The Indian Panorama

Year: 2014

  • Obama ‘strongly condemns’ killing of Alan Henning

    Obama ‘strongly condemns’ killing of Alan Henning

    WASHINGTON (TIP): US President Barack Obama strongly condemned on October 2 the killing of British citizen Alan Henning by Islamic State militants fighting in Iraq and Syria and said the United States would seek to bring his killers to justice.

    “The United States strongly condemns the brutal murder of United Kingdom citizen Alan Henning” by the Islamic State group, Obama said in a statement.

    “Standing together with our UK friends and allies, we will work to bring the perpetrators of Alan’s murder —as well as the murders of Jim Foley, Steven Sotloff and David Haines — to justice,” Obama said, referring to other captives killed by Islamic State militants.

  • Barack Obama expresses interest in yoga

    Barack Obama expresses interest in yoga

    WASHINGTON: Impressed by the “energy and vigour” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to the US despite being on fast, President Barack Obama has expressed his interest in yoga, officials have said.

    While the First Lady has been instrumental in introducing yoga inside the White House, Obama appeared to be very impressed by the energy and vigour shown by Modi when he hosted the latter over a private working dinner in the Blue Room of the White House on Monday.

    “They joked about the fact that the rest were eating and the Prime Minister (Modi) was fasting. The president expressed admiration for the energy and the vigour with which the Prime Minister was able to maintain this rigorous schedule on a diet of only warm water,” assistant secretary of state for south and central Asia, Nisha Desai Biswal told reporters on October 2.

  • Woman sues sperm bank over black donor error

    Woman sues sperm bank over black donor error

    CLEVELAND: An Ohio woman has sued a sperm bank after she became pregnant with sperm donated by a black man instead of a white man as she and her partner had intended. The woman is seeking damages and wants to ensure the sperm bank doesn’t make a similar mistake again.

    Within days of their wedding in New York, Jennifer Cramblett and Amanda Zinkon had become pregnant with the donor sperm. In April 2012, five months into her pregnancy, Cramblett, 36, called Midwest Sperm Bank LLC outside Chicago to reserve sperm from the same donor in the hope that Zinkon, 29, would someday also have a child. That’s when Cramblett learned from a sperm bank employee that she had been inseminated with sperm from the wrong donor, according to a lawsuit filed on Monday against Midwest Sperm Bank in Illinois. Cramblett said they had chosen sperm from a man known as No. 380, a white donor. The sperm used for insemination came from No. 330, a black donor, she said.The lawsuit seeks a minimum of$50,000 in damages. “They took a personal choice, a personal decision and took it on themselves to make that choice for us out of pure negligence,” Cramblett said.

    Cramblett said that she and Zinkon love their 2-year-old daughter, Payton, very much. But they are concerned about raising her in the predominantly white community where they live.

  • Patna stampede: 33 killed after Dussehra event

    Patna stampede: 33 killed after Dussehra event

    CM announces Rs 3 lakh compensation each to kin of dead

    PATNA (TIP): At least 33 people, including 20 women and 10 children, were killed and 26 others injured in a stampede that broke out this evening outside rpt outside the sprawling Gandhi Maidan filled with huge crowds here shortly after the end of the Dussehra celebrations.

    The tragedy struck at around 7 PM at the South East corner of the ground near the Exhibition road when people were returning after watching the “Ravana Vadh” (killing of demon king) event and jostled with each other to move ahead, eyewitnesses and officials said.

    Tens of thousands of people had gathered to watch the annual event at the historic Gandhi Maidan where several pockets were reportedly dimly lit when the stampede broke out.

    Patna Medical College and Hospital’a (PMCH) Deputy Superintendent Sudhanshu Singh said 32 people died in the stampede–20 women, 10 children and two men. Seven girls were among the 10 child victims, he said, adding 26 people were injured and receiving treatment.

    Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has ordered an inquiry by Home Secretary and Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Gupteshwar Pandey, the CMO said.

    He has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh each to the next of the kin of the dead.

    Condoling the loss of lives in the stampede, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed.

    Eyewitnesses said the stampede was sparked by rumours that a live high high tension wire had snapped and fallen on ground triggering panic. However, there was no official confirmation of the exact cause of the stampede.

    Slippers, shoes and footwear lay strewn on a one-km stretch at the stampede site as people tried to flee from the scene.The PMCH has been cordoned off by the security forces.

    Hundreds of people were milling around the PMCH, some of them wailing, trying to locate their near and dear ones who got separated in the event. Several ambulances were seen going inside the PMCH carrying stampede victims.

    “There was a rush towards the exit gate that several women and children were run over in the frenzy,” Patna District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said. The Bihar Chief Minister was present at the Gandhi Maidan where people watched an arrow setting the 60-feet tall effigy of Ravan into flames. Inspector General of Police(Patna zone) Kundan Krishnan was seen manning the entrance of the PMCH regulating the entry of people.

    Rajnath seeks report : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh tonight spoke to Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi about the stampede in Patna which left 32 people dead after the Dussherra celebrations, sources said. Singh is understood to have sought a report from the state government on the incident.

  • PM CONNECTS WITH PEOPLE OVER RADIO WITH HIS ‘MANN KI BAAT’

    PM CONNECTS WITH PEOPLE OVER RADIO WITH HIS ‘MANN KI BAAT’

    NEW DELHI (TIP): In a new initiative to reach out to the maximum populace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3 connected with people over radio with his ‘mann ki baat’, giving a pep talk on shedding despondency and use of skills for the country’s betterment and prosperity.

    He impressed upon the people to generate confidence among themselves, including the specially-abled children who are a responsibility of the society, and advocated the need for use of khadi products as a homage to Mahatma Gandhi.

    He promised to make the radio broadcast a regular affair and invited ideas from the citizens while noting that he was encouraged by the number of suggestions he had received since it was announced that he would be addressing the nation over radio.

    In his 15-minute address that coincided with Dussehra, he sought to motivate people to recognise their capabilities and use them.

    “You know, our scientists have undertaken the Mars mission successfully at minimum expenses. There is nothing lacking in our capabilities. We only have forgotten our strengths. We have forgotten ourselves as if we have become despondents. My brothers and sisters, this cannot be,” he said.

    Contending that “the 125 crore Indians are blessed with immense skill and strength”, he said, “All we need to do is to understand our strengths.”

    To emphasise his point, the Prime Minister narrated a short story of Swami Vivekananda about how a lion brought up by sheep rediscovered his prowess after coming in touch with another lion.

    “If we move ahead with self-respect and right identity, we will emerge victorious,” he said.

    He also referred to Mahatma Gandhi, whose birth anniversary was celebrated yesterday, and impressed upon people to use at least one khadi product, may it be a handkerchief or even a bed sheet.

    “If you buy khadi, you light the lamp of prosperity in the house of a poor person,” he said.

  • Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: Clean India is responsibility of all , says Modi

    Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: Clean India is responsibility of all , says Modi

    Excerpt: Call it the PM effect. A police station in the heart of the capital was meticulously cleaned by a team from Sulabh International after a surprise inspection by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Oct 2. PM Modi was on his way to the Valmiki Basti, a colony that houses sanitation workers, nearby when he suddenly stopped his car and walked into the Mandir Marg police station in central Delhi. The parking lot was littered with garbage. The PM picked up a broom and tackled it for nearly 10 minutes, leaving the police officers who work at the station deeply embarrassed. The PM told them cleanliness is important. Then he left for a busy morning, crammed with events linked to the launch of the massive five-year Clean India campaignPM Modi made a surprise inspection at a police station.

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his nationwide cleanliness campaign, the
    ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ or ‘Clean India Campaign’ from the Valmiki Basti in New Delhi on October 2. Addressing the nation at the launch, Modi asked India’s 1.25 billion people to join the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ and promote it to everyone.

    After paying tribute at the memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries, Modi himself swept a pavement at Valmiki Basti, a colony of sanitation workers before the formal launch of the ‘Clean India’ drive at Rajpath. While launching the mission at Mandir Marg, he also made a surprise visit at the local police station to check on its cleanliness.

    Modi said, “Today is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhiji and Lal Bahadur Shastriji. We have gained freedom under leadership of Gandhiji, but his dream of clean India is still unfulfilled.”

    He added, “Swachh Bharat Campaign logo is not just a logo, through it Gandhiji is watching us and we all should clean India. I am not claiming that the newly elected government is doing everything. Be it temples, mosques, gurudwaras or any place, we must take efforts to clean our surroundings. Cleanliness is not only the responsibility of the ‘safaai kaamgar’, it is the responsibility of 125 crore Indians. If Indians can reach Mars at a cheap cost, can we not clean our neighbourhoods?”

    Giving credit to previous governments, Modi said, “I do not make any claim that only the newly elected government has done everything. All governments have done something or the other to achieve cleanliness in the country; I greet all of them for this. Swachh Bharat mission is beyond politics. It is inspired by patriotism and not politics.”

    Thanking the media for supporting this campaign, he said, “I know people will criticise me in the next few days, but to clean India I am ready to face the criticism.”

    Stating that this campaign cannot be done by only the government or the ministers, Modi said, “The work is to be done by all Indians. This campaign is for 1.2 billion people and I repeat it 1.2 billion times. This work is not only about a ‘prachar abhiyan’. It is a big effort but we have a lot of time.”

    Mentioning that the response he is getting on the social media is heartening, Modi said, “There are thousands of organisations which have been doing the great work of cleanliness, and they should also brought into the picture.”

    Modi asked people to take pictures of areas where they saw garbage, then clean the area and take pictures of the clean area. He asked people to upload these images on social media using MyGov, a mobile application.

    He added, “I have also started a social media campaign, I have invited nine people to post pictures of them cleaning and they will invite another nine people. It includes Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan, Yoga guru Ramdev baba and a team of Tarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah.”

    “I feel pained to see mothers and daughters to go in the open to relieve themselves. More than 60% people defecate in the open. Constructing more toilets is extremely important and we can at least do this to respect them. Don’t trust my government, but trust Mahatma Gandhi’s devotion to cleanliness,” he added.

    Prime Minister Modi also pledged to people saying ‘na main gandagi karoonga,na main gandagi karne doonga’ (I would not litter and won’t allow anyone to do so). He further flagged off a walkathon as part of the Swachh Bharat Campaign.

    Millions of people across the country are also joining daily the cleanliness initiatives of the government departments, NGOs and local community centers to make India completely clean by 2019.

    The Centre will spend nearly Rs 2 lakh crore in a five-year span as part of its ambitious plan to completely clean India by October 2019, coinciding with the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. While the Urban Development Ministry will allocate Rs 62,000 crore for cleaning towns across the country, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation will spend Rs 1,34,000 crores for the programme to be launched by Modi on October 2.

  • BJP TO ROLL OUT BIG GUNS FOR ASSEMBLY POLLS

    BJP TO ROLL OUT BIG GUNS FOR ASSEMBLY POLLS

    NEW DELHI (TIP): With Dussehra over, BJP will get into campaign mode for the Haryana and Maharashtra assembly polls on a war footing.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his senior ministers will have little time for anything else, criss-crossing the two states over the next two weeks, addressing rallies. BJP plans to hold at least four big rallies a day in each state till campaign ends for the October 15 polls.

    Modi will begin his charge on Saturday morning from Karnal in Haryana and move to Maharashtra to address three rallies in Beed, Aurangabad and Mahalakshmi (Mumbai). The PM will address 8-10 rallies in Haryana and around 22 in Maharashtra.

    Two senior ministers — home minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj — will be all over Haryana on Saturday, holding four rallies each in the state. Singh will be at Radaur, Kalayat, Julana and Jakholi Rai while Swaraj will address rallies in Kalka, Thanachhapar, Shahbad and Gohana. Singh will address about 15 rallies in each state.

    The party has decided to have Swaraj, who belongs to Haryana, focus on the state where BJP is contesting on its own and is aiming to replace the Congress government. Similarly, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari has been asked to concentrate on Maharashtra, his home state, where BJP is contesting without its 25-year-old partner Shiv Sena this time.

    Swaraj is scheduled to address about 22 rallies in Haryana and will be in Maharashtra only for a day on October 6, attending three rallies. She will take a break from campaigning as she is travelling abroad between October 8 and 10. Gadkari is expected to address about 36 rallies in Maharashtra.

    Party veteran L K Advani will address six rallies in Maharashtra and two in Haryana, while Murli Manohar Joshi will address two rallies in Maharashtra and one in Haryana.

    Urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu is slated to spend four days in Maharashtra and two in Haryana. Other ministers who will address a few rallies in both states are chemical and fertilizer minister Ananth Kumar, HRD minister Smriti Irani and social justice minister Thawar Chand Gehlot. Party chief Amit Shah will address about 15 rallies in each state.

    The party has roped in all its chief ministers to ensure its good governance campaign is showcased. Goa CM Manohar Parikkar will focus on Maharashtra while Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan will spare three days for Maharashtra and one for Haryana. Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje has three days in Maharashtra and two days in Haryana, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh and Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel will each spend two days in Maharashtra. On an average, the chief ministers will address three rallies a day, party vice-president M A Naqvi said.

    Not to forget its star power, BJP has roped in actor-turned-MPs Hema Malini, Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha to campaign in both states.

  • Hong Kong protesters call off talks with govt

    Hong Kong protesters call off talks with govt

    BEIJING (TIP): Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters cancelled planned talks with the government on electoral reforms on October 3 after violent scuffles broke out in the city’s Mong Kok district after a large group of people challenged the demonstrators who were into the fifth day of their agitation.

    The violence prompted agitation leaders to declare they do not want to hold discussions with Hong Kong’s chief secretary Carrie Lam, who had earlier expressed a desire to meet representatives of the Hong Kong Federation of Students to discuss “constitutional development matters”.

    The Hong Kong Federation of Students, one of the groups leading the protests that swelled to the tens of thousands earlier this week, said they saw no choice but to cancel the talks. “The government is demanding the streets be cleared. We call upon all Hong Kong people to immediately come to protect our positions and fight to the end,” the group said in a statement.

    Some protesters complained the thousand-odd people in the anti-protest group were stooges of the local government who were trying to create trouble to give the police an opportunity to make large-scale arrests. But the move apparently did not work as the protest leaders moved in, asking the protesters not to get provoked.

    The anti-protest group also comprised some shopkeepers who are unhappy the demonstrations have affected their business during the national day holidays, which end on October 7. The Hong Kong police continued to threaten agitators with “serious consequences” if they do not end the sit-in demonstrations and make it difficult for government offices to function.

    Reports suggest the government in Beijing is not able to push the Hong Kong police to go hammer and tongs against the agitators because they have a different training and tradition compared with the Chinese police. The extreme option for the central government in China is to send troops across the border.

    An independent observer told TOI that political resentment had come to stay in Hong Kong. “People in the city have seen small strikes but they have now got a taste of a city-wide popular movement for the first time,” the observer said. “The demand for full democracy will continue to rattle the government in Beijing.”

  • Sweden to become first major European country to recognize state of Palestine

    Sweden to become first major European country to recognize state of Palestine

    STOCKHOLM (TIP): Sweden’s new centre-left government will recognize the state of Palestine in a move that will make it the first major European country to take the step, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Friday.

    The UN general assembly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine in 2012 but the European Union and most EU countries, have yet to give official recognition.

    The conflict between Israel and Palestine can only be solved with a two-state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law,” Lofven said during his inaugural address in parliament.

    “A two-state solution requires mutual recognition and a will to peaceful co-existence. Sweden will therefore recognize the state of Palestine.”

    For the Palestinians, Sweden’s move will be a welcome boost for its ambitions.

    With its reputation as an honest broker in international affairs and with an influential voice in EU foreign policy, the decision may well make other countries sit up and pay attention at a time when the Palestinians are threatening unilateral moves towards statehood.

    However, there is likely to be strong criticism of Sweden from Israel, as well as from the United States and the EU, which maintain that an independent Palestinian state should only emerge through a negotiated process.

    Within the EU, some countries, such as Hungary, Poland and Slovakia recognize Palestine, but they did so before joining the 28-member bloc.

    If the centre-left government fulfils its plans, Sweden would be the first country to recognise Palestine while being a member of the European Union.

    The Social Democrats and Greens hold a minority of seats in parliament and the incoming centre-left government is likely to be one of Sweden’s weakest for decades.

    The former centre-right government would not recognise Palestine as the Palestinian authorities did not control their territory.

    The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza, with its capital in East Jerusalem. While Gaza’s boundaries are clearly defined, the precise territory of what would constitute Palestine in the West Bank and East Jerusalem will only be determined via negotiations with Israel on a two-state solution, negotiations which are currently suspended.

  • BATTLE RAGES FOR UKRAINE’S MAIN EASTERN AIRPORT

    BATTLE RAGES FOR UKRAINE’S MAIN EASTERN AIRPORT

    DONETSK, UKRAINE (TIP): Ukrainian forces clashed with pro-Russian insurgents for control of a strategic airport in the restive east on Friday and traded blame over the death of a Swiss aid worker, four weeks into their shaky truce.

    Heavy fighting engulfed the flashpoint transport hub north of Donetsk, with blasts echoing across the largest rebel-held city throughout the day, but its status remained in dispute.

    Separatist fighters said they were in control of almost the entire facility, which includes an old terminal and a brand new one built at a cost of nearly $1 billion for the 2012 football European Championship.

    The Ukrainian military confirmed that gunmen had briefly seized the first floor of the old building, but said they had since been pushed out, even though fighting continued.

    The weeks-long battle for the prized but no longer operating airport, whose long runway could let the separatists land large planes, has been one of many violations of a Russia-backed ceasefire signed on September 5.

    Since then, 71 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians — and an undisclosed number of separatists — have been killed across the Russian-speaking rustbelt, including a staff member of the Red Cross, whose office in Donetsk was hit on Thursday.

    Both Moscow and the separatist command pinned the blame on Ukrainian forces, which in turn accused the insurgents. Both sides have pelted Donetsk with long-range missiles that were developed in the Soviet era and are notoriously imprecise. The five-month conflict has killed more than 3,200 people and despite repeated violations of the truce, Western leaders still view it as the only viable option for ending Europe’s worst crisis in decades.

    Pro-Western President Petro Poroshenko assured the weary nation Friday that he had “enough energy to stop this war,” adding that “the enemy has made us stronger” despite the loss of 946 Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers since the start of hostilities in April.

    In Donetsk, a half-deserted city that once had nearly a million residents and is all but completely controlled by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Kiev’s forces seemed to be hanging on by a thread after spending weeks holed up at the airport.

    Separatist “prime minister” Alexander Zakharchenko told Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency that his men controlled 95 percent of the sprawling structure — all but one building.A female rebel at a checkpoint about two kilometres east of the airport told AFP that clashes around the field had gone on uninterrupted since 7:00 am.

    “We are controlling the main part of the airport, the Ukrainians are still in one building,” she said.
    “They (the Ukrainians) still hold two bunkers, we are fighting to take those,” said another rebel.

    The Ukrainian military argued Friday evening that its forces had repelled the attacks and were still “in control,” also accusing Russia of supplying the militias with reinforcements.”Our reconnaissance observed the arrival of considerable armour, heavy artillery and soldiers into this area,” defence spokesman Andriy Lysenko said.

    “Russian forces have moved a unit of unmanned aerial vehicles to the airport area for reconnaissance, which are operated by Russian specialists.” Kiev and the rebels, who agreed on September 19 to withdraw heavy weapons from a 30-kilometre (18.6 miles) buffer zone along the eastern front line, have blamed each other for violating the deal.

  • Hong Kong police arrest ‘triads’ over protest clashes

    Hong Kong police arrest ‘triads’ over protest clashes

    HONG KONG (TIP): Hong Kong police have arrested eight suspected members of triad criminal gangs over clashes at ongoing pro-democracy protests, after attacks by groups including Beijing supporters left demonstrators injured and bloodied.

    The announcement, early on Saturday by police that they had arrested 19 men, including several thought to have ties to the city’s notorious organised crime gangs, came after student protesters called off talks with the government, citing police failure to stop the attacks.

    Hong Kong’s main student union said it was walking away from negotiations after police appeared to ignore what it claimed was orchestrated violence carried out by paid thugs sent by authorities to stir up trouble, with the aim of discrediting the protesters.

    “There is no other option but to call off talks,” said the Hong Kong Federation of Students
    (HKFS), one of several groups driving a campaign for free elections that has brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets of the semi-autonomous Chinese city for a week.

    “The government and police turned a blind eye to violent acts by the triads targeting peaceful Occupy protesters,” the union added, referring to Occupy Central, another prominent group. At the press briefing on Saturday, police denied acting in concert with triads, adding that 12 people had been injured in the clashes, including six officers.

    Hong Kong’s embattled leader Leung Chun-ying, facing calls to resign but firmly backed by Beijing, had promised students talks with a top civil servant in an attempt to end the stand-off that has posed the most serious challenge to China’s ruling Communist Party in years.

    Amnesty International blasted police, saying officers had “stood by and did nothing” to protect protesters. It had first-hand witness accounts of women being attacked in the densely packed shopping districts of Causeway Bay and Mong Kok, the rights group said.

    Demonstrators compared the police “inaction” to Sunday, when officers fired pepper spray and teargas at the peaceful crowds.

    “The police are so unfair, these people attack us and they do nothing,” Jenny Cheung, a demonstrator, told AFP.

    “We protest peacefully and the police use tear smoke and pepper spray; when we are attacked the police do nothing.”

    Police have defended their response to the chaotic scenes; with senior superintendent Kong Man-keung telling reporters the force had “deployed a lot of manpower to control the situation”.

    But furious protesters said pro-Beijing thugs had been freely allowed to attack their camps. Crowds in Mong Kok chanted “Bring out the handcuffs!” late into the night.

    Police officers were seen escorting a man from the scene with his face covered in blood.

    There were widespread allegations of sexual assault in the packed crowds, with three girls seen being bundled into a police van in tears after apparently being assaulted at the Causeway Bay protest.”I urgently want to express to all citizens, no matter what attitude you have towards Occupy (Central), you still have to remain calm, and not use violence or disrupt order under any situation,” the city’s leader Leung, viewed by demonstrators as a Beijing stooge, said in a televised message.

  • Islamic State backs up force in Syria with threats, taunting calls

    Islamic State backs up force in Syria with threats, taunting calls

    YUMURTALIK, TURKEY (TIP): Khaled Baki phones the number of a fellow Kurdish fighter and gets through to the Islamic State militants who say they beheaded her.

    Baki’s friend, one of the Kurdish forces’ many female soldiers, disappeared as she fought to try and stop the Islamist militants’ push on Kobani, a predominantly Kurdish settlement in northern Syria close to the Turkish border.

    More than 180,000 people have fled ahead of Islamic State’s advance, alarmed by accounts of the jihadists’ ruthless tactics – reports that have been fuelled by taunting phone messages from the militants themselves describing gruesome deaths meted out to Kurdish comrades and loved ones.

    “We call her, someone else answers and says, ‘We cut off your friend’s head. Now we’re coming for your head,’” Baki said at Yumurtalik, just over the border from Kobani in Turkey.

    “She was just 21 years old, and they cut off her head,” added Baki, a builder before he became a fighter. On Friday he called the Islamists back and spat insults down the line.

    The Islamist fighters have pressed on in the face of US air strikes on their positions. Kurdish fighters warned on Friday they now faced a massacre as the insurgents encircled Kobani with tanks and bombarded its outskirts with artillery fire.

    Other Kurdish fighters have had calls from IS fighters vowing to take the town within days, using the mobile connections as a kind of psychological warfare. One said he was told: “We will be praying in your mosques by Eid,” an Islamic festival which starts on Saturday.

    BLACK FLAGS

    Fears of what is in store if the defence fails have been exacerbated by reports of Kurdish fighters finding headless corpses lining roads and bodies strung up on electricity poles.

    Syrian-Kurds who fled into Turkey say IS fighters have advanced through largely deserted villages.

    Residents reported IS militants arriving on motorbikes before the main force, spreading tales of horror to scare civilians into leaving, followed by pick-up trucks flying the group’s black flag. On some occasions, one person would be beheaded to spread the panic still further, they added.

    “They are looting what they want and burning the rest. They are killing people,” said Maslum Bergaden, who fled with his family to Yumurtalik.

    “Two of my brothers have been captured. They’re trying to delete our culture, wipe out our nation.”

    Cevdet Katash pulled down the metal shutters on his three shops and fled to Turkey with his two wives and children.

    “They are taking the women and selling them to brothels …(IS) is making money out of the sale of Kurdish and Yazidi women,” the 50-year-old said, referring to a Kurdish minority group that has been repeatedly targeted by the militants.

    “They say that the Kurds are heathens,” he added. Kobani was once seen as a relative safe haven from the savagery of Syria’s three year civil war, but the town has largely emptied of civilians since Islamic State shells began slamming into residential areas earlier this week. Fleeing residents say Kobani has been left to lightly armed Kurdish fighters who patrolled the empty streets, or constructed defensive positions in preparation for an onslaught.

    KURDS OUTGUNNED

    One 35-year-old woman who gave her name as Midya said a neighbour’s house was hit by a shell, killing two people.

    “Everyone in our area of town has come to Turkey,” she said, at the Turkish border, with the dull thud of IS artillery audible behind her. Islamic State’s use of heavy weapons, including tanks, to bombard the town from positions several kilometres away has highlighted the mismatch in armaments between the two sides.

    One young Turkish Kurd, Ayhan, said hundreds of people, mainly young men, have headed back to defend Kobani, vowing to battle street by street even though there are not enough guns for all of them.

    “They’re happy, they’re not worried about the war, they won’t give up Kobani to IS,” he said.But Kurdish forces are still struggling to compete with the jihadists, who are toting American-made arms seized from forces in neighbouring Iraq in a series of lightning advances since June.

    Kurdish leaders have made repeated appeals for Turkey to help. On Thursday jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan warned that peace talks between his PKK group and the Turkish state to resolve a three decades long insurgency against the Turkish government would end if there was a massacre in Kobani.

    But Saleh Muslim, head of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), said this week that calls for Turkey and western partners to provide arms had been ignored.

  • SHRADDHA KAPOOR SHOWERED WITH PRAISES FOR SINGING ‘DO JAHAAN’

    SHRADDHA KAPOOR SHOWERED WITH PRAISES FOR SINGING ‘DO JAHAAN’

    Shraddha Kapoor is an actress with back to back hits to her credit but she is extremely new in the music world.

    Besides her acting abilities, people are also talking about her singing abilities thanks to her second musical outing.

    Sharddha made her singing debut with the unplugged version of the song ‘Galliyan’ in Ek Villain. And now she has taken her singing career further by crooning ‘Do Jahaan’ for her upcoming film Haider.

    The actress has sung both songs with renowned singers. While she shared audio space with Ankit Tiwari in the unplugged version of ‘Galliyan’, she sang ‘Do Jahan’ with veteran singer Suresh Wadkar.

    While ‘Galliyan’ is a love ballad, ‘Do Jahaan’ is a Kashmiri folk song. Shraddha has sung two completely different kinds of songs equally well.

    The response Shraddha’s voice has received is phenomenal. She is overwhelmed by the positive feedback she has been receiving from all uarters for ‘Do Jahaan’.

    Most importantly, the positive feedback and praise coming in from her co-singers Ankit Tiwari and Suresh Wadkar, who are themselves so phenomenal, gives the actress a different high.

  • New York needs Preet Bharara

    New York needs Preet Bharara

    New York needs Preet Bharara to stay on as US attorney and keep fighting corruption

    Preet Bharara remains New York’s best and only hope for uprooting corruption in politics and business. Yet he’s being touted as a successor to Attorney General Eric Holder.
    At the recent Crain’s breakfast, Bharara joked that he’d asked his mother to stop calling newspapers and floating his name to replace Holder.

    Don’t go, Preet – New York needs you.

    A century ago, another reform-minded, corruption-fighting New York crusader was trundled off to Washington, DC by the political bosses whose livelihoods he threatened.

    In 1900, Albany powerbrokers arranged for immensely popular first-term Gov. Theodore Roosevelt to win the Republican nomination for Vice President.

    Today, the heirs of those Albany bosses are probably working overtime to engineer Bharara’s rise from US Attorney for the Southern District of New York to US Attorney General. The Post has already reported that GOP senators are disposed to approve Bharara, should President Obama nominate him.

    To his credit, Bharara hasn’t been prone to the media grandstanding of another high-profile crusading US attorney of a generation ago. He hasn’t done anything as theatrical or crass as the time Rudy Giuliani joined then-Sen. Alphonse D’Amato to play dress-up in Hell’s Angels attire for a drug bust.

    Preet Bharara only wears one costume: the crisply pressed dark suit of a federal prosecutor casting out the demons that bedevil Albany, City Hall and Wall Street.

    He has successfully indicted and prosecuted state legislators, City Council members and Wall Street bankers.

    His office is investigating the physical abuse of teen detainees by city Correction Officers on Rikers Island.

    He’s recovered tens of millions of dollars for taxpayers from the cash siphoned away in the CityTime scandal.

    His takeover of the Moreland Commission’s aborted investigations into political corruption in Albany has given Gov. Cuomo serious “agita.” And he says that his office isn’t working the Moreland investigations on anyone else’s schedule but his own.

    Understandably, some South Asians would love to see the India-born Bharara ascend to the position of top prosecutor in the United States. Attorney and Indian-American community leader Ravi Batra says Bharara “is uniquely qualified to be US Attorney General.”

    Yet Bharara’s prosecution of Indian bankers hasn’t endeared him to others in that community. At the Crain’s event, he disclosed being called “a coconut and an Uncle Tom.”

    The righteous are often disparaged by those blind to their moral purpose.

    Bharara has been outspoken in his belief that the media is the best institution for uncovering corruption in business and politics. No one in recent memory has been as forceful in making that assertion.

    And his questioning of Albany’s legislative process spurred news media to investigate the nexus between bills, laws and cash – whether campaign contributions or other inducements.

    Indeed, the other day he flagged the need for state lawmakers to fully disclose their outside incomes and clients – an area where secrecy only shields the influence-peddlers.

    There is no good reason for New Yorkers to permit our era’s Teddy Roosevelt to be trundled off to Washington, DC before he “dissolves the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics.”

    Don’t let the Albany bosses win

    By Michael Benjamin

    (Courtesy New York Post : Published October 2, 2014) Twitter: @SquarePegDem

  • 3 A.M | MOVIE REVIEW

    3 A.M | MOVIE REVIEW

    MOVIE REVIEW

    Cast: Rannvijay Singh, Anindita Nayar, Salil Acharya, Kavin Dave
    Direction: Vishal S Mahadkar
    Genre: Horror
    Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes

    Story: After the mysterious death of his girlfriend at the haunted Rudra Mills, a reality TV host and his friends venture into the forbidden land to determine whether ghosts exist. To gather proof, they plan to capture the supposed paranormal activities on camera. Do they survive?

    Review: Going by the title, the film also enlightens those who’ve unheard of 3 A.M being the ‘devil’s hour’, where ghosts are thought to be at their most powerful. Can Sunny (Rannvijay Singh) and his friends (Salil Acharya, Kavin Dave) manage to decode the mystery surrounding the mills during this ungodly hour?

    3 A.M borrows from Paranormal Activity and Mirrors to a certain extent. That’s not an issue since most horror films lack originality. However, this film fails to match up to the scares and chills provided by its Hollywood predecessors, that make you go numb with fear. And lack of deadly silence is a major reason behind the failure of the premise, which otherwise had potential.

    A good horror film is atmospheric and this one falls flat here. You want the actors to ‘stop talking’ for a while but that doesn’t happen till the end. They constantly engage in silly banter, chatting or debating trivial issues, giving you headaches instead of fear.

    No time or effort is invested to create the desired mood. Also, dialogues to the effect of, ‘Hum rudra ki aatma ko provoke karte hai’ do not work. Besides, a bizarre flashback at the most inappropriate moment ruins it.

    About the cast, Rannvijay Singh looks good and his presence is the best part about the film. However, we wish he does something non-Roadies the next time on the big screen. Salil Acharya and Kavin Dave are decent in supporting roles.

    3 A.M is a conversation-heavy horror film. If that doesn’t put you off, you can give it a shot. Else, watch Insidious or The Conjuring once again on DVD.

  • SONAM KAPOOR: I WILL BE WORKING WITH FAWAD AGAIN

    SONAM KAPOOR: I WILL BE WORKING WITH FAWAD AGAIN

    Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor, who is riding high on the success of ‘Khoobsurat’, says she will work with her Pakistani co-star Fawad Khan again.

    Sonam, whose chemistry with Fawad in the remake of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s 1980 Khoobsurat has been appreciated, says she cannot wait to work with the actor again.

    “People have loved our performances and also our chemistry in the movie. They are going crazy over the romance. Fawad and I are working together again for sure,” the actress told media.

    The Raanjhanaa star said she is shocked at the audience’s response to Khoobsurat and now feels the film should have been released on a bigger scale. “We released it on 900 screens because we did not expect this kind of reaction. People thought this will be another ‘Aisha’ but they were surprised with the film. People have given a lot of love to our movie. They are praising me so much and I feel weird because I don’t think I have done something really great. It feels surreal,” Sonam said.

  • KELLY BROOK TELLS DAVID MCINTOSH TO MOVE ON

    KELLY BROOK TELLS DAVID MCINTOSH TO MOVE ON

    Actress-model Kelly Brook, who dumped her fiance David McIntosh recently, has no plans to reconcile with him. She actually wants her former beau to “stay away” from her.

    McIntosh insists allegations about him cheating are false and he wants to prove to Brook they have a future together, but the latter wants him to drop the idea, reports mirror.co.uk.

    Now, aides for the model are considering moving her to a secret location, and even considering hiring security to avoid trouble. As concerned managers of Brook don’t want her personal problems to interfere with her huge US sitcom debut role and film schedule.

    They fear her profile image could be affected too if she is seen being publicly humiliated with a long drawn out media scandal. Brook is urging McIntosh to stay put in Britain as she wants to move on. “Kelly is adamant that David should not fly to the US. She says she is not interested in seeing him and has nothing more to say about their relationship,” said a source close to McIntosh.

  • MOVIE REVIEW | Two Night Stand

    MOVIE REVIEW | Two Night Stand

    MOVIE REVIEW | Two Night Stand

    Cast: Analeigh Tipton, Miles Teller, Jessica Szohr, Scott Mescudi, Levin Rambin
    Direction: Max Nichols
    Genre: Romantic Comedy
    Duration: 1 hour 23 minutes

    Story: An online encounter between two singletons in New York leads to a one night stand. The morning after isn’t as sweet though and they have a mighty row. But thanks to a huge snowstorm, Megan (Tipton) is forced to stay put in Alec’s (Teller) apartment for a while and the two have no choice but to get better acquainted.

    Review: Megan has been unlucky in love, and is newly single. Her roommate Faiza (Szohr) gets busy with her boyfriend one weekend with an extended lovemaking session and Megan has no option but to allow them their privacy. She decides that she’d fancy a bit of some no-strings-attached fun.

    Somewhat emboldened after a few glasses of red wine, the plucky Megan settles down on her couch and logs on to a dating site with one purpose in mind – to look for a prospective date who will not creep her out, for a one night stand. Her search is surprisingly quick and she comes across the profile of someone who catches her fancy. Casual banter leads to a video chat and she makes a snap decision to head on over to his apartment.

    The awkwardness of the next day quickly degenerates into an argument as Megan feels slighted by something that Alec said upon waking up. He passes a remark which she thinks is a comment on her morals. And just as she leaves in a huff, hoping never to see him again, nature intervenes. Because of the massive snowstorm, nobody can venture outdoors and they’re stuck with one another.

    Two Night Stand has the vibe of a reality show and the feel of a play, where most of the action takes place in Alec’s cozy apartment, in two or three rooms. Teller and Tipton both put in some charming performances. Their delightful repartee is quite clearly the movie’s strongest aspect. It keeps you engaged and is often amusing. While the plot is simple enough, this is, in essence, a pretty candid and contemporary take on young love, with its many colourful details.

  • KEIRA KNIGHTLEY NOT SCARED OF AGEING

    KEIRA KNIGHTLEY NOT SCARED OF AGEING

    Actress Keira Knightley says she isn’t scared of getting older as her “early twenties were not much fun”.

    In an interview with Glamour magazine, the 29-year-old shared her views about ageing and said she was looking forward to her next big birthday,” reports dailymail.co.uk.

    The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star will turn 30 March 26.

    “I’m not actually worried about turning 30 Because, honestly, my early twenties were not much fun. Then after 25, things just got better and better,” she said.

    “Maybe you stop caring as much about where you should be going and what other people think – which is all the s**t that makes you very unhappy early on,” she added.

    The actress, who got married to Klaxons rocker James Righton May 2013, also admitted that being married doesn’t make her feel grown-up.

    “Actually, I feel less grown-up as I go along. I reached my peak of grown-up behaviour at 20 and 21, and it’s been downhill since then,” she said.

    “I was terribly sensible as a teenager but I’ve got far less so as I’ve grown up, which has been a huge relief for everyone -including my parents,” she added.

  • SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

    SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

    CONTD FROM Vol 8 ISSUE 38

    || 2 || 10 || 38 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The Perfect Guru has revealed His power, and compassion has welled up in every heart. Blending me with Himself, He has blessed me with glorious greatness, and I have found pleasure and happiness. || 1 ||The Perfect True Guru is always with me.

    Meditating on the Supreme Lord God, I am forever in ecstasy. || Pause ||Inwardly and outwardly, in all places and interspaces, wherever I look, He is there. Nanak has found the Guru, by great good fortune; no one else is as great as He. || 2 ||11 || 39 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: I have been blessed with peace, pleasure, bliss, and the celestial sound current, gazing upon the feet of God. The Savior has saved His child, and the True Guru has cured his fever. || 1 || I have been saved, in the True Guru’s Sanctuary; service to Him does not go in vain. || 1 || Pause ||There is peace within the home of one’s heart, and there is peace outside as well, when God becomes kind and compassionate. O Nanak, no obstacles block my way; my God has become gracious and merciful to me. || 2 || 12 || 40 ||SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: In the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, my mind became excited, and I sang the Praises of the jewel of the Naam. My anxiety was dispelled, meditating in remembrance on the Infinite Lord; I have crossed over the world ocean, O Siblings of Destiny. || 1 ||I enshrine the Lord’s Feet within my heart. I have found peace, and the celestial sound current resounds within me; countless diseases have been eradicated. || Pause ||Which of Your Glorious Virtues can I speak and describe? Your worth cannot be estimated. O Nanak, the Lord’s devotees become imperishable and immortal; their God becomes their friend and support. || 2 || 13 || 41 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: My sufferings have come to an end, and all diseases have been eradicated. God has showered me with His Grace. Twenty-four hours a day, I worship and adore my Lord and Master; my efforts have come to fruition. || 1 || O Dear Lord, You are my peace, wealth and capital. Please, save me, O my Beloved! I offer this prayer to my God. || Pause || Whatever I ask for, I receive; I have total faith in my Master. Says Nanak, I have met with the Perfect Guru, and all my fears have been dispelled. || 2 || 14 || 42 ||

    SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: Meditating, meditating in remembrance on my Guru, the True Guru, all pains have been eradicated. The fever and the disease are gone, through the Word of the Guru’s Teachings, and I have obtained the fruits of my mind’s desires. || 1 || My Perfect Guru is the Giver of peace. He is the Doer, the Cause of causes, the Almighty Lord and Master, the Perfect Primal Lord, the Architect of Destiny. || Pause || Sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord in bliss, joy and ecstasy; Guru Nanak has become kind and compassionate. Shouts of cheers and congratulations ring out all over the world; the Supreme Lord God has become my Savior and Protector. || 2 || 15 || 43 ||SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: He did not take my accounts into account; such is His forgiving nature. He gave me His hand, and saved me and made me His own; forever and ever, I enjoy His Love. || 1 || The True Lord and Master is forever merciful and forgiving. My Perfect Guru has bound me to Him, and now, I am in absolute ecstasy. ||Pause || The One who fashioned the body and placed the soul within, who gives you clothing and nourishment – He Himself preserves the honor of His slaves.

    Nanak is forever a sacrifice to Him. || 2 || 16 || 44 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The Lord God Himself has rid the whole world of its sins, and saved it. The Supreme Lord God extended His mercy, and confirmed His innate nature. || 1 || I have attained the Protective Sanctuary of the Lord, my King. In celestial peace and ecstasy, I sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord, and my mind, body and being are at peace. || Pause || My True Guru is the Savior of sinners; I have placed my trust and faith in Him. The True Lord has heard Nanak’s prayer, and He has forgiven everything. || 2 || 17 || 45 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The Supreme Lord God, the Transcendent Lord, has forgiven me, and all diseases have been cured. Those who come to the Sanctuary of the True Guru are saved, and all their affairs are resolved. || 1 || The Lord’s humble servant meditates in remembrance on the Naam, the Name of the Lord; this is his only support. The Perfect True Guru extended His Mercy, and the fever has been dispelled. || Pause ||So celebrate and be happy, my beloveds – the Guru has saved Hargobind. Great is the glorious greatness of the Creator, O Nanak; True is the Word of His Shabad, and True is the sermon of His Teachings. || 2 || 18 ||46 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: My Lord and Master has become Merciful, in His True Court. The True Guru has taken away the fever, and the whole world is at peace, O Siblings of Destiny. The Lord Himself protects His beings and creatures, and the Messenger of Death is out of work. || 1 ||Enshrine the Lord’s feet within your heart. Forever and ever, meditate in remembrance on God, O Siblings of Destiny. He is the Eradicator of suffering and sins. || 1 ||Pause || He fashioned all beings, O Siblings of Destiny, and His Sanctuary saves them. He is the Almighty Creator, the Cause of causes, O Siblings of Destiny; He, the True Lord, is True. Nanak: meditate on God, O Siblings of Destiny, and your mind and body shall be cool and calm. || 2 || 19 || 47 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: O Saints, meditate on the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. Never forget God, the ocean of peace; thus you shall obtain the fruits of your mind’s desires. || 1 || Pause ||Extending His Mercy, the Perfect True Guru has dispelled the fever. The Supreme Lord God has become kind and compassionate, and my whole family is now free of pain and suffering. || 1 || The Treasure of absolute joy, sublime elixir and beauty, the Name of the Lord is my only Support. O Nanak, the Transcendent Lord has preserved my honor, and saved the whole world. || 2 || 20 || 48 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: My True Guru is my Savior and Protector. Showering us with His Mercy and Grace, God extended His Hand, and saved Hargobind, who is now safe and secure. || 1 || Pause || The fever is gone – God Himself eradicated it, and preserved the honor of His servant. I have obtained all blessings from the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy; I am a sacrifice to the True Guru. || 1 || God has saved me, both here and hereafter.

    He has not taken my merits and demerits into account. Your Word is eternal, O Guru Nanak; You placed Your Hand of blessing upon my forehead. || 2 || 21 || 49 ||SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: All beings and creatures were created by Him; He alone is the support and friend of the Saints. He Himself preserves the honor of His servants; their glorious greatness becomes perfect. || 1 || The Perfect Supreme Lord God is always with me. The Perfect Guru has perfectly and totally protected me, and now everyone is kind and compassionate to me. || 1 || Pause || Night and day, Nanak meditates on the Naam, the Name of the Lord; He is the Giver of the soul, and the breath of life itself. He hugs His slave close in His loving embrace, like the mother and father hug their child. || 2 || 22 || 50 ||

    SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL, THIRD HOUSE, CHAU-PADAS:
    ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU:

    Meeting with the council, my doubts were not dispelled. The chiefs did not give me satisfaction. I presented my dispute to the noblemen as well. But it was only settled by meeting with the King, my Lord. || 1 ||Now, I do not go searching anywhere else, because I have met the Guru, the Lord of the Universe. || Pause || When I came to God’s Darbaar, His Holy Court, then all of my cries and complaints were settled. Now that I have attained what I had sought, where should I come and where should I go? || 2 || There, true justice is administered. There, the Lord Master and His disciple are one and the same. The Inner-knower, the Searcher of hearts, knows. Without our speaking, He understands. || 3 || He is the King of all places. There, the unstruck melody of the Shabad resounds. Of what use is cleverness when dealing with Him?Meeting with Him, O Nanak, one loses his self-conceit. || 4 || 1 || 51 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: Enshrine the Naam, the Name of the Lord, within your heart; sitting within your own home, meditate on the Guru. The Perfect Guru has spoken the Truth; the True Peace is obtained only from the Lord. || 1 || My Guru has become merciful. In bliss, peace, pleasure and joy, I have returned to my own home, after my purifying bath. || Pause ||True is the glorious greatness of the Guru; His worth cannot be described. He is the Supreme Overlord of kings. Meeting with the Guru, the mind is enraptured. || 2 ||All sins are washed away, meeting with the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy. The Lord’s Name is the treasure of excellence; chanting it, one’s affairs are perfectly resolved. || 3 || The Guru has opened the door of liberation, and the entire world applauds Him with cheers of victory. O Nanak, God is always with me; my fears of birth and death are gone. || 4 || 2 || 52 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The Perfect Guru has granted His Grace, and God has fulfilled my desire. After taking my bath of purification, I returned to my home, and I found bliss, happiness and peace. || 1 || O Saints, salvation comes from the Lord’s Name. While standing up and sitting down, meditate on the Lord’s Name.

    Night and day, do good deeds. || 1 ||Pause || The way of the Saints is the ladder of righteous living, found only by great good fortune. The sins of millions of incarnations are washed away, by focusing your consciousness on the Lord’s feet. || 2 || So sing the Praises of your God forever; His almighty power is perfect. All beings and creatures are purified, listening to the True Teachings of the True Guru. || 3 || The True Guru has implanted the Naam, the Name of the Lord, within me; it is the Eliminator of obstructions, the Destroyer of all pains. All of my sins were erased, and I have been purified; servant Nanak has returned to his home of peace. || 4 || 3 || 53 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: O Lord Master, You are the ocean of excellence. My home and all my possessions are Yours. The Guru, the Lord of the world, is my Savior. All beings have become kind and compassionate to me. ||

    1 || Meditating on the Guru’s feet, I am in bliss. There is no fear at all, in God’s Sanctuary. || Pause || You dwell in the hearts of Your slaves, Lord. God has laid the eternal foundation. My strength and wealth are Yours, Yours. You are my Almighty Lord and Master. || 2 ||Whoever finds the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is saved by God Himself. By His Grace, He has blessed me with the sublime essence of the Naam. All joy and pleasure then came to me. || 3 ||God became my helper and my best friend; everyone rises up and bows down at my feet. With each and every breath, meditate on God; O Nanak, sing the songs of joy to the Lord.

  • LAKSHMI PUJA

    LAKSHMI PUJA

    Goddess Lakshmi means Good Luck to Hindus. The word ‘Lakshmi’ is derived from the Sanskrit word “Laksya”, meaning ‘aim’ or ‘goal’, and she is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material and spiritual.
    Lakshmi is the household goddess of most Hindu families, and a favorite of women. Although she is worshipped daily, the festive month of October is Lakshmi’s special month. Lakshmi Puja is celebrated on the full moon night of Kojagari Purnima (October 8).

    The Lakshmi Form

    Lakshmi is depicted as a beautiful woman of golden complexion, with four hands, sitting or standing on a full-bloomed lotus and holding a lotus bud, which stands for beauty, purity and fertility. Her four hands represent the four ends of human life: dharma or righteousness, “kama” or desires, “artha” or wealth, and “moksha” or liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

    Cascades of gold coins are seen flowing from her hands, suggesting that those who worship her gain wealth. She always wears gold embroidered red clothes. Red symbolizes activity and the golden lining indicates prosperity. Lakshmi is the active energy of Vishnu, and also appears as Lakshmi-Narayan -Lakshmi accompanying Vishnu.

    Two elephants are often shown standing next to the goddess and spraying water. This denotes that ceaseless effort, in accordance with one’s dharma and governed by wisdom and purity, leads to both material and spiritual prosperity.

    A Mother Goddess

    Worship of a mother goddess has been a part of Indian tradition since its earliest times. Lakshmi is one of the mother goddesses and is addressed as “mata” (mother) instead of just
    “devi” (goddess).

    As a female counterpart of Lord Vishnu, Mata Lakshmi is also called ‘Shri’, the female energy of the Supreme Being. She is the goddess of prosperity, wealth, purity, generosity, and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. The importance attached to the presence of Lakshmi in every household makes her an essentially domestic deity. Householders worship Lakshmi for the well being and prosperity of the family. Businessmen and women also regard her equally and offer her daily prayers.

    On the full moon night following Dusshera or Durga Puja, Hindus worship Lakshmi ceremonially at home, pray for her blessings, and invite neighbors to attend the puja. It is believed that on this full moon night the goddess herself visits the homes and replenishes the inhabitants with wealth. A special worship is also offered to Lakshmi on the auspicious Diwali night.

    The 8 Forms of Lakshmi

    Just as the Mother Goddess Durga has nine appellations, her daughter Lakshmi has eight different forms. This concept of Goddess Lakshmi in her eightfold form is referred to as the Ashta-Lakshmi.

    Lakshmi is also considered a Mother Goddess when it comes to providing wealth in its 16 forms: Knowledge, intelligence, strength, valor, beauty, victory, fame, ambition, morality, gold and other wealth, food grains, bliss, happiness, health and longevity, and virtuous off-springs.

    The eight forms of Ashta-Lakshmi are believed to fulfill these human necessities and desires through their individual nature and manifestations.

    The eight divine forms of Goddess Lakshmi or Ashta-Lakshmi comprises:

    Aadi-Lakshmi (The Primeval Goddess) or Maha Lakshmi (The Great Goddess)
    Dhana-Lakshmi or Aishwarya Lakshmi (The Goddess of Prosperity and Wealth)
    Dhaanya-Lakshmi (Goddess of Food grains)
    Gaja-Lakshmi (The Elephant Goddess)
    Santana-Lakshmi (The Goddess of Progeny)
    Veera-Lakshmi or Dhairya Lakshmi (The Goddess of Valor and Courage)
    Vidya-Lakshmi (The Goddess of Knowledge)
    Vijaya-Lakshmi or Jaya Lakshmi (The Goddess of Victory)

    Kojagari Lakshmi Puja

    Kojagari Lakshmi Puja is performed at most of the Bengali Hindu households in West Bengal. Devi Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity is worshipped on a full moon day of autumn, more precisely in the month of ‘Ashwin’ according to Bengali calendar. The day is known as ‘Kojagori ‘or ‘Sharad Purnima’.

    Legend of the Festival
    Hindus believe that on the day of Kojagori purnima, Goddess Lakshmi visits every household asking ‘Kojagori?’ which means ‘Who is awake?’ in Bengali. One, who is found awake throughout the night waiting for the Goddess, receives her blessings and his/her household fills with affluence and prosperity. Hence devotees spend the night sleepless singing, playing or chatting. According to Hindu mythology, Devi Lakshmi was born on Sharad Purnima which is why this auspicious day has been assigned for worshipping her. Kojagari Purnima is also celebrated in Orissa as Kumar Purnima and in Gujrat as Sharad purnima.

    Celebration and Rituals of Festival

    Kojagari Lakshmi Puja is popularly celebrated in West Bengal to offer prayers and devotion to Devi Lakshmi. The Goddess of beauty, wealth and good fortune descends on earth to bestow her devotees with everlasting affluence. Bengalis perform Lakshmi Puja at night although the preparation continues throughout the day. They decorate homes with articulate ‘Alpana’ or ‘Rangoli’ and cook special ‘Bhog’ (various vegetarian dishes to be offered to the Goddess). Offerings for the Devi include Bengali specialties like ‘Narkel Naru’, a sweet prepared from coconut crumbs, ‘Khichuri’, delicious preparation of mixed rice and dal and ‘Payesh’, another delicious Bengali dessert prepared with milk, rice, sugar and dry fruits. Puja is offered after a daylong fast and during the puja, devotional songs are sung and ‘Bratakatha’, stories about Goddess Lakshmi’s munificence are told. Men and women wear traditional Bengali attire ‘Sari’ and ‘Dhoti-kurta’ respectively.

    Significance of Festival
    Bengalis are known for their festivities and devotion towards Gods and Goddesses. Kojagari Lakshmi Puja comes in between Durga Puja and Kali Puja which further enhances the festive celebrations in the mean time. Clay diyas are lit to rule away all gloom and evil spirits. The festival exemplifies arrival of fortune and happiness to the household.

    This page is sponsored by
    AARRIISSHH SSAAHHAANNII New York Life Insurance Agent
    Call For Insurance Quotes
    Sahanis, Arish, Shiv, Priya 718 271 0453

    Serving Since 1972
    sahani108@gmail.com

  • HOW TO LINK YOUR ROOMS WITH COLOUR

    HOW TO LINK YOUR ROOMS WITH COLOUR

    If you think a single colour scheme for all the rooms in your house is boring, you are wrong. They add style and warmth to the decor

    Giving individual rooms a link with each other through colours isn’t difficult at all. Not only will it make your rooms look great, but will also create a harmonious atmosphere.

    Why should you link rooms with colour?

    It makes the overall look relaxing

    One reason why you should link one room to the other is because colours that continue from one space to another allow the eye to recognise familiar elements as you move through your home. However, this does not mean that all the rooms in your house have to follow the same colour scheme, whether it’s on the ceiling, wall or upholstery.

    To make your room look bigger When you link one colour to the other, it also makes your room look bigger. Competing colour schemes enhance the feeling of boundaries between each room, thus making them look bigger.

    You save money

    Instead of choosing different colours that may have different prices, one colour scheme will help save your budget. You can always add wallpapers if you think a room is lacking appeal.

    HOW TO DO IT

    With woodwork

    The best and easiest way to create a colour link between each of your rooms is through elements such as window frames and doors. You can use laminated woodwork or teak wood throughout the length and breadth of your house to match the colour scheme.

    Repeat them on the walls

    Using the same paint on all the walls is another way to create a colour scheme. If you do not wish to use the same paint throughout, choose different shades of it. For example, if you choose dark green for your living room, opt for peacock green in your dining room and mint green for your bedroom.

    Use them with fabrics and accessories

    That’s another way to link one room to the other. You can introduce cushions, curtains and upholstery featuring a wall colour from another space. This will create the necessary flow of colour, at the same time maintaining the distinctness of two rooms.

    Wallpapers at your rescue

    If you feel following one colour scheme throughout the house may look monotonous, choose from a wide range of wallpapers. There are plenty of wallpapers available in the market that you can choose from — floral, graphic, symmetrical, hand-printed, multi-coloured etc.

    Colour combinations
    If you are wondering which colour schemes to select, here are a few you can try.

    Green (dark, peacock and mint)
    Red (blood red, maroon and pinkish red)
    Purple (lavender and mauve)
    White (pure white, beige and cream)
    Blue (royal, aqua and sky)

  • KEEP YOUR SKIN LOOKING YOUNG

    KEEP YOUR SKIN LOOKING YOUNG

    UP YOUR VITAMIN C IN TAKE

    A study published in the American Journal of Nutrition found women over 40 with the highest amount of vitamin C in their diet were less likely to develop wrinkles than those who consumed lower levels.”Vitamin C is crucial to the formation of collagen. Without it, amino acids can’t be linked to form the protein,” says dietitian Jo Travers, “Good sources are red pepper, dark green leafy vegetables like broccoli and sprouts, tomatoes, oranges and kiwi fruit.” Skincare products that contains vitamin C is also thought to encourage collagen repair (it’s usually listed on the label as LAscorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate or ascorbyl phosphate).

    STOP SMOKING

    “Smoking creates enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which damage the collagen in your skin; hence the telltale sagging which many smokers are betrayed by,” says consultant dermatologist Dr Nick Lowe.

    STAY SUN SAFE

    Sun exposure is a prime suspect for hastening collagen loss. “UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin and damage the deep collagen support structures there,” says Dr Lowe, “My advice would be to wear an SPF15 broad spectrum cream (one that protects against UVA and UVB rays) through the year.”

    REACH FOR RETINOL

    Retinoid creams -only available on prescription -have been proven to help boost collagen production. “Retinoids reduce substances in the skin that break down collagen after sun exposure and also target receptors in the skin which increase the production of collagen,” says Dr Maria Gonzalez. You can get your hands on milder forms of retinoid in over-the-counter retinol creams.

    CUT BACK ON THE STUFF SWEET

    According to Dr Patricia Farris, eating too much sugar can be a beauty disaster. It causes premature ageing of the skin by a process called gly cation. This is where excess sugar in the blood attaches itself to lipids, nucleic acids and proteins (especially your collagen) to form “advanced glycation end products” or AGEs, which accelerate the ageing process and cause wrinkly skin.

    EXFOLIATEExfoliation -removing the top, dead layer of skin -helps speed up the natural process of skin and col lagen renewal, says Amanda Elias, founder of a skin care brand. “My favourite way to b exfoliate is with chemical exfo liants such as gly colic acid and lac tic acid. They dis solve the glue-like ubstance that substance that bonds dead skin to the surface rather than sloughing it away like scrubs do,

  • FOODS THAT DON’T LET YOU SLIM DOWN

    FOODS THAT DON’T LET YOU SLIM DOWN

    Your diet staples could be sabotaging your efforts to slim down and denying you vitamins and minerals.

    Those low-fat, low-taste alternatives passed off as ‘health foods’ could, in fact, be costing you your health. It’s easy to be misled with labels such as ‘high fiber’, and ‘natural’. In reality, many so called ‘healthy’ foods contain high levels of fat, sugar and salt. Reading the ingredient list and nutrition facts column could help you choose the right items. Here’s a round up of the things you consider good that may actually be bad:

    Honey

    You think honey is healthier and more natural than sugar? You are wrong. Both contain similarly high levels of glucose. Because honey is denser, one tablespoon actually contains more calories than the same sized spoonful of granulated sugar. Eat too much honey and you’ll gain just as much weight as you will gorging on other sweet stuff.

    Low-fat salad dressing

    Scientists at Iowa State University, US, have found that low-fat dressing cancels out the goodness in salad. Conversely, using olive oil, or a little butter, boosted vitamin intake because fat helps your body absorb nutrients from vegetables more efficiently.

    Breakfast cereals

    Studies show that people who eat cereal for breakfast tend to be slimmer than those who don’t — but only if they’re opting for a healthy brand. Choose the wrong box and you may as well start your day with a slice of cake, as some cereals are high in sugar and fat. The main ones to watch out for are your flavoured, chocolate and sugar-coated or frosted kids’ ones. So always read the label. Not that you need to skip the cereal aisle altogether — experts agree that tucking into a bowl of porridge or any other wholegrain cereal is actually healthy. Naturally low in calories and high in fibre, these will help keep you fuller for longer and ward off midmorning snacking.

    Skimmed milk

    Although guzzling whole milk has been demonised as a health no-no in recent years, research shows that it could be a better choice than its skimmed counterpart.

    Whole milk only contains around 4 per cent fat per 100ml as opposed to the 20 per cent plus deemed to be in the ‘high fat’ category. Skimmed milk contains 0.1 per cent fat. So switching from whole to skimmed milk won’t make a huge difference.

    Skimmed milk is less nutritious because cream contains fatsoluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Research reveals that full-fat milk boosts metabolism and help you burn more calories, while also lowering the risk of heart disease.

    Raw vegetables

    Cooking is believed to kill the vitamins and minerals, but studies have found the opposite. While cooking may destroy some (but not all) vitamin C, the process boosts the uptake of disease-fighting nutrients — antioxidants. A 2008 study found that vegetables such as carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage and peppers supply more antioxidants when cooked than when eaten raw. This is because cooking breaks down vegetables’ thick cell walls, making it easier for the body to absorb the nutrients they contain. Steaming is best, then gentle boiling. Frying preserves the least vitamins and minerals.

    Diet drinks

    They seem like a straightforward way for soft drink lovers to cut calories but experts think diet drinks could actually scupper weight loss. While the artificial sweeteners in such drinks can convince the taste buds they’re consuming sugar, the brain can’t be tricked so easily. When it’s denied the calories it’s expecting, your body goes on a calorie hunt, making you feel hungry and eat more. Which is why consuming diet drinks can make people more likely to pile on weight, than reduce it.

  • PAPAYAS FOR GOOD HEALTH

    PAPAYAS FOR GOOD HEALTH

    While there are many people who aren’t fans of papayas, this fruit is said to be packed with a range of antioxidants like carotenes and flavonoids. It also contains folate, potassium, copper, fibre and magnesium, making it one of the most healthy fruits around. Here are some health benefits…

    The nutrients found in papayas are said to be great for heart health. Since they contain vitamin C and A, which prevent the oxidation of cholesterol, papayas are strongly recommended especially for heart patients.

    Experts say that the fibre in the fruit lowers high cholesterol levels.

    Papayas are especially beneficial for those who regularly suffer from indigestion.

    Some studies say that the fibre present in the fruit helps prevent colon cancer because the fibre binds cancer-causing toxins and makes sure they keep away from healthy colon cells.

    The protein-digesting enzymes known as chymopapain and papain found in papayas are said to reduce inflammation.

    Give a boost to your immunity by consuming papayas. The Vitamin A and C made in your body from the beta-carotene present in papaya ensures that your immune system works well.

    Keep your eyesight healthy by regularly eating papayas, which is packed with vitamin A.

    Some studies also claim that papayas ease menstrual pain because the enzyme known as papain eases the flow.