The South Asian Times
e x c e l l e n c e
Vol.11 No. 8 June 23-29, 2018 80 Cents
Aiming to make Maharashtra a trillion
dollar economy by 2025: Fadnavis
Washington: The Maharashtra
government is aspiring to make
the state the first trillion‑dollar
economy by 2025 (it is at 400
billion currenly), by investing in
infrastructure, agriculture and
services, and by leveraging for‑
eign investments in various sec‑
tors, Chief Minister Devendra
Fadnavis said during his week‑
long visit to the US and Canada
last week.
Speaking in Washington DC at
event organized by the India
Initiative of the Georgetown
University and the Center for
Continued on page 4
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis at the test site of
Virgin Hyperloop One in Las Vegas. (Photo: IANS)
Xavier Medical School graduates 52 in NYC ceremony
The Xavier University School of Medicine, Aruba held its 11th Graduation Ceremony on June 16 at St. Johnʼs University in Queens where
52 graduates received their coveted hoods and well‑earned diplomas. (Full story and more pix on page 2.)
BOLLYWOOD 16 FIFA WORLD CUP 23
i n j o u r n a l i s m
New York Edition
Kicking off Yoga Day celebrations
The weeklong celebrations for
the 4th International Day of Yoga
(June 21) began in right earnest
last weekend all over America. In
New York, Consul General
Sandeep Chakravorty and
Congresswoman Carolyn
Maloney, a yoga enthusiast her‑
self, led the event in Governors
Island against the backdrop of
Statue of Liberty and the
Manhattan skyline.
(Related stories on page 14 & 15)
IMMIGRATION 27 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
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Hispanic Congressional Caucus members protesting outside the
chamber where President Trump huddled with House
Republicans Tuesday night. (Photo courtesy AP)
Trump calls for fix
on immigration
amid family
separation uproar
Democrats have pounced on the emotive
issue and even Republicans want a halt to
the zero-tolerance border policy.
Washington: President Donald tion in a Tuesday evening meeting,
Trump urged House Republicans but he stopped short of telling
to pass broad immigration legisla‑ them he would immediately
reverse his controversial policy to
separate migrant children from
their parents at the southern bor‑
der, reported The Wall Street
Journal. He also voiced his support
for the two immigration bills in
Congress that include full funding
for his proposed wall with Mexico.
Earlier in the day, he defended
his policy of splitting up families
entering the US illegally, defying a
growing chorus of condemnation.
Speaking at a business convention,
Trump said, "I don't want children
taken away from parents. But
when you prosecute the parents
for coming in illegally ‑ which
Continued on page 4
excellence in journalism
 2 June 23-29, 2018 EVENTS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Xavier Medical School holds ceremony

for 52 graduates in NYC
T
he Xavier University Academic Affairs
School of Medicine, Aruba Dr. Richard
held its 11th Graduation Pestell, Clinical
Ceremony on June 16 at St. Chairs Dr. Paul
Johnʼs University in Queens here. Liu, Dr. Parvez
As many as 52 graduates took Mir, and Dr.
the stage to receive their coveted Sanjivan Patel,
hoods and well‑earned diplomas. Vice Chair of
Salutatorian Christophe Jerjian Internal Medicine
and Valedictorian Roopak Sekhon Dr. Ramesh Naik,
had the honor of addressing their and Prof Neelam
fellow graduates during the cere‑ Dwivedi. Salutatorian Christophe Jerjian and
mony. Christophe spoke about The keynote Valedictorian Roopak Sekhon
their responsibilities as doctors. speaker was Dr.
Roopak emphasized the impor‑ Harry Jacobson,
tance of respect for colleagues in who has an MD Chancellor
(From left) Xavier
the medical field, including those from the University ident Ravishankar
Dr. J.G. Bhat, Pres
who do not have an MD after of Illinois. He now ote Speaker
Bhooplapur, Keyn
their names. These two graduates serves as the Dr. Harry Ja co bs on, and
were honored with plaques to Managing Partner Chairm an Ed wi n Casey.
commemorate their successes. and Co‑Founder of
Xavier welcomed back an alum‑ TriStar Health
nus to address the graduates: Dr. Partners. In his address, he
A. Aboud, who is currently at emphasized the avenues opening
Michigan State University up for graduating students: It is Many
Hospital in a Family Medicine res‑ not just that they are doctors, dign ries graced
ita
idency. He gave student tips on they can now conduct research, the ceremony.
succeeding in residency, includ‑ enter into academics, and become
ing goal setting, the importance entrepreneurs.
of organization, and how to Members of the Board of Xavier University School of Medicine 2018 Graduates
acknowledge oneʼs strengths and Trustees also spoke giving advice 1. Abdulmuttableb Al Soufi 19. Manpreet Kaur 37. Rochard Sauveur *
weaknesses and learn from mis‑ to students for their future. 2. Amar Gokli 20. Marcus Jennings 38. Roopak Sekhon *
takes. Xavier encourages alumni Chancellor Dr. J.G. Bhat talked 3. Andrea Hernandez * 21. Maria Belaev 39. Samer Al‑Daheen
to continue their involvement about the changing medical field, 4. Angitha Alex 22. Michael Arroyo 40. Sean Arora
with their alma mater. and how students now need to 5. Biju Kallumkal 23. Mohammed Hnoosh 41. Seshu Pisipati
Dignitaries who graced the study societal concerns in medi‑ 6. Chidelu Onyeani‑Nwosu * 24. Mohsin Altaf 42. Seung Eun Kim
event included Chairman Edwin cine whereas in the past it was 7. Christophe Jerjian * 25. Nabeel Borazan 43. Shabnam Zahedi
Casey, Chancellor Dr. J.G. Bhat, purely about diagnosis. Chairman 8. Dale Adebayo 26. Nabil Ahmed 44. Shannon Arora
President Ravishankar Edwin Casey defined success and 9. David Martinez 27. Naval Walia * 45. Sheila Joshi
Bhooplapur, Trustees Dr. Obi love, and stated the importance of 10. Fahad Nagaria 28. Nejma Louahlia 46. Shivan Patel
Nwasokwa, Dr. Anthony Shallash, sharing success with others. 11. Farah Khan 29. Neveen Al‑Atiyat 47. Suha Qasem
Frank Croes, and Dr. Ravindra Finally, President Ravishankar 12. Harija Khan 30. Parshotam Kundan 48. Tatyana Beaubrun
Kota, Advisor Dr. Dayan Naik, Bhooplapur talked about the 13. Hashem Rifai 31. Pooja Bathija 49. Terence Riley
Chief Academic Officer Dr. Arun growing technology available to 14. Jenna Rabadi‑Innabi 32. Pooja Solanki 50. Utsav Aiya
Dubey, Associate Provost Dr. these new graduates, but how 15. Jessica Kainth 33. Pratick Patel 51. Vishal Ganta
Burton Herz, Clinical Deans Dr. they must always remember to be 16. Karisma Kothari 34. Rafay Cheema 52. Zain Nagaria
Joseph Balsamo and Dr. Ahmad empathetic towards their 17. Kaycee Umeoji * 35. Rami Sakaan
Abazid, Vice President of patients. 18. Majd Jazaerly 36. Robert Statz * With honors

Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti USA Chapter launched in NJ

A
himsa Vishwa Bharti Foundation
USA was inaugurated by USA and India should work
Ambassador of Peace Acharya Dr.
Lokesh Muni, in the company of FIA
together for World Peace,
Chairman and President Ramesh Patel Acharya Lokesh Muni said at
Srujal Parikh, Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir
Parikh, Chairman of Ahimsa Vishwa the event in New Jersey.
Bharti Foundation USA (AVBF) Anil
with our social welfare activities. With
Monga, President of AVBF Piyush Patel,
the USA chapter now work here will be
Vice President of AVBF Karamjeet
enhanced.”
Dhaliwal, COO Dr. Raj Bhayani and NJ
Those who spoke included Anil Kumar
team of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti. On the
Monga, Piyush Patel and Karamjeet
occasion Acharya Lokesh said that USA
Dhaliwal.
and India should work together for world non‑violence and brotherhood, to ing to USA for last one decade. Here I Attendees included Pradeep Kothari,
peace and harmony. Ahimsa Vishwa encourage human values. It aims to asso‑ have seen not only people of Indian ori‑ Rajeev Bhambri, Sunil Modi, Ankur
Bharti has been continuously working ciate religion with social work to eradi‑ gin, but people from different parts of Vaidya, Hemant Kaushik, Prof Bipin
for last 13 years not only in India but cate social evils and bring social welfare. the world serving society in a selfless Sangankar, Jeetu Bhai Fadiya, Kanak
globally to establish peace, harmony, The Acharya added: “I have been com‑ manner. Many are already associated Golia.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
US pulls out of ʻbiasedʼ UN Human Rights Council
Washington: The US has pulled out of the
United Nations Human Rights Council.
The body is "hypocritical and self‑serving"
and "makes a mockery of human rights",
said Nikki Haley, the US envoy to the UN.
Haley last year accused the council of
"chronic anti‑Israel bias" and said the US was
reviewing its membership, a BBC report said.
Formed in 2006, the council has been criti‑
cized for allowing countries with question‑
able human rights records to be members.
UN Secretary‑General António Guterres, in
a statement, said he would have "much pre‑
ferred" the US to remain in the council.
The UN human rights commissioner, Zeid
Ra'ad Al Hussein, called the US withdrawal
"disappointing, if not really surprising,
news". The New York‑based group Human
Rights Watch condemned the move, and
called President Trump's human rights poli‑
cy "one‑dimensional".
There should be no distinction Sen. Rand Paul voices support
for RHCʼs ʻLegal Dreamerʼ issue
between 'good' and 'bad'
terrorism: Kovind tells EU
Athens: Indian President Ram Nath Kovind
on Tuesday urged the European Union
(EU) nations to not make a distinction
between "good" and "bad" terrorism and
called for their partnership in battling ter‑
ror taking root in the region between
then.
Addressing a Greek foreign policy think
tank on the topic 'India and Europe in a
Changing World', Kovind underlined
India's commitment to world peace and
cited the steps it has taken to further it.
"India and the EU must persuade the
world to not distinguish between so‑called
'good' and 'bad' terrorists, to shame and
sanction state sponsors of terrorism, and
to strengthen multilateral platforms such
as the Financial Action Task Force and the
Global Counter‑Terrorism Forum," he said
at the Hellenic Foundation for European
and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), as per an
official statement. The President said that
radicalization and terrorism are pressing
global concerns and pockets of instability
and extremism can be found in the region
to Europe's east and India's west.
"They are a worry for both Europe and
India," he said.
Kovind assured the Europeans also of
India's sincerity in combating the global
pollution and promises made in the 2015
TRISTATE COMMUNITY
The move comes amid intense criticism
over the Trump administration's policy of
separating child migrants from their parents
at the US‑Mexico border. UN human rights
chief has called the policy "unconscionable".
Haley announced the US's intention to quit
the council at a joint news conference with
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
She called the council a "cesspool of politi‑
cal bias", but stressed: "I want to make it
crystal clear that this step is not a retreat
from our human rights commitments."
Last year, she told the council it was "hard
to accept" that resolutions had been passed
against Israel yet none had been considered
for Venezuela, which at the time saw dozens
of protesters killed during political turmoil.
Israel is the only country that is subject to
a permanent standing agenda item, meaning
its treatment of the Palestinians is regularly
scrutinized.
President Ram Nath Kovind met Greece
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
Paris Agreement.
He said India's share of non‑fossil fuel
usage will be up from "current 31 per cent
to 53 per cent by 2027" and that it is tar‑
geting 175 gigawatts of renewable ener‑
gy, of which 100 gigawatts will be solar
energy.
Kovind said India‑Greek trade at $530
million is way below its potential and with
some efforts, this can easily be made to
cross $1 billion.
He invited Greek industries to invest in
various Indian enterprises.
June 23-29, 2018 3
US envoy to UN Nikki Haley and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
made the announcement together. (Photo courtesy AFP)
By SATimes Team
Washington DC: The Republican Hindu
Coalition (RHC), founded by Chicago‑based
businessman Shalabh Kumar who is close to
President Trump, held a rally outside Capitol
Hill on June 13 to make the White House
aware of their offer to help build his wall on
the southern border and also to ensure that
America gets to know about DALCA, or
Deferred Action for Legal Childhood Arrivals.
DALCA refers to the kids of H1‑B holders
US Senator Rand Paul addressing the RHC rally in
who are approved for their green cards but
front of the Capitol building in Washington DC.
due to the 60‑year backlog, the children age
out and are forced to leave their family by the father Shalabh Kumar, said when DALCA kids
time they turn 21. The estimated number of have to leave the country, in most cases the
DALCA kids is 200,000. entire family leaves the USA. There are many
The distinction from just plain DACA is that others who are moving to Canada. This is
the sought‑after pathway to citizenship only where there is a major brain drainage.”
applies to children who were brought here The fight of RHC for children of H1‑B hold‑
illegally. The RHC says that the children who ers is something that Trump agrees with.
have come here legally, with their parents, The RHC has been proposing to reduce the
also deserve the same protection. green card backlog for Indians to five years by
Senator Paul Rand addressed the rally, prais‑ removing the 7% country quota. What RHC is
ing the Indian American community for their proposing, Vikram added, is that the US follow
contribution to the country and promised to a merit‑based system like Canada does.
act legislatively to address the issue of green “Trump agrees that the 60+ years is an out‑
card backlog faced by Indian immigrants rageous wait time. He even told my family at
because of country quotas. Trump has ordered Mar‑a‑Lago that five years that we are propos‑
for DACA to be scrapped but decisions in court ing is also too long,” Vikram said.
have stayed the Obama era policy. June 25 is There are about 3.5 million Indians in the
the self‑inflicted deadline by the House GOP to US, making them among the fastest growing
secure legal status for the Dreamers by at immigrants in the country. While the Indian
least a few more years. government under Narendra Modi has contin‑
Speaking to News18, Vikram Aditya Kumar, uously batted for H1‑B visas, Vikram said that
who has taken over as chair of RHC from his Modi needed to do more.
 4 June 23-29, 2018
J&K placed under Governor's Rule after President's approval
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir was placed
under the Governor's Rule on Wednesday
following President Ram Nath Kovind's
approval.
Governor, N.N. Vohra sought Kovind's
approval on Tuesday after the BJP deci‑
sion to pull out of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP)‑led state government which
was immediately followed by the resigna‑
tion of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
Vohra's recommendations for imposition
of the Governor's Rule was made under
the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir
Constitution which allows the state to be
placed under the rule for six months. If an
elected government fails to take of fice
within the six‑month period, the state can
then be placed under the President's rule.
Jammu and Kashmir has a constitution
of its own which runs concomitantly with
Trump calls for fix on
immigration amid family
separation uproar
Continued from page 1
should happen ‑ you have to take the chil‑
dren away." He also claimed that separating
families was "the only solution" to end ille‑
gal immigration.
US immigration officials say 2,342 chil‑
dren have been separated from parents
from May 5 to June 9.
Trump has blamed "Democrat‑supported
loopholes" in federal law for the family sepa‑
rations, but critics of the policy say the
recent spike is due to the enforcement of US
Attorney General Jeff Sessions' "zero toler‑
ance" approach.
As TV channels repeatedly showed pic‑
tures of the separated children crying and
steel cages holding kids, Congressional
Republicans beat a full‑scale retreat Monday
from the administrationʼs zero‑tolerance
border policy, joining Democrats to demand
that President Trump stop jailing parents
and find ways to keep families together
while trying to stop a new surge of illegal
immigration.
High‑profile Republicans said they are
writing bills that would end family separa‑
tions. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said heʼs writ‑
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TURN PAGE
the Indian Constitution.
It is for the fourth time that Vohra will
be running the affairs of the state adminis‑
tration directly.
The Governor's Rule was first imposed in
the state by then Governor L.K. Jha on
March 26, 1977, when the Congress with‑
drew support to the minority government
headed by Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.
In March 1986, it was imposed for the
second time following the withdrawal of
support by Congress to the G.M.Shah‑led
government.
In January 1990, the Governor's Rule
was imposed for the third time when the
then Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah
resigned following the appointment of
Jagmohan as the Governor of the state.
It was imposed for the fourth time in
October 2002 when Farooq Abdullah
ing legislation that would double the num‑
ber of immigration judges, vastly expand the
amount of space detention space Homeland
Security has to hold families, and push for
faster decisions on asylum claims so people
get quick answers and can either be
released if they are deserving, or deported if
they are rejected.
“While these cases are pending, families
should stay together. Children belong with
their mothers and fathers,” Mr. Cruz said.
Sen. John Cornyn, also of Texas, said heʼll
revive a bill he wrote four years ago, back
when the first surge of illegal immigrant
children and families overwhelmed the
Obama administration and sent Homeland
Security scrambling to buy more detention
beds for families.
Former first lady Laura Bush also weighed
in, comparing family separations to intern‑
ment of Japanese‑Americans during World
War II.
But Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen
Nielsen said both President Obama and
President George W. Bush ̶ Mrs. Bushʼs
husband ̶oversaw family separations at
the border on their watch, too. “Their rate
was less than ours, but they absolutely did
this,” she said.
White House press secretary Sarah
Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra
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Associate Editor
Hiral Dholakia-Dave
Contributing Editors: Prof. Shivaji
Sengupta, Surekha Vijh (Washington, DC),
Suchitra Srinivas (New Jersey),
Melvin Durai, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma,
Ashok Vyas, and Dr Akshat Jain
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
refused to continue as the caretaker Chief
Minister following his party's defeat in the
Assembly elections.
In June 2008, the Governor's Rule was
imposed following the withdrawal of
PDP's support to the Ghulam Nabi Azad‑
led government.
In January 2015, following his party's
failure to get a majority in Assembly elec‑
tions, Omar Abdullah refused to continue
as caretaker Chief Minister pushing the
state into the Governor's Rule for the sixth
time. Following the death of the former
Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed
on January 7, 2016, Vohra assumed reins
of administration imposing Governor's
Rule for the seventh time.
Vohra's term of office was slated to end
on June 25. Kovind however, extended
Vohra's term of office for three months.
Huckabee Sanders added that it was Mr.
Bush who signed a key 2008 law that the
administration blames for helping create
the conditions that lead to family separa‑
tion.
Aiming to make Maharashtra
a trillion‑dollar economy by
2025: Fadnavis
Continued from page 1
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), he
gave a presentation on the achievements of
the his government in the last four years,
including efforts to achieve the goal of a
drought‑free state, massive investment in
the infrastructure sector, including trans‑
portation and marching ahead in the new
technology sector like artificial intelligence.
Fadnavis has also set the ball rolling for
his pet project, Mumbai‑Pune hyperloop
that is expected to bring down the travel
time from three to four hours to merely 25
minutes. He met the top bosses of Virgin
Hyperloop One in Nevada to finalize key
details of the project, for which he had
signed an MoU in February.
In Washington DC, the CM met the World
Bank CEO and got positive response for two
projects: rural transformation through sus‑
tainable livelihood in 10,000 villages and a
Jaipur Bureau
Prakash Bhandari
Prakash@TheSouthAsianTimes.info
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
General Electric dropped
from Dow after 100 years
New York: General Electric (G.E.) the last original
member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average was
dropped from the blue‑chip index for the first time in
110 years and replaced by the Walgreens Boots
Alliance drugstore chain.
The Tuesday night decision was a fresh blow to
General Electric the iconic maker of light bulbs and
jet engines which has stumbled badly in recent years,
reports The New York Times.
Last year John L. Flannery, the company's new chief
executive warned that the power‑generation unit was
reeling. G.E. cut its dividend for only the second time
since the Great Depression. In January G.E. surprised
investors by taking a big charge and setting aside
$15 billion over seven years to pay for obligations
held by GE Capital the company s financial services
unit mainly on long‑term care insurance policies.
Over the last year G.E' s shares have fallen 55 per
cent compared with a 15 per cent gain for the Dow.
multimodal transport corridor in the
Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The bank
also agreed to provide greater support for
rural solar grid and drought mitigation. “It
was notable to see the World Bank appreci‑
ating Maharashtraʼs land acquisition reform
policy, which mandates consent and highest
compensation,” he added.
In New York, Fadnavis met former city
mayor Mike Bloomberg. The Bloomberg
Group had inked an MoU in 2015 with his
state on curbing road mishaps and fatalities.
Bloomberg told Fadnavis that the group
would like to increase the scope of that
MoU. He also said that the group is interest‑
ed in working jointly with start‑up compa‑
nies in the field of Fin‑Tech.
Fadnavis also attended a program titled
'Mumbai meets Manhattan' hosted by the
Consulate General of India in New York and
the Friends of Maharashtra. He interacted
with the audience in Marathi where 500
prominent Maharashtrians were present. He
told them that Maharashtra is the fastest
growing state in India and has regained its
top position.
He also said that Maharashtra is driving
India's growth story while Mumbai is trans‑
forming itself by maintaining its own
identity.
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Indian‑American mother's
crusade leads to conviction
of son's murderer
Carbondale: After a four‑year crusade by an
Indian‑American mother seeking justice for
her murdered son, the assailant has finally
been convicted. A jury on Thursday found
Gaege Bethune guilty of Pravin Varughese's
murder in Carbondale in 2014, according to
media reports.
After the verdict, Pravin's mother Lovely
Varug hese told the Chicago Tribune:
"Pravin's day finally came. He can rest in
peace now."
After authorities had dismissed Pravin's
death as an accident, his mother waged the
relentless crusade mobilizing politicians,
media and the public.
Under pressure, authorities ordered a
fresh investigation and appointed a special
prosecutor. Carbondale Police Chief Jody
O'Guinn was also dismissed. Bethune now
faces a sentence of 20 years to 60 years.
The 19‑year‑old Pravin's body was found
in a forested area in a frozen condition in
February 2014, four days after the Southern
Illinois University student went missing.
The local coroner declared his death an
accident caused by exposure to extreme
cold.
But his family commissioned an independ‑
ent post‑mortem which found that he had
died from a severe blow to his head and had
other injuries. Lovely Varughese held sever‑
al news conferences and addressed vigils to
draw attention to the finding.
Volunteers from Archangels of Justice, a
retired law enforcement officials' organiza‑
tion, researched the case and wrote a report
that pointed to Bethune.
The family's campaign rallied the support
of community, with over 500 people attend‑
ing his death anniversary observance.
Congressman Danny K. Davis took up the
issue with the Justice Department and
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, then‑
Congressman Bob Dold and former Illinois
Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon joined
Trump administration reconfirms
intent to rescind H4 rule
Washington, DC: The Trump administration
has reconfirmed its intent to rescind H‑4
rule regarding employment authorisation to
certain spouses of H‑1B visas, popular
among Indian IT professionals.
"Removing H‑4 Dependent Spouses From
the Class of Aliens Eligible for Employment
Authorization," said the Department of
Homeland Security's Unified Agenda in the
federal register notification of its semi‑annu‑
al regulatory agenda.
As per the notification, the Department of
Homeland Security is proposing to remove
from its regulations certain H‑4 spouses of
H‑1B nonimmigrants as a class of aliens eli‑
gible for employment authorization. It was
in February 2015 that it had published a
final rule extending eligibility for employ‑
ment authorization to certain H‑4 depend‑
ent spouses of H‑1B nonimmigrants who are
seeking employment‑based lawful perma‑
TRISTATE COMMUNITY June 23-29, 2018 5
Pravin Varughese,
mother Lovely Varughese
the demand for a proper investigation.
Lovely Varughese also filed a case against
Carbondale, its police department and
O'Guin alleging negligence and seeking $5
million in damages.
The local prosecutor, Michael Carr, who
initially took up the case removed himself
from it after failing to get a grand jury to
charge Bethune.
Special Prosecutor David Robinson, who
was appointed to take it up, tried the case
and got Bethune convicted.
The charge against Bethune said that even
though Pravin might have frozen to death it
"was a natural and foreseeable consequence
of that independent felonious conduct" of
the aggravated assault by Bethune.
The prosecution said that Bethune had
given Pravin a lift and allegedly went look‑
ing for cocaine, according to the St. Louis
Post‑Dispatch. A dispute ensued over money
when Pravin made him stop the vehicle and
got out. Bethune then attacked him and took
the money, leaving Pravin injured and in
early stages of hypothermia, the newspaper
said quoting the special prosecutor. A state
police trooper who passed by questioned
Bethune but let him of f after he told him
that he had picked up a hitch‑hiker who
tried to rob him and that he had chased him
into the woods. (IANS)
nent resident (LPR) status.
The federal register notification said that
the notice of proposed rulemaking or NPRM
would be published in June.
However, the US Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) insisted that
"No decision about H4 visas is final until"
the rulemaking process is completed.
USCIS will alert the public when the
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) has
been posted for public comment.
An NPRM is posted for public comment
and after comments have been considered
USCIS will post the final rule, a USCIS official
told PTI requesting anonymity. "The agency
is considering a number of policy and regu‑
latory changes to carry out the President's
Buy American, Hire American Executive
Order, including a thorough review of
employment‑based visa programs," Michael
Bars, USCIS Spokesperson told PTI.
6 June 23-29, 2018 TRISTATE COMMUNITY TheSouthAsianTimes.info

IN BRIEF
Xoom enhances money transfers Dr. Zachariah P. Zachariah
to India with higher send limits honored at American Heart
Send $25,000 per Association 2018 Heart Ball
D
transaction with competitive r. Zachariah P. Zachariah, one of
exchange rates the nationʼs leading cardiolo‑
gists, Medical Director of

X
oom, PayPalʼs digital money trans‑
fer service, announced the intro‑
duction of increased send limits
with highly competitive exchange rates
when using Xoomʼs website and mobile
app. Customers can now transfer up to
$25,000 in a single transaction, giving
Indians the option of sending larger
amounts of money to pay for things like
education, healthcare, utility bills and gen‑
eral support for family members living in
another country. The ability to send larger
amounts of money to India using simply a
mobile device provides an added level of
convenience that Xoom customers have
come to enjoy.
According to the World Bank, India
received $69 billion in remittances last
year, accepting the largest amount of
inbound remittances than any other coun‑
try. This remittance upsurge is expected to
continue in 2018 as India is also the
largest source of migrants globally.
“Xoom is deeply committed to delivering
the best possible money transfer experi‑
ence for our customers around the world,”
said Julian King, Vice President and
General Manager, Xoom. “We know our
Indian customers want to send larger
amounts of money cross‑border, so weʼre
thrilled to bring $25,000 bank transfers
to India with this enhancement.”
Established in 2001 and acquired by
PayPal in 2015, Xoom is a fast and secure
way to send money, pay bills and reload
phones for loved ones in more than 70
countries globally. To send money inter‑
nationally in a few simple steps, download
Xoomʼs mobile app on Android and iOS or
go to xoom.com.
UHealth Cardiology in Fort Lauderdale
was honored by The American Heart
Association at their annual Broward
Heart Ball on Saturday, May 19th at the
Ritz Carlton in Ft. Lauderdale.
Dr. Zachariah, an Indian American
cardiologist was honored for his lifelong
work as a practicing cardiologist and for
his commitment to his community, and
for being instrumental in impacting
many people affected by heart disease
both locally and nationally.
“Itʼs a great honor and itʼs humbling to
be recognized by the noble organiza‑
tion, The American Heart Association,
the nationʼs oldest and largest voluntary
organization dedicated to fighting heart
disease and stroke, with a mission to
foster appropriate cardiac care in an
effort to reduce disability and deaths Dr Zachariah was honored for his
caused by cardiovascular disease and lifelong work and commitment to
stroke for nearly a century through community

$1 Million for a Halal and Kosher funding of innovative research, fight for
stronger public health policies, and pro‑
The American Heart Association raised
nearly a million dollars. The American

Lunch Pilot in NYC vide critical tools and information to

save and improve lives.”
Heart Associationʼs Heart Ball is a
nationwide gala that celebrates the

B
uried in the just released NYC
Budget for fiscal year 2019 is a $1
million allocation for a “Halal and
Kosher School Lunch Pilot,” one of a few
“food initiatives” totaling $7.4 million.
City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer, who
has supported the introduction of halal
and kosher food in the schools, said in a
statement on June 14 that the pilot pro‑
gram is “a critical first step toward level‑
ing the playing field for our students not
American Natya Festival
celebrates a decadeʼs success
Attended by hundreds of Browardʼs organizationʼs mission and success in
only in the cafeteria, but in the classroom
medical, social, and philanthropic influ‑ building healthier lives, free of cardio‑
– because only when young people have
encers in the community, at the gala, vascular diseases and stroke.
access to sufficient healthy food can they
reach their full academic and social
potential.” Stringer noted that just last
month, his office convened Jewish and
Muslim leaders, community stakeholders
Indian‑American named CFO
and food advocates “to discuss this uni‑
versal food initiative and build momen‑
of General Motors
tum toward this longstanding goal.” Detroit: US automobile giant General
(Source: Voices of NY) Motors announced last Wednesday that
they have promoted their Vice President
of Corporate Finance, the 39‑year‑old
Dhivya Suryadevara, to the Chief
Financial Officer position. The first
female CFO appointed by GM, she suc‑
ceeds Chuck Stevens with effect from

with dance drama fest in St Louis September 1.

Suryadevara played a crucial role in

A
city rich in history and diversity,
St. Louis is also becoming the
“capital” of Indian classical dance.
From June 8‑17, the city hosted Indian
dancers from around the world at the
10th American Natya Festival. This 10‑
day dance festival included a week of
dance workshops at Just Dancing Studios
and culminated in the festival itself June
15‑17 at Rockwood Summit High School.
The organizer – Soorya Performing Arts
– commemorated the 10‑year anniversary
by focusing on education, performance,
and recognition. Other highlights of the
Festival were Natya Idol, a national classi‑
cal dance competition June 16‑17; pres‑
entation of lifetime achievement awards;
and 18 mesmerizing performances from
groups across the country.
This festival is the first and only Indian
Classical Dance Drama Festival in the
country. The annual platform to create,
discuss, present works, and showcase
new ideas is part of a multi‑pronged task
of to preserve and promote this age‑old
dance style. This year, more than 150
artists entertained the growing interna‑
tional audience who flock to this yearly
event that provides a rare opportunity for
dance enthusiasts to enjoy the prestigious
Indian American classical dance compa‑
nies rarely seen in St. Louis.
The festivalʼs director, Guru Prasanna
Kasthuri, enjoys seeing his dream of mak‑
ing St. Louis an Indian classical dance hub
unfold. “Itʼs a beautiful amalgamation of
Indian tradition with a creative American
mind...Many artists bring out the most
beautiful dance projects which many
could not even imagine. St. Louisʼ art lov‑
ing community always comes and enjoys
these beautiful art forms. We wonʼt fail
them this year, because it will be a treat
of dances.”
some of the most lucrative and big deals
of GM such as the divestment of the
Opel, acquisition of Cruise, a self‑driving
vehicle startup, and investment in Lyft.
GM in its official announcement about
her appointment shared how
Suryadevara in the last 13 years of her
service with the company, achieved the
following milestones for the company.
* Upsized and renewed GM's $14.5 bil‑
lion revolving credit facility
* Helped achieve ratings upgrades
from all three credit ratings agencies and
* Outstanding performance in complet‑
ing $2 billion in notes issuance to fund
discretionary pension contributions
In July 2017 she was designated as
Vice President for Corporate Finance
where she was assigned the job of over‑
seeing investor relations.
"Dhivya's experience and leadership in
several key roles throughout our finan‑
Dhivya Suryadevara was GMʼs VP
Corporate Finance
cial operations positions her well to
build on the strong business results
we've delivered over the last several
years," GM CEO Mary T. Barra said in a
statement.
Suryadevara earned her M. Com from
the University of Madras in Chennai. She
moved to the US at the age of 22 to pur‑
sue her MBA from Harvard University.
She worked at UBS and Pricewater
houseCoopers before joining GM in
2005 at the age of 25.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY June 23-29, 2018 7

Cognizant makes CEO D'Souza Indian-American honored as "Piper

Board Vice Chairman
Bengaluru: US‑based global software major
Cognizant announced it had appointed CEO
Francisco D'Souza as Vice Chairman of its
Board.
"The Board of Directors appointed D'Souza
as Vice‑Chairman in addition to his current
role as CEO," said Cognizant in a statement
from Teaneck in New Jersey state.
The Indian‑born D'Souza has been the IT
major's CEO since 2007, with software devel‑
opment centres at Bengaluru, Chennai and
Hyderabad in the subcontinent.
"Since D'Souza assumed the CEO role, the
company has grown more than seven‑fold, to a
Fortune 200 firm, with $15 billion in revenues
in 2017. Every year under his leadership, we
have been ranked as one of Fortune's most
admired companies," said Cognizant Chairman
John Klein in the statement.
D'Souza has also been recognised as one of
America's Best CEOs by Institutional Investor
and as one of the top 10 on Fortune's
Businessperson of the Year ranking.
"Cognizant has become one of the world's
leading technology services firms based on a
unique 'client‑first' culture. The leadership
team has been at the vanguard of the shifts in
technology and the company has invested in
digital over the years to achieve a differentiat‑
ed market position," said Klien.
Francisco D'Souza has been the IT major's
CEO since 2007 (Image : livemint.com)
Terming the appointment to the Board as a
great honor, D'Souza said as the company was
becoming 25 years old, the market opportuni‑
ty has never been greater to focus on creating
the digital leaders of tomorrow.
"Our accomplishments over the years belong
to the leadership team and our dedicated
group of 260,000 associates the world over,
who help our clients build stronger business‑
es," he said. (IANS)
Professor" for superior teaching
Houston, Texas: Indian American dents ‑ those who overcame odds and
Professor Saleha Khumawala has been were the first in their family to graduate
chosen as a "Piper Professor" by from college, those who
a Texas‑based non‑profit organi‑ sat on a plane for the
zation for superior teaching at first time to go to India,
the college level. Dr Khumawala, and those who have
Robert Grinaker Professor of now gone on to found
Accounting at the CT Bauer businesses or become
College of Business at the leaders of Big 4
University of Houston (UH), is accounting firms," she
the 12th faculty member of the added. Dr Khumawala is
varsity to get the honor. The also the founding direc‑
honor is given only in Texas to tor of the Stimulating
those who provide superior
Prof Saleha Khumawala Urban Renewal through
(Image : uh.edu)
teaching at the college level by Entrepreneurship (SURE)
the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation, Program. She leads the Study Abroad
which was founded in 1950. In its 60th India Program, which is a 17‑day trip to
year, the Texas‑based non‑profit organiza‑ various cities in India that includes visits
tion supports charitable, scientific and with officials and government, corporate
educational undertakings. Every year, it and educational institutions.
selects 10 people from the state and hon‑ "T he work done by Professor
ors them. "This is a tremendous recogni‑ Khumawala is truly awe‑inspiring. Her
tion that illustrates the amount of teach‑ achievements embody the ideal faculty
ing and various opportunities that I have member at the University of Houston ‑ an
been af forded throughout my career. I individual dedicated to research, teaching
could not have done this without the sup‑ and service," UH Senior Vice President for
port I have received from my family, par‑ Academic Af fairs and Provost, Paula
ticularly my husband, my colleagues and Myrick Short said.
my students. I am truly indebted to each "It is through the achievements and
and every one of them," Dr Khumawala efforts of individuals like Dr Khumawala
said in a statement. "Through all this, my that UH continues to move the needle as a
proudest accomplishments are my stu‑ Tier One institution." (PTI)

High profile prostitution Suresh Iyer named president

racket busted, Tollywood
producer, wife arrested
Washington: An Indian‑origin cou‑
ple has been arrested for allegedly
running a high‑end prostitution ring
in the United States by luring at
least five actresses from Tollywood
and advertising them for sex at
Indian conferences and cultural
events across the country, according
to a media report.
The prostitution racket was mas‑
terminded by Kishan Modugumudi,
34, an Indian businessman who rose
to become a player in the Telugu
film industry and co‑produced sev‑
eral hit films, Chicago Tribune
reported. The ring charged clients
up to $3,000 for each sexual
encounter, according to a 42‑page
criminal complaint filed in US
District Court in Chicago. Kishan
Modugumudi and his wife Chandra,
31, also allegedly kept detailed
ledgers of the sex acts performed by
each girl, including where they
occurred and how much they col‑
lected, the report said.
While here on temporary visas, at
least five actresses were sometimes
forced to stay in a dingy, two‑story
apartment building in Chicago's
Belmont Cragin neighborhood wait‑
ing for their next "date," the charges
alleged. They also met clients in
hotels at conferences in Dallas, New
Jersey and Washington.
The complaint alleged that Kishan
Modugumudi threatened the life of
one of the actresses and her family
if she told law enforcement the
truth about what she did while in
the country.
Kishan Modugumudi and his wife
have been in federal custody since
agents arrested them in late April in
suburban Washington, on a warrant,
records show.
of Ekal Vidyalaya USA
New York: Suresh Iyer has become
the new president of Ekal Vidyalaya
USA. In 2002, Iyer was asked by a
friend to host the organizationʼs
founder Shyam Gupta
in a last minute change
of plans and within
hours, he became a
donor.
From a donor he
gradually became
more involved as a vol‑
unteer, chapter presi‑
dent, Chairman of the
Suresh Iyer
Board and now the president,
according to a press release.
Iyer absorbed the importance of
education and the spirit of service
early in life as though his family
lacked monetary resources his
mother was determined to educate
all six of her children.
As they did well in school, she
cleared out the balcony so they
could coach other children who
were not faring as well for free.
After graduating and securing his
first paying job at the Indian Space
Research Organization
as a scientist, the first
thing Iyer did was to
fund the education of
several children who
were academically
good but couldnʼt
afford the fees in his
school in Bengaluru.
After working at Air
India and Tata Consultancy Services
in the U.S., Iyer started his own com‑
pany in 2002 called Infospectrum,
which provides tracking software
for aerospace maintenance as well
as real time tracking of transporta‑
tion assets. Though Iyer is happy
with his entrepreneurial back‑
ground, his work with Ekal “brings a
different level of satisfaction.”
The Ekal movement started in
1989 with one village and one
school and today, there is an Ekal
school in 70,000 villages in India
offering free schooling, vocational
training, digital competence and
agricultural education.
Iyer makes it a point to visit a
school every time he visits India and
as president he is excited to take
Ekal to the next level.
Ekal raised nearly $8 million last
year and this year, aims to raise
more than $10 million.
Iyer is also working on putting a
system of donor communication in
place, intends to strengthen those
Ekal chapters that need a little boost
and wants “Ekalʼs message to be out
in the world loudly and clearly.” Iyer
has always had the support of his
loving wife Kanaka and their two
sons Vasant and Sumant, both of
whom have interned at Ekal villages.
 8 June 23-29, 2018
Illinois Jain temple to
celebrate silver jubilee
Bartlett, Illinois: The Jain Society of
Metropolitan Chicago ( JSMC),
Bartlett Illinois, is preparing for a
grand ce lebration of the 25th
anniversary of its temple from
June 22 to July 1 here. More than
4000 people are expected to wit‑
ness this historical celebration.
This will be the first Jain temple in
North America with “Shikhar” or
dome to complete 25 years. A num‑
ber of dignitaries, speakers, and
faith leaders from US and India will
grace the occasion. With the mis‑
sion of preserving and sharing Jain
way of life, JSMC has grown great
with 1900+ proud life members
(families) and expanded its facili‑
ties in a 17.5‑acre lot with a monu‑
mental temple and Community
Center.
Since 1970s, Chicago has experi‑
enced tremendous growth in popu‑
lation. A great part of this growth
has come about as Chicago has
become more international in char‑
acter. Story of Jains in Chicago par‑
allels that of Chicago. During this
brie f perio d, Jain populat ion
exploded from less than thirty fam‑
ilies to more than nineteen hun‑
dred families. Jains built a beauti‑
ful eighty four thousand square
feet Jain Center and Temple at 435
North Route 59, on the northeast
corner of Route 59 and Route 20 in
Bartlett, Illinois. President of JSMC
executive committee Vipul Shah is
very excited and mentioned that,
“This is a milestone year for all
Jains in and around Chicago and
indeed the whole of US. We have
Harvard University admission policies
biased against Asian-Americans?
Boston: Harvard University killed
an internal investigation in 2013
that found evidence the Ivy League
school's admissions system is
biased against Asian‑American
applicants, a nonprofit group suing
the university alleged in a court fil‑
ing on Friday. The claim by
Students for Fair Admissions Inc
came in a brief that sought to have
a federal judge in Boston rule in its
favor without a trial in a closely
watched lawsuit accusing Harvard
of discriminating against Asian‑
Americans. The group, headed by
prominent anti‑affirmative action
activist Edward Blum, said evi‑
dence showed that Harvard had
allowed race to become a dominant
consideration in considering appli‑
cants rather than just a legally
allowed "plus" factor.
"Incontrovertible evidence shows
that Harvard's admissions policy
has a disproportionately negative
effect on Asian‑Americans vis‑à‑vis
similarly situated white applicants
that cannot be explained on non‑
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
4000 people are expected to take part in the celebrations.
put in a lot of planning to ensure
that all our guests have a great
experience.” Chairman and Board
of Trustees of JSMC, Atul Shah
added, “Our unity, dedicated volun‑
teers, visionary leaders and gener‑
ous donors, over the last 25 years
is the main reason that we are a
role model Jain society in North
America.”
T he ten days ce le brat ion
includes various religious, cultural,
educational and entertainment
events to keep the audience
enthralled. There is also a separate
track of activities for youth and
young adults. Planning for the cele‑
bration has been going on for the
last 6 months and has now reached
a feverish pace with over 200 vol‑
unteers working to put finishing
touches w ith the Execut ive
Committee and Board of Trustees
leadership.
discriminatory grounds," the group
said in its brief. Cambridge,
Massachusetts‑based Harvard in its
own brief on Friday denied dis‑
criminating against Asian‑
Americans.
In court papers, Arlington,
Virginia‑based Students for Fair
Admissions said an Asian‑American
male applicant with a 25 percent
chance of admission would have a
35 percent chance if he was white,
75 percent if he were Hispanic and
a 95 percent chance if he were
black. The brief did not provide a
similar breakdown for women.
It said that in 2013, a Harvard
research division found that over a
decade Asian‑American admission
rates were lower than those for
whites annually even though
whites only outperformed Asian‑
American applicants on a subjec‑
tive rating of a student's personali‑
ty. But the group said Harvard ulti‑
mately killed the study and buried
the reports from it.
(Source: Reuters)
PR & Media co‑leads Hemant
Shah (past Chairman) and Dr.
Mukesh Doshi (past Chairman) also
explained, “We are building on a
very successful legacy of 48 years
of JSMC.” Chicago is very fortunate
to have remarkable history of the
first Jain who landed 125 years
ago – when Shri Virchand Raghavji
Gandhi pioneered Jainism in west‑
ern world and represented Jains in
first parliament of World religious
conference he ld in Chicago in
1893. Therefore, the roots of Jain
religion were already planted.
Since 1970, this society is standing
on contribut ions of generous
donors, dedicated volunteers and
passionate leadership of visionar‑
ies. We are humbled to be part of
this society that is regarded as
symbol of Unity and harmony
among all Jains.
Indian‑American indicted for
multi‑million dollar fraud scheme
New York: An Indian‑American for‑
mer president of a blood‑testing
company along with its founder has
been charged for allegedly engaging
in a multi‑million dollar scheme to
defraud investors, doctors and
patients by making false claims
about the accuracy of their much‑
hyped testing devices.
Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, 53 and
Elizabeth Holmes, 34 were charged
with two counts of conspiracy to
commit wire fraud and nine counts
of wire fraud and appeared before
US Magistrate Judge Susan van
Keulen in San Jose for their initial
appearances, Acting United States
Attorney Alex Tse said.
According to the indictment, the
charges stem from allegations
Holmes and Balwani engaged in a
multi‑million dollar scheme to
defraud investors, and a separate
scheme to defraud doctors and
patients. Both schemes involved
efforts to promote Palo Alto‑based
company Theranos. Holmes founded
T heranos in 2003 as a private
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Bihari community raises
$15,000 in California for
Bihar Eye Care Project
Washington,DC: The Indian com‑
munity from Bihar living in
California raised $15,000 for a
health project aimed at providing
free eye care treatments, includ‑
ing operations for the needy in
Bihar.
The fundraiser was held during
the annual gala of Bihar
Foundation of USA (BFOUSA)
wherein Bay Area Bihari commu‑
nity celebrated the 'Bihar Divas'
in California.
"Our objective is to raise funds
towards eradication of blindness
in Bihar," BFOUSA vice‑chairman
Rajiv Sinha said.
The foundation has started col‑
laborating with various eye care
hospitals in Bihar to sponsor free
eye surgery for the poor and
needy.
"This is commendable," Bihar
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said
in a message to the foundation,
which celebrated its annual gala
on June 9.
The central theme of this year's
function was branding, bonding,
and business development
among North American Bihari
community and people of Bihar.
BFOUSA has signed its first
memorandum of understanding
with Sri Sai Lions Netralaya in
Patna. Dr Jayant Kumar, director
of BFOUSA, said that in 2018
their target is free 2,000 cataract
Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth
Holmes, former Theranos
president Ramesh Balwani
(Image : dailymail.co.uk)
health care and life sciences compa‑
ny aimed at revolutionizing medical
laboratory testing through allegedly
innovative methods for drawing
blood, testing blood, and interpret‑
ing the resulting patient data.
Balwani, a former boyfriend of
Holmes, was employed at Theranos
from September of 2009 through
2016. At times during that period,
Balwani worked in several capacities
including as a member of the com‑
pany's board of directors, as its pres‑
ident, and as its chief operating offi‑
cer. According to the indictment,
Holmes and Balwani used advertise‑
The fundraiser
was held during
the annual gala
of Bihar
Foundation of
USA (BFOUSA)
wherein Bay
Area Bihari
community
celebrated the
'Bihar Divas'
in California.
surgeries to the needy, followed
by 5,000 in 2019.
The foundation has taken eye
care as its top priority because of
an estimated 4.3 million visually‑
impaired population in Bihar
with more than 650,000 blind
people, said Shyam Chaudhary,
its project director.
Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister
Shushil Modi and Assembly
Speaker V K Chaudhary also sent
in their message for the event.
Santosh Jha, Deputy Chief
Commission of the Indian
Embassy in Washington DC,
described them as "best ambas‑
sadors" of the state.
ments and solicitations to encourage
and induce doctors and patients to
use Theranos's blood testing labora‑
tory services, even though they
knew Theranos was not capable of
consistently producing accurate and
reliable results for certain blood
tests. T he tests performed on
Theranos technology, in addition,
were likely to contain inaccurate
and unreliable results.
The indictment alleges that the
two used a combination of direct
communications, marketing materi‑
als, statements to the media, finan‑
cial statements, models, and other
information to defraud potential
investors.
Authorities said Holmes and
Balwani not only defrauded
investors, but also consumers who
trusted and re lied upon their
allegedly‑revolutionary blood‑test‑
ing technology. T he duo also
allegedly made numerous misrepre‑
sentations to potential investors
about Theranos's financial condition
and its future prospects. (PTI)
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Doesnʼt Trumpʼs America need more entrepreneurs?
If you want more jobs and companies in the U.S., don’t kill the International Entrepreneur
Rule. A bipartisan opinion piece, co-authored by a former Obama White House official
and a former G.W. Bush immigration official, courtesy of Bloomberg.
Comment by Doug
Rand and Stuart
Anderson
T
heoret ically, the Trump
administrationʼs immigra‑
tion policy is based on two
core principles: upholding the rule
of law and promoting a “merit‑
based” system thatʼs good for the
economy.
So why has the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) just pro‑
posed to scrap the International
Entrepreneur Rule, a late‑Obama
prog ram intended to lure the
world's most promising entrepre‑
neurs to create companies and
jobs in America rather than else‑
where?
The department doesnʼt dispute
the lawfulness of the program,
whose economic benefit is obvi‑
ous. It would create as many as
300,000 jobs for U.S. workers, itʼs
been requested by economic devel‑
opment promoters throughout the
heartland and itʼs so “merit‑based”
that only an estimated 0.00004
percent of the worldʼs population
would likely be eligible.
Oddly, DHS begins its proposal
NRI marriages need
to be registered
within 7 days now
New Delhi: All NRI marriages
solemnized in India would need
to be registered within seven
days else their passports and
visas would not be issued, the
Ministry of Women and Child
Development said.
The decision for mandatory
registration of marriages within
seven days was taken after a
group of ministers ‑ Maneka
Gandhi, Home Minister Rajnath
Singh, External Af fairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj and Law Minister
Ravi Shankar Prasad, met to map
out legal solutions for redressing
the issues faced by women in
NRI marriages.
Last week, Women and Child
Development Minister Maneka
Gandhi had said that the NRI
marriages would need to be reg‑
istered within 48 hours.
Of ficials at the ministry said
that the discussions were held
NATIONAL COMMUNITY
by saying that it “stands by its pre‑
vious findings that foreign entre‑
preneurs make substantial and
positive contributions to innova‑
tion, economic growth, and job
creation in the United States” and
that “facilitating investment and
innovation in the US is of great
importance to our countryʼs ability
to lead and remain competitive in
the global marketplace.”
Nevertheless, DHS concludes
that the Internat ional
Entrepreneur Rule must die.
First, DHS argues that since the
program isnʼt a true visa (which
only Congress could create), it
doesnʼt create sufficient certainty
for the entrepreneurs and
investors who would rely on it. But
presumably those entrepreneurs
and investors would be the best
judges of that, and they have clam‑
ored for this program to be enact‑
ed.
Next, DHS argues that while
Congress should create a bona fide
“startup visa,” in the meantime
entrepreneurs should use other
longstanding visa pathways to stay
in the country. Of course, the inac‑
tion of Congress and the inadequa‑
for enumerating fine details on
ways to resolve the issues relat‑
ed to NRI marriages.
Another proposal discussed
was holding the properties of
NRI offenders in escrow in case
they abscond abandoning their
spouse.
Escrow is a legal concept in
which a financial instrument or
an asset is held by a third party
on behalf of two other parties
that are in the process of com‑
pleting a transaction.
T he of ficial said the move
would require amendment of
three leg islat ions‑ Co de of
Criminal Procedure, Marriage
Act and the Passports Act.
Escrow is a legal concept in
which a financial instrument or
an asset is held by a third party
on behalf of two other parties
that are in the process of com‑
pleting a transaction.
cy of existing visas are precisely
why the Entrepreneur Rule was
deve loped. Were the Trump
administration sincere in its desire
to guide entrepreneurs through
existing visa options, perhaps it
wouldnʼt have taken down just
such a website early last year.
The final argument is the one
that might show us the Trump
administrationʼs real objective:
Even though applicant fees would
fund the Entrepreneur Rule, DHS
argues it “will not be able to offset
the opportunity costs associated
with diverting limited agency
resources that are needed to meet
the current Administrationʼs prior‑
ities.”
These priorities include a num‑
ber of euphemisms for clamping
down on leg al immig rat ion
(“reviewing other existing immi‑
gration programs, developing new
proposed regulatory changes, and
carrying out initiatives to better
deter and detect fraud and abuse”).
Letʼs review: The administration
didnʼt claim that the Rule is unlaw‑
ful, or that it will destroy American
jobs. The only motivations that
ring true are an unwillingness to
DIASPORA
Michelin‑star chef Atul Kocchar sacked
over ʻanti‑Islamʼ tweet in Dubai
New Delhi: Atul Ko chhar, the
Indian‑origin celebrity chef of a
famous Dubai hote l has been
sacked after a furore over his anti‑
Islam tweet on June 10.
Kochhar, 48, the second Indian
to receive a Michelin star, is well
known for his Rang Mahal restau‑
rant at the JW Marriott Marquis
Hotel, Dubai. The decision from
the hotel came soon after out‑
raged Twitter users demanded his
removal. Kochhar had caused an
outrage after taking a swipe at
actress Priyanka Chopra over an
episode of American TV show
Quantico that had purportedly
portrayed Hindus as terrorists.
"It's sad to see that you have not
respected the sent iments of
Hindus who have been terrorized
by Islam over 2,000 years. Shame
on you (sic)," Kochhar had tweet‑
ed. The controversial tweet was
removed soon after and the chef
had also posted an apology for the
"major error": There is no justifi‑
cation for my tweet, a major error
made in the heat of the moment
on Sunday. I fully recognize my
inaccuracies that Islam was
June 23-29, 2018
expend any ef fort to increase
immigration, however modestly,
and a desire to stay focused on the
administrationʼs major goal of
reducing immigration.
In pursuit of this latter goal, the
Trump administration is not wait‑
ing for an act of Congress. (A
White House‑backed proposal to
reduce legal immigration garnered
only 39 votes in the Senate earlier
this year.) Killing the Entrepreneur
Rule is one relatively small item on
an aggressive agenda to deter legal
immig rants across the board.
Federal agencies have already
moved to bar foreign students for
potentially innocent infractions,
ramp up denials of skilled worker
visas, and all but eliminate refugee
admissions.
Next up? Preventing gainful
employment for up to 100,000
spouses of H‑1B workers (predom‑
inantly educated Indian women),
curtailing post‑graduate training
for foreign students with science
and engineering degrees, and
curbing Chinese student visas. Plus
a sweeping new policy to deny
green cards to immigrants who
used nearly any government bene‑
Atul Kochhar had caused an outrage after taking a swipe at actress
Priyanka Chopra over an episode of Quantico that had purportedly
portrayed Hindus as terrorists. (Image courtesy: thenational.ae)
founded around 1,400 years ago
and I sincerely apologize. I am not
Islamophobic, I deeply regret my
comments that have of fended
many.
"Following the recent comments
made by Chef Atul Kochhar, we
have taken the decision to end our
agreement with him for Rang
Mahal. With the termination of
our agreement, Chef Atul will no
longer be associated with the
restaurant," Bill Kef fer, general
9
fit over the past several years ‑‑ or
are deemed likely to do so in the
future. Departing from a century of
precedent, this one regulation
could impede millions of immi‑
grants from providing for their U.S.
citizen children, block U.S. citizens
from sponsoring their parents for
green cards and even result in the
deportation of lawful permanent
residents who have committed no
crimes.
For generations, presidents of
both parties have welcomed legal
immigrants to Americaʼs shores,
understanding that our nationʼs
vitality, g rowth and heritage
depend on newcomers with drive,
skills and a willingness to sacrifice
for their familyʼs future. T he
administrationʼs efforts to unravel
those welcoming policies have
only just begun.
Doug Rand is the president of
Boundless Immigration and the
former assistant director for entre‑
preneurship at the White House
Office of Science and Technology
Policy.
Stuart Anderson is executive
director of the National
Foundation for American Policy.
manager of the hotel, was quoted
as saying by Gulf News.
Atul Kochhar told a newspaper
that he was "deeply upset" with
the hotel's decision but accepted
it with "great pain." He also hoped
his friends and well‑wishers will
forgive him. The "Islamophobic"
tweet had drawn various reac‑
tions from Twitterati. Some called
for his sacking while others called
for boycott of the restaurant.
(Source: www.ndtv.com)
 10 June 23-29, 2018 US AFFAIRS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

IG report rips Comey but says

bias didnʼt taint Clinton probe
Washington: A long‑awaited report by the
Justice Department's watchdog last Thursday
found no indication that political bias affect‑
ed decisions in the FBI's 2016 investigation
into Hillary Clintonʼs email server, but the
review criticized agents and ex‑FBI Director
James Comey for violating bureau norms dur‑
ing the probe.
The department's inspector general turned
up fresh evidence of FBI officials exchanging
messages critical of President Donald Trump
and of leaking to the media, and the report
faulted the FBI for several weeks of inaction
following the September 2016 discovery of
emails relevant to its investigation on a lap‑
top belonging to former Democratic Rep.
Anthony Weiner, who was married to a top
Clinton aide.
Comey was singled out for withering criti‑
cism by IG Michael Horowitz, including accu‑
sations of insubordination against top Justice
Department officials and of making “a serious
error of judgment” in notifying Congress
shortly before the 2016 election that the FBI
was re‑opening its Clinton email probe.
Comey later reiterated his recommendation
that she not face charges, but Clinton has said
the letter nonetheless helped cause her loss.
The report undercuts Trump's argument
that the FBI, acting for political reasons, let
Clinton off the hook over her use of a private
email server as secretary of state. But it likely
The much‑awaited watchdog report into
FBIʼs probe of Clinton email case laid out
some sobering lessons for the FBI.
will fuel his claims that FBI agents were
biased against him, and Trump could point to
Horowitz's criticism of Comey as belated jus‑
tification for the decision to fire him last year
amid an FBI investigation into Russian inter‑
ference in the 2016 election. He has long
called the probe a "witch hunt."
In a response appended to the report, the
FBI ̶ led by Trump appointee Christopher
Wray ̶ said it accepted the conclusion that
political bias played no role in the decision‑
making by the FBI in the Clinton investiga‑
tion, despite the finding of multiple missteps.
And Comey said he welcomed the report,
regardless of the pounding he took in it.
“I respect the DOJ IG office, which is why I
urged them to do this review,” he said on
Twitter. “The conclusions are reasonable,
even though I disagree with some.”
The DOJ Inspector General Michael
Horowitz and FBI director Christopher
Wray testified before the Senate Judiciary
Committee on June 18. (Courtesy Reuters)
“The report also resoundingly demonstrates
that there was no prosecutable case against
Mrs. Clinton, as we had concluded,” the ex‑FBI
director continued in a New York Times op‑
ed. “Although that probably will not stop
some from continuing to claim the opposite is
true, this independent assessment will be use‑
ful to thoughtful people and an important
contribution to the historical record.”
The report said the decision not to recom‑
mend charges against Clinton was “consistent
with the Departmentʼs historical approach in
prior cases under dif ferent leadership,” but
Horowitz expressed no explicit view on
whether Clinton should have been charged or
whether such a case could be won in court.
Republicans on Thursday sharply criticized
the FBI's actions in 2016.
"The law enforcement community has no
greater ally in Congress than me. But contin‑
ued revelations of questionable decision mak‑
ing by FBI and DOJ leadership destroys confi‑
dence in the impartiality of the institutions I
have long served, respected, and believed in,"
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R‑S.C.) said in a statement.
"This is not the FBI I know. This is not the FBI
our country needs. This is not the FBI citizens
and suspects alike deserve."
Horowitz found that five FBI employees
assigned to the email case exchanged texts or
instant messages that were hostile to Trump
or supported Clinton. In one previously unre‑
leased exchange, FBI agent Peter Strzok ̶
who was deeply involved in both the Clinton
probe and the investigation of the Trump
campaign's ties to Russia ̶ seemed to vow to
block Trump from winning.
Trump's "not ever going to become presi‑
dent, right? Right?!" FBI attorney Lisa Page
asked via text on August 8, 2016.
"No. No he won't. We'll stop it," Strzok
replied. Horowitz said the FBI personnel had
a right to political views but should not have
been exchanging such blatantly political mes‑
sages on FBI equipment and while involved in
investigations of those candidates.
"The conduct of these five FBI employees
brought discredit to themselves, sowed doubt
about the FBI's handling of the [Clinton email]
investigation, and impacted the reputation of
the FBI," Horowitz wrote.

1 killed,
22 injured
in Trenton
shooting
Trenton, NJ: Twenty‑two
people were injured and
one person was killed dur‑
ing a mass shooting at an
art fair in Trenton over the
weekend. It seems to have
been a gang‑related
shootout between multiple
gunmen.
According to media
reports the shooters fired
at each other at the 24‑
hour Art All Night festival
wounding 17 with gunfire,
and causing a stampede
that injured five more.
The person killed, 32‑
year‑old Tahaij Wells, was
reportedly one of the gun‑
men and killed by police.
Another shooter was hospi‑
talized, and yet another
was arrested.
There were multiple
physical altercations at and
around the fair prior to the
shooting, leading police to
try to disperse the area. But
some people remained
until late in the night.
Democrats intensify fight
over immigrant children
Washington: Democrat lawmakers have
expanded their campaign highlighting
Trump administrationʼs forced separation of
migrant children from their families at the
Mexico border, a media report said.
Against a notable silence on the part of
many Republicans, the Democratic lawmak‑
ers on Sunday visited a detention center out‑
side New York City and headed to Texas to
inspect facilities where children have been
detained, reports The Washington Post.
In McAllen, Texas, where several
Democratic lawmakers toured a facility,
state Representative Vicente Gonzalez esti‑
mated that he saw about 100 children
younger than six.
"It was orderly, but it was far from what I
would call humane," he said.
Seven Democratic members of Congress
spent Sunday morning at the Elizabeth
Contract Detention Facility in New Jersey.
"This is unfair and unconstitutional," said
New York Representative Adriano Espaillat.
Trump has falsely blamed the separations
on a law he said was written by Democrats,
Washington Post reported.
But the separations instead largely stem
from a "zero‑tolerance" policy announced
last month by Attorney General Jef f
Sessions.
The White House also has interpreted a
Separated from their parents, picture of chil‑
dren kept in a cage in a holding facility.
(Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
1997 legal agreement and a 2008 bipartisan
human traf ficking bill as requiring the sepa‑
ration of families, a posture not taken by the
previous two administrations.
Trump remained silent on the issue before
tweeting on Sunday evening that Democrats
should work with Republicans on an immi‑
gration solution before the midterm elec‑
tions "because you are going to lose!"
US of ficials have said that the number of
families who could be broken up might dou‑
ble and that the number of children who
have already been taken from their parents ‑
‑ 2,000 over a six‑week period from April to
May ‑‑ may be higher than what the adminis‑
tration has reported.
Top Republicans
speak out against
separating children
P
resident Trump's family separation
policy for illegal immigrants at the
Mexico border has sparked public
outrage among some Republican leaders
also. Sen. Lindsey Graham said President
Trump could "stop this policy with a phone
call" on Friday in an interview with CNN.
Sen. Susan Collins said on CBS' "Face the
Nation" that the policy is "traumatizing to
the children who are innocent victims" and
"contrary" to the values of the country. Sen.
Jeff Flake, along with Collins, wrote a letter
to the Departments of Homeland Security
and Health and Human Services with ques‑
tions about the family separation policy as it
applies to asylum seekers. Former First Lady
Laura Bush wrote an op‑ed in WaPo saying
that the policy "breaks her heart" and com‑
paring it to the internment of Japanese‑
Americans during World War II. First Lady
Melania Trump also issued a statement via
her spokeswoman, saying that the US needs
"to be a country that follows all laws, but
also a country that governs with heart."
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA June 23-29, 2018 11

Kochhar 'to go on leave', Nirav Modi traveled on revoked

Bakhshi new COO: ICICI passport to 5 countries
Mumbai: Private lending major ICICI Bank MD & CEO of ICICI Bank." New Delhi: Nirav Modi, the prime accused in tionally on February 15 when we issued a dif‑
has announced the appointment of Sandeep T he bank earlier announced that its a Rs 13,500 crore fraud at the Punjab fusion notice against him and shared it with
Bakhshi as W holet ime Board has decided to insti‑ National Bank (PNB), traveled multiple times 192 Interpol member countries. His passport
Director and Chie f tute a "comprehensive to Britain, US, China, Cuba details were also updated
Operating Of ficer (COO) enquiry" to look into an and France on a revoked just after it was revoked by
designate as its MD and CEO anonymous whistleblower's Indian passport with addi‑ MEA (Ministry of External
Chanda Kochhar decided "to complaint alleg ing that tional booklets, despite his Affairs)," Central Bureau of
go on leave till the comple‑ Kochhar had not adhered to details shared on the "central Investigation (CBI)
tion of the inquiry" in rela‑ provisions relating to "code database of Interpol interna‑ spokesperson Abhishek
tion to the allegations lev‑ of conduct" of the bank. tionally", according to inputs Dayal told IANS.
elled against her. In a regulatory filing, it given by Britain to Indian A diffusion notice is issued
Bakhshi, who is the MD & had said the scope of agencies. Informed sources directly by an international
CEO of ICICI Prudential Life inquiry would be compre‑ said that Nirav Modi traveled entity to the countries of
Insurance Company since hensive and include all rele‑ five times between these their choice to take their
August 1, 2010, will report vant matters arising out of countries on his revoked help in identifying location,
to the Board during the peri‑ and in the course of exami‑ passport No Z1781888, The fugitive businessman physical description, photo‑
od of Kochhar's leave. nat ion of the facts and which has additional six book‑
Nirav Modi. graph and fingerprints of an
"His appointment as COO wherever warranted, "use of lets carrying different series, between accused wanted in offence with which he or
will be for a period of five forensic/email reviews and February 10 and March 31. The Indian agen‑ she is charged. The notice is issued through
years, subject to regulatory ICICI Bank MD and CEO recordal of statement of rel‑ cies said a June 5 letter, shared by Britain, the Interpol, an international police organiza‑
approvals. He will take over Chanda Kochhar. evant personnel, etc." revealed that the fugitive businessman trav‑ tion, to facilitate international police coopera‑
as the COO from June 19, The inquiry would also elled from US' John F. Kennedy International tion. Only Britain responded to India's diffu‑
2018, or on the date of regulatory and cover all connected matters in the course of Airport to Britain's Heathrow Airport on sion notice issued to it on April 25, May 22,
other approvals, whichever is later," the the investigation to bring the matter to a February 10, from Frank Pais Airport in Cuba May 24 and May 28, but the response came
bank said in a statement. final close. to Heathrow on February 15, from Heathrow in June, said the sources.
Bakhshi will be responsible for handling Earlier, the Securities and Exchange to Hong Kong International Airport on March Sources said "the details received from
all the businesses and corporate centre Board of India sought responses from the 15, from there back to Heathrow on March Britain authorities in response to the diffu‑
funct ions at the Bank. All Execut ive company and Kochhar on alleged non‑com‑ 28 and from Heathrow to Charles de Gaulle sion notice have been shared with other sis‑
Directors on the Board of ICICI Bank and pliance of the "erstwhile 'List ing Airport in France on March 31. ter agencies in foreign countries". Further
the executive management will report to Agreement' and the 'Listing Obligations and "Information about Nirav Modi was updat‑ investigation and action in this regard is in
him. Bakhshi w ill report to Chanda Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, ed on central database of Interpol interna‑ progress, they said.
Kochhar, who will continue in her role as 2015'".
 12 June 23-29, 2018 INDIA NEWS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

BJP quits J&K government, Mehbooba Mufti resigns

New Delhi: More than three years
after they formed an uneasy coali‑
tion, the BJP on Tuesday pulled
out of the PDP‑led Jammu and
Kashmir government, citing grow‑
ing terror activities and radicaliza‑
tion in the valley making its con‑
tinuance "untenable".
Announcing the party's sudden
decision at a hurriedly‑called
press conference, Bharat iya
Janata Party (BJP) General
Secretary Ram Madhav said that
Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder
Gupta and nine other ministers
from the party have tendered
their resignation to Governor N.N.
Vohra and Chie f Minister
Mehbooba Mufti. The state lead‑
ers were called to the national
capital for urgent consultations.
Mufti also later submitted her
resignation to Vohra.
The move came less than a year
ahead of the 2019 general elec‑
tions and a couple of months after
the BJP had replaced its Deputy
Chief Minister in the wake of out‑
The People Democratic Party's (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti.
rage over Kathua rape incident.
It also came two days after the
Centre decided not to continue
with the ceasefire.
"After reviewing the work of the
government in the last three years
and after consultations with the
Home Ministry and the agencies
and after consultat ions w ith
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and BJP President Amit Shah, we
have come to the conclusion that
it is dif ficult for the coalition to
move forward in Jammu and
Kashmir.
"It has become untenable for the
BJP to continue the alliance in
Jammu and Kashmir in the situa‑
tion that has developed today.
Terrorism and violence have
increased in the valley and radi‑
calizat ion is fast spreading.
Fundamental rights of citizens
and right to free speech of people
have come under threat in the val‑
ley as symbolized by the murder
of senior journalist Shujaat
Bukhari in broad daylig ht in
Srinagar," Madhav said.
The People's Democratic Party
(PDP) and the BJP formed a coali‑
tion more than two months after
the December 2014 e lections
returned a hung verdict, in which
the PDP got 28 seats and the BJP
25, while the National Conference
with 15 and Congress managed to
win 12 in a House of 89. The gov‑
ernment came to power on March
1, 2015.
The BJP leader said that the
coalition was formed with an
intention of restoring peace in
Kashmir and encouraging fast
deve lopment in all the three
regions of the state including
Jammu and Ladakh.
"The BJP did its best to give a
good government. The Centre had
also given a package of Rs 80,000
crore. T he Home Minister
(Rajnath Singh) had made several
visit to the state and the central
government had also appointed a
interlocutor in a sincere attempt
to resolve issues in Kashmir. On
the border also, we took steps to
contain violence by erect ing
4,000 bunkers. W hatever the
state government wanted we were
ready to give," he said.
But, Madhav said, they were sad
that the government failed to dis‑
charge its responsibilities and the
feeling of discrimination towards
Jammu and Ladakh regions con‑
tinued.
In any case after the killing of
senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari,
there was no question of exten‑
sion of ceasefire. If terrorists can
enter into the city and kill Bukhari
in broad daylight in a high securi‑
ty area, there was no question of
continuance of ceasefire, the BJP
leader said.

India, France to build strong US Senate passes bill seeking

development ties: Swaraj enhanced defence ties with India New Delhi/Washington: The US Representat ives has already
Paris: India and France Senate has passed with an over‑ passed the bill. The two different
are working to shape a whelming majority a $716 billion versions of the bill now heads for
strong development part‑ defence bill which among other a conference between the Senate
nership, including in the things seeks to strengthen ties and the House.
fields of science and tech‑ with America's 'Major Defence Once the joint committee
nology, clean energy and Partner' India. agrees on an identical version,
infrastructure, External The US recognised India as a they would have to be voted by
Af fairs Minister Sushma "Major Defence Partner" in 2016, the House and the Senate again
Swaraj said as she met a designation that allows India to before being sent to the White
the country's top leader‑ buy more advanced and sensitive House for US President Donald
ship and discussed issues technologies from America at par Trump's assent.
of mutual interest from a with that of its closest allies and The Senate version of the bill
strategic perspective. partners, and ensures enduring authorises $5.2 billion for the
Swaraj, who arrived cooperation into the future. Afghanistan Security Forces Fund,
here from Rome on the T he Nat ional De fence $350 million in Coalition Support
second leg of her four‑ Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2019, Funds to reimburse certain
nat ion tour, called on passed by an overwhe lming, nations for support provided to
French President External Affairs Minister Sushma US Senate Armed Services
bipart isan vote of 85‑10, is or in connection with US military
Emmanuel Macron and Swaraj with French President Committee Chairman John
named in the honour of Senate operations and authorises $300
Emmanuel Macron in Paris. McCain.
discussed follow up to the Armed Services Committee million to train and equip the vet‑
(Photo: IANS/MEA)
understandings reached Chairman John McCain, who is Defence and the joint force to ted Syrian opposition to counter
during his visit to India in March working to shape a strong devel‑ battling cancer for the past sever‑ implement the National Defence the ISIS terror group.
this year. opment partnership, including in al months. Strategy by continuing to restore The bill "expresses the sense of
She also met her French coun‑ the fields of smart urbanisation, "This legislation continues our readiness, rebuild capacity and the Senate that the US should
terpart Jean‑Yves Le Drian and science & technology, clean ener‑ reform agenda and helps better modernise capabilities," McCain strengthen and enhance its major
the two leaders held in‑depth and gy, transportation, and infra‑ posit ion the Department of said. T he House of defence partnership with India".
constructive discussions on full structure sectors," she said.
range of bilateral relationship, She said the visits of Prime

Modi wishes for Rahul's

External Af fairs Ministry Minister Modi to France in April
spokesperson Raveesh Kumar 2015 and June 2017 and
tweeted. Macron to India have infused

long life on his birthday

"Our trade, capital and technol‑ new momentum and dynamism
ogy partnerships are registering to bilateral strategic partnership,
impressive growth. Bilateral brought about increased political
trade touched Euros 9.85 billion convergence and built deep New Delhi: Prime Minister President Shri @RahulGandhi. I outside party's headquarters in
(or USD 10.95 billion) last year. mutual trust. Narendra Mo di on Tuesday pray for his long and healthy life," Delhi.
But, we need to do more to reach Swaraj also met Philippe extended greetings to Congress he tweeted. Posters of Rahul were also put
the set target of trade in goods to Etienne, Diplomatic Advisor to president Rahul Gandhi on his This is Rahul's first birthday up outside the headquarters and
15 billion Euros by 2022," Macron, and exchanged views on 48th birthday. Taking to Twitter, after becoming the Congress pres‑ drums were played to celebrate
Swaraj was quoted as saying by bilateral, regional and global Prime Minister Modi wished for ident. his day. Later in the day, the
Kumar. issues of mutual interest from a his long and healthy life. Meanwhile, the Congress work‑ Congress threw a grand birthday
"India and France are also strategic perspective. "Birthday greetings to Congress ers celebrated Rahul's birthday bash for the party president.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED June 23-29, 2018 13

Pranab's Mission Nagpur: Striking a

blow for democracy and secularism?
By Tarun Basu exemplar of democracy, were to fragment on
religious or caste lines, analysts say it could

T
he images from Nagpur were, in the
words of a Congressman, hard to
digest. Here was Pranab Mukherjee, a
dyed‑in‑the‑wool secularist, who had spent a
lifetime in the Congress party, then became
the President of India with the responsibility
of upholding its Constitution, sharing the plat‑
form with, and enjoying the hospitality of, a
person ‑‑ and the organisation he heads, the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ‑‑
espousing values and ideals that are the very
antithesis of all he stood and strove for his
entire life.
"You were part of the government that
banned the RSS in 1975 and again in 1992.
Don't you think you should tell us what was
evil about RSS then that it has become virtu‑
ous now?" asked a middle‑level Congress
leader of Mukherjee after his controversy‑
tinged visit to the headquarters of the Hindu‑
first outfit that is the ideological mentor of
the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Many in the Congress party, including his
own daughter, questioned the wisdom of the
former head of state and elder statesman
accepting an invitation from the organisation
that has been a bete noire to the left‑liberal‑
secular establishment.
Not just the committed, but even concerned
citizens, have been voicing their anguish at
the creeping climate of hate and prejudice in
the country and blamed the ideology of the
RSS and its affiliated Sangh Parivar outfits for
the systemic attacks on minorities and sup‑
pression of the voice of socially oppressed
groups.
Many have voiced fears that if such venom
was allowed to spread, it might end up tear‑
ing up the multireligious, multiethnic and
Former President Pranab Mukherjee and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat
at the concluding function of "Tritiya Varsh Varg" in Nagpur. (Photo: IANS)
ance will only lead to dilution of national
identity".
Was Mukherjee wrong in going to Nagpur,
in breach of the beliefs and values he is
known to have held dear all through his half‑
a‑century‑long political career? A peek into
his thinking was available in his address in
which he expressed anguish over how "mani‑
festations of rage" were tearing apart the
national fabric. He said a "dialogue is neces‑
sary not only to balance the competing inter‑
ests but also to reconcile them... only through
a dialogue can we develop the understanding
to solve complex problems without an
unhealthy strife within our polity".
Dialogue and accommodation are the cor‑
nerstones of democratic functioning and
who is an Indian, the partisan polemics over
every issue and policy of national concern is
eroding India's fundamental unity. If India, an
have a devastating effect on the region and
the rest of the world.
And that is perhaps why Mukherjee felt he
had to step in to bridge the deepening chasm
in the national discourse and plead for dia‑
logue. Whether the canny former politician
did it with any eye on the next elections ‑‑ in
politics, as Franklin Roosevelt said, nothing
happens by accident ‑‑ may not be known
immediately, but to denounce his visit as self‑
serving and a betrayal is to lose sight of the
fundamental tenets of democracy which the
world has come to value in India.
"Messy as it may be, India's political system
may be credited with great achievements,"
T he Economist said in one of its recent
columns referring to a Pew Global survey
which found Indians to be less enthusiastic
about democracy and more drawn towards
having a strong leader or military rule than
citizens of any other democracy surveyed. "It
has helped hold a huge and almost impossibly
diverse country together. It has kept the army
out of power. And it has upheld civic free‑
doms that, for all their fragility, remain the
envy of many of India's neighbors."

multicultural social fabric of India that makes
the country so unique.
"Today we are confronted with a politics of
hate that has swept large parts of our coun‑
try..... Muslims live in fear of the shape of the
next round of attacks, even as the rights of
Dalits and Adivasis enshrined in the
71
their absence have often sounded the death
knell of democracy. In the celebrated book
"How Democracies Die", Harvard professors
Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt talk about
how "extreme partisan division" in American
democracy today ‑‑ following the norm‑
breaking tenure of President Donald Trump ‑

Constitution are being questioned," read the
flier distributed at the #NotInMyName
protests across the country in April after the
brutal violations of young girls, allegedly by
elements with affiliations to Hindu nationalist
groups.
In this atmosphere of growing polarisation
steeped in the 83‑year‑old Mukherjee, beard‑
ing the lion in his own den as it were, ignor‑
ing appeals by some old cabinet and party
colleagues. In a speech that was followed
nationally on live television, Mukherjee said
that the "soul of India resides in pluralism and
tolerance" and "secularism and inclusion are a
matter of faith for us".
He reminded the RSS rank and file who
preached a Hindu supremacist ideology and
whose founder considered Muslims and
Christians as "invaders" that "the multiplicity
%
‑ was being fuelled not just by policy differ‑
ences between the Republicans and
Democrats "but by deeper sources of resent‑
ment, including racial and religious dif fer‑
ences" and was eroding the "guardrails of
democracy". OF SOUTH ASIAN NEW YORKERS
India today stands similarly at a cross‑
roads, unprecedented perhaps in its 71‑year DON’T REPORT DISCRIMINATION
history. As the national discourse becomes
heated by the day, with a permissive social
WHEN IT HAPPENS.*
WE CAN HELP.
media often fanning the division and hatred
between the two extreme partisan ideologies,
the growing slugfest and the low level of the If you experience discrimination or harassment,
debate is leading to a gradual disillusionment
report it to the NYC Commission on Human Rights at
with democracy among ordinary citizens,
particularly the youth, who yearn for change 718-722-3131 or NYC.gov/HumanRights
and progress.
With the country headed towards what *Based on an NYC Commission on Human
could be one of the bitterest elections in Rights survey report from June 2018
TM

Commission on
of culture, faith and language is what makes recent history, not only between sworn politi‑ Human Rights
India special" and "any attempt at defining cal rivals but between ideologies that are fun‑ Carmelyn P. Malalis,
our nationhood in terms of dogmas and iden‑ damentally at odds with each other in their @NYCCHR NYC.gov/HumanRights Commissioner/Chair
tities of religion, region, hatred and intoler‑ national outlook and their very definition of
 14 June 23-29, 2018
Culture of Yoga as remedy for climate change
By Ambassador
Sandeep Chakravorty
C
limate Change,
Sustainability and
Sustainable Development
have become buzzwords, ringing
out in classrooms to boardrooms
to summits of world leaders.
Many genuinely want to cause the
least damage to the environment
and try different methods, from
recycling to environmental
activism. Many think of convert‑
ing their lifestyles into sustainable
ways of living. The question is
how to do it. Can technology and
investment be the answer? To
many being how we are, behave
the way we do, the answer seems
to be, let technology and money
clean the dirt. Can this really hap‑
pen without changing our cul‑
ture? And what is that culture?
The UN World Commission on
Environment and Development
states: “Sustainable development
is what meets the needs of the
present without compromising
the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.”
Sustainability is about being self‑
sufficient – producing as little
waste as possible and living a
ʻgreener lifeʼ. The conventional
wisdom poses three pillars of sus‑
tainability” environmental, social
and economic. But the human pil‑
lar is missing, which is most
important because it has to do
with you and me, how we are, our
body, mind and soul. It is about
our self‑existence and our love for
self. Is there a world if we are
dead? Or can we live if the world
is dead? If we love ourselves, then
how can we not love others? And
how can we not love Mother
Nature? Nature or Divinity resides
within us. When we realize this,
when we have the strength and
courage to make an inward jour‑
ney then we not only discover
ourselves but also realize that we
can only prosper spiritually and
materially if we are in harmony
with others and nature. This is the
message of Yoga, the message of
Yogis and perhaps the only reme‑
dy for Climate Change is the
Culture of Yoga.
We talk about the Environment
and Climate Change by looking at
life in bits and pieces. If we look
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA
inclusively and inward we will see
the connection. Swami
Vivekananda said “Nature is
homogeneous. Differentiation is
in manifestation. The Sanskrit
word for nature is Prakriti and
means literally differentiation. All
is one substance, but it is mani‑
fested variously”. So the river is a
part of us as the forest is within
us. Then how can we pollute the
water that we drink, contaminate
the air that we breathe or poison
the river that we bathe in and
destroy the life giving forest? This
disconnect between the human
nature, lifestyle and Mother
Nature is the root cause of all
crises, whether it is
Climate Change, root‑
lessness, anxiety,
depression, addiction,
gun violence, broken
relationships or
general ennui. It
is a continuum.
In early times we
used to drink from the
river or the pond or pluck a
fruit from a tree. Today
water is conveyed by
pipes to the home. So
we drink the water
unmindful of its origin and
therefore have the propensi‑
ty to abuse it, little realizing that
the water is depleting and that the
river is being polluted. Many mod‑
ern children really believe that
water is made in the supermarket
in bottles. We need to go to Whole
Foods to buy genuine food. This
disconnect has been created by
technology and we are constantly
yearning for comfort from materi‑
al goods little realizing that real
and enduring comfort can be
found within us, like the serene
light of the lamp in the sanctum
sanctorum of the temple rather
than the blazing neons in a strip
mall.
The Paris Agreement on climate
change has been agreed to by
many countries. But does it
address this issue? Its central aim
is to strengthen the global
response to the threat of climate
change by keeping a global tem‑
perature rise this century well
below 2 degrees above pre‑indus‑
trial levels. It implores nations to
invest in technology to arrest car‑
bon emission, alternative fuels,
emissions trading. But it doesnʼt
mention the principal and central
actor, i.e. we humans. Countries
donʼt pollute. Humans do. In fact,
does any international commu‑
nique talk of the human being,
how he must change, how he must
be austere, frugal and only con‑
sume what he needs? Does any‑
one talk of changing the march of
consumerism, of reducing
demand? Is anyone conscious that
most things made in the world
today are meant to be thrown,
many without being used even
once such as food. No, because
that will contra‑growth and con‑
tra‑market economy.
Mahatma Gandhi said there is
enough in this world for every‑
oneʼs need but not enough for
even
oneʼs
greed. This is the central yogic
message. “Yoga is about self‑
awareness, conscious decisions
and actions. Consciousness distin‑
guishes Asanas from exercise.
Being reflective. Not being impul‑
sive. Think before you act.
Sustainable living is to be prac‑
ticed first at the level of the indi‑
vidual, then society, and then
globally. But where will this moti‑
vation for acting individually
come from? It wonʼt come from
the Paris Agreement or fat tomes
of scientists. You can be a believer
of Climate Change not by clinical
and scientific evidence but by
looking inside you. The answer is
simply within. “Along with over‑
sight what we require foremost is
insight, into ourselves and our
real self‑interest as conscious liv‑
ing beings” ‑‑ As the wisdom of the
Gita tells us. If we want a world
where the damage does not recur,
we cannot ignore the question of
consciousness: who we are
beyond the urges that compel us
to greed and exploitation. Without
that knowledge of our deeper self,
people will simply find new ways
to do an end‑run around environ‑
mental controls.
Environmental control seldom
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Mahatma Gandhi said there is
enough in this world for
everyone’s need but not enough
for even one’s greed. This is the
central yogic message. Yoga is
about self-awareness, conscious
decisions and actions.
works. Self‑control almost always
works. If we decide to live in har‑
mony with nature from within, we
donʼt need any Accord,
Agreement,
Investment or Fines.
We will do it as habit,
as our nature. “Yoga
teaches us a holistic
vision of the world, blur‑
ring the boundaries
between ourselves and
other life forms, culti‑
vating attitudes and
igniting actions
with the potential to
more inti‑
mately connect us with the earthʼs
changing climateʼʼ says Deborah
Phelan, and how true her words
are.
“Many aspects of yoga are in
fact about being in the moment
and at one with nature or the uni‑
verse,” says Jane Jarecki. “Imagine
the possibilities if most of the one
billion people in the developed
world, where consumption is most
rampant, were acting through
emotional regulation and self‑
mastery most of the time, with
each striving to be mindful of
future generations. Humanity
would make great strides toward
leaving the smallest possible car‑
bon footprint arising from a pal‑
pable awareness of interconnect‑
edness.” Inspiration for climate
action has to come from within.
Every action we perform is a con‑
tribution to some aspect of the
world. Just being conscious of
that will keep us inspired. And
inspired souls are those who
change the world.
The operative word is inner. If
we are convinced in our inner‑
most selves that we have to
change the abuse of the environ‑
ment, we will do so. It comes natu‑
rally. If you are convinced that
from your inner calling that vege‑
tarianism is good for yourself and
for the world, it wonʼt take a sec‑
ond to stop eating meat. If you are
convinced from within that plas‑
tics in the oceans are destroying
all marine life, it doesnʼt take a
second to stop using plastics. We
donʼt really need a straw to sip
our coffee or drink.
All behavioral changes will come
when we have the strength to
make the journey within and this
is the essence of Yoga. Srila
Prabhupada said, “…..a great soul
in Krishna Consciousness
becomes humbler than the grass
and bowed down like the fruitful
trees because a Krishna Conscious
person acts as the agent of
Krishna, therefore he discharges
his duty with great responsibility.”
So if one is Krishna Conscious or
attains a high level of
Consciousness can he or she
inflict pain on Mother Nature?
The answer is an emphatic No.
The life of the Yogis is replete
with messages of austerity and
simplicity. Paramahansa
Yogananda said, “It is not your
passing thoughts or brilliant ideas
so much as your plain everyday
habits that control your life....Live
simply. Donʼt get caught in the
machine of the world̶it is too
exacting. By the time you get what
you are seeking your nerves are
gone, the heart is damaged, and
the bones are aching. Resolve to
develop your spiritual powers
more earnestly from now on.
Learn the art of right living. If you
have joy you have everything, so
learn to be glad and
contented....Have happiness now.”
And what can be a greater joy
than living in the lap of Mother
Nature in total harmony? And
how will we attain this without
engendering a Culture of Yoga
among all of us?
Remarks by the Consul General
at a Seminar on June 10 on
ʻSustainability from the Inside
Out: Exploring the Link Between
Yoga & the Solutions to Climate
Changeʼ, organized by the Bhakti
Center, New York to commemo‑
rate the 4th International Day of
Yoga.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA June 23-29, 2018 15

WEEK-LONG YOGA DAY CELEBRATIONS BEGIN

Washington/New York:
Hundreds of yoga enthusiasts
gathered to flex their bodies at
historic monuments of the US,
including the Capitol Hill in
Washington DC, kick‑starting a
host of events planned this week
to mark the 4th International Day
of Yoga.
In New York, people gathered at
the Governors Island on Saturday
against the backdrop of the
Statue of Liberty and the
Manhattan skyline. Organized by
the Consulate General of India,
NY, the two‑hour event titled 'Let
Yoga Govern Your Life' included
meditation and a guided yoga ses‑
sion'. Mallakhamb performance
by children was a highlight.
Addressing the gathering,
Congresswoman Carolyn
Maloney said yoga is a "unique
way" to approach an individual's
health and well‑being. A yoga
practitioner herself, she said she
considers the ancient Indian prac‑
tice one of the best ways to exer‑
cise and relax at the same time.
"Practicing yoga has been
shown to decrease stress, fatigue,
and alleviate chronic pains, as
well as improving physical fit‑
ness. I practice yoga as often as I
Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Singh Sarna doing yoga along
with others on the Capitol lawns.
can, and it helps me to find bal‑
ance and peace," she added.
The Consul General in New
York, Amb. Sandeep Chakravorty
highlighted yoga's universal
appeal and its role in bringing
together the cultures and people
of America and India. He said the
extent to which yoga now perme‑
ates people's lives is tremendous:
there has been an estimated 80%
increase in practitioners in the
US from 2012 to 2015.
In Washington DC, hundreds of
yoga enthusiasts gathered at the
Capitol lawn Saturday
morning to mark the
Yoga Day under the
guidance of a trained
Indian yoga teacher.
Indian Ambassador
to the US Navtej
Singh Sarna
remarked that the
crowd showed the
huge enthusiasm that yoga has
gathered among all of us and all
over the world. He told reporters
afterwards, "I think, the day is not
far that you will have the whole
space between the Washington
monument and the Capitol filled
up (by practitioners on Yoga Yoga events you
Day)."
He said that yoga was always could attend
popular, but "qualitative and
quantitative change" has come New York City
since 2014 when under the guid‑
ance and inspiration of Prime June 20: Session with Yoga
Minister Narendra Modi, the Masters, at the United Nations
United Nations recognized June
North Lawn, 5:30 p.m.
21 as the International Day of
June 21: Conversation with Yoga
Yoga.
In his special message on the Masters, Conference Room 3,
occasion, US Senator from United Nations, 3:00 p.m.
Virginia Tim Kaine said that while June 21: Organized by the Indian
the idea of International
Consulate and Yoga Alliance,
Yoga Day is new, the art
Yoga at Times Square.
is built upon ancient
Indian principles born June 20‑21: International Yoga
of a desire to maintain Conference organized by ICCR
inner well‑being. "Yoga and Indian Consulate at the
symbolizes unity of
Consulate.
mind, body and spirit,"
June 24: Surya Namaskar, Yoga
he said.
Congressman and health talks at Ganesh
Gerald E Connolly Temple, Flushing, 9 am.
said that this cele‑
bration is a "testa‑
Hicksville, NY
ment to the transformative nature
June 23: Yoga and meditation
of yoga" and the Indian‑American
community's indelible mark on at Asa Mai Hindu Temple,
the cultural fabric of the United 10.00 am.
States.

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 16 June 23-29, 2018
Court quashes FIR against
actor Armaan Kohli
T R
he Bombay High Court
quashed an FIR against
Bollywood actor Armaan
Kohli for assaulting his girlfriend.
Armaan was arrested from
Lonavala after an FIR was lodged by
his live‑in partner Neeru Randhawa
for assaulting her physically.
"The High Court has directed the
superintendent of Arthur Road jail
to release him (Armaan) as the mat‑
ter has been quashed and nothing
remains pending," Armaan's lawyer
Lakshmi Raman said.
The case has been quashed after
Armaan paid a hefty compensation
to Neeru.
"It is a full and final settlement
between Armaan and Neeru, where
he earlier paid an amount of Rs 50
lakh and today he paid two post‑
dated cheques of Rs 25,000," Raman
said. The High Court judge also
demanded an affidavit from Armaan
saying he regrets whatever hap‑
pened and that he will never attempt
such an act ever again.
'Race 3': Action‑packed
but lacks thrills
The star cast
of ʻRace 3ʼ in
R
ace 3", as the name suggests, is the
third edition of the franchise, but
has no narrative connection with its
previous editions. And unlike its predeces‑
sors, this one seems like jaded fare as it
lacks thrills and the adrenaline rush so pal‑
pable in its earlier editions.
Convoluted and predictable, this action
thriller is a forced family drama. In its broad
outlines, "Race 3" has a story similar to
many Hindi films seen in the 1980s and
1990s, in which the family members are pit‑
ted one against another, only to realize that
blood bonds are stronger than any external
greed.
It's the story of Shamsher Singh's ((Anil
Kapoor) family. Originally from Handiya in
India, he has a flourishing arms manufactur‑
ing and dealing business, operating from the
private island Al‑Shifa. Greed makes him
plot a heist. He ropes in his twins ‑ Suraj
(Saqib Saleem) and Sanjana (Daisy Shah) and
his adopted son Sikander (Salman Khan).
The twins have a grouse against their
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
Actor Armaan Kohli was in the dock
for assaulting his girlfriend.
a movie still.
REVIEW
father. They feel he is neglecting them as he
is fond of Sikander. So they plot along with
Yash (Bobby Deol), Sikander's loyal body‑
guard to show him down. The plot advances
relentlessly with twists and turns, and
despite familiar elements it takes a compli‑
cated, longwinded path for a clichéd finale.
Anil's performance as Shamsher Singh
vacillates from sincere to perfunctory at a
high rate, but nevertheless, he is the only
actor worth a watch.
Salman Khan and Bobby Deol are far from
being agile they both seem world‑weary and
worn‑out.
On the technical front, the film is astutely
mounted with high production values. With
swank, custom‑designed cars and free flow‑
ing arms, the action sequences are well‑cho‑
reographed and slickly edited. While some
of the scenes with live action drama get
your adrenaline charged, especially when
Jessica and Sanjana have a free‑fight in the
dance‑club, there are others that resemble
an action‑packed video game.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Never say never: Kim Kardashian
on running for public office
eality TV star Kim Kardashian West is game to
run for public office in the US if the time and
opportunity comes but it's not on her mind at
the moment.
In an interview to CNN, Kim discussed her mar‑
riage to rapper Kanye West and how being a mother
has changed her for the better.
Asked if she had any interest in running for pub‑
lic office, the reality TV star said it wasn't not
really on her mind, reports
hollywoodreporter.com.
When reminded by Jones that "(Donald)
Trump is President, it could happen", Kim
replied: "I know. That's why Kanye loves him.
It's the idea that anything can happen… I
guess never say never.
"But that's not going to be like, Kim's run‑
ning. That's not where I am. I just want to
help one person at a time."
Kim met Trump last month to discuss
prison reform. This was in extension of her
efforts to advocate for a pardon for a low‑
level drug offender named Alice Marie
Johnson, who has served more than 20
years in prison.
On June 6, Trump commuted Johnson's
sentence and she was released from prison.
Kim said she found an emotional connect to
Johnson.
"I felt like she is a good person. You can see
that in her. That she lost her long‑time job, got a
divorce, her son died. And I know that I would do
anything for my kids and so I just felt this con‑
nection to her. Like instantly, that I just wanted
to help her."
She said she understands how some people
might perceive her help towards Johnson.
On her marriage to West, she
said the secret to making it work Reality TV
is supporting each other. star Kim
"So we always, no matter what Kardashian
it is, if I agree, if I don't agree, West.
I'm always there. And I think he
knows that, and you know it is tough when every‑
thing is so public," she said.
Shekhar Kapur appreciates
SRK'S 'Zero' teaser
S
uperstar Shah Rukh Khan says veteran
filmmaker Shekhar Kapur appreciating the
teaser of his upcoming film "Zero" is the
biggest compliment. Kapur had complimented the
film's teaser on Twitter and had said that he was
looking forward to "Zero".
"Every time I see trailer for 'Zero', I can't help
smiling. Really looking forward to the film. It
seems to have the same sense of joy and fun we
made 'Mr India' with. And really good VFX too
SRK," the director tweeted.
To which, Shah Rukh replied: "Thank you my
friend. You appreciating and smiling is the
biggest compliment for the teaser. Will show
you stuff soon. Love."
"Zero" features Shah Rukh as a vertically chal‑
lenged man piquing the interests of the audi‑
ence to witness the unusual tale.
Red Chillies Entertainment and Colour Yellow
Productions have joined hands for "Zero", pro‑
duced by Gauri Khan. The movie, releasing on
December 21, also features Anushka Sharma
er She khar Kapur. and Katrina Kaif.
Veteran filmmak
 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Lifetime experience essaying
Bal Thackeray: Nawazuddin
O
n Shiv Sena Foundation Day,
actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui,
who essays the political party's
late supremo Bal Thackeray in an
upcoming biopic, says doing the movie
is quite an experience.
Nawazuddin moved dates and sched‑
ules to be a part of "Thackeray".
"Balasaheb Thackeray was a transpar‑
ent personality who empowered the com‑
mon man and it is a lifetime experience
essaying him," Nawazuddin said in a
statement.
The actor, along with Shiv Sena
spokesperson Sanjay Raut and Shrikant
Bhasi, Founder and Chairman of Carnival
Group, spent time on the sets of the
Raut'ers Entertainment's movie on the eve
of Shiv Sena Foundation Day.
Raut, who believes "Balasaheb made the
common man into superman", said that
while director Abhijit Panse was scouting
for the right actor, he always had
Nawazuddin's face in his mind.
"I knew Nawaz bhai was the right one.
And the moment I set my eyes on him
when he walked into our meeting room,
he was locked in my head," he said.
Bhasi said: "Balasaheb Thackeray is the
tiger who took the nation by storm, a per‑
sona who no one can ever match. We are
glad to be associated with 'Thackeray', a
Rapping is not taken
seriously in India: Badshah
Rapper and
music composer
Badshah
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
role of
Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the
politician Bal Thackeray.
film that boasts of the penmanship of
Sanjay Raut and the histrionics of
Nawazuddin Siddiqui."
The movie will release next year.
R
apper and music composer
Badshah, who is excited
about his new reality show
"Dil Hai Hindustani 2", says that
rapping is not taken seriously in
India as an art form.
Badshah was interacting with the
media at the launch of Star Plus
channel's forthcoming reality show
along with singer Sunidhi Chauhan.
Badshah, who has delivered some
chart‑busting rap songs like "Chull",
"Saturday Saturday" and most
recent "Tareefan" is eager to spread
awareness about rap as an art form.
Talking about it, he said: "Rapping
along with dance and stand‑up
comedy is not taken seriously as an
art form in India and this miscon‑
ception should change."
"That is one of the main reasons
why I have chosen to be a judge on
the show. But apart from that, I'm
here to have fun as well, and have a
better connection with the audi‑
ence," he added.
The rapper is also gearing up to
produce Bollywood and Punjabi
movies and also launching a web
series soon through his production
house.
Talking about the future of the
digital platform, Badshah said: "I
think it (digital media) is the future,
so it's very important for any pro‑
duction house right now to concen‑
trate on digital media."
June 23-29, 2018 17
'Hichki' gets standing
ovation at Shanghai
film fest
D
irector Siddharth Malhotra,
whose film "Hichki" received a
standing ovation at the Shanghai
International Film Festival (SIFF), says it
was an honor.
Malhotra shared a few images of the
film's screening over social media, and
captioned it: "What an honor and an
overwhelming feeling when your work
gets a standing ovation from a foreign
audience who simply watches a film
with subtitles and gets moved to
tears/laughter.
"Thank you Shanghai SIFF 2018 at the
festival for this experience, from the
entire team of 'Hichki'."
"Hichki", starring Rani Mukerji as a
woman who deals with Tourette syn‑
drome but goes on to become a teacher,
was screened as part of The Belt and Road
Week at the film festival on June 16.
The film stars Rani Mukerji
in the lead role.
Bollywood celebs share
Father's Day musings
F
ather's Day led Bollywood's celebrity
brigade to share emotional notes on
their father and fatherhood too. From
Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Madhuri
Dixit to Vicky Kaushal and Kriti Sanon ‑‑
here's what the celebrities had to say:
Shah Rukh shared a photo of a card which
read "You're the best papa in the world". He
captioned it: "Notwithstanding that the kids
had no other option and yeah I admit maybe
there is just a hint of a bias here... This kinda
completes a father's life."
Madhuri Dixit: Thank you for being there
at every step of my life, Dad. You have always
been my inspiration and a pillar of strength.
You truly are the best. I miss you. I'm so
grateful that my boys have an amazing father
just like you. I wish a very Happy Father's
Day to all Super Dads out there.
Akshay Kumar: Help! It's Father's Day and
the little one asks "Dad, can I have a pet?" My
am.
fatherly love taking over, "Of course Beta Actor Shah Rukh Khan with son AbR
what would you like?" She, "Dad, can you get
me a unicorn with wings". Any suggestions? That's why we love you dads. Happy Father's
Arjun Kapoor: My father has always Day.
thought a lot about others, how to help them, Sunny Deol: Because of my father, we are
how to make things better for them, for his what we are today. Love you Papa.
people, his friends, his family and his ene‑ Gul Panag: Happy Father's Day to the best
mies even. In all these years, I have tried to father. He has always taught by example. He
make him realise it's time to become selfish has set very high standards of integrity, hon‑
and think of yourself first but he's a king, my estly and propriety for Sherbir and me to fol‑
father. He can never change his impulse to low. And fitness too! He is still the smartest,
help and be there for others. Happy Father's most well‑read man I've come across. A true
Day to the most selfless man I know. I'm role model.
proud to be your son. Chitrangda Singh: We somehow always
Kriti Sanon: They are unwavering in their end up telling our mothers more than we do
support; steadfast in their love. And they also to our dad... For all the times it's left unsaid,
never miss a chance to crack a bad joke. love you pa.
 18 June 23-29, 2018
Indian artist explores the
COSMOS IN NEW YORK SHOW
A
solo exhibition by
Mumbai‑based artist Jitish
Kallat probing the vast
scale of the universe ran at New
Yorkʼs Sperone Westwater
Gallery.
The way one sees the world
often defines the meaning we
derive from it, believes Kallat,
who has explored themes like
proximity and distance, percep‑
tion, time, scale, sustenance and
the sky, in the exhibition.
Titled “Decimal Point”, the
works at the show were named
“Sightings”, “Covariance”, “Wind
Study” and “The Eternal Gradient”.
In the large work “Sightings”,
Kallat plays around with colors of
Kallatʼs sculptural installation titled The Infinite Episode‑2 is an assembly of 10 sleeping species;
a cosmic dormitory wherein they surrender their bodily scale in a state of sleep.
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fruit skins to reveal large inter‑
galactic views. His preoccupation
with the cosmos seeps into other
works by him.
In “Covariance”, reptilian eyes,
mammalian eyes and the eyes of
fish look out at the world simulta‑
neously from all directions on the
surface of the sculpture.
An unending transition of lunar
phases formed by progressively
eaten rotis (Indian bread) is seen
in “The Eternal Gradient”.
Why did he engage with the
theme of the cosmos?
“I could think of myself as a res‑
ident of Mumbai, or India, or Asia,
or in a vague sense a resident of
planet Earth. I could also, some‑
DISPLAY CLASSIFIEDS
ART TheSouthAsianTimes.info
what facetiously, say that I am a
resident of the Milky Way Galaxy.
This last remark would complete‑
ly alter the focal length at which I
might view the location of my res‑
idence, my sense of identity or my
limiting identifications, and my
immediate neighborhood,” he told
IANS in an email interview.
Currently Kallat is prominently
featured in the Modern and
Contemporary Collection section
of Centre Pompidou Paris as well
as shows at Singapore Art
Museum, Whitworth in
Manchester amongst others. He
was also the curator and artistic
director of the Kochi‑Muziris
Biennale (2014).
Jitish Kallat posing
with his work
ʻSightingsʼ, a large
suite of photographic
works in which he
plays around with
colors of fruit skins to
project large
inter‑galactic views.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
18 killed, 49 injured in
Afghanistan suicide attack
Kabul: At least 18 people were
killed and another 49 injured in a
suicide attack in the heart of
Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar
province in eastern Afghanistan, a
security source said.
Confirming the attack, which
took place on the last day of the
ceasefire declared by the Taliban
marking the end of the holy month
of Ramadan, Nangarhar Provincial
Governor's spokesperson Attaullah
Khogyani told Efe that it happened
around 3 pm.
While the source said the attack
happened near the Governor's
Palace, or the Shahi Palace, where
civil servants and Taliban insur‑
gents were meeting to discuss the
ceasefire, Khogyani said that the
attack was an at area where there
were only civilians.
Images captured by an Epa‑Efe
photojournalist at the scene
showed security officials standing
on a bloodied road outside the
governor's of fices. Damaged cars
were also visible.
Another suicide attack, which
was claimed by the Islamic State
terror organization, took place a
day be fore at a place where
Taliban militants and civilians had
gathered to celebrate the ceasefire,
around 15 km from Jalalabad.
That attack killed 25 people and
Bangladesh's Awami
League leader shot dead
Dhaka: A leader of the
country's ruling Awami
League party was shot
dead by unidentified men
while he was heading
home after of fering
prayers in a mosque in
Dhaka.
Farhad Hossain, 52,
General Secretary of the
Awami League's Badda
Union wing, was sprayed
with bullets as he came
out of Baitus Salam Jame
Mosque after of fering
Jumma prayers, Farhad Hossain was the General
bdnews24.com reported. Secretary of Awami League's
He sustained bullet
wounds in his head and
chest. Badda area is known for motorbike and sped away.
gang land violence and turf
wars.
"Farhad Hossain was shot Gudarag hat checkpost on
dead on the spot when he was Badda‑Gulshan Link Road while
leaving the mosque after passing the area in a CNG‑run
Jumma prayers," said Police auto‑rickshaw after the murder.
Inspector Abul Kalam Azad. The
police did not immediately con‑
firm the motive for the killing.
Police said two men opened internal conflict in the same
fire on Hossain from their area.
SUBCONTINENT June 23-29, 2018 19
Pakistan Taliban chief
killed in US drone strike
Washington: A US drone strike in
Afghanistan has killed Tehreek‑e‑
Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader
Mullah Fazlullah, the man in
charge of the outfit operations in
the Swat Valley when activist
Malala Yousafzai was shot in
2012, the Afghan Foreign
Ministry said.
Ministry of Defense spokesman
Mohammad Radmanish told CNN
that Fazlullah, who led the TTP
from 2013, was killed in the Tehreek‑e‑Taliban Pakistan
strike in Kunar province. leader Mullah Fazlullah.
Lt. Col. Martin O'Donnell, a
attacks against American and
spokesman for US Forces‑
Pakistani targets, including the
Afghanistan, earlier told the
December 2014 attack on the
Voice of America that US forces
Army Public School in Peshawar
conducted a counter‑terrorism
that killed 151 people.
strike on June 13 in Kunar which
Afghanistan is in one of its bloodiest phases He is also accused of ordering
is close to the border between
after the 2015 NATO mission.
Afghanistan and Pakistan and the 2012 attempted assassina‑
tion of Malala Yousafzai, who had
targeted a senior leader of a des‑
Taliban announces end of Eid ceasefire ignated terrorist organization.
Locals in the area confirmed
been advocating for the right of
girls to have access to an educa‑
Kabul: A widely welcomed three‑day ceasefire between security forces
the death. However, Pentagon tion. The US State Department
and the Taliban in Afghanistan appears to be over, with the latter say‑
officials declined to comment on offered a $5 million reward for
ing its militants had been ordered to take up arms again.
the development. Fazlullah in March, the same
The government says it will continue a unilateral ceasefire for
Fazlullah had been a major fig‑ month Pakistani sources said his
another 10 days, although security forces can defend themselves if
ure in the TTP even before he son was killed in an American
attacked, a BBC report said. But the ceasefire failed to end violence
became "emir" of the group in drone strike on a TTP training
entirely. The militants said there would be no extension to the cease‑
late 2013 and led a Pakistan facility.
fire and fighters would be expected to leave government‑controlled
Taliban militia in the country's A statement from US Forces‑
areas before sunset.
Swat Valley before his elevation Afghanistan claimed that the
strike did not put at risk an ongo‑
to leadership of the group.
wounded 54 others. The country is mission in 2015. The Alliance still
US officials said Fazlullah ing, unilateral ceasefire initiated
going through one of its bloodiest maintains a presence to train
directed numerous high‑profile by the Afghan government.
phases after the end of a NATO Afghan forces there.
EU mission to observe
Pakistan elections in July
Brussels: An European Union elec‑
toral observation mission led by
Michael Gahler, a German conser‑
vative in the European Parliament,
plans to observe the July 25
national and provincial assemblies'
elections in Pakistan, the EU's
EU's diplomatic
diplomatic service said.
chief Federica
A group of nine EU election ana‑
lysts will arrive in Pakistan on Mogherini.
June 22 and stay in the country
unt il the end of the e lectoral
process while another 60 long‑
term observers, who w ill be
deployed throughout the country,
will arrive a few days later, the
Badda Union wing.
European External Action Service
said in a press release.
T he EU Election Observation
Another report said that crim‑
Missions were also deployed to
inals opened fire on police at
Pakistan in 2002, 2008 and 2013
while an Elect ion Follow‑up
ian government, therefore con‑ cratic process in Pakistan".
Mission was sent in 2016, Efe
tributing to the consolidation of After the general elections, the
news reported.
the direct link between Pakistani mission will hold a press confer‑
T he EU's diplomat ic chie f
The latest killing mirrors the citizens and their representatives". ence in Islamabad to present its
Federica Mogherini said that with
murder of another Awami Heading the mission, Gahler preliminary findings while the
these e lect ions, "Pakistan is
League activist in April over an hoped that the "observation will final report including recommen‑
expected to witness an unprece‑
again provide a meaningful contri‑ dat ions for future e lectoral
dented second consecutive demo‑
bution to the electoral and demo‑ processes will be presented later.
cratic transition of an elected civil‑
 20 June 23-29, 2018
Kim Jong Un may have outwitted
Trump at the Summit
The President is certainly correct in pointing out that he made history in meeting amicably with his North
Korean adversary. But only time will tell whether he made a historic breakthrough or a historic blunder.
From an op‐ed published in Foreign Affairs magazine, published by the Council on Foreign Relations:
By Daniel R. Russel
T
he Singapore summit was
mesmerizing political theater.
Back in DC, President Trump
assured the American people that
they could trust Kim Jong Un and
that North Korea's supreme leader
was sincere about denuclearization.
There was a faux film trailer that
Trump had prepared for Kim. The
video featured footage of Trump and
Kim as tense music played in the
background; a male narrator spoke
in overly dramatic tones: “A new
story, a new beginning, one of peace.
Two men, two leaders, one destiny.
A story in a special moment in time.
When a man is presented with one
chance that may never be repeated,
what will he choose?”
Trump is certainly correct in
pointing out that he made history in
meeting amicably with his North
Korean adversary. But it is yet to be
determined whether he made a his‑
toric breakthrough or a historic
blunder. No previous U.S. president
considered it prudent to embark on
summitry with so little preparation
or on terms so favorable to the other
side, let alone to promise to unilater‑
ally discontinue defensive joint
U.S.–South Korean military exercis‑
es. For his part, Kim can rightfully
boast that he has accomplished
what his father and grandfather
could only dream of: achieving the
twin goals of building a viable
nuclear weapons capability and then
winning international acceptance as
a “very honorable” peer, as he was
referred to by the leader of the free
world.
In the end, the joint summit state‑
ment is but a diluted version of
numerous past aspirational docu‑
ments put forward by North Korea
and its negotiating partners. It light‑
ly echoes inter‑Korean agreements
dating back to 1992. And it offers a
vague promise “to work toward
complete denuclearization.” This can
hardly be construed as progress.
The statement is silent on ballistic
missiles, let alone chemical
weapons, cyberwarfare, nuclear pro‑
liferation, and (unsurprisingly)
human rights. In any case, even a
robust joint statement could not
serve as a reliable indicator of
progress given North Koreaʼs spotty
record of compliance and follow‑
through. North Koreaʼs most urgent
The warm reception from the President of the United States has helped Kim normalize,
if not legitimize, North Korea's status as a nuclear weapons state. Kim is not interested in the
Libyan model; heʼs interested in the Pakistani model. (Photo: IANS)
priorities were to loosen the stran‑
glehold of sanctions and to reduce
the risk of a U.S. preventive attack or
a “bloody nose” strike, all without
being forced to relinquish the “trea‑
sured sword,” as Kim described
them, of its nuclear weapons. Other
priorities included using the lure of
a peace treaty to undercut
U.S.–South Korean military exercises
and deployments, eroding the
Northʼs isolation and pariah status,
and obtaining economic assistance
and investment on terms consistent
with regime control and stability.
Pyongyang also hoped to alleviate
the pressure on the nuclear issue
and criticism of its human rights
record by finding ways to fracture
the solidarity among the five main
players: China, Japan, Russia, South
Korea, and the United States. Kim
sought to play them off against one
another and strengthen the “accom‑
modationist” camp in South Korea,
which sees the South's alliance with
the United States as an impediment
to inter‑Korean rapprochement.
By these measures, the Singapore
summit has capped an astonishingly
successful spring for Kim.
Take sanctions. Trump claims to
have 300 powerful sanctions in his
back pocket, ready to be deployed if
North Korea behaves badly. But the
reality is that after a decade of
ratcheting up the pressure on North
Korea, the United States has already
subjected the North to virtually
every significant sanction that
Washington can apply unilaterally.
The odds of China and Russia con‑
senting to powerful new provisions
to UN Security Council sanctions are
DIPLOMACY
virtually nil. Moreover, the real pres‑
sure from sanctions lies in their vig‑
orous implementation by the coun‑
tries with which North Korea does
business, notably China. Kimʼs
recent red‑carpet welcome by
Chinese President Xi Jinping and the
reports of resumed cross‑border
trade make clear that the era of
Chinese “tough love” is over. This
means that the straitjacket of sanc‑
tions has been loosened for Kim.
The conventional wisdom in some
quarters is that Trumpʼs talk of a
“bloody nose” strike scared Kim into
backing down. Itʼs impossible to
know if thatʼs true. But even if the
Kim‑Trump “bromance” ends in dis‑
appointment, Washington will find it
difficult to credibly leverage the
threat of force in the wake of Kimʼs
effective charm offensive. Trump
would also face almost certain oppo‑
sition to a strike from China, South
Korea, and the international commu‑
nity. South Koreans, who would bear
the brunt of U.S. retaliation, were
skittish about a military option even
when Kim was threatening to nuke
them over the deployment of the
missile defense system known as
Terminal High Altitude Area
Defense, or THAAD. Today, polling
shows that Kim is more popular in
South Korea than Trump. Since it is
hard to imagine an effective preven‑
tive attack against North Koreaʼs
nuclear facilities without the sup‑
port of the South Korean govern‑
ment and military, it appears that
Kim has significantly reduced the
risk of a “bloody nose.”
Trumpʼs gambit at the summit
seems to have played to Kimʼs
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
advantage in other important
respects, as well. North Korea has
succeeded beyond its wildest
dreams in shutting down defensive
(but “expensive,” as Trump
described them) U.S.–South Korean
joint military exercises. While
Trump considers them expensive,
North Korea refers to them as
“provocative war games.” Trump
gave up this card without even ask‑
ing for a corresponding halt of
North Korean conventional exercis‑
es, let alone a complete stop to its
nuclear and missile programs. A
long‑standing goal for the Kim
regime has been to enmesh the US
in negotiations over a peace treaty,
partly to push for the end of the
U.S.–South Korean alliance and U.S.
Forces Korea, in Seoul. But itʼs
unclear if Kim even needs a peace
treaty in light of Trumpʼs emphatic
desire to “get our soldiers out.” One
wonders which leader is more moti‑
vated to move U.S. troops off the
Korean Peninsula̶Kim or Trump?
Kim also cannot have missed the
confused scramble in the wake of
the summit by both South Koreaʼs
Blue House and U.S. Forces Korea to
find out what Trump had promised,
indicating an astounding gap in U.S.
coordination.
The Singapore summit has paved
the way for South Korea to unfreeze
valuable investment projects on
terms that the North can control,
and it will surely open the spigots of
international aid. By blindsiding
China, Japan, and Russia in March
with his plan to meet bilaterally with
Kim, Trump set off a race for influ‑
ence with Pyongyang that has made
Kim, so recently an outcast, the man
to meet.
These outcomes, which have both
practical and propaganda value,
seem certain to strengthen Kimʼs
domestic standing and authority.
Most important, the warm reception
from the president of the United
States has helped Kim normalize, if
not legitimize, North Korea's status
as a nuclear weapons state. Kim is
not interested in the Libyan model;
heʼs interested in the Pakistani
model.
Finally, despite bromides about
denuclearization, Kimʼs arsenal is no
smaller than it was last November
when North Korea successfully test‑
ed a new intercontinental ballistic
missile that it claimed was capable
of striking the U.S. mainland with a
nuclear warhead. All in all, this was
a good first summit for North Korea.
And for the United States? In the
lead‑up to the summit, the Trump
administrationʼs stated priority was
denuclearization, albeit communi‑
cated through a noisy clash of com‑
peting signals: John Boltonʼs nukes‑
in‑a‑FedEx‑box model, Mike
Pompeoʼs CVID model (complete,
verifiable, irreversible denucleariza‑
tion), and Trumpʼs invitation to
North Korea to “take your time” on
denuclearization.
Unlike the substantial gains
achieved by Kim thus far, progress
in achieving CVID will take time to
measure̶if it comes at all. The
rebooting of U.S.–North Korean
negotiations to at least include the
nuclear issue is a good thing, but it
essentially takes us back to square
one of a process that Pyongyang
has skillfully manipulated in the
past to buy time and extract conces‑
sions. Whatʼs not so good is this: not
only did Trump put the cart before
the horse in starting the process
with a summit and thus squandering
U.S. leverage, but he then proceeded
to buy the same horse by front‑load‑
ing concessions in exchange for
mere promises.
The question of whether Trump
made meaningful progress in
Singapore will hinge on one key‑
word: “verification.” The litmus test
will be whether North Korea will
make a full declaration of its nuclear
inventory and facilities and whether
credible international inspections
will be able to verify that
declaration.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Greece, Macedonia ink historic
deal to end name dispute
Athens: Greece and the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
(FYROM) sealed a historic agree‑
ment on Sunday, putting an end to
the dispute which started in 1991
over the use of the name
Macedonia.
According to the preliminary
accord signed by the two countries'
Foreign Ministers, they agreed to
rename the Balkan nation the
Republic of North Macedonia,
despite strong protests over a deal
from both sides, reported Xinhua.
The signing ceremony, broadcast
live on Greek public broadcaster
ERT, was hosted on the border at
the Prespes lake region.
The move of the two neighboring
states potentially paved the way for
Skopje's admission to the European
Union and North Atlantic Treaty
Organization.
"We are making an historic step,
there will be only winners from now
on," Greek Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras said at the event.
"So that we can heal the wounds
of the past, open a path for peace,
friendship, cooperation and growth,
not only for our countries, but for
ʻFrench police cut
soles of migrant
children's shoesʼ
Rome: French border
guards detained migrant
children as young as 12 in
cells without food or
water, cut the soles of
their shoes and stole their
mobile phone SIM cards
before illegally sending
them back to Italy, charity
Oxfam said.
The report by Oxfam
also cited the case of a
"very young" Eritrean girl,
who was forced to walk
Oxfam accuses French cops of
back to the Italian border
forcibly returning minors to Italy.
town of Ventimiglia along
a road with no pavement while
carrying her 40‑day‑old baby, the Italy. Daniela Zitarosa, from the
Guardian reported.
Italy's new anti‑migrant
Interior Minister Matteo Salvini
who blocked the Aquarius rescue and SIM card removed. They lose
vessel from docking in Sicily,
accused France of turning its
back on 10,524 migrants at the
border between January and
May. The allegations came two
months after French border
police were accused of falsifying
the birth dates of unaccompa‑
nied migrant children in an
attempt to pass them off as
INTERNATIONAL
Greek PM Alexis Tsipras (R) with PM of the Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia Zoran Zaev.
all Balkans and Europe," he said as
he and his FYROM counterpart
Zoran Zaev received a standing ova‑
tion from officials at the ceremony.
Both countries have been working
towards settling the decades‑old
dispute over the past months. The
issue began in 1991 when FYROM
declared its independence from
Yugoslavia, choosing the name
Macedonia, which is also the name
of a northern Greek province.
Athens was worried that the use
Charitable organization
adults and send them back to
Italian humanitarian agency
Intersos, said: "Some children
have their mobile phone seized
their data and phonebook. They
cannot even call their parents
afterwards." France tightened
rules at its border after 84 peo‑
ple were killed in a terror attack
in Nice in July 2016.
According to Oxfam, 17,337
children arrived in Italy in 2017,
15,779 (91 per cent) of whom
were unaccompanied.
June 23-29, 2018 21
Conservative wins Colombia's
presidential election
Conservative
newcomer Ivan Duque
is due to take office on
August 2.
Bogota: Conservative political supporters after acknowledging
newcomer Ivan Duque has been the elections' results.
elected President of Colombia, a He added that for him, "there
media report said. are no defeated citizens"
of the same name by the neighbor‑ Duque, 41, garnered 10.3 mil‑ because he wants to be the
ing country could lead to territorial lion votes or about 53.98 per President of all Colombians:
claims. cent of the ballot, while his rival those who voted for him, those
"Today we put an end to a prob‑ Gustavo Petro secured 8 million who did not and those who
lem, we put an end to long‑standing or about 41.81 per cent, reports opted for a blank vote.
differences which were raising Efe news. Duque, who is due to take
walls and cast shadows on our "With humility and with honor office on August 2 and whose
neighborly relations," Zaev said. I want to tell the Colombian peo‑ term would last until August 2,
Sunday's ceremony was held ple that I will give all my ener‑ 2022, further highlighted the
under draconian security measures gies to unite our country: no need for Colombia to "unite" and
as hardliners in both countries more divisions, let's think of a "build" the country to prevent
object to the deal because they country with all and for all," the future of all Colombians
regard it as a national sellout. Duque said in a speech to his from getting "destroyed".
ʻN Korea sanctions remain till
complete denuclearizationʼ
Seoul: North Korea will not
see any economic sanctions
lifted until it demonstrates
"complete denuclearization",
US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo said.
Pompeo comments came at
a press conference in Seoul
with his South Korean and
Japanese counterparts. He
travelled from Singapore to
South Korea to brief
Washington's regional allies
on the summit between US
Presiden Donald Trump and
North Korean leader Kim
Jong‑un and discuss surprise
announcement of ending rou‑
tine US‑South Korea military
drills.
The leaders signed a state‑
ment on June 12 pledging to
establish a new relationship.
Kim also reaffirmed his previ‑ US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
ous promises to work
towards the "complete denu‑ that indicated the US would "ironclad", despite Trump's
clearization of the Korean grant concessions to announcement about ending
Peninsula". But there has been Pyongyang for gradual military drills.
"deep skepticism" about the progress. He said the US According to South Korean
pact, with observers saying it remained "committed to achiev‑ presidential office, President
lacked detail on how North ing the complete, verifiable and Moon Jae‑in said that the coun‑
Korea would give up its nuclear irreversible denuclearization of try may consider suspending its
weapons and how that process North Korea", the BBC reported. joint military drills with the US
would be verified. Pompeo also insisted the to help build trust and ease ten‑
Pompeo dismissed a report by alliance between the US, South sions with North Korea, Yonhap
the North Korean state media Korea and Japan remained news agency reported.
 22 June 23-29, 2018 BUSINESS TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Modi moots double digit growth

New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has given the tar‑
get of achieving double digit eco‑
nomic growth as well as the idea
to link MNREGA employment with
agriculture, among other things, at
the fourth annual meeting of the
NITI Aayog's Governing Council.
Modi also tried to placate the
Chief Ministers of states like
Andhra Pradesh and Bihar who
have been demanding special cate‑
gory status for their states by reas‑
suring that the Centre was com‑
mitted in "letter and spirit" to
adhere to statutory provisions in
place at the time of the bifurcation
of states.
After the meet at the Rashtrapati
Bhavan, attended by 23 Chief
Ministers and the Lt. Governor of
Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv
Kumar and CEO Amitabh Kant
briefed the reporters on what tran‑
spired in it.
Modi said the Indian economy
grew at a healthy 7.7 per cent in
Jaitley lauds GDP growth
New Delhi: In yet another long blog, Finance Minister and senior BJP
leader Arun Jaitley has lauded the fourth quarter GDP growth of 7.7
per cent saying the future looked much brighter than the past.
"The fourth quarter result of GDP data showed a phenomenal 7.7 per
cent growth rate and has established India firmly as the fastest grow‑
ing global economy. This trend, according to experts, is likely to con‑
tinue for the next few years,” he wrote. Jaitley who underwent kidney
replacement recently is still recovering and is yet to rejoin his office.
On Job creation, Jaitley said: "An analysis of the data released clearly
shows that the construction sector is expanding by double digits. It is a
job creating sector. Investment is increasing. Domestic investment is
also increasing. The FDI is at an unprecedented level."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Andhra Chief Minister N.
"The draft is ready but the idea is reporters that the Prime Minister
Chandrababu Naidu; West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Karnataka
to make it as inclusive as possible. also mooted the idea of a commit‑
CM HD Kumaraswamy at NITI Aayog in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)
We did not present it today in the tee of Chief Ministers to examine
the fourth quarter of 2017‑18 and try," he told the meeting. meeting lest the states should the idea of linking MNREGA with
the challenge now was to turn this On the 2022 development agen‑ think that they were not sufficient‑ agriculture in a way that both
to "double digits". da document ‑‑ that was expected ly consulted. Although the states should complement each other.
"The challenge now is to take to be placed in the meeting, Rajiv have been preliminary consulted Under MNREGA, the Central gov‑
this growth rate to double digits, Kumar said the document is ready on this but we would seek more ernment has to provide at least
for which many more important but was withheld as more compre‑ comprehensive inputs," he said. 100 days of guaranteed employ‑
steps have to be taken. The vision hensive consultations from the He said that the document would ment involving unskilled manual
of a New India by 2022 is now a states were being sought before it be fully ready in about a month. work in a financial year to every
resolve of the people of our coun‑ is finally tabled for adoption. Rajeev Kumar also informed the household in rural areas.

Audi CEO arrested

CII lauds Prabhu's US 25% tariff on Chinese goods,
visit to sort trade issues
New Delhi: Noting that US trade officials are expected Beijing vows retaliation
to visit India soon in Washington: President respond in kind to the
an attempt to address Donald Trump has US tariffs, which will
the trade and econom‑ slapped 25 per cent tar‑ apply to roughly 1,100
ic irritants between iffs on $50 billion worth exports and will target
the two countries, of Chinese goods that are China's aerospace,
industry chamber CII imported into the US, robotics, manufacturing
lauded Commerce prompting vows of swift and auto industries.
Minister Suresh retaliation from Beijing Tariffs that affect Madrid: Audi AG CEO Rupert
Prabhu's visit to the and turning a spat into a more than 800 prod‑ Stadler was arrested on Monday
US for setting "a full‑blown trade war ucts worth $34 billion on fraud allegations, a company
roadmap to resolve between the worlds two in annual trade are due spokesman said.
bilateral trade issues largest economies. to come into effect on German prosecutors named
expeditiously". Commerce Minister Suresh "The US has kept July 6. The White Stadler and one other Audi execu‑
India and the US Prabhu speaking at a changing its mind and House said it would tive as suspects for fraud and false
have agreed to hold reception hosted by the now launched a trade consult on tariffs on the advertisement in the car maker's
official talks soon to US‑India Business Council continuing emissions scandal,
war," China's Commerce other $16 billion of
address the bilateral during his visit to
Ministry said in response products and would reports Efe news.
trade issues in a deci‑ Washington DC. Tariffs that affect more than 800
to the announcement. "We confirm that Stadler has
sion that was taken during a series of meetings Chinese products worth $34 billion apply these later, the
"We will immediately in annual trade will cone into New York Times been preliminarily arrested this
Prabhu had with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross launch tariff measures reported. morning," the spokesman said,
effect from July 6.
and United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert that will match the scale The Chinese product adding that a hearing to decide
Lighthizer in Washington during the Indian Minister's and intensity of those launched by the lines that have been hit range from air‑ over possible pre‑trial detention
visit from June 10 to 12. US." craft tyres to turbines and commercial was continuing.
"The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) under‑ "China does not want a trade war," the dishwashers. Audi, Volkswagen AG's luxury
stands that officials of USTR may travel to India very ministry said, adding that it would "fight Beijing said it will retaliate by imposing car maker, declined to comment
soon. CII hopes the trade package to be negotiated back vigorously" in defence of its national its own tariffs on a list of roughly $50 bil‑ further on the issue, citing the
would include the renewal of Generalized System of interests, globalization and the world lion in American exports, a list likely to ongoing investigations. A
Preferences benefits for India which accounts for trade system. include agricultural products and manu‑ Volkswagen spokesman also con‑
nearly $6 billion of Indian exports to the US," CII said. The Chinese government said it would factured goods. firmed the arrest.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info SPORTS June 23-29, 2018 23

Mexico shock defending

Spirited Switzerland
champion Germany
Moscow: Mexico
created the first
hold off-color Brazil
upset of the 2018 Rostov (Russia): Switzerland came up with found their rhythm and started to create
FIFA World Cup, a gritty, fighting performance to hold title moves off the counter.
overcoming defend‑ contenders Brazil 1‑1 in a Group E match Philippe Coutinho handed Brazil the
ing champions of the FIFA World Cup here. Both teams lead with an in‑swinging, dipping free‑
Germany 1‑0 in a now have one point each. Serbia are at the kick in the 20th minute.
frenet ic Group F top of the group with three points, thanks Switzerland made a strong comeback
g ame at the to their victory over Costa Rica earlier in after the break with Steven Zuber exploit‑
Luzhniki Stadium the day. Brazil's labored ef forts in their ing some loose marking to head in the
here. campaign opener continued this World equalizer off a corner in the 50th minute.
Forward Hirving Cup's trend of big teams struggling to T he goal seemed to rejuvenate the
Lozano's 35th‑ overcome lesser rated opponents. Europeans and they put the five‑time
minute goal proved Fe llow t itle contenders Germany, world champions on to the back foot with
to make the dif fer‑ Mexican player Rafael Marquez celebrates victory against Argentina and Spain have also failed to some excellent attacking play.
ence in a match Germany with teammates in Moscow. (Xinhua/Cao Can/IANS) win their respective opening matches. The Swiss defenders were guilty of com‑
played at a very Even though former champions mitting numerous cynical fouls on Brazil's
hig h tempo as four‑t ime champions cross‑bar in the 25th minute. The Uruguay and France enjoyed winning star forward Neymar throughout the
Germany began their title defence on a dis‑ Porto midfielder tested Neuer again starts, they were forced to struggle game.
astrous note. but the Bayern Munich captain before eking out narrow wins over Brazil's attacking talisman, who strug‑
The game opened up at a breathtaking blocked a shot coming at his chest relatively weaker opponents. Brazil gled to recover from a foot injury before
pace, with both Germany and Mexico play‑ height. dominated the early stages of match but the tournament, did his level best, but was
ing an open game, going on an all‑out The Latin Americans were rewarded the talented Swiss team gradually left battered by repeated fouls.
attack. German striker Timo Werner had with the 1‑0 lead when a German attack
the first chance of the match but his drive broke down, leading to a quick counter‑
from a tight angle from the right went wide attack spearheaded by Javier
of the left post. Hernandez. Just over the
Ranked 14 places below than the world halfway line, the West Ham
No.1 Germany, Mexico took the European United striker spotted
powerhouse head on, playing a quick Lozano at the left between opponent cen‑
counter‑attacking game. tral defenders Mats Hummels and Jerome
Germany captain and goalkeeper Manuel Boateng. PSV Eindhoven forward Lozano
Neuer was called into action to block a raced into the box before employing a right
long‑range ef fort from midfielder Hector footed drive which beat Neuer at the bot‑
Herrera in the ninth minute and five min‑ tom left corner.
utes later, forced to keep away a header With times running out, a desperate
from Mexican centre‑back Hector Moreno Germany coach Joachim Loew decided to
off a corner in the 14th minute. Germany substitute left‑back Plattenhardt with strik‑
responded through long‑range efforts from er Mario Gomez, moving the team's forma‑
Toni Kroos and Werner around 20‑minute tion to a 3‑2‑1‑4. Werner made way for
mark. Julian Brandt. However, Mexico, with deter‑ Neymar in action during the match between Brazil and Switzerland
Mexico continued to threaten Neuer's mination, defended their slender one‑goal in Rostov‑on‑Don, Russia. (Xinhua/Li Ga/IANS)
goal as Miguel Layun fired one over the lead to secure a crucial win.

CRICKET

Chandimal denies ball tampering, INDIA OVERWHELM TEST

ICC hearing after Test
Gros Islet (Saint Lucia): Sri Lanka
captain Dinesh Chandimal has
pleaded not guilty to breaching
Article 2.2.9 of the International
Cricket Council's code of conduct
and a hearing will be held follow‑
ing the conclusion of the ongoing
cricket Test against the West
Indies. On‑field umpires Aleem
Dar and Ian Gould, and third
umpire Richard Kettleborough
had charged Chandimal after the
third day's play on Saturday for
changing the condition of the
ball in breach of clause 41.3 of
the ICC Standard Test Match, ODI
and T20I Playing Conditions.
"The officials laid the charge
after television footage from the
final session's play on Friday
appeared to show the Sri Lanka
captain taking sweets out from
his left pocket and putting these
in his mouth, before applying the
artificial substance to the ball
which the umpires viewed as an
attempt to change its condition,"
the ICC said in a statement.
Video evidence will be used
during the hearing held by match
referee Javagal Srinath which
will also be attended by the
match officials as well as mem‑
bers of the Sri Lanka team man‑
agement.
The Sri Lanka players had
taken to the field two hours after
the scheduled start of play on the
third day as a mark of protest.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) stoutly
defended the team, saying it
would defend any "unwarranted
allegation" against any player.
"The team management has
informed us that Sri Lankan play‑
ers have not engaged in any
wrongdoing during the ongoing
(2nd) Test match played between
Sri Lanka and West Indies," the
SLC said in a statement.
DEBUTANTS AFGHANISTAN
Bengaluru: India took full advan‑
tage of Afghanistan's inexperience
in red ball cricket, dismissing them
twice on the second day to romp
home by an innings and 262 runs in
the one‑of f Test at the M.
Chinnaswamy Stadium here.
India lived up to their billing as
the No.1 ranked Test side, by riding
on a collective team effort that saw
them posting a commanding 474 in
their first innings before the
bowlers joined the party to dismiss
the rookie visitors twice in two con‑
secutive sessions.
After being bowled out for a pal‑
try 109 in the first innings, the visi‑
tors were once again skittled out in
a single session for 103 in their sec‑
ond essay.
Left‑hander Hashmatullah Shahidi
(36 not out) waged a lone battle,
showing great resilience against a
disciplined Indian bowling unit but
Indian team members celebrate
the victory against Afghanistan
at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in
Bengaluru. (Photo: IANS)
failed to find support from the other
batsmen who still seem to be in the
T20 mould. Left‑arm spinner
Ravindra Jadeja (4/17) and pacer
Umesh Yadav (3/26) were the
wreckers‑in‑chief in the second
innings as the duo exposed the inex‑
perienced Afghan line‑up not once
but twice in the same day.
In the first innings, star off‑spin‑
ner Ravichandran Ashwin led from
the front with four wickets to bowl
Afghanistan out for a meagre 109,
the lowest total at the
Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Earlier, India rode on centuries
from Shikhar Dhawan (107) and
Murali Vijay (105) and fluent half
centuries from Lokesh Rahul (51)
and all‑rounder Hardik Pandya (71)
to post a commanding 474 in their
first innings. For Afghanistan, pacer
Yamin Ahmadzai was the pick of the
bowlers with three wickets while
fellow quick Wafadar and wrist
spinner Rashid Khan chipped in
with two wickets each.
 24 June 23-29, 2018
Indian flavours spicing up
World Cup in Moscow
Moscow: Restaurateurs Prodyut and
Sumana Mukherjee have not only
brought Indian flavours to the ongo‑
ing World Cup here but also plan to
dish out free dinner to countrymen
if Argentina wins the trophy on July
15. Based in Moscow for the last 27
years, Prodyut and Sumana run two
Indian eateries, "Talk Of The Town"
and "Fusion Plaza."
Both restaurants serve popular
Indian dishes like butter chicken,
kebabs and a varied vegetarian
spread.
During the World Cup, there will
be 25 per cent discount for those
who will possess a Fan ID (required
to watch World Cup games).
There will also be gifts and con‑
tests on offers during matches in
both the restaurants to celebrate the
event. The Mukherjees, hailing from
Kolkata, are diehard fans of
Argentina. Despite Albiceleste draw‑
ing 1‑1 with Iceland in their group
opener with Lionel Messi failing to
sparkle, they believe Jorge
Sampaoli's team can go the distance.
"I am an Argentina fan. I have
booked tickets for a quarterfinal
match, a semifinal and of course the
final. If Argentina goes on to lift the
trophy, I will invite all Indians who
have come here to watch the World
Cup for free dinner at both my
restaurants," Prodyut told IANS.
"We have been waiting for this
World Cup. Indians come in large
Millennials at diabetes,
cancer risk in middle age
London: Owing to stressful jobs
and relationships, millennials,
or those born between 1980s
and 2000, could be at a higher
risk of developing diabetes, can‑
cer, heart diseases, than their
parents, researchers say.
The study, commissioned by
British charity Health
Foundation, showed that people
currently in their 20s and 30s
will be at a higher risk of these
"lifestyle" diseases in 30 years'
time.
Despite public health meas‑
ures improving on the aspects
of smoking and alcohol use, mil‑
lenials are "losing ground" on
various important social and
environmental factors like
employment, relation, housing
etc, the Telegraph reported.
It also showed that insecure
work like zero‑hour contracts or
graduates working for non‑
graduate jobs may be associated
with higher instances of psycho‑
logical stress and can harm
their health, in later life.
"There are already signs that
An Indian restaurateur couple plans to dish out free dinner to countrymen
if Argentina wins trophy. (Image courtesy: dailyworld.in)
numbers during the World Cup and
we wanted these eateries to be a
melting point," he added.
According to Cutting Edge Events,
FIFA's official sales agency in India
for the 2018 World Cup, India is
amongst the top 10 countries in
terms of number of match tickets
bought. Prodyut came to Moscow to
study engineering and later started
working for a pharmaceutical com‑
pany here before trying his hand in
business. Besides running the two
restaurants with the help of his wife,
he was into the distribution of phar‑
maceutical products.
"After Russia won the first match
of the World Cup, the footfall has
gone up considerably. The Indians
are also flooding in after the 6‑9
p.m. game. That is the time both my
restaurants remain full," Prodyut
the gains made in improving the
health of previous generations
may well be eroded by the pre‑
cariousness and instability of
the lives many young people are
facing," the Telegraph quoted Jo
Bibby, policy director at Health
Foundation as saying.
The study included data from
2,000 participants, aged
between 22 and 26 who partici‑
pated in a survey.
The results showed that while
growing up, 31 per cent had
strong support networks, less
than a half reported having
financial and practical family
support and 49 per cent had
adequate emotional support
from their family.
Further, it also showed that 80
per cent of the participants
reported feeling pressurized by
social media to behave in cer‑
tain ways.
The social media platforms
may make the millenials tend to
nurture relationships digitally
too, the report said.
(IANS)
LIFESTYLE
said. There are also plans to rope in
registered fan clubs of Latin
American countries, who will throng
the restaurants during matches and
then follow it up with after‑game
parties till the wee hours. "I did get
in touch with some of the fan clubs I
had prior idea about. They agreed to
come over and celebrate the games
at our joints. Those will be gala
nights when both eateries will
remain open all night for them to
enjoy," Prodyut said. Watching the
World Cup is a dream come true for
the couple, Sumana said. "We want
to make the Indians who have come
here to witness the spectacle and
feel at home too. We always extend
a helping hand and since we are
Bengalees, we make special dishes
for those who come from Bengal,"
she added. (IANS)
LFW partners with ‘smartwater’ to support emerging talents
Mumbai: Lakme Fashion Week
(LFW), in association with US‑
based water brand smartwater,
has announced "The Platform", a
program conceptualized to identi‑
fy and mentor young and innova‑
tive designers who are willing to
push the boundaries of fashion
and create a new norm.
A progression for LFW from its
"Gen Next" designer search pro‑
gram, "The Platform" aims to lend
impetus to an alternative genre of
fashion ‑‑ unconventional, innova‑
tive and fearless, said a statement.
The winning designers will be
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Works by Picasso, Monet at
Christie's auction in London
London: Masterpieces by art vir‑
tuosos Pablo Picasso, Kazimir
Malevich and Claude Monet are a
part of an auction
at Christie's London
on June 20, the
auction house said.
Pablo Picasso's
rarely exhibited
"Femme dans un
fauteuil" (1942),
which depicts his
great muse of the
period Dora Maar,
the surrealist pho‑
tographer and
painter, will be
among this on auc‑
Pablo Picasso's rarely
exhibited "Femme dans un
tion.
fauteuil" is up for auction
Maar's presence
(Image : christies.com)
in Picasso's life,
from the moment they met in
1935 until the time their relation‑
ship ended around 1945, inspired
some of the greatest portraits of
the artist's prolific career. The
highly coveted painting was paint‑ Kazimir Malevich's "Landscape"
ed during the Second World War.
"It is a painting that has been
rarely exhibited having remained
in the artist's family for many
years," Christie's said in a state‑
ment. Another highlight of the
auction will be French impres‑
sionist Claude Monet's "La Gare
Saint‑Lazare, Vue exterieure"
(1877). A painting about a busy
railway station, it shows the com‑
mentored by India's prominent
fashion icons and get the opportu‑
nity to showcase their creativity at
the forthcoming edition of the
fashion gala, which will begin
here from August 22.
Anoop Manohar, General
Manager ‑ Marketing, Coca‑Cola
India said: "'The Platform' aims to
give an opportunity to a new gen‑
eration of designers who are will‑
ing to disrupt the conventional
norms of fashion through their
authentic and thought provoking
story‑based collections. "We hope
for this program to inspire design,
ing of a modern age of steam
trains and iron railway bridges in
the fast‑urbanizing city of Paris.
This painting is one
of the 12 canvases
painted by Monet
showing the Gare
Saint‑Lazare station.
"This superb
painting describes
Monet at his
impressionist best,
capturing in quick,
bold brushstrokes
the energy of met‑
ropolitan Paris as
described by the
sound and fury of
the glorious steam
trains as they left
the Gare Saint‑
Lazare on their journeys north‑
wards out of the city," Christie's
Global President Jussi Pylkkänen
said.
Russian avant‑garde artist
(1911) will also be auctioned.
It is a pure landscape painting
whose motif of peasant dwellings
surrounded by stylized treetops is
borrowed from Russian primitive
art, the auction house said.
The three paintings are high‑
lights of the Impressionist and
Modern Art Evening Sale at
Christie's, along with other art‑
works by noted artists.
not bound by the constraints of
stereotypes ‑ giving rise to a new
movement in the field of Indian
fashion. I am personally very
excited about this program and
looking forward to discover some
great talent through this initia‑
tive."
Based on smartwater's core
theme of 'Inspired by the clouds',
the winning collection or collec‑
tions will reflect the designers'
own interpretation of the theme
in the form of experimentation
with texture, fabric, shapes or
color that are inspired by clouds.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Can guru be greater than God?
By SATimes Team
K
abir was a level‑headed
saint‑poet, almost an icon‑
oclast, who cut through
much mumbo‑jumbo surrounding
religion and spirituality. So one
listens intently when he pro‑
claims, “Guru Gobind dono khade,
kake lagon paye, Balihari guru
aapne jin Gobind diyo milaye”
(Both God and Guru are standing
in front of me, who should I
prostate to? I choose the Guru, of
course, because I owe everything
to one who was instrumental in
my meeting God.)
Guru Gita goes one further, and
equates guru with God.
“Gurur Brahma gurur Vishnu
gurur Devo Maheshwarah, Guru
sakshat par Brahman tasmai shri
guruvai namnah”. (Guru is the cre‑
ator Brahma, Guru is the preserv‑
er Vishnu, as well as the destroyer
Siva. Guru is verily the Supreme
Spirit ̶ I offer my salutations to
this Guru.)
These days we often hear of a
marketing guru, a media guru,
and so on. But here, of course, we
are talking about guru as in spiri‑
tual teacher. In Sanskrit the sylla‑
ble ʻguʼ means shadows, and the
syllable ʻruʼ, one who disperses
them. So the guru can dispel the
darkness of ignorance and bring
us into the light of knowledge of
the True Self.
In simple terms, a guru is an
enlightened master who helps us
to tune in to the voice of God
within our hearts and silences the
voices of lust, anger, greed, envy,
illusion and madness. He helps us
to see the Lord within the hearts
of humans and other beings. The
guru does not tell us what to do
but clears the dust on the mirror
of our hearts so the reflection of
the Lord can shine through us.
Why do we need a guru? If you
want to learn mathematics or any
academic subject, you go to
school and learn from the teach‑
ers of those disciplines. If you
want to learn music, you go to a
music teacher. Similarly, to pursue
spirituality, you will progress
faster if you learn from a spiritual
teacher.
You may be wondering – can
one find a Satguru in America of
all places! Well, people living in
the New York metropolitan area
are now fortunate to be able to be
in the divine presence of an
enlightened master and perfect
Satguru, Brahmrishi Sri
Guruvanand Ji Swami. He is one
of the few living Satgurus who
have invoked all chakras of their
Kundalini. Says Prabha Bhandari,
International president (Women
wing), World Spiritual Forum: “I
still remember the day in June
2008. After many requests and
RELIGION June 23-29, 2018 25
prayers Gurudev had finally
accepted our request to visit New
York and blessed our home with
his divine presence. That was the NJ‑NY events
beginning of the journey that ulti‑ with Gurudev
mately gave hundreds of thou‑
The New Jersey event
sands people in dozens of coun‑
will be held at Hindu
tries outside of India the opportu‑
nity to get Gurudevʼs blessings. Community center in
“The circumstances under Kearny on June 30,
which my daughter and I were 2018 and the New
introduced to Gurudev seemed York event will be held
like a big coincidence then. So did at Hindu Temple
many other events that occurred Community Center in
over the past five years. It was as Flushing on July 1.
if my life was a big jigsaw puzzle.
Prasad (dinner) will be
However, with Gurudevʼs bless‑
served at both events.
ings, vision and guidance every‑
There is no charge for
thing came together and now Iʼm
in a state of inner peace.” any of the events.
Ujwala relates her experience To learn more and reg‑
thus: “Gurudev has transformed ister for these events,
my life in a very positive way. His please visit
teachings have taught me to not
GurujiUSAvisit.com, or
be fearful. We all experience a
call (917) 981‑0967 in
roller coaster ride when it comes
to emotions. However, Gurudev New Jersey or (516)
has taught me to accept things as 625‑0512 in New York.
they come my way, embrace Brahmrishi Sri Guruvanand Ji Swami is believed to be an enlightened master
and perfect Satguru who has invoked all chakras of his Kundalini.
them, and face the challenges, do
not be fearful. That has given me
a lot of strength and today I can
proudly say that I have developed
a positive attitude to face my chal‑
lenges. I know that Gurudev is
with me every step of the way to
hold my hand and guide me. I
have tremendous faith in him and
therefore I have totally surren‑
dered in his lotus feet. He has also
taught that happiness is not a des‑
tination, rather a journey and
enjoy every moment of the jour‑
ney and that is happiness.”
A youngster Swatanter Polce
rcounts, “I first met Guruji in
2014, since then Iʼve seen a
changes in my life. Gurujiʼs teach‑
ings have become part of my day
to day routine. His most influen‑
tial teaching ʻlive life with happi‑
ness, not for happinessʼ is a
reminder to always find the hap‑
piness and positives from within,
because when we are happy from
within, then only we can live life
to the fullest.”
For those who have not yet
come in contact with Sri
Guruvanand ji, he has made his
lifeʼs mission to help and guide us
all, irrespective of caste, creed or
religious belief, along the path he
has treaded. A disciple of revered
Yogiraj Devraha Baba, who lived
to the age of 250, Sri Guruvanand
Swami attained his spiritual pow‑
ers after 45 years of rigorous sad‑
hana. A renowned scholar of
Hinduism, Jainism and Indian phi‑
losophy, Guruji also has a deep
understanding of Christianity,
Islam, Sikhism, Jainism, and
Buddhism. So, he is able to
explain and relate the spiritual
process to the tradition a devotee
belongs to.
26 June 23-29, 2018 HERITAGE TheSouthAsianTimes.info

The Magic of Vedic Mathematics Part 19

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
The Visa Waiver Program (ESTA registration)
By Michael Phulwani, Esq.
& Dev B. Viswanath, Esq.
T
he Visa Waiver Program
(VWP) allows citizens of
38 countries to travel to
the U.S. for business or tourism
without obtaining a visa from a
US Consular Post or Embassy, for
usually up to 90 days. The pro‑
gram is run by the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) along
with the State Department. In
return, those 38 countries must
also allow U.S. citizens and
nationals to travel to their coun‑
tries for business or tourism pur‑
poses without a visa for a similar
length of time.
A foreign citizen must meet all
of the following requirements to
travel to the United States under
the VMP:
4Must be a citizen or national
of one of the qualifying 38 coun‑
tries. Some of the countries that
participate in the VMP are Italy,
Japan, The United Kingdom,
Spain, South Korea, Australia,
New Zealand, Singapore, and
Denmark.
4 Must have a valid Electronic
System for Travel Authorization
(ESTA). ESTA is a system man‑
TALK
aged by U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) to verify if the
foreign citizen is eligible to travel
under the VMP to the U.S. ESTA
is usually valid for two years and
must be updated if there are any
changes to your name, gender,
marital status, passport, country
of citizenship, and the “yes” or
“no” questions on the ESTA appli‑
cation.
4 Must have a passport that is
valid for at least 6 months after
the planned departure from the
U.S. Each foreign citizen must
have their own passport includ‑
ing children and infants.
4 Must have an e‑passport. An
e‑passport is a heightened securi‑
ty passport with an implanted
electronic chip. The chip is
scanned to match the identity of
the traveler to the passport. If a
foreign citizen is using an emer‑
gency or temporary passport to
travel to the U.S. on the VMP, the
passport must be an e‑passport.
IMMIGRATION
The program allows citizens of 38 countries (but not
India) to travel to the US for business or tourism without
obtaining a visa from a US Consular Post or Embassy.
Foreign citizens are allowed to
stay in the U.S. for up to ninety
days. The following are some
examples of activities that they
are allowed to participate while
in the U.S.
For business purposes
4 Confer with business asso‑
ciates,
4 Attend a scientific, educa‑
tional, professional, or busi‑
ness convention or confer‑
ence,
4 Negotiate a contract
4 For tourism purposes
4 Vacation
4 Visit friends and family
4 Medical treatment
4 Enroll in a short recreation‑
al course of study such as a
two‑day art class
Foreign citizens traveling to
the U.S. through the VWP are not
allowed to study for credit, work,
or maintain a permanent resi‑
dence in the U.S. If while in the
June 23-29, 2018 27
U.S. a foreign citizen would like while in the U.S. Moreover, VWP
to travel to Canada, Mexico, or a participants by accepting the
nearby island they may do so allowance or entrance into the
and are usually allowed to be United States waive their right to
readmitted to the U.S. under the see an Immigration Judge, in
VWP for the remainder of the most instances, if they are found
original 90 days granted from to have violated the terms of
their initial arrival to the U.S. their status.
Visitors through the VWP are not This is a fantastic mode of trav‑
allowed to extend their initial el ability for individuals from
stay in the U.S. and are not countries that are in these rela‑
allowed to change their status tionships with the United States.
Dev Banad Viswanath is the Principal
Attorney of The Banad Law Offices PC in the
United States, and Banad Immigration in
India for which Attorney Michael Phulwani is
also affiliated as Of Counsel. With Offices in
Manhattan, Queens, Bangalore, and Mumbai,
the firm is able to assist clients with all facets
of the immigration process, including
Employment Visas, Consular Visa Assistance,
Student Visas, Removal & Deportation, US
Citizenship and Green Card Applications
based on Family or Employment. Dev B.
Viswanath can be reached at
Dev@Banadlaw.com and 718‑361‑5999.
28 June 23-29, 2018 HUMOR TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Funny Side by Nury Vittachi

Amazing‑but‑true reports
from North Korea
(Image courtesy: dnaindia.com)

BEST
RATE
FOR
P
ity us poor reporters. This columnist not a real university, but a printer of fake
covered a North Korean election in degree certificates. When I want to inspire

INDIA the 1990s. There was only one can‑

didate! So for the first and only time in my
my children to think big, I remind them of
this fact. A fake degree obtained through the

AND life, I wrote a firm, confident prediction

about who would win an election.
Internet helped Kim Il‑Sung get to be a
world famous despot. You can achieve any‑

PAKISTAN I got it wrong.

The North Korean Electoral College dis‑
cussed the issue for hours and finally gave
the presidency to the corpse of the candi‑
New York Head Quarter date's father.
422‑S Broadway I felt sorry for the loser. It must really hurt
to be defeated by a decomposing pile of
HICKSVILLE organic matter. (Ask Hillary Clinton.)
NY 11801 Any way, in honor of the peace deal signed
by the leader of North Korea a few days ago,
516‑827‑1010 we look back today on news items this
columnist has featured about that country.
Some years ago, my colleague Nate Thayer
got into the Mausoleum of Kim Il‑sung and
found on the wall a framed PhD from
Kensington University of California. This is
thing with ambition, cunning and luck.
In 2011, Kim Jong‑un became leader of
North Korea and we started receiving
announcements that he would destroy the
United States, often accompanied by pic‑
tures of him looking through binoculars. We
wondered when someone would tell him
that a person on a beach in North Korea can‑
not see the US with binoculars.
In 2012, he launched a missile designed to
fly 2,000 kilometres over East Asia. But it
blew up not far from the launch base. The
following day, Kim Jong‑un said any country
which picked up debris would face "ruthless
retaliation". In other words, they would
launch another missile which would disinte‑
grate above its launch pad. Take that!
Also in 2012, Kim Jong‑un did a photo‑op

Laughter is the Best Medicine visiting a gym. He said workers should "take
exercise and receive medical treatment" so
that they can "devote themselves to revolu‑
tionary work in good health". No one
seemed to see the irony of the immense Mr
Kim, a lover of pizza, giving out fitness tips.
By Mahendra
In 2013, Kim Jong‑un released video
Shah taken in his missile launch center. Eagle‑
eyed viewers noticed his monitors were run‑
Mahendra Shah is ning the Windows Vista program. This was
an architect by worrying. Picture the scene. Hackers send a
virus to launch all the missiles at once. Kim's
education, entre-
tech head reaches for his computer to stop
preneur by
them. But the screen freezes and up pops a
profession, artist
message: "Keyboard not responding. Press
and humorist,
any key to continue."
cartoonist and
In the following years, many claims were
writer by hobby.
made that North Korean missiles could
He has been
reach the United States. But I was doubtful.
recording the
Their missiles could barely get out of North
plight of the immi-
Korea. The only way they could get them to
grant Indians for the US would have been to Fedex them.
the past many year In late 2016, North Korean government
in his cartoons. officials banned sarcastic comments against
Hailing from them. I found their official Internet address
Gujarat, and sent them a complimentary email:
he lives in "Great idea, you bunch of geniuses!"
Pittsburgh, I'm sure they were grateful.
Pennsylvania. Now if you'll excuse me I need to buy a
PhD from the Internet. You can achieve any‑
thing with ambition, cunning and luck.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info ASTROLOGY June 23-29, 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

JUNE 23‑29, 2018

ARIES: Some more time may be required
for you to get into the groove, so donʼt
lose patience. A job well done is likely to
bring you into the notice of those who matter
on the professional front. Money invested in a
lucrative scheme may start giving good
returns.
A hectic schedule is in store for you on the
social front. Keep travel plans open, as some
change is visualised. You will buy an item that
you wanted for long.
TAURUS: Tie things up properly at
work, if you are taking a break. You are
likely to take on more than you can
handle on the professional front and become
hard pressed for time. A dip in performance is
foreseen, as you risk becoming increasingly
error‑prone. A showdown with spouse cannot
be ruled out. A disappointing performance on
the academic front may lower your morale.
Love life is badly in need of resurrection, so
donʼt neglect it anymore.
GEMINI: If you are quick enough, you
will manage to salvage a situation
being faced by you. You may find your‑
self in the company of your near and dear
ones and make some exciting plans! Your
nature may seem irresistible to someone from
the opposite camp, so get ready to usher in
romance! Networking will help in getting good
placement on the academic front. Complete
the given task quickly, if you donʼt want to
face the music.
CANCER: You may have to forego
your rest and sleep to complete some‑
thing urgent. Money may come to you
as a gift or reward for something achieved. On
the academic front, you may find yourself in
hot water and get ʻscaldedʼ badly, if you donʼt
put your act together! Someone is likely to pip
you to the post in getting a promotion. Serious
dif ferences are envisaged on the romantic
front that threatens the re lat ionship.
Travelling at night seems risky.
LEO: This is a great time to renew old
contacts. You will get the opportunity
to exercise your initiative at work and
impress people who matter. Your excellent
performance on the academic front will be a
shot in the arm. Networking may come in
handy in getting out of a tight corner. You will
get all the help you need for organising some‑
thing on the social front. Lover is likely to
meet your romantic aspirations, so rejoice!
VIRGO: You may not be too keen to dis‑
tract yourself from the urgent task at
hand. Despite assurances, work
entrusted to someone on the professional
front may get delayed, so take precautionary
measures beforehand. Something difficult on
the academic front may require outside help,
so donʼt hesitate to take it. You may get tempt‑
ed to pry into someoneʼs personal life. Donʼt
indulge in comparisons, if you want your
romantic life to run smoothly. Resetting the
house is possible.
LIBRA: Some of you may set out on an
official tour. Your efficiency at work
will not let anything remain pending.
Appreciation for something successfully
accomplished on the academic front is possi‑
ble. You will be able to save a lot by being judi‑
cious in your spending. Those planning a fami‑
ly can expect good news. Check your mood
swings as they can upset others in the family.
Donʼt undertake a journey that has not been
properly planned.
SCORPIO: Some more ef fort is desir‑
able, if you want no comebacks. This is
the time to complete the work you had
been postponing for long. An evening out with
lover is foreseen, so donʼt forget to dress your
best! Clubbing leisure with business will help
lighten the load. Good planning will see you
complete a task at work in record time. Money
may come to you from unexpected sources. A
surprise gift from someone is likely to warm
your heart.
SAGITTARIUS: You are likely to put
your best foot forward on the social
front. A challenging situation on the
financial front is likely to arise, but will be
handled competently. Good networking will be
of help on the professional front, so get down
to refreshing old contacts. Getting an expected
outcome on the academic front will seem like
a godsend and boost your morale. Be upfront
with lover about your past, before catches up
with you!
CAPRICORN: Cooperation is the key,
especially on the social front. Your
worst fears are likely to be realised on
the professional front. A family youngsterʼs
performance on the academic front may disap‑
point you. Donʼt be hasty in investing in what‑
ever scheme is on offer, as you can end up los‑
ing money. You may eat something that does
not agree with your system and suffer. Love
life remains satisfactory. Cater to the weather,
if undertaking a journey.
AQUARIUS: A dream you had har‑
boured for long is about to be
realised. This is an excellent week
that promises to boost your image both on the
social and professional fronts. Winning a
lucrative deal on the business front is indicat‑
ed and will help in furthering your interests. It
is not a bad idea to invest in gold or jewellery,
as handsome returns are assured. Back
arrears are likely to materialise for some and
make their bank balance healthy.
PISCES: It may not be in the fitness of
things to corner someone on a trivial
issue, so give a rethought. An opportu‑
nity you had been desperate for may materi‑
alise now. Arriving late for work is possible,
but donʼt be hasty on the road. You may be
forced to cancel something important on
health account, so take care. A trivial issue
may become a source of irritation. Unexpected
expenses not catered for in the budget can
dent you financially.

23rd June, 2018
Traits in you: As you are ruled by
Venus, you are simple, generous, cheerful,
friendly, humble, honest and peace loving.
You are pretty interested to stay in har‑
mony with each and everyone in your sur‑
roundings. You need to work on your
nature of being restless and pessimistic.
Health this year: Your health will remain
fine but the fluctuations in the health of
your spouse may create huge problems for
you. You should take care of the health of
yourself as well as your family members to
avoid future health problems.
Finance this year: You will be among
major financial gains this year. You may
go for a real estate transaction later this
year and this will bring you a lot of
money to cherish. You may start up a new
business. If you are already into business,
you may plan for expanding its territory
this year.
Career this year: You will get enough
opportunities in your professional life to
prove yourself. You will create a better
impression on your seniors or higher
management, which may result in promo‑
tion. You should work efficiently to main‑
tain your respect at your workspace.
Romance this year: Your romantic life
will become stagnant this year as you
may not give enough time to your
beloved. If you are unmarried and plan‑
ning to marry this year, it may not hap‑
pen because of the negative movements
of your stars and planets.
24th June, 2018
Traits in you: As you are ruled by
Venus, you are simple, generous, cheerful,
friendly, humble, honest and peace loving.
You are pretty interested to stay in har‑
mony with each and everyone in your sur‑
roundings. You need to work on your
nature of being restless and pessimistic.
Health this year: You may enjoy a great
health this year. However, that does not
mean you will start neglecting your
health. You need to take care of your diet
and nutrition to maintain a good health.
You may practice some exercises to
remain fit.
Finance this year: You 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
ANNUAL PREDICTIONS: FOR THOSE BORN IN THIS WEEK
you a bit financially weak. You may go for
new business ventures but need not get
involved in any partnerships.
Career this year: As far as your profes‑
sional life is concerned you may find your
job a bit monotonous. You need to go for
innovative ideas to get better in your pro‑
fession.
Your decision making capacity may
make you the favorite to win an award in
your professional circuit.
Romance this year: You will spend a
peaceful life with your love interest this
year. You will lead a blissful life with your
beloved with lots of love, care, concern,
and support.
25th June, 2018
Traits in you: As your governing planet
is Neptune, you are simple, dignified,
unique, charismatic, reliable, trustworthy
and confident. You have a great leader‑
ship skill and you are very creative. You
should not be pessimistic and show your
stubbornness.
Health this year: Though you would not
face any major health related issues, you
should take extra care of your health. Do
not take unwanted risk of putting your
health in stake. Go for regular medical
checkups.
Finance this year: Though you will be
able to improve your financial status, you
may end up spending a lot of money in
buying luxury and comfort for yourself
and your family. You may put your money
in real estate for better returns.
Career this year: Professionally, you are
a very smart and efficient worker. So you
may need to clarify doubts and help you
peers and juniors in their work. People in
your professional circuit will seek your
help at every crucial situation. You may
get promoted as a result of your spectacu‑
lar performance throughout the year. You
may be assigned a new responsibility this
year. You may go for a job change as well
as there will be plenty of opportunities
available.
Romance this year: This is a quite good
year for women when romance is con‑
cerned. You will enjoy a very strong rela‑
tionship with your spouse. You may
decide to get married towards the end of
the year.
26th June, 2018
Traits in you: Your governing planet
Saturn makes you confident, unique, cre‑
ative, dynamic, and intelligent. You are
determined enough to perform any task
assigned to you. So you always remain a
step ahead from others. Along all your
good characteristics, you have few nega‑
tive characters as well. You need to work
on your unreliability, insensitiveness, and
selfishness.
Health this year: You should take your
prescribed medication in spite of a better
health. The health of your parents may
make you a worried person. You will
remain fit and fine throughout this year.
However, the health issues of your family
members may put you in immense pres‑
sure. You need to secure the health of
your family member by investing some
money every year.
Finance this year: Your financial condi‑
tion will be pretty good as the movements
of your stars are favorable for making
money this year. You may go for any
investment on real estate or gold. Do not
trust anyone when partnerships are con‑
cerned. You should not lend or borrow
money as it will create disputes.
Career this year: You will be establish‑
ing yourself as a very efficient and impor‑
tant resource in your organization this
year. Your performance will influence
your peers, seniors and higher manage‑
ment. It is the best time to look out for a
new job as it will help you grow both pro‑
fessionally and financially.
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 distance grow. Get
some time to talk to your spouse. You may
plan a long trip with your partner to
strengthen your relationship.
27th June, 2018
Traits in you: Your ruling planet Mars
makes you strong, determined, coura‑
geous, enthusiastic, intelligent, ambitious,
and motivated. You have a strong dislike
towards fake people and fake emotions.
You are a huge fan of truth and cleanli‑
ness. You need to work on your nature of
showing dictatorship and being rude and
stubborn at times.
Health this year: Your health would
remain very good this year. However, you
need to go for regular yoga exercises. You
should not ignore your healthy diet plan
to remain in shape. Go for regular medical
checkups to avoid any hiccups further.
Finance this year: You may go for a
property transaction this year and this
will bring you a lot of money. You need to
be decisive to invest on real estate or gold
as there are risks involved. Do not trust
any of your new partners as they may
cheat you. You may spend enough money
on buying a vehicle or renovating your
property.
Career this year: With an enhanced
confidence and brushed up skills, you will
become very successful professionally.
You will do justice to the role assigned to
you. You may get promotion or a hike in
your current salary. If you are in creativi‑
ty field, this year will bring you much
more success and recognition.
Romance this year: Your relationship
with your partner or beloved will be
strengthened as day passes. You may
decide to get married this year if you are
in a long term relationship.
28th June, 2018
Traits in you: Due to the positive effects
of your ruling planet Sun, you will have
the characteristics of a good human
being. By nature, you are accountable,
unique, courageous, committed, competi‑
tive, coordinated and intelligent. You
should work on your negative personality
traits such as selfishness, dependency and
pessimism.
Health this year: You will enjoy a good
health throughout this year but provided
you go for regular medical checkups and
take proper medication prescribed by the
doctor.
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 prof‑
itable this year.
Career this year: You will enjoy a good
professional atmosphere this year. You
will be appreciated by your seniors and
higher management. This may bring you
promotions and salary hike. You need to
concentrate more on your work to get a
better position in your profession. You
may go for a job change this year.
However, you should not decide anything
hastily.
Romance this year: You will share a
good relationship with your spouse. You
may decide to turn your relationship into
marriage if you are not married yet.
However, you need to understand your
beloved and provide the required emo‑
tional support for the betterment of your
relationship.
29th June, 2018
Traits in you: As you are under the
influence of the Moon, you are generous,
courteous, caring, cooperative, decisive,
and determined. Being a very friendly
person, you make friends easily and you
believe in loyalty for friends. You should
not behave stubborn and dishonest at
times for the betterment of your person‑
ality.
Health this year: You will enjoy a pretty
good health this year though you may go
through few minor diseases. Go for regu‑
lar 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 further dis‑
turbances.
Finance this year: You will be fortunate
enough this year to be among financial
gains. All you need to do is to grab oppor‑
tunities to earn money. You will find plen‑
ty of earning opportunities around you.
However, you have to work hard to gain
that money. Overall, this year will give
you financial stability and security.
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 another com‑
pany.
Romance this year: You may get some
good news from your spouse or partner
later this week. This will make your rela‑
tionship grow stronger. You may have to
travel to distant places to spend time
youʼre your partner and maintain a good
relationship.
30 June 23-29, 2018
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
M
ysticism, rightly under‑
stood, is the most univer‑
sal and fundamental
approach to achieving an integrat‑
ed and fulfilling life. In a world
that has made such remarkable
scientific and material progress,
the challenge before us, individu‑
ally and collectively, is to make
similarly spectacular progress in
the spiritual sphere.
Each of us is allotted a limited
amount of time on earth. During
this time we have a unique oppor‑
tunity to investigate the purpose
for which we were born and try to
understand the meaning of life
itself.
The desire to know and under‑
stand things seems to be innate in
human beings. Scient ists are
engaged in this pursuit, but the
tools they use are limited to those
that are physical and intellectual.
Theory vs. Practice
The true heart of the spiritual teachings is in
the practice. It is not enough to know what
others have said about it. It is essential that
we have our own firsthand experience of
spirituality. That can be accomplished
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Mysticism, the science that
injects life with peace and joy
Over the years, saints and mystics
have unraveled the mysteries of
life and death and have discov‑
ered that complete understanding
could only be gained at the spiri‑
tual level. Because the spiritual
pursuit deals with realms of expe‑
rience that ultimately transcend
that which is physical and mental,
it seems mysterious. That is why
this approach came to be known
as mysticism.
Mysticism, however, is a science
that injects life with understand‑
ing, joy, peace, and love. It is a
practical approach to living that
enriches our inner life and enrich‑
es our relationships with others.
The basic premise of mysticism is
that each of us, in reality, is a soul
inhabiting a physical body for a
rather short period of time. It may
be twenty, forty, sixty, eighty, or
even a hundred years, but in the
not too distant future, each of us
will die and leave this world.
Where did our soul come from
before we entered this world?
Where will it go after we leave
here? What is the purpose of this
world, and of life itself? These
questions are fundamental to
understanding our human exis‑
tence.
The mystics are those enlight‑
ened individuals who have
searched and found the answers
to these questions. They tell us
that the purpose of our life is to
reunite our soul with its Creator,
and they of fer to teach us a
method by which we can do so.
Throughout the ages many meth‑
ods have been taught to achieve
this union, but in our contempo‑
rary world, we need an approach
that takes into account the reali‑
t ies of mo dern life. Such an
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
approach to mysticism of fers
unlimited opportunit ies for
improving our lives and improv‑
ing the lives of people throughout
the globe.
T he beginning of our soulʼs
journey is the contact with the
Light and Sound of God. The Light
and Sound current flows out from
God, but it also flows back to God.
We can catch this current at the
point of the third or single eye.
T hat is the connect ing point
between our soul in the body and
the Light and Sound current ema‑
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
O
nce the great writer Mark
Twain was having a dis‑
cussion with a business‑
man who was known for being
aggressive and ruthless in his
dealings with others.
The businessman said to the
writer, "Before I die I would like to
make a pilgrimage to the Holy
Land and climb to the top of
Mount Sinai to read the Ten
Commandments aloud at the top."
Mark Twain quickly replied, "I
have a better idea. Rather than go
to Mount Sinai where Moses was
given the Ten Commandments,
why donʼt you just stay home here
in Boston and practice the Ten
Commandments in your life!"
This humorous comment carries
a significant meaning. Many of us
read the Commandments or
advice given by the great saints in
the scriptures. Many of us are
happy even to preach what our
holy books say. But how many of
us live up to the teachings we fol‑
low?
T here is a big dif ference
between knowing the theory and
practicing it. It is not enough to
read the books or scriptures and
know the theory. We need to live
nating from the Creator. If we can
concentrate our attention at that
point, we can soar on it back
through the higher regions of
existence. The current will ulti‑
mately lead us to our primary
Source, back to the Lord.
The method is simple. As we
gaze within, we transcend aware‑
ness of body‑consciousness into
realms of Light and Sound within.
As we continue this process we
will prove to ourselves that there
is Light and Sound beyond, that
we can exist separately from the
physical body, and that there are
higher realms of divine conscious‑
ness. The test is to prove it to our‑
selves. Those who spend time
daily in this process have had suc‑
cess in proving the hypothesis
that there is an existence beyond
this world.
T hroug h meditat ion on the
inner Light and Sound we can
achieve the peace, harmony, love,
and bliss that we so desperately
seek, and we can be a part of an
ever‑increasing group of people
who are spreading peace and
human unity throug hout the
world.
(For more visit www.sos.org)
up to them in our own lives. If we
learn a method of meditation and
instructions for progress, that is
not enough; we have to actually
practice it.
The true heart of the spiritual
teachings is in the practice. It is
not enough to know what others
have said about it. It is essential
that we have our own firsthand
experience of spirituality. That
can be accomplished when we sit
in meditation.
Progress is a matter of accuracy.
We can become accurate only by
practice. Practice makes perfect. If
we expect to sit in meditation
once or twice in our life and
accomplish spiritual progress, we
are being unrealistic. We need to
practice daily.
It is said that if we take one step
toward God, God will take a hun‑
dred steps toward us. The time we
spend in meditation will be richly
rewarded.
Instead of merely reading the
Ten Commandments, live them. If
we do our meditations and lead
ethical lives, observing the virtues
of nonviolence, truthfulness, puri‑
ty, humility, selfless service, and
love for all, we will be blessed with
inner vision. We will have the
proof for ourselves of the exis‑
tence of our soul and God.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info June 23-29, 2018
TheSouthAsianTimes.info June 23-29, 2018