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Making it clear that there was no

place for casteism & communalism in
India, PM Modi said the country can be
free of corruption but we "have to
start from the top.
Delivering his second Independence Day address from the

ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
used the refrain of Team India to denote a united nation.
Modi vows Team India will

take nation to new heights
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on August 15
pledged to end the "termite of corruption" and tackle black money
issue, and said "Team India" -- a
team of 125 crore Indians -- will
take the nation to new heights.
Addressing the nation from the
ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi
also said in his second
Independence Day address that his
FIA PROFILE 20
government was determined to

build a new India in which 18,500
villages would get power within
1,000 days.
Dressed in a cream kurta-pyjama,
beige waist coast and mustard
headgear, Modi said his "Swachh
Bharat" campaign was the biggest
success of his BJP-led government
which took office in May last year.
In a first for August 15, the prime
REFLECTIONS 38
minister did not touch upon foreign

policy - despite his numerous trips
- and focused wholly on domestic
issues. Making it clear that there
was no place for casteism and
communalism in India, he said the
country can be free of corruption
but we "have to start from the top".
"It can be done... Corruption is
eating up our country like termites.
If you want to get rid of termites,
MODERN LANDMARKS 66
you have to inject medicine everywhere."

He pointed out that there was no
allegation of corruption against his
government.
"Corruption had become part of
the system. Contractors were running the nation. We have taken
steps to correct the system."
As an example of anti-corruption
Continued on page 6
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 88
This special issue of

Celebrates Indias 69th
Independence Day with
the theme:
India Ascendant
excellence in journalism
STATE OF NATION
August 15-21, 2015
DETERMINED TO END TERMITE

OF CORRUPTION: MODI
New Delhi: Saying corruption has
become a part of the Indian system, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi said that he was "determined
to end the termite of corruption".
India can be free of corruption
but we "have to start from the
top", Modi said in his
Independence Day speech from
the Red Fort on August 15.
Battling corruption will "need
lots of measures", he said. "It can
be done. I am talking from experience."
He said there was no allegation
of corruption against his government since he took office in May
last year.
"I am determined to end the termite of corruption... Corruption
had become part of the system.
Contractors were running the
nation. We have taken steps to
correct the system," the prime
minister said.
"I want to tell the people that the
One Rank One

Pension scheme has
been accepted by the
government "in
principle" and I am
expecting a "positive
outcome, says the
Prime Minister from
the Red Fort
country can become free of corruption. It has to start from the
top. Corruption is eating up our
country like termites.
"If you want to get rid of termites, you have to inject medicine."
The prime minister also said that
coal block auction had been
undertaken by the government to
Prime Minister Modi giving his Independence Day address from

Red Fort with the Jama Masjid in the background.
fetch the national exchequer Rs.3

lakh crore.
"Some people are worried about
the tough law on black money," he
said. "It has ensured that nobody
dares to take black money out of
the country."
Modi also said the One Rank
One Pension scheme has been
accepted by the government "in
principle", adding that he is
expecting a "positive outcome".
While it was anticipated that he

would announce the implementation of the scheme in his
Independence Day speech, Modi
again repeated what has been government's stand for a while now.
"People of India sleep in peace
because of the jawans. For the 125
crore people of Team India, the
soldiers are national resource,"
Modi said from the ramparts of
the Red Fort.
"Many governments came,
OROP came in front of everyone... Everyone promised, but no
solution was reached," he said.
Modi said even after his government came, the problem has not
yet been resolved.
"I am assuring again, it is not a
person speaking, I am speaking on
the behalf of 125 crore people,
under the tri-colour, from the ramparts of Red Fort... In principle we
have accepted One Rank One
Pension. The phase of discussions
is on," Modi said.
"The trust with which talks are
on, we are expecting a positive
outcome," he said.
PARLIAMENT BECOMING ARENA OF COMBAT: PRESIDENT

New Delhi: President Pranab
Mukherjee has warned that institutions of democracy were under
stress and urged people and political parties to take correctives from
within.
In his address to the nation on
the eve of the 69th Independence
Day, the president cautioned
against vested interests chipping
away at social harmony to erode
many centuries of secularism and
said the country's neighbours must
ensure that their territory is not
used by forces inimical to India.
The president said parliament
has been converted into an arena
of combat rather than debate and it
was time for serious thinking by
political parties.
"Our institutions of democracy
are under stress. Parliament has
been converted into an arena of
combat rather than debate. If the
institutions of democracy are
under pressure, it is time for serious thinking by the people and
their parties. The correctives must
come from within," he said.
Mukherjee's remarks came
against the backdrop of the
washed out monsoon session of
parliament that ended on
Thursday. The session, which witnessed suspension of 25 Congress
MPs for "wilfully obstructing the
President Pranab Mukherjee addresses the nation on the

eve of Independence Day in New Delhi.
business of the house", was

marked by acrimonious and personalised exchanges between
members of the ruling Bharatiya
Janata Party and the Congress.
The president said the roots of
democracy were deep but the
leaves had begun wilting and it
was time for renewal.
"On the fertile ground laid by
our constitution, India has blossomed into a vibrant democracy.
The roots are deep but the leaves
are beginning to wilt. It is time for
renewal," he said.
The president said questions

have to be asked so that the country's nest inheritance is preserved. "If we do not act now, will
our successors seven decades
hence remember us with the
respect and admiration we have
for those who shaped the Indian
dream in 1947? The answer may
not be comfortable, but the question has to be asked," he said.
In a veiled reference to Pakistan,
he said India willingly offers its
hand of friendship but it cannot
stay blind to deliberate acts of
provocation and a deteriorating

security environment.
India, he said, was the target of
vicious terrorist groups operating
from across the borders.
"Except the language of violence
and the cult of evil, these terrorists
have no religion and adhere to no
ideology. Our neighbours must
ensure that their territory is not
used by forces inimical to India,"
Mukherjee said.
The president said India's policy
will remain that of zero tolerance
for terrorism and it rejects any
attempt to use terrorism as an
instrument of state policy.
"Inltration into our territory
and attempts to create mayhem
will be dealt with a strong hand,"
he said. The president said the
country's rise will be measured by
the strength of its values, its economic growth and also equitable
distribution of natural resources.
"Our economy promises much
hope for the future. The new chapters of the 'India Story' are waiting
to be written. 'Economic reforms'
is a work in progress," he said.
Noting that the country has
recovered to 7.3 percent growth in
2014-15, he said benets of
growth must reach the poorest of
the poor much before they go to
the rich.
"Our policies must be geared to

meet the 'Zero Hunger' challenge
in a foreseeable future," he said.
The president said India was a
complex country of 1.3 billion
people, 122 languages, 1,600
dialects and seven religions.
"Its strength lies in its unique
capacity to blend apparent contradictions into positive afrmations," the president said.
The president said India's
democracy was creative because it
is plural, but diversity must be
nourished with tolerance and
patience. "In an age of instant
communication through ever
improving technology, we must
remain vigilant to ensure that the
devious designs of a few never
overcome the essential oneness of
our people," he said.
"For both government and people, the rule of law is sacrosanct,
but society is also protected by
something greater than law:
humanity," he said.
Expressing concern over the
quality of education, he said the
"guru-shishya (teacher-pupil) tradition is recalled with legitimate
pride.
"Why then have we abandoned
the care, devotion and commitment that is at the heart of this
relationship?" he asked.
August 15-21, 2015
TURN PAGE
The dignitaries during the National Anthem at the ramparts of Red Fort, on the occasion of 69th Independence Day, in Delhi on August 15.
The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi inspecting the Guard of Honor at Red Fort on
the occasion of 69th Independence Day in Delhi on August 15.
Modi vows Team India will...

Continued from page 3
measure, he said coal block auction
had been undertaken to earn Rs.3
lakh crore for the government.
Other steps had been taken to
tackle black money -- from the
appointment of a special probe
team to enacting stringent law.
Already several thousand crores of
rupees had been collected from
people who have begun to declare
their ill-gotten assets, he said.
In his speech, Modi repeatedly
used the word "Team India" - to
denote a united nation.
"This is Team India, a team of
125 crore Indians. This is the team
that makes the nation and takes our
nation to new heights," he said to
applause from the thousands who
had gathered to hear him on a
warm day.
He said the participation of people in governance had been possible via electronic platform or letters from citizens or through his
radio address Mann Ki Baat.
Modi described the Swachh
Bharat campaign as his govern-
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ment's "biggest achievement", and

praised children and the young for
being the campaign's "biggest
brand ambassador".
Citing another success of his
government, Modi said some 17
crore people untouched by any
form of financial inclusion now
had bank accounts, with deposits of
Rs.20,000 crore, thanks to the
scheme he announced exactly a
year ago called the Pradhan Mantri
Jan Dhan Yojana.
Modi announced the agriculture
ministry would now be known as
the Ministry of Agriculture and
Farmer Welfare -- to better take
care of farmers' needs.
The government, he said, had
brought down inflation despite
poor rainfall, and called for a
restructuring of agricultural practices.
But he emphasized the need for
reforms
in
agriculture.
"Agricultural land is shrinking,
farmers need electricity, water," he
said, adding the new motto should
be "Save Water, Save Fertilizer"
and "Per Drop More Crop".
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INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
August 15-21, 2015
LOOKING AHEAD
START UP INDIA AND STAND

UP INDIA: MODI
New Delhi: India must be number
one in start-ups, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said, adding that the
government was looking for systems
to enable start-ups in the country.
"In the coming days, start-ups will
be promoted in every corner of the
country. Start-up India - Stand up
India," Modi said in his
Independence Day speech from the
Red Fort here.
The prime minister said that in
addition to the systems to facilitate
start-ups, loans would also be given
to help people in their start-ups.
Modi said that some 17 crore people untouched by any form of nancial inclusion now had bank
accounts, with deposits of Rs.20,000
crore, thanks to the scheme he
announced exactly a year ago.
The prime minister said these bank
accounts have also fetched deposits
of Rs.20,000 crore, even though the
Jan Dhan scheme calls for zero balance in banks so that the poor were
not deprived of access to the baking
system.
"For the poor, the doors of banks
were closed. I said this has to change.
We wanted to strengthen nancial
inclusion," he said. "Bank accounts
are essential for integrating the poor
into the nancial system. That's what
we have done."
As regards the deposits of
Rs.20,000 crore in these bank
accounts, Modi said: "If this richness
of the poor was not there, such a feat
would no have been possible."
He also congratulated the banking
system for making such a task possible. "Opening 17 crore bank
accounts is a difcult task. I congratulate the bank staf."
Modi said no person wants to
remain poor and those who live in
poverty want to move away to
achieved a better quality of life.
"That is why, all our programmes
must be for the poor."
The Swachh Bharat campaign was
his government's "biggest achievement" and praised the children and
the young for being the project's
"biggest brand ambassador, he said.
"It was a unique thing for the country
when I announced the Swachh
Bharat Abhiyaan
on
last
Independence Day from Red Fort.
Today, I congratulate the Team India
for the achievement of this
abhiyaan," Modi added.
He said Team India - 125 crore
Indians - helped the government in
achieving the success of the Clean
Indian campaign. He praised the
young for leading the campaign.
A host of steps have

been taken by his
government to tackle
black money, says
Narendra Modi, adding
that the Swachh Bharat
campaign was his
government's biggest
achievement
"I salute to these children," he said.
Referring to how he spoke about
toilets and cleanliness in his rst
Independence Day, he said that many
had then wondered "what kind of a
PM is he, talking about these issues".
But "if there is something that has
touched every person, it is the movement towards cleanliness," he said.
"People from all walks of life, spiritual leaders, media friends, celebrities, everyone has worked to create
awareness (about the Clean India
campaign)," he added.
His government has succeeded in
bringing down ination, and argued
that there was a need to restructure
agricultural practices.
"We have succeeded in bringing it
(the ination) down from double digits to three to four percent despite the
fact that rainfall was low and agriculture suffered," Modi elaborated.
He said there was a need for
reform in agriculture. "We need
change in agriculture. Agricultural
land is shrinking, farmers need electricity, water. We have approved
Rs.50,000 crore under the Pradhan
Mantri Krishi SInchai Yojana," he
said.
The prime minister said the new
motto should be "Save Water, Save
Fertiliser", and "Per Drop More
Crop".
A host of steps have been taken by
his government to tackle black
money -- from the appointment of a
special probe team to enacting a
stringent law to prevent such practices and punish its perpetrators.
The prime minister said that when
he took over last year, the Central
Bureau of Investigation was probing
some 800 cases of black money.
Now 1,800 cases were being examined. "Many people did not like this,"
he said, adding this had to be done
and already several thousand crores
of rupees have been collected from
people who have begun to declare
their ill-gotten assets.
Modi said the day after he took
A panoramic view from the minarets of Red Fort, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses
the nation on the occasion of 69th Independence Day of India in Delhi.
Modi promises power

to 18,500 villages
within 1,000 days
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised
to provide electricity to 18,500 power-less villages in
the country in the next 1,000 days.
"There are 18,500 villages in the country where
electricity is yet to reach. If we keep working with old
ways, then maybe we will take 10 years to get electricity poles to these villages," Modi said in his
Independence Day address.
Modi said he met government officials and asked
them how to proceed in order to provide electricity
supply. "The officials replied that they can do it only
by 2019," he said.
"The country is not ready to wait that long," he said.
"So Team India pledges today that power will reach
these villages within the next 1,000 days," Modi said.
over the country's reins, a Special
Investigation Team, as directed by
the Supreme Court, was formed to
probe cases of black money and get
India's progress
linked with
eastern India
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India
can progress only if the eastern parts of the country
also prosper. "For India to progress, West Bengal,
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other eastern states have to
do well," Modi said in his Independence Day speech
from the ramparts of Red Fort. He said the region was
ignored for many years.
"Whether it is infrastructure or railways, we have
concentrated on eastern India. We are putting in gas
pipelines." Modi said four Urea factories in this region
have been revived. "Due to our policies on urea and
gas supply, these companies have been revived and the
youth are getting employment," he added.
He said his government was committed to provide
electricity to all those villages that do not have power.
back such wealth that had been

stashed away abroad.
And within one year, a stringent
legislation to deal with this issue was
also enacted, he said. "Even at the

G20 meeting, I raised the issue and
we have been promised cooperation."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi mingled with school children after his address to the nation.
School children dressed in white, green and saffron rushed to him after he ended his speech at
the Red Fort here. Modi shook hands with a few of them.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
10
August 15-21, 2015
THE STATES
NITISH SEEKS SPECIAL STATUS FOR BIHAR
Independence
Day
fervor grips
Karnataka
Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar

again demanded a special category
status for Bihar and said anything
less won't help it to develop.
After hoisting the national ag
here on Independence Day, Nitish
Kumar said: "Special status is a must
for the development of Bihar as it
will attract private investors on a
large scale to set up industries that
will generate jobs for youths.
"It will also speed up development
in other sectors," he said.
The chief minister said the state -which will soon elect a new assembly -- was on the path of justicelaced development.
"We have established the rule of
law in the state that has helped in its
development with justice for all."
Nitish Kumar also said that Bihar

had developed in the last one decade
in all sectors including education,
health and agriculture.
It had recorded an average of 10
percent growth rate in the last 10
years.
The government had built 66,508
km of major and rural roads in the
last decade, he said. Similarly, 5,431
major bridges were constructed.
He said the power situation had
improved in Bihar. The per capita
consumption of electricity had
increased from 70 kWh in 2005 to
203 kWh in 2015.
Bihar, the chief minister said, was
moving ahead with high growth rate
and development. It would continue
to do so in the coming years, he said.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on Independence Day.
Economic freedom is foundation Raje promises to create jobs

for Rajasthan youth
of independence: Jaya
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Bengaluru: The 69th Independence

Day celebrations began in
Karnataka on a patriotic note with
the spirit of freedom and fervor
gripping the state. In state capital
Bengaluru, the grand event unfolded at Manekshaw parade ground in
the city centre, where Chief
Minister Siddaramaiah hoisted the
tri-color and sang the national
anthem along with about 10,000
people who gathered for the occasion amid tight security.
An army helicopter hovered over
the sprawling parade ground showering rose petals around the podium, cheering the crowds and evoking applause.
Standing on an open jeep, the
chief minister drove around the
ground for guard of honor and
received salute from contingents of
the three services (army, navy and
air force), state police, home guards
and fire forces. According to reports
from across the state, the national
flag was unfurled in the district
headquarters by the state cabinet
ministers and deputy commissioners and in schools and colleges
across the state.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
Chennai: Economic freedom is foundation of independence and the

government is taking all steps for the upliftment of the poor, said Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa here.
She also said the state is expected to get an investment of over
Rs.100,000 crore at the global investor meet to be held here next month.
Unfurling the national flag on Independence Day, she said: "Economic
freedom is the foundation of all types of freedom. For the past four years
the government has been taking several steps for the upliftment of the
poor."
She listed out the various social welfare measures implemented by her
government in the field of education and other spheres.
Jayalalithaa also announced increased monthly pension for the freedom fighters and their families.
She also gave away the A.P.J. Abdul Kalam award to space scientist
Valarmathi. The award was instituted this year in memory of late former
president Abdul Kalam.
Kota: Rajasthan Chief

Minister Vasundhara
Raje said her government has set a target of
getting jobs for 15 lakh
youth in the state.
At a function here to
mark the nation's 69th
Independence Day, Raje
unfurled the national
flag and said the state
government has initiated
schemes "to improve
infrastructure and providing electricity supply
and road network".
"We are going to be
the largest producer of
Rajasthan Chief Minister
solar power in the counVasundhara Raje.
try," she said at a gathThe chief minister honoured
ering of residents and school
police and government officers
children. "We plan to set up
schools in every gram panchayat on the Independence Day.
Cultural programmes and other
and are committed to providing
events were also organised on
information technology to stuthe occasion.
dents," she said.
She also talked about
Raje said her government had
set a target of providing employ- Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership
Summit slated to be held in
ment to 15 lakh youth. "We are
Jaipur on November 19-20,
providing skill development
2015. The summit will have
facilities to youth in a big way,"
strategic conferences, panel disshe said.
cussions, round-table deliberaShe urged people to take up a
tions, presentations and one-oncampaign for a clean and green
one business meetings.
state.
INDIA-BANGLADESH LAND DEAL A FILLIP TO TRADE: MEGHALAYA CM

Shillong: Meghalaya Chief
Minister Mukul Sangma said the
land agreement that was signed
between India and Bangladesh
would give a llip to trade, commerce and tourism between the two
countries.
Sangma spoke here at the main
Independence Day celebration
attended by thousands of people
despite rains.
After unfurling the tri-colour and
taking the salute at a parade here,
the chief minister said the settlement would also go a long way in
improving the law and order climate along the border besides the
bilateral relations between the two
neighboring countries.
"All this should bring economic
benets to the people residing in
the border areas as well as to
Meghalaya as a whole," Sangma
said, adding that Meghalaya gained
240.578 acres of land, and
Bangladesh would get to retain
about 41.702 acres from the IndiaBangladesh land deal agreement.

"It is my earnest hope that what
was once a boundary of discord
will now turn into an area of
vibrant trade and commerce to
build a bond of friendship," he
said.
On the prevailing internal security situation, the chief minister
admitted the security situation in
the ve districts of Garo Hills continues to remain a cause of concern
as militant and criminal outts

engage in anti-national and criminal activities.
However, he said the concerted
and untiring efforts of the security
forces against the banned terrorist
outt, Garo National Liberation
Army (GNLA), has been quite successful resulting in the arrest of
militants and their sympathizers,
seizures of arms and equipment,
busting of camps and hideouts and
prevention of anti-social activities.
The Meghalaya police, Sangma

said, is also keeping a close watch
on the trans-border movement of
terrorists from Bangladesh and has
also taken up the issue with the
central government.
The chief minister also urged
upon the people of the state to join
hands with the government's continuing efforts to maintain peace
and harmony and to march ahead
on the path of growth and development.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
12
August 15-21, 2015
Lens Eye
I-Day fervor
seen across
the nation
Soldiers paying tributes to patriots during Patriot Day celebration in Imphal in Manipur
College students forming a human chain to form Indian Map with 6900 students to create a record on the occasion of 69th Independence Day in Coimbatore on Friday.
Boys take out a procession

on the eve of Independence day
in Bhubaneswar.
Female daredevils of Jammu and Kashmir Police

perform during the full dress rehearsal for
Independence Day at Bakhshi Stadium in Srinagar.
Himachal Pradesh police personnel during full dress rehearsal

for Independence Day at the historical Ridge in Shimla
School children perform during the full dress

rehearsal for the Independence Day celebrations
at the Parade Ground in Jammu
Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji terminal illuminated

for Independence Day celebrations.
14
August 15-21, 2015
MESSAGES
On the occasion of the 69th Independence Day of the Republic of India, I extend my warm greetings and best
wishes to Indian nationals, members of the Indian community and well-wishers of India.
On this historic day, we recall with reverence and respect the courage and sacrifices of our freedom fighters who
paved the way for realization of a great nation which we all cherish today. India occupies a distinct place in the
comity of nations by being the largest democracy that exemplifies unity in diversity and peaceful co-existence
with a flourishing multi-cultural society. India is making great strides in various fields including economy, science & technology, education and in empowerment of its people.
Hailed as the defining partnership of the 21st century in the world, India and the US are enhancing their relationship not only at the bilateral level, but also at the regional and global levels. With the historic visits of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in September 2014 and President Barack Obama in January 2015, the leaders of both
countries have given a great impetus to the momentum of this relationship. Our bilateral trade and investment,
which are reaching new heights, are encouraging us to aspire for higher goals. Our cooperation has deepened in
the established sectors while new fields are continuously added to widen our relationship. People-to-people contact is one of the strongest pillars of this growing relationship.
Arun K. Singh
Indian Ambassador to the
United States
I take this opportunity to thank Indian nationals and Indian American community for their dynamic, substantial
and continuous contribution to strengthening the relationship between the largest democracy and the oldest
democracy.
Jai Hind.
MESSAGE
I am delighted that 'The South Asian Times' newspaper is bringing out a special issue on the auspicious occasion
of lndia's 69th lndependence Day. Based in New York, the paper has wide readership not only in the Tri-State area
but its online version is widely read by the global lndian and South Asian Communities. Their endeavour to report
on issues which affect the community without fear or favour and to provide , news, stories and features touching
all walks of life has made them a respected source of information for the community.
I convey my greetings to the members of the South Asian Times family and through the newspaper, the vast
lndian-American community on this proud and auspicious occasion of lndia's 69th lndependence Day, and wish
them the very best in all their endeavours and hope that they will continue to be a bridge between their country of
origin and the country of their adoption.
Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay
Consul General of India, New York
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
16
August 15-21, 2015
MESSAGES
Bill de Blasio
Mayor, New York City
Office of the County Executive

1550 Franklin Avenue
Mineola, New York 11501
August 16, 2015
Dear Friends,
I am pleased to join all of you who have gathered to celebrate ,QGLDV
Independence Day on Long Island.
Americans of Indian Heritage have contributed to the economic, social
and cultural enrichment of this great nation and are to be commended for
their outstanding contributions, which have enhanced numerous aspects of
heritage, history, literature and social life.
The Indian American community of Long Island is to be commended
for working diligently to heighten an awareness of India and promote positive
relations and are deserving and worthy of the esteem of Nassau County for
their relentless commitment to make the lives of men, women and families
better, which has made a permanent and positive impact on us all.
On behalf of the residents of Nassau County, I wish to extend best
wishes for a memorable event.
Sincerely,
Edward P. Mangano
County Executive
18
August 15-21, 2015
NEW YORK
Behold the grandest
I n d i a Day Pa r a d e
By Jinal Shah
New York: The biggest Indian
Independence Day parade in the
world, the Federation of Indian
Associations India Day Parade in
Manhattan as become emblematic
of the confidence and growing aspirational energy of Indian Americans.
The parade in its 35th year is
touted as the biggest, grandest
and promises to surpass previous
parades. More, this year the FIA
(tristate) will also attempt to break
three Guinness world records at the
parade, namely most different flags
flown simultaneously, most people
receiving henna tattoo and most
confetti popped at a single event.
We are planning to unfurl about
11,000 flags including flags of all
195 nations, flags of different tribes
of India, religious flags, sports flags
and more. We are also attempting

to break the world mehndi application record and confetti popping
record, Ankur Vaidya, FIA president, told The South Asian Times
in an earlier interview.
The theme for this years parade
that will march down Madison Avenue is Unity in Diversity. The
parade will see Bollywood stars
Parineeti Chopra as Guest of Honor
and Arjun Rampal as Grand Marshal. Cricket icon Virendra Sewhag
will also be Guest of Honor.
The tradition of India Day Parade goes back to 1981 when FIA
under the leadership of Sureshwar
Prasad Singh, the then president,
launched the first India Day Parade with thousands of marchers,
floats, bands, and participation by
political leaders - both Indian and
American. The parade began a tradition, giving Indians settled here
a sense of identity and pride. The
India Day Parade in New York has
since become the largest street
gathering of Indian peoples next
to the Independence Day march in
New Delhi, India.
By making Zubin Mehta the

Grand Marshal in 1982, FIA started a tradition of inviting prominent
Indian dignitaries as Grand Marshals and FIA presidents as Marshals. Since then various Bollywood celebrities including veteran
actors Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil
Dutt, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand,
Hema Malini, Rajesh Khanna,
Vinod Khanna, Jeetendra, and contemporary actors such as Sushmita
Sen, Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan,
Preeti Zinta, Manisha Koirala,
Rani Mukherjee have participated
in Indias independence day celebrations in New York. The film
stars ensure a throng of crowds at
the parade and the entertainment
segment, which now runs to lakhs.
Prominent sports personalities
such as Sim Bullar, Anil Kumble,
Indian politicians such as Sushma
Swaraj and American politicians
such as NYC mayors Edward
Koch, Rudy Giuliani, Michael
Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio and
state Governors Mario Cuomo and
George Pataki have also participated in the parade.
Cricket icon Virendra Sehwag will be the Guest of Honor.
Profile and FIA history: page 20-22.
Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra as Guest of Honor adds to the glamor quotient.
Bollywood megastar Arjun Rampal is the Grand Marshal this year.
Aiding sanitation in Darjeeling
In his historic visit to the US

last year, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi urged Indian Americans to
participate in the Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan, the biggest ever cleanliness and sanitation drive in India.
A number of organizations came
forward to partake in the clean India drive which Modi launched
after returning to India. FIA too
joined the movement as part of
their continued support for social
causes in India. FIA will use this
years India Day Parade to support

the Darjeeling Sanitation Project.
It is estimated that out of 1.8
million people living in Darjeeling in West Bengal, only 40 percent have sanitation facilities. Access to drinking water is a major
problem, especially in the agricultural and tea communities, where
communities depend on nearby
streams for their water.
Local water sources are contaminated with waste and grey water
and more than 80 percent of

households do not have proper
sanitary latrines. Worse, there has
been a steady increase in population and decline in the water at
the catchment areas due to deforestation, construction works,
landslips and increase in water
runoff in these areas.
Recipients will get a subsidy of
$200 per sanitation facility from
FIA, which represents 57% of
the total cost. Said FIA president
Ankur Vaidya, We have partnered

with them for about 100 sanitation
projects in Darjeeling.
The Darjeeling Sanitation Project
aims to reduce the incidence of waterborne disease for at least 3,500
people in Darjeeling through access
to potable water and improved sanitation and hygiene practice.
The idea behind providing partial subsidy, Vaidya clarifiedm is
to create a sense of accountability among recipients.
FIA youthful President

Ankur Vaidya
20
August 15-21, 2015
NEW YORK
How FIA became mobilizer

for the community
By Jinal Shah
stablished in 1970, the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) of New York,

New Jersey and Connecticut is
one of the largest umbrella organizations of the Indian community in America. It represents over
300,000 strong and vibrant Indian
Americans, who provide significant grassroots support.
Over the years FIA has represented various issues that concern
a growing Indian community at
the local, state, and national levels. It has always strived to promote India and present the progress and unity of Indians to the
many diversified ethnic communities. It is in this spirit that, since
1981 FIA has been organizing the
annual India Day Parade in New
York City, which has grown in to
a mammoth event drawing lakhs.
For over 45 years FIA has grown
into an effective mouthpiece and
mobilizer for the community.
In cooperation with other associations and groups, it has
successfully convinced the U.S.
Congress to protect the interest of
legal aliens and retain family reunification privileges.
Other than representing issues
of Indians living in the US, the organization also seeks to promote
Indian culture, music and dance.
To celebrate Indias Republic Day,
FIA organizes a folk and contemporary dance competition in
January, now christened Dance Pe
Chance. FIA also hosts health fairs,
seminars and other cultural, social,
religious, educational events.
Inception
FIA has a long history of serving the community dating back to
the late 1960s when students from

India Club of Columbia University, and the India Student Association of New York joined hands
with the Association of Indians in
America, the Bharathi Society of
America and the Tagore Society in
the Tri state area.
FIA came into being in the late
1970s when the then Indian Consulate General Mr. Ahuja and the
Tagore Societys Prafulla Mukherjee gathered all Indian groups to
develop a central committee. Their
initial goal was to celebrate Indias Independence and Republic
days. The joint committee adopted
the constitution in 1975 and then
changed the name to Federation of
Indian Associations in 1977.
Thomas Abraham was elected
as the first President of FIA. The
FIA participated in the Parade of
Nations. The Indian contingent
was the largest in the parade. India
Day celebration was organized as
a major festival and fair at Columbia Universitys College Campus.
American political leaders attended the celebrations.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio participated in the parade last year.
FIAs role in
helping India
Time and again FIA has proven
to be instrumental in collecting
funds for various causes and relief efforts in India. In1977-78
they collected over $25,000 in
cash and $100,000 in medicines
for the Andhra Pradesh Cyclone
Relief Fund.
On October 31, 1984 Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated. The FIA formed a committee of People for United India
which included all major Indian
organizations. A large condolence
ceremony was organized in Central
Park attended by thousands.
In 1992, the organization called
for a public meeting on the Kashmir issue and set up a Kashmir Relief Fund. Relief funds were also
set up for the Orissa cyclone and
Gujarat earthquake (2001) and for
the jawans of the Kargil war.
FIA team and Amb. Dnyaneshwar Mulay at the parade kickoff held earlier in the Indian Consulate.
Continues to Page 22
Saif Ali Khan strikes a princely pose at the 2012 parade.
Acclaimed actress Vidya Balan was quite a draw as Grand Marshal in 2013.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
22
Continues from Page 20
Building strong
community
FIA also played a major role in
bringing the Indian American community together, not just in the
tristate region but across America. It
has steadily grown taking other com-
August 15-21, 2015
munity organizations under its

wing. In 1987-88 FIA pushed for
better representation of Indians
Americans in city agencies. It participated in a series of hearings held
by a committee of the Mayor of
New York City and conveyed the
concerns and problems of the community. A positive outcome was the
City increasing the recruitment of
Asian Indians in city agencies and a
decision to hold a job fair to inform
the community about opportunities
in city government. For the first
time the FIA was represented on the
Asian American Advisory Council
of the NYV Police Department.
The same year FIA in association with its member organization
AIWA (Asian Indian Women in
America) organized a job fair on
Mahatma Gandhis birthday. In
1990-92 they held a workshop on
SBA Loan Programs of the city
office of the Comptroller.
In 1991 FIA also unveiled a
Mayor Bloomberg and film star

Shilpa Shetty at the 2009 parade.
NEW YORK
bronze Gandhi statue in the Union

Square in New York.
The year 1994 was the turning
point for the India-US relationship.
Through the efforts of Ambassador S.S. Ray in Washington, with
the help of Ramesh Patel of New
Jersey, Prabir Roy of New York,
Swadesh Chatterjee of North Carolina, a strong pro-India caucus was
established in US Congress. Congressman Dan Burtons anti-India
bill received a humiliating defeat
in Congress. FIA members took the
initiative and through the work of
community leaders like Dr. Bhupi
Patel, Dr. Navin Mehta, Dr. Sudhir
Parikh, Dr. Narendra Kukar, Dr.
Nirmal Mattu, Dr. Japra, Subhash
Kapadia, an unprecedented rallying took place all over the USA. As
a result, the historic Larry Pressler
Amendment stopped weapons
sales to Pakistan and President
George Bush branded Pakistan as
a sponsor of terrorism.
Voice of the
community
FIA has been the mouthpiece
of Indians living in America. It
has been in the forefront of raising issues concerning Indian
Americans.
In 1982-83, The Immigration
Committee of the FIA played a
key role in educating the community about the discriminatory
Immigration Bill, which was introduced by Senator Simpson and
Congressman Mazzoli. The bill
proposed restrictions on the Second and Fifth Preferences, which
went against family reunification.
The FIA together with the member
organizations worked aggressively
to get the support of senators and
congressmen to retain the Second
and Third preferences in their original form. Links were also established with other Asian organizations. The Immigration Committee
continued its efforts regarding the

Simpson-Mazzoli bill the following year. FIA along with several
other organizations fought the racially charged Dotbuster attacks in
the late 1980s that resulted in the
death of Navroz Mody. To combat the violence, FIA along with
the International Mahatma Gandhi Foundation took its case to the
people of New York to demand justice for violence against Indians in
Jersey City. The organization also
appealed to the Jersey City courts
to prosecute the four juveniles as
adults in the Navroz Mody murder
case. The organization also raised
over $5000 to aid the victims of a
massive fire in Passaic, NJ, that left
96 Indian families homeless.
The FIA was also active in raising the dual citizenship issue at a
meeting with the Prime Minister
Narasimha Rao in 1993.
FIA has also started organizing
visa camps in the tristate area
The fabulous looking film star Deepika Padukone

was roped in as the Grand Marshal in 2008.
FIA also organizes a dance festival every year around Indias Republic Day.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
24
August 15-21, 2015
L ong I sland
Long Islands Little India

holds 4th parade in a row
At the India Day Parade in Hicksville organized by IDPUSA, elected officials
praised the contributions of Indian community to the fabric of America.
Hicksville, NY: On a beautiful Sunday morning, the town of

Hicksville Route 107 Broadway
and its surroundings were emblazoned with saffron, white and
green. Tricolor flags, balloons and
decorations on the stores and in Patel Brothers Plaza abounded for the
fourth consecutive India Day Parade organized by IDPUSA on Aug
9 in what has come to be known as
Little India of Long Island.
Hundreds walked down South
Broadway and hundreds more assembled at the parking lot across
the Asa Mai Hindu temple for the
official program where citations and
awards were presented to the honorees. Several elected officials and
dignitaries such as Congresswoman
Grace Meng, County Executive Edward P. Mangano, Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray,
Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor..
Continues to Page 26
Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, Grand Marshal Neetu Chandra, Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri,
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray leading the parade.
The Jai Bharat Dhol Tashaa Pathak group from New Jersey gave
scintillating performance with dhol and lezim.
A view of the people gathered for the cultural show

with booths in the background.
The spiritual group of Brahma Kumaris with their edifying slogans.
Telugu Literary and Cultural Society (TLCA) group led by President

Raji Kuncham. One unique feature this year was that sponsors
came in special cars decorated in tricolors.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
26
August 15-21, 2015
Continued from Page 24

..John Venditto, Town of North
Hempstead Supervisor Judy Bosworth, several councilmen, legislators and judges were present to greet
and support the Indian American
community celebrating Indias 69th
Independence Day. They lauded contributions of the Indian community
to the fabric of American society.
Grand Marshall Bollywood actress Neetu Chandra (veteran of
25 films and a Taekwondo champ),
L o ng I sland
Chief Guest of Honor Nina Davuluri (Miss America 2014), joined

elected officials and community
leaders for the parade. This years
theme was Women Empowerment & the Next Generation,
an issue addressed by Davuluri
in her speech. A unique addition
this year was the sponsors came in
their special cars decorated in tricolors. Several marching groups,
floats, band and cars made the parade a great success.
Parade Chairpersons Indu Jaiswal
and Beena Kothari, with the help

of their team, volunteers, supporters and sponsors, coordinated the
participation.
The East Barclay Street grand
stage saw an enthralling cultural
program, music and dances from
various schools and Sonali Vyas
School of Dance. There were also
many booths, food stalls and an
activity area for children.
Parade founders Bobby Kumar
and Kamlesh Mehta thanked everyone present for their continued
support.
On Aug 10, IDPUSA held the
Gala Diner Reception at North
Ritz Country Club in Syosset to
honor and thank all sponsors and
honorees. Senior Councilman Anthony Santino, Town of Hempstead Clerk Nasreen Ahmed,
Grand Marshall Neetu Chandra,
actresses Madalsa Sharma and
Karishma Tanna attended. Entertainment for the evening presented by Arya Dance Academy was
enjoyed by all.
Grand Marshal, honorees, elected officials and parade organizers

at the gala dinner on Monday, Aug 10.
The South Asian Times group, a sponsor of the parade,

marked its presence with a banner.
Congresswoman Grace Meng walking

with Nina Davuluri.
Honored for contributions to community

Mrs. Sharda Kotahwala, President Royal India USA Inc
Naveen C Shah, President and CEO, Navika Group of Companies
Mrs. Kirti Shukla, Microbiologist
Dr. Raj Bhayani, ENT Surgeon
Dr Vaijnath Chakote, President Elect of AAPI-QLI

Parvin Kapadia, Founder of BAL Sanskar Shala
Dr Vijay Chhabra, Internist
Peter Bheddah, Businessman-turned-Humanitarian
The honorees with elected officials and parade organizers at the Grand Stage
28
August 15-21, 2015
NASSAU COUNTY
NASSAU COUNTY CELEBRATES

INDIA DAY 6TH YEAR IN A ROW
enterprise of the community which
has contributed richly to Nassau
county and America at large. An
army veteran, he recalled how an
Indian doctor operated on him and
save his leg.
By Parveen Chopra
Mineola, NY: On a balmy weekend
morning, Nassau County Executive
Edward P. Mangano hosted prominent community members and
Indian-Americans at the majestic
Theodore Roosevelt Executive and
Legislative building here for a joyous celebration and ag hoisting to
mark the 69th Independence Day of
India. Weather let the event to be
held outdoors, a break from the tradition of holding it inside the legislative chambers.
The bringing in and presentation
of the Indian and American ags in
a grand way was led by
Champakbhai Parikh, a veteran of
such presentations.
Hon. Mangano, who declared
August 15 as "Indian American
Day" in the county, was represented
by Nassau County legislator Dennis
Dunne who presided over the wellattended event. At the ag hoisting,
he was joined by Kamlesh Mehta,
Nassau Countys Director of
Business
and
Economic
Development, who had convened
the event, NFIA Chair Lal Motwani
and IDPUSA founder Bobby
Kumar, and Town of Hempstead
legislator Ed Ambrosino.
About the annual ag hoisting at
the Nassau County Seat, Mehta
states, It was initiated by our
County Executive. This is the 6th
year of maintaining the pride day of
the largest democracy of the world
in the oldest democracy of the
world. Of course, he has played a
laudable role in carrying on the tradition, bringing the county and the
community closer.
Addressing the audience, Dennis
Dunne congratulated the Indian
community on the day that marks
independence from British rule
achieved through non-violence and
lauded the entrepreneurship and
Five people were honored for

their achievements and service to
community:
Dr. Akshat Jain, MD is a pediatrician, hematologist oncologist and
stem cell transplanter at the Hofstra
North Shore LIJ School of Medicine
on Long Island, A native of Jaipur,
he is executive director of a 100bed charitable multi-specialty hospital in Rajasthan. He takes care of
children with cancer at the Cohen
Childrens Medical Center in New
Hyde Park and teaches at Hofstra.
Dr Arvind R. Shah, MD, is a
renowned oncologist. Known for
many community initiatives, he is
past President of Gujarati Samaj of
New York, and past President of
Long Island and Queens Indian
Physicians Association.
Bansi Shah is an engineer and
constructions magnate who has
worked on projects such as World
Trade Center Path Train Terminal
Station at Ground Zero, World
Financial Center at Battery Park
City, JFK Air Train Terminals. He is
Past President of Society of IndoAmerican Engineers and Architects.
Wing Commander Suresh H
Butani was commissioned into
Indian Air Force in 1964 and took
Champakbhai Parikh led the ceremonial flag march and conducted the flag hoisting of the Indian tricolor
by Nassau County legislator Dennis Dunne representing County Executive Ed Mangano, Kamlesh Mehta,
Nassau Countys Director of Business and Economic Development,
community leaders Bobby Kumar, Lal Motwani and others.
part in the wars in 1965 and 1971
and participated in IPKF Operations
in Sri Lanka. Here, he has founded
the Indian Veterans of Tri-state
(NY) Association.
Beena Kothari, the IDPUSA
Chair-2015, has been involved with
most major Indian American social
organizations in leadership positions. She has served as Global IT
Team Manager of Fortune 500 companies IBM and JP Morgan and is
currently real estate broker-agent.
Speaking after being honored,
Dennis Dunne receiving a Ganesha idol

as memento from Lal Motwani.
Many prominent members of the Indian community of

Long Island attended the graceful event.
both Bansi Shah and Dr Akshat Jain

said they were proud of the education they received in India and the
opportunity America gave them for
what they have achieved.
Co-organizers of the event were
NFIA, IALI and India Day Parade
USA, which held the fourth parade
under its aegis in Hicksville on Aug
9 where Hon. Mangano was Guest
of Honor.
Retd Air Marshal Raghvendran
addressed the gathering.Bouquets
were presented by Bhavani
Kamlesh Mehta presented a shawl to Town

of Hempstead Councilman Ed Ambrosino.
Srinivasan, Nimmi ji Mehta, Beena

Sabapathy and Indu Jaiswal.
Lal Motwani presented the Lord
Ganesh idol for County Executive
and Kamlesh Mehta welcomed
councilman Ed Ambrosino by presenting a shawl.
Malwa Brothers, Karamjit Singh
Dhaliwal & Bittu Sidhu were sponsors of the program. Decoration
was done by House of Dipali.A performance was given by Arya Dance
Academy. The hot, sumptuous
brunch was served by Rajbhog.
Roopam Maini, Manager of Indus

American Banks Hicksville branch, Nimmi
ji Mehta & Madhu Daga at the celebrations.
Honorees Wing Commander Suresh Butani, Dr Akshat Jain, Dr Arvind P Shah, Bansi
Shah and Beena Kothari with their citations from the county with the dignitaries.
(Photos: Mathew K Easow).
August 15-21, 2015
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
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Jeera R ce
Masa a R ce
Peas & Carrots

ts Pu a v
Jeera Pu av
Kashm r Pu av
Kh chad
Panch Katho
Rasam
Ura
rad Da Dry
ry
Sambhar
Gu rat Kad
Chana Da
Sa ron R ce
Vegetab e Kh chad
Lemon R ce
B s Be e R ce
Vegetab e B ry
ryan
Tamar nd R ce
RICE DISHES
BREA
EADS - ROTI, NAAN, PARAT
ATHA, PURI
Para
ratha
Rot
Pu r
Pun ab Rot
Thep a
Bhakr
Ba r na Rot a
Bhature
Stu ed Para
ratha Met
eth On on Masa a A oo Gob Paneer Vegetab e M nt
Rava Menda Pur

Gu rat Rot
Naan P a n On on Gar c
Puran Pur
SWEET
ETS /MITHAI SELECT
CTIONS
Rasma a
Gu ab Jamum
Ka u Kat
Angur Basund
Gaa ar Ha wa
Wh te Peda
Fru t Ro
Basund
Makhan Peda
Manpasand
D pasand
Dudh Ha wa
wa
Angur Peda
Checkers
rs
Fru t Peda
Wh te Sandw ch
Dry
ry Fru t Ha wa
Mohantha
Carrot De ght
Kar Ladoo
Mahara a Chum Chum
Bakh ava
Mathura Peda
Pun ab P nn
Bur P a n Spec a Badam Mango P sta Coconut
Ka u P sta Kat
Kesar Peda
D khush
An r Ro
Rasmadhur
Chandra
raka a
Stu ed Rosgo a
Chum Chum
Shr khand P a n Fru t
Ja eb
Moh n Ro
P sta Ghar
Thre
ree Layer Kat
Ha vasan
Mava Jam
App e De ght
Sandesh
Mango Kesar Tutt
tt Frutt
tt
Bund Ladoo
Nut Ro
Angur Jamun
Mava Peda
Badam De ght
Kheer Mohan
Pan De ght
Kheer
Rasgu a
Ka u P sta Ro
An r De ght
Magaz
Churma Ladoo
Moong Da Ha wa
Choco ate Bur
M k Cake
ke
Rabd
Mango Ku
Tutt
tt Frutt
tt
Kesar P sta Ku
Fa ooda Ku
ICE CREA
EAM SELECTIONS
Mango
Choco ate
P st a c h o
P sta Ku
Ma a Ku
Ch ckoo
S ta a
Van a
Sa ron P stach o
Cashew Ra s n
Masa a Tea/Cha
Chaas
Fru t Punch
Fa ooda
P naco ada
Ja Jeera
Thanda
Lass Sweet Sa ty
ty Rose Mango Strawberry
ry P neapp e
SPECIALITY
TY DRINKS SELECT
CTIONS
F ter Co ee
Badam-P sta M k
M k Shake
kes Mango Van a Kesa/P sta
30
August 15-21, 2015
DIASPORA
IBA celebrates with post parade banquet

Senator Cory Booker and Ambassador Arun K. Singh attend
New Zealand PM hails

Indian diaspora on I-Day
Wellington: New Zealand PM
John Key on Friday hailed the
contributions made by the Indian
diaspora in his country, Indian
Weekender newspaper reported.
In his message to the Indian diaspora on the occasion of India's
69th Independence Day, he said:
"As PM, I value the contributions
Indian New Zealanders are making to the overall success of our
country." "The annual celebrations are an opportunity for Indian
New Zealanders to recognize this
important event in India's history.
It is also an opportunity to reect
on the long-standing and broad
relationship New Zealand and
India have," Key said in the statement. New Zealand is "lucky to
have a vibrant and diverse ethnic
culture, and our Indian communities play an integral part in that",
he added.
"Alongside National (Party)
MPs Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi and
Dr Parmjeet Parmar, we are committed to ensuring the voice of the
Indian community is heard," Key
said. In his message to the Indian
community, Bakshi said: "The
Independence Day signies years
of struggle by our countrymen
and women who stood for their
beliefs and values."
"It also signies that if we can
stand together to achieve a common goal the victory will be ours.
We should continue to keep these
core beliefs and values in our
minds regardless of where we
choose live," Bakshi added.
Parmar said that he was very
proud of the progress that India
has made since its independence.
"While we celebrate our vibrant
culture, heritage and aspirations
during Independence Day festivities, I commend the Indian community in New Zealand for preserving the culture and heritage,"
he added.
Woodbridge: It was a
grand celebration at Royal
Albert Palace on Monday
night, as over 1,000 guests
celebrated the successful
completion of the 11th
Annual India Day Parade,
hosted by the Indian
Business Association. The
parade, which attracted
over 38,000 people, included the participation of over
100 organizations.
The celebratory mood
continued at the traditional
post parade banquet. With a
8 x 22 LED screen projecting images from stage,
Ambassador Singh and
Senator Cory Booker took
center stage. Senator
Booker congratulated the
IBA on a successful parade
IBA members and guests at the event
and commended the organization for their efforts

throughout the year, which
include running educational seminars, hosting policy
forums, and working with
government agencies.
Ambassador
Singh
remarked that the Indo

American community is a
true reection of the
worlds largest and oldest
democracies. Both, he
observed, embraced multiple languages, ethnicities,
cultures, and diversity. He
also congratulated IBA for

capturing those values in
their parade. I am very
proud of the IBA for organizing this wonderful
parade, said Ambassador
Singh. The beginning of
the IBA Dinner included a
remembrance of former
Indian President, Dr. APJ
Abul Kalam, who passed
away in July. The program
also included several live
music and dance performances. Richa Anirudh,
emceed the program.
US vows to stand by India in its tryst with destiny
Washington, DC: The US on

Saturday assured India that as it
"continues its tryst with destiny into
the 21st century, it will nd in the
US a willing and able partner in the
cause of freedom, democracy and
prosperity."
The assurance came in a message
of best wishes from Secretary of
State John Kerry on behalf of
President Barack Obama and the
people of the US to the people of
India on the country's 69th
Independence Day. "Today we commemorate the legacy of India's free-
dom ghters, including Mahatma

Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and
Sardar Patel, whose message of
non-violence established a united,
inclusive republic and served to
inspire leaders from around the
globe," the message read.
On his many visits over the years,
Kerry wrote, "I never cease to be
amazed by India's rich national
identity.
"From the snow-capped peaks of
the Himalayas to the jungles of the
Western Ghats, India is a stunningly
beautiful landscape with rich cul-
Students of Tathva International School

sing a patriotic song at I-Day celebration
at Embassy of India in Tokyo, Japan.
Ambassador of India to Japan Deepa
Gopalan Wadhwa reading
out Presidents message (inset).
tures, histories and peoples united

under one nation.
"Since 1947, India has stood as a
beacon for the world: as an economic power that prides innovation, as a
resilient democracy in the face of
terror, and as a strategic power that
upholds international norms," he
noted.
"As the world's largest democracies, the US and India stand side by
side in defending and promoting the
freedoms and values we hold dear,"
Kerry said.
As was highlighted during
President Obama's visit for India's

Republic Day in January, the US
"takes pride in our indispensable
partnership with India, a friendship
built on our shared democratic values, the entrepreneurial spirit of our
people, and our shared interests", he
said.
"As India continues its tryst with
destiny into the 21st century, it will
nd in the US a willing and able
partner in the cause of freedom,
democracy and prosperity," Kerry
said ending the message with "Jai
Hind."
India Day celebration at Heliopolis Cultural Center on August

4-5 in Cairo, Egypt
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
34
August 15-21, 2015
NATIONAL
India-US ties have moved up the

ladder : Amb. Arun Singh
Edison, NJ: So many things are
happening between the two nations
and the relationship climbing up
the ladder, Indias Ambasssdor to
the US, Arun K. Singh said at a
community reception organized at
Royal Alberts Palace in Fords,
New Jersey, on August 9.
He noted that President Obama
went to India for a second time to
attend the Republic Day celebrations earlier this year, which was a
historic event that shows how
much importance the US is giving
to India.
The cooperation between the two
countries in defense is growing up
and the US is the largest supplier
of military articles. In the last 5
years India procured $10 billion
worth of military supplies from the
US. The C 130 aircraft we
acquired from the US helped us
well during natural calamities like
in the earthquake in Nepal, he

noted. Both countries are also
moving in the right direction as
regards technology transfer for
defense production.
Singh also noted that the US is
Indias biggest trading partner
while , the investment of India and
Indians in the US is also growing.
The $15 billion India invested in
the US has created 90,000 jobs.
New Jersey ranks top in investment by Indians.
He also cited the contributions to
the IT sector bringing innovation
and technology. Another area that
India contributed heavily is healthcare and pharmaceutics. About 30
percent of generic drugs are coming from India, which helps affordable care. Indian contribution in
hospitality business too is praiseworthy. People to people contact is
what denes the relationship
between the two countries. More
than 3 million Indians are here fostering the relations further.
The Indian envoy also went over
the planning to welcome Prime
Community Reception to Ambassador Arun K. Singh by Indian

organizations of the Tri-state areas led by FIA at Royal
Alberts Palace in New Jersey on August 9.
Minister Narendra Modi in

California on September 27. It will
be on the lines of the reception
given last year at the Madison
Square Garden in New York.
Consul General Dnyaneshwar M
Mulay introduced the Ambassador
and his wife Dr Myna Chawla
Singh, an educator. He noted the
various contributions of Singh over
the last 35 years.
Rockland County Legislator Dr

Aney Paul presented the details of
the resolution of the New York
State Senate and House declaring
August as Indian Heritage Month.
Around 300 people, mostly community leaders and noted professionals attended the event. Andy
Bhatia, the events co-coordinator
welcomed the gathering. FIA, the
organizer of the India Day Parade
in New York City on August 16,

led the event with several other
organizations. FIA president Ankur
Vaidya honored Ambassador Singh
with a plaque.
FIA chairman Ramesh Patel
greeted the ambassador promising
all help from the community.
Vinod Jhunjhunuwala of Ekal
Vidyalaya explained the work of
the Ekal movement and requested
the guidance of the ambassador. He
said India can count on the overseas Indians in time of need like
natural calamities and other things.
Dr Sudhir Parikh, publisher of
Parikh Worldwide Media noted
about a business roundtable he had
hosted earlier in the day where the
Ambassador addressed a number
of business leaders.
On Aug 10, Singh was joined by
US Senator Cory Booker as they
congratulated the Indian Business
Association for the successful
completion of their 11th Annual
India Day Parade in New Jersey.
IBA hosted an event to celebrate
the success of the parade.
India set to harness potential of India can become multi-trillion dollar economy:
Top World Bank official
its youth: US Senator
Washington DC: India is set to

harness potential of its youth
under the leadership of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, a US
Senator has said while noting that
both the countries need to leverage their assets to address various
challenges they face.
"Together, we can leverage
both American and Indian assets
to address the challenges both
our countries face in job creation,
social mobility and clean energy.
Prime Minister Modi has also
emphasized the importance of
sustainable growth and ensuring
that diversied, environmentally
conscious energy sources are
made accessible to all Indians,"
Senator Cory Booker from New
Jersey said earlier this month.
While praising Modi, the
Senator said, "I am encouraged
by the Prime Minister commitment to economic and social
policies that not only invest in
infrastructure, but that also develop India's human capacity. With
half of its population under the
age of 25 and a recent election
that saw a 66 per cent voter
turnout, it is clear that India is set
to harness the potential of its
most valuable resource - its
young people". Booker, the rst
African-American to represent
US Senator from New Jersey

Cory Booker welcoming
Ambassador Arun K. Singh
in New Jersey on August 9.
New Jersey in the US Senate,

said that Modi's visit to US last
year signaled a meaningful
moment in the relations between
the two countries.
"As the United States pursues
greater clean energy production
and sustainable manufacturing
here at home, we can and should
take advantage of opportunities
to further collaborate on technologically advanced clean energy
solutions," Booker said.
"In order to compete in a global
economy, the US and India must
both expand opportunities for
youth education and employment. By engaging private sector
actors in our mutual development
goals, I believe together we can
address these challenges and turn
them into opportunities for cooperation," said the Senator.
New York: India has the potential to become a multi-trillion

dollar economy with a per capita
income of about $ 40,000 by
2050 if it manages to grow at 7
per cent annually for the next 3035 years, a top World Bank ofcial has said.
If we can manage to grow at 7
per cent for next 35 years, we
will not only be the second
largest economy in the world at
that time but we will also be
prosperous and people will be
rich enough, World Bank
Executive
Director
for
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and
Sri Lanka Subhash Chandra Garg
said.
Addressing the IndianAmerican community at the
Indian Consulate, Garg said India
can have a per capita income of
$40,000 by 2050 as against the
current $ 2,000. However, he said
that achieving and sustaining a 7
per cent growth rate for 35 years
is very difcult and would
require a lot of transformation in
the way we manage our economy.
He underlined that India will
have to transform its agriculture
completely, grow its services and
manufacturing sectors and give a
boost to healthcare and tourism.
Garg noted that a big challenge
Subhash Chandra Garg, World Bank Executive Director for India

and other countries, with Amb. Dnayneshwar Mulay at the
Indian Consulate in New York.
will be to get people out of agriculture and use them in the manufacturing and services sectors,
while also ensuring that agricultural production in the country
increases. He acknowledged that
the Indian governments push on
manufacturing through its Make
in India initiative is required to
boost the sector in the country
and contribute to economic
growth.
Manufacturing will be a story
which requires another transformation, he said adding that a
much bigger concentration and
necessity will be to boost the
services sector. About 55 per cent
of Indias population is already
working in the services sector but
the country has to aim to bring
this to 80-85 per cent of the population. Noting the advantage of
demographic dividend which

India has, Garg said there is need
to transform this young population into extremely productive.
We should plan to export onetwo million people every year
with new skills all over the
world, he said, adding that the
government should pursue a policy to equip its young people with
training and skills and send them
abroad to provide services in various elds. He noted that the
World Bank is working very
closely with the Indian government and contributing to making
its vision of a strong and prosperous nation a reality. Garg said
from the smart cities initiative to
the Swachh Bharat campaign, the
Bank is partnering with the government in projects that are
aligned with its policies.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
36
August 15-21, 2015
NEW JERSEY
38,000 ATTEND IBA

INDIA DAY PARADE IN NJ
Edison, NJ: Over 38,000 people
participated in the 11th annual India
Day Parade along Oak Tree Road,
called Little India. The parade last
Sunday commenced in Edison and
concluded on India Square in Iselin,
covering a mile.
The largest parade organized by
India Business Association (IBA) to
date, the festivities included marching bands, over 20 oats and dozens
of walking groups. Six Bollywood
stars, including talk show host
Richa Anirudh and Calendar Girls
star
Avani Modi, attended.
Rounding off the galaxy of celebrities were Prachee Shah, Madalsa
Sherma, Sameksha Singh and Sujata
Mehta. They were joined by many
elected ofcials, including
Congressman Frank Pallone, State
Senators Ray Lesniak and Sam
Thompson, Assemblypersons Craig
Coughlin, Patrick Diegnan, and
Several elected officials came by to greet the Indian American community of the state.
Nancy Pinkin. Leading the political

delegation were Edison Mayor Tom
Lankey and Woodbridge Mayor
John McCormac.
The parade featured a 110 member marching band. Additional
highlights included the oats by the
Edison Democrat Organization, Air
India, TV Asia, Oxigen, Investors
Bank, and the SriVari Balaji
Temple. Over 100 New Jersey based
organizations participated. There
were several dance groups as well.
Said Dhiren Amin, president of

IBA, thanked all for the success of
the parade. Added Ms. Anirudh,
This was so amazing, a real tribute
to India. Ms. Modi commented
that she realized that no matter
where Indians immigrate to, they
continue to be lled with passion for
India.
Another unique feature of the
parade
was
the
Young
Entrepreneurial Society, a new subchapter of IBA. They are our
future, we a building for tomorrow, explained Chandrakant

Patel, Chairman of IBA. A cultural program featuring local
artists followed the parade.
Oak Tree Road is an internationally known business district lled
with Indian stores and restaurants.
Mahesh Shah, IBA trustee,
described the area as our Time
Square. Asian Indians account
for 12.93% of the Middlesex
County's total population.
Bollywood stars were at hand

to raise the glamour quotient.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
38
August 15-21, 2015
REFLECTIONS
INDIAS MARCH OF
PROGRESS - A REPORT CARD
We solicited views of prominent Indian Americans on
how India is faring, particularly under Prime Minister
Modi, and how India and Indians are viewed abroad.
Already India has received nearly $20 billion in foreign direct
investments as a result of Modi's
travels overseas in his first year
in office.
He has been elected to be
India's leader at just the right
time. His personality, his capacity to strike a personal rapport
and deal with world leaders with
self-assurance and a sense of
pride in representing India will
serve him well and take India to
greater heights.
Anil Bansal
Founder and Executive Chairman
of Indus American Bank
rime Minister Narendra
Modi has done a tremendous job in his first year in
office. He has been on a mission
to enhance India's image and
his trips to other countries have
created a new awareness of India
and the co-op opportunities that
exist. To his credit, even though
he is his own man, he followed
the advice of PM Vajpayee who
had said that India and US are
natural allies. It was also echoed
by Dr. Manmohan Singh who
was prime minister for two
terms before Modi.
PM Modi announced his first
overseas trip to USA even
though he had been denied a visa
to visit it earlier. That shows his
vision and agenda of enhancing
India's strategic relationship
with USA but at the same time
ensuring that Russia will remain
India's most important defense
partner. He received a rock star
treatment at the Madison Square
Garden in New York and on his
visits to Australia, Canada and
even in Beijing.
PM Modi has made a strong
connection with the diaspora by
listening to their concerns and
finding solutions thereby restoring their faith in the leadership
back home.
Since the BJP Government is
assured to be able to complete
its first full term in office, it is
going to do what it takes to
make India as the place to
invest in and do business with.
Runi Ratnam
Chair, Psychology
SUNY College, Old Westbury
n a recent visit to India, I
saw a small man standing in the middle of a
rice paddy. His lungi was hiked
up above his bony knees. With
one hand, he was beating his
emaciated buffalo, dragging
through the flooded field. With
the other, he was screaming into
his cell phone.
I remember thinking it was the
perfect metaphor for the country
whose citizenship I have carried
for the last sixty-five years.
India has always been a land of
opposites. It reaches out from
the core of the Aravalli range,
one of Earths oldest mountain
ranges,
to
the
soaring
Himalayas,
the
worlds
youngest, which is still pushing
upwards from the tectonic plate
collision of 90 million years ago.

India is country whose beauty
widens our eyes in awe, and is
also the country where we
squeeze our eyes shut, so not see
the naked suffering existing outside our air-conditioned bubble.
This simultaneous existence of
opposites pervades much of
India. The country the World
Bank recently rated as the
142nd-hardest place to do business out of 189 countries, is also
the same country where multinationals are rapidly expanding
their operations or starting new
ones. Despite its dismal rating ,
India leads China, and the global
Manufacturers Index, for new
orders. Indias adult literacy
rates hovers around 63%, but
without its citizens, Silicon
Valley would be gutted. All tech
industries have pioneers of
Indian descent, including the
developers of the USB and Intel
Pentium processor.
Satya
Nadella and Sundar Pichai are
just our newest wonder boys.
And I havent even mentioned
Indian preeminence in the health
industries! So, today, on the 68th
anniversary
of
Indias
Independence, what should we
say? What exists beyond the
metaphor of its contrasts? I
believe that Indias paradoxical
ability to exist within diversity is
its core strength and is at the
heart of its resilience. Once criticized for its extreme conservatism, indeed for its paranoia
about aligning with the West,
Indias cautious banking policies
buffered it from the economic
recession which is still crippling
the economies of America and
Europe. As Chinas economy
falters, and Russia heads into
recession, India is surging.
Our ancient country has
always adapted to new demands.
When visiting America, a country that too often values showmanship over substance,
Narendra Modis brilliant performance to rock-star size audiences has forced the world to see
India in new ways.
India will always surprise the
world. And we will do it in our
own inimitable way.
Rekha Valliappan
Writer/Blogger,
Two-term Secretary of IALI
o "Is the Elephant Learning
to Dance?" The tango is
tangible. Foreign Policy is
'neighbor-first' impressive.
Economic Agenda is not meanstreak competitive. Defense is
not reactionary. Women's Safety
is edifying. When Prime Minister
Narendra Modi vibrantly swept
into power not so long ago, the
exciting promise of a brand new
Government stewardship was
symbolic of a gigantic "Atlas
Shrugging" an India into a
"Global Powerhouse", to shake
up a dystopian system out of its
lethargy - in terms of Digital
India, Make in India, Clean
India, Smart India, India Inc. and
other such impressive calibrations. Conjecture and expectation
are at fever pitch. When I viewed
Bollywood's "Piku" recently I
was pleasantly amazed at the
impressive stretches of Yamuna
Expressway, looking on film far
better than any of USA freeways
- my benchmark. Gone were the
dusty narrow roads and "sleepy
land of the snake-charmers" of
my childhood I had left behind!
When I visited Bombay last I
was nonplussed at the massive
jam-packed food utopias sprinkled everywhere - from Juhu's
Mahesh Lunch Home to Colaba's
Trishna, from Marine Drive's
Sassy Spoon to Parel's Blue

Frog.
Information
Technology,
India's augmented image, was
paying off handsomely in terms
of exports, jobs, earnings and
staggering impact on GDP. Pride
and Identity in one's culture, be it
homegrown or diasporic, first
generation or third was being
invigorated, acculturated and
assimilated. But wait. Had I
missed my markers or was I luxuriating out of sync? Was our
motherland only just turning the
corner or were we truly on par
with the rest of the developed
world? My view for today I told
myself was going to be telescopic, extrapolated through our phenomenal history of 5,000 years
from growth, knowledge, learning and ancient wisdom, not just
with yoga alone. And what I saw
told me the rest - we had indeed
long since arrived, if only we
knew. Roadblocks are wearisome
and defeating entities. The
Quantum Leap Modi-nomics
Vision encapsulating egalitarian
Smart Moves seems mired to the
core, with big ticket ulcers like
land acquisition, legislative
reforms, bureaucratic denseness
and the accompanying paraphernalia of bribery, poverty, illiteracy and complex politics contributing to the stall.
When the PM visited France
recently in his first year of office,
INTACH was urged to declare
over 500 French architectural
buildings for preservation as heritage sites. This was heartening
news. I have fervently hoped
since to see many more charming
old rich vestiges of a long
bygone antiquated era, maintained and similarly declared, to
be explored for posterity in a
thriving tourism climate in many
more cities of India than just
Pondicherry.
Novelist Ayn Rand once long
ago described a futuristic collapse of a decaying society for
want of government interventions. The year was 1957. 68
Years since Independence an
awakened India impatiently
awaits modificatory "Modi-fication" nuanced!
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
40
August 15-21, 2015
REFLECTIONS
INDIAN AMERICANS SALUTE

THEIR MOTHERLAND
Ravi Batra
Eminent Attorney
ndias Independence Day
belongs to all Indians and all
people who wish India well.
As an American proud of my
Indian ancestry, and my name
unchanged, I am more than merely delighted that these United
States and India have found a
durable rhythmic tune, geopolitical and strategic in nature, bound
by common notes and dreams of
our bilateral citizenry in their
enlightened self-interest-based
pursuit of happiness guaranteed
by separated powers regimes.
2015 is special for many reasons. We overcame the unexpected bilateral pain that became
known as the Devyani incident
with Hours of Immunity successfully negotiated by FM Salman
Khurshid with Secretary John
Kerry, to then witness PM Modi
rock Madison Square Garden.
Later, as I wished, President
Barack Obama held a Chai
Summit in India. But, then it got
better. President Obama did for
Indian-Americans and India what
he did for Chinese-Americans and
China - as he had appointed Gov.
Gary Locke as our ambassador to
China in 2011, in the past year he
appointed Senate Leader Harry
Reids right hand Richard Rahul
Verma as our ambassador to India.
For good measure, he also
appointed talented diplomat Atul
Keshap as our ambassador to Sri
Lanka. Recently, Nisha Desai
Biswal, Assistant Secretary of
State for Central and South Asia,
visited Indias Consulate General
in New York to personally plant
eternal-goodwill where Devyani

used to be DCG. Such an act
serves to repair even frayed feelings and is worthy geometrically as there is an implied promise that
all will be well between our two
nations.
That India produced a man such
as Dr. Kalam - who rose to be
Indias 11th President - an Indian
Muslim - and who was so loved
by Indians and who so loved India
- seems to me to be a clarion call
for all good people everywhere to
stand up to religious oppression
everywhere with humility-based
good deeds that serve their nation
above all else, and with respect for
all faiths.
Earlier, the world experienced
the slaughter and splatter of precious ink at Charlie Hebdo - the
home of cherished Voltaire who
prodded many a monarch to better
serve the public good - and Paris
became Ground Zero for unity of
all nations leaders walking armin-arm seeking tolerance of free
speech as a core right and obligation of global citizenship. Dr.
Kalam, methinks, singlehandedly
well honored Mahatma Gandhis
love for Muslim Indians, Christian
Indians, Buddhist Indians, Jewish
Indians and inter alia, Hindu
Indians.
68 years ago Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru rose to say these immortal
words:
"Long years ago we made a tryst
with destiny, and now the time
comes when we shall redeem our
pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the
stroke of the midnight hour, when
the world sleeps, India will awake
to life and freedom. A moment
comes, which comes but rarely in
history, when we step out from the
old to the new, when an age ends,
and when the soul of a nation,
long suppressed, finds utterance."
Dr. Kalam answered India's
Tryst With Destiny - excellence
with humility, nation above religion, peace above war. India
belongs to everyday Indians who
recall the sacrifices made by so
many to be a free nation, and live
their lives as homage to those who
sacrificed so much.
That Indian Tea played a starring role in the Boston Tea party
of 1773, and today India and
United States find themselves in a
vortex that cannot be denied - of
unity of interest - one may be forgiven to say it was so decreed
even by natural law without the
need of being a Calvinist. May we
continue to be worthy of Gods
grace at the stroke of the midnight
hour and every hour thereafter.
Nilima Madan
ndia's expectations of
becoming recognized as a
fully developed nation and
a powerful economy and
being in the top countries in
Asia in the next decade is a
possibility. It took US from
1776 to the 19th century to
become powerful and give
women voting rights as also
The Magna Carta of Britain in
1215 which became a gainer
around the 18th century.
Several setbacks in India's past
history have prevented progressive change, but India is
now on its marks ready to 'get
set and go'.
After electing Modi as PM,
the nation is still undergoing
political, cultural and social
change. His campaign promised provision of basic necessities, education, jobs through
a new business model with
foreign investments, safety for
women, dealing with corruption etc. which had thus far
stunted India's growth and
claimed that the earlier governments had been unsuccessful and as a result India faced
challenges and needed better
systems and laws to change
the nations landscape.
A lot of new steps like
Swachh Bharat Mission to
ensure health and hygiene,
providing toilets in all schools,
'Beti bachao, beti padhao or
the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna,
implementing the Jan Dhan
scheme now with 14 crore
bank accounts, using technology to ensure targeted LPG subsidy, launching MUDRA Bank
for small businesses, the

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai
Yojana with The Soil Health
Card scheme to enhance farm
productivity and farmer s
income, possible comprehensive social security scheme for
the poor, marginalized and old,
life insurance schemes, setting
up the Skill Development
Ministry and initiatives like
Make in India besides regimented coal auction where
over Rs 3 lakh crore was generated, etc. are among major
initiatives by the Modi
Government.
Modi's ambitious aspirations
and intentions are yet far from
fully realized. Of late his governments challenges are the
implementation of the Land
Bill, General Sales Tax and
running the parliament session
under constant disruptive attitude from opposition for resignations of Sushma Swaraj,
Vasundhara Raje Scindia and
Shivraj Singh Chouhan for
Lalit Modi's visa and Vyapam
scandal, which has the upcoming Bihar election under pressure.
Revival of the economy and
issues such as strained public
finances, high inflation, high
interest rates need management by slashing subsidies
spending and solving the problem of rising bad loans at
banks and preventing sovereign ratings downgrade.
Worsening border situations
and internal threat of terror,
religious tensions, center state
relations and law implementation do not seem to have been
prioritized.
Foreign visits with mega
receptions for PM and CMs
are being criticized no matter
how big the global investment
deals made are.
That said, India is changing
and visiting home is becoming
a familiar international experience with designer brand
availability, better hotels,
modern highways, renovated
airports and an overall westernized younger generation
that feels India is home and
does not seek opportunities
abroad.
Perhaps Indians abroad feel
better known and the growing
South Asian population world
over takes note as well as
pride in positive changes, but
there are miles to go before we
sleep.
Neeta Bhasin
President and CEO
ASB Communications & Event Guru Inc.
t is clear to me how India
has been playing a major
role in the United States,
gaining more importance
and world recognition. A lot
of it can be attributed to the
leadership of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, who has
been empowering key sectors of the Indian economy.
His effort to reform Indias
foreign relations and to
establish stronger connections with multiple countries
has been praised worldwide
by chiefs of state the Indian
community.
I had an opportunity to
meet with Mr. Modi during
his trip to New York and I
could sense his passion and
how much of a visionary he
truly is. The main focus of
prime ministers mandate is
to modernize and improve
India to be more business
friendly, attempt to attract
major international companies to move to India.
These attempts have been
very effective resulting in
multimillion-dollar investments coming to India and
generating a tremendous
number of employment
opportunities. Modi has also
created the "E-visa program", which modernizes
and facilitates the visitation
of citizens of 113 countries
to India. India has never
been so popular worldwide
and now is the time to
strongly invest in Indian
tourism.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
42
August 15-21, 2015
REFLECTIONS
INDIA HAS LOTS TO CELEBRATE

THIS INDEPENDENCE DAY
Meera Gandhi
CEO & Founder,
The Giving Back Foundation
ndias eventual economic
development has never been
in doubt, but has just been a
matter of time. Yes, Id say India
has turned the corner. A nation
of hard working, intelligent individuals, India has a large aspir-
Swati Vaishnav
Artistic Director,
Nartan Rang Dance Academy of
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
ndia has come a long way
in recent times. It is continuing its upward journey in
becoming a major power. The
liberalization of its international trade policies, cutting of red
ing class and has been quick to

adapt to global reform. It is
already a global favorite since
the US has recently moved back
to a neutral stance on China.
Today, India is still classified
as part of the Emerging world
and not yet categorized as the
Developed world, economically speaking. But India is a force
to reckon with for many reasons.
India is the 2nd largest net oil
importer in the emerging world,
boasts a young population
whose educated percentage is
rising rapidly and where entrepreneurship is alive and growing. The reform process following BJPs early achievements
included raising FDI caps, attention to defense, rail and road
infrastructure; increasing household access to credit and transfer
payments via new financial
inclusion schemes. This and the
re-opening of the coal sector
has the reform agenda seriously
moving forward in India.
(Source: US Trust July 2015
Strategy overview paper).
Soon after he took office,
Modi went on his global tour,
which has been hailed as a success. In my opinion, in time he
will do much for Indias place in
the comity of nations. India's
economic progress is taking off

because of two reasons. The
first, quite simply put, is that
the time has come. The second
is the Modi Reform Agenda,
which has met with some success. Moreover, financial reform
readings such as market rating valuations, particularly on a
price-to earnings basis - have
moved higher and two more key
financial bills are expected in the
parliament this summer. Also,
Indias financial markets are currently benefitting from the 75
basis points of recent interest
rate cuts delivered by the RBI
early this year. The low external
debt to GDP ratio and moderate
current account deficit leave
India in a strong position for
both exports and imports.
No, I don't think legislative
roadblocks will be an issue.
Simply because state elections
are a key catalyst for the reform
sentiments and an expected win
for BJP in Indias third largest
state (Bihar) this fall would be a
cause for renewed optimism in
the run up to next years Rajya
Sabha reshuffle. This would
mean that the Modi administration can count on their new
reform agenda bearing fruit. The
funding for infrastructure and
internal development has been

created and will continue to create employment across several
sectors such as steel, labor, coal,
tar, architecture, water and electricity as well as planning and
rural and urban redevelopment.
Each time I visit India (I was
there in spring of this year), I
meet young journalists and students whom The Giving Back
Foundation
(www.
TheGivingBackFoundation. net)
supports and I see the digital
progress is huge across the
board. People in India are connected to the web and thus each
other, and socio-economic barriers are falling by the minute.
The youth have access to more
opportunities that direct foreign
investment. These growing economic opportunities of national
and international global trade
and commerce are due to
increased national consumption.
The quality of Indian produced
goods is top-notch, resulting in
these goods being in high
demand and the subsequent
trickle-down effect is creating
euphoria and hope on the magnitude never seen before.
The social security card
scheme - Aadhaar - authored by
the amazing Nandan Nilekani
tape in permits and licenses,

and the opening up of FDI in
certain key sectors have also
created great investment interest internationally. However,
certain industries and MNCs
have been skeptical in setting
up their infrastructure in India
because although they do recognize India as the largest consumer market after China, they
are being cautious because of
the history with companies like
Vodafone, Walmart, and
recently, the Nestl group.
India has earned its position
and respect with the other
developed nations, the most
current examples being investment commitments from Japan,
China, the UK, and the USA.
These countries have a combined population of three billion people or 41% of worlds
population.
It is also high time that India
got a permanent seat in the UN
Security Council. Under the
leadership of PM Modi, India
has spread its wings further by
establishing cordial relationships beginning with its immediate neighbors and extending
to other industrialized nations.

Many firm commitments and
agreements have been signed
for various projects in defense,
infrastructure, transportation,
and aviation. A new development bank with BRICS countries in China has been set up
and headed by Indias KV
Kamath. It is a step in the right
direction and Modi was the
main force in encouraging the
idea.
Under Modis leadership
agenda, India has regained its
position as a world power.
Its economy is growing slowly but steadily, and ground
work has been laid out for
infrastructure development.
Modi's Make-in-India mission
has been well received and foreign manufacturers are eyeing
India to set up their plants and
make India their export hub.
Unlike the US and other
developed countries, India has
a multi-party system and has a
huge cultural divide which, in
my opinion, is hindering the
vision and progress of the
country. Corruption will take
its own time to be curbed, but
in order for Modis economic

agenda to be implemented, he
needs all parties support to
allow it to be successful. As we
have seen in recent times, both
houses of Parliament are at a
standstill over petty issues
rather than the national issues.
The currency has to be
strengthened and the banking
system has to be brought up to
international standards. Modi
has introduced many reforms
in paperwork reduction, Clean
India, efficiency in government
undertaking, social media,
smart city projects, improving
and modernizing mass transit,
and the list goes on.
I visit India every year with
my family and I have noticed
certain immediate changes in
general cleanliness awareness,
healthy food habits, the importance of overall physical
health and exercise, modernization of airports, immigration, and other public service
agencies.
I have been living in the USA
for over 40 years and have
noticed a drastic change in the
Indian Diaspora over the years.
(who was chairman of UIDAI)

has ushered in a great positive
social change. The Unique
Identification Authority of India
(UIDAI) is the world's largest
such project. Its objective is to
collect the biometric and demographic data of residents, store
them in a centralized database,
and issue a 12-digit ID called
Aadhaar to each resident. This
has given the invisible class of
beggars, the homeless and tenement dwellers a social standing
and now they are able to bank
freely and receive pension. Even
government assistance can be
directly deposited to their bank
accounts eliminating the corrupt
middle-men, who pocketed
much of the assistance!
Now that village dwellers are
connected to the rest of India,
they too can now demand and
have access to better living conditions. Bollywood is hiring
more people than Hollywood
and the housing market is in an
exponential boom in India.
Once, there was no hope of buying a home, but now various
housing schemes and new developments ensure this is a possibility. In short, this Independence
Day, India has a LOT to celebrate.
We are looked upon very
respectfully as an educated and
affluent community.
People of Indian origin are at
very high posts as CEOs,
COOs, and CFOs at Fortune
500 companies, and now we
even
have
governors,
Congressmen, and other high
positioned elected officials of
Indian origin. Indians business
acumen in the hospitality
industry and other major franchises has earned them accolades.
Many respected educational
institutions have Indians as
presidents and provosts. We
have also excelled in medicine,
scientific research, education,
and now also in the mainstream entertainment world.
With President Obama naming Indian origin ambassadors
to India and Sri Lanka, it's an
endorsement to promoting the
bilateral relationship to even
greater heights between the
two great nations.
I salute the heroes of Indians
freedom struggle who made it
possible for the country to be
free from foreign yoke.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
46
August 15-21, 2015
REFLECTIONS
MAKING A CASE FOR DUAL CITIZENSHIP

ship. It must be a human rights
violation.
I am just expressing my feelings
but I still love India. I wanted to
go back. But the Indian government still has a tendency to treat
us like foreigners. We, the
Indian Americans, have truly lost
our identity.
I am so happy that India has a
strong government under the leadership of Sri Narendra Modi. I
even supported him during his
election campaign. I really wanted
the BJP Government to come to
power because majority of the
Indians are Hindus. I knew that if
the majority of Indians wake up,
BJP is going to win, and they won
with a landslide victory. In the
past India had weaker govern-
Thomas Koovalloor
Chairman, Justice For All, Inc.
s a Senior Citizen settled
in the City of Yonkers,
NY, for more than 27
years, I had the opportunity to celebrate Indias Independence even
in our City Hall. Yonkers City
officials are treating me like a
good friend. But they dont know
my pain as an Indian. Indians are
not treating me good. This is my
pain.
You may ask why I am talking
against the Indians. In 2010 the
UPA government brought a new
law against the Indian Americans,
that is , those who become
American citizens must surrender
their Indian Passport, and must
Renounce
their
Indian
Citizenship by signing an affidavit. Any way, during that time
fewer than 35 Indian Americans
went to the Indian Consulate in
New York and showed our protest
and sent petition to the then government in Delhi. Finally they
stopped penalizing the Indian
Americans, yet they continued to
impose a charge for it.
Then in 2012, when I went to
the Indian Consulate for Indian
visa they insisted I Renounce my
Indianness (ok, it was Indian citizenship). When I questioned, I
was told it was a must. Finally, I
too surrendered. It is shocking that
Indians are telling to other Indians
to surrender/ renounce their rights.
It is like the Biblical cheating. Are
the Indian authorities in their
senses telling fellow Indians,
True and patriotic Indians, who
worked hard for their country and
sent their hard-earned money back
home, to renounce their citizen-
ments, they were not steady. They

followed the path of British Raj:
Divide and Rule. They ruled
with the help of minorities.
If we look into history we can
see that 100 percent of Indian continent was Hindu, a peaceful community. Then the Mongols invaded India and terrorized the
Hindus. Then the Mughal empire
suppressed Hindus and converted
many to Islam. Later the British
Empire divided the people of
India in the name of secularism.
Christian missionaries started to
flow into India.
It is true that under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, India
won freedom from the British
Empire in 1947. Yet freedom, in
its true meaning, has not been won
by Indians.
I am happy that we got a powerful national leader in Modi who
knew what happened to India and
to the Indians. He knows that
India has everything, including
manpower, natural resources, and
intellects to modify India to a better place.
I remember during his Madison
Square Garden speech, Modi said
India is going to be digitalized. He
also declared that he is going to
clean India. Whatever he said, he
tried to practice within a short
period. During his first US visit,
he also invited all intellectuals
working abroad to come back to
India. This bodes well for us
Indian Americans.
Now the entire world is interest-
ed to invest in India. Modi has

been working tirelessly to change
Indias global image by tackling
hygiene, fighting against corruption, etc.
Even as we Indian Americans
celebrate the 69th Independence
Day, as chairman of Justice for
All, a national organization working for the freedom and liberty for
all, I ask you to mull whether we
are really happy with the Indian
Government.
For me, as a senior Indian
American, I will be happy only if
I get Dual Citizenship, so that we
also can live like other Indians
without any discrimination. I
hope and pray that PM Modi will
one day look into our problems
and resolve them.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
REFLECTIONS
August 15-21, 2015
47
AMERICANS KNOW HOW

PRECIOUS FREEDOM IS
ts my great pleasure to join in
the celebration of Indian
Independence from the British
Empire in 1947. As Americans,
we know how precious freedom is
and how wonderful independence
from foreign rule is.
As Indian-Americans you get to
celebrate twice, but so too do
lovers of freedom and autonomy.
We celebrate this day of independence, and we also celebrate the
wonderful contributions of IndianAmericans in Westchester.
Whether it is the Royal Palace in
Greenburg, the new Hindu Temple
in White Plains or our friends and
neighbors of Indian heritage,
Westchester is increasingly
touched by a growing Indian population, its culture and customs,
and it strengthens us all.
I
By Robert Golomb
he more than one billion
citizens living in India
today will be celebrating
their nations 68th Independence
Day on August 15th. It was an
independence won in 1947 from
the British Empire after years of
nonviolent resistance. A similar
form of nonviolent resistance
became the model that Dr. Martin
Luther King followed during the
American Civil Rights Movement.
Celebrating that day will also be
the more than three million
American citizens of Indian
descent living in the US today.
Celebrating along side them will
be a sizable cross-section of
Americans who understand the
important role that democratic
India plays as a key American ally
on the world stage today and
appreciates the great contributions
made by the Indian immigrants
who now call America their home.
I spent some pleasant time over
the past two weeks canvassing
many of the government officials
and other prominent people I have
interviewed and written about in
the past to obtain their comments
on the nation of India, the proud
and patriotic American citizens of
Indian ancestry, and the significance of Indian Independence
Day. Here is what they stated:
Nassau County Executive

Ed Mangano:
eventy years ago, India
declared its independence
from British rule through
civil disobedience.
Today, we celebrate this independence and many achievements
of the Indian American community not only here in Nassau County
but across the nation.
Westchester County Executive

Rob Astorino:
Nassau County Comptroller

George Maragos:
n behalf of Nassau
County, I would like to
congratulate Indian and
Indian Americans celebrating the
69th Independence day of India
on August 15th. With a population
of more than 1.2 billion people the
Republic of India is the worlds
largest democracy and shares a
commitment to promote human
rights, freedom and economic
welfare of all. In Nassau County,
New York State and across the
country Indian Americans celebrate the traditions of their homeland and honor the significance of
Indian culture throughout the
world. Independence Day is a
wonderful example of the cultural
multiplicity that makes America
great.
Once again, I congratulate the
people of India and Indian
Americans on all you have
achieved and wish you a safe and
joyous Independence Day celebration.
Supervisor of the Town of North

Hempstead
Judi Bosworth:
e are fortunate to have a

diverse population living in the Town of
North Hempstead, including a
vibrant Indian community.
As we celebrate the 68th
Anniversary
of
Indian
Independence, I believe it is a perfect opportunity to pay tribute to
the social and cultural aspects of
Indian civilization, while commemorating its vast history and
culture. I wish a very happy
Independence Day to all those
members of the Indian community
in the Town of North Hempstead
and beyond.
Suffolk County Comptroller

John M. Kennedy:
Supervisor of the Town of

Oyster Bay
John Venditto:
any residents of our
town are linked by ties
of birth, culture, family
and principle to the country of
India. When Oyster Bay celebrated the Annual India Day Parade
this past Sunday {August 9th},
we celebrated the largest democracy in the world, and we celebrated the many contributions
made to the community by people
of Indian ancestry.
would like to wish all members

of the Indian community in
Suffolk County a happy
Independence Day. As one of the
largest growing communities here
in the United States, the South
Asian Indian community is an
important and vibrant culture here
in Suffolk County, and I am very
proud that they chose to make
Suffolk County their home. With a
primary focus on family, education,
neighborhood and family responsibility, the Indian Community here
in Suffolk offers a beneficial and
unique pattern to the diverse fabric
of our great nation.
New York State Senator

Jack Martins:
he Indian- American and
South Asian-American
communities are a vibrant
and important part of Long Island.
Indian and South Asian Americans
have made many different contributions in a multitude of fields.
More importantly, they are valued
members of the community who
join us in cherishing the ideals of
freedom, liberty and democracy.
Those are the shared principles we
celebrate on Indian Independence
Day.
New York State Assemblyman

Chad Lupinacci:
ver the past few decades,
the great state of New
York has become home for
thousands of the members of the
South Asian Community. These
members of our diverse society
have made a profound impact not
only on our culture but also on our
local economies and small businesses. Since South Asia gained
their independence from Great
Britain, we have seen increases in
tourism, and welcomed their influence on our communities. Their
flourishing heritage is complementary to our already diverse
society, and I proudly welcome
those people of South Asian
descent to our area.
Suffolk County Legislator

Leslie Kennedy:
t is my honor to wish all
Indian Americans on Long
Island
a
very
happy
Independence Day. As a legislator
I have worked with and continue
to partner with Indian American
residents of our community. I
have always found that my South
Asians friends and constituents
bring to our society a strong sense
of family, discipline and spirituality.
independence: July 4th for

America and August 15th for
India.
Retired NYPD Captain a candidate for NY City Councils 23rd
District
Joe Concannon:
ugust 15th is a day of
great celebration in the
Indian community here in
Queens and in similar communities throughout the world. It is a
day that Indians recognize their
independence from the British
Empire and, in so doing, join the
United States in the spirit of freedom and liberty. The importance
of this day both historically and
culturally is meaningful to me as I
engage every day Indian
Americans in the democratic
process right here in Queens in
my campaign for the New York
City Council, which will see a
special election this November.
Author, professor and founder

of Roshni Media Group
Dr. Rashmee Sharma:
Business consultant and

President of the NRI Overseas
Affairs
Dilip Chauhan:
n my younger days while living in India I remember watching my parents and friends celebrating August 15th - when India
became independent from the
British Raj. The day has become a
symbol since its earliest years of
national freedom and the right to
free speech. Today, as I live in
America, I see the South Asian
community actively involved in
reminding people of all cultures
and of all ages of the significance
and importance of Indian
Independence Day.
Happy Independence Day to all
of my colleagues and many
friends in the Indian community.
I
s a child growing up in
India, Independence Day
had a special meaning to
my six siblings, parents and me.
To us, and for all Indian citizens,
that day marked the beginning of
our freedom and independence.
Today as I live in America as a
proud citizen of Indian ancestry, I
have the honor and privilege to
celebrate two great days that mark
Robert Golomb is nationally

published columnist. Contact him
at MrBob347 and follow him on
Twitter@RobertGolomb
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
50
August 15-21, 2015
INVESTMENTS
INDIAN CHIEF MINISTERS VISIT US, PITCH

THEIR STATES TO AMERICAN INVESTORS
rawing upon Prime Minister
Narendra Modis Make in
India campaign, last few
months saw Chief Ministers of
Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh
make a pitch for their respective
states as the best investment destinations to American and NRI businesses here. Following the suit is
Manohar Lal, Chief Minister of
Haryana who will be visiting the US
soon. Maharashtra Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis told the U.S.
businesses that he wants to provide a
boost to not just Make in India
campaign but supplement that with
Make in Maharashtra as well.
Addressing prospective investors
at a round table organized by the
U.S.-India Business Council in New
York June 29 Fadnavis said that the
government wants to provide business to both medium and small enterprises and create much-needed jobs
in his state.
The chief minister, who was on a
ve-day visit to the United States in
June was accompanied by senior
government ofcials from the state.
The USIBC meeting in Manhattan
was the rst of his ofcial engagement in New York.
Now is the right time to invest in
Maharashtra. It is a land of immense
opportunity. I assure you that once
you decide to comewe will do
everything for you. Our government
has decided that there is going to be
no more red tape but only red carpet, he told investors and the business community.
He said that the government is
looking for joint ventures in critical
projects such as the Delhi-Mumbai
Industrial corridor, smart cities,
adding that the government was
inviting investments in manufacturing, agriculture, aviation, engineering
and information technology.
The Chief Minister was also hosted
by the Friends of Maharastra and the
Indian Consulate in New York at the
Pierre Hotel in New York. The sitdown dinner was attended by an estimated 300 people, including leaders
Maharashtra CM
Devendra Fadnavis
Madhya Pradesh CM
Shivraj Singh
of the Indian American community

from the Tri-State area.
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj
Singh Chouhan invited nonresident
Indians and the mainstream business
community to share their expertise
and capabilities with his state in
areas like IT, agriculture, business
and social sectors. While addressing
potential investors, community members and lawmakers at the Friends of
Madhya Pradesh Conclave at the
Lincoln Center here Feb. 1, Chouhan
invited industries and entrepreneurs
to Make in Madhya Pradesh.
He assured them of a conducive
environment for growth. Describing
their contributions as important, he
Haryana CM
Manohar Lal Khattar
said that advice, investment, expertise and friendship are the key components of development.
The chief minister lead a delegation that included his Minister for
Commerce,
Industries
and
Employment Yashodhara Raje
Scindia and senior state government
ofcials on a ve-day visit to the
U.S. Chauhan was joined by Reps.
Caroline Maloney, Nita Lowey and
Yvette Clarke, D-New York; as well
as New Jersey Assemblymen Gordon
Johnson, Raj Mukherjee, commissioner on the New Jersey Board of
Public Utilities Upendra Chivukula,
and Consul General of India in New
York Dnyaneshwar Mulay, as he
launched the Friends of MP initiative, a web-enabled platform that will

allow interested individuals to share
their suggestions and expertise in
education, health, skill development,
rural development and tourism.
Addressing the over 300 guests in
Hindi, Chouhan said the state welcomed ideas and suggestions to put
Madhya Pradesh on a higher growth
trajectory. I welcome you all with
open arms. Use your talent and capability towards the progress of the
country and your state. I am not just
the Chief Minister but the CEO of
the state and I assure you that you
will not be disappointed, he said.
Friends of MP is a talent pool of
individuals of Indian origin or otherwise, living outside of Madhya
Pradesh, who are passionate about
becoming a part of the states success
story. The initiative is aligned with
Prime Minister Narendra Modis
vision of each Indian state constituting its own global talent pool as a
network of its friends wherever
in the world they may be and utilizing their experience for the countrys development, a statement of the
Friends of MP website says.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
52
August 15-21, 2015
THE PARTITION
TIRLOK MALIKS TV SHOW CAPTURES

PAIN OF PARTITION FOR POSTERITY
By SATimes Team
he partition, which divided
British India roughly along
religious and political lines,
uprooted over 12 million people:
Hindus and Sikhs escaped to India,
Muslims to Pakistan. Christians,
Jews and Zoroastrians were left to
choose where to live as minorities.
Many found themselves on the
wrong side of the border, children
kidnapped, women raped, hundreds
of thousands killed in resulting
clashes. The partition literature from
historians is usually seen through a
prism of politics and hatred and seldom reects on the survivors
accounts of that period.
There is very little documentation
of personal stories of the killings
and ethnic cleansing that accompanied the largest mass displacement
in the history of mankind especially
Emmy nominated filmmaker Tirlok Malik, and (right) with guests on the show recounting their experiences
of the 1947 partition in the subcontinent.
of those who migrated from India

and Pakistan to the US.
With his show 15 August 1947,
Indian born, New York based actor
and lmmaker Tirlok Malik seeks to
preserve life stories shaped by partition especially of those who migrated to the US. Growing up, Malik
heard terrifying stories of partition
from his father. With this show,
Malik said, he wanted to bequeath
to the next generation, especially
American born desis who have
probably never heard of partition.
People who were young during
partition are now getting old. There

is none or very little documentation
of their stories. It is important to
document their oral stories of grief
and loss for the next generation, he
said. This prompted me to make a
special series to share their stories
and the emotional scare partition has
left behind.
The show conceived by Emmynominated Malik and co-produced
by Nritvlmclub.com and Jus
Broadcasting is divided into two
episodes, each one hour long.
The show will be aired in the
week of August 15 on JUS PUNJABI channels in US and Canada.

There will be six re runs,
explained Malik who is also the host
of the show.
First episode of the show features
compelling stories of massacre, displacement and life thereafter. One
of the guests, Micky Niveli who was
10-year-old during partition witnessed his fathers killing when they
were migrating from Pakistan to
India. He said, I have seen my
father killed, what is there to celebrate? recounted Malik. The sec-
ond episode will see young Indians

and Pakistanis, both recently
migrated and born here, sharing
their views about partition. I was
amazed to learn what they (children)
had to say about the partition. One
kid (of Pakistani origin) mentioned
if partition had never happened we
would have Bollywood and Katrina
Kaif would be our heroine! All the
children unanimously share one
opinion that partition should never
have happened and that people from
across the border should get over it
and live harmoniously, said Malik.
54
August 15-21, 2015
ECONOMY
RETURN OF 'FEEL GOOD FACTOR'

FOR ECONOMY
ince May 16 last year, when
the elections results were
declared and it became evident that the next government will
be under Narendra Modi -- who has
been pro-business and an investors
favourite -- the stock markets have
soared, with a key index now up
some 17 percent, after touching an
all-time high in March.
There were improvements in
other parameters of the economy as
well, notably on ination that is
now at historically-low levels, even
as the rupee did not fall as much as
other currencies against the dollar.
Albeit in spurts, there emerged
some green shoots, even as reformoriented decisions came in regular
doses.
All this led to many global institutions like the World Bank,
International Monetary Fund, Asian
Development Bank and some UN
institutions to upgrade India's
growth forecast to some 7.5-8 percent, calling it the fastest expanding
globally, surpassing China.
Even some global ratings agencies like Moody's that had not-toolong-ago warned India of a downgrade, if its policy-makers did not
pursue a course correction, changed
their outlook for the country to positive from stable. Fitch also also
reafrmed its stable outlook.
In this regard, the most crucial
contribution of the government has
been the corruption-free administration as pointed out by Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley.
As the Modi government goes
about changing global perceptions,
its actions are guided by the belief
of the need to change the mental
outlook of the country. In fact, integral to rising aspirations and ease
of doing business are the campaigns for sanitation and clean governance, said the analysts.
There is a new code of civic
behavior being created through
cleansing campaigns like Clean
India, or Swachch Bharat, and the
Clean Ganga project. The rst year
has been a cleansing exercise, as
some analysts point out.
"Several brass tack issues like
Swachch Bharat, nancial inclusion and others have considerably
improved the country's macro economic situation in terms of decline
in ination, stability in currency
value and made Indian nancial
markets attractive for the foreign
investors," industry chamber
Assocham secretary general D.S.
Rawat said.
"An economy of two trillion dollars, well integrated with the world,
cannot be catapulted into high
growth merely with change in the
government. However much the
government is sincere, the policy
tweaking, legislative changes and
revival of investment appetite to be
followed by increase in consumer
demand would take about two, two
and a half years. A lot would also
depend on the global markets
which are subdued but all the same
the government has made a good
beginning," he said.
"The prime minister's foreign visits have brought in a qualitative
change in the way our economic
diplomacy is being pursued. Our
missions abroad are much more
aligned with the economic priorities while our efforts in Yemen crisis and Nepal earthquakes have
come for great appreciation,"
Rawat added.
Another industry captain, A.
Didar Singh, secretary general of
the Federation of Indian Chambers
of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI), said that the business condence continued to be high and
the investor community had begun
gearing up to tap the huge potential
of the economy.
"India today is in a far better situation than it was a year ago," Singh
said.
"The GDP growth has improved,
advance estimates for the current
scal are higher at 7.4 percent as
against 6.9 percent for scal 2014.
Industrial growth is slowly picking
up. Major improvement has taken
place with respect to ination.
Foreign direct investment inows
have seen 44 percent surge during
May 2014 to February 2015," he
said.
"The policy direction set by the
Modi government has denitely
improved business sentiments. The
government has given a huge impetus to infrastructure activities and
taken several steps to revive the
growth of the economy," he added.
As pointed out by Atsi Sheth,
senior vice-president of ratings
Agency Moody's, which had
warned India of a downgrade some
18 months ago -- a move that
would have been a major blow to
India and would have rendered
junk status to the country's bonds -there has been much push on the
policy initiatives, which is positive
for growth, even though the pace
has slow and uneven.
"But this pace is in line with what
we at Moody's anticipated, given
the diverse interests within India's
polity and economy," Sheth said.
"The establishment of an ination
targeting framework, the efforts to
address banking sector weaknesses,
Narendra Modi at 2015 BRICS Summit in Ufa, Russia.
Recent reviews of global

institutions and the
prevailing investor
confidence suggest a
striking change in the
perception about the
Indian economy over the
past year. Yet, some
crucial agenda remains for
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's government.
the passage of various bills and a
realistic budget are all positive for
the sovereign credit prole. But
ultimately it is implementation of
infrastructure, regulatory and governance improvements that will
determine whether reform is suc-
PM Narendra Modi with US Secretary of State John Kerry at the

Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
cessful or not," Sheth added.

The stakeholders were also happy
with three other programmes, initiated by Prime Minister Modi during the year -- "Make in India",
"Digital India" and "Skill India".
"The Make in India and Swachch
Bharat campaign are really good

initiatives that have been undertaken. I see the Make in India programme as a reality which will
immensely benet the country,"
Sanjiv Goenka, chairman of the
R.P. Sanjiv Goenka Group, said.
The economic highlights

More than 15 crore bank accounts opened, over
10 crore RuPay debit cards issued, with life cover,
pension
Corporate sector adopts prime minister's
'Swachch Bharat' mission with promise of total
sanitation by 2019
Cooking gas now under direct-cash-benefit transfer scheme, with potential saving of $5billion
annually in subsidies, plus Diesel prices de-regulated
Foreign equity in rail infrastructure allowed, without limit
Foreign equity cap in defense raised to 49 percent;
74 percent in case of technology transfer
Fast-tracking of defense purchases: 36 Rafale
fighters being bought, orders for several longpending purchases placed
Foreign equity cap in insurance and pension sectors increased to 49 percent
Nod for IPOs/FPOs by banks to raise funds, as

long as government equity remains 52% or over
Nod for real estate and infrastructure investment
trusts, with tax benefits
Cabinet nod for Prime Minister's 100 Smart Cities
Project
$130 billion proposed spending on railways over
five years on schemes including high-speed trains
Mudra bank launched with Rs.20,000 crore corpus to extend loans of between Rs.50,000 and
Rs.10 lakh to small entrepreneurs
Commencement of divestment program in public
sector companies
Disbanding of various ministerial groups for
faster decision-making
Single-window scheme for various clearances to
steel, coal and power projects
Price stabilization fund set up for agri-commodities to check inflation
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
56
August 15-21, 2015
DEVELOPMENT
INDEPENDENCE FROM CRIPPLED PAST

By SAT Bureau
s the country celebrates
69th Independence Day,
the new governments
plans, policies and functioning
seem to be in line with the countrys overall growth and trajectory.
Let's rst turn to the economy. The
economy observed three broad
level trends. First, there was the
global fall in commodity prices
that lead to a gain for oil importing
countries as their import costs suddenly reduced from approximately
$120 a barrel to $60 a barrel.
Second, was the government's
acceptance of the Fourteenth
Finance Commission's recommendations in the context of devolving
more funds to the states.
The gure now stands at 42 percent of the total revenue collection,
up from the earlier 32 percent.
Third, was the revived economic
growth forecasts lead by IMF,
which in its April 2015 report,
revised its forecasts for India to 7.5
percent ahead of any other major
developing economy, including
China. The ADB similarly pointed
to a bettering economy with core
ination down to 5 percent.
Let's now turn to the area where
there was much "sound and fury" namely foreign engagement and
defense. But unlike the phrase, it
did signify Indias increasing global stature and aspirations. It included, among other things, trips by
many domestic/foreign dignitaries
to and from India.
The resolve to talk and negotiate
contentious border issues was also
observed. The passing of the
Bangladesh Land Accord Bill was
a historic step aimed at transferring
enclaves with a clear demarcation
of territory. In the defence sphere,
there was the decision to acquire
36 Rafale ghter jets that was
again an imperative since the
squadron strength of Indian Air
Force is already down to 35 against
a sanctioned strength of 42. Adding
From foreign engagement

to infrastructural
development, from social
security schemes to
urban development, the
Narendra Modi-led
government has infused
a new hope among
one-billion plus Indians
and the 25-million strong
diaspora alike.
two more squadrons will help India
protect, to some extent, its skies.
The agricultural sphere witnessed
erratic weather and the lack of urea
availability made the overall condition bad. Added to this was the
land acquisition bill that made matters worse for the government as
well as the farmers. The land bill
will help the farmers with alternative sources of income and provide
employment to the youth.
The governments focus seems to
be on irrigation schemes and helpwing farmers in distress. The
industrial, FDI and power sectors
saw varying degrees of success, the
most successful being the power
sector with an increase in coal production as well as an increase in
power capacity and generation.
The FDI inows also saw a spurt
in the equity inows as well as the
fact that defence and insurance
have been opened up to 49 percent
foreign participation bodes well for
the economy.
The education sector saw many
schemes being launched like the
GIS mapping of schools, the
Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan and
the like. However, the historical
legacy of the education system
fails to let go.
Therefore, parents prefer private
schooling to government schools.
Also, with respect to higher education, mere opening of institutions
will not serve the purpose. Quality
and quantity should be the twin
pursuits.
In the context of infrastructure,
Narendra Modi launching Jan Dhan Yojana in New Delhi
Highlights
Transparency: Re-auctioning of coal blocks
earned the government huge revenues
Efficiency: Real-time effort towards rendering the
existing institutional frameworks more efficient; a
good example being the change in Food Corporation
of India's food procurement and storage mechanisms.
Productivity And Accountability: Prime Minister
Modi has been directly involved in monitoring and
raising the productivity as well as efficiency of his
ministry officials.
Black Money: The bill to curb black money has
given a moratorium period to bring back unaccounted
money into the system by paying normal tax. The
ongoing dialogue with the Swiss financial authorities
to disclose secret accounts of Indians abroad is reaping results.
Corruption: Wired (online) transactions are now
being encouraged for property transactions. This is a
major step forward for curtailing black money in the
sector.
the primary purpose seems to be
the creation of new infrastructure
as well as upgradation of existing
infrastructure. Infrastructure development is a must since the speed of
business relies on it. The upgradation of railways and creation of
new highways all fall under infrastructures ambit. Also included are
ports, airport, waterways and
canals. The clearance of projects
worth Rs.6 lakh crore makes it
amply clear that infrastructure
growth is likely to be expected in
the coming years.
Investor Confidence: Market confidence has

improved with the strengthening of the Indian equity,
debt, currency markets and equal tax regime that was
promised to both domestic as well as international
investment companies.
Positioning India: Via a series of international
tours, the prime minister is helping India rid itself of
its anti-investor image and is opening up new avenues
of foreign business in India, especially under the
Make in India campaign.
Decentralisation And Cooperative Governance:
Gradual increase in the financial autonomy of states,
farmers have real-time information on minimum support price through digital channels and drastic price
movements have been largely under control. A focus
on citizen outreach programmes as well as leveraging
social media have bought the people closer to the
governance process.
NITI Aayog, along with other national agencies,
will help individual states in mobilization of
resources.
The social schemes have been

very impressive and in the reach of
the common man. The Jan Dhan
Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jivan Jyoti
Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) Pradhan
Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana
(PMSBY) and Atal Pension Yojana
schemes together have close to 19
crore takers. The government
seems to have a social focus on
benetting the poor.
With respect to entrepreneurship
and employment, this is the rst
time a ministry has been created
with a focus on entrepreneurship.
Skilling of youth and entrepreneurship are crucial areas for realizing

the demographic dividend. Further,
a draft policy on skill development
and entrepreneurship has already
been drafed and put out for public
consultation. The direction and
intent seem to be good.
With respect to the challenges,
the government seems to be prepared with adequate steps. In the
coming years, most of the things
will depend on the pace of decision-making and speed of implementation.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
58
August 15-21, 2015
DEVELOPMENT
'MAKE IN INDIA' INITIATIVE GOES

FULL STEAM AHEAD
By SAT Bureau
n his Independence Day
speech on August 15, 2014,
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi had hinted towards the
Make in India initiative. On
September 25, he ofcially
launched it during a function at
the Vigyan Bhawan in New
Delhi.
Since then, the launch of 'Make
in India' initiative has seen an
increase in FDI equity inows by
48 percent.
The government's manufacturing focus is evident. On the
recent three-country foreign visit
of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, the Make in India campaign received a llip. India was
also the partner country at
Hannover Messe, described as
the world's leading trade fair for
industrial technology.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has outlined his Make in India
vision of an inclusive Asian century fueled by India's progress to
the world from South Korean
businesses to Germany and the
Unites States.
In China, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi also met top
Chinese CEOs, including
Alibaba's Jack Ma, and invited
them to participate in the Make
in India initiative.
British Prime Minister David
Cameron also praised India's initiative to become a global manufacturing hub and offered technological assistance to achieve its
targets, including in developing
its "own world class ghter aircraft" that is "better than Rafale."
"Our strategy for 'Make in
India' requires urgent creation of
new infrastructure. The substantial enhancement in nancing in
the federal budget for highways,
railways and energy is a step in
this direction, Modi told the
world leaders.
My government has pledged a
stable and transparent tax regime,
reducing corporate taxes and
implementing a single Goods and
Services Tax in 2016, he added.
"After the launch of 'Make in
India' initiative in September
2014, there has been a 48 percent
increase in FDI equity inows
during October 2014 to April
2015 over the corresponding
period last year," Commerce and
Industry Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha
this week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with German Chancellor Angela

Merkel at Hannover Congress Centre in Germany in April.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses at the Indian

Community Reception, in Seoul, South Korea in May this year.
Along with just-launched Skill India Mission and Digital India initiative, the ambitious
Make in Indiawas launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with much anticipation last year.
Within no time, the initiative has seen an increase in FDI equity inflows by 48 percent. Modi has
passed on the core message that India is open for business and he
will make doing business in India easier.
"The Investor Facilitation cell
in Invest India has received more
than 12,000 queries on its portal
since the campaign began.
Several countries such as Japan,
China, France and South Korea
have announced their intention to
make huge investments in India
in various industrial and infrastructure projects," she added.
The minister also informed that
an expert committee has been
constituted to examine the possibility of replacing multiple prior permissions and
pre-existing regulatory
mechanism.
Meanwhile, the government also informed that it
had received 170 fresh proposals
of FDI in 2015 (till date) which is
a direct 11.7 percent increase
from 2014 when it had received
150 proposals.
While 85 proposals have been
approved and 31 rejected, rest of
the proposals have been deferred.
"To boost infrastructure creation and to bring pragmatism in
the policy, the government
reviewed the FDI policy in the
construction development sector
also by creating easy exit norms,
rationalising area restrictions and
providing due emphasis to
affordable housing," she added.
Interestingly, the data showed
there were higher FDI inows
during the year 2012 and 2013
when the United Progressive
ia
d
n
I
e in
Mak
Alliance government was in

power.With Make in India the
new mantra for defence manufacturing, the government has decided against importing equipment
unless it is impossible to make it
at home and this thrust on indigenisation will reect in the new
Defence Procurement Procedure
(DPP).
The modied DPP, a draft of
which is ready and under discussion in the defense ministry, is
expected to be nalized by the
end of this month.
The document, along with provisions for encouraging domestic
industry, will have its spirit
summed up in a preamble that
will stress on Make in India.
"The DPP will have a preamble, which will clearly state that
every product should be

designed, developed and made in
India," a highly placed source
was quoted as saying.
"Imports will be allowed only
in case we cannot make it in
India and as a last resort," the
source said, quoting from the preamble.
The defence ministry has
recently cleared several big ticket
proposals under the Make in
India initiative and the new procedure will push it further.
The government is now likely
to provide 80 percent of the
research funding for promoting
domestic manufacturing in the
defence sector.
The major objective behind the
initiative is to focus on 25 sectors
of the economy for job creation
and skill enhancement.

Some of these sectors are:
automobiles, chemicals,
IT, pharmaceuticals, textiles,
ports, aviation, leather,
tourism and hospitality, wellness, railways, design manufacturing, renewable energy,
mining,
bio-technology, and
electronics. The initiative
hopes to increase GDP growth
and tax revenue. The initiative
also aims at high quality standards and minimising the impact
on the environment. The initiative hopes to attract capital and
technological investment in
India. Under the initiative,
brochures on the 25 sectors and a
web portal were released. Before
the initiative was launched, foreign equity caps in various sectors had been relaxed .
The application for licences
was made available online and
the validity of licenses was
increased to three years. Various
other norms and procedures were
also relaxed.
India Inc. has also committed
an investment of Rs.450,000
crore (some $75 billion) for the
Digital India initiative that
seeks to empower citizens by
deploying IT and associated
tools.
60
August 15-21, 2015
SPACE
THE GREAT INDIAN SPACE

ODYSSEY HAS BEGUN
By SAT Bureau
esearch and development
(R&D) forms the basis of
future competitiveness of
any nation. It is because R&D is
critical for any form of innovation. Todays science is tomorrows technology.
A classic case in point is the US
economy. It is a world leader in
technological innovation. The
scientic and technological
prowess has done good for not
only USs citizens but has done a
lot in general for the betterment
of the human condition.
In India, since Independence
the focus has been on fostering
science and technology but this
has essentially not culminated
into India realizing its true potential barring specic instances like
green revolution, etc.
With notable exceptions like
TIFR, CSIR and ISRO with its
recent brilliant mission to Mars
and several private companies,
the research ecosystem broadly
remained shallow at best.
This situation, however, is
changing.
In September last yeat, India
Wednesday created space history
by becoming the rst country in
the world to enter Mars' orbit in
its debut attempt. A beaming
Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
wearing a red jacket symbolic of
the Red Planet, described it as
"achieving the near impossible",
congratulated the feat of Indian
scientists and called for challenging the next frontier.
India's Mars Orbiter Mission
(MOM) traversed over 650 million km through deep space for
over nine months to successfully
reach the planet's orbit. The US,
Europe and Russia had failed in
their rst attempts.
The success of the Mars mission has made India join the elite
club of the US, Europe and
Russia, which reached the second
smallest planet of our solar system after initial failures.
The state-run ISRO became the
fourth international space agency
after National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) of
the US, Russian Federal Space
Agency (RFSA) and European
Space Agency to have undertaken
successful missions to Mars.
India also became the rst
Asian country to have entered the
Mars sphere of inuence (gravity), as a similar mission by China
The success of the

Mars mission has made
India join the elite club
of the US, Europe and
Russia. The Indian
space agency has a
roadmap of 10 launches
per year for the next
three financial years or
a total of 30 launches
in the period. The space
boom is visible as the
country enters 69th
Independence Day.
failed in 2011. The Rs.450-crore
($70 million) ambitious mission
was launched Nov 5, 2013, on
board a polar rocket from spaceport Sriharikota off Bay of
Bengal, about 80 km northeast of
Chennai.
Mangalyaan has been listed
among 25 best innovations of
2014 by Time magazine.
"Nobody gets Mars right on the
rst try. The US didn't, Russia
didn't, the Europeans didn't. But
on Sep 24, India did," the magazine said.
"That's when the Mangalyaan
(Mars craft in Hindi) went into
orbit around the Red Planet, a
technological feat no other Asian
nation has yet achieved," it
added.
It pointed out that building the
spacecraft cost India just $74 million, which was less than the
budget for the Hollywood lm
"Gravity".
According to Narendra Modi, a
nation's progress was linked to
science and technology, both of
which are also potent enablers for
advancing peace in the world.
He said science has helped
shape modern India and lauded
scientists for their pioneering
work that placed the nation in the
forefront globally.
Congratulating the Indian
Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) for placing the
Mangalyaan in the Mars orbit on
its rst attempt, he said:
"Whenever the world shut its
door on us, our scientists
responded with the zeal of a
ISRO scientists celebrate the successful launch of Mars Mission.
national mission.
"And when the world sought
our collaboration, our scientists
reached out with the openness
that is inherent in our society."
In July this year, India successfully put into orbit ve British
satellites with its Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle's XL variant
(PSLV-XL) in copy book style.
The expendable rocket carrying
ve British satellites cumulatively weighing around 1,440 kg as
its luggage slung them into their
intended orbit just over 19 minutes into its ight.
It was the heaviest commercial
mission for the PSLV rocket till
date though its total carrying

capacity for such a mission is
around 1,750 kg. The rocket
blasted off from the rst launch
pad at the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre here, about 80 km from
Chennai.
Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO)
has signed deals to put nine
American nano/micro satellites
into orbit by the end of 2016.
These include a couple of
nano/micro US satellites which
are likely to be launched by the
ISRO this year as piggyback luggage on its own satellite.
Meanwhile, ISRO ofcials are

gearing up for the August 27
launch of communication satellite GSAT-6 through its heavier
rocket Geosynchronous Satellite
Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark-II.
"The GSLV-GSAT-6 launch is
tentatively xed for August 27
and work is progressing towards
that," the ISRO ofcial said.
The rocket will be powered by
an indigenous cryogenic engine
which is currently under development. The government has allocated Rs.470 crore for the development of the GSLV Mark-III
rocket in the Twelfth Five Year
Plan.
I30 launches planned in next

three fiscals: ISRO chief
Bengaluru: The Indian space
agency has a roadmap of 10
launches per year for the next
three nancial years or a total of
30 launches in the period, its
chief A.S.Kiran Kumar said.
The Indian Space Research
Organisation chief, who met with
his team here and discussed the
test of the demo reusable launch
vehicle, told media persons that
this it would take place in the latter half of October.
"This would approximately cost
Rs.3 crore. The whole purpose of
testing the demo vehicle is the
rst step towards designing the
actual one. The demo vehicle will
travel around 90 kms," he said.
Kiran Kumar said their target is
to achieve 10 launches a year.
"By the end of this scal, we
expect to nish seven launches
and then to have 10 launches
ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran (left) at Vikram Sarabhai Space

Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.
every year in the next three scals," he said.

Kiran Kumar said that the
capacity expansion of the ISRO
centre was linked to the resources
that they get, noting that in the
rst three years of the 12th Five

Year Plan, they received around
Rs.4,000 crore each, and in the
next two years, were expecting a
higher allocation of around
Rs.6,000 crore.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
62
August 15-21, 2015
MANAGEMENT
Fusing Jugaad and Mughal mentality

By Dr. Afshan Naheed Hashmi
In her new book, titled The Modern Mughal Mentality, Dr Hashmi gives
New Strategies to Succeed in India and the Global Marketplace.
With the daily news blaring
grim statistics, where can businesses turn for inspiration on innovation and profitability?
n todays challenging times,

western companies are forced
to learn to operate with alternative plans or face bankruptcy.
MNCs and small businesses alike
are realizing that new business
strategies are needed for survival.
According to Raj Date, a former
executive director of Cambridge
Winter Center for Financial Institutions Policy, there will be a lending shortfall for small businesses
of $250 billion-$500 billion as
the economy recovers. The demand for working capital is going to increase, at a time when
nobody has the finance company
or bank capacity to be able to provide it, he said.
India is now known to be one
of the fastest growing economies
in the world. Reason? With 280300 million people seeing bigger
purchasing power and a growing youth population. According
to a UN trade bodys survey, India
ranked third globally as an FDI recipient in 2009. As per the US Census Bureau, Asian Indian-owned
businesses are having a strong economic impact in many states across
the US in a wide range of sectors
and are the major engine of economic growth.
It is precisely at
this time that the
US and the rest
of the world can
learn from India.
I wrote The Modern Mughal
Mentality - New Strategies to Succeed in India and the Global Marketplace to demonstrate how
companies everywhere will benefit
by shifting their mentality to incorporate Indian inspired business styles. Heres why: The Indian economy is surging while the
West is experiencing an economic
downturn. Many experts attribute
Indian companies success to Jugaad. Jugaad is a practice that
Indians have had to employ as a
result of economically challenging times, and one that many Ivy
League business schools are adding to their curriculums.
I profess that the flourishing Indian economy owes itself to both
Jugaad and a striving for greatness
that modern Indians inherited from
their Mughal-influenced history.
So Modern Mughal Mentality can
be defined as fusing lofty ambitions with practical and innovative
ways of maximizing resources to
achieve your objectives.
The success of McDonalds in India is attributed to its

adaptation of the Indian menu or glocalization.
According to a report released
in July 2015 by the Confederation
of Indian Industry (CII) and Grant
Thornton, Indian based companies
are responsible for creating tens of
thousands of jobs and $15 billion
in investments across the US.
Linking Mughal emperors to

modern business giants? The Mughal emperors believed that A
good name for kings is achieved
through lofty buildings. Like their
remarkable architecture, their acumen in commerce was also known
to have contributed to their powerful regimes. Eventually, the word
Mughal, adapted from Mongol,
morphed into the word Mogul in
the English language, and is still

used to describe a very successful
and wealthy businessman.
I believe I am the first one to link
Mughal dynasty with Jugaad as
the Modern Mughal Mentality. The
new Jugaad Management Principle Business Model can be applied to any business, anywhere. I
defnine jugaad as obtaining your
objectives by maximizing resources
through thinking out of the box.
Following this new business
model will inspire all types of
companies, big or small, anywhere
in the world, to create innovative
mentalities, products, and strategies. The Modern Mughal Mentality also reveals ways in which
Western companies can learn to
be successful in India.
Implementing the new management model can lead to increased
profit, maximized resources, and
a more efficient way of dealing
with todays turbulent economy. I
have also identified international
opportunities in pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, medical, tourism,
hospitality and Bollywood industries providing practical solutions to take the guesswork out
of the equation.
Case history
My book describes the history
of Jugaad as well as its place in
Indian culture and how it leads
to success. Multi-sector success
stories illustrate the various components of the new management
model. The term glocalization, for
example, fuses the words globalization and localization. It refers
to adapting techniques to local
conditions. A product is more
likely to become successful when
the product is adapted specifically
to each geographic region or culture it is marketed in. The success
of McDonalds in India can be attributed to its adaptation of the
Indian menu or glocalization.

Indias main religion is Hinduism. Cows are considered holy by
Hindus because they represent
fertility and nurturing. For the
12% Muslim population, pork is taboo. A majority of Indians are vegetarian. Taking these three diverse
cultural attitudes into account,
McDonalds has developed a menu
especially for India with vegetarian selections to suit Indian tastes
and preferences. The challenge
was to change the ingredients of
the worldwide popular hamburger
to make an entry into India with a
population of over a billion.
McDonalds created the McAloo

Tikki burger. It ensured vegetarian
products are 100% vegetarian. The
company even developed vegan
mayonnaise especially for Indian
consumers and their soft serve
ice-creams are 100% vegetarian.
Then, vegetarian products are segregated from the non-vegetarian
down the supply chain. In order to
expand their product line, McDonalds made a chicken and fish option
available for the non-vegetarians.
As in the McDonalds example,
Jugaad is at its best when confronted with a problem that needs
immediate improvisation.
Dr. Afshan Naheed Hashmi has discovered that Indias economy flourishes because its businesses:
Think big they dont let obstacles overcome their visions

Get creative ingenuity is used to transform limitations
Maximize resources in every way possible & Know their customers
Think favorably of change & Provide high social value to their clients
Are driven by dreams of grandeur
The Jugaad Management Principle Business Model shows that Creative Improvisation, Frugal
Innovation, and Reverse Innovation can be part of Jugaad through Systematic Innovation.
Systematic Innovation, inspired by the Jugaad mentality, can be further divided into 7 key concepts:
1. Creative Improvisation; 2. Glocalization; 3. Competitive Advantage;
4. Reverse Outsourcing; 5. Acquisitions; 6. Frugal Innovation; 7. Reverse Innovation.
The India-born, Maryland, USA based Dr. Afshan Naheed Hashmi is an author, award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, educator,
Radio and TV show host, as well as a regulatory and business development professional. Her book The Modern Mughal Mentality
is published by BookBaby. She can be contacted at drafshanhashmi.com.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
64
August 15-21, 2015
OPINION
AGRA'S CRUCIAL ROLE IN FREEDOM

MOVEMENT NOT DOCUMENTED
By Brij Khandelwal
s the political capital, rst of
the Mughals and later the
British, Agra was always a
key center of political action. The
city played a crucial role in the freedom struggle but poor documentation of records has failed to highlight the contribution of the freedom
ghters, say local historians.
Syed Ikhtiyar Jafri, director of the
Mirza Ghalib Research Academy,
who recently released a paper on the
contribution of Urdu journalists,
said "for whatever reasons the
authentic history of Agra's contribution to the freedom movement, to
arts and literature, suffers from poor
documentation of records, and
therefore the contribution under-valued."
Hardly any documented history
book on the 'Braj region' is available
that could provide a true picture
though fragmented pieces, mostly in
newspapers are there for study.
"Interestingly, Agra was a major

centre of Hindi and Urdu journalism, and we have a long line of
ghters with the pen," says Prof
Amit Mukherjea, head of the history
department at St John's College.
The rst call for freedom in 1857,
ignited by the visits of Nana Sahab,
Azimullah
Khan,
Maulvi
Ahmadullah Shah and dozens of
other revolutionaries to the city,
drew passionate support from the
local youth who targeted government installations. Thousands of
Hindus and Muslims, particularly in
the rural hinterland, rose in revolt
which forced the colonial rulers to
declare Martial Law in the area.
The rebels against the imperialists
were more active in the rural areas
than in the city till Tantya Tope
shifted base to Agra and the mohallas around Agra College and
Gokulpura became the hotbeds of
unrest. The heroes of the 1857
revolt, Thakur Heera Singh, Thakur
Govind Singh, Chand Baba and
Thakur Prithvi Singh continued to
lead the mutineers with rare valour.
With the introduction of the railway and opening of the Tundla station in 1862, the city became the
transit point of revolutionaries from
Hardly any documented history book on the 'Braj region' is available that could provide a true picture though fragmented pieces,
mostly in newspapers are there for study.
the East. In 1857 the family of

Jawaharlal Nehru migrated and settled in Agra following disturbances
in Delhi. Motilal Nehru was born in
Maithan mohalla in 1861.
The visits of Tilak, Lajpat Rai and
the late Mahatma Gandhi in 1920
and 1929 galvanized the youth and
the city came into prominent focus.
Revolutionaries like Bhagat
Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Raj
Guru and Sukhdev stayed here for
days in the Noori Darwaza area,
making bombs. A series of bomb
blasts and conspiracies like the
Hardy Bomb case, explosions in
Sheetla Gali, Moti Katra, Barah
Bhai ki Gali and other parts sent
shock waves in British cantonments.
On the vanguard of revolutionary
activities were journalists like
Pandit Sri Ram Sharma, Mahendra
Jain, Devendra Sharma, Goverdhan

Das, Ganpati Kela and Hari Shankar
Sharma, in addition to scores of
poets and litterateurs.
Ram Chandra Bismil from
Mainpuri had red the imagination
of youth with his revolutionary writings. Bismil's "Shaheedon ki chitaon
par lagenge har varash mele, watan
par marne walon ka yahi namo nishan hoga," rings an echo to this day.
Hindi daily Sainik of Sri Krishna
Dutt Paliwal was the rst to launch
a frontal attack on the British
colonists. Some of the best editors
of the time including Ageya served
as editors of this daily. The success
of Sainik gave impetus to a long line
of periodicals including Hanumant
Singh Raghvanshi's Swadesh
Vandhav, Laxman Singh's Praja
Hiteshi, Taja Tar, Ujala, Citizen,
Punch and dozens of others.

Women played a crucial role leading protest marches and participating in dharnas. Saroj Gaurihar,
Parbati Devi, Bhagwati Devi
Paliwal, Sukh Devi, Damyanti Devi
Chaturvedi, Satyawati, Angoori
Devi Jain, Shiva Dixit, Chandra
Kanta Mishra, Vidhyawati Rathod
and Heera Bahen Hemraj Betai of
the INA were some of the leading
gures of that era.
"So many others were there and
there was absolutely no gender bias
or differences," says Saroj Gaurihar
recalling her activities during those
years, adding that "the boycott
movement against foreign goods
was recognized as the most successful by Motilal Nehru in Agra" in a
speech. Two stalwarts of the freedom movement, Thakur Ram Singh,
the hero of Kala Pani, and Prof
Siddheswar Nath Srivastav, died
recently.
Ofcially, Agra witnessed 110
violent incidents that resulted in the
death of British ofcials or destruction of property. The famous Hardy
Bomb case, Postal Robbery case,
Chamraua and Jaunia bomb cases at
railway stations are still talked
about.
Holistic development of youth is need of the hour
By Rajat Arora
outhhood is considered a
crucial period for establishing a positive wellbeing in a lifetime of a human
being but a vast number of our
youth seem to be neglecting their
health, unmindful of the dangers
lurking.
Good health in youth sets the
stage for a healthy ageing. When
they begin the transition from
childhood to adolescence and
move on to adulthood, they
undergo changes at both emotional and physical levels. An
overview on health of youth has
demonstrated the serious health
challenges that this vulnerable
group faces.
While most young people are
healthy, more than 1.8 million
young people aged 15 to 24 die
each year, mostly due to preventable causes, according to the World
Health Organisation (WHO).
Many more engage in behaviors
that are dangerous to their current
state of health and puts their
health at risk for years to come.
Promoting healthy lifestyles and
taking steps to better educate and
protect this group from health
risks will ensure longer, more
productive lives.
For holistic development of youth, sound public policies,

supportive environments, community action, and the
reorientation of health services all have a part to play.
Bad habits and poor hygiene,

persistent behavioural risks, poor
basic sanitation, and new and
emerging diseases are contributing to a deadly mix that is changing the classic picture of healthy
youth.
Hence it has become imperative
for the health fraternity to devise,
test and make wider use of effective new approaches, including
operational, community-based
research, clinical studies and longitudinal surveys that focus on
adolescents and youth.
The WHO puts forth startling
facts that indicate inaccessibility
of preventive and timely health
care for youth.
Road trafc injuries were the

leading cause of death in 2012,
with some 330 adolescents dying
every day. The other main causes
of adolescent deaths include HIV,
suicide, lower respiratory infections and interpersonal violence.
Globally, the WHO states that
there are 49 births per 1,000 girls
aged 15 to 19, according to 2010
gures. Half of all mental health
disorders in adulthood appear to
start by age 14, but most cases are
undetected and untreated.
Around one in six people in the
world is an adolescent: that is 1.2
billion are people aged between
10 and 19. Alcohol or tobacco
use, lack of physical activity,
unprotected sex and/or exposure

to violence have been some of the
factors that jeopardise the health
of youth today.
Alcohol consumption of three
or more drinks per day and cigarette smoking share similar, and
probably additive, effects on
some forms of cardiovascular disease. Alcohol consumption of
three or more drinks per day
clearly raises blood pressure, one
of the most important cardiovascular risk factors.
As a result, consumers of three
to ve drinks per day have a
roughly 50 percent higher risk of
high blood pressure (hypertension) and the risk increases even
more with heavier intake. There
are similar relationships between
alcohol and tobacco use and levels of triglycerides, a fat in the
blood that has been linked to risk
of coronary heart disease.
In supplement to physical
health, mental health also plays a
signicant role. In our quest for
youth development, one often
tends to focus on the physical,
nancial, academic and professional side while neglecting the
mental aspect. But to develop in
an all-around way, one needs to
acknowledge and understand the
importance of good mental health.
Good mental health is being in a

state in which one is fully aware
of and has achieved some semblance of balance in life along
with a sense of well-being and
condence to face life's challenges. Another important aspect
where health plays a vital role in
youth is in academics. Healthrelated factors such as hunger,
physical and emotional abuse, and
chronic illness can lead to poor
school performance. Health-risk
behaviors such as early sexual initiation, violence, unhealthy eating, and physical inactivity are
consistently linked to poor grades,
test scores, and lower educational
attainment.
Hence, to bring about a positive
impact on the well-being of
youth, it is important for all the
stakeholders to work in a way that
provides a safe and nurturing
environment wherein youth have
adequate access to preventive and
curative healthcare.
For holistic development of
youth, sound public policies, supportive environments, community
action, and the reorientation of
health services all have a part to
play. Of particular importance,
however, is the direct involvement of youth in the promotion of
their own health.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
66
August 15-21, 2015
MODERN LANDMARKS
Featuring some places signifying changing face of India today.
By Anil Mulchandani
daipur has since long
attracted tourists with its
grand palaces, fascinating
landscape of lakes and hills, and
wealth of historic attractions. The
traditional centre of tourism in
Udaipur is the walled city rising up
from the `ghats on Lake Pichola to
a ridge crowned by the City Palace,
one of Rajasthans largest, while the
residential areas are mostly the
newly developed areas around the
walled city. In recent years,
Udaipur has mushroomed new
attractions north some of Indias
most luxurious spa resorts, ubercool boutique hotels, swish new
restaurants, contemporary cafes, art
galleries and new emporia.
We arrived in Udaipur and parked
near the Dudh Talai jetty from
where a boat took us along the Lake
Pichola to the Leela Palace passing
the two island palaces the Lake
Palace Hotel and the Jag Mandir
Palace, and the gigantic faade of
Luxurious spa resorts, uber-cool boutique hotels, swish

restaurants, cafes & art galleries dot Udaipurs landscape now.
the City Palace looming beside the

lakefront. At the hotel we were welcomed in traditional style and
escorted by an umbrella bearing
hotel staffer to our room which has
a window looking over the lake to
the Aravalli Hills beyond. This luxury hotel offers 72 rooms and eight
suites, including a Couples Suite
which is a pool villa.
The spa is one of the propertys
highlights it has an Aroma Steam
Room and tented therapy rooms.
After breakfast, we started out to
explore the citys art scene -
Bougainvillea Art Gallery showcases contemporary paintings, sculpture and artworks in aesthetically
pleasing interiors with an ambience
to match, Andraab is an attractive
showroom recently opened for
Kashmiri shawls and other handcrafted textile products, the trendy
Ganesh Art Emporium, the Pristine
Gallery, and galleries of individual
artists. From here, we drove to
Fatehgarh which is one of the highest located hotels in Udaipur set on
a hill with a panoramic view of the
citys lake complex. This new
Leela Palace in Udaipur is an upmarket wedding destination,

extremely popular with NRIs.(Photos: Dinesh Shukla)
resort has been created using architectural fragments from forts and
havelis. This sprawling property has
fabulous lawns, pools and pavilions
on terraces overlooking Udaipur.
From here, we drove to the Udai
Vilas Palace, an Oberoi-run resort
that recreates the grandeur of a
palace with aesthetically appealing
gardens, fountains, reecting pools,
frescoes, Rajasthani-themed swimming pools and richly furnished
hallways to match. The Kohinoor
Suite is one of the most exclusive
hotel rooms with handcrafted furni-
By Anil Mulchandani
hmedabad
and
Gandhinagar are jointly the
capital of Gujarat the former being the commercial hub and
the latter developed as the political
headquarters. In recent years, the
two cities have witnessed big ticket
recreational and infrastructure projects in Ahmedabad, the development of an educational corridor in
the 23km stretch between the two
cities, and the creation of convention centers in Gandhinagar. The
two cities have also experienced
growth of golf courses and sports
complexes.
In February, as I caught the shuttle bus to attend Plastindia 2015 I
met some visitors who wondered
whether the city of Gandhinagar
with its population of about two
lakh people would be able to handle
such a megaevent involving 1600
exhibitors from 32 different countries and two lakh visitors. They
were in for a surprise the exhibition center created in the shortest
possible period of time around the
helipad at Gandhinagar was
superbly planned and offered stateof-the-art facilities. This is the second large MICE center of
Gandhinagar after the Mahatma
Mandir, with column-free a/c halls
where 15000 people can easily
move around during an exhibition,
convention or summit. The conven-
The Bus Rapid Transit System with dedicated

The Kankaria Lakefront Redevelopment
lanes has won 'Outstanding Innovations in Public Project has transformed the area with modern
Transportation 2010' award in Germany
recreational facilities such as a toy train, Kids
& a design award at Dubai. (Photos Dinesh Shukla)
City infotainment zone & various activities.
tion hall has a seating capacity of

6000 seats and VIP gallery, besides
which there are seminar rooms,
large and medium exhibition halls,
state of the art equipped conference
halls and meeting room and a large
foyer for visitor facilities. These
two centers have seen some massive events this year.
As we drove back to Ahmedabad,
we realize that, apart from becoming a key center for events,
Gandhinagar is also rising as a technology hub. Along the highway we
saw the Infocity, a software and
ITES park, with many commercial
complexes around it that house

restaurants, fast food chain outlets
and branded shops. We are told that
TCS has set up IT SEZ called
Garima park. The Gujarat
International Finance Tec-City
(GIFT city) which aims to attract
nance and tech companies is also
on the same route.
We are told that computer hardware and database major Oracle has
occupied over 105,442 square feet
of ofce space in the towers already
built in GIFT City, and many other
companies have started their centers
here. The city is under construction
and when complete will contain a

special economic zone (SEZ), international education zone, integrated
townships, an entertainment zone,
hotels, a convention center, an
international techno park, shopping
malls, stock exchanges and service
units required for the service sector
industry to thrive. As we drove on
highway running from the Infocity
towards Ahmedabad Airport, we
could see the premier institutes that
have come up in this stretch that is
being developed as a knowledge
corridor. The Dhirubhai Ambani
Institute of Information and
ture, rich tapestries, replaces and a

private pool with a lake view. We
did not have much time to spend in
the palace as we had an invitation to
attend a wedding. From the palace,
decorated boats ferried us to the
beautifully illuminated Jag Mandir,
for a memorable reception party in
the courtyard.
Dining on the lawns in this magical 18th century palace, set on an
island in the midst of Lake Pichola
we could understand why Udaipur
has become one of Indias top sites
for destination weddings.
Communication Technology (DAIICT), IIT Gandhinagar, the Pandit

Deendayal Petroleum University,
the National Institute of Design,
Nirma University, United World
School of Business, Gujarat
National Law University and
Institute of Hotel Management are
among many campuses situated on
the
23-km
Gandhinagar
Ahmedabad stretch. We came to
Ahmedabad and drove past the airport and the cantonment to reach
the Subhash Bridge which offers a
view of the Sabarmati Riverfront
Development, a social infrastructure project aimed at rehabilitation
and resettlement of riverbed
dwellers, the creation of parks and
public spaces, and improving the
environment of the river.
Driving through the business districts of Ashram Road, the shopping
street of CG Road and University,
the center of the road was occupied
by Janmarg, the dedicated lanes for
the Bus Rapid Transit System
which was showcased at 2012
United Nations Climate Change
Conference. Following the BRTS
we came to the Kankaria Lake
which was excavated in the 15th
century by the Gujarat Sultanate.
The octagonal lake with carvings
on its embankments has been a
recreational center of Ahmedabad
from the 1960s with a zoological
park and a childrens park, a boulevard and boating facilities.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
68
August 15-21, 2015
MODERN LANDMARKS
By Anil Mulchandani
olkata evokes various
visions in the minds of
people The City of
Palaces, The Cultural City, The
City with Old World Charm, The
City of the Raj, The City of
Victorian Grandeur, The City of
Kali Temples and the City of
Squalor. Famous for its captivating
monuments, hangouts of artists
and intellectual and vibrant cultural
scene and infamous for its urban
pollution, trafc congestion, poverty, overpopulation and socioeconomic problems, Kolkata is a
place apart and, other than its
upscale southern neighborhoods
and Salt Lake City seems to live in
its past glories.
I was surprised therefore to
receive a brochure of The Gateway
Hotel at Eastern Metropolitan
Bypass which announced that it
was located near a new information
technology hub. This upmarket
hotel, the travel agent told me, is
Gateway EM Bypass with a view of the new cityscape (Photo: The Gateway Hotel, EM Bypass)
located in an area that has seen a

massive real estate surge with high
income group. He also told us
about the new town of Rajarhat Bhangar, which is now a planned
development area. From the Netaji
Subhas Chandra Bose International
Airport, it is a short drive to
Rajarhat with its wide, thoughtfully planned roads and expressways.
The 10.5 km stretch between the
airport and Rajarhat is India's rst
to have continuous Wi-Fi road connectivity on a city road.

This New Town has already
become a tech hub with infotech
centers of many leading international and Indian IT majors, and
prestigious institutes like Indian
Institute of Technology. It also has
the New Town Arbitration and
Financial Hub with many banks
and other nancial institutions.
From the viewpoint of visitors
and residents, New Kolkata has

also been developed with wideranging recreational facilities like
parks, childrens amusements,
waterside facilities, clubs, spas and
the Eco Park with water sports,
huge green areas, buttery garden,
an island on the middle of the lake,
excellent walkways. It also has
cultural centers and a Mother's
Wax Museum. A number of art
centers are also coming up here.
The new town also has shopping

malls. Apart from the Gateway
Hotel E M Bypass, a number of
other hotels are operational or
being built in this area. With the
town already known for its vibrant
cosmopolitan demographics, it is
not surprising that non-resident
Indians are investing in residential
and commercial spaces in the New
Town and along the Eastern
Metropolitan Bypass.
By Anil Mulchandani
urgaon, once a sleepy village called Guru Gram,
began its growth as a nancial and industrial hub when Maruti
selected it for a plant in the 1970s.
Today, it is Indias City of
Skyscrapers with about a thousand
tall residential buildings,
some of Indias biggest malls and
corporate houses of several Fortune
500 Companies. It has also grown
into a tech city with software, IT,
call centers and outsourcing companies, and ofces of IBM, American
Express, Agilent
Technologies, Microsoft and
Bank of America.
From a visitor s viewpoint,
Gurgaon has upmarket hotels, ritzy
restaurants, about 43 shopping
malls, theme parks, boutiques and a
large number of parks like the
botanically interesting Tau Devi Lal
Biodiversity Garden. Around
Gurgaon are a number of new
resorts at sites like Sohna and
Manesar.
We arrived at the award winning
Indira Gandhi International Airport
of Delhi and came out of the automated parking management and
guidance system in a multi level car
park, which comprises 7 levels and
a capacity of 4,300 cars. We drove
out to Gurgaon and arrived at the
all glass Vivanta by Taj Gurgaon
for lunch at The Latitude
Restaurant, which is one of the few
Metro rail connecting various hubs of the city
in Gurgaon that offers Haryanvi

cuisine including some specialties
of the villages and nomadic
Banjaras.
After lunch, we opted for a South
East Asian dessert at their specialty
restaurant, the Thai Pavilion,
upstairs. This Taj owned property
is one of the many plush hotels that
have opened in Gurgaon over the
few years ITC, Oberoi, Hyatt,
Leela,
Westin, Hilton, Marriott, Crowne
Plaza and other brands have star
hotels in this city. Ascending to our
rooms we looked out at the skyscraper-dotted skyline of Gurgaon
and the metro line below. Gurgaon
is well-connected by the Delhi

Metro and some of the stations are
managed by the Rapid Metro,
which is India's rst fully privately
nanced metro facility.
After some rest, we drove to the
Kingdom of Dreams to catch a
glimpse of the Bollywood-themed
musical Zangoora, and a musical
comedy Jhumroo at Nautanki
Mahal, which has a hydraulic stage,
automated y bars, a matrix sound
system, and a theatrical performance at Showshaa Theatre. After
the shows,
our driver suggested visiting
Ambience Mall which is like an
entertainment city in itself with
Skyscrapers mark Gurgaon skyline (Photos: Dinesh Shukla)
hundreds of shops. The children

tried their hand at ice skating and
bowling at BluO, and visited the
Stellar Childrens Museum.
In the evening, the DLF Cyber
Hub is one of Gurgaons happening
hotspots with restaurants, fast food
joints, pubs, cafes and lifestyle
stores.
In the morning, we drove out to
Sohna about 15km from Gurgaon
passing a number of business and
engineering colleges. Sohna at the
foot of the Aravalli hills is a congested village well known for its
hot water springs and temples, but
the Sohna Master Plan and the
Greater Gurgaon Plan aim to make
this the next big industrial park and

a residential area that will reduce
the load on Gurgaon. Sohna and
nearby Damdama Lake have
become popular resort destinations
with properties like Gateway
Resort Damdama Lake and Westin
Sohna Resort & Spa. We checked
in at The Gateway Resort
Damdama and, after a Chinese
lunch at their specialty restaurant,
strolled down to the Adventure
Zone, where qualied extreme
sports instructors introduce you to
various activities on offer such as
climbing wall with grips and holds,
a zip line, zorbing, archery, shooting, quad biking etc.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
70
August 15-21, 2015
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Parineeti
Chopra
Mumbai: Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra will

attend the India Day parade in New York on Sunday.
Parineeti, who has starred in films like Ladies vs
Ricky Bahl, Ishaqzaade, Shuddh Desi Romance
and Hasee Toh Phasee, on Wednesday shared the
news with her fans on Twitter.
Representing India at the India Day Parade on the
16th of August at Madison Avenue at 11 a.m.!!! Come
meet me New York, the 26-year-old said.
The Kill Dil actress has left for New York.
Mumbai: Actor-producer Saif Ali Khan said it
won't be surprising if his forthcoming film
"Phantom", which touches upon Mumbai's 26/11
attacks, is banned in Pakistan.
His comment comes in reaction to 26/11 mastermind and Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz
Muhammad Saeed's petition in a Lahore court,
demanding a ban on the release of filmmaker
Kabir Khan's political thriller in Pakistan.
As far as Pakistan is concerned, I always
thought that this film will be banned in Pakistan as
there are certain topics which Pakistan bans without
watching the film or without any review, Saif,
whose 2012 film Agent Vinod was banned in the
country too, said at a press conference here on
Tuesday. We too have made films which have
been passed in Pakistan. But those kinds of films
are different.
When there are films like
this (Phantom), which
have a realistic base,
its no surprise for
me if this film is
banned
in
Pakistan, the 44year-old added.
Phantom,
which is slated to
release on August
28, is based on
author
Hussain
Zaidi's
book
Mumbai Avengers
having the post 26/11
attacks in Mumbai and global
terrorism in its background. Kabir, whose
2012 film Ek Tha Tiger, also on terrorism,
was banned in Pakistan, but whose "Bajrangi
Bhaijaan" has been lauded across the border,
said: Whenever there is a political backdrop
in a film, there are chances that the film
wont be screened there. Thats the kind of
relationship that we (India and Pakistan)
share, as whenever we venture into a political
backdrop, problems are created.
No surprise
if 'Phantom'
gets banned
in Pak: Saif
Saif and Katrina in a

scene from 'Phantom'.
Salman Khan in an interaction with

media over 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'.
Salman confident India

will help Gita in Pak
Mumbai: Superstar Salman

Khan has said that he would
have tried and done something
to bring Indian girl Gita, stranded in Pakistan for the last 15
years, back here had the government not taken over the
issue. However, he is hopeful
that the government officials
will do a great job.
"Now the government has
taken this issue over. If they
would not have taken this issue
over, then we would have definitely tried and done something," the actor said here at a
press conference post the success party of his film "Bajrangi
Bhaijaan".
"But for us, to find out her
parents and her location will be
difficult. Also, we are scared
that 'What if she does not get
rightful parents?' So right now,
let the government officials
take care of this and I am sure
they will do a great job of this,"
he added.
Gita, who is hearing and
speech impaired is living in

Karachi, Pakistan for the last
fifteen years. In 2003, Gita,
who was 11-years-old then, was
spotted by the Pakistan Rangers
in Lahore, after she strayed
across the border. She was then
handed
over
to
Edhi
Foundation, a social welfare
organisation in Pakistan.
Salman is all praise for the
fact that Pakistan has kept an
Indian safe for such a long time.
"We should thank the NGO of
Pakistan and the foster parents,
who supported her all these
years and kept an Indian there
for such a long time."
Gita's story is similar to the
one shown in Salman's latest
release "Bajrangi Bhaijaan",
where a mute Pakistani girl
Munni is helped by Salman's
character to get back to her
native country. But in real life,
Gita has no such Bajrangi
Bhaijaan and is still waiting to
get back to her parents here in
India.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
72
August 15-21, 2015
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Two Indian-Americans honored with

health innovator fellowship
Rishi Manchanda is CMO of LA-based The Wonderful Company and Nisha
Money is senior medical advisor at US Department of Homeland Security
Washington, DC: Two Indian
Americans are among 20 healthcare
leaders named for participation in
the inaugural class of a US fellowship program aimed at transforming
the healthcare system.
Rishi Manchanda, chief medical
ofcer, The Wonderful Company,
Los Angeles, and Nisha Money,
senior medical advisor at US
Department of Homeland Security
were selected for the Aspen
Institute Health Innovators
Fellowship.
This new two-year fellowship
will strengthen the leadership of
innovators across the US health
care ecosystem and challenge them
to create new approaches that will
improve the health and well-being
of all Americans, The Aspen
Institute, an educational and policy
studies organization based in
Washington, DC, said in a state-
ment. "We are thrilled to recognize

an extraordinary group of individuals -- 10 men and 10 women -- who
reect the best of passion and commitment in the US health care system," said Rima Cohen, managing
director of the Health Innovators
Fellowship.
"The Fellowship will harness the
creativity, deep expertise, and
diverse experiences of these leaders
to help solve our health system's
complex challenges," she said.
The Fellowship has been
launched in partnership with the
Greenville Health System, a South
Carolina-based not-for-prot
healthcare system.
"Remarkable leadership talent
from across the US is represented
in this rst cohort of Fellows," said
Michael Riordan, president and
CEO of Greenville Health System.
"As an academic health center
Woman gets 2 years for

killing pedestrian
New York: An Indian

American woman will serve at
least two years in prison for hitting and killing a pedestrian
while intoxicated in New York
last year, a media report said.
Malina Singh, 21, a resident
of Lake Luzerne, N.Y.,
appeared before Saratoga
County
judge
Matthew
Sypniewski
Aug.
10,
Timesunion.com reported.
In addition to the sentencing,
Singh was asked to install an
ignition-interlock device in
every vehicle she owns or
drives for three years upon her
release from prison.

On June 22, Singh admitted
she was drunk while driving
and killed Jonathon L. Rogers,
34, as he was walking on Sept.
4, 2014.
Rogers was rushed to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Singh pleaded guilty to
charges
of
vehicular
manslaughter. Rogers' mother
told the court that the family
would now face difculties in
surviving, and his children
would have to live without a
father.
committed to innovative care, we

are excited to partner with the
Aspen Institute and witness the
power of the Fellows' collective talents in leading the charge to transform health care," Riordan said.
Among other efforts, Money creates and leads integrative mental
tness training programs used in
deployment, training, work, and
personal site settings to address
prevention, resiliency, and treatment of psycho-neurological disorders.
Besides being the chief medical
ofcer of The Wonderful Company,
a privately held $4 billion company
committed to offering consumers
high-quality, healthy brands,
Manchanda is also president of
HealthBegins, an organization that
provides healthcare providers with
tools to improve care and the social
determinants of health.
Chef Ravi Kapur's restaurant

nominated for 'Bon Appetit Hot 10'
San Francisco: An
Indian-origin
chef's
restaurant
in
San
Francisco has been nominated for a coveted spot
for 'Bon Appetit Hot 10'
competition that felicitates
the best new restaurants in
the US, the media reported.
Liholiho Yacht Club coowned by chef Ravi
Kapur is one of the six
San Francisco restaurants
that have made it into the monthly US food and entertainment
magazine Bon Appetit's annual
list of 50 nominees for
"America's
Best
New
Restaurants,"
CBS
San
Francisco reported.
The restaurant is famous for its
mouth watering menu like tuna
poke with nori crackers, beef
ribs with kimchi-chili sauce and
the off-menu, house-made Spam,
served over rice with furikake.
"Another distinctive feature
about this restaurant is the giant
Chef Ravi Kapur
smiling black-and-white photograph of Kapur's mom behind

the bar," the report added.
Kapur was named 'Chef of the
Year' by San Francisco Magazine
earlier this year.
He began his cooking life with
San Francisco's Boulevard (with
chefs Nancy Oakes and Pam
Mazzola) and as executive chef
at the duo's Prospect -- both
restaurants recognized for their
avor driven American cuisine.
Bon Appetit will announce the
winners on August 18.
Unique $11 million Hindu Hanuman Temple opens in Texas
Frisco (Texas): Frisco now has a

34,000 square-foot Marakata Karya
Siddhi Hanuman Temple, reportedly
costing over $11 million. This
Temple, which opens daily, besides
Hanuman as the main deity, also
carries murtis of Hindu deities
Ganapati, Shiva, Rajeshwari, Ram
Parivar, Venkateshwara, Dattatreya,
Subramanyam, Ayyappa and
Nagendra. Its history dates back to
2007 and it conducts aarti twice
daily and offers free lunch on
Saturdays. It already has a Cultural
Center and intends to build a library
and a museum, reports suggest.
Besides regular worship services,
this Temple also offers classes on
yoga; art; Carnatic music; bhajans;
Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil,
Kannada and Gujarati languages;
Bhagavad-Gita chanting; Kuchipudi
Marakata Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple (Photo: dallasnews.com)
dance; and Sri Vishnu Sahasranama.

It also conducts Datta Kriya Yoga
workshops, youth activities and religious instruction for children and
youth under Bala Datta program,
etc.
Built under the guidance of Sri

Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji
of Avadhoota Datta Peetham of
Mysuru (India), it also has a multipurpose hall, homa-kund, yoga center and six classrooms.
Urban Outfitters removes Lotus Jewelry Stand after protest
The South Asian Times cartoonist/artist Mahendra

Shah's grandniece Vidhi Shahs Arangetram dance
performance was held at Pittsburgh, Pa. on August 1st.
More than 350 guests enjoyed the performance.
Mahendra Shahs Natraj painting and a collage of
a dancing girl also drew a lot of attention.
Reno, Nev.: Urban Outtters, a retail

Hinduism and who spearheaded the
company
headquartered
in
protest, in an Aug. 9 statement
Philadelphia, Pa., has removed a
thanked UO for understanding the
Hindu goddess jewelry stand from its
concerns of the Hindu community.
Web site within about 12 hours after a
Zed, however, indicated that an
group of Hindus protested, calling it
ofcial apology from UO and its
inappropriate.
CEO, Richard A. Hayne, to the upset
The Lotus Jewelry Stand, depictHindu community was still due, as it
ing the multi-armed Hindu goddess
was their third incident trivializing a
Lakshmi seated on a lotus, an Online
Hindu deity. Urban Outtters apoloExclusive item which was described
gized to Hindus and removed its Lord
as perfect for holding all of your
Ganesh socks from stores and the
rings + things, did not show up after a The Lotus Jewelry Stand Web after a protest spearheaded by
search on the UO website Aug. 9, as featured on its website Zed in December 2013, calling it
within 12 hours of Rajan Zed informinappropriate.
ing company ofcials via e-mail urging the withIt also removed its Lord Ganesha Duvet Cover
drawal. Zed, president of the Universal Society of from its Web site after another protest in July 2014.
74
August 15-21, 2015
INDIA
Parliament adjourned sine die, BJP-Congress battle on
New Delhi: Both houses of parliament were adjourned sine die on

Thursday after 23 days of acrimony,
but the war of words continued,
with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
launching a scathing attack on the
Congress and Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi daring Modi to extradite former IPL chief Lalit Modi.
On the last day of a wasted session that began on July 21, the
Congress staged yet another walkout from the Lok Sabha demanding
the resignation of External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj for helping
Lalit Modi to secure travel documents in Britain.
The Rajya Sabha was calm after
many days. It was adjourned after
three outgoing members, including
H.K. Dua, called for an end to the
recurring paralysis of parliament in
their farewell speeches.
The government has kept open the
option of reconvening the monsoon
session. The Cabinet Committee on
Parliamentary Affairs met and
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and others demonstrate

at the Parliament in New Delhi.
decided not to recommend its proroguing.

No sooner after the houses were
adjourned, leaders of the BJP and its
allies took out a "Save Democracy"
march to denounce what they called
Pak NSA Sartaj Aziz to visit

India for talks on August 23
Pakistan's National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz.
Islamabad/New
Delhi:
Ending the suspense, Pakistan's
National Security Advisor
Sartaj Aziz conrmed that he
will visit India on August 23
for talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval.
"I can conrm I will proceed
to India on August 23 for the
NSA talks," Aziz said while
responding to a question at a
joint press conference with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif.
The NSA level talks are part
of the agreement arrived at
between Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and his
Pakistani counterpart Nawaz
Sharif during their July 10
meeting in Ufa, Russia.
India said it had not yet
received any "conrmation"
from Islamabad on the talks.
"On NSA talks, we have no
conrmation (from Pakistan),"
external affairs ministry
spokesperson Vikas Swarup

told reporters.
Aziz said: "Although the
security talks are not the
revival of the Composite
Dialogue, the meeting would
be 'ice-breaking' as we will
hold discussions on some
important issues."
"Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif believes that dialogue is
the only option to peacefully
resolve issues," he added.
India had proposed August
23-24 for the NSA talks about
a month ago, but Pakistan
declined to conrm the dates.
Escalating tensions between
the two neighbours since the
Ufa meeting had put a big
question mark on the talks.
India is expected to strongly
voice its concerns regarding
the recent Gurdaspur and
Udhampur terror attacks by
suspected Pakistani terrorists
during the talks.
was a Congress-induced parliament

logjam.
Among those who marched from
Vijay Chowk to Mahatma Gandhi's
statue in parliament complex were
BJP stalwart L.K. Advani, Finance
O.P. Munjal, father of cycle

industry, passes away
Ludhiana: O.P. Munjal, who
began modestly and finally became
the father of India's cycle industry
with his iconic Hero Cycles, died
here, family sources said.
Punjab Chief
Minister Parkash
Singh
Badal
hailed Munjal's
"immense contribution in helping
Ludhiana emerge
The father of on the industrial
India's cycle map of the world
industry O.P. through Hero
cycles".He said
Munjal.
Munjal was into
several philanthropic causes, including schools and colleges to help the
needy.
"Punjab has lost one of its illustrious sons, who would be ever
remembered for his hard work and
dedication," the chief minister said.
"It is a huge personal loss for me
but I am sure the life of this great
entrepreneur of Punjab will act as a
source of inspiration for the coming
generations to work zealously for
attaining any goal," he added.
After a humble beginning in 1944
when Munjal was a dealer of bicycle
spare parts in Amritsar with his
brothers, he became one of the
largest bicycle manufacturers in the
world, scripting a fascinating success story.The Hero Cycles factory
was set up in 1956 in Ludhiana with
a capacity to produce 25 cycles a
day. It now makes nearly 19,500
cycles daily. Listed in the 'Guinness
Books of World Records' in 1986 as
the largest bicycle manufacturer in
the world, Hero Cycles commands
nearly 40 percent of market share in
India's cycle market.
Minister Arun Jaitley and Home

Minister Rajnath Singh.
Prime Minister Modi, who came
to the Lok Sabha just before it was
adjourned, came down heavily on
the Congress when he later
addressed MPs from the BJP and its
allies.
He called the conduct of Congress
MPs, who despite their fewer numbers virtually crippled the Lok
Sabha, with the Emergency era of
1975-77 when democratic rights
were curbed.
"He said the way the Congress
behaved during Emergency, it
behaved in parliament - by creating
obstruction," Minister of State for
Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap
Rudy quoted Modi as saying.
Modi also referred to the boycott
of NITI Aayog meeting by Congress
chief ministers and the critical
remarks of Congress leaders after
the Naga peace pact.
The prime minister said that
Congress politics was oriented
towards "saving a family", and he

told NDA MPs to hold protests in
constituencies represented by
Congress and Left MPs over a
month.
Modi's aggression had no impact
on the Congress, whose vice president Rahul Gandhi took potshots at
the prime minister.
"After the (Lok Sabha) election, I
thought he (Modi) was a strong guy.
But now I think he is not," he said,
before heading to join a protest by
Congress members against the government.
He dared Modi to extradite Lalit
Modi, who is sought by the
Enforcement Directorate.
Finance Minister Jaitley also
slammed the Congress leadership,
saying it was not able to digest its
Lok Sabha rout.
The monsoon session was a
washout due to opposition protests,
mainly over Sushma Swaraj and the
Vyapam recruitment scandal in
Madhya Pradesh.
Bombay High Court lifts ban on

Maggi, orders fresh tests
Mumbai: Nestle India got a
signicant respite with the
Bombay High Court lifting
the ban on the sale of its
Maggi instant noodles and
ordering fresh tests in three
separate labs to ascertain that
the product complied with the
country's food safety norms.
The conditional relief came
following a petition led by
The Indian authorities seek Rs.640
Nestle challenging the regucrore in damages from Nestle India.
latory order of June 5 for the
withdrawal and recall of nine
Nestle after the ban, while a large
variants of "Maggi Instant Noodles" stock of its products was destroyed
and "Maggi Oats Masala Noodles by the company after the ban was
with Tastemaker".
implemented.
A division bench of Justice V.M.
pecied that only if the lead conKanade and Justice B.P. tent was found to be within permisColabawalla, while ruling that the sible limits could the company
principles of natural justice were resume its manufacture and sale.
not followed, also directed fresh
Immediately after the judgement,
tests to be conducted on all major the stocks of Nestle India surged to
Maggi samples by three separate the day's high of Rs.6,545, and
laboratories within the next six eventually closed at Rs.6,356.70,
weeks, before it can return to the with a gain of Rs.172 or 2.78 permarkets.
cent.
"We have examined the evidence
The Food Safety and Standards
in great detail. Since the petitioner Authority of India (FSSAI), the
Nestle has already agreed not to industry watchdog, had said in its
make and sell Maggi until the food order that tests conducted on a batch
authorities are satised, we see no of Maggi were found to contain
reason to allow any relief to food more-than-permissible levels of
authorities," Justice Kanade said.
lead and high quantities of monoThe court directed that ve sam- sodium glutamate (MSG).
ples of each Maggi noodles variant
The signicant ruling came a day
sent private labs in Punjab, Jaipur after Indian authorities announced
and Hyderabad which are recog- that they will seek Rs.640 crore in
nized by the National Accreditation damages from Nestle India for
Board for Testing & Calibration indulging in what they alleged was
Laboratories.
"unfair trade practices" and misThese samples would be taken statements pertaining to the popular
from the 750-odd preserved by noodles brands.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
76
OP-ED
August 15-21, 2015
Is the Congress running fast to stand still?

By Saeed Naqvi
o page one photographs of Sonia
Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Kumari
Shelja, Anand Sharma and Mohsina
Kidwai agitating against suspension of opposition members spell Congress revival?
Let us pick up the thread from the build up
to the election of May 2014. Everybody and
his neighbor had tried cajoling Rahul Gandhi
to be a willing counter to Narendra Modi CII, FICCI, Arnab Goswami. But Rahul was a
souffle that wouldn't rise. He would speak in
parables; he planned to reinvent the party from
grassroots, a 10-year project which, if it fructifies, will see a 53-year-old Rahul at the helm.
He has not announced any change of heart yet.
What then is this hyper activity about?
Surely, Sushma Swaraj, Vasundhara Raje and
Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the discomfiture
of the Sangh Parivar on that count are all custom made for any opposition to seize upon.
Are these treaties designed to affect the Bihar
vote?
Modi harvested the Congress-led UPAs
discomfiture. Who in that page one photograph will reap the benefits of their current
exertions against him in and out of parliament?
It is universally acknowledged that the Modi
campaign was carefully crafted by Corporate
India, with help from a host of outfits including APCO Worldwide Consultancy under the
leaderships of Timothy Roemer, former US
ambassador to India. India was going to be
transformed into a Corporate Paradise which
would provide new sinews to the global economy in free fall (Joseph Stiglitz's term) since
2008.
India Inc, led by Modi acolytes like the
Adani group, spent more money on the Modi
campaign than has ever been spent in the
world's electoral history.
Do page one photographs of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other Congress
leaders agitating against suspension of opposition members in
Parliament spell Congress revival?
The campaign worked because the electorate was disgusted with the two stars in our
photo-frame plus Manmohan Singh. The
Congress was reduced to a rubble. Which is
why Congress' new found confidence, so early
in the proceedings, is puzzling, the scams
notwithstanding.
Modi had not come to power because he
was loved by the people. Nor was he admired
by senior BJP leaders he foiled during the
2013 Goa conclave in which he was nominated the party's prime ministerial candidate,
despite their opposition. He was endorsed in
the hope that he would be "strong".
Within six months of becoming prime minister, had Modi also picked up the election to
the Delhi assembly as a trophy, the narrative
today would have been very different. But the
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) wiped out the
Congress and the BJP, in two elections in
quick succession.
This petrified the BJP, Congress, Big
Business with huge stakes in Delhi, the police

and the section of Babudom prone to corruption. The AAP experiment had to be crushed.
The media was mobilized in this expedition.
The Lt. Governor-AAP stalemate in Delhi is
part of this larger Ding-Dong.
In this fashion, a year has passed and an
impatient business community, who have seen
property prices in Delhi (for example) fall by
about 40 percent, is restive. The famous Land
Bill is neither here nor there. There is plenty of
Maan ki Baat on the radio and photo ops on
foreign trips, keeping up the delusion of energy, action, policy. But nothing of substance,
except for deteriorating law and order and rising prices.
Impatience is now afflicting corporate India.
Modi's cheer leaders in the media are turning
upon him. Saner advice coming from former
insiders may well be heeded. Why must the
next generations of reforms be restricted to
facilitating big business. These reforms should
focus on governance, the Panchayati Raj apparatus, education, health, rural housing, police
reform. There is no nodal point in Delhi that
keeps a steady gaze on Kashmir. The BJPPDP government in Srinagar is floating on its
own. There is some indication the prime minister may make helpful announcements in his
August 15 utterances.
The important point is that the business
community, which had dreamed up the moon
when Modi first came to power, is now distributing its largesse, which include the media
it controls, to those stars in the photo frame
too. To that extent the current unending agitation could well be on queue. There is no enunciation of new strategy. Rahul will visit Dalits,
families of farmers, flood hit areas, but never
victims of communal violence, confirming the
Congress as a party similar to the BJP minus
the Sadhus.
Of course, no one is for a moment suggesting that there is smoke without fire. The three
scams do hang around the BJP's neck. But the
shifting of corporate favors away from Modi
in the direction of the Congress once again
ignores the people. Are the two national parties seeking comfort in corporate munificence? This is at the heart of what is now
being understood even by common people as
crony capitalism.
Voters have recoiled on this arrangement in
Latin America, Indonesia, Greece, Scotland,
Spain - even in Delhi. They may not have discovered the third way but they are searching
for it. If the corporates, BJP and the Congress
persist with their troika dance at the center, the
people will, over a period of time, make themselves heard in the regions.
In the long run, this is good for federalism.
But it will dilute centralized power which is
the dream of the ruling class as exemplified by
the Congress and the BJP -- tweedledum and
tweedledee.
Unchanged land law is major anti-growth barrier

By Amulya Ganguli
he Narendra Modi government has taken a giant leap
backwards by failing to
push ahead with the much-needed
amendments to the land law.
Its decision to retain the original
law means that it will take anything up to five years for an
investor to buy a plot of land, as
the Niti Aayog vice chairman,
Arvind Panagariya, has pointed
out.
The original law was the handiwork of the socialistic bent f Sonia
Gandhi, whose iron grip over the
party and the Manmohan Singh
government enabled her to enact
the supposedly pro-farmer and
essentially anti-industries legislation.
Her hope was that populist initiatives like the land law and the
food security act, which promised
subsidized grains to 67 % of the
population, would ensure her

party's victory in last year's general election.
In the event, the Congress put up
its worst performance, which
showed that the electorate was not
fooled by the profligate welfare
measure or the patently anti-development law.
Instead, the voters wanted someone who promised economic
growth so that they would not be
dependent on official charity or on
policies which were expected to
lead to more fragmentations of
holdings by keeping farmers tied
to their lands by complicating the
process of sale and purchase.
No doubt the BJPs success in
getting an absolute majority in the
Lok Sabha was due to the popular
expectation that Modi will vigorously pursue economic reforms.
From this standpoint, the BJP's
current retreat is a huge disappointment as it is a setback to
India's hope of becoming an eco-
nomic powerhouse in the near

future.
The Congress, and particularly
Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, who
spearheaded the campaign in favor
of this regressive step, will be
delighted since it will stymie
Modi's "Make in India" project by
deterring FDI.
For Sonia and Rahul, it is the
first favorable turn of events for
the Congress since the last election.
But it will be unfair to blame the
Congress alone. Modi himself
cannot be absolved of the guilt of
mishandling a sensitive issue. He
rushed in when he should have
been more circumspect. Perhaps,
the BJP's first ever majority in the
Lok Sabha accentuated his customary arrogance. As a result,
instead of preparing to rally those
who may have been expected to
stand by him, like the BJP's allies,
Modi appears to have decided to
go ahead on his own.
But more than winning friends

and influencing people, what
Modi failed to realize was that too
enthusiastic a drive in favor of
industries could confirm his reputation of being pro-business,
which is not widely appreciated in
India.
It is this chink in his armor
which Rahul Gandhi has exploited
by accusing the government of
being "suit-boot ki sarkar".
It is not only that Modi was
unable to convince allies like the
Shiv Sena and the Akali Dal of the
justifiability of his cause and how
it will benefit the country, including the farmers, in the long run, he
could not even win over statusquoist saffron outfits like the
Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, the
Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and the
Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh.
Lapses of this nature show how
a chief minister who is used to
having his own way in a state can
be lost in the labyrinth of national
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
politics where there are parties like

the Congress which can trip up an
opponent even if he is on to a good
thing.
The only option for the central
government is to let the states
frame their own land acquisition
laws although these cannot contravene restrictions like obtaining the
consent of 70/80 percent of the
landowners.
However, since most states have
realized the value of private sector
investment, including West Bengal
whose Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee recently visited London
in search of investors, it is possible
they will find a way to circumvent
the obstacles in order to attract
industrialists.
If so, Modi can still have the last
laugh. But for the present, he has
suffered a major setback in his
nascent career at the national
level, the second one after the
BJP's crushing defeat at the AAPs
hands in February.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
78
US NEWS
August 15-21, 2015
Why Americas top tech jobs are

Going to Indian execs
New York: Nadella, Pichai, Suri,

Arora, Mehrotra, Jha and Narayen
arent exactly household names.
But the companies they run are:
Microsoft, Google, Nokia,
Softbank,
SanDisk,
Globalfoundries and Adobe
Systems.
On Monday, Googles restructuring plan elevated Sundar Pichai,
43, to as CEO. Its a reminder that
the CEOs of some of the worlds
most recognizable tech companies
share origins from India, Wall
Street Journal reported.
Not a coincidence. A recent
cross-cultural study from Southern
New Hampshire University examined managers from the U.S. and
India, for example, and found that
more Indian managers achieved the
highest ranking in terms of leadership traits.
Indian managers are future-oriented, and had a paradoxical blend
of genuine personal humility and
intense professional will, the study
said. These leaders achieved
extraordinary results and built great
organizations without much
Satya Nadella and Sundar

Pichai: CEOs of Microsoft
and Google
hoopla. Nowhere, perhaps, is that

more starkly on display than at
Microsoft. Since taking over as
CEO, Satya Nadella managed to
achieve what had once seemed
impossible: to make Silicon Valley
like Microsoft again. He did so by
embracing collaboration and not
treating rivals products as enemiesin some ways the opposite
of his often-amboyant predecessor, Steve Ballmer.
While Indian managers arent in
many cases the founders of the
companies they lead, they are
respected managers who have held

numerous positions in their companies, working up the ranks.
Pichai, born in Chennai, joined
Google in 2004 as vice president of
product management, and has
overseen search and consumer
products such as iGoogle, Google
Toolbar, Desktop Search and
Gadgets, etc.
Sanjay Mehrotra, 57, helped
found SanDisk, a ash-storage
company, in 1988. Hes its CEO
since 2011.
Rajeev Suri, an electronics and
telecom engineer, had been
employed by Nokia for two
decades before being appointed
CEO.
Adobe chief Shantanu Narayen,
53, has been described by colleagues as quiet but incredibly
competitive. Since becoming CEO
in 2007, he has led a dramatic
transformation at the company.
Sanjay Jha, the 52-year-old CEO
of chipmaker Globalfoundries, had
previously run Motorola Mobility
and had served for years as a senior
executive of Qualcomm.
Trump tops poll despite

misogynist comments
Wa s h i n g t o n :
Donald Trump has
a signicant lead in
the race to win
over likely Iowa
caucus-goers,
according to the
rst CNN/ORC
poll in the state
this cycle.
Trump tops the
eld with 22% and
is the candidate
seen as best able to
handle top issues
including the economy, illegal
immigration and terrorism. He's
most cited as the one with the
best chance of winning the general election, and, by a wide
margin, as the candidate most
likely to change the way things
work in Washington. Retired
neurosurgeon Ben Carson follows Trump in overall preference with 14%, bumping
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker,
down to third place with 9%.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz follows the
top three at 8%, with businesswoman Carly Fiorina and for-
Bernie Sanders tops Hillary in President Carter says he has

latest New Hampshire poll
Washington:
Clinton
in
Bernie Sanders
every early
has for the rst
state poll.
time pulled
Clinton conahead
of
tinues to enjoy
Hillary Clinton
more
than
in
New
d o u b l e
Hampshire,
Sanders' supaccording to a
port in nationpoll released
al
polls,
Bernie Sanders
Tuesday.
though that
Sanders topped Clinton polling has also shown
with 44% compared to Clinton's vulnerabilities
her 37% support among as voters question her
likely Democratic pri- honesty and trustworthimary voters, according to ness.
a
Franklin
Pierce
Vice President Joe
University/Boston Herald Biden, who is reportedly
poll.
still considering whether
Sanders has been gain- to enter the fray, would
ing momentum as he gen- start with a 9% base of
erates enthusiasm among support
in
New
the Democratic Party's Hampshire if he decided
progressive base but until to run, according to
now he has still trailed the poll.
cancer and it has spread
Washington: Former
parents, two sisters and
US President Jimmy
younger brother Billy
Carter
said
on
Carter who all died
Wednesday that recent
from the disease.
liver surgery revealed
Shortly after he
he had cancer that had
announced he had canspread to other parts
cer Wednesday, wellof his body.
wishers sent messages
"I will be rearrangto show their support
ing my schedule as Former President for the humanitarian.
necessary so I can
President Obama, who
Jimmy Carter
undergo treatment by
is vacationing on
physicians at Emory Healthcare," Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts,
Carter, 90, said in a statement.
spoke with Carter "to wish him a
Carter, a Democrat, served as full and speedy recovery," White
the 39th president from 1977 to House spokesman Eric Schultz
1981 after defeating Republican said.
incumbent Gerald Ford. He was
"Jimmy, you're as resilient as
defeated for re-election in 1980 by they come, and along with the rest
Republican Ronald Reagan.
of America, we are rooting for
The Carter family has a history you," Obama said in a statement
of pancreatic cancer, including his issued by the White House.
Donald Trump
mer Arkansas Gov. Mike

Huckabee both at 7%. Former
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is tied at
5% with senators Rand Paul and
Marco Rubio.
Trump's advantages are not
universal. He faces a large gender gap: He trails among women
(20% back Carson, 15% Trump,
and 11% support Fiorina). This
may be due to impact of his
misogynist statements from the
past as well as in his tussle with
Fox anchor Megyn Kelly who
confronted him during the GOP
debate on his views on women.
Hillary Clinton unveils

$350-bn plan for students
Washington: The US Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has unveiled a $350 billion higher
education plan aimed at cutting college tuition and
easing debt burdens for college loanees, the media
reported on Tuesday.
Dubbed the New College Compact, the plan seeks
to reduce the cost of four-year public colleges to
such an extent that a loan would be unnecessary, and
to make two-year community colleges tuition-free,
Xinhua reported.
For those already with a student debt, the plan
seeks to reduce the interest rates by allowing renancing at current federal rates. The Clinton camp
estimated that about 25 million borrowers would
benet from the plan.
Prior to her announcement, Clinton's two other
major primary challengers, Vermont Senator Bernie
Sanders and former Maryland Governor Martin
O'Malley, had already proposed their own more radical versions of college affordability plan, including
eliminating tuition and fees for public universities.
"We can't expect the federal government just to pay
the bill for free. That's not how America works," said
Clinton at a rally in New Hampshire without publicly criticizing her Democratic rivals.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
80
INTERNATIONAL
August 15-21, 2015
World population set to

cross 11 billion in 2100: UN
Washington: There will be no end

to world population growth in this
century, says the UN, adding that
the world's population will increase
from 7.3 billion people to 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion at the
century's end.
Asia, with a current population of
4.4 billion, is likely to remain the
most populous continent, with its
population expected to peak
around the middle of the century at
5.3 billion and then to decline to
around 4.9 billion people by the
end of the century.
Developing countries with young
populations but lower fertility like
India face the prospect of substantial population ageing before the
end of the century.
"India, along with China and
Brazil, need to invest some of the
benets of their demographic dividend in the coming decades toward
provisions for the older population
of the future such as social security, pensions and health care, said
John R. Wilmoth, director of the
United Nations' (UN) Population
Division.
"The probability that world population growth will end within this
century to be 23 percent, he added

while addressing a session focused
on demographic forecasting at the
2015 Joint Statistical Meetings
(JSM 2015) in Seattle on August
10.
The world population growth
will not stop in this century unless
there are unprecedented fertility
declines in those parts of subSaharan Africa that are still experiencing rapid population growth.
According to models of demographic change derived from historical experience, it is estimated
the global population will be
between 9.5 and 13.3 billion people in 2100.
The primary driver of global
population growth is a projected
increase in the population of
Africa.
The continent's current population of 1.2 billion people is expected to rise to between 3.4 billion
and 5.6 billion people by the end of
this century.
"The continent's population
growth is due to persistent high
levels of fertility and the recent
slowdown in the rate of fertility
decline, Wilmoth noted.
Russian hackers
attack Pentagon
e-mail: Report
Washington: A "sophisticated
cyber attack" by alleged
Russian hackers forced the US
department of defence to shut
down its joint staff unclassied
e-mail system, leaving thousands of workers without mails
for nearly two weeks, the US
media reported.
US ofcials who spoke on
conditions of anonymity on
Thursday said that the intrusion happened around July 25
and affected about 4,000 military and civilian personnel.
The ofcials said the hackers
coordinated the cyber attack on
Pentagon through social media
accounts, adding that they
could not decide whether the
Russian government was
behind the attack.
In another hacking incident
last year, alleged Russian hackers breached the White House's
computer system and reportedly read the US President
Barack Obama's unclassied
e-mails.
Kerry optimistic about Congress

support for Iran n-deal
Washington: US
Secretary of State
John Kerry has
expressed optimism that the
Obama administration will garner
enough support
from Congress to
implement the Iran
nuclear deal.
"We're going be
successful on plan
A," Kerry said at a
discussion in New
US Secretary of State John Kerry.
York when asked
what the White House would do quickly...for the American dollar
if Congress kills the deal. "That's to cease to be the reserve currenour policy, and I'm quite con- cy of the world, which is already
dent we're going to be. At the bubbling out there," Kerry said.
Senator John McCain, chairdiscussion on the nuclear deal
reached by six world powers and man of the Senate Armed
Iran last month, Kerry continued Services Committee, said
to defend the accord, warning of Tuesday that there will be
consequences if Congress rejects enough votes to pass the resoluit in a vote in September. tion of disapproval against the
President Barack Obama has deal, but he is less sure on getreiterated that he would veto any ting enough support to override
plan of disapproval of the deal by the president's veto, news webCongress. "That is a recipe, very site The Hill reported.
Subcontinent
Modi visit: UAE's $800 bn sovereign Probe into Pakistan child

wealth fund likely in talks
porn scandal by JIT
New Delhi: A key focus area of

talks during Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's visit to the UAE
on August 16-17 is expected to be
the Gulf country's estimated $800
billion sovereign wealth fund that
India will seek to tap for infrastructure projects.
The Abu Dhabi Investment
Authority (ADIA) sovereign
wealth fund is said to be the
world's second largest sovereign
wealth fund. It is believed to be
one of the investors in HDFC's $1billion offshore fund to nance
affordable housing projects in
India.
Modi's visit comes as the UAE
has appointed Ahmad Sultan Al
Falahi as the new trade attache at
the United Arab Emirates embassy
in New Delhi.
Modi's visit, the rst by an Indian
prime minister to the UAE in 34
years and his rst to an Arab
nation, has "been in the works for
some time".
The visit was being planned for
some months, and the dates
worked out to mutual benet some
time ago, ofcial sources told
Narendra Modi will visit the UAE on August 16-17.
IANS. It was not being openly

talked about and the announcement
would have been made when the
dates were xed, said the sources.
The UAE, which is home to a 2.6
million Indian expatriate population, is the leading source of professional talent coming to the UAE
-- representing 28 percent, according to a study by LinkedIn, the
world's largest professional network. The other countries after
India are Britain, Pakistan, the US,
and Qatar.
According to LinkedIn, the UAE
retained its position as the world
leader in attracting talent for the
second consecutive year.

The India-UAE trade crossed $59
billion in 2014-15, making the
country India's third largest trading
partner after China and the US.
India was the UAE's largest nonoil trading partner in 2014. Both
countries signed a Bilateral
Investment Promotion and
Protection Agreement (BIPA) in
2013.
Indians in the UAE are the
largest remitters globally, and
remitted $12.64 billion to their
home country in 2014. India is also
the third largest source of tourists
travelling to the UAE.
Islamabad: A joint investigation team (JIT) has been

formed to probe a massive
child pornography scandal in
Pakistan's Punjab province,
media reports said.
Reports of a 25-member gang
of paedophiles making and
selling videos of child sexual
abuse in Punjab province's
Ganda Singh Wala area for the
last 10 years surfaced.
Investigations into the massive scandal -- termed the
biggest in the country's history
-- revealed that around 400
videos were made of 280 minor
victims, some younger than 14
years, Geo News reported.
Amid mounting calls for justice from protesting families,
media and civil society, the
Punjab government has formed
the ve-member JIT headed by
Deputy Inspector-General
(DIG) Abu Bakr Khuda Baksh
to investigate the case and
present its report within two
weeks.
The JIT will investigate the
pending cases of child abuse in

Hussain Khanwala village and
submit its report to the Lahore
High Court.
Meanwhile, anti-terrorism
charges have been included in
the lodged cases. The case will
now be heard in the anti-terrorism court.
Relatives of four more victims have come forward to register their complaints in the
child abuse scandal. An application was led by family
members claiming that the victims had been abused at gunpoint.
So far, the number of accused
arrested has risen to 14 after
police made two more arrests
this week.
Also, the National Assembly
of Pakistan passed a unanimous resolution seeking the
harshest possible punishment
for the culprits.
Members of the lower house
of parliament expressed solidarity with the victimized children and their parents.
82
BUSINESS
August 15-21, 2015
S is for Sundar as Google becomes Alphabet
Washington: Chennai born, IIT

Kharagpur-educated Sundar Pichai
has become the head of a "slightly
slimmed down Google", with the
search giant in a major corporate
restructuring forming an umbrella
company called Alphabet.
Taking over the operational management of Google's search,
YouTube and nancial-services
units, Pichai, 43, becomes only the
third chief executive of the company after Executive Chairman Eric
Schmidt and co-founder Larry
Page.
With the change, the company's
founders Sergey Brin and Page will
run Alphabet -- Page as CEO and
Brin as president.
Many other companies will operate under Alphabet acting as the
parent holding company, including
Google, a company focused on
health efforts called Life Sciences,
and a company focused on longevity called Calico.
"This new structure will allow us
to keep tremendous focus on the
extraordinary opportunities we have
inside of Google," said Google
chief executive Page in a blog post
titled "G is for Google" on Monday.
"A key part of this is Sundar
Google CEO Pichai symbolizes new India: IT industry
Sundar Pichai, 43, becomes only the third

chief executive of the company.
Pichai," he said.
"Sundar has been saying the
things I would have said (and sometimes better!) for quite some time
now, and I've been tremendously
enjoying our work together." "He
has really stepped up since October
of last year, when he took on product and engineering responsibility
for our internet businesses," Page
wrote.
Pichai, who came to the US in
1993 after getting a BTech from
IIT-Kharagpur, earned an MS from
Stanford University and an MBA

from Wharton School of Business.
He has worked at Google -- which
was founded in 1998 -- since it went
public in 2004, most recently as the
senior vice president of product.
He is the second person of Indian
origin to head a major IT company
after Hyderabad-born Satya Nadella
who became CEO of software giant
Microsoft in February 2014, succeeding Steve Ballmer.
With his elevation, Pichai joins
the big league of Indian-origin
Bengaluru/New Delhi: The Indian IT industry is upbeat over the

appointment of Indian-born Sundarajan Pichai, 43, as chief executive
of the world's largest search engine Google Inc in the US.
Elated over the meteoric rise of Pichai in Google, who will succeed
its co-founder Larry Page a decade after joining the Silicon Valley
behemoth in 2004, a top industry executive said that the IIT graduate
symbolized new India, representing talent, technology, innovation and
managerial acumen.
"It is not a surprise that another Indian techie has made it to the top a
year after Satya Nadella became Microsoft's chief executive. They
both with many others represent the best of talent, creativity and managerial ability to run global corporations," Nasscom president R.
Chandrashekhar said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the rst to greet Pichai for heading one of the most valued technology rms in the world.
"Congratulations Sundar Pichai. My best wishes for the new role at
Google," Modi tweeted.
Nadella also tweeted: "Congrats sundarpichai well deserved!"
CEOs in at least half a dozen
Fortune 500 companies, including
Indra Nooyi at Pepsi, Ajay Banga at
Mastercard, and Sanjay Mehrotra at
SanDisk.
Pichai will lead Google with users
in mind, said a report in the New
York Times suggesting he "owes his
new job to his success in making
Google products easier to use and
thus more popular".
Google will continue to focus on

internet products. Android,
YouTube, search and ads will
remain part of Google Inc.
The Alphabet companies will
retain their current leadership. Nest
will be led by Tony Fadell,
Sidewalk Labs by Dan Doctoroff,
and Calico by Arthur Levinson.
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki will
now report to Pichai.
Sports
Saina, Sindhu, Jwala-Ashwini in line for Worlds medal
Jakarta: As many as three medals

will be on the line for Indian shuttlers on August 14 as Saina Nehwal,
P.V. Sindhu and the doubles pair of
Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa
entered the quarter-nals of their
respective categories at the World
Championships here.
A win will take the Indians to the
semi-nals, which assures a shuttler
of at least a bronze medal nish.
However, it was the end of the
road for Indian male shuttlers at the
World meet as men's singles third
seed Kidambi Srikanth and 11th
seed H.S. Prannoy were both ousted
from the third round in three-game
thrillers at the 9,000-seater Istora
Senayan.
Earlier in the day, Indian badminton queens Saina and Sindhu
earned contrasting wins to enter the
Saina Nehwal plays against Sayaka Takahashi of Japan during

women's singles match in Jakarta, Indonesia.
women's singles quarter-nals while

Jwala and Ashwini fought hard to
reach the women's doubles last eight
in dramatic fashion.
Double World Championship
bronze medallist Sindhu, who is
coming back from a long injury layoff, put herself well on course for a
hat-trick of medals at the World
event after defeating old nemesis
and reigning Olympic champion Li
Xuerui of China. The 20-year-old
deed all odds to beat the third

seeded Xuerui 21-17, 14-21, 21-17
in 50 minutes to secure her second
win in four meetings against the
World No.3.
After sharing the rst two games,
it all boiled down to the crucial third
game where the 11th seeded Indian
took a solid 8-3 and then later a 12-7
advantage. However, the former
World No.1 Chinese bounced back
to go 14-13 up. The World No.13
Indian used cross-court smashes and
drops to make Xuerui run for the
shuttle and win the next ve points
to take a solid 18-14 lead.
It was only a matter of time before
Sindhu closed the match in her
favour, knocking out the Chinese,
who reached the nals of the last
two editions to claim two silvers.
Next up, Sindhu will take on
South Korean eighth seed Sung Ji

Hyun, against whom the Indian has
an impressive 3-1 record. However,
Sung won the last match the two
played against each other in 2014 in
Denmark.
A little while later, World No.2
Saina also displayed superb skills to
ease past 14th seed Sayaka
Takahashi 21-18, 21-14 in 47 minutes. This was the second seeded
Indian's fourth win over the
Japanese in as many meetings.
However, she faces a tough round
ahead as she takes on former world
champion Yihan Wang of China.
The former World No.1, who is
seeded sixth here, has a 9-2 record
against Saina in career meetings.
But, importantly, the Hyderabadi
won the last time the two met at All
England in March.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
84
August 15-21, 2015
HUMOR
Funny Side by Nury Vittachi
The delights of interacting with very small people

M
Y FRIEND SYLVIA missed a social
occasion. She explained it was
because she had to accompany her
daughter to a super-tough second round
interview by a panel of people in suits.
I replied: But your daughters two years
old.
Yes, it was a multiple round interview for a
TODDLER.
Its now harder to get into a kindergarten
than a major investment bank, or so I deduce
by the quality of staff at those places.
***
I was shaking my head over that conversation when a reader forwarded me a superimpressive resume sent to a school in China
by the parents of a very small boy.
What next? My fetus is studying trigonometry and will start jazz dance immediately
after birth.
Or maybe immediately before birth? Left
leg kick, two, three, right leg kick, two
three
***
When this columnist adopted a baby, he and
his wife were placed in chairs in a room, and
then presented with a five-month-old infant
for 20 minutes to interview it.
What to ask? So, how would you describe
your strengths and weaknesses?
His answers werent exactly textbook, since

he basically just dribbled a bit and then fell
asleep.
But we gave him a passing grade for general
charm and for not pooping on us very much.
***
How do you judge infants anyway?
I once had to interview a large number of
randomly chosen mothers for a survey. It
quickly became evident that every single
mother had given birth to a child way above
average intelligence.
I realized that this could only work mathematically if there existed entire cities in which
every individual was dumb as a rock.
Having traveled a great deal in recent years,
I can now confirm this is true.
***
Judging older children is even tougher. Two
or three times a year I get to be a judge at junior talent contests. This is how they go.
1) Child screeches off-key for three minutes.
Judges: Well done!
2) Child prances around and falls over.
Judges: Well done!
3) Child creates hideous sounds from instrument.
Judges: Well done!
4) Foul-tempered child refuses to do anything except pee on the stage, and sometimes
on the judges.
Judges: Well done!
**
Now before anyone accuses me of being
grumpy and cynical, I will admit that children
can sometimes be very admirable indeed.
A group of Japanese children from that
country went on a Shinkansen train as part of
a school trip, I was told by a reader from that
country.
Before arriving at Tokyo Station, they
cleaned their carriage so well that the trains
official cleaner was stunned.
She tracked down the youngsters to
Kawakado Middle School in Tachikawa and
wrote a two-page letter thanking them.

I was deeply moved, the cleaner wrote,
according to press reports. And I cleaned the
rest of the train in a state of happiness.
***
The cleaners response didnt surprise me at
all. Clearly shes a parent. If my kids ever
cleaned their rooms, I would fall to my knees,
stunned, and happily write them a two-page
thank you letter.
Id be so grateful I might even feed and
clothe them properly for a while.
Or at least put on my judging suit and say:
Well done!
***
Laughter is the Best Medicine
by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and
humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the
immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat,
he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
86
ASTROLOGY
August 15-21, 2015
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874;

Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899;
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
Stars Foretell: August 15-21, 2015

ARIES: This is a good time to review your
performance. You can meet
someone who will help you
learn the ropes on the legal
front. Those playing the stocks
stand to gain substantially. You
may find your relationship going nowhere,
but it will not be the end of the road.
Travelling tips may come in handy for those
going abroad on vacation. Good eating
habits will have a positive impact on health.
TAURUS: Workload can bog you down.

Things may go over the head of
those learning new subjects.
You are likely to become popular in your social circle. Peer
pressure will be successfully
countered as you manage to hold your own.
An advice of someone close will come in
handy in retrieving a situation. Love at first
sight can happen, but it may just be infatuation. Wealth is likely to come to you.
GEMINI: A business meeting will turn out to

be immensely promising. Young
entrepreneurs will manage to
establish themselves on the professional front. Someone is likely
to look up to you for help. You can
become a role model for some youngsters.
Domestic responsibilities will be taken care of
by delegating them to family members. A health
spa is likely to provide rest, relaxation and total
peace of mind. You remain busy this week.
CANCER: You are likely to reap rich benefits

of a wise professional move.
Proximity to the boss will help
you step into the inner circle.
Family life will cruise along
smoothly and give you time for rest
and recoup. Money from an unexpected source
will come to you shortly. You will manage to
revive your flagging love life. Perfect fitness
will be yours for the asking. Travelling towards
the east is auspicious.
LEO: You are set to expand your circle of

influence. Professionals will
need to think out of the box to
increase clientele. Publicity
can do wonders to your image,
but choose the right people for
it. A family youngster studying abroad may
spend sometime back home. You will need
to be more trusting of people; not everyone
is out to fleece you. Neglect may again
make health an issue for you.
VIRGO: You are likely to take someones help

in managing your finances. An initiative taken at work sometime
back will start getting results.
Those seeking employment are
likely to impress the interviewer
adequately to land a job. A positive development on the family front can be expected. New
friends and a new heartthrob are likely for
some. Cool environs of a hill station may beckon some. Health remains satisfactory.
LIBRA: You cannot ask for a better opportunity to grab a contract. A lucrative assignment can bring you
within reach of excellent profits. Some of you are likely to
get rich remuneration for your
creative talents. A religious ceremony is likely to awaken your spiritual side.
Homemakers will find ready volunteers for a
task on the home front. Someone who takes
an unusual interest in you can attract you.
SCORPIO: You will need to take all the

options into account before making an important decision at
work. Some of you can lag
behind others in meeting a
deadline. You are likely to enjoy
yourself thoroughly in a family get-together.
Partner is likely to share your romantic feelings to make the week most fulfilling. Some
of you can think on the lines of buying a new
vehicle. Some healthy changes are foreseen.
SAGITTARIUS: You are likely to win over

people who matter on the professional front. An invitation to a
marriage or party may be
received by some. You are likely to get a chance to enjoy all by
yourself at home. Some of you will need to
rethink their investment options. Romance is
likely to be placed in neutral gear as you have
more important issues to attend to! Health
remains satisfactory.
CAPRICORN: Your subtle attempts to malign

someone will not succeed. In fact,
your own credibility can come
under the scanner. Superior at
work will need results on ground
and not just hot air. An unguarded
moment can make you touch your savings for a
thing that is not urgent. Your mind may be full
of negative thoughts about someone or something. You can count on partners support.
Health needs care.
AQUARIUS :Tying up business with pleasure may not be the best arrangement. Some of you can get fed
up of listening to the advice or
moral lectures of a family senior. You may show a happy face
to the world, but only you know what you are
going through internally. Chances of losing
patience on the domestic front cannot be
ruled out for some. Financially, you may
make yourself even more secure.
PISCES: Something you want done may not

find approval of someone close.
You can be entrusted with the
task of making some harsh decisions at work. It is time to review
your relationships and work
towards strengthening them, even if you dont
want to. You will need to realise your responsibility towards a family elder. An opposite number is likely to send romantic overtures. Be
careful of what you eat and drink.
Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

15th August, 2015
Ruled planet: Venus Ruled by no: 6
Traits in you: As you are ruled by Venus, you are optimistic, modest, focused, punctual, reliable, and dependant.
You are pretty interested in doing social work and charity.
However, you should control your mood swings, impatience, and whim.
Health this year: You need to focus on your health a little
more as you may fall sick frequently this year. You should
go for regular medical checkups to maintain a healthy life.
Your parents may fall sick towards the end of the year and
it will put you in immense pressure.
Finance this year: As far as your financial status is considered, you will enjoy a healthy run this year. You may
redirect yourself to more profitable business. You may plan
for few business trips this year for your growth. You should
not get involved in any kind of partnerships as it may hamper your business.
Career this year: You will be very impressive in your professional circuit this year. However, you need to work smart
and perform well to grow as a perfectionist. You should
take quick decisions to excel in your field. You may have
to help your ordinates to drive productivity.
Romance this year: You will share a blissful romantic relationship with your spouse or partner. Your marriage is on
cards if you are yet to marry. You will find your partner supportive enough in every crucial situation.
Lucky month: March, May, August and November
16th August, 2015
Ruled planet: Neptune Ruled by no: 7
Traits in you: By nature you are sober, courteous, unique,
honest and courageous as you are ruled by the powerful
planet Neptune. Your charming nature attracts people towards you. You love to face challenges and you fight them
pretty well by executing perfection. You need to check for
your impatience, rudeness, and frequent mood swings.
Health this year: Your health will remain fine but the fluctuations in the health of your spouse may create huge problems for you. You should take care of the health of yourself
as well as your family members to avoid future health problems.
Finance this year: This year will see an increase in your
earnings. However, you will end up spending a lot of money on your family. You will spend enough money to buy
luxury and comforts and this will affect your savings. You
may get into new partnerships to start new ventures towards
the end of the year.
Career this year: This year you will reach to the peak of
your professional career and it will offer you huge financial

benefits. This year will be pretty rewarding for female employees. You may get a better performance appraisal as well
as salary hike as compared to your expectations.
Romance this year: For your marital relationship, this year
will be pretty fruitful for you. If you are still single, you
may get into a romantic alliance towards the end of the
year. If you are already in a relationship, you may plan to
convert your relationship into marriage.
Lucky month: August, November, December, February
17th August, 2015
Ruled planet: Saturn Ruled by no: 8
Traits in you: Your governing planet Saturn makes you
confident, unique, creative, dynamic, and intelligent. You
are determined enough to perform any task assigned to you.
So you always remain a step ahead from others. Along all
your good characteristics, you have few negative characters
as well. You need to work on your unreliability, insensitiveness, and selfishness.
Health this year: Though you would not face any major
health related issues, you should take extra care of your
health. Do not take unwanted risk of putting your health in
stake. Go for regular medical checkups.
Finance this year: Your confidence and hard work will
help you earn a lot of money and you will be able to expand
your business as well. You may go ahead investing on anything you want as this year is pretty rewarding for you.
Your past legal disputes will get resolved this year and give
you enough opportunity to make money.
Career this year: Your interest and enthusiasm to perform
will make you an extraordinary performer in your professional circuit. You will be respected and rewarded for your
work. You need to take the leadership responsibility to cement your position in your organization.
Romance this year: Your relationship with your spouse or
partner will blossom this year. If you are not married, you
may have to wait for few more years though you are eligible for marriage.
Lucky month: October, January, April and June
18th August, 2015
Ruled planet: Mars Ruled by no: 9
Traits in you: Being ruled by Mars, you are aggressive,
courageous, aspiring, focused, friendly, generous, and honest. You lag behind others because you lose many opportunities. You need to work on your frequent mood swings and
temperament.
Health this year: You should take your prescribed med-
ication in spite of a better health. The health of your parents

may make you a worried person.
Finance this year: Your financial condition will be pretty
good as the movements of your stars are favorable for making money this year. You may go for any investment on real
estate or gold. Do not trust anyone when partnerships are
concerned. You should not lend or borrow money as it will
create disputes.
Career this year: You will be establishing yourself as a
very efficient and important resource in your organization
this year. Your performance will influence your peers, seniors and higher management. It is the best time to look out
for a new job as it will help you grow both professionally
and financially.
Romance this year: Your romantic relationship will reach
new heights this year. You may get married this year, if you
are unmarried yet. You need to take care of the emotional
requirements of your partner to strengthen your relationship.
Lucky month: November, February, July and August
19th August, 2015
Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: Your ruler the sun makes you unique, creative, dedicated, responsible, reliable, and confident. You
are the master of intelligence and skills. However, your
domination nature and stubbornness you make you lag behind others.
Health this year: Your overall health would remain fine
this year. Some of the aged members in your family may
fall sick frequently to add your woes. You need to take care
of your family members by providing them better medical
attention.
Finance this year: Your undisputed energy and enthusiasm
to earn money will make you financially stable this year.
You may go for property sale this year and earn a lot of
money.
Career this year: You may have to take few major decisions in your profession. You can succeed if you put some
extra effort in your work and deliver quality. You have to
drive the team to put qualitative effort.
Romance this year: You will spend a peaceful life with
your love interest this year. You will lead a blissful life with
your beloved with lots of love, care, concern, and support.
Lucky month: April, August, October and December
20th August, 2015
Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2
Traits in you: As dominated by the Moon, you are very
peace loving. You do not want to get involved in unnecessary talks. You are reliable, emotional, generous, humble,
kind, mature, and optimistic. However, you need to
eradicate selfishness from your nature to improve as an
individual.
Health this year: As far as health is concerned, you will be
enjoying a pretty good health this year. However, some
of your family members may fall sick and that will bother
you.
Finance this year: You will get enough good opportunities
to convert your startup business to an established one. You
need to work hard this year to gain money. It is advisable
to avoid partnerships. You may get benefited from your past
investments.
Career this year: You should take inputs from senior and
experienced professionals to learn new things and grow
professionally. Act diplomatically if you have some professional issues. Getting emotional and aggressive would
not work though.
Romance this year: If you are yet to be in a committed relationship, you may get into one this year. If you are already
committed, then you may plan for marriage towards the end
of the year.
Lucky month: August, November, February and May
21th August, 2015
Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3
Traits in you: As you are ruled by Jupiter, you are ambitious, dignified, friendly, cheerful and highly optimistic.
You are a believer but you do not believe anything without
proper proof. People respect in many ways as you are very
social and friendly to them. However, your arrogance
blocks the way to become a complete person.
Health this year: Your sibling may suffer from an incurable disease this year. You need to take care of yourself and
your family members by providing them with modern medical facilities.
Finance this year: You may be able to improve your financial conditions by find an extra source of income. You
may go for new short term investments. You will be able to
obtain luxury and happiness by spending money.
Career this year: Your confidence will convert you into a
winner. You will be capable enough to overcome any challenge you need to face. The chances of your promotion and
transfer are high due to the organizational change.
Romance this year: You will find your partner to be a huge
emotional support for you during the tough times of your
life. You may get involved in a matrimonial alliance.
Lucky month: September , November, May and July
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
August 15-21, 2015
88
August 15-21, 2015
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Attain true independence

spiritually
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
ndependence Day is celebrated in India on August 15th.
Other countries may also have
their own independence days.
While in the world this holiday
marks the day a country became
free from its mother country or
declared itself a sovereign nation,
independence also refers to the
liberation and freedom of our
soul. Just as one country may be a
colony of another country, our
soul has been colonized and taken
over by the coverings of our mind
and body.
Most of us think of ourselves as
a body and a mind; few realize
that we have another part that is
our true essence, our soul. When

our soul declares its own independence from the bondage of the
mind and body, it soars with
exhilaration and freedom. Instead
of being bound to the limitations
of time and space of this earthly
realm, the soul experiences its
unlimited nature as it experiences
the bliss and joy of regions of creation that exist beyond this realm.
Scientists of the soul, often
referred to as saints, mystics,
philosophers, or Masters, have
been exploring the regions
beyond since recorded history.
They came to the same conclusions. We are more than the body
and mind; we are the soul. The
soul can travel into spiritual
realms and merge back in its
source, the Oversoul, the Creator,
or the Divine. They have all
achieved this realization by
inverting their attention, whether
it is called prayer, inversion, or
meditation. They tell us our true
independence comes when we sit
in silence, close our eyes, direct

our attention within, and experience the Divine.
The journey begins with our

inner awareness or inner eye
opening up to see inner light and
hear celestial music. Through further absorption in these, our soul

transcends awareness of the physical body to become aware of the
inner realms, such as the astral,
causal, and supracausal regions,
until it merges into a region of all
spirit, the home of the Divine. We
then discover our soul, which is
spirit, is the same essence as the
Creator, which is also spirit. The
two merge back into one and we
experience limitless bliss, joy,
and divine love.
When we celebrate the outer
independence days in our respective countries, whether it is July 4
in the United States, or on different dates in different countries,
let us also strive to achieve our
spiritual independence. We can
do so by meditating on the inner
Light and Sound which will lead
our soul to recognize that we are
more than the physical body and
intellect. We are soul, a part of
the Divine, and our true nature is
bliss, joy, and love.
Freedom from strife

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji
Maharaj
ife and strife seem to go
hand in hand. We have all
experienced this. Any
happiness that we receive is
often short-lived, for at any
moment we may suddenly find
ourselves in states of sorrow.
Disturbances occur at each and
every stage of our life. Although
existence in this world is turbulent, life should be more than a
pendulum in which we swing
back and forth between moments
of joy and moments of sorrow.
The dictionary defines peace as
freedom from strife, a state of
serenity, calmness, and stillness.
Despite the obstacles, we can
attain true peace in this lifetime,
but to do so, we need to undergo
a shift in our way of thinking.
Our angle of vision needs to
change.
We tend to look for peace in
the outer world. We hope to find
it in our possessions, positions,
and relationships, but the loss of
any of these causes us to become
agitated and distraught. Our
peace of mind is disturbed.
Everything in this world is subject to change and eventual
decay. So long as we look to the
transitory world for happiness,
we will be disappointed. We
need to change the way we look
The
solution
to finding
peace
requires
us to look
at the problem from a new
perspective. We cannot change
the nature of the world or its
problems, but we can add a new
dimension to life that will give
us peace.
at this problem. An anecdote
from the life of the Moghul
Emperor Akbar can help us in
this regard.
Akbar is considered to be one
of the most enlightened emperors of India. He had a number of
advisors to help run his kingdom.
Among these great minds was
Birbal, the wisest of them all. He
was quite clever and could figure
out solutions to difficult prob-
lems by looking at them from a

totally different perspective.
One day Akbar wanted to test
his advisors, so he presented
them with a puzzle. He took a
stick and drew a line in the sand.
He asked the advisors to try to
shorten the line without erasing
any part of it. Each counselor
took a turn, but all were
stumped. They could not figure
out how to make it shorter.
Finally, Birbal came forward,

took the stick, and carefully drew
a line next to the one the emperor
had drawn but Birbal made his
line longer. By drawing the second line longer, it made the original one look shorter.
The solution to finding peace
requires us to look at the problem from a new perspective. We
cannot change the nature of the
world or its problems, but we
can add a new dimension to life
that will give us peace. Lasting
peace can be found within us.
Enlightened luminaries throughout history have had mystical
experiences which verified for
them the existence of an inner
spiritual reality.
Mystics from every religious
tradition have described their
inner spiritual experiences. They
have spoken of heavenly realms
that co-exist with the physical
world. These are realms of joy
and love which are within us.
They are regions of eternal peace
and bliss beyond time and space.
Although we cannot change the
fundamental nature of the world,
we can become attuned to the
worlds lying within us. In order
to find peace in the world, we
must first find it within ourselves. We can do this only by
changing our perspective in life.
The way to reach the spiritual
realms is to invert through a
process known as meditation.

Through meditation we can separate our soul from the body and
voyage into the regions within.
We have within us an opening
or door by which our attention
can enter the higher regions. This
entryway is located between and
behind the two eyebrows. It is
known as the seat of the soul in
the body and has been referred to
in many ways by various religions and philosophies. It has
been called the single eye or
third eye, the shiv netra, divya
chakshu, daswan dwar, or tenth
door. If we can withdraw our
attention from the outer world
and focus it at this point we will
see the Light of the higher
regions reflected therein. As our
soul collects at this point, it rises
into the beyond.
We may spend our time seeking worldly enjoyments, but they
last for only short periods of
time. So long as our attention is
identified with the world outside,
we are faced with the problems
and miseries that are inherent in
physical existence. By inverting
our attention and rising above
the physical body through a
process of meditation on the
inner Light, we will find regions
within which give us lasting
peace.
For more information contact
www.sos.org.
August 15-21, 2015
INDIA DAY SPECIAL
Believe
Bel
i e v e in the PPower
o w er ooff Bl
Blessings
e s sing s frfrom
om a Divin
Divinee Soul
VVishwaSant
ishwaSant Br
Brahmrishi
a
ahmrishi
SSriri Guru
Guruvanand
vanaand SSwami
wami Guruji
Guruji
In a rare event, Brahmrishi Shri Guruvanand Swami Gurudev who has invoked all Chakras of his
Kundalini will be giving his blessing personally to everyone present
VVenue
enue
e Colden
Colden Center,
Center, Queens
Queens College,
College, Fl
Flushing,
ushing, NY
NY,
Y, USA
USA .
Day
Day & Date
Date SSunday,
unday, October
Octobber 4,
4, 2015
00 PM 2:30 PM. PProgram
PProgram
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Details Light Snacks:
Snacks: 11:30
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m and Gurude
Gurudevs
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discourse:: 2:30 PM 6 PM
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PPrasad
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presence.
esence. W
Wee in
invite
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attend
tend his upc
upcoming
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vent to
to get
get
his personal
personal blessings
blessings and see
see ffor
o yyourself
or
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how
w it chang
changes
es the ccourse
ourrse ooff yyour
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To Regisster
rraahmrishi.ccoom
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For detaills v
20..44565
Or callll us at 516..66
EExperience
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everlasting positive
positive inuence
inuence on your
your soul
soul
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Likee ssoo man
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al
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Nirmala & Ashok Kumar Sancheti

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The South Asian Times

Vol.8 No. 15 August 15-21, 2015 60 Cents

New York Edition

The South Asian Times

Vol.8 No. 15 August 15-21, 2015 60 Cents

New York Edition

Making it clear that there was no

Delivering his second Independence Day address from the

Modi vows Team India will

government was determined to

minister did not touch upon foreign

you have to inject medicine everywhere."

This special issue of

August 15-21, 2015

DETERMINED TO END TERMITE

One Rank One

Prime Minister Modi giving his Independence Day address from

fetch the national exchequer Rs.3

While it was anticipated that he

PARLIAMENT BECOMING ARENA OF COMBAT: PRESIDENT

President Pranab Mukherjee addresses the nation on the

business of the house", was

The president said questions

provocation and a deteriorating

"Our policies must be geared to

August 15-21, 2015

Modi vows Team India will...

New Delhi Bureau

Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra

Strategy and Marketing

ment's "biggest achievement", and

Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah

INDIA DAY SPECIAL

August 15-21, 2015

August 15-21, 2015

START UP INDIA AND STAND

A host of steps have

Modi promises power

back such wealth that had been

also enacted, he said. "Even at the

INDIA DAY SPECIAL

August 15-21, 2015

August 15-21, 2015

NITISH SEEKS SPECIAL STATUS FOR BIHAR

Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar

Nitish Kumar also said that Bihar

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on Independence Day.

Economic freedom is foundation Raje promises to create jobs

Bengaluru: The 69th Independence

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

Chennai: Economic freedom is foundation of independence and the

Kota: Rajasthan Chief

INDIA-BANGLADESH LAND DEAL A FILLIP TO TRADE: MEGHALAYA CM

about 41.702 acres from the IndiaBangladesh land deal agreement.

as militant and criminal outts

The Meghalaya police, Sangma

INDIA DAY SPECIAL

August 15-21, 2015

August 15-21, 2015

Boys take out a procession

Female daredevils of Jammu and Kashmir Police

Himachal Pradesh police personnel during full dress rehearsal

School children perform during the full dress