivhari Umarkar, Sushil SSolanki, Alok Kumar Mehta,Shekhar Kumar, Alok Agarwal,Jayesh Shantilal Shah, Yudhvir SJain and Hashmukh C Parmar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying homage to the victims of terror at the 9/

11 Memorial, in New York on September 27

You are the future, Modi tellsyouth at Central Park

NEW YORK: Using an unusualplatform of a rock concert, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi invoked"can do" attitude of youth tochange India and the world while

addressing a thousands-strongcrowd which gathered for "Glo-bal Citizen Festival" in CentralPark here.

After a seven-minute speech in

English, Modi also read out a San-skrit scripture calling for "peacein the world" and greeted thelargely American crowd with a"Namaste" amid cheers and claps.

Amid performances by varioussingers, Modi was introduced tothe crowd by actor Hugh Jackmanas someone who started as a "teasalesman" and went on to become

Chief Minister of Gujarat and thenPrime Minister of India with a hugemandate.

Addressing the crowd, Modialso sent his "Namaste" to those

watching the concert on "TVs,laptops, tablets and phones".

Modi said he was delightedto be among the youth in anopen park and not inside aclosed conference room. "Be-cause you are the future. Whatyou do today, will decide ourtomorrow. I feel a current ofhope in this park.

Among you, I feel confidentabout the future," he said.

Hailing the Global Citizenmovement to end poverty andprovide education and basicsanitation to all, Modi said,"Some believe that the worldchanges with the wisdom ofthe old. I think that the ideal-ism, innovation, energy and'can do' attitude of the youthis even more powerful."

"That is my hope for Indiatoo (for) 800 million youth join-ing hands to transform our na-

tion," he added. Modi said he de-cided to come to the festival to ex-tend his support and to express hisbelief that youth of India can jointhem in this global effort. -PTI

Modi addressing the Global Citizen Festival, at Central Park,

in New York on September 27

Modi wins hearts of US lawmakersNEW YORK: Prime Minister

Narendra Modi not only won thehearts of NRIs here but also ofnearly 40 top US lawmakers whodescribed his words as "inspira-tional and visionary".

During his speech at the Madi-son Square Garden, attended bynearly 40 top lawmakers, the Con-gressmen immediately connectedwith Modi when he said he was asmall man who reached here "sell-ing tea" but intended to do "bigthings for small people".

Many described him as "char-ismatic" figure, while others felthe was "destined to transform thenation". His views on minimumgovernance also went quite wellwith the lawmakers.

"I see now why the people ofIndia elected him," said Congress-man Henry C 'Hank' Johnson fromGeorgia said. "He has got a vision.He has a plan to make it happen.

Prime Minister Modi justswarmed this place like a rockstar,"said Congressman Pete Olson fromTexas. Congressman Ami Bera, theonly Indian-American lawmaker inthe current House of Representa-tives, described Modi's speech asinspirational and visionary.

"Today the Indian-American

community was celebrating. I lookforward to continuing to work to-gether to reinvigorate the US-In-dia relationship," he said.

"It was great to hear his mes-sage of peace and friendship athis address to an energized crowdat New York's renowned MadisonSquare Garden," said Congress-woman Tulsi Gabbard.

"Modi's visit marks a signifi-cant positive step toward grow-ing the relationship between the

US and India, which is a bondbased on shared democratic val-ues and a focus on mutual pros-perity and security," said Gabbard,

who also called on the Prime Min-ister at his hotel.

The discussion was largely re-lated to her own interest in India.

Gabbard presented to the PrimeMinister a Gita, which she saidhad taken oath when she wassworn in to the US House of Rep-resentative.-PTI

100 Bohra Muslims amongattendees at MSG

NEW YORK: A group of over100 Bohra Muslims were amongthe gathering of Indian-AmericanDiaspora to hear Prime MinisterNarendra Modiat the MadisonSquare here.

The repre-sentatives of theminority com-munity, dressedin traditionalwhite clothesand a skull cap,were among thevarious sectionsof the IndiaAmerican Soci-ety who havecome fromacross the nation.

This is for the first time theevent, which is being sponsoredby various Indian-American asso-ciations, is organized by at such a

large scale.While, the organizers required

USD1.5 million to organize theevent, they raised nearly USD 2

million and the extra money willbe donated to a charity, BharatBarai, President of the IndianAmerican community Foundation,said. -PTI

Modi greeted with a garland by Member of House of Representatives Tulsi

Gabbard during a meeting in New York September 28

Members of the Bohra community singing the Indian

national anthem


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"I also take this opportunity totell Indians that we must work to-gether and invite others to Indiaso that we can fulfill my dream of`make in India' instead of ̀ made inIndia'. "We have the knowhow, theresources and the objectives clearbut we just need to put that intoaction. If we utilize the youth powerto their fullest capacity then nopower in the world can stop us fromreaching the top", he said. For thatI have set up a website -mygov.in.You can log on and see the oppor-tunities that are available, writeabout the difficulties you face andI assure that I will look into it andresolve it to your satisfaction.

Modi also hailed the success ofMars Orbiter Mission'Mangalyaan' andcalled it a testament ofIndia's talent. He said,"In Ahmedabad, onespends Rs ten to travelone kilometer in a rick-shaw. We traveled adistance of 65 crore ki-lometers to Mars, andspent Rs. seven per ki-lometer. This is the tal-ent that we Indianshave", he quippedamidst thunderous ap-plause.

Recognizing thefact that the missionwas completely indig-enous, the Prime Minister added,"India is the first nation to havereached Mars in its first attempt."He also joked about India-U.S. re-lations being carried out on the redplanet, saying, "America and In-dia are also talking on Mars... theU.S. reached on September 22 andIndia on September 24." The PrimeMinister also hailed the cost-effec-tiveness of the Mars mission. "OurMars budget was smaller than thebudget of a Hollywood film," he said.

He said good governanceshould be of easy ways for thepeople, to fulfill their needs in aneasy, lucid way. "We are fortunatethat India is blessed with democ-racy, demographic dividend, anddemand. We have a vibrant andthriving democracy, and healthydemographic dividend with anarmy of youth ready to deliver any-thing, anywhere and a demandwherein the entire world has itssight on the huge market for de-velopment in India. No other coun-try in the world can afford such aluxury", he said.

Modi said, "India is the young-est nation in the world and alsothe country with an ancient civili-zation. He said 65 percent of thepeople are under the age of 35 andwith the IT ability of Indians thereis no need for such a country toturn back and look back. It is im-

Modi magic at Madisonportant to recognize our strengthsand mobilize them to go forwardfast".

As if touting President Obama,who is known for taking vacationsat the drop of a hat, the Prime Min-ister said, "ever since I took overthe reins of power in May I havenot taken 15 minute vacation sofar". Winning elections is not forsitting on a seat but a responsibil-ity, he said.

"I will not do anything to makeyou lower your head. The govern-ment you have chosen will notleave anything out," he said toloud cheers from the gathering.Lauding Indian expatriates resid-ing in the United States, the PrimeMinister said India's status andrespect has risen in the eyes of the

world because of their hard workand the efforts put in by you all.

"I am fortunate that my coun-trymen, who are staying here thou-sands of miles away from theircountry, have raised the status andrespect of India. Reaching out tothe Indian-American community,Modi said: "It is you who haveplayed a major role in shaping apositive image of the country, notjust in America, but also thosepeople who are from other nationsresiding in the U.S. and in differ-ent parts of the world."

"The 21st century is the cen-tury of India", I do not say thatbut the world says it. "Let me takethis opportunity that I will leaveno stone unturned to achieve thisgoal. You all have a lot of expecta-tions from me and my governmentbut I can say that I will work tofulfill these expectations" he toldthe crowd.

While the venue was filled tocapacity with people of all shades,the organizers had also organizedan entertainment to keep up thetempo. There were traditionalGujarati dance, couple of fusiondances and legendary singerKavita Krishnamurthy also en-thralled the audience till Modi tookover to arouse the passions of allIndians gathered at the historicvenue in New York.

Cont’d from page 5

A non desi selling Indian flag

PM talks 'strong SAARC' withRajapaksa, Hasina & Koirala

Timing to meet Hurriyat leaders 'not totally right'

NEW YORK: Furthering his'neighborhood first' policy, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi held bi-lateral meetings with his counter-parts from Bangladesh and Nepaland Sri Lankan President and dis-cussed matters of common con-cern, including terrorism, whileaffirming his commitment to makeSAARC a strong regional block.

During the meetings, Sri LankaPresident Mahinda Rajapaksa,Bangladesh Prime Minister SheikhHasina and Nepal Prime MinisterSushil Koirala congratulatedModi on his first UN speech andpromised full support for his ini-tiative of having an InternationalYoga Day.

Modi reaffirmed his commit-ment to make the South AsianAssociation for Regional Coop-eration (SAARC) a strong regionalblock.

The three leaders also said thatthey were looking forward toModi's visit to their respectivecountries, including for theSAARC summit in Nepal later thisyear.

Modi told Koirala that he waslooking forward to visit Nepal andsaid he would like to go toJanakpur and Lumbini, the birth-places of Sita and Lord Buddha,respectively.

The Prime Minister also en-quired about the status of bilat-eral projects he had announcedduring his Nepal trip.

Ministry of External Affairsspokesperson Syed Akbaruddinsaid that Modi in his meetings with

President of Srilanka Mahinda Rajapaksa meeting Prime Minister Narendra

Modi, in New York on September 27

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi in a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of

the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Ms. Sheikh Hasina, in New York on

September 27

the three neighboring leaders dis-cussed various other issues ofcommon concerns for SAARCblock and reiterated his commit-ment to 'neighbors first' policy.

The South Asian leaders con-gratulated India on its recent Marsorbiter mission and said they were

looking forward to progress onSAARC satellite mission an-nounced by Modi earlier.

After his nearly 30-minute-long meeting, Rajapaksa told PTI,"The meeting was cordial andgood. We talked about variousissues." -PTI

NEW YORK: Pakistan has ad-mitted that the timing of its HighCommissioner's meeting with theHurriyat leaders in New Delhiahead of the Foreign Secretary-level talks was "perhaps not to-tally right".

India called off the ForeignSecretary-level talks, which wereto be held in Islamabad on Au-gust 25, after Abdul Basit metHurriyat leaders ahead of the par-leys.

Pointing out that while meet-ings between Pakistani diplomatsand Hurriyat leaders had been a"regular practice for the last 30years and there was nothing newin it", Pakistan's National Securityand Foreign Affairs Adviser SartajAziz said: "In this case perhaps,the timing was not totally rightbecause the substantial discus-sion on Kashmir was yet to start."

The FS-level meeting on Au-gust 25 was to declare the agenda(of bilateral talks), he said.

Aziz said had the request fromIndia about not holding meetingwith Hurriyat leaders ahead of theFS-level meeting come a little ear-lier "probably it could have beenconsidered."

However, in this case the "mes-sage came at a time when oneHurriyat leader was already in

Pakistan's High Commission (inNew Delhi)," he told HeadlinesToday news channel.

Aziz also welcomed Prime Min-ister Modi's statement at the UNGeneral Assembly on the need forresumption of dialogue betweenthe two countries as "encourag-ing". -PTI

FIA Chairman Dr Romesh Japra & Chandru Bhambhra with PM Narendra Modi


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'Modi should grant votingrights to Indian Diaspora'

Collective fight needed to tackle terrorism: ModiNEW YORK: Rejecting any

distinction between good and badterrorism, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has called for acollective fight to effectivelytackle the global menace.

"There is no good terrorist orbad terrorist," Modi said whileaddressing the Council for For-eign Relations here.

"There is a need to take thechallenge of terrorism seriously.It's sad that many countries could

not earlier understand the uglyface of terrorism which is enemyof humanity," he said.

The Prime Minister, who dweltat length on the threat posed byterrorism, said it cannot be mea-sured on the scale of politicalplus and minus.

"The world will have to speakin one voice against terrorism,"he stressed.

In his address, Modi reaf-firmed that India wants to build

friendly relations with all itsneighbors. He said that all theSAARC leaders had been invitedfor his swearing in ceremony.

Referring to the Jammu andKashmir floods which had leftbehind a trail of death and dev-astation, he said there was tre-mendous loss also in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and hehad expressed India's readinessto extend help to those affectedacross the border.

On India's stand on the WTOpact, the Prime Minister assertedthat agreement on food securityand trade facilitation will have togo hand-in-hand.

"We want to take oureconomy ahead on the three pil-lars of agriculture, manufacturingand services," Modi said.

He said in its very first bud-get, his government took initia-tives on foreign direct invest-ment.

"We want private investment

in our railways," he said, addingthat trillions and trillions of dol-lars are required for the modern-ization of this vital sector.

On his ambitious plan to cleanthe Ganga River, Modi said, "Weare conscious about the environ-ment and are making efforts toclean the Ganga."

He said India has a guidingphilosophy inspired by Buddhaand Mahatma Gandhi. "We be-lieve in non-violence," he added.-PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing at the Council on Foreign Relations,

in New York on September 29

NEW YORK: Overseas wingof the BJP in the US has askedPrime Minister Narendra Modi toconsider granting voting rights tonon-resident Indians (NRIs) be-sides opening more consulates tofacilitate the Diaspora community.

"NRIs should be granted vot-ing rights. This can be done ei-ther by mail or by voting in therespective nearest consulate," amemorandum submitted to Modiin a meeting with Overseas Friendsof BJP (OFBJP) delegation said.

"Indian Diaspora should beprovided facility in US at Indianconsulates to enroll them forUIDAI card (Aadhar card)," itsaid.

The delegation led by OFBJPpresident Chandrakant Patelsought to open more consulatesin the US, new direct flights toIndia from various US cities, eas-ing the process to apply for visaor Overseas Citizens of India(OCI) card besides allowing OCIcard holders to buy up to 20 acresof land, and security for the prop-

erty owned by NRIs."One of the most important re-

quirements of the Indian Diasporais to facilitate an easy transporta-tion of the bodies of deceased ofIndian origin people back to In-dia. The current procedures arevery cumbersome and costly.These procedures should be re-laxed, made simple, low cost, andtime sensitive," the memorandumadded.

The delegation said that Indianconsulate offices in the US shouldbe service oriented with a sincereand courteous attitude to servethe community with respect topassport and visa services.

"However, in several instanceswe had faced unnecessary hurdlesin the past and were treatedunprofessionally by the consu-late staff.

"Aged people were made towait for hours and days in somecases. Often, people do not gettheir phones answered or callsreturned," it said while seekingmobile visa camps in US. -PTI


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Obama hosts private dinner for ModiWASHINGTON: Ahead of their

Summit talks, US President BarackObama hosted a private dinner forPrime Minister Narendra Modi asthe two leaders sought to rein-vigorate bilateral ties.

The Prime Minister, who ar-rived at the Andrew Airforce Base,was received by William Burns,Deputy Secretary of State andother senior officials.

From there, Modi left for theBlair house, the AmericanPresident's guest house where hewill be staying during his Wash-ington trip. Later, he drove to theWhite House from the Blair guesthouse for the dinner.

"Kem Cho," asked Obamawhen he welcomed Modi, whoreplied, "Thank you very much,President."

The dinner, with limited guestsfrom each side in the Blue Roomof the White House had a delec-table spread of dishes, but themain guest only had warm wateras he was observing Navratrifasts.

However, First Lady MichelleObama did not attend the dinneras she was traveling.

"The Prime Minister did nothave anything except for warmwater," External Affairs MinistrySpokesperson Syed Akabruddinsaid.

Later, Modi said he had a won-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the private dinner hosted by President Barack Obama, in his honor, at the White House, in Washington DC on September 30

derful meeting with Obama dur-ing which they talked about awide range of issues.

"Obama & I share a vision fora partnership in which our nationswork together for the benefit ofthe entire humankind," the PrimeMinister tweeted.

On the issues of discussionduring the 90-minute dinner meet-ing, Akabruddin said discussionswere largely on knowing eachother and sharing the initial expe-riences after they took over.

They shared anecdotes to con-nect with each other, he said whiledescribing the dinner meeting asa "very successful interaction".

"They did not get to discussany of the substantive issues.This was a very cordial and com-forting conversation where eachof them were trying to understandothers' perspective and they didnot get into very substantive dis-cussion which will follow tomor-row," he added.

They agreed to take up moresubstantive issue tomorrow - bothin restrictive format and in delega-tion level talks - but in general thethinking was that there was a lotof goodwill between India and theUS for each other, he said.

"There was a feeling that theyshould try and focus on some bigthings that they can achieve in afinite time period in the next fewyears," the Spokesperson said.

"There was also a feeling thatIndia-US relationship was amongthe most important relationshipsin the world today. And therefore,it was incumbent upon both ofthem to work towards strength-ening and deepening this relation-ship," he said.

The Prime Minister was askedto outline his vision of what werethe issues he faced so far and howhe was working on it, the Spokes-

person said."Remarkably some of those

things the Prime Minister men-tioned seemed to have resonancewith President Obama, because hesaid he had similar concerns whenhe came in power.

Giving example of how the two

leaders connected, he said PrimeMinister told Obama that when hecame to Delhi he found that thetechnological infrastructure in theIndian capital was not even asgood as Gujarat to which the USPresident said he had a similar ex-perience.-PTI

'Kem Cho,' Obama to Modi

WASHINGTON: "Kem Cho"- this is how US PresidentBarack Obama welcomed PrimeMinister Narendra Modi inGujarati at the doorstep of theWhite House, ahead of the rareprivate dinner hosted in hishonor.

"Thank you very much, Presi-dent", Modi responded as thetwo leaders shook hands andwalked inside.

"Kem cho", which means

'how are you', is a common greet-ing among Gujaratis.

As Obama hosted Modi fordinner, the local Indian- Ameri-cans celebrated the Modi-Obama meeting by organizing acultural event and performing"Garba" dance in front of theWhite House.

Set in an informal ambiance,the dinner was the first oppor-tunity for both the leaders tointeract with each other.-PTI

Barack Obama welcomes Narendra Modi, at the dinner hosted in

his honor, at the White House

Modi keeps away fromexquisite food at dinner

WASHINGTON: A spreadcomprising of compressedavacados, crisped halibut,safron Basmati rice and salmonwere part of the menu for dinnerthat US President Barack Obamahosted for Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, who had onlywarm water due to his fast.

Though there was a plate putin front of the Prime Minister asper the protocol, he only hadwarm water and asked rest of theguests not to feel embarrassedand continue with their normaldinner, External Affairs MinistrySpokesperson Syed Akbaruddinsaid.

The dinner was attended bylimited number of guests fromeach side.

While from the US, Vice-Presi-dent Joe Biden, Secretary ofState William Burns, NationalSecurity Advisor Susan Rice,USAID's Rajiv Shah wereamong the nine guests, Indiandelegation had External AffairsMinister Sushma Swaraj, Na-tional Security Advisor AjitDoval, Indian Ambassador hereS Jaishankar and Foreign Secre-tary Sujatha Singh among oth-ers.

The dinner also had mangocreme brulee for the guests. -PTI

A new agenda in Indo-US ties:Modi & Obama

WASHINGTON: Terming theIndo-US relationship as "robust,reliable and enduring", PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and USPresident Barack Obama said thetrue potential of the ties was yetto be fully realized and the adventof a new government in India wasa natural opportunity to broadenand deepen the ties.

For the first time, writing a jointeditorial, the Indian Prime Minis-ter and the American President saidit was time to set a "new agenda"and with a reinvigorated level ofambition and greater confidence

both the countries can go beyondmodest and conventional goals.

"This will be an agenda thatenables us to find mutually reward-ing ways to expand our collabora-tion in trade, investment and tech-nology that harmonize with India'sambitious development agenda,while sustaining the United Statesas the global engine of growth,"they said in the editorial publishedin the Washington Post.

They said as global partners,they are committed to enhancingour homeland security by sharingintelligence, through counter-terror-

ism and law-enforcement coopera-tion, while we jointly work to main-tain freedom of navigation and law-ful commerce across the seas.

The two leaders said that "to-day our partnership is robust, re-liable and enduring, and it is ex-panding. Our relationship in-volves more bilateral collabora-tion than ever before - not just atthe federal level but also at thestate and local levels, betweenour two militaries, private sectorsand civil society.

Cont’d on page 12


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"Indeed, so much has hap-pened that, in 2000, then-PrimeMinister Atal Bihari Vajpayeecould declare that we are naturalallies."

The two leaders said the truepotential of the relationship be-tween the two countries has yetto be fully realized though it hasbeen robust, reliable and endur-ing.

"Still, the true potential of ourrelationship has yet to be fullyrealized. The advent of a newgovernment in India is a naturalopportunity to broaden anddeepen our relationship.

"With a reinvigorated level ofambition and greater confidence,we can go beyond modest andconventional goals. It is time to

set a new agenda, one that real-izes concrete benefits for our citi-zens," Modi and Obama said.

Talking about the existing co-operation, they said "our militar-ies conduct joint exercises in air,on land and at sea, and ourspace programs engage in un-precedented areas of coopera-tion, leading us from Earth toMars."

They lauded the role beingplayed by the "vibrant" IndianAmerican community saying ithas been a living bridge betweenthe two nations.

Both the leaders said they willdiscuss ways to enhance coopera-tion in trade, science and technol-ogy and government-to-govern-ment level to help improve the qual-ity, reliability and availability ofbasic services in India.-PTI

A new agenda in Indo-USties: Modi & Obama


India & US proclaim'Chalein Saath Saath

WASHINGTON: As PrimeMinister Narendra Modi reachedthe White House for the privatedinner hosted by PresidentBarack Obama, India and the USissued a vision statement"Chalein Saath Saath: ForwardTogether We Go" that called for ajoint endeavor for prosperity andpeace.

"As leaders of two great demo-cratic nations with diverse tradi-tions and faiths, weshare a vision for apartnership in whichthe United States andIndia work together,not just for the ben-efit of both our na-tions, but for the ben-efit of the world," theWhite House said ina statement.

The vision state-ment said that US-In-dia strategic partner-ship is a joint en-deavor for prosperityand peace, and through intenseconsultations, joint exercises andshared technology, their securitycooperation will make the regionand world safe and secure.

"Together, we will combat ter-rorist threats and keep our home-lands and citizens safe from at-tacks, while we respond expedi-tiously to humanitarian disastersand crises.

"We will prevent the spread of

weapons of mass destruction, andremain committed to reducing thesalience of nuclear weapons,while promoting universal, verifi-able, and non-discriminatorynuclear disarmament," it said.

Asserting that the US and In-dia will have a transformative re-lationship as trusted partners inthe 21st century, the White Housesaid, "Our partnership will be amodel for the rest of the world".

"Acknowledging that the twocountries have vastly differenthistories, but both our founderssought to guarantee freedomsthat allow our citizens to deter-mine their own destiny and pur-sue their personal aspirations.

"Our strategic partnership restson our shared mission to provideequal opportunity for our peoplethrough democracy and freedom,"said the White House.-PTI

Modi meeting the US Secretary of State John

Kerry at the White House

Modi pays floraltribute to MahatmaGandhi

WASHINGTON: Like in NewYork, frenzied Indian-Americancrowds followed Prime MinisterNarendra Modi as he paid hom-age to Mahatma Gandhi on thelast day of his five-day visit to theUS.

Waving Indian flags andchanting 'Modi, Modi', scores ofIndian-Americans greeted him ashe arrived at the Dupont Circlewhere the then Prime MinisterAtal Bihari Vajpayee had inaugu-rated the statue on September 16,2000.

The Prime Minister offered flo-ral tributes at the statue and spentaround 15 minutes at the site justoutside the Indian Embassy onMassachussets Avenue.

He also interacted with the In-dian-Americans who were waitingthere from early morning to catcha glimpse of him.

Though their numbers werenot anywhere near what was seenin New York, the clamor was alike.Many of those who gatheredhailed Modi as a great leader whohas removed the negativity of thelast ten years and brought in posi-tive vibes.-PTI

Modi gifts ObamaGita, Martin L. King'smemorabilia

WASHINGTON: Keeping inmind the two people US PresidentBarack Obama admired most,Prime Minister Narendra Modipersonally chose gifts for himwhich included a 'Gita by Gandhi'in Khadi cover and audio-videoclips from the 1959 India visit ofMartin Luther King.

"The Prime Minister hasbrought several gifts. At the per-sonal level, he has brought a spe-cial edition of Gita by Gandhi Ji.This is Gandhi Ji's interpretationof Gita. The book was publishedmany years ago," External AffairsMinistry Spokesperson SyedAkbaruddin said.

"The Prime Minister had spe-cifically ordered a special editionof the book and copies of it werespecially done up with a certaingetup as Khadi on its cover...thesewere prepared in Delhi and werebrought and were handed over tothe President.

"Also, he has given some otherpersonal gifts. He is aware thatPresident Obama has great regardfor Martin Luther King and thereis a Gandhi link between PresidentObama, the King and the PrimeMinister, so he (Modi) had lookedup and asked All India Radio toprovide a recording of MartinLuther King's speech which hegave in India in 1959 when he vis-ited India. In addition, there aresome other memorabilia of MartinLuther King.-PTI

Modi's receptionreflects deep culturalties: WH

WASHINGTON: The "rock-star" treatment given to PrimeMinister Narendra Modi at theprestigious Madison Square Gar-den by some 20,000 Indian-Ameri-can people is reflective of the"deep cultural ties" between thetwo countries, the White Househas said.

"I think the strong turnout atthat event and the enthusiasticreaction highlights the deep cul-tural ties that exist between theUnited States and India; that thereare so many immigrants from In-dia to the United States that arenow interwoven into communitiesall across the countries," WhiteHouse Press Secretary Josh Ear-nest said.

He was responding to ques-tions about the historic turnoutof some 20,000 Indian Diasporawho had turned up from variousparts of the country to attend thereception for Modi at the presti-gious MSG in New York City onSunday.

"I think that just highlights oneother way in which the relation-ship between our two countriesis so important," Earnest said.-PTI

Clintons meets Modi; laud PM'sGanga initiative

NEW YORK: Showering effu-sive praise on Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, former US Presi-dent Bill Clinton said no one else

before him had "knowledge andvotes" to build a nationaleconomy, as the Clinton couplemet the Indian leader here.

Clinton and his wife HillaryClinton had a 45-minute long

meeting with Modi, who was alsoaccompanied by External AffairsMinister Sushma Swaraj.

Hillary and Swaraj warmly

hugged each other.Both the Prime Minister and

Swaraj also greeted the Clintonson becoming new grandparents.

Chelsea, the daughter of Billand former Secretary of State

Hillary, gave birth to daughterCharlotte last week.

"(I) am thrilled. No 1 had theknowledge and voted before youto build a national economy," Ex-ternal Affairs Ministry Spokes-person Syed Akbaruddin tweetedBill Clinton as conveying to Modi.

Known for their love for India,Bill and Hillary discussed Indo-US engagements and the priori-ties of the new government in thisregard. The meeting comes in thebackdrop of reports that Hillarymay contest the US Presidentialelections in 2016.

Clinton also lauded Modi forhis initiative to clean Ganga River.

"Thank you 4 undertakingcleaning of Ganga. It is a sacredproject and smart approach," theformer American President told thePrime Minister.

"Your efforts at cleaning theGanga will send a message to oth-ers in Asia," Akbaruddin tweetedHillary as conveying to Modi. -PTI

PM Narendra Modi and the Union Minister for External Affairs and Overseas

Indian Affairs Sushma Swaraj meeting the former US President Bill Clinton

and former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in New York on Sept 29

More Modi stories on pages 48-49

13 India Post October 3, 2014www.indiapost.com

TechBizTech News

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks at Talent India 2014 Conference in NewDelhi on September 30. Union Human Resource Development

Minister Smriti Irani is also seen

Modi woos American corporates;promises tax stability

NEW YORK: Making a strongpitch to attract investments intoIndia, Prime Minister NarendraModi has assured top Americancorporate honchos of tax stabilityand friendlier business environ-ment in the country.

Modi held meetings with a gal-axy of American corporate execu-tives, including those fromBoeing, PepsiCo, Google, KKRand General Electric.

Bullish on the potential of theIndian markets, the corporateshave expressed keenness tostrengthen their engagementswith India especially at a time whenthe new government is rolling outvarious initiatives such as 'Makein India' campaign.

"It is my conviction that taxstability is essential for confidencebuilding," Modi told AmericanCEOs.

His assertion comes at a timewhen some multinationals arecaught in legal wrangles over taxmatters in the country.

Wooing the corporates, Modisaid he wants to convert the Su-preme Court judgment on coal al-location into an "opportunity tomove forward and clean up the

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a breakfast meeting with the CEOs, in New York on September 29

past". The observation comesamid concerns that the rulingcould negatively impact investorsentiments and overall businessclimate.

During his meetings with cap-tains of corporate America, thePrime Minister also pitched forbig-ticket investments to developIndia's infrastructure and createmore jobs and enhance the qual-ity of life.

Reflecting the bullishness about

India, US conglomerate GeneralElectric's CEO Jeff Immelt describedthe country as a great place to in-vest in and said it is looking to makemore investments there.

After meeting Modi, he said,"GE is a long term investor in In-dia. We look forward to more inthe future".

Describing Modi as a "charis-matic leader", Goldman Sachschief Lloyd Blankfein said the fi-nancial services major was eager

to participate in India's growthstory.

American corporates, includingtechnology major IBM, have ex-pressed interest to participate indiverse initiatives of the Indiangovernment including those per-taining to smart cities.

Defense major Boeing's CEOJames McNerney said that thecompany wants to accelerate itsengagement with India.

During the meeting with thePrime Minister, technology majorIBM's CEO Virginia Romettyevinced interest to participate in thegovernment's new initiatives relatedto smart cities and digital India.

Reflecting optimism over oppor-tunities in the country, world's larg-est asset manager Blackrock'sCEO Laurence Flik conveyed toModi that it would host a globalinvestors meet in India next year.

After meeting Modi, India-ori-gin Indra Nooyi, who is PepsiCo'schief, said, "He answers questionsbrilliantly and is very focused onimproving India. So, we arethrilled to be working with him".

Another India-origin CEO AjayBanga, who is at the helm ofMastercard, said the Prime Minis-ter was a good listener and that hebelieved that Modi can executeplans like the way he did in Gujarat.

Among others, the Prime Min-ister held meetings with privateequity giant KKR's CEO HenryKravis.-PTI

American corporates keen on India opportunitiesNEW YORK: Bullish on op-

portunities in India, top UScorporates, including Boeing,IBM and BlackRock have ex-pressed their keenness tostrengthen engagements with thecountry during their meetingswith Prime Minister NarendraModi who promised a friendlierbusiness environment.

They have expressed interestto participate in diverse initiativesincluding those related to smartcities. Defense major Boeing'sCEO James McNerney said thatthe company wants to accelerateits engagement with India.

During the meeting with thePrime Minister, technology ma-jor IBM's CEO Virginia Romettyevinced interest to participatein the government's new initia-tives related to smart cities and

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with PepsiCosIndian American chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi after a breakfast

meeting in New York, US on September 29

digital India.Reflecting optimism over oppor-

tunities in the country, world's larg-est asset manager Blackrock's CEO

Laurence Flik conveyed to Modithat it would host a global inves-tors meet in India next year.

Cont’d on page 16

5 Indian-Americansin Forbes list ofUS' richest

NEW YORK: Five Indian-Americans have been namedamong the 400 richest people inthe US by Forbes, a list topped byMicrosoft co-founder Bill Gatesfor the 21st year in a row with anet worth of USD 81 billion.

Founder of outsourcing firmSyntel Bharat Desai, entrepreneurJohn Kapoor, Symphony Technol-ogy founder Romesh Wadhwani,Silicon Valley angel investorKavitark Ram Shriram and venturecapitalist Vinod Khosla are among'The Richest People In America2014' list by Forbes.

Forbes said 2014 was anotherrecord year for American wealth,when the aggregate net worth ofthe richest 400 Americans wasUSD 2.29 trillion, up USD 270 bil-lion from a year ago.

"Thanks to a buoyant stockmarket the richest people in the USjust keep getting richer," Forbessaid.

Gates is the richest Americanfor the 21st year in a row, with anet worth of US 81 billion. TheMicrosoft chairman's stake in thesoftware company he cofoundedaccounts for just under 20 per centof his total net worth. His friendWarren Buffett, chief executive ofBerkshire Hathaway, occupies thenumber two spot on the 400, a rankhe has held since 2001 with a networth of USD 67 billion.-PTI

Microsoft to setup data centerin India

NEW DELHI: Microsoft hassaid it will offer commercial cloudservices from local data centers inIndia by 2015 as the tech giantgears for competition for the esti-mated USD 2 trillion domestic mar-ket opportunity from rival firms likeGoogle and IBM.

The US-headquartered firmsaid it will set up 3 data centers inthree cities in India by the end of2015.

"Last year, our cloud businessin India grew over 100 per cent.Buoyed by that success we havenow decided to offer cloud ser-vices from local data centers. Thiswill help us make global infrastruc-ture and make that available to lo-cal data centers," Microsoft CEOSatya Nadella said here.

It is Nadella's first India visitafter assuming the top job atMicrosoft.

The company's third CEO, af-ter Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer,added that cloud computing ser-vices in India is a USD 2 trillionmarket opportunity.-PTI

14 India Post TechBiz Post October 3, 2014

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Boeing keen on greaterengagement

NEW YORK: Defence majorBoeing has proposed greater busi-ness engagement with India, asPrime Minister Narendra Modipromised the US companies toprovide friendlier business envi-ronment in the country.

In a one-on-one meeting withModi, Boeing CEO JamesMcNerney said that the com-pany wants to accelerate its en-gagement with India.

The meeting followed apower-packed breakfast meetModi.

With nearly USD 87-billion an-nual turnover globally, Boeing isa major player in Indian defenceand aerospace sectors. Its en-gagement with India is nearly 70years-long and Boeing jets areone of the mainstays of thecountry's domestic and inter-continental commercial fleets.

Chairman and CEO of The Boeing Company W. James McNerney meeting1Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in New York on September 29

Goldman Sachs eager toparticipate

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachsduring a meeting in New York on September 29

NEW YORK: Financial ser-vices giant Goldman Sachs hassaid it is eager to participate inIndia's growth story, as its CEOLloyd Blankfein met Prime Minis-ter Narendra Modi and describedhim as a "charismatic leader".

After meeting Modi here,Blanfein told PTI, "We discussedIndia. We are enthusiastic about

the changes and the reforms inIndia and we are anxious to doour part in making India a betterplace.

"The meeting was very good.He is a very charismatic leader."

US-based Goldman Sachs,with a global turnover of nearlyUSD 35 billion, has a significantpresence in India as well.-PTI

Govt focused on boostingeconomy: Modi

NEW YORK: Asserting thattrade and commerce leads interna-tional relations in today's age,Prime Minister Narendra Modi as-sured the Indian-American com-munity here that his governmentis determined to put the economyon an upward trajectory by focus-ing on key sectors like agriculture,manufacturing and services.

"In today's world, it is trade andcommerce that leads internationalrelations and drives the econo-mies," Modi said at a dinnerhosted in his honor by IndianAmbassador to the US, SJaishankar.

Modi, after having addressednearly 20,000 people of the Indiancommunity at a rock-star styleevent in Madison Square Garden,spoke briefly to the select gather-ing of eminent men and womenand underscored hisgovernment's focus and efforts tomove forward on development andmake India a magnet of investment.

"Our entire focus is on thegrowth of economic activity, onhow to grow the economy be itagriculture, manufacturing or ser-

vices," he said."I believe that for a healthy

economy, one-third agriculture,one-third manufacturing, one-third services sector - if all thesegrow simultaneously then even if

one of the sectors faces a decline,the country's economy will not beimmensely impacted."

He, however, said that if theeconomy rests wholly on any one

of the sectors, it will not be able tobear the brunt of even slight dis-ruptions.

His government is focused onthe manufacturing sector. In manu-facturing sector there needs to becreation of small jobs.

"Our effort is that India shouldprogress and develop in all threesectors," he said adding that in theservices sector tourism has a hugescope.

"In today's age one sector thathas the most potential for growthis tourism. It is estimated that threetrillion dollars worth of businesslies in the tourism sector," he said,adding that India has not takenadvantage of the huge potentialthat tourism holds and has noteven scratched the surface inachieving its potential in the tour-ism sector.

"Our endeavor is that tourismshould grow. I believe that terror-ism divides and tourism unites,"he said to a rousing applause bythe audience as he said that whentourism grows, then everyonefrom the "autorickshaw walah, taxiwalah and chaiwala" earns. -PTI

"Our endeavor is thattourism should grow. Ibelieve that terrorismdivides and tourismunites," he said to arousing applause bythe audience as hesaid that when tour-ism grows, then ev-eryone from the"autorickshaw walah,taxi walah andchaiwala" earns.

India a profitable place to do biz: OfficialNEW YORK: Asserting that

foreign funds are very bullish oninvestment opportunities in India,a senior government official saidhere the country was a profitableplace to do business and wouldsoon become an easier place forbusiness.

"India has been ranked 134thon World Bank list of ease of do-ing business and Prime Minister

Narendra Modi has said he wantsto bring it up to at least 50," ManojJoshi, Joint Secretary in FinanceMinistry, told a group of US in-vestors here.

Speaking at India InvestorRound-table organized by BNYMellon and BSE, Joshi said thatsteps are being taken to improveIndia's ranking.

"It is a profitable place to do

business, although not an easyplace. So, government has givenit top priority to make it an easierplace to do business," he said,adding that "steps are beingtaken at various levels includingat individual private sectorproject levels, on bank NPA front,on land acquisition and at statelevels," he said.

According to him, governmentalso needs to increase its spend-ing on infrastructure, for which isneeds to cut subsidies and lowermany other expenditure.

"We have also taken steps forfurther liberalization of FDI re-gime and many changes are be-ing made in financial markets toallow foreign investors to directlyparticipate in our markets. Therevival of corporate bond marketis also a key focus area," Joshisaid.

He also noted that there arealso efforts to bring in reforms inpublic sector banking space to ad-dress concerns like NPAs.

Global rating agency S&P hasraised India's outlook to stablefrom negative after two-years, buthas retained the rating at 'BBB-'.

The agency also said that therating could be raised if theeconomy reverts to a real percapita GDP trend growth of 5.5 percent per year. -PTI

15India PostTechBiz PostOctober 3, 2014

www.indiapost.com

'More than half of US unlikelyto do business in India'

NEW YORK: More than half ofexecutives in the US are less likelyto do business in India becauseof infrastructure issues, accordingto a new study.

The study was conducted byAPCO, a global communication,stakeholder engagement and busi-ness strategy firm, in close asso-ciation with the Alliance for USIndia Business (AUSIB).

The study foundthat it highlights the factthat leaders in both na-tions wish to evolvefrom diplomatic stand-still and breed friendlyties with each other mo-tivated by the economicbenefits and politicalstability.

Noting that businessExecutives in both coun-tries see huge opportu-nities as far as economic growthis concerned, the survey said mostUS executives see India as topdestination for investment and 70per cent US traders acknowledgethat the economic relations areheaded in right direction.

Ninety five per cent of Indianexecutives want India to focus on

infrastructure."52 per cent investors from the

US don't invest in India only be-cause of poor infrastructure facili-ties. Both nations rank first as In-vestment destination," the reportsaid.

The study pointed relationshiphealth checker against the nega-tive pointers that can hamper theevolution of trade.

"Major concerns are Visa re-strictions, Chinese grip on marketand Outsourcing challenges. Ex-ecutives are willing to settle in theother country if stability is pro-vided in the long-run based onethical backing and lower tariffsand taxation," the report added. -PTI

"52 per cent investors fromthe US don't invest in Indiaonly because of poor infra-structure facilities. Bothnations rank first as Invest-ment destination"

BlackRock to host globalinvestors meet in India

Reliance to launchIndia-focusedfunds abroad

NEW YORK: Enthused bygrowing interest of institutionalinvestors abroad including in theUS for investing in the Indian mar-kets, top fund house RelianceCapital Asset Management Com-pany (RCAM) has said it will con-sider launching more India-fo-cused funds in foreign markets.

RCAM, which is part of AnilAmbani-led business conglomer-ate Reliance Group's financial ser-vices arm Reliance Capital, re-cently launched two India fundsin Japan - one for equity and theother for debt markets.

"As an asset management com-pany, we clearly see that with a longterm track record that we have andwith a strong research capability,we want to give an access to a lotof different markets globally to in-vest in India," RCAM's CEOSundeep Sikka said here.

"Recently, we launched twoschemes in Japan and we will ex-plore other opportunities also. Weare certainly seeing more moneycoming into India," Sikka told PTIin an interview here.

Sikka was here to participate inthe India Investment Forum heldin the backdrop of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's US visit.

NEW YORK: World's largestasset manager Blackrock will hosta global investors meet in Indianext year, CEO Laurence Flik con-veyed to Prime Minister NarendraModi.

With total asset under manage-ment of over USD 4 trillion, US-based BlackRock has investmentsin over 100 countries and officesin 30 countries including India.

The BlackRock CEO called on

the Indian Prime Minister here andexpressed his keen interest in ex-panding engagements with India.

"In response to PM@narendramodi call for invest-ment, Black Rock to host globalinvestors meet in India, early 2015,"External Affairs Ministry spokes-person Syed Akbaruddin tweeted.

In India, BlackRock also oper-ates a mutual fund, among otheractivities.-PTI

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock Laurence Douglas Finkmeeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in New York on September 29

16 India Post TechBiz Post October 3, 2014

www.indiapost.com

After meeting Modi, India-origin IndraNooyi, who is PepsiCo's chief, said, "he an-swers questions brilliantly and is very fo-cused on improving India. So, we are thrilledto be working with him".

Another India-origin CEO Ajay Banga,who is at the helm of Mastercard, said thePrime Minister was a good listener and thathe believed that Modi can execute planslike the way he did in Gujarat.

Noting that he had an excellent meetingwith Modi, GE chief Jeff Immelt said the In-dia is a great country and place to invest.Hosting a breakfast for 11 CEOs, Modi saidIndia is open-minded and wants the change,which is "not one-sided".

The Prime Minister also held meetingswith six other top American corporate execu-tives including KKR CEO Henry Kravis andGoldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein. -PTI

Americancorporates keen onIndia opportunitiesCont’d from page 13

46% users in India spend 6 hrs on Internet dailyNEW DELHI: Indicating the growing im-

portance of Internet in the country, a sur-vey has revealed that 46 per cent of users inIndia spend 6 hours or more a day activelyusing the Internet whereas 82 per cent ad-mit to the fear of missing out when not con-nected.

"In India, not only did 46 per cent of re-spondents spend 6 hours or more a dayactively using the Internet (in comparisonto 29 per cent globally), but an alarming 82per cent of respondents admit to the 'fear ofmissing out' (FOMO) when not connected(the highest globally)," Tata Communica-tions said in its 'Connected World II' report.

The report captures responses from 9,417Internet users across six emerging and de-veloped countries - France, Germany, India(2,117), Singapore, the US, and the UK .

The report said more than half of sur-veyed Indian Internet users (56 per cent)admit they can't survive more than fivehours without Internet connectivity.

"Although surveyed Indian men spendmore time on the Internet than surveyedIndian women, it is Indian women (21 percent) who outdo men (16 per cent) in feel-ing anxious or lost when not connected tothe Internet," it said.

The study further discloses that tablets

and smartphones are rapidly replac-ing television as the preferredscreen as nearly twice as many sur-veyed Indians (43 per cent) are will-ing to give up television for theInternet, compared to Americans(17 per cent) and Europeans (22 percent) respondents.

"The Internet has truly changedthe way we function. As technolo-gies evolve and adapt, there is ahuge potential for the Internet toaffect different aspects of life,economy and society," Tata Com-munications' Nextgen Business

Chief Marketing Officer and CEO JulieWoods-Moss said.

The impact of the Internet on globaleconomies is phenomenal. About 2.5 billionpeople are connected to the Internet today,that's a third of the world's population. By2020, the number of connected devices isexpected to rise to 26 billion.

Tata Communications said 61 per cent ofIndian respondents believe that 'everyoneowns the Internet', compared to 70 per centglobally with 21 per cent rightly pointingout that each individual country owns theirInternet when compared to 16 per cent glo-bally.

The study also reveals that Asian re-spondents appear to be the most 'Internetdependent' with less than half of surveyedSingaporeans and Indians capable of last-ing up to 12 hours without Internet accesscompared to 86 per cent of German, 77 percent of French, 75 per cent of US and 70 percent of UK respondents.

Respondents from Asia and those fromthe USA and Europe are distinctly differentin their vision of the most inspirational op-portunity that the Internet will deliver in thefuture.

"32 per cent of surveyed Singaporeansand 27 per cent of surveyed Indians picksmart cities as their preferred choice for whatthe Internet will enable in the future," itadded. -PTI


October 3, 2014

www.indiapost.com October 3, 2014

COMMUNITYACROSS AMERICA

18 India Post

Desi News

Details on page 26

Eye Clinic atMidwest

SwaminarayanTemple

Details on page 22

Details on page 20

Dr Japra endorses Peter Kuo ascandidate from Santa Clara

India Post News Service

FREMONT, CA: FIA ChairmanDr Romesh Japra, in a statementissued here, has emphasized thatthere is need to ensure that ourrepresentatives in Sacramento areresponsive to our feedback andreflective of our needs. In this con-text he found Mr. Peter Kuo, can-didate from Santa Clara and immi-grant from Taiwan, would be theright representative. He said he is"proud" to endorse Mr Kuo.

The statement by Dr Japra said,"I'm excited to share and discusswith you the importance of theupcoming District 10 State Sena-tor election. SD10 is a district rang-ing from Eastern Santa ClaraCounty (Milpitas and Santa Clara),all the way up Alameda Countryto Castro Valley. SD10 has the larg-est percentage of Asian-Ameri-cans of any CA State Senate dis-trict, and is home to one of the larg-est populations of Indo-Ameri-cans. It is time we ensure that ourvoice is heard in Sacramento.

"I do not write this article froma partisan perspective - I am aDemocrat through and throughand have voted as such for years.This election is more than about

right versus left. My focus hasnow become to assuring that ourrepresentatives in Sacramento areresponsive to our feedback andreflective of our needs. With that,I'm very proud to endorse Mr. Pe-ter Kuo, candidate from SantaClara and immigrant from Taiwan.

"Being an entrepreneur, Peter

has the first hand business senseto recognize the failing policies ofSacramento and the need to cre-ate a friendlier environment forbusinesses in California. Ourpopulation is growing fast and weneed jobs to keep up. Peter is fo-cused on uniting people, not di-viding them.

"While staying true to his corevalues, Peter will be a strong ad-vocate for listening to both sidesof the political aisle before mov-ing forward on issues and legis-lation. He will bring a muchneeded pro-business mindset toSacramento, where he will alsofocus on meaningful immigration,public safety, and educational re-form. I'm proud to stand with Pe-ter Kuo.

"As Indian-Americans, wemust recognize the great successof our recent elections in India.If one half of a billion residentsof India voted, we absolutelymust improve our voter turnoutin California. I want for all resi-dents of California to be truly rep-resented and Peter is just the rightperson to do it.

"My friends, it is time to sendpeople to Sacramento that will lis-ten to the voters at home. It's timeto elect Peter Kuo, State Senatorfrom District 10. Please visit hiswebsite immediately and help himwith donations or yourvolunteerism atwww.kuoforsenate.com. Absen-tee ballots will be out very soon,be sure to mark Peter Kuo for StateSenate District 10!" he concluded.

4 get Mahtama Gandhi award at HAF fundraiserIndia Post News Service

MILPITAS, CA: TheHindu American Foun-dation held its annualNorthern CaliforniaAwareness andFundraising Gala Sept.21 at the India Commu-nity Center here whichdrew a diverse crowd ofmore than 600 people.

The Hindu AmericanFoundation (HAF) is anadvocacy organizationfor the Hindu Americancommunity. The Foun-dation educates thepublic about Hinduism, speaksout about issues affecting Hin-dus worldwide, and buildsbridges with institutions and in-dividuals whose work aligns with

HAF's objectives. HAF focuseson human and civil rights, publicpolicy, media, academia, and in-terfaith relations. Through its ad-vocacy efforts, HAF seeks to cul-

tivate leaders and empower futuregenerations of Hindu Americans.

In attendance were several lo-cal government officials, includ-ing city council members, May-

ors and other elected representa-tives from Fremont, Cupertino andSan Jose.

Nina Duvuluri, Miss America 2014 Dr. Barbara McGraw, Girish Shah, Iftekhar Hai, Mervyn Danker

Cont’d on page 20

MAFS celebrates22nd fundraisingdinner

HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: Metropolitan AsianFamily Services' (MAFS) cel-ebrated its 22nd Annualfundraising dinner which was fullof excitement, entertainment andaward ceremony on September 13at India House, Schaumburg, anorthwest suburb of Chicago.

The event's success was un-derlined with the raising of $80,000to finance various activities under-taken by MAFS like social ser-vices benefit assistance programssuch as Public Benefit Assistance,Immigration Assistance, Lunchprograms and others which are ei-ther not funded or inadequatelyfunded.

SLAM team rocksChicago withspectacular showAsian Media USA

CHICAGO: One of the topmostBollywood shows "Slammed"Chicago last week. The huge re-sponse with 9000 flocking to theSears Center on Friday September26 was an indication it was a big,history setting hit.

The SLAM concert was a spec-tacular live stage show with mindblowing music and dance routinesthat kept the audience spellboundfor the entire duration of the show.King Khan along with AbhishekBachchan, Farah Khan, DeepikaPadukone, Malaika Arora Khan,Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, VivaanShah and singer Kanika Kapoortook their fans on a magical jour-ney of Bollywood hits which wereprofessionally choreographed forthis concert tour.

BHU alumni meetraises $21000 forprojects

SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: The IIT BHU Glo-bal Alumni Association recentlyheld its fourth Global Alumni Meetat the Sheraton Lisle Hotel in Lisle,a south west suburb of Chicago

The theme for the Meet was"The IIT BHU Journey of Excel-lence Continues...".

Over 200 people attended theMeet. At the opening, a lamp light-ing ceremony was held with theportrait of Mahamana PanditMadan Mohan Malaviya, thefounder of BHU.

Details on page 25

Dr Japra with Peter Kuo

India Post 19October 3, 2014 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

Shah Rukh & team Slam it up in Mother of all ConcertsIndia Post News Service

SAN JOSE: The artists of thebiggest Bollywood extravaganza'SLAM! The Tour' performed atSAP Center in San Jose, CA onSeptember 28. Shah Rukh Khan,Farah Khan, Deepika Padukone,Malaika Arora Khan, AbhishekBachchan, Boman Irani, SonuSood, Vivaan Shah and singerKanika Kapoor set the stage onfire with their enthralling perfor-mances in front of the live audi-ence. Shah Rukh Khan along withBollywood A-listers mesmerized

the thousands of South Asiansthrough their scintillating perfor-mance in Silicon Valley.

The opening act of the eveningwas Vivaan's performance on theSLAM track by Ram Sampath fol-lowed by Deepika's performanceson Titli from Chennai Express.Deepika also danced on her newsong Lovely by Kanika Kapoorfrom Happy New Year, AngreziBeat, Nagada.

Shah Rukh Khan entered theshow in his larger than life styleon aerial cable and danced on hisfamous numbers Chammak Challo,Kaali Kaali Aankhe, Suraj HuaMaddham and Don. He made agrand entry and looked amazinglya heartthrob standing on the polein his attire. He gave an energeticperformance for soulful songsfrom his movies.

The highlight of the most-awaited show was when ShahRukh played a game with audienceand a couple from the crowd wona luxury Harley Davidson bike. "I

have come to San Jose after tenyears. A lot of things havechanged here. But, one thing hasnot changed - the love and affec-tion from its people," SRK told theaudience that mainly comprisedpeople from South Asian origin.

Abhishek entered from thecrowd and asked the thrilled audi-ence to stand up and he rappedthe song Ek main aur ek tu hai andthen performed on Kajrare, Maa

Da Ladla, Desi Girl and for num-bers from Happy New Year.

Farah and Boman performed ona special medley on which theymade every one laugh with theirconversation about how Bomanwanted to be a lead actor in Farah'smovie. This special comedic stageby Farah and Boman had the au-dience in stitches.

Malaika performed on the songDevil from Kick and Sonu Soodjoined her on Munni Badnam Huilater. Shah Rukh and Deepika'schemistry in the romantic numberSatrangi Re was never seen beforein front of the live audience. Baby

After a fire staging performanceby the crew that included rapperYo Yo Honey Singh in the earlypart of the tour at New Jersey,Houston and DC, the team hadcame across a setback. Apparently,Honey Singh suffered an injuryand missed the San Jose concert.But SRK with his whole HappyNew Year band filled the void cre-ated by Yo Yo's exit from the tourand enthralled the crowd by theircomic act.

The highlight of the show waswhen the whole SLAM team per-formed the Indiawaale song with atwist in lyric to "SanJosewaale" as

Get ready for SEF Dandia with Style & for a causeIndia Post News Service

SANTA CLARA: The roaringcheers of thousands of people asthe beat of their dance permeatesevery last bit of space. Resonantvoices singing to the rhythm ofthe reverberating drums. The eye-catching grandeur of the vibrant-colored dresses. The culminationof these elements results in thebeautiful symphony that isSankara Eye Foundation's Dandiawhich will be held tenth year in a

row at the Santa Clara ConventionCenter on Oct 4, 10 and 11th.

Sold-out since its inception 9years ago in the Bay Area, the SEFDandias honor the rich cultural heri-tage of India. Traditionally, Dandiasare celebrated during the 10 days ofNavaratri - a celebration to worshipthe Divine Mother Durga.

SEF Dandias are not only a linkto fascinating ethnic festivities, butalso a guaranteed night of fun withfriends and family, and an opportu-nity to interact with countless new

people. Furthermore, simply by at-tending this event, you can helppropel Sankara Eye Foundation tofurther successes on the path toachieving its mission.

Established in California, SEFis a non-profit organization thathas been working for the past fif-teen years for the cause of eradi-cating curable blindness in India.Driven by the truly inspirationalmission of "Vision 20/20 by theyear 2020," Sankara has estab-lished 8 community hospitals as

well as 2 city hospitals, soon toinaugurate their ninth communityhospital in Uttar Pradesh, and inthe process of launching theirtenth hospital in the state ofRajasthan.

By far the most unique and re-markable characteristic of SEF isthat they provide free eye care forthose unable to afford it - thosemembers of the rural poor, and thisaccounts for 80 percent which isapproximately 145,000 people peryear - of the surgeries performed

at their hospitals. Their tirelessefforts have enabled over a mil-lion people to receive the gift ofvision, utterly free of cost. Butnone of this would have beenpossible without the generosityand support of SEF's donors.

Join our cause and share inthe joy of bringing light tosomeone's eyes. Come s at theSanta Clara Convention centeron Oct 4, 10 and 11th, where SEFwill be presenting its grandDandias, tenth year in a row.

Doll fame Kanika also performedon Jugni with English dance duoSuleman Mirza and Madhu Singhof Signature group.

a tribute to the Bay area fans. SRKcertainly delivered his promise to hismany fans, the SLAM! The Tourshows have been a huge success.

October 3, 2014India Post20 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

This was HAF's 11th annualfundraiser and as before, it was acombination of outstanding food,rousing speakers, and a feeling ofcommon purpose revolving aroundthe work of the organization. MihirMeghani, M.D, Co-founder of HAFthanked the donor circles and longtime supporters.

He urged the guests to opentheir hearts and wallets to the or-ganization. As he pointed out,HAF's peer organizations such asthe American Jewish Council andthe Council on American IslamicRelations spend far more on ad-vocacy, which enables them to in-fluence policies. He made a quickreference to HAF'Ss work on SB1057. Ensuring a fair and accuraterepresentation of Hinduism isschool textbooks and universityclassrooms is one arm of HAF'sadvocacy in academia.

HAF has educatedAmericans at largeabout various aspectsof Hindu belief and prac-tice in the context of re-ligious liberty. Reachingout to and developingrelationships with vari-ous faith and interfaithgroups has always beena part of HAF's advocacy efforts.The Foundation has worked withmany groups on common issuessuch as religious liberty and hatespeech, said Meghani.

Samir Kalra welcomed StateSenate Majority Leader EllenCorbett and presented her theFriend of Community Award. "Weare extremely grateful to SenateMajority Leader Corbett for spear-heading SCR 32 and SCR 93, whichwill go a long way to raising aware-ness and understanding about theHindu American community andour beliefs."

Ellen Corbett while addressingthe large gathering said, "I amhonored to represent the 10thState Senate District, which hasconstituents from many diversebackgrounds, including a signifi-cant number of Hindu Americans".Corbett said the passage of SB1057 would be her "top priority"for the legislative year, and notedthat the bill had almost unanimoussupport as it passed through bothhouses of the legislature before

Four get Mahtama Gandhiaward at HAF fundraiser

reaching Brown's desk.Mahatma Gandhi awards for

2014 were awarded to Dr. BarabaraMcGraw, Professor, Social Ethics,Law, and Public Life School of Lib-eral Arts and School of Econom-ics and Business Administration,Mr. Girish Shah, board member ofthe Silicon Valley InterreligiousCouncil, Mr. Iftekhar Hai, found-ing member of United Muslims ofAmerica and Mr.Mervyn Danker,American Jewish Committee forthe Advancement of ReligiousPluralism.

The evening also featured anumber of speakers, includingMiss America 2014 Nina Duvuluri,the first ever Indian American(and second Asian American) tobe chosen as Miss America andthe first to perform a Bollywooddance on the Miss America stage,who gave a keynote address onher spiritual journey and the im-

portance of culture and our roots.Nina spoke on how she was

raised in a close knit diverse com-munity, learning the human valuesand sentiments from her family,religion and traditions. She added,"I support the work HAF doesbecause there are many organiza-tions that care about Hinduism,but HAF cares about Hindus."Davuluri, an ardent devotee ofSatya Sai Baba, spoke on how sheused to explain her Hindu identityto friends and classmates. HerHindu identity was also an isolat-ing experience, said Davuluri."When all my friends were goingto church on Wednesdays andSundays, I felt left out," and re-called her spiritual trip toPuttaparthi, India.

Mihir Meghani, Co-founder ofHAF said gala had raised $330,000,one-third of the organization's an-nual budget. This year's gala wasHAF's largest ever, he noted.

HAF is hosting another gala inTampa, Fla., Nov. 7 and in Hous-ton, Texas, Nov. 15.


The evening also featured anumber of speakers, includ-ing Miss America 2014 NinaDuvuluri, the first ever IndianAmerican Miss America

MAFS celebrates 22nd fundraising dinnerHARISH RAO

CHICAGO: Metropolitan AsianFamily Services' (MAFS) cel-ebrated its 22nd Annualfundraising dinner which was fullof excitement, entertainment and

award ceremony on September 13at India House, Schaumburg, anorthwest suburb of Chicago.

The event's success was un-derlined with the raising of $80,000to finance various activities under-taken by MAFS like social ser-

vices benefit assistance programssuch as Public Benefit Assistance,Immigration Assistance, Lunchprograms and others which are ei-ther not funded or inadequatelyfunded.

The celebration started withtraditional lamp lightning cer-emony performed by Pt.

Choodaman Pathak of RadheyShyam Temple and was followedby Ganesh Vandana dance perfor-mance by students of MudraDance Academy.

Prominent dignitaries in atten-dance were Toni Preckwinkle,Cook County Board President,Paul Vallas, Democratic Lt. Gover-nor Candidate, Dr. Ausaf Sayeed,Consul General of India, Chicago,Rep. Michelle Mussman, Gayle A.

Smolinski, Roselle Mayor, RodneyS. Craig, Hanover Park Mayor, Dr.Hemlata Bakane, President ofIAMA, Sonia Bhagwakar fromIDOA, Sher Mohammad Rajput,Indo American Center Board Mem-ber, Anees Chaudhary, President,Alumni Association of GreaterChicago, other community leaders

and business supporters includ-ing large excited seniors, and theirfamilies.

Paul Vallas congratulatedMAFS staff for doing an amazingjob for the seniors of the SouthAsian and East European commu-nities. He emphasized the impor-tance of keeping seniors safe athome through Illinois CommunityCare Program. He stated that PatQuinn, Governor of Illinois and histeam are fully committed to main-taining funding for this valuableprogram which keeps seniors intheir homes away from nursinghomes.

Toni Preckwinkle commendedMAFS team for providing compre-hensive and integrated services tothe immigrant community for overtwo decades. She recognizedMAFS staff for enrolling uninsuredconsumers into Obamacare Insur-ance program and providing ac-cess to medical care. Preckwinklelisted various programs offered byCook County and encouraged thecommunity to avail these services.Preckwinkle was impressed to seea pool of dedicated staff that work

tirelessly to serve not only theCook County but also Urban andother Metropolitan counties ofChicago.

Michelle Mussman, also con-gratulated MAFS family for doingan amazing job for the communityand assured her support in con-tinuing these programs.

Shree Gurusamy, Social ServiceSpecialist, gave a brief overviewof MAFS programs and left a few

eyes moist through her heartbreak-ing stories about clients.

MAFS team with Naperville Adult Day Care seniors

Prominent State and local dignitaries at MAFS Gala Dinner evening

Prashant Kumar in the middle with Prinbyprina models

Cont’d on page 23


WomenNow organizing firstIndia Day celebrations


SAN JOSE:WomenNow, in partner-ship with Zee TV, will bringto the Bay Area the firstIndia Day 2014 celebra-tions at Santana Row inthe heart of Silicon Valley.The event was champi-oned by San Jose CityCouncilmember Ash Kalraand is co-sponsored byYupptv, Travelopod,Bears for Humanity, USTGlobal and UltimateLounge Building Kids. In-

dia Day will be celebrated from 12 noonthrough 7 pm on October 4. This is a free forall event.

The day-long festivities will showcase aseries of ethnic presentations from diverseIndian traditions. There will be classicaldances, instrumental as well as vocal per-formances, haute couture presentations,stand up comics, and the much awaited MsWomenNow Pageant. Creating opportuni-ties for hundreds of Bay areans who couldpotentially become brand ambassadors ofmultinationals. Cont’d on page 22

The day-long festivities willshowcase a series of eth-nic presentations fromdiverse Indian traditions.There will be classicaldances, instrumental aswell as vocal perfor-mances, haute couturepresentations


Classical dance forms repre-senting Indian traditions fromacross the country will include in-vocations, Ras Lila from Manipur,Giddha and Bhangra from Punjab,Garba and Dandiya from Gujarat,

Kathak from the LucknowGharana, Ghumar and Jhumar fromRajasthan, Kathakali from Kerala,and contemporary fusion dance.

The dance performances will bepresented by the leading profes-sional dance organizations in theBay Area, including the following:Chanddam, Gurus, X3 Produc-tions, Dhol Rhythms, ChandreyeeMukherjee and Company andAmeya Groups Dance Company

WomenNow organizing firstIndia Day celebrations

and Tarana Dance Company. Per-formers will mingle with the audi-ence members to discuss their artforms. Music will be presented byPriya Gandhi, Raunak, Sarthak andHarjeet Mehendi.

The cultural bonanza will also

showcase cooking demonstra-tions by Amber India restaurant.Gifts and prizes will be awardedfor on-the-spot competitions andparticipation. Traditional hennaartists will demonstrate their art.

Fashion show will be presentedby leading Bay Area designers in-clude Aateka Sultana ,Vama De-signs, Celebrations Jewelery,Chona Pike and CBazar.


SLAM team rocks Chicago with spectacular showAsian Media USA

CHICAGO: One of the topmostBollywood shows "Slammed"Chicago last week. The huge re-sponse with 9000 flocking to theSears Center on Friday September26 was an indication it was a big,history setting hit.

The SLAM concert was a spec-tacular live stage show with mindblowing music and dance routinesthat kept the audience spellboundfor the entire duration of the show.King Khan along with AbhishekBachchan, Farah Khan, DeepikaPadukone, Malaika Arora Khan,Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, VivaanShah and singer Kanika Kapoortook their fans on a magical jour-ney of Bollywood hits which wereprofessionally choreographed forthis concert tour.

They mesmerize enthusiasticcrowd for about 2.5 hours who

found their rewardeven paying highpriced tickets rangingfrom $59 to $5000(VVIP).

The organizers werevery pleased with theaudience response tothis grand show. Pro-duced by Front stageMedia FZ-LLC and In-ternational promoterBalaji EntertainmentInc, this event was or-ganized by BabubhaiPatel, Bhavesh Patel from Sahiland Nick Patel and Mayur Patelfrom L.A. TAN. Organizers Nick

Patel and Bhavesh Patel deservehuge credit for smoothly execut-ing this magnificent show.

Sahil and LA TAN show busi-

ness pioneers organized the show.Explaining the reasons for successin show business, Bhavesh CEO

of Saahil, said that it could be be-cause of much bigger group withmore musicians and sophisticatedequipment including State of theArt stage decoration with flicker-ing rotating colorful coordinationhypnotizing laser light system toaugment the performance impact.Nick Patel added the "meaning ofSLAM is Sound, Light, Action andMovie also Seduce, Love, Amaze,Mesmerize" .It was a collectiveeffort of Bhavesh Patel, Babu PatelCEO of Shahil, Mayur and NickPatel, CEO of L.A. Tan.

The Chicago show was the 4thconcert of their United States andCanada trip. From start to finish itwas out of the world experience,creating great excitement amongthe audience. Deepika, a versatiledancer and a seasoned actress

captured everyone's heart with hergraceful dance moves. This wasfollowed by Abhishek Bachchan'sentrance which was another classact. He interacted with the audi-ence and showed his Chicagospirit, by wearing a BEARS jerseyunder his costume. The crowdwent wild at this point.

Next came the one and only -Shah Rukh Khan, who came fly-ing on a rope from the audiencearea. It was truly spectacular.Boman Irani and Farah Khan pro-vided lot of laughs with their com-edy routine and dance moves.

Organizers Babubhai Patel, Mayur Patel, Bhavesh Patel (addressing gathering) and Nick Patel with national promotersShah Rukh Khan Performing

SLAM team

Rita Shah, Shah Rukh Khan and Sunil Shah

Deepika Padukone and Abhishek Bachchan with performers

Cont’d on page 25


MAFS celebrates 22nd fundraising dinnerMrs. Santosh Kumar, Executive

Director stated how MAFS is pro-viding full array of services to thecommunity and especially elderlythrough shared vision and col-laborated services. Narrating herjourney of pains Mrs. Kumar rec-ognized efforts of her dedicatedboard, committed bilingual staff,and able management. Mrs. Kumaralso encouraged community tojoin hands in supporting andstrengthening the agency in ca-tering to the needs of immigrantcommunity by donating their timeand dime.

Dr. Firdaus Jafri, PresidentMAFS has welcomed all for grace-ful evening and commended ef-forts of MAFS team and more par-ticularly silent donors and doers -Mr. Prashant Kumar and Mr.Pramod Kumar.

CG Dr. Ausaf Sayeed com-mended MAFS team for doing ex-traordinary job in serving and car-ing for elderly and other immigrantpopulation of Chicagoland. He ap-preciated Mrs. Kumar for provid-ing intricate planning, dedicationand determination to MAFS. Hesaid that it is a time for women

empowerment and Mrs. SantoshKumar and Dr Jafri are true ex-ample of it. He also lauded Mr.Pramod Kumar for providing criti-cal support to MAFS and said

here the story is the other wayaround: Behind every successfulwoman there's a successful man.

The celebration started with"Customs of India" presented byNaperville Adult Day Care seniors.

They surprised everyone byshowcasing India's rich culture,dresses and dances. Haute andprêt collection by Prinbyprina im-pressed everyone, with beautiful

models have scorching the rampwith their traditional and moderndresses.

Qawali by Dhingra Group andBollywood Fusion Dance bySoorya Dance Academy captured

audience interest and receivedtheir appreciation.

Zaheer Abbas of Sa Re Ga Mafame and versatile singer UmaKaria enchanted everyone with

their mellifluentvoices. Theymade youngand old danceto their modernand Indian clas-s i c a lB o l l y w o o dmelodies.

The eventalso had mul-tiple raffle drawitems and hadmany excitedwinner addingfun to theevening.

The eventwas emceed byBeena Patel,MAFS Boardmember andNeelam Desai,

Manager MAFS Naperville whokept everyone engaged with theirwitty, and informational remarks.

The celebration also hadawards which were given in thefollowing categories - "Making a

Cont’d from page 20 Difference in the World" award wasgiven to CG Dr. Ausaf Sayeed;"Lifetime Achievement Award" toShashi Singh, longtime supporterof MAFS; "Manager of the YearAward" to Bhavnamati Patel,Manager MAFS Vernon Hills;"Media Award" to VandanaJhingan, Bureau Chief TV Asia."Best Supervisor of the Year"Awards were given to PineshSheth, MAFS Niles, Shilpa Doshi,MAFS Naperville, FatimaBorjanoviv, MAFS Chicago."Adult Day Care" Award wasgiven to Mukesh Panchal, LPNMAFS Naperville; Cook of theYear Awards were given toDhyabhai Patel, MAFS Chicago,Pratibha Purohit, MAFSNaperville. "Support Service"Awards were given to Nazia Aslam,and Imran Muhammad, MAFSChicago. "10 Years Home CareAid" Award was given to Nila Sura,"Driver of the Year" Awards weregiven to Ramesh Surti andRajendra Patel and "Public Ben-efit Award" was given to ConnieDogaru.

The evening concluded withvote of thanks presented byRakesh Asthana, Board MemberMAFS.

Attendees at event


FIA-Chicago hosts Farewell for Dy CG GangteABDUL SIDDIQUI

CHICAGO: Federation of In-dian Associations [FIA] hosted aDinner Reception to bid ceremo-nious farewell to Deputy Consul

General N.J. Gangte at Bristol Pal-ace Banquets in Mount Prospects,a northwest suburb of Chicago,

last week.The event was brought to life

with the soulful rendition ofghazals and sangeet by one of

India's leading classical vocalists,Sandip Bhattacharjee and highlytalented Sushmita Mukherjee.

Iftekhar Shareef, FIA's reigningleader who co-hosted the FarewellReception welcomed the cross-sec-tion of guests and underscored

FIA's long history and tradition toacknowledge dignitaries, consularofficers, ministers and other elected

officials from India and the US. Hecommended N.J. Gangte for his stel-lar services to the Midwest regionin his capacity as Deputy CG

Keerthi Kumar Ravoori, FIAPresident, mentioned that Gangteaddressed the issues faced by theIndian Diaspora in Midwest. Hespecifically pointed out the host-ing of "Consular Expo" thattouched upon the gnawing con-cerns pertaining to the issuanceof passports, visas and other re-lated consular services.

Later, Shareef and KeerthiKumar presented a colorful shawl

to Gangte and flower bouquets toPandit Sandip Bhattacharjee andSushmita Mukherjee.

To add to the celebrations, infull military-like honors, Side Raid-ing, Co-host of the reception withhis vintage rifle marched in frontof the guests and offered a stiffmilitary salute to the dignitariesand guests alike.

Dy CG Gangte thanked FIA andits leaders for according him aheartfelt farewell and he addedthat he will always carry the fondmemories of serving in this greatcity of Chicago.

FIA host team - Keerthi Ravoori, Iftekhar Shareef and others with Dy CG Gangte (seen addressing the meet)

IACS Business & Entrepreneurialmeet a big success

DAVE VASUDEVAN

L-R Vik Mehta, Darpan Munjal, Sundaram Nagarajan,Arun Bhatia and Kunal Chopra

CHICAGO: A Chicagolandbased no profit organization; theIndo American Community Ser-vices (IACS) held a Business andEntrepreneurial conference on Fri-day, September 19 at the HotelMarriott in Naperville, a south-west suburb of Chicago.

The Event gave opportunitiesfor a variety of Indian-Americanentrepreneurs to pitch their busi-ness ideas, gain feedback, receiveadvice and explore potential fund-ing opportunities from top inves-

tors, business executives and ad-visors. The conference also al-lowed entrepreneurs to create stra-tegic relationships with advisorswithin their industry aiding in theprogression of their companies

The Conference began withthree select start up organizationspresenting their plans to the panelof experts. The three startup com-panies included Fitness Cubed,Mart Mobi, and Turbo Appeal.

The experienced panelists in-cluded Darpan Munjal, Co-Founder of Fashionaria, KunalChopra, Senior Associate atTechstars, Sundaram Nagarajan,Executive Vice President at IllinoisTool Works, and Arun Bhatia, Se-nior Associate at Illinois Ventures.Vik Mehta, one of the Executive

team members who lead this event,said "These panelists gave thenew entrepreneurs specific advicebased on their companies to ex-pand and appeal to consumers aswell as what it takes to be success-ful in entrepreneurship."

The Conference featured a Net-working and Startup Expo in whichthree other startup companies in-cluding Hifi Kids, Emotiplush, andAWST were represented throughbooths and presented their ideasin a more informal way to poten-tial investors. This also provided

a key networking opportunity forexperienced professionals andnew entrepreneurs to connect.

The final segment of the con-ference consisted of presentationsby various panelists includingKunal Chopra, Darpan Munjal,Arman Ghosh, Co-Founder ofGrowthPanda and AshishRangnekar; CEO ofBenchProp.Balu Kadiyala anotherExecutive team member said "Thepanelists discussed their experi-ences and steps they took to be-come successful in their fields.This was extremely influential forthe professionals just starting theircareer as it gave them helpful tipsfrom experts on how to succeedand what to expect."

Cont’d on page 25


"IACS is proud to partner withMicrosoft to give selected topthere startups a $60.000 worth ofMicrosoft Software and AzureCloud services to help kick starttheir companies. And also awardedthem with $2,000 worth of Account-ing, Tax and Consulting services

IACS Business & Entrepreneurialmeet a big success

Cont’d from page 24 compliments of Chawla & Associ-ates," said Sreenivas KatragaddaPresident of IACS.

The IACS Conference pro-vided a unique opportunity tobudding entrepreneurs to presenttheir ideas to a panel of experi-enced professionals and aided inbuilding of their network and kickstarting of their companies.

Sizzling Malaika Khan andhandsome hunk Sonu Sood tookto the stage next and performedan electrifying dance numberwhich thrilled the audience. Ev-ery star in their dance routine wasaccompanied by backup dancers,who did an amazing job and madethe show very colorful.

Shah Rukh Khan selected avery special couple from the audi-ence which was totally unex-pected, because he saw the gentle-man wearing an attractive whitetuxedo which caught his attention.Chicago community leader SunilShah and his beautiful wife RitaShah were the lucky couple se-lected to come on stage to inter-act with Shah Rukh Khan. Theygot to sing, dance and talk withhim on stage for nearly 7 minutes

SLAM team rocks Chicagowith spectacular show

making it the most memorable mo-ment of their lives. The couple wasgiven a signed photograph ofKing Khan, a bike helmet and abrand new Harley Davidson mo-torbike. Audience was impressedwith their dressing style and theirspontaneous inner actions onstage.

King Khan is his speech repeat-edly thanked his good friends NickPatel and Bhavesh Patel for mak-ing this event possible. He com-mended them for bringing theSLAM tour to the windy city. Theirefforts truly paid off and brought amemorable concert to our city. Au-dience will never forget this con-cert experience in their life.

"I am blessed to get a lot of loveand support from people aroundthe world. This is our way of giv-ing this love back and thankingyou all,' said Shah Rukh Khan.


BHU alumni meet raises $21000 for projectsSURENDRA ULLAL

The start of the BHUA Meet in Lisle Indian Minister Manoj Sinha being honored

CHICAGO: The IIT BHU Glo-bal Alumni Association recentlyheld its fourth Global Alumni Meetat the Sheraton Lisle Hotel in Lisle,a south west suburb of Chicago

The theme for the Meet was"The IIT BHU Journey of Excel-lence Continues...".

Over 200 people attended theMeet. At the opening, a lamp light-ing ceremony was held with theportrait of Mahamana PanditMadan Mohan Malaviya, thefounder of BHU. An inspiringvideo sharing his amazing life storywas shown to the audience. Atthe meet, alumni deliberated onways to give back to alma materand raised over $21,000 to supportvarious projects at IIT BHU in-cluding student scholarships.

Prof. Rajeev Sangal, Director ofIIT BHU and Acting Vice-Chancel-lor of BHU was the Chief Guest.Manoj Sinha, Minister of State forRailways and IIT BHU Alumnusgave a Keynote address. Dr.Sarvajna Dwivedi, Co-founder andChief Scientific Officer at PearlTherapeutics, Inc., an IIT BHU

Alumnus was also a Keynotespeaker. Video messages fromformer BHU Vice-Chancellor, Prof.Panjab Singh and Campus Diarieswere shared.

Two panels on "Excellence inEducation" and "Excellence in En-trepreneurship" discussed lot ofinteresting ideas to propel the IITBHU to new heights. There werelighter moments with "Fond Memo-

ries of BHU" and "Tribute to Teach-ers". The Meet concluded with anentertainment program after dinner.

Manoj Sinha and Prof. S. N.Upadhyay were conferred 2014 IITBHU Lifetime Achievement Award.Additionally, Nine alumni wereconferred the 2014 IIT BHU Dis-tinguished Alumnus Award.

The 5th IIT BHU Global Meetwill be held in the San Francisco

Bay Area in 2016.The IIT BHU Global Alumni

Association (IBGAA) was estab-lished in 2008. It is a 501 (c) (3)charitable and educational orga-nization registered in New Jersey.Its mission is to act as a link be-

tween the Institute, alumni, stu-dents, faculty, and staff. TheIBGAA raises funds to executealumni projects to benefit the In-stitute, students, faculty, and staff.It also endeavors to enhance theIIT BHU brand globally.

BHUA members with guests

Religious leaders condemn Virginia vandalismIP News Bureau

LOUNDON, Virginia: Mem-bers of Indian community at largein Loudoun County (Virginia) areupset over anti-Hindi graffiti andacts of vandalism that they havebeen facing for the past fewmonths by some anti social andhate groups in the area.

The local police are investigat-ing a series of vandalism cases,some of which contain discrimina-tory language against Hindus. TheLoudoun County Sheriff MichaelChapman said there have beenseveral other reports of vandalismin the county since July inAshburn - in the areas ofNorthstar Boulevard at Amberg

Grove Terrace, Morning WalkDrive at Winter Haven Drive, andRyan Road at Forest Manor Drive.

"It's disappointing to see this,"Chapman said. "It's a lack of un-derstanding of cultural diversityand it is something we have to re-ally understand and embrace.We're taking this incident very,very seriously and we're going tolook into all aspects of it." TheBrambleton Homeowners Asso-ciation is offering a $500 rewardfor information on who is respon-sible for the vandalism.

Sheriff Micheal Chapman. hasassured that his office will striveto continuously improve safetyand law enforcement services toall members of our community

through the Step Up Strategy ofimproved service, technology, ef-ficiency and professionalism.

In a remarkable interfaith ges-ture, Christian-Buddhist-Jewishleaders have come out to the sup-port of Hindus of Loudoun County(Virginia) who face anti-Hindu van-dalism in the last three months. Hin-dus, Reverend Richard L. Smith, aUnited Church of Christ pastor inNevada, in a statement, said: It is es-pecially sad to see such expressionsof hatred coming from the home stateof Thomas Jefferson, who so ar-dently believed in religious liberty.We are all diminished by it, even aswe are enriched by interfaith accep-tance and cooperation.

Cont’d on page 27


Eye Clinic at Midwest Swaminarayan TempleARVIND THAKKAR

ITASCA: MidwestSwaminarayan Temple is a pioneerin organizing many charitable ac-tivities but the culmination of allof them is the Eye Clinic that runstwice a month and offers freeglasses on top of examinations.

This eye clinic was startedabout four years ago with a gen-erous donation of $ 20,000 bydevotee Jayantibhai (Jay) Patel. Ithelped in buying a set of eyeequipments. The clinic providesfree eye examinations, identifiesany eye problems, writes prescrip-tion for glasses and if necessary,provides free glasses.

More than 400 patients havebenefited by this service and over150 patients have been providedwith both single vision and bifocalglasses. The temple managementprovides all the facilities and thecost of the clinic. It ran on Septem-ber 14 and also on September 28.Each time 8 to 10 patients are takencare of and on an average four pairsof glasses are provided each time.

Most important portion of aneye clinic facility is the services ofoptometrist doctors. GrishmaPatel, O.D., a young optometristgladly provided her time and tal-ents for this service. Initially, theclinic was arranged once a month.

Looking at the number of patients,Neal Thakrar, O.D., another youngoptometrist, consented to providehis valuable services. So, now theclinic is held twice a month.

Ashwinbhai Majmudar and NisargiThakkar, two devoted volunteers,provided their services free.

On top of these volunteers, thewell known eye surgeon of Chi-cago area, Parag Majmudar, M.D.,provides free specialized serviceswhen referred to by the optom-etrists of the clinic.

The temple has been providing

free monthly health clinics sincelast eleven years. The clinic ser-vices include doctors' consulta-tion, laboratory tests, and free ge-neric medications. More than

2,200 patients have taken advan-tage of this facility so far. Thetemple clinic welcomes patientswithout health insurance, visitors,patients in between jobs andneedy seniors.

The temple provided hundredsof boxes of food packets for theprogram Feed My Starving Chil-dren (FMSC) for distribution to the

children in Zambia. Later thetemple helped collect and ship fourhundred boxes of used clothes incollaboration with an institutionnamed "Sahiyaru Abhiyan" for

L-R Grishma Patel, O.D., Patient Harish Rao, Coordinator AshwinbhaiMajmudar, Coordinator Arvindbhai Thakkar and Volunteer Nisargi Thakkar

L-R Coordinator Ashwinbhai Majmudar, Neal Thakkar, O.D., Patient MamsaDolly, Volunteer Nisargi Thakkar and Coordinator Arvindbhai Thakkar

Cow sanctuary set up in PennsylvaniaNEELA PANDYA

BANGOR, PA: Known asLakshmi Cow Sanctuary, Bangorin Pennsylvania may be the firstplace in the country to have a shel-ter for nurturing cows. Spread in42 acres, it currently has 16 cowsand each has been given names.

The tagline for the sanctuary is"Promoting Love and Compassion

for All". It seeks to "rescue" cowsand provides safe and nurturinghaven and a free and loving envi-ronment to them.

Many people celebrate theirspecial events here by feedingcows and find sanctuary a "deeplyinner-transformative experience".The sanctuary also sells organic

dried cow dung patties for use insome Hindu ceremonies, reportssuggest.

Rajan Zed, President of Univer-sal Society of Hinduism, com-mended efforts of the Sanctuaryto provide protection to cows,which were held sacred by Hin-dus and were considered the seat

of many deities. Also referred as"Mother Cow", this divine animalwas venerated from an early pe-riod by Hindus worldwide.

Madhu Patel president of NRIPress Club in Chicago, said thatfrom time immemorial as far asIndians are concerned, they havebeen holding the cow in rever-

Lakshmi Cow Sanctuary

ence for a variety of reasons,the principal being that it pro-vides us with milk and milk de-rivatives which are health giv-ing. "They are aghnya (notslayable) and we need this con-cept to get across not only USAbut globally and principally inIndia," he said. Rajan stressed

the need of more such cow sanc-tuaries world over to provide car-ing shelters for cows

Dr. Sankar Sastri, a former Deanof engineering in New York CityCollege of Technology, is thefounder-president of this Sanctu-ary located about 70 miles fromNew York City.

distribution to tribal populationnear Ambaji in Gujarat. MidwestSwaminarayan temple is providingfree eye clinic services to the needyitself.

Indonesia festival tohonor goddess Saraswati


BALI, Indonesia: The 11thUbud Writers & Readers Festival,Southeast Asia's renowned liter-ary and cultural event, bring heldfrom October 1-5 in Bali, Indo-nesia, will honorHindu goddessSaraswati.

About 150"literary stars"from over 25countries areparticipating inthis Festival,whose objec-tive talks aboutthe "spirit of cross-cultural under-standing".

Project of a not-for-profit foun-dation first conceived by its co-founder Janet DeNeefe, held an-nually in Bali's artistic and cultural

heartland Ubud, this Festival'smission is "to create a world classfestival that celebrates extraordi-nary stories and amplifies bravevoices; tackles global issues andbig ideas".

The Em-bassy of Indo-nesia in Wash-ington DC(USA) last yearraised a 10-footstatue of god-dess Saraswation a publicspace on Mas-sachusetts Av-enue NW, abouta mile away

from White House.Indonesia has the largest Mus-

lim population than any othercountry in the world; where Mus-lims form about 88% of the popu-lation and Hindus about 3%.

Statue of Goddess Saraswati at Indonesian embassy

Bali promotion


Jikai' Phil Bryan, well-knownBuddhist leader, stressed: It is ab-solutely unbelievable and deeplysaddening to note that somethinglike this can happen in my country.All right thinking people shouldstrongly condemn such behaviorand come to the defense of ourwonderful Hindu neighbors.

ElizaBeth W. Beyer, JewishRabbi in California and Nevada,pointed out: Vandalism against ourpeace-loving Hindu brothers andsisters in Ashburn, Virginia is in-credibly thoughtless and un-American. Religion tells us to loveand help our neighbors. We needto support the Hindu community

Religious leaders condemnVirginia vandalism

of Virginia and stop the hate-filledgraffiti.

Welcoming the support ofthese diverse religious leadersRajan Zed, President of UniversalSociety of Hinduism, urged otherfaith communities in LoudounCounty to come forward to ex-press their support to the Hinduneighbors and thus spread themessage of peace, love and har-mony at grassroots level.

Indian Americans have madelot of contributions to the societyat large to the nation building, in-cluding the Loudoun County andthe community there should standin solidarity with the Hindu broth-ers and sisters at such a time, Zedadded.


Shubrah, Syna collections at Boston Fashion WeekNEELA PANDYA

BOSTON: Shubhra Designsand Syna's Collection are joininghands to present afashion show dur-ing Boston fashionWeek.

S h u b h r aB h a t t a c h a r y aChandra, veteranfashion designerand founder ofShubhra Designs,has been success-fully showing col-lections for BostonFashion Week forthe last few years.She has worked in the past for sev-eral large US brands (e.g. Limited,Victoria's Secret cata-log, Sigrid Olsen andTalbots). Her forte isrecycling Indian saristo make western spe-cial occasion dressesand eveningwear forwomen and men.

Twinkle MorbiaGautam, Jewelry de-signer and owner ofSyna's Collection ismaking her debut inBoston Fashion week.Just over a year ago,Syna's Collection -'designer jewelry hub'was brought to life bythis highly motivatedand creative designer

This collaborativeeffort will showcase the'Fall & Festive Collec-tion' of both Designers.Shubrah & Syna's FallCollection Show will beon October 11at Tantric Indian Bis-tro, Stuart Street, Boston from 3 pmto 5 pm

Talking about the upcomingshow Shubhra said "My twenty

year design career has been allabout understanding the cus-

tomer and what shewants to wear. Mak-ing her look uniquewhile adhering to mydesign principals,form my sustainablebusiness today. Mydesigns are all aboutrecycling Indian handwoven silk and cottonfabrics and creatingfashions in westernsilhouettes. I havebeen doing a show forBoston Fashion Weekevery year since Istarted Shubrah.com.I want to thank myfriends at Tantric forgiving us the spacefor the show and allthe student modelsfor walking the rampfor BFW."

Twinkle MorbiaGautam said she

found that jewelry always standsout in any outfit. "After all, it iswell known that a woman's best

pieces of costume jewelry intothe world that would bridge thegap between precious andFashion Jewelry with a focuson high quality craftsmanshipand design," she said.

Talking about the collabo-ration, coordinator MadanJharna said "I am excited to bea part of this esteemed team.It is my first show too underthe Boston Fashion Weekumbrella. I think the collabo-ration between Shubhra andTwinkle is just fantastic. Both de-signers complement each other

friend is 'diamonds'. My ultimatedream is to bring some unique

Shubhra B. Chandra Twinkle Morbia Jharna Madan

and together we will put up amemorable show.


St Louis golf tournament helps SawerraASHWIN PATEL

ST LOUIS: A two-day St. Louis AsianOpen Golf Tournament was held in St.Louis, MO on September 20 and 21 at theGateway National Golf Course.

St. Louis has been hosting this tour-nament for the last 16 years. Rajiv Shah isthe Tournament Director and he com-mented "We had a record breaking par-ticipation with 144 golfers playing. Wecouldn't have asked better weather, per-fect temperatures and clear skies! Wethank God for this, and hope to have thesame luck for the years to come."

Overall winner for this tournament wasNand Kodvani and Sean Vashi became thejunior champion. The Charity Golf eventthis year will benefit Saweraa, a volun-teer-based organization founded in St.Louis in 2003. Its mission is to servewomen of South Asian descent who arevictims of domestic violence. It extendssupport, education and empowerment tothem.

Rajjev Shah & Rajesh Vora Sunny Desai presenting Trophy toNand Kodvani

Junior Champion Sean Vashi receiving trophyfrom Rajeev Shah

Masala FM picksup listeners in 40countriesPRAKASH M SWAMY

NEW YORK: US based Masala FM witha tag line of Unlimited music anywhere any-time is a 24X7 Online Cloud Radio head-quartered in Hollywood, California. It haspicked up listeners in over 40 countries.

It aims at spreading the joy of unlimitedmusic to its listeners anywhere, anytimeacross the globe. "We at Masala FM be-lieve that music has no language and noboundaries. We strive to unite people ofvaried communities through the universallanguage, The Music. The right blend ofMasala makes a magically delicious dish."

"So is our focus, which is to play the

right choice of handpicked songs, to servea feast to our listener's ears. Masala FMteam is full of Young & Energetic and Cre-ative personalities. Our programs are de-signed in such the way that it satisfies allage groups and infotain the people acrossthe globe," said Rofina, the CEO of the sta-tion.

Masala FM has achieved the distinc-tion of becoming the first online cloud ra-dio with live video streaming and RJ'sacross the globe. It has handpicked songsand variety of programs with unique con-cepts. The movie review by Ravi Nag,Masala Chai with Chelli by Bangalore-based humorist Chelli Srinivasan and storybased on love by Idhaya Gopi and play listby Chikki are most favored by NRIs.


October 3, 2014

www.indiapost.comIndia Post

TOP TENHINDI FILM SONGS

1 Tu Meri : Bang Bang2 Samjhawan : Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania3 Tere Ho Ke Rahenge : Raja Natwarlal4 Yaar Naa Miley : Kick5 Aata Majha Satakli : Singham Returns6 Galliyan : Ek Villain7 Fanny Re : Finding Fanny8 Sawaan Aaya Hai : Creature 3D9 Hangover : Kick10 Aaj Phir: Hate Story 2

30 October 3, 2014

After playingOlympic boxing

champ, MC Mary Kom,actor Priyanka Chopra

is being widely regardedas the top choice forbiopics. However, the

31-year-old, who is alsobeing considered to playthe role of top cop KiranBedi in a film based on

Bedi's life, says thatshe won't be a part

of a sport biopicin the future.

"People have thishabit of generalizing ...

after one film, they thinkI should do all sports-related biopics. I don'tsee myself playing arole in a sports biopic

at all," she says.Asked why she has

taken this decision,PeeCee shares, "Not

that I didn't like doing asportsperson's biopic,but I like doing differentthings - playing different

characters, doinginteresting

roles.”

Elli Avram, who made her debut in Bollywoodwith Mickey Virus last year, has now baggedher second film and it is with the famous director

duo Abbas-Mustan.The film in question is said to star Kapil Sharma,who initially was supposed to make his debutin Bollywood with Yash Raj Film's Bank Chor.The comedian who is currently hosting theshow 'Comedy Nights with Kapil' will beseen romancing this half Greek, halfSwedish model. In fact, we hearthat the makers decided to signher for her exotic looks.

Elli gained fame with hermuch popular stint in BiggBoss Season 7 and be-came one of SalmanKhan's favoritesduring the show.The actress even

played the host forthe grand launch of

Bigg Boss Season 8 thathappened with much fanfare.

Cricketer Virat Kohli has again be-come a regular at AnushkaSharma's Andheri home. The

game is still on but this time the two-some is following a different set of rules.

When the cricketer was in the citythis January, he had parked himself atAnushka's flat. Virat, the co-owner ofFC Goa, the Goa franchise of the foot-ball series Indian Super League (ISL),was in Mumbai for the tournaments butis not staying with Anushka.

Sources say that the cricketer is fedup of stories suggesting that his poorform in the recent England series wasdue to Anushka's presence.

"He visits but does not stay over. Hedrops by for a couple ofhours and leaves," saysa source. Also, Viratdoes not want to fieldany questions, evenremotely con-nected toAnushka.

India Post 31October 3, 2014

www.indiapost.com

Bollywood

Her Bollywood career might be just three years old, but Parineeti Chopra is

happy about her current financial status. Talking about how she is earn

ing enough, the actor says, "I am making a lot of money (laughs), touch-

wood. I think the reason is that I have 12 brands (to endorse). You earn mostly from

endorsements.

I am not sure, but I think I am endorsing the maximum number of brands. Thankfully,

due to them, I am doing well (financially)," she says.

Parineeti already owns three luxury cars. She wants to buy a house for

herself as well. "I just love cars. I currently own three. I really want

to buy a house now," she confirms.

The actor, who currently lives in a rented apartment in Andheri,

says, "My budget for the house (I want to buy) is v

ery good. Everyone

makes fun of me, saying that Parineeti toh bas paise bana rahi hai

(she is only making money). I want to be financially independent.

I am very happy."I am not sure, but

I think I am endorsingthe maximum number of

brands. Thankfully, due to them,I am doing well (financially),"

After delivering many hits in hercareer, Katrina Kaif says she islucky that most of her films

have performed well at the box office.Katrina, 31, who has given many

successful films including 'Dhoom 3','Ek Tha Tiger', 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' and'Raajneeti', said box-office numbers domatter to her.

"Box office success does matter tome. Everyone wants their films to dowell. Because you have worked hard.As an actress one craves for that ac-ceptance. I am super fortunate that Ihave not seen the other side.

"My films mostly have done well atthe box office and I have a lot of grati-tude and happiness. I just hope thatcontinues with my next film too. Whenyour film doesn't do well after so muchof hardwork there is a heartbreak andit's not a good feeling," Katrina said.

Often touted as the number oneactress in the industry, Katrina saysshe considers herself lucky thatthe audience haveaccepted her.

Shahid Kapoor's "Haider"with Vishal Bhardwaj isready to come out, but thatis not enough for the ac-

tor. His wish is that the filmmakershould make "Kaminey 2" with him.

While reports are doing theround that Shahid is, in fact, alreadya part of "Kaminey 2", the actor said:"I would be very happy if 'Kaminey2' happens."

Released in 2009, "Kaminey"starred Shahid in a double role andhe won accolades for his perfor-mance from all quarters.

"I had an amazing experiencewith Vishal sir working on 'Kaminey'and now 'Haider'. I just hope hecasts me in his next film and I hopethat this film is 'Kaminey 2'," the 33-year-old said on the sets of realityshow "Cine Stars Ki Khoj".

www.indiapost.com32 India Post October 3, 2014

Health ScienceHealth Line

Details on Page 35

Skin rendersSun's UVradiationharmless

Yoga, meditation can train yourbrain to control computers betterWASHINGTON: People who

practice yoga and meditation canbetter use their brains to control acomputer, a new study has found.

Researchers at the Universityof Minnesota found that peoplewho practice yoga and meditationlong term learn to control a com-puter with their minds faster andbetter than people with little or noyoga or meditation experience.

The findings could have majorimplications for treatments ofpeople who are paralyzed or haveneurodegenerative diseases.

The study involved a total of36 participants. One group of 12had at least one year of experiencein yoga or meditation at least twotimes per week for one hour.

The second group included 24healthy participants who had littleor no yoga or meditation experi-ence. Both groups were new tosystems using the brain to con-trol a computer.

Both groups participated inthree, two-hour experiments overfour weeks in which they wore ahigh tech, non-invasive cap overthe scalp that picked up brain ac-tivity.

The participants were asked tomove a computer cursor acrossthe screen by imaging left or righthand movements.

The participants with yoga ormeditation experience were twice

as likely to complete the brain-computer interface task by the endof 30 trials and learned three timesfaster than their counterparts forthe left-right cursor movementexperiments.

"In recent years, there has beena lot of attention on improving thecomputer side of the brain-com-

puter interface but very little at-tention to the brain side," said leadresearcher Bin He, a biomedicalengineering professor in the Uni-versity of Minnesota's College ofScience and Engineering.

"This comprehensive studyshows for the first time that look-ing closer at the brain side mayprovide a valuable tool for reduc-ing obstacles for brain-computerinterface success in early stages,"He said.

Researchers have been in-creasingly focused on finding

ways to help physically disabledindividuals who are paralyzed,have lost limbs, or suffer from dis-eases such as Amyotrophic lat-eral sclerosis or cerebral palsy.

In these cases, brain functionremains intact, but these peoplehave to find a way to bypass mus-cular control to move a wheelchairor control an artificial limb.

He gained international atten-tion last year when members ofhis research team were able todemonstrate flying a robot withonly their minds.

However, they found that noteveryone can easily learn to con-trol a computer with their brains.Many people are unsuccessful incontrolling the computer aftermultiple attempts.

A consistent and reliableelectroencephalography (EEG)brain signal may depend on anundistracted mind and sustainedattention. Meditators have shownmore distinctive EEG patternsthan untrained participants, whichmay explain their success, re-searchers said.

The research is published inTechnology. -PTI

Doctors conduct cornealtransplants in J-K

SRINAGAR: Doctors workingas volunteers with a Sikh secthave conducted the first-ever cor-neal transplants in Jammu andKashmir.

"The two corneal transplantsurgeries were performed atSKIMS, Beminahere," said Di-rector, eye bankof 'Dera SachaSauda', DrAditya Insan,who along withdoctors fromSKIMS per-formed the sur-geries.

A 55-year-old woman withspontaneous failure of corneaand another 35-year-old ladywith bilateral Corneal Clouding

were operated upon successfully,he said.

He said doctors from SKIMSwere also briefed about the lat-est techniques and methods ofconducting corneal transplantsurgeries.

It was agreed that in futureDera Sacha Sauda Eye Bank willprovide every possible support tothe SKIMS doctors, he said. -PTI

Healthcare limping backto normal in J&K

SRINAGAR: As Kashmir Val-ley battles the aftermath of theworst-ever floods in more than acentury, healthcare is limping backto normal as most of the majorhospitals have been cleaned ofthe slush and restoration work isgoing apace.

The major government-runhospitals like SMHS Hospital,Lala Ded Maternity Hospital,SKIMS Medical College HospitalBemina, Bone and Joints Hospi-tal and the lone children's hospi-tal - G B Pant - had suspendedoperations after being flooded.

These hospitals suffered hugedamages, both to infrastructureand equipment, and even as tem-porary arrangements were put inplace, normal functioning wouldtake a while to resume.

While SKIMS Bemina, SMHSand GB Pant Hospital remained in-undated till the end of last weekand were being cleaned, Bone and

Joints Hospital was made opera-tional last week after beingcleaned and sanitized.

These hospitals suf-fered huge damages,both to infrastructureand equipment, andeven as temporaryarrangements wereput in place, normalfunctioning wouldtake a while

Cont'd on Page 35

Mechanizedhuman handdeveloped

WASHINGTON: Researchers,including one of Indian-origin,have developed a mechanizedhuman hand that will help facili-tate movement and restore thegripping capability of hands fol-lowing nerve damage.

The device, tested in cadaverhands, is one of the first instru-ments created that could improvethe transmission of mechanicalforces and movement inside thebody, the research done by engi-neers at Oregon State Universitysaid.

The new mechanism is a pas-sive technology using a basicpulley that when implantedwithin a person's hand will allowmore natural grasping functionwith less use of muscle energy.

"This technology is definitelygoing to work and it will mergeartificial mechanisms with bio-logical hand function," said RaviBalasubramanian, an expert in ro-botics, biomechanics and humancontrol systems, and assistantprofessor at the Oregon StateUniversity.

The new research shows howthe mechanism developed forthis problem can produce morenatural and adaptive flexion ofthe fingers in grasping. -PTI

Govt plans'disease days' tospread awareness

NEW DELHI: The governmentis planning to designate special'days' for various diseases to pro-mote awareness and enable en-gagement with the public on theirpreventive and curative aspects,Health Minister Harsh Vardhanhas said.

"A specific day in a year willbe dedicated to awareness-build-ing on a particular disease. Forinstance, November 7 will be ob-served as National Cancer Aware-ness Day, apart from February 4,which is already marked as WorldCancer Day.

"We will use such occasionsto communicate with citizens onhow to deal with that disease atthe prevention and curative lev-els, the importance of timelycheck-ups and other matters,"Vardhan said.

Thus, the government is plan-ning to mark special days for dia-betes, anaemia, hypertension,blindness, deafness, malnutrition,obesity, mental conditions andissues related to infant and ma-ternal mortality, a Health Ministryrelease said here. -PTI

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October 3, 2014

Manufacturers promise quality& healthcare access

MUMBAI: Pledging its support to pro-viding "quality healthcare and accessiblemedicines" to all, the Organization of Phar-maceutical Producers of India (OPPI) hassaid the sector needs a "supportive" atmo-sphere with collaboration between the gov-ernment and different stakeholders.

OPPI, which represents research-driven

pharma companies in India, has continuedits advocacy for an environment that al-lows innovation in medicine.

"India needs a supportive ecosystemthat balances the need for innovation withthe necessity for more accessible medi-cines. OPPI remains committed topartnering with government to help fulfillthe dream of quality healthcare for all,"

OPPI Director General Ranjana Smetaceksaid at its 48th annual general meeting heldhere.

Commenting on government's decisionto withdraw guidelines that gave NPPA thepower to fix prices of drugs in certain cir-cumstances in public interest, Smetaceksaid, "We appreciate government's deci-sion to withdraw the guidelines on fixation/revision of prices of scheduled and non-scheduled formulations under Para 19 ofthe DPCO 2013."

"This welcome move tells us we are be-ing heard. We are still trying to understandthe precise impact of this order on our mem-ber companies," she added.

"We now have a government with a de-cisive mandate to fulfill its promises of goodgovernance, transparency in policy mak-ing and a corruption-free pro-growthagenda. The pharmaceutical industry isready and eager to join hands with the newGovernment to address the complex chal-lenge of access to quality and affordablehealthcare for all the people of our coun-try," OPPI President Shailesh Ayyangarsaid.

The first ever OPPI Lifetime Achieve-ment award was presented to Nihchal HIsrani, Chairman, Blue Cross LaboratoriesLtd, recognizing his contribution to the In-dian pharmaceutical industry for over sixdecades. -PTI

"This welcome move tellsus we are being heard. Weare still trying to under-stand the precise impactof this order on our mem-ber companies"

Risk of oesophageal cancerdecreases with height

WASHINGTON: Taller individuals areless likely to develop oesophageal cancerand its precursor, Barrett's oesophagus, ac-cording to a new study.

"Individuals in the lowest quartile ofheight (under 5 feet 7 inches for men and 5feet 2 inches for women) were roughly twiceas likely as individuals in the highest quartileof height (taller than 6 feet for men and 5 feet5 inches for women) to have Barrett's oe-sophagus or esophageal cancer," said AaronP Thrift, lead study author from the PublicHealth Sciences Division, Fred HutchinsonCancer Research Centre in US.

"Interestingly, the relationship betweenheight and oesophageal cancer is oppositefrom many other cancers includingcolorectal, prostate and breast - wheregreater height is associated with an in-creased risk," said Thrift.

Researchers conducted a large pooledanalysis using data from 14 population-based epidemiologic studies within the In-ternational Barrett's and Esophageal Ad-enocarcinoma Consortium (BEACON), in-cluding 1,000 cases of esophageal cancerand twice as many cases of Barrett's oe-sophagus, and twice as many controls.

The researchers conducted multipleanalyses, including using Mendelian ran-

domization (which incorporates genetic in-formation with traditional approaches) toovercome issues of confounding and bias.

The results from all analyses consis-tently demonstrated an inverse associationbetween height and Barrett's oesophagusor esophageal cancer.

There were no differences in these esti-mates based on sex, age, education, smok-ing, GERD symptoms or body mass index.Adjusting for abdominal obesity yieldedsimilar results.

"The identification of risk factors, such

as height, will allow us to create more so-phisticated and accurate methods to quan-tify patient risk, which will hopefully beused in the future to decide who shouldundergo endoscopic screening for theseconditions," added Thrift. -PTI

Weight loss surgery maynot curb depression

LONDON: Bariatric surgery is not amagic wand to curb depression, say scien-tists who found that not all obese peoplefeel better after undergoing weight losssurgery.

While most severely obese people ex-perience much better spirits once they shedweight through a diet, lifestyle changes ormedical intervention, this is unfortunatelynot true for everyone, said Valentina Ivezajand Carlos Grilo of the Yale UniversitySchool of Medicine in the US.

Ivezaj and Grilo set out to investigatehow prone bariatric patients are to stillexperiencing depressive symptoms, andespecially if such symptoms increasemarkedly or not at all, after post-surgery.

Their study is the first to examine pa-tients with discernible worsening de-pressive symptoms six and 12 monthsfollowing gastric bypass surgery.

Self-reported questionnaires werecompleted by 107 patients with extremeobesity before they underwent gastric by-pass surgery, and then again six and 12months after the procedure.

They were asked to reflect on their lev-els of depression, possible eating disor-ders, their self-esteem and general socialfunctioning. Of the 107 participants, 94 werewomen and 13 were men, 73 were white and24 had completed college.

Consistent with previous research, Ivezajand Grilo observed that most people who

had undergone this procedure were inmuch better spirits.

In fact, most patients reported experienc-ing a normal and improved mood at six and12 months after surgery.

However, in some cases negative moodchanges started to creep in between six and12 months after the operation, with 3.7 percent of patients reporting that they felt dis-cernibly more depressed 12 months post-surgery.

Between six and 12 months after the op-

eration, however, even more patients (13.1per cent) reported increases in depressivesymptoms. These changes went hand-in-hand with significantly lower levels of self-esteem and social functioning.

"The majority of patients whose moodhad worsened discernibly experiencedthese mood changes between six and 12months post-surgery, suggesting this maybe a critical period for early detection andintervention, as needed," said Ivezaj.-PTI

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October 3, 2014

Modified vitamin D may treat pancreatic cancerWASHINGTON: A synthetic

derivative of vitamin D can col-lapse the barrier of cells shieldingpancreatic tumors, making theseemingly impenetrable cancersusceptible to therapeutic drugs,scientists say.

"While the success of this drugin humans with pancreatic canceris still unclear, the findings in ani-mal studies were strong, raisinghope that ongoing clinical trialswill give people with this terribledisease hope for a truly new typeof therapy," said Ronald Evans,director of Salk Institute's GeneExpression Laboratory and seniorauthor of the new paper.

Evans and colleagues knewthat the ability of the pancreatictumor to communicate withnearby cells - called the tumormicroenvironment - is key to its

growth.Tumor cells send out signals

that make the microenvironmentinflamed and dense; this "living

shield" around a tumor not onlyhelps the cancer grow, but blocksthe access of immune cells andchemotherapeutic drugs.

"There was evidence that theactivation of the microenviron-ment was theoretically reversible,but nobody knew exactly whatwas responsible for the activa-tion, making it hard to turn off,"said Salk postdoctoral researchfellow Mara Sherman, first authorof the new paper.

Sherman, Evans and their col-laborators focused their attentionon one component of this wall:pancreatic stellate cells, whichusually respond to small injuriesby briefly switching to an acti-vated state, spurring new cellgrowth.

In the case of cancer, however,the stellate cells near a tumor - inresponse to signals from the tu-mor - are constantly turned on.

This chronic activation of thestellate cells provides the tumorcells with extra growth factors andtherefore helps them proliferate,but also forms a wall-like barrieraround the tumor that protects itfrom chemotherapeutics and othercancer-fighting drugs.

Evans' group had earlier dis-covered that stellate cells in theliver could be inactivated by a

chemically modified form of vita-min D.

They wondered whether thesame could hold true in the pan-creas. They examined the differ-ences between activated and in-activated stellate cells in the pan-creas and found that activatedstellate cells near a tumor had highlevels of the vitamin D receptor.

When the researchers thenadded modified vitamin D to acti-vated stellate cells the cells quicklyreverted back to a healthy, inacti-vated state, stopping productionof signals that spur growth andinflammation.

Systematic analysis of vitaminD analogues allowed the team todiscover a modified form of vita-min D that is more stable, resilientand effective in vitro.

To see whether this new vita-min D-like compound could haltthe growth of a tumor, Evans andthe team next studied its effective-ness in mice.

The researchers found thatcombining the drug with existingchemotherapeutics gave a 50 percent increase in lifespan comparedto chemotherapy alone. -PTI

From left to right, Professor Ronald Evans, Mira Sherman, Ruth Yu, AnnAtkins, Tiffany Tseng, and Michael Downes. Credit: Salk Institute

'Lung flute' to help patientsbreathe easier

NEW YORK: A hand-held res-piratory device called 'lung flute'can help patients with chronicobstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) improve their symptoms

and health, a new study, led by anIndian-origin researcher hasfound.

Usually caused by smoking,COPD, which includes chronicbronchitis and emphysema, is thethird leading cause of death in theUS.

The Lung Flute, manufacturedby Medical Acoustics in Buffalo,uses sound waves to break upmucus in the lungs.

The device allows patients toclear lung mucus simply by blow-ing into it, which produces a lowfrequency acoustic wave.

In a 26-week study, research-ers found that patients using theLung Flute experience less diffi-culty breathing and less cough-ing and sputum production thana control group, which saw nochange in COPD symptoms.

"This study confirms that theLung Flute improves symptoms

and health status in COPD pa-tients, decreasing the impact ofthe disease on patients and im-proving their quality of life," saidSanjay Sethi, principal author of

the study andprofessor andchief, division ofpulmonary, criticalcare and sleepmedicine in theDepartment ofMedicine, Uni-versity at BuffaloSchool of Medi-cine and Biomedi-cal Sciences.

The device isapproved by the

Food and Drug Administration(FDA) to treat COPD and otherlung diseases characterized byretained secretions and conges-tion.

Sethi's colleagues are nowstudying the Lung Flute for usein improving symptoms inasthma. The device is also be-ing investigated for diagnosticuse in tuberculosis and lungcancer.

The study followed 69 pa-tients with COPD for six months;it was conducted at the Veter-ans Affairs Western New YorkHealthcare System by research-ers at the UB medical school.

Patients answered the ChronicCOPD Questionnaire, which as-sesses changes in COPD symp-toms and the St George's Respi-ratory Questionnaire, which mea-sures quality of life.

On both questionnaires, pa-

tients using the Lung Flute re-ported significant improvements.

In addition, the Body-MassIndex, Airflow Obstruction, Dys-pnea and Exercise Capacity(BODE) score was measured re-peatedly in the study.

"As the disease worsens, theBODE index goes up as it did inthe control group. But for pa-tients using the Lung Flute, theBODE index stayed flat," Sethisaid.

Sethi added that the studypoints to a potential decrease inexacerbations, flare-ups of respi-ratory symptoms, as a result ofusing the Lung Flute.

Researchers are planning

longer-term studies that will fo-cus specifically on how the de-vice affects exacerbations, a keypart of what makes COPD pa-tients sicker and leads to healthcare utilization.

The study is published inClinical and Translational Medi-cine. -PTI

Sanjay Sethi

The Lung Flute allows patients to clear lung mucussimply by blowing into the hand-held respiratory device.

Veterans Affairs Secretarysays agency will regain trust

CINCINNATI: U.S. VeteransAffairs Secretary RobertMcDonald has said that theagency plagued by long veterans'waits for health care and otherproblems is on the road to im-provement and committed to win-ning back veterans' trust.

``We know we have to workharder to earn that trust back oneveteran at a time,'' McDonald toldreporters at theVA Medical Cen-ter in Cincinnati.

The formerArmy ranger andlongtime execu-tive of Cincin-n a t i - b a s e dProcter &Gamble Co.talked with re-porters at the fa-cility after meet-ing with VA em-ployees and talk-ing with pa-tients. He said hec o n t i n u a l l ystresses to employees and pa-tients the urgent need for all ofthem to provide feedback neededto fix the problems.

A spokesman for DisabledAmerican Veterans said in a tele-phone interview that McDonaldalso has been reaching out to thatgroup and to other veterans' ser-

vice organizations.``We think he is already mak-

ing strides to improve the VAmedical system by doing that, andwe are looking forward to seeingthe results after his first 90 days,''said Steven Wilson, spokesmanfor the national DAV, which isbased in northern Kentucky.

McDonald, who said he hadbeen on the job 59 days as of Sat-

urday, said what he has heard sofar in his travels to facilities hasn'tbeen surprising.

He said the problems - includ-ing long wait times and cases offalsified records - have been well-documented and are being ad-dressed as quickly as possible. -AP

U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs Sec. Bob McDonaldsspeaks to the media as Cincinnati VA Medical CenterDir. Linda Smith listens in Cincinnati. McDonald toured

the Cincinnati VA Medical Center and met with staffersand greeted veterans.

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The maternity services at Lala Ded,where cleaning process is going on, wasshifted to Bone and Joints Hospital.

The ground floors of the most of themajor hospitals were completely submergedin the floodwaters causing massive dam-age to some of the modern and start-of-the-art equipment including MRI system,X-ray machines, ECG machines and ColorDoppler.

"There has been a huge damage in mostof these hospitals, but we are trying ourbest to restore the services as soon as pos-sible so that patients do not suffer," Princi-

pal, Government Medical College, Srinagar,Rafiq Ahmad Pampoori, who looks after theassociated hospitals of the medical college,told PTI.

Pampoori said the Bone and Joints Hos-pital was made functional and Out-PatientDepartment (OPD) services at GB Pant andSMHS hospitals were restored by shiftingthem to the higher floors of the buildings.

The principal said the hospital has pro-cured an X-Ray machine and the labora-

tory has been shifted to the second floor."We are cleaning the equipment. Most

of the machines have been damaged be-yond repair and we need to replace them.Some are being repaired and will be madeoperational soon," he said.

Pampoori said the In-Patient Department(IPD) services at most of the hospitals maybe resumed soon.

"The services at LD would be made func-tional soon. The process is going on andwe want to resume the services at all thehospitals very soon," he said.

The hospital staff, police personnel andvolunteers are busy cleaning the hospitalcomplexes, while Srinagar Municipal Cor-

poration (SMC) is dispos-ing off the waste, includ-ing spoilt hospital itemslike medicines,disposables andbeddings besides fumi-gating these complexes.

For the fortnight sincethe floods hit the hospi-tals, as many as 5,77,595patients reported to theOPDs in district hospitalsacross the Valley and34,577 of them were ad-mitted, officials said.

These hospitals also conducted 1,435major surgeries, they said.

The state government says it is assess-ing the loss in these hospitals and wouldtake all necessary steps to restore them.

"What we had achieved in the last 10years, was washed away by the floods in10 days," state Health Minister TajMohiuddin said, adding government woulddo everything it can so that people do notsuffer. -PTI

Healthcare limping backto normal in J&K

Skin renders Sun's UV radiation harmlessLONDON: Researchers have worked out

how the pigment of our skin manages toprotect the body from the Sun's dangerousUV rays, a finding that can pave the wayfor better protection against skin cancer.

The skin pigment converts the Ultravio-let (UV) radiation into heat through a rapidchemical reaction that shoots protons from

the molecules of the pigment.In a new study, the team from Lund Uni-

versity in Sweden, working with colleaguesin France and Italy, have studied pigmentin the skin and its building blocks.

Pigment in both skin and hair comprisestwo different types of melanin: eumelaninand pheomelanin.

Eumelanin makes us develop a suntanand gives color to brown and black hair,whereas those with red hair and pale skininstead have high levels of pheomelanin.

"We found that eumelanin convertsharmful UV radiation into heat with almost100 per cent efficiency. The chemical reac-tion is incredibly quick, taking less than athousandth of a billionth of a second," saidVilly Sundstrom, Professor of Chemistry atLund University.

What happens in detail in the chemicalreaction is that a hydrogen ion - a proton -is ejected from the pigment at the same mo-ment the UV light reaches the pigment mol-ecule.

The chain of events could be likened tothe melanin getting rid of the energy of theUV light by very quickly shooting a protonprojectile.

This projectile in turn gives off energy

to the surrounding membrane tissue in theform of heat.

It has therefore converted dangerousUV energy into harmless heat.

"In this way, the pigment disarms theenergy in the UV light and prevents it caus-ing harmful chemical reactions," saidSundstrom.

Eumelanin is considered to be the pig-ment that protects against UV radiationwhile pheomelanin is believed to cause skin

cancer in some way, which ex-plains why people with redhair are more likely to developmalignant melanoma.

However, researchers havenot previously been aware ofwhat chemical reactions UVlight causes in the pigment.

There has therefore alsobeen a lack of knowledge ofthe pigment processes thatlead to protection against ordevelopment of cancer.

"By understanding how the body natu-rally protects itself against UV light, we candevelop better sun protection productsbased on the same principles. This wouldprovide better protection against skin can-cer," said Sundstrom.

The idea is also in the long run to findtreatment methods and substances thatreplace natural pigment for those with de-fective production of eumelanin. -PTI

Nurse sentenced to 34years to life for assaults

SANTA ANA, Calif.: An Orange Countynurse has been sentenced to 34 years tolife in prison for sexually assaulting threemale patients.

The Orange County Register reports that49-year-old Richard Alan Nolan must alsoregister as a sex offender.

Nolan was found guilty last year ofcounts including forcible oral copulation and

sexual battery on an institutionalized victim.Prosecutors say Nolan assaulted one

patient who was sedated and restrained ina hospital bed and another patient who wasasleep and restrained in 2009. Authoritiessay he assaulted a third man in 2010 whileacting as a doctor performing a medicalexam.

Nolan was arrested in 2010. -AP

The Kashmir Valley which was hit by one of the worst-everfloods in more than a century.

Cont'd from Page 32

NEW YORK: A Gujarati Garba dance performancekickstarted the grand rockstar-like reception of Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi hosted by Indian-Americans here, asthousands-strong crowd shouted 'Har Har Modi' amongother slogans.

Hosted by Indian-origin news anchor Hari Sreenivasanand Miss America Nina Davuluri, the event at the MadisonSquare Garden started by Gujarati folk dance by a group of16 girls, while they were joined by five boys for anotherperformance.

As the show progressed in the run-up to Modi's arrival,famous singer Kavita Krishnamurthy and her violin mae-stro husband L Subramaniam enthralled the crowd withtheir performances.

An artist painted a huge portrait of Modi on the stagewhile the duo's performances were on.

A photographic collage of eminent Indian-Americanswere shown. Also images of Mahatma Gandhi, JawaharlalNehru, Swami Vivekananda and Satyajit Ray were shown.

In league of Presley, Jackson, MadonnaModi joined a long but exclusive list of international

singers and film stars among others who have spokenat the iconic Madison Square Garden here in the US.

Also known as MSG or simply 'The Garden', MadisonSquare Garden is a multi-purpose indoor arena in MidtownManhattan.

Placed between 7th and 8th Avenues from 31st to 33rdStreets, it is situated atop Pennsylvania Station.

The venue has played host to the who's who of theentertainment industry - from the evergreen band 'Beatles'and Elvis Presley to pop king Michael Jackson and Ma-donna to basketballgames.

Modi is perhaps thefirst international del-egate from a country tospeak at this venue,which opened on Feb-

ruary 11, 1968.It is considered to be the oldest and most active major

sporting facility in the New York City metropolitan area.The Garden is used for professional basketball and ice

hockey, as well as boxing, concerts, ice shows, circuses,and other forms of sports and entertainment.

It is close to other midtown Manhattan landmarks, in-cluding the Empire State Building.

MSG is home to the New York Rangers of the NationalHockey League and the New York Knicks of the NationalBasketball Association.

Madison Square Garden is stated to be one of the tenmost expensive stadium venues ever built. -PTI

www.indiapost.com October 3, 201436 India Post

Miss AmericaNina Davuluri

Bollywood singerKavita

Krishnamurthy

L Subramaniam

A painter reacts as hecreates a portrait of

Narendra Modi

India Post

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37October 3, 2014

It was a very emotionalmoment: Kavita

NEW YORK: For Bollywoodsinger Kavita Krishnamurthy, per-forming at the famous MadisonSquare Garden amid loud cheersfor Prime Minister Narendra Modiwas one of the most emotionalmoments in her life.

"Modi is an iconic leader inwhom I believe a lot. Today I amvery proud to be an Indian. It wasa very emotional moment for me,"the noted singer, who performedwith her violin maestro husband LSubramaniam and son, told PTI.

Krishnamurthy performed the'Vaishnava Jan To', which is one

of the most popular Hindubhajans written in Gujaratilanguage in the 15th centuryby poet Narsinh Mehta.

The bhajan was amongMahatma Gandhi's dailyprayers.

Krishnamurty also per-formed the famous "I love myIndia" song evoking patri-otic fervor among the 20,000-odd India-Americanspresent at the packed Madi-son Square Garden whereModi delivered an over an-hour-long speech. -PTI

US media takes note of Modi's'rock-star' reception

NEW YORK: The "high-pro-file" public reception thatNarendra Modi received before apacked Madison Square Gardenappeared prominently in Americanmedia, which so far had givenscant coverage to the PrimeMinister's US visit.

The maiden US visit of Modias Prime Minister was hardly takennote of by mainstream Americanmedia so far, till he addressednearly 20,000 people of the Indiancommunity at the event in Madi-son Square Garden in New York.

"Madison Square Garden thun-dered with applause as thousandsrose to their feet and chanted thename of an unlikely celebrity: In-dian Prime Minister NarendraModi," The Wall Street Journal re-ported.

"The grand reception, filled withdance and Bollywood tunes, wasa reflection of the mood amongmuch of the Indian-American com-munity that sees Mr Modi as aonce-in-a-generation leader whocan at last fix the entrenched prob-lems that have held India backwhile other Asian nations havesped ahead," the daily wrote.

The Los Angeles Times wrotein its news report: "India's PrimeMinister gets rock-star receptionin New York".

"Madison Square Garden oftenhosts cultural icons such as BobDylan, Bruce Springsteen andBono, but on Sunday the storiedarena offered rock-star treatmentto a political personality: IndianPrime Minister Narendra Modi,who made the case for a resurgent

India to nearly 20,000 hugely en-thusiastic supporters," the dailywrote.

It said it was the highest-pro-file public appearance in the Westfor a leader whose reform-mindedcharisma has drawn comparisons

to a 2008-era Barack Obama.Quite a number of American

media organizations had sent intheir reporters to cover the Madi-son Square Garden event.

The New York Times said: "MrModi addressed a wildly enthusi-astic audience that was largelymade up of Indian Americans."

"Mr Modi is here to sell a NewIndia, with himself as the man whocan be trusted to deliver the prom-

ise. But it remains to be seewhether he is willing or able tobridge India's wide differenceswith the US on tax policies, climatechange, outsourcing, intellectualproperty rights and other issues,"the daily said. -PTI

3 old men chasing beauty

HomeShop18 partnersShilpa Shetty for sarees

The poster of AkshayKumar's poster for 'TheShaukeens' has been re-

leased. The film, out on Novem-ber 7th is a remake of BasuChatterjee's 1982 comedy'Shaukeen' and is directed byAbhishek Sharma of Tere BinLaden fame.

The feel-good adventure filmfollows three middle-aged menplayed by Annu Kapoor, PiyushMishra and Anupam Kher, whoventure on a trip to Bangkok,where they meet the sizzling hotLisa Haydon. The posters are col-orful, bright and beach-inspiredwith Lisa taking centre stage onone poster.

Also arousing curiosityamongst film goers is the creativemotion poster, in which we canhear voices and see visuals of

three sets of dentures.There is an Akshay stunt in the

movie inspired by the cartoon duo'Tom and Jerry'. Akshay was in-spired to do this stunt whilstwatching 'Tom and Jerry' with hiskids.

NEW DELHI: HomeShop18 hassaid it has partnered withBollywood actress Shilpa ShettyKundra to launch a designer lineof sarees as the e-commerce firmeyes festival season demand andgrowing trend for premium labelsin small towns and cities.

Sarees contribute to more than25 per cent of the entire lifestylerange at HomeShop18 and thepartnership with a film celebritywill further boost its brand pres-ence.

Besides, the firm also aims totap the growing interest for pre-mium apparel from small cities likeDhanbad, Gulbarga, Gaya,Gorakhpur, etc.

"We are adding to the festive

cheer with our partnership withShilpa Shetty Kundra for SSK lineof designer sarees. It offers ourcustomers a premium collection ataffordable prices," HomeShop18CEO Sundeep Malhotra told PTI.

The firm sees this partnershipas an opportunity to grow itspopular apparel category by over50 per cent, he added.

HomeShop18 with its strong lo-gistics, warehouse network anddoorstep delivery to more than3,000 cities is all geared up for thefestival season, Malhotra said.

The firm launched India's first24 hour home shopping TV channelin 2008, while it ventured into onlineshopping in 2011 and introducedmobile shopping in 2013. -PTI

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October 3, 2014


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India Post40 October 3, 2014www.indiapost.com

Breathtaking vistas, intriguing history, an abundance of tradition,color, and enchantment - this is Kutch, the perfect host for anyone'snext vacation. Remote and strange could best sum up the Kutchexperience. And yet, the region remains unsurpassed in terms ofbeauty, exuberance, and color that no one with a taste for adven-

ture, excitement, and the exotic would like to miss. Lying in the westernmostpart of Gujarat, Kutch becomes an island where during the monsoon monthsthe Gulf of Kutch is separated from the Kathiawar Peninsula. To the north also,Kutch gets separated from the Sindh region of Pakistan by the great Rann ofKutch.

The Kutch area is the home of the last remaining population of khur (Asiaticwild ass) in India. There is also a large bird population, particularly of the largeflamingos. Both are protected in the 5,000 km Little Rann Sanctuary, which isapproached from Dhangadhra; one has to get permission to enter from thesanctuary superintendent's office in Dhangadhra.

Best time to visit: Being in the arid area of the country, the climate of theKutch region is extreme: hot during summer and very cold during winter. Sum-mer is rather severe in the entire state of Gujarat. The amount of rainfall is verylittle and during the rainy season also the area experiences scanty rain. Aswinters are comparatively bearable and pleasant, the best time to visit thisplace would be between November and March. Woolens in sufficient numbersare required during the winter months.

History: Founded only recently in 1548, Bhuj is the central town of Kutch. Itwas set up when Khengarij I of the Rao dynasty of Kutch shifted his capitalfrom the town of Anjar. Due to its proximity to the sea, which facilitated trade, alot of cultural interaction took place. Even today, the city of Bhuj presentsexciting amalgams of the Orient and the Occident, especially in terms of archi-tecture.

Cont’d on page 41


Unsurpassed in beauty,exuberance & color

KUTCHTOURIST ATTRACTIONS

The picturesque town of Bhujhas a dramatic setting. Locatedrather low, it is basically anamphitheatre of hills dominated bythe Bhuja Hill that rises to a heightof 160 m at one end and is in itselfa landmark - being flat on top andsurmounted by the fortificationsof a hill fort. This strategically lo-cated fort served the purpose ofsighting enemies and alerting de-fense. An old wall surrounds thecity (also made for security rea-sons). Interestingly, till recently,

the city gates were locked eachnight from dusk to dawn but nowentry into Bhuj can be made at anytime of the day as the city is al-ways welcoming.

Then there is the quaint KutchMuseum - the oldest in Gujarat.Regarded as one of the best. Thismuseum has an excellent collec-

tion. Founded in 1877 by Sir JamesFerguson, who was Governor ofBombay under the British Raj, themuseum was earlier referred to asthe Ferguson Museum.

This unassuming edifice hasbeen divided into two floors con-taining a picture gallery, an anthro-pological section, an archeologi-cal section, textiles, weapons, mu-sical instruments, a shipping sec-tion, and even stuffed animals.The piece de resistance here is thecelestial elephant Airawat made ofwood. Yet another that warrantsattention is the cannon that waspresented by Tipu Sultan to the

Kutch rulers in exchange for somehorses of the region that areknown for their swiftness and vi-tality.

Walking through the maze ofwinding streets takes visitors tothe exquisite Aaina Mahal (palaceof mirrors). It was the palace of theerstwhile Maharao of Bhuj, but ithas now been converted into amuseum. Members of the royalfamily now live in the Old Palacebehind it. Presenting a fascinatingamalgam of Indian and Dutchstyles of architecture, the AainaMahal is definitely worth a visit.

The walls of the main hall arecovered with mirrors all around,and except for a narrow strip usedfor walking, the entire space hasbeen beautifully utilized to form apleasure pool. Fountains areplaced in such a manner that theycast their spray in an intricate va-riety of patterns. Lit by candles andcooled by the gentle ripples of thepool waters, the Maharao and hisretinue sat in the space left in themiddle as they sought refuge fromthe glaring heat of the sun.

It was here that Maharao Shri

Lakhpatji often sat to composepoetry and watch musical perfor-mances. It was under his patron-age that the classical arts flour-ished. The Aaina Mahal also con-

tains exquisite specimens of intri-cately cared embroidered panels,lithographs, cutglass, 18th-cen-tury paintings and clocks, one

even dating back to 1849.Facing the Aaina Mahal is the

City Palace, the lovely architec-tural gem of Bhuj designed by aScottish architect called

McClelland. While most of it isclosed to visitors, the Durbar Hallremains open. A look around re-veals a marked European influencewith sculptures and carvings typi-fying the amalgam arts of Bhuj.

Cont’d on page 42

India PostOctober 3, 2014 41Travel & Hospitality Postwww.indiapost.com

The most outstanding and mar-velous monuments that would de-light all visitors to Bhuj are theroyal cenotaphs popularly knownas chhatris.

SPECIAL HANDICRAFTSThe villages of the Kutch re-

gion specialize in a different formof handicraft, and it would be easyto spend a week visiting some ofthem using Bhuj as a base. Due totheir proximity to the Pakistan bor-der, you will require a permit signedby the Bhuj District Collector tovisit the villages north of Bhuj. Themap issued by the Bhuj tourist of-fice lists the villages one can visitwith or without permission.

Some of the more important vil-lages (and the crafts they special-ize in) include Bhujjodi (wool andcotton weaving), Padhar andDhaneti (Ahir embroidery),Dhamanka (block printing), Lilpur(embroidery) and Anjar (nutcrack-ers, block printing, and tie and dye).

Near the Dattatreya Templeat Kaladoongar (the blackhills), which overlooks thespectacular Rann, one canspot some rare species ofwhite foxes that woulddelight wildlife lov-ers. These beauti-ful, frisky animalsstaying in the wildrespond to the callof the temple priestas he beats a steelplate yelling "langa" to suggestthat food has been laid out forthem.

Lying close to the beach nearBhuj is the Vijay Vilas Palace thatwas the summer retreat of theMaharaos of Kutch. Crowned byelegant chhatris (cenotaphs), thissandstone-hued edifice was builtin the 1930s.

A flight of steps leads up to thegrandest of chhatris that standson a lofty platform. This is the placewhere fifteen veeranganas (bravewomen) who belonged to the courtof Maharao Lakhpat committedjauhar (self-immolation) after hisdeath. What is surprising to learnis that none of these women werehis wedded queens but only hisloyal companions. Adept in musicand dancing, these veeranganasentertained royal guests and, whenrequired, even served as spies inthe courts of political rivals.

FAIRS & FESTIVALS:From the first day of the Kutch

Fair, the air is charged with festiv-ity as Bhuj reverberates with athousand colors. Enthralling op-

portunities are offered to visit thesurrounding areas - even to theinteriors of Kutch to give visitorsa glimpse of the simple lifestyle ofthe tribals there. The artistic cre-ativity of the people residing in thearea called Bhuga can be seen atevery corner - how they use veg-etable colors to create wonderfuldesigns on the walls, and furtherdecorate them with mirrors andbeads.

All attention is, however, fo-cused on the fair grounds at Bhujthat resound with festivity andmusic. Besides all this are theplethora of cultural programs or-ganized by the tourism departmentthat carry on late into the night. Itis really an opportunity to learn ofthe variety of dances that Gujarathas to offer - ranging from briskacrobatic movements to a singlefast beat ending in formation ofdifferent kinds of pyramids.

On the last day of the fair thatcoincides with the Shivaratri festi-

val, a grand fair is also organizedat Dhang where local people,dressed in colorful, traditional cos-tumes, congregate to pay homageat the shrine to Mekan Dada,which incidentally, or rather curi-ously, has a Shivalinga on its pre-mises. A little away, in an open field,much excitement prevails wherecompetitions are organized-camel,horse, and bullock races and themuch-loved kushti (wrestling)bouts.

How to reach: There are twooptions to get into Kutch, the head-quarters of the region-either byroad or by air from Ahmedabad.But to enjoy the grand spectacleof territories wild and primordial,the former option would be betterfor the visitors.

Air - Bhuj, the main town ofKutch has daily flights fromBombay, which take about 40 min-utes to reach.

Rail - Kutch Express is avail-able from Bombay via Ahmedabadup to Gandhinagar. From here, onecan reach this destination by road.

Road - State transport buses areavailable from Ahmedabad.

KUTCHCont’d from page 41

India Post October 3, 201442 Travel & Hospitality Postwww.indiapost.com

Airports with spas, artgalleries in future

Goa tourism expects to gainfrom Modi's US trip

PANAJI: Tourism industry inGoa is of the view that Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi's ongoingvisit to the USA, coupled with theCentral policy of granting visa onarrival, will go a long way in at-tracting more Americans to thecoastal state in the upcoming tour-ist season.

"There is already a buzz aboutIndia in the USA over Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi's visit. Thereare lot of Americans who wouldlike to come to Goa but are dis-couraged due to the prolongedprocess to get visa," State Tour-ism Minister Dilip Parulekar saidhere.

The minister said that Centralgovernment's announcement tointroduce visa-on-arrival in six

states, including Goa, will help inattracting tourists from the USA.

"Currently we have a visa-on-arrival facility for nine countries,and we will be adding 16 morecountries to it. The USA has beenincluded in the list," Parulekar said.

He said that citizens from coun-tries like Japan and Korea, besides

various European countries willalso get visa on arrival facility, ten-tatively beginning from Novem-ber, in Goa.

"A tourist can get down at air-port, produce his passport, fill aform and get the visa on the spot,"Parulekar said.

The Union government hasalso decided to introduce groupvisas in some destinations likeGoa, wherein more than ten tour-

ists arriving together can avail asingle visa.

"The group visa would be givenon the condition that they (tour-ists) will have to be certified bylocal surety like the Indian touragency. The group will have to exitthe country from the place wherethey have arrived. They cannot go

to some other air-port and leave thecountry. They alsowill have to exit to-gether," the minis-ter said.

He said that thestate tourism in-dustry is expecting15 per cent growthin footfalls for thisseason, beginningfrom October.

"The first char-tered flight oper-ated by SITAGroup would arriveon October 15 fromUkraine. Last yearwe had 1,123 char-

tered flights arriving in Goa butthis year we have a target of 1,400flights," Parulekar said.

The minister said that he wasalso anticipating rise in cruiseships. "Last year, 75 cruise shipshad touched Goa's port, whichwould be increased this year," hesaid, adding that a cruise terminalis planned at Mormugao Port Trustwhich will bring in more than 200cruises annually. -PTI

NEW DELHI: Use ofsmartphones to plan and bookflights, travel to remote destina-tions and airports with spas andart galleries - these could be fea-tures of future air travel.

These are among a series offindings of leading travel companyLonely Planet, which has tied upwith International Air TransportAssociation (IATA) to celebratethe 100th anniversary of commer-cial air travel. According to LonelyPlanet's team of travel experts, holi-day makers are set to demand more'unplugged travel' and secret es-capes as the fast pace of modernlife continues to grow and air travelbecoming "part of everyday life".

With forecasts that 6.6 billionpassengers will fly worldwide by2032, growing 4.4 per cent annu-ally from 2014, IATA chief Tony

Tyler said, "100 years after the firstpassenger flew on a scheduledflight, the predictions from LonelyPlanet clearly show that millionsmore people are set to enjoy theopportunity to travel and particu-larly travel by air, as the world be-comes a smaller and more acces-sible place than ever before."

Among the other predictions ofthe Lonely Planet are 'green travel'hitting the new generation of trav-elers big time, competition amongairlines improving flying experi-ence, faster and cheaper flightsmaking travelers take advantage ofglobal calendar of events.

Travelers can now plan theirtravels from the comfort of theirlaptop, exploring on GoogleStreetview before seeing it for real,according to the travelcompany's findings. -PTI

Indians travelingmore on longerduration trips

MUMBAI: Off-season discountshave led to Indians traveling morefrequently since there is a 25 per centgrowth in foreign trips during thepast three to five years and almost 30per cent on the domestic circuit, ac-cording to a survey report.

"While 25 per cent respondentshave increased the frequency of theirforeign trips during the past threeto five years, almost 30 per cent havedone so on the domestic circuit," aICICI Lombard Travel Trends 2014survey report released here said.

While off-season discountsdrive this behavior for 39 per centinternational travelers, unplannedtrips are the key reason behind morefrequent domestic tours for 57 percent of respondents, the report said.

"Rise in disposable income (63per cent) and discounts (49 percent) drives longer duration stayon both domestic and interna-tional circuits," it said.-PTI

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44 India Post October 3, 2014www.indiapost.com

In Brief ImmigrationDetails on page 46

EB-5'unavailable'for investors

born in China

Sikh-Americans team urges Modito resolve their passport problem

NEW YORK: A delegation ofSikh-Americans has requestedPrime Minister Narendra Modi toremove the hurdles faced by themwhile applying for visas or re-newal of passports, particularlyby those who had applied for po-litical asylumin 1980s.

"The NRISikh commu-nity feelsalienated asIndian Em-b a s s i e srefuse themvisas or donot renewtheir pass-ports depriv-ing them tovisit theirfamilies andtake care of their investment inIndia because they applied forpolitical asylums during the tur-bulent times in Punjab," a 29-member delegation of the Sikh-American community said in amemorandum to the Prime Min-

ister."We are hopeful that the Prime

Minister would consider our re-quest," said Jasdip Jesse Singh,who led the delegation.

The hour-long meeting dis-cussed various other issues

faced by the Sikh community."It was a historical visit as

NRI Sikh delegation met any vis-iting PM from India after de-cades. Modi has renewed faithand hope in the NRI Sikh com-munity that there issues as men-

tioned in the memorandum willbe resolved," Singh said.

The memorandum states thatNRI Sikhs are still being pun-ished for applying for politicalasylum in order to legalize theirstatus three decades ago.

"We request you to addressthe pressing issue in near futureso that NRI Sikhs can also feelwelcome in the process of build-ing a new powerful India underyour leadership," the memoran-dum said. The Sikh-American

community also raised the issueof 1984 Sikh riots and the Sikhfarmers in Gujarat.

The delegation congratulatedthe Prime Minister on the forma-tion of the new Government, andthe initiatives taken by the new

Government.The Prime

Minister recalledthe sacrificesmade by the Sikhcommunity forIndia. He alsospoke about the"Make in India"i n i t i a t i v elaunched by himthis week.

Some mem-bers of the del-egation ex-pressed concern

over the spread of drug abuseamong youth in Punjab. ThePrime Minister shared their con-cern and said the Governmentwould study the issue carefully andattempt to work out a solution. -PTI

Governor signs bill on lawyers for immigrant kidsSACRAMENTO, Calif.: Gov.

Jerry Brown has signed into lawa bill to fund lawyers for unac-

companied minors in immigra-tion proceedings following asurge in the arrival of CentralAmerican children on the bor-der.

The legislation appropriates

$3 million to qualified nonprofitorganizations to help representthe children in deportation pro-

ceedings.Nearly 60,000 unaccompanied

children from El Salvador, Gua-temala and Honduras have ar-rived on the U.S.-Mexico borderin the last fiscal year, many flee-

ing gang threats and violence.Federal government data showsmore than 4,600 of the childrenhave been sent to live with spon-sors in California.

State Senator Ricardo Lara,chair of the Latino LegislativeCaucus, welcomed the signingof the bill into law.

``Deportation for some ofthese kids is tantamount to avirtual death sentence so it'simportant that they have ac-cess to the adequate legal rep-resentation,'' Lara said in a state-ment.

Immigrant advocates havebeen ramping up efforts to re-cruit more volunteer lawyers totake on the children's cases,noting most unaccompanied mi-nors don't have attorneys.

Brown also signed legislationto clarify the role of state courtsin making findings to let unac-companied minors apply for a

A family of immigrants arrives from Honduras to a shelter for undocu-mented immigrants in Tenosique, Mexico.

federal government programthat awards green cards toabused and abandoned chil-dren.

Some of the children whorecently arrived on the borderwill apply for special immigrantjuvenile status, while othersmay seek asylum. -AP

Gov. Jerry Brown

Fourth immigranttakes churchsanctuary

TUCSON, Ariz.: A Tucson manfacing deportation has taken sanc-tuary in a church.

Francisco Perez Cordova is thefourth immigrant who has movedinto a church in Arizona this year.

Immigration officials typically donot arrest people in churches, al-though there is no policy against it.

Perez Cordova moved into St.Francis in the Foothills UnitedMethodist Church this week. An-other Tucson woman, Rosa Rob-les Loreto, has been living atSouthside Presbyterian Church inTucson for more than a month.

Immigration advocates sayPerez Cordova and Robles Loretoare good community memberswith no criminal records whoshould be granted leniency.

The church sanctuary move-ment began in Tucson in the 1980sand has been revived this yearwith the four people in Arizona andone man in Portland. -AP

Protest againstimmigration atBritish port

DOVER, UK: British far-rightgroups demonstrated against im-migrants entering the country fromFrance, in a protest at the south-ern English port of Dover.

Draped in British and Englishflags, demonstrators objected tomigrants who cross the EnglishChannel from the French port ofCalais, where many fleeing insta-bility in the Middle East and Af-rica have long gathered in make-shift camps.

Some protesters held up signssaying "Support our truckers, se-cure our borders", while othersdisplayed the banners of the Brit-ish far-right groups National Frontand East Kent English Patriots.

Truck drivers who move freightover the crossing have demandedstricter border controls, sayingthat they are unfairly penalized ifmigrants stowaway on their ve-hicles.

The president of the BritishNational Party (BNP) Nick Griffin,who attended the protest, saiddrivers had asked him to act to stoptheir trucks being "broken into byillegal immigrants".

"They are desperate to get intoBritain and stop at nothing," Grif-fin said.

"The British government hasgot to get a grip on our bordersand shut out these illegal immi-grants."

Lorry driver Philip Hanley, 44,said he was protesting on behalfof truckers, but that he did notsupport the far-right groups whohad attended the protest. -AFP

Sikh Americans with Narendra Modi

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India Post 45October 3, 2014 Immigration Postwww.indiapost.com

Help wanted: Free lawyers for immigrant childrenLOS ANGELES: Most of the

nearly 60,000 Central Americanchildren who have arrived on theU.S.-Mexico border in the last yearstill don't have lawyers to repre-sent them in immigration court, andadvocates are scrambling to trainvolunteer attorneys to help copewith the massive caseload.

With the number of unaccom-panied immigrant children morethan doubling this past fiscal year,the need for attorneys has surged,and it has been exacerbated by the

immigration courts' decision tofast-track children's cases, hold-ing initial hearings within a fewweeks instead of months.

Immigrants can have counsel inimmigration courts, but lawyersare not guaranteed or provided atgovernment expense. Having anattorney can make a big difference:While almost half of children withattorneys were allowed to remainin the country, only 10 percent ofthose without representation wereallowed to stay, according to ananalysis of cases through June bythe Transactional Records AccessClearinghouse at Syracuse Uni-versity.

Efforts are underway fromWhite Plains, New York, to NewOrleans to train attorneys at pri-vate law firms on the country'sByzantine immigration laws andhow to work with traumatized,Spanish-speaking children, manyof whom are fleeing violence - afar cry from the corporate clientsmost deal with on a daily basis.

``We're doing pretty well onfinding willing lawyers. We've got

to get them trained, we've got toget them matched to that child,''said Reid Trautz, director of theAmerican Immigration LawyersAssociation's practice and profes-sionalism center. `Ìt just takestime.''

Last month, Vice President JoeBiden urged lawyers to increaseefforts to take on the children'scases. Since then, the cities of SanFrancisco and New York have eachannounced plans to allocateroughly $2 million to help provide

more lawyers for unaccompaniedminors. California has appropri-ated $3 million toward the effort.

About 800 immigration lawyershave signed up to volunteer onthe cases, the immigration lawyersassociation said.

So have many other attorneyswithout any background in immi-gration law. They are being trainedand paired with experienced immi-

gration practitioners, who serve asmentors.

``We've had tax lawyers do this,corporate lawyers, real estate _anybody can do it,'' said RicardoMartinez-Cid, president of theCuban American Bar Association,which started a program earlierthis year to represent unaccompa-

nied children in Miami.Immigrant advocates say the

efforts are working, but not asquickly as desired. Nonprofit or-ganizations have been boostingstaff, but there aren't enough ex-perienced immigration lawyers totake on the cases or to mentorvolunteers. Nor is there enoughlong-term funding for cases thatcan take more than a year to re-solve, they said.

`Ìt is very much a triage situa-tion, and it is very, very frustrat-ing because you know whensomeone calls and you turn themaway, it is very unlikely they'll findcounsel,'' said Judy London, di-recting attorney of the immigrants'rights project at Los Angeles-based Public Counsel.

Some children will apply forgreen cards under a federal pro-gram for abused and abandonedchildren, while others who camefleeing violence in El Salvador,Honduras and Guatemala are seek-ing asylum.

One of the biggest challengesfor volunteer lawyers is gettingclients to open up about their liveswhen they have been beaten,raped or seen friends and familykilled.

Three of the 30 children whosecases are being handled by PublicCounsel have a history of suicideattempts or risk of suicide, Lon-don said. Most children are notgoing to feel comfortable walkinginto a fancy law firm and wouldprobably run from the building,she said, unless an attorney meetsthe child outside and walks jointlythrough the door.

Jack Ross, an attorney in South-ern California, said he met with a16-year-old client four times be-fore he told his full story. The boy,who arrived in the country twoyears ago, fled years of violencefrom his father and a police depart-ment that refused to protect him,he said.

`Ìt's some of the most compel-ling legal work you can do, be-cause the stakes are so high,'' saidRoss, who represents hospitalsand care providers in negligenceclaims and contract disputes.``You become so emotionally in-vested in the client, their well-be-ing is really at the forefront of ev-erything, and that doesn't happena lot in law.''

Before the recent influx of un-accompanied children, only abouthalf were represented, said WendyYoung, president of Kids in Needof Defense, a nonprofit that pairsvolunteer lawyers with children.She could not say how many chil-dren now have lawyers, but saidcertainly fewer than before.

Advocates have sued to de-mand the government provide thechildren with attorneys at thegovernment's expense. The law-suit is pending before a judge inSeattle.

They say children with repre-sentation are more likely to attendtheir court hearings.

This week, the Homeland Se-curity Department acknowledgedthat tens of thousands of youngfamilies caught on the borderfailed to meet with federal immi-gration agents as instructed. Aspokeswoman for Immigration andCustoms Enforcement said shecould not say whether they at-tended court hearings on theircases.

At a recent immigration courthearing in Los Angeles, most ofthe 19 children whose cases werescheduled showed up. Seven hadattorneys. Others were accompa-nied by a relative, as the judge re-viewed their names and ages.

Their guardians were given ahandout with a list of low-cost le-gal service providers and told toreturn in December with a lawyer.-AP

Some children will apply for green cardsunder a federal program for abused andabandoned children, while others who camefleeing violence in El Salvador, Honduras andGuatemala are seeking asylum.

An unidentified Guatemalan woman is seen inside a dormitory in the ArtesiaFamily Residential Centre, a federal detention facility for undocumented

immigrant mothers and children in Artesia, NM.

India Post46 October 3, 2014Immigration Postwww.indiapost.com

EB-5 'unavailable' for investors born in ChinaCYRUS D. MEHTA

At an immigration law conference sponsored by theAmerican Immigration

Lawyers Association on August23, 2014, Charles Oppenheim of theU.S. Department of State (DOS) an-nounced that effective immedi-ately, the employment-based fifthpreference category (EB-5) is "un-available" for investors born inChina. Visa numbers will becomeavailable again when the new fed-eral fiscal year starts on October1, 2014.

The practical implications ofthis announcement are quite mini-mal for Chinese investors who areon track to complete the immigrant

visa process within the next fewmonths. EB-5 applicants fromChina who have already beenscheduled for their initial immi-grant visa interviews in Augustand September 2014 will still at-tend and may be issued visas. U.S.Citizenship and Immigration Ser-vices (USCIS) will still accept I-485applications to adjust status forEB-5 applicants in the UnitedStates.

Long-term implications for EB-5 investors from China are moreconsequential. Mr. Oppenheimadvised that in the spring of 2015,DOS will probably establish a cut-off date for EB-5 China, meaningthat the category will "retrogress."Mr. Oppenheim estimated that theinitial backlog will be about twoyears. Based on the number of I-526 EB-5 petitions currently pend-ing at USCIS (approximately10,300), the current I-526 approvalrate of 77%, and the speed and rateof adjudication (13 to 16 months),predictions are that the EB-5 cut-off date for China may quickly in-crease to three years, given thesubstantial number of cases al-ready in process.

The DOS announcement does notaffect EB-5 investors from othercountries.

These developments are ex-pected to significantly affect theEB-5 program as a whole, giventhat investors from China make upmore than 80% of all EB-5 cases.Investors from China will have towait longer to obtain their visas.The delays will also affect U.S.developers who rely on EB-5money in their projects. If you are

an EB-5 investor or project devel-oper, contact your Alliance of Busi-ness Immigration Lawyers attor-ney for more detailed advice.

DOS changes fees for visa andcitizenship services

Effective September 6, 2014, theDepartment of State is amendingthe Schedule of Fees for ConsularServices for certain nonimmigrantvisa application processing fees,certain immigrant visa applicationprocessing and special visa ser-vices fees, and certain citizenshipservices fees. Included are twocategories of petition-based non-immigrant visas and the tiered ap-

plication processing fees for im-migrant visas.

The interim final rule alsoamends the security surcharge forimmigrant visa services and thefees for certain immigrant visa ser-vices. Lastly, the rule raises theapplication processing fee for re-nunciation of U.S. citizenship andlowers the hourly consular officertime charge. The Department ofState said it is adjusting the feesin light of the findings of a recentCost of Service study to ensurethat the fees for consular servicesbetter align with the costs of pro-viding those services.

Some of the changes include:• The processing fee for E treaty

trader and treaty investor visa ap-plications will decrease from $270to $205.

• The processing fee for an em-ployment-based visa application(based on an approved

I-140 alien worker or I-526 alienentrepreneur petition) will de-crease from $405 to $345.

• Other immigrant visa applica-tion fees (including for I-360 self-petitioners, special immigrant visaapplicants, and all others) will de-crease from $220 to $205.

• Certain qualifying Iraqi andAfghan special immigrant visaapplicants are statutorily exemptfrom paying any visa-related fees.

• The Immigrant Visa SecuritySurcharge, paid by all applicantsexcept those who are statutorilyexempted from paying fees, willincrease from $75 to $100.

• The fee for processing an ap-plication for waiver of the two-year residence requirement for J-1

exchange visitors will decreasefrom $215 to $120.

• The affidavit of support feewill increase from $88 to $120.

• The fee for processing renun-ciation of U.S. citizenship requestswill increase from $450 to $2,350.

• Comments on the interim finalrule, which was published in theFederal Register on August 28,2014, are due by October 21, 2014.

DOS makes 'significantprogress' in bringing visa pro-cessing back online and clearingbacklogs

The Department of State (DOS)announced that it has made "sig-nificant progress" in bringing backonline the Consular ConsolidatedDatabase (CCD), used to print andapprove visas and passports. Thesystem had crashed in July 2014and has continued to experienceoutages, resulting in processingbacklogs. DOS said it has caughtup with issuances for most of theworldwide backlog of nonimmi-grant visa cases and is working tobring the CCD back to full opera-tional capacity.

"We continue to prioritize im-migrant visas, adoption cases, andemergency nonimmigrant visacases. We are printing visas forthese cases and all cases with veryfew delays," a DOS statementnoted. For information on specificcases, the agency advises check-ing with the embassy or consu-late where the person will apply orhas scheduled an interview.

DOS noted that the problems

started shortly after a softwareupdate on July 20, 2014, althoughthe agency has not been able toidentify a "root cause." DOS saidcurrent efforts are focused onbringing the system back to nor-mal operations.

Once that has been accom-plished, DOS will investigate thecause, and the agency also hasbeen working with Oracle andMicrosoft to implement systemchanges aimed at optimizing per-formance and addressing ongoingissues. DOS is also bringing ad-ditional servers online to increasecapacity and response time. DOS

noted that it has experienced mi-nor outages in the past, but not ofthis magnitude.

The agency says visa appli-cants should "expect delays as weprocess pending cases," but thatit remains able "to quickly processemergency cases to completion."DOS estimates that visa issuancesmay be delayed 10 to 14 days untilthe system is restored to full func-tionality and pending applicationsare printed.

DOS says it understands theimportance to international stu-dents and exchange visitors, theirfamilies, and their U.S. host insti-tutions of timely visa issuance to

facilitate travel and to ensure thatall students and exchange visitorsmay begin their programs on time."We are committed to issuing vi-sas to all qualified students andexchange visitors. Student andexchange visitor visa applicantsshould submit their applicationswell in advance of expected traveldates.

We will make every effort toensure timely visa issuance," DOSsaid. The agency added that insituations where a student won'tbe able to arrive at school on time,"[s]tudents should contact theireducational institution's Desig-nated School Official (F and M vi-sas) or designated U.S. sponsor'sResponsible Officer (J visas) anddiscuss with them what arrange-ments they can provide for you to

Long-term implications for EB-5 investors fromChina are more consequential. Mr.Oppenheim advised that in the spring of2015, DOS will probably establish a cut-offdate for EB-5 China, meaning that the cat-egory will "retrogress."

We will make every effort to ensure timelyvisa issuance," DOS said. The agencyadded that in situations where a student won'tbe able to arrive at school on time,"[s]tudents should contact their educationalinstitution's Designated School Official

begin your program after the startdate on your Form I-20 (F and Mvisas) or Form DS 2019 (J visas)."

Regarding the diversity visa(DV) program, the agency notedthat immigrant visa processing,including diversity visas, "contin-ues and remains a high priority.The Department expects to haveused all numbers for DV-2014when the program year ends onSeptember 30, 2014."

Some individuals would like tohave their passports returned be-fore their U.S. visas are printed.DOS said it is working with postsaround the world to develop pro-cedures to manage these requests.

Each embassy and consulate willpost contact information on itswebsite for applicants with ques-tions about the status of theircases.

DOS noted that those travelingunder the Visa Waiver Program, andthose whose previously issued vi-sas remain valid, are not affected.DOS routinely advises visa appli-cants to make appointments wellin advance of planned travel, andnot to book travel until they havetheir printed visas in hand.

DOS said it plans to upgradethe CCD again to a newer versionof the Oracle commercial databasesoftware by the end of 2014.

* Cyrus D Mehta, may be contactedat 212-425-0555 or

[email protected]

Certain qualifyingIraqi and Afghanspecial immigrantvisa applicants arestatutorily exemptfrom paying anyvisa-related fees Bollen sought immunity in

visa program lawsuitSIOUX FALLS, S.D.: The

former director of a troubled im-migration program which grantedgreen cards to foreign citizenswho invested in South Dakotasought an immunity deal from alawsuit alleging he acted withoutauthority in recruiting Asian in-vestors.

The state is defending abreach-of-contract lawsuit filedby a California company, DarleyInternational, which had an agree-ment to recruit investors in Chinafor South Dakota projects. Thelawsuit is in arbitration in Califor-

nia, and the arbitrator has im-posed a gag order so the partiescan't discuss it.

Attorney correspondenceshows Joop Bollen twice soughtimmunity in the arbitration pro-ceedings, the Argus Leader re-ported.

Bollen headed the EB-5 immi-gration program for the state be-fore it was privatized in 2009 andturned it over to a company hehad founded and for which heserved as president. He has re-fused to speak publicly about thecontroversy. -AP

October 3, 2014 India Post

www.indiapost.comDatebook

NORTHERN CALIFORNIAUpcoming

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAUpcoming

Sat, Oct 4• Raas-Garba With JayshreeGohil & GroupVenue: Bren Events Center, 100 Mesa Rd,Irvine, CA 92617Contact: 951-318-7375

Sat, Oct 4• Vibha Dandia 2014Venue: Centerville Junior High School,37720 Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA 94536Timet: 7:30 pmContact: 408-997-9992

Sat, Oct 11• Raas-Garba With BhavanaPatel and Ghelani GroupVenue: Anaheim Convention Center(Hall C),800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802Time: 08:00 pmContact: 951-318-7375

Sun, Oct 26• Vivekananda VedantaSociety of ChicagoOrganizes Fall BanquetVenue: 14630 S. Lemont road Homer GlenIL 60491Time :11:00 am to 3:00 pmContact: (708) 301-9062

Sun, Nov 16• Red Carpet Wedding ShowVenue: Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, LosAngeles, 7000 Hollywood Blvd, Los An-geles, CA 90028Time :04:00 pmContact: 562-366-3649

ATLANTAUpcoming

Fri, Oct 17• Raas Garba NightVenue: Ashiana Impact Banquet Hall, Glo-bal Mall, 5675 Jimmy Carter Blvd,Norcross, Ga 30071Time: 10:00 pmContact: 404-246-3256

Sat, Oct 04• Navaratri Mela - 2014Venue: Independence High School, 86School Dr, Alpharetta, GA 30009Contact: 404-786-7860

Time: 8:45 pm

Sat, Oct 6• Sri Sita Rama KalyanamVenue: Norcross High School, 5300Spalding Dr, Norcross, GA 30092Time: 9:00 amContact: 404-916-9899

• J K Yog Satsang and BalMukund Hindi Classes are heldevery 2nd and 4rth Sunday ofMonthChicago Satsang Information:J K Yog, Chicago - Swami MukundanandaVenue: Clarion Inn/Waterford Banquets,Board Room, 933 South RiversideDrive, Elmhurst, IL 60126Time: 3:30pm-5:30pmContact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok@ 630-561-4807Website: www.jkyog.org

1st and 3rd Sunday of Month• Chicago Children'sBal MukundCharacter Building Programand Hindi Literacy ClassesVenue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. HigginsRoad, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Nextto Nissan Dealership)Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @630-561-4807

Mondays and Fridays• Free ESL - English as SecondLanguage ClassesMetropolitan Asian Family ServicesVenue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL,Time: 10:30am to 12:30pmContact: 773-465-3105

Mondays and Fridays• Free ESL - English as SecondLanguage ClassesWhere: Metropolitan Asian FamilyServicesVenue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL,Time: 10:30am to 12:30pmContact: 773-465-3105

ILLINOISUpcoming

NEW JERSEYUpcoming

NEW YORKUpcoming

Sat, Oct 11• A Tribute To Rd BurmanVenue: Colden Center Auditorium, 65-30Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367Time: 8:00 pmContact: 347-653-1309

Sun, Oct 19• Heart Hackers Live InConcertVenue: LYork College, 94-20 Guy R, BrewerBlvd Jamaica, NY 11451Time : 06:00 pmContact: 718-610-9799

Sat, Oct 25• Annual Halloween CostumePartyVenue: Pranna, 79 Madison Ave, New York,NY 10016Time : 9:00 pm

Fri, Oct 10• Bollywood Musical DiwaliDhamaka Dinner PartyVenue: Akbar Restaurant-NJ, 21 CortlandtStreet, Edison, NJ 08837Time: 8:00 pmContact: 908-217-4864

Sat, Oct 11• A Tribute To Rd BurmanVenue: Colden Center Auditorium, 65-30Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NJ 11367Time: 8:00 pmContact: 347-653-1309

Sat, Oct 18• Kali Puja and Deepavali 2014CelebrationsVenue: Manalapan Englisghtown MiddleSchool, 155 Millhurst Rd, Manalapan Town-ship, NJ 07726Time : 02:00 pmContact: 732-547-2809

47

Fri, Oct 3• Dandiya Night 2014 By SewaInternational USA BayareaVenue: Centerville Junior High School,37720 Fremont Boulevard, Fremont, CATime: 8:15 pm.Contact: 510-364-6095

Sun, Oct 5• KHALNAYAK - BollywoodBroadway MusicalVenue: Carrington Hall, 1201 BrewsterAvenue, Redwood City, CA 94062Time: 5:00 pmContact: 408-329-7040


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Top Stories

Modi invites Indian-American business leadersNEW YORK: A stable business

environment and investment in hu-man resources are some of the is-sues highlighted by a group of In-dian-American corporate leadersduring a meeting with Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi who invitedthem to come to India and teachbusiness and entrepreneurship.

In the over one hour-long meet-ing at a hotel where Modi is stay-ing, the distinguished Indian-Americans discussed with himways to enhance their contribu-tion in human resource develop-ment and research activities.

The group of around 10 topIndian-Americans includingChairman and CEO of SymphonyTechnology group RomeshWadhwani, Cognizant CEO Fran-cisco D'Souza, President and CEOof Adobe System ShantanuNarayen, President, University ofPresident Houston Renu Khator,Harvard Business school Dean

Nitin Nohria, CEO Harman Inter-national Inc Dinesh Paliwal, Cor-porate Vice President ofMicrosoft's Developer Division SSomasegar and President ofCarneig Mellon University SubraSuresh.

Official sources said they werevery upbeat about opportunitiesfor growth in India and made vari-ous suggestions about possibleavenues for consideration. Theyalso spoke about usual require-ments for stable business envi-ronment and need for investingin human resources in India.

Emphasising on his ambitious'Make in India' as well as the 'MyGovt Digital Platform' projects,Modi spoke about the importancehe places on the digital initiativesand innovations as well as re-search.

He invited them to come to In-dia and teach during their vaca-tions.-PTI

Modi meets Netanyahu, discussesdefense cooperation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu in New York on September 28

NEW YORK: In a rare meetingon the sidelines of the UN Gen-eral Assembly, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi met Israeli coun-terpart Benjamin Netanyahu anddiscussed a wide range of issuesincluding defense cooperationand the situation created by theIslamic State (IS) in West Asia.

During the 30-minute meeting,Netanyahu invited Modi to visitIsrael at an early date.

Netanyahu recalled that Modihad come to Is-rael in his earliercapacity asChief Ministerbut he nowhopes that hecould visit asPrime Minister,External AffairsM i n i s t r ySpokespersonS y e dA k b a r u d d i nsaid.

He saidPrime MinisterModi has takennote of the invi-tation and thiswould be dis-cussed furtherthrough diplomatic channels.

The Spokesperson said thetwo leaders discussed ways toenhance economic cooperationand Israel offered expertise in wa-ter management and other agricul-tural-related areas.

India and Israel have a veryrobust relationship and currently

bilateral trade stands at approxi-mately USD six billion.

"Apart from these, there werediscussions on matters relating tohow Israel perceives develop-ments in the region, that is WestAsia. Also, Israeli Prime Ministerexplained their views and visionon talks that are happening be-tween Iran and P5 Plus 1," theSpokesperson said.

Asked if there was a discus-sion on defense deals, he said,

"Yes there was a discussion interms of defense ties and thePrime Minister explained that hisnew vision of 'Make in India' wasa priority.

"He also explained that rightnow in defense sector Israel orany other country can invest upto 49 per cent. And the Prime Min-

ister made a pitch for skill sharingin areas like IT and water manage-ment."

According to diplomatic offi-cials, the meeting on the sidelinesof the UN was rare and has nothappened in the last one decade.

The last time the Prime Minis-ters of the two countries met wasten years ago when Ariel Sharonhad come to India. The two lead-ers discussed the developmentsin the West Asia region.

During the meeting, Modi, whohad met a Jewish group earlier,also mentioned that there was nodiscrimination against the commu-nity in India. The Prime Ministerwas accompanied by External Af-fairs Minister Sushma Swaraj andother senior officials during themeeting. -PTI

Modi meets NYC mayor,discusses city policing

NEW YORK: With an eye onhis pet project of rejuvenation ofurban spaces, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi had a meeting withNew York Mayor Bill de Blasioduring which the issues related tolarge cities, especially commonthreats of terror, policing, publichousing and crowd managementin the events like "Kumbh mela"were discussed.

The meeting,which was PrimeMinister's firstofficial engage-ment after arriv-ing here, wasalso aimed at un-d e r s t a n d i n ghow the NewYork police meta-morphosed afterthe 9/11 terrorattacks in whichover 3,000people werekilled and land-mark twin towersof World TradeCenter were de-stroyed.

"The PrimeMinister wantedto understandwhat are the issues that he faces,because he is extremely keen ontrying to rejuvenate our urbanspaces too," spokesperson inMinistry of External Affairs SyedAkbaruddin told reporters hereand added that crowd manage-

ment in big cities and at big eventslike Kumbh mela were also dis-cussed to understand the prac-tices adopted by the New Yorkcity government.

Discussions were focused onmatters related to public housing,he said, adding that New York Cityis planning to build some half amillion houses in 10 years.

In his meeting with the NewYork Mayor, discussion also fo-cused on issues related to stepstaken to improve the quality of lifein New York and in this regard theanti- smoking laws in both thecountries also figured.-PTI

Modi meeting the Mayor of New York Bill de Blasio, in

New York on September 26

Modi giftsIndian tea to USCEOs

NEW YORK: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has gifted famousIndian tea to the captains of 11large American corporations.

The signature gift box contain-ing three famous teas of India -Darjeeling, Assam and Nilgiri -was presented by the Prime Min-ister after he hosted a breakfastmeeting for them.

Those present at the breakfastmeeting were Indian-originPepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, GoogleChairman Eric Schmidt, Citigroupchief Michael Corbat, MastercardCEO Ajay Banga, Cargill's Presidentand CEO David W MacLennan,Caterpillar's Douglas Oberhelman,AES' Andres Gluski, Merck's Ken-neth Frazier, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Carlyle Group DavidRubenstein, Hospira's Michael Balland Warburg Pincus' CharlesKaye.-PTI

Modi invites NJ Governorto visit India

NEW YORK: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has invited NewJersey Governor Chris Christie tovisit India with a trade mission.

Modi extended the invitationto Christie when the latter called

on him at the New York Palacehotel where the Prime Minister isstaying for attending the annualsession of the UN General Assem-bly.

Narendra Modi in a meeting with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie

Cont’d on page 49


www.indiapost.com

Top Stories

Nikki Haley meets Modi, discusses economy

Christie, a popular Republicanpolitician and a 2016 presidentialelection aspirant, has acceptedthe invitation to visit India with atrade delegation sometime nextyear, said Andy Shenoy, directoron the Board of United Nations

Development Corporation whoplayed a major role in coordinat-ing this important meeting.

Modi and Christie held discus-sions on the hurricane Sandy'seffect on business and life ofpeople in New Jersey. The twoleaders shared their thoughts ondisaster management. -PTI

Modi invites NJ Governorto visit India


Narendra Modi meeting the Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley, in New York on September 28

NEW YORK: Indian AmericanGovernor of South Carolina NikkiHaley has met Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and discussed is-sues related to economic devel-opment of her state in sectors in-cluding automotive, IT and aero-space.

Modi is the first foreign leaderthat Haley has met after becom-ing the Governor of the State in2011. She is seeking re-election inNovember.

According to the Governor'sOffice, she discussed a range ofissues with Modi, which includedautomotive, information technol-ogy and aerospace economic de-velopment; and workforce train-ing in high schools.

Haley, who is planning to takea trade delegation to India in No-vember also talked about the pos-sible partnerships between SouthCarolina and India.

"We had an exciting meetingwith Prime Minister NarendraModi this morning. We look for-ward to building our partnershipbetween South Carolina and In-dia!" Haley wrote on the Facebookpage soon after meeting Modi.

The Prime Minister alsotweeted about his meeting withHaley and invited her to India.

Haley is the first woman toserve as Governor of South Caro-lina. At the age of 42, she is theyoungest Governor in the US.

She is one of two sitting Indian-

American Gov-ernors in theUS, the otherbeing Republi-can BobbyJindal of Louisi-ana.

She is alsoone of the Re-p u b l i c a nParty's mostpromising ris-ing stars.

Haley is alsothe third per-son, who is notEuro-Americanto have beenelected as gov-ernor of aSouthern state,after Virginia's LDouglas Wilderand Louisiana'sJindal.-PTI

US efforts to court Modiludicrous: Chinese media

BEIJING: Terming US efforts towoo Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi after denying hima visa as "quite ludicrous," an ar-ticle in the Chinese state-run me-dia said America plans to revital-ize its relations with India to boostits China containment policy.

"The hospitality Modi enjoysin the US this time stands in clearcontrast with the fact that he was

denied a visa by the US govern-ment in 2005", an article in the webedition of the Global Times said.

"However, his latest visithasn't gone smoothly either.

Just ahead of Modi's US trip, aNew York court issued summonsagainst him for his alleged role in2002 communal riots in Gujarat,casting a shadow over this visit."the piece written by a scholar of

the state-run Shanghai Instituteof International Studies said.

"Washington's differing atti-tudes before and after Modi waselected as prime minister are quiteludicrous. It should not be the waythe world's No 1 power behavesdiplomatically," the article in thenewspaper known for its nation-alistic views said.

The opinion piece went on toadd: "But indeed, itshows that the US' de-sire to hold itself out asthe benchmark of hu-man rights and moral-ity in global gover-nance. It also displaysWashington's dissatis-faction with India in thepast few years."

Hinting at the appar-ent differences in the goals of In-dia and the US, it said, "In termsof strategy and security, there isstill a gap between India's objec-tives and those of the US."

Suggesting that though therewere apprehensions in India re-garding "China's rise," it said, "In-dia does not want to be part ofWashington's China containmentpolicy." -PTI

"In terms of strategy andsecurity, there is still a gapbetween India's objectivesand those of the US"


October 3, 201450

India PostOctober 3, 2014 51www.indiapost.com

Horoscope

Your Weekly Future

(March 21 to April 20)

Property deal can finalize and will be beneficial. Your actions will be full

of confidence and dedication.Hard work will not go waste and

results will be almost instant. You may visit an old friendwith family this week. You may be thinking of joining ahealth club to get back in shape. Things will keep get-ting better at work.

PANDIT PARASHAR, CEO & COO Astro Scan USA isalso available for individual consultations.He can be reached at: [email protected]

510-886-4370www.parashar.com

(July 23 to August 22)

Strong Mars will bring opportunities nothing less than a jackpot. You will

be full of energy and feel moti-vated. You may decide not going

to a party on last minute. All financial speculations willpay off in a big way. Children will do better but mayneed some money. A tall and fair complexion personwill be really helpful in career.

(November 23 to December 22)

You may visit or call a government agency for some favor. Work will be done

instantly. This is the perfect timeto launch your project or take over

a new business. Spouse may deliver the exciting newsyou had been waiting for. You may also get in touchwith an old confidant for some advice and to seek di-rection.

(April 21 to May 20)

Bachelors will finally find the right partner. Money will come in plenty and you

will spend it wisely this time. Youwill continue to work on a bright

idea and keep looking for ideal partners. Some of youmay travel to a warmer area in connection with somebusiness. You may also purchase some gold jewelryfor spouse this week.

(August 23 to September 22)

Venus will keep mind little restless but will help you overcome all problems

big or small. You may spendmost of your time away from

your desk this week. Boss will agree on your ideasand plan. Spouse if working may get a raise or promo-tion. And of course expenses will not leave you alone.You will visit a holy place with spouse.

(December 22 to January 19)

Try to look beyond immediate and plan things ac-

cordingly. You may givefinalshape to a long distance trip.Money will come and will go on

good reasons. Change of strategy will help you save alot in long term. You will try to work extra hours in orderto finish project well before deadline. Bank balance willgrow.

(May 21 to June 20)

Luck continues to be onyour side. Positive changes in career will bring confi

dence back and you may feel likecelebrating with family and

friends. You will mean business when on phone andsuccessfully resolve an issue causing headache.Health issue will come under control with home rem-edy. Your valuable advice will help a needy person.

(September 23 to October 22)

Money wise it looks likea great week. Busi-

ness will pick up all ofa sudden and new contracts willstart pouring in money in your

pocket right away. Some one from a different casteand culture will be helpful. Tough and a systematicapproach will clear many road blocks. You may alsovisit a holy place with family this week.

(January 20 to February 18)

You may buy some nice gifts for a sibling. There are strong chances for finding

a very suitable match for a mar-riageable child.Careful planning

will take you closer to your professional goals. Youmay be advised minor surgery to tackle an health is-sue. You will start to enjoy company of a new col-league.

(June 21 to July 22)

You may be slightly nervous about an ongoing property deal. Family may not com-

pletely agree with your plans. Youmay spend some money on anupcoming trip also. One of your

vehicle may need minor repairs or replacement. Sud-denly you may develop taste for hot and spicy food. Youmay completely discard an old friend from your list.

(October 23 to November 22)

Be cautious unless you want some one to come after you with a law suit.

Do not give more than requiredinformation to anyone this week.You may be spending extra hours

at work trying to finish the project well before the dead-line. You will gain friendship of an influential person.bank balance will continue to grow gradually.

(February 19 to March 20)

Things will be relaxing and normal at work. Money will come but will not stay for

long. Planets will really help thoselooking for a job. You may spendan evening with some well known

people.If appearing for any competitive exam, chancesof passing in first shot are good. You will also over-come a temporary health issue with home remedy.

October 3rd - October 9th, 2014

by Pandit Parashar

52 October 3, 2014India Post

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Philosophy

Faculty for listening to 'innervoice' requires training

Union with God is sweeterthan body comforts

Sometimes someone feels this truth sostrongly that he or she can live in mountainsolitude totally refreshed. The worried, he-roic doings of men and women seem wearyand futile to dervishes

MAHATMA GANDHI

There come to us moments inlife when about some thingswe need no proof from with-

out. A little voice within us tellsus, 'You are on the right track,move neither to your left nor right,but keep to the straight and nar-row way.'

There are moments in your lifewhen you must act, even thoughyou cannot carry your best friendswith you. The 'still small voice'within you must always be the fi-nal arbiter when there is a conflictof duty.

Having made a ceaseless effortto attain self-purification, I havedeveloped some little capacity tohear correctly and clearly the 'stillsmall voice within'.

I shall lose my usefulness themoment I stifle the still small voicewithin.

Penances with me are no me-chanical acts. They are done inobedience to the inner voice.

A person falsely claiming to actunder divine inspiration or thepromptings of the inner voice with-out having any such, will fare worsethan the one falsely claiming to actunder the authority of an earthlysovereign. Whereas the latter onbeing exposed will escape with in-jury to his body, the former mayperish body and soul together.

Charitable critics impute nofraud to me, but suggest that I amhighly likely to be acting under

JELALUDDIN RUMI

Moving WaterWhen you do things from your

soul, you feel a river moving inyou, a joy. When actions comefrom another section, the feelingdisappears. Don't let others leadyou. They may be blind or, worse,vultures. Reach for the rope ofGod. And what is that? Puttingaside self-will.

Because of willfulness peoplesit in jail, the trapped bird's wingsare tied, fish sizzle in the skillet.The anger of police is willfulness.You've seen a magistrate inflict vis-ible punishment. Now see the in-visible.

If you could leave your selfish-ness, you would see how you'vebeen torturing your soul. We areborn and live inside black water ina well.

How could we know what anopen field of sunlight is? Don't in-sist on going where you think youwant to go. Ask the way to thespring. Your living pieces will forma harmony. There is a moving pal-ace that floats in the air with bal-conies and clear water flowingthrough, infinity everywhere, yetcontained under a single tent.

Light BreezeAs regards feeling pain, like a

hand cut in battle, consider thebody a robe you wear. When youmeet someone you love, do youkiss their clothes?

Search out who's inside. Unionwith God is sweeter than bodycomforts. We have hands and feetdifferent from these. Sometimesin dream we see them. That is notillusion. It's seeing truly. You dohave a spirit body; don't dread

leaving the physical one.Sometimes someone feels this

truth so strongly that he or shecan live in mountain solitude to-tally refreshed. The worried, he-roic doings of men and womenseem weary and futile to dervishesenjoying the light breeze of spirit.

Only Breath Not Christian or Jew or Mus-

lim, not Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi, orZen. Not any religion or culturalsystem. I am not from the East orthe West, not out of the ocean orup from the ground, not natural orethereal, not composed of ele-ments at all.

I do not exist, am not an entityin this world or in the next, did notdescend from Adam and Eve or anyorigin story. My place is placeless,

a trace of the traceless. Neitherbody or soul.

I belong to the beloved, haveseen the two worlds as one andthat one call to and know, first, last,outer, inner, only that breathbreathing human being.

Not intrigued with eveningWhat the material world values

does not shine the same in the

Having made a ceaseless effort to attain self-purification, I have developed some little ca-pacity to hear correctly and clearly the 'stillsmall voice within'. I shall lose my usefulnessthe moment I stifle the still small voice within.

Jelaluddin Rumi

Mahatma Gandhi

some hallucination. The result forme, even then, will not be far dif-ferent from what it would be if Iwas laying a false claim. A humbleseeker that I claim to be has needto be most cautious and, to pre-serve the balance of mind, he hasto reduce himself to zero beforeGod will guide him. Let me not la-bor this point.

There is no question of halluci-nation. I have stated a simple sci-

entific truth, thus to be tested byall who have the will and the pa-tience to acquire the necessaryqualifications, which are again in-credibly simple to understand andeasy enough to acquire wherethere is determination.

You have to believe no one butyourselves. You must try to listento the inner voice, but if you willnot have the expression "innervoice", you may use the expres-sion "dictates of reason", which

you should obey, and if you willnot parade God, I have no doubtyou will parade something elsewhich in the end will prove to beGod, for, fortunately, there is noone and nothing else but God inthis universe.

It is not everyone claiming toact on the urge of the inner voice[who] has that urge. Like everyother faculty, this faculty for lis-tening to the still small noise within

requires previous effort and train-ing, perhaps much greater thanwhat is required for the acquisi-tion of any other faculty, and evenif out of thousands of claimantsonly a few succeed in establish-ing their claim, it is well worth run-ning the risk of having and toler-ating doubtful claimants.

Nobody has to my knowledgequestioned the possibility of theinner voice speaking to some, andit is a gain to the world even if one

person's claim to speak under theauthority of the inner voice can bereally sustained. Many may makethe claim, but not all will be able tosubstantiate it. But it cannot andought not to be suppressed for thesake of preventing false claimants.

There is no danger whatsoeverif many people could truthfullyrepresent the inner voice. But, un-fortunately, there is no remedyagainst hypocrisy. Virtue must not

be suppressed because many willfeign it. Men have always beenfound throughout the world claim-ing to speak for the inner voice.But no harm has yet overtaken theworld through their short-livedactivities.

Excerpted from quotations on'Inner Voice' collected under 'TheMind of Mahatma Gandhi' onwebsite mkgandhi.org. The 145thbirth anniversary of MahatmaGandhi will be observed on Oct 2

truth of the soul. You have beeninterested in your shadow. Lookinstead directly at the sun. Whatcan we know by just watching thetime-and-space shapes of eachother? Someone half awake in thenight sees imaginary dangers; themorning star rises; the horizongrows defined; people becomefriends in a moving caravan.

Night birds may think daybreak

a kind of darkness, because that'sall they know. It's a fortunate birdwho's not intrigued with evening,who flies in the sun we callShams.

From poems of JelaluddinRumi translated by ColemanBarks in 'Essential Rumi', 'Soulof Rumi' and 'The Glance'. The707th birth anniversary of Rumiwas observed on September 30.

Love is patient and kind.It isn't jealous and itdoesn't sing its ownpraises, nor is it ever ar-rogant.

- Bible

Trees are the earth's end-less effort to speak to thelistening heaven.- Rabindranath Tagore

It is love alone that leadsto right action. Whatbrings order in the worldis to love and let love dowhat it will.

- Jiddu Krishnamurti

God lends a helping handto the man who tries hard.

- Aeschylus

I am certain of nothing butthe holiness of the heart'saffections and the truth ofimagination - what theimagination seizes asbeauty must be truth -whether it existed beforeor not.

- John Keats

Love is the condition inwhich the happiness ofanother person is essen-tial to your own.

- Robert Heinlein

The art of love is largelythe art of persistence.

- Albert Ellis

Sometimes the heart seeswhat is invisible to theeye.- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

54 Edit Pagewww.indiapost.com

October 3, 2014India Post

India PostModi Rock Star

The US visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been anunprecedented success, going by the enthusiasm gener-ated among not only Indian Americans but also among US

businessmen and lawmakers. Even White House was constrainedto remark on the "rock-star" treatment given to Modi at the presti-gious Madison Square Garden by some 20,000 Indian-Americanpeople as reflective of the "deep cultural ties" between the twocountries. Obama greeted him with a 'Kem Cho," equivalent of'How are you' in Gujarati.

Later the Prime Minister tweeted that he and Obama "share avision for a partnership in which our nations work together for thebenefit of entire humankind."

Wherever Modi went whether in New York or in Washington,he was followed by admiring crowds of Indian Americans. Eventhe elitist newspapers had to take notice of his popularity. Indeedhis address at Madison Square Garden was a Rock Star perfor-mance where he not only touched the hearts of Indian Americansbut even announced tangible gains for them on the visa front, anissue which had given lot of trouble to those wanting to visit Indiaeven if it was just to meet their families. It is a tribute to the back-ground work done by his new government that he had the issuestroubling Indian Americans on his fingertips as well as the solu-tions which he had equally quickly ordered. He likened the work ofhis government to Mahatma Gandhi's mission to secure freedomfor India. The biggest success of Gandhi, he said, was not obtain-ing freedom. His biggest success was turning the freedom struggleinto a people's movement. Everyone, doing whatever work, feltthat he was contributing to the freedom of India. In the same way,Modi wanted development to become a people's movement. Hefelt that a government can only make schemes and pass laws.Without the people's co-operation these have no meaning. He hada dig at the previous government, which he said, had been boast-ing during the elections that they had passed this law and launchedthat scheme. As for himself, he said, he had vowed to scrap oldlaws one by one.

Although development, with particular emphasis on skill devel-opment, was his theme, the maximum applause was reserved forhis confession that he was a small man risen from selling tea, andthat therefore he had the schemes for small people at his heart likebuilding a toilet for each house.

For a change, Modi spoke in English before the 60,000 youngAmericans assembled at the Central Park in New York. He left themwith the message that the force was with the youth and he gavethem the example of India where 65 percent of people were below35. He reiterated the advantage India had of triple 'D's, that is,Democracy, Demographic Dividend and Demand.

At the UN he referred to Nawaz Sharif's call for plebiscite inKashmir. He said raising issues at this forum was not the way ofsolving disputes between two countries. And that talks cannot beheld under the shadow of terrorism. Also, a proper atmosphere hasto be created before talks can be held.

In his meeting with 11 top chief executives of America, Modipromised a stable tax policy and an assertion that he wants toconvert the Supreme Court ruling on coal block allocation into anopportunity to move forward and "clean up the past." He told theCEOs that the government is open to suggestions to speed upactivity in Asia's third largest economy. Many of the CEOs cameout impressed with the meetings and felt that time was ripe toinvest in India.

Apart from the ritual meeting with the Clintons, Modi charted anew path by meeting his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu -the first time the heads of the two countries have met in 11 years.Israel invited India to be part of its national defense.

Afghanistan: New President &joint venture government

RAJESHWARI KRISHNAMURTHY

On 21 September, the In-dependent ElectionCommission (IEC) ofAfghanistan declared

Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai as thewinner of the country's presiden-tial election that took place earlierthis year, after a lengthy deal-mak-ing process with the other leadingcontender, Abdullah Abdullah.

What does the creation of'Chief Executive Officer' (CEO)mean for Afghanistan? Does theend of the political deadlock auto-matically spell good times for thecountry?

Deal-makingThe 2014 Afghan presidential

election - the first transfer of powerto a whole new leadership - wasprecariously pro-longed and fraughtwith several strong op-posing stances and al-legations. After thetense flux and indeci-sion that followed theelections, which led toan UN-overlooked andUS-funded audit of theballots, the resultswere finally declaredthree months after therun-off concluded.The IEC declaredAshraf Ghani as thepresident-elect, andrunner-up AbdullahAbdullah as the CEO -a post that was createdto facilitate power-sharing and to end the electoraldeadlock.

The IEC and the candidatessimply announced the resultswithout declaring the vote statis-tics. In fact, the deal-making be-tween Abdullah and Ghani thattook months to finalize, ended onthe condition that the vote statis-tics won't be made public.

This does not bode well for acountry that is on its path towardsdemocracy after years of civil warand strife. A decision on the lead-ership was extremely pressing andthe Sunday announcement comesas a relief for the political stabilityof the country at the moment.However, the means to reach thatend was not ideal, and has poten-tial to lead to problems in the fu-ture.

The decision for deal-makingwas agreed upon and took placebetween the parties and the dec-laration of results were stalled anddelayed due to intransigence onthe part of the contenders, therebymaking the candidates and not theIEC the real decision-makers.

The deal-making between thecandidates undermines the cred-ibility and significance of the IEC- which emerged as a toothless ti-ger. It indicates the lack of author-ity on the IEC's part to ensure thewrit of the state - in terms of elec-tion processes as mandated by theconstitution of Afghan state - asit is supposed to do. This pointstowards the urgent need for re-forms in the IEC and other stateinstitutions - especially given howthe 2015 parliamentary election isfast approaching.

The Election ProcessAn interesting trend that

emerged over the course of theelectoral process was the blend-ing of Afghan cultural character-

istics with the concept of democ-racy. Negotiations - an extremelyprominent aspect of the Afghanculture - continually took placebetween various players duringvarious stages of the polls. Thisdemonstrates to an extent the ad-aptation of the concept of democ-racy into the pre-existing Afghansystem.

At present, the President is thehead of the government, and theconstitution does not includespace for a prime ministerial post.According to the National UnityGovernment Agreement, until suchtime as the post of a prime minis-ter will be created, the post of aCEO (a role with the essence of anexecutive prime minister's post)will be created to accommodateAbdullah Abdullah or his nomineein the government.

However, the Agreement,states that "On the basis of Ar-ticle 2 of the Joint Statement of 17Asad 1393 (August 8, 2014) andits attachment ("…convening of aLoya Jirga in two years to considerthe post of an executive prime min-

ister"), the President is committedto convoking a Loya Jirga for thepurpose of debate on amendingthe Constitution and creating apost of executive prime minister."

The text of the Agreementmakes no explicit commitment to-wards the creation of a primeminister's post and/or a deadlineto carry the said task out.

The text only speaks of thepresident's commitment towardscalling for a Loya Jirga meeting onamending the constitution, with-out specific mention of commit-ment towards the creation of thepost itself. It is important to notethat nomenclature isn't the focusof the debate. The skepticismstems from the fact the post of theCEO will be created by a presiden-

tial decree - that isn'tdifficult to revoke.

Furthermore, theIEC's decision to with-hold voting statisticsdid not go well with theAfghans - who haddefied terrorist threatsand turned up in largenumbers to cast theirballots. This is not un-founded, for they nowfeel that their voteswere of no conse-quence given how de-cisions on leadershipwere taken by two op-posing candidates whoco-opted each otherand eliminated the pur-pose of votes alto-

gether. As one Afghan police of-ficer was quoted saying, the newly-formed government is a "joint ven-ture" between two politicians.

Looking AheadIn essence, this is essentially a

hastily cobbled governmentwhose creation was extremely im-portant for the moment, but onethat brings baggage of potentialinstability for the immediate years.Decision-making - especially onissues of security and foreignpolicy - will become a complicatedprocess given the likelihood ofdivergent interests and objectivesof the two leaders.

Furthermore, given the limitedmaneuvering space both leaderswill enjoy, the likelihood of large-scale changes seems bleak at themoment. If this trajectory contin-ues, the cracks may lead to insta-bility, inactions and/or delays inseveral matters, providing fertileground for non-state actors tomake inroads.

The writer is Research Officer(IReS), IPCS

Afghan president-elect Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai


October 3, 2014


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