first international conference as India's prime minister, but his per- formance in Brazil has won ful- some praise from the Indian media. Newspapers feel the PM's "debut on the world stage" has put India "squarely on the path of pragmatic internationalism". Modi pitched for a peaceful, bal- anced and stable world and told the leaders of the five-nation power- house comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa that it should be driven by people-to- people contact led by the youth of the five nations. Professing 'zero tolerance against terrorism, Modi The South Asian Times e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m excellence in journalism TOURISM 25 US AFFAIRS 9 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30 Washington: A Malaysian Airlines passenger jet crashed in a rebel-controlled part of eastern Ukraine on Thursday, spurring swift accusations from Ukrainian officials that "terrorists" shot down the aircraft. The United States has concluded a missile shot down the plane, but hasn't pinpointed who was respon- Vol.7 No. 12 July 19-25, 2014 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info Modis diplomacy at BRICS: Making of a statesman PM Narendra Modi with the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, the President of China, Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, at the Sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil on July 15. (Photo: PIB) OP ED 13 Brahmrishi Sri Guruvanand Swami graced the International Guru Poornima 2014 celebration on July 12 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). After giving a powerful and inspiring discourse, Gurudev, as he is known among his devotees, personally blessed over 3,000 people from the US and 14 other countries including India who attended the mammoth event suffused with sounds and sights of devotion for Guru and God. Detailed report and pictures on pages >> 15-18. Photo: Diana De Rosa Photography Continued on page 4 Modis coming visit creates euphoria in community New York: As more details emerge about Narendra Modis maiden visit to the US as PM, euphoria is gripping the Indian community in the tristate area. Besides visiting New York for the UN General Assembly ses- sion in mid-September, Modi has accepted President Obamas invitation for a meeting in Washington. The grapevine has it that there will be a state dinner at the White House in Modis honor.Modi has also given his nod for a public reception in New York. Expectedly, many influential Indian Americans want a piece of the action, and have started making discrete inquiries and lobbying to be seen as close to the new power center in India. Sadly, competition to take Former US President Bill Clinton distributes chapattis to students during midday meals prepared by Akshaya Patra kitchen in Jaipur on July 16. (Photo: IANS). Story on page 3. Continued on page 4 Missile shot down Malaysian plane: US Web evidence shows missile fired by pro-Russia rebels in Ukraine Debris of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 which had 298 aboard. Continued on page 4 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 3 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY By Ashok Ojha Edison, NJ: Chaotic scenes erupted among community lead- ers at a meeting here on July 12 to form preparatory committees to hold a public reception for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his US visit in September. Accusations and counter-accusa- tions were flying until Consul General Dnyaneshwar Mulay took to the stage and threatened to leave the meeting if calm did- nt prevail. The meeting at TV Asia audito- rium was addressed by leaders of Overseas Friends of BJP as well as others who flew in from Chicago, Texas and Florida. Some speakers led by Dr. Bharat Barai solicited names of those wishing to serve on any of the committees. But there were loud protests over the process of these nominations. Dr. Barai, a Indiana based physician and community leader known for his close ties with Modi, failed to pacify the audience. All we were trying to do is to enable as many community or- ganizations from all parts of USA get represented in these commit- tees as possible, Barai told The South Asian Times. We must use this opportunity to prove that we, the people of Indian origin, speak with one voice. Modi ji Contd. on page 4... By Jinal Shah New York: The Consulate General of India in New York and TV Asia organized a reception at the consulate ballroom to honor Member of Parliament, classical dancer, Bollywood star Hema Malini on Tuesday. Hema Malini is on a multicity tour of US to perform Durga dance ballet with her 25 mem- ber troupe of dancers and artists from Natya Vi- har Kalakendra. Organized by Rhythm Asia, in association with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Share & Care Foundation, the dance-drama culled out of Devi Bhagvatam and other Pu- ranic lores comprises three episodes - of Sati and Shiva, Sati reborn as Parvathi, and later the manifestation of Durga to annihilate demon Mahishasura. Hema Malini portrays all the three facets of the Goddess - Sati, Parvathi and Durga. Over 30,000 people in 13 cities in North America have already enjoyed her dramatic two hour show in Hindi in the past 25 days. Now the tour is on its last leg (one show was in Flushing, NY on July 12, and one is scheduled for Houston on July 19) before she assumes her duty as the newly elected MP from Mathura. All my life he (Lord Krishna) made me dance for him, now he gave me a chance to work in his land, she By Prakash Bhandari Jaipur: Former US President Bill Clinton has some special affinity with Jaipur. He visited the historic city first in 2000 and was fascinat- ed by its color and pageantry. He came again after completing his second term in Oval Office to meet people of Naila, a village near the Pink City that he visited on his first sojourn. Now, during his third trip, he visited a kitchen run by an NGO, Akshaya Patra. Clinton evinced keen interest in the kitchen because the Clinton Foundation helped Akshaya Patra secure a do- nation of $2 million (from the earth mover giant Caterpillar) for the various kitchens for school- children that the NGO set up in nine states of the country including Jaipur. Clinton saw the processing of food at the Akshaya Patra state-of- the art kitchen in Jaipur that feeds over 1.25 million schoolchildren studying in 1,100 government run schools as a mid-day meal program in and around the city. The kitchen prepares food also for the 20,000 Anganwadi workers and 4,000 dai- ly wage laborers at over 40 loca- tions across the city. Akshaya Patra provides healthy meal at a meager Rs 5. Clinton was shown around the kitchen by Madhu Pandit Dasa, chairman, and Gururaj Deshpande, head of the US chapter of Akshaya Patra. The US chapter raises $3-4 million annually to support the NGOs free mid day meal program. Jaipur royal Diya Kumari, who is now an MLA, joined Clinton as he served food to the school children. Akshaya Patra feeds over one million children daily across India. The program is part of the Clinton Global Initiative commitment to action made by Akshaya Patra and Deshpande Foundation. Clad in a greenish bush shirt and cotton trousers, Clinton also visited a Sanskrit school where he was greeted by children who danced in colorful costumes. Two whiz kids showed their skills in solving com- plex mathematical equations in a jiffy to the amazement of Clinton and the donors accompanying him in this trip to Asia Pacific. In the US, Clinton Foundations initia- tives led to 20,000 schools provid- ing kids with healthy food choices to combat childhood obesity. The Clinton Foundations donors in- clude Laxmi Mittal and Amar Singh who given over $ 1 million each. Cinton was scheduled to vis- it a community centre and a school in Lucknow on July 17. BJP MP Hema Malini speaking at the Indian consulate in NY Clinton visits Jaipur for Akshaya Patras school lunch program CG steps in to stop bickering over community reception for Modi President Clinton at the Akshaya Patra facility in Jaipur on Wednesday.. Hema Malini seeks NRIs help to develop Mathura W e had arranged a meeting, inviting 2 representatives of every Indian American associa- tion in NY-NJ area on July 12 at the TV Asia Auditorium. The meeting was attended by about 260 people. Some uninvited ele- ments also attended. At the beginning, it appeared that a group of 9 people tried to question the Authority of the people holding the meeting. Ankur Vaidya, president of FIA, spoke. He was explained the process and a document from the embassy for the Madison Square Garden was read. The rest of the people were not happy at such distraction and tried to shout him out. We handled the situation coolly and calmly. We invited Mr Vaidya to give his views briefly. Others shouted him down. I requested the guests to respect his right to give his views. He gave some points and then he and 8 others left the auditorium calmly. Several speakers spoke and stressed the importance of working in a unit- ed fashion to present the best show in support of PM Modi, India and the Indian American Community. We all emphasized that we were all working as vol- unteers for this cause. Then Mr. Shalli Kumar from Chicago (who was not invited) came and stated that he had met the Consul General of New York 2 days ago and the CG had called him, advising that this meeting should be adjourned and the CG had told him that he will appoint a new committee for this event. That threw everyone in con- fusion. He further stated that there was no need for fund-rais- ing and he will give $1 million. Several members protested that one man was trying to buy out the program. Some members shouted at him that in the past, he had made many such Contd. on page 4... Dr Barai sets the record straight Dr Bharat Barai (left) finds the interruption caused by the FIA group and Shalli Kumar (right). DENTAL PRACTICE FOR SALE In Hicksville, Long Island This dental practice on prime location is over 20 years old. 1600 sq ft, 5 fully equipped operation cabins, 3 digital P/A X-rays, 1 digital panoramic X-ray. Fully computerized with 9 work stations. Yearly gross about half a mi lli on. Asking price $ 375,000. Rent: $6700 monthly + Half of property tax. SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY. Email me at: devila_shah@yahoo.com Continued on page 4 Printed Every Saturday by Forsythe Media Group, LLC ISSN 1941-9333 76 N Broadway, Suite 2004, Hicksville, NY 11801 P: 516.390.7847 Website: TheSouthAsianTimes.info Updated Daily Chairman and Co-Founder Kamlesh C. Mehta Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull (Editor@DesiClub.com) President: Arjit Mehta Board Advisors (Honorary) Ajay Lodha, MD, Lakhpat B. Mehta, Esq. 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The editor/publisher does not warrant accuracy and cannot be held responsible for the content of the advertisements placed in the publication and/or inaccurate claims, if any, made by the advertisers. Advertisements of business or facilities included in this publication do not imply connection or endorsement of these businesses. All rights reserved. 4 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TURN PAGE Modis diplomacy at BRICS:... Continued from page 1 argued, "I firmly believe that terrorism, in any shape or form, is against humanity. A major achievement of the BRICS group is an announcement Tuesday about the creation of a new $100bn development bank and emergency reserve fund. Modi said an open international trading regime is critical for global economic growth. China is likely to get its way on having the BRICS bank headquartered in Shanghai while India, which wanted it based in New Delhi, will have to settle for a first shot at its presidency. "Taking advantage of the unique interna- tional stage offered by the BRICS summit, Mr Modi has begun to put his own stamp on India' s foreign policy. The PM has matched his imaginative first diplomatic steps towards the subcontinent by outlining a practical approach to global issues and India's important bilateral ties with Russia and China," The Indian Express said in an editorial. Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit to expand the scope of bilateral strategic partnership that has stood the test of time. He also met Chinese President Xi Jinping, which, Indian papers said, saying it will provide a "fresh start" to bilateral ties. "Transforming the India-China relation- ship can yield big prizes for the region and indeed shake the world. Mr Modi should not lose this opportunity," The Times of India says. The Asian Age echoes similar sentiments, saying the meeting "appears to underscore the interest in both countries to upgrade mutual relations". Improvements in India- China ties will also be significant for regional stability, given Beijing's "strong influence" on Pakistan, it adds. Missile shot down Malaysian... Continued from page 1 sible, a senior US official told CNN. The Boeing 777 with 298 people aboard was on the way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. It was flying at about 33,000 feet when the missile hit. Igor Girkin, a Ukrainian separatist leader, claimed responsibility on a popular Russian social-networking site for the downing of what he thought was a Ukrainian military transport plane shortly before reports that MH17 had crashed near the rebel held Ukrainian city of Donetsk. After news emerged that a commercial airliner had been taken down and its pas- sengers and crew likely killed, Girkin reportedly erased his claims from his page on VKontakte, a site similar to Facebook. The records of internet archive site The Wayback Machine appear to confirm that. Modis coming visit creates... Continued from page 1 credit for the public reception for Modi led to chaotic scenes at a preparatory meeting on July12 at TV Asia studio. (See details on page 3 CG steps in to stop bickering... Continued from page 3 doesnt represent a party, he belongs to all of us, he said. It was out of respect for Amb. Mulay who intervened that calm returned to the meeting. Speaking in Hindi, he appealed to the community that they shouldnt miss the opportunity of Modis visit to reflect their united strength in USA. We should- nt worry about who sits on the commit- tees and who doesnt. Rather, we should contribute positively towards holding a successful community reception for the prime minister, he said, adding that no one besides the PM would occupy the dais at the public reception. According to Dr Barai, four preparatory committees - namely, coordinating, fi- nance, event management, and decoration - will be formed. The venue will be a sta- dium that can accommodate about 50, 000 people. According to sources close to the organizers, one and half million dollars will be raised for the event. Dr Barai sets the record straight... Continued from page 3 donation promises, but never donated a pen- ny. Some members present texted to CG about the use of his name. CG called me and clarified that he had not stated any such thing. He personally came there and clari- fied the situation appropriately. His role was very constructive. Mr Shalli Kumars role in using name of many dignitaries of India and Republican officials is well known. The meeting ended on a good note and work will proceed as planned. I must emphasize that out of 260 representatives of associations, only 9 (7 univited) tried to create distraction and fal- sify-dramatize in name of the CG of NY. We have already filed an application with Madison Square Garden and hope to sign the contract ASAP. The rest of the work is proceeding as usual. Excerpted from Dr Bharat Barais email to Hi India Hema Malini seeks NRIs help... Continued from page 3 said urging Indian American community to help in whatever way possible especially in the Yamuna cleaning project and healthcare and education for people living in Mathura. Other than financial help, I am looking for your expertise to develop Mathura. I am open to your ideas and suggestions and will pass them to (Narendra) Modi ji and will get back to you all. She is the first BJP MP to visit America after the elections early this year. Praising the fabled dancer, Consul General Dnyaneshwar Mulay said, What I most ad- mire about her is her unmatched level of en- ergy. She is a true symbol of woman empow- erment as a mother, dancer, actor, producer, director and a politician. Hema Malni promised her fans that she will be back next year with her new show Radha Rass-Bihari. Hema Malini also inaugurated the Film and Literature Club, an initiative by the Consulate General of India. The idea behind the Club FilLit is to bring forth Indian connections in films or literature. We plan to showcase dif- ferent genres of writing and film for the audi- ence of FilLit. We will invite eminent writers, film producers, directors, actors and other personalities collaborating on any Indian connection, said Amb. Mulay. This monthly event will be open to all. The first event will be on July 23- screening a rough cut of a wonderful documentary Blue like me: The Art of Siona Benjamin. Benjamin is an artist who was raised in a Jewish community in Mumbai. Nadella defends decision to lay off 18,000 at Microsoft New York: Microsoft said Thursday it would slash 18,000 jobs from its global workforce over the next year, the majority from the integration of the Nokia unit acquired this year. A Microsoft statement said the move is part of "a restructuring plan to simplify its operations and align the recently acquired Nokia Devices and Services business with the company's overall strategy." The cuts represent about 14% of Microsoft's global payroll of some 127,000. The company will take a charge of between $1.1 billion and $1.6 billion for costs related to the layoffs. CEO Satya Nadella said in an email to employees that the "difficult but necessary" cuts are part of a plan to bring a new strate- gic direction to the US tech giant. It's impor- tant to note that while we are eliminating roles in some areas, we are adding roles in certain other strategic areas." Murdoch puts Time Warner on his wish list New York: Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has made an $80 billion takeover offer for Time Warner Inc., which would be the biggest media deal in more than a decade. While Time Warner has rebuffed his effort and no talks are underway, Murdoch is determined and unlikely to walk away any- time soon, people briefed on the matter told NYT. And he has a track record of pursuing companies that first said no before giving in. By bidding for Time Warner, Murdochs 21st Century Fox is seeking to create a colossus in the TV and film industries at a time when both face pressure from the grow- ing power of cable companies like Comcast and online video giants like Google. New York: An Indian-origin woman was found dead in a swimming pool of a house, where she was attending a party and local police are investigating the drowning incident. The body of the victim, identi- fied as Rajkumari Motwani, 55, was found at the bottom of the swimming pool when residents of a home in Long Island were cleaning up their backyard fol- lowing a party on Saturday night. They noticed a body in the deep end of the backyard pool. Police officers responded to a 911 call from the resident early Sunday morning and Motwani's body was pulled out from the wa- ter, Suffolk Police said in a state- ment. She was a guest at the birthday party and was pronounced dead at the scene. Suffolk County Police Homi- cide Squad detectives are investi- gating the drowning death. Police have not found any criminality in relation to Mot- wani's death following a prelimi- nary investigation. Detectives are seeking infor- mation from the public about the incident. Residents of home and other party-goers, who have not been identified, are cooperating with the investigation. A neighbor of the house where the party happened said the party ended at about 11:30 pm local time. She said two adult children live in the house that was once inhab- ited by their parents, who moved to a different city two years ago. 5 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY S t. George's (Grenada): The United States based Chalak Mitra Group (CMG) are the new franchise owners of reigning Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Champions, Jamaica Tallawahs, or- ganizers have announced. The announcement was made here after the Tallawahs posted a thrilling opening round victory over St. Lucia Zouks at the national stadium here at the weekend, reports CMC. "We're delighted to become the new owners of the Jamaica Tallawahs franchise," declared Man- ish Patel, chairman and president of CMG. "As a group we are passionate about cricket and after seeing the success of the CPL last year, we knew this was something we wanted to be a part of." CMG, founded by a group of en- trepreneurs from India is headquar- tered in Dallas, Texas, and owns and operates restaurant concepts across America, including one of the largest KFC franchises in the coun- try. The group, through its restaurant businesses, has sponsorship deals with NBA teams, the Dallas Maver- icks and Memphis Grizzlies, as well as several initiatives at collegiate and grassroots levels. "The unique and vibrant culture of Jamaica drew us towards the Tallawahs, and given that Indo-Ja- maican culture has flourished for many years, we knew it was the right choice," said Patel. "We can't wait to get involved with the team and become a part of the Jamaican community." Chris Gayle scored the first ever CPL century as Tallawahs, who emerged as champions from the in- augural CPL last year, beat AZouks to set the tone for an exciting second season. "It's a testament to the strength of the CPL and the Jamaica Tallawahs that we are able to welcome such a respected new franchise owner," noted CPL CEO Damien O'Dono- hoe. "CMG is a hugely successful or- ganization with vast experience and a passion for sport. We're looking forward to working with them as they help us reinforce the success of the CPL and develop new audiences for the Biggest Party in Sport," he added. New York: An Indian-Ameri- can boy will play Mowgli's char- acter in Disney production's "The Jungle Book" adaptation. Neel Sethi, 10, a New York boy, will star in the film as the young boy who is raised by jun- gle animals, according to the The Hollywood Reporter. Sethi will be the only actor to appear onscreen in the project, which is a combination of live action and animation. Disney has slated it for release in 3D Oct 9, 2015. Jon Favreau is the director of the film and the script was writ- ten by Justin Marks. According to the report, Idris Elba already has been cast as the voice of the tiger Sher Khan, and Ben Kingsley will voice the black panther Bagheera. Scarlett Johansson and Lupita Nyong'o were also in talks for Disney's take on Rudyard Kipling's clas- sic tale. "Casting is the most important element of any film, and finding the right kid to play Mowgli was imperative," Favreau was quot- ed as saying. "Neel has tremendous talent and charisma. There is a lot rid- ing on his little shoulders and I'm confident he can handle it," Favreau added. New York: Siddharth Kara of Harvard University, an Indian American expert on human traf- ficking and contemporary slav- ery, has sued Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap for defamation and copyright infringement in the Delhi High Court, charging that Kashyap stole his idea for a film about trafficking. Kara is adjunct lecturer in pub- lic policy and director of the pro- gram on human trafficking and modern slavery at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. According to an Hindustan Times report Kara alleges that the script of the film Sold has sev- eral substantial similarities to unique and creative elements present in my (Siddharth Kara) script and book (Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery). According to Kara, Kashyap read Karas script and worked with Kara on selecting loca- tions for the film. Dr. Kara is delusional, Kashyap told the paper. I guess Dr. Kara has probably written only one thing in life and he thinks no one else in the world would be working on the subject of human traffick- ing. Karas lawsuit also men- tions producer Guneet Monga, actress Nandita Das, the films director Jeffrey D. Brown and producer Jane Charles. Sold has screened at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and the Cinequest film festival in San Jose, Calif.and is now being readied for an Indian theatrical re- lease. NY boy Neel Sethi to play Mowgli in Disney film US-based Indian company, new owners of Jamaica Tallawahs Harvard expert on modern slavery Kara sues Kashyap over film Sold Neel Sethi Siddharth Kara, director of program on human trafficking and modern slavery at Kennedy School of Government Indian American woman in LI found dead in backyard pool 6 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY New York, NY: Responding to re- ports that NSA and FBI officials may have used the ethnic slur rag- head in surveillance programs tar- geting American Muslims, the Sikh Coalition has filed a Freedom of In- formation Act (FOIA) request with both agencies demanding produc- tion of all employee emails since September 11, 2001 that contain the anti-Sikh epithets raghead and towelhead. According to the FOIA request, disclosure of the requested infor- mation to us is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understand- ing of the extent to which [agency] employees have used epithets indi- cating prejudice in official corre- spondence. Since the 9/11 attacks, Sikh Americans have repeatedly endured violence and bigotry be- cause of their religiously-mandated turbans. Many have been called ragheads or towelheads. In August 2012, a gunman with known ties to neo-Nazi groups at- tacked a Gurdwara (Sikh House of Worship) in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six worshippers and injuring several others, including a local law enforcement officer. In the months after the massacre, a Sikh business owner was shot and injured in Port Orange, Florida; a Sikh octogenar- ian was beaten with a steel rod in Fresno, California; and a Sikh pro- fessor was assaulted in New York City. Given the persistence of hate violence against Sikh Americans, and after a lengthy campaign by the Sikh Coalition, civil rights groups, and numerous members of Con- gress, the FBI finally agreed in 2013 to begin tracking hate crimes against Sikhs. As Americans, we expect law enforcement officials to behave like adults, said Amardeep Singh, Program Director of the Sikh Coalition. The Sikh Coalition will not tolerate the use of racial or reli- gious slurs by people who are sup- posed to protect us. We therefore demand a full ac- counting of NSA and FBI emails to determine the extent to which agency employees are combating bigotry, not promoting it. New York: Urban Outfitters (UO), a publicly traded retail company headquartered in Philadelphia which offers a vari- ety of lifestyle merchandise, has removed Lord Ganesha Duvet Cover from its website after Hin- dus protested calling it inappropri- ate. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who spearheaded the protest, thanked UO for understanding the concerns of Hindu community, which thought Lord Ganeshas image on duvet cover was highly inappropriate and trivializing of highly revered Hindu deity. Zed said that an official apolo- gy from UO to the upset Hindu community was still due as it was their second incident trivializing Lord Ganesha. First was socks carrying Lord Ganeshas image, which were removed in December last. Moreover, it was sad that it took UO 12 days to act after they were informed, Zed added. He suggested UO and other cor- porations worldwide to send their senior executives for training in religious and cultural sensitivity so that they had an understanding of the feelings of customers and communities when creating new products or launching advertising campaigns. By Jinal Shah New York: For the second time in a row, Splendid Indian Closet fashion show dazzled the desi American fashionistas in New York. After a successful first edition last year with Indias two top designers, this year saw 12 fashion mavens showcasing their work to a packed audience at the Taj Pierre on Saturday. The Splendid India Fashion Clos- et Tour showcased Indian couture and pret lines by designers includ- ing Jaya Misra, Satya Paul, Sid- dartha Tytle, Masaba Gupta, Joy Mitra, Samant Chauhan, Amit Tal- war, Rajdeep Ranawat, Ankita Chaudhry, Rosy Ahluwalia and fi- nale by Suneet Verma. The themes ranged from Devadasis to celebrat- ing women empowerment and cele- brating global Indians to just fash- ion! "We recognized the need for In- dian haute couture in the United States. India is a fashion treasure trove with its art, heritage, textiles and costuming which inspires bril- liant design talent. We look to curate this talent and have the best design- ers from India gain exposure in the West," said Sapna M Vats, Co- founder, Splendid Indian Closet Fashion Tour. Jaya Misras designs opened the show with a collection aptly entitled Jai Ho. The first half of her run- way debut collection highlighted the Indo Western fusion theme whereas the second half concentrated on weaves and Tana Bana. Designer Amit Talwar was up next. Inspired by the legendry actress Rekha his collection Umrao Jaan had a regal allure attracting women scouting for bridal finery. While returning designer Joy Mi- tras collection was heavily influ- enced by Devadasi based on girls who dedicate their lives in worship of God, Rosy Ahluwalia's collec- tion showcased ethnic and western women wear in shades of green, gold and red in her Women Power collection. It comprised of floor- length anarkalis, skirts and gowns enhanced by use of gota, zardozi and Swarovski work. While bridal brigade (a growing market) and Indian stores may con- sider buying traditional collections or outfits it may not be viable for the international market making it hard to push traditional Indian on the shop floors and to those who love to wear casual Indian wear. Not everyone is the US is getting mar- ried or attending a wedding. For those of us who want to wear Indian cloths for a casual dinner or a get-to- gether there were hardly any options in the show, said Shazia Wahedna of Shazya Entertainment LLC. However for some fashion con- scious looking for less embellishing, less ornate, Masaba Guptas cre- ations struck a chord with her edgy yet ethnic creations. The biggest problem I am facing is with the shelf life of Indian cloths. Indian fashion is ever evolving and I am stuck with wearing the same old heavily embel- lished out of fashion cloths which clearly become fashion faux pas. I can relate to Masaba's collection, its young, its chic and its me, said Tanvi Mehta, one of the attendee. With beautiful silk, neutral color palette and just the right amount of gold, New York debutant Samant Chauhans majestic Rajputana col- lection too offered a balance for women who love the luxury and rich feeling of Indian wear but who do not want to go overboard with colors and embellishments. The grand fi- nale had renowned designer Suneet Verma showcasing his opulent bridal collection. Sikh Coalition les FOIA Request for NSA and FBI Raghead documents IACFNJ to celebrate Indias 68th I-Day on August 17 Samant Chauhans Rajputana collection Model sashays a Masaba creation Fashion event brings Indian designers to New York New Jersey: Indo-American Cul- tural Foundation of Central New Jersey (IACFNJ), a non-profit or- ganization in central jersey will celebrate Indias 68th Independ- ence Day on August 17from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Reichler Park, 540 Ridge Road, South Brunswick, New Jersey. Approximately 400 to 500 people are expected to attend this fun-filled patriotic event is free and open to all public. After last four years grand suc- cess and overwhelming communi- ty support, the organizers and ex- ecutive committee of IACFNJ once again are getting ready to or- ganize 2014 patriotic celebration of Indias Independence Day event with fun-filled entertainment and cultural activities, dance perform- ances, traditional Indian dances, patriotic dances, childrens activi- ties, DJ, live music and authentic food sampling. The program will include the American and Indian Anthems followed by the local and state public officials and digni- tarys addresses to the attendees and fun filled patriotic dances from the young and talented kids from the renowned dance groups from New Jersey. The live DJ and music entertain- ment with live patriotic songs will be performed by local group. The authentic Indian food sampling will be sponsored by the local busi- nesses. The henna tattoos, face paintings and moon walk and bounce will be the attractions for the young kids for the event. Many young high school students will provide their community volunteer services during this event. The volunteer participants will be awarded with certificate of volun- teerism. The duvet had Ganeshas image on it Urban Outtters removes Ganesha duvet cover after Hindus protest 7 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY Washington, DC: An Osmania Universi- ty, Hyderabad, graduate Viji Murali, has been named chief information officer and vice provost of Information and Educa- tional Technology at the University of California, Davis. Murali, an IT veteran in higher educa- tion, is coming to Davis from Washington State University, where she has served as vice president for Information Services and CIO for the WSU system since 2007. "UC Davis is incredibly fortunate to re- cruit someone with Viji's experience and expertise," Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi said in announcing Murali's appointment. "She is a leader in her field, and her ef- forts will be essential in realizing our Vi- sion of Excellence." She succeeds Pete Siegel, who left UC Davis a year ago. Professor Prasant Mo- hapatra has served as interim vice provost and CIO in the meantime. Murali is set to start her new job on Aug 18. "I am excited to be joining a universi- ty with such a wonderful reputation, to lead the IT enterprise that contributes to the university's excellence, in everything from student success to research. "I intend to develop a shared vision with the faculty, staff and students, and we will move the institution to even greater heights," she said. She received a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from the Women's College at Osmania University, India (1975), and a mas- ter's in organic chemistry from Osmania's College of Science (1977). She then joined the Regional Research Lab- oratory, affiliated with Osmania, and worked there toward a doctoral degree in organic chemistry until 1981. Then, as a newlywed, she moved to the US to join her husband, Subra Muralidharan, who was a postdoctoral researcher at Notre Dame and subsequently at Iowa State University. Washington, DC: Three leading Democratic lawmakers have vowed to engage with the Indian-American com- munity to identify possible areas for near-term collaboration and work to address challenges in the US-India part- nership. The three - Steny H. Hoyer, Joe Crowley and Eliot L. Engel - voiced their commitment to engaging with the Indian- American community on issues concern- ing the future of US-India relationship at a roundtable here Thursday. Hoyer is House Democratic Whip, Crowley is Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans and Engel is the lead- ing Democrat on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The lawmakers were joined by mem- bers of the Indian-American community, business leaders, diplomats, and Obama Administration officials to explore poten- tial avenues for closer collaboration between the two countries. "America has much to gain through close engagement and partnership with the world' s largest democracy," said Hoyer. "A stronger India is positive for the United States and the world, and could serve as a force for greater stability, secu- rity, and prosperity." "The United States and India aren't just friends, we are natural partners rooted in our shared values and interests," said Crowley. "From economic ties and tourism, to defence and cultural relations, the multi- faceted relationship between the US and India is growing at a rapid pace." "And as India has assumed an essential role on the global stage, US-India ties have never been more relevant," he said. "This dialogue is an important step in fostering the US-India relationship and discovering new opportunities to grow and develop what has the potential of becoming the most important bilateral relationship in the world." "The ties between the United States and India will be one of the defining partner- ships of the 21st century," said Engel. "India has become an important eco- nomic, political, and security partner for the United States and we must find ways to further strengthen the many areas where we are already working together," he said. Former Shopping.com CEO and eBay executive with deep e-commerce, marketing and advertising expertise set to position LivingSocial for growth in evolving market Viji Murali named CIO of US varsity Living Social appoints E-bays Gautam Thakar as new CEO Washington, DC: LivingSocial, a leading online marketplace has appointed Gautam Thakar as its new Chief Executive Officer and President. He will assume the role pre- viously held by Tim OShaughnessy, who announced earlier this year his intention to step down. We knew we wanted a new CEO with the ability to drive the business forward with energy, vision and deep e-commerce knowledge. The Board and I met with a number of exceptional candidates, and we all believe that Gautam is the perfect fit for the future of LivingSocial, stated OShaughnessy. Thakar joins LivingSocial from eBay Inc., where he has spent over a decade in general management and leadership roles. As CEO of Shopping.com (an eBay acqui- sition), he drove the transformation to a data-driven, demand-generating advertising business, which he leads in his current role as GM for eBays overall Advertising busi- ness. Previously, he served as the head of International Marketing for eBay and as country manager of eBay India. Thakar started his career in brand man- agement at Procter & Gamble in Asia. LivingSocial is well-positioned to play a growing role in demand generation for both local and national merchants, stated Gautam Thakar. This is a huge opportunity that will be realized by delighting con- sumers with personalized services and experiences at great prices. I am excited to join LivingSocial at this important chapter in its journey and help build on all the accomplishments that Tim and the team have achieved so far. US lawmakers to foster closer India ties through community Viji Murali will join University of California, Davis Gautam Thakar Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385 718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.Com 8 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY New York: UCLA alumnus Sunny Tripathy entered a general meeting at 20th Century Fox hoping to work as a staffer for one of the networks television shows. He walked out of the meeting with his own TV devel- opment deal, according to dailybruin.com. Tripathy and 20th Century Fox agreed that he would produce a comedy series based on his personal and family experiences. Al- though the shows title and details concern- ing its premise are still confidential, Tripa- thy is already working on the pilot script. The shows success depends on whether a network buys the series. Tripathy, who graduated from UCLA in 2012, has written and directed three short films for which he received numerous awards. He won the award for best drama and the Peoples Choice Award at UCLAs Campus MovieFest in 2011 for Naked In- nocence, a film about a young Indian boy who struggles with school bullies and un- forgiving parents. In addition, he wrote and directed Keeping Up With the Guptas, a comedic web series about an Indian family and its everyday problems. Although this se- ries and his upcoming show share the same inspiration, Tripathy said the 20th Century Fox show will experiment with new charac- ters and stories. Washington, DC: Ami Bera, the lone In- dian-American member of US House of Representatives, has called for an open di- alogue with India on issues like liability concerns to open Indian energy market to US companies. "As we move forward, it's important to continue to have an open dialogue with the Indian Government about issues like liabil- ity concerns so we can tackle India's ener- gy needs and open their energy market to US companies," he said Thursday. "That will benefit both our countries' economies," he said participating in a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hear- ing on international civilian nuclear coop- eration. India's tough liability law has stalled op- erationalization of the landmark 2008 In- dia-US civilian nuclear agreement with US companies fearing the law disproportion- ately burdens suppliers of nuclear equip- ment in case of an accident. "With a new government in India, we have an opportunity to work together to continue our partnership and strengthen our economic relationship," Bera said. "We should make sure that as we en- counter challenges, we maintain open channels of communication to find solu- tions that benefit both our great nations," he said. Bera also expressed happiness with "India's significant step in ratifying an In- ternational Atomic Energy Agency agree- ment that will open its civilian nuclear pro- gram to unannounced spot inspections." Washington, DC: A young Indian mathematician, Nikhil Srivastava, has been named a joint winner of the prestigious George Polya Prize for finding proof of a riddle that had eluded mathematicians for more than half a century. Srivastava of Microsoft Re- search India and Adam W. Marcus and Daniel A. Spielman from Yale University will be presented the 2014 George Plya Prize at the July 7-11annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), in Chicago. The trio had announced the proof of what is known as the Kadison-Singer conjecture, first proposed by Richard Kadison and Isadore Singer in 1959, pertaining to the mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics about a year ago. The Plya Prize named after a Hungarian mathematician credited with fundamental advances in combinatorics, numerical analy- sis, number theory, and probabili- ty theory, is presented by SIAM every two years. Citing an email received by Sri- vastava, Inside Microsoft Re- search blog said the selection committee wanted to recognize him and his colleagues "for the so- lution to the Kadison-Singer prob- lem." "Not only have Marcus, Spiel- man, and Srivastava proved an im- portant conjecture, which has con- sequences in various areas of mathematics, but their elegant methods promise to be applicable to a broad range of other prob- lems, as well," the citation contin- ued. In a post written by Srivasta- va on the Windows on Theory blog shortly after the conjecture was proved, he emphasized the discrepancy-theoretic nature of the new result and explained its appli- cation for partitioning graphs into expanders. "It is definitely inspiring and motivating to be put on a list with so many great mathematicians," Srivastava was quoted as saying. Winning awards is rewarding, but for Srivastava, the true reward for his research is in extending its relevance, "My focus is mainly to better understand the techniques that went into this proof," he said. "I suspect it is an instance of much more general phenomena, rather than a one-off." The Kadison-Singer problem asks, at its core, if unique informa- tion can be extrapolated from a scenario in which not all features can be observed or measured, ac- cording to Yale News. The idea is particularly relevant to abstract fields, including quan- tum physics, operator theory, com- plex analysis, graph theory, signal processing, and finite-dimensional geometry, it said. New York: Indian American Jai Khanna, an executive at Brillstein Entertainment Partners, is set to co- produce The Black Prince, a film based on the tragic real-life story of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last king of north Indian state Punjab, India West reported. Written and directed by Los Ange- les-based actor-filmmaker Kavi Raz, who helmed 2006 9/11 drama The Gold Bracelet, the movie will have an international cast and crew and is scheduled to go on floors late Sep- tember. The film has a budget of around $5 million and is out to potential pro- ducing partners in India. The Black Prince a bilingual English-Hindi project set in India and the UK, marks the acting debut of Punjabi singer-poet Satinder Sartaaj. Sartaaj plays Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last Sikh Maharaja and son of the powerful ruler Ranjit Singh who was given the throne at the age of five, after the death of his father. After Punjab was annexed to British India in 1849, the young ruler was removed from the throne and sent to England. He attempted to re- turn to India and reclaim the throne but was stopped by the British. Singh died as a pauper alone in a Paris ho- tel in 1893. Indian math whiz wins Polya Prize for solving knotty riddle Keeping Up With the Guptas creator Tripathy inks deal with 20th Century Fox Brillstein to co-produce movie on Maharaja Duleep Singh Congressman Bera for dialogue with India on nuclear issues Congressman Ami Bera Sunny Tripathy (L to R) Srivastava, Marcus, and Spielman soon after completing the proof of the Kadison-Singer Problem. New York: Priya Haji, a Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur known for her focus on socially-minded ventures in both the for-profit and non- profit spaces, most recently as CEO and co-founder of personal finan- cial savings app SaveUp, passed away unexpectedly of natural causes on July 14th at the age of 44, the TechCrunch reported. Prior to founding SaveUp, Haji co-founded and led World of Good, a marketplace for fair trade and sustainable goods made by female artisans from developing countries. World of Good was acquired by eBay in February 2010. Haji founded her first social venture, a free health clinic in her hometown of Bryan, Texas, while she was still in high school, according to a 2011 profile published in Forbes. Haji earned a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UC Berkeley. Chicago-based entrepreneur Cheryl Dahle has established a crowd- funding campaign on Fundly to help support Hajis young children, a 11-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son. Techpreneur Priya Haji passes away at 44 San Francisco: A plan backed by venture capitalist Tim Draper to split California into six states has gained enough signatures to make the November 2016 ballot, the plan's backers say. A Twitter account belonging to the non- profit Six Californias tweeted on Monday that "#SixCalifornias will be submitting sig- natures in Sacramento tomorrow for place- ment on the November 2016 ballot. Stay tuned for coverage!" Roger Salazar, a spokesman for the cam- paign, said it's gathered more than the 808,000 signatures needed to place the meas- ure on the ballot, Reuters reported. Draper is a founding member of the venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetsen, known for its investments in successful growth ven- tures such as Hotmail, Baidu, Tesla Motors and Skype. Recently, Draper won the federal government's auction of bitcoins once owned by online drugs portal Silk Road. He's cham- pioned the political break-up of the state for over a year, but it's taken until recently for the plan to gain some momentum. Draper and other supporters of the break-up argue that the state's 38 million people would be better served by smaller governments and elected officials who would be able to work more closely with their constituents. The six carved out states would look like this: Jefferson: The northern part of the state, including Humboldt and Mendocino coun- ties. North California: The wine country counties of Sonoma and Napa, as well as the Sierra Nevada region. Silicon Valley: Including San Francisco, San Jose and most of what's considered the San Francisco Bay Area. Central California: The vast central val- ley farm region, including Tulare and Fresno counties. West California: Including Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. South California: Including what's called the Inland Empire of San Bernadino and Riverside, plus San Diego. The plan has met with resistance from Cal- ifornia's Democratic majority, and a Field Poll found 59% of Californians surveyed were against the plan, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. US AFFAIRS 9 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info New York: New York City will offer a municipal identity card for all resi- dents, including illegal immigrants, amid a federal-level deadlock over immigration reforms that seeks to provide citizenship to some 11 mil- lion undocumented people, including Indians. The ID card will be issued to all residents of the five NYC boroughs, regardless of their immigration sta- tus. The city administration would immediately initiate implementation of the program, with the goal of launching the new ID card in January 2015. The card would be issued at no cost for applicants during the pro- gram's first year. "We cannot accept a city where some of our residents are forced to live fearfully in the shadows, unable to visit their child's school or sign a lease. This legislation will begin to provide New Yorkers with the digni- ty and peace of mind they deserve," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. The card would ensure access to city services and grant admission to all municipal buildings to all city's residents, including the undocument- ed residents. The city is also aiming to have the card recognized by banks, as well as connecting the ID with stores, restaurants, cultural in- stitutions and other incentive pro- grams. The applicants will have to furnish proof of their identity and their residency in New York, which currently has 8.4 million residents. The city would protect the confiden- tiality of all municipal ID card appli- cations, and would not ask applicants about their immigration status. By Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman I n the last three years, crime has decreased across the board in New York. Murder and burgla- ry are down by double digits. At the same time, the states prison popula- tion has declined 4%. That is in large part thanks to our shared ef- forts to tackle crime in a way that is both tough and smart. While some folks are still pushing to bring back the draconian drug laws from a by- gone era policies that flooded our prisons but did nothing to make our streets safer we have chosen a path that actually works. Those of us in law enforcement cannot and will not tolerate violent predators or gangs that flood our streets with illegal drugs. That is why my offices Organized Crime Task Force has worked with police departments across the state to break up some of the largest gangs and drug trafficking rings in New York. Since 2011, we have taken down 17 of the largest drug rings, busting at least 345 dealers. I partnered with leaders in the public health and law enforcement communities to pass the Internet System for Tracking Overprescrib- ing -- I-STOP -- which requires doc- tors and pharmacists to check a real- time database to see if a patient has one prescription for pain pills or 20. By flagging addicts who are doctor-shopping to get their pain pills before they make the move to cheaper, more dangerous drugs like heroin, we are severing a key link in the chain of addiction and steering addicted patients into treatment. Being tough and smart on crime means partnering with responsible gun owners and our local colleagues in law enforcement to keep danger- ous weapons out of our communi- ties. That is why I have worked with police departments across the state to host gun buybacks. Together, we have taken more than 800 guns off the streets. That is also why I part- nered with gun show operators to develop an innovative set of proce- dures that guarantee a background check is performed for every firearm sold at a gun show in New York. We figured out that this epidemic of smart phone thefts would end if we could force the industry to install kill switches into every smart phone so they can be shut off the way you cancel your credit card. Initially, the industry resisted. But in just one year, the Secure Our Smartphones Initiative has pressured some major smartphone makers into installing kill switches. And it is working. Pre- liminary statistics suggest crimes targeting products with theft-deter- rent features fell, even as crimes tar- geting smartphones from manufac- turers that refused to install those features rose. No approach to crime no matter how tough or smart can work if we dont protect the people protecting us. When I learned that Congress had gutted a federal program to help local police departments buy bulletproof vests for their officers, I created the in- VEST Partnership. This $3.5 mil- lion program uses funds seized from criminals to help police departments buy body armor for their officers. A shorter version of New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneidermans op- ed first published in Huffington Post. Washington: House Republicans are push- ing ahead with a plan to sue President Oba- ma, accusing him of trying to sidestep Con- gress and make his own laws. But the president is also using the suit, which is considered a long shot in legal terms, to score political points. House Speaker John Boehner says the law- suit will focus on the administration's deci- sion to postpone the requirement in the Af- fordable Care Act that large employers pro- vide health insurance for their workers. But the White House describes the suit as a "taxpayer-funded political stunt," and the president used it as a convenient punch line this week during a boisterous campaign-style rally in Austin, Texas. There he told a friendly crowd that Repub- licans are upset with him just for doing his job. "I've got a better idea: Do something," Oba- ma said. "If you're mad at me for helping peo- ple on my own, let's team up. Let's pass some bills." Obama complains that Republican law- makers, especially in the House, have blocked action that many Americans support, such as immigration reform and a higher min- imum wage. In the face of congressional stalemates, Obama says he'll continue to exercise his ex- ecutive powers whenever possible. But Boehner says that in doing so, the president has overstepped his authority, which is why the Republican-led Rules Committee will is to meet to consider greenlighting the lawsuit. "This isn't about me suing the president. It's not about Republicans versus Democrats," Boehner said. "This is about the legislative branch being disadvantaged by the executive branch." Obama suggests the complaints are driven by party politics, and that while he'll often highlight executive orders to show he's not hamstrung by Congress, he's actually issued fewer than any president since Grover Cleve- land. Mayor Bill de Blasio last Thursday signed into law a plan to offer municipal IDs to all residents. House GOP going ahead with plan to sue Obama Six Californias plan may make 2016 ballot NYC to provide ID card for all, including the undocumented House Speaker John Boehner said last week that the GOP-controlled House will file a lawsuit accusing President Obama of failing to carry out laws like on healthcare passed by Congress . OPINION The right way to be tough and smart on crime 10 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA Brasilia/New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon South American countries to come together "to seek faster growth and newer avenues of generating prosperity, find solutions to the challenge of poverty and preserve our environment, and use our resources well". He was addressing a group of South American leaders in Brazil's capital to foster cooperation between the two regions. Assuring that India seeks to "work more closely with South America than ever before. At the bilateral level, as a BRICS member, in the G-77, as well as other international forums", the prime minister said that dis- tance is not a barrier to opportunities. "I firmly believe, the possibilities of coop- eration are limited not by distance but only by our imagination and efforts. We have much to learn from each other, in our jour- ney towards inclusive and sustainable devel- opment. We must share with each other, our experiences, best practices and innovative solutions. India stands committed to the same." He said that there is a growing presence of Indian investors in South America. But pointed out that it is still well below poten- tial. "From hydrocarbons to pharma, textiles to leather, engineering goods to automobiles; the range of opportunities is enormous," Modi said. "We must utilize, the Preferential Trade Agreement between India and the MERCO- SUR Trade Block, and Chile, more effective- ly. We also attach importance, to the South American and Caribbean Business Conclave held every year in India. A similar invest- ment conclave is being organised in October in India. "Almost 250 students from South America have been taking courses in India every year under our International Technical and Economic Cooperation programme. I how- ever believe, that this is not enough. We intend to substantially increase the same," he added. The prime minister said that India will establish Centres of Excellence in Information Technology in South American countries to share its expertise in information technology. "I am pleased, that India has deputed experts, to countries in the South American region in the fields of agriculture, horticul- ture, disaster management, communications and law. We are also working together in renewable energy," he said. Modi also offered to expand cooperation in areas like tele-medicine, tele-education and e-governance. "We extend our space capabil- ities for weather forecasting, resource map- ping and disaster management," he said. Citing popularity in India of authors and poets from South America like Octavio Paz, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Pablo Neruda, he said that both India and South America share a deep bond. "Similarly, our national poet, Rabindranath Tagore, is widely loved here. South America is also home to a large number of Indians, many of whom came centuries ago. Generations later, they remain a strong bridge of friendship, between our nations," the prime minister said. South America is emerging as a contributor to India's energy and food security. The countries of region have been supplying over two billion dollars worth of minerals every year to India. Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia have been supplying crude oil. Washington: Highlighting the critical role that a strong India will play in shaping the Asian landscape, the US hopes to have a "strong and collaborative partnership" with the new Modi govern- ment. "Successive administra- tions have made the strategic bet that a rising India is in the US interest," US point person for South Asia Nisha Desai Biswal told a Senate panel in a hearing on "Indispensable Partners: Reenergizing US-India Ties." The "unprecedented mandate" received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party in India's "historic election", had "also creat- ed a historic opportunity to re- energise our relationship," she said. Noting that Asia's "success will depend on choices Asian nations and their partners make," Biswal said: "A strong India will play a critical role in the coming decades in shaping this Asian landscape, and our partnership with India will play an increasing- ly important role in that context." Biswal noted that the Modi gov- ernment has identified infrastruc- ture, manufacturing, modernizing the military, energy security, attracting greater foreign invest- ment, and expanding access to skills training and education as its key priorities. In all these areas that "We think the United States, including our businesses and universities, can play an important role in helping address the challenges India faces and creating opportunities that benefit both countries," she said. Biswal said the US was "confi- dent we can work in a strong and collaborative partnership with the Modi government to grow our economic and strategic relations with India in a way that benefits both countries and both economies." This year's US-India Strategic Dialogue co-chaired by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi later this month will highlight how US- India ties promote shared prosper- ity in both countries, she said. Chandigarh: With political activi- ty in Haryana reaching a feverish pitch, there are indications that assembly elections in the state are round the corner. Political parties and leaders seem to be in an overdrive these days to complete things well in time before the Election Commission announces the election dates. The term of the 90-member assembly gets over Oct 27. Balloting has to be held before that. However, with most of October enveloped by the festival season, there are indications that the poll panel might opt for polling in September. Senior police officers say the Election Commission has been told that it would be difficult to spare police personnel for election duty in October. But the Election Commission may decide the election dates based on when it plans assembly polls in states like Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi. The manner the Congress gov- ernment of Bhupinder Singh Hooda last week rushed through with a bill to hand over control of Sikh shrines in the state to a new body and take them out of the ambit of the Amritsar-based Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) betrayed a cer- tain urgency. The bill was introduced in the assembly on the very first day of the monsoon session and passed within three hours. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) walked out over the manner the bill was rushed through. The assent of Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia was obtained to make it into an act. Pahadia is at the fag end of his term which ends this month. Despite the SGPC and the Shiromani Akali Dal urging him to seek legal opinion over the controversial issue, Pahadia gave his assent. Chief Minister Hooda too is quite active these days with press confer- ences and rallies. Advertisements being issued by his government in print and electronic media indicate an urgency to take steps before the poll dates are announced and the model code of conduct comes into force. Hooda, who has been chief min- ister since March 2005 (in two terms), seems confident that the Congress will return to power for a third term. This is despite the fact that the Congress was routed in the parliamentary polls. It won just one of the 10 seats. In 2009, it had won nine seats. The BJP, which won seven of the 10 Lok Sabha seats and led in over 60 assembly constituencies, wants to go it alone in the assembly elec- tions. Its alliance with the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) led by for- mer MP Kuldeep Bishnoi, son of former chief minister Bhajan Lal, is nearing a breakup. The BJP is, for the first time, hopeful of winning the state elec- tions on its own. Till now, the BJP, which did not have a strong base in Haryana, used to play second fid- dle to other parties. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which landed in Haryana with a lot of promise, has decided not to con- test the assembly elections after the extremely poor faring of its candi- dates in the Lok Sabha battle. All its 10 candidates lost their security deposit. Come together to generate prosperity, meet challenges: Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi with South American Leaders during BRICS. The BJP is, for the first time, hopeful of winning the state elections on its own. US seeks strong partnership with Modi government Is Haryana headed for early elections? US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi later this month INDIA By Vikas Datta M ulk taksim huye, dil to abhi ek hai/Isi liye hamne khidkiyan kat rakhi hai deewaron mein (The nations were divided, but hearts are still one/That is why we've cut windows into the walls (between us))", wrote an Urdu poet. Divided amid bloodshed, experiencing long spells of adverse relations punctuated by armed conflict, Indians and Pakistanis have however never lost their fascination for each other - despite the prevalent stereo- types. The enthusiastic response to a bouquet of Pakistani shows on an Indian cable TV channel is proof enough. It is also a major step to breaking down these walls, which were rendered quite redundant by those with internet, but the importance of a symbolic measure cannot be underestimated. Additionally, the wider Indian audience needed a powerful message that life across the border is not of a gloomy existence amidst terror outrages but a vibrant society of people with aspirations and facing the same problems in lives and careers as us. The long, shared culture has always been a unifying element. Not only Bollywood films, there is a craze for Indian TV shows - soap operas, sitcoms and game shows - in Pakistan and mutual interest in India for Pakistani music, TV shows, drama and even their over-the-top films, despite the huge variety already available here. Leave alone singers like Noor Jehan, Mehdi Hasan, Ghulam Ali, Farida Khanum and Alam Lohar who are well known in India, the folk songs of Musarrat Nazir have been (and still are) staple fare at any Punjabi wedding ceremony, and the raw but melodic rendition of Reshma's "Dama dam Mast Qalandar" is the benchmark version for this qawwali, sung by anyone seeking to display credentials to perform "Sufi" music. Then there is an entire generation of peo- ple of the 1980s who will remember queu- ing up at video rental stores to get the latest installments of the popular "Dhoop Kinare" and "Ankahi" or even "Khwaja Sahab and Son" about a venerable patriarch and his family of six daughters and a sole son, or of "Chor Machaye Shor" about a noveau riche Punjabi landowner and the burlesque goings-on in his mansion one night. Many will also remember erupting in guf- faws at the madcap antics and mimicry of Umar Sharif in "Bakra Kishton Pe", with the splendid accompaniment of the incom- parable Moin Akhtar whose impersonations of Indian and Pakistani actors are among the finest ever done. If you want to gauge how much Indian culture has permeated life across the border, see talk shows on current issues like Geo's "Khabarnaak" and "Hum Sab Umeed Se Hai. Hosted by Aftab Iqbal, "Khabarnaak" has not spared anyone. The gifted Ali Mir has essayed brilliant parodies complete with uncanny voice resemblance, of not only Shahbaz Sharif, Pervez Musharraf, Imran Khan, Bilawal Bhutto, Asaf Ali Zardari, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Sheikh Rasheed, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Rehman Malik, and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, but also of Manmohan Singh, Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Lalu Prasad, Bal Thackeray, Barack Obama, John Kerry, and Hamid Karzai. The ensemble cast - Amanullah, Sakhawat (both till 2013), the Albelas - as well as Agha Majid, Ruby Anum, Wajid Khan, as well as co-hostesses like Zainab Jamil and Sofia Mirza have done for a lot of others including Sushma Swaraj, Abdullah Abdullah and even Gen. David Petraeus. Imagine seeing Indian politicians - even as caricatures - on Pakistani TV screens and whether there is anything comparable here. It is no different with Dr Younis Butt's "Ham Sab Umeed Se Hai". The parody song segment frequently features an Indian song - film or TV theme - to satirize Pakistani politics. Can you resist Hina Rabbani Khar singing "Sasural Genda Phool" for a drone-firing Hilary Clinton before the duo along with Zardari and Obama hold hands and dance around? Facilitating access to each other's TV, films, newspaper, magazines and books will not only be the biggest people-to-people contact that the governments of India and Pakistan can accomplish - something that will allow us to see each other as we really are, rather than through a skewed ideologi- cal prism of the past decades. I hope we can see this come about sooner than later. Dr Younis Butt's "Ham Sab Umeed Se Hai"satirizes Pakistani politics. Aftab Iqbal, the host of 'Khabarnaak' 11 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info Pak TV shows: Breaking down walls of mistrust, delusions SEP. 12 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA New Delhi: Facing opposition heat, a cornered government denounced yoga guru Ramdev aide Ved Pratap Vaidik's meeting with Pakistani ter- rorist Hafiz Saeed and sought a report from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. The government's disapproval of the meeting with a man wanted in India came as an unrelenting oppo- sition took on the Narendra Modi government in both houses of par- liament, leading to repeated disrup- tions. For the second consecutive day, Vaidik claimed he met Saeed -- the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attack and one of three terrorists India freed in 1999 after an Indian Airlines planed was hijacked -- as a journalist. The government only distanced itself from the controversial meeting saying it had nothing to do with it. It came out with a strong condemna- tion Tuesday evening. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha: "The government totally disapproves of this meeting of Ved Pratap Vaidik... The government condemns this meeting with the Mumbai terror attack accused." She said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government had nothing to do with the meeting and had "nothing to hide". "We have sought a full report from the Indian high commissioner in Pakistan. Once the report comes, we will share it with the house." Despite their majority, Bharatiya Janata Party members and their allies were mostly quiet in the Lok Sabha as the opposition MPs shout- ed slogans. The opposition was more vocal in the Rajya Sabha. Earlier, Sushma Swaraj and her cabinet colleagues tried to distance the government from the fallout of the Vaidik-Saeed meet. "Categorically and unequivocally, I would like to state that the govern- ment has nothing to do with Vaidik's trip to Pakistan or his meeting with Hafiz Saeed there," she said. "Neither before going to Pakistan nor after reaching there did he inform us that he is meeting Saeed... It was purely a private trip and a personal meeting." The opposition onslaught began Tuesday with Congress vice presi- dent Rahul Gandhi calling Vaidik, a journalist, a "RSS man". Gandhi said his party was "curi- ous" to know if the Lahore meeting between Vaidik and Saeed was facil- itated by the Indian mission in Pakistan. "The question is whether the Indian embassy facilitated this event... Whether they helped this gentleman (Vaidik) in any way," Gandhi told the media. He said it was a "known fact" that Vaidik was linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. But Vaidik insisted for a second consecutive day that he met Saeed as a journalist. "I met him as a journalist. All doors are open for me. I am not close to anyone or any party. I am known as the greatest opponent of the Congress." Terming Gandhi' s stand as "bogus", he added: "The Congress is associating me with the government so that they can attack them through me." As soon as the Lok Sabha met, Congress members shouted slogans demanding an explanation from the government. Amid the din, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said the government was ready for a discussion. The Lok Sabha was adjourned twice over the issue. Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha. The opposition said the govern- ment's "silence" was "intriguing" and asked how the Indian mission in Islamabad was not aware of it. MPs wanted to know if any action would be taken against Vaidik. Leaders from the Congress, Left, Janata Dal-United and Trinamool Congress created a ruckus in the upper house, forcing two adjourn- ments before noon. When the house reconvened, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the government must issue a statement as Vaidik's conduct raised concerns over national securi- ty. s"If the intelligence agencies were not able to tell the government that he (Vaidik) met a wanted man, it is a matter of grave concern." "Vaidik told Saeed that Kashmir should be separated from India," Azad said. Vaidik insisted that this was not true and it would be "foolishness" to think of Jammu and Kashmir's sepa- ration from India. Yoga guru Ramdev aide Ved Pratap Vaidik met terrorist Hafiz Saeed in early July Cornered government condemns Vaidik-Hafiz meet Indian High Commission in Pak not aware: Govt New Delhi: The Indian High Commission in Pakistan was not aware of journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik's meeting with JuD chief Hafiz Saeed and there was no question of facilitating it, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said. "We have received a report from the Indian High Commission (in Pakistan). The High Commission has categorically stated that they did not know about this meeting and, therefore, question does not arise about the High Commission facilitating it," Swaraj said in the Lok Sabha. Making a brief statement after vociferous demands for it by Opposition Congress and RJD, she said she had heard that Vaidik "told some news channels that the High Commission knew about the meeting. We had then sought a report from the High Commission." Swaraj said she had made it clear earlier too and "I am again saying with full responsibility that the government had nothing to do with either the visit of Vaidik (to Pakistan) or his meeting with Saeed." Her statement came after the Congress and RJD members trooped into the Well, with Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge asking if the Ministers can make a statement on the matter outside Parliament or even in Rajya Sabha, "Why can't they do it here (Lok Sabha)." Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed BJP may form government in Delhi New Delhi: BJP's Delhi state unit chief Satish Upadhyay has met has met party leader Nitin Gadkari to discuss government formation in the national capi- tal, a source said. "The two leaders had a meet- ing at Gadkari' s house last (Wednesday) night. It was an hour-long meeting," the party source said. "Upadhyay discussed with Gadkari the possibilities of forming a government in Delhi," the source added. The meeting took place amid speculations in the media about the Bharatiya Janata Party, which won 32 seats, including one from its ally Shiromani Akali Dal, in the 70-member Delhi assembly, being keen to cobble a majority. In the recent Lok Sabha polls, three BJP MLAs were elected to parliament leaving the party strength in the now 67-member Delhi house reduced to 28. The source said the decision on staking claim to forming the government in Delhi has been left to the central party leader- ship pending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's return from the BRICS summit. BJP's Delhi state unit chief Satish Upadhyay (right) New Delhi: India's monsoon has covered the entire country, the weather office said, two days behind the normal sched- ule in a year that is forecast to bring below average rains. The revival of monsoon rains in the grain bowl of northwest and central regions should help speed up sowing of main sum- mer crops such as rice, corn, soybean and cotton. Poor rains since the start of the June-September season had raised concerns of a first drought in five years. Rains are vital to India's farm sector, which accounts for about 14% of the country' s nearly $2 trillion economy. Two-thirds of its 1.2 billion population live in rural areas. Last year, monsoon rains cov- ered the country almost a month ahead of schedule, helping grain output hit a record level. Monsoon covers entire country: Met department The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times. By Vibhuti Jha T he election of Narendra Modi and his party, BJP, to lead India, for the next five years, has been a watershed moment in the Indian political scene in many years. After a long time, one single party has been voted in with majority to overcome the malaise and sufferings of coalition politics the country had to endure for the past ten years of the Congress party led UPA. The peo- ple of India are anxious to see India reach its full potential to become a true leader in the world economy leading to higher employ- ment, bring good jobs and better livelihood for all. The majority given to BJP leaves it with no excuse if it were to fail in that promise made to the people of India. In a complex and complicated country like India, patience is running short and the electorate will be, as it must, very unforgiving, as the leaders of the UPA government experienced in the recently concluded national elections. With the US as the leading economy, strug- gling with massive debts and in need of new markets, India and the US are keenly poised to take advantage of the opportunity that exists today for both the countries. To let that oppor- tunity go by will prove to be the undoing of the promises made to the people of both coun- tries. President Obama called former PM Manmohan Singh a "wise" and "decent" man. I am sure he will be very wisely selecting the most appropriate words to define and describe Mr. Modi when the two meet in Washington, DC. India and the US have enjoyed a bitter- sweet romantic relationship with lots of prom- ises and also suffered a relationship mired with exuberance and disappointments. Both the countries share an equal amount of frustra- tion, unhappiness, hope and possibility and are now poised to transcend the relationship to a deservingly high levels. Despite massive possibilities, the potential has never reached expected levels. Therefore, it may perhaps be useful to examine the potential and possibilities, and also what is missing, to take this association and relation- ship to a trusting and sustainable levels. Both leaders owe this to their people, who elected them in the first place and who they are sup- posed to protect and defend at all times as their primary responsibility. It is equally important to note that despite differences at the Government and official levels, at the peo- ple to people levels both countries have enor- mous respect for each other. Both India and the US are champions of diversity and are home to virtually all faiths and religions of the world. Both are authentic melting pots! I was once asked in a PBS TV program con- versation as to what India could teach the US. I said there is hardly anything for India to teach but there is a lot to share and learn from each other. India and the US are worlds two premier democracies, in size, tradition and demography with truly diverse populations and both are a genuine melting pot and cham- pion of diversity. Both the countries have an enormous opportunity to build on these ele- ments and must try to fill in the gaps in dis- agreements with all sincerity! Mere word play and offering praise for each others history, traditions and possibilities will no longer be sufficient to mollify the feelings. People of India will be keenly watching and observing the outcomes of the Modi-Obama summit with reference to specific actions put in place. In fairness to both leaders, they have already risen above the moment of crisis and have shown exemplary attitude, maturity and forti- tude to seize the moment. Modi did not allow the personal insult, of denial of visa, to come in his way to visit US and Obama overcame this moment to invite Modi for a full discus- sion at the White House after the UN meet in New York, instead of meeting him on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. For both, the national self- interest is the guiding principle to get to know each other to further an actionable relationship. While the mandarins of Indian Foreign Service and various economic min- istries, on the one hand, and the US State Department and busi- ness interests, on the other, will be working overtime to fashion a good PR spectacle, both the leaders will be well advised to get to know each other better than just serving verbal platitudes. In the light of the above, let us take a look at only a few aspects of the opportu- nity that merits a seri- ous consideration. One, both countries need each other for revival of the two economies. India needs US technology, manu- facturing processes and defense cooperation to bolster its economy and security concerns. The US needs the Indian market and its poten- tial to create a sustainable economic future for itself. While Modi won the elections on the promise of Growth and Governance as his clarion call to the people of India, Obama is working overtime to remove income inequali- ty and improve social justice to his people. Both the leaders are tweaking the capitalist process in their own way. India is heading towards encouraging a true free enterprise economy for better growth, higher incomes, new employ- ment opportunities for the youth of India and unfettered opportunity, while the US is attempting to provide its people more social justice. There is so much to learn and share with each other and get over the avoid- able mistakes in the process. Secondly, the United States must recognize and acknowledge the fact that India and Indians are perhaps the closest friends it can have. This is true despite the American frustration and gripe about Indias flawed and pompous non- alignment policy. Indian concern and reservations about the US policy is directly related to the American penchant for sleeping with its enemies! Both India and the US are direct victims of the shenanigans of its so- called friend and Indias neighbor, Pakistan. People of India and the US have been targeted victims and lost hundreds of lives and both have invested time and wasted resources in Pakistan to no avail or any tangible outcomes. Pakistan is a political curse for India and an economic drain and loss of precious American lives on both the countries. We need to jointly address that concern. If the US wants to improve the bilateral economic ties taking it from current $ 100 billion to a goal of $ 500 billion, the US will have to look at the securi- ty concerns of India with more seriousness than it does today. If the US-India business has to reach that great target, the US will have to invest in creating an environment of peace and being responsible to protect and defend its own allies and investments. India faces an existential threat from the marauding and barbaric hordes of Islamic ter- rorism and so does the USA. Everyone knows that Pakistan is the training ground for major terrorist acts where they all return to after committing their murderous acts. The American people are bewildered by the fact that it almost appears as if we Americans fund Pakistan to kill American lives. We the people of America need to know and ask of our lead- ers why Pakistan has such Anaconda like grip on the US. Finally, for the Indian Prime Minister, this is the golden opportunity to define himself and set the narrative to the western media and news barons! So far, he has had to suffer the indignity of being defined by the self-appoint- ed and self-anointed India experts to the extent that one prominent, award winning Indian journalist called him a man with a dark side of Hindu nationalism, as if a white or fair side of Hindu nationalism would have been acceptable as a lesser evil! The narrative of India and Indians has to be restated as the worlds IT hub, educated manpower, eager and anxious to grow, accepting diversity as way of life, willing to adapt and accommodate all faiths and religions. Modi must tell the world, who doubt Indias credibility as a secu- lar nation, that India had, in the last ten years, a Sikh as the Prime Minister, a Muslim and a woman occupied the office of the President of the country and the then ruling party (now the largest opposition party) had/has the Roman catholic Italian woman as its leader. No coun- try in the world can claim or boast of accept- ance of such diversity and the opportunities everyone enjoys in India. The world needs to know and learn from the Indian way of life, despite all its inadequacies as we know about. India is ready for the enhanced role in global affairs, be it economic and politics or both and she must claim it. This meeting between the US President, Barack Obama, and the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has epochal significance for both the countries and the time to embrace change has arrived. They cannot allow or blame an angry duck across the street from taking the big step forward. New York based Vibhuti Jha is President, Human Potential Project. Prior to joining HP2, he was a senior officer with American Express Bank International. Modi, Obama and the potential new swing in India-US ties 13 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED Both countries need each other for revival of the two economies. India needs US technology, manufacturing processes and defense cooperation. The US needs the Indian market and its potential to create a sus- tainable economic future for itself. Secondly, the United States must recog- nize and acknowledge the fact that India and Indians are perhaps the closest friends it can have. The September meeting between Barack Obama and Narendra Modi has epochal importance. In fairness to both leaders, they have already risen above the crisis of strained ties and have shown exemplary maturity and fortitude to seize the moment. Rightly, Modi did not allow the personal insult, of denial of visa, to come in his way and Obama has invited him for a full discussion at the White House after the UN meet in New York, instead of meeting him on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. By Amulya Ganguli W hen L.K. Advani was dragged kicking and screaming from the post of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president in 2005 under orders from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a diplomatic cable from the US embassy in Delhi to Washington stated that the event "demonstrat- ed the power of the RSS ... and will likely increase the party's (the BJP's) political decline". According to Wikileaks, the cable also noted that Advani was "shocked" by the failure of the "second tier" of the BJP leader- ship comprising, among others Murli Manohar Joshi and Sushma Swaraj, to come to his aid. While leaving the president' s post, Advani called for changing the "impression that has gained ground that no political or organi- zational decision can be taken (by the BJP) without the consent of the RSS functionaries". Nearly a decade later, Narendra Modi can be said to have changed the impression by mak- ing the party choose its own man, Amit Shah, for the president's post without the concurrence of the RSS. The latest turn of events, which appears to have ended the "con- tinued dominance" of the RSS over the BJP (to quote Wikileaks again), cannot but cause a flutter among the Nagpur patriarchs who had become used to select- ing the BJP president in recent years. After choosing Rajnath Singh to replace Advani, they asked Nitin Gadkari to take Rajnath Singh's place in 2009. But four years later, the RSS had to appoint Rajnath Singh again as president in view of the allega- tions of sleaze against Gadkari. Now, it is clear that the RSS had little or no say in Shah's appoint- ment. To stretch a point, it can also be said that neither did the BJP, notwithstanding the party's formal association with the selec- tion, since it has been clear ever since Shah was credited with party's excellent showing in Uttar Pradesh in the parliamentary elections that he will be anointed for the post with Modi's bless- ings. As Shah is known to be the prime minister' s Man Friday because of the long association between the two through the thick and thin of Gujarat's turbu- lent politics, the belief had gained ground that Modi would trust no one but him in the key position of party chief. It isn't only the political and organizational closeness of the two which is behind Shah's ele- vation. It is also undeniable that Modi's insular nature makes him work in close concert with only a few of his hand-picked men. At a time when a generational shift is taking place in the BJP, and Modi has emerged on top despite the reservations of several senior party members, it is obvi- ous that Modi will be wary of having someone with whom he is not totally familiar to hold a key organizational position. While this much is in line with Modi's penchant for running a one-man show, whether in Gujarat earlier and now at the national level, what is of interest is how the RSS will react to its marginalization by a former 'pracharak' (preacher), who has now risen beyond all expecta- tions not only to be the lord and master of the BJP, but is probably on his way to be the predominant figure in the Sangh Parivar, as the Hindu nationalists groups are known, as well. Modi is seemingly following his own line, which is guided by his economic vision, which promises improved conditions for all Indians, Hindus and Muslims alike. The RSS cannot be too pleased. The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times. Narendra Modi is seemingly following his own line, which is guid- ed by his economic vision, which promises improved conditions for all Indians, Hindus and Muslims alike. 14 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED The federal budget and India's future By Amit Kapoor T he past few days have been particular- ly historic when talking about the impact they can have on India's trajec- tory of growth and economic development. It is because the maiden budget from Indias new finance minister was announced on the July 10. It was a test of economic manage- ment on the part of the Narendra Modi gov- ernment. There were a lot of expectations from the budget from all sections of society, be it business, agriculture or even the com- mon man. This was the budget document that appeared to have provided for a strong eco- nomic vision. In a much anticipated move, the FDI limits in defence manufacturing and insurance were moved up to 49 percent from the 26 percent cap, which shows a firm intent on the part of the government to reform the economy. Populism and the Economy Over the past few years, the country has experienced growth in expenditure which has not been able to keep pace with the growth in revenue, leading to a fiscal deficit which is above the 3 percent limit prescribed by the FRBM act of 2003. It had led the finance minister to indicate in a speech to chartered accountants just days before the budget where he mentioned about the priority for fis- cal constraint over mindless populism. It was because, according to him, mindless pop- ulism did not help the UPA win the general elections. Generally speaking, there is an either/or between populism and the econo- my. However, the finance minister, in his budget according to us has tried to marry the two. The budget has not substantially cut down on the previous schemes but has recali- brated them in a manner, which could benefit the country. Some schemes on infrastructure - especially investment of Rs. 37,880 crore in the NHAI and state roads will have a multi- plier effect on the economy. Also, several new schemes have been introduced, notably among them being 100 smart cities, National Level Skill Programme (Skill India) and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana which will help address urbanization, employment and agriculture. The focus for the budget was clearly on the economic aspects rather that pure populism, though continuing the previous governments schemes goes to show the maturity of the present government in dealing with the issues that matter to the people. In our view, there was clearly a distinct rightward shift as is seen from the likes of scheme on entrepre- neurship for which the finance minister has set aside Rs.10,000 crore as well as the step to increase the FDI limits. Investment and Savings Investments in India have taken a hit due to a decline in the overall business environment. The finance minister has done his bit by the asking the PSUs to invest Rs.247,941 to cre- ate a virtuous cycle of investment. It is in addition to lifting the cap on FDI as well as as providing relief (in tax terms) to Real Estate Investment trusts (REITs) which shows some definite steps taken to fuel investment. Apart from this, increasing the PPF (Public Provident Fund) limit, as well as the investment limit under Income Tax Act to Rs.1.5 lakh from Rs.1 lakh, will do their bit to encourage domestic savings and invest- ment. Common Man and the Business Community One of the biggest achievements of the budget has been in its ability to provide relief and direction to both ordinary people and businesses. Be it increasing the tax exemp- tion limit very minutely from Rs.2 lakh to Rs.2.5 lakhs in the case of individual taxpay- ers or addressing the issue of retrospective taxation (to be undertaken in fresh cases only by constitution of a committee by CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) in case any action is initiated in such matters). Also, there is a focus on entrepreneurship and focusing on a stable tax policy as well as eas- ing the conditions for doing business both for big corporations and small and medium sec- tor enterprises. What will separate this budget is not the content or form of it, but the way in which it gets implemented. We feel the revenue tar- gets will be a difficult to meet. But all in all it is a visionary budget. In our, opinion the finance minister has been criticized for the 29 schemes that were of Rs.100 crore each, it is the best way really to put in the money. If massive allocations are done upfront the impact of failure is catastrophic. In a much anticipated move, the FDI limits in defence manufacturing and insur- ance were moved up to 49 percent from the 26 percent cap, which shows a firm intent on the part of the government to reform the economy. Amit Shah as BJP chief: Modi sidestepping RSS? SPIRITUALITY July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 15 Sri Guruvanand Swami mesmerized the audience at the magnificent NJPAC auditorium with his stirring speech and powerful personality. (Photo: Mukesh Kashiwala). A group of devotees danced as Radhas for Gurudev. Diana De Rosa Photography The seekers in the packed hall waving lamps in fullness of devotion for Gurudev. (Photo: Mukesh Kashiwala). Lighting the traditional lamp at the start of the Guru Poornima program. (Photo: Mukesh Kashiwala). Event report and more pictures on pages 16-17-18. Brahmrishi Sri Guruvanand Swami graced the International Guru Poornima 2014 celebration on July 12 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the first time it was held outside India. Addressed affectionately as Gurudev by his followers, he has invoked all chakras of his kundalini and has acquired siddhis through four decades of sadhna. After giving a powerful and inspiring discourse, the Perfected Master (Satguru) personally blessed over 3,000 people from the US and 14 other countries who attended the celebration suffused with devotional music and dance. 16 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPIRITUALITY By Parveen Chopra Newark, NJ: It was a magical night of bhakti, anand, spirituality and celebration. Over 3,000 people from all walks of life from the US and 14 other countries includ- ing India availed the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get personally blessed by Brahmrishi Sri Guruvanand Swami at the International Guru Poornima 2014 celebra- tion on July 12 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) here. Melodious bhajans and devotional dance sequences built up the mood for the power- ful, inspirational discourse by Sri Guruvanand Swami, lovingly addressed as Gurudev by his devotees. Gurudev not only wears a Swami Vivekananda style headgear, his forceful oratorical style is also reminiscent of the first Hindu guru to arrive on these shores. In his discourse which appealed to the heart and met with repeated applause, Gurudev promised to help pull his devotees out of adversity and to cut their bonds of karma with his spiritual powers and siddhis gained after decades of sadhana. I have come to awaken you into spirituality lest your life goes waste, he thundered. He asked of people not big sacrifices but start- ing with small vows like not losing ones temper for 24 hours. In times of crisis, he recommended the most efficacious prayer: Lift your hands heavenwards in surrender and say, Oh Lord, please handle this. He further said, Just like parents try to give their maximum to their children, as your guru I too promise to give you my maxi- mum. Gurudev, who has traveled to 170 coun- tries and has hundreds of thousands of devo- tees, pointed out that his one focus is on ensuring that Indian tradition and sanskars are kept alive in the second generation NRIs. A disciple of revered Yogiraj Devraha Baba, Sri Guruvanand Swami has invoked all seven chakras of his Kundalini and achieved all siddhis. He is also a renowned scholar of Hinduism and Jainism with a deep understanding of other religions. His simple message to people is to lead morally uplifting and spiritually rich lives while ful- filling worldly duties. The song and dance during the Guru Poornima program was all for Guru and God. Guru Rachna Sarang, who has her own Academy of Performing Arts, mesmerized the audience with a Ganesh Vandana. Her students enactment of Hanuman Chalisa in Kathak style was superb. The grand finale was a Guru Stuti especially composed and dedicated to Gurudev. Apra Bhandari emceed the evening. Ashok Sancheti, US coordinator, thanked the dancers, choreographers and others who contributed to make the event an unalloyed success. Sampat Poddar, International President, gave the welcome address. Prabha Bhandari, who led the team of vol- unteers, was recognized for her tremendous contribution to the organization and in hold- ing this event. The core operational committee responsi- ble for all major activities included: Prabha Bhandari, Rakesh Bhargava, Chandra Bhansali, Ashok Sancheti, Sampat Poddar, Braj Sinha, Kumar Pal Shah, Sharada Bhansali, Satyanarayan Yadav, Ashima Jain, Rajendra Kankariya, Raj Bhayani, Rahul Gupta, Mahesh Naik, Ajay Thakor, Meenu Bhargava, Ujwala Shah and Shudh Jasuja. The organizers of the widely-publicized event held under the aegis of the World Spiritual Awareness Forum are pleased with the response. A small group of them con- tributed funds for the three day program that had no commercial trappings whatsoever. The plan is to follow up with a larger set-up to spread Gurudevs message with a web- site, especially to engage the youths. Attendees one spoke to were thrilled to be part of the Guru Poornima program that lit- Gurudev is joined on the stage by Jain Acharya Chandana ji & Sadhvi Sanghmitra. Photos: Diana De Rosa Photography Gurudev personally blessed each of the 3,000 attendees. Gurudev blessed couples for a peaceful married life. Seen on stage are three couples closely associated with the Guru Poornima event (from left) Sharada & Chandra Bhansali, Prabha & Arvind Bhandari, and Nirmala & Ashok Sancheti. Brahmrishi Sri Guruvanand Swami waving to the audience grateful for showers of spiritual blessing. (Photo: Mukesh Kashiwala). SPIRITUALITY 17 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info erally vibrated with spiritual ener- gy. Indeed, an event of this scale in the ambiance of a magnificent auditorium like the NJPAC has never been seen in this part of the world. On July 11 a Bhakti Sandhya with Gurudev was attended by over 1,000 people including from India, Hong Kong, Dubai and Europe. Several people who have contributed to the spread of Gurudevs programs were recog- nized that day. Guru Poornima is the day for paying reverence to ones teachers and mentors, spiritual or other- wise. This is the day when, his disciples say, Sri Guruvanands divine power is at its peak and when his blessing ushers in peace and happiness in devotees lives. Though Gurudev has been coming to America since 2008, it was the first time that he graced Guru Poornima here, the first outside India, and blessed a stream of seekers towards the end of the evening even as others enjoyed a sumptuous, vegetarian meal. Website: www.gurupoorni- ma2014.coms. The enactment of Hanuman Chalisa in dance was a unique effort. Gurudev enjoyed and applauded the dance performances, as did the audience. (Photo: Mukesh Kashiwala) Apra Bhandari ably emceed the evening. Ecstatic Experiences Sarala Bothra, chairperson of Shri Brahmrishi Ashram in Tirupati, India, who has organized Guru Poornimas in the past and has attended every Guru Poornima for the past ten years, reamrked, This is the most grandeur in a Guru Poornima I have ever attended. It was so well organized that it set an exam- ple for organizing future Guru Poornimas. RANA President Dr Hadpawat said, This has been an uplifting experience. The dance performances were exceptional. Gurudevs discourse was very inspiring. Expressing his gratitude to Prabha Bhandari, who led the organ- izing committee, Madan Bhandari said, I don't have words to express our heartfelt thanks to you and our Guru Pariwar for the blissful experience we all had on this Guru Poornima. President of the youth wing of Vishwa Dharma Chetna Munch, Mahendra Daphatari, said, I have attended many Guru Poornimas, but this has been way above any. The event was not only magnificent, there were tremendous positive vibrations. Dances set a new standard for artistic excellence. I have come to awaken you into spirituality lest your life goes waste, Gurudev told the audience. His simple message to devotees is to lead a morally uplifting and spiritually fulfilling life. A large group of organizers and supporters posing with Gurudev towards the culmination of the event. (Photos: Diana De Rosa Photography) 18 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPIRITUALITY Devotees like Abrahm Nassi made offerings during Guru pooja ceremony. Kamlesh Mehta, Director-Business and Economic Development of Nassau County, presented a citation to Gurudev on behalf of the County Executive. Prabha Bhandari, President of the womens wing of the organization who led the team of volunteers, was recognized for her contribution to the organization and in holding the July 12 event. Sharada and Chandra Bhansali (left) are honored for their selfless service by Sampat Poddar, International President of World Spiritual Awareness Forum. Rachna Sarang, who choreographed many dance items, is recognized by Ashok Sancheti, US coordinator. And getting honored for service to the gurus cause Photos Diana De Rosa Photography To mark Guru Poornima 2014, a memento book titled The Divine Guru on Gurudev was released. On the left is the book's author, Prof Braj Sinha. (Photo: Mukesh Kashiwala). London: Indian-origin British MP Priti Patel has been appointed exchequer secretary to the Treasury department dealing with tax pol- icy in a major cabinet reshuffle announced by British Prime Minister David Cameron Tuesday. The Prime Minister's Office said Priti Patel, 42, the Conservative Party MP for Witham in Essex, will now take charge as exchequer secretary under Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne. Patel replaces Hertfordshire South West MP David Gauke in her new role. The Indian-origin leader has called for stronger trade links between Essex, an administrative county in Britain, and India. Patel had previously worked in the commu- nications industry, prior to the general elec- tion in Britain in 2010. She was director of corporate communica- tions at Weber Shandwick, a public relations firm. The Witham MP studied economics at Keele University and did her postgraduation from the University of Essex. She also chairs the All Party Parliamentary Small Shops Group and is an active member of the Free Enterprise Group. Dubai: An eight-year-old Indian boy was adjudged the "Preacher of the Nation" in an Arabic religious sermon contest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a media report said Wednesday. Ibrahim Shabandri, from Bhatkal in the south Indian state of Karnataka, surprised the largely Arabic-speaking audience and judges with his oratory skills and sur- passed 70 contestants to clinch the coveted title, Khaleej Times reported. The contest was held as part of the 13th annual Ramadan Forum in Dubai World Trade Centre Monday. The forum was hosted by Dubai' s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation. Shabandri' s father, Faheem Ahmed, said the award provides children with greater motivation to learn the Arabic language. "This is a very happy moment for our family. His success is the result of a lot of hard work and commit- ment and we are proud of his achievement, " the report quoted Ahmed as saying. Ibrahim, a student of Quran memoriza- tion, emerged on top among the final 12 students who were selected in the areas of religious sermon and classical poetry recitation. The competition aimed to attract promising talents in the field of religious sermon and poetry recitation among boys within the ages of six and 11 years. Priti Patel British Indian MP Priti Patel appointed exchequer secretary DIASPORA 19 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info Indian boy chosen 'Preacher of the Nation' in UAE Ibrahim Shabandri Indo-Canadian charged with severely assaulting wife Toronto: An Indo-Canadian man is facing charges of aggravated assault on his wife in Canada, media report- ed. Baldev Singh Kalsi, 66, president of the Brookside Sikh Gurudwara in Surrey city in western Canada' s British Columbia province, was arrested after his wife was found in severe medical distress at their home Sunday, the Global News reported Monday. Subsequently, Kalsi has been charged with one count of aggravat- ed assault for incurring life threaten- ing injuries to his wife. The woman is currently fighting for her life and is on life support, authorities said. Police received a call Sunday that a woman was in distress at a home in South Surrey. When they arrived to the scene, they found the woman with life- threatening injuries. The victim was transported to hospital by a British Columbia Air Ambulance. Indian film producer and family found dead in Dubai Dubai: The decomposed bodies of a south Indian film producer, his wife and daughter have been found in mysterious circumstances in their flat in Dubai. The deceased identified as Santhosh Kumar, who hails from Kerala owns a film production company Souparnika Films and was a co-pro- ducer of the hit Malayalam movie 'Madambi', the Khaleej Times reported. Family sources said the bodies of Kumar, his wife Manju and daughter Gouri bore multiple stab injuries. The Dubai Police could not be reached for comments. It is also learnt that the case is being treated as a suicide pact involving the couple and their daughter. Some of the acquaintances suspected that Kumar had resorted to the extreme step due to huge financial liabilities. However, the exact reason for the gruesome incident is yet to be ascertained, the daily reported. Police broke open the door of the flat after a cousin of Kumar complained that nobody could contact the family since Thursday. "All three bodies were found inside the bed- room. I heard there was no sign of a forced entry into the flat," a family friend was quoted as saying by the daily. Kumar, who also ran a general trading company here, shifted to Dubai about five years ago. The Center of Indian Culture and Touri sm was i naugurated by Ambassador P. S. Raghavan on July 10, 2014 in Moscow. The program of the evening included excursion through the Cultural Center, visit to the photo exhibition, dance class- es, as well as visit to the Museum of all-Russian Association of the Blind. Guests of the evening were able to enjoy a performance of an ICCR-spon- sored Gujarati folk dance group Saptak led by Chetan Chandrakant Jethwa. The Center of Indian Culture and Tourism was created in order to bring together Indian and Russian tourist companies with the aim of pro- moting Indian culture and tourism. Islamabad: Pakistan may not be able to replicate Sri Lanka's suc- cess vis-a-vis the LTTE but needs to learn from it to overcome Islamist militants, a Pakistani police officer has said. "The Sri Lankan strategy shows that with military might and popu- lar support the state can defeat insurgents," Mohammad Ali Babakhel said in an article by Dawn newspaper. "After the use of force, the actu- al challenge is the capacity of the civilian administration to retain peace and integrate those who surrender. "If the (Sri) Lankan model can- not be replicated, at least it can be a source of inspiration (for Pakistan)," he said. Babakhel detailed the similari- ties between the now vanquished Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the assorted militant groups in Pakistan - and the dif- ferences in the two situations too. Islamabad: Indian journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik' s meeting with Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed has caused ripples in India, a Pakistani newspaper said. The meeting has "caused ripples in India" because of Vaidik's close association with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Daily Times said in an editorial. "Opposition parties swamped BJP with questions about how an Indian journalist could meet a man considered responsible for the Mumbai attack in 2008", the daily said. The meeting took place between Vaidik and Jamaat-ud- Dawa chief Hafeez Saeed July 2 in Lahore. Vaidik had visited Pakistan with a group of journalists and politi- cians invited by a peace and research institute. Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the meet- ing had nothing to do with the gov- ernment. Congress has asked the govern- ment to give details about the meeting as it is a matter of national interest. "Hafiz Saeed was shocked at the reaction of the Indian politi- cians to the meeting, which accord- ing to him revealed the true face of India, veiled behind a so-called secular demeanour," the editorial said. "Saeed tweeted, `Utterly shame- ful' , about Indias reaction," it added. The editorial went on to say that Vaidik has "defended his meeting with Saeed by calling it a personal matter and said that his only motive to meet Saeed was to analyse his mind and to understand what makes him commit such heinous crimes against India". "Saeed has also said that his party would not protest if (Indian Prime Minister) Narendra Modi comes to Pakistan," it said. Kabul: The Afghan election com- mission is set to start an unprece- dented audit of all 8.1 million votes cast in the June 14 run-off presi- dential election, an official said. The audit, which will take at least three weeks, was agreed by the two rival candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani at the weekend following two days of frantic diplomacy by US secretary of state John Kerry. "The auditing will officially begin on Thursday, it will be done in Kabul and in commission' s headquarters," Noor Mohammad Noor, spokesman for the Independent Election Commission (IEC), told reporters. "National and international observers will be able to observe the process that will take around three weeks." He said their staff would work in two shifts auditing around 1,000 ballot boxes a day, with NATO forces helping to transport the boxes from across the country to Kabul. Shortly after the second round run-off on June 14 Abdullah claimed massive fraud had robbed him of victory and boycotted the vote count by withdrawing his team's observers. The bitter impasse over the vote to succeed President Hamid Karzai plunged Afghanistan into crisis and raised fears of a return to the ethnic violence of the 1990s. Islamabad: At least 20 mili- tants were killed in a US drone attack in Pakistan' s North Waziristan region. Four missile strikes, coming from an unknown number of US unmanned aircraft, pound- ed a compound of suspected militants in Datta Khel area located on the Pakistan- Afghanistan border, Xinhua reported. The strikes levelled the targeted compound to the ground with officials initially putting the toll at 15. The toll later surged to 20 when residents pulled five more bodies out of the rubble of the compound. Acording to officials, the attack took place when a meeting of Taliban militants, including local and Uzbek insurgents, was going on in the compound. Wednesday morning's attack is the fifth of its kind in the area this year. On July 10, a US drone killed at least six people in North Waziristan. The Pakistan government July 10 condemned the US drone strikes, saying these were counter-productive and unacceptable as they violated the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The attacks were also harm- ing the military operation Zarb-i-Azb in North Waziristan aimed at eliminat- ing terrorism. The last drone strike June 18 killed at least eight militants. Bangkok: Former Nepalese crown prince Paras Shah has been arrest- ed on drugs charges in Thailand for a second time and could face up to five years in prison, police said Wednesday. Shah was detained with about 13 grams (0.5 ounces) of marijuana at a hotel in Bangkok, according to an officer at Thonglor police sta- tion who did not want to be named. "He borrowed a flash drive from hotel security and when the securi- ty guard entered his room to get his flash drive back he saw mari- juana on the counter so he told police," the officer told AFP. He said Shah, who is visiting Thailand on a tourist visa, had admitted ille- gal drug possession and was remanded in custody. It is not the first time the former royal has been in trouble with the law in Thailand. Shah became heir to the throne in 2001 after his cousin Crown Prince Dipendra killed nine mem- bers of his family including the king and queen in a drink-and- drugs-fuelled rampage, before apparently turning his gun on him- self. Nepal abolished its monarchy in 2008. The Nepalese embassy in Bangkok said it had been notified of Shah's latest arrest. Vaidik-Saeed meet causes ripples in India: Pak daily Pak must learn from LTTE's defeat, says officer Afghanistan to begin massive vote audit 20 militants killed in US drone attack in Pakistan Nepal ex-prince arrested for drugs in Thailand Former Nepalese crown prince Paras Shah The audit will take at least three weeks SUBCONTINENT 20 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info The meeting took place between Ved Pratap Vaidik and Hafeez Saeed in Lahore. INTERNATIONAL F o r t a l e z a ( B r a z i l ) / Ne w Delhi: India is keen to further deepen and broad- base its strategic partnership with Russia, including in defense, nuclear energy, trade and investment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin in Brazil and invited him to visit Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project. Modi, who met Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit at Fortaleza Tuesday, expressed appreciation for Russia's friend- ship and unstinting bilateral and international support for India's economic development and secu- rity since the early days of India's Independence, said a statement from the Prime Minister's Office. During the meeting, which last- ed about 40 minutes, Modi reaf- firmed that relations with Russia will continue to enjoy the priority that they always had in India's foreign policy. Modi said he looks forward to working with Putin to further deepen and broad-base the strate- gic partnership, including in the areas of defence, nuclear energy, space, energy, trade and invest- ment, people-to-people contacts and addressing regional and glob- al challenges. The statement said Modi con- veyed his sincere appreciation for Putin' s decisive leadership in deepening and expanding the "India-Russia special and privi- leged strategic partnership". Putin congratulated Modi over his victory in India's general elec- tions. The two leaders looked forward to their annual summit in New Delhi in December 2014 as an opportunity to outline a bold vision and roadmap for their rela- tionship in the years ahead, the statement added. Modi said he looked forward to visiting Russia in 2015. Modi suggested that Putin should travel outside Delhi when he comes for the annual summit in December and visit a nuclear power plant, a reference to Kudankulam project in Tamil Nadu which has been set up in technical cooperation with Russia. Jerusalem/Gaza: The Israeli army resumed air strikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip as rockets continued being fired from the coastal enclave despite Israel's uni- lateral approval of an Egyptian-bro- kered ceasefire proposal, media reported. "After six hours of unilat- eral attacks by Hamas, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has resumed operational activity in the Gaza Strip, " Xinhua quoted an Israeli army statement as saying. Security officials in Gaza con- firmed Israel's renewed attacks, say- ing that Israeli war jets and helicop- ters showered missiles upon several targets in northern Gaza Strip and on eastern, southern and western neighborhoods of Gaza city. Medics in Gaza said six Palestinians were killed during predawn airstrikes on houses in southern Gaza Strip, including a woman, an old man and four other men. Gaza health ministry said in an emailed press statement that the toll since last Tuesday in the Gaza Strip climbed to 192, while around 1,400 people were wounded. Shortly after the truce deal came into effect Tuesday, about 50 rock- ets were fired at southern and cen- tral Israel, according to a spokesper- son of the Israeli army. After the Islamist organization rejected the Egyptian proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military "to act strongly" against Hamas sites. Earlier, Israel's security cabinet agreed to an Egyptian ceasefire pro- posal which would put an end to the eight-day-old Operation Protective Edge. Hamas, on its part, announced on its website that the ceasefire agreement was a "surren- der" and insisted Israel release 56 Palestinians affiliated to the organi- sation and arrested in an Israeli mili- tary operation in the West Bank last month, following the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers. More than 700 rockets and mor- tars were fired at Israeli communi- ties in the past week throughout south, south central and central Israel, with some rockets hitting the northern city of Haifa, some 130 km north of the Gaza Strip. 21 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info Obama, Merkel vow to improve intelligence cooperation Washington: US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have vowed to improve intelligence cooperation between the two countries. Obama and Merkel exchanged views on US- German intelligence cooperation during their first conversation Tuesday after a new spy row damaged the allies' relations. According to a White House statement, Obama said he would remain in close communication on ways to push cooperation forward. Germany asked the US intelligence chief in Berlin to leave the country as a new round of allegations of US espionage is threatening to strain bilateral ties. The bilateral ties were dam- aged by revelations of data gath- ering practices by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden last year. While talk- ing about bilateral relations, the two leaders also discussed the situation in Ukraine and the ongoing talks on Iran's nuclear program, the statement said. Fortaleza (Brazil)/New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping and called for a solution to the "boundary question" as the two countries sought to expand their economic relations and recti- fy the trade imbalance. In his first meeting with Xi since becoming prime minister, Modi called for enhanced Chinese investment in India's infrastructure as the two leaders engaged in a freewheeling discussion and focused on building personal rap- port in the discussion that went beyond the scheduled time. China invited Modi to the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in November, the first time India has been invited for the meet. The meeting took place within hours of Modi and Xi arriving at Fortaleza in Brazil for the BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - leaders' summit being held July 15-16. Modi is also scheduled to have meetings with other leaders too. Modi said if India and China could amicably resolve the bound- ary question, it would set an example for the world in peaceful conflict resolution. He also hoped that trade imbalance will be resolved and called for the two countries to work together against terrorism and extremism in the region. Also underscored the impor- tance of bilateral relations, Xi said: "When India and China meet, the whole world watches." "Both leaders went straight into their first meeting here, indicating the importance that both give to this relationship and to their dis- cussions," external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said. The meeting, which was scheduled for about 30-40 min- utes, lasted almost 80 minutes. "The effort was to have a free- wheeling discussion. The focus was on establishing a personal rapport. And I think that worked very well because both the leaders seemed to have prepared very well for this meeting," Akbaruddin said. A statement from the Prime Minister' s Office said the two leaders observed that India and China had enormous opportunities to forge mutually beneficial part- nerships and serve as catalytic agents of Asian and global pros- perity. Both sides emphasized the need to find a solution to the boundary question, it said. "The prime minister stressed the importance of strengthening mutu- al trust and confidence, and main- taining peace and tranquility on the border." It said Xi accepted for consider- ation Modi's suggestion for an additional route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, giving the diffi- cult terrain of the existing route. Referring to Xi's planned visit to India in September, he responded to an invitation to him, saying he looked forward to an early visit to China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaliza, Brazil. Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Brazil Barack Obama and Angela Merkel Modi meets Xi, seeks solution of border issues Modi seeks stronger defense, nuclear ties with Russia Israel has ordered thousands of Palestinians eastern and northern Gaza to leave their homes. Israel resumes Gaza strikes as Hamas attacks on Modi calls for urgent reform of UN security council, IMF Fortaleza (Brazil)/New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for "urgent reform" of institutions such as the UN Security Council and International Monetary Fund while stressing the inter- national community should have zero tol- erance towards terrorism. In his statement in the BRICS summit on the agenda "Political Coordination: International Governance and Regional Crises", he noted it was taking place at a time when the world was facing a high level of turmoil and uncertainty and "remaining mute spectators" to countries in peril could have "grave consequences". Modi, who addressed his first interna- tional meeting as prime minister, said col- lective pressure should be exerted on states to deny sanctuaries and support to terrorists even as he noted that terrorism had not been combated effectively due to "different yardsticks". The sixth meeting of BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - leaders was held July 15-16 in Brazil. Modi said that India looked forward to work with its BRICS partners on security and economic development of Afghanistan and said the grouping should explore how they can help end the conflict in Iraq. He stressed BRICS must translate its political resolve into concrete and coordinated plan of action, and move towards advancing global peace and sta- bility. Restoring the climate of peace and stability was an urgent need for global progress and the world must unite to deci- sively confront challenges, he said. "Corrective action must begin with the reform of institutions of global gover- nance. This has been on the BRICS agen- da since its inception. Institutions like the UN Security Council and IMF need urgent reform. They must become more representative and reflect ground reali- ties," he said. Modi noted the region stretching from Afghanistan to Africa was experiencing turbulence and conflict, and causing grave instability that is fast seeping across bor- ders. India tops the list of global poor: UN report New Delhi: India tops the list of countries with the largest share of global extreme poor though the poverty rate in southeast Asia as whole saw a substantial fall from 1990 to 2010, a new United Nations report said. The poverty rate in southeast Asia fell from 45 percent in 1990 to 14 percent in 2010. Although poverty remains widespread in south Asia, progress in the region has been sub- stantial, the Millenium Development Goals Report 2014 said. However, India had the largest share of global poor at 32.9 percent, more than countries like China, Nigeria and Bangladesh, said the report which was released here Wednesday. India also had the highest child mortality rate worldwide in 2012 with 1.4 million children dying before reaching their fifth birthday, it said. In 2012, south Asia accounted for 2.1 million of the 6.6 million deaths in children under five worldwide and with 1.4 million children dying before reaching their fifth birthday, India had the highest child mortality rate worldwide, the report which tracks progress in achieving the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) said. "India's role in global development is the most important in the world. The MDGs can't be reached globally if they are not reached here," Lise Grande, United Nations Resident Coordinator for India, said while releasing the report. IAF plans early induction of Rafale combat jet New Delhi: India's negotiations with French aviation major Dassault for 126 Rafale Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for $20 billion "are progressing well" and the contract is likely "sooner than later in the current financial year (2014-15)" a top military commander has said. The Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, in an interview to India Strategic ahead of the Farnborough Air Show, the first in fact after he assumed office about six months ago, was candid enough to acknowledge that the force will have to retire several legacy squadrons of MiG-21 and MiG-27 aircraft in the coming years. But he was also confident that the planned induction of the Rafale, and HAL's indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will help "arrest the drawdown in the strength of the fighter squadrons." The number of Su-30MKI aircraft is also steadily increasing. The IAF has planned induction of 272 Su-30MKIs, periodically upgraded, and nearly 60 per cent of them are operational. The IAF's proposed strength for combat aircraft is 42 squadrons, to be reached by 2022. Because of the phasing out of the old aircraft like MiG-21s and MiG- 23s, the current squadron strength is report- ed to be 34. Fortaleza (Brazil): The emerging-market bloc of BRICS vowed to strive for more comprehensive cooperation and forge a closer economic partnership. Since its inception, the grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa has been guided by the overarching objectives of peace, security, development and cooperation, they noted in a declara- tion following their sixth summit in this Brazilian city, Xinhua reported. Looking into the future, they pledged to "deepen our partnership with a renewed vision, based on openness, inclusiveness and mutually beneficial cooperation" while remaining committed to those objec- tives. "In this sense, we are ready to explore new areas towards a comprehen- sive cooperation and a closer economic partnership to facilitate market inter-link- ages, financial integration, infrastructure connectivity as well as people-to-people contacts," said the Fortaleza Declaration. Highlighting their commitment to raising their economic cooperation to a qualita- tively new level, they emphasised the importance of establishing a road map for intra-BRICS economic cooperation. They agreed to advance discussions on the proposals for a BRICS economic coop- eration strategy and a framework of BRICS closer economic partnership with a view to formulating a plan for endorse- ment by the next summit. Noting that further macroeconomic coor- dination among all major economies, par- ticularly in the Group of 20 (G20), remains a critical factor for strengthening the prospects for a vigorous and sustain- able recovery worldwide, the BRICS countries pledged to work with the global community to "foster financial stability, support sustainable, stronger and inclusive growth and promote quality jobs." The BRICS stands ready to "contribute to the G20 goal of lifting our collective GDP by more than 2 percent above the tra- jectory implied by current policies over the coming five years," said the declara- tion. Narendra Modi addressing the plenary session of the sixth meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in Brazil. BRICS leaders in Fortaleza, Brazil. BRICS eyes closer partnership BUSINESS July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 22 SPORTS 23 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info London: England fast bowler James Anderson has been charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for violation of the Code of Conduct by allegedly abusing and pushing India's Ravindra Jadeja during the first cricket Test at Trent Bridge. Anderson could miss the final two Tests of the series if found guilty of the Level 3 offense, which is seen as serious and range from physical altercations to use of offensive lan- guage. In retaliation, a "shocked" England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has accused Jadeja of a lesser offense as they do not want both players - especially Anderson - to be forced to miss the final two Tests. The ECB has decided to contest the misconduct allegations against Anderson and in turn seek sanction against Jadeja. It is believed Dhoni is driving the complaint and that India are going ahead with it to try to get Anderson banned for the final two matches of the series and are pre- pared to live with any ban Jadeja could get. The fast bowler, who was involved in world record last-wicket partnership with Joe Root in the Test, was involved in some verbal alterca- tions with Jadeja as the batsman and his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni walked off for lunch. India allege that when the teams were inside the pavilion Anderson pushed the all- rounder. Nothing more was heard of the incident during the match, but the England camp got a call from India coach Duncan Fletcher, who was quoted by Daily Mail as saying that the tourists were pressing ahead with a Level 3 complaint despite the fact the ICC was keen on the teams sort- ing it between themselves. The ICC statement said: "Anderson has been charged for allegedly abusing and pushing Ravindra Jadeja immediate- ly after they left the field for lunch on Thursday. It is alleged that this was a continuation of a verbal alter- cation between Anderson and Jadeja as they were walking from the field." It is believed Dhoni is driving the complaint and that India are going ahead with it to try to get Anderson banned for the final two matches of the series and are prepared to live with any ban Jadeja could get. An ICC-appointed Judicial Commissioner will gather evidence in the next 14 days, meaning Anderson will definitely be free to play at Lord's and the Ageas Bowl, but if found guilty could miss Old Trafford and The Kia Oval. Rio de Janeiro: Germany became the first European team to win the FIFA World Cup on South American soil, beating Argentina 1-0 in the final thanks to Mario Gotzes extra time goal at the Maracana Stadium here. The last time the Germans, playing as West Germany, lifted the World Cup trophy was in 1990 beating Diego Maradona led Argentina with the same scoreline in Rome. The two teams were locked 0-0 after 105 minutes of play and took two German substitutes to break the deadlock and give Germany their fourth World Cup triumph. Andre Schurrle made inroads down the left hand side, and loft- ed in a neat cross towards the near post. Gotze took it excellent- ly on his chest and with time and space to move, he brilliantly found the back of the net in the 113rd minute. Germany and Argentina could not be separated after 90 minutes of play. For the third time in a row the FIFA World Cup final went into extra time after the two teams were locked 0-0 at full- time. The last two World Cup finals went to extra time. In 2006 saw Italy defeated France in penalties, while in 2010 Andres Iniesta scored with the clock running down to clinch the trophy for Spain against the Netherlands. But the Germans went into extra time with all the momentum after going close on more than one occasion in the final 10 min- utes. The second half was a let down after an intriguing opening period. The two teams could not find the breakthrough with Argentina having the better chances of the two. The score might have been goalless at half- time, but it wasn't a bore by any means though. Both sides clearly had their own designs on how they wanted to win the game. Germany, as ever, dominated possession, patiently probing their way through. Meanwhile, Argentina were happy to tempt them forward and use their pace to get in behind. The second half was a much tighter affair with both teams slowing down the pace of the game. Rio de Janeiro: Argentina captain Lionel Messi was named the Golden Ball winner while Colombian sensation James Rodriguez won the Golden Boot award for the 2014 FIFA World Cup here. Argentina lost 0-1 in extra time to Germany in the final at the Marcana stadium here. Messi failed to get on the scoresheet but the voters still thought he was the best player in the tournament. The 27-year-old appeared in all seven of the team's matches, scoring four goals and chipping in an assist. Other players in the running for the award were Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Neymar (Brazil), James Rodriguez (Colombia) and Thomas Mueller (Germany). Brasilia: The Netherlands took third place at the FIFA World Cup thanks to a 3-0 victory over hosts Brazil here at the Estadio Nacional. Louis van Gaal's side kept a clean sheet for the third match in a row, reports Xinhua. Captain Robin van Persie put his team ahead only three min- utes into the game. Arjen Robben dashed into the box from his right and the winger was pulled down by Brazil skipper Thiago Silva. The referee pointed to the spot and Van Persie stepped up to find the top corner. In the 17th minute, David Luiz, who replaced banned Silva to captain Brazil in their disastrous 1-7 defeat to Germany, nodded a header straight to Daley Blind to strike it calmly into the roof of the net. Georginio Wijnaldum made it 3-0 in stoppage time of the sec- ond half. ICC charges Anderson of misconduct, ECB accuses Jadeja Gotze gives Germany their fourth World Cup crown Netherlands beat Brazil to take third place in World Cup Germany won the World Cup after 24 years The Netherlands defeated Brazil 3-0 Messi wins Golden Ball, Rodriguez gets Golden Boot Singer Shakira performing during the closing ceremony for the football World Cup at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Argentina captain Lionel Messi LIFESTYLE New York: If your summer plans include a trip to a beach or pool, West Chester County Executive Robert P. Astorino and Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD have some advice to keep you safe. County pools and beaches are open for the season and we have worked hard to ensure that our residents safety is first pri- ority, Astorino said. Never swim in areas that are marked closed and its always good to remind children to swim near lifeguards. When you are in the water keeping cool, its easy for both adults and children to forget the need to stay hydrated and protect your skin from the effects of the summer sun. Be sure you and your family drink lots of water throughout the day at the pool or shore to avoid heat exhaustion, said Sherlita Amler, MD, Commissioner of Health. Wear a hat and sunglasses, avoid the midday sun and reapply sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 15 every two hours, especially after you swim or sweat, to avoid sunburn. Dr. Amler had additional water safety advice for parents. Its also critical never to leave a baby alone in water even for a second, and dont leave children unattended in a pool or at the shore, Amler said. Pool floats, inner tubes and noodles are no substitute for close supervision. Swimming and alcohol, just like boating and alcohol, dont mix. To avoid tragedy, make sure young children and teenagers know not to sneak into closed pools or lakes, and to swim only where and when there are life- guards or adults watching them without any distractions. Last year in the United States, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, at least 202 children between 1 and 14 years of age drowned in a pool or spa, according to media reports cited by poolsafely.gov. New York State had 11 drowning inci- dents in 2013, making it the state with the fifth highest count. Health dept advice for swimming safety Swim only in guarded areas, drink water and apply sunscreen often Washington, DC: Returning employees understand the key components of an orga- nization's work culture and may also be more committed to the focal organization upon their return, making them less risky hires, says a study. Organizations of all types are beginning to recognize and embrace the value of recruiting and welcoming back former employees, the findings showed. "Ideally, these so-called ' boomerang employees' already understand the key components of the organization's work structure and culture, which makes them less risky hires than newcomers," said T. Brad Harris, a professor of labor and employment relations at University of Illinois in the US. "In addition to understanding the organizational culture, returning employees might also be more committed to the focal organization upon their return because, in essence, they have learned first-hand that the grass is not always greener on the other side," Harris added. From infantry soldiers to chief execu- tives, accountants and professional basket- ball players, many organizations proactive- ly recruit and re-hire former employees as a way to offset high turnover costs and hedge against the uncertain process of socializing replacement employees. "After surveying and interviewing hun- dreds of employees, we were able to see that 'boomerang employees' were more likely to originally leave an organization, not because of dissatisfaction with the job, but because of some personal reason, such as a pregnancy, spousal relocation or an unexpected job offer," Harris noted. The study appeared in the journal Personnel Psychology. London: What if you are asked to perform a different kind of fasting - to log out from Facebook for 99 days! Do not fret as this is a challenge set out by a Dutch creative agency Just. Called "99 Days of Freedom", the non- profit initiative asks whether people would be happier without Facebook. It asks users to give up Facebook for a 99-day period, completing anonymous hap- piness surveys on days 33, 66 and 99. According to Facebook, a user spends an average of 17 minutes a day on the social networking service. For 99 days, it would mean 28 productive hours that can be used to learn some new skill, the agency said. "We found that users have at least a 'com- plicated' relationship with Facebook," Merjin Straathof, art director at Just, was quoted as saying in media reports. Then, after seeing the news of Facebook's controversial emotion study, the agency launched this challenge. "We landed on a 99-day period, hoping that such interaction will serve as a support group of sorts," Straathof added. 24 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info Hiring former employees beneficial: Study Can you shun Facebook for 99 days? 516.724.6939 718.685.6625 516.360.5980 ASAMAI HINDU TEMPLE 80 East Barclay Street Hicksville, NY 11801 Date: Jul 21 To Jul 27, 2014 Time: 5am To 7am Follow these tips to stay safe around pools and beaches this summer: Learn how to swim and teach your child how to swim. Never leave a child unattended in or near the water and always watch your children closely around all bodies of water. Designate a water watcher to super- vise children in the pool, spa or at the shore. This person should not be reading, texting, using a smart phone, or other- wise distracted. Learn how to perform CPR on children and adults. Keep children away from pool drains, pipes, and other openings to avoid entrapments. Ensure any pool and spa you use has drain covers that comply with federal safety standards, and, if you do not know, ask your pool service provider about safe drain covers. At the beach, never fight currents; swim parallel to shore and at an angle if you find yourself in a rip current. 25 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TOURISM Khopoli (Maharashtra): The Haunted Castle of Salimgarh, Wrath of the Gods, Wild West, Deep Space, Prince of the Dark Waters, Alibaba Aur Chalis Chor, Scream Machine, Gold Rush Express, Mr. India-The Ride and D2-Dare Drop -- there are all these and more at Adlabs Imagica - arguably India' s first and only world-class theme park some 90 km from Mumbai in Raigad dis- trict. Some 15 months ago, at one shot, all of Maharashtra' s top-notch amusement, glamour and tourism destinations took a back seat to these attractions with exciting names, and many more, coupled with top-class cuisine, entertain- ment and fun for all age groups. All these have now catapulted Adlabs Imagica to the Must Visit destina- tion category of the state in such a short time. "Yooooooey! Whooooaaaaa! Aaaaahhh!" are the screams of delirious joy that daily echo around the area, off the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, where Imagica has come up over 110 acres with an investment of around Rs.1,600 crore ($266 million). Last week, even the Imagica management let out shouts of joy as the One Millionth Visitor stepped inside the colorful, enchanting, magical world of entertainment. "This is India' s first and only international-standard Theme Park, spelling a world of infinite fun, excitement, entertainment, dining, shopping and incredible memories - - all at one location," said a pleased Adlabs Imagica CEO Kapil Bagla. According to Bagla, there is noth- ing of this huge scale in India and its immediate neighborhood which has attracted over 15,000-plus visi- tors daily from all over India and even abroad, since it opened in April 2013. "Imagica is not just rides and thrills but a whole world of fantas- tical themes never seen or experi- enced before by Indian families. No expense has been spared in bring- ing the best architectural elements, world-class international designers, exciting and novel attractions to rival any international in the world," Bagla said. All rides and attractions here are designed by experts who have worked in renowned international theme parks like Disneyland, Universal (both USA), Tokyo DisneySea (Japan) and Fantawild (China). At Imagica, the same international experience comes at a fraction of the cost. A day's outing for a family of four would cost around Rs.6,000 depending on the package chosen. Bagla explained that unlike other amusement parks - there are around 150 in India, mostly in the south and the west - which offer thrills or hair-raising experiences, Imagica launches the visitors to a magical world of joy and relaxation, making them briefly forget the real world - in a unique form of family outing. There is something for every age group with new experiences at every step, 25 themed rides, non- stop live entertainment by over 100 artistes topped off with a Grand Imagica Parade, interspersed with five themed restaurants offering global cuisine, including one which serves Jain food! A walk through the streets of Imagica takes visitors on many memorable journeys - Viva Europa, Arabia, Jambo Africa, Americana, India and Asiana. "At every touch-point, you will be immersed in a new theme, themed attractions, area design, landscaping, dining and retail, ambient music, character design, building facades, props, interactive installations, and merchandise, which instill a feeling of escapism in the park. This 'escapism' is what makes Imagica different from all other parks in India, and at par with the best theme parks around the world," Bagla said. Little wonder Imagica hosted in just one year over a million visitors from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Bangalore, Rajasthan, Punjab and West Bengal among others, includ- ing around 250,000 students from over 500 schools around the coun- try. It is also a hot favorite with cor- porates and social groups as their break-out destination with fabulous returns by way of word-of-mouth publicity. After a hectic superhit first year, Adlabs Imagica is now expanding with a new attraction in August -- Aquamagica, an international stan- dard water park with unique rides and a promise of unprecedented experience among water parks in the country. Adjacent to the venue is a new four-star hotel coming up which will be operational by the year-end with alluring packages to visit Imagica and Aquamagica, Bagla said. "With this hotel, people will be able to enjoy a 3-4 day fun-filled getaway holiday in this part of the world, in the lap of greenery but easily accessible by road, rail and air, with close proximity to the country' s commercial capital," Bagla added. In tune with its philosophy of growing with the community, Bagla said that since its inception, Imagica has provided 98 percent of jobs to local youths from villages and towns around the theme park in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Pune districts. It has created over 2,000 jobs for the locals, including 40 percent freshers. Imagica has trained them as per their competencies/roles. At the end of an exciting and tir- ing day, it's time to pick up some memories at the merchandise out- lets - cuddly soft toys, funky t- shirts, coffee mugs, et al - to show off to friends and neighbors who have not yet "been there." India gets its own Disneyland: Imagica near Mumbai After a hectic superhit first year that saw one million visitors, Adlabs Imagica is now expanding with a new attraction in August -- Aquamagica, an international standard water park. Nitro, Floorless Coaster, is one of the main thrill attractions at Imagica. Imagica is the dream project of Manmohan Shetty, chairman of Adlabs Entertainment, seen at the theme park with daughters Pooja and Aarti Shetty. The theme park has taken the best from other similar attractions around the world. Located off the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Imagica has come up over 110 acres with an investment of around Rs.1,600 crore ($266 million). Emraan 'cautious' about 'Hamari Adhuri Kahani' E mraan Hashmi, who will soon start shooting for romantic film "Hamari Adhuri Kahani", says he was cautious about doing the film till he heard the script narrated by filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. "It's a very interesting film. It's my first out-and-out love story. I haven't played such a charac- ter. It is a space I was a bit cautious to experiment with till I heard the script from Mahesh Bhatt," the actor told reporters here at the wrap- up party of his film "Raja Natwarlal" Monday. "All the characters are very good. It is a very heart- felt and touching story," he added. To be directed by Mohit Suri, "Hamari Adhuri Kahani" also stars Vidya Balan and Rajkummar Rao. The film will go on floors Sep 16. Emraan has earlier delivered movies like "Kalyug" and "Murder 2" with Mohit. 26 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD Leone enjoys being showstopper! A ctress Sunny Leone was awed by the "breathtaking designs" that she flaunted at the India International Jewelery Week (IIJW) as the showstopper of Sumit Sawhneys jewelery brand Apala by Sumit. Adorned in exquisite hand-craft- ed jewelery, Sunny stole the show as she sashayed down the ramp wearing a Hasli with Victorian ele- ments and gold claws, which added a tribal touch to her look. She also flaunted a bold calf- piece, and even a back-piece, which was a wreath embellished with Jade, cascading on the actress' back. She also wore ear- rings, cufflinks and head-pieces. "Sumit's jewellery has so much creativity and finesse. Apala was a break from the usual bling on stage. I was awed by its breathtak- ing designs. The back pieces were very different and spectacular. I absolutely loved the entire set he designed for me," Sunny said post the show. WThe show was called The Royal Tribe, an amalgamation of the royal and tribal elements. M ove over Naseeruddin Shah. Varun Dhawan is now practicing what the veteran actor preaches - method acting. The actor drank alcohol to lend authenticity to scenes featuring him in a sozzled avatar. Director Sriram Raghavan introduced Varun Dhawan to the painful pleasures of method acting. For two of his important dramatic sequences in Shashank Khaitan' s recently released "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania", Varun hit the bottle. Since Varun was off alcohol, the sudden indulgence hit him hard. It's being said that the actor had to be physically supported by the crew as he wobbled and stumbled all over. Varun blames Raghavan for the unscheduled spot of method acting. "I finished shooting the first half of Sriram Raghavan's film when I came into the climax of 'Humpty...' .So maybe I was a little more intense in my approach than I'd have been otherwise," he said. Varun's drink went straight to his head. "There is a scene where I had to be drunk in the climax. It was shot at 4 a.m. I took a risk and actually consumed alcohol for the scene. Can you imagine, drinking at 4 a.m.? I hadn't had any alcohol for a while. It suddenly hit me and I was actually drunk," he said. Varun says he was scared as he had lost control of his body movements. O lympic gold medalist Mary Kom is happy with actor Priyanka Chopras first look in the biopic based on the boxer. "Im excited for the movies release. Hope it makes boxing even more popular and inspires people, says Kom. Priyanka, on her part, said she was happy with Koms reaction to the poster. "She really liked it. Giggled a lot! It was very cute," said Priyanka Chopra. She is also garnering compliments from fans and industry colleagues. This comes as a fix for the actor after the debacle of a social media chat which was a letdown for the 31-year- old, who called it cruel. Emraan Hashmi Actress Sunny Leone as the showstopper of Sumit Sawhney's jewellery brand Apala When Varun got drunk for 'Humpty Sharma...' Varun Dhawan in 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania' Priyanka Chopras first look in the biopic based on the boxer ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info 27 T hank god for Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. The soul shivers in fear wondering which disaster zone this bland avatar of "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" (DDLJ) would have headed to if these two actors hadnt steered the rudder- less revisionist saga to semblance of sensi- tivity. As you sit cross-eyed and tense waiting for the young lovers in Ambala to sort out the mess in matters of the heart, you won- der how many rip-offs, homages, tributes and remakes of Aditya Chopras DDLJ we would have to bear before this...errr...clas- sic is put to rest. It may be sacrilegious to say this. But DDLJ in my humble opinion, is hardly the stuff classics are made of. It had its moments of glory...Oh yes! But a repeat- edly recyled classic? Nah! Thats going too far. "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania" (HSKD) takes the Raj and Simran characters, shakes and stirs them and turns them on their head. Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, two of Bollywood's most talented contem- porary actors, dont really try to fill Shah Rukh Khan and Kajols shoes. They have better things to do. He, Humpty (yes, thats what our hero is called) cant keep it in his pants...his money, that is! He spends it buying a lehenga for the wedding of the girl of his dreams. She uses the money to buy him a car of his dreams. You really wish the director had left these two annoying characters to their dreams and devices. These are the kind of 20-something over-reachers who need to be told to get a life doesnt mean to beg borrow steal material happiness. When we first meet Humpty, he emerges from a loo behind a sheepish-looking girl. In her introduction scene, Kavya (Alia) is shown trying to bully her father into buy- ing her a Manish Malhotra lehenga for her wedding to the 'perfect' NRI. No one in HSKD seems to feel any real emotions. It is all a pantomime of being cool. There are characters in Humptys saga equivalent to the ones in DLLJ, all sub- verted to the point of appearing farcically over-blown. Except Ashutosh Rana, who does a dignified take on Amrish Puri from the original, no one else gets it right. Clearly, the debutant director is here doing a revisionist version of DDLJ, much in the same way that Sanjay Leela Bhansali did with "Romeo and Juliet" in "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. With one difference. The creator of the revision- ist version of the 'classic' (provided you consider DDLJ a classic) lacks the vision to take the original characters to another level from where they originally stood. A ctress Jacqueline Fernandez agrees that "Kick" is a Salman Khan-starrer all the way, but she is also confident that she's not side- lined in the movie due to his presence. "I don't even know why people are even asking me this question, " Jacqueline said here to a question about whether she fears being sidelined in the film. "Salman is a superstar. People come to watch him in the movies and just for me to be part of a movie like this and to be with Salman Khan gives me such an advantage. So, no, I am not sidelined at all in this film," added the Sri Lankan beau- ty. Jacqueline considers "Kick", directed by Sajid Nadiadwala, as a "huge break" in her career. "It goes without saying that obviously it's a big break...even for an established actress, it's a very big deal (to work with Salman) and the same is for me. I am no different," she said. 'Humpty Sharma...' - bland avatar of 'DDLJ' I'm not sidelined in 'Kick': Jacqueline Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt in a scene from 'Humpty Sharma...' C hirpy and evergreen at 81, leg- endary playback singer Asha Bhosle is not one to mince words. Disturbed with the ongoing trend of lewd lyrics in Bollywood, the Padma Vibhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke awardee says, "Gaalion ka gaana banta hai aajkal, aur beech mein English mein kuch badbad kartein hai. Yeh jo bahar ke ladke English gaate gaate Hindi mein gaane lage, woh English ke bahut hi gande gande words ... jaise rape use kartein hain. Toh agar aise words use honge, toh humare youngsters wohi karenge jo aap unhe sikhaenge," says Bhosle, who holds a name in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most recorded artist in music history. The singer revealed that she was once shocked to hear a kid hum Halkat Jawani (from Madhur Bhandarkars Heroine, 2012). Mujhe agar kahe Halkat Jawani gaao, main nahi gaoongi. Halkat gandi gaali hoti hai Marathi mein. Aajkal fashion hai, ek do item songs kisi se bhi gawa lo, bade singers ki zaroorat hi nahin hai. Bahut kam log hain jinka taste music mein achha hai. Log lungi aur zandu balm waale gaane bhi pasand karte hain," says Bhosle, who has belted out hits such as Piya Tu Ab To Aaja (Caravan, 1971), Dum Maaro Dum (Hare Rama Hare Krishna, 1971) and Yeh Mera Dil (Don, 1978), which were considered bold in those days. Asha Bhosle Yeh gaane nahi gaaliyan hain: Asha Bhosle Actress Jacqueline Fernandez with Salman Khan in 'Kick' Don't give mobile phones to kids: Rohit M obile phones may have become an integral part of people's life, but the facility comes with hazards, says actor Rohit Roy. He requests parents to keep chil- dren away from the device and use it with caution. The actor, known for his TV shows like Swabhimaan and movie stint in Shootout At Lokhandwala, took to Twitter to talk about the cons of mobile phones. He also wrote that his posts shouldn't be interpreted as preaching rather they should be treated as "information". Cell phones are dangerous in a way that u don't realise It's a debilitating device which will affect ur skin n nervous system if used excessively or incorrectly. Keep it away from u while sleeping, wrote the actor who himself is a parent. Hold it far from ur ear while talking At least half an inch. Better still use a headset, not bluetooth but corded one And definitely don't give ur kids the phone Not even to play They are most susceptible to radio waves as their skins are thinner, he said in his posts. The actor, who directed a film called "Rice Plate", feels that speaking on mobiles has become such a habit that landlines are almost extinct in homes. Actor Rohit Roy S achin Tendulkar is one of the greatest cricket players ever, a titan of his sport. But poor Maria Sharapova had never heard of him, never heard of a man who is so beloved in India, he could endorse a brand of darkness cream and millions of people would buy it. The Russian tennis star had just lost a match at Wimbledon and was asked about Tendulkar, who happened to be in a star-stud- ded gallery watching her. Sharapova made the mistake of admitting that she didnt rec- ognize the recently retired batsman. The leg- ends fans were aghast at this indignity to their hero and lashed out at Sharapova on Facebook, Twitter and other social media. No wonder you lost your match, one fan wrote. Thats what happens when you dont recognize God! Another fans message was more ominous: Apologize immediately, Miss Sharapova, or I will write to Narendra Modi to invade Russia. Thanks to angry tweets from Tendulkar fans, the hashtag #WhoIsMariaSharapova was soon trending on the Internet, prompting Sharapova fans to respond with hashtags of their own: #FiveGrandSlamTitles and #HotterThanSaniaMirza Millions of young Indian men who had decorated their bedrooms with posters of both Tendulkar and Sharapova felt compelled to take down the images of the leggy blonde. I put mine in a drawer, said one aggrieved fan. If she apologizes, I will put her poster back up. If not, I have vowed to look at it just once a day. Another fan was less forgiving: Apology or not, she is not going back on my wall. I am so upset that I am seriously considering put- ting my wife back as my computer back- ground. Its hard to fault Sharapova for not recog- nizing Tendulkar, as magnificent as he is. Cricket, after all, isnt quite as popular as ten- nis or soccer around the world. Tendulkar is surely as accomplished in cricket as Roger Federer in tennis or Lionel Messi in soccer, but hes virtually unknown in dozens of countries, including the two countries where Sharapova has spent most of her life, the United States and Russia. Among recognized sports in America, cricket falls somewhere between the hot dog-eating contest and the egg-and-spoon race. When Tendulkar is mobbed by autograph seekers while visiting New York City, you can bet at least half of them are immigrants from India, Sri Lanka, Guyana and other cricket-playing nations, while the other half arent quite sure who he is. Man: Hey, that guy must be famous. Everyones going crazy. Lets get his auto- graph! Woman: Who do you think he is? Man: Im not sure, but I think hes that guy from Slumdog Millionaire, Anil Kapoor. None of this diminishes Tendulkars great- ness, of course. And if you ask me, Tendulkar has the best kind of fame. If he wants to be a god, he can stay in India; if he wants to be a legend, he can visit England, Australia and South Africa; and if he wants to be just an ordinary guy, he can visit the United States (as long as he stays away from motels, 7- Elevens, and the entire state of New Jersey). Most celebrities dont like to be recognized everywhere they go. Sometimes they want a little privacy, a day or two without someone screaming, Sachin! I love you! Please take a photo with me, so I can post it on Facebook and get one million likes. As for Sharapova, hopefully she has learned her lesson. In the future, if shes asked about an Indian cricketer or movie star, shed be wise to give safe answers that dont reveal her ignorance. Reporter: Did you know that Sachin Tendulkar was watching you? Sharapova: Sachin? Really? Thats amazing. Im so honored. I love him. Reporter: So you know who he is? Sharapova: Are you kidding? Doesnt everybody? Reporter: What do you think of his career? Sharapova: Its been amazing. Hes accomplished so much. I loved him in Slumdog Millionaire. Humor with Melvin Durai 28 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info HUMOR Laughter is the Best Medicine The Best Kind of Fame Sachin Tendulkar: by Mahendra Shah Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 19th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1 Traits in you: Your star Sun makes you active, dy- namic, confident, responsible and a talented. You have the scope to learn new things and create new ideas. However, you have to take care of your nature of be- having improvident and dominating. Health this year: You will remain healthy provided you get your checkup done regularly. Finance this year: You will find new money making opportunities pretty result oriented if you concentrate on you work and give your best. Your assumptions on pretty things may not help you gain anything rather it would make you feel miserable later. You may invest on land or house for better returns. Career this year: You will not take enough time to complete your pending tasks this year. You will find your job interesting enough. You may excel in your do- main and get appreciated from your higher manage- ment with a better salary hike. Romance this year: You will enjoy a very good rela- tionship with your spouse this year. Your romantic re- lationships will be strengthened this year. Lucky month: August, September, December, June 20th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2 Traits in you: As you are ruled by Moon, you are blessed with characteristics such as imaginative, smart, trustworthy, generous and authoritative person. Health this year: You may go for a pilgrimage to at- tain peace and mental comfort. This year you will suf- fer from various minor health issues and this will keep you disturbed. Finance this year: This year will bring you job secu- rity and financial stability. You need to deal with your money carefully to avoid loss. Your assumptions in tak- ing hasty decisions may cause financial loss to you. If you are a businessman, you may get into new contracts to enhance your business. If you get into any overseas venture, you may be befitted financially from it. Career this year: Being an excellent professional, you will be recognized as a very efficient resource and peo- ple may seek your advice and support. However, you have to avoid being selfish and moody. Romance this year This year is the perfect time for you to be in an emotional relationship or you may get married. Lucky month: September, January, April and May 21st July, 2014 Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3 Traits in you: By your inborn nature, you are intellec- tual, distinguished, cheerful, kind and optimistic. Health this year: You need to take more care of your health to avoid future complicacy. Finance this year: Your business may earn you a lot of money if you plan your budget intelligently. You need to have a trustworthy plan in place before you imple- ment your budget in the business. You should not go beyond your budget if you do not want to be in loss. Your past investments will earn you money this year and make you financially sound. You may find the property or legal dispute settlement satisfactory. Career this year: Being good at your work, you get lot of appreciation and respect from others. Your good work pays off with rewards. However, you should not behave dominating and arrogant. You may find this year promising enough when growth is concerned. Romance this year: You may plan an overseas trip with your beloved to spend quality time. Your relation- ship will grow more strong with lots of love and care. Lucky month: October, February and July 22nd July, 2014 Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4 Traits in you: By inborn characteristics, you are active, disciplined, and efficient. You are the master of an ap- pealing personality. You are highly social and helpful. However, you should work on your nature of being jealous, self-centered, and destructive. Health this year: You will be in good health through- out this year. To maintain your ggod health, you need to practice exercise or yoga. Finance this year: You will be financially benefited from different sources of income. You will acquire new projects and that will improve your financial condition. If you are travelling for business purpose, it will yield positive results for you and you will be successful in your business trips this year. You may invest in buying house or stocks. However, it is recommended to have a good research on the stock before you invest. You may feel restless due to the abrupt expenses for the health is- sues of your family members. You may end up spend- ing a lot of money to settle down your legal issues. You might decide to buy property or vehicles this year. Career this year: You will be rewarded for your work this year. You will gain enough professional recogni- tion for your knowledge, skills, and efficiency. The on- going projects may get a continuation. Romance this year: You will enjoy a better romantic alife as compared to the last year. You will be under- stood by your partner and get enough support in every- thing you do. Lucky month: July, November, March and June 23rd July, 2014 Ruled planet: Mercury Ruled by no:5 Traits in you: Your ruling planet Mercury makes you an active, practical, sensible, systematic and highly diplomatic person. You need to be a bit careful and re- move stubbornness from your nature. Health this year: If you are a chronic patient, you have to take extra care for your health to avoid grievances in future. Finance this year: You might sell your property in a good price, which would help you enhance your finan- cial stance. You may schedule your travel to maintain distant relationships and gain some financial support. Some of you may get the opportunity to travel abroad for business purpose. You should avoid lending and borrowing money to stay financially stable. Career this year: You love music and literature and want to pursue your career in those fields. You will be able to improve your confidence level as you may find a lot of opportunities to be grabbed. Romance this year: Some of you also may get your marriage fixed this year. Your romance life would get to its peak. Lucky month: August, December, January and April 24th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Venu Ruled by no:6 Traits in you: Your planet Venus makes you kind, re- alistic, helpful, and adaptable. You are very simple as a person who believes in high thinking. You are hard- working and sincere, which helps you get appreciation from others. However, you need to check your nature of being rude and interfering in the affairs of others. If you do not work on your behavior, you may end up crit- icized badly. Health this year: You will enjoy a better health this year as compared to last year. You may suffer from some minor health issues such as joint aches, back pain, headache and so on. Finance this year: You will enjoy financial prosperity and a good health throughout this year. If you are a busi- nessman, you will get ample opportunities to expand your business by investing in more profitable areas. Career this year: If your profession is associated with creativity, such as artists, media professionals, and ad- vertising professionals, you may gain popularity, ap- preciation, and fame. If you want to create profession- al and social contacts, you have to achieve it through frequent get-togethers and traveling. You may receive some help from your near and dear ones, which may prove to be instrumental in improving your confidence in your professional life. Romance this year: You will find your spouse to be very cooperative this year. You will find your required emotional support from your spouse through love, care and concern even if you find it difficult to understand your partner. If you are unmarried, you may find your romance interest this year. Lucky month: September, January, May and June 25th July, 2014 Ruled planet: Neptune Ruled by no: 7 Traits in you: Being dominated by Neptune, you are adorned with characteristics such as responsibility, af- fection, creativity, simplicity and emotions. Health this year: Your spouse may suffer from stress related health issues, which may lead to roaming in the premises of a hospital. Finance this year: You are supposed to be benefited fi- nancially from your assumptions while investing mon- ey. However, that does not mean you will invest blindly. Career this year: As you are committed towards your undertaken works, you are appreciated and awarded consistently. However, you have to work on your na- ture of being fickle minded and careless always. You may realize your ideas and plans this year. You will be able to execute your plans efficiently. You will get plen- ty of support from your partners and colleagues to im- prove your morale and confidence. Romance this year: You will be in a blissful romantic relationship with your partner this year. Lucky month: July, October, December and February By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874 Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899 psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com Stars Foretell: July 19-25, 2014 Annual Predictions: For those born in this week 29 ARIES: Hard work & dedication would win the trust of seniors at work. An unexpected message from a distant rela- tive brings happy news for the entire family. Investment in stocks & mutual funds would help in earning profits. Romantic partner would try innovative methods to catch your attention. Charity work undertaken will bring mental peace & comfort. Great time for perfect family vacation to an exciting destination. It might be the right time to sale your empty plot as proper- ty rates are at peak. A week when you will excel in the art of life with your expertise in facing challenges. TAURUS: The week could force you to search a new job where your skills are more useful. Relatives are likely to give some valuable advice regarding personal life. Long-term investment in stocks & mutual funds will enable to earn profits. Initiatives in love bring positive results as you catch the desired attention. Meditation and self-realization prove beneficial. Travel opportunities full of chal- lenges are often the beginning of great enter- prises. Your plan for a new house will be in process very soon. Political and social reputa- tion is likely to increase. GEMINI: Your gullible nature would allow people to easily take you for a ride. You receive care and affection from family members. Improvement in finances is certain. Your generous attitude would con- tribute much in your love life in this week. You will have ample time to do things to improve your health. You will discover travel destina- tions that are unique and magical. Your loan procedures for pursuing a plot will be in process. You find developing an interest in social servicing. CANCER: Mental clarity would remove past business confusions. Matrimonial alliance for eligible bache- lor in family brings joy to all. Speculation cou- pled with some unexpected gains improves financial health. Extremely supportive & loving partner would help in withering away your trou- bles. Sound physical health will enable to par- ticipate in outdoor activities. A trip that is unconventional and adventurous will be favourable enjoy every minute of it. Investment in hotel industry can be the right choice to be made. A week when your actions will be backed by your luck. LEO: Travel undertaken for establishing new contacts and business expansion will be very fruitful. A new outlook will be the source of laughter at family front. Put your extra money at a safer place promising to return you on time. Romantic vibrations from someone unknown would lift your spirits taking imaginations to scaling heights. You will be successful in getting rid from tensions. Dreaming of traveling is good, but if possible than plan a trip. Investment on construction business might give fruitful results. You suc- cessfully solve your old disputes and land-relat- ed problems. VIRGO: Your artistic and creative abil- ity would attract a lot of appreciation. Enjoying a picnic with family will not only bring joy but also help in clearing misun- derstandings. A new source of income will generate through influential contacts. Love life brings immense romantic pleasure. A sparkling laugh- ter filled week when most things proceed, as you desire. Take some time to travel with your spouse for romance and seduction. Investing on a ship or a cruise is an exciting venture to be made. Keeping a close watch on your emotions would be in your interest. LIBRA: A long pending decision gets finalized at professional front. Charming nature and pleasant personal- ity would make you the attraction of family function. Investment made in this week would enhance prosperity and financial security. Traveling proves a blessing in disguise by bringing a love in your life. Your enormous confidence would help in enjoying a healthy life. You can make your vacation extra special by planning it with your family and friends. The best ideas for investment are to on invest on real estate business. Personal efforts would greatly help in increasing influence in social & political fields. SCORPIO: Plans for new ventures get streamlined with the help of seniors. Family members appreciate the changes made in & around the house. An improvement in financial position would enable to make important purchases. You are likely to get a new friendship opportunity in the evening. A very healthy week filled with happiness & vitality. Spiritual vacation is a quest for life, plan it and enjoy it with your family. Are you longing to buy a farmhouse, try for it? You will be able to increase your contacts with intellectuals. SAGITTARIUS: Female colleagues lend a helping hand in completing important assignments. Make sure you do something exciting and different with people at home. You are likely to earn monetary profits through most unexpected sources. New romance that some of you are going to experi- ence would take the worries off mind. Pleasure trip would help in maintaining sound health in this week. Travelling with kids can be a chal- lenge, try to reduce the stress and nerves. If you want to invest on property, then go for residen- tial one. Your opponents find you a headache. CAPRICORN: At work you will be a part of something big, bringing appreci- ation & rewards. Friends and family members would encourage to work harder. A sudden inflow of funds will take care of your bills and immediate expenses. You enjoy a memorable time with partner to cement the lovely bond. Yoga and meditation would help in keeping in shape and mentally agile. Excitement for a vacation is not enough, plan- ning is also required. Selling your home pri- vately can be an excellent way of saving on costs. Recognition and influence would increase in social field. AQUARIUS: You are likely to estab- lish yourself a good manager on man- aging people and situation without any problem. You are likely to hear a good news from close relatives. Monetary position is likely to improve on recovering of delayed payments. You will be attracted to someone special. Blessings of a saintly person give peace of mind. Vacation full of beauty and history as well as exciting is waiting for you. Off-plan property investment is one of the easiest and most profitable methods to maximize gains in the real estate market. Legal problem will be solved with the timely help of friends. PISCES: You will be successful in real- ising your targets at professional front. An old friend makes a pleasant visit later in the week. Investment in antiques & jewelry brings monetary gains and improvement in financial position. Warm romantic thoughts occupy mind. Chances of recovering from phys- ical ailment are high. Traveling on your own, with a friend or with the whole family will be exciting and comfortable too. Your property prices will boost in the coming period. Unexpected accolades bring happiness. Better to share them with close friends to double the joy. July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY 30 July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPIRITUAL AWARENESS The power of attention A soul is sent to a life in the human body for a certain period of time. During that time the soul is confined in the human form like a prison cell. When the soul inhabits a body, the soul is still a part of God and is still one with God. The soul, however, is now overpowered by some very powerful forces, such as the mind, the body, and the outer world, which cause the soul, over time, to forget itself. The soul slowly begins to identify itself with the body and mind and world outside. It sudden- ly begins to think that it can only receive information from the outer world through the senses. Thus, the soul has become attuned to only one channelthe channel of the world. If we think about our life as watching a television program, we have multiple choices as to what to watch. Just as there are a dozen net- work stations and then dozens if not hundreds of cable stations from which to choose, so, too, there are many activities in this world that we can engage in. Now, let us take a look at the other choices available to us. This physical planet is not a separate off- shoot from all of creation and God. Most religions believe that there are higher regions of existence to which the soul goes after it dies. Scientists and doctors have tried to verify this by documenting accounts of people who were declared clinically dead but had near-death experiences and described something beyond this world. The question is, where are these realms? They are not zones in outer space delineated by borders. All these realms exist concurrently with this one. The reason we are not aware of them is because they operate on a different frequency or vibration. The saints and mystics tell us that we have the choice to either stay tuned to this physical world, or to tune into the channels of God. God wants us to watch Gods program- ming. God is available twenty-four hours of the day, three hundred sixty-five days a year. Gods pro- gramming does not turn off at three a.m. like some networks do. It is a free station broadcasting all the time without any cable fees. We only need to know how to tune into Gods station. The hook-up to God is not hard. It is just a matter of making the choice that this is what we want to do. The steps to do this are simple. Step one is to stop identifying with the body, mind, and world outside, and identify with the soul. Step two requires that when we identify with our soul that we shift our attention to the frequency of the higher realms and ultimately to God. That is all we must do. God did not make it hard for us to become aware of our true Home. It is we who have made it complicated. So how do we accomplish step one and step two? To accomplish step one, we must withdraw our attention from our body, mind, and the world outside. We must decide to turn off the outer programming. When that programming is in the off mode, then in the silence we will experience ourselves as soul. That is the step that we call self- knowledge. Once we identify with the soul, we will be able to pick up frequencies that the soul is capable of receiving. We can do a gradual shift in which we go from the con- sciousness of one region to con- sciousness of the spiritual realms. Once someone asked the great saint, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj, how long it took to get from here (the physical region) to Sach Khand (the highest spiritual region). Hazur closed his eyes, and then opened them. He told them, I have just been there and back. He was showing that the shift of atten- tion from the physical realm to Sach Khand could be done in the twinkling of an eye. Why? Because we are not going anywhere physi- cally. We are merely shifting our attention from one state of con- sciousness to the other. The other state of consciousness does not exist in time or space. They are operating concurrently. We are simultaneously in the other realms and in God at the same time but we are not aware of it because our attention is only focused on one regionthe physical. So, for step one, the Masters who have learned to be attuned to the realm of God, teach us that we can withdraw our attention from the world, the body, and the mind by sitting in meditation. If we meditate accurately we will experience our- selves as soul. Once we identify with the soul, then we will also be aware of the inner Light and Sound that is the radiance and vibratory sound of God within us. If we absorb ourselves in the Light and Sound within, we can then attain step two. We can shift our attention into the Light and Sound, which attracts our soul to higher levels of vibration. The Light and Sound function at different vibratory rates in the dif- ferent regions. As we shift our attention we find ourselves con- scious of being in the different regions. Ultimately, the Light and Sound function at their highest vibratory rate, which is the power of God itself. When we shift our attention to that, we have come to the state of consciousness where we are at one with God and merge with God. It is simply a matter of choosing where we want to put our attention. That is the true meaning of the anecdote about Bulleh Shah and Inayat Shah. When Bulleh Shah asked his Master, Inayat Shah (who was a gardener by profession), How can I find God? Inayat Shah pulled up a plant and replanted it in another place. When Bulleh Shah ques- tioned what that demonstration meant, Inayat Shah said, To find God it is merely uprooting your attention from one place and plant- ing it in another place. That is the simplicity of spirituality. God did not make things complicated. It is simple. It is only we who have to choose to transplant the flower of our attention from the world into Gods garden. I n each persons life a moment comes when we have a tran- scendent experi- ence or a revela- tion in which we become aware that we have a higher purpose in this world. Suddenly, amidst the daily rituals of waking up, getting dressed, going to work, eating, and sleeping, we get a glimpse that there is something more to this life. That moment may come when we are a child. It may come to us while a teenager, or it may come in adult life. Some may have it when they are young adults, and some have it in their senior years of life. Whenever it comes, it leaves us transformed. Suddenly, we begin to question who we are, why we are here, where we go when we die, and what our purpose in life is. Read about the life of any of the great saints and mystics and you will find some life-transforming experience that awakened their quest. Once these burning questions arise, there is no turning back. We are restless until we find the solu- tion. Before our awakening, it is like we are sleeping. Our soul has been asleep for aeons. We started out in the lap of God but became lost in the attractions of the world. We have forgotten our true Home. We are in a state of slumber or forgetfulness that we are souls, a part of God. We think we are the mind and the body and have forgotten our true essence as soul, as a part of the Creator. S ant Mat, the Path of the Saints, reflects the core teachings of saints and mys- tics through the ages. People new to this path often say they are attracted by its simplicity, integri- ty, and effectiveness in fostering spiritual growth. Although Sant Mat was born centuries ago in India, it is in many ways ideal for the modern seeker. Followed under the guid- ance of a living spiritual Master, these teachings couple meditation on the inner Light and Sound with an inclusive, positive way of living. At the heart of Sant Mat are these simple principles: There is one God of all creation, though people worship the Lord by differ- ent names and through different practices. While Sant Mat respects all faiths, it stresses that religion has two dimensionsouter and inner. Sant Mat focuses on the inner dimensionthe deep spiri- tual essence known as mysticism. Mysticism looks beyond rites, rit- uals, and scriptural knowledge and pursues spirituality as a mat- ter of personal inner experience. Sant Mat expresses the deepest values of every great spiritual tra- ditionlove for God, compassion for Gods creation, and a daily life grounded in ethical values. Sant Mats unique contribution is dis- tilling these noble ideals into a simple, universal spiritual path and then providing the tools and techniques to make them a personal reality. Sant Mat does not demand that we renounce our families or soci- eties. Instead, we can pursue our spiritual goals while leading normal lives. By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj -- Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj If we meditate accurately we will experience ourselves as soul. Once we identify with the soul, then we will also be aware of the inner Light and Sound that is the radiance and vibratory sound of God within us.. Lifes awakening moments Sant Mat The need for a living master A competent teacher speeds our progress. It's a common sense principle of life: studying with one who has mastered the subject we wish to learn accelerates our learning. That's why seekers through- out history have turned to spiritual Masters. By virtue of their own inner awaken- ing, these Masters awaken others. As much as we revere Masters of the past, Sant Mat stresses the i mportance of a l i vi ng guide. July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 19-25, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.info