Tel: 905-670-1522, Fax: 416-661-7273 Vol.8 , No. 1099 Thursday, October 13, 2011 27 Assu , Nanaksahi Calendar 543

www.SikhPress.ca

T: 905-670-1522 - editor@SikhPress.ca

Bhullar choosen as a Minister of Service in Alberta

Three prominent Calgary MLAs lost

their seats around the cabinet table after

Premier Alison Redford handed their

portfolios out to other MLAs on Wednes-

day. Cindy Ady, Yvonne Fritz, and Lind-

say Blackett were all shuffled to the back

bench. Blackett’s Culture and Commnu-

ity Spirit post falls under the new name

Culture and Community Services and

will be overseen by Heather Klimchuk.

Blackett said he expected the new pre-

mier to make a few changes. “I expected

her to shake things up,” he said, but

added he was a little disappointed not to

have been chosen. “I thought I had a

chance,” he said. “I thought I did a good

job over the last 3 1/2 years. “But that’s

politics. You don’t cry about it.” Blackett

said Klimchuk will have an easier time

than he did when he took the job, be-

cause of what he and his staff accom-

plished during his tenure. “I think it’s

going to be a little easier for her because

of some of the inroads we made,” he

said. “I wish her all the best.” Fritz’ Chil-

dren and Youth Services portfolio falls

under the new cabinet position of Human

Services to be filled by David Hancock.

Ady lost the Tourism, Parks and Recre-

ation portfolio to Jack Hayden, of

Drumheller-Stettler. The offices of Ady

and Fritz said neither were available for

comment on Wednesday. The only rookie

minister from Calgary is Manmeet

Bhullar of Calgary-Montrose, who was

sworn in as Minister of Service Alberta.

Jonathan Denis of Calgary-Egmont re-

turns to the table, turning in his Housing

and Urban Affairs portfolio — now

under the umbrella of the new Municipal

Affairs portfolio — for the Public Secu-

rity ministry. Denis will also act as So-

licitor General. Ron Leipert, MLA for

Calgary-West, turns the energy portfolio

over to Ted Morton, and moves over to

Finance. In total, there are four ministers

— including the premier herself — who

represent ridings in Calgary.

Harper's Tories keep 10 point lead over rivalsThe federal Conservatives are keeping a

comfortable 10-percentage-point lead

over their political opponents, nearly half

a year after the party won a majority gov-

ernment, a new poll suggests.

The poll, conducted by Nanos

Research for CTV and The Globe and

Mail, shows the Conservatives are lead-

ing with 39 per cent support.

Meanwhile, the NDP have 29 per

cent and the Liberals trail the frontrun-

ners with 24.5 per cent support.

Regionally, party support echoes

the results of the federal election, with

the Conservatives leading in Ontario

with 40.9 per cent support and the Liber-

als second with 31.9 per cent.

The NDP had 23.1 per cent of

Ontario support.

In Quebec, the picture is much

different:

The NDP leads the pack with 43.7

per cent

The Conservatives are second with 20.2

per cent

Liberals trail with 17.9 per cent

Bloc Quebecois sit at 14.4 per cent

In the West, the Conservatives

continue to dominate, with 56 per cent

support in the Prairies and 46.1 per cent

in British Columbia.

Meanwhile, the NDP rank higher

in the Prairies than they do in B.C., with

23.8 and 22.3 per cent, respectively.

In B.C., the Liberals have moved

into second place, with 26.1 per cent sup-

port. But the party doesn't fare as well in

the Prairies, however, with only 17.5 per

cent. The survey polled 1,210 Canadians

of voting age between Sept. 25 and Oct.

2 of this year. Of those polled, 968 iden-

tified themselves as committed voters,

meaning the poll is accurate to within 3.2

percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Jobs take centre stage

During last spring's federal elec-

tion campaign, health care constantly

polled as the most pressing issue for

Canadians. However, recent numbers

suggest that the economy has surpassed

the other issues.

Among those polled, the econ-

omy was listed as the most important na-

tional issue by 31.9 per cent of people.

Health care, meanwhile, polled at

28.2 per cent, with education and the en-

vironment trailing at 8 and 5.3 per cent

respectively.

High taxes were the chief con-

cern for 3.7 per cent of voters.

Courageous Journalism02 October 13, 2011

SIKH’S THE FOUNDERS OF EAST AFRICAN RAILWAYS The 59 Class Beyer-Garratts were the largest and most powerful locomotives ever built tooperate on a metre gauge railway. Designed to haul 1200 ton freight trains over the steepeast African mountains, they proved to be as tough as the terrain they conquered. The 59 Class Beyer-Garratt was the cul-

mination of half a century of experience

with articulated locomotives. They were

designed and built to answer a desperate

need: to haul heavy loads on the tight

curves and steep gradi-

ents on some of the most

difficult terrains in the

world - the railways of

east Africa.

Railways in east,

west and southern Africa

are mainly of metre and

3ft 6in gauge, though

there are scattered lines

of narrower gauge. Many

of them were built at the

end of the last century,

during the grab for

colonies, to exploit the

natural resources of the

continent by carrying

them overland to the sea

for export.

Building a railway

Kenya and Uganda,

British protectorates

since 1894/5, were de-

pendent for their external

trade on the port of

Mombasa. To link the

port with the hinterland a

metre gauge railway was

started in 1896, pushing

north-west to reach the

site of Nairobi in 1899.

Nairobi was then a

swampy plain devoid of

habitation but destined to

become Kenya's capital.

The line was extended

through mountainous

country, to reach Lake

Victoria -source of the

White Nile - at Kisumu

in 1901.

Various branches were

built to open up the coun-

try and later to link with

the system in Tanganyika

(now Tanzania), previ-

ously a German colony.

An extension to Kampala, the capital of

Uganda, was not completed until 1931.

Nairobi is reached after a climb of

5750ft (1750m). Beyond, the line climbs

a further 7700ft (2347m) to Uplands be-

fore descending 6000ft (1830m) to the

floor of the Great Rift Valley. A final

climb takes the line to its summit at

Timbora, 9136ft (2784km) above

sea level. The terrain through which

these lines were built called for heavy,

sustained gradients and many curves.

Consequently the railways' capacities

were generally very limited. Much of the

line was originally laid with 501b/yd rail,

but by the late 1920s the Mombasa -

Nairobi section had been relaid with new,

heavier 801b/yd rail and this was subse-

quently extended to Kampala. This sort

of railway and the Beyer-Garratt articu-

lated locomotive became synonymous.

Enter the Garratt

The Garratt's use of two engine

units carrying fuel and water (water in

the front, fuel and water in the rear) gave

good flexibility on curves, while the

boiler cradle was carried on pivots be-

tween them. This allowed a very large

boiler to be mounted, its firebox com-

pletely unobstructed by wheels below it.

The spread of weight over many axles -

14 or 16 in the case of the east African

machines - kept individual axleloads

down while providing ample adhesion

and therefore power.

The first Beyer-Garratt, a small

locomotive produced for work in Tasma-

nia, Australasia, was built in 1909 and is

now in the National Railway Museum,

York. The articulated locomotive concept

grew steadily into the South African

giant built in 1930 which is now pre-

served in the Museum of Science and In-

dustry, Manchester.

In 1926 the Kenya & Uganda

Railway placed its first Garratt order, for

four EC Class 4-8-2+2-8-4 wood-burn-

ing engines, which were used west of

Nairobi and permitted to haul 457 tons

on the 1 in 50 gradient. After a satisfac-

tory two year trial the railway decided

that its future lay with Garratts for main

line work. Successive orders culminated

in the majestic EC class 4-8-4+4-8-4

(later Class 57). These locomotives insti-

tuted through running between Nairobi

and Kampala. Different types of Garratt

locomotives handled the given loads suc-

cessfully until the early 1950s when,

thanks to continuous traffic growth, the

Mombasa - Nairobi section became a

bottleneck with exports and imports

being seriously delayed. By now the

track here had been relaid with 951b/yd

rail and was already supporting the 17'/2

ton axleload of the EA class 2-8-2s. Care-

ful study of locomotive forces acting on

the track showed that axleload up to 21

tons could be borne, provided that the

weight tapered off at each end of the lo-

comotive.

Production of the 59s

In 1954 the UK locomotive

builder, Beyer-Peacock, was asked to

produce a new and much bigger 4-8-2+2-

8-4 Garratt, capable of hauling 1200 ton

trains on the 1 in 66 gradients and with

the enormous tractive effort of 83,3501b.

The 34 engines of the 59

Class were delivered in

1955 in an attractive liv-

ery of dark red lined out

in yellow. Most were

given names of moun-

tains in east Africa.

Everything possi-

ble was built into the en-

gines to give sustained

power and high mileage

between overhauls. They

had bar frames ma-

chined from 4V2in thick

slabs and roller bearings

on all axles and big ends.

The boiler was enor-

mous, with a barrel di-

ameter of 7ft 6in - 6in

larger than the LNER's

solitary 2-8-0+0-8-2

Garratt - and was oil

fired. If they had burned

coal (and provision was

made to fit a mechanical

stoker if a change to coal

was ever necessary), the

grate would have had an

area of 72sq ft - half as

much again as a Bulleid

Merchant Navy Pacific.

The front and rear tanks

were of Beyer-Peacock's

later streamlined form

and a power reverser

was provided. Air brak-

ing for engine and train

was standard.

An interesting

feature built into the 59s,

like all engines for east

Africa since pre-war

days, was ease of con-

version to 3ft 6in gauge

if there was a link with

the systems in Rhodesia

(now Zambiaand Zim-

babwe) and South Africa. All wheel rims

were just over one inch wider than nor-

mal, so that new tyres could be shrunk on

to suit the wider gauge. On test the spec-

ified 1200 ton load was handled comfort-

ably and even exceeded. Such was the

impact of these remarkable locomotives

and their heavier trains (1400 tons per-

mitted between the coast and Nairobi)

that within 12 months the main line op-

eration was back to normal and conges-

tion at Mombasa was at an end.

Working days

During normal service the 59s were

manned by two regular crews on a ca-

boose basis, one working and one resting

in a van with sleeping accommodation,

changing over at eight hour intervals.

The engines were kept very clean and the

cabs were polished and immaculate.

(Cont.. to next issue)

Sikh Press Special

THE SIKHS IN EAST AFRICAThe history of the Sikhs of East Africa begins with the

Railway - though detachments of Sikh Regiments had

seen service in certain parts of East Africa in previous

years. The Sikhs who were brought over from India to

build the old Uganda Railways were skilled workmen -

carpenters, blacksmiths and masons. They were quick to

adept themselves to the specialised requirements of the

Railways and many became fitters and turners and

boiler-makers.

The story of the construction of the Uganda Rail-

way is well known in history with many books written

about it -'Man Eaters of

Tsavo' is one of the

books which narrates

the genuine fear of the

labourers, who gave

their lives in the jungles

of Kenya while building

the Railways. The early

settlers had to face these

marauding lions that

were a constant threat to

their lives. It is only nec-

essary to mention that

these famous man-eat-

ing lions seem to have had a great partiality for Sikhs as

their staple diet. Anyway, these stout sons of the Punjab

continued to push the twin lines of steel forward, lions

and leopards notwithstanding.

These early Sikhs were soon joined by their ed-

ucated brothers. There was no department of the pioneer-

ing Railway without its Sikhs. A number of policemen,

ranging from inspectors to constables, were also sent

from India to become the vital instrument of maintaining

law and order. They remained in the country for several

years. Many, but not all, of the original Sikh arrivals re-

turned to India to be replaced and augmented by others

who came of their own volition. Their skills and industry

were always in great demand.

The Sikhs penetrated into every nook and corner

of East Africa to erect the buildings and to build the

roads; to undertake general maintenance work on the

farms; to serve in the offices and to assume charge of the

hospitals. The manner in which the Sikhs increased their

usefulness to Kenya is a saga of resource and initiative

and perseverance.

They undertook with confidence any type of

work, which required skill and industry. They became

highly successful farmers. They responded magnifi-

cently to the growing needs of the country by improving

and diversifying their capabilities. They became contrac-

tors and furniture makers.

SIKHS IN KENYA

During the latter half of

the last century, a large

number of migrantsrom

the Indian sub-continent

flocked to the shores of

East Africa in dhows

under considerable hard-

ship. It was not until 1895

that there was an intensive

Sikh presence in the coun-

try when a contingent was

brought to Mombasa in

order to police the Uganda railway as well as the caravan

routes into the hinterland. After which, the Sikh military

contact and presence intensified with Sikh soldiers

being brought to deal with the Kabaka's uprising in

1898 in Uganda and other similar excursions. However,

it was the building of the Uganda railway, which wit-

nessed a large influx of Sikhs into Kenya with most ar-

riving as indentured workers.

While a number of Sikhs opted to return to their

homeland when the railway was completed the majority

remained in Kenya, sparking a wave of free immigrants

from all walks of life who brought with them particular

skills which have since been linked inextricably with

Kenya's subsequent development.

(Cont.. to next issue)

October 13, 2011 03 Courageous Journalism

Jagmeet Singh`s Victory/ What does it mean?

Friends bid tearful adieu to Jagjit Singh

Ghazal losesits voice

You simply could not envisage that Jagmeet after

contesting his election on NDP plateform from the same

riding as a MP will be elected as the Member of

Provincial Parliament so soon.Well things do happen.On

October 6, 2011 that historic victory celebrated itself

with showers of congratulations amongst shouts and

dances (Bhangra). People who distanced from this man

wearing Dumala came forth to hug him and accept him

as their own. Leaving aside the traditional leadership all

the communitywas thrilled and excited. This victory was

nothing short of emancipation of some sort of deliver-

ance from captivity to freedom.

The major question before the Sikh community

is what message does his victory sends to his commu-

nity?

My deep rooted allegiance has been with Liberal

Party since long and still is with this Party. I come from

that batch of people who were enamoured with the

Trudeau era. It was but natural that I should keep some

distance from Jagmeet on political grounds. That does no

way mean that I should be detached from my roots.

Going back some 26 years, in Punjab, it was

itchingly irritant to think of Jathedar Gurcharn Singh

Tora, sticking to the Chairmanship of SGPC for 25

years. It was not only wrong, but abusive. This question

of power hunger haunted me. Now after 25 years Sikh

political dominance of old hawks reflect in the same way

in Canada that they oppose vehemently the new idealogy

and new blood. This is the major cause of retardation in

the progress of the Sikh religion and politicts. Older

generation is hindering the growth of the new generation.

Infect, my objective of this article was Jagmeet

and his victory. Jagmeet is a new generation, young man

of 31. He is intellectual and a thinker; Lawyer by profes-

sion and graduate from Canadian Universities. Along

with his credentials we must accept his lack of experi-

ence and seasoned politics.

Surprisingly, we can find in every nook and cor-

ner of our community most experienced people, but they

have no drive and vision to envisage the direction. Infact

they abuse their experience. They waste their energy in

building walls of hatred and division rather than cohesion

and integration. Experience of self aggrandisation in no

experience for integration.

Our suggestive inroad tells that he should come out now

of the victory parades and self amelioration and stick to

the positive targets and achievements to sermount ahead.

The Punjabi Press in the last provincial election

did rightly discus these problems and its solutions

thoroughly. We do understand that Jagmeet will be a

back-bencher, yet his input and cotribution could be

immense if rightly executed. Libral goverance as

Minority will definitely need the exclusivity of Jagmeet

Singh as a valuable vote in decision making.

I would like to unscrew another hard nut to say

that in politics controvercial objective are not resolved

by creating hostility; but by wisdom, logic and tactics.

That makes the way smooth. Capsules are the best

chemistry for bitter medicines.

There are major problems and objectives to

achieve in Brampton. For example peel memorial hospi-

tal and services, need for University, for more Govern-

ment offices and jobs. These are some of the major needs

and problems to be resolved and tackled. There will be

lots of problems and issues that will be comimg forth

time to time and need to be resolved diplomatically.

May be; there are people who see his distinctive

headgear and have their hopes too high as Sikh MPP.

There may be many who see his wise head and aspire

their Panthic problems to be resolved through and by

him. His political strategy will be determined by his

wisdom and watchful four years of walking on this coal

fire. On these tests and trials his analysis will be tried.

His supporter must remember that he is the

Member of Provincial Parliament of Ontario, is not the

medical practioner of all the ills and issues of the Sikhs.

Any Punjabi media that thinks this wise is far away from

reality. Jagmeet Singh apart from being the MPP from

NDP platform is the epitome of the Sikh Youth who

worked day and night for his success. Therefore it is

paramount that he keeps his heels deeply dug in his roots.

Another most important thing to remember is that people

suppoted him on his own individual personality flag. No

matter they were Liberal or Conservative, they all look

for his own personal chrisma and voted him in. It is now

needful that he stands immovable on his promises and

principles to dispense with what he said on his election

platform. He must remember he said many times that, “

He does not want to be a leader; but to be a servant ( SE-

VADAR)” Selfless service can make all things possible.

Sukhminder Singh Hansra

Citizens across the social spectrum from

celebrities to commoners arrived to

mourn the death of ghazal singer Jagjit

Singh on Monday. "Every singer wears a

fine kurta, drapes a shawl and sits before

a harmonium . But try and find another

artiste like Jagjitji in this world," said

ghazal singer Raj Kumar Rizvi at the fu-

neral. "His selection of poetry, his pa-

tronage of new talent and his abundant

but silent charity all put him in a class

apart." The death register at the Chan-

danwadi electric crematorium listed

entry number 1510 as Jagjit Singh Dhi-

man, a 70-yearold Hindu whose family

chose to pay the optional fee of Rs 250

although the service is free. He was born

Sikh, however, so the last rites were a

blend of Hindu and Sikh ceremonies. A

Sindhi priest Rajeshwar Maharaj, who

was invited from the US to perform the

funeral, led Singh's younger brother Kar-

tar and his widow Chitra through the rit-

uals. Singh's body was laid upon a bed

of flowers at Chandanwadi hall and

scores of fans filed past for a last glimpse

before it was carried to the inner chamber

. At 1.10 pm, mourners were asked to

step back before the body was inserted

into the electric furnace, and at the final

moment loud cries of "Jo bole so Nihal ,

Sat Sri Akal" mingled with Hindu chants.

Monday was Sharad Purnima,

the brightest night of the year. And it be-

came a little brighter as a new star en-

tered the celestial firmament.

The first time I heard about Jagjit Singh, I was recording withMadan Mohan who told me, 'Ek Jagjit naam ka ladka aayahai bahut achcha gaata hai.' When I heard his voice I wasbowled over, but somehow Jagjitji's voice was not consideredsuitable for film heroes at that time.

-Lata Mangeshkar

From tiny living rooms made entirely of

floral cotton tapestry to large drawing

rooms with striped silk curtains, the

voice of Jagjit Singh cut across the mid-

dle- and upper-class barrier in India dur-

ing the '80s and the '90s.

As the sun set, the first bars of

Jagjit and his wife Chitra's music started

wafting across neighbourhoods in small

towns and bustling metros. Woh kaagaz

ki kashti, they sang nostalgically, woh

baarish ka paani.

On Monday morning, Jagjit

Singh, now 70, breathed his last. He had

been in hospital since September 23,

when he suffered a sudden brain haem-

orrhage a few hours before he was due to

perform with compatriot Ghulam Ali at

Shanmukhanand Hall.

Two surgeries were performed

over the next couple of weeks but doctors

could neither save him, nor revive him

from a coma. There was some improve-

ment over the last three days, but a car-

dio-respiratory arrest on Monday

morning was the last straw. "Our efforts

to revive him failed," said Dr Nitin

Dange, a neurosurgeon at Lilavati.

Wife Chitra, who hadn't left the

hospital since his admission, was in-

formed a few minutes later. Even As film

and music stars - Shabana Azmi, Javed

Akhtar, Subhash Ghai, Gulzar, and San-

jay Khan, to name a few - rushed at the

hospital to express their condolences,

Chitra was too distraught to speak.

By evening, his brothers, Jaswant

and Kartar had flown in from Jaipur and

Delhi, and taken his body to his Warden

Road home. The cremation will be held

at Chandanwadi at 4 pm on Tuesday.

"When I was eight, I would put

Jagjit on my lap and play with him. He

was everybody's laadla. From the age of

six, he showed a flair for singing. Watch-

ing people listen to Jagjit sing would fill

my heart with pride," his elder brother,

Jaswant, told Mumbai Mirror. "It hurts

me immensely that he is younger than

me and yet passed away before me. Last

year, he come down to Jaipur and stayed

with us for a concert. He seemed happy."

Among the few hundred people

who thronged the hospital by afternoon

were admirers and numerous fans who

had never known his personally; just

through his music. Tardeo's Hema Ahuja,

a 39-year-old who says she hasn't missed

a single Jagjit Singh concert in 20 years,

talked about his last performance at

Worli in September. "After all these

years, I had met him for the first time

then. My husband and I got a photo

clicked with him. We had no idea it was

the last time we'd see him live," she said,

weeping.

Another fan at the hospital was

Harish Baijal, a police officer from

Nashik. He said a concert in Aurangabad

in 2005 stood out as his greatest Jagjit

Singh memory. "It was a concert for

mentally challenged kids. When we went

to him to pay his fees for the show, he

chased us away, saying he never charged

for a good cause."

Jagjit is survived by his wife Chi-

tra, with whom he performed success-

fully until their son Vivek died in a freak

road accident in 1990. Chitra has not per-

formed publicly since then. His step-

daughter Monica, who was Chitra's

daughter from a previous marriage, died

two years ago.

Brother Jaswant said that since

Jagjit was a brilliant student, their father,

Amar Singh, had wanted him to become

an IAS officer. "But by becoming a

singer, he truly made him Amar."

Courageous Journalism04 October 13, 2011

416-661-7272www.Hansra.ca

One Stop for effective and comprehensive Advertising!

Benefits All

Brampton Deserves Attention!

Apple of My Eye

by Shelley WaliaI heard about Steve Jobs's death while I was listening to the songs of the six-

ties' singer, Joan Baez. Her songs are poignant and I was further saddened by the

thought that Steve and she had once dated.

Steve is gone, but his passionate commitment to innovation has left a pro-

found mark on me. I find it difficult to distinguish between him and his products,

between the dance and the dancer. And as I

also belonged, like him, to the counter-cul-

ture of the sixties, I have some indefinable

affinity to his approach to life. I feel I have

known him deeply owing to my long and

happy association with the Apple

Macintosh.

I first heard of Steve when we

reached Cambridge in the mid-eighties. The

university had opened an Apple Macintosh

store where computers were available at a

discount. I remember my wife and I buying

our first Apple Classic, commonly know as

the Macintosh, at a whopping cost of £800.

My wife, who was doing her doctoral re-

search at Cambridge, used it to type her the-

sis. It was the first real personal computer

possessing the fanatical care, elegance and 'the aloof sheen of Steve's personality'.

It had a 40mb memory which we then upgraded to 80.

Though out of our reach, this was the only computer which already had the

facility of a mouse and windows that were later hijacked by Microsoft. I look at the

Apple Mac today and realise the enthusiasm and the creativity behind the sleepless

nights Steve must have spent on each meticulous detail, even on the font, the colour

of the cord or the cardboard packing in which we carried it to our flat.

Within a few years came the SE and the LC Apple Macintoshes but we

doggedly remained faithful to our Classic. And then, one day, there appeared the

Apple Powerbook, a laptop! I remember our excitement the day we paid over £1800

for it. We brought it back to India where it was the envy of everyone who saw it. In

those days, very few people in India possessed laptops. So rare were the Apple ma-

chines especially, that once when our printer cartridge ran dry, we were driven to

Nehru Place in Delhi where too it was unavailable.

But by the mid-nineties, the Apple Laser Printer became available and we

managed to bring one home. It cost us £1500. Luckily, being scholars, we didn't

have to pay any duty on it which was then 300 per cent --a formidable charge few

could afford.

Many years have gone by and we have graduated to other Apple products

like the Ipod, the Iphone and the Ipad. Just the other day, because of being in disuse

for many years, the Powerbook went dead. The Classic still stares at us longingly

from one corner. Steve's spirit still lives on in the age-old Apple machines that we

remain loyal to even though they are no longer in use, having been replaced by faster

machines. They are the reminders of the story of inspiration of a visionary who

never went to any business school, was neither a software nor a hardware engineer,

but one who always thought differently. His courage to follow his heart and his in-

tuition is a lesson for each one of us who have a history that we share with him.

The Provincial election is now behind

us. Ontario needs to move forward, as

Liberals would say Forward Together.

So, Let`s move forward because Bramp-

ton deserves the McGuinty Govern-

ment`s attention!

No doubt NDP and PC party has

made significant gain in the election, it

means Ontarians didn`t give premier

McGuinty a clean slate, because of the

many un-popular decisions his Govern-

ment has made during past 8 years. He

was articulate enough during election

campaign not to let opposition party’s

grill him for them just enough.

T he oppositions were always try-

ing to lay a knockout punch to Liberals

discussing HST, but it blew up in their

face. NDP just couldn`t make their case

and Mr. Hudak got caught between Lib-

erals and his Federal CP cousins who

signed a HST deal with the province of

Quebec just days before election and

promised to give $2.2 billion for subsidy

to implement HST in Quebec on Janu-

ary 2013.

How could Hudak oppose it.

After all if Hudak wanted to run a Gov-

ernment, he needed money and support

of his federal counter part. So he kept

quite.

Dalton McGuinty was able to

throw few punches at the opposition

leaders during “leader`s debate” when

he said if you think HST is a bad tax

then why don`t you abolish it.

Dalton McGuinty was talking

about renewed energy has a better plans

for Ontario, this was what Tim Hudak

tried very hard to accomplish and to get

the 905 ridings to go for him when he

knew 416 riding were not falling for the

blue colour. His over half a dozen trips

to Brampton Springdale showed nothing

but desperation.

McGuinty also came to Bramp-

ton but he came with a sense of confi-

dence. He came to Chrysler Canada be-

cause his Government had bailed out

Chrysler. He came to MDA in Bramp-

ton, Ontario who is the proud designer

of two-armed robot that NASA is using.

MDA has over 400 high tech employ-

ees.

Lastly he came to Garden Ban-

quet Hall where he was accompanied by

Bollywood actor Anil Kappor, his

brother Bonny Kapoor and Canadian

Film maker Deepa Mehta. Over 1000

people attended this rally where Deepa

Mehta reminded everyone about

Hudak`s despicable comment about for-

eign workers. She jokingly laid a heavy

punch on the creditability of Tim Hudak.

This was probably the last nail in

coffin for the 905 and gave the grits

some much needed gains in Brampton.

McGuinty`s Liberals were able to de-

liver, but part of Brampton`s city council

also went against McGuinty, which was

ineffective and perhaps even backfired

for local candidates. This may be a po-

litical black hole with caught some city

councillors by surprise, but the

McGuinty Government can not afford to

hold that against the people of Bramp-

ton.

Brampton needs Peel Memorial

Hospital scheduled to open in 2015 as

promised. The city also needs a univer-

sity campus, better transportation, gov-

ernment offices for Jobs, better health

care services at Brampton Civic Hospi-

tal.

The Sikh community, which in

most ridings supported the Liberal Party

during this and many elections before

deserves the premier`s attention to ex-

empt Sikhs from wearing helmet when

riding a motor cycle while wearing a

turban.

Brampton is the center of alot of

political turmoil, Brampton has power

at must not be ignored.

Steve is gone, but his passionate commitment

to innovation has left a profound mark on me.

I find it difficult to distinguish between him

and his products, between the dance and the

dancer. And as I also belonged, like him, to the

counter-culture of the sixties, I have some in-

definable affinity to his approach to life.

by Sukhminder Singh Hansra

05 October 13, 2011 Courageous Journalism

by Dr. Amarjeet Singh

Despite a firm public rebuke adminis-

tered just four weeks ago, to the current

Indian Army Chief General Vijay Kumar

Singh, by a junior Indian Minister of

State for Defence, Pallam Raju, (carried

prominently by the popular widely read

INDIA TODAY Magazine in its issue of

August 29, 2011 & other Indian publica-

tions: (> http://indiatoday.intoday.in

/story/pallam-rajutells- army-chief-not-

to-stir-up-age-row-again/1/149461.html

<) headlined, “Don’t stir up age row

again, Pallam Raju tells Army chief” ) the

egomaniacal ‘mad’ Indian General (a

thick-skinned Haryana Jat) has not given

up. Political observers feel that General

V. K. Singh is playing his last card by try-

ing to provoke a confrontation with Nu-

clear armed China and Pakistan (which

while creating an existential threat to the

Sikh Homeland of Indian occupied Pun-

jab, its people and its holy Sikh shrines

located on the India- Pakistan border)

would make it very difficult for the

morally repugnant Indian rulers in Delhi

to let the next in line General Bikram

Singh, a Sikh, from taking charge of the

Indian Army in May 2012. That is the

time when the armed confrontation could

be at its peak and India could be at an ad-

vantage in the middle of its short two

month long annual ‘nuclear weather win-

dow’ against Pakistan and China during

the summer Monsoon. For a back-

grounder please read our Column, Khal-

istan Calling, dated July 27, 2011

headlined, “Indian Army Chief’s ‘date of

birth’ shenanigans to dishonestly gain an

extra year of service as Army Chief con-

tinue, making the institution of the Indian

Army & India, objects of ridicule —

Gen. V. K. Singh should remember that,

‘he that is shameless is graceless” >

h t t p : / / w w w . k h a l i s t a n -

affairs.com/wp/?p=829 The INDIA

TODAY article dated August 29, 2011,

mentioned in the above paragraph, head-

lined, ‘Don’t stir up age row again, Pal-

lam Raju tells Army chief,’ states that,

“In a snub to Army Chief V. K. Singh,

Minister of State for Defence Pallam

Raju said on Monday the age controversy

should not be stirred up again as a deci-

sion has already been made. The Army

chief has filed a statutory complaint

against the government ruling on his age.

He wants Defence Minister A. K. Antony

to consider his plea based on merits. The

government had recently ordered that the

Army chief’s date of birth was May 10,

1950 and not 1951 as the chief’s records

showed. However, State minister Raju

has said the controversy should not be

raked up again. “Let’s not create contro-

versies. The Ministry of Defence has al-

ready taken a view on this issue,” Raju

is reported to have said. Sources told

Headlines Today that General Singh de-

cided to knock on Antony’s doors as he

was extremely disappointed with the

Ministry of Defence’s ruling on his age.

The Army is not commenting officially,

but sources said the Army chief is not in

clined towards the legal option. The chief

wants to exhaust all possibilities and sat-

isfy himself about the Ministry of De-

fence’s order.”

According to an earlier INDIA

TODAY article, “the entire confusion

stems from the fact that two separate

branches of the army have separate date

of birth records of the army chief. While

the adjutant general’s branch - the official

record keeper - mentions his date of birth

as 10, May 1951, based on his high

school certificate issued by the Rajasthan

Board of Secondary Education, the mili-

tary secretary section- which handles

promotions and postings - shows it as

May 10,1950, as mentioned in his UPSC

form for the National Defence Academy.

The issue had come up when General

Singh was being appointed as eastern

army commander. It is being said that he

had made several representations for the

correction of his date of birth in the mil-

itary secretary branch records but it was

not carried out.

General Singh then went on to in-

form the then army chief General Deepak

Kapoor that he would go by whatever

was in the interest of the service. He was

appointed army chief on the basis of his

date of birth being May 10, 1950, (>

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/vahan-

vati-decided-on-army-chief-v-k-singh-

age/1/142765.html <) according to which

he would retire in May 2012.

Surprisingly, an Indian Army fi-

nanced website, which follows the Indian

Army line, has been singing a different

song. It has stated that the government’s

decision on the date of birth of the man

who heads the Indian Army may not pro-

vide the closure many have been hoping

for. It quotes ‘experts’ as saying that, “a

complicated and lengthy legal battle

could follow in the next few months and

discussed General V.K. Singh’s age dis-

pute ‘as a question of personal honor for

the Army Chief and the Army’s honor

which is at stake as well’. (> http://indi-

anmilitarynews.wordpress.com/2011/07/

24/vk-singhs-agecontroversy- armys-ho-

nour-at-stake/ ) General V.K. Singh, if he

wants to protect his personal honor in this

disgusting ‘age’ controversy, ought to re-

member the famous couplet by Alexan-

der Pope, the English poet and satirist

(1688-1744) which reads, “Honor and

shame from no condition rise; Act well

your part, there all the honor lies.”

An Opinion piece in the Kolkota-

based Telegraph newspaper yesterday

(October 11, 2011) by retired Air Marshal

Brijesh D. Jayal, headlined, “A Date to

Remember - The succession controversy

has not been good for the army,” says it

all. The respected senior retired Indian

Air Force officer shows his disgust when

he wrote that, “In an unprecedented

move and a first in the annals of the his-

tory of the republic’s armed forces, the

chief of army staff filed a statutory com-

plaint to the defence minister seeking a

review of the latter’s rejection of his ear-

lier appeal requesting that his year of

birth be corrected to 1951 as against

1950. This was to determine his date of

retirement. In yet another dubious first, a

team of members of parliament (mostly

from the BJP) met the prime minister

with a memorandum seeking sympa-

thetic reconsideration in favor of the

COAS (Gen. V.K. Singh. What moti-

vated this move — when clearly there

were two sides to the issue — raises wor-

rying questions. Fortuitously, the prime

minister sidestepped the trap. It can

hardly be a coincidence that just about

the time the ministry had finally ruled

against the chief’s request for change of

age, the erstwhile chairman, chiefs of

staff committee, had, on behalf of the

three service chiefs, taken the unusual

step of writing to the prime minister com-

plaining about the lack of integration be-

tween the ministry of defence and the

three service headquarters that was con-

tributing to prolonged delays in procure-

ment and hampering other higher

management activities. The inescapable

conclusion is that relations between the

ministry and the services have now

reached an undesirable low and continu

(Cont.. to next page)

Indian Army Chief to get an extra year of serviceMusings on the stupid attempts by the Indian Army Chief to get an extra year of service by trying to divert attention from his foolish ambition by planning

provocative military exercises on the borders of two nuclear armed neighbors, China & Pakistan, which could create an existential threat to the SikhHomeland of Indian occupied Punjab during the ‘Nov. – Dec.’time period when the annual ‘Nuclear weather window’ on the subcontinent favors Pakistan

06 October 13, 2011 Courageous Journalism

25 killed in slew of attacks targeting Iraq policeBAGHDAD — A slew of bombings tar-

geted Iraqi police in Baghdad on Wednes-

day morning, including blasts by two

suicide bombers who tried to ram their

vehicles through police station gates.

Iraqi officials said 25 people died and

dozens more were wounded in the car-

nage. The blasts were aimed at the police,

generally considered to be the weakest

section of the country's security forces,

and emphasized that despite Iraq's secu-

rity gains, long-term stability in the coun-

try is still elusive.

U.S. forces are scheduled to leave

Iraq by the end of this year, and Wednes-

day's multi-pronged attack is likely to add

to concerns about whether the Iraqi secu-

rity forces are able to effectively secure

the city. In the southern Karradah neigh-

borhood, 13 people died and 25 were

wounded in a suicide car bomb attack on

a police station, Baghdad police officials

said. Smoke could be seen rising from the

blast site as ambulances rushed to the

scene, their sirens wailing. Iraqi army

helicopters circled overhead.

In the mainly Shiite neighbor-

hood of Hurriyah, a suicide car bomber

targeted a police station and killed nine

people, two Baghdad police officials said.

Twenty-seven people were wounded in

that blast.

Officials said the suicide bombers

both exploded their vehicles at the outer

entrances into the police stations.

"The scene was horrific," said

Salim Ghadban, who was having break-

fast near the Karradah police station

when he heard a loud explosion.

"We saw terrified people, some

injured, running in our direction, and we

rushed to the attacked police station and

saw burned bodies and charred cars," he

said. "We helped cover the burned bodies

until the ambulances arrived."

The attack in Hurriyah was espe-

cially remarkable because the neighbor-

hood is a stronghold of Shiite cleric

Muqtada al-Sadr. It is almost entirely sur-

rounded by blast walls, and access is

tightly restricted through four entrances

manned by the Iraqi army.

Also, a roadside bomb exploded

near a police patrol in western Baghdad,

killing two policemen and wounding an-

other five, police officials said.

A parked car bomb exploded in

western Baghdad targeting a police patrol

but killed one civilian and injured five

people. Three people were also injured by

a roadside bomb that hit a police patrol in

western Baghdad.

A hospital official confirmed the

causalities. The officials all spoke on con-

dition of anonymity because they were

not authorized to speak to reporters.

There was no immediate claim of

responsibility, but such attacks are usu-

ally the work of Sunni militant groups

such as al Qaeda in Iraq. They often tar-

get security forces in their attempt to

destabilize the country and sow havoc.

The military spokesman for

Baghdad, Qassim al-Moussawi, blamed

al Qaeda for the attacks and said they

were an attempt to show people that the

militants are still active. "Every three

months or so, al Qaeda mobilizes all its

resources to launch such attacks in one

day to say that al Qaeda is still able to at-

tack and threaten security posts," he said.

Wednesday's attacks came two days after

a series of explosions targeting security

officials killed 10 people in Baghdad.

ing procrastination to integrate the service

headquarters with the ministry of defence

— a long pending recommendation dating

back to the Kargil review committee — is

harming national security.”

Retired Air Marshal Brijesh D.

Jayal Opinion piece in the Telegraph

newspaper goes on to say that, “It can

hardly be a coincidence that just about the

time the ministry had finally ruled against

the chief’s request for change of age, the

erstwhile chairman, chiefs of staff com-

mittee, had, on behalf of the three service

chiefs, taken the unusual step of writing

to the prime minister complaining about

the lack of integration between the min-

istry of defence and the three service

headquarters that was contributing to pro-

longed delays in procurement and ham-

pering other higher management

activities. The inescapable

conclusion is that relations between the

ministry and the services have now

reached an undesirable low and continu-

ing procrastination to integrate the service

headquarters with the ministry of defence

— a long pending recommendation dating

back to the Kargil review committee — is

harming national security. The present

controversy has struck a mortal blow to

the ethos of the armed forces of the repub-

lic, and conjures up a nightmarish vision

of them being reduced to a mercenary

force. That in the bargain we are also be-

ginning to look like a banana republic of-

fers little solace.” Some political

observers commenting on the ‘inside in-

formation’ in the above quoted Opinion

piece, by Retired Air Marshal Brijesh D.

Jayal, are asking whether an Army Coup

de` tat is in the works in India where cor-

ruption has broken all records?

Incidentally, the Indian Army

Chief told his commanders day before

yesterday, on Monday, during the inaugu-

ration of a five-day conference in New

Delhi, that over 20,000 Indian Army

troops and over 200 tanks, will hold a

massive exercise along the (>

http://news.webindia123.com/news/arti-

cles/Asia/20111010/1848421.html <)

Western border, in the backyard of Indian

Occupied Punjab, sixty miles from the

Pakistan border near Pokharan, in Ra-

jasthan, involving the elite 21 Strike

Corps. He said that the Indian Army has

detailed plans for force accretion along

the western and northern borders with

Pakistan and China as part of its transfor-

mation efforts.

These plans are now being vali-

dated in combat exercises, including the

one happening in the Rajasthan desert, a

top commander said Monday. General

V.K. Singh also told his commanders dur-

ing the inauguration of their five-day con-

ference in New Delhi, on Monday, that the

force accretion was in the pipeline as part

of the efforts to introduce “theatrisati Asia

– what ever that means. The 21 Strike

Corps under the Southern Command will

hold its routine exercise in the western

deserts near Pokharan in November-De-

cember time-frame. The exercise will be

part of the Army’s routine war-games

under which it validates and fine-tunes its

war-fighting concepts and doctrines. The

Sikh Homeland of Indian occupied Pun-

jab, its holy shrines and its people whose

lives and future will be in the line of fire,

if anything goes wrong between India and

Pakistan, have no say in the matter!

There should be no doubt in any

Sikh’s mind that sooner the 28 million

strong Sikh nation, the majority living in

Indian occupied Punjab since 1947, (of

which three million are living free and

prosperous in the Sikh diaspora all over

the world) part company with the Indian

‘deMoncracy’ and carve a separate dem-

ocratic, egalitarian, food and water-rich

buffer state of Khalistan with light indus-

try, located between Pakistan’s Eastern

border and the Jumna river, (South of

Kashmir and South West of the Tibetan

region of China) the better for all con-

cerned. This new Sikh-majority buffer

state (for which every Sikh prays every

day – ‘Raj Karay Ga Khalsa’- Sikhs will

rule) is destined to act as a bridge of inter-

continental commerce and will have the

facility (and tradition of good relations

with its neighbors like Pakistan, Kashmir

and China) to be able to provide transit fa-

cilities for trade and Oil/Gas pipelines be-

tween the eight ‘Stans’ of Central Asia

and the seven countries of the South Asian

subcontinent, which will bring peace and

prosperity to the nearly one billion seven

hundred million people living in the South

Asian region.

Khalistan Zindabad

Indian Army Chief to get an extra year of service

Brampton, Ontario — In a strong show ofcommunity spirit, leaders from WilliamOsler Health System, The Credit ValleyHospital and Trillium Health Centre cametogether for a campaign rally to remindstaff, physicians and volunteers of how theTri-Hospital United Way FundraisingCampaign is helping to make a differencein the community. In good-natured funthe hospital CEOs competed in a TrivialPursuit challenge to raise funds and aware-ness for this important campaign that runsuntil October 21. Together, the hospitals— which have sites across Peel Regionand Toronto— are running internal cam-paigns to collectively raise $100,000,which will support vital local social serv-ices, programs and initiatives. The threehospitals already work together in support-ing patients across their communities andthis joint initiative to support United Wayof Peel Region and Toronto takes the part-nership a step further, making a differencein the communities where their patients,employees, physicians and volunteers liveand work. ―Everyone has a role in cre-ating a healthy community that reaches outto those that are vulnerable or in need ofsupport during challenging times in their

lives. Where better than a hospital to findthat caring spirit, and we are proud of ourinvolvement in this year’s United WayCampaign, said Matthew Anderson, Pres-ident and CEO, William Osler Health Sys-tem. ―The fundraising team at ourhospital is very visible as they reach out tovolunteers, staff and physicians. If enthu-siasm, heart, and hard work will get us toour goal of $100,000, I know our jointcampaign will be a success, states saidMichelle DiEmanuele, President andCEO, The Credit Valley Hospital. ―Working side-by-side as three hospital sys-tems, and as friends and neigh-bors, brings us closer togetheron this important fundraisingcampaign. Many of the agenciesfunded through this campaignprovide support to the same peo-ple we treat in our hospitalsevery day. We are pleased tosupport the United Way of PeelRegion to enable their importantfunding of our community part-ners, adds Ruby Brown, ExecuteVice President and Chief Oper-ating Officer, Trillium HealthCentre.

Courageous JournalismOctober 13, 2011 07

“United we can make a difference” Tri-Hospital United Way Fundraising Campaign raises awareness

On Saturday, October 1st,2011 United Care Foun-dation held its 3rd annualYouth Leadership Confer-ence 2011 at the CentralPublic School Arts andRecreation Centre indowntown Brampton.United Care Foundation isa charitable organizationwhich was founded in theyear 2007. Its main aim isto help the poor and or-phan children lead a betterlife and to aid the seniorsin making their life morecomfortable. The founda-tion believes in makingall-rounded individualswho possess the right atti-tude and have the rightsupport and guidance inorder to become leadersby their own initiative.Thus, for this reason thisconference was held andit not only educated the

youths of today about thecurrent poverty situationin the world but also gotthem motivated to realizetheir own potential.The topic of thisyear’s conferencewas Education andLiteracy. It focusedon educating the del-egates about the im-portance of pursuinghigher education andthe importance ofchoosing a careerthat one is passion-ate about. This year,the conference in-cluded three extremelyexperienced speakers. Thefirst speaker was a well-known motivationalspeaker from the GTAarea, Shellyann Siddoo –very talented youngwomen who was pursuinga degree in Neuroscience,

but in a mishap in her lab,lost her sight and use ofher hands. From then on,she became a motiva-

tional speaker and sharesher experiences and in-sight with youth andadults on the importanceof not giving up and waysin which one can fulfilltheir dreams. The secondspeaker was a youth ac-tivist, Matthew Stergiou –

a 17 year old from Brad-ford. Matthew met withformer U.S. Vice Presi-dent Al Gore last year to

learn his InconvenientTruth slideshow and de-livered a very informativesession on that and theimplications of human ac-tion on the global envi-ronment. He has alreadypresented his presentationto over 5000 students, and

seeing his involvement inthe community at such ayoung age was really in-spiring for the delegates

present. Andlast but notleast, the thirdspeaker was theDirector ofUnited CareF o u n d a t i o n ,Mr. KalyanKumar. Mr.Kumar edu-cated the dele-gates on themany differentcareer options

available for the youth oftoday. He shared his ex-pertise on some of theskills required in the workforce along with the im-portance of self-reflectionin choosing the right field.The conference consistedof various hands-on activ-

ities and a leadershipworkshop. The activitiesemphasized the qualitiesnecessary in youth to be-come successful leadersin every aspect of theirlives. Seeing the desire inthe youths to not only be-come informed citizensbut also become active intheir very own commu-nity was indescribable.Mr. Kalyan Kumar, theDirector, said, “Theturnout of youth at eventssuch as this and theirspark to become involvedin their community istruly incredible. We hopeto reach out to moreyouths of our communityin the upcoming year andhope that through theseconferences they will con-tinue to stay active and bethe change they wish tosee in our world.”

Youth Leadership Conference by UnitedCare Foundation – Another great success

Amnesty calls onCanada to arrest BushAmnesty International called onCanadian authorities Wednesday toarrest and prosecute George WBush, saying the former US presi-dent authorized "torture" as he di-rected the US-led war on terror.Bush is expected to attend an eco-nomic summit in Surrey inCanada's westernmost British Co-lumbia province on October 20.London-based Amnesty made acase for Bush's legal responsibilityfor a series of human rights viola-tions in a memorandum submittedlast month to Canadian authoritiesbut only now released to the media."Canada is required by its interna-tional obligations to arrest andprosecute former president Bushgiven his responsibility for crimesunder international law includingtorture," Amnesty's Susan Lee saidin a statement."As the US authori-

ties have, so far, failed to bring for-mer president Bush to justice, theinternational community must stepin. A failure by Canada to take ac-tion during his visit would violatethe UN Convention Against Tor-ture and demonstrate contempt forfundamental human rights." Leesaid.Amnesty, backed by the Interna-tional Civil Liberties MonitoringGroup, says Bush authorized theuse of "enhanced interrogationtechniques" and "waterboarding"on detainees held in secret by theCentral Intelligence Agency be-tween 2002 and 2009. The deten-tion program included "torture andother cruel, inhuman and degradingtreatment (such as being forced tostay for hours in painful positionsand sleep deprivation), and en-forced disappearances," it alleged.

08 October 13, 2011 Courageous Journalism

We are delighted to an-nounce that EcoSikh willjoin the world’s majorfaiths at the Sacred LandCelebration in Assisi, Italythis November. The meet-ing, which is hosted by oursister organization, the Al-liance of Religions andConservation (ARC), andattended by His RoyalHighness Prince Philip willbe the official launch of theGreen Pilgrimage Network,of which Amritsar is afounding member. It willbring together religiousleaders and urban plannersfrom towns and cities of re-ligious significance includ-ing Amritsar, St Albans,Etchmiadzin in Armenia,Jerusalem, Kano in Nigeria,Trondheim in Norway, andof course Assisi to buildtheir capacity for environ-mentally-friendly design.This will be through renew-able energy, increased veg-etation, and cleantransportation on one side,and through food sourcing,eco-friendly accommoda-tion, and prayer on theother hand. Punjab Pollu-tion Control Board headK.S. Pannu, ShiromaniGurdwara ParbandhakCommittee President AvtarSingh Makkar, EcoSikhconvener Dr. RajwantSingh and EcoSikh ProjectManager Ravneet Singhwill be in attendance on be-half of Amritsar. Amritsar isalready making some in-spiring steps to become agreener city. Punjab Envi-ronment SummitThis sum-mer, EcoSikh hosted thefirst ever Punjab Environ-ment Summit. The eventbrought together Sikh lead-ers, scholars, environmen-talists, health professionals,farmers, business ownersand industrialists to form aPunjab-wide network for

the environment. Baba Bal-bir Singh Seechewal knownfor his kar seva on the KaliBein River spoke on theSikh spirit and quoted, “allSikhs of Guru Nanak areEcoSikhs and environmentis a cause of helping the en-tire humanity (Sarbat daBhalla) so all religionsshould stand up to save thePunjab to revive its greensplendor and spread thismessage from their reli-gious centres”. ProfessorJoga Singh, Head of GuruNanak Polytechnic Col-lege, Narinder KaurSandhu, Principal ofRamgharia College, Bal-winder Lakhewali, Presi-dent of the Nature TreeFoundation, Rajbir Singh ofPingalwara Trust, andmany others addressed theaudience on advancing thedream of a greener Punjabthrough the vision of theSikh Gurus. It was held atRamgariah Girls College,Millar Ganj, Ludhiana -Punjab. Guru Ka Bagh:Gurdwara Garden ProjectIsyour gurdwara interested ina community garden?EcoSikh is looking to run apilot garden project withgurdwaras in the UnitedStates to provide physicalactivity for children andadults and fresh vegetablesfor healthier langars. Pleasecontact Bandana Kaur ban-dana.kaur@ecosikh.org ifyou are interested in beingone of the pilots. BaruSahib Educational TrustSwitches to SolarWe areexcited to announce BaruSahib’s Kalgidhar Educa-tional Trust has transitionedto solar energy for its hous-ing arrangements. Withover 2,000 students livingin their hostel, the institutedecided to approach theMinistry of Renewable En-ergy to construct a solar en-

ergy plant, which will pro-duce 200 kilowatt energyplant with 6 to 7 hours ofsunshine to meet the energyrequirements of the hostels.The Institute now saves Rs.8 to Rs.10 lakh annually.The Kalgidhar EducationalTrust plans to extend theirsolar capacity and helpother educational institu-tions learn about the bene-fits of clean energy as analternative to kerosene.EcoSikh at Safar Confer-ence on Sikhi and Wom-enEcoSikh will be inattendance at Safar: OurJourneys Conference at theUniversity of Toronto, On-tario, Canada on October1st, 2011. Safar will bringtogether academics andSikh leaders to discuss the-ological, historical, envi-ronmental andcontemporary perspectiveson Sikh women. Thekeynote speaker is the au-thor of The Birth of theKhalsa: A Feminist Re-memory Sikh Identity Pro-fessor Nikki Guninder Kaurand EcoSikh program man-ager Bandana Kaur willshare research on Sikhwomen and biodiversity inPunjab. Thanks to OurSummer InternsEcoSikhexpresses special thanks toour 2011 summer interns,Amritpan Kaur andPriyanka Kaur from Cali-fornia, and Sikander Singhfrom Ontario, Canada fortheir hard work on ourGreen Gurdwaras initia-tive! Amritpan, a graduateof University of CaliforniaBerkeley worked with BayArea gurdwaras to assesscapacity for energy effi-ciency and waste reduction.Priyanka, a Master’s stu-dent in engineering fromStanford University, ishelping compile our GreenGurdwaras manual to be re-

leased this year. Sikander, astudent of sustainable agri-culture is compiling re-sources on communitygardens for gurdwaras.Thanks to these young, tal-ented future leaders for theirhard work. Thanks toE c o S i k hSupporters:EcoSikh wishesto acknowledge and givespecial thanks to our Sup-porters and Donors, espe-cially S. Daljeet Singh andHarinder Singh from AIPLPvt. Ltd. for donating a Lap-top to EcoSikh operations.In addition, Amanjot SinghKhalsa and team fromWhite Pixels Web SolutionsLtd. has supported EcoSikhin developing our beautifulwebsite. This is a wonderfulway to show concern andsupport for Earth’s well-being and a contribution in

eco-sewa. And finally, astory from history:Once,when Sri Harmandir Sahibwas under construction,Guru Arjun Dev ji wanted tobuy high quality strongbricks, so that they wouldlast for many centuries. Ex-perts from all over Punjabwere hired to come to Am-ritsar (then Ramdas Pur)and exhibit their expertise.A man named Behlo, whowas a devotee of Sakhi Sar-war, came to join, with theaim of earning the generousprofits that were part of sucha huge construction project.But at the very first glanceof Guru ji he fell in devo-tion, became a Sikh and ac-cepted the work as sewa forhis beloved Guru. BhaiBehlo researched for thebest way of producingheavy duty bricks for the Sri

Harimandir. He discoveredthat, when fuelled with do-mestic garbage, bricksovens produce high strengthred bricks – today we wouldsay that this was due to theintrinsic property of the bio-fuel. He found the idea veryinteresting and every day hewould collect garbage fromthe surrounding villages. Hewould carry it in a containeron his head and use it as afuel to bake his bricks. Onthe day when the entireteam of manufacturers’ pre-sented their samples beforeGuru ji, Bhai Behlo's brickswere selected as the bestones. Thus Bhai Behlo’spassionate eco-sewa and re-cycling was accepted. Guruji hugged him to His chestand blessed with a phrase,''Bhai Behlo sabh toanpehlon! ''

The first Sikh judge of the HighCourt was sworn in at theRoyal Courts of Justice yester-day.Rabinder Singh QC, a col-league of Cherie Blair at thehuman rights barristers’ cham-bers Matrix, is only the secondlawyer from an ethnic minoritybackground to be promoted tothe senior level of the judiciary.Mr Singh, 47, is the son of In-dian immigrants. He won alocal council scholarship to theindependent Bristol GrammarSchool and went on to Cam-bridge.He has made a name asone of the country’s most

prominent human rightslawyers since becoming a bar-

rister 22 years ago.In an inter-

view with the Law SocietyGazette before taking office, hesaid: ‘I am a barrister who hap-pens to be a Sikh. I have alwaystried to be a role model, by thework I do. I haven’t said, “I’ma Sikh barrister, look at what Ido”. I’ve just said, “Look atwhat I do”. Everyone can seewhat I am.’ He is best knownthrough his work suggestingthat the 2003 invasion of Iraqbroke international law and forhis part in the landmark 2004House of Lords case that out-lawed indefinite detention offoreign terror suspects.

Green Amritsar to be Represented at Conference in Assisi, Italy

First Sikh High Courtjudge is sworn in

Don't confront us over'false' plot, Iran warns USIran warned the United States onWednesday to shy away fromany confrontation over whatTehran called baseless allega-tions it plotted to kill the Saudiambassador to Washington.Butthe United States vowed Iranwould be "held accountable" andbegan individual consultationswith UN Security Council am-bassadors -- a possible precursorto international condemnation orsome other action."We're in theprocess of uniting world publicopinion continuing to isolate andcondemn their behavior," USVice President Joe Biden toldUS television networkABC."Nothing has been takenoff the table," Biden said. Iranian

Foreign Minister Ali AkbarSalehi said after a cabinet meet-ing Wednesday: "We do notwant confrontation. (But) if theywant to confront us and imposesomething on us, it will be theend of them." He added, in re-marks carried by the ISNA newsagency, that "if they want to im-pose a confrontation upon theIranian nation, the consequencesof this issue will be more severefor them."Officials have calledthe US claims, made Tuesday bythe US Justice Department andFBI, "false," "mischievous" anda "prefabricated scenario" de-signed to divert attention fromUS woes at home and in theMiddle East.

US Senate rejects Obama's jobs billWASHINGTON: In a blow toPresident Barack Obama, theUS Senate effectively killed ajobs bill at the heart of his ef-forts to turn the sour economyaround in the run up to the No-vember 2012 elections. Law-makers voted 50-49 toadvance the $447 billion dol-lar plan, falling short of the 60senators needed to do so, inthe face of fierce oppositionfrom Republicans eager todeny the president a secondterm. "Tonight's vote is by nomeans the end of this fight,"Obama said in a statement re-leased before the vote was

over but after its outcome wasunmistakable, vowing tomove his plan piecemeal "assoon as possible." And hevowed to pile political pres-sure on Republicans in a seriesof votes aimed at forcing themto oppose funds aimed at help-ing middle class families andblock tax hikes on the veryrichest Americans to pay forthe plan. "With so manyAmericans out of work and somany families struggling, wecan't take 'no' for an answer.Ultimately, the American peo-ple won't take 'no' for an an-swer," said the embattled

president. The bare majorityvote inflated Senate supportfor the measure, as some De-mocrats who backed endingdebate on the legislation hadsaid they would oppose itsfinal passage, a point that ledRepublicans to crow that a bi-partisan majority was rejectingthe bill. Two Democrats brokeranks to oppose the blueprint,while one Republican did notvote, while Democratic SenateMajority leader Harry Reidalso voted against the measurein a parliamentary manoeuvrethat allows him to bring up themeasure again at any time.

October 13, 2011 10 Courageous Journalism

OTTAWA —Canada's top diplo-mat traveled toTripoli on Tuesdayto reopen its em-bassy and announcefunding to helpLibya's ruling Na-tional TransitionalCouncil secureweapons stock-piles.Foreign Af-fairs Minister JohnBaird traveled in anarmored convoy tomeetings in Libya'scapital, accompa-nied by Canadianofficials and busi-ness leaders seekingto restore trade tieswith the war-rav-aged nation.On thetrip were represen-tatives of Suncor,SNC Lavalin, PureTechnology, theCanadian Bureaufor InternationalEducation and theadvocacy groupRights and Democ-racy."Our govern-ment remainscommitted to pro-tecting the Libyanpeople and support-ing their efforts tobuild a brighter fu-ture for them-selves," Baird saidin a statement.Heoffered Canada's"congratulations onthe transformativeevents that have

been taking place inLibya, since the fall

of Tripoli," accord-ing to a pool re-p o r t . " T h eestablishment of anew government isexciting," he said."We're excited bythe roadmap to-wards (electing) anational congress.We're excited aboutthe future role ofwomen in Libya."InTripoli, the ministermet with NTC chairMustafa Abdul Jalilto discuss theprogress of Libya'stransition from therule of strongmanColonel MoamerKadhafi.As well, heannounced a contri-bution of $10 mil-lion to help secure23,000 shoulder-to-air missile launch-ers and chemicalweapons in Kad-

hafi's arsenal. Themoney is part of a

larger internationalcontribution."Thesecurity situation inLibya is still quitevolatile and the riskof these itemsfalling into thewrong hands or in-juring civilians isvery real," Bairdsaid. "Canada seesthis disarmament asa top priority inmaking Libya andthe entire regionsafer."Baird alsohosted a round tablewith Libyanwomen's rights ad-vocates, and metwith representativesfrom non-govern-mental organiza-tions, Libya's socialaffairs ministerAnwar Abu Shagurand oil minister AliTarhouni.At Kad-hafi's former com-

pound, Bairdmugged for photos

with jubilant youthsselling souvenirs of

the revolution.Healso attended a cer-emony to mark thereopening of theCanadian embassyin Tripoli.Ottawahad recalled its am-bassador to Tripoliand shuttered itsembassy there inFebruary, weeksafter protests firsterupted againstMoamer Kadhafi's41-year rule in Feb-ruary.In August,Baird welcomed anew Libyan envoyto Ottawa.

New York, NY – Recent findings from asurvey of U.S. smartphone and tablet own-ers1, conducted by Ipsos OTX MediaCTon behalf of PayPal, indicate that tabletownership increases the frequency of mo-bile shopping, improves the purchase ex-perience – and makes consumers who ownboth devices use their smartphone moreoften. The study revealed that tablet own-ership increases mobile purchase fre-quency, with owners of tablets (as well assmartphones) buying nearly twice as oftenas those who only have smartphones (seefigure 1). Further, more than 40 percent ofthese “dual owners” made more than 20mobile purchases over the past year. Per-haps most strikingly, nearly two-thirds ofdual owners indicated higher overallspending due to their mobile purchasingactivity.

“Dual owners have the classic markings ofearly tech adopters, including skewinghigh-income and male,” says Todd Board,SVP of Ipsos OTX MediaCT. “That said,our study clearly suggests that owningboth a smartphone and tablet can posi-tively reinforce mobile shopping andspending habits.”“We are starting to seemore retailers take advantage of this trendby tailoring their mobile websites and appsfor tablets. With more shoppers planningto use tablets to shop this holiday season,and quite often using them from the com-fort of their own home, we expect that re-tailers will see quite a bit of ‘couchcommerce’ this year,” says Laura Cham-bers, Senior Director of Mobile, PayPal.“We are predicting that the first big spikein mobile shopping will be right afterThanksgiving dinner, where consumers

will be shopping from their tablets andsmartphones right from their couch – afantastic early opportunity for retailers toengage their customers.”As shown in Fig-ure 2, dual owners are significantly morelikely (63%) to indicate increased overallspending on mobile purchases, versusowners of smartphones only (29%). Tabletowners may be enticed to spend more dueto the device’s larger screen and keyboard,and touchscreen capabilities, which tabletowners say improve the shopping experi-ence.The study also found that the additionof a tablet complements the smartphoneshopping experience. In fact, the resultsshow that dual owners still prefer smart-phones for a wider range of m-commercetasks (see Figure 3).Says Board, “Where dual owners have apreference between devices for mobile

commerce activities, most preferences arein favor of the smartphone. They’re easierto use for swiping the device for couponsor QR codes, listening to audio with pri-vacy, and buying in some public settings,and also preferred for making a final pur-chase. Also, while smartphones seem pre-ferred for app-based purchases, tabletsseem preferred for website-based pur-chases, probably tied to the ‘couch com-merce’ theme of at-home purchasing wealso see in our data.”Board concludes that,“The profile and habits of these ‘dual own-ers’ are still fluid, with tablet adoption stillearly. The bottom line, though, is thatowners of both devices are raising theirhands to say ‘I want to spend money withthese devices,’ and retailers have an oppor-tunity to help them do so as much as they can.”

Canada's top diplomat reopens embassy in Tripoli

New Study Shows that Owners of Both a Smartphone anda Tablet Spend More Time and Money on Mobile Shopping

Indian Ocean tsunamiwarning system testedINDONESIA: Nations along the Indian Ocean aretesting a UN-backed early tsunami warning systemput in place after the massive 2004 wave off westernIndonesia that left more than 230,000 people dead ormissing. Wednesday's exercise _ the first full-scale test of thesystem _ tested communication and emergency re-sponse. Evacuation drills were held in India andMalaysia, with bulletins sent by telephone, email,SMS and fax to more than 20 countries taking part. The switch was flipped by officials at Indonesia's Me-teorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency at8:05 a.m. _ the same time a magnitude-9.2 earthquaketriggered a tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004, that barreledinto a dozen nations. The agency said the test would last until 8pm and thatno glitches were immediately detected.

Top Dawood aide IqbalMirchi held in London

NEW DELHI: MemonIqbal Mohammed aliasIqbal Mirchi, underworlddon Dawood Ibrahim's

close aide and an accusedin the 1993 serial bombattacks on Mumbai who isranked among the top 50drug barons of the world,was arrested by LondonPolice on Tuesday for alocal offence in the UK. The 61-year-old Mirchi iswanted by Mumbai Policein connection with a num-ber of narcotic drugs-re-lated cases and also forhis alleged role in the

1993 serial blasts. An In-terpol Red Corner Notice(RCN) has been pendingagainst him since 994.

"Interpol has con-firmed his arrest inLondon. He is cur-rently being ques-tioned there. Indiawill contact UK au-thorities throughdiplomatic channels

and try for his extradi-tion," said an officialhere. Mirchi was earlierarrested in London in1995 by Scotland Yard ondrug terrorism charges butIndia could not get himextradited as chargesagainst him were laterdropped. Since then, hehas been reportedly livingin London and Dubai andrunning a global drug syndicate.

10 October 13, 2011 Courageous Journalism

Auto Section

The new BMW 6 Series

Coupe stars in Mission

Impossible: Ghost Proto-

col, releasing worldwide

in December 2011. The

much-awaited action

thriller will witness Hol-

lywood actor Tom Cruise

driving around in this

new BMW 6 Series

Coupe.

The upcoming action

film is the fourth film in

the Mission Impossible

series starring Tom

Cruise who reprises his

role of an IMF Agent

Ethan Hunt; the flick is

directed by Brad Bird.

The new BMW 6 Series

will be on offer with a

choice of two variants in

India: the BMW 650i

Coupe (Petrol) and the

BMW 640d Coupe

(Diesel) and is open to

bookings at BMW deal-

erships. The car will be

available as a Com-

pletely Built-up Unit

(CBU) at ex-showroom

price of Rs. 84,99,000

and Rs. 74,99,000 re-

spectively.

The new BMW 6 Series

Coupe is a statement of

luxury and performance

and sets a new bench-

mark in its own class. On

one hand, it is perfectly

designed coupe that fea-

tures exclusive equip-

ment and allows

extremely comfortable

travelling. And on the

other hand, it is a spirited

premium sports car that

leaves no wishes unful-

filled. The car is also

available with an op-

tional ‘M Sports’ pack-

age.

Armed with a two liter mill with Quattro,

Audi Q5's will be available in showrooms

across India from October this year priced

at Rs. 35.13 lakhs ex-showroom Maha-

rashtra as a CKD unit.

The German car manufacturer, Audi has

announced the launch of its Audi Q5 Busi-

ness Edition. The small SUV from Audi

is powered by a 2.0 liter TDI motor pump-

ing out 172 PS of power and 300 Nm of

torque at 1750 rpm with a fuel efficiency

of 12 kilometers to a liter. 17 inch alloys,

xenon plus headlamps, daytime running

lights, and an infotainment system with

concert radio will run as standard equip-

ment on the car.

“The Audi Q5 2.0 TDI q is perfectly

equipped to further strengthen our leader-

ship position in the luxury SUV segment.

As the Audi Q5 already has a broad fan

base in India, this attractive price will now

make this premium experience accessible

to a wider customer base who aspire to

own a luxury SUV endorsed by our ‘Vor-

sprung durch Technik’ philosophy. The

Audi Q5 2.0 TDI q powered by a dynamic

and efficient engine is also equipped with

best in-class interior and infotainment fea-

tures,” said Michael Perschke, Head, Audi

India.In order to enhance the driving

pleasure, a multi-function steering wheel,

leather interiors with wood panels and

rear parking aid would also be a part of

the Audi Q5 Business Edition. “Audi

India has experienced formidable growth,

even surpassing annual sales of 3003 cars

for 2010 in the first seven months of 2011.

In July 2011, we sold 343 cars – a growth

of 52 percent over the same period last

year. Our focus is on strengthening our

portfolio through the introduction of prod-

ucts like the Audi Q5 2.0 TDI q which are

extremely relevant for India and also the

expansion of our dealer network. With the

opportunity that India presents, we are

confident of achieving our retail sales tar-

get of 5000 cars by the end of 2011,”

added Perschke.

The car would be available as a Complete

Knock-Down unit for now.

Audi Q5 Business Edition tobe launched in October 2011

Skoda Laura vRS: First Drive The new BMW 6 Series Coupe debutsin Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

It already had the go and now

Skoda has added the much

needed show as well. India's

most performance focused has

finally been unleashed. Say

hello to the Skoda Laura

vRS!Reading novels was

never my thing, however there

are always some narratives

which become an absolute

must read. For me it was “The

strange case of Dr. Jekyll and

Mr. Hyde”. Ever since I read it

in my younger days I was

completely besotted by it. The

whole notion regarding the

split personality bit wherein

within the same person there

are two distinct personalities

had me captivated to no end.

In fact the novels impact is

such that it has become a part

of the language, with the

phrase “Jekyll and Hyde”

coming to mean a person who

is vastly different in moral

character from one situation to

the next.But my reference here

is not a person but the all new

Skoda Laura vRS. Now before

we delve into the cars charac-

ter lets take a look at a little

vRS history. The Skoda Oc-

tavia became a popular car

since its inception, however it

was the diesel sold in higher

numbers primarily because the

petrol motor wasn’t upto the

mark. That’s when Skoda un-

leashed the Octavia with the

magical vRS badge. With a

stonking 1.8 litre turbocharged

mill pumping out 150 PS,

stiffer suspension set-up and a

hot looking body-kit, the vRS

was the enthusiasts dream.

While there were other fast

cars too, none were as focused

as this Skoda. With the new

Laura taking the older Oc-

tavia’s place there were a lot

of people awaiting the vRS

badge. And although a little

late, it’s finally here.To add to

the show, the Laura vRS now

comes with a sportier front

bumper with an integrated lip

spoiler which comes with fog

lights of a different design as

well. There are also the twin

spoke alloys which look ab-

solutely fab. Then there is the

boot spoiler which is a must

for a car with any sort of

sporty intentions. The exhaust

tips too are now polished twin

pipes and definitely look

the part.

October 13, 2011 11Courageous Journalism

The saying, ‘good things come in small

packages’ suits her the most. Be it her on

screen presence or the variety of roles

she’s portrayed, actress Divya Dutta

surely knows how to hold her

ground firmly — against

both stalwarts and fresh-

ers.

Her forthcoming

film, My Friend Pinto

sees her play a fun

and crazy character,

very different from her

last outing in Stanley

Ka Dabba. “My role is

that of a star no more in

the reckoning. She’s

sexy and naughty,” she in-

forms.

My Friend... saw her share the

frame for the first time with

youngster Prateik and she’s thor-

oughly impressed with his acting

skills. “When we first

met, he was very shy and

barely said hello while

I’m not a person to stop at

a hello. In the film, we’ve shared the best

of scenes and it was very important for

us to break the ice at the earliest, which

we did. And our on screen chemistry is

funny and endearing,” she states. While

she calls her experience on My Friend...

a picnic, she’s glad to have been asoci-

ated with a film-maker like Sanjay Leela

Bhansali too.

With about 15 years in the industry, what

keeps Divya going is an ability to dis-

cover a side in her that hasn’t been

shown on screen before. “Mine has been

the most non-clichéd career — a sort of

complete reversal. When my contempo-

raries are calling it a day, I’m starting off.

I love breaking stereotypes and hate to

have a particular image,” she explains.

So, would that mean she’s been under-

utilised as an actor over the years?

“When a child is growing up, it takes

time for him and people around him to

know what he’s cut out for — having

worked with so many actors and film-

makers, I can now say I’m getting work

that brings out the best in me,” opines

Divya.

The actress is currently working on Zilla

Ghaziabad, Vikram Bhatt’s Dangerous

Ishq, Madhur Bhandarkar’s Heroine and

two international flicks. “Apart from

these films, I’m hosting a film-based

quiz show on television to get acquainted

with a completely different zone and this

because I get bored pretty soon,” adds

Divya. And is there a wish list? “I want

to do a sexy, item number — hopefully

soon,” she signs off.

With a rather successful in-

nings in Bollywood, today

actor Asin's as much a star

in B-Town as she is down

South. And though she ad-

mits that technically there's

not much difference when

it comes to comparisons

between the two industries,

there's a certain difference

when it comes to the audi-

ence's perception of the

stars.

“Down South I think audi-

ences like it when the star

is like one amongst them -

they're simple and without

make-up when they go

out - that's valued as

'one of us', but it's dif-

ferent in Bollywood.

There's much more at-

tention, scrutiny and

speculation, since it's

a national platform,

the audiences also ex-

pect a star to be a star

24x7. They like to see

a little bit of stardust on a

star all the time!” she says.

As for the stars, Asin feels

that there can't be compar-

isons among actors and

finds it hard to say who's a

bigger crowd-puller, be-

tween her favourites Surya

and Salman Khan.

“Salman's such a craze na-

tionwide and Surya's a big

star down South and has

done a few movies in

Hindi as well so I really

wouldn't know,” adds Asin.

Talking about her equation

with Salman on Simi Gare-

wal's talk

show, she reveals that

Salman's a very chilled out

person, but there's no ques-

tion about resisting him. “I

never saw him in that

light. He is very at-

tractive, but for me

he was somebody

who I looked up to in

a very respectful

way, somebody I ad-

mired. So that never

really crossed my

mind,” she says.

"He is full of masti

all the time on sets

and I'm always the

bakra,” she smiles

recalling an inci-

dent when he ac-

tually challenged

her to eat a bug.

“We were shoot-

ing in Bangkok and

Salman brought a bug.

It was raw and he's like

'have it'. He thought that I’d

be yelling and throwing a

heroine tantrum but I didn't.

I said calmly 'achha okay',

and just swallowed it. So

actually he didn't really get

the reaction he expected,”

shares Asin revealing her

'wicked side'. “Yes, at times

I can be wicked! You know,

I kind of get away with a lot

of things,” she smiles.

What about love? Talking

about the last time she went

on a date, she says, “I did-

n't know it was

a date, I thought

I was just going

out with a friend

but apparently it

was a date and

that would be a

year back.”

However, Asin

reveals that she's

not exactly a ro-

mantic. “I think

I'm a contradic-

tion. Somewhere,

I'm very emo-

tional, sentimental

and a romantic, but

I also think with

my head. I don't let

my emotions run

away with me as well. So I

don't know what to call

myself - I'm confused!”

A casual use of the word

'dumb' by Bollywood superstar

Shah Rukh Khan landed him

in a trouble here after a differ-

ently-abled girl took objection

to it, prompting him to apolo-

gise and correct himself.

Khan, 45, who was speaking at

a promotional event for his lat-

est film Ra.One, said he is

keen to act in Tamil movies but

only in a "dumb" character be-

cause he did not know the lan-

guage and it would be difficult

to deliver dialogues with per-

fection.This led to a sharp re-

action from an audience

member who said the actor

should avoid using the word

'dumb' while referring to peo-

ple with speech impairment.

Promptly apologising, Khan

asked Jayashree for the right

word to be used to refer people

with speech impairment and

she suggested "you can use the

word mute."

The Bollywood Badshah was

talking to the audience after

launching the music for

Ra.One promo here.

Khan also expressed his thanks

to superstar Rajinikanth for ac-

cepting his offer to play a

cameo role in Ra One, which

will be simultaneously re-

leased in Tamil, Telugu and

Hindi on Diwali.

He also paid a return visit to

Rajinikanth, who flew to

Mumbai on October 2, putting

his health issue aside to shoot

for Khan's dream project

Ra.One.Khan spent about 15

minutes with Rajnikanth."He

was well when I spoke to him.

He is very keen to start work,"

Khan said, replying to a ques-

tion on Superstar's health.

Rajnkanth will be seen in the

role of 'Chitti', the robot, in the

science-fiction film Ra.One.

An item number on

Divya Dutta'swish list

Salman Khan vs Surya: Who will Asin choose?

Shah Rukh Khan apologises forusing word 'dumb' for mute

Shahid-Anushkato romance again

His directorial venture Band Baaja Baarat, pro-

duced by YRF, made Anushka Sharma an overnight

star. And now we hear that Maneesh Sharma is al-

ready chalking out plans for his third collaboration

with YRF.

Reportedly, the di-

rector has decided

to get the produc-

tion house's blue-

eyed girl Anushka

and her Badmaash

Company. co-star

Shahid Kapoor to

star in the project.

A source informed

us that Sharma,

who is currently

filming his second

YRF project Ladies

Vs Ricky Bahl, has

simultaneously been working on his next romantic

comedy, slated to go on floors next year. The source

explained, "The last time that Anushka and Shahid

worked together was in the YRF production, Bad-

maash Company.

Their on-screen chemistry was so convincing that

many thought that it stemmed from an off-screen

romance. And after watching Shahid's performance

in Mausam, YRF and Maneesh decided that

Anushka and Sasha were an apt pair for the film."

R e p o r t e d l y ,

Anushka and

Shahid are cur-

rently trying to

adjust their dates

for the same.

"The film has

been scripted by

Jaideep Sahni,

who also wrote

the scripts of the

three block-

busters - Chak

De, Rab Ne

Bana Di Jodi and

Bunty Aur

Babli," added the source.

When contacted, YRF spokesperson said, "Ma-

neesh is still shooting Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl. He

will complete his next script and finalise the cast

after the release of Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, on De-

cember 9."

12 October 13, 2011 Courageous Journalism

Children love to roam

throughout the house and

especially intrude into the

areas where they are not

supposed to. Kitchen is

one such part of the

house. Especially if the

age group is toddlers or

those upto 12 years old,

they are prone to several

accidents in the kitchen.

When you design your

kitchen and when you set

up the things in it, your

child is the person whom

you should think of first.

This will prevent running

after him or her or con-

stantly putting things

away from the reach.

In United States alone

there were more than 50

thousand kitchen acci-

dents happened, most of

them involved with kids

and negligence on the part

of parents. It is vital to

make sure that your

kitchen is kids-safe be-

cause not only your kids

but the friends of your

kids may come to your

kitchen. You don’t want to

keep running behind

every kid.

Following are the points

you need to take into ac-

count:

• If you have a tod-

dler at home, place a

child-safety gate at the

kitchen entrance. Tod-

dlers have a habit of

pulling things or playing

with objects. This could

be risky.

• When designing

the kitchen interior, keep

certain things in mind.

Make latches or locks for

lower cabinets. Always

keep certain cabinets at

higher levels where they

can be accessed by elders.

You can keep sharper

things at such places.

• Also have the

switchboards at heights

and make sure to unplug

all the appliances when

not in use.

• Avoid using table

cloths or mats on the

kitchen table as kids can

pull them easily.

• Have a safe place

to keep the oven or stove

where your child cannot

reach and also make sure

there is no stool or chair

nearby!

• Have a broad

kitchen platform and keep

the hot stuff at the back-

end. Even if the kitchen

platform is broad, do not

place the child on it even

casually!

These all are very basic

safety tips which should

be taken care of. I would

love to hear your thoughts

and experiences of mak-

ing your kitchen a safe

place your young kids.

Please leave me a com-

ment and let me know.

Andy Borowitz recently wrote and

article on alarm bells (in a date or

potential relationship) on The New

Yorker. He claims that he once

asked a woman if she wanted him

to bring anything and was emailed

a request for duct tape, shovel,

chain saw and garbage bag!

While that pushes the envelope a

bit far, in the dating pool, direct

questions often end up with inter-

esting results. And those who’re

single, and looking (hard or other-

wise), do have interesting stories to

tell. It seems Mars and Venus speak

different languages — and that

makes the game a hazardous one.

People keep thinking about that

brilliant conversational gambit that

would move them from the grey

zone into monochrome. But it

seems there are none. Whatever

happened to plain speak?

Let’s start with the apparently in-

nocuous question, ‘Do you want to

go out for a drink?’ 28-year-old IT

professional Ramona was fairly

confident this is sufficiently neutral

grounds that would give her some

idea if the toes could be dipped in

the murky waters of dating. She en-

dured a half an hour diatribe about

how the concerned person’s parents

are old and have ‘Indian values’,

how they would never support

somebody drinking and how we

should try to adjust our ‘ways’

when we’re looking at something

long-term. To spot the silver lining,

good she asked or she’d never

know about those Indian values,

would she?

And the shoe didn’t fit so pretty on

the other foot either. For 31-year-

old investment banker Sagnik, this

invitation, extended to a petite par-

cel he’d been eyeing for long, re-

sulted in the worst night ‘since

ISCE results’. “She took it rather

literally, kept slamming one

drink after the other, flirted

with half the guys in the bar

and pronounced me the

best drinking buddy ever,”

he rues.

Many times bitten and

forever shy media per-

son Sumangal says he’s

staying on the side-

lines. At 32, he

says “I’ve had

enough of coy

protests and aggressive rejoinders.

When I ask a woman out for a

movie and dinner, it’s just a state-

ment that I’d like to get to know

her better. I’m fed up with being

told ‘I don’t think of us in that

way.’ Well guess what, I don’t

think of us in that way either, it’s

just a date. And then there’s the

outrage, as if a movie date is an

assault of some sorts. Well, I’m

staying home every Friday now,”

he vents.At least, he tried. Am-

ritesh, a close friend of Sagnik’s

and a former believer in the adage

silence speaks, spent the entire

summer deeply in love with a

bank teller. After opening two ac-

counts and getting half his family

and friends to become loyal cus-

tomers, he also got to eat the

sweets being distributed on the oc-

casion of the lady’s impending

marriage. “We’ve opened ac-

counts on two matrimonial web-

sites. Sifting through dozens of

possibilities and rejecting

dozens more is working

out to be

t h e r a -

p e u -

tic,” he

muses.“Nothing works,” says

Sagnik. “If you ask a woman out

for a drink, she’s probably think-

ing of roofies (rohypnol). If you

ask her out for home-cooked din-

ner or coffee, she thinks you’re

ready to pounce, and if you don’t,

you just get resigned to see her

walk into the sunset with some-

body who’s probably doing all

that and more,” he complains.It

seems there’s some merit in that

great Indian fallback ‘I want to

make fraandship with you’. Min-

gling isn’t such an easy job for sin-

gles these days.

This wrinkled dry fruit can be your secret to youthful skin!

Apart from being great for people who are suffering from

constipation, it works wonders for the skin. It has necessary

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these directly or add them in your favourite dish. Prunes don't

always have to be part of sweet dish or desserts. You can pre-

pare tandoori aloo with prunes in it! Find out how.

150 grams California Prunes

1 kg Potatoes

50 grams Broken Cashew Nuts

20 grams Chaat Masala

20 grams Chopped Ginger

20 grams Chopped Green Chilly

30 grams Kamrak

30 grams Chopped Coriander

Salt according to taste

Oil adequate for frying

100 ml Mint Chutney

Peel the potatoes, scoop out the center with a potato peeler.

Cut the peeled potato into chips and fry it in oil until crispy.

Boil the potato

shell until al-

most done.

Chop Califor-

nia Prunes and

mix all the

other ingredi-

ents with the

fried potato

chips. Stuff the

mixture into the

boiled potato

shells. Arrange

the stuffed po-

tatoes on skewers and roast them in a tandoor or oven till the

color is golden. Cut the roasted potatoes into half and sprinkle

with chopped coriander and chaat masala. Serve the chatpata

California Prune Bharwan Tandoori Aloo hot with mint chut-

ney.

This is not the end, you can also make prune and palak

kababs, koftas, halwa and many more.

Asian Vegetable

Prune Power

Ingredients

Directions

Why it's hard to finda date these days

How To Make Your KitchenA Safe Place For Kids

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