Vol 7 Issue 38 January 24-30, 2015

The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e
Vol.7 No. 38 January 24-30, 2015 60 Cents
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Modi to welcome
Obama in
Fortress Delhi
During the three-day visit, President Obama will be

accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama and this
time they will get to see the Taj Mahal in Agra.
Obamas itinerary
in India revealed
Nancy Pelosi, Susan Rice, Ami Bera in Obamas delegation
New Delhi: After weeks of
secrecy, President Obamas itinerary in India has been revealed.
He, along with First Lady
Michelle Obama, will land in
India on the morning of Jan. 25
on board Air Force One on a
three-day state visit.
Ministry of External Affairs
spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin
said Obama's visit, on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi is a "culmination of a qualitative reinvigoration of our ties
following the meeting" between
the two leaders in September last
year in Washington.
Since that meeting, both sides
have "acted with alacrity to collaborate in common pursuits and
traversed a transformative path,
he said.
Obama is the first U.S. president to visit India twice during
his tenure and the first to be the
chief guest at the Republic Day
celebrations. National Security
US AFFAIRS 9
Star-studded banquet
The ceremonial banquet at
Rashtrapati Bhavan in honor
of President Obama is tipped
to be a star-studded affair,
with President Pranab
Mukherjee extending an invitation to leading industrialists,
sportspersons and cine stars.
Government sources said
the guest list for the banquet
that is expected to serve well
over a dozen coursesAmitabh Bachchan and
Sachin Tendulkar apart from
leading industrialists such as
Ratan Tata, Mukesh and Anil
Ambani, Anand Mahindra,
Deepak Parekh, Sunil Mittal,
Kiran Mazumbdar Shaw and
Shashi Ruia.
Advisor Susan Rice, Nancy
Pelosi, the top Democrat in the
House of Representatives, lone
Continued on page 4
BOLLYWOOD 16
TRAVEL 18
New Delhi: India's capital will

turn into a virtual fortress for
U.S. President Barack Obama's
visit this weekend, with heightened security measures, including an extended no-fly zone, to
protect the world's most powerful leader.
At the invitation of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi,
President Obama will be the
chief guest at India's Republic
Day celebrations on January
26, which include a parade and
display of Indias military
might.
Security agencies will enforce
a no-fly zone with a radius of
400 km, covering cities such as
Jaipur, Agra, and extending to
the border with Pakistan.
"The no-fly zone has been
extended around Delhi ... no
civil aircraft can take off or
land during that time," said one
security official, reported
Reuters.
While a no-fly zone bars
commercial flights during the
two-hour procession, the R-day
program wraps up with a flypast by military planes.
Stakes are high as Obama's
visit comes a month after
Pakistan Taliban killed 132
children in a school in
Peshawar, forcing India to issue
a nationwide alert.
Clashes across the IndiaPakistan border have intensified, along with concerns that
militant commanders in
Afghanistan and Pakistan have
Continued on page 4
Please look out for

our Special Issue
celebrating India's
Republic Day, with
exclusive coverage of
President Obama's
visit to India.
Follow us on
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Obama's trip
sends important
message to world
Invited by Prime Minister Modi, Obama becomes the first US

President to attend Republic Day celebrations as chief guest.
Washington: Ahead of President

Obama's trip to India, US officials
have described it as an "important
message" to the world about the
two nations' commitment to realize
the full potential of their relationship.
Since the time he took office,
Obama has "made increasing US
engagement with India a top foreign policy priority", Deputy
National Security Advisor Ben
Rhodes said Tuesday.
The first state dinner he hosted at
the White House was for the then
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
Singh, he noted.
Obama himself travelled to India
in the first part of his first term in
office and becomes the first
American President to be the guest
of honor at India's Republic Day.
"That's rooted in the belief we
have that US cooperation with
India can significantly advance our
interests in terms of promoting
economic ties and increased
exports to a growing market,"
Rhodes said.
"That's based on our belief that
our Asia Pacific policy benefits
Continued on page 4
Obamas State of the Union address .. page 9
excellence in journalism
January 24-30, 2015
May & Sept 2015
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
January 24-30, 2015
Two letters, one posted and other waits for a 'stamp'
By SATimes Team
New York: The fight to push the

US Postal Service to issue a commemorative Diwali stamp gained
momentum last week with the
introduction of a resolution in the
US House and a letter written by
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney
to President Obama calling on him
to support this cause on his visit to
India.
Maloney has also written a letter
to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
which she intends to post with a
'Diwali stamp' on it.
Last Friday, Maloney joined
Consul General Dnyaneshwar
Mulay, Chair of the Diwali Stamp
Project Ranju Batra and Chair of
the National Advisory Council of
South Asian Affairs Ravi Batra at
the Indian Consulate to encourage
USPS to issue the Diwali postage
stamp. As the first President to
light a traditional lamp, the diya,
From left: Ranju Batra, Rep. Carolyn Maloney,

Amb. Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Ravi Batra at the Consulate event in
support of the Diwali stamp. (Photo: Parash Chettri )
as part of the White House Diwali

celebration and one who has done
so much to promote the Diwali values of compassion and tolerance, I
hope you will use the occasion of
your visit to India to support a

Diwali commemorative stamp,
Maloney said in the letter.
She said a Diwali stamp would
send a message to the more than
one billion people who mark the

Indian festival that the US shares
these values and honors our countrys religious diversity and inclusiveness...Despite the significance
of this holiday to many Americans,
the USPS has not yet recognized
Diwali with a stamp, as it has with
other major religious and cultural
holidays such as Christmas,
Kwanza, Hanukkah, and Eid," said
Maloney.
For several years, Maloney has
led efforts in Congress to press the
Citizens
Stamp
Advisory
Committee in support of the Diwali
stamp.
USPS can no longer ignore
Hinduism and the calls for a Diwali
Stamp from the Hindu community
and our dear friend and champion,
Carolyn Maloney, said Ravi Batra
adding, This year, the Diwali
stamp will be approved - US
Postmaster General Patrick R.
Donahoe has to be reminded that
they are currently in violation of a

core Constitutional obligation of
government - 'Equal Protection of
the Law.'"
Besides the cultural significance,
the Diwali stamp will have economic benefits. There are over 3
million Indian Americans in the
US. The sale of the Diwali stamp
could provide the USPS with a
much-needed revenue surge.
"The Diwali stamp by the US
shall add to the already existing
goodwill and strengthen the relations between our two countries.
The laudable effort by Ranju Batra
and Congresswoman Maloney, and
all others of goodwill is a welcome
gesture that is bound to bring cheer
to everybody invested in the IndiaUS relationship," said Amb. Mulay.
Maloney urged the members of
the media as well as members of
Indian community to write to their
representatives to push for the
Diwali stamp.
RANA to host Rajasthan Indian Consulates unique approach to engage community

Mahotsav in April
By Ashok Ojha/SA Times
New York: The Rajasthan

Association of North
America (RANA) will celebrate Rajasthan Mahotsav
on April 19 at SUNY Old
Westbury, NY.
The Mahotsav is a celebration of three key festivals of
India Gangaur, Holi &
Teej. These colorful festivals
are celebrated by the people
of Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Punjab,
Marwar
and
Sekhawati regions and signify an integration of regional
cultures which the communities celebrate with great
enthusiasm and devotion
during spring.
RANA is committed to
promote the rich culture of
India by observing many traditional festivals and celebrating them in North
America periodically. We
expect people from all communities Rajasthanis,
Gujaratis, Punjabis and others - to attend and enjoy daylong Rajasthan Mahotsav.
RANA aims at bringing
about harmony and celebrating the festivals of India

jointly with other communities to foster the spirit of
brotherhood and camaraderie, said Naveen Shah,
President of RANA.
This year s festival is
being planned on a big scale
and the festivities planned
have never been seen before
in the Tri-state area. The program includes a Grand
Traditional Parade featuring
Elephants, Horses, Camels
and Traditional Folk Music
& Artistes, Authentic
Rajasthani cuisine along
with Continental, Punjabi,
Gujarati and South Indian
food, Hasya Kavi Sammelan
and much more. Famous
artistes and folk musicians
will be performing. In short,
RANA invites all to relive
the glory of Indian festivals
right here in New York.
For more information,
please visit our website
www.ranausa.org or email
info@ranausa.org
Edison, NJ: Dozens of officials representing Government of India

owned agencies and banks showcased their accomplishments at an
outreach event here last Saturday.
It was the brainchild of Consul
General Dnyaneshwar Mulay to take
the government to people, aimed to
improve the public image of the
Government and its agencies operating outside India.
In his remarks Mulay said that the
New Jersey event was the first among
many such to be organized in the
states under the consulates jurisdiction. It is our goal to strengthen the
friendly ties between our two nations.
We want people from a wider section
of the society in both countries to
interact for business, travel and cultural exchanges, he commented.
Mulay emphasized that Indo-US
relations were reaching new heights
with the visit next week of President
Obama to India. He said that India
was expecting more tourists from
USA. Outlining the vast resources
available in various Indian states, he
urged the Indian community to partner with the Consulate to highlight
the unique cultural and intellectual
strength of their native states. He
reminded the audience to attend the
launch of Friends of Madhya
US Congressman Frank Pallone

Jr. flanked by HR Shah and
Amb. Dnyaneshwar Mulay
at the outreach event.
Pradesh in New York Feb 1.

Padmaja Chunduru, Country Head
(USA) of State Bank of India, highlighted SBIs role in promoting
Indias cottage industry and small
business sectors. With 22% of market share we are determined to contribute significantly to the economic
growth of the nation, she stressed.
Terming Bank of Baroda as Indias
largest nationalized bank, Ashok
Kumar Garg, Chief Executive (US
Operations), said that his bank was
making great strides in improving the
Indian economy. T. Shrikanthan,
CEO of Canara Bank, P.K. Patnaik,
CEO, US Operation of Bank of India,
P. Radhakrishna of Andhra Bank,
Anil Bansal, Chairman of Indus

American Bank, Amy Hariani of
USIBC, Meenakshi Vashist, Asstt.
Director, India Tourism, and
Rishikant Singh of Air India also
made presentations about the successes of their respective organizations. US Congressman Frank
Pallone, Jr., chief guest at the event,
said that a new phase in Indias politics emerged with the election of
Prime Minister Modi, who people felt
will lead India to prosperity. He represents a vast number of Indian
Americans living in the 6th
Congressional District of New Jersey.
HR Shah, Chairman of TV Asia,
lauded the remarkable role played by
Pallone in forming Indian Caucus in
the US Congress, which is now 200
strong. Pallone was awarded Padma
Bhushan by the Government of
India.
Manoj Kumar Mahapatra, Dy
Consul General, highlighted the
efforts of the passport and visa office,
which has been streamlined to welcome applicants. He said that he was
personally looking into all complaints his office received from the
public.
Before the meeting, Amb Mulay
addressed the organizers of
International Hindi Conference to be
held at Rutgers University on April
30, 2015.
TURN PAGE
January 24-30, 2015
Jindal wont back down on no-go zone comments
Washington: Bobby Jindal refused

to apologize Wednesday for calling
certain areas in Europe no-go
zones due to influence from fundamentalist Muslims.
Appearing on Fox News, the
Louisiana governor, who is eyeing a
run for the presidency, reiterated
recent comments hed made in
London and to CNN about supposed areas, where women dont
feel comfortable going in without

veils and where police are less
likely to go in.
Over the past week, Fox News
issued apologies after multiple
commentators and hosts referred to
certain areas in France and Britain
as no-go zones.
When asked whether he would
follow suit and apologize along
with Fox News, Jindal, a
Republican, clarified that he

believed the network was forced to
issue its mea culpa for calling entire
cities no-go zones, whereas he
was simply referring to specific
areas.
The Louisiana Republican further
said that there are communities of
people that dont want to integrate
but instead have immigrated to
colonize, to overtake the culture.
Indian American-directed Doritos

ad a Super Bowl finalist
New York state assembly

speaker arrested for graft
San Leandro, CA: Indian

American ad film director Nick
Sivakumarans humorous Doritos
commercial is a finalist in a Super
Bowl-themed Crash the Super
Bowl contest sponsored by
PepsiCo, and he will now compete
for a coveted Super Bowl XLIX
airtime slot, a $1 million grand
prize and a job with Universal
Pictures.
His Doritos commercial, The
Lemonade Stand, is among 10
finalists selected from nearly 4,900
submissions representing 29 countries around the world.
The Lemonade Stand was written by Richard Jindapornsuk and
produced and edited by Dave
Horowitz.
Working
with
Sivakumaran, they shot the project
in Los Angeles with a small crew
and a minimal budget.
Doritos fans are among the most
talented and creative individuals
out there theyve blown us away
each year for nearly a decade, said
Ram Krishnan, senior vice president and chief marketing officer,
Frito-Lay North America.
Each of the 10 Crash the Super
A scene from The Lemonade

Stand, a humorous Doritos
commercial directed by
Nick Sivakumaran
Bowl finalists will win an invitation to Arizona to attend Super

Bowl XLIX and watch the game
from a private suite, where they
will tune in to learn which finalist
ads will air for the world to see,
said a press release. The eight
finalists whose commercials dont
air during the broadcast will each
win $25,000. The runner-up whose
ad airs, but does not receive the
most fan votes, will win $50,000.
The Super Bowl XLIX broadcast
is set for Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015, on
NBC.
New York: New York state assembly speaker Sheldon Silver mastered the greedy art of secret selfreward while lining his pockets
with nearly $4 million in kickbacks
and bribes, prosecutors said
Thursday, after arresting the powerful Democrat. Federal authorities
also seized $3.8 million from
Silver, freezing eight of his bank
accounts at six different banks,
authorities said. The greedy art of
secret self-reward was practiced
with particular cleverness and cynicism by the speaker himself,
Manhattan US Attorney Preet
Bharara said of Silver.
The longtime Assembly speaker
was hit with a five-count criminal
complaint brought by Bharara,,
which claims that his corruption
dates back to 2000.
The prosecutor said Silver treated
the Speakers office as his personal
piggy bank: He simply sat back
and collected millions of dollars by
cashing in on his political office.
According to published reports, the
charges stemmed from payments
he received from a small law firm
specializing in seeking reductions
of New York City real estate taxes.
There were calls already for
Silver to step down as Speaker.
Obama's trip sends important ...
Continued from page 1
from closer ties with India, and it's
also based on our cooperation on
broad ranges of global issues," he
said. Since his victory in the last
Indian election, Prime Minister
Modi has made clear his interest in
expanding US-India relations,
Rhodes said.
For "President Obama to be invited as the first US President to attend
as the chief guest sends a very
important message to the world as
well as to the American and Indian
people about our commitment to
embrace the potential of this relationship," Rhodes said.
"There's extraordinary potential in
this relationship," he said. "What we
want to do is turn that potential into
concrete benefits for both of our
peoples." He added that a lot of
what the President wants to get done
over the course of the next two
years will benefit greatly from closer cooperation with India." Noting
that "terrorism is an issue that can
unite people who have faced traditional divides," Rhodes said the US
had "encouraged India and Pakistan
to pursue a dialogue to resolve their
bilateral issues, and have been very
supportive of that process." He
acknowledged that some Pakistan
based militant groups "have a nexus
to many different organizations that
have threatened India, the United
States and, again, importantly, the
Pakistani people as well."
Obamas itinerary in India...
Indian-American Congressman Ami
Bera, other lawmakers and Obamas
Cabinet members as well as leading
businessmen are part of the official
US delegation accompanying
Obama who will meet Indian leaders to discuss strengthening and
expanding the US-India strategic
partnership.After his arrival, Obama
would be accorded a ceremonial
reception in the forecourt of
Rashtrapati Bhavan. He would then

go to Raj Ghat to pay homage at the
memorial of Mahatma Gandhi.
Obama would later head for
Hyderabad House for bilateral discussions in a restricted format. After
the talks, Modi is hosting a luncheon for Obama and his delegation,
during which delegation-level talks
would be held, the spokesperson
said. In the evening of Jan. 25,
Obama would meet President
Pranab Mukherjee, who is to host a
banquet in his honor.
On Jan. 26, Obama would attend
the Republic Day parade at Rajpath
as the chief guest and later the At
Home reception at Rashtrapati
Bhavan hosted by the president.
In the evening, Obama and Modi
would address business events. Both
Modi and Obama are to address the
US-India Business Council comprising business executives from
both countries that evening. On the
last day of the visit, Jan 27, Obama
would address a select audience at
the Siri Fort auditorium and later
proceed to Agra, with the First
Lady, to see the Taj Mahal, before
flying back to the U.S.
Modi to welcome Obama...
renewed their focus on India as foreign forces leave the region.
On-the-ground security has been
beefed up, with extra police patrols
and checks at metro stations.
Snipers will be deployed at more
than 70 high-rise buildings around
central Delhi, the security official
said. Obama will be accompanied
by First Lady Michelle Obama on
his three-day trip and is expected to
travel in 'The Beast', his heavilyarmored limousine. They plan to go
to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.
A team of 40 U.S. security experts
has already inspected the Taj Mahal,
a police official said. Newspapers
showed images of US officials
patrolling the river behind the monument.
New Delhi Bureau

Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Art and Design: Vladimir Tomovski

Bhagwati Creations,
Dhiraj Kumar
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TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Rutgers University appoints Jasjit

Ahluwalia dean of public health school
New York: An eminent Indianorigin researcher and academician has been appointed as dean
of the public health school at the
prestigious Rutgers University in
New Jersey.
Jasjit Ahluwalia will assume his
new role as dean of the Rutgers
School of Public Health from
April 2015, the schools Chancellor Brian Strom said.
An alumnus of New York University and Harvard, Ahluwalia is
a nationally recognized researcher in the field of health disparities and minority health, and
nicotine addiction, Strom said. He is also
engaged in global health work with two
active research projects in Mumbai and
New Delhi.
Strom expressed confident that
Ahluwalias exceptional experience, expertise, and energy will build on the existing strengths of the School of Public
Health, develop new areas of study and
exploration, and foster the growth of junior-level researchers.
Ahluwalia is currently professor of internal medicine and epidemiology at the
University of Minnesota Academic Health
Center, where he was recruited in 2005 to
become the founding executive director of
the Office of Clinical Research.
Dr Jasjit Ahlwalia
Ahluwalia recently completed his term

as chair of the National Advisory Council
for Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), having been appointed to the council by former Health and Human Services
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
He has received more than $21 million
in funding as principal investigator and
more than $80 million as co-investigator
and is widely published.
According to his University of Minnesota profile, Ahluwalia has devoted the
past 21 years to improving the health of
high risk populations, and is known nationally for his work with the underserved
and ethnic minorities.
Rajat Gupta loses appeal

against lifetime ban by SEC
New York: The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by Rajat Gupta, the former Goldman Sachs Group
Inc. director convicted of insider trading, leaving in
place a lifetime ban by the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission on the Indian American serving as an officer or director of a public company, Bloomberg News
reported. The setback came in the civil case filed against
Gupta by the SEC, not the criminal case that led to his
two-year prison sentence. Guptas appeal for a review
of the criminal conviction is still pending at the
Supreme Court.
The order, issued by a federal district judge and upheld by an appeals court, bars Gupta from associating
with any broker or investment adviser. The SEC also
won a $13.9 million civil fine that was not at issue in the
Supreme Court appeal, Bloomberg said. Gupta, 66, was
convicted of passing illegal information to Raj Rajaratnam, a co-founder of the Galleon Group LLC hedge
fund. Rajaratnam received an 11-year sentence, and
both men are serving their sentences in a federal prison
in Massachusetts.
January 24-30, 2015
Two Indian Americans conferred 2015 Alexander

Schwarzkopf Prize for Technological Innovation
New York: National Science
Foundation (NSF) honored Columbia University professor
Ponisseril Somasundaran, Director of Center for Particulate and
Surfactant Systems (CPaSS) at
Columbia University with the
2015 Alexander Schwarzkopf
Prize for Technological Innovation along with Dr. Jun Wu, postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia Engineering and Prof.
Brij Moudgil, Co-Director at the
University of Florida site from (L to R): Dr. Jun Wu of Columbia Univ., NSF IUCRC
Program Director Dr. Raffaella Montelli, Prof. P.
the NSFs Industry/University
Somasundaran, NSF program Evaluator Dr. Dennis
Cooperative Research Center
Gray, Center Co-director Prof. Brij Moudgil, NSF
(I/UCRC) Association. Prof. SoProgram Manager Priya Sashank, and NSF
masundaran is La von DuddleEvaluator Vida Scarpella.
son Krumb Professor of Mineral
Engineering at Columbia. There are close to Columbia University, CPaSS develops and
100 centers around the nation. CPaSS was characterizes novel surfactants for industrial
nominated for their green reagent initiative applications such as coatings, dispersions,
developing insights on their potential benefits, deposition, gas hydrate control, personal care
developing methods to characterize and assess products, soil decontamination, waste treattheir performance and to estimate their green- ment, corrosion prevention, flotation, and
ness. NSF Director Dr. Francis Cordova pre- controlled chemical reactions. Its research is
sented Professor Somasundaran the trophy focused on the design and development of
and a plaque at a celebratory luncheon on Jan- specialty surfactants, characterization of their
uary 9 for The Center's exemplary research solution and interfacial behavior. Prof. Somacontribution to technology innovation and its sundaran, a member of the U.S. Academy of
positive impact on the technology, industry, Engineering as well as the corresponding
academies of China, India, Russia, Balkan and
and to society as a whole.
Established in 1998 by the Henry Krumb Royal Society of Canada, is also a recipient of
School of Mines, Department of Chemical the Padma Shri from the President of India as
Engineering, and Department of Chemistry at well as the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Vikram Chandra a nalist for top American literary award

New York: An India-born novelist has
been named among the finalists for one of
the most prestigious American literary
awards for his work about the culture of
computer programming and classical Indian aesthetics.
Delhi-born Vikram Chandra, 53, is the
finalist in the criticism category for his
non-fiction work 'Geek Sublime: The
Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty' for
the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC)
Awards.
The non-fiction work about the culture
of computer programming and classical
Indian aesthetics was published in 2013
as 'Mirrored Mind: My Life in Letters and
Code' and in 2014 as 'Geek Sublime:
Writing Fiction, Coding Software.'
The book has been published in the US
as 'Geek Sublime: The Code of Beauty,
the Beauty of Code.
Chandra currently teaches creative
writing at the University of California,
according to the biography on his web-
Author Vikram Chandra
site. His other acclaimed works include

'Red Earth and Pouring Rain', published
in 1995, which won the Commonwealth
Writers Prize for Best First Book and the
David Higham Prize for Fiction.
His novel 'Sacred Games' published in

2006 won the Hutch Crossword Award
for English Fiction for 2006 and a Salon
Book Award for 2007. It was a finalist for
the National Book Critics Circle Award
for Fiction and was included on numerous "Best of the Year lists, according to
his website.
Chandra also co-wrote the Bollywood
film 'Mission Kashmir' starring Sanjay
Dutt, Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, and
Jackie Shroff.
The NBCC announced its 30 finalists in
six categories - autobiography, biography,
criticism, fiction, general nonfiction, and
poetry-for the best books of 2014.
The awards will be presented on March
12.
The National Book Critics Circle
Awards, founded in 1974 and considered
among the most prestigious in American
letters, are the sole prizes bestowed by a
jury of working critics and book-review
editors.
January 24-30, 2015
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
New ATA panel to be in charge of Chicago meet Sacramento Kings host 2nd annual Bollywood game
Special to The South Asian

Times
New York: The American Telugu Association (ATA), an umbrella body of the community,
has held a board meeting in Las
Vegas, Nevada and elected Sudhakar Perkari of New Jersey as
its new president.
The panel led by Perkari will
be in charge of holding the
Chicago convention scheduled
Incumbent President Karunakar
for next year.
Madhavaram passed on the mantle to the
Aside from the ATA board
new president Sudhakar Perkari
members, standing committee
heads, regional coordinators and promi- is followed by the 14th biennial three-day
nent Las Vegas and California Telugu national convention in Chicago in 2016.
The ATA board elected the executive
community leaders attended the recent
meeting with about 200 delegates, accord- committee for 2015 and 2016. The foling to a news release issued by the Illi- lowing are members -- President: Sudhakar Perkari, President-elect: Karunakar
nois-based body.
Incumbent President Karunakar Mad- Asireddy, Secretary: Madhavi Bommihavaram passed on the mantle to the new neni, Treasurer: Kalyan Anadula, Joint
president. Along with Perkari, a revamped Secretary: Soumya Kondapalli, Joint
Treasurer: Suresh Jilla and Executive Diboard of trustees was also installed.
Perkari in his address noted that ATA rector: Balwant Kommidi.
Perkari thanked the immediate past
will be 25 years old this year. Having
reached the major milestone, ATA contin- president Madhavaram and his team, and
ued to remember its main mission: to pre- congratulated them for their successful
serve and maintain the heritage of all term. He also expressed his happiness
American Telugus; to promote literary, about the highly successful and financialcultural, educational, religious, social and ly profitable ATA 2014 Philadelphia coneconomic activities of the community, and vention. Perkari praised convener
Parmesh Bheemreddy, coordinator Bhuother aspects of the ATA charter.
He unveiled the new committees vision vanesh Boojala, and all other officeholdand a plan of action for the next two years. ers associated with the Philadelphia conATA will celebrate its silver jubilee, which vention.
Bone stem cells may regenerate bones and

cartilage says Indian American researcher
ndian-American researcher Siddhartha Mukherjee from Columbia
University Medical Center (CUMC)
has identified stem cells that are capable
of regenerating both bone and cartilage in
bone marrow of mice.
The cells called osteochondroreticular
(OCR) stem cells were discovered by
tracking a protein expressed by the cells.
Using this marker, Mukherjee and his
team found that OCR cells self-renew and
generate key bone and cartilage cells.
The team also showed that OCR stem
cells, when transplanted to a fracture site,
contribute to bone repair.
The researchers believe OCR stem cells
are present in human bone tissue as mice

and humans have similar bone biology.
"If you make a fracture in the mouse,
these cells will come alive again, generate
both bone and cartilage in the mouse and
repair the fracture. The question is, could
this happen in humans," asked Mukherjee, assistant professor of medicine.
Further study could provide greater understanding of how to prevent and treat
osteoporosis, osteoarthritis or bone fractures.
The researchers also suspect that OCR
cells may play a role in soft tissue cancers.
The paper was reported online in the
journal Cell.
n January 17, the

Sacramento
Kings
hosted
their second annual Bollywood themed game
versus the Los Angeles
Clippers. The mascot and
staff wore traditional Indian attire as the team celebrated Indian cinema
and culture with performances by local dance
groups and the Sacramento Kings Dancers. Fans
Sacramento Kings dancers perform Bollywood
in attendance received
dance routines in Indian attire for Sacramento
multi-colored rally towels
Kings Bollywood Night versus the Los Angeles
and the game was broadClippers. (Photo credit : Kings.com)
cast live in India on Sony
Six. The excitement of the night grew as philosophy, which is driven by utilizing
Kings fan Jeremiah Taylor performed a cutting-edge technology to enhance the
Bollywood Night miracle by nailing a fan experience, acting as a positive agent
of change in the community, and expandhalf-court shot to win a free KIA.
Hosting cultural nights (like Bolly- ing the team and Sacramento regions
wood) is rooted in Ranadivs NBA 3.0 global brand.
Grandson of Mahatma Gandhi speaks at Vancouver MLK event

he grandson of Indian activist Mahatma
Gandhi was in Vancouver on Jan 18 for an
event honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Arun
Gandhi is a nonviolent activist and scholar who
works to spread the message his grandfather devoted his life to. Gandhi spoke at an event at the First
Congregational United Church of Christ with a sermon that focused on both his grandfather and the
legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "Like my
grandfather said, you must consider yourself to be a
peace farmer," Gandhi said. "Just as a farmer goes
out into the field and plants seeds and hopes and
prays that he gets a good crop, I go out and I plant
seeds of peace in the minds of people." Gandhi also
signed copies of his books after his speech.
Arun Gandhi speaking at the

event (Photo credit:
The Columbian)
NFIA seeks nominations for achievement awards

ational Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA), an umbrella organization comprising over 200
Indo-American organizations, representing
over 3 million Americans who trace their
roots to India, is seeking nominations for
awards for outstanding achievements to be
given at its 18th biennial convention in Cerritos, LA, California, on the weekend of
March 6-8, 2015.
The last date to submit nominations with
relevant documents about the nominee is
January 30, states Lal K Motwani, Chairman
of the awards committee. The awards will be
presented at the gala banquet of the 18th biennial NFIA convention. The selected can-
didates must be present at the NFIA Award

Ceremony in Los Angeles.
Nominations are invited for outstanding
accomplishments in the following categories: Service to the Indian American community; Sciences; Liberal and Fine Arts; Performing Arts; Medicine and Health Sciences;
Education; Engineering and Technology;
Business and Finance; Mass Media: Radio,
Television, Newspaper; Government and
Non-Profit Institutions. Indian American associations and individuals are encouraged to
nominate distinguished Indian Americans or
institutions that have done an outstanding job
in their chosen field and submit nominations
with supporting documents.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Community Pride
Indian-American Frank Islam receives

prestigious Martin Luther award
Washington, DC: An eminent

Indian-American entrepreneur
and philanthropist Frank Islam
has been presented with the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr.
Award in recognition of his contribution to the legacy of the
great leader through his efforts in
international service and civil
engagement.
The award, which carries the
name of Martin Luther King Jr.,
an apostle of peace, is about
building bridges between humanity.
The award was presented to
Islam by Harry Johnson, president of the Memorial Foundation
Inc. and one of the honorary vice
chairs of the event, which was
held at Willard Intercontinental.
"I feel doubly blessed to be
given this honor because of the
indelible connection between
King and that other famous civil
and human rights leader from my
homeland of India, Mahatma
Gandhi," said Islam, who came
to the US as a student in the
1970s. He added that both King
and Gandhi "have been beacons
to me in my personal life and
Entrepreneur and philanthropist Frank Islam
charitable and philanthropic

involvement."
Islam also said that the award
was especially important to him
because of its emphasis on
"peace and non-violence."
"More lives have been lost in
the past 100 years than at any
given point in time. Whether it is
in the name of religion, national-
ism or any other extremist ideology, thousands are being killed

every year," he said.
Last year, President Obama
appointed him to the board of
Trustees of the Kennedy Center.
He also serves on the
International
Advisory
Committee of the US Institute of
Peace.
January 24-30, 2015
Three lawmakers to join

Obama on India trip
Congressman Ami Bera, Vice Chair Joe Crowley and Senator Mark
Warner will be aboard Air Force One with the President
Washington, DC: Three Democratic
lawmakers, including the lone IndianAmerican Congressman Ami Bera,
whose parents moved to the US from
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home
state of Gujarat in the 1950s, will join
President Barack Obama on his India
trip. Bera, co-chair of the Congressional
Caucus on India and India Americans,
will be joined by his predecessor Joe
Crowley, who is currently vice chair of
the Democratic Caucus and Senator
Mark Warner, co-chair of Senate India
caucus.
"As the son of Indian immigrants, I am
extremely honored to be a part of this
historic trip to India with the president,"
said Bera.
Prime Minister Modi's trip to the
United States last year was a turning
point in relations for our countries, and
now this trip will be an important opportunity to continue to move the US-India
relationship forward," he said.
"As the oldest and largest democracies
in the world, our countries have many
common interests and I hope this will be
another step toward realizing the full
potential of the US-India partnership,"
Bera added. Bera became India Caucus
co-chair at the beginning of the current

114th Congress.
Formed in 1993, the India Caucus is a
bipartisan group of members dedicated
to championing strong ties between the
US and India and supporting the IndianAmerican community. It is the largest
country caucus in Congress.
"The principles of India's democratic
constitution serve as a shining example
for the world, and what better time for
the President of the United States to
make this historic visit than to join India
in celebrating its Republic Day," said
Crowley.
"It is an honor to join President Obama
on this trip and I look forward to robust
discussions on how we can open the
next chapter in US-India relations," he
said.
"I strongly believe that the United
States-Indian relationship should and
will serve as a key building block of US
foreign policy in the decades ahead.
"Working together, the United States
and India can be a transformational force
in meeting global challenges," Crowley
said. Warner had announced last week
that he too would be traveling to India as
part of the presidential delegation.
Indian-American teen oats rm to sell low cost Braille printer
Washington, DC: Thirteen-yearold Indian-American Shubham

Banerjee from Santa Clara,
California, who developed a low
cost Braille printer called Braigo
using the Lego robotics kit last
year, has opened a full-edged
company to develop the
machines for the masses.
Banerjee's start-up Braigo Labs
has got funding from Intel
Corporation, among others, said
his website.
The invention was featured at
the rst ever "White House
Maker Faire" in June last year to
"celebrate a nation of makers and
help empower America's students
and entrepreneurs to invent the
future."
Banerjee was invited to the
White House for developing an
accessible solution for blind and
disadvantaged people across the

globe. "Technology should help
us to make our life easier and not
become a burden due to high
cost," Banerjee posted on his
website.
"Our mission is to bring
'Humanely Optimized' technologies that are innovative, affordable, simple and catering to solving life's problems," he added.
Born in Hasselt, Belgium,
Banerjee has formed Braigo Labs
in Palo Alto and plans to start
selling a more durable version of
the printer.
The eighth-grader from
Champion School in San Jose,
California, wants to nally develop a desktop Braille printer that
brings the cost down to $350
from the current $2000 for education, teaching and home use pur-
poses. Banerjee came up with

the idea of integrating his love of
Lego and willingness to nd an
alternative way to help the visually impaired.
It resulted in the invention of an
open source cost-reduced "DIY
braille printer."
He called it "Braigo v1.0" as a
proof of concept to show everyone that we can do better to help
the people in need.
Currently, the company is
working on different innovative
ideas to bring to market alternative solutions to costly products
currently available starting with
braille printing/embossing technology.
The feat has also earned him a
place on the 2014 "Silicon Valley
Business Journal's 40 Under 40"
list.
Shubham Banerjee. The eighth-grader from Champion School

in San Jose, CA, wants to develop a desktop Braille printer that
brings the cost down to $350 from the current $2000 for
education, teaching and home use purposes.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
January 24-30, 2015
Director Shankar and actor Vikram Chicago millionaire Sanjay Shah buys
catch "I" of audience in the US
$17 M Trump Tower penthouse
Special to SATimes
he recently released Tamil film I,

which comes in Telugu, Hindi and
Chinese versions, catches your attention for spectacular beauty, highly rated performances, great make-up, and eye-catching
locales. The rags-to-riches story of a bodybuilder, who transforms himself into a
renowned model, is directed by Shankar
(noted for his runaway success of Robot),
who is unrivaled in India in this genre. He is
ably supported by his lead actor Vikram,
noted in the South, but little known in Bollywood. Though he is good in all his four
different roles Vikram excelled as a
vengeance-seeking hunchback with bulbous
deformations.
The film goes back and forth in its narration, confusing those who are not accustomed to seeing southern films, particularly
those made by the likes of Shankar. The initial, long sequence of the beefcake hero
fighting back his opponents can be misleading because boisterous, crowded and unexpected scenes follow. Watching Shankars
films demands patience from the viewer.
The 200-minute film (including the intermission) answers all questions the viewer
has but only toward the end when the story
picks up speed.
Amy Jackson, who plays the model Diya,
looks pretty throughout the film. The lady
from Liverpool, England, is even shown as
a schoolgirl.
Shankars high jinks include glossy commercials, eye-popping effects, and phones
and fishes turning into dancing damsels.
With a multimillion dollar budget, the movie
offers a visual feast, especially with lush
scenery, including the parts shot in China.
And talking about China, bicycle-riding,

bamboo-thrusting and acid-throwing men,
trained in martial arts, take on the lonely
hero. And, of course, Vikram vanquishes all
of them and comes out with flying colors.
Winner of two Oscars, AR Rahmans musics exhilarating, mellifluous and enthusiastic. Some admirers thought hed get another Oscar nomination for I but that was
not to be.
Somewhat inspired by the Hollywood film
Beauty and the Beast, the movie took two
years to make. After several postponements,
it was released around Sankranti in several
countries, including the US.
Chicago: Sanjay Shah, 46,

founder and CEO of Hoffman Estates based Vistex
in December 2014 paid $17
million in cash for 89th
floor penthouse at the
Trump International Hotel
& Tower, breaking the
record for the priciest residential real estate sale in
Chicago history.
The list price was $32
million. The purchase
eclipses Chicago billionaire Ken Griffin's 2012 purchase of a condo on the
66th floor of the Park Tower for $15 million, the
Chicago Tribune reported.
"I've traveled all around
the world, but just in terms
of the architecture, even if
you go to New York, there
are other high-rises, but
nothing quite as exotic as
this," Shah said. "You can
view every single landmark
the city has. I think that's
what appealed to me most
about it," he told Chicago
Tribune.
It is expected to be the
second-highest residence in
the Western Hemisphere,
after a new tower under
construction on Park Avenue in New York opens.
Shah, who lives in South
Barrington, said the unit
Vistex Inc CEO Sanjay Shahs 14,260-square-foot

penthouse has five bedrooms and a 360-degree
view of the city.
will function as a second

residence for his family,
which includes his wife
and two daughters, one in
college and one in public
high school. They also
have a home in Germany,
where Shah previously
lived and has business ties,
and one in India, where he
was born.
Shah came to the United
States in 1988 to get his
MBA at Pennsylvania's
Lehigh University. Dissatisfied with his job as an accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, he joined
General Motors in Canada,
transferring to operations
and logistics.
He moved to Chicago to
join behemoth software
provider SAP as it opened
an office here in 1993 and
then relocated to headquarters in Walldorf, Germany,
doing research and development for a couple of
years.
Shah founded his company Vistex in 1999 and this
year made four acquisitions
of companies in London,
South Africa, Colombia
and Seattle to gain access
to
emerging
markets
(South Africa) and agricultural software (Colombia),
for instance. Vistex's annual revenue is approaching
$200 million, Shah said.
IN BRIEF
Indian-American toddler can

identify all countries of world
three-year-old Indian-American
boy can identify
all 196 countries, plus
some dependencies and
territories, on the world
map in a mere four minutes and 42 seconds, a
media report said.
Impressed by the performance of New Yorkborn Vihaan Chamala,
judges from RecordSetter
honored him with a world
record, India West reported, adding that his name
is likely to be included in
the Asia Book of Records, India
Book of Records and Miracle
World Records. RecordSetter is a
social media website containing
a collection of world records created by the public and evaluated
by the staff and visitors to the
Ebola ghter Dr Pranav Shetty invited to

watch Obama speech to Congress
bring the Ebola epidemic
n India-born doctor
fighting Ebola in
under control in West
Africa.
Africa was among
Shetty's experience in
the guests watching President
Barack Obama's State of the
public health emergencies
is invaluable, having reUnion address Tuesday symsponded to crises in Haiti,
bolizing some of the points
Libya, South Sudan, Jorhe would be making.
dan, Iraq, and the PhilipIn an address to a joint session of Congress Obama laid
pines, it said.
In August 2014, Shetty
out an agenda for his seventh
year in office in the face of a
deployed to Liberia to establish and oversee two
hostile Republican opposiEbola treatment units,
tion, which now controls
teams of rapid responders
both the House and the SenDr Pranav Shetty
that deploy to Ebola hot
ate.
India-born Pranav Shetty, Global Emergency spots across the country, and a training center for
Health Coordinator for International Medical local and international health care workers now
Corps, joined the First Lady in her box as a rep- working on the frontlines of the Ebola response
resentative of the thousands of health care work- effort.
Shetty is a US-trained emergency medicine
ers who were collectively named TIME's person
physician with a Masters of Public Health and
of the year in 2014.
The White House described the Medical Corps has worked for International Medical Corps
as a critical partner in the US-supported effort to since 2011.
Vihaan Chamala
site. Vihaan is the only child of

Jayasree, a clinical physical therapist, and Raghu Ram Chamala.
The toddler has also memorized
names of planets, days, months,
chemistry elements, Telugu and
English alphabets and words.
US AFFAIRS
January 24-30, 2015
Obama says crisis over, unveils vision of 'middle-class economics' A GOP split on immigration?
Washington: Noting he had no more
campaigns to run, a defiant and upbeat
Barack Obama set out to seal his legacy
in the final two years of his presidency
with a blunt veto threat against any attempts to undermine his legislative
achievements. He also said the "shadow
of crisis" had passed over the US, the nation was strong and had now only to "turn
the page".
"I have no more campaigns to run," he
reminded the Republican-controlled Congress Tuesday night, reminding lawmakers that he won all of them, as he outlined
an ambitious vision for "middle-class
economics" with a call for tax reform,
free community college and child care.
In his penultimate State of the Union
address, warning GOP, he said: "We can't
put the security of families at risk by taking away their health insurance, or unraveling the new rules on Wall Street, or refighting past battles on immigration when
we've got a system to fix. And if a bill
comes to my desk that tries to do any of
these things, it will earn my veto."
Obama said the "shadow of crisis has
passed" after years dominated by wars,
recession and the threat of terror, saying
that it's now time for the nation to "turn
the page."
Under Obama's plan, tax hikes on the
wealthy would help finance tax breaks for
middle-income Americans, including a
$500 boost for families with two working
President Obama waves to Congressmen at the

State of the Union address Tuesday.
spouses and a tripling of the child care tax

credit. Other proposals included a push
for more paid sick leave and a free community college education for qualified
students.
Focused on domestic politics, Obama
made no reference to his upcoming historic trip to India later this week.
But he accused China of wanting to
"write the rules for the world's fastestgrowing region. That would put our
workers and our businesses at a disadvantage."
"Why would we let that happen? We
should write those rules. We should level
the playing field," he said seeking "trade

promotion authority to protect American
workers, with strong new trade deals
from Asia to Europe."
Obama also asked Congress to formally authorize the use of force against the
Islamic State terror group.
He also told Congress that he will veto
any additional sanctions on Iran as the administration seeks to finalize a long-elusive nuclear deal with the country. Defending his administration's move to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba, he
said that it ends "a policy that was long
past its expiration date."
Washington: Dueling official Republican responses to Obamas State of the Union address meant
to highlight the party's alternate vision
for the nation instead underscored the
GOP's deep divide on immigration reform. One, given in Spanish by Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo, asked the
President to "cooperate" with congressional Republicans to make immigration reform happen.
Senator Joni
"We should also work through the
Ernst gave
appropriate channels to create permaGOPs official
nent solutions for our immigration
response to
system, to secure our borders, modObamas State
ernize legal immigration, and
of the Union.
strengthen our economy," Curbelo
said in Spanish. The other, delivered in English by Iowa Sen.
Joni Ernst, made no mention of reform. She gave a folksy
pitch for Republican proposals to improve the economy,
overhaul the tax code and open up new trade markets abroad.
Curbelo said he requested a copy of Ernst's prepared remarks and revised them to reflect his own priorities, and that
GOP Leadership had okayed his version.
But the clash between the two speeches reflects the broader struggle within the party to expand its appeal beyond base
conservatives and into untapped demographic groups, particularly minorities. With America's Latino population growing exponentially, Republican leaders have openly admitted
they won't be able to compete on the national stage if they
can't figure out how to narrow Democrats' advantage with
that voting bloc. South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham,
who has expressed interest in a presidential bid, told CNN
last month that it would be "difficult, if not impossible" for
the GOP to win the White House in 2016 without passing immigration reform.
Gov Cuomo proposes tax breaks in

budget, and air train to LaGuardia
Albany: Governor Andrew
Cuomo proposed a $141.6
billion budget that would
provide tax breaks for middle-class property owners
and small businesses, and
boost spending on rail and
road projects.
Giving Wednesday his
fifth State of the State address, he proposed a spending hike by 2.8 % over this
year.
Many of the headline
items in the budget, such as
raising the minimum wage Gov Andrew Cuomo has embarked on his second term
to $10.50 an hour ($11.50 in
New York City) from $8.75
and spending $450 million to build a train to
LaGuardia Airport, were rolled out by Cuomo
in daily announcements over the past week.
The new AirTrain will connect LaGuardia
As he embarks on his second term, Cuomo,
Airport to the subway. The 1.5 mile rail line
a 57-year-old Democrat, also says he wants to
will stretch from the airport to the Mets-Wiloverhaul New Yorks education system, in
lets Point stop on the 7 train, where it will
part by increasing the number of charter
also connect to the Long Island Rail Road.
schools allowed under state law to 560 from
The AirTrain costing $450 million willtake
460. The annual address to the legislature was
five years to build. It will be the first train
combined with the governors budget proposline running to the Queens airport, which can
al after Cuomos father, three-term Governor
now only be reached by bus or car. The 1.5
Mario Cuomo, died Jan. 1, the same day Anmile line will run along the Grand Central
drew was sworn in. That pushed the speech
Parkway, a route that wont create an undue
back by two weeks.
burden to any of the neighboring structures."
Cuomo is pushing for a $1.7 billion properAirport re-design plans will also be required
ty-tax break for middle-class New Yorkers
to include a high speed ferry terminal to conand a plan to lower the net income tax rate for
nect LaGuardia to Manhattan. Cuomo is also
42,000 businesses to 2.5 percent from 6.5 perlooking to build a hotel and business center
cent by 2018, the lowest since 1917.
there, and another hotel at JFK.
AirTrain to LaGuardia
Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385

718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.Com
10
January 24-30, 2015
OBAMA VISIT TO INDIA
Obama visit reflects sea

change in India-US ties
Obama visit to bring

Make In India tidings
New Delhi: Happening like a quick follow-up to Prime Minister Narendra

Modi's November US visit that secured its
corporate commitments of $41 billion in
India, President Barack Obama's visit
later this week is expected to result in
major announcements on the Make In
India front, informed sources said.
Amitabh Kant, secretary in the department of industrial policy and promotion
(DIPP), is currently heading a team in
Washington for an outreach on the Make
in India program Tuesday that will be
attended by all top American companies
with interest in India
During the Obama visit, intellectual
property rights and a bilateral investment
treaty (BIT) would be key issues on the
agenda, according to a US State
Department official.
The commerce ministry source said a
series of woerking group meetings are
planned on various issues, including intellectual property rights (IPR), investment
in manufacturing, a totalisation pact, market access for agricultural products and an
easier visa regime.
The groups were set up under the trade
policy forum (TPF), reconvened after a
gap of four years in November, that was
co-chaired by Commerce and Industry
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and US
Trade Representative Michael Froman.
The US has been pressing for tightening
India's IPR regime, while Froman had, in
November, said here that high standards
were being adopted by the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP), and India too needs to
look at its current standards.
While officials from both sides are
working on a multi-billion dollar fund to
invest in India's renewable energy sector
to be announced during the US president's
visit, solar power projects have reportedly
become problematic due to the Make In
India campaign.
The government's announcement last
Renowned kite maker Jagmohan

Kanojia in Amritsar makes special
kites with Modi and Obama's photos.
month, of a series of 1,000 MW solar PV

(photovoltaic) power projects that has a
mandatory condition that all PV cells and
modules used in solar plants set up under
the scheme will be made in India, is
reportedly an irritant for the US.
The US has complained against India at
the World Trade Organization over the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar
Mission's domestic content requirement
(DCR) for solar cells and solar modules in
its projects.
India maintains that US subsidies on
solar products threaten Indian manufacturers and has accused it of dumping
cheap and outdated technology in India.
India is expected to push for an easier
US visa regime for its professionals and a
totalisation pact that would exempt Indian
workers from having to make social security contributions.
Washington: Besides its powerful symbolism and optics,

President Barack Obama's presence as the guest of honour at
India's Republic Day reflects
the big change in India-US
relations since Prime Minister
Narendra Modi came to power.
He even advanced the State
of the Union address to a joint
session of the US Congress traditionally given in the last week
of January, by a week to be at
India's day of pride and
pageantry.
Barack Obama is expected to accompanied by First
That tells what he thinks of
Lady Michelle Obama, but their daughters Malia and
India and how worthwhile it's to
Sasha are likely to give the India trip a miss.
spend his time and energy on a
The Obama-Modi summit is expected to
reenergised India that is more important and
more influential and more of an opportunity, give them an opportunity to assess how
much progress has been made since they met
diplomatic sources said.
The Obama visit starting January 25 marks in Washington last September.
Besides a tour of the state of the world, the
many firsts - first American leader to stand in
the open for over two hours to watch the talks are expected to cover a lot of ground on
parade despite the security challenge, first to economic issues as also, climate change,
make an India only trip for the second time defence and security, including intelligence
sharing and the stalled India-US nuclear
while in office.
Today India enjoys a much higher credibil- deal. US Undersecretary of defence Frank
ity than on September 30 when Modi came Kendall, the Pentagon's point person for the
calling to Washington for his first summit bilateral defence relationship, is making his
meeting with Obama just four months after a fourth trip to India to give a push to their
landslide historic win in Indian elections, Defence Trade and Technology Initiative
(DTTI), ahead of Obama's visit.
they said.
As part of DTTI, co-production and coNoting that every part of the joint statement issued after the September summit had development of two critical defence systems
been acted upon, the sources said India with -- drones, and equipment for the C-130
its new get things moving style of working is transport military aircraft built by Lockheed
today looked upon as an easier place to do Martin - are reported to be on the table.
A Contact Group set up by Modi and
business, travel and work with.
The idea of inviting the American leader in Obama at their September summit on
a "very political gesture" came from Modi, advancing the implementation of civil
who is probably the first Prime Minister nuclear deal has already held a couple of
since Jawaharlal Nehru who sees foreign rounds to untangle the thorny issue of India's
policy as a powerful tool to accelerate devel- tough liability law.
Obama and Modi are also likely to discuss
opment.
Obama is expected to accompanied by the US troop withdrawal in Afghanistan and
First Lady Michelle Obama, but their daugh- its implications for India's security, tensions
ters Malia and Sasha are likely to give the on India-Pakistan borders and cross-border
terrorism.
India trip a miss because of their school.
45,000 personnel,
15,000 cameras to keep watch
New Delhi: Delhi Police is installing
15,000 CCTV cameras as part of security
arrangements for Republic Day which
will have US President Barack Obama as
the chief guest. Over 45,000 personnel
from Delhi Police and paramilitary forces
will also be on the streets of the capital
Jan 26, officials said.
Rajpath, the three km stretch which is
the main venue of the Republic Day
parade, will have over 160 CCTV cameras - with a camera installed every 18
meters, a police official said.
"At least 13,000 CCTV cameras have
already been installed at various points in
the city and the remaining are being
installed in a speedy manner," the official
said. Another 2,000 cameras will be

installed in two days, he added.
The camera footage may be shared with
the US Secret Service also, the official
said.
A seven-layer security ring will guard
the enclosure that will be used by Obama,
President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi to watch the
parade.
The enclosure will be bullet-proof as
the US president will be in an open air
setting for about two hours, something
unprecedented in his visit to a foreign
country, officials said.
Before Obama lands in his official
plane Jan 25 at Delhi airport, the area will
be taken over by Special Protection

Group (SPG) sleuths and US Secret
Service agents.
India Gate has been shut down for the
public as a security measure. The area
around it has been turned into a virtual
fortress.
"There will be 45,000 security personnel on the roads of Delhi on Republic
Day," another official said.
Sources said the central, north and New
Delhi districts will be manned by over
20,000 security personnel, including men
from the SPG.
CCTVs installed on a pole at Jantar
Mantar in New Delhi.
OBAMA VISIT TO INDIA
January 24-30, 2015
11
Modi, Obama to share thoughts on 'Mann ki Baat' From Raj Ghat to Taj Mahal:
New Delhi: Prime Minister

Narendra Modi and US President
Barack Obama will share their
thoughts in a "special" episode of
the 'Mann ki Baat' radio address
on January 27.
Modi, who has addressed three
episodes of the 'Mann ki Baat'
(from the heart) so far, has also
invited questions from listeners
which can be sent till Jan 25. The
address will be broadcast on the
state-owned All India Radio and
Doordarshan channels.
"This month's 'Mann Ki Baat'
episode will be a special one,
where our Republic Day guest
President Barack Obama and I
will share our thoughts together. I
am eagerly looking forward to the
special 'Mann Ki Baat' program
with Obama, which will be aired
Jan 27," said an ofcial statement
from the prime minister.
"'Mann Ki Baat' with President
Barack Obama will not be complete without your participation!
Send your Qs till the 25th, using
#AskObamaModi" Additionally,
MyGov gives you the opportunity
Obama's Delhi diary
Narendra Modi has so far addressed three such episodes on All

India Radio and Doordarshan channels.
to post your questions on a specially created Open Forum.

http://mygov.in/groupissue/questions-for-special-mann-ki-baatprogramme-with-pm-modi-andpresident-obama/show", the statement said.
Modi has so far addressed three
such episodes, on Oct 3, Nov 2
and Dec 14, last year. The halfhour episodes have the prime minister speaking in a chatty manner
to listeners about how to better
society.
In the US, the radio address was
begun by president Calvin

Coolidge, the 30th president, who
had his inauguration broadcast on
radio and later also delivered a
presidential address on radio.
But the weekly address system
originated with president Franklin
D. Roosevelt, who did his rst
"reside chat" radio address
March 12, 1933.
President Barack Obama did his
rst weekly radio address Jan 24,
2009 and has continued with it. He
has added a new element to it: a
YouTube video.
New Delhi: Landing in New

Delhi early on January 25,
Obama will begin his visit
with a ceremonial welcome at
the Rashtrapati Bhavan followed by a trip to Raj Ghat to
pay tributes to father of the
Indian Nation Mahatma
Gandhi.
Obama and Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and their delegations will hold their bilateral
meeting at Hyderabad House
followed by lunch and press
availability.
Topics of discussion will
include business climate, trade
and investment, climate
change and energy, defense
and security cooperation,
regional global issues,
Afghanistan and terrorism.
President Pranab Mukherjee
will host a State dinner for the
Obamas.
On Jan 26 morning, Obamas
will watch the Republic Day
parade with Mukherji and
Modi and take part in other
associated festivities.
That evening Obama and
Modi will have a round table
with business leaders followed
by the rst-ever joint address
to the US and Indian business
communities at a larger meeting
On Tuesday, the last day of
the trip, Obama will give a
public speech on "India and
America: The future we can
build together".
Obamas will then visit the
Taj Mahal in Agra before
heading home. The rst couple visited Mumbai and New
Delhi on their last trip to India
in 2011.
US
Secret
Service
'bullying'
Indian
agencies?
Obama may finally see Taj Mahal this time
Agra: US President
Barack
Obama,
who could not visit
the Taj Mahal during his 2010 India
visit due to paucity
of time, may not
like to miss the 17th
century monument
of love at least this
time when he
arrives in the country for the 66th
Republic Day.
Sources indicated
that a Plan B is
being drawn up
should the sky not
be clear and the
Soldiers stand guard at the Taj Mahal ahead of
inclement weather
US President Barack Obama's expected visit.
makes a ight to
Agra difcult. "In that case the US presi- cleaned and painted, in case the
dent may come via the Yamuna Expressway is to be used, a municipal
corporation ofcial said.
Expressway to Agra."
However the possibility of the VIPs
Additional police forces and commandos are being deployed on the Yamuna coming by road is remote, a senior police
Expressway which is also being decked ofcial requesting anonymity said.
Meanwhile, heavy security arrangeup. The 165 km access controlled
Expressway links Greater Noida with ments have been planned to ensure foolAgra. The Yamuna Kinara road is being proof security for Obama's Agra visit.
New Delhi: An advance

team of US Secret Service
agents who are in the capital to ensure the security of
President Barack Obama
during his three-day India
visit are reportedly "bullying" their Indian counterparts on every aspect of the
security.
Well-informed sources
said that around 25 Secret
Service agents arrived in
the capital. They have
attended several meeting
with the Intelligence
Bureau (IB) ofcials and
Well-informed sources said that around
Delhi Police personnel for
25 Secret Service agents arrived in the capital.
the security arrangements
for Obama's visit, but their "overbearing" Delhi Police and made arrangements for
attitude is said to be upsetting junior several high prole foreign dignitaries. I
have good friends in security agencies of
police ofcials.
"We have discussed every minute securi- other countries, but the US Secret Service
ty detail of our arrangements with the agents are not like them. They are very
Secret Service agents. We are also work- rude and overbearing. It appears that they
ing on the suggestions they shared with us. do not like to give importance to us."
"Now they want to position surveillance
But their demands are increasing every
time. They don't behave like the security satellites to track each and every moveagencies of other countries," an ofcial, ment of Obama, and are pressurizing us to
close to the security arrangements for the cut short the time of Obama's stay in the
open air on Rajpath for the Republic Day
Obama visit, said.
He said: "I have done my 30 years in parade," the ofcial said.
12
INDIA
January 24-30, 2015
PM launches 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign from Haryana
Panipat (Haryana): Asking people to shun

the 18th century mindset of killing daughters
and to stay away from "double standards" of
differentiating between boys and girls, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has warned that if the
mindset about girls was not changed it could
lead to dangerous times for future generations.
Launching the nationwide 'Beti Bachao-Beti
Padhao' (save girl child, educate her) campaign from Panipat in Haryana, the Prime
Minister said that a determined effort was
needed to counter the adverse sex ratio in the
country.
"If we do not become aware and compassionate about this problem, we will be setting
a dangerous precedent for future generations.
The message has to go to every family, village
and state in India.
"For every 1,000 boys born, 1,000 girls
should also be born. In Haryana's
Mahendergarh district, for 1,000 boys born,
only 775 girls are born. I want to ask you, if
girls are not born, where will you get your
daughter-in-law," he said.
Saying that he was "pained" about the
whole issue, Modi said: "People want an educated daughter-in-law but think many times
before educating their own daughters. How
long will we have double standards."
"Our mental illness is responsible for this.
We give a lot of importance to boys. Many
women also do this. For how long will we
look at girls as 'paraya dhan'," he said.
"From our mindset, we belong to the 18th
century. We are not fit to be called people
from the 21st century. In the 18th century, the
girl child was allowed to see the mother's face
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, Haryana Chief
Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and actress Madhuri Dixit in Panipat, Haryana.
and then put in a milk utensil to kill her. We

are worse as we kill our girls in the womb and
don't let them be born."
Pointing to the incident of a boy, Prince,
who fell into a borewell in Haryana a few
years back, Modi said that everyone was concerned about the boy's welfare.
"There was so much concern. But when
girls are killed all around us, no one is bothered," he said.
He said that Haryana took pride in its
daughter, astronaut Kalpana Chawla. "So
many Kalpana Chawlas are killed in the
womb and no one bothers," he said, adding
that most achievers in recent years were girls
and women.
Saying that if the belief that sons helped
parents in their old age was true, "so many old
age homes would not have opened in the past
50 years."
"We need commitment, compassion and
responsibility to stop this sin (against girls).
This is not going to change overnight. This sin
is being committed for the past 50 years. We
will have to create awareness for the next 100
years," Modi said.
"Like a beggar (bhikshu), this PM is begging you for the life of girls," Modi said
before administering a pledge to the gathering, dominated by women, to save and edu-
Janardan Dwivedi denies he

praised Narendra Modi
New Delhi: Clarifying his comment

over Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, Congress leader Janardan
Dwivedi has refuted reports that he
praised the BJP leader.
"It's senseless. I pity the understanding of the people who said that
I praised Modi," he said, addressing
a conference after Congress leader
Ajay Maken's press meet.
"Who said that Modi was a symbol of Indian-ness, it's the Congress
that has been the symbol of Indianness," Dwivedi said.
"What I meant was Modi and the
BJP have been successful in making
people believe that they are close to
them and they represent the people,"
he said.
Expressing surprise over "how
people could go wrong", Dwivedi,
who got a notice to explain his stand
on the issue, said the Congress
could not do what the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) and its leaders
like Modi succeeded in doing.
"They (BJP and Modi) made people believe that they were with
them, the Congress could not do it
and that was our failure," Dwivedi
said. In order to rationalize the
Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi
"mistake", Dwivedi said, "people,

including you, me and everybody",
have limitation in understanding
things and some may have "projected" it in their own way.
"That's why the controversy
emerged," he said. "I know what
Indian-ness is all about...Look at my
first book, whom I made symbol of

Indian-ness there. I don't need any
lecture on it from anybody...I understand what it is," he said, reacting to
Maken's remark that Dwivedi did
not understand the term and the
Congress dissociates itself from him
over the issue.
cate the girl child.

Questioning the role of doctors, Modi said:
"Why earn money from killing girls in the
womb...Hope your hands, with which you eat
food, are not coloured in someone's blood."
Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit Nene,
who has been made brand ambassador of the
campaign, said that the mindset of people has
to change.
"It is not only about giving birth to a girl
child. She has to get good nutrition, given
education, proper healthcare and rights. If
there are only males in your homes, schools,
trains, offices and other places, will it be
right? We will have to have a balance," she
said.
Union minister for women and child development Maneka Gandhi said that no country
could progress with gender imbalance.
"About 2,000 girls are killed every day. This
is shameful. Less women leads to increase in
crime and reduction in love and happiness,"
Gandhi said.
The prime minister flagged off raths (campaign vehicles) on the occasion that will make
people aware about the need to save the girl
child in areas with an adverse sex ratio.
The campaign has been launched from
Haryana as the state has the worst sex ratio
(number of females per 1,000 males) and
child sex ratio in the country. Out of the 100
worst districts in India for sex ratio, Haryana
accounts for 12 districts. Haryana's sex ratio
stands at just 879 females per 1,000 males.
The campaign will sensitize people about
the need for the safety and education of the
girl child, skewed sex ratio, prevention of
female foeticide and women empowerment.
Sensex breaches 29,000-mark;

Nifty touches new peak
Mumbai:
A
benchmark index
of Indian equities
markets touched a
record high of
29,060.41 points
on January 22 and
was trading 96.29
points or 0.33 percent up ahead of a
possible European
Central
Bank
(ECB) stimulus
announcement.
Good buying
was observed in
healthcare, capital
goods and auto sectors, while
selling pressure was seen in oil
and gas sector.
The 30-scrip Sensitive Index
(Sensex) of the S&P Bombay
Stock Exchange (BSE), which
opened at 28,957.79 points, was
trading at 28,985.15 points (at
1.20 p.m.) in the afternoon session, up 96.29 points or 0.33 percent from the previous day's close
at 28,888.86 points.
The Sensex breached the
29,000-mark touching a high of
29,060.41 points during early
trading -- the intra-day low so far

was 28,941.93 points.
The S&P BSE healthcare index
gained by 258.36 points, capital
goods index moved up by 147.98
points and auto index was up
181.22 points. However, oil and
gas index dropped by 89.23
points.
The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the
National Stock Exchange (NSE)
was trading 16.35 points or 0.19
percent up at 8,745.85 points.
The Nifty also touched a new
peak of 8,770.20 points intra-day.
INDIA
'Kiran Bedi will make better CM'
New Delhi: AAP

founding member
Shanti
Bhushan said that
making Kiran
Bedi the BJP's
chief ministerial
candidate
in
Delhi is a "master stroke" and
she will make a
better chief minister than AAP
chief
Arvind
Kejriwal.
Kejriwal, however,
played
down the comment, saying it Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal were both part of the Anna
movement and it is definitely a master stroke by
will not cause any
the BJP, Shanti Bhushan said.
damage.
"There is no damage as such...It just
"Kiran and Arvind were both part of
the Anna movement, it is denitely a shows that there is an internal democramaster stroke by the BJP because it is a cy within the party and all are free to air
success of the Anna movement," Shanti their views," Kejriwal said, responding
to questions over Bhushan's comments.
Bhushan said.
"We have an internal Lokpal in the
"People want somebody to be the
chief minister who has an honest party, Shantiji has also sent many comimage...If a person who is a crusader plaints and the Lokpal considered them.
against corruption becomes the chief If he has more complains, he can
minister, people will be happy," approach the Lokpal," he said.
Bhushan said that Kejriwal had, in
Bhushan added.
Bhushan was part of the Jan Lokpal fact, asked Bedi to be the chief ministemovement and India Against Corruption rial candidate of AAP, but she refused.
"Last year, Kejriwal offered the post
led by social crusader Anna Hazare.
"Perhaps she would make a much bet- of chief minister to her. It means he felt
ter chief minister because there is so she would make a better chief minister,
much being said against Arvind," but she did not join AAP. I think from
Bhushan told news channel Times Now. very beginning, she had some pro-BJP
Kejriwal played down the statement, mind-set. I would have preferred if she
saying it only displayed the internal was with AAP and became the chief
minister," Bhushan said.
democracy within the party.
January 24-30, 2015
13
Kejriwal, Bedi, Maken file

nominations for Delhi battle
New Delhi: The main contenders for the
post of Delhi chief minister - Kiran Bedi,
Arvind Kejriwal and Ajay Maken - led
their nomination papers in the riveting political battle for the Feb 7 assembly polls.
The three leaders entered the fray on the
last day of ling nominations and made
claims about good performance of their parties. Though the contest is mainly being
seen as between the Bharatiya Janata Party
and the Aam Aadmi Party, the Congress
sees itself as "a dark horse" which can turn
the applecart of the two parties.
Kejriwal, a former Delhi chief minister
who is re-contesting from the New Delhi
constituency, led his nomination papers at
the district magistrate's ofce on Shahjahan
Road. He faced protests from BJP workers
as he reached the ofce at 11.20 a.m.
The BJP workers standing outside the
ofce shouted anti-Kejriwal and proNarendra Modi slogans. AAP workers also
started raising anti-Modi slogans.
The AAP had won 28 seats in the 2013
elections, nishing a close second to the
BJP which won 31 seats. The Congress
could win only eight seats.
Kejriwal, who had caused an upset in
2013 by defeating then chief minister Sheila
Dikshit by a sizeable margin, hoped that
people will give him similar support.
"People have made up their minds that
they will bring back the AAP with full
majority," Kejriwal said after ling his
nomination papers.
Arvind Kejriwal filed his nomination

papers at the district magistrate's
office on Shahjahan Road.
"My biggest challenges are corruption and

price rise. I accept that people were angry
because of our (government's) resignation
earlier, but now their anger is over and they
have full faith in us," he added.
The BJP's Nupur Sharma, who is contesting against Kejriwal, also led her nomination papers Wednesday.
Congress leader Kiran Walia is also contesting from New Delhi.
BJP's chief ministerial candidate Bedi
led her nomination papers from Krishna
Nagar. Maken, the campaign chief of the
Congress, led his nomination papers for
Sadar Bazar seat and said his ght for Delhi
was with both Bedi and Kejriwal.
"My direct ght is with Kiran Bedi and
Arvind Kejriwal," Maken said.
Muslim population rose by 24 percent between 2001-2011: Census
New Delhi: Muslim population in India

has grown by 24 percent between 2001
and 2011 against national average of 18%
with the community's representation rising to 14.2 percent from 13.4 percent of
total population.
Among all states in the country, Jammu
and Kashmir has the highest Muslim population (68.3%), followed by Assam
(34.2%) and West Bengal (27%), according to the census data on the population
of religious groups.
The growth rate of Muslim population
in the country was around 29% between
1991 and 2001. At 24%, the growth rate
of Muslim population is higher than the
national average of 18% for the decade
(2001-11). The most rapid rise in the

share of Muslims in the total population
was witnessed in Assam. Muslims constituted 30.9% of the state's population in
2001 and it has risen to 34.2% a decade
later. Assam has been facing the problem
of illegal immigration from Bangladeshi
for last three decades.
A home ministry spokesperson said the
data is still being compiled by the
Registrar General of Census and will be
released ofcially shortly.
Manipur is the only state where the percentage of their population has decreased
-- from 8.8% to 8.4%.
West Bengal, another state where illegal
immigration from Bangladesh has been
an issue, has also seen a rise in Muslim

population from 25.2% in 2001 to 27% in
2011. It is a growth of 1.8% points, more
that double the national average for
Muslim population (.8%).
Uttarakhand has also seen rise in the
share of Muslim population from 11.9%
to 13.9%, a growth of 2% points, between
2001 and 2011.
Other states with a signicant rise in the
share of Muslims in the total population
as per the 2011 census were Kerala (from
24.7% to 26.6%), Goa (6.8% to 8.4%),
Jammu and Kashmir (67% to 68.3%),
Haryana (5.8% to 7%) and Delhi (11.7%
to 12.9%).
The Registrar General and Census
Commissioner, under the home ministry,

had compiled the data by March 2014,
but the previous UPA government held
back the release.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said
on Wednesday the data could be released
soon.
Among the Union Territories,
Lakshadweep has the highest Muslim
population -- 96.2%.
Such statistics, experts said, is released
within three years of data collection and
being 2015, that time-limit has already
been exceeded.
The last time religion-based data was
released in the country was in 2004,
which was a record of gures till 2001.
14
INDIA
January 24-30, 2015
CIIs Partnership Summit 2015
Trade to boost India-US ties: Wisner WTO deal to enhance South-South
By Prakash Bhandari
Jaipur: Frank Wisner, former US Ambassador

to India and International Affairs Advisor,
Patton Boggs, emphasized that President
Obamas upcoming visit was one of the defining moments in Indo-US bilateral relations
both politically and economically. He was
speaking at The Partnership Summit 2015
which was being organized by the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the
Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and
Industry, Government of India and the
Government of Rajasthan in Jaipur from Jan
15-17. The Partnership Summit is CIIs annual
flagship international investors meet.
Wisner felt that defense production and
trade was a potential area of cooperation for
the two countries. Indias position in trade
alliances like the Trans Pacific Partnership
(TPP), the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) and the Pacific Alliance
(PA) would also help in forging Indo-US ties,
he said.
He said, India's strength is important to the
US and the success of America in the world,
the preservation of peace and of international
institutions, are in India's interest as well.
These two guiding principles would be behind
what President Obama and Prime Minister
Modi will do. Indias optimism about growth
and the economic agenda of the country that
PM Modi has brought to the table have also
energized the US-Indian relationship.
Commenting on Modis plea to Indian diaspora to come back and contribute to Indias
development, Naushad Forbes, Vice
President, CII, said that maybe NRIs would
not have considered this option fruitful some
years ago, but today India presents a transformed environment for professionals espe-
trade: WTO Director General
Frank Wisner, former US Ambassador

to India and International Affairs
Advisor, Patton Boggs, addressing the
Partnership Summit in Jaipur.
cially in the IT and education sectors.

Krish Iyer, President and CEO, Walmart
India, pointed out that for facilitating an
enabling economic environment for investors,
the role of States and their relationship with
the Centre is significant and he was heartened
by the initiatives of the Modi government like
new de-licensing and deregulation measures to
create a win-win situation for both India and
America.
Trade has a new dimension now with the
resurgence of the US economy and the
upcoming high-powered CEOs delegations
between India and US, remarked Amb. S.K.
Lambah, Co-chair, US India Strategic dialogue. He also informed that there is a positive
movement on civil nuclear program, defense
trade, cyber security, clean energy, etc.
Earlier in her welcome remarks, Shobana
Kamineni, Chairperson, CII National
Committee on Public Health and Executive
Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals, stated
that US-India trade stands at an impressive
figure and there are a lot of Indian companies
which are operating in various industries in
the US and vice-versa.
Jaipur: World Trade Organisation (WTO)

Director General, Roberto Azevedo, said that
the Bali Package will enhance developing
countries ability to integrate into the world
economy. He was speaking at CIIs
Partnership Summit. He also highlighted
Indias contribution to the multilateral trading system.
He noted that once members ratify the
trade facilitation agreement (TFA), Indian
industry will benefit as competitiveness and
exports receive a boost. The TFA will bring
down trade costs by 15 per cent and bolster
south-south trade. The WTO DG also said
that the remaining issues under the Doha
Development Agenda (DDA) will need to be
refocused before the Ministerial Conference
in Nigeria at the end of the year.
As Director General, I have made development a priority, Azevedo said, as the
development dimension is crucial in balancing the global trading system. Azevedo stated that WTO provides developing and leastdeveloped countries a seat in the rule-making table as they are not included in the current regional and mega-regional trade agreements.
Over the past two decades, the WTO has
contributed towards the stability and predictability of the world trading system. Since
1995, the WTO has welcomed 33 new members including large economies like China
and Russia and its 160 members represent 98
per cent of world trade. It has addressed
some 500 trade disputes between members
while keeping protectionist measures at bay.
Later, Indias Commerce and Industry
Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, said that the
Nirmala Sitharaman, Indian Minister of

State for Commerce and Industry, and
Roberto Azevedo, Director General,
World Trade Organization (WTO) at the
Partnership Summit 2015 at Jaipur.
WTO should continue its good work in stemming protectionism and urged the WTO to
be more responsive to the needs of developing and least-developed countries.
Sitharaman expressed concern that some
countries have started to equate only free
trade with development.
The Minister highlighted that very few
developing countries have improved their
share of global trade. LDCs, according to
her, only accounted for 1% of global trade.
She felt that in order to sustain growth, job
creation and inclusive development must be
emphasised. Development encompasses
other things besides trade including the burden to feed over 32 per cent of Indias poor a concern that the WTO recognized. The
Minister urged WTO members to show the
same urgency on food stock holding as the
TFA under the Bali Package.
Raje taking Rajasthan beyond tourism BSE institute to open a

center in Jaipur
By Prakash Bhandari
Jaipur: Rajasthan as a co-host of

the CII Partnership Summit 2015
received wide attention as an investment destination by the corporate
world and leaders from various
countries.
Rajasthans Chief Minister
Vasundhara Raje, who also holds
the finance portfolio, said at the
summit that the state was committed
to turn business-friendly to attract
investments.
I am not here to hard sell
Rajasthan, but for real sell. Come
experience Rajasthan and then think
of investment. We are determined to
triple our economic growth and
make Rajasthan a hub of energy
with solar and wind power. We are
committed to produce 25,000 MW
of solar power, thus making
Rajasthan the biggest in solar power
production. I have spoken to the
investors who are finding some of
the existing norms difficult and the
rules would be amended to attract
more investments, said Raje to a
packed hall.
Rajasthan Chief Minister

Vasundhara Raje making a pitch
for her state at the summit
She said the MSME (Micro, Small

and Medium Enterprises) is on the
radar of her government and the
states industrial policy would be
drafted to attract investments in
MSME.
The Chief Minister spoke of a
slew of measures undertaken in
areas such as policy, infrastructure,
labor and the reforms undertaken in
changing the obsolete labor laws as
a measure that would boost investments.
Raje mentioned multinationals
JCB, Saint Gobain and Honda,
which have hugely invested in the
state, as an example of the investment appeal of Rajasthan.

She also said that after the success of the Japanese zone in
Neemrana, in which 45 Japanese
companies have set up their manufacturing units, the Koreans have
asked for a similar zone for their
companies. It is being set up at
Ghilot on a 600 acre area, which is
also being developed as a glass and
ceramic hub.
The Chief Minister emphasized
that partnership between the Central
Government, the State Governments
and industry will be critically
important to accelerate Indias
growth and development.
Minister
for
Industries,
Government of Rajasthan, Gajendra
Singh Khimsar spoke of the locational and other advantages that the
State offers such as abundant land,
proximity to Indias capital, and the
Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor
passing through the State. He mentioned the Rajasthan Solar Policy
and the announcement of building
20,000 km of mega highways that
will boost industry.
Jaipur: In a bid to promote financial literacy, banking and insurance skills and entrepreneurship in
Rajasthan, an institute of the
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)
will establish a Centre of
Excellence at Jaipur. An MOU
was signed to this effect between
the Rajasthan Skill and
Livelihoods
Development
Corporation (RSLDC) and BSE
Institute Limited (BIL) in the presence of Chief Minister Vasundhara
Raje. Managing Director of
RSLDC Gaurav Goyal and the
MD & CEO of the BSE institute
Ambarish Datta signed the MoU.
On the occasion, the chief minister stressed the need for such an
institute because everybody
should have a working knowledge
of finances, budget, accountancy.
etc. The BSE Centre would offer
courses in financial literacy, entrepreneurship and related subjects.
Pilot skills courses on KPO etc

would also be proposed. A satellite
centre of the institute would also
be set up in Kota.
RSLDC MD Goyal said that the
BSE Institute had expertise in
financial skills and the youth opting to the courses offered by this
would have opportunities for
employment in stock exchanges,
banking, insurance and accountancy sectors. Later, a full-fledged
branch of the BSE Institute would
also be established in Jaipur.
With the BSE institute, Jaipur
will be a hotpot of innovation,
incubation and enterprise, he
said.
BSE CEO Datta said the centre
would start its operations very
soon and the courses with guaranteed employment in banking sector would be available for students
from the academic session 201415 itself.
LIFE & LETTERS
January 24-30, 2015
15
Spirited start to Jaipur litfest
By Prakash Bhandari
Jaipur: The daughters of two

revolutionary Urdu poets of yesteryears shared the podium at the
Zee
Jaipur
International
Literature Festival here. Pakistani
poet Faiz Ahmed Faizs daughter
Salima Hashmi and Kaifi Azmi's
daughter Shabana Azmi shared
their experiences of the two great
poets who inspired a whole generation of youths. Both the poets
were Communists and faced
hardships in their lives fighting
the system. Faiz suffered more
than Kaif as he had married a
young British Communist who
left her home in London to join
the movement in the pre-partition
India.
Salima Hashmi, who is a university professor in Lahore and
has done extensive work on her
father, talked about the letter Faiz
wrote to his wife from jail and
which was found eaten by termites after his death at their
Lahore home. The letter gave
strength to the family when he
asked them to face the hardship
with humility.
Shabana talked about her
childhood spent in a dinghy
room, which was an extension of
the Communist party's office in
Mumbai.
Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul arrives to attend the Jaipur

Literature Festival where his classic A House for
Mr. Biswas was discussed.
Both Shabana and Salima

recited poems of their fathers and
recounted their frustrating childhood a mix of sessions focusing
on cinema to poetry, food to
mythology and everything in
between.
The worlds largest free literary
festival attracted a packed audience at the Diggi Palace which
echoed with the enthralling musical performances of Chugge
Khan and Sonam Kalra. The Jan
21-25 festival was inaugurated by

Vasundhara Raje, Chief Minister
of Rajasthan.
The keynote session featured
Pulitzer Prize winning poet Vijay
Seshadri, Sahitya Akademi
awardee Arvind
Krishna
Mehrotra and cultural activist
Ashok Vajpeyi discussing The
Poetic Imagination.
There was a sublime discussion
on A House for Mr. Biswas featuring Hanif Kureshi, Amit
Shabana Azmi and Pakistani artist and writer Salima Hashmi

reminisced about their poet fathers - Kaif Azmi
and Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
Chaudhuri and Paul Theroux, celebrating 50 years of Sir V.S.

Naipauls
groundbreaking
masterpiece. The Nobel laureate
too made a rare public appearance in a wheel chair and lent
unique insights into his book and
its legacy in contemporary literature.
In the session on Literature of
Cinema, Naseeruddin Shah discussed his autobiography with
playful interjections by Shabana
Azmi. Javed Akhtar exposed the

audience to the intangible beauty
and subtext of film songs from
the interlinked Urdu, Hindi and
Hindustani traditions. Prasoon
Joshi talked with musicologist
Yatindra Mishra about popular
poetry and music, screenplays,
Bollywood and advertising.
Celebrated Michelin-starred
Indian chef Vikas Khanna
released
his
new
book
Masterchef India Cookbook.
Nishas rite of passage to become a Jain sadhvi
The New York girl before and after her

diksha ceremony.
By SATimes Team
n Sunday, 29-year-old
Nisha Kapashi renounced
the world and got a new
identity as a Jain sadhvi in front of
thousands gathered at Sammed
Shikherji in Jharkhand, India. A
fashion designer and merchandizer, the New York girl left her high
paying job at J. Crew to prepare
for her monkhood. She is the first
US born to take Jain diksha.
For two days before her rite of
passage, Nisha wore finest of jew-
Nisha donated her entire possessions at the procession

before her diksha.
elry and dresses, her waist-length

hair braided. On January 16,
Kapashi family performed a pooja
to ensure success and peace in her
new life, followed by women
drawing auspicious signs with
kesar (saffron) on her diksha
clothes.
On the following day, as part of
the rituals she was taken in a procession accompanied by several
elderly people. As a symbol of
renunciation from her materialistic
life, she donated her entire savings
and other articles. She happily
threw coins around, grabbed by the

waiting crowd. She also donated
blankets, clothes and utensils along
with cash (Rs 1,000) to about
12,000 families.
On Sunday, for the last time
Nisha donned a bridal dress- pink
lehenga complete with matching
bindi, bangles, gold jewelry and
henna tattoo. As slogans of
`Diksharti, amar raho' (long live
the initiatee) rent the air, she
walked on to the podium. In front
of a crowd, the first ritual of Rajo
Haran took place. In this ritual, an
First day of her life as a Jain nun.
`ogho' or a string of woolen

threads bunched together is presented to the diksharti. Jain monks
carry the ogho with them everywhere they go and it is believed to
be symbolic of `Jayna' or the
pledge of non-violence against all
living beings. About 100 people
including Nishas American
friends flew from the US to attend
here diksha ceremony. At the ceremony many community elders and
senior Jain monks like Acharya
Kirtiyashsurishwarji Maharaj,
Sadhvi Prashamitashriji Maharaj
(who is now officially her guru)

came to bless her.
As is the common rite for any
Jain taking diksha, three strands of
her hair were plucked and her head
shaved. She was then taken for a
bath and changed into the white
robes of a Jain monk. To present
her the pathra or red-white-black
wooden bowl used by monks to
collect alms, a ghee bolo or auction
took place. According to the rituals
on the first day as a Jain monk, she
returned to her father's home to
collect her first gochari or alms.
16
Nihalani
is Indian
censor
board chief
Bollywood producer
Pahlaj Nihalani
ays after it accused UPA of

politicizing the Censor Board,
the BJP-ruled government
chose to follow its predecessor and
pack the panel with those who have
links with the saffron party. Among
those appointed on the Central Board
of Film Certification (CBFC) include
an RSS ideologue, a BJP general secretary, the BJP Lok Sabha candidate from
Howrah and a playwright who has
scripted a movie on PM Narendra
Modi.
The information and broadcasting
(I&B) ministry announced the appointment of Bollywood producer Pahlaj
Nihalani as CBFC chief to replace
Leela Samson who resigned accusing
the ministry of "interference, coercion
and corruption".
Samson's resignation was followed
by that of 13 other board members.
Besides producing films like 'Ankhen'
and 'Shola Aur Shabnam' in the early
1990s, Nihalani had recently made a
six-minute campaign video for Modi
titled 'Har Ghar Modi'.
Those who are part of the new
Censor Board include RSS ideologue
and editor of Marathi weekly 'Vivek',
Ramesh Patange. Patange has also edited a book on former PM A B Vajpayee
'Atalji: The Pathfinder'. BJP general
secretary Vani Tripathi, TV producer
Ashok Pandit, producer and actor
mainly in Tamil and Telugu films
Jeevitha and Tamil playwright S Ve
Shekhar are also among the new board
members.
The appointments come after a war
of words between the previous board
and the government. Resigning en
masse, nine board members had
accused the government of appointing
people of questionable credibility to
examine films and of starving the board
of funds. I&B minister Arun Jaitley
responded by describing the members
as "rebels without a cause'' who had
politicized routine matters.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
January 24-30, 2015
areena Kapoor Khan, who enthralled the audience with her near-perfect portrayal of a
Punjabi girl from Bhatinda, Punjab, in Jab We
Met (2007), is all set to revisit fluent Punjabi in
Abhishek Chaubeys next.
To make her role more authentic, the actor will take
tutorials in the language.
Though Kareenas father is Punjabi, she is apparently
not very well-versed with the language, and hence, will
resort to the help of Delhi University professor, Rajat
Singh, to teach her the language properly. "Kareena
needs to have a good grip on the language, and complement it with thick accent as her lines are mostly in
Punjabi in the film. So, she thought it would be best to
get trained," says a source close to the actor.
However, Kareena will need some balancing as currently she is also busy shooting for Bajrangi Bhaijaan
opposite Salman Khan, and would soon get tied up with
the planning of Soha Ali Khans (her sister-in-law)
wedding with actor Kunal Khemu.
When contacted, the actors spokesperson confirmed
the news, saying, "The Delhi professor has been called
to Mumbai, and Kareena will take a 10-day training to
understand the language.
She will start with the sessions after her item song
shoot for Karan Johars film."
Kareena Kapoor
Filmfare Awards 2015: 2 States,

Haider lead nominations
he romantic comedy 2 States, starring Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor is
leading the 60th Filmfare Awards
with seven nominations, followed by
Kangana Ranaut's tragic Shakespearean
drama Haider which has been named in six
different categories.
The sleeper hits of 2014 have left behind
big-budget blockbusters PK, Happy New
Year and Kick.
2 States has been nominated in various
categories, including Best Film, Best
Director, Best Actor in a Supporting Role
(Male), Best Actor in a Supporting Role
(Female), Best Music and Best Playback
Singer (Male).
On the other hand, Vishal Bhardwaj's
Haider stands a chance to win in categories
including Best Film, Best Director, Best
Still from Haider
Actor in a Leading Role (Male), Best Actor

in a Supporting Role (Male), Best Actor in
a Supporting Role (Female) and Best
Lyrics.
Apart from Haider and 2 States, the Best
Film category includes Queen, Mary Kom,
and PK.
Abhishek Varman (2 States), Anurag
Kashyap (Ugly), Rajkumar Hirani (PK),
Vikas Bahl (Queen) and Vishal Bhardwaj
(Haider) are in the race for the award for
Best Director.
Despite striking gold at the box office
with Kick and Happy New Year,
Bollywood's leading Khans - Salman and
Shah Rukh - have been neglected in the
Best Actor in a Leading Role category.
However, Aamir has been nominated for
his satirical comic-drama PK alongside
Akshay Kumar (Holiday), Hrithik Roshan
(Bang Bang!), Randeep Hooda (Rang
Rasiya) and Shahid Kapoor (Haider).
Actresses Alia Bhatt (Highway),
Kangana Ranaut (Queen), Madhuri Dixit
(Dedh Ishqiya), Priyanka Chopra (Mary
Kom), Rani Mukerji (Mardaani) and
Sonam Kapoor (Khoobsurat) are competing for the Best Actress trophy.
In Best Actor in a Supporting Role
(Male) category, Abhishek Bachchan
(Happy New Year), Kay Kay Menon
(Haider), Riteish Deshmukh (Ek Villain),
Ronit Roy (2 States) and Tahir Raj Bhasin
(Mardaani) have been nominated.
Competing for the Best Supporting
Actress accolades are: Amrita Singh (2

States), Dimple Kapadia (Finding Fanny),
Juhi Chawla (Gulaab Gang), Lisa Haydon
(Queen) and Tabu (Haider).
The awards ceremony will
take place in Mumbai on
January 31.
Still from 2 States
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Priyanka
Chopra
Sunny Leone
abroad. Sunny also added that

she's inspired by the amount of
work PeeCee does in India. Not
just that, whenever she's back in
the US, seeing Priyanka's billboards all over makes her feel
proud. Sunny who is busy with her
upcoming films- Mastizaade and
Kuch Kuch Locha Hai, also
mentioned that Vidya
Balan and Kangana
Ranaut are two of the
finest actresses in
Bollywood.
Nawazuddin to star opposite Nicole Kidman

heres no denying that
Nawazuddin Siddiqui has
made a mark for himself in
Bollywood. And if all goes well,
the actor might soon get a chance to
create waves internationally too.
Apparently, the actor is set to share
screen space with Hollywood star
Nicole Kidman.
This film will be directed by
Garth Davis, who has co-directed
the Golden Globe-winning miniseries Top Of the Lake with filmmaker Jane Campion. Luke Davies,
the screenwriter of Anton Corbijns
upcoming film, Life, has adapted
the book for the big screen. The
film will be shot extensively in
India and Australia.
Although a few reports have suggested that Nawaz has already
signed the film, sources close to the
Review
A scene from PK
he Delhi High Court has
issued notice to director
and producers of Aamir
Khans PK on novelists plea
alleging plagiarization of his
novel released in 2013.
Author Kapil Isapuri, whose
novel Farishta was released in
2013, claimed he had seen the
film on January 1 and found that
certain portions of it had been
plagiarised from his book. In his
plea filed through advocate
Jyotika Kalra, Isapuri has
claimed that in his novel he has
criticised the blind following of
so-called godmen and has also
said that the profession of religion is not natural but manmade and artificial.
He also claimed that various
other issues raised by the film
Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui is all set to share screen space

with Hollywood star Nicole Kidman.
actor insist that he is still "in talks"

with the makers. The film is an
adaptation of Saroo Brierleys

book, A Long Way Home.
have been copied from his

book. The novel has several
such situations which have been
very cleverly copied by the
defendants in the film by making minor changes and insignificant variations, the petition
claimed.
Isapuri has sought Rs 1 crore
in damages from producer
Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Director
Raj Kumar Hirani, their respective production companies as
well as scriptwriter Abhijat
Joshi.
PK narrates the story of an
alien (Aamir) who comes to
Earth on a research mission and
befriends a television journalist
Jagat (Anushka) and questions
religious dogmas and superstitions.
Alone: More of a comedy than horror
hey fooled us, didnt they? The two

semi-clothed bodies writhing and
moaning in the scenic water of
Kerala made us believe this is an erotic
thriller. Alone is actually a very funny film.
A kind of inside joke where the characters
pretend to be trembling with terror and
apprehension. But heres the secret -- they
are actually shaking with laughter.
First off, Alone is a remake of a Thai film.
That perhaps explains why there is much of
Bipashas 'thighs', plus other body parts, in
the film. And for all of Bipashas fans, there
is good news. There are two of her to savor.
Tragically, one of the twins is a ghost (a
dead giveaway, if ever there was one), who
doesnt quite care for her sisters lust interest.
Mr. Lust Interest is played by the films
in-house beefcake Karan Singh Grover. Mr.
17
Court notice to PK
director, producer
Which
Bollywood
heroine inspires
Sunny Leone?
unny Leone made her big
ticket Bollywood debut with
Jism 2 after the film was
offered to her on national television. But the actress looks up to
someone else for inspiration. That
someone being Priyanka Chopra.
At the cover launch of a reputed
magazine brand, when Sunny was
asked about the same, Sunny
clearly mentioned. Calling her 'a
jack of all trades', Sunny also
appreciated the amount of work
Piggy Chops does in India and
January 24-30, 2015
Grover, god bless his pumped up muscles,

is so stiff in all the wrong places that he
makes the furniture in a dentists waiting
room look like designer furniture in a fivestar lounge.
A lot of the playing time of this atrocious
scare-farce goes into Mr. Grover entwining
his limbs into his leading ladys 'thigh-land'.
We thought such muscular miracles only
happened in the circus. How wrong we
were! Come to think of it, we thought this
was an erotic thriller. It turns out to an idiotic thriller, the thrill element provided more
by the gosht (meat) than the ghost factor.
"Alone" moves at its own weird volition.
The narrative slackens to a slumber and
then suddenly wakes up with a start. The
plot is a gravity-defying triangle about a
woman, man and a ghost, who is no 'dost'.
Forget horror. This is a comedy.
Alone is a
remake of a
Thai film.
18
TRAVEL
January 24-30, 2015
Crossing borders and discovering

platforms for dialogue in J&K
By Lakshmi Bandlamudi
n summer of 2013, I was in India to convene a conference on Dialogue based
on the works of a Russian thinker,
Mikhail Bakhtin. Before the conference
scheduled for August 2013, I was on a lecture tour to various universities to present
segments from my recent book Dialogics
of Self, The Mahabharata and Culture and
University of Jammu was one of the institutions I visited. My experiences in J&K
taught me more about dialogue its potentialities, possibilities and conditions that
enable or disable than what my academic
world could possibly offer. Experiences
were vivid: some spots in the landscape
offered perfect emblems of dialogue, the
Ghodawallahs, Shikarawallahs, tourist
guides and other people in the streets shared
their captivating tales and I had the good
fortune of meeting a writer and his characters from his debut novel. These experiences
have grown on me and I have been reflecting on them in the wake of the floods last
year and assembly elections in J&K.
On Friday, July 19, 2013, my lecture was
arranged at the University of Jammu and
surely anything to do with The Mahabharata
generates curiosity and excitement and the
discussion was lively and engaging. The following day I was to visit Mata Vaishnavo
Devi temple, which the forecasts said would
be a rainy day. But around 9 p.m. there was
a knock at my door. A gentleman introduced
himself as Guneet Singh and said he attended my talk earlier that morning and said his
friend was unable to do so due to professional commitments and was waiting in the
lobby to meet me. I said I would see them in
the lobby in a few minutes, but my mind
was on the temple, the trek and the bad
weather and there was something more;
unrest in Srinagar and other parts of
Kashmir that I was scheduled to visit.
Everyone I talked to in Jammu urged me to
cancel my trip to Srinagar. Besides, curfew

was already declared. So, I was not sure
about engaging in a meaningful conversation with these two gentlemen at that late
hour.
Guneet Singh introduced the tall man in
uniform
as
Shailender
Singh,
Superintendent of Police and an author of
two novels in Dogri. What an interesting
combination, I thought, and I was curious to
know more about his works both as a law
enforcement official and an author. The
mystique further intensified when
Shailender Singh mentioned that he was
born in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and fled
to India during the Indo-Pak war.
Curiosity took over anxiety. I forgot all
about trekking to the shrine and my trip to
Srinagar. But these two gentlemen were
now more concerned about the very things I
wanted set aside. They gathered the telephone number of the driver scheduled to
drive me to Katra and spoke to him and
instructed him to lend his spare SIM card to
me. My pre-paid SIM card was disabled
once I entered J&K. Shailender quickly
called someone and arranged for a VIP pass.
Honestly, any kind of special treatment
makes me cringe. I thought I would stand in
the long queue like every other pilgrim to
get the Darshan. But their effort, hospitality
and concern for my safety overwhelmed me.
About my trip to Srinagar, Shailender
Singh said unequivocally that I would be
safe. Well, if the superintendent of police
who has inside knowledge about security
assures me, what is there to fear? So,
Monday I was scheduled to take a short
flight from Jammu to Srinagar and Sunday
was the day to have an extended chat with
these gentlemen. What an interesting twist
when there was a knock at my door 40 minutes earlier, I thought my sleep was disturbed but in reality I had a restful night
only because there was a knock at the door.
The trip to Mata Vaishnavo Devi went
The author Lakshmi Bandlamudi on the Pakistani side of the border.
The banyan tree on the Indo-Pak border at Suchetgarh near Jammu stands in
between the platforms of two countries. When soldiers from either side need to
discuss any matter, they would blow a whistle to invite the other side to their
platform for a discussion.
well, despite the rain. Divine Grace along

with my two guardian angels, who periodically kept in contact with my driver to
ensure my safety, surely gave me the
blessed feeling. On Sunday morning
Shailender Singh called to make plans for
the day and asked if I would be interested in
visiting the border area, to which I readily
consented, not knowing what to expect.
The Indo-Pak border at Suchetgarh is
about two hours drive from Jammu. An
unusual feeling of calmness descended on
my when I arrived there, as if I had come to
the gates of a monastery. Just a few yards
away from me was the Pakistani territory,
and I wondered how everything within and
around me was so calm and promising.
Sure, it was a bright balmy day. Here I am at
the official border separating two warring
neighbors a divided house, and an ongoing
sibling rivalry and it is at this borderland
that I found an ideal emblem that would
match my inner feelings of purpose.
Besides, how often do you come across
something that symbolizes an idea that has
been the pre-occupation of your intellectual
life?
Right on the borderline stands a huge
banyan tree, such that half of the tree is on
the Indian soil and the other half on the
Pakistani soil. I have read in narratives on
partition about dividing lines cutting across
backyards and kitchens of families, but here
I see a tree standing firm on the borderline.
On either side of the tree there are two identical cement platforms, one in India and the
other in Pakistan. Shailender explained that
when soldiers from either side need to discuss any matter, they would blow a whistle
to invite the other side to their platform for a
discussion. The tall banyan tree offers shelter to both the platforms. Mother Nature
always appears to be impartial. One would
wish that dialogue between the two countries was as simple as blowing a whistle and
get the parties to congregate on the dialogic
platforms.
Since Border Security Force accompanied
us and Shailender himself is a trained BSF
Commando, I technically crossed the border. Shailender and Guneet took turns to
say, stand on the Pakistani platform, you
came to India to convene a conference on
dialogue, dialogue is most needed here,
and let us take a photograph, and sure
enough I stood on the Pakistani platform
and waved at their security tower. Perhaps
the Pakistani soldiers were amused, even
while their guns were pointed towards me. I
was told that this being an international border, there have been no skirmishes for more
than two decades, but I learnt from
Shailender that recently there were several
ceasefire violations in this region and he had
been busy getting many villagers in this
region evacuated.
I shall leave to readers imagination the
overtones of this tree and the platforms for
Indo-Pak relations, but my story here is
about an author and his hero and their dialogues on multiple levels. Borderlands, margins and shared spaces have incredible
semantic possibilities and dialogic potential,
because the individual inhabits ambiguous
zones where differences must be negotiated
and accommodated.
My conversations with Shailender Singh
convinced me that he is a man of extraordinary sensitivities and sensibilities. His work
of fiction is a homegrown genre emerging
from the ground realities he keenly observes
and not from the influences of some
abstract literary work. It has the authenticity
and earthiness of lived life and therefore the
characters come alive, rather than being
mechanical mouthpieces of the author,
which so often is the case. He embodies the
discipline and decisiveness of a law
enforcement official and the tenderness of
emotions and daring imagination of a writer.
This is what makes him acutely mindful of
the disjunction between discourses of
bureaucracy and the desperate needs of the
people, particularly the marginalized ones.
This kind of negotiation is the telltale theme
of a real dialogue.
For a refugee, and Shailender is one the
very idea of home is mixed the loss of
home and the longing for what was left
behind is mixed with a troubling sense that
reclaiming what was lost is only a dream.
Like the banyan tree on the border, consciousness of a refugee also stands on dual
or multiple spaces, waiting for the governing bodies to congregate on the platforms.
Sadly, many of them spend their lifetime
staring at these empty platforms. Shailender
told me that throughout his life he saw trauma and hope in the eyes of elders in his
family, always hoping that one day India
would regain their place of birth. How does
one give expression to this psychological
truth? Writing about the perennial conflict
between neighboring countries would be all
too literal and perhaps even futile. This
brewing energy must be channeled to other
contexts and Shailender Singhs debut novel
depicts the tug of war between psychological hope and experienced despair that comes
from social injustice.
Shailender Singhs debut novel written in
Dogri and recently translated into English
Hashiye Par literally meaning On the
Margins is a very poignant universal tale
about Madan (also known as Maddy) and
his family that belong to the community of
Jheewars in the Chenab valley and this community for centuries has been marginalized
and placed on the lowest rung of the social
totem pole. The uniqueness of this work is
not so much in the storyline, as much as the
authors ability to portray the depths of his
heros soul. The author presents not a fixed
image of his characters, but as their personalities emerge amidst a changing world.
How does the world around him appear to
Madan? An illiterate person living in abject
poverty displays incredible logic and reason
in interpreting and judging the world around
him. Like a tormented character in
Dostoevskys novels, Maddy is forever
engaged in internal debates about the illogical and unfair nature of government
schemes. Shailenders ability to portray in
vivid detail the psychological landscape of
his characters and the socio-cultural landscape that inhabit deserves merit and that is
a good reason to pick up a copy of this
book.
The protagonist Madan and his family live
in a tiny hut made of cane and Saroot grass
and his persistent dream is to live in a
pukka house. The author very deftly
depicts the chillness and dampness inside
the hut, as if he has had first hand experience of living in such conditions and inci-
TRAVEL
dentally the author does share
this experience with his hero.
Shailender told me that the
tents in the refugee camps did
not protect him and his family from the winter chill or the
summer dry hot air. Like
Madans children, his schooling was also under a banyan
tree and drinking water from
a nearby canal and studying
was around a kerosene lit
lamp. Unlike the fictional
character Madan, who has
always lived below poverty
line, the author had to leave
behind the comforts of his
home and flee to a new place
and live as a refugee. Writing
from this experiential knowledge, the author neither
patronizes nor romanticizes
his hero. Instead he portrays
Maddy as an individual in his
own right, with his aspirations and expectations.
Reading about the living
conditions of Madan, I could
not help but think about thousands of poor people who
were affected by the recent
The debut novel written originally in Dogri by
floods in J&K. Madans
Shailender Singh, a police officer, was recently
hopes rise when he hears
translated into English and published by Oxford
about a government program University Press. The author is a recipient of Ram
to give financial assistance to
Nath Shastri Memorial Award.
villagers like him to build
cement houses and since he is the poorest of sion of his hero, despite some shared experithe poor, he felt assured that he would ences. Instead he allows his hero to traverse
receive the funding, but much to his disap- his social landscape and struggle with it to
pointment his name doesnt even appear in find his denouement. Madan experiences a
the government list. I am wondering how series of disappointments from government
many hundreds or thousands of Madans are programs and promises. He not only does
living in harsh conditions right now after not receive money to build a pukka house,
losing their homes in the recent floods. but also when he is hired as a daily wage
During the election season, I am sure that earner in a government construction procandidates from every political party made gram, he receives payment through a check
that he cannot encash because he has no
tall promises.
A good piece of fiction manages to take bank account.
He is too poor and too illiterate to deal
you beyond the text and pushes you to contemplate on similar issues in cultural life. with a bank. It is good to know that one of
Shailender Singh manages to do just that the goals of Narendra Modis government is
facilitate a dialogue between the text, reader to enable poor people like Madan to open
and the world around them. He does not bank accounts.
Government programs never reached
write exclusively from a position of power
and privilege; instead he uses his first hand Madan and when he reaches a state of
experience of close contact with govern- despondency, his wife Kanta suggests sharement officials to point out how and why cropping as a way to feed the family. It is
institutions fail to address the genuine con- from this point in the story that Madan discerns of marginalized people like Madan. covers his inner strength and resilience. A
Shailender Singh knows all too well about different kind of intra-psychic dialogue
power and vulnerability and like the banyan begins, pushing away the earlier dialogue
tree on the border, he is firmly anchored in between government promises and his justiboth the worlds to explore how power might fied expectation and replacing it with a diadialogue with the vulnerable to pull the lat- logue between his limited means and bold
ter on to a higher plane. That is why it is aspirations.
The story of Madan and his family is one
rewarding to read his literary work.
A hallmark of dialogue is to recognize, among the many captivating tales I heard in
understand and respect the other as an indi- J&K. As per schedule, I arrived in Srinagar
vidual in his own right. As an author on Monday and found the city and its people
Shailender does not control or take posses- to be incredibly welcoming. A middle-aged
January 24-30, 2015
19
gentleman picked me up at the airport and

took me to my houseboat on Dal Lake.
Later that afternoon he returned to take me
on a sightseeing trip in Srinagar. He told me
that he was keeping Roza Ramadan fasting and at sunset he would have to break his
fast. He then said, Today is Sravan
Somwar, so I will first take you to Shiv
Mandir on the Shankaracharya Hill and then
proceed to the lakes and gardens in
Srinagar. I was so touched by this kind and
thoughtful gesture. Later when he came to
know my name, he remarked, Accha, this
is your town, how so I asked and he
replied, Sri is another name for Lakshmi
and you are Lakshmi. I was flattered.
I had a splendid time the next few days
visiting Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonmarg and
other surrounding places. The spectacular
landscape was a treat to my eyes; tales told
by Godawallahs, Shikarawallahs and tourist
guides were riveting and the warmth and
hospitality of the people was overwhelming.
Every sensory input was magical and the
utterances of people seemed sincere. I felt
safe and protected and people were eager to
share their hopes and despair. There is an
India that I like to encounter and preserve
pluralistic, respectful and decent to the core
and I am glad I got in touch with that India
in J&K. This India often becomes invisible
against the glare of media and its voice gets
muted against the loud noise of news and
social media.
Like the fictional character Madan, countless number of people in J&K have been living on the margins, facing constant conflict
and uncertainties. They hunger for a real
dialogue want to be heard and hear something promising and as in a real dialogue
their voices are charged with ambiguities
and complexities. If only someone could
hear their nuanced thoughts and real struggles, rather than affirming or repudiating
their lives and use them to score political
points. Amidst all the chaos, it is good to
know that there are considerate people like
Shailender Singh, who are willing to listen
and understand the challenges of ordinary
people and invite us to hear their voices.
It is one thing to go to India to convene an
academic conference on dialogue, which by
the way went very well, but the reward of
actually engaging in a dialogue with real
people in real time is priceless indeed. I followed the elections in J&K in the hope that
whoever came to power should address the
needs of the people. They deserve it. Pity,
no party or coalition could win a majority to
form the government.
Like the banyan tree on the border,
Mother Nature is all in her glory in this area,
but to enjoy this natures bounty, the governing bodies must congregate at those platforms on either side of the banyan tree. Let
us hope we will see that day.
Dr. Lakshmi Bandlamudi is Professor of
Psychology at LaGuardia Community
College in Flushing, NY.
20
OP-ED
January 24-30, 2015
India already the myth-making world superpower
By Ramachandra Guha
n the early years of this century, people within and outside India began speaking
of our country emerging as a
knowledge superpower . The
proximate reason for this was the
countrys then rising software
industry.
As that sturdy bellwether of the
conventional wisdom, Thomas
Friedman of the New York Times,
wrote in 2005, India, once known
as a country of snake charmers,
poor people, and Mother Teresa,
was being recalibrated as a
country of brainy people and computer wizards.
This recalibration was eagerly
lapped up by the Indian press,
with mass-circulation magazines
running cover stories entitled
Global Champs and On the Way
to Number One. It was argued
that while Chinese growth
depended on sweated labor, the
Indian miracle was driven by
knowledge and hence of greater
worth as well as more sustainable in the long run.
I heard this talk with some
bemusement. I was living in
Bangalore, presented as the centre of the knowledge revolution
allegedly sweeping my country.
But I suspected that writing code
was not necessarily the same thing
as producting original scientific
knowledge. And I knew for a fact
that Bangalore itself did not have a
single decent library, while the
The Republic of India is not becoming a scientific superpower any time soon. We may however
console ourselves that we are already the myth-making superpower of the world.
citys main university had not produced much original research in

the past three decades. To be sure,
there were isolated examples of
excellence.
My long-standing skepticism in
this regard got a renewed boost
when I read a recent report in
Hindustan Times about the annual
Indian Science Congress, held this
year in Mumbai. For the first time,
the Congress had a session on science in ancient India. This in itself
was welcome, for the history of
science is a somewhat undeveloped field in this country. And in
certain areas, such as medicine
and mathematics, our ancestors

had elaborated sophisticated methods of analysis later surpassed,
but in their time often in advance
of what was happening in other
parts of the world.
While inaugurating a supermodern hospital in Mumbai some
months ago, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi spoke of how the
existence of Lord Ganesha proved
that the ancient Hindus had
invented the art of plastic surgery.
Some thought he was speaking
jocularly. But these speakers at the
Science Congress were in deadly
earnest. Plastic surgery had indeed
been invented in ancient India,

they insisted. The ancient Hindus
even knew how to conduct nuclear
explosions.
As it happened, shortly after I
read these news reports about the
Science Congresss most interesting (and most controversial) session, I came across an interview in
the Chennai magazine Fountain
Ink with Y Sudershan Rao, the
new Chairman of the Indian
Council of Historical Research
(ICHR).
Here, Professor Rao dismissed
modern methods of historical
enquiry based on evidence
from manuscripts, inscriptions,

and artefacts found through
detailed archaeological explorations as Western inspired.
He said that historians should
instead treat texts such as the
Vedas as the best evidence for
reconstructing the past.
Professor Raos appointment as
head of the ICHR was widely criticized at the time, for he has published not a single scholarly paper
in a peer-reviewed journal. This
interview does reveal him as a
rather special kind of historian,
whose own models are (in his
words) people like Valmiki [who]
were scholars documenting their
lives. We believe that they are
rishis, who know the past, present
and the future.
Mahatma Gandhi once said that
the Mahabharata should be seen as
allegorical rather than a work of
history. Most Indians take this as a
sensible approach to what is a gloriously detailed epic, rich in poetry, allegory and moral teachings,
but not necessarily history as we
know it. But Professor Rao is in
little doubt that the incidents
described in the Mahabharata
actually happened. He hopes that
the ICHR, under his leadership,
will make the Mahabharata the
anchor for the History of Bharat.
The Republic of India is not
becoming a scientific superpower
any time soon. We may however
console ourselves that we are
already the myth-making superpower of the world.
Bedi BJP's trump card but some leaders are sulking

By Rahul Vaishnavi
he BJP's projection of India's first
woman police officer Kiran Bedi as
its face in Delhi has divided the party,
with one section overjoyed and the other left
sulking.
Some also feel that while the decision was
right, it may have come a little too late for
the Bharatiya Janata Party to score its first
victory in assembly elections after 1993.
The move took even some leaders in the
BJP in Delhi by surprise but has boosted the
morale of workers who were stunned by the
aggressive campaign of the Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP), party sources said.
"The BJP has definitely found the right
candidate (Bedi) and it will help the party's
prospects as she has decades of administrative experience and knows how to get things
done," party spokesman Ashwini Upadhyay
said.
"She has worked on international assignments with the UN as well as on the streets
to help children through her NGO," he
added.
Another party functionary, however, said
that some leaders were sulking as their ambitions had been stifled.
Many in the BJP hope that Bedi, 65, will prove a tough match for Arvind Kejriwal
in New Delhi elections.
Arivind Kejriwal's AAP finished a surprise

close second in the December 2013 election
winning 28 seats against the BJP's 31. The
Congress finished a distant third with just
eight seats in the house of 70.
Before Bedi was brought in, opinion polls
were predicting another hung house in Delhi
although with the BJP doing marginally bet-
ter than in 2013.

Many in the BJP hope that Bedi, 65, will
prove a tough match for Kejriwal, who at
age 46 too has strong anti-corruption credentials.
Bedi has been an anti-corruption activist, a
former tennis player and her innings in Delhi
Police is still widely remembered in the city.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
Bedi initiated prison reforms in the Tihar

Central Jail.
She has won the Ramon Magsaysay
award, an honour she shares with Kejriwal.
Both were part of the anti-corruption agitation led by Gandhian Anna Hazare.
Since her induction in the BJP, Bedi has
talked about her priorities -- as a likely candidate to lead the party's campaign.
BJP leaders say that while the party has
considerable support among the middle
class, it needs to work harder to woo the
poor and the working class.
They also said that the BJP could not have
gone without a local face after the Congress
named Ajay Maken as its campaign chief.
"AAP had Kejriwal and the Congress
named Maken. We were the only ones left
without a prominent local face. It would
have been better if the decision (about Bedi)
had been taken earlier," another leader said.
The source added: "The BJP conducted an
internal survey which showed that Kejriwal's
anti-corruption credentials and the BJP not
having a prominent face were working
against the party."
The BJP continues to bank on Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's appeal but now
Bedi is a new face in the party's propaganda
campaign.
DIASPORA
January 24-30, 2015
21
Kerala showcases mega projects to NRKs
Kochi: In order to boost infrastructure development, the Kerala

government Saturday threw open
three of its major projects - Kochi
Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL), Kannur
International Airport and Startup
Village - for non-resident
Keralites (NRKs) for investments.
Kerala Governor P. Sathasivam
called upon the NRKs to follow
the rules and laws of the central
and state governments while
bringing in money to the state and
wisely invest the money in infrastructure projects of the state.
"I request the NRKs to follow
the rules of the government while
sending money. Then only it will
be possible to safeguard your
money. The NRKs should also

invest their money in various
developmental projects of the
state," said Sathasivam while
inaugurating the valedictory function of the two-day Global NRK
Meet here.
KMRL managing director Elias
George, Kannur International
Airport Ltd chief G.Chandramouli
and Startup Village chairman
Sanjay Vijayakumar made
detailed presentation on the
respective projects before the
NRKs in the session titled
"Setting the Stage-Investment,
Opportunities and Infrastructure
Development" at the meet, which
ended Saturday.
"We are not just attempting to

set up a metro system, but make
Kochi a city with seamless transport system. We want the NRKs to
make investment in two major
township projects of KMRL at
Muttom and Kakkanad. While we
are looking at an investment of
Rs.20 crore for the 18-acre
Kakkanad project, the investment
for the 215 acre Muttom project is
pegged at Rs.230 crore. Both
these projects will soon be opened
up for investment from NRKs,"
said George.
Chandramouli said that the nearly Rs.1,900 crore Kannur airport
project was on the right track and
they would be able conduct the
trial run by December this year.

"We have been able to get considerable investment from Airport
Authority of India. Of the 16 percent stake open to public, we have
been able to get investment up to
14 percent and we want the NRKs
to investment in the remaining
two percent," he said.
Vijayakumar, in his presentation, highlighted the different
investment options available for
the NRKs at the Startup Village
which has created a revolutionary
ecosystem for start-ups in the
state.
"In the last three years of our
operation, we have been able to
support 900 start-ups and are tar-
geting to support 10,000 start-ups

by 2025. To fuel this growth, we
are targeting a total investment of
Rs.750 crore to set up a million
square feet world class infrastructure incubation facility and an
angel fund to nance the startups," he added.
The event also witnessed Kerala
State
Health
secretary
K.S.Elangovan highlighting the
achievement of the state's health
sector and the various welfare
programs rolled out by it for the
benet of the people. He sought
the support of the NRKs in
"Karunyam Kerala Project" which
offers free cancer treatment to the
patients in the state.
Scientist develops new Canada museum launches exhibit on the Sikh soldiers in WWI
way to treat osteoarthritis
London: Indianorigin researcher
Tina Chowdhury
from Queen Mary
University
of
London (QMUL)
and her team have
developed a new
"microcapsule"
treatment delivery
that can reduce
inammation in
cartilage affected
by osteoarthritis
and reverse damage
to tissue.
"If this method
can be transferred
to patients, it could
drastically slow the
progression
of
Dr Tina Chowdhury
osteoarthritis and
even begin to repair dam- tein slowly and, therefore,
aged
tissue,"
said deliver the treatment in the
Chowdhury from QMUL's most effective way.
In experiments on samschool of engineering and
ples of cartilage taken from
materials science.
A protein molecule called animals, they showed that
C-type natriuretic peptide the microcapsules could
(CNP) which occurs natu- deliver the anti-inammatorally in the body, is known ry CNP in a highly effective
to reduce inammation and way.
CNP is currently available
aid in the repair of damaged
to treat other conditions
tissue.
However, CNP cannot be such as skeletal diseases
used to treat osteoarthritis and cardiovascular repair.
"If we could design simin patients because it cannot
target the damaged area ple injections using the
even when the protein is microcapsules, this means
injected into the cartilage the technology has the
tissue. This is because CNP potential to be an effective
is easily broken down and and relatively cheap treatcannot reach the diseased ment that could be delivered in the clinic or at
site.
The team constructed tiny home," Chowdhury said.
The research was funded
microcapsules with individual layers containing CNP by Arthritis Research UK
that could release the pro- and the AO Foundation.
Vancouver: Many Canadians

fought in the First World War, and
many were killed or injured. But it
is often forgotten that those
Canadians included ethnic minorities such as Indo-Canadians. The
year 2014 marked the beginning of
the centennial of World War I (also
known as the Great War), which
resulted in an estimated loss of 16
million human lives. An Abbotsford
museum has launched a year-long
exhibit on the often overlooked
stories of the only 10 known
Canadian Sikh soldiers who served
during WWI.
Canadian Sikhs in World War I
The Forgotten Story is a year-long
exhibit that opened at the Sikh
Heritage Museum at the Gur Sikh
Temple National Historic Site in
Abbotsford on Jan 18.
Filmmaker and director David
Gray introduced and screened
Canadian Soldier Sikhs: A Little
Story in a Big War. Artifact collectors Steven Purewal, Pardeep Nagra,
and Navneet Sidhu spoke about
their collections. Other speakers
included Abbotsford Mayor Henry
Braun; Dr. Eric Davis, University of
Fraser Valley (UFV) Provost and VP
Academic; Lt. Col. Harjit Singh
Sajjan of the British Columbia
Regiment; and
Dr. Prabhjot
Parmar,
a
UFV English
professor who
has researched
the
Indian
experience of
WW I.
We thought
that rather
than looking at this gure as a whole
to come to terms with the massive
losses, perhaps it is more effective
to look at the role of the individual
soldier within a mass of narratives
and stories. Perhaps by looking at
the individual soldier, we can gain
an understanding of the immense
sacrice, noted Satwinder Bains,
Director of the Centre for IndoCanadian Studies at UFV.
The fact that these Sikh soldiers
even served for Canada in the Great
War begs historic recognition, says
Bains. The time period of the war,
from 1914-1918, was a period of
intense racial strife in Canadian history. Indians, along with other colored peoples, were simply not welcome in Canada as participating citizens. The Indians were referred to as
the undesirable, the coolie, the dirty
hindoo, etc. in the public and institu-
tional domains.
Incidents such as the 1907 AntiAsian Riots led by the then-Mayor
of Vancouver, the disenfranchisement of Indians in 1907, the continuous journey regulation of 1910, or
the turning away of the Komagata
Maru ship in 1914 are some of the
examples that demonstrate the ways
in which racism was institutionalized within the Canadian ethos at
the time, Bains notes.
Despite facing such immense and
intense discrimination, soldiers such
as Bukham Singh, Harnam Singh,
Lashman Singh, John Baboo, etc.,
decided that they still wanted to
serve the country that refused to
accept them as full citizens and
denied them the right to vote, says
Sharanjit Sandhra, Coordinator of
the Center for Indo-Canadian
Studies.
Badal urges NRIs to open schools in Punjab

Jalandhar: Punjab Chief Minister
Parkash Singh Badal Friday exhorted the Punjabi diaspora to establish
NRI schools across the state for connecting their future generations with
their roots. Addressing the second
NRI Sangat Darshan here, 150 km
from Chandigarh, Badal said that the
younger generations of the Punjabi
diaspora were somewhat detached
from the land of their forefathers.
"The need of the hour was to reverse
this trend by making all out efforts in

this direction. This goal could be
achieved only if the NRIs take the
initiative of opening NRI schools
across the state," Badal told the
NRIs.
The chief minister said that these
schools should be built exclusively
for NRI students and should be run
by the managements comprising of
NRIs. "The standard of these schools
should be at par with the schools
being run in foreign countries so that

NRI kids could be imparted hi-end
school education. The NRI students
must study in these schools for at
least ve years, so that they could be
acquainted with the rich cultural heritage of their parental land," Badal
said.
Punjab has a big NRI community
settled in the US, Canada, Britain,
European countries, Australia, southeast Asia and other countries.
22
January 24-30, 2015
SUBCONTINENT
Nepal to miss constitution deadline again After Modi, India has turned
Kathmandu : Nepali lawmakers

were set to miss a self-imposed
deadline for promulgation of the
country's new constitution after the
various political parties failed to
reach a consensus on key issues
eluding a resolution.
January 22 was the deadline the
lawmakers imposed upon themselves last year in the wake of the
election to the second Constituent
Assembly (CA) after the first CA -elected for a two-year term -- failed
in the Himalayan task from May 28,
2008 to May 28, 2012.
The second CA was elected in
2013 and at its first meeting Jan 21,
2014, it resolved to draft the country's new constitution within a year - a task which it has failed to perform due to an elusive consensus
among the 30 political parties that
find representation in the unicameral body. The 601 lawmakers could
not even start preparatory work during the year gone by with differences over process and procedure
proving to be stumbling blocks.
Procedural wrangling apart, the
parties have failed to forge muchneeded consensus on contentious
issues of the envisaged constitution
aggressive: Pak daily
January 22 was the deadline the lawmakers imposed upon

themselves last year in the wake of the election to the second
Constituent Assembly (CA).
which include issues relating to the

federal structure, form of government, electoral system and the
design of the judiciary.
Major political parties -- the ruling Nepali Congress and alliance
partner CPN-UML as also the main
opposition Unified CPN (Maoist)
and a bagful of Madhesh-based parties -- have differing opinions over
the issue of federalism and several
cross-party talks have failed to yield
any favourable result.
"What would be our reply tomor-
Pakistan extends Lakhvi's

detention for 30 days
Islamabad: Pakistan government extended detention of
Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi by 30
days under the Maintenance of
Public Order (MPO), a media
report said.
Lakhvi has been behind bars
since Feb 19, 2009, after an FIR
was registered with the Federal
Investigation Agency against him
for allegedly training terrorists
and facilitating the 2008 Mumbai
terror attack in which 166 people
were killed and hundreds injured.
On Monday, the federal government, however, extended his
detention in the Adiala Jail under
the MPO ordinance, the Dawn
reported. During the hearing,
Islamabad's
Deputy
Commissioner (DC) Mujahid
Sher Dil informed the court that
Lakhvi's detention has been
extended by the government
under the MPO ordinance for 30
more days. The high court bench,
hearing a plea filed by Lakhvi's
counsel against the detention
under the MPO, had sought the
government's reply over it. The
case will be heard again Jan 26.
Earlier in the day, a division
bench of the anti-terrorism court
here, comprising Justice Noorul
Haq and Justice Shaukat Aziz
Siddiqui, resumed the hearing on
a plea filed by the government
against grant of bail to Lakhvi.
Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi
Federal Investigation Agency's

prosecutor Mohammad Azhar
Chaudhry told the court that two
countries have demanded handing over of Lakhvi to India.
Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui
replied that this was a diplomatic
issue, which needs to be
addressed by the government.
An FIA petition had challenged
the Dec 18 decision of an antiterrorism court (ATC) in
Islamabad which granted bail to
Lakhvi. Chaudhry urged the
court to hold hearings against
grant of bail to Lakhvi on an
urgent basis.
row to the people who tasked us

with framing a new constitution,"
CA chairman Subash Chandra
Nembang asked during the meeting
at the CA, which was again disrupted by opposition parties led by
Unified CPN (Maoist).
The Constituent Assembly early
turned into a battleground after
opposition parties disrupted an
assembly meeting and attacked lawmakers from the ruling parties,
resulting in injuries to a dozen security personnel.
Islamabad: Since Narendra

Modi's coming to power, the
Indian establishment has adopted a more aggressive stance, a
Pakistani daily said Tuesday
and expressed concern for
bilateral ties in view of the row
over the Pakistan International
Airlines office in New Delhi.
The Indian authorities have
asked the Pakistan national flag
carrier to "dispose off" its properties in New Delhi, saying
they were 'unauthorized' purchases. Stating that the peopleto-people contact becomes the
first casualty whenever bilateral ties turn sour, the Dawn in an
editorial said it was difficult to
comprehend why the issue had
been raised nearly a decade
after the properties were purchased.
"Assuming that the Indian
government is right on a point
of technicality, we must
nonetheless accept that when it
comes to India-Pakistan rela-
tions, there are more than just

legal or administrative details
involved -- there is always a
deeper context, one that is
completely political," it wrote.
The daily called the issue "a
matter of concern for all those
who desire friendship and harmony between the two neighbors".
PIA flights to India are now
the only direct air links
between the two neighboring
countries. "Should this vital
link be broken, travelers from
either country wishing to visit
the other by air will have to
take a cumbersome, expensive
detour via a third country," the
daily wrote.Be it the reopening
of Pakistan's consulate in
Mumbai, suspension of Indian
carriers' flights to Pakistan or
even the closure of the Indian
consulate in Karachi, the daily
said "it is politics on both sides
that mostly guides such decisions".
Modi says Sirisena will

promote reconciliation
New Delhi: New Sri Lankan

President Maithripala Sirisena
will promote reconciliation in his
island nation with a vision for
inclusiveness, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said.
Describing Sri Lanka as "a
truly close neighbor and friend",
Modi offered New Delhi's continued support and partnership to
Colombo and the Sri Lankan
people in "realizing their aspirations".
The prime minister made the
observations when Sri Lankan
External Affairs Minister
Mangala Samaraweera called on
him, an official statement said.
Samaraweera is on his first foreign trip after Sirisena took
power on January 9. He met his
Indian counterpart Sushma
Swaraj.
Modi admired Sirisena's vision
of a "truly Sri Lankan government", inclusive of all voices,
and the initial steps taken by the
new government for political reconciliation and inclusiveness.
Modi also congratulated
Sirisena and Prime Minister
Ranil Wikramasinghe for the former's impressive victory in the
Jan 8 presidential polls which,
according to him, was "a vote for
unity and change in Sri Lanka".
Ending a decade of rule by his
Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera

with Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa,

Sirisena stormed to power mainly
on the strength of votes he garnered from Muslims and Tamils
as well as his own strongholds in
Sinhalese areas.
Thanking Sirisena for accepting
his invitation to visit India, Modi
said he looked forward to receiving him at an early date. Modi
also accepted an invite to
Colombo.
Samaraweera, who met Sushma
Swaraj Sunday, discussed ways
to enhance bilateral cooperation

and reconciliation efforts in Sri
Lanka.
Indian development partnership
projects in Sri Lanka and issues
related to the alleged trespassing
of Indian fishermen into Sri
Lankan waters were also discussed Sunday.
At the Sushma SwarajSamaraweera meeting that lasted
three hours, New Delhi agreed to
work "closely and extensively"
with Colombo.
INTERNATIONAL
Japan seeks US, French help over hostage crisis
London: Japanese Foreign

Minister Fumio Kishida has
sought US and French help to
secure the release of two Japanese
men held by the Islamic State (IS)
militants. Kishida called on his US
and French counterparts over the
hostage crisis, Kyodo News
reported.
"Both US Secretary of State
John Kerry and French Foreign
Minister Laurent Fabius promised
in respective telephone talks to do
their utmost to settle the incident
as soon as possible," said Kishida.
"I asked each government to
help find out the facts by sharing
information towards an early
release of the Japanese nationals,"
Kishida added.
The militants, in a video, had
demanded a ransom of $200 million for the release of the two
Japanese hostages. According to a
report in The Guardian, the one
23
Pope rows back from

'rabbits' comments
The Islamic State is asking for a ransom of $200 million for the
release of the two Japanese hostages.
minute 40 second video took note

of the multi-million dollar Middle
Eastern aid package announced a
few days ago by Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe.
Kishida is in London to attend a
meeting Wednesday that would

see delegations from various
countries and organizations discussing the efforts made by the
US-led military coalition to combat the IS.
US and Cuba start historic talks on restoring ties
Havana: The highest-level US

delegation to Cuba in 35 years
began talks this week aimed at
restoring diplomatic relations and
eventually opening up full trade
and travel ties between two adversaries locked in Cold War-era hostilities.
The two days of meetings are
the first since US President Barack
Obama and Cuban President Raul
Castro announced on December
17 they had reached a historic
breakthrough after 18 months of
secret negotiations.
Obama has set the United States
on a path toward removing economic sanctions and a 53-year-old
trade embargo against the communist-ruled island.
Talks will focus on immigration
issues and turn to restoring diplomatic ties.
Both sides are also expected to
outline longer-term goals.
While Cuba will seek the repeal
of the economic embargo and ask
to be removed from the US list of
state sponsors of terrorism, the US
government will press the oneparty state for greater human
January 24-30, 2015
The highest-level US delegation to Cuba in 35 years

began talks this week.
rights. Anticipating that the US

delegation will raise human rights
issues, a senior Cuban foreign
ministry official told reporters on
Tuesday that Havana had concerns
about human rights in the United
States, citing the deaths of
unarmed black men at the hands of
police in New York and Ferguson,
Missouri. Cuba has also said it
will protest US laws that welcome
Cubans into the United States

once they set foot on US soil, a
policy exception that Cuba says
promotes people-trafficking and
dangerous journeys across the
Florida Straits on flimsy vessels.
Obama has the executive authority to restore diplomatic ties and
lift sanctions but needs the
Republican-controlled Congress to
repeal the economic embargo.
Pope Francis described large families as a gift from God
Vatican City: Pope Francis

described large families as a "gift
from God", just days after he said
Catholics did not need to "breed
like rabbits".
In an apparent row back from
comments he made on his way
back from the Philippines, the
Argentinian pontiff argued that an
unfair economic system is the primary cause of poverty, rather than
overpopulation.
"The meetings with families
and young people in Manila were
stand-out moments during the
visit to the Philippines," Francis
told a crowd of around 7,000
gathered in St Peter's square for
his weekly audience.
"Healthy families are essential
to the life of society. It provides
us with consolation and hope to
see so many large families who
welcome children as a gift from
God," he said.
"These families know that each
child is a blessing."
Francis surprised reporters on
the papal plane on Sunday by
recounting an anecdote about
how he had once asked a mother
who had seven children by caesarian section and was pregnant
with her eighth if she wanted to
"leave behind seven young

orphans".
"She said, 'I trust in God.' But
God gave us the means to be
responsible," Francis said. "Some
think -- and excuse the term -that to be good Catholics, they
must be like rabbits."
Following the Church's teachings did not mean "Christians
should have children one after the
other", he added in comments that
made headlines worldwide.
Catholic teaching prohibits the
use of artificial contraception but
allows the use of the so-called
rhythm method, where couples
avoid unwanted pregnancy by
planning sex on days during the
woman's menstrual cycle on
which she is less likely to conceive.
Francis's comments had particular resonance in the Philippines,
where large families are seen by
some as perpetuating and exacerbating poverty levels which act as
a restraint on development.
On Sunday, the current pontiff
described his predecessor as a
"prophet" who had been rightly
concerned about ideas advocating
restrictions on the poor having
children.
US rejects North Korea's call for resumption of talks

Washington: The US has dismissed an
unconditional resumption of the six-party
talks suggested by North Korea over its
nuclear program, reiterating a call for
Pyongyang to abide by its past commitments.
State Department spokesperson Jennifer
Psaki was responding to a proposal made
Monday by North Korea's chief nuclear
negotiator Ri Yong Ho following a two-day
unofficial meeting with former US special
representative for North Korea policy
Stephen Bosworth in Singapore.
"I think the important point here is that the

view of the United States, as well as our sixparty partners, is that North Korea would
need to abide by their international obligations, including the 2005 joint statement,"
Xinhua quoted Psaki as saying at a daily
press briefing.
"The ball has long been in their court, but
we certainly reject new proposals that don't
have any backing," she added.
While in Singapore, Ri once again called
on Washington to end its large-scale war
games with North Korea, blaming them for
the rising tension on the Korean Peninsula.

Psaki had criticized Pyongyang's past
offer to suspend future nuclear tests for
Washington's agreement to halt joint military exercises with North Korea this year,
calling the proposal "an implicit threat".
Asked what pre-conditions North Korea
was setting for its return to the six-party
talks, Ri said that "for the first time, we had
proposed the meeting without any preconditions."
The six-party talks, which also involve
Russia, China and Japan, were initiated in
Beijing in August 2003 but have been

stalled since December 2008. North Korea
dropped out of the talks in April 2009.
In the 2005 joint statement, Pyongyang
committed itself to abandoning all nuclear
weapons and existing nuclear programs and
returning at an early date to the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,
while Washington affirmed that it has no
nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula
and has no intention to attack or invade
North Korea with nuclear or conventional
weapons.
24 January 24-30, 2015
BUSINESS
Cabinet ends 8-year spectrum sharing stalemate
New Delhi: The union cabinet

has ended an eight-year-long dispute of spectrum sharing between
the defense and telecom sectors
by earmarking bands for exclusive use of the former while also
specifying use of remaining airwaves for civilian purposes such
as telecom and civil aviation.
Addressing the media after a
meeting of the union cabinet
here, Communications and IT
Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
said that nine slots will be for
exclusive use of the defense sector in between 3 MHz and 40
gigahertz.
"Today also I met (Defence
Minister) Manohar Parrikar with
our officials and discussed the
matter. This matter (spectrum
swapping) was pending for 8
years. Defense released 5 MHz of
2100 bands for telecom usage"
Prasad said.
He said that nine slots will be
for exclusive use of defense and
added that spectrum is mainly
used by departments such as
Nine slots will be for exclusive use of the defense sector in

between 3 MHz and 40 gigahertz.
defense, telecom, space, civil aviation and information & broadcasting.

"We had to take a balanced
view of all these things."
The telecom ministry earlier
had proposed to exchange 15
Mhz spectrum
it holds in 1900 Mhz band with
same quantum of airwaves held

by the defence ministry in 2100
Mhz. The 2100 Mhz band is used
for 3G telecommunications services.
The next round of spectrum
auction in 800, 900, 1800 and
2100 megahertz (MHz) will start
from Feb 25.
Sahara saviours hope to

clinch deal by Feb 20
Washington: A syndicate
of five UK and US
investors who have come to
the rescue of embattled
Sahara group chief Subrata
Roy with a $2 billion loan
offer hope to clinch the deal
by Feb 20. The investment
by Mirach Capital Group,
which has been specially
formed for the execution of
this deal, "is not into the
Sahara Group, but a loan
Sahara group chief Subrata Roy
against the hospitality propis in Tihar jail.
erties," its CEO Saransh
Sharma said. "The loan may
New Delhi's Tihar Jail since March
also represent the opportunity for on the Supreme Court's orders for
acquisition, in the event Sahara is not Sahara's failure to refund investors
able to repay the debt," said US needs to raise about $1.6 billion to
based Sharma, who is currently in secure his release on bail. With speIndia.
cial permission of the apex court,
"The properties represent marquee Roy has been trying to raise the
assets valued far beyond the 2 billion money by negotiating from jail the
dollar loan. The negative attention sale of properties.
around Subrata Roy's trials has disThese include the Plaza Hotel in
tressed these assets, and Mirach sees New York, the Grosvenor House
a valued opportunity to potentially Hotel in London, Sahara Star in
acquire them at a discount," he said.
Mumbai and Aamby Valley resorts in
Roy, who has been locked up in Maharashtra.
EU to lift ban on
importing Indian mangoes
Brussels: A proposal by the
European Commission, the EUs
executive body, to lift the ban on
importing Indian mangoes has
been endorsed by EU member
states. A Commission press
release said that the import into
the EU territory of certain fruit
and vegetables including mango,
bitter gourd, eggplant and snake
gourd from India was prohibited
last April due to a high number of
consignments intercepted at
arrival in the EU infested with
quarantine pests, mainly insects.
An audit carried out by the
Commissions
Food
and
Veterinary Office in India in
September 2014 showed significant improvements in the phytosanitary export certification system. India has also provided
assurances that appropriate measures are now available to ensure
that the exports of mango fruits
Twitter buys
Indian startup
ZipDial
New Delhi/Bengaluru: Microblogging

site Twitter announced it has acquired
ZipDial, a Bengaluru-based mobile
value added services startup.
Though this is Twitter's first acquisition in India, the company did not disclose the deal size.
ZipDial has built a mobile platform,
which allows users to follow and engage
with content across interfaces.
The user experience combines SMS,
voice, mobile web and access to mobile
apps to bridge users from offline to
online.
ZipDial's platform has about 60 million users with hundreds of marketer
clients across the country, including the
world's leading brands and media firms.
Twitter expects billions of people to go
online for the first time in many countries like Brazil, India and Indonesia in
future. The acquisition also gives Twitter
a new engineering office in Bengaluru
and signifies its increasing investment in
India, where it sees great potential for
growth.
The measures will allow the

import of mango fruits before
thestart of the next import
season in March 2015.
are free from quarantine pest, like

the fruit flies not known to occur
in the EU, it said.
The measures will allow the
import of mango fruits before the
start of the next import season in
March 2015. At a later stage,
when more evidence is collected
regarding the Indian phytosanitary
certification, the prohibition of the
vegetables will be reviewed, it
added.
India invites Russia for

defense sector
Make in India
New Delhi: India has
invited Russia to take
advantage of the Make
in India initiative in
defense manufacturing,
Defence
Minister
Manohar Parrikar said
here.
In a meeting between
Russia's
Defense
Minister Sergei Shoigu
and Parrikar, the two
countries also decided
to hold regular review
of ongoing projects.
The meeting came
following the meeting
between
Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi and Russian

President Vladimir
Putin here last month.
"We have also invited
them to come to India
and join ventures in
manufacturing here,
including spare parts
for the various platforms we are using.
"We have a substantial
quantum
of
Russian equipments;
so for that requirement
of spares can also be
generated
here,"
Parriakr told reporters
on the sidelines of an
event.
SPORTS
25
Srinivisan keeps mum post-SC verdict
SC bars Srinivasan from

contesting BCCI election
New Delhi: The Supreme Court
said sidelined BCCI president N.
Srinivasan cannot contest election
for the Indian cricket board's governing body presidency as long as
he is involved in a "conflict of
interest" situation as an owner of
IPL franchise Chennai Super
Kings (CSK). The apex court said
this while striking down an
amendment to the BCCI rules
which permitted the office bearers
of the apex cricket body to have
commercial interests in the Indian
Premier League (IPL) and the
Champions League Twenty20 and
all events organised by the BCCI.
The apex court bench, headed
by Justice T.S. Thakur, held
Srinivasan's son-in-law and CSK
"official" Gurunath Meiyappan,
and IPL franchise Rajasthan
Royals' co-owner Raj Kundra
guilty of betting and said the punishment will not only be confined
to them but also extend to the
franchises they represent.
The court set up a three-member
committee headed by former
January 24-30, 2015
The court also asked

Srinivasan to stay away from
the BCCI on account of his
commercial interest in CSK.
Chief Justice R.M. Lodha to

decide, besides other issues, the
quantum of punishment to be
given to Meiyappan and Kundra.
The court also asked Srinivasan
to stay away from the BCCI on
account of his commercial interest
in CSK. But the court made a distinction between commercial
interest and professional interest
in respect of service rendered by
prominent former cricketers Sunil
Gavaskar and current Indian
team's director Ravi Shastri as
commentators.
New Delhi: Sidelined BCCI

president N. Srinivasan refused
to comment following the
Supreme Court's decision
Thursday to bar him from contesting the election for the Indian
cricket board's governing body
presidency due to a "conflict of
interest".
The apex court pointed out that
as Srinivasan is the managing
director of India Cements Pvt
Ltd, the company which owns
Indian Premier League (IPL)
franchise Chennai Super Kings
(CSK), and also a top official in
the Board of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI), there was a con-
flict of interest.
When contacted by IANS,
Srinivasan said: "I am not talking
now." The apex court order came
as it struck down an amendment
to the BCCI rules which permitted the office bearers of the apex
cricket body to have commercial
interests in IPL and the
Champions League Twenty20
and all events organized by the
BCCI.
The court also asked Srinivasan
to stay away from the BCCI on
account of his commercial interest in CSK.
In September last year, India
Cements' board had approved the
demerger of CSK (a division)

into a wholly-owned subsidiary
by transferring the assets at net
cost.
The transfer, subject to all
approvals, was effective Jan 1,
2015.
Company officials had earlier
said the IPL franchise CSK had
given its cement brands good
exposure in various markets. The
company earned around Rs.166
crore from CSK.
India Cements had successfully
bid for the Chennai franchise in
2008 for $91 million with the
amount to be paid over a 10-year
period.
Paes, Sania move to second round in Australian Open doubles

Melbourne: Sania Mirza and
Leander Paes made it a pleasant
day for Indian tennis fans, winning their respective opening
round doubles matches in the
Australian Open here.
The Indo-South African pair
of Leander Paes and Raven
Klaasen beat American pair of
Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram 6-
4, 7-6 (6) in the first round.

Sania Mirza and Chinese
Taiei's Hsieh Su-wei got their
tournament campaign off to a
strong start, winning their first
round match 6-2, 6-0 against
Maria Irigoyen of Argentina and
Romina Oprandi of Switzerland.
Paes and Klaasen, seeded
10th, took 91 minutes to win
their match, breaking the opponents serve once in the first set,
hitting 35 winners on their way
to victory.
They will now face the winners of the match between
Americans Steve Johnson and
Sam Querrey and the Italian duo
of Simone Bolelli and Fabio
Fognini.
Tri-series India's big test ahead of World Cup

By Veturi Srivatsa
ess than a month away from
the cricket World Cup, all
those touted as prospective
favorites are fiercely involved in a
tri or bilateral series. India are
among the front-runners as reigning champions. Also, the limited
overs format is considered their
best suit.
India, Australia and England are
engaged in a highly competitive triseries Down Under, New Zealand
and Sri Lanka measuring each
other up and South Africa are battling it out with West Indies.
Among the top Test-playing
nations, Pakistan are the only ones
to complete their schedule, playing
Australia and New Zealand in the
United Arab Emirates.
Every team has its peculiar ifs
and buts, niggles and fears of peaking earlier than it should. If India
are still wondering about the
impact on their World Cup team of
the decision of their most successful Test captain Mahendra Singh
Dhoni to call it quits with just a
Test to go for the series to end
against Australia, Pakistan are worried about the outcome of a medical test of star spinner Saeed
Ajmals bowling action - though a
private test in England is said to
have cleared him.
While the West Indies have the
usual problems with the players
Virat Kohli
revolt and the authorities coming

down hard on the so-called rebels,
Sri Lanka are putting up a brave
front against New Zealand in conditions the World Cup is going to
be fought out. India first: They
started atrociously in New Zealand
but recovered to win 14 matches
during the year against Bangaldesh,
England, Sri Lanka and lost eight
with one tie and another no result.
They lost the only match they
played against Pakistan in the Asia
Cup. Interestingly, the two kick-off
their World Cup campaign at
Adelaide. Among the top ten ODI
batsmen in 2014, only two Indians
Virat Kohli, at three, and Shikhar
Dhawan at nine, figure with Sri
Lankans Kumar Sangakkara
(No.1), skipper Angelo Mathews

(2) and Tlekaratne Dilshan (4)
among the top five and Mahela
Jayawardene at number eight to
make it four. South Africans
Hashim Amla (5), AB de Viliers (6)
and Faf du Plessis (10) Englishman
Joe Root (7) completing the list.
The other Indians are Ajinkya
Rahane (13), Ambati Rayudu (21)
and Rohit Sharma (22).
Curiously, no Australian or
Pakistani batsman is there in the
top 10. The only Australian figuring in the top 20 is Aaron Finch at
11 and the lone Pakistani is Ahmed
Shehzad at 20 with two
Bangladeshis Mushfiqur Rehman
and Amanul Haque above him.
Kane Williamson is the only New
Zealander in the top 20.

Mohammed Shami shares the top
spot among bowlers with Ajantha
Mendis with 38 wickets apiece
while Ravindra Jadeja is in the
sixth position with 25 wickets
behind Lasith Malinga, Chris
Jordan and Sachitra Senanayake
and Ravichandran Ashwin at 11
with 23. Mendis does not figure in
the World Cup squad! No
Australian in the top 10 bowlers.
The stats only show the importance the Test-playing nations
attach to the limited overs formats.
But when it comes to the World
Cup, Australia and New Zealand
are among the top contenders
because it is played in the familiar
conditions in the Antipodes.
There are already fears that the
Australians are getting to peak and
whether they would be able to sustain it by the time the World Cup
gets to its business end. They started the tri-series with a bonus point
victory against England and
Sunday they will take on India.
India are happy not to be hot
favorites. The critics are advancing
two reasons. One, they are being
judged by their showing in the justconcluded Test series and also the
pressure and motivation their skipper Dhoni would have now that he
has relinquished his Test captaincy.
Yes, India lost the four-Test series
0-2, but it was case of half-empty
glass. Their batsmen showed their
class and thats what matters to the

side. They offset their weakness in
their bowling attack. When it came
to one-day cricket, the Indians have
done well in conditions where their
batsmen failed to measure up to in
the longer duration format.
Even the Indian bowlers are more
focused in the One-Dayers where
their 10 overs are distributed into
two or three spells, though they
have to be a lot tighter in the death
overs. The batsmen have no such
worries as mostly Dhoni and Raina
are around when the second
mandatory overs are bowled and if
the skipper is there in the slog
overs, he will give a winning finish. Kohli, Dhawan, Rahane and
Rohit should provide the strokeful
platform for the sloggers to carry it
forward. The top-heavy batting
gives some flexibility to plan their
team composition giving weightage
to the bowling. The tri-series will
give an opportunity to try out the
bowling, including the muchmaligned Stuart Binny, who has the
best bowling figures by an Indian six for four on a seaming track
against Bangladesh.
The Indians will have an added
motivation to prove that they are
good enough to perform on the
Australian and New Zealand pitches. Before every World Cup the
Indians had tough series on
unfriendly tracks barring in India
four years ago.
26
January 24-30, 2015
SPIRITUALITY
How to dial the Right Number?

If today a yoga center in USA is as easy to find as a Starbucks,
part of the credit must go to Paramahansa Yogananda, who unlike Swami
Vivekananda before him, stationed himself here while working on
his spiritual mission. A movie on his life and teachings, titled Awake:
The Life of Yogananda has been released in the USA.
By Dr. Munish Kumar Raizada
udyard Kipling wrote The
Ballad of East and West
over 125 years ago, whose
opening lines East is East and
West is West/And never the twain
shall meet have become legendary. Looking at the scientifically advanced lifestyle in the western
hemisphere routinely aided by
machine and material, one might
ask what is there that the East could
have contributed to the West anyway! But, the way Yoga - the pristine science of India - has gradually
become a part of American life, it
suggests there lies something deeper. As Philip Goldberg rightly says
in American Veda, Yoga-Vedanta
has been the biggest contribution of
East to West flow of ideas. Not to
say that Vedas and Vedanta have
become popular as scriptures, but
the essence of Ekam Sat vipraha
bahudha vadanti (Truth is one, the
wise know it by many names) that
originates in Rigveda has seeped
into the collective awareness of the
West also.
Called by Mark Twain as the cradle of human race, India has a long
cherished history of divinity, spirituality, and mysticism. The spiritual
milieu of India was so vibrant that
four religions emanated from its
land: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism
and Sikhism. Some believe
Zoroastrian can also be linked to
India. Scholars stress that the tenets
of Sanatan Dharma (Eternal
Religion) are conducive to proliferation of diverse thoughts, beliefs
and sects.
Fast forwarding, is it a mere coincidence that two recent movies having a common theme - released
in two different countries of the
world are having different trajectories? A Bollywood movie PK is
making waves in India and invited
protests from right wing Hindu outfits. Well known for playing the
religious minority card, the ruling
Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh

was quick to declare the movie tax
free and Janata Dal (United) in
Bihar followed suit. Meanwhile,
the movie Awake: The Life of
Yogananda has been released in
USA and is a pure bliss to watch.
Both movies weave around the
themes of religion and spirituality.
Call it a sheer misfortune or Karma,
the movie Awake is currently not
being shown in India.
What is mysticism? The dictionary defines it as the belief that
direct knowledge of God, spiritual
truth, or ultimate reality can be
attained through subjective experience (as intuition or insight). The
esoteric manifestation of divinity
cuts across human populations and
cultures: they say a seeker can realize the Ultimate Truth through spirituality. But there are things that
constitute exoteric manifestations
of divinity. Various forms of religions, cults and practices including
rituals and doctrines come under
this. Sri Chinmoy rightly said:
Mysticism, poor mysticism! When
it is underestimated and oversimplified, it comes down from its original sphere and stands beside religion. This adage sums up the way
we humans - are responding to
the two movies that are running in
two countries separated by 8000
miles: India and USA.
Last month, I had the opportunity
to watch the premier show of
Awake: The Life of Yogananda
in Chicago. Based upon the biography of Yogananda, the movie,
directed by Paola di Florio and Lisa
Leeman, narrates his life and teachings.
Paramahansa Yogananda (18931952) is credited with taking Yoga
to the West. At the age of 27, he
landed in USA in 1920 on a spiritual mission (at the instructions of his
guru Sri Yukteshwar). Yogananda
used body and mind techniques of
Yoga in a system called Kriya
Yoga to teach divinity and spiritual-
ity to Americans. He aptly called:

"We are not the body. We are the
ocean of consciousness." He further
said: "By the definite science of
meditation known for millenniums
to the yogis and sages of India, and
to Jesus, any seeker of God can
enlarge the caliber of his consciousness to omniscience to receive
within himself the Universal
Intelligence of God."
Today, words like meditation,
Yoga, karma, guru and even moksha have become parts of the
American lexicon. Swami
Vivekananda must be given the
credit for initiating a Hinduinspired meditation movement in
USA, says Lola Williamson, author
of Transcendent in America:
Hindu-Inspired
Meditation
Movements as New Religion. She
argues her case by showcasing
three significant movements in the
history of USA, which she terms as
a new religion: Yoganandas Self
Realization Foundation (SRF),
Maharishi Mahesh Yogiss
Transcendental Meditation (TM)
and Swami Muktanandas Siddha
Yoga. With Swami Vivekananda
(1993 onwards) having sensitized
the West to Sanatan Dharma, time
was ripe for Yogananda to build
In 1946, Yoganandas
Autobiography of a
Yogi was published.
It is a spiritual classic
and has been
published in a score
of languages and
sold millions of
copies. Yogananda
breathed his last in
1952 in USA.
upon when he touched the

American shores in 1920.
Yogananda spent much of his next
30 years in USA, giving significant
impetus to the introduction of
Eastern philosophy to the
Westerners.
Yogananda rejuvenated and popularized Kriya Yoga to the world,
and particularly to the West. The
brown mystic from India used yoga
as a tool to teach the science of soul
and spirit to the West. After all, as
modern science too concurs that
even though Yoga is done through
body, it is more about the mind! If
today, a yoga center in USA is as
easy as finding a coffee shop, credit
must be given to Yogananda for the
hard work he did decades back.
While Paramahansa Yogananda
was well received in USA, he had
his share of disappointments and
challenges. Indians were not eligible for immigration to the U.S.
until 1946 and for all practical purposes, significant arrival of Indians
did not happen until 1965. In the
times of Yogananda, India was
under British rule and racism was a
big thing in USA. With this background and xenophobia notwithstanding, it was not surprising that
Yogananda faced stiff racism in the
Southern parts of USA. He was

even put under surveillance by the
U.S. government at the behest of
British India. When he came to
know that blacks were not allowed
to attend his congregations in
Washington D.C., he tackled the
racial prejudice with aplomb!
Yogananda announced the creation
of African-American center for his
brothers and sisters of color.
Similarly, he blessed a marriage
between an Indian and an American
as a political statement against
racial barriers. Yogananda was a
great supporter of Mahatma Gandhi
for he believed if a man can reform
himself, he can reform the world.
Yogananda visited Gandhi ji at his
Ashram in Sewagarm, Wardha. It is
said that he even offered him a
class in Kriya Yoga and a tip about
avocado as a rich source of proteins
among vegetarian options.
I am sure, had Yogananda been
alive, Martin Luther King would
have got a big moral support from
him for his civil rights movement.
Is it mere coincidence that the
voice of these two evolved souls
resembles?
In
1946,
Yoganandas
Autobiography of a Yogi came
into the market. It is a spiritual
classic and has been published in a
score of languages and sold millions of copies. Yogananda
breathed his last in 1952 in USA.
The teachings of Paramahansa
Yogananda continue to be relevant
today. Despite the comforts brought
to us by science, the world continues to witness disparity, violence
and conflict, thus, stressing the
need of spiritual healing.
Information about the LA based
Self-Realization Fellowship founded by Paramahansa Yogananda can
be found at http://www.yoganandasrf.org/
The author is a Chicago-based
socio-political commentator.
Twitter:@drmunishraizada.
LIFESTYLE
'Campus cash helping US

students buy cigarettes'
New York: Of the top 100 universities as
ranked by the US News and World Report,
11 allow tobacco sales and 13 allow e-cigarette sales on "campus cash" debit cards
that are commonly prepaid by parents,
says a study by University of Colorado's
cancer center.
Many colleges offer prepaid debit cards
linked to students' campus ID cards that
can be used either at on-campus vending
areas like bookstores and cafeterias, and/or
at off-campus vendors that act like preferred providers.
Providers generally pay a premium to be
included in these campus-linked networks.
"Universities shouldn't be taking debit
card fees from in-network vendors selling
tobacco products to their students," said
the study's senior author Robert
Dellavalle, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Colorado
School of Medicine.
Parents put money on these debit cards
and kids spend the money.
"What parents do not realize is that
tobacco may be purchased with some of
these college debit cards," Dellavalle
added. The current study examined online
lists of on and off-campus vendors (with
phone and e-mail follow-up as needed) to

discover universities whose policies allow
the sale of tobacco and e-cigarettes within
the campus debit card network.
"Cracking down on this 'campus cash' is
a major opportunity for these colleges to
take a step toward preventing tobacco use
on their campuses," first author Lindsay
Boyers from Georgetown University
noted. "As an organization dedicated to
university health, the American College
Health Association can take a stand on this
issue by banning universities from selling
tobacco products on campus and prohibiting debit card purchase of off-campus
tobacco products," Dellavalle stressed.
The study was published in the British
Medical Journal: Tobacco Control.
Facebook knows you better

than your friends
L o n d o n :
Researchers from
Cambridge
University and
S t a n f o r d
University have
devised a software
that can reveal
your personality
better than your
friends by analyzing posts that you
"like" on the social
networking site
Facebook.
The
results
showed that by
mining Facebook
"likes", the computer model was
able to predict a
person's personality more accurately than most of their friends and
family. Given enough "likes" to
analyze, only a person's spouse
rivaled the computer for accuracy
of broad psychological traits.
"In the future, computers could
be able to infer our psychological
traits and react accordingly, leading to the emergence of emotionally-intelligent and socially skilled
machines," said lead study author
Wu Youyou from Cambridge's psychometrics center.
For the new study, the
researchers used a sample of
86,220 volunteers on Facebook
who completed a 100-item person-
ality questionnaire through the

'myPersonality' app as well as providing access to their "likes."
They found that the computer
model could more accurately predict the subject's personality than a
work colleague by analyzing just
10 "likes"; more than a friend or a
roommate with 70 "likes", a family
member (parent, sibling) with 150
and a spouse with 300 "likes."
Given that an average Facebook
user has about 227 "likes" (and this
number is growing steadily), the
researchers say that this kind of
artificial intelligence has the potential to know us better than our closest companions.
January 24-30, 2015
27
'Parents disregard child

road safety guidelines'
New York: Using a rear-facing car seat until a

child is two years old reduces risk of serious
injury but close to one-quarter of parents in the
US turn the seat around before their child is
even a year old, shows a survey.
In March 2011, the American Academy of
Pediatrics updated its guidelines for child passenger safety, extending the recommendation
for rear-facing car seat use from one year of
age and 20 pounds in weight to a minimum of
two years of age.
In 2013, 24 percent of parents of one- to
four-year-old children made the switch at or
before 12 months. Only 23 percent reported
waiting until the child was two years old or
older, according to the survey.
In 2011, just 16 percent parents reported
turning their child's seat at two years or older.
"So we have seen some improvement... however, almost one-quarter of parents are turning
(the seats of) their children before their first
birthday," said lead author Michelle Macy
from the University of Michigan's CS Mott
Children's Hospital in the US.
"And few parents report waiting until that
second birthday to make the turn," Macy
added.
The researchers asked parents about when
they transitioned their child to a forward-facing seat in two national surveys - one in 2011
and the other in 2013.

The research was conducted as part of the
C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on
Children's Health.
"There are lots of reasons why parents are
eager to change from the rear-facing to forward-facing seat: the perception their children
are too large, the desire to see their children
when driving, and a greater ease of removing
their children from a forward facing seat,"
Macy said. "But delaying the switch can make
a big difference. In Sweden, it is culturally
accepted that children up to age four are in
rear-facing seats and child traffic fatalities are
among the lowest in the world," she said. The
study appeared in the journal Academic
Pediatrics.
Chemicals from personal care

products contaminate pools
Washington, DC: A new study suggests that apart from urine, pharmaceuticals and chemicals from personal care products end up in swimming pools and may impact your
health.
These chemicals interact with
chlorine to produce disinfection
byproducts with unknown properties.
Swimmers are exposed to chemicals through three different routes.
"You can inhale, you can ingest
and it can go through your skin. So,
the exposure you receive in a swimming pool setting is potentially
much more extensive than the exposure you would receive by just one
route alone," said Ernest R.
Blatchley III, professor at the
Purdue University in the US.
Previous research has shown that
many constituents of urine including urea, uric acid and amino acids,
interact with chlorine to produce
potentially hazardous disinfection
byproducts in swimming pools.
However, chemicals from pharmaceuticals and personal care products also could be interacting with
chlorine, producing potentially
harmful byproducts. There are literally thousands of chemicals from
pharmaceuticals and personal care
products that could be getting into
swimming pool water," Blatchley
III added.
The team used

an analytical technique developed
by Ching-Hua
Huang, professor
at the Georgia
Institute
of
Technology that
identified and
quantified
32
pharmaceuticals
and personal care
products in water.
Of the 32 chemicals investigated,
the researchers
detected three:
DEET which is
the active ingredient in insect repellants, caffeine,
and TCEP, a flame
retardant. "The
other 29 could
have been present
at concentrations below the detection level," Blatchley said.
Some chemicals are volatile
which means they can escape into
the air to be inhaled. Others can be
ingested or absorbed through the
skin. "Birth control pills, for example, contain hormones. If those
chemicals and others are present,
especially in a mixture in a water
sample that humans are going to be
exposed to, then what are the conse-
quences of that? That is a largely

unanswered question," the authors
asked.
The recreational water illnesses
(RWIs) are caused by germs spread
by swallowing, breathing in mists or
aerosols of, or having contact with
contaminated water. The infections
include gastrointestinal, skin, ear,
respiratory, eye, neurologic, and
wound-related. The most commonly
reported RWI is diarrhoea.
28
January 24-30, 2015
HUMOR
Funny Side by Nury Vittachi
Men can be deep, caring human beings
f you play the film A Hard Day's Night

backwards, it's about four lads who wander through London making unearthly
noises that cause huge crowds of girls to
back away, screaming.
***
The truth is, women SHOULD back away
screaming when approached by men,
according to the latest findings of Science.
ONLY members of the male sex can reach
such soaring levels of stupidity that they
become lethal to themselves and people
around them, a recent British Medical
Journal article said.
Researchers studied databases of Darwin
Award winners (a title given to those whose
actions are so stupid they remove themselves from the gene pool, ie, die), and
found that 88.7 percent of winners were
male.
***
The above info was forwarded to me by a
reader named Buffy, who offered her theory
that "idiocy kills when combined with risktaking behavior, hyperactivity, shallowness
and massive egotism, a combination of factors also known as `being a guy."'
(No evidence of issues THERE.)
***
But are men really shallow, irrational ego-
tist idiots?
The guys in my office responded angrily
to her accusation with one voice "Oh, yes
we are."
***
By coincidence, figures have been published in Hong Kong that show nearly twothirds of all arrests in any given year are of
men.
Of course, a proportion of these guys may
have been arrested for gallantly taking the
blame for the crimes of their wives and girlfriends. But probably not.
***
Yet the fact is that guys are not totally
worthless and shallow all the time. We can
be deep and thoughtful.
Imagine the scene: we are in our third hour
of playing some video game and are totally
lost in the world of shooting aliens or whatever.
Then we come to the end of level four, and
the screen goes dark for a few seconds.
We suddenly see our over-excited faces
reflected in front of us, and we have a Deep
Thought: Surely there must be more to life
than this?
And then level five starts. Die die die,
suckers!
***
Furthermore, sometimes men ARE interestingly unpredictable. Such as when we

discover that most movies, perhaps ALL
movies, are better watched backwards at
high speed.
Here are four others that are more interesting on rewind:
1) Jurassic Park becomes a surreal creation myth about dinosaurs who vomit up
live humans and place them at the entrance
to a theme park.
2)The Lion King becomes a zombie tale of
a young lion who brings his dead father to
life to rule the animal kingdom.

3) Beauty and the Beast becomes a superrealistic story of a couple who start off
young and beautiful, but then the guy
becomes unrecognizably grouchy, hairy and
mirror-obsessed, until no one can live with
him. The story of my life, except for the hair.
***
Now if you'll excuse me, I need some personal time for mindfulness, reflection and
self-actualization.
LEVEL SIX. YES! DIE DIE DIE SUCKERS
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
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma

January 24-30, 2015
ARIES:
You can have a choice of either spending the week with friends or calling on
some relations. Either way you are promised a
nice time. Some uncompleted work may have
to be dealt with quickly before it becomes an
albatross around your neck. You may feel
financially secure, but take a reality check
before arriving at any conclusion. Family may
not have time for you this week. Lover can get
into complaining mode, if you fail to preempt
it beforehand. It is time you started taking
your health seriously!
TAURUS:
Love bug is likely to bite some and
make life more exciting. Travel to a
happening place with friends and family is
foreseen for some. A long pending property
issue is likely to be decided in your favour.
There is much happening on the family front
that can keep you thoroughly entertained this
week. Students will be able to keep pace on
the academic front and perform well. Heed the
advice of others on the health front. Window
shopping is all that you can do in order to conserve money.
GEMINI:
You will find yourself in a prestigious
position at work. This is thanks to your
excellent showing. You are likely to welcome
the change that has been initiated at home.
Spending time with lover will help you in letting your hair down and relax. You are likely
to motivate someone to give their best to
something they want to achieve. Freelancers
can strike a deal for a monthly fixed amount
for the services rendered. Outside help in
coming back in shape is likely to work wonders.
CANCER:
Money will no more be elusive as you
are about to experience a windfall.
Businesspersons will succeed in raising capital for starting something new. You will be
regular in your workout and enjoy good
health. Interest in health foods is likely to be
awakened in some. There is a fair chance of
an impromptu outing with family this week.
Friends or relations can invite you to their
place for meal. You are likely to feel quite
romantic this week, so start giving oblique
hints right from the morning itself!
LEO:
You will need to be at your convincing
best to clinch a deal on the professional
front. Some celebration on the home front is
expected and will keep you much entertained.
Delving in occult sciences is likely to give
you an inner satisfaction. Love is likely to
knock at your door, so be prompt to respond!
You are likely to profit from a venture. An
increment or salary boost is on the cards for
some. Eating right and a disciplined life will
be the key to your good health.
VIRGO:
Things are likely to improve on the
work front. Interpersonal relationships
will get a boost as you develop a good understanding with others at work. Someone you
are working closely with may attract you.
Those married are likely to find their love life
rocking! Indications of travelling abroad are
quite apparent for some. Travelling in a group
is likely to thrill some youngsters. You can be
given more than your fair share of responsibilities at home.
A spell of bad health can afflict some, if not
careful.
LIBRA:
Your networking skills for furthering
your career may be in evidence this
week. Dwindling profits may urge some retail
store owners to rethink strategy to increase the
footfalls. Your insistence on doing things your
way at work will be agreed to by co-workers.
You may get into two minds regarding a major
purchase as parting with a big amount may
tighten your fist. It will be important to have
the consent of all family members before
implementing something on the domestic
front. Health is set to improve for the unwell.
SCORPIO:
A talented family member is likely to
do you proud. Organising something at
home cannot be ruled out for some. Work on
the professional front will move smoothly and
without any outside interference. You can get
in two minds regarding an investment. It is
best to take the opinion of others before you
put in your money. Chance of spending time
together with lover is possible. You can be
invited for an out of town function and may
even make efforts to attend. Take good care of
your health.
SAGITTARIUS:
You are likely to enjoy a social event
from the sidelines. Family will be loving and caring, and cater to your needs. Your
plans are likely to be tested for their soundness on the professional front and will pass
muster with flying colours! Expecting unconditional love from the one close to your heart
is expecting a bit too much. Money is hard to
come by for everyone, so contribute your
share if someone is spending on you. Some of
you may try to gain sympathy by feigning ill
health.
CAPRICORN:
You are likely to give a good account
of yourself in a competition. An above
average performance on the academic front
will help to bring you into notice of others.
You are a good money manager and will be
able to save much, that is, when you are not in
a splurging mood! Those looking for an easy
loan may talk their friend into lending them
some money. In your eagerness to come into
social prominence you are likely to tread on
many toes, so be careful.
AQUARIUS:
This is your lucky week on the academic front. Tasks that seemed difficult a while ago will appear within your capability after analyzing them a bit. There is a
likelihood of meeting a childhood friend or
somebody who had been previously very
close to you.
You may not accept the fact, but you are in
love! So, get out of your self-denial mode and
partake of the goodies that romance has to
offer. Overspending as if there is no tomorrow
may upset your bank balance.
PISCES:
Some of you will succeed in increasing
your output at work. Professional
rivals will fail to pick holes in an assignment
submitted by you. You can get a bit extravagant in showing off your wealth, but it will
serve your purpose!
A profitable deal is likely to click for some
businesspersons. You may get the urge to
expand your social circle, but something or
someone maybe holding you back. Romance
is in the air as you enjoy the company of
lover. Health-wise you are not likely to face
any problems.
January 24-30, 2015
29
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

24th January, 2015
Ruled planet: Venus Ruled by no :6
Traits in you: Your ruling planet Venus makes optimistic,
ambitious, caring, aspiring, and determined. You are very
social and love to make new friends and get into new relationships. You are a huge follower of intelligence and
education.
Health this year: You need to focus on your health a little more as you may fall sick frequently this year. You
should go for regular medical checkups to maintain a
healthy life. Your parents may fall sick towards the end of
the year and it will put you in immense pressure.
Finance this year: Your innovative ideas to earn money
may not meet your expectations. However, you need to
keep trying until you succeed. You will find it tough to
make money this year. You may go for investments in various sectors like shares, gold, land and so on.
Career this year: You will get enough opportunities in
your professional life to prove yourself. You will create a
better impression on your seniors or higher management,
which may result in promotion. You should work efficiently to maintain your respect at your workspace.
Romance this year: You will share a blissful romantic relationship with your spouse or partner. Your marriage is on
cards if you are yet to marry. You will find your partner
supportive enough in every crucial situation.
Lucky month: May, July, August & December.
25th January, 2015
Ruled planet: 7 Ruled by no: Neptune
Traits in you: By nature you are sober, courteous, unique,
honest and courageous as you are ruled by the powerful
planet Neptune. Your charming nature attracts people towards you. You love to face challenges and you fight them
pretty well by executing perfection. You need to check for
your impatience, rudeness, and frequent mood swings.
Health this year: You will enjoy a better health this year
as compared to last year. However, the health of an aged
family member may deteriorate and that will make you
bothered. You may end up spending lot of money for the
health issues of your family members.
Finance this year: This year may bring you huge financial benefits. You will enjoy the returns of your investments. If you want to gain financial profits, you have to
work hard. You may invest in various profitable businesses. However, you should not start new partnerships or trust
new friends.
Career this year: This year you will reach to the peak of
your professional career and it will offer you huge financial benefits. This year will be pretty rewarding for female
employees. You may get a better performance appraisal as
well as salary hike as compared to your expectations.
Romance this year: The emotional attachment with your
spouse or partner may blossom this year with lot of love,
care, and concern. If you are not married, then you may go
for a romantic relationship. You will enjoy a very blissful
time with your beloved.
Lucky month: May, August and November
26th January, 2015
Ruled planet: Saturn Ruled by no :8
Traits in you: Your ruling planet Saturn makes you humble, honest, focused, practical, realistic and enthusiastic.
You are blessed with enormous talent and imagination.
Along with the positive characters in you, there are some
negative aspects in your nature. You need to work on your
nature of being envious, unreliable, and indiscipline.
Health this year: Though you would not face any major
health related issues, you should take extra care of your
health. Do not take unwanted risk of putting your health
in stake. Go for regular medical checkups.
Finance this year: As far as your financial condition is
considered, you will enjoy a better status as compared to
the last year. You will get enough benefits from your previous investments. You may plan for new investments. You
may go for partnerships to start new ventures. Domestic as
well as overseas ventures will be successful this year. You
need to create new contacts for the growth in your business
as it will earn you more projects and money.
Career this year: Professionally you will enjoy a smooth
life. You may get recognition in your professional circuit
as a result of your hard work and dedication. Your promotion is on cards. You should take help of your seniors to
learn quickly and perform exceptionally well as it would
help you grow professionally.
Romance this year: Your relationship with your spouse
or partner will blossom this year. If you are not married,
you may have to wait for few more years though you are
eligible for marriage.
Lucky month: July, September and December
27th January, 2015
Ruled planet: Mars Ruled by no: 9
Traits in you: Being ruled by Mars, you are aggressive,
courageous, aspiring, focused, friendly, generous, and
honest. You lag behind others because you lose many opportunities. You need to work on your frequent mood
swings and temperament.
Health this year: Health wise you will enjoy a great time
throughout the year. You may suffer few minor health issues such as cold, headache or body aches. You need to
take proper medications to remain physically and mentally fit.
Finance this year: As far as your financial condition is
considered, you will enjoy a better status as compared to
the last year. You will get enough benefits from your previous investments. You may plan for new investments.
You may go for partnerships to start new ventures. Domestic as well as overseas ventures will be successful this
year. You need to create new contacts for the growth in
your business as it will earn you more projects and money.
Career this year: You will be establishing yourself as a
very efficient and important resource in your organization
this year. Your performance will influence your peers, seniors and higher management. It is the best time to look out
for a new job as it will help you grow both professionally
and financially.
Romance this year: Your plans to go for holidays with
your partner may not work because of huge work pressure
and this may create disturbance in your marital life. You
need to take care of the emotional requirements of your
partner to lead peaceful life this year.
Lucky month:April, May and August.
28th January, 2015
Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: Due to the positive effects of your ruling
planet Sun, you will have the characteristics of a good human being. By nature, you are accountable, unique, courageous, committed, competitive, coordinated and intelligent. You should work on your negative personality traits
such as selfishness, dependency and pessimism.
Health this year: You need to take an appropriate care of
your health. You may fall sick in the middle months of the
year though those will not be serious. If you are a
sportsperson, you need to be very careful for your diet and
nutrition to perform better in your sporting events.
Finance this year: You may get benefits from your investments later this year. This year seems to be an ideal
one to start investing in business, land or gold. Your efforts
to earn money may pay off this time. You may go for new
partnerships. However, you should verify the financial
background of your partner for your financial security.
Career this year: You may have to take few major decisions in your profession. You can succeed if you put some
extra effort in your work and deliver quality. You have to
drive the team to put qualitative effort.
Romance this year: If you are yet to be in a committed
relationship, you may get into one this year. If you are already committed, then you may plan for marriage towards
the end of the year.
Lucky month: January, May, August and November.
29th January, 2015
Ruled planet: 2 Ruled by no :Moon
Traits in you: Your ruler, the Moon makes you a very
friendly individual. You are simple, confident, realistic,
sincere, and optimistic. You are very innovative and try to
perform your work in a different and efficient way. You
need to work hard on your characteristics of being jealous
and insensitive at times.
Health this year: You will enjoy a normal health this year.
However, you need to be in regular contact with your doctor to remain healthy. If you face some minor health issues, you should take prescribed medication without neglecting.
Finance this year: You will be able to stabilize your financial condition by reaping profits from your past investments. You may also plan for new investments this
year. You will find enough new opportunities to start up a
new business that would yield money for you. You should
invest in real estate or stock market for better returns.
Career this year: You will be successful professionally
this year. You will be additional responsibility and you
will well execute them to perfection. Your success may get
you various awards and rewards as well. You may share
your ideas with the higher management as it would help
you grow quickly.
Romance this year: You will spend a peaceful life with
your love interest this year. You will lead a blissful life
with your beloved with lots of love, care, concern, and
support.
Lucky month: February, June, August & September
30th January, 2015
Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no :3
Traits in you: As you are ruled by Jupiter, you are ambitious, dignified, friendly, cheerful and highly optimistic.
You are a believer but you do not believe anything without proper proof. People respect in many ways as you are
very social and friendly to them. However, your arrogance
blocks the way to become a complete person.
Health this year: You may enjoy a great health this year.
However, that does not mean you will start neglecting
your health. You need to take care of your diet and nutrition to maintain a good health. You may practice some exercises to remain fit.
Finance this year: Monetary benefits will be tough to
achieve this year. You may not get expected financial support from your family. Your past investments will not
work this year as expected. However, you may go for new
short term investments, which will gain you enough money. If you are planning to set up a business, it is advisable
not to go for any partnerships.
Career this year: Your confidence will convert you into
a winner. You will be capable enough to overcome any
challenge you need to face. The chances of your promotion and transfer are high due to the organizational change.
Romance this year: Your romantic life will become stagnant this year as you may not give enough time to your
beloved. If you are unmarried and planning to marry this
year, it may not happen because of the negative movements of your stars and planets.
Lucky month: June, September & December.
30
January 24-30, 2015
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Happiness is a State of Mind
By Sant Rajinder Singh

Ji Maharaj
ife is filled with many challenges and sometimes, under
pressure, people crack. They
feel they can no longer stand all the
problems facing them. Sometimes
people feel they have the worst job
in the world. Others feel they have
the worst health problems; they feel
no one could be plagued with as
many physical problems as they
have. At some time in our lives, we
feel that no one could have things
as bad as we have.
There is a folk tale about a wise
man who lived in a forest. People
would travel far and wide to seek
him out for answers to their problems. One day, a woman came to
him for advice.
He said, My dear, what can I do
for you?
She said, Things are terrible at
home. I live in a small hut with my
husband and two children. The hut
is barely large enough for the four
of us. I wanted a bigger house but
my husband is not doing well at
work and cannot afford anything
larger. As times are bad, my husbands father lost his job, so his
parents had to move in with us. We
were already crowded before but
now with six of us living together
in that small space, it is unbearable.
I cannot take it anymore. I feel like

screaming! The wise man thought
for a moment and asked, Do you
have a cow?
The woman said, Yes, we do.
He said, I advise you to bring
the cow into the hut to live with
you for a week and then come back
to see me.
The woman was puzzled. She
thought that since he was a wise
man, there must be some magic in
bringing the cow into the house, so
she did what he said.
The next week was horrible. It
was so crowded in the house that
every time the cow turned around,
all the six family members had to
change their seats. When they tried
to sleep, the smell was intolerable
and it would moo throughout the
night, waking them all up.
After the week passed, the
woman returned to the wise man
and began shouting at him, What
have you done? I came to you to
make things better and now I am
more miserable than before. Your
advice did not work.
He thought for a moment and
asked, Do you have any chickens? Yes, she said.
He told her, Take them into the
hut with you for a week. She did
not understand how this would
help, but since he was a wise man,
and everybody in her village found
his advice helpful, she thought she
would give this a try.
When she returned home, she
collected all the chickens from the
backyard and moved them into the
house. For the next week, the
chickens were flying around the
hut, landing on everything and
making a mess of the place.
After a week, she returned and
cried, in tears, You must be crazy.
Your advice is terrible. It is impos-
sible to live in the hut now. The

cow turns around and knocks into
us. The chickens fly all around the
hut. My in-laws are always choking
from the smell and complaining
about how bad it is living with us.
The children find chicken feathers
falling into their food. My husband
is constantly fighting with me over
the living conditions in our home
ll too often people are quick

to pass judgment on others
without knowing their full
story. They may be quick to criticize
someones actions, believing that
their perspective is correct and that
they understand all the circumstances. In turn, how many of us are
willing to withhold judgment and
put ourselves in the shoes of another
person? How many times have we
passed judgment on others only to
later find that they had a good reason that justified their actions?
Along the same lines, if we want
others to change their ways, telling
them will have little effect unless we
are examples of that behavior.
In this connection, there is a true
story from the animal kingdom
about a team of researchers who had
gone to Africa to study the behavior

of elephants. They came across an
area in which a pack of elephants
was running wild. As the research
team set up telescopic cameras to
observe the animals from a distance,
they saw that every day the elephants were fighting with each
other, running over trees and
destroying their environment. They
had studied other elephant packs
before and never saw such chaotic
and wild behavior. On further investigation they discovered that the
group was composed of all teenage
male elephants. There were no adult
male elephants in the group. When
they checked with the local inhabitants in the village why there were
no adult male elephants in the pack,
the villagers explained that poachers
came into the village and killed all
the male adults for their ivory.
The researchers saw that the
teenage male elephants had no adult
On the spiritual path, one of the

lessons we need to learn is accepting the will of the Lord. Life would
be so much easier if we accept that
God knows what is best for us. If
we examined the times in our lives
that we interfered with Gods will,
we may have discovered that we
messed things up terribly on our
own and prayed to God to return
Next time we think things are

going badly and that God is not
properly listening to us, we
should sit back, take a deep
breath, and relax. We should give
God a chance to let things
happen and observe patiently.
We will find when all is said and
done that God worked things
out for the best in the end.
and says, It is all your fault!
The wise man thought for a
moment and said, My dear, go
home and try one more thing. Take
the cow and the chickens out of
your hut. Then, come back to me in
a week.
The woman was fed up with his
advice but thought she would give
it one last chance. She returned
home and pulled the cow out of the
house. She took the chickens out
and returned them to the backyard.
A week later, the woman returned
to the wise man.
How are things now? he asked.
Thank you so much! You are
truly wise. Since I removed the cow
and chickens from the hut I feel so
much happier. Things have become
so peaceful.
The wise man smiled. The
woman returned home and lived
Teaching By Example
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
happily with her husband, her children, and her in-laws.

This story illustrates that we are
often unhappy with our situation
until we find that things could
always be worse. We think our job
is horrible, until we lose it and find
that life is harder without an
income. We think our health is bad
until we spend time in a hospital
male role models from which to

learn. Curious to see if it truly made
a difference, they arranged to have
some male elephants brought in
from another area. The first thing
the male adults did was to flap their
ears and raise their trunks. Next,
they began to make loud trumpeting
sounds. In the beginning, there was
no change and the teen elephants
continued to run wild and fight each
other. However, after a few days in
which the adults flapped their ears,
raised their trunks, and made loud
noises, the teen elephants began to
settle down. Over time, they became
well behaved and their wild actions
subsided.
The researchers realized that on
their own, the teen elephants had no
role models and did not know how
to behave. Once the male adults
were introduced into their pack, the
teens had role models and began to
be disciplined.
and find people in worse condition

than we are. We think our family
members are bad until we find ourselves alone and realize how difficult life is without them. We always
feel the grass is greener on the
other side.
The woman learned that what she
thought was bad was actually not
so bad when she saw how much
worse things could be. It is human
nature to think that everybody else
has it so good and it is only we who
are suffering.
We think we know what is best
for us. How many times have we
tried to intervene with our two
cents to find that when we tried to
change our situation, we made
things worse? Then, we regret what
we have done and wish we could
make things go back to the way
they were.
things to the way they were.

Next time we think things are
going badly and that God is not
properly listening to us, we should
sit back, take a deep breath, and
relax. We should give God a chance
to let things happen and observe
patiently. We will find when all is
said and done that God worked
things out for the best in the end. If
we reflect, we would find that if
God had listened to our complaints
and let us do things our own way,
things may not have been in our
best interest at all. Happiness is a
state of mind. If we think that God
is not doing what is best for us, we
will always be unhappy. If we
would realize that we are living
according to what God wishes for
us and that God is giving us what is
best for us, we would always be
happy and content.
On the spiritual path, two qualities to

inculcate are patience and
understanding. These are aspects
of leading a nonviolent life.
In the same way, as parents, we
teach our children through loving
discipline and by setting an example. Our children do not believe in
our words alone but in what they see
us do. They copy our own good and
bad habits because that is the example we set. Similarly, when we are
in a position to train or teach otherswhether we are teachers, parents, employers, or citizens imploring others to be conscientiouswe
must first set an example ourselves.
That is the only way to bring about
change, teaching by example rather
than by mere words. If we want to
see a positive change in others and
in our family, neighborhood, community, society, or country, then we
need to set an example. In the words
of Mahatma Gandhi, Be the change

you want to see in the world.
On the spiritual path, two qualities
to inculcate are patience and understanding. These are aspects of leading a nonviolent life. Those who are
nonviolent are patient. They do not
rush to criticize or accuse someone.
With empathy they try to think of
how the world looks through other
peoples eyes. If each of us could
treat others with patience, love, and
understanding, this world would be
more peaceful and loving. When we
are patient and understanding, we
never have to go to sleep at night
worrying if we did the right thing.
We will know that when we have
patience and understanding, we are
acting in a noble way.
January 24-30, 2015

Vol 7 Issue 38 January 24-30, 2015

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Vol 7 Issue 38 January 24-30, 2015

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The South Asian Times

Vol.7 No. 38 January 24-30, 2015 60 Cents

New York Edition

During the three-day visit, President Obama will be

New Delhi: India's capital will

Please look out for

Invited by Prime Minister Modi, Obama becomes the first US

Washington: Ahead of President

Obamas State of the Union address .. page 9

January 24-30, 2015

May & Sept 2015

January 24-30, 2015

Two letters, one posted and other waits for a 'stamp'

New York: The fight to push the

From left: Ranju Batra, Rep. Carolyn Maloney,

as part of the White House Diwali

your visit to India to support a

one billion people who mark the

they are currently in violation of a

RANA to host Rajasthan Indian Consulates unique approach to engage community

New York: The Rajasthan

about harmony and celebrating the festivals of India

Edison, NJ: Dozens of officials representing Government of India

US Congressman Frank Pallone

Pradesh in New York Feb 1.

Anil Bansal, Chairman of Indus

January 24-30, 2015

Jindal wont back down on no-go zone comments

Washington: Bobby Jindal refused

feel comfortable going in without

Republican, clarified that he

Indian American-directed Doritos

New York state assembly

San Leandro, CA: Indian

A scene from The Lemonade

Bowl finalists will win an invitation to Arizona to attend Super

Rashtrapati Bhavan. He would then

New Delhi Bureau

Art and Design: Vladimir Tomovski

Printed Every Saturday by

Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra

Strategy and Marketing

Web Editor: B.B.Chopra

Marketing & PR (Washington DC)

IANS Washington Bureau

Chairman and Co-Founder

Contributing Editors: Melvin Durai,

Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull

Contributing Editors (Youth):

Jaipur (India) Bureau

News Service: HT Media Ltd.

Printing: Five Star Printing, NY

Rutgers University appoints Jasjit

Ahluwalia recently completed his term

Rajat Gupta loses appeal

January 24-30, 2015

Two Indian Americans conferred 2015 Alexander

Vikram Chandra a nalist for top American literary award

Author Vikram Chandra

site. His other acclaimed works include

His novel 'Sacred Games' published in

January 24-30, 2015

Special to The South Asian

Bone stem cells may regenerate bones and