June 1, 2009 Portland Edition Vol. 5 No. 4 Events   There are 10 upcoming events listed in our Portland calendar. Click here for calendar. S'chism? A conflict between two rival factions of the Sikh community came to a head in a Gurdwara in Vienna, Austria, causing injuries including stab wounds to over a dozen people. The fallout from the incident also resulted in several disturbances in India, where calm has finally been restored after several days. Illwill in Melbourne A large demonstration by Indians and people of Indian origin took place in Melbourne, Australia, following a vicious attack on an Indian student, Sravan Kumar Theerthala, by a gang of teenagers. Other similar attacks have also been reported. In a related development, film star Amitabh Bachchan turned down an honorary doctorate from the University of Queensland, Australia. Bollywood Makeup News is that Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan smoked the peace pipe at a birthday party in Bombay recently, healing a spat that started with Khan dispensing with Rai for his next film. Torture and the American Conscience The hottest place in Hell, said Martin Luther King, is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict. Paul Craig Roberts is not among their number -- being an early, frequent and consistent voice of conscience in the last eight years, often a lonely one. Here he asks if America still has a conscience when she tacitly condones the practice of torture by ignoring its sanction by the highest levels of government. What does it say about us? More importantly, what does it make us? More... How religious do Indian politicians need to be? Religion and politics mix in many unlikely parts of the world, including the USA. After all, it wasn't that long ago that Barack Obama went to great lengths to hide the Hussein in the middle... This article by Aakar Patel explains how Indians view the connection between the two. His observations might surprise you! More... The Myth of Manmohan Singh In the world's largest democracy, a Prime Minister has just completed a full term without ever facing the people in an election. Farzana Versey shreds the legend of Manmohan Singh as leader arguing that he is nothing but a puppet of the real power, Sonia Gandhi. More... Hold the Violators to Account Demonstrations were held in various parts of the world to protest the widespread killing and destruction that accompanied the mop up of the LTTE in Sri Lanka recently. Human rights activist Ravi Nair concludes his three-part essay on what is to be done by asking that all parties be held to account for the human rights tragedy in Sri Lanka, including the governments of the world which stood and watched as a scorched earth policy killed hundreds of innocents. More... Indian Music - Unity in Diversity "...Indian music is not just an art but description of life itself", wrote WB Yeats, the poet who popularized Tagore in the West. In this article music aficionado Ram Sriram continues his exploration of Indian music with Yeats' observation as a start, delving into music history to make his case. He finds that Yeats is indeed quite accurate when he views Indian music as comprehensive in its influence on Indian life. It is, to paraphrase the author, a blending of emotion and intellect to form a seamless whole. More... Curtain falls on IPL 2009 The second season of the Indian Premier League tournament has come to a close. This time the matches were held not in India but in South Africa. The Deccan Chargers edged out the favored Bangalore Royal Challengers to lift the trophy. Our cricket correspondent Anushrut sifts through the embers of the hot contests. More... Movies     There are currently no Indian movies playing in Portland. Updates... Kidshine Kavya Shivshankar of Olathe, Kansas, took top spot at the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee, winning the $40000 prize. The budding neurosurgeon clinched the championship by spelling the word Laodecian. The third place in the championship was taken by Anamika Viramani. Meanwhile, Portland youngster Arjun Kandasamy, 14, placed second in the National Geography Bee. He was followed by Shantan Krovvidi, another student of Indian origin. In Quotes "Well I think that they say that Rush Limbaugh is the 800 lb. gorilla in the Republican Party. But I think that's mean-spirited to say that -- because I think he's down to 650 lbs. I think one should be fair to him about this whole thing." --Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Family Values With his elder son inducted into the Union cabinet, TN Chief Minister Karunanidhi has made his younger son Stalin Deputy Chief Minister. Indira Gandhi lives! About us |Submit articles |Advertise | Contact us |Subscribe FREE |Privacy Policy |Archives Copyright© indogram - the global Indian village in your neighborhood™