asha quest_issue 1

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Copyright to Asha Knoxville 1

Issue 128th Oct 2007

Next

In this issue:

Editors Note 2

Rendezvous with Dr. Nivedita Ganguly 3

Topic of the Quarter 5

Readers Corner 7

India at a Glance 9

Indians at Knoxville 11

Lifestyle 12

A Knoxville Chapter PublicationAsha Asha Asha Asha Quest Quest Quest Quest From the Coordinators Desk.From the Coordinators Desk.From the Coordinators Desk.

Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justicecan be maintained. - James A. Garfield

T he vicious cycle of Illiteracy - Child La-bor- Poverty is still a persistent problem in 21 st century India. These problems have a direct andsignificant impact on economic growth even thoughIndia is one of the fastest economies. The rootcause of all these problems is a lack of basic educa-tion.

Education system in India is currently notaccessible to everyone. Even when it is accessible,most low-level income parents are not willing tosend their kids to school. This is not a problemspecific to India, but a result of the high ratio of uneducated to educated people. In India, the ratiois particularly high, especially in the rural areas.

Literacy Rate Comparison (India Vs USA) Source: The World Fact Book

...contd on pg 13

India

(2001 Census)

USA

(2003 Census)

TotalPopulation

61 % 99 %

Male 73.4 % 99 %

Female 47.8 % 99 %


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A s members of the editorial team we are proud and excited to launch the first issue of the quarterly magazine for the Knox-ville chapter of Asha for Education. The primary mission of the magazine, which we have named Asha Quest, is to further the mis-sion of Asha, which n turn is to catalyze socio-economic change in India through education of underprivileged children. Our quest is tostrive to reach out and bring the message of Asha not only to the Indian and Indian-American communities, but also to friends of India,educators and patrons of education, as well as to anyone who has a moment to ponder about the fate of underprivileged children, acrosscommunities and nationalities within the greater Knoxville area. We do seek to spread the message of compassion and kindness, but notof sympathy, pity, or condescension. Our quest will be to continually remind ourselves and our readers how privileged we are to havethe opportunity to contribute to Ashas mission. However, this magazine has other broader objectives as well. We would like to providea venue for our readers, who may be potentially interested in any aspect of Ashas mission, to come forward and discuss new thoughtsand ideas, get to know each other, and help strengthen the shared bonds. Each issue of the magazine will carry a message from the desk of the coordinator on Ashas activities, as well as other relevant issues of interest. We will publish interviews of prominent educatorsand visionaries in the greater Knoxville region and throw the floor open for comments and discussions from readers. We start this firstissue with an interview of Dr. Nivedita Ganguly, who is the head of the Science department at Oak Ridge High School and an educator of national repute. Recently, she was invited to testify before a Congressional sub-committee. We sought Dr. Gangulys views on a varietyof relevant topics, and would welcome comments or questions from our readers. In addition, each issue of the magazine will featurediscussions and debates on topics of current interest selected by the editorial team, as well as a readers corner where moderated dis-

cussions on any general topic will be entertained. We will have a section on selected news in the Indian media, with a particular focus onthose that may relate to education or to Ashas mission. Finally, we will have a section devoted to the social and cultural calendar of Indians and Indian-Americans in the greater Knoxville region, and another devoted to lifestyles and other miscellaneous items of generalinterest. We shall look forward to hearing from you on how we can improve our outreach, how we can make the magazine more attrac-tive to you and others, and how we can better spread the message of Asha through this magazine. You can reach us by email [email protected]. The success of this magazine depends on your participation and support.

Editors Note Editors Note Editors Note Editors Note

Editorial Team: Auroop Ganguly, Sampath Kandala, Jheelum Banerjee, Tushti Marwah, Debashree Ganguly

Design Team: Sharmila Stephen, Sumeet Kaul

Email To Editorial Team: [email protected]

Asha Knoxville Information: http://www.ashanet.org/knoxville

Advertise with us:Advertise with us:Advertise with us:

Educate a child...Educate a child...Educate a child... Contact :Contact :Contact : [email protected]@[email protected]


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DR.NIVEDITA GANGULY

D r. Nivedita Ganguly receivedher PhD in Genetics from CalcuttaUniversity. She was also a researchscientist at NIEHS, Research TrianglePark and the University of California,Irvine. After receiving her M.S in Educa-tion from University of Tennessee,Knoxville she started teaching Geneticsand Advanced Placement Environ-mental Science at Oak Ridge HighSchool where she is Science Depart-ment Chair. Dr. Ganguly, a consultantfor the College Board conducts teacherworkshops at both national and inter-national levels and currently holds thedesignation of a National Leader. Shereceived the Presidential Medal and theSiemens Award for her teaching excel-lence. Recently, she was invited to tes-tify before the U.S Congressional com-mittee on Science & Technology for theNanotechnology Education in HighSchools Act.

T R A N S C R I P T O F T H E Q A S E S S I O N

What made you move from a career in a uni-versity to one in high school?

I realized when I was teachingstudents in college that changing their atti-tudes towards learning and enjoying study-ing science would have to be addresses atan earlier age. Hence, I ventured into theunknown world of high school.

What are the specific challenges, opportunities,rewards and pitfalls of a high school teaching career in science, compared to university or professional research careers?

High school teaching requires certainskills because one is dealing with young adoles-cents who are still trying to figure out who theyare and where they want to go in the future.They need guidance and discipline but it has to

be tempered with compassion and kindness.Once a bond is formed between the studentand the teacher, then the teaching of science orany other subject becomes a breeze, becausethe subject can be woven into real life situa-tions. When I decided to switch professions, Ihad no idea what a difficult job I had undertakenbecause it was such a huge responsibility that Iwas in a position to shape a young persons life.Also, I had no idea how rewarding it would be.But this is not a profession for the faint heartedbecause the frustrations are many patience,understanding and above all ENJOY KIDS.

Professional research careers are also very re-

warding, but it is a personal achievement.Teaching young people is an achievement forboth the teacher and the student.

You have made a tremendous difference as a highschool teacher. What would you personally consider some of your biggest achievements? What would

you really like to achieve that you have not beenable to so far?

My personal achievement is my abilityto communicate with young people. My class-room is a home away from home where stu-dents not only come to class, but also come intheir spare time to hang out, eat lunch andrelax. There are young people who I have notbeen able to reach. Their backgrounds and lifeexperiences have made them wary of adults. Iam always trying to think of intervention tech-niques that will let me break down those barri-ers.

How can the community, for example the scientific community in ORNL and UTK, as well as the profes-sional community in the greater Knoxville area,contribute to help teachers like you make our schools even better?

The community in Oak Ridge is verysupportive of the high school they paid a salestax increase so that a new show case highschool could be built. The Oak Ridge Nationallab is also equally involved scientists train stu-dents in their labs in various cutting edge tech-nology and research, help train students forscience competitions, come to the high schoolto give lectures, etc. Also, the Oak Ridge Na-tional lab has been a great financial supporter of the Science Olympiad Team at ORHS giving us

the funds to travel to national competi-tions as we represent the State of Ten-nessee, which we have done for the lasteight years.

Your career is a source of inspiration to immi- grants in this country, as it is to women and minorities in science. Have you faced any

specific challenges because of these issues? Have these ever affected your ability to reachout to various sections of the society as ateacher?

Yes, sometimes when I go as aCollege Board consultant to train teach-ers. But I have developed strategies andtechniques to diffuse those feelings, tellingmyself that they are not directed at mepersonally. When people realize that Igenuinely want to help and have the skillsand experience to do so, it has helpeddissipate the underlying tension.

I have never felt this in school, becauseeven though I am from a minority, I canrelate to and speak the language of mystudents.

Oak Ridge High is perhaps one of the best high schools in the state and the nation withsignificant resources and great students. If ateacher of your caliber were to consider work-ing in relatively underprivileged localities oramong minorities, what would be the addi-tional challenges? How can the challenges besurmounted?

There would definitely be awhole new set of challenges - the mostimportant being earning the trust of thesestudents. Unless they are comfortablewith you and come to the understandingthat you are genuinely there to help them- you will not be able to teach science oranything else.

You have demonstrated how a career choicethat some may consider bold can make a real difference. Do you have any suggestions for someone contemplating a career in, or serviceto, primary education?

High school teaching is a hardprofession you have to be absolutelysure that you have the patience, compas-sion and the ability to discipline withoutbeing harsh. It requires a lot of energy,organizational skills and the ability to giveyour self off. Above all, to be a successfulteacher you have to like and respect yourstudents and they need to feel that. Re-spect them and they will respect you.Also, the ability to laugh at your own self helps. contd on pg 4

Rendezvous Rendezvous Rendezvous Rendezvous with...with...with...with...


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...contd from pg 3

Given your roots in India, you are intimately familiar with the education systems in developing countries. As one pierces the veil of glamour surroundthe IITs and IIMs, the state of education in India is probably not where one may want this to be, especially at school levels. Do you have any commentsor suggestion?

Schools in India are based on teaching curriculum through lectures and the traditional teaching methods. Students are not allowedto learn through personal exploration. The enjoyment of learning comes when one is personally engaged that is lacking in India. Studentsare taught the subject not the enjoyment of it. Also, students are not exposed to multiple disciplines early on in their career- They are chan-nelized into science, art, commerce before they can find out what they want to study actually.

Do you have any specific comments on the way science is taught in the high schools in India, or the nature of learning that prepares students for exami-nations? Influential columnists like Tom Friedman of the NY Times opined on the need for US students to catch up with their peers in India and China inscience and mathematics. On the other hand, the education systems in India and China have been accused of encouraging rote learning with less em-phasis on creativity? Would you share your views on the topic with us? Would you consider importing aspects of the Indian system of high school eduction in science to Oak Ridge High School? Would you recommend any of your methods be used in India?

A tremendous amount of content information is taught to the students in India. The concepts of science may be taught, but thestudents are not given the tools by which this knowledge can be applied to different aspects of their own life. The education is narrow notholistic. What I would import from the Indian system is to give students a more in-depth look at a subject on lesser number of topics.

Based on your experience as a successful teacher and your knowledge of India, what are the primary challenges in implementing Ashas primary mis-sion? Specifically, what are your thoughts on the education of student from underprivileged sections or area of India, especially in primary or higschools?

Students in India in certain areas and in particular social structures lack the basic elements of literacy. Part of it is political, financialand the fact that we have to deal with a huge population base.

Teachers in India have to face with these challenges, and they do not have the resources or the skills to address different learning styles byusing differentiated instruction to reach all levels. We have to up rate on the very basic premise that all children can learn and succeed attheir own level, given the opportunity to do so.

Do you think improved school education can transform the high population of developing countries from a perceived liability to a real asset?

Definitely We have a large population of young people, who given the right environment and exposure to learning will be power-

ful asset for the country.Do you have any final thoughts for Asha, and how Indians in the US can contribute to improved education in India?

Yes, we can help financially. But it should not stop there - being a presence in India will also further the goals of Asha. At somepoint in my life, I would like to be apart of this presence teaching and reaching children who have been denied the basic rudiments of literacy. I think that, I will then truly fulfill my personal goal of teaching children. Thank You!

" The purpose of Delta Phi Omega shall be to foster unity among South Asian women, build commu-nity awareness, and gain a greater understanding of oneself and others. The sorority aspires to instillleadership traits, excel in all academic endeavors, to encourage an active relationship between thesorority and its respective university, and shall do so with the utmost compassion, dignity, and forti-tude. "

http://www.deltaphiomega.org/

-Contributed by Dipti Chhajwani


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Topic of the Quarter Topic of the Quarter Topic of the Quarter Topic of the Quarter Elementary to high school education systems in the US have been criticized for failing to develop the levelof science or math aptitude needed to compete with kids from China or India. However, Chinese and Indiansystems have been viewed critically for their emphasis on rote learning and perceived lack of emphasis oncreativity. What is the right balance, if any?

O ver the past few months there has been an in-crease in the number of reports that compare US educa-tion with the rest of the world. There are even some teststhat compare education of children world wide. Many of usroutinely get emails that tell us how Americans are unableto find many important countries including the US on aworld map. All these tests, reports and e-mails question thestandard of education in America. My perspective on thissubject has changed a bit over the past few years and I amsure will continue to change with time.

I was educated in India in a regular English mediumschool. I studied routine subjects like science, math andsocial studies, with some languages prescribed by the boardof education; often times due to scolding from parents,and/or because of stick in the teachers hand, and mostimportantly, depending on which row I was made to sit inthe class and what kind of students I hung around with. Theend result of this was that I learnt what was there in thebooks, scored well in my exams and got labeled as a goodstudent. Based on these reports and tests, I must havefaired well, and was thus considered to have received agood education. I am positive this is true with most of thereaders. However, a few important things that I missed inmy education are liberal arts like music, painting or encour-

agement towards different sports and extra curricular ac-tivities.Now, I have not obtained basic education in US,

so I cannot directly examine the American education sys-tem. However, I have worked in a day care as a volunteerand have known a few people closely who got educated inAmerica. In my view primary education is excellent inAmerica, and children are taught so much at school: Not

just bookish knowledge but general things of interest, in-cluding the arts and animal studies, and sports. However, asthese children move into middle school the control parentsand teachers have over what children can do or cannot doseems to diminish, resulting directly in their educational

performance, and by the time they move into high schoolbasically it is only their interest in studies that decide wherethey eventually end up. If you see children who are doingwell in US schools, chances are their parents have had aconstant say in what they do.

A strange thing however is that people who go tocollege in America and get an undergraduate degree seemto have good careers, irrespective of the subject theychoose. Pretty much everybody in India these days get acollege diploma irrespective of whether they attend collegeor just write the final exams.

If you go to a professional college like engineeringor medical school you may have a good career, otherwiseyour future is as secured as when you had passed your 10 th or 12 th grade (software and call centers are your best op-tions). There seems to be some missing link between schooleducation and career options.

Thus I feel comparing grades between differentcountries may not be an appropriate or adequate way tomeasure the success of their education systems. Seeingwhere the majority of the students end up in their careersmay give a better idea of what countries can do to nurture

the best natural resource, their future generations.- Azam Syed

Rote learning is something that any Indian will famil-

iarize with instantly as it has very much been a part and parcelof our life just like Bollywood. I would not want to be a strongcritic of the Indian Education System as I owe a great part of what I am today to my education/teachers in India. However,having been immersed for 19 years within the education systemin India and about 2.5 years of learning as well as teaching in theUS, has often led me to compare the two.

Indian universities churn out 2.5 million graduates eachyear, a number next only to the US and China. Of these gradu-ates, 350,000 are engineers, which is double the number thatthe US produces. Our education system, right from the elemen-tary level to high school, is considerably more scrutinizing than

the US. No wonder kids in India begin to resemble human cal-culators, solving complex calculations in a few seconds, unlikethe kids in the US who are slaves to the machine even for trivialcalculations. But the question is if a calculator can do a multi-digit long division in a microsecond, and instantaneously calcu-late derivatives and integrals then why should a student have togo through this rigmarole? Shouldnt mathematics educationfocus on a mastery of concepts instead of mere memorizationand the performance of tedious procedures?...contd on pg 6


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...Contd from pg 5I still remember the enormous time I spent cramming my history and geography books, which was useful only for a mere

reproduction of those details in my exam the next day. Not an iota of that mugging remains in my brain cells right now. I stronglyfeel that if these books were for voluntary reading instead of a forced curricular requirement they would have been much moreappealing to me and my fellow students. The endless time I spent memorizing those details could be utilized in training me hands onfor a vocation/hobby of my choice.

Another example of an extreme lack of creativity in college curriculum was my engineering mechanics class, which includedmind boggling statics and dynamics . I think the very reason this subject terrorized us was the vegetative approach of teaching it. Forinstance, instead of making us memorize the complicated formulas for determining force, momentum etc.. practical projects

would have given us much more insight into the concepts and fundamentals of the subject. I have been a Teaching Assistant for theEngineering Freshmen at UT for two years. The Engineering Mechanics class curriculum I taught laid a strong emphasis on a TeamDesign Project where students would be asked to design real solutions to genuine problems using the concepts/laws they are taughtin class. An example is building a small cardboard bridge or a tractor. This approach definitely enhances a students ability to ex-plore, experiment, and develop a keen sense of the aesthetics of good design. The kind of learning they achieve through this hands-on approach would stay with them forever and lay a strong foundation for their career.

My thoughts in this article are certainly not meant to disparage rote learning. For certain materials, rote learning is the onlyway to learn it in a timely manner. For example, this is true when learning a foreign language or a musical notation. However letsnot also forget to make creativity and ingenuity an important part of our curriculum, which in turn can fertilize our nations intellect.

- Tushti Marwah

You can make donations at our website: www.ashanet.org/knoxville or using the following donation slip


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INDIANS IN AMERICA AND THE ASHA MISSION W e are not what we are but what we aspire to be. As I begin to compose my article for the very first issue of the magazine of

Asha in Knoxville, this is a thought that keeps occurring to me. As Indians in America, we are immi-grants in a distant land, separated by our own free will from our homes and cultures by a large dis-tance, and perhaps by a larger mental alienation. Some would say this is due to karmic (a word muchmisused these days) destiny, some would attribute this to kismet or fate, and a few others, who areeither brave and confident or perhaps just not intelligent or honest enough to admit otherwise, tostrategy and personal achievements. In any case, we look back, sometimes happily and often wistfully,through space to catch a glimpse of the life that we may have led in another part of the globe we mayhave once called home, or through time for the life that we have forever left behind. We think of thechances missed: One good turn we may have done for one orphan or destitute child but never did, orthe one call in our hearts to be a teacher in a primary school which we may have immediately brushedaside as a childish fancy. Perhaps that one act would have contributed to sustaining or even lighting theone spark that may have illuminated an entire nation, but we never gave that act a chance. Not that weare unhappy in what used to be, and still is in many ways, the land of opportunities. As Indian Ameri-

cans, we are successful and happy in our new homes and proud to belong and contribute to a society and culture we admire and respect.However, we have perhaps a lingering wistfulness for what we might have become if we had only given ourselves the opportunity. What wecould have achieved if we had the time or the inclination to think of others around us in our, by now almost forgotten, homelands, wheninstead we just thought of our careers.

We wonder under what compulsion we made the decision to be so mediocre, and if this is not mediocrity, then we wonder whatis. Yet, we look forward, and we aspire. We aspire to do for once what we omitted to do for so long. We aspire to transcend the self, andto move beyond that burning desire to grow our careers at all costs, even if only temporarily. We aspire to reach out with a helping hand,trembling with an emotion we so little understand. Perhaps we stretch our helping hands to help our own selves as we reach our innersources of strength. We aspire high, and occasionally we transcend ourselves. However, we have to aim carefully, especially if we are toensure the continued sustenance our inner quest. Let us start our journey with the new Asha magazine today with the modest aim of gen-erating a discussion forum where we can talk about things that matter to Asha, and, even those that seemingly may not matter.

Let us start telling each other about ourselves and about Asha for education, as well as about Ashas goal of providing educationto the underprivileged. Hopefully, we will aspire to achieve much more. Hopefully, we will aspire to generate the inspiration and the motiva-tion in ourselves so that we can contribute to Ashas mission. I know this is not easy. I know one small act may get lost in a sea of need. Iknow there will be skeptics. Let us not let the skeptics discourage us. However, let us also not dismiss even the skeptics amongst us, buttreasure their opinions as learning opportunities. Let us strive to remain eternally hopeful, for we know we are not what we are, but whatwe collectively aspire to be.

- Desi Bijou

C A N T H E AV E R -A G E I N D I V I D U A LB E G O O DE N O U G H ?

In a society that emphasizes uniqueness and indi-viduality, what is the role for the average person? Whatof the individual who chooses to not raise his hand in classwhen he knows an answer; the individual who chooses toblend in with his peers; and, the individual who, by hiswishes, chooses to do merely what is asked of him, and nomore? Should this average person stay the way he is, orshould he strive to excel to be above the crowd?

Among many second-generation Indian-Americans, such a role is indeed prevalent. They do notwant to draw attention to themselves or to their unique-ness among their peers. They choose to blend in.

They choose to not display their intelligence, the inhope that they will not be thought of as the nerdy-Asian.

However, perhaps one can ask: Is that title such a bad thing?Would you rather have a nerdy-Asian be your doctor, or a druggy-Asian? When did the act of displaying intelligence become a negative char-acteristic? Todays figureheads are not towering intellects like Einstein andNewton, but sports figures and movie stars. Where did this alterationcome from?

Is this a plea to ask each individual to raise his hand in class andbroadcast his opinion throughout campus? No. This is merely a request foran individual to live up to his potential. Do not cut your-self short because of societal pressures, strive for the bestand the best will come to you.

- Dipti Chhajwani

Readers Corner Readers Corner Readers Corner Readers Corner


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Readers Corner Readers Corner Readers Corner Readers Corner A S U I TA B L E H A B I TAT- T H E B A S I C N E C E S S I T Y O F L I F E

U rbanization causes pressures on basic services. Governments invest more in facilities for urban economic growth than in facili-ties in slum areas. Slum dwellers ask for social security and a better future for their children. This requires facilities such as secure tenure,education, housing, water, sewerage systems, sanitary facilities, waste collection systems, and energy. More than half of the inhabitants of

the rapidly growing slum areas are children and youth. In deprived neighborhoods they face the same problems everywhere: lack of socialsupport, education, and steady income. Urban administrators and adults make decisions about them, but without involving them. Providingbetter living conditions and education for all in slums worldwide is one of the biggest challenges. Economic growth, stability and security,the environment, good governance, education and health care are all interlinked; you cannot address one and forget about the rest. Localgovernments have their own important role to play in promoting dialogue, building mutual trust and creating development prospects.

Every day, the TV news reminds us of the worlds housing problems: the fetid living conditions in theworlds slums; the homelessness of refugees in post-conflict areas; the lack of education and the crime and violenceplaguing many cities, bringing danger and thwarting social integration. Local governments play a vital part in makingcities safe and stable places to live. Solving the complex issues causes underlying problems, which in turn requirescommitment and knowledge to address. This years conference to celebrate World Habitat Day, held at theHague in the Netherlands on the 1st and 2nd of October 2007, focused on these issues, the theme being A Safe

City is a Just City.

The United Nations chose this years theme in order to raise awareness and encourage reflection on the mounting threats tosafety and social justice, particularly urban crime and violence, forced eviction and insecurity of tenure, as well as natural and human-madedisasters. As the world becomes increasingly urban, it is essential that policymakers understand the power of the city as a catalyst for na-tional development. Cities have to be able to provide inclusive living conditions for all their residents. Rich or poor, everyone has a right tothe city, to a decent living environment. Once this is achieved, a way for education will automatically be paved.

Another significant threat to urban safety today is forced eviction and insecurity of tenure. Incidents of forced eviction are regu-larly reported from all parts of the world. They are often linked to bulldozing of squatter settlements and slums in developing countries, aswell as to processes of gentrification, beautification and urban redevelopment in both developed and developing country cities. Forcedevictions have been highly publicized in recent years, partly because freedom from forced eviction has become recognized as a fundamental

human right within international human rights law.Disasters, natural and human-made, are yet another current threat to urban safety. Recent evidence suggests that natural and

human-made disasters are increasing in frequency the world over, and that this trend is partly linked to climate change. From 1975 to 2005,the number of disasters in the world increased from 100 to 400 per year. Hurricane Katrina, the Asian Tsunami and the Pakistan Earth-quake are some of the recent disasters that exposed our woeful lack of preparedness.

Combined, these three threats to urban safety currently pose a huge challenge to both national and city governments. The meas-ures which were identified in the conference to deal with the threats emphasized for transforming problem neighborhoods into vibrantcommunities by physical improvement: made visible by creating attractive neighborhoods, such as public space, green spaces and pleasanthousing stock and by social development, this is crucial as there is a need to get the residents involved; the key to success is to enhancesocial services such as employment, education, child care and health care , close government-community partnership and public-privatepartnership: the key ingredients are having the right actors, mutual interest, creating leadership, sufficient resources, political will and risk

sharing.

- Jheelum Banerjee


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DEAL OR NO DEAL

T he past few months have seenseveral viewpoints on the much talked aboutNuclear Deal. Here is a glimpse of the NuclearDeal (dis)agreement and what the 123 agree-

ment could do for us (Source: The HindustanTimes, Wikipedia)

Section 123 of the United StatesAtomic Energy Act of 1954 , titled "Cooperationwith other Nations", establishes an agreementfor cooperation as a prerequisite for nucleardeals between the US and any other nation.Such an agreement is called a 123 Agreement.To date, the U.S. has entered into roughlytwenty-five 123 Agreements with various coun-tries.

The 123 agreement seeks to restoreIndia's right to access its nuclear requirementsin the international community. When func-tional, India would get access not only toatomic power reactors, but banned 'dual use'technologies useful for its space, medicine andbiotechnology programs. It could also sell itsexpertise and products. Moreover Nuclearpower is the best answer to global warming asit is a clean fuel and will reduce our dependenceon fossil fuels

This agreement is ONLY for peace-

ful uses of nuclear energy, which is why Indiahad to present a Separation Plan, separating itscivilian nuclear power reactors from its strate-gic or weapons program.

Domestic critics, like those from the Lefthowever feel India has, by this deal, very closelyaligned itself with the US. Hence the deal is facingtremendous opposition from the Left as well as someallies within the UPA. This has led to the deal beingput on a hold temporarily at present.

Are all the crucial decisions pertaining toour development slave to a few power-hungry, tech-nology-curbing bureaucrats? Are we really living in ademocracy that is FOR the people?

-Compiled by Tushti Marwah

Fourteen of its 22 atomic powerreactors were designated as civilian. Theremaining eight were for its military/weaponsprogram.

In return for placing its civilian

reactors under safeguards from the Interna-tional Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), thenuclear watchdog of the United Nations, Indiawould be assured of fuel supplies for its civil-ian reactors.

In addition to striking an accordwith IAEA, India also needs to seal an agree-ment with the Nuclear Suppliers Group(NSG) so that nuclear commerce can resume.The NSG is a cartel of 45 countries, includingthe US, Russia, Canada, UK, France and

China, which regulates all global nuclear com-merce and controls international nuclear fueland technology transfers to curb prolifera-tion. Getting a waiver from it would allowIndia to resume nuclear commerce and offerit more choices to source its supplies thanonly the US.

The 123 Agreement takes on boardIndia's concerns, the 'red lines' which PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh laid out in Parlia-ment. These were that India's strategic orweapons program must stay out of the agree-

ment's scope; that India must have assuredaccess to fuel for the entire life of its reac-tors; India must have the right to reprocess(re-use) the spent fuel from its reactors andIndia must regain access to the full nuclearcycle and related technologies.

RAM SETU- MYTH, MYSTERY OR REALITY AND INDIAS STANDT he Ram Setu or Adam's Bridge connects India's Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka's Talaimannar. The row over Ram Setu has been at the centre of

the country's political scene for sometime now. Sethusamudram, a project worth Rs 2,427 crores (Rs 24.27 billion), proposes to build a navigation channelconnecting the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay through Adam's Bridge which will reduce the steaming distances between the east and west coast of India andwill improve the navigation within territorial waters of India. However, it has got a controversial hue, perhaps due to a lack of transparency and because

collective sensitivities and matters of faith were not taken into full consideration. In addition to matters of heritage and belief, concerns have been ex-pressed regarding Indias national security as well as increased impact of future tsunamis, if the Ram Setu is destroyed. If the new channel is createdthrough the present Setu, international ships would pass through it making a de facto international boundary between India and Sri Lanka, facilitating anincreased alien presence, thereby burdening Indian Navy to a great extent. While Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's statements on the existenceof Ram has led to a huge controversy, open support has come from CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat in favor of the DMK. The war of words be-tween the BJP and the DMK is not just escalating but becoming uglier by the day with the DMK chief Karunanidhi refusing to apologize for his statementson Ram. Backing Karunanidhi 's right to express his opinion, Karat said that the Sethusamudram project couldn't be put on hold. (Sources: Rediff News,The Tribune, Chandigarh, India and BBC News)

- Compiled by Jheelum Banerjee

India at a G lance India at a Glance India at a Glance India at a Glance


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India at a Glance India at a Glance India at a Glance India at a Glance I N D I A E M E R G E S S E C O N D - B I G G E S T F D I M A G N E T

India has emerged as the second most-attractive location after China, ahead of the US and Russia, for global foreign direct investment (FDI) in2007. According to UNCTADs world investment report, Indias ranking in inward FDI performance index has also improved to 113 in 2006 from 121 in2005. China is the most preferred investment location, followed by India, the US, the Russian Federation and Brazil, the report said.

The share of India and China in total global FDI outflows has also risen. While the combined outflows accounted for 10% of total FDI outflowsin 2005 in the Asian region, the number increased to 25% in 2007. While Chinas outflows increased 32% to $16 billion in 2006, Indian outflows witnesseda four-time rise since 2004, registering a substantial increase in FDI amounting to $17 billion. Regarding the increased flow of FDI into India, the reportpointed out that while foreign retailers such as Wal-Mart have started to enter the Indian market, a number of US companies such as General Motors andIBM are rapidly expanding their presence in the country, as are several large Japanese MNCs such as Toyota and Nissan. Global FDI inflows soared in 2006to reach $1,306 billion, showing a growth of 38%.

The rising outflow of FDI from the two countries, China and India is throwing up increasing competition for countries like Hong Kong (China),the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan as the main sources of FDI in developing Asia. Interestingly, while Indias outflows have been dominated byprivately-owned corporate houses such as the Tata group (e.g., the Tata-Corus deal), in China FDI outflows are mainly driven by the international expan-sion of state-owned enterprises due to progressive government policies. Tata Steel acquired Corus Group in early 2007, creating Tata-Corus the fifth-largest steel maker in the world.

In terms of country choice for foreign investors, China polled 52% of the respondents in the UNCTAD survey, followed by India with 41%. TheUS received support of 36% and Russia 22%, followed by Brazil with 12%. The emergence of China and India as important sources of FDI, coupled withactive M&A activities by investors based in the Asian newly-industrializing economies (NIE), has led to increased FDI flows from Asia to developed coun-tries as well. (Source: The Economic Times, New Delhi, India)

- Compiled by Jheelum Banerjee

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE COUNTRY? TAKE THIS QUIZ AND FIND OUT!

1 . The bank of which river was the site of the second urbanization in India? a. Indus b. Ganga c. Narmada

2. Which collection of stories with morals, about animals, was written during the Gupta period? a. Panchtantra b. Jataka Tales c. Vikram Aur Vetaal

3. Which is the most spoken language in India? a. Tamil b. Gujarati c. Hindi

4. Which UNESCO World Heritage site is the largest mangrove forest in the world?a. Saurashtra b. Ernakulam c. Sunderbans

5. Which flower of south India to blooms only once in 12 years? a. Parijata b. Kurinji c. Surangi

Excerpted from Rediff India Abroad A n s w e r s

1 . b , 2 . a , 3 . c , 4 . c , 5 . b

Indian Railways: Life line of the Nation

Quick Facts

~ 30.5 Billion US Dollars Revenue.

16 Railway Zones.

~ 1.4 Million Employees


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Indians at Knoxville Indians at Knoxville Indians at Knoxville Indians at Knoxville KNOXVILLE REGION INDIAN PHYSICIANS ASSOCIATION

K noxville Region Indian Physicians Association (KRIPA) was formed three years ago. The purpose was to have avenue for Indian doctors to come together socially and promote cultural and philanthropic activities. We have close to sixtymembers and we meet regularly. The group does medical meetings four or five times a year. We are fortunate to have ex-ceptional speakers in our midst that we do not generally need to get outside speakers. KRIPA has arranged health educationsessions in the community. We cover wide range of topics like heart health, kidney health, childrens health and womenshealth. These sessions become very valid as Indian community seem to have different health issues compared to the generalpopulation. Our education sessions are geared to address these problems. Along with education we have sponsored healthscreens. We pool the resources of foundations like National Kidney Foundation and American Diabetes Association tomake the health screen possible. These health screens have helped early identification of problems and more importantlyincreased the awareness in the community. We want to expand our activities by involving in the care of indigent populationand developing a bone marrow registry. We are proud to have started a very active group dedicated to the health of thecommunity.

Urath Suresh, MD

Manthans Events (August 07 - October 07)

Sky is the limit !!! UT Friends Diving

Garba Night (October 07)

Durga Puja (October 07)


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How to spot healthful foods by reading the nutrition labels onthe container

Serving Size & Servings per Container: Check carefully. Most packaged foodscontain more than one serving, especially small bags of snacks and candy as well asbottles of regular soda.

Total Calories & Calories from Fat per serving: Individual calorie needs varydepending on age, gender, and daily activity. Unless you get more than 30 minutes of brisk activity in your day-to-day life, your recommended daily calorie intake is 1800for women; 2200 for men ages 31-50.

Total Fat, Saturated Fat, Tran Fat: Try to keep your total fat intake under 60grams per day. Most of that should come from the healthier monounsaturated and

polyunsaturated types of fat. Limit trans fats to 2 grams per day and saturated fats to14 grams per day.

Cholesterol: Check the amount of cholesterol in one serving. Recommended dailytotal is less than 300 mg.

Sodium: Salt is the most common source of sodium for the body. Recommendeddaily total of sodium is less than 2300 mg. A healthy packaged food contains between300 and 350 mg sodium per serving.

Total Carbohydrate: Talk with your doctor o r dietitian about this if you are tryingto control blood sugar or have diabetes.

Sugar: In general, the less, the better.

Dietary Fiber: The amount of dietary fiber in a serving: 25-30 grams of dietaryfiber per day are recommended for most adults.

* The percents to the right in each column show the portion of a full days recom-mended intake of the nutrient (fat, saturated fat, salt, etc.) based on a daily totalcalorie intake of 2000.

Also you should read the list of ingredients which is typ ically printed on another partof the package. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. If sugar is first, thatmeans the food probably has a lot of sugar. For grain products, the words 100% wholegrain should be listed first. Look for monounsaturated fats like olive, canola, and nut oils.Avoid hydrogenated oils another name for trans fats) .

Lifestyle Lifestyle Lifestyle Lifestyle

MUSIC A POWERFUL PILL

S tress is part of our regular life. Especially inyouth, there are social, academic and family factors aggra-vating the stress. On and off moods, sleepless nights,showing anger for no reasons, social withdrawal andsometimes suicide may be the outcomes of the increasingstress. This may end up in the use of psychiatric medica-tions, visitations to counseling centers, and fighting hardagainst this stress . But is there a natural way of dealingwith it? The answer is undoubtedly yes!!! Music is the bestand easiest way to reduce stress and pressures, althoughthis is not the only solution. There are other solutionslike meditation, pranayama, and so on, but beginners mayfind it difficult to follow them.

Music has a profound effect onbody and psyche. In fact there is agrowing field of health care knownas music therapy which uses musicto heal. Music can be a solutionfor Stress, Insomnia (sleeplessness), Constipation, Ulcers,Depression, Phobia (fear) and Anger.

The first target of music is our brain, more specifi-cally the right side of the brain. Rhythm is the component of music that synchronizes our brain waves to the beat. Strongbeat leads to increase in the nerve impulses in the brain andcreates alertness and concentrated thinking. Slow music isassociated with hypnotic and meditative states. Also, re-search shows that music has an effect on breathing rates.When our mind is disturbed, the first thing that is affected isour breathing rate. Breathing becomes desynchronized dur-ing disturbed mental state. This is an involuntary action. Lis-tening to slow music will re -synchronize this rate graduallyand helps to keep us balanced. Slower music induces slowerbreathing and slower heart rates, which in turn activates arelaxation response. This is the mechanism for stress reduc-tion.

The concept of ragas in Indian classical music isfound to have tremendous healing effect, especially effectivein repairing moods. A hypothesis is that the notes in theragas are the sounds close to nature. But how our brainsprocess the notes is still a mystery!

WHAT KIND OF MUSIC? Its preferable to choose an instru-mental (like violin, veena) music and slow rhythmic music.Vocal music results in biases caused by liking or not liking thevoice of vocalist. The music volume should be maintained atoptimum levels (i.e., not too loud or too soft). To combatstress, listening to music for at least 20 minutes will relaxyou. There is no need to be music lover for this or evenhave a capacity of appreciating music.

It is sufficient if we do not hate music. Lastly, patience is very im-portant. This is a long term phenomena. Re-member! We are dealing with our mind- not aneasy one to handle!

- Sirisha Duvvuru

Laughter CornerI asked my new girlfriend what sort of books she's interested in,she said: Check books.

Q: What's the difference between a good lawyer and a great law-yer?

A: A good lawyer knows the law. A great lawyer knows the judge.At weddings old aunts used to tease me saying: You are next, youare next.But they stopped it since I started doing the same to them at fu-nerals!Son: Mom, when I was on the bus with Dad this morning, he toldme to give up my seat to a lady.

Q: Why doesn't law permit a man to marry a second woman?

A: Because as per law you cannot be punished twice for the same


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...contd from pg 1

The good news is that during the last two dec-ades, India has witnessed significant reformation. She en-tered the Trillion Dollar Club on April 25 2007; a fullthirty-eight years after the United Stated. This is nonethe-less very impressive considering the fact that independentIndia is only sixty years old. However, the growth rate canbe sustained only if education reaches the grass root level.

Asha for education is trying to make educationaccessible at the grass root level. Asha is a secular, non-profit, non-political, and volunteer driven organization. Theconcept of Asha is very simple. Volunteers raise fundsthrough events, donations, merchandize, corporate spon-sorships etc., and disburse these funds to NGOs in India orto the projects taken up by Asha. All donations made inUSA to Asha are fully tax deductible under Section 501(c)3 of the IRS code. Like-minded volunteers who want tomake a difference in India run Asha. There are severalother organizations working for the same noble cause.

Glimpse at Asha Wide Formed in 1991 - University of California, Berkley 60 + Chapters World Wide Total money disbursed: 13 Million + Total projects supported: 350 + Projects

Glimpse at Asha Knoxville Formed in February 2007 with 6 Volunteers Recognized in May 2007 by Asha wide. Events Conducted so far:1. Registration Event 2. Picnic 3. WAH 4. Chak DeIndia Movie Screening Funds raised till date: $ 3491.00 USD

Special thanks to volunteers of Manthan, Indian AmericanAssociation (IAA) and Hindu Cultural Center (HCC) forcreating a platform to establish Asha chapter in Knox-ville. Without their support, this would have been re-mained a dream.

Current Asha Knoxville activities Project implementation is on the top of our actionitems list. We are currently reviewing few project pro-posals. We want to take up a couple of small projectsin order to understand the project implementationprocess. This would also require mentoring from adifferent Asha chapter. Most of the projects can be

selected from the Asha projects database. In addition,word of mouth is another proven way to identify aproject. If anyone has any specific project ideas, pleaselet us know. We will work through the processes andmove toward implementation. Since we are a newchapter, taking up the first project is always a timeconsuming process because of the initial learningcurve. The volunteers base and the money we raised sofar represent only 10% of the capability in Knoxville.We are planning to conduct publicity/ fund raising

events to encourage more participation from commu-nity people and to develop a relation between Univer-sity students and community people. Once finalized,the details of these events will be published on thewebsite and emails.

How can you contribute? Become a member of the mailing list. Participate in the fund raising and publicity events.

Promote Asha to your friends through emailsand community gatherings.

Asha for Education is a small effort from us along withthousands of volunteers to see a glorious India.

Thank You!

Committee Sampath Kandala - Chapter CoordinatorTeja Kuruganti - Projects CoordinatorMohan Damu - TreasurerAashish Chaurey - Events Coordinator

Ramu Katakam - Fund Raising CoordinatorPhani Nukala - Corporate Sponsorship CoordinatorMeena Kalyan - ARC RepresentativeBhargav Kandala - Webmaster

Current Asha Wide Projects

Project Total Budget

Assam Center for Rural De-velopment (ACRD)

11,135..00

Baikunthapur Tarun Sangha

(BTS)

9,308.00

Institute of Social Work Pri-mary Education Project(ISW)

5,843.58

Khajurdaha Nabankur UnitedClub - LTTO

24,974.00

Needy Illiterate ChildrenEducation (NICE)

11,800.00

Sankalp Welfare Society 28,000.00

Team for Education and Ac-tion (TEA Trust)

6702.50

Timbaktu Collective 87,873.00

Vikasana Bridge School forChild Labour Rehabilitation

27,500.00

Aralu Belaku 13,163.80

To Reach You (TRY) 36,318.80

asha quest_issue 1

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