The Indian Panorama

Month: April 2013

  • Here’s a Day to Celebrate

    Here’s a Day to Celebrate

    Rarely is found a person in the history of mankind who has left such a deep imprint on the life and character of people within a brief span of 42 years. More than three hundred years later he still continues to move millions of men and women not only in India, the great subcontinent of Asia but the entire world.

    From the five beloveds he baptized in 1699 today he has a following of 25 million and growing with the religion he gave enjoying fifth position among the world’s most favored religions.

    Guru Gobind Singh, the man I am referring to, was a unique person. The image of God he portrayed is exactly the same as painted by Guru Nanak Dev, the First Master of the Sikhs. The Mool Mantra of Jaap Sahib (a poetic work of Guru Gobind Singh) provides an interesting study from this point of view. The Almighty of Guru Gobind Singh is the “True Lord of All, has neither distinguishing signs nor marks, no one can discern him, and beyond limitations and is manifested as the Light of the Spirit, the Lord God of a myriad Indras and is proclaimed the King of Kings, the Master of the three worlds, of gods, men and demons.

    Guru Gobind Singh gave the message of equality and fraternity i.e. Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of mankind. He said, some are Hindus, some Turks, some are of Shia persuasion and some of Imam Shafai; mankind is all of one race.

    Eminent historian Cunningham states that though the last apostle of the Sikhs did not see his own ends accomplished, he effectively raised the dormant energy of a vanquished people and filled them with the lofty, although fitful, longing for social freedom and national ascendancy, the true adjunct of that purity of worship which had been preached by Guru Nanak.

    Guru Gobind Singh not only patronized the Sikh institution of sacrifice, he actually sacrificed his whole family. Guru Gobind Singh is an ideal and should be an idol for the young generation of today. All pessimism will banish and instead a robust optimism will fill our youth should they imbibe the ideals and values of the Guru. Let them give up their weakness for intoxicants and have faith in their innate energy to countenance any challenge and overcome any obstacle. Let them follow the Guru’s progressive humanism empowered with spirituality and sacrifice. Let them derive strength and courage from the Tenth Guru who expressed all optimism and positive attitude for the victory of the forces of righteousness over evil and repression.

    Sikh culture and religion is a rich heritage to be protected and glorified. The mission of Guru Nanak- Guru Gobind Singh is cosmic. May the Almighty bestow His blessings on all human beings, particularly young generation of the Sikhs and fill them with tremendous strength and will to establish the Kingdom of God on Earth. May the Lord Almighty rid the Sikh leaders of arrogance and drunkenness of power! May they learn to be meek, humble, caring, loving and giving, following the dictates of our Gurus!

    Vaisakhi is a day to thank the Tenth Master for all His gifts to His Panth and also a day to dedicate ourselves to His mission. It is a day to celebrate the birth of the Khalsa.

  • The End of Road for Musharraf

    The End of Road for Musharraf

    Whichever way the Hitchcockian drama in Islamabad plays out there is at least one certainty in the grand confusion: that Pervez Musharraf, arguably the most delusional of the four military dictators that have ruled Pakistan for nearly half its existence, has reached the end of the road. His pipedream of landing in his country after five years of exile, like a triumphant Caesar – in the hope of being welcomed by people still nostalgic about what he had done for them in the past and anxious to give him another chance to lead them – has turned out to be a nightmare.

    He can now rue over his folly during his house arrest in his sprawling farmhouse at the edge of the Pakistani capital. As a matter of fact, Islamabad-based foreign correspondents who had gone to Karachi to cover Musharraf’s “momentous arrival” have reported that it should have been clear from that moment that the former president had no future. His candidature in the four constituencies has already been rejected and most of the political leaders he expected to be with him have already joined other mainstream parties.

    He has no role in the ongoing elections or any influence on their outcome. Incidentally, the most delightful and appropriate comment on his present plight has come from Xinhua, the official news agency of China, Pakistan’s “all-weather” friend where at one time Musharraf used to be welcome. There was, says Xinhua, “poetic justice” in Pakistan when the Islamabad Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant against the former president – something he had done “against dozens of judges when he arrested them in 2007”. On the fate that awaits him, opinions differ widely.

    Some hope, rather than think, that the judiciary that he humiliated so disgracefully in 2007 would not be content without hanging him, especially because the three main charges against him are heinous and include the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the murder in cold blood of the eminent Baloch leader, Sardar Mohammed Akbar Bugti. Some others believe that if the law and the judicial process don’t get Musharraf, the lawless Taliban would. In my view, this possibility should also be ruled out in view of the enormous commando security the Pakistan Army has provided this former commando general. As of now, the most plausible scenario seems to be that Musharraf’s judicial custody up to May 4 will be extended beyond the date of elections that is May 11. Thereafter his trial can begin, if the judiciary and the new government insist on it. But then it can go on and on for years, if only because in this and many other basic practices the underlying unity of the subcontinent endures. However, overall it is a safe bet that Pakistan’s power structure cannot afford to hurt the sentiments of the all-powerful Army by executing or even imprisoning a former army chief.

    According to available information, General Ashfaque Pervez Kayani, though a one-time protégé of Musharraf, did not want him to come home, leave alone take part in the elections. It is said that messages to this effect were sent to him several times. However, when the megalomaniac former military ruler having hallucinations about his popularity with the Pakistani masses did arrive, the Army considered it its bounden duty to see to it that no harm came to his person and that his, and more importantly, the Army’s izzat (an expression dear to both the Indian and Pakistani armies) was not besmirched in any way. This situation will prevail regardless of the dispensation resulting from the May 11 poll. It would be no surprise if some kind of an understanding already exists among the major stakeholders in Pakistan on this subject.

    Come to think of it, even under a caretaker government, whose only duty is to hold free and fair elections, all concerned have treated Musharraf with kid gloves. Remarkably, Xinhua has taken note of “the speculations” that despite the apex court’s clear order to arrest him, “some bigwigs” in the government told the police to “go slow on Musharraf”.

    It would, indeed, be instructive to look back on the events in 1999 when, after his successful coup, Musharraf wanted to “fix well and proper” his bete noir and then Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif. But then Saudi Arabia intervened and the military dictator agreed to let Sharif go in exile to Saudi Arabia for 10 years. Today, the Saudi stakes in the stability of Pakistan are even higher than before.

    There are two other points that call for comment. The first is the rather intriguing fact that the United States is refusing to comment on Musharraf”s house arrest one way or the other. Does this lend any credence to his calculation while planning his strategy to take part in elections that, given the configuration of forces in the post-poll Pakistan, the Americans would prefer a government led by him?

    After all it was he who, on the morrow of 9/11, had reversed Pakistan’s policy on Afghanistan and lined up his country with the US in the “war on terror”. Moreover, as revealed only recently, in 2003Musharraf unhesitatingly allowed the Americans to use drones to kill as they wished in North Waziristan as long as they left the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e- Mohammmed and other Pakistani terrorist outfits operating against India well alone?

    Today, the US desperately needs Pakistani cooperation for its plan to withdraw its combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

    Secondly, the speculation in some quarters in both India and Pakistan that should the civilian government resist the Army’s demand to let Musharraf go, Kayani and the Army would stage a coup should be dismissed.

    Firstly, over the years Gen Kayani has demonstrated repeatedly that he sees no point in directly taking over when the Army can get its way anyhow. Furthermore, gone are the days of the Cold War when the US had a vested interest in embracing and coddling military dictators in Pakistan. Samuel P. Huntington had then written a book to press home the point that in newly independent countries the armed forces were the best instrument for stability.

    Those days are gone. Today, America is the super-salesman of democracy across the world. It can ill-afford a military takeover in Pakistan, never mind the adverse reaction of the world community in general.

  • Sudha Raghunathan enthralls audience in NY

    Sudha Raghunathan enthralls audience in NY

    NEW YORK (TIP): The Cleveland Aradhana committee and Jana Seva hosted the Morning Raga fund raiser concert featuring Padma Shri Sudha Ragunathan and six other renowned artists in New York last week. Jana Seva is a New York-based nonprofit organization that aims to construct homes for orphans and destitute children in India so that these hapless children get the best education they deserve and contribute to the development of India. The first such center is being opened in Mullai, Jolarpet in Tamil Nadu.

    It is also panning to support veda patasalas (schools of excellence in the study of Vedas) to help preserve the rich and valuable heritage and support Goshalas to preserve sacred cows and prevent its slaughter. The non-profit will also promote the concept of seva among the willing and able youth and offer an avenue for them to volunteer their services to the poor and the needy in India, according to L. Shanti Kumar, a leading CPA in Long Island and founder of Jana Seva.

    Sudha Raghunathan, a star among Carnatic musicians in India, was joined in the concert by Amit Heri, the lead guitarist, Keith Peters on bass guitar, Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan on mridangam, Raghavendra Rao on violin, Arun Kumar on drums and Guru Prasad on ghatam.

    The passion, experience and golden voice of Sudha Raghunathan blending with the dexterity of Amit Heri on the lead guitar and the musical creativity of other leading accompanists created an eclectic fusion of modern and classical music. The concert helped Sudha to have a conversation with her rasikas through the music who have drawn from various nationalities and age groups.

    The fusion ensemble was something unique to the Carnatic music lovers of tri-state who are used to the traditional ragam, thanam and pallavi concerts. Sudha started the concert with a sloka followed by the kriti on Lord Ganesha – Maha Ganapathim Manasa Swarami in raag Nattai. She then sang Maathe in dharu varnam in the raga Khamas and followed it up with India Funk in raag abhogi that kept the audience tapping their feet.

    She transported her fans to a new world when she sang the traditional number Thaaye Yashodha in raag thodi and after intermission sang the very popular Kannada song – Krshna nee begane baro – and then the popular Telugu number Brahmam okate.

    Sudha sang Peace which was Amit’s composition in raag Hamsadhwani and enthralled the fans with the ever-popular English note and ended the concert with Seetha Kalyana Vaibhogame, Bhagyadhalakshmi and Kurai Onrum Illai kanna composed by Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari and sung by M S Subbulakshmi at the United Nations in 1967. She completed the three-hour concert with the thillana of Dr. Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna in the raag Brindavani.

    Sudha has a distinctly stunning voice with which she has ignited musical imagination and spirit across languages, frontiers and ideologies.

    Her deep relish for tradition and mystical old world charm is cloyingly addictive. As the heir apparent of her guru the legendary M L Vasanthakumari, Sudha has succeeded in holding aloft her guru’s banner while simultaneously imbuing her style with her own innovations such as The Morning Raga.

    She was invited to sing Vande Mataram at the Central Hall of Parliament in New Delhi in 2000 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Republic of India. She was honored by the Government of India with Padma Shri for her contribution to Indian music.

    One of India’s biggest names in jazz fusion music, Amit has shared and worked with numerous internationally renowned artists including Charlie Mariano, Robert Miles, Angelique Kidjo, George Brooks, Matt Garrison and Zakir Hussain. Born into a family of percussionists, Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan was initiated into mridangam at the age of six and now he is one of the top percussionists playing for legends such as Dr M Bala Murali Krishna, K J Yesudas, Dr. N. Ramani and those seniors such as late M L Vasanthakumari, Maharajapuram Santhanam, D.K. Pattammal and K V Narayanaswamy. His playing style is characterized by melodic richness, technical dexterity and balanced use of left and right sides. Keith Peters is the best base guitarist in India today and Chennai-based Peters is a veteran of over five thousand live gigs and played over thousand songs.

    He worked with composers such as A R Rahman. Raghavendra Rao is the disciple of violin maestro T N Krishnan and has toured all over the world with top musicians. Arun Kumar ventured into the world of drums at the age of seven and plays on the western drums and morsing. Guru Prasad is the son of legendary gatam vidwan T H Vikku Vinayakram and has accompanied all the leading Carnatic singers.

  • US based Kannadiga group appeals for restoring credibility in Karnataka

    US based Kannadiga group appeals for restoring credibility in Karnataka

    NEW YORK (TIP): The Karnataka Chapter of the Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC) USA has appealed to Non-Resident Kannadigas worldwide to help elect a corrupt-free and performance-oriented government in the ensuing state-level Vidhan Sabha elections in Karnataka Karnataka State and Bangalore in particular were on the forefront of rapid economic and technological growth and a major contributor to help build India’s GDP. All these were nullified during the last five years that brought a shame to Karnataka and Kannadigas worldwide with daily dose of corruptions and scams,” said Dr. Dayan Anand Naik, president of the Karnataka chapter of INOC. “We want to see Karnataka back on the path of progress as its image has gone down globally due to corruption and failures in all fronts in the last five years. Karnataka was world’s IT capital and knowledge capital.

    Congress Party had its share in building this unique brand and model of prosperous Karnataka. There are 60 million Kannadigas both in India and abroad, he said. Since 1980 Karnataka lead the nation in GDP and per capita GDP as compared to other states in India. During the Congress regimes of Chief Ministers Veerappa Moily and S M Krishna, Karnataka became home of largest biotechnology with 50 percent of large firms located in Bangalore, he said addressing the media in New York.

    The Congress government planned and executed one of the largest airports in India in Bangalore that became a boon to non-resident Indians. His “Munnade Karnataka” (Aghe Chalo Karnataka) campaign theme is a clarion call to throw out the corrupt leaders like B.S. Yeddyurappa and the BJP government and bring back the Congress whose manifesto is on development and good governance. Yeddyurappa the former Chief Minister faced in Court, fifteen cases of corruption and He was jailed.

    He was perhaps the first Chief Minister jailed because of corruption,” he said. Dr. Naik will be leading a delegation of Non-Resident Indians from the US to campaign for the Congress Party in the Karnataka Vidhan Sabha elections. “We will campaign for as many candidates as possible and tell the voters that the whole world especially the United States is awaiting their choice to bring back the state to glory that slipped in the BJP regime,” he said. Dr. Dayan Naik, an acclaimed cardiologist by profession, is the new Karnataka INOC Chapter President and also a leading community activist. He was born and educated in Karnataka and speaks with passion and power.

    He is recipient of several prestigious awards and accolades in USA. As President of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) the largest Indian-American professional association in the United States with 60,000 Indian physicians and 20,000 medical students and researchers as members, he initiated several community outreach programs to help the patients and improve the quality of treatment. He was responsible for inviting UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to the AAPI annual Convention in Washington D.C. where she addressed over 5,000 Indian doctor physicians when she visited USA in 2001. Dr. Naik was born in Neethigere village near Thanda in Channagiri taluk of Karnataka and did his MBBS from Karnataka Medical College Hubli.

    He moved to the US in 1970 and rose to become the Clinical Associate Professor of Cardiology New York Medical College. He held various prestigious posts such as Fellow of American College of Cardiology; President of American Association of Indian Cardiologists; Board of Trustee of Xavier University Medical School Aruba and Board Trustee of AAPI. He raised funds for support 26 free medical clinics in India to serve the poor and needy and sent four plane loads of medical equipment, food, clothes and medicine for earthquake victims of Bhuj in Gujarat; initiated AIDS awareness program in India and conducted several free medical camps for poor and the needy in New York and New Jersey areas

  • Obama praises Indian-American student for her science project

    Obama praises Indian-American student for her science project

    WASHINGTON (TIP): US President Barack Obama has praised a 17-year-old Indian- American student for her science project at the third annual White House science fair here. “We’re so proud of you. Keep up the good work,” Obama said to Meghana Rao from Portland, Oregon, after she explained her project based on ‘biochar’ (charcoal) to the US president at the fair in which around 30 student teams from across the country exhibited their projects. American Natural History Museum Young Naturalist Award winner, Meghana, is a Jesuit High School student who-in addition to researching the ability of ‘biochar’ also directs a student-run nonprofit organization, Portland Junior Scientists (PJS).

    According to the White House, her organization connects high school students with underprivileged youths through collaborative hands-on science experiments, with the aim of inspiring all participants to pursue higher education. Meghana started PJS in 2011, after learning that severe budget cuts where forcing local elementary schools to cut back on science curricula. Through her organization, local students can attend weekly onehour after school science programs, participate in science fairs and attend summer science programs. “Her hard work helped her earn a 2013 Young Naturalist Award from the American Natural History Museum, and brought PJS $ 5,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project and an USD 11,500 grant from the Case Foundation’s Finding Fearless program,” the White House said.

  • Goa bans drinking in public – where will the Russians and the Brits go now?

    Goa bans drinking in public – where will the Russians and the Brits go now?

    PANAJI, GOA (TIP): Tourists drinking in public or littering on beaches and tourist spots will face trouble soon, as the government of Goa has decided to crack the whip against offenders. If caught flinging liquor bottles on the beach or any tourist spot or even drinking in public, they may end up behind bars for a term of not less than three months. This may be extend up to three years and they may be slapped with an additional fine, which may go up to Rs 5000 ($100.00 roughly). “Anyone one found drinking, breaking bottles or littering the tourists place with broken bottles or liquor cans and pouches will be penalized under Goa Tourist Places protection and maintenance Act, 2001,” a tourism official said. Goa tourism department issued directives on April 24, 2013 to curb drunken behavior and nuisance at tourists places, especially the beaches .

    Many cases of injuries to swimmers have been reported due to shards of liquor bottles in the Candolim-Calangute beach belt in north Goa. The IRB tourists police, IRB police sub inspector and flying squads of the tourism department have been given strict orders to keep watch at tourist places, he said.

  • Aamir Khan’s Possible Rendezvous With Us President Obama

    Aamir Khan’s Possible Rendezvous With Us President Obama

    NEW YORK (TIP): The perfectionist actor of Bollywood, Aamir Khan is scheduled to visit the USA and there is a strong possibility that he will meet with President Barak Obama here. Earlier in the year, the President had visited India. In a dinner given by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, graced by some of the leading dignitaries of our country, was Aamir Khan who met with President and Mrs. Obama at the affair.

    It was reported that the power couple was all praise for the actor. President Obama had even extended an invitation to Aamir to come to America to promote his films while it was no secret that Michelle Obama was seen recently dancing to one of the tunes from Aamir’s film ‘Rang de Basanti’. Aamir was full of praise for the president as well and his dynamic leadership. He also expressed his honor at being part of such an exclusive affair.

    In an interview to a national daily, Aamir said “It was a real honor to be part of such a distinguished gathering. It was a very dignified and tasteful affair. I was seated on the same table as Vishwanathan Anand, who I am a big fan of. Mr. Obama sent his regards to Kiran and said, `Tell her we missed her`. And Michelle Obama told me that she really enjoyed dancing to my song from Rang De Basanti.” Millions of fans of Aamir eagerly await the new movie which he brings out every year. The actor is currently shooting for Dhoom 3. However, it was late last year when Aamir made his debut on television with the show ‘Satyamev Jayate’. He has become one of the best known faces of social campaign from the world of art and entertainment.

    Acknowledging his huge role in social movement, Aamir was recently featured on the Times cover in a list for 100 most influential people in the world. This was one of the seven special covers launched by the Times magazine. In addition to Aamir, other noted Indians who made the list include Mr. P. Chidambaram, the finance minister, Delhi based lawyer Vrinda Grover Kamala Harris, the Indian American attorney General of California. Aamir will take a 3 day break from his shooting to fly to attend a celebratory dinner in New York. President Obama is also supposed to attend the event. So, chances are, Aamir will meet with the US President again in near future.

  • Indian American Attorney slams ‘rampant’ corruption in New York

    Indian American Attorney slams ‘rampant’ corruption in New York

    NEW YORK (TIP): Indian-origin Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara has said that the rampant public corruption infecting New York is due to a lack of government transparency. Bharara said, “fundamental reform” is needed to end the “showme- the-money-culture” that’s prompted the feds’ crackdown on crooked state pols.

    In a speech to the Citizens Crime Commission, Bharara said it was scandalous that someone could buy his way into office, get busted for bribery, use campaign contributions to hire a “fancy” lawyer and go to prison for years, while still pocketing a “generous state pension” for life. According to the New York Post, Bharara faulted a “substantial transparency problem throughout New York government,” which he blamed for the massive CityTime scam. Bharara also said it was much harder to “follow the money” when government makes it hard “to separate illicit money transfers from legitimate ones,” he said. When every state or local official is able to lawfully moonlight as a lawyer or accountant or consultant and may lawfully withhold deep details of that work, prosecutors face substantial challenges,” he added.

  • 17 Indian American Students Named 2013 Goldwater Scholars

    17 Indian American Students Named 2013 Goldwater Scholars

    NEW YORK (TIP): Seventeen Indian American students from around the country who hope to become America’s next crop of researchers were recently named as Goldwater Scholars for 2013.

    The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate.

    The purpose of the Foundation is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists,mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields. Ameen Barghi, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who seeks a Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience and wants to conduct research in rehabilitation medicine and teach at the university/graduate level. Ritankar Das, the University of California-Berkeley, seeking a Ph.D. in Computational Science and Engineering, wants to perform bio-molecular simulation research to find new energy sources at a national research lab, received the 2012 Pearson Prize for Higher Education.

    Ria Chandra Domier, University of Alabama, seeks a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering, wants to conduct research in regenerative medicine and teach at the university level.

    Neeraj Sapra, University of California-San Diego, seeks a Ph.D. in Computational Physics, wants to conduct research in biophysics and teach at the university level. Ragini Phansalkar, University of Connecticut, seeks a Ph.D. in Computational Biology, wants to develop technologies to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers.

    Gautam Goel, Georgia Institute of Technology, seeks a Ph.D. in Applied and Computational Mathematics, wants to develop the next generation of bioinformatics algorithms and teach at a university. Nikhil Bommakanti, University of Illinois at Chicago, seeks a M.D./Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, wants to conduct research in biomedical science and teach at the university. level. Manan Raval, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, seeks a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, wants to conduct research in photonics and laser technology. Suraj Kannan, University of Louisville, seeks a M.D./Ph.D. in Regenerative Medicine, wants to conduct research in the mechanisms of stem cells and develop therapies for a variety of clinical pathologies. Nilay Kumar, Columbia University, seeks a Ph.D. in Fundamental Physics,wants to conduct research in fundamental (particle) physics and teach at the university level.

    Aparna Sajja, George Washington University, seeks a M.D./Ph.D. in Cardiology/Neuroscience, wants to conduct NIH funded neurovascular translational research and teach at the university level. Sandya Subramanian, Johns Hopkins University, seeks a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, wants to conduct research in biomedical science and engineering and work in industry. Kamal Shah, Rice University, seeks a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, wants to conduct research in low-cost, molecular bioengineering techniques and teach at the university level. Sheena Patel, Harvey Mudd College, seeks a Ph.D. in Physics, wants to conduct research in experimental physics. Ravi Uday Sheth, Rice University, seeks a Ph.D. in Bioengineering, wants to conduct research in Synthetic Biology and teach at the university level, research at a national lab or in industry.

    Sai Prashanth Gourisankar, University of Texas at Austin, seeks a Ph.D. in Materials Science, wants to conduct research in nanomaterials and catalysis, and teach at the university level. Kushal Seetharam, Duke University, seeks a Ph.D. in Applied Physics, wants to conduct research in electromagnetics and photonics using computational methods and teach at the university level.

  • Lack Of Sleep Puts You In Bad Mood

    Lack Of Sleep Puts You In Bad Mood

    Here’s something that will interest a lot of men. And, even women. Here’s something that will interest a lot of men. And, even women. A new study has revealed that lack of sleep makes women feel grumpy the next morning — so don’t take their attitude too personally next time. While lack of sleep can affect both men and women, it seems that women are more affected because they require more sleep than men and can suffer mentally as well as physically if they don’t get their precious snooze time. So if you haven’t got adequate sleep the night before and are looking to change your mood, here are simple ways…

    Feel like biting everyone’s head off ? It is best you avoid interacting with people unless necessary. Stay alone for some time and ask yourself if it is worth saying or doing something that you might regret later.

    – When you’re in a bad mood, you are tempted to stick to a story that justifies it. Don’t. Let it go. Only you are in charge of your mood and can change it.
    – Generate positive feelings. Read inspirational quotes, listen to songs that uplift your mood, watch a movie, read your favourite book, go out shopping or eat your favourite snack.
    – Spend some time with your pet. Just petting your pet will evoke a sense of calmness and well-being.

  • Can Asthma Kill Your Sex Life?

    Can Asthma Kill Your Sex Life?

    Sex adds more pleasure to life for sure and is also necessary for a healthy relationship. But sometimes your sex life can take a hit and one of the reasons for that could be asthma. Your asthma symptoms like wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness can affect your sex life drastically. An asthmatic sufferer many not be able to experience sexual satisfaction due to those symptoms. If, asthma has brought your sex-life to a halt, then this article is meant for you.

    How can sex trigger asthma?
    Sex involves a combination of physical movements and increased breathing; these two factors can cause trigger asthma. Extreme emotions can also temporarily worsen your asthma symptoms. Besides, some people may experience asthma symptoms during sex and the asthma attack caused by sex is called as ‘sexerciseinduces asthma’

    How to control it?
    If your bedroom life is going to the dogs because of your asthma then you should speak to your physician. Your physician can prescribe bronchodilators, which can help to relax your muscles in the large and small airways thus increasing ventilation. Overdose is dangerous; hence consult your doctor before taking it. Besides, you should also change your bed sheets and pillow covers regularly to avoid common dust triggers present in the sheets.

    Tips to enjoy normal sex-life
    Change positions – Avoid putting too much of pressure on your chest. Constantly keep on changing positions to avoid asthma attack. Try a comfortable penetration position that will not threaten to trigger your asthmas attack. Adopt various love-making techniques – Don’t just focus on vigorous love making techniques. Adopt other techniques to pleasure each other in a less vigorous manner.

  • Dhoni Takes Stumbling Chennai Home

    Dhoni Takes Stumbling Chennai Home

    CHENNAI (TIP): You can be hero and villain on the same night. Ask Amit Mishra and Ashish Reddy. Reddy scored a whirlwind 36 off 16 balls to help Sunrisers Hyderabad get 59 off the last four overs and give them something to bowl at. Mishra kept them alive with the wickets of Michael Hussey, M Vijay and Suresh Raina. However, Mishra, promoted to No.5, wasted 21 balls for just 15 runs, and dropped MS Dhoni even before he had opened the account. Reddy was given the last over to bowl with 15 to defend, and a nowrampaging Dhoni to face. Reddy completely froze, and bowled the most predictable slower balls imaginable for Dhoni to win it easily.

    Spared villainy was Dwayne Bravo who bowled length in the final overs to allow Reddy those runs, but more crucially batted like a rabbit in the headlights, manufacturing – as the IPL’s wont has been – a thriller out of nowhere. He played out a maiden from Karan Sharma – who registered this IPL’s most economical fourover figures of 0 for 8 – in the 16th over. Then he holed out on the bowling of Ishant Sharma for a near game-changing 7 off 16. The man who well and truly snatched heroism from villainy was Dhoni. He too began dozily, playing six dots before he topedged Dale Steyn to long leg where Mishra missed him. How Dhoni made Sunrisers pay for it. Firstly, after Bravo’s maiden left Super Kings needing 46 off last four, Dhoni hit two sensational and consecutive pulled sixes off Steyn, who at times bowled at close to 150 kph. One over midwicket, and the other dragged from wide outside off to clear long-on. This was brutal hitting against the best bowler in the world. Bravo, though, turned it around again, and Sunrisers went to Steyn to bowl the 19th over with 27 runs to play with. Dhoni played another calculated over. Steyn bowled with third man and fine leg up to defend areas down the ground. Dhoni dabbed the first past short fine leg for two, and square-drove the second over point for four. The third one he slogged over deep midwicket. This was the first time Steyn was hit for three sixes in an IPL innings, and only the second time in any Twenty20 game.Steyn came back, though, with Ravindra Jadeja’s wicket, and left Super Kings needing 15 to win off the last over. Darren Sammy, the IPL debutant, was the only man who had bowled earlier on the night and had an over to go. Cameron White, though, went to Reddy. Perhaps he was thinking if this was Reddy’s evening, it might be his night too. It wasn’t.

    Reddy began with a back-of-the-hand slower ball that was almost off the pitch. He ran up again, and tried the same slower ball again. Dhoni missed, but it was not as though he had not picked it. Reddy had got lucky Dhoni didn’t connect. Reddy, though, tried it again, and Dhoni smacked it clean out of the ground. Eight off four now. Reddy was clearly nervous. He tried the normal yorker now, and missed his line by feet. Five wides. Hang on. Dhoni admits to having touched it. So three off four now becomes four off three.

    Dhoni pulled the next slower ball to beat long-on and bring the win that put Super Kings level with Royal Challengers Bangalore at the top of the table. Watching all this, Shikhar Dhawan would be wondering whatever happened to what should have been a special Sunrisers debut for him. He came out from a month in the cold storage, braved a blow in the unmentionables, scored a fifty to give Sunrisers a total to bowl at, but ended as a footnote on a night Dhoni went from 0 off 6 to 67 off 37.

  • Gayle’s Innings Left Bowlers ‘Scared’, Says Donald

    Gayle’s Innings Left Bowlers ‘Scared’, Says Donald

    BANGALORE (TIP): Allan Donald, the Pune Warriors coach, has said that his players were “scared” after the thunderous assault from Chris Gayle, which set up an enormous 130-run victory for Royal Challengers Bangalore. A day after the demoralising defeat, Donald admitted that he feared the “mental damage” the innings might have caused his players and said his biggest challenge was to keep them positive for the remaining eight matches. “We came across a bloke yesterday who was just devastating,” Donald told ESPNcricinfo in Bangalore. “I have never seen hitting like that in all my life.

    To see our guys getting pummeled like that was unbelievable. When I walked out for the first strategy break, I just saw people scared, really scared. I just mentioned to the players that if we don’t pull this back here, he is going to take us down big time, which he did.” Donald realised that the bowlers were clueless and if he did not deliver a stern message, Gayle could play havoc, which he eventually did with ease. “When I looked at their faces and no one said a word, the only way for me was to be very firm in my message; we had to find a way,” he said. “We also discussed in the meeting on the morning of the match that we had to bowl out batsmen who were not going to give up their wicket. We needed someone to stand up and do something special and stop the flow of runs.” As a response Donald observed blank faces. By the second timeout, in the 16th over, Gayle had doubled the team score, taking it past 200 and Donald was frustrated. “To me that plan was about how we were going to limit the damage in the next four overs. The plan was to go full into his pads and also vary the pace,” Donald said.

    The mental scarring Gayle has inflicted on his players has left the coach worried. “How much damage has this done to us mentally? My job becomes even harder now and I have to make sure these guys are ready against another team that is struggling (Delhi Daredevils) on a ground we have never played (Raipur),” he said. “This group now needs to rally together.” Barring the pair of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4-0-23-0) and Luke Wright (4-0-26-1), at the start and end of the Royal Challengers’ innings, Gayle attacked the rest mercilessly. Donald was not shy to take the blame. He said the bowlers lacked consistency and the team was one experienced strike bowler short.”We haven’t been brilliant,” he said. “We have been okay in certain games and really off the boil in the others. And that is one area where we have let ourselves down. We do not have an attack that is express pace; we don’t have a Dale Styen or a Shuan Tait, though, we have fair bit of class in Kumar and Ashok Dinda.” At the same time, Donald pointed out, Gayle was unstoppable and intimidated the bowlers. “There were times during that knock where he just went ballistic, and then he took a little timeout and then he went again,” Donald said with a chuckle.

  • New York Tamils felicitate Ramjhi

    New York Tamils felicitate Ramjhi

    NEW YORK (TIP): Innovative musician of Chennai Ramakrishnan Subramaniam popularly known as Abaswaram Ramjhi who helped enthuse thousands of children in learning Carnatic music was felicitated for his service to music at a function held in New York on April 6. Ramjhi was invited by Cleveland Thaygaraja Aradhana committee that recently concluded its annual music celebrations and was honored by Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao for his contribution to Indian music. He was in New York on his way back to India. In the year 2000 – Issai Mazhalai, a musical extravaganza featuring children was launched by Ramjhi as India’s first music group capable of performing Carnatic, film and devotional music.

    The group was invited to perform at Rashtrapathi Bhavan at the invitation of President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam in Oct 2004. The group has so far performed over 2000 concerts in India and overseas. The children have sung in several films for all leading music directors and composers such as A.R. Rahman, Vidhyasagar, Ilaya Raja to name a few in all the Indian languages Those children who joined the group at the time of inauguration 13 years ago have now grown into their teens and are very popular playback singers in the film industry. Today over 1200 children learn Classical Music from the Issai Mazhalai Training schools in 16 centers with the help of dedicated music teachers. Ramjhi was given the Samaikya Bharath Gaurav Satkar award by The Bharath Integration Committee at Vizag in 2006; Kala Seva Bharathi award by Bharath Kalachar in 2006; Guru Seva award by the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam 2006; The Acharya Award by M/S Call Teachers -2007; Acharya Rathna Award by Austere Media 2010 and Sangeetha Kala Vipanchee from Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna in 2010. He started his media career as an announcer and an anchor and produced and presented hundreds of popular programs, right from his school days.

    The best was a 204 week-long show called Cibaca Geetha Maalai, a Tamil version of the show presented by Ameen Sayani in Hindi as Binaca Geet Mala. He wrote and produced two Tamil feature films “Uruvangal Maralam” and “Viswanathan Velai Venum”. The first movie had all the top South Indian stars in the cast such as Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Jaishanker, Y.G.Mahendra, Suhasini Manirathnam, S.Ve. Shekhar to name a few He is the son of legendary film director K. Subrahmanyam considered the doyen of the Tamil Film Industry and S. D. Subbalakshmi, a leading film actress and musician.

    His sister is internationally renowned Bharatanatyam dancer Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam and he is married to Shobhaa Ramji, an International Reiki Grandmaster and grand daughter of H. M. Reddy who made the first Indian Talkie Film “Aalam Aara.” At a function held at Madras Woodlands in New Hyde Park, leading community leaders praised the service of Ramjhi to Indian music. Dr Arul Veerappan, vice president of New York Tamil Sangam, Gayathri Murali Rajan, treasurer of New York Tamil Sangam, John Joseph, president of Tamil Nadu chapter of Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC)-USA, Venkatachalam Krishnan, director of partnerships at United Nations, G. Padmanabhan, manager of Hindu Temple Society of North America and others felicitated Ramjhi. He was presented with a title “Issai Mazhalai Vinjani.” Prakash M Swamy, president of New York Tamil Sangam and founder of Shri Vari Foundation, welcomed the gathering.

  • Bhutto murder case: Federal Investigation Agency gets Musharraf’s physical remand

    Bhutto murder case: Federal Investigation Agency gets Musharraf’s physical remand

    ISLAMABAD (TIP): A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Friday remanded Pervez Musharraf to the physical custody of the Federal Investigation Agency till April 30 in the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007. During a brief hearing at the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi, Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman accepted the FIA’s request to be given physical custody of the 69- year-old former military ruler. The FIA’s lawyers told the judge that they wanted physical custody of Musharraf so that he could be questioned in connection with the probe into Bhutto’s assassination. The judge directed the FIA to produce Musharraf in court again on April 30.

    Official sources told that Musharraf would continue to be held at his farmhouse on the outskirts of Islamabad, declared a “sub-jail” by authorities, while he is questioned by a joint investigation team of the FIA. The judge rejected a request from Musharraf’s lawyers for changing the joint investigation team, officials said. Musharraf was driven in a motorcade from his residence to the anti-terrorism court shortly before 10am. Scores of policemen and armed paramilitary troopers were deployed at the court complex to deter protests against the former dictator. During Musharraf’s last appearance at the same court earlier this week, several persons were injured when the former president’s supporters clashed with lawyers. The media was barred from the courtroom during today’s proceedings. Footage on television showed Musharraf’s motorcade leaving the court complex after the proceedings. Musharraf was formally arrested by the FIA yesterday after the anti-terrorism court directed investigators to include him in the probe into the 2007 assassination. The FIA joint investigation team also recorded Musharraf’s statement last night.

  • Death penalty possible?

    Death penalty possible?

    Italy says will wait to see charges by NIA
    NEW DELHI (TIP): India’s anti-terrorism agency will investigate the case of two Italian marines accused of murdering two Indian fishermen, the Supreme Court said on April 26, raising the possibility once more of the men facing the death penalty.

    The accused, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, are charged with murder in connection with the shooting of fishermen off the coast of the southern state of Kerala last year while serving as security guards on a cargo ship. The two say they fired warning shots at a fishing boat believing it to be a pirate vessel with armed men onboard. Italy maintains the incident happened in international waters and that the men should be tried on home soil. Last week, Italy opposed India’s decision to appoint the anti-terrorism National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate the case, saying that the NIA only had the jurisdiction to investigate terrorist crimes.

    It fears the NIA will invoke a maritime security law that attracts a mandatory punishment of death, which would violate an assurance given by India that the men would not be sent to the gallows. On Friday, Italy said it would wait to see if the NIA invoked the maritime security law before deciding whether to challenge the court’s decision. “The order says the NIA will continue on the case, but let’s see what charges are framed on the men.

    That will determine our course of action,” said a lawyer representing Italy, who did not want to be named. Tensions between India and Italy have escalated over the case since the shooting, peaking last month when Italy refused to send the marines back from a home visit. Outraged, the apex court briefly barred the Italian envoy from leaving the country. Rome returned the marines for trial after New Delhi promised them the men would not face the death sentence. Italy’s foreign minister resigned after the marines returned to India, saying he did not agree with the decision to send them back. Italy abolished the death penalty in 1947. In the past six months, India has hanged two men convicted of militant attacks.

  • Missing Indian- American student Sunil Tripathi is confirmed dead

    Missing Indian- American student Sunil Tripathi is confirmed dead

    Missing Indian- American student Sunil Tripathi is confirmed dead WASHINGTON (TIP): Sunil Tripathi, a Brown University student missing for more than a month, is dead. Rhode Islands medical examiner on April 25 said the body found in a river on April 23 is that of Sunil Tripathi. Health Department spokeswoman Dara Chadwick said the body was identified through a forensic dental exam.

    The cause of death has not been determined yet however. Tripathi, a 22-year-old philosophy student, was last seen on March 16. The body was found in Providence River behind the Wyndham Garden Providence Hotel at around 6 p.m. The coach of Brown’s rowing team, which practices in that area, saw the body floating in the water. The police waited for medical examiner to make the final determination. The family said in a statement on “Help us find Sunil Tripathi”, a Facebook page they had set up to help the search, they felt “indescribable grief” and were grateful for all-around support. Tripathi became the became the target of intense internet speculation last week if he was Suspect No 2 wanted for the Boston marathon bombings.

    Many thought it was him from the visuals released by the FBI. The Facebook page set up by his family to help in the search was hit by a storm of nasty hate messages. “It was outrageous, what they had to say,” Sunil’s father Akhil Tripathi told Hindustan Times. Reddit, a site that allows users to post news, apologized to the family for its role in it. The Tripathis are from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Akhil Tripathi, an engineering graduate from Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Kanpur, came to the US in 1968.

  • Trinamool In Chit Fund Muddle Over Saradha Links

    Trinamool In Chit Fund Muddle Over Saradha Links

    KOLKATA (TIP): The chit-fund mess threatens to blow up in the face of Trinamool Congress even as it battles public outrage over the murder of a police officer in Garden Reach and the vandalism of Presidency University. Four FIRs have been filed against Sudipta Sen, chairman and MD of the Saradha Group, which proudly flaunted TrinamoolRajyaSabha MP KunalGhosh as its Group Media CEO. Ghosh couldn’t be reached over phone and Sen has been missing ever since Saradha Printing and Publishing Pvt Ltd issued closure notices on its newspapers and infotainment channels (including Tara Muzik, Tara News, Channel 10, Bengal Post, Seven Sisters Post and Bengali daily Sakalbela), rendering over a thousand jobless on the eve of Poila Boisakh. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on April 18 that all efforts are on to arrest Sen. “He is somewhere in north India,” Mamata said at Writers’ Buildings, sparking speculation that he may have already been detained.

    Two of the FIRs against Sen were filed in Kolkata and one each in Agartala and Guwahati. There is also a court complaint against him by advertising firm Selvel. Trinamool general secretary Mukul Roy is desperately trying to find private financiers for the closed Saradha Group media businesses. Failure is not an option for Roy because the chit fund row may do more damage to Trinamool than the outrage over the Presidency vandalism that has pushed the party on the back foot. The party is also in the spotlight because all the Saradha Group news channels and dailies had a distinct pro- Trinamool stand. Media was only a part of Sen’s flourishing empire, some of them allegedly relating to chit funds and multilevel marketing involving thousands of marketing agents and lakhs of depositors. The agents, facing heat back home, have been trooping to Trinamool Bhawan.

    Nearly 200 of them landed up announced on Wednesday evening, leaving party leaders scrambling. After a noisy demonstration, a few of them were allowed to meet Roy and industries minister Partha Chatterjee. With the company failing to meet its promised returns, the number of FIRs can shoot through the roof. The Trinamool is rattled — it cannot afford another public outcry less than four days before Parliament resumes. It has launched a desperate firefight. Tara’s general manager (finance) Indrajit Roy told TOI from Delhi, “The plans to resurrect the (closed) companies are being guided by the chief minister and MP Mukul Roy. The problem is that Sudipta Sen cannot be reached.

    Unless he signs on the dotted line, nothing can happen.” There was a buzz all day that police in Dehradun and Salt Lake have taken action against Sen and a senior vice-president of the group but this could not be confirmed. Uttarakhand DGP Satyavrat Bansal told TOI, “I confirm that no one by the name of Sudipta Sen has been arrested or detained in Dehradun or elsewhere in the state.” There were reports that a complaint had been filed against Ghosh, too, but Bidhannagar police commissioner Rajeev Kumar denied this.

    The employees of Tara TV Network got a mail on April 15 that their services had been terminated. The employees of Tara, a 13-year-old company, decided to go public with their protests. There was no further intimation from the management but for Ghosh’s sporadic social media posts, through which he informed about his resignation from the group and the takeover of Channel 10 by Rice Group (an education and infotech company). Another of his posts said that Sakalbela, too, will have a new buyer but details were not available. It is widely believed a similar proposition is being worked out for Tara as well. For Bengal Post, though, there is no such information.

  • Vaisakhi Celebrated at the Sikh Shrine of North Texas, Garland

    Vaisakhi Celebrated at the Sikh Shrine of North Texas, Garland

    GARLAND, TX (TIP): The Sikh shrine of North Texas at Garland celebrated the birth of Khalsa and Vaisakhi with great zeal and fervor on April 13. The celebrations attracted a large number of men, women and children who enjoyed being in the Gurdwara on a special day, with special prayers being offered and a special langar being served. It was a sheer delight to see young children dressed in the traditional Sikh attire.

    The ceremony got underway with the Five Beloveds (Panj Piare) entering the Prayer Hall. They were Bhai Chuhar Singh, Bhai Sohan Singh Jammu, Bhai Mehtab Singh, Bhai Balkar Singh, and Bhai Yuvraj Singh. Five children- Apkirat Singh, Tejpal Singh , Gurshant Singh, Jagmeet Singh and Jaitej Singh- were also dressed up in the traditional Sikh attire of the Five Beloveds.

    The congregation enjoyed the Kirtan and Katha in side the prayer hall. A little away, in the kitchen, men and women were busy cooking food which in a little while was to be made available. An attraction for all was the hoisting of the new flag (Nishan Sahib). The ceremony was marked by devotion and a commitment to live by the Sikh principles. One family received appreciation for the charity work they were doing.


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    The Sandhu family has been collecting donations for Pingalwara in Amritsar which runs shelters and clinics for the less privileged and the underprivileged poor people. Tarlok Singh Sandhu started with the charitable mission in 1986. Now the third generation of the sandhus is also involved in the charitable mission. In 2012, the Sandhus collected from the sangat $4730 for the Pingalwara. One would wish there were more such people to make this world a better and a happier place to live in.

  • Joyous Inauguration of Gurdwara Nishkam Seva, Irving

    Joyous Inauguration of Gurdwara Nishkam Seva, Irving

    DALLAS, TX (TIP):With tremendous joy and celebration Sikhs inaugurated a new Gurdwara in Irving, Texas, April 13, their collective birthday. Though the Sikh philosophy dates back to Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the First Master of the Sikhs who was born on April 15, 1469, the present form of the Sikhs was bestowed by the Tenth Master Guru Gobind Singh on April 13, 1699. The day of Vaisakhi is celebrated as the day of creation of Khalsa all over the world by nearly 27 million Sikhs. Sikhism is the fifth largest religion of the world.

    Over 400 people attended the historic event which included hoisting of a new flag (Nishan Sahib Seva), Shabad Kirtan (religious hymn singing), Nagar Kirtan (the 16th annual DFW Khalsa Parade), and outdoor community kitchen (free food) on a beautiful sunny day. The inauguration coincided with the Khalsa Day celebrations and hence the spirit and colors of the Khalsa were evident and added to the great significance of the occasion.

    The event was attended by leaders of all faith traditions who offered blessings and prayers in their own religious traditions. Represented were the Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Orthodox Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Baha’i,Wicca, and Jewish leaders.


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    The Governor of Texas, Rick Perry officially recognized the Inauguration with a proclamation. The Mayor of Irving, Honorable Beth Van Duyne, also issued a proclamation declaring April 13 as “Khalsa Day” in the city. The Irving Police Chief Larry Boyd and Irving mayor Pro Tem Gerald Farris spoke at the event. “It was our desire that our brothers and sisters from all faiths will join us in prayers at the inauguration of this Gurdwara and, by Wageguru’s grace, this desire has been full-filled today” said Harbhajan Singh Virdee, one of the organizers of the event.

  • Meet an artist, par excellence Noor Amrohvi the light of literary congregations

    Meet an artist, par excellence Noor Amrohvi the light of literary congregations

    “You need just a few sincere friends to make life pleasurable”, says Noor.
    In every city, in every era and in every country a high bright star becomes the center of attention of everybody. Yet very few people know this fact that in order to reach that glitter and height, one has to pass through hardships besides waging practical struggle. One of such gifted people equipped with practical and professional traits is Noor Amrohvi, who is a young poet, one of the best Mushairas compere and an excellent speaker. He was born in 1973 in Amroha, (the land known for literary figures) in a literary, religious and business family. Side by side religious education (learning Quran by heart and recitation) he also got worldly education. He has the honor of being a student in Aligarh Muslim University. He secured first division in class XII and attained distinctive position in Adeeb-e- Fazil examination. Besides, from Bombay University he did his Masters in Economics and Urdu along with obtaining the garment designing diploma as part of the professional education. Since his upbringing was done in a literary and educated family, he had a natural liking for Urdu literature. Since his childhood he has been composing and reciting Urdu verses but because of his educational responsibilities, he did not encourage himself in this regard.When he was a grown up person then he headed towards Bombay to discharge his domestic responsibilities. After getting into new world besides fulfilling his professional responsibilities, he decided to quench his thirst for his poetic and literary taste. When he was able to shoulder further responsibilities then his dream to spent his days and nights of youth in Bombay was left half way and he had to travel to Dubai where a very bright future was waiting for him and where an opportunity to serve Urdu were also available. It is said that when he was in Dubai, besides his professional responsibilities he would take part in literary and poetic activities with great zeal. Despite his appointment in an American garment factory on the post of a supervisor, his interest for education and studies continued unabated. But finding him unfit in this frame he became a teacher in a famous English school in Bombay. Noor Amrohvi has seen such difficult times and harrowing hardships in life that most of the people get discouraged and lose their heart in the way. But out of these sufferings and hardships, he gained enormous experience and vision and came out like gold. Amazingly despite all these difficult circumstances he could not disassociate himself from literary activities and social work. He is such a poet of high talent that distinguished personalities like Professor Pirzada Qasim, Professor Nisar Farooqi and John Elia appreciated and praised his unmatched skills and his brilliant achievements. In Dubai he left his foot print wherever he presented his “kalam” , yet in America wherever he went he left his endearing remembrance. Who would have known that this young man who came to Bombay in search of a bright future and them move on to Dubai, would finally land in United States of America and become the glittering tower for literary activities and Urdu culture. In North American city of Dallas in the state of Texas where Noor Amrohvi came to stay, he has to face very strong opposition from various circles. After making arrangement for his living, he started displaying his poetry, the oratorical talent, writing ability and administrative potential. He became the target of criticism from unknown jealous quarters. But due to true passion hard work, diligence, honesty he befriended the opponent currents and his critics started walking along with him. The literary organization and personalities opine that Noor Amrohvi’s compeering is unique and full of logic. As far as his poetry is concerned, it is just like showing lamp to the sun and his humanity and gentleness is superb. He is soft spoken, articulate, embodiment of sincerity and love, humility, and is a model of politeness. Being a businessman and with a poetic temperament, simplicity and mercurial disposition, his friends and partners took advantage and sidelined him. In Radio programs he opts for novelty, innovation and the psychology of the listeners in writing and presenting radio scripts. He presented new and unique programs and therefore a large circle of the desi community is still his admirer.

    He is distinguished for starting the tradition of Na’atia Mushairas in Dallas city, being regularly conducted for the last eight years. In these Mushairas besides poets from North America many eminent poets from Indo Pak have already participated. Also under the aegis of the International Noor Academy, he has been organizing for eight years, international Urdu Mushairas and Kavi sammelen” Every celebrated poet from Indo- Pak has participated in theses Mushairas. Now a situation has arrived that the people aspire that Noor Amrohvi should invite them to their Mushairas. His sincere and close friends also help him In organizing the Na’atia international Mushairas which Noor Amrohvi conducts every year,.

    Because of his excellent organizational faculties even his opponents started acknowledging his abilities. For his services he is now counted among the outstanding organizers of the best Mushairas in North America. In view of his literary and educational services he received several awards in India, Pakistan, United States and the Gulf countries. But I have observed that when he comes to India he usually avoid gatherings and parties. He comes here quietly and returns quietly.

    It usually happens that whenever anyone even a fake person comes from America or other foreign countries, he wants that somebody should conduct a reception for him and that his name should be published in the newspapers. Contrary to that Noor Amrohvi runs away from selfprojection by avoiding the literary meetings and believes that projection is not the accomplishment but to demonstrate excellence of vision and conduct is the real achievement. Despite this, the circle of his friends is so wide that news of his arrival in India spreads like wildfire and then a stream of functions are held in his honor sometime in Bombay, some time in Delhi or a lecture in some educational institutions. It means that a pomegranate is divided into hundred patients.

    Amroha is very proud that Noor Amrohvi from his early age has proven his God given capabilities in various domains of life and that his personage has become a model for others. This fact is noteworthy that Noor Amrohvi loves Amroha intensely. Its living example is the suffix of “Amrohvi” with the name. While in America after receiving citizenship, everyone is allowed to change the name; his legal name is still Amrohvi, a fact not known to so many people. In America if the word Amrohvi is attached with anybody’s name he is no one else but Noor Amrohvi. More than that, pleasantly, he has two children aged 6 & 7 and both have their names tagged with Amrohvi and that is also written on their birth certificates. Finally join me in discussing Noor Amrohvi’s poetry.

    Noor Amrohvi has a unique and an inimitable style of composing verse which is certainly a difficult task. These verses indicate that the intellectual maturity of Noor Amrohvi and his multidimensional personality has given more depth and broadness to ghazal. In this age of chaos there are only a few voices like Noor Amrohvi who because of their loud clarion call have established their qualities besides remaining strongly wedded to humanity, gentleness and civility. Noor Amrohvi and poets from Amroha have perfumed and brightened the whole world. Wherever there is Urdu and Indian civilization their name is taken with great respect. It is our prayer that this lamp light should keep glowing

  • US aims to expand India arms trade by “billions of dollars”

    US aims to expand India arms trade by “billions of dollars”

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The United States has already made “tremendous progress” in expanding weapons sales to India since 2008, and US companies could see “billions of dollars” in additional sales in coming years, a senior US State Department official said on april 18.

    Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of state for politicalmilitary affairs, said US sales of military equipment to India had grown from zero in 2008 to around $8 billion, despite a decision by India to choose a French-built plane in a closely-watched fighter plane competition. “While that fighter competition loss was disappointing, we have made tremendous progress in the defense trade relationship,” he told a news briefing. “There’s going to be billions of dollars more in the next couple of years.” He said a major arms trade initiative headed by Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter was making good progress and should lead to “an ever greater pace of additional defense trade.” He gave no details on future possible arms sales. US weapons makers including Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), Boeing Co (BA.N), Raytheon Co (RTN.N) and others, are keen to sale their wares to India, the world’s largest arms importer, especially since US military spending is now declining after a decade of sharp growth fueled by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. India plans to spend about $100 billion over the next decade upgrading its mostly Sovietera military hardware.

    Shapiro, who is due to leave the State Department at the end of this week, said he had seen news reports about delays in India’s talks with France’s Dassault Aviation (AVMD.PA) about a $15 billion purchase of 126 Rafale fighter jets. But he said the US State Department had not received word from India that it planned to reopen that competition or move ahead with a separate Indian naval fighter competition. Lockheed and Boeing were eliminated from the Indian fighter competition in April 2011.

    Shapiro said the State Department was seeing continued demand for US weaponry from the Middle East and Asia, but US companies faced stiff competition from European weapons makers, who are also facing declining demand in their home markets. He declined to discuss any specific arms sales, but noted that Singapore, Indonesia, and Australia had been key partners in defense trade in recent years. South Korea is also expected to announce the winner of its 60-fighter competition soon.

    Shapiro said his office had dramatically increased its advocacy for US weapons makers under former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her successor, John Kerry, planned to continue the “economic diplomacy” initiative. Shapiro said State Department representatives planned to attend a major air show in Paris in June, despite mandatory budget cuts required under a process known as sequestration, but said officials would have to be conservative about the number of air shows they attended. He said sequestration-related furloughs could also slow the Pentagon’s work on export license requests, which threatened to slow or reverse progress made by the State Department in accelerating work on the licenses to 17 days on average now from 40 to 60 days several years ago. “Those processing times are likely to increase at a time when we’re trying to increase our defense trade. That’s not the best signal to send,” Shapiro said.

  • US man charged with threatening Obama, others

    US man charged with threatening Obama, others

    CORINTH, MISSISSIPPI (TIP): A man accused of mailing letters with suspected ricin to national leaders believed he had uncovered a conspiracy to sell human body parts on the black market and claimed “various parties within the government” were trying to ruin his reputation. Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, is charged with threatening President Barack Obama and others, according to a Thursday news release from the US department of justice. He is scheduled to appear in federal court on the two charges later on April 18, and if convicted could face up to 15 years in prison An affidavit says the letters sent to Obama, U.S. Sen.

    Roger Wicker and a judge in Mississippi told the recipients: “Maybe I have your attention now even if that means someone must die.” Curtis was arrested April 17 at his home in Corinth, Mississipi. Curtis had been living in Corinth, a city of about 14,000 in extreme northeastern Mississippi, since December, but local police had not had any contact with him prior to his arrest, Corinth Police Department Capt. Ralph Dance told The Associated Press on Thursday. Dance said the department aided the FBI during the arrest and that Curtis did not resist being taken into custody. Since Curtis arrived in the town, he had been living in “government housing,” Dance said. He did not elaborate.

    Police maintained a perimeter Thursday around Curtis’ home, and federal investigators were expected to search the house later in the morning, said local officers on the scene who declined to be identified. Four men who appeared to be investigators were in the neighborhood to speak to neighbors. There didn’t appear to be any hazardous-material crews, and no neighbors were evacuated. The material discovered in a letter to Wicker has been confirmed through field testing and laboratory testing to contain ricin, said Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance Gainer.

    The FBI has not yet reported the results of its own testing of materials sent to Wicker and to President Barack Obama. “Our field tests indicate it was ricin. Our lab tests confirm it was ricin. So I don’t get why others are continuing to use equivocal words about this,” Gainer said. Preliminary field tests can often show false positives for ricin. Ricin is derived from the castor plant that makes castor oil. There is no antidote, and it’s deadliest when inhaled.

    The material sent to Wicker was not weaponized, Gainer said. An FBI intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press said the two letters were postmarked Memphis, Tennessee. Both letters said: “To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance.” Both were signed, “I am KC and I approve this message.” The letters had Washington on edge in the days after the Boston Marathon bombing. As authorities scurried to investigate three questionable packages discovered in Senate office buildings on April 17, reports of suspicious items also came in from at least three senators’ offices in their home states. The items were found to be harmless. In addition, a Mississippi state lawmaker, Democratic Rep.

    Steve Holland, said Wednesday night that his 80- year-old mother, Judge Sadie Holland, received a threatening letter last week with a substance that has been sent to a lab for testing. He said this letter was also signed “K.C.” “She opened it herself” on April 11 and told Holland about it three days later, Holland said. He said she had not been to the doctor, but he planned to take her on April 18. “She’s fine,” Holland said. “She’s had no symptoms.” Curtis’ neighbors, who said he did not seem violent, were concerned about their safety on April 18 and worried by the idea that someone was making poison in a house that sits so close to their bedrooms and front yards.

  • FBI hunt for men isolated in video grab; no arrests yet

    FBI hunt for men isolated in video grab; no arrests yet

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Amid much confusion over the past 24 hours, it has emerged that US authorities have video grabs of at least one suspect and a few “persons of interest” in the Boston marathon bombing incident, but no arrests have been made yet. The images came from a store camera and cell phone footage from bystanders near the finish line where the explosions took place. In one instance, an individual is said to appear planting a bag close to where the explosions took place and then decamp from the scene even as others were stunned by the blast that follows.

    But in what came as a relief to many American immigrant communities, especially those from the subcontinent, it appears the prime suspect may be a white male, or at least not a “darkskinned” individual as one cable television channel reported initially. Also, the pressure cooker that was improvised as a bomb is made by a Spanish company named Fagor, and not one of the more popular ones from the subcontinent that are widely available in Asian stores here. The company said authorities had approached it for help in the probe and it was cooperating.

    Even as the FBI is lining up a manhunt, President Obama arrived in Boston to commiserate with the city and speak at an interfaith memorial where he pledged to find the terrorists and hold them responsible. Calling the killers “small stunted individuals who will rather destroy than build and think that makes them important,” Obama said America’s fidelity to a free and open society will only grow stronger. The media meanwhile got panned by the FBI by getting ahead of the story and reporting the arrest of a suspect late on April 17 when competitive pressure seemed to cause some reporters to overreach and over-interpret leaks.

  • ‘Don’t despair; you can still buy a home!’ The Ace Real Estate Guy Kenny Singh says

    ‘Don’t despair; you can still buy a home!’ The Ace Real Estate Guy Kenny Singh says

    Early predictions in 2013 seem to point that the real estate market is on the road to recovery. Kenny Singh also
    advertises this fact. He says, “In 2012, we were doing okay but this year, I can confirm we are better off. The market
    is gradually improving by 6 to 7 percent. This is a strong indicator that the meltdown is soon to dissipate.”

    After the terrible meltdown of 2008, some harsh truths came to the surface.Who cheated, who lied and who bent the rules to make quick money? But the biggest truth of it all was that those who remained true to the books, survived. Kenny Singh, founder and owner of New Age Properties, Inc. is a jack of many trades and master at real estate. Endowed with perhaps the most loyal and experienced staff, Kenny Singh has been able to face the meltdown without losing a lot. His knowledge in the real estate market of Long Island is perhaps unmatched and unquestioned. But before Kenny Singh learnt the nittygritty of real estate he was involved in many other trades. “I came in the United States in 1976 and that time I was working for an import and handicraft business. Soon after that, I worked with a tracking business. Then I worked in the retail industry in the garment section.

    I had heavy trades from Nepal and India. But the investment that I put in this trade was a sheer waste. Because, people from Nepal cheated me and I lost a lot of my hard earned money. I finally gave up. And in early 1990s, I changed my profession to real estate. From that time till now, I have been in this business,” says Singh. He made the switch to real estate for monetary reasons. Also, there was lower risk of direct investments in this profession. He made a sizeable amount in the 1990s as he soon began climbing the ladder of competition. He bent every competition from the time he established his own company in 1995. “There were not many contenders at that time during my rise in real estate. There was Usha Chandra and another, Salma in the Long Island area.


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    I was number three at that time. But I learned the trade fast. I soon became a broker while my competitors were still agents.” While many mimic the work ethics and performances of other role models, Kenny does not believe in having any external inspiration. He was driven to derive the best of him and believed only in himself. “I learnt on my own from everywhere. I worked as an agent. No role model. Just me. And because I had faith in myself, by 1995, I was the unquestioned king in this sector at Long Island.” Since 1995, he has sold a couple of hundred houses. He never kept a record of the actual number in his memory. Everything was sailing perfectly.

    The 1990s were considered the effervescent period for the real estate market in the US. There was an uncontainable demand for housing which was made possible to due to a more lenient loaning options made plausible by financial institutions and the Federal government. But the loom of a meltdown was predicted by many real estate developers, brokers and agents. One among them was Kenny Singh. “In 2008, we faced the downturn. But I survived. I had good savings and I made wise decisions before the meltdown. Also the threat of the meltdown was foreseen by many of us. But there was very little we could do except make moves to encourage savings.

    Despite it all, even I faced a loss of over $500,000,” he says. Early predictions in 2013 seem to point that the real estate market is on the road to recovery. Kenny Singh also advertises this fact. He says, “In 2012, we were doing okay but this year, I can confirm we are better off. The market is gradually improving by 6 to 7 percent. This is a strong indicator that the meltdown is soon to dissipate.” Many theories and conspiracies have been spewed over the reasons for financial crisis of 2008. Kenny simplifies it for us. “The banks were lenient and did not conduct proper checking of the buyer. The prices kept increasing but it was very easy to lend money at that time. So if you had a good credit, you could buy a house with 0% down payment and 4 percent interest.

    Naturally, we slumped. The money was never being protected. It was being offered to anyone and the hawks in the real estate business that thrived on making quick money paved easier way to this.” The federal government has taken immediate measures to dissolve the crisis and to avoid a repetition. And therefore, the market trend has changed immensely. Kenny explains, “The market trend has changed so much recently.

    For example, I was showing a house recently to a few people.We got an offer of more than our asking price many of the buyers. Most buyers are paying in all cash these days. This is an upward trend. Also according to our preliminary research for this year, the houses in the market do not become available for more than 63 days. It doesn’t matter if it they are good houses or bad houses. They all are gone. At this time, last year’s research shows that not only did we sell lesser number of houses compared to this year but the houses stayed for as long as 110 days in the market.

    In Hicksville during last year, only 508 houses were sold by all brokers. And this year we have sold an additional of 26 houses already with the rest of the year still to go. So there has been a 25% increase in the buyers demand.” More people in the Long Island area are opting for no-mortgage payment options by paying full amounts in cash. Besides that, many other loopholes are found by our community members while buying houses. Kenny explains why, “Mortgage is of course a very difficult financial process.

    Besides, the rate of interest is low as of now. What used to 7-8 percent five years ago is now 3.75 percent. Also, mortgage is not very easily available these days either. In Long Island, we have a ‘no income-full asset’ concept. This means that the person who is applying for mortgage must be self-employed. They don’t show their full income on paper.

    So while the banks offer 1% higher rate of interest for these people and ask for 35% down payment, it is not an issue for them because they have the money and they are not bound by life-long payment of mortgage. This proves beneficial to the bank also because no matter what the 35% down payment ensures easier and lower risks of payment for the buyer. But of course, it is all possible if you have good credit record.” So if you have the money and good credit history, it is plausible to buy a house without the hassle of long bound mortgages? “Yes. Of course, you have to go to the right people for this. I strongly recommend a good company which has the expertise, experience and people who understand real estate better than anyone else.” Yet, after the meltdown that hit almost every corner of the world, it is almost impossible to not ask this question.Will we face another meltdown? Kenny is quick to respond. “No. There will not be any downturn anytime now.

    The changes made by the government are enough to make sure the market stays up. It now conducts proper checking of the buyer and it also has asserted a few conditions on financial institutions. Besides, the last meltdown before 2008 was in 1931. Meltdown is not a quarterly or a five year recurring factor.” The realtors at Long Island belong under the banner of Long Island Board of Realtors.

    It is a multiple listing service that controls all the members of its board. There are regular training conducted every 2 years and violations of any rule and regulation is penalized for $1000 or license revokes. Kenny Singh was born in Moga in Punjab. He completed Engineering in Instrumental Technology from Chandigarh. He is married to Paramjit . He has a son Rimpoo Singh, and two daughters Jessica Singh and Monica Singh and a nephew Jeffrey Jeet Singh. Kenny and his family live with his parents in Long Island.