The South Asian Times
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Vol.10 No. 17 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 80 Cents New York Edition
THOUSANDS
FLOCK TO
37TH INDIA
DAY
PARADE
IN NY
Baahubali 2 stars Rana Daggubati and Tamannaah Bhatia added star power SEE MORE PIX & DETAILED
to FIAs annual parade down Madison Avenue on Sunday. (Photo: FIA) REPORT ON PG 1617.
Court's
Trudeau wins hearts at
quashing of
Montreals India Day parade triple talaq
hailed widely
New Delhi: Activists, politicians,
clerics, celebrities, political outfits
and NGOs, including the All India
Muslim Personal Law Board (AIM
PLB) that was contending for the
triple talaq hailed the Supreme
Court verdict on the controversial
instant divorce among the Muslim
community.
While the government, women
rights activists and political parties
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau wowed the crowd at the India Day
appreciated the apex court's consti
Unity Parade in Montreal by appearing in a purple kurta and
tutional bench order banning
concluding his speech with Jai Hind. (Photo: Canada PMO)
instant divorce by a 3:2 verdict as
Montreal: Clad in purple kurta & ing Indias Independence Day unconstitutional, the AIMPLB said
pyjama, the charismatic and won the crowd over by con
Canadian Prime Minister Justin cluding his speech with Jai Continued on page 4
Trudeau made his maiden Hind. While many events SEE DETAILED STORY
appearance at an event celebrat Continued on page 4 ON PAGE 12.
OWN YOUR FUTURE
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Afghan Strategy
Trump puts Pak
on notice, seeks
Indian help
President Trump with Vice President Mike Pence and Defense
Secretary James Mattis. (Photo courtesy AP)
Washington/New Delhi: President
Donald Trump has unveiled his
longawaited Afghanistan policy,
warning the US will take action
within Pakistan if it did not stop
backing terrorists battling
American forces. And in a first for
an American President, Trump
brought India directly into the
equation by assigning a strategic
role for New Delhi in Afghanistan.
In an address to the nation on
Monday from Fort Myer near
Washington, Trump put longtime
ally Pakistan on notice with a vir
tual ultimatum that it "has much to
lose" by backing terrorists.
He accused Islamabad of shelter
ing "the same organizations that
try every single day to kill our peo
ple".
"We have been paying Pakistan
billions and billions of dollars, at
the same time they are housing
the very terrorists we are fighting.
But that will have to change and
that will change immediately."
Trump also asked India "to help
us more with Afghanistan" and
said a "critical part of the South
Asia strategy for America was to
further develop its strategic part
nership with India the world's
largest democracy and a key secu
rity and economic partner of the
US".
The new US policy, a reversal of
Trump's threats during the
Presidential campaign to quit
Afghanistan, was hailed by Kabul
and New Delhi. But the Taliban
denounced it so did leading fig
ures in Pakistan.
India, which enjoys close ties
with Kabul, welcomed Trump's
Continued on page 4
excellence in journalism
TheSouthAsianTimes.info Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017
TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 3

New AAPI head highlights achievements,

vows to pursue new initiatives
Special to
The South Asian Times

New York: AAPI physicians repre

sent only 10% of doctors in the
United States, but serve approxi
mately 30% of the US patient pop
ulation, Dr Gautam Samadder, the
new President of the American
Association of Physicians of Indian
Origin, said.
AAPI held a Leadership
Conference as well as a community
meetingnews conference at the
Consulate General of India here on
August 19. The next day, they also
(from left) AAPI President Dr Gautam Samadder, Dr. Raj Bhayani, and Dr. Gautam Samadder and AAPI officials participated in the India Day
participated in the India Day
Dr. Kusum Punjabi at the press conference at the Indian Consulate. Parade in Manhattan to spread the message of health and wellness.
Parade in New York, known as the
largest such parade outside the address, Consul General Sandeep December 2831. presidentelect; Suresh Reddy, vice ering and Jonnalagadda proposed
country. Samadder, who assumed Chakravorty praised AAPI for its AAPI has signed an MoU with president; Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, a vote of thanks.
the leadership of AAPIconsid contributions to the motherland the American Medical Association, secretary; Anupama Gotimukula, Shashi Shah introduced the con
ered the largest ethnic body of the and the adopted land. You have the nations premier body, on col treasurer; and Ashok Jain, chair sul general and Ajay Lodha, imme
medical fraternityin June, high excelled in your fields of medicine, laboration to highlight issues man of the board of trustees. AAPI diate past president, praised the
lighted the importance and the and thus make significant contri affecting physicians and unitedly should mentor and develop the current leadership.
major role played by the physi butions through hard work, com raise concerns with congressional next generation of doctors in lead Earlier in the day on August 19,
cians of Indian origin. Many have mitment and dedication to your representatives. Shortly after tak ership positions, Samadder said. I the Leadership Conference focused
fostered personal relationships profession and the people you are ing over, the Samadderled execu want to encourage medical stu on topics such as effective commu
with members of (US) Congress committed to serving, he said, tive team of AAPI took new initia dents, residents and fellows and all nication, teambuilding skills, how
and the highest levels of the Indian lauding AAPI for setting up free tives such as the clinical fellowship secondgeneration Indian to succeed as an entrepreneur and
government, he said. These clinics across India including one in allergy and immunology, a American physicians to be actively why giving back to your communi
invaluable assets have influenced in West Bengal later this year. healthy heart program, and an involved in both local and national ty helps. On August 20, AAPI
legislation and patientfocused Kolkata will play host to the Global international research contest. His efforts. spread the message of health and
health care reform. In his keynote Healthcare Summit in the end of team comprises Naresh Parikh, Raj Bhayani welcomed the gath wellness at the India Day Parade.

Nilekani returns as Infosys Xoom raises limit of money transfer to India

nonExecutive Chairman San Francisco, Calif: Xoom, PayPals digital
money transfer service, has introduced
higher send limits along with even better
were keen to take advantage of investment
opportunities in their home country.
We understand that the combination of
Bengaluru: Infosys cofounder Nandan as its first Chairman till May 2014.
Nilekani on Thursday returned to the global "Nilekani is an iconic leader, a successful exchange rates. Customers can now transfer higher send limits and good exchange rates
software major as nonExecutive Chairman of entrepreneur and investor, and someone who up to $10,000 per transaction. This gives are very important for our customers send
the Board with immediate has played a pivotal role in the overseas Indians the option of sending larg ing money to India, so we worked towards
effect. country's transition to a digital er amounts of money, allowing them to fulfilling both these needs. Xoom customers
"The Board of Directors has economy," said the company in make mortgage payments, no longer have to choose
appointed Nandan Nilekani as a a statement. Expressing happi personal investments, edu between better exchange
nonexecutive, nonindependent ness on returning to the compa cation loans payments or rates and fast deposits, as
Director and as the Chairman of ny, Nilekani said he looked for assist their families back they can enjoy both. Plus
the Board of Directors," said the ward to working with his col home. they have the option of
IT major in a regulatory filing leagues on the Board and in With Xoom, the more you send the better sending up to $10,000 per transaction,
on the BSE. The Board accepted executive management on the exchange rate you get. This builds on said Nasar Agboatwala, South Asia
the resignation of R. Seshsayee business opportunities and Xooms existing service of delivering fast Marketing Manager for Xoom.
Nandan Nilekani has bank deposits to India. I have been using Xoom for years, and
as its Chairman and as a delivering benefits to its
cofounded Infosys with Xoom has enhanced every touch point have been satisfied with their service. Their
Director on the Board with clients, investors, employees
Narayana Murthy. important for our Indian customers by new higher send limits will give me the flex
immediate effect, as well of Co (Photo: Twitter) and communities. He also
Chairman Ravi Venkatesan thanked Sikka for his service offering them a combination of higher send ibility to send larger amounts when need
though he continues as an Independent as the CEO over the last three years and limits per transaction, improved exchange ed, said Shivanku Misra based in New York.
Director and Executive ViceChairman Vishal wished him well in his future endeavors. rates, and fast bank deposits. says Julian Xoom is a leading digital money transfer
Sikka with immediate effect. U.B. Pravin Rao, who will continue as King, Vice President and General Manager provider, serving people who want to send
Nilekani, 62, who was CEO of Infosys from Interim CEO and MD, said he was pleased to of Xoom. money anywhere in the world using their
March 2002 till April 2007 and its Vice welcome back Nilekani. "The Board will con Pew Research states that approximately mobile phone, tablet or computer. It is head
Chairman, quit the company in 2009 to head tinue with its earlier stated plan to identify a $12 Billion flowed to India from the USA in quartered in San Francisco and can be
the Unique Identification Authority of India permanent CEO and MD," added Rao. 2015, mainly from Indian immigrants who found online at www.xoom.com.
 4 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Trump puts Pak on notice, Marching alongside Trudeau was

Army called in as Haryana on seeks Indian help

Continued from page 1
Indias high commissioner Vikas
Swarup.
It was wonderful to have the Prime
"determination to enhance efforts to

edge for Dera chief verdict overcome the challenges facing

Chandigarh: With hours left for
the CBI court's verdict on Friday
in a rape case against Dera chief
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and
tension mounting in Haryana's
Panchkula, adjoining here, Army
was called in to deal with any
situation along with other secu
rity forces.
Central paramilitary forces
and Haryana Police tried to
evict the Dera Sacha Sauda
Dera chief Gurmeet
supporters gathered in thou
Ram Rahim Singh
sands at various places in
Panchkula, through the intervening night of
Thursday and Friday. However, the sect disciples
stayed put. The verdict in the rape and sexual
exploitation of a woman devotee allegedly by self
styled godman the Dera chief was likely to be
announced around 2.30 pm India time. Haryana
Director General of Police (DGP) B.S. Sandhu said
that 20 columns of the Army have been requisi
Talk of bringing down Columbus statue in Manhattan
New York: New York City Mayor Bill
de Blasio may order the removal of
the statue of Christopher Columbus
in Manhattan's Columbus Circle.
The statue, which is over 100 years
old, is one of the city artifacts cur
rently under review in an effort to
remove "symbols of hate." De Blasio, a
Democrat who is running for reelec
tion this November, ordered the
Christopher Columbus
review after the violent confronta
statue in Columbus Circle,
tions between white supremacists
New York City. (Photo:
and counterprotesters in Virginia Wikimedia Commons)
earlier this month.
"We have to look at everything here," de Blasio
said during Wednesday night's Democratic mayor
debate.
City Council Speaker Melissa MarkViverito, an
ally of de Blasio and fellow Democrat, has called
for the statue of Columbus to come down.
"I will wait for the commission, as I said
Christopher Columbus is a controversial figure to
many of us particularly in the Caribbean and I
tioned. They have staged a flag
march on Friday morning.
The Dera chief was expected
to arrive in the Panchkula spe
cial CBI court on a helicopter
from his sect headquarters
near Sirsa town in Haryana. He
was asked to be present during
the verdict. Singh, late on
Thursday night, issued a video
appeal to his followers to
leave Panchkula and return to
their homes.
"I had appealed to followers
earlier also not to go to Panchkula. I appeal to
them to return to their homes. I will appear
before the court and I will go there," he said in his
appeal. The situation was tense at the Dera head
quarters, about 8 km from Sirsa town. The district
administration in Sirsa has imposed curfew from
10 pm on Thursday. However, people were seen
roaming around the sect headquarters.
think that that has to be looked at,
when you have to look at history we
have to look at it thoroughly and
clearly," she said on Monday. The
Italianborn Columbus was one of
the first Europeans to reach the
Americas, and his expeditions initiat
ed the first lasting transAtlantic con
tacts. Critics note his cruel treat
ment of native peoples and his
active participation in the slave
trade.
De Blasio's presumptive
Republican opponent in the mayoral
contest says the statue should stay put. "Even
Christopher Columbus, the founder of our nation,
is under attack," state Assemblywoman Nicole
Malliotakis said Wednesday.
She later clarified that she misspoke in calling
Columbus the founder of the U.S.
Meanwhile, a rally was held at City Hall
Thursday in support of keeping the statue of
Columbus in Columbus Circle.
Afghanistan and confronting issues of
Minister of Canada participate in an
India Day Parade, spend the good part
of almost two hours with the communi
safe havens and other forms of cross
ty, speak in very positive terms about
border support enjoyed by terrorists".
the contributions IndoCanadians are
India pledged a $1 billion package for
making to Canada and end his speech
Afghanistan in 2016.
with Jai Hind. And he seems to have a
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
fabulous collection of Indian kurtas,
affirmed India's role outlined by
Swarup said.
Trump.
Trudeau was thronged along the
"India will be an important partner in
parades route and as is his style, often
the effort to ensure peace and stability
stopped for selfies with many of those
in the region and we welcome its role
marching to observe Indias independ
in supporting Afghanistan's political
ence. He spoke briefly to those assem
and economic modernisation," he said.
bled at the venue, highlighting the
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said
partnership between India and Canada
he was "grateful" to Trump "for this
and extolling the achievements of the
affirmation of support for our efforts
IndoCanadian community.
to achieve selfreliance and for our
He also said that as Canada marked
joint struggle to rid the region from
the 150th year of confederation this
the threat of terrorism".
year and India celebrated its 71st year
Islamabad on Thursday strongly
of independence, it was time to
rejected President Trump's accusation
reflect on the worlds two largest
that Pakistan has been undermining
democracies, one by population and
the US's socalled 'war against terror'
one by surface area, and what weve
despite receiving billions of dollars in
learnt and what we do well.
aid.
A highlevel meeting was held of mil
itary and political leaders under the
Court's quashing of triple
chairmanship of Prime Minister Shahid talaq hailed widely
Khaqan Abbasi. The group observed Continued from page 1
that Pakistan had to manage the blow the court's order also underlined that a
back of a protracted conflict in community's personal laws cannot be
Afghanistan that resulted in a deluge interfered with.
of refugees, flow of drugs and arms BJP President Amit Shah hailed the
and, recently, terrorist safe havens in ruling as "historic" and said it was a vic
eastern Afghanistan, and that these tory for Muslim women and their right
safehavens harbor antiPakistan ter to live with dignity.
rorist groups that continue to operate The Congress termed the ruling as an
and launch attacks inside Pakistan. "affirmation of the rights of women"
IANS with its Vice President Rahul Gandhi
congratulated "the women who fought
Trudeau wins hearts at for justice".
The AIMPLB too welcomed the apex
Montreals India Day parade
court verdict saying it vindicated the
Continued from page 1
organization's stand and accords protec
marked the 70th anniversary of Indias
tion to Muslim personal law".
independence the India Day Unity
It said the judgment will "ensure non
Parade in Montreal on August 20 was
interference by the courts in matters of
the one that drew the Prime Minister
practices emanating from religious texts
maybe because the parade route fell
and belief systems" of different commu
within the constituency that he repre
nities".
sents in Parliament.

Jaipur (India) Bureau IANS Newswire Services

Prakash Bhandari IANS Washington Bureau
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info Arun Kumar
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
India one of US most significant
tourism origin countries, says
American top official
Washington, DC: India is probably
one of the most significant tourism
origin countries for the US with
enormous growth potential, a top
official has said. Indian visitors
spent a record $13.6 billion in the
US last year, positioning India on
the sixth spot among the top 10
international markets for the US in
terms of visitor spending. As many
as 1.17 million Indians visited the
US in 2016, ranking India 11th in
terms of number of international
visitors to the US last year, the US
Department of Commerce said in its
latest annual report released recent
ly. Indias probably one of our most
significant origin countries, as it
relates to the whole phenomena of
visiting friends and relatives, Brand
USA president and CEO Chris
Thompson told PTI, ahead of his
upcoming sixth annual India Travel
Trade Mission next month. There is
enormous growth potential as the
US currently captures only about
5.5 per cent of the outbound Indian
5 Indian-origin persons in Fortune's annual '40 Under 40' list
New York: Five Indianorigin per
sons, including Irish Prime
Minister Leo Varadkar, have fea
tured in Fortune's annual list of
40 young and influential people
in the field of business inspiring
others with their work. Fortune's
2017 '40 Under 40' list is an
annual ranking of the most influ
ential young people who are
under 40 in business, whom the
magazine termed as "disruptors,
innovators, rebels and artists"
inspiring others.
The list has been topped by 39
yearold French President
Emmanuel Macron "France's
youngest leader since Napoleon"
who swept the presidential elec
tions in May "obliterating the
twoparty system that had gov
erned the country for genera
tions."
The Indianorigin persons on
the list are 26yearold Divya
Nag, who oversees Apple's ambi
tious ResearchKit and CareKit
programmes that encourage
developers to build healthrelat
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
travel market, he said. We have a
large Indian population within the
United States. We have a great rela
tionship with India as it relates to
people coming over for educational
opportunities and then therefore
families come over following those
students. The relationship between
the two largest democracies in the
world is really good one in general
but certainly as it relates to travel
and tourism between our two coun
tries, Thompson said. India had the
highest increase in visitor spending,
up by 14 per cent. Headed for India
from September 1015 on his sixth
annual trade mission that would
take him to Mumbai, New Delhi and
Chennai, he said the main focus is
to encourage Indian visitation to the
US and educate the Indian travel
industry on the limitless potential of
the US as a travel destination. Last
years travel trade mission attracted
the largest United States delegation
ever to engage with the India travel
trade, he said. Responding to a ques
Divya Nag
(Image : cultofmac.com)
ed apps, Rishi Shah, 31, and
Shradha Agarwal, 32, who helm
more than 10yearold health
tech firm Outcome Health and
CEO and founder of nonprofit
Samasource 31yearold Leila
Janah.
Varadkar, 38, whose father was
born in India, has been ranked
fifth on the list. Fortune said
while Ireland has long defined
mass emigration, "yet remark
ably, its new prime minister is the
son of a Hindu immigrant from
tion, Thompson said there is enor
mous growth potential from Indian
tourists coming to the US because
the US currently captures only
about 5.5 per cent of the outbound
Indian travel market. New York,
California and Hawaii are one of the
top three destinations for Indian
tourists. Florida, Washington &
Texas are the next three, followed
by New Jersey, Alaska, Virginia and
Michigan, he said. The average
length of stay in the US for Indian
tourists in 2016 is 36.9 nights, com
pared to 35.3 nights in 2015,
Thompson said. Thompson said he
has not seen any impact on flow of
tourists and visitors from India after
the Trump administration took over
in January.
Last year, we attracted the
largest US delegation ever to
engage with the travel trade in
India. We are anticipating that we
will have probably a record atten
dance this year also, he added.
(PTI)
Shradha Agarwal, Rishi Shah
(Image : chicagotribune.com)
Mumbai." The former doctor is
Ireland's youngest leader in cen
turies as well as its firstever dropout founded a stemcell
openly gay one, "no small detail
in his devoutly Catholic country."
Varadkar, however, dismisses at the age of 23. Nag now over
all that as irrelevant. "Far more
crucial is his ability to protect the
Celtic Tiger against economic dis
aster when Britain exits the EU in
2019, and guarding Ireland's
lowtax deals with tech giants.
Many are rooting for his suc
cess," Fortune said.
Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017
Mathew Martomas
insider trading
conviction upheld
New York: An Indianorigin
portfolio manager, who is serv
ing a nineyear jail term for his
role in the most lucrative insid
er trading scheme in the US, has
lost his bid to overturn his con
viction after an appeals court
ruled that there was "over
whelming" evidence against
him. Mathew Martoma, 43, was
convicted in 2014 for his role
as the "central figure" in the
most lucrative insider trading
scheme ever charged involving
$275 million in illegal profits.
Martoma, who had changed
his name from Ajai Mathew
Thomas, had served as a portfo
lio manager of CR Intrinsic
Investors, a division of hedge
fund behemoth SAC Capital, led
by billionaire Steven Cohen.
Martoma had been charged
with collecting confidential
information about a highpro
Leila Janah
(Image courtesy: Scoop.it)
On Nag, who has been ranked
27th, Fortune said the Stanford
of the world as remote free
research startup and began a
medical investment accelerator
average wages from less than
sees ResearchKit and CareKit
programs and if the company
succeeds, it could transform clini
cal trials from isolated events at
hospitals to ongoing studies that
capture vital signs from
omnipresent sensors, Fortune
said. Shah and Agarwal have
5
file Alzheimer's drug trial from
two doctors and making profits
and avoiding losses of $275
million for SAC Capital.
In appealing against the con
viction, Martoma argued that
the evidence presented at trial
was insufficient to support his
conviction but a threejudge
bench at the 2nd Circuit Court
of Appeals ruled in a 21 deci
sion yesterday that the "govern
ment presented overwhelming
evidence that at least one tipper
received a financial benefit
from providing confidential
information to Martoma."
Former US Attorney Preet
Bharara had led the govern
ment's case against Martoma
and his successor at the
Southern District of New York
Acting US Attorney Joon Kim
welcomed the Second Circuit's
affirmation of the conviction.
been ranked 38th on the list.
Their company raised over $500
million at a valuation of more
than $5 billion.
Outcome says it has already
outfitted more than 40,000 doc
tor's offices with touch screens
and tablets that can deliver medi
tation apps, relevant medical
information, and advertising to
patients, Fortune said.
Janah has been ranked 40th on
the list. Fortune said Samasource
is on track to pull in $15 million
in revenue this year by setting up
workers in India, Kenya, Uganda,
and other underprivileged parts
lancers for the tech sector, an
arrangement that boosts their
$2.50 a day to more than $8.
Janah, daughter of Indian immi
grants who moved to the US, also
founded a skincare line that
employs women in Uganda. She
"stresses the importance of work
and not charity in fighting global
poverty."
6 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 TRISTATE COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

IN BRIEF
Sri Sankat Mochan Hanuman Singer Kailash Kher hosted at TV Asia
Mandir celebrates Janmashtami ailash Kher, award

K winning Indian

S
ri Sankat Mochan poprock and Bolly
Hanuman Mandir wood playback singer,
in Floral Park cel was hosted at TV Asia
ebrated Lord Krishna's Aug 17 for a live interac
birthday with more tive session and a com
than 4000 people. The munity reception. Kher,
day started with Lord who was recently con
Krishna's Pooja and ferred the Padma Shri,
special Annakut with Indias fourth highest
more than 150 deli civilian award, is known
cious food items of for his unique and pow
fered. George Mara erful voice and music
Kailash Kher was presented with a plaque of recognition by
gos, Comptroller in style influenced by Indian members of the community. (Photo : Gunjesh Desai/TV Asia)
Nassau County, David folk and Sufi music.
Dilip Chauhan and other County officials attended the event
Wiprin, Assemblyman More than 200 members of the commu He started off by recounting his days in
in Queens New York, Dilip Chauhan who theme of Lord Krishan and Radha. andir nity attended. Kher was welcomed and led New Delhi, where he grew up. He said his
has been instrumental in helping social Priest Sanjeev Mishra thanked all partici into the TV Asia auditorium by chairman music was a summary of his lifes experi
and cultural groups to establish in New pants, elected and local government offi H R Shah, himself a recent recipient of the ences.
York and now in charge as Deputy Comp cials for their support. The event was em Padma Shri. My music is an extension of my strug
troller in Nassau County visited the tem ceed by Indu Gajwani and Vandanakumar. In welcoming Kher, Shah was joined at gles, failures and successes, he told the
ple to get blessings. Nassau County Comptroller Maragos hon the event by Dr Navin Mehta, chairman of audience. I continue to learn every day
On this auspicious occasion more than ored Pandit Sanjeev Mishra and Event Bharatiya Vidhya Bhawan USA and and imbibe it in my singing.
15 dance group performed dances on the Chair Indu Gajwani with Proclamation. Ramesh Patel, chairman of Federation of Responding to an audience question,
Indian Associations (FIA) of NY, NJ and Kher noted he stayed focused even in his
CT. Kher, who spoke in Hindi as well as most difficult days. I had set my eyes on
6000 people attend Janmashtami English, took questions, interacting over being a musician and after I moved to
Mumbai in 2001, I realized it was impos
two hours with an engaging audience.
celebration at Radha Govind Dham Mandir Often philosophical and emotive, Kher sible to get work for an untrained singer
spoke eloquently about his life and career. like me, but I never lost hope.

W
hile New York witnessed a host of
big events to celebrate Janmash
tami, the one at Radha Govind
Dham New York (RGDNY) was one of the
most anticipated ones. The day at RGDNY
started with their team of volunteers
working arduously to set up the stage and
stalls outside the temple and deck up the
temple for the big block party. The spe
cially adorned deities of Radha Krishna
with their heart captivating beauty,
charmed one and all.
The block party saw a huge turnout
The program started with delectable va
rieties of Indian dishes being served to the a Krishna & Radha dress up contest for
devotees for dinner prasad following kids aged 0 to 8 years. This was followed
which the cultural events for the evening with a handiphod which represents Shri
kick started. The opening act was a chanti Krishnas pastime of stealing butter by
ng of devotional kirtans by RGDNYs devo breaking earthpots from the houses of his
tees following which Swami Nikhilanand ji, village folk. The program outside conclud
a sanyasi preacher with Jagadguru Kripalu ed with an ecstatic dandiya raas. The pro
Parishat, shared with the audience the sig gram inside the mandir involved kirtan
nificance of Lord Krishnas descension and chanting by Swamiji and devotees while
the festival of Janmashtami. He also led a the holy ablutions to little Krishna were Indias 71st IDay celebration was held at Queens Borough Hall on August 17th at Helen
brief kirtan chanting session after which being performed as per the custom on this Marshall Cultural Center. Along with Borough President Melinda Katz, present were
devotee kids from RGDNY enraptured the day. Towards the end of the night, there Paramita Tripathi deputy consul Gen. of India NY, Councilman Barry S. Gordonchik and
audience with semi classical dance rou was another beautiful jhanki planned several elected ofcials. Shashikant Patel read a message received from Chief Minister of
tines. The event was also attended by two which showed Shri Krishnas father Va Gujarat Vijay Rupani conveying his well wishes on this celebration. Citation was presented
special guests, Mahima Chaudhary, bolly sudev ji carrying little Krishna to Gokul to Shashikant Patel, Labhubhai Upadhyaya and Rita Kohli for their community, cultural so
wood actress best known for her roles in from Mathura, right after his birth. The cial services since four decades. Gopi Udeshi thanked the borough community coordinator
hits like Pardes, Dhadkan, and Dilip celebrations ended with a birthday cake Mohamed Hack, BAPS Temple, Bruhud NY seniors, Jain Temple and Global Physician net
Chauhan, Deputy Comptroller Nassau being cut and a special aarti for little Kr work and committee members and volunteers for their efforts and dedication to make this
County. The special guests also cojudged ishna at midnight. event a big success.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 7

New York: An Indianorigin CEO

was racially abused and told to
"go back to India" and also take
along Nikki Haley after he said
Indian American CEO faces racial
abuse from Trump supporters
that he will not support President
Donald Trump's economic agenda
after the US leader appeared to
defend white supremacists follow

ASKED TO GET HIS GARBAGE AND GO BACK TO INDIA

ing the Virginia violence.
USborn Ravin Gandhi, 44,
founder and CEO of GMM
Nonstick Coatings, a global sup
plier of coatings for cookware and
bakeware, wrote an oped for
CNBC following Trump's
Charlottesville remarks but was
quickly trolled and racially abused
by readers, the Chicago Tribune
reported.
"I recently told the New York
Times I was 'rooting' for certain
aspects of Trump's economic
agenda," Gandhi wrote in the op
ed. "After Charlottesville and its
aftermath, I will not defend
Trump even if the Dow hits
50,000, unemployment goes to 1
per cent, and GDP grows by 7 per
cent. Some issues transcend eco
nomics, and I will not in good con
science support a president who
seems to hate Americans who
don't look like him."
Hundreds of white supremacists
clashed with counterdemonstra
tors at a rally in Charlottesville on
August 12 in which a 32yearold
woman was killed and 19 injured
when a car drove into a crowd of
protesters. Gandhi was soon bom
barded by hate comments on his
opinion piece, including a voice
mail from a woman who said
Gandhi should "get your (exple
tive) garbage and go back to
India." The woman, using abusive
and inappropriate language, told
Gandhi that he should also take
"that other half(expletive)
Bangladesh (expletive) with you,
Nikki Haley," referring to the US
envoy to the UN.
"She's (Ms Haley) the one that
started all this when she took
down the Confederate ag. So
don't tell us that you gave him a
chance. We don't give a (expletive)
who you gave a chance, OK?
We're going to start taking down
Ravin Gandhi was trolled after his
oped for CNBC criticized Trumps
Charlottesville remarks
(Image courtesy: Sify.com)
Buddhist statues and see how you
and Nikki Haley like that," the
woman said.
In the minute and a half voice
mail she said Gandhi should "go
clean up your own (expletive)
country, it's a lthy mess." Gandhi
posted the voicemail to YouTube,
Twitter and Facebook and shared
some of the nastier emails he
received as well, the report said.
"It was obvious that people
thought my professional position
somewhat protected me," he said.
"I wanted to show people that
racism is blind to socioeconom
ics. It just is."
"Even though my race is a com
plete nonissue in my daytoday
life, the sad reality is there's a
group of racists in the USA that
views me as a secondclass citi
zen," he said in the report.
"I wanted my peers in the busi
ness community, the civic commu
nity, my friend community to see
that this can happen to me.
Because there's this delusion that
racism is dead because Obama
was elected."
Gandhi added that the fact that
Trump "equated hate groups with
those protesting hate lit me up" as
he called Trump's moral leader
ship on the issue "reprehensible."
He said while his sharing a "big
oted" voicemail may not make a
big difference, but he will speak
out against such abuse as long as
he has a platform to do so.
"My heroes are Martin Luther
King Jr., Nelson Mandela, people
who stood up against insane odds.
And let's be honest I live in door
manprotected building in the
Gold Coast. For me to say that I'm
suffering in any real sense is
insane. But many people in this
city who don't have resources
really are suffering."
"I know I'm on the right side of
history here," he said. "That's how
I sleep at night."

Pramila Jayapal unveils Trump urged to appoint US envoy

resolution to censure Trump
Washington, DC: IndianAmerican
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and
some other lawmakers have unveiled a
congressional resolution to censure
President Donald Trump for his comments
about the violent white nationalist rally in
Virginia.
"Not even a week has passed since the
tragedy in Charlottesville. But on Tuesday,
the president poured salt on the nation's
wounds by defending those who marched
with white supremacists," Jayapal said.
"In an unscripted press conference, we
saw the real and unltered Donald Trump
the logical endpoint for a man who has
consistently trafcked in racism through
out his career," she said.
The resolution which is also sponsored
by Congressman Jerrold Nadler and
Bonnie Watson Coleman was introduced in
the US House of Representatives on August
18.
"The American people expect their lead
ers to condemn white supremacy in unam
biguous terms," Jaypal said.
"President Trump not only failed at con
demning white supremacists and neo
Pramila Jayapal
(Image courtesy: crosscut.com)
Nazis, he stood up for them for that he
must be censured. The president's conduct
is unAmerican and it must stop," she said.
As many as 47 lawmakers led by Jayapal
introduced a resolution urging Donald
Trump to strongly condemn white nation
alists, the Ku Klux Klan, neoNazis and
other hate groups responsible for the vio
lence. It also urged Mr Trump to remove
all individuals from the White House and
the Trump administration, including Steve
Bannon, Stephen Miller and Sebastian
Gorka, who support white supremacists.
to India on priority basis
Washington, DC: An inuential US lawmaker
has urged President Donald Trump to appoint
America's new ambassador to India on a prior
ity basis, saying that Washington's relation
with New Delhi is of utmost importance. The
position has been lying vacant since January
20 when Trump was sworn in as the 45th
President of the United States.
In June, the White House said that Kenneth I
Juster, 62, a top economic aide of Trump and
an expert on India, will be America's new
ambassador to India. "As the cofounder and
former chairman of the Congressional Caucus
on India, Indian issues and representing one
of the largest IndianAmerican constituencies
in Congress, the relationship between our two
great nations is of the utmost importance to
me and my constituencies. I urge you to make
the appointment of a US ambassador to India
a top priority of your administration,"
Congressman Frank Pallone said in a letter to
Trump. The letter to Trump dated August 22
was posted by Pallone on twitter.
"After more than seven months in ofce, this
critical appointment is long overdue and
should be an immediate priority," Pallone said
a day after Trump sought India's increasing
role in Afghanistan. India is "our strongest
ally" in South Asa, "which you referred in your
address" to the nation on Monday, he said.
"These are among the reasons the United
States has long supported India's permanent
membership on the United Nations Security
Council. It is in our immediate national inter
est to send an accomplished American to serve
as our country's senior diplomat in India,"
Pallone said. The White House refrained from
responding to questions on delay in ambassa
dorial appointment to India.
However, without mentioning India, US
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson refuted the
reports that the absence of ofcials at key
position is having an impact on the efciency
of the State Department.
"In terms of our footprint on the ground, we
have very competent, capable, experienced
people there now," Tillerson told reporters at
a news conference. "Do you have enough peo
ple, given the fact that there are not Trump
conrmed diplomatic appointees in many of
these positions in the region," he was asked.
"We are looking at a couple of different peo
ple for the special representative to
Afghanistan and Pakistan position. It is open
currently; it is being lled with a very experi
enced individual today. (PTI)
8 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017
Alpesh Gohil wins 2017
MoneyGram Cricket Bee
Rahul Walia, founder of MoneyGram Cricket Bee, Jay Kim, Managing Director of Aaaza,
HR Shah, CEO of TV Asia, Alpesh Gohil, National Champion, Senthilkumar Sethuraman,
National 1st Runner Up, Johnny Rosario and Lael Daniel from MoneyGram
n a nail biting and dramatic run up to
I the finale of the MoneyGram Cricket
Bee, Schaumburgs Alpesh Gohil cor
rectly answered Michael Holding in re
sponse to the question who infamously
kicked over the stumps during a test
match against New Zealand in 1980 to
become the 2017 National Champion
and win the grand prize of $10,000.
The runnerup was Sentilkumar Sethu
raman of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts,
who took home the $2,500 prize money.
The Cricket Bee in its second year is a
game of cricket trivia that is conducted in
a bee format on a miss and out basis. In
2017 the Bee was expanded to two addi
tional cities and almost 900 enthusiastic
WMC welcomes Trump
Administrations South Asia
Policy to eradicate Jihadi terrorism
orld Muhajir Congress (WMC) is
W excited and elated at the straight
honest strategy laid out by Presi
dent Trump and his advisors on
Afghanistan and for South Asia. President
Trump clearly puts Pakistans leadership
on notice and warned them to stop har
boring terrorists and jihadi terror outfits,
WMC said in a press release.
This is a win for the Muhajirs and the
people of Pakistan in highlighting the op
pression perpetrated by various terrorist
organizations having a free reign in creat
ing chaos, violence, and, terror with sup
port of Pakistan Army and ISI, it said.
The dirty double game of Pakistan Army
and the spy agency ISI, would finally come
to an end after President Trump's clear
stance on addressing the root cause of ter
rorism, Pakistan's military establishment.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
cricket whizzes registered to battle it out
for a chance to win the coveted title of
National Champion.
Congratulations to Alpesh Gohil and
all of the finalists. It is an honor to sup
port community events like the Cricket
Bee that unite friends and loved ones
around the world, said Johnny Rosario,
MoneyGrams head of account manage
ment.
To watch the finals yesterday was no
less gripping than the last few overs of a
hotly contested T20 match. It was in
tense, dramatic and extremely gripping.
A hearty congratulations to Alpesh and
all the finalists, said Rahul Walia,
founder of the Cricket Bee.
World Muhajir Congress has been ac
tively campaigning and advocating US
leadership, and think tank community to
bring attention to cause of Muhajirs.
On August 14th, WMC Press Conference
held at National Press Club, in Washing
ton DC, the Directors spoke many of the
issues including Pakistan's role in promot
ing extremism and terrorism mentioned in
the Presidents address to the US nation
and their allies. The advocacy group urged
Trump administration to cut off military
aid to Pakistan in a memorandum which
later became part of the US Congress
record.
World Muhajir Congress and 50 million
Muhajirs stand strong in supporting Presi
dent Trump and South Asia country part
ners in creating peace and stability in the
region.
ATA conducts free
health checkup
More than 200 people benefited from the health camp
T
he American Telugu Association (ATA)
organized Free Health Camp in DC
metro area, on August 20th. The
Health Fair was held in Herndon Communi
ty Center.
More than 20 doctors, 15 student volun
teers, and 10 Giant Pharmacy staff provided
services in this event. More than 200 people
primarily senior citizens attended and bene
fited from this health camp.
The Health Camp started with Meditation
by Art of Living followed by Yoga by Ash
burn Traditional Yoga and went on to focus
on health screenings, BMI, Blood Pressure,
See cricket match, learn
about Indian American
culture at Sunday fair
T
he South Barrington Cricket Team
and the Fenders will compete at
the "Cricket Mela" from 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27, at the South
Barrington Club, 3 Tennis Club Lane,
South Barrington. Admission is free,
with parking at the nearby AMC theater
lot.
This celebration of the diverse her
itage of Indian Americans coincides
with "Beyond Bollywood: Indian Ameri
cans Shape the Nation" exhibition at the
Field Museum daily through Jan. 7.
Organized by the Indian American
Heritage Museum, the "Cricket Mela"
features a raffle, refreshments, a kite
fly, and explanations of cricket rules
during the match between the South
Barrington Cricket Team and the Fend
ers. Several local businesses are provid
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Glucose Check, Lipid Check followed by Pri
mary Care Physician Consultation, Diabetes,
Podiatry, Dentistry, Cardiology, Neurology,
Oncology and Obgyn Consultation.
ATA D.C. Team comprising of Soumya
Kondapalli( Secretary), Trustees:Jayanth
Challa and Bhuvnesh Boojala, Dr. Venkat Ad
danki (ATA Heath Committee Chair), Re
gional Coordinators Rammohan Surineni,
Sudheer Bandaru and Amar Bojja, Koushik
Sama, (ATA Sports Committee cochair), Ravi
Palla(Business Committee, Chair) and Jayen
der Annam and many others helped in this
event.
ing prizes for raffle winners.
This fair occurs in conjunction with
the recently opened "Beyond Bollywood:
Indian Americans Shape the Nation" ex
hibition created by the Smithsonian
Asian Pacific American Center and the
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhi
bition Service augmented by a local ex
hibition produced by the IndoAmerican
Heritage Museum.
The exhibition, copresented in Chica
go by The Field Museum and the Indo
American Heritage Museum is gener
ously supported by the Chicago Com
munity Trust.
To learn more about the IndoAmeri
can Heritage Museum,
visit www.iahmuseum.org. (Source:dai
lyherald.com)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Publisher Davan Maharaj
ousted in LA Times shakeup
New York: IndianAmerican editor Davan
Maharaj, who worked his way up the Los
Angeles Times or LA Times from an intern
to publisher, has been removed in a shake
up of the Chicagobased newspaper's lead
ership. Maharaj was promoted to the dual
roles of editor and publisher of the Los
Angeles Times in March 2016.
Maharaj started his career with the
Trinidad Express in the Caribbean country
where he was born.
LA Times announced that its parent rm
Tronc Inc. has also removed three other
senior editors in what it described as a
"dramatic shakeup" at the fthlargest
newspaper in the US by circulation.
Ross Levinsohn will succeed Maharaj as
publisher and Jim Kirk as editor.
Levinsohn is a former executive of Fox
Interactive Media and former interim chief
executive of Yahoo. Kirk was editor and
publisher of the Chicago SunTimes.
Maharaj had been foreign correspondent
in Africa, assistant foreign editor, business
editor and managing editor. He also over
saw six local newspapers, two Spanishlan
guage newspapers and several websites.
Last year, another IndianAmerican at
the LA Times, S Mitra Kalita, who was man
aging editor for digital strategy, left the
newspaper to become vice president for
programming at CNN Digital.
The LA Times was acquired in 2000 by
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Davan Maharaj
(Image courtesy: latimes.com)
Tribune Co., which was renamed Tronc.
The parent company has been in a state
of turmoil, weathering a bankruptcy,
change in ownership and the split of the
newspaper and television properties. The
LA Times has undergone several rounds of
layoffs.
New York Times executive editor Dean
Baquet was red by the LA Times' corpo
rate management in 2006 when he was
the editor there and refused to carry out
layoffs.
While announcing the changes, Tronc
chief executive Justin Dearborn said the
company will invest more in LA Times and
would like it to reach Asia and South
America, the LA Times reported. (IANS)
Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 9
Dr Hiral Tipirneni
announces 2018 US
Congressional Bid
Washington, DC: An IndianAmerican
physician from Arizona has announced
that she will run for the US House of
Representatives in the 2018 general elec
tions.
Hiral Tipirneni, an emergency room
physician and cancer research advocate,
said she believes in solving problems and
improving lives.
She would run from the Arizona's eighth
Congressional District, which is one of five
primarily urban districts centered around
Phoenix.
She is running on a Democratic ticket.
Currently held by Congressman Trent
Franks of the Republican Party, the eighth
Congressional District has less than 2.8
per cent Asians and has a population of
more than 87 per cent whites.
Dr Hiral Tipirneni is an emergency room
physician and cancer research advocate
"I'm not a career politician...But I've suc
cessfully worked with people from all three with her family. She has served as
walks of life, and I promise to bring that chie f resident of the University of
teamoriented approach to working with Michigan's Emergency Medicine program.
Republicans and Democrats alike to get She leads teams of researchers, clini
the results we need," she said in a state cians, and patient advocates in the fight to
ment. treat and cure breast cancer, prostate can
Dr Tipirneni came to the US at the age of cer, and childhood leukaemia. (PTI)
 10 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 US AFFAIRS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Trump defends Charlottesville response, US NAVY SACKS

threatens govt shutdown for Mexico wall
Washington: President Donald
Trump has defended his white
supremacist response to the
Charlottesville violence
omitting that he blamed "many
sides" for the clashes and
also threatened to shut down
the government, if necessary,
to built a wall along the
Mexico border.
Trump, stung by days of crit
icism that he sowed racial divi
sion in the country after the
Charlottesville violence, told
supporters at a "Make America
Great Again" rally in Phoenix,
AZ, on Tuesday that he strong
ly condemned "neoNazis,
white supremacists and the
KKK", CNN reported.
During the 80minute
speech, Trump also took aim
at the media and blamed them
for giving far right groups "a
platform". He said the media
misrepresented what he insist
ed was his prompt, unequivo
cal condemnation of bigotry
approved and funded by the
lawmakers. "Build that wall.
Now the obstructionist
Democrats would like us not
to do it, but believe me if we
have to close down our gov
ernment, we're building that
wall," Trump said. He also pre
dicted an end for the North
American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) with
Mexico and Canada following
a round of renegotiations last
week. The President also hint
ed that he could pardon for
President Trump speaking at a rally in Phoenix on Tuesday. mer Arizona sheriff Joe
(Photo courtesy: vocfm.co.za) Arpaio, who became a national
symbol of the crackdown on
and hatred. In retelling his Charlottesville strikes at the undocumented immigrants.
remarks on the August 12 vio core of America. And tonight, Thousands from across
lence that left one woman this entire arena stands united Arizona flocked to Phoenix
dead, Trump omitted his refer against the thugs who perpe Convention Centre to protest
ence to "many sides" in his trate hatred and violence," the rally. Democrats including
first response to the clashes, Trump said. Talking about the Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton
and also his reference to "both Mexico wall, the President lambasted Trump for even vis
sides" both seen as equating threatened to shut down the iting the state. Police officers
neoNazis with counterpro federal government if his pro used tear gas to manage the
testers. "What happened in posal to build the wall is not protestors.
FLEET COMMANDER
AFTER COLLISION
Washington: The US Navy on
Wednesday dismissed Vice Admiral
Joseph P. Aucoin, the commander of the
eet that has sustained four collisions in
Asia and deaths of over a dozen sailors
in 2017, an ofcial said.
Admiral Aucoin, the head of the
Seventh Fleet based in Japan, the Navy's
largest overseas eet, was removed in
connection with the four collisions since
January, including two fatal ones in the
past two months, the New York Times
cited a US Navy statement as saying.
Admiral Aucoin was relieved "due to a
loss of condence in his ability to com
mand", the Navy said.
He had commanded the eet since
September 2015. The move followed
Monday's incident in which the guided
missile destroyer USS John S. McCain
collided with a merchant ship near
Singapore.
Ten sailors assigned to the ship were
missing following the accident. The
McCain and the tanker ship collided east
of the Malacca Strait and the collision
was the second in two months involving
a destroyer from the Seventh Fleet.

Can Donald Trump be an effective President after Charlottesville?

COMMENT Presidents stance on racism. Both
Senate leader Mitch McConnel and
Speaker Paul Ryan have criticized
l By Chandra K. Mittal, Ph.D. President Trumps handling of
Charlottesville mess.
Overall, President Trumps
response to Charlottesville has
been toxic whose echo has reached
other major cities across the coun
try as evident from increasing anxi

I
f there were any hopes before
about the ability, competence
and temperament of Donald
Trump to successfully execute the
office of the President of United
States, those were dashed last week
with Charlottesville Storm and
associated events. These originated
primarily with horrific scenes of
confrontation between the White
Supremacists and neoNazis groups
who were protesting the proposed
removal of statue of the
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee
from the university grounds, and
the counter protester groups
opposing it.
As ugly and shameful as the inci
dent was, it also led to violent
death of a young woman as well as
injury to dozens of people by a neo
Nazi sympathizer who drove his car
into the crowd of counter protest
ers opposing the racist group. In
addition, two State Police
Helicopter pilots were killed while
trying to control the situation.
Charlottesville rally included
torch carrying NeoNazis chanting
antiJewish slogans like Jews will
not replace us as they marched
through the grounds of University
of Virginia. These scenes were rem
iniscent of the old ugly days of Nazi
Germany in 1930s under Adolf
Hitler, when Nazis and their sympa
thizers used to march through the
White supremacists at the Charlottesville rally. (Photo : Gizmodo)
German streets chanting anti
Jewish slogans to intimidate Jewish
minority population.
In his reaction to this tragedy, the
President de facto equated the
racist White Supremacists and neo
Nazis to the antiracist counter pro
testers by saying that people were
involved on both sides. By this
statement, the President implied
that evil was on both sides, thereby
establishing the moral equivalency
between the racists and the anti
racists groups in America.
Most minority communities are
perceiving these statements from
Mr. Trump as him embracing the
White racism for political purposes
while ignoring the immorality of
racism and bigotry that was exhib
ited by the hate groups in
Charlottesville. Given Americas
racial history such statements are
also damaging to the collective psy
che of minority communities with
potential to fracture the multicul
tural and multiracial social fabric
of the country.
Besides and beyond morality and
ethical aspects of Charlottesville
incidence, all things Confederate
have special significance for
American Black community. It was
US Confederacy that tried to pre
serve institutionalized slavery in
the 1860s and Gen Robert E. Lee
was its protector. President
Trumps actions only opened the
raw wounds of those who have the
memories of segregation and
repression of human rights, police
brutality, torture or even murder
by the White mobs and the law
enforcement to control them.
As President Trump has
expressed moral equivalence
between evil and the good,
Charlottesville incidence marks a
dark moment in contemporary
American history drawing almost
universal condemnation. These
developments have also polarized
the Republican Party as its leader forms in the US Army and civilian
ship has rejected its own
This Republican outrage was best
exemplified by comments of
Senator Bob Corker who remarked
that "the president has not yet been
able to demonstrate the stability
nor some of the competence that
he needs to demonstrate in order
to be successful. He further com
mented that "he (Trump) has also
recently not demonstrated that he
understands the character of this
nation." These are serious indict
ments of President Trump and rep
resent Republicans growing
uneasiness and frustration with
him. President Trumps handling
of Charlottesville fiasco has been
rebuked by major business leaders
of America who resigned in protest
from his business council. These
are apex bodies to advice President
on the direction of business and
commercial activity. Same senti
ments have been expressed by the
Art council made up of actors and
performing artists. Even more
telling and significant about the
Charlottesville incidence were the
statements from the chiefs of five
military organizations rejecting
President Trumps stance on the
White Supremacists and neoNazis
in America. They clarified in their
stand by Tweets that America total
ly rejects racism and bigotry in all
Charlottesville and CoFounder of
sectors.
eties and demonstrations in cities
like Boston, Houston, and removal
of Confederate statues in some
American cities. There are also
calls from some quarters for
President Trump to step down
because of his immoral stand on
the whole Charlottesville affair.
President of the United States is
heir to a powerful Bully Pulpit to
promote morality and social justice
for all in the conduct of public poli
cy. It is this moral authority that
enables the President to govern the
country and ask citizens to lay
their lives in its defense. Any act or
inclination towards injustice,
immorality or public perception
thereof, can only work to the detri
ment of the President.
Charlottesville has cast major
doubts about Trumps moral con
victions and have called into ques
tion his sincerity, understanding or
commitment to the institution of
US Presidency. Unless and until
Donald Trump can demonstrate his
conviction and ability to unite the
diverse groups and promote amity
among them, dream of a successful
Trump Presidency will remain a
distant mirage in the future.
Dr. Chandra Mittal is Professor at
Houston Community College, an
Alumni of University of Virginia,
IndoAmerican Association (IAA).
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
TrumpMcConnell feud
threatens their agenda
Washington: President Donald
Trump cant enact his agenda
without Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell. McConnell may
not have a majority to lead with
out Trumps help. Its simple, and
still so complicated.
T he strangest bedfe llows in
Washington are lo cked in an
increasingly public and personal
feud that defies conventional wis
dom. T he escalat ing tension
between the two men is threaten
ing the GOPs ree lect ion
prospects and its ability to govern.
It has erupted at a highstakes
moment for the Republican Party,
which is facing the prospect of a
government shutdown and the
possibility it may fail to enact any
major legislation during its first
year in complete control of
Washington, reports AP.
He (President Trump) is now
actively attacking people who can
he lp his agenda, veteran
Republican operative Doug Heye
said of Trump, who has mobilized
his avid supporters against GOP
senators since the partys embar
rassing failure to overhaul the
nations health care system. It
seems to be really a oneman spi
ral to the bottom.
Divisions have deepened in
recent weeks.
McConnell, like other leading
Republicans, is particularly upset
by Trumps consistent attacks
against vulnerable Republican
senators who need his he lp,
Pakistan using India as
excuse to pursue Afghan
policy: US official
Washington: Pakistan is using
India's role in Afghanistan as an
excuse to pursue its policies in
the wartorn country, a top US
ofcial said, dismissing
Islamabad's concerns over New
Delhi's developmental activities in
Afghanistan.
"W hat India is doing in
Afghanistan is not a threat to
Pakistan," National Security
Council spokesperson Michael
Anton told reporters on Tuesday.
"They're (India) not building
military bases. T hey're not
deploying troops. They're not
doing the things that would con
stitute encirclement, for lack of a
better term, which is one of the
things that the Pakistanis com
plain about," Anton was quoted by
Politico online.
He said US President Trump's
new gettough approach with
Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell
according to a person familiar
with the Kentucky Republicans
thinking. He wondered whether
Trump is capable of righting his
struggling presidency.
The concerns were exacerbated
by Trumps recent description of
some part icipants in a white
supremacist rally as very fine
people, remarks that were broad
ly condemned by Republicans and
Democrats.
The intraparty feuding threat
ens nearly all of Trumps priori tary.
ties, including his neardaily cam
paign trail pledge to build a wall
along the U.S.Mexican border.
W hile Trump threatened
Tuesday to force a federal shut
down unless Congress provides
funds for the massive project,
many GOP lawmakers, especially
moderates, lack his passion for
the proposal. They may be harder
to win over given the current ran
Pakistan could potentially include
sanctions on Islamabad. T he
move has put Pakistan on notice
that business was not as usual
with Islamabad. "The US has been
really patient with Pakistan for a
really long time. We haven't been
getting a good deal from them,"
Anton said. The statement came a
day after Trump accused Pakistan
of "housing the very terrorists we
(Americans) are ghting" in
Afghanistan.
Taking note of US security aid
to Pakistan, Anton said America
received in return "indifference to
border crossing and terrorist safe
havens and sanctuaries" in the
tribal regions along the Pakistan
Afghan border, Politico reported.
"In the worst case," he accused
Pakistan of being guilty of "active
direct support" to terrorist
groups.
US AFFAIRS
corous atmosphere.
Republicans who feel wounded
by Trump also could be less likely
to defend him amid numerous
investigations into his campaigns
ties to Russia. And it could compli
cate the task of rally ing
Republicans around complicated
tax legislation, where lawmakers
can have divergent priorities.
In politics, its a mistake to per
sonalize things, particularly if its
a member of your own team, vet
eran Rep. Tom Cole, ROkla., said
Wednesday. The reality is youre
going to need them down the
road.
Trump and McConnell remain
united on many shared priorities
and they and other top of ficials
will hold previously scheduled
meetings after Congress returns
from its August recess, White
House press secretary Sarah
Huckabee Sanders said
Wednesday in a statement. She
said their goals include middle
class tax cuts, building the border
wall and strengthening the mili
edged that she failed her millions of
We have a lot of work ahead of
us, and we are committed to
advancing our shared agenda
together and anyone who sug
gests otherwise is clearly not part
of the conversation, McConnell
said in his own statement.
Such talks are unlikely to yield a
close personal re lat ionship
between the two leaders, accord
ing to AP.
JAMES COMEY JOINS HOWARD
UNIVERSITY FOR LECTURE SERIES
Washington: Former FBI Director
James Comey is scheduled to
deliver a convocation address at
Howard University next month,
part of a series of lectures he has
been invited to give during the
coming academic year at the his
torically black college.
Howard of ficials said Comey
had agreed to donate $100,000,
his full compensat ion as the
school's King Endowed Chair in
Public Policy, to a scholarship
fund for students who come from
foster homes.
Comey and his wife, Patrice, are
longtime supporters of foster chil
dren, as NPR has reported.
The new role continues a con
nection that the former FBI direc
tor had forged w ith Howard.
Earlier this year, Comey invited
university President Wayne A.I.
Frederick to address FBI employ
ees, part of an effort Comey had
been making to diversify the
Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017
Clinton calls Trump
'creep' in book about
2016 defeat
Hillary Clintons new book and the incident from a presidential debate
where she felt Trump invaded her personal space.
New York: The 2016 Democratic
presidential candidate Hillary
Clinton in her new book has called
President Trump a "creep" and said
he made her "skin crawl" by stalking
her around the stage during a presi
dential debate.
In audio excerpts of the book
"What Happened" aired on
Wednesday on MSNBC, Clinton
described her 2016 campaign as
"joyful, humbling, infuriating and
just plain baf fling" and acknowl
supporters by losing to Trump in the
November 2016 election, the
Washington Post reported.
Clinton described the televised
debate on October 9 in Missouri in
which Trump followed her closely
around the stage, lurking behind her
as she fielded questions from a live
television audience. The debate came
two days after an audiotape emerged
in which Trump was heard bragging
Fired FBI Director
James Comey
ranks of the bureau, which is
overwhelmingly white and male.
"I am pleased to welcome Mr.
Comey to Howard," Frederick said
in a statement. "His expertise and
understanding of the challenges
we continue to face today will go
11
about groping women.
"It was incredibly uncomfortable.
He was literally breathing down my
neck. My skin crawled," she said.
"It was one of those moments
where you wish you could hit pause
and ask everyone watching, 'Well,
what would you do?' Do you stay
calm, keep smiling and carry on as if
he weren't repeatedly invading your
space? Or do you turn, look him in
the eye and say loudly and clearly,
'Back up, you creep. Get away from
me. I know you love to intimidate
women, but you can't intimidate me,
so back up'." Clinton said she chose
the first option. She said writing the
book, due to be released on
September 12, "wasn't easy".
"Every day that I was a candidate
for President, I knew that millions of
people were counting on me and I
couldn't bear the idea of letting them
down. But I did," she said. "I couldn't
get the job done."
a long way in sparking rich dis
cussion and advancing meaning
ful debates across campus."
Comey has tried to keep a low
public profile since his surprise
firing by President Trump in May.
A month later, the former
Justice Department leader and
federal prosecutor told senators
that he believed he was fired to
relieve pressure on the White
House over the ongoing investiga
tion of Russian interference in
last year's election. The other
explanations from the president,
Comey testified, were "lies, plain
and simple."
Since his dismissal, with about
seven years left on his 10year
term, Comey has largely gone
quiet. His firing has come onto
the radar of Robert Mueller, the
special counsel investigating ties
between Trump's campaign and
Russia and the motivations for
Comey's dismissal.
 12 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 INDIA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

All hail Supreme Court's triple talaq verdict

New Delhi: Activists, politicians, clerics,
celebrities, political outfits and NGOs,
including the All India Muslim Personal
Law Board (AIMPLB) that was contending
for the triple talaq hailed the Supreme
Court verdict on the controversial instant
divorce among the Muslim community.
While the government, women rights
activists and political parties appreciated
the apex court's constitutional bench order
banning instant divorce by a 3:2 verdict as
unconstitutional, the AIMPLB said the
court's order also underlined that a com
munity's personal laws cannot be inter
fered with.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
called the judgment as "progressive" and
said ef forts should be made to rectify
"aberrat ions" in personal laws that
infringe on constitutional guarantees. Law
Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the
decision was an indication of an emerging
new India.
BJP President Amit Shah hailed the rul
ing as "historic" and said it was a victory
for Muslim women and their right to live
with dignity. "I welcome this historical
decision... This judgement is not about
anyone's victory or defeat. This is the vic
tory of basic Constitutional rights of
Muslim women and their right to live with
equality,"
Shah said in a statement. The Congress
termed the ruling as an "affirmation of the
rights of women" with its Vice President
Rahul Gandhi congratulated "the women
who fought for justice".
The Communist Party of IndiaMarxist
(CPIM) welcomed the judgment but said it
will properly respond only after studying
Muslim women celebrate the Supreme court's verdict on
Tripal Talaq in Mumbai on Aug 22, 2017. (Photo: IANS)
the majority and minority judgments.
Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, who represent
ed the AIMPLB in the Supreme Court, said
the ruling signifies as laid down by the
majority judgment that Muslim personal
laws cannot be interfered with. "The deci
sion where triple talaq is administered in
one sitting is different from the decision in
law which by majority says that personal
laws can't be tested on the anvil of Part III
of Constitution. They cannot be tested on
grounds of violation of Article 14 or 25."
He stressed that the apex court had only
banned the administering of triple talaq in
one sitting and it did not interfere with the
other two forms of triple talaq which are
TalaqeAhsan and TalaqeHasan.
The AIMPLB too welcomed the apex
court verdict saying it vindicated the orga
nization's stand and "accords protection to
Muslim personal law".
It said the judgment will "ensure non
interference by the courts in matters of
practices emanating from religious texts
and belief systems" of different communi
ties". The women's wing of the AIMPLB
termed as "contradictory" and "fractured"
the judgement of the Supreme Court on
triple talaq. Asma Zehra, chief organizer of
the wing, said while they respect the
judgement that appeared confusing, triple
talaq did not always work against women.
"Many a time it is an exit mechanism to
relieve women from unsuccessful and
troublesome marriages," she said.
"Talaq is a nonissue and divorce rate is
the least in the Muslim community.
Muslims have divorce rate of only 0.5 per
cent whereas it is 1.64 per cent in Hindu
community," she said. But the Muslim
women who challenged the pract ice
expressed joy over their success.
Shayara Bano was the first petitioner in
the case. "I feel happy for Muslim women.
It's a great day for them," she said.
Another petitioner, Atiya Sabri, was mar
ried in 2012 and then divorced, has two
daughters aged four and three.
"I was beaten and thrown out of the
house. There were attempts to poison me,"
she said, recalling how she was given
instantly divorce.
Muslim clerics associated with the RSS
backed Muslim Rashtriya Manch too
hailed the judgment in a chorus when
Manch patron Indresh Kumar asked them
at an event here if they were happy with
the verdict. A number of Bollywoo d
ce le brit ies including Anupam Kher,
Madhur Bhandarkar and Dia Mirza too
welcomed the judgment with Mirza calling
it a "historic day for women's rights in our
country".
Amnesty International India too wel
comed the verdict as a step forward for
womens rights in India.

Right to privacy a fundamental right: Apex Court

New Delhi: In a major boost to
individual freedom, the Supreme
Court declared that right to pri
vacy was a fundamental right
and protected as an intrinsic
part of life and personal liberty
and freedoms guaranteed by
Constitution.
Rejecting the government's
contention that privacy was not
a fundamental right, a nine
judge Constitution bench unani
mously overturned two earlier
rulings in the M.P. Sharma and
Kharak Singh cases that held
that the right to privacy was not
protected by the Constitution.
"The right to privacy is pro
tected as an intrinsic part of the
right to life and personal liberty
under Article 21 and as a part of
the freedoms guaranteed by
Part III of the Constitution.
Decisions subsequent to Kharak
Singh which enunciated the
above (line) lay down the cor
rect position in law," the bench
headed by Chief Justice J.S.
Khehar said.
There were six judgements
written by the nine judges but
specified, relatable to that part.
This is the call of today. The old
order changeth yielding place to
new."
Writing for four judges,
including the Chief Justice,
Justice Chandrachud observed
that the contention by the union
government and the states sup
porting it that it was not neces
sary to read a constitutional
right to privacy into the funda
mental rights as betraying lack
of understanding of the reason
why rights were protected in the
first place in the Indian
Constitution as part of funda
mental rights.
The Centre and some states
The Supreme Court declared that right to privacy is an intrinsic part of
life and personal liberty and freedoms guaranteed by Constitution. had argued that there was a
statutory regime by virtue of
all of them were unanimous in retired Karnataka High Court which the right to privacy was
asserting that right to privacy judge Justice K.S. Puttaswamy adequately protected. It was
was a fundamental right. and others against the union also sought to be fortified by
The other judges in the bench government on the issue. contending that privacy was
were Justices J. Chelameswar, In his ruling, Justice Kaul said: merely a common law right and
S.A. Bobde, R.K. Agrawal, "Let the right of privacy, an the statutory protection reflect
Rohinton F. Nariman, A.M. inherent right, be unequivocally ed that. The four judges also
Sapre, D.Y. Chandrachud, S.K. a fundamental right embedded rejected the government's argu
Kaul and S. Abdul Nazeer. They in part III of the Constitution ment placed by the then
were ruling on petitions filed by but subject to the restrictions Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi
that the right to privacy was an
elitist construct. The judges said
civil and political rights and
socioeconomic rights do not
exist in a state of antagonism as
they they "are complementary
and not mutually exclusive".
Dealing with the essential
nature of privacy, the judges
held that privacy represents the
core of human personality and
recognizes the ability of each
individual to make choices and
take decisions governing mat
ters intimate and personal.
About informational privacy,
the judges observed that apart
from national security, the State
may have justifiable reasons for
collection and storage of data.
"But the data has to be utilised
for legitimate purposes and not
unauthorisedly for extraneous
purposes. This will ensure legiti
mate concerns of the State are
duly safeguarded while, at the
same time, protecting privacy
concerns. "Prevention and inves
tigation of crime and protection
of the revenue are among the
legitimate aims of the State."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
India, Nepal sign eight
agreements
New Delhi: India and Nepal have signed
eight agreements across different sectors,
including four on postearthquake recon
struction in the Himalayan nation.
"Establishing new mechanisms for collab
oration. #IndiaNepal exchange agreements
to strengthen cooperation in various
spheres," External Af fairs Ministry
spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted fol
lowing delegationlevel talks here headed
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his
Nepali counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba.
With India committing $1 billion in recon
struction aid following the April 2015 dev
astating earthquake in Nepal that claimed
nearly 9,000 lives, four memorandums of
understanding (MoUs) were signed on utili
sation of housing grant component to sup
port reconstruction of 50,000 houses, and
implementation of reconstruction packages
in the education, cultural heritage and
health sectors. Another MoU was signed
for implementation arrangement on cost
sharing, schedules and safeguard issues for
construction of Mechi bridge under the
Asian Development Bank's South Asia
Subreg ional Economic Cooperat ion
(SASEC) road connectivity programme
(Tranche 2), funded by India. A sixth MoU
was signed on drug demand reduction and
prevention of illicit trafficking in narcotic
drugs, psychotropic substances and precur
INDIA
Court asked the Centre to provide additional
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Nepal
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at
Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
(Photo: IANS/PIB)
sor chemical and related matters.
A seventh MoU was signed on coopera
tion between the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of India and the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Nepal.
The two sides also signed an agreement
on cooperation in the field of standardisa
tion and conformity assessment.
Prime Minister Deuba, heading a high
leve l de leg at ion, arrived here on
Wednesday on a fiveday visit to India.
It is his first foreign trip after assuming
office in June this year and the fourth to
India as Prime Minister.
Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 13
Dera chief verdict
creates security issues
Chandigarh: Keeping in view the gravity of Avneesh Jhingan said they "did not want a
the situation, the Punjab and Haryana High situation similar to the Jat reservation stir".
Without mincing words, the judges were
forces ahead of a judgment by a CBI court in categorically clear in saying the High Court
a rape case against Dera chief Gurmeet Ram could initiate action against the Director
Rahim Singh. The High Court acting tough General of Police in case the state failed to
against Haryana for its apparent "failure" to ensure security. A Central Bureau of
maintain law and order, took the call ahead Investigation court in Panchkula adjoining
of the special Panchkula CBI court's verdict Chandigarh has asked the sect chief to
on Friday. The court's observation came appear in the court on August 25, when it
when the petitioner's counsel Ravinder Singh will pronounce its judgment. The case has
Dhull said more than 1.5 lakh Dera followers been going on since 2007. The sect chief,
have already reached Panchkula city despite who has lakhs of followers in Punjab,
prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Haryana and other states, has been accused
CrPC. Apprehending violence in case the by a former female follower of raping her
court's judgment went against the sect chief more than once inside the sprawling Dera
on Friday, a Division Bench of acting Chief campus on the outskirts of Sirsa town in
Justice Surinder Singh Saron and Justice Haryana, 260 km from Chandigarh.
Rs 200 notes to be issued: RBI
Mumbai: The new Rs 200 notes will be in circulation from Friday, the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) announced . The Rs 200 denomination banknote in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) series
will bear the signature of RBI Governor Urjit R. Patel and will be initially issued by select
RBI offices and some banks. It has the motif of the Sanchi Stupa on the reverse while its
base colour is bright yellow. The note has other designs and geometric patterns aligning
with the overall colour scheme, both at the obverse and reverse. The move is aimed at
increasing the circulation of smaller denomination notes. The RBI said the introduction of
new denomination and design is done keeping in mind factors like ease of transactions,
replacement of soiled banknotes, inflation and the need to check counterfeiting. Noting that
the optimal system of denominations of currency is one that minimises their number "and
concurrently increase the probability of proffering exact change", the central bank said.
 14 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 OP-ED TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Will Modi opt for early general election?

l By Amulya Ganguli able satisfaction from the opposi section of the people in recent
tion's discomfiture, it cannot be weeks as can be seen from the

T
he synchronization of the
next general election with
the assembly polls of 2018
to set a pattern may not be the
only reason why the Narendra
Modi government is said to be
considering bringing forward the
2019 general election by a year.
While the need to evolve a sys
tem where the major elections are
held simultaneously has been
talked about for some time, the
present conjecture relates mainly
to the calculations about the
prospects of the ruling party at
the Center. The belief seemingly is
that it will be better for the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to
cash in on whatever gains it has
made in the last threeandahalf
years rather than wait for another
20 months or so when its inade
quacies on the employment front
and in relieving the distress of
farmers may become more appar
ent.
It will serve the party better,
therefore, to advance the dates of
the general election when the
Modi magic hasn't quite faded as a
recent opinion poll has shown and
the opposition continues to be in
disarray. Although the govern
ment cannot but derive consider
unaware of the fact that it still has
pockets of influence as is evident
from the marginal improvement in
the Congress's position in the
recent Madhya Pradesh local elec
tions and the Trinamool
Congress's sweeping victories in
the West Bengal municipal polls.
The BJP also knows that it has to
guard against the antiincumbency
factor affecting the party's
prospects in the assembly elec
tions in Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and
Gujarat next year. Even if it wins, a
loss of seats compared to the pre
vious elections can be dishearten
ing on the eve of the general elec
tion if it is held in 2019. It will
also be demoralising for the BJP if
the Congress wins in Karnataka
and the CPIM in Tripura. Holding
the general election earlier will
enable the BJP to avoid such
uncomfortable possibilities.
What the BJP will have to
remember is that people often
vote against the ruling party
because of dissatisfaction with its
performance even if the opponent
is weak. This happened in Goa and
Manipur, where the Congress was
the first party before it lost this
position because of the BJP's suc
The BJP's other problem is its total dependence on Modi, which is not
unlike what it was in the Congress in Indira Gandhi's heyday.
cess in weaning away a number of
legislators. However, such defec
tions could not hide the fact that
there was dissatisfaction with the
BJP. The same disenchantment has
also been voiced by a fairly wide
protest letters written to the
Prime Minister by retired bureau
crats and army veterans and the
processions taken out by scientists
about the encouragement of
obscurantist practices by the rul
ing dispensation.
These grievances have nothing
to do with unemployment and
farmers' distress which are
undoubtedly the two most serious
problems faced by the govern
ment. Instead, these are the grous
es of the average middleclass
householders who have been feel
ing uneasy about the growing cli
mate of intolerance although it
probably does not affect them in a
personal capacity.
The BJP's other problem is its
total dependence on Modi, which
is not unlike what it was in the
Congress in Indira Gandhi's hey
day. It is a scenario which is not
politically healthy for a party, as
can be seen from the Congress's
present plight when it is patheti
cally dependent on the dynasty
despite its fading charisma. The
BJP, on its part, has to capitalize
on Modi's popularity as long as it
brings in the votes. Hence, the
need for the general election
next year.

l By Amit Kapoor not be seen as an activist shareholder

who is at loggerheads with the

V
ishal Sikka's exit from Infosys seems
to have been accentuated by the
streak of comments made by co
founder N.R. Narayan Murthy. The com
ments bordered on complaints, raising
issues of corporate governance and at time
accusations. The episode, like a soap opera
with significant twists and turns, has been
played in public glare over the last few
months.
The resignation has had its first casualty
by way of wiping off the value of Infosys
stock on the bourses. The impact was close
to Rs 22,000 for Infosys and Rs 700 crore of
mark down for Murthy's stock. The episode
rakes up significant issues about corporate
governance and transparency, the agency
problem (precisely the question of control
between shareholders and professional man
agement), important issues about the strate
gy of Infosys and the pressure to perform in
a volatile global environment
1. VUCA Environment. The pressure seems
to have been built on the enterprise while
operating in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex
and Ambiguous (VUCA) environment.
Today's business environment is bombarded
with ideas countering the notion of globali
sation and the negative impact of free trade.
The benefits of globalization, driven by the
free movement of goods, services, and infor
mation are countered by deeply seated
myths and assumptions which smack right
in the face of trade theorists. To top it all, the
pressure has been further created by the
current US administration's views on out
sourcing and immigration. To bluntly put it,
Need
of the hour
is to keep core
of Infosys
intact
Infosys' former CEO Vishal Sikka.
the world is in the throes of economic its engineers. This is where the present team
nationalism. of Vishal Sikka, Ravi Venkatesan et al have
2. Business Model. The archaic business been working quite hard and making
model of Infosys, driven by the idea of scale admirable strides on redefining the business
and labor arbitrage has come under severe model. The effect of the new business model
strain. The debate for years has been the was as well visible through the rising pro
innovative potential of Infosys and the value ductivity numbers of the enterprise and its
the enterprise can create. To put this into talent.
perspective, we must look at the trajectories 3. Corporate Governance and
of growth, impact the firm has had on the Transparency. This issue needs to be
global industry et al. The enterprises to com assessed very carefully. It is clear that
pare here are Microsoft and Infosys who Murthy looks at Infosys having an impecca
effectively started at the same time and have ble record on governance and transparency.
had trajectories of growth that are signifi No one can find a reason to not follow the
cantly different. highest standards as espoused by Murthy.
I must as well admit that I have not been a The practice needs to be followed to the hilt,
great fan of Infosys of the past as it was built though the issues need to be discussed with
on the idea of exploitation of labor with in the confines of the boardroom. This dis
abysmal levels of productivity numbers for cussion becomes important as Murthy can
management. The episode
leads us to look deeply at
the issues of corporate
control in the country. It
is not the first time that
we have had battles
fought between share
holders and profession
al managers. The
Infosys saga can as well
be seen through the lens
of conflict of interest and
control. To say the least, a
conflict of this nature will not
only undermine but has the poten
tial to ruin the enterprise. It cannot be
ignored that Murthy is the cofounder and
has had a great stake in building the enter
prise though the action of making the
grievance public seems to have had a coun
terproductive effect. The situation at hand
demands an immense level of maturity by all
parties involved. This would require all par
ties concerned to tone down the rhetoric,
stand down from their respective positions
and sit across the table to discuss the issues.
If this is not done on an immediate basis, the
loss would entirely be felt by Infosys, the
poster boy of Indian IT Industry, that I am
sure wouldn't liked by Murhty, the board or
Infosys stakeholders. We must keep in mind
that all organizations need to change, evolve
their business model and adapt to the new
realities. This will certainly have to be done
while keeping in mind that the core of
Infosys is kept intact which in itself seems to
be jeopardized at the moment.

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

Myriad looks of Indian fashion
Some of the best designs from the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017 show last week in Mumbai.
Young designer
Masaba Guptas
collection had some
influences from
Madagascar, taking
the colors and prints
from there. (Photo
courtesy PTI)
Abhishek Paatni, Ajay Kumar and Asa
Kazingmei created special capsule
collections inspired by Johnnie Walker
whiskeys iconic striding man. Actor
Ali Fazal stole the limelight wearing a
black leather ensemble by Kazingmei.
Fashion August 26-Sept 1, 2017 15
Actress Vaani Kapoor
walked for fashion
designers Paras and
Sonam Modi during
the Lakme Fashion
Week Winter/Festive
2017 in Mumbai.
(Photo courtesy IANS)
Bollywood star
Ranveer Singh added
rainbow color and
sparkle to Manish
Arora collection on
Day 4 of LFW Winter/
Festive 2017. (Photo
courtesy YouTube)
Models walk on ramp
wearing designer
Sanjay Gargs
collection during the
Lakm Fashion Week
in Mumbai, Aug. 16.
(Photo courtesy PTI)
Actress Jacqueline Fernandez was the
showstopper for Manish Malhotra and
looked sensational in a sheer dress.
(Photo courtesy Rediff)
 16 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 INDIA DAY CELERBATIONS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

COMMUNITY FLOCKS TO
New York: A sea of humanity converged
on the streets of Manhattan as Indian
Americans celebrated in unison the 37th
annual India Day parade hosted by the
Federation of Indian Associations (FIA

INDIA DAY PARADE IN NY

Tristate) on Madison Avenue in New
York. A warm, sunny day set the mood
for the Aug 20 parade, celebrating
Indias 71st Independence Day in the
company of celebrities, politicians and
top citizens. India.com was the parades
title sponsor.
Rana Daggubati, star of the recent
Rana Daggubati and Tamannaah Bhatia added star
massive Bollywood hit Baahubali 2: The
Conclusion, was the Grand Marshal at
power to FIAs 37th annual parade on Sunday
the parade, while General Dalbir Singh
Suhag, retired chief of Indian Armed
Forces and the beautiful Tamannaah
Bhatia, who also starred in Baahubali
2, were the parades chief guests.
Guests of Honor included Prof. Anand
Kumar, a noted Indian mathematician;
Capts. Kshamta Bajpai, Sunita Narula,
Indira Singh and Gunjan Agarwal, along
with the entire cabin crew of the Air
India flight which went down in aviation
history books as the first and longest
nonstop flight between Delhi and San
Francisco (9,500 miles) piloted, serviced,
managed and guided by an allwomen
crew; and Ajit Mody, chairman of NY
based Rajbhog Foods.
This years India Day Parade began
around noon on 38th street and
Madison Avenue, ending at 26th street.
Food court and sponsor booths were set
up on 26th street, between Park and
Madison Avenues while the cultural pro Grand Marshal Rana Daggubati, the South Indian star of Baahubali 2, with his costar Tamannaah Bhatia General Dalbir Singh Suhag, retired chief
grams continued through 6 pm on and FIA leaders at the parade. of Indian Armed Forces, at the parade.
Madison Avenue,
between 24th and
26th streets.
Daggubati, who was
dressed in a tradi
tional attire, drew the
crowd with his signa
ture dance moves on
the viewing stage.
After the parade
frontline started mov
ing around noon, 25
colorful floats, sever
al of them represent
ing Indian states and
culture, and about 26
groups marched
between floats.
Waving the Indian
tricolor and march
ing to the chants of
(From left) FIA President Andy Bhatia and Chairman Ramesh Patel
Vande Mataram
recognizing Prof. Anand Kumar, a noted Indian mathematician.
across the streets of
Continued on page 17 More than 200,000 people were estimated to have attended the parade.

Led by its Chairman Ramesh Patel, officials and volunteers of

Air India AllWomen Crew of a flight being recognized during India Day Parade
FIA (NYNJCT) march along the parade route.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Continued from page 16
Manhattan, the marchers dis
played a brand of patriotism that
projected strong ties between the
United States and India. God
Bless India and God Bless
America were the constant
refrain of the crowd at the
parade.
The parade, showcasing Indian
cultural heritage and fast expand
ing economy, also fascinated
dozens of tourists from several
nations visiting New York.
Considered the largest parade
outside India celebrating Indian
independence, the crowd atten
dance was estimated at 200,000
people. Curious onlookers, many
of them Americans, lined up on
the streets along the parade
route, snapping photographs of
colorful floats and the jamboree
that followed.
The Indian contingent com
prised guests from India, stars
from Bollywood, besides hun
dreds of community leaders led
by FIA chairman Ramesh Patel
and president Andy Bhatia and
other FIA officials. Several thou
sand people participated in the
food mela and cultural event
hosted near Madison Square Park
after the parade. Private groups,
ranging from companies to spiri
tual organizations, sponsored the
25 floats and 26 groups partici
pating in the parade. While dis
seminating their own messages,
they also played patriotic songs
as well as popular movie songs.
The partition of India unfolded one of the greatest migrations
of humanity in history.
Amritsar: Partition Museum, a
firstofitskind in the world, was
inaugurated here on August 17
as a tribute to the millions who
perished as well as others who
survived but lost their homes
and hearth and kith and kin dur
ing India's Partition in 1947.
Punjab Chief Minister
Amarinder Singh unveiled a
plaque of the museum an ini
tiative of The Arts and Cultural
Heritage Trust (TACHT) at a
special somber commemoration
ceremony, which scripted the
observance of August 17 as
Partition Remembrance Day.
A minute's silence was
observed after a single toll of the
INDIA DAY CELERBATIONS
Rana Daggubati and Tamannaah
Bhatia with FIA officials.
Among the parades sponsors
were, India.com, Air India, HAKS
Group, Dunkin Donuts, Daily
News, State Bank of India, NY, TV
Asia, Parikh Worldwide Media,
Royal Alberts Palace, Fazlani
Foods, Dr Raj Bhayani, Empire
State Building, Cox and Kings,
Times Now, Zee TV and Sony TV.
The FIA of NYNJCT was
formed in 1970 and is among the
largest umbrella organization
representing over 500,000
Indian Americans in the tristate
region. The centerpiece of its
efforts culminates in the India
Day Parade in New York each
year.
bell at the historic
Britishera
Partition s
Town Hall,
where
en
the
muse
eu m op
um
Mus ar
has
Am rit s
been
built. in
The CM ded
icated the museum
developed in collaboration with
the state government to the
nation.
In his speech, the Chief
Minister lauded the efforts of
Lord Meghnad Desai in giving
shape to the museum which he
Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017
A float by the National Association of Asian Indian Christians. 25 floats & 26 groups
participated in the parade. (Photos courtesy: FIA)
The museum has put together mementos and material
from 1947 shared by various persons, including
pictures, paintings, and videos.
said had "recreated a grim memories of those times.
very sad chap Going down memory lane, the
ter of our Chief Minister said he saw bod
history". ies lying at a railway station
The while returning home from his
museum, boarding school in Shimla in a
along with train, which remained etched in
the Azadi his mind.
Memorial in
Jalandhar and sim
The event, marked by poetry
recital by wellknown poet
ilar initiatives, would Gulzar who launched his newly
serve to make younger genera translated book "Footprints on
tions aware of and understand Zero Line: Writings on the
their past and learn from it, Partition" on the occasion, was
Amarinder Singh said. He said marked by a series of functions,
that while for the younger gener including panel discussions with
ations, Partition days were mere eminent experts such as Urvashi
statistics, those who went Butalia and Punjabi poet Surjit
through it had many sad and Patar.
17
Hymns to Hindustan
very August 15 and January 26,
E wherever official or private pro
grams to celebrate the
Independence Day and Republic Day are
being held, the strains you are likely to
hear would be most probably 'Aao
Bachon tumhe dikhaye', 'Kar chale hum
fida', 'Chorho kal ki baaten', 'Mere Desh
ki dharti' or 'Dil diya jaan bhi denge, Ae
Watan tere liye'. It may seem strange, or
rather evoke the dominant medium, that
the National Anthem apart, almost all the
other songs which inspire and evoke
patriotic sentiment in a large section of
India are from films. Even Vande
Mataram's most popular rendition was
from 1952 film 'Anand Math' long before
A.R. Rehman reinterpreted it in the
1990s.
But there are more from the Abhi
Bhattacharya homily from 'Jagriti'
(1954), that heartbreaking ending song
from war drama 'Haqeeqat' (1964), and
from the Sunil Duttstarring 'Hum
Hindustani' (1960), Manoj Kumar's
'Pukar' (1967) and 'Karma' (1986) above.
You could also expect to hear 'Jahan daal
daal par sone ki chidiya' (1965) from
'SikandareAzaam' (1965), 'Ae Watan Ae
Watan' from Manoj Kumar's 'Shaheed'
(1965), 'Apni azaadi ko hum' from Dilip
Kumar's 'Leader' (1964) as well as others
of the ilk or from newer Bollywood films
from 1990s onwards.
But a lot of much older and some
times more significant patriotic film
songs, even predate Independence, get
overlooked or ignored.
18 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017
Director Gurinder Chadha and actress Huma Qureshi
during the film's screening.
H
indi film "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha", which
attempts to spread the message of erad
icating open defecation in an entertain
ing vein, surpassed the Rs 100 crore on the
eighth day since its release in India, its makers
said.
Directed by Shree Narayan Singh, the film
features Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar and
Anupam Kher in key roles.
"Day 8: Akshay Kumar's Toilet: Ek Prem
Katha crosses Rs 100 crore," said a statement
issued on behalf of the film's makers.
Its success has in Akshay's wife Twinkle
Khanna's words helped the box office to
break free from constipation after big ticket
films like "Jagga Jasoos" and "Jab Harry Met
Sejal" failed to elicit the expected response.
Kriti Sanon
and
Ayushmann
Khurana in a
still from
'Bareilly ki
Barfi'
areilly ki Barfi" is a sweet ing into a love triangle.
B and delectable romance
which begins on a pre
dictable and somewhat placid
Bitti Mishra (Kriti) is the only
child of her parents Narottam
Mishra (Pankaj) and Sushila
note, but takes on an interesting Mishra (Seema). By happen
hue owing to the sudden twist stance, she picks up a book,
the tale embarks upon and turn 'Bareilly ki Barfi', from the book
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD TheSouthAsianTimes.info
'Partition: Comedy legend Jerry
Lewis dies at 91
1947' banned
from release
in Pakistan
F
ilmmaker Gurinder Chadhas "Partition: 1947"
the Hindi version of period drama "Viceroy's
House" has been banned from releasing in
Pakistan, reportedly over "misrepresentation" of
Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The director says it's unfortu
nate. "It is unfortunate my film has been banned in Lewis is survived by his second wife.
Pakistan. It will always be the land of my ancestors.
erry Lewis, the slapstickloving comedian,
J
Partition: 1947'," Chadha posted on Twitter on August
innovative filmmaker and generous fundraiser
20.
who became famous with classics like "The
"Partition: 1947" was released internationally as
Nutty Professor" and "The Bellboy," has died. He
"Viceroy's House". For the film, the British film director
was 91. Lewis died after a brief illness in Las
of Sikh origin, whose mother grew up in Rawalpindi,
Vegas, said his publicist, Candi Cazau, CNN report
went back to trace her roots and document events that
ed. Cazau has not elaborated on Lewis' illness.
led to India's Partition.
Lewis first gained fame for his frenzied comedy
The film narrates the story of the trauma that people
andmusic act with singer Dean Martin.
went through due to the division, and how it changed
When that ended in the mid1950s, Lewis went
their lives. Featuring Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson,
solo. By early 1960s, he had become a top draw in
Huma Qureshi and Manish Dayal, the movie released in
movies such as "The Bellboy", "The Nutty
India on August 18.
Professor" and "The Patsy". Lewis first helped raise
According to The Express Tribune, the Sindh Film
money for muscular dystrophy in a telethon in
Censor Board deemed it unsuitable, stating that "the
1956. He was so successful, and so devoted to the
political narrative contradicts the national interest of
cause, that children affected by the disease became
Pakistan".
known as "Jerry's kids".
'Toilet: Ek Akshay and
Bhumi in a
Prem Katha'
still from
the film.
crosses Rs 100
crore in India
"Toilet: Ek Prem Katha" also takes forward
Akshay's golden run at the box office after his
entertainers "Airlift", "Housefull 3", "Rustom"
and "Jolly LLB 2".
stall at the station, Nitesh Tiwari's sharp film and is immensely endearing.
which changes her REVIEW writing laced with Ayushmann delivers with sin
life. She begins
her search
An humor encapsu
lates the simplici
cerity and the metamorphosis of
a heartbroken boy to a boy
for the ty and warmth madly in love and finally a guy
author, endearing of a small town, who has lost his love is palpable
Pritam which is evi and praiseworthy. Yet, he pales in
Vidrohi, as rom-com dent in each comparison to Rajkummar.
she feels scene through Kriti portrays Bitti with confi
the protago worth his characters. dence and honesty. She is charm
nist in his Director Ashwini ing and holds her own although
novel is her car tasting Iyer Tiwari keeps she is pitted against two good
bon copy and he is the characters and their male actors.
thus someone who would milieu real. It is the ace writ Seema Pahwa as the gregarious
understand her. ing coupled with the strong per mother, desperate to get Bitti
How she uses Chirag Dubey formances that elevate the view married, if only to comply with
(Ayushmann Khurrana), the pub ing experience further. societal norms, is a treat to
lisher of the book, in her quest, Rajkumar as Pritam Vidrohi is watch.
forms the crux of this two hour spectacular as he is every inch The screenplay and dialogues
film. The characters and their the small town, timid, boy who are what take this film to another
lives are introduced to the audi
ence through a narrative by
Javed Akhtar in the beginning of
leads a basic life. He slips into the
aggressive gunda avatar with
equal ease and aplomb, altering
level. Else, the basic tale is fairly
ordinary and clichd. The actors
do justice and deliver, mouthing
the film. The characters are well his body language and manner the wellwritten lines with con
etched and developed thoughtful isms perfectly. He steals the thun viction and panache, enhancing
ly with consistency. der from every other actor in the their characters all the way.
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Bollywood has
more talented stars
than three Khans
Aamir will next be seen in a musical drama.
ctorproducer Aamir Khan
A finds it unfair that three
names are always singled
out whenever the media talks
about stardom in Bollywood. He
says there are many other "talent
ed stars" who are contributing
good work in the Hindi film
industry.
Aamir was present at an event
for a song launch of his upcoming
film "Secret Superstar".
Films of Shah Rukh Khan,
Salman Khan and Aamir Khan
always touch the Rs 100 crore
mark within three to four days of
their release, but neither Salman's
"Tubelight"
I'm
very choosy
about the
work I do:
Vivek
The actor is gearing up for his
Tamil release Vivegam.
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
nor Shah Rukh's "Jab Harry Met
Sejal" met the same fate.
Asked if it was so because the
trend is changing and that the
audience prefers contentdriven
cinema compared to star studded
movies, Aamir said: "To say that
the trend has changed is a very
big statement, but I think there
are ups and downs in every cre
ative person's life. We all try our
best to do our work, we try to
make sure that everyone likes the
films that we make. But at times
we succeed, at times we fail. "I
think we should not get fazed by
that. We should continue to do
what we believe in.
V
ivek Oberoi, who has been
acting for over 15 years
and has been a part of
memorable films such as
"Company", "Saathiya" and
"Rakht Charitra", says he is
choosy about the work he does as
he likes to distribute his time
between family and his philan
thropical activities.
Last seen on screen in heist
comedy "Bank Chor", he is gearing
up for the release of his Tamil
debut film "Vivegam".
"I'm still choosy about my work.
I like to do one film a year and
sometimes even two, but not
more. I'm enjoying watching my
children grow. I like to spend
more time with them. I also have
my businesses and charitable
organizations that keep me busy,"
Vivek said. He picks his films after
considerable thought. Asked what
drew him towards "Vivegam", he
said it is director Siva's passion.
"It's not the first south film I
have been offered. I have turned
down projects from all the south
industries in the past. But when
Siva approached me with
'Vivegam', it took just fifteen min
utes to get convinced. I was moved
by the passion with which he nar
rated and I wanted to work with
him," recalls Vivek, adding that he
was initially hesitant about foray
ing into Tamil industry.
Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 19
Never had any interest in
hero's role: Nawazuddin
ctor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who
A now plays the lead role in most
of his films, says that he never
wanted to play the typical hero as a
person with no bad qualities doesn't
exist.
"I don't believe in characters that are
either completely negative or positive
like a hero doesn't have any bad quali
ties. A person like him doesn't exist
only," Nawazuddin, who doesn't act for
awards, told reporters.
"So, I never had any interest in a
hero's role or out and out negative role.
I prefer grey characters," he added.
Asked about the kind of roles he wants
to do, the "Peepli Live" actor said: "There
are lots of characters that are left to do.
Dilip Kumar's role in 'MughalEAzam'...I
would like to do that at least once with
that kind of an attitude...the royal one."
As of now, he is confident that
"Babumoshai Bandookbaaz" will not be a
flop.
"We have confidence in our film because
it was made within a controlled budget and
within that budget a film never flops.
Thank God. I will not tell you the budget.
But within that budget, a film never flops,"
aracters.
he reiterated. likes to do grey ch
The actor says he
I
t is essential to make movies on social issues inspiration for her movies. Asked about "What
and human rights as they help to open up peo Will People Say", she said: "I was sent to Pakistan
ple's minds, believes NorwegianPakistani when I was a young girl, which I used as the main
actresswriterdirector Iram Haq, whose film inspiration for this movie. I always find inspiration
"What Will People Say" tells the story of her fami from my own life and my own emotions when I
ly, community and culture. start to write, and I use that as a backbone to form
"W hat Will my stories
People Say" is
Films on social into fiction."
about Nisha's The movie
double life is set to com
obedient to her
traditional issues vital for pete w ith
films from
P a k i s t a n i Australia,
upbring ing at
home, typical opening up minds Indonesia,
France and
Norwegian more at the
teenager to her friends. It comes crash prestigious Toronto International
ing down when her concerned par Film Festival (TIFF) next month.
ents kidnap her and send her to Is there any thing about
Pakistan. Indian culture that she fol
She isn't the first female lows or likes?
director to come up with such "T he foo d, the heat,
a strong subject. Directors music, culture, the people,
like Mira Nair and Deepa colors, the smile and the
Mehta have also made films humor, I love so much
on terrorism, homosexual rela about India," she said.
tions and rural Indian widows. "I would love to work with
Women seem to have natural talents in India again. I had
inclination towards social issues great actors with me from
and human rights. India and I know there are
"I think we all like to make so many other great talents
movies about stuff we are inter over there as
ested in, and I am happy that we ll," she
you say that women have
an interest in social
issues and human
rights because those Norwegian
movies are important for Pakistani
opening up our minds,"
actress
writer
Oslobased Iram said.
director
For Iram, it's her
Iram Haq.
life which provides
20 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 DIASPORA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

24,000 overseas Indians have registered as voters

New Delhi: A little over 24,000 overseas
Indians, who are entitled to cast their bal
lot in India, have registered themselves as
voters. Now, in a bid to attract more such
Indian citizens living abroad to become
voters here, the Election Commission has
launched a portal which allows them to
register online.
The portal also has a long list of fre
quently asked questions to help people
understand the procedure.
While there are no estimates on the
number of overseas Indians eligible to
vote in India, only 24,348 have registered
with the poll panel.
Out of these, 23,556 are from Kerala,
364 from Punjab and 14 from Gujarat,
according to the data provided by the
Commission.
According to the 'Overseas Indian
Voters' portal, an overseas elector is a
person who is a citizen of India and who
their place of residence in India, as men
In a bid to attract more tioned in their original Indian passport in
which their visa endorsement has been
such Indian citizens made, is located. Once their name is regis
living abroad to tered as a voter, the election officials of
the constituency concerned will inform
become voters here, the overseas Indian by post on his or her
the Election latest address abroad.
But, the portal clarifies, that overseas
Commission has electors are not issued an election photo
launched a portal identity card as they are allowed to cast
vote in an election in the constituency in
which allows them to person at the polling station on showing
their original passport.
register online. Data shows that only 10,000 to 12,000
NRIs have voted because they do not
has not acquired citizenship of any other want to spend foreign currency to come
country. to India and exercise their franchise.
The portal can be accessed through the Now, things may change as the Union
Election Commission website. Cabinet had on August 2 cleared a pro
Such people are eligible to be registered posal to extend proxy voting to overseas
as voters in the constituency in which Indians by amending electoral laws.
While NRIs and overseas Indians are free
to cast their votes in constituencies where
they are registered, according to the pro
posal, they would also be allowed to use
the option of proxy, which as of now is
only available to service personnel.
An expert committee in the Election
Commission working on the issue had, in
2015, forwarded the legal framework to
the law ministry to amend electoral laws
to allow overseas Indians use proxy vot
ing.
But for every election, the overseas vot
ers will have to name a new person as
their proxy.
Proxy voting is allowed for members of
the armed forces.
The bill to allow the new provision for
overseas voters could not be introduced
in the Monsoon session of Parliament
which ended on Friday.
(PTI)

UK BOY HAS IQ HIGHER Indianorigin actress hid in cafe

THAN ALBERT EINSTEIN
London: A 12yearold of
Indianorig in won the first
round of the latest series of
'Child Genius', a show broadcast
by Channel 4. Rahul, who has
an IQ of 162, which is believed
to be higher than the likes of
Albert Einstein and Stephen
Hawking, got all 14 of his ques
tions correct in the first round
of the latest series of the show
broadcast by Channel 4.
However, as neither scientist
is recorded as having taken an
IQ test, the scores are only esti
mates.
Rahul, whose surname is not
being revealed, has also quali
fied to be a member of Mensa
club the largest and oldest
high IQ society in the world.
On the TV show, 20 contest
ants aged eight to 12 will be
whittled down to one winner
over the course of a wee k.
Rahul achieved full marks in a
spelling test, correctly reciting
the letters in words like garru
lous, accouchement, and
hyponatraemia (low level of
sodium in the blood).
In a timed memory round, he
answered 14 questions out of
15 correctly, but did not have
time to answer the final ques
tion. "I always want to do the
Rahul has also qualified to be a
member of Mensa club
the largest and oldest high
IQ society in the world.
(Image : ndtv.com)
best, and I'll do that no matter
what the cost. I think I'm a
genius. I'm goo d at mental
maths, general knowledge and I
find it quite easy to memorize
stuff," said Rahul, who cites his
favorite language as Latin.
"Most kids want immediate
gratification but I also want
longterm gratification. If I
could play maybe my Xbox
now, I'll be really happy now,
but I might be sad later on
because I haven't revised for
my test," he said.
Rahul's IT manager father
Minesh and mother Komal said
their son was in the game to
w in and their role was to
encourage him. (IANS)
freezer, live tweeted Spain attack
London: An Indianorigin televi
sion actress in the UK had a lucky
escape when she hid in a restau
rant freezer during the terrorist
attack in Spain where a van
ploughed through pedestrians,
killing 14 people and injuring
around 100. Laila Rouass, 46, who
was on a holiday in Barcelona with
her 10yearold daughter Inez
Khan, live tweeted from her hide
out as the attack unfolded in the
busy Las Ramblas area of the city.
"In the middle of the attack.
Hiding in a restaurant freezer.
Happened so fast. Praying for the
Indian fights for life after assault
with baseball bat in New Zealand
Auckland: New Zealand police con
firmed that an Indian man was sav
agely assaulted in Auckland and left
seriously wounded on the footpath.
Though the police have still not
been able to identify the man,
Detective Senior Sergeant Karen
Bright, in a statement, confirmed
the victim was an Indian. Details of
the incident were not given out by
the police but a report in stuff.co.nz
had said that the man was 25years
old and was "beaten with a baseball
Laila Rouass (Image : ndtv.com)
safety of everyone here," she
tweeted. "Gunshots just heard.
Armed police running down the
bat in south Auckland." A police
spokesperson had told 1NEWS that
the man had been attacked by
someone wielding a baseball bat,
and investigations were ongoing.
"Police are further seeking the pub
lic's help to still identify an Indian
male who was seriously assaulted in
Takanini on Tuesday night," Bright
said. Bright said the public response
has been positive in assisting police
with their enquiries, but the male
still remains unidentified. "It is criti
street looking for someone," she
added. Rouass, born to a Moroccan
father and Indian mother, is a pop
ular star on British television hav
ing appeared on shows such as
'Footballers' Wives' and 'Holby
City.' Rouass, who is married to
British snooker player Ronnie
O'Sullivan, began her television
career in India as a VJ on Channel
V during the 1990s.
"Thank you to the staf f at the
restaurant for staying calm and
keeping us safe. I love you
Barcelona," she tweeted towards
the end of her ordeal.
cally important to identify this male,
so his family and friends can offer
him support while he remains in a
serious condition," he said. Police
also asked the public to check on
their friends, employees and work
colleagues if they have not heard
from or seen them since Tuesday
evening. Police are also seeking to
talk to anyone who may have wit
nessed the assault or has any infor
mation about who the man was.
(PTI)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Donald Trump puts Pak on
notice on Afghanistan
Washington/New Delhi: President
Donald Trump has unveiled his
longawaited Afghanistan policy,
warning the US will take action
within Pakistan if it did not stop
backing terrorists battling
American forces. And in a first for
an American President, Trump
brought India directly into the
equation by assigning a strategic
role for New Delhi.
In an address to the nation from
Fort Myer near Washington, Trump
put longtime ally Pakistan on
notice with a virtual ultimatum that
it "has much to lose" by backing ter
rorists.
He accused Islamabad of shelter
ing "the same organizations that try
every single day to kill our people".
"We have been paying Pakistan bil
lions and billions of dollars, at the
same time they are housing the
very terrorists we are fighting. But
that will have to change and that
will change immediately."
In an implied warning to
Islamabad, he added: "These killers
need to know they have nowhere to
hide that no place is beyond the
reach of American arms."
Trump also asked India "to help
us more with Afghanistan" and said
a "critical part of the South Asia
strategy for America was to further
develop its strategic partnership
with India the world's largest
IF WE ENTER INDIA, IT
WILL BE CHAOS: CHINA
Beijing: China said there will
be "utter chaos" if its troops
entered India on the pretext
that Indian border infrastruc
ture posed a threat to Beijing.
T he Chinese Foreign
Ministry said India's logic that
Chinese road building in
Doklam on the border posed a
threat to New De lhi was
"ridiculous and vicious".
It said China would in no
way allow any country or indi
vidual to infringe upon its ter
ritorial sovereignty.
"The Indian side illegally
crossed the boundary on the
excuse of ... Chinese road
building. The reason is ridicu
lous, vicious and facts are
clear," Foreign Ministry spokesperson structure at the border area of India is
Hua Chunying said.
"You may think about it. If we tolerate tory? Wouldn't that be utter chaos?"
India's ridiculous logic, then anyone who
dislikes the activity at his neighbors from Doklam to resolve the crisis.
home can break into its neighbors
house.
"Does that mean when China thinks Doklam in the Sikkim section of the
that largescale construction of infra BhutanChina border.
SUBCONTINENT
The US president has also sought
Indias help on Afghanistan.
democracy and a key security and
economic partner of the US". The
new US policy, a reversal of
Trump's threats during the
President ial campaign to quit
Afghanistan, was hailed by Kabul
and New Delhi. But the Taliban
denounced it so did leading fig ism".
ures in Pakistan.
Trump presented his strategy for
the 16year Afghanistan war, three
weeks before the anniversary of
9/11 attacks on the US by the Al
Qaeda which was then based in that
country. He said he now saw things
differently after receiving advice on
Afghanistan. But he stuck to a core
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Hua Chunying
posing a threat, it can enter Indian terri
She asked India to pull back troops
Indian and Chinese troops have been
locked in a standof f since June at
Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 21
Nepal to hold
parliamentary
tenet of his policy, limit ing
American missions: "We are not
nat ionbuilding ag ain. We are
polls on Nov 26
killing terrorists." Kathmandu: Nepal will hold the November 26," Basnet, who is
The Taliban warned that the US Provincial and Federal House of also the minister of Information
would lose many more lives. Representatives elections on and Communications, said.
"If America doesn't withdraw its November 26, a government The decision to hold the elec
troops from Afghanistan soon, spokesman announced. tions came a week after the
Afghanistan will become another A cabinet meeting presided Madhesbased ethnic parties
graveyard for this superpower in over by Prime Minister Sher agreed to participate in these
the 21st century," Taliban Bahadur Deuba, which was held crucial elections during talks
spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid in the Nepali capital with the government even with
said. Kathmandu, decided to hold the out amendments in the new
India, which enjoys close ties with two elections in a single phase, const itut ion. T he Mad hes
Kabul, welcomed Trump's "determi government spokesman Mohan based parties have put off their
nation to enhance efforts to over Bahadur Basnet told the media. protests. They had been agitat
come the challenges facing "The government will write to ed since the promulgation of a
Afghanistan and confronting issues the Election Commission soon new constitution, demanding
about its decision to hold the changes in the demarcation of
of safe havens and other forms of
Provincial and Federal House of the provincial boundaries,
crossborder support enjoyed by
terrorists". Representatives elections on among other things.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani
said he was "grateful" to Trump "for
this affirmation of support for our
efforts to achieve selfreliance and
for our joint struggle to rid the
region from the threat of terror
There was no reaction from the
Pakistan government but leading
politicians slammed Trump.
"Blaming Pakistan will not win
the war for the US in Afghanistan
nor will embrace (Indian Prime
Minister Narendra) Modi," said
Shireen Mazari, a PTI member in
Nepals Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
the National Assembly.
Maldives Army
occupies Parliament
Male: T he Maldives
military locked down
the nations Parliament
in what opposition law
makers said was an
attempt to blo ck a
motion to impeach the
Speaker of the House.
Imthiyaz Fahmy, of
the opposit ion
Maldivian Democratic
Party (MDP), tweeted a
video of what he said
were security forces in
plain clothes blocking
representatives from
entering the chamber,
the Guardian reported.
The army wanted to block a notrust vote.
Another lawmaker
from the MDP, Eva Abdulla, said MPs were has not been allowed to summon any govern
eventually allowed in but said that Speaker ment of ficials. We are not allowed to hold
Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed was also sur any part of the state accountable at all," she
rounded by soldiers. added.
A close ally of President Abdulla Yameen, A similar opposition bid to oust the Speaker
Mohamed opened the session and then imme was defeated in March after several lawmak
diately closed it before MPs were able to vote ers were evicted or walked out to protest
on the noconfidence motion, she said. against what they said were discrepancies in
"The session was over in five minutes," she the vote count, the report said.
said by phone. Lawmakers said they raised President Yameen had been accused of
the motion against the Speaker after he reversing democratic progress in a country
repeatedly refused parliamentary requests to that became a mult iparty demo cracy
scrutinize the government. "The opposition in 2008.
 22 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017
Sanctions on Chinese,
Russian firms doing
business with N Korea
Washington: The US Treasury
Department said it was imposing
economic sanctions on more than
a dozen Chinese and Russian
individuals and firms for doing
business with North Korea's gov
ernment.
"It is unacceptable for individu
als and companies in China,
Russia, and elsewhere to enable
North Korea to generate income
used to develop weapons of mass
destruction and destabilize the
reg ion," Treasury Secretary
Steven Mnuchin said in a state
ment, Efe news agency reported.
The sanctions target 10 entities and six from dealing with them.
individuals, including Chinabased Dandong
Rich Earth Trading and Mingzheng sure on North Korea by targeting those who
International, which the US government says support the advancement of nuclear and bal
have facilitated North Korea's access to the listic missile programs, and isolating them
international financial system, as well as from the American financial system,"
Ge festM Llc and its director, Ruben Mnuchin said.
Kirakosyan, in Moscow.
As a result of this action, any property or follows a unanimous vote earlier this month
interests in property of the designated per by the UN Security Council, supported by
sons in the possession or control of US indi both Russia and China, to impose additional
viduals, or within the US, must be blocked, sanctions on North Korea.
Netanyahu warns of Iran's
attempts to establish
foothold in Syria
Jerusalem: Israeli
Prime Minister
Benjamin
Netanyahu said
that Iran's
attempts to estab
lish a permanent
military foothold in
Syria pose a prob
lem for Israel and
the entire Middle
East.
"Iranian aggres
sion has not sub
sided in the least
following the
Netanyahu warned that Israel will
nuclear agree
not allow Iranian bases next to
ment," the hardline
Prime Minister said
in a statement released a day
before his travel to meet
Russian President Vladimir
Putin in the Black Sea city of
Sochi, Xinhua reported.
"This also presents a problem
not only to Israel but rather to
all the nations of the Middle
East and the entire world," he
charged. Netanyahu said that
the head of Israel's Mossad
national intelligence agency,
Yossi Cohen, and the head of
the National Security Council,
Meir BenShabbat, will join him
US Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin
and US individuals are generally prohibited
"Treasury will continue to increase pres
Washington's decision to impose sanctions
its border with Syria.
in the meeting.
The meeting will focus on
"Iran's accelerated attempt to
establish a military presence in
Syria," Netanyahu said.
Israel and Russia agreed to
coordinate military actions
over Syria to avoid accidental
clashes two years ago. Since
then, Netanyahu and Putin have
held several meetings in Russia.
Israeli leaders have consis
tently pointed at Iran's increas
ing military presence in Syria
as a matter of concern.
INTERNATIONAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Italy quake: Child pulled
alive from rubble
Ischia (Italy): Rescuers
pulled alive from rubble
a 7yearold boy and
were working to reach
his 11yearold brother
after their home on the
resort island of Ischia off
Naples was flattened by a
magnitude 4 earthquake
that left two women dead
and 39 injured.
T he rescued boy,
named Mattias, was put
on a stretcher and taken
to hospital covered in
cement dust and wearing
just his underwear, thir
teen hours after the tem
blor struck at 9 pm local
A damaged house after quake hit the island of Ischia.
time, destroying the fami
ly's home in the village of Casamicciola. rescued the boys' sevenmonthold broth
"Mattias has been rescued. We are er, Pasquale, to loud cheers from crowds
working nonstop to pull out Ciro," Italian of onlookers. The boys' mother, who is
fire brigade tweeted, referring to the boy's reportedly pregnant, managed to escape
older brother. through a window when the quake struck
The two brothers survived in an air while their father was pulled out from
pocket under the rubble after they shel beneath masonry soon afterwards.
tered under their bunk beds when the The undersea quake killed at least two
house began to collapse and rescuers women and injured 39. It left 2,000 peo
managed to lower bottles of water and a ple homeless in Casamicciola and a fur
flashlight down to them. Firemen at 4 am ther 600 in Lacco Ameno.
Barcelona attack: Two
terror suspects jailed
Madrid: Spanish judge Fernando
Andreu decided to send to prison
two of the four surviving terror
suspects in connection to last
week's twin attacks.
Cit ing a Sky News report,
Xinhua said that the two suspects
Chemlal and Driss Oukabir
have been charged with murder,
membership of a terror organiza
tion and the possession of explo
sives. T hey are being he ld in
prison without bail.
A third suspect, Salah el Karib,
will be detained for another 72
hours while he is investigated fur
Police on guard outside a hospital in Barcelona.
ther. T he fourth, Mohammed
Aalla, has been freed because the what he told the Catalan regional arrested, told the court he had
evidence against him is weak. police in the five days he had been only helped members of the cell
The quartet of the 12man ter maintained incommunicado under buy air tickets in order to earn a
rorist cell responsible for last their custody. commission on the sale.
week's attacks in Barcelona and Chemlal was accompanied to Aallaa, whose brother also died
Cambrils appeared at the Spanish the court in Madrid by Mohamed in Cambrils, told the judge that
Nat ional Hig h Court here on Houli Chemal, Dris Oukbar, the although the Audi A3 used in
Tuesday. Mohammed Alla and Salh Karib, the attack in which 5 terrorists,
Houli Chemlala, who was the all of whom were detained in the including his brother, were shot
first to speak before the judge, is town of Ripoll, in Girona province, dead, was in his name, it was only
reported to have testified that the to the north of Barcelona. for "insurance issues".
terrorist ce ll had planned to Dris is the older brother of one The quartet were brought to
destroy "important monuments in of the terrorists who was shot by Madrid and kept in the Civil
Barcelona" before a gas explosion police during the attack on Guard headquarters in nearby
in the house where they were Cambrils. Tres Cantos, before arriving at
preparing the attacks left him El Karib, who is the owner of a court at around 8 a.m. and start
injured and two members of the call center in the town of Ripoll, ing their declarations an hour
cell dead. Those replies matched where three of the terrorists were later.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BUSINESS Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 23

Need to turn development into mass movement: Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said that he want
ed to create an environment
where development becomes a
mass movement just as what
Mahatma Gandhi transformed the
freedom struggle into.
"Gandhiji made freedom strug
gle a mass movement. Every gov
ernment has tried to take India
forward. But after Independence,
we have failed to turn develop
ment into a mass movement,"
Modi said at the NITI Aayog's
"Champions of Change" pro
gramme.
He said that he wanted to create
an environment where every citi
zen felt that this country belonged
to him and that he had to work for
the country and add to its growth.
"In the same spirit as what
Mahatma Gandhi did for the free
dom struggle, we need to make
India's development a mass move
ment.
"When we work together, we
can solve several problems the
country faces," Modi said in his
address to around 200 young
CEOs of various sectors who
shared their ideas with him on
various subjects including job cre
ation, income enhancement and
good governance.
Modi told them that the govern
ment will consider their ideas and
while some of them may not work
out, those that are feasible would
be taken forward and may bring
significant change.
He asked the industry leaders to
think about what more they can
do for the poorest of the poor.
"I want you to become soldiers
of a prosperous and developed
India. You are my team to take
India forward," he said.
Modi said the event organized
by the NITI Aayog was not a one
time event but that he wanted to
institutionalize it and make it out
comeoriented.
"This is just a beginning. I want
to link the teams that emerged
here with the government depart
ments so that there could be per
manent interactions and we could
work together for nation," he said.
He also urged the young CEOs
to take their ideas forward within
their own circles and bring
change wherever they can. Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Cabinet gives in principle MCDONALD'S TO SHUT

nod for bank mergers IN NORTH, EAST INDIA
New Delhi: In the context of massive accumu
lation of bad loans by staterun banks, the
Union Cabinet gave an "in principle" approval
for their consolidation by merging some of
the public sector lenders, Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley announced.
"The cabinet approved the constitution of
an alternate mechanism that will oversee pro
posals with regard to consolidation of banks,
which will come from the PSBs (public sector
banks)," Jaitley told reporters here following
the cabinet meeting. "As of today, there are 20
PSBs plus the State Bank of India (SBI)," he
said, adding that the SBI had recently con
cluded the merger with its associate banks
and become a larger consolidated entity.
"If any other PSB board gives a consolida
tion proposal, to oversee that proposal an
alternative mechanism will be in place to give
in principle approval for the proposal of the
Union Finance
Minister Arun
Jaitley and
Social Justice
and
Empowerment
Minister Thawar
Chand Gehlot
during a press
conference in
New Delhi.
(Photo: IANS)
banks for a scheme of amalgamation," Jaitley
said.
Explaining that such an alternative mecha
nism "enables quick facilitation of decisions",
Jaitley said the constitution of the committee
would be made by the Prime Minister.
"The decision regarding creating strong and
competitive banks will be solely based on
commercial considerations," he said.
"Our experience of consolidation has been
positive. It increases the entity's commercial
strength, the ability to absorb market shocks,"
he added.
The cabinet approval comes in the face of
banking operations across the country being
hit on Tuesday as over 10 lakh bank employ
ees in more than 1,30,000 branches panIndia
struck work protesting against reforms in the
banking sector, including proposals of merger
of staterun banks.
New Delhi: McDonald's India announced it popular fast food eatery embraces a new
had terminated the franchise agreement franchise partner.
with Connaught Plaza Restaurants, effec Bakshi told IANS that CPRL was consid
tively shutting down all 169 McDonald's ering appropriate "legal remedies". Calling
outlets in northern and eastern India after it a "desperate action" by McDonald's, he
a fortnight. said: "This is a completely contemptuous,
McDonald's India Pvt Ltd (MIPL) said it malafide and yet another oppressive act
had ended the franchise with Vikram indulged in by the McDonald's
Bakshi's Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt Corporation."
Ltd (CPRL), which vowed to seek legal McDonald's India said it was compelled
remedies. to take the step because CPRL had materi
The outlets run by CPRL will have to ally breached the terms of the franchise
stop using the McDonald's brand name in agreements relating to the restaurants
15 days. CPRL is a 50:50 joint venture and had failed to remedy the breaches
between McDonald's India and Bakshi. despite being provided an opportunity to
An industry source said there will be no do so.
McDonald's outlet in northern and eastern The fate of the 169 McDonald's outlets'
India after 15 days unless the globally employees and suppliers is in jeopardy.
Modi, Priyanka feature
in LinkedIn Power Profiles List
Mumbai: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and actress Priyanka Chopra have found
a spot in the LinkedIn Power Profiles List of 2017. Professional networking giant
LinkedIn announced its fourth edition of Power Profiles, a list of the most viewed
LinkedIn profiles of professionals in India, read a statement.
Through the list, the network recognises 50 such professionals, who have successfully
invested in building their professional brand on the platform. Modi with his 2.2 million
followers on the platform, is a third time return to the list.
Other influencers are Kailash Satyarthi, Founder of Kailash Satyarthi Children's
Foundation, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Global Chief People Officer and Priyanka, who
are new entries in the list.
Prabir Jha, Global Chief People Officer, Cipla, and Manu Kumar Jain, Vice President
and Managing Director, Xiaomi Technology, have returned to the list this year.
 24 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 SPORTS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Badminton Worlds: Saina, Srikanth advance

Olympic 2012 bronze medalist Saina Nehwal.
Glasgow: Olympic 2012 bronze
medalist Saina Nehwal, B. Sai
Praneeth and Kidambi Srikanth
advanced to the third round, while
the women's doubles pair of
Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki
Reddy lost in the second round of
the World Badminton
Championships here.
Saina, seeded 12th, took only 33
minutes to dismantle the unseeded
Swiss Sabrina Jaquet and register
a facile 2111, 2112 victory in the
women's singles secondround
clash.
"It was a tricky match I felt.
Sabrina is a formidable opponent
but I am happy that I overpowered
her nicely in the match," Saina said
after the match.
"We have very good players rep
resenting the country this year
and wish to see everyone perform
we ll in the tournament," she
added. The Hyderabadi, a 2015
edition runnerup, had got a bye in
her first round.
In the prequarterfinals, Saina
will meet South Korean second
seed Sung ji Hyun, who brushed
aside unseeded Indian Tanvi Lad
219, 2119.
In a women's doubles match, the
unseeded Indian combine of
Ashwini and Sikki lost to Denmark
second seeds Kamilla Rytter Juhl
and Christinna Pedersen 2224,
2117, 1521 in an hour and 15
minutes.
In the men's singles, Srikanth
outplayed Lucas Corvee of France
219 2117 in 32 minutes to
advance. The Guntur player will
now take on 14th seed Anders
Antonsen of Denmark.
Praneeth, meanwhile, battled
hard to get past Indonesian
Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 1421,
2118, 2119 in an hour and 12
minutes.
"It was a very tough match and
even though I played well, I must
admit that I had luck on my side
today. I am very thrilled with the
outcome and the victory will for
sure give me a lot of confidence
going ahead in the tournament,"
Praneeth said after the match.
"I was getting caught initially as
the shuttle speed was very slow
and he was playing very fast.
I could not match him initially
but slowly adjusted to his speed.
He is a tough player and his game
has improved a lot since I last
played him. I am really happy to
win and now I am focused on my
next match.
"I am going through the best
phase of my career and I am confi
dent that if I could continue the
way I have been playing, I would
do very well in the tournament,"
he added.
Praneeth will face the winner
between German Marc Zwiebler
and Chinese Taipei sixth seed Chou
Tien Chen.

Jhajharia, Sardar to get MY BEST IS YET TO

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
New Delhi: Paralympics double gold medallist
and world record holder Devendra Jhajharia
has been named as the recipient of this year's
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award along with for
mer India hockey team captain Sardar Singh.
Jhajharia won gold in men's javelin F46
event at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens with
a then world record distance of 62.15 metres,
eclipsing the previous mark of 59.77m.
It was the first gold medal for India at the
Paralympics since Murlikant Petkar finished
at the top of the podium in men's 50m
freestyle swimming at Heidelberg, Germany in
1972.
Jhajharia repeated the feat at the Rio
Paralympics last year, winning the gold and
rewriting his own eightyear world record
with a throw of 63.97m.
Jhajharia is the first paraathlete to be hon
oured with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna the
highest sports award in the country.
Sardar, who made his international debut
against archrivals Pakistan in 2006, was
named as captain of the Indian hockey squad
after the debacle at the 2012 Olympics in
London where the team finished last in the
12nation field.
With Sardar as captain, India won gold at
the 2014 Asian Games and the continental
title at the 2007 Asian Cup. He also led the
national team to the bronze medal at the
Hockey World League in 2015.
T he 31yearold from Sirsa district of
Haryana was included in the 18men FIH All
Star team in 2010 and 2011.
Cricketers Harmanpreet Kaur and
Cheteshwar Pujara along with Paralympians
Mariyappan Thangavelu and Varun Singh
Bhati and star athlete Rajiv Arokia are among
17 sportspersons selected for the prestigious
Arjuna Awards this year.
Thangavelu won gold in the men's high
jump T42 category at the 2016 Paralympic
Games in Rio de Janeiro. He was earlier
Former India hockey team captain
Sardar Singh.
awarded the Padma Shri in January this year.
Bhati took bronze at the 2016 Paralympics
in the men's high jump T42 category.
The recipients of this year's Dronacharya
Awards, which honors coaches with notable
achievements in their respective fields, were
also announced.
The Dronacharya awardees are R. Gandhi
(athletics), Heera Nand Kataria (kabaddi),
G.S.S.V. Prasad (badminton), Brij Bhushan
Mohanty (boxing), P.A. Raphel (hockey),
Sanjoy Chakraverthy (shooting) and Roshan
Lal (wrestling).
The Dhyan Chand Award will be given to
Bhupender Singh (athletics), Syed Shahid
Hakim (football) and Sumarai Tete (hockey).
COME: PUJARA
Kolkata: Cheteshwar Pujara, India's
standout performer in the last 12
months wearing the white flannels,
fee ls he still has a lot of areas to
improve on and his best is yet to come.
"As a cricketer, I always feel my best
is yet to come and I have been working
hard for it," Pujara, who has just helped
India rout Sri Lanka 30 in the Test
series in the latter's backyard, told IANS
in a telephonic interview.
"I am performing well, but I still feel
there are areas I can improve and even
perform better. So this is not the best
phase of my life. I think the best is yet
to come," said the 29yearold right
hander known for his craft at the
crease.
In the last year or so, the Saurashtra
batsman has gone from strength to
strength, becoming the new Mr.
Dependable in Virat Kohli's Test team.
The secondhighest run getter in Sri
Lanka, amassing 309 in three games, Cheteshwar Pujara.
which included two centuries, Pujara
has been India's most consistent bats fast bowlers. So when you start scoring
man alongside Kohli since the team's runs you feel confident as you start
return from the tour of the West Indies knowing your technique better. The cul
last year. He aggregated 1,316 runs ture and the atmosphere also (helps). I
from 13 matches in the 201617 home always have a good time playing over
season. there and I learn a lot."
Pujara feels playing county cricket Asked about the way India virtually
for Nottinghamshire in England has bulldozed Sri Lanka, Pujara said the
helped him a great deal. team played to its strength after fine
"This was my third season (in county preparation.
cricket). My first was for Derbyshire, "We have always backed our
then I played for Yorkshire. This time I strengths. All our batsmen and bowlers
played for Nottinghamshire. So I've are very well prepared. As a team we
always enjoyed playing county cricket," outplayed them; that is what I think and
said Pujara, who struck a century and a I don't know about how they played
halfcentury in five innings of four and how their bowlers were. They were
games for Nottinghamshire. a decent team, but we were stronger.
"The wickets are always challenging; We are the No. 1 Test team in the world
there is always something in it for the and we played like that."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017
 26 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017
Assemblywoman Solages:
Holding LIRRs feet to the fire
By Robert Golomb
W
hen Assemblywoman Michaelle
Solages (Democrat, 22nd AD,
2012 Present) recently learned
that some western Nassau County Long
Island Railroad (LIRR) commuters were rid
ing in very old and poorly airconditioned
trains, because LIRR officials had decided to
instead divert newer cars to transport most
ly Manhattanites to their summer vacation
homes in Suffolk Countys affluent
Hamptons, her angst was directed at LIRR
honchos, and not the riders who benefitted
from the decision.
The Assemblywoman, whom I recently
interviewed in her Valley Stream local com
munity office, stated, It is an outrage that
Nassau County riders were subjected to
such horrible conditions. But this should not
be a case of class warfare. You cannot blame
those who got to ride in newer, better
equipped trains. Rather, LIRR officials them
selves should be held accountable for what
has become a summer of hell for many com
muters throughout Long Island.
The term the summer of hell was first
coined by Governor Cuomo in end of May,
alerting commuters to the dismal rail trans
portation conditions awaiting them.
(Cuomos message was also intended to
warn New York City Transit riders of the
same.) Shortly after, the heat waves of early
June made Cuomos four words of warning
the operative term used by Long Island com
muters complaining about the frequent can
cellations, long delays, and poor conditions
of many of the trains themselves. Such prob
lems, noted Solages, have plagued the LIRR
for at least a decade, and have become even
worse over the past five years.
Citing a study conducted by the Wall
Street Journal which revealed that LIRRs
evening ontime rush hour performance has
dropped from its 2012 high of 93% to its
current low of 87%, Solages stated, This
means that riders on average do not arrive
home on time from work two times a month.
And often that lateness could be up to an
hour or even more. And this is just the tip of
the iceberg. The Wall Street Journal did not
delve into LIRRs ontime record for the
morning commute, nor the disrepair of
many of the trains. For this information, we
can only go to the records of the LIRR,
which it is generally believed, totally lacks
transparency.
In that final sentence of her comment,
Solages was echoing the often repeated
charge that LIRR officials have been pur
posely opaque in their own studies of the
railroads overall performance. Whether by
design, error or indifference, they have
failed to provide reliable data to their riders
and to public officials, she contended. This
leaves us to rely primarily upon the over
whelmingly negative anecdotal evidence to
measure how they are serving their riders.
Such overwhelmingly negative anecdotal
evidence containing accounts of morning
and evening delays and cancellations
TRANSPORT TheSouthAsianTimes.info
District (which includes 11 towns and vil
lages spanning South to North from Valley
Stream to portions of Franklin Square) are
Assemblywoman an ethnically diverse group of predominate
Michaelle ly midincome, workingclass whites,
Solages Haitians, African Americans, South Asians
offering remarks and Hispanics, noted the particular impor
on pieces of tance of the LIRR to them.
important She explained that there is extremely lim
legislation during ited bus service available in her district, thus
the 2017 eliminating the option available to com
legislative
muters in the majority of other Long Island
session of New
areas of taking a bus as an alternative form
York State.
of transportation.
For the wonderful, hardworking people in
my district, most of whom use the LIRR to
go to and from work or school, it is their life
line to earn a living or obtain an education,
throwing the railroads schedules off from begun to hear from some of her LIRR rider
the Assemblywoman stated. And so I wont
30 minutes up to three hours, as well as the constituents that they have experienced an
rest until they, and of course all other Long
failure of the airconditioning systems to improvement in the railroads timeliness. I
Islanders, are provided with the service they
work properly, have been reported regularly have been encouraged by the recent positive
need and deserve.
in local print and broadcast media since this feedback we have received from some rid
latest crisis began. I learn what horrors the ers. We seem to be moving in the right
commuters are forced to put up with, she direction, but, of course, we will continue to Robert Golomb is a nationally and interna
said, from the media accounts, and hear it hold the LIRR to that 95% goal, she stated. tionally published columnist. Mail him at
from my constituents virtually every day. Solages, whose approximately 130,000 MrBob347@aol.com and follow him on
She then informed me that she has a per constituents from her western Long Island Twitter@RobertGolomb
sonal understanding of what commuters are
going through, because she is one herself.
Solages explained that when the Assembly is
in session, she takes the LIRR from her local
Valley Stream Station, to Penn Station,
where she boards an Amtrak train to Albany;
she added that she reverses this route for
the return trip home. I know what awful
inconveniences commuters are forced to tol
erate because of my own experiences, she
stated. For me what should be a 35minute
ride in either direction sometimes turns into
an hour or more. So I know what every com
muter knows the LIRR needs to be fixed.
The question is how to fix it.
Solages has actually begun to provide a
legislative answer to that question. Though
mostly unnoticed and unreported by the
media, which has been consumed with its
coverage of the events surrounding the
summer of hell, Solages has been working
on Bill A8309, since she first introduced it
in the Assembly this past June. Scheduled to
be brought to a vote when the Assembly
reconvenes from its summer and fall hiatus
next January, the bill sets a specific barome
ter of a 95% on time performance level for
trains arriving to and departing from Penn
Station. In the event that target is not met
before the end of the calendar year, the bill
stipulates that LIRR, along with the state
owned Metropolitan Transit Authority the
state entity that oversees the LIRR will dis
continue all payments to Amtrak a key
player because it owns the frequently bro
ken rails and tunnels used by the LIRR to
enter Penn Station, the hub of the entire sys
tem. The payments will then be reissued as
free tickets to riders subjected to long
delays. This would seem to be a fair form of
compensation for those riders who were
seriously inconvenienced, Solages said.
On a hopeful note, however, Solages added
that over the past three weeks she has
TheSouthAsianTimes.info BOOKS Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 27

'The Monk Who Became Amish Tripathi to release

his first nonfiction work
CM' explores Yogi S
hiva Trilogy author Amish Tripathi has
announced the release of his first non
fiction book, "Immortal India" later this

Adityanath's journey month. He made this announcement during

a live Facebook session. He also launched
the cover of the upcoming book which
marks his entry into nonfiction.

T
he Monk Who Became Chief "I am excited to step into the nonfiction
Minister' explores Yogi genre with Immortal India, and I am eager
Adityanath's journey From being to see how my readers react to this book,"
a shy boy in initial days to a monk he said during the session.
who became the Chief Minister of "The book encapsulates my thoughts on
Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous various issues confronting India, based on
and politically significant state, a new my knowledge and understanding of our
book brings alive the life of Yogi mythology, philosophy, history and culture,"
Adityanath. Written by Shantanu he said. The book is a collection of
Gupta, "The Monk Who Became Chief Tripathi's essays and speeches. This series
Minister" (Bloomsbury/Rs 299, pp of articles is expected to give an insight into
164), the book explores how a nath the burning issues surrounding the country.
panthi monk learnt the nuances of "Immortal India is published by Westland
politics from his guru, Mahant and Tranquebar Press. Amish Tripathis Shiva Trilogy has seen
Awaidnath, and rose to take the high The books publicity material highlights humongous sales. With Immortal India,
est position in Uttar Pradesh's politics. the contents of the book: India, a culture Young Country, Timeless Civilisation
The book takes the reader through that witnessed the dawn of civilization. That he turns to nonfiction. It is also a big
release, simultaneously being
Adityanath's initial learning days, his witnessed the rise of other cultures and
published in English and Hindi.
sanyas and his rigorous training in watched them turn to dust. It has been cele
Vedic education. "From being a rebel brated and attacked. Admired and vilified. through a series of sharp articles, nuanced
politician inside and outside the party, But through all these millennia, after all the speeches and intelligent debates. Based on
he now has become a man of consen ups and downs of history, it's still here! And his deep understanding of subjects such as,
sus. Through extensive research I now, after a few centuries of decline, it's religion, mythology, tradition, history, con
have accumulated unseen pictures, driving a new dawn once again. temporary societal norms, governance, and
unheard instances, firsttime inter Ajanaabhavarsh. Bharat. Hindustan. India. ethics, in Immortal India: Young Country,
views, with people close to Yogi, in The names may change, but the soul of this Timeless Civilisation, he lays out the vast
this biography," the author said in a great land is immortal. Amish Tripath helps landscape of an ancient culture with a fasci
statement. you understand India like never before, natingly modern outlook.

l By Saket Suman instances when Hindus in the country after independence

The have come to the aid of and are proud of their identity

T
his rather unusual book is
about the eventful journey
of a woman who, as a "secu
lar Muslim" in independent India,
has seen the good, bad and the
ugly of our society. A fitting
reminder of the "Idea of India"
that our founding fathers dreamt
of, the author lays bare the many
prejudiced notions against
Muslims in the country.
What is it that makes the
Muslims of India live in some sort
of fear? Is there a communal color
to every aspect of our daytoday
lives? Have the wounds of parti
tion been forgotten? And is the
harmonious lifestyle of our coun
try rapidly vanishing? Seema
Mustafa, a seasoned journalist,
recalls the journey of her life as a
Muslim in India and takes note of
all that has gone into shaping her
life, ideals and beliefs and pres
ents her reasons for living in fear
at the present juncture.
Some of the most constant
notions that many tend to associ
ate with our Muslim population at
large their staunch belief in the
supremacy of religion over other
aspects of their lives and blaming
the system for discrimination on
the basis of religion, among other
similar stereotypes are outright
challenged in this insightful mem
Azadi's Daughter:
Being a Secular Muslim
in India;
by Seema Mustafa;
Publisher: Speaking Tiger;
Price: Rs 299; Pages: 185
oir. Mustafa, who has been a jour
nalist since the age of 19 and has
worked at leading newspapers,
asserts that she is a Muslim cul
turally but not religiously. She
believes it is of utmost impor
tance to make this point clear.
And while those outside the
Islamic world fail to identify this
characteristic feature of many
Muslims in India, Mustafa
reminds us that there are prob
good, the bad
and the ugly:
Life of a 'secular
Muslim' in
lems
India
within.
Fundamentalists within Muslim
society often look down upon
those who share this cultural
identity and consider them "less
islamic" than the staunch believ
ers.
Mustafa recalls an anecdote
from her childhood when her
father Colonel Mustafa was
hounded by a maulavi in a
mosque for inappropriate attire.
Colonel Mustafa roundly chas
tised the maulavi, saying he has
led prayers in far off deserts in
"most inappropriate clothes" and
that such restrictions do not apply
to those who are Muslims not reli
giously but culturally.
Mustafa then goes on to paint a
vivid picture of how her upbring
ing was marked by similar experi
ences and how she and her family
have come across several
their Muslim
brethren in some
tense situations.
All said and
done, these are
but a part of dis
course that has
generally been
prevalent in many
similar books. Most
recently, Saeed Naqvi's
memoir "Being the Other"
also threw light on several of
these aspects with equal impact.
Mustafa incisively charts the
events which have slowly begun
to erode the tolerant, diverse
ethos the government's han
dling of the Shah Bano case in the
1980s, the demolition of the
Babri Masjid in the 1990s, the
mass arrests and torture of
Muslim youth in the aftermath of
9/11 and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
She also examines the current
state of secularism where people
face marginalization and the
threat of violence merely for exer
cising their right to religion, to
livelihood and even to what they
eat. One significant question that
Mustafa answers for those who
may have any doubts is the
national identity of Muslims. She
impresses upon the fact that
Indian Muslims chose to stay back
and that their struggle for the
issues that concern them should
not be confused with being either
against India or proPakistan.
Again sharing an anecdote,
Mustafa writes that of her father's
five siblings, the eldest brother
had opted to leave for Pakistan at
the time of partition while the
others chose to stay back. In
1971, his only son a Pakistan
army officer was taken prisoner
of war by the Indian Army, and
his soninlaw was killed when the
Pakistani submarine Ghazi was
destroyed off India's east coast in
circumstances that are not clear
to this day.
"The grief was overwhelming,"
notes Mustafa. "The brother here
shared what the brother there
was going through. But their tears
were not for Pakistan; they were
for a brother's suffering."
It was then that the author
understood that one could cry for
relatives without caring for the
country they lived in, and that the
tears shed by Muslim families in
India were never for Pakistan but
for their relatives across the bor
der. Highly anecdotal, the book
presents several such instances to
make for what is an extremely rel
evant memoir as well as political
commentary.
28 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

Grab the future with both

hands, unless it's electrified
spiritual friend

A g ave me some
advice last week:
"Be the change you
want to see in the
world." So now I have
to work out how to
become a giant killer
robot and inspire other
guys to take the same
journey.
My idea is that if
BEST men are o ccupied
fighting tournaments
RATE encased in Gundam
style robot gear, the
FOR whole masculine
aggression thing will
INDIA be channe led into a
healthy sport, and
(Image courtesy: deviantart.net)

AND women can get on with running the planet. opening for business on Wednesdays,
Everybody's happy. despite a superstition that hairdressers stay
PAKISTAN Humans MUST actively shape our futures shut on that day. Furious protestors said
and the first item in my mailbox that day he'd bring a curse on the community. But
contained a perfect example. he'd discovered that the practice had noth
A householder got fed up with motorists ing to do with ancient tradition or luck.
New York Head Quarter driving dangerously fast in his district, I Some barbers had at one time got into the
422S Broadway read in a news link forwarded by reader habit of reserving one day a week for hair
Sunita Chou. Authorities in the US city of cuts for members of royalty a practice no
HICKSVILLE
Cleveland, Ohio, ignored his complaints. So longer needed.
NY 11801 the man dressed up as a roadworker and Talking of Thailand, one of my neighbors
spent the day installing more than 20 offi bought a Siamese cat, so I said "sawatdee
5168271010 ciallooking speed limit signs in the area, khrap" (hello) but it just sat there, baffled.
becoming a hero to his fellow citizens. Should I tell my neighbor it's almost defi
This columnist pinged regular contribu nitely an imposter?
tors to see if there were examples from else But back to our topic. The most shocking
where. example of a man grabbing his destiny was
A barber in Chiang Mai in Thailand started a news item from New Zealand, forwarded
by a colleague.
Doctors told a man named John Grif fin
Laughter is the Best Medicine that his heart was beating in an irregular
rhythm and he would have to get on a wait
ing list for electrical treatment to jolt it back
to steady beats. So he went home, strolled
By over to his neighbor's high voltage electri
Mahendra fied security fence and touched it. ZAP!
Shah Electricity surged through his body and
fixed his heart problem. Doctors were horri
Mahendra Shah fied. The moral of this story? The Universe
is an architect has a wacky sense of humor and will some
by education, times reward people who do stupid, danger
entrepreneur by ous things.
profession, This is extremely important for the male
artist and sex, as we seem to have evolved to do that
humorist, stuff.
cartoonist and How come? I asked a university scientist
writer by hobby. friend and he said that evolution in the long
He has been run doesn't make mistakes, so guys are
recording the meant to be extreme risktakers.
plight of the He also told me that a risk study at
immigrant Nanjing University last year revealed why
Indians for the guys treat the eating of spicy food as a com
past many petitive sport. Researchers gave volunteers a
years in his car- test to measure their appetite for risk. Then
toons. they gave half the group spicy food and
Hailing from repeated the test. The chilichompers had
Gujarat, he become risktakers.
lives in Note: Readers, keep curryeating males in
Pittsburgh, your family away from electrified fences.
Pennsylvania. Unless they have climbed inside giant
robots, as all rightthinking men should.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY
By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma
AUGUST 26SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
ARIES: Responding positively & quickly LIBRA: Your inner values coupled with
to new ideas in business will go in your a positive attitude will bring success
favour. New relationship at family front at work. Relatives will be willing to
will be long lasting & highly benecial. A lend a helping hand at the time of need. Your
promising week to earn prots in real estate brilliant ideas would help in bringing nancial
and nancial transactions. Sudden romantic gains. The company of love partner makes you
encounter will lift your spirits. Pleasure trip forget about the work. A very healthy week
would help in maintaining sound health in lled with happiness & vitality. Its time to
this week. Traveling with ckle teenager travel with innovative imagination. Your plan
demands lot of patience. Plan to invest in to own a house is ought to be in the right way.
cafeteria or a bakery shop; it might create Keeping patience coupled with commonsense
new opportunities for you. Following honest and understanding brings success.
and tothepoint approach help in achieving SCORPIO: Calculated risks at profes
personal goals. sional front will be rewarded with suc
TAURUS: Calculated risks would enable cess. You succeed in making new
to complete the project on time. Family acquaintances provided you participate in
front seems to go smoothly as you social /family function. An improvement in
receive their full support to your plans. monetary position makes it convenient to pur
Investment concerning residence will be chase essential items. Attending a social
protable. Love works like a panacea as you event/family function brings a romantic
nd sanity. Sound physical health will enable encounter. Yoga and meditation would help in
to part icipate in outdoor act ivit ies. keeping in shape and mentally agile. Relive the
Breathtaking beautiful site scenes are your holidays by remembering the hassle of last
lovers desire. Investment on construction minute preparations. You might apply for bank
business would ourish your income. Selfdis loan as to get back the possession of your
cipline enables easily managing emotions. mortgaged property. You bring the positive
GEMINI: A rm commitment will not attitude of `Yes in life.
only enable to achieve professional SAGITTARIUS: You will be successful
targets but also to realize your in regaining your professional touch.
dreams. You nd relief, comfort and affection Guests visit would make it a pleasant
in the company of family members. Financial & wonderful week. Longterm investment
hassles seem to get over as someone lends a would enable to make substantial gains. Your
timely helping hand. Love partner touches physical charm would catch the attraction of
soul that would take imagination to unlimited opposite sex. Blessings of a saintly person give
heights. You will be successful in getting rid peace of mind. Are you longing to go on a
from tensions. Time to relax and enjoy your vacation then be ready for it? There are
visit to a relatives place. Dealings for older chances of getting good amount from an older
properties can be in process. Learning the art property of yours. You nd yourself open to
of life would make life easier and peaceful. suggestions, cooperation and doing things in a
CANCER: Cooperative nature brings better way.
desired results at professional front. CAPRICORN: Selfcondence helps in
Time spent with relatives will be to making an impact at professional
your advantage. Promising week to invest front. You will be in the mood to cele
surplus money in real estate. Someones time brate with family and friends. Financial hassles
ly help would enable visualizing succeeding will be eased out with the help of your friends.
in love. A sparkling laughter lled week when Love life blossoms paving the way for lovely
most things proceed, as you desire. Journey times ahead. Chances of recovering from phys
to some famous historical place sounds excit ical ailment are high. Be ready to hang out
ing to your kids. Your possession for acquir with your friends. The plot you were looking
ing a plot might be achieved. You succeed in for can be protable from investment point of
getting rid of bad habits. view. Bold innovation and continuous efforts
LEO: For some change of job would enable making a steady progress at personal
bring mental satisfaction. Family front.
members will be very positive & sup AQUARIUS: You will have to take
portive to your plans. A sound nancial some calculated risks to conquer
health would enable to invest on lucrative challenging situations at workplace.
schemes. Good advice from family members brings
Romantic imagination would keep you in a gains. You need to control your spending by
jovial & cheerful mood. Your enormous con purchasing only essential items. A romantic
dence would help in enjoying a healthy life. encounter is like ly to add spice to life.
Romance is in full bloom, a journey full of Inexhaustible energy enables to participate in
pleasure is your crave. If you invest on small outdoor activities. By traveling you will learn
er properties then it can be beneciary for about new places, ultimately its a great deal
future investments. A reunion with friends is for yourself. It is better to try for your ofce
on the card. accommodation as soon as possible. A humble
VIRGO: Good week for computer pro behavior would touch others souls.
fessionals as they realize their PISCES: Valuable support from a col
dreams. Parental guidance in your league would help in professional mat
decision would immensely help. Certain ters. The company of family friends
important plans will be executed, bringing will keep you in a happy & relaxed mood. If
fresh nancial gains. Initiatives in love bring possible take independent decisions when it
positive results as you catch the desired comes to making fresh investments. Romantic
attention. A cheerful state of mind would partner would try innovative methods to catch
allow enjoying the perfect health. Many peo your attention. You attain a bloom in health on
ple want to y international and you are one sharing happiness with others. Pack your bags
of them. and some eatables and go out for a picnic.
Your investment can be done on a cheap or Time to think about your investment plans, as
smaller piece of land. Listening to the voice investing residentially might be protable. You
of wisdom and avoiding jumping to conclu nd yourself full of good ideas and your choice
sions would benet. of activities brings gains beyond expectations.
Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874
Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899
psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
26th August, 2017
Influenced by number 8 and the planet
Saturn. You are ambitious, authoritative,
systematic, sober and simple person. You
have great potential to influence large group
of people. You possess modern, revolutionary
views which keep you in the limelight, but
you need to control your tendency to behave
stubborn and jealous at times.
This year you would have abundance of
energy, which if properly used would bring
you overwhelming results. Financially it
seems to be a good period to invest in stocks
and property, but all investments should be
made for a longterm basis. A distant journey
seems likely later in the year, most probably
for attending some auspicious occasion.
Friends and relatives will not be very helpful
and should not be depended upon. T he
months of March, June, August and January
will prove to be beneficial.
27th August, 2017
Ruled by number 9 and the planet Mars.
You are active, energetic, trustworthy, sys will benefit. Students will find this period
tematic and quick in taking decisions. You
always welcome new ideas and are fond of
reading to increase your knowledge and dis
cover new and unknown things, but you need
to control your tendency to behave shy, arro
gant and moody at times. The coming year
improves financial status of many and some
even inherit ancestral property. Business will
flourish and financial gains will lift your con
fidence. Legal matters that have been haunt
ing your mind will settle to your satisfaction.
Promotions and increments are likely for
some. Romance however will not be pleasant
as frequent arguments and disagreements
will keep on bothering your mind. Students
will perform remarkably well in academics
and sports. Those suffering from blood pres
sure and piles need to take extra care of their
health. The months of March, August and
December will be highly significant.
28th August, 2017
Influenced by number 1 and the Sun, you
are active, energetic, determined, responsible
and original. You are creative and highly
result oriented person, but you need to curb
your tendency to behave reckless, spendthrift
and stubborn at times.
New jobs and assignments will be the high
light of the coming year. Promotions and
transfers for some employees. Investment in
property will yield good returns in the long
run. Frequent and fruitful journeys will be
undertaken bringing monetary gains and
help you build up long lasting relationships.
Relations with someone of the opposite sex
will strengthen giving a refreshing and inter
esting twist to your life. Some exciting news
from children will lift your spirits. Rise in
your medical bills as health of your parents
could cause tension and anxiety. The months
of February, May, October and December
seem to be highly eventful.
29th August, 2017
Ruled by number 2 and the Moon, you are
highly creative, practical, emotional, friendly,
simple and generous person. You enjoy enor
mous respect at your workplace, but at the
same time you need to check your tendency
to behave introvert, selfish and jealous at
times. This year will be highly beneficial for
those who are willing to take investment and
business risks. Speculation in property and
stocks will bring in handsome results. This
Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017 29
year will be highly significant for working
and professional women, as they will prosper
in their respective fields. New romance will
be exciting but shortlived. Journey or pil
grimage will provide comfort and peace. Be
extra careful of your jewelry and expensive
items. Chances of overseas education for few
students who are looking for a better career.
The months of April, July, September and
November will be important.
30th August, 2017
Governed by number 3 and the planet
Jupiter, you are bold, ambitious, dignified,
courageous and intelligent person. You are
hard working and always appreciated for
your commitment and efforts, but you need
to control your tendency to behave erratic,
stubborn and lazy at times. Financially this
promises to be a highly lucrative year. New
contract or partnership will take shape, lifting
your moral and confidence. Investment in
sto cks and real estate recommended.
Businessmen dealing in trading and export
highly exciting, adventurous and full of good
opportunities. Religious feeling will arise
making you go for a pilgrimage later in the
year. Nuptial knots for few lovebirds. Chronic
patients need to take preventive medication.
Drive carefully, especially during the night.
The months of June, August and January
seem to be important and significant.
31st August, 2017
Influenced by number 4 and the planet
Uranus. You are energetic, practical, enthusi
astic, authoritative and trustworthy person.
You are intelligent and can do wonders with
your ability to put in your maximum, but you
need to control your tendencies to behave
reckless, stubborn and impatient at times.
This is a period of recognition and rewards.
Efforts put in the past will yield returns this
year. Your investments will multiply and yield
good profits. Unexpected gains from specula
tion or real estate may not be ruled out.
Children may cause some dissatisfaction and
spouse will need more of your attention. New
romance most likely for some. Health defi
nitely would need more attention. Regular
exercise and meditation would immensely
help you this year. The months of January,
June & November will prove to be significant
and result oriented.
1st September, 2017
Governed by number 1, and the Sun, you
are assertive, authoritative, dignified, deter
mined and dashing person. You have lot of in
built talents and you can easily impress oth
ers with your dedication and hard work, but
you need to control your tendency to domi
nate and overspend.
Your coming year sees you gain from the
improving economy. New ventures and plans
would improve your financial status. Your
investments will multiply and yield good prof
its. Matrimonial alliance for some towards the
end of the year, while others would find
romance to keep them going. Children would
w in laure ls and make you fee l proud.
Swimmers and athletes would scale new
heights in their professional career. Pending
legal matters would end satisfactorily, giving
you mental relief. Chronic patients would
need to take extra care of their health.
Meditation and yoga would help immensely.
July, November and February will prove high
ly significant.
30 Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017
By Sant Rajinder
Singh Ji Maharaj
he language of love of which
T
Sant Darshan Singh Ji speaks
in this verse is unspoken and
unwritten. It is not something that
can be adequately described. It can
only be experienced. How can one
describe what it is like to eat
chocolate? We can use the word
sweet for it, but one can only know
it when one tastes the chocolate for
ones self. Similarly, love has to be
experienced, not described. People
have tried to describe it, but those
who have experienced it readily
admit that words and language do
not do justice to it. They are only
pale comparisons. Similarly, tasting
divine love defies any words. It is
an experience far greater than
worldly love. Hazur did not have to
teach this experience by words or
language. By giving people a con
tact with this divine love through
his eyes, through his radiation, and
through contact with the inner
Light and Sound, they were able to
learn the divine language. That lan
guage is of godly love.
Why be content with the fleeting
happiness of this world, when we
can bask in the ecstasy of divine
love of God within? Let us not stop,
but keep moving until we merge
with the source of bliss itself.
Another verse by Sant Darshan
Singh Ji Maharaj says:
By setting an example of ideal
and simple life,
You have lifted the veils of illu
sion from the face of the earth.
Sant Darshan Singh Ji is describ
ing how Hazur showed us how we
should lead an ideal life. Masters
do not so much teach by preaching,
but by leading an ideal life them
selves so we can learn from their
example. Hazur lived and breathed
spirituality in everything he did. He
was a devoted disciple of his own
Master, Baba Jaimal Singh Ji
Maharaj. Hazur spent time in medi
tation and selfless service. His
whole life was devoted to the serv
ice of God and his fellow human
beings. He was the embodiment of
all the divine virtues. He practiced
nonviolence, truthfulness, chastity,
humility, love for all, and selfless
service. He spent time in the prac
tice of bhajan, or meditation on the
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Concluding part of the discourse 'Don't stop until the goal is reached'
The gift of initiation
from the Masters
inner Sound, and simran, or medi
tation on the inner Light.
By the example of Hazurs life,
many were inspired to lead
such a life. His divine
virtues radiated to others,
filling others with peace
and upliftment. When
we come in contact
with a person who
makes us feel a sense
of love and peace, we
often ask what it is they
have that enables them
to do so. We see how they
live, and we are inspired to
lead such a pure and devoted
life ourselves. Through Hazur,
about a hundred and twentyfive
thousand people took initiation
into Naam. This contact helps lift
the veil of illusion. Our eyes, which
were blind to the inner Light, can
finally see. Our ears, which were
previously deaf to the Celestial
Melodies within, can finally hear.
This is the greatness of a living
Master.
If we are seekers or we are
already initiated, we do not want to
stop at being complacent at our
current rate of progress. We want
to perfect our meditation and our
ethical life, so we can experience
the ultimate goal of union of our
soul with God.
Another verse of Sant Darshan
Singh Ji Maharaj says:
Your intoxicated eyes are over
flowing cups of divine Wine.
You have set aplunder the treas
ures of spirituality through Your
enlivening glances.
It is amazing how the verses writ
ten to describe saints and Masters
from all ages use similar descrip
tions. Those who received the
glances of Hazur experienced them
as overflowing cups of divine Wine.
What is that divine Wine? It is the
wine of Gods love. It is the ecstasy
and bliss of godly love pouring
through those eyes. Those who
experience such a glance are capti
vated and entranced. They can go
on looking at those eyes for hours
and hours without end and never
tire. Others may wonder how peo
ple go on staring at the Master for
hours, transfixed as if they were
statues. But those glances have
caused the souls of those disciples
to be transported to realms within.
In such a state, how could one even
move ones body? One is above
bodyconsciousness at suchlike
moments. Thus, the soul has been
absorbed deeply into the intoxica
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cation. Thus, one finds an entire It is our good fortune that in this
assembly captivated by those ephemeral existence you have initi
glances. It is such a blessing to ated us into the mysteries of eter
receive the glance of a nal life.
Master. We should cherish It is the wonder of your everlast
and treasure every ing grace, O Master Divine, that
moment in which we can you have brought about commun
bathe in his glances. ion between the soul and its
That is why we see peo Creator.
ple standing for hours, Sant Darshan Singh Ji is conclud
waiting for even one ing with the gratitude he feels for
passing glance as the the gift of initiation Hazur has
Master arrives or leaves, given to him. He recognizes that
or travels from one place through that gift of initiation,
to another. That is why Hazur has enabled the soul to
few want to leave the attain communion with God.
Masters presence. Their soul This is a gift that all perfect
knows that it has a chance to be Masters give. Through their grace,
uplifted and lost in that bliss, and each can receive the gift of initia
does not want to pass up that tion and make contact with the
opportunity. It knows that those Light and Sound of God, so our soul
By setting an example of ideal
glances bring some of the greatest can journey back to its true Home
and simple life, You have lifted
the veils of illusion from the face and most intoxicating moments and reunite with God.
of the earth. Sant Darshan one can have in life. Through those Let us be thankful that Hazur
Singh Ji Maharaj says in honor of glances, every soul in creation can opened the spiritual floodgates
his Master Hazur Baba Sawan receive upliftment. making it possible for all of us to
Singh Ji Maharaj The next two lines of verse by have access to the gift of Naam, the
Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj con Light and Sound of God.
tion they experienced from the
clude with:
glance. They may look like frozen (For more visit www.sos.org)
statues to others, but
their soul is very
much alive and danc Jumping to Conclusions
ing in the intoxication
of such a glance. e often fall into the peace of mind in our daily life
Through those
glances, mil
lions can
W habit of misjudging
others. We can be
quick to criticize or pass judgment with
and to meditate with a calm mind,
it is beneficial to develop the habit of
not jumping to conclusions lest we mis
receive out knowing the background of a persons judge others.
divine life or situation. It is remarkable how wrong
intoxi we can be. When we do not know why people
THE ART OF MEDITATION
act as they do, we jump to conclusions. Someone The art of meditation is based on the fact that
might even be trying to help us or make things bet we are not the body, but the soul that inhabits the
ter, yet instead of taking the time to ask why some body. Medical research on neardeath experiences
thing is being done, we berate them. As we go about shows that people who have been declared clinically
our work, we need to think twice before we criticize or dead, but were revived, shared common experiences.
pass judgment on someone. When we dont know the After the moment of their clinical death they found
whole storythe motives or reasons a person has for themselves traveling through an inner tunnel to a region
doing somethingit is better to take a few minutes to of light and love. They were met at the end of the tunnel
stop and ask about it. Many times, we will find that the by a benevolent, radiant being. They described the bliss
person is trying to do something helpful. We can be so they felt in the presence of that light, and they all talked
wrapped up in our own lives that we do not take the time about their reluctance to leave that joy, that bliss, to re
to find out more. When a person criticizes someone, oth turn to their physical body. This experience has been
ers tend to jump on the bandwagon to join in. Yet they do common to those who passed through the gates of death,
not know the situation either, and soon many are whether they were adults or children, whether they be
spreading false information. It is better to resolve a longed to one religion or another. Some of the adults
problem right away, learn the situation, and fix it be identified the light with the religious figure prominent
fore it escalates into something bigger and worse than in their faith. The latest book on this subject describes
what it started out to be. the neardeath experiences of children. The young
We need to refrain from judging others. If we get people interviewed in the book did not associate
caught up in doing this, then we have filled our the light with any particular person. Because the
minds with thoughts that are not true and that children had not yet associated spiritual experi
take us away from our own inner peace. What ences with any particular religious beliefs,
ever we do comes back to us, so we risk they did not associate the loving light with a
reaping the fruits of our thoughts, words, particular personality. This mounting evi
and deeds, whether positive or nega dence, uncovered by doctors and sci
tive. When we criticize others, we entists, that there is another di
are bound to get the fruit of our mension of existence, has be
actions, for we have hurt come more and more ac
them by our words. cepted by our soci
To keep ety.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017
TheSouthAsianTimes.info Aug 26-Sept 1, 2017