Saudi Arabia brings cultural, religious exotica to India

Sugary dates, Persian calligraphy, colourful contemporary art, henna designs and holy Zamzam water from Mecca are some of the exotic flavours from Saudi Arabia in the culture corridor of the capital this week.
A week-long Saudi Arabia cultural showcase - one of the biggest ever in India - is on here from Sep 27-Oct 1 with an arts blitz at the Lalit Kala Akademi. Presented by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the festival is the first initiative of the cultural wing of the ministry of external affairs to build better people-to-people bridges between India and Saudi Arabia.
In a touching gesture, the culture showcase 'performed a Haj ritual' by offering guests holy water from the Zamzam Well, a sacred spring located 18 km from the black stone at Kaaba, a building, on the complex of Masjid-al-Haram. The water was offered in miniature jars by holy men - dressed in traditional robes - who look after the well in Mecca. Haj pilgrims drink water from the well in a religious ritual during the annual pilgrimage. "The well dates back to the era of prophet Abraham. It was ordained by god to spring forth at Mecca for the well-being of the people. In course of time, it disappeared and was resurrected before the birth of prophet Mohammed. The people and now the government of Saudi Arabia have cared for it down the ages. The government has mapped it and located its source feeds. The water is very very clean..."Imad Zamzami, whose family has traditionally cared for the well, said.
"My grandfather and father have looked after the well before me," Zamzami said. The ICCR this year inaugurated its overseas cell in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. An 88-member delegation of artists, performers, scholars and officials is representing the kingdom in India.
"The cultural event comprising multiple components is being held in India indicates the growing profile of cultural diplomacy between the two countries. We opened our cultural wing in Riyadhthis year and we plan to host Indian cultural events in South Africa. After all this period, there is nothing better than culture to understand each other," Suresh Goel, the director-general of ICCR, said.
The week-long Arabian art exhibition at the Lalit Kala Akademi has brought more than 150 heritage photographs, Persian and Arabic calligrahic art, digital art, multi-media art, paintings, sculpture, animation and comic book art from South Arabia from India. "Art is appreciated in Saudi Arabia.
Almost every household has an amateur or professional artist - and boasts of a work of art as accessory. Women can pursue arts provided they do not offend religious sensitivities. We cannot draw suggestive human figures," Amal Mohammed al Zahirani, an artist and interior designer from Jeddah, said.
Zahirani uses glue, varnish, antiques, acrylic and metal for her three-dimensional abstract art and sculptures. She estimated that the kingdom had 200 women artists who have made a name for themselves. Inaugurating the showcase, Sanjay Singh, secretary, east, in the ministry of external affairs said, "India and Saudi Arabia enjoy cordial socio-cultural relations".
He said more than 1.8 lakh pilgrims want to visit Mecca for Haj this year. Singh also traced the history of bilateral ties between India and Saudi Arabia since the first Indian prime ministerJawaharlal Nehru visited the country in 1956.
"We hope to organise more such cultural festivals in India. We are talking to people in India - this relation will continue," Saleh-bin-Abdul Aziz al-Meghaileth, deputy minister of international culture relations, Saudi Arabia, said. Saleh is heading the Saudi delegation.

NRI professor P L Joshi selected for Sardar Patel International Award

BAHRAIN: The Award Selection Committee ofSardar Patel Foundation, New Delhi, has selected Professor P L Joshi for its prestigious "6th Sardar Patel International Award-2011? in the field of "Excellence in Research and Education".

The award will be conferred to Dr Joshi in a programme to be organised by the foundation in February 2012, in New Delhi. Professor Joshi has been working for last twenty years at the University of Bahrain in the accounting field. He has been continously engaged in the development of accounting education through conducting research and editing international journals.

He has published over 100 research papers in international accounting journals. He is the founding editor of two international journals in accounting. His previous awards include "Hind Rattan Award" from NRI Society of India and " Bharat Gaurav Award" from India International Friendship Society. 

Indian American Aney Paul wins Legislative District 14 Primary in NY

NEW YORK: Indian American Aney Paul, of Nanuet, won the democratic primary against Spring Valley's Hank Stewart, beating him by 239 votes.

Paul, after winning said that "it feels good". She further added that "I feel happy, but it's just beginning. The first step is over, but there's still more work to do. We'll work as a team and we will win again."

Indian American Paul lived in Nanuet for 24 years. Mother of three children, Paul is a nurse at Nyack hospital, and also the president of the New City Library Board. She is also a member of the Nanuet Rotary club and Nanuet Lions club. 

US plans to levy taxes on NRI deposits made back home

AHMEDABAD: With the United Statesgovernment planning to levy taxes on non-resident Indian deposits made back home, non-resident Gujaratis in US are a disturbed lot.

The approximate 20 lakh NRGs staying in US are worried about the FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), which will be enforced by US from January 1, 2013. Under FATCA, either the taxpayer or banks or institutions holding NRI deposits will have to disclose all details to theInternal Revenue Service (IRS).

It is to be taken into account that the NRG community deposits more than Rs. 9,000 crore of money in banks of Gujarat. And with the implementation of FACTA, they will have to shell out some of their earnings. It is estimated that at present, around Rs23,000 crore of NRI deposits is saved in banks of Gujarat. It is believed that around 40%, that is around Rs9,200 crore comes from US alone. 

Three Indian-origin scientists in White House honors list of 12

WASHINGTON: Three distinguished scientists of Indian-origin -- two inventors and a researcher -- figure in a celebrated White Househonors list this year, broadly underscoring India's continued contribution to American advances. Two of them are IIT-ians, alumni of the academically elite Indian Institute of Technology.

New York University's Srinivasa SR Vardhan, Purdue University's Rakesh Agarwal and North Carolina State Univeristy's B Jayant Baliga are among the select dozen named by President Obama to receive the National Medal of Science, and for Technology and Innovation, the highest honor bestowed by the US government on scientists, engineers and inventors.

"Each of these extraordinary scientists, engineers, and inventors is guided by a passion for innovation, a fearlessness even as they explore the very frontiers of human knowledge, and a desire to make the world a better place,"Obama said in a statement on Tuesday following the release of the honors list. "Their ingenuity inspires us all to reach higher and try harder, no matter how difficult the challenges we face." The recipients will receive their awards at a White House ceremony later this year.

Scientists and researchers of Indian-origin have occasionally featured before in the White House honors list, but this is the first time that three have been recognized in a single year in a list typically dominated by U.S-born and US-educated geeks. Among the rare awardees of Indian-origin are Calyampudi R Rao (Vardhan's mentor who was recognized in 2001 for mathematical and computer sciences) and Arun Netravali (2001 for technology).

Steve Jobs, Gordon Moore, David Packard and Dean Kamen are among legends who have won the technology medal, while several science medal recipients have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.

While there is criticism from some quarters that India often tends to "adopt" NRIs and PIOs who have long given up on their homeland, in this instance all three winners have strong roots and association with India.

Srinivasa SR Varadhan, an alumnus of Presidency College, Chennai and the Indian Statistical Institute, who is also a Padma Bhushan recipient, won the award for his work in probability theory, especially his work on large deviations from expected random behavior, which has revolutionized this field of study during the second half of the twentieth century and become a cornerstone of both pure and applied probability.

The mathematical insights he developed have been applied in diverse fields including quantum field theory, population dynamics, finance, econometrics, and traffic engineering, the White House said in its citation.

Rakesh Agarwal, an alumnus of IIT-Kanpur, was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for "an extraordinary record of innovations in improving energy efficiency and reducing the cost of gas liquefaction and separation. These innovations have had significant positive impacts on electronic device manufacturing, liquefied gas production, and the supply of industrial gases for diverse industries," the citation said.

B Jayant Baliga, an alumnus of IIT-Chennai, won in the same category for development and commercialization of the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor and other power semiconductor devices that are extensively used in transportation, lighting, medicine, defense, and renewable energy generation systems.