The South Asian Times

e x c e l l e n c e

Vol.8 No. 3 May 23-29, 2015 60 Cents

i n

j o u r n a l i s m

New York Edition

Follow us on

Modi woos all, winds up three-nation tour

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi

arrived back in New Delhi on Tuesday night
after his six-day, three-nation tour that took
him to China, Mongolia and South Korea.
Modi, who left on May 14, spent three days
in China. He visited Xian, Beijing and
Shanghai, and held talks with the Chinese
leadership.
Commenting on Modis China visit,
Confederation of Indian Industries (CII)
president Sumit Mazumder said, "Both the
governments have demonstrated their commitment to take bilateral economic relationship to a new level. A wide array of opportunities has opened up for Indian businesses in
China. Modi went to Mongolia on May 17,
becoming the first Continued on page 4
See pages 11 and 16-17 for reports and
pictures on Modis 3-nation tour.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

ISIS controls
half of Syria
after Palmyra
takeover

PM Shri Narendra Modi with the Chinese Premier,

Mr. Li Keqiang, during the Ceremonial Welcome
at Great Hall of People in Beijing, China on May 15.

A Global Celebration of Yoga

New York: The UN declared
International Day of Yoga is being celebrated the world over on June 21. The
Government of India too has lined up
and supported a wide array of events in
countries around the world, including
United States. In Washington DC, on
June 21, Embassy of India is organizing
a day-long event at the National Mall in

collaboration with various yoga organizations. In New York, Times Square is

the leading official public site for IDY
and dignitaries from the UN and India
will attend the.
Starting this issue The South Asian
Times will publish a regular page (see
page 2) on International Day of Yoga.

A view of 2000-year-old Palmyra ruins, s UNESCO World Heritage

Site. The archaeological site and town museum are now in danger
of being destroyed and looted by ISIS.

Xavier holds graduation ceremony for Class of 2015

Report and more pictures on page 15.

The Class of 2015 posing with the Board of Trustees, Deans, Faculty and Chief Financial Officer of Xavier University
School of Medicine (Aruba) at its commencement ceremony held May 16 in Long Island.

US AFFAIRS 9

BOLLYWOOD 18

SPORTS 25

SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30

Baghdad: The Islamic State terror group

now controls over half of Syrian territory
after seizing Thursday the village and
archaeological site of Palmyra, activists
monitoring Syria's civil war said.
Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told
the Associated Press the extremists overran
the archaeological site, just to the southwest
of the modern settlement on Palmyra. But
the important thing also is they now control
50% of Syria, he said.
The Washington Post added that ISIS fortified its hold on Palmyra, seizing a prison and
airport while leaving behind a trail of decapitated bodies in the city.
In Damascus, state TV acknowledged that
pro-government forces had withdrawn from
the town.
An activist in the central province of Homs
who goes by the name of Bebars al-Talawy
said ISIS has taken over the ruins at the
Continued on page 4

excellence in journalism

YOGA

May 23-29, 2015

By Parveen Chopra
oga has been growing
exponentially and organically - worldwide in the
past few decades, but credit goes to
Prime Minister Narendra Modi for
taking the initiative to get the
United Nations to declare June 21
as International Day of Yoga (IDY)
to be observed every year.
The resolution in the UN General
Assembly on Dec 11, 2014,
endorsed by a record 177 members,
recognized that yoga provides a
holistic approach to health and
well-being, and that wider dissemination of information about the
benefits of practising yoga would
be beneficial for the health of the
world population. The resolution
invited all nations, UN and world
organizations as well as civil society and NGOs to observe IDY to
raise awareness of the benefits of
practising yoga.
The UN resolution followed
Modis call during his address to
UNGA on Sept 27 last year wherein
he stated: Yoga is an invaluable
gift of India's ancient tradition. It
embodies unity of mind and body;
thought and action; restraint and
fulfillment; harmony between man
and nature; a holistic approach to
health and well-being. It is not
about exercise but to discover the
sense of oneness with yourself, the
world and nature.
June 21 was picked beause it is
the Summer Solstice and marks the
transition in the Suns celestial passage from north to south. This year
June 21 falls on a Sunday.
Lauding Modi, the Art of Living
founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who
himself had earlier lent support for
a yoga day, said, Official recognition by the UN would further
spread the benefit of yoga to the
entire world. Sri Sri and Sadhguru
Jaggi Vasudev (founder of Isha
Yoga) are girding the globe to headline events attended by thousands in
the run up to IDY.
Yoga is at least 5,000-year-old
and one of the six systems of Indian
philosophy. It was codified by
Maharishi Patanjali in 200 AD as
Yoga Darshan, containing 195 Yoga
Sutras. At its core is the eightfold
path or Ashtanga Yoga containing
observances and practices for the
holistic growth of a human being physical, moral, mental and spiritual. Yogas literal meaning of union
(of individual consciousness with
universal consciousness) lays out

Credit for UN declaration of International Day of Yoga goes to

the initiative taken by Prime Minister Modi, himself a lifelong
practitioner of yoga and pranayama.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

from it enough to continue to spend

their time and money on the practice. Besides, the asana practice,
unlike gym workouts, does create a
sense of peace and equanimity a
meditative state in short. Interest is
also kindled in practitioners about
yogas other dimensions and its origins. Yoga is part of Indias great
heritage.
UNESCOs director general Irina
Bokova, who met PM Modi in
Paris earlier this year, affirmed that
yoga is in the list of elements to be
considered by the Intangible
Heritage Committee for inscription
on UNESCO's register. She added
that UNESCO's general conference
in October will also look to endorse
IDY Modi launched a portal
(www.Idayofyoga.Org) for the
International Day of Yoga on April
10 from Paris while addressing a
gathering at UNESCO headquarters. The portal gives details of
events and venues connected with
the IDY, besides videos on individual yoga postures. The Government
of India has planned to celebrate the
IDY in countries around the world,
including United States. In

Washington DC, on June 21,

Embassy of India is organizing a
day-long event at the National Mall
in collaboration with various yoga
organizations, and community bodies. In New York, Times Square is
the leading official public site for
IDY and dignitaries from the UN
and India are scheduled to attend.
Times Square Alliance has been
holding a mass yoga session on
Summer Solstice for the last 13
years. Undoubtedly, the global
observance of the Yoga Day and
hundreds of related events will
make millions of people to become
aware of the tenets of yoga,
encouraging many to follow a yogic
lifestyle. IDY, one hopes, will provide an opening for the world community to realize human oneness,
and move beyond war and strife
towards peace and harmony.
In the run up to the International
Day of Yoga, this is the first in a
series of articles written by Parveen
Chopra, Managing Editor of The
South Asian Times. He is also
founder of Indias first spiritual
magazine, Life Positive, and a
teacher of meditation.

Featured Events
The global observance of the International Day of Yoga
will make millions of people to become aware of the tenets of
yoga, encouraging many to follow a yogic lifestyle,
creating health and harmony.

its higher reaches. Yoga to most

people today may mean the practice of asanas physical postures,
but Patanjalis treatise has only one
sutra about postures- sthira-sukham
asanam, which translates from
Sanskrit as: posture should be stable and comfortable. So where are
the numerous asanas practised in
yoga classes coming from? The
answer is: from the age-old Hatha
Yoga tradition. The modern revival
of yoga can be traced to T.
Krishnamacharya, who started
teaching it from Mysore in 1924.
Among his students prominent in
popularizing yoga in the West were
B.K.S. Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois
(Viniyasa Yoga). Another major
stream of influence within India
and abroad has been Swami
Sivananda of Rishikesh and his
equally formidable disciples including Swami Vishnu-devananda
(Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers)
and Swami Satyananda (Bihar
School of Yoga). Lately Baba
Ramdevs yoga-pranayama mix for
curing ailments has taken India by
storm. Yoga also received a fillip

with the introduction of Indian spirituality to the West starting with

Swami Vivekanandas iconic
address to the Parliament of the
Worlds Religions in 1893 in
Chicago. Followed meditation
movements
of
Yogananda
Paramahamsa, TM guru Maharishi
Mahesh Yoga, Swami Muktananda,
Osho Rajneesh, Yogi Bhajan, and
more recently Sri Sri. Their systems had a yoga component.
Today, yoga is practiced by an
estimated 300 million people
worldwide. In the western countries, you can find a yoga studio
almost every few blocks. In the US,
the number of yoga practitioners is
estimated to be over 30 million. A
survey by the redoubtable National
Institutes of Health (NIH) reported
that in 2012, nearly 10% of US
adults and 3% of children participated in yoga, almost double than
the number a decade earlier.
The purists can argue that in its
current form, yoga has been
reduced to a set of physical exercises. But the practitioners must be
liking it, enjoying it and benefitting

Sri Sri at Lincoln Center Events galore at Ganesh Temple

enowned humanitarian & spiritual leader
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
will speak on Yoga: A New
Dimension at Licln Center,
NYC, on June 21.
The event is presented by Sri Sri
founded Art of
Living
and
Global Citizen
F o r u m
launched by Dr
B K Modi, a
technology
futurepreneur and an advocate of global consciousness, and
Consulate
General of India, NY. The
event to be attended by
5,500 people, celebrates the
rich heritage of yoga
through dance, music and
meditation. Sri Sri is expected to elucidate that yoga is
more than just stretches,
poses and an elastic body.
Yoga is more than a calm,
peaceful state of mind. The
ancient secrets of hoga hold
the key to a new dimension
in your life - a dimension
beyond body and mind.

he Hindu Temple Society of North

America
will
celebrate
International Day of Yoga on June
21 at the Ganesh Temple in Flushing with
a slew of activities. Bowne Street
between Holy Avenue and 45th Avenue
in Flushing will be blocked, the area used
for education and publishing activitiestc.
Tents in the temple complex will hold
suryanamaskar/asana presentation and
practice, lectures, video presentation, etc
In addition, there will be Satvic
(wholesome) food, consultations with
experts of Ayurveda, Nutrition, and Pulse
Reading. Lectures by eminent scholars
include: Why Yogasana by Sharmila
Desai, Karma and Reincarnation by
Prof Dr. Prasad and Ayurveda and its
influence on Yoga by Dr. Naina
Marballi.
Tributes will be paid to the great yogis
like Swami Buaji, BKS Iyengar, Swami
Sivananda. A special feature will be desk
yoga - for people in sedentary occupations and senior citizens. Starting from
May 24, one specific yoga posture will be
demonstrated every week. Participants
will be encouraged with guided practice,
explanation of technique, and benefits.
Ditto for one pranayama and one meditation technique.
For more information,
www.621yogaday.com.

TRISTATE COMMUNITY

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 23-29, 2015

Jindal forms exploratory committee for presidential run

Washington, DC: Louisiana's IndianAmerican Governor Bobby Jindal has

taken another step towards a possible 2016
presidential run by forming an exploratory
committee and launching a national website, www.bobbyjindal.com.
Though Mr Jindal has said he isn't an
official candidate yet, he is expected to formally enter the race after the Louisiana
Legislature adjourns on June 11, according
to local Times Picayune newspaper.
Forming an exploratory committee
allows a potential presidential candidate to
"test the waters" for a national campaign,
raise money, take out-of-state trips or conduct polling for a potential presidential
campaign.
Mr Jindal said in a statement, "If I run,
my candidacy will be based on the idea that
the American people are ready to try a dramatically different direction. Not a course
correction, but a dramatically different
path." Jindal has made frequent visits to

Bobby Jindal had alienated many in

the Indian community by his comment
against hyphenated Americans,
apparently to broaden his appeal.

key early voting states in recent months,

testing a message centered on the need to
"restore the American Dream." But despite

his experience as governor and a compelling personal background as the

American-born son of Indian immigrants,
Jindal has struggled to make an impact in
national polls of potential Republican candidates, the Washington Post noted.
"Bobby Jindal would likely face an uphill
battle for the nomination if he decides to
run with a Republican field already
extremely crowded with six declared candidates and another half-dozen expected to
announce in the coming month," it said.
If Jindal does jump in, Indian Americans
appear ready to support him, overcoming
past reservations. The community, which
has about 1.5 million votes nationally and
considerably more financial clout, has felt
aggrieved by, as seen by it, a studied
attempt by Jindal to distance himself
from it.
Many of them supported him in his previous races for governor and Congress
irrespective of their party affiliations, and

Indian American, Asian groups allege

bias in Harvard admissions

By Arun Kumar

Washington: A coalition of
more than 60 Indian
American and other AsianAmerican groups have
sought an investigation into
what they allege are "discriminatory practices" in
Harvard
University's
admission process.
In a complaint filed May
15 with the U.S. Justice and
Education Departments, the coalition asked that
Harvard be required to "immediately cease and
desist from using racial quota or racial balancing"
to admit students.
The authorities must also "ensure that Harvard
and other Ivy League schools will never again discriminate against Asian-Americans or applicants
of any other races, the complaint said.
The complaint has the support of a number of
Indian American, Pakistani-American, Chinese
and Korean groups, according to Yukong Zhao,
one of the main organizers.
Indian groups in the coalition include the
GOPIO, NFIA, BIT Sindri Alumni Association of
North India, and the American Society of
Engineers of Indian Origin.
Also included are the Chinese-American
Association of Orange County, Calif., and the
Pakistani Policy Institute in New York.
"We want to eliminate discrimination of Asian

Americans, and we want

procedural justice for all
racial groups," Zhao told
NBC News. "All racial
groups should be treated
equal."
The 50-page complaint
alleged that "Harvard
University has engaged
illegally in direct discrimination against AsianAmerican applicants by
using stereotypes and
racial bias in its subjective 'Holistic Evaluation
Approach' and racial quota/rebalancing.
The university, it further alleged, is discriminating against Asian-American applicants by using
race as a major factor beyond what is allowed by
relevant Supreme Court decisions.
"Consequently, Asian-American applicants have
become the largest group of victims of Harvard's
racially based admissions practices," the group
alleged.
In a written statement, Harvard University general counsel Robert Iuliano said that Harvard
College has a strong track record of both recruiting and admitting Asian Americans to its school,
with the percentage of admitted Asian Americans
increasing from 17.6 % to 21 % in the last decade.
"The college's admissions policies are fully
compliant with the law and are essential to the
pedagogical objectives that underlie its educational mission," Iuliano said.

felt dumped, as he cut himself loose.

He is good man, a bright guy, said K V
Kumar, who has worked with two
Republican presidents. People misunderstand him for the way he speaks. He needs
to change that.
Jindal famously said some weeks ago that
he was tired of hyphenated Americans.
That remark upset some in the community
who argued that he doesnt have to give up
his heritage to look and become mainstream. But there is a growing understanding in the community of why, if at all,
Jindal moved away from the community.
He had to, they acknowledge, to broaden
his appeal.
That Jindal is also calculatedly appealing
to the Evangelical Christians is widely seen
in his executive order Tuesday to protect
those who do not support same-sex marriage. The order came within hours after a
bill to that effect was sidelined in the
Louisiana Legislature.

The breastaurant at center of bikers brawl

in Texas is owned by Indian Americans
Washington: The Twin
Peaks restaurant in Waco,
Texas, at the center of an
epic shootout involving
biker gangs that killed 9
and had over a hundred
arrested last week, is
owned by a Gujarati hotel
group.
The Dallas-based Chalak
Mitra Group that owned
the Twin Peaks franchise
outlet courted danger, said
the police, ignoring warnings not to host the biker The Gujarati group owned Twin Peaks in Waco,
meeting that turned into a
TX had ignored warnings by police
bloody turf war. In fact,
on security concerns.
biker meets were the specialty of the Twin Peaks outlet, one of Parikh, 36, and Jay Patel, 39.
These men met when they were busidozens of franchises the group managed across the country in an expand- ness students at the University of
ing business said to be worth $ 500 mil- Dallas and founded the company in
lion. Dubbed ''Breastaurant'' because of 1998 after selling a pool hall and game
its scantily-clad, well-endowed wait- room that they ran together. Among
resses, the owners hyped the popularity their brands is the Genghis Grill, a
of the so-called ''man cave'' with Mongolian-themed restaurant chain,
aggressive marketing -- including sell- which they acquired and launched in
ing a potent drink called ''Naked'' with 2002 and now has more than 100 units
five different liquors in it, The Times of across the South.
Meanwhile, the Twin Peaks chain's
India reported.
Among the owners of Waco Twin corporate office has revoked the Waco
Peaks is Al Bhakta, 36, the CEO of the franchise agreement, saying, they ''did
Chalak Mitra Group. Other partners not uphold the high security standards
include Chet Bhakta, 39; Nik Bhakta, we have to ensure everyone is safe at
38; both are cousins of Al -- and Ron our restaurants.''

TURN PAGE

May 23-29, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

In US, Goyal discusses opportunities in

Indias power & coal sectors
Washington, D.C.: At an industry roundtable hosted by the U.S.-India Business
Council (USIBC) here, Piyush Goyal,
Minister of State with Independent Charge
for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy,
discussed the $250 billion investment opportunity in India's growing energy sector.
Addressing senior business executives
from the energy sector, Goyal said, "Since
assuming office, our Government has laid a
solid foundation for the ease of doing business in the country. India's power generation
capacity has grown significantly - we have
seen 8.5% growth in power generation year
over year. We aim to provide electricity to
all Indians by 2019."
USIBC Executive Vice President, Diane

Farrell said, "Power is the backbone of any

economy and vital to the Prime Minister's
Make in India initiative. It is encouraging to
see the tremendous strides being made by
the sector to place India on a firm growth
trajectory. USIBC member companies are
responsive to the Government of India's
commitment to ease of doing business and
remain optimistic about investment opportunities."
The event was attended by senior executives from USIBC member companies: First
Solar, Oracle, GE, XCoal, Gasification
Technologies Council, Vermeer, AECOM,
International Paper, 3M, and Westinghouse.Energy Minister Piyush Goyal

Gita Rash made debut in an off-Broadway play Jaya invited to form government
New York: Gita Rash made
her Broadway debut in an
off-Broadway play titled
Send in the Ha Has, an
evening of laughs. It is a
collection of short stories.
She also played the lead in
A Box of Ashes, the play
directed by Alice Camarota
and produced by Adam
Roebuck.
Gita Rash has a double
Masters Degree in Business
Administration
and
History/Political Science.
She is fluent in five languages including French.
During her stay in Europe
she trained in ballroom
dancing; Salsa Flamenco.
Drawing from her vast
international travels, she has Actress ad artist Gita Rash

developed a passion for the

visual and performing Arts.
The old medieval towns of
France inspired her to
retrace the steps of the
Master artists and create
colorful landscapes in oil.
Some of her work can be
viewed on her website
www.gitaart.com.
As model-actress, Gita has
appeared in several television and web commercials,
industrials,
corporate
Training Videos, Print
advertisements, TV shows, a
sitcom and a few films. She
is passionate about promoting a healthy lifestyle and
has authored a Low fat
Indian cookbook available
on Amazon Kindle.

Chennai: Accepting the resignation of Tamil Nadu

Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam
and his council of ministers on
Friday Governor K. Rosaiah invited
AIADMK general secretary J.
Jayalaltihaa to form the ministry at
the earliest, a Raj Bhavan statement
said. Rosaiah also requested
Jayalalithaa to send the list of people to be appointed as ministers with their portfolios. It
was a day of fast paced political development on the
expected lines within the ruling party.
At 7 a.m., the lawmakers of AIADMK at their meeting at the party headquarters elected Jayalalithaa as the
leader of the legislature party.
It is expected that Jayalalithaa would be sworn in as
the chief minister on Saturday, according to party
sources. Jayalalithaa had to leave the position of chief
minister and assembly seat (Srirangam constituency)
after she was convicted and given a four-year jail term
along with Rs.100 crore fine by a trial court in
Bengaluru in a disproportionate assets case. She has
since been acquitted.
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Chairman and Co-Founder

Kamlesh C. Mehta
Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull
(Editor@DesiClub.com)

Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra

P : 516.710.0508
Editor@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Associate Editors Jinal Shah,
Hiral Dholakia-Dave, Meenakshi Iyer

President: Arjit Mehta

Chief Operating Officer:
Ginsmon P. Zacharia
P: 516 776 7061
ginsmon@hotmail.com
Board Advisors (Honorary)
Ajay Lodha, MD,
Lakhpat B. Mehta, Esq.
Rajasthan High Court & Supreme Court

Contributing Editors:Nilima Madan,

Melvin Durai, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma,
Harry Aurora, Ashok Vyas,
Dr Akshat Jain, Nupur Joshi
Contributing Editors (Youth):
Rhea Gupta, Shweta Lodha, Sidharth Goyal
West Coast Correspondent
Pooja Jain,
Pooja@TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Strategy and Marketing

Jinal Shah
P: 315-436-1142
jinal.shah85@gmail.com
Marketing & PR (Washington DC)
Chander Gambhir, P: 703.717.1667
Jaipur (India) Bureau
Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/
masalajunction.com.
Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com
Photo Journalist: Sandeep Ganatra

ISIS controls half of Syria after...

Continued from page 1
UNESCO world heritage site,
Palmyra, famous for its 2,000-yearold towering Roman-era colonnades
and other ruins and priceless artifacts. Before the war, thousands of
tourists ever year visited the remote
desert outpost, a cherished landmark
referred to by Syrians as the "Bride
of the Desert." Both activists said
Thursday that ISIS had not damaged
the ruins so far. ISIS has previously
destroyed major archaeological sites
in Iraq that predate the founding of
Islam. Sky News of UK reported
that hundreds of statues and artifacts
had been taken to safety ahead of
the ISIS advancement, but larger
items, such as stone tombs, could
not be removed in time. In
Damascus Maamoun AbdulKarim, head of the Antiquities and
Museum Department said Palmyra's
town museum had suffered "minor
damages" during the ISIS onslaught.
We hoped the international community wouldnt fail to defend
Palmyra, but we didnt see any actual reaction by it, he lamented.
"We are in a state of anticipation
and fear" about what will happen to
"the archaeological site and the
remaining artifacts in the museum,"
he added. The fall of Palmyra came
days after ISIS seized Ramadi from
Iraqi troops, putting a question mark
on US strategy against ISIS.
Modi woos all, winds up three ...
Continued from page 1
Indian Prime Minister ever to visit
the northeast Asian country. The two
countries inked 13 agreements,
including in air services, cyber security and transfer of sentenced prisoners. He was in South Korea on
May 18-19, during which he held
talks with President Park Gyeun-hye
and a number of agreements were
inked. Seoul offered to provide $10
billion for infrastructure projects in
India, including smart cities and
railways.

Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah

Art and Design: Vladimir Tomovski
Bhagwati Creations,
Dhiraj Kumar
Web Editor: B.B.Chopra
News Service: HT Media Ltd.
IANS Newswire Services
IANS Washington Bureau
Arun Kumar
arun.kumar@ians,in
Printing: Five Star Printing, NY
Contacts
Editor@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Subscribe@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Advertisements
Advertise@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
P : 516.390.7847, F : 516.465.1343
Website:
www.TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Printed Every Saturday by: Forsythe Media Group, LLC, ISSN 1941-9333, 76 N Broadway, Suite 2004, Hicksville, NY 11801 P: 516.390.7847
Website: TheSouthAsianTimes.info Updated Daily
Notice: The South Asian Times is published weekly by The Forsythe Media Group, LLC. POSTMASTER: Send all address notices, subscription orders/payments and other inquiries to The South Asian
Times, 76 N Broadway, Suite 2004, Hicksville, NY 11801, USA. Copyright and all other rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be reprinted without the consent of the publisher. The
views expressed on the opinion pages and in the letters to the editor pages are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of The South Asian Times. The editor/publisher does not warrant accuracy
and cannot be held responsible for the content of the advertisements placed in the publication and/or inaccurate claims, if any, made by the advertisers. Advertisements of business or facilities included in this
publication do not imply connection or endorsement of these businesses. All rights reserved.

TRISTATE COMMUNITY

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India's new envoy Arun Singh presents

credentials to Obama

Washington, DC: India's new

ambassador to the US, Arun
Kumar Singh formally presented
his credentials to President
Barrack Obama at a ceremony in
his Oval Office at the White
House.
Obama warmly welcomed
Singh back to Washington and
wished him success in his new
responsibilities as India's envoy
to the US.
He fondly recalled his visit to
India in January and personal
friendship with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
Singh, in turn, conveyed warm
greetings from President Pranab
Mukherjee and Modi to him and
First Lady Michelle Obama.
Singh said that he was committed to work towards making the
India-US strategic partnership
global in outlook, strategic in
content and transformative for
India's development, as decided
by the leaders of the two countries in the summits held in
September 2014 and January
2015. Singh was first of the

Ambassador Arun Singh with President Obama

at the White House

seven new ambassadors to present his credentials at the traditional ceremony that marks the
formal beginning of an ambassador's service in Washington.
Singh, who takes the place of

S. Jaishankar following the latter's elevation as foreign secretary in January, had assumed his
new assignment April 30 after
presenting a copy of the credentials to the State Department.

BAPS Charities donates to Direct Relief and

UNICEF for Nepal Earthquake Relief
Piscataway, NJ: Direct Relief and
the U.S. Fund for UNICEF have
been selected by BAPS Charities
as the recipients of $25,000 and
$30,000 respectively in support of
disaster relief aid in the aftermath
of the earthquake in Nepal. BAPS
Charities is in communication with
these organizations, as well as the
Nepal Embassy and One Heart
Worldwide, to determine greatest
needs for further funding designation. Safety and livelihood are primary concerns in the face of devastation from mega-earthquakes,
said Nilkanth Patel, President of
BAPS Charities.
Health and education are two
focus areas that significantly
impact a communitys ability to
rebuild, and so we felt the need to
address those challenges in Nepal.
Since news of the earthquake
reached the United States early
Saturday morning on April 25th,
BAPS Charities has been raising
funds to support the response

efforts on the ground. BAPS

Charities has a long history of
relief aid in South Asia, particularly in 2001 following the earthquake in Gujarat, India, where volunteers reached Kutch within minutes.
The most recent situation report
from the United Nations in Nepal
cites urgent needs for
orthopedic equipment and supplies in Kathmandu Valley in
assisting injured patients who need
post-operation follow-up and rehabilitation.
BAPS Charities has supported
Direct Relief with the procurement
of portable X-ray machines and
ventilators, materials specifically
requested from the organization by
the Ministry of Health Partners in
Nepal. Approximately 178,000 lbs
of requested medical materials
including IV solutions, antibiotics,
gloves, IV tubing, and other supplies departed the Direct Relief
warehouse for Nepal on May 5th.

May 23-29, 2015

Now Pakistan group also wants Indiaday like parade on Oak Tree Road
New York: The annual India Day
Parade has remained controversial
for a few years now with two IndianAmerican groups dueling over permits for organizing the same on the
Oak Tree Road, a predominantly
South-Asian neighborhood bordering Edison and Iselin section of
Woodbridge.
Since 2011, however, one group
got a parade permit from Edison and
the other from Woodbridge.
Now comes a new conflict and the
potential to further inflame tensions
between parade organizers and officials in both townships.
The Edison-based PakistanAmerican Council wants to celebrate
its home country's independence
from the British. And they want to
do it on Oak Tree Road according to
a mycentraljersey.com report.
India celebrates its independence
on Aug. 15, a day after Pakistan. The
problem is that Woodbridge has a
law banning more than one parade
that closes streets within a 60-day
period the news report says.
Sam Khan, an executive committee member of PAC, says Edison

already has granted the group a permit.

"We don't want to make it political," mycentraljersey.com quoted
Khan saying Tuesday. "There are so
many Pakistanis in the community.
They want to do an Independence
Day celebration, too. What is the
reason for this ordinance?"
Township spokesman John
Hagerty said the Township Council
adopted the rule many years ago on
the request of business owners who
did not want street closures keeping
customers away.
While Khan insists that the
parade's 1,000 marchers could be
escorted down the road with police
escort without having to close side
streets, township officials disagree.
The report quotes Hagerty saying,
"There is no way an event could be
held on Oak Tree Road or surrounding streets with that many people
without a street closure, without
police patrols, without traffic controls."
Khan said his group planned to
address the Township Council during a public meeting Tuesday.

American woman gets 24 years for

pushing Indian man to death

New York: A 33-year-old American

woman has been sentenced to 24
years in prison for pushing an
Indian man to death in front of a
subway train in an attack apparently
motivated by religious animus.
Erika Menendez had pleaded
guilty in March before Queens
Supreme Court Justice Gregory
Lasak for shoving Sunando Sen, 46
to his death as the subway train
entered the station on the night of
December 27, 2012.
Menendez however insisted that
she could not remember why she
had pushed Sen onto the path of an
approaching train.
A report in the New York Post
said Lasak expressed his outrage
over Sen's death before sentencing
her.
"For whatever reason, when you
gave your statement to police after
you were arrested, you said, 'I hate
Muslims and the Hindus.' Do you
remember that?" the judge asked.

Erika Menendez (left) pushed

Sunando Sen in front
of a subway train

Menendez replied she did not.

"You picked out Sen, who was on
that platform and you stood behind
him and you followed him," the
judge said.
"This was a particularly brutal
homicide. I can only imagine his
final thoughts. That's a horrible,
horrible way to die," Lasak said

adding that Menendez's act terrorized the whole city.

"Millions of people take the trains
every day in New York City to go to
work or to go to school or other
destinations, and they want to feel
safe," Lasak said. "And this put a
chilling effect on all the ridership."
Sen, an immigrant from India,
had lived in Queens for years and
had opened his own printing and
copying business near Columbia
University.
He was unmarried and his parents
were dead, according to roommates
who lived with him in a small apartment. Following Menendez's guilty
plea, Queens District Attorney
Richard Brown had said she committed "what is every subway commuters worst nightmare being
suddenly and senselessly pushed
into the path of an oncoming train."
He had said Sen was shoved from
behind and had no chance to defend
himself.

May 23-29, 2015

TRISTATE COMMUNITY

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

IN BRIEF

Eighth season of MetLife South Asian

Spelling Bee announced

Obama names Yale professor

Akhil Amar to key admin post
resident Barack Obama has
named an Indian-American professor from Yale University as a
member of the prestigious National
Council on Humanities. The nomination
of Akhil Amar, Sterling Professor of
Law and Political Science at the university since 2008, was announced along
with other key administration positions.
"I am confident that these outstanding
individuals will serve the American
people well, and I look forward to working with them," the President said in a
statement.
Amar has been a professor at both
Yale Law School and Yale College since

1985 and has held various professorships. He is co-editor of a constitutional law casebook, 'Processes of Constitutional Decision-making', and has written several other books on constitutional law.
Amar is a member of the Board of Directors of the Constitutional Accountability Center and the Coalition of Freedom Advisory Board of the National
Constitution Center.
He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in
2007 and was named a Senior Scholar
by the National Constitution Center in
2000.

Ekals annual fundraiser on June 7

to feature music concert
n keeping with its practice of bringing
the best of Bollywood entertainment as
a part of its annual fund-raising concerts Ekal Vidyalaya is hosting an enchanting musical event on June 7. Billed as Ek
Shaam Ekal Ke Naam - an unforgettable
journey of Bollywood melodies that would
take you back to your youthful days, this
concert will be held at the state-of-the-art
Nicholas Music Center of Rutgers University (85 George Street), in New Brunswick,
N.J. at 3 PM. The headlining artistes are
'Rana Chatterjee & Sangeeta Melekar' with
their talented group of instrumentalists.
The June 7 concert contributions are $30
(Gold Section - almost sold-out) & $25
(Silver-section) per person.
Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation - USA is a
nationwide non-profit, tax-exempt organization devoted to uplifting tribal-rural
masses of India, with emphasis on functional education, healthcare training, and

Charlotte to replace Orlando center

t a glittering event held at the Indian Consulate in New York and

attended by top dignitaries including the Indian Minister of Power & Coal,
Touchdown Media Inc., the leading multicultural advertising firm, May 19 announced the launch of the eighth season of
the MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee.
MetLife, a leading global provider of life
insurance, annuities, employee benefits
and asset management, returns as the title
sponsor of the contest.
The event is open to children of South
Asian descent up to 14 years of age. It will
give South Asian children a chance to test
their spelling skills in their core peer
group. Interested spellers need their parent
or guardian to register them online at

Anjali Mehta of Princeton, NJ receives

Fulbright Award

njali Mehta, resident of Princeton, NJ of American University in Washington, DC has been offered a Fulbright
U.S. Student Program grant to Brazil for an English
Teaching Assistantship, the United States Department of State
and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced recently. Mehta is one of over 1,900 U.S. citizens who
will travel abroad for the 2015-2016 academic year through the
Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright grants
are selected on the basis of academic and professional achieveAnjali Mehta ment, as well as demonstrated leadership potential.

An Ekal school in rural India

social empowerment. According to Satish

Karnik, the President of Central N.J. Chapter, It takes only $365 to sponsor one Ekal
School of 35-40 children, for one complete
year. We want people to kindly sponsor as
many 'Ekal schools as they possibly can.
For
more
info
visit
www.ekal.org/event/ekaledison
or
www.sulekha.com/ekalnj.

Filmmaker Prashant Bhargava

dies of heart attack
cclaimed Indian American filmmaker Prashant Kumar Bhargava
died of cardiac arrest in Manhattan, New York, May 15 at the age of 42 after a history of heart disease, his sister
Anurima Bhargava told the New York
Times.
Bhargava released his first and only feature-length film Patang, which followed
the lives of six people during a kite-flying
festival in Ahmedabad, in 2012 to high
praises.
He most recently collaborated with
composer Vijay Iyer on Radhe Radhe:
Rites of Holi based on composer Igor
Stravinskys The Rite of Spring.
The rising filmmaker from Chicago
spent his career uniting the cultural influences from his Indian background with

www.southasianspellingbee.com.
Organized by Touchdown Media Inc.,
the 2015 MetLife South Asian Spelling
Bee will be conducted in 12 locations
across the United States starting on June
13. Regional level events will be held in
Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Charlotte,
Washington, D.C. Metro, New Jersey,
New York and Boston. All events will be
free to attend and open to the public.
The top two spellers of each regional
competition will advance to the finals to
be held in New Jersey in August. Similar
to previous years MetLife has once again
funded the $10,000 champions grand
prize that will be awarded to the winner at
the finals.

Eighth grader Malini Rudra

part of winning golf team

he Syosset Varsity Girls golf

team won the 2 day Nassau
County Championship held at
Bethpage Golf course. This was the
second win two years in a row. In the
individual event Liz Choi a Syosset
senior won her individual championship a record 4 times, and tied for
runners up was Malini Rudra, 8th
grader from Syosset's Harry B
Thompson middle school. Both along
Malini Rudra with her golf team
with six others who qualified from
various high schools will represent
Schools golf championship to be held at
Nassau County at the NY State Public SUNY Delhi on June 13&14.

Time Warner Cable adds India to list of unlimited home phone calling plan
ime Warner Cable last month announced the addition of India to its growing
list of international destinations as part of the Unlimited Home Phone National calling plan. This means that unlimited calls can be made to India at no additional charge and are treated the same as long-distance calls anywhere in the U.S.,
Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mexico, China and Hong Kong.
Currently, the Home Phone National plan offer is $10 and Times Warner Cable will
be deploying street teams in communities with a large Indian population, beginning
in NYC along with holding special store events in two NYC locations featuring Bollywood dancers, Henna artist, Indian Food truck and giveaways.

Prashant Bhargava

the American culture in which he was

brought up, including in his movies.

NATIONAL COMMUNITY

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 23-29, 2015

Karan Jerath wins $50000 Young Scientist Award

He received the prize for his work on refining a system to plug oil spill in seas

New York: An Indian American

student won the prestigious Intel
Foundation Young Scientist
Award Friday, while nine students
from across India won awards in
various categories and ve US
students were awarded science
trips to India at the Intel
International Science and
Engineering Fair (IISEF) in
Pittsburgh.
The IISEF honors the world's
most promising high school student scientists, inventors and
engineers selected through rigorous competitions held around the
world. Many past winners have
gone on to win Nobel Prizes and
other prestigious awards.
For his work on rening a system to help protect the seas from
oil-drilling disasters, Karan
Jerath, 18, of Friendswood, Texas,

Karan Jerath

received the $50,000 Young

Scientist Award, the second highest prize at the IISEF.
Jerath was also one of the ve
students selected for the Intel and
Indo-US Science and Technology

Forum Visit to India Award. They

will receive a weeklong visit to
India to showcase their research
projects, visit research leading
institutions and interact with top
scientists.
Onkar Singh Gujral, 18, of La
Martiniere for Boys in Kolkata,
won the Association of
Computing Machinery rst award
and the second award in the
System software category for his
entry on image processing algorithms for detecting nanomaterials. The other Indian winners
came from Delhi, Kozhikode,
Mangalore and Panipat.
An Indian American foundation,
gave ten awards at the Fair.
Sanjana J. Rane, 17, of Louisville,
Kentucky, received the rst award
for work relating to renal brosis
from the Ashtavadhani Vidwan

Hillary adds Mini Timmaraju to her team

as director of Womens Outreach
Washington, DC: The 2016
Presidential candidate Hillary
Clinton has added one more Indian
American to her campaign team.
Mini Timmaraju will be new
Director of HRCs Women's
Outreach. Currently as the
National Director for NCAPA, a
coalition of thirty-four national
Asian Pacic American organizations, Mini Timmaraju represents
the interests of the greater Asian
American (AA) and Native
Hawaiian Pacic Islander (NHPI)
communities and strives to provide
a national voice for their issues.
She is also a partner in Strategic
Infrastructure LLC a Houston,
Texas based, women owned, small
business working with state and
local governments, as per her prole put up on About.me.
She most recently served as
Chief of Staff for Congressman
Ami Bera M.D. Congressman Bera
is the only Indian American serving in the U.S. House of
Representatives. As Chief of Staff
she was responsible for the management of the DC and district

ofces as well as the legislative

and outreach strategy of the ofce
striving to maximize services and
effectively represent the constituents of Californias 7th
Congressional District. She was
also the primary staff member
focused on the US India relationship and the larger Indian
American community.
Prior to this role, she served as
Director of the Ofce of the
President at Planned Parenthood
Federation of America partnering
with President Cecile Richards and
the PPFA executive team to facili-

tate fast-moving projects with the

highest-level view of the strategic
direction of Planned Parenthood.
She also managed the staff and
resources of the Ofce of the
President and Board Affairs. This
position was the culmination of a
ve year career with Planned
Parenthood which included serving
as Vice President of Public Affairs
and Government Relations for
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast.
Mini received her Bachelor's
degree at the University of
California-Berkeley and completed
her J.D. at the University of
Houston Law Center where she
was the recipient of the Joan
Garnkle Glantz award for outstanding work in the eld of civil
rights and the Class of 1999
Distinguished Service Award. Over
her 20 year career she has held
numerous senior positions with
state and local political and advocacy campaigns and organizations.
Her hobbies and interests include
cooking, travel, karaoke and the
study and performance of
Hindustani classical music.

Ambati Subbaraya Chetty

Foundation based in Georgia.
Five American students of Indian
descent were among those who
received the foundations second
awards.
About 1,700 students who participated at the IISEF in
Pittsburgh were the top performers at 422 afliated fairs held in
75 countries. At the IISEF their
projects went through rigorous
evaluations by about 1,000 judges
with PhDs or equivalent qualications from across scientic disciplines.
Seventeen students from India
were selected for the IISEF from
the National Science Fair held by
Initiative for Research and
Innovation in Science.
Maya Ajmera, who is Indian
descent and heads the Society for

Science and the Public that conducts the IISEF, congratulated the
winners and said, "These talented
young students are the problem
solvers and innovators of their
generation."
The top prize, the $75,000
Gordon E. Moore Award, went to
Raymond Wang, 17, of Canada.
Scores of Indian American students won awards in various categories, ve of them getting the
rst award in their specializations,
biochemistry, behavioral sciences,
environmental engineering, mathematics and energy physics. More
than 200 Indian American students were among the nalists at
the IISEF, having won regional
competitions across the US. In
addition, students of Indian
descent came from South Africa,
Malaysia and Singapore.

Microsoft partners with Braigo

founder Shubham to realize his dream
Washington, DC: A 13-year-old
Indian-origin boy, who made
headlines for inventing a lowcost Braille printer, has found a
new partner in Microsoft which
is helping the teenager to realize
his dream of improving life for
the blind.
Shubham Banerjee, 13, is now
working with a team of the technology giant to bring an updated
version of his Braille printer,
which he calls Braigo 2.0, to
market. The invention has been
hailed as the rst low-cost, IoTenabled, silent and lightweight
Braille printer.
At the age of 12, Shubham,
who is from Santa Clara,
California, became the youngest
entrepreneur ever to receive venture capital funding when Intel
Capital invested in his startup,
Braigo Labs.
"Our
relationship
with
Microsoft will help Braigo
achieve a seamless experience
for a visually impaired person
who wants to use a computer at
home or at the ofce to print doc-

Shubham Banerjee, 13 is
working with Microsoft to
bring updated version of his
Braille printer to market

uments for ofine reading," the

eighth grader was quoted as saying on a Microsoft Windows
blog. His invention was featured
at the rst ever "White House
Maker Faire" in June last year to
"celebrate a nation of makers and
help empower America's students
and entrepreneurs to invent the
future". Banerjee was invited to
the White House for developing
an accessible solution for blind
and disadvantaged people across
the globe.

NATIONAL COMMUNITY

May 23-29, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

USIBC concludes successful digital economy mission to India

Washington, DC: The U.S.India Business Council (USIBC)

concluded its Digital Economy
Executive Mission to New Delhi,
India. The delegation expressed
its commitment to the Indian
market, called for further dialogue with the government on
issues related to ease of doing
business, and discussed strategies
for achieving the Government of
India's priorities, particularly the
Digital India and Make in India
initiatives. The delegation was
chaired by Joe Alhadeff,
Chairman of USIBC's Digital
Economy Executive Committee,
and included participation from
Amazon, Apple, Cisco, Corning,
Ericsson, Facebook, Google,
Hughes Networks Systems, IBM,
Intel, Nvidia Graphics, Oracle,
Symantec, Texas Instruments,
and Uber.

"We had productive meetings

with the Government of India,"
said Joe Alhadeff, leader of the
USIBC delegation. "We discussed ways in which the industry can support the government in
turning their ambitious goals into
tangible results by pursuing these
initiatives and continuing to
improve the ease of doing business."
During the visit, the Digital
Economy delegation met with
government officials across all
areas of the Digital Economy and
attended the Department of
Telecommunication's National
M2M Roadmap Conference.
"We were pleased to participate
in the roll out conference of the
M2M Roadmap. M2M, IOT and
Cloud are essential technologies
of a Digital India and a prosperous India", said Alhadeff, who

spoke on the panel with members

of DoT and DeitY."
The delegation also hosted a
briefing on e-commerce issues in
India, chaired by the Department
of Investment Policy and
Promotion and featured experts
from PwC and internet start-ups
such as Karma Recycling and
Nykaa. They also attended the
Minister of Commerce's consultation on FDI for e-commerce.
"USIBC is encouraged by the
government's decision to revisit
the FDI policy in the e-commerce
sector," said Gaurav Verma,
Senior Director at USIBC.
"Opening FDI in e-commerce
will spur manufacturing, enhance
supply chain efficiency, and provide greater access to consumers
throughout India," he said.
Harish Krishnan, Executive
Director of Public Affairs at

Indian-American policeman wins police award

Houston: A 44-year-old
department is proud of Saini"
Indian-American policesaid Muzaffar Siddiqi, senior
man has been awarded
police officer of city Police
the prestigious "Top
department.
Civilian Supervisor of the
Various community leaders
Year" award for his effiincluding Gurdip Singh Buttar,
cient services to the
S Gurnam Singh Sandhar,
Houston Police departAjinder Singh Dhatt were presment in Texas.
ent during the occasion and
Harkeert Singh Saini
congratulated Saini for his
received the award from
achievement.
Police Chief Charles A
Saini, a graduate from
McClelland and Houston
Deshbandu College in New
Mayor Anise Parker dur- Harkeert Singh Saini (center) with the award Delhi, hails from Hoshiarpur
ing a function held at the
in Punjab. He came to the city
Hyatt Regency Hotel here earlier Police department for the last 15 in 1998, joined Houston Police
years. "Harkeert Singh Saini is a Department in March 2000 and was
this week.
Saini, a police records supervisor very efficient officer and very wor- subsequently promoted as an office
has been working for the Houston thy of this award. Houston police supervisor in the following years.

One more store clerk shot dead in robbery attempt

Washington, DC: An Indian
man, who was working as a
clerk at a convenience store in
Florida has been shot dead by a
teenager in an apparent robbery
attempt, the second such incident in just over a month.
Manav Deshi, who was in his
30s, was shot in the face by a
16-year-old teenager Mau 20 in
St Augustine. The incident has
sent shockwaves among the
small but vibrant Indian-

American community in
Florida.
Deshi, who recently moved to
St Augustine in Florida from
North Carolina, died instantly
inside the store after he was shot
by the teenager who had covered his face with a handkerchief, local media reported citing eyewitnesses.
The accused along with his
accomplice has been arrested by
the police after a long high-

speed chase. They face multiple

charges.
Deshi had moved to Florida
only two months ago and was
excited for his upcoming wedding, media reports said.
Deshi's parents were on their
way to Florida from India. In
April, 39-year-old Sanjay Patel
was shot dead by two masked
men during an apparent robbery
attempt at a gas station in
Connecticut.

USIBC Digital Economy Delegation with Minister of State for

Finance, Jayant Sinha

Cisco India and Vice-Chairman

of USIBC's Digital Economy
Committee said, "We commend
the Government of India's serious
approach to enhancing the ease of

doing business in the country and

we are encouraged by the frank,
action-oriented approach the
Government is taking to achieve
this goal."

Cancun named #1 Mexican

destination for Indian weddings

Cancun, Mexico: Cancun was

named the number one tourist destination in Mexico for Hindu weddings by Dream Weddings Mexico,
one of the destinations top wedding
planning firms. The announcement
was made by the Cancun
Convention & Visitors Bureau
(CVB) during the second edition of
the South Asian Wedding
Certification press conference on
May 6. The creation of a South
Asian Wedding Institute located in
Cancun, the first in all of the
Americas, was also announced.
With almost 350 Hindu ceremonies performed in Cancun every
year, the destination seeks to continue to cater to this segment and
therefore invests in wedding certification programs to offer local
experts in Hindu weddings. Cancun
certification programs will take
place July 14, 15 and 16 at Live
Aqua Cancun Hotel & Resort.
During the press conference,
Brenda Fernandez, CEO of Dream
Weddings Mexico and the only
India-certified Mexican wedding
planner for Hindu Weddings,
announced that in the last four years
Cancun has become a favorite wedding destination for Hindus living in
the U.S. and Canada. This increase

Almost 350 Hindu wedding

ceremonies are performed
each year in Cancun

in popularity is mostly due to the

destinations beautiful beaches,
renowned service, modern hotel
offerings, and its broad international
flight connections.
According to Fernandez, with the
number of certified specialized wedding planners in the Mexican
Caribbean increasing yearly, the
number of Hindu ceremonies in
Cancun is expected to increase 30
percent in the coming years. The
three-day South Asian Wedding
Certification Program will host 50
wedding planners in Cancun to prepare them to organize Hindu wedding
ceremonies, a training that is being
supported by the Indian embassys
Cultural Center and includes topics
such as culture, ceremonies, cuisine,
floral design, religion, dress, music,
decoration, & more.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

US AFFAIRS

Pressured by Feds, Takata to recall

airbags in 34 million cars

Washington, DC: After months of negotiations, Takata Corporation has agreed to

recall 34 million airbags that can explode
and spray shrapnel into cars' passengers
compartments. Six deaths and 100 injuries
have been attributed to the defect so far.
The agreement between Takata and the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) comes after
Takata at first denied the airbags were
defective and at one point even questioned
NHTSA's authority to order a recall.
Six deaths and 100 injuries have been
From the very beginning, our goal has
attributed to Takata airbag defect so far.
been simple: a safe airbag in every vehicle.
The steps were taking today represent sig- ly test replacements. He said consumers
nificant progress toward that goal, said should continue to drive their cars while
NHTSA administrator Mark R. Rosekind. checking with their dealers on the progress
He added that the $14,000 per day fine that of the recall for their particular vehicle.
the agency has been levying against Takata
While conceding the fix is not perfect,
would be lifted now that it has agreed to safety officials tried to put the best face on
cooperate.
the situation by stressing that Takata was
Rosekind acknowledged that it could now cooperating and auto manufacturers
take years to recall and replace all of the are dedicated to conducting recall camdefective airbag inflators and to thorough- paigns as effectively as possible.

Boston bomber sentenced to death

that carried the death
Washington: A US federal
jury in Boston on Friday
penalty.
sentenced 21-year-old
Tsarnaev had no expression as a court clerk read
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to
the verdict sentencing him
death for his role in the
to death, local media The
2013 Boston marathon
bombing attacks and the
Boston Globe reported.
killing of a police officer
The sentence came down
exactly 25 months after the
when on the run, media
April 15, 2013 bombings,
reported on Saturday.
one of the bloodiest attacks
The federal jury unaniin America since the Sept.
mously chose death by
lethal injection for A sketch of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev 11, 2001 attacks.
Tsarnaev, a KyrgyzstanTsarnaev was 19 when
born US citizen, over the only other option: carried out a twin deadly bombings with his
life in prison without possibility of release, older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev at the
crowded finishing line at the signature event
Xinhua news agency reported.
The same panel of seven women and five of Boston Marathon.
Three people were killed in the bombings
men convicted Tsarnaev last month of all 30
charges against him, including 17 counts and 264 more were severely injured.

170 charged after 9 die in

bikers gangs shootout in Texas
Waco, Texas: Texas police say
170 people are to face organized
crime charges after a bike-gang
shooting that left nine people dead
and 18 others injure Waco city on
Sunday.
The shootout occurred in a parking lot near the Twin Peaks restaurant. All the dead were members of
rival motorcycle gangs. The fight
broke out in the Twin Peaks after
an argument, with the brawlers
spilling outside into the parking
lot, police said. Police were on the
scene when the shooting started
and officers fired on some of the
bikers to put an end to the clash
and prevent further bloodshed.
Afterward, law enforcement
authorities found chains, knives,
garrots, firearms and other
weaponry scattered around the
area.

May 23-29, 2015

Cancer charities exposed for

pocketing $187 mn
Washington, DC: The Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) and the attorney generals of all 50 states and the District of
Columbia in the US have filed a joint lawsuit against four anti-cancer charities for
defrauding donors of $187 million.
According to the suit filed in an Arizona
court on Tuesday, Cancer Fund of America,
Children's Cancer Fund of America, Cancer
Support Services and The Breast Cancer
Society are all fraudulent beneficent organizations that swindled its donors between
2008 and 2012, the New York Attorney
General's Office said in a communique.
Two of the organizations implicated and
the three individuals who direct them have
accepted the basis of an accord previously
offered by the plaintiffs that includes payment of $137 million, dissolution of the
organizations and a strict rule that their
directors may never again work for charitable organizations.
The lawsuit continues for the rest of the
defendants.
The complaint considers the case to be
dealing with a massive nationwide fraud,
since the accused spent most of the donations they received for their own benefit,
hiding their underhanded activities from
donors with accounting records designed to
show that medications and other materials
were being sent to developing countries.

The Children's Cancer Fund of

America and Breast Cancer Society
have agreed to shut down.

"Cancer is a debilitating disease that

impacts millions of Americans and their
families every year. The defendants' egregious scheme effectively deprived legitimate cancer charities and cancer patients of
much-needed funds and support," Jessica
Rich, director of the FTC's Bureau of
Consumer Protection, said.
The note said that some 85 percent of
donations went to professional fundraisers,
while the rest went to pay salaries for the
directors, who hired friends and family
members to help simulate charitable operations.
The suit says that among the ways the
accused spent their ill-gotten gains were on
Caribbean cruises, trips to Disney World,
tickets to concerts and dating site memberships. The defendants used a mere three percent of the funds for charity work.

Lettermans Late
Show leaves a legacy
New York: As he had planned
over a year ago, David
Letterman has retired from hosting The Late Show on CBS. His
last star-studded show aired on
May 20, culminating a remarkable 33-year run, with over 6,000
episodes. He is credited with breathing new life into
the talk show genre, with an array of innovative,
often outlandish antics, and became a role model for
a generation of comedians. He turned signature segments like Stupid Pet Tricks and his Top 10 list into
American cultural institutions.
One blemish on his career appeared when in
October 2009 Letterman announced that he had been
the victim of a blackmail attempt by someone threatening to reveal that he had had sex with several of
his female employees, and at the same time, he confirmed that he had had such relationships.
Comedian and political satirist Stephen Colbert
succeeds Letterman on The Late Show.

Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385

718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.com

10

US AFFAIRS

May 23-29, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Why Hillary Clinton vs Jeb Bush in 2016 isn't a validation of dynastic politics
In the US, the world's most egalitarian democracy, dynasty does not succeed and has not succeeded for 200 years.
OPINION
By Minhaz Merchant
ongress partymen in India
can't stop smiling. "Did
you read," one said gleefully, "even in the United States
they've gone back to dynasty?" He
was referring to the likelihood of a
US presidential contest in
November 2016 between Hillary
Clinton and Jeb Bush. So, are
political dynasties back? Not
quite. The Clinton-Bush face-off,
if it does take place, will prove the
exact opposite. But the superficial
atmospherics of a Clinton and a
Bush fighting a US presidential
election have seduced many into
believing not only that dynastic
politics is back in the world's most
powerful and egalitarian democracy but that dynastic politics is
actually good for democracy.
The Economist was among
those thus seduced. In a recent
cover story on dynasty, it wrote
breathlessly (and inaccurately):
"In politics the Clintons and the
Bushes hardly count as exceptions." In India, the Congress and
other family-led parties are equally excited. "It's Rahul's time now,"
they say. "If America can justify a
second Clinton and a third Bush as
president, why can't India justify a
fourth Nehru-Gandhi as prime
minister?"
Mani Shankar Aiyar, the
Congress' Rajya Sabha MP whose
unshakeable loyalty to the NehruGandhi family would embarrass a
lesser man, has already anointed
Rahul Gandhi as prime minister in
2019. Speaking in Kumbakonam
on May 3, he declared: "The
Congress will win the next Lok
Sabha elections and Rahul Gandhi
will become the next prime minister."
The Economist is wrong:
Dynastic politics is bad, not good,
for democracy. Delighted
Congressmen too are wrong. The
putative Bush-Clinton presidential
contest is not an endorsement of

dynastic politics. Here's why.

The first US president, George
Washington, took office in 1789.
Since then, in 226 years and
through 44 presidents, only thrice
has a single family produced more
than one president: John Adams
(1797-1801) and his son John
Quincy Adams (1825-29);
William Harrison (who died in
office after serving for just a
month in 1841) and his grandson
Benjamin Harrison (1889-93);
and, of course, most recently the
two George Bushes - exceptions
who prove the centuries-old rule
in American politics: dynasties
don't work. (Presidents Theodore
Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt
were only fifth cousins.)
The candidacies of Republican
Jeb Bush and Democrat Hillary
Clinton will demonstrate the
opposite of what dynastophiles
imagine: In the US, the world's
most egalitarian democracy,
dynasty does not succeed and has
not succeeded for more than 200
years.
Only 6% of US senators come
from political families. In Britain,
less than 10% of the new House of
Commons has previously had a
family member in politics. There
is no Churchill dynasty. In France,
there is no de Gaulle dynasty. In
Germany, there is no Adenauer
dynasty. The Kennedys are a storied example of dynasty's fading
appeal. There has been no
Kennedy president after JFK.

Anti-dynasty sentiment in the US

is so strong that John Kennedy's
daughter Caroline was denied a
bid for a New York senate seat by
the Democrats. (That's like
Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra being
denied a Congress ticket from Rae
Bareli.)
In India there are of course
many dynasties. All of them look
to Hillary and Jeb for their raison
d'etre. It started with the NehruGandhis in the 1960s. The infection spread. Soon there was a
Pawar dynasty, a Karunanidhi
dynasty, a Thackeray dynasty, a
Badal dynasty, an Abdullah
dynasty, a Mufti dynasty, a Yadav
dynasty. The infection is now a
full-blown epidemic.
Why are political dynasties bad
for democracy? Because they narrow electoral choice instead of
widening it - as a healthy, vibrant
democracy should. The result:
Forced to choose between incompetent dynasts, corrupt dynasts
and rogue dynasts in a typical constituency, voters are left with a
Hobson's choice. Whoever they
vote for is connected with one
powerful family or another. The
preponderance of MPs with criminal records - around 30 per cent
across parties - shows how badly
such a feudal, dynastic political
ecosystem has served India. It
leads to corruption and chronic
misgovernance and creates a system of entitlement.
Look at the Congress front
bench in the Lok Sabha: Rahul

Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin

Prasada, Deepender Hooda. Not
one of them would have got where
he is without his surname. As
Jamini Bhagwati, the RBI chair
professor at Indian Council for
Research on International
Economic Relations, wrote on the
origin of political dynasty in the
Congress: "Commentaries that
trace independent India's economic development often use the
expression Nehru-(Indira) Gandhi
legacy and suggest that the
Congress was always synonymous
with this family. This does great
injustice to the Congress leaders
of the freedom struggle who held
senior positions in central and
state governments post-1947."
The BJP is not immune either.
Anurag Thakur, son of the former
chief minister of Himachal
Pradesh, Prem Kumar Dhumal, is
just one example. Varun Gandhi is
another. But of the BJP's 282
MPs, very few are dynasts in stark
contrast to the rest.
The ecosystem of entitlement
that dynasty builds around it is an
iron wall. It's tough to break
through and get in. Once in, you
become beholden to the privilege
and pelf inside. As an outsider,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
was aware of this iron wall within
Lutyens' Delhi. He was determined to demolish it. But there
was always the danger that he
would be co-opted by it. There are
those in the BJP, founding members of the Lutyens' iron wall, who
would like the ecosystem of entitlement to stay that way. Elections
come and go. Out-of-power UPA
minister-lawyers make in legal
practice as much money as they
did in government. Their counterparts in the BJP have noted this
and will do the same - in or out of
government.
It is these elements in the government the prime minister must
beware of. They may not be
dynasts themselves but their sympathies lie with those who are.
The Lutyens' ecosystem, like reinforced concrete, is difficult to

crack open. Outsiders either get

converted or stay out. Can Prime
Minister Modi break this iron wall
of privilege? He must or it will coopt him. A second term will then
slip away from his grasp.
It will take four more years to
fix the scorched-earth economy
left behind by the UPA's decade in
power. The last thing Modi needs
is the economy purring smoothly
in 2019 at a growth rate of nine
per cent but the Lutyens' ecosystem conspiring to ensure he doesn't get a second term by winning
the perception battle. The
Congress, in this greatest irony of
all, will then inherit in 2019 a
robust economy that it itself so
badly damaged in 2004-14.
The Lutyens' ecosystem has
powerful friends: Foreign-funded
NGOs who prefer pliable prime
ministers. Foreign envoys intervene in matters that are not their
business. And an unholy cabal of
assorted power brokers, who've
fed off the Congress largesse for
so long that they've become a part
of this incestuous ecosystem, are
cogs in this treacherous wheel.
A common thread unites them:
self-interest. National interest is
an idealistic concept, unworthy of
attention from the Lutyens' nouveau elite, most of whom have
clambered up the socioeconomic
ladder in the past two decades and
value above all else their newfound status which provides them
access and privilege.
The prime minister will complete a year in office next Tuesday
(May 26).
He has four more years to break
the deadlock the ecosystem of
entitlement and dynasty has on
India. It is a deadlock that has kept
India backward and poor for six
decades. If Modi fails to break it,
it will be business as usual in
2019.
The author is biographer of
Rajiv Gandhi and Aditya Birla;
and media group chairman and
editor.

Documents show 'Indian brother' donated lakhs to Osama bin Laden

Washington: A statement of
accounts that is part of the Osama
bin Laden documents declassified
by the US intelligence shows that
the Al Qaeda chief received at least
two payments running into hundreds of thousands of Pakistani
rupees from a man identified only
as the Indian brother in Madinah.
The spreadsheet for receipts and
expenditure for 2009 was part of
more than 100 documents seized

from bin Ladens compound in

Abbottabad that were released by
the Office of the Director of
National
Intelligence
on
Wednesday.
There are no details about the
Indian brother or any information
in the spreadsheet that can identify
him. This is probably the first time
that an Al Qaeda document has
identified an Indian as one of the
terror networks financiers.

According to the statement of

accounts, an amount of Pakistani
Rs 292,400 was received from the
Indian brother in Madinah in
May 2009. Another payment of
Pakistani Rs 335,000 was received
from the same man in July 2009.
The Indian community in Saudi
Arabia is 2.5 million-strong and a
sizeable number of Indians live and
work in Medina (Madinah).
The statement of accounts shows

the Al Qaeda chief received money

from several Arab countries,
including the UAE and Kuwait.
Other documents declassified on
Wednesday show that funds
received by bin Laden were distributed to several terror groups based
in Pakistan, primarily the Tehrik-eTaliban Pakistan and the Haqqani
Network, which has been accused
by the US of having close links
with the Inter-Services Intelligence.

DIPLOMACY

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 23-29, 2015

11

Modi woos all, winds up three-nation tour

Seoul/Ulsan: Prime Minister

Narendra Modi outlined his vision
of an inclusive Asian century
fueled by India's progress and
wooed South Korean businesses to
'make in India' in a big way.
Winding up his two-day visit to
South Korea, the final leg of his
three-nation visit, Modi addressed
the Asian Leadership Forum and
also the India-Republic of Korea
CEOs Forum.
He visited the Hyundai Heavy
Industries (HHI) shipyard, one of
the biggest ship construction companies in the world, in Ulsan where
he spent over an hour.
Modi held talks with top South
Korean CEOs, including LG
Electronics' Kim Jin-hong and
POSCO chief Kim Jin-il and
Hyundai Motor Co's Chung
Jinhaeng.
Modi had held talks with
President Park Geun-hye after
which the two sides inked seven
agreements, including for avoidance of double taxation.
Seoul also offered to provide $10
billion for infrastructure projects in

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Korean President Park

Geun-hye at the agreement signing ceremony in Seoul.

India, including smart cities and

railways.
Addressing the Asian Leadership
Forum, that was also attended by
President Park, UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon and Sheikha
Mozah of the Qatar royal family,
Modi said India "is the new bright
spot of hope" for the region and the
world and India's progress will

help make the Asian dream "a bigger reality".

He said India's growth has
rebounded to 7.5 percent per year,
and it was poised to grow further.
Modi said "Asia will succeed
more when all of Asia rises together" and said the prosperous countries must be prepared to share
their resources and markets with

those who need them.

"India is located at Asia's crossroads. And, we will assume our
responsibility to build an inter-connected Asia," Modi said.
"An Asia of rivalries will hold us
back. Asia of unity will shape the
world," he said.
Later, addressing the IndiaRepublic of Korea CEOs Forum,
Modi praised the spirit of entrepreneurship of the Korean people.
"We in India want to achieve a
lot of what Korea has already done.
The good news is that India-Korea
bilateral trade has risen after signing of Korea-India CEPA in
January 2010," Modi said.
The prime minister said there
was a lot of scope for improvement
in bilateral trade.
He assured of the renewed commitment of his government for
changing the face of the country,
and said there was potential for
cooperation between India's software and Korea's hardware industry. Modi travelled to Ulsan, a
South Korean city located on the
southeastern tip of the Korean

Peninsula, to visit the Hyundai

Heavy Industries Shipyard, one of
the biggest ship construction companies in the world.
"Shipbuilding is a top priority for
us," Modi told Hyundai chairperson Kil Seon Choi. Modi invited
South Korean investments in areas
like ship building, including LNG
tankers.
Modi had earlier visited China
and Mongolia during his May 1419 trip.
Modi became the first Indian
prime minister to visit the landlocked northeast Asian nation of
Mongolia which has declared India
as its "third neighbor" as well as
"spiritual neighbor".
The two countries also inked 13
agreements, including in the sphere
of air services, cyber security and
transfer of sentenced prisoners.
Modi, who held talks with
President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
and Prime Minister Chimed
Saikhanbileg in the State Palace
here, announced a $1 billion Line
of Credit to Mongolia for its infrastructure projects.

World's perception of India has Several opportunities opened up

in China post Modi's visit: CII
changed in one year: Modi
Seoul : Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
addressing the Indian community in
Seoul, said that the world's perception of
India has changed since his government
took over a year ago and that "humanity"
lay at the center of the country's foreign
policy. Addressing a cheering 1,500strong Indian community here, Modi
said a key component of his government's foreign policy is the Act East
Policy. "Earlier, it was Look East
Policy.. We have seen that for a long
time," he said in a swipe at the previous
UPA government, amid chants of "Modi,
Modi". He also said that the "I" or India
among the BRICS bloc of countries had
begun to "teeter and stumble" but after
his government came to power, India is
moving fast on the growth path.
"Economists had changed their tune
and began saying that the aI' of BRICS
is stumbling and fallinga They said that
BRICS was losing its importance
because the aIa has begun teetering
(ludak gaya)."
"But in the past year things have
changed and the world feels that without
'I' BRICS will not be possible," he said
to cheering crowd. Modi said all the
international rating agencies like
Moody's and the World Bank have in the
past two months "in one voice" said that
India is the world's fastest moving economy. "Earlier, we would wonder if India
would figure in Asian century story. But
now the way India has risen they feel
that the 21st century will definitely be
the Asian century."

He said that "manavta" or humanity

was at the centre of his government's
foreign policy, which was visible in the
way India helped in Nepal in the aftermath of the earthquake, helped bring
drinking water to Maldives when its
drinking water plant was damaged, and
also saw passage of a constitution
amendment bill to implement the Land
Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh.
He said his government successfully
evacuated over 4,000 Indians from warravaged Yemen bombings and firings.
"We requested (Saudi authorities) to stop
the bombing for two hours and brought
back our people as well as 48 foreign
nationals. Even America told its people
to contact us to evacuate them from
Yemen," he said to loud applause.
"In Yemen, we evacuated Pakistanis
too. They too saved Indians and
arranged for a special plane to bring
them back. The point here is manavta
(humanity)."
He said earlier foreign policy was dictated by trade and commerce and big
sounding words.
"We have chosen a new path, of
humanity, and to keep manavta as the
kendrabindu (centrepoint) of our foreign
policy."
He said the concept of SAARC is getting a new impetus on the basis of
humanity, which is helping bring countries together. He said the Sri Lankan
government desisted in carrying out the
death sentence on five Indian fishermen
on the basis of humanity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with representatives of Chinese

entrepreneurs in Shanghai, east China.

Kolkata: Industry body Confederation of

Indian Industries (CII) said the recent visit
of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China
has opened up an extensive range of opportunities for Indian businessmen.
"What I find heartening is that both the
governments (in India and China) have
demonstrated their commitment to take
bilateral economic relationship to a new
level. A wide array of opportunities has
opened up for Indian businesses in China,"
CII president Sumit Mazumder said at a
press meet here.
Welcoming the initiatives taken by Modi
during his visit to India's neighbour, the
CII also noted that the "path-breaking
reforms" carried out in six key areas - economic and fiscal management, ease of

doing business, transparency and predictability of the tax system, allocation of

resources, openness to foreign investments
and foreign trade - have generated "positive sentiments".
Mazumder noted that since coming into
power in May 2014, the Modi government
has adopted several measures to reinvigorate investor interest and there are visible
results on the ground.
He said that focus on Make in India, skill
development, agricultural investment and
infrastructure can be part of a definitive
strategy for reaching double-digit GDP
growth.
The association has predicted the national economy to grow 9-10 percent in the
medium-term.

12

INDIA

May 23-29, 2015

Legal fraternity divided in

Kejriwal-Jung turf battle

Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, a comrade turned critic of Kejriwal.

New Delhi: The tussle between Delhi

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lt.
Governor Najeeb Jung over appointments
of officials has reached President Pranab
Mukherjee's court, but legal luminaries
are sharply divided on the stand taken by
the two sides.
While a section of lawyers contends
that there were limited executive powers
available with Kejriwal under the law,
others feel that no power is vested in the
lt. Governor that can obliterate the democratic mandate of the elected government.
"From the constitutional point of view,
Delhi government has a very limited
executive power. The basic administrative powers are vested in the Lt.
Governor. The power of Delhi government can always be superseded by the
President," says senior lawyer Prashant
Bhushan, a comrade turned critic of
Kejriwal.
Fearing that the "brinkmanship" being
shown by Kejriwal may do more harm
than good for Delhi, Bhushan says the
"legal opinion on which Delhi government is locking horns with the Lt.
Governor is questionable".
Taking a diametrically opposite view,
senior counsel Gopal Subramanium says
that a "strong case can be made out to
suggest that the exercise of the power by

the government of Delhi cannot be overruled by the Lt. Governor as this could
violate the constitutional scheme".
Overruling the Delhi government's
decision would be "ultra vires of Articles
14 and 239 AA of the Constitution and
would also fall foul of the basic structure
of the Constitution as it undermines the
basic feature of democracy", he added.
Senior Congress leader and eminent
lawyer Kapil Sibal has another take on
the issue as he says that "both (Centre
and Kejriwal) are playing politics. Chief
minister of Delhi is a permanent agitator
and because he has no experience nor a
constructive state of mind, he is constantly in conflict with the union government".
On the other hand, the BJP-led central
government is not reconciled to its "dismal defeat" in the Delhi elections and is
out to "destabilize" the Kejriwal government, he said.
To an extent, Bhushan seems to agree
as he described as "brinkmanship" the
Kejriwal government's action of locking
the doors of offices.
"If you do such brinkmanship, it may
result in the imposition of President's rule
in Delhi. They (Aam Aadmi Party) are
not taking proper opinion or maybe they
are guided by the short-term considerations," he contended.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Delhi row: Jung cancels postings,

Kejriwal writes to Modi
New Delhi: The turf war
between the AAP government and the Lt. Governor
has escalated, as Najeeb
Jung canceled all transfers
and postings of bureaucrats
done over the past five days
by the Delhi government,
and Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal wrote to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
accusing the Centre of trying to run his government
by proxy.
The central government,
however, distanced itself
from the controversy, saying
Kejriwal and Jung should
meet to sort out their differences.
Home Minister Rajnath
Singh met President Pranab
Mukherjee, but denied that
the standoff came up in the
meeting.
"The LG and the chief
minister should sit together
and find a solution," Rajnath
Singh told reporters after his
meeting with the President.
In his letter to Modi,
Kejriwal asked the prime
minister to let his democratically elected government
"function independently".
Official sources said
Kejriwal accused the central
government of trying to run
the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
government through Jung.
The letter came a day after
Kejriwal and Deputy Chief
Minister Manish Sisodia
complained to the President
that Jung was interfering in
the working of the AAP
government.
Earlier, Sisodia held a
meeting with bureaucrats

The central government distanced itself from the

controversy, saying Arvind Kejriwal and Najeeb Jung
should meet to sort out their differences.

and told them that orders of

the Delhi government
should be followed.
"Sisodia told us that there
was no trust deficit between
the bureaucracy and political executive. By citing several articles of the
Constitution, he tried to
drive home the point that it
were the orders of the
Kejriwal government that
should be followed," an official, who attended the meeting, said.
Jung's office issued a
statement in the evening,
making it clear that the Lt.
Governor alone was competent to approve transfers and
postings of principal secretary or secretary-level officers, in consultation with the
chief minister.
Sources said Sisodia
responded by asking the Lt.
Governor as to which claus-

es of the Constitution give

him the powers to give
directives to the Delhi government.
The AAP government
named Arvind Ray, an IAS
officer removed by the Lt.
Governor from the post of
secretary (home), as the secretary (general administrative department).
The post of secretary
(GAD) was earlier held by
Majumdar, who was locked
out of his office at the Delhi
Secretariat on Kejriwal's
orders for following Jung's
fiat to appoint Shakuntala
Gamlin as acting chief secretary on May 15.
It was Gamlin's elevation
which dramatically triggered the worst confrontation between Jung and the
AAP government that had
stormed to power in
February.

Modi's adopted Varanasi village gives him a thumbs up

Jayapur (Varanasi): After the rumble-tumble on the highway and the pot-holed arterial
road near Raja ka Talaab, the road to Jayapur,
some 30 km from Kashi, feels like an oasis in
a parched desert.
One does not encounter a single bump on
the way to this village, indicating its VIP status.
This is the village prime minister Narendra
Modi adopted last November under the
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. Gabru, a roadside vendor selling cucumber signals to a
road ahead that he says, goes straight to
'Modi-ka-gaon' (Modi's village). Smiling he
tells us that it is a 'swarg' (heaven).
Giant wall painted advertisements of different nationalized banks, their schemes and
union-government run schemes like the
'Sukanya Samriddhi', Jan Dhan Yojna' and
the three socials ecurity schemes rolled out

by the BJP government greet you as you

enter the village. Trucks and dumpers are offloading construction material at a point outside the recently inaugurated sub-post office.
Manoj Antala, an employee of a Surat,
Gujarat based firm who is overseeing the laying of inter-locking tiles in a stretch of 18-km
lanes of the villages, informed IANS that a
deadline of 40-days has been set for him to
complete the work. "It is a very enriching
experience" he says while adding how they
were working 24x7 to ensure that 'Modi
saheb's' dreams for this village are completed
in time.
Swaminath Gond, a 62-year-old rag picker
is headed to one of the new bio-toilets constructed at the village, near an old temple.
Asked how things were in the village his suntanned face breaks into a smile: "Modi ji se
bahut khush hain (We are very happy with

Modi)," he blurts out.

Vinod Kumar Verma, a 22-year-old undergraduate pursuing polytechnic says things are
looking up after Modi adopted the village but
wishes that some factories should came up in
neighbourhood to generate employment.
In a village of 700-odd families, 135 solar
street lights have come up. There is a solar
pump near the under-construction 'Panchayat
Bhawan' which fills in ample water in an
overhead tank. Of the 15 bio-toilets to come
up in the village, eight are already functional,
informs Narayan Patel, the de-facto village
head. With Durgavati Devi, the village 'pradhan' busy with meetings in Varanasi,
it's Patel, her brother-in-law, who holds the
fort.

A new bus stand in Prime Minister

Narendra Modi's adopted village
in Uttar Pradesh.

OP-ED

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 23-29, 2015

13

Who's afraid of Rahul Gandhi?

By Amulya Ganguli
othing shows the weakness of the
Narendra Modi government more
than the fact that it gives the impression of having been spooked by Rahul
Gandhi to strive for a pro-poor image.
Hence, the directive to ministers to go
around the country after the budget session
to counter the perception that the government is anti-farmer.
In line with the Congress' time-honoured
practice of launching various schemes to
help the poor, the BJP, too, is initiating several social security measures.
But the fact that it is fumbling in the dark
is evident from the decision to invoke the
saffron ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya's
"integral humanism" to burnish the government's and the BJP's image although the
phrase is as meaningless to people outside
the Hindutva camp as Vajpayee's espousal of
"Gandhian socialism" when the BJP was
formed in 1980.
No less fatuous is the hope in official and
saffron circles that Prasar Bharati's radio and
TV channels will be able to spread the propoor message when the reach of Akashvani
and Doordarshan remains as limited as it
was before a saffronite was appointed as
Prasar Bharati's head.
So why should the government be running
scared simply because Rahul, with his bat-

teries recharged in a Myanmar Buddhist

monastery, has succeeded in infusing an element of belligerence into the Congress?
The government's nervousness is all the
more unwarranted because nearly all of
Rahul's allegations, based on unverifiable
calumny and half-baked ideas of the social
scene, can be easily refuted.
A simple rebuttal of his anti-industrial
stance is that development itself is a propoor measure as it leads to employment-oriented growth, which is brought about largely
by the private sector. The government,
therefore, has nothing to be apologetic
about.
If it still gives the impression of being on
the back foot, the reason apparently is that
either the government does not have clearcut ideas of what it intends to accomplish, or
that there are not enough accomplished
spokespersons in its ranks who can articulate its views with vigor.
This uncertainty about the government's
objective - which has made fellow-traveler
Arun Shourie accuse it of being "directionless" - is due to the transition which the BJP
is currently making from being a party of
ultra-orthodox, small town traders to an
organization which sups in the sophisticated
company of India Inc.
The partys problem has apparently been
compounded by the dearth of an ideological
wherewithal to buttress its case. Although

always a rightwing outfit from its Jan Sangh

days, the BJP's outlook has been a mix of
Hindu communalism and the commercialism of dingy shops in mofussil towns.
But, big business shuns sectarianism
because of the violence associated with the
spread of divisive messages, which hampers
consumerism, the essence of capitalism.
This is why Modi has clamped down on the
Hindutva hardliners and has told Time magazine that the government will not "tolerate"
any discrimination based on caste, creed and
religion.
On the economic front, however, he is
apparently still unsure about how far he can
push his pro-business line against a political
class which hasn't always hesitated to put
partisan interests above those of the nation.
The BJP itself has been a part of this
cussed "culture" but, now, it is the Congress
which is leading the pack comprising the
communists and the caste-based Janata
"parivar" to virtually oppose anything and
everything which the government proposes.
It will be unfortunate, however, if this continuing political badgering deflects the PM
from his developmental goal and turn to
populism.
The lesson of the last general election is
that welfare initiatives like sops and subsidies do not when the opening up of the
economy has not only aroused what has
been called the animal spirits of the entre-

preneurs, but has also kindled the hope

about the easy availability of jobs in a buoyant economy.
If populism was a panacea, then the
Congress would have scored a runaway victory with its rural employment scheme
(which does not build durable assets) or
food security act (which puts an enormous
strain on procurement, storage and distribution) or the right to education (where the
absence of tests up to Class VIII has reduced
the level of Class V students to that of Class
II). The average voter saw through the hollowness of such measures. Instead, it was
Modi's promise of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'
which paid political dividends to the BJP.
It will be a major mistake on Modi's part,
therefore, to change his line on being influenced by Rahul Gandhi's anti-corporate sector tirades which will spell doom for the
economic reforms and take India back to the
2-3 % Hindu rate of growth of the licensepermit-control raj.
The author is a political analyst in India.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

14

INDIA

May 23-29, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Remarkable feat: Fighter jet lands on Yamuna expressway

New Delhi: A Mirage-2000 fighter

landed on the Yamuna Expressway
on May 21, a feat that the Indian
Air Force (IAF) described as a display of its capability to land jets on
highways.
"The IAF has been considering
the use of national highways for
emergency landing by fighter aircraft. This capability was demonstrated by the IAF," an IAF officer
said, adding that the jet had got airborne from a base in central India.
The Mirage-2000 is a single
seater air defense and multi-role
fighter of French origin powered
by a single engine that can attain
maximum speed of 2,495 km/hr
(Mach 2.3). It carries two 30 mm
integral cannons and two matra
super 530D medium-range and two

Mirage-2000 fighter plane of the Indian Air Force lands on

Yamuna Expressway near Mathura.

PDP, BJP differ over

passport to Geelani

Separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir's

ruling Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) are in conflict again
-- now over a passport for separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani.
PDP president Mehbooba
Mufti wants a passport issued to
Geelani but the BJP is bitterly
opposed.
Geelani has applied for a passport along with his wife and son
so that they can visit his ailing
daughter in Saudi Arabia.
Mehbooba Mufti told reporters
that she would see to it that
Geelani gets the passport as it
was a humanitarian issue.
But she added that the final call
would be taken by the home
ministry.
Senior PDP leader and MP
Tariq Hameed Karra has also
come out in support of a passport
to Geelani.
The BJP said a passport can be
given to Geelani only if he
accepts the accession of the state
to India and affirms that he owes
allegiance to the constitution of

R-550 magic II close combat missiles.

"The aircraft made practice
approach on the highway, coming
down to a height of 100 meters,
before landing," the officer said.
"The IAF has plans to activate
more such stretches on the highways in the future."
The fighter plane skimmed the
highway and landed briefly before
it took off again on the stretch of
Yamuna Expressway near Mathura.
The 165-km long Yamuna
Expressway connects Delhi from
tourist destinations of Mathura and
Agra. IAF helicopters undertook
several observation sorites before
the jet landed.
The officer added the exercise
was done in coordination with dis-

the country.
"How can you apply for an
Indian passport unless you
accept that you are an Indian citizen and owe allegiance to the
constitution of India?" BJP
spokesman Khalid Jehangir told
the media.
Geelani had been issued a
restricted passport for a duration
of one year in 2007, 2008 and
2011 but he did not visit Saudi
Arabia then.
Geelani's wife and son visited
the regional passport office here.
Sources in Geelani's separatist
outfit said he could not complete
the formalities as he was under
house arrest.
Director General of Police K.
Rajendra Kumar has, however,
denied that Geelani was under
house arrest.
Mehbooba Mufti also said that
other separatist leaders including
Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Shabir
Shah and Muhammad Yasin
Malik hold Indian passports and
that two of them have been visiting abroad.

trict administration of Agra and

Mathura, and all necessary security
preparations were in place.
"All facilities like makeshift air
traffic control, safety services, rescue vehicles, bird clearance parties
and other requirements were put in
place by IAF personnel from the
Air Force Station Agra.
"Thereafter, in coordination with
the district magistrates and SPs
(superintendents of oolice) of
Mathura and Agra, necessary tieups were effected for activating the
selected stretch," the officer said.
The entire operation was carried
out with active support from the
Uttar Pradesh government,
Yamuna Expressway Authority, toll
authorities of JP Infratech and the
police.

Rahul salutes 'father, friend, leader' Rajiv

New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi
described former prime
minister Rajiv Gandhi,
assassinated on this day in
1991, as a "father, friend,
leader" who wanted to
build "a new India".
In a tribute after visiting
his father's memorial Vir
Bhumi here, Rahul
Gandhi said: "Today we
remember Rajivji. His
vision for a new India - a
modern and progressive
India confident of its
place in the world.
"I remember him as a
father, a friend and a
leader -- a man of many
parts who taught by example the meaning of commitment and compassion."

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi

was accompanied by his
mother and Congress
president Sonia Gandhi
as well as his sister
Priyanka and her husband
Robert Vadra who visited
the memorial to pay floral
tributes.
Rajiv Gandhi, who was
prime minister from 1984
to 1989, was blown up by
a woman suicide bomber
of the now vanquished
Tamil Tigers from Sri
Lanka at an election rally
near Chennai on May 21,
1991.
Rahul Gandhi was
accompanied by his
sister Priyanka and
mother Sonia Gandhi.

Modi's China visit created positive atmosphere: V.K. Singh

New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's visit to China
has helped create a positive
atmosphere for the future of
Sino-Indian relations, Minister
of State for External Affairs
V.K. Singh said.
"This positive atmosphere
which has been created will
help solve the border issue
also," V.K. Singh said at the
'Manthan' conclave organised
here by Aaj Tak news channel.
He said the prime minister's
recently concluded visit to
China has had many positive
outcomes.
"Many deals have been inked.
The future has been discussed.
A friendly atmosphere has been
created," he added.
V.K. Singh said China faces as
much danger from terrorism as

Minister of State for External

Affairs V.K. Singh.

India does. "China, I think,

will surely stand by us for
long-term considerations.
"Whatever the prime minister went for has been
achieved," he said.
On Pakistan, he said India
has made it clear that terrorism
cannot be the policy of any
country. "We hope the indications to them are clear," he
added.
On the achievements of the
Modi government on the foreign policy front, he said: "In
one year of this government,
people have gained confidence
in India."
"We are trying to bring in a
systemic change. It is like
homeopathic treatment when
we try to cure a disease from
the roots."

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Long Island: On May 16, 2015,

Xavier University School of
Medicine, Aruba (XUSOM) celebrated its annual commencement ceremony at Long Island
University/C.W. Post in the
Hillwood Commons Cinema.
In attendance were Chancellor
J.G. Bhatt, M.D., Chairman
Edwin Casey, President
Ravishankar
Bhooplapur,
Trustees Dyan Naik, M.D., Obi
Nwasokwas, M.D., Ph.D., and
Mr. Frank Croes, the clinical
chairs of Xavier University
School of Medicine, Mr.
Kamlesh Mehta and Mr. G.S.
Narula, the Deans of the Clinical
and Basic Sciences, Chief
Academic Officer Brian Little,
M.D., Ph.D. Byron Barton,
Ph.D., Dean of the Pre-medical
program, served as the Master of
Ceremony.
Keynote speaker Dr. Jo Ivey
Boufford, President of the New
York Academy of Medicine, graciously addressed the eager,
young doctors on the inequalities
in the American health care system. In keeping with academic
tradition, special recognition
was given to valedictorian
Manal Ahmed, M.D. and salutatorian David Nwasike, M.D. for
their outstanding academic performance as medical students.
The 20 graduates in attendance
were:
Dale Adebayo
Ruth Osondu
Manal Ahmad
Hamza Osto
Najma Ansari
Arpan Patel
Jamal Aqeel
Mitali Patel
Alain Desgranges
Hamid Qazi
Timothy Franklin
Jessica Ramachandran
Cherish John
Tasha Ramparas
Sandeep Khurana
Javier Russo
Sixto Medina Trevino
Chandan Upadhyaya
David Nwasike
Heshan Wijegunaratne
Xavier University will graduate 30 more students. They were,
however, unable to attend the
ceremony.
Xaviers admissions office is
in Woodbury, NY,
Ph: 516-333-2224

MEDICAL EDUCATION

The Class of 2015 takes the Hippocratic Oath.

Chairman Ed Casey addresses

the graduates.

May 23-29, 2015

Chancellor Dr. J.G. Bhat imparts his wisdom

to the graduates, their families and friends.

President Bhooplapur addresses the graduates and their families and reminds them
they will look fondly back on this journey.

(From left) Xaviers Trustee Frank Croes, Chairman Ed Casey, President

Ravishankar Bhooplapur, Keynote Speaker Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford, President of the
New York Academy of Medicine, Chancellor Dr. J.G. Bhat, Advisor Dr. P.K.
Prahalad, Trustee Dr. Dyan Naik.

15

Keynote address given by Dr. Jo Ivey

Boufford, President of the American
Academy of Medicine. She reminded
the graduates of the disparities
in the American healthcare system

Valedictorian Dr. Manal Ahmad

reminded everyone of the important roles
their families play in their success.

16

DIPLOMACY

May 23-29, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Modi in Mongolia, May 1617

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing the gathering at the
Community Reception and Yoga Event, organized
by "Art of Living", in Ulaanbaatar.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi playing a traditional Mongolian music
instrument "Yochin" at Mini Naadam Festival in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Prime
Minister of Mongolia, Chimediin Saikhanbileg (wearing a grey hat) is also seen.

Modi in South Korea, May 1819

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Welcoming Ceremony

in his honor at the official residence of President
Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul.

Narendra Modi departs from Seoul for Gimhae

in South Korea on May 19.

Modi delivering his address at the Indian

community reception in Seoul.

Prime Minister Modi with the Chairman, Hyundai Heavy

Industries, Choi Kil-seon, at the Hyundai Heavy Industries
Shipyard, in Ulsan, S. Korea.

Ban Ki-moon
discusses
UNSC reform
with Modi

N Secretary General Ban

Ki-moon and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
met in Seoul on Monday and discussed Security Council reforms.
Ban also asked Modi to attend the
landmark UN Summit in New York
in September, which would mark
the 70th anniversary of the founding of the world body and adopt
new Sustainable Development
Goals. The two leaders were in
Seoul for the Sixth Asian
Leadership Conference.
UNSC reform is expected to figure at the 70th anniversary summit
of the UN and the long drawn-out
efforts for changes to the Council
structure have been reinvigorated in
view of the upcoming summit.
India, which has pushed for reforming the Council, is considered one
of the front-runners for a permanent seat on the highest decisionmaking body in the UN.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

DIPLOMACY

May 23-29, 2015

17

Modi in China, May 1416

hina's rich cultural heritage and the ancient
links of Buddhism
formed a grand backdrop to
Prime Minister Narendra Modis
summit-level talks with Chinese
President Xi Jinping. Modi
arrived last Thursday in the historic city of Xi'an, the capital of
Shaanxi province and the hometown of President Xi, and
absorbed the ancient civilizational grandeur of Xi'an at the
Terracotta Warriors Museum,
the Da Xing Shan Buddhist temple and the Wild Goose Pagoda.
Xi recalled his visit to
Ahmedabad: "You received me
very warmly in your hometown.
I am very glad to receive you in
my hometown."
Xi accompanied Modi to the
Wild Goose Pagoda, and showed
him around some of the
Buddhist relics, in the way that
Modi had personally taken him
around the Sabarmati Ashram of
Mahatma Gandhi.
Modi presented a sapling of
the Mahabodhi tree to the temple, which was built in 652 A.D.
during the Tang dynasty. He presented Xi a replica of a casket
containing the sacred relics of
Lord Buddha.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at the

Traditional Tang Dynasty welcome ceremony, at
South City Wall in Xi'an, China on May 14.

Chinese traditional dancers welcoming Prime Minister Modi

at Xiangyang International Airport.

Modi visiting the Terracotta Warriors Museum, a UN World

Heritage site, depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang,
the first emperor of China.
Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping handing over
Bodhi Tree sapling at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an.

Modi interacting with the people at the Indian community reception in Shanghai.

Modi interacting with the people near the Da Xing Shan Temple in Xi'an.

Modi visiting the Da Xing Shan Temple in Xi'an.

18

ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD

May 23-29, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Cannes 2015 Red Carpet

s Aishwarya Rai Bachchan dazzled in

an Elie Saab emerald ensemble, the
selfie fever gripped the Bollywood
actress when she bumped into her friend and
Hollywood actress Eva Longoria at the 68th
Cannes International Film Festival. The
actress, who attended the film festival as a
LOral Paris ambassador, looked resplendent
as she completed her look with a matching
emerald liner and sported a fusion of brown
and ivory eyeshadow. Her hair also complemented the look in loose waves that fell over
her shoulders making a soft and subtle statement at the red carpet. Talking of her coambassador, Aishwarya reminisced about
the time they spent together at the film gala.
Eva and I became friends in Cannes,
LOral Paris brought us together. Cannes is
the queen of all festivals and there is an
incredible surge of energy that thrives here,
Aishwarya, 41, said in a statement. They took
a selfie to cherish their red carpet moment.

Richa Chadda's
dress dilemma
at Cannes

Aish, Salma
Hayek discuss
gender
equality
ollywood actress Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan along with Hollywood
star Salma Hayek attended a UN
women's panel discussion on gender
equality at the 68th Cannes
International Film Festival. Hosted by
Variety magazine in association with
UN Women on Saturday, the two stars
were on the panel that also included
celebrated individuals like actress
Parker Posey and producers Elizabeth
Karlsen and Christine Vachon, read a
statement. Keeping with the tone of the
event, Aishwarya, Indian ambassador
of L'Oreal Paris, was dressed in a
sober yet classic floral Sabyasachi
Mukherjee creation. Wearing her signature winged eye liner look,
Aishwarya gave finishing touches to
her look with a red lip color and accessorised with a Marsala colored clutch.

Actress Richa Chadda.

ctress Richa Chadda, set for the screening of the movie "Masaan" at the 68th
Cannes International Film Festival, felt
"fortunate" that several designers wanted her to
flaunt their creations on the red carpet this time
-- unlike her first experience at the gala.The last
time I went to Cannes I had no experience of
being in the limelight. Now I am more confident
and grown up. I feel fortunate that so many
amazing designers have shown interest in dressing me up. I want to showcase the best of the
east in the west Richa said in a statement. The
actress, who last attended the extravaganza for
Anurag Kashyap's "Gangs Of Wasseypur", left
for Cannes to attend the festival for Masaan,
directed by Neeraj Ghaywan.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in an

Elie Saab emerald ensemble
at Cannes.

Sonam Kapoor with Hollywood star

Andie MacDowell.

Aishwarya with Salma Hayek at Cannes.

Sonam's special gift to Andie MacDowell

t was bonding time for Bollywood fashionista Sonam Kapoor and Hollywood
star Andie MacDowell at the 68th
Cannes International Film Festival. The
Indian actress gave a special gift to
MacDowell to celebrate her association
with a beauty brand.
The "Khoobsurat" actress presented the
gift as a token to celebrate MacDowell's
association with L'Oral Paris for 30
years. The face of Revitalift Skincare
range, MacDowell has been a part of the
L'Oral Paris family since 1985.
The 29-year-old, who is attending the
film gala as a L'Oral Paris ambassador
for the fifth year, heard about
MacDowell's relationship with the brand
and she decided to surprise the "Four
Weddings and a Funeral" actress in her
own way.
As a sweet gesture, Sonam sent a congratulatory gift to MacDowells suite that
was brought especially from India, read a
statement.
Overwhelmed by Sonam's gesture,
MacDowell hugged Sonam and thanked
her for the gift. The two were seen bonding over MacDowells long journey of 30
years with the brand and even posed for
the cameras together.
After turning the red carpet of the
gala into blue with her cobalt blue

Sonam unveils Vikas

Khanna's book
ctress Sonam Kapoor launched
Michelin star chef Vikas
Khannas book titled "Utsav A culinary epic of Indian festivals".
Unveiled during the 68th Cannes
International Film Festival, the book is
on cuisines for festivals and rituals of
Indian communities. Before the launch,
Sonam had tweeted: Pl join me as we
celebrate India with #UtsavatCannes
with @thevikaskhanna today. Moment
of pride for all of us in India.
It was a moment of pride for veteran actor Anupam Kher too.
Celebrating #UTSAVatCannesWorld's largest compilation of
Festivals by @TheVikasKhanna
Moment of pride. #JaiHoIndia, he
tweeted.

floor-sweeping gown, Sonam picked an

Elie Saab creation in lime green colour
with a combination of ruffled features,
sequins and embroidered appliques.
Hollywood beauty MacDowell, 57,
slipped into a summery tangerine flowing
gown with a plunging neckline.

ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indian adaptation of 'The

Middle' to launch in June

May 23-29, 2015

19

Women group's chief

hits out at Salman

A scene from the popular US sitcom 'The Middle.'

he Indianised version of popular US

sitcom The Middle will reportedly go on air from June.
According to sources, the protagonists
will be played by Ami Trivedi of Kituu
Sabb Jaantii Hai fame and Abbas Khan,
known for his act in Lapataganj.
The show will be produced by Bodhi
Tree and will launch in June, said the
source. It will reportedly air on Big Magic.
The Middle, a Warner Bros productions, revolves around a semi-dysfunction-

al working-class family of ve and their

attempts to survive life in general - day-today struggles of home life, work and raising children.
The series is narrated by Frankie (the
mother), initially an under-performing
salesperson at a used-car dealership and
later a dental assistant.
Her husband Mike serves as a stabilising
inuence in the family, as Frankie has
often complained about his lack of affection at times.

Small screen's beloved 'Baa' Sudha Shivpuri dead

eteran actress Sudha
children - son Vineet and
Shivpuri, lovingly
daughter Ritu, who too is an
known as 'Baa' followactress. Sudha started her journey in showbiz with Basu
ing her role in the hugely popuChatterjee's Swami in 1977.
lar TV show "Kyunki Saas Bhi
Kabhi Bahu Thi", passed away
She has featured in lms like
this week, a hospital source
"Insaaf Ka Tarazu", "Hamari
said. The ailing theater, lm Sudha Shivpuri, Bahu Alka" and "Pinjar", and
and TV veteran, is said to have lovingly known on the small screen her work
includes shows like "Rajni",
been 77 years old.
as 'Baa.'
A theater enthusiast, Sudha
"Kyunki...", "Kasamh Se", "Kis
married actor Om Shivpuri, who passed Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil" and
away in 1990. Sudha is survived by two "Maniben.com".

'Bombay Velvet' - Rich in

texture, synthetic in feel
resented in a dark, moody
and
stylish
manner,
"Bombay Velvet" is a complex tale of city politics, ambition,
greed and love. But on the face of
it, it is a period story of a gangster
-- in sin-city Bombay -- who
wants to be "a big shot" someday.
The narration rolls off sometime
in 1949, two years after India
became independent, when little
orphan Balraj lands up at the
docks of Bombay. Soon he
befriends Chiman, a petty thief
and is sucked into the underbelly
of the city.
Over a period of time, Balraj
becomes street-smart. He soon
graduates to being a street boxer
who also indulges in petty crime.

Starved of love and a sense of

belonging, his only aim in life is to
make it big.
Balraj's chance encounter with
the dubious media baron and
entrepreneur Kaizad Khambatta
has him baptised as "Johnny".
Seeing Johnny as an enthusiastic
opportunist, Khambatta offers him
an opening of a lifetime -- to manage his restaurant-cum-pub,
Bombay Velvet, in exchange of
nefarious favors. An ever-obliging
Johnny Balraj accepts the offer.
The plot gets complicated when
Rosie, once a choir singer and now
a wannabe crooner, is planted in
Bombay Velvet by an influential
editor, Jimmy Mistry, to thwart
Khambatta's business interests.

Actor Salman Khan on the sets of his upcoming film 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' in
Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir.

siya Andrabi, chief of women's

separatist group 'Dukhtaran-eMilat' (Daughters of Faith), came
down heavily on Bollywood superstar
Salman Khan for advocating re-opening
of cinema theaters in the Kashmir Valley.
Salman Khan is acting like an Indian
agent to help cultural aggression of
Kashmir by India," Asiya told reporters in
Srinagar.
The firebrand chief alleged India was
planning to export whatever is "immoral"
and "un-Islamic" into Kashmir through
the medium of cinema and for this, agents
like Salman Khan were being used. She
asserted that re-opening of cinema theaters would be opposed at all costs by her

group.
"We will not allow cinema halls to function in Kashmir. Whatever be the cost...,"
she said.
Salman Khan had advocated the reopening of cinema theaters in the Valley
asserting that everyone here watches
movies on television and even through
pirated CDs and this could be checked if
the Valley got its cinema theaters back.
Radical groups like the Dukhtaran-eMilat campaigned against cinema halls,
beauty parlors, wine shops and video parlors in the Valley in the early 1990s and
forced their closure.
No cinema hall has been able to restart
operations in Kashmir since then.

Review

A scene from the film 'Bombay Velvet'

Romance brews. Egos clash.

Greed and aspirations take center
stage in the backdrop of city politics.
With fine characteristics borrowed from the Theatre of the
Absurd, Anurag Kashyap blends
two genres to create an unexpected
noir film.For the uninitiated, the
Absurd genre, typically represents
human existence as nonsensical

and often chaotic. Absurdist works

rarely follow a clear plot, and what
actions occur, serve only to heighten the sense that characters are
mere victims of arbitrary forces
beyond their control. Dialogues
are often redundant. The setting
and passage of time within the tale
is unclear and characters struggle
to understand their world.
Here too the screenplay is com-

plex and convoluted. With nothing

much happening in terms of the
story, the pace torturously drags in
the first half, but picks up momentum in the latter part of the film.
The only thing that keeps you
hooked is the brilliant production
quality and the performances of
the cast.
Ranbir Kapoor with his snazzy
hairstyle and charming persona
effortlessly gets into the skin of
Johnny Balraj. Similarly, Anushka
Sharma essays the part of Rosie
Noronha with natural ease.
Together, they make a wonderful
pair. Unfortunately, the script only
skims through their romance and
hence you don't feel strongly
about them.
Karan Johar, making his acting
debut in this film as the shady
Kaizad Khambatta, is good. He
gives a fairly composed and
restrained performance but, in the
overall scheme of things, he is
never intimidating.

20

OP-ED

May 23-29, 2015

Assessing one-year of
the Modi government
By Amit Kapoor
he Narendra Modi
government,
which completes a
year in office on May 26,
had won last year's general elections on the
plank of development
and its promise to bring
in Acche Din. Here is a
performance snapshot of
the major initiatives
undertaken by the government in various broad
areas. These include the
economy,
foreign
engagement, agriculture,
infrastructural development, social security
schemes, urban develop- The governments plans, policies and functioning seem to
ment, industrial devel- be in line with the countrys overall growth and trajectory.
opment, health and environment, education and entrepreneurship and helping farmers in distress. But much more
could have been done and communicated
employment.
Let's first turn to the economy. The econo- appropriately. An overall score of 6.5 on 10.
The industrial, FDI and power sectors saw
my observed three broad level trends. First,
there was the global fall in commodity prices varying degrees of success, the most successthat lead to a gain for oil importing countries ful being the power sector with an increase in
as their import costs suddenly reduced from coal production as well as an increase in
approximately $120 a barrel to $60 a barrel. power capacity and generation. The FDI
Second, was the government's acceptance of inflows also saw a spurt in the equity inflows
the Fourteenth Finance Commission's recom- as well as the fact that defense and insurance
mendations in the context of devolving more have been opened up to 49 percent foreign
funds to the states. The figure now stands at participation bodes well for the economy. The
42 percent of the total revenue collection, up industrial sector was a bit subdued in spite of
from the earlier 32 percent. Third, was the the Make in India program. Some more steps
revived economic growth forecasts lead by need to be taken for Make in India to be sucIMF, which in its April 2015 report, revised its cessful. Overall a score of 6.5/10 for indusforecasts for India to 7.5 percent ahead of any tries and a score of 8/10 for power.
In the context of infrastructure, the primary
other major developing economy, including
China. The ADB similarly pointed to a better- purpose seems to be the creation of new infraing economy with core inflation down to 5 structure as well as upgradation of existing
percent. With an overall bettering situation, infrastructure. Infrastructure development is a
must since the speed of business relies on it.
the economy scores 7.5 out of 10.
Let's now turn to the area where there was The upgradation of railways and creation of
much "sound and fury" - namely foreign new highways all fall under infrastructures
engagement and defense. But unlike the ambit. Also included are ports, airport, waterphrase, it did signify Indias increasing global ways and canals.
The social schemes have been very impresstature and aspirations. It included, among
other things, trips by many domestic/foreign sive and in the reach of the common man. The
dignitaries to and from India. The resolve to Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jivan Jyoti
talk and negotiate contentious border issues Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) Pradhan Mantri
was also observed. The passing of the Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Atal
Bangladesh Land Accord Bill was a historic Pension Yojana schemes together have close
step aimed at transferring enclaves with a to 19 crore takers. The government seems to
clear demarcation of territory. In the defense have a social focus on benefitting the poor. An
sphere, there was the decision to acquire 36 overall score of 8 on 10.
In the context of urbanization, the 100
Rafale fighter jets that was again an imperative since the squadron strength of Indian Air Smart Cities project has not seen that much
Force is already down to 35 against a sanc- activity, barring the launch of GIFT city and
tioned strength of 42. Adding two more the development of DMIDC cities. An overall
squadrons will help India protect, to some score of 6.5 on 10. Health is an area where the
extent, its skies. Overall a score of 8.5 out of government has not been able to do much,
10 foreign engagement and 7.5 out of 10 on apart from increasing the prices of cigarettes.
The state of rural health delivery remains
defense.
The agricultural sphere witnessed erratic decrepit.
The governments plans, policies and funcweather and the lack of urea availability made
tioning
seem to be in line with the countrys
the overall condition bad. Added to this was
overall
growth
and trajectory. With respect to
the land acquisition bill that made matters
worse for the government as well as the farm- the challenges, the government seems to be
ers. The land bill will help the farmers with prepared with adequate steps. In the coming
alternative sources of income and provide years, most of the things will depend on the
employment to the youth. The governments pace of decision-making and speed of implefocus seems to be on irrigation schemes and mentation.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Modi shows confidence in

interactions with
China, Mongolia
By Shishir Gupta
ddressing the Mongolian
Parliament, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi described Asia as
a region of ancient wisdom that is expected to lead the world in the 21st century.
He qualified his remark by saying this
is also a region that lives on the uneasy
edge of uncertainty, of unsettled questions, of unresolved disputes and unforgotten memories.
His central message to the State Great
Hural of Mongolia was no different from
what he confidently told his Chinese
counterpart a day ago settle disputes
amicably and jointly move ahead.
Four days into a historic visit to East
Asia with Seoul waiting eagerly to do
business with India, Modi has shown
confidence, sincerity and vision in his
interactions with President Xi Jinping,
Premier Li Keqiang and the Mongolian
leadership.
If reports of the meetings in Xian are
anything to go by, Xi and Modi have
developed a personal bond, with both
deciding to lay bilateral and multilateral
concerns across the table. And they are
prepared to make genuine efforts to
resolve them.
Apparently, Modi made it clear to Xi
and Li that he is willing to look at
Chinese investment in India, provided the
growing trade deficit is bridged. Last
year, India exported $18 billion of largely
raw materials, with imports from China
touching $54 billion.
This led to a trade deficit of $36 billion,
up from $31 billion in 2013-2014.
Like his trip to Beijing in November
2011 as the Gujarat chief minister, Modi
was absolutely candid in articulating
Indias security concerns vis--vis the
long-pending boundary dispute, Chinese
infrastructure activities in Pakistan-occu-

pied Kashmir (PoK) and the largely

India-focussed all weather relationship
with Pakistan.
It is understood that this was done without causing any offence or umbrage to
the Chinese leadership and with the genuine intention of improving bilateral ties
with Beijing.
Unlike the past, where India-China
ties were screened from the public, PM
Modi brought all issues upfront so that
the two countries become genuine strategic partners, not just on paper. President
Xi and Premier Li have indicated that
China also wants to move in the same
direction, said a top Indian diplomat
from Beijing.
While resolving the India-China border
issue has huge historical baggage, Modi
urged the Chinese leadership to at least
clarify the 3,488-km Line of Actual
Control (LAC) so that chances of an accident between two of the worlds biggest
militaries are reduced to a minimum.
Besides, he made it clear that India, like
China, is equally entitled to build infrastructure and roads along the border for
better communications and response.
The last-minute internal decision to
extend e-visas to Chinese tourists has
been interpreted in Beijing as a measure
of Modis confidence in the bilateral relationship.
The presence of President Xi, Chinas
top Communist Party leader, in a
Buddhist temple in Xian with PM Modi
shows the level of trust the two strong
leaders share. President Xis acceptance
of an equally strong Indian leader with no
deference to diplomacy and protocol
reflects in their body chemistry. And this
bodes well for the relationship, said an
Indian delegate.
(The Op-Ed appeared in the Hindustan
Times)

Modi made it clear to Xi and Li that he is willing to look at Chinese investment

in India, provided the growing trade deficit is bridged.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

DIASPORA

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 23-29, 2015

Indian-origin professionals most

successful in UK, study reveals

Sikh who removed turban to help

wounded boy lauded worldwide

Auckland: A young Sikh from

India who did not hesitate to
break religious protocol by
removing his turban to help an
injured child bleeding profusely
after an accident in New
Zealand's largest city of
Auckland has earned worldwide
praise.
Harman Singh woke up on
Sunday to hundreds of messages
from around the world praising
his humanity. A picture of the 22year-old Singh who broke religious protocol by removing his
turban to cradle a boy hit by a car
has turned him into an instant
hero, the New Zealand Herald
reported.
The boy was going to school
with his sister when the accident
happened. The accident happened
outside his house in Takanini,
South Auckland, on Friday morning.
Singh has since received hundreds of Facebook herograms
from the US, Europe and India,

Harman Singh removed his turban to cradle

an injured boys head

he said. His story has been shared

tens of thousands of times on
social media.
Singh, 22, from India, is in
Auckland studying a business
course. His act was considered a
hugely significant because it
breaks strict religious protocol.
He was overwhelmed at the
number of messages of support

NZ-based Indian nationals

targeted in an immigration scam
Wellington: Indians in New Zealand have been
warned following reports of a scam with callers posing as immigration officials demanding money
against deportation threats, a media report said on
Monday.
According to sources, the callers posing to be officials from New Zealand Immigration, inform Indian
nationals that there were problems regarding visa
processing or passenger arrival card (that is handed
out to passengers before they arrive in New Zealand)
information and extort money to be paid into a bank
account in India, The New Zealand Herald reported.
The callers were aggressive and authoritative, the
business innovation and employment ministry said,
adding that the scammers often have details about
the person they were speaking to, which made the
call seem genuine.
The scammers used a technology allowing a legitimate phone number, such as the immigration contact
center, to appear when the call was actually made
from another number.
New Zealand Immigration said they would never
request money over the phone and told potential targets not to pay, no matter how important the caller
sounded. Those targeted were told to contact the
police or report the call to consumer affairs ministry
website, Scamwatch.

21

from around the globe. "Total

strangers are asking to be friends
on Facebook and thousands of
people have said 'Well done'. I
was only doing what I had to and
trying to be a decent member of
the community."
Singh did not know the injured
boy but hoped to hear from his
family about his progress.

London: People of Indian origin are

most likely to be in elite professional and managerial roles in Britain, a
study based on official census figures has found.
According to a detailed analysis
of the 2011 census, Indians are the
most successful ethnic minority
group with 15.4 per cent found in
class 1 of eight occupational groups,
comprising higher managerial,
administrative roles as well as professions like doctors and lawyers.
They are followed by those of
Chinese origin at 12.8 per cent,
Sunday Times reported.
However, if students are excluded,
the figures rise to 17.8 per cent for
Indians and 19.1 per cent for
Chinese, while men from Indian and
Chinese backgrounds are almost
twice as likely as their white British
counterparts to be in higher managerial jobs. By contrast, just 6.6 per
cent of all Pakistanis and 4.2 per
cent of Bangladeshis make it into
Class 1. For black Africans and
black Caribbeans the proportion is
7.5 per cent and 6.2 per cent respec-

tively, and for those of mixed race it

is 10.3 per cent. Ethnic minorities
fare particularly well in health care,
with 41 per cent of doctors coming
from an ethnic minority, particularly
Indian or those classed as other
whites. The study, to be officially
released later this week to coincide
with the launch of the Demos
Integration Hub (DIH), also found
almost half of Bangladeshi men
worked in restaurants and a quarter
of Pakistani-origin men were taxi
drivers. Trevor Phillips, the former
chairman of the Equality and
Human Rights Commission, said
the statistics told a "good story
about modern Britain and that diversity is actually adding to our stock
of talent." "Publishing this kind of
data will puncture the delusion that
if we simply leave it alone, don't
talk about it and let people get on
with it, we will all come to love
each other and Britain will become
a big melting pot. Actually what the
data shows is that if you neglect
integration we end up with divided
communities," he said.

Indian-origin 'Chicken King' tops UK

regional Asian Rich List
London: An Indian-origin entrepreneur
nicknamed "Chicken King" for running
UK's largest poultry business has topped
this year's Asian Rich List for the
Midlands region of England with an
estimated wealth of 1.35 billion.
Ranjit Boparan, the founder and
owner of 2 Sisters Food Group, has
topped the Asian Rich List Midlands,
published by the Asian Media &
Marketing Group (AMG), for a second
consecutive year with an estimated
wealth of 1.35 billion, an overall
increase of 50 million over 2014.
Leading NRI industrialists Lord Swraj
Paul and his son Angad, whose Caparo
Group has significant business presence
in the Midlands region north of London,
was ranked second with an estimated
725 million.
Vedanta Resources founder-chairman
Anil Agarwal (370 million), Abdul
Rashid and Aziz Tayub (200 million)
of the wholesale Crown Crest Group
and Shiraz Tejani (150 million) of the

Ranjit Boparan

manufacturing group LPC complete this

year's top five.
"The list shows the remarkable
resilience and diversity of Asian businesses in the UK. Despite the challenges
of the general economy many business
leaders in the community have seen
opportunity and potential and moved
quickly to capitalize.
"It is an inspiring picture and one that
should energize entrepreneurs everywhere," said Shailesh Solanki, executive

editor of AMG and one of a panel of

four experts who examined British
Asian wealth over the last year for the
Asian Rich List.
The combined overall net worth of
2015's 51 millionaires totaled 4.37 billion, an increase of 60 million since
2014.
The list saw two new entries with a
combined value of 32 million.
One is Danesh and Sanjay Gadhia at
No. 38 with Morningside Healthcare,
their successful Leicester-based pharmaceutical wholesaler and retail chain
valued at 20 million.
The second new entry is Manjit
Pawar, director of Absolute Care Homes
which provides dementia care and nursing services to clients in the north of
England.
With the entry point for this year's list
being set at 12 million, one would
expect many of the business owners to
be first generation immigrants that have
worked hard to build their fortunes.

22

SUBCONTINENT

May 23-29, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Afghan intelligence sharing MoU with Pakistan slammed

Kabul/Islamabad: Afghan
Senate Chairman Fazal Hadi
Muslimyar has denounced recent
MoU signed between the
National Directorate of Security
(NDS) and Pakistan's spy agency
ISI, saying that there was no justification for signing an MoU with
an intelligence service that has
worked to undermine peace and
stability in Afghanistan for so
long.
"Pakistan is an enemy to
Afghanistan and will never develop friendship with us,"
Muslimyar said.
"Pakistani has always plotted to
destroy Afghanistan and will continue to do so, therefore, how can
we afford to send our security
forces for training in that coun-

try?" he said, reported TOLO

news. According to the MoU, ISI
will train and equip the NDS in its
functioning.
In
addition,
Afghanistan and Pakistan will
fight terrorism jointly and both
institutions will investigate the
accused behind any terror incident within their respective countries,
Echoing the Senate chairman's
sentiment, former NDS director
Assadullah Khalid, called the
MoU dangerous and pointless.
"No Afghan can think that ISI
supports us in combating terrorism," Khalid said.
"ISI will strive to subvert the
achievements we have made in
the intelligence sector and will
destroy them, so I consider this

No international probe into

war allegations: Sri Lanka

Colombo: Sri Lankan President

Maithripala Sirisena said that he
will not allow international investigators into the country to probe allegations over the war against the
Tamil Tiger rebels. Speaking to
newspaper editors, Sirisena said that
a domestic system will be in place
by June to investigate the allegations and local laws will be used to
take action against anyone found
guilty. "We have had talks with the
UN on the investigations. As a government, we have told them we will
not allow foreign investigators coming into Sri Lanka. However, we
will take advice from the UN and

agreement a shameful and unforgivable act," he added.

Khalid argued that the MoU's
language about "separatism" in
Afghanistan is wrong because the
Taliban are supported from
abroad.
The first-of-its-kind deal
between the two intelligence
agencies followed the May 12
visit to Kabul by Pakistani Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif along with
army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif
and ISI chief Lt. Gen. Rizwan
Akhtar.
The signing of the ISI-NDS
agreement was the latest in a
series of steps that Pakistan and
Afghanistan have taken since the
installation of the National Unity
government (NUG) in Kabul.

According to the MoU, Pakistan's ISI will train and equip

Afghanistan's NDS in its functioning.

German spy agency gave US information on Bin Laden

conduct a domestic investigation,"

the president said.
The UN Human Rights Council is
expected to submit a report on Sri
Lanka at its September sessions.
"We need to brief the Human
Rights Council in September on the
domestic mechanism. So the mechanism will be in place by June. We
will ensure our sovereignty is protected in the human rights investigation," Sirisena said. Sri Lanka
defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels after
a 30 years war in May 2009 but was
accused of committing grave human
rights violations during the final
stage of the battle.

Berlin: Germany's spy agency

BND helped the US Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) in
tracking down Al-Qaeda supreme
leader Osama bin Laden in
Pakistan's garrison township of
Abbottabad, where US Navy
SEALS killed him, media reported.
German international radio
Deutsche Welle quoted a Bild am
Sonntag report as saying that BND
(German intelligence agency
Bundesnachrichtendienst) told the
CIA that bin Laden was hiding in
Pakistan with the knowledge of
Pakistani security authorities -information it received from an
informant within the country's
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)

agency. This knowledge was said

to have confirmed CIA suspicions.
The newspaper reported that the
BND provided help before the
operation that killed bin Laden,
using its base in the Bavarian town
of Bad Aibling to monitor telephone and email traffic in northern
Pakistan.
Earlier, Seymour Hersh in a story
published in the London Review of
Books claimed that the US got to

Osama bin Laden with Pakistan's

help, but later disclosed the operation in a manner that made the
country look like a villain.
"They helped. They totally
helped. They helped a great deal,"
said Hersh when he was asked if he
believed Pakistan helped the US
reach the Al Qaeda leader.
However, Pakistan categorically
denied that it knew bin Laden was
living within its borders or that it
had advance knowledge of the
2011 operation.
On May 2, 2011, US Navy
SEALS raided a high-walled compound in Abbottabad, a garrison
town in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
province, and killed bin Laden.

Kung fu nuns rebuilding quake-ravaged Nepal

Kathmandu: Trained in the ancient Chinese
martial arts and second to none, these softhearted Buddhist nuns are fighting against
all odds to help Nepal get back on its feet
after last month's devastating quake and a
series of aftershocks.
They are the 300 kung fu nuns from the
Kathmandu-based Druk Amitabha Mountain
nunnery, established by the 12th Gyalwang
Drukpa, the spiritual head of the 1,000-yearold Drukpa Order based in the Himalayas.
They are using their skills to provide succor
to the victims.
Every morning, after their routine prayers
and meditation, the maroon-robed nuns,
whose monastery and residential complexes
were extensively damaged, leave for the villages located in Ramkot district to help in the
reconstruction effort and the rehabilitation of
the quake-hit people.
"They earlier helped the villagers removing the rubble, retrieving buried household
goods and reconstructing the village pathways," the Gyalwang Drukpa, who is active
in Nepal and India, told this visiting IANS
correspondent.
Now they are working to construct prefabricated community halls for the victims of

Kung fu nuns engaged in post-quake relief work in Nepal.

the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal

on April 25 and three more severe shocks,
besides a series of milder tremors, killing
more than 8,000 people.
They also distribute rice and lentils and

help pitch the night shelters.

Having survived in the quake, they refused
to be evacuated and decided to help the victims from the very next day of the natural
calamity.

"Many personal friends and governments

were calling and offering me to get them
evacuated. It was raining heavily, completely
dark and shaky. Earthquakes were repeatedly
occurring. The walls and the windows were
falling. But the nuns refused to leave and
volunteered to help the survivors," the spiritual leader said.
For the nuns, the community service is part
of their training. They have also been trained
in driving, plumbing and electrical works,
and can also work with gadgets such as computers and cameras.
The Gyalwang Drukpa's foundation 'Live
to Love' on May 17 adopted nine devastated
villages in Ramkot district for rehabilitation.
"Our priority now is to construct prefabricated community halls before the onset of
monsoon," said Jigme Jamyang Sherab, a
25-year-old nun.
She said her parents, who are based in
Himachal Pradesh in India, were worried
when the quake struck.
"They asked me to leave this place immediately as earthquakes were reoccurring. I
refused and preferred to stay to help recouping the survivors who have witnessed the
large-scale death and destruction," she said.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

INTERNATIONAL

May 23-29, 2015

23

Iraq mobilizes reinforcements to recover key city

Baghdad: Iraqi militias have
begun mobilizing towards the
predominantly Sunni Anbar
province in a belated effort to
push back terrorists of Islamic
State, which seized the region's
capital city, media reported.
"We invite our people in Anbar
to remain steadfast and hold their
ground as reinforcements from
your brothers in Hashd al-Shaabi
are coming," the Guardian quoted
Iraqi defence ministry as saying.
The Hashd is a conglomerate of
fighters including mainly Shia
militias and pro-government local
Sunni fighters who have taken up
arms against IS.
IS said it established full control
over Ramadi, the capital of
Anbar, Iraq's largest province. It
is the second provincial capital to
be taken by IS since Mosul was
captured in a lightning offensive
last June. Ramadi's fall represents
the biggest defeat since then for
the government in Baghdad.
About 500 people have been
killed in the fighting for Ramadi

US-led coalition continues airstrikes

IS said it established full control over Ramadi, the capital of

Anbar, Iraq's largest province.

in recent days and between 6,000

and 8,000 have fled, a spokesperson for the provincial governor
said.
Anbar is particularly symbolic
because the precursor to IS was
ousted from the region by local
Sunni tribes with American back-

Obama, National Security

Council assess strategies on IS

ing, in what was known as the

Anbar awakening.
After being slow to respond to
requests for reinforcements, the
government has asked the militias
to intervene as they led a successful campaign to remove IS from
Saddam Hussein's home town of

Washington: Military forces of

the US and its partner-nations
continued to conduct airstrikes
against the Islamic State (IS)
militants in Syria and Iraq over
the past two days, the US
Defense Department said.
Fighter and bomber aircraft
conducted seven airstrikes in
Syria and 14 in Iraq, said a statement from the department.
Airstrikes in Syria's Al
Hasakah region destroyed four
IS tactical units, seven IS vehicles, three IS fighting positions,
two IS armored vehicles and an
IS shipping container.
Meanwhile, airstrikes in Iraq's
Tikrit. "We are not going to watch
as IS expands," said Karim Nouri,
a spokesman for the Hashd and
the Badr Organisation, the most
powerful militia in Iraq.
The Hashd has been preparing

Qaim, Beiji, Tal Afar, Sinjar,

Fallujah and Ramadi destroyed
eight IS tactical units, seven IS
fighting positions, four IS vehicles, three IS heavy machine
guns, two IS excavators, an IS
staging area and an IS rocket firing position.
Coalition nations conducting
airstrikes in Iraq include the US,
Australia, Belgium, Canada,
Denmark,
France,
the
Netherlands and Britain.
Coalition countries conducting
airstrikes in Syria include the
US, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates.
for an Anbar operation since
Tikrit was retaken, but Nouri
blamed the dithering of politicians and a media campaign
against the militias for the delay
in mobilizing.

US upbeat on upcoming talks with Cuba

Washington: A senior US official

has expressed optimism about the
upcoming talks here with Cuba,
saying that the two sides are
"closer" to restoring diplomatic
ties.
"We've clearly gotten closer and
worked our way to a fewer number of items on the checklist," a
senior State Department official
told reporters in a teleconference.
"That's the reason for my optimism."
The new round of talks between
the US and Cuba is scheduled to
be held in Washington on

Thursday.
The official, who asked not to
be named, said Washington and
Havana "have certain requirements that we need met, so we
just have to see whether we can
get there in this round of talks.
The official also said Cuba has
established a banking relationship
in the US, clearing away a major
obstacle to reopening its embassy.
The official, however, declined
to identify the bank and said Cuba
would make an announcement on
the issue shortly.
US President Barack Obama

and his Cuban counterpart Raul

Castro announced in December a
thaw in relations following more
than five decades of enmity.
Last month, Washington said it
would remove Cuba from its list
of state sponsors of terrorism,
effective from May 29, making a
concrete step toward establishing
diplomatic ties.
The decision came after Obama
and Castro held talks on the sidelines of a regional summit in
Panama in April, the first meeting
between Cuban and US leaders in
more than half a century.

Shakespeare's real face appears in botany book

US President Barack Obama in a
National Security Council meeting.

Washington: US President
Barack Obama met his National
Security Council to discuss
strategies for the fight against
the Islamic State (IS) terrorist
outfit in Iraq and Syria.
The meeting follows what the
White House has termed a "setback" which led to the jihadis
taking control of the Iraqi city
of Ramadi in Al Anbar
province.
"The president met with his
National Security Council to
discuss the situation in Iraq and
our strategy to address the threat
of IS in Iraq and Syria," the
White House said in a statement. Obama received information "about the latest developments in Iraq and support to

Iraqi security forces and tribal

fighters that respond to the situation in the province of Al
Anbar".
He also applauded the Iraqi
Council of Ministers' decision
"to accelerate the training and
equipping of local tribes in coordination with authorities in Al
Anbar, increase Iraqi army
recruitment and train the local
police," said the White House.
The Iraqi government will
also "develop a consolidated
plan to retake Ramadi with all
grouped strengths acting under
Iraqi command", the statement
added. Obama "re-affirmed the
strong US support" to the government of Iraq and its people
in the fight against IS.

London: A 400-year-old botany

book contains what could be the
only known portrait of English poet
and
playwright
William
Shakespeare made in his lifetime, an
academic expert said.
Leading British botanist and historian Mark Griffiths made the discovery when he was researching the
biography of pioneering botanist
John Gerard (1545-1612), author of
"The Herball or Generall Historie of
Plantes", BBC reported.
"This is what Shakespeare looked
like, drawn from life and in the
prime of life," he said.
The 1,484-page book, published
in 1598, is described as the largest
single-volume work on plants that
has been published in English.
The title page is illustrated with an
engraving by William Rogers
depicting four figures, which were
thought to have been imaginary.
However, Griffiths decoded deco-

Leading British botanist Mark

Griffiths made the discovery.

rative devices around the figures -such as heraldic motifs and

emblematic flowers -- to reveal their
"true identities".
They are, he says, the author
Gerard, Rembert Dodoens, a
renowned Flemish botanist, and

Queen Elizabeth's lord treasurer,

Lord Burghley.
The fourth man holds a fritillary
and an ear of sweetcorn -- plants
which Griffiths says point to
Shakespeare's poem "Venus and
Adonis" and his play "Titus
Andronicus". "Beneath the bearded
fourth man was an ingenious cipher
of the kind loved by the Elizabethan
aristocracy which, decoded, confirmed his identity as William
Shakespeare," the botanist said. It is
not the first time such claims have
been made about a Shakespeare portrait. In 2009, a painting known as
the "Cobbe" portrait was put on
show by the Shakespeare Birthplace
Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon, the
playwright's birthplace. The trust
said it was convinced the artwork -thought to date back to 1610 -- was
an authentic portrait, but some critics said the picture was not of
Shakespeare.

24 May 23-29, 2015

BUSINESS

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

India to grow faster, outpace China: UN

United Nations: India is expected
to log a growth of 7.6 percent this
year and 7.7 percent, nearly 1.5
percentage points higher than the
outlook just four months ago, in a
clear sign that it will outpace
China quite decisively, as per a
new UN report.
In the Mid-Year Update to the
World Economic Situation and
Prospects 2015, the reason for
India's outlook is credited to
changes in the way national
income is computed, with no specific mention of policy reforms
during one-year of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi government being
the cause.
The original report of the UN
Development Policy and Analysis
Division (UNDESA), released in
January, had estimated India's

India is now projected to grow by 7.6 percent in 2015

and 7.7 percent in 2016.

gross domestic product (GDP)

growth rate for this year at 5.9 percent and 6.3 next year."This revi-

sion mostly reflects a higher

growth trajectory in India, where
the recent changes in methodology

and data sources have resulted in a

considerably higher official growth
figures for the past two years," said
the latest report.
"India is now projected to grow
by 7.6 percent in 2015 and 7.7 percent in 2016, surpassing the
growth of China," the report
added, in what should come as
another major pat for the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP)-led government
that completes one year in office
this week.
The latest UN update matches
the projections of other international institutions like the World
Bank and the International
Monetary Fund that have also put
India's growth rate as the fastest,
and all of whom have also revised
the estimates for India upward.
Last week, in fact, the UN

Economic and Social Commission

for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
also released a report that said the
Indian economy would grow by
8.1 percent this year and 8.2 next
year -- the highest among the projections made by international
institutions.
"Overall, I think the authorities
in India have done a very good job
over the past two years and this is
actually reflected in some indicators," Ingo Pitterle, a UNDESA
Economic Affairs Officer and
India expert, said.
"In 2013 India was group
grouped together with Turkey,
South Africa, Indonesia and Brazil,
and considered a fragile economy.
And now, you look at the same
variables -- today, they look very
different," Pitterle said.

Chinese firms to set up India ranks highest in global consumer

confidence survey
units with GMR in Andhra

New Delhi/Shanghai:
GMR Infrastructure has
inked a pact with GIIC
of China to set up units
at its special economic
zone (SEZ) in Andhra
Pradesh's Kakinada,
which will attract an
investment of $3.5 billion over the next five
years, a company statement said.
"Kakinada
SEZ
(KSEZ), a subsidiary of
GMR Infrastructure Limited,
signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Guizhou
International
Investment
Corporation (GIIC) - a consortium of three leading Chinese
manufacturing companies - to set
up an industrial park for the high
end Chinese equipment manufacturing companies," the statement
said.
"GIIC would invest $500 million in developing the infrastructure and various facilities of the
industrial park, which would
house leading Chinese manufacturing industries. These Chinese
companies would additionally
invest $2-3 billion in setting up
their operations over the next 5

years," it added.
The agreement was signed by C.
Prasanna, president, Kakinada
SEZ in the presence of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, B.V.N.
Rao, business chairman, transportation and urban infrastructure
of GMR Infra and senior officials
of GIIC during the prime minister's visit to China last week.
GIIC plans to set up a 2,000acre industrial park in Kakinada
SEZ for Chinese high-end equipment manufacturing companies.
The statement said Chinese companies dealing in power equipment, electronics, wind & solar
energy, smart technologies, etc.,
are planning to set up their manufacturing units in the SEZ.

New York: India, with a score of

130, ranked the highest in consumer confidence among 60 markets. The online survey was measured by American agency Nielsen.
India's score of 130 was one
point higher than the fourth-quarter
of 2014, followed by Indonesia
(123), the Philippines (115) and the
United Arab Emirates (115),
Nielsen said of its survey conducted over February and March this
year.
According to the survey, the year
started positively for global con-

sumer confidence, with an index

score of 97.
After a dip at the end of last year,
when all regional confidence
scores declined, it increased slightly or remained stable in every
region except Latin America.
In the Asia-Pacific region, consumer confidence increased one
point, posting the highest quarterly
index score of 107 while North
America remained steady at 106.
Confidence in the Middle East
and Africa region (96) and Europe
(77) rose one point each in the first

quarter, but decreased two points in

Latin America which scored 86.
"While confidence across global
regions remained relatively stable
in the first quarter, there is considerable variation across different
markets," said Louise Keely, senior
vice president of Nielsen.
"In the first quarter of this year,
the key emerging markets of Brazil
and Russia saw large declines in
confidence for the second consecutive quarter, with the drop in oil
prices and the political instability
in Brazil," she added.

Google search allows tweets on mobile devices

New York: Google has allowed
in its search engine tweets for
smartphones and tablets users.
"Starting, we are bringing
Tweets to Google Search on
mobile devices. So now when
you're searching on the Google
app or any browser on your
phone or tablet, you can find
real-time content from Twitter
right in the search results," said
Google in its blog post.
"Whether,you're interested in
the latest from Taylor Swift,

news
about
the
#MadMenFinale, or updates on
the NBA playoffs, you'll have
access to it directly from
Google," it further read.
"Let's use NASA as an example -- just ask the Google app
about "NASA Twitter," and in

the search results, you'll see

Tweets from @NASA," it
added.
Twitter and Google inked the
deal in February to give Google
access to the half billion daily
tweets and show them in search
results.
To begin with, the service is
available on Google.com in
English in the Google app (on
Android and iOS) and on
mobile browsers, rolling out
gradually.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

SPORTS

May 23-29, 2015

25

Rajasthan knocked out, RCB set up clash with CSK

Pune: An allround performance propelled
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to an
emphatic 71 run victory over Rajasthan
Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League
(IPL) eliminator as the latter crashed out of
the tournament here.
In reply to RCB's formidable 180/4, the
Royals were bundled out for a paltry 109 in
19 overs.
RCB now play Chennai Super Kings in the
qualifier 2, with the winner facing Mumbai
Indians at the Eden Gardens in the May 24
final.
Ajinkya Rahane ploughed a lonely furrow
for the Royals with a 39-ball 42, as none of
the other batsmen came up with any notable
contribution, as Sreenath Aravind, Harshal
Patel, David Wiese and Yuzvendra Chahal
picked up two wickets each for RCB.

Rajasthan were jolted early in their innings

as inform batting allrounder Shane Watson
(10) got out cheaply followed by the talented
youngster Sanju Samson (5) who edged it to
the keeper off a Harshal Patel delivery.
They could only manage to reach 40/2 in
the powerplay as the willowers found it quite
difficult playing the shots on the two paced
strip.
Skipper Steve Smith (12), however, tried
to anchor the innings but just as the
Australian was getting into the groove, he
lofted one straight down the throat of AB de
Villiers at sweeper cover.
At the end of 10 overs, Rajasthan were
reeling at 68/3.
The wickets kept on tumbling as the
Royals felt the scoreboard pressure with the
asking rate going up after every dot ball.

RCB now play Chennai Super Kings in the qualifier 2, with the winner facing
Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens in the May 24 final.

No cricketer bigger than the game: BCCI

Mumbai: Board of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI) secretary Anurag
Thakur played down the controversy
stirred by Virat Kohli when he met his
girlfriend Bollywood star Anushka
Sharma during an Indian Premier
League (IPL) match, saying no player
is above the game.
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper
Kohli met Anushka in the stands at the
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in
Bengaluru during a rain-break against
Delhi Daredevils on Sunday, violating
IPL's anti-corruption code.
"According to IPL guidelines, the
anti-corruption unit issues a notice and
they demand explanations. We did
whatever we needed to. No player is
bigger than the game. Whatever the
rules of the game say, the investigation
happen according to it," Thakur said at
a press conference.
Kohli is set to lead India in the lone
Test to be played in Bangladesh next
month.

Dhoni fined for 'inappropriate comments'

Mumbai: Chennai Super Kings
(CSK) captain Mahendra Singh
Dhoni was fined 10 percent of
his match fee for "inappropriate
public comments in relation to an
umpires decision".
Mumbai Indians opener Lendl
Simmons scored 65 off 51 balls
followed by Man-of-the-Match
Pollard's 17-ball 41 which helped
the home side to post a challenging 187/6 at the Wankhede
Stadium here on Tuesday.
In reply, CSK lost wickets at
regular intervals and were
bowled out for 162 in 19 overs to

lose Qualifier 1. "Dhoni admitted

the level 1 offence (Article 2.1.7
of the IPL Code of Conduct for
Players and Team Officials) and
accepted the sanction," said an
Indian Premier League (IPL)
release.
While Mumbai entered the
final, to be played at the Eden
Gardens on May 24, CSK will
get another chance to enter the
summit clash when they take on
the winner of the Eliminator
between Rajasthan Royals and
Royal Challengers Bangalore
(RCB) in Ranchi on May 22.

Indian Premier League standings

Virat Kohli with actress Anushka Sharma

during an IPL-2015 match.

#
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

IPL
CSK
MI
RCB
RR
KKR
SRH
DD
KXIP

M
14
14
14
14
14
14
14
14

W
9
8
7
7
7
7
5
3

L
5
6
5
5
6
7
8
11

T
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

NRR
0.709
-0.043
1.037
0.062
0.253
-0.239
-0.049
-1.436

Pts
18
16
16
16
15
14
11
6

Harbhajan ends two-year India Test squad exile

Mumbai: Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan
Singh was recalled to India's Test squad
after a gap of more than two years for the
lone Test against Bangladesh next month.
The Board of Control for Cricket in
India's (BCCI) All-India Senior Selection
Committee met here to pick the Indian
teams for the lone Test and three One-Day
Internationals (ODI) against Bangladesh to
be played from June 10 to 24.
Meanwhile, pacer Mohammad Shami has
been ruled out due to an injured knee and
has been replaced with Mumbai's Dhawal
Kulkarni in the ODI squad. Kulkarni has
played four ODIs so far and has picked up
eight wickets.
Harbhajan last played a Test in March
2013 against Australia. The 34-year-old
has represented India in 101 Tests and is
10th in the list of highest wicket-takers
with 413 scalps.
"Harbhajan's name was discussed in our
earlier meetings also. Particularly regard-

Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

ing this Bangladesh tour, the selection
committee has selected Harbhajan keeping
in mind the batting strength of Bangladesh,
which has a number of left-handed batsmen. This issue has also been discussed by
Test skipper Virat Kohli and this decision
was taken," chairman of selectors Sandeep
Patil said. Belying speculations, the com-

mittee selected a full-strength squad with

skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni leading the
ODI side and Virat Kohli captaining the
Test squad.
Patil also said that batsman Yuvraj
Singh's name was not discussed in the
meeting. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was
dropped from the Test squad. He has
played 12 Tests, scoring 364 runs and has
taken 45 wickets.
"We discussed not only Jadeja but many
others also. We have selected the best possible spinners for the Tests. When we sit
for selection, we look at where the team is
touring, against whom and the opponents'
strengths and on the basis of that selection
is done," Patil said.
"Let us all focus on this Bangladesh tour.
For the tour, the selection committee and
captain felt this is the best combination we
can go with." This will be India's first
international series after the World Cup.
Asked about the selection of India's new

coach, following the departure of Duncan

Fletcher, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur
said, "We are in the process of shortlisting
the names of coaches who are available for
the Indian cricket team. Once that process
is done, we will be in a position to take a
final call. This is also the same with the
support staff." Test squad: Virat Kohli
(Captain), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan,
Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya
Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha,
Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh,
Karn Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar,
Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Ishant
Sharma.
ODI squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni
(Captain), Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane,
Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh
Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravichandran
Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel,
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav,
Mohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Dhawal
Kulkarni.

26

LIFESTYLE

May 23-29, 2015

Gossiping good for your

health: Study
New York: Love
gossiping with
friends? Do not
shy away from
the habit as it is
good for your
health, says a new
study. The act of
keeping a secret
exerts not only an
emotional toll,
but also physical damage, shows
the study. Keeping a secret is similar to carrying physical weight
which can sap you of your energy.
"Being preoccupied by a secret at
work can be demotivating," said
Michael Slepian, assistant professor of negotiations at Columbia
Business School, New York City
and co-author of the study. "The
burden of secrecy can make things
around you appear more challenging and if you're less motivated to
tackle these challenges, your performance can suffer," Slepian
noted. A secret can preoccupy your
mind and the more you think about
it, the more you use personal,
intellectual and motivational

resources, Daily
Mail reported.
For the study,
scientists carried
out a series of
experiments to
assess the effect
secrets had on a
subject's ability to
judge the steepness of a hill.
Contrary to the assumption that
women can't wait to disclose the
secret, it is men who are first to
spill the beans. Thanks to social
media, men no longer wait to see
their mates in the pub and typically
share a secret within three hours.
While almost half of men admit
to passing on the information within minutes of first being told about
it, women will keep it to themselves for at least three and a half
hours before passing it on.
"This is the same kind of outcome we see when people are carrying physical burdens, seeing the
world as more challenging, forbidding and extreme," Slepian pointed out.

Facebook new marriage

minefield: Study

London: One in seven Britons

have contemplated divorce
because their partners spend too
much time on various social
media platforms, a top British
legal firm has revealed.
The study by Slater and Gordon
Lawyers found that social networking site Facebook was considered the "most dangerous"
place for ruining relationships.
"Five years ago, Facebook was
rarely mentioned in the context
of a marriage ending but now it
has become commonplace for
clients to cite social media use or
something they discovered on
social media, as a reason for
divorce," Andrew Newbury, head
of family law at Slater and
Gordon, said in an online statement.
"We are finding that social
media is the new marriage minefield," he added.
According to the findings,
while almost half of people
secretly check their partner's
Facebook account, one in five
also indulge in brawls related to

Women! Don't get 'thinspired' on social media

New York: Viewing images of
extremely thin women on social
media platforms can trigger body
dissatisfaction and eating disorders
among women, reveals a new study.
Such images, often cropped to
remove heads or focus on specific
body parts, lead young women to
think that is what they should look
like. Imagine a teenage girl or even
a young woman looking for inspiration using terms such as attractive,
fit or pretty.
"She will likely find images of
headless, scantily clad, sexualized

women and their body parts on

social media," said Jannath
Ghaznavi from the University of
California, Davis.
For the study, Ghaznavi and associate professor Laramie Taylor
examined about 300 images from
Twitter and Pinterest postings that
used the terms "thinspiration" and
"thinspo" to tag images and ideas
promoting extreme thinness and
often casting eating disorders in a
positive light.
Images from Twitter, popular
among younger audiences, were

most likely to be cropped to remove

heads and focus on specific body
parts compared to Pinterest.
"This could prompt these girls
and women to resort to extreme
dieting, excessive exercise or other
harmful behaviors in order to
achieve this thin ideal," Ghaznavi
added.
Repeated exposure to such content can result in body dissatisfaction and disordered eating attitudes.
The paper was published in the
journal Body Image: An
International Journal of Research.

Feel sleepy at work? Blame it on depression, obesity

New York: If you feel tired and
drowsy the whole day even after a
good night's sleep, it could be due to
obesity and depression, a new
research has found.
Obesity and depression -- not only
lack of sleep -- are underlying causes for regular drowsiness, the findings showed.
"Obesity and weight gain predicted who was going to have daytime
sleepiness," said Julio FernandezMendoza, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Penn State College of
Medicine in the US.
"Moreover, weight loss predicted
who was going to stop experiencing
daytime sleepiness, reinforcing the
causal relationship," FernandezMendoza noted. The association
between body mass index and

sleepiness was independent of sleep

duration, meaning obese people may
be tired during the day, no matter
how much they sleep at night.
The primary underlying mechanism that makes obese people feel
overly tired is likely low-grade
chronic inflammation. Fat cells, particularly from abdominal fat, produce immune compounds called
cytokines that promote sleepiness,
among other effects.
The researchers measured self-

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

reporting of excessive daytime

sleepiness (EDS) at baseline and
again an average of 7.5 years later in
1,395 men and women.
Depressed individuals in the study
also had high incidence of EDS.
Physiologic sleep disturbances,
including taking longer to fall asleep
and waking up in the middle of the
night, explained their daytime
drowsiness.
Feeling overly tired during the day
can reduce job productivity and
increase errors and absenteeism and
may lead to more serious issues like
automobile accidents.
These findings could lead to more
personalized sleep medicine for
those with EDS.
The researchers published their
findings in the journal Sleep.

Facebook with their partner.

Nearly 25 percent of married
couples said they "had at least
one argument a week" because of
social media use. Nearly 17 percent said they fight daily over
something they find online about
their partner, GeekWire.com
reported.
Over 58 percent of the people
know their partner's log-in

details. The most common reasons for checking their partner's

social media accounts was to find
out who their partner was talking
to and find out if they were
telling the truth about their social
life.
According to Newbury, pictures and posts on Facebook are
now being routinely raised in the
course of divorce proceedings.

Enhancing dating images may

kill your chances
Washington: Does uploading an
enhanced profile picture on dating
apps like Tinder increase the
chance you will meet your match?
It may not be the case if you are a
woman. Researchers at the
University of Connecticut have
revealed that enhanced photos of
women viewed by men increased
attractiveness but lowered trustworthiness.
Women, however, found
enhanced photos of men both
increased attractiveness and
increased trustworthiness. Trust is
an important part of any relationship and it certainly plays an
important role in the forging of
new social bonds in the dating
context.
"Yet, we found an interesting
relationship between attractiveness and trust for males who were
viewing female profile pictures,"
said lead researcher Rory
McGloin.
Specifically, men typically
found the more beautified and,
therefore, more attractive profile
to also be less trustworthy.
"Our research also found that
males found the beautified profile
as more attractive and had a higher
desire to date the person in the picture despite the lower degree of
trustworthiness they reported," the
authors noted. This suggests that
even when men suspect that a

woman may not look exactly like

she does in her profile picture,
they are willing to take the risk
and pursue a date with her.
"In our sample, attraction seems
to be more important than trust,"
McGloin added.
For the study, the researchers
focused on 305 participants from
ages 17-36.
Participants were asked a series
of questions to determine the profiles physical attractiveness, similarity (to the participant), trustworthiness and ultimately their desire
to date. "This finding provides an
empirical highlight to the concept
of cat-fishing and the larger phenomena surrounding online dating
in which it is both normal and
acceptable for individuals' to mislead or deceive their potential suitors," the authors concluded. The
team will present their findings at
the 65th annual conference of the
International Communication
Association in San Juan, Puerto
Rico from May 21-25.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

What everyone should know about

cancer screening

creening for common cancers is widely promoted

by many health advocates. However, for adults at
average-risk without symptoms, its important to
be strategic about such testing, according to experts,
who say that too much screening can be harmful and
provide little benefit.
Numerous studies show that patients and many
physicians overestimate the benefits of cancer screenings and are unaware of the harms associated with
them, says Dr. Wayne J. Riley, President of the
American College of Physicians (ACP), the largest
medical specialty organization and the second-largest
physician group in the United States.
In a recent paper published in Annals of Internal
Medicine, the ACP issued advice for screening averagerisk adults without symptoms for breast cancer, cervical
cancer, colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate
cancer.
Smarter screening does not just mean more of it.
High value care involves letting patients know about
both the benefits and harms of screening, and encourages them to get screened at the right time, at the right
interval and with the right test, says Riley.
Harms of screening include a high rate of false positives and over-diagnosis, leading to the need for more
unnecessary testing, anxiety, and overtreatment of conditions that will never lead to health problems.
Evidence shows that some people have continued
psychological effects, such as anxiety, problems sleeping, and intrusive thoughts months after a false positive.
Because false positives are so common, the number of
people who have these problems is very large, much

SELF HELP

larger than the number of people who are helped by low

value screening.
The ACP's High Value Care initiative encourages
physicians to implement a health care strategy that
focuses on tests or treatments that improve health,
avoid harms and eliminate wasteful practices. To learn
more about your risk for common cancers and what
tests are right for you, visit https://hvc.acponline.org/.
Shared decision making is important when deciding
on any kind of screening. Discuss your goals, values,
and preferences with your own health care provider
before requesting or rejecting a cancer test.
Although screening leads to important benefits for
some cancers and some people, it can also lead to significant harms to many more people than those receiving benefits. Determining the right screening strategy is
complex, but not impossible, says Riley.

May 23-29, 2015

27

Three summery ways to improve

your health
or the health conscious, theres no
such thing as a
summer vacation from
making good nutritional
choices and getting plenty of exercise. But
theres no reason to let a
healthy lifestyle become
boring.

Here are three ways

to let the summer season guide your routine:
Mix Up Movement: After months of indoor exercise, you may be
ready for a change of scenery. And summer is the ideal time to take a break
from the treadmill and incorporate different types of movement and exercise into your lifestyle. So ditch the gym this weekend and head for greener
pastures. From row boating to hiking, youll find yourself activating different muscles than you normally would by mixing things up.
Eat In-Season Produce: Take advantage of the summer harvest and
plan meals around in-season produce. The USDA lists apples, beets, bell
peppers, kiwifruit, carrots, garlic, peaches, okra and cherries, amongst
many more fruits and vegetables that reach their peak in the summer
months. These items are a chock full of vitamins and nutrients and taste
their best in summer.
Summer Sun: Beyond the Vitamin D factor, a study published in the
Journal of Investigative Dermatology shows that sunlight may lower blood
pressure, which could reduce ones risk for heart attack and stroke. Some
researchers now say the benefits of sunlight could outweigh cancer risks
associated with exposure. Dont forget to take the usual precautions, however. Wear sunglasses, sunscreen and a wide brimmed hat to protect against
harmful UV radiation.

28

May 23-29, 2015

HUMOR

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

Monday moan: Why I hate motivational speakers

I

ONCE SAT IN a seminar where the motivational speaker kept saying: Accept
yourself as you really are. Fine with me,
but the colleagues who were at my side all had
serial killer personalities.
I tried to warn the speaker but she didn't
pick up on my discreet pointing and headshaking gestures.
***
People in certain professions, such as journalism, law and stockbroking, can be "rough
diamonds" (minus the diamond part).
One reporter colleague made so many enemies he ended up renaming half the contacts
in his phone book Do Not Answer.
Nobody wants these people to be themselves. We want them to be other people.
***
But heres the thing: touchy feely spiritual
types are storming the world of work, creating
absurdity.
Example: In front of me is a Financial
Times report that says UK accountants are
now calculating the cash value of the workings of NATURE.
The National Audit Office estimated the
value of bees' service to the British economy
at 200 million pounds.
Of course, everyone's thrilled that the hard
work of bees has finally been recognized

(equal pay for equal work, right?), but what

would bugs do with pay packets? (I suggest
the money be diverted to other low-level,
insect-like toilers, such as me.)
***
The new corporate buzz-phrase is non-tangible costs. The Center for Science and the
Environment in India said a single hamburger
with non- tangible costs would be US$200.
I think everyone was supposed to be amazed
by this, but it just reminded me of the cost of
meat at my overpriced local supermarket,

which I shall call ParknRob.

***
Then the US Center for Investigative
Reporting said that if you included all the
associated costs of getting gasoline to your
car, gas should cost US$15 a gallon.
But I'm sure they failed to include US wars,
in which case the true cost should be US$15
billion a gallon.
Which reminds me of the cost of cartons of
milk or juice at ParknRob.
***

Enough! What humanity needs to do is

remember the 1963 line from sociologist
William Bruce Cameron: Not everything that
counts can be counted. Now before you correct me, I know full well that the internet
attributes this quote to Einstein.
But you should NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING you read on the internet, unless you
are reading this, in which case, this sentence is
the SOLE EXCEPTION.
***
The seminar ended with the motivational
speaker telling us that the most important
thing in life is to ignore what other people
say and be yourself.
My serial-killer colleagues smiled and nodded.
***
That was worrying, but still, in other cases,
business types SHOULD listen to creative
individuals for their useful perspectives.
Case in point: comedian Stephen Wright
asked: If all the nations in the world are in
debt, where did all the money go?
Good question, right? I have no idea about
the answer, but suspect it is something to do
with my daughters. Total world debt is currently US$233 trillion. That's quite a lot of
money.And it reminds me: must get cash for
weekly ParknRob visit.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and
humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the
immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat,
he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

ASTROLOGY

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 23-29, 2015

29

Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874

Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma

May 23-29, 2015

ARIES: Your insight into a complex
problem at work is likely to impress
superiors. Some of you will soon
become earning members of your family.
Travelling with loved ones on a vacation
will prove most exhilarating. Romance may
beckon some and spending time with sweetheart will prove most fulfilling. A positive
influence on health by changed lifestyle and
self-discipline will be quite apparent. An
entertaining pastime can keep some busy.

CANCER: You are set to achieve

greater heights on the professional
front. Success is foretold in any job
that you may be tasked with. Home front
becomes a happy place as spouse takes special care of you. Young couples can experience togetherness. A common enemy is likely to make even a rival your friend. You will
get a chance to go for a long drive in your
new vehicle.

TAURUS: You will be able to successfully complete an important project that comes your way. Applying
for a new job or an admission into some
institute is possible. An official trip is likely
to bring in a good deal. Exercising correct
options on the investment front will benefit.
A vacation with those who are close is likely. A family member may try to stand on his
or her own two feet.

LEO: Some of you may have to

make a choice between work and
health. Pushing yourself on the professional front may give you the results, but
prove health-wise expensive. Efforts will be
required to boost up profits. You can get
motivated by friends for a fun trip. A
changed job may require you to get used to
a new schedule.
A long separation is likely to make you long
for love.

GEMINI: Whether you agree or you

dont, your spate of bad luck is of
you own making. Your rude behaviour with someone close may show you in a
bad light.
Argument may not be the best course to
emphasise your point at work. Some of you
may cross the line in achieving secret
longing for someone. Dont be too trusting
of a friend or associate where money is
concerned.

VIRGO: A perfect romantic evening

can get spoiled due to lovers moodiness. Whatever you earn this week is
likely to be spent. You can remain busy in
completing a task at work. A meeting may
need to be shifted to accommodate a visiting
delegation at work.
You can feel envious of a neighbour going
on a vacation. Family may force you to
appear in a particular competition. Changed
lifestyle will do you good.

LIBRA: This week, you may need

your space. Mere presence of partner around you can become a source
of annoyance. Non-release of a payment can
prove frustrating. You are likely to pour cold
water on lovers romantic aspirations. Not
sticking to schedule is likely to put you in
all sorts of trouble at work. Someone in the
family can fall sick adding to your problems. Positive signs emerge for those trying
to acquire property.

CAPRICORN: You can feel it in

your bones that something positive is
going to happen. A slow and steady
approach will help you in taking firm control of the present. Religious minded are
likely to plan on a pilgrimage. Your ideas on
the home front will be smoothly implemented. At work, you can be efficiency personified. A good week is foreseen for students
appearing in a competitive exam. Health
remains satisfactory.

SCORPIO: You may be tempted to

buy property at a bargain price, but
enquire about it before sealing the
deal. Curb your habit which irritates lover or
you can upset him or her. Week appears to
be especially favourable for those associated
with banking or engineering. A financial
favour done to someone will be returned at
your time of need.
A new eating place or entertainment hub
can be tried by some.

AQUARIUS: You will not be able

to have your way at home this
week. Despite your hard work the
end result may not be much encouraging on
the professional front. You make have to
think up newer ways of keeping lovers
interest alive in this relationship. Money
will not pose much problem, even if you
overspend this week. Those out of shape are
likely to take positive steps to become fit.

SAGITTARIUS: You will be able

to remain happy by not interfering in
other peoples business. Health and
your own well being may make you mentally tensed, but it will be without any basis.
By strict dietary control and exercise you
can enjoy a full life, even if you are ailing.
You may feel cheated on the monetary front
by someone close, but remember he or she
is working in your interest.

PISCES: You are likely to get an

opportunity to impress a senior at
work this week. A business trip will
prove fruitful. Those seeking a loan will be
able to complete the paperwork. Transfer is
likely for government employees. Travelling
to meet some old friends will prove exciting, but can tire you out.
An off mood lover will need your loving
care to be brought into mood. Health
remains satisfactory.

Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

23rd May, 2015
Ruled planet:Mercury Ruled by no: 5
Traits in you: Your ruling planet Mercury makes
you an active, practical, sensible, systematic and
highly diplomatic person. You need to be a bit
careful and remove stubbornness from your nature.
Health this year: If you are a chronic patient,
you have to take extra care for your health to
avoid grievances in future.
Finance this year: You might sell your property
in a good price, which would help you enhance
your financial stance. You may schedule your
travel to maintain distant relationships and gain
some financial support. Some of you may get the
opportunity to travel abroad for business purpose. You should avoid lending and borrowing
money to stay financially stable.
Career this year: You love music and literature
and want to pursue your career in those fields.
You will be able to improve your confidence level as you may find a lot of opportunities to be
grabbed.
Romance this year: Some of you also may get
your marriage fixed this year. Your romance life
would get to its peak.
Lucky month: November, January, April and
May
24th May, 2015
Ruled planet: Venus Ruled by no: 6
Traits in you: Your planet Venus makes you
kind, realistic, helpful, and adaptable. You are
very simple as a person who believes in high
thinking. You are hardworking and sincere,
which helps you get appreciation from others.
However, you need to check your nature of being
rude and interfering in the affairs of others. If you
do not work on your behavior, you may end up
criticized badly.
Health this year: You will enjoy a better health
this year as compared to last year. You may suffer from some minor health issues such as joint
aches, back pain, headache and so on.
Finance this year: You will enjoy financial prosperity and a good health throughout this year. If
you are a businessman, you will get ample opportunities to expand your business by investing
in more profitable areas.
Career this year: If your profession is associated with creativity, such as artists, media professionals, and advertising professionals, you may

gain popularity, appreciation, and fame. If you

want to create professional and social contacts,
you have to achieve it through frequent get-togethers and travelling. You may receive some
help from your near and dear ones, which may
prove to be instrumental in improving your confidence in your professional life.
Romance this year: You will find your spouse to
be very cooperative this year. You will find your
required emotional support from your spouse
through love, care and concern even if you find it
difficult to understand your partner. If you are unmarried, you may find your romance interest this
year.
Lucky month: June, September and March
25th May, 2015
Ruled planet: Neptune Ruled by no: 7
Traits in you: Being dominated by Neptune, you
are adorned with characteristics such as responsibility, affection, creativity, simplicity and emotions.
Health this year: Your spouse may suffer from
stress related health issues, which may lead to
roaming in the premises of a hospital.
Finance this year: You are supposed to be benefited financially from your assumptions while investing money. However, that does not mean you
will invest blindly.
Career this year: As you are committed towards
your undertaken works, you are appreciated and
awarded consistently. However, you have to
work on your nature of being fickle minded and
careless always. You may realize your ideas and
plans this year. You will be able to execute your
plans efficiently. You will get plenty of support
from your partners and colleagues to improve
your morale and confidence.
Romance this year: You will be in a blissful
romantic relationship with your partner this year.
Lucky month: July, October, December and
February
26th May, 2015
Ruled planet: Saturn Ruled by no: 8
Traits in you: Under the influence of Neptune
you will develop your characteristics to be a dynamic, reliable, organized, sober and disciplined
person. You are a born fighter.
Health this year: You will have few minor
health issues this year, which can be cured by regular medication.

Finance this year: If you have made any investments in real estate or stocks, you will be hugely
benefited this year. You may have a foreign trip
for business purpose.
Career this year: You would never fidget in adverse situations and fight back all the problems in
your life. However, your stubbornness may make
you lag behind others so it will be better for you
to take others opinion.
Romance this year: You will find lot of love and
care from your spouse. You may think the last
quarter of the year to be idle for you wedding.
Some of you may get involved in romantic relationships, which you help you enjoy your life the
most.
Lucky month: November, February and April
27th May, 2015
Ruled planet: Mars Ruled by no: 9
Traits in you: The vigor of you ruling planet,
Mars blesses you with energy. You are charismatic, courageous, enthusiastic, and intellectual.
You will be a crowd puller as you have the characteristics of intellectuality. You will impress
people with your personality and talks. However,
you should not behave aggressive and short tempered. This may ruin your image in front of others.
Health this year: The last quarter of the year will
make you seek help from a spiritual person to attain peace of mind. You may go through minor
health related problems due to stress.
Finance this year: You will earn excellent returns if you had invested in past. Your legal issues
will be settled in your favor this year. You may receive money unexpectedly from friends and relatives throughout the year. Your business trips
will be successful this year and you will receive
earning opportunities from your trips.
Career this year: This year is the best time to go
back to your old contacts and create new contacts
to receive help to make yourself better in professional life.
Romance this year: You may get involved in a
romantic relationship this year, which may get
converted to marriage later on.
Lucky month: November, January and February
28th May, 2015
Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: Being ruled by Sun, you will be
creative by nature. Your other characteristics in-

clude smartness, intelligence, and dignity and so

on.
Health this year: Your younger siblings may
have some health issues, which will put you in
immense pressure.
Finance this year: You may go ahead creating
new contacts and casual relationships this year. If
you are a businessperson, there are huge opportunities for you to start new ventures and earn lot
of money as you will be successful whatever initiative you take this year. Your assumptions of investing will prove to be highly beneficial.
Career this year: Art and literature are your area
of interest and you want to contribute to these
fields. However, you need to be sober and down
to earth to create a good impression. If you are a
scientist or a lawyer, you may find this year to be
rewarding for you. Women professionals in advertising and media will also be rewarded for
their good work.
Romance this year: If you are unmarried, this
year may bring romance in your lonely life.
Lucky month: October, December and May
29th May, 2015
Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2
Traits in you: The influence of your ruling planet Moon enhances your imagination power. You
are honest, sensitive and creative by nature. You
are helpful by heart and you help people in need
with money and physical support. However, you
should not behave introvert or shy. You should let
your personality grow.
Health this year: The drip in the health of your
parents might cause concern for you.
Finance this year: Your assumptions on investments would prove to be correct and you will
earn a handsome amount of money from your investments. There is a healthy chance of overseas
travel regarding business meeting this year. The
travel would be successful and you may get new
projects. You should avoid financial transactions
with casual friends as it may result in loss and
complications in relationships.
Career this year: This year may bring new opportunities for you. You may get promotions and
transfer orders.
Romance this year: Your partner will be supportive enough and help you in every respect. If
you are eligible and unmarried, you may get marriage proposals this year.
Lucky month: October, January and March

30

SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

May 23-29, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Life Itself is Restless for

Peace in the World
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
ystic poetry and literature is rich in verses
addressing the way to a
peaceful, calm life. One of the
greatest mystic poet-saints of the
past century, Sant Darshan Singh
Ji Maharaj, has written a verse that
captures the way to lead lives in
which we reduce stress and anger
to produce calm and peace within
ourselves and for the whole world.

The verse by Sant Darshan

Singh Ji says:
Let this world become a temple
of love and peace.
Let love and Truth illumine the

world,
And the adversaries of peace
awaken to its Light.
This sacred land of God has
been trampled with the burden of
oppression.
Life is not a dagger stained with
the blood of hatred;
It is a branch filled with the
flowers of love and compassion.
Life itself is restless for peace in
the world.
Let its noble dream materialize.
May the garden be illumined
with wave afterwave of Light.
May the wealth of love grow
greater and greater and enrich
every heart.
These verses capture the essence
of what I consider the purpose of
life and have been the inspiration
of my life. These penetrating
words by Sant Darshan Singh Ji
Maharaj, a past master of meditation on the inner Light and Sound,
illumine a way to achieve peace
through uncovering the Divine
within. Once this uplifting peace
permeates our being, it can spread

By Sant Rajinder Singh Ji

Maharaj
hen we start out on a spiritual path,
there are two elements involved in
learning the spiritual teachings.
One is the theoretical side in which we satisfy
our minds questions, and the other is the
practical side in which we experience the spiritual truths for ourselves in the depths of our
soul. While it is important to be well versed in
both aspects, there comes a point in which we
must focus our attention on doing the actual
practice of meditation to gain true experience.
Overemphasis on the theoretical side can take
our attention too far away from the practices
we need to perform. While we must satisfy the
mind and have our questions answered, we do
not want to get trapped into mental wrangling,
for that is like a spider web in which we may
get stuck.
To illustrate this point, look at the wisdom
of the great Lord Buddha. Buddha spent fortyfive years selflessly teaching the spiritual
truths. He wanted to help suffering souls gain
enlightenment and escape the karmic wheel of
life that binds them to this world.
Buddha was full of compassion and served
humanity without any concern for his own
comfort. He sacrificed himself so that others
could find the road to Nirvana. It is said
Buddha toured for eight months out of each
year to teach people the way to salvation.
The only time he did not tour was during the
rainy season, in which he stayed in one place.
He gave out his teachings to everyone, irrespective of their caste, religion, color, or
social status. He gave all an equal chance to
find the way to enlightenment.
One day, a disciple by the name of
Malunkyaputta wanted an interview with Lord
Buddha. Malunkyaputta had a restless mind,
and during his meditations he was always
pondering questions such as, Is the world

to others, bathing this planet in

peace.
These verses describe the unity
at the heart of all creation. The
poet realizes that the same Light of
God within us is also in all others,
making us one human family.
Even science points to our ones
through the Genome project.
Scientists have found that more
than 99% of the genes of all
human beings are the same, with
only less than 1% being different,

accounting for differences in our

hair, skin, and eye color, or our
size and shape. When we realize
we are all one family, we would
not cause pain or suffering to others. As we would not want to hurt
our parents or children, we would
not want to hurt any other human
being. The walls that divide us
through nationality, social status,
or appearance tumble down as we
realize that we are all children of
the one Creative Power.
Through meditation on the inner
Light and Sound within each of us,
we can have a firsthand experience
of our unity. Through absorption
into this Light and Sound current,
we experience consciousness of
higher spiritual realms. This inner
journey leads back to the source of
this current and we experience
oneness with the Creator. Saints
and mystics have described within
us a series of realms. Beyond the
physical realm, there is the astral,
causal, and supracausal realms,
and a purely spiritual realm, called
Sach Khand. Each realm contains

greater and greater light, celestial

music, joy, and love. We ultimately
merge back in the source of all
consciousness, love, and light.
Then, we recognize that all
humans and all forms of life are
created by the Divine and comprise one family. This nondenominational meditation practice, called
Shabd Meditation, or meditation
on the Light and Sound, can be
performed by people of all cultures.
The introductory form of meditation, called Jyoti Meditation can be
practiced by any one at any place.
The more time we spend in meditation, the more we realize the
unity within each. Spiritual
progress is enhanced by an ethical
life of non-violence, truthfulness,
humility, love for all, and selfless
service.
As we gaze at the wonders within through meditation, we can
experience the inner light, enjoy its
nourishing peace and bliss, and
radiate that loving luminosity to
all.

Knowledge Vs Experience

Buddha spent fortyfive years selflessly

teaching the spiritual
truths. He wanted to
help suffering souls
gain enlightenment
and escape the karmic
wheel of life that binds
them to this world.
infinite or finite? Or, is the soul identical with
the human body? Instead of meditating and
stilling the mind, he ended up spending his
meditation time thinking about these philosophical questions. So, during his interview
with Buddha, the disciple told Buddha of the
difficulties he had in his meditations.
The disciple said, O Blessed One, please
answer these questions. If you do, I will
remain on the spiritual path. If you do not
answer these questions, I will leave your Holy
Order.
Buddha replied, O Malunkyaputta, did I
ever ask you to take up this path and did I
promise you that I would answer these intellectual wranglings? The disciple sheepishly
replied, No.
Buddha lovingly explained, Whoever worries about these meaningless speculations
such as whether the world is infinite or finite,
or whether the soul looks like the body, is taking away time from the spiritual practices. It is

just like someone who is shot by an arrow

who instead of letting the doctor treat him to
get out the poison starts saying, I will not
allow my wound to be treated until I know
who is the man who shot me, what kind of
person is he, is he tall or short, what type of
bow and arrow did he use, or what color is his
skin. The key is to get treatment first.
Similarly, if we say we will not do our spiritual practices until we get answers to these mental questions about whether the universe is
eternal or not, and other such questions, then
one may pass ones whole life and never reach
the spiritual goal.
Buddha further explained, I teach what is
important to know and not what is unimportant. I want to help people solve the problems
of sorrow and suffering in this life.
What is useful is how to lead the spiritual
life leading to enlightenment.
To further illustrate this point, one day,
while in the Simsapa forest near Kosambi,

Buddha was sitting with his disciples.

Buddha picked up a few leaves and asked
his disciples, What is your opinion?
Which is more? Is it the few leaves in my
hand, or the leaves in the forest around us?
The disciples said, O blessed one, you have
very few leaves in your hand, while there are
many more in the forest.
Buddha then told them, It is the same with
my teachings. Of everything I know, I have
only told you a little. What I have not told you
is much more, like the leaves in the forest.
Why did I not tell you everything I know? The
reason is that all that information is not useful.
That information that will not lead to enlightenment, I have not told you. I have only told
you that which you need to know to gain the
spiritual experience and find salvation.
As we think about our own lives, many get
involved in intellectual pursuits. But there
comes a point when we find that the mind will
never stop its wrangling. We have to discriminate which questions will help our spiritual
progress and which ones are merely to satisfy
the intellects curiosity. There are thousands of
pages written in all religions on the theoretical
side of mysticism. If we were to start reading
all those pages now, we might never finish
them all in our short life span. People who are
steeped in the theoretical side of religion can
spend years debating each point found in the
scriptural writings and never find any solution. In this short time that we have, it is far
better to spend time in our spiritual practices
so that we can rise above our limited intellect
and come in contact with our soul. Then, we
will not have to wonder about the answers, for
we will know them for certain and see them
for ourselves. Our soul has all the
answers,because our soul is one with the
Lord.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

May 23-29, 2015