Tel: 905-670-1522, Fax: 416-661-7273 Vol.8 , No. 1075 Thursday, May 12, 2011 29 Vaisakh, Nanaksahi Calendar 543

Balance budget by 2014...FlahertyFinance Minister Jim

Flaherty said Wednesday

he has "some certainty"

that the federal budget

will pass when it is voted

on in the House of

Commons next month.

Flaherty, speaking

to the Council of the

Americas in Washington,

said he plans to re-intro-

duce the budget in June.

"This time I can

say with some certainty it

will be passed and it is a

budget that leads us back

to a balanced budget in

the medium term, in three

to four years,"

Flaherty said.

The budget was rejected by

all three opposition parties when it

was introduced in March. If the doc-

ument had gone to a vote it likely

would have resulted in the govern-

ment's fall and triggered the election.

Instead, the government was

found to be in contempt of Parlia-

ment over its failure to release infor-

mation on its spending plans, a vote

that collapsed the government before

the budget vote took place.

Flaherty has said the budget

will be updated before it is re-intro-

duced. With their new majority sta-

tus, the Conservatives don't need the

support of any of the other parties to

win the vote. The finance minister

also said the government will now be

able to make longer-term plans than

it could in the past.

He said the Conservatives

worked well as a minority govern-

ment, but constantly had the threat of

an election hanging over

their heads, making it dif-

ficult to plan for the fu-

ture. "It's a challenge in a

minority system because

you have to run two

tracks all the time. You

run a longer term track --

a medium to long term

track -- and then you're

running a 45-day track all

the time because you

don't know when you're

going to be defeated,"

Flaherty said.

"So this will make it

easier to plan in a con-

crete way for the medium

and the long term."

Flaherty said the

main issues during the election were

the economy, jobs and economic

growth, and said the majority Con-

servatives will be able to address

those concerns and "make sure we

stay the course and have at least

modest economic growth," going

forward.

Courageous Journalism02 May 12, 2011

Fundraising Dinner Raises $15,000 For Seva Food BankMississauga, ON – More than300 people filled the BombayPalace on Friday night toshow their support for theSeva Food Bank in its fightagainst hunger and poverty.The food bank hosted its firstfundraising dinner, The SevaSpark, and raised more than$15,000 to support their ongo-ing operations.

“In each of the sevenmonths that we’ve been open,the Seva Food Bank has seena steady increase in the num-ber of client families that weserve,” commented dinner or-ganizer Gurmeet SinghAhluwalia. “We’re delightedto see such an outpouring ofsupport from the community.The money raised tonight al-lows us to really focus our ef-forts on taking care of thesefamilies.”

Since opening itsdoors in September 2010, theSeva Food Bank has distrib-uted over 100,000 pounds offood to over 400 families inneed from the L5B and L5Cpostal codes of Mississauga.

Mr. Ahluwalia andNavtej Kaur Mudhar were themasters of ceremonies for theevent. The evening featured amaculele Afro-Braziliandance by Axe Capoeira and aperformance by the I RockWith The One dance group.Chris Hatch, the ExecutiveDirector of the MississaugaFood Bank, also spoke to theaudience remarking on thetremendous partnership thatthey have established with theSeva Food Bank.

Dignitaries attendingthe event included Missis-sauga City Councillor GeorgeCarlson, former councillorCarolyn Parish, MPP VicDhillon and new MP ParmGill.

The Seva Food Bankis an initiative of Sikhs Serv-ing Canada, a registered not-for-profit organization whosemission is to positively impactlocal communities by actingon the basic Sikh tenets of sar-bat da bhalla (the well beingof all) and seva (selfless service).

May 12, 2011 03 Courageous Journalism

City of Brampton CSP Web Maps Wins 2011 GITA International Innovator AwardBRAMPTON: The City of Bramp-

ton has won the 2011 Geospatial In-

formation & Technology Association

(GITA) International Innovator

Award for its Citizen Service Plat-

form Web Interactive Maps. The

Award was presented at the annual

GITA Conference that took place in

Dallas, Texas April 10–13, 2011.

GITA is a professional inter-

national association that promotes

mapping infrastructure, services, ac-

tivities and operations that sustain

our communities and way of life.

The Innovator Award recognizes or-

ganizations that go above and be-

yond to deliver unique mapping

technology or service through inno-

vation to benefit users and commu-

nities. Launched in March 2010,

Brampton’s Interactive Maps have

transformed the experience of users

interacting with map-oriented infor-

mation and industry perception of

municipal geospatial services. This

award-winning solution and positive

recognition of the City of Brampton

on the world stage is a testimony of

Brampton as a leader in the delivery

of innovative solutions.

“In today’s modern world,

residents and businesses depend on

having quick and

convenient access

to important infor-

mation,” said

Mayor Susan Fen-

nell. “This service

is another exam-

ple of our com-

mitment to engage

the citizens of

Brampton, and to

make accessing

key information

easy and available

24 hours per day.”

With more

than 225,000 on-

line visits

monthly, resi-

dents, businesses,

and staff are using

this tool to find

out what is hap-

pening in their

neighbourhood. Visitors can access

information about road closures,

schools, libraries, bus stops, snow re-

moval routes, ward demographics,

zoning, planning information, histor-

ical traffic count analysis and more.

To access the tool, visit www.

brampton.ca

Detained Canadian reporternow in Iranian custody

Al-Jazeera television is demanding the immediate re-

lease of Canadian reporter Dorothy Parvaz, after learn-

ing that she is now in Iranian custody. Parvaz travelled

to Syria last month to cover ongoing anti-government

protests, but was detained by authorities upon her ar-

rival in Damascus nearly

two weeks ago.

Al-Jazeera says it has

since learned from Syrian

authorities that Parvaz "is

being held in Tehran."

The television network is

still trying to get informa-

tion from Iranian authori-

ties about her

whereabouts. Al-Jazeera

also published a statement from Parvaz's family, which

also pleaded for her release.

"Dorothy is a dearly loved daughter, sister and

fiancée, and a committed journalist. It is now nearly

two weeks since she was detained. We appeal once

again for Dorothy to be released immediately and re-

turned to us," the statement said.

Fred Parvaz, the father of the detained journal-

ist, told CTV News Channel on Wednesday morning

that his daughter was born in Iran, but grew up in

Canada. He said he had not heard from Syrian or Iran-

ian authorities about his daughter, though he has been

in touch with the Canadian government about her case.

"I am very worried, I am very concerned and I

just have to wait and see the new developments," he

said by telephone from North Vancouver, B.C.

Courageous Journalism

I have sometimes been a critic of

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff,

yet I take no pleasure in his recent,

and very personal, defeat. Whatever

my concerns with his tenure as Lib-

eral leader, Ignatieff remains an in-

tellectual force to be respected. A

gifted writer and serious scholar, he

has many contributions to his credit,

and, one hopes, many more to come.

I am looking forward to reading his

reflections in the years ahead. How-

ever, because I also believe in chal-

lenging incorrect assumptions and

learning from the mistakes of the

past, I hope there is value in reflect-

ing on what I see as two strategic er-

rors that Ignatieff made – one early

in 2009, and the other during the

2011 campaign.

As some readers may know,

I have spent the better part of the last

two years studying the 2008 proro-

gation. There is a reasonable fear

that, with Prime Minister Stephen

Harper’s majority win, the 2008

prorogation – and the numerous

other violations against Parliament

– will now be seen as acceptable in

Canadian politics. This represents a

serious challenge for constitutional

scholars and those who tried to stand

up for Canada’s principal demo-

cratic institution. It seems clear that

many Canadians today prefer low

taxes to political accountability.

The failure to see the Con-

servative party’s actions against Par-

liament as more than mere political

manoeuvring may have been

brought about by Ignatieff’s failure

to challenge the 2008 prorogation

once he was installed as Liberal

leader. As you may recall, in early

2009, Ignatieff ruled out a coalition

and supported the Conservatives’

budget. He pursued a strategy that

allowed him to bide his time, intro-

duce himself to Canadians, and wait

for the right circumstances in which

he could defeat the existing govern-

ment. In retrospect, by waiting for

future – and inevitable – examples

of parliamentary disregard, the Lib-

erals conceded the idea that the con-

fidence of the House matters. Based

on their unrealistic hope that their

decline could be magically reversed,

many Liberals were too proud to ac-

cept what I, and many others, have

argued – that for progressives in

Canada, the choice is between coali-

tions and Conservatives.

Of course, defeating Harper

and reviving the Dion coalition early

in 2009 would not have assured a

Liberal victory in 2011. However, it

would have allowed Ignatieff to en-

gage Canadians on the merits of

coalitions, and on our democratic

right (allotted even to the “evil Sep-

aratists”) to govern ourselves

through co-operative political

arrangements. It could also have

challenged and reversed the consti-

tutional subversion that occurred in

2008 when prorogation was used to

avoid a confidence vote in the

House. This event will now likely

fade from the public’s conscious-

ness, and the broader lessons of this

event will go unlearned.

Had a coalition been formed

in 2009, with the support of the ma-

jority of MPs and representing a ma-

jority of Canadians, Ignatieff could

have demonstrated that a co-opera-

tive approach to Canadian gover-

nance could work. Again, while

Harper might have still won in 2011,

at least the Liberal campaign could

have been based on the difference in

governing styles between a Conser-

vative minority and a Liberal-led

coalition. Nothing succeeds like the

appearance of success: Because Ig-

natieff allowed Harper to continue

as prime minister, it became too

easy for some to choose the devil

they knew over a political outcome

with which they had no direct expe-

rience.

Ignatieff made his second

error, which compounded his first,

on the first day of the 2011 cam-

paign, when he explicitly and inex-

plicably ruled out any Liberal-led

coalition or formal accord. By argu-

ing that the election was a choice be-

tween Harper and himself, Ignatieff

fully embraced the arrogance and

sense of entitlement that many de-

test about the Liberal party. Ignati-

eff’s statement also left an opening

for NDP Leader Jack Layton, who

was the only federal leader to un-

apologetically argue that Quebecers

have the same political rights as

everyone else to participate in the

national affairs of the country. Not-

ing that Quebecers could certainly

choose to vote Bloc Québécois,

Layton nevertheless asked them to

look at the NDP program. This open

approach respected the political ma-

turity of Quebecers, and has had

profound implications for the under-

discussed issues of national unity

that pull at many Canadians and

continue to confound one and all.

Once Quebecers began to

trend NDP, the considerable anti-

Harper vote jubilantly joined Lay-

ton, and the movement began to

look quite large indeed. Mixed

polling data was enough to scare

right-leaning Liberals, who appear

to have decided to jump ship at the

last minute. Vote splitting – chiefly

in Ontario – did the rest, and the

great Conservative ground game did

its job. Canadians would do well to

remember that elections are largely

decided by those on the ground in

local ridings who work to get folks

out and voting.

Of course, there is no guar-

antee that Ignatieff could have made

the same sort of overture to Quebe-

cers that Layton did. But, once

again, Ignatieff’s failure appears to

be associated with a strategy of try-

ing to play it safe, looking to the

programs of the past, and failing to

recognize the political realities of

today. If nothing else, Ignatieff

could have built on his strengths as

a political philosopher by reminding

Canadians that when we demonize

those with whom we disagree, we

turn our backs on the basic principle

of responsible democratic citizen-

ship. Instead of losing on the learn-

ing passport or the proposed baby

steps to reinvigorate Canadian

democracy, Ignatieff could have

fought with the inspiring message

that we can disagree without being

disagreeable. He could have run on

the idea that, in a country as large

and diverse as Canada, co-operation,

dialogue, and transparency can de-

liver a better government than divi-

sion, demonization, and secrecy.

Unfortunately, those behind

the abuses of power that we saw in

Harper's minority government will

now turn their dedicated and dutiful

heads to the pesky problem of the

welfare state. Look for Orwellian

announcements to come out of Ot-

tawa as Canada downsizes, becomes

more religious, and gives social

services what may become known

as the “Full Rove” treatment. In

2011, many Canadian voters ap-

proved the politics of character as-

sassination as legitimate, as did the

traditional media, which endorsed

candidates who refused to take ques-

tions from the press. Every elec-

torate gets the government it

deserves.

Liberals must recognize that

it is their party’s arrogance that has

lost them their place in Canadian

politics for the next four years. Po-

litical success is earned – it is not a

birthright or legacy admission.

Everyone who embraces progres-

sive politics in Canada must ac-

knowledge and learn from past

mistakes. Future campaigns must be

based on political realities “on the

ground” and not on fond remem-

brances of the past.

Johannes Wheeldon

The Mark.

Michael Ignatieff's Greatest Mistakes

04 May 12, 2011

Osama bin Laden's adult sons have

attacked the legitimacy of the US

assault that killed their father, calling

for a UN inquiry to determine why

he was not arrested and prosecuted.

In a joint letter the family said it

Laden`s death a big question for US

wanted to know "why an unarmed

man was not arrested and tried in a

court of law so that truth is revealed

to the people of the world".

"Arbitrary killing is not a

solution to political problems," they

said. Drawing comparisons with Sad-

dam Hussein and the former Serb

leader Slobodan Milosevic, the state-

ment said "international law has been

blatantly violated" and, in a reference

to the shooting of other people in the

compound, said President Obama

had ordered "the execution of

unarmed men and women". Also

condemning Osama bin Laden's sea

burial as a deprivation of the family's

religious rights.

Laden said he was assembling

a "panel of eminent British and inter-

national lawyers" to help obtain

answers. If the Obama administration

did not respond within 30 days it

would take "necessary action"

including lodging cases with the

international criminal court and the

international court of justice. This

could cause US a big embarrassment.

05 May 12, 2011 Courageous Journalism

by Dr. Amarjeet Singh

Washington D.C. Wednesday 4 May,2011: Five years ago, the ManmohanSingh government launched, withgreat fanfare, a massive jobs programfor hundreds of millions of India’spoorest citizens (numbering littleover 700 million suicide-prone ‘un-washed’ Indians at that time living onU.S. $. 1 per day) in a copy cat Indian version, of America’s very successfulWorks Progress Administrationwhich lifted millions of Americansfrom poverty and hunger – by givingthem jobs - under President FranklinDelano Roosevelt’s ‘New-Deal’ pro-gram during the Great Depression ofthe 1930’s. But unlike its successfulAmerican counterpart, eight decadesago, the ineffective nine billion dol-lars (Rs. 405, 900 Crores) Indian pro-gram, (named ‘The Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guaran-tee Scheme’, a gigantic program, de-signed to create jobs throughbuilding infrastructure in India’smost-backward rural areas) is nowriddled with corruption, which haskept the poor down, rather than up-lifting them, and the number of ‘un-washed’ Indians have now rocketedupwards to over 75% of India’s pop-ulation, 800 million hungry un-washed souls living a miserable lifeof squalor – two hundred millionmore than African continents sixhundred million ‘unwashed’ (a littleless than 60 % of the population ofthe continent) which group nownumbers two hundred million soulsless then the 800 million ‘unwashed’Africans five years ago. The aboveIndian con-game, scandal and tale ofcorruption is the subject of a frontpage report in the Wall Street Jour-nal, published last Saturday, jointlywritten by Tom Wright and HarshGupta, headlined, “India’s Flawed‘New Deal’ Program - India’s BoomBypasses Rural Poor” which exposesand highlights the squalor and cor-ruption that is INDIA. The abovementioned Wall Street Journal report,quoting senior government officials,says that, ‘The Mahatma Gandhi Na-tional Rural Employment GuaranteeScheme’, as the U.S. $. 9 billion pro-gram is known, is riddled with cor-ruption. Less than half of the projects

begun since 2006—including newroads and irrigation systems—havebeen completed. Workers say they’refrequently not paid in full or forcedto pay bribes to get jobs, and aren’tlearning any new skills that could im-prove their long-term prospects andbreak the cycle of poverty. InNakrasar, a collection of villages inthe dusty western state of Rajasthan,19 unfinished projects for catchingrain and raising the water table are allthere is to show for a year’s worth ofwork and $77,000 in program funds.No major roads have been built, nonew homes, schools or hospitals orany infrastructure to speak of. At onesite on a recent afternoon, around200 workers sat idly around a bone-dry pit. ‘What’s the big benefit?’ saidGopal Ram Jat, a 40-year-old farmerin a white cotton head scarf. He sayshe has earned enough money throughthe program - about $200 in a year orabout $. 17 or Rs. 765 a month - tobuy some extra food for his family,but not much else. ‘No public assetswere made of any significance’.

Mrs. Sonia Gandhi’s late hus-band Prime minister Rajiv Gandhi(who is infamous for ordering themass murder of thousands of Sikhmen women and children in Novem-ber 1984) had correctly estimated inthe 1990’s, during a moment of truth-fulness, that only 15% of governmentmoney spent historically on India’spoor had made it to the intended re-cipients. On the basis of the aboveobservation only one billion threehundred and fifty million US. Dollars(15%) of the allotted US. $. 9 billionwill reach India’s needy – the un-washed rural population covered bythe rural employment program.

According to the Wall StreetJournal’s report Workers in the ruralemployment program aren’t allowedto use machines, for example, andhave to dig instead with pick axesand shovels. The idea is to create asmany jobs as possible for unskilledworkers. But in practice, say critics,it means no one learns new skills,only basic projects get completed andthe poor stay poor - dependent ongovernment checks. In a village inthe state of Rajasthan, workers say

they’ve seen little benefit from thejobs program, with no major infra-structure built and only a few hun-dred extra rupees a year in theirpockets. Indian officials acknowl-edge that the program is flawed,though they say it has provided animportant safety net for the 50 mil-lion households, comprising morethan 200 million people, that haveparticipated in the past year alone.Proponents of the plan say that be-cause the pay is often better thanother rural jobs, it has given somerural workers a bargaining tool to de-mand higher wages. Echoing theGandhian ideals for which the pro-gram is named, they say workers arealso better off staying in their vil-lages, close to their families, insteadof moving to the cities in search ofwork and winding up in slums. Offi-cials at the federal rural affairs min-istry, say the aim was never to buildmajor highways or other large infra-structure, but to create work and raisewages. He says that state govern-ments, whose job it is to monitorprojects and ensure audits are carriedout, are at fault for failing in manycases to guard against corruption andunfinished work. Some villages haverun out of ideas for new projects. InChuru, the district capital a few milesfrom Nakrasar, senior officials sayvillagers simply dig new irrigationpits every time one is washed awayin the monsoons.

The Wall Street Journal re-port quotes Gurcharan Das, an authorwho has written about India’s eco-nomic development, as saying that itis a ‘Band-Aid’ solution which actu-ally works against the long-term fu-ture of the poor because it doesn’tgive them any long-term solutions topoverty. The repercussions go far be-yond irrigation projects. India’s fail-ure to uplift its poor and improve theeconomy in rural areas- where twothirds of the country’s 1.2 billionpeople live - over 800 million. Yetthe number of people relying on theprogram is expected to rise after thegovernment earlier this year decidedto tie wages to the cost of living, au-tomatically increasing the 100-rupeemaximum for a day’s work to about

125 rupees in many states. That’shigher in some places than the dailywage for farm labor. The result is thatmany more millions will likely be-come dependent on the governmentfor income despite a two-decade-oldpush to reduce the state’s role in theeconomy. It is obvious the rulingcongress party and its president Mrs.Sonia Gandhi, who came to power inthe year 2004, (in which election, thecreation of the rural employment actwas among Mrs. Gandhi’s foremostcampaign promises). wants to woothe rural poor because she sees themas a potent voting bloc which ‘hun-gry rural mob’ can be easily manipu-lated to help her to ensure that herdim witted effeminate son, RahulGandhi, the pretender to the Indianprime minister’s ‘throne’, is electedin the next Prime minister of India.These are the very problems the cre-ators of the program sought to avoid.In the past, anti-poverty funds wereroutinely stolen by the bureaucrats incharge. Rajiv Gandhi, a former In-dian prime minister and Mrs.Gandhi’s late husband, who was as-sassinated in 1991, had estimatedonly 15% of money spent historicallyon India’s poor had made it to the in-tended recipients. 85 % of the fundsare pocketed by the corrupt officials,politicians and their ‘other-in-laws’.When Congress party was re-electedin 2009, its central platform was thelifting of the ‘aam aadmi,’ or com-mon man, out of their poverty with‘The Mahatma Gandhi NationalRural Employment GuaranteeScheme’. Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, thepresident of the ruling Congressparty, told officials who administerthe program in a meeting in Februarythat ‘The scheme has been a big suc-cess in creating employment for ruralpeople,’ For sure it is a big successfor her ambitions at the expense ofthe Indian state which spent nine bil-lion dollars (Rs. 405, 900 Crores) onthis phony devilish scheme. Thiskind of electoral corruption stands instark contrast to the image, beingprojected of India as a global capital-ist powerhouse with surging growthand a liberalized economy. When it

(Cont.. to page no 8)

The gigantic nine billion dollars (Rs. 405, 900 crore) ‘Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme’, is the biggest fraud

Mrs. Sonia Gandhi has mounted on the people of India to facilitatedim-witted Rahul’s slow march to the Prime minister’s chair

06 May 12, 2011 Courageous Journalism

Roundtable conference with media at Brampton Civic HospitalChanges required in Emergency DepartmentMcGuinty government desisted to give $2 Million for

Angioplasty, Peel Memorial Health Centre open in 2015

Daily Bureau, (Special Report)

A roundtable conference was conducted today

with the Punjabi Media by Brampton Civic Hospi-

tal authorities and staff members. Prior to the

roundtable discussions, about a dozen journalists

were taken on a tour of the hospital. During this

tour they were shown the large screens in the hos-

pital that display information in various

languages.

The journalists also visited the Emergency

Department, where services are provided to

210,000 people every year, according to Kiki

Farari, head of the Department. Farari stated that

the number of people coming in to emergency

every year is increasing rapidly, up 24% in the last

two years.

As it was being stated that emergency room

wait times have been reduced by an hour and a

half, journalists noticed about 5-6 patients waiting

on stretchers in the hallways, that had been brought

in by ambulance.

Farari provided the group of journalists

with details about Emergency Room procedures,

which begins with an initial assessment for each

patient as they arrive. Patients with complicated

conditions have been given a scheduled time by the

Provincial Ministry of 8 hours, from beginning to

end, including all necessary tests. This target time

is easily achieved by the hospital. About 85% of

all patients are treated within this 8 hour time

frame, but the remaining patients often require ad-

ditional health services. The government has also

provided a target time frame of 4 hours for less se-

rious patients, in which the hospital has achieved

a 90% success rate.

Farari stated that there are always 4-5 doc-

tors in the Emergency Department available for pa-

tient care. In addition, some specialist doctors also

attend to patients in Emergency. However, it was

brought to attention that there was usually only one

doctor deployed during the night, which has now

since increased to two doctors.

During the tour, Dominic, the son of an eld-

erly patient lying (Cont.. to next page)

Courageous Journalism May 12, 2011 07

on a stretcher in the hallway, toldjournalists that he brought his motherto the hospital via ambulance, butnobody had taken care of her forthree hours. Dominic stated that hespent $50 for the ambulance becausehe didn’t want his mother to suffer,as she heard crying out due to sharppains. Afterwards, during an inter-view session, Farari stated that sheinvestigated further into this matterand discovered that a triage nursehad checked on the patient, but thewoman had misunderstood it to haveonly been the registration process.

There are two desks for reg-istration when a patient arrives inemergency. An initial assessment isalso done in the same location by atriage nurse, which normally consistsof blood pressure and temperaturebeing taken. The patient is then sentfor a long wait in the waiting room.It has been noted from past experi-ences that the behaviour of mostnurses in triage are more clerical andless suited for medical services. Theonly solution for this problem is thelaunch of Peel Memorial Hospital,which seems to have become a foot-ball field for local politicians andtheir provincial parties. The Presi-dent and CEO of the hospital, MattAnderson stated during the interviewsession that the Peel Memorial Hos-pital may open in 2015 as per infor-mation collected thus far, but hecannot say so with confidence.

The multi-religious depart-ment constructed in Brampton CivicHospital has been very effective. Lit-erature from five major religions,harmonium, percussion instrumentsand a place to worship are present ina room constructed inside the depart-ment. It is very important for thecommunity to know that required in-dividuals should be sent from our re-ligious institutions who are able torecite Sukhmani Sahib and/or otherprayers from our scriptures to fulfillthe spiritual needs of the patients.The hospital staff indicated that theyare facing problem for such servicesbeing provided by the Sikh commu-nity.

Upon evaluating the size of

Brampton Civic Hospital and its de-partments, it may not perhaps be ev-ident of how low the level oftreatment is that is provided for car-diovascular disease. Stress tests areconducted in the hospital and an-giograms aredone if required,which show a di-agram of any ob-struction of heartvessels. Thesepatients are how-ever then taken to the Trillium Hos-pital in Mississauga to be treated. Dr.Dominic Raco stated that $2 Millionis required for this pur-pose, which the provincialgovernment is refusing topay. As a result Ontariohealth care has to spendthree times the amount forthis service to be providedto patients at Trillium. An-derson stated that a pro-posal had been sent to theMcGuinty Governmentsince January 2010, butthere has been no re-sponse. This is a servicethat should be immedi-ately incorporated inBrampton Civic Hospital.

During Deb Math-ews, the Health Minister’svisit to the Brampton CivicHospital, this question wasalso asked by the PunjabiDaily journalist. Mathewsresponded by indicatingthat she would informabout this issue later on.The Ministry is beingasked this question againthis week by PunjabiDaily, regarding cardio-vascular treatment.

There is a fantasticrehab center constructed inthe hospital for patient use.Dr. Raco stated that dia-betes is a major problem inthe South Asian commu-nity. He further added thatthe size of heart vessels inSouth Asians is consider-able smaller and narrower.

Several key issues were dis-cussed during the roundtable discus-sion. Hospital authorities alsoappealed that they require the assis-tance of the community. Despite thesize of the hospital, staff members

try to give betterservices, butthey wanted toknow of anyshortcomings.A u t h o r i t i e sstated that they

are requesting for assistance in situ-ations being brought to their atten-tion in which patients may be facing

any problems. They stated that it hasbeen through media that they havecome to know of patients that faceddifficulties in the hospital.

Although in the past the gen-eral perception of the hospital in thecommunity has been poor, thisroundtable discussion was consid-ered to be beneficial by journalistswho collected an abundance of infor-mation during their visit to the hos-pital. Journalists saw first hand athow extensive the service is that isprovided in the various departmentsthroughout the hospital. However, itwas noted (Cont to Next page)

08 May 12, 2011 Courageous Journalism

Returning and outgoing Liberal MPs hold final meeting

that the Emergency Department is required to make

some changes to the services it provides. Hospital staff

is attempting to fix this problem by being accountable

and engaging, as well as maintain a close relationship

with the local community, as authorities are also con-

cerned of any harm that may be caused to the reputation

of the hospital.

With Provincial elections scheduled for October

6th, 2011, it is inevitable for the positive work and neg-

ative situations at the hospital to become part of the po-

litical discussions and debates to come. This will be an

opportunity to highlight achievements and the other

party candidates to draw attention to inadequacies at

the hospital.

Brampton Civic Hospital is a state of the art fa-

cility which is a health care wonder. There have been

many improvements over the past two years which can

clearly be seen, but much work is still needed for

Brampton Civic Hospital to satisfy its local community.

It will not be appropriate to see politicians turn this into

a match of inside baseball over the next few months.

Roundtable conference with media ...

comes to combating rural poverty, it looks more like a

throwback to the feudal India of old of the Maharajas or

a socialist-inspired Indian state founded on Gandhian

ideals of noble peasantry, self-sufficiency and a distaste

for free enterprise. India’s eight hundred million ‘un-

washed’ poor living, in the Indian demoNcracy, the

world’s largest, are DOOMED unless they take up arms

for their rights like the armed Naxalites who now control

one third of India, where the government writ just does

not exist, and the huge mercenary two million strong In-

dian Armed forces are chary of getting involved.

Khalistan Zindabad

It's a bittersweet day on Parliament

Hill as the remaining Liberal MPs, as

well as many outgoing Liberal mem-

bers who recently lost their seats,

met for the first time since last Mon-

day's election.

For many, including outgo-

ing leader Michael Ignatieff who re-

signed the day after the election, it

was their last meeting with the party

and one of their final opportunities to

bid farewell to colleagues.

The first session, which in-

cluded defeated MPs, began around

10 a.m. Wednesday morning and

ended a few hours later with little in-

formation about what took place be-

hind closed doors.

Ignatieff spoke briefly to re-

porters as he left the meeting, but

took no questions and gave no indi-

cation of what was discussed.

"It was a privilege to serve

the Canadian people and we leave

politics with a sense of what a privi-

lege it was and what an honour it

was," Ignatieff said.

Re-elected MPs, and sena-

tors, will meet on their own later in

the afternoon. One of the main tasks

the party faces in coming days is to

determine who will serve as interim

leader for the party until a new leader

can be chosen.

"That is likely what they are

doing this morning," said CTV par-

liamentary correspondent Richard

Madan, while the meeting was still

in session. "There are a bunch of

names floating around but with each

name comes its own individual story,

so this will be really fascinating to

watch." Of the 77 elected MPs the

Liberal Party had going into the fed-

eral election, only 34 remain. The

devastating loss saw the Liberals

hand over their status as Official Op-

position to the NDP, which won 102

seats in the election.

Madan said there is wide-

spread agreement among Liberals

that there is a lot of work ahead for

the party. "Every defeated Liberal

you talk to, they say the same thing:

'We need to rebuild, we need to re-

connect with our base, and we need

to redefine ourselves and who we

are.'" On Tuesday, the national

board of the federal Liberal Party re-

jigged party rules to put off finding

Ignatieff's permanent successor.

The board said there will be

a virtual convention in June to

amend the constitution, so the party

can wait beyond the mandated six

months to find a new leader. Many

Liberals are calling for a period of

one to two years with an interim

leader, so the party can make the

right choice on who will lead them

into the next election.

In the meantime, there's no

clear indication who will take on the

role of interim leader until a perma-

nent leader can be chosen.

Ralph Goodale would be up

for consideration, Madan said, but he

is considered ineligible since party

rules state the interim leader must be

bilingual.

The gigantic nine billiondollars (Rs. 405, 900 crore)

‘Mahatma Gandhi ....

May 12, 2011 09Courageous Journalism

New York, New York: India is

placed on the Watch List of U.S.

Commission on International Re-

ligious Freedom (USCIRF) for

continuous incidents of religious

violence and impunity from such

violence. The USCIRF Report for

2011 places India on Watch List

“because justice for past commu-

nal violence continues to be slow

and ineffective and because of

concerns about the state “Freedom

of Religion Act(s).” U S -

CIRF is an independent, bipartisan

U.S. federal government commis-

sion. USCIRF Commissioners are

appointed by the President and the

leadership of both political parties

in the Senate and the House of

Representatives. USCIRF’s princi-

pal responsibilities are to review

the facts and circumstances of vi-

olations of religious freedom inter-

nationally and to make policy

recommendations to the President,

the Secretary of State and Con-

gress. According to Leonard

Leo, Chairman of the USCIRF,

India has been put on the watch list

because “incidents of religious vi-

olence are greater and the problem

of impunity from such violence is

heightened”. The report specifi-

cally refers to lack of justice for

the victims of large-scale commu-

nal violence. Referring to the

2007-08 anti Christian violence in

Orissa, 2002 violence against

Muslims in Gujarat and 1984 vio-

lence against Sikhs, the USCIRF

report noted that the justice for

victims remain slow and often in-

effective. As per USCIRF report

“in some regions of India, law en-

forcement and judicial officials

have proven unwilling or unable to

seek redress consistently for vic-

tims of religiously-motivated vio-

lence or to challenge cultures of

impunity in areas with a history of

communal tensions, which in

some cases has fostered a climate

of impunity”. In 2009, members of

USCIRF who wanted to visit India

to discuss religious freedom con-

ditions with officials, religious

leaders, civil society activists and

others in the world’s largest

democracy, were denied visa by

Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh’s government. According to

attorney Gurpatwant S. Pannun,

legal advisor to Sikh For Justice

(SFJ) who practices human rights

law in the United States, putting

India on the watch list by USCIRF

is a step which will spread interna-

tional awareness regarding the

plight of religious minorities and

continuous denial of justice to

members of religious minorities

who suffered violence in India. In

November 1984 Sikhs were at-

tacked and killed with the com-

plicity of senior members of the

Congress Party. Although there are

witnesses and evidence that at-

tacks were orchestrated by senior

political figures, none have yet

been convicted for the 1984

killings added attorney Pannun.

Attorney Pannun further stated

that in the light of USCIRF’s plac-

ing India on watch list, SFJ has ap-

proached US Department of State

with the names of Congress lead-

ers and police officials who partic-

ipated in violence against Sikhs in

November 1984 demanding ban

on their entry into United States.

TORONTO — Today, in a

speech to the Ontario Power

Summit, Ontario PC Leader Tim

Hudak said a PC government

will provide relief for families on

their hydro bills and restore

transparency and competition to

Ontario’s energy sector by end-

ing Dalton McGuinty’s expen-

sive and unsustainable Feed-in

Tariff (FIT) program and his

sweetheart Samsung deal.

Ontario families’ hydro

bills are forecast to skyrocket by

$732 a year within the next four

years. Even Dalton McGuinty

admits the majority of the sky-

rocketing costs will come from

his FIT and Samsung projects.

His flawed approaches to renew-

able energy have lacked trans-

parency from the start and, unless

stopped, will lock Ontario fami-

lies into paying unsustainable

subsidies on their bills for the

next 20 years. An Ontario PC

government will integrate renew-

able energy into Ontario’s energy

supply mix by ensuring the

process is competitive and trans-

parent and, above all, affordable

to Ontario families. While Dalton

McGuinty believes Ontario fam-

ilies can pay more for his expen-

sive energy experiments, only

Tim Hudak and the Ontario PCs

will provide the relief Ontario

families need..

Welcoming apology from Aus-

tralian swimwear label Lisa Blue

Swimwear, upset Hindus have

repeated their appeal of apology

from Rosemount Australian

Fashion Week (RAFW) organiz-

ers also, which was held in Syd-

ney (Australia) from May 2-6

and showed the model with God-

dess Lakshmi image on

swimwear. Hindu statesman

Rajan Zed, in a statement in Ne-

vada (USA) today, said that

RAFW organizers should show

responsibility and consideration

toward the hurt worldwide Hindu

community and come out with a

public apology. In future, they

should be more careful about

what went on in the fashion

show. Inappropriate usage of

Hindu deities and concepts for

commercial or other agenda was

not okay as it hurt the devotees.

Symbols of any faith, larger or

smaller, should not be mishan-

dled, Zed, who is President of

Universal Society of Hinduism,

added. Rajan Zed pointed out

that Australian Government,

New South Wales Government,

Hewlett-Packard, Intel, etc., who

were said to be some of the

RAFW partners this year, should

reconsider the partnership in the

future in view of its inability to

halt the trivialization of highly

revered Goddess Lakshmi.

India-placed-on-us-watch-list-on-religious-freedom-warranted

Tim Hudak will Give Ontario Fam-ilies Relief on Their Hydro Bills

Upset Hindus ask apology from Australian FashionWeek organizers also over Lakshmi trivialization

10 May 12, 2011 Courageous Journalism

(Toronto, Ontario - Monday, May

9, 2011) – The Royal Canadian

Mounted Police (RCMP) has offi-

cially appointed a new Command-

ing Officer for its Ontario

Division. Stephen White becomes

the 35th Commanding Officer of

“O” Division since 1920. He will

replace the former Commanding

Officer, Assistant Commissioner

Mike McDonell, who retired from

the RCMP in July 2010.

The official Change of

Command ceremony, a time-hon-

oured tradition of the RCMP, took

place this afternoon at the Toronto

Police College, before RCMP

Commissioner William J.S. El-

liott, as well as several colleagues,

friends and family of

Stephen White.

Assistant Commissioner

White formerly held the position

of Director General Financial

Crime at the RCMP headquarters

in Ottawa is proud to have been

selected as the new Commanding

Officer of the RCMP in Ontario.

“It is a genuine pleasure for me to

return here to “O” Division and

assume the duties as your Com-

manding Officer. This day marks

the official start of a new chapter

in my career and I have been very

honored by the warm welcome

and support that I have received.”

RCMP Commissioner William

J.S. Elliott, stated “we are fortu-

nate to have such a leader in As-

sistant Commissioner Stephen

White. “He is known as an ex-

emplary mountie and an opera-

tionally driven and visionary

police professional. He is strategic

enough to recognize and commu-

nicate the big-picture context of

our work, but meticulous enough

to allow few details to escape him.

Moreover, Steve is an inspirational

and people-oriented leader. Skilled

at balancing the operational duties

and responsibilities we must de-

liver with the needs and concerns

of his people.”

A diversified career path

Assistant Commissioner

Stephen White joined the Royal

Canadian Mounted Police in 1986

and has many years of investiga-

tional experience in federal polic-

ing and financial crime. In 1999,

Stephen White was selected to a

five year assignment as the RCMP

Liaison Officer in Venezuela.

In this position he was re-

sponsible for coordinating

and facilitating law enforce-

ment activity between

Canada and 10 different

countries throughout the

southern Caribbean and

South America.

In 2004, he became Director

of Interpol Ottawa, responsi-

ble for the overall operation

of the Interpol National Cen-

tral Bureau in Canada. In

2005 he was appointed Direc-

tor of the RCMP’s International

Operations Branch, responsible

for overseeing the operation of the

RCMP’s Liaison Offices located

in 25 countries across North and

South America, Caribbean, Eu-

rope, Africa, Middle East

and Asia.

Between January 2007

and May 2008, Stephen White was

the Director of several of the

RCMP’s Financial Crime Pro-

grams. As the Director of the Inte-

grated Proceeds of Crime and

Money Laundering Programs, he

was responsible for leading the

RCMP component of two Govern-

ment of Canada initiatives,

namely, the Integrated Proceeds of

Crime Initiative and the National

Initiative to Combat Money Laun-

dering. As the Director of the In-

tegrated Market Enforcement

Program, he was responsible for

overseeing the RCMP’s activities

related to capital markets criminal

enforcement.

In May 2008, he was ap-

pointed Director General of Finan-

cial Crime for the RCMP. In this

capacity he was responsible for

overseeing and providing national

leadership to all of the RCMP’s Fi-

nancial Crime Programs. He was

appointed Assistant Commissioner

in 2009.

---------

RCMP Appoints New Commanding Officer in Ontario

May 12, 2011 11Courageous Journalism

Ontario is committed to

eliminating the deficit,

while protecting the key

public services in education

and health care that [Bramp-

ton] relies on.

The Better Tomorrow for

Ontario Act (Budget Meas-

ures), which includes meas-

ures announced in the 2011

Budget – Turning the Cor-

ner, today passed third read-

ing. As part of the Budget,

the province will create and

retain about 10,000 jobs

through new partnerships

with the private sector in

Ontario. The Act also sets

out the gov-

e r n m e n t ’s

commitment

to reduce the

number of

government

a g e n c i e s ,

provide bet-

ter value for taxpayer dol-

lars, and make strategic

investments for a brighter

future. It also lays out On-

tario’s plan for managing re-

sponsibly by finding

savings of nearly $1.5 bil-

lion across government over

the next three years.

The budget measures

build on the McGuinty

government’s Open

Ontario Plan to

strengthen the econ-

omy, promote job cre-

ation and protect the

public services that Ontario

families count on. In addi-

tion, Ontario's Tax Plan for

Jobs and Growth will pro-

vide $12 billion in relief for

families over three years

MONTREAL — A new survey suggests the

average NDP voter in Quebec is not neces-

sarily left wing, feels some attachment to

Canada, and is convinced the province does-

n't get much respect in Confederation.

All of which would place New Democrat

supporters right in the centre of the Quebec

electorate, suggests the survey conducted for

the Association for Canadian Studies.

A complex portrait is emerging

from last week's surprise election result,

where the NDP swept the province and nearly

wiped the sovereigntist Bloc Quebecois off

the map. But the Leger Marketing poll clearly

suggests Jack Layton's party managed to tap

into the political centre in the province -- both

on Canada-Quebec issues and in left-right

ideological matters.

Among the key findings of the In-

ternet survey: 67 per cent of self-declared

NDP voters said they were very (35 per cent)

or somewhat (32 per cent) attached to

Canada. That was right between the two ex-

tremes -- the 95 per cent of Liberal voters and

94 per cent of Conservatives who proclaimed

an attachment to Canada, and a mere 28 per

cent of Bloc Quebecois voters who did."This

wasn't an ideological vote," Jack Jedwab, ex-

ecutive director of the association, said Tues-

day. He called it the first time since the

Trudeau years that Quebec's francophones

and anglophones had voted for the same

party. NDP voters also found themselves be-

tween the two sides on political ideology:

only 29 per cent of them called themselves

left wing or centre-left. That compared with

21 per cent who said they were centrist, while

11 per cent identified themselves as centre-

right and three per cent as right wing.

Thirty-five per cent did not respond

or said they did not know. That placed NDP

supporters right between Conservatives, only

two per cent of whom declared themselves

on the left or centre-left, and Bloquistes -- 48

per cent of whom called themselves left or

centre-left. On that score, the NDPers were

most similar to Liberals -- who had the high-

est margin of centrist voters.

NDP supporters were also at the

centre when asked how Quebec was faring in

Canada. The findings suggest many Quebe-

cers see advantages in Confederation, but

don't feel very respected. When asked

whether federalism was advantageous to

Quebec, NDP supporters were right in the

middle -- at 50 per cent agreement. Only

eight per cent of Bloc supporters agreed,

while three-quarters of Liberals and Conser-

vatives agreed. Thirty-nine per cent of New

Democrats disagreed.

Only 32 per cent of NDP voters said

Quebec was treated with respect within

Canada. That was right between Bloc voters

(four per cent), and Liberal (61 per cent) and

Conservative (69 per cent) voters. The online

survey of 976 self-declared voters was con-

ducted May 5-6 by Leger Marketing and is

considered accurate to within 3.1 percentage

points, 19 times out of 20.

The poll also suggests little change

on Canada-Quebec sentiments, despite the

election result. Sixty per cent of francophone

respondents declared they were slightly or

very attached to Canada. A similar Leger sur-

vey five months ago placed that number at 59

per cent. That compares with non-francoph-

ones in the province -- 95 per cent of whom

professed an attachment to Canada.

--------------------

Chandigarh: The RCMP

(Royal Canadian Mounted

Police) were reluctant to

share evidence. At that

point of time I wanted to

shut the inquiry... Then it

started coming. It was not

easy to get information,”

recalled Justice John C

Major, who was Chairman

of Commission of Inquiry

into the Investigation of the

Bombing of Air India

Flight 182 (Kanishka). It

was the largest mass mur-

der in the history of

Canada.

“The bombing

was clearly preventable. It

could have stopped at the

desk of CSIS (Canadian Se-

curity Intelligence Service)

desk. There was an input

that terrorists would seek

revenge in June, 1985. Air

India had also sent a mes-

sage to all airports on June

1, where they were operat-

ing flights,” said Major.

“At the time of

blast, Canadian ambassador

was recently replaced and

there was no one at that

time. Canada’s response

was slow at that time, but

the Irish people did an ex-

cellent job,” said Major. In

his report, he had com-

mented on racism angle,

“While the Commission

does not feel that the term

“racism” is helpful, it is

also understandable that the

callous attitude by the Gov-

ernment of Canada to the

families of the victims

might lead them to wonder

whether a similar response

would have been forthcom-

ing had the overwhelming

majority of the victims of

the bombing been Canadi-

ans who were white. The

Commission concludes that

both the Government and

the Canadian public were

slow to recognize the

bombing of Flight 182 as a

Canadian issue.”

According to

Major, the plane was two-

and-a-half hours late. The

manager (of Air India) was

anxious to get off the

ground. The X-ray screen-

ing machine broke down

after checking part of the

luggage and PD-4 sniffer

device had to be used, but

Air India security staff were

not trained to use it.

He said, “It was

around 3 o’ clock in the af-

ternoon. M Singh got off

the plane unobserved. He

could go off so easily.”

He added that ter-

rorists wanted to take re-

venge for “invasion of

Golden Temple” as “assas-

sination of Indira Gandhi

was not enough”. It had

come out that they had

warned Sikhs not to fly

Air India.

In reply to a ques-

tion, he said, “Canada was

little soft on expressions on

Sikh terrorism. They were

very vocal and threatening.

Local politicians were more

concerned to get their

votes.” He added, “We have

heard that radical Sikhs are

more active in Canada than

here (in Punjab).”

On Ripudaman

Singh Malik, he said, “The

case concerning him is

about fraud. He applied for

legal aid saying he had no

money. But when investi-

gated, it was found that he

had assets. He has lot of

businesses. He runs a

school; 200 graduates from

the school have criminal

record.

Poll: Quebec NDP votersslightly attached to Canada

‘Evasive Canada cops almostderailed Kanishka probe’

Ontario’s Budget Is Helping Families in Brampton

12 May 12, 2011 Courageous Journalism

Aloo Paneer Chaat

2 cups paneer (cottagte cheese)

cubes

10 to 12 baby potatoes , boiled

1 cup boiled green peas

25 of ginger (adrak)

2 to 3 green chillies , finely chopped

2 tsp dried mango powder

(amchur)

1/2 tsp freshly crushed freshly

ground black pepper powder

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp oil, salt to taste, For The Garnish, 2 tbsp chopped coriander

(dhania)

Snack on this lip-smacking, easy to cook chaat, which serves as

a protein and calcium booster for your eyes.

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the green chilles and

ginger and sauté for 1 minute. Add the paneer, potatoes and

green peas and cook for another minute.Add the amchur,

crushed pepper, lemon juice and salt and mix well.Serve hot

garnished with the chopped coriander.

Ingredients

Method

If you get a really good facial, the

aesthetician will more than likely

spend some time directing a stream

of cool "steam" at your face. It feels

like a soft ocean breeze, and it does

the nearly impossible; opening pores

while moisturizing skin. It's usually

followed up by a pore treatment and

toner and moisturizer. In fact, when

you pay for a professional facial,

you're really paying for the cooled

steam: the other parts of the

process—the wrapping, mask, mois-

turizers and pore treatments can all

be had at home.

Now you can have the

whole thing, and save scads of

money while beautifying your skin.

With a humidifier, you can perfect

the at-home facial, but you can also

do so much more. Humidifiers add

moisture to any room so that in the

dry room heat of winter, or dusty, hot

summers, your skin is soft, smooth

and comfortable. Add a drop of es-

sential oil for aromatherapy.

See our favorite cool stream

humidifier that will be great for your

face and your home.

But with the tip, that

facial cost me $75, and the thing

I liked most and wanted to take

home with me was the steam. I

started thinking about ways I

could get more steam into my

life without forking out so much

money at the salon. Hot water

makes hot steam, which is unac-

ceptable, so the bowl and towel-

over-the-head routine wouldn’t work.

I didn’t want one of those personal

steamers because you have to set

your face into them and do nothing:

I wanted something that would work

while I did other things.

I pondered, then I remem-

bered the vaporizer that my friend

Judy bought for her baby Emily

when Ems got croupy. I called Judy,

and she turned me on to the fact that

vaporizers make warm steam from

boiling water, and humidifiers push

cool water vapor into the room.

I read a little about humidi-

fiers and finally chose the Vicks Ul-

trasonic Cool Mist Humidifier. I

chose it because it has a built-in

water filter, you can control the mist

speed, and it’s possible to direct the

mist too. Even though this humidifier

has a water filter, you should use fil-

tered water in your vaporizer because

the hard minerals in most tap water

can clog it up after you’ve used it

awhile, seriously shortening the lifes-

pan of the appliance. If you already

have a water filter on your tap, great!

If not, just get down to the grocery

store and buy a few gallons of the

cheapo drinking water, then keep the

jugs so you can refill them at one of

the water machines most supermar-

kets have parked outside.

A Cool Steam Facial Has BeneficialBeauty and Health Benefits

May 12, 2011 13 Courageous Journalism

Manmohan Waris is one

of the top Punjabi singers in the

world. He has been around for al-

most 13 years now. Since he re-

leased his first album “Gairan

Naal Peenghan Jhootdeye’ in

1993, he has never looked back.

Punjabis around the world love

him and he feels the pressure of

not letting them down. His hum-

bleness and sincerity has won

many hearts. His voice is consid-

ered one of the sweetest around

and his songs attest to his passion

for clean and literary lyrics

Background He was

born into a farming family in the

Village of Halluwal, Punjab. He

had a great interest in music

since an early age. He started his

formal music training at the age

of 11. Every-

thing he

learned from

his Guru, he

taught his

younger broth-

ers. So all

three brothers got seriously in-

volved in music at a very early

age. He got his music degree

from Punjab University. But the

most influential music Guru he

had was Shree Jaswant Singh

Bhanwra. Unlike many other

Punjabi singers who also learned

music from Shree Jaswant Singh

Bhanwra, the Guru did not teach

him so called “Lok-Gaayiki”, he

insisted on teaching him the real

music he knew himself. He saw

a great singer in Manmohan and

he wanted him to shine. In 1990,

Manmohan Waris’s family

moved to Canada. Here he made

his first album ‘Gairan Naal

Peenghan Jhootdeye.’ The album

was a great success and when

Waris returned to Punjab, Pun-

jabi’s everywhere just couldn’t

get enough of him. So he decided

to move back to India. His career

has never seen a foggy day since

that time. Waris’ philosophy

about his name and fame may

have something to do with that.

In his opinion “keeping your

name on the top is not an easy

thing, you have to work hard to

get here, and you have to work

harder to stay here”

Manmohan’s last reli-

gious release, named “Ghar Hun

Kitni Ku Doore…�? contained 8

very touching and thoughtful

songs. The title song of this

album, that gives us a peak into

the psyche of the young

Sahibzadas’ minds after they got

separated from the family, brings

tears into eyes. Another song

form this album ‘Dukh Vichhade

Nankane da’ is a passive chal-

lenge to the active Sikh commu-

nity and reminds us of our lost

treasures in the political games of

history. Latest Manmohan

Waris’s latest release was the live

show audio video ‘Punjabi

Virsa.’ This show set many new

records and precedents. The

quality and the perfection of the

recording and the performance of

this release challenged

the Punjabi music

lovers to expect more

from an artist. There is

no Punjabi music lover

around the world who

has not have a copy of

this performance.

Manmohan spends

most of the year in Punjab and he

tours the west in the summer.

Manmohan’s songs are evergreen

songs. People remember his ear-

liest work same way as they do

his latest. Manmohan’s latest

Punjabi Album is tited “Nachiye

Majajne”. The album got a great

response from Punjabis every-

where. The title song “Aja Appan

Nachiye Majajne” with its Desi

music and Dhole rhythms is a

milestone on the future path of

Punjabi music.

Dedication The success

of ‘Punjabi Virsa.’ proves that

there is still room for literary and

meaningful poetry in the fast

paced, single based commercial

Punjabi music world. Waris has

always worked hard to put his ef-

forts where his heart is. He is al-

ways eager to point out anything

that gets his attention. He has

never sung a song to gain mere a

commercial success. But this is

not his greatness, his greatness is

that he doesn’t do it to serve his

language or his native land; he

just does it because he is that

kind of person and it is his

nature.

14 May 12, 2011 Courageous Journalism

Discography Gairan Naal Peenghan Jhootdeye

Sohnian De Laaray

Husdi De Ful Kirde

Sajjre Challe Muklavay

Gali Gali Vich Hokay

Chardi Kala ‘ch Panth Khalsa

Mitran Da Sah Rukda

Husn Da Jadu

Gajray Gori De

Dil Vatte Dil

Ghar Hun Kitni ku Doore

Nachiye Majajne

Punjabi Virsa

his passion for clean and literary lyricsManmohan Waris

May 12, 2011 15 Courageous Journalism

This year is particularly

important for all of us be-

cause Bollywood will be

present in full force at

Cannes and I must say that

I am proud to be a part of

the fraternity that has now

evolved as one of the

strongest industries in the

world. People from Bolly-

wood (like Anil Kapoor,

Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan)

who are walking the red

carpet have made a great

mark at the international

level. In my opinion, the

ideal reason for going to

Cannes would be to show-

case a movie, but you can

rent space also. The best

way to be here is to have a

film competing in the fes-

tival. According to me

these international film fes-

tivals are about different

members and stars from

various countries getting

together. I am told that

only one Indian film by a

Bangladeshi filmmaker, is

in the competitive category

and that Mr Rakeysh Om-

Prakash Mehra's documen-

tary will be in the

sponsored showcase. I

have been asked whether I

find this as a contrast

where five Indian celebri-

ties will be walking the red

carpet. I feel that, generally

speaking, we make differ-

ent kinds of films, there are

commercial movies and

there are also a lot of film-

makers who make arty

movies and they should be

competing here.

Coming back to the red

carpet, I know that there's

a lot of excitement. I will

be there as a brand ambas-

sador for Chivas Regal and

I must say that I am ec-

static to walk the red carpet

for them. I know that red

carpet looks of stars are

discussed by fashion critics

around the world, but if

you ask me how I am

styling myself for my

maiden appearance at

Cannes, then I must point

out that I don't take the red

carpet fashion seriously at

all. On one hand, it's an ho-

nour to be there and I'm

very respectful of the

event, I'm also clear these

are part of my duties as a

brand ambassador. Never-

theless, I have decided to

wear a Tom Ford dinner

jacket when I walk down

the carpet. As a part of my

duties of being brand am-

bassador, I would be host-

ing a couple of parties with

them for various guests and

stars there.

My mother has

been on the Cannes jury

once and when I told her

that I am going there, she

asked me to have fun and

enjoy myself. Kareena,

however, won't be there

with me as she is shooting

in Mumbai.

'I don't take red carpetfashion seriously'

The Cannes Film Fes-

tival begins today.

Actor Saif Ali Khan re-

ports exclusively for

After Hrs from the red

carpet. Presenting the

first of his accounts as

he leaves for the

Croisette

Actor Sonu Sood, who was last seen

fighting it out with Salman Khan in

Dabangg, is busy seen making an ap-

peal to his near and dear ones.

No, it's not work that is causing him

to do so, but the actor is apparently

working towards actively promoting

vegetarianism. A source says that

only recently Sonu was approached

by the PETA team to be a part of their

vegan family and he was only happy

to do so. "Sonu is a vegetarian and

his veggie lunch dabba is everyone's

envy on the sets. Though Sonu spoke

about the benefits of a veg diet, he

didn't do it so actively before. Now

that he's part of the PETA family, he

taking his role very seriously!" says

a source in the know. Talking on the

development, Sonu said, "Yes, I think

we should bring that kind of aware-

ness to everyone — that we have to

do something for animals — become

vegetarians and do good to this

Earth." In fact, while Sonu was

shooting for Dabangg, even actor

Salman Khan had tried to make him

taste some of his ghar ka chicken

biryani. But Sonu was adamant and

had refused to take the bait. So, how

does Sonu manage to maintain those

six pack abs, minus any non-vegetar-

ian food? Sonu says that if one fol-

lows the right diet, veggies can help

one get their dream body.

Sonu's frantic appeal…

May 12, 2011 16