Clinton Endorses Immigration Initiative by South Asian

Clinton Endorses Immigration Initiative by South Asian Ex - President Clinton announced the Breakthrough initiative along with five others, at the closing plenary of the first day of the Clinton Global Initiative last month. The Breakthrough Initiative has a commitment to “reframe the immigration debate in the United States to demonstrate how fair policies that respect human rights can benefit all Americans,” according to organizers. The organization works for immigrant rights, and says that the entertainment industry in particular has been very reluctant to partner with them over the contentious issue. Organizers hope that that the recognition from the Clinton Global Initiative would correct the situation. The organization has a fund raiser slated for November 10 in New York.

Channel 13 will air a segment of Indian filmmaking in New York, the weekly half-hour program series New York Voices, on September 29 at 10:30 p.m. Opening with Tirlok Malik, a pioneer in Indian-American filmmaking in New York, the segment also features many other Indian-American filmmakers and actors – actress Pooja Kumar, actor Ranjit Chowdhry, DJ Rekha, producer Chander Malik – as well as media personalities including Sree Sreenivasan of SAJA. Scenes appear from many Indian-American movies such as Lonely In America, Little Magician, Arya, Flavors, Night With Henna, Hiding Divya and many others, including Bollywood movies with Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. About filmmaking and actors’ passions and pursuits in New York City, the show also includes The Sopranos star Michael Imperioli.

Padmini, popular actress of yesteryear, who was paired with well-known heroes of Indian cinema like Raj Kapoor and M G Ramachandran, died of cardiac arrest in Chennai on Sept. 24. The 74-year-old actress and dansuese is survived by a son, who lives in the United States. Born in Poojapura in Thiruvananthapuram on July 12, 1932, Padmini started learning dance at the early age of four, and joined the film industry in 1949. Giving up her film carrier after marriage with Dr. K. T. Ramachandran, she settled in the United States, where she started the famous Padmini School of Fine Arts in New Jersey in the basement of her home. Padmini began to perform in the classical tradition on the stage in the United States. After the death of her husband in 1981, she divided her time between New Jersey and Tamil Nadu until she returned a few months ago to live once again in her homeland. When she left the US, she left behind not only many dance teachers, whom she trained, but also a set of traditions, which have come to stay in the life of Indian Americans. Tamil film buffs adore her role as a dancer in Thillana Mohanambal, in which she starred alongside Sivaji Ganesan. Shortly before she passed away, she made a public appearance to participate in the film world felicitation to Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. A versatile artist, Padmini had acted in about 250 Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. In Malayalam, her early hits included Snehaseema, Umminithanga, Adhyapika, Vivahitha and Kumara Sambhavam. She teamed up with Raj Kapoor in Bollywood to create big hits like Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai and Mera Naam Joker

Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran visited Washington DC on September 21 for wide ranging discussions on all aspects of bilateral relations, including the civil nuclear understanding. During his visit, Saran called on Rep. Henry Hyde, Chairman of the House International Relations Committee; Senate Majority Leader William Frist, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Congressman Tom Lantos, Ranking Member of the House International Relations Committee, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Robert Joseph and Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economic Relations David McCormick. Saran also met Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns and Counselor in the State Department Philip Zelikow in New York. Raksha Mantri Pranab Mukherjee was expected to meet Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice later.

Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma announced his plan for an International Hindi Summit to be held next year in New York. The minister was addressing a group of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan members and members of the press on Sept 19. The minister was in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly. “India is finding its place in the world,” Sharma said in Hindi. “Some people think speaking Hindi is unfashionable. But respecting your mother tongue is very important.” Dr. Jayaraman, President of the Bhavan, called for the support of the community in making a success of the summit, which is likely to be held in July 2007.

New York Life Insurance Company unveiled a documentary on Sept. 15, which highlighted a recent trip to India by winners of an essay competition. The documentary captures the group’s visits with Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi, and other government officials. New York Life Chairman and CEO Sy Sternberg honored the 15 winners of the essay contest. The winners visited Gujarat from July 20 to August 3. The trip was designed to teach the winners about the economy, education, culture, environment, culture, environment, and other aspects of daily life in India, to inspire them to stay connected to their culture, according to organizers. The documentary captures the impressions of the young winners, and enables viewers to see India through their eyes.

In honor of the festive season, starting at the end of September, Tilda Basmati Rice is being sold for a discounted price of $11.49 for a 15-lb bag, as opposed to $9.99 for a 10-lb bag. Tilda will be undertaking a new marketing campaign in South Asian media outlets to spread the word to the consumers about this offer. “Tilda Marketing, Inc is always looking for ways to give back to the comm unity,” said T. P. Mahesh, President Tilda, USA. “In India, we have set up many programs to give back to and the farmers who grow the rice. What better time than during the holiday season to express our gratitudeto our consumers in the US.”

Mahatma Gandhi’s 137th birth anniversary was celebrated by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan on Sept. 30 in New York. The community gathered to remember the Mahatma through discussions on strategies for peace among leaders of the community, and a ghazal and bhajan concert by Shailendra Bharathi.

To help encourage youths and parents to come out of the dowry menace, city-based web promoters NKG Online started a unique website www.idontwantdowry.com, for the first time in the country. This provides a forum for brides and grooms, who wish to marry without dowry. ‘‘We have several matrimonial websites offering marriage proposals based on caste, community, religion and region. Many proposals fall flat on the dowry issue, though it is not openly discussed. So we thought of starting a website exclusively on this issue,’’ said Satya Naresh, director of the website. He told ‘Express’ that this initiative was a blend of business and social work basically intended to create awareness. The registration is free and they can receive mails from other members. However, to send mails one has to pay a fee of Rs 500 for six months. The site was started on April 2 this year bring out the people from the fools paradise of dowry. Though the response was not encouraging initially, it is gradually improving. At present, there are over 2,850 profiles on the site. The quality of profiles are improving. People with higher educational qualifications are figuring. Though women are the worst sufferers of dowry menace, surprisingly many of them are not coming forward to register their names here. Two thirds of the profiles are from men. To take this initiative further, Naresh said they are proposing to conduct ‘Swayamvaram’ on October 15 at Ravindra Bharati, first of its kind. Here those who wish to marry without dowry will be invited to select their partners. “‘‘My mission is to carry the message to the rural people, who do not approach net services,’’ he said. There are only about four crore people having net connectivity in the country. He said he will be starting classified, first time on a website giving details of proposals, so that the people can directly contact the parties by phone or post. - Agencies

The newly crowned Miss Universe 2006, Zuleyka Rivera, was joined by designer Anand Jon, actress Michelle Rodriguez and designer Sanjana Jon, at the announcement of the IG International / AIDS Awareness Tour with Miss Universe, at the United Nations on Sept. 27. “Get Tested. It’s in Fashion” is the tagline for the AIDS Awareness Tour that uses fashion, entertainment and celebrity power to raise public awareness on AIDS, a growing epidemic in the developing world. A select group of international models will be joining Rivera and Sanjana Jon as they travel to several cities in India, visiting charities to spread the message of AIDS awareness.

DulhanExpo, a much-awaited bridal show, was held at the Long Island Hilton on Sept.24. The show, put together by Sumit and Shikha Arya, featured 80 vendors, fashion show, and several live shows. Visitors also enjoyed Sitar Retaurant’s buffet, free mehndi samples, free massages, fashion shows, performances by belly dancers, vocals by Saurabh Jain and Ritesh Rathod, tabla by Anand Patole, sitar by Anjana, and dhol by Madan Madi, saxophone by Ramesh Maraj and Masala Bhangra Fitness by Sarina Jain.

The lavish spending on Indian marriages is giving several states knotty thoughts. In a bid to cash-in on the marriage fervour, a host of states — spread across the length and breadth of India — are now offering to play wedding planners for wellheeled Indians and foreigners. Rajasthan tourism ministry has already initiated dialogue with a number of tour operators and hoteliers to promote the state as the ideal spot to say your nuptial vows. On offer — as the ideal spot for tieing the knot — are the scores of palaces dotting the state’s vast landscape. “Though the segment is very small right now, we feel it has a huge growth potential,” says Vinod Zutshi, secretary, Rajasthan tourism department. “After the publicity that we got with celebrities coming to Rajasthan for royal weddings, we felt this could be another area we can look at to earn more revenue.” adds Zutshi. According to rough industry estimates, the cost of organising such weddings starts from Rs 5 lakh. Industry insiders say the upper limit would depend on the place, arrangements and the number of people attending the event. “Ancient palaces, heritage hotels, colourful traditions and the shahi costumes are the main attractions,” says rajasthan tourism minister Usha Punia. “Cities like Jaipur and Udaipur, which have big palaces, heritage hotels, serve as perfect venues. Add to that camels, elephants and ethnic jewelleries, and they make Rajasthan a hot destination for royal weddings.” “What’s interesting is the fact that not only affluent Indians, but even a number of foreigners are now opting for such weddings,” Punia adds. If Rangilo Rajasthan is betting on its maharaja-style shadi, others like Uttaranchal and Goa are hardselling their natural beauty to woo the wedding party. “It’s a big segment and we are now exploring the idea on a larger scale,” says Satyen Nagwekar, marketing manager, Goa Tourism. “We have been noticing the trend for some time now. There are a number of people from Gujarat and Bengal coming to Goa to get married on the beaches,” adds Nagwekar. A growing population, especially from north India, is also flocking the hills — not on weekend getaways, but to get married. “There are also a number of foreigners who come to Haridwar, Risikesh and tie the knot in the ashrams there. We are studying the segment closely and see a lot of potential,” says Arun Srivastava, director (marketing), Uttaranchal Tourism. Event managers are also seeing big bucks in this new-found fad. “A lot of NRIs are coming to India to get married not only in Rajasthan but also in Goa because of its beaches, and Amba Valley which has perfect ambiance and infrastructure to its beauty,” says event manager Gurlein Manchanda. The wedding bells also mean big business for tour operators and hoteliers. “People who come for such royal weddings are big spenders, and we make special arrangements to meet all their needs,” says Bharat Hotels chairman Lalit Suri. Besides generating additional revenue for the travel industry, Suri says, such events help in spreading a good word in the global markets about India as a destination. - Agencies

Las Vegas ends late-night wedding license service Las Vegas bills itself as “the wedding capital of the world,” but late-night revelers who decide they want to tie the knot now must wait until morning. The county’s marriage-license office, as of Wednesday, will be closed between midnight and 8 a.m., when much of Las Vegas is still very much alive. “It’s one of the things Vegas is known for — you can gamble, get drunk and get married all in the middle of the night,” said Jay DeLeon, manager of the Graceland Wedding Chapel — where Elvis impersonators make special nuptial appearances. Probably the best known late-night marriage seeker was pop star Britney Spears, who shocked the world in 2004 when she married a childhood friend just before sunrise in Las Vegas. That union was quickly annulled. People can still get married around the clock at one of the city’s few all-night wedding chapels; it will just take a bit more planning to obtain the $55 license, said Cheryl Vernon, who supervises the marriage-services office in the county clerk’s depart ment. Vernon said the new office hours were not the result of a push to curb irresponsible life decisions, but simply because too few early-morning customers - - about 15-30 people — came in to justify a late-night shift. About 300 to 500 people seek licenses on a normal shift, she said. Last year the office issued 122,259 marriage licenses.Vernon said most late-night license seekers have been jet-lagged travelers lugging suitcases and trying to avoid daytime lines, rather than spontaneous celebrants. Still, there were notable exceptions. “Yes, we did have our few — like Britney (Spears). She came in at five in the morning,” Vernon