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special section

August 11-17, 2012

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Assault on Sikh Temple in Wisconsin

he tragic shooting at the gurdwara in Wisconsin was an instance of a massive hate crime against Sikhs and made news globally. Just weeks fol-

Worst hate crime against the Indian community

lowing the shooting in an Aurora, Colorado theatre, this one was an instance of fears that came true following 9-11. South Asians have seemingly always been targeted; some will recall Dotbusters, a New Jersey-based hate-group that originated in 1987 and sought to physically punish South Asian women in particular who wore the traditional bindi (dot) on their foreheads. While the Wisconsin gurdwara hate crime was definitely the worst instance in recent memory because it claimed so many lives, especially in a place of worship, it certainly was not the first. Since September 11, 2001, Sikhs, mistaken to be Muslims because of their turbans and beards, have been targeted and have had to wrongfully endure bouts of assault and harassment all over the US. The Oak Creek gurdwara

Gurdwara shooter acted alone: FBI

Milwaukee, WI: As the nation held an Oak Creek police officer. candlelight vigils to remember the Authorities previously said victims of Sunday's rampage in a Page died after he was shot Wisconsin gurdwara, investigators by a police officer after the asserted that the gunman acted alone gunman refused commands even as they pursued 101 leads. to drop his weapon and fired Investigations so far show that disat officers. They did not The Oak Creek gurdwara charged army veteran Wade Michael mention the self-inflicted congregation shown the picPage, who killed six worshippers at wound until Wednesday. ture of the suspected shooter, the Oak Creek Sikh gurdwara acted That officer shot Page in Wade Michael Page. alone, but they continue to investithe stomach, "thereby neugate in part because of his ties to white-suprema- tralizing the threat", Carlson said, noting: "I've cist groups, FBI said Wednesday. seen the video, it was an amazing shot. And "I want to reiterate again that after all of this thank goodness." work we still have identified no one else respon"Subsequent to that wound, it appears that sible for this shooting other than him," FBI Page died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to Special Agent in Charge Teresa Carlson said at a the head," Carlson said. press conference at the FBI office here. "We also Steven Conley, assistant special agent in have not clearly defined his motive at this point," charge of national security for the FBI, said: "We she was cited as saying by Milwaukee Journal may never know why he chose that facility at Sentinel. Authorities are pursuing 101 leads that point in time...That may have died with worldwide and have issued 180 grand jury sub- Page." poenas, Carlson said. The investigation has Carlson said Page likely came to the included more than 100 interviews that have Milwaukee area because of a girlfriend, Misty occurred with Page's family members, associ- Cook, 31, who lived here and who may have ates, neighbors and employers nationwide. shared his white power beliefs. Authorities also are reviewing Page's email Cook was arrested Sunday after a gun was and telephone records, state Department of found at their rented apartment where she continTransportation video and neighborhood security ued living after she and Page broke up in June. video, she said. He moved to a duplex in Cudahy, which also was Citing evidence, including videotape, Carlson searched. But officials said they believe Cook, also made a dramatic announcement that Page who also has ties to white-supremacist groups, shot and killed himself after he was wounded by had no role in the shootings.

'Their tears would make an ocean overflow'

helped save the lives of several worOak Creek, WI: "Struck by calm & composure of victim families. No shippers in his congregation. Later in the evening, Rao attended a trace of rancor. But their tears would fill an ocean, make it overflow." community vigil in honor of the shooting victims and made a "beautiSo tweeted India's Ambassador to ful" speech. "Thankyou for coming the US, Nirupama Rao, after an emotional meeting Tuesday with the famMs. Rao. Yr words wr so peaceful," tweeted an attendee. ilies of six worshippers shot dead in Sunday's rampage by a gunman at a Rao also met Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi, besides officials from gurdwara in this Milwaukee suburb. Flying down from Washington Ambassador to the US, the FBI and the local police who proamid an all-round outpouring of Nirupama Rao visited vided her a first hand assessment of support with peace rallies and can- the victims families. the ongoing investigation of the shooting incident. In another tweet, dlelight vigils in dozens of cities, Rao offered her sympathies and promised all Rao thanked Joseph Crowley, a Democratic leader on Sikh-American issues in the US assistance on behalf of the Indian government. Rao also met the family of Satwant Singh Congress, and 92 other members of Congress for Kaleka, the slain president of the gurdwara, who urging the FBI to collect separate data on hate confronted the shooter, Wade Michael Page, and crimes against Sikh Americans.

Oak Creek, WI: A police officer shot at least eight times in the neck and extremities outside the gurdwara, waved off fellow officers attempting to rescue him and indicated they should assist others still inside. Lt. Brian Murphy, 51, was shot Sunday and is now recovering in the hospital after a second surgery, Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards

The second hero

said. The 21-year veteran of the police force is expected to survive. The officer was wearing a bullet proof vest, Edwards said. After gunman Wade Page was shot and killed by other officers, they moved to rescue Murphy. But Lt. Brian Murphy when they located him, Murphy was the first to help the victims and indicated that rather than help him suffered 8 bullet they should enter the temple to wounds assist any other victims.

Gurdwara chief braveheart who went down fighting

Washington: Satwant Singh Kaleka, the president of the gurdwara in Milwaukee suburb, stood up to the rampaging white supremacist with a knife and fought to the very end and suffered gunshot wounds while trying to take down the gunman. His son Amardeep Kaleka said he was not surprised his father tried to stop the gunman. "It's an amazing act of heroism, but it's also exactly who he was," Amardeep told CNN Milwaukee affiliate WTMJ. "There was no way in God's green Earth that he would allow somebody to come in and do that without trying his best to stop it." Amardeep said the FBI told him his father attacked the shooter in the lobby. There was a "blood struggle". A knife close to the victim's

Names of six who perished

Satwant Kaleka, 62 President of the Gurdwara Sita Singh, 41 Granthi/Gurdwara Priest Ranjit Singh, 49 Raagee/Hymn Singer Suveg Singh Khattra, 84 Congregation Member Prakash Singh, 39 Granthi/Gurdwara Priest Paramjit Kaur, 41 Congregation Member

Satwant Singh Kaleka, president of the Oak Creek gurdwara

body showed blood on it, he said. "From what we understand, he basically fought to the very end and suffered gunshot wounds while trying to take down the gunman," said Kanwardeep Singh Kaleka, Satwant's nephew. Satwant Kaleka's wife, Satpal, hid with several other women. She told them to remain quiet during the horrific incident. "I grabbed everybody and said run, run to the pantry," she was quoted as saying. Amardeep Kaleka said his father was hardworking, honest man. "I would love for them (the public) to know that he lived his life with the principles that he knew and he was taught at a young age. It made him highly successful in America."

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August4-10, 2012 August 11-17, 2012

Olympics: Saina in semi-finals Gavaskar visiting US as Politicians call for an end Continued from page 1 andfrom page 1 begin to IndianGurdwara Victims continued field competitors On Friday, track Ambassador for ICC World their hunt for an Olympic medal, as the showpiece disignorance about Sikh AmericansGames gets going. Experts aresign with One mourner held a considercipline of the we will be dealing hate the two it and a portrait of Lt Gowda in men 51, T20 sponsor MoneyGramwith eventcrimewilldiscus throwers - Vikas Brian Murphy, and ing By Jinal Shah will be this unfortunate that be

The parade has also given opportunity to many new Dismal show continued from page 1 Suchita Chaddha, leaders to come forward such as Ashok Varshney, Mala Bakshi, Nagendra Gupta, What is there to show for it? Gagan Zaveri, Rajan Satbir Singh Kuchcha, Ajay Batra, SalilNarang won a bronze in the 10Singh,air rifle event. Vijay Kumar won Nabe, Zinda meter Sunita Sadhnani and Suhag silver in mens 25 m rapid fire pistol event. Saina NeMehta. who women's competition - as Krishna Poonia in the took 9 bullets at close range hwal won a bronze medal in womens singles in Mala For booths, sponsorship and souvenir, contact badDallas, TX: MoneyGram, a leadNew York: Many elected representathe impetus. He added, As an best bet for medals. stopped to help a victim. minton. at 718-640-6785. the fourth medal for India in when he India's African Bakshi Mary Kom won ing global money transfer compatives on Wednesday joined hands with American I know the history of hate and Murphys condition is now de- the Womens flyweight category in Boxing. In hockey, ny, has announced that legendary members of the Sikh community and the we fought against racism and we need to scribed as satisfactory. Sikhs for where India dominatedfast decades early last century, Community excited over 1st India day parade Team Anna calls off for cricket player Sunil Gavaskar will larger Indian community at NY City Hall stand with the Sikh community and demys- page 1 has announced a reward of theContinued fromeven in the top five. That traditional country is not page 1 Continued from Justice serve as ambassador for the comsteps to mourn Sikh temple victims. Contify all the myths. The officials also urged members of doing as bad should be no are known, The review stand $10,000mid this hero. East Barclay rival Pakistan ishis civil society followersconsolation. will be for block on pany as part wanton violence perpetrated demning theof its multi-year agreefor the heroism of the temple president and stage, Vigils were also held programs were calling off their fast on Friday 5that US will end Meanwhile, experts are predicting p.m. The condiStreet. Formal booths, and cultural in Long ment with the International the Wisconsin by Wade Michael Page at Cricket the police officer to be celebrated. in the public parking Area, Las Vegas, Beth- on top of the medalsteam, Arvind London Olympics Island, Bay lot opposite Asa Mai tion of three of the table at the Kejriwal, Manish will be Council (ICC). gurdwara that killed six worshippers, they John Liu, NYC Comptroller, said, The Popular youth performers include which ends this Sunday. whoAugust 9 midday, US had Hindu Temple. El, Poway, California, St. Peters, Sisodia and Gopal Rai, By have been on fast for the MoneyGram is to the ignorance called for an end serving as the about Sikh community, especially in the afterSan Jose, Spokane Marwaha and past nine days has 39), and causing concern of 79 Arvind Batra, Nikhil Sadhnani, Nipun Valley, Wash- 36 gold (to Chinasworsened, led Chinas totalamong official sponsor through 2015, after Sikh Americans, who have continued to be math of 9/11, has sufferedSahil Batra. more attacks, ington and Vancouver in Canada. with 85 total medals. supporters and the authorities. Hazare had begun his fast sponsoring the 2010 since 9/11. a target of hate crimes ICC World more bias, more hatred, through August ig- there will be an Indian Flag Hoisting on Sunday. On sheer 15, Twenty20 tournament in the Meeks, said, Congressman Gregory West norance. The silver lining in this most at the Nassau County Legislative Offices in Legendary Indian cricketer Hazare's announcement of a political alternative got Ceremony horIndies. We stand here today because we are one, rific attack is that there is Mineola,greater will be decorated in the tri-colors of an immediate response on social networking sites, with now a which Sunil Gavaskar MoneyGram zeroed inon what makes America great is that we are understanding of Sikh Americans and the the Indian national flag. A Gala Dinner on August 17 most welcoming the move while some wondered how Gavaskar because many of its cus- of the 1,000 runs in a calendar that our Sikh brothers one. Some of us come from all parts score simple realization year, at SUNY Campus in Old Westbury will conclude the the apolitical movement was suddenly changing colors. tomers we have moved here from and the and sisters score 10,000 world, in the US many different religions, first player to are people likecelebrations. anybody else, India's next general elections are due in 2014 and politi or have relatives living in coun- runs many different shades, ethnic groups butin Tests. Under his leaderpeople who have families, The Indian community spread over Long Island is $83maneuvering contract to Atlantic mind. people who And HHC awards cal million has begun keeping the polls in ship, tries in United States we are all here where cricket is hugely popu-proud tothe India team living. Asia coming together for the first time to make this an work for a won the But the government was quick to react, with Congress lar.one and weAgualimpia, execu- terror- Benson & Hedges World marked by a moSaid Juan are not going to let Cup, New York: Atlantic Dialysis be The press briefing was event to remember and become an annual fixture in Manage- Ambika Soni saying "we activities. Central to minister business development had always held that the of silence and a pledge of allegiance tive vice president and Dr. mar- Cup, the ADMS approach is the long is a conism anywhere divide us.chiefMartin Luther and mentICC Cricket World the areas calendar. ment honor to host the parade has Team Anna was goaded by politics, and it term good The Services, LLC (ADMS) announced author of four cricket keting officer, MoneyGram, Cup. Anto the flag of America. In order to discard August 2 that it will complete its acquisitionthat trol of clinical servicesthe open with their King once said, Injustice for anyone is a they have come out in by nephrologists. fallen on Hicksville Long Islands Little India with thing Gavaskar is a legend in cricket, bookst, some of the serves regarding the turban, by and 1 of two New York City intention".In 2011, ADMS affiliates provided almost threat to justice for everyone, we are going Gavaskar today myths as a many stores, businessesSept eateries with a desi falvor. dialysis who is strong and speak out loud. centers. Central Park Dialysis is sta240,000 dialysis treatments to over 2,500 to stay very well known around the TV commentator and columnist. a turban by a Sikh floats are already sold out. There willa 22 Hazare and his team are demanding the government a young boy was tied All available In world. Were excited aboutat the event,NY-NJ, from ceremony called Rasam Pagrition hemodialysis unit of North while patients in bill for creating an ombudsman to Attorney Ravi Batra said the priest in a Aug. 12-14, be floats from Rajasthan Association in Manhattan pass their Jan Lokpal NYC and Long Island. value hell bring to the way we picked up Meanwhile, the senSomewhere along MoneyGram by Gavaskar will visit the Edison the death (RANA), Morrisania Dialysis Center, Vedic probe graft in the system, and begin a probe againstNew usually conducted upon America of an TLC (Telugu Community), connecting with our customershisCricket Club, followed by visits family, when the a 12 station unit, serves the York City Healththeand blood of Thomas Jefferson and brilolder male member in a Heritage, Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan, etc. ior members of the cabinet for corruption. Of 15 through events were planning we with MoneyGram agents. maleAug. South Bronx community. Hospitals Corp.s (HHC) liance, somewhere along the way in picked next surviving On member The organizers have already lined up many major names they had given, Pranab Mukherjee is now the ties a turban various markets. ADMS & Bolla Oil (Grand president of India. board voted to privatize up the dedication and sacrifice of Rosa 13, he will his head an a symbol of assuming Patel Brothers Co-Principal, Dr. J. Parkon attend as Iftar at sponsors: reGavaskar, nicknamed way we picked up Sunny, Courtyard New Yorkof the household. Ganesh Bhat Punjabi are dialysis services at nine er, somewhere along the sponsibility LaGuardia Sponsors), MetLife & Virsastated, We Kabaddi The government has dismissed their allegations of Airport played of every American who hospitals. Atlantic Dialyheroismfor the India, Mumbai, andliberated with the Pakistani, Indian gurdwaras recol- India of ourKingfisher Airlines corruption against the ministers, and said the Lokpal Presidents of the Sikh (Platinum), Air proud and foray into ManSomerset teams holocaust. Thats and Bangladeshithe horrors post 9/11 and urged the American after the throughout the who we lected community. On (Corporate), Bolly hattan and continued affiliate by Management Services Arts (Diamond), Habib American bill, which has been passed sis the Lok Sabha, is now 1970s and 1980s. Known for his Aug expansion in the Bronx gas (Gold). with a select committee of parliament which will come will get up to $83 million are. St Patricks Day we are all Irish, and af- 14, at community to create awareness espeSikh the Manhattan Bank, Doshi Family Foundation and BPas our near-perfect technique as opening Penthouse, MoneyGram willand colleges about their network continues to serve over the next nine years to ter the Oak Creek incident we are all Sikhs. cially in schools host a Navika Capital Group, Darshan Singh Bagga, Kala out with a final draft. press batsman, he is the only player to strong-conference with him. residents of provide both thousands at NY State Senator Malcolm Smith customs and traditions. WeZaveri, Friends for the healthcare ofSingh Hospitality, the Sikhs have Hazare, addressing a gathering of a fewinpatient and Good Health, New American Bank are also on the Jantar Mantar in the heartoutpatient dialysis at the ly condemned the gurdwara violence and gone through these things in different peri- Indus York. Both facilities are of the capital, said, "If we Rajan Nabe, and located inside large nursing pledged to create awareness about the Sikh ods of history, but let me tell board. are very you we don't send our own people to HHC facilities. HHC Presparliament, things will not ident Alan Aviles said in a community. The Sikh community should focused and not timid. We will continue for include TV Asia, ITV, Sahara One, change." Media sponsors homes and would add 275 ADMS Co-Principal know that right here in New York City we the well-being of the country and America IVS TV, The South Asiansee He Ganesh Bhat harm in With political Jus Broadcasting, patients. I am thrilled to Times, Dr. J. added: "There is no statement.giving a this new will not tolerate hate crime and as you wear is our own country and most importantly a Theour clinical presence take anpeople should will parliaIndian Express, Indian Panorama, and The South alternative, but only those arrangement wego tobe able other step forward by bringing our premiumwhoto preserve and expand have a clean backyour turbans and beards, we right here in with a concentrationsaid Mohinder Singh, Miami, FL: Rajiv and Latika Studies country of choice, on Asian Insider. ment love the country and capacity, guarantee level of care by communityservice models to and the latest leaders ground." access for patients with no health insurance, the city have some for graduate is imPresident of Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Jain Fellowship work to do that Jain studies. The Fellowship will Strategic approach and action ESRD patients in the nursing homes. However, Hazare, who and government has alleged ensure quality the generate much-needed portant toon Jainism has that we cover tuition andin Richmondtwo Queens. Animesh Goenka, Bobby Kumar, Kamlesh Lubana stipend for Hill, such as studies you. Understand been stand ADMS Motwani, Dr dialysis was covertly backed Privatization willBharatiya Janata savings. by the opposition save HHC an shoulder to shoulder with you. Even at Study or research in Indiacalled for tougher Munjal, Lal provides new Parveen site deElected officials also announced at the Florida years. Mehta, Gobind estimated will million the the contracts the state level University. It is ainto sesgun laws, but differed on Chopra, Darshan velopment, day committee chairs Party International when we go back is possible. The fellowship is ten- cracking down on Bagga, and other to day administration and(BJP), said he $150"not join oversystem but will management of a massive event. sion, year program issue of gun control support lifetime, about has online. two besides the of Religious able fromhardcore 2013. websites thrivingturned the very first parade into dialysis services and related it from outside". 35% less than current costs. August racist

Atlantic Dialysis adds 2 NYC dialysis centers as affiliates

Jain Studies Fellowship announced in Florida International University

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special section

August 11-17, 2012

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The man with the 9/11 tattoo

Assault on Sikh Temple in Wisconsin
By Jinal Shah Page was kicked out of the army in 1998 after six years, during which time he worked as a missile system repairman at Fort Bliss in Texas and then at Fort Bragg where he was in Psychological Operations. He had been demoted from sergeant to specialist during his service and was deemed ineligible for re-enlistment. He had a pattern of misconduct including being drunk on duty and going AWOL. He was lead singer in a neo-Nazi punk band. According to one media report, in year 2010 Page gave an interview to white supremacist website Label 56, saying that he started the band End Apathy because of his wish to 'figure out how to end people's apathetic ways and start moving forward'. End Apathy was a white power music band affiliated with the Hammerskins. Page was known to the Anti-Defamation League for several years as the leader of the band. The band's MySpace page says their music is a 'sad commentary on our sick society and the problems that prevent true progress'. Song titles include Self Destruct and Submission. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a group that has studied hate crimes for decades, also knew Page as an extreme racist. The center even published a picture of him -- since taken down -standing in front of Nazi iconography with a visible tattoo of a Celtic cross with the number 14. The tattoo is said to refer to the whitesupremacist symbol referring to a 14-word slogan: 'We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.' He is also believed to have had 'lettering on his hands, a Celtic knot on his back and fire on his leg' as well as the 9/11 tattoo. Page moved to a duplex in Cudahy, Wisconsin, about six miles from the Oak Creek gurdwara. Earlier he lived in the south of Milwaukee with his girlfriend Misty Cook. He apparently had

he man with the 9/11 tattoo, responsible for killing six innocent Sikhs at a temple congregation in Wisconsin was being tracked by the Anti-Defamation League. According to its officials, Wade Michael Page, 40, was under the radar since 2000 when he first appeared on the white supremacist music scene.

Wade Michael Page, the alleged gurdwara shooter. His body and the tattoos shouted neo-Nazi/White Supremacist
broken up with her and that maybe a possible motive behind the killing spree. Cook too was charged with possessing a gun, after her housed was searched.

Who are White Supremacists?

acist and neo-Nazi rock began as an offshoot of British punk in the late 1970s, appropriating both its shavedhead style and so-called oi sound featuring slashing guitar chords and barked vocals. By the 1990s, the music had become heavier, louder and darker, featuring violent diatribes against blacks, Jews and, later, gays and immigrants. In 1999, the National Alliance, founded by William Pierce, author of the 1978 white supremacist novel The Turner Diaries, bought Resistance Records, the largest and most prominent label for white power music. The acquisition signaled the growing importance of the music to recruiting a new generation of white supremacists. The music became not only the No. 1 recruiting tool, but also the biggest revenue source for the movement, said Devin Burghart, who has been monitoring racist hate groups for 20 years. But Mr. Burghart and other experts on racist ideology said the movement has grown disjointed in recent years, despite the recruiting opportunities presented by an economic reces-

sion and the election of a black president. One reason for the disarray might be the growth of a more mainstream movement, the Tea Party, whose successful forays into electoral politics have siphoned energy and support from violent fringe groups, said Chip Berlet, a Boston-based journalist who writes about right-wing groups. But the decentralization of the white supremacy movement may also encourage isolated actors as Wade Page appears to have been to strike out, said Mark Potok, senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center. When there are not large organizations, you are more likely to see lone wolves like Wade Page, he said. We are seeing a movement full of white-hot rage and frustration because they feel they have lost the battle to make America a white country. The white supremacist movement in the United States today actually has five main submovements in it: neo-Nazis, traditional white supremacists, like the Ku Klux Klan, racist prison gangs, Christian Identity, which is a racist and anti-Semitic religious sect, and racist skinheads.

Hate crimes against Sikhs post 9-11

9/15/01, Mesa, Arizona: 49-year old Balbir Singh Sodhi killed at his gas station. The shooter was Frank Silva Roque who is given life sentence. Within minutes of Sodhis murder, four other hate crimes against those with turbans, beards or clothes worn by middle-easterners were reported nearby. 12/12/01, Los Angeles: 47-year old Surinder Singh Sidhi was beaten by two men who entered his store and hit him over the head repeatedly with metal poles. The men said well kill Bin Laden today. 2/19/02, Palermo, NY: Four youths burned down the Sikh temple Gobinde Sadan because they thought it said Go Bin Laden. 5/20/03, Phoenix, Arizona: 52-year old Avtar Singh was shot and wounded as he parked his 18-wheeler truck and waited for his son to come pick him up. 3/14/04, Fresno, California: Vandals spray painted Rags Go Home and Its Not Your Country on the Gurdwara Sahib temple. 7/12/04, New York: 54-year old Rajinder Singh Khalsa and Gurcharan Singh were beaten by an intoxicated group of Caucasian males in their 20s. Khalsa and Singh were walking to the Tandoori Express Restaurant when the males, referencing September 11 and making fun of their turbans, approached and beat them. 5/24/07, Queens, New York: A 15-year old Sikh student had his hair forcibly cut by another student who threatened him with scissors. 1/14/08, New Hyde Park, New York: 63-year old Baljeet Singh was standing outside his temple when a man approached and yelled Arab, go back to your country. He then punched him in the face and Singh suffered a broken nose and fractured jaw. 6/5/08, Queens, New York: A 9th grade Sikh student at Richmond Hill High School was hit in the face with keys by a bully that tried to remove his turban. The Sikh student ended up in the hospital with severe injuries.

Lax gun laws spur mass shootings

* Aug. 5, 2012: A gun man identified as Wade Michael Page, 40, a white supremacist and an army veteran, fatally shoots six people at a Sikh temple. Three more people were critically injured, including a police officer. * July 20, 2012: Armed to the teeth, James Holmes, 24, allegedly entered the theater in Aurora, Colorado showing The Dark Knight Rises, killing 12 and injuring 58 others. Police took him in custody in the parking lot outside the Century 16 movie theater. He had also booby trapped his apartment to create greater mayhem. * April 2, 2012: One L. Goh, 43, a former student at Oikos college in Oakland, allegedly opens fire in the middle of a classroom, leaving seven people dead and three wounded. This year already US has seen three high profile mass shootings. The recent Sikh temple tragedy once again prompted a widespread debate on the lax gun laws across the nation. The extent to which Wisconsin has gone to protect the Second Amendment on the right to bear arms may be questioned in the weeks and months ahead. As in other recent mass shootings, the Wisconsin shooter had bought the gun legally at a Milwaukee-area gun store called The Shooter Shop. In fact, Wisconsin has not only adopted historically lax standards for gun ownership and gun-carrying, political commentators point out that the current administration under Republican Governor Scott Walker has even sought to further relax these standards. The states gun control laws were rated weaker than all but 10 other states. In July 2011, the state passed a concealed carry law, leaving Illinois the only state without a law allowing citizens to carry a concealed weapon. The worrying aspect that most individuals who are likely to embark on a killing spree of the sort witnessed in Oak Creek may be firsttime offenders and will not be on anybodys radar. Also under question is the ease with which people in most states can buy assault guns like the one shooter had in Batman movie theatre massacre. This kind of weapon is obviously not for self-protection, but mass killing. Besides, right to bear arms may have been valid in an earlier era of militias, in todays civilized society it makes no sense.

A hand gun similar to the one used by alleged gurdwara shooter Wade Michael Page, is seen at The Shooter Shop, where Page purchased his weapon, in West Allis, Wisconsin.

special section

August 11-17, 2012

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Gurdwara shooting victims remembered at vigils

Assault on Sikh Temple in Wisconsin

Washington: Six Sikh worshippers who fell to a gunman's bullets at a Wisconsin gurdwara are being remembered across the nation with a series of vigils from coast to coast. The Sikh American community has called for a national moment of silence coming Sunday. A posting on the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund's (SALDEF) website asked for observances at churches, mosques, synagogues and other places

A woman plays soft music at a poignant vigil in Wisconsin.

of worship. The community hopes such a gesture "will send the message of blessings for all, and that we stand united against hate and intolerance and as part of a common humanity", it said.

A wake and visitation are scheduled for Friday morning at a nearby high school gymnasium, according to an online posting by the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. Hundreds attended a memorial for the victims at a Sikh centre in the town of Brookfield Wisconsin, Monday, with the line of supporters overflowing outside the temple, CNN Milwaukee affiliate WTMJ reported. Oak Creek's Sikh community is asking all who want to express sympathy and solidarity to donate food to their local food pantry and flowers to their own places of worship. Their message on the city's website says, "If you are moved to volunteer, please donate your time and talent in your own community." The Rev. Paul Armstrong of Oak Creek Community United Methodist Church, site of a Monday evening prayer vigil, said the diverse array of faiths in the community have an opportunity to further deepen bonds.

San Hose gurdwara vigil: Photo courtesy Gurbaksh Chahal via Facebook

Nassau County Executive Mangano reassures Sikh community

Hicksville: Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano visited the Plainview gurdwara on Tuesday to express his condolences for the Wisconsin victims and reassure the Sikh community about their safety. He said that all special events and daily services of gurdwaras would be provided extra security during this trying time. Other community leaders who spoke at the gurdwara meeting included Dr. Surinder Malhotra, Shudh Prakash Singh, Bobby Kumar, Jerry Kohli, Indu Jaiswal and Kamlesh Mehta. Harendra Singh, Inder Bindra, Sher Singh Madra, Hussain Baqueri, Dr. Shakir Mukhi, Ashok Varshney and Nagendra Gupta also attended the meeting. There are about 25,000 practicing Sikhs on Long Island. About 300 families regularly attend the Plainview gurdwara and the Glen Cove gurdwara has about 1000 attendees. T.J. Bindra, President of the Sikh Organization of New York, said that the shooting in Wisconsin ought to serve as a wake-up call for those who still need one. We need to come out of our cocoon and become involved on a grassroots level," he said. "Our community has started to make inroads, but we can do it on a much broader level." The Nassau County Commission on Human Rights and Nassau County Anti-Bias Crime Task Force were scheduled to hold an interfaith prayer vigil at the Nassau County Executive and Legislative Building on August 9 with Hon Mangano.

NYC Mayor and Police Commissioner address Richmond Hill gurdwara

attend the prayer service. There was an increased police presence at gurdwaras in New York. Gurdev Singh Kang, president of the Sikh Cultural Society, was especially appreciative of the NYPDs initiative. Since the incident Sundya, the NYPD came right over here and go over to all our other temples and we feel safe, we feel the confidence in our NYPD, he said. I appeal to our whole Sikh community, be peaceful. There are about 15,000 Sikhs who live in the Richmond Hill area. Mayor Bloomberg, while offering his deepest condolences to victims and members of that and neighboring areas, expressed anger towards the two presidential candidates nonchalant, even negligent, addressing of gun control laws. Neither of [their] statements had to do with stopping the next massacre, he said. During the next presidential term, 48,000 Americans are going to be murdered... and so far we haven't heard from either candidate a plan, a concrete plan that makes some sense, to get the problem solved. Police Commissioner Kelly reassured the New York community that there will be extra attention paid and extra security enforced during this trying time for Sikhs.

Mayor Bloomberg was forthright about gun control and the two presidential candidates' nonchalance on the issue.
By Vikas Girdhar New York: On Monday, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly paid a visit to the Sikh Cultural Society gurdwara in Richmond Hill, Queens, to address the Sikh community and

Community mourns the victims of Gurudwara massacre

New York: Outpour of support came in from all quarters for the families of the six Sikhs killed in the rampage. SATimes lists some of the messages.. In this difficult time members of Jain Center of America, New York, offer prayers with family and friends, to those who were killed and wounded. We send our condolences and mourn this loss which took place at a house of worship. If we can be any help please let us know, we are with you. - Jawahar A. Shetti, Chairman, Jain Center of America, New York Saddened that our faith only hits the spotlight during tragedy. And even then, so much misinformation. Pls share with your friends/family/coworkers about the Sikh faith -- whatever the motive, join us in prayers today, in solidarity. Whether or not the shooting was a hate crime, every expression of love and support every candle, every message, every prayer will be felt not only by the Sikh community in Milwaukee but Sikh Americans across the country. Its time for all Americans to come together in a groundswell of healing, hope, and renewed commitment to a world without violence. Valarie Kaur, Director, Groundswell South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) is deeply saddened by the tragedy. SAALT condemns the shooting and we extend our deepest sympathy to the victims, who included priests, congregants, and law enforcement personnel, and their loved ones. This event serves as a tragic reminder of violence in the form of hate crimes that Sikhs and many members of the South Asian community have frequently endured since September 11th, 2001. - South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) This senseless attack on the Sikh temple once again reminds us that we have a long way to go to truly achieve our goal of being a multicultural nation with mutual respect for all. Sikh-American leaders have wisely called for people of all faith to come together to pray for our still fragile experiment in developing a society that can respect diverse views on religion and culture. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims and our prayers are with our Sikh colleagues who have shown the courage to be calm without being vindictive. - Asia Society President Vishakha Desai The history, art, and culture of Sikh Americans are part our mission. Sikhism in the U.S. will be part of HomeSpun: Smithsonian Indian American Heritage Project, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Programs initiative to create an exhibition chronicling the story of immigrants from India and Indian Americans. We remain profoundly saddened by the tragedy in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Sikhs are part of the fabric of this nation, and Sikh immigrant and citizenship stories, the ones that we seek to tell as part of HomeSpun, are the faces of the Asian Pacific American experience. - HomeSpun project at Smithsonian (Other organizations which we could not include in our list due to space constraint include Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), Overseas Friends of BJP, Indian National Overseas Congress, UNITED SIKHS, Sikh Coalition, Jain Community in North America (JAINA), SALDEF, among host of others)

Sikh solidarity: Tying the turban on a Sikh boy at the City Hall event in Manhattan Wednesday with elected officials and Indian community leaders. (Photo: Jinal Shah)

special section

August 11-17, 2012

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Assault on Sikh Temple in Wisconsin

New Delhi: The US needs to assure the Indian community that they will be safe in that country, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said Tuesday after six Sikhs were killed in a gurdwara shootout, and asked Washington to step up security at all places of worship. The US government is "fully in

Assure Indians of safety: Krishna to US

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex body of Sikhs, met him here. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called up Krishna from South Africa Monday night to convey her condolences and told him that the FBI will look into the motives of the forces that worked towards the incident. "She described the attack as a heinous crime against humanity and said the US believes in a pluralistic society," said Krishna, adding, "she (Clinton) has asked the FBI to look into the motives of the forces that worked towards the incident".

Obama calls Manmohan to convey people's solidarity

line with the thinking of the Indian government" in the matter, the minister said after meeting a delegation of Sikhs in the capital. Replying to a query whether the US should review its gun laws, Krishna said, "The government cannot step into the internal affairs of another country." "We feel strongly about the incident as Sikhs have played a significant role in the US...We have asked the US government to thoroughly probe the attack," Krishna told reporters after a delegation of

At a vigil for the victims in Milwaukee Washington: Three days after the senseless attack on a Wisconsin gurdwara, President Barack Obama called Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convey his condolences and the solidarity of the American people. Obama spoke with Manmohan Singh Wednesday morning "to express condolences for victims of the senseless attack at the gurdwara in Wisconsin, which took the lives of Indian nationals as well as Americans, and to convey the solidarity of the American people," according to the White House readout of the call. Obama "reiterated that the Sikh community is an essential and vibrant part of the American family and underscored that the incident is particularly tragic because it took place in a house of worship". Manmohan Singh expressed his gratitude for the many messages and gestures of support from the US, and for the prompt reaction and heroism of the local police department, it said. "The two leaders re-affirmed their nations' commitment to the shared values of pluralism, religious freedom, and freedom of worship," the White House added.

Punjab to pay for transporting bodies of victims

Chandigarh: The Punjab government said it would bear the entire expenditure of transporting the bodies of those who were killed when a gunman opened fire at devotees at a gurdwara in Wisconsin. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who was himself headed for Wisconsin for the wedding function of cabinet colleague Surjit Singh Rakhra's niece, said the Punjab government would bear the cost of transporting the bodies to India for the last rites as a mark of respect. According to a spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office, Badal contacted Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao to tell her that the state government would extend all possible help to the bereaved families of the victims of the incident. "The chief minister sought cooperation from the Indian embassy in the US to facilitate the smooth transportation of the bodies by keeping close liaison with the concerned agencies in the US government," the spokesperson said.

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will visit the Oak Creek gurdwara in Milwaukee during his visit to the US, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal Shiromani Akali Dal, said that said Tuesday. entire humanity stood "shocked The chief minister left for the US and stunned the way Sikhs were Monday night on a previously schedtargeted in the oldest democracy uled visit. of world". Six people were killed Sunday and He said the Punjab governseveral others injured in unprovoked ment has already informed US firing by US ex-soldier Wade Michael authorities through diplomatic Page. channels that the chief minister Badal senior was scheduled to visit would visit the gurdwara. He the Wisconsin area, where the gurdwill also visit the families of the wara is located, to attend the wed- Punjab Chief Minister victims. ding ceremony of his cabinet col- Parkash Singh Badal Badal will also meet US offileague Surjit Singh Rakhra's niece. cials to urge them to curb hate crimes against The wedding will take place at another loca- Sikhs. Punjab Congress president Amarinder tion near the gurdwara where the killings took Singh also condemned the attack at the US Condemning the merciless shooting of inno- gurdwara and hoped that the guilty would be cent Sikhs in the US gurdwara, Badal junior, punished. He said the entire Sikh community who is also the president of the ruling was shocked at the incident.

Badal to visit Milwaukee gurdwara, meet kin of killed

Double tragedy for Delhi family

New Delhi: This Diwali, Lokinder Kaur's 16year-long wait would have ended for her husband Ranjit Singh. But destiny had something else in store for Kaur who will never get to see Singh again. Singh lost his life in the wanton killings Sunday when a lone gunman opened fire at the Sikh gurdwara where six devotees were killed. He was one of the staff at the gurdwara in Wisconsin. A sense of gloom has descended upon Ranjit's family, which lives in a modest house in Shyam Nagar in the western part of the capital. The family had not seen him in the past 16 years. "I waited for him for 16 years and this wait will never end now. In all this years, I cannot even recall how he used to look," said a shattered Kaur.Kaur's son Gurvinder Singh was all of seven months when his father left India in 1997 for the US. "I would talk to him every day but never saw him," the 15-year-old said. According to Lokinder, her husband always wanted his family to settle in the US and had applied for Green Card. "Whenever I would ask him when will he come he used to say that he will come the day he would be in a position to take all of them (to the

Both Ranjit Singh and (right) his younger brother Sita Singh were among the victims.
US). He wanted his kids to settle in the US," she said. "I cannot live here anymore, I want to go to the US and see how he lived," she added. For the family, it was a twin tragedy. Besides, Ranjit Singh, his younger brother Sita Singh also lost his life in the tragic incident. "He (Sita) had gone to the US Feb 26 this year but we never thought he will never come back home. He was supposed to be here on Diwali too," the nephew of Sita Singh added. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had visited the grief-stricken family and assured all help possible.

Tristate Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 11-17, 2012

NRIs voting in Indian elections has become a reality: Vayalar Ravi

New York: More than 15,000 nonresident Indians have registered with the Election Commission as voters and are now eligible to vote in various elections if they are in India without the fear of their names being removed from the voters list, said Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi here on Tuesday. Addressing a reception hosted by the Indian National Overseas Congress (I) at penthouse ballroom of picturesque Skyline Hotel in Manhattan, he said there are over 100,000 Indian students above the age of 18 studying in various universities in the US and a sizable number of software engineers who are on deputation. These Indian passport holders are now eligible to register as voters in their respective constituencies and exercise their franchise when they are in India during the election time. Recalling the promise made by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conclave that NRIs would be given the voting rights so long they remained Indian nationals, he said said he agreed with the overseas Indians that the new rule brought about by the Home Ministry has caused some hardship to those visiting India on emergency, business or social causes. With the new Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde taking charge, we hope that there will be a solution to the problem, he said. Ravi, a senior Congress leader from Kerala, said his Ministry had created Overseas Indian Foundation to help NRIs and PIOs to help construct schools and hospitals in their villages without going through the hassle of red tape and bureaucratic tangle. His ministry has drawn up schemes to bring the bodies of those Indian workers who die abroad and had funded $ 3crore to set up a crematorium in Abu Dhabi where cremation was not in practice by the locals. He said the 2013 PBD would be held in Kochi in January and there would be lot of opportunities for the overseas Indians to invest in states. The Minister honored Harjit Singh Manj, Tejinder Singh Gil, Mohan Wanchoo, Dr Rakesh Bhargava, Ranju Batra, Abe George, who is running for the post of District Attorney and others for their contribution to the society. Amb. Prabhu Dayal, Consul General, in his address said the number of PBD Samman awards given to NRIs and PIOs from the US should be increased taking into view their three million population and the increasing number of applications received each year for the award. He urged the Minister to conduct the next mini PBD in NewYork City. George Abraham, President of INOC (I) said his organization would serve as a bridge between the two nations and help bring in investments, cultural exchange and innovations. INOC(I) will be in the vanguard of the movement and work for strong ties and better understanding. Shudh Parkash Singh, senior vice president, welcoming the gathering, said Ravi is among the tallest Congress leaders whose service to the party and nation was well-known.

Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi at the INOC (I) meeting. Consul General Prabhu Dayal and INOC President George Abraham are also seen. people living closer to home like those living in the Gulf, Singapore, Malaysia would stand to benefit because of their proximity to the homeland. Their names will not be deleted from the voters list, he said. I cant keep ballot boxes in all foreign countries for the NRIs and those who happen to be in India during the elections can vote. He said the government and political set up were surprised when the Prime Minister made the announcement of giving voting rights to NRIs as to how it would be feasible. Constitution amendment was not possible as it requires twothirds majority and very cleverly Dr. Manmohan Singh amended the Peoples Representatives Act to bring into effect the desired changes, he said. On the requests made by PIOs and OCIs that the ban on travel to India within two months of their departure should be removed, he

India artists Wall for Peace at DC Airport

Washington DC: Washington-based artist Anil Revris monument to peace is on display at Dulles International Airport in Virginia near here from August 1. It takes the form of a giant ticker tape that displays English translations of scriptures related to peace from Buddhism, Anil Revris Christianity, Hinduism, installation Islam, Judaism, and will stay at the Sikhism. Each horizontal band of text contains one Dulles International selection from each of the Airports concourse till six religions and scrolls March 13, 2013. across the entire surface of the unit ad infinitum. Rays of light emanating from the unit project onto the viewers as they walk around the work in a symbolic act of cleansing of religious and racial prejudices. At a time when crimes against humanity are on the rise, Wall for Peace aims to promote interfaith dialogue at the grassroots level.

Washington: Some 30,000 Indians among 1.76 million unauthorized immigrants who were brought to the US as children could gain a two-year relief from deportation under President Barack Obama's new guidelines. India and South Korea, each with about 30,000 potential beneficiaries, or 2 percent, are the two top countries of origin outside Latin America for prospective beneficiaries under the deferred action policy announced by Obama in June, according to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI). The eligibility guidelines outlined by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) largely parallel the requirements of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM Act), which has been introduced in Congress in various forms since 2001, according to the Washington think tank. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative will offer a two-year grant of reprieve from deportation as well as work authorization for unauthorized immigrants who were under the age of 31 as of

30,000 Indian youth may avoid deportation from US

June 15, 2012 and entered the US before the age of 16. They should also be currently in school, have graduated from high school or earned a GED or General Educational Development, or are honorably discharged veterans of the US armed forces (including the Coast Guard). Five states - California, Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois - are home to 57 percent of the total population of potential beneficiaries. California has by far the largest population of potential beneficiaries, with 460,000, followed by Texas (210,000), Florida (140,000), New York (110,000) and Illinois (90,000). "The deferred action initiative, with its education requirements, offers these youth a significant incentive to stay in school and get their high school diploma," said Margie McHugh, co-director of MPI's National Centre on Immigrant Integration Policy. "And to the extent it raises hopes for eventual passage of the DREAM Act, it may encourage thousands more to set their sights on a college degree."

Salmans wax figure unveiled at NYC Madame Tussauds

By Vikas Girdhar New York: The newest wax figure at Madame Tussauds museum in New York City is that of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. Unveiled on last week and clad in denim jeans and a sleeveless black top accentuating his famous muscles, Khans figure is the third likeness from Bollywood. He joins Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan in the museums Bollywood Zone. Salman Khan, who burst onto the film scene with Maine Pyar Kiya in 1989, is one of Bollywood's most bankable actors curently. His latest, "Bodyguard", has become the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time. In 2004, People magazine named Khan the seventh best-looking man in the world. "Salman Khan is one of Bollywood's most enduring and recognizable stars," said Bret Pidgeon, general manager of Madame Tussauds New York. "Bollywood exploded on the American pop culture scene several years ago and has become one of our most exciting entertainment categories." The Bollywood Zone is a brightly-colored, fully-interactive area that includes a replica of the Taj Mahal, videos of authentic Indian dancers and a photo area where visitors can pose with Bollywood stars. Over the coming years, Madame Tussauds plans to expand the area to include figures of other prominent Bollywood stars. Khan's figure, on loan for three months from Madame Tussauds London, was launched in January 2008, after Khan beat nine other Indian mega-stars, including Madhuri Dixit, Hrithik Roshan, Lata Mangeshkar and Abhishek

Khan's figure, on loan for three months from Madame Tussauds London, was launched there in January 2008. Bachchan, in an August 2007 public poll to choose the "Next Bollywood Star" that would get a wax likeness. Khan personally chose and donat-

YouTube sensation JusReign was a featured guest at the unveiling event. ed the black top and denim jeans for his wax figure. Canadian YouTube comedian JusReign was also a featured guest at the unveiling event.

National Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 11-17, 2012

IN BRIEF

Cornell alumni sets up endowment for Indian students

Indian American couple sentenced in largest ID theft in US history

n Indian-American execuAn Indian-American execu- Ative tive has set up an endowhas set up an endow- ment at Cornell ment at Cornell University University to benefit students from to benefit students from India. India. Rajiv L. Gupta, a 1969 Cornell Rajiv L. Gupta, a 1969 Cornell graduate, established the Phool graduate, established the Phool Prakash and Rukmini Sahai Graduate Prakash and Rukmini Sahai Fellowship Endowment in memory of Graduate Fellowship Endowment his parents in the Department of in memory of his parents in the Biomedical Engineering, a July 27 Department of Biomedical press release from the university Rajiv L Gupta Engineering, a July 27 press said. release from the university said. He created the He created the $1 million endowment through $1 million endowment through his family's his family's Ujala Foundation, which focuses on Ujala Foundation, which focuses on health care health care and education. and education. Gupta, who lives in Newtown Gupta, who lives in Newtown Square, PA, is Square, PA, is president of Rohm and Haas Co., president of Rohm and Haas Co., a global spea global specialty materials company based in cialty materials company based in Philadelphia. Philadelphia. He received a master's degree in He received a mas- ter's degree in operations operations research and information engineer- research and information engineering from ing from Cornell. He arrived in Ithaca in 1968 Cornell. He arrived in Ithaca in 1968 with his with his wife, Kamla Varshney, and with little wife, Kamla Varshney, and with little experiexperience of American culture. He credits ence of American culture. He cred- its Cornell Cornell with giving him a strong education and with giving him a strong education and the the opportunity to start a successful career in opportunity to start a suc- cessful career in this this country. Gupta joined Rohm and Haas Co. coun- try. Gupta joined Rohm and Haas Co. in in 1971 as an analyst; in 1999, he was elected 1971 as an analyst; in 1999, he was elected chairman and CEO, and in 2005 became presi- chairman and CEO, and in 2005 became president. He said he believes a good education is dent. He said he believes a good education is the greatest gift; his parents valued education the greatest gift; his parents val- ued education and ensured that their six children were raised and ensured that their six children were raised to be independent and well-rounded. to be independent and well-rounded. Gupta said the endowment recognizes their Gupta said the endowment recog- nizes their legacy and serves as a "token of appreciation." legacy and serves as a "token of appreciation."

couple from Queens, N.Y., criminal" and a "rip-off artist extraordiaccused of engineering nary" when sentencing him, the New one of the biggest identity York Post reported. Singh reportedly theft scams in the country's history, pleaded guilty in an effort to spare his wife, Neha, 30, jail time. The wife was sentenced Aug. 6 after pleading guilty in July. Amar Singh, 33, pleaded guilty to petty larceny and was was sentenced to 64 months to 129 handed a conditional discharge. Singh months on identity theft and enterwas among more than 110 people, 13 of prise corruption charges. them of Indian origin, who were caught He admitted he was the masterin October 2011 for using false credit mind of a scheme to create false cards and buying stuff to the tune of Amar Singh credit cards with stolen account inmore than $13 million between July formation and using those to buy iPhones, iPads, 2010 and September 2011, going on shopping computers, Gucci and Louis Vuitton handbags, sprees, living in five- star hotels and even rentetc., news reports said Judge Richard Buchter of ing private jets to fly around, FirstPost reported the Queens Supreme Court called Singh "a huge in October last year.

Jehovahs Witnesses organizes Hindi Safeguard Your Heart! Convention

ehovahs Witnesses has organized Hindi 2012 Safeguard Your Heart! District Convention to be held at the Assembly Hall of Jehovahs Witnesses, 973 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY on August 17-19, 2012. The Witnesses convention program promises a fresh examination of Biblical references to the figurative heart. Through lively discourses, dramatic Bible readings and presentations, and even a live play, program parts will emphasize how protecting the figurative heart will enhance ones spiritual well-being, family life, and happiness.

Starting this weekend, and continuing for the next few weeks, Jehovahs Witnesses will put forth an extra effort to extend a personal invitation to Hindi-speaking people in many metro areas nationwide to attend the convention with them. Each days program will begin at 9:20 a.m. The daily themes and titles of program parts are based on passages of Scripture, including 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Chronicles 28:9, and Matthew 12:34. The convention theme Safeguard Your Heart! is based on Proverbs 4:23. Strengthening ones spirituality will be the focus of the program.

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National Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 11-17, 2012

Badal hit by human rights lawsuit in US

Milwaukee (Wisconsin): Visiting Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has been hit by a federal lawsuit by a Sikh human rights group alleging that he oversaw the torture of Sikhs in India. The US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Wednesday issued summons against Badal on a 30-page complaint filed by Avtar Singh of New York, who lists himself as coordinator of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). The lawsuit contends that Badal had shielded police officials who inflicted custodial torture and were responsible for the extra judicial killings and continuous human rights violations against the Sikh community in Punjab. It claims the federal court has jurisdiction under the Torture Victim Protection and Alien Tort laws, and because Badal is currently in Wisconsin. The court summons give Badal, who has been chief minister of Punjab for more than 12 years from 1997 till 2002 and from 2007 till present, 21 days to answer the charges. The lawsuit against Badal seeks jury trial. "The lawsuit will raise awareness to the international community regarding the torture and extrajudicial killings of Sikhs in the state of Punjab by the security forces," said SFJ attorney Gurpatwant Pannun. It "will send a strong message to political leaders that they will not be able to visit United States without being answerable to the international laws and the courts for their role in gross human rights violations", he added. Badal arrived in Milwaukee Tuesday on a previously planned the trip to attend the wedding of businessman Darshan Dhaliwal's daughter on the weekend, before Sunday's attack on worshippers at the Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek. Badal visited with victims' families Wednesday. He declined to comment about the suit, saying he hadn't seen it, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal

US presidential candidates allot key roles to PIOs

Washington, DC: Recognizing the importance of IndianAmericans in US political dynamics, both Obama and Romney campaigns have entrusted key roles to members of the community with the presidential elections less than 100 days away. It is not only the two IndianAmerican governors Nikki Haley from South Carolina and Bobby Jindal from Louisiana who are leading the pack for the Romney campaigns but there are many Indian-Americans from across the country who have been entrusted with key positions and playing an important role for the Republican party in the run-up to the November 6 presidential elections. Dr Sampat Shivangi, an eminent Indian-American from Mississippi, chaired a fund raiser event event in the state attended by Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee. The event raised $1.7 million, one of the highest ever raised by a comparatively small state like Mississippi. "President Obama's tirade against India on outsourcing has really changed his image in majority of the Indian-Americans. His television advertisements day in day out have taken warpath to disgrace India as the problem for joblessness in US which is untrue ," Shivangi said in defence of his support for Romney. This week, Romney roped in Akshay Desai, the Indian American from Florida, to campaign among Asian-Americans . Desai has also been entrusted with key responsibilities for the Tampa convention as well as the fund raising of the Romney campaign. Similarly, there are host of Indian-Americans who have made it to key positions in Barack Obama's re-election bid. Eminent Indian-American women from California, Shefali Razdan Duggal and Kamala Harris, have been nominated to the prestigious 2012 Convention Standing Committees.

Spiritual master Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj invited to speak at Bartlett Jain temple
Bartlett, IL: On Sunday, August 5, as H.H. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj made his inaugural visit to the Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago in Bartlett, IL to speak on The Wisdom of the Saints. The discourse began with Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharajs wife, Mata Rita Ji, singing a devotional hymn by Kabir Sahib the father of modern spirituality. Then, speaking in Hindi and elaborating on the verse by Kabir Sahib, the spiritual Master spoke about the spiritual path and the wisdom of the saints. He said the teachings of all saints expound on the truth, and as such, are timeless they are as true today, as they were yesterday, and will be forever more. After describing the process, called Jyoti Meditation, through which we can still our bodies, still our minds, and come in contact with our souls, he closed the program with a short period of silent meditation. A portion of the program was delivered in English for the benefit of the multi-cultural crowd. Prior to the discourse, the spiritual

Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj arriving at the temple Master was greeted by Temple officials and outreach coordinators. Sant Rajinder Singh was then given a tour of their facilities and presented with a memento of appreciation for his coming to bless their temple. The Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago in Bartlett provides a temple for religious services and a community center for social, cultural, educational and economic needs of the Jain community. It was Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharajs first time visiting. For more information about Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj, including his schedule, visit www.sos.org or call 630-955-1200.

Another university in visa fraud row; fate of 450 students, mostly Indians, uncertain
New York: A year after the Tri Valley university scam left several students from India high and dry, another American varsity with a significant Indian population, has run into trouble after its CEO was charged with visa fraud. Jerry Wang, 34, the CEO of Sunnyvale California-based Herguan University and the University of East-West Medicine, has been charged in a San Jose District Court with a 15 count indictment on visa fraud including that he forged federal documents to allow foreign students to enter and stay in the US. Federal agents raided the Herguan University in California and arrested Wang on Thursday. Wang faces a maximum penalty of up to 85 years in prison if convicted of all charges. He could also have to pay a fine of up to a million dollars. Wang's father and mother have also been named in the 10page indictment, which alleges that between 2007 and 2011, they submitted false transfer letters and forged other visa documents required for non-immigrant students to the US Department of Homeland Security's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). The Wangs collected tuition fees and other payments from Herguan students in exchange for maintaining their false student visa records. The case could spell trouble for the about 450 students of Herguan, most of whom are from India. A photograph on the university's website shows some graduating students, half of whom pointed Doreen Simmons as the interim chief operating officer. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement that in light of the allegations, Herguan and the University of East-West Medicine could lose authorization to enroll foreign students. "Foreign students who are currently enrolled at these universities may continue to attend classes as long as the schools remain SEVP-certified and the students are able to maintain their lawful immigration status," ICE said. The ICE has issued both schools a notice of intent to withdraw, the first step in revoking the schools' SEVP certification. The universities have 30 days to respond to the notice and request an interview to contest the action. The indictment charges Wang with conspiracy to commit visa fraud; use of false documents; aggravated identity theft; and unauthorized access to government computers. Wang made his initial appearance in federal court on Thursday and is scheduled to be formally arraigned August 20. The school offers computer science and business degrees and was granted federal approval in 2008 to accept foreign students. The San Jose Mercury News quoted a Herguan graduate Rajiv as saying that the news of the raid came as a shock. He said foreign students were told if "that in the next 15 days, if something doesn't change, you either have to find a different school or leave the country."

Herguan University building are Indians. The university, however, wrote on its website that the charges against Wang have not affected Herguan and that Wang has resigned from his post. The university is "open and conducting classes as usual. Government charges against the Designated School Official, who has resigned, regarding immigration issues, have not affected the University. Students will find classes scheduled as usual," it said. The university added that if students have valid visa status "nothing has changed for you." The university is seeking Wang's replacement and has ap-

National Community TheSouthAsianTimes.info

11

August 11-17, 2012

Love Lies and Seeta gets six Rajan Gangahar wins award for 'Khushiyaan' more international accolades New York: Indian American writer Rajan Gangahar has won the "best
story" award for the movie " Khushiyaan" at the Punjabi International Film Academy Award (PIFAA) held in Toronto last week. New York-based Rajan was presented with the award at a function held in Toronto over the weekend, a media release said. The event among others was attended by top stars from the Bollywood including Dharmendra, Om Puri, Pran Chopra, Jimmy Shergil and Sonu Sood. His first feature film as a story writer, Rajan wrote the dialogue and screen play for "Khushiyaan", made by another Indian American Trilok Malik. The film has been making rounds

Poster of the movie New York: After being featured in various film festivals across the States and India, 'Love Lies and Seeta' is now come full circle. The movie won official nomination at the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival (AOBFF) held August 4 through August 12, 2012 where over more than 40+ world cinema films are going to be showcased. The film was shown on August 5 at 7:30 PM at Maroney theater, St Francis College in Brooklyn, NYC, where it is shot. 'Love Lies and Seeta', is a fun summer New York story about three guys, a girl, their friends. The movie features Melanie Kannokada, Arjun Gupta, Lavrenti Lopes, Michael Derek, Ryan Vigilant, Aaron Katter, Leah Kavita, Carolyn Korale, Daniel Wilkinson and Rob Byrnes, and is written, produced and directed by New York based Indian American filmmaker Chandra Pemmaraju. The film was released nationwide in India on May 18th, 2012. AOBFF is produced by The Art of Brooklyn, a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating the art and culture of the borough. The festival is the first to showcase Brooklyn-born, Brooklyn-based and Brooklyn-centric films and filmmakers. The movie is scheduled to be screened in later part of August 20, 2012 6:30 PM at Burke Theater as a part of the prestigious World Music and Independent Film Festival (WMIFF) in Washington DC. The film is nominated and will be competing for the Best Film, Best Direction, Best lead Actor, Best lead Actress, and Best Cinematography categories.

Writer Rajan Gangahar at PIFAA, Toronto

in NRI market and connecting immediately with Punjabi community for its sensitive story and mem-

orable performances by veteran and legendary actors Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Rama Vij.

CNN mistakenly airs map of Punjab for Nikki Haley

Washington, DC: A major American news network mistakenly aired the map of Punjab while announcing that Indian-origin South Carolina GovernorNikki Haley would be a key speaker during the Republican National Convention in Tampa later this month. The CNN made this error in the midst of it covering the shooting incident at a Gurudwara in Wisconsin. Haley's parents are from Punjab. "It was a mistake," a CNN spokesperson was quoted as saying by POLITICO. Meanwhile, Haley, in a statement posted on her Face Book page, expressed condolences to victims of the shooting. "It's very sad to see something like this happen to a peaceful place of worship. Our prayers and condolences go out to the families of the innocent victims and the family of the heroic officer in this senseless tragedy," she wrote. Though Haley has converted to Christianity, she has maintained close ties with local Gurudwara.

12

US Affairs TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 11-17, 2012

Washington: Jared Lee Loughner pleaded guilty Tuesday to the January 2011 mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that left six people dead and 13 wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. US District Judge Larry Burns declared Loughner, who has been forcibly medicated for his schizophrenia, competent to stand A court sketch of Jared Lee Loughner who last trial shortly before the January went on a shooting spree in Tuscon, defense filed its guilty plea. AZ, in which Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (right) miraculously survived. Loughner pled guilty to and I are satisfied with this plea 19 criminal charges. Under the agreement his lawyer agreement," Kelly said in a statereached with federal prosecutors, ment. "The pain and loss caused by the Loughner, who could have been sentenced to death if he had been events of Jan 8, 2011 are incalculafound guilty at trial, is now facing ble. Avoiding a trial will allow us life in prison without possibility of and we hope the whole Southern Arizona community - to continue parole. The judge set the sentencing hear- with our recovery and move forward with our lives," Giffords' husband ing for Nov 15. Giffords, who retired from said. Giffords was shot once in the Congress early this year, and her forehead, the bullet passing through husband, former NASA astronaut the left side of her brain, and Mark Kelly, said they were in agree- although her recovery has been called "miraculous" by her doctors, ment with the plea bargain. "We don't speak for all of the vic- she is still following a rehabilitation tims or their families, but Gabby program at a Houston hospital.

US Congresswoman's shooter pleads guilty

Washington: Republican sources say they're in a Catch-22 situation on how to respond to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's claims that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney went 10 years without paying taxes. They understand that they're taking Reid's bait and that responding to his unsubstantiated claims against Romney keeps alive the issue of Romney's refusing to release his tax returns. Still, these GOP sources say they feel that if they do not respond to such a serious charge from such a high-ranking Democrat, it will look like a tacit admission Reid is right. Republicans stepped up attempts to undermine Reid's unsubstantiated allegations Monday, saying Reid and other Democrats' accusations are being orchestrated by President Obama's campaign -specifically his senior campaign adviser, David Axelrod. "Instead of pointing fingers in every direction, they can put the whole matter to rest by simply observing the standard George Romney and a generation of candidates have set by releasing the

Reid puts GOP in a bind over Romney's taxes

Democrats where it could hurt most: the president's credibility. That comes after the GOP response to Reid got increasingly hostile and personal over the weekend. "I'm not going to respond to a dirty liar who hasn't filed a single page of tax returns himself (and) complains about people with money but lives in the RitzCarlton here down the street," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said on ABC News. "And the fact that we're going to spend any time talking about it is ridiculous."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has not substantiated but his accusation that Romney did not pay taxes for 10 years has kept the campaign conversation on the issue.

returns," Axelrod shot back. By trying to tie Reid's remarks to the Obama campaign, Republicans are trying to hit

Obama leads Romney 49:42

ccording to one monthly poll, President Obama's lead over Mitt Romney among registered voters is at 49 percent to 42 percent now, up slightly from the 6-point advantage the president held a month earlier over the former Massachusetts governor. The results of the monthly poll in which a majority of voters

agreed that the economy is the most important problem facing the United States suggest that the Obama campaign's efforts to paint Romney as being out of touch with the concerns of middle-class Americans could be preventing the Republican from gaining momentum in the race. Plus Romney has not acquitted himself well on his Europe trip.

India TheSouthAsianTimes.info

13

August 11-17, 2012

New Delhi: UPA candidate Hamid Ansari defeated NDA nominee Jaswant Singh by a comfortable margin of 252 votes in the vice presidential election to secure another term in office. Ansari is only the second vice president after S a r v a p a l l i Radhakrishnan to get two successive Hamid Ansari is only the second vice president after Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan to get two successive terms terms. The outcome was announced by Rajya Sabha," he said. Ansari, who has served as the Lok Sabha Secretary General T.K. Viswanathan, the returning officer country's vice president since 2007, for the poll. Ansari, 75, polled 490 is a distinguished scholar and a first preference votes out of 728 seasoned diplomat. A former valid votes cast in the election held ambassador to the United Arab earlier during the day. BJP leader Emirates, Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia, Ansari also worked Jaswant Singh polled 238 votes. Soon after he was declared elect- as vice chancellor of Aligarh ed, Ansari was greeted by Prime Muslim University and chairman Minister Manmohan Singh and of the National Minorities Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Commission. Observers feel that presidential Ansari said he was delighted with the results and expressed his grati- and vice presidential elections have tude to MPs for giving him sup- provided the Congress an opportuport. "Core agenda of the chair is nity to improve its ties with its determined by the house. I am con- allies in the UPA and forge better fident that we would have coopera- understanding with outside suptive approach to work entrusted to porters of the government.

Hamid Ansari re-elected vice president

Thackeray slams Advani for blog musings

Mumbai: Hitting out at BJP leader L.K. Advani for predicting a non-Congress, non NDA government in 2014, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray said it was akin to conceding defeat "without even entering the boxing ring" and asked the opposition NDA "not to lose heart". "If Advani has any doubts, he can come to me (Matoshri, Thackeray's residence in Mumbai) and I will give him a dose of morale and strength," Thackeray said in an edit in the party mouthpiece Saamna. The comments followed Advani's latest blog in which he predicted a non-Congress, non-NDA alliance coming to power. Thackeray said the next prime minister should be from the NDA and that decision could be taken after the elections are over. "No point conceding defeat now, without even entering the boxing ring." "Friends, don't lose heart. There is no need to make such grim predictions and break the morale of our

BJP leader L.K. Advani

activists," he said. "This (Advani's musing) is like a general saying before a war that there is no guarantee on the outcome, and demoralizing the entire army," Thackeray said, asking the National Democratic Alliance "not to lose heart" and to prepare for the general elections with renewed vigor.

India verifying if US sold 'faulty' defense equipment

New Delhi: India said it was verifying if "faulty spare parts made in China" were used in defence equipment being sold by the US to it. Some media reports had pointed to the alleged lapses. Defense Minister A.K. Antony told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to questions from Congress member Motilal Vora that the government has signed contracts with the US for purchasing various defense equipment in the last five years. "There have been media reports in this regard, which are being verified," Antony said in response to Vora's question that sought to know if the government was aware a large number of faulty spare parts made in China had been used in the defence equipment being sold by the US to India. Vora also wanted to know if it was a fact that a report of a committee of the US Senate had also pointed to use of more than a million Chinese-made equipment in these arms. Media reports suggested that the US Senate committee report stated that counterfeit electronic parts from China were "flooding" into critical US military systems, including special operations helicopters and surveillance planes, and were putting the US troops at risk.

OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE

14

India TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 11-17, 2012

Fight for Lokpal not over yet: Ramdev

Baba Ramdev is back at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi New Delhi: The fight for the Lokpal bill was not yet over and the government would have to give the legislation to the citizens of India, Baba Ramdev said as he began his agitation against corruption and black money from August 9. Addressing thousands of supporters at the Ramlila Maidan here, Ramdev said: "The fight for Lokpal is not over. A strong Lokpal will have to be given to the people of India." "The Lokpal bill should not be the government's version which will be weak," he added. Six days ago, on August 3, Anna Hazare and his team members ended their fast for stringent Jan Lokpal bill to give a "political alternative" to the people. Team Anna was subsequently disbanded on Aug 6. Holding tricolours, thousands of Ramdev supporters packed the Ramlila Maidan to support him. Before reaching the ground, Ramdev paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagat Singh at Rajghat and Shaheedi Park respectively. The yoga guru had arrived in the capital Thursday morning from Gujarat where he had been meditating since Monday at Vallabhbhai Patel's memorial. Delhi Police have given the organizers permission to host 30,000 people a day. Ramdev has been allowed to hold the ground till Aug 30. A similar show a year ago ended in violence and the death of a woman.

New Delhi: BJP leader L.K. Advani went on the back foot in the Lok Sabha when an aggressive Congress president Sonia Gandhi spurred her MPs into a combative mood after he questioned the legitimacy of the UPA government. Advani was initiating a debate over the Assam violence on the opening day of the monsoon session of parliament when he called the UPA government as "illegitimate". It was enough to infuriate Gandhi, who exhibited a neverbefore-seen aggression inside the house, asking Advani to withdraw his remark. Gandhi, who has led the UPA for the last eight years, took the reins in her hands as it was the first day for Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde as leader of the house. She took on Advani. The BJP leader's clarification that he had referred to the 2008 confidence vote over the IndiaUS nuclear deal when the cashfor-vote episode was played out did not pacify the Congress chief. She kept loudly saying "no, no", insisting that he withdraw his remarks. She also egged her party and UPA colleague, leading to a shouting match. Speaker Meira Kumar had to adjourn the house for an hour.

Sonia spurs Congress, forces Advani to retract

Congress president Sonia Gandhi Shinde addressed Advani as "a senior respected leader" and asked him to consider if his remarks were acceptable. With Advani not relenting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal raised a point of order over the BJP leader digressing from the subject of his adjournment motion. BJP's Sushma Swaraj, the leader of the opposition, came to Advani's defence saying he was speaking on the failure of the UPA government and he had a right to refer to the 2008 confidence vote. Amid pandemonium, Advani rose to clarify that he was not referring to the 2009 general election which the UPA won but to the 2008 confidence vote. He also relented to withdraw his remark. Meira Kumar said the phrase would be expunged from official records of the house. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was silent in the house, said later that Advani's comments were "disgraceful and unfortunate". Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi refused to comment on Advani. "He is a senior person, he knows what he is saying, won't like to comment."

TB screening must for Indians visiting UK

New Delhi: Visiting the United Kingdom (UK) for more than six months after August 16? If so, you will have to undergo screening for tuberculosis the deadly air-borne disease that kills 1,000 Indians per day with one in six deaths reported from 15-49 age group.India is among an additional 67 countries to which pre-entry TB screening will be required. The list was prepared in conjunction with the World Health Organization's latest figures for high TB incidence and includes India's neighbouring countries like China, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Nepal and Burma. Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong also figure in the list. A phased introduction of pre-entry TB screening will begin on August 16 for UK settlement visa applications in India. All settlement applications from this date will have to be accompanied by a TB clearance certificate. The screening requirement will be extended to applications for UK work visas (Tiers 1, 2 and 5 of the points based system) from September 10 and student visas (Tier 4) from November 1. The British government on Wednesday, however, made it clear that pre-entry TB screening is only required by individuals who are traveling to the UK for more than six months. Anyone who is going to the UK for six months or less for example on business, family or tourist visas is not required to undergo a pre-entry TB test. India holds the dubious distinction of being the world's TB capital. The UK Border Agency has established a wide network of approved TB screening facilities across India.

Agni-II missile successfully test-fired

Army standoff in Kashmir blown out of proportion: PM

New Delhi: The standoff between officers and soldiers of an armoured unit of the army in Jammu and Kashmir was being "blown out of proportion", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, asking Rajya Sabha members not to discuss it. The prime minister, who is the leader of the upper house, intervened after Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the defence minister should make a reply as the issue was of a "mutiny in the army". "The house must not have discussion on it, it is a small incident being blown out of proportion," the prime minister said. "It is not good for the morale of the army," he added. The standoff reportedly took place after a soldier of the 16th Cavalry of the army committed suicide in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba sector Wednesday morning.

Agni-II strategic ballistic missile Bhubaneswar: India has successful- a range of over 2,000 km has been ly test-fired its nuclear capable Agni- already inducted into the army and is II strategic ballistic missile from a part of the Strategic Forces arsenal military base in Odisha, a defense for nuclear deterrence. official said. The two-stage missile, equipped The test was conducted from with an advanced high-accuracy navWheeler's Island in Bhadrak district, igation system and guided by a novel around 200 km from here, at about 9 state-of-the-art command and control a.m. by army personnel as part of a system, is powered by a solid rocket training exercise. "It was a 100 per- propellant system. cent success. It was a user trial by Defense Research and army personnel," M.V.K.V. Prasad, Development Organization first testdirector of the Integrated Test Range, ed Agni-II in 1999. Since then, it has said. The medium-range missile with been tested several times.

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In New York
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16

Business TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 11-17, 2012

Navika Group aims to hit $1 billioN mark

By Jinal Shah
New York: The Navika Group of Companies held its Annual General Meeting on August 5 at Marriott Long Island where almost 250 of the 300 partners turned up, some from other states, to learn about the growth and future plans of the company. Navika was founded in 2005 as a commercial real estate company investing partners capital into Limited and Full Service Hotels, Office Buildings, Shopping Centers and Multi-Family Housing. It has weathered the financial and economic crisis that followed due to its conservative business philosophy. In his introductory remarks, Navika Chairman Haridas Kotahwala said he was proud that the company had won the confidence and trust of 300 partners. He credited Naveen C. Shah, President and CEO and a prominent CPA, for creating a transparent organization, and assuring safety for every dollar of investors. Kotahwala also invited some distinguished and strategic partners on stage and also acknowledged the Board and Executive members for being pillars of Navikas growth. He said Navika Group is a $600 million company and its goal is to become a $1 billion firm by year 2013. Naveen Shah made an elaborate power point presentation on the current status and future growth of the company. He announced that BB&T Capital Markets was hired to evaluate the company and find a suitable institutional capital partner. Such a partner is ready to match the equity in consideration of 50% ownership in Navika. Shah also apprised partners on the term sheet given by the potential capital partner. Shah also gave the exciting news that they anticipate $ 20 M new capital during August 2012 and another $150 million from the financial institution which will help us to acquire New York Hospitality portfolio, currently being negotiated. In this portfolio are plum pickings, such as Hampton Inn in Soho with 160 rooms, opened in 2008; Four points by Sheraton, Chelsea, 158 rooms, opened in 2003; Fairfield InnFifth Avenue, 92 rooms, opened in 2009, and Sheraton, Brooklyn, 321 rooms, opened in 2010. Currently, Navikas hotels are flagged under global hotel brands such as Marriott (23%), Hilton (15%), Intercontinental, Wyndham, and Best Western. Geographically, 31% of Navika properties are in Texas, followed by Georgia (13%) and New York City (12%). The group is keep to get more and more into the high growth hospitality sector, and will hive off low- or nonperforming assets. Listing Navikas achievements, he said, We have created a substantial asset and capital base, expanded geographical presence to diversify risk, no mortgage defaults and met all operating expenses from operating cash flow. We have also considerably enhanced the value of the partners capital in a relatively short span of 7 years. When prompted by Shah, Animesh Goenka and Sushma Kotahwala agreed, talking in glowing terms about the company and its effective management. Alkesh Patel, Chairman of Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), who had flown in for the meeting, also said the company was on a growth path.

(From left) Navika Chairman Haridas Kotahwala, Gary Williams, Co-Chairman Narsinh Desai, and Naveen C. Shah, President and CEO.

Group of Navika Strategic Alliance Partners.

Photo credit: Events Capture

Navika Office Bearers & their spouses after the cake cutting celebrating the companys AGM.

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Ultimate Bollywood TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 11-17, 2012

Bollywood condemns US gurdwara shooting

LFW: Fashion goes beyond ramp

reativity, glamour and unusual designs are a common phenomena at fashion weeks, but the recently concluded Lakme Fashion Week WinterFestive 2012 focused more on the wearability and affordablity factor through collections displayed on the ramp. The new breed of fashion designers like Atithi Gupta, Pernia Qureshi and Nishka Lulla went the practical way and showcased collections that were a mix of creativity and wearability. "I think people are realizing when you create something, for how long you can just keep creating it. We are not creating it to put it in a museum or stock it in the office. I think by the end of the day everybody wants to make money and I think somebody needs to bring in the change. On a personal level, I design lot of things which is wearable," Gupta said. "I have my margin but I don't want to over-price it because I don't think there is a need. Everybody wants to wear designer clothes and it should be readily available so I feel my collection is affordable," she added. Gupta showcased an ethnic collection with drapes and embroideries. Designer Drashta Sarvaiya said it is important that one's creations is a mix of creativity and wearability. "I think the designers have become more practical because there is a great catch here. Indian

A security official consoles a family member of a victim of the Wisconsin gurdwara shooting.
Mumbai: Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Shabana Azmi are "pained", "shocked" and "sad" at Sunday's attack on a gurdwara in a Milwaukee suburb in the US. They have expressed condolences to the victims. Hindi cine stars, upset with the attack on religious sects, took to Twitter to share their thoughts. Here's what they had to say: Amitabh Bachchan: What is happening in US? Another shooting of innocents! And inside a temple, a gurdwara! Pained and shocked beyond words. Prayers for those affected. Anupam Kher: Attack and killing of innocent people in a gurdwara in America is a sad and cowardly act. My heartfelt condolence to the families of victims. Shabana Azmi: We condemn the loss of innocent lives at Sikh gurdwara, Wisconsin and pray for the swift recovery of injured. When will this madness end? Attacks at houses of worship (Wisconsin) must be condemned by all. This type of crime strikes at the very foundation of religious freedom. Sophie Choudry: Absolutely shocked about the Wisconsin gurdwara shooting! Prayers and condolences. Cinemas, college campuses and now temples... Is no place safe? Onir: Anguished at the gurdwara shootout in US. When will race/religion/gender hate crime stop. Once again we see the worst aspect of human beings. Pooja Bedi: Shocked and saddened by the shootout at Milwaukee gurdwara! Strength to victims' families. I hope his sentencing is severe and swifter than Kasab's! Vishal Dadlani: What on earth is wrong with this world? Why are people just killing innocent people for no reason?

Kareena Kapoor at Lakme Fashion Week 2012 women have become very modern with the kind of response that her and the fashion industry has under- collection has received. stood that it is good to show cre"The response has been wonderativity but at the same time it has ful, especially from the students to be little wearable so it's a mix of who like to wear casual and stylish both of it," Sarvaiya said. outfits that are affordable as well. "There are lot of middle-class It's nice to see that the new generagirls, who have bought their tion is liking the stuff," she said. clothes from me. It's up to you Designer Pernia Qureshi added: whether you want to buy three to "I have got stuff which is very four dresses from outside, which affordable and that's why people are not going to stand out, or really like my clothes. My collecinvest that money in one nice dress tion starts from Rs.2000 which is and make an impression, so it very affordable for the students. depends. I fell it is very reasonable. For Women are realizing that design- wedding and partywear suits you er wear are special and understand will get it for Rs.7000 and it is the difference between the brands really cheap." and designer wear," Sarvaiya Those present were Hema added. Malini, Kareena Kapoor, Huma Niskha Lulla, who presented a Qureshi, Ameesha Patel, Shruti collection dedicated to free-spirit- Hassan, Celina Jaitly, Prabhu ed new age girl, is also excited Deva, Juhi Chawla among others.

Unraveling the magic of erotic thrillers

ism 2, a small budget film starring not even a single established star accumulates Rs. 21 crore on its first weekend, thanks to Sunny Leone, the American pornstar who portrayed her role of a seductress with aplomb. Unlike the other small budget successes, script was not the USP for the Pooja Bhatt's directorial venture, Leone was. Pretty face, daring attitude and a few thrills in between makes for the perfect box office recipe. Erotic thriller as a genre has arrived in a big way! That's the reason why Jacqueline Fernandez, who again has a poor track record, could shine with Emraan Hashmi in Murder 2, despite average acting skills. So what's it about erotic thrillers that clicks with the audiences? Mahesh Bhatt who claims he's the pioneer of this genre in Bollywood says a perfect mix of all the elements that appeal to viewers is the way to survive in Bollywood. "This is the genre in which numerous books are written both in India and abroad. The only way to survive in Bollywood nowadays is to churn out the right mix of thrill, sex and crime in a movie." "Raaz, Murder and Jism ushered in the new age of cinema where younger demographic in India were waking up to a bold

'Jism 2' has not only covered its cost, it has also made profits and unafraid side of woman that was buried inside the laxman rekha so far," the filmmaker tells hindustantimes.com.

"Bipasha Basu, the protagonist in Jism says the body knows lust not love. She sleeps outside the marriage...dares to show a new side to Indian woman. We revisited the same thing in Murder 2 and mixed violence with erotica." Coming up next is 'Raaz 3,' where erotica is blended with horror. Says Mahesh Bhatt: "In Raaz 3, we have used Bollywood as a wallpaper in the eternal fight for fame." While that again sounds interesting enough to book your first day first show tickets, we wonder if all erotic thrillers mint moolah at the BO. Taran Adarsh has a very interesting observation to make. "Erotic thrillers do attract intiallty. Jism 2 had a very good opening on Friday, but after that it crashed. Ultimately, it's the content that does the talking. No skin show works in the entirety. Hate Story started on a good note, but fizzled out after Vicky Donor hit the theatres," the trade expert tells hindustantimes.com But Jism 2 has not only covered its cost, it has also made profits. "In some cases, the film gives losses to their distributors," adds Adarsh.

Ultimate Bollywood Thesouthasiantimes.info

19

August 11-17, 2012

Now, China copies US hit 'Friends'

popular Chinese television show has been accused of ripping off popular US sitcom "Friends" and a number of other American hits. The Global Times daily said viewers in China have taken to online forums claiming the Mandarin-language sitcom "iPartment" show has lifted plot points and jokes from "Friends", "How I Met Your Mother" and "The Big Bang Theory". "iPartment" began in 2009 and centres on a group of people living in an apartment building. The show is now in its third season, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. The show 'iPartment' is now in its third season

"Many lines and scenes have been completely ripped off from American shows. I thought it was shameful to do this. It is an insult to the American TV producers and an insult to the screenwriters and producers of original Chinese TV shows," said a viewer, identified as Grace. The show's producers have acknowledged using jokes from "various sources". A spokesman for "iPartment", however, said: "We didn't copy the American sitcom." "Comedies have stereotypes, like the handsome man, the gorgeous woman, the cheap man and so on. They have that in many comedies. Our creation is not plagiarism, but more a homage to the American sitcom," he said.

'Heroine' dialogue not meant to demean anyone: Bhandarkar

irector Madhur Bhandarkar has come out in the open about the controversy over "Heroine" trailer and says they did not mean to demean anyone. "We have censored it. It has been censored for Dubai and has been passed by the censor board. There are some people who have raised objections. But we did not mean to demean anyone, Dubai is my personal favourite city," the 43-yearold said here in an interview. In the film's promo Kareena Kapoor, who plays the lead role, says, "You media people should be writing scripts. If a heroine buys a car, it's gifted to her by a businessman. If she goes to LA (Los Angeles), she's getting plastic sur-

gery done and, god forbid, if she goes to Dubai, you people make a rate card for her." Giving clarification over the dialogue, Bhandarkar said: "When Kareena Kapoor says it in the film, she has this point of view that such is people's perception." The director has said soon he will decide upon changes in the promo. "I think there have been films where Dubai is linked with the underworld. The trailer we showed in Dubai was already censored and I'll sit down with the producer and see what needs to be done," he said. "Heroine", which tracks the journey of an actress, also stars Arjun Rampal. The film is slated for a Sep 21 release.

'Gangs of Wasseypur 2' promises high octane thrills

rime thriller "Gangs of Wasseypur" (GOW), based on real life story, wowed the audiences despite a high dose of gore and violence. Now part part two of the movie is releasing Wednesday and it is said to be taking violence and bloodshed to a new level. The first part opened on June 22 amid critical and commercial acclaim. Centered around power, politics and rivalry among three families, the film explores revenge through the socio-political dynamic in Wasseypur, Jharkhand, also known for coal and scrap trade mafia. While GOW-1 spans the 1940s to the 1990s, GOW-2 will be the culminating factor that will take the story forward from the 1990s till 2009. "Gangs of Wasseypur 2" is said to be a fitting conclusion to the vengeance story. Written by Zeishan Quadri, who

The first part opened on June 22 amid critical and commercial acclaim hails from Wasseypur, the film is co-produced by Anurag Kashyap and Sunil Bohra. Powerful performers like Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Richa Chadda and Huma Qureshi form the cast of the movie. More than 90 percent of the film has been shot in Uttar Pradesh to bring the right mood and feel to the story. Both the parts were screened at the 65th Cannes International Film Festival and the just-concluded Osian film fest in the capital.

Big B's tweet on Mary Kom angers Northeast

mitabh Bachhan got his geography wrong in a tweet on MC Mary Kom, making many wonder if he deserved to carry the Olympic torch. Mary Kom!! wins boxing bout, insured (sic) a Bronze! What a story! A Mother of two from Assam, creates moment of pride for India!!" read his Twitter message on the boxer Manipur loves to call Magnificent Mary. "A person of Bachhan's stature should at least brush up on geography before tweeting. What a shame that he does not where Mary comes from... How much more discrimination can Northeast get from the mainland?" asked Shillong-based rights activist Agnes Kharshiing. "If Manipur is Assam, then probably Mumbai is Allahabad," said

Amitabh Bachchan with London Olympics flame Imphal-based TV anchor Y Rupachandra. "It is good that Big B is elated by Mary's achievement so far but sad that he has the Indian map all jumbled up." The actor later apologized for his gaffe.

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar with 'Heroine' poster

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Op Ed TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 11-17, 2012

By Sagarika Ghose

Team Anna: This is no alternative

building a socialist India in all spheres. Jayaprakash Narayan or even Gandhi who were both highly educated, wrote prolifically, and constantly debated political ideas and strategies can hardly be compared to Hazare, whose worldview appears to be folksy and simple. As voters grow more knowledgeable, how far can khap panchayat formulations of hang the corrupt take you? Beyond toppling the UPA, Hazare has articulated no larger vision. Even in Maharashtra, his methods have not been emulated anywhere outside Ralegan Siddhi. Kejriwal spoke of ending unemployment and reforming government hospitals. But is such an agenda powerful enough to attract people? People join a movement because a new, exciting yet pragmatic vision is projected. Fighting Congress corruption is an idea as old as VP Singh. Anti dynasty is copyrighted to the BJP and the aam aadmi slogan has been monopolised by the Congress. A campaign to topple an already weak Congress on the basis of a two-decade old idea is hardly the way to start a new political outfit. As political parties become closed shops of sons and daughters, there is indeed urgent need for an alternative that allows millions of citizens out there to plunge into politics and put their shoulder to the national wheel. But for a new political alternative to succeed, a new political idea is needed, not borrowed slogans from 35 years ago.

he Anna Hazare movement has announced that they will work towards a new political alternative. By disbanding Team Anna, Anna Hazare has in a way withdrawn his own name and brand from this future course of political action. The focus now shifts to Arvind Kejriwal and others. But does the promised new political alternative have a new idea? Hazares erstwhile team announced their entry into politics in a manner reminiscent of the high drama that accompanied actor Chiranjeevis launch of his Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) in 2008 in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Covered live across channels, Chiranjeevis face flashing from 12 LCD screens, the event was expertly choreographed for prime time TV. Today, four years later, after having failed to win a single Lok Sabha seat, Chiranjeevi has merged his party with the Congress and is now a Congress Rajya Sabha member. Kejriwal ended his fast with a full-scale address to the nation live on all channels. He invoked Jayaprakash Narayans 1974 speech by echoing JPs call for sampurna kranti, or total revolution. Former Army Chief VK Singh also quoted a poem once quoted by JP: Singhashan khali karo, ki janata aati hai. The new political alternative is trying to reinvent itself as a neo-JP movement for the 21st century. But will JPs politics work in 2012? The slogan Garibi Hatao

For a new political alternative to succeed, a new political idea is needed, not borrowed slogans from 35 years ago

worked for Indira Gandhi only in 1971, not again. The war cry Bahujan Samaj had to rapidly give way to Sarvajan Samaj for the BSP to win a majority. For the BJP, Ram Janmabhoomi and Hindu rage worked in the 90s, but by the time it came to 2004, the Ram temple idea had to be junked for Shining India. Political slogans generally work best only once; a campaign around a single idea is built once. To seek to recapture the spirit of sampurna kranti today shows that Kejriwal and team lack a new idea. Anger against corruption may win a few seats in urban India. But in a highly competitive democracy, where every social group is assertive, a war against corruption has its limits. The reality is, for many, corruption may not be as important as social justice or

minority rights. There are many differences between 1975 and 2012. In 1975, Congress bestrode politics like a huge colossus. It had never been beaten in elections. Indira Gandhi was the authoritarian leader of an indomitable leviathan that was crushing dissent and political opponents. Is the Congress the same colossus today? Hardly. Its defeats in the general elections of 1977 and 1989 have busted forever the myth of Congress invincibility. The Congress leadership may be remote but it is hardly authoritarian and exists only at the mercy of its UPA allies. Thus, an all-India war cry against a so-called mighty all-powerful Congress machine, which is enslaving all Indians, is a comic book portrayal, a nostalgic throw-

back to an earlier era, a colourful chimera without real meaning. In 1975 no political party believed it could alone defeat the Congress. There was, thus, an urgent incentive to come together, the reason why parties from Left to Right united under Jayaprakash Narayans banner. Today every party, including the Congresss own ally Mulayam Singh Yadav, believes they can defeat the Congress. The incentive to band together under a single banner is hardly that strong. There are other differences. Jayaprakash Narayan was a philosopher-politician of enormous erudition, whose intellectual achievements and political vision went beyond simply toppling the Congress (although that was the electoral objective) but extended to

By Harsh Mander hat marks out JP Nagar slum from others in Bhopal is a modest memorial depicting a woman clutching a baby and shielding her burning eyes. Across the road a raised boundary wall hides from view the factory from which the poison gas leaked 27 years ago, killing thousands, infecting more than 200,000 people, and burdening generations with illness, death and suffering. In another part of the world, Dow Chemicals, the new owners of this same unpunished, unrepentant company, have contributed $10 million to one of the most spectacular celebrations on the planet the London Olympics. Games watchdog commissioner Meredith Alexander resigned from her position in protest, describing the donation as a toxic

Suffering without end

legacy on the collective conscience. But the companys contributions were welcomed as it would save taxpayers money. The $7 million decorative wrap over the stadium supplied by the firm would add light and colour to the festivities. But light and color elude JP Nagar. Its residents feel that they are like walking corpses. Our mourning has dried up. All that is left is illnesses. It is hard to breathe. Our hearts beat like pumps. Our bodies ache. We continuously panic, are easily irritated, sleepless at night, and frightened, they say. In their small slum of 700 shanties, it is rare if there isnt a burial or cremation in weeks mostly of women and men too young to die. According to locals, at least 15 young people have committed suicide. Everywhere among the dirt lanes and reeking open drains are wearied, defeated people with a dizzying encyclopaedia of maladies enfeebled lungs, fading eyesight, shooting blood pressure, runaway diabetes, still-born or deformed babies and wounded minds. These are typical symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, psychiatrist Srinivas Murthy explains to me. Victims or witnesses to every major catastrophe show consistently higher incidence of mental illnesses: chronic depression, anxiety and panic attacks. These ailments are even more intractable in human-made disasters, such as massacres or industrial accidents. These are treatable disorders, but require dedicated, sensitive, empathetic and accessible health services. Something consistently denied to the survivors of one of the worlds worst industrial disasters.

Even as we celebrate Olympic Games, theres still time to work for the uplift of the victims of Bhopal (Seen in the picture, special Olympics in Bhopal) A survivor in JP Nagar, Bhopal, remarked: I often think that the dead were more fortunate than those who survived. Even as we celebrate the sullied spirit of the Olympic Games, theres still time to work for the uplift of the victims of Bhopal.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

Diaspora TheSouthAsianTimes.info

21

August 11-17, 2012

Apology, hate mails after 'killer' spoof on 101-year-old marathoner Fauja Singh
death threats every minute in the last 72 hours." The "Jay Hind" show had UK-based Fauja Singh saying he was running since 1984 and 9/11. He was later shown being run over by a truck and killed in a pool of blood. The episode concluded with the words: "Perhaps, he could not run faster." The spoof, which was initially aired last year, went viral on the Internet after netizens searched for his run with the London Olympics torch July 21. "I was contacted by his coach and others who saw the offensive video on the Internet. I saw it and felt that it was not only demeaning for Fauja Singh, who is an icon for the youth today, but poked fun on the sensitive issue of the 1984 riots and other happenings. I was nauseated to see him being shown as being mowed down by a truck and in a pool of blood," Khushwant Singh, the official biographer of Fauja Singh, said. Khushwant, who released Fauja Singh's biography "Turbaned Tornado" last year in London, shot off a complaint to union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni against the spoof. "I was appalled to see Fauja Singh, who is considered the new age fitness and wellness guru world-wide, being mocked at on religious and personal grounds. Being Fauja Singh's biographer and a fan, I am absolutely aghast at the manner the programme has been produced and telecast with acute disregard to his age and stature," Khushwant Singh wrote to the minister. The video has attracted a lot of hate mail, particularly from the Punjabi and Sikh community abroad and in India. This forced host Sumeet Raghvan, director Abhigyan Jha (of "Movers and Shakers" fame) and comedian Rajeev Nigam (who played Fauja Singh) to apologise. "No comedian likes to explain a joke. But when you are getting two death threats every minute for 72 hours non-stop...a comedian has to step aside and let the failed humans we all are take the stage. At the outset, here's an unconditional apology for hurting the people's sentiments. Fauja Singh is one of the greatest, most spirited athletes our world has ever seen and there was no intention, hidden or overt, to insult him or the Sikh community," Raghavan said. "Unconditional apologies for the last scene, in which Fauja Singh is shown being run over by a truck. In hindsight, we agree that was tasteless and unnecessary. We shouldn't have done that," the host said. However, many netizens have rejected the apology, saying that there was hardly any remorse from the show's makers. The London-based Fauja Singh is considered the oldest runner on earth. He has participated in the London, Toronto and other major marathons.

Fauja Singh Chandigarh: A recently-surfaced TV spoof on 101-year-old Sikh marathoner Fauja Singh in which he is mocked at and eventually killed after being run over by a truck has elicited widespread condemnation, hate mails, threats and eventually an apology from the makers of the "Jay Hind" show. Show host Sumeet Raghavan read out a detailed apology last week, saying that he and others in the team were getting "two

The NRI as bureaucrat: coaching schools warm up to idea

New Delhi: Hoping to touch a patriotic chord, private coaching academies are increasingly looking at Indians settled abroad and their children and selling them the idea of taking the civil services exam to serve the motherland as a career bureaucrat. It may be a novel idea for the NRI community - those with Indian citizenship of course - but some institutes are confident that it is one that will hit home. The New Delhi-based Chanakya IAS Academy, for instance, last month held an interaction session in Dubai for NRI civil services aspirants. "The concept of preparing their children to serve as Indian bureaucrats excited many NRI parents in the Gulf," said A.K. Mishra, chief of the academy. "Many NRIs and their children agreed that joining Indian civil services was an ideal way to serve their motherland," Mishra, who is also a motivation and success guru, said. For civil services coaching academies, attracting the NRIs, a cashrich segment, makes good business sense. "Enrolling NRIs means getting cash-rich students for our specialized services. Also, they are not a very price sensitive group," said Deepti Sharma, who manages the IAS Training Academy in Jaipur. "Traditionally, NRIs have sought professional courses like engineering, medical and MBA in India. The civil services don't really figure high on their agenda," she said. But it could be changing with coaching institutes turning their gaze on NRIs as a special segment of students.

South African sentenced to 25 years in prison for Anni Dewani murder

Regional Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Mauritius Oct 27-28

New Delhi: The 6th Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention will be held in Mauritius on October 27-28, 2012. Regional PBDs are organized by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, in collaboration with the host Government, the concerned Indian Mission and organizations catering to the needs of the Indian diaspora to reach out to a vast majority of Indian diaspora, who for various reasons, are unable to attend the main PBD event in India and benefit from its deliberations. Mauritius and India share a close and special relationship anchored in ties of kinship, culture and common societal values. Nearly 70% of the 1.3 million-strong population of Mauritius is of Indian origin. The Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI), an archetypal educational institution in Mauritius and one of the enduring symbols of bilateral cooperation, has been chosen as the venue for the PBD Mauritius 2012 convention. The Government of Mauritius has taken a Cabinet decision to this effect and the Ministry of Arts and Culture of Mauritius is the nodal agency to coordinate arrangements related to PBD Mauritius. PBD Mauritius 2012 will focus on a particular theme that stresses

Study India Program for PIOs

New Delhi: The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has announced a program called "Study India Program" (SIP) for overseas Indian youth. Following are the highlights of the scheme: The program is open for diaspora youth in the age group of 18-26 years. It is open to PIOs from all over the world ( NRIs are not eligible to apply). It is a short term course of 4 weeks to familiarize them with art, culture, history and social and economic development of India. The participants would undergo a three week training at the selected institutes and one week of field visits organized by the institute. Tentative Program Schedule is September 25, 2012 to October 23, 2012.

Anni Dewani
London: One of two men accused of killing honeymoon bride Anni Dewani has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 25 years in prison. South African Mziwamadoda Qwabe pleaded guilty to the charges of kidnapping, robbery, murder and illegal possession of a firearm. Dewani was murdered while on her honeymoon in South Africa. The Swedish-born 28-year-old was kidnapped and later killed while taking a taxi on a slum tourism trip in 2010. Her husband Shrien Dewani is accused of hiring two men to kill his bride and he denies any wrongdoing, and remains in the UK fighting extradition. Last week, Britain's High Court temporarily halted Dewani's extradition, citing mental health grounds.

The Mahatma Gandhi Institute will be the venue the ever-increasing strands of connectivity between India and its diaspora. Seminars and breakaway sessions/discussions on various issues of relevance to the Indian diaspora like youth participation, education, tourism, investment, culture etc. as well as a Business Event comprising sessions aimed at enhancing business ties between the Indian diaspora are being planned. Delegates will have to register for the convention by paying a registration fee of US Dollars One Hundred. A website for PBD Mauritius 2012 will soon be set up that will facilitate online registration. Details regarding the convention, which are currently being uploaded, could also be accessed from the website http://indiahighcom-mauritius.org - of High Commission of India, Mauritius.

22

Subcontinent TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 11-17, 2012

After Pak, India, jihadists may attack China: Daily

Beijing: Pakistani support of the Taliban as well as other militant networks has led to many terrorist attacks in Pakistan and India, a state-run Chinese daily said, fearing that "in future, jihadist networks may undertake major attacks" in China. An article in the Op-Ed section of the Global Times said the broader problem is that sponsorship of militant networks can have "wideranging, unpredictable outcomes". "Elements of the US supported mujahideen eventually came to constitute part of the Taliban, giving harbor to enemies of the US," it said. "Pakistani support of the Taliban as well as other militant networks has led to many terrorist attacks in Pakistan and India. In the future, jihadist networks may undertake major attacks in Xinjiang and other parts of China," the daily added. In February this year, at least 20 people died in violence in much time worrying about Pakistan's problems." The daily said that historically, insurgents have often used porous borders to protect themselves from better armed, better equipped regular armies. "Since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, Taliban militants have operated on both sides of the border, using Pakistan as a base for rest, recruitment, and planning. The Americans have complained bitterly about Pakistani harboring of insurgents, especially the Haqqani network, which has long been considered `irreconcilable' by the US," it added. It went on to say that Pakistan has had "little interest in cracking down on cross border movement, not least because the Afghan Taliban remains popular in Pakistan. Pakistan also depends on radical jihadist groups to carry out its irregular war against India in Kashmir".

Afghan civilian casualties drop 15%: UN

Kabul: The number of Afghan civilian casualties fell 15% during the first half of 2012 compared to the same period last year, the United Nations said. A total of 1,145 Afghan non-combatants lost their lives in violence, mostly insurgent attacks, between January 1 and June 30 this year compared to 1,510 in 2011, the UN said. Another 1,954 civilians were wounded, it said. Despite the decrease in the casualties, the war has "continued to take a devastating toll on civilians", the UN Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) said.

In February this year, at least 20 people died in violence in Xinjiang Xinjiang. The authorities said a group of what it described as terrorists attacked people on a busy shopping street near the city of Kashgar, killing 13 people. Police shot dead seven of the attackers. The article said that whether or not elements of the Pakistani Taliban are using Afghanistan as a safe haven, border conflicts will continue to create problems between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the US. "Afghanistan has neither the interest nor the capacity to spend

Qaeda may return after Afghan pullout: British PM

Britain's current deployment of 9,000 soldiers would be reduced significantly next year
London: Terror outfit Al Qaeda may return to Afghanistan and the country's future could be jeopardized if NATO-led foreign troops are withdrawn too quickly, military commanders have warned British Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron has been told that the current plan to hand control of the Afghan security to the country's forces in 2013 may need to be "diluted", the Telegraph reported. British commanders believe the Afghan National Security Forces, the army and police are not yet fully capable of taking over from international forces. Under current plans, the ANSF is supposed to take over responsibility by the middle of 2013 and the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) will be withdrawn from combat operations by the end of 2014. The timing has been agreed to by Cameron and US President Barack Obama. Britain's current deployment of 9,000 soldiers would be reduced significantly next year, and after 2014, only a small number of British troops would remain in Afghanistan, mostly as advisers to the Afghan military. However, Cameron has now been advised that there are "significant fears" over the quality and ability of Afghan troops. The fears relayed by senior officers include the level of desertions, the growing number of attacks on Western forces and corruption within the Afghan police. Out of an Afghan Security Force of around 350,000 troops, 15,000 are currently absent without leave, and around 25,000 have been written off as permanent absentees or deserters. This year, 30 ISAF troops have been killed by Afghan soldiers and police in 21 separate attacks, while an entire group of Afghan police recently deserted and joined the Taliban. The whole cadre of 40 police who changed sides, the whole unit was created by a US initiative in 2010. "The Afghan army is not going to be ready to take the lead in operations next year, that is certain. There are very few battalions, probably fewer than 10, which can plan, mount and execute operations without NATO's help," an official said.

New Delhi: Pakistan's shadowy Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency has an annual budget of $300-400 million and despite drastic reductions in personnel "is now assumed (to have a) base strength of approximately 4,000 (people)", says German scholar Hein Kiessling. Kiessling, who represented the Hanns-SeidelFoundation (Munich) in Pakistan from 1989 to 2002, has written this in a collection of essays in "Revisiting Contemporary South Asia" (Pentagon Press). "The (real) ISI budget is top secret, only a few people know the figure," he says. "In fact officially the ISI budget today is between $300 and 400 million. The personnel strength of ISI has also been a secret, he says. "During Zia-ul Haq's tenure it was estimated to be 20,000 men. In the 1990s and in the new millennium there were drastic reductions in personnel. "Therefore, it is now assumed that ISI's base strength is approximately 4,000. Higher estimates often

ISI has a budget of $300-400 mn, 4,000 employees

encountered in literature and the press are grossly exaggerated." According to the author, changes in personnel policies came out in 2009 under the command of Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. "Today with the exception of six-seven two-star generals, the military personnel in ISI come from the Intelligence Corps of the army -- a move that serves towards the professionalism of the service. "A military-ISI staff member starts his career as a cadet in combat arms, not in the medical or engineering services. "After completing basic training comes an intelligence exam. The successful candidate goes on to become an officer in the Intelligence Corps, where he goes through additional courses," Kiessling says. The book says that about five percent of the ISI personnel are formerly from the military on a contract basis. Approximately 45 percent are from the military.

Washington: US and Pakistani officials are considering joint counter-terrorism campaigns in Afghanistan and Pakistan that would target the Haqqani militant group, a media report said. The Haqqani network is a Taliban-affiliated group that operates from North Waziristan in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The Haqqani network has been at the forefront of insurgent activity in Afghanistan, responsible for many highprofile attacks, according to the US State Department. The proposed counter-terrorism campaigns would target the Haqqani group that has mounted several attacks on US soldiers. It would also target Taliban fighters who have launched attacks on Pakistan, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials. The plans were discussed in meetings in Washington involving Pakistan's new intelligence chief, Lt. Gen. Muhammad Zahirul Islam, and top officials of the Central Intelligence Agency, State Department and Pentagon. The intention of the campaigns would be to stamp out sanctuaries for the Haqqani network in Pakistan,

US, Pakistan to target Haqqani network

The Haqqani network is a Taliban-affiliated group that operates from North Waziristan
and what Pakistan says are sanctuaries for the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan. The US has long been pressing Pakistan to target the Haqqani group, without success. Washington says the militant network acts like a "veritable arm" of the Pakistani security forces, a charge Pakistan denies, the daily said.

International TheSouthAsianTimes.info

23

August 11-17, 2012

China: Bo Xilai's wife to face murder charges

Beijing: A court in the eastern Chinese city of Hefei was all set to hold the most high profile trial in China in decades when Gu Kailai, wife of ousted Communist party leader Bo Xilai, steps into the dock to face murder charges. Variously called Lady Macbeth and Chinas Jackie Kennedy by the western media, Gus trial could move the spotlight away from the countrys winning performance in the London Olympics and instead bring it back on the murky details of the case, which left a trail of murder, money and failed political ambition behind it. Also to come under focus is the secretive politics of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC); the timing of the trial is crucial as only months are left for the oncein-a-decade change of leadership in the party, which at last count had more than 80 million members. The verdict in Gus case a death sentence is not ruled out is also likely to signal the end of her husband the charismatic Bos once promising political career. Bo was sacked as the mayor Chongqing, a city of 30 million in southwest China, and also from the powerful standing committee of the CPC in April for indiscipline. It was days before his wife Gu, a lawyer by training, and a family aide Zhang Xiaojung were charged with poisoning British national Neil Heywood in a rundown hotel in Chongqing where Bo was the populist mayor before being sacked -- last November. Investigation results show that Gu Kailai, one of the defendants, defendants' crime are clear, and the evidence is irrefutable and substantial. Therefore, the two defendants should be charged with intentional homicide. This means that guilty verdict for the two is almost given. The sentencing might be a little more complicated as 51-yearold Gus from an influential family her father was among the top revolutionaries during the Mao era. Whether Zhang, 33, takes the fall, remains to be seen. Since Bos sacking, the ruling CPC through state media has repeatedly tried to project that the revelation of the incidents, the arrests and now the trial were evidence to corroborate that no one not even a top, rising political star and his family were above the law.

Gu Kailai, wife of ousted Communist party leader Bo Xilai and her son surnamed Bo had conflicts with the British citizen Neil Heywood over economic interests. Worrying about Neil Heywood's threat to her son's personal security, Gu Kailai along with Zhang Xiaojun, the other defendant, poisoned Neil Heywood to death, was the governments brief statement publicised through the state media to announce the trial. It also said: The facts of the two

Moscow: A state prosecutor demanded a three-year jail sentence for three women from the punk band Pussy Riot who stormed the altar of Moscow's main cathedral and sang a "punk prayer" denouncing Vladimir Putin's close links to the Russian Orthodox Church. The three had been charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred in a trial that has focused attention on a crackdown on dissent since Putin s return to the presidency in May. Prosecutor Alexei Nikiforov did not press the court for the maximum seven-year sentence after Putin said Maria Alyokhina (24), Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (22) and Yekaterina Samutsevich (29) should not be judged too harshly. But Nikiforov ignored pleas by the opposition and human rights groups not to seek jail terms over the protest in which the trio

Russia demands jail for Gunmen kill 19 worshippers at Nigerian Church Pussy Riot protest

Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich of Pussy Riot punk band belted out a song on Feb 21 urging the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Putin. "The actions of the accomplices clearly show religious hatred and enmity," Nikiforov said in closing arguments at the trial. "Using swear words in a church is an abuse of God." "There was real mockery and humiliation directed at the people in the church. "The band's stunt infuriated church leaders and the Kremlin and upset many Orthodox Christian believers for whom the Christ the Saviour Cathedral is a sacred place of worship and its pulpit a place reserved exclusively for priests. Russian opposition leaders say the trial is part of a wider crackdown on dissent by Putin after the biggest protests since he rose to power in 2000. The case has caused an outcry abroad and international musicians including Madonna, Sting and Red Hot Chili Peppers have appealed for leniency.

Abuja: At least 19 worshippers were killed when members of a radical Islamist sect Boko Haram opened indiscriminate fire at an evangelical church during a service in Northern Nigeria. The attack took place a few hours after the group claimed responsibiliChurches across Nigeria have been attacked by ty for suicide attack Islamic sect Boko Haram which claimed the hospital. lives of six military men and two civilians According to him, the pastor of the in Nigeria's northern city of Damaturu. church located in Okene town also died Boko Haram sect members opened fire during the shooting. inside a Deeper Life Church during a servOn Sunday, eight people were killed by a ice in the northern state of Kogi, police suicide bomber at police checkpoint in said. Nigeria's city of Damaturu just as "The gunmen arrived at the church with Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram, assorted arms and started shooting sporad- which claims most of the bombings in the ically at everyone just as the worshippers country, chided United States for including were prevented from escaping by the men him on the list of global terrorists. who blocked every escape route," a witBoko Haram, carries out frequent attacks ness said. in northern Nigeria. The group has been Police spokesman Simon Ile, confirmed waging a sustained war in Nigeria's norththe attack adding that 15 people died on ern cities in their bid to install an Islamic the spot while four died on their way to the emirate in the country.

London: The popular phrase OMG, colloquial abbreviation for 'Oh My God' does not have its origins in modern-day chatrooms but was first used in 1917 in a letter to former British PM Winston Churchill. It has emerged that the British admiral John Arbuthnot Fisher first penned the acronym in a letter to Churchill as far back as 1917, the Daily Mail reported. Lord 'Jacky' Fisher, as he was known, used

OMG! It was first used nearly 100 years ago

it in a letter to Churchill before he became prime minister. The letter mentioned the "utterly upsetting" World War I newspaper headlines. He wrote, "I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis O.M.G (Oh! My! God!) Shower it on the admiralty !! " Lord Fisher began his career during the Crimean War and ended it during the First World War. The phrase OMG, added to the Oxford English Dictionary last year, is generally used in conversations to express surprise, embarrassment, excitement and disgust, according to the Urban Dictionary. However, OMG is not the first modern day phrase which seems to have surprising historic routes. LOL, now defined as 'laughing out loud', was first used in 1960 to denote 'little old lady'.

British admiral John Arbuthnot Fisher

24

Business TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 11-17, 2012

StanChart helped Iran Chidambaram hints at modifying hide $250 bn: US tax norms, cut deficit
New Delhi: Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said the government will fine-tune policies to meet investor expectations, cut fiscal deficit and revive growth. "Our policies have to be modified or fine-tuned in order to meet the expectations of different stakeholders," Chidambaram said during his first media interaction after assuming the charge of finance portfolio. Chidambaram unveiled a roadmap to revive growth by boosting investment. "The key to restart the growth engine is to attract more investment, both from domestic investors and foreign investors. Since investment is an act of faith, we must remove any apprehension or distrust in the minds of investors," he said. "We will improve communication of our policies to potential investors. The aim will be to remove the perceived difficulties in doing business in India, including fears about undue regulatory burden or regulatory over-reach," the finance minister said. Chidambaram said Indian companies, especially public sector enterprises which have large cash balances, would be encouraged to restart investment. "Proposals pending with the Foreign Investment Promotion Board will be processed and decisions taken expeditiously."

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram In an apparent reference to the controversial amendments in taxation norms, especially the General AntiAvoidance Rules (GAAR), and retrospective changes in tax legislation introduced by his predecessor Pranab Mukherjee, Chidambaram said the government will fine-tune these policies to reassure investors' confidence. Chidambaram said the government will soon unveil measures to bring more discipline in spending and return to the path of fiscal consolidation. "We intend to unveil, shortly, a path of fiscal consolidation," he said.

US authorities suspect the Iranian banks also funded terrorist and militant groups London: The US has accused Britain's Standard Chartered bank of hiding 160 billion pounds (nearly $250 billion) of transfers that helped finance Iran's nuclear weapons program. New York regulators said it was a "rogue institution" that broke sanctions imposed on Iran and put profits ahead of global security and the law, according to the Daily Mail Tuesday. The bank is accused of conspiring with Tehran for almost 10 years. It worked with three Iranian banks suspected of being used by Tehran to finance its weapons programs, a US official report said. US authorities suspect the Iranian banks also funded terrorist and militant groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to the Mail. The New York State Department of Financial Services said the London-based bank, which has 87,000 global staff with 2,000 of them in London, had shown "obvious contempt" for US financial regulations. Standard Chartered was "motivated by greed" and had acted "without any regard for legal, reputational, and national security consequences", the New York watchdog said in the report. The watchdog, which reviewed over 30,000 pages of documents during its nine-month probe, said the bank covered its tracks by removing information from wire transfer messages used by US authorities to identify sanctioned countries. The Americans have threatened to revoke the licence of Standard Chartered in the US, which makes most of its money in Asia and sponsors Liverpool Football Club, according to the newspaper. US sanctions against Tehran date back to 1979 but were heightened following the Iranian invasion of Iraq in 1980. Standard Chartered was one of the few banks to emerge from the financial crisis intact. The banking group said in a statement that it had shut down its Iran operation in 2007 and had no "physical presence" there.

Crisil cuts India's growth forecast to 5.5 percent

Mumbai: Research and ratings agency Crisil has cut India's economic growth forecast to 5.5 percent for the 2012-13 financial year from its earlier estimate of 6.5 percent, citing deficient monsoon and worsening Eurozone crisis. It also raised India's core inflation forecast to 8 percent for this fiscal from 7 percent announced earlier. "The downward revision in India's growth forecast factors in the adverse impact of rainfall deficiency (an expected deficiency of 15 percent for June-September 2012) and worsening of the Eurozone growth outlook," Crisil said in a report. Referring to a Standard & Poor's forecast, it said Eurozone economy was likely to contract by 0.6 percent in the current year. Despite slowing growth, Crisil revised upward its average Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation forecast for 2012-13 to 8 percent to reflect the adverse impact of deficient monsoon on food inflation. Crisil's growth estimate is much lower than the growth forecast announced by the government. The government is aiming at around 7 percent growth, while the Reserve Bank of India last week lowered the growth outlook to 6.5 percent for 2012-13. India's economic growth slumped to nine-year low of 5.3 percent in the quarter ended March. For 201112, India's GDP expanded by 6.5 percent, substantially down from 8.4 percent growth registered in the previous year. In the report, "India: Macroeconomic Outlook Revision 2012-13", Crisil sees more pain in Indian economy as all the macroeconomic parameters are estimated to worsen. "We now expect the fiscal deficit to worsen to 6.2 percent of GDP in 2012-13 from our earlier estimate of 5.8 percent," it said.

Bharti drops off list of top-10 most valued firms

Mumbai: ICICI Bank has toppled Bharti Airtel to become the countrys 10th most valued firm in terms of market capitalization, pushing the telecom major out of the top-10 list following a sharp fall in its share price after it posted a sharp dip in first quarter profit. Bharti Airtels scrip was under pressure, down 4.4 per cent on the BSE in early trade, as its net profit declined 37 per cent to Rs 762.2 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2012 the tenth straight quarterly fall. As a result, Airtels m-cap slipped to Rs 1,08,305 crore, making it the 11th most valued firm, as against ICICI Banks Rs 1,12,006 crore m-cap which pushed it to 10th place. Market experts blamed the fall in Bhartis scrip and market cap to below-expectation results. Bharti reported below estimate numbers, both its domestic and African operations reported a marginal decline, Rikesh Parikh, VP Markets, Motilal Oswal Securities, said.

Employees on strike, Kingfisher cancels 31 flights

Mumbai: Kingfisher Airlines has canceled over 30 flights from Delhi and Mumbai due to a strike by a section of its employees protesting non-payment of salary. While 22 flights of the airline were canceled from Delhi, nine were canceled from Mumbai, sources said. A section of its employees, including pilots and engineers are not reporting for work to protest non-payment of salary, they said. Meanwhile, the board of the near-bankrupt airlines is meeting in Delhi on Wednesday to discuss finances ahead of the announcement of quarterly results. "The airlines' board is meeting at a fivestar hotel in south-west Delhi this afternoon to discuss finances," the sources said. The airline's operations have been disrupted time and again since April when pilots called off work protesting salary delays.

ICICI Bank has toppled Bharti Airtel to become the countrys 10th most valued firm Another analyst, Ankita Somani, Research Analyst-IT & Telecom, Angel Broking said, Bharti reported a disappointing performance for Q1 FY13, with its net profit declining for the tenth straight quarter due to higher operating costs. Overall the results were subdued. Meanwhile, the shares of ICICI Bank were trading at Rs 971.5, down marginally by 0.24 per cent.

The airline's operations have been disrupted time and again since April Kingfisher Airlines, which has been facing fund-crunch for almost a year now, has not paid salary to its staff for the past five months. A sizeable number of its employees have not been paid since February. "We just can't work without being paid for such a long time. Hence the decision (to strike work)," a pilot has said.

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London Olympics 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 11-17, 2012

Boxing: Mary Kom creates history

gled to cope up with the Briton's speed. She came under pressure in the first round, having to fend off Nicola's powerful punches. Second-seed Nicola, buoyed by the presence of British Prime Minister David Cameron and professional boxer Amir Khan, put up a flawless performance. A couple of times, 29-year-old Mary Kom, a mother of twins, was pinned in the corner and took some major blows, losing the first round 1-3. The second round was closer as both boxers tried to assert their dominance. However, the five-time world champion found it difficult to get her way around the quick opponent, who narrowly edged the round 2-1. Mary Kom stuck it out in the third round before losing it by a whisker. The final round ended similarly as Mary Kom found it hard to cope with Nicola's size.

London: M.C. Mary Kom was India's lone medal-winning boxer at the Olympics after Laishram Devendro Singh went down fighting in his quarterfinal bout at London Olympics. Kom scripted history by becoming the country's first woman boxer to win an Olympic medal when she finished with a bronze after losing the semifinal match to Britain's Nicola Adams 6-11 in the 51 kg category. However, her teammate from

Mary Kom became the country's first woman boxer to win an Olympic medal Manipur, Devendro narrowly Mary Kom, who had been missed out on a medal, putting up assured of a bronze medal a brave fight against Irishman Monday when she reached the Paddy Barnes in the quarterfinals semifinals became only the secof the men's 49 kg category. ond Indian boxer after Vijender His 18-23 loss to the Beijing Singh to win an Olympic medal. Games bronze medalist ended Vijender had won a bronze in India's boxing campaign in the Beijing fours years ago. From the start, Mary Kom strugmega event.

With time running out, the Indian went hell for leather but fell short and lost the round 2-3. The Indian shared the bronze with US's Marlen Esparza. Women's boxing is making its Olympic debut in London. Both semi-finals losers were awarded bronze medals. A happy Mary Kom said she was satisfied with her effort. "It has been a tough journey. I carried on with the support of family and friends. I want to continue playing the game. Despite the loss today, I'm satisfied with the way I performed," she said. Middle-distance runner Tintu Luka qualified for the semifinal of the women's 800 metres. Tintu, who is coached by the legendary P.T. Usha, finished third in the second heat with a timing of 2:01.75 seconds. It was below her personal best of 1:59.17 seconds achieved two years ago.

London: China's dominance of table tennis is "just the beginning" and they will soon be strong in every Olympic event, the sport's chief said. Adham Sharara, president of the International Table Tennis Federation, was speaking after China sealed their second straight clean sweep of all four table tennis gold medals for the second Games running. "They are the best technically, as they have always been," he said. "And they are the best tech-

Table tennis 'just the beginning for China'

nologically, with combinations of blades and rubbers. And now they are the best physically too. That used to be the Europeans. "Mentally they are not the strongest, because they have been so much better in those other three areas that it doesn't really matter. Even at 70 percent they are 10 percent better than the rest. He added: "China also won every medal in diving and in badminton -- and this is just the beginning. Technically they will soon be very strong in every sport.

Medals' Tally
Rank 1 2 3 46 Country China USA Great Britain India Gold 36 34 22 0 Silver Bronze 22 22 13 1 19 25 13 3

London: Aries Merritt ran a personal best of 12.92 to win the 110 meters hurdles gold at the Olympic Games athletics competition here. It is the first gold medal for the US in the event since Allen Johnson won it in Atlanta in 1996. Merritt got a flying start and held off the challenge of world champion Jason Richardson and Jamaica's Hansle Parchment to secure what in the end was a comfortable win. The race ended in sadness for Daryon Robles as the reigning Olympic champion, who had got a good start, but limped out after pulling his hamstring. Merrit said his hard work and his ability to relax at the key moment were main reasons for his win. "I trained for this, it is very intensive," he said, adding that he had done all he could to take the tension out of his performance. Meanwhile, Richardson's silver gave the US an impressive 1-2 on an excellent night for the Americans in the Olympic Stadium winning three of the four gold medals that were up for grabs. Allyson Felix ended the disappointment of taking silver in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics by finally getting the better of Veronica Campbell Brown in the 200 metres final. Natalya Antyukh completed a successful switch from the flat to hurdles with gold in the women's 400 meters final. The Russian had a bronze medal from the 400 metres flat race from Athens, but was able to hold on to

Athletics: A good night for US

Aries Merritt's gold medal is the first for the US in 110-meters hurdles since 1996 win an exciting final. Britney Reese rounded off a fine night for the US when she won the women's long jump with a leap of 7.12 meters. Russia's Elena Sokolova won silver with a jump of 7.07 and Janay Deloach put the icing on the cake by winning bronze.

Usain Bolt primed for tilt at double double

London: World's fastest runner Usain Bolt's bid for an unprecedented Olympic sprint double double in the 200 metres was the undoubted highlight of the seventh day of athletics action at the London Games. The 25-year-old came to Britain saying he wanted to establish himself as a legend of track and field by becoming the first man to win the 100 and 200m at successive Games and he completed half the job on Sunday. The 200m has always been the Jamaican's favorite event and after jogging through the semifinals in 20.18 seconds on Wednesday, an assault on his own world record of 19.19 cannot be ruled out. His compatriot Yohan Blake, who beat Bolt in the Jamaican trials and ran the second fastest time in history last year (19.26), was the quickest qualifier (20.01) and will be looking to go one better than the silver he won in the 100. Although Bolt's air of invincibility was dented by that defeat in the trials, David Rudisha has remained absolutely dominant in the 800 metres and looks a safe bet in the final of the two-lap race. The Kenyan has fallen short in his attempts to better his own world record of one minute 41.01 seconds over the last two years but, if the London rain stays away, he could do it on Thursday. There is no such dominant performer in the men's triple jump but world champion Christian Taylor and his fellow American Will Claye, the world indoor champion who won a bronze in the long jump on Saturday, should be in the mix for gold in the sandpit.

The 25-year-old came to Britain saying he wanted to establish himself as a legend of track and field

London Olympics 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info

27

August 11-17, 2012

Indian Army welcomes Vijay Kumar

New Delhi: Olympic silver medalist pistol shootOlympic silver medalist pistol shooter er Vijay Kumar returned Vijay Kumar (right) home from London to a rousing welcome by the touched by it. This is the first time Indian Army, which was out in I am getting such a welcome," full force and left no stone Kumar told reporters at the airunturned to honor the hero. port. Kumar was then driven away Much before the Lufthansa in an open Gypsy to to the army flight touched had down, prepara- headquarters, where more celebrations had started at the interna- tions are planned. Kumar says he tional airport. And as soon as is unhappy with the Indian Army Kumar walked out with his for not being given a single proRussian coach Pavel Smirnov, motion in the last six years despite celebrations broke out. winning medals at major internaAn army band played the tional events. national anthem and then the Sports minister Ajay Maken has drums thundered. Senior army asked the defense ministry to officers welcomed Kumar with change its promotion rules for garlands. The Subedar with the outstanding sportspersons. The Dogra regiment posed with his sil- sports ministry has made proviver medal for the shutterbugs. "It sions for three out of turn promois a great reception and I am really tions for Olympic medalists.

Hyderabad: India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal said winning a bronze medal at the London Olympics was a dream come true and would motivate her to achieve greater things in the future - a gold at the 2016 Rio Games, for instance. "I dreamt of becoming an Olympic champion at the age of nine and today it is a reality. It is simply unbelievable. I am proud of myself because what I said I did. I am so happy over this," she told reporters on her return from London. "I am speechless. I never thought I would stand on the podium one day to get this medal. When I stood on the podium I was thinking about all the hard work I put in. The hard work of my coach and parents and the prayers of my well wishers," she said displaying her bronze medal proudly. Saina hopes that next four years would be much better because she would play with more confidence and would be more relaxed. "I didn't want to go to

Saina aims for greater feats

Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal next Olympics with the pressure of not winning a medal this time."

It has been a roller-coaster ride: Gagan

Pune: Olympic bronze medalist, shooter Gagan Narang said his journey from the Beijing Games to the London Olympics had been a roller-coaster ride. The rifle-shooter failed to qualify for the final eight by a whisker, on a countback, in Beijing, where Bindra won the gold. But destiny had something in store for Gagan in London as he went on to clinch the bronze while Bindra failed to qualify for the final round of the men's 10-metre air rifle event. "It has been a roller-coaster ride for me in the last five-six years. I have achieved finally what I deserve," Gagan said.

Olympics bronze medalist shooter Gagan Narang

You are cordially invited to attend with family and friends Arsha Vidya Gurukulams

26th Anniversary Celebration

Sunday, August 19,2012 9:30 a.m. 2:00 p.m. At the Gurukulam Campus

Program
Concert by : Pandit Mukesh Desai Dignitary Address : Mr. Deven Sharma Formerly President: Standard and Poors Anniversary Address: Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswati The Creation is the Creator
Question-Answer Session with

Arsha Vidya Gurukulam,

P.O. Box 1059, Saylorsburg, PA 18353 Phone: 570-992-2339 Ext. 210/234/241 e-mail:avp@epix.net * website: www.arshavidya.org

Banquet Lunch
Childcare Provided

Swami Dayanandaji
(after lunch)

28

Humor TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 11-17, 2012

Humor with Melvin Durai

Flying much safer than driving

henever theres a major plane crash, people get anxious about flying. They postpone their vacations or try to drive to faraway destinations, overwhelming Yahoo and Google with search terms such as driving distance from West Virginia to Hawaii. But heres what everyone needs to know: aviation accidents are extremely rare, even if we include all those accidents we never hear about, such as when the drunk guy pulls a muscle getting off the sink in the washroom. In fact, flying is MUCH safer than driving. In 2007, for example, air crashes in America killed only 44 people, while car accidents killed about 44,000. It should be obvious to you that if you are traveling by plane, you are one thousand times more likely to arrive at your destination, generally speaking, than your luggage is. So why are we more likely to panic on a plane than in a car? Here are a few reasons:

Flying is MUCH safer than driving. In 2007, for example, air crashes in America killed only 44 people, while car accidents killed about 44,000. It should be obvious to you that if you are traveling by plane, you are one thousand times more likely to arrive at your destination, generally speaking, than your luggage is.
1. Someone else is in control and we usually havent met him or her. For all we know, Coco the Chimp might be sitting in the cockpit. Serves us right for flying Air Coco. 2. Were afraid of heights. It doesnt help that the pilot insists on telling us how high we are: We are now cruising at an altitude of 35,000 feet. If you look down to the left, you will see the Rocky Mountains. And on the right, you will see Yao Ming. 3. We are always being reminded what to do in an emergency. In case of a water landing, your seat cushion can be used as a floatation device, the plastic cups can be used as goggles and the in-flight magazine can be used to beat off sharks. Imagine how my kids would feel if I made an announcement before every car trip: Kids, in case I accidentally steer our car into a lake, please calmly remove your seat belts, move quickly to the front of the car and stop your mother from hitting me on the head. 4. We dont trust the other passengers. Some of them look like they could cause trouble. Like that 400pound football player in the first row. What if he eats all the food on the

plane? Wed all starve to death! And what about that busty beauty queen in the sixth row? What if the cabin pressure causes one of her breasts to explode? Then there are the two Arab men in the back who keep speaking excitedly in a language we dont understand. What if theyre planning something evil, such as buying up all the good stuff on the liquor cart? 5. Planes are TOO BIG. They keep getting larger and larger, just like the passengers. The next generation of planes will offer more seats in Economy Class and a swimming pool in First Class. (Just so they can practice using their seat cushions as floatation devices.) Many of us spend the entire flight trying to figure out how such a huge body manages to stay in the air. But enough about the football player. 6. Airport security. Its supposed to make us feel safe, but instead it makes us feel nervous, especially when we notice that the only person getting frisked is us. No one even touches the beauty queen. And here we thought there was a rule against taking too much plastic on board. 7. Newspapers dont have headlines that say: Auto Crashes Killed 44,000 last year! They dont even do it on a daily basis: Auto Crashes Killed 120 Yesterday! But if even five people die in a plane crash, its BREAKING NEWS on CNN. Larry King might even have a special show called How safe is flying? Is it safer than dating Chris Brown?

Photo of the week

NASA celebrates successful landing of its Robotic vehicle 'Curiosity' on Mars following an 8-month long journey. Cheers and hugs at mission control at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Astrology
TheSouthAsianTimes.info

29

August 11-17, 2012

Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874 Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899 psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma

Stars Foretell: August 11-17, 2012
Aries: Take advantage of your stars and seek favours from important people. Efficiency will be the key to success, so finish pending correspondence on priority basis. In a business environment, your creative ability will flourish, and you will be able to convey your new ideas in a simple way. Those planning a trip abroad will have a pleasant and a memorable journey. Pleasant news towards the weekend uplifts the spirit of the entire family. Spiritual gains for some provide mental peace and comfort. Taurus: This week you need to be highly cautious while doing business. Watch out for individuals who might think that you could be easily tricked. This week is definitely not good for taking any risky chances, especially with money. Your charisma will no doubt attract lot of attention. Time spent with old friends will leave you with happy memories. Travel will be on your mind, but you need to be extra careful of your belongings. Gemini: Opportunities to make financial gains will develop through connections that you have recently made. You will get inspiration from your large circle of friends and acquaintances. Important message from a distant place, later in the week, will boost your moral and spirits. Your financial position will improve from unexpected gains, but your health however will need extra care, therefore take preventive medicines if necessary. Cancer: You need to stop other activities and finish off pending correspondence that you have neglected recently. Investment connected with arts and antiques will be profitable. A visit to a spiritual person or a holy shrine later in the week will bring mental peace and happiness. Your health will show remarkable improvement, but there would be little activity on the professional front. Avoid people who like to pry into your affairs. Leo: This week you will spend much more than required on your home and entertainment. You'll have a chance to earn extra money through the strength of your personality and wonderful contacts. You will feel that destiny is playing a favorable role in your life and things are moving according to your plans. Travelling will be beneficial and educating. Children may bring in some thrilling news towards the weekend. Virgo: You should disassociate with colleagues who are fond of gossip and spreading rumours. Work should be on your top priority. Your accomplishment will bring you good results in the long run. Dealing with land and property matters will ensure gains. Time spent at home will improve your understanding about the family needs and bring you enormous love and affection. Your income will definitely improve but there will be a rise in expenses as well. Libra: This week you will have tremendous mental pressure trying to cope up with your professional as well as personal responsibilities. Refrain from any actions or statements that will make you regret later in life. Your financial status seems to get better with new opportunities and ventures in the offing. Sportsmen and athletes can look forward to some benefits and fame. Spiritually you will be gaining a lot. Scorpio: Positive thinking will have a good impact upon you, as you integrate more practical methods into your work and decisions. You will be more skillful in handling your clients and negotiations will work to your benefit, but you need to keep your secrets to your self and avoid overspending. Sports and physical fitness programs will be highly beneficial. Those connected with arts will finally be rewarded for their efforts. Sagittarius: Your accomplishments will exceed your expectation if you concentrate on your jobs. Special honor and recognition will come your way if you help your colleagues and coworkers. This is also a very good period for matters relating to the heart, as a casual partnership will turn into more serious commitment. Meddling in the affairs of others should be avoided. Legal problems will cause a state of nervousness and tension. Capricorn: Put your creative ideas to good use. Taking immediate decisions will be crucial for your career and your goals, therefore do not waste your time. Financial front looks bright as gains from speculation are also foreseen. Romantic pleasures are assured as spouse or beloved will be in a loving and caring mood. Cultural activities will be entertaining. Journey would yield returns. Some good news expected during the end of the week. Aquarius: This week simplicity will be one of your greatest strengths and your determination will become your greatest asset. A close friend or colleague will help you complete pending jobs on time. Opportunity to meet new lovers will evolve through your involvement in functions and ceremonies. It would be wise to do a safety check on water taps, door and electrical equipment, before going on a vacation. Unexpected guest makes surprise, but pleasant visit later in the week. Pisces: This week you will gain approval from seniors if you present your ideas well. Refrain from arguments and avoid being too outspoken and critical about others. Property related investment will be highly beneficial. Lectures and seminars that you attend will be highly interesting and educating. Financial losses are likely if you get involved in new ventures or risky investments. Get involved in creative hobbies in order to relax.

Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

August 11: Influenced by number 2 and the Moon, you are active, imaginative, simple, trustworthy and impressive. You are fond of travelling to distant places and learn more about different cultures and people, but you need to check you tendency to behave moody and highly unpredictable at times. This year promises good and unyielding returns. Take extra precautions before making any major investments. Those involved in art, writing and other creative professions should expect recognition and monetary benefits. Sudden help from an influential person will bring a major boost to your career and prosperity. Later in the year you are likely to get involved in construction or designing activities for yourself or for others. Financially you would be in a much better state and you would find your confidence and morale very high. Matrimonial alliances for some around the yearend. Judicial matters might not bring in the desired results, therefore avoid getting involved in legal complications. Children will be supportive and bring in some happy and good news later in the year. September, December, April and July will especially prove to be significant. August 12: Influenced by number 3 and the planet Jupiter. You are ambitious, dignified, philosophical, and religious. You are self-reliant and possess enormous leadership qualities and you like to take your own decisions, but you need to check your tendency to be jealous, over ambitious and self centered at times. This year improvement in your work atmosphere would be there, giving you lot of job satisfaction. Sudden major monetary gains, either from foreign transactions or a major govt. contract, cannot be ruled out. The later half of the year could bring opportunities to travel overseas for business as well as pleasure. Selective speculation will bring you gains. Some thumping news expected from your children towards the last quarter of the year. Some renovation, construction and pilgrimage should also be carried out this year. Meditation and yoga should be practiced for spiritual as well as physical gains. The months of November, January and June would be highly eventful. August 13: Ruled by number 4 and the planet Uranus. You are bright, energetic, active, methodical and systematic. You are fond of good, respectable lifestyle and you specially enjoy building new contacts and relationships, but you need to check you tendency to behave stubborn, destructive and vindictive at times. This year new assignment and plans come your way. Work pressure would increase and specific time schedule would make you work overtime. Financial gains and other rewards would be plenty but working under extreme stress levels would show on your health. Legal matters that have been bothering your mind would be decided in your favour. For those unattached romance would add a zing to their life. Children would be interesting and a major source of your happiness. For those who have been unsuccessful in finding a life partner till now should rejoice, as a matrimonial wedlock seems later in the year. The months of October, February and April will prove to be eventful. August 14: Influenced by number 5 and the planet Mercury. You are active, smart, confident, original, and highly independent individual. You are loved by your friends and your parents take enormous pride in you, but you need to check your tendency to behave moody, introvert and restless at times. This year new alliances and partnerships would bring in prosperity. Your confidence and determination will be at its peak. Financial gains as delayed payments and bad debts are recovered. Speculation in real estate and stocks will prove to be profitable. Those at service might face hectic period at work, because of the unpredictable behaviour of their boss. Your spouse would be supportive to your concerns and provide you with love and affection. A budding romance is on the horizon for some of you. A distant trip cannot be ruled out for pilgrimage or auspicious ceremonies. The month of July, September, November and March seem to be highly significant. August 15: Influenced by number 6 and the planet Venus. You are active, energetic, warm-hearted, and are fond of worldly pleasures. You are good at conversation and you easily make friends because of your helpful nature, but you need to check your tendency to behave spendthrift and stubborn at times. This coming year good financial gains are foreseen along with appreciation and plenty of reward. Your stars seem favourable for building new alliances and partnerships. Promotion and transfers likely for some. Selective speculation would be beneficial therefore be extra careful not to squander hard-earned money. Romantic alliances likely for those unattached, others would get tied into a matrimonial wedlock. Distant journey, pilgrimage or foreign travel later in the year. You are likely to be more inclined towards religious and spiritual activities. September, November, January and May will be highly significant months. August 16: Governed by number 7 and the planet Neptune. You are simple, dignified, original, dashing and confident. You possess remarkable leadership qualities and blessed with strong imagination and intuition, but you need to check your tendency to behave extravagant, hypocrite and stubborn at times. This year friends and family members would provide good support. Professionally things look much better and you would move around with new confidence and energy. A change for the better in your business or career seems likely later in year. Those involved in art, writing and other creative profession should expect recognition and monetary gains. Health would definitely need more attention. Meditation and yoga should be practiced for physical and spiritual gains. Children will be supportive and bring in some happy and good news. Pilgrimage or journey would be high on your agenda. The months of October, December, February and March will especially bring in happiness and prosperity. August 17: Ruled by number 8 and the planet Saturn. You are energetic, hardworking, courageous, trustworthy and friendly. You are a great admirer of literature and good music and you like to associate with like-minded people, but you need to control your tendency to behave impatient, erratic and destructive at times. This year your confidence will grow. You would benefit from remarkable business entrepreneur skills. New projects and assignments would be plenty enhancing your prosperity. Govt. and judicial favours for some. Some misunderstanding with your spouse might bring uneasy moments at home. Later in the year some exhilarating news from overseas will boost up the spirits of the entire family. Travelling would be beneficial for building new alliances. New romances for some. Health of an infant in the family might cause some concern. The months of August, November, January and April will be highly significant.

i) Accurate Data: Please make sure Date, Time and Place of birth is accurate.

Before you consult...

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 outcome is not as desired, never give up. v) Consult: Take second opinion before spending thousands on cure/remedies.

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30

Spiritual Awareness TheSouthAsianTimes.info

August 11-17, 2012

Part two of the discourse 'Sharing the divine honey'

Connect with inner Light and Sound

nectar that reconnects our soul with God. How do they do it? They teach people through the process of initiation how to find the spiritual honey within. At the time of holy initiation, they open our third or single eye so we can contact the holy Naam within. They open our inner eye to see the Light of God, and they open our inner ear to hear the Celestial Music, or Sound of God. They teach us a method of meditation by which we can become absorbed into the inner Light and inner Sound within. Once we connect with the inner Light, we see inner vistas unfold for us. We think that honey is delicious. But tastier than outer honey is the honey within. This inner nectar also radiates with divine Light and sings with divine Music. We see Light of various colors and radiant inner stars, moon, and sun. We come to the most beautiful manifestation of all, the ethereal or radiant form of the Master. This form serves as our inner guide on the further journey within. The Master takes us to even more beautiful realms, from the astral to the causal and supracausal realms until we reach the souls eternal Home, Sach Khand. There, our soul merges back in God. There is no more valuable gift that can be brought to humanity than contact with the inner Light and Sound. Just as the princess brought the most valuable gift her kingdom had to offer, which was the secret of making honey, the Masters bring from God to humanity the most valuable gift, the secret of contacting the inner nectar of the Light and Sound within us. The Masters are selfless and sharing. Unlike the queen who wanted to keep the secret for herself, the Masters want to share their gift with all humanity. They are generous and want to make sure the whole world avails itself of this blessing. They make their gift known to all sincere seekers after truth. They bring this gift to people of all countries. They share the gift with people of all religions. They share it with people of all walks of life, from the rich to the poor, from those who are highly literate to those who are illiterate. They share it with people of all cultures. Just as the princess gave the honey to the emperor freely, and he, in turn, freely shared the knowledge of it with the rest of the world, so do the Masters share the gift of Naam with the world. They do not hold back the secret from anyone. How can we share the divine honey within? How can we be like the princess who shared the secrets so ourselves. What is the value of an ethical life? Although ethical life alone does not lead to drinking the divine Nectar of God, it is a stepping-stone. Ethical life includes nonviolence, truthfulness, chastity, humility, and selfless service. It means living on a vegetarian diet in which we do not eat fish, fowl, meat, or eggs. It means raising our consciousness and not lowering our consciousness by using hallucinogenic or intoxicating drugs or alcohol. In each religion, the saints, Masters, prophets, and enlightened beings who have found God laid out the prerequisites for entry into Gods kingdom. Not one of them said we can find God by being violent. Not one of them said we could find God by being thieves, liars, and hypocrites. Not one of them said we could find God by being egotistic. Not one of them said we could find God by being selfish. It is true that saints came for the sinners and said that everyone has an equal opportunity to find God, but they would need to change their lives and develop ethical virtues. Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj has said, Every saint has a past and every sinner a future. He explained that the kingdom of God is open to saints and sinners alike. Whatever we did in the past, we still have a chance to alter our ways by developing ethical virtues so we can enter the kingdom of God. The saints shared their spiritual wealth no matter what someones past was, but then they expected them to develop the ethical virtues if they truly wanted admittance to the home of the Lord. When people see we are nonviolent, they are inspired to also develop that virtue. For example, if in the workplace a co-worker calls us insulting names or even hits us but instead of retaliating with violence we show them compassion and understanding, our action makes a statement to others. People will say, Look how kind they are, even when people are unkind to them. When they see that we act with love and kindness to all people, others take notice of that. They see there is something special in the way we are behaving. (To be continued...) Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is an internationally recognized spiritual leader and Master of Jyoti Meditation who affirms the transcendent 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.

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj

he emperor took care of the bees which laid more eggs. Over time they multiplied. They continued to thrive in his country. Soon there were thousands of bees. The honey they produced was used by the people of his land. Unlike the queen who discovered the honey, the emperor did not keep the information on how honey was made a secret. As a result, not only people of his country, but people throughout the world were taught the secret of honey. Before long, everyone around the world knew the secret of honey. This imaginary tale is a beautiful analogy to describe the role of the Masters and saints. The secret they share with the whole world is not physical honey, but the sweet nectar of the Divine. They share with suffering humanity the secret of how to find the sweet nectar of the Divine that leads the soul back to God. Throughout the ages, saints and Masters have blessed this earth with their spiritual teachings. Through their grace, suffering souls are able to find a way to reunite with God. Just like the queen who wanted to keep knowledge of honey a secret, so does Kal, the sustaining power, want to keep it secret that God exists and that we can reunite with God. We are kept in ignorance of the most valuable gift of all, experiencing our soul and God. We are in the dark about the fact that there is God, the soul is a part of God, and we can reunite the soul with God. The honeyed divine nectar that connects us with God is called the holy Naam, Shabd, or the Light and Sound of God. We have forgotten who we are as soul and are ignorant of reuniting our soul with the Creator. The Masters are like the princess who was able to bring the honey out of the kingdom to impart it to the whole world. Just as the princess was able to find a way to bring the honey out of her country even though the queen tried to keep it there, so do Masters find a way to bring us knowledge of the divine honey. They are able to put people in touch with the divine

There are several ways in which we can be the change we want others to undergo. It is a process of three steps: step one is meditation; step two is ethical living; and step three is leading a life of intoxication, joy, and bliss. If we can stop telling others how to live, but start leading a life of ethical living, meditation, and bliss ourselves, then others, on their own, will want to follow our lead.
so the whole world can benefit? The best way we can share the gift of what we receive with others is to be a model to inspire others to want to partake of this divine honey. How can we be a model to others? Mahatma Gandhi once said, Be the change that you want to see in others. This profound statement holds the key to how we can inspire others to taste of the divine Nectar that has transformed our lives. Rather than telling other people what they should and should not do, we can become an example of what we want others to try. When they see us living up to that example, they, on their own, will be inspired to undergo the same transformation. There are several ways in which we can be the change we want others to undergo. It is a process of three steps: step one is meditation; step two is ethical living; and step three is leading a life of intoxication, joy, and bliss. If we can stop telling others how to live, but start leading a life of ethical living, meditation, and bliss ourselves, then others, on their own, will want to follow our lead. There are many people who preach leading an ethical life. But on closer examination, many of them are hypocrites who profess one way of living but do not follow it themselves. The end result is that when others see the mismatch between what the hypocrites say and what they do, others feel the hypocrites are not honest. Others see through them. This gives a bad name to leading an ethical life because others see such people teaching it but not living it. If we want to inspire others to lead an ethical life, then we need to first do