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Follow us on Vol.6 No. 30 November 16-22, 2013 60 Cents New York Edition TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Playing with a special tricolor bat in his last Test match at his home ground in Mumbai, and bucked up by a grateful nation, Sachin Tendulkar scored 74, taking India well beyond West Indies first innings total.
Op Ed 13
Art & Film 18
Humor 28
Spiritual Awareness 30
excellence in journalism
November 16-22, 2013
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South Asians celebrate Ed Manganos thumping win

Zahid Syed and Bobby Kumar welcoming Nassau County Ed Mangano with bouquets as Kamlesh Mehta looks on.,
Photos: Sandeep G.
initiative of Bobby Kumar Kalotee (Chairman, All American Political Party) and Zahid Syed (Chairman, Human Rights Commission, Nassau) with support from Kamlesh Mehta (Director, Nassau County Office of Business & Economic Development). Over 300 guests -- a veritable whos who of the South Asian community were there to cheer Mangano. Prominent among them were: Purna Aramalla, Jerry Kohli, Animesh Goenka, Haridas Kotahwala, Habib Ahmed, Dr Surinder Malhotra, Jagdish Sewhani, Sazid Shah, Ravi Bhooplapur, Kamal Gupta, Zeb Pirzada, Moh. Saleh, Kanwaljit Chandi, Dr Shashi Shah, Kishore Kuncham and Rizwan Qureshi. Indu Jaiswal and Beena Sabhapati led the Pledge of Allegiance. Zahid Syed welcomed the guests and praised County Executive for his great service to the county. In his opening remarks, he also thanked all supporters of Mangano. Kamlesh Mehta appreciated Bobby Kumar and Zahid Syed for their initiative of uniting the communities and congratulated the attendees on Manganos victory, which he saw as the victory of himself, everyone in the room and 1.3 million residents of Nassau County. He called Ed Mangano a great leader and friend of everyone. Harendra Singh, who has cherished Manganos friendship for 20
The front-line supporters of Ed Mangano's re-election campaign: (from left) Jerry Kohli, Harendra Singh, Bobby Kumar, Zahid Syed and Kamlesh Mehta.
Ed Mangano thanked everyone for their support in his election.
Hicksville, NY: The re-election of Ed Magnano as Nassau County Executive with a bigger mandate was celebrated by the South Asian community on November 11 at a Gala Reception here. Wholehearted support from the community saw Hon. Mangano cruise to victory against his Democratic challenger Tom Suozzi with a handsome 18 point margin in the Nov 5 election. The reception at Antuns by Minar was attended by Hon. Mangano and Chief Deputy County Executive Rob Walker and organized by The South Asian Communities United Forum, an
Happiness all around for Manganos well deserved victory.
years, called Ed the nicest human being, and that he never had any doubts about Manganos win. Zahid Syed thanked the media for their help and presence before introducing Rob walker. Chief Deputy County Executive Walker was honored for his pivotal role in Manganos re-election campaign. He was presented a plaque by Kamlesh Mehta, Bobby Kumar and Zahid Syed. Rob Walker appreciated Bobby Kumar and Zahid Syed for their support and mentioned bonding with and friendship of Kamlesh Mehta since 2008. While introducing County Executive Ed Mangano, Bobby Kumar congratulated him for a great victory. He also mentioned his long standing cordial relationship with Mr Mangano and his family. Ed Mangano thanked everyone
for their support and promised to work steadfastly to make Nassau County a better place to live, work and raise a family. He called Harendra Singh the dearest friend and like a brother. He thanked Bobby Kumar, Zahid Syed and Jerry Kohli for their support. He especially thanked and admired the role and contribution of Kamlesh Mehta during the election, saying, "Kamlesh Mehta is one of the most effective persons in my team." In his closing remarks, Kamlesh Mehta named 12 people who generously contributed five digit sums -- to the Mangano campaign through him. He also thanked Rasraj, Rajbhog and Bengali Sweets for their sponsorship, and DJ Sharukh, DJ Lucky, as well as Nitu Singh and Raj Maini of Antun's.
Chief Deputy County Executive Rob Walker was honored for his pivotal role in Manganos re-election campaign by Kamlesh Mehta, Bobby Kumar and Zahid Syed. (right) Rob Walker speaking.
Zahid Syed and Bobby Kumar speaking at the gala reception.
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From the land of baseball, tributes to India's 'cricket God'

By Arun Kumar Washington: In a country where baseball rules and few people know of cricket and even fewer play cricket, America's leading daily New York Times has chosen to pay rich tributes to India's "cricket God" Sachin Tendulkar. Taking note of Tendulkar's iconic status in India, NYT carried two OpEds on the day the maestro played his 200th and last Test in Mumbai saying the sense of loss after his retirement will "scarcely be any less in the rest of the cricketing world." In an OpEd titled "Where the Gods Live On ... and On", Tunku Varadarajan, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, noted, "Tendulkar, whom everyone calls Sachin, is the most revered cricketer in India." "In fact, it would be entirely accurate to describe him as the most revered contemporary Indian, or even, with only a pinch of hyperbole, the most revered Indian he was remorselessly efficient; in a land with a global inferiority complex, he was the best in the world; in a land where public figures are strutting peacocks, he was often a picture of painful humility; in a land that thirsts for self-respect, Sachin spelled pride," he wrote. However, in Varadarajan's view "there has been an unlovely whiff of selfishness in his reluctance to give way to younger players, in his limpetlike clinging to his place, and in his relentless pursuit of milestones." "But we shouldn't blame Sachin," he added noting, "In any other land, he would have aged, recognized the limitations brought on by age ... and moved on. India has not let him do so. It is India, by its corrosive love, that has betrayed Sachin Tendulkar." In a separate piece titled "Tendulkar Stepping Away From Cricket, but His Impact Remains" Huw Richards wrote, "Sachin Tendulkar's ability to generate mind-numbing numbers has survived to the very end of his prodigious career." Much of Sachin's greatness comes from the fact that he consistently fulfilled the expectations he carries in India and among the Indian diaspora, he wrote noting, "Few players have left so comprehensive or so potentially enduring a mark in the record books." "If there is a doubt where he ranks historically, consider that Tendulkar was the only active player named by Wisden Cricketers' Almanac to its all-time team last month. The sport's leading chronicler had 150 years of cricket to choose from," Richards wrote. "Records can be broken. South Africa's Jacques Kallis or England's Alastair Cook might overtake his Test numbers, but Tendulkar's impact will remain," he wrote. "And if the sense of loss is most intense in India this coming week, it will scarcely be any less in the rest of the cricketing world," Richards added.
In a land of chronic inefficiency, he was remorselessly efficient; in a land with a global inferiority complex, he was the best in the world; in a land where public figures are strutting peacocks, he was often a picture of painful humility; in a land that thirsts for self-respect, Sachin spelled pride.
since Mahatma Gandhi held the nation in thrall." "Suspend your disbelief and think of him as a cross between Babe Ruth and Martin Luther King," Varadarajan wrote comparing Tendulkar to two American icons - one in the sports arena and other on the political field.
Ruth was a Major League Baseball pitcher, nicknamed "the Sultan of Swat" who played for 22 seasons on three teams, from 1914 through 1935 and King was leader of African-American civil rights movement inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. "In a land of chronic inefficiency,
New York: Saying that the credibility of the UN Security Council is at stake, India has sought a resultsbased timeline for reforms in the world organization's supreme decision-making body to give it a more equitable representation globally. "The exercise of UNSC reforms cannot be seen to be going on till the cows come home!" India's Deputy Permanent Representative Manjeev Singh Puri told the UN General Assembly last week, participating in a debate on increasing the council's membership. "Recent developments around the world have increasingly put to question not just the representativeness, but also the credibility of the UNSC is at stake," he said. "And the clarion call for change is only growing louder by the day." "All these are important tidings which cannot be ignored in our collective quest to achieve UNSC
UNSC reforms can't wait till cows come home: India New York opens first World Trade Centre tower One World Trade Centre tallest building in the Americas
reforms," said Puri, asserting that a results-based time line was needed. He suggested that 2015, marking the 70th anniversary of the UN as well as 10 years following the 2005 World Summit mandating early reforms of the Security Council, "will be an important occasion to deliver 'concrete outcomes' on this most pressing subject". Puri hoped that the UN "can collectively work together in a constructive and forward looking manner, not just on the process but as well as on the substance, in the interim, so as to deliver on this long due mandate". New York: The first new office tower at New York City's Ground Zero opened Wednesday, marking a rebirth of the Lower Manhattan site where old World Trade Centre towers were destroyed in the Sep 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The 72-story Four World Trade Centre becomes the first skyscraper that opens its doors for business on the original 16-acre site where about 2,700 people were killed in the terrorist attack on Twin towers, Xinhua reported. "Four World Trade is the first building to be completed within the borders of the original World Trade Centre, and is a testament to the strength and resiliency of New Yorkers," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the glass building. Next year, One World Trade will follow, helping to continue the revitalization of Lower Manhattan and its business community.
The Freedom Tower in New York is the tallest building in the western hemisphere at 542 meters, surpassing Chicago's Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) said Tuesday. The New York edifice, whose official name is One World Trade Centre, takes the title as tallest after including the spire installed this year, which raises it from 417 meters to 542 meters, leaving the 442 meters of the Chicago skyscraper behind. Once complete next year, the Freedom Tower will be the third tallest building in the world, trailing only the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the CTBUH said.
Manjeev Puri is new Indian envoy to Belgium, EU
anjeev Singh Puri, India's D e p u t y Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has been appointed the next ambassador to Belgium, it was announced Tuesday. An Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1982 batch, Puri will also be accredited as Indian ambassador to the Council of the European Union and The European Commission.
Manjeev Puri
TURN PAGE
Washington: President Obama is nominating Dr. Vivek Murthy of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Womens Hospital as surgeon general of the United States, the White House announced Thursday. Murthy is a hospitalist at the Brigham and is co-founder and president of Doctors for America, a Washington, D.C.-based group that advocates for access to affordable, high quality healthcare. When confirmed by the Senate, Murthy would replace acting surgeon general Boris Lushniak. The surgeon general serves a four-year term and the post is essentially a bully pulpit to speak
Indian American named US Surgeon General
Dr. Vivek Murthy is based in Boston, MA.
out on public health issues. Dr. Murthy has served President Obama on his advisory group on Preventive Health Promotion and integrative Public Health. Dr. Murthy has MD and MBA from Yale and undergraduate studies in Bio Chemical Sciences from Harvard. Indian American Forum for Political Education has welcomed Dr. Murthys prestigious appointment, saying he represents the next generation of Indian Americans. and we look forward to his leadership in changing the Face of Health of the Country in coming .
AIA holds Diwali event for kids

New York: The Association of Indian Americans NY celebrated Children's Diwali Program at the Glen Oaks Branch of Queens Public Library on Nov 8. The overflowing audience was treated to cultural performances by young students (age 3-12 years). Sunil Modi, president of AIA-NY, explained the importance of Diwali. Suvreen Kaur, Miss National America Preteen, spoke to the children about setting high standards and goals in life. She also requested the parents to help their children in fulfilling the children's dream and aspirations. The audience also participated in various crafts related to celebrating Diwali and were treated to Indian snacks. This event was organized by Anita Thakkar, wife of Harish Thakkar, vice president of AIA-NY.
Colombo: Britain's Prince Charles arrived in Sri Lanka Thursday for the Commonwealth meeting even as President Mahinda Rajapaksa pledged to "look into" charges of human rights abuses that have kept away the prime ministers of India, Canada and Mauritius from the summit. The prince will Friday represent the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth at the opening ceremony, and will host other Commonwealth events, including a reception for business leaders and a dinner for heads of government. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif too arrived here Thursday for Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Amid a boycott by the PMs of Canada and Mauritius who have
As Prince Charles arrives for CHOGM, Rajapaksa makes a promise
voiced concerns over human rights violations in Sri Lanka, and the absence of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Rajapaksa said he was willing to "look into" human rights issues surrounding the war that crushed the Tamil Tigers in 2009.
Rajapaksa told a media conference that ending the three decade old war had proved immensely beneficial for Sri Lanka, reports Xinhua. He insisted that his government had established adequate systems to tackle rights issues. "We have suffered for the last 30 years. All people suffered, but no one is getting killed in Sri Lanka now." Rajapaksa said he would be willing to impartially investigate allegations made against the military. The spotlight on Sri Lanka's human rights situation intensified after Rajapaksa was given chairmanship of the Commonwealth till the end of 2014. British Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to raise accountability issues with Rajapaksa.
Indian shares snap 7-day losing streak; RBI policy, state polls in focus
Mumbai: Indian shares rose 1 percent on Thursday, snapping a seven-session losing streak as lenders rallied after the central bank governor announced bond purchases, easing some concerns about losses in the sector tied to their heavy debt holdings. Shares also tracked a regional rally after U.S. FederalReserve Chairman nominee Janet Yellen said the Fed has "more work to do" to help the U.S. economy, spurring hopes she would opt to delay tapering of monetary stimulus if her confirmation is approved by the U.S. Congress. With reporting of JulySeptember earnings results largely over, traders said the focus will be on a series of state polls this month ahead of general elections next year, and the Reserve Bank of India's policy review next month. Data on Thursday showed India's headline inflation accelerated to an eight-month high of 7.0 percent in October, raising the prospect of a fresh rate hike despite the central bank governor's soothing words on Wednesday on core retail inflation.
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Stephen Labate announces Congressional run

cal electorate Labate noted, as Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Steve Israel is more concerned about electing candidates 3,000 miles away than with the issues that are affecting constituents here at home. After 12 years in office, Steve Israel has introduced 245 bills and only two have become law and they were for the renaming of post offices. That is a striking figure and begs the question, after so many years, what has Steve Israel ever really accomplished to help his constituents? It is for that reason I have decided to answer the call of duty in a new capacity so as to provide the type of focused leadership that Long Islanders deserve. I am excited for this race and look forward to an open dialogue; one that challenges the status quo of how politics is being done and to effectuate positive change within our communities in the 3rd Congressional District and across the country. The 3rd Congressional District encompasses parts of Nassau and Suffolk Counties as well as Queens, New York. Stephen Labate, a husband and father of two young children, has been deployed three times since the attacks of September 11, 2001 and as a financial advisor has earned the Certified Retirement Counselor Designation from the International Foundation of Retirement Education. Labate will bring a disciplined and thoughtful approach to governing that is sorely lacking today.
Julian Daley
Stephen Labate
New York: Stephen Labate, a financial advisor and Iraq War Veteran, has announced his candidacy for Congress in New Yorks 3rd Congressional District. Citing stalled economic growth and job creation, as well as the failed Obamacare initiative, Labate lambasted the current stalled Congress and its failures to set aside partisan grandstanding as driving factors in his decision to run. The status quo in Washington is simply unacceptable. We need to reign in wasteful spending, stimulate economic growth and work in a bipartisan manner to create common sense solutions to our national issues. As a soldier and a financial advisor, I want to represent Long Islanders in the 3rd Congressional District and challenge my fellow representatives to uphold their duty, Labate said. Pointing to a distracted Steve Israel as a slap in the face to the lo-
15 years in jail for teen accused in fatal attack on Prof Divyendu Sinha
New Jersey: One of five teens accused in the 2010 fatal beating attack of a New Jersey professor received a 15-year prison sentence Nov. 12 in New Brunswick Superior Court. Earlier this year, Julian Daley pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault in the June 25, 2010 attack on Old Bridge, New Jersey resident Divyendu Sinha, 49 at the time of his death. Daley entered the guilty plea with Middlesex County, New Jersey prosecutors, agreeing to testify against co-defendants Cash Johnson and Christian Tinli in exchange for a lighter sentence of 15 years. Had the case gone to trial, Daley would have likely received a 30-year sentence. Daley must serve seven and a half years of his state prison sentence before he is eligible for parole.
Washington,DC: Manhattan's Indian American US Attorney Preet Bharara has brought down yet another insider trader with a former Indian internet analyst Sandeep Aggarwal pleading guilty. Aggarwal, who admitted to providing inside information about a pending deal between Microsoft and Yahoo to a portfolio manager at SAC Capital, would be the 76th person convicted in Bharara's fouryear insider trading crackdown. Other prominent convictions obtained by Bharara, dubbed "Sheriff of Wall Street" by Time magazine, include those of India-born former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta and his Sri Lankan hedge fund billionaire friend Raj Rajaratnam. The manager, Richard Lee, pleaded guilty to insider trading in July and SAC this week agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges and pay a record $1.2 billion penalty. Aggarwal, 40, a former analyst for San Francisco-based Caris & Co, who has residences in San Jose, California, and in Gurgaon, in India's Haryana province, was accused of leveraging his tech industry contacts for the alleged misconduct in 2009. Aggarwal is also founder and former CEO of ShopClues.com described as India's first and largest managed marketplace. Last month, co-founder Sanjay Sethi took over from Aggarwal as ShopClues CEO. Aggarwal might face 25 years in prison when he's sentenced and may also be deported to India, although he has apparently agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in the hope of receiving a lenient sentence. FBI agents arrested Aggarwal last
Preet Bharara brings down ShopClues' Indian founder
Preet Bharara
July and charged him with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. A day later, Aggarwal was, however, released on a $500,000 bond. Harvard-educated Bharara, 45, has vowed to keep up his crusade, saying he has the "greatest job in the world" though he will "walk the earth and get into adventures" whenever he retires. "I am going to do this job as long as I can. I think I have the greatest job not just in the country but in the world. It has been four years and it has been a lot of fun and I am going to do this as long as I can," he said at the New York Times' Dealbook Conference in New York last week. Bharara said he would continue working on "those great and awesome prosecutorial tools" that have helped his office charge some of the most prominent and influential executives on Wall Street with insider trading. But when he does retire or gets "kicked out" of his job, he would want to travel the world and meet people. "I'm going to walk the earth," said Punjab-born Bharara, quoting a dialogue from the movie "Pulp Fiction".
he Consulate General of India, New York has been receiving number of complaints through e-mails, letters, phones and blogs regarding the consular services outsourced. We have taken note of these complaints some of which are of fairly serious nature. These concerns have been communicated to the service provider who has been asked to address them efficiently. These issues have also been brought to the attention of the concerned authorities. We are hopeful that the situation will be sorted out
CONSULAR NOTICE
CONSULAR FEE NOTICE

t has been brought to the notice of the Consulate General of India, New York that some of the applicants are asked to pay fees which are in variance with the prescribed fees for various consular services. The Consulate hereby clarifies that no one at the Consulate or at the service provider, through which the consular services have been outsourced, asks for fees different than the prescribed ones. The prescribed fees for various consular services could be seen at the websites of the Consulate(www.indiacgny.org) and the service provider
soon. Meanwhile the Consulate is trying to assist those requiring emergency consular services. For issues or complaints with regard to the consular services kindly approach the Consulate General of India, New York through official mail ids. For Passport: passport@indiacgny.org For Attestation & other Misc. Services: misccons@indiacgny.org For Visa: visa@indiacgny.org For OCI and PIO: ocipio@indiacgny.org
(http://www.blsindia-usa.com) If there are any issues/enquiries with regard to the consular services rendered by the Consulate directly or through the service provider kindly approach the Consulate General of India, New York through following email ids: For Passport: passport@indiacgny.org For Visa: visa@indiacgny.org For OCI and PIO: ocipio@indiacgny.org For Attestation & other Misc. Services: misccons@indiacgny.org
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IN BRIEF
IAAC to honor Salman Rushdie, Mira Nair & Dr Manjula Bansal at 15th Gala
he Indo-American Arts Council turns 15 this fall, and to celebrate the non-profit organizations numerous contributions of Indian performing, visual and literary arts to New York Citys diverse cultural landscape, the IAAC is hosting a gala celebration at the Angel Orensanz Foundation for the Performing Arts on Thursday, November 21. The IAAC will honour three outstanding Indian-Americans, author Salman Rushdie, filmmaker Mira Nair and Dr. Manjula Bansal, for their commitment and contributions to the global artistic community. Headlining the entertainment at the event is an Oscar-winning duo: singer/songwriter/composer Paul Williams (Oscar winner with Barbara Streisand for Evergreen) with pianist/composer Kenny Ascher, of Rain-
bow Connection (from The Muppet Movie) fame. Additionally, Exclusively.In will present a runway show featuring the creativity of iconic Delhi-based designer Manish Arora. The emcee for the evening will be comedian Dan Nainan, and some of the celebrities presenting awards and walking the red carpet include: chef and author Madhur Jaffrey, actor Sarita Choudhury (Homeland), writer and filmmaker Sabrina Dhawan, actor Sakina Jaffrey (House of Cards), author, screenwriter, producer Tracey Jackson, tabla artist and musician Suphala, Consul General of India Dhyaneshwar Mulay, Ambassador Vijay Nambiar, Ambassador Manjeev Puri, actors Reshma Shetty (Royal Pains) and Deep Katadare, just to name a few.
The Mayapuris performing sacred bhajan at the Diwali at Chapel event in Princeton University campus
AICI celebrates silver jubilee year

n Friday, November 8, Association of Indians in Construction Industry (AICI) had its annual Diwali gala celebrating 25th year of its glorious service to New York Citys construction industry. Started as a networking platform for Indian professionals, it has now blossomed into one of the largest gathering of its kind in New York City construction industry. This year also, 400-plus professionals from all walks of construction industry gathered for this eagerly awaited black-tie affair at Grand Hyatt Regency in NYC where Indians have been consistently outnumbered by main stream Americans for past 15 yrs. It was not only an evening of cocktail, dinner and entertainment but also an occasion to recognize outstanding professionals, dispense scholarship and honor one of organizations founding members like Mr. Siraj Bora. The support and patronage that AICI and its members have received from the Construction Industry over the years signifies the bond that has been forged between the Industry and Indian professionals. Highlighting it, the evenings Chief Guest, Mr Karl Anoushian, Senior V.P. of Structure
Sureshchandra Bahadkar passes away

ureshchandra Bahadkar was born on May 28, 1940 in Mumbai, India and passed on November 10, 2013 in Elmont, NY. Suresh was a pure and innocent soul and was happiest when surrounded by family and friends. By trade, Suresh was an exporter/importer of fashion textile until he retired in 2001. He was passionate about fashion and the performing arts. In fact, while in India, Suresh participated in numerous theatrical productions. Suresh lived an altruistic life. He received great joy and happiness by assisting not only his family, but also others in achieving great success. His concern for the welfare of others was a deep rooted
Vipul Bhatt, Karl Anoushian, Mahesh Hemrajani
Tone, (the biggest Construction Company in NYC), paid tribute to Indian professionals talent, skills and professionalism, and lauded their contributions. Mr Vipul Bhatt, the current President, in his speech expressed gratitude to the Industry on AICIs Silver Jubilee year and attributed all its success to the teamwork of its members. Mr Mahesh Hemrajani, the out-going Chairman welcomed the new Executive Committee and expressed hope that it will take the organization to new level of success with innovative ideas.
part of what defined his character. Suresh was an active member of the Indian community. Specifically, he volunteered and assisted in the coordination of various events for The Indian Association of Long Island, India Home, and Indian American Forum, Inc. Suresh was recently honored by India Home for his outstanding volunteering efforts. Suresh is survived by his wife, Jaya Bahadkar, his two children: Rahul Bahadkar and Rakhi Bahadkar, his sister, Pratima Chowdhari, and brother, Mohan Bahadkar. He was also a proud grandfather of Asha Bahadkar. A puja will be held at the Arya Samaj in Hicksville on Friday, November 15, 2013 at 5:30pm.
AIT to stream live telecast on internet

t was the night where all roads led to Katra, the Moroccan-themed lounge and restaurant on the Lower East side in Manhattan. The glitterati, all dressed to please, heralded an event that had an enormous impact on the Indian entertainment industry not only in America, but all over the world. It was the dual launch of Awesome Internet Television(AIT) and 3rd Rock International. AIT is the brainchild of Ritesh Parikh and Nutan Kalamdani. Entertainment in all its forms is not at all new to both of the coowners. They have dabbled in producing movies, television, event management, party promotions and talent management and everything in between. Awesome Internet Television is a 24-hour TV channel freely available online that will telecast worldclass entertainment while investing in lead-
Dr. Avtar Singh Tinna completes 22 marathons
n November 3, Dr. Avtar Singh Tinna ran his 22nd marathon. Since 1991, Dr. Tinna has been a regular in the 26.2-mile New York City Marathon running with his club Sikhs In America. Donning their signature t-shirts labeled Proud to be a Sikh the teammates run with their saffron (kesri) turbans, attracting an enormous crowd of spectators as they trek through the citys five boroughs. This year, in fact, a staggering 2 million spectators watched the event along on the citys streets and more than 315 million via international live broadcast. A new addition this year to Dr. Tinnas loud pageantry was the fact that he ran the entire race while carrying a Nishan Sahib, the sacred flag of the Sikhs. He ran this year alongside his two friends (and strong patrons of the community) Mr. Satnam Singh Parhar and Dr. Ashok K. Dogra. Dr. Tinna, a dentist by profession, main-
ing edge technologies and providing a platform for advertising and marketing opportunities. AIT will be available on TV, laptop, tablet or cellphone for free. AIT also boasts of an impressive Advisory Board consisting of veteran media person John Perry, Shailesh Jhalani, Paul Singh, Jeetender Singh, and Sunil Shah. Finally, Aarnavv Shirsat of 3rd Rock Entertainment and Director of India Operations for AIT, spoke a few words and introduced his company with a small video presentation. 3rd Rock launched its US division in New York - 3rd Rock International which will collaborate with Awesome Television as its strategic partner on many upcoming projects in the near future. Awesome Internet Television will officially launch on the Thanksgiving Day Thursday, November 28th, 2013.
Dr.Avtar Singh Tinna at NYC Marathon 2013
tains a practice in Queens, New York City. He was born in Punjab, India in the village of Seh Jhangi, Jalandhar. Having studied at DAV College in Jalandhar and graduating from Punjab Government Dental College and Hospital in Amritsar, Dr. Tinna moved to New York in 1980. He lives there today with his wife and four children.
Free concert Ragas and Rhythms
haranams will present a free public concert - "Ragas and Rhythms"on Nov 16, 2 pm onwards, performing original compositions of Nivedita Shivraj based on carnatic ragas and carnatic rhythm structures blended with different styles of world music. It will be held at Langston
Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center, 100-01, Northern Boulevard, NY The concert features Nivedita ShivRaj on veena, Marcus Cummins on saxophone, Jason Goldstein on guitar, Samyuktha ShivRajs vocals and Narendra Bhudhkar on tabla.
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Seven Indian-origin management Mysterious India-born investor gurus among Thinkers50 earns big from Twitter: reports
New York: A mysterious Indiaborn investor is said to be among the big winners from Twitter's initial public offering as its stock zoomed to $31.7 billion after its first day on the stock market, according to media reports. Suhail R. Rizvi, 47, runs a private investment company that is the largest outside investor in Twitter, with a 15.6 percent stake worth $3.8 billion at the end of trading Thursday, the New York Times reported. "Using a web of connections in the tech industry and in finance, as well as a hearty dose of good timing, he brought many prominent names in at the ground floor, including the Saudi prince and some of JPMorgan's wealthiest clients," the influential daily said. "Rizvi's rise illustrates how a new tech investor class with deep Wall Street connections is carving new paths into the unfamiliar and insular terrain of Silicon Valley,"
Prof Vijay Govindarajan ranked fifth on the list
Washington, DC: Seven Indian-origin academics figure among Thinkers50, described as the Oscars of management thinking published every two years with Indian-born thinker Vijay Govindarajan, known as VG, ranked fifth. Pankaj Ghemawat (11), Nirmalya Kumar (20), Nitin Nohria (21), Subir Chowdhury (40), Anil K. Gupta (44) and Rakesh Khurana (46) are the six other Indian-origin management gurus figuring in the rankings announced Monday in London. "Management thinking is no longer the preserve of the West," said Thinkers50 co-founder Stuart Crainer. "The last few rankings have seen an Asian invasion with the arrival of the Indian thinkers." Govindarajan, Earl C. Daum 1924 professor of international business at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, is described as "one of the world's leading experts on strategy and innovation". With co-author Chris Trimble, he coined the phrase "Reverse Innovation" to describe products and services designed for emerging markets and then imported into western economies. Govindarajan is also responsible for posing the question that sparked a global challenge to build a $300 house, which earned him the Thinkers50 CK Prahalad Breakthrough Idea Award in 2011. In 2013, he was shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Innovation Award. Nominated for the 2013 Thinkers50 Global Solutions Award for his Global Connectedness Index, Ghemawat (11) is based at New York's Stern school and IESE Business School in Spain. Prior to that he was the youngest full professor at Harvard Business School. His
2011 book "World 3.0" won the Thinkers50 Book Award. Nirmalya Kumar (20) is the recently appointed director of strategy at Tata Group. He was previously professor of marketing at London Business School and is the author of Private Label Strategy and India Inside, among others. "Prolific and insightful" Nitin Nohria (21), is the dean of Harvard Business School. His books include "Driven: How Human Nature Shapes our Choices" (2001); "The Arc of Ambition" (with Jim Champy, 2000. Subir Chowdhury (40) is chairman and CEO of ASI Consulting Group. Tagged "The Quality Prophet" by Business Week, Chowdhury is author of "The Power of Six Sigma: An Inspiring Tale of How Six Sigma is Transforming the Way We Work" (2001), and, most recently, of "The Power of LEO: The Revolutionary Process for Achieving Extraordinary Business Results" (2011). Anil K. Gupta (44) is the Michael D. Dingman Chair in Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Smith School of Business, the University of Maryland and a visiting professor at INSEAD. He is also chief advisor to the China India Institute, a Washington D.C.-based research and consulting firm. Rakesh Khurana (46), the Marvin Bower professor of leadership development at Harvard Business School, Khurana is probably best known for "Searching for a Corporate Savior: The Irrational Quest for Charismatic CEOs" (2002) and his 2007 book "From Higher Aims to Hired Hands: The Social Transformation of American Business Schools and the "Unfulfilled Promise of Management as a Profession".
it said. "His money and connections have also led to slices of several other hot start-ups: Flipboard, the social news app; Pinterest, an online pinboard; Square, Jack Dorsey's payments service; and Twitter, Dorsey's other company," the Times said. Rizvi was born in India and raised in Iowa Falls, Iowa, and although he is known as a quiet man, he has built a powerful and diverse group of friends from his perch in Greenwich, Connecticut, according to the Times. Those in his circle include Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, and Salar Kamangar, chief executive of YouTube. And Rizvi has been seen partying atop Eric Schmidt's yacht, the Oasis, at Cannes, it said. According to a Forbes profile, Rizvi has served as a member of the US business magazine's Board of Directors since April 2003.
Washington: A popular basketball team has launched Hindi version of its website as part of its effort to reach out to the large Hindi-speaking audience in India and in turn popularize the game in the country. The Hindi-edition of the website for Sacramento Kings has been launched a few months after Indian American Vivek Ranadive acquired majority ownership in the team. Ranadive said this this is part of his goal to make the Kings and NBA basketball a major attraction in India and in other Asian countries. "A key facet of our ownership group's vision is for the Kings to become India's home team," Kings president Chris Granger said.
Sacramento Kings launch website in Hindi
Washington, DC: Braving subzero temperatures, scores of Indian-Americans, some even driving a few hundred miles, gathered on the banks of the historic Potomac river in the suburb of the US capital over the weekend to celebrate the ancient Hindu festival of Chhath. Into its fifth year, the celebration of Chhath, which was initially started by a software engineer from Patna, the annual Hindu festival dedicated to worshipping the sun has now started attracting large numbers of the Indian American community and also from the small Nepali American community. "It has been an overwhelming response and the number of people coming to watch us performing Chhath Puja has been increasing every passing year," said Kripa Shankar Singh, who has been singlehandedly organizing the annual event for the past few years. A few of the Indian Americans, he said, drove from as far as Atlanta in Georgia, adding that there is demand from the community members to make it a larger event from next year. Singh's wife Anita Singh was joined by Manisha Singh, a Nepali-American, in performing the puja on the bank of the Potomac river on Friday evening and early Saturday morning when the weather was below freezing. Still several of the devotees were seen entering the chilly waters of the Potomac river to perform the Chhath Puja in traditional style with their early morning offerings to the Sun God. A huge tent was erected by Singh on the banks with bonfire and electric heaters being run through
Chhath Puja celebrated in US
portable generators to keep the scores of visitors warm on the chilly morning. It all started some six years ago, when Anita was asked by her mother-in-law in Bihar to do Chhath Puja come what may as this is something they could not afford to miss. Singh and some of his friends once went for a picnic on the banks of the Potomac River in Loudon County, a suburb of Washington DC. The concrete boat ramp there, Singh said, gave him the idea that the place was good for performing Chhath Pooja in the real way with all the traditional and religious rituals. Soon he approached the Loudon County Parks and Recreation Department with the details and sought permission to do the Chhath Puja on the river banks. "Permission was granted," he said, adding that the Loudon county is enthusiastic about supporting the Indian-Americans in organizing this rare festival outside India.
US AFFAIRS
Washington: Planting a paltry number on a national disappointment, the Obama administration revealed Wednesday that just 26,794 people enrolled for health insurance during the first, flawed month of operations for the federal Obamacare website. Adding in enrollment of more than 79,000 in the 14 states with their own websites, the nationwide number of 106,000 October signups was barely one-fifth of what officials had projected and a small fraction of the millions who have received widely publicized private coverage cancellations as a result of the federal law. The White House raced to reassure anxious Democrats who are worried about the controversial program, which they voted into existence three years ago and which seems sure to be a major issue in next years election campaigns. The administration, trying to regain the initiative, for the first time indicated a willingness to consider legislation to stave off the wave of cancellations thats compounding the website technology problems. Some Democrats are seeking changes in Obamas signature program, and key Republicans, many pressing for repeal, said that even Wednesdays feeble sign-up figures appeared to be pumped up. Administration officials and senior congressional Democrats expressed confidence in the programs future. We expect enrollment will grow substantially throughout the next five months, said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Even with the issues we've had, the marketplace is working and people are enrolling,
Obamacare sign-ups fall far short of goal
The model Adriana has asked for her face to be removed from the home page of the much-maligned Obamacare website after she was cyber bullied.
Sebelius said. The administration said an additional 1 million individuals have been found eligible to buy coverage on the markets, with about onethird qualifying for tax credits to reduce their premiums. Another 396,000 have been found eligible for Medicaid, the safety-net program that is shaping up as the health care laws early success story. For many Democrats, concerns over the cascade of website problems has been compounded by the focus on Obamas misleading promise that Americans who liked their health insurance plans could keep them under the overhaul. But millions of people are receiving cancellation notices. They have plans that for various reasons dont qualify for the laws grandfather clause protection against cancellations. Obama has said hes sorry that people are losing their coverage and has vowed to find ways to address holes and gaps in the law. Advisers originally said the White House was considering administrative fixes, not legislative options.
Washington: Congressional budget negotiators tasked with avoiding another government shutdown met in public for a second time Wednesday but reported little progress toward an agreement. Were trying to find common ground, but were not there yet, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R) said as he opened the meeting. The hard part is figuring out where we agree. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray, the lead Democratic negotiator, expressed more optimism, saying she and Ryan have had a number of private discussions about the parameters of a potential agreement. Im very encouraged, Murray said, adding: Im hopeful we will get to a bipartisan compromise very soon. At the very least, both sides hope to agree on a plan to replace sharp automatic cuts to agency spending known as the sequester with more considered reductions to other parts of the federal budget. That would permit Congress to set a funding level for federal agencies in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 and keep the government open past a Jan. 15 deadline. But the parties disagree about how to replace the sequester, which is set to reduce agency budgets by about $109 billion a year through 2021. Soaring health spending is an obvious target, but Democrats say they will take steps to reduce federal health benefits only if Republicans agree to close a few of the hundreds of loopholes that litter the tax code, reducing federal revenue by more than $1 trillion a year. Senior Republicans say they would rather live with the sequester despite an additional $20 billion cut scheduled to hit the Pentagon in January than agree to replace existing spending cuts with potential tax increases. Tax loopholes should be eliminated, they say, but the savings should be returned to taxpayers in the form of lower rates as part of a comprehensive overhaul of the federal tax code, not used to increase government spending.
Few signs of progress on a budget deal to avoid another shutdown
House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R) speaks with Senate Budget Committee Chair Sen. Patty Murray ( D) on Capitol Hill at the start of a Congressional Budget Conference.
These days, annual deficits are shrinking, and the debt is growing much more slowly. Lawmakers in both parties have grown weary of the partisan confrontations that have rattled consumer confidence and weakened an economy struggling to fully recover from the 2007 recession most recently by shutting down the government for 16 days. Though both sides say they are powerfully motivated to cut a deal and avoid another showdown, evidence of compromise was scarce Wednesday. One panelist, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), even questioned the need to replace the sequester, arguing that sequestration is working to ease Americas indebtedness. Republicans in the House who worry about scheduled cuts to the Defense Department are shortsighted, Grassley said, adding: The economic strength of our nation is a necessary precondition of our military strength. Panelists from both parties who serve on the House Appropriations Committee pleaded with their colleagues to set aside their differences and settle on a spending level for fiscal 2014 that would get rid of at least a portion of the sequester and let them pass appropriations bills for most agencies. Democrats and Republicans are only about $90 billion apart. Thats not that big a deal in a budget of $3.5 trillion, said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla).
New York: Twice as many Americans will be eligible for cholesterol-lowering drugs, based on controversial new heart guidelines from two of the USA's leading cardiovascular associations. The number of adults considered likely to benefit from statins will rise from about 15.5% today to 31%, according to the new criteria, developed by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, in collaboration with the
New heart guidelines could put more Americans on statins

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. While statins have been widely prescribed to reduce the risk of heart attacks, the new guidelines recommend that they also be considered for people at high risk of stroke. The guidelines also call for doctors to work closely with patients to improve their diets and increase exercise. Rita Redberg, a professor at the University of California-San Francisco, says she is concerned about exposing more patients to statins' side effects, which
include an increased risk of diabetes, as well as muscle pain. The average patient is likely to notice two major changes in the way that doctors manage their cholesterol, experts say. For years, doctors often prescribed statins based on patients' cholesterol levels, especially their LDL, known as "bad" cholesterol. The new guidelines advise doctors to base their decisions on a patient's overall risk, rather than just their cholesterol.
INDIA
AAP's foreign funding being 2 million defy Maoists, vote in Chhattisgarh probed: Shinde
Raipur: More than two million voters - or 67 percent of the electorate - defied Maoists to vote in the first phase of Chhattisgarh's assembly elections that marked the start of the biggest popularity contest ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Sporadic violence left a trooper dead. All through the day, men and women from the predominantly tribal belt of the sprawling Bastar region and Rajnandgaon district queued up to vote in an election in which the Congress is determined to end 10 years of reign by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). After Maoists called for a boycott of the exercise, ballotting began on a dull note -- at 7 a.m. in all 12 constituencies of Bastar and one in Rajnandgaon and an hour later in the remaining five seats in Rajnandgaon. Polling rapidly picked up as the day progressed. About 30-35 percent had voted by afternoon. By the time curtains came down, 67 percent of the 2.9 million voters involved in Monday's voting had exercised their franchise. A total of 143 candidates were in the fray in the 18 constituencies. "The poll process was marked by visible enthusiasm. It was largely peaceful. There were sporadic incidents of firing," Deputy Election Commissioner R. Balakrishnan said in New Delhi. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper V.C. Joseph, from the 186th battalion, was killed in a gun battle with Maoists at
AAP founder leader Arvind Kejriwal said similar yardstick should also be applied to the BJP and Congress.
New Delhi: The government is probing the source of foreign funding to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said. The AAP hit back, demanding a probe into the funding of the BJP and the Congress too. "We have got complaints about foreign funding to AAP and are probing the matter. Investigations take time, and we are looking for the source behind the funding," Shinde said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also said that foreign funding, if any, needed to be probed. "Foreign funding of a political party is not allowed, it should be probed," BJP's Ravishankar Prasad said. AAP founder leader Arvind Kejriwal said he was ready for any investigation but a similar yardstick should also be applied to the BJP and Congress. "They can probe us but they
should also investigate the funding of the BJP and Congress. The home minister should reveal the source of the Congress party's funding too," said Kejriwal. "We don't have foreign funding, we have NRI donors. We have put up details of all donors and audit report on our web site." AAP leader Kumar Vishwas challenged the government to prove them guilty. "There's no point in making allegations against us. I challenge both the Congress and the BJP to prove us guilty. We receive all our funds in a transparent manner," he said. "Both the parties are sacred of us," he added. A statement from the party later quoted the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) as saying that two-thirds of funding for political parties like the BJP, Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party is from unknown sources.
The `None of The Above' (NOTA) option, widely called the Right to Reject, made its debut in India in the elections
Dantewada. A Border Security Force (BSF) trooper was injured in a bomb blast in Kanker district while a bomb weighing some 10 kg was recovered in Bijapur, police said. To scare away voters, Maoists triggered multiple blasts in polling booths located in forested areas in Konta, Dantewada, Bijapur, Kanker, Antagarh, Bhanupratapur and Narayanpur areas. Balloting for the 90-member assembly in Chhattisgarh are being held in two phases Nov 11 and 19. The sprawling region where voting took place includes Bastar, which with around 40,000 sq km is bigger than the size of Kerala. Bastar accounts for 12 assembly constituencies and Rajnandgaon six. Together, this mineral rich
area -- with dense forests and Maoist hideouts -- is infamously known as the red zone. There was tight security at all 4,142 polling booths. Among these, 1,311 were declared "hypersensitive" and 1,517 "sensitive" -official euphemism to mean they were prone to violence. Director General of Police Ramnivas said 15 Improvised Explosive Devices or IEDs were recovered from different parts of Bastar. Chief Minister Raman Singh said the high percentage of voting revealed "enthusiasm" among voters which he added was a "good sign for the BJP". The `None of The Above' (NOTA) option, widely called the Right to Reject, made its debut in India in the polls.
BJP, Congress in close fight in Delhi: Survey

New Delhi: The BJP may get 25 seats, the Congress 24 and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) 18 in the Delhi assembly polls, says a Times Now-CVoters survey. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal is the most popular figure for chief minister's post with 34 percent people choosing him against incumbent Sheila Dikshit (31 percent) and Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Harsh Vardhan (24 percent). For Rajasthan, the survey says the BJP will gain seven percent vote share and get 112 seats. The Congress' tally is likely to come down to 65. Vasundhara Raje emerges popular with 58 percent voters choosing her compared to 24 percent opting for present Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. In both Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is seeing an upswing, but not enough to emerge the winner at the polls. In Chhattisgarh, the survey
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal is the most popular figure for chief minister's post
says, the Congress may gain three seats in the tribal belt. While the BJP has been forecast to come down to 40 seats from the present 50, it will still hold majority in the state assembly. In Madhya Pradesh, according to the survey, the BJP will get
126 seats, down from the present 143, and the Congress will get 88, up from 71. A total of 58 percent voters chose Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the chief minister compared to 23 percent who opted for Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Jaipur: Over 2,900 candidates filed nominations seeking people's mandate in the Rajasthan state assembly elections, scheduled to take place Dec 1, officials said. "A total of over 2,900 candidates have filed over 3,900 nominations for 200 assembly seats since Nov 5 as per the information available till 8 p.m. from across the state Tuesday," the officer added. He said maximum number of nominations were filed Nov 9 and Nov 11. As per the Hindu calendar, aspirants considered the two dates auspicious for filing nominations. State Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Pradesh Congress Committee president Chandrabhan were among the 861 candidates who filed their nomination papers Monday. Former chief minister of Rajasthan and state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Vasundhara Raje also filed her
Over 2,900 candidates file nominations in Rajasthan
nomination from Jhalawar district's Jhalrapatan constituency Monday. Accompanied by a crowd of supporters, Raje, while filing the nomination, vowed to change the "pathetic" present state of Rajasthan if BJP came to power. Scrutiny of papers will take place Nov 13 and candidates can withdraw nomination by Nov 16. "The fight is mainly between the Congress and the BJP, however NPP may hurt the prospects of both the political parties in at least 20-30 constituencies," said Vijay Sharma, a keen political watcher. Sharma said besides NPP, rebel factor may also hurt both the main political parties. "Rebel factor may hurt both the parties, but it might hurt BJP more as at least in 50-60 odd constituencies the party is facing problems," he said adding the party has already started to hold talks with these disgruntled leaders and picture would be clear after the withdrawals.
10
INDIA
EC notice to Modi over 'khooni EC unhappy with tone of Rahul's speeches panja' remark
New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi faced the displeasure of the Election Commission over the "tone, tenor and content" of portions of his two election speeches and was asked to be more circumspect in his public utterances in the future. The commission in its order took exception to portions of Gandhi's speeches last month at Churu in Rajasthan and Indore in Madhya Pradesh. The panel said it was not satisfied with the explanation given in Gandhi's reply. "Having regard to the totality of facts and circumstances of the case and submissions and contentions made by you (Rahul Gandhi) in your reply under reference, the commission conveys its displeasure and advises you to be more circumspect in your public utterances during election campaigns," the commission said in its order. "While the commission acknowledges the underlying intention and spirit of your impugned speeches to foster and promote communal harmony, it takes exception to the tone, tenor and content of the impugned portions of your speeches (extracted in the commission's notice) which are part of your said speeches," the commission said. "The commission considers that the aforesaid portions of your speeches were not in consonance
Narendra Modi has also used the term "jalim haath" (cruel hand) to describe the Congress symbol
New Delhi: Acting on a complaint by the Congress, the Election Commission issued notice to BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi over his "khooni panja" (bloodied paw) remark at a rally in Chhattisgarh, a reference to the Congress election symbol. The remark was made last week at an election rally at Dongargarh. Modi has also used the term "jalim haath" (cruel hand) to describe the Congress symbol. The Election Commission asked Modi to explain by 5 p.m. of Nov 16 why action should not be initiated against him for alleged violation of the model code of conduct The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),
however, maintained there was no violation of the election code of conduct."The Election Commission notice has reached us. We will go through the details and respond," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said. She said she wished to clarify that there was "no violation of the code of conduct in his (Modi's) statement". The Congress complained to the Election Commission that Modi's comment was "intemperate, malicious and defamatory"."The use of the expression 'khooni panja' is extremely significant and deplorable and has an effect of terrorising the public at large against the Congress," the Congress said in its petition.
Rahul Gandhi has been served notice by the poll panel for violating the model code of conduct
with the letter and spirit of the Model Code of Conduct which prohibits any speeches or statements which may tend to aggravate differences between different religious communities and which also prohibits criticism of other political parties on the basis of unverified allegations," the poll panel said in its five-page order. Gandhi was served notice by the poll panel on Oct 31 for violating the model code of conduct over his remarks made in Churu Oct 23 and in Indore Oct 24 in which he had charged the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) with instigating riots. He also said Pakistan's InterServices Intelligence (ISI) was trying to be in touch with riot victims in Muzaffarnagar. The BJP had complained to the poll panel over Gandhi's speeches. The panel said it had carefully considered Gandhi's reply Nov 8 and duly analysed his submissions. Gandhi had denied violating the model code of conduct and had sought to justify his remarks during election speeches, saying he had only criticized the policies and programs of BJP.
Washington: Describing Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi as the "poster child for India's failure to punish the violent", two US officials have wondered which India would prevail in 2014 elections. There are "two faces of India" suggested Katrina Lantos Swett, Vice Chairwoman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent commission created by an act of US Congress, and Mary Ann Glendon a USCIRF Commissioner in an OpEd published in the CNN website. The annual commemoration of end-of-year holy days from Diwali to the Islamic New Year to Christians "are a testament to India's remarkable religious diversity, they wrote. "Yet on the ground, in a number of key areas across the country, there exists a second, markedly less benign India." "Indeed, the governments and societies of several Indian states display unmistakable hostility to freedom of conscience and religion, especially for religious minorities," Swett and Glendon wrote noting "Over the past decade, hostility has often devolved into violence." "At least two factors have fueled the bloodshed anti-conversion laws and a failure to bring perpetrators to justice," the officials wrote. "But the poster child for India's failure to punish the violent remains Narendra Modi, who is Gujarat's chief minister - a post he held during the 2002 riots," they wrote noting in 2005 the US State Department had revoked Modi's visa at USCIRF's recommendation. The officials acknowledged that in April 2012, the Indian Supreme court's Special Investigative Team
Modi or Mahatma, who would prevail in 2014? Shinde for caution after
New Delhi: In an apparent suggestion to Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi following their speech controversy, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said remarks on sensitive issues should be made with caution. Speaking to reporters here, Shinde said one Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde should not make anti-law remarks. "One has to make such by accusing it of instigating commustatements carefully. One should not nal riots. Gandhi also said Pakistan's say those things which do not fall Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) was under the ambit of law," Shinde said trying to reach out to Muslims by September's in response to a question about con- affected troversial remarks made by Modi Muzaffarnagar riots. The Congress also moved the and Gandhi. Both Gandhi and Modi landed in commission last week demanding controversy over their election rally stern action against Modi over his "khooni panja" (bloody hand) barb speeches. Gandhi was served a notice by the at a rally in poll-bound Chhattisgarh. Shinde did not answer a specific Election Commission on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) complaint over query about Gandhi's remarks about his rallies in Rajasthan and Madhya ISI trying to get in touch with some Pradesh. Gandhi replied to the notice Muzaffarnagar riot victims. "I have said on a number of occalast week. The BJP had told the poll panel sions that I have nothing to say on that Gandhi violated the model code this," he said.
Rahul, Modi speech row
Which India will prevail - that of religious freedom or religious intolerance?
had failed to prove guilt against Modi and others in a case involving the deaths of nearly 70 people. "But he remains implicated in other Gujarat-associated cases that have yet to be investigated or adjudicated. That is why, more recently, 65 members of India's parliament wrote to President Barack Obama, requesting that he not issue Modi a visa," they said. "Sadly, despite all this, Gujarat's most controversial resident is the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party candidate in India's 2014 prime ministerial election," the two officials wrote. Noting " It was another son of Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi, who once offered a broad, tolerant vision for the country and its multi-religious society," they wondered, "So, as 2014 draws nigh, whose vision will be embraced?" "Which India will prevail - that of religious freedom or religious intolerance? Time will tell," the officials wrote.
INDIA
11
British PM open to meeting Modi

New Delhi: British Prime Minister David Cameron is open to meeting Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and said he will do so in time while his government goes ahead with steps to engage with him and his government. "We have started a proper engagement with Gujarat and with the first (Chief) minister there. Our foreign office minister has met with him... The connection is there, the engagement is there. I think the engagement should continue," he said at an interaction with Indian businessmen here on Thursday. Cameron, on a short visit to India ahead of the CHOGM meeting in Colombo, also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and held consultations with him on improving bilateral and trade ties between the two nations. Asked if he would like to meet Modi in the near future, Cameron said, "In time, yes. It's good to meet. We have an approach of meeting all politicians and leaders. In the end, it will be for the people of India whom to elect. But I'm open to meeting elected leaders."
Unbeaten Sachin takes India to 157/2, Day 1, 2nd Test

Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar kept his emotions in check and showed his genius for one last time in front of adoring fans with an unbeaten 38 as India seized early control of his 200th and final Test against the West Indies after a disciplined bowling display on Thursday. The 40-year-old maestro walked in to the middle amid thundering applause from the crowd and a guard of honor from his West Indies rivals as he showed glimpses of his vintage form to remain unconquered at close of an eventful opening day of his last Test. At stumps, India were comfortably placed at 157 for two after bundling out the hapless West Indies for a meagre 182 by tea, riding on left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha's fivewicket haul. While Ojha (5/40) grabbed the spotlight in the first half of the day, it was the retiring legend, who held center stage in the last session with his entire family and childhood coach Ramakant Achrekar watching from the stands. For India, openers Murali Vijay (43) and Shikhar Dhawan (33) posted 77 runs in quick time. The two were sent back by Shane Shillingford before Tendulkar and Cheteshwar Pujara (34) took control of the proceedings. India, leading 1-0 after winning the first Test in Kolkata inside three days, were just 25 runs behind West Indies at close of play raising doubts whether the match will go the full distance. Call him a picture of confidence or an epitome of concentration, Tendulkar was everything during his undefeated stay at the crease in which he faced 73 balls hitting six boundaries. Not only did he look in control but also helped Pujara (34 batting) gain in confidence as they added 80 runs in an unbroken third wicket stand. At exactly 3:33 pm,
Tendulkar walks out to bat in his final Test
India's most loved sportsman walked down the staircase of the pavilion to the deafening applause from the nearpacked Wankhede stadium with spectators on their feet after the fall of Vijay's wicket to welcome the legendary player. He acknowledged the 'Guard of Honour' from the West Indian cricketers, shook hands with rival captain Darren Sammy and umpire Nigel Llong and did what no one ever saw him do during a match. He touched the 22yard strip which has given him everything and sought its blessings, as mother Rajni Tendulkar, immediate family members and Achrekar watched from President's Box. A mistimed slog sweep got him off the mark and when Shillingford offered width, he rocked back to cut it past point for a boundary. Shillingford tried a doosra but Tendulkar read it early to hit that signature cover drive.
New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi wanted commission paid by defense suppliers to be used exclusively for the purpose of meeting expenses of running the Congress, a former CBI director has claimed in his autobiography. "Such a step would largely prevent the collusive nexus between the middlemen, ministers, bureaucrats and that such a step could enable the government to do away with the quid pro quo relationship with some unscrupulous businessmen and equally unscrupulous politicians and bureaucrats," writes Dr A P Mukherjee who was the CBI director in 1989-90. Mukherjee said Gandhi explained his position in a meeting on June 19, 1989, during a meeting between the two at the Prime Minister's residence. In 1987, Gandhi got embroiled in the Bofors scandal, in which people close to him where accused of taking kickbacks from the Swedish artillery gun manufacturer for an Indian Army contract signed in 1986.
'Rajiv wanted Bofors money to run Congress'
Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi
Mukherjee says Gandhi came to know towards the end of 1984 that some "senior officers of the armed forces had been surreptitiously collecting huge amounts of money as 'commissions' in respect of most of the defence purchases, quite often in connivance with some ministers, middlemen and civilian officers as well".
Chennai: India's Mars Orbiter was successfully raised to over 100,000 km apogee (farthest point from earth) this week, the space agency said. In a statement issued, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said: "Fourth supplementary orbit raising maneuverer of Mars Orbiter Spacecraft, starting at 05:03:50 hrs (IST) Nov 12, 2013, with a burn Time of 303.8 seconds has been successfully completed. The observed change in apogee is from 78,276 km to 118,642 km." The velocity added to the Mars Orbiter was 124.9 metres per second. The activity was additional one against ISRO's plans of having only six manoeuvres since a hitch was faced during the orbit raising activity Monday morning. The Mars Orbiter was not able to be raised to the required l e v e l M o n d a y morning as the fuel to the motors stopped when the systems were operated.
Mars Orbiter raised India to beat US in number of Internet users to over 1 lakh km
India is also expected to overtake the US as the second largest internet base in the world by the same time.
New Delhi: The number of internet users in India is expected to rise 18.53% in the coming eight months to reach 24.3 crore by June 2014, on the back of higher adoption of mobiles as a means to access the internet, a report said. India is also expected to overtake the US as the second largest internet base in the world by the same time. "The report estimates that by June 2014, India will have 243 million internet users, at which point of time, it is expected to overtake the US as the second largest internet base in the world," the I-Cube 2013 report, released by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International said. At present, China leads with more than 300 million internet users while the US has an estimated 207
million internet users. The report said the number of internet users in India has reached 20.5 crore as of October this year, registering a year-on-year growth of 40% over last year and by December 2013, it is expected to reach 21.3 crore. "The internet in India took more than a decade to move from 10 million to 100 million and only 3 years from 100 to 200 million. From here on, we can hope to develop a robust internet ecosystem with a multitude of local and global players and a thriving Internet economy," said IAMAI chairman Rajan Anandan. The report said internet access from mobile devices will see huge growth in the coming years. "Mobile internet is going to be the next game changer for internet in India." it added.
12
INDIA TOURISM
By Prakash Bhandari
North, South India most preferred year-end tourist destination: ASSOCHAM

This Christmas and New Year, resort regions of Goa, Pondicherry, world-famous backwaters of Kerala and other coastal areas, apart from hilly states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh would see the tourist rush with tour operators offering top-up freebies.
Jaipur: The hospitality industry in India is reporting a significant revival in occupancy rates and the tourism trade is expecting over two million tourists to make voyage to renowned tourist destinations of North India, followed by South for Christmas & New Year celebrations, reveals the survey of ASSOCHAM, an organization in India of business and industry. The preferred destinations include Shimla, Kinnaur, Lahaul and districts of Spiti, Chamba, Kangra, Nainital, Kullu-Manali, Mussourie, Dalhousie, and Kashmir. Rajasthan, as always, will remain a favorite and places like Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner will see a mix of domestic and foreign tourists. Besides, the top destinations in south would include Ooty, Mysore, Pondicherry, Rameshwaram and Goa, and Mahabaleshwar in the west, according to the survey. ASSOCHAM carried out the survey in ten major cities like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Thiruvananthpuram and Ahmedabad and interacted with as many as 4,500 people including frequent travelers, professionals, travel trade and the agents booking foreign tourists. According to the estimates made by the ASSOCHAM based on feedback received from various tour operators, bookings for Christmas and New Year eves celebrations have
already begun from both inland and overseas tourists. Of the 4,500 participants 68 per cent preferred to visit parts of northern India to enjoy their New Year festivities as the hilly region is likely to witness mild snowfall on the New Years Eve 2014. On the other hand, almost 28 per cent potential travelers preferred to visit coastal regions of Goa, Pondicherry, Kerala, Thiruvananthpuram, Rameshwaram etc and about 10 per cent desired to visit areas like Ooty, Mahabaleshwar, highlights the survey. The travel trade is showing signs of revival as seen in
improvement in bookings. Hoteliers in the region said that they are witnessing improved bookings both from domestic and overseas travelers, adds the survey. Releasing the findings of ASSOCHAM survey, Chamber's Secretary General, D.S. Rawat said, There is a steady increase in hotel occupancy mostly in North India and other traditional tourist destinations. Festive season and pick up in economy should be given credit for improvement in hotel occupancy and the hotels are cashing in on buoyancy. He further said that resort
regions of Goa, Pondicherry, worldfamous backwaters of Kerala and other coastal areas, apart from hilly states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh would see the tourist rush with tour operators offering top freebies. The impact is already being seen by way of 35-40 percent increase in tariffs for hotel accommodations as food & beverage costs are also running up by nearly 30-35 percent, from the bottom witnessed last year. The survey further point out, the tourist movement would start from the second half of December, mostly for the domestic tourists while foreign travelers would be seen increasing from the end of November itself. During last Christmas, Goa happened to be the highly congested tourist spot because it provided competitive tariffs. This year, the trend is more towards tourist spots that are comparatively cheaper as tariffs for hotels accommodation have jumped up by nearly 35-40 percent with food and beverages cost also going up by nearly 20-25 percent in larger towns and metros. It is not only the party buffs who are planning holidays during the New Year but also many families that are going on pilgrimage. Tirupati, Guruvayoor, Mantralayam, Dharmasthala, Kukke Subramanya, Kollur, Sringeri, Horanadu and other pilgrim centers in the south are the favorites for many families for the New Year holiday, adds the survey.
Goa may go Mexico, Colombia way, fears Congress

Panaji: Already known as a narco-tourism destination, Goa could go Mexico or Colombia way, where "elected" drug lords would call the shots, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Pratapsing Rane said here Monday. Rane was addressing a press conference at the state Congress party headquarters in Panaji. Asked if the state was going the way of Mexico and Colombia, where drug cartels rule the roost, Rane said: "It could go". The question was asked against the backdrop of gang wars between Nigerians and local drug mafia, which spilled out on Goa's roads over a week ago. "Because if you see the kind of money they are making, one day they could fight elections and we will be ruled by drug lords," said Rane, a former chief minister whose tenure spanned nearly two decades. A gang war between Nigerian and native narcotics gangs spilled in the open on Oct 31 resulting in a murder of a Nigerian and was followed by a conflict between the Africans on one side, and locals and police on the other. The BJP-led coalition government, which has been criticized for being unable to rein in the drug mafia, has ordered a crackdown on Nigerians following the public clash. Two persons owing allegiance to the local drug mafia have also been arrested for the Nigerian's murder. Rane said that whether it is a drug mafia involving foreigners or locals, the state crackdown should be severe. A recent legislative committee report on drug trade has indicted Rane's senior colleague and former home minister Ravi Naik and his son Roy, linking the duo to Goa's drug lords. The report also identifies state Director General of Police Kishen Kumar as the "kingpin" who protects and shelters the drug mafia.
Patna: Airports, railway stations and bus terminuses have been packed with milling crowds as hundreds of thousands of migrants from Bihar, who work all over the country and abroad, have returned to their homes in Bihar to celebrate and infuse "new life" to the four-day Chhath festival, the state's biggest community celebration. The returnees also give a huge boost to the rural economy. A group of factory workers - Lakhender Rai, Suresh Choudhary, Raju Paswan, Maheshwar Singh and Saryu Yadav - who reached Patna railway station Wednesday from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh were happy to be back. "Now, I will leave for my village in Vaishali district. For this day I have worked hard for months... Finally, I will be with my family and friends to celebrate Chhath," said Lakhender Rai, in his mid 40s, who works in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. Maheshwar Singh, in his early 30s, too was upbeat. "I am really lucky to be with my family in Arwal district nearly after a year to celebrate Chhath. There is nothing like this," Singh who works in a factory near Hyderabad, said. They are just two of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who plan to enjoy a few days in their villages before returning to earn their livelihood. According to police officials, more than two million migrant workers have already reached
Chhath festival drew tens of thousands of migrants back to Bihar
their homes. The four-day Chhath festival is celebrated six days after Diwali. Millions of people, most of them married women, throng the river banks in the morning to bathe before preparing traditional food. Chhath is dedicated to Surya, the Sun god. During the festival, married women observe a fast for 36 hours. Devotees offer wheat, milk, sugarcane, bananas and coconuts to the gods. The main ritual is known as arghya -- when devotees stand waist-deep in water and offer prayers to the Sun god on the banks of rivers. This is the season when Biharis insist on being in Bihar. "Thanks to the coming of migrant workers in Bihar, mostly in rural areas, for Chhath, it has added a new life to the festival and given fresh oxygen to socio-economic activities. Each migrant worker brings some (money) that increases the purchasing power and boosts economy during and after Chhath...," said Ranjeev,
an activist who is associated with the floodprone Kosi belt of north Bihar that has witnessed large-scale migration for livelihood. Ranjeev said that not just families but traders and shopkeepers too in rural areas wait for the arrival of migrant workers during Chhath. "Soon after their arrival, the rural economy picks up momentum as they invest to complete pending work including construction (and) to purchase items for marriage," he said. Suresh Choudhary, Raju Paswan and Saryu Yadav, who migrated in search of livelihood, recalled that earlier they had to wait for hours to reach their native villages due to bad roads. "With good roads constructed in Bihar in the last five to six years, we are no longer worried about how to reach home. Even electricity has come to my village early this year," Yadav said. According to experts, it is difficult to estimate the number of laborers from Bihar working in various parts of India. Most of the Bihari labor concentration is said to be in Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Assam, Rajasthan and Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Pune also have a sizeable number of people from Bihar. Most migrants from Bihar work in farms, factories, construction and infrastructure sites and do many other jobs. Many are also professionals - and are counted among the best in the field.
OP-ED
13
Modis done it again

By Karan Thapar hen the BJP said Modi would make history, did you realise he would literally make it up? Pertie was laughing but it was a telling point. If only someone like Zeeks had taught him he wouldnt have made so many silly errors and embarrassed himself. Zeeks was our history tutor at Doon School. The affectionate nickname is how generations of Doscos remember KB Sinha. His history classes were memorable because they were not only enjoyable but also immensely educational. That Pertie could spot Modis historical errors is a tribute to Mr Sinha. Modis made so many bloomers Im losing count of them. These days, it seems, each time he speaks he manages to get something wrong. Im tempted to start a catalogue and call it Thus spake Modi! The truth is history is not the only subject where Modis lack of accuracy has begun to haunt him. But, so far, it is the most embarrassing. Even teenagers know that after defeating Porus, Alexander sailed down the Indus and departed India. He never entered the Gangetic plain leave aside face defeat in
Oops!
Bihar. Any admirer of Ashoka and they run into hundreds of millions will tell you his grandfather, Chandragupta, was a Maurya. How come Modi didnt know that? And even if to his ears it sounds exotic, Taxila hardly sounds Bihari. Unless, of course, he thinks of Bihar as another country! However, the list of Modi mishaps is not only longer but delightfully undiscriminating. Speaking about China, in tones that suggested admiration, Modi claimed 20% of its GDP was spent on education. The truth is about a fifth of that. So, do you suppose, he doesnt know China as well as he thinks? Pontificating about the economy which he claims to have handled with exemplary skill in Gujarat Modi declared that in 1947 one rupee was equal to one dollar. The gullible believed him but, alas, he was, once again, wrong. At the time, the rupee was tied to the pound. This meant you needed just over three to buy a dollar. I accept it requires a bit of mathematical calculation to work this out but is that too much to expect of the man the BJP hopes will be our next prime minister? Even the facts of Sardar Patels life a man he not only admires but seeks to emulate are at times beyond his grasp.
The BJP has reportedly alerted Narendra Modi's media team to watch out for any bloomers
The Sardar did not propose reservations for women in the Ahmedabad Municipality in 1919, as Modi claimed at the inauguration of the Vallabhbhai Patel Memorial Museum, an occasion when he should have known what he was saying, but in 1926. So, could it be he doesnt know his hero as well as he thinks? You know what Zeeks would have said if Modi had been in his class? I could sense Pertie was about to reveal his considered conclusion of Modis many mistakes. Consequently, I deliberately didnt answer
and waited for him to speak instead. Silly boy! Pertie roared with laughter, no doubt remembering how often that had been said of him. If you dont know what youre talking about its better to keep quiet. That reminds me of something Abraham Lincoln is supposed to have said. I was desperate to have the last word! Its better to keep your mouth-shut and seem a fool than speak out and remove all doubt. Dont be unkind to Mr Modi, said Pertie, deflating my pomposity. He could be our next prime minister.
Nehru-Patel: Secular-communal divide can't be ignored

By Amulya Ganguli
he BJP's "mentor", L.K. Advani, can be credited with having taken the initiative to blow away the cobwebs which have surrounded the debate on Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel by recalling an episode which claims that the then prime minister had called Patel "a true communalist". For all the attempts by commentators to downplay the perception of India's first deputy prime minister as anti-Muslim, the belief down the decades has been that he tilted more towards the Hindus than Muslims as when he said that the former had had the better of "them" during the pre-partition Calcutta riots. It stands to reason that if Patel had not been a "true communalist", the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would not have touched him with a bargepole. Nor would the party's current he-man mourned, on behalf of Indians, the loss which the country has purportedly suffered because Mahatma Gandhi chose the "wrong" person to be the prime minister. It also stands to
The present attempt to pretend that Nehru and Patel were basically on the same page is an essay in politeness rather than an acknowledgement of the hard reality.
reason that Gandhi would not have made his critical selection if he knew that the Sardar, the title he chose for Patel, was the right man. For the Mahatma, however, who embodied the pluralist heritage of Asoka and Akbar, the choice of Patel would have carried the risk of India's disintegration on the lines of religious nationalism. As it is, Gandhi was mortified by his own failure to prevent partition, which he had vowed to allow only over his dead body.
His failure, however, was not only due to the fact that he had become a "back number", as he sadly acknowledged, but also because even his most ardent disciple like Nehru thought that the Mahatma had lost touch with reality when he proposed Mohammed Ali Jinnah's name for the post of prime minister to Mountbatten. Moreover, as Nehru later admitted, he himself had pushed for partition along with Patel because it provided the only chance to politicians of
his generation to attain power before they became too old. It is in the context of the crashing of Gandhi's dreams that his rejection of Patel in favor of Nehru can be understood with greater clarity. The partition made the Mahatma all the more aware that in the atmosphere of communal animosity, only a genuinely secular person could keep India united. That Patel did not belong unambiguously to this category was not unusual in a party which had a strong pro-Hindu lobby, including stalwarts like Madan Mohan Malaviya, who had campaigned in a local election in U.P. against Motilal Nehru on the grounds that the latter ate beef. This lobby would have been strengthened if Patel's move in 1949 to incorporate the RSS in the Congress had succeeded. The obscurantist, communal and a proHindi zealot, in Jawaharhal Nehru's words, Purushottam Das Tandon was a leading member of this group, but he nevertheless became the Congress president in 1950 with Patel's backing, defeating Nehru's preferred candidate, Acharya Kripalani. Nehru had
vowed at the time to rid the Congress of the views which Tandon advocated. It is for history to judge whether he succeeded, but a major reason why the Congress of today is known more for corruption than communalism is that Patel's outlook has been appropriated by the BJP while the Congress has adhered to secularism, though of a warped variety because of its emphasis on preferential treatment of minorities. The present attempt, therefore, to pretend that Nehru and Patel were basically on the same page, and that any differences between them were marginal, is an essay in politeness rather than an acknowledgement of the hard reality. The Hindutva camp is aware that the idea of the left-right, secular-communal divide between the two towering personalities of the independence movement is a part of the Indian mindset and that it will be unrealistic to try to ignore it. The absurdity of closing one's eyes to the reality will be evident from the impossibility of presenting Nehru as communal while it is much easier to see Patel as communal.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
14
DIASPORA
Toronto: Canada has remembered the sacrifices of Sikhs who served in the armed forces at a solemn function attended by Indo-Canadian MP Parm Gill on behalf of the country's Minister of Veterans Affairs Julian Fantino. The program 'In Remembrance: The Sikhs,' was hosted by the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada in Brampton in Ontario province Sunday. "Our government values and honors the contributions, accomplishments and sacrifices of all veterans, including Sikh Canadians who served with bravery and distinction in times of war, conflict and peace," said minister Fantino. "During Veterans' Week, we pay tribute to all Canadian Veterans
Canada remembers Sikh war veterans
Disappointing start to Indian diaspora meet in Australia

Sydney: Despite the Indian diaspora in Australia, New Zealand and Pacific island nations numbering more than 800,000, the Indian government's regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) in Sydney has been able to attract no more than a mere 350 delegates. The event was inaugurated Nov 11 at the Sydney Convention Centre. With over 140 speakers expected to take part in various panel discussions over the three days it is being held, it was disappointing to note that the organisers could not promote the positive message of connecting the diaspora. Attendees at the opening day of PBD Sydney were disappointed and appalled by the lack of planning and the poor attendance for this much anticipated event. The common grievances bandied about at the meet were the lack of input sought by the Indian High Commissioner in Australia Biren Nanda from the local diaspora on issues of interest to them in their lives as "pravasi Bharatiyas" (overseas Indians). Instead the program seems to have been hijacked by business interests which were more focused on business issues, rather than people-to-people concerns. "This was meant to be about the regular Indian in overseas countries, not about trade and business which seem to be the main focus of these three days," commented one attendee, who did not wish to give his name. The other point of contention was the decision to run the event on weekdays, rather than over a weekend. This
and continue to honor those who serve our country today in areas of conflict," the minister added. Gill said that the Canadian government was dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices and achievements of the brave Canadians whose legacy is the peace and security we continue to enjoy today." "I congratulate groups like the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada who continue to honour those who have sacrificed courageously defending the ideals and values we share as Canadians," he added. The Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada's objectives are to educate Canadians of the history of the Sikhs through exhibits and lectures.
A nearly empty Sydney Convention Centre where the regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, organized by India's Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, got under way Monday. (Photo: Indian Link)
meant that many could not attend due to work commitments. Participants, who have attended previous PBDs, were also not impressed with the delegate admission fee of A$425. This is almost double that of previous regional PBDs, Munish Gupta, managing editor of PIO TV and a delegate from the US, noted. Break-out sessions were also poorly attended with an average of btween 20 and 50 people in each session, almost a quarter of them being speakers.
Indo-Canadian woman alleges racism in Vancouver bar

Toronto: An Indo-Canadian woman has alleged that she faced racism at a bar in Vancouver. Jas Dhillon alleged that she and her friends - all Indo-Canadian women - arrived at The Charles Bar in the Gastown neighborhood of Vancouver Oct 19 evening to celebrate her 26th birthday but were greeted with nothing but rude service, the south Asian news portal Vancouver Desi reported Sunday. The bar manager allegedly shouted at them, "Surrey's that way!", which, according to Dhillon, was a reference to the city in British Columbia that is home to a large population of Indian descent. She said that the manager of the bar shouted at them when they sat at another booth after finding that where they were sitting did not have enough chairs. The manager allegedly said she would be kicked out if she did not go back to her table. "To be honest, we don't think that kind of stuff still happens, Dhillon told Vancouver Desi. To have that happen in Vancouver, in our own hometown - we were just shocked, she added. Dhillon said that the last thing that she wanted to do was leave as
it was her birthday, and she did not want to ruin the party. Dhillon alleged that the rudeness continued, when Roop Khangura, a friend of her, on approaching the manager to ask if there was a miscommunication, was told that she and her friends were "the most f...ing annoying table" and they might be asked to leave. Khangura said she and her friends then decided to find somewhere else to go. She alleged when she was walking down the street, the manager screamed Surrey's that way!'" One of Dhillon's friends posted the review on Facebook Nov 4 and in less than a day it garnered more
than 185 shares, 56 likes and 31 comments. After the flood of support, Dhillon wrote to Blueprint, the company that owns The Charles Bar, but she was not happy with the response. In the e-mailed reply, it was stated: "Please accept my sincere apologies for the negative experience that you and your group of friends had at the Charles Bar." It added that the company has begun looking into the matter and will be taking action to ensure that our establishments continue to remain up to our standards." Dhillon dismissed the response from Blueprint as a generic reply.
Pointe-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe): The picturesque little island of Guadeloupe in the French Caribbean celebrated Diwali with a difference - giving it a cultural, spiritual and economical dimension-to make it an attractive tourist and investment destination. For three days last month, I'ile Papillon or the 'Butterfly Island", discovered by Christopher Columbus during his second voyage to America in November 1493, donned the colors of India showcasing its culture and cuisine. Not far from an old sugar factory in the town of Le Moule, where the forefathers of the Indian immigrants brought by the French from their five territories in India 150 years ago toiled for years as near slaves, green park in Gardel was turned into a little India. Besides the traditional puja, yoga demonstrations, Bharatnatyam, Bollywood and chutney dances, the celebrations organized by Michel Narayaninsamy, President of Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), Guadeloupe also included business conferences and meets. Over 3000 people of all shades and faiths participated in the festival of lights in the spirit of its motto, "better know, better understanding and better
Butterfly Island in the Caribbean celebrates Diwali
The picturesque little island of Guadeloupe in the French Caribbean celebrated Diwali with a spectacle of Indian dances.
living together" with the theme of "Tolerance and Sharing." The event attracted talented musicians from southern India, half a dozen dancers from Trinidad and several artists and personalities from the Indian Association of France led by its president Mani Balane. GOPIO and IAF plan to sign a partnership agreement soon. To make the Diwali festival an additional tourist attraction Narayaninsamy announced plans to have a four day Diwali 2014 event from Oct 23 to 26 in Guadeloupe with an international dimension.
HONOR
15
LI hospital honors Dr Shashi Shah on its 50th anniversary

A top urologist in America, Dr Shah was honored by Franklin Hospital at its Golden Jubilee celebrations, acknowledging his 37 years distinguished service at this NS-LIJ System hospital. Dr Shah has also held various top offices in AAPI.
By Parveen Chopra
r Shashi Shah feels proud to be chosen by Franklin Hospital to honor at its 50th anniversary celebrations last month. It was fitting acknowledgement of his dedicated service for 37 long years to the hospital which is part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. Speaking to The South Asian Times, Dr Shah remembered how it all started in the late 1970s. He was doing his residency in surgery and urology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and used to moonlight at Franklin. Following his board certification in urology, he got a job offer from Kentucky and was ready to move when the Chairman, Department of Surgery, at Franklin dissuaded him from moving and guided him to set up his own practice. Dr. Shah still remembers his first challenging surgical case in private practice at Franklin Hospital on September 6, 1978 with the assistance of his cohonoree Gary Walter; a friendship that has grown down the years. Since 1976, Dr Shah has held many positions at Franklin, including as President of the Medical Staff and as a member of the Board of Trustees & Community Advisory Board. Currently, he is the Chief of Urology and Chairman of the Medical Executive Committee. Dr. Shah is very proud of the excellence in urology care that he has provided throughout his time at Franklin Hospital. In 1982, he showed an early promise as one of the top urologists in the US by performing the first successful percutaneous nephrostolithotomy surgery on Long Island with the guidance and encouragement from Dr. Arthur Smith of Long Island Jewish Hospital. Today, Franklin Hospital is proud to be an extension of the Arthur Smith Institute of Urology, known as a top urology institution in the world. Dr Shah affirms that Indian origin doctors have got a great reputation and are fully assimilated in the medical mainstream in America. It helps that they are proactive in fraternal groups. They are also reaching leadership positions in hospitals and state medical societies. For example, Dr Jatin P. Shah is the Chief of Head and Neck Surgery Department at Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center in New York. Dr Kanti Rai was elected President of the American Society of Hematology. And the Health Commissioner of New York State is Nirav Shah; earlier Dr Poonam
Dr Shashi Shah on a round in Franklin Hospital in Valley Stream, NY.
On behalf of Franklin Hosptial, Dr Shah was presented the citation by Michael Dowling, President and CEO of North Shore-LIJ Health System. In the photo are seen Cathy Hottendorf, Exec Dir of Franklin Hospital, Mr Dowling, Drs Shashi and Pushpa Shah, and Health Commissioner of Nassau County Lawrence E. Eisenstein.
Alaigh held that post in New Jersey. Shah, when they were both students Discussing some other crucial at Sawai Man Singh Medical aspects of being a physician in College in Jaipur, Rajasthan. America, Dr Shah points out that Following him to America, she too the medical liability laws in did her residency at Albert Einstein Dr Shashi Shah warns South Asians against consuming America is a double-edged sword. College of Medicine but in Rehab samosas, bujiya and sweets, which should be consumed It is a deterrent against malpractice, Medicine. Her Fellowship in sparingly during festivals. If we are not careful, genetiall right, as every doctor is account- Cardiac Rehab Medicine was at cally we tend to put weight around the tummy, he says. able for his or her actions. But it is Columbia University in New York He also cautions vegetarians that milk and paneer and also overdone, and pushes up the City. After practicing for some ghee contain animal fat. He even busts the myth of exercosts, he argues. So there is a need years, she retired to devote her time cising for losing weight. Exercise can tone up the body, for reform. to her family and the many commubut the best way to lose weight is by eating less, cutting He also feels that the burgeoning nity organizations she represents. down on fried foods, and consuming more fruits and amount of documentation and comBoth Shashi and Pushpa Shah vegetables. Not just diabetes, South Asians are also pliance is taking a lot of doctors take an active role in the Indianprone to heart diseases, he warns. time. A simple clerical error in American physicians community, coding services can make you being Founding Members of the Trustees for AAPI and is past for office bearers of community accused of fraud. It is a cause of Rajasthan Medical Alumni Chairman of the National AAPI organization, which promotes democratic as against autocratic funcdoctor stress and adds to the num- Association (Rajmaai). Pushpa Charitable Foundation. As for socio-cultural organiza- tioning. Residents of Manhasset in ber of hours they are supposed to Shah even served as Rajmaai presiwork. dent. Dr. Shashi Shah is a founder tions, Dr. Shashi Shah has served as Long Island, Drs Pushpa and Dr Shah agrees that all in member and Past President of the President of the Association of Shashi Shah are proud parents of America should have health insur- American Association of Indians in America (AIA-NY) and two sons: Rishi, 39 and Rahul, 34. ance, but does not fully support Physicians of India Origin, Long is Vice President of RANA Rishi is in the business of entertainObamacare. Island Chapter. Currently, he sits as (Rajasthan Association of North ment. Rahul is an investment adviHe also approves of the sudden Chairman of the National Board of America). He is all for term limits sor and married to Anjani. growth in the number of urgent care clinics coming up, which are cost effective. This keeps away less serious patients from emergency wings of hospitals, he says. Fall in hospital beds numbers and in turn the bottom lines of hospitals - he ascribes to the fact that fewer procedures now require hospitalization. Dr Shashi Shah met Dr Shah with Immediate Past President of AAPI, Dr his wife, Dr Pushpa Narendra Kumar, and Congressman Steny Hoyer during Dr. Shashi and Pushpa Shah with their sons, Rishi and
Health advice for South Asians
AAPI Legislative Day in Washington.
Rahul, and Rahuls wife Anjani.
16
FAREWELL SACHIN TENDULKAR
Even as the 'Master Blaster' draws the curtains on an illustrious career, millions of his fans at home and abroad wish the 'God of Cricket' an emotional goodbye as he pads up to play his 200th and last Test match at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Would he defy the history and make a deserving hundred?
Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar may have chosen to draw the curtains on a glittering international career before his adoring fans at hometown Mumbai's Wankhede stadium, but the master blaster's Test record at the ground is quite a few notches below his best. Also, he has time and again missed out on deserving hundreds after good build-ups. Besides that Mumbai is his home town, Tendulkar may have decided to opt for Wankhede for his 200th and farewell Test match guided by a desire to fulfill the wishes of his unwell mother Rajni and coach Ramakant Achrekar, who wanted to watch the legend's swansong from the galleries. The India-West Indies Test match began on November 14, but Tendulkar needs to be cautious on a ground where he twice got out in the 70s, once in the 80s and on a couple of occasions in the nervous 90s. But it's not been all bad, as the batting great lifted the 2011 World Cup here. The batting legend enjoys a great first class record - 3,534 runs with a highest of unbeaten 233. But in 10 Tests here, Tendulkar has got 847 runs, highest being 148 (against Sri Lanka in 1996-97), at an average of 47.05, a far cry from his impressive record at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, or Chennai's M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. In his first Test on his home ground in 1993 against the Mike Gatting-led England, Tendulkar was batting on 78 but was trapped leg before by Phil Tufnell. A year later, turning out against the West Indies, Tendulkar was in sight of his eighth Test century, but suffered a soft dismissal on
Fans want Sachin Tendulkar to break a 15-year jinx to score his second hundred on his home ground, to bring his fairytale career to a befitting end.
85, edging Carl Hopper's gentle off-spin to wicketkeeper Junior Murray. Finally in 1997, skipper Tendulkar got his only Test century at the Wankhede, a fine 148 in the first innings against Sri Lanka. But it was completely overshadowed by a magnificent 173 by Sourav Ganguly and the match ended in a draw. Three years later, against the South Africans Tendulkar struck a valiant 97 in the first innings when the Indians collapsed for 225 runs. Three short of a heroic century, the Mumbaikar edged veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. In the same match, Tendulkar turned his golden arm to pick up three wickets for 10 runs, as the South Africans were skittled out for 176 in the first innings. But South
African skipper Hansie Cronje and Shaun Pollock ran through the Indian batting in the second innings, and the visitors went on to register a four-wicket win. The next outing came in the historic 2001 series against the all conquering Australians, led by Steve Waugh, who were on a record 15-match win. Tendulkar defied the Aussies to top score with a fine 76 but the Indians were bowled out for 176 runs in their opening essay. Australia won the match by 10 wickets. Millions of Tendulkar fans would be hoping their hero would break a 15-year jinx to score his second hundred on his home ground, to bring his fairytale career to a befitting end. Many hands would go up in supplication and many heads would bow down in prayer, for sure.
Sachin has not overstayed: Gilchrist Sachin's departure intense loss for cricketing world
Washington: As Sachin Tendulkar plays his farewell Test match in Mumbai, two columnists in the New York Times have paid rich tributes to India's "cricket God" saying there would be an intense sense of loss in the cricketing world after his retirement. In an OpEd titled "Where the Gods Live On ... and On" Tunku Varadarajan, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, noted "Tendulkar, whom everyone calls Sachin, is the most revered cricketer in India." "In fact, it would be entirely accurate to describe him as the most revered contemporary Indian, or even, with only a pinch of hyperbole, the most revered Indian since Mahatma Gandhi held the nation in thrall." "Suspend your disbelief and think of him as a cross between Babe Ruth and Martin Luther King," Varadarajan wrote. "In a land of chronic inefficiency, he was remorselessly efficient; in a land with a global inferiority complex, he was the best in the world; in a land where public figures are strutting peacocks, he was often a picture of painful humility; in a land that thirsts for self-respect, Sachin spelled pride," he wrote. In a separate piece titled "Tendulkar Stepping Away From
Pakistan batting legend Javed Miandad recently said that Tendulkar overstayed, much like he did.
New Delhi: Australian great Adam Gilchrist feels Sachin Tendulkar has not overstayed in international cricket and is happy to see the master blaster calling time on his phenomenal career at home. "What Sachin has been contributing to that Indian team is special. It is not just about the runs," Gilchrist, who is here as the brand ambassador of University of Wollongong, said at the Australian High Commission. "Ricky Ponting contributed well in his last few years for Australia by just being there in the dressing room, the learning and education he passed on to the youngsters. Sachin has been of the similar mindset, his commitment and professionalism would have had a great effect on the team. I am sure the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will vouch for that."
Pakistan batting legend Javed Miandad recently said that Tendulkar overstayed, much like he did. "I think it (the retirement) has fallen perfectly with his 200th Test in Mumbai. I would say his timing as usual is class," said Gilchrist when asked whether Tendulkar should have retired after the high of winning the 2011 World Cup, a sentiment voiced by former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan. Though 'Gilly' will not be at Wankhede for Tendulkar's swansong, he has seen the best of him from close quarters. "My best on-field memory of Tendulkar is when he got out cheaply against us in the 2003 World Cup final," joked the 41-year-old. On a serious note, he recalled the Australian summer of 1999 when the hosts whitewashed India in the three-match Test series.
Sachin Tendulkar plays his farewell Test match in Mumbai
Cricket, but His Impact Remains" Huw Richards wrote "Sachin Tendulkar's ability to generate mind-numbing numbers has survived to the very end of his prodigious career." Much of Sachin's greatness comes from the fact he consistently fulfilled the expectations he carries in India and among the Indian diaspora, he wrote noting, "Few players
have left so comprehensive or so potentially enduring a mark in the record books." "If there is a doubt where he ranks historically, consider that Tendulkar was the only active player named by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack to its all-time team last month. The sport's leading chronicle had 150 years of cricket to choose from," Richards wrote.
FAREWELL SACHIN TENDULKAR
17
Some memorable moments
End of an era of excellence

By Dr Akshat Jain lose to a billion eyes will be reciting their prayers for the master blaster as he plays his last Test match in International cricket at his home turf on November 14 at the Wankhede in Mumbai . An overview of statistics reflecting the career achievements of the maestro reveal how far ahead of the competition he was. His endurance and patience in the game is second to none, and playing first class cricket for over 2 decades he has set the benchmark for young cricketers way higher than his predecessors did. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar began his international
career against arch rivals Pakistan on their home territory in Karachi in November 1989. He was only 16 years old. Un-intimidated and full of confidence, he took on his opponents with such fierceness that the world had to sit back and take notice. Sachin had arrived with a bang. Sachin has been described as the best icon the game has even seen. Cricketers of the likes of Wasim Akram, Shane Warne, and Brian Lara have time and again saluted his prolific stroke playing, sportsmanship, consistency and master all round cricketing. Sachins career statistics show the enormousness and wide expanse of the records he has broken over the years .
Tests ODIs T20Is First-class List A Twenty20
Mat 199 463 1 309 551 96
Inns 328 452 1 489 538 96
NO 33 41 0 51 55 11
Batting and fielding averages

Runs 15847 18426 10 25322 21999 2797 HS 248* 200* 10 248* 200* 100*
Ave 53.71 44.83 10.00 57.81 45.54 32.90
BF 21367 12 2310
SR 86.23 83.33 121.08
100 51 49 0 81 60 1
50 67 96 0 115 114 16
Tests ODIs T20Is First-class List A Twenty20
Mat 199 463 1 309 551 96
Inns 144 270 1 8
Balls 4228 8054 15 7593 10230 93
Bowling averages
Runs 2484 6850 12 4376 8478 123 Wkts 46 154 1 71 201 2
BBI 3/10 5/32 1/12 3/10 5/32 1/12
BBM 3/14 5/32 1/12 5/32 1/12
Ave 54.00 44.48 12.00 61.63 42.17 61.50
Econ 3.52 5.10 4.80 3.45 4.97 7.93
Keep things simple for Sachin: Dhoni tells team

Mumbai: India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had a special advice for his team mates who want to do something special for Sachin Tendulkar, who plays his 200th and farewell Test against the West Indies beginning here Thursday -- keep it simple.As far as the team is concerned, wed like to keep it simple. That would be a big thing. Everyone wants to do something special, if we can keep it simple, that itself would be special. If someone does something simple when everyone else is trying special, thats good. We have a few things in our mind, but I think cricket is very important first and foremost. Were going to concentrate on it and enjoy it, said Dhoni on the eve of the match at the Wankhede Stadium. Dhoni said it was important for Tendulkar to enjoy his swansong. Id like him to enjoy, because you can't guarantee performance. Of course, you can say (hope he gets) a hundred, a double hundred, a triple hundred or 500, whatever. But at the end of the day the most important moment is that it is his last Test match. Its important that he enjoys this and hopefully gets us a few wickets ... You can get a bit of turn and bounce on this Mumbai wicket, said Dhoni.
INCREDIBLE FACTS FROM SACHINS CAREER 1. There is a 45-year age gap between the oldest and youngest international cricketers against whom he has played. 2. 52 international hundreds from 1996 to 2002, almost twice as many as the next most prolific centurion in the same period. 3. Highest run getter in test matches (15,847 as on 8 November 2013) 4. Highest run getter in ODIs (18,426). 5. Most number of centuries in Test matches 51. 6. Most number of centuries in ODIs 49. 7. First player to score 200 runs in an ODI. 8. He is the only player to be in top 10 ICC Batsmen ranking for 10 years in Tests.
9. MAN OF THE MATCH AWARDS FOR SACHIN

# Opponent 1 Australia (59 matches) 2 Bangladesh (10 matches) 3 England (27 matches) 4 New Zealand (38 matches) 5 Pakistan (61 matches) 6 South Africa (50 matches) 7 Sri Lanka (65 matches) 8 West Indies (38 matches) 9 Zimbabwe (34 matches) 10 Kenya (10 matches) 11 Namibia (1 match) Total (470 ODI matches) Total 12 1 2 6 8 5 6 9 8 4 1 62 Home 6 0 1 4 2 4 1 3 0 2 0 23 Away 1 0 1 2 1 1 2 1 4 0 0 13
18
ART & FILM
Sign painter of Bronx becomes a pioneer mosaic artist

By Parveen Chopra
fter migrating to America, the man from Moga in Punjab became a signmaker to make a living. But the artist in him could not be suppressed for long. Some five years ago, he started working in a rare genre called mosaic art. Already he is recognized as a pioneer because his creations are more a painting than an artful assemblage of glass pieces. Harjeet Singh Sandhu took this correspondent recently to his workshop in the basement of his house in Queens where he is currently working to give finishing touches to his portrait of Mother Teresa. It may look finished, but I have yet to create the wrinkles to make her come alive, said Sandhu. Sandhus mosaic art musters both the imagination of an artist and the brawn of an artisan. Often, my fingers start bleeding from cutting and handling glass pieces, he says. His artworks height ranges from 2-4 feet. It takes him almost a year to finish one mosaic. Consequently, he has completed only a few so far including a portrait of Baba Farid, the Golden Temple, Mayor Bloomberg and now Mother Teresa. He took his finished works at considerable personal expense for solo shows in Punjab early this year. The show at Punjab Kala Bhawan in Chandigarh was opened by Nek Chand, who gave the city its chief tourist attraction, the Rock Garden. Nek Chand
Harjeet Sandhu working on the mosaic creation of Mother Teresa in his basement studio.
Sandhu taking Nek Chand around the exhibition of his works in Chandigarh. In this mosaic painting of the Golden Temple the viewer can see the movement of water in the reflection.
also honored him on behalf of the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi. Baba Farid was Sandhus first mosaic. This 12th century Sufi saint-poet lived in the part of Punjab from which Sandhu also hails. Faridkot is named after the saint and to a museum there Sandhu has gifted the mosaic. Three-term Mayor Bloomberg he chose as a subject because, He is my mayor, Sandhu told the New York Daily News. Some things he does, sometimes people dont like it. But I think what he does for the city is very good. The 2-foot tall portrait of Bloomberg is in a dapper blue suit, complete with a small American flag pin on his lapel. In the Golden Temple mosaic, Sandhus artistry and paintstaking
Sandhu's portrait of Mayor Bloomberg.
work has created the movement of water around the reflection of the famous landmark. A sketch of President Obama is also lying in his workshop, obviously ready to get his mosaic treatment. Id finish it before Obamas second term gets over and would love to present it personally to him and see it hang in the White House, says Sandhu who is also planning portraits of Sikh gurus. Mother Teresa and Obama mosaics are certain to bring him fame and enough traction for a successful show which he is planning in New York. Getting recognized in America as an artist is quite a journey for Sandhu who was a physical education teacher in Moga. Pursuing a masters in fine arts, he
went on to become a successful sculptor and painter. He moved to the US in 1985 after the anti-Sikh riots, opened a sign painting shop. But mosaic beckoned. "I feel mirrors reflect the intrinsic beauty of anything," Sandhu says. Mosaic Art Supply of Georgia says this about Sandhu on their website, What makes Sandhu's mosaic portraits of Mayor Bloomberg and Baba Farid amazing is that they are made from ordinary 3/8-inch vitreous glass mosaic tile, which is only available in a limited number of colors. Sandhu was able to use this limited color palette to render two completely different skin tones in a realistic way -- something of a tour de force.
What About Our Men?' asks Teenaa

The largest democracy in the world still fails to provide justice to the victims of 1984 Sikh riots. One generation was lost to the organized massacre and the other is being lost to drugs, say a new documentary.
On October 31, 1984 the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot dead by her bodyguards who were Sikhs. In the next three days, mobs killed more than 3000 Sikhs in Delhi and rest of India. The unofficial numbers state more than 30,000 Sikhs were killed in different parts of India. This was a State organized massacre as the courts remained closed during the four days of violence. Some questions which still remain unanswered are: Why were the ministers, judges, babus not in public office during those days? How did the killers of innocent men have voters lists in their hands? Why did the Indian Army arrive on the third day and not before that? Why are the victims deprived of justice even after decades? How can the
accused not just walk scot-free but also come to power?'' Speaking to The South Asian Times about the inspiration behind making the documentary film, 'What about our Men?', Teenaa Kaur says, I grew up listening to the angry stories from my mother about 1984, but was not quite sure why and what had happened. The only thing I was certain of was that something was gravely wrong. My uncle was traveling in a train to Patni in Madhya Pradesh, when his hair was cut forcefully but he managed to escape. Though he managed to live, he could never come to terms with the loss of his identity. My family could never forget this violence. I grew up hearing this story of pain and helplessness. She further adds, This documen-
tary shows young men whose fathers were killed in the massacre of 1984. I chose young men in their late twenties as the principal characters to understand if the massacre has any affect on the people who were barely born at that time. The documentary trails lives of the widows who though illiterate are the sole bread winners of the family as their sons have taken to drugs and do not work. The story unfolds in layers and many subtle things about the identity of Sikhs come to focus. This is the story of one generation lost to massacre and another being lost to drugs! Teenaa Kaur Pasricha was born in Ajmer and is currently involved in working on environment issues for a National TV Show. Amongst her prominent films is the
one on the theme of environmentfriendly crafts that was broadcast on National Geographic and Fox History channels recently. Her debut documentary, 'Hola! The Mighty Colors' was screened at Sikh International Film Festival, New York. The documentary film, What about our Men? was selected for DOCEDGE, 2012
Teenaa is currently looking for people who can help her screen this film in the US and Canada. She can be reached at teenaakaur@gmail.com. www.whataboutourmen.wordpress.com; www.greenearthpictures.in
SUBCONTINENT
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Chennai: The Tamil Nadu assembly has again urged the central government to totally boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) being held in Colombo. The assembly asked New Delhi not to send any representative for the foreign ministers' meeting on November 13 or CHOGM summit from Nov 15-17 in Colombo while respecting the sentiments of Tamils. Later, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa sent a copy of the resolution to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to act immediately on it. According to the resolution passed unanimously, India's participation in CHOGM would mean that the country accepts the inhuman
India should boycott CHOGM: Tamil Nadu

president to head CHOGM for the next two years which Tamils would not tolerate. It referred to the earlier resolution passed in the assembly urging the central government to take steps to suspend Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth till the island nation takes steps to grant Tamils all political rights that Sinhalese there enjoy. The assembly expressed its deep regret at the Indian government's decision to depute a delegation, led by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, to attend CHOGM despite the Tamil Nadu assembly's request that India must boycott the summit. The central government's decision to keep away Manmohan Singh from the summit does not comfort
The central government's decision to keep away Manmohan Singh from the summit does not comfort Tamils
acts of the Sri Lankan regime vis-avis Tamils.
Not only that, India would be blamed for enabling the Sri Lankan
Tamils or respect their sentiments and is "very saddening", it said. Jayalalithaa said India should take steps to impose economic sanctions on the island nation. She said that a July 2011 assembly resolution had called upon the central government to impress upon the United Nations to declare those who carried out "war crimes" in Sri Lanka as war criminals. The reference was to the killing of a large number of Tamil civilians during the final stages of Sri Lanka's war that crushed the Tamil Tigers in May 2009. Colombo has denied charges of "war crimes". In March this year, another assembly resolution urged the central government to stop declaring Sri Lanka as a friendly nation.
Respect India's sensitivities, Pakistan told
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid at the Asia-Europe Meeting
Gurgaon: Taking a stern view of "unfortunately counterproductive" moves by Pakistan, including its leader meeting Kashmiri separatists, India said that if Islamabad was serious about holding a meaningful dialogue it would have to respect "India's sentiments, point of view and sensitivities". External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, addressing media persons here on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), also said that India had "done a great deal" to build public opinion in favor of dialogue with Pakistan. He was referring to the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in New York Sep 29. India had decided to go ahead with the dialogue despite an outcry at home over the killing of five Indian soldiers Aug 6 on the Line of Control by Pakistani soldiers. Khurshid held a half-hour-long
bilateral meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Advisor on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz. Aziz later also met National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon in South Block in New Delhi. During the meeting, Khurshid raised the issue of Aziz meeting Hurriyat leaders, including Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik, and leaders of both moderate and hardline Hurriyat factions - Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani. The three had been invited by the Pakistan High Commission to meet Aziz on Sunday. Aziz is understood to have told the separatists that Pakistan would continue to provide moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashimiris and asked the Hurriyat leaders to help bring the Kashmir issue back to the negotiating table. Aziz had sought a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but was declined an audience.
Karachi: Close on the heels of being granted bail in four major criminal cases, former president Pervez Musharraf petitioned a court to allow him to leave Pakistan to visit his ailing mother in Dubai. The application asked the Sindh High Court to strike Musharraf's name from the Interior Ministry's Exit Control List. His lawyer A Q Halepota said Musharraf wants to go to Dubai to meet his 95-year-old mother, who is seriously ill and unable to travel. Different courts have confirmed the 70-year-old Musharraf's bail in all cases against him and he wants to be with his mother after being freed, Halepota said. Musharraf's inclusion in the Exit Control List is a violation of his fundamental rights, he added. The application further asked the High Court to modify an earlier order restraining Musharraf from leaving Pakistan without permis-
Musharraf asks court to let him travel to Dubai
Former Pak president Pervez Musharraf is now free to travel
sion from courts hearing cases against him. A division bench headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah issued notices to the Deputy Attorney General and Sindh's Advocate General and Prosecutor General, asking them to respond to the application at the next hearing on November 18.
In Islamabad, Musharraf's spokesperson Aasia Ishaque said he was exercising his constitutional right to travel out of Pakistan. "He is exercising his constitutional right as he has received bail in all the cases. In his plea, it is mentioned that his mother is very ill and he would like to visit her," Ishaque told.
Islamabad: Pakistan government admitted that its all contacts with the Taliban were broken following the recent killing of the militant organization's chief in a US drone attack. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told Pakistan parliament that all contacts with the Taliban militants have broken after the Nov 1 drone attack which killed the Pakistan Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud. The remarks came days after Pakistan Taliban refused to talk to the government after the drone attack. He also told the National Assembly or lower house of the parliament that the dialogue process could not move forward if the US continued drone attacks.He expressed satisfaction that during the debate in the House there was wide consensus that the dialogue process should continue and the drone strikes should come to an end in any case.
Contacts with Taliban broken: Pakistan
Dhaka: The apex body of Bangladesh's woven garment manufacturers decided to shut down all garment factories in Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka following workers' unrest over wage hike. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) after violent demonstration by tens of thousands of garment workers in Ashulia. "We've decided to shut down our factories in Ashulia area due to security concerns," said Salam Murshedy, leader of the association. Like the last couple of days, tens of thousands of workers Tuesday morning took to the streets demand-
Bangladesh apparel makers decide to shut factories
ing a minimum monthly wage of 8,114 taka (about $104). Over 100 people, including policemen, were reportedly injured as the unruly labourers fought pitched battles with the police in Ashulia for hours. "Almost all the 782 factories in Ashulia area suspended their production Tuesday fearing violence," said Badrul Alam, chief of Ashulia police station. The Bangladeshi government Nov 4 recommended 5,300 taka (about $68) minimum monthly wage for the country's four million garment workers -- nearly 77 percent hike from the existing monthly pay.But the country's garment factory owners Monday rejected the proposed minimum wage.
20
INTERNATIONAL
Philippines typhoon death toll at '2,000-2,500'
Philippine officials have been overwhelmed by Haiyan, one of the strongest typhoons on record
Tacloban: The death toll from Typhoon Haiyan's rampage through the Philippines is closer to 2,000 or 2,500 than the 10,000 previously estimated, President Benigno Aquino said as US and British warships headed toward his nation to help with relief efforts. "Ten thousand, I think, is too much," Aquino told CNN in an interview. "There was emotional drama involved with that particular estimate." Aquino said the government was still gathering information from various storm-struck areas and the death toll may rise. "We're hoping to be able to contact something like 29 municipalities left wherein we still have to establish their numbers, especially for the missing, but so far 2,000, about 2,500, is the number we are working on as far as deaths are concerned," he said. The official death toll stood at 1,774. Philippine officials have been overwhelmed by Haiyan, one of the strongest typhoons on record, which tore through the central Philippines on Friday and flattened Tacloban,
coastal capital of Leyte province where officials had feared 10,000 people died, many drowning in a tsunami-like wall of seawater. Aquino revealed the lower estimated toll after the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington set sail for the Philippines carrying about 5,000 sailors and more than 80 aircraft to accelerate relief efforts. It was joined by four other US Navy ships and should arrive in two to three days, the Pentagon said. "The weather is pretty bad out there, so we are limited by seas and wind," Captain Thomas Disy, commander of the USS Antietam, a missile cruiser that is part of the carrier group, said in Hong Kong. "But we are going to be going as fast as we possibly can." Relief supplies poured into Tacloban along roads flanked with corpses and canyons of debris as the rain fell again. Rescue workers scrambled to reach other towns and villages still cut off, which could reveal the full extent of the casualties and devastation.
London: Sexual harassment, high rates of female genital cutting and a surge in violence and Islamist feeling after the Arab Spring uprisings have made Egypt the worst country in the Arab world to be a woman, a poll of gender experts showed. Discriminatory laws and a spike in trafficking also contributed to Egypt's place at the bottom of a ranking of 22 Arab states, the Thomson Reuters Foundation survey found. Despite hopes that women would be one of the prime beneficiaries of the Arab Spring, they have instead been some of the biggest losers, as the revolts have brought conflict, instability, displacement and a rise in Islamist groups in many parts of the region, experts said. "We removed the Mubarak from our presidential palace but we still
Egypt worst Arab state for women: survey
Discriminatory laws and a spike in trafficking also contributed to Egypt's place at the bottom
have to remove the Mubarak who lives in our minds and in our bedrooms," Egyptian columnist Mona Eltahawy said, referring to Egypt's toppled dictator, Hosni Mubarak. "As the miserable poll results
show, we women need a double revolution, one against the various dictators who've ruined our countries and the other against a toxic mix of culture and religion that ruin our lives as women."
Washington: The US is not "blind" or "stupid" in pursuing a deal over the controversial nuclear program in the Islamic republic, US Secretary of State John Kerry said. The statement came as world powers were engaged in "serious" talks with Iran over its nuclear program. Kerry made the remarks after three-day intensive talks in Geneva between Iran and Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany, the so-called P5+1, narrowed their
US not 'stupid' in pursuing deal with Iran: Kerry

differences but failed to produce an interim deal amid hyped expectations. The two sides agreed to meet again Nov 20 at the conclusion of their talks. "This is the first time that the P5(1) had come together with this kind of a serious set of possible options in front of it, with a new Iranian government," Kerry told NBC's "Meet the Press" programme in Geneva. "This is a new overture, and it has to be put to the test very, very carefully," he said. "Some of the most serious and capable, expert people in our government, who have spent a lifetime dealing both with Iran as well as with nuclear weapons and nuclear armament and proliferation, are engaged in our negotiation," he added. "We are not blind, and I don't think we're stupid." Israel and some hawkish US lawmakers have inveighed against the proposed deal with Iran, in particular the potential relaxation of some sanctions against Tehran.
London: Switzerland, retained its top spot in the financial secrecy index (FSI), unveiled by the Tax Justice Network on November 7. It was followed by Luxembourg, Hong Kong, Cayman Islands and Singapore. This ranking is based on a combination of a country's secrecy score and a scale weighting based on their share of the global market for offshore financial services. Thus, for instance, even though Mauritius had a secrecy score of 80 as it accounts for less than 1% of the global market for offshore financial services it was ranked lower at 19, against Singapore which had a lower secrecy score of 70 points but was ranked at fifth position on the FSI. From India's perspective, if one analyses the top investing countries, countries that are perceived to be non-tax havens also rank high on FSI. While Mauritius is the top investing country when it comes
Switzerland retains top spot in financial secrecy index
to foreign direct investments ( FDI) into India, those next in rank are Singapore, UK, Japan and USA and these have an FSI rank of 5, 21, 10 and 6 respectively.Among the top ten investing countries into India, Mauritius, UAE and Switzerland have a secrecy score of more than 70, with Singapore scoring an exact 70.
Damascus: The Syrian opposition coalition has conditionally agreed to attend the Geneva II conference designed to end the country's bloody conflict, a statement said. "A consensus has been reached among the coalition members about the need to take part in the Geneva II conference," the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) said in the statement issued after two days of talks in Istanbul between different opposition groups. The conditions put forth by the SNC for attending the conference are a guarantee from the Syrian government to allow relief agencies to enter besieged areas and release of political prisoners. The coalition also required a guar-
Syria's opposition to participate in Geneva II conference
antee that any political conference should lead to a political transition in Syria, according to the statement. The SNC had been divided on whether to attend the meeting and the conditions to go to Geneva, leaving the date of the Geneva II conference up in the air. The Syrian government said it would take part in the conference without preconditions. The Arab League has called on the Syrian opposition to attend the Geneva II conference and form their delegation as soon as possible. China, India and Russia have stressed the need to find a political solution to the Syria crisis when the foreign ministers of the three countries met in New Delhi
BUSINESS
21
PepsiCo to invest $5.5 bn in India by 2020
PepsiCo Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Indra Nooyi
New Delhi: Global beverage giant PepsiCo said it will invest Rs.33,000 crore ($5.5 billion) in India by 2020 to expand its manufacturing and distribution capacity in Asia's third largest economy. India is a country with huge potential and it remains an attractive, high-priority market for PepsiCo, PepsiCo Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Indra Nooyi told reporters. She said the investment will be made in expanding manufacturing capacity, agriculture, infrastructure and innovation. We have built a highly successful business in India over the course of many years, and we believe we have only scratched
the surface of the long-term growth opportunities that exist for PepsiCo and our partners, Nooyi said. This investment is PepsiCos vote of confidence in Indias future and it represents our deep commitment to this great country, she said. US-based PepsiCo that entered into the Indian market in 1990 has invested so far $2 billion in the country. PepsiCo plans to increase manufacturing capacity to meet the growing demand for its foods and beverages. PepsiCo and its partners plan to expand their production capacity in India to more than double current levels by 2020, a company statement said.
Seoul: Samsung Electronics became the world 's No.1 handset seller across all continents in the third quarter, winning the title for the first time in the company's history, a US-based market researcher said. Samsung ranked first in terms of global handset sales in the third quarter in all six continents, including North America, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Eastern Europe as well as Middle East and Africa, where Samsung beat Nokia for the first time. Samsung sold a total of 120.1 million mobile phones across the globe in the third quarter, taking up the market share of 28.6 percent. The company sold 15.8 million mobile phones in the Middle East and African region during the quarter, higher than Nokia's 14.7 million sales. Samsung's market share in the region was 36.4 percent, jumping from 24.4 percent last year. In Western Europe, difference of market share between Samsung and Nokia widened to 27.7 percentage points in the third quarter, with the gaps in Latin America and Eastern Europe gaining to 13.4
Samsung becomes world's top handset seller
Samsung ranked first in terms of global handset sales in the third quarter in all six continents
percentage points and 14.4 percentage points respectively. In the North American region, Samsung's market share declined 3. 4 percentage points in the third quarter due to the launch of Apple's new models, but the South Korean company maintained the No. 1 position in the region with a market share 9 percentage points higher than Apple's.
Mumbai: A benchmark index of Indian equities markets fell for the sixth consecutive session and tanked 209.05 points or 1.02 percent over concerns that the US Federal Reserve may scale back its bond purchases earlier than expected. Selling pressure was observed in banking, metal, auto, capital goods and oil and gas sectors, while only fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) saw some positive
Sensex sinks, Rupee in trouble again

buying. The 30-scrip S&P Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 20,510.31 points, closed at 20,281.91 points, falling 209.05 points or 1.02 percent from its previous day close at 20,490.96 points. The Sensex touched a high of 20,584.22 points and a low of 20,262.22 points intra-day. The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) closed trade at 60.75 points or 1
percent up at 6,018.05 points. Among the Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 2.23 percent up; China's Shanghai Composite Index was up by 0.82 percent while Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down by 0.73 percent. In Europe, London's FTSE 100 was trading 0.25 percent down, Germany's DAX Index was down 0.26 percent and the French CAC 40 Index was down by 0.30 percent.
Inflation in India soars to eight-month high of 7 percent

New Delhi: India's headline inflation based on wholesale prices jumped to 7 percent in October, the highest level in eight months, due to higher prices of fuel, food and manufactured goods, government data showed Thursday. The country's main inflation measure based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) was at 6.46 percent in the previous month and 7.32 percent in the corresponding month of last year, according to data released by the ministry of commerce and industry here. Food prices jumped by 18.19 percent year-on-year during the month under review. It had increased by 18.4 percent in September. The headline for August is revised sharply upward at 6.99 percent from 6.1 percent reported earlier. Fuel and power inflation accelerated to 10.33 percent in October as compared to 10.08 percent in the previous month. Manufactured products inflation rose to 2.5 percent in the month under review from 2.03 percent reported in the previous month. Reacting on the monthly data, Assocham president Rana Kapoor said the rise in inflation is a disturbing sign. He said acceleration in build-up inflation indicates that there is pain ahead for the economy. Build-up inflation rate in the financial year so far was 6 percent as compared to a build-up rate of 4.66 percent in the corresponding period of the previous year. The inflationary pressure is being exerted from the
primary articles and food prices, which are in a way inexplicable given the fact that we had a good monsoon this year. By now, the impact should have been visible, said Kapoor, who is also managing director of Yes Bank. Prices of vegetables jumped by 78.38 percent in October year-on-year. Onion prices soared by 278.21 percent. Fruits became costlier by 15.94 percent. Prices of egg, meat and fish soared by 17.47 percent year-onyear during the month under review. Retail inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 10.09 percent in October as compared to 9.84 percent recorded in the previous month, according to data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) Tuesday. In retail markets prices of vegetables have soared by 45.67 percent.
New Delhi: Global ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) maintained negative outlook on India's sovereign ratings and said it may cut it below investment grade if policy drift continued under the new government after the 2014 general elections. The agency affirmed the 'BBB-' long-term and 'A-3' short-term unsolicited sovereign credit ratings on India. The outlook on the longterm rating remains negative. These are the lowest investment grade ratings. Any downgrade would reduce India's sovereign ratings to junk status making foreign borrowings costlier. S&P had cut its outlook on India to "negative" in April last year. The negative outlook indicates that we may lower the rating to speculative grade next year if the government that takes office after the general elections does not appear capable of reversing India's low economic growth, the agency
Next gov's agenda to determine India's ratings: S&P
said. S&P said its ratings action would depend on the policy agenda of the new government that would come after the general elections scheduled in first half of 2014. S&P said India's current account deficit is expected to come down to 3.7 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) by March 2014, mainly because of government restrictions on the import of gold and weaker domestic demand. India's current account deficit widened significantly in 2013 to about 5 percent of GDP, the highest in more than a decade, which had seen deficits more in the range of 1-2 percent of GDP.
22
SPORTS
New Delhi: Former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid favored legalizing betting in sports if law enforcement agencies were okay with it. "If law enforcement agencies feel it is right, betting in sports should be legalised," Dravid said at a special session on ethics and integrity in sports, organized by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). CBI chief Ranjit Sinha supported his view. "If we can have lottery in states, casinos, why can't betting be legal," said Sinha. Four issues like age fraud, doping, deliberate under-performance and player involvement in the betting industry, require legal intervention in Indian sports, said Dravid. "I believe that it is now time for legal reform and the turn of national and state legislature and the criminal law administration to intervene," Dravid said. Noting that there was pressure on younger players who suffered from insecurity, Dravid said this
Dravid bats for legalizing betting in sports India to host 2018 men's
New Delhi: India has been awarded the 2018 men's hockey World Cup, the second time in a span of eight years the country will be hosting the mega event having successfully organized the previous edition three years ago. The 2018 edition will see an expanded field with 16 teams competing in both men's and women's events. The 2018 women's World Cup will be held in England. The women's tournament is scheduled to take place from 7-21 July, with the men's event planned for 116 December. India last hosted the World Cup in New Delhi in 2010 while the next edition will be held next year in The Hague, Netherlands in the first two weeks of June. "The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to announce that England and India will host the Hockey World Cups in 2018. England Hockey were successful in their bid to host the
hockey World Cup
Rahul Dravid
leads to temptations to cut corners, use unfair means and make a quick buck. "I am not unaware of the pressure and influences on the young athletes. There is intense pressure to perform and succeed. Insecurity is a prominent feature of any sporting career," he said. "In this scenario there are temptations to cut corners, use unfair means and make a quick buck," he said. The challenge of doping
has plagued every sport worldwide and India is no exception, he noted. Failure to address these challenges, he said, not only risks a serious threat to the all-round development of confidence in sport but will enable entrenchment of new norms in the subculture of sports which are harder to change, said Dravid. Self regulation in sports has not worked much, he agreed.
women's showpiece, with Hockey India winning the race to host the men's equivalent," world body FIH said in a statement late Thursday night. The announcements were made by FIH president Leandro Negre at a special ceremony in Lausanne, Switzerland. "I wish to offer my sincere congratulations to England Hockey and Hockey India on their successful bids to host the Hockey World Cups 2018," said Negre. "The quality of both bids was truly extraordinary, and the FIH is looking forward to bringing its top properties to England and India. The standard was exceptionally high, making the decision extremely hard for the FIH Executive Board." Held every four years, the World Cup brings together the world's greatest teams and most skilful players for the toughest, most competitive international hockey event.
Belek: Tiger Woods, third in the Turkish Open, has one event remaining this year but he's already focusing on next year's Majors and returning to three of four venues where he has tasted success in the past. Woods left Istanbul with a share of third place,four shots behind surprise winner, Victor Dubuisson of France. The world No. 1 could look back to the disappointment at weatherdelayed opening round when he shot a two under par 70 in a round whee he managed to find only three fairways. And while Woods' driving improved marginally he averaged 66 over the
Tiger Woods targets major success in 2014
Tiger Woods
next three days. Woods will not play again to his final event of the year when he hosts the December 5 commencing World Challenge at Thousand Oaks in Los Angeles, an event he has
captured five times since its inception in 1999. The 14-time Major winner will then make his 2014 debut in the 25th anniversary Dubai Desert Classic starting on January 30.
Chennai: Despite his queen holed up on one corner of the board for nearly 10 moves, the contender for the world chess champion title wriggled out to draw the third game against title holder Vishwanathan Anand of India. With only opposite colored bishops on the board apart from the two kings at the end of 51 moves, the two players signed a peace treaty. Playing white in the third game, Norwegian grandmaster Carlsen jumped his king side knight over his pawns playing Nf3, the first move of the first game. Anand played d5 pushing the pawn before his black queen two squares. This opening is called Reti opening. After replaying a couple of moves of their first game, Carlsen deviated from the first move playing c4-pushing the pawn before his black bishop two squares.
Anand, Carlsen again draw after stiff fight
Vishwanathan Anand of India and Norwegian grandmaster Carlsen are playing for the world chess champion title
Both their players took their kings to safety in their eighth move by castling on their king side. By the end of 9th move, Carlsen and Anand had more or less mobilised their army to the centre of the board. On the 10th move, Anand made Carlsen to think deep moving his horse to d4, giving an option for the challenger to go for an exchange which the later obliged.
The position at this juncture was equal according to chess experts and the game was set to progress to middle game. The chances of both the players going in for repetitive moves and signing peace treaty seemed remote at this point of time. At the end of 14th move, both the players were almost even on their clocks consuming around 60 minutes.
LIFESTYLE
23
Washington exhibition explores yoga mysteries through art

Washington, DC: The mysteries of the ancient Indian practice of yoga and its profound meanings are explored in what is described as the world's first exhibition of yogic art at Washington's Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Through masterpieces of Indian sculpture and painting, Yoga: The Art of Transformation explores yoga's rich diversity and historical transformations, including its philosophies, transformational goals, and importance within multiple religions. On view through Jan 26, 2014, the exhibition with more than 130 objects borrowed from 25 museums and private collections in India, Europe, and the United States, also examines the varied roles that yogis and yoginis played in society, from sages to spies. Highlights include an installation that reunites for the first time three monumental stone yogini goddesses from a tenth-century Chola temple; ten folios from the first illustrated compilation of asanas (yogic postures), made for a Mughal emperor in 1602; and Thomas Edison's Hindoo Fakir (1906), the first movie ever produced about India. "This exhibition looks at yoga's ancient roots, and how people have been trying to master body and spirit for millennia," said Julian Raby, The Dame Jillian Sackler Director of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art. "By applying new scholarship to both rarely seen artworks and recognized masterpieces, we're able to shed light on practices that evolved over time-from yoga's ancient origins to its more modern emergence in India, which set the stage for today's global phenomenon." A free public festival, "Diwali and the Art of Yoga," marked the Oct 26 opening of the exhibition and Diwali, the Indian festival of lights with spotlight tours, rangoli (rice powder) drawings and yoga-inspired art in hands-
Manganiyar women singers break with tradition

Jodhpur: Manganiyar women are not allowed to perform on public platforms. But defying age-old rigid tradition that Rajasthan's musician community is associated with, Maangi Bai has carved a niche for herself in the men's world. She says where there is a will there is a way. Bai performed at the just concluded Jodhpur Rajasthan International Folk Festival here. "Manganiyar women are not allowed to come out and perform in public. We are lucky enough to have them with us," said Vinod Joshi, regional coordinator of the festival while introducing them. She sang for five minutes with her head covered and received appreciation from the audience, including fellow male members of the community. Now 45, Bai began singing when she was just eightyear-old. "My parents never encouraged me to sing. But I was in love with music. So when my father would sing at home or weddings in Rajput families, I would hear him like a student who was eager to learn," says Bai. She is a self-taught musician. "I picked up from whatev-
Three sisters singing at Jodhpur folk festvival
A painting on display at "Yoga: The Art of Transformation" exhibition in Washington: Vishnu Vishvarupa. India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, ca. 1800-20; Opaque watercolor and gold on paper.
on workshops. In conjunction with "The Art of Transformation," the Freer and Sackler galleries will also host "Yoga and Visual Culture," a free interdisciplinary symposium for scholars and yoga enthusiasts Nov 21-23. Seventeen scholars from a range of disciplines will present cutting-edge research on diverse aspects of yoga's visual culture, organized around such topics as "Yoga and Place" and "Yoga and Print Culture." Following its Washington, DC, debut, "The Art of Transformation" will travel to the San Francisco Asian Art Museum (Feb 21-May 25, 2014) and the Cleveland Museum of Art (June 22-Sep 7, 2014).
er I could understand. Women are not allowed to sing at patron's house. They can sing at local festivals in front of a women audience, but they are never exposed to a larger audience or bigger events," she added, saying women fear ostracism and never make any effort to break the chain. Manganiyars, a professional musicians community, are Muslims, and their patrons are predominantly Hindus and Rajputs. They have a song for every season and occasion - from childbirth to marriage; from welcoming gods to in-laws. With a mind of her own and possessed with the spirit of a rebel, Bai would perform at local functions before marriage. For most of the women,
singing comes to an end post-marriage, but not for Bai who specializes in raag 'Mand'. She convinced her husband to allow her to follow her passion and perform. To her delight, he agreed and thus her musical journey continued. Apart from Bai, three sisters - Halima, Akla and Dariya - also performed at the fest as the trio are "allowed" to sing at public gatherings. While women like Bai are few in numbers, it is disheartening to know raw and bucolic voice of women of the community, who are equally blessed as their male counterparts, perhaps more, don't get a chance to show their talent. The audience is robbed of the pleasure of listening to them as well.
Fast at least once a week: Naomi Campbell

Los Angeles: Supermodel Naomi Campbell thinks everyone should "fast at least once a week" as it can help them live longer. The 43-yearold model insists everyone should clean out their body on a regular basis, reports femalefirst.co.uk. "I think everyone should fast at least once a week. We eat so many different things; I think it's good to clear your intestines. I think it can prolong your life, she said. Campbell followed a strict diet of fruit juice and vegetables before she hit the runway at the Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week.
Travel to reduce stress, anxiety

New York: If you are a keen traveler, you are perhaps a step closer to reducing anxiety or stress and improving your social skills as well. There are more benefits of packing your bag and traveling. Huffingtonpost.com lists some of them: - Improves your social skills: Meeting new people is one of the great upsides of traveling. Whether it's chatting up your roommate, making small talk with your seat-mate on a train or having a lively discussion at a local bar, you will be forced to improve your social skills (especially if you're traveling solo). If new situations tend to make you anxious, traveling is a sure way to take steps toward reducing that anxiety. - Reduces stress: Taking time off is an obvious way to recharge and reduce stress levels. But while staying home and resting is - Makes you more flexible: Sometimes things don't go according to plan while traveling. Maybe your flight is cancelled or it rains the day you're scheduled to go on an epic outdoor adventure. It's okay -- there are other flights to take (or trains, or buses) and maybe on that rainy day you'll discover a hidden bookstore to explore or an adorable cafe to experience. Traveling helps you to be more flexible and open minded, making you more zen in your everyday life. - Teaches to be more patient: Travel can involve a lot of waiting. You'll wait in lines, for flights or at restaurants. Learning how to cope with those waits, how to make conversation with those you're waiting with and how to stay calm in frustratingly slow situations will teach you how to remain patient and calm in all situations.
a worthy use of your time off, traveling removes you from your everyday life and lets you truly escape. Traveling lets you put aside your daily responsibilities and focus on yourself for a moment. When you return home you'll feel refreshed and have the motivation you felt drained of before you left. - Accomplishes goals: Having a
travel "to-do" list and crossing things off that list keeps you motivated and positive. That list can include things like visiting certain locations or accomplishing something such as climbing a mountain or becoming conversational in the language of your next destination. Achieving those goals also increases confidence and gives a sense of success.
24
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
No more 'item number' tag for Bollywood: Irrfan

ndian cinema needs to speak a universal language and change the world's perception about Bollywood being an "item number", says Irrfan, who has been in the news for his work in the highly acclaimed low-budget film "The Lunchbox". "We cannot continue being known as item number filmmakers. Bollywood is known as an item number, and we have to change that. We have to connect with a universal audience in a way that they think that there is some interesting kind of cinema coming out of India," Irrfan said. "We need to find a universal language, which I think 'Qissa' will be able to strike a chord with, and 'The Lunchbox' has done in a big way," added the 46-year-old, who beats the Bollywood hero cliche with his talent. The actor is well-versed with the language of cinema the world over. His work takes him around the globe, he works in the international arena and his movies appeal as a whiff of fresh air to an audience for whom Bollywood has only been about songs and dances. He has delivered powerful performances in films like "The Namesake" and Oscar winning films "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Life of Pi", and at the home turf, he has amassed accolades for movies like "Maqbool" and "Paan Singh Tomar". Irrfan-starrer "The Lunchbox", a
Ajay and Kajol with Prince Charles and Camilla in Mumbai.
jay Devgn and wife Kajol recently had their first brush with royalty when they met Prince Charles and his wife Camilla. The actors met the royal couple while attending a function organized by British Asian Trust in Mumbai. The event witnessed some of India's leading business tycoons, celebrities and sports-persons rubbing shoulders with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. At the event, the royal couple launched the British Asian Trust Advisory Council which aims to fund charities for health and education.
Ajay, Kajol meet Prince Charles and Camilla
Irrfan Khan-starrer 'The Lunchbox' has been appreciated in festival circuits the world over
unique, simply-told story of an exchange of notes and thoughts between a lonely man and a lovelorn lady via a lunchbox, has been appreciated in festival circuits the world over. It's not a light-hearted drama. In fact, as Irrfan said, "It is meant to shake you, not please you", but the Punjabi movie has a "universal" quality which helped its multi-layered messages transcend to a multiethnic audience at ADFF. "We need to find a way of telling stories where a universal audience finds itself engaged in the storytelling. That's one thing we need to do, and that's one thing we have
not been doing," said Irrfan, who believes the onus lies on directors and producers. "There are new directors who are trying to tackle subjects which weren't dealt with earlier. 'Madras Cafe' is an example because we don't make political films, but that's a well-made movie," he added.
A scene from 'Krrish 3'
ctor-filmmaker Rakesh Roshan said he is planning a "Krrish 3" sequel but in future will work with Hrithik on a fresh script outside the "Krrish" franchise. "I'm currently not working on a film outside the 'Krrish' franchise with Hrithik, but I will do a film in the future. I would love to direct him in a fresh script as soon as I'm relieved with this franchise," Rakesh Roshan said. The filmmaker, known for directing films such as "Khoon Bhari Maang" and "Karan Arjun", launched Hrithik with hit movie "Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai" in 2000. "I will start working on the sequel soon. Due to public demand, we may
'Krrish 3' sequel Roshan

include some sidekick characters as well," said Rakesh Roshan. Accompanied by Hrithik and cinematographer Tirru, senior Roshan was here to celebrate the success of "Krrish 3", which has been received well in Tamil Nadu.
soon: Rakesh
elcoming actor Amitabh Bachchan to the 19th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) last weekend, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the festival needed the actor and his family's presence. "We are really very grateful... last year Amitabhji had come... this year also he came... we are booking him and his full family for next year's festival. We can't do without you at all," Banerjee said, effusive in her gratitude to the star and his family. The chief minister was speaking at the opening ceremony of the festival at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here. Bachchan was accompanied on the dais by his wife and actress
Jaya, who hails from Bengal. Cinema greats Shah Rukh Khan, Mithun Chakraborty and Kamal Haasan dazzled as they came together during the event. "Kamal Haasan please do come again. Bengal loves you (Shah Rukh) always so you always have to be with us," she said to the stars.
Juhi Chawla in 'Gulaab Gang'
'Gulaab Gang' makers' confidence surprised Juhi

ctress Juhi Chawla plays a negative character in Anubhav Sinha's production venture "Gulaab Gang" and says she was surprised by the makers' confidence in her to pull it off. Based on a woman's grit and determination, the film sees Madhuri Dixit in the lead while Juhi will be seen as an antagonist. Directed by Soumik Sen, it also features Mahie Gill and Tannishtha Chatterjee. "'Gulaab Gang' is a very interesting film. I was startled when I heard the script because first of all it was a very strong film and the second thing was my negative role in it. I was like, 'What has happened to the director and producer that they want me for the role? How did they think that I can do the role?" Juhi said in an interview. "But when I gave it a thought and talked to them, I liked it and thought it would be a different experience for me if I will do it," added the star of films like "Darr" and "Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke".
Can't do without you: Mamata to Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan at 19th Kolkata International Film Festival.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
25
he Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has advised the makers of forthcoming film "Rajjo" to raise the on-screen age of the movie's hero from 18 years to 21 years. D i r e c t o r Vishwas Patil respects the decision. T h e movie, releasi n g
this week, features Kangana Ranaut as a 24-year-old nautch girl, who is seen getting married to a character named Chandu, who is aged 18. This has not gone down well with the censors as the legal marriageable age for men in India is 21. A source close to t h e
film says the censor board conjectures that this will send out a wrong message to the youngsters, and so have asked the filmmakers to increase the hero's age. "I respect censor board's decision, and luckily there were no scenes where the actor and Kangana are talking about the boy's age," Patil said in a statement. "It's just that I have taken the concept from a short story of Jayant Pawar...But yes, I will send a letter to the board once the film hits theatres," he added. Produced by Four Pillars Entertainment, "Rajjo" is a musical extravaganza and promises to have something for both the classes and the masses.
A scene from 'Ram Leela'
Controversy over 'Ram-Leela' title grows

ttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has petitioned against the soon-to-be released Bollywood film "Goliyon Ki Raasleela RamLeela". In her representation made to Yadav, social activist Urvashi Sharma has urged him to "intervene in the matter related to public exhibition of the film". Directed and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ranbeer Singh and Deepika Padukone starrer "Ram-Leela" is scheduled for Nov 15 release. "I have urged the chief minister to intervene on behalf of the people of the state and request the producers of the film to delete 'Ram-Leela' from the title of the film and change it to only 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela'," Sharma said. "And also urge the National Board of Film Certification not grant certificate for public exhibition of the film under Sections 4, 5 and 5-A of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, in case producer and director of the film do not delete words 'Ram-
Kangana Ranaut in 'Rajjo'
'Bullett Raja' my homage to 1970s' cinema: Dhulia

ullett Raja" is a homage to the cinema of the 1970s, and the camaraderie between Saif Ali Khan and Jimmy Shergill is akin to that of the characters played by Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra in 1975 film "Sholay", says filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia. "Saif may look like he's shooting bullets fashionably and flamboyantly, but he is a fierce ideologue in 'Bullett Raja'. My film brings back the idealistic hero that Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan played in the 1970s," Dhulia said. "Bullett Raja" may look like the recent action dramas set in north Indian towns, but the director begs to differ.
"The environment is organic to the plot. There is a lot of physical and emotional detailing in the direction. I don't like films about senseless violence. At the same time I enjoy films about full-on hero-giri, dosti (friendship), sacrifice... 'Bullett Raja' has all of that." "My hero Saif and his friendship with Jimmy are inspired by Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan in 'Sholay'. I am very excited because I've never attempted this kind of cinema before," said Dhulia, a National Award-winning filmmaker. Now into heavy post-production, "Bullett Raja" is premised on fictional mafia based in Uttar Pradesh. It is said to have a raw feel about it.
"My cinema always exists in a real space. In 'Bullett Raja', the fights may look designed in the 'Rowdy Rathore' space, but nothing in my film is unreal or outlandish," he said. There are, however, a lot of filmy songs. "I admit I've used a lot of singing and dancing in the narrative of the kind you haven't seen in any of films. But the songs don't just come on for no rhyme or reason." "'Bullett Raja' is not just about having a good time. There are many issues that the film tackles - the exploitation of youth power for politics is a prevalent theme in my cinema. In 'Bullett Raja' too it is an important plot motivation," he said.
Saif Ali Khan and Jimmy Shergill in 'Bullett Raja'
Leela' from the title of the film. "This matter is related to the sentiments of lakhs of people of the state and the word 'RamLeela' is contrary to the content of the film as shown in the promotional advertisement," added Sharma. The petition to the chief minister states that the film "was affecting the sentiments of the public on account of its wrongful title for the reason that the title has been derived from dramatic enactment of the life of Lord Rama, which cannot be used by the kind of film." Sharma said: "I have watched one of the promos of the film on YouTube and while watching the clip, many objectionable dialogues and scenes were noticed by me which, according to me as a social activist, are not only vulgar, rude, offensive and crude but degrade the religious feeling of the Hindus." The social activist earlier petitioned both the censor board and the Prime Minister's Office to intervene in this matter.
Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao were spotted in Assam recently. The couple was there to celebrate Kiran's 40th birthday. In the image, they sip a tribal rice brew of Assam, locally known as apong, sitting on a bamboo house-on-stilts in a village in Assam.
26
HEALTH
New Kerala medical hub beckons foreign tourists

An artistic impression of Aster Medcity
Kochi: A medical township comprising nine superspeciality hospitals - offering the latest state-of-theart technology to treat a host of diseases including cancer - is coming up in Kochi with an eye to promote
Kerala as a top medical health tourism destination. Aster Medcity, which is being built on what was a huge garbage dumpyard, is to start functioning by March 2014. D.M. Healthcare, a big
name in healthcare in Gulf countries, is building the complex on 38 acres of land at Cheranallur in Kochi. Phase I of the complex, being built at a cost of $150 million, would have on offer 540 beds across
the nine hospitals, Harish Pillai, chief executive officer Aster Medcity, said. The medcity plans to add another 500 beds later in Phase II. The township will have residential quarters, hotels, a convention centre, cafetarias, guest rooms and later also a home for the elderly, said Pillai. "We are aiming to attract foreign health tourists to Aster Medcity. We have the latest facilities, including minimally invasive treatment and diagnostic techniques for the diag-
nosis and treatment of various cancers and heart diseases," Pillai said. India gets 150,000 medical tourists every year, and it is expected to grow by 15 percent annually, he said. Among the latest technology that Aster will boast of is the 'True Beam' that provides radiation treatment in a shorter time and minus most of the usual side-effects of current treatment, said Pillai. The 'True Beam' technology is a radio-surgery treatment in which high-energy Xrays are used to destroy tumors.
Time spent on screens can Anti-aging strategies can boost self-esteem affect eyesight
London: The British spend an average of 11 hours a day looking at screens, reveals a new survey, stressing on its detrimental effects on the eyesight reduced blink rate and tear evaporation. People are spending an increasing number of hours staring into their computer, mobile, TV, tablet and e-reader screens, indicates the survey, conducted on over 2,000 British people by Spectrum Thea eye care specialists, reports femalefirst.co.uk. The respondents were aged between 16 and 24. Over half of the respondents, 54.4 percent of people polled to be precise, agreed that they had suffered from symptoms associated with conditions like Dry Eye and Blepharitis. They said that in a week they only spend 12 hours 58 minutes in quality time with their families, 10 hours and 16 minutes looking at their partner and a meagre 5 hours 44 minutes walking around outdoors. According to the research, an increased concentration on reading, playing computer games and watching videos can reduce a person's blink rate by a third. This reduced blinking can lead to a higher rate of tear evaporation, which can result in dry eye syndrome and further complications. "The sheer amount that people are now spending looking at screens is worryingly high," said Sarah Farrant, dry eye specialist and partner at Earlam and Christopher Optometrists, Taunton. "While many people may not think the symptoms associated with these common eye complaints are serious, if left untreated, these conditions can become chronic and, in some cases, can lead to permanent damage to your eyes," Farrant added. The survey was commissioned to help raise awareness of the effect of modern lives on eyes.
Washington : Anti-aging strategies like using creams and skinimprovement methods can improve appearance and boost self esteem, say experts. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) offers advice on how to slow aging and boost self-esteem. "Photoaging or the changes induced by chronic UV exposure is responsible for accelerating the skin's aging process," said Marian Northington, M.D, director of UAB Cosmetic Dermatology. "The No. 1 way people can prevent photoaging is wearing a 30plus SPF sunscreen, one that contains zinc oxide, every day," Northington said. If it is too late, and the sun has already done its damage, or for people who are older, there are ways to diminish the signs of aging. "Using an over-the-counter cream with retinol, which is a vitamin A derivative, can decrease the risk of skin cancer and improve skin pigmentation and abnormalities. It will also increase collagen content to help with lines and wrinkles," Northington said. Northington said studies have shown some dermatologic skinimprovement methods have benefits beyond an improved appearance. Josh Klapow, Ph.D., associate professor in the UAB School of Public Health and a psychologist, echoes this notion. "Outward appearance can have a significant impact on a person's self-esteem, so 'looking better' both in one's own eyes and in the eyes of others can add to selfesteem," Klapow said..
India, Australia team up for trauma care system

New Delhi: With over five million deaths reported each year due to injuries, a collaboration was announced here between India and Australia to develop world class trauma care system. Both the countries are investing over $2.6 million in the AustraliaIndia Trauma Systems Collaboration (AITSC). Australian High Commissioner Patrick Suckling inaugurated the AITSC. Led by the National Trauma Research Institute, a partnership between the Alfred Hospital and Monash University in Melbourne, and the JPN Apex Trauma Centre at AIIMS, the programme brings together some of the world's leaders in trauma care. "It will lay the foundations for a national trauma system in India. It will also provide needed evidence about low-cost trauma system interventions that could be implemented in most countries without the need for major health system re-design," said the All India
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director M.C. Mishra. The collaboration will help India and Australia develop world class trauma care for those who need it most. "Trauma is a growing challenge for the country and the world. Of the total volume of injury, about 40 percent is the brain injury and most
of them are easily preventable by precautions and timely intervention," said Mishra. The project will focus on varied issues like developing protocols to provide prompt relief to injured, rehabilitation, trauma quality improvement programs and preparing trauma registry among others.
SELF HELP
27
3 kitchen upgrades for easier cooking
youre tight on space, a rolling kitchen cart with a countertop may be your best bet. You can also create more room for food preparation by purchasing a cutting board for the top of your cooking surface. Appliances Are your appliances as old as your familys secret recipes? You may not realize it, but your aged appliances are probably making your job more difficult than need be. Dont settle for uneven cooking, slow pre-heating, and insufficient burners. Without sacrificing beauty, craftsmanship or style, you can replace outdated appliances with high-quality ones that are designed for accuracy and precision. Gain more control of your cooking by taking a cue from professional chefs. Opt for a range or cooktop that features high efficiency sealed gas burners designed for pinpoint accuracy, flame control and better heat distribution. Another feature to look for is a tri-flame burner, with control of the center, outer and inner flame, giving you greater flexibility in how much heat youre cooking with and where its being applied. For a more functional, beautiful kitchen, its all about finding the intersection of cutting edge technology and craftsmanship. Consider checking out a brand such as Verona, at www.VeronaAppliances.com, an Italian manufacturer of kitchen appliances that applies cooking expertise to make ranges, cooktops
ooler temperatures often bring along the season's sniffles and colds. With a few winter wellness tips, you can prepare for a happier and healthier season, regardless of your budget, with the following tips from the lifestyle experts at Dollar General.
Tips to keep well this winter C
hether youre a serious athome chef or a casual cook, a kitchen renovation should be more than a superficial makeover. By improving the functionality of the space, you can pave the way toward better cooking and happier hosting. How do you make your kitchen renovation not only eye-catching, but useful as well? Here are three things to consider: Counter Space Counter space isnt for collecting clutter. Its crucial for storing important utensils and tools, and for chopping, prepping, mixing and mashing. Be sure you give yourself plenty of elbow room. If you have the space for it, consider multiplying your workspace with an island or peninsula. Be advised, you wont do yourself any favors by including these features if your kitchen is too small. An architect or interior designer can help you determine what is feasible. If
and ovens. Another great way to upgrade is by outfitting your oven, cooktop and range with helpful accessories that can make cooking easier, such as a rotisserie, a griddle, a steam basin and BBQ grill top. Be sure to find a multiple-use oven that performs a scope of functions. For example ILVE offers ovens that can go from defrosting to grilling to baking a pizza with a turn of a knob. To learn more about cooking easier with upgraded appliances, visit www.ilveappliances.com. Lighting Too often, homeowners tolerate insufficient lighting in the room where they need it most. Ensure your space is bright enough for you to work efficiently. In addition to your ambient overhead lighting, make good use of the natural light in your kitchen by day. By evening, strategically positioned task lights over work surfaces can make cooking easier. Kitchen renovations can be costly. Make key upgrades that are worth your time and money.
Preventive care. A nutritious diet and plenty of rest can help you stay strong this winter so consider keeping juices, vegetables and fruits in your fridge all winter long. You can improve your nutritional balance and overall wellness with vitamins and supplements. Trusted Rexall-branded products, available exclusively at Dollar General, offer vitamins and minerals including immunity-boosting Vitamin C and multivitamins to combat potential illnesses. You can also purchase these items in bulk online to save money and trips to the store. Stock your medicine cabinet. When illness strikes, the last thing youll want to do is rush to the store. A well-stocked medicine cabinet can save a trip when youre feeling your worst. Keep over-the-counter cold and flu relief medications onhand for both day and night, as well as cough suppressant and a general pain reliever. Parents should ensure they have medications suitable for children, too. Healthy skin. Skin is prone to dryness in winter, so apply moisturizer as soon as you get out of the shower. If possible, ditch the scalding hot showers for warm water, as heat can be very drying. Dont forget that the suns rays can be just as potent in winter as in summer, so
dont neglect the sunscreen and lip balm just because of the cool temperatures. Germ-free. While germs exist year-round, your body may be more susceptible to cold and flu viruses in winter. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly and use a hand sanitizer. Soups on. Start all your winter meals with a warm bowl of soup full of protein, vegetables and liquids. If you dont have the time to make soup from scratch, healthful and delicious ready-made soup can be a great alternative. Stay active: Dont let your exercise routine fall by the wayside in winter. Exercise can improve your immunity and also help keep winter pounds at bay. If you dont have a gym membership, gear up with exercise apparel designed for cooler temperatures and pound the pavement or pop in an exercise video at home. More tips and coupons for winter wellness tools can be found at www.DollarGeneral.com. With some preparation, staying healthy in winter can be easy and affordable
Tips for smart media use for kids
rom TV to smart phones to social media, our lives are dominated by 24/7 media exposure. Despite this, many children and teens have few rules around their media use. While media consumption by itself is not the leading cause of any health problem in the US, it can contribute to numerous health risks, say experts. At the same time, kids can learn many positive things from pro-social media. The key is to teach children to make healthy media choices. It is time for a renewed commitment to change the way we address media use, says Dr. Thomas K. McInerny, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). In the same way you may need to guide children on how to eat nutritiously, you can foster a healthy media diet. In a digital world ever in flux, the AAP is offering some key tips for families looking to make smarter media choices: Make a media use plan, including mealtime and bedtime curfews for media devices. Media use plans take into account not only the quantity, but the quality and location of media use. Screens should be kept out of kids bedrooms. Excessive media use has been associated with obesity, lack of sleep, school problems, aggression and other behavior issues. Limit entertainment screen time to
less than one or two hours per day. For children under 2, substitute unstructured play and human interaction for screen time. The opportunity to think creatively, problem solve and develop reasoning and motor skills is more valuable for the developing brain than passive media intake. Take an active role in your childrens media education by co-viewing programs with them and discussing values. You may consider having your own profile on the social media sites your children use. By friending your kids, you can monitor their online presence. Keep the computer in a public part of your home, so you can check on what your kids are doing online and how much time they are spending there. Look for media choices that are educational, or teach good values -- such as empathy, racial and ethnic tolerance -- and interpersonal skills. If youre unsure of the quality of the media diet in your household, consult with your childrens pediatrician on what your kids are viewing, how much time they are spending with media, and privacy and safety issues associated with social media and Internet use. More healthy media tips for families can be found at www.healthychildren.org.
he cost of raising a child is on the rise, according to the 2013 U.S. Cost of Raising a Child report, conducted by BabyCenter.com, the number one pregnancy and parenting mobile and web destination worldwide. The report finds that parents spend an average of $13,000 annually on their kids. And while about twothirds of moms feel that parents are spending too much, the vast majority of them are very optimistic about their future -- the number of moms worried about having enough money to raise their children has declined approximately 10 percent in the last year. Children are expensive, but couples arent letting that hold them back from starting a family, says Carmen Wong Ulrich, a BabyCenter.com financial expert. Theyre exploring different ways of saving, such as moving back in with their parents or accepting money from in-laws. These can be good short-term solutions for couples getting started. To gain insight into their finances and take steps toward financial independence, parents can use a free budgeting tool, such as BabyCenter.coms Cost Calculator.
Are you financially prepared for parenthood?
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HUMOR
Humor with Melvin Durai
hile searching for a house in the suburbs of Chicago, my wife and I rented an apartment for almost a year. Now that were finally living in the house, Im enjoying all the extra space, but I miss several aspects of apartment living. What I miss the most is being part of a small community. If you live in an apartment building, you cant help but get to know some of your neighbors, whether its the old lady next door who needs help carrying groceries to her second-floor apartment, or the young man upstairs who needs no introduction, because you hear his girlfriend scream his name every night. Our apartment complex was a good place for singles to meet, especially those with four legs and a tail. In the center of the property, beside several weeping willow trees and a pond, was a fenced-in dog park that was a prime pick-up area. It was a place where dogs could try to pick each other up, and their owners could pick up after them. (Our dog, Legacy, unfortunately, took the pickingup a little too literally. She picked up a tiny dog and shook it, leaving us to pick up a $300 veterinary bill.)
The joys of living in an apartment

The dog park was a great place for me to get to know some of the neighbors, such as Jim, owner of Jackson, the cutest dog you ever did see, and Howie, owner of Bella, a mastiff that was big enough to eat Legacy for lunch, but far too gentle for that, as I lamented after getting the veterinary bill. I couldnt get Bella to open her mouth or lick her lips, even after spreading ketchup on Legacy and shouting, Hot dog, Bella! Hot dog! Maybe I should have tried mustard. The apartment complex also had a fitness room and swimming pool, where neighbors could get to know each other even better. The pool was a good place to catch up on reading and being an avid reader, I caught up on all the words inked on bodies. Some of it was poetry in motion, but most just platitudes at rest. People who visited the pool seemed to spend 90 percent of their time on the lounge chairs; the remaining 10 percent walking to the soda machine. Another advantage of apartment living is not having to fix things yourself. Apartments are full of appliances and fixtures that are specially designed to ensure that you do not get your security deposit back. Take the vertical blinds, for example. If you have little kids, especially boys, the vertical blinds in your apartment will last 48 hours tops. When a boy sees a vertical blind, he thinks to himself, WWTD, which stands for What would Tarzan do? If youre in the room when your son does his Tarzan impression, you can stop him after he has yanked off a single blind. But if youre away for an hour or two, you will come home to find your daughters complaining fervently about your son: Daddy, he pulled down all the blinds! Its not fair. We didnt get a single turn. Whether you have kids or not, something in your apartment will inevitably need to be repaired, perhaps the air conditioner in the living room, probably the dishwasher in the kitchen, definitely the towel rack in the bathroom. Most apartment complexes, thankfully, have good maintenance crews. Just make a call to the office, tell them that the air conditioner isnt working and theyll send a maintenance man over within a year or two. Hola! he says, entering your apartment with a large toolbox. Hi, you say. You speak English? Yes, he says. Im bilingual. Do you want me to fix your air conditioner in English or Spanish? It wont make a difference, will it?
Our apartment complex was a good place for singles to meet, especially those with four legs and a tail. The dog park was a great place for me to get to know some of the neighbors, such as Jim, owner of Jackson, the cutest dog you ever did see.
Of course, it will. If I do it in English, the cool air will stay in your living room, mostly on your couch. If I do it in Spanish, it will go all over your apartment. Kitchen, bathroom, everywhere.
Laughter is the Best Medicine
by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
ASTROLOGY
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By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma

Stars Foretell: November 16-22, 2013
ARIES: You succeed in completing projects efficiently provided you put in all your efforts. You are likely to hear good news from close relatives. Monetary position is likely to improve later in the week. Sudden romantic encounter will lift your spirits. Pleasure trip would help in maintaining sound health in this week. Weekend getaway to enjoy pubs and clubs is on your way. You might be purchasing a refrigerator or any other gadget for your house. An ability to act swiftly would enable to tackle many personal problems. TAURUS: Hard work put-in the past will yield handsome rewards in business in this week. An old friend makes a pleasant visit later in the week. Hard work of previous days brings good fortune enabling to fulfil monetary promises. Attending a social event/family function brings a romantic encounter. Yoga and meditation would help in keeping in shape and mentally agile. Travelling alone sounds extrovert but your family might question your character. Purchasing of electrical appliances can be done. A week when your favourable stars will add to your happiness. GEMINI: Business partners behave supportive on executing strategies to sort out pending problems. Youngsters might seek some advice on school projects. You succeed in making some extra cash on playing your cards well. Your physical charm would catch the attraction of opposite sex. Blessings of a saintly person give peace of mind. If you are planning a vacation, be sure to consider your family and friends. A good deal for residential property is ahead. Revealing personal & confidential information would act a blessing in disguise for you. CANCER: Innovative ideas & technical expertise would enable to win the confidence of seniors at professional front. Evening enjoyed with family and close relatives brings immense pleasure. An auspicious week to invest money on items that would grow in value. Love life blossoms paving the way for lovely times ahead. Chances of recovering from physical ailment are high. A short trip with lavishing experiences is the right thing for you. Time to make investments on farmlands. A week when you could attract towards charity & social servicing. LEO: Service people, artists and those in creative field will get several new opportunities. You are likely to plan a short trip with family. Investment on long-term plans would pave the way for earning financial gains. A romantic encounter is likely to add spice to life. Inexhaustible energy enables to participate in outdoor activities. Pack your bags and be ready for an amazing holiday. Your investment plans are at full boom and you might succeed in them. Timely help to a needy friend would help in solving personal problems. VIRGO: Your greatest gains will come through your creative ideas at professional front. Unexpected visit by old friend could give you a pleasant surprise. Improvement in finances makes it convenient in clearing long pending dues & bills. Romantic partner would try innovative methods to catch your attention. You attain a bloom in health on sharing happiness with others. Just take a walk in the countryside and experience new things. Your girlfriends desire for an apartment might lead to its destination. If possible, avoid compromising with principles and values of life at any cost. LIBRA: Success is certain provided you work as a team. Good advice from family members will help in reducing mental tension/pressure. Be sure where you put hard-earned money because only wise investments will fetch returns. Initiatives in love bring positive results as you catch the desired attention. A cheerful state of mind would allow enjoying the perfect health. Time to go for a memorable trip. Time to plan a gift for your parents may be their dream home. You get a golden opportunity to enjoy some recreational activities. SCORPIO: You will be on the seventh heaven when you receive recognition for your achievements at work. Sudden good news in the evening will bring cheers for the entire family. Successful execution of brilliant ideas would help in earning financial profits. Your generous attitude would contribute much in your love life in this week. Divine knowledge from a saintly person provides solace & comfort. Time to spend money on not a vacation but a luxury vacation. Its high time to think of purchasing a new office. You will be highly benefited by your sense of humour. SAGITTARIUS: You will fail to explore the full potential of software/hardware skills. Your efforts bring success & happiness at family front. A very successful week as far as monetary position is concerned. Extremely supportive & loving partner would help in withering away your troubles. Meditation and yoga prove beneficial for spiritual as well as physical gains. If adventure is your style of holidaying, then plan it and move around. It might be the right time to sale your empty plot as property rates are at peak. Some decisions going in your favour would put you on the top of the world. CAPRICORN: You are likely to realise that interviewing is not an easy job. You achieve success in personal work with the timely help & support provided by family members. Indications of earning financial profits through commissions, dividends or royalties. Romantic vibrations from someone unknown would lift your spirits taking imaginations to scaling heights. A very healthy week when your cheerfulness gives the desired tonic and confidence. A beautiful vacation you awaited for is on your cards. Your plan for a new house will be in process very soon. Nothing is impossible for you provided you have the will. AQUARIUS: Your creativity will amaze people around you besides enhancing career prospects. Misunderstandings with near ones in the family will get cleared. Important people will be ready to finance anything that has a special class to it. Love life brings immense romantic pleasure. You are likely to maintain good health that would also give you success. Destination with a great deal is on your way, be ready for traveling. Your loan procedures for pursuing a plot will be in process. A long wait for interesting things happening in life is likely to be materialise. PISCES: New job opportunities for some will be better than expected. Children would do their best to keep you happy. Property dealings would materialize helping in bringing fabulous gains. Traveling proves a blessing in disguise by bringing a love in your life. A continuous positive thinking gets rewarded as you succeed in whatever you do. Be ready to travel with a challenge, new connections will help you. Investment in hotel industry can be the right choice to be made. Pleasure trip undertaken with friends would be satisfying.
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874 Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899 psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

16th November, 13 Ruled planet:NeptuneRuled by no:7 Traits in you: Your dominating planet Neptune makes you realistic, optimistic, reliable, creative, and a simple individual. Though you take a lot of time to trust someone, it last forever once you start trusting someone. You believe in being a methodical person. However, you have to work on your nature of behaving arrogant and dominating at times. Health this year: You need to take more care of your health by going through regular medical checkups. Finance this year: Business trips may keep you travelling frequently throughout this year. You will be able to get success by cracking overseas business, which will bring you foreign currency. Career this year: Your pending works may gain momentum and get completed by the end of this year. Though you will be ahead of others regarding to efficiency, you would not be able to earn much. Romance this year:Your romantic life may get disturbed due to your frequent business outings. You need to spend extra time with your partner to make up the loss of time you are expected to spend together. Keep yourself away from any nasty arguments with your partner as it may make your relationship weak. Lucky month: March, June, and September 17th November, 13 Ruled planet: Saturn Ruled by no:8 Traits in you:Saturn being your ruling planet makes you ambitious, dynamic, creative, sober and practical. You are the owner of a dynamic and charismatic personality, which differentiates you from others. Your stubbornness and selfishness might stop you being a better individual. So you need to work on your nature to make it better. Health this year: Some young family member may fall sick and you may feel stresses and concerned for the same. Finance this year: You may consider investing in shares and real estates as it might give you the highest returns for a long term. You may have to travel to a distant place for business purpose towards the end of the year. Career this year: You may be benefited in your professional life by working on the current projects. Romance this year: Your romantic life will flourish this year with lots of love, care, and concern from your partner. You will gain immense confidence from the trust of your partner and you will succeed in your new ventures. Lucky month: January, March, June and October 18th November, 13 Ruled planet: Mars Ruled by no:9 Traits in you: Being ruled by planet Mars, you are blessed with personal traits such as courage, energy, determination, enthusiasm, and so on. You are innovative enough to bring in new ideas and work on them. You have to stop behaving quarrelsome, impolite, rude, and selfish. Health this year: If you have some chronic disorders, you need to get your medical checkup done on a regular basis. You may try meditation and yoga for better results. Finance this year: You are expected to be among financial gains this year by earning a lot of money from various sources. However, you may end up spending a lot of money in buying comfort and luxury for yourself and your family. If you are a businessperson, you should create lot of new contacts as this would help you in enhancing your business later. Clubbing and attending social events may help you in finding new contacts. Career this year: As you are a vivid learner, you believe in enhancing your knowledge every now and then and you are very much interested in technology. You may go for new and innovative work culture and methodologies to improve your professional efficiency and performance. Romance this year: Your romantic life would be very easygoing this year. You will find enough support from your spouse and children but in return you need to spend a lot of time with them. Lucky month: February, April, July and November 19th November, 13 Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1 Traits in you: As the Sun is your ruling planet, you will be hugely influenced by the power and vigor of Sun. you will be dignified, assertive, humble, mature, optimistic, positive and selfless. You are very much fond of interacting with new people and know everyone quite well in your surroundings. However, you need to work on your nature of being indifferent, unreliable, indecisive, and arrogant. Health this year: The health issues of your parents may keep you bothered throughout the year. Finance this year: You may attend a lot of social events this year and come in contact of a lot of influential people. This might help you make your business expand if you are into business. Career this year: You will develop a very good relationship with your colleagues, which will guide toward new peak in your career. Romance this year: You will find your partner supportive enough whenever you require emotional support. This year your love life will reach new height as you finally decide may get married to your longtime partner. Lucky month: December, February, August & October 20th November, 13 Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no:2 Traits in you: As you are influenced by your ruling planet moon, you will be creative, honest, aspiring, cheerful, courteous, and highly decisive. Health this year: As your parents will remain sick, you may take stress for their health. Finance this year: If you are affiliated to business, it is the best year for you to start new business plans and deals. You may earn a lot of money and popularity due to the planetary movements. You may celebrate few religious functions as your home as a thanksgiving ceremony. Career this year: Being a very efficient professional, you know what should be done in which situation. This makes your colleagues and seniors admire your proficiency in work. You need to improve your communication skills, attitude and behavior towards others if you want to grow as a professional. Romance this year: You will find your love life getting better day by day this year. You will get every emotional support from your partner, which will help you keep going with lots of inspiration. You should have complete trust on your partner and you should avoid doubting on your partner for minor issues. Lucky month: December, February, July & September 21st November, 13 Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3 Traits in you: You dominating planet Jupiter, makes you very ambitious, industrious, intelligent, dignified and generous. Being highly social, you love making get-togethers with your old friends, roaming new places, and spending time with them. You know the art to attract people towards you. That is the reason you can easily make anyone your friend. You have a huge friend circle, which may create problems for you in future. However, you should work on your tendencies of behaving arrogant, lazy, and dishonest at times. Health this year: You will remain healthy throughout the year except few minor health issues. Finance this year: If you are into business, this year is supposed to bring you lots of success personally and financially. You will be able to grow in financial status with the help of your previous investments and paternal properties. You may land up in critical problems if you share your business secrets with your friends, colleagues and partners. You should not borrow or lend money to anyone to avoid future discrepancies. Career this year: You may not get your expected salary in your professional life, which would make you dissatisfied with your job. You may go through various major changes in your professional career this year. You may go for a job change later this year. The changes will make your life better though you may take a lot of time to get adjusted to your new lifestyle. Romance this year: You will be in a very good relationship with your love though your partner may behave indifferent at times. You are able to keep your relationship going by giving it lots of love and care. Lucky month: February, June and October 22nd November,13 Ruled planet:Uranus Ruled by no: 4 Traits in you: You are very much influenced by your ruling planet, which makes you humble, honest, independent, creative, industrious, and reliable. You should work on your nature of being pessimistic, ungrateful, and immature. Health this year: You should go for regular medical checkups to maintain your good health. Finance this year: You may go for investments in various sectors say stock market or real estate this year. You may plan to build your new house or renovate the old one towards the end of the year. You may plan to build your new house or renovate the old one towards the end of the year. Career this year: You are well aware of the ways to utilize your skills and expertise to derive qualitative results. You utilize your talent to do smart work and it gets you recognition in your professional life. You should not be involved in any kind of conflict with your seniors or higher authorities to avoid losing your job. You should take your time to think over the matter and act diplomatically if you believe you have been treated unfairly. You should be careful enough in taking any brave decision as it may ruin your career. Romance this year: You will get good emotional support from your partner and this will make things easy for you by giving you immense relaxation and peace of mind. You may convert your relationship into marriage this year. Lucky month: April, August and November
30
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
ithin us are riches greater than any we can ever accumulate on earth. We have inside us a source of knowledge from which all other knowledge flows. A love far greater and fulfilling than any we can know in the outer world is waiting to embrace us with open arms within. At our core is a strength and power that can enable us to overcome any fear. Underlying our separateness as individuals is a connectedness and oneness to all life. Awaiting us inside is a bliss and joy so fulfilling that we need no other outer intoxicants to make us happy. All these gifts lie within us in the empowered soul. The soul is a source of tremendous wisdom, love, and power, yet we remain ignorant of its treasures when we allow it to be overpowered by the mind, the senses, and the physical body. When the mind and body assert power over the soul, the soul forgets itself. But the empowered soul is our true nature, and it is time we reclaim the soul so that its gifts can enrich our life. There are two ways through which to view ourselves with regard to the soul. The first is to view ourselves primarily as a body and mind. When we see ourselves in this manner, we say that we are a mind and body that have a soul. The second is to see ourselves primarily as a soul. When we change perspective and identify with the soul, we say that we are a soul who has or wears a mind and body. To assess how we look at ourselves is one of our goals. If we think we are a mind and body, then ours is a journey to find the soul. If we realize that we are the soul, which has been given a mind and body to maneuver through the physical world, then our goal is to further empower the soul. By empowering the soul we recover its natural control over the mind and senses. The aim of Empowering Your Soul through Meditation is to help reacquaint us with the qualities of the soul and provide direction for its empowerment. The souls power has been forgotten. The mind, the senses, the body,
and the pulls of the physical world have placed the soul in a state of forgetfulness from which we must awaken. When we empower our soul, its wisdom, immortality, love, fearlessness, connectedness, and bliss add a new dimension to our life. Many people live and die without ever realizing the full power and potential of their soul. At some time in their life, they may begin to wonder about the soul, about God, and about the purpose of their existence. This search for meaning and purposethe spiritual questis one that people pursue in individual ways. Some seek answers in scripture while others search in places of worship. Some go beyond their own religion to find the answers offered in other faiths. Whichever method one adopts, the direction one follows to find the answers to
The empowered soul

teachings. Other realized souls have come and gone but have left behind no records because they did not found a religion or leave behind any scriptures. Some of them we know of through references by other people who wrote about them. One thing is clear: these realized souls have the ability to teach us how to realize ourselves. If we find such a being, we can learn how we, too, can discover our soul and its attributes. True knowledge comes from seeing and experiencing on our own. We may read what others write or listen to what others say, but we cannot be fully satisfied until we experience it for ourselves. This book touches on the two aspects of spiritual knowledge that can help us realize our soul: the theoretical knowledge, and the personal or practical knowledge. The it, and listen to sounds coming from it. However, where and what is the soul? How can we recognize it? What are its characteristics and qualities? This book provides a way for us to accomplish two tasks: the theoretical understanding of our true selves as soul; and the practical technique for the realization of our soul and the empowering of it to guide our lives. Some of us may spend our lives searching for knowledge in the world outside. Little do we know that the source of all answers, the universal wisdom, lies within us. Some of us may find that at times our life is thwarted by fear and anxiety, hopelessness and depression, yet we have a source of fearlessness within us that can help us overcome any inner turmoil. We fear our own death and the passing away of our
Chapter excerpt from the book: Empowering Your Soul through Meditation
The aim of Empowering Your Soul through Meditation is to help reacquaint us with the qualities of the soul and provide direction for its empowerment.
lifes questions is known as the spiritual path. It is the spiritual path that leads us to the realization of our inner self, to the soul. Many people pass through life never realizing who they are and never certain about the purpose of their existence. In times of trouble or in the face of death, they may raise these questions but may not follow them through to a fulfilling conclusion or else may abandon the process when the bad times pass. But those who have a burning desire to find the answers to the mysteries of life can find them. Fortunately, there are people in the world who have found spiritual fulfillment and can guide us. If we look through history we find that in every generation there have been people who have realized themselves as soul and have realized God. Some of their wisdom and experiences have been recorded in history and, in some cases, a religion has been created from their
theoretical side consists of what other realized people have said about the soul (such as what are some of the qualitieswisdom, immortality, fearlessness, love, connectedness, and bliss). The personal or practical side consists of a technique that I learned from a fully realized being. I wish to share this technique to help others realize their soul on their own. On the theoretical side, a basic agreement among enlightened souls is that we are not just a physical body, but we are also the soul or spirit behind the body. It is the soul that that gives us life. When the soul is in the body, we are physically alive. When the soul leaves the body at the time of death, the body ceases to exist. The body may perish, but the soul that inhabits it is immortal. The soul continues to exist after our physical death. We are aware of our physical body because we can look at it, feel
loved ones. We are petrified of the unknown and what awaits us beyond this life. But we do not realize that immortality is ours. We crave love and seek it many places. But there is an unconditional love that is ours awaiting us with open arms. We need only turn in the right direction to find it. We feel alone and unconnected in this world. But there is a place of unity and connectedness within us. If we could but only tap it we would find the richness of relationships with others, with nature, and with all life. Exploration within will help us discover our own potential. Once we learn to tap into our inner resources, we experience a profound transformation that will enrich all areas of our lifefrom personal relations, to physical, mental and emotional health, to our work, to our spiritual growth, and the attainment of our lifes goals. This transformation can bring peace and joy into our lives and can
contribute to a peaceful, loving world. The Empowered Soul is a manual for daily living and personal discovery. From the outset, we should define certain terminology to ensure that there is no confusion in how words are being used throughout the book. The term soul is defined as our true essence or spiritual sidethe part of us that lives beyond the death of our physical body. The soul exists whether it has a body or mind. When it enters this world, it is given a body and mind. As human beings, we are thus embodied souls or souls with a body and mind. The terms we or us refer to us as human beings or embodied souls. The process of finding the soul is referred to as tapping into or discovering our soul within us. When we finally do discover our soul and identify with it as being our true nature, then the soul is referred to as the empowered soul, a soul that has recognized itself and is aware that it is the essence of who we really are, that it is the guiding power behind the body and mind. True joy is not as elusive as we think. We can find lasting happiness if we only look in the right place. Within us lies the unlimited power and energy of the empowered soul. Its rich qualities include wisdom, fearlessness, immortality, unconditional love, connectedness, and bliss. Tapping into the soul and its power can enrich and transform our life. We remain ignorant of these inner gifts because blockages keep us from tapping into them. How can we remove these blockages? What process do we need to employ to discover all that we seek? There are simple techniques for accessing the riches of our soul. We need not search the four corners of the earth. We need not travel into outer space. These techniques can be practiced in the comfort of our home. Once we learn to tap into our inner resources, we can experience a profound transformation that can enrich all areas of our lifepersonal relations; physical, mental, and emotional health; professional work; spiritual growth; and the attainments of our lifes goals. This transformation cannot only bring peace and joy to our lives, but can also contribute to a peaceful, loving world. The aim of the book is to provide a means by which we can re-identify with the soul, (i.e. realize that the mind and body are merely our souls outer coverings through which it can live and work in this physical world) and to empower the soul to guide our life.

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The South Asian Times

Art & Film 18

November 16-22, 2013

South Asians celebrate Ed Manganos thumping win

Ed Mangano thanked everyone for their support in his election.

Happiness all around for Manganos well deserved victory.

Zahid Syed and Bobby Kumar speaking at the gala reception.

November 16-22, 2013

From the land of baseball, tributes to India's 'cricket God'

Manjeev Puri is new Indian envoy to Belgium, EU

November 16-22, 2013

Indian American named US Surgeon General

Dr. Vivek Murthy is based in Boston, MA.

AIA holds Diwali event for kids

As Prince Charles arrives for CHOGM, Rajapaksa makes a promise

November 16-22, 2013

Stephen Labate announces Congressional run

Preet Bharara brings down ShopClues' Indian founder

CONSULAR FEE NOTICE

November 16-22, 2013

AICI celebrates silver jubilee year

Sureshchandra Bahadkar passes away

Vipul Bhatt, Karl Anoushian, Mahesh Hemrajani

AIT to stream live telecast on internet

Dr. Avtar Singh Tinna completes 22 marathons

Dr.Avtar Singh Tinna at NYC Marathon 2013

Free concert Ragas and Rhythms

November 16-22, 2013

Prof Vijay Govindarajan ranked fifth on the list

Sacramento Kings launch website in Hindi

Chhath Puja celebrated in US

November 16-22, 2013

Obamacare sign-ups fall far short of goal

Few signs of progress on a budget deal to avoid another shutdown

New heart guidelines could put more Americans on statins

November 16-22, 2013

BJP, Congress in close fight in Delhi: Survey

Over 2,900 candidates file nominations in Rajasthan

November 16-22, 2013

Rahul, Modi speech row

Which India will prevail - that of religious freedom or religious intolerance?

November 16-22, 2013

British PM open to meeting Modi

Unbeaten Sachin takes India to 157/2, Day 1, 2nd Test

Tendulkar walks out to bat in his final Test

'Rajiv wanted Bofors money to run Congress'

Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi

November 16-22, 2013

North, South India most preferred year-end tourist destination: ASSOCHAM

Goa may go Mexico, Colombia way, fears Congress

Chhath festival drew tens of thousands of migrants back to Bihar

November 16-22, 2013

Modis done it again

Nehru-Patel: Secular-communal divide can't be ignored

November 16-22, 2013

Canada remembers Sikh war veterans

Disappointing start to Indian diaspora meet in Australia

Indo-Canadian woman alleges racism in Vancouver bar

Butterfly Island in the Caribbean celebrates Diwali

November 16-22, 2013

LI hospital honors Dr Shashi Shah on its 50th anniversary

Dr Shashi Shah on a round in Franklin Hospital in Valley Stream, NY.

Health advice for South Asians