Indian companies sought for London Olympics 2012

London's new mayor wants Indian companies to come over and help ensure the British capi tal delivers a "world class" Olympic games in 2012.

Conservative mayor Boris Johnson made his appeal on July 17 as figures released by Think London - the city's foreign investment agency - showed a record number of Indian firms invested in London last year, making the British capital a key center for Indian companies looking to expand globally.

"Think London plays a crucial role in courting the interest of Indian companies and with the 2012 Games fast approaching the interest and support of these companies will be vital in ensuring London delivers a world class event," Johnson told a large number of international investors at a reception in central London.

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Bollywood stars kick off world tour with show in Toronto

T he A-list of Bollywood is on a mission -- to take the glitz and glamor of Indian cinema to the rest of the world.

The ‘Unforgettable Tour', which opened in Toronto on July 18, is billed as the biggest live Bollywood performance outside the subcontinent, featuring Bollywood's star couple, actress and former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her husband, Abhishek Bachchan, father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan and a host of other superstars.

The three-hour singing and dancing extravaganza is to be performed in 11 cities across North America, Europe and the Caribbean between July 18 and August 29 with a cast of 150.

Actress Shilpa Shetty, known to British audiences for her controversial appearance on the reality TV show ‘Celebrity Big Brother,' is set to join the London leg of the tour.

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YWCA of Queens Summer Literacy Festival 2008

The YWCA announced the annual 'Summer Literacy Festival 2008,' a one day event sponsored by HSBC, to be held on August 16.

"300-500 visitors are expected at the festival. With the new changes that we have incorporated in our programs like the puppet show instead of the music show, we believe our participants and attendees are going to enjoy the new experience," Kaye Kum Bok Min, President, YWCA of Queens told Desi Talk.

The festival is to have competitions like spelling bee, drawing contest, essay writing, literacy bingo games, face painting, balloon show and moon bouncing.

The festival is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. with a drawing contest for children between ages 3 and 5. This is to be followed by a spelling bee contest for children entering 1st-8th grade by September 2008. Application deadline for both the contests is August 12.

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New York Police Department sponsors cricket series to motivate South Asian youth

Starting July 23 to August 20, New York City will witness a rare series of cricket tournaments played mainly by youth of South Asian origin. The New York Police Department is sponsoring the matches in a bid to occupy youth.

Six teams are going to get to play all the tournaments. Games are every Wednesday and Thursday until the end of August.

"The main reason is to reach out to the South Asian community, especially the youth which we have to catch and motivate," NYPD officer incharge of South Asian outreach Adeel Rana told Desi Talk.

"We have to have them think positive instead of the negative. We are having lot of problems where South Asian youth are going into gangs and causing problems for their parents etc." he added.

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Nada Chikitsa ‘Healing and Meditation' concert by Ganapati Swami

Yoga Sangeeta, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting healing through music, presented a concert by its founder Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swami with special guest artist, renowned violinist Dr. L. Subramaniam at the Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City on July 19.

Swamiji presented a musical evening known as ‘Healing and Meditation' playing a Roland Synthesizer and accompanied by his troupe consisting of a mridangist, violinists and Dr. L.Subramaniam.

The concert included some vocals and mainly instrumental rendition of different ragas that promote healing, according to Swamiji.

In an earlier interview to Desi Talk, Swamiji said that in the 1960s, he developed the method of healing through music also called Nada Chikitsa or Raga Ragini Vidya.

He has been researching healing energies of different forms of music and their intricate relationship with the planets, herbs, crystals and gemstones.

He said that he experimented on a dying patient, Krishna Swamy, in India and he was reported to have recovered fully.

Swamiji has been spreading healing energy through music around the world including U.S., Europe, West Indies and Canada

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Victor Pais to help build new business school in Mangalore

Victor Pais of Princeton Junction has volunteered to help in the creation of a new business school for deserving students in Mangalore.

The school will be part of St. Aloysius College, (SAC) Mangalore - a reputed educational institution that has been guiding the young for the past 128 years, a press release said. SAC's new facility will offer Master's programs in Business Management and IT university.

When a lack of an effective SAC Alumni network hampered SAC's search of publicity and financial support, Pais stepped in to develop a plan to start and a drive to generate resources on a continuous and long-term basis through Aloysian Partners International (API) with a presence throughout the world, uniting current local chapters of Sac alumni and attracting new partners.

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Pakistan film to make history, show in India same day

Pakistani film about a boy who inadvertently strays into Indian territory will be the first ever to premiere simultaneously in India and Pakistan, the film's Pakistani producer said.

‘Ramchand Pakistani', inspired by a real-life incident, examines the emotional turmoil of an 8-year-old boy and his father after they cross into India and are jailed, while the mother in Pakistan is left waiting to see their fate.

The film's release in India and Pakistan on August 1 will be a rare event considering political rivalry has limited cultural interaction between the two nuclear-armed nations.

"It is a very rare example of creative constructive collaboration between both countries," producer Javed Jabbar said at a press conference on July 13, a day after the film was screened at the Osian's Cinefan film festival in New Delhi.

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1,012 alumni at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay's Golden Anniversary in New York

In yet another sign of India's rising prominence globally and the influence its educated immigrants exert in the United States, the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, held its Golden Jubilee Anniversary in the world's financial capital, New York City, at Marriott Marquis Hotel Times Square, July 18 through 20, attracting high-power speakers from the U.S. and India.

Some 1,012 alumni and their family and friends attended the event, ‘Looking Ahead: The Next Fifty Years,' where millions were pledged to keep the high standards of the institution, Pradeep Anand, spokesperson for the convention told Desi Talk.

United States is home to an estimated 50,000 alumni, one third of IIT graduates worldwide, according to estimates from organizers. "In excess of 10,000 are from IIT Bombay, though we don't have an exact count," said Anand who heads the Texas branch of the IIT Bombay alumni.

While immigration and decline of math and science education in America constantly make headlines in the media, IIT alumni have been quietly strengthening the engineering, business and academic backbones of America since the 1960's, organizers say, making IPOs traded on NASDAQ and creating thousands of jobs.

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Acting is more than skin deep - does not Kamal know?

What must have been the mental make-up of Kamal Haasan when he took on 10 roles in ‘Dasavathaaram' - apart from feeling a great deal of love for himself, of course?

For, the actor who has earlier demonstrated a wonderfully supple range of acting, from a ‘Nayakan' to a ‘Pushpak' and many others seems to have abandoned the basic rule of acting: you have to become the role.

He now seems to be saying that acting means donning disguises, devoid of any connotations of the transformative experience that performance is all about.

In a story that takes off in 12th century south India and lands in the 21st century armed with a destructive biological weapon, Kamal gets his ‘Dus ka Dum' - scientist, Caucasian villain, Japanese martial arts trainer, George Bush, a grandma and a cop, among them.

Several reviews have spotted the Kamal Haasan contradiction. In theory, he wants 10 roles but uses them as special effects vehicles to extol his inalienable, larger-than-life presence.

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5 New Yorkers among 9 South Asians on Committee

Preeta Bansal, former Solicitor General of New York State, and White House Special Counsel during the Clinton administration, and top venture capitalist Vinod Khosla are among nine South Asians inducted to the newly formed Asian American Finance Committee of the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama.

Bansal, who was also Chair of the U.S.Commission on International Religious Freedom, and Khosla who has been on the Forbes billionaires list several times, were named to the 15-member committee announced on July 8.

"We look forward to doing everything we can to elect Senator Obama in November," Khosla said in the press release.

"From ending the war in Iraq and restoring America's standing abroad, to promoting innovation and working toward a comprehensive energy independence plan, from restoring the balance between civil liberties and national security, to ensuring all Americans have access to high quality, affordable healthcare, Senator Obama has consistently shown that he is the right choice not just for Asian-Americans, but for all Americans."

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I have tried to raise some serious questions in ‘Tsampa to Pizza'

Meet Sonam Tsetan, one of the many young Tibetan filmmakers living in exile outside their country, who is trying to redefine the political turbulence in Tibet through his lens and narrative.

"We, the new generation of Tibetan filmmakers, are looking at our homeland that we left behind through the eyes of the Tibetan youths in exile," the Delhi-based filmmaker told IANS.

A television journalist by profession, Tsetan's film was screened at the India International Centre that had organized a Tibetan film festival from July5-9.

Cinema has been a powerful vehicle that has taken the Himalayan country to the world outside. Several filmmakers, including some big names from Hollywood, have taken up the strife-torn nation as their subject.

Tsetan's signature film is ‘Tsampa to Pizza' - a 45-minute telling docu-feature on the new generation of Tibetans in exile and their dilemmas that he made in November 2007. He is one- film-old and is currently working on his next project, ‘The Girl From China'.

For the uninitiated, his film needs a little contextual analysis.

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Swami Ramdev inaugurates Anand Villas in Florida for retirees

It Indian American senior citizens faced with the tough choice of either staying in the U.S. or returning to India have another option.

A health and wellness community in Florida is pioneering a new concept in building homes best suited for active retirees in the Indian American community.

On July 4, Swami Ramdev participated in the ground-breaking ceremony and did the ribbon cutting for Anand Villas- Park Square Homes near Orlando.

Baba Ramdev, as he is popularly known, is famous for his efforts in popularizing yoga.

Over 85 million people follow his yoga camps through Aastha TV program and videos.

At the ground-breaking ceremony Baba Ramdev quoted a Vedic hymn which translates as, "Let everyone be healthy and happy... Let no one face any suffering."

"We have developed Anand Villas with health and wellness in mind. It neighbors a Buddhist Temple and borders a county park," says Suresh Gupta, CEO of Park Square Homes.

This location was chosen because of its warm climate. Also golf courses, world class medical facilities, beaches, plus Disney World, located a few miles away, a huge incentive for grand kids to spend their vacation with grandparents, are an asset to the residents of Anand Villas, serene and beautiful homes built for active retirees.

Dealing with the challenges of ageing is a new situation for those who have settled in the U.S.

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Online directory for vocational training

The New York City Department of Small Business Services on July 11 unveiled the NYC Training Guide, an online directory at www.nyc.gov/trainingguide that will allow New Yorkers using City vouchers for vocational training to make informed course selections.

The Guide includes information about nearly 400 training providers and 4,000 occupational skills training courses, and provides prior students' course completion and job placement rates for courses that received vouchers.

The guide is the first comprehensive, online listing of NYC training programs specifically geared towards helping unemployed and working poor New Yorkers, a press release said.

This initiative is funded by the Mayor's Center for Economic Opportunity, which works with City agencies to develop and operate evidence-based initiatives to reduce poverty.

The internet-based service will help jobseekers evaluate training programs that promote skills building and career advancement, the release said.

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Maoist ‘Janayuddha' sweeps Nepal's National Film Awards

The tale of the Maoist uprising that killed over 13,000 people and forced Nepal's king Gyanendra to surrender his crown has acquired a new dimension with the restoration of peace, winning a maverick guerrilla filmmaker the nation's top showbiz awards.

Bimal Poudel, 37, once an underground member of the formerly banned party's cultural wing who made documentary films to propagate the message of the 10-year "people's war", on June 30 saw his debut feature film ‘Janayuddha' sweeping five awards at the state sponsored National Film Awards ceremony.

The film, whose title translates to 'The People's War', currently showing in major theater's in the capital, beat 28 other short-listed ones, mostly from mainstream commercial cinema, to fetch the awards for the best film, actor, actress, lyrics and editing.

It is the first film directly made by the Maoist party under the banner of its newly- established film company, Jana Cinema (People's Cinema).

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Chopra leads in United States: Jeev, Kapur in top-20 in Europe

Daniel Chopra may have missed most of the fairways but he still played some amazing golf to give himself a two-shot lead and fair shot at his third PGA Tour title in eight months at the end of the third round in Buick Open at Warwick Hills.

Chopra, who was nicknamed Rambo by some of his rivals' caddies for his ability to rebound back despite missing the fairways, shot four-under 68 to be at 16-under 200 after 54 holes on June 28.

The Stockholm-born Chopra was two shots ahead of the trio of Dudley Hart (70) who had his first bogey of the tournament on the 18th, Bubba Watson (68) and Woody Austin (69), who were tied for second.

Second-round leader Bo Van Pelt (73) was another shot back along with Kenny Perry (67), the highest-ranked player in the field.

Despite the two shot lead, Chopra said any of the 10 players who are 12 under or better have a chance to win at Warwick Hills, one of the easier courses on the PGA Tour. "It's going to be an absolute shootout," he predicted.

Chopra, who won the Gin-Sur Classic last year and Mercedes Championships in the first event of this year, went to the top of the leader board for the first time at the ninth hole Hart bogeyed for the first time in the tournament.

Chopra found just three of the 14 fairways but he played amazing golf from the roughs and recovered well enough to find 13 of 18 greens. He showed superb and innovative shot making with the irons and wedges and scrambled for par and even got birdies.

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New York Taxi Workers Alliance petition for $1 fuel surcharge

Taxi drivers reeling from gas prices are looking for some TLC from the Taxi and Limousine Commission with a $1 fuel surcharge and an end to the 5 percent fee paid by drivers every time the passenger swipes the credit card, a press release said. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) called for emergency on July 7.

"The TLC has the legal authority, it's now a question of political will and morality. Drivers are losing between $1,100- $1,400 each month in hard-earned income - that's rent money for a working family. Drivers are suffering," Bhairavi Desai, NYTWA Executive Director was quoted in a press release.

NYTWA is petitioning for $1 more on the meter drop while gas remains $3.50 per gallon and an additional 50 cents for every $1 increase in gas above the $3.50. Drivers are also calling for an end to the 5 percent, which is split between the merchant bank, the technology vendor, and the taxi garage.

Desai said the TLC's advice to drivers to wait it out until all 13,000 taxis are fuel efficient is "cold and ignorant."

"The full conversion will take between five to seven years. Only about 10 percent of the taxi fleet is currently hybrid and even with the mandate for fuel efficient new cars beginning this October, there are still problems with durability and availability.

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Annual convention by American Telugu Association (ATA) in Newark

The three-day Tenth Convention (July 3-5) of American Telugu Association was inaugurat ed on July 4 at the indoor sports arena of Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, with the blessings of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji of Jeeyar Educational Trust.

Swamiji led a procession of business, cultural, social and political leaders belonging to the Telugu diaspora through the arena. Later, he reminded the audience that noble deeds were immortal, while wealth and life itself were temporary. He advised the people to be wise in accumulating wealth and spend it in a righteous manner.

Earlier, during the evening banquet on July 3, Dr. Chandra Reddy Gavva, President, said that the main objective of the conference was to expose the younger generation to spirituality and heritage.

Jon Corzine, Governor of New Jersey, who was the chief guest at the 'Banquet Night', said that New Jersey provides equal opportunities for everyone to progress in business and career. He recognized the achievements of Indians of Telugu origin including his cabinet colleagues, Kris Kolluri, who had officiated as the Governor of New Jersey for a few days in his absence and Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula who serves as Deputy Speaker of the New Jersey Assembly. Chivukula, who was present on the occasion along with well-known Telugu personalities including filmmaker K. Viswanath, entrepreneur Dr. Varaprasad Reddy, and actor Gollapudi Marthi Rao, presented the 2008 ATA Awards to individuals for their achievements in respective fields during the Banquet Night.

According to Dr. Sambi Reddy Avutu, Chairman of Awards Committee, a nine-member team selected the awardees in ten different categories that included Legendary, Lifetime Achievement, Excellence, and Meritorious Awards.

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Hillary aide Tanden is Obama's Director of Domestic Policy

Neera Tanden, close advisor to Senator Hillary Clinton during her race in the Presidential primaries, has been recruited by Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama as his Director of Domestic Policy according to a June 27 press release from his campaign office.

Tanden, 38, is a long time associate of the Clintons since President Bill Clinton was in the White House and played a significant role in then First Lady Hillary Clinton's health plan as her senior policy advisor and associate director in the Domestic Policy Council.

She was Candidate Clinton's policy director and in her inner circle.

In an earlier interview with News India Times, Tanden stressed her close ties to Clinton and how the First Lady had held a special party for her at the White House when she was getting married.

Tanden told News India Times, she was brought up by her mom and supported government programs because she saw how they helped her mother.

Before rejoining Senator Clinton's bid for the Democratic nomination, Tanden was a senior vice president for Academic Affairs at the Center for American Progress (CAP), a Liberal think Tanden, 38, is a long time associate of the Clintons since President Bill Clinton was in the White House and played a significant role in then First Lady Hillary Clinton's health plan as her senior policy advisor and associate director in the Domestic Policy Council.

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Daler sings for Rajnikant starrer

Bhangra king Daler Mehndi singing songs in Tamil and Telugu may sound strange, but that is exactly what he is doing now. He is making a foray into southern cinema with the much-talked-about ‘Kuselan', starring Tamil superstar Rajnikant.

The film is being made in Tamil and Telugu, and Mehndi, who gave hit Punjabi pop songs like Bolo ta ra ra and Dardi rab rab, has sung a song each in both versions in his inimitable style.

"Oyam zaarare is the most peppy number of the movie," said Kulmeet Makkar, CEO of BIG Music & Home Entertainment, which released the album on July 1. Apart from Mehndi, an array of singers like Shankar Mahadevan, Hariharan, Sujata, Chitra, Sadhna Sargam, Shreya Ghosal, Kailash Kher and Prasanna V.V. have lent their voice for ‘Kuselan'.

Music maestro A.R. Rahman's nephew G.V.Prakash has composed music for the film.

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Imran Khan set to debut in ‘Jaane Tu ... Ya Jaane Na'

It would take long before Aamir Khan's nephew Imran Khan, who is set to make his debut with ‘Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na' comes out of his uncle's cocoon and faces the media alone confidently.

The stage was set for Khan to make a grand entry at an event held in New Delhi on June 18, but it was a shy and nervous boy who emerged from the backstage.

Dressed in a checked shirt paired with jeans, he walked in taking small steps and stood still on the stage alone and kept quiet.

"He is very fresh," an official from Zee Cinema, who organized the event, said.

Khan's nervousness came clearly through his stammering voice and his frequent raising of eyebrows. He also avoided all possibilities of speaking to the media and be questioned about his film. All he said was that his favorite film is ‘Amar, Akbar, Anthony'.

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Air India extends summer sale, introduces winter fares

Air India announced on June 23 that due to the popularity of it's ‘One Price India' summer and fall sale fares, it is extending the booking deadline for these fares, which are available from July through October 2008, until July 15.

The carrier has also announced new winter season sale fares at similar savings for travel from November 2008 through March 2009.

The deadline for purchasing winter sale fare tickets is also July 15.

These special economy class fares are available from New York's JFK International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport to Mumbai, Delhi, as well as to the over 40 other cities in India served by the carrier.

Based on date of departure, all fares are set as follows: $727 roundtrip: Departure Jul. 14 - Jul. 31; $622 roundtrip: Departure Aug. 1 - Aug. 18, Departure Sept. 19 - Oct. 31; $572 roundtrip: Departure Aug. 19 - Sept. 18; $704 roundtrip: Departure Nov. 1 - Nov. 30, 2008, Departures Dec. 24, 2008 - Jan. 15, 2009; $912 roundtrip: Departure Dec. 1 - Dec. 12, 2008; $1,068 roundtrip: Departure Dec. 13 - Dec. 23, 2008; $549 roundtrip: Departure Jan. 16 - Mar. 31, 2009.

All ‘One Price India' sale 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.

Fare conditions are that sale fare tickets must be purchased by July 15.

Travel must be on Air India operated flights from New York City, including ‘Indian Airlines' designated flights within India.

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Woman gets 11 years in prison for slavery case

A wealthy New York woman was sentenced to 11 years in prison on June 26 for keeping two Indonesian women as slaves, forcing them to work up to 20 hours a day for years after confiscating their passports.

Indian-born Varsha Sabhnani and her husband, Mahender Sabhnani, were convicted in December of forced labor, peonage, harboring aliens, document servitude and conspiracy in what prosecutors called "a case of modern-day slavery."

Mahender Sabhnani was due to be sentenced on June 27, also by Judge Arthur Spatt, at U.S.federal court in Central Islip, on Long Island.

Defense lawyers had argued that the victims made up the story and were delusional.

The couple, owners of an international perfume manufacturing and distribution business, had kept the two Indonesian women in their home in Mutton town, New York.

The investigation began when one of the victims was found in a doughnut shop wearing rags and with open wounds behind her ears, prosecutors said. The second victim was found in the home, hiding in a closet under the basement stairs.

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Mayor on transforming New York's waterfront with public art

W hen you think of beautiful, powerful, cascades of water falling from the sky, you probably imagine Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, or Angel Falls in Venezuela, or Niagara Falls along the Canadian border. You probably don't think of New York City.

Starting June 26, four amazing new waterfalls have appeared in historic New York Harbor.

It's all part of an exciting new work of art created by internationally renowned artist Olafur Eliasson, and commissioned by the Public Art Fund.

There is one waterfall between Piers 4 and 5 on the Brooklyn waterfront – one under the Brooklyn Bridge itself – one on Governors Island – and, finally, one on Pier 35 in Lower Manhattan, just north of the Manhattan Bridge.

The waterfalls range in size from 90 to 120 feet; the two tallest are roughly as high as the Statue of Liberty from head to toe and three-quarters the height of Niagara Falls.

All four are scheduled to run every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. until October 13, and will be lit after sunset.

The project promises to make a big splash in our local economy by attracting thousands of sightseers to town, who will then spend money in our restaurants, hotels and stores. And that money will go straight into the pockets of hard-working New Yorkers.

In addition, the project's design takes steps to protect fish and other aquatic life, which means that for the more than three months they're up, the waterfalls will have little impact on the environment.

But it is going to have a big impact on our imaginations.

One of the great things about the best public art is that it encourages us to re-discover – even just briefly – some of the parts of our city that we often take for granted.

Our waterfront is one of the most magical parts of New York; when the first Dutch settlers sailed into the harbor centuries ago, they looked at the shoreline and compared it to the Garden of Eden.

The waterfalls project will help bring that sense of awe back to the Harbor, and get more New Yorkers out to enjoy our wonderful parks and open spaces.

You can bet: the Waterfalls really must be seen to be believed. And to help people do that, the Public Art Fund is partnering with Circle Line Downtown to provide viewing tours through the harbor.

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Film lifts veil on issue that has remained shrouded in private pain

A recent Bollywood film about a dreamy 8-year old boy had all the ingredients of an Indian blockbuster - six songs, tearful ups and downs and a happy ending. But the film has also planted the seeds of a movement to raise public awareness about dyslexia in India.

A run away hit, the film is about a bucktoothed, wide-eyed boy who is scolded and punished by teachers and parents for poor test scores, and repeatedly called an "idiot" and "duffer." He retreats into a shell of silence and tears - until a new, messiah-like arts teacher discovers the boy has dyslexia and encourages him to paint.

The film has lifted the veil on an issue that has remained shrouded in private pain for many families in India. Parents, schools, activists and policy makers have held conferences and public meetings to talk openly about dyslexia since the film was released in December. Though a handful of groups have addressed the issue of dyslexia in India's big cities for more than a decade, public awareness and acceptance have been woefully low.

Dyslexia is the most common learning disability among children, and it affects a person's ability to process the written word, symbols and numbers. Most Indian schools do not have programs to help children with learning disabilities, and teachers are generally not trained to deal with the issue, if not completely ignorant of it. The few private schools that offer special education charge extra fees.

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