New iPhone app offers easier access to New York City

Atrio of Indian Americans has created a new application for the iPhone that offers key information to tourists and New Yorkers looking to enhance their experience of the goings-on in the Big Apple. Archana Patchirajan, Sonpreet Bhatia and Puneet Mehta created the NYC Way iPhone App (www.nycway.com) using government data to enable access to information about almost anything and everything in New York City, a press release said. Their company, OneDerr, has put up the product in Mayor Michael Bloomberg's online competition, at www.nycbigapps.com, which challenges anyone to build mobile and Web applications to increase government transparency.

Their's is one of 85 entries in the competition; members of the public can vote online for their favorite application.

NYC Way iPhone App bundles more than 30 Big Apple related iPhone applications, including live traffic cameras, restaurant inspection results, Wi-Fi locations, recreation locations, tourism sites and street food vendors.

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Christian televangelist Solanky arrested for alleged mail fraud

A local pastor based in White plains, N.Y., who hosts a religious cable television show, was arrested July 20 for allegedly bilking investors of more than $2 million in investments into a jewelry business that was apparently a fraud.

Samuel Solanky, 61, of the TV show "Vandana," is reported to have promised 100 percent returns "within a matter of months," but bounced checks and wired investors' money overseas, says a complaint filed by federal prosecutors.

The U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York said in a press release July 22, "Samuel Solanky, a/k/a `Samee Solanky,' " is accused of "fraudulently obtaining investments in a non-existent jewelry business."

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Shilpa Shetty to lead FIA's 29th annual India Day Parade

The Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) of the tri-state area announced it will host the 29th India Day Parade in New York City on Aug.
16.

It made the formal announcement July 14 at a curtain-raiser event at the Consulate General of India in New York.

Leaders of the organization said the parade was expected to be one of the largest ever and, for the first time, it would be webcast live.

As one of the largest and oldest umbrella organizations in this country, the FIA has undertaken numerous activities and causes over its 30-year history and the parade is one of those, notes Ramesh Patel, past president and senior leader of the organization

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New York City show challenges Gandhi's place in new India

Kolkata-based artist Debanjan Roy is showing a series of new sculptures and works on paper and canvas at Aicon Gallery this summer which question what place Mahatma Gandhi has in today's India - if any at all.

The artist claims he is not an iconoclast, but one who merely aims to initiate discussion.

His works are most notably concerned with the violence of India's past and present, and the current lifestyle of the Indian people, especially in terms of cultural and technological development and material possessions.

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Vijay Iyer back in New York, after a string of successes

Vijay Iyer, composer in Downbeat magazine's international critics' poll for 2006 and 2007, returned to New York on June 19, trailing a string of national and international successes

He has had a busy year so far, his last appearance in New York being the concert with sitarist Shujaat Khan, percussionist Karsh Kale and electric bassist Jonathan Moran at the Lincoln Center Opening Nights festival March 7.

The June 19 concert was at V Harlem's newest spot, Medium M, with Marcus Gilmore and Stephan Crump.

The trio toured Europe in February, played numerous U.S venues in the winter and spring and recorded a new album titled "Historicity."

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Bachchan's wax statue unveiled at Madame Tussaud's New York

A wax figure of Indian film star Amitabh Bachchan was unveiled at Madame Tussauds New York on May 21.

Five Bollywood dancers, dressed in A colorful lehenga skirts, performed and taught 20 middle school students traditional Indian dance at the "Bollywood Bash"at the museum's location in Times Square.

Bachchan's figure is dressed in a traditional black Sherwani suit with a gold and black scarf draped around his neck.

It is the first figure to be part of Madame Tussauds New York's all-new Bollywood Zone, which was created after numerous visitor requests.

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Annual event held in 15 centers, including New York, New Jersey

The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sri Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) held its 2nd annual 'BAPS Women's Conference 2009' at different locations across the country on the eve of International Women's Day which falls on March 8.

The day began being observed since the early 1900s as part of the struggle to get women the right to vote. It now celebrates the achievements of women the world over.

"We are conducting this conference at nine locations simultaneously, including New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Texas and Toronto" Naresh Jadeja, media coordinator for BAPS told Desi Talk.

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New York is the safest big city, says Bloomberg

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announcing another year of decline in crimes said New York City was the safest big city in the country.

In his weekly radio address delivered December 29, Bloomberg said crime was down again seven years running, in public housing developments, in the transit system, and in schools in all five boroughs "Citywide, we've reduced crime by about four percent this year and nearly 30 percent over the past seven years," he said.

"This holiday season I hope that all New Yorkers will say a prayer of thanks for the men and women of the NYPD, who take such incredible risks on our behalf, and who have made New York the safest big city in the nation.

"And most impressively, they've done all that while also keeping our city safe from terror," the Mayor maintained.

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JUS Punjabi TV celebrates launch on DISH Network

JUS Punjabi TV, the first American-Punjabi Television Network, celebrated its October 22 launch on DISH Network with a dinner reception and press conference in the Penthouse in Midtown Manhattan, New York on November 10.

The channel, which is already on Time Warner Cable and Verizon Fios, is available on channel 809 on DISH.

Speaking at the event, Penny Yogiraj Sandhu, Founder-President of JUS Punjabi LLC, said, "The U.S. market has a large concentration of Punjabi-speaking households who have been waiting for a long time for a Punjabi-genre channel like 'JUS Punjabi' that targets not only Indo-Punjabis and Sikhs, but also South Asians, Punjabi-speaking Pakistani-Americans, Guyanese-Americans, and other diverse ethnic groups.

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Chelsea gallery hosting Krishna Reddy exhibit

Thomas Erben Gallery of Chelsea, New York, which recently held an exhibition in Mumbai, is hosting a retrospective of printmaker Kirshna Reddy (Sepember. 17 - November 1), showcasing works by the Andhra-born New York artist from the 1950's through the early 1980's.

Celebrated artist, wandering scholar, innovator and experimenter, 83-year-old Krishna Reddy is a pivotal figure in India's artistic path through Modernism. After completing his studies under Nandalal Bose at Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan in 1947, Reddy taught art at Kalakshetra in Madras for three years. Going abroad in 1951, he attended Slade School of Fine Arts, London, with Henry Moore, for two years.

After Slade he moved to the continent where he furthered his contact with European Modernism, studying sculpture with Ossip Zadkine in Paris (1952-55) and with Mario Marini in Milan (1956-57). Also in Paris, he studied engraving (1953-55) with S.W.Hayter at Atelier 17, which he later joined, becoming a professor and associate director in 1965. In 1977 Reddy moved to New York to teach at New York University where he established the print department and presently is Professor Emeritus in Art.

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If lending my name to an institution brings them visibility, I'm all for it'

Critically acclaimed Bollywood actress Vidya Balan was recently in New York for the 27th Annual Benefit Dinner and Fashion fiesta organized by the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation (NDMF) at the Marriott Hotel in Uniondale on Long Island, New York.

NDMF, which has been working to help innumerable not-for-profit medical facilities in India in their fight against cancer, joined hands with the Indo-American Cancer Association, an organization run by cancer physicians of Indian decent in America.

"I'm more than glad to be part of this event and have come only to lend my support to the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation for such a noble cause, Balan told Desi Talk in a telephone interview. "If my presence or my name brings in one extra person or one extra check or greater amount of awareness I would be really happy to do it."

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Art weather forecast for Fall: Heavy shower of falling records

W ith the 13th Asian Art Week in New York round the corner (September 15 22), one wonders what further surprises the Week will spring this fall. The art weather forecast for the coming week - heavy showers of falling records.

Remember the Sotheby's sale in New York of the Herwitz collection in 1995? That was the beginning of a new era. In 13 years, Indian art has traveled centuries not just in terms of market value, but awareness and international recognition.

We no longer bat an eyelid when a Tyeb Mehta fetches $ 2 million, or a Subodh Gupta makes it among the top ten at an internationl Contemporary sale that might include Damien Hirst or Jasper John.

Yet, it's only the other day that Indian Modern and Contemporary art found its foothold in the world market to the accompaniment of expressions of joy and surprise. Gasps of amazement greeted the fall of the hammer at over the $10,000 mark, and when paintings by M.F. Husain fetched $20,000, the surprise blended with bewilderment.

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Glamour and couture at Nargis Dutt 's 27th Annual Fund raiser

Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation continue to entice the diehard fashionistas and the trendy New York sophisticates to indulge their passion for fashion to a night of silk, spice and everything nice at their 27th Annual Benefit Dinner and Fashion show featuring Priya and Chintan's collection in Long Island, New York on August 24.

The celebrity on the catwalk in their collection is none other than Bollywood actress Vidya Balan, who has captivated moviegoers worldwide with her critically acclaimed portrayal of roles. The foundation is very thankful to their sponsors Lufthansa, Aetna and Sahara One who have extended their support for the 2008 fund raiser.

Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation has taken giant strides in their quest to provide better health care to the needy and the underprivileged. "The dream of Nargis Dutt still burns bright in the members of the Foundation, and we share the unified vision of service," says Dr. Inderpal S. Chhabra, President of Nargis Dutt Foundation.

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‘The Dragon's Gift' at Rubin Museum of Art: a glimpse of reclusive Bhutan

In its regulated lifting of the veil that has draped the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan from the world's view so far, one major step is 'The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan' which is coming to the Rubin Museum of Art (RMA) in New York from September 19, 2008 - January 5, 2009, after its historic opening at the Honolulu Academy of Art early this year.

Organized by the Honolulu Academy of Arts and the Department of Culture, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs of the Royal Government of Bhutan, 'The Dragon's Gift' is a history making exhibition of rare religious Buddhist art with a special focus on ancient ritual Buddhist dances that have been preserved intact in Bhutan.

The exhibition will have its only east coast showing at RMA. Apart from its museum showings -- early this year in Honolulu, in New York, and in San Francisco in early 2009 -- there was a public celebration by the Smithsonian Institution on the National Mall in Washington DC in the summer, over the June 29 and July 4 weekends.

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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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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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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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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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Cooling centers open in all 5 boroughs - air conditioning is best protection

The National Weather Service is forecasting that extreme heat conditions will continue, prompting the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to urge New Yorkers to take steps to prevent serious illness and death that can result from the heat, especially in vulnerable groups. High ozone levels, which can worsen asthma and other respiratory diseases, are also forecast to continue.

These are near record temperatures for this time of year and the heat's sudden on set makes the health risk greater than it might be in July or August, when people have adjusted to these temperatures. To assist New Yorkers during the heat, OEM will continue operating nearly 300 cooling centers throughout all five boroughs. Cooling centers are air-conditioned facilities, such as Department for the Aging senior centers and New York City Housing Authority community centers, which are open to the public. Over 7000 New Yorkers have visited the centers since they opened on June 7. Residents can call 311 or log on to www.nyc.gov/oem to find the nearest cooling center.

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Green Cart applications deadline is June 18

Anyone interested in operating one of New York City's new Green Carts should apply now! All applications must be postmarked no later than June 18 . This year's 500 permits are now up for grabs. Another 500 permits will be available in 2009.

Green Carts are mobile food carts that sell only raw fruits and vegetables – such as whole carrots, bananas, apples and berries – in parts of the City where consumption of fruits and vegetables is lowest. Each Green Cart permit allows a cart to operate in selected areas of one borough only. To operate a Green Cart, a valid mobile food vending license and a Green Cart permit are required. The license covers the operator and the permit covers the cart. The license is the same one needed to operate any mobile food cart, and the vendor must apply for one before applying for a permit. For more information on how to apply for a license, visit: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/cdp/green_carts_flow.pdf.

Priority on the Green Cart waiting lists will be given to applicants already on other Health Department mobile food permit waiting lists, disabled United States veterans, disabled persons, and United States veterans who are not disabled.

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June 3 celebrated as ‘New York City Quits Day'

Mayor Michael Bloomberg last month, proclaimed June 3 as ‘NYC Quits Day.' Last week, the Health Department launched television and radio advertisements, special events, and nicotine patch give aways to urge New Yorkers to quit.

The campaign shows New Yorkers what they are giving up to smoke from shopping sprees and plasma TVs to day care and health insurance. New Yorkers can visit www.nyc.gov/quitjune3 for more information or call 311 for help to quit.

"Smoking is costing you your health," according to Dr. Thomas R. Frieden New York City, Health Commissioner for New York City. "But if you need an extra push to quit, you should know that smoking will now also cost you almost $3,000 a year."

Increasing the price of cigarettes has proven to be the most effective way of motivating New Yorkers to quit. Tax increases in 2002 spurred a 21 percent drop in adult smoking and a 52 percent drop in smoking among New York City public high school students as the Mayor announced earlier this year.

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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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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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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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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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Bansal appointed to New York City Campaign Finance Board

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has appointed Preeta D. Bansal, former Solicitor General of New York, to the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB). She takes the slot vacated by Rev. Joseph P Parkes, S.J whom the Mayor elevated to Chair of CFB. The appointment was made on April 8.

The independent, non-partisan agency monitors city candidates' campaign contributions and expenditures and enforces campaign finance law. It provides funding to candidates who seek public financing. It also discloses the candidates' campaign finances, publishes a non-partisan Voter Guide for scheduled elections, and administers a mandatory debate program for candidates who use public funding for their campaigns.

"It is an honor to serve the people of New York city as a member of the Campaign Finance Board," Bansal said. "As a member of the Mayor's Election Modernization Task Force, I have seen first hand the challenges that the city faces in reforming our outdated electoral system. I look forward to working with Father Parkes, other members of the Board, and the staff to continue the important work of the CFB in enhancing our democratic process by providing public financing to candidates and educating voters."

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He was a man of passion

If I were to sum up Gopal Raju in a sentence, it would be "He was a man of passion". Passion- ate about the select causes he espoused and that he pursued with messianic zeal one was to empower the Indian American community, first with information relevant to their lives, and then through their involvement in the American political process the other was to put the diaspora on India's national agenda and pursue its causes globally. He succeeded in considerable measure in both these goals.

Dour, taciturn, determined, visionary, quirky these are some of the epitaphs that readily come to mind when thinking about the man who I knew for 24 years and who, in many ways, I regarded at various times as a difficult boss, business mentor, father figure or just an impossible person to deal with.

He rang me up to say goodbye, just hours before he died, leaving me stunned about the quiet fading away of a man who represented an era in the highest quality of "bridging journalism" journalism that helped bring understanding of India closer to the United States and that of the growing, achievement-notching and influential Indian American community on to the Indian political and social radar.

I was in a comfortable job as the India correspondent of a Western news agency when, one fine day in January 1984, I got a call from my old friend Arul Louis, who was then working with India Abroad, that the paper's editor, Gopal Raju, wanted to speak to me. In those days of communication vacuum, as far as India went, I remember jumping out of bed when I learnt that the call was from New York. The call was cordial and businesslike. Would I like to write for India Abroad and, to start with, could I cover the visit of then Vice President George H. Bush to India?

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What was it about the man that kept him forever young?

I never believed that Gopal Raju would ever age. The last time we met in New York, about a year ago, we dined at an Indian restaurant near Columbus Circle. Allen E. Kaye, the well-known immigration lawyer, had joined us. I had introduced Allen to Gopal nearly four decades ago, when all of us were very much younger. Allen subsequently became a columnist for India Abroad, the newspaper that Gopal had founded to serve the South Asian community in America; his legal practice benefited significantly from his association with Gopal. Allen pioneered the concept of a column on immigration at a time when more and more South Asians sought to come to America. And Gopal, with his intuition for business opportunities, sensed a need for a particular kind of ethnic journalism, a blend of narrative, analysis and service-oriented features.

Both men grew wealthy as a result of their enterprise. As for me , you know what they say about those who toil in the vineyards, and, increasingly, the graveyards daily journalism. Both men could have retired long ago had they so wished. I neither wished to retire, nor could I have afforded to do so.

As we dined that evening, it occurred to me that Gopal had remained young his looks, his spirit, and his mind. There were, to be sure, a strand or two of gray hair, and there were also fewer follicles. The long years since the three of us had first gathered together had made both Allen and me world-weary; not dispirited, of course, but certainly more questioning of whether what we did professionally was truly appreciated in a world that was changing at warp speed.

Gopal had no such doubts. He was, as ever, indomitably optimistic. There would always be a need for newspapers, he said, people would always want to hold something tactile in their hands as they absorbed information. Indeed, when Allen raised the possibility of starting a new publication on immigration, Gopal's first response was, "Let's do it. How about starting next week?"

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Kalam enthralls Indian Americans with his India 2020 vision

Former president and scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam enthralled an Indian American audience with his vision for India in the year 2020 and exhorted the expatriates "to give the knowledge and experience back to the motherland".

Addressing a gathering of about 800 people, including community leaders and students at the Hindu Temple in Flushing, he encouraged everyone to dream big, to achieve with integrity and to ignite the minds of youth of this world.

For NRIs and persons of Indian origin (PIOs), his message was clear: "We should give 100 percent to where we live and work, while we commit to give back our knowledge and experience to our motherland also."

Kalam said that since the end of his presidential term last year, he has interacted with over one million people and youth to formulate his vision for India. Earlier, on March 24, he addressed the students at the 12th Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) held with the theme of "India Imagine".

The forum is designed to serve as a platform for thought-leaders, professionals and policy makers to define their perception of the global Indian and discuss the wave of new imagination that is spurring the nouveau Indian to create unprecedented opportunities.

"This resource of the youth is an important building block for transforming India into a developed nation. If you have an aim in life, realize that spent time cannot be recovered," Kalam said.

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City Council approves congestion pricing

The controversial proposal to charge drivers in the busiest parts of Manhattan took a major step forward on March 31, with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Speaker Christine C. Quinn wrenching approval from the City Council by an unusually slim margin, The New York Times reported.

Under intense pressure from the mayor, Quinn and their allies that continued almost until the voting began, council members approved the plan to charge most drivers $8 to enter a zone below 60th Street by a vote of 30 to 20, with no abstentions and one absence, the report said.

At a press conference after the vote Mayor Bloomberg made a rare appearance on the speaker's side of the City Hall. He said:

"Madam Speaker, thank you. You left one person off the list that deserves thanks and that is you because I think what is clear here is that Speaker Quinn's principled leadership throughout the Council's deliberations on congestion pricing shows this time, as it has in previous times, that she cares about the city and the interests of the city come first with her. It is not easy to corral a lot of people; it's not easy to tackle some of the controversial issues. But Christine Quinn really did stand up and, with the power of persuasion and the arguments that we all know make a lot of sense here, she managed to get 30 votes when I think most people did not expect this to pass.

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Records set in almost every department, traditional evaluations go with the wind

Forget the recession, forget that Wall Street is reporting to be planning a 33 percent cut in top-scale banking and investing jobs! Apparently the art market is independent of the rest of the economy. At the Asian Art Week spring sales in New York March 18-21, prices just soared and soared, showering records, a veritable fireworks display on Art River.

Both Christie's and Sotheby's achieved results unthinkable even a year ago, with Christie's netting about $20 million and Sotheby's $12 million from their South Asian sales.

Records were set in almost all departments of Asian art, including highest ever country sales for Japan and India: highest price for a Buddha (an 11th century work that went out of public view in 1915) which is also the highest ever paid for a single Asian work; the highest for a India-influenced Khmer sculpture of a feminine deity; the highest for an Indian sculpture; the highest for an Indian miniature; and the highest for an enameled Chinese snuffbox. And any number of individual auction records for contemporary Indian artists.

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Manhattan Taxi workers continue campaign to allow cell phones while driving

N eeru Singh, 22, the New York taxi cab driver who was attacked by her passenger on March 18, says she is not scared and will continue to drive a taxi. She is also going to push for legalizing cell phone use so cab drivers in danger can call for help and be saved just like she was.

"On that day, March 18, I was a little bit confused after the incident," she told Desi Talk, "But by next day I was okay. Yup, I am still driving. I was really lucky to have my friends on the phone."

On Tuesday March 18th morning at 9:30am, she was on her way to 27th Street and Broadway when her passenger began hurling racial abuses at her. "She asked where I was from and if I were Muslim or Hindu and then she started yelling at me that we were the cause of all the problems," Singh is quoted saying in a press release.

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Remarks to a joint-session of the New York State legislature in Albany

NPR took a DNA test for me as they did in the program African Lives and they found a number of hits from Ireland and Scotland, so I want to wish you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day.

I would like to thank the Chief Judge Judith Kaye for administering that oath, the chief judge who I believe will go down in history as one of the greatest chief judges this State has ever had.

I would like to thank Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, one of my dear friends for coming and speaking here today, and also, Monsignor Wallace Harris, my pastor, for delivering that invocation as well.


I would like to thank my colleague in government who I now have forgiven for shooting me with a water gun a few years ago, the Attorney General for the State of New York, Andrew Cuomo.

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Replacing Spitzer Incoming Governor, Paterson, praised by all sides

Replacing Eliot Spitzer, who rose to the governorship of New York after brow beating Wall Street titans, is David Paterson, a man so affable that the colleague he supplanted in an Albany coup now speaks of him in glowing terms.

"David is extremely intelligent, charming and witty, and enjoys the goodwill of people in both parties," said state Sen. Martin Connor, a Manhattan Democrat whom Paterson knocked off as Senate minority leader in 2002. "He ran against me, and he beat me. But we remain friends. I've been helpful to him, and he's been helpful to me.We enjoy each other's company."

With Spitzer announcing his resignation amid a prostitution scandal, Paterson, 53, will become the country's third African American governor since Reconstruction, assuming control of the third largest state in the country and a government that many say has been

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Former ‘American Idol' sensation performs at Long Island bat mitzvah

Sanjaya Malakar, the most talked about contestant on the sixth season of ‘American Idol', was recently spotted performing at a bat mitzvah in Huntington, The New York Post reported.

He not only entertained the crowd with his performances, but is said to have read from the Torah.

He was also hoisted in a chair and was paraded around the banquet hall. Malakar, 18, is said to have excelled in his new role and entertained a crowd of approximately 300 people who attended the black-tie event.

The highlight of the evening, according to the Post was Malakar kneeling in front of the guest of honor, the 12-year old Rachel Lader, and singing his idol, Stevie Wonder's hit song, 'Isn't She Lovely'.

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1,500 physicians leave white coats on State Capital steps

M ore than 1,500 physicians from all over New York State traveled to Albany to protest on the steps of the state capitol in the rain on March 4.Many sadly left their white coats on those steps to demonstrate that they will be forced to leave their practices, retire or relocate if the current New York medical liability system is not changed. New York's high medical liability insurance rates, coupled with their rising expenses, are making it economically impossible for doctors to continue practicing medicine in the state, according to the gathered physicians. They demanded legislative changes to correct New York's current unjust court system.

Robert B. Goldberg, DO, president of the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY), said, "The physicians' crisis has been looming for quite some time, but it came to a head when the Superintendent of Insurance Eric Dinallo announced that without legislative action, he would be forced to impose huge surcharges on every doctor as well as possibly imposing double digit increases in basic medical malpractice insurance premium rates. This would be on top of physicians' already sky-high insurance rates, which were already increased 14 percent just 8 months ago, and which have gone up 55-80 percent in the last five years."

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Spitzer is linked to prostitution ring by wiretap

New York Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer's political future was thrown in doubt on March 10 after he was identified as an anonymous client heard on a federal wiretap arranging to pay money and buy train tickets for a high-priced New York prostitute to meet him at a downtown Washington hotel.

A person familiar with the case said Spitzer was one of the unnamed clients of a New York area prostitution ring mentioned in federal court documents unsealed last week. Spitzer, a rising star in the Democratic Party who has been in office for 14 months, did not directly address the allegations in a hastily called news conference, and he made no mention of resigning. But as he dropped from public view, canceling all of his planned events, his political career seemed in limbo amid speculation that he was preparing to step down.

"I have acted in a way that violated the obligations to my family and that violate my,or any,sense of right and wrong," Spitzer, 48, said in a terse public statement, with his wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, at his side. "I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard that I expect of myself."

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A.R. Rahman to stage Broadway-style musical in India

Music composer A.R. Rahman, making a self-confessed "u-turn" after his success with the ‘Lord of the Rings' musical on London's West End, is now planning to bring a mega Broadway-style musical to India.

"Yes, it will be very soon," Rahman said at the Jet Airways-sponsored gala launch of the ‘Lord of the Rings' compact disc in London on February 11.

Rahman said his plan is to create an original musical play - of the kind seen in London and New York - to be put up on an Indian stage, most probably in Haryana, near Delhi.

The staging will hinge on plans by Indian events management and entertainment company Wizcraft to develop an entire town near Delhi, patterned after Las Vegas, Rahman told IANS in an interview.

There will be a big theater, that's all good news.It's good to see people opening up," he said.

Although Rahman is keeping his plans tightly wrapped, it is aimed at linking Indian tourism with a modern musical stage, just as London's West End attracts millions of international tourists.

"A lot of things are too early to say, let's hope for the best."

Whether the original musical will be on the scale of London's musicals remains to be seen Rahman himself prefers something on the scale of ‘Lion King', based on a popular Disney film.

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Improving government services through power of technology

I've always believed in the power of technology to deliver essential information that you need when you need it. As a businessman, I introduced a system that opened access to financial data and put individual investors in the driver's seat. As mayor, I've continued that same approach by empowering the primary investors in City government – the more than 8.2 million New Yorkers whose tax dollars keep our city running – to keep tabs on their investments.

Recently, we launched a new tool that will help New Yorkers do that. It's called Citywide Performance Reporting, or "CPR." It provides anyone – a deputy mayor, a reporter, and most especially, an everyday New Yorker – with a new wealth of information on City government.

CPR is essentially a collection of performance measures and statistics updated every month that show you how well City government is serving the public. For example, CPR can tell you how long it takes us on average to fix potholes, it can tell you if the Sanitation Department is doing a good job of keeping the streets clean in your neighborhood, or whether Fire Department response times in your borough are increasing or decreases

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2008 Big Apple International Indoor Tournament

The 2008 Big Apple International Indoor Tournament was held on February 23 and 24 in the Riverbank State Park, a press release said. The tournament annually attracts many of the top men's and women's field hockey teams from the U.S. and Canada.

"Field hockey has steadily grown in popularity in New York City due to outstanding events such as the Big Apple International Indoor Tournament," New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba was quoted in the release."Bringing together the top indoor field hockey teams offers New Yorkers the opportunity to see some of the sport's premier athletes in action."

2007 men's and women's champions RYE FHC and University of Maryland (also the 2005 & 2006 NCAA Div. I Champions) returned to defend their respective Big Apple International Indoor Tournament titles.

University of Maryland and the Toronto Lions FHC were the ladies and mens champions respectively.

The 2008 tournament field was chosen from over 50 applicants. The eight men's


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NY Department of Education sued over alleged quota system

Last June (2007) husband and wife Dr's.

Anjan Rau and Kanchan Katapadi of Brooklyn, NY, had complained about the alleged quota system followed by the Mark Twain Intermediate School in the Eastern district of New York. But when the state education authorities did not act, the two went to court.

The Washington-based Center for Individual Rights (CIR) on January 14 took up their case and filed a motion against the New York City Department of Education challenging the use of "separate, lower admissions standards for white students at the prestigious Mark Twain Intermediate School in order to boost the number of white students at the school," said CIR in its release.

"The case is going to be at the Eastern District Court because that court had made a ruling in 1974 that minority students can not be more than white students. The ratio should be 60-40," Dr. Rau told Desi Talk.

Rau and Katapadi, have three children..

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Article taken from the issue: 25 Jan 2008

Fighting hunger and malnutrition in our city

You can join, too. Until January 4th, please drop off non-perishable food items at any firehouse or police station. They'll go to City Harvest, a great non-profit group that we work with all year long to supply New York's emergency food programs. And call 311 to find out how you can volunteer in the fight against hunger. It's a great way to give back to our city, and to make the true spirit of the holiday season come alive. T here's just no room for hunger or malnutrition in the world's greatest city. That's why every day, faith-based organizations, community groups, and men and women of good will all work hard to relieve hunger in New York. So does our City government; let me tell you about two new steps we've taken to help New Yorkers in need feed their families.

First, we're immediately allocating an extra $1 million to more than 500 soup kitchens and emergency food pantries around the city.

These community-based organizations provide food to nearly 900,000 New Yorkers every month. We're injecting more funds into these programs now because their expenses have grown. In part that's because of inflation; it's also because these programs have started stocking more nutritious foods that cost a bit more.

The result: Today's emergency food dollars only buy about 80% of the food that they did just four years ago.

The extra money we're now providing to the City's "Emergency Food Assistance Program" will buy about 1.3 million pounds of canned goods or other meal ingredients.

These funds actually come from the Federal government. They're part of a package of bonuses the City has earned for improving our management of the Food Stamp program.

During the past four years, we've made our Food Stamp application process simpler and more convenient, and we've also greatly reduced fraud and abuse. Because of those reforms, we now can make this important investment in our soup kitchens and food pantries.

We're also improving the way that New Yorkers find out where and how they can get emergency food. In the past, when people called 311 with such requests, they got connected to an automated information system.

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Article taken from the issue: 7 Dec, 2007