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Vol.10 No. 51 April 28-May 4, 2018 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India, Britain to boost Macron coaxes

anti‑terror ties Trump for a
London: India and Britain con‑
demned terrorism in all its forms
and agreed to strengthen cooper‑
ation to take "decisive and con‑
certed actions" against globally‑
proscribed terrorists and terror
entities while naming Pakistan‑
new Iran N-deal
based terror outfits following
talks between Prime Ministers
Narendra Modi of India and
Theresa May of Britain.
In a significant move, the two
sides also agreed to work togeth‑
er for an open, inclusive and
prosperous Indo‑Pacific region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his British counterpart, Theresa May,
At the breakfast meeting
at 10 Downing Street in London on April 18. (Photo: PIB)
between Modi and May at her 10
Downing Street residence on cussed their shared priorities in to working more closely together
April 18, the two leaders dis‑ the Indo‑Pacific and committed Continued on page 4

LI Community hosts reception Ex-envoy plays down President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcome French
H-1B issue, cites President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigette to the first
for Minister Sampla State Dinner of this White House. (Photo courtesy AP)
overall India-US ties Washington: President Donald cover Iran's ballistic missile pro‑
Trump and his French counterpart gram and its role in the Middle
Special to The South Asian Times
Emmanuel Macron have suggested East.Iran warned of "severe conse‑
there could be a new agreement quences" if the US withdraws from
New York: Former US ambassador
on Iran's nuclear program. the deal.
to India, Richard Rahul Verma said
After talks here during Macronʼs In 2015, Iran agreed to freeze its
Tuesday that the proposed
state visit on Tuesday, Trump, who nuclear program in return for an
changes by the Trump administra‑
is skeptical of an accord that was easing of economic sanctions on
tion in the H‑1B visa regime were
struck in 2015 under President Iran.Trump has been threatening
a result of the transformation in
Obma, spoke about "doing a much to reject an extension of the
the American political landscape.
bigger, maybe, deal", BBC reported. Obama‑era nuclear pact reached
Last year some 1.1 million visas
Macron said a new pact must Continued on page 4
were issued in all categories to
Continued on page 4
Indian Minister Vijay Sampla was honored at the community reception, USCIS to nix work permits for
seen here with Bobby Kumar, Jagdish Sewhani, Dr Yashpal Arya,
Kamlesh C. Mehta, Nagendra Gupta and Karamjit Dhaliwal. spouses of H‑1B visa holders
By Parven Chopra gathering of a couple of hundred Washington: In a move that for an H‑1B visa, popular with
prominent Indian American com‑ would impact nearly Indian IT workers, are also on
Hicksville, NY: Indian Minister of munity members, sharing his jour‑ 100,000 spouses of Indian the anvil.
State for Social Justice and ney from a humble plumber to fed‑ workers in the US on H1B Also, international entre‑
Empowerment Vijay Sampla inter‑ eral minister, as well as defending visa, mostly women, the preneurs will no longer be
acted with the press and the com‑ the Modi government while citing Trump administration plans able to apply for parole to
munity at a reception hosted in his its development programs and to revoke a policy which nurture their startups for a cer‑
honor on Saturday at Antunʼs by achievements. enables them to obtain employ‑ tain period in the US.
Minar here. Sampla, who repre‑ The visiting minister said that Ambassador Richard Verma giv‑ ment authorization (EAD). T he Obama‑era policies are
sents Hoshiarpur constituency in he is en route to Haiti: “It is part of ing the New India Lecture at the Tightening of eligibility norms Continued on page 4
Parliament, also addressed the Continued on page 2 Indian Consulate.

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 2 April 28-May 4, 2018 LENS EYE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

PM Modi’s barnstorming tour of Europe

After meeting
Nordic leaders in
Stockholm,
Sweden, Prime
Minister Modi was
in England for the
CHOGM meeting
and a hop over to
Germany -- all in 5
days flat last week.
PM Narendra Modi interacts with the Indian community at the ʻBharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saathʼ program at Westminster, London on April 18. (Photos: PIB)

Prime Minister
Modi met Prince
Charles during a
Prime Minister
visit to the
Modi had a
Science Museum
meeting with
on April 18 in
German
London. The
Chancellor
museum is host‑
Angela Merkel
ing the exhibi‑
in Berlin on
tion ʻIlluminating
April 20.
India ‑ 5000
Years of Science
and Innovationʼ.

Community reception for

Continued from page 1
Minister Sampla in Hicksville
the mission of the Modi government
to establish and improve relations
with all countries, big and small.”
Sampla cited a big step in India
under PM Modi for the uplift of poor
and underprivileged. “Now the govern‑
ment guarantees big and small loans
that people can avail of to get self‑
employed.” He stated that nobody
can raise a finger at Modi government
or its ministers for corruption. He also
defended demonetization which
brought billions in black money in the
open. He said that those in opposition,
now deprived of avenues of making Vijay Manager
ial justice and empowerment by Kumar, Air India Regional
illicit money, are making all kinds of Indian minister of state for soc lesh Mehta, Kamal Gupta, Jas Mayall, Bob il Mehra
h Karamjit Dhaliwal, Kam , Haridas Kotahwala, Dr Sun
allegations. Sampla (second from left) wit Sewhani. (Americas) Vandana Sharma ion .
Jagdish and Sunil Modi at the recept
The Dalit leader said he is proud of
Bobby Kumar Kalotee, and
his humble origins. In 1979, Sampla,
now 57, went to work in Saudi Arabia,
where he learnt dignity of labor, and
rose from being a plumber to electri‑
cian to foreman to a partner in the
company he was working for. After
returning to India, he joined the BJP in
1998 and rose in the ranks.
Sampla was introduced by Jagdish
Sewhani and the vote of thanks was
given by Kamlesh Mehta.
The host committee for the minis‑
terʼs reception comprised Deepak
Kavadia, Inderpal Singh (Nitu ji of
Antunʼs), Jagadish Sewhani, Kamlesh C.
y Sampla, Kamlesh Mehta, Kan
ak Golia, Kaur (birthday
rma, two guests, Dhanpreet
Mehta, Karamjit Singh Dhaliwal, Nagendra Gupta, Minister Vija adia posing. Nilima Madan, Vandana Sha , Vijaya Laxmi Gupta.
Naveen Shah and Deepak Kav hta, Surbhi
Nagendra Gupta and Dr. Yashpal Arya girl), Sneh Sampla, Nimmi Me
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY April 28-May 4, 2018 3

India pledges $50 million more to UN Partnership Fund

London: At the Commonwealth
Heads of Government Meeting
2018, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi announced the launch of a
$50 Million Commonwealth win‑
dow to the India‑UN Development
Partnership Fund. This contribu‑
tion is in addition to $100 million
pledged in 2017 for the India‑UN
Development Partnership Fund,
thereby increasing Indiaʼs multi‑
year contribution to $150 mil‑
lion. The India‑UN Development
Partnership Fund is managed by
the UN Office for South‑South
Cooperation (UNOSSC).
The new Commonwealth win‑
dow of the India‑UN Development
Partnership Fund aims to cat‑
alyze the achievement of the
Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) in developing countries of
the Commonwealth. The coun‑
tries supported by this fund are
located in various parts of the
PM Modi announced $50 million dedicated Commonwealth window to the
India‑UN Development Partnership Fund at the CHOGM meeting last week.
world and include some of the
most vulnerable Member States
of the Commonwealth.
Grenada, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu
are the first three development
partners engaged under this
newly created Commonwealth
window. The India‑UN
Development Partnership Fund
Commonwealth window supports
demand‑driven, country‑owned,
and concrete initiatives that focus
on the implementation of 17
SDGs. The establishment of the
Fund and the dedicated
Commonwealth window has been
widely welcomed. Ms. Amina
Mohammed, Deputy Secretary of
the UN, stated, “South‑South
cooperation is one of the worldʼs
most important pathways to
prosperity. I am therefore
delighted that India is demon‑
strating such strong leadership to
helping others through the India‑
UN Development Partnership
Fund. Indiaʼs commitment is also
timely, as the world strives to
advance the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development. Indiaʼs
focus on multilateral action gen‑
erates genuine hope that we can
build a world where no one is left
behind.”
Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin,
Permanent Representative of
India to the UN, stated, “The
establishment of a dedicated
Commonwealth window of the
India‑UN Development
Partnership Fund is a unique
model of South‑South develop‑
ment Cooperation. The
Commonwealth membership is
built on a shared past, respect for
common values, broadly similar
government structures, and insti‑
tutions. We are, therefore, excit‑
ed to initiate this partnership to
contribute to our collective
efforts to implement Sustainable
Development Goals.”

Diaspora sent $69 billion to Nominations invited

India in 2017, highest in world
Washington/New Delhi: India
topped as the highest recipient of
remittances globally in 2017, with
its diaspora sending back $69 bil‑
lion, a World Bank statement said
here on Monday.
"Remittance inflows improved in
all regions and the top remittance
recipients were India with $69 bil‑
lion, followed by China ($64 bil‑
lion), the Philippines ($33 billion),
Mexico ($31 billion), Nigeria ($22
billion), and Egypt ($20 billion),"
the statement said. Remittances to
India rose sharply by 9.9 percent in
2017, reversing the previous year's
sharp decline, the report added.
Global remittances are expected to
grow 4.6 percent to $642 billion in
2018, it said. "The overall recovery
in remittances is better than we
expected. It is driven by stronger
growth in the European Union, the
Russian Federation, and the United
States," said Dilip Ratha, lead econo‑
mist at the World Bank in his blog.
"The global average cost of send‑
ing $200 was 7.1 percent in the
first quarter of 2018. The cost
ranges from the most expensive
for Pravasi award
New York: Completed nomination Divas (PBD) Convention will take
average cost of 9.4 percent in Sub‑
forms for Pravasi Bharatiya place on January 21‑23, 2019 in
Saharan Africa, to the lowest aver‑
Samman Award (PBSA) have been Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in keep‑
age cost of 5.2 percent in South
invited by May 15 to ing with the sentiments of the
Asia. The average cost is higher
pbsaward@mea.gov.in under inti‑ diaspora community to partici‑
than the Sustainable Development
mation to the Indian Consulate at pate in Kumbh Snan and the
Goal target of 3 percent in all
pol.newyork@mea.gov.in and the desire to witness the Republic Day
regions," he said.
hard copy to: Dr. Parade. It is being
"While remittances are growing,
Manoj Kumar organized by
countries, institutions, and develop‑
Mohapatra, Joint Ministry of External
ment agencies must continue to
Secretary (OIA‑II), Affairs in associa‑
chip away at high costs of remitting
Ministry of tion with the State
so that families receive more of the
External Affairs, Government of
money," Ratha added. Remittances
Room No. 916, Uttar Pradesh.
to South Asia grew a moderate 5.8
Akbar Bhavan, The theme of the
percent to $117 billion in 2017.
Chanakyapuri, New 15th PBD

Alphons promotes tourism to India Delhi 110021.

New York: The Indian Consulate hosted K.J.
Alphons, Indiaʼs Minister of State for Tourism,
Electronics, IT and Culture, at the Consulate
here on April 19. The minister interacted with
tour operators and the media to promote
inbound tourism into India.
Alphons belongs to the 1979 batch of the
Indian Administrative Service, Kerala cadre. He
was in Time Magazine's list of 100 Young
Global Leaders. He pioneered the literacy move‑
ment in India by making Kottayam the first 100
percent literate town of India in 1989. He also
served as Commissioner of the Delhi
Development Authority.
PBSA is con‑
ferred every year
Convention is: “Role
of Indian Diaspora
in Building a New
on NRIs/PIOs or an India”. More than
organization/insti‑ 5000 foreign dele‑
Next PBD meet in
tution established gates are expected
Varanasi next January
and run by a to participate in
PIO/NRI who has made significant PBD 2019.
contribution in fields such as bet‑ Young PIOs are encouraged to
ter understanding of India; sup‑ participate in the four KIPs that
port to Indiaʼs causes and con‑ the Ministry will be organizing
cerns in a tangible way; building (coinciding with PBD) so that they
closer links between India, the can participate in the youth PBD
overseas Indian community and and PBD Convention also. They
Tourism minister K.J. Alphons (second from left) with Consul their country of residence; or emi‑ are also encouraged to participate
General Sandeep Chakravorty, FIA President Srujal Parikh and nence in oneʼs own field. in the online “Bharat Ko Jaaniye
past president Andy Bhatia. The next Pravasi Bharatiya Quiz”.
 4 April 28-May 4, 2018 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Letter to the Editor
Indiaʼs shameful
rape crisis
n 8‑year‑old Muslim girl locked
A in a Hindu shrine, drugged, gang‑
raped for several days and bludg‑
eoned to death. This case must pro‑
voke nationwide outrage in India
and shame on humanity not seen
since 2012 Nirbhaya case on a bus
in Delhi. That crime prompted calls
for tougher laws to address the near‑
ly 39,000 sexual assaults that occur
in India every year. But more than
five years later, the number of rapes
reported to police is rising.
According to some estimates, just in
Delhi, a rape is reported every 4
hours and a 300% increase is report‑
ed since the Nirbhaya horror.
There has to be a come‑to‑Jesus
moment, a national soul‑searching
whether anything changed since
2012? India introduced measures to
speed up prosecutions of rape cases
and expanded the definition of sex
crimes to include stalking and
voyeurism. There was a 12% rise in
rape related cases in 2016 in part
because women felt more embold‑
ened to report crimes. But the
national statistics remain shocking.
In 40% of the rape cases, the victims
were under 18.
Is the ruling BJP to blame? PM
Modi, who took office in 2014 and
is leading his party again in the gen‑
eral election next year, is a savvy
communicator who skilfully uses
social media. He condemned the
rape incidents only after they hit
international headlines. Then too,
his words were vague and tinged
with the patriarchal attitude which
infects most Indian thinking about
women: “Our daughters will get jus‑
tice.” The question is, who will make
sure justice is served.The federal
government has now instituted
death penalty for rape when the vic‑
tim is younger than 12. But cases in
Indian courts languish for years.
Sunil Tolani, Yorba Linda, CA\
Macron coaxes Trump for
a new Iran N‑deal
Continued from page 1
between Tehran and world powers
by a May 12 deadline.
Macron has been lobbying Trump
to stick with the deal, saying there
was no better option.
Germany's Chancellor Angela
Merkel is due to visit the US on
Friday to make a last‑minute bid to
dissuade Trump from potentially
torpedoing the agreement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad
Zarif was quoted as saying that
Tehran would "most likely" aban‑
don the accord if the US pulled out.
"I think we will have a great shot at
doing a much bigger, maybe, deal,"
the US president said, adding that
any new agreement must be built
on "solid foundations".
India, Britain to boost
anti‑terror ties
Continued from page 1
to ensure it remained free and
open. "They reflected on the
progress made on bilateral defense
and security cooperation since
(May's) visit to India in 2016 and
the agreement on a number of
defense capability partnerships in
key strategic areas, with closer mil‑
itary‑to‑military ties underpinned
by a succession of high‑level visits
and exchanges," a Downing Street
spokesperson said.
A joint statement issued follow‑
ing the meeting said the two lead‑
ers reiterated their strong condem‑
nation of terrorism in all its forms,
including terrorism and terror‑
related incidents in both India and
Britain.
"Both leaders also affirmed that
terrorism cannot be justified on
any grounds whatsoever it may be
and it should not be associated
with any religion, creed, nationality
and ethnicity," the statement said.
It said that both leaders agreed
that terrorist and extremist organi‑
sations need to be denied space to
radicalize, recruit and conduct
attacks on innocent people; for this,
all countries need to work together
to disrupt terrorist networks, their
financing and movement of terror‑
ists including foreign terrorists.
Modi and May also discussed the
nerve attack on an ex‑Soviet spy
and his daughter in Britain and the
chemical attack in Syria, "express‑
ing concern and making clear their
opposition to the use of chemical
weapons by any party in any cir‑
cumstances".
May also updated Modi on the
progress of Britain's withdrawal
from the European Union, "saying
the implementation period agreed
in March gives Indian companies
and investors the confidence that
market access will continue on cur‑
rent terms until the end of 2020".
Modi said there would be no dilu‑
tion in the importance of the UK to
India post‑Brexit.
Ex‑envoy plays down
H‑1B issue, cites overall
India‑US ties
Continued from page 1
Indian nationals to visit the US. Of
them only 50,000‑60,000 were H‑
1B visas, he noted.
The first Indian‑American to
serve as an ambassador to India,
Verma delivered the New India
Lecture, third in the series, at the
Indian consulate here and spoke
broadly about the bilateral relation‑
ship. Verma served as envoy to New
Delhi between January 2015 and
January 2017, resigning following
the election of Donald Trump as
President. He is currently vice
chairman of The Asia Group, based
in Washington.
On H1B issue, he said, Indian
CEOs and software companies
should be aware of the “political
realities” in America, a fact he con‑
veyed to the Indian side. “H‑1B visa
plays a small part in the overall
people‑to‑people relationship
between India and the US,” he
added.
Verma touched on issues includ‑
ing defense, trade, Pakistan and
China.
“India and the US should not be
fighting every day on trade issues
while cooperating on defense, and
should fire on all cylinders to
march ahead in their strategic and
ambitious relationship,” Verma
observed. “We somehow need to
navigate the policies of America
First and Make in India.”
With regard to defense, Verma
said it should be taken to the next
level. “That means we ought to be
providing India with the most
advanced technology, we ought to
make sure that if India is in trouble
they have the means to win.”
A board member of the US‑India
Strategic Partnership Forum, the
former diplomat said, “We have got
some history that weighs us down.
We still have some trust issues and
neither side wants to be in an
alliance. For decades it has been an
underperforming relationship.
”However, he pointed out that
Pandit Nehru wrote secret letters to
President Kennedy during the
1962 Sino‑Indian war and more
recently in th 2000 Bill Clinton
made a historic visit to India.
Optimistic about a “trajectory” in
the bilateral relationship, Verma
said, “Pakistanʼs continuing support
and facilitation of terror groups
along the border to create a perpet‑
ual state of conflict with India is
not sustainable. It is not in their
interest and it is not the way to
have that goal of a functioning nor‑
mal state in the international sys‑
tem.”
With regard to China, he said
both New Delhi and Washington
have similar concerns about the so‑
called Silk Road Initiative and
South China Sea exercises.
On India getting a permanent
seat in the UN Security Council,
Verma said it was Obama who
declared US support in this connec‑
tion. He expressed hope that this
centuryʼs geopolitical realities will
soon be reflected in the most
Indian
American Dr
Hiral Tipirneni
lost the
Arizona
Congressional
special elec‑
tion by just 6
points
Tuesday. Republican Debbie
Lesko won.
powerful UN body.
Consul General Sandeep
Chakravorty chaired the session
and P. Vaidyanathan Iyer, an editor
at The Indian Express, New Delhi,
coordinated the QA session.
USCIS to nix work
permits for spouses of H‑
1B visa holders
Continued from page 1
being revoked at the altar of ʻBuy
American, Hire Americanʼ execu‑
tive order signed by President
Trump last April.
These policy changes have been
conveyed in a recent letter by L.
Francis Cissna, director of USCIS, to
Senator Charles Grassley, chairper‑
son of the Senate Judiciary
Committee.
Spouses of H‑1B visa holders are
issued an H‑4 visa, which does not
give them the right to work in the
US. In May 2015, the Obama
administration permitted certain H‑
4 visa holders (spouses of H‑1B
visa holders who were on track for
a green card) to apply for work per‑
mits.
In March, 15 US lawmakers,
including those from the technolo‑
gy company‑dominant hubs, had
sent a letter to the USCIS showing
their support to H‑4 spouses, given
the decade‑plus green card backlog
for Indian immigrants and the high
cost of living on a single income.
Given such support, including from
various industry bodies and busi‑
ness leaders, there was a glimmer
of hope that the EAD policy would
stay. But maybe not.

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Prominent Indian origin speakers
at Forbes Womenʼs Summit
List includes Nikki Haley, Indra Nooyi,
Priyanka Chopra and Anjula Acharia
Nikki Haley, Priyanka Chopra, Indra Nooyi (Image courtesy: Forbes.com)
New York: Forbes has announced its line up
of speakers for the sixth annual Forbes
Womenʼs Summit: The Way Forward, which
will take place June 18 & 19 at Pier Sixty at
Chelsea Piers in New York. In the wake of
whatʼs been a defining moment for women in
this country, leaders are resetting conversa‑
tions and rewriting the rules for future gener‑
ations with a renewed sense of urgency.
Across industries and generations, women
are addressing todayʼs most pressing issues
through the lens of opportunity, breaking
barriers to drive progress within their respec‑
tive arenas. This invitation‑only event is
expected to bring together visionaries,
builders, innovators and connectors who are
shaping the new way forward, Forbes Media
said in a press release.
“Our goal in convening this yearʼs Summit
is to harness the power of this unique
moment and ensure that it leads to lasting
change,” said Moira Forbes, Executive Vice
President, Forbes Media. “Each conversation
has been framed by a specific call to action
and is intended to serve as a playbook for
addressing the most challenging issues facing
leaders.” The Summit will showcase women
of impact who are not just raising powerful
questions, but who are also answering them
by leveraging their platforms to lead transfor‑
Consulate starts series
promoting Indian classical music
New York: T he inaugural event of
Baithak@Consulate was held on April 18, at
the Consulate. It is the Consulateʼs initiative
to popularize Indian classical music in the
US. The inaugural event featured Pandit
Rajan and Sajan Mishra, renowned vocalists
in the Khayal style of Indian classical music.
Consul General gave the welcome remarks
TRISTATE COMMUNITY April 28-May 4, 2018 5
mative change.
More than 250 guests will participate,
including such featured speakers as
Ambassador Nikki Haley, United States
Permanent Representative to the United
Nations; Indra Nooyi, Chairman & Chief
Executive Officer, PepsiCo; Priyanka Chopra,
Actress, Producer & Activist; Martine
Rothblatt, Chairman & Chief Executive
Officer, United Therapeutics; Kirsten Green,
Founder & Managing Director, Forerunner
Ventures; Arianna Huffington, Founder &
Chief Executive Officer, Thrive Global; Mindy
Grossman, President & Chief Executive
Officer, Weight Watchers; Anjula Acharia,
Partner, Trinity Ventures; Mira Sorvino,
Actress & Human Rights Advocate.
Invitees include a diverse group of stake‑
holders from the worlds of corporate
America, technology, entrepreneurship, phi‑
lanthropy, media and entertainment.
Additional speakers will be announced in the
coming weeks on the Forbes Womenʼs
Website www.forbes.com/forbes‑
live/event/womens‑summit‑2018/.
The Forbes Womenʼs Summit is presented
by Audi of America, Deloitte Digital,
OppenheimerFunds, and Pfizer Inc. Partners
for the Summit are Glenlivet, Microsoft and
SAP.
Vocalists duo
Rajan (right)
and Sajan
Mishra per‑
formed at the
Indian
Consulate in
New York
and introduced the artists. The event was
moderated by Hidayat Khan, the renowned
sitar exponent. The event was organized in
a lounge setting where the audience and the
artists came closer from the ceremonial for‑
mality of the stage to the easy intimacy of a
close gathering while they sat on the cush‑
ioned floor, enjoying the master's talk
6 April 28-May 4, 2018 TRISTATE COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

IN BRIEF
Five founding fathers of Jain Center of
America were honored at the event.
Pictured are Shri Dharam Chand and
Shakuntala Hirawat receiving the award
from Renu & Sanjay Pandya. Also seen is
Indian Consul of Community Affairs
in New York, Mr Nair.

Gift of Life founder Paresh and Flora Parekh

(3rd and 4th from right) with guests at the event.

Gift of Life USA holds fund‑raiser

Jain Center celebrates Mahavir Jayanti
J
ain Center of America, New York, the
oldest Jain temple & organization in
North America, celebrated Shri Ma‑
havir Swami Janma Kalyanak Mahotsav at
Main Street, Queens School on Sunday. The
vibrant event was attended by over 800
people dressed in traditional outfits.
At the event, 5 eminent Jain leaders ‑
Shri Anand Nahar, Shri Dharam Chand Hi‑
rawat, Dr Mahendra Pandya, Shri Kamal
Chand Surana and Shri Nareshbhai Shah ‑‑
were felicitated with Jain Samaj Ratna, the
highest recognition from the community.
They were pioneers in establishing the Jain
Center of America almost 45 years ago. In‑
dian Consul for Community Affairs, K. De‑
vadasan Nair, along with young Jain lead‑
ers presented the award and honor.
Over 175 youth and children participat‑
ed in celebrations performing musical and
religious show in 13 programs.
Over 3,000 Jain families live in the New
York metro area. Ithaca Street Jain Temple
has won accolades for its magnificent ar‑
chitecture and religious unity. The Jain
Center in Hicksville, Long Island will be
open to public in August. Another Jain tem‑
ple is coming up in New Hyde Park.
There are over 75 Jain temples & centers
in North America, united under the Federa‑
tion of Jain Associations in North America,
known as JAINA. There are over 120,000
Jains in North America involved in all
walks of life.
Jainism is one of the most ancient and
prestigious religions of India. Lord Mahavir
is the 24th Tirthankar. His 2617th birth‑
for the differently abled
Melville, NY: Gift of Life (GOL) USA, a non‑ (Miss SouthEast International 2017), FREE
profit special needs organization, founded Drum & Bugle Corps (A Special Needs Band
by the couple Flora and Paresh Parekh, host‑ Competing for World Championship), Entre‑
ed their Annual Fund‑Raising Gala on April preneurs John Cronin of Johnʼs Crazy Socks
15 at Huntington Hilton here to raise funds & Brittany Schiavone of Brittanyʼs Baskets
for education scholarship support for autis‑ Of Hope, motivational speaker, author & TV
tic/special needs students pursuing higher show host Kerry Magro and Andrea Matteo
education. The organization aims at helping (Jumba dancer).
the specially‑abled in the areas of health, ed‑ “The best and most beautiful things in the
ucation and social awareness. Emceed by world cannot be seen or even touched, they
Harshil Parekh, the young CFO of the organ‑ must be felt with the heart!” says GOL Presi‑
ization, the Gala was a unique flow of inspi‑ dent Flora Parekh.
rational performances by beneficiary special “With the mission to generate efficient re‑
needs performers and motivational speeches sources to support the specially‑abled
by renowned special needs entrepreneurs through advocacy & education, the organi‑
and speakers. zation conducts various programs and activ‑
Among the performers were several spe‑ ities to benefit the differently abled commu‑
cial needs individuals like Rachel Barcellona nities,” says GOL Chairman Paresh Parekh.
Shri Anand Nahar (on the mike) & Ratna
Nahar seen with JCA President Kalpana
Gandhi (extreme left) and Smt. Raj
Uplift Humanity hosts a grand
Mohan Kothari. Other honorees were
Shri Kamal Chand Surana, Dr Mahendra
Pandya and Shri Naresh Bhai Shah.
soiree in New York City
New York, NY: Uplift Humanity celebrated
day was celebrated all over the world. The
transforming the lives of over 1,000 juve‑
message of Lord Mahavir ‑‑ Live & Let Live
niles and orphans in India with a grand
and Non‑Violence ‑‑ is the basis of Jainism.
soiree in New York City. More than 300
There are over 4 million Jains in India.
supporters came out to celebrate the mile‑
Known for their high education and entre‑
stone at Manhattanʼs Distilled Lounge on
preneurship they make the highest taxpay‑
April 14th.
er ethnic community in India. Some Jain
The soiree named “SHAKTI” was co‑host‑
temples are world famous for their archi‑
ed with Zee TV and had everything from
tectural wonder such as Dilwara temples in
food by Michelin Star Chef, Hemant Math‑
Mount Abu and Ranakpur temple in
ur to treats by Lux Tea Company and
Rajasthan.
Mr.Paanwala. The evening began with a
red carpet, followed by food, drinks, live

Temple holds contest for free Shirdi trip
New York: Shirdi Sai Baba centenary year
is being celebrated in 2018. On this occa‑
sion, temples dedicated to the 20th century
saint and related organizations are cele‑
brating the milestone with different pro‑
grams. There are nearly 50 Saibaba houses
of worship across the US. Shri Shirdi Saiba‑
ba Temple, situated on Robinson Street, in
Flushing NY, is conducting a quiz on the
life and times of Sai Baba who entered “ma‑
hasamadhiʼ on the Vijaya Dashami day in
1918 at Shirdi in Maharashtra. The first of
the 3‑round competition – known formally
as Shirdi Calling … is That You? ‑‑ will be‑
gin this weekend on the temple premises.
The final round will end on October 14.
The top prize will be a free air ticket to
Shirdi from New York. “The contest will be
conducted in Hindi and Telugu,” said
Narasimha Rao Bonda, event coordinator.
There is no entry fee, but registration is
required and details can be found on
http://tiny.cc/nysai. Quiz queries are based
on the Sai Satcharitra book written by
Govind Raghunath Dabholkar, known as
Hemadpant. The book was translated into
English by Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji. It is
available at the temple for purchase.
music, and ended with a raffle with prizes
from Bagatelle, Venus Et Fleur and Janam
Tea. Shakti was emceed by Kunal Lamba.
Founded in 2010, the New York‑based
organization whose mission is to use dis‑
ruptive and innovative curriculum to em‑
power detained juveniles and orphans in
India to achieve their full potential through
education. The organizationʼs goal is to en‑
sure that these children successfully assim‑
ilate back into society and have higher ca‑
reer prospects once released, ultimately re‑
ducing recidivism rates.
Uplift Humanity, founded by Anish Patel,
has now launched four locations through‑
out India: Gujarat, Hyderabad, Mumbai,
Founder & CEO Anish Patel at the event
and the newest this year in Delhi. Over the
past eight years, Uplift Humanity has con‑
tributed over 250,000 hours of volunteer
work and brought over 500 Americans to
volunteer in India.
“Weʼre so thrilled to have had such a
packed house at our first event. It really
shows how much strong support we have
here in New York City” says Founder &
CEO Anish Patel.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY April 28-May 4, 2018 7

20 Indian Americans in race for US

Congress raise surprisingly large sum
Washington, DC: A record number of 20
Indian Americans are running for US
Congressional elections this year.
Collectively they have raised more than
$15.5 million, as per latest official figures,
with seven of them raising over a million
each.
With six months still to go for the
November Congressional election, except
for Hiral Tipirneni who is running for April
24 special elections in Arizona, the figure of
more than $15.5 million raised by Indian
Americans so far that could be a record in
itself for any ethnic community in the US.
Traditionally, a significant amount of
money is raised by candidates in the last
two quarters.
As per the latest fund‑raising figures
released by the Federal Election
Commission, Congressman Raja
Krishnamoorthi from Illinois has raised
maximum over $3.5 million. Krishnamoorthi
is seeking his re‑election from the eighth
Congressional district in Illinois. Pitted
against him is Indian American Jitender
Digankar from the Republican Party.
Indian‑American scientist and entrepre‑
neur Shiva Ayyadurai is running as an inde‑
pendent candidate for the US Senate seat
from Massachusetts.
Three other Indian American
Congressmen Ro Khanna, Dr Ami Bera and
Pramila Jayapal each have raised more than
a million each. Krishnamoorthi, Khanna,
Bera and Jayapal are the four Indian
Americans in the current House of
Raising more than $ 1.1 million for the June
26 primary against incumbent
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney from New
York's 12th Congressional District, young
Suraj Patel has surprised many.
Representatives. They are collectively called
Samosa Caucus. According to Federal
Election Commission Ro Khanna, seeking re‑
election from California's 17th
Congressional district had raised nearly $2
million ($1.92 million to be precise) till
March 31st. He is followed by Dr Ami Bera
($ 1.7 million), who is seeking his fourth
consecutive term in the US House of
Representative from the seventh
Congressional District in California.
Pramila Jayapal, the first ever Indian‑
American to be elected to the House of
Representatives has raised $ 1.3 million. She
is seeking her re‑election from the seventh
Congressional District of Washington State.
In addition to Jayapal, four other Indian
American women are running for the US
House of Representatives: Hiral Tipirneni
from eights Congressional District of
Arizona; Aruna Miller from sixth
Congressional District of Maryland, Anita
Malik from sixth Congressional District of
Arizona and Saira Rao from the first
Congressional District of Colorado.
All four are from the Democratic Party.
This week all eyes are on Tipirneni as latest
polls suggests that in the April 24 Special
election she might create an upset by win‑
ning this Republican stronghold. She had
raised $ 670,521 till March 31, according to
FEC records.
Aruna Miller, who has to win the June 26
primaries to become party's nominee for the
November Congressional election has sur‑
prised many by raising more than $ 1 mil‑
lion till the last quarter.
Among other two women candidates, Rao
has raised $ 255,000 and Malik has raised
$64,000, according to FEC records.
Indian‑American Aftab Pureva, who is
seeking to enter the House of
Representative from First Congressional
District of Ohio on a Democratic ticket has
raised $ 663,000. Recently the Democratic
Party identified him as a potential winner.
By raising more than $ 1.1 million for the
June 26 primary against incumbent
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, young
Suraj Patel has surprised many.
In the 11th Congressional District of New
York two Indian Americans Omar Vaid and
Mohan Radhakrishnan ‑‑ are vying for
Democratic primary on June 26.
Two have raised 31,000 and 16,000
respectively. Similarly, two Indian
Americans Peter Jacob and Goutam U Jois ‑‑
are running against each other for the June
5 Democratic primary in the Seventh
Congressional District of New Jersey.
Sri Preston Kulkarni is headed for a pri‑
mary run‑off for the 22nd Congressional
District of Texas on May 22nd. He has raised
more than $ 178,000, FEC records reveal,
Abhijit Das from the third Congressional
District of Massachusetts has raised more
than $ 220,000 and Chintan Desai from the
One Congressional District of Arkansas has
raised $ 16,000.
In addition to Digankar, Harry Arora is the
only other Republican Indian American in
race for the Congress. Running from fourth
Congressional District of Connecticut, Arora
has raised $ 192,000 so far.
A calculation of FEC figures, as of March
31 indicated, that all the 20 Indian‑
American candidates in the race for the
Congressional elections this year have more
than $11 million in all for the rest part of
the campaign.
FEC figures also reveal that these candi‑
dates have loaned more than $1.1 million to
their campaigns. The list is topped by Arora
with $ 500,000, followed by Abhijit Das ($
283,000), Vaid ($ 105,000) Jois ($
100,000), Tipirneni ($ 70,000),
Radhakrishnan ($50,000), Kulkarni ($
35,000) and Jacob ($ 10,000).
The current Congress has four Indian
Americans in the House of Representatives,
which is a record in itself. (PTI)

Indian American teen shot dead for firing on police

Washington, DC: An Indian American teenager wanted on a
felony firearms possession warrant was killed in police firing
after he used firearms on them in California, officials said.
Nathaniel Prasad, 18, was shot dead on April 5, according
to an investigation report released by the Freemont Police
Department.
According to police, Prasad was sought on felony probation
and firearms possessions warrants, as well as a misdemeanor
evading warrant for fleeing a Fremont school resource offi‑
cer on March 22, East Bay Times reported.
On April 5, members of the Fremont Police Department's
street crimes unit saw Prasad riding in a car north on
Fremont Boulevard near Central Avenue. He was a co‑passen‑
ger in the car driven by a female and it was soon intercepted.
The suspect tried to escape on foot and an officer was on a
pursuit. The officer located Prasad near a gas station and
when tried confronting him, the 18‑year‑old took a gun out
and fired two rounds before disappearing towards Fremont
Boulevard, police said.
The involved officer broadcast over the police radio that
Friends & family mourn his death
(Image : eastbaytimes.com) (Inset)
Nathaniel Prasad image :nripulse.com)
the suspect had a gun. The interaction was captured on video
surveillance and was corroborated by statements of the offi‑
cer and witnesses at the scene, the report said.
Later, there were six officers chasing Prasad and at one
point he once again pulled the gun fired at the officers, CBS
San Francisco reported. Police said the interaction was cor‑
roborated by witnesses, statements by the officers, body‑
worn camera footage and in‑car camera footage.
The officers returned fire and bullets struck Prasad.
According to police, Prasad fell to the ground. But he still had
a weapon in his hand and officers shot again.
Police said officers approached Prasad, removed the gun
from the area and started to provide medical care.
Paramedics arrived and pronounced Prasad dead a short
time later. No officers were injured in the shooting. Prasad's
mother, who was driving the vehicle, was transported to the
police station, where she provided a statement to investiga‑
tors. Prasad had a .22 caliber revolver with him and officers
found it had three spent casings and three empty cylinders,
police said. The gun had allegedly been stolen. Police said the
recovery of the gun from Prasad was caught on at least one
officer's body‑worn camera and corroborated by witnesses.
(IANS)
 8 April 28-May 4, 2018 NATIONAL COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Centenarian Man Kaur to share a legacy
of triumph at Vaisakhi 5K Run
New York: After Fauja Singh
and Milkha Singh another Sikh
athlete has been quickly but
quietly amassing recognition in
the sporting community. Her
name is Man Kaur, and as a
record‑breaking runner, her fas‑
cinating story is an inspiration
to Sikhs, Punjabis, athletes,
women, and senior cit izens
alike.
Though today Man Kaur has
been recognized across the
world as a 102‑year‑old award‑
winning athlete, her career as a
runner began relatively late in
her life, at the age of 93. Far
prior to her life as a runner,
Man Kaur lived an illustrious
past as royal servant to the 360
queens of the King of Patiala
State in Punjab. In this position,
she started every day at 4:00AM
and often worked unt il
10:00PM, taking on tasks such
as grinding wheat on a manual
grinding mill, milking cattle,
and making butter from yogurt,
to prepare dishes which would
be served to the royal family.
Man Kaur specifically attended
to the queens who had children
or were sick. Man Kaurʼs service
to the royalty follows her fami‑
lyʼs legacy: Her father, Ranjeet
Singh, worked for Maharaja
Bhupinder Sing h Ji and
Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Ji
as a Langari, preparing meals
102 year old Man Kaur is an inspiration and pride of Sikh community
for the family. Her mother began training as a runner. She
would look after the queens of started part icipat ing in the
the same Maharajas, as well as India Masters Athlet ics in
the children̶including current national competitions. In just
Punjab Chie f Minister two years, she took her career
Amarinder Singh. Her grandfa‑ internat ional̶w inning two
ther Trilok Singh was also a gold medals at the World
Langari. It is hard to imagine Masters Athlet ics
that the humble servant, whose Championships in Sacramento,
life existed in the shadows of setting world records in the
Punjabi royalty, would herself 100m and 200m races, and
go on to achieve international earning herself the title “Athlete
prestige and fame. of the Year.” Man Kaur has gone
In 2009, Man Kaur followed on to w in gold at the 2012
the advice of her son, Gurdev Asian Masters Athlet ics
Singh̶a seasoned athlete him‑ Championships held in Taiwan,
se lf at the age of 81̶and the 2013 in Canadian Masters
Athlet ics Championships in
Reg ina, and the Huntsman
World Senior Games in St
George, Utah. As of 2016, she
has been breaking records in
the 100+ age group, including
at the Americas Masters Games
in Vancouver and Sky Walk in
Auckland. In addition to break‑
ing barriers in racing, Man Kaur
has excelled in shot put and
javelin throw.
Man Kaurʼs accomplishments
have transcended all communi‑
ties. She is credited today as the
worldʼs fastest centenarian. Last
year, she won the Guinness
World Record for the javelin
throw in her age group. She has
competed across India, US,
Canada, Taiwan, and New
Zealand. Even Charmaine
Crooks, a five‑time Olympian
who serves as an athlete ambas‑
sador for the Masters Games,
praised Mrs. Kaur for her
dynamic spirit. She said, “Sheʼs
inspiring everyone, young and
old.” Members of the New York
City Tri‑State Area can meet
Man Kaur this Sunday, April 29,
at the Vaisakhi 5K Run 2018 at
Victory Field in Woodhaven, NY.
The Vaisakhi 5K Run̶now in
its fifth year̶is a community
gathering to celebrate fitness,
sport, and the spirit of Chardi
Kala, marking the festival of
Vaisakhi every spring.
Indian‑origin US
physicians to
partner with
USAID to fight TB
Mumbai: The American Association
of Physicians of Indian Origin
(AAPI) has announced a partnership
with United States Agency for
International Development (USAID)
to end tuberculosis (TB) in India.
The AAPI signed a Memorandum
of Understanding in this regard
with USAID in New Delhi a few days
ago.
"T he programme will engage
AAPI's network of private charitable
clinics for awareness, detection and
treatment of TB. It will explore
opportunities for collaboration
between US and Indian medical
schools to exchange cutting‑edge
healthcare solutions," said Dr
Naresh Parikh, president of AAPI.
"Elimination of tuberculosis has
been a matter of national concern
for many years now. Through our
partnership with USAID, we aim to
bring American technical expertise
to help strengthen India's fight
against TB," he added.
Xerses Sidhwa, Director of Health,
USAID‑India, said, "We have been
supporting the TB program of the
Government of India for two
decades now. With our collabora‑
tion with AAPI, we continue our
assistance to the government to
plan and implement evidence‑based
interventions to reach a TB‑Free
India."The AAPI said that it would
organize a Global Healthcare
Summit along with Ministry of
Health and Family We lfare in
Mumbai between December 28‑30
this year. (PTI)

Discussion on Sikh
Legacy in Pakistan
at Library of
Congress
Washington, DC: The National Sikh
Campaign in partnership with the
Library of Congress will host a dis‑
cussion on the Sikh Legacy in
Pakistan on May 8th from 3‑5 pm
at Room 649, the Mumford Room,
James Madison Building.
The Library of Congress is the
largest library in the world and it is
the national library of the United
States.
ʻThe Sikh Legacy in Pakistanʼ dis‑
cussion will be led by Amardeep
Singh the author of two publica‑
tions titled ʻThe Lost Heritageʼ and
ʻThe Quest Continuesʼ, which docu‑
ment his extensive trave ls in
Pakistan that are rich in Sikh histo‑
ry.
His talk will discuss the past and
present of Pakistani Sikhs and how
Sikhs can learn from the unknown
and untold history in Pakistan to
build bridges for the future.
The talk is free and open to the
public and no registration is
required.
Bharara announces May launch of podcast
by ʻJon Stewart of the Arab Worldʼ
New York: Former Indian‑American U.S.
Attorney for the Southern District of New
York, Preet Bharara announced April 23, that
CAFE, his joint media venture with Some
Spider Studios, will be launching a new pod‑
cast featuring the political satirist Bassem
Youssef, dubbed the Jon Stewart of the Arab
World. Starting in May, Youssefʼs podcast,
which has yet to be given a title, will join
Bhararaʼs “Stay Tuned” franchise in CAFEʼs
lineup.
“Iʼm thrilled to welcome Bassem to the CAFE
family,” Bharara is quoted saying in a press
release. “His courage, intelligence and humor
are an inspiring combination. And after stand‑
ing up to an oppressive government, creating
a hit show, and performing heart surgery, I
hope he is now up to the rigors of hosting a Preet Bharara Bassem Youssef
podcast.” (Image courtesy: somespider.com) (Image courtesy: cafe.com)
Youssefʼs podcast will tackle the immigrant
experience in America engaging prominent topic!” Youssef said in the press release. Apollo Theater in New York City.
immigrants in a range of topics, personal sto‑ “While the show will obviously feature an Bassem Youssef was the host of popular TV
ries, and curiosities about their adopted home immigrantʼs perspective, I hope it will appeal show AlBernameg – the first of its kind politi‑
country. “Iʼm so excited to join Preet and the to everyone, as we all feel like an outsider cal satire show in the Middle East. Originally a
CAFE family to host a new podcast where we from time to time.”This April 26, Youssef will 5‑minute show on YouTube, AlBernameg
explore the fun and challenges of being an join Bharara as his guest at a special live became the most‑watched show across the
outsider. I know a thing or two about this episode of “Stay Tuned” at the legendary region with 30 million viewers every week.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Indian‑American teen wins $100,000
in college quiz championship
New York: Indian‑American teenager Dhruv
Gaur has won the $100,000 Jeopardy college
quiz championship.
The first‑year student at Ivy League Brown
University emerged the champion in the two‑
day final round of the college edition of
America's most popular quiz show televised
nationwide. He faced another Indian‑
American, Rishab Jain, in the semi‑final round
on before getting to the finals.
Gaur had scored a perfect score of 1,600 in
the national‑wide college entrance exam,
Scholastic Aptitude Test.
About his plans for the winnings, a
Jeopardy news release quoted him as saying,
"I'm just going to save it until I need it for
grad school or to pursue an opportunity I
might really want in the future."
"My little brother is really interested in
investing, so I'll give him some so he can give
the stock market a go," he added.
Viraj Mehta, who came third in the 2017
edition, made news because either intention‑
ally or accidentally he was seen flashing his
middle finger ‑‑ an obscene gesture ‑‑ while
being interviewed by the show's host Alext
Chess prodigy from India
caught in battle to stay in UK
London: A nine‑year‑old chess prodigy from
India is caught up in a battle to stay in the UK
after his father's work visa is set to expire.
Shreyas Royal has won a series on chess
championships and his parents, Jitendra and
Anju Singh, are now appealing to the UK
Home Office for indefinite leave to remain
(ILR) in Britain on the grounds that their son
is a national asset.
The family had moved to London from
Bangalore in 2012 when Shreyas was three
years old. "Shreyas's life is here. We are used
to India, we spent a lot of our lives living
there but it will be a massive shock for
Shreyas. He will not be able to continue his
chess, it really is a terrible situation," father
Jitendra told 'The Times.'
The 38‑year‑old IT project manager with
the Tata Group was offered a fixed‑term con‑
tract in the company's UK office and on
September 10 his work visa will lapse perma‑
nently.
With the backing of Julian Simpole, a train‑
er who has coached two of the English grand‑
masters, and Dominic Lawson, president of
the English Chess Federation, the family have
lodged their appeal with the Home Office.
"He pretty much wins every competition
he's in," Mr Simpole said, in reference to
Shreyas who has been competing profession‑
ally for three years now.
"I've been coaching Shreyas for nine weeks
now. I am amazed. He is so advanced I set him
Soviet‑style toughness' lessons as in no con‑
cessions made for his age. He virtually always
gets the right answer," he said.
"This kid is like something I've never seen
before. His talent is very highly pronounced.
He's going to be a future world champion and
we'd like it to be for Britain," the coach added.
COMMUNITY
Dhruv Gaur, first-year student at Ivy League Brown
University emerged the champion in America's most
popular quiz show televised nationwide.
Trebek. Several media pounced on the ges‑
ture seen fleetingly on the show.
Vinita Kailasanath is the only other Indian‑
American, who won the college champi‑
onship, which was in 2001.
DIASPORA
Shreyas Royal has won a series on chess
championships and his parents, are now
appealing to the UK Home Office for
indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in Britain.
(Image courtesy: ndtv.com)
Shreyas, who attends Pointer School in
Blackheath, south London, on a full scholar‑
ship, first learnt to play chess at an after‑
school club that his mother enrolled him in.
"He was into swimming and tennis, but I
wanted him to do something with his mind,"
his 37‑year‑old mother said.
According to the newspaper, Shreyas now
spends his weekends and summer holidays
travelling across Britain and around the world
competing against champions almost 10
years older than him.
"I don't think the older kids like being beat‑
en by me. The Russians are the hardest to
play against," the nine‑year‑old said.
"What I like about chess is that it's not
about being physically aggressive, you have
time to use your mind," added Shreyas, who
has already won numerous trophies and
medals. He had started playing the game
when he got a chess board at the age of five
and went on to be named the world's
youngest candidate master within months.
(Image courtesy:
ndtv.com)
In the teen championships for high‑school‑
ers, Sharath Narayan won the $100,000 prize
in 2016.
Two other Indian‑Americans had earlier
won the teen championship. (IANS)
A yoga session held for all ambassadors at the residence of Ambassador
Venu Rajamony in Wassenaar, Netherlands.
(Image courtesy: Embassy of India, The Hague/Facebook)
Toronto School Board declares
November “Hindu Heritage Month”
Toronto: Toronto District School Board (TDSB)
in Canada has resolved that month of
November each year be declared as Hindu
Heritage Month.
TDSB Trustees, in their April 18 meeting,
passed a motion which included: Hindu
Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate
and educate all our students and school com‑
munities about this ancient and spiritual way
of life.
It also said: Canadians of Hindu faith have
greatly contributed to civic life in Canada for
decades, and are a vibrant part of the growth
April 28-May 4, 2018 9
Sushma Swaraj
condoles death of
Indian family
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj condoled the deaths of
four members of an Indian family whose
car had crashed into a swollen river.
The Thottapilly family, from Santa
Clarita, disappeared on April 6 while
driving in a Honda Pilot through the
Redwood Coast Highway on vacation.
Following their disappearance, an
appeal was made to Ms Swaraj to find
the family and she had assured all possi‑
ble help by the Indian consulate in San
Francisco.
"My heartfelt condolences on the trag‑
ic deaths of Sandeep Thotapilly, Soumya
and their two children. All the four bod‑
ies have been recovered from Eel river in
California. We are helping their families
in the visa process to enable their travel
to US," Swaraj tweeted.
Sandeep, 41, and Saachi, 9, were found
dead inside the vehicle in the Eel River
early last week in California. The body of
Soumya, 38, was recovered from another
area of the river while the body of
Siddhant, 12, was recovered on two
days later. (PTI)
and prosperity of Toronto, Ontario and
Canada.
The motion also stated: Hinduism (or
Sanathana Dharma) encompasses a broad
range of…contributions to learning through
mathematics, astronomy and science, and
well‑being through health practices such as
yoga, meditation and a vegetarian diet.
TDSB serves approximately 246,000 stu‑
dents in nearly 600 schools, besides over
140,000 life‑long learners. Over 120 lan‑
guages are spoken by TDSB students and their
families.
 10 April 28-May 4, 2018 US AFFAIRS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

How high is Comeyʼs higher loyalty?

Comment by do not run from criticism, especially self‑ harmless. Meanwhile, Hillary had lost the
Shivaji Sengupta criticism,” he writes, “and they donʼt hide election. Democrats would forever blame
from uncomfortable questions.” Comey notwithstanding the fact that Mrs.

P
rior to its publication, James Comeyʼs
new book, ʻA Higher Loyalty: Truth,
Lies and Leadershipʼ, seemed to be
enjoying all the fanfare and trappings of a
famous movie release. He was, of course,
fired by President Trump as Director of FBI
some 10 months ago, leading to, among bit‑
terly partisan criticism, the appointment of
Special Counsel James Mueller III to investi‑
gate Russiaʼs intervention in the 2016 presi‑
dential election. Everyone knew a book
would be forthcoming. Comey had to defend
himself from Donald Trumpʼs acerbic accu‑
sations. And so here it is.
The over‑300 page book, it turns out, is a
largely professional autobiography with the
main attractions, ʻTrumpʼ and ʻHillaryʼ
embedded deep inside. If you read this book
for the voyeuristic pleasure of finding out
the lurid details about Comeyʼs dealings
with the President, or with the emails con‑
troversy of the former Secretary of State,
you will have to be patient. They are all
there, but all in good time.
For this book purports to be more than a
book about “Washington.” It is Comeyʼs doc‑
trine of “ethical leadership,” which the
Washington Post has described as “an often
preachy and sometimes profound collection
of principles that he believes should govern
those who govern… A Higher Loyalty is the
brand extension of James Comey: the
upright citizen turned philosopher, the law‑
man as thought leader.”
Lest we smell sarcasm here, I hasten to
add that I agree with the Post review but in
a positive sense. This book is about “Values
̶ like truth, integrity, and respect for oth‑
ers, to name just a few̶which serve as
external reference points for ethical leaders
to make decisions,” Comey writes. “Ethical
leaders choose a higher loyalty to those core
values over their own personal gain.”
According to the author himself, Comey in
all his years as a prosecutor, Justice
Department official and FBI director, has
tried to live such values whereas President
Trump embodies their antitheses. “This
president is unethical, and untethered to
truth and institutional values,” he writes.
“His leadership is transactional, ego driven,
and about personal loyalty…. Ethical leaders
This is where reviewers take him to task.
Does he himself really live up to his own
standards?” According to more than one of
them, when the stakes rise, self‑examination
diminishes. Thus come a deluge of criticism
regarding Comeyʼs handling of Hillaryʼs
email server. He prides himself as being
above politics when making professional
decisions, yet his timing of the announce‑
ment of “more emails” that needed investi‑
gating just 11 days before Election Day
could not be “explained away” by the former
Director. Comey had to say something that
would both justify his actions, yet give
Democrats like myself a viable cause to
appreciate what he did.
As a Democrat, I became interested in
James Comeyʼs explanation because of his
claim of a possible Constitutional crisis had
Hillary won. According to him, had he not
reported to Congress (with overwhelming
Republican majority ‑ we might add) that
more emails to and from Hillary had turned
up in the former Congressman Anthony
Weiner's server, and if there were emails
that could have led to her indictment, then,
if she had become president, as most antici‑
pated that she would, we might have had a
president who was a subject of criminal
investigation but who could not be tried
because she was president! Would not peo‑
ple blame the FBI and the Justice
Department then?
Whew! With ifs and buts we can fit Paris
into a bottle! It was a small matter that
Comey himself found those latter day emails
Clinton had the plurality of votes. My view is
she lost because she had not paid attention
to the 23 million poor white voters who
voted en masse for Trump. Be that as it may,
transparency was not Comeyʼs only motiva‑
tion; his political assumptions played a role,
too.
Given this obvious dichotomy, how should
readers receive the high moral and ethical
plane on which the book situates itself? I
will not go as far as to say that the FBI direc‑
tor is a phoney. I would rather lament that
he is not philosophically equal to the task of
the moral high ground he admires so much.
“Values like truth and integrity” that Comey
respects so much are just words in his book.
What he perhaps could have done is explain
how one might live those ideals that we call
“epistemic virtues,” that is, virtues that we
cognitively determine are consequential
because of their positive effects in politics.
For example, letʼs take integrity, a value that
Comey cherishes.
Epistemologically, integrity implies that
we act in a basically sincere way that tells
others I am what I am saying I am. There are
no hidden clauses or catch to the proposals I
am making to you. I think while Comeyʼs
book talks the talk, does not walk it. Perhaps
he should take a relook at Montaigneʼs
ʻEssaisʼ where he lays out the kind of behav‑
ior government servants should practice in
order to be true to values such as truth and
integrity; or to ʻLord Francis Baconʼs Essays:
Civil and Moralʼ which gives similar advice
pragmatically.

Democrats sue Trump campaign, Giuliani joins Trump's

Russia, WikiLeaks over 2016 election
Washington: The Democratic Party
sued the Russian government,
President Donald Trumpʼs cam‑
paign and WikiLeaks last Friday,
charging that they carried out a
wide‑ranging conspiracy to influ‑
ence the 2016 presidential elec‑
tion.
In its federal lawsuit in
Manhattan, the Democratic
National Committee said that top
officials in Trumpʼs campaign con‑
spired with the Russian govern‑
ment and its military spy agency to
hurt Democratic presidential nomi‑
nee Hillary Clinton and tilt the
election to Trump by hacking DNC
computers.
The lawsuit alleged that Trumpʼs
campaign “gleefully welcomed
Russiaʼs help” in the 2016 election
and accuses it of being a “racke‑
teering enterprise” that worked in
tandem with Moscow.
“During the 2016 presidential
campaign, Russia launched an all‑
out assault on our democracy and
it found a willing and active part‑
ner in Donald Trumpʼs campaign,”
said Tom Perez, chair of the DNC.
“This constituted an act of
legal team
In 2016, Russia launched an
all‑out assault on our democracy
and it found a willing and active
partner in Donald Trumpʼs cam‑
paign: Tom Perez, chair of the DNC.
unprecedented treachery.”
The suit prompted Trump to
send a Friday evening tweet that
called the Democrats “obstruction‑
ist” and promised a counterattack
based on his longstanding asser‑
tion that Clinton committed a
crime with her personal email
server.
“This can be good news in that
we will now counter for the DNC
Server that they refused to give to
the FBI, the Wendy Wasserman
Schultz Servers and Documents
held by the Pakistani mystery man
and Clinton Emails,” Trump, a
Former NYC
Republican, wrote. mayor Rudy
Trump appeared to refer to Giuliani with
Representative Debbie Wasserman President
Schultz, who chaired the DNC dur‑ Trump.
ing the election when its servers (Photo: Reuters)
were hacked, and a Pakistan‑born
information technology worker
found by the House of
Representatives inspector general
to have inappropriately accessed
congressional data.
The campaign operation Trump
New York: Former New York key time in the probe, given that
has already set up ahead of the
Mayor Rudy Giuliani will join Mueller wants to question the
2020 president election called the
President Donald Trump's legal president in the very near future,
lawsuit frivolous and characterized
team, which is also acquiring two Efe news reported. According to
it as a fundraising effort.
other new members, his attorney Sekulow's statement, Trump
Democrats are keen to remind
Jay Sekulow said. emphasized the long friendship
voters of the issue of Russia and
Sekulow, who along with attor‑ between him and the Republican
the 2016 election ahead of
ney Ty Cobb is representing Trump ex‑mayor, saying "Rudy is great. He
Novemberʼs midterm congression‑
in the investigation into Russian has been my friend for a long time
al elections. Early polls show
interference in the 2016 election and wants to get this matter quick‑
Republicans run some risk of los‑
headed by Special Counsel Robert ly resolved for the good of the
ing control of Congress.
Mueller, made the announcement country."
“The suit gives Democrats a use‑
after Giuliani confirmed the deci‑ Sekulow also announced that
ful and perhaps compelling narra‑
sion to The Washington Post. Jane Serene Raskin and Marty
tive to counter the presidentʼs and
Giuliani, who said he had made Raskin, whom he described as very
Republicansʼ mantra of ʻno collu‑
the decision last week at Trump's respected former federal prosecu‑
sion,ʼ” said Leonard Williams, a
Mar‑a‑Lago resort in Florida, joins tors with decades of experience,
political science professor at
the legal team that had been will also be joining Trump's legal
Manchester University.
reduced to a bare minimum at a team.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Endorsed by President Trump,
the former Republican presiden‑
tial nominee is still the favorite to
win the senate seat from Utah.
(Photo courtesy Fox News)
Mitt Romney faces primary
in his bid for Senate seat
Washington: T he 2012
Republican nominee for president,
Mitt Romney, will face a primary
election for the US Senate seat from
Utah after he failed to seal the nom‑
ination at the state's far‑right lean‑
ing GOP convention.
Romney, 71, still is the heavy
favorite overall to replace Sen. Orrin
Hatch, who is retiring.
Had Romney won the party dele‑
gate vote at the convention, he
would have bypassed a primary
altogether. Instead, he was edged
US AFFAIRS April 28-May 4, 2018 11
9 killed after van plows
into Toronto pedestrians
out by state lawmaker Mike
Kennedy, who got 51 percent of the No link to terror suspected so far
vote to Romney's 49 percent.
GOP voters will decide between
the two in a June 26 primary.
Romney, former Massachusetts
governor, pushed back against crit‑
ics who said he's an interloper in
Utah politics by referring to his role
in staging the 2002 Winter
Olympics in Utah. And despite his
criticism of Donald Trump before
the 2016 election, the President has
endorsed his bid for US Senate.
This remarkable Toronto: At least nine people tion can be confirmed at this
photo taken last were killed and 16 others injured point. The police are conducting
Saturday after Barbara after a van plowed into pedestri‑ obviously their thorough investi‑
Bushʼs funeral ans in Toronto's northern sub‑ gation to determine what hap‑
features four former urbs on Monday, police said. pened and why it happened, the
presidents ‑‑ Barack The driver fled briefly but was motivations involved."
Obama, George W. soon arrested, according to the The incident took place about
Bush, Bill Clinton and
police, Xinhua reported. So far no 29 km from the city centre,
George H.W. Bush ‑‑
link to terrorism suspected. where foreign ministers from the
along with first lady
Melania Trump and Police didn't immediately iden‑ G7 countries were meeting to dis‑
former first ladies tify the driver, and said it was not cuss world issues.
Michelle Obama, clear whether the crash was acci‑ After the tragedy, Prime
Laura Bush and Hillary dental or the driver had a motive. Minister Justin Trudeau said in
Clinton. Canada's Minister of Public Ottawa, "we're just learning
(Photo courtesy Safety Ralph Goodale told the about the situation in Toronto.
Reuters) press: "The investigation is at a Our hearts go out to anyone
stage where no further informa‑ affected."
 12 April 28-May 4, 2018
President okays death to rapists of children
New Delhi: President Ram Nath
Kovind has approved an ordi‑
nance to provide death penalty
for those convicted of raping girls
younger than 12 years besides
clearing another ordinance to
confiscate property of fugitive
economic offenders.
The President promulgated The
Criminal Law (Amendment)
Ordinance, 2018, approved by the
Cabinet on Saturday that seeks to
provide e f fect ive deterrence
against rape and instill a sense of
security among women, particu‑
larly young girls.
T he ordinance amends the
Indian Penal Code, the Indian
Evidence Act, the Code of Criminal
Procedure and the Protection of
Children from Sexual Of fenses
Act.
The ordinance comes against
the backdrop of the rape and mur‑
der of an eight‑year‑old girl in
Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir,
the rape of a teenager in Unnao in
From Westminster, Modi
warns Pak on terrorism
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 'Bharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saath'
program at Westminster, London. (Photo: IANS/PIB)
London: In a veiled message to
Pakistan, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said that antics
of those exporting terror and
trying to backstab will not be
tolerated and they will be
answered in language they
understand.
He said Islamabad had been
informed of the 2016 surgical
strikes before these were
announced to the media.
Taking part in an interactive
session 'Bharat ki Baat, Sabke
Saath' at the historic Central Hall
Westminster here, Modi referred
to the outrage over multiple
rape cases of minor girls in India
and said such incidents cannot
be tolerated. He took several
digs at the opposition, particu‑
larly the Congress, and said that
the pace of work of his govern‑
ment was much faster than of
the previous UPA government.
The interaction, which lasted
for more than two hours, saw
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal
breaks her fast at Raj Ghat in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)
Uttar Pradesh and similar crimes
in other parts of the country.
The development puts in place a
number of measures for speedy
investigation and trial of rape
Modi highlighting achievements
of his government in the past
about four years to build elec‑
toral momentum for the 2019
Lok Sabha polls.
Modi termed the surgical
strikes of September 29, 2016
an answer to the exporters of
terrorism.
Referring to the foreign policy,
Modi said India was dealing with
all countries in the world on
equal terms and was taking inde‑
pendent decisions in its dealings
with countries such as Israel,
Saudi Arabia and Iran. He said
India has made its place in inter‑
national fora and was setting the
agenda.
Referring to outrage over rape
incidents, Modi said: "A rape is a
rape. How can we tolerate this
exploitation of our daughters?"
He said people have more
expectations from the BJP‑led
government as they have faith
that it can deliver.
INDIA
cases including a two‑month time
limit for invest ig at ion, two
months for completion of trial and
six months for disposal of appeals.
It provides that punishment for
Jaishankar new President of Tata
Group's Global Corporate Affairs
Mumbai: Former Indian foreign sec‑
retary S. Jaishankar has apparently
been given a waiver from the "cool‑
ing off period" for bureaucrats, as
Tatas have announced his appoint‑
ment as their Groups President of
Global Corporate Affairs.
Announcing the appointment,
Tata Sons said Jaishankar will
report to N Chandrasekaran, execu‑
tive chairman of Tata Sons in his
new role.
Last week, IANS had reported that
Jaishankar, who retired on January
28 this year, had written to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi for a waiv‑
er of the "cooling‑off period" for
bureaucrats as he had been offered
Govt issues alert before Asaram
verdict Wednesday
New Delhi: Ahead of a trial court's
verdict in a rape case against self‑
styled godman Asaram Bapu, the
Union Home Ministry on Tuesday
issued an advisory to Rajasthan,
Gujarat and Haryana to step up
security in order to prevent any
untoward incident, an official said.
The ministry also is in touch with
the states concerned and Union
Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba has
spoken to top‑level administrative
and police officials over the issue.
Apprehending a threat to law and
order from followers of Asaram,
security has been stepped up and
prohibitory orders issued in
Rajasthan's Jodhpur where a trial
court will deliver its verdict against
him in a rape case on Wednesday.
As per the directions of the
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
rape of a girl younger than 12 will
be a minimum 20 years imprison‑
ment or imprisonment for life or
with death.
Punishment for gang rape of a
girl under 16 years of age will
invariably be imprisonment for
rest of life.
In case of gang rape of a girl
below 12 years, punishment will
be jail for life or death sentence.
The minimum punishment in
case of rape of women has been
increased from rigorous imprison‑
ment of seven years to 10 years,
extendable to life imprisonment.
In case of rape of a girl aged
below 16, minimum punishment
has been increased from 10 to 20
years, extendable to imprison‑
ment for rest of life ‑‑ meaning
imprisonment till that person's
natural life.
DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal
ended her nine‑day fast, calling it
a "historic win".
"I didn't expect that our protest
a position by the Tatas. In his new
role, Jaishankar will be responsible
for the Tata group's global corpo‑
rate affairs and international strate‑
gy development and Tata Sons'
international offices will report to
him, according to a statement
issued by Tata Sons. "Jaishankar
will work with Tata Companies to
help them strengthen their business
presence and positioning in their
respective geographies globally,"
the statement said.
The Indian foreign secretary from
January 2015 to January 2018,
Jaishankar joined the Indian
Foreign Service in 1977 holding
key roles during his career includ‑
Asaram Bapu has been under
judicial custody since 2013 on
rape charges. Home Ministry fears
his followers may resort to
violence in Rajasthan,
Gujarat and Haryana.
Rajasthan High Court, the trial
court will announce its verdict in
will take such a large shape. It is a
historic win for all of us who have
been demanding stringent law to
punish convicted rapists," a visibly
frail Maliwal said at a press con‑
ference.
"I welcome the law and end my
fast here," the 33‑year‑old
Chairperson of the De lhi
Commission for Women (DCW)
told the media.
Meanwhile, the De lhi Hig h
Court questioned why the ordi‑
nance on amending the Protection
of Children from Sexual Offences
(Pocso) Act, to provide for death
penalty to those convicted of rap‑
ing a child up to 12 years old, was
cleared without conducting any
research on the issue.
Asking if any study or research
was conducted while clearing the
ordinance on Pocso, the court
observed that it seemed to come
after people started demanding
strict punishment against the
rapists of minors.
Former Indian foreign secretary
S. Jaishankar.
ing stints as High Commissioner to
Singapore, Ambassador to China
and the United States. He also
played a key role in negotiating the
Indo‑US civilian nuclear agreement.
the case in Jodhpur Central Jail
premises.
Final arguments in the case had
been completed by the special
court and the court had kept the
order reserved to be pronounced
on April 25. Asaram was arrested
on the complaint filed by a teenage
girl from Uttar Pradesh's
Shahajahanpur. The victim, who
was studying at Asaram's ashram
at Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh,
had alleged that the godman had
called her to his ashram in Manai
area near Jodhpur and raped her
on the night of August 15, 2013.
Asaram was arrested from Indore
and brought to Jodhpur on
September 1, 2013. He is in judi‑
cial custody since September 2,
2013.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Naidu rejects impeachment
motion against CJI
New Delhi: Dealing a blow to the
opposition, Rajya Sabha Chairman
M Venkaiah Naidu rejected an
impeachment mot ion ag ainst
Chief Justice Dipak Misra on the
ground that there was lack of
"credible and verifiable" informa‑
tion on charges of "misbehavior"
which, he said, undermined judi‑
ciary's independence.
The Chairman's decision on the
petition filed by 64 MPs belonging
to seven part ies led by the
Congress was met with strong crit‑
icism from former Law Minister
and eminent lawyer Kapil Sibal,
who termed it as illeg al and
unconstitutional done in a "tearing
hurry". He said the order will be
challenged in the Supreme Court.
"... we cannot allow any of our
pillars of governance to be weak‑
ened by any thought, word or
action," Naidu said in a 10‑page
order, holding that admission of
the notice was "neither desirable
nor proper".
"I am also aware that it is imper‑
ative that we should have extraor‑
dinary, important and substantial
g rounds for the removal of a
judge," said Naidu.
The motion alleged five charges
of "misbehavior" against the CJI
Criminalizing gay AFSPA removed from Meghalaya,
sex: SC seeks govt's restricted in Arunachal
response
New Delhi: The
Supreme Court sought
the Central govern‑
ment's response on
hotelier Kesav Suri
challenging Indian
Penal Code's Section
377 which criminal‑
izes any sort of homo‑
sexual activity and
other forms of unnatu‑
ral sex.
Suri, the Managing
Director of Lalit Suri The top court is already seized of similar pleas
Hospitality group, is
also a LGBT rights
activists.
As the bench of Chief Justice
Dipak Misra, Justice A.M.
Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y.
Chandrachud tagged Suri's plea
with an earlier pending challenge
to Section 377, senior counsel
Mukul Rohatgi urged the court to
ask the government to respond to
the plea.
"I want to know the Central gov‑
ernment's stand on the constitu‑
tionality of Section 377. For one
year, no reply has come," he told
Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.
including conspiracy to pay illegal
gratification in a case relating to
an educat ional trust and the
alleged violation of code of con‑
duct for judges by presiding over
every bench that heard the case
and passed orders.
At the stage of admission, Naidu
said he had to apply a test that if
every statement stated in the peti‑
tion was believed to be true, would
it still amount to a case of "proved
misbehavior".
T he Chairman re ferred to
filed by celebrities.
the bench.
The top court is already seized
of the matter as it had on January
8 had said that it will re‑examine
its 2013 verdict upholding Section
377 that criminalizes gay sex. The
matter has been referred to a larg‑
er bench.
While agreeing to re‑examine
2013 judgment, the court had on
January 8, 2018, said observed "a
section of people or individuals
who exercise their choice should
never remain in a state of fear".
INDIA
expressions "proved misbehavior"
and "incapacity" used in Article
124 (4) of the Constitution and
said proved misbehavior was an
expression clearly distinguishable
from misconduct as was apparent
from the language of Article 124.
"The intent, gravity and onus are
of a much higher degree. The pre‑
fix 'proved' places an obligation of
actually proving the misbehavior
before the parliamentary proce‑
dure for removal of a judge can
come into play," he said.
Women participate in a candlelight vigil against AFSPA in Imphal (file photo)
New Delhi: T he Union Home
Ministry has removed Armed
Forces (Special Powers) Act
(AFSPA) from Meghalaya and
reduced it to eight police stations
in Arunachal Pradesh, an official
said.
"AFSPA was totally withdrawn
from all areas of Meghalaya from
April 1. In Arunachal, it is down
April 28-May 4, 2018
Modi only interested in
becoming PM again: Rahul
New Delhi: Congress President
Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP‑led
NDA government of "crushing"
the Supreme Court and said that
the Dalits may get killed and
women may face rapes but Prime
Minister Narendra Modi was only
interested in himself and in
becoming PM again.
Addressing a gathering to mark
the party's "Save the Constitution"
campaign, he accused Modi of
destroying country's reputation
abroad and slammed his govern‑
ment's record in protecting the
weaker sections and minorities.
The campaign, launched against
the backdrop of uproar in the
country over the rape and murder
of a minor girl in Jammu and
Kashmir's Kathua and incidents of
rapes in other parts of the coun‑
try including in BJP‑ruled Uttar
Pradesh's Unnao, is also aimed at
boosting Congress prospects for
the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Citing Modi's slogan of 'Beti
Bachao, Beti Padhao', Gandhi said
it had become "Beti Bachao from
BJP."
Referring to Modi's radio pro‑
gramme "Mann ki baat", Gandhi
said people will tell him their
"mann ki baat" in 2019.
from 16 police stations to eight,"
the official said.
T he Act has however been
extended by another six months
in three eastern districts of
Arunachal Pradesh ‑‑ Tirap,
Longding and Chang lang ‑‑
which border Myanmar and spe‑
cific areas under eight police sta‑
tions of seven other districts bor‑
13
Congress President Rahul
Gandhi accused PM of destroy‑
ing Indiaʼs reputation abroad.
"Dalits may get killed, minori‑
ties face atrocities, country may
burn, women may face rapes, it is
nothing. Narendra Modi only
wants to understand one thing
that how he can become Prime
Minister (again). What all has to
be done to be prime minister..
only this is his interest," he said,
alleging Modi was afraid to face
Parliament on issues like the PNB
fraud scam, deportation of Lalit
Modi and Vijay Mallaya and the
Rafale fighter deal.
Noting IMF chief Christine
Lagarde had told Modi recently
that atrocities were being com‑
mitted against women in India, he
said that even despite this, the
Prime Minister was quiet.
dering Assam.
The Act was withdrawn from
Tripura in 2015 and in past one
year, fewer areas in northeast
are under the Act, the of ficial
said, adding that the Act was
only in place in Meghalaya for a
a 20‑km area along the Assam
border) and not in operation in
Mizoram.
 14 April 28-May 4, 2018 OP-ED TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Let the Kathua rape victim be called by her name

By Krishna Kumar girls and women need not live a life of fear.
Now we are faced by Kathua. This is not

A
small girl has slipped through the
protective arms of the state. Now
the National Commission for
Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has
reminded us that we are not free to identify
her by name. This belated sense of duty
puzzles me.
The girl suffered forced confinement,
bestial assault and was finally killed. She
was born in a community that enjoys a spe‑
cial status in the Constitution. That provi‑
sion, however, could not help her in any
manner. After being kidnapped, she was
alive for a week, but remained untraced.
Now the NCPCR is keen to grant her the
rights she missed when she was alive.
One of the rights NCPCR wants to give
her posthumously is the right to remain
unknown, nominally. Hadnʼt she already
earned it? Anonymity is part of being ordi‑
nary, and that is who she was. So, exercis‑
ing the right to keep her name hidden will
pose no problem.
As an organization set up to protect chil‑
dren and their civic rights, NCPCR has
failed to justify its name. If it is closed
down, no one will miss it. The finance min‑
istry will be pleased that some wasteful
expenditure can be avoided. As a custodian
of childrenʼs rights, NCPCR has a noble
responsibility which it has forgotten. Its
protective umbrella does not reach out to
What distinguishes Kathua is the political environment surrounding it.
The same is true of Unnao rape case in Uttar Pradesh.
Indiaʼs vulnerable children.
After the Kathua incident came to light,
the NCPCR chose to blame the media for
not following the norms it has laid down. It
is the media that turned Kathua into a
moment of national introspection. The
NCPCR also objected to the girlʼs face being
shown. Like a part and parcel of bureaucra‑
cy, the Commission was more concerned
about rules than about the child being vio‑
lated. Six years ago, when a young woman
was brutalized in a Delhi bus, thousands of
young people assembled at Rajpath,
protesting against lax laws and policing.
The State acted quickly and drafted new,
more stringent laws. That young woman
was supposed to remain anonymous, but
the story of her last‑minute fight turned her
into a symbol. This suggested that even
though they live under constant threat,
the first time that a child has suffered at
the hands of men determined and free to be
barbaric. If you look at newspapers of the
past few years, you will find reports about
victims as young as three to six years of
age. During a spate of such incidents, a
judge had asked, ʻHave our people gone
mad?ʼ What distinguishes Kathua is the
political environment surrounding it. The
same is true of Unnao. As common citizens,
we need not feel aghast at the political
response, its initial inertia and subsequent
speedy recovery of familiar reflexes. In the
end, it sounds inane and cold. Between
shaming and defense, there is plenty to
stage and prolong the debate. It is not clear
though that a anyone knows what the
debate is about.
The Constitution mandated the state to
engage with society and culture. But the
Constitution seems like a lonely voice
today. In Kathua, the state has failed the
Constitution. A Scheduled Tribe girlʼs right
to grow up with dignity and receive educa‑
tion has been violated. The least we can do
now is to remember her by name rather
than call her the eight‑year old gang‑rape
victim of Kathua as the NCPCR desires.
(Krishna Kumar is former director,
NCERT. The opinion appeared in The
Hindustan Times. The views expressed
are personal.)

Nihal Singh was the last of the Gentlemen Editors

By Saeed Naqvi tioned "structural violence" in the bringing the ceiling down: "Hindu
Hindu social order: This was sac‑ Kahan Javey?" (Where should the

T
hese are such desperate
times for journalism that S.
Nihal Singh's departure at
89 triggers memories about a
phase in the profession that
dreams are made of.
My personal journalistic trajec‑
tory trailed his rather closely. He
was The Statesman's Special
Correspondent in Singapore
when I entered the portals of that
once great newspaper as a cub
reporter.
I was, in fact, following Nihal's
footsteps because this was how
he entered the profession a
decade earlier ‑‑ as a cub
reporter.
There were no schools of jour‑
nalism then, but we received
training of exactly the thorough‑
ness which our respective letters
of appointment had promised:
"We do not guarantee you
employment at the end of the six‑
month training period, but the
training you will have received
here will enable you to find work
elsewhere."
Like most of us who entered
the profession after him, Nihal
covered New Delhi courts, Tis
Hazari courts, Municipal
Corporation, Delhi State
Assembly, Police Commissioner,
Chief Minister.
As the profession expanded,
behavioral contrasts magnified.
Untrained entrants at senior lev‑
els, who had romanticized politi‑
cal power from a distance,
became unsteady on their feet
because they found corridors of
power too heady. A sense of bal‑
ance was a frequent casualty.
This is where Nihal could not
go wrong. In 1982, when the
nation was convulsed by the
Meenakshipuram conversions,
Nihal, then Editor‑in‑Chief of the
Indian Express, sent a teleprinter
message to me in Madras, where
I was then posted as editor of five
southern editions: "Urgently need
700 words on Meenakshipuram."
I put on my ultra‑balanced hat
and churned out the required
wordage. It was a typical "while
on the one hand" but "on the
other" piece. Muslims shouldn't
be up to these tricks and Hindus
shouldn't get too excited. I men‑
riledge and Nihal let it pass.
Unaware of the gathering storm,
he thanked me for having
responded promptly. What fol‑
lowed took him and me by sur‑
prise. We were both completely
out of touch with the strength of
feelings on the issue. Indeed, a
certain indifference to religion
which a whole generation culti‑
vated as Nehruvian secularism
was being jettisoned and we
found ourselves flat‑footed.
After a brilliant career with the
IAS and having established him‑
self as a scholar of the Indus
Valley script, Iravatham
Mahadevan had taken up a job as
Executive Manager of the Indian
Express's southern editions. After
reading my edit, he came charg‑
ing to my room in a state of high
agitation. "How could you have
done it?" He looked at me in a
daze, blabbering like someone in
a motor accident. "How could you
have done it?" I learnt later he
was from the RSS, shakhas et al. I
commend to the RSS to keep
more Mahadevans in its stable.
He was exceptionally erudite on
subjects of his choice. In the
Express compound, in Hick's bun‑
galow, Ramnath Goenka was
Hindus go?) "Tum to Makkay
chale jaao; Hindu kahan javey?"
(You can go to Mecca, but where
should the Hindu go?)
He commandeered his
Chartered Accountant, S.
Gurumurthy, a senior RSS func‑
tionary, to write a rejoinder to my
editorial. My "balanced" approach
to Meenakshipuram, it tran‑
spired, was misplaced.
It was now Nihal's turn to face
the music. The piece, authored by
Gurumurthy, arrived at his desk
in New Delhi. His job as Editor
was on the line. What should he
do? But Nihal did what he had
learnt in The Statesman. In a
newspaper, the prerogative for
taking editorial decision rests
with the editor. He consigned the
article to the waste paper basket.
Ramnath Goenka too was a larger
than life publisher. He allowed
his Editor's line to prevail. But
separation was clearly on the
cards; they belonged to different
cultures.
His understanding of politics
and International affairs was
uncomplicated. He made up in
clarity what he lacked in deep
insight. He was, by habit, a per‑
fect gentleman.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info FEATURE April 28-May 4, 2018 15

Most influential
Éy
Presenting 7 South Asians from
the Time magazine’s Top 100
list published last week.

Satya Nadella
Since
becoming CEO of
Microsoft in 2014,
Satya Nadella has
restored the companyʼs
spirit of innovation as exem‑
plified in its new product
strategy, which emphasizes
cloud computing and allowing
people to collaborate across platforms. The result
is that under him, Microsoftʼs market value has
increased 130% and the company is now
making products that feel more
user‑friendly, empathetic and
collaborative.
become the hallmark of his game.” Later, Kohli took
the criticism he faced during a disappointing
West Indies series and returned home with a
Bhavish Aggarwal
Taking on
Uber, Bhavish
Aggarwal from
Ludhiana co‑founded
Indiaʼs own high‑tech
ride‑hailing service, Ola.
He scaled it to more than
100 Indian cities, empowered
millions of driver‑partners and
commuters, all by the age of 32. By taking Ola
Down Under to Australia this year, he has
made it one of the first homegrown tech
companies to meaningfully expand
outside India.
they wrote a script so strong, it was undeniable.
Then, as a stand‑up comedian on Saturday
Night Live, his monologue about 2 billion
Sheikh Hasina
Bearing the
legacy of her father,
Mujib‑ur‑Rahman, who
led Bangladeshʼs libera‑
tion war, Sheikh Hasina has
never been afraid of a fight.
So when several hundred thou‑
sand ethnic Rohingya refugees
started streaming into Bangladesh
last year to escape atrocities by the Myanmar army,
she accepted the humanitarian challenge. While
for this she deserves praise, she is stumbling
badly on human rights and needs to
curb a tendency toward author‑
itarianism.
people 2018
Virat Kohli
From one
cricket superstar to
the next! Sachin
Tendulkar writes that he
first watched Virat Kohli at
the U‑19 World Cup in 2008:
“Even back then, his hunger for
runs and consistency was
remarkable, something that has
goal: to improve not only his technique,
but also his fitness level. Heʼs Deepika Padukone
never looked back.
The
Bollywood diva of
Padmaavat fame was
the first to be cast in ʻxXx:
Return of Xander Cageʼ,
writes Vin Diesel. “Making
that movie, Deepika took com‑
mitted to a whole other level.
Anyone could talk about how beau‑
tiful she is, and anyone could tell you about her
unmatched comedic timing. But she isnʼt just a
Kumail Nanjiani star. Sheʼs an actorʼs actor, dedicated to the
craft,” adds the star of the xXx and ʻFast
A movie and the Furiousʼ franchises, for
about a woman in a the Time magazine.
coma starring a
Pakistani immigrant
who questions his faith.
Uh‑oh! But when Kumail
Nanjiani and his wife Emily
V. Gordon wrote The Big Sick,
without any guarantee of success,
Muslims made it impossible not to
see the ridiculousness of
intolerance. Sadiq Khan
Son of
Pakistani immi‑
grants, Sadiq Khan was
Two other South Asians elected London mayor in
also feature in the Time 2016, making him the first
Muslim to hold that position
100 list, but as profile in a major European capital.
writers: Priyanka He has also been a voice of rea‑
son on Brexit, recognizing that the
Chopra writes about
UK will be stronger by maintaining a close rela‑
Meghan Markle, who is tionship with Europe. When President Trump
marrying Prince Harry retweeted videos from a British anti‑Muslim
group, he rightfully denounced it. A
in May. Mindy Kaling rising star who has a bright
writes about Issa Rae, a political future.
black actress, writer
and director.
Photos: IANS
16 April 28-May 4, 2018
RAVISHANKAR BHOOPLAPUR
10 years of steering
Xavier Medical
School to success
President Bhooplapur’s goal has been to build a fine medical school
that is affordable for students. Given the continuing shortage of
primary care physicians, he wants to grow the number of graduates
at Xavier with its campus on the beautiful Caribbean island of Aruba.
By SATimes Team
New York: Last week Ravishankar
Bhooplapur completed 10 years of
successfully steering Xavier Uni‑
versity School of Medicine as Presi‑
dent. When he took over its helm,
he saw an increased need for pri‑
mary care physicians in the US and
worldwide. His goal was to build a
fine school that could be attended
at an affordable price on a beauti‑
ful island. His vision for Xavier is to
continue to cultivate great minds
for primary care medicine.
Before New York based Bhoopla‑
pur became the president of Xavier,
he was an insurance broker, mainly
helping physicians around the
country. A few doctors approached
him in 2002 who wanted to start
an international medical school. As
an entrepreneur, Bhooplapur was
attracted to this noble educational
venture and put together a team
and funding to start it. His concern
about the shortage of physicians
led him to travel through Central
America and the Caribbean in
search of the perfect location for a
medical school. When he visited
The White Coat ceremony is held every semester for new students to take their Hippocratic Oath. In January this year,
PROFILE TheSouthAsianTimes.info
the student population. He has also
sought opportunities to expand the
program internationally, and estab‑
lished international pre‑medical
campuses in India, Jordan, Ghana,
and Jenin. In 2017, Xavier also
took the lead to put together post‑
graduate programs for foreign na‑
tionals to ameliorate the shortage
of specialists around the world.
Not only has the number of stu‑
dents risen, but the faculty and cur‑
riculum have evolved as well.
Xavier now has over 100 faculty
members who guide and teach stu‑
dents. There is a focus on mentor‑
ship and faculty development so
that students gain the most from
their education. The curriculum has
shifted to a systems‑based inte‑
grated curriculum much like the
model used in US medical schools.
President Bhooplapur welcoming Arubaʼs first female Prime Minister
This method is a best practice of
Evelyn Wever‑Croes to the Xavier campus.
medical schools, and has allowed
Aruba, he fell in love with the coun‑ pur first became president, Xavier Xavier to attain a 94% first‑time
pass rate on the USMLE Step 1. The
try. It has a strong currency, a rep‑ had less than 100 students. Now,
resentative democratic system of Xavier has over 400 students in management goal is to make this
governance, and is a magnificent Basic Sciences and Clinical Rota‑ 100% in the next three years. The
sight to behold. This led him to tions, and that number continues to curriculum is continually moni‑
take over the leadership at Xavier. increase. In 2012, the campus was tored by a committee to adjust it as
Back in 2008 when Mr. Bhoopla‑ moved to a larger location to hold needed to best support student
Arubaʼs Prime Minister Evelyn Wever‑Croes graced the occasion.
learn‑
ing and suc‑
cess. When asked about
her experience in Clinical Rota‑
tions, student Albertina Sebastian
highlighted the strength of Xavierʼs
academics, specifically the Objec‑
tive Structured Clinical Examina‑
tion (OSCE) program. She said, “I
think that OSCE on the island really
prepares us for proper history tak‑
ing and physical examination. I felt
pretty confident with my patient
skills from the beginning.”
Another significant triumph came
when Xavier gained dual provi‑
sional accreditation from the Ac‑
creditation Commission on Colleges
of Medicine, ACCM, and the
Caribbean Accreditation Authority
for Education in Medicine and
other Health Professions, CAAM‑
HP. Xavier is the only medical
school in Aruba to hold these ac‑
creditations, and it is very proud of
these accomplishments.
President Bhooplapur continually
works to make Xavier affordable.
Towards this goal, provincial loans
for Canadian students were ap‑
proved. Also, over $1 million has
been provided to students in the
form of scholarships. Students who
score well on the MCAT receive a
scholarship for 50% off of their tu‑
ition. Xavier is currently working to
obtain a US Federal Loan program.
These opportunities have allowed
students who otherwise could not
attend medical school for want of
funds attain their dreams and be‑
come doctors.
Over the past 10 years there have
been a number of distinguished
events held at Xavier. In September
2017, Xavier held its first annual
Alumni Global Meet. This event
brought together current students,
alumni, Clinical Chairs, faculty,
staff, and residency program direc‑
tors. It was a wonderful opportu‑
nity to
network,
learn more about
the field of medicine, and
reconnect with former Xavier stu‑
dents who have gone on to wonder‑
ful successes. As alumnus, Dr.
Abdul Aboud told Xavier Times,
“…this event allows us to further
discuss issues and provide support
and guidance on topics such as
what to focus on in basic sciences,
what approach to take while apply‑
ing for the residency process, the
timelines, and provide tips on ob‑
taining high scores on the
USMLE… I met a lot of wonderful
people, built new friendships, and
was able to enjoy the beautiful is‑
land.”
The White Coat ceremony is held
every semester for new medical
students to take their Hippocratic
Oath and put on that white coat for
the first time. This event is exciting
for any medical student, but the
ceremony held this past January
was of extra significance as Prime
Minister Evelyn Wever‑Croes, the
first woman Prime Minister of
Aruba, attended and addressed the
students and faculty. She talked
about her life growing up in Aruba,
and her dream to become a doctor.
However, she was unable to see
that dream become reality as there
was no medical school in Aruba
when she was in school, so she en‑
tered politics instead. Now, though,
Xavier offers the opportunity for
Arubans to become doctors on
their home island, which PM
Wever‑Croes is ever thankful for.
Xavier was honored to have her at
such a special event.
Also in 2018, Xavier held the In‑
ternational Congress for Doctors at
Aruba. This event brought together
professionals from a variety of
backgrounds to discuss topics such
as Domestic Violence and Palliative
Care. Special guests included Mr.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
President Bhooplapur with Xavier Board of Trustees, faculty and alumni at the 2017 Graduation Ceremony.
(From left) Dr. Segie Apacible, Dean of Student Affairs, student Artem
Artemev, and Dr. Arun Kumar Dubey, Chief Academic Officer.
Glenbert Croes, Minister of Social
Affairs, Aruba, Director Wouten van
Kempen, and Chairman Mrs. Mag‑
aly Maduro.
At the 2013 graduation cere‑
mony, Xavier was honored to con‑
fer an honorary doctorate on Dr.
Kanti Rai. He was honored for his
research on Chronic Lymphocytic
Leukemia. He is currently affiliated
with Northwell Health and the Fein‑
stein Institute for Medical Re‑
search. He has made a name for
himself in the field, and has diag‑
nosed and treated Chronic Lympho‑
cytic Leukemia for over 40 years.
Aside from these special events,
Match 2018 proved to be exciting
in Xavierʼs history. For the first
time, a student Matched in Canada.
Also, for the second year in a row, a
student Matched for the coveted In‑
tegrated Plastic Surgery Program.
Many other Xavier alumni matched
for other distinguished programs
around the country. Xavier strives
to increase its Match rate with the
ultimate goal to attain a rate of
100%.
Xavier students are not only aca‑
demically driven, but also partici‑
pate in community service and
philanthropic activities. Student
groups such as the Family Medicine
Interest Group and the Pediatric
Medicine Interest Group coordinate
public and private Health Fairs to
support the local community. Stu‑
dents have also been involved in
the End Polio Now Walk held annu‑
ally by the Rotary Club, Aruba.
Xavier is proud of its students for
PROFILE
Dr. P.K. Prahalad, Xavier Trustee, addressing an
event at the medical school.
giving back to the wonderful island
of Aruba.
Students were not the only ones
with success stories this year. With
the help of a strong academic
Board of Advisors, the president
has encouraged faculty to be in‑
volved with research and publica‑
tions, and mentor students to
become involved as well. Faculty
member Dr. Prasanna Honnavar,
Lecturer in Microbiology and Im‑
munology, was selected to present
a paper at the “20th Congress of
the International Society for
Human and Animal Mycology
(ISHAM)” scheduled from June 3‑
July 4 in Amsterdam. He has re‑
ceived the Young ISHAM Grant
from the Congress. He is presenting
the work entitled “Molecular typing
of Malassezia restricta, Malassezia
arunalokei and Malassezia globosa
isolad from seborrhoeic dermati‑
tis/dandruff patients and healthy
April 28-May 4, 2018
In 2017, Dr. J.G. Bhat, Chancellor
of Xavier, was honored by the
American Kidney Fund as
Nephrologist of the Year.
Xavier conferred an honorary doctorate on
Dr. Kanti Rai for his research in leukemia.
controls by Fluorescent Amplified
Fragment Length Polymorphism
(FAFLP)”. Xavier is proud of its fac‑
ulty and all of its wonderful
achievements, and knows that
more will be accomplished in the
years to come.
In pursuit of better guidance, the
Board of Trustees is headed by
Chairman Edwin Casey represented
by well‑respected members, among
them Former Deputy Prime Minis‑
ter Amin Mahmoud, Jordan. They
are a group of distinguished indi‑
viduals with great successes in
their own right. This past year Dr.
J.G. Bhat, Chancellor of Xavier, was
honored by the American Kidney
Fund as Nephrologist of the Year.
The Board of Trustees was recently
approved to create a 501c non‑
profit foundation for Alumni to
contribute to. They have already
obtained a commitment of over
$100,000, and are excited to see
17
Albertina Sebastian, a student,
is all praise for the strength of
Xavierʼs academics.
this amount increase.
Mr. Bhooplapurʼs vision for the
school is forever expanding, and he
hopes for continued growth in the
coming years. Land has been ac‑
quired to build a new, state‑of‑the‑
art $30 million campus, and
already the first phase of this proj‑
ect is complete. This facility will
open in December 2019. Xavier
cannot wait for this and other excit‑
ing developments in the future.
President Ravishankar Bhoopla‑
pur could not have done all of this
alone, and would like to thank his
devoted faculty and staff, Chief Ac‑
ademic Officer Dr. Arun Kumar
Dubey, Associate Provost Dr. Bur‑
ton Herz, the dedicated Board, in‑
vestors, and other supporters for
their help in all these achievements
over the years.
Last but not the least, he is grate‑
ful to Mr Ed Casey, Chairman of the
Board, for his support.
 18 April 28-May 4, 2018
After Meesha, more women say #MeToo for Ali Zafar
A
fter Pakistani actress‑model‑singer
Meesha Shafi accused actor Ali
Zafar of sexual harassment ‑‑ a
claim he has denied ‑‑ more women have
come forward with similar allegations.
The women, while lending support
Shafi, tweeted saying she was not alone
and they had faced similar experiences,
reported Geo News.
Make‑up artist Leena Ghani thanked
Shafi for being brave enough to speak out.
"Seeing Meesha's courage it's impossible
for me to not speak now, not only in sup‑
port of her but also to say she's not alone.
In the many years I have known Ali, he
has on several occasions crossed bound‑
aries of what is appropriate behavior
between friends," Ghani wrote.
She elucidated on how Ali's behavior dis‑
plays a "clear lack of respect for women".
"Inappropriate contact, groping, sexual
comments should not fall in the grey area
between humor and indecency,” Ghani
wrote.
A journalist named Maham Javaid
described an incident from "many many
years ago" when Ali tried to kiss her
cousin and pull her into a restroom with
him.
Global showbiz world
pays tribute to Avicii
T
ributes came in abundance for World‑
renowned Swedish DJ and electronic
music producer Avicii Avicii, whose
demise has left the global showbiz world in
shock. He was a young, talented, genius and
passionate music artiste, who shaped sounds
for the pop music industry, said the celebri‑
ties. Avicii was found dead in Muscat, Oman.
He was 28.
Bergling had struggled with health prob‑
lems, some caused by excessive drinking and
was hospitalized for 11 days in 2012 for
treatment of acute pancreatitis.
Avicii achieved global fame in 2011 with
the release of his smash hit "Levels," which
was followed by other chart sensations, such
as "Wake Me Up" and "Hey Brother".
In 2014, he teamed up with Carlos
Santana, Wyclef Jean and Alexandre Pires on
the official FIFA World Cup anthem, "We Will
Find a Way".
Here's what the celebrities tweeted:
Sonam Kapoor: Listening to Avicii all morn‑
ing. Music is something that gets us through
everything good bad or ugly. And People who
make it are truly blessed. He was a genius.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Pakistani actress‑model‑singer Meesha Shafi and actor Ali Zafar.
The journalist thanked Shafi for
"reminding us that our stories matter".
Blogger Humna Raza also recounted
when he inappropriately touched her at a
public event.
Shafi sparked Pakistan's #MeToo
moment when she took to Twitter to
World‑renowned
Swedish DJ Avicii.
RIP Avicii your music was uplifting and we
will all feel your loss.
Rana Daggubati: RIP Avicii! Gone too soon!
Karan Tacker: "Wake me up when it's all
over ..." Avicii, you'll be missed. RIP Avicii.
Fellow EDM star Calvin Harris was among
the first to post, tweeting: "Devastating news
about Avicii, a beautiful soul, passionate and
extremely talented with so much more to do.
My heart goes out to his family. God bless
you Tim."
Madonna posted a photograph with Avicii,
standing behind his DJ booth with the artist
at once of his shows, with the caption: "So
Sad……. So Tragic. Good Bye Dear Sweet
Tim. Gone too Soon."
Liam Payne tweeted that he was "truly dev‑
astated for Avicii, very very sad news way too
young… what a talent he was."
Rita Ora: I have no words. I remember how
amazing it was to make 'Lonely Together'
and it felt like just yesterday we were talking.
Condolences to Avicii's family, friends, and
the fans who supported him. May he rest in
peace. Gone too soon. I'm devastated.
Heartbroken.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Momina Mustehsan
urges Ali Zafar to
apologize
P
opular singer Momina
Mustehsan has urged actor Ali
Zafar and all men who have vio‑
lated a woman in any way, to acknowl‑
edge their fault and apologize uncondi‑
tionally.
Mustehsaan posted an open letter on
social media, admitting that she has
been a subject of harassment herself.
She shared her thoughts after singer‑
actor Meesha Shafi openly hit out at
actor Ali Zafar of sexual harassment ‑‑
a claim he has denied.
"This issue is bigger than just that of
Ali Zafar," Mustehsan wrote.
allege Ali had sexually harassed her on
"This is about the relationship of
more than one occasion. This is the first
trust that men take for granted with
incident of a Pakistani celebrity speaking
women. Very often, as we can see,
out about a colleague.
women are violated by the men they
However, Ali denied Shafi's claim, saying
know, trust and often work with,"
he will take this allegation through the
she added.
courts of law.
I need some 'me time' to
recuperate: Kapil Sharma
H
e was the reason behind
spreading smiles galore
with his comedy shows.
But of late, controversies sur‑
rounding his temperament, love
life and uncertainty around his
show have engulfed the life of
'comedy king' Kapil Sharma.
For the last one year, things
have been going downhill for
the ʻcomedy kingʼ. Kapil failed
to match up to the standards of
success with his comeback
show, his last movie Firangi
failed to impress and his misde‑
meanor with his cast members
mired him in endless controver‑
sies, which eventually led to bad
press.
He says his work will always
be his motivation and he will
bounce back soon after he takes
some "me time" to recuperate.
"I think I need some me time
and need to recuperate. I've
been working too hard for too
long. There is a lot in the
pipeline and lot of new exciting
projects which I will talk about Actor‑comedian Kapil Sharma.
soon," Kapil told IANS when
asked about the reason behind his absence to see this side of their favorite entertainer.
from the small screen so abruptly. Kapil, who is now dating Ginni, said he
"The reality right now is that I have was very happy together with her (Ginni).
worked very hard and I love what I do. I just "What is most damaging and hurtful is
need some time off and I promise you that I when comments are made by those people
will be entertaining you again, as that is that you consider your friends and your
what I thrive on," he added. well‑wishers. Over the years, I have always
Kapil made headlines recently drawing been about my work and that is what contin‑
bad press when an audio call in which he is ues to drive me. Irrespective of what is said,
heard hurling abuses at a journalist, was my work will continue to be my biggest
made public. Many of his fans were shocked motivation," Kapil told IANS.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD April 28-May 4, 2018 19

ʻI always had chance to play I didn't set out to be a regular

human being versus stereotypeʼ hero: Rana Daggubati
A R
t a time when the ana Daggubati doesn't see any proj‑
diversity debate in ect as a risk and likes to keep his
Hollywood is get‑ creative spirit busy. The
ting bigger with every "Baahubali" star says he didn't set out to be
passing moment, the Apu a regular hero as his mantra is to keep try‑
controversy ‑‑ that ing new things.
emerged from the world His career graph is filled with diverse
of "The Simpsons" ‑‑ is not projects ‑‑ something he is proud of.
only alive but making "I didn't set out to be a regular hero. My
headlines as well. But all mantra has always been, 'Give me some‑
is not lost. thing new and I'll do it with all my heart'.
Indian‑American actor That is what I truly believe and look for in
Vandit Bhatt says there every project," Rana told IANS in an email
were many misrepresen‑ interview.
tations about people of The actor says he loves to entertain peo‑
color, but they are being ple.
wiped out due to increas‑ "I get restless if I don't do something. I
ing conversations around love to be in the entertainment space, and
inclusion. my aim is to create new content and enter‑
The actor, who traces tain people, whether it's in movies or on TV.
his roots to Hyderabad, is "I truly believe that cinema is a collabora‑
glad that he never had to tive effort and as long as I get to tell, and
play a stereotypical char‑ be part of, interesting stories, and work
acter. with genuine people, I don't see any project
Vandit Bhatt on the sets of ʻQuanticoʼ.
Asked about the impact as a 'risk'," he added.
of the diversity debate with reference to the span, I feel like it has changed so much. I Rana is known for his portrayal of an evil
ongoing stir around a South Asian character have had so many more opportunities. I am Actor Rana Daggubati.
king pitted against his cousin brother in the
called Apu from "The Simpsons", Vandit told grateful that I never had to kind of play "Baahubali" franchise, and as a naval officer because the entire story is told from the
IANS over the phone from New York: "I will someone stereotypical like that (Apu). I have in "Ghazi". He has also lent his voice to the point of view of Thanos. It is also good to
be honest with you. I feel like things are always had an opportunity to play human character of supervillain Thanos for the be associated with one of the most success‑
changing for the better and this is from my being versus stereotype. I feel very lucky Telugu version of Hollywood film ful film franchises in the world."
personal experience. about that." "Avengers: Infinity War". The tall and handsome actor was ecstatic
"When I started acting, there were far more Vandit moved to the US after his mother Marvel Studios' "Avengers: Infinity War", with the offer as he got associated with the
misrepresentations." got a job in the country. He is known for his which features an ensemble of superheroes, Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Apu had to grapple with the troubling work on "The Michael J. Fox Show", "Mercy", will release worldwide on April 27. "I have grown up reading Marvel Comics
stereotype of a convenience store clerk with "42 Seconds of Happiness" and "Ripped". The actor, who has worked in the south‑ and (watching) Marvel movies with their
an exaggerated, fake Indian accent since the He will soon be seen with actor Priyanka ern film industry as well as in Bollywood, intricately woven story lines... They have
show's inception. Chopra in the third season of "Quantico", found dubbing as Thanos exciting. been some of my favorite movies to watch.
So, has anything changed? which airs in India on Star World. "I felt the sheer power of Thanos while My early memories would perhaps be read‑
"I have been acting professionally in the Vandit will join the show as Jagdeep Patel, dubbing and tried my best to bring it ing about Iron Man and watching that film
States for the last 10‑15 years. In this time a new member of the elite Black Ops team. through the voice. It was fascinating first," said the actor.

'Nanu Ki Jaanu': Cute, harmless and original

O
ne moment can change your life. So
says the film regarding our nasty
habit of attending to the cellphone Review
while driving. Oh well, read the bold itali‑
cized writing on the wall.
For those who have been missing him,
Abhay Deol gets to be in nearly every frame
of the film. It's called making up for lost
Actors Abhay
time. And that (time wasted time gone) is Deol, Manu
one of the underlying themes of this fair lit‑ Rishi and
tle concoction of farce and fear... It could Patralekha
have been much better if only it didn't set with director
out to wag fingers at the imbalances in life. Faraz Haider
The film has some lovely ideas on redemp‑ promoting
tion and salvation that it throws forward their film
willy‑nilly. The humour specially related to a ʻNanu Ki
bully who loses his aggression to a road Jaanuʼ in
New Delhi.
accident, is well‑aimed. Abhay Deol's dead‑
pan drollery (which makes him look like a
cousin to Ajay Devgn rather than Sunny
Deol) serves the plot well.
Deol infuses intelligence in potentially
fatuous sequences. And he gets reliable sup‑
port in redoubtable co‑actors like Manu
Rishi, Himani Shivpuri, Rajesh Sharma and
Bajendra Kala, all of whom work laboriously playing ghost also keeps her invisible for a notions of redemption with lots of volup‑ lapses into vulgarity. It is a fun to watch
towards making us overlook the gaping large part of the film. You wish there was tuous Punjabi‑styled humor, that includes a while it lasts, though you would find your‑
holes in the narrative. more of her. female ghost‑buster in a hip‑hugging saree self wondering why it couldn't have been
Patralekha makes a likeable spirit. But "Nanu Ki Jaanu" compensates for its pale and with a designer handbag, that never better assembled and packaged.
 20 April 28-May 4, 2018 SUBCONTINENT TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Pakistan's anti‑
graft body to
probe Musharraf
Former President Pervez Musharraf faces
high treason charges in Pakistan.
Islamabad: Pakistan's anti‑corruption body,
the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)
approved an investigation into allegations
against former President Pervez Musharraf
Nepal in talks with India,
Pakistan to revitalize Saarc
Kathmandu: Nepalese Prime Minister K.P.
Sharma Oli on Sunday said Nepal has been
holding negotiations with India and
Pakistan to revitalize the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation
(Saarc).
The Prime Minister said Nepal, as the cur‑
rent chair of Saarc, has been making sin‑
cere efforts to remove misunderstandings
between India and Pakistan through dia‑
logue with regard to Saarc, Xinhua news
agency reported.
"I have requested Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime
Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to remove
their misunderstandings regarding Saarc,"
The 19th Saarc summit, scheduled to be
held in 2016, was cancelled.
Oli said. He said the Saarc process should
not be derailed due to misunderstandings
on bilateral issues between Saarc member
states.
"Nepal believes that Saarc plays an effec‑
tive role in this region. In the capacity of
the ongoing chair of Saarc, it is Nepal's
responsibility to take initiatives to make
Saarc dynamic," he said.
Nepal has been asking Saarc member
states to organize the Saarc summit as
early as possible, which has not been held
since Nepal held the 18th Saarc summit in
2014 in Kathmandu.
The 19th Saarc summit, scheduled to be
held in Islamabad on November 9‑10 in
2016, was cancelled after India,
Afghanistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh decid‑
ed to skip the summit blaming Pakistan for
not cooperating in combating cross‑border
terrorism in South Asia.

Twin bombings kill 58 in Afghanistan

for "holding assets beyond means" and
"wrongful use of authority".
The former military ruler, who is currently
living in exile in Dubai, also faces high trea‑
son charges in Pakistan. He was declared an
absconder by an anti‑terrorism court in the
assassination of former Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto and had postponed his
return to the country in March over security
concerns, Geo News reported.
On February 9, the Islamabad High Court
(IHC) had redefined NAB's powers allowing
the bureau to investigate ex‑military men,
especially retired generals, and directed it to
investigate Musharraf for his alleged corrup‑
tion while in office.
Lt Col Inamur Rahim (retired) in 2014
approached the IHC seeking a probe into the
alleged corruption by Musharraf. In his com‑
plaint, the petitioner had asked NAB to hold
an inquiry into the allegation that Musharraf
in his nomination papers had declared
assets which were beyond his known
sources of income, according to a report in
Dawn daily.
He also alleged that Musharraf "injected
corruption into the senior hierarchy of the
armed forces by allotting them plots over
and above their entitlements".
Kabul: At least 58 people were
killed in twin blasts in
Afghanistan while another 117
were injured, media reports said.
The first blast took place
around 10 am when a suicide
bomber blew himself up among
a crowd lining up to get access
to an election‑related registra‑
tion site in Kabul, killing 52 and
injuring 112, Xinhua news
agency reported.
Around two hours later, a
bomb went off close to a voter
registration centre in Baghlan,
killing six persons and injuring
five others. All victims were
members of the same family,
Tolo News reported.
The family was driving past
the centre in Pul‑e‑Khumri city
Local residents gather near the site of a blast in Kabul.
when the IED detonated, health
officials said. condition. said the attackers in Baghlan upcoming parliamentary and
The dead included women and Terror group Islamic State (IS) were Taliban. district councils elections. The
children while several wounded has claimed responsibility for Afghan officials have slated voter registration process start‑
in Kabul remained in critical the Kabul attack while police October 20 as the date for the ed on April 14.

Indian Sikh woman embraces Islam, remarries in Pak

Chandigarh: A Sikh woman from
Punjab's Hoshiarpur district who
went to Pakistan on a pilgrimage
has reportedly embraced Islam
and married a Lahore‑based
Pakistani man, according to her
family which alleged that she may
have fallen into the hands of
Pakistan's Inter‑Services
Intelligence and forced to convert
and remarry.
The family of the woman, Kiran
Bala, 31, said that they had no
official communication from any
quarter about her well‑being and
current status. The family is based
in a village in Garhshankar sub‑
division of Punjab's Hoshiarpur
district, around 110 km from here.
The woman left for Pakistan on
the pilgrimage as part of the
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak
Committee (SGPC) delegation on
April 12 and reportedly went
The train carrying Indian Sikh pilgrims arrives in Lahore..
missing on April 16. She went to
Pakistan on her Indian passport
with a Pakistani visa valid till April
21. Reports reaching her family in
Punjab indicated that the woman
embraced Islam at Darul‑Aloom
Jamia Naeemia in Lahore on April
16 and later had a "nikah" (mar‑
riage) with Pakistani national
Muhammed Azam.
Her elderly father‑in‑law,
Tarsem Singh, alleged that his
daughter‑in‑law could have fallen
into the hands of the ISI and may
have been forced to convert and
remarry there. However, what is
curious is that in her application
for extension of the Pakistan visa,
her name was mentioned as Amna
Bibi while the signature was done
as Amina.
She applied for extension of the
visa, citing "threats of assassina‑
tion" to her life in India, before
Pakistan's Foreign Affairs
Ministry, according to a report in
the Pakistani media.
Another report in the News daily
also posted pictures of the woman
and her visa extension application
on its website.
"I had dropped my daughter‑in‑
law with SGPC officials in Amritsar
on April 10 for the pilgrimage in
Pakistan. The 'jatha' is expected to
return on April 21.
"I cannot believe what has hap‑
pened. No one has contacted us
officially from the SGPC and the
Foreign Ministry. I want my
daughter‑in‑law to be returned
safely," Singh, a Sikh religious
preacher in his village, told the
media.
He alleged that Kiran Bala could
be in touch with the Pakistani man
(whom she reportedly married)
through Facebook as she was
using social media frequently on
her mobile phone in the past one
month.
Around 1,700 Indian pilgrims
had gone to Pakistan to visit Sikh
shrines, including Panja Sahib
Gurdwara near Lahore and
Nankana Sahib ‑‑ the birth place of
Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev,
on the occasion of Baisakhi on
April 13.
Kiran Bala, 31, a widow, is a
mother of three and was living
with her children and in‑laws at
their village. Her husband passed
away in 2013.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
North Korea freezes missile, nuclear tests
Seoul: North Korea announced freezing of
its missile tests along with shutting down
of a nuclear test site, a significant develop‑
ment that received a broad international
welcome. North Korean leader Kim Jong‑
un was quoted by the state‑run KCNA
news agency as saying that the country's
quest for nuclear arms was "complete"
and it "no longer needed" to test its
weapons capability.
"Under the proven condition of complete
nuclear weapons, we no longer need any
nuclear tests, mid‑range and interconti‑
nental ballistic rocket tests, and that the
nuclear test site in northern area has also
completed its mission," Kim said.
His decision was welcomed by the world
leaders, with US President Donald Trump
describing it as "good news" for the world,
and South Korea calling it "meaningful
progress".
Kim is due to meet his South Korean
counterpart Moon Jae‑in on April 27 for
the first inter‑Korean summit in over a
decade, and Trump by June. Both coun‑
tries have been pushing Pyongyang to
denuclearize. China, North Korea's main
backer, welcomed North Korea's decision.
Iran defiant to US
threats to quit
nuke deal
Tehran: Iranian officials vowed to retaliate
the US threats to possibly withdraw from the
landmark 2015 international nuclear deal
and expressed
assurance that
that will not hurt
the country.
Iran's economy
would not be neg‑
atively affected
by the possible
withdrawal of the
US from the
2015 interna‑ President Hassan
tional nuclear Rouhani said Iran will
deal, Iran's never renegotiate
President Hassan nuclear deal which it
signed in 2015.
Rouhani said.
Iran is prepared for the US President's pos‑
sible decision to pull out of the nuclear deal
internationally known as Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action, Xinhua quot‑
ed Rouhani as saying.
The recent reforms that the Iranian admin‑
istration made to the currency market was a
preemptive measure before the US likely
decision against Iran, he said.
Besides, the Atomic Energy Organization of
Iran has developed technical plans to sur‑
prise the US in case it scraps the deal, he said
at a meeting of governmental officials.
Last week, Iran's Central Bank (CBI)
banned non‑governmental forex market
from buying, selling and transferring foreign
currencies in an attempt to regulate and sta‑
bilize currency rates. The new move by the
Iranian government comes as the forex mar‑
ket in Iran went out of control and the value
of local currency rial plunged sharply over
the past weeks. In the meantime, Iran's atom‑
ic chief said that Tehran would give a sur‑
prising response if the United States decides
to scrap the 2015 international nuclear deal.
INTERNATIONAL
North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un announces suspension of
nuclear tests on a news broadcast.
"The decision made by North Korea will
help ease the situation and promote the
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
as well as a political settlement of the
peninsula issue," said Foreign Ministry
spokesperson Lu Kang. Russia's Foreign
Raul Castro's staunch ally
sworn in as Cuban President
Havana: Miguel Diaz‑Canel, Cuba's 57‑
year‑old first Vice President and
Communist Party loyalist, replaced Raul
Castro as the country's new President.
It is the first time since the revolution
in 1959 that a Castro is not at the helm
of the government.
Cuba's National Assembly concluded a
two‑day session where Raul Castro
stepped down after 10 years in the presi‑
dency and endorsed the election of Diaz‑
Canel, his handpicked successor, the BBC
reported.
According to the National Assembly,
Diaz‑Canel was approved as the sole can‑
didate for President. There was a single
dissenting vote to Diaz‑Canel's nomina‑
tion as he was confirmed by 99.83 per
cent of the vote.
The 86‑year‑old Castro will remain
head of the Communist Party, designated
by the constitution as "the superior guid‑
ing force of society and the state".
In his inaugural speech, Diaz‑Canel said
Syria sends back France's
Legion of Honor for Assad
Damascus: Syria has returned to France the
top Légion d'honneur presented to
President Bashar al‑Assad in 2001, saying
he would not wear the award of a country
that was a "slave" to the US.
The move came days after France said a
"disciplinary procedure" for withdrawing
the award was under way, the BBC report‑
ed. France had joined the US and the UK in
bombing Syrian targets in retaliation for an
alleged chemical weapons attack on
Ministry also welcomed it, but called on
the US and South Korea to reduce their
military activity in the region.
North Korea conducted all of its six
nuclear tests at the Punggye‑ri test site in
the northeastern province since 2006.
The newly elected President of the Council of State of Cuba, Miguel Diaz‑Canel.
that his mandate was "to ensure the con‑
tinuity of the Cuban revolution at a key
historic moment". He said that Cuba's
Douma, the last rebel‑held town in the
Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus.
More than 70 people were reportedly
killed in the April 7 attack.
Former French President Jacques Chirac
had decorated Assad with the highest class
of the award, the grand‑croix, after the lat‑
ter took power following the death of his
father. "It is no honor for President Assad
to wear a decoration attributed by a slave
country and follower of the US that sup‑
April 28-May 4, 2018 21
Seoul stops
propaganda
broadcasts on
Pyongyang
Seoul: South Korea stopped broad‑
casting propaganda along its border
with North Korea to help promote the
mood of rapprochement on the penin‑
sula ahead of the inter‑Korean lead‑
ers' summit later this week.
This measure was aimed at "reduc‑
ing military tensions between the
South and North and creating the
mood of peaceful talks", Efe news
quoted the South Korean Ministry of
Defense as saying.
The decision came after Pyongyang
announced on April 21 that it would
stop conducting nuclear tests and
intercontinental missile launches.
foreign policy would remain "unaltered"
and that any "necessary changes" would
be decided by the Cuban people.
Syrian President Bashar al‑Assad
was honored by France in 2001.
ports terrorists," the Syrian Foreign
Ministry said in a statement.
So far, only one foreign leader, former
Panamian President Manuel Norriega, has
been stripped of the honor.
 22 April 28-May 4, 2018 BUSINESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

TCS first Indian

firm to touch
$100 billion
in market cap
Mumbai: Riding high on robust quarterly results
and a weak rupee, IT bellwether Tata Consultancy
Services (TCS) on Monday emerged as the first
Indian listed technology company to cross the
$100‑billion mark in terms of market capitaliza‑
tion (m‑cap).
The IT major ‑‑ whose shares rose over four per
cent to a new high of Rs 3,557 per share on the
BSE during market hours ‑‑ overtook its global
peer Accenture, which has a market value of $98
billion dollars.
"It is a very proud moment for all of us. TCS has
been able to create value consistently by making
the right investments not only in terms of technol‑
ogy, but also in terms of creating capabilities,
building leadership and talent, seeding new mar‑
kets and developing scalable world‑class solu‑
tions," N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons,
said in a statement.
"I would like to thank our shareholders for their
continued support," he said.
"TCS crossed $100 bn in m‑cap in trade today,
becoming the first Indian company to do so. In the
process, it just got ahead of its global peer
Accenture. TCS continues to execute dependably
for a company of its size," Deepak Jasani, Head,
Retail Research, HDFC Securities, told IANS.
"Though the number one company Apple ‑‑ with
a market cap of $840 billion ‑‑ is much ahead of
TCS, India has reasons to be proud of TCS. Having
delivered over 22 per cent CAGR (compounded
annual growth rate) returns over its 14 years of
listing, it has made many Indians wealthy in its
journey," he added.
Xi, Modi to discuss US'
'protectionist' trade policy
Beijing: China said the "protectionist" trade
policy of the US and the "unprecedented"
changes in the world order in the past 100
years will be discussed by Chinese
President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi at their two‑day
summit this week.
A day after the big announcement of
Modi‑Xi's informal meet in China's central
city Wuhan on April 27‑28, Beijing said the
outcome of the meeting will be "positive".
"During this meeting, the two leaders will
discuss the changes that have taken place
and which are unprecedented in the past
100 years and exchange views on the
strategic, over‑arching and long‑term issues
concerning our bilateral relations," Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang
said here.
He was responding to a question if the
leaders will discuss trade penalties by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting in
Ahmedabad on September 17, 2014. (File Photo: IANS/PIB)
US and other issues like the Korean penin‑
sula crisis. inclusive," said Lu. China is locked in an ment. I believe you will hear positive voices.
"The world is now faced with rampant ongoing trade spat with the US, which has "The two countries are important forces
unilateralism as well as the rising protec‑ also threatened India with taxes if New in promoting the multipolar world and eco‑
tionism in the process of globalization. All Delhi did not lower import duties. nomic liberalization as well as ensuring
these trends have been closely followed and Modi and Xi will hold an informal summit regional and world's peace, stability and
debated. meeting, which may well be a historic one development," the Chinese Foreign Ministry
"So against such backdrop, China and and a defining moment in the history of spokesman said.
India have a lot to discuss. We are newly Sino‑Indian ties. "The two sides believe that the strategic
emerging markets as well as developing "So we have lot of shared interests, con‑ and global significance of our relations
countries with big populations so we cerns and positions." Lu said. have become more prominent and our com‑
believe the two countries will continue to "They will discuss the latest trends of the mon interests far outweigh our dif fer‑
uphold the globalization so that it is more world so there is a stable global develop‑ ences."

India must get more women into formal workforce: IMF

United Nations: India must focus as a priority
on ensuring that more women work in the
formal sector as it continues with labor
reforms, according to Ken Kang, the deputy
director in International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Asia Pacific Department.
While "in recent years India has made very
impressive progress in reforms," he said that
"looking ahead there are important policy pri‑
orities" and listed three among them.
"One, is to continue improvements in prod‑
uct and labor market reforms with a focus on
increasing formal female labor participation
to improve the business environment, and
reduce complex regulations, but also to
address supply bottlenecks, particularly in
the agricultural sector and distribution net‑
works," Kang said at a news conference in
Washington.
As one of India's major reform achieve‑
ments, he mentioned the "introduction of flex‑
ible inflation targeting and of a statutory
Ken Kang, deputy director in IMF Asia
Pacific Department. (File : IMFvideo/IANS)
monetary policy which has he lped to
strengthen the monetary policy framework."
The Reserve Bank of India Act was amended
in 2016, to provide for a Monetary Policy
Committee that decides on the interest rate
required for achieving the inflation target set
by the government in consultation with the
bank. The other achievements include the
IMF expects India's role to expand
United Nations: T he Internat ional
Monetary Fund expects India's role in the
Indo‑Pacific region's development to con‑
tinue to expand because of its robust
growth, but it has to carry out more trade
reforms, Ken Kang, the deputy director in
IMF's Asia Pacific Department said. "Given
our robust growth forecast where we see
India's growth rising from 7.4 per cent in
2017‑18 to 7.8 per cent in 2019, we do
expect India's role in the region to contin‑
Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the "major
recapitalization plan for the public‑sector
banks in order to accelerate the work out of
nonperforming loans, as well as made some
important legal improvements through a new
insolvency and bankruptcy law," Kang said.
On T hursday, IMF Managing Director
ue to expand," he said at a news confer‑
ence in Washington.
"That being said, India does have room
to expand its export orientation and to
reduce further trade and non‑trade barri‑
ers," he added.
"The statutory tariff rate in India is rela‑
tively high at about 15 per cent, and high‑
er than those in the rest of the region," he
added. "So there is room to do more on
trade reform."
Christine Lagarde had said at a news confer‑
ence on Thursday, according to the IMF tran‑
script: "We have seen and we are seeing ‑‑ I
am not sure that we will be seeing in the next
few months given the elections that are com‑
ing up ‑‑ major reforms that we had recom‑
mended and advocated for a long time."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPORTS April 28-May 4, 2018 23

BCCI dismisses PCB's claim of not honoring 'contract'

Kolkata: The Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) has dis‑
missed Pakistan Cricket Board's
(PCB) claim of an alleged MoU
between the two nations to play a
bilateral series, saying only a
"statement of intent was inked in
April 2014.
"It was a statement of intent. I
don't blame them (PCB) for stick‑
ing to the letter. But it is not a
contract," BCCI's Acting Secretary
Amitabh Chaudhary told IANS on
the side lines of the five‑day
International Cricket Council (ICC)
meet here.
Earlier in a letter, a copy which
is in possession of IANS, dated
April 9, 2014, the then secretary
Sanjay Patel wrote to PCB chief
Najam Sethi, saying: "Further to
our meetings and discussions over
the past few weeks regarding the
bilateral tours between India and
arisen in the context of the resolu‑
tions which have been tabled at
the ICC Executive Board meeting
on February 8, 2014.
"It is related to a new financial
model and governance structure
for the ICC including the third in a
series of six resolutions relating to
all Full members entering into a
series of agreements with one
another providing for agreed FTP
content between 2015‑2023.
"And as such if those resolutions
are not passed at the ICC Annual
India and Pakistan haven't played a bilateral series December 2012. Conference in June, 2014 by
directors nominated by Full
Pakistan, the BCCI and PCB here‑ to a fit and proper person and will Members of the ICC at that meet‑
by agree that the senior men's be as detailed in the Master FTP ing and the representatives of
cricket teams of India and agreement. The BCCI and PCB will Associate Members and the 4 ICC
Pakistan will play each other as enter into a long form FTP Zonal representatives, then this
per the schedule in the formats Agreement in respect of the above letter shall be of no effect.
set out below. Future Tours. "Please counter‑sign this letter
"BCCI and PCB agree that the It said that the BCCI and PCB where indicated below to confirm
rights for the tour will be assigned acknowledge that the letter has your agreement to and accept‑
ance of the terms of this letter."
Earlier, PCB chief Sethi had
slammed the BCCI for not incor‑
porating the "permission from
central government" clause in the
alleged contract to play bilateral
series.
"If India comes to Pakistan, they
want security and vice‑versa
because of the political situation.
But there is no security issue if we
play in a third country, which is
what we have been saying. We
play our home games in the UAE,"
Sethi had told reporters.
As per the newly drafted Future
Tours Programme (FTP), India
have slots for Pakistan series, but
it won't happen till the clearance
comes from the Indian govern‑
ment.
India and Pakistan haven't
played a bilateral series December
2012.

Pak cricketer Hasan Ali trolled for Wagah Border 'antics'
New Delhi: Pakistan pacer Hasan
Ali got trolled on social media after
a video surfaced wherein the play‑
er can be seen indulging in bizarre
antics at the Attari‑Wagah border
during the traditional flag‑lower‑
ing ceremony.
In an undated circulated video
on social media, the 24‑year‑old
pacer could be seen mocking the
Border Security Force (BSF) of
India as he emulated the Ranger,
patted his thigh and flexed his
muscles at the Indian soldiers and
spectators on the other side before
doing his signature wicket‑taking
celebration step.
It should be noted that Pakistan
Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali (right) is seen indulging in Cricket Board (PCB) had also
bizarre antics at the Attari‑Wagah border. shared pictures of Ali and his team‑
mates visiting the border to see the
ceremonial lowering of the flag.
Soon after the incident, cricket
fans, especially from India,
slammed Ali's antics during the
beating retreat ceremony.
One of them compared Hasan Ali
with a cartoon character who was
found at Wagah Border.
Another user dubbed Ali's act as
highly unprofessional and asked
him not to use such platform for
spreading hatred.
Only the BSF of the Indian side
and the Rangers of the Pakistani
side are officially allowed to per‑
form at the Wagah Border and that
no public is allowed to indulge in
it. The BSF also lodged protest with
Pakistan Rangers.
Chennai pip
Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Chennai Super Kings
(CSK) defeated Sunrisers
Hyderabad by four runs at the
Rajiv Gandhi International
Stadium here.
Chasing a challenging 183‑run
target, Hyderabad skipper Kane
Williamson (84) and Yusuf
Pathan (45 off 27) put up a good
fight but fell short.
SRH were off to a disastrous
start losing three wickets for just
22 runs in 4.2 overs. Young
medium pacer Deepak Chahar
gave the early jolts to the hosts
after bagging the wickets of
opener Ricky Bhui (0), Manish
Pandey (0) and Deepak Hooda
(1). However, Williamson kept
Hyderabad's hopes alive after a
49‑run stand with Shakib Al

IPL: Punjab defeat Delhi by four runs Hasan (24 off 19) for the fourth
wicket. With Shakib falling in the
11th over on a Karn Sharma over
New Delhi: Kings XI Punjab pipped De lhi
and Hyderabad reeling at 71/4,
Daredevils by four runs in the 22nd match of the
the skipper was then joined by
Indian Premier League (IPL) here at the Feroz Kings XI Yusuf Pathan.
Shah Kotla Cricket stadium. Punjab With everything going
The nail‑biting win over Delhi also lifted celebrate Chennai's way, Williamson and
Punjab to the top spot in the points table. after Pathan staged a terrific fightback
Chasing a paltry 144‑run target, lack of big winning with their 79‑run partnership,
partnerships hurt Delhi as they suffered a hat‑ against
punishing every Chennai bowler.
trick of defeats in this year's edition of the cash‑ Delhi
Pacer Dwayne Bravo finally got
rich league. Delhi started their proceedings on a Daredevils
in New the better of the Hyderabad skip‑
shaky note as pacer Ankit Rajpoot came with the
Delhi. per in the 18th over with the
first breakthrough for Punjab in the third over,
(Photo: hosts needing 32 off the last two
dismissing opener Prithvi Shaw for 22 runs.
Surjeet overs. Williamson's knock was
Incoming batter Glen Maxwell (12) and skipper
Yadav/IANS) decorated by five fours and as
Gautam Gambhir (4) once again struggled to
many sixes.
gather runs as both were back in the dug‑out in
Just when it was anybody's
the fifth and sixth over respectively, leaving
game, pacer Shardul Thakur sent
Delhi at 42/3. Gambhir's dismissal brought
Pos. Team Plyd. Won Lost Tied Net RR Pts. back a dangerous Pathan in the
Shreyas Iyer in the middle, who tried his best to
1 Punjab 6 5 1 10 19th over.
change Delhi's fortune, but lacked partnership
Incoming batter Rashid Khan
from the other end. Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur 2 Chennai 5 4 1 8
then slammed a four‑ball 17 to
Rahman struck in the ninth over to dismiss in‑ 3 Kolkata 6 3 3 6 make the game more interesting
form Rishabh Pant (4) cheaply. All‑rounder
4 Hyderabad 5 3 2 6 but the hosts failed to cross the
Daniel Christian (6) was the next to fall for Delhi
5 Rajasthan 6 3 3 6 line by four runs.
however, Iyer kept the scoreboard ticking.
 24 April 28-May 4, 2018 HEALTH TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indians consume far too Lack of Vitamin D may up

less calcium than required diabetes risk by 5 times
Warsaw: Adults in India consume on an aver‑
age about half the amount of calcium than
required for healthy bones, according to a
global map of dietary calcium intake.
Calcium is a major component of bone,
accounting for between 30‑35 per cent of its
mass and much of its strength. Low calcium
intake has been linked to lower bone‑mineral
density, which increases the risk of osteo‑
porosis and broken bones.
In India, the average calcium intake is only
429 mg per day against the requirement of
800‑1000 mg per day, according to the map
launched by the International Osteoporosis
Foundation (IOF), a nongovernmental organ‑
isation.
Across the 74 countries included in the
map, the estimate of average dietary calcium
intake among adults varies widely, from a
low of 175 mg/day in Nepal to a high of
1233 mg/day in Iceland, according to the
findings presented at a symposium held in
Krakow, Poland.
Countries in Asia, Africa and South
America mostly have low calcium intakes,
ranging between about 400 and 700
mg/day, showed the map.
The map reflects the findings of a recent
study published in the journal Osteoporosis
International.
"The Map reveals that in many parts of
Asia and Southeast Asia the population has
extremely low intakes of calcium in the diet,
with levels often less than 400 to 500 mg a
day," said Ambrish Mithal, co‑author of the
study and IOF board member from India.
"In China and India, the world's most popu‑
lous countries, the average intake is shown
to be only 338 mg/day and 429 mg/day
respectively," Mithal added.
The amount of calcium needed varies at
different stages of life. Calcium requirements
are especially high in the teenage years due
to the rapid growth of the skeleton, and at
older age, when the body's ability to absorb
calcium declines.
In older adults, bone loss occurs at a rate
of about one per cent per year, resulting in
calcium loss of approximately 15 g per year.
The recommendations for daily calcium
intake vary by country, however 800‑1000
mg/day is generally recommended for
healthy adults, with higher amounts recom‑
mended for teenagers, postmenopausal
women, the elderly, and people with osteo‑
porosis.
Foods rich in calcium include all dairy
foods (milk, yoghurt, cheeses), certain veg‑
etables (broccoli or kale), whole canned fish
with soft edible bones such as sardines, some
nuts, calcium‑set soy products (tofu, soy
milk), and some mineral waters.
Seoul: Are you deficient in Vitamin D,
also known as the sunshine vitamin?
Beware, you may be at a greater risk of
developing diabetes, warn researchers.
A team of researchers found that indi‑
viduals with 25‑hydroxyvitamin D levels
below 30 ng/ml in blood plasma were at
up to five times greater risk for develop‑
ing diabetes than people with levels
above 50 ng/ml.
"We found that participants with blood
levels of 25‑hydroxyvitamin D that were
Sources of Vitamin D
above 30 ng/ml had one‑third of the risk (Image : nutritionreview.org)
of diabetes and those with levels above
50 ng/ml had one‑fifth of the risk of sun exposure with minimal clothing
developing diabetes," said lead author (approximately 10‑15 minutes per day
Sue K. Park from the Seoul National outdoors at noon) would be required.
University College of Medicine in South The current recommended average
Korea. daily amount of Vitamin D is 400 IU for
For the findings, reported in the journal children up to one year; 600 IU for ages
PLOS One, the team examined a cohort of one to 70 years (less for pregnant or
903 healthy adults (mean age: 74) with breastfeeding women) and 800 IU for
no indications of either pre‑diabetes or persons over 70, according to the
diabetes. National Institutes of Health.
The researchers identified the mini‑ Higher daily amounts of Vitamin D are
mum healthy level of 25‑hydroxyvitamin generally considered safe, but blood
D in blood plasma to be 30 nanogrammes serum levels exceeding 125 ng/ml have
per millilitre (ng/ml) and found to reach been linked to adverse side effects, such
this, dietary supplements of 3,000 to as nausea, constipation, weight loss, heart
5,000 international units (IU) per day, rhythm problems and kidney damage, the
less with the addition of moderate daily researchers said.

Stronger people have Mena Suvari on how veganism

sharper brains: Study
London: If you thought hitting
the gym only builds your physi‑
cal strength, think again. A study
of nearly half a million people
has revealed that stronger peo‑
ple perform better in brain func‑
tioning tests. Muscular strength,
measured by handgrip, is an
indication of how healthy our
brains are, said the study pub‑
lished in the journal
Schizophrenia Bulletin.
"Our study confirms that peo‑
ple who are stronger do indeed
tend to have better functioning
brains," said study co‑author
Joseph Firth from NICM Health
Research Institute, Western
Sydney University, Australia.
Using data from the 475,397
participants from all around
Britain, the new study showed
that on average, stronger people
performed better in brain func‑
tioning tests that included reac‑
tion speed, logical problem solv‑
ing, and multiple different tests
of memory.
has changed her life
There is a clear Los Angeles: Actress Mena Veganism has also
connection Suvari says being a vegan stopped the "American
between and choosing cruelty‑free Pie" star from caring
muscular fashion and accessories about what should be con‑
strength and have made her feel better sidered to be fashionable
brain health about her life. and she now no longer
(Image : She says that veganism looks for designer clothes
dailyburn.com) has in a way helped her and bags, but gravitates
save money and it also towards sustainable fash‑
The study, which used UK
makes her feel good after ion items.
Biobank data, showed the rela‑
ditching all animal‑related "Eco‑friendly and sus‑
tionships were consistently (Image courtesy: plantbasednews.org)
products and meals from tainable fashion is what's
strong in both people aged
her life, reports usmagazine.com. personal changes that I did and important to me. I don't care what
under 55 and those aged over
"I've been vegan for almost 10 I've always loved fashion, so I the most expensive item is or that
55. Previous studies had only
months now and I went complete‑ wanted to make it a point, for whole dynamic of someone think‑
shown this applies in elderly
ly cruelty‑free in my life even with whatever it's worth, and show ing that they have to buy some‑
people.
my beauty products and my people that you can have fun with thing to be equal. Why am I carry‑
The findings also showed that
whole wardrobe," said Suvari. sustainable fashion and that it's ing this dead animal on my arm?
maximal handgrip was strongly
"I feel really good making the possible," she added. It doesn't feel good'," she said.
correlated with both visual
memory and reaction time in
over one thousand people with
psychotic disorders such as
schizophrenia.
"We can see there is a clear
connection between muscular
strength and brain health," Firth,
who is also an honorary
research fellow at the University
of Manchester in Britain, said.
"But really, what we need now,
are more studies to test if we
can actually make our brains
healthier by doing things which
make our muscles stronger ‑‑
such as weight training," he
added.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SCI-TECH April 28-May 4, 2018 25

Facebook begins fact‑checking ISRO completes final

news in poll‑bound Karnataka orbit raising operations
W of navigation satellite
ith Karnataka edly share false
heading for news will also see

the polls in
May, Facebook has
announced a third‑
party fact checking pro‑
gram in the State to
fight spread of fake
news on its platform.
The social media
giant on Tuesday
announced a partner‑
ship with BOOM, an
independent digital
journalism initiative, for
a pilot program that
will be rolled out in the
State. Karnataka goes to the polls
on May 12, and the counting of
votes will take place on May 15.
“Starting today, BOOM, certified
through the International Fact‑
Checking Network, non‑partisan
international fact checking net‑
work at Poynter, will be able to
review English language news sto‑
ries flagged on Facebook, check
facts, and rate their accuracy,”
Facebook said in a blog post.
BOOM is part of Ping Digital
Network (www.pingnetwork.in)
based in Mumbai. It is a fact
checking website and has been in
existence since 2014. Facebook
has 217 million monthly active
users in India. “We are beginning
small and know it is important to
learn from this test and listen to
our community as we continue to
update ways for people to under‑
stand what might be false news in
their News Feed,” Facebook said.
Once a story is rated as false,
Facebook has learned to reduce
its distribution by 80 per cent.
“When a fact‑checker rates a
story as false, we will show it
lower in News Feed, significantly
reducing its distribution. This, in
turn, stops the hoax from spread‑
ing and reduces the number of
people who see it,” Facebook said.
Pages and domains that repeat‑
T
their distribution
he Indian
reduced and their
Space
ability to monetize
Research
and advertise
Organisation (ISRO)
removed.
has successfully car‑
If the third‑party
ried out the fourth
fact‑checkers write
and final orbit rais‑
articles debunking
ing operations of
a false news story,
navigation satellite,
Facebook will
IRNSS‑1I, the space
show it in “Related
agency has said. The
Articles” immedi‑
orbit raising opera‑
ately below the
tion took place at
story in News
9.05 pm on Sunday,
Feed.
the ISRO said. The
“Weʼll also send people and
achieved perigee height (nearest April 13 (first and second), April
Page Admins notifications if they
point to the earth) is 35,462.9 14 (third operation) and April
try to share a story or have shared
km and apogee height (farthest 15. The successful launch of the
one in the past thatʼs been deter‑
point to the earth) is 35,737.8 IRNSS‑1I means it will be able to
mined to be false,” Facebook
km. The IRNSS‑1I was launched replace IRNSS‑1A. Part of Indiaʼs
noted.
on April 12. After a flight lasting seven navigation satellites, a con‑
According to Facebook CEO
about 19 minutes, the Polar stellation designated NavIC, it
Mark Zuckerberg, it is important
Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) was rendered ineffective after
to make sure no one interferes in
achieved a Sub Geosynchronous the failure of its three rubidium
any more elections, including in
Transfer Orbit with a perigee of atomic clocks. The launch was
India. “Our goals are to under‑
281.5 km and an apogee of ISROʼs second attempt at sending
stand Facebookʼs impact on
20,730 km inclined at an angle a replacement satellite.
upcoming elections ̶ like Brazil,
of 19.2 degree to the equator. At Previously, a PSLV mission carry‑
India, Mexico and the US
that point, the IRNSS‑1I got sepa‑ ing the IRNSS‑1H last August
midterms ̶ and to inform our
rated from the rocket. failed, as the heat shield cover‑
future product and policy deci‑
Following that ISRO carried out ing the satellite failed to
sions,” he said while testifying
four orbit raising operations on separate.
before the US Congress last week.

Scientists accidentally develop plastic‑eating enzyme

S
cientists have accidentally devel‑
oped a plastic‑eating enzyme that
may be used to combat one of the
world's worst pollution problems, a media
report said.
Researchers from Britain's University of
Portsmouth and the US Department of
Energy's National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) made the discovery
while examining the structure of a natural
enzyme found in a waste recycling centre a
few years ago in Japan, CNN reported last
week.
The finding was published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences. They said the enzyme, Ideonella
sakaiensis 201‑F6, is able to "eat" polyeth‑
ylene terephthalate, PET, which was
patented as a plastic in the 1940s and is
used in millions of tonnes of plastic bottles.
Their aim was to study its structure, but
they accidentally engineered an enzyme
which was even better at breaking down
PET plastics.
"We hoped to determine its structure to
aid in protein engineering, but we ended
up going a step further and accidentally
engineered an enzyme with improved per‑
formance at breaking down these plastics,"
said NREL's lead researcher Gregg
Beckham.
The discovery could result in a recycling
solution for millions of tonnes of plastic
bottles made of PET, which currently per‑
sists for hundreds of years in the environ‑
ment, the University of Portsmouth said on
its website.
"Serendipity often plays a significant role
in fundamental scientific research and our
discovery here is no exception," said
Professor McGeehan, director of the
Institute of Biological and Biomedical
Sciences in the School of Biological
Sciences at Portsmouth.
The enzyme can also degrade polyethyl‑
ene furandicarboxylate, or PEF, a bio‑based
substitute for PET plastics that is being
hailed as a replacement for glass beer bot‑
tles, CNN reported.
PEF plastics, although bio‑based, are not
biodegradable, and would still end up as
waste in landfills and in the seas, the NREL
said.
According to a three‑year study pub‑
lished in Scientific Reports last month, a
huge, swirling pile of trash in the Pacific
Ocean, known as the Great Pacific Garbage
Patch, is growing faster than expected and
is now three times the size of France, more
than double the size of Texas.

Learn coding on mobile with Google's Grasshopper app

T
o help beginners learn cod‑
ing on their smartphones,
Google has launched a new
learn‑to‑code app called
Grasshopper. Grasshopper has
been created by a team of coders
from Google's workshop for exper‑
imental products ‑ "Area 120".
"Coding is becoming such an
essential skill, and we want to
make it possible for everyone to
learn even when life gets busy.
"We made Grasshopper to help
folks like you get into coding in a
fun and easy way," the company
said in a blog post on Wednesday.
"We put Grasshopper on a phone
so you can turn your commute or
waiting in line into a learning
moment," it added.
The Grasshopper app is now
available globally on both iOS and
Android.
According to Tech Crunch, the
goal is to get coders proficient in
the basics and core concepts, so
they can take the next steps in
their coding education.
Till date, "Area 120" has released
innovations like "Advr" ‑‑ an adver‑
tising format for virtual reality;
personal stylist "Tailor"; emoji mes‑
senger "Supersonic"; a job‑match‑
ing service in Bangladesh, a book‑
ing tool called "Appointments"; and
the YouTube co‑watching app
"UpTime". The app offers several
courses, beginning with "The
Fundamentals," where users learn
how code works.
Grasshopper have two more
courses where coders learn to
draw shapes using the D3 library,
and later create more complex
functions using D3. ‑IANS
26 April 28-May 4, 2018 HERITAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The Magic of Vedic Mathematics Part 11

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.

Continued on page 27
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The SB‑1 Returning Resident Visa
By Michael Phulwani, Esq.
& Dev B. Viswanath, Esq.
O TALK
nce an individual is
granted permanent resi‑
dence they are allowed
to travel in and out of the US
without any problem. Permanent
residents who wish to re‑enter
the US need to present their
green card and passport from
their country of citizenship for
readmission as long as the dura‑
tion of the trip is less than 6
months. If the trip is longer than
6 months but shorter than 1 year,
the person is considered to be
seeking readmission and may be
asked questions regarding the
trip to see whether or not they
have abandoned their residence
while abroad. If the duration of
the trip is more than one year,
and the applicant knew before
departing that they would be out
of the United States for more
than one year, then they may
consider applying for a Re‑entry
permit which will allow them to
stay out for up to two years.
Continued from page 26
However, there are some people
who get caught outside the US
and just cannot return before the
1 year is completed.
A permanent resident of the US
who remained outside for more
than one year without obtaining
a re‑entry permit can either go
through the entire green card
process all over again or they
may apply for a returning resi‑
dent visa also known as an SB‑1
visa. With an SB‑1 visa, issued by
a consular post, the individual
will be able to retain their resi‑
dence and return to the United
States as a Permanent Resident
without interruption. To apply
for SB‑1 visa a returning resident
must show proof of the residentʼs
continued unbroken ties to the
US and that the trip was extended
as a result of events beyond their
IMMIGRATION
When you just couldn’t get home in time!
control. Some examples for rea‑
sons why an extended stay
abroad was necessary are: illness,
death in family, pregnancy, or
permission was not granted to
leave the foreign country.
A permanent resident who
wants to enter the US after stay‑
ing abroad for an extended peri‑
od of time can be eligible for an
SB‑1 visa if:
4 At the time of departure
from the US the individual was a
lawful permanent resident;
4 When leaving the US, the
individual did not leave with the
intention of not coming back;
4 When an individual returns
to the US after an extended stay
abroad, the extended stay was
due to circumstances beyond
their control and for which they
are not responsible for; and
4 The individual is eligible for
the SB‑1 visa in all other aspects.
There are a few individuals who
Answers
April 28-May 4, 2018 27
do not need the SB‑1 visa even if use their Permanent Resident
they have been outside of the US Card to enter the US even if it
for more than two years. They expired. The processing time for
are spouses and children of a the SB‑1 visa is between three
member of the US Armed Forces and six months. If an individualʼs
or civilian employees of the US application for the SB‑1 visa is
government stationed abroad. If denied, then they will not be
an individual falls within those allowed to enter the U.S. again
two categories, then they may without another valid visa.
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
Dev will be in India from April 28 to May 11.
You can contact his office for a consultation.
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 informa‑
tion, Mr R.P. Jain,
email:
mlbd@mlbd.com.
US distributor:
southasiabooks
@gmail.com
To be continued in
the following
issues of The South
Asian Times.
28 April 28-May 4, 2018 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

You have now entered

the age of absurdity:
Be very afraid
Shopkeeper: "Will you be
paying by credit card, EPS,
Apple Pay, debit card,
Google Pay, Bitcoin or sac‑
rifice of your first‑born?"
Me: "Uh, do you take
cash? No? Okay, I guess
it's one of the kids, then."

BEST
Life is so complicated
these days! Many things
which cost money can no
RATE longer be bought using
money.
FOR The world's biggest
shopkeeper, Alibaba, does‑
INDIA n't have any shops.
The world's biggest taxi
(Image courtesy: kathmandupost.com)
County" was set up in the US.
AND company, Uber, doesn't own any taxis.
"None of the shows I watch these days are
It sounded reasonable but was oddly
focused on fighting the sugary drinks tax.
PAKISTAN made by moviemakers. They're all made by
delivery firms," said a reader.
Reporters looking at the donations list dis‑
covered that the "citizens" who financed it
True. Netflix was set up to deliver videos were Coca‑Cola, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper and Red
and Amazon to deliver books. Now both Bull.Real life is so out of control that it's no
New York Head Quarter make TV shows. surprise people flee to the Internet ‑‑ but
422‑S Broadway What next? A hotel chain with no hotels? things are even more confusing there. It hor‑
Oh, wait, a friend of mine just stayed in an rifies me to think that it's statistically likely
HICKSVILLE
Airbnb room. that there must exist at least one real
NY 11801 A young Indian reader offered her favorite Nigerian prince who wants to share his
516‑827‑1010 modern Asian absurdity: "Today, parents tell mega‑fortune with me and is wondering
us not to talk to strangers but still try to get why I haven't responded to his email.
us to marry one." I was moaning about the confusions of
Sometimes, the names and functions of modern life when an "older gentleman" in
organizations are mismatched deliberately. I our social group said that this was nothing
read recently that an organization called new: Companies have always changed their
"Citizens for a More Affordable Cook core businesses.
"Most young people today probably have

Laughter is the Best Medicine

no idea that Shell, the multinational oil com‑
pany, is called that because it started as a
shop selling seashells," he said. "Sharp, the
Japanese electronics firm, made pencils.
Nintendo, the king of video games, made
playing cards."
By (This guy can probably remember when
Mahendra stone was the big thing and everyone
Shah poured scorn on the cheeky upstarts trying
to usher in the Bronze Age.)
But I must admit I was amazed to learn
Mahendra Shah from him that Nokia was set up to make rub‑
is an architect by ber boots but accidentally became the global
education, entre- king of mobile phones.
preneur by pro- Clues to a company's original purpose
fession, artist were often hidden in the name, he explained.
and humorist, American Express was a delivery service,
cartoonist and carrying stock certificates or currency by
writer by hobby. horse or train across America at "express"
He has been speed. Then someone at the company decid‑
recording the ed to give the horse a rest and just lend peo‑
plight of the immi- ple the cash ‑‑ which is how American
grant Indians for Express became a financial firm.
the past many This led me to wonder if my historian
year in his car- friend had the answer to a mystery. Where I
toons. Hailing live, there are five branches of a supermar‑
from Gujarat, he ket chain called Park'n'shop and not one of
lives in them has anywhere you can park.
Pittsburgh, "If Park'n'shops were places where you
Pennsylvania. could park and shop, that would make logi‑
cal sense," he said. "On his planet, that's
always too much to ask for."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
APRIL 28‑MAY 4, 2018
ARIES: Donʼt trust anyone blindly,
who promises you the moon. You
will financially be in a position to
upgrade an expensive gadget. A good
advice will let you seize an investment
opportunity. An evening out with lover
is indicated. Loving bonds are likely to
get strengthened for newly married
couples. Children are likely to brighten
the domestic atmosphere. Shifting to a
new house is indicated for some.
Health remains perfect by being regu‑
lar in your daily exercises.
TAURUS: Helping others is in
your nature and you will get
your due soon. You are likely to
take long strides in achieving some‑
thing important on the professional
front. Professionals will be able to add
to their clientʼs list. An exciting week
on the family front is foreseen with the
arrival of someone close. A drive with
family will be most refreshing and help
bring the members closer. No difficulty
is foreseen in securing a loan.
GEMINI: An excellent opportu‑
nity awaits some on the aca‑
demic front. You are likely to
plan something exciting with family
and friends. Lover responds positively
to your romantic aspirations, so brace
yourself for an electrifying evening.
You may be in a mood for a vacation
and may drive off to someplace exot‑
ic. Something committed to you on
the professional front will be fulfilled.
Keeping fit and healthy will not be too
difficult, as you make all the right
moves.
CANCER: There is a bright
chance of performing beyond
your expectations on the aca‑
demic front. You are likely to feel
more fit and energetic this week.
Things that are weighing heavy on
your mind are set to disappear soon.
A suitable match for the eligible is
likely to be found. Some celebration
or ritual may be performed at home.
Spending time with lover is foreseen.
An adventure trip undertaken will
prove most exhilarating. Taking up a
hobby seriously is possible.
LEO: Keep emot ions under
check to keep from spilling the
beans in a confidential matter.
Spending time with lover is foreseen
and will help you in letting your hair
down. Someone may motivate you to
accompany him or her for a short
journey to someplace interesting. You
may become extra careful of what you
eat and drink for retaining good
health. Something not completed at
work may make you spend extra time
in office. Sale of property is likely.
VIRGO: You may not want to
involve yourself in a situation
that may damage your reputa‑
tion. Mental clarity about a particular
problem at work will help you find the
solution. Professionals will find this
week exceptionally rewarding. An out‑
ing with family may be planned and
will help strengthen the family ties.
You are likely to add to your wealth
substantially. Someone from the
opposite camp is likely to fall prey to
your charms! Shifting to a better resi‑
dence is indicated.
LIBRA: You may find the grass
greener on the other side of
the fence, but looks can be
deceptive. Enlisting for a social cause
is indicated for some. Organising a
function or an event on the home
front can keep some busy this week. A
lot of planning may be required
before starting a project, so put on
your thinking cap. Weigh someoneʼs
advice carefully before you commit
your money as it may not give the
promised returns.
SCORPIO: Donʼt be impulsive in
a matter that seems pressing,
but bide your time. Complete
recovery from an ailment is foreseen
for those unwell. Some of you may
resolve to come back in shape. A fun
time is foreseen for those planning to
visit an out of town friend or relation.
Strengthening of romantic bonds is
indicated. Some changes envisaged on
the home front will be initiated. You
may find yourself underemployed at
work, but keep it to yourself!
SAGITTARIUS: You will need
to be absolutely clear regard‑
ing your career opt ions.
Getting more focussed on the academ‑
ic front will not be difficult. Someone
at work may have a pleasant surprise
waiting for you. Donʼt be impulsive in
spending money or you may regret
your actions later. Not adhering to
doctorʼs advice may have its repercus‑
sions. You manage to bring peace and
tranquility on the home front. A short
journey will help in refreshing and
unburdening your mind.
CAPRICORN: You will need to
come into the flow of things
quickly at work. This is a good
time to organise a gathering of your
near and dear ones at your place.
Meeting people and visiting places
will keep some happily engaged. You
are likely to keep the ones who matter
in good humour on the professional
front. Your bargaining skills are likely
to come to your rescue in negotiating
a deal. Regular workouts will help in
keeping fit.
AQUARIUS: You may not be
able to progress much in a
task without a key personnel
in your team at work, so do take him
or her on board. Some good invest‑
ment opportunities come your way.
Those looking for a loan will face little
problem as far as paperwork is con‑
cerned. You will manage to remain
trim and slim by adhering to your
exercise regimen. Be meticulous in
whatever you are entrusted with on
the professional front.
PISCES:You may have to get a
pressing matter sorted out
quickly, before it becomes an
albatross round your neck. Those suf‑
fering from some medical problem
will be able to make full recovery.
Resuming an exercise routine is indi‑
cated for some. You will be able to add
to your wealth as profits accrue.
Money is not likely to pose any prob‑
lems for those thinking of a new ven‑
ture. Salaried persons can expect
additional perks on the professional
front.
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
28th April, 2018
Traits in you: Being governed by the
Sun, you are endowed with uniqueness
and philosophy. You are courageous, dar‑
ing, courteous, affectionate, decisive, and
very determined. You need to work on
your impatience and short tempered
nature.
Health this year: Your overall health
would remain fine this year. Some of the
aged members in your family may fall sick
frequently to add your woes. You need to
take care of your family members by pro‑
viding them better medical attention.
Finance this year: Your past invest‑
ments may yield a lot of money for you
this year. You need to be extra cautions
while investing huge amounts as it is a bit
risky to put money on unpredictable
things. Overall, you will enjoy a strong
financial condition.
Career this year: Your confidence and
hard work will help you earn a lot of
money and you will be able to expand
your business as well. You may go ahead
investing on anything you want as this
year is pretty rewarding for you. Your
past legal disputes will get resolved this
year and give you enough opportunity to
make money.
Romance this year: Your spouse will be
supportive enough throughout the year in
crucial times. You can rely on your part‑
ner for any kind of support may be finan‑
cial or emotional. You should get married
this year as this is the best time for you.
29th April, 2018
Traits in you: As you are influenced by
the Moon, you are confident, emotional,
imaginative, simple, creative, courteous,
and warm hearted. You can easily make
friends because of your nature so you
enjoy enormous respect amongst your
friends. You should control your mood
swings and you should not be lazy.
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 go through
sudden gains and losses this year.
However, you will be capable enough to
find out the source to earn ample amount
of money. Your financial condition will be
improved for a long term. If you are into
business, you may enhance your business
to gain better profits. You should invest in
real estate this year as the chances of
return are high.
Career this year: Being an efficient pro‑
fessional, you are highly respected in
your professional circuit. Your ordinates
and seniors may take advice from you.
You may get your long expected promo‑
tion this year. Salary hike is also likely to
happen.
Romance this year: You will share a
good relationship with your spouse. You
may decide to turn your relationship into
marriage if you are not married yet.
However, you need to understand your
beloved and provide the required emo‑
tional support for the betterment of your
relationship.
30th April, 2018
Traits in you: Being ruled by Jupiter,
you are courteous, courageous, decisive,
ambitious, disciplined, and realistic. You
are gifted with high imagination power,
optimism, and enthusiasm. However,
behaving restless and dominating may
hamper your characteristics at times. You
need to work on your personality to make
yourself better as an individual.
Health this year: You need to stop your
bad habits such as smoking and consum‑
ing alcohol to remain healthy. You should
take expert advice from a doctor to avoid
health related issues. You should take
your medicines at time to avoid further
April 28-May 4, 2018
complicacy in your health. Take care of
the health of your spouse and parents as
well.
Finance this year: You will be in ample
financial gains this year. Your new busi‑
ness ventures will be successful this year.
You should go for new partnerships and
businesses as your star favors your luck
this year. You may go for investments in
any sector. Do not spend unnecessarily in
luxury and comfort.
Career this year: You will get enough
opportunities in your professional life to
prove yourself. You will create a better
impression on your seniors or higher
management, which may result in promo‑
tion. You should work efficiently to main‑
tain your respect at your workspace.
Romance this year: Your romantic life
will become stagnant this year as you
may not give enough time to your
beloved. If you are unmarried and plan‑
ning to marry this year, it may not hap‑
pen because of the negative movements
of your stars and planets.
1st May, 2018
Traits in you: Your ruling planet, the
Sun blesses you with a unique character.
You are pretty confident, creative, intellec‑
tual, optimistic, and enthusiastic. You are
gifted with an artistic perception. You are
very much social and like to make new
contacts wherever you go. However, you
need to control your mood swings and
selfishness.
Health this year: You may go through a
very bad patch as far as your health is
concerned this year. You may fall sick fre‑
quently with minor diseases like fever,
cough, cold, body pain, and so on. You
should take care of your health by taking
proper medication.
Finance this year: If you are well edu‑
cated and employed, you may find your‑
self in huge monetary benefits this year.
You might get favors from government
officials to get your work done, which will
earn you a lot of money. You may go for
investments in various sectors as it may
prove to be profitable for you.
Career this year: You are quite capable
of taking wise decisions. So your col‑
leagues may seek you help in taking criti‑
cal decisions. You will excel as an efficient
employee and this might bring you a pro‑
motion or salary hike. Your confidence,
hard work, and dedication will help you
obtain success in every project assigned
to you.
Romance this year: You may go for a
romantic relationship this year if you are
yet to be in one. If you are married, you
will enjoy a good time with your spouse.
You may plan for marriage if you are still
unmarried. You should plan for a long
holiday with your partner to give time to
each other.
2nd May, 2018
Traits in you: Being influenced by the
Moon, you are creative, simple, reliable,
intelligent, hardworking, and very social.
You are a very efficient in your work.
However, you need to control your atti‑
tude of being rude and pessimistic.
Health this year: Your health will
remain fine. However, you may suf fer
from various minor diseases say cough,
cold, body pain, loss of sleep and so on. To
enjoy a very healthy life, you need to get a
good control on your diet. You have to
stay away from alcohol and cigarettes to
avoid any organ dysfunction.
Finance this year: You may go through a
moderate financial condition this year.
You past investments may not bring you
expected results. You may get minimal
return from your fixed savings and that
would not make you secure financially.
You should not lend money to anyone dur‑
ing this year as you may feel the require‑
ment of money at any point of time.
Career this year: Being a hardworking
professional, you are well capable of per‑
29
forming the best. However, you need to
be very selective and cautious if you plan
to make a move for your career. You may
go for a new job opportunity. You may see
many ups and downs in your career as
you may struggle to get things right for
yourself.
Romance this year: Your marital life
will go on smoothly with the gradually
growing understanding between you and
your spouse. You will get enough support
from your partner whenever you are in a
problem. If you are yet to marry, you may
need to wait for another year.
3rd May, 2018
Traits in you: As your governing planet
is Jupiter, you are intelligent, dignified,
dynamic, simple, ambitious, and opti‑
mistic. You are very whimsical towards
your work. However, you need to eradi‑
cate few negative characteristics such as
jealousy, rude, irresponsibility.
Health this year: You will be going
through a not so very good health this
year around. You might need to take
proper care of your health by frequently
visiting your doctor for medical checkups.
You need to adhere to the medications
prescribed by the doctors for your better‑
ment.
Finance this year: You may be in a very
good financial groove this year as you will
find profit everywhere you go for invest‑
ment. You may start few new ventures if
you are into hardcore business. You
might have to take few important deci‑
sions to go for the opportunities provided.
You may invest on real estate and stocks
this year.
Career this year: If you are a very keen
learner, then you may get the chance to
prove yourself at a higher level. You will
enhance your skills and impress your
employer to get better professional bene‑
fits. You may get a good performance
appraisal or a promotion, which will
encourage you to work even hard.
Romance this year: If you are yet to be
in a marital relationship, there is a healthy
chance for you to get into one. Your
romantic life may take a leap this year if
you are married. You should not get
involved in any kind of confrontation or
argument with your beloved as it may
weaken your relationship.
4th May, 2018
Traits in you: With the influence of
Uranus, you are born active and lucky. By
nature you are dynamic, reliable, honor‑
able, dignified, enthusiastic, decisive, and
very cooperative. However, you need to
work on your stubbornness and frequent
mood swings.
Health this year: You would not remain
satisfied as far your health is concerned
as minor illness may disturb you through‑
out this year. To avoid these health issues,
you need to take care of your health by
taking healthy food and medicines at
time. You may go for yoga and medita‑
tion.
Finance this year: You will be among
ample financial benefits throughout this
year. You will find new source of income
and it will bring you lot of money and
scope to expand your business. You may
try your hands in various investment
plans as you may get enough returns due
to your favoring star movement.
Career this year: are destined to get
plenty of good fortune and fame. Your
dedication towards your work and effi‑
ciency may bring you exceptional success.
You may get promoted to a managerial
position and that will of course result in a
handsome hike in your salary.
Romance this year: You may get into
matrimonial alliance towards the last few
months of the year. If you are married,
you will enjoy a blissful romantic relation‑
ship with your partner. You should plan
for surprise outings to make your rela‑
tionship grow stronger.
30 April 28-May 4, 2018
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
T
here is a story of God send‑
ing two angels to earth to
listen to the prayers of
humanity. One angel was asked to
collect the prayers asking God for
something. The other angel was
asked to collect the prayers of
thanksgiving and gratitude.
The two angels were given large
baskets to collect and descended
to earth to begin their task.The
angel collecting prayers asking
God for something became
extremely busy. Many people
prayed to God to help them earn
more money, some prayed for
improved health of their children,
spouse, parents or relatives. The
angel also collected prayers for
How god helps us in our lives
M
any times we may think
that God is enjoying the
heavenly regions with‑
out knowing what difficulty we
are having on earth. Little do we
know that God wants to help
each one of us.
We might think that God is not
aware of what is happening with
us, but God is aware of each
action that occurs in our lives. If
we know that God is aware of
everything that happens to us
then the next question that aris‑
es is,
"If God knows what is happen‑
ing, why is God making us suf‑
fer? Why do we have problems
in this world? If God can do any‑
thing, why doesn't God take all
the problems away?" There is an
interesting story that helps to
explain God's predicament.
There was a grandfather who
went to visit his daughter and
his grandchild. Grandparents
have great affinity for their
grandchildren. When he went to
his daughter's house, he saw that
the grandchild was kept in a
playpen. As soon as the grand‑
child saw the grandfather he
said, "Grandfather. Grandfather!
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Gratitude to the giver
latest computer, exquisite jewelry,
expensive clothing and new
toys.In the meantime, the other
angel traveled far and wide look‑
ing to fill the basket with prayers
of thankfulness. Days passed, but
no prayers of gratitude were
heard. The angel collecting
prayers of request had a loaded
truck. But, the angel collecting
prayers of thankfulness had only
a few.
When God was presented with
their findings, God sighed. “This
is nothing new” said God. “You
now have a taste of what it is like
being God. People are always
praying for something from Me,
which is all right because at least
they are thinking of Me. But few
ever thank Me.”
When God checked the email,
there were millions of email mes‑
sages of complaints and requests.
The mailbox was bombarded with
endless complaints and prayers
from billions of people requesting
things all at the same time.
There were few who thanked
God for the good they received.
This story illustrates the human
condition. People request others
to do something for them, but
(image courtesy: journeyquest.org)
Get me out of this. I want to play
with you.” All grandchildren love
their grandparents, so the
grandchild wanted to get out of
the playpen, but just as the
grandfather reached his hand
toward the child, his daughter
said, "Don't touch the child. He
did something very wrong, and
he is being punished."
Although the grandfather
wanted to pick up the child, his
daughter told him not to, so
what is the grandfather sup‑
how many people take an equal
amount of time to thank them?
Similarly, we pray to God for the
things we want. How many of us
take the time to thank God?
We focus more on what God has
not given than what God has
given us. If we were to fill out a
thank you note to God for all the
good we received, we would dis‑
cover that we have received much.
Let us count many things for
which we owe our gratitude to
God.
First, we are extremely fortu‑
nate that our soul was born into a
posed to do? The grandfather
could rule over his daughter and
say, "No. no. no, I am picking up
my grandchild anyway," and
have difficulties in that arena.
The other option is that he could
turn around, walk out of the
house, and leave, but then the
grandchild would be devastated.
So the grandfather came up with
a solution. He climbed into the
playpen himself and played with
the child.
Similarly, this is what God does
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
human body. We are fortunate
that we have been born into the
only species who can know our‑
selves and know God.
We may feel that God only
exists when everything goes our
way, and believe that there is only
God if we get whatever we want.
We may have had a job for 25
years, but the one time we are laid
off we say there is no God. We
may have had a loving family for
years but when one member pass‑
es away we blame God. We may
have been healthy for many years
but the one major illness we have,
We might think that God is
not aware of what is
happening with us, but
God is aware of each action
that occurs in our lives.
for us. If we look back at history,
saints have come in all tradi‑
tions, all cultures, all times, and
all walks of life. They have
always come to help the people
in those times. They are the ones
who are compassionate. This is
why many saints have suffered
for each one of us.
This is why many religions talk
about the founders suffering for
our sins. What are our sins? Our
sins arise from our breaking the
spiritual laws, from not living
according to the highest ethical
principles.
If we look back at our own
lives, we will find that God's
we say, “What is happening to
me? There must not be any God.”
Few are grateful to God for the
good they receive so that when
something goes wrong they tell
God, “Itʼs okay God, I still love You,
and I know you are there. What
happened to me must have been
something that was best for me,
under Your will.”
How many people take such a
grateful attitude to God?
Let us thank God for each day
that we are able to do our work,
enjoy our family and friends, for
our health and be grateful our ail‑
ments are not worse. We should
be grateful for all the gifts we
receive, not only physical, intellec‑
tual and emotional but also for
the spiritual gifts of God. We can
reflect on how we can show our
gratitude by developing noble
qualities and resolve to improve
ourselves to become better
human beings. We can also spend
time connecting with the Divine
within through prayer and medi‑
tation, and in performing selfless
service to others. In this way, we
can express our gratitude to God,
not only in words but also
through our deeds.
hand has always been there to
support us. Many times we do
not appreciate or see God's help
in our lives because we are
unable to gravitate to that level
where we experience that God is
with every one of us at each
moment. lf we were able to sit
quietly and focus within through
meditation, we would then come
into contact with the True
Reality. We would connect to the
divine Light within and begin to
perceive how God is working for
our benefit at every moment of
our lives.
(For more visit www.sos.org)
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 28-May 4, 2018