• Honored at Shri Guru Ravidas Sabha, Montreal

• Brown seeks closer co-op with India in fight against terror
• Third front a `mirage`, no body should chase it: Congress
• CBI accuses Nanda of foreign remittance fraud
• Centre moots bill to create special fund for afforestation

• US is considering "deeper US military engagement" in Pak
• US Pacific Fleet chief meets Lankan President
• Parveez hoping for multi-party coalition government

• GDP Growth to be 8%
• HSBC open to taking Indian banks
• Big retail sector booming in India

• Rs 1 lakh car a threat to environment
• Chinese company takes Google to court

• High commission of India in Ottawa

Q&A by Jatin & Amita

Upcoming Events

Consulate General of India, Toronto
High Commission of India, Ottawa
Scholarship Program for Diaspora Children - 2008

(Deadline for application is April 4th, 2008)

The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs introduced a Scholarship Program for Diaspora Children (SPDC) in 2006, to assist Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in pursuing Under Graduate courses in Higher and Technical fields in India. Under this Program, 67 PIO/NRI students were granted scholarship during the academic year 2006-07 while 81 students were granted scholarship in the next academic year
The following are the highlights of the SPDC-2008, which were announced on February 26, 2008:
• 100 scholarships are being offered for Undergraduate courses in disciplines including Engineering / Architecture / Technology, Humanities / Liberal Arts, Commerce, Management - BBA / BBM, Journalism, Hotel Management, Agriculture / Animal Husbandry, Sciences, Law etc.
• The Program is open only to PIOs / NRIs from the specified 40 countries having a larger concentration of Indian Diaspora.
• 50% of the scholarship would be reserved for PIOs. However, in the event of non-availability of suitable PIO candidates, the unfilled slots could be assigned to NRI candidates.
•NRI candidates would be eligible for the grant of scholarship only if their total family income does not exceed an amount equivalent to US $ One thousand and five hundred (US $ 1, 500).
•Children of NRIs should have pursued at least three years of education inclusive of 11th & 12th or equivalent (not beyond), in a foreign country during the last six years, and have passed the qualifying examination abroad.
•The last date for receipt of duly filled in prescribed application form by Ed. CIL is 4th April 2008.
•Candidates would be selected on the basis of a common entrance test to be conducted by Ed. CIL on 18th May, 2008 at your Mission / Post. Exact timings would be intimated by Ed. CIL. The candidates would also have to fulfill the entire criterion prescribed for the purpose.
• The amount of scholarship admissible would be 75% of Institutional Economic Cost (IEC) or US $ three thousand six hundred (US $ 3,600), whichever is less. IEC includes Tuition fee, Hostel fee & other institutional charges.
The 40 countries covered under the Program are: Australia; Bahrain; Canada; Fiji; France; Germany; Guyana; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Israel; Italy; Jamaica; Kenya; Kuwait; Madagascar; Malaysia; Mauritius; Mozambique; Myanmar; Netherlands; New Zealand; Nigeria; Oman; Philippines; Portugal; Qatar; Reunion Island; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; South Africa; Spain; Sri Lanka; Suriname; Tanzania; Thailand; Trinidad and Tobago; U.A.E; UK; USA; and Yemen.

April 13, 2008
“Blessings of Swara Yoga”

MONTREAL, March 12, 2008 - A life-changing workshop entitled “Blessings of Swara Yoga” will take place April 13th, 2008 at Centre Saint-Pierre.
The goal of this workshop is to unfold the mystery of Swaroday Shastra, also referred to as the Swara Vijyan or the science of Swara. The annals of Vedic scriptures repeatedly declare this life-enhancing technique as, “the best kept secret of all times.” Through Swara, Brahman the Eternal, the Bestower of supreme peace and bliss is revealed.
Swami Sivananda, a God-realized master of the 20th century, and founder of the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh, India explains the principles of Swara yoga, in his treatise, Swara Yoga. “When once we have learned how to manipulate prana, we will easily solve the riddle of life. Gaining mastery over it, we can lead an incredibly long, disease-free existence. We will be able to draw increasingly more of the vital force from the cosmos by mere thought. Consequently, we can remain vibrant and youthful, having thus tapped into this cosmic energy - enabling us to manipulate and sustain life.”
Swara, then, is the yogic way of “cheating time”.
Dr. Ghanshyam Singh Birla, Vedic palmist-astrologer and founder of The Birla Center for Hast Jyotish in 1972, will be conducting the workshop in English, with simultaneous French translation. A practicing analyst and personal growth consultant, Mr. Birla will illustrate how we can transform our destiny based on an understanding of the five elements, the panch tattwas, and their integral relationship with the art and science of breath regulation—the discipline of Swara Yoga.
To register, call Denise - toll-free at The Birla Center for Hast Jyotish - 866.428.3799.