webersurfer

INDIANS IN AMERICA

2010-09-23T04:07:00.001+05:30

It has been a long Journey
Indians in America
Before and after Attaining Citizenship Rights

Los Angeles, August 08, 2008
Inder Singh

Immigrants from India started coming to the United States of America at the beginning of the twentieth century. Most of them worked at menial jobs, lived in appalling conditions and in crumbling structures. Except a few, all were single, could not bring a spouse from India nor allowed to marry an American. For forty five years they lived in the shadows of American society. After a long struggle, in 1946 they got the right to US citizenship. Thereafter, they could buy property, get a job commensurate with their qualifications, marry a person of their choice, and were free to travel and visit India, the country of their birth. Indian nationals had lived for years in a free country without freedom. However, after Indian nationals obtained political rights, there has been a dramatic change in Indian community’s contributions to the country they have adopted as their home.
The first part of this article describes the hardships, hostility, humiliation and bigotry the early settlers encountered and their sacrifices, perseverance and tenacity that defied all odds, while they managed a sustained campaign for political rights in the country of their domicile and hope, the United States of America. The second part describes those immigrants who came after the grant of citizenship rights and the liberalization of US Immigration laws. They comprised of professionals, high-tech workers, students and sponsored relatives. Several made laudable contributions in various ways to the country they have adopted as their home and also contributed significantly to the resurgence of India.
Beginning of Indian Immigration
In 1897, Queen Victoria of England and the Empress of India, included a Sikh regiment from the Indian Army in her diamond jubilee celebrations. On the return journey, the soldiers were sent back to India via Canada. Most of these soldiers were originally farmers and were fascinated with the potential for farming opportunities. They dreamed of returning to Canada after retirement. And some of them did return. India and Canada were both part of the British Empire and Canada became the destination of choice for many emigrants from India. Emigration from India to the USA started as a trickle while many came from Canada from the porous borders with America.
On April 5, 1899, four Punjabis who had worked in the British Royal Artillery in Hong Kong, landed in San Francisco and were allowed to stay in the United States by the US Immigration Service. The grant of permission for them was an encouraging signal for others to follow those four pioneers.

There was an abundance of jobs in the lumber industry in Pacific states of Washington and Oregon and ample available land to farm throughout the Sacramento, San Joaquin and Imperial valleys of California. On hearing about the economic opportunities in America, many more Punjabis headed towards this far away land. The new immigrants found jobs which the white workers would not do, usually menial jobs in factories, lumber mills, railroad construction, farms, etc. They were needy workers who accepted low wages, poor working conditions and very often traveled from place to place in search of work. The employers preferred Indians to the whites for their willingness to do any and all kinds of work. As the number of Indian workers increased within a span of few years, they started facing discrimination and hostility, in the same manner as the other Asians who had come before.
The Indians in the United States and Canada, for lack of US or Canadian citizens’ understanding of religious or ethnic diversity, were commonly called “Hindus” (“Hindus”) irrespective of the faith of those Indians. The overwhelming majority of the arrivals from India were Sikhs who preserved their religious beliefs and practices by keeping their beard, long hair on their head and wore turban to cover them. They were easily distinguishable from other immigrant groups, but unfortunately, they were called “Rag heads”, a derogatory term used for the “Hindus” at that time.
Indian workers were either unmarried or had come without spouses, hoping to save some money and return. They were paid low wages and could afford to live only in the poor squalid part of the town or in shanty structures provided by the lumber mills or farm owners. They lived frugally, subsisted on income that was prohibitive for locals to survive on and many shared crowded lodging to save money to pay off their debt or meet family obligations back in India. Their lifestyle and living evoked hatred and contempt from the Americans.
Indians legally admitted to the United States from 1899-1907 numbered only 1967. The total number of Indians in the country, however, was larger as many Indians had come directly from Canada through the porous border between the US and Canada. But, concentration of Indians in a few small communities in the Pacific Coast states, particularly those with turbans, drew high level of visibility of their presence and provoked hostility from the Asiatic Exclusion League which carried propaganda against the “The Tide of Turbans” and “Hindu Invasion of America”.
Indians Expelled from Bellingham
Bellingham is located 85 miles north of Seattle in the state of Washington, 20 miles south of the Canadian border and had lumber and shingle mills. The owners needed a reliable supply of cheap manual labor and the new immigrants – the unskilled “Hindu” workers – met that demand. In 1907, the mills employed about 250 Indian contract workers who accepted jobs which white laborers had refused to do. They even performed work which could be in violation of labor laws but would not complain for fear of employer retaliation.
The unskilled white laboring men feared that competition from Hindu workers would displace them from their jobs and bring wages down. The union leaders wanted to maintain higher wage levels for their members and agitated bitterly against the employment of Indians. The union leaders approached the mill owners but failed to convince them to fire the Indian workers and discontinue their hiring. Some politicians perpetually starved for campaign money and union endorsement, willingly and openly backed the union demand.
The festering hostility of the union leaders and pent-up frustrations of the white laborers manifested in violence against Indians who had the least social or political power or protection in the city of Bellingham or even in the country. On Labor Day, September 2nd, 1907, more than a thousand union members and others paraded through the town to demonstrate their unity and show their strength. There was a beating of several Hindus which nearly resulted in a general disturbance. The union warned the mill owners that no Indians should be employed in the lumber mills or anywhere in Bellingham after Labor Day.
On the evening of September 4, 1907, a mob of 400-500 white men, predominantly members of the Asian Exclusion League, attacked Hindu dwellings, smashed windows and pulled the Indians from their beds. The rioters went on a rampage from mill to mill, finding as many Indian workers as they could while others ransacked the homes of the Hindus, stole their money, jewelry, bank passbooks and other valuables. They eventually rounded up about two hundred Indian workers, brandishing clubs triumphantly, and herded them to the City Hall basement where the Hindus stayed during the night for their alleged safety. The purpose of the racial attack was to “scare them so badly that they will not crowd white labor out of the mills.”
The nightmares of fright, brutality and vindictiveness forced majority of the traumatized Indian workers to leave Bellingham in search of safe haven. Some Hindu workers stayed nervously for one extra day in deadly fear of their lives just to draw their pay and get their checks cashed. Several departing Hindus expressed their disappointment for they had heard of America as a good place for laboring men, yet they were paid no better wages and became victims of violence and lawlessness in the presence of law enforcement officials.
Indians were British subjects but the British ambassador did not care to ask the American government for compensation for injuries or loss of property of the Indian workers. Since the media reported about the riots worldwide, the British Consul in Seattle visited Bellingham but did not care to meet or sympathize with the Indian nationals who suffered at the worst racial attack against them in America.
Some of the Indian mill workers went to Everett which is another town located sixty miles south of Bellingham, to work in the sawmills there. Two months later, on November 5th, 1907, over five hundred armed men attacked and beat the Indians, robbed them and destroyed their belongings. The result was similar to the incidents that occurred in Bellingham.
Similar assaults also took place in some cities in California, such as Marysville, Live Oak, and other communities where the immigrants had settled. The Asiatic Exclusion League and the labor unions used violence and riots, apparently as an effective method of excluding the “Hindu” workers from jobs and residential communities.
The race riots had a devastating impact on the Indian community in the Pacific Coast. Indians had come in search of a chance for a better life for themselves and their families and worked even at menial jobs. They could never have anticipated that America – considered the best among civil societies – had people full of meanness, malice and ill-will against different looking people.
Efforts to End British Colonial Rule in India
Higher education in American universities was a powerful magnet for young people even during that time. America provided them opportunity to “earn and learn” and so Indian students were attracted to seek admission in the US universities. However, several students upon graduation were not able to get jobs commensurate with their qualifications. The unfair and discriminatory practices were against the very ideals of liberty and freedom they had experienced in their university environment. The Indian students attributed the racial prejudice and discrimination to their being nationals of a subjugated country and thus wanted India to be free from the British slavery. They started fostering feelings of patriotism and nationalism among their fellow Indian immigrants.
Many Indians, students in particular, articulated nationalist feelings and started advocating freedom for their motherland, India from the British serfdom. They formed organizations to collectively assert their birthright to independence for India and explored ways and means to attain self-rule. Taraknath Das, a student, started publishing a magazine Free Hindustan in 1907 in Seattle, advocating armed rebellion against the British rule as a means for achieving independence. He also established the East India Association in 1911; G. D. Kumar started a Punjabi paper Swadesh Sewak in Vancouver. Har Dyal started Bande Mataram in 1909 for communicating his revolutionary ideas to the students and the Punjabi settlers who were already facing racial prejudice and discrimination.
Har Dyal who had come from England after relinquishing his scholarship and studies at Oxford University was identified with nationalist activities in the United States. He had been a faculty member at Stanford University for about two years. He inspired many students studying at the University of California at Berkeley and channelized the pro-Indian, anti-British sentiment of the students for independence of India. Two of his many student followers, Katar Singh Sarabha and Vishnu Govind Pingle later on played very prominent roles in the Gadar movement. Dyal’s fervor for India’s freedom spread beyond the university campuses to Punjabi farmers and laborers who had already been victim of racial attacks, discrimination and repression from the host community. A meeting of some patriotic and enlightened Indians was called on April 23, 1913, in Astoria, Oregon, where Har Dyal, Bhai Parmanand and others passionately spoke for throwing the British out of India and securing liberation by all means at their disposal. It was at this meeting that Hindustan Association of the Pacific Coast was formed with a major objective to liberate India with the force of arms from British colonialism, just as Americans had done more than a century ago, and help establish a free and independent India with equal rights for all. Sohan Singh Bhakna, a lumber mill worker in Oregon, was elected President, Har Dayal, as General Secretary. Har Dayal provided leadership for the newly formed association and was the central figure and the force behind the new organization.
Punjabis had come to the United States with the highest of expectations but they were disillusioned when they faced hostility, humiliation and racial prejudice from the American people. When the Hindustan Association of the Pacific Coast was formed, they whole-heartedly supported its objectives of ridding India of the colonial rule, enthusiastically became its members and willingly and liberally helped financially.
The association, headquartered in San Francisco, launched a magazine appropriately titled as Gadar for free distribution to promote the aims, objectives and activities of the organization. Gadar literally means revolt or mutiny and its contents were aimed at exposing the British imperialism. It carried articles on the conditions of the people of India under British rule and also on problems of racial attacks and discrimination against Indians in the United States. Through the magazine, the Indian people were called upon to unite and rise up against the British rule and throw them out of India. The activities of the association were intense and incessant. The Gadar magazine became very popular and over a short period of time, the association itself became known as the Gadar Party.
Gadar was published in Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, and in some other languages. The magazine contents expressed community’s pent-up anger and suppressed feelings and exhorted like minded people to join the association for the overthrow of the British monarchy. Within a short period of time, the magazine became sought-after periodical for revolutionary and patriotic ideas. The magazine and similar publications were sent to the Indian revolutionaries in India, Europe, Canada, Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Burma, Egypt, Turkey, and Afghanistan. Even if one copy reached India or a fellow revolutionary anywhere, multiple copies were reproduced for circulation. The visible effects of the Gadar publications started to manifest in India and abroad.
The Gadar movement became the symbol of political consciousness of the overseas Indians. Many committed volunteers opened branches of the Gadar party in other countries and worked tirelessly to promote the objectives of the party. They had imbibed the fire and zeal of revolutionaries and were motivated to fight for freedom for their motherland. The influence of the movement was so powerful that when called upon, over 6000 overseas Indians returned to India to fight for India’s freedom.

The British government got alarmed at the popularity of the Gadar movement and free accessibility and availability of the ‘seditious’ literature. They used every means to stop its circulation, particularly in India. They also tried to suppress the Gadar movement and had hired agents to penetrate the Gadar party and watch their activities. The British were convinced that removal of Har Dyal would bring an end to the revolutionary movement. At the behest of the British, the American government arrested Har Dyal in March, 1914, but later released him on bail. Har Dyal jumped the bail and left for Switzerland and from there he went to Germany.
Soon after the formation of the Gadar party, World War I broke out in August, 1914, in which Germany fought against England. The Germans offered the Indian Nationalists (Gadarites) financial aid to buy arms and ammunitions to expel the British from India while the British Indian troops would be busy fighting war at the front. The Gadarites started an energetic campaign to mobilize the overseas Indians in Singapore, Burma, Egypt, Turkey and Afghanistan and particularly Punjabis in Canada and the United States, and to inspire them to go to India to launch a revolution. They drew plans to infiltrate the Indian army and excite the soldiers to fight -- not for the British but against the British Empire -- and free India from the shackles of British imperialism.
The German government had great sympathy with the Gadar movement because the German government and the Gadarites had the British as their common enemy. In September 1914, Indians formed Berlin Indian Committee (also known as the Indian Revolutionary Society) members of which were Har Dyal, Virendra Nath Chattopadhyay (younger brother of politician-poetess Sarojani Naidu), Maulvi Barkatullah (after his death, he was buried near Sacramento), Bhupendra Nath Datta (brother of Swami Vivekananda), Ajit Singh (uncle of Shaid-i-Azam Bhagat Sigh), Champak Raman Pillai, Tarak Nath Das (a foundation is named after him in Columbia University), and Bhai Bhagwan Singh (he was the most wanted rebel by the British Government; his grandson S.P Singh lives in Atlanta). The objectives of the society were to arrange financial assistance from German government for revolutionary activities and propaganda work in different countries of the world, training of volunteer force of Indian fighters and transportation of arms and ammunitions to reach the Gadarites for a revolt against the British Government in India.
The Indian Revolutionary Society in Berlin successfully arranged substantial financial aid for the Gadarites from Germany. The German Embassy in the United States engaged a German national to liaison with the Gadar leadership in San Francisco. The society also commissioned several ships to carry arms and ammunitions and batches of about 6000 Indian revolutionaries to India.
The Gadarites also sought help from anti-British governments in other countries. In December 1915, they established a Free Hindustan government-in-exile in Kabul, Afghanistan, with Raja Mohinder Pratap as President, Maulavi Barkatullah as Prime Minister and Champakaran Pillai as Foreign Minister. The government-in-exile tried to establish diplomatic relationships with countries opposed to the British in World War l such as Turkey, Germany, Japan, and others. The Gadarites established contact with the Indian troops at Hong Kong, Singapore, and in some other countries and hoped for their participation in the uprising against the British.

Before leaving for India, the Gadarites had hoped that the embers of freedom had caught fire in India too and Indians were ready for a revolution. So when the World War l provided a golden opportunity for them to attain their goal, they hurried homeward for rebellion and overthrow of the British Government. The irony of that valiant effort was that while the Gadarites had gone to India to fight readily for the freedom of their motherland, the Indian leadership openly and willingly co-operated with the British, thereby prolonging India’s serfdom.
The traitors of the Gadar movement leaked out the secret plans to British spies. As a result, the ships carrying arms and ammunitions never reached India. Many Gadarites were taken captives upon reaching India. They were prosecuted and several were imprisoned, many for life, and some were hanged. In the United States too, several Gadarites and their German supporters, were prosecuted in the San Francisco Hindu German Conspiracy Trial (1917-18) and twenty-nine “Hindus” and Germans were convicted for varying terms of imprisonment for violating the American Neutrality Laws. [www.sikhpioneers.org]

The Gadar Movement was the saga of courage, valor and determination of overseas Indians to free India from the shackles of British slavery. The Gadarites had a flame of liberty lit in their hearts, and did not hesitate to make any sacrifice for the cause of freedom, dignity and honor of their motherland.
Struggle for US Citizenship
The United States citizenship conferred many rights and privileges but only “free white men” were eligible to apply. In the United States, many anthropologists used “Caucasian” as a general term for "white” in absence of any precise definition of word “white.” Indian nationals from the north of the Indian Sub-Continent and people from some Middle East countries were also considered Caucasian. Thus, several Indians were granted US citizenship in different states. Bhagat Singh Thind who had joined US army, also applied for citizenship in the state of Washington in July 1918. He received his citizenship certificate on December 9, 1918 wearing military uniform. However, the INS did not agree with the district court granting the citizenship. Thind’s citizenship was revoked in four days, on December 13, 1918, on the grounds that he was not a “free white man.”
Thind applied for citizenship again from the neighboring state of Oregon on May 6, 1919. The same Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) official who got Thind’s citizenship revoked first time, tried to convince the judge to refuse citizenship to a “Hindoo” from India. He even brought up the issue of Thind’s involvement in the Gadar Movement, members of which campaigned for the independence of India from Britain. But Thind contested this charge and Judge Wolverton believed him. The judge observed, “He (Thind) stoutly denies that he was in any way connected with the alleged propaganda of the Gadar Press to violate the neutrality laws of this country, or that he was in sympathy with such a course. He frankly admits, nevertheless, that he is an advocate of the principle of India for the Indians, and would like to see India rid of British rule, but not that he favors an armed revolution for the accomplishment of this purpose.” The judge took all arguments as also Thind’s military record into consideration and did not support the INS argument. Thus, Thind received US citizenship for the second time on November 18, 1920. The INS, however, appealed to the next higher court – the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals which sent the case to the US Supreme Court for ruling.

Supreme Court Justice George Sutherland delivered the unanimous opinion of the court on February 19, 1923, in which he argued that since the "common man's" definition of “white” did not correspond to "Caucasian", Indians could not be naturalized. Shockingly, the very same Judge Sutherland who had equated Whites as Caucasians in US vs. Ozawa, now pronounced that Thind though Caucasian, was not “White” and thus was ineligible for US citizenship. He apparently decided the case under pressure from the forces of prejudice, racial hatred and bigotry, not on the basis of precedent that he had established in a previous case.
The Supreme Court verdict shook the faith and trust of Indians in the American justice system. The economic impact for land and property owning Indians was devastating as they again came under the jurisdiction of the California Alien Land Law of 1913 which barred ownership of land by persons ineligible for citizenship. Some Indians had to liquidate their land holdings at dramatically lower prices. America, the dreamland, did not fulfill the dream they had envisioned.
The INS issued a notification in 1926 canceling Thind’s citizenship for a second time. The INS also initiated proceedings to rescind American citizenship of other Indians. From 1923 to 1926, the citizenship of fifty Indians was revoked. The continued shadow of insecurity and instability compelled some to go back to India. The Supreme Court decision further led to the decline in the number of Indians to 3130 by 1930. [From India to America; Garry Hess, p 31]
Legal Immigration from India Barred
The continuing pressure of exclusionary forces and various American labor organizations against the importation of labor from Asian countries resulted in the imposition of further restrictions. In 1917, a very restrictive and discriminatory Immigration Act was passed by the US Congress over the veto of President Woodrow Wilson. The new law virtually barred all Asians from entering the US legally. It also imposed English literacy restrictions, allowing only those to immigrate who could read and write English. After the passage of the law, some Indians left the US in disgust while the new legal immigration from India was completely stopped.
US Congress Approves Citizenship for Indian Nationals
For years, Indian nationals continued to suffer many hardships, partially because they were not allowed to obtain citizenship of the United States. Punjabi Sikhs endured maximum hardships as they could not legally buy farm land, their only hope for economic emancipation. There were about 3,000 Indians who could benefit by becoming citizens of USA. But they had no legal avenue left after the historic decision of the US Supreme Court in Bhagat Singh Thind’s case. In 1943, Chinese obtained right of naturalization, so there was a possibility for a legislative solution for Indians too. But most of the Indians were skeptical as they had been knocked about so much that it was very difficult for them to believe that there was a chance of their winning. Joan M. Jensen, historian and author, described the plight of Indians as follows:
“Excluded from immigration, persecuted for their political activities, threatened with deportation, excluded from citizenship, denaturalized, excluded from land ownership, and regulated even in their choice of a mate in the States, these Indians now formed a small band of people set apart from Americans by what truly seemed to be a great white wall.”
Indian Community activists, J. J. Singh, Dr. Anup Singh, Syud Hossain, Krishanalal Shridharani, Haridas Muzumdar, Mubarak Ali Khan, Taraknath Das, and a few others relentlessly lobbied with the elected representatives of the American people for granting of civil rights to the nationals of India who were already in the US. Dalip Singh Saund helped with funds raised from the California Sikh farming community for the lobbying effort at the Capitol Hill. J. J. Singh, president of India League of America, had developed personal relationship with Congresswoman Clare Booth Luce of Connecticut. He persuaded the Republican Congresswoman Luce and Democrat Congressman Emanuel Cellar of New York to jointly introduce a bill for US citizenship for Indian nationals. The bill was backed by some major newspapers as also some prominent Americans including well known author and Noble Laureate Pearl S. Buck.
However, selling this concept to the majority of the members in the U.S. Congress was an uphill task, more so, as the passage of the bill could open the door for other Asians who were similarly deprived of citizenship rights. Indians continued running into roadblocks in finding a powerful ally to push the bill through the Halls of Congress. Fortunately in 1946, President Truman took special interest in the passage of Luce-Cellar bill which was finally approved by both Houses of Congress restoring rights of citizenship of Indian nationals in the United States. It was a great triumph for the Indian community leadership when on July 2, 1946, President Truman signed the bill in the presence of Sardar J. J. Singh and Anup Singh allowing Indians to become naturalized citizens and 100 Indians to immigrate every year. Truly 2nd July is the Independence Day for all Indians in the United States.

Between 1948 and 1965, many Indians who had been living in America for decades acquired U.S. citizenship. Dalip Singh Saund also benefited from the new law and became naturalized citizen of the United States. He had been active in the Democratic Party and in 1956 got elected to the U.S. Congress. Saund was the first Indian in the entire western world to get elected to a major political office. In the USA, he will be remembered as the first Asian to attain that distinct honor. J. J. Singh, Dr. Anup Singh, Syud Hossain and some others who actively lobbied for equal rights for Indians never applied for US Citizenship. They went back to live in free India.
Supporting India’s Independence Movement
After the unsuccessful attempt to free India from the British, there were still many Indians in the United States, who wanted to see India liberated. However, the Indian activists in the US, abandoned the power of sword of the Gadarites and adopted the power of pen to educate the opinion makers in America and decision makers in the Halls of Congress.
One of the prominent leaders of India’s Freedom Movement, Lala Lajpat Rai, came to the US in 1914 to elicit American support for the Freedom movement. He founded the Indian Home Rule League in 1917 in New York and in 1918, started publishing Young India as his organization’s magazine. He started publishing articles in the American media, cultivated contacts with intellectuals and gained the support of wide audience of Americans sympathetic towards the cause of India’s freedom. Unfortunately, he left for India in 1920 and neither the League nor the magazine Young India survived after his departure.
Dalip Singh Saund, who had started working as a farm laborer after obtaining Ph. D. in Mathematics from University of California at Berkley, was an ardent nationalist and used the platform of his position as the national president of the student body, Hindustan Association of America, to expound on India’s right to self-government. After he moved to the Imperial Valley of California, he continued to take advantage of every opportunity to speak about India’s right for self-rule. He also started India Association of America and raised funds from the California Sikh farmers for the lobbying efforts in the United States Congress in Washington, DC for India and Indian causes.
Anup Singh obtained his Ph.D in Political Science from Harvard University. He became very active in New York based India League of America, and later moved to Washington D.C and started The National Committee for India’s Freedom. He also published a monthly magazine Voice of India to disseminate the message of India’s nationalist movement.
J. J. Singh was a member of the Indian National Congress before coming to the United States in 1926. He was an importer of Indian goods and had established himself as a successful merchant in New York. In 1940, he became president of India League of America. He started the League’s mouthpiece, India Today which was well-edited informative monthly bulletin. He also expanded its membership base to include Americans, including Nobel Prize winner author Pearl Buck who was Honorary President in 1944. For all practical purposes, J. J. Singh had become an unofficial lobbyist for India and Indians. He convinced significant sections of the American public, including members of the United States Congress, that the time had come for India to be liberated.
J. J. Singh, Dr. Anup Singh, Syed Hoosain, Dalip Singh Saund, Haridas T. Muzumdar, Taraknath Das, Mubarak Ali Khan, and some other community activists had tremendous enthusiasm and abundant energy and used it all for the cause of India's freedom. They used their writings, speeches and connections with elected officials and people of influence to gain sympathy, support and endorsement of the American people, majority of the United States Congress and the President of America for the independence of India. For many years, these community activists provided dedicated and committed service for the cause of India and Indians and thus played the role of Indian community emancipators in the United States.
Second Phase of Indian Immigration
The contemporary phase of the history of Indian migration to the United States began with the passage of Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 which liberalized immigration, increasing per country quota to 20,000 people per year. That new law opened the floodgate of immigrants from India and brought thousands of professionals in search of educational and employment opportunities. The increased quota has resulted in the exponential growth in the number of Indian immigrants and the wave of new arrivals still continues unabated.
In 1980, the U.S. Census Bureau counted 361,544 Indian Americans and in 1990 Census, the count had doubled to 815,447. In 2000, the Census count was 1.8 million, again more than double the previous number in the 1990 Census. In 2008, the number has soared to 2.6 million and if those who are twice migrants (people of Indian origin from Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and from other islands in the Caribbean) are included, the count would exceed 3 million. The immigrants from India have not only been growing in numbers but they have been significantly contributing to the fabric and economic progress of the US society. They continue to attain remarkable success in various fields of endeavors and several of them occupy positions of power in key American organizations, establishments and political parties.
During the past 40 years, large growth in the Indian American community has spread across many parts of the United States, in particular the New York tri-state area, greater Los Angeles, Silicon Valley in Northern California and Chicago. During the first several years, it was a time when immigrants from India met socially as Indians and made friendships as Indians; religion did not divide them; language was not a barrier; regionalism did not separate them. They were Indians by nationality, Indians at heart and viewed as a single entity.
Indian Americans are perceived as a very successful immigrant community in the United States. As their numbers kept growing, political and religious leaders from India found the Indian American community offering them a red carpet welcome. These Indian leaders started making frequent visits to their new found “colonies” and made every effort to rope in the money, knowledge and skills as well as the political clout of Indians settled in the United States. Interestingly, they also brought the divisive problems of religion and regionalism to their followers and supporters in the United States. Today the internal politics of India is echoed in the politics of the Indian community in the United States. Many Indian Americans appear to be more agitated and consumed by developments in India than the politics in their newly adopted country.
Indian Americans in the beginning were busy getting established, raising their family and relatively content with the material success they had attained in their new country. The community was marginalized, political involvement was non-existent and political activism was negligible. In some places, Indian Americans’ lifestyle attracted racial discrimination such as the “dot-buster” issue of the early 1990s (reference to the bindi adorned by many Indian women on their forehead). Their superior qualifications and meritorious work performance did not stop the artificial barrier of “glass ceiling" which prevented their ascent to managerial and executive positions. The courts did not deliver justice to them and the appeal process did not guarantee them the desired upward mobility.
The 1965 Immigration Act provided a “Family preference” quota under which immigrants and citizens could sponsor their close relatives. As a result, many Indians began migrating to the United States in steady stream with sponsorship from their family members. With the arrival of relatives from 1980s onward, the demographics of Indian community began to change from professionals to semi-skilled and less qualified immigrants, who found jobs in department stores, hotels, became taxi drivers, started as insurance or travel agents, or similar type of work servicing their own community. Some of the new immigrants with limited English language skills found jobs at Indian owned businesses which needed cheap labor for their restaurants, clothing or jewelry stores. There were some who, with the financial backing of their relatives, ventured to open small businesses such as gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, motels, etc.
The age of information technology in 1990s brought an upsurge of high-tech people from India. Some came as immigrants while others came on temporary visas which many subsequently converted into permanent visa with sponsorship from their employers. The explosive growth of Indians in the United States created vistas of opportunities. Some high energy, creative and entrepreneurial individuals launched their high tech companies, particularly in the Silicon Valley and a number of them became very successful, wealthy and famous for their innovations and entrepreneurial ventures.
Gujaratis outnumber any other single ethnic group from India and many have flourished in the hospitality business. They control over 40 per cent of the motels and mid-sized hotels all over the US. Several Gujaratis who started with low-budget motels, now own and manage multiple properties, motel franchise operations, and hotel construction firms. Some of them are the owners of leading franchises such as Radisson and Hilton. The Asian American Hotel Owners' Association (AAHOA), dominated by Gujratis, has become a powerful organization in the United States.
There are many business owners who have multiplied their operations. Uka Solanki owns many Big Saver Food stores with an annual turnover of $100 million in Southern California. Gurbax Marwah of Los Angeles owns a dozen of Denny’s restaurants while Ramesh Goyal of Chicago owns over a dozen Dunkin Donuts stores. Sudesh Sood of Los Angeles has over 50 Jack-in-the-Box franchise restaurants. In the Indian grocery business, Patel Brothers from the East Coast and Kumar Jawa from the West Coast of the USA lead the pack.
The 1984 army attack on the Golden Temple in Amritsar spurred an exodus of young Sikhs from India, some legally, others without legal documents. Several young Sikh men, particularly from villages in Punjab, came to the USA to escape arbitrary arrests, torture and possible death. A large majority of them were unskilled and non-professionals. Those who did not have sponsors sought shelters in Gurdwaras, applied for political asylum or found other ways to obtain legal status. After overcoming the initial settlement problems in the United States, many have settled in jobs or occupations and some of them have prospered far beyond their own expectations.

Indian immigrants -- whether they were skilled or unskilled, operated restaurants, grocery or liquor stores, 7-11 franchise or motels, came as professionals, or under family reunification preferential categories -- they all worked very hard. Over a period of time, several have worked their way up the ladder and occupy positions of power and influence in the universities, hospitals, corporations and political parties. Many business people expanded their businesses, generated vast fortunes, contributed to the economy of their adopted land, helped in the growth of trade and industry and created economic opportunities through investment and innovation. Indian Americans make up less than one percent of the US population, but they have opened many doors of possibilities, far beyond their numbers, and have made an indelible impression on the professional and business landscape of America.
Not all Indian Americans are wealthy, professional or highly educated. There are several who make living by driving taxis or are engaged in similar activity for their livelihood.
Taxi driving is probably the most dangerous occupation in the United States and not necessarily the first choice for making a living and raising a family. Although taxi drivers serve an extremely important function in the transportation business, yet they do not get respectable treatment.
Thousands of Indians have no choice except to become taxi drivers to make living, in particular before becoming fully settled in the USA. A large majority among them are Sikhs and several of them maintain their religious symbols – keep uncut hair covered with turban and beard. Some companies do not even hire people with turbans, particularly since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 as many Americans frequently mistake them or associate them with Osama Bin Laden. That unfortunate attack provoked a backlash that included hundred of hate crimes, even the killing of a turban-wearing Sikh, Balbir Singh Sodhi of Mesa, Arizona. Sodhi was not a cab driver but many victims of hate crimes were in this occupation.
The Sikh taxi drivers often hear derogatory racial remarks, suffer harassment and are targeted for racial attacks, sometimes even from their passengers. Whether the motive is bigotry, hate, or robbery, some Sikh taxi drivers have been frequent victims of hate crimes. A few have met with violent, horrific and senseless death. Meanwhile, law enforcement officials have repeatedly failed to tackle assaults on them.
Taxi drivers, however, are a reasonably good source of local news and if they are first generation immigrants, they can give latest news and happenings of the countries they have come from. They generally are the first ones to get inquiries from passengers seeking information about restaurants and cafes. Thus, they can become among the best marketers, but businessmen have not used them to promote their businesses. If their marketing capabilities are utilized, they could play a key role in promoting Indian cuisine and direct traffic to certain selective restaurants and other facilities which contract to use their services.
Community Mobilization
With the increase in population of Indian immigrants, cultural, religious and regional organizations mushroomed at a rapid speed; some organizing themselves into national bodies. Indian professionals, particularly physicians who had problems of recognition of their professional degrees and attainments formed their own associations at local and national levels.
In large cities, regional umbrella groups such as Federation of Indian American Associations(FIA) were formed, predominantly to celebrate India Independence day, India Republic day, etc.
During the 1970s and 1980s, there were three dominant country-wide organizations, namely, National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA), Indian American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE) and Association of Indians in America(AIA), which promoted the interests and aspirations of the people of Indian origin. During the 1980s, there were immigration reform bills proposing drastic reduction in the quota for family reunification. These three national organizations went all out to fight against any reduction in the family reunification quota. They reached out to the Indian community in the US, joined hands with the other immigrant communities, collected thousands of petitions opposing the new bill, and worked with many members of the Congress sympathetic to the cause. After a long struggle, the US Congress yielded to the combined strength of the immigrant communities, accommodated the new realities and kept the family reunification numbers intact in the new bill which was enacted into law.
In 1987, the US aid package to Pakistan included supply of AWACS and other highly sophisticated arms to Pakistan. The leadership of these organizations again mobilized the community for the security of their motherland, brought busloads of Indian Americans to Washington D.C. from the neighboring states including New York & New Jersey, paraded the halls and corridors of world power center, the US Congress and the White House. They waged an impressive and vigorous campaign of opposing the supply of highly sophisticated military equipment to Pakistan, educated the members of the US Congress about the potential dangers of such supplies, and testified before the senate sub-committee, a rare honor. History is a witness, Pakistan did not get sophisticated military hardware.
During the civilian nuclear cooperation deal between India and the United States, initiated during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the US in May 2005 and re-affirmed during President George Bush’s visit to India in March 2006, the Indian American community played a proactive role in ensuring the passage of the bills introduced in the Congress.
Some Congressmen, such as Gary Ackerman, Frank Pallone, Joe Wilson and Joe Crowley – former co-chairs of India Caucus – openly supported the deal while many prominent lawmakers such as Democrat Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, co-chair of the Friends of India Caucus in the U.S. Senate, Republican Congressman Ed Royce, former co-chair of the India Caucus and the dozens of members of the Caucus on both the House and the Senate side, who never missed fundraising opportunities within the community, conspicuously stayed silent on the issue.
Besides NFIA, IAFPE and AIA, a few new Indian American organizations which have come up during the last few years, and some leading Indian American activists launched a massive campaign to push through the deal on Capitol Hill. The bills in both the House and the Senate were passed by a large majority of the lawmakers including those who initially were fence-sitters. The Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006 enabled the U.S. to have India sign an agreement for cooperation as a prerequisite for nuclear deal between the two countries.
Another Indian American organization which has become a high profile organization is the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) which was founded in 1984 with a goal to fight restrictions against recognition of Foreign Medical graduates. It is an umbrella organization for more than 130 member associations nationwide and serves the interests of over 42,000 Indian American physicians. Since its formation, AAPI has steadily expanded its role and responsibilities. According to AAPI President, Hemant Patel, “We are making a difference in improving the quality of medical education and patient care by working closely with public bodies and governments of both USA and India.” AAPI has also established high level partnership with the government and policymakers in India. (Indian Express, April 11, 2008)
Political Activism
In 1987, an Indian community activist, Dr. Joy Cherian was chosen for presidential appointment as US Commissioner of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It was the first high ranking appointment of an Asian by the president of the United States. Dr. Cherian’s appointment to sub-cabinet level position by President Ronald Reagan received swift approval from the Senate. The Asian media extolled it as a major milestone and Indian Americans were elated that their community received such high recognition. The successive administrations made several high ranking appointments of Indian Americans including those of Dr. Rajen Anand as Executive Director of Center for Nutrition Policy, Bobby Jindal as Assistant Secretary of Health, Gopal Khanna and Karan Bhatia. There are many more who have been appointed to various committees/councils at city, county and state levels in various parts of the United States.
Indian Americans do not form a significant “voting bloc” but do want political empowerment which would not come by seeking appointments only. They began organizing fund raising events for political candidates at city, county, state and federal levels. However, their campaign contributions translated into limited political clout. Some ambitious Indian Americans proactively engaged themselves in the political process of their adopted country. They had no constituency in any part of the United States where Indians could elect one of their own. But they had a role model in Dalip Singh Saund who in 1956 was elected to the U.S. Congress from a congressional district with a negligible number of Indian American votes. Saund was a trailblazer and many tried to follow his pioneering trail and some succeeded at city, county and state level. In 2004, Oxford-educated Bobby Jindal who was born of immigrant parents in the USA, was elected United States Congressman from Louisiana. Just 3 years later in 2007, Jindal at 36, was elected as Governor of Louisiana and became the first Indian-American chief executive of a state in the United States, a major milestone accomplishment.
Since the late 1980s, Indian Americans have started taking a more active role in both Democrat and Republican political parties. They also ventured to learn the rules of political empowerment and their political activism has shown results in seven Indian Americans getting elected as legislators at the state level. Kumar Barve is the majority leader in the state of Maryland while Satveer Choudhary is state senator in Minnesota. Raj Goyal at the young age of 26 was elected as state legislator in Ohio. Nikki Randhawa Haley, a Sikh Business woman, was elected in 2004 to South Carolina State Assembly. David Dhillon, a third generation Indian American, was mayor of El Centro from 1985 to 2001. David Dhillon’s grandfather came from India and settled in El Centro, Imperial Valley in California where many Indians during the earlier part of the last century had settled. Dalip Singh Saund had spent most of his life in the Imperial Valley which was part of his congressional district. Harry Sidhu was elected as Council member in 2004 of Anaheim City, home for Disneyland while Harvinder Anand got elected as mayor of a small, affluent community in New York State in 2007. Gurpal Samra is the mayor of Livingston (population over 10,000), near Sacramento, California. In Yuba City where Indian Americans constitute 10% of the population, two city council members, Kash (Kashmir Singh) Gill and Tej (Tejinder Singh) Mann were elected in 2006. This is the first time since the settlement of the first batch of Sikhs in the beginning of twentieth century in the area that two Sikhs with farming background have been elected. They are educated and have deep civic roots in the city. Kash Gill is Vice President of the local Butte Community Bank while Tej Mann is the Environment Health Director of Yuba County.
These Indian Americans have dared to turn to politics to achieve their vision and to raise the profile of their marginalized ethnic community. The voters who elected the Indian American law makers are mainstream Americans and not just Indian Americans who form a negligible percentage of the electorate. Indian Americans may not have any constituency with majority of Indian electorate but some political campaigns revolve around them for their fund raising capabilities.
Indians who came in 1960’s and 1970s are, by and large, rooted in the United States. They have worked their way up the ranks of American companies and have also moved with astonishing speed into politics. The Indian American lobby on the Capitol Hill is increasingly becoming important and showed measurable result at the passage of Indo-US Nuclear Deal by the US Congress.
Marriage & Family
The early Punjabi immigrants consisted of males who came as sojourners to make money and return to live a life of comfort back in India. They lived together to save money, worked in groups and moved from place to place in search of work. Many of them were young and unmarried while others had left their wives behind. They could not go back for a visit nor could they sponsor their spouses from India as changes in the Immigration laws enacted in 1917 barred legal immigration from India. Several of them married Mexican women while those with college or university education, generally married American girls despite the law in California which prohibited marriage between different races.
In the beginning, marriages between Punjabis and Mexican women aroused concern, some leading to controversies. But over a period of time, the relationship with Hispanic women became acceptable. Many marriages were successful but several experienced conflicts regarding raising of children, supporting issues and causes pertaining to the immigrants such as donation to temple, Gadar Movement, and sending money back home. Some marriages ended in divorce for various reasons and in a few cases, marital conflicts ended in the murder of the spouse. Prof. Karen Leonard of U.C. Irvine has written extensively about Punjabi-Mexican families in her book “Making Ethnic Choices”.
After the passage of Luce-Cellar bill, a few Indians went back to marry while some others sponsored their wives and children whom they had left behind years ago.
After India became an independent nation in 1947, the number of students seeking admission in American universities rapidly increased. With the liberalization of immigration laws, a large influx of Indian professionals started migrating to America, only a few with their spouses. The vast majority of students and immigrants went back to marry while a few found brides in the USA. “Desi” children as they were called, born in America, have faced duality between their parents' culture and the host culture and are torn between being Indian and being American. When the time came for marriage, the children were pressured or persuaded to get spouses from India, many with disastrous results. Now the community has become large, about 3 million, the preference is to find a suitable mate in the US.
Senior Citizens
The American system guarantees public pension benefit for those who have paid social security taxes for a minimum period of 10 years during their working lives. However, the social security pension is not enough for a comfortable retirement living. Americans who are not entitled to social security benefits but are over 65 and destitute, are eligible to obtain the Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Americans as well as eligible immigrants also get affordable health care after age 65. The Indian Americans who are entitled to Social Security benefits, are a part of a generation of savers and a vast majority of them have planned for financial security in their retirement years.
Indian parents made sacrifices to provide the best education to their children, particularly sons, hoping for a bright future for them. Many children who came as students or in search of opportunities at a younger age are generally well settled in the United States. They feel obligated to take care of their older parents in the autumn of their parents’ lives. For parents, too, America is a great attraction, ostensibly to be closer to their progeny and grand children. Whether motivated by family ties or compelled by other circumstances, older parents are encouraged to migrate. Sense of obligation takes over the problems of living in a joint family system such as parents’ uncomfortable level of dependence on the offspring or his financial and emotional stress to house the parents under the same roof. Nevertheless, the tradition of extended family of sharing the house by three generations, parents, offspring and his/her spouse and grand children is continued.
The older parents come to the land of opportunity, yet face many challenges in adapting to the new societal framework. They leave behind their longtime surroundings and familiar social networks and they now have to find a different comfort level of dependence on their offspring. Many times, the elder parents are sponsored to help with raising their grand children. They are also given the responsibilities of cooking, cleaning and maintaining the house while both their sons/daughters and respective spouses are at work. Although the children feel that they keep their parents occupied to avoid boredom, many parents lack the physical stamina to maintain the new way of life. Many have health concerns that often go unattended. They came to join their adult children, have never been in the United States workforce and thus never had the opportunity to develop their own social network. They have little or no social life of their own, and are entirely dependent on their children for transportation even to go to the temple.
In India, respect for the elders is traditionally woven into Indian life’s cultural fabric. But in America, where adult children can address their own parents by first name, elders from India and particularly those who have held an office of status feel slighted when much younger Indians do not show any deference towards them. They end up missing their network of friends and acquaintances, and find a huge social vacuum living in the new country. Leaving their longtime old friends and lifelong home exploding with memories, they have to live in neighborhoods where there is hardly anybody from their own ethnicity with whom they can communicate. Socializing with those of the same age and culture is, at best, a weekend opportunity when visiting a temple or attending a party. Several people find it hard to cope with the loneliness, isolation and sometimes exploitation by their own children. Some parents by habit intrude in their children’s life resulting in undesirable conflicts. Those who cannot adapt to the new situation go back if they have that option, while many others suffer from frustration and depression.
Indian Americans who have lived and worked in the United States for a number of years, have adapted to the lifestyle of their adopted land, and have become, somewhat if not completely, part of the mainstream. They have developed their social network and are not dependent on others for their communication or transportation needs. No doubt, old age is a vulnerable time of life for everybody and Indian Americans, even those who are in denial of aging, will not escape the problems relating to growing old. Although people in America are living longer and healthier than ever before, sooner or later, they will become an integral part of the swelling ranks of the elderly and endure trials and tribulations of the golden years.
Culture, Religion, Meditation and Yoga
Culture is an all inclusive term. Customs, traditions, performing arts, cuisine, religion and belief systems are varied and different, yet they are integral part of composite culture of India. In almost all parts of the globe where Indians have gone and settled, there is awareness of India’s culture, be it in the form of yoga, meditation, music, fashion, or food, it is widely known and accepted.
At the beginning of twentieth century, when Indians started coming to the United States, there was a low tolerance for the Indian immigrants. The Bellingham Riots in the state of Washington on September 5, 1907 epitomized the racial prejudice of the American people against Indians at that time. However, the majority of the immigrants from India kept faithful to their religious roots, some with a keen passion and continued to practice their faith by doing meditation, or holding prayers privately at their homes.
Since the 1970s, the United States has increasingly become a religiously diverse nation and with the steady growth of the Indian American community, the building of temples became a desirable focus of the Hindu and Sikh groups. The temples help preserve and sustain religion and culture and also provide an opportunity to practice religious rituals and to socialize with the new immigrants. The adherents considered their responsibility to establish places of worship not only for themselves but for the future generations. In 1976, the first Hindu temple, Sri Venkateswara temple, was built in Pittsburgh. Since then, millions have been spent on building Hindu temples and meditation centers in virtually every city in the United States. These institutions have helped maintain and promote Hindu religion, Indian philosophy and culture.
In 1893, more than a century ago, Swami Vivekananda introduced Hinduism to Americans when he came to address the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. He made a lasting impact on the delegates and for the next four years, he lectured at major universities and retreats. This generated a significant interest in Vedantic philosophy. He also started the Vedantic centre in New York City. After Vivekananda left the USA, other religious leaders came to spread Hindu religion and philosophy. In 1920, Paramahansa Yogananda came as India’s delegate to the International Congress of Religious Leaders in Boston. He traveled widely and lectured to large audiences in the US and in 1925, made Los Angeles as his base of operations by establishing an international headquarter for Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF). Today, there are seven SRF centers in California where Yogananda's meditation and yoga techniques are taught on regular basis. Bhagat Singh Thind who came in 1913 as a student started delivering lectures on Indian philosophy and metaphysics. His teaching included the philosophy of many religions and in particular that contained in Sikh Scriptures. During his lectures, discourses and classes to Christian audiences, he frequently quoted Guru Nanak, Kabir, and others. He wrote many books, had thousands of American followers but did not convert any of them to Sikhism.
Yogi Bhajan who came to California in 1969, started teaching yoga and propagating the philosophy of Guru Nanak and a form of Sikhism among Americans. The hippie movement was at its zenith then and a large number of American young people were using illegal drugs, particularly marijuana. He established Guru Ram Das Ashram in Los Angeles where his followers have been congregating regularly. He was an inspiring teacher and taught “Kundalini Yoga, the Yoga of Awareness.” Prior to his death in 2005, he had thousands of his followers embrace Sikhism. He was recognized with the title of “Siri Singh Sahib” by Shrimonai Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar. Yogi Bhajan made a “huge difference to the profile of the Sikh community in the US. He was also recognized by the US Congress for his services to the American society. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi started teaching Transcendental Meditation (TM) in America in the mid-1960's, through which he claimed to provide “a way for the conscious mind.” Bhagwan Rajneesh, known as Osho, too had a very large following in the US. He spoke of harmony, wholeness and love that lie at the core of all religious and spiritual traditions. He died in January 1990 but many of his followers still meet at various centers as also in Pune, the headquarters of Osho organization. Jiddu Krishnamurti was adopted at an early age by Theosophical Society president Annie Besant who took him to England to have him educated privately. Jidu Krishnamurthi wrote many books. But The Book of Life, which carried extraction from his speeches and publications, became very famous. The Krishnamurti Foundation, headquartered at Ojai near Los Angeles, California, promotes his philosophy through his books, CDs and tapes. Many more mystics and yogis from India brought ancient Indian philosophy and yoga to America and found fertile ground for spreading their message. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is the `new age' guru and has many centers all over the world.
Several faith-based movements such as, Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), Chinmaya Mission, Sathya Sai Baba organization, Ramakrishna Mission, and ISKCON have also large following. Some target the Indian Diaspora while others spread their message to the general American population.
Once an elusive practice, Yoga has now surged in popularity and its impact is everywhere: in movies, television, advertising, and schools. Several studies have shown that Yoga reduces back pain, relieves stress and improves overall health and has become as mainstream of an exercise as walking. Many Americans have incorporated yoga routines as an essential part of their work out routine. America is now dotted with Yoga studios providing easy access to everyone, including business executives and Hollywood celebrities who practice this ancient Indian art form. Bikram Choudhary has earned fame and fortune by teaching Yoga to Americans by opening hundreds of heated yoga studios all over the world. There are many more Yoga experts and teachers who have gained prominence in this multi-billion dollar industry. Swami Ramdev is currently the most celebrated Yoga teacher. There are entrepreneurs who publish Yoga magazines and yoga books, produce TV shows and make DVDs, manufacture Yoga clothes, Yoga artifacts, Yoga furniture and furnishings, Yoga foods, Yoga tea, Yoga energy bars, and hundreds of products and services.
There are many religious festivals celebrated with great enthusiasm by different ethnic groups from India. Diwali, the festival of lights, is celebrated by one and all, with great fervor throughout the United States. The annual observance demonstrates the rich history and traditions of the Hindu faith and provides an occasion for Hindus to remember their many blessings and celebrate their hope for a brighter future.
In 2007, Diwali Mela at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas was a celebration of epic proportion. Hosted by the Dallas Indian Cultural Society, over 50,000 people from Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New York, came to see performance of a professional Ram Lila group, hear Bollywood singers and witness the burning of Ravana’s effigy. It was a mammoth event, unique with no parallel to it in the United States.
In 2003, the President of the United States agreed to the long-standing demand by the Indian community and celebrated Diwali at the White House in the presence of several invited Indian community leaders. Since then, Diwali festivities at the White House have become an annual tradition which also shows the growing clout of the Indian American community in the United States. The US Senate and the House of Representatives in October 2007 unanimously passed Resolutions 299 and 747 respectively, recognizing the “religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali.” The passage of the resolutions may be symbolic for some, but it is a testament to the increased awareness of Hinduism and Hindus in America.
For Sikhs, religious beliefs are an integral part of their lives. In the beginning, they practiced their culture, religion, and traditions privately in absence of a common place like a Gurudwara. But in 1912, they established Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society and purchased land with a small frame house in Stockton, California, which was used as a temporary Gurudwara (http://www.sikhpioneers.org/articles.html). Three years later, they built the first Sikh temple in the United States. The new temple was dedicated on November 21, 1915, coinciding with the 426th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith. Many Sikhs would travel hundreds of miles on important occasions to attend the gatherings which not only served a reassuring link with their religion but also provided welcome opportunities to meet and socialize with other Punjabi immigrants.
The Stockton Temple became the center of religious life for the Sikhs and social and political life for all Indians in California, particularly for activities relating to the Gadar Movement. Many years later, in 1948, a second Gurudwara was established 500 miles away in El Centro, California. Today, Sikhs have built Gurudwaras in almost every part of the US and hold congregations on regular basis.
Baisakhi, like Diwali, is celebrated with equal fervor both as a religious function and as a harvest festival. One of the largest Baisakhi celebrations is organized at the Los Angeles convention center to accommodate over 15,000 people. The religious celebration included Sikh devotional music and a colorful parade.
Classical Indian dance and music are taught in private schools and academies which offer training in Karnatic, Hindustani, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, bhangra, bhajans, devotional songs & semi-classical songs and several other forms. Among the different classical dance styles, Bharatanatyam has gained the most popularity among the Indian students. Out of the folk dances, Bhangra with all its different variations has been attaining new highs as a medium of entertainment.
Punjabis have a vibrant culture and the Bhangra, the harvest folk dance and music is integral part of celebrations – weddings, anniversaries, parties. In the U.K, Bhangra bands are engaged for weddings and parties. Some night clubs in the US routinely play Bhangra music or have exclusive Bhangra music once a week. The Bhangra music has also found its way into the recording studios of some mainstream artists, such as Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and others. Intercollegiate bhangra competitions where the teams compete for money and trophies, continue to give a new surge of popularity among the youth. Bhangra, although rooted in tradition, constantly evolves with several hip-hop moves with the changing times.
There are many different offshoots from traditional Bhangra. Bally Sagoo promoted an offshoot of Bhangra music and his signing up with Sony, showed Bhangra's growing mainstream presence. Daler Mehndi has made the sound of Bhangra-pop a craze among many non-Punjabis, selling many millions of albums. Popular Guyanese born Terry Gajraj has also composed many of his hits in the USA and the Caribbean with variations of Bhagra. Pepsi commercial featuring Bhangra music was a true sign of the emergence of Bhangra into popular culture.
Sarina Jain has made this folk dance into an exercise regimen. Masala Bhangra Aerobics Workout classes are taught in some fitness centers and she also has directed and produced a series of MASALA BHANGRA WORKOUT videos.
The Smithsonian institution in Washington DC is the most visited natural history museum in the world. A few Sikh Americans jointly started a very ambitious Sikh Heritage Project in 2000, to find, protect and display cultural and historical artifacts of the Sikhs at the prestigious Smithsonian institution. “Sikhs: Legacy of the Punjab” was inaugurated on July 24, 2004 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. The permanent exhibition presents more than 100 pieces of Sikh artwork and artifacts, including miniature paintings, arms and armor, traditional textiles and dress, coins, musical instruments, jewelry, sacred texts, and modern works of art, highlighting the culture and history of the Sikhs. The Sikh Heritage Foundation, West Virginia, has been instrumental in the establishment of Sikh Heritage Gallery.
Yuba City – the Mini Punjab in USA
Yuba City, the headquarters of Sutter County, California, is about 125 miles from San Francisco. Punjabis came to Yuba City as migrant laborers in search of work over 100 years ago and faced enormous social and economic hurdles. They were peasant proprietors in India and their farming skills and willingness to work hard helped them find work. Some of them even leased or purchased their own farms and a few became successful and prosperous farmers.
From 1917 to 1946, legal immigration from India was barred and the growth of the Punjabi population in the Yuba-Sutter Area dwindled to a trickle. The post 1946 period when Indian nationals got the right of citizenship, 100 immigrants were allowed to come from India and slow growth of Punjabis started again. However, after the passage of 1965 Immigration Act, the Punjabi population in Yuba-Sutter Area started growing steadily and today, Punjabi community population is probably the largest over any other similar city in the United States. Punjabis now comprise over 10% of the total population of about 80,000 in Yuba-Sutter area. Several of them are engaged in agricultural or horticultural activities. In Yuba-Sutter County, Punjabi farmers grow about 95% of the peach crop, 60% of prunes and 20% almonds & walnuts.
With the sizeable increase in their population, the community has diversified from the core business of farming into various occupations, businesses and professions. Many Punjabis have become successful entrepreneurs, venturing into trucking, commercial property, and various other businesses and contribute significantly to their local economy. Several acquired university degrees and have gone into various professions — medicine, teaching, banking, engineering, etc. A number of prosperous Punjabis in the city own palatial houses and drive expensive cars. They endured tremendous hardships and worked very hard to realize their American Dream.
Yuba City is literally a mini Punjab in the USA with three Gurudwaras and a temple. “Sat Sri Akal” is the preferred form of greeting; speaking in Punjabi is not considered “foreign” and Punjabi is officially taught in public schools. A radio program in Punjabi is regularly on the air. The Punjabi American Festival (Baisakhi) is organized every year in May by the Punjabi American Heritage Society which was founded by Dr. Jasbir Singh Kang in 1993 to help the younger generation get connected to their roots. The annual event features some internationally acclaimed artists and hundreds of local artists, including students from California schools, colleges and universities, who perform traditional Punjabi dances such as Bhangra, Giddha, Jhumar, and other ethnic dances. The ticketed event attracts over 12,000 people and is aimed at promoting a better understanding of the Punjabi community, its culture, and the many contributions they make to the region. Many business owners rent display booths to put themselves in front of the prospective customers.
Yuba City is well known for its annual Sikh parade which draws a large number of Sikhs from the United States, Canada, India, the United Kingdom and throughout the world. In 1969, the first Gurudwara in Yuba City was started on the 500th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. Since then, on first Sunday of November, Gur Gadi Divas (Coronation Day) of Guru Granth Sahib (Sacred Sikh Scriptures) is celebrated by organizing a huge parade featuring many floats. The 28th annual parade in November 2007, attracted an estimated 80,000 people. The parade provides major economic benefits to the community as all kinds of goods imported from India are sold in the Punjab Bazar, a temporary mini shopping mall. Yuba City looks like a typical city in Punjab on that occasion.
Two days preceding the event, the 48 hour non-stop recital of Sikh scriptures (Akhand Path) is started on Friday. After the concluding ceremony (Bhog) on Sunday, the sacred Guru Granth is ceremoniously carried onto a lavishly decorated float. As the main float leaves the Sikh Temple to lead the procession, rain of flower petals comes down from a helicopter hovering above the parade. A band of dedicated volunteers continuously sweeps the street in front of its path. Many Sikh groups from different parts of the United States put up their own floats which follow the lead float. Many floats have Raagi Jathas (bands of religious singers) singing hymns. All along the route, enthusiastic devotees put up stalls to serve refreshments to the participants. Thousands of participants join the procession, many follow the floats while several thousand stand along the route and watch. The annual parade is a good source of economic benefit to the city. It is also a homecoming weekend for many younger Sikhs who have left Yuba City for other parts of the US.
Langar (free food) is prepared for the participants gathered for this momentous occasion. Feeding of over 50,000 people is a major undertaking and it is done with the help of volunteers who have the spirit of Seva uppermost in their minds. As many as 200,000 meals are served during the Guru Gadi Divas weekend. There is no parallel to the event in the United States.
Didar Singh Bains started the parade tradition in Yuba City. He came to the US in 1958 from Nangal in Hoshiarpur and worked as a farm laborer. He and his father bought their first farm in 1962. At one time, he was one of the biggest peach growers in California and was called “Peach King of California.” He is probably the wealthiest farmer among Indians in the United States.
There are also large Punjabi farming communities in other cities in California such as Fresno, Bakersfield, El Centro and the areas surrounding these cities. Some of the farmers have earned name, fame and fortune. A Sikh farmer from Fresno has earned the title of “Raisin King of California.” The New York Times calls Harbhajan Singh Samra “the okra king of the USA”. Samra specializes in growing Indian vegetables such as okra, mooli, tinda, bitter melon, Indian eggplant, methi, etc. near Palm Springs, California.
Punjabis have maintained their culture, religion and heritage and many Sikhs have also retained the distinguishing marks of their faith. They have invariably added to the ethnic and cultural diversity of America and have become part of the unique and distinctive multicultural character of the new society. They have contributed to the development of the country’s economy at all levels and reshaped the landscape of the cities and towns where they have their homes. At the same time, they have established themselves as a vibrant part of the society that has come to depend on their contributions in the local and national economies.
Indian Philanthropy
Philanthropy is an act of contributing personal wealth, goods, time, and/or effort to charitable or similar causes to promote the common good. Among Indian Americans, there are some socially conscious individuals who have donated liberally for various causes. One such person was Jawala Singh who in 1912 was motivated to fund the Guru Gobind Singh Sahib Educational Scholarships, which were given to students through a competition held in India for higher studies at an American university. Singh had started as an unskilled farm laborer in America and within a short span of a few years, he worked his way up to become a successful California potato farmer. He also contributed for the purchase of a hostel in Berkley by the Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan, where Indian students could stay rent-free. Singh’s scholarships helped some Indian students including Gobind Behari Lal who came for graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley in 1912. He later became the science editor of San Francisco Examiner from 1925 to 1982 and in 1937 was the first Indian to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize.
After the liberalization of US immigration laws in 1965, Indians who migrated to the United States were educated and qualified as doctors, engineers, accountants and high-tech professionals. A majority of the students from India also adopted America as their new home after acquiring higher education from American universities. Thus, higher education and professional qualifications helped them secure high level jobs providing a gateway to middle-class life. Over a period of time, several became successful professionals and entrepreneurs and some of them became generous with their wealth. These affluent Indian Americans have been transforming the Indian philanthropic landscape by funding educational projects, establishing hospitals, and supporting medical research that benefit the public at large. Some have gifted part of their wealth for local causes in the US where they have earned their wealth while others reached back to their roots and gave for India-centric projects. There are some who have directed their contributions at both India and America. These donors first used their energy, ability and time to earn wealth and then they walked away from part of it if not all, to give back to the society that had given them. Almost all the philanthropists who have given large donations, gifted to established institutions benefitting the society at large. But, whether the beneficiary is Indian society or American, Indian American philanthropists are making a difference with their increasing level of generosity.
Rajendra Vattikuti made his fortune resolving computer software problems connected with Y2K and donated $40 million in 2001 to support cancer research. The gift created the Vattikuti Urology Institute at the Henry Ford Health System and the Vattikuti Cancer Institute at William Beaumont Hospitals in Detroit. Monte Ahuja, like most of the students who came in the 1950s and 1960, brought barely enough money to buy food for a day, donated $30 million to University Hospital in Cleveland to build the Ahuja Medical Center. Monte and Usha Ahuja’s donation was the largest single donation in the 140-year history of the university. Monte founded Transtar Industries and built it into the most successful after-market transmission parts distributor in the world. Gururaj Deshpande, co-founder and chairman of Sycamore Networks in Boston, Massachusetts, and his wife Jaishree Deshpande, established the Deshpande Center for Technology Innovation at the MIT School of Engineering with a $20 million gift in 2002. The Deshpande Foundation funds over 50 NGOs in India in the areas of agriculture, microfinance, livelihood, education and health. Dr Kiran Patel and his wife Dr Pallavi Patel gave $18.5 million in 2005 to the University of South Florida to build the Kiran C Patel Center for Global Solutions on the university campus. The large donation entitled the university to get state matching funds of $16 million totaling the donation worth $34.5-million. Both the Patels have contributed generously to several other philanthropic projects in Tampa such as a performing arts conservatory and a research center at Pepin Heart Hospital. In India they have set up a rural village restoration project in Gujarat while in Zambia they have set up Patel Hospice Center in Lusaka, Zambia and a heart hospital in Dar-e-Salaam, Tanzania.
Vinod Gupta, founder and CEO of InfoUSA, has set up Vinod Gupta Charitable Foundation and established the Vinod Gupta School of Management and the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur and at his birth place Rampur, Shrimati Ram Rati Gupta Women's College, William Jefferson Clinton Science and Technology Center, and Hillary Rodham Clinton Mass Communication Center for Journalism and Media Management. Raj Soin, chairman of MTC Technologies in Dayton, Ohio, donated $20 million to establish a business school at Wright State University. He also supports the Soin Scholar Program, which funds the MBA education at Wright State University for three graduates every year from Delhi College of Engineering, his alma mater. He has established a non-profit 55-bed Sukh Dev Raj Soin Hospital in rural Haryana. Krishan Joshi, founder and chairman of UES, Inc, a high-technology research company in Dayton, Ohio established the Krishan and Vicky Joshi Research Center in 2006 at the Wright State University College of Engineering and Computer Science with his donation of $10 million. John P. Kapoor, a native of Amritsar, who came to the USA for graduate studies with a fellowship from the University of Buffalo, in Buffalo, New York, gave $11 million towards the construction of new building for the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2008. Romesh Wadhwani, a Silicone Valley entrepreneur donated $5 million for bioscience center to his alma mater Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 2008.
In the past few years, the number of India related chairs or programs in the universities have increased several folds. Today, such programs are in existence at Columbia, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas, Austin, and University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Los Angeles, University of Chicago, Indiana University and State University of New York at Stony Brook.
The primary goal of funding a chair or program at a university is to create awareness and understanding of some aspect of India’s culture such as arts, music, literature, drama, philosophy, religion, languages, social and political system. The income from the grant is used in a variety of ways such as hosting of lectures, seminars, research conferences, publication of books, offering courses to students, encouraging study abroad, etc. to achieve the objectives outlined by the endowment. In 1992, the Indian community made contributions for an India chair at University of California, Berkeley. At the same time, Prof. Thomas Kailath established Sara Kailath Chair in India Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Narpat Bhandari, a co-founder of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE) in Santa Clara, California, endowed the Chandra Bhandari Chair in India Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1997. The Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Talat and Kamil Hasan established the Kamil and Talat Hasan Endowed Chair in Classical Indian Music with their donation at University of California, Santa Clara. Navin Doshi donated funds to create Doshi chair of Indian History in University of California, Los Angeles, and an annual Bridge Builder Award of $10,000 at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. Uka Solanki funded the Yadunandan India Center at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Prem Sagar Reddy, a cardiologist in Victorville donated $1 million to Victor Valley Community College District Foundation to support School of Allied Health and Nursing in 2003. He has also donated about $8 million to various health care causes. Bhupesh Parikh and his wife Kumud contributed $1 million for the Bhupesh Parikh Health Sciences and Technology building at Glendale Community College, California.
Dr. Mohinder Sambhi, Professor Emeritus at David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California donated $2 million in 2007 to John Hopkins University in Washington for setting up the Centre of India Studies in memory of his wife Minno. Dr. Sambhi who was born in Ludhiana, had donated $1 million for a chair in Indian classical music in UCLA in memory of his late wife. Drs. Amrik Singh Chattha and Jaswinder Kaur Chattha of West Virginia endowed a chair of Sikh Studies at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in the memory of their parents. Dr. Awtar Singh established a fully funded annual fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley for a top student from Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh for graduate studies. He also established a fully endowed fellowship with the University of Colorado, Boulder that pays $5000 annually to a graduate or an undergraduate student with a parent or grandparent of Indian Origin. Lajpat Rai Munger of California donated a computer institute and land worth Rs 20 crores to the Punjab University in 2006 for setting up law and nursing institutes. Jagdish Khangura, an electrical engineer turned businessman, started “Baba Kartar Singh Dukki Higher Secondary School in village Larata, district Ludhiana, Punjab. He created “Baba Kartar Singh Dukki Educational Trust with endowment of Rs. 30 lakhs to meet the needs of students for books, bikes, clothes, scholarships, etc.
Darshan Singh Dhaliwal who operates over 1000 gas stations has donated $2.5 million to Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, $1 million for a chair at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, $200,000 for Modern Language Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin, Parkside, $100,000 for a soccer park and the list of his beneficiaries runs long. Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany established the Kundan Kaur Kapany Chair of Sikh Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1998. He also has established Satinder Kaur Kapany Gallery of Sikh Art at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. University of California, Riverside has Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies. California native Hardit Singh Aurora has gifted an endowed chair in Sikh and Punjabi studies at the History Department of the University of California, Santa Cruz in memory of his son Sarabjit Singh Aurora. Ishar Singh Bindra and family have established the Sardarni Kuljit Bindra Chair at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, to promote the study of Sikh religion, culture and history. In the same university, Dr. Hakam Singh of Los Angeles, a scientist and a scholar, has established the Sardarni Harbans Kaur Chair in Sikh Musicology (Gurmat Sangeet).
There are many more Indian Americans who continue to give their charitable donations to support various causes undertaken by nonprofit organizations. They want to make a difference if their donation is used effectively. According to Navneet Chugh (India Journal, Nov 30, 2007), India “centric” charities raised $30 million in the US in 2006. Some of the leading non-profit organizations which have been regularly raising funds in the United States, include America India Foundation (AIF), Share & Care, Asha for Education, Pratham and Sankara Eye Foundation. AIF whose honorary chair is President Bill Clinton, has raised $45 million since its inception in 2001. AIF’s initiatives center around education, livelihood, and public health projects in India – with emphases on elementary education, women’s empowerment, and HIV/AIDS, respectively. (www.aifoundation.org). Share & Care raises funds for a variety of projects in India and the US, Asha for Education collects donations for education of underprivileged children in India, Pratham focuses on primary education, and Sankara Eye Foundation supports eye-care programs in three eye hospitals in India. There are a number of other similar but smaller outfits which are engaged in doing an equally good work serving the people.
Conclusion
There are over 3 million Americans of Indian origin including those who are twice migrants and their number keeps growing rapidly. The pioneering generation of Indian immigrants suffered prejudice, bigotry and humiliation when India was herself a slave nation and was haven of poverty and disease. India obtained political independence in 1947 but economic emancipation came in the 1990s. Since then, India has been steadily gaining new respect in the comity of nations. Indian Americans have been contributing their due share in India’s emergence as an economic power and have added a special glitter to the resurgence of India.

The Indian community in the United States, considered as an affluent community, has become an integral part of the American landscape. Indian Americans have higher levels of education, large majority of them are professionals, several are well-to-do businessmen, and their average income is among the highest in America. They are also involved in the political process of their new country. In short, they have become a viable and contributing constituent of the American mainstream society and contribute significantly to the country of their adoption – the United States of America.
Inder Singh regularly writes and speaks on Indian diaspora. He is President of Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) and chairman of Indian American Heritage Foundation. He was president of National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA) from 1988-92 and chairman from 1992-96. He was founding president of Federation of Indian Associations in Southern California. He can be reached at indersingh-usa@hotmail.com

KAMLESH AHIR

2010-08-02T01:33:00.000+05:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmSc4x7R5nQ&feature=fvw

REJOINDER TO BIBI KAMLESH AHIR

2010-08-02T01:30:00.000+05:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nimZXliiXnc&feature=related

BABBU MAAN vs LALA LAJPAT RAI

2010-08-01T23:59:00.001+05:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hfm1osrIxk&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhA_AfVUNxA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ036Zw6IN4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMc9jZTFAjQ&feature=related

COMPUTER SECURITY-1

2010-04-20T04:15:00.001+05:30

What Your iPhone Apps Know About You

Andy Greenberg, 03.03.10, 6:00 PM ET

As smart phones start resembling full-fledged computers, cybersecurity researchers say it's only a matter of time until digital criminals redirect their spyware schemes from PCs to the moving targets in our pockets. When that assault begins, those researchers say it may come in through the front door: the app store.
At two recent cybersecurity conferences, researchers demonstrated applications designed to show just how much personal data a rogue smart phone app could access. Though companies like Apple, RIM and Google say they filter those programs for spam and malware, researchers argue it may be all too easy to slip a data collection function into an otherwise innocent-seeming app.
At the Black Hat conference in early February, Nicolas Seriot, a cybersecurity researcher at the Swiss University of Applied Sciences, showed off a proof-of-concept app that probes the depths of personal information on Apple's iPhone. His program, called Spyphone, can pick up information ranging from a user's contact list and phone numbers and e-mail addresses to location via wi-fi networks and GPS, functions that he says could easily be tucked behind a game or another innocuous facade.
In Pictures: What Your iPhone Apps Know About You
"You don't want to use a device where the Breakout game you're playing is secretly accessing and modifying your address book," says Seriot.
Days later at the Shmoocon security conference, Veracode security researcher Tyler Shields showed off a similar trick for a BlackBerry, using an app he'd written called TXSBBSpy that can monitor calls, text messages, Web browsing history and even activate the device's microphone. "Imagine a free voice recorder app," says Shields. "If they've implemented the microphone function, they can listen to whatever they want and exfiltrate the audio data."
There's no doubt, Shields says, that phones are still much safer from spying software than PCs, which allow software to be installed from any source, often invisibly, as in the case of "drive-by downloads" by infected Web pages or booby-trapped e-mail attachments. But the wide privileges given to phone apps still create exploitable vulnerabilities in devices, says Shields.
As the app store model spreads beyond phones to devices like Apple's iPad, surreptitious data collection techniques could start to creep into some apps. "There's really no transparency and a false sense of security," says Shields.
The threat of spying App store programs is mostly theoretical, but researchers cite a few early instances of the scheme. In September of last year iPhone users told French blog Mac4Ever that a traffic-monitoring application called MogoRoad surreptitiously grabbed their phone numbers and called the user to try and persuade them to upgrade the free software to a paid version. Just two months later, iPhone users filed a class-action lawsuit against game developer Storm8, whose software was collecting their phone numbers. Storm8 later claimed that it had only taken the numbers to identify specific devices, and it removed the feature.

In January Finnish security firm F-Secure warned that a collection of banking applications in Android's app store may have hidden password-stealing code. The apps, written by a developer known as 09Droid, advertised themselves as interfaces for dozens of different banks, but did little more than open the banks' Web sites, while gaining access to whatever information the user entered.
F-Secure couldn't determine whether the apps had actually been used to steal information, but Google removed the applications from the app store, and several banks sent their customers warnings about the unauthorized programs.
An Apple spokesperson wrote in a statement that the company "takes security very seriously," and thoroughly reviews every app, along with "the identities of every developer" and will remove apps and ban developers if they're found to be "malicious."
A Google spokeswoman said in an e-mail that Google doesn't review applications before they're added to its Android Market, but takes them down if they violate its policies. She added that users are prompted with requests for permission to gain access to the phone's features like location or Internet access, which they can accept or deny.
Google's looser marketplace approach means that Android may be the most prone to app store exploits, says Neil MacDonald, an analyst with tech research firm Gartner. He argues in a recent blog post that app stores should be analyzing applications' code for exploits before they're made available to the public. "It becomes a reactive model," he says. "Can't we catch this stuff proactively before something happens?"
For now, there are likely too many operating systems for any single app store to be an attractive target for stealthy malicious software, MacDonald says. But he warns that the iPhone, RIM and Android platforms may eventually gain enough market share to make them more profitable venues for hackers. The problem: Google, RIM and Apple are more interested in accumulating large numbers of applications than in properly vetting them, he says.
"It's easier to downplay the issue than to slow the number of applications being introduced," says MacDonald. "It may take something bad happening before these app stores take notice."

CYBERSPIES-1

2010-04-20T04:04:00.000+05:30

How To Fight The New Cyberspies

Andy Greenberg, 03.03.10, 6:00 PM ET

Welcome to the third wave of the corporate cyber wars.

At the beginning of the last decade, the "hacker threat" was what cybersecurity researchers now describe as a pimply teenager in his mother's basement whose idea of a master plan was to write his pseudonym across AOL's home page. Then came the second wave of digital miscreants, organized cybercriminal gangs that operated quietly and turned identity theft into a vast criminal conspiracy.

Today the threat to corporate and government data is evolving again, says Ed Skoudis, a researcher with security auditor and post-breach response firm InGuardians. But the new cyberspies aren't netting financial data for high-volume crime. Instead, they're focused on specific files like confidential communications, patents and business strategy documents--and their methods make even organized cybercriminals look like amateurs by comparison.

In Pictures: How To Fight The New Cyberspies

"We've seen the threat vector shift to something more insidious, more advanced, more capable," says Skoudis. "If you were fighting the last war against teenage hackers in 2005, you missed organized cybercrime. And if you're just focused on cybercriminals today, you're missing this change in your adversary mix."

That new wave of sophisticated, targeted cyberspies--what the industry now calls the "advanced, persistent threat" or "APT"--began penetrating networks in earnest around 2007, Skoudis says. But since then, it's been busy expanding its targets.

Instead of merely focusing on government agencies and their direct relations, (including the hacking of major defense contractors that started last decade and continues to the present day) Skoudis says that now practically every part of the private sector has been infested. In just the first months of this year, it's been revealed that cyberspies also breached Google's network, along with dozens of other targets including oil companies and law firms. (See "Google Takes On China.")

So how to stop the encroachment of these advanced, persistent hackers? Even combating an advanced threat, cybersecurity gurus say, starts with some very basic steps. First among them: Patch software obsessively.

In February Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center Director Steve Shirley told Forbes that his forensics organization had found 102 breaches of the Pentagon's agencies, partners and contractors in the two-year period ending August 2009. Almost all of those cases used spoof e-mails laced with an attachment that installed hidden spyware on the user's machine. In most of the incidents, hackers didn't use a previously unknown flaw in the target computer's software. Instead they exploited a bug that the developer had long ago issued a patch for, but that the company's network administrators had ignored.

Almost as often, users at high-security companies including defense contractors employed laughably crackable passwords--even using the word "password" in some cases.

Beyond those nuts and bolts, Alan Paller, director of research at the security-focused SANS Institute, suggests another trick, one that the security industry calls "two-factor authentication." That involves giving each of your employees a cheap gadget built by RSA or Entrust that generates random number strings that represent passkeys. If a hacker can't access your network or get from one segment of the network to the other without that number, it makes users' accounts much harder to hijack and helps contain any breach that does occur.

At the same time, Paller says, network administrators shouldn't depend on that countermeasure or any other single tactic. Neither off-the-shelf firewalls, nor intrusion detection systems, nor antivirus software is enough to catch sophisticated hackers. "No solution is perfect," he says. "But if we use a whole lot of 80% solutions, we can make it very hard to break in."

The corollary of that realistic admission is that organizations should be ready to react to a successful breach. That means hiring personnel who can customize network intrusion software or build it from scratch to find spyware that's already infected your network and sending data back to the hackers' faraway server. "There's no one more valuable than a network engineer who can find attacks, reverse engineer them, and clean them up," Paller says.

One not-so-obvious piece of advice for those network clean-up crews: Don't move too fast, says Kevin Mandia, a former Pentagon researcher whose firm, Mandiant, now functions as a post-breach consultant. When a company finds spyware on some portion of its network and removes it immediately, the company often tips off the cyberspies without cleaning up the whole infection, and the hackers adapt their tactics to better hide the remaining spyware. "Day-to-day combat doesn't work," says Mandia. "Let [the spyware] accumulate, get your arms around it, and then do a Mike Tyson uppercut to clear it all out."

Even then, SANS' Paller says that companies should assume the arrival of the APT hackers means that cybersecurity will require constant vigilance, updates and spy-hunting. "It's a matter of constantly cleaning house," says Paller. "You'll be doing this for the rest of your days--or until they re-engineer the Internet."

NEW GADGETS

2010-04-20T03:52:00.000+05:30

New iPhone Revealed

Lee Gomes, 04.19.10, 4:59 PM ET

BURLINGAME, CALIF. -

People have been forgetting their cellphones in bars for as long as there have been vodka tonics. Never, though, has the phone in question been an unreleased iPhone, as happened recently near Apple's corporate headquarters in Silicon Valley. The phone somehow made its way to Gizmodo, the tech blog, whose hands-on video is the talk of the tech world today.

The most obvious change in the new model is the addition of a second camera lens, this one on the front of the camera and thus facing the person holding the phone, enabling the use of video chat services like Skype. There's also a higher-resolution display, though with a screen as small as an iPhone, there is a problem of diminishing returns as one adds extra pixels. The new phone also has a flatter, boxier shape, reports Gizmodo.

The Web consensus is that the found object is the real deal, and not any sort of belated April Fool's prank. Apple hasn't said when the next iPhone will be released, though it's expected for early summer. That is the same time the company is expected to begin shipping version 4.0 of its iPhone operating system, which, through features such as multi-tasking, will make the phone even more like a real computer than it already is.

SPACE TECH

2010-04-15T15:45:00.000+05:30

A New Spaceship To Jupiter

Katherine Butler, 04.13.10, 6:00 PM ET

Jupiter reigns over our solar system--a gas giant shrouded in mystery. Two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our solar system combined, it is believed to hold answers to the formation of our own galaxy. Now scientists may soon begin to understand the enigma that is Jupiter. Space.com reports that NASA, assisted by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, has begun construction on Juno, a new space probe destined for Jupiter.
Jupiter is believed to be primarily composed of hydrogen, with a quarter of its mass made of helium. Perpetually covered in ammonia clouds, the planet is not all gas. Some believe Jupiter may also have a rocky core of heavier elements. Despite previous efforts, much of the planet is still largely unknown. Early Pioneer and Voyager spacecrafts performed fly-by missions. Galileo, launched in 1989, tried to get closer, but the spacecraft was intentionally crashed into the gas giant after scientists determined it was being crushed by Jupiter's atmosphere. Jupiter's moons, most notably Europa, have also been examined.
Now we're going back. Scientists are excited to learn more about Jupiter, but they also say this research will help them understand new planetary systems that are just now being discovered. Space.com reports that the mission is slated to launch in August 2011 and reach Jupiter in 2016. Led by astronomer Scott Bolton of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, preparations began April 1 at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver, Colo. As Bolton told Space.com, "We're excited the puzzle pieces are coming together. We're one important step closer to getting to Jupiter."
The Juno probe will be powered by solar wings. Space.com writes that it will contain "nine science instruments on board to investigate the existence of a solid planetary core, map Jupiter's intense magnetic field, measure the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere, and observe the planet's auroras." Until then, scientists will be doing their utmost to ensure Juno is ready for the trip.
Katherine Butler reports on space news for the Mother Nature Network.

ONLINE BUSINESS

2010-04-15T15:30:00.000+05:30

Twitter Wants Ad Money

Laurie Burkitt, 04.13.10, 1:15 PM ET

Twitter’s advertising model is no longer under wraps.
The social-networking site’s ad plan, Promoted Tweets, launches today and will work a lot like Google’s AdWords. When users search Twitter for keywords and what people are talking about, Twitter will run ads that marketers have bought to run against the search. The San Francisco company also plans to display promoted posts in streams of relevant user posts.
The first companies on board to reach out to Twitter’s 20 million-plus unique visitors per month include Best Buy, Starbucks, Bravo and Virgin America. They’ll pay an undisclosed price per thousand people who see their posts. If posts don’t get passed on to followers or get user clicks, Twitter will stop running them. The company’s founders want the ad stream to be as organic as possible.
Steve Rubel, senior vice president and director of insights for Edelman Digital, shares his reactions to Twitter’s ad tactics.
Forbes: What's most surprising about Twitter's Ad platform?
Steve Rubel: What's most surprising about the rollout is how conservative it is. It's clear that Twitter thought a lot about all three of its primary audiences - users, developers and advertisers - and devised a system that seems to respect the needs of all three. They could have been a lot more aggressive by focusing only on display or rich media but they chose a more measured, contextual approach, which I think will help them in the long run.
What do you see as the most significant component?
The most significant component is resonance--the nine factors that Twitter will use to measure the performance of the ads. If an ad isn't performing well across all of these key performance indicators, then the ads will be taken out of rotation. It's very similar to Google's model, which has helped the ads maintain a high degree of relevance.
What about it will be most useful to marketers?

The most intriguing aspect of the platform is that it allows businesses to add a degree of permanence to their tweets. This means that they can maintain some degree of visibility, long after they have floated downstream.
The reason this is significant is that the "destination Web era" (where we browse from site to site) is over. Today, more of us are consuming content in stream form. If you're not in the stream when a tweet hits, you're likely to miss it. With this new program, advertisers can now pay to get around this - which is significant - and target their tweets accordingly.
Working for a public relations firm, I am particularly intrigued by how Twitter is positioning it as a reputation management service for companies in crisis.
What could Twitter have done better with its ad platform plans?
It's a bit early to tell, but so far nothing. It might have been better if they opened up the process a bit to developers and power users to weigh in, but I am not seeing any kind of backlash so far. I believe that Twitter's audience wants to see them monetize in a way that allows them to maintain and grow the platform they love. The trick is to do so in a way where the advertising adds value to the experience and doesn't get in the way. This seems to hit this nail on the head, but time will be the ultimate jury.
What will happen to the other paid Tweet platforms?
Twitter is at a crossroads right now. It is starting to add some of the features that have allowed some vendors in its ecosystem that filled voids to thrive. The trick for these platforms will be to stay ahead of the game. Ideally Twitter will open a dialogue with them to give them a sense of the markets they plan to enter and those they plan to avoid so that the ecosystem can build viable business models without having to worry about them being disrupted by the mother ship.
Is there anything about this ad platform that is disruptive either to other social ad platforms or to the way that marketers interact with social consumers?
It's a bit early to tell how disruptive this will be. It all depends on how well the ads are received by the community and how well they perform. It could potentially create a nice direct response platform that complements other, brand-oriented models like those that have made ads on Facebook and YouTube successful.

FUTURE OF BUSINESS

2010-04-15T15:22:00.000+05:30

Health Is The Next Green For Business

Nancy Turett, 04.13.10, 3:04 PM ET

Whatever your political views about health care reform, you have to agree that in the past year health has come to the forefront as a socioeconomic and personal issue for all Americans. Businesses need to pay close attention to that fact. In the just-released Edelman Health Engagement Barometer 2010 study of 15,000 people in 11 countries, 73% of respondents said that protecting the public's health is as important as protecting the environment, and 69% said that companies should put as much effort into maintaining and improving personal and public health as they put into the environment. Business has gone green, and now it's time to go health.
When the business world first became aware of the green movement, the C-suite went on the defensive. Today green is a fact of life, for consumers, corporate messages and new product development, because green has come to mean opportunity. Using fewer environmental resources while operating sustainably helps save both the planet and money. Adopting a green approach can make a company more attractive to consumers, prospective employees, business partners and government. And it can build the company, too, through the creation of new products or services.
Video: Investing In Health Innovation
In my work I see some organizations already beginning to make health part of the kind of holistic strategy that marries positive business results with societal good. For example, General Electric (disclosure: an Edelman client), building on the success of its green-focused "ecomagination" campaign, has launched "healthymagination," a $6 billion investment in innovation, technology, financing and more aimed at helping deliver better health care to more people at lower cost.
We've reached a time in history when our ability to protect and improve our health is nothing short of amazing, thanks to scientific and technological breakthroughs not even imaginable just a few decades ago. Yet we're plagued by ever-more health threats that lessen people's quality of life, imperil economic development and challenge the sustainability of our planet. American society is aging, and more people are dealing with aging-associated illness and disability than ever; cases of Alzheimer's disease are expected to nearly double by 2030.
Around the world, growing epidemics of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, poor management of chronic diseases, bad behavioral choices like smoking and disparities in access to health care continue to impair people's health. Poor employee health means lower productivity. Worries about global pandemics and a risky food supply are growing. Astonishingly, research shows that our children will have shorter lives than their parents.
Clearly, these problems won't be solved only by offering employees good, affordable health benefits plans. Companies need to work not only to prevent illness and protect their interests but also to promote wellness. When a company makes health part of its social contract, it can propel its business and enhance its reputation with four important kinds of stakeholders:
Employees. A company's health engagement begins with innovative, cost-effective health benefits programs that give employees incentives to adopt and stick with healthy lifestyle choices. EMC, a data storage company, ran a pilot program that gave employees with hypertension the tools to measure their blood pressure several times a week, whether at work or at home. Over six months, the average blood pressure among the volunteers fell significantly. With this remote monitoring program and other health care innovations, EMC expects to save no less than $111 million over six years.
Consumers. Our survey found that 75% of people believe it is important for businesses to create new products and services that maintain or improve health. Consumers want to live well as they live longer, and that opens up market opportunities, from health-enhancing car and phone designs to travel opportunities. Volvo, the car manufacturer, adheres to a textile standard that ensures that no fabrics, threads, carpets or safety belts can produce harmful emissions inside a car. One of its cars has a system that keeps the interior air cleaner than what you often breathe outside.
Business partners and the supply chain. Encouraging companies in the supply chain to promote health can bolster everyone's business opportunities. This means collaborating with organizations both inside and outside of one's traditional business partner networks. Wal-Mart (disclosure: an Edelman client) has recognized that Hispanic women have up to three times the risk of delivering babies with neural tube defects that non-Hispanic whites have, and has partnered with the National Council of La Raza, the Spina Bifida Foundation and the Mexican company Gruma, one of the world's largest producers of corn flour and tortillas, to enrich Gruma's corn products with folic acid, a crucial nutrient for pregnant women.

Local communities. Our survey found that 71% of people worldwide believe it important for businesses to support the health of their local communities. Anheuser-Busch, the beer maker, sponsors a Community Health Mobile Screening tour that travels to 50 American cities each year providing immunization and screenings to underserved neighborhoods.
In the coming decades concern about health will help shape people's trust, purchases and investments. Nearly two-thirds of the people we surveyed said they either recommended or bought products from companies they believed to be effectively involved in health matters.
Trust and transparency are now as much a component of a corporation's reputation as is the quality of the products and services it provides. As businesses work to regain public trust in the wake of the global economic crisis, making the fundamentals of personal and public health part of their business strategies will be essential. If a company pursues health beyond its immediate workforce, it will find wellness on many levels--among employees, in its local community, in its reputation and in its profit-and-loss statements.

Nancy Turett is the global president for health of Edelman, the global public relations firm.

Your Life In 2020

2010-04-14T14:04:00.000+05:30

Your Life In 2020
John Maeda 04.08.10, 6:30 PM ET

The future of "ubiquitous computing" has been heralded for decades. It sounds grandiose--computing, everywhere!--but ironically, a future of ubiquitous computing is one where computers actually go unnoticed. That's 2020. It is when Nicholas Negroponte's assertion in 1995 of "being digital" switches to "been digital" because we will have been there and done that. Kids who have grown up stealing free views of recent movie releases online or regularly chatting with a friend in Bangalore or Atlanta will be working adults in a world where the notion of "work" has changed because of digital technology. But it's no longer "technology" in 2020 anymore--it's just how we get things done.

Consider attempts by schools to quell mobile phone usage in the classroom. In many parts of Asia, where the mobile phone took hold sooner than in the U.S., schools have given up. To a student in Hong Kong, their mobile phone is as vital as the beating of their heart. The word "mobile" means your world can all "go" with you, and by 2020 it will be too hard to imagine going without. We won't carry today's angst of feeling tied to our mobile devices in an apologetic sort of way. Instead, it will be the accepted norm, an innate part of daily life, and will vanish within our collective consciousness.

But if technology and the ability to be connected disappear further into the background, what will occupy our foreground? A bit of the humanity we've always valued in the "real world." Legislators who are currently fixated on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education as the key to innovation will realize that STEM needs some STEAM--some art in the equation. We'll witness a return to the integrity of craft, the humanity of authorship, and the rebalancing of our virtual and physical spaces. We'll see a 21st-century renaissance in arts- and design-centered approaches to making things, where you--the individual--will take center stage in culture and commerce.

Video: How To Create The Future

The software industry is poised to embrace its craft heritage. By 2020 software will return to a cottage industry, with bespoke applications made by many, rather than today's industrialized, Microsoft-esque mass-production and distribution model. It will be part of a larger world movement to make things by hand, infused with emotion and integrity. This phenomenon is already becoming visible in the rise of the "apps" market for mobile phones. With few dominant players and close-to-zero distribution costs, practically anyone can "ship" an app on the iPhone, Android or BlackBerry. These apps are often built with care and attention to the design that big companies' offerings lack. Look at the exquisite quality made by game companies like Iconfactory; or the many iPhone apps like ToonPaint that focus on letting users make "hand-crafted" creative content on their phones.

Rather than be content to accept corporate anonymity, we will rediscover the value of authorship. In 2020 technology will continue to enable individual makers to operate in the same way that once only large corporations could do. Witness the growth of individuals as "brands-of-one" in the social media space, broadcasting their news in the same fashion as major media outlets, or in software apps marketplaces, where "Bob Schula" can hawk his wares right next to "Adobe Systems," and it's just as easy to buy hand-stenciled napkins from a seller on Etsy as it is to buy them from Crate & Barrel. You might say it is a return to learning to trust individuals again, instead of relying on an indirect connection to a product through trust in its brand. Certainly our trust in those brands is already being tested right now.

Digital metaphors will reconnect to their original physical sources as a way to recapture what has been lost in translation. A creative director friend of mine recently commented how he noticed that younger designers were absolutely captivated when he used tracing paper in layers to develop a concept over an existing printed photograph. They commented to him, "Wow! That's so fast. I could never make those layers in Photoshop so quickly." Today we fill folders on our computer desktop to the brim with absolutely no sense of scale, no notion of what is a "full" or "less full" folder. They may be more easily searched, but there's a reason why paper-based systems comfort us so well with their tacit communication of what is more vs. what is less. Unable to let this go, we will see many new designs that best leverage what is good in virtual with what is good in the physical world. The subtleties and grayness that we can so easily grasp off the screen will make their way on to it.

The last 20 years have been so full of technological change that technology and the digital world has become the dominant narrative in our consumer culture. Educators, legislators, futurists and social scientists can't help but fixate on it. As we become more accustomed to it, happily, some breathing room will open up for a different conversation about what we want back in our lives.

So, what will take technology's place? It begins with art, design and you: Products and culture that are made by many individuals, made by hand, made well, made by people we trust, and made to capture some of the nuances and imperfections that we treasure in the physical world. It may just feel like we've regained some of what we've lost in 2010.

RATINGS-1

2010-04-14T13:24:00.000+05:30

Corporate Citizenship

The World's Most Ethical Companies

Helen Coster, 03.22.10, 7:08 PM ET

The Ethisphere Institute, a New York City think tank, on Monday released its fourth annual list of the World's Most Ethical Companies. The listing, of companies with at least 100 employees and more than $50 million in annual revenue, gives its winners an opportunity to trumpet their do-gooding ways. It is not a ranking, so they are all equally winners.
To compile the data on which it bases the list, Ethisphere relies mostly on the honor system. Three thousand companies were nominated--or nominated themselves--to be considered. They each filled out a survey with items like, "Please describe your organization's projects and initiatives aimed at workforce sustainability and well-being."
"Depending on their responses, we might give them more points in that category," says Stefan Linssen, editor of Ethisphere Magazine. He adds that most companies tend to be "overwhelmingly honest."
Ethisphere evaluated the surveys and assigned the companies scores in seven different categories, including "Innovation that contributes to the public well-being" and "Executive leadership and tone from the top." It culled the list down to 200 or so and then cross-checked it against governance lists from GovernanceMetricsInternational, FTSE for Good and other organizations. Ethisphere nixed any company that's had significant legal trouble over the past five years. Companies that focus on alcohol, tobacco or firearms also got the boot.
The 100 companies that made the final cut include first-time recipients Ford Motor Company, Adobe Systems and Campbell Soup. Google, Starbucks, General Electric and 33 other companies have appeared on the list for all four of its years.
Ethisphere says the companies on this year's list have outperformed the Standard & Poor's 500 by delivering a 53% return to shareholders since 2005, significantly higher than the S&P, which has been down 4% in the same period. The list hasn't been a great predictor of future performance, though. Twenty-four companies dropped off it from last year, including Kellogg, which in April settled a Federal Trade Commission complaint that it had made false advertising claims. Another 2009 winner was Toyota, which in the past year has recalled 8.5 million cars due to sudden acceleration problems. "Toyota still has some good ethics and compliance programs," Linssen says, "but they haven't made it terribly clear what they will do to prevent this situation from happening again."
Ethisphere tries to be transparent about its own conflicts of interest. It discloses, in a "Media Responsibility Report," that 10% of the honorees have a "material economic relationship" with the organization. The think tank makes money by charging businesses for its Ethics Inside certification and to be members of subgroups like its Business Ethics Leadership Alliance. Marketers can also buy ads and advertorials in Ethisphere magazine and buy ads on the organization's Web site. "Every media company has conflicts of interest," says Alex Brigham, the director of the Ethisphere Institute. "Some publications charge substantial fees to be considered for their lists. That's a problem. What you end up having is pay to play." Companies don't currently pay to be considered for this list, although Ethisphere may change that in the future.
Ethics and corporate citizenship rankings have multiplied in recent years, and the lack of consistency between lists can cause confusion. In January Corporate Knights, a Canadian media company, published its list of the world's most sustainable companies. CRO magazine published its list of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens in early March.
"CRO magazine includes companies that we would immediately eliminate," Linssen says. However, CRO left out Google, citing its lack of transparency; Ethisphere included it on its "Most Ethical" list.
How much do these lists really matter, beyond corporate window-dressing? After Corporate Responsibility published its 100 Best Citizens list, a debate broke out in the online community Justmeans.com. There, Campbell Soup's vice president of corporate social responsibility and sustainability, Dave Stangis, sounded a very dubious note. He wrote that anyone who "looks to a single list to provide the output that every stakeholder wants will be looking far beyond the grave."

A NEW IMAGE FOR EINSTEIN

2010-03-19T04:07:00.000+05:30

THE ANTI-REALITY OF A REALITY SHOW

2009-10-20T11:24:00.003+05:30

INFLATED HOAX OF BALLOON BOY

WASHINGTON,Oct.19-As people began to doubt Falcon Heene's parents really believed their son was in a homemade helium balloon that was accidentally released, Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden defended the family. But yesterday at a news conference, he said that Falcon's parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, had planned the whole thing for two weeks as part of a publicity stunt that they thought would help them land their own reality-television show. "They put on a very good show," he said, "and we bought it." The sheriff refused to say whether someone had confessed, but did state that the part of the story about how Falcon was hiding in the garage the whole time wasn't true, either. Richard and Mayumi Heene could face felony charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and attempting to influence a public official as well as a misdemeanor of making a false report. They could also be billed for the costs of the rescue operation, which involved two National Guard helicopters and even temporarily shut down Denver International Airport. The three boys were "100 percent involved," said the sheriff, but probably won't face charges because of their ages. The Federal Aviation Administration and the FBI will also have to determine whether the couple could face federal charges. One media outlet may have already paid Heene in connection to the scandal, but it was unclear whether it was complicit with the hoaxor just put up the money afterward. That leads the LAT to take a look at how Falcon "is one of many children who have in recent months been featured as players in sensational, reality-TV-ready story lines involving what might be dubbed extreme parenting." From "Octomom" to Jon & Kate Plus Eight, children's advocates say there's no shortage of reality TV producers ready to exploit children for higher ratings

FREE COUNTER

2009-04-03T11:28:00.000+05:30

Free Counter

सिखों के जज्बे को NBT का सलाम - टॉप 51 सिख

2009-03-16T22:13:00.000+05:30

सिखों के जज्बे को NBT का सलाम - टॉप 51 सिख

सिख समुदाय अपने जुझारूपन के जज्बे और कमबैक स्पिरिट के लिए मशहूर हैं। पार्टिशन के बाद जिस तरह से सिख संप्रदाय ने कमबैक किया, उसे कोई भ

More Pictures

ी सलाम करेगा। फर्श से अर्श तक पहुंचने की क्षमता की वजह से ही सिखों ने देश-विदेश और समाज के हर क्षेत्र में न सिर्फ अपनी काबिलियत को साबित किया है, बल्कि ज्यादातर सेक्टर्स में लीडर का रोल प्ले कर रहे हैं। राजनीति, खेल, ग्लैमर,शिक्षा और साइंस के क्षेत्र में इस समुदाय ने बढ-चढ़कर योगदान दिया है। हॉकी के खेल में तो उनके वर्चस्व को अब तक चुनौती नहीं मिल सकी है। प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह राजनीति के क्षेत्र में अहम योगदान दे रहे हैं। सिख समुदाय के त्योहारों में उल्लास और उमंग का जो रंग है, वह देश के बहुत ही कम क्षेत्रों में देखने को मिलता है।

सिख समुदाय के जज्बे, उत्साह और उनके अबतक के योगदान को नवभारत टाइम्स भी सलाम करता है। नवभारत टाइम्स ने एक प्रीमियम कॉफी टेबल बुक 'टॉप 51 सिख' लॉन्च कर 51 जीवित सिख पर्सनैलिटीज़ के योगदान और जज्बे को सलाम किया है। इस किताब में इन सिख पर्सनैलिटीज़ के इंडिपेंडंट इंडिया में योगदान का बखान किया गया है। 'टॉप 51सिख' के जरिए नवभारत टाइम्स ने बताया है कि कैसे इन पर्सनैलिटीज ने नैशनल कैनवास में बदलाव लाने में अहम भूमिका निभाई। इस किताब में इन पर्सनैलिटीज़ के दोस्तों और कॉलीग के कॉमेंट भी हैं। इस बुक में राजनीति, सेना, साहित्य, म्यूजिक, आर्ट व कल्चर, स्पोर्ट्स, मनोरंजन, फैशन, बिज़नस और नौकरशाही जैसे समाज के सभी क्षेत्रों से जुड़े पर्सनैलिटीज को शामिल किया गया है।

'टॉप 51 सिख' में समाज के अलग-अलग वर्गों जैसे राजनीति, सेना के तीनों अंग, साहित्य, संगीत, मनोरंजन, फैशन, कारोबार और नौकरशाही में नाम कमाने वाले सिखों के बारे में जानकारी दी गई है। सही कहा गया है...सिंह इज़ किंग!

HUMOUR

2009-03-16T10:41:00.000+05:30

JATTS DECLARE WAR ON BUSH

George Bush was sitting in his office wondering whom to invade next when his telephone rang।

"Hallo, Mr. Bush!" a heavily accented voice said, "This is Gurmukh from Phagwara, District Kapurthala, Punjab. I am ringing to inform you that we are ophicially declaring the war on you!"

"Well, Gurmukh," Bush replied, "This is indeed important news! How big is your army"

"Right now," said Gurmukh, after a moment's calculation, "there is myself, my cousin Sukhdev, my next door neighbour Harjit, and the whole kabaddi team from the gurudwara. That makes eight of us"

Bush paused. "I must tell you, Gurmukh that I have one million men in my army waiting to move on my command."

"Arrey O, main kiha.. ," said Gurmukh. "I'll have to ring you back!"

Sure enough, the next day, Gurmukh called again.

"Mr. Bush, it is Gurmukh, I'm calling from Phagwara STD, the war is still on! We have managed to get some more inphantry equipment!"

"And what equipment would that be, Gurmukh," Bush asked.

"Well, we have two combines, a donkey and Harjit's tractor."

Bush sighed. "I must tell you, Gurmukh, that I have 16,000 tanks and 14,000 armored personnel carriers. Also, I've increased my army to 1-1/2 million since we last spoke."

"Oh teri ...." said Gurmukh. "I'll have to get back to you."

Sure enough, Gurmukh rang again the next day.

"Mr. Bush, the war is still on! We have managed to get ourselves airborne.... .. We've modified Harjit's tractor by adding a couple of shotguns, sticking on some wings and the pind's generator. Four school pass boys from Malpur have also joined us as."

Bush was silent for a minute and then cleared his throat. "I must tell you, Gurmukh, that I have 10,000 bombers and 20,000 fighter planes. My military complex is surrounded by laser-equiped, surface-to-air missile sites. And since we last spoke, I've increased my army to TWO MILLION!"

"Tera bhala hovey...." said Gurmuk, "I'll have to ring you back."

Sure enough, Gurmukh called again the next day.

"Kiddan, Mr. Bush! I am sorry to tell you that we have had to call off the war."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Bush. "Why the sudden change of heart," may I ask?

"Well," said Gurmukh, "we've all had a long chat over a couple of lassi's, and decided there's no way we can feed two million prisoners of war!"

2009-03-09T13:24:00.000+05:30

Marriage proposal, If any of U are interested reply

Hi there, I'm a sweet looking girl who likes to know new friends. I'm 22, have a great tan complexion, and working at the MIS dept of one of the companies in California. I wish to marry a NICE Indian man, who would love to go to beach with me, and he must like my hobbies! which are considered "WILD".

Attached is my photo, and if you'd like to know me, please contact my no at 03621-26387962345 (DID) or and phone no: 03811-495427478989.

Scroll down for my photo!!!! I'm waiting for your response!

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अकबर_बीरबल

2009-02-13T22:20:00.000+05:30

कितने मां-बाप है ?

नौकर ( मालिक से ): मुझे लीव चाहिए , क्योंकि मेरी मां मर गयी है । मालिक ने उसे लीव दे दी। कुछ दिन बाद फिर से नौकर लीव माँगता है क्योंकि उसके बाप की मौत हो गई। मालिक ने फिर छुट्टी दे दी।

फिर कुछ दिन बाद वह लीव मांगता है और कहता है कि मां मर गई है। मालिक उसे लीव दे देता है। फिर कुछ दिन बाद बाप के मरने की छुट्टी मांगता है। इस बार मलिक पूछता है कि तुम्हारे कितने मां - बाप हैं। इस , पर नौकर कहता है कि क्या करे हुजूर , मां मरती है , तो बाप शादी कर लेता है और बाप मरता है , तो मा शादी कर लेती है ।

2009-02-13T03:34:00.001+05:30

2009-02-13T03:15:00.000+05:30

SANSKRITI

2009-02-11T13:20:00.000+05:30

एक फुटबॉलर की पत्नी की स्तन व्यथा...

लंदन February 09, 2009

एलेक्स कुरैन की यह आपबीती शायद उन महिलाओं के लिए एक सबक साबित हो सकती है, जो पहले तो किसी चीज के लिए लालायित रहती हैं और उसे पाने को हौवा खड़ा कर देती हैं तथा जब वह चीज प्राप्त हो जाती है तो उससे बोर होकर तौबा-तौबा करने लगती हैं।

26 साल की कुरैन ने छह सालों बाद कबूल किया है कि उसने सिर्फ 18 साल की उम्र में अपने स्तन बढ़वाने के लिए बड़ा ऑपरेशन करवाया था। अब परेशानी यह है कि वह इन बढ़े हुए स्तनों से इतनी तंग हो गई है कि महिलाओं को सलाह देती फिरती है कि वे सोच-समझ कर ही ऑपरेशन कराएं।

लिवरपूल मिडफील्डर स्टीवन गेरार्ड से ब्याही एलैक्स दो बेटियों की मां बन चुकी है। बढ़े स्तनों से एलैक्स को इतनी परेशानी है कि वह अपने फिटिंग वाले कपड़े भी नहीं ढूंढ पा रही। पत्रिका न्यू में अपने कॉलम में एलैक्स ने लिखा है, मुझे तो अब फिटिंग वाले कपड़े भी नहीं मिल पा रहे।

इसलिए मैं सभी महिलाओं को कहना चाहती हूं कि वे स्तनों का ऑपरेशन कराने से पहले जरूर सोचें। एलैक्स ने कहा कि मुझे इस बात को लेकर अफसोस है कि मैंने 18 साल जैसी छोटी उम्र में यह ऑपरेशन कराया। इस उम्र में यह काम नहीं करना चाहिए था।

मखौल से हुई हतोत्साहित

एलैक्स ने लिखा, अपने विवाह वाले दिन मैं तब बेहद मायूस और हतोत्साहित हुई, जब दूल्हे के एक दोस्त जोनाथन बोगान ने मेरे स्तनों को देख फिकरे कसे और मखौल उड़ाया। इस मखौल ने मुझे अपने ऑपरेशन बारे सोचने पर मजबूर कर दिया था।

संस्कृति-1

2009-02-11T12:11:00.000+05:30

चड्डी के जवाब में साड़ी!

February 11, 2009

बेंगलुरू चड्ढी के जवाब में साड़ी। गुलाबी चड्डी अभियान से जूझने की श्रीराम सेना की यही रणनीति है। इस संगठन ने खादी साड़ियां खरीदनी शुरू कर दी हैं। ये साड़ियां उन लोगों को ‘प्यार’ के साथ दी जाएंगी जो सेना के प्रमुख प्रमोद मुथालिक को वैलेंटाइन डे विरोधी रुख के प्रति आपत्ति जताते हुए चड्डियां भेजेंगे।

मुथालिक ने कहा कि यदि वे चड्डियां भेजेंगे तो वे केवल विकृति दर्शाएंगे न कि संस्कृति। शायद वे ऐसी ही संस्कृति में पले-बढ़े हैं, जिसे कि हम सुधारना चाहते हैं। मुथालिक को मंगलवार तक चड्डियों के 56 पार्सल मिल चुके हैं।

A New Vision For Online Entertainment - Forbes.com

2009-02-10T06:11:00.000+05:30

A NEW VERSION FOR ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT

TV and movie writer-director Joss Whedon wants to shake up what he calls the "homogenized, globalized, monopolized entertainment system." That means blazing a trail on the Internet for creating and monetizing independently produced content.

One of Whedon's recent projects is Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, an online musical comedy starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, written by Whedon, his brothers Zack and Jed, and Jed's fiancée, Maurissa Tancharoen. Conceived during the 100-day Writers Guild of America strike in late 2007 and early 2008, Dr. Horrible was, in part, intended as an experiment to explore options for creative content. The subject of revenues for online content was a timely one, since a major point of contention that spurred the strike involved payment to writers for content distributed online.

Dr. Horrible was released on the Web in three parts last July, and Whedon's plan was to remove the free online versions and sell all three episodes as video downloads through Apple's Apple iTunes store. A week after the series moved to iTunes, it reappeared online on advertising-based sites such as Hulu.com, a joint venture of NBC Universal and News Corp.. In December, a DVD version became available on Amazon.com. With these various distribution channels (and the absence of a traditional advertising budget), "Dr. Horrible" serves as something of a case study for marketing independently produced content.

Joseph Hill ("Joss") Whedon is a third-generation television writer. His grandfather, John Whedon, wrote episodes of such late 1950s and 1960s standbys as Leave It to Beaver, The Donna Read Show and The Andy Griffith Show. His father, Tom Whedon, wrote installments of Alice, Benson and The Golden Girls. As Whedon said to Knowledge@Wharton, "I was raised by a tribe of funny people."

After graduating from Wesleyan University with a degree in film studies, Whedon moved to Los Angeles and found early work writing for television programs such as Roseanne and editing scripts for feature films. His screenplay for Buffy the Vampire Slayer achieved modest success, and Whedon received an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay work on Toy Story.

Whedon's science fiction series Firefly, produced for Fox television, debuted in 2002. But he tussled with Fox over aspects of the show: The network insisted on a new pilot episode and aired several episodes out of sequence. The show was canceled after 11 of its 14 episodes aired, and Whedon and Fox parted ways. Whedon told Knowledge@Wharton he was "heartbroken" by the show's demise. Driven by his desire to keep the characters alive--and brisk DVD sales of the original series--Whedon wrote and directed Serenity for Universal Studios, a feature film based on Firefly's characters and storyline.

Despite the contentious issues with Fox over the network's handling of Firefly, Whedon's next television series, Dollhouse, a science-fiction thriller starring Eliza Dushku, debuts on Fox television Feb. 13.

Knowledge@Wharton recently spoke with Whedon about the lessons learned from Dr. Horrible and what he believes needs to happen for the Internet to serve as a platform that can sustain original creative content. An edited version of that conversation follows.

Knowledge@Wharton: To what extent was the original impetus behind Dr. Horrible to serve as an experiment for how Web-based content can generate revenue?

Whedon: It was equal parts that and the love of the silly. The concept originated as an audio podcast that I would do myself, because I was hungry to write some songs, and I liked the idea of the character.

And then the Writer's Guild went on strike. I tried to make some deals with Silicon Valley companies and song studios to create jobs and put out product. But it took so long trying to make a deal with these companies up north that I missed my window. So I said, "I'll just do it myself--if that's OK with my wife." And because I could not afford to do a huge, lavish production, we did it with a ton of favors.

We were, at the time, very much in the spirit of the strike. By the time we finished writing [Dr. Horrible] and had everyone lined up, the strike was over and we all had shows to scramble to do. But we found a window to shoot it. It became us goofing around and just having a great time making a piece of art that we all enjoyed.

Once we finished ... it was equal parts ethos and capricious glee. We said we were going to roll it out for free and then put it on iTunes. We just steamrolled past everybody's idea of how you market and of how long it takes to do these things. We had people [drawing up] contracts in days that usually take months, because we were tired of people sitting around.

Ultimately, though, we were still in the mind of, "This is a bit of a lark." The strike was over, and so we wanted to do right by everybody, but we weren't thinking it would be a grand statement. We thought it was going to be cool.

Knowledge@Wharton: Several numbers have been quoted regarding the overall cost of Dr. Horrible--"low six-figures," "around $200,000"--can you set the record straight?

Whedon: We got so much of this done through people doing us favors--department heads and people who have access to things. But you've got to pay your day-to-day crew. The actors all did it for nothing. And we all did it for nothing. So the production costs alone--the basic costs of filming the thing, and getting the locations, props and everything--ran a little over $200,000.

We had a secondary budget drawn up in case of a profit, wherein we were trying to find rates for Internet materials. In some cases, they didn't exist. We used models that had been created by the guild for repurposed or reused material that we used for original [content], because this had never come up before.

We didn't want to leave a sour taste and say, "Well, we made some money off of you guys being kind." It was like: No, everybody has to benefit from what they've done, obviously not enormously--it's Internet money we're talking about--but as soon as we got in the black, we paid everybody off.

So that budget was probably about twice what the original budget was.

Knowledge@Wharton: You've now earned more than twice the original cost?

Whedon: Yes.

Knowledge@Wharton: Which members of the production shared in the profits on the back end?

Whedon: The crew that got paid, got paid. [Those] who didn't get paid [included people like] department heads who had jobs and could afford to do this as a lark.

As we go forward into profit, there are also residual schedules and payment schedules for all of the creative people. We're trying to figure out how that works.

From the start, I also laid down a gross participation scheme for my three key actors and the other three writers. While the guild was negotiating for one-tenth of a yen, I said, "How about we just get into some percentages." It was an opportunity to say to the guilds, "Guess how much better we can do"--which, in the case of the Internet, is the only way for the guilds to survive.

We can't accept anything remotely like [our current situation] with the studios.

When the studios talk about the difficulty of monetizing the Internet, they're not lying. There are a lot of paradigms wherein you aren't making that much money. But it's all pure money for them because they have these libraries they can just put on. They're really not interested in putting on original stuff because they can just throw the libraries on and make free money off of that. None of us is in that position.

For [the studios] not to offer the creative community a percentage of what they make--they say, "oh, it's too difficult" and "we're not going to make any money"--is disingenuous to the point of criminality. What they're making is pure profit. For them to shut out the people who actually created the content is something that should be looked into by a federal investigatory committee.

Knowledge@Wharton: It sounds like you want what you've done with Dr. Horrible to serve as a model for similar original content.

Whedon: I do.

Knowledge@Wharton: What do you think the likelihood of that is?

Whedon: That largely depends on a number of people--one of whom, sadly, is me. This could just stand out as Camelot and disappear. Or it can be a model that is built on. And I'm one of the people who needs to be building on it. That's something I'm looking into right now.

I'm not a business man. I'm also not a techie. My ideas on how to monetize the Internet for independent productions are ideas that other people have already had. But I am in a position to try to take advantage of them in such a way that we get a toehold in this medium and [establish] a system of creating some original content before the giant companies sweep in and fence it all off.

The movies, TV--everything is melding, everything is shifting. If you saw it on a movie screen, it's going to be on your phone. That territory is moving ... now in a destructive way, because we're losing residuals. But eventually it's just going to be an inevitability that ... the studios are going to have to rethink how they monetize [content]. Obviously TiVo makes [its] relationship with advertisers different. And that's going to become more and more the case. A lot of it can't be predicted--at least not by me.

But if somebody isn't out there creating a system wherein independent production can thrive, it will wither.

We are now in such a homogenized, globalized, monopolized entertainment system where studios are swallowing all independent producers and productions. And they're swallowing each other. Eventually there will just be Gap films and McDonald's films, and that will be it.

The worst thing that's happened in this community is the death of the independent television producer. We have to make sure that that doesn't happen on what is, right now, a public forum, and not a privately owned forum.

Especially with the economic disaster that the last bunch of presidents has left us with, independent film production is shutting down. The film and television industry is finding itself in the position the music industry found itself in [a few years ago]. The difference is they have a chance not to do what the music industry did, which was to ossify and to basically lock themselves in their fortress until they ran out of food.

They have an opportunity to try to stop the revolution by making evolutionary deals. They're not inclined to do that right now. So the trick is to create a venue that becomes attractive to them and [where] there is still an independent voice that can partner with them.

Ultimately, they have the power. They have the advertising dollars, they have the distribution systems and they're a force to be reckoned with. I would like to [sit] at the table as an equal, and not as one of the ... serfs who is giving them all my ... grain.

Knowledge@Wharton: You've made Dr. Horrible available through a number of different distribution channels. It was free for a short period; then it was available for purchase as a video download through iTunes. The soundtrack can also be purchased online. It's now available once again for free, streamed over the Web with advertising. And now there's a DVD. Can you give us an idea of how successful each of those has been?

Whedon: ITunes has been a great boon for us. And the DVD has done quite well--although I'd love to bump that up more. Streamed [online video] with advertising is probably the smallest revenue. Whether that's a viable monetization scheme ... is the question. In some ways it acts as an advertisement, and in some ways it might be pulling people away from bothering to download it or to buy the DVD.

In the case of the DVD, we went so ballistic with extra content that it took twice as long to make as the movie [laughs]. It wasn't just a question of, "here's another potential revenue stream." It was a question of, "here's something new, so that you don't feel like this is something you already have." We were trying to protect the monetization stream there and give people a new experience.

Knowledge@Wharton: You're a third-generation television writer. Was it easy to land your first writing job in Hollywood?

Whedon: Well, it was definitely easier for me in the sense that someone would read my script. My father's agency said, "Look, we don't do any favors. We're not interested in this guy. But because he's your son, we will read the script." And that's a door that doesn't open for a lot of people.

Plus, I'd seen television scripts my whole life. I was raised by a tribe of funny people. Those things help. I understood the rhythms of the thing. Those advantages I never take for granted. But, ultimately, I still had to do the thing. And they read the script and I got an agent--and several spec scripts later, a job.

So, it always comes down to, "Can you do it? Can you write it?" I've made my way for a long time. But was I halfway down the track when the starting gun went off? I was.

Knowledge@Wharton: You've created content for television, for feature films, for the Web. Do you view these as fundamentally different media or as merely different distribution channels for similar content?

Whedon: I see them as different media. They are connected and connecting in ways that I find both fascinating and appalling in the sense that everybody's trying to make every story work on every platform. Sometimes you're like, "Can you just make a frickin' movie? Can it not be a franchise and a comic book and a bobblehead? Can the characters just matter?"

Part of it is absolutely respecting that the media are different. That doesn't mean that you can only make things on the Internet that are two minutes long, like a lot of people believed. But it does mean that a movie and a television show and a limited Internet series are going be positioned differently, responded to differently and experienced differently. Ultimately, it's always going to boil down to: Did I [care]? Was I having a good time?

But the integration of the things can be exciting if it's approached the way everything needs to be approached, which is artistically.

The problem now is the form that the integration takes. When I'm shooting my TV show I have to shoot it for 4:3 television ratio and widescreen--which means I can never compose a true frame. I'm always splitting the difference between frames. And that is destructive. So you do have to make a choice at some point.

Like when we did our commentary musical [on the Dr. Horrible DVD]. It's ridiculous. It's sophomoric, it's silly, it's off-topic. But, ultimately, we were striving to make a commentary musical, not just to pile on content for the sake of clocking more hours on the extras DVD. We wanted to use the idea of a commentary musical to at least have fun with the concept. Even if we didn't really break huge ground there, we were professionally silly.

Knowledge@Wharton: What do you think the media landscape will look like in another five or 10 years?

Whedon: [Sarcastically:] I am exactly the kind of visionary who is so brilliant that he doesn't want to share that with other people. Meaning: I have no idea.

I still call my iPod "my Walkman." OK? I am old. I have gray in my beard--which, by the way, is terribly sexy. I've never been a maverick.

If you look at Dr. Horrible, it's a very old-fashioned story. And it's a very old-fashioned presentation. What I was going for was, basically, a television event. It's going to be on at this time, and this is going to be your opportunity to see it, because it's not going to be on after that. Tune in this night, this night and this night when it premieres.

Obviously, it was slightly different than that. But that's the ethos I was going for. I'm a very old-fashioned storyteller. I am not, in any way, a visionary. I just try and make whatever I do good enough that people let me do it again. That's pretty much my scheme.

So, five years from now, we will all have antennae. I got nothing.

The challenge for me now is to create some kind of formula for creation and monetization on a medium that may be completely different.

Right now, DVD is a great revenue source for an Internet-based venture. Most people are saying that in five years, DVD will be over. Sales are already way, way down from what they used to be. I don't understand how I'm going to ride that change. I'm just trying to make as much fun stuff as I can and stay, if not one step ahead of it, then [at least] not caught under the swell.

Knowledge@Wharton: Can you recall the first piece of popular entertainment--a TV show, a movie, a comic book--that really made an impression on you as a child?

Whedon: Umm ... all of them?

Let's go with Help, Help, The Globolinks, a horror opera that I saw when I was 5. It terrified me. They drove a van on stage--which was awesome. And then the van broke down, the Globolinks came, and the only thing that would keep them away was music. A young girl had a violin and she would play the violin at them and they would go away.

It just terrified me. But at the same time, I adored it.

Knowledge@Wharton: Speaking of opera and musical theater, what are the chances that Dr. Horrible is going to make it to Broadway as a full-blown Broadway production?

Whedon: We talk all the time about all the possible venues for "Dr. Horrible." And then we go back to our day jobs that we're supposed to be doing in the first place.

Broadway is something that we've talked about. I had a very funny experience talking with a Broadway veteran who basically said, "Oh, yeah, come to Broadway, because there you'll have complete control and be treated with respect, and it will all go really easily."

[Sarcastically:] Right. And I was like, "Hmmm, I think I'll go back to the Internet, where you just put it on for free!"

I would love to do it. Broadway is a dream that we all have. But I'm not terribly interested in repurposing things I've already done. Obviously, I made a TV show out of one of my movies and a movie out of one of my TV shows, so it sounds like a crazy thing to say--except that I didn't tell the same story in either of them. I just took the story I had further.

And that's what I'm concentrating on with Dr. Horrible. It's not so much like: "How can I squeeze another medium out of this story," but, "What happened to him after?"

Knowledge@Wharton: You felt that Fox didn't handle your TV series Firefly particularly well. I've heard that you swore to never go back to Fox, and yet you're working with them on Dollhouse.

Whedon: That is not, in fact, the case. I never swore not to go back to Fox. I left my deal at Fox because I couldn't think of any TV shows, and I didn't want to be paid to not do anything. Looking back--I can't imagine why I didn't want that. [Laughs] It sounds so cool.

I was heartbroken, but I never swore not to work at Fox. The production people had not done anything bad. They let me make the show the way I wanted to. And the network--well, they're constantly changing, aren't they?

If it had been the same people running Fox now as it was then, I would not have come back. But you don't swear, because the ground is shifting under you constantly. It was doing that even before the new media made everyone cranky.

Knowledge@Wharton: What advice would you give to someone starting out that wants to make an independent film or Web content? How can they get their work seen? How can they generate enough revenue to do another one?

Whedon: The fact of the matter is, if somebody has a story to tell, there is no reason at all that they should not be telling it. The quality of the material that exists--I'm talking about the physical [equipment] like the cameras--[allows you to do] things that could not be done when I was a kid [and do it] for almost nothing.

People aren't going to the Internet to look for IMAX [large screen movies]. They're going to look for things that shock and delight and surprise and upset and all that good stuff. They're going for the most basic story.

A lot of people sit around and go, "How can I get this made?" The only answer is, "by making it. By borrowing someone's camera. By buying a camera. They come cheap and they work well. And if you know where to point them--and the person that you point them at is saying something interesting--that's it!

That's how it works.

I can't stress enough that I believe the best thing in the world is for everybody who feels like they have a story to tell, to tell it.

If they want to sell it, if they want to make a lot of money, they can do that--and they can kiss their story goodbye. Because, in general, that's the last they're ever going to see of it, because somebody else will own it and they will either not make it, or make it very differently than that person hoped.

So if you really have a story you think you're ready to tell, what are you doing talking to me?

हिदू, सिख & मुस्लिम जाट और जट्ट कबीले.

2009-02-09T04:34:00.000+05:30

A

Abusaria
Achara
Agah
Agre
Ahlawat
Aheer
Ajmeria
Anaadi
Andhak
Antal/Antil
Arars
Assoun
Asiagh
Atri
Atkar
Atwal
Aulakh
Arya
Aaholana
Abra
Ablana
Aboee
Athangal
Ark
Arneja
Arwal
Asra
Aujla
Aura Jat
Agwana
Alpah
Amlawat
Andaar
Ansari
Anwaal
Awaysi
Ayasi

[edit] B

Baath
Babal
Babar
Bachak
Bachhal
Bachra
Badesha
Badhan
Badyal
Bagaria
Bagga
Baghiar
Bagri
Baidwan
Bains
Bajaar/Bajad
Bajwa
Bajya
Bal
Bala
Balhara
Balyan
Bamal
Bamraulia
Bana
Bandechha
Bangial
Bansi
Banwait
Bargoti
Barham
Barhama
Bariana
Baring may also be spelled as barhing\bring
Barjati
Barola
Baryar/Bariar
Baryana
Bath/Badh
Basati
Basi
Basra
Basrai
Basran
Baswan
Batar
Batra
Batth
Behar
Beniwal
Benipal
Benning
Bembi
Bhadare
Bhadiar
Bhadu
Bhakar
Bhaker
Bhal
Bhalli
Bhalothia
Bhambu
Bhangu/Bhangoo
Bharhaich
Bharat
Bhari
Bhati/Bhatti/Bhatia
Bhattal
Bhandal

Bhela
Bhichar/Bhinchar
Bhind
Bhinder
Bhirman (also spelt Birhman)
Bhoon
Bhukar
Bhullar
Bhutta
Bijarniya
Billing
Birringh
Birdi
Birdee
Bogan/Boughan
Boora
Boparai
Barach

Brah
Brar
Brayna
Briyah
Budania
Budhiyan
Budhwar
Bugaliya
Bugga
Burdak
Buttar

[edit] C

Cheema
Chahal
Chadha
Chakkal
Chatha
Chauhan
Chera
Chhina
Chhillar
Chadhar
Chughtai
Chilka
Chima
Chahal
Chhikara, Chikkara
Chauhan
Chhokar, Chokar
Clair
Chugh
Chopra
Curi
Chaudhry
Chohan
Cooner

[edit] D

Drall
Dabas
Dabra
Dadhwal
Dadra/Dadrai
Dagur
Dahiya
Dhamial Jats
Dalal
Dandiwal
Dangee
Dangi
Dangry
Dhanju
Dara
Dehr
Dehal (Some people may elect to use 'Rakkar')
Dengree
Dev or Deo Jat
Deol
Deshwal
Dha
Dhadli
Duong
Dhadwal
Dhaka
Dhaliwal
Dhama
Dhami
Dhanesar
Dhankhar
Dhanoa
Dharan
Dharni
Dhadwar
Dhariwal
Dhaliwal
Dhatt
Dhatarwal
Dhatterwal
Dhanda
Dhaurelia
Dheensa or Dhindsa
Dhengree
Dhesi
Dhindsa
Dhull
Dhillon
Dhind
Dholia
Dhonchak
Dhoat
Dhoot
Dhotar
Dhudhi
Dhuga
Dookya
Doad
Dosanjh
Dudi
Duhan
Duhra
Duhoon
Dulai
Dulay/Duley
Dullar
Dollya
Dyal

[edit] G

Gadri
Gahlot
Gaina
Gakhal
Gandas
Gandhar
Ganjial
Garcha
Garewal
Grang
Grewal
Garhwal
Goraya
Gehlawat
Ghag
Ghangas
Ghanesar
Ghat
Ghatwala
Ghillon
Ghotra
Ghuman
Ghurali
Gill
Godara
Gora
Goraya
Gosal
Goyat
Goliyan
Gujjral
Gulia
Gundu
Guron
Gurm
Gondal Jat
Ghandham

[edit] H

Hans
Hanjra
Hansra
Hansrai
Haral
Hala
Harar
Hari
Hanga
Hayer
Heer
Hooda
Hundal
Hundle
Hullai
Hothi

[edit] I

Igia
Imeguh
Inania
Inaniya
Indauliya
Indauriya
Indolia
Indoliya
Iniani
Iniyani
Iniyani
Innaulia
Intar
Isharwal
Isram
Isran

[edit] J

Jagal
Jagdev
Jaglan
Jagpal
Jajja
Jajra
Jakhar
Jakhu
Jande
Jangwal
Janmeja
Janjua
Janu
Jassar
Jatasra
Jathoul
Jatrana
Jatri
Jaswal
Jawanda
Jauhal
Jawla
Jethoo
Jewlia
Jhaal
Jhaj
Jhajj
Jhajharia
Jhandi
Jhammat
Jhangra
Jhinjar, Jhinger
Jhuj
Jhutti
Jiani/Jyani
Joon
Johonday
Johal
Josan
Judge

[edit] K

Kadian
Kahlon
Kailay
Kaila
Kaile
Kailey
Kajala
Kak
Kakli
Kakran
Kaler
Kalhan
Kalirai
Kaliramna
Kalyar
Kalkat
Kalkhande
Kallo
Kaloti
kundu
Kalyals
Kanyals
Kanda

Kang
Kareisa
Kapooria
Keer
Khagwal
Khangura
Krishaniya
Karwasra
Kataria
Kaswan
Katewa
Katewa
Khurma
Karri
Kehal
Khagwal
Khainwar
Khaira
Kharal
Khadda
Khak
Khakh
Khalia
Khara
Kharb
Kharoud/Khroud
Kharvel
Khatkar
Khattra
Khatarmal
Khela
Khella
Kherwa
Khichad
Khirwar
Khokhar
Khoja
Khosa
Khoye Maurya
Khuber
Khunkhun
Kisana
Kler
Klair
Konkon
Kookana
Kooner
Kothari
Kuhar
Kular
Kularia
Kulhari
kundu
Kukana
Kundhali
Kuntal
Khangura

[edit] L

Lakhan
Lakhlan
Lakha
Lakhat
Lakra
Lal
Lalli
Lally
Lail
Lamba
Lamoria
Langrial
Lasher
Lather
Latiyan
Lathwal
Laungia
Laur
Lehil
Lehal
Lehga
Lengha
Lidhar
Litt
Lodike
Lohchab
Lomish
Lurka

[edit] M

Maan
Mand
Manda
Madrak
Madahar
Mahal
Mahil
Mahawal
Mahla
Maichu

Maitla
Majhail
Malik
Malan
Malhan
Malhi
Makkar*
Mander
Mandhar
Maderna
Mandeer
Mandhan
Mandiwal
Manes
Manais
Mangawa
Mangat
Marahar
Masuta
Mathyals
Matharu
Maun
Mavi
Mehmi
Mede
Mehat
Mahan
Mehandian
Mehria
Meel
Minocha
Moit
Mohar
Mohil, Mahawalia, Mawalia, Maulia, Mahawal
Monga
Moond
Moonga
Mor, More
Motsara
Mundi
Mungut
Moondwadiya
Michra
Mattu

[edit] N

Naga
Nagauria
Nagi
Nagyal
Nagra
Nahal
Naich
Nain
Nandal
Nantaal
Nauhwar
Natt or Nat
Nathyal
Naswana or Nissowana
Nehal
Nijjar
Nirmann
Nirwal
Nitharwal
Noon
Nara
Naen
Nehra
Nuri

Narwat

[edit] P

Pachar
Pachehra
Padda
Pal
Palak
Palrwal
Palsania
Panag
Panaich
Panaych
Pandher
Panghal
Pangli
Pannu
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Paqreel
Patrola
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Paul
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Phoolka
Pilania
Pilwal
Pnaich
Pooni
Poria
pawaria
pawar

[edit] R

Rachyals
Rai
Rahil
Raina
Rajaura
Rajawat
Rajo
Rajoana
Rajian
Rakkar (Some people use 'Dehal')
Rana
Randhawa
Ranjha
Ranu
Rar
Ranwa
Ranyals
Rao
Rasoda
Rathore/Rath
Rathi
Ratoul/Rattol/Ratol
Rawala
Rawat
Redhu
Reen
Rehal
Rehan
Repswal
Riar
Romana
Rosha
Rulania
Rupal
Rangi

[edit] S

Sabarwal
Sadhra
Saharan
Sahasi
Sahi
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Sahotra
Saikhu
Salakhyan
Salar
Samra
Sandha
Sandhar
Sandhawalia
Sandher
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Sipra
Sarai
Sarwara
Sall
Saran
Sarao
Saroha
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Sehajpal
Sehdev
Semi (also referred to as Sehmi/Seami)
Sehole
Sekhon
Sejwal
Sheokhand
Sheoran
Shahi
Shergill
Sheoran
Shehiry
Shokeen
Shokar/Shoker
Shokhanda
Sial
Sibia
Sidhu
Sindhu
singhal
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Solanki
Sra
Sran
Suhag
Sumal
Sundher
Sunda
Sunner
Sorot

[edit] T

Taliyan
Tangar
Turke
Thadwal
Taank
Takhar
Takshak
Talokar/Thalokar
Tanwar
Tarar
Tatla
Tatri
Tatran
Teerwal
Tevatia
Teja
Thakran
Thandi
Tharoda
Thathiala
Thathaal
Thenua
Thind
Thori
Tiwana
Tokas
Tomar
Tomara
Toor
Toora
Toot
Tuar
Tulla Jats
Tung
Turka
Thiara

[edit] U

Udhana
Uijal
Uppal
Untal (also referred to as Dhaliwal/Dhariwal)

[edit] V

[edit] W

Wadhwa
Wahla
Wainse
Wander
Wagha Jat
Wahiniwal
Waraich
Waseer
Watarah/Wathra

आज़ादी के 58 साल बाद स्वतंत्रता सेनानी माना

2009-02-03T06:03:00.001+05:30

आजादी के 58 वर्ष बाद स्वतंतरता सेनानी माना

15अगस्त,2008

छत्तीसगढ़ की इस्पात नगरी के नाम से मशहूर भिलाई की एक झोपड़-पट्टी में रहने वाले देवी प्रसाद शर्मा इस बार 15 अगस्त पर बेहद ख़ुश थे.

इस बार का स्वतंत्रता दिवस उनके लिए कई मायनों में अलग था. आज़ादी के 58 साल बाद ही सही, पहली बार सरकार ने माना कि वे स्वतंत्रता सेनानी हैं.

आज़ादी के पहले लगभग 15 साल तक ज़ेल में रह कर अपनी देशभक्ति की क़ीमत चुकाने वाले देवी प्रसाद शर्मा आज़ादी के 58 सालों बाद तक सरकारी दफ़्तरों में सिर्फ़ इसलिए चप्पलें चटकाते फिरते रहे क्योंकि सरकार ने उन्हें स्वतंत्रता संग्राम सेनानी मानने से इनकार कर दिया.

राज्य बदले, राज बदला, दर्ज़नों सरकारें बदलीं लेकिन देवी प्रसाद शर्मा की गुहार कहीं नहीं सुनी गई. वे कहते हैं, "एक लड़ाई मैंने अंग्रेज़ों से लड़ी और उससे लंबी लड़ाई मुझे अपनों से लड़नी पड़ी."

पिता जलियाँवाला बाग में शहीद हो गए थे. बड़े भाई भी 1930 के लाहौर आंदोलन में गुजर गए. ब्रिटिश सरकार के ख़िलाफ़ भाषण देने के आरोप में बहन को पुलिस ने इतनी प्रताड़ना दी कि उन्होंने फाँसी लगाकर आत्महत्या कर ली

देवी प्रसाद शर्मा

लाहौर में 11 जनवरी 1919 को जन्मे देवी प्रसाद शर्मा बताते हैं कि उनके पिता लाला हरदयाल जालियाँवाला बाग के जनसंहार में मारे गए थे.

वे कहते हैं, "इसके बाद बड़े भाई कांता प्रसाद भी 1930 के लाहौर आंदोलन में शहीद हो गए. ब्रिटिश सरकार के ख़िलाफ़ भाषण देने के आरोप में बहन को पुलिस ने इतनी प्रताड़ना दी कि बहन ने फाँसी लगाकर आत्महत्या कर ली."

आज़ाद हिंद फ़ौज़

देवी प्रसाद शर्मा के अनुसार बहन की प्रताड़ना का बदला लेने के लिए उन्होंने एक पुलिस इंस्पेक्टर शामद ख़ान की हत्या कर दी.

फिर लाहौर से फ़रार हो कर चटगाँव होते हुए सिंगापुर चले गए और बाद में नेताजी सुभाष चंद्र बोस की आज़ाद हिंद फ़ौज में शामिल हो गए.

देवी प्रसाद गर्व के साथ बताते हैं, "मैं आज़ाद ब्रिगेड एसएस बटालियन दो का सदस्य था. आज़ादी की लड़ाई अंतिम दौर में थी. मणिपुर जाते समय हमारी बटालियन पर हमला हुआ और हम लोग गिरफ़्तार हो गए. हमें रंगून में 20 साल क़ैद की सज़ा सुनाई गई."

आज़ादी के बाद भारत सरकार के हस्तक्षेप से 1960 में देवी प्रसाद को रिहा किया गया. देवी प्रसाद जब देश लौटे तब उनके पास खोने के लिए कुछ भी नहीं था.

2009-02-03T05:31:00.000+05:30

और भी बहुत कुछ लिखा है बंकिम चंद्र ने


	स्वतंत्रता सेनानी बिपिन चंद्र पाल ने अपनी राजनीतिक पत्रिका का नाम वंदे मातरम् रखा

बांग्ला भाषा के शीर्ष साहित्यकारों में गिने जाने वाले बंकिम चंद्र चट्टोपाध्याय ने अपने लेखन से न सिर्फ़ बंगाल के समाज बल्कि पूरे देश को प्रभावित किया.

बंकिम चंद्र एक विद्वान लेखक थे और कम लोगों को पता है कि उनकी पहली प्रकाशित कृति बांग्ला में न होकर अँगरेज़ी में थी, जिसका नाम था 'राजमोहन्स वाइफ़.'

1838 में एक परंपरागत और समृद्ध बंगाली परिवार में जन्मे बंकिम चंद्र की पहली प्रकाशित बांग्ला कृति 'दुर्गेशनंदिनी' थी जो मार्च 1865 में छपी थी.

'दुर्गेशनंदिनी' एक उपन्यास था लेकिन आगे चलकर उन्हें महसूस हुआ कि उनकी असली प्रतिभा काव्य लेखन के क्षेत्र में है और उन्होंने कविताएँ लिखना शुरू कर दिया.

अनेक महत्वपूर्ण साहित्यिक कृतियों की रचना करने वाले बंकिम की शिक्षा हुगली कॉलेज और प्रेसीडेंसी कॉलेज में हुई थी.

वे उसी साल ग्रैजुएट हुए थे जिस वर्ष भारत ने अँगरेज़ी साम्राज्य के विरुद्ध पहली बार संगठित विद्रोह किया था. वर्ष 1857 में उन्होंने बीए पास किया और 1869 में उन्होंने क़ानून की डिग्री भी हासिल की.

उच्च सरकारी अफ़सर

बंकिम न केवल एक साहित्यकार थे बल्कि एक सरकारी अधिकारी भी थे, उन्होंने अपने अफ़सर पिता की तरह कई उच्च सरकारी पदों पर नौकरी की और 1891 में सरकारी सेवा से रिटायर हुए.


	गुरुदेव रवींद्रनाथ ने वंदे मातरम् के लिए धुन तैयार की और ये काफ़ी लोकप्रिय हो गया

उनकी शादी ग्यारह वर्ष की उम्र में हुई थी और उनकी पत्नी का निधन कुछ ही वर्षों के भीतर हो गया, उसके बाद उन्होंने दूसरा विवाह राजलक्ष्मी देवी से किया और उनकी तीन बेटियाँ थीं.

1865 में 'दुर्गेशनंदिनी' का प्रकाशन हुआ लेकिन तब उसकी कोई ख़ास चर्चा नहीं हुई लेकिन एक ही वर्ष के भीतर 1866 में उन्होंने अगले उपन्यास 'कपालकुंडला' की रचना की जो काफ़ी विख्यात हुई.

आनंदमठ

अप्रैल 1872 में उन्होंने बंगदर्शन नाम की पत्रिका निकालनी शुरू की जिसमें उन्होंने गंभीर साहित्यिक-सामाजिक और सांस्कृतिक मुद्दे उठाए. यह अब तक रूमानी साहित्य लिखने वाले व्यक्ति के जीवन में एक अहम मोड़ था.


	वंदे मातरम् देखते-देखते राष्ट्रवाद का प्रतीक बना

रामकृष्ण परमहंस के समकालीन और उनके निकट मित्र रहे बंकिम चंद्र चट्टोपाध्याय ने आनंदमठ की रचना की जिसमें बाद में वंदे मातरम् को भी शामिल किया गया जो देखते-देखते पूरे देश में राष्ट्रवाद का प्रतीक बन गया.

गुरूदेव रवींद्रनाथ ठाकुर ने इसके लिए धुन तैयार की और वंदे मातरम् की लोकप्रियता तेज़ी से बढ़ने लगी.

अप्रैल 1894 में बंकिम चंद्र का निधन हुआ और उसके 12 वर्ष बाद जब क्रांतिकारी बिपिन चंद्र पाल ने एक राजनीतिक पत्रिका निकालनी शुरू की तो उसका नाम उन्होंने वंदे मातरम् रखा. लाला लाजपत राय भी इसी नाम से एक राष्ट्रवादी पत्रिका का प्रकाशन कर चुके हैं.

बहुमुखी प्रतिभा के धनी राष्ट्रवादी साहित्यकार को एक विनोदी व्यक्ति के रूप में भी जाना जाता था. उन्होंने हास्य-व्यंग्य से भरपूर 'कमलाकांतेर दफ़्तर' जैसी रचनाएँ भी लिखीं.

शर्मनाक

2009-02-03T05:19:00.001+05:30

विवादों के बीच मना वंदे मातरम् समारोह


	वंदेमातरम गीत आज़ादी की लड़ाई के दौरान देशभक्ति का एक बड़ा प्रतीक बन गया था

विवादों के बीच भारत के राष्ट्रगीत 'वंदेमातरम्' की शताब्दी गुरुवार को देश भर में मनाई गई.

राष्ट्रगीत को गाए जाने को लेकर छिड़े विवाद थमे नहीं हैं और इस अवसर पर आयोजित होने वाले कार्यक्रमों पर इस विवाद की छाया ज़रूर नज़र आई. कई अल्पसंख्यक शिक्षण संस्थानों ने वंदे मातरम् की शताब्दी समारोह में शिरकत नहीं की.

भारतीय जनता पार्टी (भाजपा) शासित मध्य प्रदेश, छत्तीसगढ़, गुजरात और राजस्थान के शिक्षण संस्थानों में केंद्रीय मानव संसाधन मंत्री अर्जुन सिंह के निर्देश के मुताबिक आयोजित समारोह में राष्ट्रगीत गाया गया.

दिल्ली में खुद अर्जुन सिंह ने स्कूली छात्रों के साथ राष्ट्रगीत गाकर समारोह में हिस्सा लिया.

राजस्थान में राज्य सरकार के आदेश के बावजूद मुस्लिम बहुल इलाक़ो के मदरसों में कोई आयोजन नही हुआ. हालाँकि अन्य स्कूलों में समारोह आयोजित किए गए. मध्य प्रदेश में कुछ मुस्लिम संगठनों की ओर से विरोध प्रदर्शन की ख़बरें हैं.

समारोह

देहरादून में भाजपा की राष्ट्रीय कार्यकारिणी की बैठक में पार्टी अध्यक्ष राजनाथ सिंह और वरिष्ठ नेता लाल कृष्ण आडवाणी की अगुआई में राष्ट्रगीत समारोह मनाया गया.

गुजरात में गाँधीनगर स्थित राज्य सचिवालय और अन्य स्कूलों में वंदे मातरम् का गान हुआ.

कांग्रेस शासित महाराष्ट्र में मुख्यमंत्री विलासराव देशमुख के नेतृत्व में पार्टी मुख्यालय में वंदे मातरम् समारोह का आयोजन हुआ. महाराष्ट्र में वंदे मातरम् का गान वैकल्पिक रखा गया है.

छत्तसीगढ़ में वंदे मातरम् का सामूहिक गान हुआ और तमिलनाडु की राजधानी चेन्नई में भी समारोह आयोजित किए गए.


	बंकिमचंद्र ने भारत माता को दुर्गा के रूप में चित्रित किया है

विवादों के बीच इलाहाबाद हाई कोर्ट की लखनऊ पीठ ने बुधवार को वो याचिका ख़ारिज कर दी जिसमें उत्तर प्रदेश में वंदे मातरम् का गायन अनिवार्य करने का निर्देश देने की अपील की गई थी.

हरियाणा और पंजाब में भी वंदे मातरम् की शताब्दी समारोह मनाई गई. शिरोमणि गुरुद्वारा प्रबंधक कमेटी ने शुरु में इसके गायन पर आपत्ति जताई थी लेकिन बाद में इसने अपना रुख़ बदल दिया.

विवाद

भाजपा का कहना है कि राष्ट्रगीत के शताब्दी समारोह के अवसर पर मदरसों सहित सभी स्कूलों में इसे गाया जाना चाहिए यानी भाजपा चाहती है कि इसे मुसलमान भी गाएँ.

लेकिन मुस्लिम संगठनों का कहना है कि वे इस्लाम के अनुसार अल्लाह के अलावा किसी और की स्तुति नहीं कर सकते.

कुछ मुस्लिम संगठनों ने कहा है कि इस गीत को गाने से बचने के लिए बच्चों को स्कूल ही नहीं जाना चाहिए तो कुछ संगठनों ने कहा है कि स्कूल गए भी तो मुसलमान बच्चों को इसे नहीं गाना चाहिए.

इस विवाद की शुरुआत तब हुई जब केंद्रीय मानव संसाधन मंत्री अर्जुन सिंह ने कहा कि सात सितंबर को इस गीत को सभी स्कूलों में गाया जाना चाहिए.

हालांकि बाद में अर्जुन सिंह ने संसद में कह दिया कि गीत गाना किसी के लिए आवश्यक नहीं किया गया है, जिसे गाना हो गाए, न गाना हो, न गाए.

लेकिन तब तक तीर तरकश से निकल चुका था.

राजनीति

भाजपा शासित राज्यों में बाक़ायदा घोषणा की गई कि सभी स्कूली बच्चों को गीत गाना होगा. यह और बात है कि छत्तीसगढ़ के मुख्यमंत्री ने आदेश जारी करने के बाद इसे वापस ले लिया.


	भारत के दैवी स्वरूप पर हैं आपत्तियाँ

वैसे भाजपा ने राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर स्पष्टीकरण दे दिया है कि वंदेमातरम् गाना किसी पर थोपा नहीं जा रहा है और जिसे न गाना हो वह वंदेमातरम् न गाए. लेकिन वह इसे राष्ट्र के सम्मान के साथ जोड़कर देखती है.

उधर सुन्नी समुदाय के मौलाना महमूद मदनी ने मुसलमानों से अपील की है कि वे वंदेमातरम न गाएँ. उन्होंने बच्चों को स्कूल जाने की सलाह दी है और कहा है कि वे इसे न गाएँ.

उन्होंने कहा कि यदि बच्चों को वंदेमातरम गाने के लिए बाध्य किया गया तो वे इसका विरोध करेंगे.

हालांकि ऐसा नहीं है कि भारत के सभी मुसलमानों को इस पर आपत्ति है और वे मानते हैं कि यह विवाद राजनीतिक विवाद है.

उल्लेखनीय है कि कुछ साल पहले संगीतकार एआर रहमान ने, जो ख़ुद एक मुसलमान हैं, 'वंदेमातरम्' को लेकर एक एलबम तैयार किया था जो बहुत लोकप्रिय हुआ था.

इतिहास

वाराणसी में कांग्रेस पार्टी के अधिवेशन में इस गीत को पहली बार सात सितंबर 1905 को सार्वजनिक रुप से गाया गया था, यानी यह वंदे मातरम् गाए जाने की पहली वर्षगाँठ की शताब्दी है.

हालाँकि सुमित सरकार जैसे कई प्रतिष्ठित इतिहासकारों का कहना है कि यह तिथि ग़लत है, उस दिन ऐसा कुछ हुआ ही नहीं था.

बहरहाल, आज़ादी के बाद इसे गीत को राष्ट्र गान बनाए जाने की बात चली थी लेकिन उस समय भी कुछ मुस्लिम संगठनों ने इसका विरोध किया था और आख़िर रविन्द्रनाथ ठाकुर के 'जनगणमन' को राष्ट्रगान बनाया गया था.

इसके बाद 'वंदेमातरम्' भारत का राष्ट्रगीत बन गया और अभी भी सार्वजनिक सभाओं में व्यापक रुप से गाया\

2009-02-03T05:08:00.000+05:30

जब लालू को मिला प्यार का संदेश


	लालू यादव ने युवाओं को माँ-बाप की मर्जी से शादी करने की नसीहत दी

अपने चुटकुले और चुटीले अंदाज़ के लिए चर्चित केंद्रीय रेल मंत्री लालू यादव को एक लड़की ने 'आई लव यू' का संदेश भेजा जिसका उन्होंने जवाब भी दिया.

लालू यादव के ब्लॉग पर भेजे गए इस संदेश के बारे में जब पत्रकारों ने लालू यादव को कुदेरना शुरु किया तो उनका कहना था, "मैंने भी जवाब में लिखा है- मैं भी आपसे प्यार करता हूँ."

इस बयान के साथ उन्होंने तुरंत जोड़ा कि यह प्यार पिता, भाई और दोस्त जैसा प्यार है.

हालाँकि उन्हें ये नहीं पता कि संदेश भेजने वाली लड़की कौन है. लालू यादव का कहना था, "इस संदेश का दूसरा मतलब नहीं निकालना चाहिए. प्यार का मतलब ग़लत संबंध नहीं होना चाहिए."

उन्होंने सभी युवाओं से अपील करते हुए कहा, "प्यार करो पर मर्यादा के भीतर."

केंद्रीय रेल मंत्री का कहना था कि आज के ज़माने में प्यार की आड़ में कोई और ही खेल खेला जाता है और बच्चों को इसे समझना चाहिए.

उन्होंने अपने ही अंदाज़ में फ़िज़ा-चांद मोहम्मद प्रकरण पर भी चुटकी ली.

उनका कहना था, "इस तरह के लोगों के साथ ऐसा ही होता है. इसलिए मेरे देश की बच्चियों आप झाँसे में न आएँ और अपने मां-बाप की बात मानें."

प्यार की परिभाषा अपने तरीके से समझाने के बाद लालू यादव ने एक और नसीहत दी, "युवाओं को अपने माँ-बाप की मर्जी से ही शादी करनी चाहिए."

FACTSHEET

2009-01-17T02:45:00.000+05:30

  FACTSHEET U.S.A.



                                                                                   
Total number of married-couple families........ 57,767,000 (100%)
Married-couple families with no earners.........8,843,000 (13.9%)
Married-couple families with one earner....... 14,051,000 (24.3%)
Married-couple families with two or more earners।
                                     ......... 35,673,000 (61।8%)  


In 10,469,000 (18.1%) of all married-couple families, the husband is
the only earner
In 3,026,000 (5.2%) of all married-couple families, the wife is the
only earner.
In 557,000 (1.9%) of all married-couple families, another
family member is the only earner.

अकबर-बीरबल

2009-01-11T04:29:00.000+05:30

ये लो गोलियां

भिखारी: बीबी जी , आपकी पड़ोसन ने 8 रोटी दी हैं। आप भी कुछ दे दो।
महिला: ये लो गोलियां। उनको पचाने में काम आएंगी।
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पति को पसंद नहीं

डॉक्टर (युवती से) - क्या आप डिलिवरी के टाइम बच्चे के पिता को अपने पास देखना चाहेंगी ?
युवती - नहीं , उन्हें मेरे पति पसंद नहीं करते।

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एक आदमी एक सत्संग से वापस आया , घर आते ही उसने आपनी बीवी को बाहों मे उठा लिया।
बीवी ने पूछा , ' आज इतने रोमैंटिक क्यों हो ?
पति बोला , ' गुरु जी ने बोला है हमें अपनी मुसीबतों को खुद ही उठाना चाहिए। '
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लंबी उम्र हासिल करने का तरीका

संता : डॉक्टर साब , लंबी उम्र तक जीने का कोई तरीका बताओ।
डॉक्टर : शादी कर लो।
संता : इससे क्या फायदा होगा ?
डॉक्टर : फायदा तो कुछ नहीं , पर ज़्यादा जीने का ख़याल तुम्हारे दिमाग़ में नहीं आएगा !
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तभी तो स्वर्ग है!
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पत्नी : तुम्हें मालूम है , पति और पत्नी को स्वर्ग में एक साथ नहीं रहने देते।
पति : मुझे मालूम है , तभी तो उसे स्वर्ग कहते है !
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बीवी कहूं या सिस्टर

बंता की शादी एक नर्स से हो गई।
संता ने पूछा : तो बंता , कैसी निभ रही है ?
बंता : पूछ मत यार , हालत खराब है।
संता : सो क्यों ?
बंता : जब तक सिस्टर न कहो , बीवी बोलती ही नहीं।
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उफ ये मर्द और इनके सवाल

प्रेमी : मैं ही पहला इन्सान हूं ना जिससे तुमने प्यार किया ?
प्रेमिका : हां और क्या ! पता नहीं क्यों , सारे मर्द एक ही सवाल पूछते है !
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मॉडर्न भिखारी

भिखारी : खुदा के नाम पर , भगवान के नाम पर कुछ दे दो बाबा !
दुकानदार : कल आना।
भिखारी : भाई साहब , कल मै नहीं आ सकता , यह मेरा कार्ड पकड़ो , कल खुद ही भेज देना !
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नौकरानी ने शीला से कहा, मेमसाहब गजब हो गया, पड़ोस की तीन औरतें आपकी सास को पीट रही हैं।

शीला नौकरानी के साथ बालकनी में आई और चुपचाप तमाशा देखने लगी। नौकरानी ने पूछा, आप मदद करने नही जाएंगी?

शीला- नही तीन ही काफी है।

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संता सिंह ने अपनी गर्ल फ्रेंड को फोन किया, 'डार्लिंग आज शाम को 6 बजे मेरे घर पर आना.. आज घर पर कोई नही है।'

संता के कहे अनुसार उनकी गर्लफ्रेंड शाम 6 बजे संता के घर पहुंच गई और पूरे एक घंटे तक घर में इधर-उधर ढूंढती रही क्योंकि सचमुच घर में कोई नही था..संता भी नही।

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डॉक्टर (मरीज से)- तुम कितनी बीड़ी पीते हो?

मरीज (डॉक्टर से)- जी, एक दिन में करीब बीस बीड़ी।

डॉक्टर- यदि मुझसे इलाज कराना है, तो इतनी सारी बीड़ी पीने से परहेज रखना होगा। आज से ही एक नियम बना लो कि सिर्फ भोजन के पश्चात ही एक बीड़ी पियोगे।

मरीज ने डॉक्टर की बात सुनकर इलाज कराना शुरु कर दिया। कुछ महीने के बाद मरीज का स्वास्थ्य एकदम सुधर गया।

डॉक्टर- देखा, मेरे बताए परहेज से तुम्हें कितना स्वास्थ्य लाभ हुआ।

मरीज- लेकिन डॉक्टर साहब, एक दिन में बीस बार भोजन भी कोई सरल कार्य नहीं है।

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अध्यापक (चिंटू से)- तुम गणित में फेल हो गए?

चिंटू (अध्यापक से)- मैं क्या करता? आपने ही गलत पढ़ाया।

कभी 4 और 4 आठ कहा, कभी 6 और 2 आठ बताया और कभी 5 और 3 आठ बताया।

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संता (बंता से)- कल रात तुम अपने बच्चे को बहुत पीट रहे थे, आखिर ऐसी क्या गलती हो गई उससे?

बंता (संता से)- दरअसल दो दिन बाद उसका रिजल्ट निकलने वाला है और मैं आज ही एक महीने के लिए टूर पर जा हूँ ।

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संता (बंता से)- शराब से ज्यादा नुकसान तो पानी ने पहुंचाया है।

बंता (संता से)- नही भाई, आप गलत कह रहे हैं।

संता- क्यों, पिछले साल बाढ़ से हजारों लोग नहीं मरे थे?

MOON FACTS

2009-01-11T03:13:00.000+05:30

Moon Facts

There are many interesting facts about the moon and trivia that may or may not be important to you. Some interesting facts include:

We all know there was a man on the moon, but did you know that there is one who stayed there? Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, a Geological Surveyor, who educated the Apollo mission astronauts about craters, never made it into space himself, but it had always been one of his dreams. He was rejected as an astronaut because of medical problems. After he died, his ashes were placed on board the Lunar Prospector spacecraft on January 6, 1999, which was crashed into a crater on the moon on July 31, 1999. The mission was to discover if there was water on the moon at the time, but it also served to fulfill Dr Shoemaker's last wish.
When Neil Armstrong took that historical step of "one small step for man one giant step for mankind" it would not have occurred to anyone that the step he took in the dust of the moon was there to stay. It will be there for at least 10 million years.
When Alan Sheppard was on the moon, he hit a golf ball and drove it 2,400 feet, nearly one half a mile.
In a survey conducted in 1988, 13% of those surveyed believed that the moon is made of cheese.
The multi layer space suits worn by the astronauts to the moon weighed 180 pounds on earth, but thirty pounds on the moon due to the lower gravity.
How close can you get without completely running out of gas? Apollo 11 had only 20 seconds of fuel left when they landed on the moon.
Apollo 15 was the first mission to use a lunar rover. The top speed that was ever recorded in this 4-wheeled land vehicle was 10.56 miles per hour.
It is possible to have a month without a full moon. This occurs in February, but either January or March will have two moons.
In China, the dark shadows that are on the moon are called "the toad in the moon".
The Apollo missions brought back 2196 rock samples weighing 382 kg in total

Facts About the Moon

The moon is not a planet, but a satellite of the Earth.
The surface area of the moon is 14,658,000 square miles or 9.4 billion acres
Only 59% of the moon's surface is visible from earth.
The moon rotates at 10 miles per hour compared to the earth's rotation of 1000 miles per hour.
When a month has two full moons, the second full moon is called a blue moon. Another definition of a blue moon is the third full moon in any season (quarter of year) containing 4 total full moons.
From Earth, we always see the same side of the moon; the other side is always hidden.
The dark spots we see on the moon that create the image of the man in the moon are actually craters filled with basalt, which is a very dense material.
The moon is the only extraterrestrial body that has ever been visited by humans. It is also the only body that has had samples taken from it.
The first space craft to send back pictures from the moon was Luna 3 (built by the Soviet Union) in October 1959.
The moon has no global magnetic field.
The moon is about 1/4 the size of the Earth.
On the moon, there is no wind or water.

The Moon Landing Hoax Conspiracy

2009-01-11T02:49:00.000+05:30

The Moon Landing Hoax Conspiracy

The moon landing hoax controversy is still evident after 36 years. On July 20th, 1969 our lives changed forever. This was not due to any disastrous event that took place here on Earth, but an amazing event that took place in the heavens, when the first man walked on that wondrous thing people had gazed at and wondered about for centuries - the moon. Our world was changing at that time in leaps and bounds. It was a time of endless possibilities. Many people think of this as a moon landing hoax or the first man on the moon hoax. In spite of all the evidence to the contrary, some people still believe that the landing of a man on the moon was a trick of television.

Shadows on the Moon

One of the arguments from skeptics to substantiate the moon landing hoax theory involves the shadows that illuminated from the lunar surface when the pictures that were sent back to us. They argue that if this is not a hoax, why is it that facts about the moon state there are no shadows in space. This argument about this moon landing hoax comes from believers that feel the sun is the only source of light in the universe. When you think of the moon, you must consider that the sun is not the only source of light on the moon and that the lunar surface reflects its own light which illuminates all things on the surface. Therefore there is no credence in the theory of a moon landing hoax.

The Fluttering Flag

Another part of the moon landing hoax theory deals with the American flag. The picture that was sent back showed this flag fluttering as in a wind. Some believers in the moon landing hoax feel that this was proof that this picture had been taken on earth and not the result of a moon landing. The fact that the flag flutters in the wind when there is no wind on the moon could lend some degree of credibility to the belief that this was a hoax. However, experts, in an attempt to defend the landing against the moon landing hoax theory explained that a vacuum has no friction. On the moon things don't stop moving as quickly as they do on Earth, so when the astronauts got the flag attached to the surface and straightened, it stayed there longer than what we are accustomed to. Hence the picture was taken with the flag waving is proof that the moon landing hoax theory is incorrect.

Driving the Rover

The pictures of the astronauts driving the Rover also proved to many that this was a moon landing hoax However, the projection of the speed of a film showing the astronauts driving in the moon proves that it really did happen. There were no clouds of dust rinsing from the tires of the Rover because moon dust returns directly to the surface. Therefore it was not possible back in 1969 to have this type of controlled environment in which to display a moon landing hoax.

CHUTKALEY

2009-01-10T06:42:00.000+05:30

वह तो पैदा ही ऐसे हुए थे...

' अरे , क्या तुम वाकई शर्मा जी से शादी कर रही हो ?'

' हां , लेकिन इसमें हैरान होने की बात क्या है ?'

' उनके मुंह में एक भी दांत नहीं और सिर पर एक भी बाल नहीं। '

' अरे, वह तो पैदा ही ऐसे हुए थे। '

2009-01-10T06:26:00.000+05:30

ब्राइट फ्यूचर
एक धोबी के यहां पर एक गधा काम करता था। धोबी पूरा दिन उस से काम लेता था। गधे को धोबी के यहां काम करते हुए 7 साल हो गए थे। धीरे - धीरे धोबी का काम बढ़ने लगा , तो उसने दूसरा गधा लेनी की सोची और अगले दिन बाज़ार से एक दूसरा गधा ले आया।

दूसरे गधे को जब 7 दिन हो गए , तो उसने पुराने गधे से पूछा , भाई तुम इस मालिक को 7 साल से कैसे झेल रहे हो ?

इस पर पुराना गधा बोला , भाई यहां मेरा फ्यूचर ब्राइट है। इस पर दूसरा गधा बोला , कैसे।

इस पर पहला गधा जवाब देते हुए बोला कि यार , एक दिन धोबी की बेटी स्कूल से देर से आई थी तो धोबी उससे बोला कि सुधर जाओ वरना किसी दिन तुम्हारी शादी इस गधे से कर दूंगा। बस यार शादी का इंतजार कर रहा हूं।

हवस

2009-01-10T06:23:00.000+05:30

कैब में लिफ्ट देकर ड्राइवर ने किया रेप

10 Jan 2009

गुड़गांवः दिल्ली-गुड़गांव एक्सप्रेस वे पर एक महिला को कैब में लिफ्ट देकर ड्राइवर ने अपनी हवस का शिकार बना डाला। बाद में महिला को बीच रास्ते छोड़कर कैब ड

्राइवर फरार तो हो गया, लेकिन पुलिस ने उसे शाम होने तक दबोच लिया। एसीपी सदर कैलाश चंद ने बताया कि पकड़ा गया आरोपी उत्तराखंड का रहने वाला खडग सिंह है, जिससे पूछताछ की जा रही है।

सिरोहल गांव में रहने वाली 30 साल की महिला वीना (बदला हुआ नाम) मेयफील्ड गार्डन में रहने वाले मनीष गुप्ता के यहां मेड का काम करती है। रोजाना की तरह सुबह काम पर जाने के लिए वह इफको चौक से क्वॉलिस कैब में अन्य सवारियों के साथ सवार हुई थी। करीब नौ बजे राजीव चौक पर कैब ड्राइवर ने अन्य सवारियों को ड्रॉप कर दिया। ड्राइवर ने वीना को कहा कि वह उसे मेयफील्ड गार्डन तक छोड़ देगा। इस पर वीना कैब में ही बैठी रही। चालक ने बाद में ताऊ देवीलाल स्टेडियम के पास सुनसान जगह देखकर कैब रोकी और महिला के साथ दुष्कर्म किया। बाद में थोड़ी दूर जाकर उसे बीच सड़क पर कैब से उतारकर फरार हो गया।

इस दौरान पीड़िता ने सामने से आ रही एक अन्य गाड़ी को रुकवाया और उससे क्वॉलिस का नंबर नोट करने को कहा। महिला ने 1982 नंबर जमीन पर लिखकर बताया। इसके बाद वीना ने अपने मालिक मनीष गुप्ता को इस घटना की सूचना दी, तो मनीष ने 100 नंबर पर शिकायत की। जिसके बाद तुरंत वीटी कराई गई, लेकिन आरोपी कैब चालक मौके से फरार हो चुका था। इसी बीच पुलिस ने अलग-अलग दो टीमें गठित कर ड्राइवर की तलाश शुरू की और शाम को करीब पांच बजे उसे धर दबोचा। इससे पूर्व पुलिस ने महिला की मेडिकल जांच कराने के साथ ही कैब चालक के खिलाफ केस दर्ज कर लिया। एसीपी, सदर ने बताया कि पकड़े गए आरोपी खड़ग सिंह की उम्र करीब 30 साल है। उससे पूछताछ की जा रही है।

2009-01-10T06:16:00.000+05:30

Book Review

MILD MICHELLE OBAMA

Elisabeth Eaves 10.28.08

Michelle
By Liza Mundy (Simon & Schuster, $25)

It's unfortunate that Michelle is such a dull book. The story of a working-class black girl from the south side of Chicago, now on the cusp of becoming America's First Lady, must surely hold nuggets of dramatic tension, but you won't find them here.

Reading this book made me long for a writer like Curtis Sittenfeld, the novelist who imagined Laura Bush to life in American Wife, or an observer with the intimate access of Yasmina Reza, the French playwright who spent a year with France's now-president, Nicolas Sarkozy, before penning her book about him.

It's not that author Liza Mundy hasn't labored responsibly. Denied access to the Obamas for the purposes of this book (she had interviewed them in 2007 as a reporter for the Washington Post), she pounded the pavement, often literally, and turned up friends, family, teachers and colleagues willing to go on the record.

But the lack of up-close access, combined with a ploddingly chronological structure and bouts of repetition, has resulted in a book that commits the cardinal journalistic sin of telling rather than showing. Not until page 172 did I get a sense of the warm, funny Michelle I kept reading about, and that came from an interview Michelle did with 60 Minutes just after her husband announced his run. Michelle said Barack had promised to quit smoking, and the interviewer noted that lots of Americans would now be watching him. She replied, "Absolutely, please, America, watch ... keep an eye on him, and call me if you see him smoking."

But much of the book is filled with banal observations and shallow quotes. We are told that young Michelle was "pretty down-to-earth," "smart" and "extremely nice," and that her mother is "salt of the earth." Michelle was very upset by her father's death, and Barack was very excited when his first child was born, the reader is told.

Narrative shortcomings notwithstanding, Michelle deserves to be considered on more than its literary merits. Michelle Obama has been thrust, after all, into a history-making role, and Michelle is our first book-length compendium of facts about her. (Another Michelle Obama biography is due to be released in November.)

That Michelle is a snooze is probably a good thing for the Obama campaign. After all, one doesn't want too interesting a first lady. Dogged attempts to find controversy in Mrs. Obama have been a little strained all along, and this book makes them look more so. After 200 pages of mundane detail about college, law school, Chicago philanthropies and child rearing, critics like Mark Steyn--who called her "Kim Jong-Il dressed up with a bit of Oprah Winfrey dressing"--sound downright unhinged. (Though after this book, he, too, might come to see her as benign.)

The author seems to have searched for negatives, but the best she could come up with are these points: Michelle can be stern and pushy. She once pestered a high school typing teacher into giving her a better grade. She was apparently somewhat dissatisfied with her first job as a corporate lawyer. And Michelle--who left corporate law to work for non-profits--implicitly insulted former colleagues by suggesting that corporate lawyers might be unhappy.

This is hardly the stuff of scandal. What about the presidential campaign's more difficult Michelle moments? As has been widely reported, her college thesis dwelled on race. (God forbid we should all have our characters judged on college essays.) In it, she wondered whether, with her top-notch education, she would end up moving farther and farther away from the black community in which she grew up, and she makes a sort of promise to herself to help that community: "This realization has presently made my goals to actively utilize my resources to benefit the Black community more desirable," she wrote in her best college-student-ese.

The thesis led some critics to accuse her of wanting to foment racial separatism. But that says more about the critics, and the more absurd reaches of American racial politics, than it does about Mrs. Obama. Michelle has also, in many speeches and interviews, observed that ongoing racial prejudice exists in America, which has elicited criticism and contributed to accusations that she has a "grievance." (She was called "Mrs. Grievance" on the cover of National Review.)

It's not clear what sort of attitude her critics would have preferred. Maybe someone who had never noticed race? That would be bizarre, given her background. Michelle grew up at that heady time when real opportunity was opening up for blacks, but racism continued to confuse the message: Her family was able to move to a South Side neighborhood with genuinely better schools and services than the one they left behind--but watched as the white population fled.

Michelle gained admittance to a multi-ethnic public magnet school, which spring-boarded her into Princeton--where a roommate's mother reacted with horror on learning that her daughter had been assigned to bunk with a black girl. Especially in the uncertain years of early adulthood, Michelle comes across as someone who looked around a little warily--or maybe nervously--even as she made academic and professional strides.

It is in giving this background and context to the Michelle Obama we see in the limelight that Mundy performs the book's greatest service. Indeed, in the acknowledgments, Mundy thanks her sources for having performed a "public service." Taken in that light, Michelle is not bad. Journalism is supposed to be the first draft of history, and as a first draft, the book does its job.

2009-01-10T05:54:00.000+05:30

Strategy & Innovation

THE FIVE TECHNOLOGIES SET TO CHANE THE WORLD

Josh Wolfe 01.07.09

In the coming decade, we will see some amazing new technologies that will affect our lives to such an extent that we will wonder how we ever lived without them.

As transistors continue to shrink, nanoscale devices will be built into more objects on the path toward ubiquitous computing and might even be integrated into fabric, yielding "smart clothing" that continuously monitors our health. If scientists manage to build quantum computers, they will take information processing to a whole new level. As the Internet becomes more widespread and mobile, the real world and virtual worlds will become increasingly intertwined. As pharmaceutical companies struggle with competition from generics, biotech drugs will define the decade.

And better batteries will finally allow for practical electric cars, while flexible digital displays might replace our daily newspapers.

These are all exciting prospects. Here are five extensions and applications of these technologies that we feel have a good combination of scientific breakthrough and commercial potential.

Building-Integrated Photovoltaics

It's easy to tap into solar power if your construction materials--from roofing to siding to exterior facades--have built-in solar cells to create cost-efficient, aesthetically pleasing self-powered buildings. Building-integrated photovoltaics, or BIPV, is poised to change the face of construction, energy and urban planning in the coming decade.

The U.S. Department of Energy has estimated that BIPV technology could potentially generate 50% of the electrical needs of the U.S. and other developed countries, and the DOE's Solar America Initiative has set the goal of making solar cost-competitive with grid electricity by 2015, when BIPV is projected to generate $8 billion in total sales.

Thin-film solar technology trades today's bulky polysilicon solar panels with ultra-thin compound semiconducting materials that can be deposited directly onto flexible substrates. Arizona-based First Solar is leading the way in designing solar cells for large-scale power plants using cadmium telluride. Tuscon, Ariz.-based Global Solar Energy manufactures copper indium gallium diselenide thin-film technology.

In April, Dow Building Solutions, a business unit of Dow Chemical, teamed up with Global Solar to create innovative BIPV products, including a flexible solar roof shingle. In May, the California-based Architectural Glass & Aluminum Co., which manufactures the exterior glass facades found on most modern buildings, partnered with Texas-based start-up HelioVolt to embed HelioVolt's CIGS thin-film solar technology into AGA's glass facades.

Personal Genome Sequencing

Researchers have long touted the mythical $1,000 genome, and now it's finally close to becoming a reality. Personal genome sequencing will become widely available, paving the way toward personalized medicine that focuses on diseases to which patients are genetically predisposed.

Cambridge, Mass.-based Knome, the first company to provide whole genome sequencing for private individuals, will sequence and analyze your genome--all 3 billion base pairs--for between $100,000 and $350,000.

But Knome might soon be looking to California-based Complete Genomics for faster, less expensive sequencing. Complete Genomics aims to sell genome sequencing services wholesale for just $5,000 beginning in the second quarter of 2009, thanks to technology that is 10 times more cost-effective than the current industry standard.

Complete Genomics has already raised $46 million in venture capital, which they are putting toward building the world's largest commercial human genome sequencing center.

Perhaps the frontrunner in the race to the $1,000 genome is California-based Pacific BioSciences, which claims it will be able to sequence an entire genome for $1,000 in a remarkable 30 minutes by 2013.

The company's sequencing platform works by attaching different colored fluorescent tags to each of the four letters of the DNA, then reading their signature flashes each time the tags are incorporated into the genetic strand. The company has raised $80 million in funding and plans to start selling its system in the second half of 2010.

Progress is moving even faster now, thanks to the Archon X Prize for genomics, which is offering $10 million to the first team who can sequence 100 human genomes in 10 days for under $10,000 per genome.

Molecular Imaging

Medical imaging has become a centerpiece of health care, from CAT scans to fMRI. These technologies are best at bringing into view macroscale features of the body. When it comes to diseases like cancer, however, once you've reached the macroscale, it is often too late. This will surely be the decade of molecular imaging as researchers find ways to use nanoparticles and other novel devices to image disease at the cellular level.

Most molecular imaging techniques employ fluorescent dyes: light-emitting particles that serve as beacons illuminating cancer cells or specific proteins that signal disease.

Some researchers have been looking to quantum dots--nano-sized crystals so small they are subject to the strange laws of quantum mechanics (most notably the color of the light they emit is directly related to their size). They can be designed to emit a specific color to signal the presence of a specific molecule.

Quantum dots can also carry other molecules on their surfaces, which means they could potentially not only track down and illuminate diseased cells, but also deliver medicine when they get there.

Companies like Life Technologies and Troy, N.Y.-based Evident Technologies have been developing quantum dots for molecular imaging. The biggest challenge they face going into the next decade is safety: As of now, most of the quantum dots are made from toxic materials like cadmium and lead. Finding a way to make the dots biocompatible for in vivo imaging will be the crucial step in getting this technology out of the lab and into a clinical setting.

Owen Witte and colleagues at UCLA developed a molecular tag that binds only to immune cells, then lights up under a PET scan. The tag could be extremely useful because a sudden onslaught of extra immune cells can be the first sign of diseases such as cancer and autoimmune conditions, and the immune system has long eluded conventional imaging technologies. So far, Witte's technique has been demonstrated successfully in mice.

One of the difficulties with fluorescent tags has been that they are always "lit," making it difficult for researchers to make out the diseased cells. Now a team of researchers at the National Cancer Institute and the University of Tokyo have designed a fluorescent tag that only lights up once it has bound itself to the target molecule. They used their tag in mice and were able to see breast-cancer cells that had spread to their lungs.

The holy grail will be nanoparticles that can infiltrate the body, find their target cells, illuminate those cells and deliver drugs in one fell swoop.

Graphene Transistors

The era of silicon is ending, and the decade of graphene may have just begun.

As silicon chips continue to shrink they will eventually reach their physical limits and Moore's law will hit a brick wall. Scientists are scrambling to come up with silicon's replacement. Their favorite candidate is the remarkable nanomaterial graphene, discovered in 2004 by physicist Andre Geim and colleagues at the University of Manchester in the U.K.

A nearly two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice, graphene is essentially a carbon nanotube unfurled. As such, it possesses the novel mechanical properties of carbon nanotube-like tensile strength--in addition to high electrical conductivity. Electrons can flow through graphene with remarkable ease, making graphene an ideal material for transistors.

Recently, a team of researchers at Rice University led by chemist James Tour created a new form of memory using graphene, which has the potential to vastly outperform current memory technologies, such as flash. According to Tour, his graphene technology can store five times more memory than today's flash memory chips.

What's more, individual bits can be made to be smaller than 10 nanometers, compared with flash's 45 nanometers, and its switches can be controlled by two terminals, as opposed to three. The graphene memory requires very little power and can withstand a broad range of temperatures.

Just this month, researchers at IBM's T. J. Watson Research Center built the fastest graphene transistor to date, clocking in at 26 gigahertz. The fastest silicon transistors are still an order of magnitude faster than that, but this marks an important milestone in the graphene revolution.

A major challenge in the coming decade will be to create commercial scale fabrication instruments for graphene transistors, instruments that don't yet exist. We are likely to see hybrid silicon-graphene transistors before we take the leap to all-graphene-based electronics.

Multi-touch Displays

Ever since the colossal success of Apple's iPhone, multi-touch displays have been hailed as the future of the human-computer interface.

Perceptive Pixel, engineer Jeff Han's start-up, a spinoff from NYU's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, has made strides in this market with large-scale multi-touch screens, including the "magic walls" that anchors on CNN use to visualize and manipulate data on camera.

Meanwhile, Microsoft designed Surface, an interactive drafting table that can recognize hand gestures and objects in addition to touch. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has called surface computing a multibillion-dollar category.

Large-scale multi-touch screens are great, but at costs ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 a piece, they aren't going to penetrate the consumer market soon. Small touch screens are the way to go, but the drawback has been that large, clumsy fingers don't always go with tiny multi-touch screens.

Now, engineers at Microsoft Research have developed a product called nanoTouch, which places a capacitive surface on the back of the display, rather than the front. You interact with the multi-touch technology on the back--that way, your fingers don't block the screen, allowing for a much more dexterous interaction, even on miniature displays.

The key to being able to sense more than one input at a time is projective capacitive sensing, and San Jose, Calif.-based Cypress Semiconductor is a major provider of this technology. But the industry standard of projective capacitive sensing, such as Cypress, uses indium tin oxide coatings, an increasingly scarce and expensive material that requires slow, expensive vacuum processes to deposit onto films.

Novel nanomaterials may be the key to next-generation multi-touch technology, and Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Cambrios is leading the way (full disclosure: my venture firm Lux Capital is an equity investor in Cambrios). Its coating is made of metal nanowires that have high electrical performance and can be deposited onto film in a cheap, high-throughput process.

Eventually, multi-touch displays will be integrated not just into your computer but into your life, as every surface around you is a potential touch-screen display. Walls, countertops and dashboards could all be equipped with multi-touch technology.

And it needn't be confined to surfaces: Rumor has it that Apple is about to release a new mouse with a multi-touch trackpad surface। The rumor comes off the heels of a patent application Apple filed for multi-touch "skins" that can be wrapped around three-dimensional objects, indicating that eventually anything could be a multi-touch screen.

The World's Billionaires

2009-01-10T05:38:00.000+05:30

2 of 45 The World's Billionaires
03.05.08

Rank	Name	Citizenship	Age	Net Worth ($bil)	Residence
26	Christy Walton & family	United States	53	19.2	United States
26	Jim Walton	United States	60	19.2	United States
26	S Robson Walton	United States	64	19.2	United States
29	Lee Shau Kee	Hong Kong	80	19.0	Hong Kong
29	Alice Walton	United States	58	19.0	United States
31	David Thomson & family	Canada	50	18.9	Canada
32	Sergey Brin	United States	34	18.7	United States
33	Larry Page	United States	35	18.6	United States
34	Michael Otto & family	Germany	64	18.2	Germany
35	Stefan Persson	Sweden	60	17.7	Sweden
36	Suleiman Kerimov	Russia	42	17.5	Russia
37	Charles Koch	United States	72	17.0	United States
37	David Koch	United States	67	17.0	United States
39	Francois Pinault & family	France	71	16.9	France
40	Michael Dell	United States	43	16.4	United States
41	Paul Allen	United States	55	16.0	United States
41	Kirk Kerkorian	United States	90	16.0	United States
43	Steven Ballmer	United States	52	15.0	United States
43	Abigail Johnson	United States	46	15.0	United States
43	Shashi & Ravi Ruia	India	NA	15.0	India
46	Nasser Al-Kharafi & family	Kuwait	64	14.0	Kuwait
46	Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor & family	United Kingdom	56	14.0	United Kingdom
46	Carl Icahn	United States	72	14.0	United States
46	Forrest Mars Jr	United States	76	14.0	United States
46	Jacqueline Mars	United States	68	14.0	United States

The World's Billionaires

2009-01-09T03:50:00.000+05:30

The World's Billionaires
03.05.08, 6:00 PM ET

Rank	Name	Citizenship	Age	Net Worth ($bil)	Residence
1	Warren Buffett	United States	77	62.0	United States
2	Carlos Slim Helu & family	Mexico	68	60.0	Mexico
3	William Gates III	United States	52	58.0	United States
4	Lakshmi Mittal	India	57	45.0	United Kingdom
5	Mukesh Ambani	India	50	43.0	India
6	Anil Ambani	India	48	42.0	India
7	Ingvar Kamprad & family	Sweden	81	31.0	Switzerland
8	KP Singh	India	76	30.0	India
9	Oleg Deripaska	Russia	40	28.0	Russia
10	Karl Albrecht	Germany	88	27.0	Germany
11	Li Ka-shing	Hong Kong	79	26.5	Hong Kong
12	Sheldon Adelson	United States	74	26.0	United States
13	Bernard Arnault	France	59	25.5	France
14	Lawrence Ellison	United States	63	25.0	United States
15	Roman Abramovich	Russia	41	23.5	Russia
16	Theo Albrecht	Germany	85	23.0	Germany
17	Liliane Bettencourt	France	85	22.9	France
18	Alexei Mordashov	Russia	42	21.2	Russia
19	Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud	Saudi Arabia	51	21.0	Saudi Arabia
20	Mikhail Fridman	Russia	43	20.8	Russia
21	Vladimir Lisin	Russia	51	20.3	Russia
22	Amancio Ortega	Spain	72	20.2	Spain
23	Raymond, Thomas & Walter Kwok	Hong Kong	NA	19.9	Hong Kong
24	Mikhail Prokhorov	Russia	42	19.5	Russia
25	Vladimir Potanin	Russia	47	19.3	Russia

Health | One in 20 Britons 'are alcoholic'

2009-01-04T00:12:00.000+05:30

HEALTH

One in 20 Britons 'are alcoholic':

"One in 20 people in Britain are alcoholic - twice as many as are addicted to drugs, according to a new report."

BBC NEWS | Health | Medical notes | Alcohol

2009-01-04T00:05:00.000+05:30

FACTSHEET

Alcohol
"Heavy drinking is blamed for up to 33,000 deaths a year in the UK, with the NHS spending more than £164m treating alcohol-related conditions."

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February 11, 2009

A New Vision For Online Entertainment - Forbes.com

हिदू, सिख & मुस्लिम जाट और जट्ट कबीले.

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हवस

The World's Billionaires

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Health | One in 20 Britons 'are alcoholic'

BBC NEWS | Health | Medical notes | Alcohol