6 6 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 national (andalsoatthestate level)ombudsman,andaction reforms. Two issuesstandout:thedemandforLokpal, a government committeditself to fundamentalanti-corruption course. Anti-corruption activists mobilizedcitizens,andthe measures andmediainvestigations dominatedpublicdis- dals broughttolightin2011under robustright-to-information tion agencyisperceivedasineffective. Majorcorruptionscan- population? shine asagaiantaportionofthecountry’s morethanabbillion ing standardsforthepoor. When will theentireIndiacan economic growthcannotbesustainedwithoutimprovingliv- Roughly afifthofgirlsaremarriedbyage15.India’s long-term dropped to48percent. Twelve percentofchildren work. income expandfrom$460to$1,489,thisnumberhasonly despite adecadeofrapideconomicgrowththatsawpercapita and, infact,silencedissent. right tofreespeechmountpersonalattacksagainstcritics But, inanironictwist,Mr. Modi’s supportersareusingtheir thinking skillsthatarethehallmarksofaqualityeducation. racies thatfosterthem.Itisimperativetonurturingthecritical is essentialtoinstitutionsofhighereducationandthedemoc- nia forexercisingcriticaljudgmentandfreespeech.Freespeech targets facultyandstudentsattheUniversityofPennsylva- lost atleasttwice.Theresultisanincreasingvitriolicthat perspectives expressedinanopenandcivilmanner, hasbeen ominously. The opportunityforpublicdiscourse,multiple invitation totheWhartonSchool,eventscontinueunfold the challengetocleanofmessat Vatican. casting ashadowoverthenewkyelectedPope,whoisgiven wake a Vatican hierarchyfacingscandalsandintriguethatare study, walkinginthegardenandpianopractice,helefethis entirely athomeinthelimelight,retiredtoalifeofprayer, pacy, PopeBenedictXVI,ashytheologianwhoneverseemed As thesunsetonRomeandhisturbulenteight-yearpa- When Will India Achieve EquitableGrowth? Despite astronglegalframeworkinIndia,theanti-corrup- In 2001,54percentofallIndianchildrenwerestunted; Since theretractionofChiefMinisterNarendraModi’s Your coverstoryonPopeBenedictwasveryenlightening. Corruption ContinuesUnabated Modi FiascoatWharton Pope BenedictResigns Editor Letter - Aravind Sachdeva - Aravind - XavierThomas The - PraveenShah to ernment andbureaucracy? political funding.WhenwillIndiahaveacorruptionbegov- government forelectoralreformsthathelptracksourcesof scrutiny offinancingandelectionexpenses.Itispushingthe tuted measurestocreateenhancedtransparencyandcloser grossly underreported.TheElectionCommissionhasinsti- are hardlyeverquestionedbecauseelectionsexpenses are nolimitstoindividualdonations,andcorporatedonations to recover“blackmoney”stashedawayintaxhavensabroad. porting himtobethenextPM candidate. Chief Ashok SinghalandseveralRSSleadersareopenly sup- Ram Jethmalani,Mahesh ShatrughanSinha,VHP to denigrateandmalignShriModi forseveralyears. in Indiawhohaveunleashed a politically-motivatedblitzkirk This hasalsounnerved“paidmedia” and“anti-nationalNGOs” Chief Minister’s statusintheeyesof American Congress. and ideasofGujaratChiefMinisterhasfurtherraised the U.S.Governmenttosupportopenlyandfullyvision of HouseForeign Affairs Subcommitteeon Asia’s requestto ber thisyearhasaddedonemorefeatherinhiscap. Narendra ModitoattendtheEuropeanParliamentinNovem- contain terrorism. his tenure.Thisisapositivereflectiononcapability to Hindu MuslimriotorevenaterroristattackinGujaratduring Maharshtra and West Bengal,buttherehasnotbeenany Prime MinisterofIndia. given furtherboosttoNarendraModiasthenextnationalist bly offendedthesensibilitiesof850millionHindusandhas his official capacityasthecountry’s HomeMinister, hasterri- mark recentlybynolessapersonthanSushilKumarShindein nation fromwithinasmadeexplicitbyhis‘Hinduterror’re- a dirtywordinthelexiconofpseudo-secularists. Indian abouthisgloriouspastwhichhadbeendesignatedas ated confidenceandrespectabilityinthemindofanaverage gent India.Heisanepitomeofvigorandvitality. Hehascre- Capital “M”.NarendraModiisconsideredasaniconofresur- Rahul GandhiarenomatchforNarendraModi,theManwith proved beyondanyshadowofdoubtthatSoniaGandhiand He isheldinhighesteemalloverIndia.Thiselectionhas tional politicallandscapehasbeencompletelytransformed. has emboldenedpatrioticforcesalloverIndia.Theentirena- fundamentalist axis,anti-Hinduandanti-nationalforces; diabolical designsofdeadlycombinationLeftist-Islamic His electionasChiefMinisterofGujarathasalsoexposedthe as themostdominant,dynamicandcharismaticnationalleader. Modi’s stockhasconsiderablygoneupandheemerged Catholic Church. clergy toserveandforwomenbeordainedprietsofthe think thisantiquatedandunholydoctrineallowmarried optimistic, IpraythatthenewlyelectedPopeFranciswillre- ture thatviewswomenaslesserthanmen.ThoughIamnot The problemisnotwithGod,butanall-maleclericalcul- PRIME MINISTEROF INDIA,IS AN NARENDRA MODI,THEFUTURE Political financeaccountabilityisanotherkeyissue.There That isthereasonseniorBJP leadeslike Yeshwant Sinha, American LawmakerMr. Faleomavaega, RankingMember The invitationfromEuropeanUnionLawmakersto There havebeenseveralHinduMuslimriotsinUP, The idiosyncraticprojectionofHindusasanenemythe After playingahattrickinGujaratelections,Narendra The CatholicChurchneedtoopenupthenewworld. Change thelawandallowmarried ICON OFRESURGENTINDIA priests andwomen - LaxmanSaxena - NarainKataria - MelissaCruz March-April 2013 THE COMPLETE MAGAZINE FOR THE GLOBAL ASIAN In Defense of Marriage Editorial In the past few months, the nation’s focus has been on the US Supreme Court Publisher&CEO Ginsmon P Zacharia taking up the two cases relating to the institution of marriage. The Defense of Mar- Chief Editor Ajay Ghosh riage Act passed by the US Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton into law in Director Paul J Murphy 1996 has increasingly become outdated in the minds of many people, particularly with (Europe Operations) nine states signing gay marriage into law despite it. Now the legality of the Act, Director Sebastian Joseph something that really wasn’t questioned before when people were against gay mar- (Business Development) riage, is being called into question and could change the way we have understood Legal Advisor Anand Ahuja Esq marriage forever. Corporate Advertising Dominic Chackonal The Court will make a determination as to if the Constitution require that people be Graphic Designer Jinu John Mathew allowed to marry whom they choose, regardless of either partner’s gender? The fact Published By that the question was in front of the Supreme Court at all was startling, given that no state recognized same-sex unions before 2003 and 40 states still don’t allow them. DELIGHT MEDIA Inc. Several states have also expanded the legal rights available to spouses in same-sex P.O.Box-139 relationships while also limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples with civil unions East Meadow, NY-11554 and domestic partnerships. Tel.516- 776- 7061 At the center of this discussion is also the economic burdens the same sex couples Fax.516 -882- 7257 are asked to bear. Despite their marriage certificates, gay and lesbian spouses cannot Europe get tax-free health benefits from their employers. They can’t file joint federal tax re- Delight Media UK Ltd turns, as heterosexual married couples can. If gays or lesbians divorce, any alimony is Tel:+44 29205 49977 considered a gift subject to taxation, while for opposite-sex couples, it’s tax-free. And +44 78840 21626 when a spouse dies, the widow or widower is liable for inheritance taxes; heterosexual couples enjoy a marital deduction. India Paul D. Clement, who served as solicitor general under President George W. Bush Office Address: The Asian Era, 375 A, defended the 1996 law on behalf of House Republicans in the Court, arguing that the Pocket - 2, Mayur Vihar Phase - 1, Delhi, federal government was entitled to use a uniform definition of marriage across the India - 110 091 Tel: +91 9971407120 nation. The religiously conservative groups argue that the attempt to “redefine” mar- Asian Era riage to include two persons of the same sex denies the reality of what marriage is. Prananam Complex Because men and women are “complementary,” they bring different gifts to a relation- Erumathala p.o.Aluva ship. In marriage, the complementally of husband and wife is expressed very clearly in India,Pin 683112 the act of conjugal love, having children, and fathering and mothering –actions that Tel:+ 91 484 2838763 call for the collaboration – and unique gifts – of husband and wife. They argue that Fax:+91 484 2838764 marriage is not just about satisfying adult desires, but is a pro-child institution. The Web Site: www.asianeraonline.com community of the family is built upon the communion of the spouses E-mail [email protected] Some argue that, because a majority of the US citizens, as been indicated in recent polls, approve of gay and lesbian marriage, does that allow for the change of the definition of marriage? Or can the state alter an institution that is as old as that of human existence, or undertake to change the very understanding of marriage in the Asian Era Magazine is Published Bimonthly, name of equal rights? Jonathan Turley, a professor at George Washington, is now By Delight Media Inc.Views Expressed in this Publication are not necessarily those of pursuing litigation in Utah, saying if there is a right to same-sex marriage, then there is thePublication and accordingly no liability is a right to polygamy. Assumed by the publisher thereof.It does not Catholic Church argues that marriage is the lifelong partnership of mutual and Represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability exclusive fidelity between a man and a woman ordered by its very nature to the good Of any of the articles and advertisements. of the spouses and the procreation and raising of children At the heart of married love is the total gift of self that husband and wife freely offer to each other. Because of their sexual difference, husband and wife can truly become “one flesh” and can give to each other “the reality of children, who are a living reflection of their love. However, there are studies that agree that children of gay and lesbian couples fare just as well as children of straight couples. A report published in the American Socio- logical Review back in 2001 examined 21 studies which “almost uniformly (found) no notable differences between children reared by heterosexual parents and those reared by lesbian and gay NSIDE parents...” I Ultimately, what is important is that marriage as an institu- MAR-APR 2013 tion is for sharing of love and entire being in a unique relation- ship that allows giving birth to and raising of children. It’s vital Era that marriage continues to serve that very unique and impor- Pope Francis: tant role. A New Era of Evangelization: Send in your comments/opinions to the Editor at: Protecting Nature, 14 [email protected] Ajay Ghosh The Poor & The Weak Ajayghosh TheAsian 7 8

8 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 ful audiovisual lookattheevent’s history. Manish Paulhostedtheevent, whichopenedwithawist- ghagra-cholis, dancedacross thestage. Television actor ning Bharatanatyam(classical Indiandance)costumesand pete inthewidelytelevisedshow. And all23finalists,don- Chandigarh andDelhi,23 women werechosentocom- held inGoa,Pune,Calcutta ,BangaloreIndore months ofrigorousgrilling. were selectedfromthe23finalistsafteraperiodofmany dian glamourandbrainsatinternationalplatformssoon, geous youngIndiangirlswhoareallsettorepresentIn- Pradesh wasawardedsecondrunnerup.Thethreegor- tress Zoya Afroz (18)fromLucknow inthestateofUttar year-old studentinMumbai,wonfirstrunnerupandac- Edition oftheBeautyPageant.SobhitaDhulipala,a20- 24th followinganexuberantgrandfinaleoftheGolden the 50theditionofbeautypageantonSunday, March Femina MissIndia2013inastarstuddedgrandfinaleof Cover Story .The special guests fortheeveningwere actresses The roadtoMumbaiwasnoteasy. After auditionswere Mumbai, India:NavneetKaurDhillonwascrowned THE ASIAN ERA NEWSSERVICE dazzling theaudiences andsettingthebar higherforthe Don't missittoday." Memories fromwhenIchoreographed herforMiss World. "Rehearsing with Aishwarya for Femina MissIndia. rapher ShiamakDavarconfirmed thenews.Hetweeted, projects aftershebecamepregnant in2011. Ace choreog- her pregnancy. The actresshadnotsigned upanymajor delivered hismostemotionalsongs. Nigam’s stageperformancewasheartwrenchingashe giving themostnotableperformanceofevening.Sonu were theretopromotetheirupcomingfilm‘GrandMasti’ Vivek Oberoi, Aftab Shivdasani,RiteishDeshmukh,who entry onstagewastheadorabletrioofMastiboys – with starstuddedperformances.Makingastupendousre- fashion designerRituKumar. Asin andChitrangadaSingh,actorJohn Abraham andace Yuvraj Singh,ChoreographerShaimakDawar, actresses for theeveningwereFilmmakerKaranJohar, cricketer Miss World Internationaltitlesaswell. The eventjudges both wonMissIndia-World titlesandwentontowinthe Aishwarya RaiBachchanandPriyankaChopra,whohave Priyanka Chopra tooktostageandperformed herbest, The eventmarked Aishwarya's comebackonstagepost The eveningwasasimmenselyentertainingonefilled Femina Miss India 2013 Winner Navneet Kaur (middle) 1st runner-up, Sobhita Dhulipala and Pond's Femina Miss India 2nd runner- up, Zoya Afroz. contestants, who were mesmerized by their predecessor. ing between them. Finally following an array of indeci- Chopra, who won Miss India in 2000, has since become a sion and doubts, the 3 girls, Navneet, Sobhita and Zoya Bollywood megastar and singer, a path commonly taken ranked. Sobhita was also crowned the Femina Miss Itimes by winners of the contest. Nodding to that possibility, amid Digital Diva by Karan Johar. She also received a cash cheers, Chopra told the three winners, “It (the crown) prize stays with you forever. It changes you from who you Apart from clinching the Femina Miss India 2013 could have been to who you are going to be.” crown, the beauty has also been crowned Pond's Femina

Being the 50th edition of the Femina Miss India, this Miss Glowing Skin. Navneet will now represent India at MAR-APR 2013 year was an unusually special one. Attempting to enhance Miss World beauty pageant. Navneet Kaur, the 20-year- MAR-APR 2013 a Pan-Indian approach, special care was taken to select old beauty queen is the daughter of an army officer from Patiala in the Punjab and is currently pursuing her studies Era

girls from every nook and corner of the country. Special Era auditions were held in cities like Delhi , Mumbai, Banga- in media. On entering the final round of Femina Miss In- lore , Kolkata, Goa, Pune, Chandigarh , Indore and so on. dia, Navneet faced the question of what her only regret The 10 semi-finalists were Anukriti Gusain, Apurva would be if she were to die the following day. She quickly Lonkar, Gail Nicole Da Silva, Navneet Kaur Dhillon, replied, "The only thing I would regret would be not hav- Sagarika Chhetri, Sobhita Dhulipala, Srishti Rana, Swati ing done as much for society as I would like to. Issues of

Kain, Vijaya Sharma and Zoya Afroz, who were all as com- women's empowerment and child labor and other social TheAsian petent as the other and gave the judges a hard time choos- evils are a big concern." TheAsian 99 10 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 MAR-APR 2013 Era TheAsian 11 12 12 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 Business Council. The council willmeettwiceayear. countries announcedthelist ofallmemberstheBRICS At theplenaryofsummit, theheadsofstatesBRICS economic heftandcoherence tothe$14trilliongrouping. ture thatwillhaveitsownsecretariat andwillimpartgreater not beatalkshop,butresult-oriented permanentstruc- five businessleadersfromeachBRICScountry. Itwill Business CouncilonMarch27,whichwillcomprisetop rica culminatedinthesettingupof25-memberBRICS mies suchas,Brazil,Russia,India,China,andSouth Af- mit inSouth Africa' sportcity ofDurbanon Tuesday. officials saidhereattheopeningoffifthBRICSsum- in thelastdecadehitting360billionU.S.dollarsyear, boom. the privatesectortotakeupbiggerroleinexpectedtrade its membersandinparticularpropeltheparticipationof the bodyisseekingtodeepeneconomiccooperationamong der nowdominatedbythewest, control ofglobaleconomicor- to bringgreaterbalancethe among theentrepreneurs. tion andconfidencebuilding cilitating exchangeofinforma- vate sectorcooperationbyfa- cil isexpectedtospearheadpri- to eachother. pected fromopeningofmarkets and takingopportunitiesex- taking jointinvestmentactivities couraging greatercooperationofprivatesectorinunder- in theSouth African portcityofDurban.BRICSis en- expected toheadlinethe5thBRICSSummitthatwasheld Business CouncilandtheBRICSDevelopmentBankwere this year. Formationoftwokeyinstitutions,theBRICS African coastalcityofDurbaninSouth Africa inMarch the BRICS tra-BRICS tradeandinvestment–themaster-themeof down, arepoisedtopushtheenvelopeforenhancingin- cons ofgrowthandhopeintimestheglobalslow- Diplomacy Business Council of DevelopmentBank, BRICS PlanSettingup The forumattendedbyleadersofemergingecono- Already, tradeamongtheBRICShasincreasedsixtimes While theBRICSobjectiveis The BRICSBusinessCoun- The BRICSeconomies,whichhaveemergedasbea- THE ASIAN ERA NEWSSERVICE Business ForumthatwasheldintheSouth trade andinvestment cooperationwithitsBRICS partners dividend. Vnesheconombank arealso in DurbantoreaptheBRICS sian giantslikeRosatom, NorilskNickeland of topcompaniesBRICS countries.TheCEOsofRus- Tyres havedescendedinDurbantonetworkwithleaders companies likethe Tatas, Mahindra,Kirloskarand Apollo BRICS BusinessForum.ThetopbrassofleadingIndian files ofcaptainsindustrywhoareparticipatinginthe prolonged Eurozonerecession.Itwasclearfromthepro- bottom-line, whichhasbeenadverselyimpactedbythe latched ontotheBRICSopportunityshoreuptheir intra-BRICS tradeandinvestment.” tries. Thereissomuchmorethancanbedoneintermsof tion. “ThereareenormousopportunitiesforBRICScoun- about thetrajectoryofintra-BRICSeconomiccoopera- country head,India,HSBCBank,hasvoicedoptimism achieved butcouldeasilybesurpassed.NainaLalKidwai, ers fromthefivecountriestoSouth African tourist rum whichhasbroughtaround900leadingbusinesslead- fever oftheEurozone. nomic linkagestoinsulatethemselvesfromthemalignant down haveproddedthemtobondanddeepentheireco- larger strategicinterestsandtheravagesofglobalslow- exactly naturaleconomicpartners,butthecongruenceof India, Russia,China,BrazilandSouth Africa maynotbe African soil. mit, thefirsttimeBRICSsummitisbeingheldon ness CouncilwillbeakeyoutcomeoftheDurbansum- Besides theDevelopmentBank,formationofBusi- “It isofgreatimportance for Russiatoincreaseits The industryleadersfromemergingeconomieshave The sentimentwasupbeatattheBRICSBusinessFo- According toreportshere,cuttingacrosscontinents, get wouldnotonlybe confident thatthe2015tar- in theforumsaidtheywere business leadersparticipating among emergingeconomies, asm forexpandinglinkages trade to$500billionby2015. for scalingup countries hadsetthetarget cially, theleadersofBRICS deals andinvestments.Offi- hub insearchofwin-win Given arenewedenthusi- intra-BRICS and launch new multilateral business projects involving Sharma also stressed that BRICS member states were our nations’ business communities. In Durban we intend positioned to complement and learn from another. In the to announce the formal establishment of the BRICS Busi- same breath, he, however, stressed that it was important ness Council designed to support that activity,” Russian to recognize the unique socio-economic circumstances President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the Itar- confronting each of them. Bridging knowledge and information deficit about business environments and opportunities will, therefore, be a criti- cal factor in cementing and expanding intra-BRICS economic architecture. The Business Forum in Durban has set the stage for a marked acceleration of in- tra-BRICS trade and investment. The council has agreed on a plan that will include frequent visits by businessmen from one BRICS country to another. In a mutating world order marked by the rise of emerging powers and the shift of power from the West to the rest, eco- nomics will hold the key to the future of the five-nation grouping that account for more than a quarter of global GDP. In the end, the business of diplomacy is business, and it is this key yardstick by which the success of the BRICS group- Tass news agency. ing will be judged. In his remarks ahead of the summit, Indian Prime Min- BRICS members are betting on their growing econo- ister Manmohan Singh projected the Durban summit as mies and the goodwill among the majority of developing an opportunity to Ñ˚:“discuss ways to revive global economies to bring a new global economic order, from growth and ensure macroeconomic stability, as well as what has been dominated by the west, through institu- mechanisms and measures to promote investment in infrastructure and sustain- able development." Defying the recessionary trends, Rus- sia remains an attractive in- vestment destination, the business leaders of India and China said. IT, com- munications industry, wholesale and retail trade and infrastructure have been identified as key op- portunities for BRICS in- vestors in Russia. In China, new opportunities for investment have emerged in areas like au- tomobile using new energy sources, environmental protection industry, high-end equipment manufacturing industry and new materials industry. tions like the World Bank and the International Monetary

Underlining the new synergy developing among BRICS Fund (IMF). The member countries are also seeking to MAR-APR 2013 tilt the global trade, by trading more amongst themselves countries, India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Anand MAR-APR 2013 Sharma said South African companies can play a major and easing dependence on European and United States role in India's plans to pump $1 trillion over the next five markets that have stringiest market entry requirements. Era years in infrastructure development. “India is rolling out The BRICS have also plotted to use their influence to Era massive developments touching rail, road, telecoms, take leadership in the conclusion of the World Trade power and airport infrastructure. This makes for a per- Organisation's global trade talks known as the Doha Round, fect opportunity to increase trade and investment between which seeks to help the developing countries join the glo- the two nations and by extension, within the BRICS es- bal market place by compelling developed countries to tablishment," he told The New Age, a South African daily. open up their markets to developing countries. TheAsian 13TheAsian 13 14

14 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 RELIGION leader oftheworld's1.2billionCatholics ping outaclearfocusofhisprioritiesas ronment, theweakestandpoorest, map- the peoplesofworldtoprotect theenvi- light ofhopeandtobemen those inprison.” hungry, thethirsty, thestranger, thenaked,sick and whom Matthewlistsinthefinaljudgmentonlove: cially thepoorest,weakest,leastimportant,those is toopenhisarmsandprotectallofhumanity, but“espe- to “defileourlives.”PopeFrancissaidtheroleofpope not allow“omensofdestruction,”hatred,envyandpride can “openupahorizonofhope”andurgedhislisteners toric inaugurationofhispapacy. Square atthe Vatican, whohadcometowitnessthehis- the worldon Tuesday, March19,2013onSt. Peter’s talking toagatheringofover200,000peoplefromaround to carefornature,thepoorandmostdisadvantaged,was century friarSt. Francisof Assisi, whoselife'sworkwas American andthefirstnamedfor13th- Argentina native,thefirstpopefromLatin environment,” hesaid. ture, protectorsofoneanotherandthe protectors ofGod'splaninscribedinna- Catholics. “Letusbeprotectorsofcreation, priorities asleaderoftheworld's1.2billion poorest, mappingoutaclearfocusofhis tect theenvironment,weakestand leaders andthepeoplesofworldtopro- ness andlove,istoopenup a horizonofhope,itistolet man andeverywoman,to look uponthemwithtender- others,” hesaid.“To protectcreation,toevery A NewEraofEvangelization:Protecting Vatican City: Pope Francisurged worldleadersand “Today amid so muchdarknessweneedtoseethe The newpopepromisedthatalittlebitoftenderness Cardinal JorgeMarioBergoglio,76,an BY AJAYGHOSH Pope Francis Pope Francisurged world Nature, The Poor& The Weak women whobring hope to women cent oftheworld'sCatholics. resonance inapoverty-stricken regionthatcounts40per pontificate tobefocusedon thepoor, amessagethathas tion fortheregion.Francis has madeclearhewantshis from Latin America ,asignofthesignificance oftheelec- attended, includingmorethan ahalf-dozenheadsofstate church.” his sheep;todayyousucceedhimasthebishopofthis “The GoodShepherdchargedPetertofeedhislambsand alive. A cardinalintonedtheriteofinauguration, saying: tent symbolgivenhispredecessorBenedictXVIisstill vows ofobediencefromahalf-dozencardinals—po- role ofthepopeasagoodshepherd.Healsoreceived vestment decoratedwithredcrossesthatsymbolizesthe food andlaterforsouls,thepallium,awhitewoolen fisherman’s ring,whichrecallshowSt. Peterfishedfor leader oftheworld’s 1.2billionRomanCatholics:the shaft oflightbreakthroughtheheavyclouds,”hesaid. Some 132officialdelegationsfromaroundtheworld Francis receivedtwosymbolicemblemsofhisroleas Francis has made headlines with his simple style since This approach stands in sharp contrast to his prede- the moment he appeared to the world on the balcony of cessor, Benedict XVI, who spent 25 years as the church’s St. Peter's Basilica, eschewing the ermine-lined red vel- chief doctrinal enforcer before becoming pope, known vet cape his predecessor wore in favour of the simple for an unbending adherence to doctrinal purity. “Francis, papal white cassock, then paying his own bill at the hotel by comparison, spent decades in the field, responsible for where he stayed prior to the conclave that elected him translating such ideals into practice in the real world, some- pope. times leading to a different approach,” Simon Romero and Media reports pointed out that a wax cast of the ring Emily Schmall wrote in The Times. Francis received was first presented to Pope Paul VI, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires on who presided over the second half of the Second Vatican Dec. 17, 1936, to Mario Bergoglio, an immigrant from Council, the 1962-65 meetings that revolutionized the northern Italy , and Regina Bergoglio, a homemaker. He church. Paul never came relatively late to wore it but the cast the priesthood, enroll- was subsequently ing in a seminary only made into the ring at the age of 21, after that Francis chose studying chemistry. among several other He has had health more ornate ones. concerns since his For Jews, Orthodox youth, having had a and other religious lung removed be- leaders, the new cause of an infection. pope's choice of World leaders, Francis as his name particularly the is also important for Church leadership in its reference to the India , has welcomed Italian town of the election of Pope Assisi , where Pope Francis. "Pope John Paul II began Francis, who comes conferences encour- from a humble back- aging interfaith dia- ground in Buenos logue and closer Aires, might consider bonds among Chris- giving more emphasis tians. on selecting Asians, Before coming to Rome , Cardinal Bergoglio was op- Africans and Latin Americans into the Vatican Curia," Anil erating in one of Latin America ’s most socially liberal Couto, Archbishop of Delhi, told the media. Couto, who is countries. Though Roman Catholicism remains the offi- set to receive his 'Pallium' or the Papal recognition to new cial religion of the state and 76.8 percent of Argentina ’s Archbishops from the Pope this year, said Catholics in the population is Catholic, only 33 percent cited religion as country hoped that there will be more emphasis on justice very important in their lives, according to a 2010 Pew and equal distribution of wealth in Pope's pronouncements study, and just 19 percent said they regularly attended along with legitimate aspirations of the poorer countries in mass. A theological conservative of Italian ancestry who Asia, Latin America and Africa. "I hope the ideals of aus- vigorously backs Vatican positions on abortion, gay mar- terity the Pope follows trickle down to the leaders of the riage, the ordination of women and other major issues — Church all over the world, since the Pope himself lives a leading to heated clashes with Argentina’s left-leaning very austere life and speaks about it on a regular basis. president. Though he is averse to liberation theology, which Certainly that will influence," he said. he views as hopelessly tainted with Marxist ideology, Francis is also the first Jesuit pope; the Religious Or- Cardinal Bergoglio has emphasized outreach to the im- der founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola is based on service poverished, and as cardinal of Buenos Aires he has over- and education, and its members have traditionally shunned seen increased social services and evangelization in the climbing the church hierarchy. In his homily, he quoted slums. Scripture to say that as bishop of Rome , he was endowed Pope Francis has earned a reputation to be a leader with “a certain power.” But he added, “Let us never forget who understands different perspectives and was willing that authentic power is service.” to accommodate diverse views. Faced with the near cer- As Pope Francis opened his pontificate, Jesuits in South tain passage of the gay marriage bill in his native Argen- Asia expressed hope he will address injustice in the world MAR-APR 2013

tina, Cardinal Bergoglio offered the civil union compro- and find ways to tackle sex abuse and a dysfunctional MAR-APR 2013 mise as the “lesser of two evils,” said Sergio Rubin, his Roman Curia. “The new pope is not Euro-centric and is authorized biographer. “He wagered on a position of concerned about the present world conditions, the poor Era greater dialogue with society.” Although his position was and issues of peace and justice,” Jesuit Provincial of South Era voted down by his co-Bishops in Argentian, throughout Asia Father Edward Mudavassery told the media. “I hope the contentious political debate, he was reported to have that there would be more open dialogue with other re- acted as both the public face of the opposition to the law gional churches,” he added. The pontificate will also wit- and as a bridge-builder, sometimes reaching out to his ness changes in administration, becoming simpler and more critics. accessible rather than bureaucratic, the Jesuit priest said, TheAsian 15TheAsian 15 16 16 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 ited by are powerful,too,analystssay. This isthe Vatican inher- institutional interestsandvastbureaucracyofthe Vatican lowers. Whilethepowerofpopeisabsolute,vested mulating powerandunresponsivetotheneedsofitsfol- with intrigue.Curiahadbecometooconcernedaccu- erning hierarchy, knownastheRomanCuria,wasriddled recent alarmbellsthathavewarnedthe oldest andthemostpowerfulreligiousorganization,is Mudavassery said.Amongthemanychallengesfacing its relationswithotherchurchesandgovernments,Father things, includingtheadministrativecrisisin Vatican and changes, butitwillcertainlygiveanewdirectiontomany will becomemorenormalizedratherthanmedieval. adding thatclergy insidethe Vatican andaroundtheworld ders, globalmissionarywork, theliturgyandnaming congregations, includingones thatmanagereligiousor- the pope,ahandfulofpowerful cardinalspresideovernine also foreignpolicy, ideologyandchurchdoctrine. Beneath money, realestateandthedistribution ofresources,but centers withinthe Vatican thatrevolvearoundthingslike Rome behindhighwalls. sovereign state,whichsitson108acresintheheart of ning thelasttrulyglobalempirefromworld’s smallest most opaquegovernmentflowchartsintheworld,run- than itsspiritualleader. Heisalsothetopboxofone around theglobe. church canbetterserveitsmorethanonebillionfaithful could definehispapacy—anddeterminewhetherthe and oftenfailed,tochangethe Vatican .HowFrancisfares vie foraccessandinfluence.Fordecadespopeshavetried, of thehierarchyarerunlikemedievalfiefsandsupplicants monarchy inwhichthepopeistreatedlikeaking,branches pacy isfareasierthanchangingthe Vatican —anancient rection forthechurch. Yet, changingthestyleofpa- he hasshownanuncommonhumility, signalinganewdi- The New York Times wrote:“Inhisfirstweekonthejob Pope Francis’electionwillnotbringanyradical For Francistochangethat,hemustcontendwithpower As theheadofCatholicChurch,Francisismore Commenting onthedauntingtasksthatawaitPope, Pope Francis. V atican’s gov- of faithfulwhohavefallen away fromthechurch. they arehopefulthatFrancis caninspireanewgeneration seems tohaveresonatedwith ordinaryCatholicswhosay working forthemwhilearchbishop ofBuenos Aires that Latin. ButitisFrancis'history oflivingwiththepoorand Gospel waschantedinGreek ratherthanthetraditional fore thetombofSt.PeteratstartMassand with EasternriteCatholicpatriarchsandarchbishopsbe- the Mass. the crowdsthathadmaintainedanall-nightvigilawaiting ers inthePlazadeMayoBuenos Aires ,tothedelightof Cardinal JorgeMarioBergogliowasbroadcastfromspeak- phoned hisnativecountry, andthevoiceofformer the Dirty War hasbeen thesubjectofcontroversy. in thatpostthrough1979,andhisperformanceduring the churchofficial incharge ofsupervisingtheorder’s he hadbeennamedtheJesuitprovincialfor Argentina , point on,hisascentwithinthechurchwasrapid:by1973, a priestfewdaysshortofturning33,andfromthat subjects likepsychologyandliterature.Hewasordained ished thestudynotjustoftheologybutalsosecular nancially. Vatican thatbyallaccountsisindisarray, especiallyfi- characteristic thatcouldhelphimputsomeorderina new pope’s in amodestapartment!Hecookshisownmeals!The than ahigh-mindeddogmatist.Theypraisedhis about Bergoglio,whoisknownmoreasapopulistpastor ing itwillnotbeeasy. The mediaweremoreenthusiastic tively quickly. staying silent,indicateshemayinstallhisownteamrela- the veryfactthatheissuedstatement,ratherthan ment heads,asiscustomary. But Vatican watcherssay Francis wouldprovisionallyreinstateallexistingdepart- partment overseestheprocessofselectingnewsaints. of bishops,aswell12pontificalcouncils. A singlede- abstemiousness: Hetakespublictransportation!lives abstemiousness: In agesturetoChristiansintheEast,popeprayed Before theinstallationMassasPope,Potiff By allaccounts,hewasabrilliantstudentwhorel- Those whoknowthe Vatican understandthatchang- austerity extends to his professional life, a austerity extendstohisprofessionallife, activities inthecountry. Heremained MAR-APR 2013 Era TheAsian 17 18 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 Travel friends andevenBollywood starsincharteredplanesto venue forwealthyIndians who comeherewithfamily, ment ring.Mauritiusisfastbecoming apopularwedding at thetimeofengagement, it isoftencalledtheengage- important placeandbecause rings aregenerallyexchanged many otherculturestheIndian weddingringholdsavery ding cardswhicharelatelygivenalotofimportance.Like ery Indianweddingaretheinvitationsandwed- little things,whichformaveryessentialingredientofev- which arecommontoeveryIndianweddingandthese one ofthemostsignificantandcelebratedoccasions. belief intheinstitutionofmarriage.Soweddinghere is wedding inIndialiesthefactthatIndianshaveastrong Indian cultureistheweddinginIndia.Theimportanceof festivals andcuisines,averyappropriateillustrationof be feltinalmosteverythingthecountry. Other than beauty andsplendour. The essence ofIndianculturecan paradoxes attachedtothislandhaveonlyaddedits modernity andtraditionformaperfectblend.Infact,these ness inculture.Itisoneoftheveryfewcountrieswhere New Wedding Hotspot Despite allthedifferences,thereareacoupleofthings, India isknownworldwideforitsdiversityandrich- BY AARTISUKUMAR Mauritius isthe for IndianMillionaires days. Rs.1.6 crore),andthecelebrations continueforseveral tion costsfor400peopleper dayareover$300,000(about Mauritius isanexpensiveaffair asfoodandaccommoda- of visitingjournalists. Commissioner toMauritius T.P. Seetharam told agroup with family, friendsandguestscelebrate,”India’s High ans tohosttheirweddings.Theycomeincharteredplanes unbroken coralreef. parent lagoonisentirelysurroundedbytheworld’s largest coastline ofMauritiuswithwhitesandybeachesandtrans- miles) off thesouthEastcoastof Africa. The 330kmlong (720 squaremiles)andsituatedsome2,000km(1242 Indian Ocean.Itcoversanareaofabout1,860squarekm by Bollywoodstars. include religiousrituals,beachpartiesandperformances extravagant weddingsandthelengthycelebrationsthat Mauritius (Balaclava)arethefavoritevenuesforthese side resortslikeOberoiMauritiusandInterContinental cording toareportbythePressTrustofIndia. attend extravagantceremoniesthatcontinuefordays,ac- Hosting aweddingpartyin afive-starpropertyin “Mauritius hasbecomeafavoriteplaceformanyIndi- Mauritius occupiesthemostbeautifulsectionof For Indianmillionaires,mostlybusinessmen,topsea- Additional costs, such as chartered planes and song- and great opportunities for exciting water sports attract and-dance performances by Bollywood stars, run into Indians to Mauritius. However, connectivity continues to millions. be a handicap for many Indians wanting to travel to “We host two to three Indian weddings every month,” Mauritius as Indian carriers are not keen on starting op- a banquet manager of the InterContinental Mauritius (Balaclava) said. As most of the re- sorts have Indian chefs, Indian food is readily available be- sides Thai, Chinese and Italian cuisines. “We enjoy serving in the Indian weddings as India is always close to our hearts,” said Parvati, a waitress of Indian origin. Mauritius’ 68 per- cent population, in- cluding President Rajkeswur Purryag and Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, is of In- erations between Port Louis and Indian cities. dian origin. “There are high demands from travelers to and from The island nation, located in the Indian Ocean, is also a Mauritius. Indian air carriers must avail the opportunity,” favorite destination for honeymooners. “Most of the In- Seetharam said. dian tourists visiting Mauritius are couples on honeymoon,” Caption: The picturesque locations and top seaside re- Seetharam said. sorts of Mauritius have made it a popular wedding desti- Picturesque locations, serene beaches, friendly locals nation for wealthy Indians. MAR-APR 2013 Era TheAsian 19 20 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 Technology Google's mobileoperatingsystem byseekingvariousal- Android phonesaretrying toweanthemselvesfrom franchise. At thesametime,manycompaniesbuilding emerged asthedefacto Android kingwith itsGalaxyS of the Android ecosystem, SamsungElectronicshas mobile worldcomesatachaotic time.Despitethestrength Desktop SearchandGadgets,GooglePack,Gears. ucts, includingiGoogle,Google Toolbar, GoogleChrome, efforts forasuiteofGoogle’s searchandconsumerprod- He wasleadingtheproductmanagementandinnovation Management atGoogle.SundarjoinedGooglein2004. VP ofProduct He waspreviously Chrome atGoogle. Vice Presidentof has beenaSenior next. figure outwhat's Android aswell issues gnawingat front abunchof Pichai hastocon- it's notsoeasy. the mobilemarket, quickly evolvingas ket asdynamicand path. But,inamar- on thisprogressive Android continues tinue toensurethat main jobistocon- Gartner. Pichai's research firm ket, accordingto percent ofthemar- system with70 mobile operating the world'sbiggest source projectto to beincharge ofboth Android andChrome. changes tohisteam,makingChromeleaderSundarPichai In Marchthisyear, Android founder Andy Rubinmade Now, Indianborntechleader, SundarPichairunsboth. ware, aswellChrome,Google'sdesktopsoftware. Sundar PichaiIsInchargeof Analysts say, Pichai'sentryintotherapidly changing Sundar Pichai Under Rubin, Android went frombeingafunkyopen Most ofususeboth Android, Google'smobilesoft- BY SUNITA BISWAS Android &Chrome shows anevangelical zealwhenitcomes to Chromeand and thenremotelymanagea thirdforhisparents. homework onaChromebook, hiswifeworkonanother, tests. Forinstance,he'llhave hisdaughterworkonher been knowntousethemas guineapigsforChromeOS slides ofhisfamilymembers duringpresentations;he's and hiscalmsmile.He'salsoafamilyman,fondofshowing a lanky, energetic executiveknownforbothhisintensity in themobileindustry. inherits abehemoth,arguablythemostinfluentialentity projects fromthegroundup.Butwith Android, Pichai Pichai hasarecordofdefyingskepticsandbuilding from concepttotheircurrent,morerefinediterations, shepherded theChromebrowserandoperatingsystem the newlynamedheadof Android. As themanwho ers andcomputers,willhavetomovequicklyhimselfas like Mozilla'sFirefoxandSamsung'sTizen. Microsoft's Windows PhoneandBlackBerry, tostart-ups, ternatives, fromestablishedmobileplatforms,suchas He exudesgenuineenthusiasm forhisprojectsand According towriterswhohaveknownhim,Pichaiis Sundar Pichai,aGoogleveteranfondoffastbrows- Chrome OS without (remarkably) gaining a reputation for laptop on Amazon for more than 140 days. being overbearing, according to CNET editors who have In his new role at Google, Pichai is being asked to spent time with him. continue that success while also taking on Rubin’s role at "He's a very capable executive," said Trip Chowdhry, Android. This isn’t a small task. For the last few years, an analyst at Global Equities Research, adding that he ad- Google has pushed two different strategies — Android mires some of the innovations Pichai brought to the and Chrome OS — and each is vying to define our com- Chrome browser. Before joining Google, Pichai worked puting future. When asked last month if he ever saw An- at Applied Materials and McKinsey & Co. He got his droid and Chrome OS converging to become one soft- bachelor's degree in technology from the Indian Institute ware platform, Pichai said that the two are the execution of Technology, where he was awarded an Institute Silver of two different philosophies on personal computing. Medal. He also holds a master's degree in science from “We have two viewpoints here and we are doing both,” Stanford University and a master of business administra- he said. “This may enable the applications to even look the tion degree from Wharton, where he was named a Siebel same across platforms and users don’t even care about Scholar and a Palmer Scholar. If Android is going to con- the underlying technology.” Pichai now runs both, and tinue its stellar run, The shake-up in Android leadership both platforms run on touchscreen devices. If Google also brings up a lot of questions. Some industry observ- wants to bring Android and Chrome OS into greater align- ers believe Pichai's new responsibilities could point to the ment, there’s no person better equipped to do this than merger of Chrome and Android, potentially bridging the Pichai divide between the computer and smartphones and tab- That's a daunting task. Most outsiders believe Chrome lets. and Android businesses have been competing against each Pichai is described as a rising star at Google. Chrome other, said Avi Greengart, who covers Google for research has become the most widely used web browser´, and firm Current Analysis. The platforms are based on differ- Chrome OS is on the rise. Pichai is credited with deliver- ent visions for the future of computing: universal HTML 5 ing Google’s first self-made hardware, the gorgeous applications in the cloud for Chrome versus optimized Chromebook Pixel, product into retail, and, thanks to native applications installed in the device for Android. Samsung’s $250 Chromebook, Chrome OS laptops have Pichai's biggest challenge will be juggling the two worlds started selling in big numbers. Since the latest Samsung and deciding whether or not they should collide. Pichai Chromebook made its debut, it has sold out on Google will have to stay on his toes. His appreciation for moving Play and in Best Buy stores. It’s also been the best-selling quickly can only help. MAR-APR 2013 Era TheAsian 21 22 22 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 month of with enthusiasmandgaietyonthe quite afollowingamongyouthandnon-Indians. greeting Indian-Americansontheoccasionthathasgained attracted hundredsofpeople.USlawmakerstooarenow coming weekend,theonesheldthispastweekendhave America. are reportedtobecelebratingthefestivalofcoloursacross the US,alargenumberofpeopleincludingnon-Indians try andevenacrosstheglobe, whereveritiscelebrated. spirit ofitwhichremainsthe samethroughoutthecoun- ditions. But,whatmakesHoli souniqueandspecialisthe people ofdifferentstatesmight befollowingdifferenttra- the Gregoriancalendar. THE ASIAN ERA NEWSSERVICE WASHINGTON: With One ofthemajorfestivalsIndia,Holiiscelebrated While mostoftheHolicelebrationsareplannedfor A Hindufestival, Holihasvariouslegends associated Holi festivalmaybecelebrated withvariousnamesand Phalgun whichisthemonthofMarchasper Holi graduallygaininggroundin Holi full moonday inthe time of‘HolikaDahan’. Holi. Therefore,childrenare allowedtoplaypranksatthe Prithu. Shewaschasedaway bychildrenonthedayof Dhundhi legend attachedtoit.Itsaysthattherewasonceanogress take specialdelightinthetraditionandthishasanother over evilandalsothetriumphofdevotiontogod.Children the eveofHolifestivalandcelebratevictorygood she enteredthefirealone. Holika wasburnttoashes,forherboonworkedonlywhen by lordhimselfforhisextremedevotionandevilminded made heimmunetofire.StorygoesthatPrahladwassaved fire withPrahladinherlapasHolikahadaboonwhich to bekilled.HeaskedhissisterHolikaenterablazing devotee ofLord Vishnu. Hiranyakashyapwantedhisson dom toworshiphimbuthispiousson, Hiranyakashyap with it.TheforemostisthelegendofdemonKing The ogresstriedtoLordKrishna asaninfantbyfeedingit Some alsocelebratethedeath ofevilminded Since thattime,peoplelightabonfire,calledHolikaon whousedtotroublechildren inthekingdomof whodemandedeverybodyinhisking- Prahlad becamea Pootana. poisonous milk while executing the plan of Kansa, Krishna’s States.” devil uncle. However, Krishna sucked her blood and “Today, Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists will join brought her end. Some who view the origin of festivals family and friends to observe Holi through dance, music, from seasonal cycles believe that Pootana represents win- meals, the lighting of bonfires celebrating goodness over ter and her death the cessation and end of winter. evil and the tossing ofvibrant coloured powders into the In South India, people air, in a grand celebration of worship Kaamadeva- the god peace, friendship, and har- of love and passion for his mony,” Crowley said. extreme sacrifice. According Over the weekend, one of to a legend, Kaamadeva shot the largest such celebrations his powerful love arrow on was held in Houston, Texas Lord Shiva to revoke his in- that attracted several thou- terest in the worldly affairs in sand people including non- the interest of the earth. How- Hindu Americans. Running ever, Lord Shiva was enraged into its fifth annual Holi festi- as he was in deep mediation val, this year’s theme was and opened his third eye which “Green Holi”, which stressed reduced Kaamadeva to ashes. on the use of new herbal and Though, later on the request non-toxic colours. of Rati, Kaamadeva’s wife, “I was here last year and Shiva was pleased to restore this year the crowd seemed him back. more enthusiastic. It was a “The festival of Holi, known as the festival of colours, well managed event and there were no issues all day which is a time for communities to come together after the long is surprising considering the number of attendees,” Lt Aaron winter months and celebrate the coming of spring,” Con- Slater said. MAR-APR 2013 gressman Joe Crowley said in a statement greeting people “I have never seen such a large number of non-Indian MAR-APR 2013 on the occasion. participating in Indian festival,” said Vijay Pallod, another Era

The eight-term representative from the 14th Congres- Houston resident. The Bihar and Jharkhand Association of Era sional District of New York, Crowley is a member of the North America has scheduled the celebrations in New Jer- powerful Ways and Means Committee and serves as Vice sey on April 4 while Indian-Americans in the Greater Wash- Chair of the Democratic Caucus in the House of Repre- ington Area will do so this weekend. The Barsana Dham in sentatives. “While Holi’s origins are in India, the festival Austin Texas, which celebrates Holi in the traditional “Braj has become a tradition celebrated by many in the United way” will mark it on March 30. TheAsian 23TheAsian 23 24 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 founder andexecutive directorofSAY WE. “Theywill business ownersinthecountry,” saidReemaRasool, are ofthemostsuccessfuland drivenSouth Asian women nate inNew York CityonMay30. the tourwillstopin relationships withbusinessbankers. After thefirstevent, vesting inabusiness,protectingcreditandmaximizing resources ontopicssuchasbuildingbusinesscredit,rein- Asian womenentrepreneurswillprovideinsights,tipsand cisco on April 18. Asian Women BusinessOwners “ General ofIndia(New York) andpoweredby Wells Fargo. nancial educationtour, inassociationwiththeConsulate ment andfashion,announcedthelaunchofasix-cityfi- executives inthefieldsoftechnology, finance,entertain- trepreneurs (SAY WE), anetworkofbusiness-minded History MonthinMarch,South Asian Young Women En- Women Making Dollars&Sense:FinancialEducationforSouth preneurs -SAY WE), Sital Patel(Market Watch Reporter, Wall Street Journal/SAY WE Moderator). (Acting ConsulGeneralofIndiainNew York), ReemaRasool(FounderofSouth Asian Young Women Entre- SAY WE panelist),RahulBaig(Headof Wells Fargo'sNortheastCorporateBanking),Dr. Devyani Khobragade (from L toR) Amrita Singh (CEOof Amrita SinghJewelry/SAY WE panelist), Benita Singh(CEO ofSource4Style/ “The panelistswehavechosen ineachofthesixcities Los Angeles, Houston,Dallas,NewJersey, andculmi- The paneloffinancialexpertsandsuccessfulSouth New York, NY: – SouthAsianYoung WomenEntrepreneurs “Making Dollars&Sense” BY JITINHINGORANI Unveil Six-City FinancialEducationTour Unveil Six-City In celebrationofNational Women’s ” willkickoff inSanFran- these business ownersfinancialeducation resourcesto “We’re honoredtoworktogetherwithSAY WE tooffer Baig, headof Wells Fargo’s NortheastCorporateBanking. the futureofsmallbusinessand oureconomy,” saidRahul Women’s BusinessCouncil. the U.S.areownedbywomen, accordingtotheNational 2020. Today, approximately30percentofbusinessesin billion towomen-ownedbusinessesintheU.S.byyear Fargo iscommittedtolendingacumulativetotalof$55 commitment tosupportwomenbusinessowners, Wells 2007, accordingtothelatestcensusdata. As partofits has growninsizebymorethan20percentfrom2002to and resourcestowomen-ownedbusinesses–agroupthat entrepreneurs andprovidegreateraccesstofinancialtools triumphs.” other andsharetheirsuccesses,failures,challenges tem ofbusiness-mindedwomenwhowilllearnfromeach women entrepreneursandtocreateanationalsupportsys- to thefinancialeducationtoolsandresourcesavailable downturn. Thegoalofthisinitiativeistodriveawareness are facingchallengesasaresultoftherecenteconomic have justlaunchedtheirbusinessventureorthosewho provide insightsandsharetheirjourneywithwomenwho “South Asian womenentrepreneurs are helpingtoshape SAY WE and Wells Fargo aimtosupportSouth Asian less of political and re- ligious affiliations, can network, support each other, and applaud one another’s major ac- complishments. SAY WE also aspires to raise awareness and funds for causes and organi- zations that work to- ward the advancement of women in South Asia, as well as South Asian women in the United States. Wells Fargo & Com- pany (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversi- fied, community-based Three Speakers: (from L to R) Dr. Devyani Khobragade (Acting Consul General of India financial services com- in New York), Rahul Baig (Head of Wells Fargo's Northeast Corporate Banking), Reema pany with $1.4 trillion Rasool (Founder of South Asian Young Women Entrepreneurs - SAY WE) in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered help them succeed financially – in business and person- in San Francisco, Wells ally.” Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mort- “Making Dollars & Sense” Financial Education Panel gage, and consumer and commercial finance through more Dates will begin in San Francisco, CA and will culminate than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet in New York City on May 30th, 2013. SAY WE is a regis- (wellsfargo.com and wachovia.com), and other distribu- tered non-profit organization aimed to cultivate and foster tion channels across North America and internationally. strong relationships among South Asian women who have We want to help all of our customers succeed finan- entrepreneurial interests. South Asian women are making cially and create long-term economic growth and qual- great strides in the world of business, fashion, media, and ity of life for everyone in our communities. In 2012, the the arts, and SAY WE recognizes these achievements to Company invested $315.8 million in grants in 19,500 inspire and ensure future generations of ambitious and nonprofits, and team members contributed more than 1.5 savvy South Asian women. SAY WE creates a positive million volunteer hours around the country. For more in- and collegial forum in which South Asian women, regard- formation, please visit: www.wellsfargo.com/about/csr. The AsianEra Classifieds MAR-APR 2013 Era TheAsian 25 26

26 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 health,” Dr. JayeshShah,President-Electofthe American Asso- goals istoeducatethepublicondiseasesandtheirimpact are practicingMedicineintheUnitedStates,oneofourprimary the interestsofover100,000physiciansIndianorigin,who Health Chicago, IL:“Asaprofessionalorganizationthatrepresents BY AJAYGHOSH thousands ofchildrenandtheirfamilies.” national educationaltouraroundtheUnitedStates,impacting sity. And therefore, we at AAPI areproudtoundertakethis bility tosavefuturegenerationsbydecreasingchildhoodobe- nearly onethirdofthenation’s population,wehavearesponsi- week. “With obesityprovingtobeamajorepidemicaffecting ciation ofPhysiciansIndianOrigin(AAPI),saidherelast “The impactandroleof AAPI ininfluencing policymakers and the public is ever more urgent today,” says Dr. Narendra walkathons through “Walk World Walkathon Organization”. Kumar, President of AAPI. “AAPI being the largest ethnic medi- The very first such event was organized on 11-11-11 when the cal organization in USA and the second largest organized medi- local AAPI Chapter promoted Healthy Lifestyles & Recycling cal association after AMA, we have the power and responsi- for “Go Green World”. Six months later, they promoted Hands bility to influence the state and the public through education Only CPR (i.e. CPR without mouth to mouth breathing). Again for health promotion and disease prevention,” he adds. six months later on 12-12-12 they promoted awareness about According to Dr. Shah, “AAPI has physicians in almost Childhood Obesity. The Mayor of Tulsa proclaimed 12-12-12 every city and town of USA. With this extensive network we as “World Childhood Obesity Awareness Day” should be able to spread message on childhood obesity by The COAC Committee of AAPI consists of 18 physicians following the template plan. We are also exploring the use of whose goal is to spread awareness of childhood obesity in social media and phone ‘apps’ as healthy lifestyle tools.” USA and educate the parents and teachers about simple, ef- Dr. Uma Koduri, AAPI’s Childhood Obesity Awareness fective, practical and implementable ideas to tackle obesity in Campaign (COAC) Committee Chair, who has been in the fore- their children. “We want to empower our children/parents/ front of the obesity awareness campaign in the state of Okla- teachers by educating them to help themselves to lead healthy homa for years now, explains: “Today, more than one-third of lives,” Dr. Koduri says. “Through its ADOPT-A-SCHOOL pro- the entire adult population in USA is classified to be obese. gram AAPI plans to organize a 2-3 hour Childhood Obesity What’s even worse is that almost one in every three children is Walkathon event in every adopted school, inviting hundreds obese or overweight before reaching 5thbirthday.” Conse- to thousands of school students, their parents and teachers. quences of childhood obesity include: high We will be inviting prominent health/ blood pressure, high cholesterol, and school/government officials for mo- Type 2 diabetes, which can shorten tivational speeches, while AAPI the lifespan of our children. physicians deliver talks about American society has become childhood obesity and how characterized by environ- to tackle it. We will provide ments that promote increased education material that pro- consumption of less healthy motes healthy meal and food and physical inactivity lifestyle choices; and distrib- leading to this childhood obe- ute free T-shirts and pedom- sity epidemic. eters.” “I am glad to volunteer for this In addition, AAPI wants to unique initiative by AAPI to partici- help promote First Lady Michelle pate in addressing the healthcare chal- Obama’s Let’s Move program, empha- lenges of USA, by creating the AAPI-COAC. sizing two specific items: “Choose My We are a team of volunteers working together to make this Plate” which replaces the more complicated Food Pyramid and initiative a success nationwide,” said Dr. Vipul Kabaria, Co- is easier to use. It illustrates the 5 food groups- fruits, veg- Chair of the Committee. etables, grains, protein foods and dairy. And, PALA- Presi- In partnership with local governments, non-governmental dential Active Lifestyle Award, that students can sign up for. agencies and schools around the nation, AAPI plans to em- PALA consists of a six-week log-sheet that students can use bark on this campaign that will identify high prevalence – to log in what they eat and how much activity they do daily in high risk schools and choosing 100 schools for the year 2013- number of minutes or in pedometer steps. When a student 14, with the objective of promoting awareness of Childhood does a good job on it, that student receives the President’s Obesity and offering educational resources to promote healthy Award. It is very easy to use and will help motivate school lifestyle. In addition, it will also work towards advocating students to improve their eating habits and their amount of policy changes to help build a healthier community. Our ad- exercise. Through distribution of T-shirts, pedometers and vocacy agenda is very simple, We believe families should get educational material during these walkathons and later on, discounts in insurance premium if they exercise and join fit- AAPI plans to reach out to a large segment of the population ness clubs and all schools should have compulsory physical in each town. education class. According to Dr.Koduri, in the years to come, AAPI will be COAC Committee is in the process of creating a template known for its Childhood Obesity Walks just like the AHA is plan for organizing an ADOPT-A-SCHOOL/Childhood Obe- known for its Heart Walks. We believe that tackling the Child- sity Awareness Campaign across the nation. Members of AAPI hood Obesity problem is like “an ounce of prevention is worth will then collaborate with local schools and government offi- a pound of cure." Medical costs for the obese are higher than cials to follow that template plan. those for the normal weight individuals. Dr. Shah believes that

To begin with, AAPI will organize the campaign in nine AAPI’s branding slogan for walkathon, "Be fit- Be cool" will MAR-APR 2013

cities with CME seminars and Music Concerts by Bollywood go a long way in educating the public and in contributing to MAR-APR 2013 singer Shankar Mahadevan, starting on Saturday, June 8th, the prevention of childhood obesity now, and thus translat- 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio; Sunday, June 9th, in Los Angeles, ing into lower health care costs in the future. Era CA; Saturday, June 15th, in Dallas, Texas; Sunday, June 16th, AAPI is a forum to facilitate and enable Indian American Era in New York; Saturday, June 22nd, in New Jersey; Sunday, Physicians to excel in patient care, teaching and research and June 23rd, in Atlanta, GA; Saturday, June 29th, in Tampa, FL; to pursue their aspirations in professional and community af- and on Sunday, June 30th, in San Jose, CA. fairs. For more details on the Nine City Tour and the Child- Recalling her own success stories, Dr. Koduri says, “AAPI hood Obesity Awareness Campaign, please visit:

Tulsa Chapter in Oklahoma has been organizing educational www.aapiusa.org TheAsian 27TheAsian 27 28 28 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 Health vidual cellsencasedinextracellular matrix-thatdisplay genetically controlledandorganized assemblagesofindi- cal Chemistry published intheJanuaryedition oftheJournalBiologi- study, fundedbytheNationalInstitutesofHealth,were to bettertestsforthedeadlydisease.Theresultsof known tocausetuberculosis.Thisdiscoverycouldlead ing thebacteria species, includ- mycobacteria down ofseveral the rapidbreak- that willtrigger fied anenzyme Ojha haveidenti- led byDr. Anil of PublicHealth Graduate School of Pittsburgh at theUniversity ics. against antibiot- persistence the pathogen’s knowledge about quires abetter however re- ment ofTB shorter treat- drugs fora resistant (XDR)strains.Designingnew resistant (MDR)andextremelydrug gence oftheinfectionwithmulti-drug noncompliance andcanresultinreemer- often remainsincompleteduetopatient’s otics. Thislongdurationoftreatment survive anextendedexposuretoantibi- eliminate residualdrugtolerantbacillithat chemotherapy, whichisnecessaryto duce thedurationof6to9month-long development fortuberculosisistore- jor challengesinthecontemporarydrug the globalpublichealth.Oneofma- tion, therebyposingahugeproblemfor third (2billion)oftheworld’s popula- people intheworldeveryyearandisharboredbyone- ative agentoftuberculosis(TB)-killsabout2million “Microbes havestrongpropensity togrowasbiofilms- Researchers Pittsburgh, PA: Mycobacteriumtuberculosis-thecaus- Dr. AnilOjhaLeadsResearch BY LALITHASINGH Leading toCureForTB obtain resultsthatarebothrapid andaccurate." Ojha. "That'swhyourprocess issoimportant.Itcan patient whohasacutetuberculosis infection,"explains eral weeks."Thatmaycreate araceagainsttimefor highly accuratebuttime-consuming, takinguptosev- Indian American professoradded. is heavilydependentuponaneffectivediagnosis,”the trix andphysiologicaltoleranceacquiredbyasmallsub- of physicalprotectionprovidedbytheextracellularma- durance ofabiofilmpopulationislikelycombination cell planktonicbacteriam”Dr. Ojhhsays. The stressen- unique stresstolerantphenotypenotdisplayedbysingle- The currentbacterialculture testforTBinfectionsis late fitnessofthepathogenagainstanti- and whetherthesemechanismsalsoregu- velopment ofM.tuberculosisbiofilms, mechanisms controlthegrowthandde- questions suchas:Whatregulatory tional genomicsapproachtoaskspecific lecular genetics,biochemical,andfunc- stresses. We useacombinationofmo- ity toendureantibioticsandother organized communityinfluencesitsabil- ture ofM.tuberculosistogrowasan understanding howthespontaneousna- cellular structure. neous microenvironmentsofthemulti- population growingwithintheheteroge- “Research inmylabisfocusedon ling theinfection "Clearly, control- the study, says. senior authorof university, and biology atthe eases andMicro- Infectious Dis- Department of professor inthe tist, whois dian bornscien- biofilms,” theIn- development of also regulatethe these elements ics, andwhether against antibiot- berculosis ness ofM.tu- promote thefit- genetic elements biotics? What an assistant The AsianEra Classifieds MAR-APR 2013 Era To advertise in The AsianEra Classifieds Contact: 516-776-7061, 516-882-7246 e-mail: [email protected] TheAsian 29 30 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 News RoundUp Review 1995, herelocatedtoHongKong andjoinedthe Delhi andBombay, wherehereportedbusinessnewsformagazines. In He movedontoabusiness newspaperinCalcuttaandcontinuedto high schoolwhenheworkedforalocalnewspaperinsouthern India. European socialtrendsandMiddleEastpolitics. launched atravelsection, TIME’s Global Adviser, andwroteabout moved toLondonworkassenioreditorofTIMEEurope, wherehe wrote theweeklyTIME.comcolumnSubcontinental Drift. Hethen assignments inpolitics,war, sports,business andtechnology. Healso Kong, wherehewasaspecialistonSouth Asian affairs and covered Messi andNeymarfortwoseparateTIMEInternational coverstories. of Islamophobiain America. In2012,GhoshprofiledsoccerstarsLeo Mohamed Morsi,severalpiecesonthe Arab Springandoneontherise YemenTunisia.Saudi Arabia, and from 2006-2011. HehasreportedextensivelyfromIsrael, Jordan,Egypt, any otherprintreporterandservingas TIME’s Baghdadbureauchief of theU.S.-ledinvasionin2003,spendingmoretimeBaghdadthan TIME fromaroundtheworld.HehascoveredIraqsincebeginning tions includinghismostrecentpostaseditor-at-large,reportingfor and Asia. readers servingEurope,theMiddleEast,and Africa; theSouthPacific; tional printeditionswithacombinedcirculationofmorethan1million age forthedomesticedition, TIME.com and TIME’s threeinterna- International inMarch2013.Heoversees TIME’s internationalcover- Ghosh beganhisjournalisticcareerstraightaftergraduating from Ghosh joined TIME assenioreditorfor TIME Asia, basedinHong Ghosh’s recentcoverstoriesincludeaninterviewwithEgypt’s Ghosh hasbeenwithTIMEsince1997,holdingnumerousposi- New York, NY: BobbyGhoshhasbeennamedtheeditorof TIME . Ghoshiscurrentlybasedin New York City. Bobby Ghosh Editor, TIME International Named Far EasternEconomic The AsianEra Classifieds APCO ELECTRICALS Licensed in New York, New Jersey & Nasasu County.

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Contact: SAJI CHERIAN 718-744-8403 917-418-1100 MAR-APR 2013 Era To advertise in The AsianEra Classifieds Contact: 516-776-7061, 516-882-7246 e-mail: [email protected] TheAsian 31 32 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 and carrythem attheirrestaurant,soitmade perfectsense vegetarian andnon-vegetarian Indianfood. cherries, andviolets;itisalso bestaccompaniedwithboth pression offruitsandflowers suchasblackcurrants, curries. Finally, theSyrahcontainsafinearomaticex- delicacies suchaspakoras, samosas, bhajias,lentils,and best accompaniesIndianfishdishes,aswellvegetarian matic, anddry, withafinaltouchofvanilla. This varietal biryanis. The Voignier isdescribedasround,velvety, aro- tandooris, tikkas,kebabs,baltis,curries,vindaloos,and dian vegetarianandnon-vegetariandishessuch as ture fruitsandspices.ThisvarietalbestaccompaniesIn- with velvetysmoothtanninsandmainaromasofredma- and spicynatureofIndianfoods. News RoundUp cially blendedtocomplementtherichness,complexity, are fromthePaysD’OcregionofFranceandespe- Merlot/Syrah blend,aswellthe Viognier, bothofwhich taurant company wines (red,white,androse)presentedbynewly-launched the tastingeventfor finance, fashion,andwine/beverageindustriesattended Wines), andRichard Mei(China Airlines). AVS Anchor), SamBhatia(Principal&Founder ofSufi can Council),JoyaDass(CNN,NewYorkArts One,and (from L toR):Indur& Aroon Shivdasani(Indo-Ameri- French WineEspeciallyBlended New Yorkers RaiseaGlasstoToast MirzaGhalib, “Devi wasthefirstrestaurant tohavefaithinourwines The CabarnetSauvignonisdescribedaswell-balanced (New York, NY: to ComplementIndianCuisine . Wine enthusiastssippedtheCabarnetSauvignon/ Sufi Wines, BY JITINHINGORANI More than100New Yorkers fromthe MIRZA GHALIB on Thursdaynightat , thefirsttrioof Devi Res- Manager ofDevi Restaurant). Kilachand (JINGOMedia), andKunalLamba(General Wines), JaswantLalwani(Corocoran RealEstate),Judi (from L toR):SamBhatia(Principal & FounderofSufi Crowd enjoyingMirzaGhalibwinesatlaunch party www.sufiwines.com. and $50. To orderabottleorcaseonline,visit bottle. At restaurants,MirzaGhalibcostsbetween$40 Indian mealaroundtheworld.” We wantMirzaGhalibto be thepreferredwineforany number isgrowingorganicallythroughword-of-mouth. than 20Indianrestaurantsinthetri-statearea,andthat Principal andFounderofSufi Wines. “Now, we’reinmore for ustohaveourlaunchpartyhere,”says The wineretailsatstoresforbetween$14and$18a Sam Bhatia, MAR-APR 2013 Era TheAsian 33 34 34 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 reduction ispossible,”Intel said. of acarryisreducedto25 percentandthatnofurther prime bases,digitscouldbe chosen sothattheprobability half thetime,butprevious work hadshownthatinodd the usualchoiceofdigits, one isforcedtocarryabout bit,’ soreducingcarriesdecreases computationalload. With for example7+6=3withacarryof1.” to minimizecarries.Carriesareimportantinarithmetic; ciency ofcomputeralgorithms. Subgroup.” Theworkcouldimprovethespeedandeffi- Carries intheSetofCosetRepresentativesaNormal emy, submittedtheproject,“MinimizingNumberof $100,000. winner, Sara Volz, ofColoradoSprings,Colo.,winning D.C., for$630,000intotalawards,withthefirstplace cans (I-W, Feb.7). dation. This year10of40IntelfinalistswereIndian Ameri- niors. tigious scienceandmathcompetitionforhighschoolse- in theIntelScience Talent Search,thenation’s mostpres- and Sahana Vasudevan ofPalo Alto, Calif.,finished10th Vasudevan “generalized this resulttomathematical “In computing,thecarryisusuallyhandledbya‘carry According toIntel,sheproved“anew, generalizedway Vasudevan, 16,home-schooledattheGnyanam Acad- The 40finalistscompetedMarch7-13in Washington, Each receiveda$20,000awardfromtheIntelFoun- Akshay PadmanabhaofCollierville, Tenn., placedninth THE ASIAN ERA NEWSSERVICE Indian AmericansAmong Top WinnersinIntel Science Contest Search. high schoolseniorsentered theIntelScience Talent needs andgeneraleducation students. This year, 1,712 math bowlteam,andledHorizons, whichassistsspecial mate Frisbee,wasfounderand captainedhishighschool’s bassoonist ofthebandathis highschool.Heplaysulti- ware. work couldbethebasisforembeddedVNS-controlsoft- VNS-triggered system. oncoming seizuresandsimulatedthealgorithm’s useina electroencephalographs todevelopanalgorithmdetect including sleepapneaandincreasedriskofheartdisease. simulator’s continuousstimulationproducessideeffects the brain. simulator thatdeliversaconstant,low-voltagesignalto tant todrugsorsurgerybetreatedwithavagusnerve that allowspeoplesufferingfromseizuredisordersresis- Germantown, Tenn., submittedabioengineeringproject sic concerttourinIndia. seven. Insummer2012,sheperformedinaCarnaticmu- Carnatic vocalistandhasplayedtheviolinsinceshewas percent. condition fortheprobabilityofacarrytobelessthan25 case, thesetofdigitsmustsatisfyacertainnecessary structures called‘groups’andprovedthat,inthisgeneral Padmanabha isfluentinKannadaandwasprincipal The youngIndian American researcherbelieveshis :Padmanabhaanalyzedepileptic While itisaneffective therapy, thevagusnerve Padmanabha, 16,asenioratHoustonHighSchoolin Fluent in Tamil, theIndian American studentisa News Round Up Indian Americans Protest Against Wharton’s Decision to Cancel Invite to Modi

THE ASIAN ERA NEWS SERVICE chief minister had been denied a U.S. visa for his alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Philadephia, PA: Nearly 200 Indian Americans held a Nutter declared March 23, 2013 as “India Day” in the City peaceful protest march here against the withdrawal of an of Philadelphia in honor of the 17th Wharton India Eco- invitation to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to speak nomic Forum, WIEF announced on its Web site. at the prestigious Wharton India Economic Forum. Under Meanwhile, speaking from New Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party the banner of “Americans for Free Speech,” the group leader Arvind Kejriwal said March 23 that he was “troubled” chanted slogans like “We Want Modi” and displayed his and “dismayed” at Wharton’s withdrawing its invitation to pictures on posters and banners. Modi, adding that the varsity’s decision to change its mind Most of the pro- “under pressure” was “very wrong.” testers who had ar- Addressing the rived from New forum through video- York and New Jer- conferencing, sey marched down Kejriwal, who also several blocks began his indefinite March 23 to hold a fast against “inflated” demonstration in power and water bills front of the WIEF on March 23, said: “I event, which held am not a supporter of its day-long confer- Mr. Modi. In fact, I ence on India’s eco- don’t agree with him nomic development. on many things and Several speakers have publicly op- addressed the pro- posed him on many testers gathered occasions. However, across the street I would like to put on from Harrison Audi- record my dismay at torium at the Univer- the cancellation of his sity of Pennsylvania, invitation to speak at where the confer- this forum,” he said. ence was held. Kejriwal said to “Members of the issue an invitation and press were denied entrance to the conference,” The Daily then cancel it under pressure “is not right. It is very wrong. Pennsylvania reported, putting the number of protesters It is unbecoming of an institution carrying the respected at 200. Wharton name.” Opposing the decision of WIEF to cancel its invitation Touching upon other issues, he said there was a need to Modi after three UPenn professors protested against it, for an honest government to monitor the private sector. Narain Kataria of the Indian American Intellectuals Forum “The argument that since the government is corrupt, so alleged that WIEF had attacked “freedom of speech” and let’s privatize everything, this argument hasn’t worked. called it an “inappropriate interference” into the Indian We can no longer sidestep the issue of governance,” he political process. said. During the interactive session, he said there is no Later, in a memorandum submitted to UPenn president national party in the country with which AAP can join hands. Dr. Amy Gutmann, the protesters said they were “sad- “Maybe on issues we can support. Issue-based we can support,” he said. dened and outraged to see this great university being bul- MAR-APR 2013 He also sought to find fault with the “dynastic politics” lied by a mere three English and Social Work activist pro- MAR-APR 2013 fessors” of Indian origin. in the country saying a few families are controlling the “The principal issues here are freedom of speech and country. Laws will be enacted to curb this if AAP gets Era right to dissent. Sadly, both of these have been brutally power, he said. Earlier, WIFE organizers had announced Era trampled on at UPenn by this action,” the memorandum that no media organizations would be allowed to cover the stated. event except for TV Asia.Caption: Nearly 200 protesters Modi’s invitation to speak at the forum by live video from a group called Americans for Free Speech marched following a petition from a group of UPenn university fac- in protest of the Wharton India Economic Forum Mar. 23 near the Penn Museum.

ulty and students not connected with Wharton. The Gujarat TheAsian 35TheAsian 35 36 36 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 News RoundUp of thecommunity willonlybetrulyrealized whenthereis Diaspora shouldstayengaged withIndiaandthestrength and religionspokeaboutthe achievementsofMr. Dayal. the speakersfromeverysegment ofthecommunity, caste restaurant called Amla inManhattan. Oneaftertheother, also hostedadinnerreceptionforhimatnewlyopened marriage anniversaryoftheDayals. was heldonlastSundaywhichalsohappenedtobethe ence andgotastandingovation.Incidentallytheevent ke Logo”virtuallybroughttearsintheeyesofaudi- lodious songsofyesteryears. The song“EhMere Vataan singer hadthecrowdswingingandrockingwithherme- Consulate. Well knownsinger Varsha Joshi. The versatile evening wasorganizedbytheBankofIndiaatIndian days, hesmiledandobserved“Ihopeso”. was duringhis Consul Generalasit same underthenew House willbethe Asked ifIndian this correspondent. state area”hetold munity intheTri- to theIndiancom- always remainclose dia HousebutIwill may beleavingIn- summer months.“Ï he planstovisitin South Jersey, where Monroe countyin bought ahousein reported tohave home. think oftheIndianConsulateinNew York asitssecond eral whomadeitpossiblefortheIndiancommunityto ganizations heldfarewelleventstohonortheConsulGen- on February28.LargenumberofIndiancommunityor- in theregion. speaker, organizer, andafriendoftheIndiancommunity Ambassador Dayalhadprovedtobeaninspirational During hislongoverfouryearsofleadingtheConsulate, able stsintastheConsulGeneralofIndiainNew York. cans intheNew York Tri-state regionduringhisremark- hearts andsoulsofhundredsthousandsIndian Ameri- Amabassador PrabhuDayal Indian CommunityBidsFarewellto Speaking ontheoccasion, Dayal said,“TheIndian The IndianNationalOverseasCongress(INOC)had One ofthemostbefittingfarewellevent,amusical Though DayalhasdecidedtoshiftbaseIndia,heis Prabhu DayalretiredfromtheIndianForeignService New York: Ambassador PrabhuDayalhaswonthe THE ASIAN ERA NEWSSERVICE late. Top communityleadersincluding FIA presidentSanjay of India’topromoteartand cultureattheIndianConsu- Dayal forlaunchingaseriesof culturaleventscalled‘Jewel issues relatedtovisa,passports andothertravelissues. helping theIndiancommunity insolvingtheirnumerous opportunity tothankstheoutgoingConsulGeneralfor who werepresentontheoccasion.Patelalsotook unanimously acceptedbyallthepastpresidentsofFIA FIA chairmanRameshPatelmadetheproposalwhichwas Trustees ofFederationIndian Associations (FIA). The pointed Mr. Dayalashonorary advisertotheBoardof Associations (FIA)atRoyal Albert’s Palace,theFIA ap- the Triveni(aconfluenceofthreevirtues),”Parikhadded. great diplomat,friendandpromoterofculture.r:“He is noisseur ofartandculture,Dr. ParikhsaidthatDayalisa ner hostedbyDr. Sudhir Parikh.Describinghimasacon- greater progressindealingwithnewchallengesandpraised and communityorganizationstoworktogetherachieve thorities toresolveverymanyissues.Heurgedthecivic munity takinginitiativeandworkingwithTheIndianau- However, hegave credittothemanyleadersincom- the Consulatehadtomitigateandresolveproblems. have createduneaseamongsomeinthecommunityand rules andregulationsemanatingfromNewDelhimight nity bytheopendoorpolicythathepracticed. ceeded inreachingouttoeverysegmentofthecommu- tionship withtheDiasporaandstatedthathehassuc- Speakers praisedMr. Dayal forhiscloseworkingrela- over theyearsandwishedhimwellonhisretirement. for hisdedicationanddiligentservicetothecommunity unity.” Yash PaulSoi,vice-chairman ofFIA,complimented At anothereventorganizedbytheFederationofIndian Ambassador Dayalacknowledgedthatattimesthenew George Abraham, presidentofINOCthankedMr. Dayal at afarewelldin- India inNew York Consul Generalof service asthe for hisdedicated utes toMr. Dayal cials paidrichtrib- and publicoffi- ers, professionals community lead- U.S. tween Indiaand collaboration be- cooperation and promote stronger commitment to the INOCforits A numberof Amin, executive vice-president Sudhir Vaishnav, immedi- any complex issues. “We can together work to a great ate past president Bipin Patel, past presidents Shobhana extend if there was frank and open discussion”, he said Patel and Jagdish Patel paid rich tributes to Dayal for be- adding the “ key to his success as a Consul General was ing a uniting force for the Indian-American community in due to the fact that he always believed that I could not the Tri-State area. New Jersey Assemblyman Dr. Sam Th- have got success unless you had not come forward and ompson and Dr. Alex Blanco, Mayor of Passaic, also together we had jointly worked out with complex issues.” complimented the consul-general for his service to the According to Dayal if the community “sulks sitting in people of New Jersey. a corner nothing could be achieved but if we open up a Speaking on the occasion, meaningful dialogue we Dayal said, “The Indian Diaspora could solve many of the is- should stay engaged with India and sues and the best example the strength of the community will was that of high fees for only be truly realized when there passport surrendered. It is unity.” He acknowledged that at could be resolved so easily times the new rules and regulations was the community took up emanating from New Delhi might the matter and initiated a dia- have created unease among some logue.” in the community and the Consu- Complementing the role late had to mitigate and resolve the of FIA as a bridge between problems. However, he gave credit the peoples of India and the to the many leaders in the com- United States, Dayal said that munity taking initiative and work- the organization played a cru- ing with the Indian authorities to cial role in strengthening the resolve many issues. He urged the civic and community relationship between the two democracies of the world. organizations to work together to achieve greater progress “India was the largest democracy while USA was the old- in dealing with new challenges and praised INOC and FIA est democracy of the world. FIA must represent the for its commitment to promote stronger cooperation and multicultural and secular image of India in the United collaboration between India and U.S. States.” INOC and FIA presented a plaque to Dayal who Dayal advised the Indian community to continue the had 12 states under his jurisdiction, for his valuable ser- process of dialogue as that was the best method to resolve vice to the Indian community. MAR-APR 2013 MAR-APR 2013 Era Era TheAsian 37TheAsian 37 38 38 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 tions. with theirspiritualdiscourses andpersonalinterac- around theworldinspiring devotees andaspirants Mahant Swamiandtheother seniorswamistravel tions andblessingsofPramukh SwamiMaharaj, Holiness Yogiji Maharaj.Undertheguidance,instruc- from Anand, hereceiveddikshain1957fromHis BAPS. After completinghisB.Sc.in Agriculture Mahant Swami,isoneofseveralseniorswamis guidance.” often methundredsofpeopledailytogivespiritual reach outtothefollowersashedidbefore,when he isnolongerabletotravelvillagesandcities now, and naturally duetohealth-relatedlimitations, is 92yearsold However, ashe organization. and guruofthe spiritual head tinues tobethe Maharaj con- Swami “Pramukh explained, mis ofBAPS Ahmedabad. presence in Maharaj’s Swami Pramukh Swami) in (Swayamprakash Swami Pujya Doctor assembly by out inapublic 2013 wasread March 6th, ter dated issues. Thelet- day affairsand (Keshavjivan Swami)forguidanceontheirday-to- tees shouldnowconsultPujyaMahantSwami announced throughaletterthatallsadhusanddevo- THE ASIAN ERA NEWSSERVICE Ahmedabad, India:PramukhSwamiMaharajhas Pujya KeshavjivanSwami,alsoknownas Senior swa- Will RunBAPS Affairs Pujya MahantSwami touched manyworldreligious andnationalleaders. ity, universalwisdomandstriking simplicityhave the essenceofHindulife.His compassionforhuman- munity service,andspiritual progress.Heembodies portance ofpersonalintegrity, family harmony, com- his travelsanddiscourses,hehasemphasizedtheim- ally uprightlifeguidedbyHinduprinciples.Through people acrosstheworldtoleadaGod-centered,mor- Pramukh SwamiMaharajhasinspiredmillionsof Pramukh SwamiMaharajasthepresentguru. Just beforehispassingin1971, Yogiji Maharajrevealed served underHisHoliness Yogiji Maharajfor20years. organization. From1951,PramukhSwamiMaharaj Shastriji Maharajappointedhimthepresidentof BAPS SwaminarayanSanstha,in1940.In1950, from HisHolinessShastrijiMaharaj,thefounderof cessor ofBhagwanSwaminarayan.Hereceiveddiksha to thousandsofdevoteesfromaroundtheworld. Ahmedabad andingoodhealth,givingdailydarshan As thespiritualandadministrativeleaderofBAPS, Pramukh SwamiMaharajisthefifthspiritualsuc- Pramukh SwamiMaharajiscurrentlyin INOC PRESENTS OCI CARD ISSUES TO HOME MINISTER OF INDIA

BY GEORGE ABRAHAM of passports, regardless of age, always creates a new number, but renewal of passports for individuals under Indian National Overseas Congress (I), USA in its the age of 20 and above the age of 50 warrants re- continuing mission to work on behalf of the Diaspora in issuance and a fee. dealing with issues that concern them dispatched a posi- These rules, the letter said ‘may be unknowingly or tion paper with its Senior Vice-President Shudh Prakash unintentionally arbitrary and capricious. We therefore, Singh to New Delhi to discuss the recommended changes urgently request the government of India to reconsider to the recently promulgated OCI card rules. Shudh these and carry out its promises to streamline the pro- Prakash Singh met with Hon. Sushil Kumar Shinde, on cess of symbolically integrating OCI with their mother- March 16, 2013 and held discussions as regards modi- land’.’ To the best of our knowledge, the rational basis fying some of these rules promulgated by the Home Min- for these rules has not been articulated by the promul- istry. Mr. Shinde has promised to take a look at some of gating ministry’ the letter added. If the reason is terror- these rules that have become major irritants to the Indian Diaspora wherever the OCI card rules apply. ‘As an or- ganization that works closely with the Indian National Congress, the leading party in the UPA Government, we feel that it is our duty to bring these matters to the attention of the highest official possible for a quick resolution’ said George Abraham, President of the INOC. ‘We are committed to play the role as a bridge between Government of India and its Diaspora in U.S. on some of these important issues, Mr. ism related, the letter pointed out ‘then it is the 21-49 Abraham added. Earlier in the month, a delegation of years group that would likely require re-issuance, not INOC led by George Abraham had traveled to DC and those under age of 20 or those above the age of 50..If presented the Memo to Her Excellency Nirupama Rao, there the reason is to ensure that the OCI card reflects Ambassador to U.S. INOC has recently established an an accurate representation of facial characteristics, then NRI-Interface Council headed by Anand Ahuja Esq to this age breakdown does not logically stand since physical deal with various Diaspora Concerns. features change little over the ae of 50 – as compared to According to the new rules, the OCI registration cer- those who are 21-49’. tificate and India visa have to be re-issued each time a The letter added: ‘ It is often noted that China’s rise new United States passport is acquired after the holder was marked by rational administrative policies that en- MAR-APR 2013 completes the age of 20 or 50. Re-issuing of an OCI abled the inflow of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) card is not mandatory for those between the ages of 21 from its vital Diaspora. Similarly, India can also accel- MAR-APR 2013

and 50 though the holder can avail of the service as an erate its development if it provides mutually beneficial Era policies that invite and encourage *Pravasis* rather than option. The argument is that the OCI card and lifelong Era visa have the number of the US passport included in inhibit them the opportunity to assist their motherland. them. When a US passport is renewed, the new number Shudh Prakash Singh also visited Vayalar Ravi, Minister should appear on the OCI card and the visa, for which a of Overseas Indian Affairs and Preneet Kaur, Minister re-issuance is necessary. ‘The rationale put forth is con- of State for External Affairs and submitted the copies tradictory’ the letter said. ‘Since it admits that renewal of the memorandum and held further discussions. TheAsian 39TheAsian 39 40 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 can bepurchasedoverthecounterwith lish tightercontrolongunshowsandsale,wherefirearms have resultedintheUSCongressseekingtobanorestab- curtail thearms’potentialforabuse. late theinternationalflowofarms,and (ATT). ifsignedintolaw, may helpregu- purchase arms. An Arms Trade Treaty restrict thenationsandtheirabilityto ever growing, there isanurgent needto repressive regimesandhumanrightsviolators. fairs, resultinginarmssalestosomeoftheworld’s most such controlsonweaponsbuyersatinternationaltrade checks onthebuyer. However, it’s ironicthatthereareno licensing ofbrokers andblockingsalesto terroristsand tablish basicstandardsforthe globalarmstrade,suchas war-grade weaponry. The Treaty, ifenacted,would es- would bethefirst-everrulebook fortheglobaltradein community isgatheringinNew York City tovoteonwhat ons. FromMarch18through 28,2013theinternational laying downguidelinesforthe internationaltradeinweap- tions, establishingan Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) aimedat – theUnitedNationsisseekingtoinstitutetighterregula- liferate –fromParisandLondontoMoscow Abu Dhabi Recent incidentsofgunviolenceintheUnitedStates While theinternationalarmstradeis As militaryexhibitionsandairshows BY AJAYGHOSH The EverGrowingGlobal Arms TradeMustEnd continue topro- no background dollars worth ofweaponsdealsforunscrupulous buy- companies willcontinuetogarner hundredsofmillions rules andbrokeringcontrols inthetreatyremainweak, man Rights,warns,“Andif theirproposedhumanrights abuses. Brian Wood, AI’s headof Arms ControlandHu- where theycouldcontribute toserioushumanrights at IDEXdonotresultinweaponsreachingcountries exporting countriesmustensurethatanydealsbrokered States ,theEuropeanUnion(EU)statesandotherarms- and security,” shetoldthemedia. the SecurityCouncilformaintaininginternationalpeace the otheristheirresponsibilityaspermanentmembersof they’re makingfromtheirengagementintradedarms… and policyat Amnesty International.“Oneisalltheprofits said Widney Brown,seniordirectorofinternationallaw gotiated inJuly2012.“They’vegottwointerestsathand,” treaty frommovingforwardwhenthe ATT waslastne- The U.S.,ChinaandRussiaforexample,preventedthe Amnesty International(AI),saysChina,theUnited and continueprofitingfromitsloopholes. tiators, hopingtowaterdownthetreaty of theSecurityCouncilaretoughnego- about astrictertreaty. Somemembers some nationsarenotveryenthusiastic treaty banningtheseweapons.However, fied oraccededtoaseparateinternational human rightsabusers. So far111 stateshavesigned,rati- ers.” 2004-2007, developing world nations accounted for 66.7% The Security Council’s five permanent members (P5) of the value of all arms transfer agreements made world- – United States , Russia , China , the United Kingdom and wide. During 2008-2011, developing world nations ac- France – along with Germany , are the world’s six leading counted for 79.2% of all arms transfer agreements made arms exporters, often shipping weapons used to perpetu- globally. In 2011, developing nations accounted for 83.9% ate violence across the globe. According to Amnesty In- of all arms transfer agreements made worldwide. ternational P5 weapons exports have fuelled a throng of India , while the principal Russian arms customer, dur- human rights violations. ing recent years has sought to diversify its weapons sup- A report titled Conventional Arms Transfers to Devel- plier base, purchasing the Phalcon early warning defense oping Nations, 2004-2011 by Richard F. Grimmett has system aircraft in 2004 from Israel and numerous items found that developing nations continue to be the primary from France in 2005, in particular six Scorpene diesel at- focus of foreign arms sales activity by weapons suppli- tack submarines. In 2008 India purchased six C130J cargo ers. During the years 2004-2011, the value of arms trans- aircraft from the United States . In 2010, the United King- fer agreements with developing nations comprised 68.6% dom sold India 57 Hawk jet trainers for $1 billion. In 2010 of all such agreements worldwide. More recently, arms Italy also sold India 12 AW101 helicopters. In 2011, France transfer agreements with developing nations constituted secured a $2.4 billion contract with India to upgrade 51 of 79.2% of all such agreements globally from 2008-2011, its Mirage-2000 combat fighters, and the United States and 83.9% of these agreements in 2011. agreed to sell India 10 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for The value of all arms transfer agreements with devel- $4.1 billion. This oping nations in 2011 was over $71.5 billion. This was a Other major arms agreements with Asia in recent years substantial increase from $32.7 billion in 2010. In 2011, have included: sales to Pakistan by the United States of a the value of all multi-billion dol- arms deliveries lar order of to developing new F-16 nations was fighter aircraft, $28 billion, the weapons, and highest total in aircraft up- these deliveries grades and a values since sale by Sweden 2004. of a SAAB- The United 2000 based States and Rus- AWACS air- sia have domi- borne radar nated the arms system. In market in the 2007, Pakistan developing contracted with world, China for pro- In 2011, the duction of J-17 United States fighter aircraft; ranked first in in 2008 it pur- arms transfer chased an agreements AWACS air- with developing nations with over $56.3 billion or 78.7% craft from China . In 2009, Pakistan also purchased J-10 of these agreements, an extraordinary increase in market fighters from China . Meanwhile, in 2010 the United States share from 2010, when the United States held a 43.6% sold 60 UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters to Taiwan , and in market share. In worldwide arms transfer agreements in 2011 sold it the Patriot (PAC-3) air defense system for $2 2011—to both developed and developing nations—the billion. Asia has traditionally been the second-largest de- United States dominated, ranking first with $66.3 billion veloping-world arms market. In in such agreements or 77.7% of all such agreements. The It’s in this context the ongoing discussions organized value of all arms transfer agreements worldwide in 2011 by the United Nations becomes very important. Over 150 was $85.3 billion, a substantial increase over the 2010 member states have gathered at U.N. headquarters to ne- total of $44.5 billion, and the highest worldwide arms agree- gotiate an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). If signed into law, ments total since 2004. this unprecedented rulebook may help regulate the inter-

In 2011, Saudi Arabia ranked first in the value of arms national flow of arms, and curtail the arms’ potential for MAR-APR 2013 transfer agreements among all developing nations weap- abuse. Many delegates and civil society leaders argue that ons purchasers, concluding $33.7 billion in such agree- they would rather have a strong treaty signed onto by a ments. India ranked second with $6.9 billion in such agree- majority of member states rather than a watered down Era ments. The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) ranked third treaty agreed upon by consensus. A strong ATT would call with $4.5 billion. on member states to monitor and assess what weapons For the period 2008-2011, the total value of all interna- are entering, passing through and leaving their borders, tional arms transfer agreements ($261.8 billion in current including transactions made by private companies, setting dollars) was higher than the worldwide value during 2004- up international norms, as well as a peer mechanism for monitoring those norms. 2007 ($206.1 billion in current dollars). During the period TheAsian 41 42 42 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 Senate Eightthatissaidtohavethefamilyreunification the upcomingcomprehensiveimmigrationbillbefore - Gary Ackerman. Abraham alsoexpressed concernabout shoes ofagreatfriendtheIndian American Community work withherandhopedthatGraceMengwouldfillthe the Congresswomanthatcommunitywillstandand Social) totheIndian American Community. Heassured tions andgiveduerecognition(Economical,Political who spokeontheneedtobuildstrongerUS-Indiarela- introduced Prominentcommunityleader, George Abraham, USA andalsoIndia'contributiontotheworld.Hethen achievements oftheIndian American Communityinthe mittee -(INOC(I))beganwiththeIntroductionof munity andbuildstrongertieswithheroffice. introduce thenewlyelectedCongresswomantocom- Williston ParkinNew York. The eventwasorganized to dence ofRomanSinghat York, GraceMeng,attheresi- from the6thdistrictofNew newly electedCongresswoman nity hostedareceptionforthe members oftheIndianCommu- seas Congress,USAandother ers oftheIndianNationalOver- Bill upcoming ImmigrationReform family reunification clauseinthe while NRIsraisetheissueof towards closerUS-Indiaties, Congresswoman GraceMengVows Closer Rajender Dichpally(Chair-US-IndiaFriendshipCom- Long Island,NY: The lead- The Congresswoman towork BY GEORGE ABRAHAM Co-operation &support To NRIs last 3monthswereveryhecticdaysduetotheworkin campaign andvictoryinNovember2012saidthatthe Congresswoman. the Indian American Communityatthereceptionto Meng. Hethenintroducedalltheprominentmembersof Indian American Communityfromthe office ofGrace yield inbetterpositionsandpoliticalsupporttothe Congresswoman andhopedthatthisassociationwould Parkash Singhrecollectedhislongassociationwiththe political ladderandachievesfurthersuccess.Shudh munity andwishedherallthebestassheclimbsup nity whichisknownfortheirclose-knitfamilytradition. to retaintheclausewhichiscriticalIndianCommu- clause underthethreatofremoval.Herequestedherhelp Congresswoman GraceMengspokeonherelection Mohinder SinghGilzianassuredthesupportofcom- gressman Gary Ackerman. can Communitylikeherpredecessor -Con- friend andsupporteroftheIndian Ameri- reception forherandhoped tobeagood thanked themembersfororganizing the issues thatsherequiresher attention. She communicate withherstaffandraiseany and supportdirectedthemembersto the Indian American communityallhelp decide torunforCongress.Sheassured and recollectedsomeeventsthatmadeher community tofightfortheirpoliticalspace spoke ontheneedfor Asian American hurricane sandywithfinancialaid.She gious placesthatwereaffectedthrough cussed includingthebilltosupportreli- Congress andthemanybillsthatweredis- Technology Sabeer Bhatia: The Man Who Revolutionized Email Offers an Inexpensive Global SIM Card For Talking From Anywhere Around the World major looks to break the hegemony established by Google's THE ASIAN ERA NEWS SERVICE Gmail in recent years, but also bring about greater integra- tion between social networking and email services. Speak- Sabeer Bhatia and Yogesh Patel led Jaxtr Inc has ing to the media, Bhatia, who along with co-founder Jack launched a global SIM card 'Jaxtr SIM' for international Smith, sold the email service to Microsoft in 1997 for travelers. The SIM card is a pre-paid one that works on $400 million, explains the need for the re-branding, which phones ranging from Android, iPhone, Windows and he insists, is not the "phasing out of Hotmail," but a move Blackberry devices. According to Jaxtr, the SIM is meant targeted towards rejuvenating, what was once regarded to allow travelers to make calls at rates cheaper than most as a mainstay of the internet in the late 90s. current options. "With the Jaxtr SIM, travelers to the According to Bhatia, even today, taking into account United States, Canada, UK and Mexico or anywhere in all metrics, “Hotmail has almost 400 million unique users. Europe or Asia can make inexpensive local and interna- It has more users than Gmail and Yahoo! which have been tional calls/SMS while using their own mobile phones, " hugely popular as well, especially the former over the past the company claims. few years. Hotmail was a pioneer in the email space, and At the launch of the SIM card, Sabeer Bhatia, CEO has held up very well even as the technology landscape & Co-Founder, Jaxtr Inc and Co-Founder of Hotmail, continues to change at a stratospheric pace.” said, "International travel for both business and pleasure Along with his other products, Bhatia, along with Neel is on a rapid upswing in India. However, to date, travel- ers face the daunting challenge of communicating with their loved ones in a cost-effective manner while they are on the move. Jaxtr is a Global traveller's carrier that works in over 200+ countries. With our SIM, you can stop worrying about high international roaming bills when travelling abroad as we offer the best local and interna- tional calling rates in the US, Europe and Latin America to make your international travel hassle-free." "Travellers can start using the phone as soon as they replace the SIM in their mobile phones, the company said. In addition to calling, texting and browsing, fea- tures such as voicemail, SMS forwarding and voicemail to email are included for no additional charge. A single card can be used in multiple countries and multiple local numbers are provisioned automatically for each supported country. Jaxtr users can optionally maintain a permanent number in the country of their choice for a monthly fee. The cards are reported to be available from travel agents, at airports and they can also be ordered online. Naicker recently launched Asset Management Platform Jaxtr, a mobile operator for international roaming (AMP) Technologies in India. The company will provide a customers, with its 10 million customers, is expected to platform to deliver investment performance analytics in generate $100 million operating profit every year, Bhatia the real estate space. The AMP platform is a set of prod- said. The years 2013-15 should be blockbuster for him ucts and services designed to allow commercial real es- as most of his investments are likely to mature in this tate investors, owners and operators aggregate and ac- period, he said. His investments include Arzoo, a ticket- cess to investment information from any PC, laptop, tab- ing and travel booking system in the works for the past let or mobile device, said a company release. Sabeer Bhatia, eight years, four-year-old real estate portal AMP Tech, a co-founder & chairman, AMP Technologies said, "AMP is presentation app Deck and a hotel management software. a cloud-based real estate asset management platform, and The unique selling point of the company: It's cheaper. there is no need for the installation of hardware, software, Jaxtr promises lower roaming costs than any other simi- databases, maintenances or upgrades." MAR-APR 2013 lar product in the market; half that of any other compet- To address increasing client demand effectively AMP MAR-APR 2013 ing product in the Indian market. "India is not our only recently opened a new 250-seat facility in Chennai that Era market. If you look at markets like the US or UK this

will focus on future IT development of the platform and Era service can do away with nearly 95% of the mobile roam- deliver lease administration, finance and accounting, and ing cost," said Bhatia. due diligence services using the AMP platform. The com- Sabeer Bhatia, the Indian-born co-founder of Hotmail, pany will recruit 1,000 employees by the end of calendar has hailed Microsoft's recent decision to relaunch the year 2015 to service commercial real estate investors, iconic email service as Outlook.com, as the technology owners and operators throughout the world. TheAsian 43TheAsian 43 44 44 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 Indians haveemerged asthelargest Asian subgroup,with 26 states(including Washington D.C.andPuertoRico), population afterChinese,the datashow. In19ofthefirst surpassed Filipinosasthenation’s second-largest Asian report fromthe2010Census data,itsaid,Indianshave far outpacingthegrowthofother Asian groups.Quoting a American populationhasexplodedoverthepastdecade, the mostprosperousandeducated. recipients in2011. Their successesmake thecommunity porary-work visas,accountingformorethanhalfofH1B Indians whocometotheUSarethroughstudentandtem- in theUS,makingittheirhome.Inrecenttimes,most with newlaws,awaveofprofessionalsarriving called themnon-Whites.Thegateswerethrownupin1965 prohibited in1917,anda1923SupremeCourtdecision Whites. Butthatchanged.ImmigrationfromIndiawas sians, andcouldbecomecitizensmarryUS-born 1911 asfarmhands. They werethendescribedasCauca- sus report. munity arelivingbelowthepovertyline,saysalatestcen- minority, morethan8%ofthenearlythreemillioncom- in theUnitedStates,andisconsideredaninfluentialethnic national incomelevelthanmostotherethniccommunities name foritselftobethemosteducatedandwithhigher Economy According toareportbyNew America Media,Indian The firstIndianscametotheUSbetween1904and While theIndian American communityhasearneda Indian Americans & ThePowerful BY AJAYGHOSH The Rich, The Poor overrepresentation ofIndians inthesefieldsisstriking— workers and8%ofitsphysicians andsurgeons.The Americans are3%ofthenation’s engineers,7%ofitsIT constituting lessthan1%of theU.S.population,Indian- citizens, comparedto70for all Asian Americans. their past—only56%ofadultIndian-AmericansareUS may havesomethingtodowithreluctancebreakfrom tween 2008and2010marriedoutofthecommunity. This American. Only12%ofIndian-Americannewlywedsbe- ernor BobbyJindalisthenorm,marryinganotherIndian- she ismarriedtoanon-Indian-American.Louisianagov- Indian-American governorNikkiHaleyisanexception, inter-marriage wastakenasthesoletest.South Carolina’s educated Indian Americans are aresociallylessopen,if obtained atleastabachelor’s degree.” dian Americans aged25andolder, seven-in-ten (70%)have probably becausetheyarebettereducated.“AmongIn- ($66,000) andallUShouseholds($49,800). And, that’s Americans was$88,000,muchhigherthanforall Asians Among households,themedianannualincomeforIndian cans ($48,000)aswellforallUSadults($40,000). full-time, was$65,000,higherthanforall Asian Ameri- tion,” saysRajBhanot,ataxauditorforthestate. lation isbecauseofjobopportunitiesandbettereduca- in sevenresidentsare Asian Indian.“Thegrowthinpopu- concentrations ofSikhfarmers.Ineachcity, atleastone Livingston and Yuba City, ruralcommunitieswithlarge Sunnyvale, andSantaClara,allinSilicon Valley; and Indian residentsareinCalifornia:Cupertino,Fremont, 313,000. grew byahealthy24.6percentoverthe10-yearperiod,to dian communityintheU.S. to 528,000people,makingitbyfarthelargest Asian In- Indian populationclimbed68percentfrom2000to2010, detailed Censusdemographicanalysisreleased,California’s pecially theareaaroundSilicon Valley. According tothe Indian immigrants,havebeenreplacedbyCalifornia,es- especially largemajoritiesintheMidwestandSouth. A reportintheForbesmagazine statedthat“despite However, reports suggestthatButtheprosperousand Median annualpersonalearningsforIndian-American Six ofthetop10citiesthathaveatleast10,000 Asian New York state’s Asian Indianpopulation,meanwhile, New York andFlorida,oncethebiggestmagnetsfor in practical terms, your doctor is nine times more likely to Americans. Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu to be elected to be an Indian-American than is a random passerby on the the House comes from state of Alaska. street. About 69% of Indian Americans age 25 and over In spite of the success story, it’s worth noting that not have four-year college degrees, which dwarfs the rates of all the Indian Americans have been able to fulfill their Ameri- 51% and 30% achieved by East Asians and whites, re- can dream. According to a 2007-2011 American Commu- spectively. Indian Americans are also less likely to be poor nity Survey, 42.7 million people in the United States had or in prison, compared with whites.” Forbes calls them a income below the poverty level. The national poverty rate new “model minority.” is 14.7 percent. With 8.2 percent of poverty rate, Indian So why do Indian Americans perform so well? A natu- Americans are far less poor than other ethnic groups and ral answer is self-selection. Someone willing to pull up the national average, the Census Bureau report said. Ac- roots and move halfway around the world will tend to be cording to the report, for Asians, nine states had poverty more ambitious and hardworking than the average per- rates below 10 percent. They are: Connecticut, Delaware, son. But people want to come to the U.S. for many rea- Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, sons. The success of Indian Americans is also often as- Virginia and South Carolina. cribed to the culture they bring with them, which places Japanese Americans too have an 8.2 percent poverty strong—some would even say obsessive—emphasis on rate. For the Asian population, poverty rates were higher academic achievement. for Vietnamese (14.7 percent) and Koreans (15.0 percent), Forbes goes on to suggest that in addition to these quali- but Filipinos have the lowest poverty rate of 5.8 percent. ties, Indian Americans are intelligent too. Quoting a 2003 Among Hispanics, national poverty rates ranged from a New Immigrant Survey, in which a basic cognitive test low of 16.2 percent for Cubans to a high of 26.3 percent called “digit span” was administered to a sample of newly for Dominicans. arrived immigrant children. The magazine states, “It is an The U.S. government’s definition of poverty is based excellent test for comparing people with disparate language on total income received. For example, the poverty level and educational backgrounds, since the test taker need for 2012 was set at an annual income of $23,050 for a only repeat lengthening sequences of digits read by the family of four. One in six Americans are now living below examiner. Repeating the digits forward is simply a test of poverty line, the Census Bureau said in a report, reflecting short-term memory, but repeating them backward is much the adverse impact of economic crisis on common man. more mentally taxing, hence a rough measure of intelli- “The nation’s official poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1 gence. When statistical adjustments are used to convert per cent, up from 14.3 per cent in 2009 - the third con- the backward digit span results to full-scale IQ scores, secutive annual increase in the poverty rate,” Census Bu- Indian Americans place at about 112 on a bell-shaped IQ reau said in a report earlier. “There were 46.2 million people distribution, with white Americans at 100. 112 is the 79th in poverty in 2010, up from 43.6 million in 2009 - the percentile of the white distribution. For more context, fourth consecutive annual increase and the largest num- consider that Ashkenazi Jews are a famously intelligent ber in the 52 years for which poverty estimates have been ethnic group, and their mean IQ is somewhere around published,” it said. These findings are contained in the re- 110.” port ‘Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in Indians are still underrepresented in politics, and they the United States: 2010.’ do not specialize in the kinds of fields (law and finance) Census Bureau said, the number of people without health most conducive to political careers. A Wall Street Journal insurance coverage rose from 49.0 million in 2009 to 49.9 report said, they are overwhelmingly aligned with the million in 2010, while the percentage without coverage - Democratic Party. About 85% of Indian Americans sup- 16.3 per cent - was not statistically different from the rate port Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election, ac- in 2009. cording to a poll conducted last year. The results of the Since 2007, the year before the most recent recession, study also revealed that only 67% of Indian Americans real median household income has declined 6.4 per cent polled voted for Obama in 2008. Obama has appointed and is 7.1 per cent below the median household income many Indian Americans to key positions, including Preet peak that occurred prior to the 2001 recession in 1999. In Bharara—U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New its report the Census Bureau said two race groups had York; Aneesh Chopra—U.S. Federal Chief Technology poverty rates more than 10 percentage points higher than Officer; Deepa Gupta—Member, National Council on the the national rate of 14.3%. American Indian and Alaska Arts; Arunava Joshi Majumdar—Under Secretary of En- Native (27.0%) and black or African-American (25.8%). ergy; and Subra Suresh, Director of the National Science Rates were above the overall national average for Na- Foundation. tive Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (17.6%), while Proud of his Indian heritage, the newly elected Indian- poverty rates for people identified as white (11.6%) or

American Congressman Ami Bera has hoped that a day Asian (11.7%) were lower than the overall poverty rate. MAR-APR 2013

will come soon when there would be several members of The Economist magazine affirms this growing trend: “The MAR-APR 2013 his community not only in the House of Representatives gap between rich and poor is bigger than in any other but also in the Senate. “I am in the Congress today, be- advanced country, but most people are unconcerned. Era cause I am an Indian American... because of the values of Whereas Europeans fret about the way the economic pie Era making sure of giving it back to the community, giving is divided, Americans want to join the rich, not soak them. back to the country. Those were values that got us here Eight out of ten, more than anywhere else, believe that and those are values that are going to propel us forward,” though you may start poor, if you work hard, you can said 47-year-old Bera, the Democratic lawmaker from make pots of money. It is a central part of the American California. The state with the largest number of Indian Dream.” TheAsian 45TheAsian 45 46 46 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 this teamand also togetguidanceandhelp fromthecon- you willenjoyit.Iamextremely delightedtoworkwith grams areverywellthought outandweareconfidentthat vention amemorableevent, Dr. Marwahsaid,“Thepro- eas.” committee membersfromChicagoandsurroundingar- am fortunatetochairthisdedicatedteamofconvention nual gettogether, educationalactivity, familyenjoyment.I year inputtingtogetheranattractiveprogramforouran- vention, said,“We havebeenworkingformorethana Dr. BirinderMarwah,Chairmanof AAPI 2013 Annual Con- gether thisuniqueevent, been devotedtoputto- preparations thathave rating ontheeffortsand ciation ofIllinois.Elabo- American Medical Asso- chapters, TheIndian est andmostactive ganized by AAPI’s larg- tion thisyearisbeingor- our members.” standing conventionto very hardtobringanout- vention teamisworking Kumar said,“Thecon- the hostcommittee,Dr. ning andorganizationof ing thehardwork,plan- Laud- President, AAPI. Dr. NarendraR.Kumar, Annual Convention,”said City” forthe31st AAPI and friendstothe“Windy Convention team,wewouldliketoinviteyou,yourfamily the SheratonHotel& Towers, Chicago,IL. Convention tobeheldfromMay23rd-27th2013at bilities togivebackthesocietyat31st Annual AAPI fied voicetoprotecttheirrightsaswellexplorepossi- identify waystonetworkandstayunitedofferauni- on waystoenhancetheirownprofessionalgrowthand cians ofIndianoriginareexpectedtogatheranddeliberate On theprogramsandevents thatwillmakethecon- The annualconven- “On behalfofthe AAPI ExecutiveCommitteeandthe Chicago, IL:Over3,000talentedanddedicatedphysi- THE ASIAN ERA NEWSSERVICE AAPI’s 31st Annual Convention Over 3,000Delegatesto Attend Convention From May23rd-27th2013 To BeHeldinChicago ees, Rep. Ami Bera,Rep. Tulsi Gabbard,Congressman man oftheNationalConstitution CenterBoardofTrust- Chair, House Ways &MeansCommittee,JebBush,Chair- Durbin, Assistant Senate MajorityLeader, Rep.DaveCamp, Senator HarryReid,SenateMajority Leader, SenatorDick are expectedtoattendand address thedelegatesinclude Srivastava, andSooryaFestival. Among thespeakerswho the topIndianartistsandgroupslikeKK,comedianRaju nity forprofessionalnetworking.” friends, makenewandprovideagreatopportu- all, theConventionwillgiveuschancetomeetold Convention,”” Dr. Kumarelaborated.“Mostimportantof where theCityofChicagowillraisebridgefor AAPI ment withoutstandingartists,andaFridayeveningcruise sine, fashionshows,thebestofBollywoodentertain- women’s forum, Alumni meetings,deliciousethniccui- tions includecutting-edgeCMEwithrenownedspeakers, pointment.” would encourageearlyregistrationtoavoidlaterdisap- advice. We areexpectingarecordturnoutandhenceI committee. Our AAPI Presidentisalwaystherefortimely vention advisors,co-chairsandalsofrom AAPI Executive The culturalprogramswillbeperformedbysomeof “The preliminaryprogramisinplace,themajorattrac- Steny Hoyer, House Minority Leader, Rahm Emanuel, hospitals, medical schools, and health care facilities. The Mayor of Chicago, Tina Ambani, Chairperson, Kokilaben AAPI Convention is where you can reach your target au- Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Jeremy Lazarus, AMA presi- dience of several thousand under one roof.” The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) is the largest ethnic medical orga- nization in the United States. AAPI is an umbrella organization which has nearly 130 local chapters, spe- cialty societies and alumni organi- zations. For over 30 years, Indian physicians have made significant contributions to health care in this country, not only practicing in in- ner cities, rural areas and periph- eral communities but also at the top medical schools and other academic centers. Almost 10%-12% of medi- cal students entering US schools are of Indian origin. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, AAPI represents the interests of over 60,000 physi- cians and 15,000 medical students and residents of Indian heritage in the United States. It serves as an umbrella organization for over 160 dent, Amb. Nirupama Rao, Indian Ambassador to the United professional associations. It is the largest ethnic medical States, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Managing Director & CEO, organization in the nation. Biocon, Christopher Kaplan, senior Vice President & Chief For more details, and sponsorship opportunities, please Marketing Officer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Inc., Omar visit: www.aapiconvention.org and www.aapiusa.org. Ishrak, CEO of Medtronic, Ghulam Nabi Azad, India’s Minister for Health & Family Welfare, and Vayalar Ravi, India’ s Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs. “AAPI was formed in the midst of challenges that phy- sicians of Indian origin have faced due to cultural barriers and bias against international medical graduates. Those barriers created obstacles to immigration and licensing opportunities,” Dr. Jayesh Shah, President-Elect of AAPI, explained. “Today, the organization is a dynamic body, spearheading legislative agendas on health care and influ- encing the advancement of ethnic medical organizations.” “AAPI members represent a variety of important medical specialties. Sponsors will be able to take advantage of the many sponsorship packages at the 31st annual conven- tion, creating high-powered exposure to the highly cov- eted demographic of AAPI’s membership,” Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, vice –president of AAPI noted. “Many of the physicians who will attend this convention have excelled in different specialties and subspecialties and occupy high positions as faculty members of medical schools, heads of departments, and executives of hospital staff. The AAPI Convention offers an opportunity to meet directly with these physicians who are leaders in their fields and play an

integral part in the decision-making process regarding new MAR-APR 2013

products and services,” Dr. Seema Jain, Secretary of AAPI, MAR-APR 2013 said. While explaining the many opportunities the conven- Era tion offers to sponsors and advertisers, Dr. Ajay Lodha, Era Treasurer of AAPI said, “In addition to consumers of medical and pharmaceutical products, devices and equip- ment, practice-related services, financial services, office supplies, etc., you will also meet senior members of man- agement who influence the purchase of such services for TheAsian 47TheAsian 47 ‘To MeasureNations’ Success 48 48 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 survey instrument tomeasurethepopulation’s generallevel the leadershipofKarmaUra, developedasophisticated taken seriously, astheCentrefor BhutanStudies, under first offeredasacasual,offhand remark,theconceptwas ‘s uniqueculturebasedon Buddhist spiritualvalues. At mitment tobuildinganeconomy thatwouldserveBhutan Dorji Wangchuk. Heusedthisphrasetosignal his com- modernization soonafterthedemiseofhisfather, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, whohasopenedBhutantotheageof coined in1972byBhutan’s fourthDragonKing,Jigme Happiness.” Theterm“grossnationalhappiness”was having apopulationof740,000.Itsgoalis“GrossNational has beenthetiny, mountainous Asian nationofBhutan, edly captures—wasoneoftheleastimportant. job, while“StandardofLiving”—whattheGDPsuppos- people. At thetopwerehealth,ahappyfamilylife,and countries, Galluprankedtenthingsthatmattermost to nium World Survey:Pollingalmost60,000peoplein60 changer, ifyouconsiderthisfindingoftheGallupMillen- corporate multi-facetedwellbeing. And, itcouldbegame metrics ofprogressthatin- ment isunderwaytocreate been, aninternationalmove- what apoorguideGDPhas ing topayattention.Noting ness? Ithasn’tbudged. doubled, butaveragehappi- U.S. GDPpercapitahas he was.Sincethe1960s, tional income...”Howright from ameasurementofna- can...scarcely beinferred “the welfareofanation its, warningCongressthat was clearaboutGDP’s lim- the GreatDepression,buthe to helptheU.S.climboutof Kuznets devisedthemeasure Nobel LaureateSimon 1934, Harvardeconomistand contentment ofhumanity. In GDP wasnevermeanttomeasuretherealprogressand terms ofitsGrossDomesticProduct(GDP).However, ness, contentment,enjoyment,gratitudeandlove country’s citizens It isbeingreplaced byHappinessIndex,whichmeasures a dard methodformeasuringanation’s standingandprogress. Leading themovementtoremakewhatwemeasure Finally, peoplearestart- Uptil now, anation’s progresshasbeenmeasuredin Gross NationalProduct maybedropped asthestan- BY AJAYGHOSH feeling positiveemotions,suchascalm- Happiness Index . inclusive, equitable andbalancedapproach isneeded...” reflect thegoalof“happiness” anddeclaresthata“more to Development,”whichflatly statedthatGDPdoesn’t lution 65/309,“Happiness: Towards aHolistic Approach stage. InJulyitsponsored,with 68co-sponsors,UNreso- percent were“unhappy.” indicators, suchaswork,literacyandhousing.Only10 ing they’dattained“sufficiency”intwo-thirdsof(weighted) Bhutan surveyfound41percentofitspeoplehappy, mean- and ecologicaldiversityresilience.Fiveyearslater a mains” thatincludehealth,education,goodgovernance, tuality) butalsosubjectiveassessmentsineightother“do- chological well-being(lifesatisfaction,emotions,andspiri- proach tomeasuringwell-beingthatincludesnotonlypsy- Gross NationalHappinessIndex—acomprehensiveap- mocracy, Bhutanbeganinearnesttobuildtheworld’s first to hissonandinstitutedaBritish-styleparliamentaryde- chology andwell-being. is transcultural—anationneednotbeBuddhisttovalue governance. At thislevelofgenerality, theconceptofGNH tion ofthenaturalenvironment,andestablishmentgood preservation andpromotionofculturalvalues,conserva- of GNHarethepromotionsustainabledevelopment, to complementandreinforceeachother. The fourpillars when materialandspiritualdevelopmentoccursideby that beneficialdevelopmentofhumansocietytakesplace of well-being. Then, in2011, Bhutantookleadershiponthe world In 2005,aftertheFourthKingrelinquishedthrone The BhutanesegroundinginBuddhistidealssuggests of happiness,positivepsy- empirical researchliterature it issolidlybaseduponthe reflects itsBuddhistorigins, though theGNHframework and ecologicalvitality. Al- standards; goodgovernance; vitality; education;living community vitality;cultural time-balance; socialand mental andspiritualhealth; tors tohappiness—physical, into eightgeneralcontribu- lars withgreaterspecificity ther definedthesefourpil- tre forBhutanStudiesfur- pirical researcherstheCen- group ofscholarsandem- tion withaninternational ernance. Throughcollabora- conservation, andgoodgov- cultural integrity, ecosystem sustainable development, MAR-APR 2013 Era TheAsian 49 50 50 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 ness totheirofficialnationalstatistics.”Justoneyearago, France andBritain“haveaddedmeasuresofcitizenhappi- more informedunderstandingofhumanpredicament.” dialogue... andtoadaptyourpoliciesconnectedwitha mist toldReuters.“Itisaquestionofseeingtheneedfor policy decisionsinthatlight,”theHarvard-basedecono- you couldgettheremuchmorequicklybythinkingabout concentrate onhumanwellbeingandfreedomthen despite economicgrowth.“Ifyouhaveindicatorsthat oped countriesfacesocialissuessuchasunemployment ing atoveralleconomicsuccess,particularlysincedevel- wellbeing shouldbeconsideredasameasurewhenlook- Sen. Sen,76,saidcitizens’qualityoflifeandtheirgeneral oping countries,saideconomicsNobellaureate Amartya same waysuchfactorshavegainedprominenceindevel- shape economicpolicyintheindustrialisedworld tive emotions or stressanxietyothernega- rience chroniclevelsofunhappiness or angry, butthattheydonotexpe- that theyareneversadorworried in positiveways.Itdoesnotmean which individualsevaluatetheirlife worthwhile andallthewaysin nitive judgementsthattheirlifeis gratitude andlove.Itincludescog- calmness, contentment,enjoyment, feeling positiveemotions,suchas lives aregoingwell.Thisincludes of subjectivewell-beingwhentheythinkandfeelthattheir subjective well-being.Broadly, individualshaveahighlevel are manydefinitionsofhappiness,ormoreaccurately and exceedingallexpectations. wellbeing indicators,attracting800enthusiasticattendees York CitylastspringBhutanhostedameetingonnew sus andinvitedmemberstatestotakeaction.SoinNew UN General Assembly adoptedtheresolutionbyconsen- Already, anumberofcountries,includingCanada, Levels ofhappinesscouldhelp Happiness isnotsmilingandlaughingallthetime.There the UnitedNations,shouldmakeusallhappy. initiatives aregettingunderwayandtakenseriouslyby first InternationalDayofHappiness,justknowingthese wealth wasnotthedefiningfactorforhappiness.On richer countriestendtobehappierdespitethefactthat rankings inthereportwhichsuggestedthatnationalsof Denmark ,FinlandandNorwaytookthetopthree ment policy. The richScandinaviancountriessuchas happiness andabsenceofmiseryascriteriaforgovern- flects anewworldwidedemandformoreattentionto co-edited bytheinstitute’s director, Jeffrey Sachs,re- sembly). Thereport,publishedbytheEarthInstituteand ence onHappiness(mandatedbytheUNGeneral As- sioned forthe April 2nd,2012United NationsConfer- ings ofthefirstever World HappinessReport,commis- piness levelof156countries”.Theseareamongthefind- received from2005untilmid-2011 to“measurethehap- prehensive measuresofprogress.Maryland’s Genuine ous abouthappiness—generatingmorerealistic,com- ernments, MarylandandMinnesota,havegottenseri- “quality ofurbanair.” HereintheU.S.,twostategov- and theenvironment,alongwithspecificindicatorslike twelve domainsformeasuringwell-being,includinghealth part usingonlineconsultationswithcitizenstodevelop off with“asenseofhappiness.” Italyisalsoaleader, in Japan launcheditsfirstQualityofLifeSurveythatleads on thebasisofsurveyresponses held inNew York wascompiled UN ConferenceonHappiness leased andcommissionedforthe teer work. positive side,thevalueofvolun- clean-up andcrimeto,onthe $12.5 billionayear),pollution of lostleisuretime(asmuchas on thenegativeside,costs that GDPdoesn’tcapture:from, and addsabouttwodozenthings Progress Indicatorbothsubtracts World HappinessReportre- MAR-APR 2013 Era TheAsian 51 52 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 Environment poverty arelikelytobehigh,”accordingtheauthors. lifting humandevelopment,andtheirconsequencesfor mental threatsareamongthemostgraveimpediments to to havestated. tries andpoorcommunitiesmost,”thereportwasquoted and naturaldisastersaffecteveryone,theyhurtpoorcoun- estation, airandwaterpollution, such asclimatechange,defor- Times wrotelastmonth. New velopment, The York report onthestateofglobalde- ing anannualUnitedNations significant stepsaretaken,quot- treme povertyby2050,ifno put 3.1billionpeopleintoex- environmental disasterscould the southernhemisphere. life expectancy, particularlyin education, agriculturaloutput, will reducelevelsofincome, climate change.Climatechange luters couldfeelmosteffectsof tries thatarenotthebiggestpol- America.” Paradoxically, coun- nations ofEuropeandNorth equal outputtotheindustrial China andIndiahavearoughly industrial revolution,Brazil, gains, too. change couldreducethose ald Tribune,thoughclimate reports ChristopherF. SchuetzefortheInternational Her- 1.5 billionpeople,liveatthatlevelofincomepoverty,” when 22percentoftheworld’s population,orveryroughly lived ontheequivalentoflessthan$1.25aday, to2008 from 1990,when43percentoftheglobe’s population the reportsays,“Extremeincomepovertyhasplummeted the UNDevelopmentProgramme.Onamorepositivenote, 2013 HumanDevelopmentReport,releasedlastweekby population intoextremepovertyby2050,accordingtothe of climatechangecouldplungeonethirdtheworld’s gions. Thismethod ofcomparisonhasled totheoft-cited relative income,tocompare differentcountriesandre- number roughlybasedonlife expectancy, educationand the reporthasfeaturedHuman DevelopmentIndex,a predictions oftheworld’s stateofdevelopment.Since1990 Programme, givesbothaglobal snapshotandextensive March thisyearbytheUnited NationsDevelopment The Though theworldhasbecomefaireroverall,“environ- “While environmentalthreats Climate changeandother “For thefirsttimesince Storms, fires,risingseas,floodsandotherconsequence Reverse GlobalDevelopment THE ASIAN ERA NEWSSERVICE Environmental Woes Could 2013 HumanDevelopmentReport,releasedin Times, while quoting thestudywrote. livelihood opportunities,especially forpoorpeople,”The ronmental threats,andecosystem lossesareconstraining sub-Saharan Africa andSouth Asia. expectancy —wouldseea sharpdecline,especiallyin not justincomelevels,but also educationlevelsandlife many. agricultural production,amajorsourceofincomefor equity, lookedattheeffects globalwarmingcouldhaveon led in2004toanestimatedlossequaltwiceitsGDP. such asHurricaneIvan’s devastationofGrenada,which the impactnaturaldisastershaveondevelopingislandstates, people, liveatthatlevelofincomepoverty. cent oftheworld’s population,orveryroughly1.5billion equivalent oflessthan$1.25aday, to2008when22per- when 43percentoftheglobe’s populationlivedonthe is slowlybecomingmoreequal. environmental challenges,thereportdescribesaworldthat Malik, thereport’s leadauthorinastatement. this isastoryofaboutbillionspeople,”saysKhalid tion wasastoryofperhapshundredmillionpeople,but countries thatusuallylagbehind.“TheIndustrialRevolu- top tencountriestolivein. “Climate changeisalreadyexacerbating chronicenvi- Because ofenvironmentalchallenges,development— The Extreme incomepovertyhasplummetedfrom1990, Besides thealarminghumanitarianrisksassociatedwith This year’s report, The RiseoftheSouth,looksat 201 1 report, whichfocusedon sustainabilityand 1 report, a warmingclimate. are boundtosuffermorefrom are oftennotthepolluters,they lowest developmentindexes while thosenationswiththe dox longdescribedbyexperts: ing tothereport. Africa andSouth Asia, accord- places suchassub-Saharan halted orevenreversedin those gainscouldbeslowed, risk ofenvironmentaldisasters developing world. in whatiscurrentlytermedthe world’s middleclasswilllive predict that80percentofthe America. By2030,theauthors nations ofEuropeandNorth equal outputtotheindustrial China andIndiahavearoughly industrial revolution,Brazil, extreme povertyinthatperiod. people havebeenliftedoutof The report’s authorscite The reporthighlightsapara- However, becauseofthe For thefirsttimesince In Chinaalonehalfabillion MAR-APR 2013 Era TheAsian 53 54 54 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 NRI Achievements together to“ Carolinas Indian- American Physicianstocome more than400physiciansandtheirfamiliesof and dedication. And, itwasbefittingforthe are committedtoservethroughtheirhardwork empathy towardthemillionsofclientsthey medicine inadditiontotheircompassionand their expertiseandknowledgeinthefieldof themselves asbeingthefinestinnationfor cians ofIndianoriginhaveearnedanamefor fit, becoolandgenerous,” sheadded. celebrities byparticipatingin God’s works.Be obesity. This isGod’s workandyouareall audience. “Iapplaudyourefforts infighting lar Bollywoodactressofyesteryears toldthe the backboneofUShealthindustry,” thepopu- join inherphilanthropicefforts.“NRIsform dia, urged theIndian American communityto her FoundationandHospitalinMumbai,In- the nobleworkthatarebeingcarriedoutby convention, whilesharingwiththeaudience everyone. Asha Parekh,specialguestatthe making thisconventionmemorableeventfor tional AAPI, laudedDr. Shahandhisteamfor work. Dr. NarendraKumar, presidentofna- showering praisesonthemforallthehard that madethisconventionahugesuccess, Dr. Amit Shahintroducedhis“magicalteam” theirs. sociated withinthisadaptedmotherlandof ful businessestheNRIshavecometobeas- CME andnonlectures,thesuccess- cians oftheNorthandSouthCarolinasthrough fessional excellenceoftheparticipatingphysi- cased therichculturalheritageofIndia,pro- ebrations werefilledwitheventsthatshow- of IndianOrigin(AAPI).Thethree-daycel- Physicians of of AmericanAssociation Meeting during theannualconventionandGeneralBody achievements andcontributionstothesociety sance CharlotteSuiteshere. on Friday, March22nd,2013attheRenais- egates whohadcomefromacrossthenation Dr. Amit Shah,presidentofCIPStoldthedel- ness successesandrichculturalheritage,”as excellence, professionalachievements,busi- Achievements &Contributions To Society Physicians Society(CIPS)Celebrate Their Charlotte, NC(March31st,2013):Physi- “I havebeentrulyblessedto beableto During thegaladinneronSaturdaynight, They hadcometogethertocelebratetheir Members ofCarolinasIndian- American BY AJAYGHOSH join inacelebrationofmedical join success Dr. Amit Shahandhis“magicalteam”thatmadetheconventionahuge and histeamformakingthisconventionmemorableevent foreveryone Dr. Narendra Kumar, president ofnational AAPI, laudingDr. Amit Shah endure whentheycametothe Usdecadesago.“Myparentshadtoface try, sherecalled theinitialchallengesherparentsandgrand-parentshad to them toinhumaneconditions. As athird generationimmigranttothiscoun- her parents’strugglesagainst theNaziGermanrulerswhohadsubjected dress. Throughatouchingnarrative, shesharedwiththeaudienceabout government aroundtheworld, toldtheaudienceduringherkeynotead- man Services,whohadservedinvariouscapacities,representing theUS Honorary SecretaryoftheNorthCarolinas,Department HealthandHu- travel andworkaroundtheworldmostofmylife,”Dr. Aldona Zofla Wos, Posh Pari, a New York-based group that takes the glam- our of Bollywood, blending it with the attitude and prac- Swaroop Sampat Rawal, a social activist and UN Ambas- ticality of New York City, presentingd a Fashion Show sador and Asha Parekh, former Miss India 1979, and a that displayed a touch of modernism and a reflection of popular Bollywood actor, director, and producer (both car- their era, times and trends in their desi emsembles rying bouquets) flanked by members of CIPS many challenges as immigrants to this land of opportunities activist writer, spoke passionately about the need to spread who spoke hardly any English,” she said, However, through information about what additives are really being used in the hard work, they have been able to overcome those chal- American food supply. lenges and succeed in life, she added. While commenting Honorable Mention of the CIPS Woman of the Year was on the Affordable Care Act, Dr. Wos said, “There is no given to Dr. Animita Saha for services to the underprivi- perfect healthcare system in the world; nothing in the leged sections of the society in the US. CIPS Woman of the world is free.” In their efforts to provide the best health Year 2013 Award went to Rekha Rajani of the Wells Fargo care to the patients, she reminded the Indian American Bank for her works for the poor and the homeless both physicians, “All of you have the opportunity to show here in the US and India. Rajani was described as a person compassion.” with a generous spirit that embodies the characteristics of a Through the enlightening CME presentations by experts, silent hero. the physicians were educated on: Meaningful Use of EMR & Acknowledging the achievements and contributions of CMS Guidelines; Expanding the Role of the Hospitalist in individuals, Dr.Vinod Jindal, an Ophthalmologist and Retina Healthcare; Cardiovascular Health Issues in South Asian Popu- specialist, currently serving as the Medical Director of New lation; and Opportunities for Voluntary Healthcare Services in Century Ophthalmology Group, and is committed to serve India. Other presentations included: It’s Not Just a Man’s the community by providing the best care possible to his Disease; Life After Loss; Good Night, Sleep Tight; Teens, patients, was honored for his community work. Simran Rajani Why They Do What They Do; and We Can Bring Home the of “We Will Win” was honored for raising awareness about Dough and Roll Out the Rotis. “The CME was well received the serious injuries and illnesses that can destroy the lives of by the physicians from AAPI/CIPS,” Santosh Gopalakrishnan, youth, and encouraging the community to contribute towards MD. said. “They were pleased with the wide array of topics the cost of rehabilitating these young children from their presented , relevant to the practice of medicine in today’s struggles to stand on their own feet. ever changing world.” The CME programs were arranged Shivani Takkar, an internationally renowned dancer and and conducted by the CME committee comprising of Dr. choreographer, danced to the tune of a medley of hit Bollywood Pramod Sethi (Guilford neurology in Greensboro) , Dr. Venkat numbers showcasing her splendid artistic talents. Posh Pari, Challa from Raleigh NC, and Dr. Santosh Gopalakrishnan from a New York-based group that takes the glamour of Bollywood, Charlotte, NC. blending it with the attitude and practicality of New York A discussion on “Indo-US Relations: The Past, Present, City, presented a Fashion Show that displayed a touch of & Future,” was moderated by Toni Sawhney. During a spe- modernism and a reflection of their era, times and trends in cial session organized by the Women’s Forum, Asha Parekh, their desi emsembles, while still keeping some of the ele- former Miss India 1979, and a popular Bollywood actor, di- ments that make them desi. Budding local artists mesmerized rector, and producer, shared with the audience her enchant- the audience with contemporary dances from the Hindi film ing experiences of being a female star in the Bollywood world world. Pramil and Nisha, two dynamic and charming youth . “We are proud to be women. From the beginning of human- representing local nonprofits they are associated with shared ity we have been at par with men, but in recent centuries we their experiences while impacting the lives of the less privi- became dependent on men,” she said. “Let us get together leged. MAR-APR 2013 and empower ourselves and make this world a better place AAPI has earned recognition among its nearly 100, 000 MAR-APR 2013 for everyone to live.” Dr. Ameesha Pandya Kansupada, mod- physicians and fellows, governments of India and the United

erator of the Women’s Forum, spoke on work-life balance, States, and industry leaders around the world as a prestigious Era while focusing on empowerment and optimism for women. ethnic organization that facilitates and enables Indian Ameri- Era In her address on “Using drama to enhance life skills in can Physicians, serving its members helping them to excel in children with learning disabilities,” Swaroop Sampat Rawal, a patient care, teaching and research and to pursue their aspira- social activist and UN Ambassador, shared with the audience tions in professional and community affairs. And the coming her life’s journey to be a social activist. Rawal, an honored together of so many of them gives hope to individuals and guest at the Forum, spoke on empathy, community service families that they no longer need to despair. For more details,

and relationships. Vani Hari, a management consultant, food please visit: www.aapiusa.org TheAsian TheAsian 5555 56 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 the nuance. on someofthemtounderstandtheoraltalesandembrace even fromwhatsurvives–isvast. All wecandoistouch their own.TherangeoftheRamayana'srepresentations - stimulate thesensesandlocatestoriesinarealm of to thenarrativewithgreatélan.ThePahariversionsequally cent.) versionofSahibdinandManoharhasgivennuances Mughal projectatthecourtof Akbar. The Mewar(17th fuller representationsoftheepicinclude ings ofthenarrative.Themoreambitiousand and these,then,offeralternativeviewsread- tive thatonlyavisualrepresentationcanreveal- nation, theyalsouncoveraspectsofthenarra- Ramayana provideformagicalleapsofimagi- singular terms.Whiletheimagesof allows theepictobeviewedinpluralratherthan leather puppets.Thevastvarietyofdepictions tures, miniatures,scrolls,patasandperforming sions havebeendepictedinmurals,foliopic- from theepicinitsmultiplevariationsandver- recreated allover Asia. Episodesorcharacters alized overthecenturies. narrative cycleoftheRamayanahasbeenvisu- thse images by New York Universityispresenting The Ramayana association withtheDepartmentof Art History, ries. The New York-based RubinMuseumin Ramayana the manywaysgreatnarrativecycleof prestigious Padmashriaward,Sheikhreflectson idealist, andrecipientoftheIndianGovernment’s than fivedecades.Painter, poet,professor, critic, major figureintheworldofIndianartformore this periodas ameansforartiststocome totermswith landscape becamearecognizable formofexpressionin "landscape" inartis. towards anuancedconceptual understandingofwhat response tothemodernistpaintings onviewandtowork working inandidentifyingwith landscape.Thisisbotha contemporary artistsofdiversebackgroundscurrently The exhibitionwillalsofeaturenewworkbyinternational scape inIndianartforthegenerationafterindependence. exhibition intheseries,highlightsexplorationofland- Art &Culture Gulam MohammedSheikh,whothrough Modern Art From India:R Over thecenturies,Ramayanahasbeen Gulam MohammedSheikh The modernistpaintingsinthe exhibitionsuggeststhat Ramayana &Moderen Art Rubin MuseumPresents BYMCHENRY TIM hasbeenvisualizedoverthecentu- reflects onthemanywaysgreat adical Terrain, hasbeena From India the third Curated byBethCitron Handelman, SeherShah,Janaina Tschäpe, and others. backgrounds. Theartists include LisiRaskin,Marc what landscapemeanstocontemporary artistsofvarious be invariousmodesandmedia, reflectingthediversityof and frommanysocial,political,formalperspectives. conceptual landscapespaintedinawiderangeofstyles cluding figuralandabstractlandscapes,specificsites artists inIndiaafterindependencefromBritishrule–in- Terrain showsthegreatvarietyoflandscapescreatedby tivities reflectacountrycreatingnewidentity. Radical primary audienceofcitizensinurbancenters.Theseac- distant regionslikeOrissaandHimachalPradeshfor a of India,whichcommissionedmanyfilmsruraland tives ofgovernmentorganizationsliketheFilmsDivision scapes-- bypaintersinadvertentlyparalleledofficialinitia- nation. Explorationsoflandscape–especiallyruralland- the vastnessanddiversityofIndiaasanewlysovereign part, bytheDedalus Foundation,Inc. The contemporaryinterventions intheexhibitionwill t his exhibitionissupported, in MAR-APR 2013 Era TheAsian 57 58 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 Red Wine: cancer. conditions likediabetesand oping effectivedrugstotreat which isabigsteptowarddevel- late —workstokeepcellshealthy, chemical inredwineandchoco- found outhowresveratrol—a have recentlydiscoveredthat healthier? Start drinkingred wine. ers havebeenlookingat search publishedin cer, andotherconditions,accordingtonewre- thetic drugtreatmentsforobesity, diabetes,can- could eventuallyleadtothedevelopmentofsyn- chocolate —workstopreventcellaging,which chemical commonlyfoundinredwineand Healthy Living no rationalalternative explanationotherthan School ,inapressrelease."There is fessor atHarvardMedical thor andgeneticspro- PhD, seniorstudyau- said DavidSinclair, killer experiment," betes. ease ortype2dia- cardiovascular dis- lated illnesseslike may fightage-re- cells andinturn power-producing partsof protein calledSIRT1, whichhelps fuelthe chemical's potentialtoincreasetheactivityofa is consideredabreakthroughinunderstandingthe this newresearch,fromHarvardMedicalSchool, Want tolive150yearsandstay Scientists atHarvardhave Reports heresuggestthat,thoughresearch- "This wasthe BY MALATI GUHA Want ToLive To 150? Science resveratrol foryears, . resveratrol —a Wonder Drugs? Scientists

From Resveratrolto acids willallowresveratroltopromoteproductionof searchers awaytofigureoutwhichgenesandamino resveratrol's potentialforcellrejuvenation,andgivesre- human health.Thisnewfindingisbelievedtoconfirm too lab-specific,scientistssay, and notapplicableto resveratrol." that morepreciselyandeffectivelytriggertheeffectsof resveratrol works,wecanengineerevenbettermolecules we knowtheexactlocationonSIRT1 whereandhow resveratrol directlyactivatesSIRT1 incells.Nowthat SIRT1. Much previousresearchonresveratrol'spotentialwas proteins andtellsothertogoout repair thecell,"explainedDr. Sinclair, inthe T "SIRT1 islikeaPac-Manthatremovesthese tion thatisinfactfoundthecellanddoesn't imes require theseothersyntheticgroups,"said Basil Hubbard,PhD,inthepressrelease. "This wasacriticalresult,whichallowed cal activityanddisease-combatingcapa- — couldfurtherstrengthentheirchemi- like resveratrol —developedintodrugs gered by us tobridgethegapbetweenourbio- chemical andphysiologicalfindings. . "We discoveredasignatureforactiva- Enzymes likeSIRT1 arenaturallytrig- diet andexercise,but bility. "Ultimately, activators these drugs LA would treat one disease, but unlike drugs of today, they inflammatory bowel disease, the University of New would prevent 20 others," Sinclair told the UK's Daily South Wales geneticist said. Prof Sinclair is most ex- Mail. "In effect, they would slow aging." cited about the potential to prevent illness and hopes to "In the history of pharmaceuticals, there has never prove the drugs will have a dual purpose of treating and been a drug that binds to a protein to make it run faster preventing disease at the same time. Prof Sinclair's drugs in the way that resveratrol activates SIRT1," Sinclair target the enzyme SIRT1, which is switched on natu- asserts in the release. "Almost all drugs either slow or rally by calorie restriction and exercise, but it can also block them." be enhanced through activators such as resveratrol in In the long term, researchers believe synthetic vari- red wine. He and his colleagues have developed 4000 ants of resveratrol, oral or topical, will be part of treat- synthetic activators. ments for disorders ranging from heart and liver dis- Each one is 100 times more potent than a glass of ease to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's to muscle, bone, red wine and the best three are the ones in human trials. and skin inflammation. "Things there are also looking Prof Sinclair suggests the first medicine to be marketed

promising. We're finding that aging isn't the irreversible could be for diabetes in about five years. Once a sig- affliction that we thought it was," Sinclair told CBS News. nificant number of people are using the drugs, it will be "Some of us could live to 150, but we won't get there possible to assess other benefits. In animal tests, over- without more research." weight mice given synthetic resveratrol were able to According to reports, drugs that could help people run twice as far as slim mice and they lived 15 per cent to live to 150 by slowing the ageing process may soon longer. be available on drugstores. The drugs are synthetic ver- Writing in the journal Science, Prof Sinclair has sions of resveratrol, an organic chemical found in red claimed that they have performed experiments that wine and believed to have an anti-ageing effect by boost- showed these resveratrol-based compounds were hav- ing activity of a protein called SIRT1. Resveratrol is ing a direct effect on health. Moreover, there have al- found in the skin of red grapes. An Australian scientist ready been promising results in some trials with impli-

believes he has invented a new class of superdrug that cations for cancer, cardiovascular disease and heart fail- MAR-APR 2013 could prevent cancer and Alzheimer's disease. ure, Type II diabetes, Alzheimer''s, Parkinson''s, fatty What's more, Professor David Sinclair said that his liver disease, cataracts, osteoporosis, muscle wasting, drugs have the potential to help some people enjoy a sleep disorders and inflammatory diseases such as pso- Era healthy life until the age of 150. However, this needs riasis, arthritis and colitis. He believes that just as statins further research. The drugs may be available within five are used today to prevent heart disease and strokes, so years, following the landmark work. The researcher these compounds could be used to slow a wide-range explains how the drugs have the ability to switch on the of diseases. Prof Sinclair is a consultant and inventor body's defenses against ageing, News.com.au reported. on patents licensed to Sirtris, the GSK company run- Three of the drugs are in human trials for the treat- ning the trials ment of specific illnesses such as type 2 diabetes and TheAsian 59 60 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 Cinema midnight on August 15 swaps theirdestinies. gesture ofsolidarityandthereby identity tagsofthetwobabies asa Mary, deliberatelyswitches the the misguidedpaediatric nurse, the richbepoorandpoor, rich", husband's communistslogan,"Let film. Inspiredbyherrebel rated inthefirst45minutesof Saleem isacomplextalethatnar- and Bangladesh. the threecountries,India,Pakistan the foldsofpoliticalscenario fantasy delightfullywrappedwithin and themisguided.Itisfiction It isastoryoftherich,poor it isamulti-layeredtaleofdestinies. independence fromtheBritishrule, of theSouth Asian regiongaining Shiva andParvati,bornontheeve three children,especially, Saleem, then three,warringcountries. their newbornnationintotwo,and come enemiesanddecidetosplit drawn everytimeneighborsbe- constantly shiftingbordersthatare politics, romanticrivalry, orthe flict, whetheritbebecauseofclass, on oppositesidesofmanyacon- Saleem andShivafindthemselves other. Overthenextthreedecades, to livethedestiniesmeantforeach son ofawealthycouple,arefated beggar woman,andShiva,theonly Saleem Sinai,thebastardchildofa Bombay hospital. And soitisthat switched atbirthbyanursein Great Britain,twobabiesare India declaresindependencefrom New York ,NYAt thestrokeof MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN What precedesthebirthof Told throughthelivesofthese BYNAYAK ASHA Portrays theessenceofSalmanRushdie's Midnight’s Children By DeepaMehta th , 1947,as Booker Prize-winningnovel , a film by Oscar-nominated director Deepa Mehta, based on the universally heralded novel by world- renown author Salman Rushdie. An epic saga that starts in the full flower of the British Em- pire , the story takes us from the unlikely court- ship of Saleem’s grand- parents in 1917 to the birth of his own son in the late 1970’s. In be- tween, families are torn asunder, lovers are sepa- rated and reunited, the privileged become poor, the poor rise to power, and characters who have been handcuffed to his- tory struggle to break free and make their way in the world. Adapted by Rushdie himself (who also serves as the film’s Sharan as Parvati, Soha Ali Khan as Saleem's sister and all-knowing narrator), MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN is a tale Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Picture Singh are wasted. at once sweeping in scope and intimate in tone. Full of Visually, the film encompasses scenes of war, libera- heartbreak, hope, comedy, tragedy and a considerable tion, celebration, corruption, romance and mourning - all amount of magic, the film conjures characters and images beautifully captured by cinematographer Giles Nuttgens. as rich and unforgettable as the vast nation it celebrates. The visuals are brilliantly layered with Nitin Sawhney's Moving ahead, in childhood, Saleem discovers that ethereal score, making it a perfect backdrop with the mys- thanks to a sneeze and the sniffles, he can hear and see all tical quality of the magic realism scenes; it is like watch- of the other 581 surviving children around the country ing a stunning canvas gradually come to life. born on the same historic day and time as he. Dubbing Even with Salman Rushdie's narration and screenplay, them as Midnight's Children, he has the power to call "con- what probably did not work for Midnight's Children are ferences" in his bedroom late at night, bringing their pres- the abrupt scenes. Each scene is brilliant, but in silos, dis- ence together from all parts to plan the fate of the nation, connected with the next, making it difficult to capture and including the hot-headed Shiva and pretty and mystical bring to life the essence of the book that combines a type Parvati, the spell-weaving witch. of unexplained practicality. The three meet again as adults in the film's last act Commentators say, Deepa Mehta's Midnight's Chil- when Shiva, now a ruthless military commander, and dren is not a well-crafted film of Salman Rushdie's Booker Saleem, following six years of amnesia, become involved Prize-winning novel of the same name. Yet it captures the with the beautiful adult witch, Parvati against the back- essence of the novel to the core. Yet this is a striking, ground of Indira Gandhi's brutal emergency measures. well-produced and thoughtfully designed epic. Even with Rushdie's rich characters are brought to life by a strong all its flaws, Midnight's Children is worth a watch. If noth- ensemble of esteemed actors whose performances were ing else, go and watch Midnight's Children to satiate your well extracted by director Deepa Mehta. Debutant Satya curiosity about this much-talked about novel. Bhabha delivers a confident performance as the grown up Music is provided by Nitin Sawhney, while the cast Saleem and Siddharth is the perfect foil for him as the include Satya Bhabha, Shahana Goswami, Rajat Kapoor, embittered Shiva. Darsheel Safary as the young Saleem is Seema Biswas, Shriya Saran, Siddharth Ronit Roy, Rahul undoubtedly brilliant. Bose, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Anita Majumdar, Charles The competent Seema Biswas is charming as the mis- Dance, Soha Ali Khan, Zaib Shaikh, Shabana Azmi, Anupam guided, guilt-ridden nurse and the catalyst for the unfold-

Kher and Darsheel Safary. MAR-APR 2013 ing sequence of events. Shahana Goswami smoothly con- Deepa Mehta, the Toronto-based director has earned veys the poignant turmoil of the mother inadvertently caught international attention with her films. She is considered by in the cross-fire, while Ronit Roy is exacting as the frus- Era many as one of the finest new directors on the horizon. trated businessman. Anita Majumdar also makes an im- With films such as the trilogy that consists of Fire (1996), pression as the hard-hearted, ambitious Emerald, along- Earth (1998), and Water (2005/I), she is quickly becom- side Rahul Bose as her military power-broker husband, ing the voice of a new India . MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN Zulfikar. releases in US theaters starting on April 26th, 2013 in New Rajat Kapoor as Dr Aziz, Saleem's putative grandfather York City followed by additional cities across the country is amusing. Shabana Azmi as Rajat Kapoor's wife, Sriya throughout May by Paladin and 108 Media. TheAsian 61 62 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 Fashion broke intosome Bollywoodmovesatthe LakmeIndia flatter thefeminineform,"she added. as comfortabletowearand are quaintyetchicaswell the eveningline.Thedesigns shades whichaddallureto of blacklaceonskinmuted broideries andcombination pastels, wehaveaddedem- have stucktomyfavourite Indian artistsaid.“WhileI every woman,”thepopular sensuality andfemininityfor perfect balancebetween define sexyandtostrikethe as provocativelook. giving themarichaswell ous useofsheerandlace, The garmentshadagener- show evenmoreappealing. balloons, whichmadethe against abackdropofred was veryfeminineand even prettier. The collection made KarismaKapoorlook and thebackofoutfit dery. and gunmetallaceembroi- creation withchiffonpanels elegant inaChantillylace resort 2013Saturday, looked ion Week (LFW)summer- designer ShehlaKhan's'Boudoir'lineattheLakmeFash- Lakme. cited aboutit,"saidPurnimaLamba,HeadInnovations will bewalkingtherampforfinale.Sheisquiteex- Mumbai onMarch22nd. finale designer. Thefive-dayfashionfestivalstartedin flaunted creationsbyNamrataJoshipurawhoisthegrand year forLakmeFashion Week Summer/Resort2013, who wasnamedshowstopperforthesecondconsecutive Mumbai, India:Bollywoodactress Bollywood actors "My endeavouristore- The detailingontheneck "Yes, Kareena,beingthebrandambassadorofLakme, Karisma Kapoor Week Summer/Resort2013 Karisma Kapoor’s BY RATAN SOLANKI Avatar at Shahid Kapoor , whowastheshowstopperfor ation, andstunnedallwith herelegance Karisma KapoorwalkedtherampfordesignerShehla Khaninawhitesheercre- and Kar Arjun Kapoor eena Kapoor Lakme Fashion , dian andwestern formalwear. ers, jacketsand jumpsuits.Therewasalso amixofIn- collection ofprinted shirtsandtrousers,short-sleeved blaz- tric printsanddeconstructed silhouettes.Thelinehada Rawal displayedaninterestingcollectionfeaturingeccen- with themtowardstheendofshow. Arjun performsomemoveswithhim,whilehewalked the actor'swalkwasperfect,hemadedesignerand black trousersandamulti-colouredprinted T-shirt. While number. his paternaluncle Lakhan", andevenperformedsignaturedancestepsthat walked therampandlaterdancedtotunesof"Ram walked fordesignerKunalRawal. Fashion Week (LFW)ramphereSaturday, whenthey The collectionwasformodernyoungmen.Kunal Shahid Kapoorlookedhandsomeinlongblackjacket, Arjun Kapoor, wholookedsmartinablackkurtapyjama Anil Kapoor Stunning performedontheoriginal Rawal, who has designed costumes for Bollywood films like Teri Meri Kahaani andAisha, used some accessories like pagdi buttons, silver and gold turbans, caps, de- tachable lapel pins, head gears and ties to add some zing to his LFW line. Vikram Phadnis partnered with The Swades Foundation, and had its members walk the ramp along with B-town celebri- ties. The outfits were heavily inspired by ru- ral India and Phadnis had the hall decorated with lanterns, as the celebs walked the ramp to the theme song from the movie Swades. Filmmakers, choreographers, television actors as well as movie stars were a part of the show and they walked hand-in-hand with their compatriots from rural India. Those Designers competed with one another to showcase their best of their who were a part of this glitzy yet grounded products, and the girls did the same on the ramp fashion show were Ayushmann Khurrana, the Kai Po Che gang including Sushant Singh Rajput, Amit Sadh and Raj Kumar Yadav, lleana D’Cruz, their collections surprisingly early on in the week setting Dia Mirza, Neha Dhupia, Ekta Kapoor and dad Jeetendra, the bar really high for the designers to follow. While Marwa Malaika Arora Khan and husband Arbaaz Khan along with sought inspiration from the gypsy woman, Kumar chose their son, Rahul Bose, Kiran Rao, Chetan Bhagat, Ram to make a statement against the establishment with his Kapoor, Sakshi Tanwar, Juhi Chawla and producer Ronnie collection. Asmita Marwa's collection was evidently in- spired by the gypsy woman featur- ing collage of Japanese floral prints and old pieces of mirror-work. As many as 87 designers includ- ing six Gen Next designers partici- pated in the event, which saw re- nowned designers like Bhairavi Jaikishan, Vikram Phadnis, Masaba Gupta, Manish Malhotra, Nishika Lulla and Rocky S show- casing a plethora of designs and colours on the ramp. Lakme Fashion week Summer Resort 2013 has also come up with unique show 'Swadesh' to be prsented by Phadnis and it will speak about rural India. "Swadesh is here to change the attitude of rural India," designer tarun Tahililani said adding that it will be a surprise and "you all will miss a lot if you miss the show. I can assure you that it will be some- thing that's unexpected".

Vikram Phadnis partnered with The Swades Foundation, MAR-APR 2013 and had its members walk the ramp along with B-town celebrities. Era

Screwvala. Many celebrities like Amrita Arora, Varun Dhawan, Prabhu Deva graced his show.The collection included blingy sequined dresses and long gowns in shades of cream, silver and pink.Barely hours after young designers made their Lakme Fashion Week debut as part of the Gen Next TheAsian show, Asmita Marwa and Narendra Kumar showed 63 64 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 MAR-APR 2013 Era TheAsian 65 66 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013 MAR-APR 2013 Era TheAsian 67 68 TheAsianEra MAR-APR 2013