Air India announces ‘One Price India' sale fares through October

A ir India is offering its ‘One Price India' sale fare for the summer for Economy Class passengers traveling from New York's JFK International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport to Mumbai, Delhi and to over 40 other cities in India served by the carrier. Fares are set at $549 round trip for departures from August 19 to September 18, $599 from Aug. 1 to Aug. 18 and Sept. 19 to October 31, $704 from July 14 to July 31, and $808 from June 1 to June 12.

The ‘One Price India' fares apply to any of Air India's direct and non-stop flights to India departing New York Sunday through Thursday, and returning Monday through Friday. Weekend departures are also available for an additional $50, based on a round-trip purchase. They include flights on Friday and Saturday to India, and Saturday and Sunday from India. The minimum stay is the first Sunday after arrival, and the maximum stay is up to six months.

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For 50 years, we had very close, intense and inspiring relationship

For 50 years, we had a very close, intense and inspiring relationship.

Shri Khwaja Ahmed Abbas and V.P Sathe, immediately after their great success with Raj Kapoor's ‘Bobby', spent some months with me and Dutt Saheb on the script of ‘Man From India'. It was a story of an Indian family settled in Canada and Dutt Saheb and Premnath were to play the lead roles. We all traveled to Toronto together to finalize locations etc.

That movie did not take off, so I went on to my home turf, West Indies, and made ‘Girl from India'.

When I was his manager he treated me like a younger brother. Even if I was to fly out on an assignment, Dutt Saheb would be at the airport to see me off.

A few months before he died he was at my house in New York. He enjoyed playing with my pet parakeet named Tiska.

Dutt Saheb loved Tiska so much that when I visted him in Mumbai after he became minister ... it was only he, myself and Vidhu Vinod Chopra at that meeting. Dutt Saheb kept telling Vidhu Vinod Chopra about how my Tiska would jump on his head, say "Hello", and "I love you" etc.

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$10 million temple dedicated to Lord Guruvayoor is planned in Morganville

The ground breaking ceremony (Bhoomi puja) for a brand-new temple complex was held at the Sri Guruvayoorappan Temple grounds in Morganville on April 19.

The Sri Guruvayoorappan Temple, popularly known as the Sri Krishnaji Mandir, is dedicated to Lord Guruvayoor (Lord Krishna).

Guruvayoorappan is a form of Lord Vishnu worshiped and held in reverence by Hindus predominantly in South India. The temple is in its tenth year and is managed by the Hindu American Temple and Cultural Center (HATCC).

"More than 2,500 people attended the Bhoomi Puja," Satish Poondi, Executive Board member of HATCC told Desi Talk. "The temple is an important religious center for Hindus living in Monmouth and Middlesex County as well as for those throughout the tri-state area."

J. Hornik, Mayor, Malboro Township; B. Karunakar Reddy, Chairman, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam and Padmashri V.R. Gowrishankar, CEO, Sringeri Sharada Peeetham and several other elected local and state officials attended the Bhoomi puja, Poondi said.

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Harbhajan banned for five one-dayers over slap

The Indian cricket board banned off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for five one-day internationals on May 14 for a slapping incident involving Shanthakumaran Sreesanth during a domestic Twenty20 league match last month.

A statement from the board said the disciplinary committee, which met on May 14, had decided to invoke Rule 3.2.1 of the BCCI regulations wherein the maximum punishment is 'a ban up to a maximum of five ODIs and/or three test matches'.

"The committee accordingly decided to ban Mr. Harbhajan Singh for five one-day internationals, starting today (May 14), and observed that any further instance of misconduct will invoke a life ban," the statement said.

The ban meant the 27-year-old off-spinner will miss the forthcoming tri-series in Bangladesh in June and the start of the Asia Cup in Pakistan.

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Iam confident by nature - I have never been through identity crisis

Though outwardly Kajol remains calm and continues with her work, the actress is actually hurt badly over her father Shomu Mukherjee's death.

"Kajol has taken the death really badly. Her parents being separated, she didn't see as much of him during his lifetime as she would have liked to. I think there's a sense of guilt over his going. That perhaps she could have spent more time with him. Though she doesn't show it in public, Kajol is deeply wounded by the bereavement," said a close friend.

Youngest son of Filmistan Studios founder Sashadhar Mukherjee, Kajol's father died on the eve of her ‘U, Me Aur Hum' premiere.

However, when asked about her father's demise, Kajol was a picture of strength.

Kajol told IANS, "I'm coping well enough. The best way to deal with it is your work. Then there's my daughter and husband who need constant attention. Plus, I'm required at a dozen places at the same time. There is no time to think about anything.

"My father was suffering for so long. It was more a freedom from pain than anything else. I'm sure he is happy wherever he is."

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Bollywood singers dominate Kannada film music industry

After making a mark in Bollywood, Hindi film singers like Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal and Udit Narayan are in great demand in the Kannada film industry.

While Narayan has been singing for Kannada films for the past seven years, Nigam is the highest paid playback singer in these films, charging about Rs. 200,000 ($4,710) per song. As far as Ghoshal is concerned, Kannada music directors find it extremely difficult to get her dates.

Music directors are prepared to wait for months to get Nigam to sing a song in their films. His song ‘Anisuthide' in the blockbuster ‘Mungaru Male', ‘Ninidale' in another hit film ‘Milana' and ‘Minchaagi neenu baralu' in ‘Gaalipata' were not only popular but also contributed to the success of the films.

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At Gopal Raju's memorial, community comes together - what he strove for

Saluting A Great Pioneer,' the memorial service for Indian American media doyen, entrepreneur and institution builder Gopal Raju at Royal Alberts Palace, Fords, New Jersey on May 17 afternoon stands out in my 52 years of journalism as an outcrop of tall rock in a marsh.

Organized by India Abroad and South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA), with support of a host of community organizations and media - TV Asia, Dish Network, Dhoom FM, Gujarat Times, India West, India Tribune, The Indian American and the Cinemaya Group the memorial service showed that in his death Gopal Raju had achieved what he had sought all his life: he had brought the community together.

Eulogies at most such events border on meaningless rhetoric and empty praise, but last Saturday afternoon speaker after speaker told of actual life-changing events.

Listening to the stories with a bowed head, I counted with amazement the number of lives Raju had touched - in addition to mine own. The one underlying theme of most anecdotes was how Raju had lifted the speaker in his youth from obscurity and set him on the path of what he was now.

Great minds may dwell far above humanity in their ivory towers - but Raju had his feet firmly planted on earth, turning his large eyes around to seek out youths of promise, ready to lend a helping hand to be wildered new immigrants lost in an alien land.

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Tibetan woman holds Olympic flame a top Everest

A Tibetan woman took the Olympic torch the last steps to the top of Everest on May 8, realizing "a dream of all Chinese people", but Tibetan exiles criticized Beijing for politicizing the Games.

"Long live Tibet!" and "Long live Beijing!", the climbers, all wearing red, shouted joyously into a TV camera after unfurling the Chinese national flag, the Olympic flag and a flag bearing the Beijing Olympic logo.

The ambitious project to take the torch to the Himalayan peak was cast as the highlight of the relay ahead of the Games, which start in exactly three months' time, and followed weeks of protests against Beijing's rule in Tibet.

"We have realized a promise to the world and a dream of all the Chinese people," base camp commander Li Zhixin told reporters after being mobbed by jubilant friends and colleagues.

Communist China has spent billions of dollars on staging the Olympics, eager to project the image of a modern and vibrant country. But protests during the international leg of the torch relay have bruised Chinese pride and provoked a surge of nationalist sentiment.

Exiled Tibetan officials and rights groups said the Everest flame was in bad taste and not in keeping with the spirit of the Games.

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I hope to look back 20 years from now and make my daughter proud

Actor-director Ajay Devgan says his career is like an investment as he would like his daughter to be proud of his work when she grows up.

From his first film, ‘Phool Aur Kaante', to his recent releases, including ‘Company', ‘GangaaJal' and ‘Omkara', the actor has always impressed audiences with his versatility.

However, he is not comfortable talking about his achievements.

"This is the way I am and I don't want to change myself. I've tried to get media-savvy, but it makes me uncomfortable. I'm a happy man the way I am. As long as I can look back on my career and say I did everything on my own terms, I've no reason to regret," says Devgan, whose directorial debut ‘U Me Aur Hum' came out last month.

I look at my career as an investment. I hope to look back 20 years from now and make my daughter proud of what I've done. I really believe there's no point in talking about yourself. As long as you know about my achievements, there's really very little point proclaiming them from rooftops," Devgan told IANS.

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Oxford launches 13th annual Summer Internship Program

United Healthcare-Oxford announced the launch of their 13th annual Summer Internship Program (SIP) at a media conference held in their offices in New York City on May 7. This is also the third year that the SIP has been extended to the South Asian community.

Christopher Law, Vice President, Asian Initiatives, said that the program, starting this year from July 7, is a seven-week community-oriented internship program that allows senior and junior high school students to attend training seminars, undertake a range of community services, enjoy recreational outings and also gain valuable professional experience through a paid internship.

He added that the program also offers a Skill Set Development Program providing opportunities to students to learn resume writing, acquiring office skills, and preparing for college.

Law said that over the years the SIP received over 1400 applications and accepted 400 students for the paid-internship positions. He hoped that this year they would reach their target of 50 student interns.

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'Bhoothnath' is my gift to young fans: Bachchan

Bollywood-icon Amitabh Bachchan, who sang Mere paas aao in the 1979 hit ‘Mr Natwarlal' for children, feels it is time he reconnected with his young fans.

After doing two adult romances ‘Nishabd' and ‘Cheeni Kum', Bachchan is all set to woo his little fans in a big way with ‘Bhoothnath' and ‘Alladdin'.

In ‘Jhoom Barabar Jhoom', where his Jack Sparrow get-up was inspired by Johnny Depp's act in ‘Pirates of The Caribbean', the kids loved Bachchan.

"I am delighted to hear that," said the Big B."What you call the Jack Sparrow get-up in ‘Jhoom...' just happened. I made no special efforts."

"The beard was my own. And that hat just happened at the last minute before the shooting. When I was going to face the camera, I saw the hat lying around and asked my director Shaad Ali if I can wear it for my song. That is it. But I am glad kids liked the look. I am, in fact, doing two films this year that are specially aimed at younger audiences," Bachchan told IANS.

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7 of Indian origin among 106 ‘Ellis Island Medal of Honor 2008' recipients

Seven Indian Americans, four of them doctors, and one of them an Indian citizen, are among the 2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients. A total of 106 persons of different ethnic backgrounds, were honored with the prestigious medal on May 10 at a ceremony on Ellis Island. They include Dr. Samir N.Chaudhuri, among the ‘International' medalists, Pamela Kwatra, Dr. Bhupendra R. Patel, Mukesh Patel, Dr. Sampat S. Shivangi, Dr. Dhiraj H. Shah, and Nadadur Vardhan.

Dr. Samir Chaudhuri

D r. Chaudhuri, a pediatrician by training, who graduated from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, co-founded the Child in Need Institute (CINI) in Kolkata in 1974, and has received the UNICEF World of Children Awards last year. CINI is a non-governmental organization that focuses its efforts on severely malnourished children and their education.

He has been a consultant with several international organizations in countries like Angola, Bangladesh, Botswana, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal, Somalia, South Africa, the Sudan, Swaziland, Thailand, and Uganda. He has served on India's Planning Commission on child health, nutrition, and rural/urban development.

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'Rafta Rafta…,' award-winning British play holds up merry mirror to U.S. Desis

Crossing the Atlantic to wide critical acclaim, Ayub Khan-Din's hit play, 'Rafta Rafta …', winner of the 2008 Olivier Award for the Best New Comedy, which officially opened Off Broadway on May 8 will do us Desis on this side of the waters a world of good.

Seeing it will make us laugh at ourselves, and let other Americans have a look-in without the least embarrassment. "Rafta Rafta…' is just as sparklingly a mirror for Indian Americans in Jackson Heights and Edison, - as it was for British Indians in Oldham or Salford, to have a merry look at themselves and allow other fellow Americans also to have a view of the inner tamasha of Desi family life.

No race issue or religious tension or economic crisis casts its shadow on this purely human comedy which had a most successful run at the National Theatre in Britain.

The New Group presented the U.S. premiere of Khan-Din's 'Rafta, Rafta…' in a limited Off- Broadway run at the Acorn from April 18 - June 21. Directed by Scott Elliott, the production had its Official Opening on May 8 at The New Group at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street). 'Rafta, Rafta…' is a humorous tale of close-knit Indian family life in Britain.

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Shah Rukh Khan wax statue unveiled at Paris museum

Paris has a new tourist attraction: a life size wax statue of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been unveiled at the the Grévin Wax Museum, indicating the popularity of Indian cinema and the superstar in continental Europe.

As Khan, dressed in a pair of jeans and a black leather jacket, stepped out of a limousine in front of the museum, he was welcomed by African and Indian dancers outside the museum amid cheers from a crowd of fans on April 28.

Accompanied by wife Gauri and close buddy film maker Karan Johar, Khan signed autographs for the fans but when some of them tried to embrace him, the matinee idol was whisked away by security guards.

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11 South Asian business leaders among ‘Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business'

Eleven South Asians are on the list of Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business announced by the Asian American Business Development Center (AABDC), a New York based non profit, which says its mission is to assist Asian-owned businesses compete in the mainstream market place.

"We are not revealing the names of all of them until the May 28 ceremony," John Wang, President of AABDC told News India-Times. However, AABDC did provide one South Asian name in each of the three categories of awards. They include Sunil Garg, Executive Director, Union County Utilities Authority, Rahway, New Jersey, in the Professional category; Ambuj Goyal, General Manager, Information Management Software, Somers, New York, part of the IBM Software Group, in the Corporate category; and Sarbari Gupta, President And Founder, Electrosoft Services, Inc., of Reston Virginia, in the Entrepreneur category.

The "Outstanding 50 award program "honors individuals with outstanding leadership, vision and accomplishments who have built a successful business or who have distinguished themselves within their community," AABDC said in a release. In addition to the "Outstanding 50" award, the Pinnacle Award recognizes an individual who has reached the top of his professional field, which went to Michael Chen, President and CEO of Media, Communications and Entertainment, GE Commercial Finance.

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India's Premier League, Delhi Daredevils, withdraw cheerleaders

The Delhi Daredevils, a team of the Indian Premier League, has withdrawn cheer leaders from matches while others are being told to cover up, after protests that their dances and skimpy outfits were offensive to conservative Indians.

Cheerleaders, many imported from abroad, were hired to liven up India's new $900 million domestic cricket league in which eight teams play a shortened version of the traditional game.

But while drum players, blaring music and the presence of Bollywood stars cheering among spectators may have livened up stadia, cheerleaders may be one spectacle too far.

"At the right time of course we will be open to this," Vijay Vancheswar, vice-president of GMR group that owns the Delhi Daredevils, told local media on April 30.

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Kamath named Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development

The New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) on May 1 announced the appointment of Angie Kamath as Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development.

In this role, Kamath will build employment opportunities for New Yorkers in the City's fastest-growing sectors while meeting the hiring and training needs of New York City businesses.

"I am excited to lead and build upon a workforce system that has already achieved record results in matching businesses and jobseekers," Kamath was quoted in a press release. "Over the coming year I look forward to launching new and innovative programs to promote job retention and advance the City's working poor." Prior to her appointment, Kamath served as Assistant Commissioner of the Program Design and Development with the Department of Small Business Services. She was responsible for designing new programs that enhanced creating a business-driven workforce development system.

New programming included supporting initiatives on Economic Opportunity and Comprehensive Neighborhood Economic Development programs.

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Art, photography and philosophy meld together in ‘Oneness of Creation'

The Oneness of Creation: Cosmopolitan India in Ancient Times,' a film by art historian, film maker and photographer Benoy K. Behl, which was screened at the Consulate General of India in New York on May 5, takes the viewer on a journey of Indian art to prove a thesis.

The point Behl makes is that multi faith toleration and acceptance is not a new phenomenon at all, but have been practiced in India since the start of its history.

The script, photography and direction are by Behl, who is a 1982 graduate of the Pune film institute. The film has been produced by the Ministry of External Affairs of the government of India.

This film is, so to say, a distillation of all Behl's understanding and philosophy that he has gathered through his wonderful work photographing art monuments all over India from the Ajanta caves to monasteries in Ladakh and outside ( as in Vietnam, where he shot photos of the near extinct Cham community and their monuments overgrown with vegetation and in ruins).

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Fort Hamilton Senior Center is the 'Park of the Month'

The Parks Department announced on April 28 that it has chosen the Fort Hamilton Senior Center as the 'Park of the Month.

Located in the Bay Ridge/Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn, the center has provided the community with diverse and exciting programming, catering to all interests and skill levels.

It offers a performance stage where plays and special performances are held, two game rooms, a kitchen, an arts and crafts room, and a computer resource center. In addition there are daily activities that include arts and crafts, fitness programs, games, music lessons, dance lessons, movies and coming soon, sewing classes. The busy social schedule is filled with activities ranging from oil painting to line dancing to bingo. The center is open from Monday through Saturday between 9:00am and 5:00pm.

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Aviation AeroSvit Ukrainian Airlines celebrates 5 years New York - Kyiv service

AeroSvit Ukrainian Airlines celebrated the 5th anniversary of its trans atlantic flights from Kyiv to New York at The Helen Yarmak Penthouse Showroom in New York City on April 17.

The airline expanded its services to New York on March 30, 2003, creating its premier non-stop flight from Kyiv to New York's JFK airport. Since 2003, the flights and passengers coming from Kyiv to New York have increased by 150 percent, the press release stated. AeroSvit increased from its two weekly flights at inception to five weekly flights in 2008.

In today's global market, AeroSvit has nearly doubled the number of its worldwide destinations from 26 to over 50 from 2003. The airline's international destinations include Baku, Beijing, Cairo, Delhi, Dubai, Moscow, Salonika, Sofia, St. Petersburg, and Tel Aviv.

The airline has code-share partnerships with American and Delta airlines. In the United States, the airline's partnerships have helped increase the number of routes from 13 to 40 U.S. airports since 2003.

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Objects from South Asia at New York Historical Society show ‘Woven Splendor'

Dozens of dazzling rugs and textiles are the centerpiece of Woven Splendor from Tim buktu to Tibet: Exotic Rugs and Textiles from New York Collectors, a New-York Historical Society exhibition examining the history of the Oriental rug in New York and the story of the Hajji Baba Club-the nation's oldest and most prestigious rug collecting club.

The exhibition opened April 11, and runs through August 17, 2008.

If South India is known for its Chola Bronzes, East India for Balucharis cand Kalighat pats, then the Higher Himalayas are famed for its tankas and carpets. Therefore it will seem as no surprise to a South Asian visitor to be greeted a leaping tiger rug from Tibet at the ‘Woven Splendor' show.

But there are other objects from South Asia that one is pleasantly surprised to discover, including objects from Baluchistan (prayer rugs and bags) and a silk double-ikat from Gujarat.

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Opera by Philip Glass on Gandhi's early career, ‘Satyagraha,' at the Met

‘Satyagraha,' Philip Glass's 1980 opera about the early career of Mahatma Gandhi, received its Metropolitan Opera premiere on April 11, in a collaboration with the English National Opera in London.

The production was received with the mixed howl of criticism and chorus of cheers that usually greets a Philip Glass production.

Considered to be part of a Philip Glass trilogy (along with ‘Einstein on the Beach' and ‘Akhnaten‘) on visionary historical figures, ‘Satyagraha' depicts Gandhi's time as a young lawyer in South Africa from 1893 to 1914 where he developed the tactic and philosophy of non-violent resistance which he later used to help lead India to independence.

The libretto for Glass's opera, written by the composer with author Constance DeJong, is in Sanskrit and is based on the Bhagavat Gita.

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