Op Ed 32 Business 34 Astrology 37 Spiritual Awareness 38

NEW YORK EDITION

Cancer has taught
me a lot:
Yuvraj Singh
Sports,
Page 35
Who will be Indias
next President after
Mrs Pratibha Patil?
Foreign minister
Khar faces sack
for contradicting
Zardari
Subcontinent,
Page 33
For Sikhs,
Baisakhi stands
for founding of
Khalsa
Festival,
Page 27
Jagadguru visiting America to
promote knowledge of Hinduism
Vol.4 No.51 April 14-20, 2012 60 Cents Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New York: H. H. Jagadguru
Ramanandacharya Swami
Narendracharyaji Maharaj is visit-
ing the US and Canada from April
13- 30, 2012 to spread the true
knowledge and practices of Hindu
religion and culture, enabling an
opportunity to his followers to
seek his blessings and guidance in
their lives.
Starting with a program at
Nassau County Legislative
Chamber in Mineola, NY on April
14, Swamiji is scheduled to speak
at Columbia University, and at
various places in New Jersey,
South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana,
Arkansas, Illinois and California
as well as in Toronto.
Continued on page 4
New York/New Delhi: Bollywood super-
star Shah Rukh Khan was detained at a
New York airport for two hours Thursday,
sparking outrage in India. The US immi-
gration authorities apologized for the inci-
dent, but an unpacified New Delhi reacted
sharply, telling Washington this "habit of
detention and then apology" won't do.
Khan was detained at White Plains, NY
airport for two hours as he arrived to be
honored at Yale University as a Chubb
Fellow, joining a distinguished list which
includes former US presidents and Nobel
laureates.
The immigration authorities allowed him
to go only after his hosts intervened and
took up the issue with the Department of
Homeland Security in Washington, said
sources.
Sensing public outrage in India, the US
customs and border protection authorities
later expressed "profound" apologies over
Khan's detention. Khan's name was
Continued on page 4
New York: Two New
Yorkers, Ravishankar
Bhooplapur, President
of the Xavier
University School of
Medicine (Aruba) and
an eminent Rotarian,
and Peter Bheddah, a
humanitarian also
active in public
affairs, are among the
recipients of the 2012
Ellis Island Medals of
Honor. The medal is
given annually to distinguished
American citizens with roots in
another country, who exemplify a
life dedicated to community serv-
ice.
On April 10, the National Ethnic
Coalition (NECO) announced the
awards, which will be
bestowed at a ceremony on May
12 on Ellis Island in New York.
Past recipients of the award
include 6 US Presidents as well as
many Nobel Prize winners.
Continued on page 4
SRK detaining: India tells US
sorry won't do
Bhooplapur and Bheddah to
receive Ellis Island medal
Supercop and now anti-corruption crusader in Anna Hazare's core team, Kiran Bedi attended
Friday a reception hosted in her honor by Crystal Foundation of Kanwal Sra at Nanking
restaurant in New Hyde Park, NY. She is posing with Sra and his wife and SATimes Chairman
Kamlesh Mehta. Kiran Bedi is visiting New York to give a keynote address at the 8th annual
India Business Conference organized by Columbia Business Schools South Asia Business
Association. Titled India: Maintaining Momentum, the conference on Saturday at Columbia
University campus will also hear Ambassador Nirupama Rao and Prof. Jagdish Bhagwati.
Ravishankar
Bhooplapur
Shah Rukh Khan: visiting to get
Yale Fellow honor
Peter Bheddah
Swami Narendracharyaji Maharaj is a Jagadguru in the Vaishnavite
tradition, an equivalent of Shankaracharya.
Look inside for the
12-page supplement on
Swamijis America yatra.
Tristate Community 3
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 14-20, 2012
Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan visits NYC
to kickoff North American tour
By Vikas Girdhar/SATimes
New York: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, the
nephew of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali
Khan, visited New York City on Thurs-
day as part of a press conference held
especially for him to kickoff his North
American tour.
During the event presented by
PMEPortfolio Marketing and
Eventsand India Star Plus, Khan was
posed with several questions in light of
his series of performances. He spoke
with gracious humility about his suc-
cess and why he considers himself for-
tunate enough to have exhibited great
staying-power and developed a number
of loyal fans. Speaking in Urdu, Khan
said that it is every artists wish and
hope to be able to come across and
make the most of the platform he has
been provided with. All the artist needs
is a platform to showcase his skills,
Khan said, and he stressed that he and
his team have always strived to main-
tain a high level of performance and
presentation. Khan then said that
everything, from lighting to the sound
that is heard to the audience from the
stage on which the artist performs,
plays a major role in the reception of
his songs.
As for the future generation of musi-
cians and singers, Khan stressed the
importance of young aspiring stars
seeking guidance from their elders and
looking back on the traditional ideals
that have made stars of yesterday so
successful. He believes that in spite of
a more westernized wave of growing
up, children should always try to study,
adopt and incorporate the positive
qualities of those that have come be-
fore them.
Khans concert tour, which begins in
Florida on Saturday the 14th, will also
be making rounds in California, Texas,
North Carolina, Washington, Illinois,
Georgia, Massachusetts, New York and
New Jersey up until June.
Towards the end of the press meet,
Khan graced the members of the audi-
ence with a live snippet of his hit song,
Teri Meri.Other notable songs that
have made him a superstar are Tere
mast mast do nain, tum jo aaye,
aas paas khuda, bahara, sajdaa,
dharti dharti, and hum Pakistan.
Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrated with pomp
Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan at the
press conference
Chennai: Tamil Nadu heralded Nandhana - the
Tamil New Year - Friday with traditional fervor
with people visiting temples in the morning.
'Puthandu Vazthukkal' (New Year greetings) is
how friends and relatives greeted one another
in the morning in person or over the phone.
The Tamil New Year is celebrated on the first
day of Tamil month Chithirai, which normally
falls on April 13 or 14 every year. The houses
are decorated with kolam (rangoli) outside the
front door. Mango leaf streamers adorned the
door frames.
All the popular temples here - Kapaleeswarar
Temple, Sri Parthasarathy Temple and others -
were crowded with people since morning.
At big temples, the almanac for the New Year
was read. At home, Tamilians feasted on dish-
es like vada and payasam (sweet dish) and oth-
er savories were being prepared.
The special dish of the day is the 'Mango
Pachidi' made with neem flowers, jaggery,
mango, green chilli, salt and tamarind juice
representing the six major emotions that hu-
mans experience.
This is also the first official Tamil New Year
after the previous DMK government in 2008
legislated that from 2009 onwards the New
Year for Tamils be celebrated on the first day of
Tamil month Thai. Though the DMK govern-
ment decreed so, majority of the Tamils in the
state continued to celebrate the New Year on
the first day of Chithirai.
Tamils in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and other
places also continued to celebrate the New Year
on the first day of Chithirai.
The AIADMK party which came to power in
the state last May decided to go back to the age-
old tradition and passed a bill in the assembly
reversing the DMK government decision.
The Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebra-
tions Friday brought the capital city of Colom-
bo to a standstill with businesses being shut and
the migrant workers from rural outbacks re-
turning home to join in the festivities. The new
year is observed by the Sinhala Buddhist com-
munity which forms 74 per cent of the island's
population and Tamil Hindu community. Roads
which usually feature heavy traffic could only
see kids playing cricket or lighting crackers in
the revelry. Even President Mahinda Rajapak-
sa travels to his village in the rural southern
Hambantota district to spend time with his fam-
ily in the village. The first family's new year rit-
uals are nationally televised. Even the non
Buddhist Sinhala and non Hindu Tamils are not
excluded in the celebrations. The new year is
the movement of the sun at the end of the har-
vesting season from Meena Rashiya (House of
pisces) to the Mesha Rashiya (House of aries).
The rituals have a striking resemblance to those
observed in some parts of India. The features of
the celebration are cultural rituals which begin
with the cleaning of the house and lighting of
an oil lamp. The rituals are strictly astrological
time specified acts from the traditional lighting
of the fire to preparation of 'Kiribath' (milk
rice). The partaking of meals on the appointed
astrological time is followed by 'Ganudenu' or
entering the first business transaction. This is
usually exchanging of coins and currency notes
wrapped in betel leaves. Even the time to leave
for work is on a nekath or the astrologically
best time. Each of the auspicious times for rit-
uals is marked by bursting of fire crackers. This
year all auspicious times have fallen in the
night which some section of the astrologers'
community have described as odd. Cultural af-
fairs minister T B Ekanayake defended criti-
cism pointing to his experts panel of as-
trologers who he said could not have erred.
Washington, DC: Louisiana Gov.
Bobby Jindal has announced sup-
port for Mitt Romney after rival
Rick Santorum bowed out of his
bid for the Republican presidential
nomination.
In a statement, Jindal congratu-
lated the GOP front-runner on
winning a hard-fought race,"
adding, "I look forward to support-
ing him in retiring President
(Barack) Obama."
Jindal added that it was time for
Republicans to rally and focus on
the matter at hand: beating Obama.
"It's time for all Republicans to
focus their energies on the fall
campaign, which will give Ameri-
cans a fundamental choice be-
tween Obama's lurch toward Euro-
pean-style big government and the
Republican alternative of a thriv-
ing private sector with a smaller
government," wrote Jindal, ac-
cording to the CBS News website.
Jindal joins a growing cadre of in-
fluential Republicans backing
Romney, including Sen. Lindsey
Graham and Govs. Terry Branstad
and Rick Scott, according to Politi-
co, indicating that the party is clos-
er to identifying Romney as the
presumptive nominee.
Jindal endorses Romney for GOP nomination
The ground breaking ceremony of Sankat Mochan Hanuman
mandir was held near Old Bridge Township in New Jersey last
Sunday. New Jersey state senator Sam Thompson, assemblyman
Robert Clifton, Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, councilman
Richard Green, councilwoman Debbie Walker and councilman
Sudhanshu Prasad along with prominent Indian American
community leaders were present at the event.
Photo by: Gunjesh Desai/masalajunction.com
Louisiana Gov
Bobby Jindal
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4 Turn Page
April 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Jagadguru visiting America story
Continued from page 1
His discourses and programs have been
organized by the Jagadguru
Narendracharyaji Maharaj Global
Foundation, Inc (JANAMGF.org), US,
which aims to set up a Hindu Peetham to
make his teachings available to all Indian
Americans and their families here.
Swamiji is the anointed Jagadguru of
Nanijdham
Peeth in Maharashtra, a center of
Vaishnavism, a revered position the equiva-
lent of Shankaracharya.
While his followers are growing exponen-
tially in India and now abroad too, he has
also pledged to serve the under-privileged
and downtroddenhis mission runs many
social welfare and empowerment projects.
Bhooplapur and Bheddah story
Continued from page 1
When asked about receiving this honor,
Mr. Bhooplapur replied, I am deeply grate-
ful and honored to be chosen as an award
recipient for 2012. America is the land of
opportunity. There is no limit to what you
can accomplish here. He has been very
active in humanitarian works in various parts
of the world. The Syosset, NY resident has
served as Rotary International District
7250s Governor and currently serves as
Chairman of the Gift of Life, India.
Peter Bheddah has actively participated in
political and humanitarian causes for three
decades. He originated and promoted the
concept of assisting the Interfaith Nutrition
Network (INN) through India Association of
Long Island (IALI). He has also been on the
board of the Nargis Dutt Memorial
Foundation, which assists Indian hospitals
for cancer detection. An office bearer of the
Indian National Overseas Congress the
Gujarati Samaj of New York, he is also a
member of the advisory Board of the Heart
and Hand for the Handicapped, USA.
SRK story
Continued from page 1
"flagged" in the system and airport people
needed approval of senior authorities to clear
him, it clarified.
This was the second time Khan was being
detained at a US airport in the last three
years. External Affairs Minister S.M.
Krishna, who is in Moscow, asked Indian
envoy Nirupama Rao to take up the issue
with US authorities.
Ironcially, Khan starred in "My Name is
Khan" film that unravels racial profiling in
the US after 9/11 terror attacks. He said he
felt "insulted and humiliated," but continued
with his engagements and chose sarcasm to
hit back.
"Whenever I start feeling too arrogant
about myself, I always take a trip to
America. The immigration guys kicked the
star out of stardom," he said.
Infosys denies misusing
US visas
Indian American charged for 'phantom'
payday loan scam
US court to hear 84 anti-Sikh riots case May 1
Bangalore/Washington: India's
second largest IT bellwether Infosys
Ltd Friday denied misusing B-1 or
H1-B visas to send its employees to
the US for onsite work.
"We do not have a policy to use
the B-1 visa to circumvent the H-1B
visa. Similarly there is no policy to
misuse the H1-B program," Infosys
chief executive S.D. Shibulal told
reporters here.
Refuting charges by its consultant
Jay Palmer that it abused B-1 visas
meant for business consultations or
attending training courses, Shibulal
said the company had a policy that
required its employees to fully com-
ply with the immigration laws and
visa rules in 30 countries across the
world, including the US where it has
clients.
"On occasions where individuals
have reported seeing or hearing of
employees who may have acted in
ways inconsistent with our policy,
we investigated them and have
taken disciplinary action, including
dismissal from the company, "
Shibulal asserted.
The CBS TV channel quoted
Palmer as saying Thursday that
Infosys brought Indian workers ille-
gally to the US and often abused
business visa rules requiring foreign
workers to be paid US market rates.
Palmer also alleged that Indian
workers on his team were paid sub-
stantially less than an American
would have made in the same job.
"When the US State Department
began to limit the number of H1-B
visas, Infosys began using another
type (B-1) of visa," Palmer told
CBS in an interview.
Contesting Palmer' s views,
Infosys said in a statement later that
the number of its employees travel-
ling to the US on B-1 visas, at any
point of time, was only a small frac-
tion (2%) of all US travel undertak-
en by its employees.
A judge and jury will have the
final say on Palmer's accusations
later this summer in an Alabama
civil court case.
Washington: US authorities have charged an Indian
American and two companies he controls for allegedly
running a scheme to collect "phantom" payday loan
debts that included harassing calls from India.
At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a US
district court also halted the operation of the scheme that
involved more than 2.7 million calls to at least 600,000
different phone numbers nationwide, according to the
FTC. The targeted consumers either didn't owe money
to the scheme operators or didn't owe at all.
In less than two years, the operators fraudulently col-
lected more than $5.2 million from consumers, many of
whom were strapped for cash and thought the money
would be applied to loans they owed, according to FTC
documents filed with the court.
The FTC charged California-based Kirit Patel and two
companies he controls with violating the FTC Act and
the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Patel allegedly
ran the operation from his home, although he utilized
callers from India, the FTC said.
The debt collection participants typically demanded
several hundred dollars. In violation of federal law, they
routinely used obscene language and threatened to sue
or have consumers arrested, according to the FTC's
complaint.
They also threatened to tell the victims' employers,
relatives, and neighbors about the bogus debt, and
sometimes followed through on these threats, the FTC
alleged. They often pretended to be American law
enforcement agents such as "Officer Mike Johnson" or
representatives of fake government agencies like the
"Federal Crime Unit of the Department of Justice".
New York: A US court is set to hear arguments
in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case May 1 even as
India's Congress party opposed the entry of a
default judgment against it for its alleged role in
the riots.
Filing the Congress plea before Judge Robert
W. Sweet of the US federal court, lawyers from
"Jones Day" law firm said the case "involves sig-
nificant issues of public international law that
should not be decided by a default judgment."
Since all events relating to November 1984
riots took place in India, all the individuals and
property purportedly harmed by the Congress
was located in India, said the plea filed in
response to a petition filed by Sikhs for Justice
(SFJ), an NY organization.
Suggesting that local interest in the case was
nil, the Congress opposition papers said "impos-
ing jury duty on American citizens to hear this
entirely-Indian dispute would be inappropriate."
Tristate Community 5
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 14-20, 2012
New Brunswick, NJ: A judge
allowed the prosecution to admit
additional statements made by
three of five co-defendants in the
fatal beating of Divyendu Sinha as
jury selection began on Tuesday in
Middlesex County Superior Court.
While this report was being writ-
ten, testimony was to begin as
early as Friday in the trial of
Steven Contreras, one of five
charged with the murder of Sinha,
who was taking an evening stroll
with his wife and two sons on the
evening of June 25, 2010, when the
beating occurred. The trial is
expected to take about four weeks.
The prosecution contends that
Contreras was driving that night
when the other four co-defendants
got out of the car and beat Sinha
while assaulting his two minor
sons, Aashish and Ravi. Sinha, a
49-year-old computer scientist
employed by Siemens, died in the
hospital from his injuries three
days later.
Contreras, who will turn 19 on
April 21, is being tried separately
because of statements he made to
authorities during the investigation
implicating the other four defen-
dants. During the trial, there is a
possibility that Contreras state-
ments might contain information
about the other co-defendants who
then would have a right to call
Contreras as a witness to contradict
those statements or cross-examine
him. That would be in direct con-
flict with Contreras Fifth
Amendment right against self-
incrimination.
The other four defendants in the
case are Cash Q. Johnson, 18,
Christian M. Tinli, 19, Christopher
Conway, 18, and Julian C. Daley,
17. They are scheduled to stand
trial for murder on July 10. All
defendants are Old Bridge resi-
dents and were either 16 or 17 at
the time of the assault. An earlier
Family Court decision allowed the
five defendants to be tried as adults
and they face 30 years to life if
convicted of murder.
The five co-defendants also are
charged with assaulting Anthony
Martino, 18, of Old Bridge, a
motorist who was attacked minutes
before the assault on Sinha and his
sons. Judge Bradley J. Ferencz has
ruled that the two incidents are part
and parcel one continuous event
that evening.
DHF's 4th annual fundraiser musical concert by Tahira Syed
New York: Domestic Harmony
Foundation (DHF) has organized a
fundraising Musical Concert on
May 5, 2012, at 6.30 p.m.
Renowned Pakistani Ghazal singer
Tahira Syed will be performing
accompanied by her musical
ensemble, at the Madison Theater,
Molloy College in Rockville
Centre. Tahira Syed is the daughter
of well known singer Malika
Pukhraj, of "Abhi to Main Jawan
Houn" fame and belongs to a
Kashmiri-Punjabi Syed family.
Tahira Syed received her initial
training in music from Ustad
Akhtar Hussain and after two years
of this rigorous classical music
training, Tahira continued receiv-
ing instruction by her mother.
Tahira Syed first appeared on air
in 196869 on Radio Pakistan and
her popularity increased in the
1970s and 1980s. "Yeh Alam
Shauq Ka Dekha Na Jaey",
"Chanjar Phabdi na", Woh Batein
Teri, Lo Phir Basant Aae and
"Abhi to Main Jawan Houn" are
some of her most popular songs.
She has been the recipient of vari-
ous musical awards in recognition
of her achievements as a singer. In
April 1985, she appeared on the
cover of National Geographic mag-
azine.
Guests will also be entertained
by comedic skits presented by the
famous duo, Ms. Maysoon Zayid
and Mr. Sameer Naseem. There
will be a display of art work by
survivors titled From the Eye of
the Survivor as well as numerous
Raffle Prizes.
DHF is an independent non-prof-
it organization created in response
to the social, emotional, and psy-
chological needs of a growing
South Asian, Middle Eastern, and
Muslim community in Long Island.
Although DHF works mainly with
Muslim women who are victims of
domestic violence, these services
are available to individuals irre-
spective of creed, culture, ethnicity,
or gender seeking relief from
domestic violence and other human
rights violations. To donate and to
buy tickets email Jasia Mirza at:
jasia@dhfny.org or call Tel. 516-
385-8292. Tickets have been rea-
sonably priced at $ 150, $ 100, $
75 and $ 50.
Srinivasa Kalyanam at
Sri Guruvaayoorappan
Temple, NJ on May 5
New Jersey: Tirumala Tirupati
Devasthanams (TTD) is organiz-
ing Sri Srinivasa (Balaji)
Kalyanam on Saturday May 5th ,
at sprawling 42 acre campus of Sri
Guruvaayoorappan Temple (Sri
Krishnaji Mandir) in Morganville,
NJ, said Dr. Mani
Yegnasubramanian, Chairman of
the Temple.
To propagate Bhakti and
Sanatana Dharma, TTD has been
performing Sri Srinivasa
Kalyanams at many places in India
and also abroad for the past few
years. It is believed that, the
region, where celestial kalyanams
are performed would be bestowed
with peace and prosperity.
As a part of this project,
Tirumala Devasthanams has per-
formed its first ever Kalyanam
outside of India at Sri
Guruvaayoorappan Temple in May
2010. That event was attended by
several thousand devotees and sev-
eral million devotees watched live
all over the world. After the great
success of that program in 2010,
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams
have donated the Utsava Moorthis
of Lord Srinivasa, Sreedevi and
Bhudevi to the temple.
Again, on Saturday, May 5th,
TTD is sending several Veda
Pundits and Archakas to the tem-
ple to perform the Celestial
Wedding, Dr. Mani said. The TTD
Chairman, Executive Officer and
several other officials from TTD
are expected to grace the occasion.
Highlight of the program is that,
not only Srivari Kalyanam, but
also all the Sevas that are done at
Tirumala for Srivaru will be per-
formed here on May 5th starting at
6.00am with Suprabhatam, fol-
lowed by Tomala Seva, Archana
and Kalyanam.
Dr. Mani also mentioned that
following the Kalyanam, the tem-
ple is organizing a unique
Congregation of Youth, starting at
3 PM. During this first-of- a-kind
program, all the children (on
whose names a square foot of the
temple was donated) will assemble
in front of Kalyana Srinivasa,
recite mantras and deliver
speeches.
Noted Pakistani Ghazal
singer Tahira Syed
Niru Kumaria, an amateur chef,
vegetarian herself but her chicken
recipe was runner up in Varli
Cook Off competition held at
Hilton Hotel, Melville on April 6,
2012 among 12 participants.
US court to hear 1984 anti-Sikh riots case May 1
New York: A US court is set to hear argu-
ments in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case May
1 even as India's Congress party opposed
the entry of a default judgment against it
for its alleged role in the riots.Filing the
Congress plea before Judge Robert W.
Sweet of the US federal court, lawyers
from "Jones Day" law firm said the case
"involves significant issues of public inter-
national law that should not be decided by
a default judgment." Since all events relat-
ing to November 1984 riots took place in
India, all the individuals and property pur-
portedly harmed by the Congress was
located in India said the plea filed in
response to a petition filed by Sikhs for
Justice (SFJ), a New York based commu-
nity organization.
Any witnesses or documents that the
Congress may have relating to the alleged
events too are located in India, it
said.Suggesting that local interest in the
case was nil, the Congress opposition
papers said "imposing jury duty on
American citizens to hear this entirely-
Indian dispute would be inappropriate."
Contending that US Court lacks jurisdic-
tion to hear the case, the Congress party
lawyer Thomas E. Lynch stated that the
class action filed by SFJ and others is
"against a foreign political party for
alleged acts occurring entirely abroad
more than twenty seven years ago."The
Congress opposition was filed in response
to the SFJ's motion for entry of default
judgment against Congress for its alleged
failure to defend the charges of conspiring,
aiding, abetting, organizing and carrying
out attacks on Sikh population of India in
November 1984.
6 Tristate Community
April 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Digvijay Singh credits UPA for implementing RTI Act
By Ashok Ojha/SATimes
Edison, NJ: One of the most con-
troversial and senior leaders of
Indias ruling Congress Party,
Digvijay Singh has credited his
party for empowering the common
man of India to use the Right to
Information (RTI) Act. The Act
passed by Indian parliament in
2005, empowers a citizen of India
to ask for any information from a
public authority and expect to
receive it in 30 days.
Speaking at a public reception
organized by the Madhya Pradesh
Chapter of Indian National
Overseas Congress at Royal
Alberts Hall here Singh referred to
the recent corruption scandals
involving scores of public officials
including Congress functionaries
and pointed out that such cases
came to light because of the trans-
parent policies of the Government
of India. Urging people to be a lit-
tle patient about the outcome of
such cases Singh commented that
India was a young democracy
which was heading towards
empowering people of all faiths
and religions.
Referring to forecasts by some
experts Singh hoped that India was
destined to become the worlds
largest economy by the year 2050.
He reiterated his partys commit-
ment for providing assistance to
NRIs. The Government of India
has given high priority to issues
concerning non-resident Indians.
The Ministry of Overseas Affairs
was geared at assisting NRIs and
resolving their issues, he said
advising the audience to remain
connected with their native land
and contribute to its development.
Earlier Singh was welcomed by
Ambassador Prabhu Dayal, Consul
General of India in New York who
spoke about flourishing friendship
and cooperation between India and
the United States.
Juned Qazi, President of the
Madhya Pradesh Chapter of INOC,
praised Singh for his courage for
speaking truth and called him a
great leader who is born once in a
century.
Singh, who said he was on a per-
sonal visit to USA, is considered as
a controversial figure in Indian pol-
itics. In recent years a number of
politicians and activists including
social activists Anna Hazare and
Subramanian Swamy were angered
by his many statements. In the past,
Singh, to please Muslim vote bank,
addressed Al-Qaida chief Osama
Bin Laden with respect as Osamaji
and created national controversy
when he claimed that the 26/11
Mumbai attack martyr police offi-
cer Hemant Karkare had spoken to
him over phone before his death.
SABA to host India Business Conference Film on Sikh history receives rave reviews
Bhavans organizes Basant Utsav Concert
C
olumbia Business Schools South Asian
Business Association (SABA) will host its
8th Annual India Business Conference at Low
Memorial Library on April 14. This year, the
conference is entitled India: Maintaining Mo-
mentum. Intellectual Father of Indian Eco-
nomic Reforms Professor Jagdish Bhagwati
will deliver the keynote address followed by
Ambassador of India to the US Nirupama Rao.
A panel discussion on Healthcare in India: Bal-
ancing Incentives between Investment & Ac-
cess will feature Debjit Ghosh, Vice President,
Analysis Group; Dr. Alex Preker, Head, Health
Industry & Investment Policy, The World Bank;
Sandeep Duttagupta, Head of Market Access &
Pricing, Emerging Markets, Pfizer; and Brian
Corvino, Chief Operating Officer, PharmaStrat.
Another panel onReal Estate Investing in India:
The Road Ahead will feature Luv Shah, Princi-
pal, Ranieri Real Estate Partners; Kuldip Chawl-
la, Principal, Red Fort Capital; and Ravi Singh,
Partner, Sycamore Ventures. George Muthood,
Managing Director, Muthoot Group will deliv-
er a short speech on: Family Conglomerates
Going Public.Another panel on Investing in
India: Is the Indian Growth Story Under
Threat? will feature Prof. Arvind Panagariya,
Jagdish Bhagwati Professor of Economics, Co-
lumbia University and former Chief Economist,
Asian Development Bank; Anoop Singh, Direc-
tor-Asia Pacific, International Monetary Fund;
George Muthoot, Managing Director, Muthoot
Group; and Rajat Sood, Vice President, General
Atlantic. Rajesh Jain, Managing Director, Net-
core Solutions, Puneet Shivam, Executive Di-
rector, Head-US, and Co-Head, Business
Process Outsourcing Group, Avendus, Anu Pe-
shawaria, Attorney & Founder, Seva Legal Aid,
Manoj Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Deloitte
Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL), Ron
Somers, President, US India Business Council
and Dr. Kiran Bedi, Social Activist, First Female
Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer and Core
Team Leader, India Against Corruption Move-
ment will be some of the other prominent per-
sonalities speaking at the event.
M
ARTYRS - SHAHEED first
of its own kind 80 minutes
documentary featuring Sikh histo-
ry, is getting very encouraging re-
sponse in the USA. In the first set
of screenings the film is being
shown at various Gurdwaras
around New York and New Jersey
and people congratulated Jagmeet
Singh Samundri for his outstand-
ing effort.
MARTYRS deals with the basic
introduction of Sikh history and all
the ten gurus and then film picks up from mid
17th century when emperor Aurangzeb led a
reign of terror. This witnessed the supreme
sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur ji followed by
innumerable martyrdoms by the Sikhs. This
film connects the past to the present scenario
of Sikhs.
The film is made with three years of dedica-
tion and hard work. Samundri shows full con-
trol on the subject with his abilities to handle
all the respective departments of filmmaking.
The screenplay of the film is
quite engrossing which never
lets anyone down. The visual
and sound is in perfect coher-
ence with each other. This film
shows perfect commitment of
the whole team of MARTYRS.
We should come forward
and support this effort so that
more and more such quality
films come up, said Girdip
Singh Narula, a Sikh commu-
nity leader in Long Island.
Samundri has won the best director award for
his last documentary RISE OF THE KHALSA
at New York International Film Festival.
MARTYRS film will be further dubbed in
various foreign languages as well. For more
information about the film can be obtained
from Samundri at phone number 347-893-
7091 and Gurdip Singh Narula at 1516-455-
3253. MARTYRS will be screened on 15
April, Sunday at Plaiview Gurdwara, Long Is-
land at 1 PM.
O
n April 7, 2012, Sanjukta Sen, Bhavan's
music teacher and disciple of Padma
Bushan Dr. Girja Devi, presented Thumri,
Dadra, Chaiti, Holi and other traditional com-
positions from Vanarasi at Bharatiya Vidya
Bhavan's Romanti Auditorium. Accompanying
her was the world renowned sarangi player
Pundit Ramesh Misra, recipient of Sangeet
Natak Academy Award and Sanjoy Ranjna Pal
on tabla. UN Secretary General's Special Ad-
viser on Myanmar Vijay Nambiar and Mrs.
Malini Nambiar presented shawls and flowers
to the artists.
Sanjukta started the concert with Ganesh
Vandana and Goddess Saraswati Vandana.
Then she rendered slow tempo Thumri in Jat
Tal( 16 beats). Sarangi added a color to this
typical composition of Varanasi. The next com-
position was a dadra in ragas basant and bahar
welcoming the spring. Sanjukta continued with
other special compositions from Varanasi chaiti
and Joola. Sanjukta's next presentation was
Maand. The concluding composition was a
Hori describing the spring season.
Womens forum of IALI celebrates Baisakhi
Long Island, NY: On April 5th the Womens
Forum of Indian Association of Long Island
had their 3rd program at MINT where they
celebrated Baisakhi with a bang. All the
ladies dressed in bright colors danced to the
dhol played by Jarnal Singh. About 90
ladies, a lot of them sang, danced and en-
joyed each other's company. The event also
had two stalls: Bhavna Gupta selling jewel-
ry and Geeta lovely clothes.
The forum also celebrates birthdays each
month for the ladies whose birthday falls in
that particular month. It has plans to have
future programs at MINT on the first Friday
of each month, between 12-3:30 pm, with a
different theme.
IN BRIEF
Former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijay Singh speaking
at a reception held in Edison, NJ (Photo: Ashok Ojha)
MARTYRS-SHAHEED
director Jagmeet Singh
Samundri
Members of IALI Womens Forum.
Ladies sang and danced to dhol beats
of Jarnal Singh (Inset).
National Community 7
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 14-20, 2012
Washington, DC: South
Carolina's Indian American
Governor Nikki Haley has
again ruled out a vice pres-
idential run but what is a
making more news is a
"bizarre" and "insensitive"
question posed to her about
Sikh taxi drivers.
Time magazine editor
Belinda Luscombe asked
her at the end of an inter-
view this week: "In New
York City, which you' re
visiting for a couple of
days, a lot of our taxi driv-
ers are Sikhs. If you get
one, are you going to give
him a slightly bigger tip?"
Born Nimrata Randhawa
to Sikh immigrant parents
from India, Haley, who was
on a book tour promoting
her autobiography, "Can't
Is Not An Option" seemed
unfazed as she responded
with a laugh, "Oh, I give
the same tip to everyone."
Politico, a leading a polit-
ical newspaper, called it a
bizarre question, and The
Hill, which focuses on
Congressional politics
sounded off on the incident
under the headline, "Haley
forced to sit through joke
about Sikhism."
"Even if you get past the
question itself, the context
makes it even more insen-
sitive considering Haley
had just explained why she
was no longer a Sikh," it
noted.
In fact, Luscombe had
asked Haley if things
would have been different
if she had run for office as
a Sikh.
The tea party favorite
replied that discussing the
issue of faith in her new
book was important
because "I felt like a lot of
people wanted me to dis-
count the way I was
raised."
"And that was something
I would never do," Haley
continued. "I'm very proud
of the way that I was
raised, I'm very proud of
the way that my parents
raised me. But I also know
that being Christian is
something that's very true
to me and (husband)
Michael."
Sikh wins discrimination
lawsuit in Federal Court
To get $75000 in damages, Autozone changes practice
Boston: A Sikh employee, Frank
MahoneyBurroughs, scored a significant
victory in a religious discrimination
lawsuit against his former employer,
AutoZone, who harassed and then fired him
for adopting the Sikh articles of faith. In
addition to defeating the Fortune 500 auto
parts company on a religious accommoda-
tion claim, MahoneyBurroughs, as part of a
settlement agreement, will receive $75,000
in damages plus attorneys fees. The Sikh
Coalitions Legal team represented
MahoneyBurroughs, providing over two
years of dedicated advocacy and support.
Judge William Young, of the U.S. District
Court for the District of Massachusetts,
found that AutoZone violated federal law
by barring MahoneyBurroughs, a sales
associate, from wearing his dastaar and
kara to work. Judge Young also found that
AutoZone had unlawfully required him to
prove his Sikh faith by making unfair
requests for documentation of his religious
practices.
This is a victory for all religious minori-
ties and a lesson for all Fortune 500 compa-
nies - you cannot hide behind the law when
you discriminate against employees
because of the way they look, said Staff
Attorney, Sandeep Kaur, of the Sikh
Coalition.
In addition to monetary damages,
AutoZone agreed to the following: A gener-
al prohibition on religious discrimination in
all 4,800 stores nationwide; Creation of a
written religious accommodation policy;
Anti-discrimination training to critical
employees; Posting of physical notices
reporting the lawsuit and settlement in
stores in the Northeast; Distribution of elec-
tronic notices of the lawsuit to all stores
nationwide.
"This was the first purely religious dis-
crimination case handled by the Lawyers
Committee and we are proud of its positive
outcome, said Laura Maslow-Armand,
Co-Counsel, and Attorney for the Lawyers
Committee for Civil Rights and Economic
Justice.
For MahoneyBurroughs, he hoped that
the case improves the chances of the next
Sikh who is just trying to work and feed
himself and his family."
Will you give more tip to Sikh
drivers, Nikki Haley asked
'Dirty' Asian shops? Former
Washington mayor under fire
Washington, DC: A former Washington
mayor' s controversial remarks about
Asian businesses running "dirty shops" in
the US capital city have drawn fire from
35 local and national organizations,
including South Asian Americans
Leading Together (SAALT).
Marion Barry, a former four-term
mayor and a current city council member,
had at a primary election victory party
this week, said: "We got to do something
about these Asians coming in and opening
up businesses and dirty shops...They
ought to go. I'm going to say that right
now."
"Barry's statement is of serious concern
because it undermines the notion that
developing the District of Columbia's
economy and neighborhoods is in the
interest of all communities, regardless of
national origin or ethnic background," the
group said condemning the remarks.
"While Barry has recently indicated that
he was 'sorry for offending the Asian
community,' we call upon him to provide
a sincere apology and ensure meaningful
engagement with our communities to
improve the well-being of all individuals
in the district."
Numerous institutions, from small busi-
nesses to non-profit organizations, as well
as individuals, provide vital services and
job opportunities, contribute their tax dol-
lars, and engage in civic and political life
within the city, the statement pointed out.
Within the District of Columbia,
according to 2007 data, Asians own 5.9
percent of businesses, joining other com-
munities in strengthening the economy.
Rather than acknowledging and appre-
ciating the contributions that Asian busi-
nesses, alongside other racial and ethnic
communities, have made to the city,
Barry's remarks appear to fan the flames
of racial divisions and imply that Asian
Americans are not invested in developing
a robust economy that benefits all resi-
dents, the joint statement said.
Marion Barry
Frank MahoneyBurroughs
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley
8 National Community
April 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor tours White House kitchen
Washington, DC: Indias celebrated chef
Sanjeev Kapoor was given a rare insight into
the historic kitchen of the White House,
which prepares the food for US President
Barack Obama, his family and the large
number of guests invited to the resident of
the first family every day.
Kapoor was not only given the tour of the
historic kitchen, but also had an intensive
discussion with the team of White House
chefs led by its executive chef, William
Bill Yosses, for several hours.
He was accompanied by K N Vinod, an
eminent Indian-American chef from
Washington who runs three popular Indian
restaurant in the nations capital.
Yosses, said to be a great lover of Indian
food himself, gave him a tour of the kitchen
garden of the First Lady Mitchell Obama.
A frequent visitor to Indique and Indique
Heights the two popular Indian restaurants in
the nations capital Yosses discussed at
length of the growing popularity of Indian
food in the US and at the white house.
It was a great experience, Kapoor said
after his, what he termed as once-in-a-life
experience. Kapoor said, a trip to the White
House Sunday, on the eve of Easter when it
is expecting 30,000 visitors and the kitchen
is making preparations for them, reflects the
gaining importance and recognition of
Indian food in the White House.
Linguist wins
academic award
Washington, DC: An Indian American
professor Mohammad Jahangeer Warsi has
been selected as a 2011-12 recipient of the
James E. McLeod Faculty Recognition
Award by the students of Washington
University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Previously called the Faculty Awards, this
year the ArtSci Council decided to rename
the event in honor of one of their biggest
supporters James E. McLeod.
Viewed as a very prestigious honor in
academics, the award is given to those who
have positively and profoundly influenced
the educational experiences to the students
at Washington University.
Warsi, a gold medalist linguist from
Aligarh Muslim University and a West
Bengal Academy award holder, will receive
the honor April 16 at a Recognition
Ceremony hosted by the School Council,
the undergraduate organization and execu-
tive governing body for the College of Arts
& Sciences.
He is also the recipient of "unsung Hero"
award from the University of California at
Berkeley in 2005, and a recipient of UP
Hindi-Urdu Literary Award 2011.
GOPIO to honor five
Indian Americans
Washington, DC: Five Indian Americans will
be honored by the Connecticut chapter of the
Global Organization of People of Indian
Origin (GOPIO) for their achievements and
contributions at an awards banquet April 28.
They are Vivek Maru (social entrepreneur),
Faquir Jain (applied science and research),
Chandra Prasad (arts and letters), Neena Singh
(community service) and Malika Bhandarkar
(young person award). William "Vijay" Pinch
will be honored with a Friend of India award
at the banquet in Stamford.
"The award selection is a rigorous process
conducted by an independent committee
which evaluates all nominations and we are
glad we select the best possible candidates
every year," said GOPIO-CT president
Shailesh Naik. Maru is CEO of Namati, an
international organization that seeks a better
understanding of the impacts of legal empow-
erment and to create the most effective mecha-
nisms for achieving them.
Jain, professor in the Electrical and
Computer Engineering Department at the
University of Connecticut, has collaborated to
form Biorasis Inc to commercialize a mini-
mally invasive glucose sensor for real time,
continuous glucose monitoring.
Prasad, a multi-talented writer whose work
has received praise in Booklist and USA
Today, created the popular career guide
"Outwitting the Job Market" and has written
scores of articles on diversity and the work-
place. Singh, co-president of the PTA of the
Greens Farms Academy and co-leader of the
Girls' Scout Troop, has volunteered in many
non-profit activities, including raising funds
for project Pingalwara in Amritsar, a home for
the underprivileged and mentally challenged.
Bhandarkar, an accountability expert who
influences decision makers at all levels to
amplify the message "Women Count for
Peace", and her team work in post-conflict
countries to build responsive accountability
systems that monitor and enhance gender
equality and women's empowerment.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor with Chef Vinod and
Chef Yosses at White House Kitchen.
(Inset) Kapoor gifting the book How to
Cook Indian to Yosses
US Affairs 9
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 14-20, 2012
Zimmerman charged for
murder of Trayvon Martin
Sanford, Fla.: George Zimmerman,
the 28-year-old neighborhood
watchman who shot and killed
Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26 in
Sanford, Fla., has been charged with
second-degree murder in the 17-
year-old's death. Zimmerman is in
custody, though earlier reports spec-
ulated that he had fled.
"Just moments ago that we spoke
with Sybrina Fulton and Tracy
Martin, the sweet parents of
Trayvon," Angela Corey, the special
prosecutor investigating the case,
said at a news conference in
Jacksonville. "They now know
charges have been filed, and that
George Zimmerman is in custody."
"We did not come to this decision
lightly," she said, declining to dis-
cuss specifics of the investigation.
"We're law enforcement. We enforce
the law."
Zimmerman turned himself in and
is in police custody in Florida,
Corey said, but would not disclose
where he is being held.
According to CNN, Zimmerman
had left the state of Florida, but
returned when he learned he would
be charged. Zimmerman will now
be transferred to the Seminole
County Jail, Corey said.
The announcement comes a day
after Zimmerman's attorneys said
that they were dropping the case
because their client had stopped
communicating with them. (On
Sunday, Zimmerman launched a
website seeking donations for his
legal and living expenses.)
According to Corey, Zimmerman
had retained new legal counsel
"within the last hour."
Zimmerman shot and killed
Martin on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla., a
gated community outside of
Orlando. He told police he was
attacked by Martin and was acting
in self-defense.
Earlier this week, Corey
announced the case would not go to
a grand jury.
George Zimmerman appeared at a
bond hearing on Thursday in
Sanford, Fla.
Romney will have Santorum on his Veep list
9 suspected illegal immigrants die in Texas wreck
Warwick, R.I.: Mitt Romney still
doesn't have a list of potential run-
ning mates but when he does,
Rick Santorum will be on it.
That was what the presumptive
Republican nominee told a crowd of
supporters here when asked if he
would consider his former primary
opponent for the No. 2 spot on the
ticket.
"Everybody's on my list, I'm not
taking anybody off my list, all
right?" Romney said, before adding,
"I don't have a list yet. So I can't say
someone is on or off my list. But I
can tell you that the people who I
had the privilege of running against
would surely be among those I
would consider."
He continued: "I' ve said this
before. If any of the people I ran
against happened to become the
nominee I would have endorsed
them and supported them for presi-
dent. So of course they'd be on that
list -- and [Santorum], among
others."
But the process is expected to
begin in earnest this week in
Boston.
Mitt Romney emerged as the vir-
tually certain Republican presiden-
tial nominee with Rick Santorum
suddenly dropping out of the race,
earlier in the week. But even as he
dropped out, he promised to help his
party win in November. However,
he didn' t go as far as endorsing
Romney, the man he was trying to
beat. The former Pennsylvania sena-
tor trailed Romney in the delegate
vote by nearly 400, and polls
showed him losing support in his
home state, which would have been
an embarrassing defeat.
McAllen, Texas: A van overstuffed with suspected ille-
gal immigrants rolled and crashed after fleeing a traffic
stop in a South Texas border city, leaving at least nine
Mexican citizens dead and injuring six others, officials
said Wednesday.
Immigration authorities have eight survivors of the
wreck in custody, according to Enrique Mendiola, act-
ing assistant chief for the Border Patrol's Rio Grande
Valley sector. He said no one has been charged and an
investigation is ongoing.
Border Patrol agents stopped the van in Palmview, 10
miles west of McAllen, on Tuesday night. Some of the
passengers immediately sprinted away and agents pur-
sued them on foot, catching one, Mendiola said.
But as the foot chase unfolded, the van sped off.
The agents came across the wreck three or four blocks
away on U.S. 83. The scene was strewn with backpacks
and water bottles and nine bodies lay scattered nearby,
he said. The van was demolished, but several managed
to flee the wreck, Palmview police Cmdr. Lenny
Sanchez said. The vehicle had been gutted to accommo-
date far more than the eight people it was designed to
carry, he said. Six people were taken to a hospital and
three of them were later released to authorities, Sanchez
said. All of them are in the custody of Border Patrol, he
said. One of the men who fled subsequently turned him-
self in: Palmview police handed him over to immigra-
tion authorities, Sanchez said.
Mitt Romney, certain to be the
GOP presidential nominee, and
Rick Santorum who dropped
out of the race.
10 India
April 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Zardari, Bilawal pay
visit to Ajmer dargah
Shah Rukh Khan detained at NY airport
After 29 days, Maoists let Italian tourist off
By Prakash Bhandari
Ajmer: The Pakistan president
Asif Ali Zardari, his son Bilawal
Bhutto Zardari and 24 other
member of his family visited the
holy shrine the Khwaza
Moinuddin Chisti and sought the
blessings of the Gharib Nawaz for
electoral success as 2012 is an
election year in Pakistan.
This was President Zardaris
second visit to the holy shrine of
Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti,but
first as a President. Prior to him,
two presidents Gen Zia-Ul haq
and another General Pervej
Musharraf had paid a visit to the
shrine. A generous president
announced a donation of $ mil-
lion for the development of the
shrine.
Its obvious that both the father
and son duo came to pay obei-
sance at the dargah to seek the
blessings for electoral success and
also pray for a better health for the
President, who has not been keep-
ing well said Syeed Sarwar
Chisti, the chief of the organiza-
tion of the Khadims (religious
workers).
At the end of his visit to the
shrine marked by tight security
this evening, Zardari said he felt
"a great spiritual happiness" after
coming to this holy place which
was "beyond description."
Late Pakistan president Gen Zia
Ul-Haq also visited Ajmer as
part of the famous cricket diplo-
macy in February 1987. From
Mughal emperor Akbar who came
praying for a son to a relentless
stream of around 12,000 people
who throng every day to the holy
city of the 12th century Sufi
shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin
Chishti in Ajmer remains
undiminished.
New York: Bollywood actor
Shahrukh Khan, who arrived here to
visit the Yale University, was
detained for over two hours at a
New York airport.
Before addressing the students at
the Yale University, which is three
hours from New York, Khan said, he
was "detained" at the airport "as
always happens".
Khan, who has been named a
Chubb Fellow, was accompanied by
Neeta Ambani and they were under-
stood to have arrived in a private
plane at the New York's White Plain
airport. Ambani's daughter is a stu-
dent of Yale University. Sources told
PTI, while everybody else were
cleared by the immigration immedi-
ately, Khan was stopped for over
two hours before being cleared by
the immigration officials. "Khan
was very very upset at the episode.
Yale University officials had to con-
tact the Department of Homeland
Security and the Immigration and
Customs Department at
Washington, when they come to
know about his detention," sources
said. In 2009 also, he was stopped at
the Newark airport and was released
after two-hour of grilling.
Bhubaneswar: The Maoists
released Italian national Paolo
Bosusco, who was abducted from
the Kandhamal region, after 29
days in captivity on Thursday.
Bosusco, handed over to inter-
locutor Dandapani Mohanty at 5
am and whisked off to
Bhubaneswar, later told the media
at a state guesthouse: I am fine. I
was treated well. Thanking the
people of Orissa, he said it was
time to go home.
Two days after a court acquitted
Maoist leader Sabyasachi Pandas
wife Subhashree, negotiator
Mohanty went to the Kandhamal
forests, 250 km from
Bhubaneswar, to meet Panda. He
reached around 10pm and spoke
to Panda for almost four hours.
Mohanty said that his arguments
convinced Panda, as he pointed
out that civil society had appealed
for the foreigners release and the
chief minister made a commit-
ment in the assembly, sending out
a loud and clear message protest-
ing the treatment of tribals as
commodities.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik
said, The government is relieved
after Paolos release. He also
appealed to the Andhra Odisha
Border Special Zonal Committee
(AOBSZC) to release abducted
MLA Jhina Hikaka as well.
Although that prospect does not
look too close, Bosuscos release
has been only a matter of time, as
the Maoists released his compatri-
ot Claudio Colangelo about two
weeks ago. The Panda-led Odisha
State Organizing Committee
(OSOC) that was behind the
abduction of the two Italians on
March 14 did not have the
strength or resources to keep them
hostage for long.
Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari at the holy shrine of the
Khwaza Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer.
Shah Rukh Khan came to visit Yale University. He has been
named a Chubb Fellow.
Italian tourist guide Paulo
Bosusco says Namaste to
mediapersons in Bhubaneswar.
Manmohan-Zardari talks unleash positive trends
Islamabad/New Delhi: Pakistan
President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to
India appears to have triggered a
chain of positive events, with
Pakistani scientist Mohammed
Khalil Chisty getting bail two days
later and Islamabad releasing 26
Indian fishermen.
It was just 40 minutes Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh spent
talking an entire gamut of bilateral
issues with Zardari Sunday, but the
discussions seem to be having a
positive ripple effect days after the
meeting, infusing a new energy
into bilateral ties.
Zardari had alluded to Chisty, an
80-year-old Pakistani virologist
languishing in a jail in Ajmer on
murder charges for almost two
decades, during lunch with
Manmohan Singh. But little did he
know that India's Supreme Court
will grant him bail, while taking
note of "good tidings" in India-
Pakistan relations.
Chisty profusely thanked Zardari
for taking up his case with India.
"Zardari made efforts for me, I am
thankful to him. I know Zardari's
family since my childhood days. I
also thank him for visiting Ajmer,"
he had said after his release on bail.
Although there is no link with the
Chisty case, Pakistan decided to
release 26 Indian fishermen,
including a cancer patient, from a
jail in Karachi.
After their release from Malir
Jail, the fishermen said the
Pakistani authorities treated them
well and they were happy to return
to their homes, the Online news
agency reported.
Samat Lakshman Bambhaniya,
the fisherman suffering from can-
cer, thanked Zardari for issuing
orders for his release. He said he
had entered Pakistani waters by
mistake as he was unaware of the
limits. Bambhaniya had been
lodged in the Karachi jail for over
a year now.
In New Delhi, well-placed
sources have taken note of positive
developments and are reasonably
confident of the trajectory of India-
Pakistan ties, which have been
given a fresh momentum by
Manmohan Singh's acceptance of
Pakistan's invitation to visit the
neighbouring country.
Although Pakistan is insisting on
end-of-the-year deadline, India has
refused to be drawn into the dead-
line trap as much could happen in
the next few months that could set
the well-laid plans awry. The tim-
ing of the visit, New Delhi feels,
will depend on forward movement
on Islamabad's action in bringing
the 26/11 perpetrators to justice
and against 26/11 mastermind
Hafiz Saeed.
In the meantime, the two sides
are in touch to schedule three
important meetings whose out-
come would be factored into any
decision by the prime minister's
visit to Pakistan.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari.
Probity must
in all defense
deals: Antony
New Delhi: With Bharat Earth
Movers Limited (BEML) under
the CBI scanner for Tatra trucks
and other controversies, defense
minister A K Antony sternly
warned the eight defense PSUs to
maintain probity and transparen-
cy in all their dealings.
"There should be no compro-
mise on transparency in dealings
with clients and users," Antony
said in an hour-long meeting with
the PSU chiefs, including BEML
chairman V R S Natarajan and his
counterparts from Hindustan
Aeronautics, Bharat Electronics,
Bharat Dynamics and four ship-
yards (MDL, GRSE, GSL and
HSL). Asking them "to set bench-
marks" in terms of probity, the
minister said that the PSUs
should ensure timely delivery of
products, quality assurance and
product support to their primary
customers in the shape of the 13-
lakh-strong armed forces.
India 11
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 14-20, 2012
The presidential race to Raisina Hill begins
By Meenakshi Iyer/SAT
First, the confirmed news.
T
he Indi an Presi dent
Pratibhatai Devisinh Patil
is reportedly going on a
12-day trip to two African coun-
t ri es, Seychel l es and Sout h
Africa, later this month.
This could possibly be her last
foreign trip before she ends her
five-year tenure in July.
Now, the million-dollar ques-
tion: who is going to succeed
Patil, 77, to become the 16th
President of the world's largest
democracy?
The race for the 360-roomed
Rashtrapati Bhawan - the coun-
try's most expensive and opulent
slice of real estate - is heating
up. The tentative date proposed
for the President' s election is
July 19.
Several names are making the
rounds. From Amitabh Bachchan
and Rajnikanth to Anna Hazare
and N.R. Narayana Murthy, from
Ratan Tata and Azim Premji to
Mei ra Kumar and Pranab
Mukherjee -- the list is growing
up by the day.
The race still seems wide open
with opposition toying with the
idea of sponsoring former presi-
dent A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for a
second term. The non-controver-
sial former president has earned
accolades for endorsing univer-
sal causes such as environment
protection, child education and
healthcare.
After the Congress' debacle in
assembly elections, which saw it
lose Uttar Pradesh, Goa and two
other states, the considerably
weakened party does not have
the requisite numbers to simply
choose who wi l l occupy
Rashtrapati Bhawan. The oppo-
sition is snapping at its heels and
the Congress party will have to
settle for a consensus candidate
this time.
Latest reports have even pre-
di ct ed a dark horse - Sam
Pitroda.
Pitroda is comparatively the
newest entrant and is widely dis-
cussed among political circles.
He was especially noticed after
he accompanied Rahul Gandhi
duri ng t he rel ease of t he
Congress manifesto in UP ahead
of the Assembly elections.
Pi t rodas ret urn t o Indi a
marked the beginning of the
telecom and computer revolution
making India compatable for the
advances of the 21st century. He
returned from the US on an invi-
tation by then then PM Rajiv
Gandhi who had a great vision
for India.
The presidents selection is
done through an electoral col-
lege comprising elected mem-
bers (MPs) of the Lok Sabha and
Rajya Sabha (upper house), as
well as the MLAs (member of
legislative council) of state leg-
islatures. India has 776 MPs and
4,120 MLAs. Each MP' s vote
has a value of 708 but an MLA's
vote value differs from state to
state. The total value of votes of
all 4,120 MLAs is 549,474. The
total value of votes of all 776
MPs is 549,408. The complicat-
ed formula gives the Congress
j ust about 30 percent of t he
votes.
The tentative date proposed for the Indian President's election is July 19.
Modi gets clean chit
in 2002 Gulberg massacre
Ahmedabad/New Delhi: A spe-
cial panel probing the 2002
Gujarat riots gave a clean chit to
Chief Minister Narendra Modi in
the Gulberg massacre case, leading
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to
demand that the "vilification cam-
paign" against him should stop and
the Congress retorting that there
was proof enough of the killings
during the riots.
Metropolitan Magistrate M.S.
Bhatt, who received the closure
report of the Special Investigation
Team (SIT) in February, in his
order said the investigators have
found no evidence against any of
the accused, including Modi, in the
2002 Gulberg Society massacre,
one of the cases related to the
widespread riots 10 years ago.
Zakia Jafri, wife of the slain for-
mer Congress MP Ehsaan Jafri,
who was killed by a rioting mob at
the Gulberg housing society, said
she was "disappointed" with the
closure report and vowed to con-
tinue her fight for justice.
"I am saddened but confident I
will get justice. I will fight for the
justice till I am alive," said Zakia.
Zakia had accused Modi and
senior government officers of
being conspirators in the riots and
claims her husband had made fran-
tic calls to police and the chief
minister's office seeking help, but
to no avail.
Ehsaan Jafri was among 69 peo-
ple burnt alive by a rioting mob on
Feb 28, 2002 at the Gulberg
Housing Society in Ahmedabad.
"'No evidence against Narendra
Modi' says SIT appointed by
Supreme Court. A big relief for us.
Ten years of vilification campaign
must stop, " senior BJP leader
Sushma Swaraj posted on
microblogging website Twitter.
Congress general secretary B.K.
Hari Prasad told reporters: "The
fact that around 3,000 people died
in the communal riots needs no
proof."
"No offence" has been estab-
lished against the people listed in
Zakia's complaint as per the SIT
report, judge Bhatt said in his
order.
This is the first official confirma-
tion about the SIT report on find-
ing no proof against the chief min-
ister. The court also asked the
probe panel to give a copy of the
report to Zakia Jafri within 30 days
which is when the SIT report will
become fully public.
New Delhi: President Pratibha
Patil finds herself in a contro-
versy over her post-retirement
home in Pune, but her office
rejected allegations of land-grab
as "malicious" and asserted that
no rules have been violated.
An organization of ex-service-
men in Pune has claimed that
over fives acres of land had
been alloted for her residence
after she leaves office at the end
of her five-year-term in July.
Suresh Patil, a retired ex-serv-
iceman involved with the Pune-
based 'Justice for Jawan', part of
NGO 'Green Thumb' group, has
alleged that 260,000 sq ft has
been alloted to her in Khadki
cantonment in Pune. He has
questioned why a house with a
plinth area of 4,500 sq ft is
being built for her by bringing
down two British-era country
bungalows.
"To say that a house is being
constructed for occupation by
the president on demission of
office by 'snatching' or 'grab-
bing' land meant for soldiers is
factually incorrect and mali-
cious. The land belongs to the
ministry of defense and will
continue to remain with the
Ministry of Defence," Archana
Datta, OSD to the president,
said here in a statement.
Datta clarified that the title of
the land is not being alienated in
any manner and the ownership
of both the land and the house
Patil will be occupying will con-
tinue to remain vested in the
government. Therefore, there is
no substance in the allegation of
personal gains, she said.
Presidents office rejects
land-grab charges
New Delhi: Arguing
that there can be no
general prohibition
on reporting troop
movements, Press
Council of India
chairman Markandey
Katju said that the
PCI will challenge
the Allahabad high
court order.
Recognizing that
the media had a fun-
damental right under
Article 19 of the
Constitution, Katju
said that the HC
order was incorrect
and a balanced view had to be
taken. "The Press Council will be
challenging the order of the
Allahabad HC in the SC very
shortly,'' he said.
He reasoned that the reporting
on troop movements during
wartime might endanger national
security but not in the present
case where a section of the media
had reported on troop movement,
allegedly without notifying the
government, creating some
concern.
He said that the Indian Army
was not a colonial army, but the
army of the Indian people who
pay taxes for the entire defense
budget.
"Hence, the people of India
have a right to know about Army
affairs, except where they com-
promise national security,'' he
said, adding that the media had
exposed Adarsh and Sukna
scams in which senior army offi-
cers were involved.
Press Council to
move SC over gag
on troop movement
This is the first official confirmation about the SIT report on finding no
proof against the Gujarat chief minister.
Press Council of India chairman
Markandey Katju.
12 Diaspora
April 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Islamabad: Some political parties
and Hindu groups in Pakistan are
furious over the kidnapping and
alleged conversion of Hindu girls in
Sindh province.
The Human Rights Club, Young
Hindu Forum, Minority
Commission of Pakistan, Awami
Jamhoori Party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-
Insaf, Pakistan Hindu Council and
Aurat Foundation held a demonstra-
tion outside the Karachi Press Club
Sunday, the Daily Times reported
Monday.
They alleged that a Hindu girl,
Rinkal Kumari of Mirpur Mathelo
town, was abducted and forcibly
converted to Islam. Another girl,
Asha Kumari, was kidnapped from
Jacobabad about a month back.
Pakistan Hindu Council chief
Ramesh Vankwani alleged that a
Supreme Court directive for the
recovery of Asha Kumari has not
been followed by the police, the
Dawn reported.
He said another Hindu, Gangaram
Motiani, president of the Hinglaj
Mata Shewa Mandli, was kidnapped
by men in police uniform in Bela
area of Balochistan April 6.
The incident took place ahead of
one of the largest annual Hindu
gatherings at the Hinglaj Mata tem-
ple, he said.
Holding placards and banners
inscribed with slogans, the demon-
strators said a conspiracy was being
hatched to expel the Hindu commu-
nity from Pakistan.
According to the Pakistan Hindu
Council, Hindus constitute around
5.5 percent of Pakistan's 170 million
people. Of them 94 percent live in
Sindh while the rest are distributed
in Punjab and Balochistan.
Pakistani Hindus protest
kidnapping of young girls
Abu Dhabi: The UAE Ministry of Labor and Indias
Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs signed a protocol
in Abu Dhabi to streamline the admission of Indian
contract workers by way of an electronic contract reg-
istration and validation system. A milestone in the
effort to upgrade rules and procedures governing con-
tract employment of Indian nationals in the UAE, the
new system heralds a joint endeavor by the UAE and
India.
Saqr Ghobash, UAE Minister of Labor underlined
the commitment of the UAE to exemplary co-opera-
tion with India in a range of areas, including the
employment of Indian contract workers in the UAE,
whose number has grown to approximately 1.7 mil-
lion. In particular, the new system ensures full trans-
parency of the contracting process by mandating that
the prospective worker be duly informed by Indian
government-accredited recruitment agencies of the
terms of the contract offer, including the scope of
remuneration and employment conditions and bene-
fits, prior to deploying to the UAE. The new system is
activated by an online application by a UAE employer
for the granting of work permits that requires disclo-
sure of the key terms of the employment offer. The
UAE Ministry of Labor processes the application and
provides access to the electronic record to Indian gov-
ernment-accredited recruitment agencies in India that
are then required to obtain the workers attested con-
sent; a duly designated Indian government agency also
accesses the record for the purpose of reviewing the
terms of the employment and granting an emigration
clearance accordingly. This is followed by the registra-
tion of the electronic contract and the issuance of the
work permit by the Ministry of Labor of UAE.
UAE, India go for electronic contract
registration for Indian workers
Lessons in tabla, dholak in Trinidad schools
Port-of-Spain: Nearly 167 years
after Indians arrived here, the
sounds of the tabla, dholak and
harmonium will be heard in over
550 primary schools of Trinidad
and Tobago which will now teach
the Indian musical instruments to
students.
According to Education Minister
Tim Gopeesingh, the cabinet has
agreed to introduce a multicultural
form of music in the primary
school curriculum, representative
of the country's diverse culture.
The current music program in
primary schools is based on the
Western musical tradition.
According to the minister, the
instrument of choice so far has
been the steel pan or drum because
of its origin.
Guitar, cuatro, xylophone and
African drums will also form part
of the new program, he said. This
program will be called the
Multicultural Music Program,
instead of the Pan-in-The
Classroom Unit.
Indians arrived in Trinidad and
Tobago between 1845 and 1917 to
work on sugar plantations.
The Indian High Commission
has been holding classes in Indian
music and dance through the
Mahatma Gandhi Centre for
Cultural Exchange.
With Best Compliments From:
Upkar Kaur &
Gurdip Singh Narula
New Hampton Reality, Inc.
Dr. Jiwananjot Kaur &
Prabhjot Singh Narula
Narula and Sons, Inc.
Jasjot Singh Narula
Narula Development, Inc.
In and Out Reality Brokers
10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, Founded Khalsa Panth on Baisakhi Day AD 1699
ft;kyh dh bZy bZy tXkJh jt/
16
Jagadguru Narendracharyaji Maharaj is the beloved guru and guide to hundreds
of thousands of devotees in India and now increasingly abroad too.
H
is Holiness Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami
Narendracharyaji Maharaj, revered as Gurudev
by his legion followers, believes in the original
Aryan concept of the Divine. He wants to rejuvenate the
society in which people have gradually distanced from
religion and culture. He teaches about the eternal God
who is deathless and all pervading. As society grew, re-
ligion took on two distinct forms -- the Nirgun, meaning
formless and attributeless, and Sagun, meaning with form
and attributes. Both the paths believe in the same core set
of tenets, which describe God as eternal, deathless and
all pervading, says the revered Jagadguru, who is a com-
mitted proponent of these tenets.
Swamiji believes that the holy men should travel far
and wide for the good of humanity. They must not con-
fine themselves within the monasteries. They must look
for ways to help the common man attain liberation. Swa-
miji has set an exemplary precedent in this regard. He
traverses India for at least 250 days in a year. During
his meetings with people, Hindus, he has noticed igno-
rance about religion, worship procedures and gods and
goddesses. He realized that to address this issue, it was
imperative to educate them about dharma.
Born October 21, 1966, in the village of Nanij in Rat-
nagiri District of Maharashtra, to parents Baburao Surve
and Subhadra Devi, he turned to spirituality at the early
age of 12, devoutly worshipping Lord Dattatreya and
Sant Shiromani Gajanan Maharaj. His parents arranged
for him to be married in order to bring him back to the
mundane. His marriage took place in 1985 and he was
blessed with a son, Kanifanath in 1988. After the birth
of his son, Narendra felt that he had fulfilled his duties
to the family and gave his life completely to spirituality.
He gave up worldly life and accepted the discipleship of
Samarth Sadguru Kaadsiddheshwar Maharaj of Kanehri,
Kohlapur. Within a few months he became self-realized
and started on his path of bringing about spiritual awak-
ening among the masses. On his gurus suggestion, he
founded the Narendra Maharaj Sampraday in 1992, which
later became Swa-Swarup Sampraday after 2002-2003.
Like the Adya Jagadguru, Jagadguru Narendracharyaji
Maharaj also believes in Jat-pat puchche nahi koi, Hari
ka bhaje so Hari ka hoi! (Caste and creed is immaterial,
one who worships God, becomes God). He has pledged to
serve the under-privileged and downtrodden. For, accord-
ing to him, therein lies true service to the Divine. He has
initiated many free social programs for the good of all.
His mahamantra is, awake yourself and wake others up.
His mission is to unite all Hindus by asking them to rise
above their differences based on diverse castes, creed,
language, status and country of residence. He wants to
eradicate the practice of untouchability from the Indian
society. He believes that the Sanatan Dharma must regain
its power and the Hindu society should become a guiding
example to the whole world.
Swamiji was conferred the title of Jagadguru on Octo-
ber 31, 2005 and in the subsequent years he has inspired
lakhs of people to return to Hinduism. He is preparing
thousands of youth to preach the religion in an appropri-
ate manner. Jagadguru advises all to take out 10 minutes
every day to pray to any deity of their choice. You do not
have to leave your job or other daily duties. Your prayer
will give you the inner strength to live properly and get
mental peace and help to cleanse your mind of impuri-
ties, he has said.
Swamiji established Sadguru Narendra Maharaj San-
sthan (SNMS), in Nanijdham, Ratnagiri district. It is an
organization involved in numerous social empowerment
projects. The Sansthan runs a school, a state-of-the-art
hospital, free ambulance service on highways, an orphan-
age and a womens shelter, among other institutions. It also
provides fnancial support to needy children and schools.
Teaching path to God realization
Gurudev Swami Narendracharyaji Maharaj never tires
of reminding his disciples that the goal of human life is
God-realization. Indeed, it is only when those words be-
come real to us that we become a seeker. Suddenly we
know that there is something more important in life than
what we have been previously seeking.
However, most seekers will discover that God-realization
is not a goal like other goals. Somehow it doesnt yield to our
normal way of making effort. This is because we tend to try and
achieve something for me, the ego, whereas realizing God re-
quires a reversal in our approach. Surrender, and trust in Him.
This can become somewhat confusing. What about
me? What am I to do? Maybe I can just do what I want
and leave it to God. Here comes Gurudevs admonition.
He constantly reminds his disciples, Use your common
sense. Yes, everything is God. One alone is. The plants
are God, the animals are God and you too are God. With-
out Gods sunshine and the nutrition in the ground, how
can a plant grow? It is helpless. But still, unless the plant
has within itself that which makes it put down its roots
and lift its leaves to the sun, it will not grow.
As human beings we too have certain faculties. To re-
alize God we have to use our intellect and our devotion
to the very best of our abilityat all times acknowledg-
ing that the power to think and the ability to be devoted
comes from God, just as the nourishment in the soil and
the sunshine does. Our effort is to realize that God alone
is, to acknowledge Him in all things. With this properly
directed effort, with this selfless effort, Gurudev prom-
ises us that success is assured.
Expanding mission to teach Vedic philosophy to all Hindus
Swami Narendracharyaji Maharaj By Ashok Ojha/SATimes
17
Pattabhishekam ceremony (anointment) of Sri Swami
Narendracharyaji Maharaj as Jagadguru of Nanijdham Peeth,
one of the four seats of Vaishnavism in India, the three
others being in Varanasi, Hardwar and Chitrakoot.
H
induism has two broad streams
Shaivism and Vaishnavism. Adi
Shankara, the propounder of Ve-
danta, established four seats in Shringeri
(Karnataka), Dwarka (Gujarat), Puri (Oris-
sa), and Jyotirmath (Uttarakhand), where
the Shankaracharya lineages continue.
A parallel Vaishnavite lineage originated
with Swami Ramanadacharya, who lived
in the 15th century in Varanasi. Swami Na-
rendracharya Maharaj is in the lineage of
Swami Ramanadacharya and presides over
one of the four Vaishnavite seats in Nanij.
After Swami Ramanadacharyas de-
mise, Vaishnavacharya came to be ap-
pointed to minister to the Hindu com-
munity. His foremost disciple, Jagadguru
Anantanandacharya succeeded him. How-
ever, he could not bear the separation
from his Guru and gave up the position
within a short time in favor of his senior
disciple, Payohari Krishnadas, who in turn
appointed Agradev as his successor.
Continuing the tradition, Bhagvadacharya
Maharaj was appointed to this position dur-
ing the Prayag Kumbha festival in 1933. He
was succeeded by Shivramacharyaji Maha-
raj who remained the Jagadguru for the next
10 years. In due course, a new position of
Jagadguru Ramanandacharya of Srimath
Panchganga Ghat, Varanasi was created and
in 1988 Ramnareshacharya Maharaj was ap-
pointed to the seat. Later, due to discontent
with the Jagadguru, the Chatuhsampraday,
which comprised the sub-schools and the
three Ani Akhadas, ordained Swami Hari-
yacharyaji Maharaj as their Jagadguru of
Kashi Peeth. Some years later, another seat
was established in Chitrakoot and Ramb-
hadracharyaji Maharaj was appointed as the
Jagadguru of this peeth.
In October, 2005, Nanijdham was rec-
ognized as the southern seat of Vaishnava
governance and Sri Swami Narendracha-
ryaji Maharaj was appointed as the Jag-
adguru of this peeth.
Anointed Jagadguru in Vaishnavite tradition
Swamijis Program organized
by: Jagadguru Narendracharyaji Maharaj Global Foundation (JNMGF), Inc. USA
7heodore RooseveIt xecutive & LegisIative 8uiIding - LegisIative Chamber
1550 Franklin Ave, Mineola, NY 11501
Mr. kamIesh Mehta: 516.571.3260 ...... maiI: kMehta@NassauCountyNY.Gov
Mr. SushiI GoyaI: 917.250.5600 ............... maiI: SGoyaI@Libertygems.com
Mr. 8.L. Vi|ay: 917. 454.8737 ..................... maiI: 8LVi|ay@hotmaiI.com
Nassau County xecutive EDWARD P. MANGANO and the 1NMG Ioundation Inc., USA
cordially invite you for a
SPIRITUAL DISCOURSE ON INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD
AND PEACEFUL, STRESSFREE LIFE
Saturday, April 14
th
, 2012 - 11:00am - 2:00pm
Please RSVP before April 12
th
, 2012
t-VODIXJMMCFTFSWFE
t1MFBTFDPNFPOUJNF
8y HH 1agadguru Swami Narendracharya|i Mahara|
(WorId renowned Ramanandacharya, Daksheen Peeth, Nani|dham, India)

Swamiji guides us on Self Awakening, Spirituality and World Peace.
He advises meditation to train our minds stronger, powerful and capable.
His blessings help us to improve self qualities such as
Vision, Self-Control, Decision making, Time Management,
Planning & Execution, Leadership, etc.
His simple divine teachings are,
Sincerely worship the GOD you love for 10 minutes a day
And You live and help others live .
H. H. Swamiji has really changed our lives and the lives of our friends and family.
Pl. join us to discover the secret for peaceful and stress-free life.

All programs are FREE followed by Mahaprasad. For details visit our web site www.janamgf.org
Organized by: Jagadguru Narendracharyaji Maharaj Global Foundation (JNMGF), Inc. USA


Date Program Location Time Name Phone Email
SAT, April 14 Nassau County Legislative Chamber-Hall, Mineola 11:0014:00 Sushil Goyal 917-250-5600 sgoyal@libertygems.com
B L Vijay 917-454-8737 blvijay@hotmail.com
SUN, April 15 Sai Mandir, Iselin, NJ 17:0021:00 Kishor Gore 609-721-2308 kgore2001@yahoo.com
Mahesh Gaware 732-259-2601 gaware@gmail.com
MON, April 16 Columbia University, New York 19:0021:00 Ankita Gore 609-721-3528 ankigore6@gmail.com
WED, April 18 Hindu Heritage Center, Mississauga, Canada 17:0021:00 Harish Gandhe 416-655-5003 harishgandhe@yahoo.com
Ajay Koranne 416-550-8296 shital_ajay@yahoo.com
Vikram Joshi 416-897-6126 vikramjoshi2001@rediifmail.com
THU, April 19 Toronto Durgabari, Scarborough, Canada 17:0021:00 Sujata Syam 416-423-5610 friendlytraveller21@yahoo.ca
Iresh Deo 905-334-5201 iresh@durgabari.com
FRI, April 20 Hindu Cultural Society, Buffalo, NY 17:0021:00 Mohan Shetye 716-984-8809 mohanshetye@yahoo.com
Meena Vivek 716-633-3662 meenavive@aol.com
SAT, April 21 Hindu Vedic Center, Greenville, SC 17:0021:00 Pradip Patole 518-383-0809 patolepradip1234@gmail.com
SUN, April 22 Hindu Temple, Austin, TX 17:0021:00 Radhika Patole 512-659-1675 rpatole@gmail.com
P Kumar 512-659-1151 priyavadan@gmail.com
TUE, April 24 Datta Temple, Baton Rouge, LA 17:0021:00 Pravin Bhosale 225-400-9716 bhosalepravin@gmail.com
THU, April 26 Gujrathi Samaj Temple, Little Rock, AK 17:0021:00 Shripad Jumde 501-749-6560 srjumde@gmail.com
FRI, April 27 Temple, Chicago, IL 17:0021:00 Sharad Madhav 708-460-8967 sushilgo@aol.com
SAT, April 28 Saibaba Temple, Milpitas, CA 17:0021:00 Amit Gaikwad 917-399-7899 gaikwadsamit@gmail.com
Gargi Nalawade 415-444-6350 astradreams@gmail.com
SUN, April 29 Sanatan Hindu Temple, Los Angeles 17:0021:00 Sunil narkar 562-818-6060 sunilnarkar@gmail.com
Snehalata Shinde 626-966-2599 latakaki@yahoo.com
Bhalchandra Patole 818-811-9146 bhalupatole@gmail.com

Swamiji guides us on Self Awakening, Spirituality and World Peace.
He advises meditation to train our minds stronger, powerful and capable.
His blessings help us to improve self qualities such as
Vision, Self-Control, Decision making, Time Management,
Planning & Execution, Leadership, etc.
His simple divine teachings are,
Sincerely worship the GOD you love for 10 minutes a day
And You live and help others live .
H. H. Swamiji has really changed our lives and the lives of our friends and family.
Pl. join us to discover the secret for peaceful and stress-free life.

All programs are FREE followed by Mahaprasad. For details visit our web site www.janamgf.org
Organized by: Jagadguru Narendracharyaji Maharaj Global Foundation (JNMGF), Inc. USA


Date Program Location Time Name Phone Email
SAT, April 14 Nassau County Legislative Chamber-Hall, Mineola 11:0014:00 Sushil Goyal 917-250-5600 sgoyal@libertygems.com
B L Vijay 917-454-8737 blvijay@hotmail.com
SUN, April 15 Sai Mandir, Iselin, NJ 17:0021:00 Kishor Gore 609-721-2308 kgore2001@yahoo.com
Mahesh Gaware 732-259-2601 gaware@gmail.com
MON, April 16 Columbia University, New York 19:0021:00 Ankita Gore 609-721-3528 ankigore6@gmail.com
WED, April 18 Hindu Heritage Center, Mississauga, Canada 17:0021:00 Harish Gandhe 416-655-5003 harishgandhe@yahoo.com
Ajay Koranne 416-550-8296 shital_ajay@yahoo.com
Vikram Joshi 416-897-6126 vikramjoshi2001@rediifmail.com
THU, April 19 Toronto Durgabari, Scarborough, Canada 17:0021:00 Sujata Syam 416-423-5610 friendlytraveller21@yahoo.ca
Iresh Deo 905-334-5201 iresh@durgabari.com
FRI, April 20 Hindu Cultural Society, Buffalo, NY 17:0021:00 Mohan Shetye 716-984-8809 mohanshetye@yahoo.com
Meena Vivek 716-633-3662 meenavive@aol.com
SAT, April 21 Hindu Vedic Center, Greenville, SC 17:0021:00 Pradip Patole 518-383-0809 patolepradip1234@gmail.com
SUN, April 22 Hindu Temple, Austin, TX 17:0021:00 Radhika Patole 512-659-1675 rpatole@gmail.com
P Kumar 512-659-1151 priyavadan@gmail.com
TUE, April 24 Datta Temple, Baton Rouge, LA 17:0021:00 Pravin Bhosale 225-400-9716 bhosalepravin@gmail.com
THU, April 26 Gujrathi Samaj Temple, Little Rock, AK 17:0021:00 Shripad Jumde 501-749-6560 srjumde@gmail.com
FRI, April 27 Temple, Chicago, IL 17:0021:00 Sharad Madhav 708-460-8967 sushilgo@aol.com
SAT, April 28 Saibaba Temple, Milpitas, CA 17:0021:00 Amit Gaikwad 917-399-7899 gaikwadsamit@gmail.com
Gargi Nalawade 415-444-6350 astradreams@gmail.com
SUN, April 29 Sanatan Hindu Temple, Los Angeles 17:0021:00 Sunil narkar 562-818-6060 sunilnarkar@gmail.com
Snehalata Shinde 626-966-2599 latakaki@yahoo.com
Bhalchandra Patole 818-811-9146 bhalupatole@gmail.com
We Welcome
Jagadguru Shri Swami
Narendracharyaji Maharaj!
4 Richmond Court,
Princeton Junction, NJ 08550
www. Mastani.com
19
Continued from page 18 When he met Swamiji
he experienced the spiritual energy his turbines were
not capable of providing. I had the opportunity to
listen to Guruji in Boston and read his teachings af-
ter which my life was transformed. I was inspired to
spend more time praying and reading Hindu scrip-
tures. I increased my knowledge about Vedic phi-
losophy. Guruji showed me the path that empowered
me to solve my daily problems with ease. The spiri-
tual power that I gained through Dharmic mantras
given by Guruji strengthened my mental capacity to
deal with real life problems. It also led to improve-
ment in my professional skills, says Patole who was
preparing for the visit of Swamiji at Greenvilles
Hindu Vedic Center. This is the frst visit of Guruji
to Greenville. I am expecting 600 devotees to attend.
We are preparing for a Mahaprasad for all. I am sure
all of us will be benefted by the presence of Guruji
who will provide energy and strength to face real
life challenges in our lives, said Patole. He too is
mobilizing support for establishing Hindu Dharma
Peetham in USA. Our goal is to establish a place
where our children could get the Hindu Sanskar. We
are working to build a place where all Hindus can
learn and get training about religious rites. It is our
duty to know about our spiritual and religious tra-
ditions under the guidance of enlightened spiritual
leaders such as Swami Narendracharyaji Maharaj.
He continues: When Guruji expressed his desire to
set up a foundation for the purpose of uniting all Hin-
dus living in North America and asked us to work
for developing a Dharma Peetham, I became ner-
vous. Guruji noticed my unease and advised me not
to worry because it was our destiny to succeed. All
that needed was a resolve to accomplish our goal.
When Toronto based researcher Sujata Shyam read
the biography, Shri Narendra Maharaj Leelamrit,
she felt a deep desire to get involved in spiritual ac-
tivities. I felt so inspired as if I had found something
that was missing in my life until then, she said. She
met Swamiji in New York where he assigned her the
responsibility to organize spiritual activities in Cana-
da. Empowered by his powerful message I am able
to mobilize our community in the city of Scarborough
which Swamiji will visit on April 19. He will address
devotees at Hindu Heritage Center in Mississauga
the day before. At both places devotees will have the
opportunity to seek blessings from Swamiji and re-
ceive his guidance in resolving issues related to their
personal lives, she informed. Working to expand
the reach of the JNM Global Foundation, resourceful
devotees like Sujata Shyam are engaged in motivating
and empowering other devotees with spiritual knowl-
edge and inner strength. According to her, Jagadguru
Sri feels the need for all Hindus to unite and speak in
one voice. We belong to the same tradition. If we are
ourselves not familiar with the spiritual traditions, we
would not be able to inculcate in our children the high
values which have guided our society for eons, she
pointed out. The Toronto team has also reached out
to local politicians and public offcials and convinced
them of Swami Narendracharyaji Maharajs spiritual
leadership. The politicians and public offcials would
be meeting with Swamiji during morning sessions at
both locations - Scarborough and Mississauga. The
team is making sure that the message of Sanatan
Dharma spreads within and beyond the framework of
the Indian community. They wish to project the true
image of Hinduism to all Canadians.
He is a companion walking with me through the thick and
thin of life, explains 14 year old Amarjot Banga from Queens
about her association with Swami Narendracharya. Amarjot,
who is less exposed to her cultural roots, has however found
guidance in the preachings of Swamiji from Nanij in Maha-
rashtra. Born and brought up in the US in a Punjabi family it
could have been diffcult to accept the discourses of Swami
Narendracharya but as Amarjot says, the universality of his
teachings can appeal to any sect, any religion. Live and let
others live, is something we all know but Swamiji explains how
we can incorporate that
in our daily life, she said.
Thanks to her 50 year old
mother Shobika, Amarjot
and her entire family of
six are ardent followers of
Swamiji. I was detected
with breast cancer in May
2005 and had lost hope.
Nothing worked not even
medicines, but when I met
Swamiji I knew things are
falling in place for me.
I started following him
and today I am absolutely
cured. He gives courage
and strength to fght any
adversity. I met him in
2009 in Nanij and since
then have been following
him, said Shobika adding, People especially outside India are
so stressed and distant from each other. We need a guru more than
anyone for not just our own well-being but also for everyone in the
collective sense. Also, it helps us stay connected with our roots.
Shobika was instrumental in getting Swamiji to visit the US
for the frst time in 2009. Since then he visits America every
year to give blessings to his followers. He is often greeted with
a jampacked hall; people from far-fung places visit him. For To-
ronto based Vaishali and Harish Gandhe, it was easy to relate to
Swamijis teachings because they are scientifc. His monthly
magazine Dharmashastra mentions in detail the scientifc reason
behind celebrating Hindu festivals astronomically. Most of his
followers outside India are from science background or at least
think scientifcally. And Swamiji talks to them at their level and
convinces them to follow the
path at least for their peace
of mind, said Harish, an
IT professional. Swamiji
is available on the internet,
through video conferencing
and emails too. He listens to
the problems of his follow-
ers and has his team reply
back with solutions. His
teaching is simple like pray-
ing for 10 minutes a day, live
and help others live. These
can be easily incorporated
in our lives, said Vaishali.
But for 60-year-old Queens,
NY resident Jaya Hendre, it
is diffcult to convince his
son and distant relatives. I
strongly believe that frst we
should worship the guru and then worship God. We havent seen
God but we can see the guru and seek guidance from him. I have
tried to convince my family to trust this superpower but have
failed. However, I hope and pray they realize it soon, said Jaya
Simple and logical, Swamijis
teaching has universal appeal
Taking the message of Sanatan Dhar-
ma to Indian community and beyond
- Sujata Shyam, Toronto
Shobika Banga garlanding Swamiji.
Her entire family are devotees.
By Jinal Shah
Religious Regeneration & Social Empowerment
Jagadguru Narendracharyaji Maharajs mission to spread authentic knowledge about Hindu religion, worship procedures and gods and goddesses has been
growing exponentially. Besides, he has pledged to serve the under-privileged and downtrodden, because therein lies true service to the Divine. He established
Sadguru Narendra Maharaj Sansthan (SNMS) in Nanijdham, in Maharashtra, which undertakes numerous social empowerment and welfare projects.
Swami Narendracharyaji Maharaj at a ceremony in
Nanijdham headquarters to donate ambulances for
emergency healthcare for the community at large.
(from left) Maharashtra leader Manohar Joshi
and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (late Vice President
of India) and legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar
sharing the stage with Swamiji.
Venerated saints confabulating with Swamiji on
matters related to Hindu religion and society.
Swamiji giving foodgrain to a needy woman.
Sadhus and sanyasis venerating Swamiji.
Swamiji being honored by RSS (Rashtriya
Swaymsevak Sangh) chief Mohanrao Bhagwat.
As part of Nanijdhams social empowerment
program, a woman receiving a computer
to earn a living.
VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) leader
Ashok Singhal taking blessings from Swamiji.
Swamiji being taken in a ceremonial procession.
Warm welcome to
Param Pujya
Jagadguru Sri
from his devotees
in Canada
Program Schedule

April18, Wed. 5 to 9pm at
Hindu Heritage Centre
6300Mississauga Road,
ON, L5N 1A7

April19, Thurs. 5 to 9pm at
Toronto Durgabari
427-433 Birchmount Road, Toronto,
ON, M1K 1N3
Jagadguru Narendracharyaji Maharaj Global Foundation
At the beginning of Swamijis 2011 trip, a non-profit religious, social and charitable organization,
Jagadguru Narendracharyaji Maharaj Global Foundation, Inc. (JANAMGF.org) was incorporated in the
State of New Jersey to carry out his work here in North America.
H
.H. Jagadguru
Narendracharyaji Maharaj
is a very well known name
in Maharashtra and many parts of
India since 1992. Some of his
devotees from the US have been
routinely visiting the Jagadguru
seeking his blessings at his
Nanijdham base in Ratnagiri,
Maharashtra. Some of them were
requesting him for years to visit US
and Canada. Finally, he agreed to
the repeated requests from his long
time devotee Mrs. Gopikatai Banga
of New York. She arranged to bring
Jagadguru and others to the US soil
in 2009. They lived at her home in
East Elmhurst and had a few dis-
courses at the nearby Shri
Satyanarayan Mandir in Jackson
Heights. As the word about
Jagadguru being in New York start-
ed to spread, many people came
seeking his blessings either at the
temple or Mrs. Gopikatais home.
Next year in 2010, Jagadguru and
a few of his disciples from India
visited North America again. It is
during this visit that a few people
from outside New York came in
Jagadgurus contact. After this
September 2010 visit, quite a few
devotees got organized and started
Satsang Sunday mornings. Many
people across the US and Canada
started joining these Sunday
Satsangs either through Video and
Audio Conference calls. Sometimes
Jagadguru personally appeared
either through Video and other
times through Audio calls. Slowly
all this greatly helped spreading the
good word about Jagadguru, his
teachings and his remarkable social,
religious and charitable work in
India. During some Satsangs, devo-
tees listened to discourses from
Jagadgurus close circle in India.
Quite a few devotees had valuable
personal experiences since they
came in contact with Jagadguru.
With the word of mouth, devotee
numbers started growing and as a
result Jagadgurus May-June 2011
visit was a great success with great
teamwork of devotees. During that
trip, devotees arranged Jagadgurus
discourses at 11 different cities in
Northeast part of the US and in
Toronto.
H. H. Jagadgurus programs were
well received by thousands of devo-
tees. His spiritual discourses and
simple life philosophy have greatly
impacted in transforming thousands
of devotees lives for good. Neither
H.H. Jagadguru nor any of his asso-
ciates have any material interest in
staying back, so they all have
always immediately returned back
to India after the programs.
Over time, many devotees felt
that there was a great need of hav-
ing some organization structure to
carry out Jagadgurus work here in
North America. As such at the
beginning of Swamijis 2011 trip, a
non-profit religious, social and
charitable organization, Jagadguru
Narendracharyaji Maharaj Global
Foundation, Inc. (JANAMGF.org)
was established in the State of New
Jersey under the guidance and
blessings from Jagadguru. He
almost single handedly dictated the
Constitution and By-Laws of this
Foundation. His business, finance
and people relationship concepts
are very clear and he knows exactly
what he wants and what needs to be
done.
This time, the Foundation has
arranged H. H. Jagdgurus spiritual
discourse program at 13 different
cities in the US and Canada from
April 13-30.
Jagadguru and his associates are
so busy and fully engrossed in the
spiritual and social welfare activi-
ties back home that the devotees
here had to seek his time for April
2012 programs almost 15 months in
advance.
a) Make all possible efforts to preserve and
propagate Indian culture.
b) Extend all possible help to develop the
Dharmapeeth. Arrange and coordinate discours-
es and seminars of religious heads / Jagadgurus.
Arrange and coordinate congregations of sages.
c) To establish Schools and Universities
for Vedic education.
d) To impart necessary training & educa-
tion to volunteers to prepare them as messen-
gers for spreading of the religion, spirituality
and Indian culture & to bring about social
awakening.
e) Arrange food donations at various
places. Also establish such food centers/cafete-
rias where people can be fed on a daily basis.
f) For the benefits of the devotees, take up
various building construction activities, make
the needed roads, initiate proper drinking water
supply schemes, establish a garden, temple and
make the surroundings conducive for mental
peace.
g) Make use of website and other
advanced media so that good and authentic reli-
gious, spiritual and cultural information is
available to people.
h) Make special efforts advising and bring-
ing about social awakening in the community to
remove evil traditions, eradicate dowry system,
free people from various addictions, and free
them from different superstitions and to expand
the communitys knowledge base.
i) To publish books on the subjects of
religion, spirituality, Indian culture and other
similar publications that would be useful for
religion and spirituality and to promote and
propagate Indian culture.
j) To publish a weekly, bi-weekly or a
monthly magazine to bring about the social
awakening in terms of religion, spirituality and
Indian culture.
k) To establish religious places such as
temples and operate them, renovate them when
necessary and do all the necessary worship ritu-
als. Besides this, help other people, organiza-
tions and community to take up such activities.
l) Celebrate the traditions, festivals, fes-
tivities, anniversaries, and birthdays of different
religious faith-based Deities. Besides this, help
other people, organizations and community to
take up such activities.
m) To conduct various religious yajnas,
anointings and other worship rituals and to con-
duct ceremonies to appease the various stars
and planets.
n) Arrange religious discourses, kirtanas
and darshan programs at various locations with-
in the country. Similarly undertake social and
religious awakening overseas through various
discourses as well as kirtanas.
o) To impart spiritual and religious
Anugrahas (initiations).
p) To spread the Shree Sampraday and
build a Sampraday based organization.
q) In order to get people interested in
chanting and invoking Gods name arrange for
Namgajar programs, undertake Satsang pro-
grams and run weekly Dharmasanskar centers.
r) To arrange for felicitation ceremonies
of saints and heads of different religions, speak-
ers, kirtankars and dignitaries from various
fields.
s) Establish and efficiently run Yoga
centers.
22
Executive Committee - Contact Details
Kishor
Gore
President 4 Richmond Court,
Princeton Junction,
NJ 08550
609-721-2308 C
609-770-4803 H
kgore2001@yahoo.com
Sushil
Goyal
Vice
President
President
48 Oak Lane, Roslyn
Heights NY 11577
212-391-5649 sgoyal@libertygems.com
Pradip
Patole
Secretary 34 Young Harries
Drive, Simpsonville,
SC 29681
518-383-0809 H
716-609-4353 C
patolepradip1234@gmail.com
B L Vijay Treasurer 65-61 Saunders
Street # 2L Rego
Park NY 11374
718 896 3820 H
917 454 8737 C
blvijay@hotmail.com
Gopitai
Banga
EC
Member
25-37 75th Street,
East Elmhurst, NY
11370
718-779-5525 H gopikabanga@yahoo.com
Nanda
Athale
EC
Member
3009 W Howard
Avenue
Visalia, CA 93277
716-200-8074 C nanda.athale24@gmail.com
Mahesh
Gaware
EC
Member
190 Clover Leaf
Garden Woodbridge,
NJ 07905
732-259-2601 C gaware@gmail.com
Pravin
Bhosale
EC
Member
2130 Springtide Dr,
Baton Rouge LA
70810
225-454-3225 C
225-400-9716 H
bhosalepravin@gmail.com
Dr. Sujata
Shyam
EC
Member
1112 Warden
Avenue, Toronto,
ON, M1R 2P6
Canada
416-423-5610 sbrsyam9@yahoo.ca
Jayprakash
Lonari
EC
Member
At post Kopargaon,
Ahmadnagar,
Maharashtra India
423601
91-95034 99500
C
lonariaba@gmail.com
Foundations Mission
Name Address Email Phone
23
Welcome to Arkansas
BAPS
Hindu Mandir
A
warm
welcome,
5601 Pritchard Road,
North Little Rock, AR 72117
(501) 944-3388
Shripad R Jumde &
Nandini Jumde and Family
Hwy 65 Country Store
16508 Hwy 65 S, Damascus, AR 72039
Swamiji
To
Hindu Samaj Temple
6406 Quinn Drive, Baton Rouge, LA
(225) 753-300
Vedic Center of Greenville
welcomes
on Saturday, April 21
Address: 520 Bethel Road, Mauldin, SC 29662
Welcome
Jagadguru Narendracharyaji Maharaj
Jagadguru Narendracharyaji Maharaj
of Nanijdham
To Sai Mandir
465 Lincoln Highway (Route 27)
Iselin, NJ 08830
Ph: 732-283-1800
&
About Hinduism and Hindus
H
induism is also referred to as
Vaidika Dharma, meaning
"religion of the Vedas," in the
ancient Hindu scriptures. Hinduism is
not strictly a religion. It is based on
the practice of Dharma, the code of
life. The original name of Hindu
Dharma is Sanatana Dharma, or "uni-
versal religion." The underlying
tenets of Hinduism cannot be easily
defined. Unlike other religions,
Hindu Dharma did not originate from
a single person, a single book, or at a
single point in time. The foundations
of this oldest surviving religion were
laid by ancient rishis (sages), who
taught their disciples the eternal prin-
ciples of life they had discovered
through their meditations. Hindu
Dharma is essentially a religion of
principles rather than persons. Since
Hinduism has no founder, anyone
who practices Dharma can call him-
self a Hindu. Statistically, there are
over 900 million Hindus in the world,
concentrated mainly in India and
Nepal.
Hindustan was the land that existed
beyond the river Indus, and those that
lived there were referred as Hindus.
We can see clearly that the word
Hindu was originally a secular word
meant to define and distinguish peo-
ple of the Indian subcontinent, rather
than those practicing a particular reli-
gion. If we go by these ancient tradi-
tions, there is hardly any difference
between a Hindu and an Indian. Both
the words were corrupt forms of the
original Sanskrit word ' Sindhu' ,
meaning river in general and the
Indus river in particular. The Greeks
referred to those living in the subcon-
tinent as 'Indos' while the Muslim
scholars called them 'Hindus'.
There was however one particular
difference. The Greek historians who
called the subcontinent as 'Indos'
hardly knew much about the religious
activity of the region, while the
Muslim scholars had some knowl-
edge of the native traditions though
not in complete detail. But they chose
to describe the natives as Hindus to
contrast them with the Muslims. The
Europeans who came to India from
the sixteenth century onwards fol-
lowed the same tradition and referred
the natives as Hindus to distinguish
them from the non-Muslims. More
than tradition perhaps it was conven-
ience which prompted them to use the
word 'Hindu' to describe the vast
majority of the non-Muslim popula-
tion of India.
Akhadas of Vaishnava community
Hinduism has two broad streams
Shaivites and Vaishnavites. Adi
Shankara, the propounder of Vedanta,
established four seats in Shringeri
(Karnataka), Dwarka (Gujarat), Puri
(Orissa), and Jyotirmath
(Uttarakhand), where the
Shankaracharya lineages continue. A
parallel Vaishnavite lineage originat-
ed with Swami Ramanadacharya,
who lived in the 15th century in
Varanasi. Swami Narendracharya
Maharaj is in the lineage of Swami
Ramanadacharya and presides over
one of the four Vaishnavite seats in
Nanij, Maharashtra.
There are various Akhadas or
schools and sub-schools of the
Vaishnava community.
One main school, Nirmorhi Ani
Akhada, contains sub-schools
Ramanandiya Nirmohi Akhada or
Ramanandiya Dandiya Nirmohi,
Ramanandiya Maladhari Nirmohi,
Ramanandiya Manirvoni Nirmohi,
Ramanandiya Santoshi Nirmohi,
Radhavallabhiya Nirmohi, Harivyasi
Santosh Nirmohi, Harivyasi
Mahanirvani Nirmohi, and
Dadupanthi Akhade.
Another main school, Nirvani Ani
Akhada, contains sub-schools
Ramanandiya Nirvani, Ramanandiya
Khaki, Ramanandiya Niravalambiya,
Ramanandiya Shakambari, Harivyasi
Nirvani, Harivyasi Khaki and
Balbhadri Akhade.
A third main school, Digambar Ani
Akhada contains sub-schools Ramji
Digambar and Shyamji Digambar.
Udasin Akhada was established by
Sri Chandracharya.
Due to subsequent difference of
opinion, Sri Pritamdas Sadhu went on
to set up another branch called the
Udasin Panchayati Akhada.
Consequently, the original school
came to be known as Udasin
Panchayati Bada Akhada and the new
branch as the Udasin Panchayati
Naya Akhada.
Further on, Guru Nanaks disciple
Bhagirath laid the foundations of the
Nirmal Akhada. Thus, thirteen
schools were established altogether-
seven Sanyasa, three Vaishnava, two
Udasin and one Sikh. The thirteen
akhadas together form a core com-
mittee known as the Akhil Bharatiya
Akhada Parishad.
Practised by over 900 million
people in the world, the
underlying tenets of Sanatana
Dharma are difficult to define.
24
25
Warm welcome to
Pranam,
Swamiji
Jagadguru Narendracharyaji Maharaj
From
Mrs .Gopika Banga and Family
Best wishes from
Bay Area devotees
Sunnyvale Hindu Temple
450 Persian Drive,
Sunnyvale CA 94089
Mr. Paramjit Lal and
Family
Warmly welcomes
and seeks blessings of
Warm welcome in America to
Jagadguru Narendracharyaji Maharaj
Jagadguru Narendracharyaji Maharaj
Ms. Jaya Hendre
from
Baisakhi 27
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 14-20, 2012
O
n this memorable Baisakhi day in
year 1699, Guru Gobind Singh
Sahib called a big meeting at
Kesgarh Sahib near the City of Anandpur
Sahib in Punjab. Some eighty thousand
people attended this meeting. When all
were expecting to hear words of comfort
and consolation from the lips of their Guru,
they were perturbed to see him with a
drawn sword in his hand. He shouted, Is
there anyone here who would lay down his
life for Dharam? There was a big silence,
but the Guru went on repeating his demand.
At the third call, Daya Ram, a Khatri of
Lahore, rose from his seat and offered him-
self. The Guru took him into an adjoining
enclosure.... and soon after came out with
the blood dripping from the sword in hand.
Flourishing the same before the gathering,
he asked again, Is there any other Sikh
here who will offer himself as a sacrifice
(for the cause of dharma)? At this, Dharam
Das, a Jat of Delhi (Haryana side) came
forward and was taken into the enclosure....
The Guru again came out with the blood-
stained sword, and made his earlier demand
again. In the same way, three other men
stood up, one after another, and offered
themselves for the sacrifice.
One was Mohkam Chand, a Chhimba of
Dwarka (Gujarat); another was Himmat, a
cook of Jagannath (Orissa), and the third
was Sahib Chand, a barber of Bidar
(Karnataka). The Guru, after dressing the
five in handsome clothes, brought them
before the assembly who were all pleasant-
ly surprised to see everybody alive and
beaming.
These five were then administered
Khande di Pahul' (the double-edged Sword
Amrit). They were then knighted as Singhs,
Panj Piyare (the Five Beloved Ones), the
first members of the Order of the Khalsa.
The Guru then asked them to administer the
Pahul to him in the same manner in which
he had given it to them, and it was done so.
Since the birth of Khalsa, the history of
Punjab has been the history of Sikhs.
Baisakhi played a significant role in this
regard. In 1762, Ahmed Shah Abdali, with
the sole purpose to destroy the entire Sikh
nation, declared 'Jehad' (holy-war) against
the Sikhs. All the Muslims of the Punjab
rallied under this slogan.
The Sikhs were surrounded near the vil-
lage Kup in Ludhiana District. Chronicles
mention that about twenty thousand Sikhs
were martyred in a single day. This event is
known in the history of the Sikhs as
"Ghallughara" (Bloody Carnage). After
this, Ahmed Shah Abdali thought that he
had crushed the entire Sikh nation, but was
greatly disillusioned when after a few
months he heard that the Sikhs in large
number were celebrating Baisakhi at
Amritsar.
In due course of time, Baisakhi came to
remind every Sikh of his cultural and reli-
gious heritage. On Baisakhi day all the
Sikhs used to assemble at Amritsar and
resolve their problems relating to politics
and religion.
This convention still goes on.
The celebrations of Baisakhi are similar
to the three-day schedule of the celebra-
tions of other Gurpurabs (anniversaries of
the 10 Sikh gurus). It is generally celebrat-
ed on 13th April every year.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.
A dramatic demand made by Guru Gobind
Singh of his congregation for 5 volunteers
ready to sacrifice their lives culminated in
the birth of Khalsa in 1699.
For Sikhs, Baisakhi stands
for creation of Khalsa
Baisakhi Program at
Plainview Gurdwara
Guru Gobind Singh bestowed amrit (initiation) on the "Five Beloved Ones" (panj pyare).
Now Panj Piyare are a key part of Baisakhi celebrations and processions marking
gurpurabs (anniversaries of 10 Sikh gurus).
T
his is how the Gurdwara in
Plainview (formally named Guru
Gobind Singh Sikh Center), Long
Island celebrated Baisakhi.
April 11th
8 am Arambh Sri Akhand Path Sahib Ji
April 13th
8 am Samapti Sri Akhand Path Sahib Ji
8 am to 10 pm
Asa Di Var, Bhai Mohinder Jeet Singh Ji,
Bangla Sahib Vale
Gurvichar by Bhai Amarjeet Singh Ji,
Nishan Sahib Ji Di Sewa, Langar.
April 13th Evening
Mahan Kirtan Darbar 6:45pm to 12:15pm
Bhai Mohinder Jeet Singh Ji, Bangla
Sahib Vale
Bhai Manjeet Singh Ji, Pathankot Vale
Bhai Gurtar Singh Ji, Hoshiarpur Vale
Bhai Devinder Partap Singh Ji, Buffalo
US Vale
Bhai Balwinder Singh Ji Rangeela
Happy Baisakhi
Wishing all a Happy Baisakhi!
1065 Old Country Road, Plainview, NY 11803
(516) 931 9304
http://plainview-gurudwara.appspot.com
Guru Gobind Singh, Saint-Warrior, Founder of the Khalsa Panth and 10th Sikh Guru
f;Zy ;zrs B{z ft;kyh dh tXkJh jt/
Surinder Singh Chawla,
Chairman & Prabandhak Committee,
Guru Gobind Singh Sikh Center,
With compliments from
Baisakhi 29
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 14-20, 2012
By Vikas Girdhar
New York: On April 21, the 25th annual Sikh
Day Parade will be held in New York City as a
celebration of Baisakhi, Khalsa Saajnaa Divas
and the rich cultural flavors of Sikhism.
The parade will be held between 12:15pm
and 5:00pm from 39th Street/Madison Avenue
and 24th Street Madison Avenue Park. Billed
as Nagar Keertan, it urges all to come out to
commemorate and enjoy the fun and frolic of
the large spectacle.
Ever since the early 20th century, when
Sikhs first emigrated to North America, there
has been a rich influx of cultural beliefs and
strong values celebrated. Sikhs, ever present
in medicine, engineering, trucking, cab-driv-
ing, etc, have been able to carve their own
niches and create their own legacies. They
firmly believe in the offering and cultivation
of community service and executing it with a
full heart. In April of every year, they cele-
brate Baisakhi, the day they were blessed with
their unique identity in 1699 by the 10th Guru
Gobind Singh Ji in Anandpur Saheb, Punjab.
As event contact, Interfaith leader and
Flushing resident Harpreet Singh Wahan told
The South Asian Times, This year too
Baisakhi celebrations are being held across
the nation - from the heavily attended nagar
kirtan at the Stockton gurdwara (in
California), the oldest Sikh shrine in the US,
to the celebration at the New Orleans
Gurdwara Sahib that was rebuilt after being
flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
A Sikh day parade in Lynden, Washington,
and a nagar kirtan are also scheduled for
Lansing, Michigan. In big cities like New
York City and small hamlets like Plainview,
Long Island, Sikhs along with their non-Sikh
friends shall gather to celebrate the founding
of the Khalsa and perhaps more importantly,
to reach out to the average American and edu-
cate them about Sikhism and its distinct iden-
tity.
The NYC parade, which has been held since
1988 and is organized by the Sikh Cultural
Society, is expected to draw about 70,000 peo-
ple this year. That number in itself is a stark
increase from the mere 5,000 it drew when it
was first held under the shadow of Operation
Blue Star. Volunteers of the Sikh Cultural
Society will distribute approximately 30,000
mealsand that isnt even counting the
efforts of smaller groups and private individu-
als.
The parade will be graced by the presence
of prominent Sikh-Americans, such as agri-
culturist Didar Singh Bains, hotelier Sant
Singh Chatwal, Father of Fiber Optics
Narinder Singh Kapany, US Army Majors
H.S. Kalsi and Tejdeep Singh Rattan. NY
Comptroller John Liu, Public Advocate Bill
de Blasio, Congressman Joseph Crowley and
other elected officials will also attend as
guests of honor and lead the march behind the
palki of the Holy Book Guru Granth Sahib, as
indicated by Host Committee chairman
Gurdev Singh Kang and his associate Mohan
Singh Khatra. NY Governor' s and NYC
Mayors office shall also be represented.
Other attractions of the parade include col-
orful floats, kirtani jathas, gatka martial arts
teams. As Singh Wahan said, You can take a
Punjabi out of Punjab but you will never be
able to take the Punjab out of any Punjabi.
Punjab stays alive in every Punjabis heart,
wherever in the world they live.
At the 2012 Sikh Day Parade, thousands
will be able to celebrate that assessment.
Various colors of annual NY Sikh Parade in the past.
25th NYC Sikh Day Parade to
celebrate rich history
Celebrating the festival of spring
I
n mid-April, people in Punjab
celebrate Baisakhi, the harvest
festival marking the beginning
of their new year, and the people of
Kerala in the south welcome their
new year - Vishu.
This is the time with Bengalis
ushering in the new year with the
Poila Baishakh celebrations, the
Assamese in the Northeast with
Bihu festivals, and the Tamils in the
South with Puthandu.
Baisakhi
"Baisakhi", traditionally a harvest
festival, is celebrated on the 13th of
April every year, marking the
Punjabi New Year. People celebrate
the joyous occasion by performing
Bhangra and Giddha to the pound-
ing rhythm of the dhol and rings in
the New Year. Baisakhi also marks
the founding of the Khalsa brother-
hood by Sikh Guru Govind Singh.
Shubho Naba Barsha
The first day of the Bengali new
year falls on the 13th or 14th of
April every year. Called "Poila
Baishakh," it's a state holiday in the
eastern state of West Bengal and a
national holiday in Bangladesh. To
welcome the new year or "Naba
Barsha", people clean and decorate
their houses and invoke Goddess
Lakshmi, the bestower of wealth
and prosperity. All new enterprises
begin on this auspicious day, as
businessmen open their fresh
ledgers with "Haal Khata"- a cere-
momy in which Lord Ganesha is
summoned and customers are invit-
ed to settle all their old dues and
offered free refreshments. The peo-
ple of Bengal spend the day feast-
ing and participating in cultural
activities.
Bohaag Bihu
The northeastern state of Assam
ushers in the new year with the
spring festival of Bohaag Bihu or
Rongali Bihu, which marks the
onset of a new agricultural cycle.
Fairs are organized where people
revel in gay games. The celebra-
tions go on for days together, and
it's a good time for young people to
find a companion of their own
choice! Young belles in traditional
attire sing "Bihugeets" and dance
the traditional "Mukoli Bihu". The
festive food of the occasion is the
"pitha" or rice cakes. People visit
each other's houses, exchange gifts
and sweets and, greet each other a
Happy New Year!
Vishu
"Vishu" is the first day in the first
month of Medam in Kerala, the
beautiful coastal state in southern
India. The people of this state - the
Malayalees - begin the day early in
the morning by visiting the temple
and seeing any auspicious sight,
which they call "Vishukani." The
day is full of the elaborate tradition-
al rituals with tokens called
"Vishukaineetam", usually in form
of coins, being distributed among
the downtrodden. People wear new
clothes - "Kodi vastram" - and cele-
brate the day by bursting firecrack-
ers and enjoying a variety of delica-
cies at an elaborate lunch called the
"sadya" with family and friends.
The afternoon and evening is spent
in the "Vishuwela".
Varsha Pirappu
The Tamil across the globe cele-
brate 'Varsha Pirappu' or 'Puthandu
Vazthukal', the Tamil New Year, in
mid-April. It is the first day of
Chithirai, the first month in the tra-
ditional Tamil calendar. The day
dawns by observing Kanni or view-
ing auspicious things such as gold,
silver, jewelry, new clothes, new
calendar, mirror, rice, coconuts,
fruits, vegetables, betel leaves, and
other fresh farm products.
This ritual is believed to usher in
good fortune. It is followed by a rit-
ualistic bath and almanac worship
called Panchanga Puja. The Tamil
Panchangam, a book on New Year
predictions, is anointed with sandal-
wood and turmeric paste, flowers
and vermilion powder, and is
placed before the deity. Later, it is
read or listened to either at home or
at the temple.
Folk dancers celebrate Baisakhi with Bhangra in Punjab.
30 Baisakhi
April 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Manmohan greets nation on
Baisakhi, Vishu, Bihu
Sikh pilgrims arrive in Pakistan for Baisakhi
Priyanka, Sidhu honored as 'Punjabi Icons'
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh greeted the nation
on the occasion of the traditional har-
vest festivals Baisakhi, Vishu and
Bihu.
The prime minister said in his mes-
sage that these traditional new year
festivals coinciding with the harvest
were an occasion to rejoice over the
fruits of the hard work of our farmers.
"They are not only an occasion to
celebrate the harvest but also a time to
mark a new beginning," he said in a
statement issued here.
"May these festivals usher in pros-
perity and happiness for all," he said, a
day ahead of Baisakhi.
Baisakhi is celebrated mainly in
Punjab, Vishu in Kerala and Rongali
Bihu in Assam.
The festivals also mark the begin-
ning of the Hindu solar new year.
Mumbai: Actor Priyanka
Chopra and former cricketer
Navjot Singh Sidhu were hon-
ored with Punjabi Icons Award
at a Baisakhi celebration here, an
official said.
Besides Priyanka and Sidhu,
veteran actor Om Puri, Lalit
Group of Hotels chief Jyotsna
Suri, Delhi-based legal luminary
Vijay Sondhi and Dubai-based
philanthropist S.P. Oberoi were
also conferred Punjabi Icons
Awards.
"These eminent personalities
were selected for the honors for
their sterling contribution in
their respective fields," Charan
Singh Sapra, Punjabi Cultural
Heritage Board head and
Congress legislator, said.
Governor of Pondicherry Iqbal
Singh was the chief guest at the
function, held at the
Shanmukhananda Hall in central
Mumbai. Mumbai MP Eknath
Gaikwad, state minister Varsha
Gaikwad and actors Sonu Sood,
Dolly Bindra, Geeta Basra,
singer Sukhvinder were among
those who attended.
Punjabi pop singer Harbhajan
Maan, singer Satinder Satti and
comedian Kapil Sharma regaled
the audience with their perform-
ances.
Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister
Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy
Sukhbir Badal greeted people of Punjab
and 'Punjabis' living in different parts of
India and abroad for Baisakhi, which
symbolizes the spirit of Punjab, Punjabi
and Punjabiat.
In a message, the chief minister pointed
out that on this sacred day in 1699, Guru
Gobind Singh had created the 'Order of
Khalsa' at Anandpur Sahib by baptizing
'Panj Pyaras' (beloved ones) belonging to
different regions and religions, thereby
carving out a casteless society and preach-
ing the gospels of love and compassion for
mankind, universal brotherhood and com-
munal harmony.
Badal also said that this festival marked
the beginning of the harvest season.
Sukhbir Badal said that the massacre of
hundreds of innocent Punjabis by the
British at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on
this day in 1919 proved the last nail in the
coffin of British rule in India.
He called upon the people to "celebrate
this festival collectively and utilise this
day to pay our gratitude to all those known
and unknown freedom fighters who laid
down their lives so that we all can breathe
in freedom." Revenue and public relations
minister Bikram Singh Majithia also
extended his greetings to people.
A devotee takes a holy dip on Baisakhi, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on April 13.
Actor Priyanka Chopra and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Lahore: More than 2,200 Sikh pilgrims
arrived in Lahore via Wagah Border by three
special trains for participating in the 10-day
Baisakhi festival.
Led by Shurumani Gurdwara Parbandhak
Committee of India Sardar Amrik Singh, the
Sikh pilgrims started arriving at Wagah by
first special train around 11:30 am on April
12.
After the immigration process by the
Pakistani authorities, the visitors left for
Hassanabdal after being welcomed by offi-
cials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board
(ETPB) and other departments concerned.
We have received more than 2,200 Sikh
pilgrims at the Wagah Railway Station, who
then proceeded towards the Lahore Railway
Station for onward travel under tight security
by the Pakistan Rangers and the Punjab
police, ETPB Deputy Secretary (Shrines)
Azhar Sulehri told Dawn.
He said the ETPB was expecting 800 more
Sikh pilgrims from India on foot and by
Samjhota Express on April 11 and 12. Many
would come from other parts of the world, he
said.
The official said the ETPB had arranged
free transport, food and residential facilities
for the Sikh pilgrims in Lahore, Hassanabdal,
Nankana Sahib and other cities.
Sulehri said the visitors would spend their
first three days in Hassanabdal, where they
would offer special prayers at Gurdwara Panja
Sahib and observe Baisakhi. From there they
would move to Nankana Sahib to pay homage
to Baba Guru Nanak and participate in cere-
monies.
On April 16, he said, they would return to
Lahore and visit Gurdwara Dera Sahib. The
next day the Sikhs would go to Eimanabad
and Narowal and return home on April 19.
The official said the ETPB also planned to
host a grand reception for the Sikh pilgrims.
As for the security arrangements, he said:
The police in Lahore, Hassanabdal, Norowal,
Nankana Sahib and other cities have been
directed to provide foolproof security to the
pilgrims. Arrangements like CCTV cameras
have been made at the Wagah station, temples
and other relevant places. Sikh pilgrims arrive at the Wagah border in Pakistan to attend the Baisakhi festival.
Punjab CM extends
Baisakhi greetings
Baisakhi 31
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 14-20, 2012
A Baisakhi special trip to
Punjabs countryside
By Hiral Dholakia-Dave/SATimes
I
ndia Untravelled, a proponent of socially
responsible travel experiences in rural
India has organized from April 13-15, a
first of its kind trip wherein travelers will
stay in an organic farm in traditional mud
and thatched roof cottages and tents,
enjoy traditional folk performances on the
farm and street festivities in Anandpur Sahib
and visit Indus Valley site at Ropar. And
cherry on the cake the revenue generated
will go towards supporting livelihoods of
artisans of village of Rail Majra.
SATimes spoke to Shiva Nath, the co-
founder of India Untravelled.
What was the motivation behind
launching this idea?
Punjab has been celebrating the festival of
Baisakhi since over 300 years and gradually
these celebrations have been reduced only to
the rural parts where agriculture is still prac-
ticed. While everyone in the cities of India
has heard of Baisakhi, few have experienced
the joy with which our farmers celebrate the
harvesting of their crops. To join them in
their music, dances and feasts is a soulful
experience, one that everyone should savor
at least once in their lifetime.
Why did you choose Prakriti farm?
Prakriti Farm is an organic farm on the
Punjabi countryside, an hour from
Chandigarh, quietly nestled in the Shivalik
Range. Kaushal, the owner of the farm,
often visited his grandparents in the village
of Rail Majra and the surrounding forest as a
kid. He fondly recalls collecting wild berries
and flowers, sleeping under starry skies,
milking cows before the crack of dawn, sit-
ting by the chulha waiting for hot and crisp
paranthas and eating makki di roti and sar-
son da saag with fresh white butter dripping
off the plate, lovingly poured by his grand-
mother. This was the Punjab he grew up in.
After many years of living in the cities, he
returned to see farmers selling off their land
and taking up small jobs in the factories
nearby. The cultural landscape of the village
had changed, the natural spring in the forest
had dried up, the land was barren and devoid
of all vegetation, and the entire village was
exposed to flash floods. It was this igno-
rance and neglect of nature by the local
community that made Kaushal and his fami-
ly sit up and do something for the environ-
ment. Practicing organic farming tech-
niques, Kaushals family has slowly recreat-
ed the ecological environment of the private
forestland they had inherited from their
ancestors.
Rail Majra largely consists of farmers and
homes a group of talented musicians and
dancers. Since the establishment of factories
in the nearby towns, many people have sold
their agricultural land and ignored their
artistic talents to keep blue-collar jobs which
can financially sustain their families. While
Prakriti Farm is a living example of using
ancient and organic farming techniques to
revive the soil and grow healthier crops,
tourism via Prakriti Farm is a way to
encourage the artistic talent of the village
and a motivation for the village folk to pre-
serve their traditional way of life.
What is the focus of India Untravelled?
India Untravelled was launched in January
2012, as a quest to help travelers discover an
India that does not feature on regular tourist
maps. Our destinations typically lie in rural
parts of India with untouched natural beauty,
where hospitality comes innately to the peo-
ple and a traditional, earthy way of life can
still be experienced. Keeping in mind the
needs of different kinds of travelers, our
destinations range from heritage homestays
set in relatively rural parts of the country, to
farm stays and village guest houses that
offer complete immersion in rural India.
These experiences let travelers discover the
vibrant culture of Indias villages, indulge in
delectable local cuisines, uncover ancient
traditions, rejuvenate with the regions folk
music and dances and explore centuries old
indigenous art forms. We handpick partners
based on accessibility, authenticity and ele-
ments of social responsibility and act as
their marketing arm to raise awareness and
generate business using social media plat-
forms.
How did India Untravelled happen?
The idea of India Untravelled was born on
the countryside of Punjab, where a family
from the pind of Ghallu managing a farm-
house amid a 400-acre fruit farm really
touched me. Tourism constituted a signifi-
cant part of their livelihood but this isn't the
sort of experience that people would book
through a travel agent in today's Google-
reliant world.
Due to lack of a significant online pres-
ence, the revenues did no justice to the
potential of the experience.
With my experience in digital marketing at
the Singapore Tourism Board, I decided to
start India Untravelled in an attempt to
bridge the online marketing gap between
travelers and countryside hosts in India.
Tell us about your background.
I hail from Dehradun, a valley at the base
of the Himalayas and spent six years in
Singapore, studying and then working as a
social media strategist with the Singapore
Tourism Board. After traveling extensively
on the countryside of Southeast Asia &
Europe, I came back to India with a desire to
explore my own country. I picked up mar-
keting projects with social enterprises in the
rural tourism industry and took to freelance
travel writing, before taking the plunge to
start India Untravelled. The core team of
India Untravelled consists of passionate
travelers, ever ready to set out on the road to
discover new and exciting travel experi-
ences and ways to use tourism as a means of
generating alternate livelihood options.
How's been the response to the Baisakhi
special trip?
We started marketing the Baisakhi trip in
early February; it was a bit too early for peo-
ple to confirm their plans even though we
sensed a fair amount of excitement in the
enquiries we got. We received only two
bookings until early March and then things
exploded! We closed bookings last week
with all 12 spots on the trip filled and an
extra 13th spot created for an enthusiastic
Punjabi girl 'who's lived in Punjab but never
seen the countryside celebrations of
Baisakhi.'
A lot of solo female and male travelers are
joining us, which excites me as a proponent
for the cause of solo travel in India. We set
out on Friday the 13th and are extremely
excited to see our travelers experience
Punjabi country hospitality and try what
some feel is the best food in India!
Colorful festivities in Punjab
Mud and thatched roof cottages
at Prakriti farms
Ropar wetlands
Tents at Prakriti farms
Mustard fields in bloom at Prakriti farms
April 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Amulya Ganguli
T
he dreaded 'c'-word has rarely been
uttered in connection with the Indian
Army because it is supposed to have
inherited in full measure the professional
traditions of its colonial mentors about the
military being subservient to the civil
authorities. Hence, the idea of a coup d'etat
has always been deemed to be alien to its
mindset.
That does not mean fears about what hap-
pens with distressing frequency in neigh-
boring Pakistan being repeated in India
haven' t been expressed. For instance,
according to a biography of Field Marshal
K.M. Cariappa written by his son, the
retired commander-in-chief, as the post was
known then, was appointed as India's high
commissioner to Australia in 1953 to fore-
stall such a possibility. Cariappa did feel
that "an indefinite President's rule all over
the country would do us a lot of good". He
said in an interview that during this period,
"only such areas which may be unruly can
be given in the hands of the army" and that
"only after the restoration of normalcy can
elections be held". This was in 1974. A year
later, the Emergency, which the enfant terri-
ble of the time, Sanjay Gandhi, wanted to be
"indefinite", was imposed. But that is anoth-
er story.
What is relevant is that since Cariappa's
time, all the army chiefs have stuck to the
straight and narrow path of neutrality.
Whether during defeat, as in 1962, or at a
time of triumph, as in 1971, there hasn't
been a whisper about the army nurturing
political ambitions.
The latest brouhaha, therefore, would
have been seen as a storm in a tea cup even
if the prime minister had not called the
report about supposedly suspicious troop
movements in January "alarmist".
Manmohan Singh's comment was followed
by the army chief, Gen. V.K. Singh, describ-
ing the Indian Express report as "stupid".
To complicate matters, the Free Press
Journal of Mumbai claimed that "some time
in late January the services of this newspa-
per were sought to be enlisted by elements
hostile to the army chief for putting out a
report that he could even consider the
unthinkable if he did not get his way in his
dispute over his actual year of birth. Indeed,
sources close to the government suggested
that he had given up the idea of the unthink-
able only because he had failed to enlist the
support of the top army brass".
Today, any newspaper or magazine or tel-
evision will lap up any such article sent by a
retired general. At the same time, it also has
to be admitted that despite the cut-throat
competition in the media world, and the
eagerness with which "experts" articulate
their views in "prime time" shows, instances
of gross irresponsibility are few and far
between in spite of what the irrepressible
Press Council chief, Markandey Katju, may
say.
But as the Niira Radia tapes showed, there
are elements in the government and outside
who are involved in all kinds of games. The
"leakage" of the tapes and the "leakage" of
Gen. Singh's letter to the prime minster on
the army's obsolescence are evidences of
insiders trying to undermine other insiders
with the help of journalists during a turf
war.
However, the good news is that the insti-
tutions have stood firm. There are no signs
that anyone in the army wants to emulate
Ayub Khan or Zia-ul Haq. The media has
tried to look at the scene dispassionately
even if some of them are momentarily
swept off course, as during Anna Hazare's
agitation last year. The judiciary, the
Election Commission and the Comptroller
and Auditor General (CAG) are acting as
the guardians of a free society.
The politics of pilgrimage
By Vinod Sharma
A
sif Ali Zardari lacks
Benazir Bhutto's erudition
and charisma. He cannot
boast even a fraction of her mass
support. The best tribute to her
came from her worst adversaries,
some of whom wept after her assas-
sination in 2007, admitting that pol-
itics would never be the same in
Pakistan again.
That's why Zardari, who became
president after the Pakistan People's
Party (PPP) rode to power on popu-
lar outrage and sympathy over his
wife's killing, was viewed as an
usurper by a wide section of the
party cadres.
What then made Zardari log a
better record than his slain wife on
the Indo-Pak front? Trade and
Siachen aren't anymore linked by
Islamabad with progress on
Kashmir. The emphasis on the
'doable' among pending issues is
writ as much in New Delhi subtly
de-linking other bilateral business
from Pakistan' s poor record in
going after the perpetrators of the
26/11 attacks.
Compare this with Benazir's stints
in power. Relations between our
two countries had hit rock bottom,
the PPP leader showing little vision,
political will or risk-taking ability
to mend ties. Much of her time was
spent living down the myth of being
pro-India. Resident Indian journal-
ists were refused visas. Bilateral
dialogue was largely disabled amid
shrill rhetoric over Kashmir.
From his standpoint, Zardari, who
chose a seven-year (1996-2004)
incarceration on graft charges over
buying peace with his wife's tor-
mentors, has done exceptionally
well to get so close to completing
his term as president despite low
popularity and the taint acquired
during Benazir's stints as premier.
His visit to Ajmer was packaged
as a pilgrimage. It was hard to miss,
however, the political objective that
drove him to the revered dargah in
remembrance of Benazir, flaunting
whose legacy the PPP has stalled
probes into monies held in Swiss
accounts in defiance of the top judi-
ciary. The pretense: doing so would
mean putting Benazir on trial
posthumously. The reality: an hon-
est probe could link the booty to the
president.
Elections are due early next year
in Pakistan. In all probability, it will
see Bilawal's formal launch in elec-
toral politics, the family having
kept indoors in the February 2008
polls that followed Benazir's death.
Every inch his mother's son, he
couldn't have thought of optics bet-
ter than he got in India to reaffirm
the Bhutto lineage his father lacks.
The political jigsaw would fall in
place if one reads the father-son
duo's Ajmer sojourn with the Sindh
card Zardari's playing by equating
the Punjabi establishment's assaults
on his presidency with Benazir's
killing and Zulfikar Bhutto's "judi-
cial murder." The picture gets even
clearer upon factoring in the PPP's
political stakes in Sindh and
Punjab's Seraiki belt where the Sufi
tradition is under attack from radi-
cal Islamic groups.
The enduring image, therefore, of
the visit is that of the handsome
Bhutto heir in the background while
Zardari and his host, the Indian pre-
mier, briefly addressed the media.
The question remains whether the
people of Pakistan would favor the
family at the hustings? Will the
father step aside and the
son step up?
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
There are no signs that anyone in the army wants to emulate Ayub Khan or Zia-ul Haq.
The media has tried to look at the scene dispassionately even if some of them are
momentarily swept off course, as during Anna Hazare's agitation last year.
32 Op Ed
It was hard to miss, however, the political objective that drove Asif Ali
Zardari to the revered dargah in remembrance of Benazir, flaunting
whose legacy the PPP has stalled probes into monies held in Swiss
accounts in defiance of the top judiciary.
No 'c' word in Indian Army's lexicon
Subcontinent & International 33
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 14-20, 2012
Islamabad: Days after for-
eign minister Hina Rabbani
Khar contradicted president
Asif Ali Zardari during a
meeting with a visiting
American diplomat, specula-
tion is rife that her portfolio
may be changed.
The speculation was
sparked by remarks of PM
Yousaf Raza Gilani four days
after the meeting.
Gilani took the top brass in
the foreign ministry by sur-
prise by saying that a "fresh
team" would carry forward
talks with India to resolve
outstanding issues, without
explaining what "fresh team"
meant.
The US delegation led by
deputy secretary of state
Thomas Nides was taken by
surprise when Khar publicly
contradicted Zardari during a
meeting at the governor' s
house in Lahore on April 4.
Nides raised the issue of
Pakistan's participation in a
conference on Afghanistan in
Chicago in May, and Zardari
said his government was
amenable to discussing the
matter if Washington extend-
ed a formal invitation.
At this point, Khar inter-
vened saying the issue could
not be taken up till a joint ses-
sion of parliament completed
an ongoing review of
Pakistan-US relations.
The US delegation was sur-
prised by Khar's "argumenta-
tive" tone in the presence of
the president, who is per-
ceived as the PPP' s main
decision-maker on crucial
foreign policy issues.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.
Rahul and Bilawal met during a daylong trip by
President Asif Ali Zardari to India.
Khar faces sack for
contradicting Zardari: Report
Islamabad: The contact between
Rahul Gandhi, general secretary of
India's ruling Congress party, and
Bilawal Zardari Bhutto, who heads
the Pakistan Peoples Party, is
"important given that both might
lead their respective countries one
day and determine the future course
of events", said a daily.
Rahul and Bilawal met during a
daylong trip by President Asif Ali
Zardari to India. Zardari interacted
with Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and later paid
obeisance at the dargah of a Sufi
saint in Ajmer.
An editorial in the News
International said the general tone of
friendship between the two leaders
also "passed on to the torch-bearers
of the future".
"Rahul Gandhi, 40, accepted an
invitation from Bilawal Bhutto
Zardari 23, to visit Pakistan.
"This initial contact between the
two young men, who share some
similarities as far as family history
goes, is also important given that
both might lead their respective
countries one day and determine the
future course of events," it added.
The daily said that private or oth-
erwise, "any contact between
Pakistan and India is important".
Zardari "managed to discuss some
delicate but crucial issues during his
pre-luncheon talks with Manmohan
Singh". Describing Singh as "a vet-
eran politician", the editorial said
that the Indian prime minister "did
not stick to mere pleasantries, and
said he was 'taking advantage' of
Zardari's presence in India to bring
up some key issues".
The fact that the interaction
"seems to have taken place in a
mainly cordial setting is encourag-
ing". It said that "the talks have set
up an environment for potentially
more cordial relations in the future
between the two countries".
"The foreign secretaries of India
and Pakistan are due to meet soon
and, significantly, Manmohan Singh
has accepted an invitation to visit
Pakistan.
New York: Transgender women will be allowed to
participate in the Miss Universe beauty pageant next
year, officials announced, a week after they ruled a
trail-blazing 23-year-old could vie for the crown this
year.
Pageant officials said they are working on the lan-
guage of the official rule policy change but expected
final word to come soon. Trials for next year's Miss
Universe pageant begin this summer.
The move comes five days after the organization
said that Jenna Talackova could compete in the Miss
Universe pageant this year.
Talackova, a Vancouver resident, underwent a sex
change four years ago after being born a male.
Her sex change initially led organizers in Canada
to disqualify her from the 61st Miss Universe
Canada pageant in May, citing a rule that she must
be "naturally born" a woman.
Talackova pleaded with the pageant's leaders to
drop the rule.
"I am a woman," Talackova said. "I was devastat-
ed, and I felt that excluding me for the reason that
they gave was unjust. I have never asked for any spe-
cial consideration. I only wanted to compete."
Donald Trump, who runs the Miss Universe
Organization, wished her "the best of luck in her
quest for the crown." The official rules will have to
be approved by Trump and NBC, which co-own the
contest.
Rahul, Bilawal contact
important, says Pak daily
Jenna Talackova underwent a sex change four years
ago after being born a male.
Miss Universe pageant allowing
transgender women
Osama's wives, kids
seen in new video
London: A new video on
Osama bin Laden's wid-
ows in a Pakistani prison
shows a boy stacking
teddy bears on a chair
while another grabs a
cricket bat. Three women
dressed in black veils
look on, while another
kneels on a prayer mat to
read from the Quran.
The footage obtained
by Al Arabiya television
shows the tight security
surrounding the family of
the terror mastermind as
they serve 45-day sen-
tences for illegally enter-
ing Pakistan, the
Telegraph reported.
Another of bin Laden's
wives is seen feeding a
toddler. The women and
children have been in
Pakistani custody ever
since bin Laden was shot
dead by US Navy Seals
in May last year.
Pakistani authorities
fear the widows may
carry valuable informa-
tion about who helped
the family evade capture.
The daily said Pakistan
will also want assurances
that their home countries
-- Yemen and Saudi
Arabia -- will keep the
family from public view.
Amal Al Sadah, a Yemeni widow of Osama bin Laden.
Washington: Welcoming the Delhi
meeting between Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and Pakistan
Asif Ali Zardari, the United States
has expressed the hope that the two
South Asian neighbors continue
their dialogue.
"We hope that India and Pakistan
continue to build on this progress,
and we look forward to more such
meetings," State Department
spokesperson Victoria Nuland told
reporters.
The US was "very pleased" at the
Sunday meeting between the two
leaders and Mamohan Singh' s
acceptance of Zardari's invitation
to visit Pakistan in the near future,
she said
Washington believed that
expanded and improved engage-
ment between India and Pakistan
was "not only going to help the
neighbors, they're going to help the
entire region," Nuland said.
It would also "provide opportuni-
ties for millions of citizens in the
neighborhood to live in a more
secure and stable region," she said.
"So, we applaud the trend."
In response to a question about
the Siachen issue, the spokesperson
said though the United States was
prepared to help, the dispute was
best settled by dialogue between
New Delhi and Islamabad.
US hopes India, Pakistan will
build on progress
34 Business
April 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Kolkata: Launching Airtel's 4G
services in Kolkata, Telecom
Minister Kapil Sibal admitted that
3G services have not been as pop-
ular as 2G due to lack of liquidity
in the market to invest in the
infrastructure and the devices
required.
"We will give the environment
to the industry to manufacture low
cost quality smart phones. But it is
the industry which has to deliver.
This is the biggest challenge for
the industry," he told reporters.
"3G has not delivered because
they paid such huge prices for the
spectrum and there is no liquidity
in the market for them to invest in
the infrastructure and the devices
to deliver 3G, for which 2G was
successful and 3G was not suc-
cessful."
He hoped that the industry
would keep this in mind and
"ensure that people of this country
have low cost devices". Sibal was
speaking at the launch of broad-
band wireless access (BWA) serv-
ices based on 4G technology here.
Telecom major Bharti Airtel
became the first telecom operator
to launch broadband wireless
access (BWA) services based on
4G technology in the country.
The high speed service was
inaugurated by Sibal. A successor
to the 3G and 2G families, 4G is
expected to be five times quicker
than 3G services. It would offer
services such as high-definition
mobile TV and video conferenc-
ing.
Asked when the 4G will be
rolled out in other cities, the com-
pany's chairman and managing
director Sunil Mittal said: "We are
working very fast to launch in the
other circles that we have.
"Hopefully, within this month it
will be launched in Bangalore,
within weeks followed by Pune,
and then Chandigarh."
Airtel, which had bagged BWA
spectrum in four telecom circles -
Kolkata, Maharashtra, Punjab and
Karnataka - for Rs.3,314.36 crore
in 2010, selected Chinese telecom
equipment maker ZTE to manage
its services in Kolkata.
The other players are yet to
announce plans to rollout
4G services.
Airtel launches 4G services in India
Indian federal Telecom minister Kapil Sibal launching
4G services in Kolkata.
Washington: Facebook will
purchase the popular photo shar-
ing app Instagram for $1 billion,
Facebook' s CEO Mark
Zuckerberg has announced.
"For years, we've focused on
building the best experience for
sharing photos with your friends
and family," Zuckerberg said in
a Facebook post.
"Now, we'll be able to work
even more closely with the
Instagram team to also offer the
best experiences for sharing
beautiful mobile photos with
people based on your interests."
He assured people that
Instagram would remain a rela-
tively independent entity. Users
will still be able to post photos
to other social networks and opt
out of posting them on
Facebook altogether, the
Christian Science Monitor
reported.
"This is an important mile-
stone for Facebook because it's
the first time we' ve ever
acquired a product and company
with so many users," the post
said.
Instagram CEO Kevin
Systrom released a statement on
the company blog, further assur-
ing users that while the compa-
nies will be joining forces,
Facebook won' t monopolize
Instagram. Instead, they say,
each will help the other flourish.
"It's important to be clear that
Instagram is not going away," he
wrote.
"We' ll be working with
Facebook to evolve Instagram
and build the network. We' ll
continue to add new features to
the product and find new ways
to create a better mobile photos
experience."
Instagram rose to popularity
after its October 2010 release
and now has 30 million iPhone
users, as well as at least one mil-
lion on Android, according to
the Monitor.
Facebook to buy
Instagram for $1 bn
Kingfisher staff paid
after four months
Mumbai: A large section of
Kingfisher Airlines employees ,
including pilots and engineers,
received their salaries after a delay
of nearly four months, airline
sources said.
"In fact, we paid salaries of all
employees on April 4 itself.
However, due to some back-end
problem in one of the banks, a sec-
tion of employees could not get it
then," they said. Chairman of the
crisis-hit airline Vijay Mallya had
last Tuesday assured his employees
that their salaries would be dis-
bursed in a staggered manner from
April 4 to 10. The airline has salary
accounts in HDFC Bank, Axis
Bank and ICICI Bank.
KFA has paid the second install-
ment of Rs 9 crore as TDS accord-
ing to the directives of the tax tri-
bunal. It has outstanding dues of
Rs 349 crore. Mallya is understood
to have informed DGCA about the
payments made.
Kingfisher Airlines is going through troubled times.
Washington: A number of
global technology and busi-
ness groups want India to
reconsider its new rules on
government-purchased tech-
nology, suggesting they
would be at odds with New
Delhi' s World Trade
Organization (WTO) obliga-
tions.
They would also have
spillover effects on India' s
broader economy, 35 associa-
tions led by Information
Technology Industry Council
(ITI), Telecommunications
Industry Association (TIA)
and US-India Business
Council (USIBC) stated in a
letter to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh.
Urging the Indian govern-
ment to reconsider its new
preferential market access
(PMA) rules, the groups sug-
gested they would tip the
scales strongly in favor of
domestically manufactured
electronic goods for govern-
ment purchase, a USIBC
release said.
The potential application of
these rules to private entities,
including "telecom licensee"
and "managed service
provider," would contravene
the WTO, the letter suggested,
according to the trade group
comprised of about 400 top
American and Indian compa-
nies.
The letter also urged India
to initiate a consultation
process with the private sector
and other stakeholders to
develop policy approaches
that will promote ICT sector
growth without creating mar-
ket-distorting policies.
"India has exemplified the
benefits of competition and
regulatory reform as demon-
strated by the tremendous
growth in the telecommunica-
tions and IT services sector
over the past fifteen years,"
the groups wrote.
"We urge India to remain,
and push forward, on this
path. India's economic growth
and ability to continue to be
competitive in the global ICT
sector depend on it," it stated.
Joining, ITI, TIA and
USIBC were 32 other associa-
tions from the United States,
Europe, Japan, Canada,
Australia, Hong Kong, and
Korea.
Tech groups
ask India to
revisit market
access rules
In Brief
India eases overseas investment norms
New Delhi: Foreign institutional
investors (FIIs) can now invest
up to 23 percent in Indian com-
modity exchanges without gov-
ernment approval, the commerce
and industry ministry said.
In a consolidated foreign direct
investment (FDI) policy docu-
ment, the government said it had
decided to liberalize norms for
overseas investments in com-
modity exchanges.
Till now, overseas investment
with a composite FDI and FII
cap of 49 percent was allowed in
commodity exchanges. Within
this overall limit, investment by
registered FIIs was limited to 23
percent and investment under
the FDI scheme was limited to
26 percent.
For both FDI and FII cate-
gories, prior government
approval was required.
However, as per the new circu-
lar, now the FII investments
would not be required to be
cleared by the government.
"It has now been decided to
liberalize the policy and to man-
date the requirement of govern-
ment approval only for FDI
component of the investment.
Such investment by FIIs, in
commodity exchanges, will,
therefore, no longer require gov-
ernment approval," the
Department of Industrial Policy
and Promotion said in the new
circular.
Sports 35
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 14-20, 2012
Gurgaon: Star cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who
returned home after undergoing treatment in
the US for a rare germ cell cancer, said he
was thankful to god for having back his life
but admitted that it won't be easy for him to
make a quick return to the cricket field.
Yuvraj, however, remained hopeful about
his future and said it would be a great
achievement for him if he makes it to the
cricket field in two months.
"I don't know what future holds. It will be
a great achievement if I get back to the field.
I am thankful to god that I got back my life.
Everybody faces such issues. I am very
happy and thankful to everyone that I am out
of it," said Yuvraj, addressing the media for
the first time since his return.
Accompanied by his doctor Nitesh
Rohatgi, Yuvraj asked his fans to be patient
as health and not cricket remains his priority.
"All my fans want me to come back soon, I
am sure you people will understand that my
body will take time. I will have to take care
of my health. I will try to return as soon as
possible, in the next two months. I have been
through a very tough time," he said.
Yuvraj admitted that the last three months
were the toughest phase of his life. "Cancer
is out of my system, but the scars are yet to
be healed. A high protein diet helped.
Thankful to god that I got my life back," he
said.
Yuvraj, who underwent treatment in the
Boston, said he drew inspiration from leg-
endary American cyclist Lance Armstrong,
who survived testicular cancer.
"Cyclist Lance Armstrong helped a lot and
he was an inspiration in my fight against
cancer. 5-6 years back I was reading his
book and left it midway for some reason. I
had to complete it this way may be. He had
similar cancer but his was in the last stage
and mine was detected at early stage," he
said.
Yuvraj said his biggest strength was his
mother Shabnam. "Lucky the cancer got
detected early. The presence of my mother
gave me strength. I don't think without her I
would have made this journey," said Yuvraj.
Yuvraj admitted that he was initially in a
denial mode when he was detected with can-
cer.
"I was in a denial initially. I concealed my
ill-health for a long time. I had breathing
problems during World Cup. I gave myself
pep talk. I battled breathing problems. I was
cheerful even after cancer was detected," he
said.
Yuvraj said a pep talk by batting maestro
Sachin Tendulkar in London helped him a
lot.
"Sachin Tendulkar always spoke positively
and always inspired me. It is difficult but not
impossible to overcome cancer. If I can over-
come everyone can.
"It was great to see him in London. I didn't
want this to come out but media would have
known. I was delighted to see him. He has
been a legend in Indian cricket, a great guy.
It was great motivation for me. It was a great
that he came all the way to see me," said
Yuvraj.
Cancer has taught me a lot: Yuvi
Yuvraj Singh addressed the media for the
first time since his return from the US.
New Delhi: "I love you papa," an
emotional Shiva Thapa told his
father when he called home soon
after becoming the youngest
Indian boxer to book an Olympics
berth. The eighteen-year-old
achieved this feat when he beat
Japan's Satoshi Shimizu 31-17 in
the semifinals of 56kg category of
the Asian Qualifying Event in
Astana ( Kazakhstan).
Another teenager, Sumit
Sangwan, landed a power-packed
punch later in the evening to
extend celebrations in the Indian
camp. The 19-year-old outclassed
Jordan's Ihab Almatdault 24-12 in
the 81 kg category to become the
seventh Indian to qualify for the
London Games. India will now
field its biggest ever boxing con-
tingent in the Olympic Games --
five boxers had represented the
country at the Beijing Games in
2008.
Shiva was a point down at the
end of first round but read his
opponent well and changed his
strategy to turn the tables on his
Japanese opponent.
The boy from Assam won the
second round 15-6 and from there
it was Shiva all the way. He will
now meet Asian Games bronze
medalist Wessam Salamana of
Syria for gold.
Mumbai: A blistering fifty and a
four-wicket haul by Kieron
Pollard helped Mumbai Indians
get past a fighting Rajasthan
Royals by 27 runs in an Indian
Premier League match.
Pollard smashed 64 off 33 balls
to propel Mumbai to 197 for six
and then took three wickets in an
over in Rajasthan's innings which
ended at 170 all out in 19.4 overs.
Fast bowlers Munaf
Patel (4/28) and Lasith Malinga
(2/13) also played a key role in
restricting the visitors, who at one
stage looked ominous in the run-
chase with Owais Shah (76) and
Ajinkya Rahane (40) in the mid-
dle. Shah looked in devastating
form, slamming fives sixes and as
many fours in his 42-ball blinder.
And only when he was dismissed
by Mailnga in the 15th over,
Mumbai could breathe easy.
In fact, the Sri Lankan speed-
ster's over became the turning
point of the match as he also sent
back the capable Johan Botha,
leaving Rajasthan at 136 for five
with another 62 needed off 30
balls.
Ashok Menaria (20) and Kevon
Cooper (14) tried the improbable
towards the end but Pollard' s
(4/44) triple strike in the 18th over
sealed the win for Mumbai.
Pollard earlier struck his maiden
IPL fifty and shared a 94-run
stand off 52 balls with Ambati
Rayudu (47 not out) to push
Mumbai to a formidable score.
Shiva youngest Indian boxer
to qualify for Olympics
Pollard shines in Mumbai's
win over Rajasthan
Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR
Mumbai Indians 4 3 1 0 0 6 +0.361
Pune Warriors 2 2 0 0 0 4 +1.250
Delhi Daredevils 3 2 1 0 0 4 +0.820
Rajasthan Royals 3 2 1 0 0 4 +0.433
Kolkata Knight Riders 3 1 2 0 0 2 +0.206
Chennai Super Kings 3 1 2 0 0 2 +0.040
Royal Challengers Bangalore 2 1 1 0 0 2 -0.550
Kings XI Punjab 2 0 2 0 0 0 -1.325
Deccan Chargers 2 0 2 0 0 0 -1.950
Shiva Thapa.
By Kieron Pollard helped Mumbai Indians get past
Rajasthan Royals by 27 runs.
M
y wife, Malathi, and I recently cele-
brated our 10th anniversary. Yes,
it's been a whole decade since we
got married, a whole decade since we stood
in front of family and friends, looked into
each other's eyes and thought, 'Who is this
person?'
We hardly knew each other back then, hav-
ing met through a matrimonial ad on the
internet. But after spending 10 years
together and producing three children, one
thing is clear: we still don't know each other.
If we knew each other, she wouldn't get
annoyed whenever she finds me on the couch
on a Sunday afternoon, as though I have any
control whatsoever over the schedule of the
National Football League.
If we knew each other, I wouldn't have
waited patiently for her outside the clothing
store in the mall -- I would have rented a tow
truck with a hook and chain to pull her out.
Despite not knowing each other, we've
somehow managed to stay married for 10
years. That may not seem like a long time to
some of our friends -- a few have been mar-
ried 25 years or more -- but for Malathi and I,
it's amazing that we're still together and even
more amazing that we still occasionally talk
to each other.
In fact, you'll be glad to know that we
spoke to each other just last month. I said,
'Our anniversary is coming up. How do you
want to celebrate it?' And she said, 'I'd like to
try the new Japanese restaurant in town. Do
you want me to bring something home for
you?' (That's what I love about her -- she's so
thoughtful.)
Actually, Malathi and I talk to each other
quite a lot -- whenever the kids let us. The
kids are 4, 6 and 8, and at any given time one
of them is speaking, one of them is singing
and one of them is screaming. It's hard to
have a conversation when they're around,
especially since they don' t like to see
Mommy and Daddy getting too affectionate.
We usually have to speak in code -- a spe-
cial code that develops naturally during a
marriage. Whenever Malathi wants to say 'I
love you,' she says, 'Are you watching that
stupid football game again?' And whenever I
want to say 'I love you,' I say, 'How many
pairs of shoes do you need anyway?'
The kids don't realize it but we're a very
romantic couple.
Our relationship has evolved and matured
over the years. We're even able to communi-
cate without saying a word to each other. For
example, if I'm on the couch watching a foot-
ball game and a pumpkin lands on my head, I
know that Malathi needs help in the kitchen.
All relationships change over time, and it's
important to adapt to the changes. Just look
at what I've adapted to from 'then' to 'now.'
THEN: Leaves romantic 'I need you like I
need food and water' note on the dining table.
NOW: Leaves frantic 'I need you to buy
some food and water' note on the dining
table.
THEN: Offers to make tea in the evening.
NOW: Shouts 'Where's my tea?' while
checking Facebook.
THEN: Gives compliments such as 'You're
so sweet! Take a bow.'
NOW: Gives advice such as 'You're so
sweaty! Take a bath.'
THEN: Finishes my sentences without
thinking.
NOW: Finishes my sandwiches without
thinking.
Actually, the last one isn't completely true.
She still occasionally finishes my sentences.
Just the other day, I said, 'How many pairs of
shoes ...' and she said, 'would my husband
like to dodge on a Sunday afternoon?'
That's a special code, of course.
She means the world to me, too.
36 Humor
Ten years and still getting to know each other
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: Having reached their peak poten-
tial, computer chips are not getting any faster. So
chipmakers are configuring additional cores or
processing units on a single platform in order to
skirt this problem.
Today, a typical chip might have six or eight
cores, all communicating with one another over
a single bundle of wires, called a bus. With a
bus, however, only one pair of cores can talk at a
time, which would be a serious limitation in
chips with hundreds or even thousands of cores,
envisioned as the future of computing.
Li-Shiuan Peh, associate professor of electrical
engineering and computer science at MIT, wants
cores to communicate the same way computers
hooked to the Internet do: by bundling the infor-
mation they transmit into "packets."
Each core would have its own router, which
could send a packet down any of several paths,
depending on the condition of the network as a
whole. Multicore chips are faster than single-
core chips because they can split up computa-
tional tasks and run them on several cores at
once, according to an MIT statement.
Cores working on the same task will occasion-
ally need to share data but, until recently, the
core count on commercial chips has been low
enough that a single bus has been able to handle
the extra communication load.
That's already changing, however. "Buses have
hit a limit," Peh says. "They typically scale to
about eight cores." The 10-core chips found in
high-end servers frequently add a second bus but
that approach won't work for chips with hun-
dreds of cores.
Peh and colleagues have developed two tech-
niques to address these concerns. One is some-
thing they call "virtual bypassing". In the net,
when a packet arrives at a router, the router
inspects its addressing information before decid-
ing which path to send it down.
With virtual bypassing, however, each router
sends an advance signal to the next, so that it can
preset its switch, speeding the packet on with no
additional computation. In her group's test chips,
Peh says, virtual bypassing allowed a very close
approach to the maximum data-transmission
rates predicted by theoretical analysis.
These findings will be presented at the Design
Automation Conference in June in the US.
Multicore chips to speed up your PC
April 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Aries: This week you will be benefited pro-
vided you take some bold decisions. New
romance for some cannot be ruled out. You will
find it extremely difficult to concentrate on your
work, as your mind will be busy fantasizing about
this special person who has just entered your life.
You will learn valuable information if you keep
your mind open to new cultures and religions.
Money position will also improve as pending pay-
ments get cleared. During this period you should
go out and build new relationship and contacts, but
avoid strangers who behave extra friendly.
Taurus: Despite some tensions that you
might have experienced in the last few
days, this week starts on a bright note. Excitement
and gaiety marks your days ahead. Plenty of gains
stored for you in whatever you do. New ventures
and assignments will lift your spirits and confi-
dence. Your interest in outdoor activities will see
you go out on short trips, outings and other enter-
tainment activities. Spouse will keep you happy
and you should try to plan something special with
children towards the weekend.
Gemini: This week tempers will mount if
youre too pushy at work or at home.
There will be vast improvement in your business
as well as professional skills. Opportunities to
travel will bring desired results. Certain legal mat-
ters will need immediate attention, therefore seek
advice of a lawyer if necessary. Financial gains are
certain throughout the week, but your tendency to
overspend will make it difficult for you to save.
Friends and near ones will be helpful to complete
pending jobs.
Cancer: This week you should set new
goals for yourself and work towards them.
Your confidence and ability to work on projects,
which require high responsibility, will bring you
benefits in the long run. This period is also good for
building ties with influential people who will be
helpful in implementing your projects. A short trip
for pleasure later in week cannot be ruled out. Get
involved in outdoor sports or activities that are
challenging and will help you stay in perfect shape.
Leo: Distant trips will bring beneficial
results, however hectic schedule will trouble
your health. Financial gains are expected from new
contacts. Uncertainty with regard to career opportu-
nities for your children, seem to bother your mind,
seek advice from an academic counselor if neces-
sary. Empty promises are also evident from people
you trust and respect the most. Dont expect any-
thing from others and you wont be disappointed.
Do not spend lavishly on friends and rather spend
more time and money on family members.
Virgo: This week if you work quietly
behind the scene, you will achieve what
you plan. New jobs will dominate your days
ahead. For those at service new opportunities or
some sort of monetary benefits cannot be ruled
out. Domestic happiness and romance will flour-
ish. Despite such a prosperous time and financial
gains, some tensions due to careless actions of
your domestic servants, co-workers or working
partners cannot be ruled out.
Libra: Take legal advice before you take
action regarding important issues. You are
likely to be appreciated by your partners and co-
workers. Religious feelings will arise, forcing
some of you to seek blessing from a spiritual per-
son. Journeys and travelling that you undertake
during this period will be highly rewarding and
educating. Though gains from investment are fore-
seen, but few losses due to hasty speculation can-
not be ruled out.
Scorpio:You will be emotional about
changes that are going on around you. Your
confidence and determination will be at all time
high and you will win plenty of favours from
members of the opposite sex. However deception
from a close associate or losses due to hasty
investment cannot be ruled out. Encourage chil-
dren to spend their extra time into creative activi-
ties and sports. Your harsh attitude and derogatory
comments could create uneasy moments at home.
Sagittarius: This week put in some extra
hours and finish pending jobs before you
venture out for some fun and entertainment. Work
pressure might leave you irritated and exhausted,
but you should remember that harsh words and
erratic behaviour will only bring disregard and
criticism. Financial gains seem likely as you
recover delayed and pending payments. Children
will need careful handling and proper attention.
Adopt meditation for mental peace.
Capricorn: Dont allow your partners to
take advantage of your generous nature.
Though work progress will be slow and not very
rewarding on the financial front, some good news
will bring happiness and will boost your morale.
Close relative might make an unexpected visit
bringing gifts and presents. These pleasant and
memorable moments bring happiness and harmo-
ny at home. Your interest in religious and spiritual
activities will make you seek divine knowledge.
Aquarius: Entertainment will be on your
mind, but do not leave your office without
completing your work, or you will be in serious
problems. Anxiety and indecisiveness that has
plagued you in the past seems to end, as optimism
and confidence seems to take control. Financial
gains seem likely, but you need to be extra careful
before entering into any new partnerships.
Housewives are likely to be more involved into
embroidery, cooking or other creative activities.
Children will cause bit disappointment, as they
spend lavishly on friends and parties.
Pisces: This week you can make money
through real estate investment. Your high
energy level will bring enormous gains and
enhance your reputation. Financially you will
become more comfortable and have plenty of time
for recreational and other activities. Members of
the opposite sex will be source of inspiration and
will help you in need of the hour. Some tension
might arise with friends or relatives. Pleasure trip
will be important for healing your emotional state
of mind.
April 14:
Commanded by number 5 and the planet mercury, you
are active, brilliant, respective, energetic, trustworthy
and talented. You are cooperative, friendly and support-
ive and there is requirement to check your direction or
course to behave intolerant and to lose temper at any
times. The coming year brings many promises and will
be advantageous. Act of investing money and to make
an enquiry about stock market will be fruitful at eco-
nomical level. Those connected with art and other cre-
ative profession like painting, drawing and so on should
hope for formal identification and monetary gains. By
chance if you are interested to take help from your rel-
ative or friend, it will bring a major rise at your profes-
sional front. It is also a good time to invest money in
property. Kids will be helpful and bring happy-go-lucky
news later in the year. A reverential journey or a long
journey would be high on your card and it will prove to
be very important. September, November, March and
June will prove to be paramount.
April 15:
Governed by number 6 and the planet Venus, you have
a distinctive character, intelligent, brilliant and sincere
and you are doting and loving of worldly amusement.
You stay forward of others because of your immense in-
terest in latest things and innovative technology. Tech-
nology is boon to our life. But despite this, there is a
need to command your direction towards moodiness,
fearfulness and interest in the concern of others. It is
good time to take any significant decision. You should
collect your training, instruction, cognition and make
latest and long lasting contacts. You shall spare no pains
to acquire your desired targets. Businessmen will spread
their chance into latest and more beneficial way of ap-
proaching. An act of investing money in stock would
bring positive results. Finally, there is a need to pay
more attention towards health. The act of meditation,
exercise and yoga should be practiced for spiritual as
well as physical gains. Some cheering up news from
your kids would elevate your spirit later in the years.
Such news will be full of incidents and crucial. August,
October, November and April will be exciting.
April 16:
Influenced by number 7 and the planet Neptune, you are
full of energy, strongly desirous, free, honest, hard
working and possess a fast memory, but at that time you
need to command your tendency to behave restless, in-
tolerant and fluctuating at all times. You will expect an
improvement in your economical status in the coming
year, but now your expenses will be hiked as well. Put
your labor on business project that assures long lasting
benefits without spoiling much time on minor problems.
Only selective investments will be rewarding and
awarding and you should get rid of contemplation on all
fronts. Guests will visit at your place and alliances dur-
ing this time will be abundance, who will bring you re-
ward in cash and kind. There will be great offers for em-
ployers to get job. Romance will be delightful and will
increase your interest to your life adding spice to it. The
months of May, June, September and February will be
vastly imperative.
April 17:
Controlled by number 8 and the planet Saturn, you have
the traits of being vibrant, pragmatic, accountable,
painstaking, convincing and highly regimented. Your
duties and errands are the top priority over everything
else for you; however you should limit your propensity
to behave mulish and resentful at times. Most important
variations in your professional career will be experi-
enced by you this year. A lengthy owed transfer or a pro-
motion can be anticipated towards the middle of the
year. Those who will take on an overseas trip in the sec-
ond half of the year will have an extremely congenial
and a very thrilling journey. You are advised not to ex-
pend abundantly on luxuries. Economic difficulties and
troubles related to health will ruin tranquil ambiance at
domicile. In spite of a small number of early problems
in the beginning of year, your monetary situation will
turn out to be much superior as new fruitful projects will
be carried out. For some there will be religious benefits
later in the year. The month of July, August, December
and March will be exceedingly crucial.
April 18:
Ruled by number 9 and the planet Mars, you own the
character of being decorous, receptive, bold, positive
and subtle person. You are simple and very cooperative,
but you must restrain your penchant to behave annoyed
and quick-tempered at times. Many of your awaiting
jobs left over by you will be finished this year. You will
be getting new commercial opportunities which will be
very favorable, but will entail you to furnish in your
best. Ventures on the other hand will not be useful,
therefore sternly not suggested. Investment in a house
or land will fetch long-standing profit to you. You will
have affable relation with your other half during this
stage will and on a smooth grip. Children will bring ex-
cellent news for you and will make you feel conceited
of their achievements. Love affairs will be in the black
and become stronger. The months of July, November,
February and May will be imperative.
April 19:
Controlled by number 1 and the Sun, you are full of zip,
vigorous, reliable, dazzling, and logical and a skilled
person. You always acknowledge new ideas and opin-
ions, but you have to curtail your affinity to behave
squanderer and governing at times. Your current job will
allow you to feel more protected this year and your fi-
nancial condition will also enhance. Monetary dealings
though should be made cautiously. Owing to conjecture
or quick judgment you will experience some losses dur-
ing this phase which cannot be ruled out. Businessmen
will sign fresh and essential contracts. Investments in a
foreign country will be highly money-spinning. This
might not be just the right year for issues concerning to
your heart and getting married. The latter half of the
year will see you embark on a pilgrimage, which will
bring you psychological consolation and tranquility.
The months of April, July, October and January will be
vastly result oriented.
April 20:
Commanded by number 2 and the Moon, you possess
the traits of being ingenious, elegant, honest, bigheart-
ed and convincing. You have excellent control over
your vocation and most of the times people consult you
for guidance and cooperation, but you should hold back
your susceptibility to behave self-centered and unstable
at times. The approaching year will assure loads of new
chances for development. In trade your wisdom will re-
ally do a marvel, but you necessitate preparing your fi-
nances well beforehand and it will be prudent not to go
ahead of it. Speculation made in the past will be great-
ly prolific, making your fiscal condition much at ease.
Property/official disputes will patch up to your pleasure.
Additional concentration towards health is required.
Meditation and Yoga should be adapted for religious
gains on top of physical benefits. Some enlivening
news from your brood will add to your morale. Travel
and expedition, most probably out of the country for
some will guarantee bliss and enthusiasm. The months
of July, October, January and March will be action-
packed.
Astrology 37
TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 14-20, 2012
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: April 14-20, 2012 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.
Learn about the fair value of
diamonds & precious stones.
from a Gems Expert
For appointment, please call 516-390-7847
or email consult.gems@gmail.com
A special offer for the readers of
The South Asian Times
Before you consult...
Free Consultation
38 Spiritual Awareness
April 14-20, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
M
illions of people go to the
movies. A movie may last
two or three hours.
People have no trouble shutting out
the rest of their worldly responsibil-
ities, including their children at
home with the babysitter, or even
their Blackberry or text messages,
during the movie, without any
problems. Yet, how is it that when it
comes to sitting still to concentrate
within in meditation, we cannot
concentrate for more than a few
minutes?
Staying silent for any reason
begins with desire and passion.
Whatever we want to do we can
achieve. If we have a desire to
improve our body, we learn how to
silence any distractions to accom-
plish our goal. If we desire to
improve our mind or entertain our
mind, we have no trouble silencing
any interruptions to achieve our
desired outcome.
Look at all the amazing tasks
humans do when they have a desire
and how they put in time to make
their dreams a reality. For example,
people have figured out how to put
a human being on the moon. Who
could imagine that someone walk-
ing on earth, pulled down by gravi-
ty, could rise out of the earths
gravitational pull, travel through
oxygen-less space, land on a moon,
without any oxygen, walk on that
lifeless surface, and come back
alive. It is remarkable. Yet, some-
one had the dream to make it hap-
pen and then set in motion all the
necessary steps for it to become a
reality. If we can put a physical
body on a moon, why cannot we
take our spirit and return it to the
spiritual realms from where it
came? All it takes is the desire to do
so and a will to follow the instruc-
tions to make it happen, and it will
happen.
Another example of making a
dream into a reality is that of the
astronauts who are able to leave the
space shuttle to do a spacewalk
safely and even make repairs or
upgrades to the ship. Is that any-
thing less than amazing?
Some people are afraid to lean
out their window on a second floor
or higher lest they fall. Yet, astro-
nauts venture out to space, where
there is no oxygen, and face dan-
gers such as the cord breaking,
causing them to float off to their
death in space. Yet, these people
put their mind to doing these feats
and achieved it.
If we ever watched the Olympics,
we are awed by the tremendous
feats that athletes train themselves
to do with their physical bodies. We
marvel at their ski jumps, hurdles,
gymnastics routines, or amazing
triple jumps while skating. We
wonder how they can hurl their
body into the air and do all those
gyrations, seemingly defying laws
of gravity. Yet, they set their mind
to it and their body followed along.
In marathon races people test
their stamina and endurance to run
miles and miles. We marvel at how
they do it. Yet, they had a goal and
worked day after day to increase
their ability to run. They not only
trained their body, but they trained
their mind to keep at the task until
they achieved their goal.
Some people can barely swim
across a pool, yet there are people
who train themselves to swim the
English Channel. We wonder how
it is possible. But someone had that
desire and worked hard to make it
happen.
If we look at the field of medi-
cine, we marvel at how doctors
have created ways to transplant an
organ such as the heart or do deli-
cate brain surgery. For centuries no
one could have dreamed these treat-
ments possible, yet people had the
idea to develop these methods, and
they worked hard to make it reality.
The mind is a great tool to use to
achieve a goal. All the great inven-
tions, innovations, and creations
have come about due to the power
of the mind. The question is, why
cant we control our mind to sit still
to concentrate within?
For success in any field, we need
a ruling passion and commitment.
When we do not succeed at a task it
is because we take it as a low prior-
ity. Then, we do not have the will to
do it. We are focused on all the
other aspects of life. Success
requires us weeding out those time-
wasters or distractions that keep us
from achieving our goal.
In this connection, there is a story
from a novel that illustrates this
point well. Five people were being
held in a prison camp during a war.
They found there was only one way
for them to escape. They had to
escape in a hot air balloon. They
were able to escape to an area
where a hot air balloon was being
kept and were able to lift off before
the guards discovered them. As
they sailed off, they discovered to
their horror, that the wind was
blowing them over the ocean. They
drifted further and further away
from land and were fearful of how
long the hot air balloon would stay
up.
They drifted for many hours over
the ocean waters and then discov-
ered that the balloon was descend-
ing, getting closer to the waters
surface.
One of them said, "We are going
to crash into the ocean unless we
either heat the air in the balloon or
get rid of some weight." Another
said, "We have no way to heat the
air in the balloon so we have to
reduce the weight by throwing
something overboard."
They took stock of what they had
with them. They decided to throw
overboard their shoes, coats, and
weapons which they had smuggled
out with them when they escaped.
As they threw these items into the
ocean, they each took a sigh of
relief as the balloon rose higher.
Hours more passed. Soon, they
realized the hot air balloon was
descending again. What were they
to do now?
As they neared the oceans sur-
face, they discussed what to do. All
they had left to throw overboard
was their small supply of food.
With no choice, they threw over-
board their food.
As one said, "It is better to be
hungry than to drown." They fig-
ured they could live for days with-
out food, whereas if they kept the
weight of the food, it would mean
certain death for all five of them by
drowning if the hot air balloon fell
into the ocean. The balloon rose
again and all were relieved.
Hours more passed. Again, the
solution to throw overboard the
food was only temporary. Without
heat for the air in the balloon, it
started flying lower and lower,
again nearing the surface of the
water.
"Now what?" they wondered.
There was nothing left to throw
overboard.
Finally, one of the men had an
idea. It was their last resort. They
could cut the ropes that held the
basket in which they were riding.
The basket was heavy, strong
enough to hold five men and their
supplies. If the balloon did not have
that weight to carry, it could stay
aloft.
"But how will we be saved?"
asked one of the other men.
The man with the idea said, "We
will each tie all the ropes together
strongly to form a basket out of the
ropes, and we will sit on the ropes
hanging from the balloon once we
release the basket from the ropes."
The men knew they would have to
hold on to the ropes for their lives,
but there was no other hope for
them.
The men began to cut away the
basket beneath their feet and tie the
ropes together as support for them.
As they did so, the hot air balloon
had less weight pulling it down and
it rose up again.
As they sat, sitting on the support
of the ropes only and holding on for
their lives, a welcome sight greeted
them. They were nearing land. As
their hot air balloon reached close
enough range for them to swim to
land, they jumped off and swam to
the island safely.
The story has an instructive les-
son. Each time they were faced
with the possibility of their death,
they had to toss out something they
considered the least necessary.
They first decided that their lives
were more important than their
clothing. Next, they had to choose
between their lives and food. They
decided they could live without the
food for a few days. Finally, they
had to decide between their lives
and the comfort of the basket. Each
time they had to discard something
less necessary than what their cho-
sen goal was.
For success in life, especially on
the spiritual path, we must do the
same. In our case, it is a matter of
discarding time-wasters. What are
those things that are keeping us
from our chosen goal?
Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj
said beautifully in a verse:
Begin to live your life according
to your aspirations,
And step towards your chosen
goal.
Our trouble is that we have not
yet made up our mind what our
aspirations are. One day we say we
want God, but the next day we want
to make a lot of money. Then, the
next day we want to have a physi-
cally fit body. Then, the next day
we want to travel and see the world.
We do not stick with one goal long
enough to have success. We allow
the chatter of the world to sway us
from our goal.
If our goal is to find God, we
need to stay still, physically and
mentally, in meditation. This
requires us to quiet the distracting
voices that call to us from the world
outside and from our own mind. We
need to set our sights on our spiritu-
al goal and silence all other distrac-
tions.
We do not realize what a great
gift simran is. We do not have to
worry about silencing our mind by
ourselves. We can repeat the five
Charged Names given to us at the
time of our holy initiation as a way
to silence the mind. While repeat-
ing the five Charged Names, our
mind is automatically silenced. The
Names do not allow any space for
our own thoughts to distract us.
Simran is a powerful tool given to
us by the attention of the Master to
help us silence our mind. All we
need to do is make a decision. What
is that decision? We need to decide
that we want to find God and that
we are willing to put in time to
meditate. If we make that choice,
then all we need to do is sit still and
keep quiet. Five magic wordssit
still and keep quiet. Repeating sim-
ran helps our mind stay quiet. In
this way, we will be still long
enough for God to have a chance to
meet us and greet us. God will have
a chance to bathe us with the Light
and Sound. Absorbed in the Light
and Sound, we will rise on that
Current to meet the radiant form of
the Master. The Master will then
guide us through the higher spiritu-
al realms until our soul reunites
with God.
Let us stay still for God. If we can
do so long enough, we will find we
can achieve our lifelong goal and
desireto be one with the loving
Lord.
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
is an internationally recognized
spiritual leader and Master of Jyoti
Meditation who affirms the tran-
scendent oneness at the heart of all
religions and mystic traditions,
emphasizing ethical living and
meditation as building blocks for
achieving inner and outer peace.
www.sos.org.
Distractions keep us from achieving our goal
Concluding part of the discourse Stay still for God
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
We do not stick with one goal long enough
to have success. We allow the chatter of
the world to sway us from our goal.