The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e
Vol.10 No. 44 March 10-16, 2018 80 Cents
Defense cooperation among 12
India‑Jordan agreements signed
New Delhi: In keeping with New
Delhi's increasing engagement
with West Asia, India and Jordan
signed 12 agreements, including
an MoU on defense cooperation,
following a bilateral meeting
between Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and King of
Jordan Abdullah II Ibn Al
Hussein in New Delhi last
Thursday.
The MoU is aimed at promot‑
ing cooperation between India
and Jordan in the field of defense
by defining the scope of such
cooperation and making provi‑
sions for implementation of the
cooperation in some of the rec‑
ognized areas like training,
defense industry, counter‑terror‑
ism, military studies, cyber secu‑
rity, military medical services
and peacekeeping, according to
Paul Ryan asks Trump
to be more surgical,
targeted with tariffs
Paul Ryan, President Trump and his economic adviser
Gary Cohn who resigned protesting tariffs.
Washington: House Speaker
Paul Ryan on Tuesday urged the
Trump administration to adopt a
more "surgical" and "targeted"
focus regarding the president's
plan to impose tariffs on steel
and aluminum imports.
"There is clearly abuse occur‑
ring. Clearly, there is overcapaci‑
FINAL WEEKS
OSCARS 16 FESTIVAL 18
i n
Prime Minister Modi and the King of Jordan Abdullah II Bin
Al‑Hussein witness the exchange of MOUs in New Delhi on
March 1. They also renewed support for Palestine. (Photo: PIB)
the Ministry of External Affairs.
India and Jordan also renewed
their support and commitment to
the Palestinian cause. Said T.S.
ty dumping in trans‑shipping of
steel and aluminum by some
countries, particularly China, but
I think the smarter way to go is
to make it more surgical or more
targeted," Ryan told reporters,
Efe reported.
Earlier, Ryan ‑ a Republican ‑
Continued on page 4
IMMIGRATION 25
j o u r n a l i s m
New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
North Korean supremo Kim Jong Un shakes hands with the visiting
South Korean chief delegate Chung Eui‑yong. (Photo : AFP/KCNA/KNS)
Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic
Relations) in the MEA, “His
N.Korea ready
Majesty was appreciative of our
BJP makes
Continued on page 4
to give up nukes
further inroads
in northeast polls for security
New Delhi: The ruling BJP has
expanded its dominance to the Trump says ‘possible progress
country's Northeast region by
making impressive gains in the lat‑ being made’ towards starting
est round of state elections.
Winning in the northeastern talks with Pyongyang
region, for long dominated by
Congress party and where it used Seoul: North and South Korea have meeting in Pyongyang with leader
to be a marginal player is a agreed to hold a summit at their Kim Jong Un, Chung Eui‑yong, the
remarkable feat for the BJP. heavily armed border next month, national security adviser to South
The election results for Tripura with Pyongyang saying it would Korean President Moon Jae‑in,
on Saturday showed the BJP and consider abandoning nuclear said the North had stated there
its alliance partners had won com‑ weapons in exchange for security was "no reason" to hold on to its
fortably, ending the 25‑year reign guarantees, Seoul said on Tuesday. nuclear weapons "if military
If confirmed by Pyongyang, the threats towards the North are
of the communist government.
offer would mark the first time cleared and the security of its
In Nagaland, the right‑wing
under the current leadership the regime is guaranteed".
party and its allies took nearly half
North had declared itself willing to Chung said Kim and Moon would
the seats and are poised to form
discuss conditions under which it meet in late April at the fortified
the next government with the sup‑
might consider giving up its border village of Panmunjom for
port of independent legislators.
nuclear arsenal ‑‑ a move it has what would be only the third inter‑
Meghalaya delivered a fractured
previously insisted was firmly off Korean summit since the end of
verdict, with the Congress party
the negotiating table. Following a
Continued on page 4 Continued on page 4
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY March 10-16, 2018 3

Harvard Dean seeks change in Indian work culture

Special to
The South Asian Times
New York: Harvard Business School
Dean Nitin Nohria, pointing out the
culture of procrastination in India,
has said that employees at differ‑
ent companies donʼt do any good
for the country with that kind of
attitude.
He was asked about the wide‑
spread Chalta Hai work culture in
the country.
“Itʼs very difficult [for foreign
investors] to operate in this kind of
environment, where there is no
time commitment and in which all
major things are put off till the last
minute. Employees, without taking
the initiative, work only when
given orders by their supervisors,”
Nohria said last week at the
Consulate General of India where
he delivered a lecture on ʻDoing
Business in India: the Good and the
Bad.ʼ
done with rigid collateral rules,”
Nohria noted.
Nohriaʼs was the second in the
New India Lecture Series at the
consulate. Arvind Panagariya, for‑
merly vice chairman of the Niti
Aayog in New Delhi, delivered the
first lecture in January. The third in
the series will be delivered this
month by Hussain Haqqani, ambas‑
sador of Pakistan to the US 2008‑
2011.
In 1988, Nohria – who studied at
Nitin Nohria who delivered a lecture at the consulate, is flanked
by mediaperson Bobby Ghosh and CG Sandeep Chakravorty. IIT, Bombay and MIT ‑‑ joined the
Harvard faculty and is now the
Aparisim “Bobby” Ghosh, a for‑ said. “The employer‑employee rela‑ 10th dean of the business school.
mer editor in chief at The tionship begins with one of famil‑ He hails from Rajasthan, but was
Hindustan Times, moderated the iarity. They (the employers) think raised in Ludhiana.
discussion while Consul General that the business itself is their The dean, who has written 16
Sandeep Chakravorty introduced ʻparivarʼ (family).” books, spoke about the concept of
the guests to the roomful of audi‑ He had a word of advice for ʻjugaadʼ̶the art of improvisation
ence. banks, asking them to shun the prevalent in India and other devel‑
“In the US, the relationship habit of extending loans on the oping nations – and said that it is a
between employers and employees basis of ʻparivarʼ culture. “They smart business tool used for the
is transactional, while in India fam‑ should get into the mode of banks good of society. Nohria, however,
ily businesses dominate,” Nohria in the West where transactions are cautioned that this might pose hur‑
dles to foreign investors who want
to do business with confidence.
Worker training, more qualitative
education, laying off teachers that
are not efficient and productive are
among the measures suggested to
improve the system. “Indian IT
companies did well because of
extraordinary training programs,”
he said. “Infosys and Wipro have
extraordinary training programs.”
Nohria also praised Paytm, “If
there is a company that has the
opportunity to be the next Infosys
and the next TCS, itʼs Paytm,”
adding that in China, where people
mostly used to depend upon cash
for transactions, many cash deals
are now done digitally.
On the issue of graft raised by
this writer, the dean said, “The
level of corruption prevailing in a
society influences foreign invest‑
ment decision making. The higher
the level, the lesser is the potential
investment.”

Plan to end rule that Sikh Coalition names Satjeet

allowed spouses of H‑1B
holders to work is delayed
Washington: The Department of
Homeland Securityʼs repeal of an
Obama‑era rule which allows spouses
of H‑1B visa holders to work in the
U.S. on an H‑4 visa in February, will
now be extended to June, according to
a court filing from the Department.
According to a CNN report, the
spouses of H‑1B holders who are wait‑
ing for green cards are eligible to
work in the U.S. on H‑4 visas, a rule
which was introduced by President
Barack Obamaʼs administration in
2015.
However, the Department of
Homeland Security stated in a court
filing this week that in January the
United States Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) had
determined that “significant revisions
to the draft proposal were necessary
that required a new economic analy‑
sis” which would take several more
weeks to perform.
According to a CNN report, the
update on the repeal is in response to
a lawsuit filed in April 2015 by a
group called Save Jobs USA who
argued that the repeal threatens
American jobs.
The number of H‑4 visas has been
steadily increasing in recent years, with
the majority being issued to Indian
Americans.
The delay will provide temporarily
relief to a lot of H‑4 visa holders who
are currently working in the U.S.
The CNN report states that the num‑
ber of overall H‑4 visas has been
steadily increasing in recent years,
with the majority being issued to
Indian Americans.
131,051 new H‑4 visas were given
out in 2016 whereas only 80,015
were given out in 2012.
Before the Obama‑era rule, H‑4 visa
holders werenʼt allowed to earn an
income or have a Social Security
Number.
Kaur as Executive Director
New York: The Sikh Coalition
has announced Satjeet Kaur
as its new executive director.
She will lead the day‑to‑day
management of the coali‑
tion's staff and drive the
strategic direction of the
organization in the U.S., it
said in a recent news release.
“This organization has been
built through the outstanding
work of so many people over
the last 17 years,” Kaur said
in a statement.
Satjeet Kaur
“Iʼm humbled by the oppor‑
tunity to use this momentum to improve civil
rights in this country and empower the Sikh
community,” the new Indian American executive
director added. “This work is as important as
ever and I look forward to working together,
across our legal, advocacy, education and com‑
munity development programs, to push for criti‑
cal change on behalf of our community.”
Since joining the Sikh Coalition staff in 2010,
Kaur has built experience in nearly every pro‑
grammatic area of the organizationʼs work, it
said.
In her early years with the organization, she
managed operations, supported Sikh state stan‑
dards and education projects, developed Sikh
awareness resources and launched the Sikh
Coalitionʼs social media platforms.
Of late, as the senior direc‑
tor of development and
finance, she refined organi‑
zational branding, incorpo‑
rated game‑changing tech‑
nology, and installed new
processes that resulted in
the Sikh Coalition receiving
recognition as one of the
top nonprofits for trans‑
parency and governance,
the coalition noted.
Additionally, her fundrais‑
ing leadership has resulted
in doubling the amount of
resources now supporting the Sikh community,
the release said.
“Satjeet is undoubtedly the right choice for this
job. Her integrity, judgment and commitment to
the community have inspired thousands. For
nearly eight years, I have admired her endless
contributions to our work and her leadership
across the Sikh community and within our
team,” said co‑founder and board chairman
Narinder Singh in a statement.
The Sikh Coalitionʼs goal remains working
towards a world where Sikhs, and other religious
minorities in America, may freely practice their
faith without bias and discrimination. In 2018,
this work continues through high‑impact advo‑
cacy in the courtroom, classroom, community
and halls of Congress, it said.
 4 March 10-16, 2018 TURN PAGE
N.Korea ready to give up nukes
Lanka declares emergency for security
Continued from page 1
over Buddhist-Muslim clashes the 1950‑53 Korean conflict. He said the
Colombo: A 10‑day state of emergency was declared in two sides would establish a leader‑to‑
Sri Lanka on Tuesday after sectarian violence between leader hotline, offering the highest‑level
Buddhists and Muslims in the Kandy region left two contact between two nations that are tech‑
people dead, government officials said. nically still at war.
Clashes between the majority Buddhists and the After months of soaring tensions that
minority Muslims erupted on Sunday in the central have seen Kim Jong Un trade insults and
part of the country leading to the deaths and torching threats with US President Donald Trump,
of around 20 shops and a dozen arrests. temperatures cooled dramatically as
President Maithripala Sirisena and the Cabinet decid‑ South Korea hosted the Winter Olympics.
ed to declare a state of emergency for 10 days. Despite having few athletes competing
Security services were empowered to deal with "crimi‑ at the Games, Pyongyang sent a large and
nal elements" and to restore normality on the island, colorful delegation, which included Kim's
the media division of the Presidentʼs office tweeted. sister, who met with Moon to offer a sum‑
mit meeting.
That visit was returned this week when
Letter to the Editor Moon sent the highest‑level delegation in
a decade north of the border.
Change the gun laws The envoys returned Tuesday with news
T
of apparent breakthroughs in the long‑
he Second Amendment to the US Constitution
logjammed relationship.
protects the right of the people to keep and bear
"The South and the North agreed to hold
arms. However, this right is not absolute and
the third summit at... Panmunjom in late
does not exist in a vacuum. We have come to a fork in
the road and we must proceed in the appropriate direc‑ April," said Chung, referring to the truce
tion. We must modify our laws now! Our childrenʼs village at the heavily‑fortified border.
If realized, the summit will be the third
lives are at risk. To obtain a gun permit and therefore a
meeting between the leaders of the two
gun, our laws should protect the innocent. Here are
Koreas, which technically remain at war
my suggestions: First, a person should be at least 21
after the 1950‑53 Korean War ended with
years of age to obtain a gun permit. A physician should
an armistice instead of a peace treaty.
have to sign off on the physical and mental health of
the individual. Certain disorders and diseases should The two Koreas also agreed to open
preclude a person from owning a weapon. Conversely, communication hotline between Moon
and Kim to "defuse military tension and to
we should be spending more money and research on
have close coordination," Chung said
mental health in this country. There should be an
Tuesday. The leaders will have their first
extensive background check that is based on compre‑
phone conversation before the planned
hensiveness, not based on time. The amount of bullets
summit, he added. North Korea also
a person can purchase should be regulated. High‑
pledged that it would freeze its nuclear
capacity ammunition magazines, clips and armor pierc‑
and missile testing program during the
ing bullets should be banned. All schools should have
period of dialogue.
one main entrance. Metal detectors and one armed
guard (preferably an off‑duty or retired police officer,
or at the very least a well‑trained individual) will be an Defense cooperation among 12
actual and visual deterrent. Lastly, assault style India‑Jordan agreements signed
Continued from page 1
weapons and bump stocks should be banned
Prime Minister undertaking a standalone
We must stand with the students and parents in
visit to Palestine through Amman.” Last
Parkland, Florida and demand change in our laws. If
month, Jordan facilitated Modi's transit to
not, we should demand a change in our representa‑
Palestine in what was the first ever Indian
tives.
prime ministerial visit to the West Asian
Please go to CHANGE.ORG and sign our petition.
nation. The visit effectively de‑linked
Marc Herman
Israel from Palestine.
DDS, FAGD, ACD, MS
Also, in December last year, India voted
Chairman and Co-Founder Associate Editor:
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with the rest of the world in the UN
General Assembly against President
Donald Trump's unilateral announcement
recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel.
The various recognized areas of mutual
cooperation between Jordan and India
include universal health coverage, services
and IT in health, health research, national
health statistics, diagnosis, treatment and
medication of tuberculosis and regulation
of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
Another agreement was signed on man‑
power cooperation which provides for
cooperation between India and Jordan
with a view to promote best practices in
the administration of contract employ‑
ment of the Indian nationals in Jordan.
Jordan is home to more than 10,000
Indians, who are employed in the textile,
construction and manufacturing sectors,
fertilizer companies, health sector, univer‑
sities, IT and financial companies,
An MoU was also signed for setting up
of a next generation center of excellence
(CoE) in Jordan for training of at least
3,000 Jordanian IT professionals over a
period of five years, and setting up of a
resource center in India for training of
master trainers in the IT field from
Jordan. King Abdullah was in New Delhi
on a three‑day state visit.
Paul Ryan asks Trump to be more
surgical, targeted with tariffs
Continued from page 1
had said that he was "extremely con‑
cerned" about the potential consequences
of a trade war that might erupt as a result
of the tariffs. Trump has called for the
imposition of a 25 percent tariff on steel
imports and a 10 percent tariff on alu‑
minum imports, a proposal that has
sparked threats of reprisals by various
European countries and China.
In calling for the tariffs, Trump invoked
the seldom‑used Section 232 of the 1962
Trade Expansion Act, which allows the
president to unilaterally impose tariffs for
national security reasons.
However, Ryan said Tuesday that 232 is
"a little too broad" and "is more prone to
retaliation."
Most Republicans, who are traditionally
pro‑trade, share Ryanʼs concern.
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Jaipur (India) Bureau
Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/
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Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah
Art and Design: Dhiraj Kumar Showaan
Bhagwati Creations,
Web Editor: Bharat Bhushan Chopra
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Meanwhile, Gary Cohn, the director of
the National Economic Council and
Presidentʼs top economic adviser, is leav‑
ing his post at the White House apparent‑
ly because he was unable to convince the
president to forgo tariffs on imports of
steel and aluminum. This while a research
by a Washington‑based consulting firm
has found that Trumpʼs new tariffs on
imported steel and aluminum would cost
the U.S. nearly 146,000 jobs. "The tariffs
would increase U.S. iron and steel employ‑
ment and non‑ferrous metals (primarily
aluminum) employment by 33,464 jobs,
but cost 179,334 jobs throughout the rest
of the economy, for a net loss of nearly
146,000 jobs," said Joseph Francois and
Laura Baughman who co‑authored the
research. Services sectors will be hit the
hardest, the research found. Consumers
are likely to reduce spending when they
are hit by higher costs and lost wages
from unemployment. Negative impacts
"would ripple through the economy,"
warned the research.
BJP makes further
inroads in northeast polls
Continued from page 1
emerging as the single largest party with
21 seats, followed by the regional
National Peopleʼs Party (NPP) with 19 and
the BJP winning just two seats. BJP‑allied
NPP leader Conrad Sangma will form the
new government in Meghalaya after he
cobbled together a coalition to claim
majority support in the legislature. Each of
the three states that went to the polls in
February has a 60‑member assembly.
From being an insignificant player in
the Northeast's politics, the BJP has come
a long way since its emphatic win in the
national parliamentary polls nearly four
years ago. The BJP and its allies already
rule Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and
Manipur, while the Congress is in power
in Mizoram. "A new political landscape led
by BJP is firmly established in the region
now. Good for Northeast, good for India,"
Kiren Rijiju, a Union minister, said on
Saturday. "Today we are seeing a true pan‑
India rise of the BJP. It used to be known
as a party of the Hindi belt but that has
changed now," party president Amit Shah
said.
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY March 10-16, 2018 5

This Indian-American's $ 1 million

research may change cancer treatment
Houston: An Indian‑American scientist
has been awarded a grant of over $1.1
million for his ground‑ breaking research
on cancer.
Navin Vardarajan, along with another
University of Houston researcher
Sanghyuk Chung, were awarded huge
grants by Cancer Prevention & Research
Institute of Texas (CPRIT) , an organiza‑
tion that funds pioneering cancer research
and prevention programs in the state.
Navin Varadrajan
Associate professor of chemical and
bimolecular engineering, Navin was given only those that cure tumors.
$1,173,420 to improve effectiveness of T‑ "Once we know what is required to get a
cell immunotherapy, while his fellow positive response, we can control the com‑
researcher Sanghyuk Chung, associate position of the cells so that they all can
professor of biology and biochemistry, was work to fight cancer," he said.
awarded $811,617 to define molecular Varadarajan said studying what makes
targets for the treatment of cervical can‑ better T cells will guide the development
cer. of the next generation of genetically modi‑
Varadarajan will use his grant to bring fied cells, and all of immunotherapy in
consistent results to cancer patients general.
undergoing T‑cell immunotherapy by "The big challenge with T cells is that
manufacturing programmed T cells to there isn't one single thing that can be
meet, recognize and destroy tumors, a used to define what a T cell is supposed to
statement said. do. Because it's a living cell, it's capable of
"We have to understand every single T so many different things but studying
cell and what each one is capable of," said them at the single‑cell level allows us to
Varadarajan, who is looking for a perfect map all of these different things onto the
cell composition in order to manufacture same cell," he said. (PTI)

Bipin Patel holds 3rd annual

medical camp in Gujarat
By SATimes Team

Wayne, NJ: Former FIA President

and New Jersey entrepreneur
Bipin Patel helped over 1,200
needy patients at his 3rd consecu‑
tive annual medical camp on
February 6 last month in Gujarat.
The Medical Camp was held at
Radhanpur, Dist. Mehsana (some
200 km north of Ahmedabad).
Bipin Patel, a native of Nadiad in
Gujarat, holds this camp every
year around his birthday (January Former FIA President & New Jersey
21) in the state. entrepreneur Bipin Patel holds a free medical
Patel brought a team of 35 doc‑ camp in Gujarat state he hails from.
tors from Ahmedabad including
physicians, cardiologist, orthope‑
dic, ophthalmologist, pediatricians
and gynecologist as well as nurses
and support staff to attend to the
patients.
More than 1,200 People from 21
different villages took advantage
of this camp. Group of five villages
at a time were assigned different
time slots during the day.
Commute to the camp by mini
Bipin Patel honored by the local community
vans was provided at no cost from
leaders for his charitable work.
the villages. Posters and hoardings
were placed well in advance to create aware‑ camp was held in association with Lok Kalyan
ness in the villages about the camp. During Seva Sanstha, Ramanandi Sadhu Samaj
the day long camp, over 300 eye glasses were Pragati Mandal, Navinbhai Patel and Vashram
handed out, a pharmacy store that was set up Makvana.
gave away 50 different kind of medicines to About his annual medical camp, Bipin Patel
the needy. Lunch was provided to all. In the told The South Asian Times, “In India so many
weeks after the camp, 95 cataract surgeries people do not have access to health checkups
were performed at Mehsana Hospital, which and treatment, so this is my small contribu‑
were paid for by Bipin Patel. This medical tion to the dire need.”
6 March 10-16, 2018
Upset Hindus urge Amazon to
apologize & withdraw Lord
Ganesha stockings & Om flip‑flops
U
pset Hindus have
urged world's largest
online retailer
Amazon.com for immediate
withdrawal of stockings car‑
rying the image of Hindu
deity Lord Ganesha and flip‑
flops carrying sacred Hindu
symbol Om; calling it highly
inappropriate.
Hindu statesman Rajan
Zed, in a statement in
Nevada, said that Lord
Ganesha was highly revered
Stockings with
in Hinduism and was meant
Ganesha printed
to be worshiped in temples
sold at amazon.com
or home shrines and not to
cover your feet and legs or
touch with your feet and legs.
Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or
symbols or concepts for commercial or
other agenda was not okay as it hurt the
faithful.
Zed, who is President of Universal
Society of Hinduism, also urged
Amazon.com and its President Jeffrey P.
Flushing Town Hall to present US
debut of PunjabTronix on March 10
O
n March 10, technology will meet
tradition as cutting‑edge live elec‑
tronica and digital technologies
combine with the traditional sounds of Pun‑
jab when Flushing Town Hall presents Pun‑
jabTronix. Mercury‑nominated electronic
music producer DJ Swami joins forces with
Punjabi folk musicians (Vijay Yamla, Naresh
Kukki, Dheera Singh, Gurtej Singh) to create
an innovative musical and visual experi‑
ence, combining dynamic electronic beats
with the raw energetic DNA of Punjab. “We
are delighted to be presenting PunjabTron‑
ix, a brand new, exciting contemporary mu‑
sic project where technology meets raw
Punjabi folk music,” said Jaswinder Singh,
Project Producer and Director of Asian Arts
Agency. “This international collaboration
between the exceptionally talented British
and Indian artists is receiving global atten‑
tion from audiences and promoters. I am
looking forward to our US debut at Flush‑
ing Town Hall, and expect that audiences
will have a great time enjoying this new
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
Bezos to offer a formal apol‑
ogy, besides withdrawing
three such Lord Ganesha
stockings and Om flip‑flops,
as this was not the first time
for the company to offer
such products which were
deemed offensive by Hindu
devotees.
Hinduism was the oldest
and third largest religion of
the world with about 1.1 bil‑
lion adherents and a rich
philosophical thought and it
should not be taken frivo‑
lously. Symbols of any faith,
larger or smaller, should not
be mishandled, Rajan Zed
indicated. Zed further said that such trivi‑
alization of Lord Ganesha and sacred Om
symbol was disturbing to the Hindus
world over. Hindus were for free artistic
expression and speech as much as any‑
body else if not more. But faith was some‑
thing sacred and attempts at trivializing it
hurt the followers, Zed added.
Exciting
collaboration
between music
producer DJ
Swami, Punjabi
folk musicians,
and filmmaker
John Minton
music performance.”
Mixing live electronic dance music with
Punjabi dhol drums, vocals, stringed instru‑
ments and the hypnotic sounding double
flute algoza, the powerful distinct rhythms
and traditional melodies of the Punjab will
interact creatively with live electronic drum
machines, synthesiser arpeggios and
basslines. And, completing the unique musi‑
cal and visual event will be visual
projections of original digital animations
and cinematic Punjabi imagery, produced
by filmmaker John Minton.
PunjabTronix is a new project produced
and commissioned by Asian Arts Agency to
respond to Reimagine India 2017, a cultur‑
al exchange program designed to develop
creative collaborations between artists
from England and India. PunjabTronix,
which is funded by Reimagine India and is
part of UK/India Year of Culture 2017 and
the 70th anniversary celebrations of the In‑
dependence of India, is supported by Arts
Council England and British Council.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
TATA hosts fundraising dinner in
NY for forthcoming convention
T
elangana American Telugu Associ‑ unconditional support in organizing and
ation (TATA) a non‑profit organi‑ conducting the event. He also explained
zation organized a fundraising din‑ the efforts done to unite the organiza‑
ner in Garden City, New York on March tions, which reduced great amount of
3rd. This meeting was hosted by TATA time, financial burden on the attendees,
New York Team at an Indian restaurant. donors and organizers. He personally in‑
This dinner was organized to raise vited all the attendees and their families
money for the upcoming American Tel‑ to the convention. Following Dr. Pailla
ugu Convention 2018 which is scheduled Malla Reddyʼs address, President Dr. Ha‑
to be held from May 31st‑ June 2nd in ranath Policherla, addressed the atten‑
Dallas, Texas. The dinner was well at‑ dees and has motivated them with his
tended by the New York Telugu commu‑ electrifying speech. He gave the details
nity and about 250 people in total on the backdrop of the joint convention
showed up exhibiting their great enthusi‑ and applauded Dr. Pailla Malla Reddy for
asm towards the upcoming convention. his efforts in developing the joint con‑
TATA Advisory council chairman Dr. Pail‑ vention in to a reality. He said explained
la Malla Reddy and TATA President Dr. the success of the celebration depends
Haranath Policherla graced the occasion on the financial strength and requested
with their presence.Phanibhushan Tade‑ the audience to donate generously. A
palli took the role of Master of Cere‑ video was presented explaining the goals
monies and kicked off the event with a of the convention.
warm welcome to all the attendees. The event successfully raised $252,000
Dr. Pailla Malla Reddy addressed the at‑ boosting the morale of the NY team and
tendees and congratulated them for their TATA in general.
B4U TV celebrates successful first
season of The Meera Gandhi Show
Screening Party to be held March 13th
at the Disney Screening Room
B
4U, one of the worldʼs
leading Bollywood chan‑
nels with viewership in
over 100 countries, announces
the wrap of the first season of
The Meera Gandhi Show, an in‑
spirational television program
that encourages a life full of pos‑
itivity, spiritual understanding
and inner peace. Hosted by
award‑winning influencer, hu‑
manitarian, philanthropist and
founder of The Giving Back
Foundation Meera Gandhi, the
showʼs first season takes viewers
on an enlightening journey
through such episodes as Revi‑
talization, Freedom, Happiness,
Accomplishments, Celebration,
Compassion, Creativity and Kar‑
ma and Destiny. Guests on the
show include such notables as
DJ Donna DʼCruz, dancer Jules
Philanthropist Meera Gandhi
Bakshi, Academy award win‑
ning violinist Tim Fain, Buddhist monk Aria Meera Gandhi Show was born. Now, Meera
Das, PR guru Rob Goldstone and artists Juan shares her learnings through her mentors,
Beral, singer Lara Anderson and rising star inspiring individuals, music, guided medita‑
Madame Gandhi (who coincidentally is tion, experiences and recommended reading
Meeraʼs daughter). lists. The takeaway of the show is to discov‑
Kevin Rego, North American Head for er tools to de‑stress and live a more joyful,
B4U, presented the idea for the show after positive life.
witnessing Meeraʼs own spiritual journey. The complete 13‑episode first season of
Her new lifestyle choices like meditation The Meera Gandhi Show has aired on B4U
twice a day, a less hectic travel schedule and TV Network and is available for live stream‑
a slower, stress free pace was a message ing at TheMeeraGandhiShow.com, Facebook
that needed to be shared and hence, The and VIMEO.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY March 10-16, 2018 7

This ashram gets into community service

By SATimes Team

Mineola, NY: Ashram ‑ Kant

Darshan Darbar is a non‑profit
serving the humanity since the
year 1980. Last year its Spiritual
Center in Mineola, NY, went
beyond its basic identity and
became a philanthropic hub exem‑
plifying its call‑to‑action motto: “In
the name of God do good for some‑
one else in your lifetime.” It carried
a range of charitable activities car‑
ried under the leadership of Baba
Gobind Ram Ji.
On September 10, 2017, the Ashram Kant Darshan Darbar is headed by Baba Gobind Ram Ji, seen here with Mineola Three score donors showed up for the
Ashram participated in the Mayor Scott P. Strauss and President of Mineola Chamber of Commerce Mr. Tony blood drive the ashram organized in
Mineola Street Fair organized by Lubrano, and the management of the Ashram. collaboration with American Red Cross.
Village of Mineola at Jericho
Turnpike. Volunteers distributed Scott Strauss were present to sup‑ most children, Christmas conjures members collaborated to raise spiritual discourses he lucidly
free snacks and water bottles for port it. It was a full day event and up the vision of Santa coming money to buy new toys. The nurs‑ explains the truth of life with
fairgoers along with information the Red Cross team was pleased to down the chimney and the sound es and parents were ecstatic to examples so that all irrespective of
about the spiritual center serving collect 35+ units of blood, much of gifts being unwrapped. But experience such celebrations, age can comprehend it.
the community. The New York more than the average collection every year many sick children smiles and joyful moments during The Ashram is welcoming of peo‑
State Senator Ellaine Phillip and on any remain confined to their hospital the entire drive. A 6‑year‑old girl ple from all communities, religions
Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss given day. beds while the world outside cele‑ was so happy that she walked out and nationalities. The programs
applauded the efforts of the The Ashram team provided brates. To bring joy and smile to of her room to personally thank including meditations sessions are
Ashram. refreshments for the three score these small innocent faces, Ashram the Ashram team. free. On special requests Baba Ji
In November, a Blood Drive was donors, who were closely super‑ Kant Darshan Darbar has been Under the guidance of Baba gives audience to individual seek‑
held at the Ashram in collabora‑ vised by volunteers and nurses for hosting a Toy Drive every year. Gobind Ram Ji, the Ashram has ers.
tion with the American Red Cross. health recovery afterwards. Last year too their Toy Drive was spread its activities. Baba Jiʼs aim
Tony Lubrano – President, Christmas is a festive time that held at the JFK Medical Center in is to spread the message of kind‑ Contact: kantdarshandar‑
Chamber of Commerce, and Mayor spreads joy around the world. To Edison, NJ. Volunteers and Ashram ness all over North America. In his bar97@gmail.com
 8 March 10-16, 2018
Attorney Shampa Mukerji
running for judge seat in Texas
S U
hampa Mukerji, an Indian‑American
attorney, is running for a judge seat
in Texas. Mukerji launched her can‑
didacy for the seat in the 269th Civil
District Court of Harris County, Texas.
The Democratic candidate said she is
running for the seat because she believes
she can make a great contribution to the
civil courts in the county. "I will uphold the
laws of the state of Texas and be fair and
equitable to all parties that come before
me," she said on her campaign site. "I
believe in the Seventh Amendment, the
right to a trial by jury and access to the
Senate panel approves Rohit Chopra
to Federal Trade Commission
T Khosla says "Stay off my beach"
he Senate Commerce Committee
Feb. 28 voted to approve President
Donald Trump's four nominees to
the Federal Trade Commission, who includ‑
ed Indian American Rohit Chopra, a
spokeswoman for the committee said.
The panel approved the nominations of
Chopra, a Democrat; as well as antitrust
lawyer Joe Simons, who will chair the com‑
mission; and Republicans Christine Wilson
and Noah Phillips.
It was not immediately clear when the
full Senate would vote on the nominations.
Trump has been slow in filling the FTC
posts, leaving the agency in the hands of
two Obama appointees for more than a
year into his term, according to a Reuters
report.
The FTC works with the U.S. Justice De‑
partment to enforce antitrust law and in‑
vestigates companies accused of deceptive
advertising.
The FTC has been sharply criticized for
settling with Google in early 2013 after a
lengthy investigation into whether the
In LA museum, see how Mughals inspired iconic 17th Century Dutch painter
Los Angeles: A museum here is launching
an exhibit ion "Rembrandt and the
Inspiration of India" that reveals how the
17th Century Dutch painter was inspired
by artists from a dramatically different cul‑
ture in a country thousands of kilometres
away.
The March 13‑June 24 exhibition of
paintings by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van
Rijn at the J. Paul Getty Museum will
include 23 of his works, closely based on
portraits made by artists from Mughal
India.
"These drawings mark a striking diver‑
sion for this quintessentially Dutch 'Golden
Age' artist, the only time he made a careful
and extensive study of art from a dramati‑
cally dif ferent culture," a J. Paul Getty
Trust statement said.
The trust is an international cultural and
philanthropic institution devoted to the
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
courts for all," she said.
Mukerji graduated with a bachelor's in
communications from Northwestern
University. She then went to law school at
the University of Houston Law Center, dur‑
ing which she served on the Houston
Journal of Health Law & Policy as an editor
and as chief justice of the Honor Court.
Mukerji has been endorsed thus far by
the Area 5 Democrats, the Bay Area New
Democrats, the Communication Workers of
American Local 6222, the Harris County
Labor Assembly COPE, AFL‑CIO and the
South Asian Bar Association. (PTI)
company had manipulated search results
to hurt rivals, among other offenses, the
report said.
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer has recom‑
mended that the White House nominate
one of his top aides, Rebecca Slaughter, to
the second Democratic seat, it added.
Chopra is a senior fellow at the Con‑
sumer Federation of America. His work
there has focused on consumer protection
issues facing young people and military
families. He is widely regarded for his ex‑
pertise in the student loan market.
He previously served as assistant director
of the Consumer Financial Protection Bu‑
reau, where he oversaw the agencyʼs work
on behalf of students and young con‑
sumers. He was also named by the Secre‑
tary of the Treasury to serve as the CFPBʼs
Student Loan Ombudsman.
Chopra later served as Special Adviser to
the Secretary of Education to seek en‑
hancements to student loan servicing and
to develop stronger consumer protection
standards.
Inspiration of India: A portrait of Shah
Jahan and Dara Shikoh by Rembrandt.
The J. Paul Getty Museum
(Image courtesy: thehindu.com)
visual arts that includes the J. Paul Getty
Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the
US lawmakers greet
Indian‑Americans on Holi
S lawmakers have greeted Indian‑
Americans on Holi as they celebrat‑
ed the beginning of spring and the
triumph of good over the evil.
"For Indians, Hindus, and others celebrat‑
ing across the world, Holi is a joyous festi‑
val of color. To those celebrating across the
world ‑ including those in my district ‑ I
wish a very happy Holi!" Indian American
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said.
Noting that Holi is a time of spiritual re‑
newal celebrated by Hindus and people of
all backgrounds across the country and
around the world, Congresswoman Tulsi
Gabbard said, Holi represents the victory of
good over evil, the onset of spring, and
gratitude for the many blessings in lives.
Silicon Valley billionaire Vinod
S
ilicon Valley billionaire Vinod Khosla
is asking the nation's highest court
to help him keep surfers from using
his beach. Khosla, the co‑founder of Sun Mi‑
crosystems, has filed his petition to the
Supreme Court following a 4‑year court bat‑
tle in which he sought to persuade the state
judiciary to keep surfers and other members
of the public off of his beachfront property.
The case pitted personal property rights
against a 1972 California law that ensures
public access to all of the state's thousands
of miles of shoreline. Khosla, who bought
the property in 2008, put up a gate to close
the beach after the purchase. In August, a
California court of appeals affirmed a lower
court ruling against him.
Khosla's 151‑page petition asks the na‑
tion's top court to uphold what he says are
his property rights. He describes the case as
a "textbook physical invasion of private
property."
Mark Massara, a lawyer for the group of
Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty
Foundation.
"Rembrandt may be one of the most
famous painters in European art history
but there are still remarkable discoveries
to be made about his work," said Timothy
Potts, director of museum.
"This exhibition is a case in point, demon‑
strating how Rembrandt turned to the art
of India to produce some of his most exotic
and intriguing images. This vivid example
of cultural exchange reminds us how
artists on different continents take inspira‑
tion from one another, a reality that of
course continues to this very day."
The exhibition pairs 20 of Rembrandt's
surviving drawings depicting Mughal
emperors, princes, and courtiers with
Indian paintings and drawings of similar
compositions, which had been brought to
Amsterdam from the Dutch trading post in
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
"This new spring season, let us recommit
to spreading love and tolerance within our
own communities, and celebrate the ties
that bind us closer together. From my fami‑
ly to yours, have a very happy Holi! Be
well," Indian American Congressman Ami
Bera said.
Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crow‑
ley said the festival of Holi is a time for
communities to come together to celebrate
the arrival of spring. "The festival has be‑
come a tradition celebrated by many in in
New York City and around the country,"
Crowley said.
Congresswoman Grace Meng said, "To all
who observe, I send my very best wishes
for a joyous and colorful holiday." (PTI)
Vinod Khosla
(Image courtesy: businessinsider.com)
surfers who fought to keep the beach open,
said the potential ramifications of the case if
Khosla's legal theory is upheld "are frankly
catastrophic" for California beach users.
This case involves a stretch of private
property along the California coast known
as Martins Beach, in San Mateo County.
Surat. Rembrandt's portraits reveal how his
contact with Mughal art inspired him to
draw in a newly refined and precise style.
"The critical eye and attentive curiosity
Rembrandt turned towards Mughal por‑
trait conventions still captivates viewers
today. At this late stage in his career,
around 1656‑1661, this meticulous ren‑
dering is exceptional," said Stephanie
Schrader, the organizer of the exhibition.
The exhibition also examines how global
trade and cultural exchange impacted
artists working for Mughal emperors in
India, who were in turn inspired by Dutch
and Flemish printed images of European
rules and scenes of daily life.
Among the treasures found in a Dutch
East India ship, which sank en route to
China in 1597, was a package that con‑
tained 400 prints by and after Dutch and
Flemish artists. (IANS)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info DIASPORA March 10-16, 2018 9

Indian in UAE helped repatriate Srideviʼs body

A
way from the glare of the
cameras and the eyes of
her millions of fans in
India, actress Srideviʼs body made
its way to a simple mortuary in
the United Arab Emirates, where
one man helped sign out her
remains to return home.
Listed only as “Ashraf” on the
official paperwork in Dubai is
Ashraf “Sherry” Thamarassery, a
44‑year‑old Indian from Kerala
who has become a ferryman of
sorts for those who die here in
UAE.
From indebted laborers to the
moneyed elite, Thamarassery has
helped repatriate 4,700 bodies to
38 countries across the world. He
views it as a noble responsibility
in this desert sheikhdom that
draws so many far from their
homes, chief among them his
compatriots.
“For them, you or me, itʼs all the
same and everyone is equal. If
Ashraf “Sherry” Thamarassery, Sridevi
(Image courtesy: abplive.in)
someone dies in their room, they
will take them to the hospital and
then to be checked at the police
mortuary,” Thamarassery told
The Associated Press in an inter‑
view late Feb. 27 night. “Itʼs the
same process, whether Dubai or
Sharjah or any emirate. ...
Whether youʼre poor or rich, it
doesnʼt matter.”
Sherry offered shrugs when
talking about Sridevi, saying he
helped repatriate five other bod‑
ies Feb. 27, including the famed
Bollywood star. But itʼs hard to
overstate the power Sridevi had
over the imagination of many in
India. While Indian officials
quickly canceled her passport
and prepared the other docu‑
ments, Thamarassery said a need‑
ed police clearance slowed
Srideviʼs repatriation. He received
hundreds of calls from journalists,
officials and others in the interim.
When the clearance came, he
traveled to a simple government‑
run mortuary in a dusty neigh‑
borhood of squat, square build‑
ings that house some of Dubaiʼs
immense population of foreign
workers, many of whom come
from South Asia.
There, officials embalmed her
corpse as Thamarassery handled
paperwork for her and three oth‑
ers. Curious Indian laborers
spoke softly among themselves
about the actress while standing
outside of the mortuary. An
ambulance then carried her body
to a private jet reportedly sent by
an Indian billionaire to take her
home to Mumbai to be cremated.
By Feb. 27 night, Thamarassery
returned home to the apartment
he shares with his wife and
daughter in Ajman, a small, dusty
emirate in the UAE that serves as
a bedroom community to sky‑
scraper‑studded Dubai some 35
kilometers (20 miles) to the
southwest. There, Thamarassery
runs a mechanics shop but focus‑
es largely on his philanthropic
efforts. Shelf upon shelf in his
home bears honors and awards. A
framed picture hangs on the wall
showing him meeting Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
I do this “to earn blessings, but
also when someone dies here,
people donʼt know how to man‑
age the repatriation procedures,”
he said. “Thatʼs why I do it.”
All the while, his phone never
stopped ringing, some of them
undoubtedly new calls for his
help.
(Source: The Associated Press)

British Indian man wins IN BRIEF

bravery award in
Barcelona terror attack
London: An Indian‑origin
Birmingham man, who
risked his life to help a
fatally injured young boy in
the last year's Barcelona
terror attack, has been
selected for this year's
'Pride of Birmingham'
award.
Harry Athwal, a project
manager from Great Barr
area of north‑west
Birmingham, was in Spain
on holiday with a group of
friends and family, includ‑
ing his sister Kinde Dehr,
when a terrorist drove a
van into pedestrians on
Barcelona's famous Las
Ramblas tourist spot, killing
13 people and injuring hun‑
dreds.
He ran to help seven‑year‑
old Julian Alessandro
Cadman, who was among
those hit, and defied police
orders to evacuate the area
to keep holding on to him
until the emergency servic‑
es arrived. The boy, who
had dual British and
Australian nationality, died
on the spot but his family
have since thanked Athwal
for being there for him.
"I am a Sikh, and in
Sikhism it is my duty to go
and help somebody who is
hurt or who is being bullied.
That, in a sense, overtook
me. I didn't have time to
think," Athwal told the
Birmingham Mail.
Athwal says he is "speech‑
less" to be selected for the
Pride of Birmingham's
Outstanding Bravery
Award. The annual awards,
organized by the
Birmingham Mail newspa‑
per and partners TSB, to
recognize courage, caring,
compassion and communi‑
ty. Athwal is among 11 win‑
ners who will be presented
with their awards at a cere‑
mony at the University of
Birmingham on March 8.
CANADA‑BASED
NRI DONATES EYES
A D
Canada based NRI Kirpal Singh Sandhu died in
a road accident on Phagwara‑Chandigarh
bypass recently. He had expressed his desire to
donate his eyes before breathing his last. Ranjit Singh
Sandhu, son of the deceased fulfilled the wish of his
late father and donated his fatherʼs eyes to Punarjot
state convener Ashok Mehra, in the Civil Hospital in
Phagwara. Dr Meenu Tandon who conducted post‑
mortem thanked the family for this rare act of
humanity. (Source: tribuneindia.com)
Pakistani Hindus women celebrate
the Holi Festival in Lahore, Pakistan,
on March 1, 2018. (Photo: IANS)
Karnataka NRIs felicitate deputy
chairperson Dr Arathi Krishna
r Arathi Krishna, deputy chairperson (Cabinet
Ranking) NRI Forum – Government of Karnataka
arrived to Jeddah on February 25 to attend the
program organized by KNRI forum Jeddah at Village
Restaurant. KNRI forum president Mohammed Saifuddin
Sami and core committee members Arifulla Shariff, Jalal
Baig and Irfan from CGI office–Jeddah received her at King
Abdul Aziz Airport Jeddah.
Dr Arathi Krishna attended the event as chief guest,
Tahir Ali Management Committee Member International
Indian School Jeddah as guest of honor while Mohammed
Saifuddin Sami president of the KNRI forum presided over
the event. Large number of Kannadigas attended the gath‑
ering, among them were members of KNRI forum with
families, KNRI life members with KNRIs sponsors, presi‑
dents & members of different organizations of Karnataka
in Jeddah (Jamiyattul Falah, Hidaya Foundation, Gulbarga
Charitable Trust, All India Overseas Cultural Congress,
Indian Social Forum, Jokatte Muslim Association, SKP
Brothers, Bhatkal Community & Indian Fraternity Forum)
were present. While speaking at the event, Dr Arathi
Krishna gave a brief introduction about NRI Forum
Karnataka. “This is the dream and vision of our visionary
Chief Minister Siddaramaiahji to forge a symbiotic rela‑
tionship between Karnataka and its diaspora,” she said.
She further appreciated the activities carried out by the
KNRI forum to help the needy by assisting in medical, edu‑
cation, self‑employment and promoting swachha bharath
program by sponsoring toilets projects in school in rural
areas of Karnataka. (source: daijiworld.com)
 10 March 10-16, 2018 US AFFAIRS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Immigration & the Politics of Displacement

By Shivaji Sengupta
We are the “immigrants,” although if you follow the

L
et us begin with you and I.
Remember the incidents
that led to our leaving
home: the desire to excel in our
profession, admission to graduate
school, that job of fer from the
prestigious Silicon Valley? We
were so overjoyed, excited; heard
our parents proudly announce
what, for them, was an “achieve‑
ment” already. We heard their
pride, saw our mothers struggling
to hold back tears, our fathersʼ
stoic approval of their sonsʼ pro‑
fessional future – the triumph of a
soldier after a hard‑fought victory.
Then, that day of departure, with
friends and relatives all coming to
say good‑bye, the garlands, the
sobs among laughter, the vague
sense of envy from those who
could not be you – as you board
the massive jet plane to America.
Some of you, like myself, per‑
haps did not think you were com‑
ing here forever. I thought Iʼd be
gone for three to four years,
return with a doctorate, teach in
the college where I had earned my
bachelorʼs, marry my girlfriend
(who was not present at the air‑
port) and live happily ever after. I
am almost certain I wasnʼt the
only emigrant who went through
these phases.
“Life is what happens to us
when we are busy making other
plans,” sang John Lennon. Thirty,
forty, or fifty years later, we are
still here. We have earned our
professional credentials, gotten
jobs, married (though not the girl
we had our hearts set for in India),
had children, and are now, square‑
ly facing retirement in a society
where there is no retirement age.
Some of us, more advanced in
years, are beginning to accept
that we will pass away quietly
from a land, that despite adopting
it as our country, despite having
made significant professional con‑
tribution, having new friends and
re latives, it may have always
remained “foreign” to us, certainly
to our relatives in India.
What we may not have antici‑
pated is the way most we got
“educated” in the politics of dis‑
placement as we settled down
here. We are the “immigrants,”
although if you follow the trajec‑
tory of our immigrant lives, it is
no dif ferent from the so‑called
Settler‑Americans who came here
from Italy, Germany, Ireland and
other European countries
(“Settler” is term invented by
European scholars who distin‑
guish between the Europeans who
“settled” into America in the 19th
Century, as opposed to all the oth‑
ers who came as “immigrants”
later). In fact, if truth be told,
immigrants from South Asia, by
and large, have been let into this
country because of their advanced
education. The Europeans came
here as laborers.
I ment ion this dist inct ion
because, to me, this divide
between settlers and immigrants
trajectory of our immigrant lives, it is no different from
the so-called Settler-Americans who came here from
Ireland, Germany, Italy and other European countries
(“Settler” is the term invented by European scholars
who distinguish between the Europeans who “settled”
into America in the 19th Century, as opposed to all the
others who came as “immigrants”). Truth be told,
immigrants from South Asia, by and large, have been let
into this country because of their advanced education.
The Europeans came here as laborers.
is at the heart of the politics of Throughout it all, though, there is
immigration, which, really is a pol‑ one inevitable truth.
itics of displacement. Now, dis‑ Once people are let in to stay,
placement does not only happen there is no going back; especially
when we are displaced from our in a country like America, ruled by
mother countries. It becomes a Law. The 11 million undocument‑
sociological, cultural and ultimate‑ ed immigrants who are here, have
ly a political process when immi‑ been here, made their lives here,
grants landing in their new coun‑ just like you and me, and the
try find it difficult to settle down European settlers. They have had
because of overt and subtle dis‑ children (were they expected not
crimination by the settlers. Policy‑ to because they were undocu‑
wise, it becomes tough on future mented?) who are now adults and
immigrants who seek the same young adults. They speak English
opportunities in this country that like Americans, study and work
you and I were given many years like Americans, have driversʼ
ago. licenses and social security num‑
Our success in America may bers. T hey may be called
have created the same sort of “Dreamers” but they are a
envy here among the settlers that “Reality.”
our peers and relatives felt about Sooner or later they have to get
us when we were emigrating. We their turn at citizenship. Why?
hear continuously that immi‑ Because this is America.
grants are taking away our jobs, Shivaji Sengupta regularly con‑
ruining American culture and tributes op‑eds to The South Asian
changing the English language. Times

HARVEY WEINSTEIN Trump responds to tariff controversy

STATUE 'CASTING COUCH'
LAUNCHED PRE‑OSCARS
Los Angeles: Just days before the
90th Academy Awards, a Harvey
Weinstein statue 'Casting Couch'
has appeared on Hollywood
Boulevard in Los Angeles, draw‑
ing a lot of attention.
The golden statue depicts
Weinstein sitting on a coach
wearing a slightly opened
bathrobe with an Oscar in his
right hand.
Reportedly, the figure is close
to the Dolby Theatre, where the
Academy Awards will take place
on Sunday. Street artists Plastic
Jesus and Joshua 'Ginger'
Monroe collaborated on the
sculpture.
Visitors have been posing with
the Weinstein statue, which is
significant given how the produc‑
er has been shunned from the
Hollywood community since
reports of sexual harassment and
abuse emerged last year.
Dozens of women, including
Salma Hayek, Lupita Nyong'o
and Uma Thurman have been
vocal about Weinstein's inappro‑
priate behaviour towards them.
by praising trade wars
Washington: President Donald
Trump reacted combatively to wide‑
spread criticism of his plan to
impose tarif fs on imports of steel
and aluminium to protect domestic
producers. "When a country (the
US) is losing many billions of dollars
on trade with virtually every coun‑
try it does business with, trade wars
are good, and easy to win," he
tweeted on Friday night.
"Example, when we are down
$100 billion with a certain country
and they get cute, don't trade any‑
more‑we win big. It's easy!," he
added.
The President's announcement on
Thursday that he will order tariffs
of 25 per cent and 10 per cent,
respectively, on imported steel and
aluminium, spurred a 420‑point
drop on the New York Stock
Exchange and expressions of alarm.
Some of the sharpest criticism of
the planned tarif fs came from
Trump's fellow Republicans, most of
them ardent free‑traders.
"Kooky 18th century protection‑
ism will jack up prices on American
families ‑ and will prompt retalia‑
tion from other countries," Senator
Ben Sasse said in a statement.
"Make no mistake: If the
President goes through with this, it
will kill American jobs ‑ that's what
every trade war ultimately does,"
the Nebraska Republican said.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said
that US workers and firms could
suf fer from "unintended conse‑
quences" if the tarif fs were
imposed, while European
Commission chairman Jean‑Claude
Juncker was one of several interna‑
tional leaders threatening retalia‑
tion for the levies.
Roberto Azevedo, the Director‑
General of the World Trade
Organization (WTO), broke with his
usual practice by commenting pub‑
licly on Trump's announcement.
"The WTO is clearly concerned at
the announcement of US plans for
tariffs on steel and aluminium.
The potential for escalation is
real, as we have seen from the ini‑
tial responses of others. A trade war
is in no one's interests," Azevedo
said.
Asked on Friday about the nega‑
tive reception to Trump's tariff idea,
White House spokeswoman Sarah
Sanders said that the President was
not concerned and that he
remained "pretty committed" to
moving this forward.
Paradoxically, Trump's proposal
got a much warmer response from
some Democrats, such as Ohio
Senator Sherrod Brown, who
described the tariffs as "long over‑
due" action to aid steelworkers in
his state.
Trump also won plaudits from the
country's largest labour federation.
"For years, we have called atten‑
tion to the predatory practices of
some steel exporting countries,"
AFL‑CIO President Richard Trumka
said. "T his is a great first step
toward addressing trade cheating."
The President's decision was not
unanimously popular within his
own administration. Gary D. Cohn,
the director of the National
Economic Council, "threatened to
resign if the White House followed
through with stiff and sweeping tar‑
iffs, according to people who have
spoken with him in recent days".
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Trump may travel to Jerusalem
for embassy opening in May
Washington: President Donald
Trump said on Monday that he
may travel to occupied Jerusalem
in May for the official opening of
the new US Embassy to Israel.
"We're looking at coming. If I
can, I will," he said during a meet‑
ing at the White House with Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, Efe reported.
Trump did not specify whether
he would travel to Jerusalem in
May or sooner, given that his
administration's intention is to
send just a small delegation from
the US diplomatic mission com‑
prised of the ambassador and a
few advisers to the Jerusalem cere‑
mony, while the new embassy
itself is under construction.
The President said, however, that
the new embassy will be built very
quickly.
"They put an order in front of my
desk last week for a billion dollars.
I said a billion? What's that for?
They said, 'We're going to build an
embassy.' I said we're not going to
spend a billion dollars. We're actu‑
ally doing it for about $250,000,"
Trump declared.
In addition, Trump expressed
optimism regarding the future of
his ef forts to bring about peace
between the Israe lis and
7TH ROUND OF
NAFTA TALKS ENDS
ON MIXED NOTE
Mexico City: The seventh round
of talks to modernize the North
American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) ended here Monday on
a mixed note with the U.S. calling
the progress not good enough
but Mexico remaining upbeat.
U.S. Trade Representat ive
Robert Lighthizer said only six of
NAFTA's 30 chapters have been
closed so far.
"We have not made the
progress many had hoped," he
said, adding, "Our time is running
very short. I fear that the longer
we proceed, the more political
headwinds we will feel."
Lighthizer told the press that
the upcoming Mexican presiden‑
tial elections, U.S. mid‑term elec‑
tions, and provincial elections in
Canada's Ontario and Quebec
were complicating matters.
However, Mexican Economy
Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said
the seventh round of talks had
created "an adequate landing
strip" for a successful resolution.
Differences in unresolved chap‑
ters such as e‑commerce,
telecommunications, energy and
President Donald Trump at the Western Wall
in Jerusalem in May 2017.
Palestinians, despite the fact that
his decision to transfer the US
Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel
Aviv spurred the Palestinians to
assert that the US president could
not be a mediator in that process.
"The Palestinians, I think, are
wanting to come back to the table
very badly," Trump said. "If they
don't, you don't have peace."
Trump argued that his decision
to recognize occupied Jerusalem
resolved a tough issue dividing
Israel and the Palestinians. "We've
taken it off the table," he said. "So
this gives us a real opportunity for
peace."
technical obstacles to trade were
only "minimal", he said, adding,
"As we move forward, we will
begin to fulfill our objectives and
close our differences."
Countering Lighthizer's call for
haste, Guajardo said Mexico will
take the time it takes, at least
until the mandate of President
Enrique Pena Nieto ends on Nov.
30. "This isn't over until it's over.
We will negotiate as far as we
have to," he said.
Canadian Foreign Minister
Chrystia Freeland said there is
still hard work ahead for a suc‑
cessful updating of NAFTA.
In the next five weeks, before
the eighth round of talks starts in
April, negotiators will meet to
resolve the thorniest issues, such
as the clause to terminate NAFTA
and the rules of origin in the
automobile sector.
Canada, the United States and
Mexico have been carrying out
intense negotiations to redraft
NAFTA since August 2017 after
President Donald Trump said the
deal has been unfair to the
United States.
US AFFAIRS March 10-16, 2018 11
Florida Senate passes
bill to raise age to buy
guns, ban bump stock
Tallahassee, FL: The Florida State ment, according to the Miami
Senate passed a package of gun Herald.
control measures designed to "Under the amendment, pro‑
prevent another school shooting posed by Sen. Rene Garcia, R‑
like the attack on Marjory Miami, classroom teachers would
Stoneman Douglas High School not be armed if a school district
in Parkland, Fla., last month. decides to participate in the so‑
The proposals, which passed by called 'school marshal' program
a 20‑18 vote, include raising age established in response to the
restrictions on the purchase of tragedy at Marjory Stoneman
all firearms in the state, banning Douglas High School. However,
the purchase and possession of other school personnel, including
bump stocks, and sets a three‑ support staff who provide some
day waiting period to buy any instructional work, current or
gun, including rifles and shot‑ former servicemen or JROTC
guns. instructors, would be able to
The package also provides carry firearms."
"We're working very hard on
$400 million for mental health Lawmakers in both parties
doing that and I think we have a
services, including mobile crisis found items they opposed in the
good chance," the president said.
teams and school safety pro‑ package. Some Democrats object‑
Netanyahu, meanwhile, thanked
grams, such as metal detectors, ed to arming any teachers, while
Trump for the "historic" recogni‑
bullet‑proof glass and school some Republicans opposed set‑
tion of Jerusalem as Israel's capital
resource officers. ting a waiting period to buy any
and compared the move to ‑ for
The lawmakers rejected a gun and raising the age limit
instance ‑ the 1917 Balfour
statewide ban on assault from 18 to 21.
Declaration in which the then‑
weapons and limits on high‑ This is only the state Senate's
British foreign secretary promised
capacity magazines. package, which passed on a thin
the Jews a homeland in the Middle
Perhaps the most controversial margin.
East.
proposal is a measure to arm There is lot of support for the
The Israeli leader also empha‑
some teachers despite the oppo‑ NRA in the Florida House, so it
sized the two nations' mutual con‑
sition of Gov. Rick Scott. The law‑ might run into trouble there. The
cern about Iran's activities in the
makers passed an "opt‑in" pro‑ House's legislative session is
region, saying that Tehran "must
gram as a last‑minute amend‑ scheduled to end on March 9.
be stopped."
Ex‑Trump aide changes
course, would 'end up
cooperating' with Mueller
Washington: In a reversal,
Sam Nunberg, a former
aide to Donald Trump,
said late Monday night he
would likely cooperate
with special counsel
Robert Mueller after all.
His latest comment,
made in an interview with
AP, was a reversal of his
earlier remark that he
would not comply with
Mueller's subpoena but
would instead risk arrest.
Nunberg told the AP
that he's angry about
being asked to share his
communications with a Sam Nunberg received a subpoena from the Mueller probe
long list of people. He
added that he doesn't and nine other people, and to When asked whether Mueller's
think the subpoena is fair and that appear in front of a grand jury team could have something,
Mueller's team should narrow its investigating whether Russia inter‑ Nunberg told MSNBC, "I think they
scope of inquiry. However, he con‑ fered in the U.S. 2016 presidential may."
ceded that he would "end up coop‑ election. Nunberg's bombshell came dur‑
erating" with Mueller. In a series of disjointed inter‑ ing a media blitz Monday as he
The special counsel's subpoena views late Monday said he thinks told various outlets that he would
had asked Nunberg to hand over the special counsel might have refuse to comply with Mueller's
communications related to Trump something on the president. subpoena in the Russia probe.
 12 March 10-16, 2018 INDIA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

BJP crushes Left in Tripura,

surges in North‑East
Agartala/Shillong/Kohima: The
stunning saf fron surge in the
northeast decimated the Left in
Tripura ‑‑ one of its last two
citadels ‑‑ with the BJP ousting
the CPI‑M from power after 25
long years and looking to form a
coalition government in Nagaland
while eyeing power in Meghalaya
with the help from anti‑Congress
parties.
Riding on the electoral victory,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and party President Amit Shah
told BJP workers that their goal
now should be to capture power
in Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal
and Odisha.
Pulling of a historic victory, the
BJP and its ally Indigenous
People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), a
tribal‑dominated party, together
won 43 out of 59 Tripura con‑
stituencies. The BJP on its own
won 35 seats, four more than the
half‑way mark, while its ally IPFT
won eight seats. In a remarkable
performance, the alliance swept
all the 20 seats reserved for trib‑
als.
The BJP, which had no MLAs in
the outgoing Assembly and polled
just 1.5 per cent votes in the
2013 elections, losing deposits in
49 of the 50 constituencies it
contested, secured over 42 per
cent of votes in the February 18
Tripura elections.
Tripura Pradesh BJP President
Biplab Kumar Deb, who won from
Biplab Kumar Deb will assume office as the
11th Chief Minister of Tripura.
Banamalipur, is tipped to be the
Chief Ministerial choice.
The CPI‑M which headed the
ruling Left Front was reduced to
just 15 seats ‑‑ down from 50 in
the last elections. None of its part‑
ners, including the CPI, Forward
Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist
Party, could open their account.
Chief Minister Manik Sarkar,
who has been heading the Left
Front government for the last 20
years, was leading from Dhanpur
but counting was stalled after a
complaint by the BJP. T he
Congress, which had 10 members
in the outgoing assembly, drew a
blank this time.
Addressing party workers in
Delhi, Modi and Shah hailed the
verdict in the northeast as his‑
toric and said the goal for the
party workers should be to cap‑
ture power in Karnataka, Kerala,
Odisha and West Bengal.
Briefing reporters after the BJP
Parliamentary Board meeting,
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda
said Transport and Shipping
Minister Nitin Gadkari and Tribal
Affairs Minister Jual Oram will go
to Agartala to oversee the elec‑
Biplab Deb-led Tripura
government to assume office
Agartala: Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) leader Biplab Kumar Deb
will assume office on Friday as
the 11th Chief Minister of
Tripura, where the BJP voted out
the Left Front after 25 years, in
the February 18 polls. Union
Minister Nitin Gadkari
announced here that Tripura BJP
President Deb will be the new
Chief Minister while the party's
tribal leader Jishnu Debbarma
will be the Deputy Chief Minister.
Earlier, the newly‑elected MLAs
of the BJP and its ally ‑‑
Indigenous People's Front of
Tripura (IPFT) ‑‑ met here in the
presence of central observers
Gadkari and Union Tribal Affairs
Minister Jual Oram and elected
Deb as leader of the party's
Legislature Party. After the
announcement, Deb, accompa‑
nied by other BJP leaders, met
Governor Tathagata Roy at the
Raj Bhavan and staked claim to
form the government. After an
hour‑long meeting with Roy, the
tion of legislature party leader in
the state.
T he party also decided to
depute Nadda and General
Secretary Arun Singh to Kohima
Chief Minister‑designate told
reporters: "The Governor has
appointed me the Chief Minister.
The swearing‑in‑ceremony of the
BJP ministry will take place at
the Assam Rifles ground on
Friday at 12 noon."
Deb refused to disclose the size
of the ministry and the IPFT's
representation in it.
He said Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, BJP President
Amit Shah and several central
ministers and leaders would be
invited to attend the event.
"We will give good governance
in Tripura," Deb, 48, a RSS volun‑
teer‑turned‑BJP leader, told the
media. BJP's permanent
"Prabhari" (central observer) in
Tripura Sunil Deodhar, another
architect in the BJP's electoral
success in Tripura, along with
Deputy Chief Minister‑designate
Debbarma and BJP MLA Ratan
Lal Nath among others accompa‑
nied Deb during his meeting with
the Governor.
and Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju
and K.J. Alphons to Shillong to
hold talks with regional parties
and try and form governments in
the two states.

PNB fraud: ED to issue LRs to over 15 countries

New Delhi/Mumbai: A Mumbai
court sent the Vice President of
Banking Operations of Mehul
Choksi's Gitanjali Group, Vipul
Chitalia ‑‑ who was arrested in con‑
nection with CBI's ongoing probe
into the multi‑crore PNB fraud case
‑‑ to police custody till March 17,
officials said.
In a related development, the
Enforcement Directorate, which is
also probing the Rs 12,600‑crore
Punjab National bank (PNB) fraud
case, has decided to send Letters
Rogatory (LRs) to over 15 coun‑
tries against diamond jeweler Nirav
Modi and Choksi.
"Vipul Chitalia was arrested by
the agency of ficials after a brief
questioning. He was produced
before a court which sent him to
police custody till March 17," a
Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) official told IANS in Delhi.
The CBI of ficial also said that
The Punjab National Bank (PNB) has faced a Rs 12,600 crore fraud,
with Rs 1,300 crore being added to the fraud kitty.
Chitalia had fled the country along
with Nirav Modi in January this
year.
According to CBI officials, he was
allegedly responsible for handling
unauthorised letters of undertak‑
Nirav Modi's firm moves Delhi
HC against ED proceedings
New Delhi: Nirav Modi's firm Firestar Diamond moved Delhi High
Court against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) proceedings against it
in the multi‑crore‑rupee Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.
In its plea, the company sought quashing of seizing of movable prop‑
erties of Nirav Modi and depositing them with the PNB.
It also sought a copy of the search warrant and other documents
related to searches and seizures by the ED.
The ED has so far seized properties worth Rs 6,000 crore of Nirav
Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi of Gitanjali Group.
ing (LoUs) and letters of credit and 1,300 crore being added to the
maintaining contact with bank offi‑ fraud kitty on February 26.
cials. The agency official also said The CBI had filed the first FIR in
that they have questioned four the scam on February 14 against
more treasury department officials Nirav Modi, his wife Ami, brother
of General Manager and Assistant Nishal, uncle Choksi and his firms
General Manager rank of the bank. Diamond R US, Solar Exports and
Choksi, along with Nirav Modi, Stellar Diamond.
has been accused of defrauding the Modi, his family and Choksi had
PNB of Rs 12,600 crore, with Rs left the country in early January.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA March 10-16, 2018 13

Parliament disrupted as Congress‑

government war intensifies
New Delhi: The Opposition contin‑
ued to force adjournments of the
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for the
second day on Tuesday over the Rs
12,600 crore Punjab National Bank
(PNB) fraud with differences crop‑
ping up between the government
and the Congress in the lower
house over the rule under which
the issue should be discussed as
also the wording of the motion.
Outside the house, Parliamentary
Affairs Minister H.N. Ananth Kumar
accused the Congress of running
away from debate on the issue as
there were "skeletons in the cup‑
board" of the UPA regime.
A combination of reasons result‑
ed in uproar in the Lok Sabha,
which witnessed a huge din in the
morning with BJP's ally Shiv Sena
joining the protest near the
Speaker's podium demanding clas‑
sical status for Marathi. Another
BJP ally TDP continued its protest
over its demand for special status
for Andhra Pradesh. AIADMK mem‑
bers were also near the podium
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House as she was not able to
proceed with the Question Hour.
demanding const itut ion of a
Cauvery Management Board.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan
adjourned the House as she was not
able to proceed with the Question
Hour.
When the house met at noon
amidst similar scenes, Kumar said
the discussion of the irregularities
in banking sector had been listed in
the business of the day following
notice given by Congress members
and the Finance Minister will reply
to the debate.
"I don't understand why my
friends from Congress are agitated.
They wanted discussion on irregu‑
larities in banking, we are ready for
that," he said.
"Why are they afraid, why are
they running away. T hose who
have committed crime should be
punished. In all these years, what‑
ever has happened should be dis‑
cussed. The crimes and irregulari‑
ties committed during the UPA
(United Progressive Alliance) gov‑
ernment, that should also be dis‑
cussed," he said. There was "no
question" of saving anyone, the
minister said.
The motion under Rule 193 read:
"A discussion on alleged systemic
irregularities in banking sector
over the years and its impact on
Indian economy."
However, Cong ress leader
Mallikarjun Kharge demanded dis‑
cussion under rules that entail vot‑
ing.
He said the party wants discus‑
sion on financial default of crores
of rupees in various nationalized
banks which resulted in the loot of
public money.
Ananth Kumar later told
reporters that the Cong ress
demand for discussion under a rule
that entails voting came as an
"afterthought" following the return
of its President Rahul Gandhi from
Italy.
"They are scared of debate. Many
skeletons of banking scam will tum‑
ble out of the UPA regime. They
don't want it to be discussed. They
want to hide things. We want dis‑
cussion, they do not want it," he
said. In the Rajya Sabha, opposition
protests continued whenever the
House met and it was finally
adjourned for the day in the post‑
lunch session after several adjourn‑
ments.
Like in the Lok Sabha, TDP mem‑
bers voiced their demands concern‑
ing Andhra Pradesh in the Upper
House also.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M.
Venkaiah Naidu first adjourned the
House till 11.30 a.m. and asked the
party leaders to meet him in his
chamber. Tuesday was the second
day of the second half of the Budget
session, which will conclude on
April 6.

SC seeks ED's response March 31 Aadhaar

on summons to Karti
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday
sought a response from the Enforcement
Directorate (ED) on a plea by Karti
Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P.
Chidambaram, challenging summons issued to
him in the INX Media money laundering case.
On February 28, Karti Chidambaram was
arrested by the CBI that is investigating allega‑
tions of his taking money for FIPB clearance to
INX Media ‑‑ now renamed 9X Media ‑‑ when his
father was Finance Minister.
He has dubbed the allegations as "politically
motivated".
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice
A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud
refused to grant him protection against arrest by
the ED, a plea strongly urged by senior counsel
Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Chidambaram.
While posting the matter for hearing on
Thursday, the bench said that it would only
examine the question of law raised by Sibal.
The order said: "Needless to emphasise, our
present order shall have no impact on any pro‑
Karti
Chidambaram,
son of senior
Congress leader
P. Chidambaram
at Patiala House
Court in New
Delhi.
ceedings pending against the petitioner in any
court."
Appearing for the ED, Additional Solicitor
General Tushar Mehta questioned the maintain‑
ability of the petition by Chidambaram junior
challenging the summons.
Responding to Mehta, Sibal said: "If steps are
taken to take away or curtail the liberty of a per‑
son without following the procedure in an enact‑
ment, that can be agitated by way of a writ peti‑
tion and that is a fundamental right."
Addressing the court, Sibal said the ED could
not have acted against Chidambaram without an
FIR indicating whether the offence being alleged
against his client was cognizable or non‑cogniz‑
able. He told the court that Chidambaram was
being proceeded against by the ED for the same
transaction under which the CBI has taken him
into custody. Mocking the allegations, Sibal said
loan advanced by father to his son was being
projected as money laundering and asserted that
every transaction being questioned is through
banking channels.
linking deadline can be
extended: Centre
New Delhi: The Centre told the Supreme
Court that if required it might consider
extending the March 31 deadline for
linking Aadhaar to various government
schemes as well as mobile phones and
bank accounts.
Attorney General K.K. Venugopal told
the Constitution Bench headed by Chief
Justice Dipak Misra hearing a bunch of
petitions against the Aadhaar law that
the Centre had extended the deadline in
the past too and it can do so again.
"If required, we can do it again,"
No leadership vacuum in
TN, Stalin tells Rajinikanth
Chennai : DMK leader M.K. Stalin
rejected actor Rajinikanth's view of a
leadership vacuum in Tamil Nadu
and demanded that BJP leader H.
Raja should be arrested for his
derogatory comments over iconic
leader Periyar.
Responding to media queries about
Rajinikanth's speech in a college,
Stalin said he does not agree that
there was a leadership vacuum and
insisted that the people of Tamil
Nadu too would not accept this view.
He said the next government in the
state would be headed by the DMK.
Venugopal said after petitioners chal‑
lenging the constitutional validity of the
Aadhaar scheme sought an extension of
the deadline to link the 12‑digit unique
identity number with various govern‑
ment schemes and services.
The petitioners said the deadline was
nearing and the case was unlikely to be
decided by March 31. On December 15
last year, the apex court had directed the
extension of deadline till March 31 for
the linking of Aadhaar with bank
accounts and mobile phones.
Rajinikanth said that after the
demise of Chie f Minister J.
Jayalalithaa and with DMK President
M. Karunanidhi in poor health, there
was a leadership vacuum in the state
which he can fill.
Stalin said BJP's Raja should be
arrested under the Goondas Act for
his violence provoking views.
In a social media message ‑‑ later
removed‑‑ Raja, referring to the raz‑
ing of a Lenin statue in Tripura, said
a similar fate awaited the statues of
E.V. Ramasamy, the founder of
Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu.
 14 March 10-16, 2018 OP-ED TheSouthAsianTimes.info

BJP expands footprint in North‑East,

boosts prospects for 2019
By Prashant Sood majority Nagaland and Meghalaya has come
as a morale‑booster. The northeast region

T
he Bharatiya Janata Party appears to
have consolidated its position as the
principal pole of Indian politics due
to its stunning victory in Tripura and its
improved performance in Meghalaya and
Nagaland with the results also showing that
Congress continues to face multiple chal‑
lenges to check its slide in the states.
The results are expected to help the BJP
keep up its electoral momentum for the cru‑
cial electoral battle in Karnataka in about
two months and expand its footprint to new
areas for the crucial electoral battle in 2019
Lok Sabha polls.
The results are also expected to boost the
morale of BJP workers in the difficult chal‑
lenges the party faces to retain Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh at the
end of the year.
The BJP's concerted push in Tripura,
based on solid work at the grassroots, has
given a jolt to the Left parties who have
ruled the northeastern state for 25 years,
and virtually decimated the Congress, which
was the principal opposition party, with 36
percent vote share in 2013 polls.
With victory in Tripura, where the BJP had
lost its deposit on 49 of 50 seats it contested
in 2013 polls, the party has now set its eyes
on winning Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha
‑ three other states where it has traditionally
been on a weak wicket. BJP's victory in
Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh and Arun
Jaitley; Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan; BJP President Amit Shah
and National General Secretary Ram Lal in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)
Tripura has come on the back of its victory
in Assam and was its first direct contest with
the Left parties.
With the National Democratic Alliance
winning both Tripura and Nagaland and a
hung house in Meghalaya, Mizoram is now
the only state northeastern state out of
ambit of NDA.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been
giving a special thrust to the development of
northeast since he came to power in 2014
and has been sending central ministers on
regular tours to the region, which has severe
development challenges and has faced chal‑
lenge of militancy. The government has also
worked towards sustaining peace in the
northeast and improving its connect with
the neighbouring countries for enhanced
business opportunities.
For a party seen to be inextricably linked
to Hindutva, the outcome in Tripura coupled
with improved performance in Christian‑
has 25 Lok Sabha seats.
The Congress tally came down in
Meghalaya, where it was in power, and it
failed to open its account Tripura and
Nagaland. The northeast has been a
Congress bastion in the past but in both
Tripura and Nagaland it was barely in con‑
test.
The party was short of resources and
some of its internal differences came out in
the open. Five of its 23 candidates in
Nagaland withdrew from the contest due to
severe shortage of funds.
The outcome seems to have interrupted
the momentum that the Congress was build‑
ing against the Modi government following
its improved performance in Gujarat and the
bypoll victories in Rajasthan and Madhya
Pradesh.
The party would have to make more con‑
certed efforts to pin down the Modi govern‑
ment on the issue of corruption over the
huge frauds in public sector banks and the
flight of the main accused from the country.
If the Congress loses Karnataka, it will be
left with Punjab as the only major state in its
kitty, making the task of its revival ahead of
2019 polls that much more difficult.
The Congress is holding its plenary later
this month and has to work out a strategy to
arrest its downward slide while getting back
to its winning ways.

India's Competitiveness: Where do we stand?

By Amit Kapoor example would explain this. them) and ultimately affect their
Consider a donut‑making factory standard of living as well. A clear

I
t is quite commonplace to hear
that India will be an economic
superpower in a few decades.
However, the current reality is far
from it. One cannot deny the
abysmal standard of living of our
citizens. Indias real Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) per capita (at 2010
prices) for 2016 stands at just
$1,861.5 while the other BRICS
nations ‑‑ China ($6,893.8), Brazil
($10,826.3), South Africa
($7,503.3) and Russia ($11,099.2)
‑‑ are higher up on the scale.
Even South Asian economies like
Bhutan ($2,801.3), Sri Lanka
($3,759.2) and Maldives
($8,623.9) perform well above
India by this measure of standard
of living. A straightforward ques‑
tion that arises is: What is it that
India seems to misconstrue in the
economic game that other players
seem to get right and succeed in
doing?
Spatial differences in GDP per
capita across countries continue to
motivate much of growth theory
and development economics even
today. However, being part of an
having four workers on eight‑hour
shifts producing 400 donuts a day ‑
‑ or 100 per worker or 12.5 per
hour. An announcement on hiring
four more people to boost produc‑
tivity would suggest that the new
workers will produce more donuts
per hour than the existing workers.
Remember that productivity is
output per hour worked. So, if the
new lot of workers were actually
slower (producing only 10 donuts
per hour) than the existing ones,
then productivity will in fact fall.
Trends indicating slow growth in productivity levels across major
sectors of our country ‑‑ and being nowhere close to high‑performing The four new workers will come up
economies ‑‑ do provide strong motivation to rethink our approach. with 320 donuts a day and the
total output of the eight workers
increasingly knowledge‑based any economy. Rather, competitive‑ would rise to 720 donuts a day.
world economy, India's positioning ness can be defined more purpose‑ However, the average per worker
in the global prosperity scenario fully as the productivity of a per hour is just 11.25 donuts. The
must be seen and targeted from the nation's factors of production net result is an increase in labour
national competitiveness angle. (labor, land and capital) employed force participation and output ‑‑
Competitiveness, in effect, isn't during production processes. In but productivity, in essence, has
about macro‑economic variables purely economic terms, productivi‑ fallen. Furthermore, if the company
like interest rates, exchange rates, ty denotes the value of output per wants to make the same profit as
deficits or about cheap abundant unit of input used. before the new hirings, it will have
labor or availability of natural First of all, productivity must not to hike the price of the donuts it
resources or about state policies be confused with labor force par‑ sells. So it might end up hurting
and management practices ‑‑ ticipation or, for that matter, the those who buy the donuts (because
although all these are relevant to output that they produce. A simple they are the ones paying more for
implication for the short term, in
this case, is that the new workers
will have to be trained and skilled,
and while they are being trained
their productivity will be lower
than the other workers.
Firms, apart from being produc‑
tive domestically, have to undergo
the sheer pressure and challenge of
being innovative and up to date in
order to attain a global competitive
edge as well. This is because inter‑
national trade and foreign invest‑
ment have the power to allow com‑
panies to specialize in industrial
segments that are more productive
and become global game‑changers.
Trends indicating slow growth in
productivity levels across major
sectors of our country ‑‑ and being
nowhere close to high‑performing
economies ‑‑ do provide strong
motivation to rethink our approach
since it is sustained productivity
growth that can raise living stan‑
dards over the long run: If workers
produce more per hour, there is
more of output and income to
share and hence more reasons to
celebrate.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Swapnil
Kothari is
Founder
Chairman &
Managing
Director of
Renaissance
Indira Group of
Institutions,
and was
appointed
Chancellor of
Renaissance
University
last year.
By Parveen Chopra
T
he moment you start
conversing with
Swapnil Kothari, you instantly
realize that here is an extraordinary
man and a brilliant mind who has
incisive insights into how we
humans can become better, achieve
much more and how the world can
become a better place.
His own accomplishments at a
comparative young age of 40 are
stupendous. He is the youngest
Chancellor of the Renaissance
University launched last year in
Indore in Madhya Pradesh, India.
His Renaissance Indira Group of
Institutions now comprises 13 col‑
leges, including two business
schools and one law college, and
boasts 6,000 students. But at heart
he is a teacher and educator, and is
more proud of and immersed in
transforming lives of others, who
may be his students or those he is
invited to speak to as a motivational
speaker of keynote.
Though a chartered account by
profession, Swapnil started teaching
when he was 24 years old, and has
never stopped teaching. The favorite
subject he likes to teach is strategic
management and he claims to have
Swapnil Kothari: A teacher by
heart, entrepreneur by d estiny
The youngest Chancellor of a university, founder of a dozen educational
institutions, speaker at world forums, Indore based Swapnil Kothari was
in New York to address the Yoga for World Peace conference at the UN
on March 7 and gave an exclusive interview to The South Asian Times.
taught
48,000 stu‑
dents.
What is
strategic
manage‑
ment, you
ask?
Swapnil
elaborates: “It is to create an
environment that makes it
easy for you to attain your
goals.”
Here is the lofty mission statement
of his Renaissance institutions: “Our
purpose is to develop successful
leaders with cutting‑edge business
insights, who can deftly meet the
challenges of the ever changing busi‑
ness universe.”
He also has developed his own
three golden rules of successful sell‑
ing: i) A more brainy person can sell
to one who is less intelligent; ii) One
with a long‑term vision can sell to
one with lesser vision; iii) One who is
well‑informed can sell to one who is
not. Combining these three you
develop marketing skill, he states.
“Graduates from our business
schools have got good jobs and that
has become our strength.”
Swapnil set up his first college in
2006 and has not looked back.
He believes that an element of
spirituality completes the aim of edu‑
cation. For that he suggests stepping
out of the world of books and experi‑
encing life. “The new generation is
tech savvy but lack the input of phi‑
losophy and spirituality,”
He aims to attract students from
other countries to his educational
institutions. Forget Taxila and
Nalanda, he says students used to
come till not too long ago to India
from other countries to study at BHU
and even AMU. He says he will love
to get students from East European
countries, Iran and Africa.
He believes Indian teachers are
better than western teachers in pure
sciences, but not so much in social
PERSONALITY
sciences.
He also makes the distinction
between the educational philosophy
of India and the western world. “The
west wants to change the world. We
say we want to understand the
world. Indian perspective is that to
know the world I have to know
myself. And once I change myself,
the world will change automatically.
We also then accept what we cannot
change. Ultimately, all knowledge is
inside us, it has to be brought to the
surface a Swami Vivekanand used to
say.”
Swapnil accepts that he finds it dif‑
ficult to find the right teachers. A
good teacher has to be a bit selfless,
he argues. He looks for teachers who
have work experience in their indus‑
try, and not just PhDs. He also
reports a recent sea change in educa‑
tional scene in India. “Just like pri‑
vate schools which always used to be
better than government schools, now
even private colleges have taken a
lead over government colleges and
are attracting better students.”
Swapnil was in New York this week
as a featured speaker at Yoga for
World Peace conference organized
on behalf of the Sri Swami
Madhavananda World Peace Council
(SSMWPC), in cooperation with the
International Day of Yoga Committee
at the UN, and UN Staff Recreation
Council (UNSRC) / Enlightenment
Society (SEAT). SSMWPC foudner
and President is
Vishwaguru Paramhans
Maheshwarananda, whose Yoga in
Daily Life System is world renowned.
He Swapnil met Swami
Maheshwarananda a few years ago
and at World Peace Council confer‑
ence 2015 at UN quarters in Vienna,
which was followed by 2016 Prague
conference.
When asked by The South Asian
Times to give us a preview of his
speech at the World Peace
Conference, Swapnil said he plans to
elucidate on three points. “First,
there is a void in peopleʼs lives. This
is because there is emphasis on
March 10-16, 2018
developing minds but not hearts,
which creates an imbalance.
Competent mind can also be ruth‑
less. Heart is developed by selfless
love of parents and teachers. An
unloved person grows into a Putin.
“Second, whether it is individuals
or we as society or country, we glori‑
fy reaction – as with boasting about
surgical strikes on Pakistan. What
As educator Swapnil
quotes Swami
Vivekananda that all
knowledge is within
us, it just has to be
brought to the
surface. As keynote
and motivational
speaker, he argues for
pursuing excellence
over ambition.
we need is response, which is intel‑
lect based and empathetic. Mahatma
Gandhiʼs non‑violent movement was
a response to the British tyrannical
rule, not reaction. So was Pandit
Nehruʼs nonalignment.
“Third, students and the youth
have to ask the right questions and
the older generation has to give cor‑
rect answers. Being emotional is not
a weakness but strength. Love is the
biggest need and strength. Think of
the skill and strength of the lioness
who with her sharp canines picks up
Spirituality for Swapnil is “synchrony between body,
mind, emotions and intellect.”
15
For world
peace, we
need
response not
reaction to
events around
us, Swapnil
professes.
Response is
intellect
based and
empathetic.
her offspring.”
Swapnil is also a motivational
speaker. But he makes a fine distinc‑
tion between ambition and excel‑
lence. Ambition can become poison‑
ous, while excellence rises above the
rat race. Ambition nurtures the ego,
excellence is creative energy, it
immerses you in deep state of
repose. Excellence ‑ ambition dis‑
tinction can throw light on what sep‑
arates a Narayana Murthy (Infosys)
from Ramalinga Raju (Satyam), and
a Rajkumar Hirani from Ram Gopal
Verma.
Swapnil also harnesses the media
to spread his views. He founded DNN
Times newspaper and SR TV chan‑
nel. He also writes a weekly column
in ʻMe Nextʼ section of Rajasthan
Patrika, in which he elucidates the
fundamentals of life with examples
from the corporate world.
Swapnil says that he himself was
inspired by his grandmother and
parents, and he grew up in a house‑
hold where books abounded. His
parents were great debaters, and so
was he as a student. His spiritual
thought has been influenced by Osho
Rajneesh. For him spirituality is “syn‑
chrony between body, mind, emo‑
tions and intellect.”
His wife Namrata is a homemaker
and they have a son named Saarth,
13. A brother Divya Aditya is also
associated with his educational insti‑
 16 March 10-16, 2018
Director Guillermo Del Toro with the Best Director Award.
'The Shape Of Water' wins
Best Director, Best Picture
G
uillermo del Toro, who faces a
copyright infringement lawsuit for
"The Shape Of Water", has won the
Best Director and Best Picture Academy
Awards for the movie at the 90th Oscars
ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
"The Shape of Water", a fantasy drama,
has been in the midst of allegations that it is
a copy of a 1969 play "Let Me Hear You
Whisper".
The film stars Sally Hawkins as a mute
cleaner working in a Cold War‑era lab facili‑
ty, who bonds with a sea creature being
kept there.
It dominated the Academy Awards' nomi‑
nation pack with nods in a maximum of 13
categories this year.
The Achievement in Directing nomination
was de Toro's first in this category and his
fourth overall. He also won the Best Picture,
and was nominated in the Original
OLDMAN, MCDORMAND WIN
BEST ACTORS AT 90TH OSCARS
G
ary Oldman, for essaying former
British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill in "Darkest Hour", and
Frances McDormand for her role as a griev‑
ing mother in "Three Billboards outside
Ebbing, Missouri", won the best actor and
best actress in a leading role categories at
the 90th Academy Awards here.
McDormand, 60, pipped, among others,
"The Post" star Meryl Streep, who scored
her 21st nomination and the 17th in this
category at the Oscars.
She has won an Academy Award over two
decades after first winning the honour in
1996 for "Fargo".
In "Three Billboards...", she plays Mildred
Hayes, a mother grieving over her daugh‑
ter's rape and murder.
McDormand left an impact with her
acceptance speech after she asked every
female nominee in the room to stand up,
and asked male gatekeepers to ask them
about their projects and ideas not just at
Oscar after‑parties, but in office meetings
following awards season.
As her fellow nominees stood, she said:
"We all have stories to tell and projects we
need financed." She urged stars to demand
inclusion riders ‑‑ requirements for gender
or racial diversity ‑‑ in their contracts.
Jennifer Lawrence and Jodie Foster pre‑
90TH ACADEMY AWARDS
Screenplay category this year.
He became the third Mexican filmmaker
in the last five years to win best director,
after Alfonso Cuaron for "Gravity" in 2014
and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for
"Birdman" and "The Revenant" in 2015 and
2016 respectively, reports the Guardian.
In his acceptance speech, del Toro said: "I
am an immigrant like Alfonso and
Alejandro, my compadres. Like Gael (Garcia
Bernal), like Salma (Hayek) and like many,
many of you. And in the last 25 years, I've
been living in a country all of our own.
"Part of it is here, part of it is in Europe,
part of it is everywhere. Because I think that
the greatest thing our art does and our
industry does is to erase the lines in the
sand. We should continue doing that when
the world tells us to make them deeper." del
Toro was earlier nominated for his original
screenplay for "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006).
Gary Oldman with the trophy
for Best Actor.
sented the Best Actress trophy to
McDormand, in a break from tradition that
the previous year's Best Actor winner pres‑
ents the award.
As for Oldman, it was his second nomina‑
tion in the Actor in a Leading Role category.
He was previously nominated for "Tinker
Tailor Soldier Spy" in 2011.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Harvey Weinstein's accusers
pitch for equality at Oscars
A
ctresses Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek
and Annabella Sciorra, who have
accused producer Harvey Weinstein of
sexual misconduct, walked on the stage at
Oscars 2018 to stress on the need to change
the culture in Hollywood with focus on diver‑
sity and equality.
Apart from handing over the golden stat‑
uette to the winners, diversity was celebrated
at the 90th Oscars with a special segment at
the ceremony, held at Dolby Theatre here on
Sunday night.
Host Jimmy Kimmel promised a "night of
positivity" while opening the show, and the
Host Jimmy Kimmel.
team did keep its promise.
The actresses got on the stage not to talk
about their bad experiences, but how they
90 years of the Academy Awards will
"empower these limitless possibilities of
have led to several movements which are equality, diversity, inclusivity, intersectionali‑
orchestrating a change. They introduced a ty ‑‑ that's what this year has promised us".
segment honoring the #MeToo and Time's Up Hayek added: "So we salute those unstop‑
movements and highlighted the diversity in pable spirits who kicked a** and broke
filmmaking in the year gone by. through the biased perceptions against their
"Hi, it's nice to see you all again, it's been a gender, race and ethnicity to tell their sto‑
while," Sciorra said before the crowd applaud‑ ries." They then introduced a pre‑taped seg‑
ed. With reference to the women and men ment highlighting some of this year's
who have come forward to support #MeToo moments of diversity.
and Time's Up, Judd said: "Many spoke their From Kumail Nanjiani to Greta Gerwig to
truth and the journey ahead is long, but slow‑ Dee Rees to Ava Duvernay to Barry Jenkins to
ly a new path has emerged." Geena Davis to Mira Sorvino, the stars talked
These voices were not only heard, Judd about the importance of representation in
pointed out, but have created a "mighty cho‑ Hollywood, with one message ‑‑ diversity is
rus". She then expressed hope that the next the future.
Shashi Kapoor, Sridevi remembered
I
ndian cinema icon Shashi
Kapoor and India's first
female superstar Sridevi
were honored at the 90th
Academy Awards ceremony
here during the "In
Memoriam" montage. The
Indian stars got a musical
tribute by Eddie Vedder who
took the stage to sing Tom
Petty's "Room at the top".
Actress Jennifer Garner
introduced the segment by
paying tribute to late star
Audrey Hepburn.
"There is no joy without
sorrow," Garner said, and
then acknowledged the loss
of film world with the depart‑
ed souls.
Son of Prithviraj Kapoor
and younger brother of Raj
Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor,
Shashi Kapoor made his
debut in Bollywood with the
1961 film "Dharmputra" after
working as a child artist. He
passed away in December
2017.
Bollywood's ultimate
"charm house" Shashi Kapoor
then went on to make a name
for himself globally by associ‑
ating with international cine‑ Late actor Sridevi.
ma. He was honored with the
Padma Bhushan ‑‑ the third highest civilian her ability to slip into myriad roles, expres‑
honour ‑‑ by the Indian government in 2011. sive eyes, sheer comic timing and her fluid
In 2015, he was bestowed with the dancing skills, died on February 24. Her
Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Sridevi, known for death left everyone shocked, and saddened.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Opened bathroom door at 8 pm to find Sridevi dead: Boney
A
s the mystery around Sridevi's sud‑
den demise last week continued, her
husband and film producer Boney
Kapoor has opened up.
Boney has recounted the "detailed
account of what exactly transpired on the
fateful evening of February 24" to his
friend of 30 years, trade analyst Komal
Nahta, who has reproduced the conversa‑
tion in a blog shared on his official Twitter
page.
Nahta wrote that Boney told him he
pushed open the bathroom door ‑‑ which
had not been locked from inside ‑‑ at
around 8 pm after getting no response to
loud calls for Sridevi and a knock on the
door. Earlier, there had been a lot of specu‑
lation about the time that Boney had
opened the bathroom door.
Nahta told IANS that the conversation
happened on Wednesday before Sridevi's
funeral.
It was barely two hours after Boney sur‑
prised Sridevi ‑‑ his "jaan" and mother of
their two daughters Janhvi and Khushi ‑‑ at
Room No. 2201 at Jumeirah Emirates
Towers Hotel here, that he faced the shock
of her death, writes Nahta.
Boney said: "On 24th (February 24)
morning, I spoke to her. When she told me,
'Papa (that's how she addressed Boney), I'm
missing you', I also told her that I was miss‑
ing her a lot. But I didn't tell her that I
would be joining her in Dubai in the
evening. Janhvi had seconded my idea of
going to Dubai because she was scared, her
mom, not used to being alone, would mis‑
Ahluwalia's ʻPalace of Horrorsʼ
to feature at US gala
F
ilmmaker Ashim Ahluwalia's
next "Palace of Horrors" is a part
of the international horror
anthology "The Field Guide To Evil",
which will have its world premiere at
the prestigious festival, South by
Southwest (SXSW) in the US.
The anthology of dark folk tales on
possession, curses, love, lust and
envy.tales, brings together eight talent‑
ed genre filmmakers from around the
world including Austria, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, India, Poland, Turkey
and the US.
The movie will have its world pre‑
miere on March 16 at SXSW, to be held
from March 9‑18. It will open theatri‑
cally across US and Europe later this
year.
"It is quite an honor to be the first
Indian filmmaker to have a world pre‑
miere at SXSW. It has become the most
relevant film festival in the US today.
Our film 'The Field Guide to Evil' is a
collaboration between eight interna‑
tional directors, all very exciting in
their own right, and in that sense is
very different from what I'm used to,"
Ahluwalia said in a statement.
"It's a horror film, inspired by dark
folk tales from around the world, and
the buzz on the premiere has been
huge. I'm really excited for the audi‑
ence to experience this," he added.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Boney Kapoor and others accompany the body of Sridevi
for cremation in Mumbai. (Photo: IANS)
place her passport or some important doc‑
ument if she was alone." According to
Boney, there had been only two occasions
in the last 24 years when they had not trav‑
eled together abroad ‑‑ when Sridevi had
traveled to New Jersey and Vancouver ‑‑ for
two film appearances.
The producer told Nahta that he booked
himself for a 3.30 p.m. flight to Dubai on
February 24, and reached the hotel where
his wife was staying at around 6.20 p.m.
Dubai time.
After reaching the hotel where the couple
Film director Ashim Ahluwalia.
hugged and kissed, and chatted for around
15 minutes, Boney freshened up and sug‑
gested they go on a "romantic dinner".
Then Sridevi, who as he says, was in
"relaxation mode", went for a bath.
"I went to the living room while Sridevi
went to the master bathroom to bathe and
get ready," Boney was quoted by Nahta as
having said.
In the living room, Boney told Nahta that
he surfed channels and was watching the
South Africa‑India cricket match for few
minutes followed by the Pakistan Super
'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'
beats 'Dangal' first day
collections in China
S
alman Khan's
film "Bajrangi
Bhaijaan", over
two years after releas‑
ing in India, got off to a
flying start in China by
raking in Rs 18 crore.
"Bajrangi Bhaijaan" is
about a man who
reunites a Pakistani girl
lost in India with his
family by crossing the
tense border between
two hostile countries.
According to Chinese
box office, "Bajrangi
Bhaijaan" has beaten
the first day collections
of Aamir Khan's
"Dangal" in China.
However, it fell well
short of Aamir's last
release in China, "Secret
Superstar", which minted Rs 40 crore on
its opening day in the country.
Overall, "Dangal" earned over Rs
1,000 crore in China and became the
highest‑grossing Indian movie in the
Middle Kingdom where craze for
Bollywood films is growing. "Secret
March 10-16, 2018 17
League cricket match highlights. After
around 15‑20 minutes, he was restless as it
was around 8 p.m. then and being a
Saturday, he felt restaurants would fill up.
Nahta wrote: "Boney's impatience made
him shout out to Sridevi from the living
room itself. After calling out to her twice,
Boney lowered the volume of the TV set.
Still no reply. He then walked to the bed‑
room and knocked at the bathroom door
and even called out to her. The unsuspect‑
ing husband, hearing the tap inside on,
then called out 'Jaan, Jaan' still louder but
got no reply, which was unusual.
"He panicked and opened the door which
had not been bolted from inside, nervous
but yet not at all prepared for what he was
going to see. The tub was full of water and
Sridevi was immersed completely, from
head to toe, inside the tub. Devastated, he
reached out to her but watching her
motionless, he feared the worst.
"Sridevi had drowned! Boney's world had
come crashing down."
The much‑loved actress' sudden demise
raised several questions.
But as Nahta puts it: "Whether she first
drowned and then became unconscious, or
she first fell asleep or unconscious and
then drowned, nobody will, perhaps, ever
know. But she probably never got a chance
to even struggle for a minute because had
she moved her arms and legs in panic while
drowning, there would be some water
spilling out of the tub. But there wasn't a
drop of water on the floor outside the tub
area. "The mystery will remain unsolved."
Actor Salman Khan.
Superstar" collected well over Rs 750
crore here.
"India has always been about style, the
story reveals the human nature of the
true good, the world peace. Worth pro‑
moting," Lareina Yang, a user, wrote on
Chinese ticketing website Maoyan.
 18 March 10-16, 2018 FESTIVAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info

INDIA CELEBRATES
BOISTEROUS

Mumbai: A woman smeared with colored powder shakes her head during
Holi celebrations in Mumbai on March 2. (Photo courtesy Reuters)

Amritsar: Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu celebrates Holi with BSF personnel at

H
oli was cele‑ BSF Headquarters in Khasa near Amritsar on March 2. (Photos: IANS)
brated with vim
and vigor on
March 2 not only across
the country but around
the world also. Events
such as Lathmar Holi in
Nandgaon‑Barsana area
took place on Sunday.
Holika Dahan was held
on March 1 evening.
Friday, of course, was
when the main celebra‑
tions of the festival of India‑Pak border: Army Jawans celebrating
colors actually took Holi on the India‑Pakistan border.
place. Thankfully it was
declared a holiday by
most institutions and
companies. So, as the Children who attend free,
country come together
to celebrate one of
Indiaʼs most popular
full-day, high-quality pre-K learn
festivals – and one that
has formed a huge part
to problem-solve, ask questions,
of Indian representation
in pop culture globally – and work together.
here are snapshots of

nyc.gov/prek
what happened on Holi Mathura: "Holika Dahan" underway in
across India. Mathura on March 1.

New York City families with children born in 2014

can apply for free, full-day, high-quality pre-K for the
2018-19 school year. Call 311 | Text “prek” to 877-877.
Receive automated recurring messages from NYC DOE. No purchase necessary. MSG and data rates may apply.

Jaipur: Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur, Princess Diya Kumari and Maharani
Padmini Devi witness traditional 'Holika Dahan' at City Palace here on March 1.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
MGM National Harbor tries to woo Asians
By SurekhaVijh in Washington
D
Cʼs National Harbor is
making waves with its new
addition which is carving a
new fun place in the greater
Washington area. MGM National
Harbor, the massive resort that
opened in December 2016, wanted
to show off its grandeur to the eth‑
nic communities and I was invited
to be in the media group given a
tour of the hotel‑events arena‑the‑
ater‑casino late last month. The
occasion was the celebration of
the Chinese Lunar New Year.
First up, the Conservatory was
all decked up in bright red: Red
lanterns, red bridge and red doors
beautifully evoked the festive
mood. Red is associated with
wealth and good fortune in
Chinese culture. A giant dog in the
middle welcomed visitors at the
main entrance. It is the Year of the
Dog as per the Chinese calendar.
Lunar New Year is the most signifi‑
cant holiday for the Chinese. It
normally falls between January 21
and February 20. This year, it was
celebrated on February 16.
The weekend was filled with fes‑
tivities. During the day people
flocked to the Conservatory to take
photographs with the giant dog
and Chinese theme decorations. In
the evening the colorful, tradition‑
al Lion Dance, which is said to
bring good luck, was performed
outdoors to the accompaniment of
drums and cymbals. The Lion
Dance is often performed during
the Chinese and Vietnamese New
Year as well as at grand openings,
weddings and other special events.
Staged by the Imperial Lion
Dance Team of Worcester, MA, it
pulled a big crowd. Dressed in
white and red costumes, the 30‑
strong male dancers showcased
their acrobatic skills, agility and
courage on tall, slim pillars. It was
truly gravity defying.
"This is a huge opportunity for
our team, we are really excited,"
said Hung Nguyen, the dance com‑
panyʼs general manager. "I hope
Lion Dancing becomes more main‑
stream in the entertainment and
sports world as people's fascina‑
tion with it grows." His team has
Celebrates Lunar New Year with fanfare
The $1.4‑billion MGM National Harbor is a new landmark in the Washington DC metropolitan area. They
have had a concert by Shreya Ghoshal and are planning a South Asian bridal fair in April.
been a four‑time New England
Lion Dance Competition champion.
The $1.4‑billion MGM National
Harbor resort is situated on 23
acres near Interstate 495 and
north of the National Harbor's
waterfront district. It is a bare 10
miles from Washington, DC and is
located near the famous Woodrow
Wilson Bridge. Though sited in
Maryland state, its casino is the
first in the Washington DC metro
area. Attractions include 7 restau‑
rants for all age groups. Operated
by MGM Resorts International, the
Chinese themed decorations at
the Conservatory to celebrate Lunar New Year.
TOURISM
resort welcomes visitors through‑
out the year.
According to Melonie Johnson,
President of MGM National
Harbor, the casino was always
open as people visit it for family
fun, music night or entertainment.
Last year they had popular
Bollywood playback singer Shreya
Ghoshal. Our media group was
treated to the iconic singer Cher
performing to a packed hall in the
theater. Britney Spears will give a
couple of performances in July.
Both the indoor and outdoor
March 10-16, 2018
areas were bustling with people,
and many thronged the restau‑
rants and cafes. Their main restau‑
rant is Ginger, which has a variety
of dishes for all palates, and the
sports bar café is geared to enter‑
tain the night crowds.
MGM National Harbor includes a
23‑story hotel with 308 rooms
including 74 suites, 135,000
square feet in gaming space, retail
space, a spa, a 3,000‑seat theater
with seven VIP suites, 27,000
square feet of meeting and event
space, and a parking garage for
The gravity defying Lion Dance performed by a troupe from
Massachusetts. (Photos: MGM National Harbor)
19
4,800 cars. The gaming space
contains 126 game tables, 3,300
slot machines, and a poker room
with 39 tables. An Asian gaming
pit features 16 Macau‑style bac‑
carat tables and a high‑limit
lounge. The resort has welcomed 6
million guests since opening. The
management is pleased that the
resort has filled a need in the east
coast.
Marylandʼs revenue from casinos
is shared by Maryland Education
Trust Fund, local impact grants,
local jurisdictions, the stateʼs horse
racing industry and the Maryland
General Fund.
MGM resort's public spaces fea‑
ture a permanent collection of art
inspired by the Washington metro‑
politan area and developed in col‑
laboration with Prince George's
County Arts and Humanities
Council, Atlantic Arts, and Rare
Culture. The collection features
many well known artists, sculptors
and photographers. The west
entrance to the facility features a
25 foot by 15 foot iron archway
composed of "found objects" such
as farming tools, children's toys,
wheels and axes designed by Bob
Dylan. I was also told that MGM
National Harbor is planning to
host a South Asian bridal show in
April.
Website: mgmnationalharbor.com
 20 March 10-16, 2018 SUBCONTINENT TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Pakistan elects first Hindu Pakistan PM on

Dalit woman to Senate
Islamabad: Rights activist Krishna
Kumari Kohli has became the first‑
ever Hindu Dalit woman to be
elected to Pakistan's Senate,
media reports said.
The 39‑year‑old Pakistan
Peoples Party (PPP) leader from a
village in Tharparkar is also the
first‑ever senator from a sched‑
uled caste, according to Geo TV.
Kumari's rise, however, wasn't
easy. Born to a poor family in
February 1979, she belongs to the
Kohli community.
Kumari hails from Nagarparkar
where women are still deprived of
basic facilities. She battled hunger
and poverty as a child and was
also a victim of bonded labour,
reports Geo TV.
"We didn't have electricity so I
used to study under the light of an
oil lantern," she told Geo TV.
According to Dawn news, when
Kumari was a grade 3 student, she
and her family were confined to a
private jail for nearly three years.
The jail was allegedly owned by
the landlord of Kunri of Umerkot
district.
At 16, Kumari got married to
Lalchand who supported her edu‑
cation and she got her masters
Krishna Kumari Kohli became the first Hindu woman
Senator in Pakistan (Photo: Courtesy, Rabyanoor/Twitter)
degree in 2013 from Sindh
University.
As an activist, she worked
against bonded labour, sexual
harassment at workplaces, and for
the rights of women and the peo‑
ple of her village.
After being elected to the
Senate, Krishna told Geo News: "I
will not only represent women of
Thar but act as a representative
for women across the country and
speak for their rights.
two‑day Nepal visit
Kathmandu: Pakistani Prime and high‑level Nepal officers dur‑
Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi ing the visit.
commenced a two‑day visit to It will the first high‑level visit
Nepal on March 5, the Nepal to the country by a foreign digni‑
PM's Secretariat said. tary after Oli was sworn in as the
The Pakistani Prime Minister 41st Prime Minister of Nepal on
arrived here to congratulate February 15. The last such visit
Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli was by the then Pakistan Prime
on his appointment again as the Minister Nawaz Sharif to attend
Prime Minister of the Himalayan the 18th South Asian Association
nation. for Regional Cooperation summit
Abbasi will hold meetings with in Kathmandu in November
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari 2014.
"Many laws have been drafted
for the rights of women but none
of them has been implemented ‑‑
something I wish to change."
Stressing that the major issues
faced by the people of Tharparkar
are child marriages and forced
conversions, she said these need‑
ed "to be addressed urgently".
She thanked the PPP leadership
for nominating her, and clarified
she has won on the women's seat
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
and not the minority seat.

PML‑N backed UN condemns

Maldives: India needs to give killing of 4
candidates lead Bangladeshi
measured but tough response
Pak Senate's By Amit Dasgupta more disturbing is that increased Chinese
peacekeepers
in Mali
elections presence in the Indian Ocean would mean

Islamabad: Candidates backed by the ruling
Pakistan Muslim League‑Nawaz (PML‑N) were
leading in the elections to the Senate, the
upper house of Parliament.
According to the initial results, PML‑N‑
backed independent candidates bagged 11 of
12 seats in the Punjab Assembly Former
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar won the Senate
technocrat seat from Punjab Assembly, the
Pakistani media reported.
Twenty‑three PML‑N candidates contested
elections as independents after a Supreme
Court judgement nullified all decisions taken
by former PML‑N chief Nawaz Sharif, includ‑
ing issuance of party tickets.
The PML‑N backed candidates also won both
seats of the federal capital apart from securing
four seats from Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA) and southwestern Balochistan
province.
The opposition Pakistan Peoples Party
(PPP), which was in control of Senate, man‑
aged to bag 10 seats from Sindh and one from
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Geo News reported.
The PML‑N was expected to replace the PPP
as the largest party in the upper house after
Saturday's election.
Cricketer‑turned‑politician Imran Khan's
Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaaf (PTI) bagged only
two seats from KP, one woman and the other
technocrat.
I
dyllic Maldives faces a serious constitu‑
tional crisis and there are no indications
that President Abdullah Yameen is willing
to soften his position. On the contrary, all
indications are that Yameen would ruthlessly
incarcerate the opposition and even prevent
the forthcoming presidential elections from
taking place.
Like his predecessor, he has assiduously
cultivated relations with Beijing. The exten‑
sion of the emergency, especially after New
Delhi expressed its misgivings and concerns,
demonstrates how confident he is of China's
support. This is India's backyard and the
dilemma New Delhi faces is not simply how it
should respond to the challenge, but how the
Maldives slipped away from its hug.
For India, this is a seriously worrying
development, especially since it has long
considered the Maldives as among its few
friends in the region.
Even more worrying is the manner in
which the Maldives has allowed China to
make strategic inroads, much to New Delhi's
discomfiture and disadvantage. The first real
evidence was the arbitrary manner in which
the airport project was handed over to the
Chinese, even though the contract had been
won by an Indian company. This was fol‑
lowed by the opening of a Chinese embassy,
the signing of an FTA and rumours that
Beijing might be given the right to set up a
naval base in one of the islands. What is
that Beijing would control yet another impor‑
tant shipping lane.
Anticipating that New Delhi might be pro‑
voked into intervening militarily, Beijing fol‑
lowed its stern warning with the dispatch of
naval ships. A military intervention, while it
is a preferred Chinese strategy, however,
comes with serious drawbacks. For one, it is
not clear as to who would replace President
Yameen. Nor indeed is it clear that it would
be swift, successful and bloodless. Further,
whether there would be international sup‑
port in case there is a confrontation with the
Chinese navy is a matter of surmise.
More importantly, if it fails in achieving its
desired objective, it would damage India
irrevocably in the eyes of its domestic con‑
stituency, the regional audience and the
world at large. Added to this is the disturbing
manner in which the Maldives, under
President Yameen, has emerged as an incu‑
bation hub for Islamic fundamentalists with
the credible possibility that a military inter‑
vention might provoke retaliatory terror
attacks in India. Nevertheless, an urgent and
unambiguous response from New Delhi is
warranted. It knows that if the Maldives is
lost, a domino effect would follow. There is,
of course, every danger that whatever action
New Delhi adopts would draw the Maldives
even closer to China. Furthermore, what has
already been lost to the Chinese is least likely
to be reversed.
United Nations: UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterres and
the Security Council have con‑
demned the killing of four
Bangladeshi peacekeepers by a
roadside bomb in Mali.
The Council condemned "in
the strongest terms" the attack
on the UN convoy that killed the
four peacekeepers and injured
several others in central Mopti
region of Mali on Wednesday. It
warned in a press statement that
attacks on peacekeepers may
constitute war crimes under
international law.
Guterres called for the prose‑
cution of the attackers and said:
"These cowardly acts will not
deter the United Nations
Multidimensional Integrated
Stabilization Mission in Mali's
(MINUSMA) determination to
support the Malian authorities
in their efforts to protect civil‑
ians and accompany the Malian
people in their quest for peace
and stability."
The UN has not identified the
attackers. The killing of the
peacekeepers comes amid grow‑
ing concern over the rising
attacks on peacekeepers.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 10-16, 2018
 22 March 10-16, 2018 INTERNATIONAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May tells Trump of 'deep Guatemala to

concern' over trade tariffs move embassy in
London: British Prime Minister
Theresa May has told US President
Donald Trump that she has "deep
concern" at his decision to raise tar‑
iffs on steel and aluminum.
A Downing Street spokesperson
said May had a telephone call with
Trump earlier Sunday, in which May
also said that multilateral action
was the only way to resolve the
problem.
"The Prime Minister raised our
deep concern at the president's
forthcoming announcement on
steel and aluminum tariffs, noting
that multilateral action was the only
way to resolve the problem of glob‑
al overcapacity in all parties' inter‑
ests," the spokesperson said in a
statement, Xinhua reported.
Trump has said he plans to slap a
25‑percent tarif f on steel imports
and 10 percent on aluminum next
week. He has also threatened to
increase taxes on European cars if
the EU retaliates against his steel
and aluminum tariffs.
May's Cabinet Of fice minister,
David Lidington, also rebuked
Trump when speaking on BBC One's
Sunday Politics program.
"I just think that the United States
is not taking an advisable course in
threatening a trade war," Lidington
British Prime Minister Theresa May.
said. Lidington suggested the
American authorities could overrule
any tariffs, as they did in the case of
aircraft manufacturer Bombardier
when the Trump administration
threatened huge duties on its C‑
wing planes, but his plan won't
work.
May and Trump also discussed
the "appalling humanitarian situa‑
tion" in Eastern Ghouta in Syria.
They said that Russia and others
with influence over the Syrian gov‑
ernment must act to cease their
campaign of violence and to protect
Israel to Jerusalem
Washington: Guatemalan
President Jimmy Morales has
announced that his country's
embassy in Israel will be moved
from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in
May, the media reported.
Morales made the announce‑
ment at the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee's
annual policy conference in
Washington, reports CNN.
His remarks were greeted
with cheers and applause.
"As a sovereign decision, we
recognize Jerusalem as the cap‑
ital of Israel," Morales said.
civilians.
"In May of this year, we will
Europe has warned Trump to
celebrate Israel's 70th anniver‑
expect retaliatory strikes against
sary, and under my instructions,
American icons like Harley‑
two days after the US moves its
Davidson, Levis jeans and Kentucky
embassy, Guatemala will return
bourbon if he sparks a trade war by
and permanently move its
going ahead with the proposed tar‑
embassy to Jerusalem."
iffs on foreign steel.
Last December, Morales said
European Commission President
that he planned to make the
Jean‑Claude Juncker has also
move.
warned that there would be conse‑
He said he had spoken to
quences for the US if Trump's threat
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
of a 25 per cent tariff on steel and
Netanyahu and instructed his
10 per cent on aluminium imports
foreign ministry to "initiate the
takes effect, reports the Guardian.
process to make it possible".
The Central American nation
is the first country to announce
it would move its embassy from
Tel Aviv to Jerusalem since his
US President Donald Trump in
December recognized
Jerusalem as Israel's capital,
CNN reported.
Trump's decision upended
seven decades of US foreign
policy that has resisted a recog‑
nition of Jerusalem as Israel's
capital before the Israeli‑
Palestinian conflict is resolved.
Morales called Trump's deci‑
sion "courageous".
He thanked the American
President "for leading the way"
and encouraging his country to
make what he called the correct
move.
In 1947, Guatemala was
among the first countries to
cast its vote for the establish‑
ment of the State of Israel and,
in 1959, Guatemala was the
first country to open an
embassy in Jerusalem, Morales
added.

US AIRCRAFT CARRIER China's defense budget three

ARRIVES IN VIETNAM
Hanoi: For the first time since the
end of the Vietnam War, a US air‑
craft carrier made a port call in
Vietnam, signaling how Chinas
rise is bringing together former
foes in a significant shift in the
regions geopolitical landscape,
the media reported.
The USS Carl Vinson, anchored
off Danang, the port city that
served as a major staging post for
the American war effort in the
country, reports The New York
Times.
"It's a pretty big and historic
step, since a carrier has not been
here for 40 years," said Rear
Adm. John V. Fuller, the com‑
mander of the Carl Vinson strike
group, whose father served in
Vietnam.
"We hope to continue the same
issue that we've always had... And
that's to promote security, stabili‑
ty and prosperity in the region."
The arrival of the Carl Vinson
strike group's 5,500 sailors
marks the first time such a large
contingent of American military
personnel has landed on
Vietnamese soil since the last of
the US troops withdrew in 1975.
During the four‑day port call,
the aircraft carrier's personnel
will visit an orphanage and a cen‑
tre for victims of Agent Orange,
the defoliant used by the United
States military that is blamed,
through a toxic contaminant, for
poisoning generations of
Vietnamese.
Carrier sailors will also play
basketball and soccer with
Vietnamese counterparts.
For the last month, the Carl
Vinson has been deployed in the
South China Sea, one of the
world's busiest shipping lanes.
The New York imes reported.
Six governments have compet‑
ing claims over various features
in the South China Sea. In recent
years, Vietnam, in particular, has
watched warily as China, through
extensive reclamation, has trans‑
formed bits of rock and reef it
controls into sprawling artificial
islands that now double as mili‑
tary bases.
In 2017 alone, China built per‑
manent facilities on reclaimed
land that "account for about 72
acres, or 290,000 square metres,
of new real estate", according to
the Asia Maritime Transparency
Initiative run by the Centre for
Strategic and International
Studies in Washington.
times higher than India's
Beijing: China hiked its defense
spending to 8.1 per cent of its
GDP, pegging its economic growth
at 6.5 per cent in 2018.
China's defense budget in 2017
was 7 per cent of the country's
GDP and has been in single digit
since 2013, but this year's military
spending is the highest in three
years. The budget of $175 billion
is three times higher than India's
defense spending.
China's economy, which grew in
double‑digit for three‑decades, has
slowed down over the years.
The economic target was
announced by Chinese Prime
Minister Li Keqiang when he deliv‑
ered the work report to the
National People's Congress (NPC),
China's Parliament.
China has the world's largest
standing Army and spends the
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. (Xinhua/Ju Peng/IANS)
most on defence after the US in
the world. President Xi Jinping has troops," Li said at the opening ses‑ Committee in February passed a
vowed to make the Chinese Army a sion of the NPC. proposal to remove the two‑term
modern force by cutting down its The two‑week Parliament ses‑ cap on Chinese presidency ‑‑ a
troops. sion will be a historic one as the move that has startled the world.
This was mentioned by Li while rubber‑stamp legislature will China's revered leader Deng
delivering the work report at the remove the two‑term cap on the Xiaoping in 1980s had restricted
Great Hall where nearly 3,000 Chinese presidency, giving Xi the presidential five‑year tenure to
Chinese lawmakers had gathered. unfettered power and license to two to avoid the perils which the
"We have completed the task of rule until he retires or dies. cult around Mao Zedong had
reducing the armed by 300,000 The party's powerful Central brought.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
PNB not shown as creditor in US bankruptcy filing
New York: The Punjab National
Bank (PNB) is not shown as a credi‑
tor in the bankruptcy documents
filed in a court here by three com‑
panies af filiated with Nirav Modi,
who has been accused in a $2 bil‑
lion‑scam involving the national‑
ized financial institution.
But the document acknowledges
that the filing of criminal com‑
plaints by PNB regarding allega‑
tions of "unauthorized loans" to
Nirav Modi and af filiated foreign
companies were the "events lead‑
ing" to the filing of the bankruptcy
petition.
The only banks mentioned as
creditors are HSBC and Israe l
Discount Bank (IDB), which have
outstanding loans totaling $20 mil‑
lion to two of the companies. The
IDB's revolving credit facility is
guaranteed by Modi personally, as
well as by two other companies, the
document said.
However, tying up the three com‑
panies in bankruptcy proceedings
would place hurdles for PNB to go
after the Nirav Modi's assets in
these companies. "In most
Forbes India
names 25 women as
'trailblazers' in India
New Delhi: Ahead of
International Women's Day on
March 8, Forbes India has
released a its "W‑Power
Trailblazers" issue this week‑
end, featuring 25 women stars,
on the ascendancy in business.
The 25 women stars included
names like Chiki Sarkar, pub‑
lisher, Juggernaut Books,
Adhuna Bhabani, founder‑direc‑
tor, Bblunt, Anupriya Acharya,
CEO (India), Publicis Media,
Kavitha Sairam, co‑founder, FIB‑
SOL Life Technologies, Dina
Wadia and Shivpriya Nanda,
joint managing partners, J
Sagar Associates among others.
"We need to specify that this
is not a ranking but a qualita‑
tive selection ‑‑ a grouping of
ground breakers, game‑chang‑
ers and innovators working
across diverse sectors such as
technology, law, banking, insur‑
ance, media, biotech and the
startup sector," Forbes India
said in a statement.
"Mandated quotas smack of
tokenism, and we have as many
women who favor reservations
as those who would like merit
to be the decider," said Brian
Carvalho, Editor of Forbes India,
referring to the lack of women
on company boards.
"With the overwhelming
response that we received for
the first edition of W‑Power last
year, a second edition was
imminent.
A view of the 60‑feet tall effigy of Nirav Modi as part of
'Holika Dahan' ritual in Mumbai. (Photo: IANS)
instances, the filing of the bank‑
ruptcy case automatically stays cer‑
tain collection and other actions
against the debtor and the debtor's
property," warns a note from the
authorities that is attached to the
Bank union writes to Jaitley
against privatizing PSBs
New Delhi: Crit icizing the
demand for privatizing state‑run
banks in the wake of the Rs
12,600 crore PNB fraud, a bank
employees' body has written to
Union Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley that such a move would
be "counterproductive".
T he Indian Nat ional Bank
Employees Federation (INBEF),
the banking wing of Congress‑
af filiated Indian National Trade
Union Congress (INTUC), has
said in the letter that privatizing
public sector banks (PSBs) would
result in destroying their huge
branch network across the coun‑
try.
"Should the PSBs be handed
over to private corporates, it will
not only be counterproductive,
but also lead to self‑destruction
of a well‑knit huge branch net‑
work across the length and
breadth of the country that serv‑
ices crores of people," the INBEF
said in the letter.
T he union pointed to some
gaps in the regulatory mecha‑
nism in regard to fraud played
on the Indian banking system.
"Besides supervision, the
Department of Banking
Operations in the Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) responsible for
controlling the unwarranted risk
in high‑ticket advances is with‑
out a head ever since the then
Deputy Governor S.S. Mundra
retired in July 2017," the union
BUSINESS
bankruptcy documents. "If you
attempt to collect a debt or take
other action in violation of the
Bankruptcy Co de, you may be
penalized."
The three companies, ‑‑ Firestar
said. "While there is a need to
look into the performance of the
Bank Boards Bureau, the trans‑
parency about the RBI policies
during the tenure of then
Governor Raghuram Rajan is
being widely and openly com‑
pared with that of yes‑men work‑
ing presently," it added.
Last week, the Finance Minister
had criticised regulators, as well
as bank managements and audi‑
tors, for their failure to detect
bank frauds and said that "politi‑
cians are accountable but regula‑
tors are not".
"What are our auditors doing?
Both internal and external audi‑
tors really have looked the other
way or failed to detect," Jaitley
said at an event here, without
naming the Punjab Nat ional
March 10-16, 2018
Diamond, Inc. (FDI); Fantasy, Inc.
(FI), and A Jaffe Inc. (AJI) ‑‑ filed for
bankruptcy protect ion in the
United States Bankruptcy Court for
Southern New York on Monday.
The bankruptcy petition docu‑
ments, obtained by IANS from the
court system, show a maze of inter‑
connected ownerships that finally
lead the three companies through
several subsidiaries to Nirav Modi
via Hong Kong.
Mihir Bansali, who is shown as
the president and sole director of
the three companies seeking volun‑
tary bankruptcy, signed the main
document for the bankruptcy peti‑
tion.
On Thursday, the Nirav Modi jew‑
e lry showroom on New York's
Madison Avenue in the middle of
high fashion outlets was closed,
with the main entrance locked and
shades pulled over the windows.
It was not possible to ascertain
which company owned the show‑
room or why it was shut.
The three companies have peti‑
tioned under the Chapter 11 of the
United States Bankruptcy Code,
Bank scam.
Besides PNB, several other gov‑
ernment‑owned banks, including
Bank of Baroda, Oriental Bank of
Commerce and Corporat ion
Bank, have reported fraud.
According to the bank union
representat ives, the current
argument that over 20 PSBs is a
large number runs contrary to
the existence of 21 private sector
banks, many of which are still on
the fringes of the Indian finance
even after remaining in opera‑
tion for a considerable number
of years.
In support of the argument
against privatization, analysts
point to the worldwide experi‑
ence of PSBs repeatedly becom‑
ing effective instruments to bat‑
tle financial crises.
23
which permits them to operate
while they reorganise their opera‑
tions. Their filing claimed that the
reason for seeking bankruptcy pro‑
tection was to "preserve the going
concern value of their businesses
and effectuate a sale or other trans‑
action" for their brands to continue.
This implies that they were not
under direct financial distress.
They admitted that vendors were
reluctant to continue doing busi‑
ness with them and some cus‑
tomers have begun to exploring
other suppliers following the "nega‑
tive publicity" that has impaired
their operations and "created a
great deal of uncertainty and con‑
fusion in the market."
The government actions in India
disrupted their supply chain, the fil‑
ing added, was a reason for the
bankruptcy filing.
T hey said they are try ing to
"reassure their customers and ven‑
dors that they were committed to
carrying on their business and that
swift action was being taken to mit‑
igate the damage caused by the
actions in India".
Union Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley.
 24 March 10-16, 2018
Aruna and Navjot: The new role models
By Veturi Srivatsa
A
dversity brings the best out
of champions. Two girls
have shown precisely that,
and in the process pushed cricket,
Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri to the
margins of Indian sport, at least
for a week.
The two young ladies excelled in
disciplines that need physical as
well as mental strength and, of
course, skills to go with.
Aruna Budda Reddy and Navjot
Kaur do not belong to the elite
sport or the social circuit and
today they have made India proud.
The two quietly worked their
way up to create history. And both
have heart‑rending stories to their
background, noticed only after
their fantastic achievements.
Aruna became the first Indian to
w in a Gymnast ics World Cup
medal, a bronze, and Navjot the
first woman to w in an Asian
Championship wrestling gold at
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Aruna had to cope with the pass‑
ing away of her father, who defied
his family to remove her from
karate and introduce to her the
world of mats, rings and vaults of
gymnastics. Her only regret was
that her father was not there in
her moment of success and joy.
Her sister and brother‑in‑law
helped her to fulfil her father's
dream of making her a top class
gymnast. Navjot knew what all her
Fiorentina captain
Astori, 31, passes away
Florence (Italy): ACF Fiorentina
captain and Italian international
Davide Astori, 31, has died due to
a sudden illness, the club
announced, sending the Italian
football community into mourning.
"Fiorentina are profoundly shak‑
en and forced to announce that
club captain Davide Astori has
died, caught by a sudden illness,"
Fiorentina said in a statement.
According to media reports,
Astori, who played 14 times for
Italy as a defender, died in his
sleep in his team's hotel in the
northern Italian city of Udine on
Sunday ahead of their Serie A clash
against Udinese away.
"For the terrible and delicate sit‑
uat ion, and above all for the
respect of his family, appeal is
made to everyone's sensibility,"
Fiorentina said.
As a sign of respect, all Serie A
matches scheduled for Sunday
were suspended, Serie A and the
Italian football federation FIGC
announced.
"All the fixtures scheduled for
today are postponed as a sign of
mourning. Farwell Astori," Serie A
father had to go through to bring
her onto the podium. She was at
the critical juncture of battling out
the 65 kg final against a tough
Japanese girl Imai Miyu and how
well she accomplished it, with a
comprehensive 9‑1 victory.
For Navjot it was her way of
thanking her farmer father who
had run up loans to the tune of Rs
13 lakhs. There was a period when
she was off the wrestling mat for
two years with a back injury suf‑
fered in 2015.
Luckily, the 27‑year‑old has a
Railway job and need not worry
too much about her financial secu‑
rity. For that she had to work so
hard, getting up with her sister at
4 a.m. to go from her village
Bagrian to border town Tarn Tarn
in Punjab to train. Navjot's finan‑
Italian footballer Davide Astori.
(Photo: Twitter/@DavideAstori)
tweeted. Astori joined the AC Milan
youth academy and played for
Cagliari and Roma before moving
on loan to Fiorentina in 2015 and
signing a long‑term contract in
2016.
Since joining Fiorent ina, he
played 106 matches and became
the leading figure in the Italian
club.
FIFA and UEFA, along with sever‑
al footballing personalities also
of fered their condolences on
Astori's death.
SPORTS
Aruna Budda Reddy and Navjot Kaur.
cial rewards from her international
achievements have helped the fam‑
ily to move into a bigger house of
their own and also fund the educa‑
tion of her brother. That's what the
sport can do and invariably those
who rise from humble beginnings
know what it is all about.
In a sport where the average age
of Olympic squads is 17 or 18, and
where the dropout rate among
women gymnasts in Western coun‑
tries is an estimated 80 per cent
for high‑performance female gym‑
nasts by the time they get to 14,
Aruna's achievement at 22 is noth‑
ing less than a wonder. It is her
first international medal and a
World Cup bronze at that.
In sports like gymnastics and
wrestling the coaches have to pro‑
tect their wards, particularly when
Hockey: India beat South
Korea in 1st match
Seoul: T he Indian eves started
their tour with a morale‑boosting
1‑0 win over the hosts in the first
hockey match of the five‑match
series at the Jinchun National
Athletic Centre here.
India started the match on a pos‑
it ive note as they fo cused on
stringing together some passes,
which saw them keep possession
in the opposition's half in the
opening few minutes of the first
quarter.
It was in the fifth minute that the
visitors attacked the South Korean
defense and found a way past their
goalkeeper Mijin Han as India's
Lalremsiami scored the opening
goal of the match to give her side a
1‑0 lead.
The Indian team looked in good
shape as they were making forays
into the opposition's half regularly
and were defending well as a unit,
which meant that they kept their
1‑0 lead intact at the end of the
first quarter.
In the second quarter, India were
rewarded with a penalty corner in
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
they are growing, particularly in
gymnastics when the athletes add
inches to their height, and also
prevent injuries as they go into
long hours of training.
Aruna, like a goo d sport,
acknowledges the success story of
Dipa Karmakar as a huge inspira‑
tion for her. She is not the first to
state that an Indian can compete
with the best in the world provided
he or she is focused and is extend‑
ed world‑class training facilities
and the support system.
Unlike Aruna, for Navjot, this is
not the first medal at the Asian
championships. She won silver in
2013 to improve upon her bronze
in 2011. So the gold is a case of
third time lucky. She looks forward
to the Asian Games and the Tokyo
Olympics, though she failed to
the 18th minute, but the South
Koreans guarded their goal well as
the shot from the Indians was
saved by Mijin Han. Three minutes
later, another penalty corner was
saved by the hosts as India looked
to take advantage of their opportu‑
nities but the South Korea goal‑
keeper made another fantastic
save to keep her team in the
match. It was South Korea's turn to
take the Penalty Corner in the
23rd minute but they could not be
ef ficient with their finishing as
Indian goalkeeper Swati made the
save to keep her team's lead intact.
qualify for the Commonwealth
Games.
Like in any field of life, athletes
also need mentors and teammates
to boost the morale. If the master
badminton coach Pulle la
Gopichand gave Aruna a pep talk
to pump her up, Navjot had fellow‑
wrestler Vinesh Phogat to make
her feel that she has it in her to
win the gold.
For motivation she also had
Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi
Malik and Vinesh Phogat in her
corner. Never mind, Vinesh had to
settle for silver and Sakshi bronze.
Vinesh's encouraging words,
"Didi you can do it and it will be a
historic win for Indian wrestling,"
made Navjot all the more deter‑
mined to put in that extra bit to
pull it off.
Indian and
South Korean
players during
the match.
It was a crucial phase in the
match as World No. 9 South
Koreans were constantly looking
for an opening to equalize the
scores, but the Indian defense was
sticking to their task well as the
third quarter was dominated by
the hosts.
The 24‑year‑old Indian goalkeep‑
er saved two penalty corners in the
opening six minutes of the fourth
quarter and became a decisive fac‑
tor in her team's 1‑0 win when she
saved a Penalty Stroke in the 50th
minute to deny the hosts a way
back into the match.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info LAW AND IMMIGRATION March 10-16, 2018 25

New York’s landmark Paid Family Leave now goes into effect
STRONG BENEFITS
AND PROTECTIONS
In this first year, if you are an eli‑
gible employee, you can take up to
eight weeks of leave and receive
50% of your average weekly wage,
capped at 50% of the Statewide
Average Weekly Wage (SAWW).
Benefits will increase through 2021
when Paid Family Leave is fully
phased‑in. In addition to wage and
time off benefits, Paid Family Leave
has strong protections to ensure you
By Clarissa Rodriguez do not lose your job if you take it.
Chair, NYS Workersʼ The law also says employers canʼt
Compensation Board discriminate or retaliate against you
for requesting or taking Paid Family
tion may also be subject to union
negotiations.
NO COST
TO EMPLOYERS
For employers, Paid Family Leave
provides a new way to manage
employee leave situations without
increasing costs. Workers fully pay
for this benefit through a small
weekly payroll deduction. In 2018,
that contribution is 0.126% of an
employeeʼs weekly wage, capped at
an annual maximum of $85.56. So
an employee who earns $27,000 in
2018 ($519 a week), will pay about
65 cents per week. The employerʼs

M
illions of New Yorkers are
now eligible for job pro‑
tected, paid time off to
care for their families under New
Yorkʼs new Paid Family Leave, the
strongest and most comprehensive
Paid Family Leave in the nation.
The new law, championed by
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, pro‑
tects the wages and job security for
employees who need personal time
to bond with a new child; care for a
family member with a serious
health condition (residing in New
York or elsewhere); or assist loved
ones when a family member is
deployed abroad on active military
service. This means people can be
with their families when they are
needed most, without putting their
financial security at risk.
Leave. This is a benefit – and a right
– that New Yorkers should take
advantage of when you need it.
Most employees who work in New
York for private employers are cov‑
ered, and your citizenship and/or
immigration status does not matter.
There are some eligibility require‑
ments around time‑worked: full‑time
employees who work a regular
schedule of 20 or more hours per
week are eligible to take Paid Family
Leave after 26 consecutive weeks of
employment, while part‑time
employees who regularly work less
than 20 hours a week are eligible
after working 175 days, which do
not need to be consecutive.
If you are a public employee, your
employer may voluntarily opt in to
provide the benefit, and participa‑
insurance carrier, not the employer,
will then process and pay claims.
RESOURCES FOR
EMPLOYERS AND
WORKERS
As employers implement this
important new benefit, New York is
here to help, with many easy‑to‑use
resources available at
ny.gov/PaidFamilyLeave. Workers
can also access the website for com‑
plete details on the benefit and how
to apply, along with Paid Family
Leave request forms in multiple lan‑
guages. Paid Family Leave is finally
here in New York, and itʼs yours to
Presidentʼs daughter Ivanka Trump is a great supporter
of paid family leave at the federal level. In New York State,
use when you need it – when your
it has already been introduced.
family needs you.
Additionally, the state has set up a (844) 337‑6303 to assist you with The Helpline is available Monday
toll‑free Paid Family Helpline at any questions, in your language. through Friday, 8:30am‑4:30pm.

DACA‑Dreamers…What now?
By Michael Phulwani, Esq. tect DACA participants. Congress court which ruled against other the Supreme Court.
& Dev B. Viswanath, Esq. and the White House have been Trump administration programs This is a highly contested time
negotiating for the past few targeting immigrants such as in America and USCIS recently

I TALK
n September 2017 President
Trump announced that he
would end the Obama‑era pro‑
gram of Deferred Action of
Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which
protected about 700,000 undocu‑
mented immigrants, known as
“dreamers,” from deportation and
left about 1 million more people
who were eligible but who had
not yet applied. Dreamers were
worried about the future of there
status in the U.S. because if they
lost their DACA protection they
would be exposed to deportation
and lose their work permits. They
were also worried about their edu‑
cation because it was unsure if
they would be able to continue
attending colleges and universi‑
ties, or continue receiving grants
and loans that helped them pay
for school.
While DACA did not give them
status, it allowed them to carry on
productive and “semi‑normal”
lives. Opening up bank accounts,
getting driverʼs licenses, getting
social security #s. It was some
semblance of what status could
provide for them and added hope
that one day the DREAM Act
would be passed and they would
be able to matriculate to lawful
permanent residence and then
maybe citizenship, down the road.
The Supreme Court this passed
week declined to hear the Trump
Administrationʼs federal appeal of
a California district court judgeʼs
order which put a hold on the sud‑
den end of DACA. This gives some
ease to Dreamers who now will
remain protected and can contin‑
ue renewing their DACA protec‑
tions as the case moves back to
the lower courts. The President
still has control of whether to end
the program, but it can only hap‑
pen in the next fiscal year, which
starts October 2018. When
Trump announced the end of
DACA, Congress had until March
5th to pass a law that would pro‑
months on what that law should
be but were not able to agree with
each other, this lead to a three‑day
shutdown of the government.
Democrats want a new bill
focused on Comprehensive
Immigration Reform or a DREAM
ACT only piece of legislation while
Republicans are split somewhat in
some being for a Comprehensive
Immigration Bill and interested
only in an enforcement and bor‑
der security bill, including using
billions of dollars to expand the
southern boarder wall. President
Trump has said that that he will
not sign a congressional bill that
does not include money for the
“WALL”. It has been a showdown.
Now, after the Courtʼs ruling,
Congress has more time to find a
legislative solution for how to
treat individuals under DACA as
well as other immigration issues.
What is the next legal battle?
The California case will now go
back to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court
of Appeals in California. The 9th
Circuit Court was the original
Trumpʼs attempt to organize a announced the removal of the
travel ban targeting majority‑ words that describe America as “A
Muslim countries. The 9th Circuit nation of immigrants” from their
Court may rule on the DACA issue mission statement which adds
as soon as this summer. new levels of uncertainty to the
Another judge in New York also overall direction that this
ruled against the Trump adminis‑ Administration is taking. If you
trationʼs decision to end DACA. are a loved one are concerned
This case will be heard in the 2nd about immigration status or the
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in future of immigration, please con‑
New York. After both the tact a well placed advocacy group
California court and the New York or an experienced immigration
make a ruling the Department of attorney, or your US Congress
Justice may choose to appeal to member or Senator.
Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal
Attorney of The Banad Law Offices PC in the
United States, and Banad Immigration in
India for which Attorney Michael Phulwani is
also affiliated as Of Counsel. With Offices in
Manhattan, Queens, Bangalore, and Mumbai,
the firm is able to assist clients with all facets
of the immigration process, including
Employment Visas, Consular Visa Assistance,
Student Visas, Removal & Deportation, US
Citizenship and Green Card Applications
based on Family or Employment. Dev B.
Viswanath can be reached at
Dev@Banadlaw.com and 718‑361‑5999.
26 March 10-16, 2018 HERITAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The Magic of Vedic Mathematics Part 4

Rediscovered half a century ago by the Puri Shankaracharya Bharati Krishna Tirtha, Vedic Mathematics is a lightning fast mental math
system. We continue to serialize from ‘The Curious Hats of Magical Maths’ book that makes learning the system easy.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
JAYENDRA SARASWATI‑
The 20th century Ramanuja
By Venkatachari Jagannathan
Chennai: Swami Jayendra Saraswati, the
Shankaracharya of Kanchipuram Mutt in
Tamil Nadu who passed away last
Wednesday, was a colossal spiritual figure
and initiated innumerable programs for the
downtrodden across the country.
Although he fell foul of the law over the
murder of a Kanchipuram resident before
being cleared of all charges, Jayendra
Saraswati had a huge following both in India
and abroad.
Many compared him with Ramanuja ‑‑ the
legendary Vaishnavite guru and a social
reformer. Jayendra Saraswati, the 69th pon‑
tiff of the Sankara Mutt in Kanchipuram, was
a Saivite ‑‑ a follower of Lord Shiva.
Focused on the uplift of Dalits, the 82‑year‑
old guru was also interested in developing
healthcare and educational facilities for the
people apart from spreading spirituality.
He was the first Hindu seer to be involved
in efforts to find a solution to the Ram
Janmabhoomi issue.
"We have not seen Ramanuja. But we have
seen Kanchi Mutt seer Jayendra Saraswathi.
At the Sankara Mutt, there was no caste dis‑
crimination. Before meeting him, I had strong
views against Sankara Mutt. But later, I real‑
ized that Jayendra Saraswati or the mutt does
not discriminate on caste basis," Tada
Periyasamy, Managing Trustee of Nandanar
Trust told IANS.
Answers
TRIBUTE
Vinayagar V. Murali, Secretary of Sri
Chandrashekara Saraswati Swamigal Goshala,
said: "Perhaps he was the only Hindu sanyasi
who had visited the most number of slums
and Dalit colonies in the country including
the Dharavi slum in Mumbai."
He said the seer supported the anti‑conver‑
sion law brought by the AIADMK government
headed by Chief Minister late J. Jayalalithaa.
"He addressed a big rally on the Marina
beach in support of the law addressing a
crowd that numbered over 20,000 on a rainy
evening." "The seer had also travelled across
India on foot thrice and had visited various
jails to meet the inmates there. He used to
send sweets and 'prasad' to prisoners,
inmates in old age homes," Murali added.
Jayendra Saraswati also helped in renovat‑
ing various Hindu temples.
K. Srinivasan, a former banker who was
associated with the seer, said: "He was instru‑
mental in the revival of the famous Child
Trust Hospital here. Similarly, he was involved
in the setting up of a famous eye hospital."
Srinivasan said Jayendra Saraswati was
capable of handling any kind of media ques‑
tions.
Born as M. Subrahmanyam on July 18,
1935 in a village in Thanjavur district,
Jayendra Saraswati was chosen as the junior
seer in 1954. In 1994, he became the
Sankara Mutt head after the death of his icon‑
ic senior Sri Chandrashekara Saraswati
Swamigal.
March 10-16, 2018 27
As 69th Shankaracharya of Kanchi Mutt,
Jayendra Saraswati was equally
interested in social reform and uplift,
while his predecessor the legendary Sri
Chandrashekara Swamigal focused on
the spiritual side. Vijayendra Saraswati
will be the next pontiff of the best
known Sankara mutt in India.
While Sri Chandrashekara Swamigal was
focused on the spiritual side, his junior
Jayendra Saraswati was interested in
societal activities as well and fea‑
tured in an early con‑
troversy. As a jun‑
ior pontiff, he
had left the mutt
for some days
without inform‑
ing anybody
allegedly owing
to some differ‑
ences with his
senior. However,
later he came
back to the mutt
and reassumed
his position.
But the major
test of his life
was when he was
arrested by the Tamil Nadu police in Perumal temple in Kanchipuram. He was kept
November 2004 over the charges of his in jail for quite some time by the state police
involvement in the murder of Sankararaman, but was later acquitted of all the charges.
an official of the famous Varadharaja He is succeeded by Vijayendra Saraswati.
To be continued in the following issues of The South Asian Times.
Extracted from ʻThe Curious Hats of Magical Maths ‑ Vedic Mathematics for Schools Book 1ʼ
by James Glover, with permission from Motilal Banarsidass (MLBD). Founded in 1903, they
specialize in Indology books. For more information, Mr R.P. Jain, email: mlbd@mlbd.com.
US distributor: southasiabooks@gmail.com
28 March 10-16, 2018 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

The revenge of the

nerds is upon us

BEST
(Image courtesy: togofor‑homes.com)
RATE
A
middle‑aged man in a boring grey suit lar. Even in remote, rural parts, accountancy

FOR walks on to the stage and waves his

calculator. "Are you READY TO
fees rose from a chicken to a medium‑sized
bullock, which is probably what B‑list Indipop

INDIA ROCK?" he shouts. The audience goes wild.

Apparently, accountants are the new rock
rock stars get paid these days.
Major changes in finance laws anywhere

AND stars, according to a spate of news reports.

"I'm a rock star now" was the headline on a
causes accountants to instantly become
superstars in the eyes of the media.

PAKISTAN feature on accountancy in the Washington

Post. An almost identical report in the Wall
Street Journal was titled: "The tax law makes
Chartered Public Accountants interesting for
New York Head Quarter now." The Mercury News said: "Tax bill turns
America's accountants into rock stars."
422‑S Broadway
In Asia there have been waves of identical
HICKSVILLE headlines several times, the most recent case
NY 11801 being the occasion when the Indian govern‑
ment made a surprise decision to get rid of
516‑827‑1010 almost all physical banknotes, apparently
after taking financial advice from YouTube
pranksters. ("Cancel all the banknotes!
Everyone will have a good laugh! What could
go wrong?")
Indian accountants become rock‑star popu‑
But here's the thing. I was reading that par‑
ticular Washington Post in a radio studio
where several deejays had met actual rock
stars. Realistic?
"Yeah, right," sneered a morning show host.
"If accountants are being treated like rock
gods, that means crowds of people are chas‑
ing after them, screaming and fainting and
crying."
I told him that that was a pretty accurate
description of the business people I know try‑
ing to get the attention of tax advisers as
reporting season approaches.
In India, people desperate for financial
advice camped outside the offices of account‑
ants ‑‑ classic groupie behavior.
In the United States, accountants are turn‑
ing their secretaries into booking agents. "Tax

Laughter is the Best Medicine
If you guys are going to
waste water in household
use,how are you going to
celebrate Holi.
adviser Mr. Rodinksi will visit you Tuesday
morning. He requires a private dressing room
with white roses, a bowl of M&Ms and a chal‑
ice of virgin's blood."
You don't see this happening in Asia, where
By
people avoid blood as it is high in saturated
Mahendra fats. Also, 99 per cent of rock musicians in
Shah Asia earn less than accountants.
I guess Mick Jagger is the most famous
example of someone who started as an
Mahendra Shah
accountant and became an actual rock god.
is an architect by
(Incidentally, did you read that a letter by the
education,
flirtatious Mr. Jagger was sold at an auction?
entrepreneur by
Given his advanced age, I wonder what it
profession,
said? "Dear Wilma Flintstone...")
artist and Much more interesting to me is Duff
humorist, McKagan, who went the other way. He used
cartoonist to be one of the wildest rock gods (he used to
and writer by drink 10 bottles of wine a day ‑‑ not a mis‑
hobby. He has print ‑‑ as the bassist of Guns 'n' Roses). Then
been recording he changed career and became an accountant.
the plight of the His firm specializes in giving finance advice
immigrant to rock stars and he writes a money column
Indians for the called Duffernomics.
past many years Which career does he prefer? The one with
in his cartoons. all the crying and screaming and hysterical
Hailing from tears. Yes, there's something about tax bills
Gujarat, he lives that makes people emotional. Anyway, the
in Pittsburgh, final triumph of accountants proves the truth
Pennsylvania. of that ancient holy scripture which talks
about "the revenge of the nerds". Wait. May
be that was a movie? Whatever. It's still true.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
MARCH 10‑16, 2018
ARIES: Someone may take an
exception to your complaining
attitude. Your firm hand will
ensure that a family youngster
remains at his or her best behaviour.
Some of you are likely to hit the jack‑
pot and add to your wealth. Those
with a medical problem will show
marked improvement in their condi‑
tion. Spouse may line up something
special for you this week. Long‑time
lovers may get serious about tying the
knot.
TAURUS: Taking home reme‑
dies for a recurring ailment is
not advised, as it may aggra‑
vate the problem. Paying outstanding
dues may become a problem.Some
domestic issues may compel you to
take frequent breaks from work.Not
getting invited to a function or party
may prove disappointing. You are like‑
ly to harbour some resentment with
the one you love. You may not be fully
satisfied by developments on the pro‑
fessional front.
GEMINI: An influential person
is likely to patronise you. An
excellent opportunity for net‑
working on the social front is likely to
present itself this week. Help from
some family member will save a lot of
your time. Your ideas to rekindle your
love life will curry favour with part‑
ner. Something positive will come off
by meeting an old associate. Speed
will remain on your side in a journey.
You will be able to manage the work
front well.
CANCER: Someone may try to
get the better of you on the
professional front and upset
you. Your financial situation may
worsen due to some dubious invest‑
ments. An added responsibility awaits
you on the professional front and is
like ly to add to your workload.
Promises made by lover on the roman‑
tic front may not be kept. Some of you
may be compelled to travel on an offi‑
cial tour. An active lifestyle will keep
you in good shape.
LEO: You may resolve to start
afresh on the academic front to
improve your performance.
Those suffering from an ailment will
find their condition improving. A
change of diet is likely to have a posi‑
tive effect on your health. You can be
made to wait for a decision by a sen‑
ior. You may find distribution of work
on the professional front questionable.
Conserving money should remain
your top priority. Homemakers crave
for a change of scene.
VIRGO: Attempts on the work
front may not get immediate
results, so remain patient and
let things work themse lves out.
Someone will be considerate enough
to assist you on the academic front.
You may make plans to meet a family
member not with you at present.
Positive nature of someone close will
keep the domestic atmosphere light.
Happiness in love life is yours for the
asking! Efforts on the fitness front will
give rich dividends.
LIBRA: Wedding bells are like‑
ly to toll for the e lig ible.
Chance for romance cannot be
ruled out for some. Travel bug may
bite and make you pack your bags. A
good bargain awaits you in the real
estate market, so donʼt let go of the
opportunity. Exchanging notes with
someone after a long time will prove
most enjoyable. You may eye a luxury
item, but ask yourself whether you
really require it. You may get irregular
in your exercise routine.
SCORPIO: Some minor adjust‑
ments may be required in
something you are currently
involved in. Time to reap the divi‑
dends of previous investments has
arrived for some. Eating right and
meditation may be taken up by some
seriously for keeping good health.
Working women may feel burdened
with household chores in the absence
of any help. Lover may seem in a
thoughtful mood and may require
space.
SAGITTARIUS: Your mature
handling on a contentious
matter on the family front is
likely to be appreciated. Excellent man
management skills will help you in
managing many things at once on the
professional front. Your eye for detail
will not let you miss even minor issues
at work. A chance to earn good profits
is on the cards and will strengthen
your financial front. Your romantic
aspirations will help you make all the
right moves on the romantic front!
CAPRICORN: Impressing those
who matter on the profession‑
al front is likely to catapult
you into a position of power and
authority.
Self‑discipline may help you achieve
peak physical fitness.Beg, borrow or
steal, you will manage to raise the cap‑
ital for your dream venture. You may
think upon to take romance to the
next level.Bringing some order into
chaotic academic front will benefit
you greatly this week.
AQUARIUS: You may take a
serious view of someone not
toeing your line at work or at
home. Changes on the home front may
not be to the liking of other members.
Someoneʼs attitude is likely to put you
off at work. You may feel a bit stifled
in your current occupation. Someone
may smooth talk you into parting with
your money, if you are not careful. A
journey that you were looking for‑
ward to may get postponed
indefinitely.
PISCES: Keep your distance
from someone with whom you
donʼt get along well. Diligence
may not get you the returns you
expect at work, so work smart. A
financial advice needs to be taken with
a pinch of salt, as it may not prove to
be sound. Some dietary restrictions
will do your health a whale of good.
You may be instrumental in organis‑
ing a function or an event on the
social front. A vacation may need to be
shelved.
ASTROLOGY
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874
Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
10th March, 2018
Traits in you: Your governing planet
the Sun makes you unique, dynamic,
responsible, reliable and down to earth.
You are always prepared to take new
challenges in your life. However, you are
very dominating and insensitive in
nature. You should work hard to eradi‑
cate negativity from your nature.
Health this year: You may enjoy a
great health this year. However, that
does not mean you will start neglecting
your health. You need to take care of
your diet and nutrition to maintain a
good health. You may practice some
exercises to remain fit.
Finance this year: You may get bene‑
fits from your investments later this
year. This year seems to be an ideal one
to start investing in business, land or
gold. Your efforts to earn money may
pay off this time. You may go for new
partnerships. However, you should veri‑
fy the financial background of your
partner for your financial security.
Career this year: You are quite capa‑
ble of handling critical issues in your
professional life. You will succeed in
your attempts of performing well in
your work. You will get appreciations
from your peers, seniors, and the higher
management. You should help others to
make your presence felt.
Romance this year: Your relationship
with your spouse or partner will be
good enough despite of minor misun‑
derstandings. You may plan to get
engaged with your long time love
towards the final months of the year.
11th March, 2018
Traits in you: As you are under the
influence of the Moon, you are gener‑
ous, courteous, caring, cooperative, deci‑
sive, and determined. Being a very
friendly person, you make friends easily
and you believe in loyalty for friends.
You should not behave stubborn and
dishonest at times for the betterment of
your personality.
Health this year: You may undergo
few minor health issues this year, which
may bother you for a long time. You can
go for yoga or meditation to restore your
good health. You need to take required
medication by consulting a doctor.
Finance this year: Your innovative
ideas to earn money may not meet your
expectations. However, you need to
keep trying until you succeed. You will
find it tough to make money this year.
You may go for investments in various
sectors like shares, gold, land and so on.
Career this year: You will be success‑
ful professionally this year. You will be
additional responsibility and you will
well execute them to perfection. Your
success may get you various awards and
rewards as well. You may share your
ideas with the higher management as it
would help you grow quickly.
Romance this year: You may get some
good news from your spouse or partner
later this week. This will make your
relationship grow stronger. You may
have to travel to distant places to spend
time youʼre your partner and maintain a
good relationship.
12th March, 2018
Traits in you: As you are ruled by
Jupiter, you are dynamic, realistic, affec‑
tionate, caring, religious and very help‑
ful. You are very much interested in a
happening life. You welcome new ideas
in your life and take everything positive‑
ly. However, you should work on your
nature of being jealous, selfish and rude
at times.
Health this year: This year, your
health will remain pretty good despite
of the initial minor health issues. You
should not ignore any minor health
issue this year as it may prove fatal later
on. You will enjoy an overall good
March 10-16, 2018
health if you take proper medication.
Finance this year: Monetary benefits
will be tough to achieve this year. You
may not get expected financial support
from your family. Your past investments
will not work this year as expected.
However, you may go for new short
term investments, which will gain you
enough money. If you are planning to
set up a business, it is advisable not to
go for any partnerships.
Career this year: You will enjoy a
good professional atmosphere this year.
You will be appreciated by your seniors
and higher management. This may
bring you promotions and salary hike.
You need to concentrate more on your
work to get a better position in your
profession. You may go for a job change
this year. However, you should not
decide anything hastily.
Romance this year: If you are not
married, you may go for a marital
alliance this year. You will be in a good
relationship with your spouse or part‑
ner with lots of love and support. You
should not get involved in any kind of
argument or confrontation with your
partner as it may weaken your relation‑
ship.
13th March, 2018
Traits in you: Your ruling planet
Uranus blesses you with a charismatic
character. You are able to impress any‑
one in your surroundings with your
nature and attitude. You are generous,
peace loving, disciplined, and creative in
nature. Your hard work pays off every
time and you get success as a result.
Health this year: Your health would
remain very good this year. However,
you need to go for regular yoga exercis‑
es. You should not ignore your healthy
diet plan to remain in shape. Go for reg‑
ular medical checkups to avoid any hic‑
cups further.
Finance this year: You may go for a
property transaction this year and this
will bring you a lot of money. You need
to be decisive to invest on real estate or
gold as there are risks involved. Do not
trust any of your new partners as they
may cheat you. You may spend enough
money on buying a vehicle or renovat‑
ing your property.
Career this year: You will obtain suc‑
cess this year because of your hard
work and dedication towards your work.
Your juniors may south you help in
work and you should not hesitate for
the same. You need to be a bit punctual
to get a better appraisal towards the
end of the year. You may have to travel
overseas for your project related work.
Romance this year: Your plans to go
for holidays with your partner may not
work because of huge work pressure
and this may create disturbance in your
marital life. You need to take care of the
emotional requirements of your partner
to lead a peaceful life this year.
14th March, 2018
Traits in you: As you are ruled by
planet Mercury, you are intelligent,
diplomatic, realistic, optimistic, decisive,
and friendly. You are very dashing as far
as looks are concerned and this attracts
lots of people towards you. You should
control your mood swings to make
yourself a better person.
Health this year: Health wise you will
enjoy a great time throughout the year.
You may suffer few minor health issues
such as cold, headache or body aches.
You need to take proper medications to
remain physically and mentally fit.
Finance this year: You will be among
major financial gains this year. You may
go for a real estate transaction later this
year and this will bring you a lot of
money to cherish. You may start up a
new business. If you are already into
business, you may plan for expanding
29
its territory this year.
Career this year: You need to focus on
your profession and put your cent per
cent ef fort to achieve your expected
goals. You will be appreciated by your
peers and seniors for your efficient out‑
put. You may be assigned extra respon‑
sibilities as you are very decisive and
capable of performing wonders.
Romance this year: You will be in
good terms with your spouse or partner
this year. You need to give enough time
to your partner to strengthen your rela‑
tionship. You have to be smart enough
to handle minor critical things.
15th March, 2018
Traits in you: As you are ruled by
Venus, you are optimistic, modest,
focused, punctual, reliable, and depen‑
dant. You are pretty interested in doing
social work and charity. However, you
should control your mood swings, impa‑
tience, 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 main‑
tain 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 pro‑
ductivity.
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.
16th March, 2018
Traits in you: By nature you are sober,
courteous, unique, honest and coura‑
geous 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 pret‑
ty well by executing perfection. You
need to check for your impatience, rude‑
ness, 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 finan‑
cial 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.
30 March 10-16, 2018
Peace of mind,
heart and soul
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
M
any people want to take
some time off from their
day‑to‑day jobs so that
they can take a vacation. They
want to get away from the drudg‑
ery of their day‑to‑day life to relax
and find some peace of mind. They
wish to get away from the daily
troubles and worries of life and
experience happiness by being in a
place where they can enjoy them‑
selves. Most people, however, want
to experience peace not only for a
few fleeting moments, but for all
times.
There are three levels of peace
that occur simultaneously. There is
peace of mind, peace of heart, and
peace of soul.
Peace of mind is not only essen‑
tial to our daily lives, but it is very
helpful in our spiritual journey
back to God. When we analyze
what happens during the day, we
know that there are countless
occurrences that keep us from
experiencing peace. When we
review what we did all day long, we
find that there were a lot of distur‑
bances, whether we had problems
at our jobs, in our families, or in
any other activities.
Underlying all other distur‑
bances is the fact that most human
beings have an ongoing fear of
death. We are afraid of dying, and
that fear is always nagging us,
always keeping us from being
peaceful.
There are only a few people in
the world who can go beyond
these disturbances, who can rise
above them and see life from a
higher angle of vision.
When we learn about the spiritu‑
al science, it gives us insight into
true peace of mind. When we start
to know about the spiritual way,
we realize that death is just an illu‑
sion. We learn that our real exis‑
tence is not this human body, but
in reality we are the soul that
inhabits this body. There is no
doubt that our body will perish one
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
day, but the soul gives the body life
and never dies. It just changes its
state. Just as we change our
clothes, the soul changes one body
and goes to another.
The seat of the soul is located
between and behind the two eye‑
brows. It is the place from which
the soul leaves the body and enters
the worlds within. Once we go into
the worlds within, we see the
divine Light of God. We see the
inner sky, the stars, the moon, and
the inner sun until we ultimately
reach our true spiritual home and
have union of our soul with God.
Each of us is capable of enjoying
this spiritual flight through the
process of meditation. When we
enter the worlds within, then the
fear of death leaves us. We realize
that we are not the body but are
the soul, and the soul is immortal.
Spirituality and meditation not
only provides us with peace of
mind, but it also gives us peace of
heart. Each human being needs
love and each human being can
give love. The spiritual path pro‑
vides us with a means of lasting
love and happiness because the
love of God is beyond time and
space. The love that we get from
our universal Father, which can be
experienced through meditation on
the inner Light and Sound, is not
subject to change.
Being receptive to divine love is
like taking a dip in the ocean of
intoxication. Our hearts are filled
with peace. When we are loved by
God and we really feel it, then our
heart is dancing with joy. It is filled
to overflowing with the divine nec‑
tar of Godʼs love. There are no
bounds to its ecstasy.
Every so often our soul awakens
to its true nature. The sweet voice
of God calls us. It tries to awaken
the soul, and we have an experi‑
ence which is stirring, which
changes our life. That experience
could be the haunting music of the
violins. It could be the verses of a
poet that speak of God or the divin‑
ity we see in nature. It could also
be the shock we experience when
we lose a loved one and realize
that this body is not our real home.
It is when we understand that we
are neither the body nor the mind
that our soul yearns to go back to
its True Home, and it knows no
peace until it is again united with
its Creator. We may gain peace of
mind. We may gain peace of the
heart. Peace of the soul, however,
only comes when our soul merges
with God.
When we enter those states in
which we experience peace within
us, then that peace radiates from
us to others. It goes from us to
everyone else that we come in con‑
tact with. If you have peace in your
heart, if you have peace of mind, if
you have peace in your soul, then
that peace is going to radiate from
you to so many people, and you
will become very effective in
spreading joy and peace all around
you.
(For more visit www.sos.org)
Spirituality and
meditation not only
provides us with
peace of mind, but it
also gives us peace of
heart. Each human
being needs love and
each human being
can give love. The
spiritual path pro-
vides us with a
means of lasting love
and happiness
because the love of
God is beyond time
and space.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Lifeʼs awakening
moments
By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji
Maharaj
I
n each personʼs life a moment
comes when we have a tran‑
scendent experience or a rev‑
elation in which we become
aware that we have a higher
purpose in this world. Suddenly,
amidst the daily rituals of wak‑
ing up, getting dressed, going to
work, eating, and sleeping, we
get a glimpse that there is some‑
thing more to this life. That mo‑
ment may come when we are a
child. It may come to us while a
teenager, or it may come in adult
life. Some may have it when they
are young adults, and some have
it in their senior years of life.
Whenever it comes, it leaves us
transformed. Suddenly, we begin
to question who we are, why we
are here, where we go when we
die, and what our purpose in life
is.
Read about the life of any of
the great saints and mystics and
you will find some life‑trans‑
forming experience that awak‑
ened their quest. Once these
burning questions arise, there is
no turning back. We are restless
until we find the solution.
Before our awakening, it is like
we are sleeping. Our soul has
been asleep for aeons. We start‑
ed out in the lap of God but be‑
came lost in the attractions of
the world. We have forgotten
our true Home. We are in a
state of slumber or forgetfulness
that we are souls, a part of God.
We think we are the mind and
the body and have forgotten our
true essence as soul, as a part of
the Creator.
Sant Mat
Sant Mat, the “Path of the
Saints,” reflects the core teach‑
ings of saints and mystics
through the ages. People new to
this path often say they are at‑
tracted by its simplicity, integri‑
ty, and effectiveness in fostering
spiritual growth. Although Sant
Mat was born centuries ago in
India, it is in many ways ideal for
the modern seeker. Followed un‑
der the guidance of a living spiri‑
tual Master, these teachings cou‑
ple meditation on the inner
Light and Sound with an inclu‑
sive, positive way of living.
At the heart of Sant Mat are
these simple principles: There is
one God of all creation, though
people worship the Lord by dif‑
ferent names and through dif‑
ferent practices. While Sant Mat
respects all faiths, it stresses
that religion has two dimen‑
sions̶outer and inner. Sant Mat
focuses on the inner dimen‑
sion̶the deep spiritual essence
known as mysticism. Mysticism
looks beyond rites, rituals, and
scriptural knowledge and pur‑
sues spirituality as a matter of
personal inner experience.
Sant Mat expresses the deep‑
est values of every great spiritu‑
al tradition̶love for God, com‑
passion for Godʼs creation, and a
daily life grounded in ethical val‑
ues. Sant Matʼs unique contribu‑
tion is distilling these noble
ideals into a simple, universal
spiritual path and then provid‑
ing the tools and techniques to
make them a personal reality.
Sant Mat does not demand
that we renounce our families or
societies. Instead, we can pursue
our spiritual goals while leading
normal lives.
The need for
a living
master
A competent teacher speeds
our progress. It's a common
sense principle of life: studying
with one who has mastered the
subject we wish to learn acceler‑
ates our learning. That's why
seekers throughout history have
turned to spiritual Masters. By
virtue of their own inner awak‑
ening, these Masters awaken
others. As much as we revere
Masters of the past, Sant Mat
stresses the importance of a liv‑
ing guide.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 10-16, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info March 10-16, 2018