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NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 01-03-2006
<b>ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD......STAY IN OWN COUNTRY HAVE SOME SELF-RESPECT DAKTAAR BABU !</b>
<b> Indian doctors out of work in UK
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b>
Sucharita Ghosh
Sunday, November 7, 2004 (East Ham):
A number of Indian doctors go to the UK every year with the dream of getting a good job but the dream has turned into a nightmare for many of them.
Several doctors there are overqualified but unemployed.
Every evening hundreds come to the Mahalaxshmi temple in East Ham, London to offer prayers and gratitude for their free evening meal.
They are not the homeless but in fact doctors from India who have come in thousands in answer to a call for recruitment from Britain's National Health Service or NHS only to find unemployment and have ended up living in London slums.
In many houses, 8-11 doctors live together in accommodation meant for only two infested with rats, cockroaches and bedbugs. Their stories are all chillingly similar.
"Some go to the temple, some to the Gurudwara, so 99 per cent of the people depend on them for lunch and dinner. Some people I know haven't got a job in 2 years. We've already paid so much money, we can't go back to India, so we have to struggle and somehow get into the NHS," said Dr Papanna.
"The living standards here are not good. The problem for doctors like me and people from other Asian countries is that we can't spend a lot as our money is limited and unless we get a job it becomes difficult to go to other parts of London and stay. This area has the cheapest accommodation and we have to accept whatever they give us," said another doctor.
Shattered dreams
With each unemployed doctor sending out over 10 applications for jobs and attachments per day, an estimated 50,000-80,000 postal applications go out each day. But even as the numbers of unemployed overseas doctors rise, the NHS continues to actively seek recruitment for a third of its posts from countries like India.
"The kind of doctors the NHS is looking for are senior doctors but the kind of doctors that seem to be coming from India are doctors who have just qualified and don't have any experience. They are competing with their own class fellows nobody else," said Dr Guneet, Indian doctor.
Many blame the internet for their wrecked dreams. As a primary source of information for most overseas doctors, they are easy prey to the flourishing business of crammer courses and estate agents who make their living off overseas doctors.
"Hassle-free" package deals are peddled on the internet - complete with sponsorship letters, accommodation, a guaranteed pass and a glamorous option to the Indian system. But it's the guarantee of employment that gets lost in the fine print.
"If you look at the entire UK saga - PLAB is the beginning - the membership, training is there for us to consolidate and then you may be able to use the UK to move on to the US," said Dr Sanjay Revankar, Indian doctor.
Difficult to resist
Admittedly, the maths is attractive and the dream of the big job in the big city is one that many find difficult to resist.
"In India it would have taken at least 10 years to get a degree and start earning a good sum that would satisfy my family needs. So I calculated that if I come to this place and I get a job even in a year's time, I will settle down and get a degree sooner and then decide to settle here or go back," maintained another Indian doctor.
But for many, the gamble doesn't pay off. Having staked over two years of their professional lives in preparing for Plab 2 and nearly all of their personal and family savings, most are left with little option but to play on.
"If I am sure of a job I am ready to spend as much as it requires. Because even if I go back home there is nothing back there - because I am just an MBBS and everyone knows the plight of MBBS graduates there," said Dr Mahadeo Bhide.
No one knows exactly how many unemployed overseas doctors there are in the UK. Estimates vary between 3,000 and 8,000. And as the wait for them gets longer and grimmer, what is becoming clear is that the more doctors take the PLAB exam, the more doctors are out of work.
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory...txtsrch=doctors
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 01-04-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-Aryawan+Jan 3 2006, 04:41 AM-->QUOTE(Aryawan @ Jan 3 2006, 04:41 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD....STAY IN OWN COUNTRY AND HAVE SOME SELF RESPECT DACTAAR BABU!</b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
WHAT IS YOUR COUNTRY OF RECENDENCY ARYAWAN? $20 ITS NOT INDIA. <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 01-04-2006
<b>SO MUCH FOR FIRST WORLD MORALITY AND ETHICS !!! </b>
<b>UK VISA ON OFFER FOR SEX!</b>
Nabanita Sircar
London, January 3, 2006
A probe has been launched following a newspaper report that staff at Britain's biggest immigration centre was giving UK visas to attractive foreigners in return for sex.
A former employee told the Sun tabloid that workers at the centre in Croydon, south London, used their influence to seduce pretty asylum seekers whereas "ugly" migrants would see their applications rejected.
The whistleblower, Anthony Pamnani, a former administration worker at Lunar House centre which deals with 300,000 visa and asylum applications a year made the claims.
23-year-old Pamnani said, "One girl came in and told us an administrative officer had visited her flat and they slept together. She got indefinite leave to stay."
Staff treated Brazilian girls most favourably, he claimed. They would allow them to stay twice as long in Britain as their male counterparts. However, he said unattractive women would receive the opposite treatment.
"Officers use to say about ugly girls: 'She's bloody disgusting -- let's send her back anyway,'" he said.
Pamnani said that in "many cases" passports were not checked to ensure immigrants had no previous convictions and were not wanted abroad. "It was lazy because they only had to walk a few yards and swipe it through a computer reader."
He told the paper the final straw for him came when staff was given instructions to allow in more immigrants from eastern Europe at the expense of those from India. "I lost what remaining respect I had for the job," he said.
Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said: "I have every confidence that staff within the Immigration and Nationality Directorate carry out their roles with professionalism and integrity. There are clearly established systems for staff to raise any concerns that they may have with working practices within their team and to take the issue further if they feel it is necessary.
"These are serious allegations and I will ensure that they are fully investigated. Until the outcome of that investigation is known, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further but clearly I will not condone this type of behaviour amongst staff."
http://www.samachar.com/showurl.htm?rurl=h...,~get~a~UK~visa!
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 01-04-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-jayshastri+Jan 4 2006, 03:15 AM-->QUOTE(jayshastri @ Jan 4 2006, 03:15 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin-Aryawan+Jan 3 2006, 04:41 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Aryawan @ Jan 3 2006, 04:41 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD....STAY IN OWN COUNTRY AND HAVE SOME SELF RESPECT DACTAAR BABU!</b>
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
WHAT IS YOUR COUNTRY OF RECENDENCY ARYAWAN? $20 ITS NOT INDIA. <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->[right][snapback]44260[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
No prizes for guessing.
Well, I am certainly not on free meals from temples by grace of God.
My objective of this post is to highlight the plight of Indian professionals who are lured by rosy/false propaganda only to find themselves at the mercy of free meals. There should be some mechanism to show the true picture and not to be carried away by the marketing tactics. It is sad to see qualified doctors struggling in UK who could have stayed in the country and most of the doctors in India are doing pretty well.
My post is not to demean anybody as that would be certainly unhuman.
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 03-11-2006
Indian citizen Billioniare list -
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->005. Lakshmi Mittal, 55, $23.5, steel
025. Azim Premji, 60, $13.3, software
056. Mukesh Ambani, 48, $8.5, petrochemicals
104. Anil Ambani, 46, $5.7, diversified
114. Kushal Pal Singh, 74, $5, real estate
125. Sunil Mittal, 48, $4.9, telecom
140. Kumar Birla, 38, $4.4, commodities
168. Shiv Nadar, 60, $4, technology
185. Pallonji Mistry, 76, $3.6, construction
207. Anurag Dikshit, 34, $3.3, online gambling
245. Anil Agarwal, 52, $2.8, mining, metals
245. Ravi and Shashi Ruia, $2.8, diversified
278. Adi Godrej and family, 63, $2.6, diversified
317. Indu Jain, 69, $2.4, media
317. Dilip Shanghvi, 50, $2.4, pharmaceuticals
512. Naresh Goyal, 56, $1.5, aviation
562. Baba Kalyani, 57, $1.4, engineering
562. Tulsi Tanti, 48, $1.4, wind energy
645. N.R. Narayana Murthy, 59, $1.2, software
698. Uday Kotak, 47, $1.1, banking
746. Subhash Chandra, 55, $1, media
746. Habil Khorakiwala, 63, $1, pharmaceuticals
746. Vijay Mallya, 50, $1, liquor<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Indian origin Billionaire list
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->147. Ananda Krishnan, 67, $4.3, diversified
512 Kavitark Shriram United States 50 1.5 United StatesÂ
645 Amar Bose United States 77 1.2 United States <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 03-16-2006
<b>Student Recites 8,784 Digits of Pi </b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->SALEM, Va. - A high school student Tuesday recited 8,784 digits of Pi â the non-repeating and non-terminating decimal â likely placing him among the top Pi-reciters in the world.
Gaurav Rajav, 15, had hoped to recite 10,790 digits and set a new record in the United States and North America. But he remembered enough to potentially place third in national and North American Pi recitation and 12th in the world.
His ranking should be verified by the Pi World Ranking List within two months.
"I'm kind of disappointed, but I guess I did OK," said Gaurav, a junior at Salem High School.
But his mathematical feat won the praise of others, including the math and computer science teacher who got Gaurav interested in it.
"I'm still stunned," said Linda Gooding, one of three contest judges. She then joked, "That's a couple more than I can do."
Gaurav began memorizing Pi while a student in Gooding's class. Gooding holds the competition every year, and said she expected students to learn about 40 digits. Gaurav recited nearly 2,990 the first time.
Gaurav's parents promised him an   Xbox 360 video game console if he had reached his goal. His father, Jogesh Rajav, jokingly offered to get him "an Xbox, but no game."
But Gaurav ultimately turned town his mother Seema's offer to buy him the game system anyway because of their deal.
He will try for the record again in May.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 03-21-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>AN INDIAN AMERICAN WOMAN FIGHTS THE SYSTEM</b>
One woman's lone battle against a megalithic system that routinely discriminates.
<b>UMA SWAMINATHAN VS THE PISCATAWAY BOARD OF EDUCATION</b>
March 29, 9am to ?
Where: Office of Administrative Law
Quakerbridge Plaza Road, Building 9, Room 2
Mercerville, NJ 08625
Open to the Public
Please come and show your support.
Directions:
From New Brunswick take route 1 south. Pass Princeton and turn right on Quaker Bridge road. Go past the mall on the right, proceed 2 miles. Make a right on Quaker Bridge Plaza. (Commerce Bank on the right) The building is on the left. Go to the 4th entrance and make a left to Bldg. 9. When you sign in ask which room the hearing will be held. Sometimes the room changes. Questions: call Uma at 732-649-4026.
Piscataway, NJ (March, 2006) - Uma Swaminathan, like many minority teachers before her, was systematically harassed and held to different standards than her white colleagues as a school teacher in Piscataway Township. She has found that many Indo-Americans face a similar challenge all over the country. There has been a systematic and methodical discrimination against Indo-Americans to keep them from the basic rights of job security and equality by labor unions, municipalities and state legislators.
Uma, who has been an outstanding educator and community leader, has refused to put up with differential treatment. She filed a discrimination lawsuit with the Division of Civil Rights. As a consequence, the Board of Education has suspended her and is threatening her job and reputation. Uma is fighting the system for the due rights of all Minority-Americans, regardless of the personal risks involved to herself. She has taken this burden on her shoulders even though her reputation and well being has been put on the line.
ç<b> am fighting against the current affairs in the state of New Jersey where the discrimination against Indian Americans has been on a steady increase. I cannot just sit on the sidelines knowing that injustice prevails in an environment that my children and grandchildren will grow up in. This country, The United States, is the land of opportunity - but only for those who fight for what they believe in. It has been a lone battle against a megalithic system. In times of my greatest turmoil and struggle, I remember the great actions of a lone woman by the name of Rosa Parks against the terrible odds and racism that faced her in her fight for justice. I believe I am the Rosa Parks of the Indian community. I hope I can live up to her ideals." - Uma Swaminathan</b>
Uma has been working with the famous discrimination lawyer, Lennox Hinds Esq. who has worked with such legendary figures as Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Mr. Hinds has an international reputation for fighting injustice.
Rosa Parks has shown that one lone woman can make a difference in the fight against tyranny. Her simple act of not getting off her seat in the front of the bus changed the landscape and condition of the Black American in this country forever, paving the way for Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement. Rosa Parks recently passed away on Monday Oct. 24th at the age of 92.
Uma Swaminathan was the past president of the Association of Indians in America. Her husband was one of founding members of AIA. She is a board member of the Asian American Heritage Council and the Monmouth World Religions Organization of New Jersey. She won the 1994 Civic Award at the Mrs. New Jersey, United States pageant held in Atlantic City.
Uma is also a documentary film maker. She has used her films on culture and festivals to teach students in her class. This approach has inspired many of her students to venture into writing and film making.  This multi talented woman is a classical Bharatnatyam dancer, an artist who has displayed her art at various venues, and a community leader. She holds a private pilots license from India.Â
As a cross-cultural presenter/ diversity trainer Uma has made presentations at Rutgers University Youth Diversity Conference, EEOC and the State Division of Civil Rights, NJ Social Studies Conference, PTEA-PD, the PTO of Connacamack Middle School, NJ., just to name a few.
It is appalling how a school system could let go of such a highly qualified teacher. It questions the motivation of those in supervisory position.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 03-23-2006
<!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo--> How much India is there in the US?
[ Monday, February 27, 2006 10:38:52 amPTI ]
RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
However, it notes that lack of mobility is the only troublesome factor for visitors to USA"... public buses are few. There are no railway locals that can be compared to that of Mumbai. Taxis are there but not freely available on road. Parking is a problem beyond imagination."
"If you want to enjoy America, you must have four 'C' - Car Driving, Computer, Cell Phone and Credit Card," it says. "It is better to undertake insurance cover in India, before starting the journey rather than having it after reaching," it advises.
On things peculiar to USA, it says "there are many things which are not odd, but still are peculiar to USA...the Americans don't mix solids and liquids, so eating dal with roti or dal with rice is not seen."
"There is no system of putting name plates on houses in America... so unless you know the number of house you want to visit, it is impossible to trace that house." On odds in USA, it says "contract system of jobs, bankruptcy and liquidation."
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NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 03-27-2006
Link<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Ragsdale: Historic prayer by Hindu priest touches on faith's growth in Iowa</b>SHIRLEY RAGSDALE
REGISTER RELIGION EDITOR
March 25, 2006
Although it didn't receive a lot of fanfare, something historic happened this month at the Capitol. For the first time, a Hindu priest offered the opening prayer at the legislative session in the Iowa House and Senate.
Pandit Krishna Pandey prayed in Sanskrit and English for brotherhood and peace in the universe.
That Pandey was invited and welcomed is a tribute to lawmakers' recognition of Iowa's growing religious diversity.
That it didn't cause a stir is an important signal that minority religions are respected and accepted in this predominantly Christian state.
The invitation extended to Pandey and Suren Gupta, chairman of the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center, came from Sen. Herman Quirmbach and Rep. Lisa Heddens, Ames Democrats.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 03-31-2006
From Ram Narayanan's list
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The House Bill HR 4974 has been referred to the House International Relations Committee (HIRC). The HIRC must first approve the legislation before it goes for voting by the Full House.
HIRC has 50 members. For their names, log on toÂ
http://www.usindiafriendship.net/congress1...ittees/hirc.htm
Click each name to get the contact details.
Likewise, the Senate Bill S 2429 must first be approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) before itâs voted on by the Full Senate.
SFRC has 18 members listed on
http://www.usindiafriendship.net/congress1...nscommittee.htm
Click each name to get contact information.
_________________________________________________________
As of now, no member of the Senate has opposed the proposed legislation. However, 18 members of the House of 435 have expressed opposition by tabling or co-sponsoring a resolution against the nuclear agreement.
These 18 members are:
<b>Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - 3/8/2006
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] - 3/16/2006
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] - 2/14/2006
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] - 3/16/2006
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] - 2/28/2006
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] - 3/8/2006
Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10] - 2/7/2006
Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3] - 2/7/2006
Rep Meehan, Martin T. [MA-5] - 2/14/2006
Rep Nadler, Jerrold [NY-8] - 3/16/2006
Rep Neal, Richard E. [MA-2] - 3/16/2006
Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1] - 3/16/2006
Rep Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10] - 3/14/2006
Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9] - 3/13/2006
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 3/2/2006
Rep Upton, Fred [MI-6] - 12/15/2005
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] - 3/2/2006 </b>
Only one of the above 18 is a member of the HIRC -- Rep Donald Payne.
All except one -- Fred Upton -- are Democrats. And a majority -- 10 of the 18 -- are members of the so-called India Caucus . (Has the time come to wind up the India Caucus, or else, enforce stricter admission standards for membership of the Caucus?)
Cheers,
Ram Narayanan
US-India Friendship
http://www.usindiafriendship.net/ <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 04-05-2006
Action alert from Ram Narayanan:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Please visit http://www.us-indiafriendshipcouncil.org/
This website provides you the text of important documents on the US-India
civilian nuclear deal including the text of bills H.R 4974 and S 2429.
VERY IMPORTANT: It displays a letter which you can WITH ONE
CLICK, despatch to your House Rep and your Two Senators
urging them to "Say Yes to the Nuclear Deal with India".
Even if you have already sent your own message to your three lawmakers,
or have used one of the sample template letters displayed at http://www.usindiafriendship.net/congress1...aragreement.htm,
you may still find it useful to despatch the letter shown on
http://www.us-indiafriendshipcouncil.org/, as a follow-up.
The more e-mails you write, the more faxes you send, and the more telephone
and face to face contacts you make with your THREE lawmakers (and their
senior aides), the more the chances of their paying SERIOUS ATTENTION
to your strong feeling on this VERY IMPORTANT issue.
Cheers,
Ram Narayanan
US-India Friendship
http://www.usindiafriendship.net/
___________________________________________
PS: Read to get an idea on http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6040201315.html
how important it is to flood the fax machines and e-mail boxes of your
THREE lawmakers in order to transform the civil nuclear deal before
Congress from a "hard" sell to a "soft" sell.
There is a lot, lot of work ahead of all of us! The next two-three weeks
are crucial.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 04-06-2006
<!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo--> Indo-US nuclear deal gets thumbs up in Senate hearing
Chidanand Rajghatta
[ Wednesday, April 05, 2006 10:47:12 pmTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
"This is a big deal, no pun intended. This is a jump of faith. It comes down to a simple bet we are making
-- that India appreciates that our two nations will be the two of the anchors of the world," Biden, who had remained quiet about the deal so far, said.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was testifying before the committee, told him that that the administration believed Indiaâs nuclear weapons program was more related to the political-military conditions to the region rather than to the quantify of fissile material available.
Rebutting the argument that the nuclear deal could accelerate weapons production, Rice said India had a "restrained minimum deterrence program." She also suggested that India had sufficient stocks of uranium for its modest weapons program and did not need the uranium freed up by the deal to advance its program.
Fierce opposition to the deal came from Barbara Boxer, the liberal Senator from California who is related to the Clintons by marriage (her daughter was married to Hillaryâs brother).
Echoing every argument of the non-proliferation lobby that was lavishly reported in the newspapers in what was evidently an orchestrated campaign, Boxer attacked Rice for not insisting on getting India to curtail its ties with Iran and indicated she would make that as a condition for the deal to pass.
But for the fireworks from Boxer and a procedural inquisition from Sarbanes, it was a fairly smooth hearing with most Senators agreeing with the broad principle of courting India as an ally and overcoming the historical non-proliferation baggage, although they nitpicked about perceived shortcomings in the deal.
Kerry, for instance, wanted the administration to look at the possibiity of limiting the nuclear weapons of China, India and Pakistan the same way as US and the Soviet Union/Russia had. He also wanted India to limit its fissile material production.
On her part, Rice sought to draw the committee's attention to the big picture rather than small details, even as she answered their questions with poise.
"We believe the continued isolation of our strategic partner is a wrong policy choice," she told the Senate committee, "We have to deal with reality and overcome history. Give us your support and together we can advance American interest."
At the end of the day it seemed she had their broad support.
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NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 04-06-2006
<b>The forgotten Indian diaspora</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The largest number of Indians currently reside in the USA (1,678,765), followed by UK (1,200,000) and South Africa (1,000,000) Lowest number of Indians are to be found in Cape Verde (4), Lithuania, Equador, South Korea (5) and Croatia (10).
Country PIOs NRIs Stateless
Myanmar 2,500,000 2,000 400,000
Malaysia 1,600,000 15,000 50,000
Australia 160,000 30,000
Canada 700,000 150,000 1,000
Trinidad & Tobago500,000 600
Suriname 150,306 150
Guyana 395,250 100
Switzerland 8,400 4,800 300
Sweden 9,000 2,000
Argentina 1,200 400
Afghanistan 500
Peru 10 135
Egypt 40 1,350
Poland 75 750
China 5 300
Cape Verde 4
Romania 2 489
Columbia 1 19
Costa Rica 1 15
Maldives 1 9,000<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 04-08-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Hindu Society of Minnesota
1835 Polk Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mr. Umesh Singh
Hindu Society of Minnesota
Board of Trustees
Executive Committee Member
singhuks@hotmail.com
763.416.4068
Contact: Mr. Varadarajan Chari
Hindu Society of Minnesota
Board of Trustees
Member Executive Committee Member
chari@econ.umn.edu
763.559.8159
New Temple in Maple Grove Vandalized
Maple Grove, MN --- April 7, 2006 --- On the night of April 5, 2006, the new temple being constructed in Maple Grove, MN by the Hindu Society of Minnesota was vandalized. Vandals broke in to the 43,000 square feet facility and damaged the religious deities and several other areas of the temple, including the auditorium, dining hall and classrooms. The temple, in its final stage of construction, was scheduled to open to the public in June 2006.
In light of the recent vandalism, however, this date is being reevaluated by the leadership team of the Hindu Society of Minnesota. Numerous architects have been working for over two years on the traditional Hindu design of the temple. Many pieces of the temple have been handcrafted in India and shipped to Minnesota for use. The deities in the religious altar, located on the second floor of the facility, were constructed in India and were destroyed as a result of the vandalism. These uniquely crafted pieces will be difficult to replace.
The City of Maple Grove has been enthusiastically involved in the planning and construction of the new temple and is extremely distressed about the acts of vandalism.
The City is actively working with authorities on the investigation of the vandalism.
While the Hindu community of Minnesota is deeply saddened at the destruction of their place of worship and the center of their community, they are confident that they will be able to repair the damage done to the building. `We remain positive
that our temple will be restored and that this case of vandalism will not affect the healthy and established relationship between the Hindu Society of Minnesota and the greater community,' states Dr. Shashikant Sane, Chair of the Board of
Trustees of the Hindu Society of Minnesota.
###
For more information on this article or the Hindu Society of
Minnesota, please contact Mr. Singh or Mr. Chari.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 04-10-2006
http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_098083452.html
The above link has the story, pictures and a video footage of the vandalism.
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 04-11-2006
<b>Hindu Temple in Minnesota Vandalized </b>
Please sign the following petition using the URL given
below.
http://www.petitiononline.com/mnmandir/
To: Local Official and Governor of Minnesota
PETITION TO LOCAL OFFICIALS OF MAPLE GROVE, &
GOVERNOR OF MINNESOTA FOR BRINGING CULPRITS INVOLVED IN VANDALISATION OF HINDU MANDIR TO JUSTICE
NRI Corner 2 - utepian - 04-14-2006
<b>A cricket player takes his place serving the Red Sox faithful</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->As meteoric rises go, this one is up there. When Amartya ''Marty" Ray, an ace cricket player from Calcutta, moved here in 1998 to attend college, he didn't even know what a home run was. Today, at age 26, he is coordinator of fan and neighborhood services for the Red Sox.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 04-19-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Indian student held in US for anti-Bush messages </b>
Wednesday, 19 April , 2006, 18:48Â
Washington: An Indian student in United States has been arrested for posting violent messages on an internet bulletin board urging readers to kill President George W Bush and his family.
Vikram Buddhi, a 34-year-old graduate student of Industrial Engineering and a teaching assistant at Purdue University in Indiana was picked up by the secret service last week.
According to the Federal Court records, the threats posted by Buddhi included messages urging readers to kill the President, the Vice President and their families and bomb key sites in the United States.
Buddhi came to the United States in 1996 on a student F-1 visa and a spokesperson of Purdue University has confirmed his status in that school, the records said.
The investigation of Buddhi is said to have begun last December when a concerned reader reported the contents of the message board to the government. That got the Secret Service into action working with the Purdue Police to track down the source.
Buddhi has admitted making the threats as also using several IP addresses to conceal his identity, the local media quoted court documents as saying. Buddhi has posted a bond for $ 10,000 and was released from the Tippecanoe County jail on Monday.
The Indian student who is said to be living in the West Lafayette area for the last ten years is also said to have posted other threatening messages, including against Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and for the killing of all Republicans.
His lawyer John Martin said that he did not consider his clients messages as direct threats. "They werenât sent to the White House."
"There were no letters sent to the White House, and if your read them, theyâre vulgar perhaps, but you wouldnât read them and think there is any serious intent."
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Find out whether he is linked with AID, ASHA, CIIS or FOSA?
NRI Corner 2 - utepian - 04-20-2006
Oh hello, our NRI hero of the day - Mr. Buddhi-man is enacting a page from the regular FOIL chatter of "down with American Imperialism". Student of Biju Matthew, Angana Chatterji, Vinay "dirty thirty" Lal by any chance? A secret terrorist loving AID volunteer maybe.
NRI Corner 2 - Guest - 04-20-2006
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Buddhi came to the United States in 1996 on a student F-1 visa and a spokesperson of Purdue University has confirmed his status in that school, the records said.
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On student's visa for 10 years! That itself is a proof positive that he's a FOSA plant to stir the pot at liberal universities. Just like Anu Mandavilli and Ashish Chadda who have been perennial "grad" students. Homeland security, u listening?