Demand for traditional medicines has globally grown: Ramadoss

There is a global increase in the demand for Indian traditional medicine systems like ayurveda and the government is carrying out a survey on how to capture a bigger pie in the foreign health market, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said.

"There is increasing evidence of a resurgence of interest in Indian systems of medicine all over the world. There is a great deal of demand for ayurveda and yoga, particularly in the U.S., Germany, Hungary, Italy, the U.K. and Russia," Ramadoss said.

"A good number of foreign delegations has shown interest in bilateral cooperation in these areas and has sought India's support for conducting collaborative educational and research activities," he said, inaugurating a traditional medicine fair here.

However, he did not give any details of the revenue earned through the export of traditional medicine.

The minister said the government was making all "efforts to push" ayurveda, unani and homeopathy products into the emerging global market.

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Article taken from the issue:30 Nov, 2007

Women over 45 should be tested every 3 years

There are nearly 21 million Americans living with diabetes. That's roughly seven percent of the population, and about one-third have not yet been diagnosed. Additionally, there are an estimated 54 million prediabetics. Diabetes has become a reality for an increasing number of Americans, but many still don't know the facts about the disease.

Diabetes is caused when insulin, a hormone that helps glucose from digested food nourish cells in the body, is in short supply or is not functioning properly. The unused glucose builds up in the blood stream to abnormal levels. Diabetes is diagnosed when screening tests show blood glucose to be higher than normal. Diabetes falls into three main categories: Type 1 (juvenileonset) diabetes develops when the body's immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Type 1 diabetics take insulin shots to control blood glucose levels. Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes accounts for 90 to 95 percent of diagnosed cases of diabetes. It usually begins when the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin. The pancreas must produce more insulin to keep glucose lev els normal, but eventually the demand for insulin becomes too great and diabetes develops. Type 2 diabetes can be managed with insulin shots or medications that lower blood glucose levels, or through diet and exercise, which can reduce or eliminate the need for additional medication.

Gestational diabetes, in which the hormones of the placenta limit the effectiveness of insulin, occurs in 2 to 5 percent of pregnant women. This form of diabetes usually subsides after delivery. Symptoms of diabetes can include increased thirst or urination, constant hunger, blurred vision, extreme fatigue, recurrent infections, and sores that are slow to heal.

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Article taken from the issue: 30 November, 2007

Edison Cricket Club (ECC) gives annual awards - New Jersey

The Annual Awards of the Edison Cricket Club (ECC), a non-profit body launched with the aim of promoting cricket in Edison, were presented on October 28 at Akbar Restaurant. Jun H. Choi, Mayor of Edison Township, presented the awards to several cricketers from the Club along with Akbar Husain, National Sales Manager of Emirates Airlines, one of the club's major sponsors.

The awards were: Emirates Best Batsman Award - won by Chirag Patel; Emirates Best Bowler Award - Vipul Patel; Emirates Best All Rounder Award - Rakesh Shah; Emirates Best Emerging Player Award - Rizwan Bajwa; Emirates Player of the Season Award - Vipul Patel; Emirates Ambassador of Edison Cricket Club Award - Divyesh Patel; Emirates Five Wicket Haul Award - Divyesh Patel and Emirates First Centurion for ECC - Mitesh Rajani.

The cricket club also instituted state-level awards. The awards and recipients were Emirates Best Umpire Award - Dimpal Patel; Emirates Spirit of Cricket Award - Indus Cricket Club and Emirates Ambassador for Cricket Award - Cricket League of Cricket.

Mayor Choi said that he was willing to provide full support to the efforts initiated by ECC and other cricket similar dynamic clubs in promoting the game in New Jersey. He also mentioned that Edison Parks Commission has already undertaken an exercise to identify potential cricket grounds in the town and he was working with ECC to develop a field for Edison where the township could host matches between teams from India and Pakistan in the near future.

Mayor Choi and Ketan Gandhi, President and Publisher of DesiNJ magazine..
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Article taken from the issue:23 November, 2007

CYCLONE ‘SIDR' - Over 3,500 killed in Bangladesh

Relief workers and the Bangladesh military on November 20 reached the last remaining pockets of the country devastated by a cyclone that killed nearly 3,500 people along the Bay of Bengal.

It has taken some five days to gain access to the hardest hit areas in an operation involving helicopters, planes and boats, as well as thousands of ground troops and aid workers.

Two U.S. C-130 transport aircraft and two American naval vessels were poised to join the effort.

"We have reinforced relief efforts by adding more helicopters and cargo planes to fly food, medicine, water and other essential goods to the survivors," said an army official.

But food supplies were still woefully inadequate.

"Hundreds of hands go up to grab just one food packet. This is a mad rush but a tragic reality on the entire coastline ravaged by the cyclone," said a relief operator in the Patuakhali district.

The Category Four cyclone struck late on Nov. 15 with 250 kph (155 mph) winds that whipped up a five-meter (16-foot) tidal surge.

The disaster was the worst in the country of 140 million since 1991 when a cyclone and storm surge killed around 143,000 people.

"Food, clothes and shelter are needed immediately for the survivors who are resilient and are trying to start the life anew," said Louis-Georges Arsenault, of the U.N.

children's fund, UNICEF, after visiting some of the worst hit areas.

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Article taken fron the issue:23 November, 2007

A Queens dance arangetram revels in both rhythm and roots

The stream of people heading for the Hindu Temple in Flushing, Queens, on Nov. 10 afternoon was remarkable for two reasons: first, their dress, and second, their speech. Far from being the usual elderly crowds that throng pujas, the majority were teens. They were dressed elegantly, a fusion of contemporary Indian and American teenage styles. Second, they uttered delighted cries of greeting and pleasure in Bengali, not in the least embarrassed to use the language in public. In fact while they seemed hundred percent elegant, they seemed equally proud of their heritage.

The event that had brought this young Indian American crowd together was no puja, but the Kuchipudi arangetram of Tiya Nandi, 10th grader at Jericho High School on Long Island.

Times were when arangetrams were a South Indian practice. No longer. Not only has the rest of India found in the Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam forms of dance perhaps more ancient than Kathak, but in the convention of arangetrams a beautiful ceremony in which society accepts from the guru her gift of an artist ready to take off on her own.

The format of the arangetram recognizes the almost sacred guru-shisya relationship --a connotation not encompassed in the English appella tion, ‘a dancing master'. In the silver-andmagenta invitation card. Nandi was described as a disciple of Gargi Chattopadhyay,' and the guru was very much a part of the ceremony in which a purohit trained in chanting Sanskrit slokas invoked the blessing of Lord Ganesha on both guru and shisya
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Article taken from the issue:23rd Nov,2007

Tales from India's vintage and classic car collectors - Pune

Zaheer Vakil, 73, bought his first car out of his pocket money when he was in school, a 1928 Fiat. It took him two years to restore it. On his 18th birthday, when he got his license, he drove it to college.

That's how the Pune resident's journey of collecting vintage cars began. Today he is the proud owner of 20 vintage and classic cars.

While he still has the Fiat, among his other priced possessions are a 1947 Chrysler Windsor and a 1947 Buick Super Convertible.

"One has to be born with the passion for cars, only then can you become a collector of vintage cars, some people get pleasure in collecting paintings and art, for me it's cars and I get pleasure in restoring these cars," Vakil told Indo-Asian News Service.

He is the only one in his family who is interested in cars. His daughter used to take part in car rallies but not any more, he said.

Most vintage car collectors buy the cars from places like Chor Bazaar or an old garage.

The cars when bought are almost like junk. It is the restoration process that makes them priceless.

Fali Dhondy, an entrepreneur from Mumbai, is the proud owner of a 1929 Roll Royce, said to be one of only 10 existing in the world. He says the car came to him in a bag.

"It took me five years to restore it, importing spare parts, specialized mechanics, carpenters, electricians and painters are hired to make the car look like it is now," said Dhondy, who took part in the Maharashtra Automotive Sports Association car rally here last week.

Fortunately for Dhondy, his daughter also adores cars. Seven years ago Dhondy and his daughter drove the 1929 Rolls Royce all the way from Delhi to Mumbai, covering 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) as part of the "Rally of the Raj", which stopped at various palaces.

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article taken from the issue:23 Nov, 2007

SIAEA honors founder and 8 others at 27th annual gala dinner

Society of Indo-American Engineers and Architects (SIAEA):- Bansi Shah, president of the Society of IndoAmerican Engineers and Architects (SIAEA), announced a new annual ‘Mohan Jethwani Scholarship Award' program for six engineering and architectural students of Indian ancestry, each receiving $1,000. The awards were presented at the SIAEA's 27th annual dinner gala at Marriott Marquis hotel at Times Square, on November 3.

The event, packed to capacity, with over 800 guests honored Jethwani, SIAEA's founder and first president (1983-87), along with eight others. The six recipients of the scholarships were, Amit Bedi, Junior at Columbia University, operations research and financial engineering; Kavita Parikh, freshman at SUNY Binghamton, chemical engineering; Sachin Desai, freshman at Rutgers University, chemical engineering; Teja Kataria, sophomore at Ohio State University, electrical and computer engineering; Harish Mehta, sophomore, Polytechnic University, electrical engineering; Karan Dhillon, Polytechnic University, electrical engineering. The achievement awards were given to eight high achieving individuals -- Raj Ahuja, president of Ahuja Partnership Architects; Harvinder Anand, Mayor of Laurel Hollow in Long Island; Narinder Chhabra, principal at Thornton Tomasetti; Kenny Desai, president and CEO, Tak Group; Sanjay Naik, president, Naik Consulting Group; Reshmi Sen and Robin Sen, principals, Sen Architects; Shashi Sheri, GM, engineering design and standards, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
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Article taken from the issue: 23 November, 2007

Conference hosted by National Indo-American Association for Senior Citizens-Long Island

The National Indo-American Association for Senior Citizens (NIAASC) held the annual general body meeting and conference at the Kerala Center in Elmont on Oct. 27, a press release said.
The conference addressed Issues of Single Seniors facilitated by Dr. Ashwin Pandya, NIAASC President, with a presentation by Dr. Annie Koshi, retired professor of City University of New York and NIAASC Board member. The other subject of the conference was 'Retirement Housing for Seniors of Indian Origin - An Update' by Iggy Ignatius, Founder of Webpack.

Raj Razdan, Executive Director of the Atlanta, GA based Senior Citizens Program Inc.; Dr. S.N. Sridhar, chairman of Asian and Asian American Studies and Founder of Center for India Studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the India Association of Long Island were honored at the event.
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38th annual ING New York City Marathon

SPORTS - 30,604 including 68 of possible South Asian origin completed the 38th annual ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 4.

Marathon finishers of possible South Asian origin NAME TIME Naseem Ahmad (40), CT 3:00:47 Suneet Gupta (35), NJ 3:08:14 Anoop Mangat (37), NY 3:08:30 Subhashis Basu (26), GBR 3:24:27 Lisa Shah (30), DE 3:28:06 Waqar Ahmad (38), NY 3:37:57 Hair Bhardwaj (29), Ind 3:40:10 Navin Kamath (31), NY 3:49:57 Fawzy Ali (30), NY 3:52:06 Mandeep Sobti (45), NY 4:01:38 Anil Khanna (40), CA 4:02:07 Arvind Rajamohan (25), NY 4:04:18 Sangita Patel (27), NY 4:04:24 Imtiaz Ali (36), GBR 4:05:06 Hemant Bhangale (29), NY 4:07:40 Sapna Sadarangani (32), NY 4:08:42 Charu Mani (37), NY 4:09:57 Joginder Singh (56), GBR 4:10:26 Adnan Gandhi (30), NY 4:10:46 Meera Mani (28), NY 4:11:02 Mohammed Bahadur (37), IVB 4:11:12 Harish Natarajan (28), NY 4:11:17 Koustubh Jha (38), NY 4:11:54 Amin Ramzan (24), VT 4:13:25 Yagya Pal Shreshtha (28), Nep 4:15:26 Satyajit Siddharth Kumar (30), IL 4:15:30 Kav Reddy (46),
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FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS - Global Diwali Celebrations

Diwali celebrations at the Flushing Library on Nov. 5 were organized with The Hindu Temple Society of North America. The festivities included community leaders lighting the traditional lamp and traditional dance performances. PHOTO LEFT, from left, NY State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Council Member John C. Liu; Dr. Uma Mysorekar, President, Hindu Temple Society of North America; Assemblymember Ellen Young and Uma Sengupta, Democratic District Leader of the 25th NY Assembly District.
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