GOPIO NEWS BULLETIN

April 2006

NOTE: GOPIO News is a monthly newsletter of GOPIO International, based in the USA. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter in future, please go to the bottom and click the unsubscribe URL. If you feel the information contained here is useful, please forward this e-mail to your friends and relatives. One could also subscribe this newsletter FREE by visiting www.gopio.net and type in the e-mail address and other details.

CONTENTS

GOPIO SUPPORTS RATIFICATION OF NUCLEAR AGREEMENT

GOPIO NEEDS VOLUNTEERS FROM EVERY STATE IN THE US

MOIA ANNOUNCES DIASPORA YOUTH INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

EMERGING US-INDIA RELATIONS DISCUSSED AT GOPIO-FAIFIELD (CT) CHAPTER LAUNCH MEET

GOPIO TO PARTICIPATE IN International Symposium on Diaspora Politics

GOPIO URGES NRIs/PIOs TO PARTIPATE IN TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY'S EDITING SURVEY

GOPIO CHAPTER NEWS

GOPIO AMSTERDAM TO HOST PROF. A. GRIFFITHS IN ATHARVAVEDA PRESENTATION

GOPIO NORWAY CELEBRATES ITS ANNIVERSARY

GOPIO-LONDON HOSTS IT FIRST UK RADIO PROGRAM

NRIs/PIOs ACHIEVE

INAUGURAL RAMANUJAM PRIZED BAGGED BY TWO INDIAN AMERICANS

LORD PAUL APPOINTED FIRST CHANCELLOR OF WESTMINSTER UINIV.

NRI NAMED SINGAPORES TOP ENTREPRENEUR

MAKAY TAMIL WOMAN SHORT-LISTED TO BE ASTRONAUT

INDO CANADIAN SCIENTIST WINS STOCKHOLM WATER PRIZE

UK INDIAN PHYSICIAN WINS SCIENCE AWARD

INDIAN AMERICAN BRAJENDRA MISHRA INSTALLED AS TMS PRESIDENT

SEVEN INDIAN AMERICAN STUDENTS HONORED BY USA TODAY

UCLA ESTABLISHES DR. MANI BHAUMIK AWARD

FOUR INDIAN AMERICANS RECEIVE 2006 SLOAN FOUNDATION AWARDS

NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs AND PIOs AROUND THE WORLD

SARNMI HUIS OPENED IN THE HAGUE

F-4 NETTER DEAL FOR STUDENTS

GOVT. TO AMEND 1983 IMMIGRATION ACT

GOPIO LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER FORMATION

EDITORIAL BOARD

GOPIO SUPPORTS RATIFICATION OF THE NUCLEAR AGREEMENT

Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) commends President George W. Bush for his bold decision on signing the proposed Nuclear Agreement with India.  President Bush has rightly referred to it as "historic."  This Nuclear Deal has been hailed worldwide as a step in the right direction by the two great democracies.  The British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that the accord could "make a significant contribution to energy security as well as representing a net gain for the non-proliferation regime" while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief Mohammed El Baradei said that the US-India deal would end Delhi's nuclear isolation and spur non-proliferation efforts.  French President Jacques Chirac, who signed a similar deal with India earlier, said the agreement would help fight non-proliferation efforts.

"However, there exists some skepticism about the agreement reached by the two leaders in New Delhi but that may be due to lack of full understanding of the deal which by design is equitably beneficial to the US interests," observed Dr. Piyush Agrawal, National Coordinator of GOPIO.   India deserves to be rewarded for being a responsible nuclear power with an impeccable record of a non-proliferation," said Dr. Agrawal.

Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman of GOPIO International was of the opinion that "the media and the supporters of the deal need to educate the public and the Congress that how this deal is a win-win situation for the US and India as well as the security interest of both countries.

Inder Singh, President of GOPIO International said, "The landmark agreement should help India realize its goal of self-sufficiency in energy and also enhance energy security of the two countries."

GOPIO plans to conduct briefing sessions and educational forums throughout the USA to enunciate the mutual benefits of the proposed agreement with India and US. We are also encouraging individuals and organizations to take an active role in supporting the proposed agreement, and meeting with their individual elected US representatives for prompt passage and approval by the Unites States Congress", said Secretary General of GOPIO Ashook Ramsaran.

Feedback from the Indian American community is that Civil Nuclear Agreement signed by President Bush & Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi is an important step in the right direction. In fact, this cooperative agreement is in the best interest of both countries. Bill has already been introduced in both the houses of the US Congress. The House Bill is #4974 and the Senate Bill is #2429.

GOPIO urges the community leadership in America We to seek a face-to-face meeting with Congressmen and Senators. If there are any questions for which one needs answers, please visit the White House Website http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/ for some of the answers.

The passage of the nuclear agreement by the US Congress is very critical. It is therefore very important to educate those who have the power to change the old laws to accommodate new realities.

To find the name of your senators and congressman, visit http://congress.org, type your zip code in the box under Elected Officials and Click: "GO" One can send an E-mail. However, the preferred choice is to send a fax.

GOPIO NEEDS VOLUNTEERS FROM EVERY STATE IN THE US

If you like to volunteer in this campaign, contact the GOPIO National Coordinator Dr. Piyush Agrawal (Weston, Florida), Tel: 954-389-4465, E-mail: sudhapca@aol.com or GOPIO President Inder Singh (Tarzana, California), Tel:818-708-3885, Email: E-mail: gopio-intl@sbcglobal.net or GOPIO Secretary General Ashook Ramsaran (Fresh Meadows, New York City), Tel: 718-939-8194, E-mail: ramsaran@aol.com

MOIA ANNOUNCES DIASPORA YOUTH INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Following the successful Internship Programmes for Diaspora Youth (IPDY) during previous years, it has been decided to hold the fifth IPDY, to be renamed now as "Know India Programme, from 15th May to 12th June 2006. This will be in the nature of an Orientation Programme which will enable to participate to get exposure to various facets of Indian way of life, culture, spirituality, adventure and sports, creativity and composite character of India and interaction with youth from different parts of the country.

The Programme will be held in Delhi and Himachal Pradesh over a period of four weeks and will be organized by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), with the support of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and in coordination with the Government of Himachal Pradesh, as the partner State. The qualifying age for the Programme will be

18-25 years. The participants will have to pay for their international travel costs from their respective countries to Delhi and back, while expenditure on internal travel, boarding/lodging, etc. will be met by MOIA.

The broad features of the Programme will be as follows:

* Acclimatization with urban India in New Delhi for two days (May 16 & 17 and again on June 12, & 13) each during the starting and finishing of the Programme. Exposure to MOIA, calls on Ministers/PM/President, site-seeing, shopping, etc. are being arranged during this period after which the participants will be taken to Himachal Pradesh.

* Home stay in a village for one week, exposure to the Heritage Camp including national integration camp being organized by NYKS. (Activities in the camp include lectures on ethics, Indian culture and values, adventure sports, cultural programmes, yoga, meditation, ayurveda and naturopathy).

Skill development exposure to participants in the areas of sculpture, painting, photography, musical instruments, etc. according to their choice.

* One week trekking programme and local sightseeing

* Calls on important dignitaries in the State Government.

* Visits to industrial establishments in Himachal Pradesh.

Besides the criteria mentioned above, it may be borne in mind that the applicant should have distinguished himself/herself in a particular field, should have an abiding interest in India and links with India through parentage. The nominations should preferably include both boys and girls.

Details of the programme are available in the MOIA website, i.e. http://www.moia.nic.in. One could apply through the Indian Consulate or Embassy/High Commission, who would make recommendations by April 7^th.

EMERGING US-INDIA RELATIONS DISCUSSED AT GOPIOFAIFIELD LAUNCH MEET

The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) has a new chapter, i.e. GOPIO-Fairfield County (CT). On Friday, March 24, 2006 GOPIO organized a meeting with the US House Representative Christopher Shays as the keynote speaker at Meera Restaurant, Stamford, CT, which was attended by over 100 PIOs and Americans mostly from Connecticut and some from New York and New Jersey. Shays spoke on Emerging US-India Relations A Congressional Perspective. The dinner/Talk meeting also served as the launch for GOPIO-Fairfield County (CT) Chapter.

The GOPIO Chapter in Fairfield County was launched with the lighting of the traditional lamp, among others by Congressman Shays, Indias Deputy Consul General in New York A.R. Ghanashyam, GOPIO Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham, GOPIO Vice President Dr. Sushila Gidwani-Buschi, GOPIO Secretary General Ashook Ramsaran, GOPIO-New York President Lal Motwani, GOPIO-Upper New York President Rafeeq Baksh and GOPIO Fairfield Committee members Venkat Sharma and Sangeeta Ahuja. Dr. Abraham appealed to the participants to join in this international PIO movement to look after NRI/PIO interests and to help the Motherland India..

Dr. Abraham said, There is a change of perception in the US about India, and that is basically as a result of bridging the gap between reality and perception. This is also based on recognition of Indias fast growing economy. I see this not only in a bilateral context, but in the context of the world, the global context. How do we make the world a safer and a better place? India has taken concrete initiatives. For example, India has a strong democracy. The US and India can support democratic principles around the world, which is to help to build capacity in countries in transition to democracy.

In his brief address, Ghanashyam, Deputy Consul General of India in New York, asked and answered, why India and the US are important to each other and the world. He said it is a fact that India-US engagement in the earlier period was often episodic and there were periods of time of misunderstanding and long periods of benign neglect by both countries.

GOPIO Fairfield Host Committee member Venkat Sharma introduced the Congressman Shays, who represents Fairfield County in Connecticut, as the latest US Congressman to join the powerful India Caucus in the US House.

In his keynote address, the US Congressman lauded contributions made by Americans of Indian origin to the culture and economy of the United States. I have always appreciated and stand in awe at the Indian community in the US, its culture and professionalism, he said.

India, which has been on the front lines in the fight against international terrorism for many years, directly shares America's determination to fight terrorism around the globe, he said. The United States and India are engaged as partners in a global coalition to combat the scourge of international terrorism, a partnership that began well before the tragic events of September 11, 2001, he said. Stressing that India, the largest democracy in the world needs its rightful place on the world map, Shays said, UN is simply not relevant unless it does not recognize Indias right to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and added, India deserves a place at the UN Security Table permanently.

Shays pointed out that rather than viewing India in a sub-regional context, during the current Bush administration, India has come to be viewed as an emerging global power with which it was in the interest of the United States to develop a strategic partnership. Our relationship, which is based on shared interests and aspirations, also long-term shared values and interests, we have no difficulty in reconciling principle and practice, ideals and interests, he said.

The senior US Congressman said, cooperation between India and the United States extends beyond the current international campaign against terrorism, and has been steadily developing over recent years. While highlighting that India has in recent years opened its economy to a considerable extent to trade and investment and has liberalized its internal economic system, the Congressman said, Indias relationship with the United States has deepened in past years and encompasses cooperation on matters relating to international security, political stability, world trade, technology, science, and health. 

Since the beginning of the second term of the current Bush administration, there has been marked change in the US perception of India, which has resulted in a deeper engagement between India and the US. These cultural connections are sure to build more harmony between the two nations, stressed Shays. Two recent controversies - the sale of port facilities to a company owned by the government of Dubai and the negotiation of a controversial nuclear cooperation deal with India - underscore the tensions and contradictions between America's commitment to economic globalization and its political priorities in a post-9/11 world.

While commenting on the recent agreement signed in New Delhi by both President Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which marked a significant break from decades of U.S. nuclear policy, Shays highlighted the increasingly close relationship between the world's two largest democracies that has enabled both the nations work closely in the coming years to save the world from oil dependency to a large extent. The agreement would enable the US to nuclear power assistance to India for civil purposes, while separating it from the nuclear weapons production program. The Congressman said that the agreement is not without many hurdles before it becomes a reality. The agreement requires the US Congress and the Senate to adjust US laws and policies to accommodate it in its present form.

While, praising India for its willingness to voluntarily separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities and place its civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, the Republican Congressman pointed out that the changes of such magnitude are bound to find critics in both countries. While confessing that no one in the Government knows whether it will be approved by both the Houses, Shays said, he hoped that both the nations continue to work together to clear the doubts of the world and the lawmakers on the feasibility and the advantages of the agreement to both the US and India. If India can convince the Congress, the deal will be a reality, he said.

The organizing committee included Dr. Thomas Abraham (Stamford), Paul Ahuja (Stamford), Ravi Ahuja (Stamford), Pravin Banker (Greenwich), Bhom and Meera Banta (Stamford), Steve Chainani (Stamford), Arun Dongre (Stamford), Louella DSilva (Stamford), Rita Ghei (Westport), Bala Krishnamurthy (Ridgefield), Rajeev Menon (Norwalk), Ashoka Mitra (Westport), Kuriakose Pannikodu (Fairfield), Suti Prakash (Stamford), Viresh Sharma (New Canaan), Venkat Sharma (Bridgeport), Rajendra Shukla (Weston), and Sara Tierno (Stamford) The event concluded with Sangeeta Ahuja proposing the vote of thanks and the participants treated to a delicious Indian cuisine served by Meera Restaurant.

GOPIO TO PARTICIAPTE IN INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON DISPORA POLITICS

Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, Reno

April 27-29, 2006

Opportunity Structures in Diaspora Relations:

Comparisons in Contemporary Multi-level Politics of Diaspora and Transnational Identity

 
Worlds renowned experts will be investigating and debating the following areas: What are the main characteristics and organizational structures of contemporary ethno-national Diasporas, and to what extent might their relationships and political agency with their homeland and host-society governments develop? Which communal strategies and tactics (and in which circumstances) are used by diasporas and which are most effective at influencing global affairs, particularly the foreign policy of central governments? What opportunity structures exist for Diasporas in the post-modern and trans-state social, economic and political systems, and which are the most essential to foster and/or exploit (progression of spatial, historical, temporal factors)? In what ways do Diaspora activities and ethno-national identity maintenance in general, influence social and political security issues both domestically and in foreign policy?

The Symposium will consist of presentations and discussions of papers given by confirmed invitees including Dr. Thomas Abraham (Chairman, Global Organization of People of Indian Origin, Stamford, CT, USA), Dr. Kim Butler (Chair, Department of Africana Studies, Rutgers University, USA), Dr. Nergis Canefe (Centre for Refugee Studies and Department of Political Science, York University, Canada), Professor Robin Cohen (ESRC Professorial Research Fellow and Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK), Professor William A. Douglass (Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, Reno, USA), Dr. Razmik Panossian (Director, Policy, Programmes and Planning, Rights and Democracy, Montreal, Canada), Professor William Safran (Department of Political Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA), Professor Gabriel Sheffer (Department of Political Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel), Dr. Ninna Nybery Srenson (Danish Institute for International Studies, Copenhagen, Denmark), Professor Khachig Tllyan (Chair, Department of English, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, USA), and Dr. Gloria Totoricagena (Director, Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, Reno, USA).

Please visit http://basque.unr.edu/diaspora2006 for a specific schedule of events.

Admission to the conference is FREE. For more info and registration, contact: Prof. Gloria Totoricagena, Director and Symposium Chair, Center for Basque Studies/322, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV 89557, Tel: 775-784-4854, E-mail: basque@unr.edu

GOPIO URGES NRIs/PIOs TO PARTICIAPTE IN TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITYS EDITING SURVEY

Texas Tech University is conducting an international survey on editing from the author's point of view. Until this study, most editing research has been conducted only from the editor's point of view. The Texas Tech University research team headed by Dr. Angela Eaton, Assistant Professor of Technical Communication and Rhetoric at the Department of English and assisted by Tiffany Craft Portewig, Pamela Brewer, and Cynthia Davidson is interested in how people of Indian origin think about the editing process. The Indian community has been selected since it is one of the two largest and most quickly growing groups in the U.S.

If you have ever had your writing edited, the researchers are hoping that you might provide them with your point of view by filling out a survey uploaded in the website below:

To participate, please use this link:

http://english.ttu.edu/EatonSurvey/EditingSurvey

The survey only takes 14-18 minutes (depending on how much one has to say) and has received approval by Texas Tech University's Human Subjects Review Board.

This study won the Society for Technical Communication (STC) $10,000 Research Award this year. Results of the study will be presented at this year's STC Annual Conference, and they will also be submitted for publication to the journal Technical Communication.

TTU researchers appreciate your time and input.

Contact: Angela Eaton, Ph.D. (Department of English, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas USA, Tel: 806-742-2500 x229, E-mail:

angela.eaton@ttu.edu)

GOPIO CHAPTER NEWS

GOPIO AMSTERDAM TO HOST PROF. A. GRIFFITHS IN ATHARVAVEDA PRESENTATION

GOPIO Amsterdam is delighted to invite everyone for the first event of 2006! Prof. Dr. A. Griffiths will some of his work titled, The Atharvaveda, studying a living religious tradition in Orissa.

Griffiths presentation will have a scientific approach towards the Atharvaveda, one of the main

four Vedas. Prof. Griffiths has focused his research on the historical origin of the Atharvaveda as well as its effect on present society in and outside India.

In addition to the presentation. GOPIO chapter will discuss ideas for future events (first

planned for June). The program is scheduled for April 2nd, 2006 at:

Van der Valk Hotel Schiphol A4

Rijksweg A4 3, 2132 MA, Amsterdam

Detailed program

14.00 Welcome with refreshments

14.30 Opening by Chapter president Rajendre Tewari

14.45 The Atharvaveda,studying a living religious tradition in Orissa,by Prof Griffiths

15.15 Discussion

15.30 Informal reception

17.00 Closing

Please confirm attendance by email: gopioamsterdam@gmail.com.

GOPIO members and their guests have free admission for the presentation and drinks/snacks. For those who have not members yet, are invited to apply. Non-members fee of 10 will apply and drinks will be available on a cash bar basis.

Arlo Griffiths (1976) studied Indology at Leiden University and at Harvard University, and

holds the chair of Sanskrit in the Department of Indian & Tibetan Studies at Leiden

University. He is responsible for courses in Sanskrit (beginners and advanced), as well as

Contact: Rajendre Tewari, Chapter President, GOPIO Amsterdam, r.tewari@india.com

GOPIO NORWAY CELEBRATES ITS ANNIVERSARY

GOPIO Norway organized its first annual Anniversary celebration in Oslo on 11 March 2006. The Indian Ambassador to Norway His Excellency Mahesh Sachdev was the chief guest. Welcoming the participants, GOPIO Norway President Mohan Singh Varma spoke about relations between Norway and India and the contribution of the Indian community living in Norway towards Indias economic development. He also spoke about the issue of dual nationality to Indian-Norwegians and asked the Indian Government to see that the dual nationality policy applied to Norway too. He was of the view that PIO card holders must enjoy the same rights as dual nationality card holders in case their country of residence did not permit dual citizenship. Ambassador Sachdev said that relations between Norway and India are based on strong foundations of bilateral relations based on economic and trade and that India while appreciates the support of Norway, it was no longer based on aid. He also informed about Indias economic growth which has touched more than 8 per cent of GDP annually and called upon the Indo-Norwegians to take advantage of Indias liberal investment policies. Mr. Sachdev assured that the Indian Mission would give help and co-operation to GOPIO Norway in its activities.

GOPIO Norway Vice President Balwinder Singh Gossan said that this was the first event of GOPIO and the organization plan to have events regularly. It was also decided that GOPIO Norway will consult Mr. Sunil Prasad to open GOPIO Chapters in other Scandinavian countries including Iceland.

GOPIO-LONDON HOSTS IT FIRST UK RADIO PROGRAM

GOPIO London UK is pleased to inform that it hosted its first UK radio show on the 12^th March 2006 from 14.00hrs-16.00hrs.

Guests interviewed included:

Inder Singh, President of GOPIO on the background and future of GOPIO

Ripin Kalra and Dr. Mike Theis of the Max Lock Centre, University of Westminster on their pioneering work in architecture and urban planning in coping with disasters

Philip Abraham, Editor & Publisher of India Link and Kerela Link on What the Paper Says

Raj Nathan, CEO of Medicspo Ltd on recruitment of doctors and nurses in the UK

General Raj Kaushal, Adviser, Government of India ~ Special Guest

Listen to the programme recording at

http://www.gfmradio.com/lateprogrammes/gopio.mp3m

The programme enabled GOPIO London UK to reach 3.75 million verified listeners world-wide through the power of internet radio.

GOPIO members and friends can tune in from anywhere and call in also or email during the show at request@gfmradio.com

The next programme will be devoted to a Live Debate on how we can get the 1,800 or so Indian organizations in the UK to work together. Is this needed? Will it work? How would it benefit the Indian Diaspora? Will it help the Indian High Commission? Will it benefit India-UK ties and if so how?

Contact: GOPIO London UK, Raj Aloha, President GOPIO London-UK, E-mail: r.lakha@brainy.tv and 01474 329985/07768 685397

NRIs/PIOs ACHIEVE

INAUGURAL RAMANUJAM PRIZED BAGGED BY TWO INDIAN AMERICANS

Two US based professors Manuel Baraga do Princeton and Kansan Soundararajan of University of Michigan have been conferred the inaugural Ramanujam Prize presented by Indias Sastra Unviersity. The prize has been instituted by the Srinivas Ramanujam Center of Sastra University in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu. The award recipients are below age 32 since Ramanujam developed his theories before he died at the age of 32. The awardees were selected jury of seven from all over the world.

LORD PAUL APPOINTED FIRST CHANCELLOR OF WESTMINSTER UINIV.

In a rare distinction, NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has been appointed the First Chancellor of the prestigious University of Westminster here. Lord Paul, who is already the Chancellor of the Wolverhampton University, in the UK, will represent the Westminster University in his non-executive role and promote its interests. Plans are afoot for a formal installation ceremony sometime in May/June this year.

Raised to the peerage as Baron Paul of Marylebone in 1996, Lord Paul already has strong links with the university, hosting the annual visit of Indian journalists to study on Chevening Scholarships at Westminster. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters in 1997.

Lord Paul, the Chairman of Caparo Group, a global steel, engineering and property development business, and also Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Committee with the key task of initiating measures to acquire land and provide infrastructure for the London Olympics 2012, said on Sunday he was delighted to accept the invitation to work more closely with the university.

As a post-1992 university, Westminster has no tradition of having a Chancellor role but Vice-Chancellor Geoffrey Copland is confident the move will bring great benefit.

"The University is honored that Lord Paul has agreed to be our First Chancellor. He has been a strong supporter over the years and his commitment to diversity and to international education and partnerships is well known. He has displayed a strong commitment to education as a vehicle for opportunities for personal and professional development, with an emphasis on widening participation and equality.

A philanthropist, Lord Paul has made large donations to many organizations, including a million pound to save the London Zoo from closure. He has also worked to develop strong Indo-British relations.

Lord Paul was part of the Board of Olympics which fought a keen battle in Singapore and won the games for Britain for the year 2012.

NRI NAMED SINGAPORES TOP ENTREPRENEUR

Vikas Goel, Chairman and Group Managing Director of eSys Technologies, has been adjudged the '2005 Entrepreneur of the Year' at the 4th Ernst & Young's annual Entrepreneur of the Year Awards gala dinner HELD at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia. Goel will now represent Singapore on the global stage for the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards which will be held at Monte Carlo, Monaco, in June.

Goel came to Singapore in 1996 and worked as an average salaried employee in American Components, an IT distribution company. He then joined Fujitsu at a slightly better package and later moved to Karma, a small company, with a salary and a share in profits. It was here that his career took off. Karma suddenly collapsed, but Goel made a buyout of the company. After a number of banks in Singapore turned him down, he got a loan of $3.5 million from the Bank of India in Singapore.

He started eSys from a single-room office at Macpherson Road distributing hard drives in India. His sheer hard work and business acumen saw eSys's revenue touch $18 million in the first year itself. Within five years, he turned eSys into a $2-billion organization with 110 offices in 31 countries.

The Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award celebrates those who have built companies with strong market positioning, solid foundations for growth and sustainability.

MAKAY TAMIL WOMAN SHORT-LISTED TO BE ASTRONAUT

Vanajah, a Malaysian Tamil, is the only woman among four people short-listed for her country's maiden astronaut training program. Selected from 11,000 applicants, a rigorous training session in Russia awaits Vanajah. "I have made it this far and I have the mental and physical strength to pull through more stringent tests in Russia," said Vanajah, 35, a quality engineer at Malaysia's National Space Agency.

Vanajah hopes to be further short-listed as one of the two Malaysian astronauts who will undergo advanced training at Russia's Star City. One of these two astronauts will finally be selected to join a Russian mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in October 2007.

The three other people short-listed with Vanajah are Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, a dentist and part-time model, Faiz Khaleed and pilot Mohammed Faiz Kamaluddin. Their selection was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who said they had been chosen after a battery of mental and physical tests.

Malaysia's space programme is on a route similar to that of India, in that Rakesh Sharma of the Indian Air Force was part of a joint Indo-Russian space mission in 1984. But Malaysia's astronaut training programme, costing 92.9 million ringgit, is to be offset as part of the 3.34-billion ringgit defense deal to buy 18 Sukhoi 30MKN fighter jets from Russia.

INDO CANADIAN SCIENTIST WINS STOCKHOLM WATER PRIZE

India-born scientist Asit Biswas was awarded the $150,000 Stockholm Water Prize for his "outstanding and multifaceted" contribution to the issue of global water resources. The 67-year-old Canadian citizen is president of the Mexico City-based Third World Centre for Water Management.

Biswas helped foster a critical re-think among United Nations agencies, national governments, professional associations and others about how to improve delivery of water and sanitation services and management of the planet's water resources, The Stockholm International Water Institute, which administers the annual award, said.

Biswas, a tireless water proponent who constantly challenges the "status quo", has, through his multi-faceted roles as a scientist and educator, acted as an advisor and confidant to policymakers in water and environmental management in 17 countries.

Biswas fostered a new "socio-economic and political climate" that enabled translation of scientific (both natural and social) and technical advances into meaningful measures for people and planet.

He helped to formulate and promote the International Water Supply and Sanitation Decade in the 1980s which significantly improved the lives of millions of people in the developing world. .

Biswas is author of hundreds of books and articles and his work has been translated into 31 languages.

UK INDIAN PHYSICIAN WINS SCIENCE AWARD

Ajit Lalvani, a leading NRI consultant physician and pioneer in Tuberculosis research, has won an award for Excellence in Science instituted by London-based India International Foundation.

His father Kartar Lalvani, founder of Vitabiots, received the award on his behalf from Deputy High Commissioner of India Ranjan Mathai at a gala function organized by the Foundation at Radisson Hotel.

Ajit Lalvani provided a key weapon in the fight against the worldwide rise in tuberculosis by offering a rapid blood test to detect TB infection, designed to replace the century-old skin test for TB. Named T SPOT-TB, the test comes from discoveries made by him and his collaborators at Oxford University's Nuffield Department of Medicine.

The test is currently approved for clinical use in Europe and can identify people who are carrying TB infection, but who have not yet gone on to develop the disease. Since 1998, Ajit Lalvani has used the rapid blood test in double-blinded, randomized studies to prove its effectiveness in over 2,000 TB patients and health controls in 8 countries, including India.

"Our findings show that children can be protected against TB infected by vaccination," said Lalvani. According to the WHO, Ajit Lalvani's latest discovery shows how the 60-year-old BCG vaccine functions.

Others who received awards included Keith Vaz, a leading NRI and the longest serving member of the House of Commons since 1987 and former Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth office, for his excellence as a Parliamentarian.

Lord Bhikhu Parekh, Centennial Professor of the London School of Economics and a former Vice Chancellor of the Baroda University, was conferred the 'Pride of India' award for his distinction in the field of literature and education.

Both Luther and Mathai, in their brief address, referred to the rapid strides made by India in various walks of life and said the time has come to recognize the contributions made by Indians abroad.

Mathai commended the NRIs for their dedication, determination and sense of identity with the motherland and inculcation of the spirit of family values. He also lauded Indians for their "splendid tradition of participatory democracy and their contribution to the growth of the India-UK friendship."

Lord Parekh said because of the equal opportunities provided in Britain, the children of NRIs would be judged here not by their color of skin but by their achievements.

Luther said the Foundation had organised three eye camps, arranging cataract operations for 250 people in Bihar and Jharkhand and given 50 scholarships to poor children in Jharkhand last year. It would continue to do more this year, he said.

INDIAN AMERICAN BRAJENDRA MISHRA INSTALLED AS TMS PRESIDENT

The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS), part of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers is one of the oldest professional society in America. An Indian American Dr. Brajendra Mishra has been installed as the 2006 president of TMS on March 14^th during its annual convention held in San Antonio, Texas.

Dr. Mishra is currently professor and associate director of Kroll Institute for Extractive Metallurgy and Advanced Coatings and Surface Engineering Laboratory, Dept of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.

SEVEN INDIAN AMERICAN STUDENTS HONORED BY USA TODAY

USA Today has announced 2006 All-USA College Academic Team among the undergraduate students. The award winners are considered the best college students in the country. Two Indian Americans Vivek Mehta of the University of California at Irvine and Hari Prabhakar of the Johns Hopkins University are among the 20 in the first team.

Among the 20-member second team, four Indian Americans made it. They are Rohan Krishnamurthy of Kalamazoo College (Michigan), Lakshmi Krishnan of Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC), Nelupa Sulani Perera of Carleton College (Northfield, MN) and Nina Vasan of Harvard College (Cambridge, MA).

Sohang Gandhi of the University of Central Florida and Neelima Vidula of University of Illinois-Chicago are in the 20 member third team. Sunjay Mathur of Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH) received honorable mention.

UCLA ESTABLISHES DR. MANI BHAUMIK AWARD

An award in the name of Dr. Mani Bhaumik has been established at the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Bhaumik is the co-inventor of the laser technology that made LASIK surgery possible.

The award will support scientists in the international community who advance the understanding of the brain and conscious mind in healing through visionary research, books and education. Dr, Bhaumik will fund the annual $10,000 award beginning fall 2006.

FOUR INDIAN AMERICANS RECEIVE 2006 SLOAN FOUNDATION AWARDS

Four Indian Americans have been awarded 2006 Sloan Research Fellowships designed to enhance the careers of the very best young faculty members in specified field of science. A total of 116 fellowships are awarded annually in seven fields: chemistry, computational and evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, economic, mathematics, neuroscience and physics.

The Indian American awardees are: Subhash Khot, assistant professor at the college of Computing at Georgia Tech University (two year grant of $45,000); Ananth Seshadri, associate professor economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Arun Paramekanti, assistant professor of physics at the University of Toronto and Kiran Sridhar Kedlaya, assistant professor of mathematics at MIT.

NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs/PIOs AROUND THE WORLD

SARNMI HUIS OPENED IN THE HAGUE

On 17^th February, the Mayor of The Hague officially opened the doors of the 'Sarnmi Huis'. Dignitaries both from the Dutch and the PIO community attended this function. Mr Rabin Baldewsingh, a prominent social activist of the Hindustani community is the motor behind this project. Rabin is also politically active and is a Member of the City Council of The Hague for the Labour Party. In the past he has also taken the imitative to organise the annual Indian Film Festival in The Hague. For 'Sarnmi Huis' project Rabin managed to get financial assistance from The Hague Municipality as well as several Foundations. He gave a short outline of the work done so far and the aim and objectives of the Sarnmi Huis.

The Sarnmi Huis is the home of Hindustani culture in the Netherlands (the culture of the immigrants whose forefathers left India as indenture labourers and migrated to Surinam) and the Sarnmi language (spoken in Surinam by the PIOs).

The Sarnmi Huis is a documentation centre cum museum. The aim of the Sarnmi House is to become the treasure house of the Hindustani heritage & culture and the Sarnami language. Special attention is paid to different aspects of the Hindustani community living in the Netherlands in relation to their assimilation in the Dutch community.

The Sarnmi Huis has a library, a reading room, a room for internet and six rooms for exhibitions.

One room is specially arranged as a typical Hindustani residence. In the basement there are also two large exhibition halls for temporary exhibitions.

The reading room and the library of the Sarnmi Huis are open not only to the PIO community but also to the Dutch and other minority communities of the Netherlands.

Contact: Sarnmi Huis, Brouwersgracht 2, 2512 ER The Hague, Netherlands,
Tel: 070 - 364 77 50 / 06 - 5143 2541.

F-4 NETTER DEAL FOR STUDENTS

With the introduction of a new category of students visa (F-4), going to the U.S. is set to become much simpler for those who wants to pursue an advanced degree - Master's or higher - in physical sciences, technology and engineering.

Senator Arlen Specter's Immigration Reform Bill, currently being discussed by the U.S. Senate judiciary committee, proposes a new category of student visa (F-4) for students pursuing higher studies in mathematics, physical sciences, engineering and technology.

Senator Specter has some good news for all foreign students, irrespective of the course of study. The Bill proposes to allow all students on an F-4 visa to be eligible for off-campus employment, unrelated to the field of study.

If they maintain good academic standing and the employer attests to the educational institution and the department of labor that it has spent at least 21 days recruiting U.S. citizens to fill the position and will pay the greater of the actual or prevailing wage.

GOVT. TO AMEND 1983 IMMIGRATION ACT

Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi has said the government is planning to amend the 1983 Emigration Act to curb illegal recruitment of workers to foreign countries.

Ravi, who made this statement while on a trip to the Qatari capital of Doha to attend the meeting of Indian ambassadors from the Gulf region. Ravi said the mission heads would discuss problems faced by the Indian community, including the plight of those who are languishing in jails on various charges. He said the meeting would seek effective solutions to such problems, especially those concerning the low-paid Indian workers in the Gulf.

"I believe the provisions in the existing Act are not enough to curb such practices since the punishment is limited to cancellation of licenses. I am for imprisonment of such recruiting agents," Ravi added.

The government has implemented an insurance scheme that offers an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakhs which includes medical facilities for the workers and their family when they return to India.

On the proposal to grant voting rights to NRIs, Ravi said the bill provides facility for the enrollment in the voting list enabling the Indians overseas to exercise franchise if they are in India during the elections. 

GOPIO, LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER FORMATION

GOPIO is a non-partisan, non-sectarian global organization with chapters in several countries, actively promoting the interests of people of Indian origin worldwide by monitoring and addressing current critical issues of concern, and by enhancing cooperation and communication between groups of Indians living in various countries.

GOPIO Individual Life membership is open to all who believe in the mission of GOPIO. The one time fee is $5,000 for Platinum Life Membership, $2,500 for Gold Life Membership and $1,500 Silver Life Membership and half the amount for each category for those from developing countries and India.

GOPIO is looking forward to opening chapters in all major cities of the world so as to network people of Indian origin all over the world. If you do not have chapter in your city, please visit GOPIO website (www.gopio.net) and get details of chapter initiation (visit http://www.gopio.net/chapter_initiative.htm). Process involves sending a letter of intent to start a chapter by a committee of five people or more. For more information, contact:

GOPIO President Inder Singh, Tarzana, California, USA, Tel: 818-708-3885, E-mail: gopio-intl@sbcglobal.net

GOPIO Secretary General Ashook Ramsaran, Fresh Meadows, New York City, Tel: 718/939-8194, E-mail: ramsaran@aol.com

To become a Life member of GOPIO, visit http://www.gopio.net/membership_form.htm, print and fill up the form and send it with a check to: GOPIO, P.O. Box 1413, Stamford, CT 06904, USA.

SPONOR OF THIS ISSUE

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

LUBBOCK, TEXAS

http://english.ttu.edu/EatonSurvey/EditingSurvey

EDITORIAL BOARD

Chief Editor: Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO (Stamford, CT, USA)

Webmaster: Prashant Gupta (Chicago, IL, USA)

Contributors of this issue: Inder Singh (USA), Sunil Prasad (Belgium) and Dr. Piyush Agrawal

GOPIO NEWS welcomes NRI/PIO related stories from all over the world. Be a volunteer correspondent or reporter. Contact Dr. Thomas Abraham, Tel: 203-329-8010, E-mail: gopio@optonline.net

Visit GOPIOs Official site at www.gopio.net or www.gopio.com