"I visited the two villages with my sister and her husband and it was quite emotional meeting our family there for the first time after so many generations", said Bisram who now resides in the USA. "We sponsored a bhoj or feeding in both villages involving over 200 people each in each village on separate days. My brother-in-law Jagjeet Persaud found his maternal relatives in Mau District and he also visited two separate villages during this trip. Altogether they visited four villages and donated money and gifts to the poor and elderly. The villagers were quite excited and happy about their presence, and they were glad to know they have relatives outside of India, especially in America, observed Bisram.

Bisram said that finding the relatives were made possible through assistance from journalists in the nearby villages in India. The ship documents (also known as passes) were given to indentured laborers and information on the passes were used to trace the villages. They spoke with elderly people who told them they were informed by their parents that people left the left the villages a long time ago. "Our newly found families are poor villagers, yet they seem content and humble. They lack some of the basic necessities but went out of their way to make us feel comfortable", observed Bisram. "Overall, we are very excited that we found our relatives; on their side, they would like to obtain help so that their lives can be uplifted as well", noted Bisram.

Tracing Our Roots was initiated by GOPIO at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 205 in Mumbai where GOPIO's Secretary General Ashook Ramsaran chaired the Tracing Our Roots session. GOPIO is actively engaged in discussions with groups and governments in several PIO countries to access, preserve and document the arrival records so that current future generations can have the means to trace their roots to the ancestral villages in India. Currently, GOPIO is collaborating on a proposal to the Government of India's Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs for a global database of all Indians who left India from 1830 thru' 1920.

Contributred by Vishnu Bisram

DENMARK STOPS ADOPTION OF CHILDREN FROM INDIA

Denmark has temporarily put a stop to adopting children from India. One of the two of Denmark's adoption agencies in Denmark was recently said to have adopted 2 kids from the city of Pune, without having verified the parental consent. That practice is a violation of the Danish Adoption Act that states that the consent of the original parents is a must before an adoption can proceed.

A Pune agency is the Indian counterpart that supplies children for adoption to such foreign adoption agencies and makes several thousand dollars per single adopted child. The legal limit in India for accepting donations per an adopted child is $3500 while it is reported charges were sometimes in the range of $12,000. In addition, dozens of kids were abducted and provided to foreign adoption agencies every year. While the Indian media has steadily written about this practice , Denmark has now taken the first step towards regulating this shady business. 

CANADIAN SIKH COMPENSATED BY WONDERLAND

Wonderland, Paramount Canada's amusement park, has paid an unspecified amount to a Sikh man who was denied to drive a go-cart because he refused to wear a helmet. The case dates back to 2001 when the turbaned Sikh Gurcharan Dran was not allowed by Wonderland to the ride because of helmet regulations. Enforced by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, helmet wearing is mandatory across Canada during go-carting for insurance reasons.

Having been denied to ride without a helmet, Dran had taken the issue to the Ontario Human Rights Commission in 2001. He had challenged the regulations on helmet use on religious grounds. With him having reached a settlement with Wonderland for an unspecified amount last October, the Ontario Human Rights Commission has also recommended to the authorities that the Sikhs be given exemptions from helmets for go-kart. In addition to paying Dran the monetary compensation, the amusement park has also asked the regulatory authorities  -- the Ministry of Government Services and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority -- to exempt Sikhs from the helmet for go-kart rides.

Though the Sikhs can claim victory, many insurance groups may not insure amusement parks fearing that rides without helmets could lead to injuries, raising insurance pricing. The turban versus helmet issue between the Sikhs and Canadian authorities dates back to the early 1990s when Vancouver-based Baltej Singh Dhillon became the first turbaned Sikh to join the RCMP after fighting a bitter battle for his right to wear a turban. While British Columbia and Manitoba allow turbaned Sikhs to drive without helmets, Ontario does not. A case of a Sikh man charged with riding without a helmet is pending here and will come up in court later in the year.

JET AIRWAYS TO START US-INDIA FLIGHTS FROM AUGUST 5^TH

More than two years after announcing its intentions to fly into the "Land of Opportunities", Jet Airways on August 5, 2007 would become the first private Indian carrier to enter the U.S. market. And for the Jet Airways chief, Naresh Goyal, it is a dream come-true, especially so after overcoming so many hurdles including the allegations that he and his company had some connections with the terrorist network. Now all that is a thing of the past as the US Department of State and Homeland Security has cleared him and the Jet Airways from all those charges and thus permitting the airlines to fly its commercial planes into the US. "I am delighted to be here today. New York or USA is most important for us," Goyal told the New York media at a function held here to formally announce the launch of Mumbai-Brussels-Newark daily flights from August 5.

At a time when there is a near scramble among other airlines to launch non-stop flights, Goyal said he was not in the race and instead would try and create a niche for Jet Airways.  "We are not going for non-stop flights right now. One stop brings in more money than non-stop," he said at the end of an hour-long impressive presentation at a luxurious hotel in Manhattan.  The Jet Airways flight will operate between the New York's Newark Liberty International Airport and Mumbai International Airport on new Boeing 777-300ER wide-bodied jets. Flights depart Newark International Airport at 8-25PM and arrive in Mumbai at 11.30PM the following day; they return from Mumbai at 2.10AM and arrive in New York JFK at 11.55AM. the same day.

Goyal also announced that Jet Airways would start its New Delhi-Brussels-Toronto service from September 5. Jet Airways is building a major hub in Brussels in order to connect Indian and North American cities. In addition to flights to Brussels from Mumbai and Delhi, direct flights between Brussels and Chennai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad will eventually enable travelers to connect seamlessly from five Indian gateways to six North American airports - Newark, JFK, Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In Asia Sanghai and Hong Kong are due to come on line in 2008 as are Johannesburg and Nairobi.

Jet Airways also wants to start a New Delhi-Brussels-Washington DC service, a market, which has not been tapped yet, Goyal said. Urging people in his own style to fly Jet Airways, Goyal said: "Please fly Jet Airways. If we make mistake in the first flight, do not write us off. Let us know and give time to improve."  He was confident that the US market is ready to recognize Jet Airways as one of the most exciting and outstanding pioneers of aviation in the world today.

ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST HINDU TEMPLE OPENS IN CANADA

Swaminaryan Temple in Ontario will be one largest temple in the world. Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (temple) was opened for worship on July 22^nd in the presence of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Toronto Mayor David Miller and other dignitaries. The exterior is a confection of creamy hand-carved limestone and sparkling Italian Carrara marble. Pink sandstone decorates the interior spaces.

"Mostly people are proud to have it here," Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said, adding it is the pride of Toronto and will help Canadians discover India in Canada. Costing US$ 40 million, it was built  using 400 volunteer workers without any public funding. Temple's walls and ceilings are embellished with carved figures, both human and animal, everything from dancing women to elephants and peacocks. These are images of divinity, sensuality and serenity. 

Indeed, the temple is a monument to skills largely lost in our mechanized age. Marble from India and Italy and limestone from Turkey were shipped first to a series of villages in India where they were sculpted into their final form. The pieces were then transported to Toronto to be assembled.

Beneath the mandir, is the Indo-Canadian Museum of Cultural Heritage. This will be the specifically Canadian addition to what is otherwise a traditional complex, a nod to multiculturalism.

NEW JERSEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS GET FUNDING TO TEACH HINDI

The Edison School District in New Jersey has received a federal grant of nearly $200,000 to introduce Hindi as a foreign language in its schools. Edison has the highest concentration of Indians in the United States. This happened on the eve of the three-day Eighth World Hindi Conference in New York which began on July  13, 2007 and welcomed by Hindi-lovers in the United States of America.

School authorities said Hindi would be introduced as a foreign language in Edison schools from the next academic year beginning September 2008. The federal grant to the Edison School District for this is part of the new initiative by the Bush Administration to increase the number of Americans learning critical-need foreign languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Farsi.

The announcement from Edison School authorities has been welcomed by the residents of Edison, a large number of whom for the past several years were campaigning for this. HindiUSA is an organization that is campaigning for the introduction of Hindi in US schools. Devendra Singh of the HindiUSA said that his organization would help Edison Schoo l authorities in developing the syllabus for various classes and other teaching standards and tools.

Contributed by Bina Mahabir

HEWLETT AND GATES FOUNDATION DONATES $9.1 MILLION TO PRATHAM

Pratham, an organization which supports Indian children's education received a $9.1 million grant from the William and Flora Hewlett and Bill & Melinda Gates foundations. The grant supports Pratham's Read India initiative, which is working in conjunction with Indian state governments to help ensure that children between the ages of 6 and 14 achieve basic mastery in these skills by the end of 2009.

The gift to Pratham is the first grant the Hewlett and Gates foundations have awarded in their partnership to improve the quality of education in developing countries.  The two foundations previously announced that they will collaborate on a series of grants to improve the quality of education at primary and secondary schools in the developing world.

The grant to Pratham will improve basic learning skills in 100 districts of India, touching 10 million children spread over 10 states for three years. The project, which was launched in January, will be executed in two phases: first "learning to read" followed by "reading to learn." The grant also will support: a rigorous evaluation of the Read India program, the large-scale expansion of a model to rapidly improve learning levels of children in language, mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences and life skills, and an evaluation of individual learning outcomes.

According to Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham's Co-Founder and Director of Programs, an estimated 50 percent of the children in India cannot read at a minimum level. The Read India initiative, led by Pratham in collaboration with the state governments of India, is a phased programs that will focus on four major components: introducing "learning to read" activities in all schools, creating and supplying reading and learning materials to teachers, involving mothers in their children's learning, and mobilizing youth groups in helping teachers, children, and parents.

The program will be an important step in the efforts to end the cycle of poverty perpetuated by illiteracy and poor education.  As part of its mission, Pratham volunteers and supporters are working to ensure that every Indian child is in school and learning well, enabling India to eliminate childhood illiteracy in India and to meet the UN millennium education goals.

Pratham USA President Mahalingham Ramesh said that the organization's goal is to raise $15 million in additional funding in the next two years through major sponsorships and individual donations in order to provide the remaining 500 districts with the necessary resources of staff, volunteers and measurement of results.  

DR. RANJIT SINGH SABHARWAL CHAIR ESTABLISHED AT CAL STATE UNIVERSITY

A new chair, "Dr. Ranjit Singh Sabharwal Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies" was set up in  California State University, East Bay on June 1, 2007. There are already over a dozen chairs in various universities in California, including two in music, three in Sikh Studies at UC Santa Barbara, Riverside and Santa Cruz. Navin Doshi alone has established two chairs, one in UCLA and another in Loyola Marymont University, Los Angeles.

Professor Sabharwal taught mathematics from 1968 until his retirement at the university. In 2003, he endowed the Sabharwal Family Scholarship Fund for CSUEB mathematics students. After his death, family raised $500,000 from the local Punjabi community to endow a chair in his honor.

BHARATVANSHI GAURAV SAMMAN 2007

Recommendations are solicited by the trustees of the ARSP Nyas for the Award of Bharatvanshi Gaurav Samman for outstanding contributions by an NRI/PIO for fostering better understanding outside India and for making a significant contributions in serving the Indian Diaspora. The award consists of citation, shawl, memento and Rs.1,00,000 (One lakh only).

The first award was given to Shri Ranjith Ramnarin of South Africa by Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Mauritius, on 25^th October, 2005. The 2^nd Award was given to Shri Satnarayan Maharaj of Trinidad & Tobago by Shri Inder Kumar Gujral, Former Prime Minister of India, on 23^rd December, 2006.

The recommendations should be accompanied with details of the work done by the person and should reach Nyas headquarters at 6-M, Bhagat Singh Market, New Delhi-110001, latest by 15^th August, 2007.

NRI ACHIEVERS MAGAZINE LAUNCHED

Lord Swraj Paul, launched a new quarterly magazine "NRI Achievers" which will be published by BIB Media Pvt Ltd. He lauded the achievements of NRIs and complimented the next generation as "more hardworking and persevering than us."

Jagmohan Singh, Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, said, "It's a magazine celebrating the triumph and the glory achieved by many Indians on a foreign soil. It aims to not just bring to fore the great Indian success story but also to inspire the young impressionable minds with legends of great accomplishment. Residing in different lands the Indian diaspora have succeeded spectacularly in their chosen professions by the dint of their single-minded dedication and hard work. What is more, they have retained their emotional, cultural and spiritual links with the country of their origin."

POLAND NEEDS INDIAN CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

Poland will be hosting European football championship in 2012. However the country does not have football stadiums fit to stage the championship. So, the country needs to build hundreds of miles of motorway, airports, and hotels to be ready for the major event.

After Poland joined the European Union, between 1 and 2 million Poles are estimated to have left the country including 400,000 who went to UK.  There is dire shortage of labor for construction projects. So, Poland is hoping to get bricklayers, roofers, fitters, crane operators, bulldozer drivers, etc from India.

 Poland's Labor Minister Anna Kalata recently went to India to sign a memorandum of understanding for workers to come to Poland. Thousands of Indians are likely to take up offers of jobs to build stadiums, roads, hotels and similar projects in Poland connected with the 2012 European championship.

US TO REVERSE DENIALS OF LIMITED NUMBER OF GREEN CARDS

The Wall Street Journal has reported that the US will reserve some denials of work visas, a positive move to resolve the messy immigration tangle. The government will accept at least some applications for work-based green cards that were filed by thousands of skilled workers in early July at the government's invitation and then abruptly rejected, according to the report published on July 16^th. .

Tens of thousands of skilled workers, many of them in the US on temporary H1-B visas, responded to an official invitation, in a June 12 "visa bulletin" issued by the State Department, to take the final step in July toward attaining permanent US residency. The news has sent workers, their families and their employers scrambling to compile paperwork and meet other requirements such as medical exams. Normally, eligible employment-sponsored workers wait years for their numbers to be called, according to the report.

Then, July 2, as applications poured into processing centers, the State Department announced in a bulletin "update" that no employment-based immigrant visas were left for the fiscal year ending Sep 30 because of "sudden backlog reduction" by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS announced it would reject applications that it received.

The July 2 decision has provoked outrage among immigration lawyers, foreign workers and their employers. The report quoted people familiar with the situation as saying that officials are working out the final details of a plan that would at least partially rectify the problem. But it isn't clear whether the immigration agency will now accept all applications and process them later, accept only those that have arrived, or come up with some other approach, the report added.

INDIAN ENGINEERING DEGREE TO BE VALID IN THE US

Indian engineering degree will now be accredited in the US and will also be internationally recognized. India has now been inducted into the prestigious Washington Accord - an international agreement between registering bodies of member countries accrediting academic engineering programs at the university level, allowing for engineering tp be practical at a professional level.

The effort for accredit was initiated by All India Council for Technical Education based in New Delhi at the International Engineering Meeting 2007 held in Washington DC in June 2007. The Indian delegation was headed by Prof. Damodar Acharya.