Rajiv Shah takes the helm of USAID
WASHINGTON: Rajiv Shah has been officially sworn in today as the administrator of US Aid for International Development (USAID), making him the highest ranking person of Indian origin in any presidential administration.

The 39-year-old Indian-American was sworn in today by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the chief of USAID which oversees disbursal of USD 40 billion US foreign aid programme.

In this position, Shah would be leading the Obama Administration's effort of non-military aid to foreign countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"I believe Dr Raj Shah will be the transformational leader that USAID has been waiting for," Clinton said at the swearing in ceremony of Shah as chief of the USAID.

"One only needs to ask his wife Shivam the lengths to which Raj will go to achieve important goals. After all, this is a man who flew to India for one day to propose to her at the Taj Mahal when she was traveling there alone," Clinton said while giving a few insider details about the man.

"This is also a man who summated the 14,400-foot Mount Rainier, one of the most difficult climbs in the continental United States. It combines the challenges of an unforgiving glacier with the unpredictability of an active volcano. That may be the best preparation Raj has for working in Washington these days," she said.

India praised for protecting “Freedom of Religion”
Ajay Ghosh

India's UPA-led government at the Centre is quite committed to religious freedom, but it has "concerns" on this issue at the local level, specially those states ruled by the BJP, Obama Administration's first Annual Report on International Religions Freedom, between July 2008 and June 2009, stated. The report praised the religious freedom in India despite mentioning instances of attacks on religious minorities, and lauded the "independent" judiciary and a "vibrant" civil society for acting against violations whenever they occur.

The Annual Report on International Religions Freedom, which records status of respect for religious freedom in all countries during the period from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, was released by the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department, Washington, DC on October 26, 2009.

In its section on India which is spread over 30 pages, the report gives UPA-led Union Government the highest mark, but goes on to say that some state and local governments limited this freedom by enacting or amending "anti-conversion" legislation and by not efficiently or effectively prosecuting those who attacked religious minorities.

"In general, India's democratic system, open society, independent legal institutions, vibrant civil society and press all provided mechanisms to address violations of religious freedom when they did occur," the State Department said in its annual report. "Although the vast majority of citizens of every religious group lived in peaceful co-existence, some organised societal attacks against minority religious groups occurred," the report said in its section related to India, adding that State police and enforcement agencies often did not act swiftly to effectively counter such attacks.

"The Government at the central level is quite committed and it's also, as you know, a very diverse– religiously diverse society, where, in fact, a lot of religions were born and nurtured. I think at a local level we have some concerns, and there are some specific instances mentioned in the report," Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, Michael H Posner, told reporters after the release of the Congressionally mandated annual report. “The response to violence, for example, in one case where a Hindu religious leader was killed and there was a spate of violence that affected mainly a Christian population and 40-some people killed."

Posner, in a note of caution said, "So we are very mindful that there are still inner religious tensions within the society, and I think our focus would be on the lack of response at a local level rather than a national – the national policy is good. It's a question of how it's implemented at a local level."

It also mentioned the violence in Kandhamal in August 2008 after the killing of Swami Lakshmanananda by individuals affiliated with the Maoists. The violence claimed 40 lives and left 134 injured, it said. "Although most victims were Christians, the underlying causes that led to the violence have complex ethnic, economic, religious and political roots related to land ownership and government-reserved employment and educational benefits," it said, adding that police arrested 1,200 persons, including a Maoist leader and registered over 1,000 criminal cases. According to several independent accounts, an estimated 3,200 refugees remained in relief camps, down from 24,000 in the immediate aftermath of the violence, the report noted.

The report refers to the allegations of non-governmental organisations that BJP stoked communally sensitive matter as State elections grew near. While there was no report of any religious violence during the general elections held early this year, the report did mention the alleged inflammatory speech of the young BJP leader Varun Gandhi.

The State Department in its report also mentions the anti-conversion bills in the BJP-ruled States of Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, as well as in the BJD-ruled Orissa.

The BJP continued to advocate contentious measures, such as the passage of "anti conversion" legislation in all states, the construction of a Hindu temple on the Ayodhya site, and the enactment of a uniform civil code. During the reporting period, the government of Maharashtra took no action on regional Shiv Sena party chief Bal Thackeray for his June 2008 remarks advocating creation of "Hindu suicide squads" to fight "Islamic terrorism.", it said.

Earlier this year, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) had placed India on its "Watch List" for New Delhi’s largely inadequate response in protecting its religious minorities. In a statement, USCIRF said India earned the "Watch List" designation due to the "disturbing increase" in communal violence against religious minorities - specifically Christians in Orissa in 2008 and Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 - and the largely inadequate response from the Indian government to protect the rights of religious minorities. "It is extremely disappointing that India, which has a multitude of religious communities, has done so little to protect and bring justice to its religious minorities under siege," Leonard Leo, USCIRF chair, was quoted to have said.

According to the recent report, Christian church groups in Karnataka alleged attempts by state police to gather information on their pastorates under the guise of providing official sanction to function in their local areas. "For example, on September 26, 2008, a police notice asked Christian prayer groups in Moodabidri police station's jurisdiction in Mangalore for documentation pertaining to building ownership, activities, and membership. Christian groups feared the information would be passed to Hindu extremist groups planning to organise anti-Christian violence,” the report said.

It said numerous cases remained in courts, including those related to the 2002 Gujarat violence, the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, and the more recent attacks against Christians, and some extremists continued to view the ineffective investigation and prosecution as a signal that they could commit such violence with impunity.

The State Department report said government officials responded to a number of new and previous violent events, helping to prevent communal violence and providing relief and rehabilitation packages for victims and their families.

It also praised leaders of religious groups for making public efforts to show respect for other groups by celebrating their holidays and attending social events, and for protesting cases of violence against other communities. "Muslim groups protested the mistreatment of Christians by Hindu extremists... Christian clergy and spokespersons for Christian organisations issued public statements condemning anti-Muslim violence in places such as Gujarat ," it said. After the Mumbai strikes, religious leaders of all communities condemned the attacks and issued statements to maintain communal harmony, the report said.

Baba Ramdev travels across USA making Yoga popular
Ajay Ghosh

Swami Ramdev, also known as Baba Ramdev, who lives in his 500-acre headquarters in Haridwar, a pilgrimage town on the Himalayan ranges, built on an especially propitious spot where the Ganges emerges from the Himalayas, is particularly well-known for his efforts in popularizing Yoga.

His yoga camps are attended by a large number of people. Over 85 million people are said to follow his yoga camps through TV channels (such as "Aastha") and video. His yoga teaching sessions are for the masses and his stated principle in life is to be of help to all. He is also one of the founders of the Divya Yoga Mandir Trust that aims to popularize Yoga and offer Ayurvedic treatments.

He started the ascetic order and learning the scriptures through Swami Shankerdevji Maharaj where he fully mastered it. According to Baba Ramdev he was physically paralyzed before taking up the yoga. Today, through his yoga camps Yogi Baba Ramdev has been able to rid people of many ailments such as Diabetes, Heart Disease, Arthritis, Thyroid Problems, Hypertension, Blood pressure, Stomach ailments and several cancer types without the use of any medication. Such is the power of the great swami and his method of teachings

The yoga taught by Swami Ramdev consists of the Yoga Sutras (from the Samkhya philosophy and the Bhagavad Gita) that focuses on the achieving Samadhi through the use of practicing meditation. This can be achieved by using following the eight limbs that are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.

Vegetarianism, breathing exercises and ayurvedic medicinal treatments (which range from having warm oil drizzled over one's body to the less-pleasant-sounding induced vomiting) are central to this vision - but so are population control, compulsory voting, an end to corruption and swadesi (a kind of economic nationalism). "With this, perhaps India will be a superpower in 15 or 20 years," he says.

Baba Ramdev has claimed, for instance, that yoga can cure HIV/Aids - with something more overtly rational encapsulates this swami's style. Baba Ramdev has popularised yoga across India over the past decade through a combination of plain speaking, fierce diatribes against Western lifestyles and a cable TV channel. He spends part of each 18-hour working day in his laboratory, seeking empirical proof of yoga's worth.

He is on world tour popularizing yoga around the globe. Baba Ramdev has been on a visit to the United States from October 5th to 11th, 2009. His visits in the US include, Florida, Texas and New York. Animesh Goenka, who is an important member of Babaji’s mission in USA, informed that they are working to promote Yoga and Pranayam as an inexpensive way to prevent diseases and promote health." Millions of people in India are being benefited from this ancient Indian technique. This knowledge is useful for every human being in this world. If you can prevent a health problem by Yoga and a healthy life style , it can give a happy life to a person, save lot of money and increase productivity. This is a win win situation for any person, society, country or this world." This is the message of Baba Ramdev ji.

Baba ji visited America in 2007 and 2008 and had held Yoga camps in various cities. The current visit is dedicated to promote yoga centers in various cities. They plan to train thousands of volunteer teachers across America, who can impart this knowledge in and around their community.

Nassau County Executive on Long Island, New York, Tom Souzzi and Heritage India group, a charitable organization. Joined hands to organize a grand reception at the Nassau County Executive and the Legislative Building on Long Island, NY in honor of Baba Ramdev on October 11,2009. More than 400 devotees and officials attended by invitation from the county. Prominent among them were, Tom Suozzi, Chitra Sarkar of Air India and John Cayman supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead.

“Swami Ramdev Ji's follow up visit to New York is intended to make Nassau County as a model to promote yoga and meditation efforts across US for better and affordable health and disease prevention via simple yogic exercises and paranayam," Animesh Goenka , president of Heritage India, said.Mohinder Singh, co-ordinator of the program, thanked county executive for his co-operation in organizing the event.

In his nearly an hour long speech, Baba Ramdev emphasized the importance of seven different Pranayam techniques, which can help any individual to loose weight and protect them from diseases like hypertension and diabetes. These diseases form the root cause of many other ailments. He demonstrated the correct way of doing different pranayams. “By keeping fit, you not only help yourself, your family, your nation but the entire world", said Swami Ji.

Tom Souzzi applauded the efforts of Baba Ramdev in helping to improve the life style of millions of people around the world. Prevention is always better than cure. He remarked, “Nassau County is one of the safest county to live in all of America and we want to make it one of the healthiest county as well.".

Other co-ordinators of this program were Georgy Bhalla of Tathaastu magazine and Rajiv Garg, who is the distributor in USA for Ayurvedic herbs and food supplements of Patanjali Yogpeeth, India. Sudhir Vaishnav Chaired the Media Committee relations.

Baba Ramdev's belief is that every human being should have knowledge of Yoga and Pranayam.Practice of these techniques not only rejuvenates health, increases self confidence and personal happiness, but also creates international brotherhood and respect for other cultures.

Diwali celebrated at White House
Ajay Ghosh
In a significant move acknowledging the stronger ties between India and the United States and the ever growing influence of the Indian American community in the US, President Barack Obama celebrated Diwali in the East Room of the White House on October 14, 2009 by lighting atraditional lamp, accompanied by Vedic chants by a Hindu priest.

This was the first time in the history of the United States that a sitting President not only hosted a Diwali ceremony but was also present at the function. Obama's predecessor George W Bush also hosted a Diwali ceremony for six consecutive years, but he never attended a single celebration, instead deputing a cabinet official or a senior aide. Also, the event was always held in the Indian Treaty Room at the Old Executive Office Building , which is adjacent to the White House, and serves as an administrative office of the White House.

The historic Diwali celebration this year was accompanied by an event where President Obama signed an executive order to restore the White House Commission and Interagency Working Group to address issues concerning the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

According to reports, over two dozen Indian Americans, including several who serve in the Obama Administration were guests at the event, which was attended by approximately 150 Asian Americans on hand to witness the signing of the executive order and the celebration of Diwali at the White House. Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar and visiting Commerce Minister Anand Sharma were special guests of the White House at the event.

At the venue, on each chair was a small box containing four sweets courtesy of the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Lanham , Maryland , and Narayanachar Digalakote, the priest who had the honour of flanking Obama while he lit thediya and chanting the shloka was also from the same temple. The programme began with a song by Penn Masala, the world's first Hindi a cappella group formed in 1996 by students of the University of Pennsylvania that combines South Asian music with a Western musical style.

Obama was welcomed with a standing ovation. In his address, Obama recognized Penn Masala, veteran Asian-American athletes, his Asian-American cabinet members -- Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki -- and those Asian Americans who served in World War II. He praised the Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and AAPI, among others. He shared with the audience his rationale for restoring the AAPI White House Commission.

"I think it's fitting that we begin this work in the week leading up to the holiday of Diwali -- the festival of lights -- when members of some of the world's greatest faiths celebrate the triumph of good over evil," Obama said. "This coming Saturday," he said, "Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists, here in America and around the world, will celebrate this holiday by lighting diyas or lamps, which symbolise the victory of light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. And while this is a time of rejoicing, it's also a time for reflection, when we remember those who are less fortunate and renew our commitment to reach out to those in need."

Obama went on to add: "While the significance of the holiday for each faith varies," Obama said, "all of them mark it by gathering with family members to pray and decorate the house and enjoy delicious food and sweet treats. And, in that spirit of celebration and contemplation, I am happy to light the White House diya, and wish you all a Happy Diwali and a Saal Mubarak." With these remarks, Obama lit the diya, after which he once again returned the salutation from Digalakote, with a beaming smile and then shook hands with the priest. What he had chanted, Digalakote said, was "a mantra for world peace, where I said, O Lord, please lead the unreal to real and please lead us from darkness and ignorance to the light of knowledge and please bestow prosperity on all of us."

AMA to work with AAPI on healthcare reforms
SAN ANTONIO, TX: Indian-born physicians have emerged as leaders of American medical community and international medical graduates make up about 25 percent of one million strong physicians in the US, said Dr. J. James Rohack, president of American Medical Association (AMA) on Oct 10.

Addressing the fall governing body meeting of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) as guest speaker here, he said one in four of every international medical graduates went to a medical school in India and there are more than 33,000 IMGs as members of the AMA.

The AMA and the AAPI are working together hand-in-hand on several areas of interest to Indian-American physicians such as speeding up of visa application process and securing J-1 visa waivers for physicians to practice in underserved areas access. “These issues don’t affect only the physicians but the medical education system, delivery of quality patient care, especially those in the underserved areas,” he said.

The two premier organizations are also working on equal opportunity to residency programs, closer state licensure parity with graduates of US medical schools, license portability from state to state and the AMA is working hard to find solutions to the issues important to the Indian community, Dr. Rohack said. “The international medical graduates have made AMA a better organization that more accurately reflects the diversity in American medicine.”

“Covering the uninsured is a top priority of AMA and there should be comprehensive health system reform that will cover the uninsured, improve healthcare delivery system and place affordable high quality care within the reach of all Americans,” he said. “America’s fight for health system reform like the song Jai Ho is building toward a crescendo.”

The AMA supports the efforts at reform because physicians see what’s broken in the current system every day. Rising healthcare costs strain individuals, businesses and government budgets and the disease burden of widespread obesity portent a tidal wave of costs that may drown the nation, he observed. Those without health insurance, who can’t afford a visit to a personal physician and who access care only through an emergency department live sicker and die younger. This is unacceptable in the wealthiest and most technologically advanced society in the history of the world. AMA will work closely with AAPI in finding a solution, he added.

Julian Castro, Mayor of City of San Antonio, said he was happy that Indian-American physicians chose the great city for the meeting and praised their services to the nation.

Dr. Vinod Shah, AAPI president, in his key-note address, said Indian-American physicians give back to the society not only in India but in the US as well. On lack of residency slots to qualified medical graduates, he said:” I have met many bright young men and women from around the world who arrived in America in much the same manner as I had 40 years ago. Many of these are international medical graduates, and easily some of the world’s brightest minds; many have already successfully completed the rigorous American Board examinations.

Thousands of these very motivated professionals are floundering in the dark because they are unable to practice what they have been educated for, are committed to, and excel in. It is a tragic irony that individuals with the potential to help others are languishing in their untapped potential. This group can easily become part of the solution for the problem our healthcare system is facing. What lies between our country’s success and their failure is three years of residency,” he said.

Dr. Shah explained the outcome of his recent meetings in India with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, federal Health and Family Welfare Minister of state Dinesh Trivedi, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi, President of Medical Council of India and several faculty members. The third Indo-US Healthcare summit will be held in New Delhi in January 2010 and next year’s annual convention in Washington DC, he said.

Dr. Jayesh Shah, treasurer of AAPI, chair of AMA International Medical Graduate section and organizer of the event, said the purpose of combining the governing body and the Charitable Foundation dinner was to encourage participation of physicians in foundation activities in a big way.

The Texas Indo- American Physicians Society Southwest Chapter (TIPS-SW), the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI)-Charitable Foundation, and the India Association of San Antonio (IASA) in cooperation with the local ethnic associations had staged a benefit program called “Dancing for the Millions-Jai Ho” and the proceeds will benefit the Charitable Foundation of AAPI that runs 17 free clinics in India and AAPI doctors’ runs more than eight free clinics in the US, he added.

The governing body meeting was followed by a meeting of the executive committee and board of trustees of AAPI. A gala event to raise funds for AAPI Charitable Foundation and charity dinner and ball were also held in the evening with silent auction and presided over by Dr. Shashi Shah, president of the charitable foundation. David Deanda, president of Lone Star National Bank was honored for his support to the event. A seminar for International Medical Graduates was conducted and was presided by Dr. Stephen Seeling, vice president of operations, Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and Dr. Rajam Ramamurthy, professor of Neonatology, UTHSCA. Another seminar on business of medicine was conducted for young practicing physicians in conjunction with Bexar County Medical Society and Southwest General Hospital and was presided over by Sarah Fontenat and Dr. Vijay Koli, past president of AAPI. Dr. Ajeet Singhvi, president-elect, welcomed the guests and Dr. Narendra Kumar, secretary, proposed a vote of thanks.

Minister Shashi Tharoor meets Indian Community Groups in New York
Ajay Ghosh

The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) and the Indian American Kerala Cultural and Civic Center joined hands with other Indian community groups to host a reception/dinner in honor of the visiting India’s Minister for State of External Affairs Dr. Shashi Tharoor at the Kerala Center on Wednesday, October 14th. Attended by over 200 Indian community representatives from the tri-state New York area, the program also served as an interactive session with Minister Tharoor.

The program started with formal welcome from the Kerala Center President Jose Chummar and GOPIO Executive Vice President Ashook Ramsaran. Dr. Thomas Abraham, GOPIO’s Founder and Chairman Emeritus conducted proceedings of the meeting and emphasized that NRIs/PIOs want to actively participate in India’s development and interactive sessions with Indian officials should pave the way for the most effective channel to utilize their resources.

Being an NRI for a long time and returning to India in 2007, Tharoor said that this is a good time to represent India since India has been drawing greater attention all over the world because of its extraordinary economic growth in the last several years. Tharoor said that he has been quite excited about his new assignment as Minister of State for External Affairs. At the reception, instead of a speech, he took up a large number of questions from the audience.

Answering questions, Tharoor said that he is using India’s foreign relations platform to increase bilateral trade between India and other countries. On question on the terrorism in India, Tharoor said that the government has placed a high priority on the safety issues in India.

On relations with Pakistan, Tharoor said that after the terrorist attack in Mumbai last year, Pakistan was not forthcoming in the beginning to arrest and punish culprits which resulted in our bilateral relations. However, things are improving in that front now.

On the Iran nuclear issue, Tharoor said that although India has historically very close relations with Iran, India will not support the nuclear weapon ambition of Iran since Iran has signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and it should follow the rules.

There were many other questions such as Overseas Indian Citizenship (OCI) card, voting rights for Indian citizens living outside India, NRI property disputes in India, etc. He suggested these issues should be brought in at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to the attention of Ministry of overseas Indian Affairs and to ministers and secretaries from several ministries who would present at the PBD. He also recommended to join hands with an established group such as GOPIO to campaign and to bring government’s attention on important issues concerning NRIs/PIOs.

Other participating organizations were Long island Malayalee Association, NRIs for Secular and Harmonies India, India Empowerment Group, National Indian American Association for Senior Citizens (NIAASC) and Indian Christian Forum. The program ended with closing remarks by GOPIO-CT President Sangeeta Ahuja and a vote of thanks by George Thomas, Secretary of Long Island Malayalee Association.

Oct 11th 2009 declared Baba Ramdev Day by Nassau County
Ajay Ghosh

Nassau County Executive, Tom Souzzi and Heritage India group, a charitable organization. joined to organize a grand reception at Nassau County Executive and the Legislative Building on Long Island, NY in honor of Baba Ramdev, one of the most acclaimed Yoga teacher and health promoter, on October 11,2009. More than 400 devotees and officials attended by invitation from the county. Prominent among them were, Tom Suozzi, Chitra Sarkar of Air India and John Cayman supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead.

" Swami Ramdev Ji's follow up visit to New York is intended to make Nassau County as a model to promote yoga and meditation efforts across US for better and affordable health and disease prevention via simple yogic exercises and paranayam," Animesh Goenka , president of Heritage India, said. Mohinder Singh, co-ordinator of the program, thanked county executive for his co-operation in organizing the event.

In his nearly an hour long speech, Baba Ramdev emphasized the importance of seven different Pranayam techniques, which can help any individual to loose weight and protect them from diseases like hypertension and diabetes. These diseases form the root cause of many other ailments. He demonstrated the correct way of doing different pranayams. “By keeping fit, you not only help yourself, your family, your nation but entire world", said Swami Ji.

Tom Souzzi applauded the efforts of Baba Ramdev in helping to improve the life style of millions of people around the world. Prevention is always better than cure. He remarked “Nassau County is one of the safest counties to live in all of America and we want to make it one of the healthiest counties as well".

Other co-ordinators of this program were Georgy Bhalla of Tathaastu magazine and Rajiv Garg, who is the distributor in USA for Ayurvedic herbs and food supplements of Patanjali Yogpeeth, India. Sudhir Vaishnav Chaired the Media Committee relations.

Baba Ramdev has been on a visit to the United States from 5th to 11th Oct. His visits in the US include Florida, Texas and New York. Animesh Goenka, who is an important member of Babaji's mission in USA, informed that they are working to promote Yoga and Pranayam as an inexpensive way to prevent diseases and promote health. “Millions of people in India are being benefited from this ancient Indian technique. This knowledge is useful for every human being in this world. If you can prevent a health problem by Yoga and a healthy life style, it can give a happy life to a person, save lot of money and increase productivity. This is a win situation for any person, society, country or this world." This is the message of Baba Ramdev ji.

Baba ji visited America in 2007 and 2008 when he held 5 days Yoga camps in various cities. The current visit is dedicated to promote yoga centers in various cities. They plan to train thousands of volunteer teachers across America, who can impart this knowledge in and around their community. Baba Ramdev's belief is that every human being should have knowledge of Yoga and Pranayam. Practice of these techniques not only rejuvenates health, increases self confidence and personal happiness, but also creates international brotherhood and respect for other cultures.

665 million Indians still defecate in open: UN
Highlighting that safe disposal of faeces is critical for reducing the number of diarrhoea cases, United Nations on Thursday stressed on the need for hygienic sanitary practices to combat the disease, the second greatest killer of children after Malaria.

A joint study by the World Health organisation and UNICEF 'Diarrhoea: Why Children Are Still Dying and What Can Be Done', also pointed out that India has the largest number of persons that defecate in the open worldwide.

Out of a total of 2.5 billion people worldwide that defecate openly, 665 million belong to India. Some 88 per cent of diarrhoeal deaths worldwide are attributable to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.

"Improving access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and promoting good hygiene are key components in preventing diarrhoea," the report said noting that one in four persons in the developing world do not use clean toilets.

The problem is further compounded by unsafe disposal of children faeces in developing countries, the study said.

"It is a tragedy that diarrhoea, which is little more than an inconvenience in the developed world, kills an estimated 1.5 million children each year," Ann M Veneman, UNICEF chief said.

The chief further noted that though inexpensive and effective treatments for diarrhoea exist, in developing countries only 39 per cent of children receive the recommended treatment.

The report also underlines that recent introduction of zinc tablets into treatment programmes in India and Pakistan has helped children fight off diarrhoea more effectively. Zinc has been associated with a 25 per cent reduction in the duration of acute diarrhoea, as well as a 40 per cent reduction in treatment failure and death in persistent diarrhoea.

It also states that handwashing with soap is the most cost effective intervention for reducing child deaths as it lowers the incidence of diarrhoeal disease by over 40 per cent.

The study also presents a seven-point plan to reduce diarrhoea deaths, which include: replacing body fluids to prevent dehydration, zinc treatments to build immunity, immunisation against rotavirus and measles, improved water supply, sanitation and hand washing with soap.
"We know where children are dying of diarrhoea. We know what must be done to prevent those deaths. We must work with governments and partners to put this seven-point plan into action," Margaret Chan, Head WHO said.

Halloween
In October all over America farms are full of pumpkins, as part of the Halloween celebration. Pumpkins can be found every where, in the offices, homes, door steps etc. Millions and millions of pumpkins are carved with scary looking evil faces with candle or bulb inside (Jack O' Lanterns) believed to be a protection from evil spirits. Americans (mostly not believing the superstitious stories or not afraid of evil spirits) still follow the traditions.

October 31 (Halloween night) most children, teenagers, wear scary masks and the scary dresses of ghosts, witches, Dracula’s etc and go and knock each and every house in the neighbourhood. The home owners are expected to open the door and treat these evils with sweet chocolates and candies. Some of the kids going for 'trick or treat' get bag full of candies (usually pillow covers used as bags). If the home owner doesn't treat them good, they can play trick on the home owner such as throwing eggs on windows, throwing pumpkins and make your walls dirty, stick toilet papers wet on windows (very hard to remove) etc. (Basically the theme is treating the evil spirits of the dead happy so that they don't hurt the living ones).

Halloween is just around the corner. In the Unites States, Halloween is the second most celebrated holiday after Christmas. The Ancient Gaels, who gave the origin to this holiday, believed that on October 31 the world of the living and the dead overlapped, and the spirits of the dead would come back, sometimes causing chaos and fear. Halloween masks and costumes were traditionally used to mimic the evil spirits and placate them.

Onam celebrations showcase culture, traditions of Kerala
Ajay Ghosh

Onam, the harvest festival of the Indian state of Kerala, marks the annual homecoming of legendary King Mahabali to visit his subjects. Celebrated around the world by Malayalees during the month of Chingam of the Kerala Calendar, which falls in August-September, festivities lasts for ten days and brings out the best of the Kerala culture and traditions. Intricately decorated Pookalam, ambrosial Onasadhya, breathtaking Snake Boat Race and exotic Kaikottikali dance are some of the most remarkable features of Onam celebrations.

The beauty of the festival lies in its secular fabric. People of all religions, castes and communities celebrate the festival with equal joy and verve. Onam also helps to create an atmosphere of peace and brotherhood by way of various team sports organised on the day

Living in countries that are far away from their homeland, in the midst of different cultures, busy with the day-to-day mundane work and home tasks, the Non Resident Indian (NRI) community made this "land of opportunities" their home, have brought with them these cultural traditions and have sought to pass them on to their children, who are often born and raised here.

The celebration of Onam festival provides them with a perfect opportunity to encourage the new generation of children of Indian origin to witness, learn and appreciate these rich traditions, even while it offers the first generation NRIs to stay connected and cherish the rich cultural heritage they hold so dear to them.

There are several Associations and groups across the United States that organized Onam celebrations in the past month. Ever weekend, beginning in the last week of August to the end of September, there have been reports of Onam celebrations from around the United States.

Malayalee Association of Southern Connecticut (MASCONN) which was formed less than a year ago, had its maiden Onam celebrations last month in Bridgeport, CT. Attended by nearly for hundred people from southern Connecticut, the cultural extravaganza was in many ways “reliving the culture and traditions” and a “cherishing the past with a view to pass it on to the future generation.”

Mathew and Pramela, who had emceed the event, shared the story of Onam with the young children who had gathered to celebrate the festival with their parents and friends: “Onam awaits one very special visitor; Kerala's most loved legendary King Maveli. He is the King who once gave the people a golden era in Kerala. The King is so much attached to his kingdom that it is believed that he comes annually from the nether world to see his people living happily. It is in honor of King Mahabali, affectionately called Onathappan, that Onam is celebrated.”

Earlier, Onam celebrations began with the lighting of the traditional Nailavilakku, by honored guests of MASCONN and the executive members, including President - C.V Johnson, Vice President - Ajit Puthiyavettle, Secretary - Wilson Pottackal, and Treasurer - Giby Gregory. “MASCONN an offshoot of the natural growth of the Indian-American especially Malayalee Community in the southern Connecticut region,” said CV Johnson, in his welcome address. “In a very short period, we have grown by leaps and bounds and we strive to meet the growing needs of our community.

Legendary King Mahabali was welcomed to the stage with pancha vadyam and a warm traditional welcome by Radha, Sangeetha, Deepa, Priya, Priyanka, Jisha, Prameela, Susha, who later on performed Thiruvathira. The inaugural songs were presented by Harsha ands Sony. Several dances, songs and music by children and adults, and fashion parade by little children made the celebrations very memorable to all.

The whole ambience was filled with nostalgia since it was an occasion for all the Malayalees in Connecticut to cherish their childhood memories, especially everyone enjoyed the sumptuous Onam Sadhya (meal), the most important and main attraction of the day with different traditional dishes and ''payasam'' that was served on banana leaves.

Colors, sights and sounds come alive at
The Sikh International Film Festival & Heritage Gala
Ajay Ghosh

Over a thousand people witnessed firsthand the rich and vibrant traditions, culture and heritage of the Sikhs over the September 18-19 weekend in New York City. Hosted by the Sikh Art & Film Foundation, the Sikh International Film Festival and Heritage Gala were completely “Sold Out” events, second year in a row!

The festivities started off with filmmakers, celebrities, artists and jury members walking the Red Carpet Reception for the Film Festival at the Asia Society on Park Ave. This was followed by the Feature Session where prominent British artists – The Singh Twins presented 1984 and the Via Dolorosa Project to mark the 25th anniversary of the genocide in India when thousands of innocent Sikhs were killed in the aftermath of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination.

This somber and emotionally charged film was followed by the first documentary funded by the Sikh Art & Film Foundation – an upbeat World Premiere of Flying Sikhs: A History of Sikh Fighter Pilots, directed by the acclaimed Navdeep Kandola . This film documented the valiant contributions of Sikhs towards the Allies victories in WW I & II. Flying Sikhs reminded us that Sikhs with their characteristic turbans were at the forefront of defending the freedoms and liberties of the western world, while sixty years later in the present US armed forces Sikhs cannot serve for the very same reason – the turban!

The colors, sights and sounds at the Asia Society’s theater came to an overwhelming crescendo as if the audience was a part of a dream painting by the legendary Indian painter M. F. Husain. The “Picasso of India” was the honored guest during the screening of Flying Sikhs, and wished “future successes to the Sikh Film Festival.”

The final showcase presentation at the Feature Session was My Mother India – a powerful tale of love and hate, exile and belonging, loss of identity and return of faith. Indo-Australian director Safina Uberoi documented the lives of her white Australian mother and eccentric Sikh father against the backdrop of the 1984 genocide against Sikhs in Delhi. The film had the over-capacity audience in spiels of laughter, followed by poignant sadness. In the Q&A that followed, Uberoi spoke eloquently about the responsibility artists take upon themselves to make thought-provoking films, “we first have to acknowledge the truth, accept it, and only then, can we heal from it.”

The power packed evening ended with a typical high-energy Bhangra “After Party” at the Garden Court where over four hundred guests danced the night away with filmmakers, local celebrities, and Foundation members to the infectious rhythms produced by DJ Kucha.

Saturday, the second and final day of the Film Festival started off with the screening of six documentaries in the Short Films Session. These films ranged from the lives of taxi drivers in the post 9/11 world as documented by the talented Vandana Sood in Street Smarts, to Unravelling – an inter-generational poetic dialogue in Urdu between the director Kuldip Powar and his grandfather – a War Veteran who fought for the British in WW II, discussing the complexities of war, personal loss and India’s colonial legacy.

This was followed by the final four films screened during the Documentary Session. Topics such as the growing urban gang violence in the South Asian community as documented in A Warrior’s Religion by Mani Amar, to the fascinating history of the turban – from ancient Christianity to modern day Sikhs in the US Premiere of Turbanology directed by the spirited Jay Singh-Sohal resonated with the packed audience. Turbanology is powerful documentary explored the impact of the war on terror and western society’s reaction to a simple article of faith – the turban.

A noted jury with members such as Vicki Mabrey – ABC News Nightline, Dr. Sarab Singh Neelam – Director of Ocean of Pearls, and Aseem Chhabra – Film Critic & SAJA Board Member, sat with the audience to select the winners in the Short and Documentary genres. This year the Foundation again presented a total of $15,000 in prize money to films that were selected and won at the Festival.

Capping off the screening of thirteen great films was the closing night Heritage Gala at the luxurious Cipriani Wall Street on Saturday, September 19. Hosted by the talented PBS World Focus news anchor Dr. Daljit Dhaliwal the grand event kicked off with a beautiful video message from the guest of honor – the accomplished film director Mira Nair (who had to rush to London for last minute editing of the upcoming feature Amelia starring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere).

Ms. Nair said that she believed strongly in the mission of the Foundation, “if we don’t tell our story nobody will.” She further added that both her parents are from the holiest of Sikh pilgrimages – Amritsar and that her love for the culture was evident from her immensely successful movie Monsoon Wedding.

The focus then shifted to the annual Heritage Awards presented by the Foundation to individuals who have contributed towards elevating the Sikh experience. Tejinder Singh Bindra – President of the Foundation invited Shelly and Donald Rubin – Co-Chairs & Founders of the Rubin Museum of Art who were presented with the Award for Vision by the Honorable Thomas DiNapoli – Comptroller of New York State. The RMA had hosted the critically acclaimed art exhibition in 2006-07 titled I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art & Devotion.

The Award for Leadership was presented to Analjit Singh – Philanthropist and Founder & Chairman of the Max Group of Companies, by Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri – Permanent Representative of India to the U. N. and his wife Ambassador Lakshmi Puri. Presenting the award, he praised the work done by the Foundation to preserve Sikh heritage, art and customs, and said “the Sikh community both here and in India is recognized for its hard work and commitment!”

The final Heritage Award for “Sewa” (Community Service) was presented by Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany – Patron of the Foundation and Father of Fiber Optics, to the one and only Sardar Ujagar Singh – Director of Camp Chardi Kala. His untiring efforts have created a new generation of activists and leaders based on very clear understanding of the Sikh and American value system of community service. Undoubtedly, the cream of Sikh youth in America, including leaders at SALDEF, Sikh Coalition, and United Sikhs have all graduated from his camps!

The suspense and wait to present the Film Festival winners finally came to an end with Dr. Paul Johar – Film Festival Chairperson introducing the nominee videos of the Short and Documentary Session and inviting Ambassador Prabhu Dayal – Consul General of India, New York, to present the awards. Following up on the inspiring words of Hardeep Puri, Prabhu Dayal added “the Sikh community is also known for its excellence!”

The Best Short Film award went to Unravelling directed by Kuldip Powar. While accepting his award he said that Sikhs had to fight two battles before filmmaking, “the first is to convince your family that having anything to do with art is good, and second was to get funds for non-mainstream films.”

Winner of the Best Documentary was A Warrior’s Religion. In his acceptance speech, director Mani Amar who grew up amongst the urban violence, said “but that’s what I really want. I really want to fight for peace.”

With the presentation of the Heritage and Film Festival awards over, co-emcee Mr. Harmeet Bharara – Gala Chairperson invited Mandeep Sobti – Fundraising Chairperson to announce the start of the Live Art Auction. Exquisite paintings by the distinguished Sikh and Punjabi painter Arpana Caur highlighted the exciting bidding process!

The festive part of the entire weekend celebrations was capped off by the infectious beats and sound of the pioneers of UK Bhangra – Rhythm Dhol Bass (RDB) featuring the melodious voice of Nindy Kaur. Fresh off their multiple successes from title soundtracks of Singh is Kinng, Kambakkht Ishq and Aloo Chat, they literally shook the illuminated Cipriani Wall Street. Actor Samrat Chakrabarti made it back in time from the premiere of his film Waiting City at the Toronto International Film Festival to Bhangra the night away, while the lovely Pooja Kumar – leading lady of Bollywood Hero looked radiant in her sequined sheath dress dancing the night away to the beats of DJ Kucha spinning the latest Bhangra and Bollywood hits!
The Saturday night Late After Party at Leela Lounge capped an end to the Film Festival with several filmmakers and celebrities mingled with the capacity crowd entertained by the House, Bhangra , Hip Hop and Bollywood from the hyper-energetic DJ Kucha. Explaining the overwhelming success of the 2009 Film Festival and Heritage Gala, Hansdip Bindra – Marketing Chairperson said “We built on the tremendous success of last year by further expanding our partnerships, online and new media presence to reach out to the targeted audience. We had guests who flew out all the way to NYC from southern California and Chicago for the weekend events! The Sikh International Film Festival has established itself as the worldwide leader for showcasing independent films about the Sikh Diaspora.

India on World Stage
G-20 summit accepts the growing influence of developing nations
Ajay Ghosh

Dr. Manmohan Singh is truly the only qualified among all the G-20 Summit leaders to talk about the complex world of international finance because he has doctorate degree in economics and has practiced his knowledge throughout his life, said John Kirton, director of G-20 research group of Toronto University.

PM Singh's personal qualifications and India's thriving democracy continue to give it an edge at international summits that are dealing with the world of economy. In spite of India's dismal contribution in international trade, which is little above 1 percent, India sits confidently on high table.

The suggestions from India's economist-turned-prime minister Manmohan Singh on how to ride out the economic crisis that has shaken the world: he had listed out a series of measures that he felt would ensure the quickest possible return to normalcy in the global economy. Among them, replacing lost export demand - which has hurt India badly - by expanding investment in infrastructure, including energy, transport and other public services.

The Prime Minister asked the World Bank and other multilateral institutions to step up to fulfill this role, in effect asking richer nations to commit additional resources to fund them. And in a snarky aside to his rich colleagues who may hesitate to commit additional public resources for such recapitalization, the normally soft-spoken had this to say: We must keep in mind what is needed for these institutions is small compared to the massive scale of public money used to stabilize the private financial system in industrialized countries.

The G-20 Summit is certainly a step forward for developing countries. The bottom-line of such high-level international summits can be termed successful if rich people yield even little space to developing or poor countries. In real world, developed, rich and powerful countries are controlling leverages of the finance sector while the leaders of the developing countries, who are struggling with poverty, inflation and money for infrastructure but still growing impressively, are trying to make these Western countries realize that they can no more dictate the world -- because their growths are stagnating, their dependence on developing world is increasing and it is becoming irreversible.

It’s a welcome sign that the leaders of the world's biggest economies who had gathered in Pittsburgh, PA from September 24-25th, 2009 for the Group of 20 summit have agreed that the organization will replace the Group of Eight as a permanent body for international economic cooperation. The change reflects the world's shifting economic powers and a need for the U.S. and the traditional European powers to secure the cooperation of fast-growing economies such as China, India and Brazil to make progress on pressing issues.

The G-8 -- made up of the U.S., Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Russia -- has come under criticism for being an elite, anachronistic body that couldn't get much done because the main issues they faced often involved emerging nations that weren't at the table The recent Summit of G-20 leaders has aimed for significant agreements today on regulating the global financial system as well as more modest progress on climate change. G-20 leaders said, " We are committed to a shift in International Monetary Fund quota share to dynamic emerging markets and developing countries of at least 5 percent from over-represented countries to under-represented countries using the current quota formula as the basis to work from. Today we have delivered on our promise to contribute over $500 billion to a renewed and expanded IMF New Arrangements to Borrow."

PM Singh had said at the Summit, "We have agreed that the G-20 will henceforth be the premier forum for international economic issues. This is an important development broadening the global governance structure."

PM Singh in his interaction with media persons pointed out, "Agreement on 5 percent shift was a compromise. Developing countries had asked for 7 percent." Nevertheless this shift means that China, India and other countries would get voting rights in functioning of IMF.

“We have achieved a level of tangible, global economic cooperation that we’ve never seen before,” President Obama said shortly after the summit meeting of 20 leading economies concluded here. “Our financial system will be far different and more secure than the one that failed so dramatically last year.” The leaders pledged to rethink their economic policies in a coordinated effort to reduce the immense imbalances between export-dominated countries like China and Japan and debt-laden countries like the United States, which has long been the world’s most willing consumer.

The following points of the statement released by the G-20 leaders suggests why the summit at Pittsburgh was a way forward and positive for India and other developing countries. The statement said G-20 countries will "make sure our regulatory system for banks and other financial firms reins in the excesses that led to the crisis. Where reckless behavior and a lack of responsibility led to crisis, we will not allow a return to banking as usual."

This means that millions of dollars of hefty pay packages and salary-linked performance which breeds greed amongst bankers and financers will come under scrutiny. G-20 leaders also said, "We designated the G-20 to be the premier forum for our international economic cooperation. We established the Financial Stability Board to include major emerging economies and welcome its efforts to coordinate and monitor progress in strengthening financial regulation."

The statement resolved that, "We stressed the importance of adopting a dynamic formula at the World Bank which primarily reflects countries' evolving economic weight and the World Bank's development mission, and that generates an increase of at least 3 percent of voting power for developing and transition countries, to the benefit of under-represented countries. While recognizing that over-represented countries will make a contribution, it will be important to protect the voting power of the smallest poor countries. We called on the World Bank to play a leading role in responding to problems whose nature requires globally coordinated action, such as climate change and food security, and agreed that the World Bank and the regional development banks should have sufficient resources to address these challenges and fulfill their mandates."

G-20 has decided to take steps to increase access to food, fuel and finance among the world's poorest while clamping down on illicit outflows. Steps to reduce the development gap can be a potent driver of global growth.

On the big issue about food security and concrete action to help poor face climate change, the Summit leaders stated, " Over four billion people remain undereducated, ill-equipped with capital and technology, and insufficiently integrated into the global economy. We need to work together to make the policy and institutional changes needed to accelerate the convergence of living standards and productivity in developing and emerging economies to the levels of the advanced economies. To start, we call on the World Bank to develop a new trust fund to support the new Food Security Initiative for low-income countries announced last summer. We will increase, on a voluntary basis, funding for programs to bring clean affordable energy to the poorest, such as the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program."

The big question is whether the Group of 20 will be more effective because it includes important new players like India and Brazil, or whether it will simply be more unwieldy. American officials acknowledged that the economic crisis crystallized priorities of countries with normally conflicting agendas in ways that occur only rarely in normal times. But they said they were betting that individual governments would see their self-interest as more tied than before to the stability of the rest of the world.

“The announcement today is more than symbolic,” said Robert M. Kimmitt, who served as deputy Treasury secretary under President George W. Bush. “The fact that leaders are turning to the strategic challenge and doing it in a coordinated way at the level of the Group of 20 is significant.”

“I’m quite impressed,” said Eswar S. Prasad, an economist at Cornell University who had initially been skeptical about the proposed “framework” for stable growth. “A commitment by the U.S. to take the process seriously is a potential game-changer that would give the framework some credibility.”

Reform and restructuring of UN is the critical need of our times: Krishna tells world leaders at 64th UN General Assembly
Ajay Ghosh
“The reform and restructuring of the global governance architecture is the critical need of our times and the voice of the developing world, including the small island nations and of Africa, is of principal and core relevance, if we are to have truly participatory and global responses to global challenges,” S M Krishna, India’s Minister for External Affairs told the world leaders, while addressing the 64th General Assembly of the United Nations on Saturday, September 26, 2009 in New York.

On September 23, 2009 External Affairs Minister arrived in New York leading the Indian delegation to participate in the General Debate of the 64thsession of the UN General Assembly. “At the centre-stage of multilateralism and international cooperation is the United Nations. The UN is a platform where the world meets to express views and undertake commitments on global issues of mutual concern on an equal footing.

Inclusiveness and collective action, in all aspects of the work of the organization is at the heart of its Charter. This vision must be our lodestar, the guiding principle of all we undertake. India is committed to working with member states to making the United Nations more relevant and tuned in to contemporary realities. Reforming the United Nations is a matter of the utmost priority.” He spelt out the need for “reform in the three essentials of the Charter i.e. Peace and Security, Development, and Human Rights.”

Pointing to the fact that the United Nations has completed 65 years of its, existence, going through the decades that have seen the world change in fundamental ways, S M Krishna said, “Connectivity defines our global condition, and the challenges that we collectively face are global. The resolution of these challenges, as we are aware, require global approaches and solutions. What may happen in one part of the world has an impact on other regions.”

Calling upon the member States to “introspect more deeply on whether the United Nations and other global governance structures are geared to effectively meet the challenges that confront us all.” Expressing India’s concern “that even after more than six decades, international governance structures are neither inclusive nor participatory. Consequently, these structures and institutions have not kept pace or evolved, with the changed nature, the intensity and the depth of contemporary global issues. The question therefore is: are these institutions able enough to address these challenges either adequately or satisfactorily?”

The minister from India went on to state that in the face of the current economic and financial crisis, hard-won gains in alleviating poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease are being reversed. Today, the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals are seriously threatened. Policies of protectionism under these already adverse circumstances will exacerbate the serious situation that many countries face. And he urged “the United Nations act in concert to coherently overcome these challenges. India, which is actively engaged in the G-20 and other processes, has always stressed that developing countries must receive priority in any global response to the crisis.”

Confirming India’s belief that international trade and commerce has a central role to play in revitalizing global economic growth, Krishna said, .”We are committed to negotiations in the Doha Development Round. We strongly favour fair and equitable rule-based multilateral trade negotiations, which recognize and address the legitimate demands of the developing countries. India supports resumption of the negotiations at an early date and stands ready to engage with all WTG Members to complete the modalities and addressing any outstanding problems/”

Stating that climate change is one of the most important global challenges that we face today, he said, “Developing countries bear a disproportionate share of its adverse effects even though they are not responsible for it. Cognizant of the serious threat that climate change poses, India is engaged in the ongoing negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change including in the upcoming Copenhagen Conference. India will work for an outcome that recognizes the development imperatives of developing countries and is rooted in the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.”

Poverty alleviation and livelihood security are central imperatives for India. For this, accelerated economic growth and energy security are critical drivers. In pursuing our development goals, India has been successful in significantly reducing its energy intensity. India will continue to pursue this path, he said and pointed out that “India has taken several independent initiatives to address the issue of climate change. We have put in place a comprehensive policy and legislative framework as well as a National Action Plan on Climate Change with separate Eight “

On the nuclear issue that threatens the world, Krishna said, “India attaches the highest priority to the goal of nuclear disarmament and has an impeccable non-proliferation record. We welcome the renewed global debate on achieving a world free of nuclear weapons.” And he pointed out to the proposals on nuclear disarmament in the UN, including a Working Paper in 2006, proposing elements to fashion a new consensus on disarmament and non-proliferation. “We will continue to engage with key countries to intensify this debate with the hope that greater international understanding could lend itself to a firm commitment for action on nuclear disarmament, he declared.

Recounting India’s contributions to the United Nations, Krishna said, “India stands committed to the safeguarding of international peace and security. Over the past five decades, we contributed more than 100,000 peacekeepers and have suffered the highest number of casualties in these decades. Strengthening the normative basis for peacekeeping operations and giving major Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) a greater say, will serve to make peacekeeping more effective. “Referring to the barbaric terrorist attack on the innocent people of Mumbai on November 26, 2008, India’s Foreign Minister said, “There cannot be any justification whatsoever for such mindless terrorist acts. It is our collective responsibility and duty to work together to ensure that terrorists, organizers, perpetrators and supporters of such crimes are brought to justice. To strengthen the international legal framework of the fight against terrorism, India had proposed a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).”

And he called upon all countries to make serious efforts in the next few weeks to arrive at a consensus on the text.” And he reiterated India's steadfast commitment to the work of the United Nations, which is “the trustee of the world's peace and represents the hopes of mankind. Its very existence gives a feeling of assurance that the justice of true causes can be brought fearlessly before the world. This Assembly and the agencies of the United Nations should, in all that they do, sustain those hopes and promote the causes of peace. The truth and conviction of these words are more meaningful today than ever before.”

On September 24th, Krishna attended a reception hosted by the US President, Barack Obama.

He had called on the several leaders from around the word. Earlier during the week, Krishna met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The two reaffirmed that they attached high importance to the strategic partnership that was based on shared values and common interests. Secretary Clinton conveyed that the US regarded India as one of most important partner. They reviewed the progress in bilateral relations since the visit of Secretary to India in July this year. In this context they noted that Home Minister’s visit early this month had laid the foundation for furthering cooperation in counter-terrorism cooperation and intelligence exchange. They agreed that PM’s visit in November this year, which will be the first state visit for the US, will help in further strengthening and broadening the bilateral relationship. He met with the President of Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, during which the two leaders discussed bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest. He had delivered a speech at the Council of Foreign Affairs on India-US Relations in the 21st Century. On Thursday, Sep 23d, he hosted a reception at the Permanent Mission of India in New York to the United Nations to several dignitaries attending the General Assembly.

S M Krishna reiterates need for UN reforms
Ajay Ghosh
S M Krishna, Minister of External Affairs of India, during a meeting with the Minister of External Relations of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Celso Amorim, and the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, in New York on 21 September 2009, reaffirmed India’s commitment to multilateralism and to increased participation of developing countries in the decision-making bodies of multilateral organizations and institutions. They reiterated the need for the UN to be reformed so as to become more representative and reflective of the needs and priorities of developing countries.

S M Krishna arrived in New York in the evening of Sunday, 20th September 2009 to participate in the High-Level Segment of the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly [UNGA]. The Minister will represent the Prime Minister of India at a High Level Event on Climate Change being hosted by the UN Secretary General [UNSG] at the sidelines of the UNGA on Sep 22, 2009. EAM will lead the Indian delegation at the General Debate of the 64th UNGA and will deliver a speech in the afternoon of 26th September.

Bearing in mind the importance that developing countries participate in the procedures and deliberations of the UNSC on a continuous and regular basis, Ministers recalled the urgent need to expand its permanent and non-permanent categories, in order to increase participation of developing countries in both. Such expansion would make the UNSC more broadly representative, efficient and transparent, would enhance its effectiveness and legitimacy.

Ministers acknowledged the progress in the intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform so far and stressed the urgent need to achieve concrete results at the 64th session of the General Assembly. In this context, they committed to coordinate with each other and the broader UN membership for achieving genuine reform of the UN Security Council at the earliest.

Earlier, Amre Moussa, Secretary General of the League of Arab States called on S. M. Krishna. During the meeting, the two sides discussed the current situation in the Middle East. Other members of the Indian delegation included Hardeep Puri, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and Asith Bhattacharjee, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.

On the margins of the UNGA, EAM will also have bilateral meetings with his counterparts from some countries. The other events along the margins of the UNGA at which the Indian delegation will participate include: XIV Summit Meeting of the Group of Fifteen (G-15) (25 September) preceded by Ministerial meeting (24 September); G-5 Meeting (22 September); Ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of the UNSG on Myanmar (23 September); and Commonwealth Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the Ministerial Meeting on Terrorism on 24 September.

Pastor Philipose Yohannan and wife Alekutty found dead in US
James Varghese
CHICAGO: Pastor Philipose Yohannan and wife Alekutty were found dead inside their house in unincorporated Maine Township on Monday morning ((Sept 14).

North Maine Fire District firefighters found the bodies of the elderly couple inside their home in unincorporated Maine Township while responding to a fire there.

The couple was discovered dead in the first floor of their duplex at 9396 Home Ave., at around 10 am, said North Maine Fire District Chief Rich Dobrowski.

Another woman, believed to be the couple's daughter-in-law managed to escape the fire at the home, where she also lived with her husband, neighbors said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation by the State Fire Marshal's Office, the North Maine Fire Department, and Cook County Sheriff's Police.

Friends and relatives said Philipose Yohannan was a retired Pentecostal minister, and the couple had most recently been members of International Pentecostal Church on Ballard Road in Des Plaines. In recent years, Philipose Yohannan suffered a stroke, leaving him disabled, said the Rev. Joseph K. Joseph, senior pastor of International Pentecostal Assembly on Chicago's Northwest Side.

The Yohannans immigrated to the US many years ago from Thiruvalla, Kerala, India, where, prior to joining the church, Philipose Yohannan was a member of the Indian Air Force, said Thomas Mattathis, a relative.

“They were very devoted, Christian people,” Mattathis' sister said. A steady stream of friends, family, and church members arrived throughout the morning to gather at a residence at Home Avenue and Emerson Street where they comforted members of the Yohannans' immediate family.

Ron Marcus, a neighbor who lives in the residence connected to the Yohannans' home, said just before 10 am he heard a commotion outside, including the screams of the couple's daughter-in-law. Flames were shooting out of the second floor bedroom window and the first floor living room window as well, he said.

Marcus said he immediately called 911 as neighbors began breaking out the first-floor windows of the home.

“It's very sad,” he said of the couple's death.

Dobrowski said the fire department was dispatched to the fire at 9:56 am and arrived about four minutes later where firefighters were told an elderly couple was trapped inside. Their bodies were discovered when firefighters entered the home, he said, the fire was extinguished within a few minutes of their arrival.

Dr. Piyush C Agrawal: Educationist and Social Entrepreneur
Ajay Ghosh

For Piyush Agrawal, a 73-year educationist, philanthropist, community activist, and businessman, it was a commitment come true to his native village years ago in the rural areas of Uttar Pradesh, promising to start a degree program in a newly started college. He had donated half of the $500,000 that the college project cost. “I had promised to complete the girls college project and eventually ensure over 100 girls would be educated every year."

The college named after his parents in his birth town of Kagarol, 16 miles from Agra, The Babu Ramachandra Chameli Kiran Agrasen Kanya Mahavidyalaya has already admitted more than 100 students after its inauguration ceremony was held on June 25, 2009 to the BA, BSc (Mathematics) and BSc (Biology) for the first year class. "It required tremendous amount of patience and negotiations with the local authorities to continue with the project," said Agrawal, one of the most visible of Indian community leaders, who has also served as the leader of many associations including the Association of Indians in America (AIA).

Dr Piyush Chandra Agrawal represents a rare combination of professional expertise in the field of education, a successful business entrepreneur, and a well-respected community service activist. He believes in philanthropy: giving back to the society that has contributed to his own growth.

Piyush, with a doctoral degree in Education, served the field of education from 1955 to 1998, spanning across four continents, from Asia to Europe to Africa to North America. His broad range of education related assignments extended from being a classroom teacher to an expert on the United Nations to a Superintendent of Schools. During his educational career, he served as a consultant/advisor to numerous organizations including UNDP, UNESCO, National Science Foundation (NSF), and the New American Schools Development Corporation (NASDC) – an organization created to support President Bush (41st)’ education initiative.

From the very start more than four years ago, he wanted to get the villagers and local landlords and business people involved in the project. "I thought if I put down all the money required to build the college, the villagers won't have any stake in the project," Agrawal, who has also worked as a school superintendent in New Jersey and Florida and served on many key educational boards, said.

"I wanted them to be committed to the project and be passionate about it. Though I discovered it was not easy to persuade them to donate land and other facilities to build a college for women, I was able to continue with the project. My own resolution and the help I received from my wife and relatives must have also influenced some villagers and their leaders."

There is quite a bit of work to be done with the college, and he expects at least $200,000 to be raised for the extension. "My wife Sudha and I are keen to empower the women so the social oppression can be minimized and their lifestyle can gain some independence," he said. "I have been inspired particularly by the efforts my mother cultivated values and principles not only in me but everyone else in the family and our relatives."

Agrawal has also announced he will try to find ways to have two female senior class students spend at least one semester in USA as part of their education. "I had been to the village many times in the past four years to watch the progress of the college and iron out the problems," Agrawal, who left India for America 42 years ago, said. "I think that I have paid the first installment of my indebtedness to my motherland," Agrawal said, "and I am humbled that I could do so with God's grace and the support of my wife Sudha, my children and other family members." He continued that "I may never be able to pay my indebtedness to my motherland, no matter how much I try."

Piyush has served on several Task Forces and Panels such as the National & State Selection Panels for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching; Middle States Association of Colleges & Schools (accreditation body for Colleges & Schools); Maryland Public Television; National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics; National Summit on Mathematics Assessment; and the Florida Speaker's Task Force on Mathematics, Science & Computer Education.

Dr Agrawal's leadership qualities and organizational skills were recognized at various professional, civic and social organizations with which he has been affiliated. He has been the president of several professional organizations, such as the Florida Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1990-92), the Florida Association of Mathematics Supervisors (1986-87), the UNESCO Staff Association, Liberia (1971-76) and he served on several Boards of Directors. In 1990, he founded the Florida Leadership Alliance for Improving Mathematics Education.

In 1994 he was appointed to the U.S. 2000 Census Advisory Committee on the Asian and Pacific Islander Populations for a three-year term and was re-appointed two more times and he served as its Chairman for an unprecedented five one-year terms.

In 2004, Governor Jeff Bush of Florida appointed Piyush to the Board of Directors of Florida Fund for Minority Teachers (FFMT) for a three-year term. Same year, he was also appointed by the State of Florida to serve on the Racial & Ethnic Health Disparity Advisory Committee; currently, he serves as its Chairman. He has been reappointed to the FFMT Board by the new Governor Charlie Crist for another three-year term.

Piyush is very active in civic and social non-profit organizations. Piyush has very successfully spearheaded efforts to unite the Indian community in USA by creating informal coalitions among the various national organizations such as AIA, NFIA, IAFPE, GOPIO, AAHOA, and AAPI. He has been elected twice as the National President of the Association of Indians in America (AIA) - the oldest (Asian) Indian organization in the USA (EST. 1967). He is the current Chairman of Asian American Federation of Florida (Est. 1984), Asian American Foundation, Asian American Alliance, and the Asian American Community forum – all four organizations serve the Asian American Community in Florida. Currently, he also serves as the National Coordinator –USA and Regional Vice President for North America Region (USA & Canada) for the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) serving the worldwide Indian Diaspora.

Piyush has shown leadership & vision to serve the community by establishing The Center for Public Policy, The Center for Responsible Citizenship, The Center for Developmental Leadership, The Center for Unity & Diversity, and The Center for South Asian Studies. Piyush led the Asian American Federation of Florida as its President in 2005 and raised about US $80,000 for the Asian Tsunami. Funds were distributed to affected countries including India through India Development Relief Fund. Also, hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised under the leadership of Piyush as President of The Association of Indian in America (AIA) for the Gujarat Earthquake Relief as well as for September 11, 2001. In both cases, people of India got relief through his efforts.

In 2000, he bought APS Technologies, Inc – a Computer software analysis and design services company and as its Chairman & CEO, he is running that company successfully.

Dr. Agrawal has received several honors and awards.On September 9, 2003, Piyush had a distinct pleasure and the honor of meeting President George W. Bush and asked him to start hosting Diwali Festival at The White House. As a result, the first ever Diwali event was celebrated at The White House on October 23, 2003 and since then it is celebrated every year.

Dr. Agrawal’s contributions in promoting US-INDIA Nuclear Treaty through writings, networking with the US Congress & The Senate is well known. “Florida was the only major state whose 100% of the members of the Congress and the Senate voted in favor of the passage of the deal,” he says proudly stating how he had successfully campaigned by collecting & sending thousands of petitions in support of the Treaty to the US Congress & Senate. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote a personal letter to Piyush appreciating his “efforts in working for the successful conclusion of the Indo-US civil nuclear initiative. The people of India are deeply grateful for the dedication, unity of purpose and enthusiasm with which the Indian American Community worked to realize this historic endeavour.” Dr. Agrawal has hosted several Parliamentary Delegations from India including the ones headed by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, Speaker Manohar Joshi, Speaker Balram Jhakkar, and Kailash Joshi, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Piyush Agrawal was an invited as a panelist for the First Pravasi Bhartiya Divas PBD to speak on “Developing Human Capital: Advantage India.”

Congresswoman Carrie Meek of Florida rose in the U.S. House of Representatives on September 30, 1999 “to pay tribute to one of America’s unsung heroes, Dr. Piyush C. Agrawal.” She continued “Dr. Agrawal as an Administrator par excellence – truly epitomized the preeminence of a caring public servant who genuinely exuded the virtues of a gentleman and a scholar -.” A copy of full document is available in the U.S. Congressional Record. Agrawal’s expertise in the field was appropriately recognized when he was made a judge to Recommend candidates for Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching Program in 1987, 1990,and 1991.

October 8, 2004 declared as “Dr. Piyush C. Agrawal Day in the 23rd Congressional District in Florida for his “Outstanding Contribution to the Indian American Community.” Among many others were an “Excellence in Education Award” by the University at Albany, NY May 2009 and an “Outstanding Service to the Community” Award by the American Association for Civic Responsibility, 2009.

Dr. Agrawal believes: "I think that I have paid the first installment of my indebtedness to my motherland," Agrawal said, "and I am humbled that I could do so with God's grace and the support of my wife Sudha, my children and other family members. I may never be able to pay my indebtedness to my motherland, no matter how much I try."

Vanita Gupta: Championing the Cause for Justice
Ajay Ghosh
IT came as a major victory for Vanita Gupta, an Attorney at Law when the Obama administration decided last month to improve the United State's immigration detention system, including ending family detention at the T Don Hutto Residential Center, an erstwhile state penitentiary in Taylor, Texas.

"I am elated -- I am really happy about it," said Vanita Gupta, a staff attorney with the Racial Justice Program of the American Civil Liberties Union, who had led the lawsuit against Hutto over two years ago and exposed the inhumane conditions under which immigrant detainees, especially children of mostly asylum seekers, were incarcerated. "As you know, it's a case that I've worked on for the last few years, and so it's a big development that the government is closing this family center down. I filed the first complaint in federal court back in March 2007 and got the settlement in August of 2007, but since then I've been very actively engaged in the monitoring the compliance in the facility. Our settlement was about to expire in three weeks. So this was very welcome news, that the government's actually closing the facility down."

Gupta had filed a suit on behalf of 26 children, many under the age of 10, charged the facility with illegally incarcerating them in inhuman conditions, in cells with open toilets, and with no provision for schooling while their parents awaited immigration decisions. The children, the suit had charged, were often intimidated and threatened by the guards.

The settlement agreement of August 2007 required Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to make a number of significant improvements to the conditions inside the facility, and subjected ICE to external oversight. The ACLU had also called for the overhaul of the massive immigration detention system, which has produced over 90 detainee deaths since 2003. It has been estimated that DHS locks up about 32,000 civil immigration detainees each day, including several hundred immigrants from South Asia, who are pursuing their immigration cases in the courts.

"I don't think that this would have happened in the previous administration, and so it's testament to the Obama administration," Gupta said. "However, I will say that Hutto was just one piece of a major announcement that the government made about immigration detention reform, and so I'm really excited to see that the Obama administration wants to engage in reform, and acknowledges that the immigration system is broken. We had over 90 men and women who have died in immigration detention since 2003, and there's been a real crisis in access to medical care these facilities. And, so, reforms were very, very badly needed."

Vanita Gupta joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) as a Soros Justice Fellow in September 2001. She is now an Assistant Counsel at LDF and works in the area of criminal justice and civil rights. Her work at LDF has centered on leading an effort to overturn the convictions of 38 defendants in Tulia, Texas, and to promote more systemic reform of the criminal justice system. In August, 2003, under her coordination, the Governor of Texas pardoned the Tulia defendants.

Gupta received her law degree from New York University School of Law, where she served as the Colloquium Editor of the Review of Law and Social Change and was awarded a Vanderbilt Medal. During law school, she participated in a year-long capital defender clinic at LDF as well as a year-long trial clinic at NY Legal Aid, Juvenile Rights Division. She received the Anne Petluck Poses Prize for her clinical work. She attended Yale University, where she graduated magna cum laude in History and Women's Studies. Prior to attending law school, she worked at the Harvard School of Public Health as a community organizer and public policy coordinator for its Violence Prevention Programs.

“My area of specialization is criminal justice and civil rights law. I went to law school to do civil rights work. I did two clinics while in law school, one with the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) that focused on the post conviction representation of indigent defendants who are on death row around the country, and another with the Juvenile Rights Division of the Legal Aid Society, where I had the opportunity to represent children who were charged with crimes. Those two experiences exposed me to the myriad problems, including racial bias, prosecutorial and law enforcement misconduct, and lack of adequately-funded indigent defense systems, that plague our criminal justice system and result in too many wrongful convictions. To me, the criminal justice system presents some of the most urgent and serious civil rights concerns today. I applied for a Soros Justice Fellowship with LDF during my third year of law school because I was committed to taking on these concerns and to working toward reform of a broken system.”

The latest victory consolidates Gupta's reputation as one of the stars of civil liberties advocacy. Earlier, when fresh out of college, she had fought to procure the release of 46 wrongly accused African Americans in Tulia, Texas – a victory that resulted in her winning a Soros Justice Fellowship and the India Abroad Publisher's first Award for Excellence 2003, among other honors.

She was a key player in the infamous Tulia, Texas cases, in which she had coordinated attorneys from a dozen law firms in New York, Washington, D.C. and California to seek justice for the 38 people wrongfully convicted on drug charges. She recalls, “I got involved in these cases after seeing a troubling documentary made about the 1999 drug “sting” by the William Kunstler Fund. The documentary presented facts that were almost too outrageous to believe. I then discussed the case with others at LDF, and was encouraged to make a trip down to Tulia to investigate the legal situation – who was represented and by whom, where were the defendants in terms of their legal challenges, etc. Just a month and a half after I joined LDF, I traveled down to Tulia and spent five days meeting with family members of the defendants, a local civil rights attorney, Jeff Blackburn, who was representing the last two defendants to go to trial, and others involved in the case, and also combing through and making copies of as many relevant documents as I could gather. By the end of my trip, I had collected so much information that I had to buy another suitcase from Wal-Mart to bring it all back. I spent the next month in New York organizing that information and charting out the legal picture for the defendants. The more I learned about the case, the more I knew LDF had to get involved.”

Upakar, one of the only community-based organizations supporting Indian-American higher education and excellence, awarded the 2004 Upakar Community Ambassador Award to Vanita Gupta, a lawyer from New York for her significant contributions to minority and disenfranchised communities. On her future plans, this is what Vanita has to say: “I aspired to be a civil rights attorney when I first entered law school. When I received the opportunity to do criminal defense work at LDF thanks to a Soros Fellowship, I thought I had my dream job. But I could have never imagined devoting my first two years as a lawyer to as exciting a first case as that of Tulia. From where I am now, I see myself continuing to do civil rights work. I wake up every morning excited about going to work. The day I stop feeling that way about how I spend my days, I will look for something else to do “

Sonia Gandhi, Indra Nooyi, Kiran Mazumdar-Sha, Chanda Kochhar among Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women in 2009
Ajay Ghosh

Sonia Gandhi, Indrta Nooyi, Kiran Mazumdar-Sha, and Chanda Kochar have been listed among Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women in 2009. While introducing these 100 women to the readers, Forbes stated, “Forbes' Power Women list isn't about celebrity or popularity; it's about influence. Queen Rania of Jordan (No. 76), for instance, is perhaps the most listened-to woman in the Middle East; her Twitter feed has 600,000 followers.

“In assembling the list, Forbes looked for women who run countries, big companies or influential nonprofits. Their rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility--by press mentions--and the size of the organization or country these women lead.

At 13 is Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born leader of India's most powerful political party, the Indian National Congress Party. Forbes wrote of her as “the country's dominant force since she reluctantly entered politics in the 1990s.”

Sonia Gandhi has weaved a dramatic way to a place in history by becoming the President of India's century-old Congress party. Being the third woman of foreign origin to hold the prestigious post after Annie Beasant and Nelli Sengupta, Sonia Gandhi also became the fifth from the Nehru family to take over the Congress reins.

The daughter-in-law of Indira, Gandhi has always professed reservations about her public role yet continues to wield unequaled influence in India. A landslide victory for her Congress Party in May solidified her position and weakened the Communists and nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Although Gandhi is widely revered by her fellow countrymen, especially India's poor and its vast agricultural population, her party's victory is being seen as a test: Its platform was the continued financial support of the poverty-stricken-a tall order given the weakening economy.

Sonia is today in the thick of politics. "The Congress is unique. Our uniqueness arises from several basic features of the Congress s history, its character, its ideology and the legacy of its leadership. I am convinced that the time is ripe for a massive renaissance of our political culture so that we build that society which combines compassion with competence, equity with excellence," says Sonia Gandhi.

ICICI Bank CEO and Managing Director Chanda Kochhar has been ranked at number 20. Kochhar was named as the first woman boss of India's second largest lender ICICI Bank and took charge in May this year. "She now oversees a bank with assets of $100 billion," Forbes said. She was instrumental in transforming the retail business of ICICI Bank and turning it into a retail banking powerhouse. Besides cutting costs, she has been very conservative Net profits rose 18% in the last quarter over the previous one.

Chanda Kochhar was born in November 17, 1961 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree from Jai Hind College, Mumbai. Later, she joined the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies for the Masters Degree in Management Studies. She has two children, a son and a daughter.

She is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of the bank in May 2009. She is currently the Joint Managing Director (JMD) of ICICI Bank. She is also the bank`s the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the official spokesperson & that`s not all. She also heads the Corporate Centre of ICICI Bank.

Chanda Kochhar joined ICICI as a Management trainee after her Masters in the year 1984. After 9 years of hard work, Kocchar was appointed as part of core team to set the ICICI bank. She got promotion in 1994 & 1996 as Assistant General Manager and then Deputy General Manager respectively. In 1998, she was promoted as the General Manager with role of handling relationships with ICICI`s top 200 clients. In April 2001, she was promoted as Executive Director, heading the retail business in ICICI Bank. In April 2006, Chanda Kocchar was appointed as Deputy Managing Director of ICICI Bank.

Ranked 3 is Indra Nooyi, who presides over 185,000 employees in nearly 200 countries as the chief executive of PepsiCo. Though 2008 revenues grew 10% from the year before and snack sales are holding, Nooyi has been struggling to revamp falling profits in PepsiCo's core beverage business. Focusing on innovation instead of acquisition, the company is debuting new product lines, targeted marketing and repackaging efforts in 2009. A re-launch of the energy drink Propel will advance Nooyi's plan to offer more healthful products to serve consumer demand. The group also launched a "Refresh Everything" campaign, featuring Pepsi Natural, made with all-natural ingredients, and Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwback, inspired by designs of the 1960s and '70s.

Nooyi came to the United States in 1978 at age 23 to earn her M.B.A. at Yale, where she worked as a dorm receptionist—opting for the graveyard shift because it paid an extra 50 cents per hour. Her parents had told her she was out of her mind and should have stayed in India and gotten married. "I always had this urge, this desire, this passion," she once explained, to "settle in the United States," where she is now the married mother of two daughters.

When Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994, it was as the company's chief strategist. From the start, she helped executives make some tough decisions. Seeing less future in fast food, she moved the company to shed KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell in 1997. Betting instead on beverages and packaged food, she helped engineer a$3 billion acquisition of Tropicana in 1998 and a $14 billion takeover in 2001 of Quaker Oats, maker of Gatorade. The moves proved prescient choices. Company earnings soared, and so, too, did her stature.

By 2006, Nooyi was one of just two finalists to succeed CEO Steven Reinemund as leader of one of the world's best-known brands and was appointed its Chief. As CEO, she has continued to pursue her unusual, and tremendously ambitious, vision for reinventing PepsiCo. She is trying to take the company from snack food to health food, from caffeine colas to fruit juices, and from shareholder value to sustainable enterprise. In doing so, Nooyi is attempting to move beyond the historic trade-off between profits and people. Captured in her artful mantra—"Performance with purpose"—she wants to give Wall Street what it wants but also, the planet what it needs. "It doesn't mean subtracting from the bottom line," she explained in a 2007 speech, but rather "that we bring together what is good for business with what is good for the world."

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman, Biocon, is the world's 91st most influential woman, according to the Forbes magazine. Mazumdar-Shaw moved to 91 from last year's 99th place. she runs Biocon, India's first biotech enterprise, which she founded in 1978. Got her start by partnering with an Irish firm to make industrial enzymes. Now Biocon produces drugs for cancer, diabetes and auto-immune diseases. Product pipeline includes world's first oral insulin, currently undergoing Phase III clinical trials. Keen to enter European and American markets, she recently partnered with drug maker Mylan to co-develop and market bio-generic drugs. Passionate about providing affordable health care in India, has funded the 1,400-bed Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Centre, a cancer hospital in Bangalore where the poor are treated for free. Her Scottish husband John Shaw is Biocon's vice-chairman. One time weekend golfer, she now lists “work” as her main hobby and remain an avid art collector

As a woman who qualified as a Master Brewer from Ballarat University, Australia, in 1975, she has certainly made tremendous strides in a business that was, at that time, unknown to her and to the risk averse mind of the Indian entrepreneur. Even as we trudge judiciously into her office to meet her, we realise that the perception of biotech in India remains that of a high risk business reserved for people who can consistently pump in heavy capital over a long term basis; and that, to us, makes Kiran’s achievements all the more exemplary.

Meeting Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is quite an experience, especially after the Economist sub-titled her India’s Biotech Queen and Fortune placed her in the list of World’s 50 Most Powerful Women. Well the honours have unsurprisingly kept pouring in for her, the most important ones being the Padmashri (1989) & Padma Bhushan (2005). She is also the Chairperson and Mission Leader of CII’s National Task Force on Biotechnology. Apart from that, she is president of ABLE (Association of Biotechnology Led Entrepreneurs) and chairperson, Karnataka Vision Group on Biotechnology.

Kiran’s intrepid humility in conjoining her individual achievements with India’s achievements seems, on one hand, emotionally patriotic, and on the other, supremely modest; and not falsely so. Kiran reiterates that it is the future potential of the Indian biotech industry that reflects in the recognitions that she has received.

Also truly rewarding for her is the feeling that Biocon “brings about visibility to biotech, and the Indian economy, as well as provides opportunities for young Indian scientists.” But all the achievements thus far are nothing but milestones for her, as her mind seems perennially focused on the road ahead, which is paved with a lot of challenges that excite her, and inspire her to perform better. She reaffirms her status as an entrepreneur, since she feels that “entrepreneurship is a never ending journey.” Dr. Peter Drucker, considered the father of management, was the first to deliberate upon the perfect correlation between innovation and entrepreneurship. And this is perhaps exactly what Kiran exemplifies, entrepreneurship through innovation, and innovation through entrepreneurship.

Ranked 79th is: Hasina Wajed, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, who took office with a popular mandate in December after parliamentary elections ended two years of military rule. Less than two months later, a string of political murders, violent street protests and a parliamentary boycott tested the government; then followed a mutiny by paramilitary border guards that killed 130 senior officers. Perpetrators are still being sought. Recently started eviction proceedings of Khaleda Zia, her bitter political rival; the enmity between the two women has frequently been blamed for the divisive nature of Bangladeshi politics. Daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's first president who was later assassinated, has been politically active for decades.

GOPIO celebrates 20th anniversary in NY

Indian PM Manmohan Singh lauds GOPIO’s contribution to the Indian Diaspora movement
Ajay Ghosh

GOPIO International, the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (www.gopio.net), celebrated its 20th Anniversary Convention in New York on August 20 -23, 2009. The conference themed "People of Indian Origin: Strengthening Global Connections" drew wide participation by 400+ attendees from 20+ countries. The Diaspora deliberated and evaluated GOPIO’s progress to date, networked, exchanged ideas and connected with People of Indian Origin (PIO) and Non Resident Indians (NRI) delegates from around the world.

Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in a message felicitated GOPIO for its contribution to the Indian Diaspora Movement. “GOPIO has emerged as a leading organization providing a unique platform to the vast Indian Overseas community for promoting their interests and realizing their aspirations. It has contributed significantly in the process of engagement between the Government of India and the Indian Diaspora. The bonds between the motherland and people of Indian origin across the globe are valuable and precious. It is my hope that through such events, they will continue to flourish.”

The convention was inaugurated on August 21st evening at the Crowne Plaza LaGuardia Hotel. An array of dignitaries graced the occasion. They included Indian Consul General Prabhu Dayal; Mr. Basdeo Panday, former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and currently the Opposition Leader; Mr. Jagdish Shetter, Speaker of Karnataka State Assembly; Mr. D.N. Srivastava, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs; Lord Diljit Rana. Member of the House of Lords, UK; and other Indian American political leaders including Mr. Upendra Chivukula, Deputy Speaker of New Jersey State Assembly. Former US Ambassador to India, Frank Wisner was the keynote speaker on Friday, August 21.

The program started with a welcome reception and dinner on August 20 at the World Fair Marina. The chief guest for the evening was Ambassador Manjeev Puri, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations (UN). On August 21, the conference titled "India and the Indian Diaspora in the Context of Global Economic Challenges and Development" focused on PIO/NRI Business, Economic and Development issues, and was a roaring success. On August 22, the conference titled "Indian Diaspora: Challenges and Opportunities in the New Millennium" provided a global perspective on the socio-cultural, civic and political issues being addressed by the worldwide PIO community. These engaging and lively sessions included "The Living Pioneers - Global Perspective of Indian Elders" to discuss challenges encountered by the PIO seniors, and “The Next Generation” to engage and solicit input of the PIO youth and young professionals to develop GOPIO’s future agenda.

GOPIO was able to focus global, especially United Nations’ attention to the plight of fellow Indians in countries where their human rights were violated. GOPIO fought such human rights violation through media campaign, demonstrations and filing cases with the United Nations Human Rights Council. GOPIO remains the only global organization to share this deep concern and work for the plight of PIOs and NRIs throughout the world.

GOPIO fostered activism and helped encourage Indian communities in countries across the globe to become part of the political mainstream of the nations they lived in. GOPIO has constantly professed assimilation especially in countries with large PIO population asking the people to become more aware of their current and potential contributions to their adopted homeland.

GOPIO championed the approval of the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) Card and the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Card given by the Government of India. This was part of the resolution passed by the First Global NRI/PIO Convention in 1989. The Government of India has been granting the PIO card since the year 2002 and the OCI card for PIOs in select countries since 2006. GOPIO had in the 2000 Zurich Convention resolution appealed to the Government of India for a separate ministry for NRIs/PIOs. The UPA government fulfilled this demand by setting up a separate Ministry of Overseas Indian affairs in 2004.

The First Global Indian Convention in 1989, and subsequent annual GOPIO conventions motivated the Government of India to organize the inaugural “Pravasi Bharatiya Divas” (PBD) event in New Delhi, India in 2003. An annual PBD event in India and a Mini PBD overseas are now a regular feature and well attended. To strengthen the interaction with the Diaspora, the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has created the Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC) in India with branches at certain major embassies of India to facilitate exchange and transfer of financial, human and intellectual capital between India and the adopted land of the PIOs and NRIs.

At the inauguration, Indian Consul General Prabhu Dayal said that “GOPIO’s views are taken very seriously by the Indian government.” Dayal congratulated the GOPIO team for its great success and accomplishments in the last 20 years.

Former US Ambassador to India Frank Wisner in his keynote address praised the role of Indian Diaspora for its involvement in India’s social and economic development. “Similarly, education, social reforms, better living conditions like electricity and roads could help change things in Pakistan. If more schools are opened in Pakistan, fewer students would go to the Madrasas”, he said.

Wisner dismissed fears in some quarters that only George W. Bush was very close to India and not President Barack Obama. “This is not true, Obama has priorities in foreign policy such as Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East and it is wrong to say that he is anti-India,” said Wisner.
Wisner further said that “India and the US had a different kind of relationship in 1950s and ‘60s in the midst of Cold War. India was then just a place to visit the Taj Mahal and Jaipur. Now things have changed and India and the US share strategic relationship. The previous administration was sympathetic to India and also the present one and the next administration too would not be different from the previous ones.”

Former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago praised GOPIO for its role in reaching out the PIO community in developing countries. “GOPIO had been responsible in bringing an Indian Diaspora Movement among the PIO population all over the world and PIOs from the Caribbean and other developing countries look to GOPIO as a guiding force,” said Panday.

On the final day of the 20th Anniversary Convention on August 23rd, the GOPIO members and leaders adopted several resolutions pertaining to the NRI/PIO community including violence against Indian students in Australia, problems of property rights of NRIs/PIOs in India, tax parity on equities for NRIs/PIOs similar to what is done in Mauritius, voting rights for Indian citizens living outside India, and the red tape and other hurdles faced by NRI/PIO high school graduates to obtain permission in pursuit of college education in certain Indian universities.

GOPIO International held elections for the new term of next two years. Lord Diljit Rana of United Kingdom (UK) was elected as International President, Ashook Ramsaran, of USA as Executive Vice President and the outgoing GOPIO International President Inder Singh as the Chairman per the bylaws of GOPIO. The outgoing Chairman and founder of GOPIO, Dr. Thomas Abraham was lauded for his selfless and dedicated service to GOPIO and the Indian Diaspora movement.

It was decided that GOPIO would launch the GOPIO Foundation to help donate, administer and facilitate charitable, philanthropic, educational and social services in India and countries with large PIO population.

GOPIO 20th Anniversary Convention, New York, pictures and extensive video coverage are available free on www.pioTV.com (PIO TV) which carries the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and GOPIO conventions live from India.

USA-India Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Services Award presented to Dr. Barry R. Bloom of Harvard School of Public Health
Ajay Ghosh

Dr. Barry R. Bloom was presented with Distinguished Services Award by the USA-India Chamber of Commerce for: His longstanding and deep commitment to helping to improve public health and biomedical science in India, for his scientific contributions to immunology, leprosy and tuberculosis, and for his passion for educating the next generation of Indian scientists and scholars.

Award was presented last month by Dr. Martin Mackay, President Global R&D, Pfizer and Karun Rishi, President, USA-India Chamber of Commerce in the presence of over 300 industry, investment and academic leaders.

Dr. Barry R. Bloom is Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor and the former Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health.

At the award ceremony, Karun Rishi, President of the USA-India Chamber of Commerce stated: It is an honor to felicitate Dr. Barry R. Bloom for his four decades of selfless service to improve public health and medical education in India. Dr. Bloom’s involvement with India goes back to 1969 when he first visited India. The journey never stopped and for over 40 years Dr. Barry Bloom continued his passion and commitment to help train whole generation of immunologists at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Recently he helped establish Public Health Foundation of India a unique public private initiative to create world class school’s of public health in India. We come across such a gifted personality once in our lifetime added Karun Rishi.

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Barry Bloom commented about India making enormous progress in the health care. Dr. Bloom stated that the life expectancy in India for men is 62 years and women 64 years compared to an average life expectancy of 25 years in 1900. Indian government provides vaccines to 85% children but has not been able to wipe out polio. India ranks 49 in mortality under age five. 46% children under five are moderately or severely underweight; 1 in 70 women in India will die in delivery; non communicable diseases account for just over 50 % of deaths between ages 30 and 59; average age of first heart attack is 45 years; India has among the lowest expenditure on health- 5% of GDP; Some 70% of healthcare cost are from out of pocket expenses- the least efficient way to purchase health and the most regressive way. India has long way to go but enormous progress has been made stated Dr. Bloom.

Dr. Barry Bloom stated that he was sent to India in the late 60’s to create first course in immunology at the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). After becoming dean at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), he felt like giving it back to India. National Rural Health Mission, a major initiative by the Government of India is putting health worker in each of the 625,000 villages in India. Dr. Bloom felt the need for the first time to create health system, infrastructure and the focus on public health and disease prevention. With this in mind, Dr. Bloom helped in the formation of Public Heal Foundation of India (PHFI). PFHI has taken leadership role in creating schools of public health in India. Ground has been broken for four new schools of public health. It will develop diverse set of schools dealing with rural health, management, expertise for pharma and biotech.

Commenting about the healthcare system in India, Dr. Barry Bloom stated that one of the most impressive things in India is its incredible creative range of public private partnerships. Whether it is high quality high throughput model where paying patient on one side and poor patient on the other side get the best possible care at hospitals like Apollo, Narayana Hrudayalaya and the upcoming Medicity, ‘This is a kind of unique model. I don’t know anywhere in the world that this kind of model has been developed.’ However, that model of high tech surgery and high quality institutions is not going to change public health statistics in India.

Dr. Bloom praised the work done by the institutions and initiatives like the Health Management Research Institute, Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and ASHA. We can learn a great deal from public private partnerships in India said Dr. Bloom. He emphasized the need for a stronger interface between the industry, academia and NGO.
Dr. Bloom stressed the need to worry about three functions: Heath prevention, healthcare and health security. We have to work on the basis of evidence based context specific and resource sensitive. To that, you need to have capacity of people who have the capacity to do that kind of thinking of working with the public and private sector. In India there is a desperate need not only for people trained in epidemiology, biostatistics, and informatics but also in the area of health policy, health financing and health economics. 50% of deaths worldwide are behavioral, like smoking. Here, you don’t need pills but changes in the lifestyle and behavior. Public health schools in the US can be helpful in training, capacity building and leadership development to make real difference in India.

Dr. Bloom reiterated the importance of education by quoting a question posed to Albert Einstein: What was the greatest discovery in mathematics? The answer was Compound interest. Further elaborating his point, Dr. Bloom in 1971 taught 28 students in the first course in immunology in India. In 1996, International Congress in Immunology was held in India for the first time. It was enormously gratifying for Dr. Bloom to see 3000 Indian immunologists participating in the conference. There is no compound interest like education said Dr. Bloom.

USA-India Chamber of Commerce is a bilateral chamber of commerce with prime focus on Trade, Investment, Policy and Advocacy. Distinguished Services Award is presented to individuals in the US and India who have made exceptional contributions in the area of innovation and education in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices and healthcare. For more information, please visit www.usaindiachamber.org.

India’s Independence Day celebrated Across America
Ajay Ghosh
India’s Independence Day, August 15th, is a very important day in the lives of every Indian living in every corner of the world. It was on this day 62 years ago, India became a free nation, overthrowing the colonial British rule The Indian American community, spread across the United States, takes pride in celebrating India Day every year, honoring their mother land and deepening their commitment and bond to India. With parades, cultural events, parties and special prayers for their motherland, Indians celebrate this special day. At the nation’s capital, Ambassador Meera Shankar unfurled the Indian Flag at the Embassy Residence in Washington, DC on August 15, 2009 to mark the 63rd Independence Day.

Tens of thousands of people from the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut came to celebrate the 62ndIndependence Day celebrations, participating in the 29thannual India Day Parade, organized by the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), an umbrella group of cultural, educational and community organisations in the New York tri-state region, on Sunday, August 16th on Madison Avenue, New York.

Bollywood actresses Shilpa Shetty, the Grand Marshal of the Parade, led the parade that had 37 floats representing the rich cultural heritage, cultural diversity, and the economic development of their motherland, India, anddrawing an estimated 50,000 people. "I am very happy to be here to join with thousands of people in this parade," Shettty said, adding, "It is such a great event."

Industrialist Vijay Mallya was the chief guest. Other prominent leaders who marched on the parade included, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New Jersey Governor John Corzine, New York Governor David Paterson, and President Bharrat Jagdeo of the Republic of Guyana. The parade also saw the participation of the newcomer actress Reshma Shetty from USA’s Network new original series “Royal Pains” as well as the dance group Broad Street Baadshahz. Jay Sean alias Kamaljit Singh Jhooti, a British Pop-singer-songwriter of Indian origin, was a big hit with the teenagers at the parade.

“The world learned the power of nonviolent movement and the march to Dandi as Mahatma Gandhi led the diverse peoples of India in a struggle for home rule,” said Dipak Patel, president of Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) representing the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. “India formally gained independence on August 15, 1947 after centuries of British rule - and years of turmoil. Today, after 62 years, we want to commemorate the freedom struggle and celebrate our freedom, liberty, democracy, diversity, and economic growth through the colorful parade and celebrations in New York City by “Marching for Our Motherland.”

The annual parade, described as the largest outside of India, had several Floats, representing almost all facets and aspects of the NRI community life in the United states. The event showcased Indian culture and heritage through the mela, booths, dances and floats to the mainstream Americans and the next generation Indians. Over 120 booths depicting art, crafts, literature, garments, jewelry, food, businesses and other resources were exhibited representing different states of India, Indian American community and businesses will fill the street at the parade.

The parade began on 41st Street on Madison Avenue and culminated with a cultural event on 23rd Street, with breathtaking performances, incredible food, and all that is famous about Indian culture.

In Chicago, another major city with a large Indian population, the India Parade was "Star Less" this year as no major star from the Bollywood or cricket world came to attend the parade. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn was the Grand Marshal. Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Congresswoman Melissa Beans were among those who led the parade. Though the number of floats was fewer but most of them were really well decorated. Many were really eye catching. For instance, the ones staffed by the Indian Christian Association, Maharashtra Mandal, Jalaram Mandal, some private business floats like Air India, Money Dart, Etihad, Hema Kitchen, Big Cinema and National Republic Bank were well done. The event was organized by the FIA team headed by young Dr. Hyder Mohammad.

Others who were part of the parade included, candidate for Illinois Comptroller position, Raja Krishna Moorthy, candidate for Lieutenant Governor position, Scot Lee Cohen, Niranjan Shah, Dr Hyder, Iftekhar Shareef, Babu Patel, Smita Shah, Keerthi Kumar Ravoori, Sohan Joshi, Sunil Shah, Sher Mohammad Rajput, Ajay Agnihotri, Girish Patel , and Ami Shah.

The Association of Indians in America (AIA), one of the oldest ethnic Indian organizations, celebrated Indian Independence Day in Chicago with quite a difference in that its celebrations in Chicago Downtown were attended not only by leading political bigwigs but also by a group of Consular officers from other countries.

AIA headed by community activist Naren Patel hosted a flag hoisting and a cultural program spiced with a small Mela in Chicago Downtown on August 12. \Those present on the occasion were Desko Nikitovic, the Acting Dean of the Consular Corps and CG of Serbia, Frantisek Gal, Deputy CG Czech Republic, Lean Heitmann, Deputy CG Hondurus, Blesila Cabrera, CG Philippines, Martin & Mrs. Mary Rouine, CG Ireland.

In his address AIA President Naren Patel said that he was proud to welcome "so many dignitaries present here today to celebrate with us Indian Independence Day."

The Festival of India held in Freemont, CA on August 14, 15 and 16 entered its seventeenth year with great aplomb and style. There was an impressive display of enthusiasm, fervor and gaiety topped with national pride. Over 70,000 people joined the festivities, 40 percent of them being youngsters and teenagers.

The festival opened on August 15 at Paseo Padre Pkwy in Fremont at 10 am with the biggest crowd puller, the free Health Fair. It was organized by a team of FIA members, and a team of doctors and health workers from Washington Hospital under the initative of Dr Romesh Japra, FIA Convenor & President. The health care fair was a way of offering medical services to, especially those without health insurance, Doctors Harpreet Dhillon, Pawan Chadha, Bhupinder Bhandari, Zulfiqar Ali, Cezar Molina, Nutan Chadha and Romesh Japra worked tirelessly to see that concerns of everyone were well taken care.

The 17th Festival of India celebrating Independence Day with the Parade was one of the biggest activities in the Bay Area. Held on August 16 on Walnut Avenue, the parade was led by Bollywood star Neha Dhupia as the Grand Marshal. Along with her was Mauli Dave, the famed young singer and winner of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa contest.

In Stamford, CT, members of the Indian-American community gathered to celebrate 62 years of India's Independence with the hoisting of the Indian tricolor at the Government Center in Stamford, CT.

The festive event with colorful balloons, banners and Indian and American flags, was organized by the GOPIO-Connecticut chapter, and has become increasingly popular over the last three years, attracting crowds from across Fairfield and Westchester counties.
The Indian tricolor was hoisted by Mayor Dan Malloy and Deputy Consul General Dr. Ajay Gondane, followed by the singing of the American and Indian national anthems, led by an Indian-American youth group dressed in their colorful national attire.

Mayor Malloy praised the Indian-American community, "one of the fastest growing communities in Connecticut." After reading the official proclamation, he said, "Americans have been great cheerleaders of Indian democracy. I celebrate your kindness, your goodness and your warmth."

Dr. Gondane talked about the remarkable progress Indians made in all fields in the short 62 year history of free India. He reminded the audience of the "social, economic and political justice and equality, as the basis of Indian constitution and the principles the nation is founded on." He said "our land is flowering, and part of these flowers can be seen right here - you are the best which India has produced and will continue to produce for years to come." Also there to celebrate the event and offer their congratulations, were Deputy Mayor of Stamford, David Martin, and the Republican candidate for Mayor, Michael Pavia.

J. John (Sunny) Wycliffe addressed the10th Annual Independence Day Celebrations in Los Angeles

India Association of Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley) celebrated the 10th Annual Independence Day at Pierce College, in Los Angeles. This celebration witnessed more than 70 booths, 9000 people, young and old. US Congressman Brad Sherman was the Chief Guest of Honor and he addressed the august gathering. Sheriff Leroy D Baca of Los Angeles County, Albert Abrams, Vice-President, Board of Neighborhood Commissioners, City of Los Angeles and Co-Founding Member & former General Secretary of FOKANA addressed the gathering. Inder Singh, Chairman, GOPIO and Kumar Jawa were the founders of India Association of Los Angeles. Raman Chadha, a dynamic young leader is the president of IALA. The only Keralite in the Executive committee was Joseph Poulose. The variety entertainments were fabulous and the children and youngsters excelled in their singing, dancing, etc.

Sunny reminded the audience to continue their tradition of having young people like Raman Chadha, a student leader to head this organization. He stressed the need for all to take US Citizenship; register to vote and conduct Voter Registration and be active in one of the political parties contributing supports in every possible way. During the 1950s, the first US Congressman of Indian Origin was the late Hon. Dalip Singh Saund from California and the second one was Bobby Jindal, now the Governor of Louisiana. He also stressed the need for our younger generations to be active in politics and in the near future we must produce more US Congressmen and US Senators, Governors. He challenged every one to work towards the goal of electing an Indian American as the US President in the near future. Nothing is impossible in this country, if we want to achieve our goal like President Barak Obama. We all must be loyal to our country of adoption but never forget our Motherland, India that helped us to be what we are today.

Sunny also briefly touched on the early days of 1983, when President Ronald Reagan for the first time invited the Indian community to the White House Briefing and Receptions. He pointed out the contributions of Dr Joy Cherian of Indian American Forum for Political Education, Inder Singh, Dr Sambhu Banik, Dr Thomas Abraham (GOPIO) and people like him who worked on many historic events like this – as the chairman, Dr Tapan Mukherjee and Sunny celebrating 200th anniversary of the First Recorded Arrival of an Indian to America during the late 1790 which helped in getting Minority Status for the Indian Americans; Dr Sambhu Banik and Sunny Wycliffe co-chairs celebrating the US Citizenship Act and the life of late Congressman Dalip Singh Saund; celebrating the 50th Anniversary of India’s Independence headed by Dr. Parthasarathy Pillai of NFIA.

Sunny thanked the great organizer and leader Inder Singh and Kumar Jawa the founders of IALA and President Raman Chadha for inviting him to speak. He was accompanied by his wife, Dr. Tresa and grandson, Duncan and grand daughter Rachel Wycliffe. Sunny and Tresa were in Los Angeles with their youngest son and his family.

The participation of Valley Indian Americans in many activities that have been organized during the last ten years, clearly demonstrates that the community continues to appreciate the efforts of volunteers of India Association of Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley) who willingly devote countless hours to organize the events. Looking back, we can say that the once sleeping San Fernando Valley has become a regional center for the Indian American community activities.

20th anniversary celebrations of GOPIO
NEWYORK City, NY: GOPIO International, the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (www.gopio.net), is celebrating its 20th Anniversary Convention in New York on August 20 -23, 2009. The main venue is at the Crowne Plaza LaGuardia Hotel as well as the World Fair Marina Restaurant in New York. The theme of the conference is "People of Indian Origin: Strengthening Global Connections," and will provide an opportunity to deliberate on the Global Indian Diaspora, evaluate GOPIO’s progress in 20 years, to network, exchange ideas and connect with PIO/NRI delegates from around the world. Vayalar Ravi, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) will be the chief guest who will inaugurate the convention on August 21st evening at the Crowne Plaza LaGuardia Hotel. He will be joined by several other prominent members of the global Indian community and the local political dignitaries, who are expected to participate in various segments of the three-day event. Former US Ambassador Frank Wisner will be the keynote speaker on Friday, August 21.

The program will start with a welcome reception/dinner on Thursday, August 20 at the World Fair Marina venue with an interactive session with Minister Ravi, followed by an interactive session with some of the Diaspora community’s political leaders. Two conferences are scheduled at the convention: A PIO/NRI Business, Economic and Development Conference on Aug. 21 titled "India and the Indian Diaspora in the Context of Global Economic Challenges", and the Diaspora Conference on Aug. 22 titled "The Indian Diaspora: Challenges and Opportunities in the New Millennium." There will also be a conference session on "The Living Pioneers - Global Perspective of Indian Elders" on August 22nd morning. A networking session “The Next Generation” is planned for youth and young professionals on August 22nd afternoon.

"This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the formation of GOPIO - 20 years of remarkable and unprecedented achievements by GOPIO representing the interests and concerns of over 25 million people living outside of India,” said Ashook Ramsaran, Convention Convener and Secretary General of GOPIO International. "We encourage everyone to be part of this wonderful event at GOPIO's 20th Anniversary Convention, to know about it, its significance and how it matters to every one of us in the Indian Diaspora, to feel connected with a sense of belonging and to participate fully," Ramsaran continued.

"This is a celebration of 20 years of advocacy and services to the global Indian community," said Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman of GOPIO. "GOPIO's Global Convention 2009 will re-examine and re-evaluate GOPIO's role during the last 20 years with respect to goals and aspirations of 25 million people of Indian origin (PIO) living outside of India," said GOPIO President Inder Singh.

More details of the convention are available at http://www.gopio.net/ or contact the Convention Convener Ashook Ramsaran at 718-939-8194 (or 917 519 5783), E-mail ramsaran@aol.com . Co-conveners are Sangeeta Ahuja, Darshan Singh Bagga, Lal Motwani and Nohar Singh.

Online registration is available. Visit: http://www.gopio.net/Convention_2009/purchase_tickets.html

For more information, or to schedule an interview with the Convention conveners, please contact J. Nami Kaur at namique@gmail.com.

About GOPIO International
GOPIO International (www.gopio.net), was founded at the Global Convention of People of Indian Origin in New York in 1989. It has emerged as a global, non-partisan, not-for-profit and secular organization engaged in promoting the well being of People of Indian Origin, enhancing cooperation and communication between Indians living in different countries. The initial focus of GOPIO was fighting human rights violation of people of Indian origin. Although this situation has improved in the last one decade, human rights violations continue to be a major issue for PIOs living outside India. GOPIO has expanded its mission and set its priorities to pool global resources, both financial and professional, for the benefit of PIOs, the countries they come from, and India.

The First Global Convention of PIOs in New York in August 1989 provided an opportunity for sharing the experience of international Indian communities on a common forum and to foster harmony with a feeling of brotherhood and fellowship amongst the PIOs. With over 3000 participants, the convention identified and discussed problems facing people of Indian origin. It also provided necessary forum at the national and international level to voice the PIO concerns. A book on Migration of Indians around the World was published and 26 resolutions pertaining to the various issues and interests of the PIO community were adopted.

Specific objectives of GOPIO include the following

To promote the interests and aspirations of the Indian communities around the world and of specific groups residing in various countries of their adoption.

To promote common cultural heritage and therefore create a binding relationship.

To mobilize financial, intellectual and professional resources of Indians abroad for their mutual development and advancement.

To encourage interaction between communities of Indians abroad on a global level to deliberate and decide on common issues and problems facing them including education and technology.

To further the interaction between PIOs and other communities at the global level in promoting world peace, progress and ecological harmony.

The notable GOPIO achievements in the 20 years include the following:

Brought a sense of concern and caring to fellow Indians in some countries where their human rights were violated. GOPIO fought such human rights violation through media campaign, demonstrations and even filing cases with the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Helped to get Indian communities to become part of the political mainstream rather than being outside in several countries with large PIO population.

Campaigned on the year 1989 First Global NRI/PIO Convention resolution for permanent resident card for those PIOs born outside India or have become naturalized citizen a country outside India. Govt. of India granted Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card in the year 2002
Campaigned on the year 1989 First Global NRI/PIO Convention resolution on dual nationality. Govt. of India started issuing Overseas Indian Citizenship since 2006.

Campaigned on the year 2000 Zurich Convention resolution appealing Govt. of India to have a separate ministry for NRIs/PIOs. Govt. of India established a separate Ministry of Overseas Indian affairs in 2004.

After the First Global Indian Convention in 1989 and several other conventions later, Govt. of India decided and has been organizing annual “Pravasi Bharatiya Divas” events in India for the NRIs since 2003.

Above all, GOPIO is well recognized as a unique Non Governmental Organization (NGO) and has mobilized the PIO and NRI community on a global scale.

For more information, please contact:
J. Nami Kaur Chair, Media and Communications, GOPIO International
Ph: 914.924.7653 E-mail: namique@gmail.com

Bank of Baroda: Serving 36 million customers around the world
Saga of vision, enterprise, financial prudence and corporate governance
Ajay Ghosh

“Bank of Baroda is a top ranking National Bank of International Standards committed to augmenting stake holders' value through concern, care and competence,” said M D Mallya, Chairman and Managing Director of Bank of Baroda, during a Reception and Dinner organized in his honor at the Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel in New York City last month.

Mallya, who assumed charge as Chairman and Managing Director of Bank of Baroda last year, has been the Chairman & Managing Director of Bank of Maharashtra, and Executive Director of Oriental Bank of Commerce. “It has been a long and eventful journey of almost a century across 25 countries,” he told a grou p of nearly a hundred business and community leaders. “Starting in 1908 from a small building in Baroda to its new hi-rise and hi-tech Baroda Corporate Centre in Mumbai is a saga of vision, enterprise, financial prudence and corporate governance.” Today, it serves 36 million customers around the world with nearly 20 percent of them, coming from its international operations.

Mallya said, “It is a story scripted in corporate wisdom and social pride. It is a story crafted in private capital, princely patronage and state ownership. It is a story of ordinary bankers and their extraordinary contribution in the ascent of Bank of Baroda to the formidable heights of corporate glory. It i s a story that needs to be shared with all those millions of people - customers, stakeholders, employees & the public at large - who in ample measure, have contributed to the making of an institution.”

Addressing the customers in New York, he said, “We also recognize that our bank is characterized by diversity. We have been customer-focused all along, and our success is due to a high level of customer satisfy action and a long lasting relationship. Once a customer of Bank of Baroda, always a customer of Bank of Baroda,” he said.

Several customers who had come forward to share their personal experiences while dealing with the Bank=2 0in front of the audience that evening, bore witness to this fact. They shared their stories small and big, as to how their association with the Bank began decades ago and still continues, some even for generations.

R K Garg, General Manager, International Operations, said, “We offer a red carpet welcome to all NRI's to bank with us. As a premier nationalised bank in India, with comprehensive banking experience world-wide, and by virtue of our consistent track record of profit making since 1908,we are confident of meeting all your banking requirements.” He went on to to tell the audience, “We understand you, the NRI's, your needs and immensely value your patronage and would like to extend to you our bouquet of products and services. We assure you the best possible banking experience and will ensure that your wealth continues to grow with us.”

Bank of Baroda started its overseas journey by opening its first branch way back in 1953 in Mombassa, Kenya. Since then the Bank has come a long way in expanding its international network to serve NRIs/PIOs and locals. Today it has transformed into India's International Bank. Garg said, “It has significant international presence with a network of 76 offices in 25 countries including 48 branches/offices of the Bank, 25 branches of its 7 Subsidiaries and 3 Representative Offices in Malaysia, Thailand & Australia. The Bank also has a Joint Venture in Zambia with 11 branches. The Bank has presence in world's major financial centers i.e. New York, London, Brussels, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Singapore.=2 0The "round the clock around the globe", Bank of Baroda is further in the process of identifying/opening more overseas centers for increasing its global presence to serve its 36 million global customers in still better way.”

The international network is supported by a large Indian network through International Business Branches, Non Resident Indian Branches, 115 Authorized Forex Branches and more than 2600 other branches. Bank has plans to establish overseas offices in New Zealand, Russia, Canada, Qatar, Mozambique, Suriname, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia etc. and also open additional branches in UAE, Oman, USA, China, Trinidad & Tobago and Uganda. It has further plans to upgrade its Representative Offices in Malaysia and Australia to branches. “Our International Banking network is further augmented by correspondent links with more than 500 leading Banks in20every country around the world over. Being the one of largest banks of the country with the maximum number of branches overseas, Bank of Baroda is well positioned to offer a variety of services, products and financial solutions to a cross section of clients. Our products suit our clients' banking requirements by virtue of being one of the best banking relationship networks both in terms of strength and spread among the Indian financial entities,” Garg said.


Earlier, V Seshadri, the outgoing Chief Executive of the New York Branch, while delivering the welcome address, said, “Bank of Baroda at New York is nearing three decades of significant service with an unblemished record of excellent reputation in US. We are now entering into an era of consolidation and technology by broadening our business/client base both geographically and functionally. Our branch is FDIC insured since 1980 and our name spells security, safety, soundness, service with smile and swiftness in operations. Customer delight is our motto.”

“As you know, Indo US trade is set to grow rapidly. Homely feelings away from home, you will have in Bank of Baroda. Bank of Baroda is not only India’s international Bank but also an emotional bank built on the edifice of ten decades of relationship banking with devoted and dedicated staff and the patronage of millions of enlightened customers. We solicit your continued support and wish you to be a part of ever increasing and prospering customers of Bank of Baroda.”

Sheshadri has over 40 years of experience with Bank of Baroda, heading branches, region and zone, and working in the Bank’s Corporate Office, and has a wide range of experiences in branch banking, credit, foreign exchange, corporate banking, general banking and regulatory compliance. He has had his internat ional banking exposure in the United Arab Emirates for three years from 1996 to 1999 and in the United States of America from January 2006 onwards.

While introducing Mallya, Sheshadri said, “After a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree from Karnataka Regional Engineering College, Suratkal, Karnataka, and a post-graduation Diploma in Management from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, M D Mallya started his banking career by joining the Corporation Bank in August 1976. In a career spanning over 29 years with Corporation Bank, he acquired rich experience in the field of banking at various positions and assignments. His tenure as Executive Director of Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) for 9 months, was marked by several new initiatives and providing leadership inputs. The merger of erstwhile Global Trust Bank (GTB) with OBC was streamlined. Under the able and dynamic leadership of M D Mallya, as Chairman & Managing Director, Bank of Maharashtra has made rapid strides in all its spheres of activities, like business growth, technology, HR, organizational restructuring, etc. Mallya has wide exposure to management education and has undergone training programs in leading academic institutes like Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, National Institute of Bank Management (NIBM), Pune and Boston Consultan cy Group (BCG).”

K. D. Lamba, the incoming Executive of US Operations, said, “Listening to your experiences with our bank has moved us all, and I thank you all for your overwhelming support and patronage.” He urged the NRI community to provide him with the same support they had given to his predecessor, Sheshadri. “I promise and will try my best to meet your expectations, even as I want to appeal to you to reach out to other potential clients and encourage them to come and be part of the larger family of the Bank of Baroda”

Lamba has come to New York after heading the Bank’s Treasury Operations and Resource Mobilization. As Chief Executive of Bank of Baroda’s US Operations, Mr. Lamba will also be functioning as the Chairman of Bank of Baroda (Guyana) Inc. and Director of Bank of Baroda (Trinidad & Tobago) Ltd., which are wholly owned subsidiaries of Bank of Baroda.

K. D. Lamba holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish from Jawahar Lal Nehru University, Delhi and a Master’s Degree in History from India. He is also a Junior Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers. Lamba joined Bank of Baroda in 1981 and has 28 years of experience. He worked in various branches and offices of the Bank and headed some important branches in strategic centers across the country. He is well versed in all kinds of banking operations viz. branch banking, credit, corporate banking, correspondent banking, trade finance, and international banking with specialization in foreign exchange and treasury operations. He worked as the Chief Dealer and then headed the Bank’s Global Treasury Operations and Resource Mobilization.

Lamba has attended various training programs on banking and financial market in India and abroad. He has participated in important international conferences and seminars in Bangkok, Montreal, Singapore, Vienna, Macau and Cape Town. As head of Bank of Baroda’s treasury operations, Lamba has also been holding several assignments, including, Chairman, Forex Association of India [Affiliated to ACI International Association of Financ ial Market, Paris, Director on Board of Clearing Corporation of India Ltd. [CCIL] and Central Depository Services (India) Ltd. [CDSL], as well as The Idea Cell that handles settlement of payment through electronic media against various service providers.

Dipak Patel urges NRIs to “March For Our Motherland”
At 29th Annual FIA Parade in New York City
Ajay Ghosh

“The world learned the power of nonviolent movement and the march to Dandi as Mahatma Gandhi led the diverse peoples of India in a struggle for home rule,” said Dipak Patel, president of Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) representing the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. “India formally gained independence on August 15, 1947 after centuries of British rule - and years of turmoil. Today, after 62 years, we want to commemorate the freedom struggle and celebrate our freedom, liberty, democracy, diversity, and economic growth through the colorful parade and celebrations in New York City by “Marching for Our Motherland.”

Nirav Mehta, the Executive Vice President of FIA said, “FIA of the tri-state will host the 29th India Day Parade in New York City on Aug. 16, 2009. To be held on Sunday August 16, 2009, the parade starts at 12:00 pm at 41st street @ Madison Avenue and ends at 28th Street. There is a big “mela” at the end with stalls selling everything from newspaper subscriptions to food, music, clothes and what not!”

Shilpa Shetty, a most popular Bollywood star will be the Grand Marshall and will lead the parade, Patel added. “Several other stars and politicians, including Chote Ustad, Aishwaraya Majbadar, Sudhish Shah, and Jayshan are expected to participate and perform live during the parade and the cultural extravaganza soon after on Madison Avenue,” he said.

“The historic 29th annual parade, described as the largest outside of India, will have 35 Floats, representing almost all facets and aspects of our community life in the United states, for the first time, would be live telecast,” Patel said. “We showcase Indian culture and heritage through the mela, booths, dances and floats to the mainstream Americans and the next generation Indians. Hundreds of volunteers participate to cherish our values and entertain the attendees. Over 120 booths depicting art, crafts, literature, garments, jewelry, food, businesses and other resources will be exhibited representing different states of India, Indian American community and businesses will fill the street at the parade,” he added.

“As the president of FIA, I have tried to bring in transparency and given full freedom to each committee to plan, organize and implement their activities, while working towards the success of the Parade,” Dipak Patel told this writer during an exclusive interview. “I urge all the communities representing all the linguistic, political and cultural groups to come in participate and make this parade truly a parade of the larger Indian American community in the Tri-state,” he said.
“As one of the largest and oldest umbrella organizations in this country founded in 1970, FIA has undertaken numerous activities and causes over its long history and the parade is one of the many programs it organizes every year,” noted Ramesh Patel, past president and a very senior leader of the organization.

In addition to the celebration of Democracy and Diversity at the parade, Dipak Patel believes that the role of a true leader is to create more leaders, and by raising the team spirit bar by inclusions of all young team members. According to him, FIA’s actions should help foster the Indian American image in US and also in the world, and must set an example of dedicated community service.

Under his leadership, FIA has partnered with the Royal Alberts Palace in New Jersey in honoring the Army men both serving and those who have sacrificed their lives for our country, the US. It also honors the veterans from India, now living in the US. Dipak, a businessman, long time franchisee and current National Distributing Center co-chair for Dunkin’ Donuts, wants to share his expertise and knowledge with the NRI community. “We are planning a Wealth Wellness Program in October this year,” Patel said.

A community leader and successful businessman for several decades, Dipak Patel, recently donated $131,000.00 to the Dunkin’ Donuts Community Fund. Dipak recalls, “When I was just a boy, my grandfather passed away leaving my father with a small estate. Rather than just spend it, my father thought deeply about how he might use that inheritance to help others. What he decided was to build a 100 bed hospital for the community. That hospital is still operating today and has been serving many thousands of people over the years. As I considered my own success in the Dunkin’ Donuts operating system, I was thinking about my father’s decision and it was clear to me that I had to follow in his foot steps.”

Born in 1955 in India, Dipak began volunteering at an early age in the National Cadet Corps., the equivalent of the Boy Scouts in t him United States. From there, he served in Rotary International, participating in blood drives, eye camps and dental camps bringing sorely needed medical attention to those in need. The Rotary group also organized community beautification projects and soup kitchens for the needy.

Dipak Patel earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry in 1975, a second B.S. degree in chemical engineering in 1980 and a Masters in industrial engineering at Texas A&M in 1986. Dipak came to realize that the greatest rewards in the business world went to those who became successful by operating their own businesses.

Partnering with Anand Patel, Dipak and “Andy” operated their first store in Morristown NJ. From that single store, the both built and acquired more than two dozen additional stores and a management team to run them. Today, they are not just multi-unit franchisees, but multi-units hotels as well. “The early years were the toughest ones” said Dipak. “I can’t count the number of times I almost wanted to give up”, but perseverance and a life-long commitment to both discipline and service gave him the stamina to weather the storms of the economy and the labor market, coming out on top.

Educated in India, Nirav Mehta immigrated to USA about seven years ago. Entering the land of opportunity, with his quench for achievement, he entered the world of commercial mortgage banking and successfully blossomed First Empire Group. Over the last six yrs with First Empire Group has handled more than $ 1.3 billion in commercial financing, Nirav Mehta is dedicated to help his business thrive to new heights, even as he devotes his time and energy and resources for the betterment of the community.

Nirav said, “FIA has blossomed into a commendable organization that has become an effective mouthpiece and mobilizer for the community.The FIA represents various issues that concern a growing Asian-Indian community at the local, state, and20national levels. Over the ears, it has also tried to project a truthful and real image of India to the mainstream community and also further the interests of Indians residing in the United States. It is in this spirit that, since 1981, the annual India Day Parade is held in New York City to present our progress and unity to the many diversified ethnic communities in this area.”

Indo-US ties set to deepen under Obama Administration
“We will work not just to maintain our good relationship, but to broaden and deepen it”
Ajay Ghosh

The world has undergone tremendous changes since India won its Independence in 1947. The Cold War has ended and we live in a world where the United States continues to remain the sole super-power. American supremacy in the world arena has generated intense debate surrounding both the nature and quality of this power, as well as the execution and thrust of US foreign policy. At the same time, significant developments in four rising powers - China, Russia, India and the European Union – have provoked analysts to ask whether multipolarity is a realistic prospect.

India, which was designated as a Third World nation, is emerging as one of the fast growing economies with its more than a Billion people. By 2020, India is expected to be the third largest economy after the US and China. Politically, India is well established in Central Asia. It shares its boundaries with China, Pakistan, Tibet, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, giving it political as well as economic significance.

The United States, home to nearly three million immigrants of Indian origin, has come to attach great importance to its relationship with India, and the latter has moved away significantly from its former ally, the Soviet Union, and has come closer to the United States. In 1945, an American Strategic Policy document surveying the post-World War II global political climate considered the possibilities of alliances with the two nations that would soon achieve independence from Great Britain, India and Pakistan. It suggested that India, rooted in Anglo traditions would be a "natural ally" of the United States, but that Pakistan, with its Islamic origins, would be "unreliable." The document seemed a promising start for US-Indo relations, but by the time that India finally did become independent in 1947, American foreign policy centered on the Cold War and how countries aligned with the East or the West. In that context, the decades of US-Indo relations leading up to Vajpayee's tenure as Prime Minister consisted of skepticism, occasional successes, and an overall marginalization of the relationship's strategic importance. Yet by 1999, the governments of both countries were praising each other - Vajpayee voicing his admiration of US democracy in an address to Congress and Congress in turn calling India a "natural ally.”

Prior to the administration of President George H.W. Bush (Bush Senior), the US and India had invariably been on opposite sides on almost every major issue. But during his administration, the conflicting Indo-US relations began to get on the right track. However, "the relations went from bad to worse in the wake of New Delhi's 1998 atomic tests, when President Bill Clinton slapped sanctions against India." After former president Clinton visited India in March 2000, the relations between the two countries started improving again. According to Dr. Thomas Abraham, since the time of Clinton administration, the US-India relation has much improved. US continues to be India’s largest trading partner. Although, the US was not happy about India’s nuclear test, former President Bill Clinton took a personal interest to mend fences and made a trip to India and was reciprocated by former Prime Minister Vajpayee making his state trip to the US. Since then, the bilateral relations have always been on the upswing.

Frederick J. Kaplan, Consul for Public Affairs, U.S. Consulate General – Chennai, said, “Culmination of cold war has removed a serious irritant in Indo-US relations. Introduction of economic reforms in the early 90s in India has led to strategic partnership between the two countries and collaborations in technology, health, agriculture, military, and in promotion of democracy.”

Inder Singh, president of GOPIO, recalls, “During his first presidential campaign in 2000, George W. Bush was asked name of India's prime minister. His failure to remember the prime minister's name, created furor in the Indian media. However, after George W. Bush became president of the US, he brought to Washington a very different worldview, one closer to India's own. Thus the Bush administration, by intent and design, created an atmosphere where the two governments were continually engaged in a political dialogue unprecedented in its scope, level and frequency.”

The relationship between India, the world’s largest democracy and the United States, the world’s oldest democracy, have undergone radical changes, especially in the past two decades. Today, there is close cooperation between the two countries on issues of far reaching consequences, such as bilateral trade, nuclear energy and space technology for peaceful purposes and missile defense.

While India enjoys new US attention, it remains vigilant against any American meddling in its touchy ties with Pakistan, especially over the issues such as Kashmir. India remains pivotal to Washington’s attempt to stabilize Afghanistan, while New Delhi welcomes the US as a balancing force in its regional competition with China.

These changes in perception, attitude and responses have come rather gradually and deliberately, as a response to the changes in world order. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, before her visit to India, remarked, "India is emerging as not just a regional power but as a global power. We saw that in the work that we were able to do with India in the Core Group for the tsunami relief. And I think there are many more opportunities -- economic, in terms of security, in terms of energy cooperation -- that we can pursue with India." While in India, she said, "The relationship between India and the US has transformed in recent years from one that had great potential into one that is really now realizing that potential."

Dr. Thomas Abraham went on to say that after the Bush administration came in and since the 9/11 terrorist attack, both India and USA were at the receiving end of terrorist acts. Both countries found a common ground to share information and work together against terrorism. In the past one decade, India became a back office hub for the US companies. “This has contributed further for closer ties between the two countries. Indian companies are not only providing call centers, but also in software development, corporate research and now in knowledge based services. In addition, India has become a big purchaser of US arms. All these efforts have brought the governments, companies and people in both countries closer,” he said.

According to Lalit Mansingh, former ambassador of India to the US, "The Bush Administration during the last four years has succeeded in establishing a level of harmony which was absent in the first five decades of Indo-US relations. Now, there is recognition that while differences would undoubtedly surface from time to time between the two countries, what is needed is better management of these differences."

The Indo-US relationship is all set to deepen under the Obama Administration, notwithstanding apprehensions in some quarters about "potential friction" on issues like Kashmir and nuclear non-proliferation, a recent Congressional report suggests. "Some look to history in anticipating potential friction on issues such as non-proliferation (where India may be pressed to join initiatives like the CTBT and the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty); human rights and Kashmir (where the new Administration could become more interventionist); and bilateral economic relations (where Obama may pursue so-called protectionist policies)," according to the 83-page report on the 'India-US Relations' by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

"Obama's statement that 'Our rapidly growing and deepening friendship with India offers benefits to all the world's citizens,' suggests that the bilateral strategic partnership is likely to continue and even deepen. While many Indian analysts opine that Republican US Presidents typically have been more beneficial to Indian interests than have Democratic ones, most appear to conclude that undue worry is unnecessary, and that the selection of a Secretary of State (Hillary Clinton) perceived as friendly to India has done much to ameliorate such concerns," the report said.

From India's point of view, it has welcomed the US as a balancing force in its regional competition with China. According to the Christian Science Monitor, these are the building blocks of an emerging and potentially enduring strategic relationship. Rajeshwar Prasad, a community leader in New York, says, “India’s sovereignty is the one that has withstood any kind of global pressure that is not in line with its ideals, principles, and philosophy. It has shown self-reliance and autonomy and other nations including USA have been recognizing that these are very deep rooted. USA and India know each other’s economic and political strengths and weaknesses and in certain situation they may look the other way in the interest of long-term relationship.”

Confirming India’s views on its partnership with the US to be important for achieving its national development goals,' Indian Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar said that a partnership with the US is important to achieve its national developmental goals and argued that the transformation of the Indo-US relationship has been the most significant feature of New Delhi's foreign policy in decades. She noted that Indo-US relations have undergone a historic transformation over the course of the past decade.

Shankar said both US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have reiterated a commitment to continue the process of further strengthening ties, to build on the impressive progress of recent years to build what Secretary of State Clinton described as the third level of India-US relations.

“From the perspective of India, transformation of her relations with the US has been probably the most significant feature of its foreign policy over the past decade,” she said. “We have nearly 30 forums of bilateral engagement, spanning virtually all aspects of human endeavor. Our political dialogue has grown to an unprecedented level, our strategic understanding has deepened and encompasses both our region and the world and our bilateral cooperation has entered new frontiers,” Shankar said.

Democratic India's rise will, Shankar said, in its own modest way, stand as an affirmation of the universal values of liberty, democracy, pluralism and freedom of enterprise; it would be a factor of stability, security and prosperity in the world, especially in Asia towards which the center of gravity of future challenges and opportunities is shifting. 'India and the US share many of these concerns and challenges,” she said.

With the recent high-profile visit of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to India in July this year, the United States has conveyed to India that it is ready to embark on a new era of deeper relations with India “We will work not just to maintain our good relationship, but to broaden and deepen it,” Clinton said at a news conference with the Indian Minister for External Affairs, S. M. Krishna. “I hope that the partnership that we are developing together will truly change the future for all of the children in both of our countries.” Krishna said the dialogue would set a “new agenda for India 3.0” — an allusion to India’s high-tech prowess.

Before embarking on this trip, Clinton had said in response to a question during a US Agency for International Development town hall meeting, “I am going to India Thursday night for a couple of days of consultation. We are starting a strategic dialogue between myself and the new external minister of foreign affairs." During the visit, her schedule has been packed with meetings with Indian business tycoons, a film star, agricultural experts, university students and rural women who work in cottage industries like textiles. The achievements of the visit may have been modest. According to analysts, “Hillary took a slightly long term perspective and signaled certain directions for solutions. Climate change, non-proliferation and trade are the three issues that need to be addressed in the new strategic dialogue. She established that while President Obama is engaged in more pressing problems, he considers cooperation with India a major part of his foreign policy.” On the question of matching protestations of India's importance with action to meet Indian aspirations for full participation in global governance, it was obvious that the Obama Administration had not yet come to any clear position.

As some observers pointed out that Hillary may have underscored that the Obama administration looks forward to a broad-based relationship with India that goes beyond the highly militarised "strategic partnership" that the George W Bush administration sought and Delhi got used to. Obama seeks a "greening" of the US-India partnership whereas Indian strategists schooled in the eight-year cherished belief that the future of the US-India partnership lies in the two countries striding "shoulder to shoulder" in terms of a shared "vision".

From the Indian end, the "vision" meant that the US recognized India's primacy as the number one military power in the Indian Ocean region and built it up as an Asian counterweight to China. The "vision" had a dream run during the Bush era. India held something like 50 military exercises with the US during the past five-year period.

The Obama administration signed off on an agreement that will open the door to lucrative military sales by the United States to India. In addition, India said it had designated two sites where American companies would build nuclear power plants. The United States generally reserves strategic dialogues for major countries like China, so this is a symbolic acknowledgment of India’s rising role in the world.

The United States won India’s agreement to allow it to monitor the “end use” of military equipment and technology sold to India, to ensure it is not diverted to other uses or sold to other countries.
The progress on the nuclear deal is impressive. India's emphasis on commencing the reprocessing dialogue has been respected and the two sides will meet on neutral ground to work out the details. India also confirmed the two sites, in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh States, for nuclear power plants to be supplied by American companies. The contracts, worth billions of dollars, are a key benefit of a civilian nuclear deal with India signed in the last days of the Bush administration.

The US State Department had also announced that it would begin negotiations with India in Vienna over the question of the reprocessing of spent fuel. Now two major American aerospace firms, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, which have both been vying for the largest, single Indian defense contract involving some 126 multi-role combat aircraft, will be able to compete without any hindrance.

However, some critics point out that the Obama administration is determined to bring the nuclear deal with India within an overall architecture of global nuclear non-proliferation. And they point out to the fact that the US got its G-8 partners accept at the recent summit meeting in Italy that countries like India, which reject the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, ought to be denied all enrichment and reprocessing technology. India was hoping that the nuclear deal amounted to a tacit US acceptance of its nuclear weapon status, but the opposite seems to be happening -- a tightening of screws. While India hoped that the massive business opportunities in the Indian nuclear market would prompt avaricious Americans to jettison their non-proliferation agenda, Washington shall have it both ways -- lucrative business as well as a reinvigorated NPT regime. There is a net gain insofar as India can at least import nuclear fuel and reactors for its needs overcoming the 35-year US embargo.

The US, after lengthy negotiations, will now also permit India’s space program to purchase and use key American components in its launches. This agreement removes yet another barrier to critical technology transfers. Access to such technologies could give India’s civilian and military space efforts a significant boost.

T P Sreenivasan, a former ambassador to Vienna and the United Nations, summed up Hillary’s trip to India thus: “Nothing that Hillary Clinton did or said, at least publicly, has attracted criticism. This in itself is a sign of success. Further engagement is necessary to climb the heights and the two sides have at least set up a base camp to continue the climb in fair weather.”

The Christian Science Monitor wrote, “The president (and thus Ms. Clinton) sees India as one of a few major or emerging powers that are well shy of being US allies but nonetheless might work more closely with the US – as the sole global superpower. By and large, the Clinton visit revealed an India ready to deepen ties with the US – far more so than with, say, China or Russia, and in similar measure to fellow democracies like Turkey, Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia.”
As a former ambassador wrote recently, “The unveiling during Clinton's visit of a new strategic dialogue architecture intended to take US-India relations to a higher level of 3.0 – to use Clinton's phrase – covering non-proliferation, security, education, health and development underscores the Obama administration's commitment to the partnership with India.”

“These issues notwithstanding, the secretary’s achievements during her first official visit to India--though discomfiting to those who insist on viewing India solely through the myopic lenses of nonproliferation--show that the Indo-U.S. relationship is on a firmer course than many commentators had been inclined to believe. We can only hope that the Obama administration will now see India in all its facets and appreciate its growing importance to the U.S,” Sumit Ganguly commented on the trip.

What caused the changes in relationship? In Asia, as per the strategy of White House, it needs a huge presence of military and infrastructure to rule the roost in Asia and undermine the economy of the continent. India can not only be trusted to support America’s interests, but can also serve as a vital location for operations in the continent. This has been confirmed, in a report submitted by the Department of Defence, entitled ’Indo-US military relationship: expectations and perceptions.

The role of the fast growing Indian American community in the blooming of Indo-US ties cannot be understated. George Abraham, a community activist and a senior staff at the United Nations, said, “NRIs have always played major role in cementing US-India friendship. America's foreign policy can be characterized as 'ethnic-centric' and a particular ethnic group could sway the political establishment with their influence monetary or otherwise. Indian Americans seem to have learned that lesson well and emulated the model from AIPAC, the leading Israeli lobby in Washington. However what happened significant in the last 10 years has been the rising profile of India with IT and so forth that has transformed the image of India among the ordinary Americans. Indian Americans were the catalysts to that transformation.”

Dr Thomas Abraham feels that “The Indian American community has been playing a major role in bridging the gap between the two countries. From the late 1980s onwards, the Indian community has been in the forefront to take up issues of common interest, starting with President Carter’s administration when the community campaigned the US government to supply nuclear fuel to India. With the community’s economical and political clout, we could get several friendly Congressmen and Senators to take up our causes. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi invited several Indian Americans to come and help him build a new India. In the 1990s, when Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao made a state trip to the US, the community campaigned with the administration for him to address the joint session of the Congress. The biggest contribution came, when the community campaigned to pass US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Act in the US Congress. With the Indian American population growing at a rate of 100,000 every year, the 3.2 million strong Indian community will grow further and will see may lawmakers in the city, state and national level. Our community groups have also been active in taking up issues of larger interest to the community and India and these efforts will continue in future.”

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during his last visit to the USA, remarked, "The Indian-American community in this country is a much significant factor in a stronger India-US partnership in the future. Indian-Americans have shown the exceptional characteristic of being able to integrate fully into American life while also maintaining a close cultural and economic connection with India. They serve as a bridge between our national interests. They are an inspiration to our younger people. Often their regional roots in India make them a special bridge to individual states."

GOPIO Int’l: 20 Years and Growing Strong
Ajay Ghosh
There are over 25 million people of Indian origin (PIOs) living outside of India. They may just be about 2 percent of India’s population. However, their influence is extensive. Many NRIs/PIOs have numerous achievements, individually and collectively in their adopted lands and have contributed significantly to the countries of their adoption. But they have added a special glitter to the resurgence of India. They are, without doubt, bound to India by the umbilical cord of history, culture, heritage, and tradition.

When their professional expertise and financial resources are pooled together, they can benefit themselves as well as their adopted countries and their motherland. In addition, people of Indian origin could assume a new role in providing help in case of crisis to their communities around the world.

The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) was founded at the Global Convention of People of Indian Origin in New York in 1989, in order to provide this PIO community with a common platform to voice their concerns, and support one another in their march towards development. In the words of Dr. Thomas Abraham, its founding member and currently serving as its Chairman, “GOPIO is a global, non-partisan, not-for-profit and secular organization engaged in promoting the well being of People of Indian Origin, enhancing cooperation and communication between Indians living in different countries.”

The initial focus of GOPIO was fighting human rights violation of people of Indian origin. The goals and functions of this global organization have evolved over the past two decades. “Although this situation has improved in the last one decade, human rights violations continue to be a major issue for PIOs living outside India. GOPIO has expanded its mission and set its priorities to pool global resources, both financial and professional, for the benefit of PIOs, the countries they come from and India,” added Dr. Abraham.

The First Global Convention of PIOs in New York in August 1989 provided an opportunity for sharing the experiences of international PIO communities on a common forum and to foster harmony with a feeling of brotherhood and fellowship. With over 3,000 participants, the convention identified and discussed problems facing the people of Indian origin. A book on Migration of Indians around the world was published and 26 resolutions pertaining to the various issues and interests of the PIO community were adopted.

Specific objectives of GOPIO include the following: To promote the interests and aspirations of the Indian communities around the world and of specific groups residing in various countries of their adoption; To promote common cultural heritage and therefore create a binding relationship; To mobilize financial, intellectual and professional resources of Indians abroad for their mutual development and advancement; To encourage interaction between communities of Indians abroad on a global level to deliberate and decide on common issues and problems facing them including education and technology; To further the interaction between PIOs and other communities at the global level in promoting world peace, progress and ecological harmony.

The 20-years-old history of GOPIO is filled with several achievements to its credit. “Brought a sense of concern and caring to fellow Indians in some countries where their human rights were violated. GOPIO fought such human rights violation through media campaign, demonstrations and even filing cases with the United Nations Human Rights Council,” said Dr. Thomas Abraham. “GOPIO has worked hard to have the Indian communities around the world to become part of the political mainstream rather than being outside in several countries with large PIO population,” said Dr. Inder Singh, president of GOPIO.

It was the idea and efforts of GOPIO that has translated into that has now resulted in Permanent Resident Card for those PIOs born outside of India or have become naturalized citizens in other nations. “Our efforts and the close coordination with the Govt. of India resulted in the now popular Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card being given to NRIs since in the year 2002,” said Dr. Inder Singh.

“It was GOPIO that had campaigned since 1989 after our first Global NRI/PIO Convention resolution, seeking dual nationality. And today, it’s reality that the Govt. of India has started issuing Overseas Indian Citizenship since 2006,” Dr. Thomas Abraham said proudly. “It was again, our campaigned after the 2000 Zurich Convention, we appealed to the Govt. of India to have a separate ministry for NRIs/PIOs. And the Govt. of India established a separate Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in 2004,” he added.

Dr. Inder Singh said, after several GOPIO conventions, the Govt. of India itself decided to organize Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in India since 2003. “Above all, GOPIO have achieved a great Indian movement on global scale,” Dr. Abraham summed up.

The idea for the convention was initiated by the NFIA since the group had organized several national conventions in the U.S. “After successfully organizing two national conventions in 1980 and 1982, we felt the need to reach out to our communities in other parts of the world. Thanks to revolutionary telecommunications technology, this desire became more of a realistic dream,” Dr. Thomas Abraham, who was elected the first president of GOPIO after the first convention, said.

Recalling the events that went before the formation of GOPIO, he said, “In 1984, I requested my colleague Niraj Baxi who was NFIA's Regional Vice-President at that time to meet the Indian community representatives in Philippines and Malaysia during his visit to those countries. Mr. Baxi's meetings with these groups were quite fruitful. The concept of networking with community representatives evolved further when a West German Indian group contacted NFIA in early 1987 for some specific help in organizing their group in West Germany.

“Subsequently, I as a NFIA President at that time sent a Michigan Indian community activist Shrikumar Poddar to some of the European countries to share the idea of networking between Indian groups as well as the proposal to organize an Overseas Indian convention. The highly enthusiastic responses resulted in an NFIA meeting in Orlando (Florida) in December 1987 attended by representatives of all the major national organizations. The member organizations unanimously decided to explore the convention proposal further. Subsequently, three other brainstorming sessions were held, at Nashville ( Tennessee ), New York and Cleveland ( Ohio ). The proposal to host the convention was presented to the NFIA Board which unanimously endorsed it and was then presented to the NFIA General Body on July 3, 1988.

The responsibility to host the convention was given to the five member committee consisting of: Dr. Thomas Abraham, Sudha Acharya, Dhiraj Solanki, Sureshwar Preasad Singh, and Sharad Mehta. Other NFIA officials who were inducted as the ex-officio members of the convention committee included, Bharat Bhargava, Inder Singh, Prakash Parekh, and Rajul Prakash Shah. “The response to the proposal was so impressive that over forty people promised to become Founding Members by contributing $1,000 each. The convention effort was thus set into motion,” recalls Dr. Thomas Abraham.

On October 22, 1988 over 80 people from the East Coast of United States attended a day long meeting at Baruch College of City University, New York at which five proposed conferences were discussed in greater details. Various committees were proposed to conduct the activities of the convention. The committee was expanded further in November 1988 and all the suggestions from the October meeting were incorporated in the proposal. “We were now ready to reach out to the Indian communities around the world with a tentative proposal,” he added. From November 23rd to 30th, two delegations visited following countries: European delegation consisting of Dr. Thomas Abraham and Ram Gadhavi visited England, Belgium, France, Holland, West Germany and Switzerland.

Caribbean delegation consisted of Sudha Acharaya, Dhiraj Solanki, Bal Naipaul, Ramesh Kalicharan and Ravi Dev visited Trinidad, Guyana and Barbados. Several convention representatives also traveled to several other countries: Dr. Jagat Motwani, Sharad Mehta and Niraj Baxi covered Far East and India. Shrikumar Poddar organized several meetings in India including a three day meeting in Panaval near Bombay. Myself and Bal Naipal covered East coast of Canada while Inder Singh and Harish Panchal covered the West Coast. Harash Bhargava met the community representative in Mexico, Spain and Portugal. Nayan Shah covered South Africa. And a concrete plan for the first ever such Convention was done. In May 1989, Prime Minister Rajiv agreed to become an Honorary Patron of this convention.

The convention provided an opportunity for sharing the experience of international Indian communities on a common platform and to help foster a feeling of "Indianness” and fellowship among the PIOs. Attended by over 3,000 delegates, including such stalwarts of the overseas Indian community as Dr. Cheddy Jagan of Guyana, Basdeo Panday of Trinidad and Tobago, Jairam Reddy and Mahendra Chaudhary of Fiji, Minister Thondaman of Sri Lanka, Minister Madhavrao Scindia of India, the convention discussed and identified issues facing the PIOs. It also provided necessary forum at the international level to voice their concerns. For the first time, a book on Migration of Indians Around the World was published and released at the convention. The delegates adopted twenty three resolutions pertaining to various issues and concerns of the global community. At the conclusion of the convention, the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) was formed.

GOPIO started as a delegate based organization; one delegate per country. By 1999, the number of active delegates had gone down to less than half and GOPIO had also run into internal problems. “Some people of Indian origin in other countries wanted to capitalize on the recognized GOPIO name, even at the cost of unity which was evident at the first global convention in 1989,” Dr. Inder Singh said. “The 10th anniversary celebration and convention gave boost to the idea of unity among the overseas Indian community and the attendees unanimously decided to hold another convention in Zurich , Switzerland in 2000,”

Several organizational issues arose. “After I became president in 2004, I embarked upon establishing chapters in various countries with NRI/PIO population, with the primary objective of service to the local community. I also increased the number of Councils (departments of GOPIO) to serve the diverse interests of the global Indian community. Today, we have about seventy chapters in various countries of the world and several GOPIO Councils. The chapter presidents and GOPIO International life members are now the delegates for the General Council. To accommodate expansion, several organizational changes were made and new operational procedures were implemented to streamline the functioning of the growing world body. The increase in the number of chapters and their activities at local level and involvement of more volunteers, the new GOPIO widened its outreach and enlarged its activities manifold,” Dr. Singh added.

GOPIO, since its inception, has been creating awareness and promoting understanding of issues of concern -- social, cultural, educational, economic, or political – of the NRI/PIO communities around the globe. GOPIO also provides an active and well recognized platform for dialogue and discussion to the worldwide Indian Diaspora and to further advance that objective, GOPIO has been at the forefront to network the globally spread overseas Indian community by regularly organizing conferences in various parts of the world.

GOPIO actively solicits participation by providing many opportunities for involvement and seeks support for various educational, social and environmental causes. GOPIO chapters and Councils -- Cultural, Academic, Philanthropic, Human Rights, Media, Health Services, Youth and Women’s – have involvement opportunities for the members of the Indian diaspora to serve the diverse interests of the global Indian community. GOPIO Executives and Council representatives comprise of PIO/NRI volunteers from various countries of the globe. During the last five years alone, GOPIO has organized eleven international conferences, both in India and overseas. These GOPIO conferences and conventions help bring the Indian Diaspora closer to mother India and strengthen the inherent bond between India and its diaspora. After all, the destiny of India’s Diaspora, in many ways, is intertwined inextricably with India.

Bill Gates awarded Indira Gandhi Peace Prize
Ajay Ghosh
Bill Gates was awarded the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development on July 25, 2009 during a solemn ceremony in New Delhi, India. President Pratibha Patil presented the award to Microsoft founder Bill Gates for his charity work. Gates received the prize on behalf of his $38 billion Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation has been working for a range of issues; including HIV/AIDS.

Speaking on the occasion, Gates said that he was honored to receive the prestigious award and that his foundation aimed at giving everyone a chance to live a healthy life. "We started our foundation because we believe that all lives have equal value. A poorest child in the poorest country is just as precious as your children or ours. We wanted on our part to give every person a chance to live a healthy and productive life," he said.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh lauded the efforts of Gates and said that the work of the Bill and the Melinda Gates Foundation is an inspiration. "The same innovation and scientific genius that brought the digital age to millions of homes around the world can equally be used to make billions of our children healthier, better educated and empowered to live lives of dignity and self respect. This is the vision and the promise behind the work of the Foundation and indeed of the work that we do in government," he said. "We are both proud and humbled that so many great men and women and so many distinguished institutions, on whom the world showers awards and distinctions, honour Indiraji and us by accepting this Prize."

Hailing Bill Gates, Dr Singh said, "He is, after all, a unique business leader. Others have also showed the world how to create wealth from knowledge but very few before him have worked as hard and as selflessly as he has to share that wealth with marginalised people and also create knowledge in the process. We are both proud and humbled that so many great men and women and so many distinguished institutions, on whom the world showers awards and distinctions, honour Indiraji and us by accepting this Prize."

William (Bill) H. Gates is chairman of Microsoft Corporation, the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.Over a year ago, Gates transitioned out of a day-to-day role in the company to spend more time on his global health and education work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates continues to serve as Microsoft's chairman and as an advisor on key development projects. In June 2006, Ray Ozzie assumed Gates' previous title as chief software architect and oversees technical architecture and product oversight responsibilities at Microsoft. Craig Mundie assumed the new title of chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft and is responsible for the company's research and incubation efforts.

Born on Oct. 28, 1955, Gates grew up in Seattle with his two sisters. Their father, William H. Gates II, is a Seattle attorney. Their late mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher, University of Washington regent, and chairwoman of United Way International.

Gates attended public elementary school and the private Lakeside School. There, he discovered his interest in software and began programming computers at age 13.

In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman, where he lived down the hall from Steve Ballmer, now Microsoft's chief executive officer. While at Harvard, Gates developed a version of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer - the MITS Altair.

In his junior year, Gates left Harvard to devote his energies to Microsoft, a company he had begun in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the computer would be a valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers. Gates' foresight and his vision for personal computing have been central to the success of Microsoft and the software industry.

Under Gates' leadership, Microsoft's mission has been to continually advance and improve software technology, and to make it easier, more cost-effective and more enjoyable for people to use computers. The company is committed to a long-term view, reflected in its industry-leading investment in research and development each year.

In 1999, Gates wrote "Business @ the Speed of Thought", a book that shows how computer technology can solve business problems in fundamentally new ways. The book was published in 25 languages and is available in more than 60 countries. "Business @ the Speed of Thought" has received wide critical acclaim, and was listed on the best-seller lists of the "New York Times", "USA Today", "The Wall Street Journal" and on Amazon.com. Gates' previous book, "The Road Ahead", published in 1995, was at the top of the "New York Times" bestseller list for seven weeks.

Gates has donated the proceeds of both books to non-profit organizations that support the use of technology in education and skills development.

In addition to his love of computers and software, Gates founded Corbis, which is developing one of the world's largest resources of visual information - a comprehensive digital archive of art and photography from public and private collections around the globe. He is also a member of the board of directors of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which invests in companies engaged in diverse business activities.

Philanthropy is very important to Gates. He and his wife, Melinda, started a foundation in 2000 to help reduce inequities in the United States and around the world. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supports philanthropic initiatives in the areas of global health and learning, with the hope that in the 21st century, advances in these critical areas will be available for all people. To learn more about the foundation, visit www.gatesfoundation.org.

Gates was married on January 1, 1994, to Melinda French Gates. They have three children. Gates is an avid reader, and enjoys playing golf, tennis and bridge.

Eight young NRIs win US Congressional award
Ajay Ghosh
Neal Bakshi, Vinay Trivedi, Nandini Srinivasan, Sujay Tyle, Ami Mehta, Aakash Bavishi, Sonam Shah, and Nevin Raj, all young Indian Americans, won the prestigious Congressional Award program for the American youth in 2009.

The Congressional Award program gives youngsters between 14-23 years the opportunity to do something positive for themselves and their community, garnering their talents, and most importantly, gaining valuable experience from it. The minimum eligibility criterions for the Gold award includes 400 hours of work in public service, 200 hours in personal development, 200 hours in physical fitness and 40 hours of expedition/exploration.

Neal Bakshi of Pennington, New Jersey, logged more than 1,600 hours of volunteer work, physical fitness, personal development and expedition/exploration -- the four program areas in the Congressional Award program for the American youth.

He was awarded a gold medal in the Congressional Award program, Congress's highest honor for youth. For volunteer work, Neal completed his Boy Scout Eagle badge by building an informational kiosk, clearing 3,000 square feet of trail and planting fruit trees along the Hopewell trail in his town, putting in over 450 hours.

For physical fitness, he played varsity football and is the captain of his school team. For personal development, he worked as tech crew for his school plays and musicals and received the Rising Stars honor. For the expedition, he climbed the 6,288-foot Mt Washington.

Neal said, service, usually springs from selflessness and the reward is in the service itself, but I am humbled and honored. He is a two-time winner of the Presidential Volunteer Gold Award. The Princeton Chamber of Commerce honoured him in May with its Kristin Appelget Award for civic service and community leadership. He is co-president, People To People International's Princeton chapter, and has led national and international humanitarian projects. An honour roll student, he hopes to pursue a career in business or law.

Vinay Trivedi devoted nearly 600 hours to SeniorLink, an organisation he established. Funded by a seed grant from Youth Venture, SeniorLink seeks to familiarize residents at senior centers with the computer and the Internet.

For personal development, he played pieces like Fur Elise and The Moonlight Sonata on the piano. Vinay has also excelled as a varsity soccer and tennis player at his school since freshman year, and was selected as captain of both teams. He has also organized trips for his family and friends.

"I had never imagined," he said, "my work with SeniorLink would have won me such an award. Though I do not need such recognition to feel fulfilled, learning about the award and the many other medalists has been a profound humbling experience. We are doing revolutionary things for our society, both on a small and large scale. To be a part of this all, to be recognized with similarly accomplished individuals, is a privilege. If the collective group of Congressional Award medalists can incite a similar energy in others, we can help make our world a better place."

A national AP scholar and a national merit scholar finalist, the Princeton Day High School graduate was accepted at many top universities and has decided to attend Harvard University

Nandini Srinivasan, who will be a 12th grader at Beavercreek High School, Ohio, this fall, put in 450 hours of voluntary public service, 200 hours in personal development and another 200 for physical fitness. For exploration, she organised two trips of at least four days.

As part of her voluntary service, she assisted at We Care Arts, a facility for adults with physical and mental disabilities; taught young visitors to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery; and helped the community through the City of Beavercreek's Youth Council. For personal development, she said she learned to play the violin using the Suzuki method. Rowing was her sport of choice for physical fitness.

"I started this [award] project in the eighth grade and my parents have been extremely supportive since the beginning," she said. "Not only did they drive me around, but also encouraged me when the task seemed daunting. This [the project] has inspired in me a love for public service which I will certainly continue for as long as possible."

Sujay Tyle's projects included setting up, with his brother Sheel, a nonprofit foundation called ReSight Inc. It is aimed at helping underprivileged people in the world. "We provide funding to hospitals in these areas for eye-related surgeries for individuals who cannot afford them," Sujay said.

A graduate of Pittsford Mendon High School, Rochester, New York, he will be entering the freshman class at Harvard University this fall. "Throughout high school, I was part of the varsity tennis and the varsity Frisbee teams. I played table tennis at the national level, and was ranked No. 2 in the United States for my age group in 2003," he said. He had been doing graduate level science research on the production of ethanol for alternative energy for five years now, and was named the Top Young Scientist in New York in 2008.

Ami Mehta volunteered at Wild Bird Rehabilitation, a clinic dedicated to rehabilitating orphaned and injured songbirds, where she has worked for nearly seven years. She also performed with her Irish music and dance school, St Louis Irish Arts. For personal development, she learned how to play 50 new Irish tunes, in addition to learning how to play the Irish tenor banjo. Her physical fitness goal was to learn four traditional Irish set of dances.

Ami grew up in St Louis, and graduated from the Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing in 2004, where she earned her high school diploma and her associate's degree in applied science. She attended Washington University in St Louis, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 2008. She was one of 30 students from North America selected to attend the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland, commencing this fall.

"While I have enjoyed doing voluntary public service," she said, "and plan on continuing service long into the future, it is an honour to be recognized by Congress for giving something back to the community. Helen Gannon, director, Saint Louis Irish Arts, was my adviser for the Congressional Award program, and I cannot adequately express my gratitude for the opportunity she has given me in endorsing the program and supporting her students."

Aakash Bavishi, of Hoffman Estates High School, Illinois, volunteered at his local hospital, St Alexius Medical Center, for four hours a week for public service. His personal development included inculcating skills and leadership ability in extracurricular activities. For physical fitness, he developed tennis skills and improved overall fitness.

His expeditions included hiking on the Grand Canyon and touring the historic Mackinac Island. "The Congressional Award is a tremendous opportunity for everyone from the ages 14 to 23 to challenge themselves and gain lifelong skills and habits," he said. "I am humbled. I have done nothing extraordinary."

Sonam Shah participated in activities including sports, community service, instrumental music and a 12-day Alaska expedition. For public service, she volunteered at the Jersey Shore Medical Center and assisted physical therapists at Crest Physical Therapy. She also worked at soup kitchens and rotary dinners for the less fortunate and read to the blind. For personal development, she learned how to play Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake on the piano in two months and advanced to a more challenging level.

She took karate lessons twice a week and advanced from orange belt to red belt. Her physical fitness goal was to take Indian classical dance lessons, learn 10 challenging songs and graduate in Indian dancing. She just graduated from Wall High School and will be attending Quinnipiac University in the fall. "I am enrolled in their six-and-a-half year physical therapy program and will be receiving my doctorate in physical therapy once I have completed," she said.

Nevin Raj, a Star-Ledger Scholar for Hunterdon County, graduated from Huterdon Central Regional High School, New Jersey and is reportedly expected to attend Harvard. He hopes to become a physician. He scored 2,330 in SAT, had a perfect 800 in math, and top-scored in all his eight AP exams.

He took summer courses at Harvard and Raritan Community College. He was also a research intern at Princeton University and is an all-star midfielder with a traveling soccer team. He runs a computer business and has established a charity, Tools for Schools, that provides school supplies to poor children and is supported by the United Way

Raj Goyle to run for US Congress
Ajay Ghosh

Raj Goyle, an Indian American and Kansas State Representative, formally announced his candidacy for the United States Congress. With his announcement last month, Goyle has entered the race in Kansas' 4th Congressional District, which covers eleven counties in south central Kansas. If elected, he will be the third Indian American in the US House of Representatives, after Dilip Singh Saund and Bobby Jindal.

Goyle was elected to the Kansas State House of Representatives in 2006. He defeated a three-term incumbent and won re-election in 2008 with 67% of the vote. Raj has worked hard to bring Republicans and Democrats together to forge common sense solutions to the many challenges facing the community. He learned from an early age that serving your neighbor and serving the public is a serious responsibility -- a principle he has sought to honor on a daily basis.

"I am running because too many Kansas families and businesses are struggling right now. We need strong, independent leadership to tackle these challenges," Goyle said in a written statement. "I was raised to believe in Kansas values of hard work, common sense, optimism and community. I am determined to bring those principles to Washington on behalf of the people of the 4th District."

Said to be an emerging Democrat young political leader, Goyle had shocked the Kansas political establishment when he beat incumbent Republican State Rep. Bonnie Huy in 2006.

“Hard work. Community. Love of family. Service.” Raj Goyle learned these simple values growing up in Wichita. And they are the same values that guide him every day as an active member of the community and an independent voice for common sense and reform in the State Legislature.

A prolific fundraiser with a reputation for party crossover appeal, Goyle has won two terms in a Republican-leaning district in east Wichita. GOP national committeeman Mike Pompeo and state Sen. Dick Kelsey, R-Goddard, are in a spirited campaign for the Republican nomination for the seat.

"Whoever he (Goyle) runs against, it's going to be a very competitive race," said Wichita State University political science professor Mel Kahn. "He is definitely the strongest candidate the Democrats have had since (Dan) Glickman." Goyle's interest in the race had been known for months, and party leaders said they were delighted that he is running.

"I think he has an excellent chance," said Sedgwick County Democratic Party Chairman Kelly Johnston. "Raj has a proven ability to appeal to a broad range of voters. He is the most talented person I know to run for this job, bar none," added John Carmichael, the party's 4th District chairman, "not only because he is a good campaigner, but because he is a bright legislator."

Raj said, he had chosen to run for the Kansas House in 2006 because he knew his community deserved better. Raj fulfilled his campaign promise and wrote the law restricting where Fred Phelps could picket at the funerals of America’s fallen heroes. Just this year he led the effort to help save jobs and provide critical assistance to thousands of laid-off workers in the community. Raj worked hard to pass tax cuts for Kansans to help create good jobs here at home.

His website states, “Raj has never accepted politics as usual and has refused to use his office for personal gain. He has never missed a vote, never taken a free personal meal or gift from a lobbyist, and never taken a taxpayer-funded trip. He has always put the people he represents first. And he will take that same ethic to Congress. Raj approaches issues with common sense: asking what is right, what is wrong, and what is best for Wichita and the State of Kansas. He will support a good idea whether it comes from Democrats or Republicans.”

Raj is a native Wichitan and his life in Kansas taught him that the American Dream is available to anyone who works hard and plays by the rules. Raj's parents have run a small medical clinic for more than 30 years that has created good jobs and provides top-quality care for the community. Raj learned about the challenges business owners face in providing services while meeting payroll and covering expenses.

Like other kids growing up in Wichita, Raj participated in Cub Scouts, YMCA basketball leagues and immersed himself in school activities. When he was 15, he helped organize a community-wide recycling program and led a cleanup of the Arkansas River in downtown Wichita. He also worked at the Wichita Eagle where he helped produce the "back to school issue" and wrote a column on each high school in the city.

Raj graduated from Duke University and then Harvard Law School where in addition to his legal studies, he founded a technology company with two classmates that taught him the importance of entrepreneurship. After law school, Raj clerked for a federal judge and then as an advocate for better schools, improved voting rights for the disabled, and as an expert on homeland security issues. And along the way he met the love of his life -- his wife Monica, an attorney and daughter of retired public school teachers.

"Raj is the leader we need in Washington representing Wichita and south central Kansas," said John Moore, former Lieutenant Governor and former Cessna Executive Vice President. "He has demonstrated that he has the experience and judgment to find realistic solutions to complex problems, skills needed in Washington."

Krishna Kumar: Dedicated to Relieve People of Chronic Pain
Ajay Ghosh

Krishna Kumar, a Canadian of Indian origin and neurosurgeon knows more than anyone elese that "Chronic pain is real. It alters your personality. It alters the functioning of your brain." Nearly six per cent of the human population suffers from chronic pain to some degree and that it can be caused by just about anything including slight accidents, minor surgery or even diseases like diabetes or multiple sclerosis. Not many people of aware of this. Even less understood is the human toll it takes on people who can no longer work and who sometimes spiral into poverty, depression, drugs, alcohol and suicide. "It manifests into a very damaging thing," Kumar says.

Dr. Kumar has dedicated his entire life to help people relieve of their chronic pan. He is internationally known for his research in treating chronic pain. The neurosurgeon is famous for treating chronic pain with spinal implant therapy rather than conventional therapies. To avoid the need for pain medication, he has also developed a programmable and implantable pump for patients. He has initiated a deep brain stimulation technique in which an electrode delivers low-voltage stimulation to the brain to reduce the feeling of chronic pain.

"Eight to eight, I used to call myself," said the neurosurgeon referring to his average work day — he says he's eased up in recent years — that still often includes four to six hours each weekend day doing patient follow-ups or writing his 200 medical papers.

Asked what's driven his dedication over the decades, Kumar simply explains it's his patients. "People come to me and say, 'Nobody believes me'‚" said Kumar said of his patients he says often come to him with handfuls of prescription pain-killing medication.

Kumar believes he can lessen the suffering, to some extent, of anyone with chronic pain through the three procedures he has developed. They include brain implants, spinal cord implants and a programmable implantable pump inserted under the skin that dispenses prescribed doses of pain medication.

However, such procedures are costly, time-consuming and not eagerly taken on by other neurosurgeons. Nor is their value always recognized by governments that he says often don't recognize the cost-savings that follow when a former chronic pain sufferer again becomes a productive member of society.

"My contribution to science is showing that chronic pain is real and that it alters a person," he said. "My contribution is making society and government realizes these people are real and their pain is real."

Also renowned for his ground-breaking work treating movement disorders like Parkinson's disease and essential tremors through deep brain implants, Kumar came to Regina 47 years ago shortly before the implementation of medicare and ensuing doctors' strike in 1962.

Asked how he developed his techniques, he describes his work as simply "tickling the brain and observing." "Everything starts with trial and error until it is perfected," Kumar explained.

For this work, Kumar has been honored with the Order of Canada this year. The top civilian awards in Canada are being given to mark Canada Day, which celebrates the birth of the country as a confederation in 1867. A statement from Canadian Governor General Michaelle Jean said Kumar is being honored "for his contributions as a clinical professor and researcher in neurosurgery and for the development of innovative brain and spinal implants used for the treatment of chronic pain".

Based in Saskatchewan province of Canada, 78-year-old Kumar has practised neurosurgery in Canada for almost five decades. Apart from receiving almost two dozen national and international awards, he has also been honoured with two lecturerships named after him. Last year, he was named the provincial Saskatchewan Physician of the Year for his medical services.

Bestowing the honour on Kumar, Milo Fink, president of the Saskatchewan Medical Association, had summed up his contribution, saying, "He (Kumar) has been a pioneer in the management of pain with neurosurgical procedures and the bulk of his international reputation is based upon such procedures as spinal stimulation and deep brain implants."

Kumar's work was the subject of a 2005 documentary called Living with Pain. Since then he's led a global study with 11 international centres to evaluate the effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation in patients who have failed back surgery syndrome compared to conventional medical management. The research results were presented in Budapest, Hungary, in September last year.

"We've established that spinal cord stimulation does work and is better than physiotherapy or chiropractic treatment," Kumar said. Through his efforts, Regina acquired its first CT scanner, MRI unit and brain prober, which picks up electric current that is sent from brain cells.

"The discharges from the brain can be amplified and it becomes a sound signal and then you can learn where you are. Close your eyes and listen to the music of the brain and it will tell you where you are," Kumar said. "As long as I have a clear head and lots of energy I'm all right," Kumar said. "If my head starts to get fuzzy then I'll quit right away.”

Hindu Maha Sammelanam in California
LOS ANGELES: The 50th Hindu Maha Sammelanam of Kerala Hindus of North America (KHNA) was held at Swamy Satyananda Nagar in Ontario, Los Angeles from July 10-13.

Art of living legend Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Chalakudy Sree Narayana Guru Chaitanya Mutt chief Sachidananda Swami, Eswarananda Swami of Chinmaya Mission, Shantananda Swami, Dr Gopalakrishnan and Mannadi Hari were the chief guests. Many religious leaders from America, Mexico, India and Gulf countries participated in the Hindu Convention.

The convention started on July 9 with ganapathy homam, navagraha homam and ayyappa pooja. A procession was held on the courtyard of Double Tea Hotel in Ontario on July 10.

The flag was hoisted together by Swamy Eswaranandji, Swamy Sachidanandji and KHNA president Ramdas Pillai. Seminars, religious speeches, general body meet of Kerala Hindus of North Americal, ganamela by Biju Narayanan and Rimi Tomy, carnatic music by Jayavijaya, Kathakali, mohiniyattam and other dance items were held.

The programmes were organized by a panel led by Ramdas Pillai (president), Vinod Bahuleyan (general secretary), Sathish Nair (vice president), Nishant Pillai (joint secretary), Girija Raghavan (treasurer), Balan Panicker (joint treasurer), T N Nair board chairman and vice chairman Govind Janardhanan.

5th International Latin Catholic Convention Held in Philadelphia
Ajay Ghosh
“Celebration of the Latin Catholic Heritage and Unity” was the theme at the fifth International Latin Catholic Convention held from Friday, July 10, to Sunday, July 12, 2009 at The Valley Forge Radisson Hotel, Prussia, PA.. Attended by nearly 250 delegates from across North America and India, the bi-annual convention was a way of celebrating the cultural heritage and achievements of the fast growing Indian American Latin Catholic community.

The Latin Church or Rite is the majority Rite or particular Church within the Catholic Church, comprising roughly 98% of its membership. The Latin Rite is one of the 23 sui iuris particular Churches within the Catholic Church. This particular Church developed in Western Europe and North Africa, where, from antiquity to the Renaissance, Latin was the principal language of education and culture, and so also of the liturgy.

The term "Latin Rite" was once clearly synonymous with Western Church, a term that some continue to use exclusively of the Church in communion with the bishop and see of Rome. The Latin Church is distinguished from the other sui iuris Churches not only by the use of the aforementioned liturgies, but also by customs, practices and Canon law distinct from those of the Eastern Churches.

In India, in addition to the Roman/Latin Catholic Church, there are a sizable number of members belonging to both Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Churches. Each of these Churches is united with the Catholic Church, yet distinct from one another. Members of these Churches have immigrated to North America and almost all corners of the earth, and have established their groups/Churches in their respective adopted homelands.

The members of the Indian Roman Catholic Church in North America have brought with them their customs and traditions and have established their local Parishes/Churches across the United States. The convention gives them a forum to celebrate their culture and heritage. Just as the editorial at the Convention souvenir stated, "Culture is central to any community. Having a flourishing culture means having a unified sense of the self and the community. It is a way of preserving our identity in order that we can be who we are and be proud of it. As we strive to be a vibrant Indian Latin Catholic Community, we need to look to and depend upon each other to create the success that each of us and our community so richly deserves."

Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia, who was the main celebrant at the Eucharist, encouraged the participants to unite in faith, hope and love of Jesus. He said, he was happy to know that the Indian Catholics are carrying their heritage and values in their adopted land and are strengthening their family values for the future generations.

Dr. Francis Kallarakal, Bishop of Kottapuram, India, concelebrated at the Holy Mass with several other priests. Fr. Raju B. Selvaraj, in his welcome address, emphasized the importance of the community coming together to celebrate their heritage.

Bishop Francis Kallarackal in his inaugural speech urged the lay participation in the ecclesiastical activities. He exhorted all to unite under one umbrella and forget disagreements and divisions. “Let us be the instruments of Holy Spirit and spread Jesus message through our words and actions. Peter Damien welcomed everybody for the convention at the time of inauguration meeting,” he said. Peter welcomed the participants who had come in from across North America.

During a lively interactive session, Justin Padamadan underscored the importance of a strong family life, and said, “We need to understand the different views of the members in the family. We should have Jesus in our family who can unite us. Good individual, good family, good community everything is interlinked. Parents should be a model to the children.”

This was followed by group sessions on various themes. Dr. Elma Padamadan provided insights and solutions for the women group discussion. The youth classes were guided by Dr. George Thyvelikakath and Monica and youth sessions were led by Dr. Veena.

A souvenir was released by Bishop Francis Kallarakal. Souvenir coordinator Selvan Albert said, “The souvenir is a documentation of Indian Roman Catholic (Latin Rite) heritage and reality. The purpose of conventions is to preserve and promote the integrity and culture of the Latin Catholic Indian American Families. It is a good platform for all of us to come together and discuss about the diverse needs of being united, reflect and act as a community in the United States. It also exposes our children to the religious and cultural values of India.”

After a lively discussion, the delegates decided to form a national community for Indian Latin Catholic who live in North America, which they decided would be called, The Indian Roman Catholics of North America (Latin Rite). This was followed by a meaningful dialogue from members on the nature of the constitution, which was prepared by Justin Thomas.

The Event Coordinator Renu Prince planned and helped the Convention committees to flow in a timely manner with maximum peoples’ participation. The registration and food & accommodation committee coordinators Austin John and Betty Johnson coordinated and ensured that all participants are happy and taken care all their needs. Nimmy Das & Liz Austin coordinated the cultural programs. The cultural programs from different states, including New York, Ohio, New Jersey, California and Chicago displayed excellent performance and were much appreciated by one and all. Johnson Fernandez coordinated with press and media. The liturgy was prepared by Fr. Raju and Rosamma Michael.

After attending the convention, Shiji Albert, a delegate, said, “After attending the convention, people are drawn to each other because of common interests and belonging. We got to know each other more and we have started sharing ideas and exchange e-mail ids, phone numbers and addresses to stay in touch. Let our convention be a means of networking and sharing our ideas and resources for the betterment of our community.”

The convention committee secretary Jevelson Simenthy said that the convention is the first step towards unifying all Indian Roman Catholic of Latin Rite in North America. Convention committee treasurer Romeo Gregory said that the success of the Philadelphia convention was a result of people’s hard work and contribution.

The newly elected president of The Indian Roman Catholics of North America (Latin Rite), said, “Active community participation is key to building an empowered Indian Latin Catholic community in the United States. It is a challenge but it is necessary for the growth of any community.”

The first ever national level convention in the United States of the Kerala Latin Catholics was held at St. John Vianney Church, Northlake, Chicago on April 5, 2002. The purpose of the convention was to bring the community together and to provide an opportunity for the members to meet, discuss possibilities of common activities, encourage talents, discuss ways of helping the needy in India, inform the community in India about opportunities available in nursing and other areas in the US, discuss the establishment of professional colleges in India.

Kingfisher Airlines launches daily direct flights from Dubai to Bangalore
Ajay Ghosh

Kingfisher Airlines, rated by Skytrax as India's only Five Star airline, has launched daily direct flights from Dubai to Bangalore. With three international routes - London, Colombo and Dhaka - the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the fourth international destination on its network.

These flights will be operated using the A320 family of aircraft featuring Kingfisher Class, the premium economy service from Kingfisher Airlines.

The flights are conveniently timed with the flight from Dubai leaving at 10:10 pm and reaching Bangalore at 3:45 am, local time, the following day. The return flight will take off from Bangalore at 6:15 pm and reach Dubai at 8:55 pm, the same day. Kingfisher Airlines flights operate from Dubai Airport's Terminal 1.

Several airlines from North America provide convenient connections over Dubai with Kingfisher Airlines to Bangalore.

The award-winning Kingfisher Experience includes onboard comfort with the roomiest seats in the sky, a wide seat pitch and ample leg- room. Moreover, the dining options ensure that guests have a choice of palatable dishes and a fine selection of wines.

The In-Flight Entertainment system offers superb entertainment with a personal system on every seat featuring the latest blockbuster movies, English and Hindi TV programs and the exclusive Kingfisher Radio.

Commenting on the launch of the first new international route connecting Dubai, Atul Kumria, the airlines' Regional Director-North America, said, “I am delighted to announce the commencement of flights between Bangalore and Dubai. Our newly launched flights offer the best-in-class experience amongst the narrow-body products serving this route and coupled with ideal and convenient timings, will offer travelers on this route a better option.”

Bangalore is ideally placed as a transit hub for travelers flying from Belgaum, Chennai, Calicut, Coimbatore, Hubli, Kochi, Mangalore, Thiruvananthapuram and Vijaywada into Dubai as it offers easy connectivity with minimum connect time.

Outbound travelers connecting with this flight will not have to change or transfer from one airport terminal to another as the domestic and international sections are less than 100 meters away from each other.

Guests flying in from Dubai on Kingfisher Airlines will now have the added advantage of convenient onward connections to many domestic destinations in India with almost immediate connections from Bangalore to Mangalore, Goa, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Pune, Kolkata, Hubli, Belgaum, Nagpur, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad and all major metros in India.

In addition, guests will also have the option of convenient onward connections on Kingfisher Airlines flights to international destinations like Colombo and Dhaka.

Kingfisher Airlines caters to all segments of the air travel ranging from low-fare service-Kingfisher Red, to the premium economy service-Kingfisher Class, to the luxurious Kingfisher First. As India's leading carrier, Kingfisher Airlines offers the maximum number of flights offered by any single airline network in India. The airline connects 69 cities in India and has over 400 daily departures with a fleet of 74 aircraft.

Indo-US relationship poised to grow further: Meera Shankar
Ajay Ghosh
“I am fortunate to come to the US as ambassador at a time when the India- US relations are on an ascending curve,” India’s Ambassador to the United States told the Indian American community during a rousing reception organized at the Indian Consulate in New York on Tuesday, July 7, 2009. “The curve is growing upwards and poised to grow even steeper,” the envoy said.

Lauding the efforts of the NRI community in the US, the Ambassador said, “With the support of Indian-Americans, the relationship has grown substantially.”

While giving credit to the many efforts that had led to the historic nuclear deal, Ambassador Shankar wants to take the relationship even further. “The civil nuclear initiative passed last year in the Congress is a major symbol of the transformation of our relations. We hope to carry forward this and to have concrete projects with the US,” Meera Shankar said.

Shankar said that she will work hard to take this relationship to the next level, building on the gains which were made and on the strong bipartisan support within the United States for building this relationship, as well as broad political support in the Indian polity for building this relationship.

Towards this end, she urged the Indian American community to play a major role. “I rely on your support to take the ties to greater heights. Indians in the US are as diverse as India. We are bound together by our shared experience. Indian American community has achieved great progress in recent times and has contributed substantially to the US economy.”

The new Envoy to the United States had praises fo0r the Indian electorate, who had given a clear verdict for “stability and growth” in the recently concluded elections in India. “With wise leadership at the helm the nation is well placed to move ahead to fulfill the aspirations of its people and meet the challenges ahead,” she said.

On the Indian economy, she said it has performed relatively better than many global economies in the era of downturn. “Our growth has been moderate but we are still one of the few countries that have growth. Last year we achieved 6.8 percent growth and this year it’s predicted to be 6-7 percent.” And she added that the objective of the government is to get back 8-10 percent growth path to overcome poverty and ensure decent standard of living to the people who deserve it.”

She told the audience that the World Bank has predicted that India will achieve 8 percent growth rate in 2010. “There is an increasing recognition of buoyancy of Indian economy and ours is growth that has been domestic demand driven with domestic investments. This has enabled the nation to tide over global crisis than other societies.”

The presence of several former senior diplomats from Indian Foreign Service, and the large number of Indian American community leaders, academicians, businessmen and media personnel, who had filled the Ballroom of the Indian Consulate bore witness to the importance of the occasion.

Earlier, Prabhu Dayal, Consul General of India in New York, while welcoming Shankar, expressed his appreciation to the distinguished gathering for attending the reception. He introduced her as a distinguished diplomat, who comes to Washington with varied experiences.

Shankar, a 1973 batch Indian Foreign Service Officer, was posted in Washington between 1991 and 1995. Shankar, an accomplished career diplomat, will be the first career person to be posted in Washington in more than two decades after K Shankar Bajpai, and is only the second woman ambassador posted to the US. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit -- Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's sister -- was India's Ambassador to the US and Mexico between 1949 and 1951.

During her stint in the 1990s, Shankar was part of a 'dream team' of female diplomats serving under Ray, comprising Nirupama Rao, currently India's Ambassador to Beijing, who was then minister, press and information, and Chitra Narayanan, now India's ambassador to Sweden, who then took care of cultural affairs and also stepped in whenever there was any political work to be done up on Capitol Hill.

The 1973-batch IFS officer, Shankar was posted to Germany in December 2005. Shankar has served as additional secretary (UN, disarmament and international security) from 2003-2005, joint secretary (Nepal-Bhutan, SAARC) from 1997-2003. She also had a stint in the Prime Minister's Office from 1985-1991, most notably when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister.

The top post in the Indian embassy at Washington is usually kept for "political appointments". While career diplomats like Lalit Mansingh or Ronen Sen have served as Indian ambassador there, Nani A Palkhivala (1977-1979), Karan Singh (1989-1990), Siddharth Shankar Roy (1992-1996) have been appointed in this key post. Sen, too was appointed ambassador in 2004 after his retirement from the Indian Foreign Service. Mansingh, however, got the appointment while he was in service but subsequently was given an extension by the NDA government.

During the reception in New York, Amabassador Shankar, along with the senior diplomats, cut a cake, celebrating her new assignment. American photographer, Robert Arnett, presented a pictorial book on India titled “India Unveiled” to the ambassador.

Diplomats who attended the event included former Indian Ambassador to the US K.S. Bajpai, former Permanent Representative of India to the UN, Chinmoy Gharekhan, former Ambassador to Argentina S.M.S. Chaddha, and former High Commissioner to Canada and currently member of Union Public Service Commission Sashi Tripathi and Ambassador Aftab Seth, a former envoy to Japan.

Shankar arrived on April 26 this year and on the same day greeted the Indian American community at the annual Baisakhi celebration, hosted by the Indian Embassy and put together by the Minister of Community Affairs Sanjay Sinha. She attended a reception hosted by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin – described as the largest and most influential international medical group in the country -- on Capitol Hill at the end of the AAPI's legislative conference.

The Indian American community has hailed her appointment and fondly remembers her tenure as the minister of commerce, in DC, under then Ambassador Siddhartha Shankar Ray.

Raymond Vickery, currently senior vice president at Stonebridge International, a top Washington DC lobbying firm headed by former President Bill Clinton's National Security Adviser Samuel 'Sandy' Berger, and one of the lobbyists for the US-India Business Council, told the media about how much he enjoyed 'working very closely' with her during her earlier stint in Washington. He described her as "a bear for detail," and hence "a great choice" as ambassador to Washington, DC.

Vickery recalled, "I had the pleasure and privilege of working with Ambassador Shankar when she was an assistant to Ambassador S S Ray, and I was (then) Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown's Assistant Secretary for Trade Development." Vickery added, "I found Ambassador Shankar to be a consummate professional with a keen eye for detail and virtually unlimited energy. She combined these qualities with a strong intellect and an excellent sense of humour."

Kiran Pasricha, director general of the Confederation of Indian Industry in Washington, DC, acknowledged that Shankar was the quintessential professional and recalled that during her tenure in DC, "She was very effective, very persistent in getting our viewpoint across. So, she's going to be terrific."

In yet another sign of deepening relationship between India and the United States, the Friends of Indian Caucus in the US Senate is holding a rare Congressional reception for the new Indian Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar.

The reception, to be attended by top Senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties, is scheduled to be hosted by the Friends of India Caucus in the US Senate on July 28 at the Capitol. "In the 111th Congress, the US Senate India Caucus will continue to serve as a forum for US Senators and Indian leaders to discuss issues of mutual interest," John Cornyn, the Republican Senator from Texas, told the media

Looking forward to working with Shankar, Cornyn hoped that the US President will not lose sight of the tremendous importance of bolstering US ties with India, even it is clear the Obama Administration considers the US-China relationship to be a highly important one. "Robust cooperation between our two nations - the United States, the oldest democracy in the world, and India, the largest one - will take on increasing importance in the decades ahead. I believe India can and should serve as a strong counter-balance to China's growing economic and military power in the region," he said.

"The reception shows the growing friendship between US and India," said Ashok Mago, chairman, US India Forum. It will give an opportunity to Ambassador Shankar to meet a number of Senators on that day and build relationship with Senators, he said adding that this is for the first time that the Caucus is holding a reception for an Indian Ambassador in Washington.

Woman, two children found dead in US
James Varghese
LANSING: A mother and her two children who died in an apparent murder-suicide have been identified.

The Eaton County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday the mother is 40-year-old Brigeethamma Shajimon. The children are Alwin Shajimon Thomas, age 10, and Alfred Shajimon Thomas, age 5.

Brigeethamma belongs to the Planthara family in Palai. She just completed her nursing recently. Her husband from Palai's Parampil family is an IT professional.

Husband and father Shajimon Thomas called 911 at 5:20 p.m. Monday, saying he found the bodies in the family's home at Plum Tree Apartments in Delta Township west of Lansing when he came home.

Eaton County Sheriff Mike Raines says the deaths appear to be a homicide-suicide.

Autopsies were completed at Lansing's Sparrow Hospital, but the cause of death cannot be determined until toxicology reports have been completed. That could take several weeks.

"It appears to be a homicide-suicide, but it's still under investigation," Raines told reporters. "I'm a father myself. It's a very horrible situation. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to friends and anybody who might know the family."

The sprawling apartment complex is just northwest of Waverly High School.

Detectives were questioning the husband and wanted to make sure "he's going to be all right," the sheriff said.

"They seemed like a normal family," neighbor Robert Ward told the Lansing State Journal. "The kids seemed to have fun."

Ward, 23, said he occasionally spoke to the husband, who once helped him find a missing cell phone.

Ward said the couple were immigrants but said he did not know their country of origin.

"That's crazy. It just hurts my little soul," neighbor Diandra Garcia told WILX-TV. She said she was waiting to confirm the children who were killed were playmates of her 8-year-old son.

"How do you tell a child their friends are not here no more?" Garcia asked. "It's sad to know a mother has taken the lives of children on top of herself."

Mathew George nominated as Councilman Candidate in the Town of North Hempstead
Ajay Ghosh
Mathew George, a resident of Mineola (Long Island) has been nominated to run as a Councilman for District 3 of North Hempstead by the Democratic Party of Nassau County on May 28, 2009 during their convention at Cradle of Aviation Museum. This is first time an Asian American is running as a major party candidate in the Town of North Hempstead, which includes Mineola, Garden City Park, Villages of Williston Park and New Hyde Park. The district has a large concentration of Indian Americans.

George immigrated to the United States in 1986. A chemistry graduate from M.V.M. Bhopal and post graduate from Ratlam Government College, Mathew also completed a Bachelor of Education at Regional College of Education in Bhopal, a Master of Science Education at New York University and a Master of Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College. Later working as a teacher in Mumbai and Nigeria, George started as a teacher with New York City Department of Education and is currently working as an Assistant Principal in a New York City high school.

George has also had varied experience as a research scholar at College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University and as a Teacher Research Associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory. As an educator, George has made substantial contributions to science education through professional development for teachers and equipping teachers with varied instructional strategies.

As a community worker, George has been working with youth and young adults for over 30 years. George has helped hundreds of troubled youths in inner city schools to graduate from high schools. Most of the time, troubled kids come from troubled families. They were provided with additional support so as to help them continue at school, graduate and stay out of trouble to become good citizens.

George started the “College Now” program of CUNY in two New York City high schools so that students can earn college credits at high school. The program has helped their smooth transition from high school to colleges. George promoted another program called “Trout in the Classroom”, where students raised trout from eggs to fingerlings and released them at streams in the Catskill area. The program educates school kids about the New York City water supply systems and the importance of conservation.

George served as the team leader for designing and writing the proposal for a high school in partnership with SUNY Downstate, Columbia University and Brooklyn Historical Society.

George has been involved with environmental groups such as Eco-Justice to educate the citizens about the importance of saving the environment.

As a councilman, George wants to focus on the following: Fight for lower property tax; Create more green jobs; Protect the rights of working people; Support initiatives to sustain the environment; Initiate and develop new training programs in the town’s school districts to prepare the young for next generation jobs

As a school leader and community leader, George hopes to bring innovative ideas to accomplish the above goals. With his leadership qualities and good rapport with people, George will make a difference in the community.

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