TheSouthAsianTimes.

info
Vol. 4 | No.12 | July 9-15, 2011 | 60 Cents
The South Asian Times
US Affairs 9 Op Ed 19 Spiritual Awareness 30 Lifestyle 27
NEW YORK EDITION
Excellence In Journalism
Parsi community
created modern
India: Amitav Ghosh
Features,
Page 26
Indian-American
broadcaster les age
discrimination suit
National Community,
Page 7
Deadlock over
separate Telangana,
protests hot up
India Newswire,
Page 12
JAINAs 16th
Convention in Houston
a huge success
JAINA Convention,
Pages 16-18
Pakistan turns
new front line
of war on terror
2G scam claims another
minister: Maran quits
Kerala temple
treasure could be
worth $100 billion
New Delhi/Chennai: Union
Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Ma-
ran resigned Thursday following
allegations of involvement in the
2G spectrum scam, becoming the
second DMK minister after A.
Raja to exit the cabinet.
New Delhi: The
valuables found in
the secret cellars of
Keralas famous Sree
Padmanabhaswamy
Temple in Thiru-
v a n a n t h a p u r a m
could be worth Rs
5 lakh crore ($100
Toronto: Pakistan is now the
new front in the war on terror as it
has become a new safe haven for al-
Qaeda, says the Canadian media a
day after the country blacklisted the
Pakistani Taliban and started with-
drawal from Afghanistan Tuesday.
The war on terror has shifted,
and Pakistan is its new front line,
said the daily National Post.
These two events (blacklisting
of the Pakistani Taliban and the
start of withdrawal from Afghani-
stan) encapsulate a shift, not only
for Canada, but for all other na-
tions on the front lines of the war
on terror. For a number of years,
those lines have been shifting
southeast, from Afghanistan to
Pakistan, the paper said.
It said the Tehrik-e-Taliban is
very dangerous as its stated goal is
resistance to the countrys govern-
ment, the draconian imposition of
Sharia law and the waging of war
against NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Because of these militant outts
Pakistan has become the main
staging area for terrorist plots
around the world and - despite the
United States assassination of Osa-
ma bin Laden in Abbotabad - a new
safe-haven for al-Qaeda.
Quoting a study by the New
America Foundation, the paper
said 53 percent of terror plots
worldwide since 2004 involved
jihadists trained in Pakistan, com-
pared to six percent in Yemen and
three percent in Iraq. Pakistani ji-
hadi groups have directed 44 per-
cent of the terror plots since then,
according to the paper.
War on terror continued on page 4
While the government and the
Congress party did not comment on
the big political development, an
emboldened opposition described
it as too little too late and sought
resignation of Home Minister P.
Chidambaram, who they alleged
showed complicity in the scam.
Thursdays turn of events is
likely to impact both the shape of
impending cabinet shufe and deli-
cately poised relations between the
Congress and the DMK.
2G scam continued on page 4
Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran is second DMK minister to exit
Manmohan government in the spectrum scam.
53 percent of terror plots worldwide since 2004 involved jihadists,
like Tehrik-e-Taliban and LeT cadres, trained in Pakistan.
Only ve of the six secret cellars of Padmanab-
haswamy Temple have been opened, yielding
Gold idols, ornaments and other valuables.
billion), believes former chief sec-
retary of Kerala CP Nair.
As per a report, Thursday, the
former bureaucrat claims that the
estimated market value of the trea-
sures unearthed from the temple
makes it the richest temple in the
world.
Kerala treasure continued on page 4
CommuniIy 15
TheSouIhAsianTimes.inlo May 14-20, 2011
PSG College ol Technology, CoimbaIore
celebraIes diamond jubilee in New |ersey
T
he Diamond Jubilee
Celebrations oI PSG
College oI Technology,
Coimbatore, India was held at
Chutney Mary restaurant in
Monmouth Junction, New Jersey
on Saturday May 7, 2011. The
gathering was attended by 50
alumni Irom various Iields oI PSG
College oI Technology. The alumni
came Irom Boston, Virginia,
Pennsylvania, New York and New
Jersey. Included were, the oldest
graduate Mr. Shanmugam Irom
1959 batch and the youngest grad-
uate Irom 2010 batch.
The meeting was presided by
visiting dignitaries oI PSG
Management Mr. G. Rangaswamy-
Managing Trustee, Mr. C. R.
Swaminathan - the ChieI
Executive, Dr. R. Rudramoorthy
Principal PSGCT, Dr P.
Radhakrishnan - Director,
PSGIAS, Dr. R. Nandagopal
Director, PGSIM, Dr. G.
Ranganathan - President, Alumni
Association, Dr R. Nadarajan,
Head/Maths & Computer
Applications, PSGCT, Dr A.
Kandaswamy, Head/Biomedical
Engineering, PSGCT.
The slide show presentation
highlighted various departments in
PSG College oI Technology and its
growth into an University accredi-
tation which will be honored upon
PSG next year. It emphasized the
importance oI PSG Tech Corpus
Fund, which will help in education
oI 200 deserving students every
year. The PSG Trust already helps
250 students each year Ior their
education.
Some oI the alumni honored by
Mr. Rangaswamy were - Mr. Jack
Poola Ior his donations to PSG
Tech, Mr. SampathKumar, Mr.
Marthuchala Moorthy, Mr. Selvam
and Mr. Vijay Ior planning the
meeting in New Jersey.
1he college's Managing 1rustee Mr Rangswamy presenting a plaque
to 1ack Poola (left) in recognition of his donation to PSC 1ech.
Mr C R Swaminathan Chief Executieve (in white) and Dr Radhakrishnan
Past Principal (in blue) with students
Mg 1rustee Mr Rangaswamy presenting a plaque to Sampath Kumar,
organizer of the event
Mg. 1rustee Mr. Rangaswamy presenting a plaque to
Selvam, master of ceremony
Dr Rudramurthy, Principal, speaking. Mg 1rustee and
Selvam are also seen in the picture.
1he alumni at the event
US overtly pro-India
stance will hurt
Pak: China
Amar Singh to be grilled by cops in
cash-for-vote scam
US lawmakers, community
leaders condemn Mumbai blasts
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Vol. 4 | No. 14 | July 23-29, 2011 | 60 Cents
The South Asian Times
Op Ed 19 Spiritual Awareness 30 Sports 24
NEW YORK EDITION
Excellence In Journalism
Mumbaikars
feel helpless,
resentful
India,
Page 12
2 Indian girls
win top honors at
Google Science Fair
National Community,
Page8
Khokar collection
brings alive century
of Indian dance
Performing Arts,
Page 15
ArunShourie
pens down his
family trauma
Books,
Page 25
Chennai: US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton told India on
Wednesday its time to lead, urg-
ing New Delhi to take a stronger
role across Asia where China is
fexing its muscles, and to bolster
support for struggling neighbors
Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Clinton, delivering a speech in
Chennai, said New Delhi should
exercise political infuence to match
its economic clout -- both of which
Washington sees as potential coun-
terweights to Beijing.
Beijing: Against the backdrop
of India and the US frming up
their counter-terrorism cooperation,
an offcial Chinese think tank has
claimed that Washingtons overtly
pro-India stance will hurt its overall
goal to fght militancy in Pakistan.
Not surprisingly, counter-ter-
rorism is one of the top issues on
Hillary Clintons agenda during her
visit to India, said the article titled
US-South Asia policy published
in the state-run China Daily.
Written by Fu Xiaoqiang, Direc-
tor of the Centre for Counter-ter-
rorism Studies at the state-owned
China Institute of Contemporary
International Relations, the article
expressed concern over growing
US-India cooperation in felds
of civil nuclear technology and
counter-terrorism, much to the de-
terment of Chinas close strategic
ally Pakistan.
Clinton said the US has madeit
US offcials billed Clintons speech
as a major address to outline Wash-
ingtons vision for the US-India col-
laboration in the coming century, a
partnership it hopes will both stabi-
lize Asia and hedge Chinas growing
dominance.
We are betting that Indias plural-
istic democracy will produce results
for your citizens and inspire others
to follow a similar path of open-
ness and tolerance, Clinton said.
. We think that America and
India share a fundamentally similar
vision for the future of this region.
President Obama, on a visit
to India last November, publicly
backed New Delhis bid for a per-
manent seat on the UN Security
Council and US offcials say they
now want the worlds largest de-
mocracy to become a more visible
partner in facing global challenges.
Clinton Continued on page 4
to Pakistan that confronting ter-
rorism in all forms is in Islamabads
interest. Indian External Affairs
Minister S M Krishna responded
by saying that terror sanctuaries
in Pakistan need to be eliminated
for regional peace and stability.
And Krishna welcomed Washing-
tons decision to suspend the $800-
million aid to Islamabad, it said.
Both the US and India are doing
theopposite of what they should
have done to help Pakistan fght ter-
rorists, it said, adding
their hard stance
could provoke Paki-
stanis and help Islamic
extremists strengthen
their base in Pakistan.
The US may have its
reasonsfor the overtly
pro-India stance in its
South Asia strategy.
China Continued
on page 4
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday. During her visit,
she pushed India on N-liability law and Pakistan on 26/11 trial.
Hillary Clinton with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
J.Jayalalithaa in Chennai on Wednesday
Amar Singh, former
Samajwadi Party leader
NewDelhi: Taking forward its
probe in the cash-for-vote scam, Del-
hi police is all set to grill Rajya Sabha
member Amar Singh on Friday for his
alleged role in the sensational case.
Singh, the then general secretary of
Samajwadi Party, is accused of send-
ing bribe money to win over three BJP
lawmakers during the 2008 trust vote.
The decision to call Singh for
questioning comes a day after the
arrest of Suhail Hindustani, who al-
legedly acted as a liaison between
Singh and BJP MPs.
NYC Public Advocate Bill de Bla-
sio spoke at a City Hall rally Monday
to express solidarity with the Indian
American community and to condemn
last weeks terror blasts in Mumbai.
He also released a statement, I am
shocked by the senseless attack on
Mumbai and offer my sincere condo-
lences to the victims and their families.
As we approach the 10th anniversary
of the Sept. 11 attacks, all New York-
ers stand in solidarity against those
who commit acts of terrorism.
Also see page 3 for story and pictures.
Police has also arrested Sanjeev
Saxena, once considered close to
Singh who allegedly delivered cash
to the MPs to vote in favor of the
UPA government during trust vote.
The arrests and fresh investiga-
tions into the case have come after
Delhi police was slammed by Su-
preme Court last week for its cal-
lous approach in this case. Besides
Amar Singh, police is also expected
to question Samajwadi Party MP
Reoti Raman Singh and BJP MP
Ashok Argal.
As China looms, Clinton tells
India to lead in Asia
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Vol. 4 | No.12 | July 9-15, 2011 | 60 Cents
The South Asian Times
US Affairs 9 Op Ed 19 Spiritual Awareness 30 Lifestyle 27
NEW YORK EDITION
Excellence In Journalism
Parsi community
created modern
India: Amitav Ghosh
Features,
Page 26
Indian-American
broadcaster les age
discrimination suit
National Community,
Page 7
Deadlock over
separate Telangana,
protests hot up
India Newswire,
Page 12
JAINAs 16th
Convention in Houston
a huge success
JAINA Convention,
Pages 16-18
Pakistan turns
new front line
of war on terror
2G scam claims another
minister: Maran quits
Kerala temple
treasure could be
worth $100 billion
New Delhi/Chennai: Union
Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Ma-
ran resigned Thursday following
allegations of involvement in the
2G spectrum scam, becoming the
second DMK minister after A.
Raja to exit the cabinet.
New Delhi: The
valuables found in
the secret cellars of
Keralas famous Sree
Padmanabhaswamy
Temple in Thiru-
v a n a n t h a p u r a m
could be worth Rs
5 lakh crore ($100
Toronto: Pakistan is now the
new front in the war on terror as it
has become a new safe haven for al-
Qaeda, says the Canadian media a
day after the country blacklisted the
Pakistani Taliban and started with-
drawal from Afghanistan Tuesday.
The war on terror has shifted,
and Pakistan is its new front line,
said the daily National Post.
These two events (blacklisting
of the Pakistani Taliban and the
start of withdrawal from Afghani-
stan) encapsulate a shift, not only
for Canada, but for all other na-
tions on the front lines of the war
on terror. For a number of years,
those lines have been shifting
southeast, from Afghanistan to
Pakistan, the paper said.
It said the Tehrik-e-Taliban is
very dangerous as its stated goal is
resistance to the countrys govern-
ment, the draconian imposition of
Sharia law and the waging of war
against NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Because of these militant outts
Pakistan has become the main
staging area for terrorist plots
around the world and - despite the
United States assassination of Osa-
ma bin Laden in Abbotabad - a new
safe-haven for al-Qaeda.
Quoting a study by the New
America Foundation, the paper
said 53 percent of terror plots
worldwide since 2004 involved
jihadists trained in Pakistan, com-
pared to six percent in Yemen and
three percent in Iraq. Pakistani ji-
hadi groups have directed 44 per-
cent of the terror plots since then,
according to the paper.
War on terror continued on page 4
While the government and the
Congress party did not comment on
the big political development, an
emboldened opposition described
it as too little too late and sought
resignation of Home Minister P.
Chidambaram, who they alleged
showed complicity in the scam.
Thursdays turn of events is
likely to impact both the shape of
impending cabinet shufe and deli-
cately poised relations between the
Congress and the DMK.
2G scam continued on page 4
Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran is second DMK minister to exit
Manmohan government in the spectrum scam.
53 percent of terror plots worldwide since 2004 involved jihadists,
like Tehrik-e-Taliban and LeT cadres, trained in Pakistan.
Only ve of the six secret cellars of Padmanab-
haswamy Temple have been opened, yielding
Gold idols, ornaments and other valuables.
billion), believes former chief sec-
retary of Kerala CP Nair.
As per a report, Thursday, the
former bureaucrat claims that the
estimated market value of the trea-
sures unearthed from the temple
makes it the richest temple in the
world.
Kerala treasure continued on page 4
CommuniIy 15
TheSouIhAsianTimes.inlo May 14-20, 2011
PSG College ol Technology, CoimbaIore
celebraIes diamond jubilee in New |ersey
T
he Diamond Jubilee
Celebrations oI PSG
College oI Technology,
Coimbatore, India was held at
Chutney Mary restaurant in
Monmouth Junction, New Jersey
on Saturday May 7, 2011. The
gathering was attended by 50
alumni Irom various Iields oI PSG
College oI Technology. The alumni
came Irom Boston, Virginia,
Pennsylvania, New York and New
Jersey. Included were, the oldest
graduate Mr. Shanmugam Irom
1959 batch and the youngest grad-
uate Irom 2010 batch.
The meeting was presided by
visiting dignitaries oI PSG
Management Mr. G. Rangaswamy-
Managing Trustee, Mr. C.R.
Swaminathan - the ChieI
Executive, Dr. R. Rudramoorthy
Principal PSGCT, Dr P.
Radhakrishnan - Director,
PSGIAS, Dr. R. Nandagopal
Director, PGSIM, Dr. G.
Ranganathan - President, Alumni
Association, Dr R. Nadarajan,
Head/Maths & Computer
Applications, PSGCT, Dr A.
Kandaswamy, Head/Biomedical
Engineering, PSGCT.
The slide show presentation
highlighted various departments in
PSG College oI Technology and its
growth into an University accredi-
tation which will be honored upon
PSG next year. It emphasized the
importance oI PSG Tech Corpus
Fund, which will help in education
oI 200 deserving students every
year. The PSG Trust already helps
250 students each year Ior their
education.
Some oI the alumni honored by
Mr. Rangaswamy were - Mr. Jack
Poola Ior his donations to PSG
Tech, Mr. SampathKumar, Mr.
Marthuchala Moorthy, Mr. Selvam
and Mr. Vijay Ior planning the
meeting in New Jersey.
1he college's Managing 1rustee Mr Rangswamy presenting a plaque
to 1ack Poola (left) in recognition of his donation to PSC 1ech.
Mr C R Swaminathan Chief Executieve (in white) and Dr Radhakrishnan
Past Principal (in blue) with students
Mg 1rustee Mr Rangaswamy presenting a plaque to Sampath Kumar,
organizer of the event
Mg. 1rustee Mr. Rangaswamy presenting a plaque to
Selvam, master of ceremony
Dr Rudramurthy, Principal, speaking. Mg 1rustee and
Selvam are also seen in the picture.
1he alumni at the event
Bollywood 16
Tristate Community 3
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 23-29, 2011
New Jersey: Unless a Superior Court decision rules other-
wise, the famed NJ India Day Parade on Oak Tree Road
may see two different routes, organized by rival groups.
On June 22, the Edison Township Council granted a pa-
rade permit to the newly formed Oak Tree Indian Business
Association. The Edison-based group was founded by Bi-
mal Joshi, one of the founders of the parade in 2004 as a
member of the regional Federation of Indian Associations
(FIA).
Joshi said that a political dispute with former Edison
Mayor Jun Choi led to the township permit being trans-
ferred five years ago to the Indian Business Association
(IBA), a group based in the Iselin section of Woodbridge.
Every year since, including this year, the IBA also received
the other two required permits from Woodbridge and the
county which oversees the road.
A lawsuit to be filed by weeks end by the Iselin group
against the Edison group will deal with more than just the
parade, said Frank Fusco, the formers attorney.
The Iselin group obtained permission from the county on
Aug. 23 last year and was granted a permit by Woodbridge
on Sept. 21, having applied Sept. 3, four days before the
Edison group. The Oak Tree group, however, applied for
the Edison permit on Aug. 10, two days after last years pa-
rade and a week before its rival.
Will New Jersey see
2 India Day parades
this August?
ISI funneled millions to tilt US policy
against India on Kashmir
Lawmakers and community leaders condemn Mumbai blasts
Washington: The US has ar-
rested a pro-Pakistan activist
and a known face of the Kash-
miri separatist movement who
allegedly funneled ISI's $4
million for illegal lobbying to
influence the American gov-
ernment's position on the
Kashmir issue.
With the arrest of Ghulam
Nabi Fai, a 62-year-old Pak-
istani-American Monday, the
FBI has exposed Pakistan's
two-decade-long covert game
plan to influence American
policy against India on the
Kashmir issue.
Fai, a resident of Fairfax in
Virginia, and other accused
Zaheer Ahmad, also US citi-
zen believed to be at large in
Pakistan, were charged by the
FBI Tuesday. Fai is the execu-
tive director of the Kashmiri
American Council (KAC) that
was allegedly run in secret by
the Pakistani government.
The FBI alleged that the two
men had "participated in a
long-term conspiracy to act as
agents of the Pakistani gov-
ernment in the US without dis-
closing their affiliation with
the Pakistani government as
required by law".
In its 43-page court affi-
davit, the FBI said Pakistan's
military and its powerful Inter-
Services Intelligence (ISI)
funneled $4 million over two
decades to tilt US' Kashmir
policy against India.
The Washington-based
KAC long known of lobbying
for the self-determination in
Jammu and Kashmir organiz-
es annual separatist confer-
ences in the US attended by
Kashmiri separatist leaders.
The two men face up to five
years in prison if convicted.
The money funneled into the
US was also meant for cam-
paign donations to members
of Congress and presidential
candidates, according to the
FBI.
The affidavit alleges four
Pakistani government han-
dlers directed Fai's US activi-
ties. He got in touch with his
Pakistani handlers "more than
4,000 times" since June 2008.
His handlers also communi-
cated with Ahmad regularly.
According to the affidavit, a
confidential witness told in-
vestigators that the money was
transferred to Fai through Ah-
mad.
Another confidential wit-
ness told investigators that the
ISI created the KAC to "pro-
pagandize on behalf of the
government of Pakistan with
the goal of uniting Kashmir".
By Swathi A.K.
New York: A host of lawmakers and Indian
community leaders assembled on the steps
of City Hall here on Monday to express sol-
idarity with the Indian American communi-
ty and to condemn last weeks terror blasts
in Mumbai.
Those who spoke at the event organized by
Celebrations, founded by Democratic Dis-
trict Leader for the 25th Assembly District
Uma Sengupta, included NYC Public Advo-
cate Bill de Blasio, Comptroller John Liu,
NYC Council Speaker Chris Quinn, Coun-
cilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, Assemblymen
Bill Scarborough and David Weprin. Com-
munity leaders who spoke or were in atten-
dance included NFIA president Lal Mot-
wani, NCP party-America head Raj Sharma,
AIA president Ranju Batra, SATimes Chair-
man Kamlesh Mehta and Indian Panorama
Editor-Publisher Indrajit S. Saluja. Eminent
Attorney Ravi Batra emceed the proceed-
ings.
The event began with singing of Mahatma
Gandhis favorite Ragupati Raghav Ra-
jaram and a minute of silence for the Mum-
bai blasts victims.
First to speak was John Liu who said, It
is an act of cowardice, hatred worth con-
demnation and I express my heartfelt sor-
row. Id like to remind the people who want
to spread hatred that they are not going to
succeed be it Mumbai, New York or any-
where else in the world.
Christine Quinn exhorted everyone to
stand up in solidarity in this horrible terror
attacks adding that the Indian community
in New York is large and vibrant and add life
to the city and terrorists cant separate our
support to Indian communities.
Kamlesh Mehta said, Im disgusted at the
mindless killing of Mumbaikars and as loy-
alty and friendship cannot be bought Im
glad the US is standing by us. He also ex-
pressed concern at the billions of US aid to
Indias neighboring country harboring ter-
rorists.
Celebrations is a community organiza-
tion whose mission is to provide support in
times of need, awareness and education to
and for the Indian American community.
Ghulam Nabi Fai, the arrested executive director of Kash-
miri American Council, and (right) Dan Burton, anti-India
Congressman one of the beneficiaries of Council donations.
NYC Comptroller John Liu speaking at the 'rally of solidarity' with Indian American
community organised by 'Celebrations'.
The South Asian Times Chairman Kamlesh
C. Mehta speaking at the event. Attorney
Ravi Batra, who emceed the proceedings,
is on the right.
"Celebrations' founder and Democratic Dis-
trict Leader for the 25th Assembly District
Uma Sengupta honoring NYC Council
Speaker Christine Quinn with a scarf.
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4 National Community
July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Tristate Community 5
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 23-29, 2011
Two Indians killed
in New York bus
accident
New York: Two Indi an
tourists were killed and 35
others injured, three of them
seriously, when a bus carry-
ing them to Niagara Falls
veered off a highway near
here.
The bus, which was carry-
ing tourists from Washington
DC to Niagara Falls over-
turned due to a blown tire in
the woods near Avoca, 55
miles south of Rochester, in
New York.
The front tires were rela-
tively new, Dan Ronan of the
American Bus Association
said.
Invest i gat i ons i nt o t he
black box inside the bus will
offer more clues, about what
the engine was doing, how
many hours have been on it
and the speed it was running,
Robert Frost of the New York
state police crash reconstruc-
tion team said.
It will also give us trouble
codes to see if there are any
issues leading up to or during
the crash itself," he said.
Meanwhile, New York state
police superintendent Joseph
D'Amico said, the driver John
DiNardo Jr had no history of
violations.
The tour bus was operated
by Bedore Tours of North
Tonawanda which reportedly
had no crashes in the last two
years. None of the 36 bus
passengers wore a seatbelt
but the driver did, police said.
According to news reports,
one of the killed in the crash
was Sakina Kiazar, 52, of
New Del hi , and anot her
Indian woman, 66, whose
name was withheld pending
notification of her family.
They were seated directly
behind the driver.
The driver, John Dinardo,
Jr., 58, of Rochester, and the
ot her 34 passengers were
injured and taken to Strong
Memori al Hospi t al i n
Rochester.
da Vinci Robot assisted surgery performed
for first time in Long Island
Procedure used to remove tumor from two lobes of lung
Oceanside, NY: A team of surgeons
at South Nassau Communities
Hospital using the da Vinci
Surgical System recently performed
Long Islands first robotic-assisted
bilobectomy lung surgery . The pro-
cedure is used to remove cancer that
involves two lobes of the lung.
A team of six expert physicians
collaborated on the operation:
Shahriyour Andaz, MD, FACS,
South Nassaus director of thoracic
oncology; Alan Blum, MD, a spe-
cialist in pulmonary and critical care;
Stewart Fox, MD, FACS, cardiotho-
racic surgeon; Arun Gupta, MD,
internal medicine and specialist in
cardiology; Evan Mair, MD, director
of body imaging at South Nassau,
and Kenneth Richman, MD, an inter-
ventional radiologist.
The surgery was performed on a
63-year-old female patient who was
an active smoker with a history of
coughing up traces of blood, a com-
mon symptom of lung cancer.
To complete the bilobectomy using
the da Vinci, Drs. Andaz and Fox
needed to make only four small inci-
sions in the chest which were used to
insert a small scope and pencil-thin
robotic assisted surgical instruments.
They used the instruments first to
carefully and precisely dissect major
blood vessels that lead from the heart
and enter the lung. Then they sepa-
rated two lobes of the right lung
from the bronchus, trachea and the
heart, and removed the lung cancer.
The patients postoperative recovery
was swift and without complications
and she was discharged from South
Nassau four days later.
Recognized as the worlds most
advanced robotic surgical technolo-
gy, the da Vinci received its name in
recognition and honor of Leonardo
da Vinci, who invented the first robot
and used incomparable accuracy and
three-dimensional details to bring his
masterpieces to life.
Bail raised for Long Island
pediatrician facing sex charges
Hicksville, NY: A Bethpage, NY pediatri-
cian, Rakesh Punn has been charged with
sexually abusing girls, some as young as
11, and compiling notes on his computer
on how to molest them.
His previous bail of $3.5 million was
raised to $10 million bond or $5 million
cash this week because prosecutors said
that they fear he would flee since his wife,
24, is in India.
Punn's lawyer said his client cannot post
bail because prosecutors have frozen his
client's $6 million assets.
Rakesh Punn, 53, a 1983 graduate from
Ludhianas Dayanand Medical College,
drugged his victims with sedatives and
covered their eyes with gauze or a blind-
fold during the assaults, according to a 60-
count indictment filed in a US court, the
New York Post reported.
The doctor allegedly told the girls they
were undergoing medically necessary
examinations.
Punn, who also videotaped or pho-
tographed some of his naked victims,
wrote about the girls on his computer,
along with citations from the Kama Sutra,
according to the investigators.
Punn, who was arrested in July 2010 on
preliminary charges of videotaping
patients, has pleaded not guilty. He faces
jail term up to seven years if found guilty.
The charges against him include 'promot-
ing a sexual performance by a child', 'pos-
session of a sexual performance by a
child', 'possession of a forged instrument',
and 'unlawful surveillance'.
Nassau county District Attorney
Kathleen Rice said that in 2005, Punn had
footage of at least five young girls in his
office.
The abuse began in 2007, according to
investigators.Punn was also the subject of
an insurance fraud investigation.
Gayatri Pariwar talk on importance
of years 2011-12
New York: The All World Gayatri Pariwar-LI chapter
has organized an "Inspirational Talk on 2011-12 - Why is
it important ? by Dr. Pranav Pandya Head of All World
Gayatri Pariwar, Shantikunj, Haridwar, India on Monday
August 1, 2011 at St. Anthonys High School
Auditorium, 275 Wolf Hill Road, South Huntington, NY
11746 between 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The All World
Gayatri Pariwar has placed special emphasis on 2011-
2012. While there are theories afloat about the destruc-
tion on the planet in 2012, the AWGP has maintained
that there will be no such thing but rather these are key
moments for humanity to transition towards a better
tomorrow. Dr. Pandya will explain the significance of
these years, and expand upon the Vichar Kranti
Abhiyan (Though Revolution
Movement) as well as high-
light the Janmashatabdi (Birth
Centenary) of Pandit Shriram
Sharma Acharya.
Additionally, a live bhajan
sandhya will take place during
this event.
Rakesh Punn
Dr Shahriyour Andaz, South
Nassaus director of thoracic
oncology led the team
6 Tristate Community
July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Boston: A 15-year-old Indian boy, who
had gone missing in the US last month,
has been found and is expected to return
to India soon. Lovedeep Singh was
found in good condition in California's
Merced city. Police authorities said they
did not suspect any foul play in Singh's
disappearance for almost a month.
Singh, who could not speak English,
was on an educational tour when he dis-
appeared in Los Angeles on June 23.
Police said he may have accidentally
become separated from his group.
He is currently in the custody of Los
Angeles County child welfare officials
and arrangements are being made to
send him back to India.
Singh had been wandering in Merced
County and foraging for food. He
befriended a taxi driver, who gave him
money to take a bus to San Francisco.
Lovedeep stepped off the bus in
Merced, thinking he was in San
Francisco and somehow made his way
to one of Livingston's Sikh temples
where other Indians contacted authori-
ties and also Singh's family in India.
Houston: The Indian American Cancer Network (IACAN)
in partnership with researchers from M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center will be conducting a health needs assessment
of the Asian Indian community in the Greater
Houston area. The first phase of the study will be to
interview key community members to get their opin-
ions about major health issues of Asian Indians. Then
individuals from the Asian Indian community will be
invited to participate in focus groups at which infor-
mation about their health beliefs, practices, and per-
ceptions about health and cancer will be collected.
All of this data will be used to tailor a health survey
instrument that will be administered to at least 400
Asian Indians in the Greater Houston area. The find-
ings from the health needs assessment will provide
documentation about barriers that Asian Indians may
be facing in accessing health and cancer screening.
The results will help in designing programs that will
teach the community about how to obtain and main-
tain optimal health. Asian Indian men and women, 18
years and older living in Harris, Fort Bend, Brazoria
or Galveston counties and able to speak and under-
stand English or Hindi can participate. Participants
will receive a $20 gift card for participation. For more
information or to participate, contact Dr. Beverly Gor
at bjgor@mdanderson.org or call 713-563-2750 or Dr. Mala
Pande at mpande@mdanderson.org or call 713-745-5625.
Austin, TX: Mark Stroman, 41, was executed on July
20 for killing a store clerk near Dallas in 2001 in retali-
ation to the 9/11 attacks.
He was convicted of entering the store where Vasudev
Patel was working on Sept 21, 2001, demanding money
from the register, and then shooting him in the chest
according to Reuters report.He admitted to at least three
attacks in the weeks after the September 11, 2001, terror
attacks on New York and Washington, all on men he
believed to be of Middle Eastern descent.
Stroman was given a lethal injection of drugs and pro-
nounced dead at 8:53 p.m. local time, Michelle Lyons, a
Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman, said.
"The Lord Jesus Christ be with me," Stroman said,
according to Lyons. "I am at peace. Hate is going on in
this world, and it has to stop. One second of hate will
cause a lifetime of pain. I'm still a proud American.
Texas loud, Texas proud. God bless America, God bless
everyone." Rais Bhuiyan, a Bangaldeshi American and
survivor of one of the attacks had tried to convince
courts to stay the execution, saying it was against his
religious beliefs as a Muslim. On September 21, 2001,
Stroman marched into the service station where
Bhuiyan was working and asked him, "Where are you
from?" before shooting him in the face at close range.
Though he survived, Bhuiyan is partially blind in his
right eye even after multiple surgeries.
Over the past several months, Bhuiyan, a devout
Muslim, mounted an aggressive campaign to convince
Texas authorities to commute Stroman's sentence to life
in prison without the possibility of parole. He has asked
the state board of pardons and paroles to make a posi-
tive recommendation for clemency to Gov. Rick Perry,
and has asked Texas prison administrators for permis-
sion to meet face-to-face with Stroman for a victim-
offender reconciliation process.After those efforts were
met with no response from Texas officials, Bhuiyan
filed a lawsuit against the state, arguing that his rights as
a crime victim to meet with his attacker had been
unjustly denied.
New Delhi: India and United
States plan to host a Higher
Education Summit in
Washington on October 13 to
highlight and emphasize the
many avenues through which
the higher education communi-
ties in both nations collaborate.
In a joint statement issued
after the conclusion of the sec-
ond US-India Strategic
Dialogue here, both counties
said they also plan to expand
the higher education dialogue,
to be co-chaired by the U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton and Indian Minister of
Human Resource Development
Kapil Sibal to convene annual-
ly, incorporating the
private/non-governmental sec-
tors and higher education com-
munities to inform government-
to-government discussions.
According to the statement, as
part of the Obama-Singh 21st
Century Knowledge Initiative
(OSI), the two governments
announced the publication of
their requests for proposals
from post-secondary education-
al institutions that support OSI's
goals of strengthening teaching,
research, and administration of
both U.S. and Indian institu-
tions through university link-
ages and junior faculty develop-
ment.
The United States created the
Passport to India initiative to
encourage an increase in the
number of American students
studying and interning in India.
The leaders also recognized
the great bridge of mutual
understanding resulting from
the more than 100,000 Indian
students studying and interning
in the United States.
The India-U. S. S and T
Endowment Board, established
by Secretary Clinton and
Minister Krishna in 2009, plans
to award nearly three million
annually to entrepreneurial
projects that commercialize
technologies to improve health
and empower citizens, the state-
ment adds.
The two sides are strongly
encouraged by the response to
this initiative, which attracted
over 380 joint India-U.S. pro-
posals. The Endowment plans
to announce the first set of
grantees by September 2011.
India and the US also plan to
host their third annual Women
in Science workshop in
September 2011.
Texas man executed for 9/11 hate crime
despite Bangaldeshi victims amnesty plea
Though he survived, Rais Bhuiyan is partially blind
in his right eye even after multiple surgeries
Missing Indian teenager traced
Health needs survey of Asian Indians in Houston
Indo-US higher education
summit in capital
Hindus served
meat, sue
NJ eatery
New Jersey: Serving meat-filled
samosas to a group of vegetarian
Hindus has landed a New Jersey
eatery into trouble. They have
sued the restaurant and asked for
a trip to India. Reportedly, a
group of vegetarian Hindus had
gone to a restaurant, Moghul
Express, to celebrate India Day.
After being assured by the
restaurant that the dish was veg-
etarian, the group tasted the
samosas and complained about
its filling. Following this, the
angry Hindus sued the restaurant
asking them to pay for their trip
to India for a 'cleansing ritual',
reports Newser.
Though the restaurant admitted
to mixing the order and serving
them meat-filled pastries, a
Superior Court threw the case
out last year.
Pradip (Peter) Kothari, presi-
dent of the Indo-American
Cultural Society in Edison, sup-
ported the court's decision. he
told Star-Ledger, "This is
hypocrisy of religion and
hypocrisy of the law. They can
go to a temple here and ask God
for forgiveness. God is not going
to punish you for doing some-
thing unknowingly," reports
Newser.
Not deterred by the decision,
the group appealed again and has
got the go-ahead to sue the
restaurant for a 'purification' trip
to India.
National Community 7
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 23-29, 2011
Washington, DC: As the Atlantis
shot into the sky, its tail on fire,
Sunita Williams watched with
mixed feelings. There was joy for
the astronauts on board - they were
all her friends - and there was sor-
row for the shuttle.
The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, better
known as Nasa, is facing an uncer-
tain future with the end of its
manned space travel program.
Atlantis, its 135th mission, is going
to be its last. "It was a bitter-sweet
moment," Williams told in an inter-
view. Shortly after the launch
Sunita left for Tokyo to train for
her second mission to the
International Space Station, this
time on Russian spacecraft Soyuz.
Her last trip to the station was
made aboard space shuttle
Discovery in 2006.
She came home on the Atlantis.
Williams was the second astronaut
of Indian-origin to go to the ISS.
The first was Kalpana Chawla,
who died with the rest of the crew
of shuttle Columbia which was
destroyed on re-entry in 2003.
There are now questions about
the future of Nasa. It has plans of
sending deeper space probes, to
bodies beyond the Moon. And
there is the ambitious project of
sending a manned flight to go
around Mars. Williams hopes to be
on one of them. These will be long
duration flights and she has some
experience in that already - she
stayed at the space station for a
record 194 days, that's over six
months. "One of the reasons we
want to do a long duration flight
was to help us understand how
humans live in space over a long
period of time," she said, adding,
"and I am hopeful our experience
will help Nasa's future programs."
"I would be definitely interested
in these exploration programs," she
said.
But questions are being raised
about Nasa itself. It is shedding
staff and restructuring itself to sur-
vive with fears of further cuts in
funding. The premier space body is
actively looking at working with
the private sector. "I am ever the
optimist and I look at this as little
bit of slimming down and tighten-
ing the belt," Williams said,
adding, "Nasa like every govern-
ment organization has some
bureaucracy which can become
slimmer."
She is hopeful of the organization
making it through these trying
times. "I personally look forward
to building the Orion," Williams
said, adding, "I believe that our
country needs to pursue that tech-
nology."
Orion is being built for deep
space probes and it is currently
undergoing tests.
Any personal milestones for her-
self, for the flight aboard Soyuz in
2012?
She is not sure yet. On her last
trip, she had run the marathon
aboard the ISS at the same time as
the race on the ground.
There are some plans to do some-
thing to coincide with the London
Olympics in 2012. "We have been
joking - how about competing in
simultaneous high jump long
jumps," she said, laughing.
A jump in zero gravity will be
hard to beat. But
that' s just an
idea, and not a
bad one at that.
Washington, DC: Sonal Shah,
head of the White Houses Office
of Social Innovation and Civic
Participation, is stepping down
from her post next month.
Shah, who has led the offices
efforts to promote innovative non-
profits since it was created in 2009,
will take a break before deciding
what to do next, the White House
press office said. Her last day will
be August 1.
The three-person social-innova-
tion office was instrumental in set-
ting up the Social Innovation Fund,
a new grants program at the
Corporation for National and
Community Service that aims to
help nonprofits expand effective
programs.
It also created the White House
Council for Community Solutions,
a panel of nonprofit leaders and
others who are advising the federal
government on ways to promote
innovative social projects and get
people more involved in civic
affairs.
This week, the office arranged
for almost 50 philanthropists who
signed the Giving Pledge advanced
by Warren Buffett and Bill and
Melinda Gates to meet with
President Obama to discuss ways
government and philanthropy can
work together to solve problems,
the White House spokesman said.
Before joining the White House,
Shah was head of global develop-
ment at Google.org, the search
engines philanthropic arm. She
was a member of the board that
advised President Obama during
the transition period before he took
office.
Sunita Williams bids adieu
to shuttle
Sonal Shah to step down
from White House Social-
Innovation Office
Indian origin astronaut
Sunita Williams
Washington, DC: The Sikh
Coalition has successfully
graduated its first class from
the inaugural Sikh Advocate
Academy, a groundbreaking
initiative designed to create a
national network of profes-
sionally-trained social justice
advocates.
Twelve passionate individ-
uals from around the nation
are now equipped with the
knowledge and skills to
engage credibly with govern-
ment officials, promote Sikh
perspectives in the media and
build alliances with organiza-
tions outside the Sikh com-
munity.
The new local advocates
endured a competitive inter-
view process to be selected
for the Academy. They are:
Simran Kaur (Fresno, CA),
Meeta Kaur (Union City,
CA), Saranjit Kaur (Fremont,
CA), Sahaj Singh (Santa Fe,
NM), Sukhsimranjit Singh
(Salem, OR), Arvinderpal
Singh (Oxford, MS),
Manpreet Kaur (Chicago,
IL), Manpreet Kaur (Bellaire,
TX), Harmeet Kaur
(Houston, TX), Kaviraj Singh
(Braintree, MA), Charanpreet
Singh (Marriottsville, MD),
and Gurwinder Singh (New
York, NY).
Partners in the government
and non-profit communities
who spoke on panels during
the Academy and trained the
advocates were: Eric Treene,
Special Counsel on Religious
Discrimination, United States
Department of Justice; Gene
Kim, Executive Director,
Congressional Asian Pacific
American Caucus; Jasmeet
Ahuja, Former Staff Member,
House Committee on Foreign
Affairs; Michael Lieberman,
Washington Counsel, Anti-
Defamation League; Priya
Murthy, Policy Director,
South Asian Americans
Leading Together; Shawn
Gaylord, Director of Public
Policy, Gay, Lesbian, and
Straight Education Network;
Arsalan Iftikhar, Senior
Media Director, ReThink
Media; and Mark Reading
Smith, Managing Director of
DC Office and Rapid
Response Director of
Security and Rights
Collaborative, ReThink
Media.
The Sikh Advocate
Academy has been made pos-
sible through the generous
support of the Security &
Rights Collaborative, a
Proteus Fund Initiative, Open
Society Institute - National
Security and Human Rights
Campaign and through indi-
vidual contributions from the
Sikh American community.
First batch of Sikh
advocates graduates
The first batch on Capitol Hill day visit
Sonal Shah was appointed by
President Obama to the
office in 2009
8 National Community
July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New Delhi: India and the US
Tuesday signed an accord
that will enable them to joint-
ly secure their cyber spaces
amid increasing attacks on
sensitive records from hostile
elements, including terrorists.
The accord on cyber securi-
ty cooperation was signed
between the Computer
Emergency Response Teams
(CERT-IN and US-CERT) -
the lead agencies in the
respective countries to
respond to virtual attacks.
It enables the two countries
to exchange information on
cyber strikes, cooperate on
technology and exchange
information on cyber security
policy, capacity building and
exchange of experts, accord-
ing to a joint statement issued
after talks between visiting
US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton and External Affairs
Minister S.M. Krishna.
The accord was signed by
R. Chandrashekhar, secre-
tary, India Department of
Information Technology, and
Jane Holl Lute, deputy secre-
tary for the US Department
of Homeland Security
(DHS).
The two nations would now
be able to form a mutual
response to cyber security
incidents like in case any
sensitive website was hacked
or virus by terrorists or other
hostile groups attacked.
As per the accord, the two
countries will now be able to
share expertise in artifact
analysis like studying traces
of virus and worm, network
traffic analysis and exchange
of information.
"The agreement helps ful-
fill the joint commitment of
both nations to advancing
global security and counter-
ing terrorism," a statement
from the US embassy said.
Though attacks from hack-
ers - professional or amateur
- can come from anywhere in
the world, cyber onslaughts
on Indian websites have been
more frequent from China
and Pakistani hackers peek-
ing into Indias sensitive busi-
ness, security and strategic
records.
The nature of cyber attacks
becomes more complex due
to rapid changes hackers put
in place.
A report in the US-based
Defence Systems magazine
has found that there were 25
million new strains of mal-
ware created in 2009.
That equals a new strain of
malware every 0.79 seconds.
The report underlines how
the current cyber threat envi-
ronment is dramatically
changing and becoming more
challenging as the clock
ticks.
The CERT-IN functions
under the ministry of com-
munications and IT and its
primary role is to raise secu-
rity awareness among Indias
cyber community and to pro-
vide technical assistance and
advice them to recover from
computer security incidents.
The US-CERT is the opera-
tional arm of the National
Cyber Security Division in
the Department of Homeland
Security.
Delhi High Court
allows extradition
of NRI fugitive to US
New Delhi: The Delhi
High Court Friday paved
the way for non-resident
Indi an (NRI) fugi t i ve
Avt ar Si ngh Grewal ' s
extradition to the US to
face trial for allegedly
killing his estranged wife
in 2007.
The court dismissed his
pet i t i on chal l engi ng a
trial court's decision to
allow his extradition.
The division bench of
Justice B.D. Ahmed and
Justice Manmohan Singh
said: 'We find no infirmi-
t y or i l l egal i t y i n t he
order passed by t he
ACMM (additional chief
met ropol i t an magi s-
trate).'
Grewal, 37, challenged
a t ri al court ' s i nqui ry
report which held that
t here was pri ma faci e
sufficient evidence for
his extradition to the US.
The fugi t i ve, t hen
working as manager with
a firm at Vancouver in
Canada, allegedly trav-
eled to Phoenix in the US
t o meet hi s est ranged
wife Navneet Kaur and
flew out of that country
on a one-way ticket after
ki l l i ng her March 29,
2007.
'Once it is clear, prima
facie, that the offence for
which the petitioner has
been charged constitutes
murder under the Indian
law, there is no question
of invoking article 8 of
the Extradition Treaty
requiring the government
of India to refuse extradi-
tion,' said the bench.
The court allowed the
pl ea of A. K. Val i and
Naveen K. Matta, special
prosecutors of the exter-
nal affairs ministry, that
t he offence al l egedl y
committed by the fugi-
tive was an extraditable
crime.
Grewal was arrested on
arrival at Delhi airport
March 31, 2007 follow-
ing an alert sounded by
the Interpol.
Prarthana Dalal wins
International BioGENEius
Challenge
Washington, DC: Prarthana Dalal, a sen-
ior from Shawnee Mission East High
School in Leawood, Kansas, has won the
International BioGENEius Challenge, a
competition for high school students who
demonstrate an exemplary understanding
of biotechnology through science research
projects.
Fourteen students from the U.S., Canada
and Western Australia competed in this
years event. The Indian American student
will receive an award of $7,500.
Winners were announced June 28 at the
2011 BIO Int ernat i onal Convent i on
keynote luncheon. The BIO International
Convention is the largest global event for
the biotechnology industry, which attract-
ed an estimated 15,000 attendees from
around the world.
The convention gathers the biggest
names in biotech, offers key networking
and partnering opportunities and provides
insights and inspiration on the major
trends affecting the indus-
try.
Second pl ace wi nner
Nathan Kondamuri from Munster High
School in Dyer, Indiana, received a $5,000
award for his project titled, A Novel
Biofuel Cell Based on Direct Electron
Transfer-Type Bi oel ect rocat al ysi s
Incorporating the Efficient System of
Photophosphorylation.
Dalals project was titled, Modeling of
human non-deletional hereditary persist-
ence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) condi-
tions in -globin locus transgenic mouse
models: The -175 (T to C) and -195 (C to
G) A-gamma globin gene point muta-
tions.
She looked at hemoglobin genetics and
how sequence changes can effect fetal
hemoglobin production in mouse models,
which can be used to understand treatment
mechanisms for sickle cell disease.
Prarthana Dalals project aims at
understanding treatment mechanisms
for sickel cell disease
Indian-origin girls get
top honors at Google
Science Fair
Boston: Two Indian-origin girls have
emerged winners at Google' s inaugural
Science Fair, impressing thousands at the
internet giant's California headquarters with
their projects on ways to improve ovarian
cancer treatment and bettering air quality for
the benefit of asthma patients.
The top three winners out of 15 finalists at
the fair were all girls, Shree Bose, Naomi
Shah and Lauren Hodge, prompting Google
to laud "girl power" at the fair.
"The unifying elements of all three young
women were their intellec-
tual curiosity, their tena-
ciousness and their ambition
to use science to find solutions to big prob-
lems, " Cristin Frodella from Google' s
Education Team said in a blog post. The
finalists examined complex problems and
found simple solutions that can be imple-
mented by the general public--like changing
cooking habits or removing toxins from
homes, Frodella said. Bose, who won in the
17-18 age group was also named the 'Grand
Prize' winner, taking home a 50,000 dollar
scholarship and an internship opportunity at
the prestigious Geneva-based CERN insti-
tute.
Bose impressed judges, more than 1,000
local attendees as well as Googlers with her
project to "improve ovarian cancer treatment
for patients when they have built up a resist-
ance to certain chemotherapy drugs".
Apart from the scholarship, Bose also won
a trip to the Galapagos Islands with a
National Geographic Explorer.
Terming Bose's work as "groundbreaking
discovery which could have wider implica-
tions for cancer research," Google said she
came up with complex solutions that can be
addressed in labs by doctors and researchers.
Shah won in the 15-16 age group for her
"endeavor to prove that making changes to
indoor environments that improve indoor air
quality can reduce people's reliance on asth-
ma medications".
Hodge was named winner in the 13-14 age
group for studying the effect of different
marinades on the level of potentially harmful
carcinogens in grilled chicken.
Shah and Hodge each received 25,000 dol-
lar scholarships and internships at Google
and toy company LEGO. All three were
awarded lifetime digital subscriptions to sci-
ence magazine Scientific American.
(L to R): Lauren Hodge, Shree Bose and
Naomi Shah
Jane Holl Lute, Deputy Secretary for the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) and R. Chandrashekhar,
Secretary, Department of Information Technology prepare to
sign the cybersecurity agreement.
India, US sign accord to secure
their cyber spaces
US Affairs 9
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 23-29, 2011
New York: Republican presidential candidate Herman
Cain said Sunday that communities have a right to ban
Islamic mosques.
Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," the former
Godfather's Pizza CEO said protests and legal chal-
lenges to a planned mosque in Tennessee city are an
example of local residents pushing back.
Cain said his view doesn't amount to religious dis-
crimination because he says Muslims are trying to inject
Shariah law into the US. Shariah is a set of core princi-
ples that most Muslims recognize and a series of rulings
from religious scholars. It covers many areas of life and
different sects have different versions and interpreta-
tions of the code.
Asked if his view could lead any community to stand
up in opposition to a proposed mosque, Cain replied,
"They could say that." He pointed to opposition to the
planned mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn., as an example.
"Let's go back to the fundamental issue that the people
are basically saying that they are objecting to," Cain
said. "They are objecting to the fact that Islam is both
religion and (a) set of laws, Shariah law. That's the dif-
ference between any one of our other traditional reli-
gions where it's just about religious purposes.
Cain's comments were denounced as "unconstitutional
and un-American" by a spokesman for the Washington-
based Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"It's clear that Herman Cain has decided that he will
score political points every time he bashes the Muslim
community or its constitutional rights," council
spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said in a phone interview.
Cain previously stirred controversy by saying that he
would not want a Muslim bent on killing Americans in
his administration. Campaigning in Murfreesboro last
week, Cain sided with mosque opponents.
In Murfreesboro, the future new mosque has been the
subject of protests and counter-protests in the city about
35 miles southeast of Nashville.Opponents have used
the hearings to argue that the mosque is part of a plot to
expand Islamic extremism in the U.S.
Communities have right to ban mosques
Washington: New software for
screening travelers at U.S. airports
will do away with naked images,
addressing a major public con-
cern, the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) said
Wednesday.
After complaints from travelers
the TSA earlier this year began
testing at four airports software
for the full-body scanners that
instead uses a generic body out-
line and highlights the area where
any anomaly is detected, eliminat-
ing the actual image of the pas-
senger.
TSA has increasingly relied on
the full-body scanners after a
Nigerian man allegedly tried to
detonate a bomb hidden in his
underwear aboard a transatlantic
flight in December 2009. The
bomb failed to fully explode but
set off a rush to upgrade security
to detect explosives underneath
clothing.
Software upgrades to the 241
millimeter wave body-scanning
machines, made by L-3
Communications, will be
deployed over the next several
months in the 40 airports where
they are used, the TSA said.
"This software upgrade enables
us to continue providing a high
level of security through advanced
imaging technology screening,
while improving the passenger
experience at checkpoints," said
TSA Administrator John Pistole.
TSA orders airport body
scanners to nix naked image
Washington: President Obama and
Congressional leaders, spurred by a positive
response to a new Senate deficit-cutting plan,
sought on Wednesday to resurrect a broad
budget agreement as House members con-
demned a fall-back proposal taking shape in
the Senate.
Officials in both parties said discussions
had accelerated about a compromise tied to a
debt limit increase that would cut spending,
reshape entitlement programs like Medicare
and call for a future tax overhaul a pack-
age that would slice trillions of dollars from
projected deficits over the next decade. The
talks picked up after a bipartisan group of
senators unveiled their deficit plan on
Tuesday, with House Republicans signaling
that they might now be open to a deal that
would raise more money for deficit reduction
by closing tax loopholes and eliminating
deductions while also reducing tax rates.
The president summoned leaders of both
parties to separate White House sessions, and
the White House spokesman, Jay Carney,
indicated for the first time that the president
might be open to accepting a short-term
increase in the federal debt ceiling if the two
sides were in agreement on the contours of a
deal.
There is still time to do something signifi-
cant if all parties are willing to compromise,
because the parameters of what that might
look like are well known, especially to the
participants in the negotiations the president
oversaw last week, Mr. Carney said.
The search for a solution intensified as
House Republicans made clear that they were
in no mood to accept a proposal being devel-
oped by Senator Mitch McConnell of
Kentucky, the Republican leader, who has
advocated a procedural maneuver to allow a
debt increase to clear Congress without
Republican votes.
The four top House leaders Speaker John
A. BoehnerEric Cantor, the No. 2 House
Republican; Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California,
the Democratic leader; and Rep. Steny H.
Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat met privately
Wednesday and, according to officials,
reviewed problems with the McConnell plan.
Putting it in place would require some House
Republicans to back the idea, but the concept
has met with mounting resistance in the
House even as a last-ditch effort.
Senate leaders were still planning to go for-
ward with consideration of the McConnell
fallback after considering the cap, cut and
balance plan that cleared the House on
Tuesday but has no chance of passing the
Senate, where Democratic leaders assailed it
on Wednesday.
The Republican scheme to cap, cut and kill
Medicare is dead on arrival in the Senate,
said Senator Charles E. Schumer of New
York, the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate.
Their plan, which passed the House last
night on a virtual party-line vote, would
wreak havoc on our countrys seniors, the
middle class, military preparedness and our
standing in the world.
Though negotiations over a more compre-
hensive deal had faltered, Mr. Obama and Mr.
Boehner have continued to talk, including at a
private White House meeting Sunday that
was also attended by Mr. Cantor. Both Mr.
Boehner and Mr. Cantor also said positive
things about the deficit plan crafted by the so-
called Gang of Six, which includes three
Senate Republican and three Senate
Democrats.
Leaders push for broad budget deal as debt deadline looms
Washington: A leading medical advisory panel recommended
on Tuesday that all insurers be required to cover contraceptives
for women free of charge as one of several preventive services
under the new health care law.
Obama administration officials said that they were inclined
to accept the panels advice and that the new requirements
could take effect for many plans at the beginning of 2013. The
administration signaled its intentions in January when
Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services,
unveiled a 10-year program to improve the nations health.
One goal was to increase the proportion of health insurance
plans that cover contraceptive supplies and services.
Administration officials, who say they hope to act on the rec-
ommendations by August 1, are receptive to the idea of remov-
ing cost as a barrier to birth control a longtime goal of
advocates for womens rights and experts on womens health.
But the recommendations immediately reignited debate over
the governments role in reproductive health. Womens groups
and medical professionals applauded the recommendations
while the Roman Catholic Church raised strenuous objections.
The recommendations came in a report submitted to Ms.
Sebelius by the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National
Academy of Sciences. The new health care law says insurers
must cover preventive health services and cannot charge for
them. Ms. Sebelius will decide on a minimum package of
essential health benefits, and her decision will not require fur-
ther action by Congress.
The panel said insurers should be forbidden to charge co-
payments for contraceptives and other preventive services
because even small charges could deter their use. The recom-
mendation would not help women without insurance.
The administration asked the Institute of Medicine, a nonpar-
tisan, nongovernmental arm of the National Academy of
Sciences, to help identify the specific services that must be
covered for women.
This report is historic, Ms. Sebelius said on Tuesday in
accepting the document. Before today, guidelines regarding
womens health and preventive care did not exist. These rec-
ommendations are based on science and existing literature. In
addition to contraceptive services for women, the panel recom-
mended that the government require health plans to cover
screening to detect domestic violence; screening for H.I.V., the
virus that causes AIDS; and counseling and equipment to pro-
mote breastfeeding, including the free rental of breast pumps.
The panel also said all insurers should be required to cover
screening for gestational diabetes in pregnant women; DNA
testing for the human papillomavirus as part of cervical cancer
screening; and annual preventive-care visits. Such visits could
include prenatal care and preconception care, to make sure
women are healthy when they become pregnant.
Defending its recommendations on contraceptive coverage,
the panel said that nearly half of all pregnancies in the United
States were unintended, and that about 40 percent of unintend-
ed pregnancies ended in abortion. Thus, it said, greater use of
contraception would reduce the rates of unintended pregnancy,
teenage pregnancy and abortion.
The panels report says that contraception is highly cost-
effective, averting unintended pregnancies that would be far
more expensive than contraception.
To reduce unintended pregnancies, the panel said, insurers
should cover the full range of contraceptive methods approved
by the Food and Drug Administration, as well as sterilization
procedures and education and counseling for all women with
reproductive capacity.
This recommendation would require coverage of emergency
contraceptives including pills like ella and Plan B, panel mem-
bers said.
Panel recommends full coverage
for contraception
10 Hillary Clinton Visit to India
July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New Delhi: With their strategic
proximity growing in recent years,
the US Tuesday pitched for more
military sales to India and improved
sharing of defence technologies.
'On the issue of defence technolo-
gies, the United States expects to
continue developing and selling the
world's most competitive products.
We view these sales as important on
their own terms, but also as a means
to facilitate the work that the Indian
and American militaries can do
together -- whether patrolling the
seas or providing relief to the vic-
tims of natural disasters, ' US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
who is on a three-day visit to India,
said here.
She was addressing a joint press
conference with her counterpart
S.M. Krishna after they held their
second strategic dialogue here.
The joint statement issued by the
two sides after the talks also spoke
on the issue of US military sales and
sharing of defence technologies
with India.
' The two sides noted India' s
defence orders from U.S. companies
have reached a cumulative value of
over $8 billion in the last decade.
The two sides noted that these sales
reflect strengthened cooperation.
Both sides also affirmed their desire
to strengthen cooperation through
technology transfer, and joint
research, development, and produc-
tion of defence items,' it said.
This was also a clear indication
that the US had put behind it the dis-
appointment of two American arms
majors - Boeing and Lockheed
Martin - losing out in the race for a
$10.4 billion Indian Air Force order
for 126 combat jets.
India has in the last decade bought
eight Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime
patrol aircraft for $2.1 billion and is
expected to order four more of these
planes for its navy. It has also
bought six C-130J Super Hercules
transporters for $1.2 billion and 10
C-17 heavy lift cargo planes for $4.1
billion along with their weapon
suites. This apart it has bought a
troop carrier, renamed INS
Jalashwa, for amphibious operations
and will soon be placing an order
for 140 M777 artillery guns.
US firms are also in competition
for India's requirement of 22 attack
helicopters 15 heavylift cargo heli-
copters.
However, the sticking point in the
military sales is the restriction on
the supply of high-end systems, as
India is yet to sign agreements such
as the Communication
Interoperability and Security
Memorandum (CISMOA) and Basic
Exchange and Cooperation
Agreement for Geo-spatial
Cooperation (BECA).
India is also not satisfied with the
progress made by the US in lifting
sanctions on its defence and space
organizations by removing them
from the restrictive entity list, a
move that was announced by US
President Barack Obama during his
visit last November.
However, Clinton said the two
sides had 'made progress' on matters
of security cooperation during this
round of strategic dialogue, which
was initiated last year. 'But we can
do more to strengthen the security of
our nations and this region as a
whole,' she said.
The secretary noted that maritime
security was also 'a major concern,
as we seek to protect sea lanes, com-
bat piracy, and defend freedom of
navigation' and applauded India's
leadership in fighting piracy in the
Indian Ocean region, including its
decision last week to chair the 2012
plenary of the piracy contact group
operating off the Somalia coast.
The two nations also agreed to
continue consultations on maritime
security cooperation in the Indian
Ocean region in existing forums
such as the defence policy group
and its appropriate sub-groups. They
also agreed to exchange views on
promoting regional security archi-
tecture that enhances maritime secu-
rity in the Indian Ocean region.
Clinton pitches for more
military sales to India
CLINTON INDIA VISIT IN PICTURES
US Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton with her coun-
terpart S M Krishna ahead of
joint press conference
Indian
National
Congress
Party
President
Mrs. Sonia
Gandhi
greets
Clinton at
her
residence in
New Delhi
on July 19,
2011
BJP Party leader Sushma Swaraj
greets Hillary Clinton at her resi-
dence in New Delhi, July 19, 2011
Hillary Clinton Delivering remarks on the Working Women's
Forum in Chennai
New Delhi: US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton Tuesday urged India
to lower investment barriers even as
the two countries agreed to re-open
negotiations on a bilateral invest-
ment treaty.
' Each of our countries can do
more to reduce barriers, open our
markets, and find new opportunities
for economic partnership,' Clinton,
who is on a three-day visit to the
country, said.
The US-India trade in 2010
increased by 30 percent to $48.7 bil-
lion with the balance of trade in
India's favor to the tune of over $10
billion.
'Taking these steps is in our mutu-
al interest. We can improve millions
of lives and increase both of our
nations' economic competitiveness,'
Clinton said at the end of the second
edition of the India-US Strategic
Dialogue here.
According to Clinton, the trade
and investment ties between both
countries are strong. She also wel-
comed growing Indian investment
in the US.
'The United States is proud to be
one of India's largest trading part-
ners and direct investor, and we wel-
come India' s investment in the
United States, which is rapidly on
the rise.'
According to a joint statement
released by the two governments,
negotiations for the bilateral invest-
ment treaty (BIT) would resume in
August in Washington D.C.
'A BIT would enhance transparen-
cy and predictability for investors,
and support economic growth and
job creation in both countries,' the
statement said.
The two governments will also
meet in October to discuss ways of
expanding trade ties through the
US-India Trade Policy Forum.
Some of the important announce-
ments, made during Clinton's visit,
pertaining to US-India economic
ties include:
- Bilateral Aviation Safety
Agreement signed, allowing Indian
companies to supply components to
US aerospace sector
- The US government's Overseas
Private Investment Corporation
(OPIC) intends to infuse up to $820
million for renewable energy sector
projects in 2011
- The Export-Import bank of the
United States to step up funding in
the area of clean energy and infra-
structure development. Two loans
worth $25 million announced for
procuring solar equipment
- US Trade and Development
agency to fund feasibility studies
with combine worth $1.4 million for
setting up two solar power plants.
asks India to
lower trade barriers
Chennai: With the strategic dia-
logue bringing out divergent percep-
tions on some aspects of the civilian
nuclear deal and Afghanistan, US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Wednesday underlined that her
country' s bonds with India
'outweigh differences' and promised
to build more trust in the growing
relationship.
'We will build trust and do more to
bring us together. We are betting on
India's future... we have watched the
progress of India with great admira-
tion,' Clinton, the first US secretary
of state to visit Chennai, told stu-
dents at the Anna Centenary Library
here.
Amplifying on New Delhi's grow-
ing global role, Clinton stressed that
that the history of 21st century will
be written in India and Asia.
'President Obama made a state
visit last year, and I made two visits
in the last two years, why one may
ask? It is because we understand
that much of the history of 21st cen-
tury will be written in Asia,' she
said.
'We have great commitment... as
the president told the Indian parlia-
ment, the relationship between India
and the US will be a defining rela-
tionship,' Clinton added.
'There are those who raise ques-
tions about the relationship between
our two countries. I understand that
we are countries of different history
and there will be differences, as
between two friends...(however) our
differences are outweighed by the
bonds,' she added.
Our bonds outweigh
differences: Clinton
Hillary Clinton kicked off her
visit to Delhi over breakfast
with National Security
Advisor Shiv Shankar
Menon, along with Charg
d'Affaires Ambassador Peter
Burleigh and Foreign
Secretary Nirupama Rao.
U.S. Assistant Secretary
Robert Blake and Indian
Ambassador Ranjan Mathai
(not pictured) also attended.
India Newswire 11
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 23-29, 2011
Mumbai blasts: detonators remain mystery
New Delhi/Mumbai: Investigators
looking into the July 13 Mumbai
bombings have extended their
probe to various parts of the coun-
try as they intensify the hunt for
clues leading to those behind the
terror attack, informed sources
said.
Seven days after the triple blasts,
which killed 19 and injured 129,
sources close to the investigation
said forensic sleuths were also try-
ing to decipher the exact make of
the detonators used to trigger the
bombs made of ammonium nitrate,
fuel oil (ANFO) and ball bearings.
What is known is that the blasts
were triggered by using timers and
not remote controlled devices. "But
what timer device it was is still not
known. It could be clock timers, it
could be mobile phones alarms, it
could be any other timer device,
mechanical, chemical or digital,"
said a home ministry source in
New Delhi. Sources familiar with
the probe process said the identifi-
cation of the timer device was cru-
cial because it would help investi-
gators establish a pattern and trace
similarities, if any, to previous ter-
ror attacks in India.
This would give the investigation
a definite angle and maybe point to
the outfit behind the blasts. The
homegrown Islamist militant outfit,
the Indian Mujahideen, has used
timer devices of various kinds to
trigger blasts in many Indian cities,
an expert said.
Though authorities have
refrained from naming any terror
outfit, sources told IANS that the
Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad
(ATS) and the National
Investigation Agency (NIA) had
raided various places for suspected
Indian Mujahideen operatives.
They have also questioned some
arrested activists of the outfit in
jails in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat,
West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
An NIA team questioned Jalees
Ansari, convicted for his alleged
role in the 1993 Mumbai serial
blasts, in an Ajmer jail. Ansari, an
expert in handling explosives, is
serving a life term. The sources
said he could have possibly helped
the perpetrators to make the
bombs. An NIA team is also likely
to visit Bihar where police have
taken into custody two suspected
operatives of the Harkat ul Jehad-
e-Islami (HuJI) Riyaz ul Sarkar
and Aftab Alam.
The sources said the investigators
with the help of Gujarat police
have accessed a yahoomail account
of Indian Mujahideen operative
Danish Riyaz, a key accused in the
2008 Ahmedabad blasts, arrested
June 21 from Vadodara.
Riyaz, originally from Ranchi in
Jharkhand, is being interrogated
afresh for a possible link to the
Mumbai blasts, sources in the
Gujarat police said. They alleged
that email exchanges of Riyaz with
his accomplices, including Haroon,
who was picked up from Kolkata
Sunday, have revealed that the
Indian Mujahideen was recruiting
youth for training.
Sources familiar with the probe process said the identification of the
timer device was crucial.
Zaveri Bazar in Mumbai.
Mumbai blast sites bustle
again
India has risen above blame
game: Pak media
Focus shifts to domestic terrorism
Mumbai: "Overall positive". That's
what market operators say about the
mood in all the three places in
Mumbai, including diamond and gold
jewelry hubs, where serial terror blasts
killed 20 people and injured scores a
week ago.
Bombs went off in quick succession
on the evening of July 13 at the dia-
mond centre of Opera House, gold hub
of Zaveri Bazar and the commercial
part of Dadar West. But these are once
again bustling with business.
"We have traffic restrictions.
Security checks are a lot stricter but
nobody objects. Business is near nor-
mal but it will take some time for the
situation to fully normalize," Asim
Shah of HB Shah Pvt Ltd, a leading
diamond exporter, said.
Asim lamented that the menace of
hawkers, which should have been
solved "years ago", has been finally
resolved. "We hope the authorities do
not permit them to return and set up
illegal stalls in the vicinity, posing a
security risk, " he said. Krishna
Verlekar, who has a workshop in the
heart of Zaveri Bazar, said regular cus-
tomers have become more cautious
after July 13.
"Now, they call us and want to know
if there are huge crowds, police securi-
ty, and so on before reaching
hereThis will be the situation for a
few more weeks," Verlekar said.
One positive outcome of the terror
attack is that the diamond market has
been finally spurred on to move to the
new Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) in
suburban Bandra-Kurla Complex. The
swank new business district is ideally
located midway between the western
suburb of Bandra and the eastern sub-
urb of Kurla, where even the US
Consulate and British Deputy High
Commission buildings have come up.
"Despite the many constraints of
operating from there, we have decided
to move out of Panchratna Building
after Diwali," Asim said.
Another prominent diamond and
gold jewelery businessman, Girish
Shah, who sits at Opera House,
expressed similar sentiments. "The
workers shall be the worst hit, travel-
ling from far off suburbs. But we have
to move out," he said.
Mumbai: Indian police are focusing on a domes-
tic terror outfit as they search for suspects in last
week's blasts here in India's financial capital,
which killed 20 and injured 131, said a senior
investigator.
In particular, investigators are examining simi-
larities between the explosives used in Mumbai
last week and previous attacks in India for which
the Indian Mujahideen, an Indian Islamist terror-
ist group, claimed responsibility.
Indian officials have said in the past that the
Indian Mujahideen is directed by Lashkar-e-
Taiba, the Pakistani militant group that sent 10
gunmen to carry out the Mumbai attacks in 2008
and have masterminded a number of other attacks
in India.No group has claimed responsibility for
last week's attacks. But investigators say the
Mumbai blasts bear hallmarks of previous Indian
Mujahideen strikes, including an unexploded
bomb found at the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi
before last year's Commonwealth Games, a blast
in Varanasi in northern India in December, and a
bomb explosion outside the Delhi High Court in
May. In all cases the bombs used ammonium
nitrate and a digital timer.
Deven Bharti, additional commissioner of
police in Mumbai, who is involved in the investi-
gation, said in an interview that it is difficult to
pinpoint who is responsible for the Mumbai
attacks. Police are reviewing closed-circuit-tele-
vision footage recovered from the blast sites.
Police officials say Indian Mujahideen has been
active since about 2003, but became prominent
after it carried out serial blasts in the cities of
Jaipur and Ahmedabad in 2008 that killed scores
of people.
Islamabad: It is a positive sign that
India has risen above the blame game
and New Delhi has decided to go ahead
with the foreign ministers' talks despite
the Mumbai blasts, a leading Pakistani
daily said.
An editorial in the Dawn said: "As
tragic as Wednesday`s triple blasts in
Mumbai were, no headway has as yet
been made into identifying the perpetra-
tors."
"What is welcome though is that the
Indian government has ignored the knee-
jerk reactions of some of the hawks in
the opposition and the media who have
pointed a finger of blame at Pakistan
without evidence, and has decided to go
ahead with the foreign ministers' talks
scheduled later this month."
The editorial said that in an atmosphere where
terrorism has often derailed the peace process, "it
is a positive sign that India has risen above the
blame game".
It noted that the shift in the Indian policy was
highlighted by Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama
Rao, who has said that Pakistan had `altered' its
stance on terrorism.
"Following the earlier Mumbai attacks, Pakistan-
India relations had hit a new low as Pakistan-based
militants were accused of masterminding the atroc-
ity," Dawn noted.
"It took a meeting between prime ministers
Yousuf Raza Gilani and Manmohan Singh in the
Bhutanese capital of Thimphu on the sidelines of a
SAARC summit in April 2010 to melt the ice," it
added.
What is welcome is that the Indian government has
ignored the knee-jerk reactions of some of the hawks in the
opposition post-Mumbai blast, says Dawn.
12 India Newswire
July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New Delhi: India's youngest ministry has
the enormous task of ridding rural areas of
open defecation and unsafe drinking water
with about 245 million people in the coun-
try still without access to sanitation facili-
ties and nearly 76 million still not getting
adequate safe drinking water.
The creation of a Ministry of Drinking
Water and Sanitation is expected to acceler-
ate efforts to provide access to adequate
potable water in 150,000 rural habitations
and access to sanitation to about 30 percent
of 833 million rural population lacking
these basic amenities, officials said.
Drinking water and sanitation earlier con-
stituted a department of the Ministry of
Rural Development. The new ministry will
deal with water supply, sewage, drainage
and sanitation in rural areas.
After Gurudas Kamat failed to take the
responsibility of the new ministry in last
week's cabinet jig, its charge has been
given to Rural Development Minister
Jairam Ramesh. Officials of the new min-
istry are happy about their elevated status.
As a department, it had a huge budget of
Rs.11,000 crore (Rs 110 billion) this fiscal.
"We learnt about the decision of the new
ministry only after the cabinet reshuffle," a
senior official said. The officials said that
drinking water in both urban and rural areas
should come under the new ministry to give
it a better profile and to tackle water man-
agement in an integrated manner.
The government is keen that by the end of
the 12th five-year plan (2012-17), at least
55 percent of rural households should be
provided with piped water, and at least 35
percent should have household connec-
tions. Rural drinking water is one of the six
components of Bharat Nirman, an initiative
of the government to build the rural infra-
structure since 2005.
The program aims to cover rural habita-
tions not having drinking water facilities
and to address problems related to water
quality such as contamination of arsenic
and flouride.
A World Bank study last year said that
India loses almost $53.8 billion or 6.4 per-
cent of its GDP through hygiene-related
diseases, lost productivity and other factors
stemming from poor sanitation.
Only about 366 million people - around a
third of population - had access to proper
sanitation in 2008, according to a UN
study.
According to a UNICEF report, com-
bined effects of inadequate sanitation,
unsafe water supply and poor hygiene were
responsible for 88 percent of childhood
fatalities from diarrhea in the country.
Poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water
cause intestinal worm infections, which
lead to malnutrition, anemia and retarded
growth among children.
The report said about 638 million people
in India defecate in the open, which is
about 55 percent of the total population
defecating in the open in the world.
India's first nationwide program of rural
sanitation, the Central Rural Sanitation
Programme (CRSP) was launched in 1986.
Another program, Total Sanitation
Campaign (TSC), was launched in 1999
with the aim of ending open defecation.
Mumbai: Exactly a week after their
city was rocked by triple blasts,
Mumbaikars seemed resigned to liv-
ing under the shadow of terror.
India's financial capital has been
repeatedly attacked in the past 18
years, with 12 major strikes leaving
nearly 700 dead and several thou-
sand injured.
"Mumbai was shocked only the
first time in the March 1993 blasts.
It was unprecedented. But after so
many terror attacks, now there is no
shock or anger. There is regret at
how the rulers of the city, state and
country continue to exploit
Mumbaikars for their ability to
make money and drive the country's
economic engines," Rajeev Jain, a
businessman from Juhu, was quoted
as saying.
In all instances, the attacks have
been carried out with precision - tar-
geting Mumbai's transport lifeline or
its business hubs where transactions
worth billions of rupees are carried
out daily. Besides providing a living
to several millions of citizens, they
spell huge income by way of taxes
and levies to the exchequer.
Terror attacks have occurred in
other places in Maharashtra like
Thane, Nashik, Malegaon and Pune
in the past five to six years. The lat-
est serial bombings July 13 have left
20 dead and at least 128 in hospitals
with injuries.
Like in the past, this time too,
Mumbai, almost by force of habit,
went back to normalcy within hours.
A week after the triple blasts at
Zaveri Bazar, Opera House and
Dadar West, Mumbai was its usual
bustling self this week. "Barring the
casual odd reference, it has gone
practically unnoticed, like a bad
dream," said Kiran S.V., an execu-
tive and mother of three who works
with a private company in Worli,
who travels by suburban trains daily.
India's youngest ministry to end open defecation
Mumbaikars feel
helpless, resentful
The creation of a Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation is expected to
provide access to adequate potable water in 150,000 rural habitations and access
to sanitation to 30 percent of 833 million rural population.
A Mumbai blast vicitm shows the photo of his relative
killed in the terror attack.
Raj Thackeray attacks north
Indian migrants
Mumbai: For the second time in one week,
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray
targeted north Indians and the migrant population
and demanded a check on their influx into Mumbai.
"People from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are involved
in nearly 70-80 percent of all crimes committed in
the city," Raj Thackeray alleged at a press confer-
ence here. Daily 48 trains come here from those two
states alone, he added.
From the security point of view, he demanded that
the authorities should pay attention to the migrants'
influx in Mumbai and adjacent Thane district.
The MNS chief also lashed out at state Samajwadi
Party chief Abu Asim Azmi for expressing sympathy
with the 13/7 triple blast suspect, Faiz Usmani, who
died in hospital Sunday owing to medical complica-
tions.
"What is wrong if the police investigated Usmani,
who had met a terrorist in jail several times? Why
does Azmi always support people with criminal
backgrounds?" asked Raj Thackeray.
If terrorism has to be stopped in Mumbai, it was
imperative to monitor the people coming to the city
from outside, he said, adding that if Azmi continues
to sympathize with such elements, then the state gov-
ernment should also inquire against him.
Reacting sharply, Azmi demanded action against
the MNS chief for painting all people from Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar with the same brush.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray.
PwC to advise on Mumbai
CCTV project
Mumbai : Int ernat i onal
consulting major Price
waterhouse Coopers (PwC)
would advise the Maharashtra
government on its anti-terror
project of installing CCTV
cameras across Mumbai ,
Chi ef Mi ni st er Pri t hvi raj
Chavan said.
"PWC i s worki ng on t he
project and is in the process
of inviting tenders/bids for
this (CCTV) project," Chavan
told reporters here.
He decl i ned t o answer
queries whether the project
got delayed for over two years
allegedly due to bickering
within the ruling Congress-
Nationalist Congress Party
alliance.
After the Nov 26-29, 2008
Mumbai t error at t ack, t he
government announced plans
to install 5,000 CCTVs in the
city.
Chavan said that a team of
Mumbai Police officials had
gone t o New Del hi and
Haryana t o st udy si mi l ar
CCTV projects there.
A team from London had
visited the city and now a
Mumbai police team will go
there to "see how the system
there is working", he said.
14 India Newswire
July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Cash-for-votes: Amar Singh to be probed
New Delhi: Former Samajwadi
Party leader Amar Singh was
likely to be interrogated over the
2008 cash-for-votes controversy
in parliament, police sources
said.
Amar Singh is a Rajya Sabha
MP. Rajya Sabha officials, how-
ever, deni ed t hat house
Chai rman Hami d Ansari had
gi ven permi ssi on for Amar
Singh's questioning, saying that
no such request had been
received.
They said that since no request
had been received, there was no
question of permission being
granted by the chairman. The
officials also added that there
may not be a need for permis-
sion for Amar Singh's question-
ing as the matter did not relate to
his actions in the Rajya Sabha.
Amar Si ngh' s former ai de,
Sanj eev Saxena, arrest ed by
Delhi Police, alleged that the
then Samajwadi Party leader had
provided Rs.1 crore for getting
the support of three Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) MPs in a trust
vote in 2008.
Al l eged mi ddl eman Suhai l
Hindustani, the second accused
under arrest, also levelled the
same allegations against Amar
Singh, saying he was the "main"
man behind the scandal.
Hi ndust ani al so accused
Ahmed Patel, political secretary
t o Congress presi dent Soni a
Gandhi , and ot her Congress
leaders of involvement. Bags
filled with currency notes were
shown in the Lok Sabha July 22,
2008, minutes before a trust vote
was to take place.
Hi ndust ani was cal l ed t o a
Delhi Police office for question-
ing and later arrested. Saxena is
understood to have told police
that Amar Singh's driver Sanjay
had gone al ong wi t h hi m t o
deliver the money - as claimed
by BJP MPs Fagan Si ngh
Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora.
The two were among the three
MPs who had claimed they were
paid to abstain from the Lok
Sabha trust vote sought by the
Manmohan Singh government
after the Left withdrew support
over the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Saxena was caught on camera
payi ng BJP MPs Kul ast e,
Bhagora and Ashok Argal bribes
ahead of the confidence vote.
Amar Singh's former aide, Sanjeev Saxena alleged that the then
Samajwadi Party leader provided Rs.1 crore for getting the support of
three BJP MPs in a trust vote in 2008.
Illegal mining: Ombudsman
slams Yeddyurappa
Bangalore: The Karnataka
capital was abuzz that
Lokayutka (ombudsman)
was set to charge Chief
Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa
of doing precious little to
check illegal iron ore mining
and allowing his sons' busi-
ness ventures to benefit from
it.
The buzz started within
hours after Lokayukta N.
Santosh Hegde told reporters
that his officials have found
"illegal mining evidence
against influential politicians
and people". In view of this,
"I am seeking protection for
their service and safety," he
told reporters.
Hegde, a retired judge of
the Supreme Court, has to
submit his report on rampant
illegal mining in the state
within the next ten days as
his five-year term expires
Aug 2. The speculation in
the political circles on con-
tents of the report was that
there seemed to be nothing
new except that business
ventures of Yeddyurappa's
sons had financially benefit-
ed from those indulging in
illegal mining.
The opposition Congress
and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-
S) parties have, however,
been charging for weeks
now that Yeddyurappa' s
family has been a benefici-
ary of illegal mining money.
Hegde himself has been
relentless in criticizing
Yeddyurappa for not acting
to check illegal mining.
The names making round
as getting mentioned in the
report are those already fac-
ing serious charges of illegal
mining - mining barons and
Bharatiya Janata Party min-
isters, the Reddy brothers,
and their associate and
Health Minister B.
Sriramulu. Of the Reddy
brothers, G. Janardhana, the
most vocal, is tourism minis-
ter and his elder sibling G.
Karunakara holds the rev-
enue portfolio.
One more BJP minister, V.
Somanna, in charge of civil
supplies, is also said to find
mention in the report. The
other prominent leader is
Yeddyurappa's predecessor
H.D. Kumaraswamy of JD-S
on the charge of giving sanc-
tion to two companies to
mine iron ore flouting rules.
Hegde did not confirm
whether the gist of his report
making rounds is true or not.
He told Kannada TV chan-
nels that his effort is to sub-
mit his report by July 24 or
July 25.
The reported leak of his
report seemed to land Hegde
in a controversy as Congress
leaders expressed fears that
"this may become a ruse for
the government to dump it".
The Yeddyurappa govern-
ment had recently rejected a
report of a committee it had
set up to determined the
extent of land encroachment
in the state.
More valuables found at
Sai Baba's home
Bangalore: More valuables, including 6.09
kg of gold, 245.36 kg silver and Rs 80.50 lakh
cash were recovered from the Whitefield com-
plex of late Sathya Sai Baba during an inven-
tory.
The inventory was conducted by the Sathya
Sai Baba Trust members along with
Bangalore Urban district deputy commission-
er at the Brindavan ashram near Whitefield in
the outskirts of the city.
The gold and silver found were in the form
of trinkets, medallion, chains, coins, mainly
offerings made to the spiritual guru during the
past several years, ashram PRO
Anantharaman said.
The valuables were largely recovered from
one of the rooms where Baba used to sleep
and meet visitors, he said. No gold or silver
bricks were found during the inventory,
Anantharaman said, adding most of the arti-
cles were used during puja.
The ashram, inaugurated by Sai Baba on
June 25, 1960, served as his residence during
his stay in the city. This is the fourth time that
an inventory of precious metals and cash in
Sai Baba's personal chambers is being con-
ducted at the instance of the government after
he passed away on April 24.
The most recent inventory was conducted
on Monday at the second building of Yajur
Mandir and four rooms of Poornachandra
Chamber in Puttaparthi. Officials had found
34.5 kg gold, 430 kg silver besides cash worth
Rs 1,90,53,899, media coordinator of the trust
A Anantharaman said.
In the first inventory made on June 16, 98
kg gold, 307 kg of silver apart from Rs 11.56
crore in cash was found whereas on July 2,
when the second inventory was taken, gold
and silver articles worth Rs 74 lakh and a dia-
mond studded ring worth Rs 3 lakh was
found.
In the first inventory made on June 16, 98
kg gold, 307 kg of silver apart from
Rs 11.56 crore in cash were found.
Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde.
All major accounts ready to transfer
Contact: Michael 201-253-7277
Joseph 201-838-3584
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Mohan Khokar collection brings alive
century of Indian dance
New Sangeet Natak Akademi museum to open in Delhi
The Mohan Khokar Dance Collection, one of the largest archival collections of memorabilia
on Indian dance with over 300,000 documents, that opened in Delhi with ICCR support,
will travel to the US and Europe towards the end of this year.
T
he Mohan Khokar Dance
Collection, one of the
largest archival collections
of memorabilia on Indian dance
with over 300,000 documents, is
getting a government platform for
the first time in 80 years to show-
case itself.
A weeklong exposition, A
Century of Indian Dance - 1901-
2000 presented a selection of
souvenirs, art works, press clip-
pings, dance accessories owned
by the maestros and heritage
bronze icons of the deity Nataraja
dating to the Chola period, at the
Visual Arts Gallery of the India
Habitat Center in New Delhi.
The exhibition, sponsored by
the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations (ICCR), was inaugurat-
ed by ICCR president Karan
Singh. The display will be for-
mally closed by MP Shashi
Tharoor July 24.
Hailed as the single largest col-
lection of dance memorabilia, it
was built by classical dance
maestro Mohan Khokar over
some 70 years since 1934. He
was the first male student of
Rukmini Devi Arundale at the
Kalakshetra in Chennai.
After Khokars death in 1999,
the collection was handed down
to his son, Ashish Khokar, an art
critic who has been adding to it
since then.
The collection is a trove of rare
material like brochures of leading
dance institutions, handbills,
posters, press-clips dating from
1900, letters, memorabilia,
books, Ph.D. theses sourced from
the writers, paintings, sketches,
Chola bronzes and everyday arti-
cles related to dance.
The exhibition has been divided
into five segments - each of
which will be opened by a digni-
tary.
Dr Karan Singh will inaugurate
Nataraja Gallery - a display space
dedicated to rare Chola period
sculptures of Nataraja, the avatar
of Shiva dedicated to dance -
with the unlocking of a rare
Nataraja lock.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama
Rao, who is the ambassador des-
ignate to US, will inaugurate the
costume gallery, displaying old
dancing attires.
Sangeet Natak Akademi chair-
person Leela Samson, who has
also been named chairperson of
the Central Board of Film
Certification, will inaugurate the
Century of Dance gallery while
scholar and writer Shanta
Serbjeet Singh will open the
Dance in Everyday Life gallery.
Soon after the inauguration, a
contingent of classical dancers
showcased the costumes - some
belonging to dancers at the begin-
ning of the last century - with live
shows.
The exhibition also screened
movies on dance, sourced from
the archive, daily for a week.
I met Ashish Khokar in New
York a year ago, soon after I took
over as ICCR director-general.
He told me how he was trying
to bring the collection out to the
masses for more than 20 years. I
thought it was good work and
decided to lend it a platform for
display, Director-general of
ICCR Suresh Goel said.
He said the collection will trav-
el to Europe and the US after July
24. Lots of people abroad are
interested in Indian dance. And if
we need to continue with our
future, we have to preserve histo-
ry, Goel said.
Ashish Khokar said, My father
began collecting dance memora-
bilia in 1934.
The collection has nearly
200,000 photographs and docu-
ments; and around 100,000 clip-
pings. This is the first time it is
getting a government showcase,
Ashish Khokar said.
It is a ready-made collection
and I want it to be institutional-
ized. I want the government to
build a museum space to display
it. It should be built as Mohan
Khokar Dance Museum, he
added.
T
he National Museum of Performing
Arts, a new archive to preserve and
showcase documentary material in
possession of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
(SNA), will open next month with two gal-
leries in Delhi.
"The galleries will exhibit archival mate-
rial comprising rare musical instruments,
masks and puppets," Shanta Serbjeet Singh,
vice chairperson of the Sangeet Natak
Akademi, said.
The museum, coming up in
Chanakyapuri, will be ready for formal
inauguration by the end of next year.
According to noted danseuse Leela
Samson, chairperson of the Sangeet Natak
Akademy and the new Censor Board chief:
"The museum will archive documents,
resource and memorabilia that the SNA has
collected over the last 60 years."
"We are disseminating the material but it
is expensive to digitize them. And we are
short of funds.
We also don't know how we will manage
the museum - one of the top dancers may
have to quit their vocation to head the
museum. There is so much of material,"
Samson said.
"For the last 50 years, we were collecting.
Now that new museum spaces are coming
up, we have started sorting material,"
Samson said, elaborating on the psyche of
documentation of performing arts in India.
The building is almost ready, said dancer
Geeta Chandran, a member of the SNA
executive committee set up to oversee the
project.
"The museum is unique. It should have
been built long ago," she said
A 1953 cover page of Filmfare magazine on Indian dance from the
Mohan Khokar collection.
Uday Shankar (1900-77), sitar
maestro Ravi Shankars elder
brother, posing as a nautch
girl in a rare photo taken in a
Paris studio.
Ashish Khokar is carrying on his
father Mohan Khokars (1924-99)
work of compiling history and
heritage of Indian dance.
Rukmini Devi Arundale (1920-86)
was the most important revivalist
in the Indian classical dance form
of Bharatnatyam.
Performing Arts 15
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 23-29, 2011
16 Ultimate Bollywood
July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
S
ome movie experiences can be
summed up in a few lines. Others
can take longer. This one would be
hard to define. And to try to slot it or give
it shape in any other form but the visual
would take some doing.
The witticism, of course, flows. With
Farhan Akhtar around, what else can we
expect? But the spoken lines (a brilliant
fusion of the colloquial and existential) are
so doggedly wedded to the visuals that we
come away with a complete and satisfying
cinematic experience, so replete with life's
most luscious home-truths that we want to
carry the plot's bumper-sticker wisdom in
our hearts forever.
Farhan Akhtar did it ten years ago, in
"Dil Chahta Hai". He got three friends on
the threshold of a career on a road-trip and
let them come to terms with their own
weaknesses and insecurities, even as
Farhan, that wily filmmaker, discovered
his own strengths as a storyteller.Now it's
Farhan's sister Zoya Akhtar's turn to take
that road trip.
As the workaholic money-obsessed
stockbroker (Hrithik Roshan), the happy-
go-looking-for-his-dad prankster (Farhan
Akhtar) and the about-to-be-married-nice-
guy (Abhay Deol) set out on trip through
locationally lush Spain (ummm, full marks
for seductive eyecandy visuals) we follow
right behind.
Oh yes, the ladies take the backseat.
Nonetheless Katrina Kaif's Laila, a gor-
geous diving instructor who teaches
Hrithik to dive into soul, makes such
graceful space for herself among the boys
that we wonder how she managed to make
herself heard in a film that celebrates the
spirit of male bonding in all its robust
color splendor and noise.
Oh yes, we forgot! This guys' film is
directed by a woman! The feminine touch
is nowhere evident in Zoya Akhtar's direc-
tion. She leaves you wondering if delicacy
femininity and the opposite of a snobbish
misogyny that our desi female directors
have been seen to follow, vanished while
we were not looking.
Technically the film wears its art on its
sleeve. Carlos Catalan's cinematography
captures the pain and the fun in Spain
without letting the touristic urge take over.
Yeah, the film looks fetching.
But not at the cost of the characters'
search for bearings in a world that mocks
at the beauty of Nature. Editor Anand
Subaya doesn't cut the film. He carves the
material in shapes that a jeweler would
probably like to imitate if he only knew
how.
'Zindagi Na... all about male bonding
W
hile there
are strong
rumors that
hot Sri Lankan beauty
Jacqueline Fernandez
and Bollywood direc-
tor Sajid Khan are
going around and that
some people on the
sets of Housefull 2
even refer Jacqueline
as bhabi, Jacqueline
(amidst giggles) did
confirm that first time
in her life she was
called bhabhi.
But she chose not to
talk any further. "I am
not comfortable talk-
ing about my personal
life. I come from a dif-
ferent mindset and I
don' t like talking
about certain aspects
of my life. I need to
maintain that. And I
respect Sajid Khan," says Jacqueline
basking in the glory of the stupen-
dous success of her recent release
Murder 2, with Emraan Hashmi.
With her very first solo hit,
Jacqueline says that she has always
understood the importance of hav-
ing a hit, "but now it is clarified and
confirmed that only if you give a hit
and your films do well that you are
in demand," she says.
But would having a godfather
helped her climb the ladder faster?
"Having a godfather definitely helps
the way people perceive you, it
leads to better things, then people
don't bully you. But if you do it on
your own it is a sweeter victory,"
she says.
And Jacqueline, who doesn't have
a single friend from the industry,
looks like has already tasted the
ruthless side of Bollywood. "It is a
ruthless industry. You don't know
who is your friend and for what rea-
sons. Therefore I find it very diffi-
cult having friendship with people I
am working with. I have a great
time going out with co-workers but
I don't confide to anyone from the
industry," says Jacqueline.
T
he Shiv Sena has slammed
Bollywood superstar Shah
Rukh Khan for throwing a
lavish party at his residence when
Mumbai was mourning the loss of
lives in the triple bomb blasts that
rocked the city.
The party's mouthpiece 'Saamna'
said that the incident portrayed
Khan, who has played a hero on the
silver screen, as a villain in real life.
According to the paper, Friday's
bash was to celebrate Katrina Kaif's
birthday and a private screening of
her latest release 'Zindagi Milegi Na
Dobara'.
Besides SRK, Hrithik Roshan,
Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal,
Chunky Pandey, Abhay Deol,
Katrina Kaif, Karan Johar, were
prominent among those present at
the party.
Shiv Sena has been targeting SRK
since he lamented the exclusion of
Pakistani players from IPL third
season after the 26/11 terror attacks.
Shiv Sena slams SRK
Jacqueline Fernandez: Riding high on
the success of Murder 2.
Shiv Sena has been targeting SRK since he lamented the exclusion of
Pakistani players from IPL after the 26/11 attacks.
Actors Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif in a still from the movie.
A
fter a long gap of 18 years,
Amitabh Bachchan and
Sridevi have come togeth-
er for a film.
Sridevi, who returns to acting
after 15 years will be playing the
female lead in the film directed by
Gauri, wife of R Balki who direct-
ed Amitabh Bachchan in Paa.
Bachchan and Sridevi shot their
last film Khuda Gawah in 1993.
Bachchan, who is thrilled to work
with the actress tweeted, "with the
effervescent Sridevi after eternity
almost. She is still the same spon-
taneous and lovely."
Bachchan and Sridevi have acted in Inqalab, Aakhri Raasta and Khuda Gawah.
After 18 yrs, Big B, Sridevi are back
Sridevi and Amitabh: Ready to scorch the screen once again.
It is a
ruthless
industry
Ultimate Bollywood 17
Thesouthasiantimes.info July 23-29, 2011
A
t one point in American history,
dogs and blacks were not allowed
in public places. During the
British occupation of China, it was 'dogs
and Chinese' while at the first Mumbai
marathon the rule was against dogs and
wheelchairs. A dog has thus become a
metaphor for seclusion, for denying some-
one their fundamental rights.
"Chillar Party" uses this metaphor in a
brilliant, but hilariously entertainment
manner to make a statement against those
who seclude, be it Shiv Sena in Mumbai,
fanatic Hindus who want Muslims out of
India, or upper class Hindus who refuse
lower caste people basic rights etc. That it
does so while making you laugh, is its
greatest strength.
After a street kid Phatka (Irrfan Khan)
and his stray dog Bhidu begin cleaning
cars in a rich locality, the rich, school
going kids first try to fend him off, but
later become great buddies. When a minis-
ter offended by the dog passes a law to
ban all street dogs from Mumbai, the kids
resort to some unconventional activism to
save their beloved dog. But is it even pos-
sible for the powerless kids to take on a
high and mighty minister?
"Chillar Party", in essence, is a chil-
dren' s film. But those who can read
between the lines and see between pic-
tures know that the most brilliant, imagi-
native and metaphorical literature and cin-
ema in the world, are for kids.
The film is filled with observations and
idiosyncrasies that will leave you laughing
your guts out. Every child in the film has
acted with such restrained understatement
that they give your popular stars a run for
their money.
And yet, beyond all these beautifully
working elements, it is the metaphor of the
dog that takes the cake.
C
ontroversial model Poonam
Pandey, who promised to
shed her clothes if India
won the cricket World Cup but did-
n' t do so, has reportedly been
offered a whopping Rs. 2 crore for
the next season of Big Boss as her
presence is expected to add spice
and boost TRPs.
"Poonam has been offered a sign-
ing amount of Rs. 2 crore for Big
Boss season five, but the model is
considering whether to accept the
offer or not," a source closes to the
model said.
"Apart from this handsome
amount, there is a contract men-
tioning that an ex-cricketer (one of
the contestants) during the show
will ask Poonam to fulfill the
promise which she made during the
World Cup. Because of this clause
Poonam is still thinking about the
offer," the source added.
The 21-year-old caught the head-
lines after she said she would strip
in the green room if India won the
World Cup. India won, but for vari-
ous reasons Poonam couldn't fulfill
her promise.
V
i vek Oberoi i s
teaming up with
Hri t hi k Roshan
for t he fi rst t i me i n
Krri sh 2 and t he
Saathiya actor says he
plans to be the best vil-
lain ever in the movie.
Hrithik and Vivek start-
ed their careers around
the same time. Hrithik
debut ed wi t h act i on
drama Kaho Naa Pyaar
Hai in 2000 while Vivek
entered the industry in
2002 wi t h Ram Gopal
Varmas underworld saga
Company. Though they
have been fri ends for
long, this will be the first
time theyre on screen
together.
Hri t hi k has been a
good fri end over t he
years and it is fabulous to
finally work with him. It
took almost a decade, but
its finally happening,
says Oberoi.
While Hrithik would be
playing the quintessential
hero in Krrish 2, Oberoi
promi ses t o be t he
Gabbar of the enterprise.
It is fun to be playing
Raavan against a Ram.
Krrish is a brand and to
be a part of this legacy is
no less an honor. I am
indeed treating this as a
film which would bring
out the Gabbar in me. I
am aspiring to be the best
baddie ever, the actor
said.
Poonam
Pandey:
Controversys
thy second
name.
Actor Salman Khan with the Chillar Party team.
'Chillar Party,' small film, big heart
Genelia walks out of Rohit's film
G
enelia D'souza has decid-
ed to opt out of the
Abhishek Bachchan and
Ajay Devgn starrer Bol
Bachchan, despite being asked
to stay on board. The reason for
Genelia's sudden exit was her
presumably 'insignificant role'.
After Zameen, Rohit Shetty
will once again be directing his
favorite Ajay Devgn, alongwith
Abhishek Bachchan in the film
which is a remake of Hrishikesh
Mukherjee's Golmaal.
When she read the script,
Genelia felt that she didnt have
a very significant role in the film.
But that is with most of Shettys
films - either they are too crowd-
ed or they are male-centric, a
source said.
However, a source close to
Genelia said: Her dates are
clashing with Navdeep Singhs
film, starring Abhay Deol. She
had to choose one.
Needless to say, Shetty was
rather taken aback by the actors
decision and tried very hard to
convince her to stay on-board.
However, after the actor seemed
persistent on her decision, it
seems that Shetty has offered the
role to Prachi Desai.
Genelia D'souza: Looking for
more meaty roles.
Vampires to make Bollywood debut
S
atish Kaushik is all set to make a movie on
Vampires. The horror/thriller will be based on
a book called The Company RED by Shantanu
Dhar. Kaushik has bought the rights of the book for
his film and believes that it will introduce the Indian
audiences to a new genre of cinema.
When contacted, Satish Kaushik said, "I have read
the book and I love the way Shantanu writes. It is so
gripping that once you begin, you wouldn't want to
keep it down until you finish. I love making movies
and to give this book a form of a film will be amaz-
ing."
He added, "This genre is new for both the literary
and the cinema world and I hope to make it at an
international level." According to reports, Kaushik
may be seen acting in the film as well.
The horror/thriller will be based on a book called
The Company RED
Vivek entered the
industry in 2002
with underworld
saga Company.
Poonam Pandey in
Big Boss 5?
Vivek
glad to
turn
baddie
18 Travel
July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Oktoberfest, Munich,
Germany
A
mong the best-known beer fests in the
world, its greatness lies in the fact that
lots of countries have replicated the concept.
This is a must for all beer lovers.
One can choose between preservative-
free beers, freshly brewed lagers or even
some typical German formulae that have
been in use since the 16th century.
Order beer and food at your table, which
you can share with a stranger. We club this
trip with a visit to Amsterdam to make it
even more fun.
Greek Islands,
Greece
T
hese islands have one of the best
topographies in the world! You can just
stand at the edge of a cliff and gaze into the
blue. The islands are white and blue and
have a vibe of their own. Check out the
calm beaches or hit a beach bar for some
heavenly cocktails. The islands have a noto-
riously fun nightlife to offer. You can lose
yourself in the streets, hop across bars and
clubs and mingle with locals. Cure your
hangover with a delicious local breakfast.
Greece is beautiful at any time of the day!
Immensely loved for its street parties, bands and samba parades. Over a million tourists
join locals to watch a show put up by the best artistes from Brazil and around the world.
The competition between local samba schools is fierce. Apart from the flashy
costumes, there are also plenty of beaches and bars to visit. It's more fun
when you go in a larger group. We suggest a visit to a nearby South American
country that's known for its beauty and nightlife alike.
This island is known for its Full Moon Parties, which happen every month on full moon
day. The serene beaches transform into a festival, where renowned DJs play music of every
genre. There are fire jugglers, tattoo artists, glow paints and massive lanterns -- a total
beach blowout! There's something for everyone. This is our number two choice owing to
its beach scene and proximity to India, making it nearby as well as affordable.
This is our number one Electronic Dance Music destination. For several years, this gorgeous
island in the South of Spain has held the crown of 'Party Capital of the World', and not without
reason. Ibiza has breathtaking views and jaw-dropping music. The island runs purely because
of its nightlife scene. Its dominance reflects in the fact that the world's top five DJs reside here
for four months annually to play at local clubs. It is claimed that they all come here to "medi-
tate and create music". For me, it holds the top position because of its sexy beaches, bars, sun-
set points, a mix of world population, awesome nightclubs and the freshest music.
NOW, GLOBAL PARTY HOPPING
By Shweta Mehta
N
ot content with heading to Goa for
the best parties every year, this 20-
something duo traveled around the
world seeking revelry. Now, taking their
global nightlife experiences into account,
Chirag Khandelwal and Akhilesh Lakhotia
have set up Trips Gone Crazy, a travel
company that focuses on party tourism.
"It was on one of our holidays that it
struck us that a lot of these places should
be promoted in India. Nightlife has become
an integral part of our lives, so we wanted
to club it with tourism," says Lahotia, who
has travelled to a range of destinations to
shortlist the best ones. Setting up the com-
pany was no mean feat. However, Lahotia
enthuses that facilitating tie-ups was not
too difficult. "Most places are tourist spots.
And after Europe's economy went down,
they were willing to work with us," he
explains. "We've got group deals that will
ensure a VIP experience for tourists."
According to Lahotia, since party
tourism falls under the category of special
interest tours, it will do well.
"Travelling culture is evolving, and
everyone wants to travel internationally,
even with a Rs 25000-30000 salary,"
explains Lahotia, adding that international
artistes too have been coming here and per-
forming at gigs.
"Many of them are resident DJs of clubs
on our itinerary." Here are their top five
destinations to visit:
The Rio Carnival, Rio
De Janeiro, Brazil
Full Moon Parties,
Koh Phangan,
Thailand
Electronic Dance
Music, Ibiza,
Spain
By Amulya Ganguli
E
ven before the country could ascertain
the implications of Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh's much-awaited cab-
inet reshufe, especially since it is supposedly
the last major one before the next general elec-
tion, the Mumbai blasts reminded it yet again
of its dangerous neighborhood and volatile do-
mestic scene.
For the present, the terrorist outrage appears
to be the handiwork of an indigenous group,
probably the Indian Mujahideen. But the curi-
ous coincidence of these attacks taking place
on the 13th and 26th of a month points to the
Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba's hand.
Before the multiple explosions in Mumbai
on Sep 13, the German bakery in Pune was a
terrorist target on Feb 13, 2010, before which
occurred the horrendous Mumbai massacres
of the Pakistani suicide bombers on Nov 26,
2008.
The fact, however, that India has experi-
enced no more than two major terrorist attacks
in the nearly three years after 26/11 is a sign
that the security situation has improved since
the days of the "spectacularly inept" Shivraj
Patil, to use the Wikileaks quote about the for-
mer home minister. There were minor ones, of
course, as in Varanasi on Dec 7, 2010, in
which two people were killed.
But one probable reason for the improve-
ment is that Pakistan may have decided to rein
in its jehadis because of the realization that an-
other Mumbai-style attack will earn it the
wrath of the world as never before. However,
there is every reason to believe that P.Chi-
dambaram has proved himself to be a compe-
tent home minister. That is undoubtedly the
reason why Manmohan Singh did not change
his portfolio despite a brief speculation that he
may be shifted back to nance.
It is probably also true that apart from Chi-
dambaram in home, Pranab Mukherjee in -
nance and A.K. Antony in defense, the Con-
gress's cupboard is quite bare where efcient
ministers are concerned. Even in the case of
the external affairs minister, S.M. Krishna, it
is no secret that his tenure hasn't been a no-
table success. While his gentlemanly de-
meanor is a plus point, he has all the makings
of a stop-gap arrangement, except that the par-
ty seems to have no one else at the senior lev-
el to turn to.
Even if the near-permanent status of the Big
Four shows that the Congress is not brimming
over with talent, it does give an opportunity to
them to focus on their jobs for the next few
years. In the context of the Mumbai blasts, the
fact that Chidambaram will have a relatively
undisturbed tenure is to be welcomed because
it will enable him to put in place an effective
counter-terrorism and also counter-insurgency
strategy since the Maoists, too, pose a grave
threat.
Where terrorism is concerned, the home
minister's brief overlaps with that of the exter-
nal affairs minister because of the Pakistan
factor.
(The author is a political analyst. The views
expressed are his own)
T
he much anticipated cabinet
reshufe in the end stood out
for what did not happen rather
than the big-ticket changes that many
thought Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh would make to give his gov-
ernment a new image. In the process,
the larger message -- either political
or on the economic front -- was clear-
ly lacking in the exercise.
The big four -- Pranab Mukherjee,
P. Chidambaram, A.K. Antony and
S.M. Krishna -- retained their portfo-
lios of nance, home, defense and
external affairs, belying talk of
"changes at the top".
Mukherjee was not made deputy
prime minister, although expected in
some circles, nor were other three
moved out despite whispers in the
corridors.
Krishna, despite adverse com-
ments on his handling of the foreign
ministry and unattering write-ups
about the undue inuence wielded by
his political advisor, retained the
portfolio whose strategic vision is
known to be outlined by the prime
minister himself.
The foreign minister, on whose
continuance many had put a question
mark, was told some days ago that he
should have no fears and was asked
to go ahead with preparations for the
coming visit of US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton.
There had been reports that Anand
Sharma wanted the job and he had
privately talked of his desire to return
to the ministry where he had served
as a minister of state before being el-
evated to cabinet rank with the com-
merce and industry portfolio.
He now has additional charge of
the textiles that was being held by
Dayanidhi Maran, who was made to
resign from the cabinet following
charges about his involvement in the
telecom license scandal.
The DMK could not decide on its
nominees in time to replace A. Raja
and Dayanadhi Maran, both of whom
had to resign in ignominy. Raja end-
ed up in jail and Maran is going to be
investigated.
Jairam Ramesh, an environmental
evangelist who put green concerns
on the front burner of the nation and
became a passionate and articulate
advocate for the emerging economies
in international forums, got promot-
ed for his work to cabinet rank.
Since Murli Deora resigned, his
son Milind Deora, who has made his
own name as a young MP with var-
ied interests, including being a per-
forming jazz guitarist, has been in-
ducted as minister of state for com-
munication and IT to complement
the work of his friend Sachin Pilot,
who too is a minister of state in the
ministry that will continue to be
overseen by Kapil Sibal.
Also Vayalar Ravi continues to
hold dual charge of aviation and
overseas Indian affairs. There has to
be another tinkering with the cabinet
in the near future to lighten the bur-
den of those like Sibal and Ravi who
continue to hold two heavyweight
portfolios each.
Salman Khursheed, who was part
of the government troubleshooting
team that interacted with civil socie-
ty representatives, has obviously be-
come one of the government's blue-
eyed boys along with Sibal and
Ramesh. Khursheed takes over the
law portfolio at a time when the
country's highest court has been ac-
cused of judicial activism and arro-
gating to itself executive roles that it
was not meant to play.
The prime minister and the Con-
gress president evidently did not
have enough condence in the new-
age wine in the party to replace the
old and infuse new hope in a people
who had become cynical and de-
spairing about the country in the face
of corruption scandals and growth
slowdown.
Op Ed 19
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
For the present, the terrorist outrage appears to be the handiwork of an indigenous group,
probably the Indian Mujahideen.
President Pratibha Patil administers oath to Milind Deora as Minister of
State, at a swearing-in Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
Mumbai attack shows India's vulnerable
Cabinet reshuffle a damp squib?
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 23-29, 2011
Students in Manchester start
signature campaign against terrorism
London: Indian students in
Manchester have started a signa-
ture campaign against terrorism.
According to a press release
issued by the organising commit-
tee of the Indian students of
Manchester, they will hold a sig-
nature campaign on Sunday from
11.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (local time)
in which around 120 Indian stu-
dents in Manchester will partici-
pate.
The event will focus on key
issues like creating awareness on
curbing terrorism in India and
appealing to the authorities in
India for immediate action, the
release said.
During the event, the students
will be asked to participate in the
signature campaign where they
will write their views and sign the
canvas. This will be followed by a
discussion of the key areas for
action and change. Every partici-
pant will address a letter of appeal
to The President of India.
'Get L.O.S.T' is a just a begin-
ning of an ongoing campaign for
addressing the immediate needs
for a safer India. Our vision goes
beyond this signature campaign
which we hope will create aware-
ness for many more initiatives,
encourage a better system and
ultimately try to bring about a
change in people' s attitude
towards security and resilience,
the release said.
Dubai based Indian driver
files RTI on NRIs
Dubai: A Dubai-based Indian driver
has filed an application under the
Right to Information ( RTI) act to
find out about the exact number of
overseas Indians and the state of their
welfare.
Kamaruddin Valiyavalappil has
taken this step after his earlier bids to
seek information were denied.
According to a news report, the
court ordered the concerned authori-
ties to furnish the information within
six months, which Kamaruddin
alleges was never acted upon, forcing
him to sue them in the Kerala High
Court.
The driver who works for a compa-
ny based in UAE's Jebel Ali and has
been in the Gulf for over two decades
says he is ready with a charter of
rights including declaring an expatri-
ate policy in tune with the Indian
Constitution, ensure voting right for
all NRIs, reserve seats in the Indian
Parliament and assemblies for NRIs.
Using the platform of the
Federation of NRIs, Kamaruddin has
now designed detailed welfare char-
ter for overseas Indians demanding
more rights and respect for those
who contribute to the economy
through their remittances which run
into billions every month, the
Emirates 24/7 report said.
Before approaching the Kerala
High Court, he also wrote to the
Prime Minister, including his charter
of demands for expatriate welfare,
but found no response.
His charter of demands includes,
among others, rehabilitation and
implementation of welfare measures
for expatriates returning home due to
job loss.
His law suit calls for action against
the Indian Government, represented
by the Foreign Secretary Nirupama
Rao, Kerala State Government repre-
sented by Chief Secretary, Minister
of Overseas Affairs, Vayalar Ravi,
and other concerned officials, who
according to him, have not responded
to the Kerala High Court's directive
to provide him vital information that
he requested as per the Right to
Information Act.
20 Diaspora
July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Melbourne: Following several incidents of vio-
lence against Indian students in Australia, commu-
nity leaders here have teamed up to help new
migrants from India to adjust to a new life in this
country.
A team of prominent community leaders in asso-
ciation with the Indian Consulate here have formed
' Committee on Student Related Activities'
(COSRA) that would hold workshops for students
educating them about several issues vital for any
new migrant.
The community realized that some homework
was needed from the students' end as well. The
inception of COSRA took place after realizing that
need. "I believe that the positive impact of
COSRA's activities will go well beyond individual
students in Australia and will assist with increasing
enrollments in educational institutions in
Melbourne in the longer term," said Primus
Australia CEO Ravi Bhatia, coordinator of the
group.
It will assist new students from India in settling
down in the country. The group would also provide
them personalized help in dealing with emergen-
cies.COSRA will extend emergency assistance as
"point of last resort" for medical advice, legal
advice, bridging accommodation and employment
advice. A large group of volunteer doctors, lawyers
and other highly skilled professionals are part of the
organization.
Indian community leaders form
group to help students in Australia
Panaji: Thousands of Goans scattered all over the
world will converge in London next week to voice con-
cerns over rampant mining and corruption in Goa and
issues related to job security and unemployment faced
by the diaspora.
The Global Goans Convention (GGC), scheduled to
begin in Britain July 22, is being hosted by diaspora
groups in association with the Goa government and is
being held in tandem with the UK Goan festival.
Eddie Fernandes, a London-based spokesperson for
the GGC, said that the brazen destruction of mountains
and water-bodies in Goa's hinterland caused by mining
was a cause of concern amongst the diaspora and that it
needed to be tackled, 'before it is too late for Goa'.
'This is an issue which needs addressing before it is
too late for Goa. The rampant illegal mining taking
place in Goa is a cause for concern. We are fortunate
having Carmen Miranda, a mining activist in London.
She has been making representations in Goa and Delhi
too,' Eddie said.
Carmen Miranda, a former regional director of the
Panos Institute, has been lobbying for an end to indis-
criminate and illegal mining in Goa, which is literally a
Rs.6,000 crore industry.
Conservative estimates put Goa's illegal mining indus-
try at nearly 18 percent of the 45,000 million metric
tonnes output, according to government data.
According to Eddie, the GGC, which will see thou-
sands of expat Goans from the US, Canada, Australia,
Europe and Africa converge in London for the three-day
event, will also see the community connecting with their
roots and culture.
'As this coincides with the 50th anniversary of Goa's
independence, this is the main theme. Other objectives
are to celebrate Konkan culture and to discuss some of
the problems in Goa today,' he said.
Goan convention in London to discuss
environment issues back home
Australian school
apologizes to Sikh boy
Chandigarh: A Catholic school
in Melbourne has apologized to a
Sikh student for forcing him to
shave off his beard, a communi-
cation from the union ministry of
external affairs (MEA) to a
Punjab MP said.
Following news reports of a
Sikh boy being asked by school
authorities to shave his beard,
Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab
Avinash Rai Khanna had raised
objections and written to the
MEA demanding government
intervention into the incident.
The MEA conveyed the infor-
mation to the Indian High
Commission in Canberra.
Khanna said Thursday that he
has received a communication
from the ministry stating that the
school principal has apologized to
the student.
'The letter from the ministry
states that the school is relatively
a new one. As per school rules
and regulations, it is mandatory
for students to shave off their
facial hair. In this particular case,
two students, including a Sikh
boy, were stopped by one of the
teachers and were given a razor to
shave off their facial hair, '
Khanna said.
'While the other Catholic boy
shaved his facial hair, the Sikh
boy said that he did not know
how to shave as he had never
shaved before. One of the senior
students told him how to shave
but he did not shave his hair,' he
added.
The Indian High Commission at
Canberra was told by the school
that, at no stage, the Sikh boy had
indicated his religious practices
which led to the incident.
The principal of school has
apologized for hurting the senti-
ments, Khanna said.
Kamaruddin Valiyavalappils
charter demands rehab and imple-
mentation of welfare measures for
expats back home after job loss
Illegal mining in Goa is multi million dollar industry
Subcontinent 21
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 23-29, 2011
Islamabad: Hina Rabbani Khar
was sworn in as Foreign Minister
of Pakistan; five months after she
entered the Ministry as Minister of
State (MoS). She was sworn in by
Acting President Farooq H. Naek
in the absence of President Asif Ali
Zardari who is presently visiting
Afghanistan.
Khar's elevation is being linked
to her upcoming visit to India for
the foreign minister-level engage-
ment next week. Though she has
been representing Pakistan in inter-
national fora and interacting with
counterparts from other countries
including British Foreign Secretary
William Hague, much was made of
her visiting India for the ministerial
engagement as an MoS.
Hours before her elevation,
Indian High Commissioner Sharat
Sabharwal called on her at the
Foreign Office to discuss the New
Delhi meeting. Expressing satisfac-
tion at the resumption of full spec-
trum dialogue and progress made
so far, she stressed the need for the
dialogue process to be uninterrupt-
ed and uninterruptible.
At 34, Khar is the youngest and
first woman Foreign Minister of
Pakistan. Born into a political fam-
ily, she switched from the Pakistan
Muslim League (Q) to the Pakistan
People' s Party before the 2008
elections.
The Foreign Minister-level
engagement between India and
Pakistan will be held on July 27 in
New Delhi, according to a refer-
ence made in a statement issued by
the Prime Minister's Office recent-
ly. Though the foreign ministries of
the two countries are yet to make
an official announcement in this
regard, a PMO statement regarding
a meeting between Prime Minister
Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and Khar
said she briefed him about her
scheduled Ministerial Dialogue
with India on 27th July in New
Delhi'.
Pak gets FM ahead
of India visit
At 34, Hina Rabbani Khar is the
youngest and first woman Foreign
Minister of Pakistan.
Islamabad: Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, the Al Qaeda
commander who was believed to have been killed last
month in a US drone attack in Pakistan, is alive, a
media report said.
Kashmiri is still active in the border areas of
Pakistan and Afghanistan, Dawn said on its website
quoting unnamed sources.
Media reports had earlier said that Kashmiri was
killed in a US drone attack in Pakistan' s South
Waziristan tribal region.
The US and the Pakistani government however
could not confirm his death.
Anti-terrorism experts describe Kashmiri as one of
Al Qaeda's main commanders. He was held responsi-
ble for a number of attacks in Pakistan, including the
May 22 attack on a navy airbase in Karachi and the
2009 attack on the army headquarters in Rawalpindi.
The US believe that Kashmiri, who is also a member
of the terror group Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami (HuJI),
was behind the March 2006 suicide bombing of the
US consulate in Karachi that killed four people and
wounded 48 others. The US State Department desig-
nated him as a "global terrorist".
Ilyas Kashmiri is alive: Report
The Al Qaeda commander is still active in the border
areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Gen. David Petraeus.
Kabul: Gen. John Allen took
over command of American and
coalition forces in Afghanistan
f r om Gen. Davi d Pet r aeus,
assumi ng r esponsi bi l i t y as
Af ghani st an' s i nt er nat i onal
allies draw up exit plans from
the nearly 10-year conflict.
Allen said that the drawdown
of US forces that started earlier
this month and the transition of
some areas to Afghan control
this week does not mean that
international forces are easing
up in their campaign to defeat
the Taliban insurgency.
"It is my intention to maintain
t he moment um of t he cam-
paign," Allen said at the han-
dover ceremony in the Afghan
capital. He said however, that
he does not expect the fight to
be easy.
"Ther e wi l l be t ough days
ahead. I have no illusions about
the challenges ahead," he said.
US officials have trumpeted
success in reclaiming Taliban
st r onghol ds i n sout her n
Af ghani st an and t r ai ni ng
Afghan security forces as signs
t hat t hey are fi nal l y maki ng
pr ogr ess t owar d peace i n
Afghanistan. But violent attacks
have cont i nued, i ncl udi ng a
number of high-profile assaults
and assassi nat i ons i n recent
weeks.
At l east 37 i nt er nat i onal
forces have been killed so far
this month in Afghanistan.
Allen, who was promoted to a
four-star general shortly before
the handover ceremony, takes
over from Petraeus, who com-
manded international forces in
Afghanistan for one year and is
ret i ri ng from t he mi l i t ary t o
become t he di r ect or of t he
Central Intelligence Agency.
The ceremony came just hours
after security forces in the capi-
tal killed the final attacker in
t he assassi nat i on of a cl ose
advi ser t o Pr esi dent Hami d
Karzai.
The Taliban claimed responsi-
bility for that attack, in which
two gunmen shot Karzai adviser
Jan Mohammed Khan and a
parliamentarian he was meeting
with in his house.
Petraeus cedes
Afghan command
Protest over Indian docs in Lanka
Colombo: Sri Lankan doctors
have voiced opposition to the
authorities' move to allow over
100 medical practitioners from
India to serve in this country's pri-
vate hospitals despite "lack" of
necessary qualifications and
vowed to take trade union action.
"We are disturbed by the deci-
sion by the Sri Lanka Medical
Council and the Director General
Health Services to allow over 100
Indian doctors to serve here who
are lacking the necessary qualifi-
cations," said Upul Gunasekera, a
senior official of the doctors' trade
union, the Government Medical
Officers' Association (GMOA).
Gunasekera said the GMOA's
executive committee will meet
soon to decide on a suitable
course of trade union action in
protest. "Two Indian heart sur-
geons have been allowed to work
here since last week. We repre-
sented matters to the medical
council over their unsuitability to
work. They were ignored and they
have been registered to work
despite our protests," he said.
Gunasekera claimed that some
of the Indian doctors who serve
here had not even registered with
India's national medical council.
Sri Lankan heart surgeons are
not allowed to handle surgeries
unless they have undergone eight
years of training.
But, the Indian doctors are being
allowed to handle heart surgeries
with just 11 months of training, he
charged.
Doctors at the Government Medical Officers' Association, Sri Lanka.
22 International
July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
London: A lot of questions and lot
of explanations were presented by
Rupert Murdoch and his team at the
hearing of the hacking scandal sur-
rounding his media empire in front
of the House of Commons.
However not all of the explanations
were convincing enough.
Murdoch told the House that sit-
ting in front of them explaining the
entire hacking scandal was the most
humble day of his life. Murdoch
also said that he was unaware of the
hacking and that he was misled.
When asked if he were aware that in
2003 Rebekah Brooks gave evi-
dence to the parliamentary commit-
tee and admitted to paying the
police, he said he was not aware at
the time.
"I am now aware of that, I was not
aware at the time, I am also aware
that she amended that fairly quickly
after that," Murdoch said. Murdoch
admitted that it was not the job of
his News Corp to get in the course
of justice and that providing justice
was the job of the police.
Murdoch said, "It was not our job
to get in the course of justice it was
up to the police to bring those
charges and to carry out their inves-
tigation which we were 100 per cent
cooperative with."
Earlier, in a dramatic development
perhaps never witnessed in UK`s
illustrious parliamentary history, an
intruder barged into a Westminster
committee room hearing Rupert
Murdoch`s and his son James`s tes-
timonies and shoved a plate filled
with shaving foam at the media
baron, temporarily breaking up the
session that was nearly two hours
over schedule.
On being asked for the reason of
his calling it the end for the 168-
year-old British tabloid News of the
World, Murdoch said he closed
down the newspaper because he felt
ashamed of how it functioned.
"Yes we felt ashamed of what had
happened, we though we would
bring it to a close," said Murdoch. "I
am not responsible for the whole
fiasco. The police should hold those
people whom I trusted and in turn
they trusted others who may be
responsible for the fiasco," he
added.
Apart from Murdoch, his son
James Murdoch and former Chief
Executive of News International
Rebekah Brooks were also present
at the hearing. Brooks gave blank
denials to all questions thrown at
her, raising the question of her cred-
ibility. While she did admit to mis-
takes like the use of listening
devices, she also claimed that quick
remedial action was taken.
"Of course we made a mistake but
I think we acted quickly after we got
new information," Brooks said.
Brooks accepted the fact that pay-
ments were made to certain police
officials to keep the entire scandal
under wraps but she denied knowing
any specific names of the personnel
involved. She added that private
detectives were hired and their pay-
ments were made through managing
directors.
Drama, denials at Murdoch hearing
Qaeda aims targets
outside US
Washington: Under the new lead-
ership, al Qaeda is planning to
shift its strategy from attacking
inside the US to those western tar-
gets outside America, a report has
said.
This is because, new al Qaeda
leader Ayman al-Zawahiri,
believes that it is easier to attack
western targets outside the US
rather than those on the US home-
land.
"This broader attack strategy
advocated by Zawahiri better
aligns the goals of al Qaeda' s
leaders in Pakistan and affiliates,
particularly in Yemen, which are
increasingly becoming the group's
frontline operators," 'The Wall
Street Journal' reported.
The modus operandi of al
Qaeda's branch in Yemen is to
conduct any type of attack possi-
ble, whether or not it will have a
spectacular result, US officials
told the paper.
However, the news report said it
is not clear how the new al Qaeda
leader would execute his new
strategy.
"Zawahiri has kept a low profile
since taking over the terrorist
group. He released a video on
June 8 eulogizing bin Laden and
vowing revenge for the al Qaeda
leader's death. But it wasn't until
June 16 that al Qaeda announced
Zawahiri as its new leader, and he
hasn't been heard from publicly
since," the daily said.
Man in check shirt (left) tried to attack Rupert Murdoch with a plate of
shaving foam, the attack was averted by Murodhc's wife, Wendi Deng
Caracas: An aide to Venezuelan
leader Hugo Chavez said there is
no doubt the president will run for
re-election next year despite his
struggle with cancer. The remark
by Finance Minister Jorge
Giordani came as Chavez was in
Cuba undergoing cancer treat-
ment.
"There's no doubt he's going to
be there in the 2012 elections, and
afterward for many more years,"
Giordani said in an interview on
state television.
The 56-year-old Chavez, who
has been in office more than 12
years, has indicated he intends to
continue with his re-election cam-
paign next year despite his illness.
Chavez
Fidel Castro has often been at
Chavez' s side during the
Venezuelan leader's treatment in
Cuba. Chavez underwent surgery
in Cuba on June 20 to remove a
cancerous tumor, which he has
said was the size of a baseball. He
hasn't said what type of cancer has
been diagnosed or specified where
exactly it was located, saying only
that it was in his pelvic region.
Chavez has said the chemother-
apy is aimed at ensuring cancer
cells don't reappear. He hasn't said
how long the treatment is likely to
last. When asked how long
Chavez could be away, Vice
President Elias Jaua told state tel-
evision in an interview Monday
night: "I don't know. That will
depend on his treatment."
The 56-year-old Chavez indicated he intends to continue with
re-election campaign next year despite his illness.
The modus operandi of al Qaeda's branch in Yemen is to conduct
any type of attack possible.
'Chavez will run in 2012 vote'
Conakry: Guinea' s newly
installed president survived a
rocket attack on his residence that
left one dead and led to the arrest
of the coup-prone country's for-
mer army chief.
A group of rogue soldiers
opened fire on Alpha Conde's res-
idence overnight, sparking a two-
hour gun battle that rattled the
first democratically elected
Guinean president after seven
months in power.
"My house was attacked last
night but I congratulate the presi-
dential guard who fought hero-
ically from 3:10 am until 5.00am
(local and GMT) before backup
arrived," Conde said on state tele-
vision. Conde later told French
radio station RFI that he avoided
being hurt in the overnight attack
because he was not sleeping in his
bedroom when it was blasted with
bazookas and rocket-propelled
grenades.
The president said two military
leaders were detained.
Guinea president survives rocket attack
PM Cameron testifies
to Parliament
B
ritish Prime Minister
David Cameron told
Parliament Wednesday
that he wishes he had never hired
former News of the World editor
Andy Coulson as his communica-
tions director.
Cameron stopped short, howev-
er, of admitting error, saying only
that, knowing what he knows
now, I would not have offered
him a job and I expect he would
not have accepted. He added
that, if it is proven that Coulson
knew about phone hacking, he
will have been lied to and he will
be open to criminal charges.
Cameron also refused to deny
discussing BSkyB with News
Corp. executives, saying online "I
have never had one inappropriate
conversation."
Guinea's newly installed president
Alpha Conde.
Business 23
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 23-29, 2011
New Delhi: US avi-
ation watchdog
Federal Aviation
Ad mi n i s t r a t i o n
(FAA) said it would
cooperate with the
Airport Authority of
India (AAI) on
developing the
ground-based aug-
mentation system
(GBAS) used for
flight navigation.
"AAI has shown
keen interest in strengthening and
developing GBAS. We will cooper-
ate with them," J. Randolph Babbitt,
chief administrator of FAA, said at
an industry event here.
GBAS is a critical safety system
that uses the global positioning sys-
tem (GPS) for efficient and safe
navigation and flight operations like
landing, departure and surface oper-
ations within its area of coverage.
According to Babbitt, aviation
safety was a key area in which FAA
would increase its cooperation with
the Indian authorities. "We are also
looking at runway safety and new
technologies like satellite-based
navigation system which will
increase safety," he said.
"India's aviation sector is poised
to grow, with the overall traffic last
year growing by 23 percent and
domestic traffic alone growing at 12
percent. This trend will continue and
safety is an important part of it,"
Babbitt said.
US-India to work on
flight navigation
India's aviation sector is poised to grow, with the
overall traffic last year growing by 23 percent and
domestic traffic alone growing at 12 percent.
New Delhi: The US government's
Overseas Private Investment
Corporation (OPIC) intends to
infuse $820 million for renewable
energy sector projects in India in the
current calender year, its chief said.
"We hope to generate $820 mil-
lion in this calender year to con-
tribute to the growth of the renew-
able energy sector in India," OPIC
president and chief executive
Elizabeth Littlefield said at an
industry event here.
According to Littlefield, a major
chunk of about $520 million of the
expected investment would come
from American companies which
would invest in renewable energy
sector, while the remaining $300
million will come from private equi-
ty investments. "By the end of this
calender year we hope to have gen-
erated $520 million in brand new
investments from American compa-
nies and on top of that $300 million
of private equity. So that's $820 mil-
lion," Littlefield, who was a member
of US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton's delegation, said.
Littlefield further said that her
agency has doubled the clean energy
project portfolio in India in a single
year and this now stands at 2,200
MW. "In the last one year, we have
worked very hard with large and
small companies in the field of solar
energy, off-grid power suppliers,
village-based bio-gas plants,"
Littlefield said, adding that her
agency views the investments in
renewable energy sector as a part of
broader investments for the infra-
structure sector.
Littlefield further said that that the
magnitude of investments and inter-
est in India was growing and that
India has gained the status of one of
her agency's most important partner
countries.
US to invest $820 mn in
India's energy sector
Air India had booked 27 Boeing 787s in 2006 in a mega deal
for 68 aircraft from Boeing.
New Delhi:
Spurred by attrac-
tive prices, India's
farmers produced
record grain in the
j us t - c onc l ude d
2010-11 farm year,
even as the world
struggled with
shortages.
The country pro-
duced record 242
million tons of
foodgrain in 2010-
11 farm season
(July-June), the fourth advance
estimates showed.
Foodgrains comprise rice,
wheat, coarse cereals and pulses.
In 2009-10, the total farm output
was 218 million tonne as com-
pared to 234 million tonne in the
year before.
However, sustaining the record
output may be difficult this year
because of the poor rainfall in
July may affect sowing and even-
tually the output. By mid-July, the
country had received 3% below
normal rainfall with 13 meteoro-
logical departments reporting a
deficit.
The record foodgrain output was
largely because of a sharp rise in
production of wheat to 86 million
tonne against 81 million tonne in
the year before. The record high
oilseeds production of 31 mt will
also help cut India's vegetable oil
imports by about a million tonne.
India had imported 9.2 million
tonne of vegetable oil last year to
meet the domestic shortfall.
Experts have urged the govern-
ment to allow larger exports to
help farmers get higher prices.
2010-11: Year of
record crop for India
New Delhi: Developing cold storage facilities to
strengthen food security in India is a main priority
for the US, an official of the US Trade and
Development Agency (USTDA) said here.
"One of our main priorities here is the cold chain
storage facilities to strengthen food security in
India," said USTDA director Leocadia I. Zak, who
was a member of the delegation led by US Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton on a three-day visit here.
Zak said the agency was funding 100 priority
development projects in the country, including in
infrastructure and energy sectors.
"We are engaged in many projects here, including
energy, infrastructure but cold chain storage remains
one of the main priorities," Zak said at an industry
event here.
US developing cold storage facilities in India
Bangalore: As the next technology wave, cloud com-
puting by enterprises has the potential to create about
100,000 new jobs in India, a latest study has said.
"Of the projected $4.5-billion total cloud computing
market in India by 2015, private cloud will account for
$3.5 billion, generate about 100,000 additional jobs and
save about 50 percent of cost of IT operations for Indian
enterprises," the study "Private Cloud Landscape in
India", by Zinnov Management Consulting and global
IT firm EMC Corporation, revealed.
In cloud computing, multiple servers are used as a sin-
gle platform through a digital network (website) under
secured environment with access to a range of applica-
tions and tools for reducing the cost of IT operations.
Cloud computing is emerging as the next big IT serv-
ice for its pay-as-you-go model, which eliminates capi-
tal intensive investment by companies, especially small
and medium enterprises (SMEs) in setting up IT infra-
structure.
Spend on using cloud by information technology and
back office firms, telecos, BFSI (banking, financial
services and insurance), manufacturing and government
organizations is set to increase to 8.2 percent over the
next five years from 1.4 percent in 2010.
"There will be an increased preference of cloud adop-
tion over the next five years in India. The total cloud
market, which was about $400 million in 2010, is
expected to growth by a whopping 60 percent annually
with private cloud dominating the landscape," Zinnov
chief executive Pari Natrajan told reporters here.
Cloud computing next big thing for India
Cloud computing by enterprises has the potential to cre-
ate about 100,000 new jobs in India, says a new study.
The country produced record 242 million tons of
foodgrain in 2010-11 farm season.
24 Sports
July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Test cricket: Time for an Indian authority
I
ndia are No.1 Test nation for over a year
now. This is undisputed, and so is that
India are the World Champions in the
limited-overs cricket. Yet, there are murmurs
that India will have to win a series in
Australia and South Africa to be truly called
world champions. Before that India will
have to overcome England in the four-Test
series, starting at Lord's from July 21 .
India cannot ask for a greater occasion to
stamp their superior status than winning their
100th Test against England and the 2000th in
the game's history. Then Sachin Tendulkar
has his milestone to reach, his hundredth
international century, failing which either
Rahul Dravid or Venkata Sai Laxman can
make it a ton of centuries between the three
of them by reaching the three-figure mark at
the cricket's hoary headquarters.
Seldom has a Test been invested with so
much. The English media has a knack of
hyping up their sport, cricket is no exception.
There is little doubt that the two teams have
been playing consistently well in Tests and
they have come a long way.
Call it confidence or overconfidence,
Englishmen are entitled to believe that by the
end of the series their side have a good
chance of displacing India from the top.
For India, it is a big opportunity to seal the
series and state that they are the No.1, not
because of their manipulative skills playing
three-Test or two-match series as some
believe, but by proving they have it in them
to win four-Test series.
The series itself is pregnant with all sorts
of possibilities. If England are looking to
win it either 3-1 or 2-0, India would first try
to win at least one Test and draw another to
make sure they remain the top side.
If England can proudly claim that the
Andrew Strauss-Andy Flower combination
has done enough in the last two years to
bring the team to a stage where they are con-
fident they can beat any side in the world,
India's new coach Duncan Fletcher would
like to make sure he can keep the team
where his ward Gary Kirsten left -- best in
the world in two of the three formats of
international cricket.
What was thought to be a three-way race
between India, South Africa and Australia
for both the Test and ODI world champi-
onships has got expanded with England
barging in after their Ashes triumph. If
Australia are still in the process of rebuilding
their side, South Africa are left fighting their
nerves despite raising a crack team. India
and England are today considered the best
Test teams with a consistent record to back
them up.
It is a series that is going to keep Test
cricket alive. You don't need a timeless Test
to decide the championship. The four Tests
will see the world's best batting line-up tak-
ing on what is touted as the best pace attack
plus the world's best off-spinner.
India's pace attack, spearheaded by Zaheer
Khan, is no less potent even if Harbhajan's
strike rate has not matched Swann's in the
last couple of years. At the end of it, it is the
team that can take 20 wickets more than
once that will deserve to be at the top of the
heap. Whatever be the outcome, it is a series
that can stand out if the captains do not
kill it.
Warne's statue to weave magic again!
Melbourne: Arguably the greatest
leg-spinner in cricket history,
Shane Warne has been the biggest
headline maker in the last few
decades. Now he has announced
his retirement from all levels of
cricket.
As a tribute, a 300 kilogram
bronze statue of Warne is under
construction by Louis Laumen, a
Melbourne-based sculptor. He has
been assigned to make this statue,
which is likely to be erected during
the Boxing Day Test, scheduled to
be played between Australia and
visiting India this December.
Speaking exclusively from
Melbourne, he told Indian journal-
ist Bipin Dani, "The Shane Warne
statue is to be about nine feet high,
so the amount of bronze will be
about 300 kg. I imagine that there
will be a number of cricketing
greats, past and present, attending
the unveiling ceremony on
December 26. If Sachin Tendulkar
is there, of course I would be
delighted to meet him.
Laumen is the sculptor of 10 stat-
ues already erected, which include
Don Bradman, Keith Miller, Bill
Ponsford and Dennis Lillee. "In
Australia as in India there are very
many who are passionate about the
game of cricket. As a professional
artist it is pleasing to give pleasure
to so many by portraying their
heroes. For me, the challenge is to
portray character and I have always
found great sportsmen to have dis-
tinctive and forceful personalities. I
was especially moved meeting
Keith Miller at the end of his life; a
man of great distinction in many
ways -- a great lover of classical
music and poetry amongst other
things," he said.
Back to Warne. Whether contro-
versies, headlines and adoring
females chased him or he chased
them is a question which will never
be answered. Although the word
living legend has become over-
used and clichd, Warne is defi-
nitely one, along with boxing
immortal Mohammed Ali, golfing
great Tiger Woods, Garry Sobers
and our own Tendulkar.
Warne remains the only cricketer
past or present who has
inspired a musical play. That was
in May 2009. In that musical the
role of former Test cricketer Terry
Jenner (who died last month) is
shown with affection and humor.
Teenager Warne was talented in
both AFL and cricket but refused to
practice. He ignored his mothers
fervent pleas but listened to
Jenners coaxing and a star was
born!
Warne reached the acme of his
powers in late 1990s and is recog-
nized as among the Top-5 all-time
great cricketers along with Don
Bradman, Garry Sobers, Jack
Hobbs and Sachin Tendulkar.
Contemporary spinners Warney
and Murali will be remembered
with as much awe by batsmen in
1990s and 2000s as Australian Don
Bradman and Englishman Wally
Hammond by bowlers in 1930s and
40s.
Will we ever see the like of
Shane Warne, the rebel without a
cause -- the good, the naughty and
the epitome of artistry? But on 26
December, we will see his statue
before the Melbourne Test against
India.
Call it confidence or overconfidence, Englishmen are entitled to believe that by the end of
the series their side have a good chance of displacing India from the top.
The 9-ft statue of Shane Warne, who played his last cricket match
during IPL4, will be erected in Melbourne in December before
the Oz-India Test match. Shane Warne (Inset).
Harbhajan Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Bhajji, Dhoni in
spirited rivalry
over ads
New Delhi: Call it a teaser before
the real battle in England. Three
days before India kick off a do-or-
die tussle to defend their No. 1
Test ranking, the spirit seems to
be bubbling in the India camp. A
legal notice has been slapped on
the UB Group by Harbhajan
Singhs mother, asking them to
pull out an advertisement featur-
ing Mahendra Singh Dhoni that
ridicules the bowler. When con-
tacted, a UB spokesperson said
the company had no comments to
offer as yet.
The feisty bowler and his skip-
per have featured in surrogate
advertisements for rival liquor
brands.
While Harbhajans advertise-
ment for Royal Stag Mega Cricket
has a tagline make it large, the
commercial featuring Dhoni for
McDowells No. 1 Platinum Soda
shows a Harbhajan look-alike
being slapped by his father for
making huge ball bearings, with
the character asking himself,
Have I made it large?
Dhonis punch line is about
making a difference rather than
making it large. Harbhajans rep-
resentative, however, was quoted
as saying that too much should
not be read into the notice and that
all was well in the India camp.
Books 25
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 23-29, 2011
'Indian feminism more complex than of West'
F
eminism in India is more
complex compared to the
West, says writer-publisher-
activist Urvashi Butalia, whose
essay on a transgender`s life is the
lone Indian contribution in the lat-
est Granta anthology.
"A bit of blandness has crept
into Western feminism. The
Western feminists feel that most of
the issues they have fought for
have been achieved. But what we
have here is much more," Butalia
told reporters.
Butalias essay, Monas Story,
the life of transgender Mona
Ahmed and her search for a femi-
nine identity, features in the
British anthology of new-age writ-
ing, Granta: The F Word, devot-
ed to exploring the changing
dynamics of feminism through
articles, opinions, life stories and
poems.
"I am amazed that the current
issue of Granta has engaged so
many people in the debate about
feminism," Butalia said.
Her biography of Mona dredges
up the debates over gender swap
which continues to vex millions of
Indians to this day when alterna-
tive sexual groups and minorities
are asserting their rights the world
over and winning brownie points
in their crusade.
In India, despite the amendment
of Article 377 by the Delhi High
Court to allow the Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT)
communities marginal sexual free-
dom, eunuchs are still objects of
curiosity and doubt in the conser-
vative social fabrics - given the
historical stigmas, roles and
lifestyles associated with them.
"I met Mona, a boy-turned-girl,
at a birthday party in a graveyard.
The proximity of birth and death
stayed with us for many years in
the graveyard," Butalia said in her
book.
"The back wall of her home
abutted that of a morgue of a local
hospital and Mona would often
say to unsuspecting people, `I
have the dead behind me and the
dead below me`," she added.
Mona finds the grave on which
people had built their homes a
"fine way to live".
"Mona, born a boy, always
wanted to be a mother. She learnt
how to burp a baby even before
she adopted one," the writer said.
But like all other members of the
extended adopted families of
transgenders in India, tragedy
stalked her.
The birthday party where
Butalia met Mona was heart-rend-
ing.
"It turned out that Ayesha
(Mona`s daughter) had not come
to her own birthday party because
a few days earlier she had been
abducted by her adoptive grand-
mother Chaman and `mother`
Nargis, who along with Mona had
formed themselves into a family
for the child," the writer said.
If Butalia`s story in the antholo-
gy is a picture of an Indian reality,
Caroline Moorehead`s A Train In
Winter is a wrenching tale of a
police crackdown on French
Resistance in 1942. It is a tale of
the tough fronts women presented
to the police.
Of the 113 people detained in
the raid, 35 were women.
The youngest of those picked up
was a 16-year-old school girl,
Rosa Floch, and the eldest was a
44-year-old farmer`s wife,
Madeline Normand, who told
police the 39,500 francs in her
handbag was the money she had
paid for selling a horse -- standing
her ground during interrogation.
Nine months later, the women
were transported on the only train
meant to ferry women from the
French Resistance to Nazi death
camps. Said emerging African
writer Taiye Selasi, whom Granta
has introduced in its current issue
on feminism: "In the peculiar hier-
archy of African households, the
only rung lower than the mother-
less child is the childless mother."
Her narrative, Sex Life of
African Girls, a comment on the
vulnerability of women in big
families, drives home an irony:
"Africa may be opening itself to
the world, but in the regimented
filial closets voices of battered
wives are the last ones to be
heard."
After all, it is a mans home.
Arun Shourie pens down his family trauma
T
he compassion of the
Buddha and personal suf-
fering combined to script a
religion of pain and redemption
for journalist-politician-writer
Arun Shourie, who recalls the
trauma of bringing up his dis-
abled son and taking care of his
ailing wife in his new book.
Shourie fell back on the teach-
ings of Abraham and the Buddha
when waves of desolation swept
through him, and they helped
him cling on to his moorings, he
writes in the book, Does He
Know a Mothers Heart: How
Suffering Refutes Religion.
He began to write the book,
published by Harper Collins
India, in the winter of 2009 after
moving to Lavasa near Pune in
Maharashtra. The move came
after Shourie lost interest in
what he had been doing in
Delhi.
Your neighbors have a son. He
is now 35 years old. Going by his
age, you would think of him as a
young man, and on meeting his
father and mother would ask
almost out of habit, and what
does the young man do? That
expression young man does not
sit well as he is but a child,
Shourie says of son Aditya
(known as Adit), suffering from
cerebral palsy.
Adit cannot walk. Indeed, he
cannot stand. He cannot stand, he
cannot use his right arm. But he
speaks only syllable by syllable,
Shourie, 69, says in his book.
The father shouts at the child,
curses him. You are the one,
who brought misery into our
home. We knew no trouble till
you came. Look at you, weak,
dependent and drooling, he
lashes out.
But what if that father in ques-
tion is god, Shourie wonders.
The perspective suddenly
changes with the awareness that
father is god, he says. There
must be some reason God has
done this, he says.
Adit, he says, has a very high
threshold of painHe has
taught himself to bear unbeliev-
able amount of it, Shourie says.
He (god) says in his book that
he alone knows what is in the
womb; and how it is progress-
ing, the writer says. Quoting
ancient scriptures, he says: God
doth know what every female
womb doth bear, by how much
the womb falls short (of their
time and number) or do exceed.
Every single thing is before his
sight; in due proportion. It is he
who brought you forth from the
wombs of your mother.
The writer, once a hard-nosed
journalist who was editor of both
the Times of India and the Indian
Express in the late 1980s, recalls
moving to religion while rushing
a frequently ailing Adit to hospi-
tal. But another personal loss
accelerated the spiritual journey.
One day as (wife) Anita was
driving Adit and herself to
school, a jeep coming from the
opposite direction lost control. It
rammed into Anitas little fiat.
She and Adit were tossed inside
the car. Soon after the incident,
Anita began to feel peculiar sen-
sations on her left side. Soon the
stiffness developed into tremors;
eventually she was diagnosed
with having developed
Parkinsons disease. She was
around 42 at the time.., Shourie
looks back in time.
It prompts him to question
gods ways and infer a few eter-
nal truths, which to the writer are
strangely comforting. For dealing
with life and what it sends us, the
Buddhas position is the most
helpful, the writer suggests.
Buddha explains whether the
world is finite or infinite or both;
whether the Tathagata survives
after death or notthere is birth,
there is aging, there is death,
there is sorrow, lamentation,
pain, grief and despair. They
have to be dealt with, Shourie
says.
Shourie, who held portfolios
like disinvestment, commerce
and industry and communica-
tions in the National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) regime (1999-
2004), has written at least 20
books, dealing with issues such
as Indian law and polity, national
security, religion, economics, and
journalism.
In his new book, the one-time editor of Times of India
and Indian Express, who also served as a federal
minister, is trying to make sense of a son born
with cerebral palsy and his wife who developed
Parkinsons after a car accident at age 42.
Butalias essay, Monas Story, the life of a transgender and her search
for feminine identity, features in the Granta: The F Word
26 Health
July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Toronto: Pill popping seems to
be the easiest thing to do in the
world, especially when trying to
drive away our blues. But a study
says the habit may backfire.
Evolutionary psychologist Paul
Andrews of McMaster University
points out that patients on anti-
depressants are likely to invite
more cycles of depression.
His meta-analysis suggests that
people not popping pills are at a
25 per cent risk of relapse, com-
pared to 42 per cent or higher for
those who have taken and gone
off an anti-depressant, reports the
journal Frontiers of Psychology.
Andrews and colleagues ana-
lyzed dozens of previously pub-
lished studies to compare out-
comes for patients who used anti-
depressants against those who
used placebos, according to a
McMasters statement.
Andrews says anti-depressants
interfere with the brains natural
self-regulation of serotonin and
other neurotransmitters, and that
the brain can over-correct once
medication is suspended, trigger-
ing new depression.
Neurotransmitters are chemi-
cals which help transmit signals
from one neuron to another
across synapses (junctions of
such brain cells).
Andrews believes depression
may actually be a natural and
beneficial -- though painful --
state in which the brain is work-
ing to cope with stress.
New Delhi: Caffeine-rich energy
drinks pose dangerous health
risks and may cause seizures,
strokes or even death, a study
carried by the NGO Centre for
Science and Environment (CSE)
said Monday.
The NGO' s Pollution
Monitoring Lab conducted a sur-
vey from May to June which
picked energy drinks randomly
from markets across the country
and tested their caffeine levels.
The NGO' s Pollution
Monitoring Lab conducted a sur-
vey from May to June which
picked energy drinks randomly
from markets across the country
and tested their caffeine levels.
"Forty-four per cent of them
breached the caffeine limit of 145
ppm (parts per million) pre-
scribed by the government," the
study said.
Energy drinks can
be dangerous
Pill poppers invite more cycles
of depression
London: Women who constantly
worry about their weight could ruin
their career prospects, according to
a new report.
Almost a sixth of women say
their lack of confidence as a result
of their body shape, which in turn
is having a negative effect upon
their working life.
Nearly half of the women ques-
tioned also said they felt inade-
quate in the workplace as a result
of these insecurities.
Some 15 per cent said anxiety
about the way they looked had hin-
dered their career progression. One
in five of the 445 women ques-
tioned admitted that body image
worries impacted their daily life,
according to the survey carried out
by Dove.
Linda Papadopoulos, psycholo-
gist and author, said: This doesnt
come as a surprise at all. When you
are anxious about something, be it
your weight or otherwise, it
becomes the predominant thing on
your mind.
This would understandably
affect your working life and your
focus on your career. When women
grow preoccupied with their
appearance, they start to think
about themselves in the third per-
son.
They start thinking what a guy
would see, or what would another
woman see.
The findings concur with those
of research in Iceland.
In May, research showed that
carrying extra weight was damag-
ing to the employment rate and pay
of women. Yet not only were mens
job opportunities and salaries unaf-
fected by weight gain, they benefit-
ed from it slightly.
University of Michigan professor
Edward Norton, who conducted a
study in the U.S. in 2009, said:
There is something in western
society that seems to penalize
women for being overweight.
A University of Florida study
found that women 25lb above aver-
age weight earned 8,600 a year
less than those who weighed the
national average.
Worrying about her weight can
endanger a womans career Washington: There is new hope
for people suffering from irritable
bowels, marked by abdominal
cramping or pain, bloating and
gas, and altered bowel habits that
afflict millions worldwide.
A new treatment, called
InterStim therapy, is a minimally
invasive procedure which uses
electrical impulses to stimulate the
sacral nerve and improve muscle
function.
Sacral nerve emerges from the
sacrum, a triangular bone forming
the posterior section of the pelvis.
Its damage can result in a lack of
bladder or bowel control.
InterStim therapy has been
shown to reduce or eliminate irri-
table bowels in 80 percent of
patients, according to recent stud-
ies.
' Bowel control problems can
have a significant, detrimental
effect on a person' s emotional
well-being, ' said Anne-Marie
Boller, colon rectal surgeon at
Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
' Patients often struggle with
everyday activities and withdraw
from social interactions due to
embarrassment or fear, causing
them to suffer in silence,' said
Boller, according to a
Northwestern Memorial state-
ment.
'This treatment is a tremendous
advancement that has the potential
to improve patients' bowel control
and their quality of life,' Boller
said.
The treatment involves three
steps: test stimulation, surgical
implant and post-implant follow
up. During the first phase, a thin
wire is placed to stimulate the
sacral nerve.
This allows doctors to determine
if the patient is likely to benefit
from the therapy before moving
forward with the full procedure. If
the trial phase is successful, a
long-term neurostimulator device,
similar to a pacemaker, is then
implanted in the buttock.
New Therapy can ease irritable bowels
New York: The loss of a protein that coats sperm cells
may explain a significant proportion of infertility in men
worldwide, according to a new study.
The research by an international team of scientists led
by University of California Davis could open up new
ways to screen and treat couples for infertility, Xinhua
reported.
A gene DEFB126 encodes a protein called Beta
Defensin 126, which coats the surface of sperm and
helps it penetrate cervical mucus in the female.
A survey of samples from the US, Britain and China
showed that as many as a quarter of men across the
world carry two copies of the defective gene.
In the study, the researchers found that men with a
muted DEFB126 lack Beta Defensin 126, making it
more difficult for sperm to swim through the mucus and
eventually join with an egg.
Examining 500 newly-married Chinese couples,
researchers found that the lack of Beta Defensin 126 in
men with the DEFB126 mutation lowered fertility -
even when men did not display other deficiencies like
inadequate semen volume and low sperm motility.
Wives of men with the Beta Defensin 126 variant
were significantly less likely to become pregnant than
were other couples, and 30 percent less likely to have a
birth. This genetic variation in DEFB126 likely
accounts for many unexplained cases of infertility, the
researchers said. A paper describing the work was pub-
lished Wednesday in the journal Science Translational
Medicine.
Sperm coat protein may be key
to male infertility
Lifestyle 27
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 23-29, 2011
A
new survey has found that
couples like to romance in
the kitchen. According to
the poll, 44 percent of people
admitted to sharing intimate
moments with partners in the
kitchen, with almost one in 10 say-
ing it happens at least once a week.
And its not just newlyweds get-
ting hot and heavy on the stove top,
as one third of couples, who have
been together 15 years or more,
reported they still found time to get
amorous while cooking dinner.
The poll of more than 1000
Australians found 53 percent of
respondents revealing that the best
way to get in the mood for
romance is to share a home-cooked
meal.
Relationships expert Emma
Merkas said that food had been an
aphrodisiac for centuries.
I think shows like MasterChef
have increased interest in home
cooking and created an expectation
among women that men should be
able to get involved too, instead of
just leaving it to their partner,
News.com.au quoted her as saying.
Ninety percent of The Electrolux
Passion for Food Survey respon-
dents said a partners ability to
cook was important with six out of
10 women wanting a male whiz in
the kitchen. The traditional roast
topped the list of favourite meals
for romancing, followed by deli-
cious food with decadent chocolate
pudding the ultimate dessert.
M
obile phones, music, cos-
metics, snacks and drinks
are some of the things that
distract drivers, putting at risk the
lives of eight out of 10 motorists, a
new survey says. An alarming 82
percent of drivers confess to having
been badly distracted at some stage,
the survey for price comparison
website moneysupermarket.com
found.
Music is the single biggest cause
and 61 percent admitted that they
get distracted while changing CDs,
music on their iPods or radio sta-
tions, Daily Express reported.
Half said snacks and drinks are to
blame and 23 percent admitted to
making or taking calls on a hand-
held mobile phone while driving.
Among the under-35 age group,
36 percent admitted sending texts
while driving and two percent said
they looked at Facebook even while
driving.
Five percent of those surveyed
admitted to applying perfume or
make-up while driving and 15 per-
cent said they did not wear a seat-
belt.Last year, 16,485 British
motorists were convicted for driving
without due care and attention.
E
ver thought why some folk have a
sunnier disposition and sharper mind
in old age? Well, scientists have
found that an optimistic and light-hearted
outlook can be greatly beneficial for people,
especially in their elderly days. Scientists at
Hamburg University have discovered that
simply focusing on positive thoughts, and
living for the moment, rather than looking
too far into the future, can help maintain
good mental health, the Daily Express reported Monday.
Previously, good genes, exercise and even completing
crosswords were commonly cited as ways to keep one's
brain young.
Study author Stefanie Brassen says that suc-
cessful ageing came down to "the positivity
effect," which was "a biased tendency towards
and preference for positive, emotionally grati-
fying experiences".
Her team conducted an experiment in which
young and old were shown pictures of happy,
sad, fearful or neutral faces. The old were
much more engaged when they saw a happy
face. By scanning their brains, the team found
high levels of activity associated with good mental
health in the part of the brain that controls
emotions.Results published in the journal Biological
Psychiatry suggest that staying happy a
I
t is well known that a can be good for our
hearts, but now it has emerged that the
ingredients in our favourite alcoholic
drink can be beneficial for our skin and hair
too. More and more beauty companies are
incorporating extracts from popular drinks
like champagne, beer, vodka, cider and wine
into their formulations, and the following are
the reasons why.
"The grape extracts from champagne pro-
vide antioxidant protection from the free rad-
icals which can prematurely age skin," the
Daily Express quoted Sarah Adam, beauty
buyer for QVC Skincare, as saying of cham-
pagne.
"They also help balance out uneven pig-
mentation," she explained. Where beer is
concerned, the proteins from beer hops help
add volume to hair, boosting shine and even
stopping frizz.
"Hops can have antibacterial, astringent
and toning properties on the skin too," skin-
care expert Esther Cooney explained.
Vodka on the other hand works to tone,
brighten, cleanse and polish the skin, said
Rowena Bird, co-founder and product inven-
tor at Lush.
"It's often also used when creating per-
fume. It stabilises a perfume's scent," adds
fragrance expert Michelle D'Vaz. Next, cider
helps to keep our hair clean from pollution
by stripping away dirt.
"It can help clean away the build-up in hair
caused by pollution and lime from hard
water," Karine Jackson, organic hair colour
specialist said.
"It's alcohol based so will strip the hair of
impurities. Try it before you have a colour to
clear out build-up," Jackson advised.
Wine, which is already beneficial for our
hearts, is the most powerful antioxidant.
"Elements from the vine have amazing
benefits," Professor Joseph Vercauteren,
from Montpellier University of Pharmacy in
France said. "Grape seed polyphenols are the
most powerful antioxidants in the plant
world and protect the skin. Grapevine stalk
(resveratrol) is a fantastic anti-wrinkle and
firming ingredient for the skin.
"Grapevine sap (viniferine) boosts radi-
ance, prevents and corrects dark spots and
gives a luminous complexion," he added.
How vodka, wine make hair and skin shine
Kitchen, the best
place for romance?
Mobiles, music, lipstick putting
drivers at risk
How to stay young at heart, always
T
hroughout history, men have
been trying to impress
women, and throughout his-
tory, men have failed miserably. It
began with Oongah the caveman,
who thought he could impress the
cavewomen by hunting mammoths
and other large animals. After each
hunting trip, he would return home
with various tusk injuries, mostly to
his buttocks, and show them off to
all the cave dwellers, saying, "See!
Me real man!"
The cavewomen would giggle,
then cast their eyes on Dongah, who
had set himself apart from the other
cavemen by doing something that
seemed rather gentlemanly in those
days: going outside to pee. What
everyone didn' t realize was that
Dongah was going farther and far-
ther away from the cave.
Like generations of men to follow,
he was marking his territory. Soon
he controlled a vast expanse of land,
which he showed off to all the cave
dwellers, saying, "See! Me real
estate man!"
At first, the cavewomen were
impressed with Dongah's property,
which included many caves, trees
and rocks. But it didn't take long for
them to realize that he couldn't give
them what they really desired: credit
cards.
When it came to inventing things,
Dongah was out of his element,
overshadowed by a caveman named
Hongah, widely considered the
greatest inventor of his time, having
created what he called the "female-
impressing raging energy" (FIRE).
Unfortunately for Hongah, fire
didn't impress many women, partly
because they could no longer relax
in the evening.
They were now expected to cook.
But Hongah was determined to
impress women, so he spent his
days and nights on an even greater
invention, one that would have an
impact on the female species until
the very end of time. He called it the
handbag. Unfortunately for Hongah,
when he presented this new object,
made of the finest rabbit's fur, to an
attractive cavewoman, she hit him
over the head with it, saying, "Cook
it yourself." This was the beginning
of women's lib.
Fast forward to the 21st century
and only the names have changed.
Oongah is Oliver, the muscle-bound
man who pumps iron at the local
gym, attracting the attention of
women by grunting loudly like a
caveman. He has a chest the size of
a washing machine, yet he's saving
up for pectoral implants.
He wears tank tops, participates in
various sports and activities, and is
eager to share details of his latest
injury, whether he sprained his ankle
while skiing or strained his frontal
lobe while reading.
Dongah is Donald, the real estate
magnate who is creating his own
empire, signing deals to buy hotels,
casinos and sky scrapers, marking
his territory as publicly as possible,
simply by pulling out his pen. He
surrounds himself with beautiful
women and tries to keep them happy
by giving them the best handbags in
the world -- handbags full of credit
cards. Hongah is Hitesh, the tech-
nology whiz from India who owns
so many gadgets his friends call him
"Hi-tech." All his gadgets are wire-
less and multi-functional, such as
the cell phone he uses to take digital
pictures and the digital camera he
uses to make phone calls. Whenever
he meets a woman, Hitesh brings
out his gadgets, introducing them
with more pride than most people
introduce their children.
Each of these men has something
to offer women: Oliver has bulging
muscles, Donald has sprawling
property and Hitesh has 100 giga-
bytes of disk space. But the women
don't stick around for long. Strange
creatures, they seem to be looking
for something else.
28 Humor
July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Still figuring out what women want
Tech Life
Humor with Melvin Durai
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.
Laughter is the Best Medicine
WASHINGTON: Imagine
charging your iPhone or
mobile in a few seconds.
Well, your imagination may
someday turn into a reality,
say scientists who claim to be
working on " super batteries"
which not only recharge in
just seconds, but also have an
almost indefinite lifespan.
A team, led by Dan Li of
Monash University, says that
a combination of two ordi-
nary materials -- graphite and
water -- could help produce
such "super batteries" which
perform on par with lithium
ion batteries.
The scientists are, in fact,
working with a material
called graphene which may
form the basis of the next
generation of ultrafast energy
storage systems, the
'Advanced Materials' journal
reported.
"Once we can properly
manipulate this material, your
iPhone, for example, could
charge in a few seconds, or
possibly faster," said Li.
Graphene is the result of
breaking down graphite, a
cheap, readily available mate-
rial commonly used in pen-
cils, into layers one atom
thick. It is strong, chemically
stable, an excellent conductor
of electricity and, important-
ly, has an extremely high sur-
face area.
Li said these qualities make
graphene highly suitable for
energy storage applications.
"The reason graphene isn't
being used everywhere is that
these very thin sheets, when
stacked into a usable
macrostructure, immediately
bond together, reforming
graphite. When graphene
restacks, most of surface area
is lost and it doesn't behave
like graphene anymore," he
said.
The team has discovered
the key to maintaining the
remarkable properties of sep-
arate graphene sheets --
water. Keeping graphene
moist -- in gel form -- pro-
vides repulsive forces
between the sheets and pre-
vents re-stacking, making it
ready for real-world applica-
tion, say the scientists.
"The technique is very sim-
ple and can easily be scaled
up. When we discovered it,
we thought it was unbeliev-
able. We're taking two basic,
inexpensive materials --
water and graphite -- and
making this new nanomateri-
al with amazing properties,"
said Li.
When used in energy
devices, graphene gel signifi-
cantly outperforms current
carbon-based technology ,
both in terms of the amount
of charge stored and how fast
the charges can be delivered.
LONDON: Mobile phone
companies are coming up
with more and more weird
ideas to lure customers-
with the latest being the
development of 3G slip-
pers and wireless nappies.
Rather than selling more
phones, mobile firms are
now looking to squeeze
more revenue from the
customers and networks
they have already estab-
lished.
Engineers are develop-
ing 'SmartSlippers' with a
tracking chip in them that
will notify your relatives
when you fall.
"Think of what can be
gathered just off your
feet," the Daily Mail quot-
ed David Schieffelin,
chief executive of manu-
facturers 24eight, as
telling the Wall Street
Journal.
"Why shouldn't some-
thing as innocuous as a
data device be placed into
fuzzy slippers?"
Schieffelin added.
Researchers are also
working on wireless nap-
pies that will send parents
a text message when their
child needs attention.
"A parent can remotely
monitor a care centre and
get "diaper wet" messages
when they are at work,"
added Schieffelin.
Super battery to charge your mobile in seconds Coming soon: Wireless
nappies, 3G slippers!
Aries: This week you would experience
some development at work place, which
could have long lasting effect on your career.
Financial gains would not be as expected and
minor health problems could also upset your
productivity. Good week to embark on a pil-
grimage or participate in social work. You
should attend a literary program, which would
bring new ideas to your mind. Social events
would prove expensive but help in estab-
lishing long lasting contacts.
Taurus: This week it would be important that
you do not hesitate in seeking help and sugges-
tions from others if needed. Your morale will be
high and you should try your best to complete
pending projects on time. Expenditure rises but
fresh inflow of funds would make you smile.
For those travelling it would be a highly pleasur-
able and educating experience. No matter how
generous you might feel, avoid overspending on
others.
Gemini: This week new opportunities
would come through people you know.
You could face lots of embarrassment if you
promise more than what you can deliver, there-
fore be extra careful of what you say. You would
receive an important information from distant
place, which would bring happiness for you and
the entire family. You are likely to attend reli-
gious ceremonies or social function towards the
weekend.
Cancer: Perfect week to participate in
seminars and social functions. You
would be highly appreciated if you focus on the
welfare of all those around you. Socializing
would lead to new friendship and valuable infor-
mation. Planned investment would bring good
rewards. Pressure at work and home could make
you short tempered, but hard work and sincere
efforts would bring results and rewards that you
desire.
Leo: This week family members would
be highly demanding and would add
pressure to your mind. Dont be afraid to seek
support from friends. Visiting a place of worship
will bring mental peace. Good week for artistic
and educational pursuits. Relationship with
important people will improve. You are likely to
benefit from past investments. Watch your
words and hasty decisions, as it would only
bring losses.
Virgo: Business wise it would not be a
very good week, as results would fall
short of your expectations. Patience and cool
would be required to maintain harmony around
you. For those employed, it would be a hectic
and stressful week. They need to double-check
their work before presenting it to your seniors,
as they could easily be a victim of their bosss
erratic behaviour. End of the week would be bet-
ter for social activities and building new ties.
Household expenses would rise.
Libra: This week secret enemies would
try to harm you, so stay alarmed. Bold
steps and decisions would put you in a better
position in your organization. Real estate invest-
ment should be worthwhile, but lay your money
on the table only after consulting the experts.
Happiness and excitement would prevail at
home as guests and visitors come regularly and
bring you gifts in cash and kind.
Scorpio: Disagreements at work place
would only dampen your spirits and add
pressure to your mind. Your boss might be
unreasonable to you, but you need to swallow
whatever he say, as reacting could only create
further problems. Your frustration could also
ruin your health, so put your mind to rest and
stop thinking about these events. You should
spend the weekend in the company of close
friends. Rash driving and alcohol would prove
disastrous.
Sagittarius: This week unnecessary risk
should not be taken in business. All
investments need to be made carefully and with
proper consultation to avoid unnecessary losses.
You should do things that would add to your
popularity. You also need to take care of your
health. Period when everything you hear should
not be believed. Find the truth for yourself
before reaching to any conclusions. Overseas
news or offers for some cannot be ruled out.
Capricorn: This week your boss would
recognize your efforts, and reward you
handsomely. Your skills and technical knowl-
edge would be appreciated by others. You would
also easily dominate the opinions of people
around you, if you turn on your charms and use
your intelligence. Health of your spouse may
cause worry and need some medical attention.
Take extra care while driving. Travel would be
pleasurable and highly beneficial.
Aquarius: Stay alarmed as somebody
jealous of your popularity might try to
cause you major harm. You would also make new
plans, but at the back of your mind, you know
very well, that it would be difficult to execute
these plans without support from others. Tact
would be required to convince your group to fol-
low your directions. Secret affairs will be excit-
ing, but could severely damage your reputation.
Pisces: This week your imagination would run
wild, so put your thoughts on paper so
that you can refer to them at a later
stage. You should use your energy wisely, possi-
bly in competitive sports or outdoor games.
Certain changes made at the last minutes would
bring you results you want. You will be in the
position of authority and easily surpass rivals
that you might encounter. Travel for some
proves hectic and stressful. Invest wisely, espe-
cially in stocks.
July 23:
Ruled by number 5 and the planet Mercury. You are
practical, sensitive, friendly, diplomatic and an op-
timistic person. You possess a sharp memory, ex-
cellent health, and a powerful character. You are
highly respected in your group and people look up
to you for inspiration and support, but you need to
check your tendency to behave restless, nervous
and timid at times. This year brilliant opportunities
will come your way but you need to grab them be-
fore others. Financial gains will accrue from past
investments. A wonderful period to do things that
you enjoy and make you feel good. A distant jour-
ney for pleasure or pilgrimage seems likely later in
the year. Your health will remain good but health of
an aged family member will become a matter of
concern. New friendship and contacts developed
during this period will be highly worthwhile. The
months of February, April, August and October will
be eventful.
July 24:
Influenced by number 6 and the planet Venus. You
are highly energetic, independent, ambitious and
charming person. You are fond of socializing with
people, who are well educated, intelligent and hold
important positions in the society. You can easily
make friends, but you need to check your tendency
to behave moody, stubborn and lazy at times. The
year promises to bring you physical as well as fi-
nancial benefits. Your energy will be high and will
bring you immense gains. Speculation in real estate
will yield handsome returns. Distant travel will be
undertaken for business purpose as well as pleas-
ure. Children need to concentrate more on their ca-
reer. Health despite some initial hiccups will be
more or less fine. You need to spend time on med-
itation and yoga for remarkable gains. The months
of January, October and July will be highly signif-
icant and result oriented.
July 25:
Governed by number 7 and the planet Neptune.
You are independent, brilliant, quick, confident and
friendly person. You are very cheerful and pleasant
person and posses as excellent sense of humor. You
dislike office politics, arguments and confrontation,
but you need to check your tendency to behave jeal-
ous, introvert and selfish at times. The coming year
promises new hope and possibilities. Your gains
will commensurate according to your efforts, but
luck will definitely be on our side. Your imagina-
tion and skills will do wonders for you and your
creativity will be at all time high. Your best oppor-
tunities will develop through your association with
people who hold position of authority. Sudden
gains and losses are foreseen, therefore do not in-
dulge into hasty speculation. Children will bring
happy news later in the year. The month of March,
April, September and November will be eventful
months.
July 26:
Ruled by number 8 and the planet Saturn. You are
assertive, cheerful, confident, authoritative and en-
thusiastic person. You are gifted with strong intu-
ition, a lot of talent and a remarkable imagination.
You are simple and honest, but you need to control
your tendency to behave erratic, hypocrite and un-
grateful at times. This year investments will bring
you fresh gains and you will spend more on luxu-
ries and other comforts. Romantic entanglement
will be pleasant and chances to enter into a matri-
monial alliance will be very strong. Religious feel-
ings will arise making you embark on a pilgrimage
later in the year. Expect gifts and goodies both in
cash and kind, but some unexpected expenses will
take you by surprise. The months of January, April,
October and November will especially be signifi-
cant.
July 27:
Influenced by number 9 and the planet Mars, you
are dynamic, courageous, energetic, warm hearted
and a religious person. You are a great admirer of
music and literature. You are research oriented and
have a strong determination, but you need to check
your tendency to behave jealous, lazy and erratic at
times. This year you should plan things well in ad-
vance to reap benefits. Efforts that you put during
this period will bring desired results in the long run.
Favorable period for property investment. Ro-
mance will be on top of your list. There seem to be
chances too of a new arrival as well. Your financial
condition will improve as you pickup job involving
higher responsibility and position. Some exhilarat-
ing news from distant relations will boost up the
spirits of the entire family. Travel and journey will
be pleasurable. The months of June, August and
October will be significant for you.
July 28:
Governed by number 1, and the Sun, you are orig-
inal, active, responsible, trustworthy and a very
simple person. You are highly talented and fond of
accepting challenges, but you need to control your
tendency to dominate, overspend and behave de-
structive at times. This year long awaited promo-
tions and monetary benefits will finally be yours.
Financially you will face some problems initially,
but things will become better later in the year. This
is an excellent period to develop new contacts and
revive old ones. Travelling will be undertaken for
attending auspicious events. Avoid entering into
any financial joint ventures and stay away from
speculation. Wedding bells will ring for those eli-
gible towards the end of the year. The months of
February, June, October and November will be
highly important.
July 29:
Ruled by number 2 and the moon, you are a simple,
responsible, trustworthy, creative, intelligent and a
talented person. You have a sharp mind, which is con-
stantly searching for new ideas, but you need to con-
trol your tendency to behave restless and stubborn at
times. You'll start few new venture, and your income
would be from several sources. The people you would
meet through your work would inspire you to do your
best. Good flow of finances would improve your liv-
ing comforts and savings. An infatuation with the op-
posite sex would come as a surprise, but would add
spice to your life. The health of your parents will
cause some concern, but there is nothing to be wor-
ried about. The months of February, March, June and
August will be highly important.
Astrology 29
TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 23-29, 2011
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874; Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898,
2648 9899; psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
Stars Foretell: July 23-29, 2011 Annual Predictions: For those born in this week
i) Accurate Data: Please make sure Date,
Time and Place of birth is accurate.
ii) Careful: Did you check background of the
astrologer before disclosing your secrets.
iii) Fee: Discuss the charges before, dont feel
shy. Its his business.
iv) Expectation: Expect the best, if the out-
come is not as desired, never give up.
v) Consult: Take second opinion before
spending thousands on cure/remedies.
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July 23-29, 2011 TheSouthAsianTimes.info