Indian Health Camp of NJ to celebrate 10th anniversary

Indian Health Camp of New Jersey, a nonprofit organization, will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Saturday, September 12, 2009, at South Brunswick High School in Monmouth Junction, NJ. The local and State Government officials and other dignitaries will attend the event and approximately 800 people are expected to attend this event. The celebration will start with dinner from 5:30-7:00 p.m., presentation and recognition from 7:00-8:00 p.m. and Sangeet Sandhya by renowned singers Sanjeev and Armeen Ramabhadran and their talented orchestra from 8:00-11:00 p.m.

Dedicated volunteers including physicians to provide free health screening and disease prevention tests to South Asian communities in Central and Northern New Jersey established the organization in 1998. These services are provided to uninsured and underinsured individuals in South Asian communities above the age of 50 at health camps organized each year. The first health camp was organized in 1999 with 280 participants. Since then, the activities have expanded to other locations. At present, the yearly camps are held at four different locations in Central and Northern New Jersey. The one-day health camp offers blood test, electrocardiogram, dental examination, vision screening, dietary counseling, physical therapy consultation, heart disease screening and cancer screening. To date, the organization has provided services to more than 4,000 participants with an estimated market value of $2.6 million.

The 10th anniversary celebration is planned to recognize the selfless, dedicated services provided by all the volunteers for the past ten years. The volunteers include medical professionals such as physicians, nurses, medical technicians and other non-medical volunteers. The 10th anniversary celebration is also aimed at helping the organization move up to the next level of activities. The goal for the next five years is to provide support for follow-up medical consultation, diagnostic tests, prescription medication and other medical procedures to individuals with special needs. For more visit www.IHCNJ.org

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Gov. Paterson appoints Shenoy on tourism board

Gov. Paterson with Andy Shenoy

Prominent South Asian businessman and political activist Andy Shenoy has been appointed by New York Governor David A. Paterson to serve on the Tourism Advisory Board of the Empire State Development Corporation. Shenoy, the only Indian- American to serve on the advisory board, has earned a good reputation throughout the New York State and in U.S., for his tireless work promoting economic ties between State of New York and several Indian states.

“It is indeed an honor to serve on the advisory board at such a critical time,” said Shenoy, president of Trivision group Inc. “New York State is one of the top travel destinations for tourists from around the world. We must do all we can to enhance the image of our state. The world, especially India loves New York,” he said and added that he was “excited to serve the people of New York in his new position.”“I want to thank Governor Paterson for this wonderful opportunity,” Shenoy said. “We must continue to strengthen our ties with India and the South Asian community. This is a relationship that provides a mutual benefit for everybody,” he said of his appointment.

Shenoy has served as President of Indo- American Promotion - a nonprofit organization promoting greater understanding and economic development locally between India and with the South Asian communities. He has assisted former U.S., Senator Alfonse D’Amato, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former Governors George E. Pataki and Eliot Spitzer to promote New York State aboard.

In Pataki administration, he served as special advisor for South-Asian Affairs. In 2006, Shenoy lead the New York state delegation and accompanied Frank Levin, the then Federal under secretary of Commerce for International Trade on a mission to India. Shenoy received the Governor’s Award of Excellence for his significant contribution to the social, economic and cultural development of the state and the nation in 2005. In 2003, Shenoy was instrumental in coordinating the September visit of the India Prime Minister with state officials to discuss bi-lateral trade agreements. Shenoy also serves on the board of the Battery Park Authority.

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Kingfisher Airlines launches direct UAE-India flights

Kingfisher Airlines, rated by Skytrax as India’s only Five Star airline has launched daily direct flights from Dubai to Bangalore. With three international routes - London, Colombo and Dhaka - the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the fourth international destination on its network. These flights will be operated using the A320 family of aircraft featuring Kingfisher Class, the premium economy service from Kingfisher Airlines.

The flights are conveniently timed with the flight from Dubai leaving at 10:10 pm and reaching Bangalore at 3:45 am, local time, the following day. The return flight will take off from Bangalore at 6:15 pm and reach Dubai at 8:55 pm, the same day. Kingfisher Airlines flights operate from Dubai Airport’s Terminal 1.

Several airlines from North America provide convenient connections over Dubai with Kingfisher Airlines to Bangalore.

Commenting on the launch of the first new international route connecting Dubai, Atul Kumria, the airlines’ Regional Director-North America, said, “I am delighted to announce the commencement of flights between Bangalore and Dubai. Our newly launched flights offer the best-in-class experience amongst the narrow-body products serving this route and coupled with ideal and convenient timings, will offer travelers on this route a better option.”

Guests flying in from Dubai on Kingfisher Airlines will now have the added advantage of convenient onward connections to many domestic destinations in India with almost immediate connections from Bangalore to Mangalore, Goa, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Pune, Kolkata, Hubli, Belgaum, Nagpur, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad and all major metros in India.

In addition, guests will also have the option of convenient onward connections on Kingfisher Airlines flights to international destinations like Colombo and Dhaka.

Kingfisher Airlines caters to all segments of the air travel ranging from low-fare service-Kingfisher Red, to the premium economy service-Kingfisher Class, to the luxurious Kingfisher First. As India’s leading carrier, Kingfisher Airlines offers the maximum number of flights offered by any single airline network in India. The airline connects 69 cities in India and has over 400 daily departures with a fleet of 74 aircraft.

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MoneyGram International expands money transfer services in India

MoneyGram International (NYSE:MGI), a leading global money transfer company, announced that Punjab National Bank, the second largest government bank in India, will begin offering MoneyGram’s money transfer service across its network of more than 4,600 bank branches in India. The expansion is part of an agreement signed through MoneyGram super agents Thomas Cook and UAE Exchange Financial Services, Ltd.

MoneyGram expects to activate the Punjab National Bank locations in phases, launching the first 3,500 branches in large cities such as New Delhi and Ludhiana and smaller communities all over the country by yearend.

According to the World Bank, 2008 remittances in India totaled $45 billion—a figure driven by the growing number of Indians living, working, studying and traveling abroad. Demand for safe and reliable remittances is especially high in countries with large Indian populations including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Greece and the UAE.

To receive money via MoneyGram in India, the receiver can walk into any MoneyGram agent location, complete a simple Receive Form and show a photo identification to collect funds in as little as 10 minutes, subject to agent availability and hours of operation.

MoneyGram’s money transfer service is approved by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and has been available in India since 1997. In addition to UAE Exchange and Thomas Cook, key agents adding subagent network across India include Mehra Forex, Airwings Services Pvt. Ltd., Indusind Bank, Supreme Securities Limited, Trade Wings Limited and Catholic Syrian Bank.

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Star India launches Hindi version of Moment of Truth

STAR launched Sach Ka Saamna, the Hindi version of Moment of Truth, on its leading Indian Hindi general entertainment channel, STAR PLUS. The mega game show debuted on July 15, Mon – Fri at 10:00pm EST. It offers a grand prize of Rs 1 crore (US$205,000) to any participant who can answer all of the 20 questions they face honestly. Sach Ka Saamna is hosted by film and television star Rajeev Khandelwal. The program represents a homecoming for Khandelwal, who first burst into living rooms across India on STAR PLUS’ blockbuster serial Kahiin To Hoga in 2003. Sach Ka Saamna will follow the format of its hit U.S. predecessor, Moment of Truth, which made headlines across the world for encouraging participants to reveal uncomfortable truths about their lives. The U.S. version had developed a significant following in India on STAR’s English language general entertainment channel, STAR WORLD.

Commenting on the launch of the show Keertan Adyanthaya, GM and EVP, STAR PLUS said “In this extremely competitive landscape, it’s always been our effort to introduce programming that challenges convention. Sach Ka Saamna is the effort of this continuing journey that will charter a new era of programming. We salute the bravery and courage of our participants to face the truth paving the way for more people to be honest and look at new beginnings.”

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Raj Goyle to run for US Congress

Raj Goyle, an Indian American and Kansas State Representative, formally announced his candidacy for the United States Congress.With his announcement last month, Goyle has entered the race in Kansas’ 4th Congressional District, which covers eleven counties in south central Kansas. If elected, he will be the third Indian American in the US House of Representatives, after Dilip Singh Saund and Bobby Jindal.

Goyle was elected to the Kansas State House of Representatives in 2006. He defeated a three-term incumbent and won re-election in 2008 with 67% of the vote.

Said to be an emerging Democrat young political leader, Goyle had shocked the Kansas political establishment when he beat incumbent Republican State Rep. Bonnie Huy in 2006.

A prolific fundraiser with a reputation for party crossover appeal, Goyle has won two terms in a Republican-leaning district in east Wichita. GOP national committeeman Mike Pompeo and state Sen. Dick Kelsey, RGoddard, are in a spirited campaign for the Republican nomination for the seat.

Raj is a native Wichitan and his life in Kansas taught him that the American Dream is available to anyone who works hard and plays by the rules. Raj’s parents have run a small medical clinic for more than 30 years that has created good jobs and provides topquality care for the community. Raj learned about the challenges business owners face in providing services while meeting payroll and covering expenses.

Like other kids growing up in Wichita, Raj participated in Cub Scouts, YMCA basketball leagues and immersed himself in school activities. When he was 15, he helped organize a community-wide recycling program and led a cleanup of the Arkansas River in downtown Wichita. He also worked at the Wichita Eagle where he helped produce the “back to school issue” and wrote a column on each high school in the city.

Raj graduated from Duke University and then Harvard Law School where in addition to his legal studies, he founded a technology company with two classmates that taught him the importance of entrepreneurship. After law school, Raj clerked for a federal judge and then as an advocate for better schools, improved voting rights for the disabled, and as an expert on homeland security issues. And along the way he met the love of his life — his wife Monica, an attorney and daughter of retired public school teachers.

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National Sikh Conference at Library of Congress draws record crowd

The Sikh National Conference: "Taking Heritage into the 21st Century," a two-day series of lectures, panel discussions, film screenings and photo exhibits, all celebrating the addition of more than 80 Sikh volumes to the library's collection, drew huge crowds. The event came on the heels of the DC Council's resolution declaring the week of June 15th to the 19th as ‘Sikh Heritage Week.'

The two-day National Sikh Conference, sponsored by The Kaur Foundation of Washington, D.C. in collaboration with The U.S. Library of Congress Asian Division and The Asian Division Friends Society was a symbol of the Sikh American community coming of age. This historic event took place at the magnificent and ornate Jefferson Building and James Madison Memorial Building near the U.S. Capitol. The Conference included the Sikh Collection Initiative – a permanent installation of over 80 books on Sikh history, literature and the arts, scriptures and classics in English and Punjabi in the Library of Congress. Powerful presentations and panel discussions thrilled the conference attendees.

Over the two days, several members of the U.S. Congress addressed the National Sikh Conference. They applauded the Sikh community's contributions since the early 1900's in enriching the fabric of America's diverse society and culture.

Throughout the two-day conference, a unifying message kept reverberating: that it is important to build, span, and reinforce bridges of friendships, our collective vision, peace and prosperity; dispel ignorance by discovering those areas that offer uncommon common grounds to our shared destiny as Americans and members of one human race and family.

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Sonu Nigam, Cinsay announce unique US-Bollywood partnership

Sonu Nigam, Bollywood’s leading singing talent, has joined forces with Cinsay, one of the world’s fastest growing media and software companies, in a unique collaboration to bring the star closer to the millions of fans and consumers in the US.

In conjunction with Sonu Nigam’s latest US concert tour Explosion 2009, the contentto- commerce partnership enables Cinsay to bring access to exclusive, never-before-seen performance, rehearsal and behind-thescenes video footage, music videos and branded consumer products, including new clothing and merchandise line, to fans in the US and elsewhere. The collaboration was facilitated by Music is Nirvana, a leading content aggregator of South Asian music and movies in the US. As part of its joint venture with Cinsay, Music Is Nirvana will bring on board more South Asian talent to create music portals and merchandising opportunities.

Sonu Nigam recently launched his US concert tour, Explosion 2009, with performances at Washington, DC’s Patriot Center and the Special Events Center in Garland (Dallas), TX. The newly-designed merchandise will be available at each venue. Remaining tour dates/locations include: Atlantic City, NJ – Trump Taj Mahal, Los Angeles, CA – Shrine Auditorium, Houston, TX – Reliant Arena, Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena, Denver, CO – Buell Theater, Denver Performing Arts Complex and Orlando, FL.

One of Bollywood’s most versatile and talented singers, Sonu Nigam was born in Faridabad, Haryana, and moved with his family to Delhi while still young. At 17, Sonu moved to Mumbai to pursue a singing career, and soon had his big break with “Accha Sila Diya Tune,” from Bewafa Sanam. He became the host of the television competition show “SaReGaMa” and soon recorded his first big hit “Sandese Aate Hai,” from the movie Border. He quickly won the hearts of millions and carved his own niche as one of Bollywood’s most popular and sought-after singers. He is a two-time Filmfare Award winner for the tracks “Saathiya” and “Kal Ho Na Ho,” and has amassed a legion of fans throughout the world thanks to his performances in a large number of films, including “Lage Raho Munnabhai, Don – The Chase Begins Again, Jaan-E-Maan, Umrao Jaan, Dhoom 2, Baabul, Salaam-E-Ishq, Eklavya, Kya Love Story Hai and Ta Ra Rum Pum.

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