The Indian Panorama

Month: September 2016

  • Padma Awards nomination process now open for general public

    Padma Awards nomination process now open for general public

    For the first time ever, the government of India has decided to involve the general public in the process of selecting nominees for the prestigious Padma Awards.

    In an attempt to transform the national awards into a truly people’s award, the government has invited the people of India to nominate a person of their choice as a nominee for the award.

    The nominations can be made online on the URL http://padmaawards.gov.in/. The nominators would be required to furnish their Aadhaar details for authenticity and accountability.

    Sources have said that this way, people of excellence who are not well known would also come to light with this step.

    The government has already received over 1700 nominations and the last date of nomination is September 15.

  • Sikh faith Exhibition to open in NY as US marks 9/11 anniversary

    Sikh faith Exhibition to open in NY as US marks 9/11 anniversary

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): A Sikh subway driver who saved countless lives by reversing a train headed for ground zero on 9/11 and a decorated Sikh-American Army veteran are among the several men and women from the community profiled in an art exhibition to showcase their perseverance in the face of backlash against them after the terror attack.

    As the US commemorates the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on Sunday, September 11, 2016, the photography exhibition ‘Sikh Project’ will run from September 17-25 here to highlight the aesthetic of the Sikh articles of faith, including the turban and beard.

    The exhibition is a collaboration between civil rights group ‘The Sikh Coalition’ and acclaimed British photographers Amit and Naroop.

    Featuring nearly 40 powerful portraits of Sikh-Americans of various ages, the exhibition will tell the story of the triumphs and perseverance of the community that has overcome great challenges in the 15 years since the attacks in 2001.

    Among those featured in the exhibition are Sat Hari Singh, a New York City train operator who saved countless lives on the fateful day of 9/11 when he reversed the train headed for ground zero, sending it in the opposite direction.

    It also features renowned Sikh-American designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia, who was not allowed to board a plane from Mexico City in February this year because of his turban.

    Also profiled in the exhibition is Ishprit Kaur, a nursing student in Connecticut and Major Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, a Bronze Star Medal recipient and the first Sikh American to be granted a religious accommodation to serve in the US military since the ban on Sikhs in the 1980s.

    Amit and Naroop, in an email response to PTI, said through the exhibition they want to “break the ignorant stereotypes made in the US that all Sikhs look like terrorists.”

    “In this day and age, with all the technology, information and resources available to us, for someone to still make that assumption is unbelievable. But yet it happens. It’s shocking,” they said.

    The duo added that the exhibition wants to enlighten people about the Sikh faith and encourage them to embrace their identity with pride, celebrating diversity.

    “We have become a society that conforms to trends dictated by celebrities or what we see on social media, TV and magazines. People are too afraid to be who they are. We have tried to show each individual with a sense of pride in their appearance, in who they are,” they said.

    The duo said it was left inspired by the subjects of the exhibition.

    “The Sikhs we have photographed have all faced abuse, some verbal, some physical, and yet their resolve to keep their identity has not wavered. This inner strength was inspiring,” they said.

    Those featured in the exhibition wanted to send the message that they proudly wear a turban and are patriotic Americans.

    The Sikh Coalition said the Sikh Project, the first-ever Sikh-American photography exhibition in the US, comes not only as America commemorates the 9/11 anniversary, but at a time when minority communities face divisive rhetoric and hate because of their faith and identity.

    While there are an estimated 5,00,000 Sikh-Americans in the US, who have been an integral part of the American fabric for generations, the first post-9/11 fatal hate crime victim was a Sikh.

    (Source: PTI)

  • Gandhi’s wake up after 26 years After, Finally a Visit to Ayodhya

    Gandhi’s wake up after 26 years After, Finally a Visit to Ayodhya

    After a gap of almost 26 years, a member of the Gandhi clan, Rahul Gandhi, visited Ayodhya.

    As part of his ongoing ‘Kisan Mahayatra’, the Congress vice-president visited the temple town on Sept. 9 and made a brief stopover at Hanumangarhi, a famous temple.

    He was closeted with the priest of the temple for over five minutes after which he came out and drove off to the circuit house, where he started his road show.

    The late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was scheduled to visit the temple in 1990 when he was on his ‘Sadbhavna Yatra’ to Ayodhya, but the program was called off at the last moment as he had to fly back to Lucknow and it was getting dark.

    Emerging out of the meeting, priest Mahant Gyan Das said Rahul had come like any other devotee.

    When asked if there was any discussion on the contentious issue of the Ram temple, the priest answered in the negative.

    Gandhi was slated to go to the Kichaucha Dargah Sharif at Ambedkarnagar in the evening to meet the farmers in Faizabad at Ramlila grounds in Poorabazaar.

    He would later spend some time with Dalits in a Dalit colony.

    This has been his routine in the last three days of the 2,500-km-long Yatra which is to take him, in a special modeled, air conditioned bus, to more than 223 assembly constituencies in the state.

    #UttarPradesh is scheduled to elect a new government early next year.

    #Congress has 28 legislators in the present assembly and a recent survey has predicted that the party would slip further in numbers.

    The party has hired election strategist Prashant Kishore to pep up the campaign and to secure a better outcome at the polls.

  • Intermediate Hindi taught for first time at University of Montana

    Intermediate Hindi taught for first time at University of Montana

    For the first time ever, intermediate Hindi is being offered at the University of Montana (UM), taught by Surbhi Jain, a Fulbright scholar at the University, who will also be teaching elementary Hindi and will act as a cultural ambassador for India over the upcoming school year.

    “It was a very good opportunity to represent my culture and language,” Surbhi said.

    Surbhi Jain hails from Uttar Pradesh where Hindi is the most widely spoken. She has lived all over India, however, because of her father’s job in the Indian Air Force.

    She received her bachelor’s in English language and literature, and she hopes to teach English as a second language in India someday.

    Jain said she’s especially looking forward to the cultural exchanges that will take place over the semester.

    “I mean, you can find everything on the Internet, but when you talk to a person and you’re one-on-one with each other, you learn more things and understand each other more easily,” she said.

    In her class, students will learn about Indian culture, Hindi phonetics and how body language is incorporated into the spoken language.

    They’ll also celebrate several Indian holidays throughout the year, including Hindi Day on Sept. 14.

    The University hopes to bring more Fulbright scholars to Missoula to continue teaching Hindi, said Ruth Vanita, a liberal studies professor in the South and Southeast Asian studies program.

    Hindi is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world, Vanita said, and she hopes to generate interest in the program with students at UM.

    “They are anxious to know more,” she said. “There’s a lot of potential for learning.”

  • Indian-Origin Robin Saha Selected As 2016 Ehrlich Award Recipient

    Indian-Origin Robin Saha Selected As 2016 Ehrlich Award Recipient

    A University of Montana professor is the 2016 recipient of the Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award, bestowed by Campus Compact, a national network of colleges and universities dedicated to advancing the public purposes of higher education by deepening their ability to improve community life and educate students for civic and social responsibility.

    Robin Saha, University of Montana associate professor of environmental studies, was selected for his exemplary leadership in student civic learning and conducting community-based research, fostering reciprocal partnerships, building institutional commitments to engagement and enhancing higher education’s contribution.

    The award is named in honor of Thomas Ehrlich, former chair of the Campus Compact board of directors and president emeritus of Indiana University, and is generously sponsored by the KPMG Foundation.“Campus Compact’s programs and thought leadership continue to advance progress in pursuit of higher education’s public purposes,” said Bernard Milano, KPMG Foundation president. “We applaud their work and the work of their member campuses, the best of which is exemplified by the 2016 Ehrlich Award winner, Dr. Saha.”

    Saha’s deeply engaged scholarship intersects environmental justice and health policy, emphasizing advocacy for marginalized communities. His nationally recognized work shed light on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and has been cited in Fortune Magazine, the Boston Globe and Huffington Post. He also has been recognized for his local, community-based participatory research involving the empowerment of disenfranchised communities to take active roles in data collection and advocacy to achieve significant environmental management improvements.

    In addition to being a leading scholar in the environmental justice movement, Saha has spent his career integrating partnerships into his teaching, research and community activism. He consistently engages his students in real-world environmental problems and connects them with affected communities.

    “In my experience, civic engagement makes all types of academic endeavors – whether in teaching and learning or carrying out research – relevant and meaningful to all involved,” Saha said. “I especially enjoy enhancing the capacity and commitment of students, our future leaders, and community and university partners to work collaboratively to effect positive and lasting change.”

    Beyond his work in the classroom, Saha also advocates for the importance of community-engaged scholarship within the Montana University System. He strives to create opportunities for both faculty and students to promote community engagement, including being a founding member of UM’s Service Learning Advisory Board, as well as being involved in the creation of UM’s climate change studies minor, which is known for its engaged curriculum.

    “Robin is an incredibly insightful and community-engaged professor,” said Andrea Vernon, Montana Campus Compact executive director and UM academic enrichment and civic engagement director. “His research and teaching and the work of his students have had profound impacts on the health and well-being of people in the most rural and underserved areas of Montana.”

    Vernon said Saha also contributes to the leadership and development of community engaged scholarship throughout the state and beyond by inspiring and supporting colleagues to do this work.

    “Professor Saha demonstrates every day that there need be no distinction among teaching, research and service to the public,” said Andrew Seligsohn, Campus Compact president. “His scholarly practice engages students and community members in knowledge creation and action to challenge environmental injustice and produce a more equitable society. We can all learn from Professor Saha’s career.”

    The award is bestowed annually to recognize one faculty member and up to four finalists for exemplary leadership in advancing student civic learning, conducting community-based research, fostering reciprocal partnerships, building institutional commitments to engagement, and enhancing higher education’s contributions to the public good.

  • ATTRIBUTES OF MAHADEV

    ATTRIBUTES OF MAHADEV

    Lord Shiva represents the aspect of the Supreme Being (Brahman of the Upanishads) that continuously dissolves to recreate in the cyclic process of creation, preservation, dissolution and recreation of the universe. As stated earlier, Lord Shiva is the third member of the Hindu Trinity, the other two being Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu.

    Owing to His cosmic activity of dissolution and recreation, the words destroyer and destruction have been erroneously associated with Lord Shiva. This difficulty arises when people fail to grasp the true significance of His cosmic role. The creation sustains itself by a delicate balance between the opposing forces of good and evil. When this balance is disturbed and sustenance of life becomes impossible, Lord Shiva dissolves the universe for creation of the next cycle so that the unliberated souls will have another opportunity to liberate themselves from bondage with the physical world. Thus, Lord Shiva protects the souls from pain and suffering that would be caused by a dysfunctional universe. In analogous cyclic processes, winter is essential for spring to appear and the night is necessary for the morning to follow. To further illustrate, a goldsmith does not destroy gold when he melts old irreparable golden jewelry to create beautiful new ornaments. Lord Shiva is the Lord of mercy and compassion. He protects devotees from evil forces such as lust, greed, and anger. He grants boons, bestows grace and awakens wisdom in His devotees. The symbolism discussed below includes major symbols that are common to all pictures and images of Shiva venerated by Hindus. Since the tasks of Lord Shiva are numerous, He cannot be symbolized in one form. For this reason the images of Shiva vary significantly in their symbolism. The unclad body covered with ashes: the unclad body symbolizes the transcendental aspect of the Lord. Since most things reduce to ashes when burned, ashes symbolize the physical universe. The ashes on the unclad body of the Lord signify that Shiva is the source of the entire universe which emanates from Him, but He transcends the physical phenomena and is not affected by it.

    Matted locks

    Lord Shiva is the Master of yoga. The three matted locks on the head of the Lord convey the idea that integration of the physical, mental and spiritual energies is the ideal of yoga.

    Ganga

    Ganga (river Ganges) is associated with Hindu mythology and is the most sacred river of Hindus. According to tradition, one who bathes in Ganga (revered as Mother Ganga) in accordance with traditional rites and ceremonies on religious occasions in combination with certain astrological events, is freed from sin and attains knowledge, purity and peace. Ganga, symbolically represented on the head of the Lord by a female (Mother Ganga) with a jet of water emanating from her mouth and falling on the ground, signifies that the Lord destroys sin, removes ignorance, and bestows knowledge, purity and peace on the devotees.

    The crescent moon is shown on the side of the Lord’s head as an ornament, and not as an integral part of His countenance. The waxing and waning phenomenon of the moon symbolizes the time cycle through which creation evolves from the beginning to the end. Since the Lord is the Eternal Reality, He is beyond time. Thus, the crescent moon is only one of His ornaments, and not an integral part of Him.

    Three eyes

    Lord Shiva, also called Tryambaka Deva (literally, “three-eyed Lord”), is depicted as having three eyes: the sun is His right eye, the moon the left eye and fire the third eye. The two eyes on the right and left indicate His activity in the physical world. The third eye in the center of the forehead symbolizes spiritual knowledge and power, and is thus called the eye of wisdom or knowledge. Like fire, the powerful gaze of Shiva’s third eye annihilates evil, and thus the evil-doers fear His third eye.

    Half-open eyes: when the Lord opens His eyes, a new cycle of creation emerges and when He closes them, the universe dissolves for creation of the next cycle. The half-open eyes convey the idea that creation is going through cyclic process, with no beginning and no end. Lord Shiva is the Master of Yoga, as He uses His yogic power to project the universe from Himself. The half-open eyes also symbolize His yogic posture.

    Kundalas (two ear rings): two Kundalas, Alakshya (meaning “which cannot be shown by any sign”) and Niranjan (meaning “which cannot be seen by mortal eyes”) in the ears of the Lord signify that He is beyond ordinary perception. Since the kundala in the left ear of the Lord is of the type used by women and the one in His right ear is of the type used by men, these Kundalas also symbolize the Shiva and Shakti (male and female) principle of creation.

    Snake around the neck: sages have used snakes to symbolize the yogic power of Lord Shiva with which He dissolves and recreates the universe. Like a yogi, a snake hoards nothing, carries nothing, builds nothing, lives on air alone for a long time, and lives in mountains and forests. The venom of a snake, therefore, symbolizes the yogic power.

    A snake (Vasuki Naga): is shown curled three times around the neck of the Lord and is looking towards His right side. The three coils of the snake symbolize the past, present and future – time in cycles. The Lord wearing the curled snake like an ornament signifies that creation proceeds in cycles and is time dependent, but the Lord Himself transcends time. The right side of the body symbolizes the human activities based upon knowledge, reason and logic. The snake looking towards the right side of the Lord signifies that the Lord’s eternal laws of reason and justice preserve natural order in the universe.

    Rudraksha necklace: Rudra is another name of Shiva. Rudra also means “strict or uncompromising” and aksha means “eye.” Rudraksha necklace worn by the Lord illustrates that He uses His cosmic laws firmly – without compromise – to maintain law and order in the universe. The necklace has 108 beads which symbolize the elements used in the creation of the world.

    Varda Mudra: the Lord’s right hand is shown in a boon- bestowing and blessing pose. As stated earlier, Lord Shiva annihilates evil, grants boons, bestows grace, destroys ignorance, and awakens wisdom in His devotees.

    Trident (Trisula): a three-pronged trident shown adjacent to the Lord symbolizes His three fundamental powers (shakti) of will (iccha), action (kriya) and knowledge (jnana). The trident also symbolizes the Lord’s power to destroy evil and ignorance.

    Damaru (drum): a small drum with two sides separated from each other by a thin neck-like structure symbolizes the two utterly dissimilar states of existence, unmanifest and manifest. When a damaru is vibrated, it produces dissimilar sounds which are fused together by resonance to create one sound. The sound thus produced symbolizes Nada, the cosmic sound of AUM, which can be heard during deep meditation. According to Hindu scriptures, Nada is the source of creation.

    Kamandalu: a water pot (Kamandalu) made from a dry pumpkin contains nectar and is shown on the ground next to Shiva. The process of making Kamandalu has deep spiritual significance. A ripe pumpkin is plucked from a plant, its fruit is removed and the shell is cleaned for containing the nectar. In the same way, an individual must break away from attachment to the physical world and clean his inner self of egoistic desires in order to experience the bliss of the Self, symbolized by the nectar in the Kamandalu.

    Nandi: the bull is associated with Shiva and is said to be His vehicle. The bull symbolizes both power and ignorance. Lord Shiva’s use of the bull as a vehicle conveys the idea that He removes ignorance and bestows power of wisdom on His devotees. The bull is called Vrisha in Sanskrit. Vrisha also means dharma (righteousness). Thus a bull shown next to Shiva also indicates that He is the etemal companion of righteousness.

    Tiger skin: a tiger skin symbolizes potential energy. Lord Shiva, sitting on or wearing a tiger skin, illustrates the idea that He is the source of the creative energy that remains in potential form during the dissolution state of the universe. Of His own Divine Will, the Lord activates the potential form of the creative energy to project the universe in endless cycles.

    Cremation ground: Shiva sitting in the cremation ground signifies that He is the controller of death in the physical world. Since birth and death are cyclic, controlling one implies controlling the other. Thus, Lord Shiva is revered as the ultimate controller of birth and death in the phenomenal world.

  • MUST-VISIT DESTINATIONS IN #UTTARAKHAND

    MUST-VISIT DESTINATIONS IN #UTTARAKHAND

    Uttarakhand is one of the most beautiful northern states of India located on the southern slope of the Himalayan range. Mighty Himalayan peaks and glaciers are on its north where it borders Tibet. Nepal is on its east, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is on south and Himachal Pradesh lies on its west and northwest. 65%of its area is covered by dense forests that are home to Royal Bengal tiger, leopards and many other endangered animal and plant species. The glaciers of two of the most important rivers—Ganga and Yamuna—are located here.

    It has something to offer to every kind of traveller. For wildlife lovers, Jim Corbett National Park—the oldest national park of the Indian subcontinent is a must visit. Many rare Himalayan birds can also be spotted here besides Pangot and Sattal. For adventure seekers there are some of India’s best trekking trails like Valley Of Flowers, Roopkund, and Chopta-Chandrashila. It also provides immense opportunities for adventure sports, such as skiing at Auli and white water rafting at Shivpuri. Popularly known as the ‘Land of Gods’, it is home to numerous holy places like Gangotri, Yamnotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Rishkesh and Haridwar. Therefore, thousands of pilgrims throng the state every year. Amazing hill stations like Chakrata, Mukteshwar, Dhanaulti and Munsiyari make Uttarakhand a sought after tourist destination for leisure trips. Here’s a list of destinations in Uttarakhand that every nature lover would love to visit.

    CHAKRATA

    Having breakfast with the view of snow-covered Himalayan peaks on a lazy morning while soft rays of winter sun embrace your body and soul while cool breeze kisses you is something city people always crave for. Chakrata located at a distance of 330 km from Delhi, is a tiny hamlet which is a perfect place to do so. There are two routes to drive from Delhi to Chakrata, one is via Panipat and Kurukshetra and the second one is via Loni and Saharanpur, which supposedly is more beautiful and has less traffic.

    uttarakhandChakrata is a small cantonment town in Dehradun district resting at an elevation of about 7500 ft. The town gets a magnificent view of the snow covered Himalayas and is covered in deodar, Himalayan oak and rhododendron forest. Many day trips to places like Deoban, Koti, Kanasar can be done with Chakrata as base. There are some easy treks also around Chakrata that your hotel guys can arrange for you. There are not many hotels in the area so make sure to book your accommodation in advance. Chakrata is a year round destination; the winter season is perfect to experience snow, greenery is at its best during the monsoon season and the summer season too is quite pleasant.

    AULI

    Auli is one of the most beautiful places of Uttarakhand. Bordered by snow-covered Himalayan peaks, Auli is enveloped in dense golden oak and pine forest with green meadows and slopes ranging from a height of 2519 m to 3049 m. It is considered to be a world-class spot for skiing. GMVN winter resort here provides skiing facility, besides ski training for aspirants. Almost from everywhere in Auli, you can enjoy stunning views of the lofty mountain ranges—Nanda Devi, Mana Paravat and Kamat.

    The golden rays of sun on the snow-laden peaks fill the atmosphere with a divine glow. The 3rd highest peak of the world—Nanda Devi gleams like the crown of the region. There is an open cable-car to go up to the spot where skiing is done. Even if you do not want to ski, you have plenty of things to do. Climb up the slopes, play with snow, ride a sledge and who knows you might feel like trying skiing too. The best time to visit Auli is in between December and March.

    CORBETT

    Spread across an area of 520.8 sq km, Jim Corbett National Park is located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand. It is the oldest national park, and is named after Jim Corbett who was the main person behind this establishment. The park is divided in 5 zones—Bijrani, Jhirna, Durgadevi, Dhikala, Sitavani—and is inhabited by royal Bengal tiger, leopard, jungle cat, barking deer, hog deer, cheetal, sloth bears, otters, Himalayan goral, Indian pangolins, langur and many other wild animals. Many rare birds can also be spotted in the region.

    Gorgeous Corbett National Park is one of the favourite destinations equally for wildlife lovers and weekenders. It is just 235 km away from capital city and can be reached in couple of hours. It features splendid landscapes and offers a good amalgam of hills, rivers, forests, marshlands and grasslands. The park is open from the months of November through June. The park is kept closed in the monsoon season as the roads inside the park get washed away due to rain. After the monsoon season, repair work starts and ends only by November.

    MUKTESHWAR

    Staying in middle of fruit orchards in tents and eating garden fresh meals while looking at the Himalayan peaks covered in fresh snow are a few of the many beautiful memories I have of Mukteshwar. You can walk through the dense pine forest and enjoy stunning views of the mighty mountains. Situated at an altitude of 7500 ft in the lap of Kumaon hills, Mukteshwar is an ideal nature get away from Delhi. It just takes 7 hrs from Delhi to reach Mukteshwar via Gajraula, Rampur, Haldwani and Bhowali. Summer months (March to July) are the best months to visit Mukteshwar. If you want to experience snow, visit during Jan or Feb when the whole area is covered in snow and looks stunningly beautiful. If you happen to visit this place around the month of June, the harvesting season, you’d find many fruits like peaches, plum and apricot. And if you still did not have your fill, Mukteshwar has many fruit orchards and you might get lucky to get offered the fruits just plucked from the trees by villagers. The taste of crunchy fresh peaches plucked from a road side tree of an orchard that belonged to a generous local who gladly offered us to pluck as many as we want, is still fresh in my mouth. Mukteshwar has recently got very popular among those looking for holidays in offbeat destinations and hence there is a wide range of options to stay starting from camps to budget hotels to boutique hotels.

    KAUSANI

    Kausani is a quiet little town in the Kumaon region of Uttaranchal, 420 km away from Delhi. It offers breathtaking panoramic views of the snow-capped peaks of Panchchuli, Nandakot, Nanda Devi, Trishul, Nanda Gunti and Chaukhamba. If weather is favorable you might witness the best sunrise of your life here with soft golden light of morning sun creating magic over the peaks. This can be best witnessed from the GMVN guesthouse some 2 km away from the main town. There are many attractions close by of which Anasakti Ashram, Tea Estate and factory, Rudhradhari Falls and caves, and Burha Pinnath are the prominent ones.

    Gandhiji stayed at Anasakti Ashram for 2 weeks. It is also known by the name Gandhi Ashram and is just 1 km away from the main town. It is basically a simple cottage engrossed with the teachings of the Mahatma. A part of this ashram offers accommodation too. The Tea Estate and factory is only 3 km away from Kausani towards Baijnath.

  • Neuronal switch that turns off compulsive drinking urge

    Neuronal switch that turns off compulsive drinking urge

    Researchers have found that inactivating a network of alcohol-linked neurons can switch off the urge for compulsive drinking.

    There may be a way to switch off the urge for compulsive drinking, according to a new study in animal models led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI).

    “We can completely reverse alcohol dependence by targeting a network of neurons,” said lead researcher Olivier George, Assistant Professor at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in San Diego, California.

    The findings, published in the The Journal of Neuroscience, built on previous studies showing that frequent alcohol use can activate specific groups of neurons.

    The more a person drinks, the more they reinforce activation in the neuronal

    “circuit,” which then drives further alcohol use and addiction.

    For the new study, the researchers investigated whether there was a way to influence only the select neurons that form these circuits.

    In both humans and rats, these neurons make up only about five percent of the neurons in the brain’s central amygdala.

    For the current experiment, researchers designed rat models of alcohol dependence that expressed a special protein to distinguish only the neurons activated by alcohol.

    The rats gave the researchers a potential new window into how these circuits form in human brains, where alcohol-linked neurons are harder to identify without the use of protein labels.

    The rats were then injected with a compound that could specifically inactivate only alcohol-linked neurons.

    George said he was surprised to see these rats completely cease their compulsive alcohol drinking, a change that lasted for as long as the rats were monitored.

    “We’ve never seen an effect that strong that has lasted for several weeks,” George said.

    The researchers went on run the experiment a second and then a third time. Each time, the rats ceased drinking compulsively.

    “It’s like they forgot they were dependent,” George noted.

    Interestingly, these rats were still motivated to drink sugar water, indicating that the researchers had successfully targeted only alcohol-activated neurons, not the brain’s overall reward system.

    The rats also appeared to be protected from the negative physical symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, such as shaking.

  • RULES TO EAT HEALTHY FOR A LIFETIME

    RULES TO EAT HEALTHY FOR A LIFETIME

    If there is one thing that is a part of everyone’s resolutions, New Year or otherwise, it is to be getting healthier and fitter. Regrettably, there is no miracle cure for this. The silver lining here is that a lifelong commitment to simple things will keep you in fairly good stead. Here are six simple rules to eat healthy for a lifetime…

    EAT WHEN HUNGRY

    This sounds like a no-brainer right? Well, it is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, in our fast-paced, always-facing-a-screen kind of lifestyle, eating has become something we do on the side, like a background activity. Munching snacks while watching the telly and lunches spilling over the laptop keyboard sound familiar, right? So much so, that we have forgotten what it is to really experience hunger. This was the main reason people often like to fast — because it makes us conscious of our hunger.When you’re really hungry, you can actually smell the food cooking two houses away from yours. That is the true power of hunger. It enables your senses to naturally gravitate towards food. The message here is to be mindful of your hunger and to feed the hunger consciously. No more mindless munching.

    CHOOSE WATER OVER ANY OTHER BEVERAGE

    Unless we’re talking about babies, for whom the best beverage is their mum’s breast milk, water is the best beverage there is. It has no calories, more importantly, no sugar, and does its job. The ever-expanding market for commercial beverages presents a tremendous attraction to children and youngsters, who want to pick these coloured/aerated/ sweetened-to-death drinks over oh-so-boring water. It is a mindset we need to help change. Just cutting down on sweetened beverages can help people lose lots of excess weight and cut down the dangers of too much sugar consumption, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, to name a few.

    LET VEGETABLES PLAY THE LEAD ROLE

    In most meat-centric diets, vegetables are often given the step-motherly treatment. Who on earth would want to eat boiled Brussel sprouts, broccoli or cabbage? Explore the various exciting cuisines in the world, create beautiful salads and vegetable dishes, mix and match various colours and textures and embrace the world of vegetables. There’s fibre, antioxidants, minerals and so much nutrient density in veggies, that it’s criminal to lose out on their goodness by not consuming enough of them. Eat your meat if that is your preference, but don’t neglect the vegetables.

    CHOOSE FOODS CLOSEST TO THEIR NATURAL FORM

    Each morning, tons of urban people reach out for the box of cereal and milk for a quick breakfast. Ever wondered how far that cereal in the box has come from the real cereal grown in the fields? Look at the list of ingredients in most cornflakes brands and you’ll see at least five ingredients, including a preservative called BHT. Don’t eat anything your great-great-great grandmother wouldn’t recognise as food. The next time you pick up a packet of bread from a supermarket shelf, you’ll realise that even your grandmother won’t recognise half of the ingredients as food, let alone your great-great-great grandmother. To put it simply, choose a whole grain over processed cereal. Choose real fruit plus plain yogurt over processed fruit yogurt. Choose real chicken over commercially sold chicken sausage and so on.

    PORTION CONTROL

    By labelling foods as fat-free, sugar-free, low-cal etc. the food industry has lured us into believing that if it is labelled healthy, it can be eaten with gay abandon. Extra virgin olive oil is great for health, but if you have a ladle full of dressing on your salad, it will add up eventually. There’s a simple guide to estimating portion control with your hands. Protein or meat should not be larger than the size of your palm. Eat only as much carbs as will fit in your fist. The size of your thumb (knuckle to tip) is a good way to measure oil or fat. Open your palms and join them together, and you have a measure for vegetables. And dessert should be roughly a finger length. If your body has gradually gotten accustomed to the supersize culture, train it to accept normal quantities of food using these tricks.

  • KIM CATTRALL HOPES HER SEX DRIVE LASTS LONG

    KIM CATTRALL HOPES HER SEX DRIVE LASTS LONG

    Actress Kim Cattrall, known for her role as Samantha Jones in ‘Sex and the City’, says she wants to be sexually active for as long as possible.

    kim-cattrall“I want to be sexual for as Actress Kim Cattrall, known for her role as Samantha Jones in ‘Sex and the City’, says she wants to be sexually active for as long as possible.

    “I want to be sexual for as long as I can. I don’t want to have regrets so if I’m sitting in a relationship of 35 years and we have nothing in common any more, I might want to shift gears a little bit. I might want to reinvest, who knows? It’s a point in life where you question these things,” Cattrall said.

    The 60-year-old actress opened up about her sex life in an interview with HELLO! Magazine, reports femalefirs.co.uk.

    Although Cattrall, who is single for the past seven years, would love to find someone special at the stage in her life, she said that she doesn’t really have time for a man.

    She says she is so focused on her career, her friends and learning a new instrument.

    Cattrall said: “I have my work, which is very satisfying and I have my friends, which is great. I have all my hobbies — reading and starting to play the ukulele.”

    long as I can. I don’t want to have regrets so if I’m sitting in a relationship of 35 years and we have nothing in common any more, I might want to shift gears a little bit. I might want to reinvest, who knows? It’s a point in life where you question these things,” Cattrall said.

  • KATE MOSS PLANS MARRIAGE WITH NIKOLAI VON BISMARCK?

    KATE MOSS PLANS MARRIAGE WITH NIKOLAI VON BISMARCK?

    Supermodel Kate Moss is reportedly planning to tie the knot with Nikolai von Bismarck in Greece.

    The 42-year-old supermodel and the aristocrat’s recent trip to Hydra is believed to inspired the blonde beauty to want to hold a ‘low-key’ ceremony on the Saronic Island, reported Female First.

    The wedding plans, however, will only take place once Moss’ divorce from her estranged The Kills rocker husband Jamie Hince, 47 is finalised.

    “Both want a low-key ceremony with a handful of friends and family. The plan is to head back to Londonto celebrate with a larger group,” a source said. “They fell in love with Greece after jetting there last month and got the ball rolling by planning the wedding while out there. Source: PTI

  • Skip trace ~ MOVIE REVIEW

    Skip trace ~ MOVIE REVIEW

    STORY: Take one seasoned Hong Kong cop (Chan) and throw in an American, Connor Watts (Knoxville), who has a habit for throwing cards and rolling the dice on casino tables, combine them with a shared motive to nab a mysterious crook and what do you get? An unlikely pair who, despite their differences, manage to work for a common cause.

    #Skiptrace CAST: Jackie Chan, Johnny Knoxville, Bingbing Fan, Eric Tsang, Eve Torres, Winston Chao DIRECTION: Renny Harlin GENRE: Adventure DURATION: 2 hours 15 minutes
    #Skiptrace
    CAST: Jackie Chan, Johnny Knoxville, Bingbing Fan, Eric
    Tsang, Eve Torres, Winston Chao
    DIRECTION: Renny Harlin
    GENRE: Adventure
    DURATION: 2 hours 15 minutes

    REVIEW: Jackie Chan is known for having made martial arts into an almost acrobatic form, as perfectly choreographed as a dance. Except that his rough-and-tumble maneuvers cause many bad guys to get their butts kicked. And you’ll see plenty of that here. Chan’s partner gets nabbed by the Chinese mafia early on in the movie. Before his partner perishes, he gives Chan his watch, asking him to look after his daughter (Fan). A promise that Chan swears to keep.

    Along the way, and quite by accident, he literally bumps into Watts. The latter, true to his character sketch, is quite the dubious character. A rogue, by any other name. And so, they team up to travel through many countries, situations, and places, to finally arrive back at their common destination, which is Hong Kong. And there, they hope to nab the mysterious criminal known only as The Matador.

    This movie is quite delightfully off its rocker. For example, where else will you get to listen to a Mongolian village singing a cover of Adele’s Rolling In the Deep? And for that matter, where else will you actually get to hear Jackie Chan actually sing? The latter scene has him exercising his vocal chops while completely inebriated. And you’d be right in thinking that he would have to be in that kind of state to sing.

    PLOT SUMMARY: Hong Kong detective Bennie Chan (Jackie Chan) has been tracking notorious crime boss Matador for over a decade, whom he believes to be Victor Wong (Winston Chao). When Bennie’s late partner Yung’s daughter Samantha (Fan Bingbing) gets into trouble with Wong’s crime syndicate, Bennie must track down an American conman, Connor Watts (Johnny Knoxville), who gambles his way through Chinese casinos after being banned in Americas. However, Connor is kidnapped by a Russian kingpin to answer for cheating his daughter. Bennie races against the clock to bring Connor back from Russia to Hong Kong. Connor who has witnessed a murder in China is fearful for his life and hesitates, he nicks Bennie’s passport and burns it. The unlikely pair is forced to take a scenic route and embark on a perilous adventure from the snowy mountains of Mongolia to the windswept dunes of the Gobi desert while both the Russian and Chinese mobsters are on their tail. Reaching China Connor leaves Bennie giving an evidence that could possibly lead to Victor Wong’s Arrest. Unfortunately the plan doesn’t go well and Bennie is arrested, later he escapes with Connor and follows a clue. He finds Matador was his supposedly expired partner Yung all along. Fight ensues and when it comes to saving Samantha from a sinking ship they work together and saves her from drowning. Yung commits suicide from overwhelming guilt and shame asking for their forgiveness. Connor goes back to Russia for seeing his child and finds out, the child is one of henchman’s of the mob. Bennie retires to a serene ranch rearing Alpacas with Leslie.

  • SUNNY LEONE: STILL DON’T THINK I FIT IN BOLLYWOOD

    SUNNY LEONE: STILL DON’T THINK I FIT IN BOLLYWOOD

    She ventured into Bollywood in 2012 with the erotic ‘Jism 2’ thriller and has been on a roll since then. Indo-Canadian actress Sunny Leone says she felt like an outsider when she initially ventured into the Hindi film industry and still feels she doesn’t fit in.

    Asked if she ever felt like an outsider, Sunny told IANS over e-mail from Los Angeles: “Yes, of course, but that would be anyone who is new to the job. I still don’t think I completely fit in (Bollywood).”

    At the same time, the ‘Mastizaade’ star feels she has met some nice people in Bollywood who she has ‘grown fond of.’

    Sunny has tasted success with films like ‘Jism 2’ and ‘Ek Paheli Leela’ and has faced failure with movies like ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’ and ‘One Night Stand’ in her four-year-long journey.

    Do bad times ever affect her? “Yes, it does, I don’t think I would be human if it didn’t. But I have a great support system and try and find the good out of the bad always,” she said.

    The ‘Ragini MMS 2’ actress has also been roped in for a song for superstar Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Raees’, which is directed by Rahul Dholakia. The song, which is picturised on Sunny and Shah Rukh, is reportedly a new take on the 1980 chartbuster

    ‘Laila O laila’ from ‘Qurbaani’. The original track featured Feroz Khan and Zeenat Amaan.

    Sunny, whose real name is Karenjit Kaur Vohra, said: “I just did a song (with Shah Rukh), it’s a small part in a very big film. I am very grateful for the opportunity. Hope I get a chance to act opposite Shah Rukh one day,” she said.

    Would she like to star with the other two Khan’s of Bollywood -Salman and Aamir?

    “Ah yes…Who wouldn’t?” she asserted.

    The 35-year-old star will be seen walking at the forthcoming New York Fashion Week (NYFW) becoming the first Bollywood star to be on the ramp at the fashion event.

    Source: IANS

  • Akira | MOVIE REVIEW

    Akira | MOVIE REVIEW

    STORY: Akira Sharma (Sonakshi Sinha) is your average Jane from Jodhpur. Early in life she sees an atrocity committed on a neighbour and learns to defend herself. And, a spitfire is born.

    akira
    CAST: Sonakshi Sinha, Konkona Sen Sharma, Amit Sadh, Anurag Kashyap DIRECTION: AR Murugadoss GENRE: Action DURATION: 2 hours 18 minutes

    REVIEW: Our screen ki Akira is Khan, Kumar and Kapoor rolled into one. She punches and defends better than most khiladis. Her progressive, school-teacher father, Atul Kulkarni had her enrolled in karate classes instead of dance classes that girls her age frequented. But Akira learns that a Durga avatar cannot help you fight a regressive society and corrupt administration. So instead of being given a medal of honour for trying to save someone early in life, she is sent to a remand home. Not only does she lose three precious years of her life; she also loses her doting father.

    The scene moves to Mumbai where Akira and her mother come to live with her hen-pecked brother. But when she realises her sister-in-law is unwelcoming, Akira chooses her college hostel. Here our braveheart finds herself being targeted by the college bullies. She manages to shake the students off but lands herself in the dragnet headed by a corrupt cop ACP Govind Rane (Anurag Kashyap) of the Mumbai Police. Poor thing lands herself in so many unenviable situations that she spends little time in college and more in an asylum.

    Murugadoss (Ghajini, Holiday — A Soldier Is Never Off Duty), you can see, started with honourable intentions of trying to impart self-defence lessons to girls. While the plot meanders a bit post interval, the director still manages to keep you rivetted, especially in the chase sequences between the cops-and-Akira. Interestingly, the entire onus of cracking the case is given to a heavily-pregnant, Rabia Sultan (Konkona Sen Sharma) modelled on Frances McDormand of the Hollywood thriller Fargo (1996). And despite Konkona’s sincerity, she still seems like a caricature because the written material doesn’t support her. Anurag as the baddie and Sonakshi’s spirited act adds weight to this drama. If you want that adrenaline rush of watching Akira beating baddies and punching holes into the system, go for it.

    Plot Summary

    It is assumed that Konkana Sen Sharma will arrest Anurag and his three accomplices and send them to jail. But Anurag accidentally kills one of his three companions. Immediately after that Konkana and Akira manage to pin him and his other two cops to the ground. However the Police Commissioner doesn’t allow this to happen because he doesn’t want the cops to get a life-term. He convinces Konkana not to tell anyone that the cops are guilty. The commissioner knows that if the anti-social elements learn that it is the cops who killed the goonda Babloo’s brother and that he didn’t actually die in a car accident there would be mayhem.

  • New Sri Lanka Constitution could be presented in parliament by November

    New Sri Lanka Constitution could be presented in parliament by November

    COLOMBO (TIP): Sri Lanka’s new draft Constitution could be presented in Parliament before the next budget which would be announced by mid-November this year, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has said while hoping that it will celebrate the country’s diversity. “We hope to be able to present that (Constitution) in parliament before the next budget,” Samaraweera said while addressing a gathering in Point Pedro in the northern province on Sept 4.

    The 2017 government budget is expected to be presented in Parliament mid-November. It was important to recognize the religious diversity in Sri Lanka in formulating the new Constitution, Samaraweera said.

    “We have been busy creating or placing a foundation for a new Sri Lanka based on the three pillars of democratization, reconciliation and development,” the minister said. The process of finalizing the new Constitution is underway and it will hopefully celebrate the diversity of the country, he said. Samaraweera said, it is time to come to terms with the fact that Sri Lanka is a multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-lingual country. The Maithripala Sirisena government had set in the process of making a new Constitution since January this year. (AP)

  • KATRINA KAIF’S FINAL GOODBYE TO RANBIR KAPOOR

    KATRINA KAIF’S FINAL GOODBYE TO RANBIR KAPOOR

    Seven months after Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor went their separate ways after a five-year courtship, the actress has finally moved out of the sea-facing Carter Road love pad she shared with her former beau for over two years.

    Kat had continued to live in the sprawling penthouse after the break-up even as Ranbir moved back in with his parents, Rishi and Neetu, in the family bungalow -Krishna Raj at Pali Hill. At the same time, the duo resumed shooting for Anurag Basu’s Jagga Jasoos, braving the aftermath of the split.

    While at Krishna Raj, Ranbir continued to look for a bachelor pad and finalised a rented studio apartment on Hill Road. Mirror had reported (March 5) that the new digs was in a nondescript building in a narrow lane close to his parents’ residence. Unlike the love nest, it had windows opening up to a wall. Obviously, the actor had meant to nurse his heart away from the prying eyes.

    However, he didn’t remain holed up there for too long, buying a more swanky pad on Pali Hill in July and enlisting the exclusive services of Shah Rukh Khan’s wife, Gauri, a designer and interior decorator, to do up his new residence. He plans to move in by October.

    Meanwhile, his former ladylove has returned to one of her first homes in the Maximum City, a cozy two BHK in an old building in Bandra. The apartment had been under renovation for the last three months. And despite frequent house-hunting sessions in that period, Kat was keen on returning to the familiar climes of her old house once the lease on the love nest expired.Mirror photographer Raju Shelar who spotted Kat’s car outside the Bandra house on Wednesday revealed that the shifting began 15 days ago. Source: Mumbai Mirror

  • Malaysia confirms first case of Zika in woman who visited Singapore

    Malaysia confirms first case of Zika in woman who visited Singapore

    KUALA LUMPUR (TIP) Malaysia on Thursday reported its first suspected case of Zika, a 58-year-old woman believed to have contracted it in neighbouring Singapore where more than 100 cases have been confirmed.

    The Malaysian woman had made a brief trip in late August to visit her daughter, who lives in Singapore and has already been confirmed as having the Zika virus, Malaysia’s health ministry said in a statement.

    After returning to her home near the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, the 58-year-old woman fell ill and was diagnosed with “suspected” zika, based on a urine test. Full confirmation via blood tests is pending.

    “The source of infection is suspected to have occurred in Singapore,” the statement said.

    The Aedes mosquito-borne Zika, which has been detected in 67 countries and territories including hard-hit Brazil, causes only mild symptoms for most people, such as fever and a rash.

    But pregnant women who catch it can give birth to babies with microcephaly, a deformation marked by abnormally small brains and heads.

    Tropical Malaysia, which already has struggled in recent years to control the spread of Aedes-borne dengue fever, has been bracing for Zika after Singapore last weekend reported a surge in cases.

    In an update on Wednesday, Singapore authorities said the number of infections there had risen to 115.

  • Heavy fighting as Taliban breach southern Afghan city

    Heavy fighting as Taliban breach southern Afghan city

    KANDAHAR (TIP): The Taliban stormed into Tarin Kot september 8, triggering heavy fighting around government buildings as panicked residents scrambled to flee the capital of southern Uruzgan province, the latest city to be targeted by insurgents.

    The pitched battles prompted urgent calls from officials for reinforcements and air support, after the militants toppled security posts on the outskirts to breach the city gates.

    “If reinforcements do not arrive the city will collapse into the hands of the Taliban,” Karim Khademzai, head of the provincial capital, told AFP.

    The fighting comes as the Taliban are threatening to capture Lashkar Gah in neighbouring Helmand province, and northern Kunduz, which the insurgents briefly seized last year in a stinging blow to Afghan forces.

    “The Taliban have entered the city and are fighting to take over police and NDS (intelligence agency) headquarters, and we fear they will storm the prison to free captured insurgents,” Haji Bari Daad, a tribal elder in Tarin Kot, told AFP.

    Sabir Menawal, a city resident, said Taliban fighters entered his house near the police headquarters and took up positions inside to fire at government buildings.

    “The Taliban instructed us to leave the area immediately,” Menawal told AFP. “I fled with my family to a safer area of Tarin Kot, but we fear fighting could spread to this area too.”

    Tarin Kot’s normally bustling streets were empty and shops closed as local residents sought to flee the city, which has practically been besieged by the Taliban for months.

    President Ashraf Ghani’s office, meanwhile, said the government will not allow “Uruzgan to become a sanctuary for terrorists”.

    “Reinforcements have reached the province, and the local police chief and provincial officials are on the frontline fighting the enemy,” presidential spokesman Shahhussain Murtazawi said on Facebook.

    Seen previously as a rural militant movement capable only of hit-and-run attacks on cities, the Taliban have demonstrated an alarming new push into urban centres in recent months.

    The deteriorating security highlights the struggle of Afghan forces, stretched on multiple fronts, to secure remote provinces such as Uruzgan, where Australian, Dutch and American troops fought for years.

    As the Taliban edged closer to Tarin Kot on Wednesday, they promised on social media to show leniency towards government forces who surrender unconditionally.

    Defence ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish however rejected what he called the Taliban’s “propaganda campaign”, saying Wednesday the Taliban would be flushed from the city’s outskirts. (AFP)

  • Don’t interfere: B’desh tells Pak on Ali remark

    Don’t interfere: B’desh tells Pak on Ali remark

    DHAKA (TIP): Bangladesh on Sept 4 summoned Pakistan’s envoy here to protest its “interference” in the country’s internal affairs after Islamabad said it was “deeply saddened” by Jamaat leader and 1971 war criminal Mir Quasem Ali’s execution.

    Bangladesh additional foreign secretary for bilateral affairs Qamrul Ahsan summoned Pakistani High Commissioner Samina Mehtab and protested the reaction.

    “The opinion that Pakistan gave over the execution of Mir Quasem Ali was entirely tantamount to interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs,” Ahsan said after the meeting.

    Pakistan reacted just an hour after the hanging of the 63-year-old media tycoon last night, the sixth Islamist to be executed for war crimes committed during the 1971 war.

    Its Foreign Office said in a statement that Pakistan was “deeply saddened over the execution of the prominent leader… through a flawed judicial process.”

    Ahsan said he told the Pakistani envoy that Mir Quasem’s trial “took place in a very transparent manner, in front of everybody.”

    “(Mir Quasem) had scopes to appeal against the judgment and he exhausted the scopes. The apex court thought he deserved the punishment what he was handed down as he took part in the genocides in 1971,” Ahsan said as having told the envoy. Officials said the meeting betwen the two senior diplomats lasted for 20 minutes.

    “Nothing much to say,” Mehtab told reporters after coming out of Ahsan’s office.

    Mir Quasem was the infamous pro-Pakistani Al-Badr militia’s third most important figure. He was convicted of running Al-Badr’s torture cell that killed several people.

    (ANI)

  • Letter from Mother Teresa arrives for longtime admirer in Garland

    Letter from Mother Teresa arrives for longtime admirer in Garland

    Hillol Ray of Garland, a native of Calcutta, says he’ll pass the letter he received from Mother Teresa last week on to his sons, along with memories of her good works. Hillol Ray couldn’t believe it Thursday when he found a letter from Calcutta among the other mail at his Garland home. Mother Teresa had been dead five days – and was scheduled to be buried in less than 48 hours – but here, in his hand, was a personal letter from the woman Mr. Ray had admired most of his life.

    “I was speechless,” Mr. Ray, who grew up in Calcutta, said Saturday. “I got home and just happened to open it and I was speechless. Tears came to my eyes. “The letter was in response to a poem that Mr. Ray wrote about the Nobel Peace Prize-winning nun on her 87th birthday in November.

    He mailed the poem to Mother Teresa’s order, the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, just last month.

    “I wrote the poem to her, wishing her well on her birthday, and also I described her lifelong activities in the form of a poem to let her know those things were being appreciated,” said Mr. Ray, 47, an environmental engineer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “As a poet, it came from my heart. “

    And now he has a simply written letter on Missionaries of Charity letterhead: “Dear Hillol Ray, Thank you very much for your kind letter and the accompanied poem. I do appreciate your thoughtfulness and send my best wishes and blessings to you in your effort to touch the hearts of people of our society through the poems. Keep the joy of loving God in each other.

    God bless you, Mother Teresa” Mr. Ray said he will pass along her words – and memories of her good works – to his sons, Brian, 13, and Ryan, 10.
    Growing up in Calcutta, Mr. Ray saw Mother Teresa’s work in action.

    Mr. Ray’s father died at an early age, leaving a wife and three young sons. Mr. Ray’s mother had a difficult time raising the children on her own, but she never gave up and always instilled in her sons the importance of helping others.

    Just like Mother Teresa, she would say.

    Mr. Ray watched and videotaped Mother Teresa’s funeral, which started late Friday night, Dallas time, and ended in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

    The funeral coverage will join other videotapes about Mother Teresa that he has recorded since her death eight days ago. His collection also includes clips from newspapers and magazines.

    “It is for my kids, for when they are more mature they will be able to see it and think about Mother Teresa and what she did and the legacy she left behind,” Mr. Ray said.

    Just hours before the funeral carriage of Mother Teresa made its way through the streets of Calcutta, natives of her adopted country gathered in a tiny Garland church to embrace her memory.

    About 120 congregants of St. Thomas the Apostle Indian Catholic Church said farewell to a woman whose spiritual power, they said, will always resonate from her Calcutta home half a world away.

    But they did not mourn as they spoke of a new beginning for “the mother and her children. “ “Today, Calcutta seems to be the world’s capital,” the Rev. Peter Kocherry said in his eulogy. “One more saint is being entombed. India is holier than yesterday. We are so fortunate and privileged to be gathered here at the same time. We are gathered here, not because of her death. We are gathered here because of her life, a life so beautiful, a life so vibrant, a life so holy. “ St. Thomas serves segments of an Indian population that numbers about 40,000 in the area and is as culturally diverse as the subcontinent itself. Only about 2 percent of India’s population is Christian.

    Jolly Kakkanatt, a mother of three who was wearing a bright red sari, said she was not saddened by Mother Teresa’s death.

    “She was very great,” Ms. Kakkanatt said. “I don’t think she’s gone. She’s up there and looking out for us. “

    Staff writer Todd Bensman contributed to this report.

    PHOTO(S): (The Dallas Morning News: Andy Scott) Hillol Ray of Garland, a native of Calcutta, says he’ll pass the letter he received from Mother Teresa last week on to his sons, Brian and Ryan, along with memories of her good works.

    ©  Copyright 1997 The Dallas Morning News Company

     

  • Mother of the Universe

    Mother of the Universe

    In the skies of Yugoslavia, a Star was born in the year Nineteen Ten –
    Who had shunned the world with “beaming luster” really since then!
    Darkness in the horizon was speechless and quietly spellbound,
    By the brightness of a single Star that nowhere could be found!
    Later, the brightness became brighter, when the star landed on the earth –
    And declared her presence in the middle of throng by virtue of her birth!

    Lust for the material world suddenly became so calm,
    And crawled under the shadow of a strong tiny palm!
    The voice of welcome was echoed through the loud ringing bell,
    To focus the ‘only message’ that history is now so proud to tell!

    Brightness of this single ‘Star’ was watched closely by the God –
    And he changed her to a ‘Saint’ quickly with a very simple nod!
    Thus Agnes Bojaxhiu was born as ‘Mother Teresa’ of the universe –
    And became so synonymous in every house without any rehearse!
    Through the years and throughout the world, she had to fly –
    To preach: joy of giving is always a pleasure and will multiply!
    Today, our Mother is resting in the heaven, but the legacy lives on –
    And reminds her passions for hungry and poor, from dusk until dawn.

    Hello, Mother, please accept our deepest love and respect;
    Your absence is truly unbelievable and really heartfelt.
    We have kept in our hearts a “Special Spot” just for you,
    ‘Cause your lessons are immortal and draw the global view.
    You achieved your “Spot” through sacrifice and enormous tolls –
    And they are still vivid, around the world, in everyone’s souls!
    Via untiring patience, you have served the poorest of the poor –
    Who found solace in your touch before heading towards the heaven’s door.
    Your innocent smiles have stirred up the hearts of all,
    And the world will remember you always without your call!

    Your soft unspoken tender love and the glittering eye –
    Shine at the whole universe, and never say good-bye!
    Your courage was awesome, in the tales it can be found –
    And tears still pour in, globally, to make us spellbound!
    You never gave up your efforts and had unlimited patience,
    ‘Cause Lord gave you His strength to exert your persistence!
    You won the Nobel Prize but spent the money for a worthy cause,
    So the world bows down to respect your deed without any pause!

    From us, today, you are wandering freely very far away –
    But offering us lessons while keeping your mind at bay!
    Your strength and struggle for poor are deeply felt everywhere –
    Around the globe, in oceans, in soils, and in open atmosphere!
    Be assured that your memories will be with us at all the time,
    And direct us in the darkness and even when the winds chime!

    Today, we float our broken minds immersed in dew moistened tear –
    To display our deep affections for you, Mother, without any fear.
    We will carry on your untiring efforts with blind folded eye,
    Without any set back or hesitation and uncompromised vie.
    Mother, our hearts are now crying alone in daylight and darkness,
    But vividly remember your tender love with the natural harness!
    Now, the whole world has neatly placed your name in concrete stone,
    And we are so blessed with each and every touch of your intriguing bone!

    So, before conclusion, we love to say this,
    Although it’s too late but very true, as it is –
    You served the “poorest of the poor” around the world for 70 years,
    And removed their agonies via “magic touch” and wiping their tears!
    Today, your love and sacrifice stunningly span around the earth,
    Although the Yugoslavia was the sacred place of your holy birth!
    Mother, you were a “Citizen of the World” and will be missed by all,
    But your simple motto, love and peace, will stand pretty tall!
    You are the “Mother of the Universe” and our eternal guiding light –
    To lead us all in the direction of God, without loosing the sight!
    You will shine forever like a viable “Rising Sun” in the Far East,
    So bright, so generous, so gentle, and so polite to say the least!
    The aspects of your glorious life are too simple and straight,
    And they’ll remind us old reminiscence even after the “sunset”!!

    “Milestone”

    September 1, 1997

    ©Copyright September 1, 1997 by Hillol Ray

     

    MADRE DELL’UNIVERSO
    (In Memoria di Madre Teresa; 26 Agosto 1910 – 5 Settembre 1997)
    Mother Of The Universe (Italian Verson)

    Nei cieli della Iugoslavia, nel 1910 nacque una Stella –
    fino ad allora il mondo era stato privato della sua luce intensa!
    Il buio all’orizzonte rimase senza parole, in attonito silenzio,
    alla luce di quell’unica Stella, la sola nello spazio immenso!
    Il bagliore si fece più brillante, la Stella toccò terra,
    e nascendo dichiarò la sua presenza tra la folla!

    Dalla brama di beni materiali si passò d’un tratto alla calma,
    e il desiderio si nascose all’ombra di una piccola palma!
    Il grido di benvenuto riecheggiò tra campane vibranti,
    concentrandosi sull’unico messaggio di cui la Storia ora si vanti!

    La luce scintillante richiamò l’attenzione benevola del Dio Sovrano,
    che trasformò la Stella in Santa con un cenno della mano!
    Agnes Bojaxhiu divenne così Madre Teresa dell’Universo,
    conosciuta in ogni casa senza il minimo sforzo!
    Volò nel corso degli anni, in ogni paese, sopra ogni casa,
    a predicare la gioia del dono, che è contagiosa!
    Oggi la nostra Madre riposa in cielo ma la sua parola è presente,
    ci ricorda il suo amore per i poveri e gli affamati, sempre.

    Cara Madre, accetta il nostro amore e rispetto,
    la tua assenza è dolorosa ed eterno il nostro affetto.
    Abbiamo nel cuore un posto speciale che è tutto tuo,
    la tua lezione è immortale e valida per tutti noi.
    Hai conquistato quel posto col tuo sacrificio e dolore,
    che ancora resiste nel mondo, in ogni cuore!
    Con pazienza indefessa hai servito i poveri della terra,
    che andavano in cielo più sereni con una tua carezza.
    Il tuo sorriso innocente ha dato coraggio ai nostri cuori,
    e il mondo ti ricorderà sempre, senza bisogno di anniversari!

    Il tuo amore silenzioso e dolce, il tuo sguardo così vivo,
    splendono ancora nell’universo, che non ne è rimasto privo!
    Il tuo coraggio ci ha ispirato, lo si trova nelle storie,
    che ci fanno ancora piangere, ci fanno bene al cuore!
    Non ti sei mai arresa, la tua pazienza era infinita,
    perché Dio ti dava la forza di affrontare ogni salita!
    Hai vinto il premio Nobel e hai donato il ricavato,
    il mondo non può che inchinarsi di fronte al tuo operato!

    Ti stai allontanando da noi, vaghi libera oramai,
    ma i tuoi insegnamenti sono ancora tra di noi!
    La tua forza e l’aiuto ai poveri sono riconosciuti a pieno,
    intorno al mondo, negli oceani, sottoterra e anche in cielo!
    Sappi che il tuo ricordo sarà con noi per sempre,
    ci farà da guida nel buio, anche in mezzo a forti venti!

    Oggi le nostre menti sono alla deriva, tra lacrime bagnate di rugiada,
    a testimonianza del nostro profondo affetto per te, Madre cara.
    Porteremo avanti i tuoi sforzi senza guardare in faccia nessuno,
    senza fermarci, senza esitare, senza compromesso alcuno.
    Madre, i nostri cuori piangono soli, di notte e di giorno,
    ma ricordano bene la tua tenerezza, il tuo amore laborioso!
    Ora tutto il mondo celebra il tuo nome, iscritto nella roccia,
    e siamo benedetti quando ci avviciniamo a toccare le tue sante ossa!

    In conclusione, vogliamo dirti questo,
    anche se è troppo tardi è comunque vero,
    sei stata accanto ai poveri del mondo per 70 anni,
    col tuo tocco magico hai asciugato le loro lacrime e alleviato i loro malanni!
    Oggi per il tuo amore e il tuo sacrificio, ovunque sei riconosciuta,
    e non solo in Iugoslavia, luogo sacro dove sei nata!
    Madre, eri una cittadina del mondo, mancherai a tutti i tuoi simili,
    ma il tuo motto, pace e amore, rimane ben visibile!
    Sei la Madre dell’Universo, nostra luce e nostra guida,
    nel cammino verso Dio, tu ci indichi la strada!
    Brillerai per sempre, come un Sole che sorge a oriente,
    lucente, generosa, gentile e sorridente!
    Semplice, retta in ogni aspetto, la tua vita gloriosa:
    anche dopo il tramonto ne serberemo per sempre memoria!

    Traduzione italiana di Georgia Lauzi

    ©Copyright by Hillol Ray, Garland, Texas, USA, and Georgia Lauzi, Milano, Italy

    =====================================================================

    Biographical Sketch of Ms. Georgia Lauzi of Milano, Italy:

    Georgia Lauzi was born in Milan, Italy, in 1973; her family moved to Boston, U.S.A. when she was a child, and returned to Milan a few years later. She is an English teacher in Italian high schools, and a professional translator, specialising in film scripts and subtitles for international film festivals (e.g. Venice, Rome, Turin) and institutions such as BFI and Moma.

    After graduating in foreign languages and literature (Università Cattolica di Milano) in 1997, she won a scholarship and attended a post-graduate course at New York University, NY, U.S.A. studying Non Profit Organisations management. She returned to Milan, Italy in 1998, to study social communications (Università Cattolica di Milano) and film-making (Fondo Sociale Europeo) while working as an editor in publishing houses (Einaudi, Principato), and then in the movie business for the Italian production company Albachiara (press office, production assistant). She started teaching in Italian high schools in 2000, and spent several years working simultaneously as an assistant (translator, interpreter, editor) of the famed Italian actor Claudio Bisio, contributing to his personal website, and also to his numerous projects in TV, film and drama. In 2005 she started working as a free-lance editor, teacher (English business courses), and translator for several companies (la Rinascente, Team Trade, Subti). She lives in Milan, Italy, and loves chocolate and travelling.

    =====================================================================

     

     

     

  • The Marvel of Ingenuity

    The Marvel of Ingenuity

    The marvel of ingenuity disappeared
    Within the twinkling of an eye-
    From the skyline of New York on 911,
    And the world listened to the solemn good-bye!…

    No doubt, the rubble are telling the horrifying tales
    Of cruel death of fellow mankind-
    While the memories of the crumbling towers
    Do now boggle my mind!

    Moistures from the gentle breeze cooled these towers
    Against the morning sun-
    But the strikes of calamity appeared on the scene
    And dismayed the laughter and fun!

    Waves from the New York traffic were greeting the millions
    To earn their daily bread-
    While in a hurry, the towers collapsed
    And rubbles with ashes buried the human thread!

    The hapless thousands vanished from the Earth,
    Along with the structures of modern time-
    While the memories keep on haunting,
    And equate human lives with nickel and dime!

    Horror from the scene still affects the emotion of
    survivors Followed by the fear-
    And the agonizing tales of human sufferings
    Now drench my weary eyes to tear!

    The hue and cry from the demised businesses
    Reverberate the modern global air-
    While the jobless men and women are facing the brunt
    That we must take care!

    Let us offer our helping hands to re-build
    The lives of such unprecedented call-
    And wipe away the tears in a rush
    To make these towers stand pretty tall!

    Every drop of rain in the ocean helps
    To regain water via the evaporation loss-
    And keeps the world moving
    Where God is our Almighty, the Boss!

    In God We Trust is our motto, and unto Him,
    Let’s keep our faith with love-
    And pray for the blessings, to overcome this tragedy,
    From His home above!!

    “Milestone” September 11, 2001

  • Official ~ Yash Raj Films Brings Together Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan For the First Time Ever in “THUGS OF HINDOSTAN”

    Official ~ Yash Raj Films Brings Together Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan For the First Time Ever in “THUGS OF HINDOSTAN”

    Wednesday September 7th, 2016: Vijay Krishna Acharya (Victor), the writer-director of the all-time YRF blockbuster Dhoom 3, teams up once again with Aamir Khan in Thugs of Hindostan along with Amitabh Bachchan to give the audience a never seen before experience of larger than life filmmaking!

    This YRF film holds a double bonanza by bringing together Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan together for the first time ever. That in itself, is film lore in making!

    The leading lady of the film will be announced soon. Thugs of Hindostan holds more surprises in its kitty! So watch out for more details in this space and keep counting the time till its release date of Diwali 2018.

  • 9/11 remembered 15 years later

    9/11 remembered 15 years later

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – On Sept 4, Americans will mark 15 years since terrorists attacked the country on September 11, 2001.

    Most people remember exactly where they were that day. But for High School freshmen – Class of 2020 – it’s a day in history. Most freshmen were born after 9/11.

    9-11-img-2Others, like Peter Blaich, survived it.

    “It feels like yesterday to me. It really does. I can’t believe that it’s 15 years” Blaich said.

    Blaich retired from the New York Fire Department after 25 years with the department. He’s now a firefighter with Cornelius-Lemley Fire Department.

    9/11 is seared in his memory.

    “I was assigned to Engine Company 9 in Lower Manhattan. I was working that day” Blaich said. “My company was one of the initial companies on the initial alarm to the north tower. ” Blaich said they went inside to conduct fire fighting operations, and made it as far as the 43rd floor – just below the service elevators.

    “The Captain that was with us, in the company next to us, he ordered the evacuation because he was in communication with one of the other companies that was higher up and they started to have some structural collapses within the towers itself and he said we’re on borrowed time. You need to stop coming up and just everybody you can and get them down and out.”

    Blaich said he and the fire fighters with him started to make their way back down.

    “We took a bunch of civilians that were with us that were coming down, that were burnt that were injured, that weren’t ambulatory ,and we basically carried them down to the lobby.”

    The lobby would be impassable.

    “The lobby was completely sealed with debris from the collapse of the South Tower and just by luck we had an officer that day that was working with us that was normally assigned to a company that responds to those buildings all the time and he told us if we dropped down to the sub-basement one more level we can come out basically out of the footprint of the building underneath to an adjoining street.”

    They did that but they still weren’t out of danger.

    “And when we got on to the platform to the sub-basement to make our way to the street that’s when the North Tower collapsed,” Blaich recounted. “Me and the guys there were basically trapped out of the footprint but underneath the street in Lower Manhattan for like three hours before we were able to get out.”

    A decade and a half later, Blaich said 9/11 isn’t always easy to talk about.

    “I would think it gets easier as time but as time goes on it gets harder being more removed from it,” he said. “All the people that I worked with are really gone now. A lot of people I worked with got sick – cancer – passed away from it. And a lot of people just retired and didn’t want to talk it anymore so they literally removed themselves from it. You see them at events every now and then. They very seldomly come back.”

    Blaich is worried the story of 9/11 won’t be told completely.

    “9/11 to me is more personal moments than a timeline of events. And it’s little things like firemen that I knew that left notes on their locker that if I don’t come back please tell my wife and children that I love them. “It was people that made phone calls on the apparatus responding down to the Trade Center that called home and left a message on the cell phone or call answering machine that said hey I’m going to bad fire and hopefully I’ll call you when it’s over. If not tell the kids I love ’em.”

    “For me that’s really part of the history on a personal level and it’s harder as time goes on to keep that part of it alive. And I can sit here and tell you chronological order of events and how many victims and how much recovery and all that but it’s those personal stories I really feel that need to be put in to the history as it’s taught to the future generations.”

    The kids who were born just after the 9/11 attacks are now starting high school.

    That day in American history is something they heard about.

    Hopewell High School allowed WBTV to come in and talk with freshmen.

    A student said “I’ve heard some very bad stuff but there’s also been some positive outcomes of 9/11. America grouping together as one.”

    Another freshman said “I was told about the terrorist Al Qqada and that it was a national attack.”

    A young girl heard it this way.

    “It’s more of a U-S as a unity. Because this terrorist attack it brought us all together. All the U-S.

    Every single state. It wasn’t just in New York. It affected the whole country.”

    History teacher Robb Bolar will try to bring the story of 9/11 alive for his freshmen.

    “I want to start the conversation with what were your parents doing because that’s tangible for them” Bolar said. “A lot of them want to interact with their parents or want to know what their parents do.”

    Bolar talks about the scare that gripped Charlotte on 9/11.

    “A lot of these parents in Charlotte thought that Charlotte was next” he said. “There are two financial institutes. New York and Charlotte. So a lot of them were worried.”

    What is the key thing that Bolar wants his students to understand about 9/11?

    “I want them to know that history is full of reactions and as humans whether it’s on a global scale or on a personal scale – human react” he said. “And so how do humans react. We saw how America reacted and we can look at the positives and negatives of that but I really want these kids to see that reaction is a world wide event.”

    Retired FDNY firefighter Peter Blaich hopes history books do 9/11 justice.

    “I can sit here and tell you that at 8:46 the North Tower was hit. I can tell you that they were over 20,000 people evacuated that day. It was and remains the greatest rescue and evacuation in the history of the country” Blaich said. “A lot of things that other people don’t know as much of is the fact that over 500,000 people were rescued from Lower Manhattan by boat.”

    But Blaich worries about what history won’t or can’t recount.

    “There’s a lot of historical facts that people may not be aware of but I think what really makes the history…what will preserve it in history is the individuals and their moments in time within it. I don’t know if you can put that in a book. I don’t know if you can put that in text.”

  • NY State Comptroller DiNapoli Releases Lower Manhattan Economic Snapshot

    NY State Comptroller DiNapoli Releases Lower Manhattan Economic Snapshot

    NEW YORK (TIP): The terror attacks on September 11, 2001 killed 2,753 people in Lower Manhattan, leaving the nation devastated and Lower Manhattan struggling to rebuild. Fifteen years later, Lower Manhattan continues to recover as it evolves into a neighborhood that is increasingly residential, young and family-oriented and supports an influx of tourism and shopping, according to an economic snapshot released September 6 by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

    The neighborhood’s growth shows no sign of slowing as it continues to add new residential units, office space and more than 2 million square feet of new or redeveloped retail space that will be completed by 2019, according to the Downtown Alliance. The report is part of a series by DiNapoli examining economic issues across the five boroughs.

    “It would have been impossible, in the midst of the unspeakable tragedy suffered 15 years ago, to imagine Lower Manhattan as we know it today,” DiNapoli said. “The terror attacks forged determined partnerships – between the local community, government, and the private and not-for-profit sectors – that made Lower Manhattan’s renaissance possible. The downtown Manhattan area enjoys a diversified employment base and strong annual job growth. Lower Manhattan is doing more than rebuilding, it is transforming and moving forward with resilience and hope.”

    “We’ve witnessed a remarkable transformation of Lower Manhattan over the past 15 years,” said Jessica Lappin, President of the Alliance for Downtown New York. “In the wake of one of the country’s most tragic events, the neighborhood has rallied to rebuild itself as one of the most desirable places in the city to live, work and visit. We’ve seen the migration of creative businesses, tech startups and some of the world’s most innovative media companies alongside the addition of new restaurants, stores and schools. Top that off with the completion of one of the most connected transportation hubs in the world, and it’s no mystery why Lower Manhattan is proudly drawing more people than ever to spend their time here.”