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India
to protest grant of yoga patents by
US
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The
Indian government has decided to lodge
its protest against yoga-related patents
issued by the US Patents & Trademarks
Office. While the health ministry
has decided to take up the issue directly
with USPTO, the commerce department
is writing to the US Trade Representative
against what it sees as a violation
of rights over traditional knowledge.
If the move fails to impress USPTO,
government is prepared for a legal
battle to get the patents and trademarks
vacated. Officials said government
was of the opinion that USPTO has
been careless in granting patents
and trademarks in matters related
to traditional knowledge. While details
of a counter-offensive by government
are still being worked out, sources
indicated that a protest was the first
line of attack. There is a digital
traditional-knowledge library, which
has enough reference material, and
a proper search should be done before
USPTO grants a patent, India is telling
the US authorities. US-based Bikram
Choudhury has applied for a patent
of yoga practised in a steam-room.
USPTO is learnt to have issued 150
yoga-related copyrights, 124 trademarks
on yoga accessories and 2,315 yoga
trademarks so far. "It's ridiculous
to even think that an asana which
has been practised for several years
can be patented just because they
think it is different. They have not
been looking at the digital library,"
said an official.
Courtesy:
www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, May
30, 2007
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Indian
cultural fest held to raise funds
for temple
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An
extravaganza of Indian culture and
cuisine was organised by the Hindu
Association of Arkansas to raise funds
for the construction of a Hindu temple.
Nearly half the people at the event
were non-Hindu, creating an excellent
opportunity for cultural exchange.
The event, held last week, raised
close to $40,000. "Our main purpose
is to showcase India and introduce
ourselves to the community," said
B.K. Vasan, president of the association.
"We have a significant Indian population
in Northwest Arkansas. We want to
create awareness and give people a
glimpse of who we are and what our
culture is like." Traditional Indian
food, dances from different parts
of India were the major highlights
of the event. Women wore silk saris,
while men opted for kurtas over loose
pajamas. Several wore slippers with
elaborately curled toes or turbans
wound about their heads. "Twenty per
cent of the fund raised will go to
the children's advocacy centre in
Little Flock. The rest is earmarked
for road construction near the land
the association owns in Gentry. A
temporary prayer hall was erected
in 2005. The association plans to
build a Hindu temple on the site eventually,"
Vasan was quoted as saying in the
Morning News of Arkansas. University
of Arkansas Chancellor John White
gave the keynote address. Rollin Ford,
executive vice president with Wal-Mart
Information Systems Division, also
spoke on the occasion. Many of the
area's Indian American families work
for the retail outlets. "This event
is a testament to the quality work
that you produce and the innovative
skills you bring to our company,"
Ford said. The Hindu Association of
Arkansas was formed in the mid-1990s
to serve the growing Hindu population
in the area. Today, between 300 and
400 Hindu families call Northwest
Arkansas home.
Courtesy:
www.newindpress.com, May 14, 2007
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First
Northeast India Tourism Festival begins
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A
five-day cultural festival began here
on Friday with the eight north-eastern
states taking part in the carnival
aimed at promoting tourism in the
region. Tripura Chief Minister Manik
Sarkar inaugurated the Northeast India
Tourism Festival where a number of
leading tour operators, officials
of the union tourism ministry and
the eight northeastern states, including
Sikkim, participated. Various cultural
troupes from the region are taking
part in the event. "The northeast,
including Sikkim, is a region endowed
with diverse tourist attractions having
its own distinct features," said Nepal
Sinha, Tripura's information and tourism
commissioner. "The rich natural beauty
and the exotic flora and fauna of
the area are invaluable resources
for the development of eco-tourism,"
said Sinha. West Bengal Tourism Minister
Manabendra Mukherjee was also present
at the inaugural function. The festival,
sponsored by the union tourism ministry,
would hold a series of seminars, besides
cultural and traditional fashion shows.
"The central government has taken
keen interest in the development of
tourism infrastructure in the northeast,"
said another official. "The Himalayan
range of Arunachal Pradesh with its
snow-capped mountains, the world's
highest rainfall region of Sohra (Cherrapunjee)
in Meghalaya, the one-horned rhino
at Kaziranga and Manas, the unique
phenomenon of birds committing suicide
in the Jatinga hills are some of the
diverse attractions for nature lovers,"
a promotional pamphlet read.
Courtesy:
www.economictimes.indiatimes.com,
May 4, 2007
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Tourists
flow from State going up
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With
the mercury rising, travellers in
growing numbers are moving out of
the State to vacation in cooler climes.
At the same time the flow of tourists
entering Assam has also gone up. Young
professionals, couples and senior
citizens are among those who are queuing
up with tour operators to opt for
package tours. Others going on their
own have applied for tourist visas
in larger numbers. With more disposable
incomes, people have also opted for
exotic locales like Mauritus and Switzerland.
Both destinations are gaining popularity
as honeymoon destinations. "Till about
two years ago, South East Asia was
the region that tourists from Assam
visited in considerable numbers. Now
although that continues to be an attraction,
European countries like UK, France,
Germany and the Netherlands are drawing
tourists from Assam," said Aisang
Chetia of Jungle Travels India. Several
tour packages cater to tourists, and
especially popular are those in the
region of Rs 1.60 lakh. More economical
tours to South East Asia also continue
to be popular, Chetia added. A recent
trend has seen more senior citizens
travelling abroad. Elderly couples
on tour are more common today than
in anytime before. The number of young
professionals going on foreign jaunts
courtesy of their employees is also
growing. Many of them working in the
corporate fields have been on cruises,
otherwise beyond the reach of most
international travelers. The movement
of tourists into Assam is on the upswing
after the brief slump following the
bomb blasts in several parts of the
state. Kaziranga and Majuli are the
twin attractions that foreign tourists
put as their most destinations of
choice. According to some tour operators,
other national parks like Manas and
Nameri are yet to draw tourists in
large numbers. Significantly, tea-tourism
is yet to appear as a major draw for
inbound tourists. The same is the
case with village tourism, which the
State has been trying to promote.
Shillong and Tawang are two other
sites in the North East in which tourists
have shown keen interest. The existence
of the inner line permit, however,
has continued to deter a large number
of tourists to venture into areas
of Arunachal, Manipur and Nagaland.
So far the flow of domestic tourists
is concerned, the number of visitors
from Kolkata and South India have
swelled in recent times.
Courtesy:
www.assamtribune.com, May 2, 2007
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