For Dr. Ashok Seth, Head of the Department, Invasive and interventional Cardiology, Escorts Heart Institute & Research Centre, getting the Padma Shri this year is more than an award. It is a reaffirmation of a faith he had put in his country and its potential as a medical power 14 years ago, when he chose to return to India after a highly successful 10-year stint at Birmingham University. "When I returned to India because of my parents (he is an only son), many thought I was making a foolish decision," says Seth, who features in the Limca Book of Records for having performed the maximum number of angiographies and angioplasties in the Asia-Pacific region, "but the joy on my parents' face when I got the Padma Shri is an award that I cherish more than the national recognition it has brought. It was as if they had redeemed themselves in their own eyes." Having contributed extensively to the growth, development and training in the field of interventional cardiology, Seth is happy that his pioneering efforts and procedural skills have earned a new respect for India in the field of cardiology that is at par with the best in the world. "What is most important is that I have been recognised internationally as an Indian living in India, as against someone who lives abroad." Seth attributes this to his sincerity, dedication and devotion to his work, but above all to the belief that his position is only that of a small peg in a big cycle of helping people. "It is not a religious belief, but a practical one," says Seth, " and if everyone realises that he or she is part of a greater design, it will only help him or her become a better human being."

One direct outcome of Seth's national recognition is that he has been invited by the Cardiology Research Foundation of USA, to demonstrate and teach angioplasty techniques to nearly 20,000 cardiologists who will come together in Washington, later this year in September. "I will be performing the operations at the Escorts Heart Institute, and the same will be transmitted live via satellite to Washington," says Seth, "this is a unique distinction and a first for Asia." But so long as there are dedicated doctors like Ashok Seth, it will certainly not be the last.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, HT City, April 27, 2003

Washington: Indian American student Naveen Neil Sinha was one of the 10 winners of the 2003 Intel Science Talent Search here.

Sinha, who came fifth, was given a scholarship of $25,000 for his project titled "Bubble-based Resonance-Doppler Technique of Liquid Characterisation". Sinha, 18, is a student of the Los Alamos High School, New Mexico.

For his award-winning project, Sinha combined passive listening and ultrasonic Doppler measurements to study bubble formation and growth, detachment and resonance, rise to terminal velocity and size, said an Intel statement.

Sinha believes his technique will support development of inexpensive liquid characterisation sensors for use in quality and process control in a variety of industries. (IANS)

Courtesy: The Indus Times, April 27, 2003

She has now become a Justice of the Peace (JP), but her memories of playing an extra in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham are still vivid.

A Greenwich council worker, Tajinder Kaur Chaggar is to become the first female Sikh JP in the south east.

Chaggar, 46, of Churchfield Road, Welling, appeared with her husband, Gurdeepak Singh, in a shot in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. Although they had no acting experience, the Chaggars had small speaking parts in what turned out to be a memorable sequence of the film, shot at Bluewater shopping centre.

In the scene, the Chaggars' unexpectedly meet their neighbours from Hampstead, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol - and exchange light-hearted banter about TV soaps.

A mother of three, Tajinder Chaggar, who has worked for Greenwich council for the past 14 years, enjoyed her brief experience of stardom, but now her focus has turned to Bexley Magistrates' Court where she will sit twice a month as a justice of the peace.

She said: "The JP thing is more important. I am the first Sikh lady in the south east to become a JP. I am really excited about it."

Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com, April 24, 2003

Asian women who have made a mark in the society will be honoured in a glittering ceremony at the London Hilton on Park Lane on May 8. The event, Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2003, which was started four years ago, is being hosted this year by the popular comedienne and actress Nina Wadia.

Rina Nameirakpam Barua, Vice-President (Legal) of the media group B4U Network, has been selected as one of the four finalists in the Business Woman of the Year - Corporate Award.

Cherie Booth QC, Patron of the Awards said: "Asian women in Britain are making profound and lasting contributions to our society. Their achievements should be recognised and rewarded. These awards play a vital part in doing just that".

Rina was born in a small town of north-eastern India on the Indo-Burmese border. After studying at universities in Bangalore and Delhi, she qualified as an advocate and practiced in one of the most prestigious chambers in the Supreme Court of India. Rina then moved to London and headed the UK branch of Singhania & Company.

Presently, as Head of Legal at B4U Rina manages the legal elements of the company including general business matters, documentation and legal audit of contracts and deals, carriage and digital platform issues, employment, trademarks, copyright infringement and other aspects of media law.

Business Woman of the Year - Corporate Award goes to an individual thriving in corporate Britain who has made, and is making, a significant contribution to the success of their organisation. It is sponsored by the Nat West Business Banking and Peter Ibbetson, Head of the Nat West Business Banking, believes that putting the spotlight on the achievements of Asian women highlights their contribution to society across all levels.

"These awards are an excellent platform to honour the achievements of this important community and Nat West Business Banking is delighted to once again be supporting the Asian Women of Achievement Awards", said Peter Ibbetson.

The brainchild of Pinky Lilani and Munir Samji, the Awards were set up in 1999. The objective was to recognise all levels of achievement made by Asian women in the UK. "They acknowledge and celebrate the individual efforts of Asian women from all over the country and from all walks of life, reflecting the wealth of talent among women in the Asian community, most of which goes unrecognised and is not in the public arena."

There are eight Award categories: The Arts & Culture Award, The Social & Humanitarian Award, Business Woman of the Year - Corporate, Entrepreneur of the Year, Media Professional of the Year, Professional of the Year, Young Achiever of the Year and The Chairman's Award.

Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com, April 24, 2003

Have a skin problem, a shirt dyed in turmeric could give you some respite.

After herbal medicines and herbal cosmetics, it's now the turn of clothes which are all set to don the herbal colour as Ahmedabad-based Aura Herbal Wear unveils garments hand dyed from medicinally rich herbs at a four-day exhibition here from April 25.

Stating that the organisation had applied for patenting the process, Arun Baid of Aura said the clothes were made of 100 per cent natural fabrics, which are chemical free. Baid, claims that herbal wear has medicinal properties. "It is anti-allergic, anti-microbial and has anti-septic properties and dyes used are eco-friendly," Baid told PTI.

Stating that herbal dyeing was different from vegetable dyeing which used some chemicals, he said the company used herbs such as tulsi, neem, myraballam (Harade), Catechu (Katha), turmeric, henna, pomegranate rind for dyeing while bleaching was done with sunlight laying the fabric on grass.

After dyeing, the waste could be converted into manure and added that three years of research and development had undergone in inventing the process.

While herbal dying was a known concept in ancient India, the art of herbal dying had got lost somewhere due to invasion of cheaper chemical dyes of the 19th century.

Baid said that this was just an attempt to revive the rich ancient heritage and free the world from chemical dyes which were not just carcinogenic but also caused pollution.

Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com, April 16, 2003

Remains of an ancient human settlement have been discovered beneath the world's highest battlefield, where India and Pakistan have been implacably locking horns since 1984.

The Indian Army has located human skeletal remains and other signs of habitation at the junction of the Siachen and Teram Shehr glaciers in northern Jammu and Kashmir. These are the first discovered indications of past habitation in the glaciated area.

The evidence suggests that the inhabitants of this settlement would have been the sub-continental equivalent of Eskimos. A stone wall with inscriptions in an ancient script was also found close to the skeleton, which lay buried under a huge boulder. "Although the remains are not intact, one can easily identify them to be human from the undamaged skull and jaw bone," a senior Army officer told HT.

The skeleton is estimated to be hundreds of years old, as the process of decomposition on the glacier, where temperatures often fall below minus 50 degrees Celcius, is extremely slow. "The exact age of the bones can only be ascertained by carbon dating," the officer said. It is learnt that efforts are on to involve archaeologists to analyse the stunning find.

The script suggests that the settlement predates Islam. The population in the habitable areas contiguous to the glaciated region is Balti and Yarkhandi. Both the Baltis, inhabitants of Baltistan, and Yarkhandis, who are Ladakhi, are now Shia Muslims. The Army believes that the settlement was that of the Yarkhandis.

The belief is also backed by Balti folklore, which has it that a small Yarkhandi village existed at the junction of the Siachen and Teram Shehr Glaciers. The Yarkhandis traded with the Baltis, but earned their wrath by abducting a Balti woman.To seek revenge, the Baltis consulted a godman, who gave them a talisman and told them to place it at Bila Fondla in the vicinity and return by a different route. But the Baltis returned by the same route. A terrible storm followed, destroying everything on the glacier, including the Yarkhandi village. "It was thus that the glacier got the name Teram Shehr, which means destroyed city," says an Army officer.

An Army unit, positioned on the Northern Glacier in Siachen as part of Operation Meghdoot to defend the territory, took it upon itself to locate the "destroyed city". "We went looking for it, and finally found signs of a settlement on November 28, 2002," the officer said. The discovery has deepened the mystery of the glacier.

Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com, April 10, 2003

India topped the World Bank's list of workers' remittances at $10 billion, which is over 13 per cent of the total $72.3 billion flowing to all developing countries during 2001.

India was closely followed by Mexico with $9 billion, the Philippines with $6.4 billion, Morocco ($3.3 billion), Egypt ($2.9 billion) and Turkey ($2.8 billion).

Of the neighbouring countries, Bangladesh received $2.1 billion, while Pakistan got $1.5 billion and Sri Lanka $1.1 billion, according to the World Bank's 'Global Development Finance 2003' report released on Wednesday.

Considering the aggregate inflow in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the report said: "South Asia was the largest recipient, with remittances of nearly 2.5 per cent of GDP in 2001."

"Net fiscal loss associated with Indian emigration to the US was estimated at 0.24-0.58 per cent of India's GDP in 2001, but remittances amounted to at least 2.1 per cent of GDP in the same year," the report said.

Courtesy: www.rediff.com, April 02, 2003