Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar by Chandrakant Trivedi Trimurti Is Always an Interesting and Inspiring Topic
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Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) Sunday / December 20, 2020 Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-CT. 501(C)3 The Largest Non-Profit Grassroot Umbrella Organization in the Tri-state of NY-NJ-CT Sunday / December 20, 2020 Issue: 25 100% VOLUNTEER RUN ORGANIZATION EST. 1970 FIA Hosts India Visa and OCI Deconstructing Christmas, Indian Rapper DIVINE Town Hall to Aid Community to a Supreme Religious and of ‘Gully Boy’ Fame Better Understand Working of Social Mega Celebration Featured on Times New Visa Outsourcing Agency Worldwide Square Billboard FIA Hosts India Visa and OCI Town Hall to Aid Community to Better Understand Working of New Visa Outsourcing Agency Record number of people attend one-of-a-kind event with Consul General of India in New York and his staff The Federation of Indian Associations of New York, Randhir Jaiswal, Deputy Consul General, the tristate area of New York, New Jersey and Shatrughna Sinha, and Consul, consular, passport Connecticut (FIA-Tristate) hosted a virtual Town and visa division, Murugesan Ramaswamy. Hall on India Visa and OCI (Overseas Citizenship In the first segment of the Town Hall, Consul of India) card, on Dec. 7. The first of its kind event General Jaiswal and his staff answered collectively aimed to expand the community’s understanding compiled questions regarding the transition process of the workings of the new agency, VFS Global, as from the previous processing agency to VFS Global; well as the details about the transition from the old and its impact on the Indian American community. agency, CKGS, to the new agency, VFS Global. They spoke about OCI, visa and passport renewal VFS Global is an outsourcing and technology rules and highlighted the changes made to travel to services company that serves governments and India during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the second diplomatic missions worldwide. Beginning Nov. segment, viewers posed questions to the consulate 4, VFS took over as the exclusive service provider staff highlighting their challenges and concerns. for visa, OCI, passport, renunciation of Indian A record number of people attended the citizenship, and Global Entry Program verification virtual Town Hall on various platforms. Around 200 services for the Government of India in the U.S. people joined the event live on Zoom, while over In attendance were Consul General of India in 5,000 participated through TV Asia’s live broadcast. PAGE 1 Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) Sunday / December 20, 2020 The Town Hall video posted on YouTube has 1.4K requirements, renewals and current wait times. views as of Dec. 14. Below are some of the salient points from that Speaking on the transition to the new visa segment: outsourcing agency, Consul General Jaiswal said 1. The OCI card is required to be re-issued each time that notwithstanding “initial teething troubles,” he a new passport is acquired by the cardholder up is confident of streamlining the visa and passport to the age of 20 years. renewal and application process within no time. 2. OCI card is required to be re-issued once on He urged the community to be patient and comply acquiring a new passport after completing 50 with the rules and regulations and follow up years of age. with the notices issued by the consulate on their 3. U.S. passport holders ages 21 to 50, are not website and social media handles. He noted that required to get a new OCI card when the passport the consulate prefers dealing with all visa and is renewed. The OCI card is valid with the new OCI related correspondence online and by courier passport. services. He reminded the attendees that the 4. The Government of India has decided to grant consulate is not issuing a 10-year tourist visa at the further extension in time till June 30, 2021 to get moment, and advised them to apply for a 5-year the OCI cards re-issued in accordance with tourist visa instead. above guidelines. Highlighting the changes to travel to India 5. If a U.S. citizen receives the OCI card for the first under Government of India’s guidelines, Consul time after age 50, there is no need to reapply General Jaiswal mentioned that presently, the for the OCI card renewal even if they renew their consulate is not issuing any tourist visas. One U.S. passports when due. can travel only on an Indian passport or an OCI or 6. The Government of India, the Embassy of India PIO card. However, business and other visas are and the consulate offices across the U.S., have good for travel to India. The consulate is issuing extended the above cases to June 30, 2021. emergency visas to the eligible categories allowed 7. If there is a change of address in your passport to travel to India as per the advisories issued by or other consular applications or any other the Government of India. Applicants for emergency significant matter, U.S. passport and OCI holders visa may write an email to [email protected]. need to reapply for a new OCI card. in or through PRAMIT dashboard available on our 8. According to the consulate, the time required website www.indiainnewyork.gov.in explaining the to process an OCI card is a minimum of four exigency, The Consulate thereafter will inform you weeks, as the application has to be sent to India of the next steps. The consulate on average issues for approval. The original passport is needed 50 to 75 emergency visas daily, Consul General to issue an OCI card. It takes approximately a Jaiswal said. week to renew the OCI card. For emergency passport services, applicants The FIA’s suggestion to display a sample are requested to send an email to passport. filled-out for passport, visa or OCI application, was [email protected] or through PRAMIT dashboard warmly appreciated by the consulate. available on their website www.indiainnewyork. Also the consulate will look into the feasibility gov.in. Once the request has been approved by of providing their periodic guidance to the the Consulate, the applicant will be informed of the community at designated location or community procedure for initiating the application process. centers. The approved applicants may send the completed The Town Hall was moderated by Bhargavi form by postal mail to Consulate along with a return Kulkarni, who manages FIA’s Diaspora Bi-weekly pre-paid envelope for further processing. – FIA’s bi-monthly newsletter, along with support Another area of concern and confusion is the from FIA Chairman Ankur Vaidya, FIA President OCI card. Consul General Jaiswal, Deputy Consul Anil Bansal, FIA Secretary Parveen Bansal and past General Sinha and his staff deciphered all the president Alok Kumar. elements, ranging from application process, photo PAGE 2 Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) Sunday / December 20, 2020 Deconstructing Christmas, a Supreme Religious and Social Mega Celebration Worldwide By Chandrakant Trivedi America is regarded as the melting pot for all Italian, Noël in French—all probably denote nativity. immigrant communities, all ethnicities who have The German word Weihnachten denotes “hallowed settled here for generations and have gradually night.” adopted American customs, traditions and lifestyle. No one knows the real birthday of Jesus. Similarly, Indian Americans have also been moving No date is given in the Bible. The New Testament in that direction with regards to celebrating some provides no clues in this regard. Dec. 25 was first popular mainstream traditions like Thanksgiving, identified as the date of Jesus’ birth by Sextus Julius Christmas and Valentine’s Day, among others. Africanus in 221 and later became the universally Christmas Day falls every year on Dec. 25. It is accepted date. both a sacred and religious holiday and a worldwide One widespread explanation of the origin cultural and commercial phenomenon - observing of this date is that Dec. 25 was the Christianizing traditions and practices that are both religious of the dies solis invicti nati (“day of the birth of and secular in nature. Since the early 20th century, the unconquered sun”), a popular holiday in the Christmas has also been a secular family holiday, Roman Empire that celebrated the winter solstice observed by Christians and non-Christians alike, as a symbol of the resurgence of the sun, the devoid of Christian elements, and marked by an casting away of winter and the heralding of the increasingly elaborate exchange of gifts. Popular rebirth of spring and summer. Indeed, after Dec. customs include exchanging gifts, decorating the 25 had become widely accepted as the date of Christmas tree, singing Christmas carols, attending Jesus’ birth, Christian writers frequently made the church, sharing meals with family and friends, and connection between the rebirth of the sun and the of course, waiting for the children’s favorite Santa birth of the Son. Claus to arrive. A second view suggests that Dec. 25 became Christmas is celebrated to remember the the date of Jesus’ birth by a priori reasoning that birth of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the identified the spring equinox as the date of the son of God. The name Christmas comes from the creation of the world and the fourth day of creation, “Mass of Christ” (Jesus). A mass service (which when the light was created, as the day of Jesus’ is sometimes called Communion of Eucharist), is conception (i.e., March 25). Dec. 25, nine months where Christians remember that Jesus died for later, then became the date of Jesus’ birth. For a long them and then came back to life. time the celebration of Jesus’ birth was observed The Christ-mass service was the only one in conjunction with his baptism, celebrated in that was allowed to take place after the sun set January.