The South Asian Times

e x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
Vol.11 No. 3 May 19-25, 2018 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Karnataka election throws

up hung assembly
Both the BJP and Congress-JD (S) combine
have staked claims to form government.
Bengaluru: All eyes were on Karnataka Governor
Vajubhai Vala on Tuesday after hotly‑contested Karnataka election results
elections threw up a hung Assembly, forcing the Party Seats Won
BJP and a hurriedly stitched alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party 104
Congress and the JD‑S to stake claim to form a gov‑ Indian National Congress 78 Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, who represented the President
ernment. Janata Dal (Secular) 37 at the embassy opening ceremonies, taking a selfie with
The BJP, which appeared confident of returning Others 3 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara.
to power in its only southern bastion, emerged as Total 222

USA opens
the single largest party but failed to cross the half‑
way mark in the 224‑member Assembly where two simple majority. Congress party, set to win 78 seats,
constituencies didn't vote on Saturday. quickly announced its Continued on page 4
The Election Commission data showed that the
BJP could end up with 105 seats ‑‑ eight short of See related stories on page 12

Mahavir Jayanti
celebrated at the
Indian Consulate in NY
Several elected
officials participated in
the May 6 event, which
aimed to spread the Jain
message of peace and
nonviolence. It was
organized by the
International Ahimsa
Foundation, spearheaded
by Dr. Neeta Jain.
See story and
more pix on page 2.
Doctorates conferred on Rao Anumolu & Chintu Patel
Chintu Patel,
co‑CEO and
Chairman of Amneal
Pharmaceuticals,
received an honorary
Doctor of Science
degree from LIU
Pharmacy last
weekend.
Rao S. Anumolu (second from left), President
See detailed
& CEO of ASR International Corporation,
was conferred the Doctor of Humane Letters story on page 2.
degree by LIU Post on May 11.
its Embassy
in Jerusalem
"Israel is a sovereign nation with the right to
designate its capital," President Trump stated.
Jerusalem: The US opened its
embassy in Jerusalem on May 14
under a controversial move by
President Donald Trump, amid vio‑
lence right on the border with
Gaza where Israeli soldiers shot
dead many Palestinians in clashes.
Trump announced the decision
to move the embassy from Tel
Aviv to Jerusalem in December,
when he formally recognized the
holy city as the capital of Israel,
breaking away from decades of US
neutrality on the sensitive issue.
"Today, we officially opened the
United States embassy in
Jerusalem. Congratulations. It's
been a long time coming,"
President Trump said in a pre‑
recorded video screened at the US
Continued on page 4
N. Korea threatens
to call off Trump‑
Kim meet
Pyongyang: North Korea on
Wednesday said it may reconsider
attending a summit with US
President Donald Trump if
Washington unilaterally insists
upon Pyongyang giving up nuclear
weapons, media said.
North Korean news agency KCNA
quoted Vice Foreign Minister Kim
Kye‑gwan as saying that if the US
"corners us and unilaterally
demands we give up nuclear
weapons we will no longer have an
interest in talks and will have to
reconsider whether we will accept
Continued on page 4

FASHION 15 FESTIVAL 18 VEDIC MATH 26 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30 excellence in journalism

 2 May 19-25, 2018 TRISTATE COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Jain message of peace & nonviolence celebrated

Several elected officials spoke at Mahavir Jayanti celebrations at the Consulate

Councilman Barry Grodenchik was presented a copy of Congressman Joe Crowley

Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty gave the opening address. a book on Jainism by Dr Neeta Jain. speaking at the event.

New York: Lord Mahavirʼs birth
anniversary and his message of
non‑violence and peace were cele‑
brated at the Indian Consulate
here on May 6. The event attend‑
ed by elected officials and 200
guests was organized by the
International Ahimsa Foundation
Inc, spearheaded by Dr. Neeta Jain.
Born in 600 B.C., Lord Mahavir
was the 24th and last Tirthankara
of the Jains. He emphasized non‑
violence and peace through
thought and action, and his mes‑
sage is more relevant now than
ever given the current world
affairs.
Dr. Neeta Jain presented her
vision for training programs pro‑
moting peace and non‑violence to
students across America in place highlighted the need to create a stole hearts. The event was Foundation Inc. provides dialogue,
of crisis intervention, and commu‑ positive ripple in the world using emceed by Shanie Persaud‑Adeen, peace‑building activities and civic
nity leaders discussed ways to engaged conversation and action Associate Publisher of The Queens engagement across cultures.
move the mission forward through rooted in Jain principles. Tribune and Press. Dr Jain is Democratic district
peaceful dialogue and education. Rhythm Dance Academy chil‑ Formed in 2012 by Dr. Neeta leader for New Yorkʼs 25th
In his address, Consul General dren performed on Jain songs and Jain, International Ahimsa Assembly District Part B.
Sandeep Chakravorty lauded the
diversity and religious harmony in
India. Congressman Joseph
Crowley underlined the contribu‑
Rao Anumolu & Chintu Patel
conferred doctorates by LIU
tions of the Indian diaspora to
Americaʼs economic and cultural
development. NYS Assemblyman
David Weprin spoke about peace
and non‑violence among Jains and
the interactions in different com‑
munities in Queens. NYC Chintu Patel
Councilman Rory Lancman advo‑
cated the philosophy of ʻLive and Amneal
Let Liveʼ. Councilman Barry Pharmaceuticals
Grodenchik spoke of Lord co‑CEO
Mahavirʼs influence on Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Prof. Jeffery Long Doctor of Science
related how we can employ non‑ – LIU Pharmacy
violence to solve issues of environ‑
mental damage, ethno‑nationalism
Rao S. Anumolu
Founder, ASR International Corp

C
and religious extremism in mod‑
Doctor of Humane Letters - LIU Post hintu Patel, co‑CEO and Chairman of Amneal
ern society. Guest speaker Samani

Sanmati Pragya called upon the
community to be engaged and par‑
ticipate in a peaceful dialogue. The
stellar guest list included
Councilman Peter Koo, Manhattan
Borough President Gale Brewer,
former NYC Comptroller John Liu,
Dr. Uma Mysorekar and
International Ahimsa Foundation
Jain sadhvi Samani Sanmati board members Dr. Devbala
Pragya was a guest speaker Ramanathan and Pramod Jain.
at the event. Civic leaders and academics
Assemblyman David Weprin was honored
with a Jain scarf by Dr Neeta Jain.
R
ao S. Anumolu, President & CEO of ASR
International Corporation, was con‑
ferred the Doctor of Humane Letters
degree by C.W. Post, Long Island University at
the Commencement 2018 on May 11.
He founded ASR International in 1986 in
Long Island. ASR is a world renowned high
technology company providing Engineering, IT,
Project Management, Logistics, and Supply
Chain Quality Management Support Services to
Fortune 500 companies and government agen‑
cies. Mr. Rao Anumolu is the only Asian Indian
to have been cited by the US Congress for the
contributions made by him and ASR towards
homeland security in the USA. He was a recipi‑
ent in 2010 of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor,
which recognizes immigrants for outstanding
contributions to their communities, their
nation and the world. Rao has a Masterʼs in
Industrial Engineering and an MBA from
Illinois Institute of Technology. He has attend‑
ed several Advanced Management Courses at
Defense Systems Management College,
Harvard University, and Wharton School of
Business Management. The Indian American
Forum and Indian community have congratu‑
lated Dr Rao S Anumolu on being honored with
a doctorate.
Pharmaceuticals, which has grown to become one
of the worldʼs largest generic drug manufacturers,
received an honorary Doctor of Science degree at the
Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and
Health Sciences (LIU Pharmacy) commencement ceremo‑
ny on May 12 at the Barclays Center. “We are honored to
have a leader in the pharmaceutical industry like Chintu
Patel at this yearʼs LIU Pharmacy commencement because
he shares our commitment to quality, integrity and inno‑
vation,” said LIU President Dr. Kimberly R. Cline.
Patel has spent his career developing superior and
affordable medicines to benefit people around the world
through R&D. With his brother Chirag, he co‑founded
Amneal Pharmaceuticals in 2002.
Chintu Patelʼs passion for excellence in R&D and thera‑
peutic breakthroughs have led him to invest in several
healthcare companies ̶ Asana Biosciences, Kashiv
Pharmaceuticals, and Prolong Pharmaceuticals ̶ special‑
izing in innovative health‑care platforms.
Based in Long Island, he also serves on the LIU Board of
Trustees. “LIU Pharmacyʼs vision and mission makes it a
perfect fit for Mr. Patel,” said Dr. John M. Pezzuto, LIU
Pharmacy Dean. Patel received the 2011 Ernst & Young
National Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Life Sciences.
With his wife, Falguni, he created the Irada Foundation,
which focuses on health, education and community out‑
reach in India and the US. Chintu and Chirag Patel were
named The South Asian Times Person of the Year 2017.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Melania hospitalized
after kidney surgery
Washington: First Lady Melania Trump has undergone
a "successful" kidney surgery and is currently recuper‑
ating at a naval hospital in Maryland, her office said.
She underwent the surgery at the Walter Reed
National Military Medical Centre in Bethesda on
Monday, New York Post reported.
"Melania Trump underwent an embolisa‑
tion procedure to treat a
benign kidney issue. She
will likely remain there
for the duration of the
week," her office said
in a statement. "The
First Lady looks
forward to a full
recovery so she
can continue her
work on behalf of
children everywhere." An emboli‑
sation is a minimally invasive
treatment that blocks one or
more blood vessels or abnormal
vascular channels. A spokes‑
First Lady Melania
Trump. (Photo : woman for the First Lady
cominatio.com). declined to offer more details on
her condition, but said the 48‑
year‑old is recovering."She's doing great. She's in good
spirits," Stephanie Grisham told the Post. President
Donald Trump visited his wife in the hospital after the
surgery. She is expected to recuperate in the hospital
this week.
Melania largely stayed away from the campaign trail
during Trumpʼs 2016 historic run for the White House
and has only of late taken on a more public role. She
announced her ʻBe Bestʼ platform a few days ago and
looked in the pink of health.
Indian civilization built on 'waves of migration': UN told
United Nations: India has acknowledged here
at an international forum that its civilization
was built upon successive waves of migration
like most countries and it was a scientific
fact.
"The Indian civilization has been built upon
successive waves of migration throughout
history comprising traders, soldiers, mission‑
aries, communities escaping persecution,
artists and academics and artisans seeking
better opportunities," India's Deputy
Permanent Representative Tanmaya Lal said
on Monday.
"This mega diversity of our peoples is
among our greatest strength," he said at a
session of the intergovernmental negotiations
on a global compact on migration. He pointed out that migrations were a glob‑
al phenomenon throughout history and
The statement comes amid heated debates
in India about historic migrations, some that nations have emerged through this inter‑min‑
happened eons ago. gling. "Most nation states and societies have
Lal did not get into the debate or into the been built upon waves of migration over the
specific theories or peoples, but made a gen‑ past several centuries," he said.
eral statement, which mentioned "soldiers" "Science confirms that all of us are
among the wave of migrants. migrants. The deep and the more recent his‑
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Thiruvalluvar statue installed
in the heart of NYC
By Suchitra Srinivas
New York: Dr. V.G. Santhosam, the octoge‑
narian entrepreneur, from Chennai is on a
mission to spread the values and spirit of
the Tamil culture as depicted in the verses
of the 2000‑year‑old couplets ‑
Thirukkural.
The route he chose for accomplishing his
mission is to install the statue of the poet
Thiruvalluvar across the globe and inspire
the people to read through his poems.
On May 12, the statue of Thiruvalluvar
was unveiled in Queens. Over 7 ft tall, it is
a sight on Caldwell Avenue, Middle Village.
At a modest function there, Dr.
Santhosam, who also heads the 25‑year‑
old Ulaga Tamil Sangam, said,
“Thirukkural has all the essential teachings
required for leading a righteous modern
life suited for the world and they go
beyond language, creed or religion.”
Containing 1,330 crisp, two‑line cou‑
plets, Thirukkural has clearly defined dos
and donʼts around virtue and righteous‑
ness; economy / money making rules, and
love and family life.
Since installing the first statue in
Rishikesh in India in 1995, Dr. Santhosam
has been at this project travelling across
the globe: Africa, Malaysia, Singapore,
Canada and so on. The New York statue is
36th installed by Dr Santhosam. In the US,
Tanmaya Lal, deputy permanent
representative of India to UN,
highlighted the benefits to
the world through migration.
May 19-25, 2018 3
Dr V.G. Santhosam (4th from left), Chairman of VG Group of companies in India,
who has been instrumental in installing the legendary Tamil poet Thiruvalluvarʼs
statue in Middle Village, Queens, seen at the unveiling ceremony with guests.
there is already one he installed in the amusement parks are something everyone
Murugan temple in Maryland as early as from south India is too familiar with.
2005. The 37th statue is set to be unveiled The entrepreneurʼs love today seems to
in Punjab next month. have shifted to spreading the righteous
Each statute costs about Rs 4 lakh, paid path professed by Thiruvalluvar.
from his personal funds. Chairman of VG The Ulaga Tamil Sangam plans to hold a
Group of companies, Dr. Santhosamʼs is a Thirukkural convention at the UN in 2019
quintessential “rags to riches” story. From Fall, where some 100 scholars and of fi‑
a newspaper delivery boy to starting a tea cials from India will brainstorm the
shop, Dr Santhosam, along with his broth‑ Thirukkural truths to provide an opening
er V.G. Panneerdas, went on to notch many to worldʼs quest for peace, love and
business successes in Tamil Nadu. engagement. But to a south Indian passing
Pioneers of organized hire purchase sys‑ through Middle Village in Queens, the
tem in retail business, the VGP beach Thiruvalluvar statue is an instant and deep
resorts and the first time Hollywood style connection to his or her identity!
Press notes
tory of our migration and mixed ancestry is, welcome
in fact, recorded in our genes," Lal added.
"Migration has continued to expand and is
now aided by the integration of economies Requesting Indian
over the last few decades," he said. American community
Speaking of the benefits to the world
organizations and institu‑
through migration, he cited the example of
tions to send us your press
Mahatma Gandhi, who studied in England
and worked in South Africa, saying he is releases with photographs,
"among the most well‑known international and information about your
migrants who contributed hugely to our col‑ events and activities.
lective progress." We support all good
Lal also mentioned the many Nobel Prize‑ causes taken up by the
winners of Indian descent "who made seminal community and highlight
contribution to science" as well as foreign‑ achievements of individuals
born scientists, inventors, businesspersons,
and groups from the Indian
artistes, sportspersons, authors, academics,
diaspora here in the USA
doctors and political leaders "who have made
an indelible mark not only on societies where
and worldwide.
they lived but globally." Email to: editor@
Negotiations are taking place for a global thesouthasiantimes.info;
agreement to facilitate safe, orderly and regu‑ and/or:
lar international migration that is to be con‑ hiral@thesouthasiantimes.
cluded in December in Marrakesh, Morocco. info
 4 May 19-25, 2018 TURN PAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

USA opens its Embassy people, the capital of the Jewish Delicate preparations were taking
UNSC to hold emergency in Jerusalem
Continued from page 1
state," he asserted.
A high‑level American delega‑
place for the Trump‑Kim meeting,
but the new development would

meeting on Israeli‑ embassy opening here. "Israel is a

sovereign nation, with the right
t ion that includes Deputy
Secretary of State John Sullivan,
throw it into doubt, the BBC report‑
ed. Kim said North Korea "had high

Palestinian conflict
United Nations: The UN Security
Council will hold an emergency
meeting to address the violent
clashes between Palestinian pro‑
testors and Israeli forces along
the Gaza Strip's border w ith
Israel, a Palestinian envoy said on
Monday.
Speaking to reporters at the UN
headquarters in New York, Riyad
Mansour, Permanent Observer of
the State of Palest ine to the
United Nations, said the meeting
will take place "possibly within
the next 24 hours."
"We condemn in the strongest
term this atrocity by the Israeli
occupying forces using this mas‑
sive fire power against civilians
who have the right to demon‑
strate peacefully," Xinhua quoted
Mansour as saying.
Mansour said 45 Palestinians
were killed, including eight under
the age of 16, and more than
2,000 were injured in violent
clashes with Israeli forces on
Monday when the US moved its
embassy to Jerusalem, which
trigged the escalation of conflict
at the Gaza border.
Consular outreach held in New Jersey
like any other sovereign nation, to Secretary of Treasury Steven hopes that the summit would lead
designate its capital," he said. Mnuchin, Kushner, senior adviser to the easing of the situation on the
The American leader said the US and first daughter Ivanka Trump, Korean Peninsula and count as a
The escalation has brought the
remains fully committed to facili‑ and Special Representative for big step to build a great future.
number of casualties since March
tating a lasting peace agreement International Negotiations Jason "However, it is very unfortunate
30, when the Palestinians first
between Israel and Palestinians. Greenblatt attended the embassy that the US is provoking us ahead
held the "Great Return March"
He said that his country sup‑ opening ceremony. of the summit by spitting out ludi‑
protests, to almost 100 dead and
ports status quo at the Temple Meanwhile, Palestinians, who crous statements."
more than 11,000 injured.
Mount, a flashpoint of Israe l‑ protested massively along the Korean officials from both sides
He further demanded interna‑
Palestinian conflict that houses Gaza border clashed with Israeli were due to meet in the demilita‑
tional protection for the civilian
the Western Wall (holiest site for forces, leading to the death of at rized zone between the two coun‑
population and called on the
the Jews) and the al‑Aqsa mosque least 52 of them. tries on Wednesday to discuss fur‑
Security Council to condemn "this
‑ known as Haram al‑Sharif. Seeking international interven‑ ther details of the agreements they
massacre" and to provide security
"This city and entire nation is a t ion, Palest inian government had made at the historic summit on
to the Palestinians.
testament to the unbreakable spir‑ spokesman Yusuf al‑Mahmoud April 27.
When asked about forming an
it of the Jewish people," Trump said that it was an urgent require‑
independent investigation that he
emphasized. ment given "the terrible massacre Karnataka election
had earlier urged, Mansour said
T he inauguration ceremony in Gaza committed by the forces of throws up hung assembly
14 members of the Security
started with the singing of the the Israeli occupation against our Continued from page 1
Council were receptive to the
American anthem and the presen‑ heroic people". support to the Janata Dal‑Secular
idea but one member "was
tation of colors by US Marines. The death toll made it the dead‑ which finished third with 37 seats
obstructing the Council from
US Ambassador to Israel David liest day in the Israeli‑Palestinian in a bid to keep the BJP from
doing so."
Friedman noted that Washington, conflict since the 2014 Gaza war. forming a government.
He added the UNHCR in
which became the first country to The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Congress General Secretary
Geneva, the world body's human
recognize the State of Israel, has released a statement accusing Ghulam Nabi Azad told the media
rights organ, may undertake the
now taken "a step awaited, voted Hamas, which controls Gaza, of in the company of outgoing Chief
task of establishing such an
upon, and litigated and prayed for "leading a terrorist operation" and Minister Siddaramaiah that the
invest ig at ion commission.
for all these years". "Again the incit ing protesters who had JD‑S and the Congress "will meet
Mansour said he expects the
United States leads the way," in amassed by the border fence with the Governor and stake claim (to
Palest inian leadership later
relocating the embassy, he said. Israe l to conduct what Israe l form a government)".
Monday to decide on whether to
Jared Kushner, senior adviser to described as terror attacks. Led by former Prime Minister
refer to the recent events as war
the President and Trump's son‑in‑ H.D. Deve Gowda, the JD‑S quick‑
crimes, as recommended by the
law, said, "We have shown the N. Korea threatens to ly accepted the offer and wrote to
Palestinian National Council.
world once again that the US can call off Trump‑Kim meet the Governor staking claim to
be trusted." Continued from page 1 power. Both JD‑S leader and for‑
Speaking at the opening cere‑ the upcoming North Korea‑US sum‑ mer Chie f Minister H.D.

T
he Indian Consulate in New York held a Community Outreach mony, Israe li Prime Minister mit". Earlier in the day, in a sign of Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah
program with the support of FIA, BJANA and Sri Siddhivinayak Benjamin Netanyahu thanked growing difficulties, the Kim Jong‑ of Cong ress then met the
Temple USA on May 13 at the temple premises in New Jersey. President Trump for “having the un regime pulled out of talks sched‑ Governor and staked the claim to
More than 60 people walked in despite bad weather. Consul General courage to keep your promise." uled with Seoul for Wednesday, form a government.
Sandeep Chakravorty joined with his team to help the people who came "Thank you, President Trump mentioning the South Korea‑US That happened after BJP leader
to avail various consular services like passport renunciation, power of for making the alliance between military drills, the BBC said. and its Chief Ministerial candi‑
attorney, and attestation of applications. In the Q&A session, people got Israe l and the United States The highly anticipated meeting date B.S. Yeddyurappa met and
clarification regarding the Aadhaar card to the voting process. Dr. stronger than ever," he said. between Trump and Kim is due to urged the Governor to let him
Avinash Gupta, Chairman of the temple, Alok Kumar, Exec. VP of FIA, "You can only build peace on take place on June 12 in Singapore. prove his majority support in the
and Vinay Singh, President of BJANA, worked hard along with the entire truth. And the truth is that It came about after North Korea Karnataka Assembly. He was
team to hold a successful outreach for the community. Srujal Parikh, Jerusalem has been, and always said it was committed to denu‑ accompanied by Union Minister
President of FIA, supported the community cause. will be, the capital of the Jewish clearizing the Korean Peninsula. Ananth Kumar.

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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Vaisakhi celebrated at the
Consulate in New York
New York: The Consulate General of India
and The Indian Panorama teamed up to
organize a memorable celebration of Vaisakhi
on May 11.
Consul General Sandeep Chakraborty, in his
opening remarks, lauded Guru Gobind Singh,
founder of the Khalsa panth (in year 1699),
for changing the course of history.
He praised the Sikhs for their valor and
charitable disposition. Pleased with the
strong presence of the Sikh community in the
audience he said the Consulateʼs door were
open to all to come and celebrate their festi‑
vals.
Welcoming the gathering, Prof. Indrajit S.
Saluja, publisher‑editor of T he Indian
Panorama, described Vaisakhi as the most
important festival of Punjab, which is also the
birthday of the Khalsa, the modern‑day Sikhs.
A 17‑minute documentary on Vaisakhi pro‑
duced by him was also screened towards the
end of the program.
The guest speaker, Dr. Nikky Guninder Kaur
Singh, head of the Department of Religious
Studies at Colby College, Waterville in Maine,
and a great scholar of religion and Sikhism,
mesmerized the gathering as she dwelt on the
values held dear in Sikhism and argued that
NY Dreamers await their turn
as NJ passes DREAM Bill
Trenton, NJ: On Wednesday, New Jersey Gov.
Phil Murphy signed a bill that will improve
the prospects of thousands of immigrants in
the Garden State, who will now be able to
obtain financial aid to complete their college
studies.
After only five months in of fice, the
Democrat has fulfilled one of his campaign
promises, yet again raising the question: Why
hasnʼt New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo across
the Hudson River done the same?
The New York DREAM Act was approved by
the State Assembly for the seventh time on
Feb. 5, and the final decision is in the hands
of the Senate and Gov. Cuomo.
The new law will benefit students showing
financial need who have attended high school
in New Jersey for at least three years, gradu‑
ated high school or received an equivalent [of
a high school] diploma, and is enrolled in a
New Jersey college and has filed an affidavit
[stating they will file an application to legal‑
ize their immigration status or will file an
application as soon as they are eligible to do
so]. The law will grant New Jersey Dreamers
access to state financial aid at public and pri‑
vate colleges. Eligible students will be able to
TRISTATE COMMUNITY May 19-25, 2018 5
Consul
General
Sandeep
Chakraborty
was pleased
with the
program
organized
by Prof
Indrajit S.
Saluja (right)
Sikh scholar Dr. Nikky Guninder Kaur
Singh was the guest speaker.
the Sikh gurus were precursors of modern
pluralism.
Children from Gurdwara Baba Makhan
Shah Lobana in Richmond Hill gave an elec‑
trifying display of the Sikh traditional martial
art called Gatka. An energetic Bhangra per‑
formance was given by the Soormay group.
Prachi and Surya Makkar recited the Sikh
mool mantra and sang the shabad “Deh Shiva
bar mohe ihe.”
Many gurdwaras including Nanak Naam
Jahaj in Jersey City, Nanak Darbar in
Hicksville and Baba Makhan Shah Lobana
participated in the event.
apply beginning in the fall 2018 semester.
This makes New Jersey the 10th state in the
nation to offer this type of assistance to peo‑
ple who are protected by DACA and one of
the few to also allow students going to pri‑
vate colleges to apply for state aid. Last
month, the New Jersey Legislature – led by
Sen. Teresa Ruiz and Assemblyman Gary
Schaer, Sens. Sandra Cunningham and Nellie
Pou and Assemblywomen Annette Quijano
and Mila Jasey – made a historic vote to
expand access to financial aid.
“To limit the ability of our Dreamers to
attend college after their high school gradua‑
tion does a disservice to them and the entire
state. Today, we are fulfilling a promise made
to our DREAMers, who only know New Jersey
as their home, that they are entitled to the
same financial opportunities as their peers to
fulfill their higher education aspirations,”
said Sen. Teresa Ruiz.
For her part, Democratic Assemblywoman
Annette Quijano pointed out that the law is
an opportunity to open up financial aid pro‑
grams to more students and that it will make
a college education possible for more New
Jersey families. (Source: voicesofny.org)
6 May 19-25, 2018 TRISTATE COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

IN BRIEF

BAPS Charities to host annual NY Tamil Sangam feeds the needy

walkathon on June 3
N
ew York Tamil
Sangam (NYTS)

O
n June 3rd BAPS Charities, BAPS
Long Island NY, will host its annu‑
al walkathon from 2, Deshon Dr.
Melville, NY in support of NewsDay Chari‑
ties and The Nature Conservancy.
Strengthening its commitment to protect
the environment, BAPS Charities will con‑
tribute $165,000, an equivalent of plant‑
ing 130,000 trees, to The Nature Conser‑
vancy to support their initiative to plant a
billion trees globally by 2025. The Nature
Conservancy believes in active conserva‑
tion of the lands and waters on earth to
sustain life for upcoming generations. has been cele‑
Nearly 800 participants are expected to brating, for 28 years in
join in this act of community service. This a row, the Tamil New
event will help instill consciousness in Year at Trinity Lutheran
community members surrounding their ac‑ Church, Staten Island, by
tions, in turn, inspiring global harmony feeding the needy. On
with nature. All members of the communi‑ April 14, the event had
ty are invited to participate and may regis‑ many of its members
ter as a walker at https://Goo.gl/PpEvSv. with families gathered NYTS celebrated Tamil New Year by feeding the needy at
There is no registration fee. Parking avail‑ at the Church around Trinity Lutheran Church in Staten Island.
able on site and lunch will be served. Regis‑ 11 am, cooking and
tration starts at 9 AM and walk would start serving to the needy,
at 11 AM. with smiles on their
faces and pride in heart.
Congressman Dan Dono‑

2018 Community senior fun van graced the event

with his presence among

day on May 18th Tamil community.

On April 22, NYTS cele‑

J
&S Caring Food Pantry will present
their first Community Senior Fun Day
with free health screening, consulta‑
tion, classes and entertainment. This is a
free community event, designed to encour‑
age healthy lifestyles, prevent and manage
disease and connect to resources with a
wide variety of local organizations. The
event will be held at Sotomayor Community
Center, 1000 Rosedale Avenue, Bronx, NY
brated their New Year at
10472 from 10 am ‑ 2 pm.
PS 115 Queens School Congressman Dan Donovan graced the
Free health screenings: hearing, vision,
with music performed by event at the church.
spinal, blood pressure, & more. Free
local music teachers and
healthy snacks, food, pantry bags, informa‑
students, dance by Class
tion on home safety, support services,
Academy, short drama by
health care, community resources, enter‑
Crescent Team Dramat‑
tainment, raffles, prizes, & giveaways for all
ics, and Silambam tradi‑
attendees. For more information on this
tional art by Sangeetha.
event contact Jennifer Garib at (917) 804‑
YG Madhuvanthi and
3705 or Savitri McCrea at (718) 809‑1898.
Team presented the com‑
edy “Thillalangadi Mo‑
hanambal” to the
enjoyment of the NYTS celebrated the Tamil New Year with
audience. performances in a school in Queens.

Two more NY school districts

declare holiday for Diwali
J
ericho School District and East
Williston Union Free School District
Mothers showcasing jewelry by Jewels Galleria (EWUFSD) in New York have de‑
clared holiday on November 7, 2018 for
IALI celebrates Motherʼs Day Diwali and Hindus have urged all public
school districts and private‑charter‑inde‑
to celebrate Diwali day together at home
with their children; closing schools on Di‑
wali would ensure that and would also
display how respectful and accommodat‑
ing New York schools were to their faith.
If schools had declared other religious

with a dazzling fashion show pendent schools in New York State to

close on their most popular festival Di‑
holidays, why not Diwali, Rajan Zed
asked. Holidays of all major religions

I
ndia Association of Long Island (IALI)
held their highly anticipated Motherʼs
Day celebration at the Cotillion Restau‑
rant in Long Island on May 4th. This Moth‑
erʼs Day function was organized by he IALI
Womenʼs Forum group chaired by Mrs.
Veena Lamba, co‑chaired by Mrs. Lalita
Mansukhani and Mrs. Shalini Pawa, and
committee members Rizwana Malik, Mrs
Rachna Shahdadpuri and Mrs. Ravi Kanta
Dutta. The event was attended by an over‑
whelming crowd of members and their
families who came to enjoy the beautiful
fashion show hosted by mothers in the or‑
ganization and was absolutely the highlight
of the program. There were two segments
of fashion show– a Clothing Display and
Jewelry Display by Jewels Galleria. These
segments were choreographed by Mrs.
Veena Lamba and Mrs. Shalini Pawa re‑
spectively, with full support of Mrs. Jyoti
Gupta as the event advisor. Veena Lamba
the womenʼs forum chair said, “The reason
for this fashion show to be done by Moth‑
ers and Grandmothers was to show how
great women look at every stage of their
life.”
The Fashion show was followed by a
beautiful and skillful Bharatanatyam per‑
formance and singing of Ave Maria by
Mathy Pillai. Salil Zaveri and his team from
Salil Zaveri Insurance gave very informa‑
tive talk on Life Insurance following the
performance.
To add icing there was Motherʼs Day cake
which was enjoyed by all the model moms
since they were on strict diet preparing for
the fashion show. Guests also enjoyed the
shopping & vendors which included Meenu
Kumar Creationʼs beautiful outfits, lovely
jewelry by Raji, scented soy candles by
Shallu, and home‑sales by Dhiraj Pawa a
real estate agent.
President Mrs. Gunjan Rastogi concluded
her speech by dedicating the following
lines for all the mothers. “To the world you
are a mother but to your family you are the
world.”
wali.
For 2017 in New York State, six school
districts declared holiday for students on
October 19, which included: East Mead‑
ow School District, East Williston Union
Free School District, Half Hollow Hills
Central School District, Herricks Union
Free School District, Hicksville Union
Free School District and Syosset Central
School District. Mineola Union Free
School District announced that no home
work or examinations would be given on
Diwali, reports suggest.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a state‑
ment in Nevada said that holiday on Di‑
wali in New York schools would be a step
in the positive direction in view of pres‑
ence of a substantial number of Hindu
students at many schools around the
state, as it was important to meet the re‑
ligious and spiritual needs of Hindu
pupils. Zed, who is President of Univer‑
sal Society of Hinduism, indicated that
since it was important for Hindu families
should be honored and no one should be
penalized for practicing their religion,
Zed added.
Zed suggested that all New York
schools, public‑private‑charter‑independ‑
ent, to seriously look into declaring Di‑
wali as an official holiday, thus recogniz‑
ing the intersection of spirituality and
education. Zed noted that awareness
about other religions thus created by
such holidays like Diwali would make
New York students well‑nurtured, well‑
balanced, and enlightened citizens of to‑
morrow.
Rajan Zed urged New York Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo, New York State Edu‑
cation Department Board of Regents
Chancellor Betty A. Rosa and New York
State Commissioner of Education
MaryEllen Elia; to work towards adding
Diwali as an official holiday in all the
733 public school districts, and persuad‑
ing the private‑charter‑independent
schools to follow.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Trump nominates Indian-American
to federal judgeship
New York: President Donald
Trump nominated Diane
Gujarati, a prosecutor of Indian
descent, to a federal judgeship
on Thursday in an unusual
move as she had been former
President Barack Obama's
choice for the position.
The White House announced
that Trump is sending the nomi‑
nation of Gujarati, who is the
Deputy Chief of the Criminal
Division of the federal prosecu‑
tor's for the Southern District of
New York, to the Senate for con‑
firmation as a District Judge on
the Federal court for New
York's Eastern District, which
covers parts of the city as well
the suburbs on Long Island.
Obama nominated her for the
judgeship towards the end of
his term in September 2016 but
she was not confirmed by the
Senate requiring Trump's
renomination.
Her father, Damodar Gujarati,
is an emeritus professor of eco‑
nomics at the US Military
Academy at West Point, which
trains army officers.
Her renomination by Trump
shows both her legal standing
as well as the administration's
difficulty in finding candidates
within its ideological spectrum
who will be able to win Senate
Indian Americans lead some of the best business schools in US
New York: Several Indian
Americans have taken the helm in
recent years of the nationʼs most
selective business schools: Nitin
Nohria at Harvard, Dipak Jain at
Northwestern (2001‑2009),
Rangarajan Sundaram at NYU and
Paul Almedia at Georgetown. The
list also includes Madhav Rajan at
Chicagoʼs Booth School of Business
who replaced Sunil Kumar to
become provost of the Johns
Hopkins University in 2016.
By some estimates, Indian
Americans have led, or currently
lead, more than a dozen business
schools in the United States alone.
For a community that barely repre‑
sents 1% of the U.S. population, the
figure is a remarkable one and
potentially heralds the emergence
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Diane Gujarati had also
been Obamaʼs choice
for the position
(Image : ibpsguide.com)
support.
She is expected to have a
smooth sailing in the Senate
because of the support of presi‑
dents from both parties.
A graduate of the Ivy League
Yale University's law school, she
has also been an adjunct profes‑
sor at New York University
School of Law. Federal New
York Eastern District Court is
located in the New York City
borough of Brooklyn.
The federal prosecutor's
office for Southern District of
New York, where started in
1999, is one of the most high
profile jurisdictions in the US as
it includes Wall Street as well as
the state's capital Albany. (IANS)
of a growing trend.
The large number of Indian‑origin
faculty at US business schools is
certainly one factor in this trend– a
phenomenon tied directly to the
immigration patterns of the Indian
American community. Notably, the
vast majority of Indian‑origin deans
and administrators in the U.S.,
including Sunil Kumar, were born in
India and not the United States.
Kumar says it is important to distin‑
guish between the two groups
because "the formative experiences
each [group] will be very different"
and have a dif ferent impact over
time. Beginning more than 40 years
ago, scores of highly qualified
Indians traveled to America to pur‑
sue graduate or postgraduate work
in business, economics or related
May 19-25, 2018 7
Mega Hindu meet set for
Chicago in September
By SATimes
New York: Heads of several coun‑
tries with a sizeable Hindu popu‑
lation and religious luminaries
are scheduled to attend the sec‑
ond World Hindu Cong ress
( WHC) in Chicago this
September.
Billed as the biggest‑ever gath‑
ering of the whoʼs who of the
global Hindu community, the
WHC from September 7 to 9 is
being held to commemorate 125
years of Swami Vivekanandaʼs
historic Chicago address in 1893.
The Dalai Lama, Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar, and Pranav Pandya Swami Vigyananand, Chairman, World Hindu Congress
from Gayatri Parivar are among (3rd from right) asked community leaders to spread the
the religious leaders who have word about the World Hindu Congress 2018.
consented to attend the event. Swami Vigyananand said that the nomic, education, media, organi‑
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat would mission of WHC is to provide a zational and political as well as
also address the mega event, global platform for Hindus to the unique leadership and contri‑
which is expected to be attended connect and share ideas, inspire butions of Hindu women and
by more than 2,000 Hindu dele‑ one another and impact the com‑ youth. This platform will also
gates from over 50 countries. mon good. address critical issues impacting
Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu Guided by the Hindu principle Hindus worldwide, including
lawmaker in the US Congress, is ʻSumantrite Suvikranteʼ (think human rights, discrimination and
the chairperson of the Chicago collectively, achieve valiantly), cultural assaults. Community
event, which is being organized WHCʼs seven parallel confer‑ leader Jagdish Sewhani invited
by World Hindu Foundat ion ences will showcase how the val‑ the four million Hindus in
headed by former IITian Swami ues, creativity and entrepreneur‑ America to participate in the
Vigyananand. ial spirit of the global Hindu WHC and donate generously for
Speaking to community and community finds expression in a this. For details visit:
business leaders of New York, variety of spheres, including eco‑ www.worldhinducongress.org
fields of study. Based on the high
caliber of their scholarship, a huge
number of them were asked to stay
in the U.S. to teach. As a result, they
joined the faculty of various univer‑
sities and ultimately achieved great
success in the highest echelons of
academia at the countryʼs most
exclusive business schools.
The high number of these accom‑
plished Indian‑origin faculty has,
over time, created a formidable tal‑
ent pool from which business
schools are drawing upon when
searching for their chief executives.
The onset of globalization and its
impact on international finance and
global commerce has also forced
American business schools to seek Dipak C Jain, Dean of Kellogg
new ways to burnish their “interna‑
Nitin Nohria, Dean of Harvard
School of Management
Business School
tional” credentials. from 2001‑2009
8 May 19-25, 2018
New community group in
Chicago elects exec committee
(L to R) Onkar Singh Sangha (founder & former president of FIA Schaumburg),
Kanthi Patel (trustee & former president of FIA), Nawab Mir Hamid Ali Khan (first
president of IAA), Raju Shah (executive vice president), Shahid Razvi (general secre‑
tary) and Ali Abid Yawar (president of Hyderabad Association)
T
he Indian American Association,
Chicago, (IAA) Illinois successfully
conducted its first election for the
new teams for 2018‑2019 on April 7th. All
IAA members met at Schaumburg Library
Schaumburg, IL. The election process was
conducted by Shahid Razvi, general secre‑
Chicagoʼs Dash family wins in
America's Smartest Family show
The Dash family
C
hicagoʼs very own Dash Family
won the coveted title of champions
on the first season of Zee TVʼs
Americaʼs Smartest Family and took home
the cash prize of $10,000.
“We are super excited to be the winners
of Americaʼs Smartest Family. It was our
first national TV experience and we
enjoyed it thoroughly. It was a great plat‑
form for Anmol to showcase his talent.
Many thanks to Zee and Touchdown Media
for a great experience” said Bibhudatta
Dash. The Somani Family from Monroe,
New Jersey was the Runner‑Up of the show
and took home a cash prize of $5000.
“It was a great experience to participate
in Americaʼs Smartest Family. We had a lot
of fun going through various rounds. It
made us realize the importance of keeping
your eyes and ears open. There is so
much to learn in this world. It also gave
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
tary of the IAA who had worked diligently
to ensure that the entire election process
was conducted in most fair manner.
Nawab Mir Hamid Ali Khan from
Hyderabadi Nawabi Gharana was unani‑
mously elected as president of IAA for
2018‑19.
our son Rishi a great exposure to the world
of quizzing. Hopefully, this experience will
help him read and learn a lot about the
world rather than just US and India.
Definitely, the most enriching experience
in our lives. The crew and host were awe‑
some. They took good care of us and I
would like to thank them for giving us the
opportunity” said Rashmi Somani.
Zee TVʼs original production ‑ Americasʼ
Smartest Family, has become a popular
reality TV show amongst the South Asian
community which attracted a huge audi‑
ence throughout the season. The show ini‑
tially began with 16 families dwindling
down as the families battled it out until
there were only two of the smartest fami‑
lies remaining. They both had to compete
against each other in the finale for 10,000
cash prize and the title of Americaʼs
Smartest Family.
Under the initiative, ambulance services as well as trauma medical
centers in the city will be networked.
Dr. Ramesh Kumar Foundation
pledges Rs 1 cr for trauma
rescue initiative in Kerala
D
r. Ramesh Kumar Foundation
pledges one crore rupees
towards trauma rescue initiative
in Kerala
Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of
the state of Kerala, officially launched
the much awaited The Trauma Rescue
Initiative (TRI), a life‑saving ambulance
service network in Thiruvananthapuram
on May 11th. The new initiative was
launched in association with the Indian
Medical Association (IMA) Kerala
Branch, the Kerala Police, and the Dr.
Ramesh Kumar Foundation, based in the
United States. “We have pledged Rs. One
crore for Ramu service and almost half
of the money has already been paid to
IMA. Our aim is to help the needy, the
nature, and help keep the legacy and the
fond memories of our beloved son Dr.
Ramesh Kumar (Ramu),” said Dr.
Narendra Kumar, past President of
AKMG/AAPI and a Pravasi Bharatiya
Samman recipient. “In case the patient is
unable to pay for the services, IMA with
the help of Dr. Ramesh Kumar
Foundation will provide financial assis‑
tance. I am happy that this project has
come into effect all over the state from
Indian‑origin man indicted in
cryptocurrency scam
A
27‑year‑old Indian‑origin man
along with two other co‑founders
of a start‑up cryptocurrency
company have been indicted with a
scheme to defraud investors, with
authorities seizing digital currency
worth more than $60 million raised
from victims as part of the scheme.
Sohrab Sharma, Raymond Trapani and
Robert Farkas were the three co‑
founders of a start‑up company called
Centra Tech.
A grand jury in the Southern District
of New York returned an indictment
charging the three with conspiring to
commit securities and wire fraud in con‑
nection with a scheme to induce victims
to invest millions of dollars' worth of
digital funds for the purchase of unreg‑
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
today.”
The chief minister released the
helpline number 9188 100100 linked to
the state‑wide network of ambulances.
About 1000 ambulances have been reg‑
istered with the scheme across the state
during the first phase of the online net‑
work. These ambulances will be visible
on the police web portal.
Under the initiative, ambulance servic‑
es as well as trauma medical centers,
both private and government in the city,
will be networked. The project will be
first implemented in the capital city on a
trial basis. Ten trauma care hospitals
have been included in the project and
ambulance drivers have been given
training.
Friends and family of Michigan‑based
Indian American physician Dr. Ramesh
Kumar set up the Foundation in his
name to help make medical treatment
more affordable for people in financial
need. The Dr. Ramesh Kumar Foundation
was created in honor of the urology resi‑
dent at Henry Ford Hospital to continue
his generosity. Kumar was known for his
largesse, once paying for the surgery of
a woman he didnʼt know, friends said.
istered securities, in the form of digital
currency tokens issued by Centra.
The three men were arrested last
month based on criminal complaints
charging them with the same crimes,
Attorney for the United States Robert
Khuzami said.
Following their arrests, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation seized 91,000
Ether units, consisting of digital funds
raised from victims as part of the
charged scheme. This seized digital cur‑
rency is presently worth more than $60
million.
Sohrab Sharma, 27, Trapani, 27 and
Farkas, 31, are all residents of Florida.
All three of them are charged in a four‑
count indictment that in all carry 65
years in prison.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY May 19-25, 2018 9

The Indian‑American diaspora: A vital resource for India

By Frank Islam 10 per cent for the entire population. India in 2015. After Donald Trump became
Indian‑Americans excel as high tech entre‑ President, it scheduled an India‑U.S. two‑

O
ver 31 million people of Indian
birth or descent are part of the
Indian diaspora spread around the
world. Of them, 3.1
million, or 10 per
cent, are Indian‑
Americans living in
the US. The Indian‑
American diaspora
has proven to be a
vital resource con‑
tribut ing to the
economic, political
and social develop‑
ment of India.
Devesh Kapur highlighted the importance
of the Indian diaspora in his classic 2010
book, "Diaspora, Demo cracy and
Development: T he Domestic Impact of
International Migration from India." Kapur's
analysis focused primarily on the period
from the late 1960s until the end of the
20th century.
Indian‑American influence, impact and
contributions were significant then and have
grown even more so as we move forward
into the 21st century. Part of the reason for
this is that the Indian‑American population
on average stands head and shoulders eco‑
nomically and educationally above those in
other Asian American subgroups and the US
population in general.
A Pew Research study released in 2013
disclosed that the median annual household
income for Indian Americans was $88,000
compared to $66,000 for all Asians and
$49,800 for the US population. The study
also revealed that 38 per cent of Indian‑
Americans held advanced degrees compared
to 30 per cent for all Asian Americans and
preneurs. A study by Vivek Wadhwa for the
period from 2006 to 2012 showed that
overall immigrant entrepreneurship "stag‑
nated" compared to the period from 1995 to
2005. But start‑ups by Indian immigrants
increased seven per cent over the prior peri‑
od and a full 33.2 per cent of all start‑up
companies were founded by Indian
Americans.
It's not just that Indian Americans are
doing well. They are also inclined to stay
connected with India through investments,
philanthropy and personal involvement. The
Indian Diaspora can bring broad economic
benefits to India. They can make substantial
contributions in the areas of innovation and
entrepreneurship; health care; education;
and skills development. They can help in
creating jobs and in creating new companies
across India. They can create a platform by
sharing best practices and technology with
small and medium enterprises and helping
them to access financing.
In its 2014 paper, "The Indian Diaspora in
the United States", the Migration Policy
Institute (MPI) reports that "The Indian dias‑
pora community is noted for being very well
organized and having a deep and multifac‑
eted engagement with the homeland. Many
consider giving back an obligation and a
welcome responsibility."
I am one of those who feel that responsi‑
bility. Through the foundation my wife
Debbie and I have established, we have
underwritten the building of a new manage‑
ment complex, Frank and Debbie Islam
Management Complex, which was opened
last year at my Alma mater Aligarh Muslim
University. We have also pledged to provide
considerable financial support to develop a
(Image : newsgram.com)
technical training school for women in India
so that they can be empowered through
higher education.
Indian‑Americans who want to share their
success philanthropically with those in India
can do so easily because of American‑based
groups such as AIF, Pratham U.S.A. and Ekal
which provide a structured and organized
approach for giving across a wide range of
areas. Thanks to the work of these organiza‑
tions and others, a number of high‑impact
initiatives have been launched in India in
fields such as education, poverty alleviation
and job training.
Indian‑Americans can reach out to have an
impact in India through a wide variety of
organizations. As the MPI notes in its study:
"The Indian diaspora has established count‑
less highly organized, well‑funded, and pro‑
fessionally managed groups. These organi‑
zations address a broad range of issues and
take on many dif ferent forms, including
philanthropic projects to improve health and
education in India, advocacy organizations,
business and professional networks, media
outlets and societies for the promotion of
Indian culture, language and religion."
The Narendra Modi administration recog‑
nized the pivotal importance of the US‑India
relationship and that is why it established a
Strategic and Commercial Dialogue during
President Obama's Republic Day visit to
plus‑two dialogue.
That dialogue was to revolve around India
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. It was
tentatively scheduled to take place on April
18‑19 but was postponed due to Tillerson's
firing by President Trump.
Now that Mike Pompeo has been con‑
firmed as the new Secretary of State it
appears that the two‑plus‑two dialogue will
be set up for some time in May or June. This
meeting is important to the future of India‑
US relations. But it is also important to note
that two‑plus‑two only adds up to four.
India has grand ambitions and the success
of its Make in India National Manufacturing
Policy depends on the US being one of its
key partners. This requires much more than
ambition. It demands multiplication and
exponential assistance in order to achieve
India's lofty goals.
Indian‑Americans have been a vital
resource in the growth and development of
India to date and they have the wherewithal
to be even more so. Because of their accom‑
plishments in the US and understanding of
India they are uniquely positioned to help
India address pressing issues and priorities
in order to achieve its full potential.
India needs to reach out to Indian‑
Americans and their organizations and
make them central to its growth and devel‑
opment process. They will make the differ‑
ence by being the vital resource and ally
that India needs to convert dialogue and talk
into action and results. (IANS)
(Frank F. Islam is an entrepreneur, civic
and thought leader based in Washington,
D.C. The views expressed are personal. He
can be contacted at ffislam@verizon.net)

DIASPORA

UK agrees to review 'Love Sonia' to open Birmingham

cases of visas denied to
Indian Film Festival
Indian professionals
London: The UK Home Office has
agreed to review the cases of hun‑
dreds of highly‑skilled Indian profes‑
sionals being denied their right to
live and work in the country over
"trivial" tax corrections.
Britain's Home Office minister for
immigration, Caroline Nokes, was
grilled by the influential House of
Commons Home Affairs Select
Committee over media reports that
professionals who came in on a Tier
1 (General) are being refused their
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) over
minor, legally acceptable corrections
in their tax returns.
"This potentially sends a terrible
signal, does it not, to highly skilled
people of Indian or Pakistani origin
who have come over here and have
contributed to the country, bringing
their skills," questioned John
Woodcock, an Independent MP from
the committee. "Of course, I do not
want this country to look like it is
unwelcoming to people with high
New Delhi: "Love Sonia", a film
starring Demi Moore, Freida Pinto,
skills who have contributed a great
Rajkummar Rao and Richa Chadha
deal. It is important to us that going
among others, will open the
forward we make sure we have cul‑
Birmingham Indian Film Festival
ture change in the Home Office,"
(BIFF), to be held in the British city
Nokes replied, stressing that she is
in June.
determined to address immigration‑
The fest is returning for its
related problems following the
fourth consecutive year, hosting
Windrush scandal involving
curated premieres of South Asian
Caribbean migrants from before the
independent films that offer rare
1970s being wrongfully denied their
glimpses into some of the billion
citizenship rights in the UK.
plus lives in the sub‑continent and
The Chair of the committee, Labor
beyond.
MP Yvette Cooper, demanded why
Sister to the Bagri Foundation
the minister had not asked for a
London Indian Film Festival (LIFF),
"review of these HMRC [Her
it is regarded as Europe's largest Womark. women and children who are vic‑
Majesty's Revenue and Customs]
Indian film festival and will take A compelling story of two loving tims of the international sex trade
related Tier 1 cases to find out how
place from June 22 to July 1. sisters, who are forced into the sex industry every year.
many of them might be serious fraud
The cast of "Love Sonia" directed industry in Mumbai, the main pro‑ The gala will close with "Venus",
cases and how many of them might
by Tabrez Noorani also includes tagonist Sonia is sustained by a a feel‑good comedy about a
be trivial mistakes that any one of us
Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher, fragile dream that is worth surviv‑ Canadian Punjabi transgender per‑
could have made?"
Adil Hussain, Sunny Parwar and ing for. Her searing journey spans son who is about to embark on
Nokes assured the committee that a
Mrunal Thakur. It will mark the three continents and a lifetime of surgery but suddenly discovers
review will be undertaken to estab‑
Birmingham premiere of the film, experiences that no young girl they are the father of a teenage
lish whether "there is a pattern here
produced by Academy Award should have. Sonia is determined boy who thinks they are the
in what has gone wrong and whether
nominated producer David not to become one of the 800,000 coolest dad on the planet. (IANS)
they are minor errors." (PTI)
 10 May 19-25, 2018
More eruptions feared from
Hawaii's volcano
Honolulu: New fissures have
opened on Hawaii's Big Island as
earthquakes continue to rock the
island, and scientists are warning
about further volcanic eruptions.
Officials announced the island's
17th fissure on Saturday evening,
hours after a 16th fissure
emerged, releasing lava that trav‑
eled 250 yards before settling.
That fissure opened near the Puna
Geothermal Venture plant, where
officials have removed 60,000 gal‑
lons of flammable liquid as a pre‑
caution. A shallow earthquake,
with a magnitude of 3.5, also hit
the island on Saturday.
Nearly 2,000 residents have
been ordered to evacuate/
Since the volcano erupted on
May 3, lava flows have destroyed
36 structures on the island, includ‑
ing 27 homes. In some parts of the
island lava has piled as high as a
four‑story building.
Last week, President Trump
declared a federal emergency on
the island, allowing federal assis‑
Will America continue to attract promising entrepreneurs?
Comment by
Doug Rand
L
ate last year, brothers Atma
and Anand Krishna took a
calculated risk: As Indian
nationals with startup funding
from US investors, they sent in an
application to the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) request‑
ing special permission to stay in
the United States as promising
entrepreneurs. They were among
the first to take this step, having
successfully sued DHS to start
accepting applications under the
long‑awaited International
Entrepreneur Rule. But last week,
they and their co‑plaintiffs went
back to court with a new demand:
Where are their applications?
Some history is in order, begin‑
ning with the obvious: Immigrant
entrepreneurs have always made
extraordinary contributions to
Americaʼs economy. Immigrants
have helped start one in four
small businesses across the coun‑
try. Nearly half of Fortune 500
companies were founded by immi‑
grants or the children of immi‑
Lava erupts from a fissure east of the Leilani Estates subdivision
during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in
Hawaii, U.S., May 13, 2018 (Photo courtesy: Reuters)
tance. Most of that aid will go
toward repairing roads, water
pipes, parks and schools.
The U.S. geological survey says
this volcano has been erupting
since 1983. In just the past two
years, lava flows have added 443
acres to the island's southeastern
Nearly half of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants
or the children of immigrants. Immigrants cofounded over half of
the high tech start‑ups in Silicon Valley,
grants, and the majority of todayʼs
unicorns (private companies val‑
ued at over $1 billion) have at
least one immigrant co‑founder.
Yet none of these immigrant
entrepreneurs came to the United
States on a visa designed specifi‑
cally for startup founders̶
because such a visa doesnʼt (yet)
exist. Take Jyoti Bansal, who first
came to the U.S. from India on an
H‑1B visa, and had to wait seven
years to get a green card and
strike out on his own. His compa‑
ny AppDynamics was acquired by
Cisco last year for a cool $3.7 bil‑
lion.
Shouldnʼt we make it easier, not
harder, for world‑class entrepre‑
neurs like Mr. Bansal to start and
grow their companies in the
United States? That was the goal
of the International Entrepreneur
Rule, a regulation issued in the
US AFFAIRS
shore.
Residents are preparing for fur‑
ther eruptions in the days ahead.
Geologists say the lava lake in the
volcano's crater is dropping rapid‑
ly, and that could lead to a steam‑
driven explosion if the lava falls
below the water table.
last days of the Obama
Administration. (Full disclosure: In
my previous job in the Obama
White House, I helped lead efforts
to implement this policy.)
But the International
Entrepreneur Rule has faced a
rocky path since then. First, the
Trump Administration tried to
block initial applications by entre‑
preneurs. The lawsuit by the
Krishna brothers̶joined by
Indian entrepreneurs Nishant
Srivastava and Vikram Tiwari and
the National Venture Capital
Association, among others̶then
led to a federal court order that
compelled DHS to start accepting
applications (along with $1,200
application fees) in December
2017. DHS made it clear that it
still intends to ultimately roll back
the program, however, and as of a
few weeks ago, Bloomberg News
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Trump advisers offer no
apology for aide's crude
remark about McCain
Washington: Advisers to President
Trump paid tribute Sunday to the
long service of Sen. John McCain
but failed to apologize to him for a
cruel remark by a White House
aide about his battle with brain
cancer.
In a prepared statement, and in
some public appearances, Trump
advisers praised McCain's service
as a senator and naval aviator
held as a prisoner of war in
Vietnam. But they declined to
comment on the remarks of Kelly
Sadler, who told other communi‑
cations aides at a staff meeting
that McCain's opposition to Gina
Haspel as CIA director did not
matter because "he's dying
anyway."
In an appearance Sunday on
CNN's "State of the Union," nation‑
al security adviser John Bolton
said he remained grateful for
McCain's past support, particular‑
ly during Bolton's 2005 confirma‑
tion battle to be ambassador to
the UN, a post for which Senate
The International Entrepreneur Rule (‘dubbed the
startup visa’), a regulation issued in the last days of
the Obama Administration, has had a rocky path
under the Trump administration.
reported an agency spokesperson
suggesting that foreign‑born
entrepreneurs “consult an immi‑
gration attorney and find an alter‑
native vehicle.”
Under these circumstances, itʼs
understandable that potential
beneficiaries of the International
Entrepreneur Rule have expressed
"grave concerns that DHS has cho‑
sen to disregard the courtʼs previ‑
ous order," and are now demand‑
ing answers. Why is the current
administration so unfavorably dis‑
posed toward the International
Entrepreneur Rule in the first
place? Itʼs hard to imagine a more
“merit‑based” immigration policy,
given that the bar is so high: To
qualify, an entrepreneur must
demonstrate the potential for “sig‑
nificant public benefit” to the
United States, including by attract‑
ing at least $250,000 from experi‑
enced U.S. investors or at least
$100,000 in backing from U.S.
government agencies. One inde‑
pendent analysis predicted that
the International Entrepreneur
Rule could create over 300,000
jobs for U.S. workers over the next
10 years, if fully implemented.
Weʼll soon see what the oppos‑
ing arguments are, since DHS is
slated to publish its official pro‑
Senator John McCain is
battling with brain cancer
Democrats blocked him before
President George W. Bush gave
him an interim appointment.
Pressed by the network's Jake
Tapper on whether he would apol‑
ogize for Sadler's remark, Bolton
said, "I've said what I'm going to
say." Later Sunday, Meghan
McCain, the senator's daughter,
told ABC News that Sadler had
called her to apologize but had
still not done so publicly.
posal to end the International
Entrepreneur Rule any day now. A
full roll‑back will take many addi‑
tional months to take effect, how‑
ever̶and if a federal judge
approves the latest court filing,
DHS will have to explain in detail
why itʼs discouraging entrepre‑
neurs from applying in the mean‑
time.
I work with immigrant families
every day̶my own startup helps
married couples affordably com‑
plete spousal green card applica‑
tions̶and I know that any given
part of our immigration system is
already intimidating without a
shadow hanging over it. While
nobody is entitled to a rubber‑
stamp approval, the Krishna
brothers deserve to know whether
their applications are getting a
fair hearing. And America
deserves no less than to retain its
role as the most appealing place
on the planet for entrepreneurs to
build world‑class companies.
Doug Rand is co‑founder and
President of Boundless, a technol‑
ogy company that helps families
affordably navigate the immigra‑
tion system. He is a former assis‑
tant director for entrepreneurship
at the White House Office of
Science and Technology Policy.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Op-Ed
By Shivaji Sengupta
N
ext month our President
could be the first American
head of state to meet with
North Korea's. This may be a mas‑
sive breakthrough in America's far
eastern foreign policy, something
which past American presidents
have tried for in vain.
This may be the beginning of a
new World Order, or, in fact, a very
old one.
W hen Kim Jung Un sent his
emissary to Trump, expressing his
desire to meet, Trump immediately
accepted despite the warning of
his close advisors. It is reported
that he drowned them out with a
torrent of loud "I get it! I get it!"
reiterating his intention to meet
with Kim.
At the same time, a very differ‑
ent foreign policy line is being
tried out: Iran.
Donald Trumpʼs backing out of
the nuclear arms deal worked out
between the United States, Britain,
France and Germany and Iran, pro‑
hibiting that country to make
weapons‑grade nuclear energy, in
return for lifting economic sanc‑
tions, might throw into confusion
the premises of the North Korean
summit itself. Questions are now
being raised as to what effect will
walking away from the Iran deal
have on the Korean summit. Will
Kim Jung Un express lack of confi‑
dence in the U.S. since they have
so blatantly walked out on Iran,
and are about to re‑impose the
sanctions on that country? Does
this seem to portray America, and
especially Trump, as a dealer who
be lieves ent ire ly in his own
strength, looks down on others,
and insists on doing things only on
Trump wants higher drug prices
abroad to lower prices at home
Washington: President Donald
Trump presented on Friday his
plan to lower drug prices in the
US, a strategy that seeks, among
other things, to force
other countries to
increase their drug
prices to bring down
costs at home.
"It's time to end the
global freeloading
once and for all. I have
directed US Trade
Representative Bob Lighthizer
to make fixing this injustice a top
priority with every trading part‑
ner," Trump said during a speech
at the White House, Efe reported.
Trump argued that other coun‑
tries take advantage of the US
pharmaceutical industry and its
investments in R&D, claiming
that bringing downs costs at
home would require increasing
prices in foreign countries.
All of the world's 10 largest
Trumping the world
In the President’s Iran and North Korea moves, decoding a
new type of foreign policy and a new world order.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was meeting Kim Jong Un in
North Korea even as President Trump announced withdrawal
from the Iran N‑deal. (Photo: US Govt)
his own terms?
Mind you, the meeting hasn't
taken place yet. The proverbial slip
between the cup and the lip can
still happen, especially with Iran in
the of fing. But political pundits –
especially the liberals, are at a bit
of a loss as to how to react to it.
Ohio Governor Kasich, a
Republican and a strong Trump
critic, has given the president cred‑
it for having brought the North
Korean president to his door.
Democrats, by and large, are silent.
But for the foreign policy spe‑
cialists, these two very different –
almost reverse – approaches to
nuclear disarmament raise inter‑
pharmaceutical companies oper‑
ate globally. Five of them are
based in the US, two in
Switzerland, and one each in
France, the UK and
Germany.
Trump said, "In
some cases, medi‑
cine that costs a
few dollars in a for‑
eign country costs
hundreds of dollars in
America for the same
pill, with the same ingredi‑
ents, in the same package, made
in the same plant."
According to figures from the
Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development,
US consumers spent $1,162 per
person on pharmaceuticals in
2015, compared to $756 in
Canada and $497 in the UK,
where the government has estab‑
lished measures to control drug
prices.
US AFFAIRS
esting and important issues.
Their million‑dollar question is:
how did Trump do it? How have
the (foreign) powers‑that‑be joined
to make this happen? Is China, or
even Russia, working in the back‑
g round? From what we know
about Donald Trump, he is not
supposed to be an authority on
foreign policy, let alone diplomacy.
Is it possible he just bungled into
it? Accidentally hit a home run
while trying to avoid being hit by
the ball?
To answer these questions, we
must take a whirlwind tour of how
America's foreign policy has
evolved since Trump came to
House Democrats release over
3,500 Russian Facebook ads
Washington: Democrats from the
US House Intelligence Committee
have released thousands of adver‑
t isements that were run on
Face book by the Russia‑based
Internet Research Agency (IRA) to
influence the 2016 US Presidential
e lect ion. T he Demo crats on
Thursday released 3,519 such ads
purchased by the IRA during the
2014‑2016 period.
"More than 11.4 million
American users were exposed to
those advertisements. The data
made available today does not
include the 80,000 pieces of organ‑
ic content shared on Facebook by
the IRA. We expect to make this
content public in the future," the
House Intelligence Committee said
in a statement.
Exposure of organic content may
have reached more than 126 mil‑
lion Americans, it added.
"Russia sought to weaponize
so cial media to drive a wedge
power, and how it used to be for
some hundred years before that,
since the time of Woodrow Wilson.
I think many people would agree
with Henry Kissinger that U.S. for‑
eign policy came about as a reac‑
tion to Europe. For a hundred
years before the First World War,
Europe had been observing a
“Balance of Power.” Since no one
state emerged as the outright
superpower, the European nation‑
states like Great Britain, France,
Italy, and the Austro‑Prussian
empire agreed to live in a state of
power equilibrium, bound by trade
and international laws until, of
course, all came apart, exploding
into the First World War.
W hen President Woo drow
Wilson decided to send American
troops to the “Great War” as they
called it, he had warned the
Europeans that they had been
practicing a very out of date for‑
eign policy.
Foreign policy, he cautioned, was
not something to be created out of
a superiority complex, from theo‑
ries emanating from aristocratic
dispositions of a Bismarck or a
Metternich. To Wilson, himself a
scholar, foreign policy was a
method constructed after careful
study of history, economics, and
international polity.
T hereafter, foreign policy
became an “American thing,” prac‑
ticed not just in America but in
The ads tried to divide society and influence the 2016 election.
between Americans, and in an
attempt to sway the 2016 election,"
tweeted Adam Schif f, Democrats'
ranking member on the committee.
On February 16, Special Counsel
Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russian
individuals and three Russian
organizations for engaging in oper‑
May 19-25, 2018 11
Europe as well. The president of
the United States appointed schol‑
ars as Secretary of State: Henry
Kissinger, Zbignew Brizinsky,
Madeline Albright, Condoleezza
Rice, all internationally recognized
political scientists. Government
and the University combined to
create a science out of foreign poli‑
cy. As Henry Kissinger observed
w ith dry w it, Bismarck and
Metternich would not understand
it, and would not agree with it
even if they did. To them, making
foreign policy was their right sim‑
ply because they were them.
By a strange quirk of fate, we
may be back in the days of
Metternich and Bismarck judging
by the way Donald Trump does his
foreign policy. Policy is what he
thinks is right, to hell with the
scholars and seasoned politicians.
Ultimately, there is very little dif‑
ference temperamentally between
Trump and Kim.
Each believes in the power of
money and the military, exactly
like Bismarck and Metternich. Both
Trump and Kim are determined to
ʻl call the shotsʼ and ʻhammerʼ out a
foreign policy that they think is
right. And who knows, it may work
– for a while until a third and
fourth, fifth and sixth nuclear pow‑
ers come into existence.
Then it might be the First World
War all over again – only this time,
the world wonʼt survive.
ations to interfere with US political
and electoral processes, including
the 2016 Presidential election.
T hroug hout the indictment,
Mueller lays out important facts
about the activities of the IRA, the
notorious Russian "troll" farm, and
its operatives.
 12 May 19-25, 2018 INDIA TheSouthAsianTimes.info

All eyes on Governor after hung

verdict in Karnataka
Bengaluru: All eyes were on
Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala
on Tuesday after hotly‑contested
e lections threw up a hung
Assembly, forcing the BJP and a
hurriedly stitched alliance of the
Congress and the JD‑S to stake
claim to form a government.
The BJP, which appeared confi‑
dent of returning to power in its
only southern bastion, emerged as
the single largest party but failed to
cross the half‑way mark in the 224‑
member Assembly where two con‑
stituencies didn't vote.
The Election Commission data
showed that the BJP could end up
with 105 seats ‑‑ seven short of sim‑
ple majority.
The Congress appeared to have
learnt from its mistakes in Manipur
and Goa where it, despite emerging
as the single largest party in both
states, reacted late and gave the BJP
enough time to cobble together an
alliance with smaller parties to form
governments there.
This time, the Congress, set to win
78 seats, sprung a surprise and
quickly announced its support to
the Janata Dal‑Secular which fin‑
ished third with 37 seats in a bid to
keep the BJP away from forming a
government.
Congress General Secretary
Ghulam Nabi Azad told the media in
the company of outgoing Chief
Minister Siddaramaiah that the JD‑S
and the Congress "will meet the
BJP workers celebrate in Bengaluru on May 15. (Photo: IANS)
Karnataka election results
Party Won
Bahujan Samaj Party 1 0
Bharatiya Janata Party 104
Indian National Congress 78
Janata Dal (Secular) 37
Karnataka Pragnyavantha
Janatha Party 1 0
Independent 1 0
Total 222
Governor and stake claim (to form a
government)".
Led by former Prime Minister
H.D. Deve Gowda, the JD‑S quickly
accepted the offer and wrote to the
Governor staking claim to power.
Both JD‑S leader and former Chief
Leading Total
1
0 104
0 78
0 37
1 Governor's court. According to
1 usual practice, the Governor calls
0 222
Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and
Siddaramaiah of Congress then met
the Governor and staked the claim
to form a government.
"I have accepted the support
extended by the Congress to form
the government," Kumaraswamy
NCP, Thackeray cousins doubt EVMs
Mumbai: BJP ally Shiv Sena and opposition Nationalist Congress Party
(NCP) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Tuesday raised
doubts regarding electronic voting machines (EVMs) after the
Karnataka Assembly election results were declared.
A vehement opponent of EVMs since long, MNS President Raj
Thackeray gave a terse reaction on the Karnataka verdict: "This is the
victory of EVMs.
"I congratulate all the winners in Karnataka, whether it is the
Bharatiya Janata Party or the Congress," said Shiv Sena President
Uddhav Thackeray. However, he said that since the mystery of the
EVMs was not yet resolved, it was necessary to remove all doubts by
going for ballot paper voting.
The NCP headed by Sharad Pawar wondered "how the BJP could get
so many votes in those constituencies where it was very weak in
Karnataka”. Attacking the BJP, Uddhav added that "its horses win in the
state elections but lose in all the bye‑elections."
said. However, it is for the Governor to
That happened after BJP leader take a call on who to invite first.
and its Chief Ministerial candidate The dramatic turn of events that
B.S. Yeddyurappa met and urged the saw BJP's jubilations swinging up
Governor to let him prove his and down throughout the day
majority support in the Karnataka spoiled its hopes to form its own
Assembly. He was accompanied by government in Karntaka ‑‑ its gate‑
Union Minister Ananth Kumar. way to the south.
T he ball now lies in the Mocking at the "desperation of a
defeated Congress" to support the
JD‑S to form a coalition government
the leader of the single largest party to keep the BJP out of power, BJP
or pre‑poll alliance to form the gov‑ spokesman Shantaram said his
ernment. party was open to an alliance with
In the case of a hung Assembly, the JD‑S or seek its support to form
the leader is asked to prove the the new government.
majority on the floor of the House Expectations of a BJP victory in
within a stipulated time. Karnataka lifted the key Indian
In Karnataka, the Congress and equity indices during the mid‑morn‑
JD‑S did not have a pre‑poll alliance. ing trade session.

Karnataka verdict makes Congress' task harder

By Prashant Sood
New Delhi: The results of
Karnataka assembly elections must
have came as a disappointment for
the Congress party and its ambi‑
tions for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls,
but it can take some solace from
the fact that it was able to deny the
Bhartiya Janata Party an outright
victory in the crucial southern
state.
The results are likely to boost
the present churning to forge an
anti‑BJP front for the next general
elections with opposition parties
expected to exert more pressure on
the Congress to go for state‑specif‑
ic alliances even in states where it
is the main force against the BJP.
The party's decision to support
Janata Dal‑Secular (JD‑S) in the
government formation in
Karnataka to prevent BJP from
coming to power has implications
for the party's preparations for the
2019 elections.
While it will be required to share
political space with JD‑S in
The results were also seen as
crucial to boost Congress President
Rahul Gandhi's image as an effec‑
tive campaigner against Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in view of
their likely run‑in in the 2019
polls. The election saw the
Congress put its heart and soul in
the campaign, with Gandhi cam‑
paigning in a large number of con‑
stituencies but the results showed
party's vulnerability to BJP's skills
at executing social coalitions,
micromanagement and giving
intensity to campaign.
Gandhi had spearheaded the
party's campaign in Karnataka
JD(S) leader H D Kumarswamy with outgoing Karnataka Chief with frontal attacks on Prime
Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru. (Photo: IANS) Minister Narendra Modi but it
apparently did not have the kind of
Karnataka when a coalition gov‑ momentum for the 2019 Lok impact the party was hoping for ‑‑
ernment is formed, there will be Sabha polls and for three assembly far from it.
demands from other parties for polls later this year. Gandhi repeatedly hammered
alliances in states such as Madhya It was also significant to raise the issues of jobs, atrocities against
Praesh, Rajasthan and morale of Congress workers as the Dalits and women and the multi‑
Chhattisgarh which will go to the party is in power now only in two crore banking frauds during his
polls later this year. other states ‑‑ Punjab and campaign. During the campaign,
The Karnataka elections were Mizoram, besides the union territo‑ he also expressed his willingness
crucial for the Congress to build ry of Puducherry. to become the prime minister if the
Congress or a coalition led by the
party wins next year's Lok Sabha
elections.
The Congress suffered a sharp
drop in its numbers in Karnataka
despite favourable factors such as
apparent lack of anti‑incumbency
and the party having a strong state
leader in Siddaramaiah whose gov‑
ernment was seen to have deliv‑
ered on pro‑poor schemes in the
last five years.
But it was successful in garner‑
ing more votes than the BJP, while
getting 26 less number of seats at
78. Also, had it fought jointly with
JD(S) in a pre‑poll alliance, the total
tally of the two parties, at over 54
per cent of votes, would have over‑
shot BJP's by a large number. This
shows a lack of planning or politi‑
cal vision.
It was cold comfort for the party
its vote share had risen compared
to 2013 elections when it had won
122 seats. The party had polled
36.79 per cent votes in 2013 and
38 per cent in the Tuesday's
results.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Rathore replaces Smriti Irani as I&B minister
New Delhi: In a reshuffle of port‑
folios effected by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, Smriti Irani was
moved out of the Information and
Broadcast ing Ministry and
Rajyavardhan Rathore, who had
been a Minister of State in the
Ministry since November 2014,
was given its independent charge.
Rathore is also Minister of State
(Independent Charge) of Youth
Affairs and Sports.
Similarly, Railway and Coal
Minister Piyush Goyal has been
given temporary charge of the
Finance and Corporate Af fairs
ministries unt il Arun Jaitley
recovers from his illness. Jaitley
had undergone kidney transplant
Tharoor charged with abetting wife's suicide
New Delhi: Delhi Police filed a
chargesheet in a court in Sunanda
Pushkar's suicide case, accusing
her husband and Congress leader
Shashi Tharoor with abetment to
suicide, a charge he dubbed "pre‑
posterous" and his party called
"baseless".
The chargesheet was filed in the
court of Metropolitan Magistrate
Dharmender Singh here. It men‑
tions that the body of Pushkar
bore "scuffle marks" when it was
found in a luxury hotel room in
Smriti Irani's tenure at the
Information and Broadcasting
Ministry had seen some
controversies.
surgery at AIIMS in Delhi.
Irani had earlier been shifted
out of the Human Resource
Deve lopment Ministry and
appointed Textiles Minister. She
was appointed Information and
Broadcasting Minister in July last
New Delhi on January 17, 2014.
"These (marks) seem to have
been caused due to scuf fle
between Sunanda Pushkar
Tharoor and her husband Shashi
Tharoor as per the statement of
their personal attendant Narain
Singh. However, this fact is being
examined further."
T haroor has been charged
under Sections 306 and 498A of
the Indian Penal Code that deal
with abetment to suicide and sub‑
jecting a woman to cruelty by her
INDIA May 19-25, 2018 13
year after Venkaiah Naidu
stepped down to contest the vice
presidential election.
Irani's tenure at the Information
and Broadcasting Ministry had
seen some controversies. The
ministry's move to form a com‑
mittee with representatives from
various ministries to draft regula‑
tions for digital media companies
had faced opposition from jour‑
nalists. The ministry also saw
tussle w ith Prasar Bharat i ‑‑
which runs Doordarshan and All
India Radio ‑‑ over its moves to
appoint an Indian Administrative Indian PM Narendra Modi's visit to Russia comes after Russian
Service officer to its board and fill President Vladimir Putin won a fourth term in office.
two key editorial posts with jour‑
nalists on high salaries.
Modi, Putin to hold
informal summit in Russia
husband or his relative respec‑
tively, which entail a jail term that New Delhi: Prime Minister tation, the government said.
may extend up to 10 years. Narendra Modi will visit Russia The sanctions against Russian
Delhi Police Chief Spokesperson on May 21 for an informal sum‑ oligarchs and companies, includ‑
Deependra Pathak said the mit with President Vladimir Putin ing Rosoboronexport, the state‑
chargesheet was filed in the case in the summer beach resort of owned Russian weapons trading
on the basis of medico‑legal and Sochi amid US sanctions against company, has raised concerns in
forensic evidence analyzed during Moscow that mig ht impact India about a possible impact on
investigation as well as the opin‑ Russian military supplies to India, India's military buys from
ion of experts reg arding part icularly an est imated Rs Moscow.
Pushkar's death, which was 40,000‑crore deal to buy the Rosoboronexport has long‑
invest ig ated by a Special sophisticated, long‑range S‑400 standing significant contracts and
Invest ig at ion Team of South air defense system. Modi will be business ties with India and other
District police. travelling to Russia at Putin's invi‑ countries.
 14 May 19-25, 2018
In the Trump‑Kim deal, China is the biggest winner
By Ian Bremmer
W
hat if Donald Trump and
Kim Jong‑un really do
make a deal? There is
plenty of reason for skepticism.
Why would Kim surrender the
nuclear weapons program he has
worked so hard to expand? Why
would the US withdraw its 28,500
troops? How can Kim build a sus‑
tainable North Korean economy
that relieves him of the need to
blackmail his way to financial
help? There are other unanswered
questions.
But itʼs possible that a meeting
between Trump and Kim will pro‑
duce an agreement that represents
a major step forward. Maybe it
begins with the release of three US
citizens detained in North Korea.
With a pledge to continue the dis‑
cussion of “denuclearization,” per‑
haps Kim will agree to a perma‑
nent suspension of tests of inter‑
cont inental ballist ic missiles,
removing the threat that North
Korea can launch a nuclear attack
on the US mainland. In exchange,
Trump might pledge to draw down
the total number of US soldiers on
the peninsula with numbers and
timing to be determined at a later
date.
North Korea would be an obvi‑
ous winner. Even without an active
Rise of regional leaders in Congress
By Amulya Ganguly
I
rrespective of the outcome of
the Karnataka elections and
notwithstanding Chief Minister
Siddaramaiah's desire to retire
after the polls, a feature of the con‑
test in the southern state is his
emergence as a major state‑level
leader.
As a result, the battle is being
perceived as being mainly between
Siddaramaiah and Narendra Modi
if only because the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) chief ministerial
candidate, B.S. Yeddyurappa, has
been almost completely overshad‑
owed by the Prime Minister's
intensive campaign since May 1.
In contrast, Siddaramaiah has
kept pace with Congress president
Rahul Gandhi's electioneering with
both public appearances and a reg‑
ular recourse to tweets which are
characterized by humor as well as
biting sarcasm. For the Congress,
this rise of a regional leader marks
a return to the immediate post‑
1947 period when the party had a
number of top‑ranking local lead‑
ers despite the presence of tower‑
ing personalities at the Centre like
Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul
nuclear program, the DPRK has
enough conventional military fire‑
power to keep its leverage in
future negot iat ions. Kim has
already improved his and his coun‑
tryʼs image with South Koreans,
particularly young people, who
feel less natural kinship than their
parents and grandparents with
their neighbors to the north. A deal
with Trump would intensify that
effect.
South Koreaʼs Moon Jae‑in would
be a clear winner for as long as the
deal holds. Moon knows that for‑
While the BJP's chief ministerial candidate, B.S. Yeddyurappa, has
been almost completely overshadowed by Modi's intensive
campaign since May 1, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has kept
pace with Congress president Rahul Gandhi's electioneering.
Kalam Azad and others.
The co‑existence of influential
leaders at both the Centre and in
the states gave way in Indira
Gandhi's time to a concentration of
power in Delhi with the regional
leaders reduced to being mere sup‑
plicants rather than representing
considerable authority.
The reason for the marginaliza‑
tion of the regional leaders was
largely ascribed to Indira Gandhi's
disinclination to allow any charis‑
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
OP-ED
North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un and US President Donald Trump.
mer South Korean president Kin
Dae‑jung won a Nobel Prize for his
work toward a Korean peace deal
in 2000. The Nobel committee is
unlike ly ever to of fer Donald
Trump any thing, and Moon,
despite his protestations that
Trump is more deserving, is an
obvious choice for a future prize.
South Korea itself will be a winner
for as long as a pre‑emptive US
attack on North Korea is no longer
up on the table.
Donald Trump is an obvious win‑
ner. Every step away from conflict
matic local Congressman to
acquire a sizable base in his home
province and become a rival centre
of power. The diminution of the
stature of local leaders was accom‑
panied by the increasing domi‑
nance of the party's first family,
which reached its highest point
during the Emergency when Indira
was deemed synonymous with
India by the Congress president,
D.K. Barooah.
Arguably, this pattern of politics
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
with North Korea allows him to
argue that his hig h‑pressure
approach is a winner and that heʼs
better able to bring lasting peace
than Barack Obama proved to be.
Securing the release of Americans
held in the DPRK is a win by itself.
Thatʼs why China is the biggest
winner of all. The Chinese leader‑
ship has long feared that a North
Korea‑related security emergency
could spill across the border into
northeast China. A peace deal
would reduce that threat. And as
US influence recedes with a partial
with only one focal point has
begun to change in the Congress.
The first sign of this transforma‑
tion was in Punjab last year where
Amrinder Singh emerged as the
No.1 figure both before and after
the party's electoral success. That
he did so despite having once
made disparaging remarks about
Rahul Gandhi showed how the
"high command" had matured
since Indira Gandhi's time or had
come to terms with its own dimin‑
ishing status.
Now, the battle in Karnataka has
given an opportunity to
Siddaramaiah to acquire a stature
similar to Amrinder Singh's.
It will be futile to deny that the
increasing visibility of the state‑
level leaders is related to the dim‑
ming of the dynasty's aura.
Just as the Congress is trying to
change the perception of being a
"Muslim party", to use Sonia
Gandhi's words, it is also becoming
accustomed to the idea of giving a
free hand to the local satraps. The
leeway given to Amrinder Singh
was the first step and now it is
Siddaramaiah's turn to operate as
he pleases.
It goes without saying that this
drawdown of US troops, China will
gain another step toward becom‑
ing East Asiaʼs dominant diplomat‑
ic and economic player.
The biggest loser from a Trump‑
Kim deal would be Japan, which
remains within range of North
Korean weapons that donʼt need to
be tested. A lighter US presence in
the region, further expansion of
Chinese influence, and a burst of
national pride in Korea all create
trouble for Tokyo.
(Hindustan Times)
new approach will do a world of
good to the party. Fortunately, it
has in Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya
Scindia young, personable and
energetic leaders in Rajasthan and
Madhya Pradesh who are capable
of delivering the goods in the
assembly elections later this year.
It is the Congress's misfortune
that several prominent state lead‑
ers like Y.S. Rajshekara Reddy,
Madhavrao Scindia and Rajesh
Pilot died early. Otherwise, the
process of a more even distribu‑
tion of power between the Centre
and the states might have begun‑
earlier. At the moment, the party is
trying to evolve a balance between
the younger generation and the
elderly leaders if only to make the
handing over of the baton a
smooth affair.
There is little doubt, however,
that the generational shift evident
in Rahul Gandhi's ascent to the
Congress president's post is paving
the way for the younger leaders to
gain more prominence. But it
remains to be seen whether their
rise will put an end to the unequal
relations as in Indira Gandhi's time
between the high command and
the state units.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info FASHION May 19-25, 2018 15

From Met Gala in New York to Cannes

INDIAN DIVAS SCORCH

THE RED CARPET
PRIYANKA CHOPRA DEEPIKAPADUKONE KANGANA RANAUT

B
asking in the super success of
her Padmaavat, Deepika
Padukone showed her first red
carpet look from Festival de Cannes this
year as an L'Oreal Paris brand ambassa‑
dor and she looked no less than an
angel, and an epitome of elegance, in a
white caped gown.
She opted for a sheer lace creation by
designer Zuhair Murad with nude lip
and smoky eyes done by L'Oreal giving
the finishing touch to her entire getup.
Giving a glimpse of her look to her fans
on Instagram on May 10, Deepika post‑
ed a picture of herself and wrote: "Ready
to rock and roll."
Apart from Deepika, Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan, who will be completing 17
years at the red carpet, will also be there
at Cannes on May 12‑13.
Even the just married Sonam Kapoor
will be completing 8 years at Cannes
and will attend the festival on May 14
and May 15.

Q Q
uantico and Baywatch star ueenʼ star Kangana Ranaut made
Priyanka Chopra dazzled on the her debut at Cannes and chose to
red carpet of the 72nd annual go retro, but in style, in a shim‑
Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume mery black Sabyasachi six yards.
Institute benefit, better known as the Met The sari is the designerʼs take on
Gala, in New York City on May 7. “Aakash‑tara or starry skies”. The hand‑cut
The outfit worn by the actress ‑‑ an sequins on the hand‑dyed sari has been
ornate hoodie with a burgundy off‑shoul‑ sewn in individually, using the zardozi
der gown designed by Ralph Lauren‑‑ was technique in order to create a “metallic, yet
appreciated for staying true to the theme fluid fabric”. Attending the festival on
of this yearʼs gala, which was ʻHeavenly French Riviera in association with liquor
Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic brand Grey Goose, the Bollywood heroine
Imagination.ʼ known for offbeat roles chose to keep it
PeeCeeʼs headgear ̶ crafted with pre‑ classy yet basic in the black sari that she
cious jewels like rubies and sapphires ̶ paired with a basic sleeveless black blouse.
stood out in particular. One report said the Her make‑up artist and hair stylist added
Bollywood‑Hollywood star wanted her look an element of drama to Kanganaʼs look
to have an Indian element, so, she got the with the winged eye make‑up, matte lips
hoodie made by craftsmen back home in and a retro faux bob hair‑style. She chose
India. to accessorize with a ʻbatuaʼ and a ʻteen‑
After being away from Bollywood for cou‑ maniyaʼ necklace crafted out of rose‑cut
ple years, Priyanka Chopra has recently diamonds, Colombian emeralds and basra
signed ʻBharatʼ with Salman Khan. pearls. (Photos: IANS)
 16 May 19-25, 2018 ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Nandita Das joins Jane Neha Dhupia marries

Fonda in Cannes protest 'best friend' Angad Bedi
D
ozens of women

film stars have
held a protest at
the Cannes film festival
against gender‑based dis‑
crimination in the indus‑
try.
Cate Blanchett, Kristen
Stewart and Jane Fonda
were among those taking
part in the red‑carpet
demonstration, BBC
reported. They were joined
by Indian filmmaker
Nandita Das and actress
Rasika Dugal. The prestigious Actress and filmmaker Nandita
festival has come under criti‑
cism for failing to showcase
more films by women directors.
The protest comes after a period of tur‑
moil in the industry following allegations of
sexual harassment.
This is the first Cannes festival since alle‑
gations of sexual abuse were first made
against producer Harvey Weinstein last
year. He has always denied engaging in
non‑consensual sex.
The actresses and filmmakers linked arms
to stroll along the red carpet. Cate Blanchett
spoke of the film industry's gender inequali‑
ties. "We are 82 women, representing the
number of female directors who have
climbed these stairs since the first edition of
A
ctress and
former
beauty
queen Neha
Dhupia surprised
her fans and
friends from the
industry with the
news of her hush‑
hush wedding
with actor and
"best friend"
Angad Bedi, son of
ex Indian cricketer
Das is in Cannes
Bishan Singh Bedi.
ʼ.
to showcase her film ʻManto She has called it
the "best decision"
the Cannes film festival in 1946. In the of her life. The
same period, 1,688 male directors have newly wed couple
climbed these very same stairs," the two‑ got married in an Actors Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi wanted a very hush‑hush wedding.
time Oscar winner said. Anand Karaj cere‑
"The prestigious Palme d'Or has been mony attended by close family and friends in For the ceremony, Neha looked resplendent
bestowed upon 71 male directors, too a Gurudwara in south Delhi. They made the in a blush pink ensemble by designer Anita
numerous to mention by name, but only two announcement via social media. Dongre. The groom wore a cream sherwani
female directors," Blanchett remarked. "Best decision of my life... Today, I married with a 'saafa' matching Neha's ensemble, and
The sight of 82 women walking slowly, my best friend. Hello there, husband! Angad he carried magenta accents for a dash of
silently and purposefully up the red‑carpet‑ Bedi," Neha posted on her official Instagram color.
ed stars of Cannes' Grand Theatre Lumiere page along with a photograph from their wed‑ The wedding was attended by Ajay Jadeja,
brought home the shocking under‑represen‑ ding proceedings. Ashish Nehra and Gaurav Kapoor.
tation of female film‑makers at an event Angad, known for his performance in A source close to the couple said that Neha
meant to celebrate the totality of world "Pink", also posted: "Best friend...now wife! and Angad wanted a very intimate ceremony,
cinema. Well, Hello there Mrs Bedi! Neha Dhupia." and so there was not much buzz about it.

Ryan Reynolds, 'fan' Ranveer 'Raazi': Alia Bhatt thrills

bond over Hindi cuss words
P D
opular Hollywood actor Hindi.
Ryan Reynolds bonded with His comment came in response to
Bollywood star Ranveer a statement by Ranveer, who will
Singh over a discussion about Hindi lend his voice to the Hindi version
cuss words. of Reynolds' Hollywood film
Reynolds "Deadpool 2".
quipped it Ranveer had tweeted that he
would be an never realized how fulfilling and
"internation‑ rewarding foul Hindi language can
al incident" be. He tagged Reynolds on this
if he tried to comment.
curse in "Astonishing how effectively I've
managed to out‑crass my Canadian
counterpart Ryan Reynolds. Never
realized how fulfilling and reward‑
ing foul Hindi language can be!
'Deadpool 2'," Ranveer wrote.
Reynolds, who is popular for his
witty tweets and replies on social
media, replied: "Well if I tried to
curse in Hindi, pretty sure there
would be an international inci‑
dent."
Ranveer then told Reynolds he
has been a fan of his work.
Deadpool" tells the story of
an adult superhero with a
twisted sense of humor.
"Deadpool 2", brought to
India by Fox Star India, will
open on May 18.
ʻDeadpool 2ʼ starring Actor
Ryan Reynolds will open in
India on May 18.
with her performance
irector Meghna Gulzar's
"Raazi" based on
Harinder S. Sikka's novel,
"Calling Sehmat" is not a conven‑
tional espionage thriller, but it
does depend upon surprises,
thrilling moments and unexpect‑
ed revelations.
Set in the early 1970s just
before the India‑Pakistan war
and inspired from real events,
"Raazi" is the tale of a Kashmiri
girl, Sehmat Khan (Alia Bhatt)
whose life changes after she gets
to know her dying father's last
wish.
So from an ordinary, college‑
going girl she is trained by an
Indian intelligence agent Khalid
Alia Bhatt and Jaideep Ahlawat in a still from ʻRaaziʼ.
Mir (Jaideep Ahlawat) to become
a deadly spy. She is then married and mature act. mother are all effective and
off to Iqbal Syed (Vicky Kaushal), Vicky Kaushal as Iqbal Syed effortless.
the son of the well‑connected has little to do on screen. But, The only odd one out was Arif
Pakistani Brigadier Parvez Syed within the given screen‑time he Zakaria, portraying Abdul, the
(Shishir Sharma) and her mission shines brilliantly, especially at family help of the Syeds. With his
is to regularly pass information the end when he realizes that his standoffish get‑up and mysteri‑
to the Indian intelligence. marriage was just a farce and he ous demeanor, he stood out like
With perfect infusion of senti‑ earnestly asks Sehmat, if the a sore thumb and seemed
ments in a gripping plot, the moments which they spent clichéd.
story touches one's heart espe‑ together were for real? Overall, Raazi offers a subtle
cially because of Alia Bhatt's Among the supporting cast; dose of patriotism that makes
power‑packed performance. In Rajit Kapur as Sehmat's father you root for the film as it brings
an author‑backed role, she is nat‑ Hidayat Khan, Shishir Sharma as to life the story of the unsung
ural and undoubtedly captures Iqbal's father Brigadier Parvez heroine of the India‑Pakistan
your heart with her restrained Syed, Soni Razdaan as Sehmat's war.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD May 19-25, 2018 17

Zaira Wasim opens up about Priyanka Chopra’s ‘Quantico’

battle with depression axed after 3 seasons
A
ctress Zaira

B
Wasim, 17, who ollywood star Priyanka Chopra's Italy. The Indian actress got global acclaim
courted fame with "Quantico" will not be getting a after the show and also won two People's
"Dangal" and "Secret fourth season. The network ABC has Choice Awards for her role.
Superstar", says she has opted to cancel the terrorism drama. Its Now, Indian‑American actor Kal Penn has
been suffering from season 3 finale will now serve as the series expressed his desire to work with her. He
depression for over four ender, reports deadline.com. tweeted to her: "Hey Priyanka Chopra, let's
years, but was pushed into "Quantico," from ABC Studios and produc‑ do a movie."
a "bubble of denial" er Mark Gordon, was a breakout when it Chopra responded: "Done and done Kal
The National Award win‑ debuted in 2015, setting delayed Penn."
ner opened up about her viewing lift records. But
Bollywood star
struggle via a lengthy post with its dense narra‑
Priyanka Chopra
shared on Instagram. tive and heavy
"I'm writing this to (final‑ serialization, the
ly) admit and confess that I, series started to
for a very long time have lose momentum in
been suffering from the second half of its
depression," Zaira wrote. first season and con‑
She said she has been tinued to see declines
"embarrassed and scared" through season 2 and
red her struggle into season 3.
Actress Zaira Wasim sha
to admit it not only because
of the stigma that goes via an instag ram post. Created by Joshua
around with the word Safran, the show
depression, but most impor‑ nervous breakdowns, suicidal thoughts, starred Chopra as
tantly because of always being told that were all parts of this phase," said Zaira, who Alex Parrish – an FBI
'You're too young to be depressed' or 'It's made her debut with Aamir Khan's 2016 recruit who joins the
just a phase'". drama "Dangal". agency after gradu‑
The young and talented girl from Srinagar Zaira said she knew something wasn't ating from the FBI
said she has sometimes popped five anti‑ right for her, however, people and doctors Academy and
depressants everyday, faced anxiety attacks, around her told her, "It's nothing, you're too becomes a prime sus‑
was rushed to the hospital in the middle of young to be depressed". pect of a terrorist attack
the night, felt empty, restless, anxious and Her first panic attack was at the age of 12, on Grand Central Terminal
hallucinated, apart from having sore limbs and another one at 14. in New York.
from sleeping too much or not being able to "Now all I remember is losing count of the Season three saw Alex going
sleep for weeks. number of panic attacks, losing count of the back to navigating the dangerous
"From overeating to starving myself, unex‑ number of medicines I've had and I'm still waters of the CIA
plained fatigue, body ache, self loathing, having..." that she left behind when she retired to

I ALWAYS PICTURED THREE CHILDREN Big B didn't understand

IN MY HEAD: SUNNY LEONE 'Avengers: Infinity War'
A M
ctress Sunny against children, especially egastar
Leone took every‑ girls, are increasing? Amitabh
one by surprise "I don't think they have Bachchan
when she announced that increased. I believe that the says he went to
she and husband Daniel news is highlighting what has watch the latest
Weber had adopted girl been happening for a long Marvel Studios'
child Nisha in 2017. time already," she said. movie "Avengers:
Another surprise unfold‑ She just hopes "swift and Infinity War", which
ed in March 2018, when harsh punishments follow he failed to under‑
she shared that they had these acts by the perpetra‑ stand.
extended their family by tors". Her little ones keep her The 75‑year‑old
including two more chil‑ on her toes but work hasn't cine icon tweeted:
dren ‑‑ sons Noah and taken a backseat. She is excit‑ "Okay brother, don't
Asher ‑‑ via surrogacy. ed about ZEE5's show feel bad. Went to
But the actress says she "Karenjit Kaur ‑ The Untold watch a film called
always wanted to have Story Of Sunny Leone". 'Avengers', but didn't
three children. "Initially, my answer (to make understand what was
"I always pictured a show on her life) was that I happening in the
three children in my wasn't sure. But once I started movie."
head but as time went by hearing about what the direc‑ Directed by Anthony
and no children... I would tor and the production house and Joe Russo,
have been happy with wanted, I started having an "Avengers: Infinity War"
an.
one but God had differ‑ interest in it," said the Indo‑ is the 19th film in the Superstar Amitabh Bachch
ent plans and made my Canadian talent. The former Marvel Cinematic Universe.
dreams come true of a big adult film actress shot to fame The superhero film revolves Josh Brolin, Chris Hemsworth, Chris
family," Sunny said in an
Actress Sunny Leone and husband Daniel in India when she entered the around Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett
Weber have a daughter and two sons. Spider‑Man, Dr. Strange and the Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris
email interview. Bigg Boss house as a contest‑
She is new to mother‑ kids. I'm so happy about being a ant. After the controversial rest of the Avengers who unite to Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista,
hood and is absolutely enjoying it. mother," she said. reality show "Bigg Boss", she made battle their most powerful enemy Don Cheadle, Sebastian Stan,
"I am the same person but now I But what's it like to be a mother her Bollywood debut with "Jism 2" Thanos. Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland,
have more love to spread to my in the 21st century when crimes in 2012. It has an ensemble cast compris‑ Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom
ing actors like Robert Downey Jr., Hiddleston.
 18 May 19-25, 2018 FESTIVAL TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Ambassador Sarna said that Guru Gobind Singh

created an inspirational moment at the birth of
Khalsa on Vaisakhi day – he created a brotherhood
of inspired belief, a brotherhood that was freed of
Bhangra to the beats of dhol makes it a very energetic show. caste and creed, of superior and inferior.

Bhangra beat amid sunshine at the Vaisakhi celebration in DC

By Surekha Vijh
Washington DC: The festival of
Vaisakhi was celebrated with great
thumping music and great food at
the Indian Ambassadorʼs official
residence in north west of the
American capital here on May 12.
The whole neighborhood rever‑
berated with the exhilarating sound
of the dholak and bhangra beat
along with stimulating smell of
Sarson ka Saag, Makki ki Roti and
jalebi. Mother nature too played its
part with a bright sun shining
above in lush green and spacious
surroundings.
Although Vaisakhi falls on April
13, the date picked seemed just
right with the seasonʼs welcome
sunshine and glow.
More than 250 traditionally
dressed Indian‑American men and
women among them many Sikhs
participated in the celebration.
The two and half hour program
started with a traditional shabd kir‑
tan presented by Jaswinder Singh
of Sikh Foundation of Virginia.
Shabd written by Guru Gobind
Singh included Aath Paher and
Mitra Pyare Nun. It was appropri‑
ate to choose Guru Gobind Singhʼs
shabd as he founded the Khalsa
panth on a Vaisakhi day.
Ambassador Navtej Sarna, wel‑
coming the guests, said Vaisakhi is
a very special occasion for all
Indians. At one level it is a cultural
festival, a harvest festival, but it was
not limited to Punjab or to the Sikh
community. “It is celebrated in dif‑
ferent ways all over the country and
often known by other, different
names,” he added.
“But, as far as Punjab is con‑
cerned,” he said, “Vaisakhi is a very
significant day, since it marks the
birth of the Khalsa, it was the most
inspirational moment created by
Guru Gobind Singh, in which he
actually broke many taboos and
shattered many restraints that were
there among the populace of India
at that time.”
The moment created a brother‑
hood of inspired belief, a brother‑
hood that was freed of caste and
creed. A brotherhood that was freed
of superior and inferior, because
not only did he initiate the first five
Sikhs on that day but he also asked
them to initiate him in return, Sarna
added.
Virginia School of Bhangra pre‑
sented the energetic Punjabi folk
dance.
Guests joyfully mingled around
even as many non‑Sikhs wore tur‑
bans in solidarity with their Sikh
brethren.
For many Indians, the festival is
their traditional solar New Year.
The first day of Vaisakh or Baisakh
as per the Indian calendar marks
the solar New Year, also known as
Maha Sankranti, an auspicious
occasion to bathe in sacred rivers
such as Ganges, Jhelum or Kaveri
and visit temples. It is also the New
Year's Day for Hindus in Tamil
Nadu, Kerala, Odisha, West Bengal,
Assam, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Uttar
Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh,
Haryana and Punjab.
In Sri Lanka, Vesak is considered
as both a religious and cultural fes‑
tival. It is celebrated on the day of
the full moon in May. This festival
marks the birth, enlightenment and
passing away into Nirvana of Lord
Buddha. The weeklong celebration
gives the visitor a unique opportu‑
nity to discover Sri Lanka's reli‑
gious and cultural traditions.

Vignettes from
Vaisakhi celebration
in New York
The audience overflowed at the
Indian Consulate celebration co-hosted
by The Indian Panorama on May 11.
The Soormay group gave
an energetic Bhangra
performance at the event.

Prachi and Surya Makkar recited

the Sikh mool mantra and sang
the shabad “Deh Shiva bar mohe
ihe”, which had a spellbinding
effect on the audience.

Children from the Gurdwara Baba

Makhan Shah Lobana in Richmond
Hill, along with their elderly coach,
gave an electrifying display of the Sikh
traditional martial art called Gatka.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Physicist ECG Sudarshan,
who missed Noble Prize
9 times, dies at 86
New Delhi: A brilliant physicist and a scintil‑
lating man is how N. Mukunda, 79, a retired
professor from Indian Institute of Sciences
(IISc), remembers his former teacher and
long‑time collaborator, Ennackal Chandy
George Sudarshan. The acclaimed Indian
theoretical physicist died on Monday, aged
86. Sudarshan was Indiaʼs best known theo‑
retical physicist, who was professor emeritus
at University of Texas at Austin in the United
States at the time of his death.
“He was a scintillating person filled with
ideas,” Mukunda says of his former doctoral
advisor. Urjit Yajnik, a professor of physics at
IIT Bombay, who was supervised by
Sudarshan in the 1980s, remembers him as
a father‑figure who was “dif ficult to work
with because he was a man of strong opin‑
ions”.
The best time to catch up with Sudarshan,
according to Yajnik, was on his home turf in
Texas. He remembers driving up to his
supervisorʼs house to find him in his com‑
fortable veshti (dhoti), listening to Carnatic
music, busy gardening. “These were free‑for‑
all sessions,” Yajnik recalls, “we could tell
him anything, disagree with him on any‑
thing.”
What charmed both students was not just
Sudarshanʼs brilliance as a physicist but his
wit, a combination that made him “unusual”.
Despite the controversy about not receiving
a Nobel for his substantial contributions to
his field overshadowing his later years, the
renowned physicist never lost his good
humor. He was on record for having been
TRIBUTE
recommended for the Phyiscs Nobel 9 times.
Sudarshan was born in Kottayam, Kerala in
1931. He studied at CMS College in his
hometown before attending the University of
Madras and later the Tata Institute of
Fundamental Research. He later studied and
taught at the University of Rochester and
then at the University of Texas at Austin,
where he taught for over 40 years.
Yajnik remembers a man who was caught
between India and the US.
Though Sudarshan left India to pursue his
own doctoral studies at the University of
Rochester under Robert Eugene Marshak in
1955, he never lost touch with India, visiting
a few t imes every year, according to
Mukunda. Sudarshan set up the Centre for
Theoretical Studies at the IISc in Bangalore
in 1972. Initially a place of multidisciplinary
studies, it soon gave rise to three specialized
centers: Centre High Energy Physics, the
Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic
Sciences and the Centre for Ecological
Sciences.
The weak interaction in elementary parti‑
cles based on research that Sudarshan did in
1957 is one of his two contributions that
Mukunda believes are most important.
“Sudarshan and Robert Marshak made cru‑
cial step in this long story lasting from 1934
to 1967‑68, when a final understanding on
the question emerged,” Mukunda said. In
1979, three scientists who brought the line
of development to its conclusion were
awarded the Nobel: Sheldon Lee Glashow,
Abdus Salam and Steven Weinberg.
India’s best known
theoretical
physicist, ECG
Sudarshan
challenged Albert
Einstein’s theory
that nothing with
mass can travel
faster than light.
Indian American Prof. EC George Sudarshan was born in Kerala,
and taught in University of Texas in Austin for 40 years.
“Everybody knew of their contribution,
nobody denies it,” Mukunda said of the sci‑
entific community. But wider renown and
prestige that comes with the Nobel eluded
Sudarshan his entire life.
His later work in quantum optics done
around 1963 was another notable contribu‑
tion seminal in many ways, Mukunda said. It
became the basis for the Glauber–Sudarshan
P representation. However, only Roy J.
Glauber was awarded the Nobel in 2005 “for
his contribution to the quantum theory of
optical coherence.”
In 2007, speaking to the Hindustan Times,
Sudarshan said: “The 2005 Nobel Prize for
Physics was awarded for my work, but I was‑
nʼt the one to get it. Each one of the discover‑
ies that this Nobel was given for work based
on my research.”
Sudarshan was deeply disappointed at
being passed over. “He believed he was not
judged and treated fairly,” Mukunda said.
But he was also a man who “was never at a
loss for words.”
He was honored with several other presti‑
gious awards such as Majorana Prize, TWAS
Prize, Bose Award (1977) and CV Raman
Award (1970).
In 2010, he was awarded the Dirac Medal
in 2010, which is known to be given to sci‑
entists who have made substantial contribu‑
tions in theoretical physics, computational
chemistry and mathematics.
The Indian government honored him with
Padma Vibhushan in 2007, the second high‑
est civilian award.
The disappointment over the Nobel, how‑
ever, didnʼt dim the eminent physicistʼs
sense of humor.
May 19-25, 2018 19
MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS
1) Quantum theory for tachyons: Particles
that could possibly move faster than light,
which challenged Einsteinʼs assertion that
nothing with mass can travel faster than
the speed of light. The theory was never
fully developed.
2) V‑A theory of the weak force: A theory
about weak interaction between subatomic
particles. This weak nuclear force funda‑
mentally preferred one handedness over
the other.
3) Glauber–Sudarshan P representation: A
quantum mechanical description of pho‑
tons to explain the quantum properties of
light.
At a social dinner in Bangalore with many
non‑scientist celebrities, Sudarshan recount‑
ed to Mukunda with amusement how he was
mistaken for an actual Nobel prize winner.
Someone across the table pointed to him and
asked a neighbor: “Who is that bearded per‑
son there?” The reply: “Donʼt you know? He
is the world famous physicist Chandrasekhar
from the University of Chicago who won the
Nobel Prize for his work on liquid crystals!”
Despite overhearing the conversation,
Sudarshan did not correct the mistake.
PTI adds from Houston: The cremation of EC
George Sudarshan will be held on Thursday.
According to family sources and close
friends, Sudarshan died of natural causes. He
is survived by his wife Bhamathi Sudarshan
and two children. He served as Honorary
Advisory Council Member of Houston Sri
Meenakshi Temple, with which he was asso‑
ciated since 1977.
Source: Hindustan Times
 20 May 19-25, 2018 SUBCONTINENT TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Pakistan prevents US
diplomat from leaving Militants from Pakistan
after fatal crash
attacked Mumbai: Sharif
Islamabad: Militants from
Pakistan did sneak into India to Remarks
attack Mumbai in 2008 and
massacre 166 Indians and for‑ misinterpreted:
eigners, former Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif has said. Sharif
"Militant organizations are Former Pakistan prime minis‑
active (in Pakistan)," Sharif told ter Nawaz Sharif has claimed
The incident has increased political
tension between the US and Pakistan. the Dawn newspaper in an his remarks on 26/11
interview. Mumbai attack were “grossly
Islamabad: Pakistan has prevented a US
"Call them non‑state actors, misinterpreted” by the media.
diplomat from leaving the country after he
should we allow them to cross A spokesman for Sharif said
allegedly killed a motorcyclist by driving
the border and kill 150 people in a statement: “At the outset,
through a red light last month.
in Mumbai? Explain it to me," statement of Nawaz Sharif
Media reports said that a plane was sent
he asked, in a clear reference to has been grossly misinter‑
by the US to collect Col. Joseph Emanuel Former PM Nawaz Sharif says Pakistan has isolated itself.
the Mumbai killings blamed on preted by the Indian media.
Hall, a military attaché, but was denied clear‑
10 Pakistani terrorists. One of ceptable. This is exactly what or three parallel governments. Unfortunately, a section of
ance, BBC reported.
them was caught and hanged. we are struggling for. President This has to stop. There can only Pakistani electronic and
US officials have previously said he cannot
"Why can't we complete the ( Vladimir) Putin has said it. be one government: the consti‑ social media has intentionally
be arrested or tried because he has diplo‑
trial?" Sharif asked, referring to President Xi (Jinping) has said tutional one." or unintentionally not only
matic immunity. The incident has increased
the masterminds of the Mumbai it," Sharif said. "We have isolated ourselves. validated but has lent cre‑
political tension between the countries.
massacre that almost brought Sharif, who was deposed fol‑ Despite giving sacrifices, our dence to the malicious propa‑
Ateeq Baig, 22, was killed in the crash in
India and Pakistan to war. The lowing corruption charges, said narrative is not being accepted. ganda of Indian media with‑
Daman‑e‑Koh, north of Islamabad, on April
Pakistan‑based Lashkar‑e‑Taiba ahead of a public rally in Afghanistan's narrative is being out going through the full
7. CCTV footage showed a white four‑wheel‑
was blamed for the Mumbai Multan in Punjab: "You can't accepted, but ours is not. We facts of the statement”.
er ‑‑ said to be driven by Col. Hall ‑‑ ignoring
bloodbath. "It's absolutely unac‑ run a country if you have two must look into it."
the red traffic light at an intersection, crash‑
ing with a bike at speed and then braking.
The US embassy has denied reports in
Pakistan's media that Col Hall was drunk
while driving. The dead man's father has
called for the colonel to stand trial at
India, Nepal agree to boost
Islamabad High Court (IHC). The IHC had
ruled Col. Hall does not have absolute immu‑
nity. He had already been put on a travel
trade, connectivity
"black list", which meant airports had been Kathmandu: In what can be seen as a
told not allow him to leave. Neither the US or series of steps to mend their ties, India
Pakistan has officially commented on the and Nepal agreed to boost trade and eco‑
news. Relations between Washington and nomic links, connectivity via air, land and
Islamabad have been in the spotlight since water, people‑to‑people ties, with Indian
US President Donald Trump's New Year's Prime Minister Narendra Modi declaring
Day tweet, where he accused Pakistan of that his country will work like a sherpa in
"lies and deceit". the Himalayan nation's development
endeavors.

Indian Army chief A joint statement, issued a day after

Indian Prime Modi and his Nepali counter‑

on four‑day Sri part K.P. Sharma Oli held extensive bilat‑

eral discussions here, said the two leaders
Lanka visit agreed to maintain the momentum gener‑
ated by Oli's visit to India in April, his first
New Delhi: Indian Army chief General Bipin foreign visit after assuming of fice in
Rawat will visit Sri Lanka for four days February, by taking effective measures for
from May 14 as part the implementation of all the agreements
of efforts to strength‑ and understandings reached in the past.
en military coopera‑ "They also agreed that ef fective imple‑
tion between the two mentation of the bilateral initiatives in
country, the Defense agriculture, railway linkages and inland
Ministry said. The waterways development, as agreed upon
Army chief is sched‑ by the two sides during the recent visit of
uled to meet the polit‑ Prime Minister Oli to India, would have
ical and military brass Indian Army Indian PM Narendra Modi with Nepalese counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli.
transformational impact in these areas," it
of Sri Lanka during chief General
Bipin Rawat. stated. the importance of trade and economic ties The joint statement assumes signifi‑
the visit, his first as "While reviewing the close and multifac‑ between India and Nepal," it said. cance given that there was a chill in India‑
Chief of Army Staff. "The visit assumes sig‑ eted relations between the two countries Both leaders also "underlined the cat‑ Nepal ties during Oli's earlier stint as
nificance in the light of India's persistent at dif ferent leve ls, the two Prime alytic role of connectivity in stimulating Prime Minister between October 2015
efforts to strengthen the existing bonds of Ministers reiterated their resolve to work economic growth and promoting move‑ and August 2016 when a border blockade
friendship and military cooperation based together to take bilateral relations to ment of people". blamed on New Delhi crippled Nepal's
on mutual interests and understanding," a newer heights by strengthening ongoing "Recognizing the vibrant people to peo‑ economy.
Ministry statement said. The Indian Army cooperation in diverse spheres as well as ple contacts and friendly bilateral ties, the Hig hlig ht ing the deep rooted t ies
has been catering not only for training expanding partnership for socio‑economic two Prime Ministers directed the respec‑ between India and Nepal, Modi said that
requirements of its Sri Lankan counter‑ development on the basis of the principles tive officials to expand cooperation in civil the Himalayan nation was a top priority
parts, including imparting specific tailor‑ of equality, mutual trust, respect and aviation sector, including early technical for India's Neighborhood First Policy. He
made training in different fields, but also mutual benefit." discussion on additional air entry routes also complimented Nepal for its commit‑
providing military hardware, it said. "The two Prime Ministers underscored to Nepal by respective technical teams." ment towards democracy and success.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INTERNATIONAL May 19-25, 2018 21

Meeting Kim in Singapore on June 12: Trump

Washington: US President Donald
Trump said he will meet North
Korean leader Kim Jong‑un in
Singapore next month.
"The highly anticipated meeting
between Kim Jong Un and myself
will take place in Singapore on
June 12. We will both try to make
it a very special moment for
World Peace," he tweeted.
Earlier, Trump welcomed three
American detainees who were
freed recently while Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo was on a visit
to Pyongyang.
Trump, who was accompanied
by wife Melania, told reporters it
was "nice" of the North Korean
leader to release the men ahead of
their planned summit.
T he W hite House chose
Singapore, a small and prosperous
island state with 5.6 million peo‑
ple in Southeast Asia, as the sum‑
mit venue due to "security" proto‑
US President Donald Trump is set to share a historic moment cols and Singapore's experience in
with North Korea's Kim Jong‑un. organizing summits, an US official
N Korea announces
dismantling of nuclear test site
Pyongyang: North Korea announced that it will hold a ceremony
for the dismantling of its nuclear test site on May 23‑25, taking a
step forward towards the denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula.
"In accordance with the decision of the Third Plenary Meeting
of the Seventh Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea
(WPK), the Nuclear Weapon Institute and other concerned insti‑
tutions are taking technical measures to dismantle the northern
nuclear test ground of North Korea in order to ensure trans‑
parency of discontinuance of the nuclear test," Xinhua cited
Korean Central News Agency quoting the Foreign Ministry as
saying. "A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test ground is
now scheduled between May 23 and May 25, depending on
weather condition," the statement said.
told Efe. only one day, and can still be
Singapore was selected also called of f if Kim does anything
because it maintains diplomatic unacceptable to the US, Victoria
relations with both Washington Coates, the director of internation‑
and Pyongyang and is therefore al negot iat ions at the W hite
considered a neutral ground. House National Security Council,
The meeting is expected to last warned.

Iraqis vote in first election since IS defeat Israeli PM calls on

Baghdad: Millions of Iraqis across the
country headed to vote for their rep‑
world to follow US
resentatives in Parliament, for the
first time after the full territorial move on Jerusalem
defeat of Islamic State (IS) terror
group in Iraq. The polls kicked off at
7 a.m. and continued till 6 p.m. Iraqi Israeli PM
Vice President Nuri al‑Maliki was the Benjamin
first top of ficial to vote at a polling Netanyahu said
center in the heavily fortified Green he is grateful
to the US.
Zone in central Baghdad.
About 7,000 candidates, represent‑
ing 205 political entities, are compet‑
ing for the 329 parliamentary seats to
form a new government for the next
four years, Xinhua news agency
reported.
"This is an important day in Iraq's
An Iraqi woman votes at a polling station in Tehran.
history and in the history of the politi‑
cal process which was built on the the people to choose the proper per‑ More than 24 million Iraqis are eli‑
freedom of vot ing," Maliki told son, whoever they believe, to be their gible to vote in 8,959 polling centers
reporters after casting his ballot. representative in the coming Council across Iraq in the first general elec‑
"Election is the only way to give of Representatives (Parliament)," he tions since Iraq's military victory over
democracy a success and I call on all added. the IS militants in December 2017.
Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Former Malay PM barred from leaving country

Kuala Lumpur: Former Malaysian
Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was
defeated in the general elections,
resigned as head of his United
Malays National Organisation and
the Barisan Nasional coalition after
his successor Mahathir Mohamad
barred him from leaving the country
over a massive embezzlement case
and diversion of state funds.
"I am stepping down as President
of UMNO and chairman of BN coali‑
tion with immediate ef fect," Najib
told a press conference in Kuala
Lumpur. He said the resignation was
to take up the responsibility for the
defeat in the general elections held
earlier this week, the BBC reported.
Najib said in a statement earlier in
Former Malaysian PM Najib
Razak has been accused in an
embezzlement case.
the day that he was leaving the coun‑
try with his wife Rosmah Mansor "to
take a break". However, it was soon
followed by a tweet saying that he
called on world leaders to follow the US and relocate their
embassies to Jerusalem.
Speaking during a reception of a US diplomatic delega‑
had been informed that the
tion in Jerusalem, Netanyahu thanked the US for the relo‑
Immigration Department doesn't
cation.
allow him to leave the country.
"There is no greater supporter of Israel on the earth," he
In 2015, Najib was implicated in
said. "We are eternally grateful."
the 1MDB scandal for divert ing
He called on other countries to follow the US move, say‑
around $681 million to his private
ing that "in any peace that you could possibly imagine,
accounts from the 1MDB, which he
Jerusalem will remain as Israel's capital."
had created and presided over.
According to Netanyahu, other countries are expected to
He claimed that the money was a
announce similar decisions soon. "We will not say whom
donation from the Saudi Arabian
because that is a state secret," he said.
royal family and the Malaysian pros‑
The delegation is led by US President Donald Trump's
ecutor's of fice had then exonerated
daughter Ivanka, his senior adviser and son‑in‑law Jared
him of any suspicion.
Kushner and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, reports
However, the alleged embezzle‑
Xinhua.
ment and laundering of funds divert‑
US Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan said at the
ed from the 1MDB are being investi‑
welcoming ceremony that Trump's decision to relocate the
gated in half a dozen countries,
embassy was "essential to creating a roadmap for peace in
including the US, Switzerland and
the region."
Singapore.
22 May 19-25, 2018 BUSINESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

US stocks
post solid
Walmart buys 77% equity
weekly gains
New York: US stocks surged for the
stake in Flipkart
Bengaluru: In a mega deal in India's e‑com‑
week, as US President Donald
merce space, global retail giant Walmart Inc
Trump's decision to withdraw from
announced it was buying 77 per cent equity
the Iran nuclear deal sent oil prices
stake in the country's largest e‑tailer Flipkart
sharply higher while tamed inflation Walmart CEO
for $16 billion. Doug
data eased concerns about the pace
"Subject to regulatory approval in India, McMillon
of the US central bank's tightening
Walmart will pay $16 billion (Rs 1,07,662 and Flipkart
strategy.
crore) for 77 per cent equity stake in Flipkart," Co‑Founder
Following Trump's decision, oil
the Arkansas‑based firm said in a statement. and CEO
prices climbed to their highest lev‑
The acquisition of the majority stake makes Binny Bansal
els in about three and a half years,
the $500‑billion Walmart the largest sharehold‑ in Bengaluru.
with US oil trading firmly above (Photo: IANS)
er of the city‑based Flipkart group and will help
$70 a barrel, which was last seen in
accelerate its mission to transform e‑commerce
November 2014, as traders bet the
through digital technology.
US' sanctions on Iran would reduce
"The investment underscores our commit‑
global crude supplies.
ment to sustained job creation and investment
As a result, the energy sector
in India, one of the world's largest and fastest‑
surged about four per cent for the
week, leading the advancers among
growing economies," said Walmart. CAIT may approach CCI over Walmart-Flipkart deal
As part of the agreement, 33 per cent of the New Delhi: The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said that it might approach the
the S&P 500's 11 sectors.
equity will be with Flipkart co‑founder Binny Competition Commission of India (CCI) to seek "a ban" on the Walmart‑Flipkart deal after
On the economic front, the con‑
Bansal and institutional investors Tencent studying the metrics of the agreement. CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal told
sumer price index (CPI) for all
Holdings Ltd, Tiger Global Management LLC IANS: "We are studying the deal and may resort to legal options based on the structure of the
urban consumers increased 0.2 per
and Microsoft Corporation. deal." Asked about the legal options, he said that CAIT might approach CCI.
cent in April on a seasonally adjust‑
"Though the focus will be on serving cus‑ In a statement, CAIT said that the deal pertains to important issues concerning "FDI policy,
ed basis, missing the market con‑
tomers and growing the business, we will sup‑ data security, competition, unfair practices etc. have been involved".
sensus of 0.3 per cent, the US Labor
port Flipkart's ambition to transition into a pub‑ "Since the deal has a greater ramification on India's retail trade, a closer scrutiny is certain‑
Department reported on Thursday.
licly‑listed, majority‑owned subsidiary in the ly warranted."
The index for all items less food
future," Walmart said.
and energy increased 0.1 per cent
The record deal will also give Walmart an to meet and exceed the needs of customers and merce in the market," McMillon said.
in April, also below market esti‑
opportunity to partner with the local leader in we look forward to working with Flipkart to Observing that Walmart's investment was sig‑
mates of a 0.2‑per cent gain.
growing market, as the e‑tailer's leadership grow in this critical market," he said. nificant and would help fuel the e‑tailer's ambi‑
Some analysts believed that the
team will be supported by investment and tech‑ The deal will benefit India in providing quali‑ tion to deepen its connection with buyers and
Federal Reserve won't become more
nology partners. ty, affordable goods for customers and create sellers, Bansal said though e‑commerce was a
aggressive after the release of
In an investors' call later, Walmart Chief skilled jobs and opportunities for small suppli‑ small part of India's retail sector, he saw a great
tamed inflation data.
Executive Doug McMillon said India was a pri‑ ers, farmers and women entrepreneurs. potential to grow. Meanwhile, Walmart's foray
The number of job openings
ority market for the retail behemoth as the "India is one of the most attractive retail mar‑ into India's online retail space made industry
increased to 6.6 million on the last
country was the largest and fastest growing kets, given its size and growth rate and our expects say the deal would make India an
business day of March, beating mar‑
economy. investment is an opportunity to partner with attractive destination for global majors to invest
ket consensus of 6.1 million.
"As a company, we are transforming globally Flipkart that is leading transformation of e‑com‑ in the e‑tail segment.

New Delhi: The CBI on Monday

filed its first charge sheet in the
countryʼs largest financial scam
worth over Rs 2 billion in Punjab
National Bank by billionaire jewel‑
er Nirav Modi, detailing the alleged
role of the bankʼs former chief
Usha Ananthasubramanian, who is
now Allahabad Bank CEO and MD,
officials said. The charge sheet,
filed in a special court in Mumbai,
also names several other top offi‑
cials of the bank.
Ananthasubramanian was the
MD and CEO of PNB from 2015 to
2017 and was questioned recently
by the CBI in connection with the
case. The agency has also named
PNB executive directors K V
CBI files charge sheet in Nirav Modi case
Brahmaji Rao and Sanjiv Sharan,
and general manager (internation‑
al operations) Nehal Ahad in its
charge sheet.
The agency has detailed the roles
of Nirav Modi, his brother Nishal
Modi and Subhash Parab, an execu‑
tive in Nirav Modiʼs company, offi‑
cials said.
The charge sheet basically deals
with the first FIR registered in the
case relating to the fraudulent
issuance over Rs 6,000 crore of
Letters of Undertaking to Diamond
R US, Solar Exports and Stellar
Diamonds. The agency has not
given in detail the role of Mehul
The fugitive
Choksi in the present charge sheet.
billionaire
It is likely to come up when the CBI jeweler
files supplementary charge sheets Nirav Modi.
in the case related to the probe of
the Gitanjali group.
The CBI has registered three sep‑
arate FIRs in connection with the
alleged fraud in the public sector
bank by the companies of the
nephew‑uncle duo of Modi and
Choksi. Both Modi and Choksi had
left the country before PNB filed
the complaint with the CBI.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPORTS May 19-25, 2018 23

IPL: Mumbai face Punjab in must‑win game
Mumbai: Mumbai Indians will be
desperate for a win against Kings
XI Punjab to keep their play‑of f
hopes alive when they square‑off
in a crucial Indian Premier League
(IPL) tie at the Wankhede stadium
here on Wednesday.
Just when Mumbai's dream of
making it to the final four was on
the verge of getting shattered, the
Rohit Sharma‑led brigade came up
with a spirited show to register a
hat‑trick of wins before faltering
against Rajasthan Royals in their
previous game.
Mumbai have to win both their
remaining two matches to keep
their chances alive for advancing
to the play‑offs.
With 10 points, the three‑time
champions are placed at the sixth
spot in the IPL points table while
their opponents are a spot ahead
with 12 points in their kitty.
Mumbai will once again rely on
opener Suryakumar Yadav, who
has been consistent with the bat,
amassing 473 runs from 12
innings.
The other opener Evin Lewis
also got back his touch in the last
match, hitting a 42‑ball 60.
However, Mumbai's middle
order failed miserably including
skipper Rohit.
Barring his match‑w inning
knock against Royal Challengers
Bangalore, Rohit has failed to live
up to the expectations this season.
The Pandya brothers ‑‑ Hardik
and Krunal ‑‑ will also need to dish
out something special if they are
to stand any chance of making it
to the final four.
In the bow ling department,
Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik and left‑
arm pacer Mitchell McClenaghan
will have to bowl accurately to get
rid of the likes of the in‑form
Lokesh Rahul and Chris Gayle.
On the other hand, despite
being a place ahead, Punjab lag
behind Mumbai in net run‑rate.
The Ravichandran Ashwin‑led
side, who started their IPL cam‑
paign on a rousing note, faltered
in the business end of the league,
losing five of their last six games.
Punjab suf fered their worst
defeat of the season in their last
outing when Royal Challengers
Bangalore hammered them by 10
wickets, a game where both the
batsmen and bowlers succumbed
before Kohli's men.
Punjab's batting mostly relies
on openers Rahul and Gayle as the
Mumbai have to win both their remaining two matches to keep their
duo have accumulated 558 and
350 runs respectively.
Pos. Team
1 Hyderabad
2 Chennai
3 Kolkata
4 Rajasthan
5 Punjab
Hockey:
Navneet's
hat‑trick
floors Japan
Donghae City (South Korea):
Young forward Navneet Kaur fired
a hat‑trick as India began their
title defence at the Women's Asian
Champions Trophy hockey tourna‑
ment in an emphatic fashion, reg‑
istering a 4‑1 crushing win over
Japan here.
Navneet starred in India's win
with goals in the seventh, 25th and
55th minutes. Anupa Barla (53rd)
was the other goal scorer for India,
who were playing their first match
under head coach Sjoerd Marijne's
second stint in charge.
India were dominant right from
the start as they displayed a well‑
strategised attack to break the
strong Japanese defence at the
Sunrise Stadium.
An early chance came when for‑
ward Vandana Katariya and Lilima
Minz worked in tandem to create
space in the striking circle. It was
Navneet who picked up an assist
chances alive for advancing to the play‑offs.
from Vandana to send the ball past
the goalkeeper, fetching India a 1‑
Plyd. Won Lost Tied Net RR Pts. 0 lead in the seventh minute.
12 9 3 18 India played with speed, kept the
ball possession and stayed consis‑
12 8 4 16 tent as they kept up the pressure
12 6 6 12 on Japan. Good defence, led by
12 6 6 12 skipper Sunita Lakra, ensured
12 6 6 12 Japan didn't find too many
chances in the circle.

IPL a good arena to test a player's temperament

By Veturi Srivatsa thing one doesn't see all too frequently.
Such hitting is associated with batsmen like
Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Brendon

T
he strength of a team in the Indian
Premier League (IPL) depends on
the quality of Indian players as only
four overseas players are there in the
eleven. That gives the Indian youngsters
plenty of opportunities to impress the
national selectors.
Gone are the days when the IPL was seen
as some kind of a circus or tamasha for
entertaining spectators on summer nights
after a hard day's work. Talent scouts in
the eight franchises watch the fresh faces
going round the country during the domes‑
tic season.
All those who derided the popular
Twenty20 league as a corrupt influence on
young cricketers are now seeing virtues in
it. Even the national selectors are taking it
seriously and an impression is gaining
ground that the IPL is the place to see the
temperament of a young player in a matter
of seven weeks, that, too, in a tough compe‑
tition wherein he is competing with some
of the top careerist limited‑overs special‑
ists. The selectors had a wide range of
young fast bowlers to pick from when they
sat to pick teams for Test, One‑Day and
Twenty20 internationals and India A.
There are seven of them, Barinder Balbir
Sran, Mohammad Siraj, both of whom have
already played for India, Shivam Mavi,
Royal Challengers Bangalore team in a match against Mumbai Indians in Bengaluru.
Deepak Chahar, Avesh Khan, Mohammad
Asif and Prasidh Krishna, who came in as
replacement for Kamlesh Nagarkoti, one of
the star performers of India's junior World
Cup winning team, in the Kolkata Knight
Riders squad.
Strangely, Rajneesh Gurbani, who is
chiefly responsible for Vidarbha winning
the Ranji Trophy taking 39 wickets in six
matches, including a hat‑trick in the final,
had no IPL takers, though the selectors did
not forget him and included him in the
India A team to England.
Among the young batsmen, Rishab Pant
has been a big hit with his Delhi Daredevils
teammate Prithvi Shah. Also Nitish Rana,
Shubhman Gill and Ishan Kishan can keep
reminding the selectors of their presence.
Youngsters playing in the IPL or hoping
to make it must see Pant's repertoire of
strokes and his improvisation. His hundred
against Sunrisers Hyderabad was some‑
McCullum of yore, David Warner and
Mahendra Singh Dhoni or Yuvraj Singh on
their day.
Yet, Pant had no place in India ODI or
Twenty20 teams either as a batsman or as
reserve wicketkeeper. Dinesh Karthik is
preferred, also on current form and experi‑
ence. Twitterati predictably went after the
selectors and they would have done the
same if Karthik had been dropped giving
the same argument.
If the limited‑overs sides are picked on
the basis of the IPL performances, then one
would have liked to see the young Punjab
leg‑spinner Mayank Markande, who bam‑
boozled even the big guns with his brilliant
wrist work. It's nice to see Nitish Rana,
Krunal Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav,
Krishnappa Gowtham and Ankit Rajpoot in
the A squads.
The selectors thus spread the net wide to
catch quite a few youngsters at the right
time and even remembered Siddharth Kaul
after his splendid death‑overs bowling in
the IPL. Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu
will also thank the IPL for their return to
big‑time cricket.
Look at the number of players, playing
for India today, first noticed in the IPL.
That adds up to a healthy number.
 24 May 19-25, 2018
Creating international platforms for Indian arts
By Sanjoy K Roy
I
n 1999, as part of a British
Council showcase program, I
trave lled to the Edinburg h
Festival and that set in motion the
idea of creating platforms for
Indian contemporary and classical
art forms across the world.
Working close ly w ith the
Festival Fringe, the International
Film Fest ival, the Edinburg h
Tattoo and the Edinburg h
International Festival, we created
an annual of fering of work,
enlarging our presence from six
productions to 16 in a short peri‑
od. Many thought we were mad,
but our long‑term objectives paid
of f in more ways than one. We
presented an array of artists: Aditi
Mangaldas, Daksha Sheth, Birju
Maharaj and Malavika Sarukkai.
Mrigaya, the world music group
which went on to win the Herald
Ange l Award at Edinburg h in
2002 and a 5‑star review from
T he Scotsman, Indian Ocean,
Lillette Dubey and the Primetime
Theatre Group, Adi Shakti, Lushin
Dubey, Dadi Pudumjee and the
Ishara Theatre Company, are some
As state steps back, culture gets private sector leg up
By Ashok Vajpeyi
M
ore than 25 years ago,
the Indian government
decided to put together
a National Policy of Culture in
keeping with more than a hun‑
dred countries that had such
policies. In fact, there was, at
that time, a special division in
Unesco which had already
organized two world confer‑
ences on the matter. Here too a
national colloquium on culture
Dhola Maru
(1982) by
Sutradhar
Puppet Theatre ‑
director Dadi D.
Pudumjee.
Indian puppetry,
which finds
mention in
Mahabharata,
has been
arguably the
best in the
world.
more names I recollect who were
on our entourage. Shah Rukh Khan
made his way to Edinburgh in a
celebration of the best of Indian
arts.
It took some convincing to get
the Edinburgh International Film
Festival to agree to move Shah
Rukh's "In Conversation" with
Nasreen Munni Kabir to a larger
venue. They cited examples of hav‑
ing presented the biggest stars,
including Sean Connery, in a 300‑
seat venue. Tickets went on sale
and sold out minutes after the box
office opened, only to be resold at
£100 a ticket! The news made it
to The Times front page and the
festival organizers, somewhat
embarrassed, moved the venue to
a 1,000‑seat auditorium. Huge
crowds gathered at the festival
venue. At the after‑party, we had
to barricade Shah Rukh in a cor‑
ner, with tables and bouncers
guarding him. The Edinburgh fes‑
tivals hadn't quite seen something
like this before! They were igno‑
policy was organized in 1992 in
Delhi in which nearly a hundred
writers, artists, performers,
intellectuals and experts debat‑
ed a white paper, which, as the
Joint Secretary of the
Department of Culture, I had
prepared.
The move, however, evoked
controversy and the main issue
was that state could not set a
policy for culture which is the
business of society as distinct
from the state. This issue com‑
pletely ignored the fact that the
National Culture Policy docu‑
ment tried to delineate a policy
framework for the cultural insti‑
tutions and activities such as the
Archaeological Survey of India,
the three national academies,
the National Museum, the
NGMA, the National Archives,
the National Library, et al, which
are publicly funded and are run
largely either as adjuncts of the
CULTURE
rant of work from India as very
few shows had ever travelled out.
Investments in shows and festi‑
vals in those early days meant that
year‑on‑year, our balance sheets
were red. Co‑presenting with exist‑
ing festivals led to some degree of
success, with annual presentations
in Singapore, Wellington, Perth
and Melbourne. Much of this was
a result of networking at the
Edinburgh festivals and setting
out a plan for collaborations, a
strategy we adopted for the next
few years. As our footprint grew
through Asia to include Hong
Kong, Korea and Indonesia, we
began to look westwards.
Prompted by our then Consul
General, Navdeep Suri, we set up
the Shared History Festival in
South Africa, to bring about an
awareness of a new India and the
many opportunities it of fered,
amongst the one‑million strong
Indian diaspora. We collaborated
with the city of Johannesburg's
annual festival, Arts Alive, to bring
There are some either private or corporate initiatives such as the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in
Kolkata, the Darpana and Kadamb in Ahmedabad, the Cholamandal Artists Group, etc, which have
been supporting various aspects of culture. Sadly they are not many and, in any case, far short of the
vast needs of a great civilization.
Indian government or as
autonomous institutions such as
the Lalit Kala Akademi, the
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
about resurgence in the crime‑
infested Central Business District
(CBD) area of New Town. The city
planned to use the arts to re‑popu‑
late the CBD and reduce crime and
bring back the local populace.
With audiences returning to the‑
atres, New Town has now seen a
rise in property prices, new busi‑
nesses opening and residential
blocks being re‑built. In Durban
and Johannesburg, the arts com‑
munity and the diaspora who had
earlier rejected everything Indian
began rediscovering and celebrat‑
ing their roots. Driven by their
need to trace their history many
have, since then, travelled back to
India. We sought new opportuni‑
ties in Austria, Germany, Italy and
Spain, working through agents
and driving box of fice sales to
make projects economically viable.
We produced "Bollywood Love
Story", a musical, to reach new
audiences. We were amazed to dis‑
cover how small towns like
Einbeck, Stuttgart, Eindhoven and
Indira Gandhi National Centre of
Arts and the Zonal Cultural
Centres, among others.
India needs to cre-
ate a counter-narra-
tive to that of rapes,
murders and reli-
gious extremism,
absconding busi-
nessmen and less
then scrupulous
business practices
that make head-
lines the world
over. The arts can
be an anchor for
this emerging nar-
rative; not only do
they create jobs but
also educate and
enlighten.
larger ones like Florence,
Barcelona and Stockholm had a
huge appetite to celebrate and
embrace Indian culture. Local arts‑
attending audiences came to our
ce lebration dressed in Indian
attire, belting out words of songs
they didn't understand and eating
their versions of Indian food.
Exporting Bollywood should be
the mainstay of our foreign mis‑
sions in order to capture hearts
and minds of people across the
world. From Russia to Egypt and
China through Canada I have seen
an increasing appetite to present
and understand the best of Indian
culture.
Continued on page 25
Also, one key element of the
National Culture Policy was that
Continued on page 25
TheSouthAsianTimes.info IMMIGRATION May 19-25, 2018 25

Want to learn a trade or vocation?

Get the M‑1 Vocational Student Visa!
By Michael Phulwani, Esq. within the first six months of
& Dev B. Viswanath, Esq. their program.
Students on an M‑1 visa may

T TALK
he M‑1 visa is a temporary
nonimmigrant visa that is
available to individuals
who wish to come to the United
States for nonacademic or voca‑
tional studies. Some examples of
vocational studies are: mechanical
studies, technical studies, cooking
classes, flight school, videogra‑
phy, edit ing, or cosmetolog y
classes. In order to qualify for an
M‑1 visa an individual must meet
the following requirements:
8 Must be enrolled in a voca‑
tional program or a nonaca‑
demic program;
8 The school which the indi‑
vidual plans to attend must
be approved by the Student
and Exchange Visitors
Program;
8 T he individual must be
enrolled full time at the
institution;
8 Must be proficient in
English or be enrolled in
courses to learn English;
8 The individual must have
enough financial support to
finance themselves while in
the U.S.; and
8 Must maintain a foreign res‑
idence which the individual
does not intend on giving
up.
Only schools certified by the
Student and Exchange Visitor
Program (SEVP) can enroll non‑
immigrant students. Once the
school determines that the indi‑
vidualʼs application is complete
and they are academically eligi‑
ble, the school will issue an I‑20
form to allow the individual to
obtain the student visa. Students
are only allowed to reduce their
course work below full time for
medical reasons and for a maxi‑
mum combined perio d of six
months. Students are also usually
only allowed to transfer schools
only participate in practical train‑
ing after they have completed
their studies. Any employment
that an M‑1 student finds of f‑
campus must be related to their
area of study and must be author‑
ized by the Designated School
Of ficial and USCIS before they
start working. The Designated
School Official is the person who
is authorized to sustain the
Student and Exchange Visitor
Information System. Under the M‑
1 visa an individual may stay in Some examples of vocational studies are: mechanical studies,
technical studies, cooking classes, flight school, videography,
the U.S. for only one year but may
editing, or cosmetology classes
apply for extensions for up to
three years. And work authoriza‑ Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal
tion under the M1 Visa is limited Attorney of The Banad Law Offices PC in the
in duration far more drastically United States, and Banad Immigration in
than for an F1 visa. While there India for which Attorney Michael Phulwani is
are some limitations to the M1 also affiliated as Of Counsel. With Offices in
visa which are less appealing than Manhattan, Queens, Bangalore, and Mumbai,
a student visa, it is still a very use‑ the firm is able to assist clients with all facets
ful and appropriate visa to apply of the immigration process, including
for individuals who are interested Employment Visas, Consular Visa Assistance,
in pursuing studies in a skill or Student Visas, Removal & Deportation, US
Citizenship and Green Card Applications
trade which may not require aca‑
based on Family or Employment. Dev B.
demics so much as they require
Viswanath can be reached at
hands‑on practical knowledge
Dev@Banadlaw.com and 718‑361‑5999.
and understanding.

Continued from page 24
In today's polarized world, it is
imperative that we use the arts
as a window into other cultures,
traditions, history and a way of
working. The arts know no lan‑
guage and have a universality
that allows the viewer to seam‑
lessly absorb and appreciate
new experiences. A few years
ago, the Globe Theatre, as part
of the Cultural Olympiad, com‑
missioned an array of exciting
productions played out from
Afg hanistan and India to
Romania and Belarus. Each was
distinct and brought to the fore,
cultural differences and yet was
bound together by the universal
language of theatre and per‑
formance. Audiences who
attended may not have under‑
stood the nuances of the lan‑
guages, but this did not detract
them from enjoying what they
were witnessing. Pia Behrupiya
by Company Theatre was a bril‑
liant piece of original stage‑
craft. Based on Shakespeare's
"Twelfth Night", the ensemble
cast sang, danced and created
magic at the Globe. Last year as
part of "India70@UK" we were
able to present some of the
finest of contemporary theater,
dance and music at premium
arts venues including the Royal
Festival Hall, Barbican Theatre
and the Globe. As the Indian
economy continues to grow, the
world is curious about India
and everything Indian. From
exot ic lo cat ions: Ladakh to
Hampi and Ajanta & Ellora to
Murshidabad and Varanasi, to a
diverse, dynamic and an
extremely alive cultural matrix,
we have a lot to of fer. India
needs to create a counter‑narra‑
tive to that of rapes, murders
and re lig ious extremism,
absconding businessmen and
less then scrupulous business
practices that make headlines
the world over. The arts can be
an anchor for this emerging
narrative; not only do they cre‑
ate jobs but also educate and
enlighten.
As the third industrial revolu‑
tion fades away and we look to
the fourth, which will be the
coming together of creativity
and technology, India is well‑
placed to be a world leader.
Unfortunately, our policies and
government are yet to seize the
moment and set in place incen‑
tives and a route map to the
future.
From IANSʼ ʻShifting Sands of
Cultureʼ series. Sanjoy K. Roy is
the Managing Director of
Teamwork Arts, which pro‑
duces over 25 highly acclaimed
festivals across 40 cities world‑
wide and includes the annual
Jaipur Literature Festival.
Continued from page 24
the government's expenditure
on culture must, over the years,
rise to one per cent of the total
budget from a dismal 0.1 per
cent.
The National Culture Policy
went through a series of consul‑
tations, including by a
Parliamentary Standing
Committee but was nearly for‑
gotten, if not given up, by 1997.
Later attempts were made to
revise, review and re‑present it,
but nothing much happened.
Meanwhile, a government is in
place which has been very assid‑
uously and relentlessly trying to
cut down allocations to cultural
organizations and giving them,
if at all, only to those whose loy‑
alty to its ideology it could be
sure of.
All arts have been reduced to
expensive public spectacles and
a lot of public money is being
wasted on them without them
contributing anything to the
enhancement of culture, its
dynamic creativity or adding to
the broader public awareness of
culture.
Increasingly, for instance, the
three national akademies have
reached the brink of utter irrele
vance and have almost no truck
or dialogue with excellence.
It is in this context that we
have to locate the availability of
public resources for culture.
They are evidently dwindling
and, in any case, the State is well
set on withdrawing substantially
like in the education and other
welfare sectors. One of the more
dependable sources could have
been the corporate sector whose
presence on the map of support
for culture is rather minimal and
quite disappointing.
A recent survey of Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) ini‑
tiatives shows that quite halting‑
ly the mandated CSR has moved
in the sector of culture. There
too it is presumably spending no
more than maybe two percent of
its expenditure on culture. The
areas which attract the bulk are
health, education and environ‑
ment. Many major firms have
already set up trusts or similar
"cultural" organizations and
they spend whatever little they
do on culture through them.
In most advanced countries,
culture is considered rightly a
civic need and activity and civic
agencies such as municipal com‑
mittees and corporations spend
on museums, auditoriums and
the like.
In this area, the performance
of these civic bodies in terms of
support for culture is abysmally
low and marginal. Sadly and
most unfortunately, the State,
the civic bodies and the corpo‑
rate sectors are comrades‑in‑
arm in undermining and
neglecting culture.
If in this highly deprived and
despairing scenario there is a
vibrant cultural climate in the
country it is largely due to per‑
sonal interest, commitment and
initiatives of the creative com‑
munity. Private art galleries,
publishers, theater groups, small
non‑commercial journals, liter‑
ary organizations, music circles
and sabhas, dancing groups, etc.,
have kept alive the rich, com‑
plex, celebrative but equally
interrogative cultural creativity
and imagination, investing them
with energy and courage, com‑
mitment and hard work.
There are some either private
or corporate initiatives such as
the ITC Sangeet Research
Academy in Kolkata, the
Darpana and Kadamb in
Ahmedabad, the Raza
Foundation, the Cholamandal
Artists Group, the Mahagami
Aurangabad, etc., which have
been supporting various aspects
of culture. Sadly they are not
many and, in any case, far short
of the vast needs of a great civi‑
lization.
Ashok Vajpeyi has published
over 23 books of poetry, criti‑
cism and art. He was awarded
the Sahitya Akademi Award in
1994.
26 May 19-25, 2018 HERITAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The Magic of Vedic Mathematics Part 14

Rediscovered half a century ago by the Puri Shankaracharya Bharati Krishna Tirtha, Vedic Mathematics is a lightning fast mental math
system. We continue to serialize from ‘The Curious Hats of Magical Maths’ book that makes learning the system easy.

Answers

Extracted from ʻThe Curious Hats of Magical Maths ‑ Vedic Mathematics for Schools Book
1ʼ by James Glover, with permission from Motilal Banarsidass (MLBD). Founded in 1903,
they specialize in Indology books. For more information, Mr R.P. Jain, email:
mlbd@mlbd.com. US distributor: southasiabooks@gmail.com

To be continued in the following issues of The South Asian Times.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info
A
re you someone that likes
living life on the edge, from
salary to salary, buying
something as and when you set
eyes on it, without worrying about
your savings? That may seem cool
‑‑ but it's also a short cut to finan‑
cial disaster.
Get a money
management app
to track expenses
If you have never been the type
to track your expenses, now is a
good time to start. You can down‑
load an app that tracks your
spends and set a budget, keep a
watch on your upcoming credit
card and utility bill payments, as
well as see how much you owe or
have to get from others. This is the
first step to getting your finances
streamlined.
Plan and set goals for
yourself:
Set short‑term (a few months
ahead) and long‑term (a year and
beyond) goals. It could be anything
from taking up a new hobby like
learning the guitar, to buying a
new phone/laptop/camera, getting
Follow your parents,
grandparents' lifestyle:
Celebrity trainer
L
ifestyle‑Celebrity trainer
Abaas Ali, who has worked
with Bollywood personali‑
ties such as Shahid Kapoor, Shilpa
Shetty and Sonakshi Sinha, says a
fitness conscious person should
eat and sleep on time, apart from
walking as much as possible ‑‑
something "our parents and
grandparents used to do".
"Go back to where we all started.
Add more functionality to have a
healthy body. Do what your par‑
ents and grandparents did. Sleep
on time, wake up on time, eat your
meals on time and dance in your
comfort zone," Ali told IANS via
email.
Ali was a part of fitness festival
Reebok UnRest, which happened
in Mumbai last week, engaged par‑
ticipants with a range of sessions
How to never go broke
married, buying a new house or
being debt‑free by a certain date,
and so on. Based on the plan,
break it down into quarterly and
monthly goals so you know how
much to save, how much is safe to
spend and so on. Having a plan
will give you an overview and
much better control of your
finances.
including CrossFit, Mixed Martial
Arts, Parkour, Pilates and Zumba.
With almost 20 years of experi‑
ence as a trainer, Ali feels proud
that people are more fitness con‑
scious now.
"People have started contribut‑
ing more to fitness now. What
have you done for your body
today has become everyone's
question at the end of the day,"
said the trainer.
So what are the tips that he
wants to give to fitness enthusi‑
asts?
"Do what works for you when it
comes to fitness as everything
depends on your body, your genet‑
ics, your culture and your lifestyle.
Exercise for fitness and chose
something which works for you,"
he said.
SELF HELP
Set up an
emergency fund:
Once you're tracking your
spends and have set goals, you
know how much money you need
to allocate to each of them. You
would also get an estimate of your
spending pattern and expenses for
each month. Based on this, have an
Visit 177 countries without a visa
I
f youʼre a US citizen with a
valid passport, youʼre able to
freely travel to more places in
the world than most other coun‑
triesʼ citizens. Yes, as of now you
can travel to 177 different coun‑
tries and territories around the
globe without having to apply
for a travel visa before departing.
Thatʼs out of about 218 possible
destinations, meaning you can
see over 80% of the world with‑
out having to fill out much
paperwork. Plus, more and more
territories and provinces are
being opened up to US citizens as
well. For example, Hainan, an
island province of China thatʼs
often referred to as “Chinaʼs
Hawaii,” recently opened itself
up to US cit izens̶no visa
required.
Most countries of fer visa‑free
access, or simply grant you a visa
upon arrival. Some countries,
however, require that you apply
for visas before you travel. Here
emergency fund in place that will
take care of at least 6‑8 months'
worth of living expenses so that in
case of a mishap or a loss of job,
you don't go broke, and have
something to fall back on. You can
set it up so that a certain percent‑
age of your salary/income each
month is automatically transferred
to this fund. It could be in a differ‑
ent bank account, a fixed deposit,
or even a liquid fund ‑‑ and most
importantly, it should be accessible
easily and quickly when needed
urgently.
Set limits for your spend
categories
Take a look at your spends in
greater detail to understand where
the money goes each month.
Assign limits to each of these cate‑
gories for the month and see how
you're doing at the end of the
month. This will give you an idea
of your lifestyle and if you're
spending more than you earn, as
well as where you can cut down on
US passport is the most
powerful in the world.
they are:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola
(eVisa), Australia (eVisa), Bhutan,
Brazil (e Visa), Burundi,
Cameroon, Chad, China,
Demo crat ic Republic of the
Congo, Republic of the Congo,
Côte dʼIvoire (e Visa), Cuba
(Tourist Card required), Djibouti
(eVisa), Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana,
Guinea, India (eVisa), Iran, Iraq,
Liberia, Libya, Mali, Myanmar
(eVisa), Nauru, Niger, Nigeria,
Oman (eVisa), Pakistan, Russia,
Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leon, South
May 19-25, 2018 27
unnecessary spends.
Stay debt‑free
Credit cards can be extremely
useful ‑‑ for regular spends as well
as during emergencies, and over
time, with a good payment history,
can boost your credit score too.
However, if you're the type of
person who cannot pay off credit
card bills in full each month or
who just pays the minimum
amount due, stick to using your
debit card or cash, or even a Line
of Credit, which has a lower inter‑
est rate.
Revolving credit on a credit card
can be dangerous for your
finances, and it can take you sever‑
al years to repay the entire out‑
standing amount.
There will always be changes in
situations, your current needs and
requirements as well as your cash
flow, so every 3‑6 months, you
should re‑look at your plan and
goals, and modify as needed to
stay on top of your finances.
Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan
(e Visa), Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam
(eVisa), and Yemen.
Of course, itʼs important to
keep in mind that just because a
country requires a visa doesnʼt
mean itʼs necessarily difficult to
get one. Many of the countries
that require eVisas, for exam‑
ple̶like Australia, Brazil, and
India̶make it fairly easy to get
your visa online in a matter of
minutes. Other countries require
you to apply for visas through
their U.S. embassy or consulate
office, which may take a while to
process, so give yourself plenty
of time.
If you donʼt see the country
you want to visit on that list
above, youʼre all set to enter it
freely with your passport. And of
course, make sure your passport
is current and wonʼt expire
be fore the end of the visa
period.
28 May 19-25 2018 HUMOR
Funny Side by Nury Vittachi
How to cheat your step‑
counter and stay healthy
BEST
RATE
FOR
S
martphone health apps and Fitbit‑
INDIA style wristbands not only monitor
your activity level but constantly
AND encourage you to post it on the Internet for
the world to see.
PAKISTAN So of course people become competitive
about never letting a single step go uncount‑
ed. In an Internet discussion, a reader from
Mumbai lamented: "I lost my Fitbit so now I
New York Head Quarter can't move."
If you are a step‑counting addict, here are
422‑S Broadway
four ways to boost your score. 1) Put your
HICKSVILLE Fitbit in your child's pocket and then feed
NY 11801 him or her a sugary snack. 2) Every time
you hear music, indulge your inner
516‑827‑1010 Barenboim by conducting it. 3) Hang the
thing on your dog's collar and send it out for
a run around the park. 4) Get a ladder and
hang your Fitbit from the ceiling fan.
Most attractive advice I ever got was this:
If you eat three meals a day at buffet‑style
Laughter is the Best Medicine
By Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist,
cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant Indians for
the past many year in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
restaurants, your Fitbit will think you are an
exercise nut. Now THAT'S an exercise pro‑
gram I could really go for.
The leaders on these website health pages
are recording 80,000 steps a day each ‑‑
which is pretty impressive, since running an
entire marathon only gets you about 45,000
steps.
How do you achieve those kinds of scores?
I got interested in this after a reader wrote
to me about a restaurant in Harbin, China,
which provides "fool your step counter"
gadgets to customers. You stick your phone
or Fitbit or pedometer into a little cradle
which swings it around while you eat, drink
and sleep.
On Chinese web‑shopping pages, there are
now hundreds of these devices for sale.
Now I know what you're thinking: Why
fool a device that makes you healthier?
What if you are not a stupid, immoral ego‑
tist who hates exercise? (Such people exist,
allegedly.)
Well, some folk justify cheating with spe‑
cific arguments. "Some health insurance
firms offer a discount for active people who
can prove they walk 10,000 steps a day,"
said reader Derya Bey. "And some schools in
China require a minimum amount of active
movement every day from each student."
The alternative, of course, is to actually do
some exercise, and some people need to.
One rather overweight male friend of this
columnist, referring to Japanese electronic
pets, commented: "Step‑counters are like
Tamagotchis, only the stupid creature you
have to keep alive is yourself."
And then of course, there are the people
who get high scores by accident. I know of
one woman who accidentally put her step‑
counter through a washing machine and
drier and it credited her with climbing 84
flights of stairs that day.
Warning: Use health apps too much and
your brain starts to perceive them as judg‑
mental finger‑pointers. One colleague got
such a low score one day that she faked an
illness and went to bed early so her Fitbit
wouldn't judge her.
Reader, you don't want to get into that sort
of situation. I hope you'll be sensible about
your use of health apps.
In which case, I'll see you at the buffet
table!
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY May 19-25, 2018 29

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

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

MAY 19‑25, 2018

ARIES: True understanding with those
around you will be achieved and you
will feel much more at home with them,
than before. Your social nature may find you
surrounded by friends and well‑wishers. An
achievement on the professional front is like‑
ly to add to your reputation. Your eye for
detail will come in for praise. A trip given up
as cancelled may materialise. You will feel fit
and energetic, and participate in everything
wholeheartedly.
TAURUS: You are likely to enter an
excellent phase of life that you have
not experienced before. A spring in
your step will be indicative of the good health
that you are presently enjoying. You will
manage to increase business or boost your
career prospects on the professional front.
Coaching received on the academic front is
likely to improve your performance. Wedding
bells toll for the eligible. You will have
enough to splurge on someone special.
GEMINI: A decision taken in haste may
prove counterproductive to your inter‑
ests. Your minimal involvement on the
domestic front may have spouse up in arms.
This is the time to contemplate on a future
course of action on the academic front, if you
want to remain in contention. Be careful of
professional rivals out to unseat you. Raising
capital for a dream project may not be as
easy as you had anticipated. Take care of a
lifestyle disease.
CANCER: There is no reason for you
to have fun at someoneʼs expense, as
it may easily rebound on you. A feel‑
ing of listlessness may prevail, but it will be a
passing phase. There is a fair chance of
becoming a proud owner of a flat or plot.
Workable solution suggested by you to a
problem encountered on the professional
front will be roundly appreciated. Tensions
troubling you are likely to disappear. Efforts
on the health front prove fruitful.
LEO: Keep the current situation in per‑
spective before giving a decision. You
may be praised for solving a crisis on
the professional front. Spending less on some‑
thing expensive is possible, but will need your
bargaining powers. Newlyweds are likely to
enjoy marital life to the hilt. Love life remains
satisfactory. Your love for food may encourage
you to try out something exotic, so expect gas‑
tronomic delights to make your weekend!
Vacationing in a new place is possible.
VIRGO: Countdown to something
important has begun, but you will be
well prepared for it. Those not faring
well on the education front must tighten their
belts, if they want to enjoy a smooth ride.
Good returns from real estate are foreseen
for property owners. Jewellers or those deal‑
ing in gold and gems may find the week prof‑
itable. Your efforts in completing a project or
assignment may not appear adequate to high‑
er ups on the professional front.
LIBRA: It is best to complete all the
legal formalities initially, rather than
getting mired in red tape later. Good
going is foreseen for those who have taken
up a new job recently. Marketing personnel
will be able to achieve what they set out for.
Spouseʼs silent treatment can prove frustrat‑
ing, but you may decide to stick to your guns!
A gift from someone will help lift up the spir‑
its of those finding themselves down in the
dumps.
SCORPIO: Your upbeat mood is likely
to prove infectious for others on the
social front. Taking up some physical
sport will keep you fit as a fiddle. Lonely
hearts are can expect a budding romance to
blossom soon. Help required for a task will be
forthcoming from all quarters. Your prepara‑
tion on the academic front will hold you in
good stead. You will remain on a safe wicket
on the financial front. Socially, you will feel
much wanted.
SAGITTARIUS: People not with you
may put unnecessary pressure on you.
Your reputation on the professional
front may suffer a setback, if you are not cau‑
tious enough.
A family elder may need to be tackled firmly,
but donʼt be too harsh. Hopes of meeting
lover may get dashed due to a pressing com‑
mitment. You may not be in the mood to par‑
ticipate in an event, but little you can do
about it. Take care of your health.
CAPRICORN: All talk, no action is
what you are likely to get from some‑
one you are counting on. Mind your
own business, as getting involved in someone
elseʼs business will not be in your best inter‑
est. Remain proactive to thwart the evil
designs of a workplace rival. A lucrative
opening on the job market can be yours, if
you play your cards well. Funds for a new
venture may not be forthcoming and may
even jeopardise the project.
AQUARIUS: You may be called upon
to undertake an important assign‑
ment. A productive week is foreseen
at work. Your services are likely to be utilised
on the social front in organising something.
Those ailing for long can expect some good
news on the health front. A property acquired
by you may start g iving goo d returns.
Thawing of tensions within the family is like‑
ly. A steady love life is foreseen. A long dis‑
tance drive will be safe and comfortable.
PISCES: Providing an opportunity to
someone you can easily overshadow
at work will be in order. You may need
to take some bold initiatives in the events
unfolding on the social front. Lover may per‑
plex you by remaining a bit reserved on the
romantic front. You will manage to tie up all
the loose ends in organising something
important. A give‑and‑take relationship will
work best on the academic front, so go for it.
Health remains satisfactory.

19th May, 2018
Traits in you: As you are ruled by the
powerful Sun, you are dynamic, confi‑
dent, intelligent, unique, daring, and very
helpful. You are the master of a strong
willpower, which helps you stay ahead of
others. However, you need t work on
your nature of being introvert, careless,
and fickle‑minded.
Health this year: Your health would not
cause much worries for you this year.
However, the health of your family mem‑
ber s may require extra care. Provide
your parents with proper medication as
they may fall sick often due to old age.
You may start taking a balanced diet. You
should stop consuming alcohol and
smoking cigarettes for the betterment of
your health.
Finance this year: Your financial condi‑
tions will be very good this year as you
will be working hard to reach your goal.
Your past property dispute will get
solved and it will earn you a lot of money.
If you are into business, you may go for
new ventures as those seem to be very
profitable this year.
Career this year: You need to work
hard to prove yourself in your profes‑
sion. Do not take up minor issues to an
escalation. Try and brush up you knowl‑
edge and skills to perform more efficient‑
ly. You may go for a job change during
the last months of the year.
Romance this year: Your relationship
with your spouse will get filled with more
romance as day progresses. You will find
enough support from your partner in
every crucial situation. If you have not
married yet, this is the best time to tie
knots.
20th May, 2018
Traits in you: As you are influenced by
the Moon, you are confident, emotional,
imaginative, simple, creative, courteous,
and warm hearted. You can easily make
friends because of your nature so you
enjoy enormous respect amongst your
friends. You should control your mood
swings and you should not be lazy.
Health this year: As far as your health
is concerned this year, you may frequent‑
ly fall sick. You need to undergo regular
medical checkups and take your pre‑
scribed medicines on time. Join a gym
and try practicing meditation to retain
your fitness.
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
Finance this year: You would not be
able to save any money for future this
year as your earnings will be spent for
something or the other. You may face
unexpected expenses, which would make
you a bit financially weak. You may go
for new business ventures but need not
get involved in any partnerships.
Career this year: You will be given
more responsibility this year as you have
proved yourse lf to be an ef ficient
resource for your employer. You may
expect a promotion or salary hike later
this year. You should guide your ordi‑
nates to perform better and bring unex‑
pected results for your organization.
Romance this year: Your marital rela‑
tionship will move forward with lot of
mutual love, care, respect and admira‑
tion. You should not get into any kind of
argument with your spouse as it may dis‑
turb your peaceful personal life. You
should get married this year if you are
yet to marry.
21st May, 2018
Traits in you: As you are ruled by the
Jupiter, you are energetic, ambitious, dig‑
nified, realistic, optimistic, reliable, and
very kindhearted. You have the skills of a
good listener so you can perform well in
any field. You should learn handling
tough situations calmly and efficiently.
Health this year: You will enjoy a mod‑
erate health this year. You need to take
preventive medicines for weather
changes as it may hamper your health
conditions. Do not neglect your health if
you feel uneasy. Consult doctor regularly
and practice Yoga for better results.
Finance this year: You will be in huge
monetary benefits this year as you are
going to get many contracts if you are in
business. You may travel abroad to for
business purpose and that would be very
successful in establishing your business.
You need to create new contacts to get
more business. You should not invest in
share market this time though you may
go for real estate.
Career this year: You will be highly
appreciated by your employer for your
exce llent performance. With the
increased workload, you may also be
offered an increased salary. You should
learn to handle pressure situations from
your seniors. You may go for a job
change later this year.
Romance this year: You may go
through minor personal disturbances
and these could be solved by talking
more to your partner. Do not let the dis‑
tance grow. Get some time to talk to your
spouse. You may plan a long trip with
your partner to strengthen your relation‑
ship.
22nd May, 2018
Traits in you: The influence of your rul‑
ing planet Uranus makes you active,
practical, enthusiastic, courageous, ambi‑
tious, and highly philosophical. You are
very proud of your traditions, culture and
rituals. You are highly religious and have
a very sharp mind. However, you need to
work on your impatient and stubborn
behavior.
Health this year: You will enjoy a pret‑
ty good health this year though you may
go through few minor diseases. Go for
regular medical checkups to retain your
good health. Take care of the health of
your family members. Do not ignore any
health related issue as it may lead to fur‑
ther disturbances.
Finance this year: You will be able to
earn more money. However, you may end
up spending a lot of money on luxury
and comfort. You may go for new busi‑
ness or investments this year as the
movement of planets ensures you good
monetary benefits.
Career this year: You will get new
heights in your profession because of
your excellent communication skills.
Your employer would be very impressed
and will admire you. You may get few
extra responsibilities and salary will also
increase. You will get expert in your
domain and you must go for learning
new things in your profession.
Romance this year: If you are yet to be
in a relationship, this year is the ideal
time to find a partner. You will get ample
support from your spouse in any critical
decision you have to take. You should
show your love to your partner as it
strengthens your relationship.
23rd May, 2018
Traits in you: As you are influenced by
your ruling planet Mercury, you are intel‑
ligent, unique, sensible, business orient‑
ed, dignified, optimistic and charismatic.
You are also pretty warmhearted and
friendly. However, you need not be rest‑
less and impatient always to get your
things done.
Health this year: Your health will
remain good throughout the year. You
need to take utmost care of your health
to maintain it and remain fit. The health
of your family members might be a con‑
cern for you this year. Try and avoid your
bad habits and start practicing yoga for
the betterment of your health.
Finance this year: You will earn a lot of
money from your past investment this
year. However, you should invest your
money after going through the market
thoroughly. Do not lend or money this
year. You may spend a lot of money on
buying comfort and luxury for your fami‑
ly members.
Career this year: You will gain a lot of
professional knowledge this year. You
may think for a job change this year. You
may not get the job satisfaction in the
organization you currently work for. You
may not get the expected appraisal,
which would urge you to switch to anoth‑
er company.
Romance this year: You should avoid
any kind of conflict with your beloved.
Plan a long holiday with your spouse to
make your relationship stronger. If you
are unmarried, you should not get to a
marital relationship this year as the
movement of your stars is not favorable
for marriage.
24th May, 2018
Traits in you: Your ruling planet Venus
makes optimistic, ambitious, caring,
aspiring, and determined. You are very
social and love to make new friends and
get into new relationships. You are a
huge follower of intelligence and educa‑
tion.
Health this year: You need to focus on
your health a little more as you may fall
sick frequently this year. You should go
for regular medical checkups to maintain
a healthy life. Your parents may fall sick
towards the end of the year and it will
put you in immense pressure.
Finance this year: Your innovative
ideas to earn money may not meet your
expectations. However, you need to keep
trying until you succeed. You will find it
tough to make money this year. You may
go for investments in various sectors like
shares, gold, land and so on.
Career this year: You will get enough
opportunities in your professional life to
prove yourself. You will create a better
impression on your seniors or higher
management, which may result in promo‑
tion. You should work efficiently to main‑
tain your respect at your workspace.
Romance this year: You will share a
blissful romantic relationship with your
spouse or partner. Your marriage is on
cards if you are yet to marry. You will
find your partner supportive enough in
every crucial situation.
25th May, 2018
Traits in you: By nature you are sober,
courteous, unique, honest and coura‑
geous as you are ruled by the powerful
planet Neptune. Your charming nature
attracts people towards you. You love to
face challenges and you fight them pretty
well by executing perfection. You need to
check for your impatience, rudeness, and
frequent mood swings.
Health this year: You will enjoy a bet‑
ter health this year as compared to last
year. However, the health of an aged fam‑
ily member may deteriorate and that will
make you bothered. You may end up
spending lot of money for the health
issues of your family members.
Finance this year: This year may bring
you huge financial benefits. You will
enjoy the returns of your investments. If
you want to gain financial profits, you
have to work hard. You may invest in var‑
ious profitable businesses. However, you
should not start new partnerships or
trust new friends.
Career this year: This year you will
reach to the peak of your professional
career and it will offer you huge financial
benefits. This year will be pretty reward‑
ing for female employees. You may get a
better performance appraisal as well as
salary hike as compared to your expecta‑
tions.
Romance this year: The emotional
attachment with your spouse or partner
may blossom this year with lot of love,
care, and concern. If you are not married,
then you may go for a romantic relation‑
ship. You will enjoy a very blissful time
with your beloved.
30 May 19-25, 2018 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Truth is high, true living is higher

If our attention is riveted at the
In order to progress in spiritual centre of the soul in the body, we
path, we need to develop right will not be affected by what we
see or hear. We should observe
understanding so that we can chastity in thoughts, words and
deeds. To be pure is the ground
have right thoughts, right words on which God manifests. Christ
and right deeds. Each day we said, "Blessed are pure in heart,
for they shall see God."
have so many shortcomings in As a result of failure in leading
leading an ethical life. We have ethical life, our soul continues to
By Sant Rajinder Singh come again and again to this cre‑
Ji Maharaj so many failures in the areas of ation, without hope of returning
to its source. The only way to

L
ife on earth, as we have it,
has a tremendous bearing
in building the body and
mind. We must therefore strive to
simplify life and learn to live truly.
It is true living on which every‑
thing else depends, even the
search for one self. The impor‑
tance of true living cannot be over
emphasized. It is rightly said,
non-violence, truthfulness, humil-
ity, selfless service and chastity.
such as telling a lie or stealing.
People can lie in thought, word or
deed. It basically means they are
hiding the truth. We need to real‑
ize that while we may sometimes
hide the truth from others but we
cannot hide it from God. He is all
outgoing faculties to the outward
enjoyment. Out of five outgoing
faculties of eyes, ears, nose, touch
and taste, three are
most powerful. Lust attacks us
eighty percent through eyes, four‑
teen percent through ears and six
percent through touch. So how
should we maintain chastity? We
have to just control our attention.
become purified is to take shelter
under a Living Master. The Master
through meditation process helps
us to lead an ethical life. He has
treatment for all our ailments. He
is yearning and longing to come
and bestow His love on us.
(For more visit www.sos.org)

Being active and being still

"Truth is higher than everything,
but higher still is true living." The
problem of personal conduct of
man as an individual is one of
prime importance for success in
spiritual path. In order to progress
knowing and He is watching us all
the times, so our thoughts, words
and deeds should be above board.
Next comes humility. Humility
means treating every human By Sant Rajinder
being as equal and speaking to Singh Ji Maharaj

in spiritual path, we need to devel‑
op right understanding so that we
can have right thoughts, right
words and right deeds.
Each day we have so many
shortcomings in leading an ethical
life. We have so many failures in
the areas of non‑violence, truth‑
fulness, humility, selfless service
and chastity.
Unfortunately, we have devel‑
oped ugly blemishes and are cov‑
ered with the dirt and dust of sins
we have accumulated while pass‑
ing through the wheel of life. How
many times we have gone wrong
in matters of non‑violence?
Nonviolence has several aspects.
It involves non‑injury in
thought, word and deed. We know
that we should not kill or hit any‑
one but still we are violent to
some. We may be able to develop
control over ourselves so that we
do not physically harm anyone,
but we are quite careless when it
comes to non‑violence in words
and thoughts.
We injure the feelings of so
many people, we think ill of so
many others. And because of our
grievous lack of patience, we are
prone to speak harshly. We must
weigh our words carefully. If we
can keep control on our tongue,
we will find that our issues will be
resolved lovingly and we will not
injure or be injured in the process.
For those treading the spiritual
path, truthfulness is one of ethical
virtues we need to inculcate.
Failures in truthfulness can
be broken down into categories
of falsehood, deceit, hypocrisy and
illegal gain. Some failures under
these headings are quite obvious,
F
each one in a humble tone, with a
rom childhood, our life is
sweet voice. But in reality each
a series of activities that
person thinks that he or she all
occupy our time. Parents
powerful, all‑knowing and
create a schedule for their
endowed with the greatest of
infants and toddlers. As chil‑
qualities. We are filled with ego.
dren, our life becomes a regi‑
Ego manifests in different forms
ment of one activity after anoth‑
i.e. ego based on knowledge,
er. In school, we rush about to
wealth and power. We try to
reach classes on our schedule.
flaunt our knowledge. We try to
When we graduate, we take a
overawe others with our power
job and we have a list of tasks to
and we try to prove our superiori‑
do. It seems our whole life is
ty to others on the basis of the
occupied in one activity after attaining spiritual results. we run a household, we can
riches we possess.
another. Thus, when we try to Our life is like a train rushing spend some time sitting in still‑
We should have love for all the
meditate, we find it almost along tracks of busyness. We ness to reflect on how we can
people, regardless of their social
unnatural to sit still and still our are so used to being busy that it solve our family problems or
status and position in life. The
mind. feels unnatural to stop our make life for our family better.
more we empty ourselves of our
As a society we seem to value activities to sit in silence. Yet to If we are involved in the arts,
ego, the more God's grace can
activity. The more we are seen solve a problem or create some‑ the stillness can help us tap into
enter into us.
doing, the better it looks. Few thing new, we need to take time our creativity.
Then we lack compassion. Man
people value sitting in silence. from our busy schedule to tap If we learn the art of sitting in
was created to have sympathy for
We think that if we sit still, we into our inner resources. silence, even for our worldly
his fellow beings, to share the
are not doing anything. We fear Similarly, to achieve self‑knowl‑ work, we will be able to transfer
pain, the trials and tribulations of
being labeled as lazy or incom‑ edge and God‑realization we that ability to sitting in silence
others. We should share the sor‑
petent. However, each person need to learn to sit in stillness. for meditation. We will find we
rows and afflictions of our fellows,
needs to take time from all their When we sit in stillness it may are less jumpy and restless. We
as well as of entire creation. How
busy activities and be still. look to others as if we are not can develop the ability to sit still
many opportunities for selfless
Being still has many purposes. doing anything. Yet, in stillness for the longest possible time.
service, we take advantage of? By
It is in stillness that we come up we are doing the most impor‑ We will be used to stopping our
serving selflessly, we expand our
with creative ideas. It is in still‑ tant activity in life̶finding our mind, to let our soul have its
hearts from our self to our family,
ness that we solve a difficult soul and God. Few people attain voice. When all is still, we find
to community, our country, the
problem. It is in stillness that we God in life. Why? They do not the soulʼs voice is calling for us
world and ultimately the cosmos.
have revelations. Scientists, know how to do nothing. If they to find God. If we are still, we
Selfless service comes from an
musicians, artists, poets, writ‑ would learn to sit and do noth‑ can hear the Voice of God, or
understanding that we are all
ers, philosophers, and inventors ing, they would find everything. the Music of the Spheres, the
members of one large family of
often came up with master‑ It may be good for each of us Celestial Harmony, or the holy
God. To truly perform selfless
pieces by sitting in stillness. to set aside some time daily to Word.
service, we must act without any
From the stillness arose new practice sitting in stillness. At We can balance our activities
desire for a reward or recognition.
ideas that revolutionized the our jobs, we can spend some with times in which we are still.
It is one of the goals of spirituality
world. time thinking about whether we In this way we can improve our
to help all humanity develop the
Similarly, stillness is where we are doing our work in the best meditations. By sitting still in
quality of love and service to all.
find our soul and God. God can‑ possible manner and if not, how meditation we will find that we
Chastity is the most important
not be found by outer activity; to make improvements. We may can be the most productive,
part of spiritual life. Spirituality
God can only be found within. come up with a new and better because we can attain the state
cannot dawn on a mind which is
Meditation requires stillness for way of doing things at work. If of finding God.
driven or attracted through the
TheSouthAsianTimes.info May 19-25, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info May 19-25, 2018

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